Hong Kong: Christopher Hui promotes DC poll

Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury Christopher Hui

The seventh District Council (DC) Ordinary Election will be held on December 10. This is the first large-scale citywide election following improvements to the district governance system and reforms to our DCs. It is of utmost importance to the steadfast and successful implementation of one country, two systems, good governance in Hong Kong, as well as providing a better living environment for people to live and thrive.

DCs work is relevant to each and every member of our community. They play the role of complementing the Government and assist us in better feeling the pulse of the community, so that the Government can have more effective planning of district services. The new DCs will focus their attention on livelihood issues, reflect the communitys views to the Government, suggest corresponding measures and assist the Government in implementing district policies. The Financial Services & the Treasury Bureau has all along been actively working with our financial regulators and industry players to promote the long-term development of our financial industry. We will definitely count on your participation in this landmark election!

The polling hours for the upcoming DC geographical constituencies are between 8.30am and 10.30pm on December 10. I appeal to you as well as your family members to fulfil the civic responsibility by casting your vote and picking your preferred candidate to build a better community together.

Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury Christopher Hui wrote this open letter and posted it on his blog on November 23.

This story has been published on: 2023-11-23. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
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Hundreds of youngsters start the mile-long youth race Thursday morning during the 26th Fox and Turkey Run in downtown Batavia. The event also included an all-ages four-mile race later. (David Sharos/The Beacon-News)

For some, the morning of Thanksgiving includes a ritual beyond trussing up the turkey and getting casseroles ready for the oven.

Ryan Donaldson of Geneva always likes to go for a run to make room for whats coming later.

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This is all about burning some calories so I can pound on the turkey later, absolutely, Donaldson said Thursday morning at the 26th Fox and Turkey Run in downtown Batavia. This will probably burn about 1,200 calories so it allows me to ingest about 4,000 calories later today. The pain is worth the gain  earning that extra piece of pie.

The Fox and Turkey Run began with a one-mile youth race at 7:30 a.m., followed by the all-ages four-mile race that started at 8:15 a.m.

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Organizers said the event is a popular one among runners in the area.

Three days before the race, we were tracking more than 10% over what we had last year and we usually get around 2,100 runners, said Scott Dutton, 55, of Geneva, who serves as president of the Fox River Trail Runners group that hosts and manages the race. We were picking up another 60 or 70 a day as the race got closer. In terms of runners, most people come from around the Aurora and Elgin areas, but we have people from Florida this year and a couple of Canadians.

A special award awaited one runner who traveled the farthest distance to be here, Dutton said.

This year Im giving a pie away to the person that has come the farthest which is someone from Cambridge in the United Kingdom, he said.

Regular race awards were given for the top three male and female winners as well as the top three males and females in over a dozen age groups.

Ryan Donaldson of Geneva came to Batavia Thursday morning to participate in the 26th Fox and Turkey Run that raised money for the Batavia Interfaith Food Pantry. (David Sharos/The Beacon-News)

The races charity partner was once again the Batavia Interfaith Food Pantry, which received a large bump in donations last year from the event.

Last year, we had almost a record on revenue, Dutton said. We donate $5 for every race participant for the four-mile race which is why our numbers got bigger last year. Between what we donated to the food pantry, plus what people who registered gave as donations, we donated $16,000 last year. Were pretty proud that we actually put our money where our mouth is.

Eileen Pasero, executive director of the Batavia Interfaith Food Pantry, spoke before the race and acknowledged the continued support we have received from the Thanksgiving event.

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We are so grateful for the support from the Fox River Trail Runners and it has been a really great partnership weve had with them, Pasero said. We do encourage a lot of our board members and volunteers to help out with packets and distribute water and T-shirts. Over the years, the donations to our organization have been substantial.

Organizers said the number of runners this year reached 2,200, including Mary Kate Ternberg of Geneva, who said she has run the race before and that she always wear a rainbow tutu when I run.

Mary Kate Ternberg of Geneva on Thursday shows off the tutu she said she always wears while running in the Fox and Turkey Run in downtown Batavia. (David Sharos/The Beacon-News)

It takes some bravery but I love it, she said about her outfit. Running this race is totally about making room for more turkey afterward, of course. You have to earn those calories and that wine. I run with the Fox River Trail Runners and the strategy is slow and steady, just finish. This is a tradition about packing it on later and you dont feel as guilty about it.

There were also plenty of youngsters and their parents on hand for the 7:30 a.m. race including Teri Potter of Campton Hills who brought her son Dean Potter, 9, for his first fun run.

I run races at school but this is my first time outside of that, Dean said, adding that he ate an egg sandwich before coming to the race. As far as the run Im going to pace myself and make sure I have something left.

Abby McFadden of Geneva brought her son Connor, 11, who was racing for the first time.

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This is the first time we came. My son did a 5K in October and we found out about this and decided to try it Thanksgiving morning,McFadden said. I hope there is some transfer of Connor running and giving me some more room for turkey afterward  lets hope so. If that works, Im going to have him running every day.

David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
EU approves 900M in aid for Hungary to lift veto on 18B military and recovery funds for Ukraine

The European Union executive approved the allocation of 900 million euros ($982 million) in advance payments to Hungary as part of the previously frozen share of the country's recovery fund, Reuters reported on Nov. 23.

With this step, the bloc is trying to overcome Budapest's veto on aid to Ukraine.

The European Commission had previously suspended Hungary's access to the EU's post-pandemic economic stimulus due to signs of corruption and violations of democratic principles during the term of Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Hungarian PM Viktor Orban sent a letter to European Council President Charles Michel on Nov. 22 demanding a review of the strategy to support Ukraine. Otherwise, Hungary threatened to block new tranches and Ukraine's future accession to the bloc.

Earlier, Budapest issued threats to block the payment of the planned 50 billion euros ($54.5 billion) in aid to Ukraine. Orban also threatened to block 500 million euros ($545 million) of planned military aid and veto a future decision to start negotiations on Kyiv's accession to the EU.

Read also: Hungary calls for strategic debate on EUs policy towards Ukraine

The European Commission recommended on Nov. 8 to begin negotiations on Ukraine and Moldova's accession to the EU.

Afterward, Orban said that the European Union should not start negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the bloc, emphasizing that this was Hungary's "clear stance."

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto also claims that Ukraine "will bring war to the European Union," so the country is "not yet suitable for EU membership."

Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksiy Danilov says that Ukraine is ready to compromise with Hungary to join the EU.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on Nov. 21 he does not consider Hungary's position on Ukraine's accession to the EU a global problem.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
(Bloomberg) -- The European Union is finalizing a decision to release as much as 1 billion ($1.1 billion) in EU funds for Hungary just as Prime Minister Viktor Orban is stepping up his attacks against the bloc and threatens to derail aid to Ukraine.

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The European Commission, the EUs executive arm, is concluding its assessment of Budapests amended post-pandemic recovery plan to address the energy crunch triggered by Russias invasion of Ukraine, according to people familiar with the matter.

Once the expected decision is approved by EU finance ministers, the Hungarian government could access as much as 20% of the additional 3.9 billion in loans and 700 million in grants requested to finance its REPowerEU chapter, the people said. They asked not to be named because the talks are private. The amount of funds released would likely amount to 920 million.

A spokesperson for the EUs executive didnt immediately respond to a request for comment.

The forint rose 0.4% against the euro on Thursday morning, the second-biggest gain among emerging-market currencies tracked by Bloomberg, after having depreciated for much of the past week.

Even when the non-conditional pre-payment goes through, the release of a much bigger portion of blocked funds remains contingent on other conditions including judiciary reform, the fight against corruption and the strengthening of audit and control systems.

The relationship with the EU remains fraught after Orban launched a billboard campaign portraying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as a puppet of Alex Soros, the son of Hungarian-born US financier George Soros. Hungarys prime minister is also seeking sweeping powers to root out what his proposed legislation describes as foreign efforts to influence politics.

The commission is assessing the scope, competences and implications of the proposed Sovereign Protection Agency, the people said.

Orban also continues to question some of the blocs decisions on migration and has called for a comprehensive discussion about the effectiveness and sustainability of the EUs existing strategy toward Ukraine, which he has described as ineffective, they said.

The commissions approval would come against the backdrop of a long-running legal battle over Hungarys democratic backsliding. The EU last year suspended more than $30 billion of Budapests funding due to rule of law and graft concerns, money that Orban is seeking to access after a prolonged recession and a budget crunch.

Around 13 billion euros of the funds suspended over concerns about the independence of judges may still be unlocked by the end of the year, the people said. The EUs executive and the government in Brussels are discussing the details and the implementation of a judicial reform approved early this year.

--With assistance from Zoltan Simon.

(Updates with currency move in fifth paragraph and more detail throughout.)

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Charles Michel, the President of the European Council, believes that the EU should continue to support Ukraine with weapons and has noted Ukraine's successes in the Black Sea and on the left bank of the Dnipro River.

Source: Michel, in an interview with the Kyiv Independent, reported by European Pravda

Details: The European Council president cited two examples that, in his opinion, disprove the claim that Ukraine's counteroffensive has "failed".

"Firstly, how the Ukrainian Army made huge progress in the Black Sea is extremely important. This is a major step in the right direction. Secondly, the recent progress made on the left side of the Dnipro River is also very important," he said.

Michel added that the EU should support Ukraine militarily, both by training Ukrainian servicemen and by supplying weapons.

"The current situation shows that we need to speed up and ramp up our production to support Ukraine. And also because in the future, we understand that the EU, which is a very strong economic actor, is very strong and powerful in terms of spreading common standards and internal norms across the world," the European official added.

Background:

This week, Charles Michel, the President of the European Council, visited Ukraine on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Revolution of Dignity.

During the visit, he promised to do everything possible so that Ukraine and Moldova receive a decision on the start of negotiations on joining the EU by the end of the year.

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Geert Wilders believes his victorious Freedom Party can no longer be ignored - SEM VAN DER WAL/EPA-EFE/SHUTTERSTOCK

Eurosceptic leaders rejoiced on Thursday as firebrand anti-Islam leader Geert Wilders secured a shock victory in the Dutch elections.

The populist and often extreme Right-winger said he was ready to govern after his Freedom Party (PVV) won 37 seats in the ballot. This was hailed as a game-changer ahead of next years European elections.

This is the most beautiful day of my political life, Mr Wilders, 60, added.

The so-called monsterzege  or monster victory  came on the back of a campaign calling for a Nexit referendum, the closure of borders and zero asylum seekers, at a time of surging migrant arrivals to Europe and the highest numbers in the Netherlands for 20 years.

It was seen as the latest attempt by European voters to punish mainstream political parties for their failure to address anger over migration, the cost of living and net zero climate ambitions.

The issues are likely to be the main battlegrounds fought on as Europe prepares for a fight between nationalist and traditional pro-Brussels politicians in the forthcoming European parliamentary elections.

Having failed to secure a majority, Mr Wilders must now attempt to construct a Right-wing coalition to form a government.

Despite having topped the polls, he suggested his Freedom Party could enter the government as a junior partner.

It will happen that the PVV will enter the cabinet, he said.

Geert Wilders, centre, casts his ballot in The Hague on Wednesday - MIKE CORDER/AP

Frans Timmermans, the socialist leader and former EU commissioner, dubbed the blocs climate pope for his work on green issues, took second place, with 25 MPs.

I suspect we will end up in opposition, he conceded.

Mr Wilders is a veteran Eurosceptic, standing on his flagship policy to hold a referendum to remove the Netherlands from the EU.

The victory was celebrated by fellow hard-Right European leaders, who were buoyed by another major European government being brought under the control of a like-minded leader.

Unlike the UK, the Netherlands has the euro and a fully integrated land border with the bloc, meaning it is unlikely to ever leave.

The winds of change are here! Congratulations Geert Wilders on winning the Dutch elections, Viktor Orban, Hungarys prime minister, who is battling against the EUs migration policy, said.

Many people in Western Europe would give half their lives if they could have a country without illegal migrants again, he added.

Marine Le Pen, the leader of Frances far-Right Rassemblement National, said: It is because there are people who refuse to see the national torch extinguished that the hope for change remains alive in Europe.

A new Europe is possible, said Matteo Salvini, the deputy prime minister of Italy, who leads a pan-EU alliance of hard-Right parties in the European Parliament.

Santiago Abascal, the leader of Spains Vox, said: More and more Europeans demand in the streets and at the polls that their nations, their borders and their rights be defended.

Everywhere in Europe, we see the same Right-wing blowing. Its time for change, said Tom van Grieken of Belgiums nationalist Vlaams Belang.

The European Commission said it was not worried about a possible Nexit, with a spokesman saying Brussels continues to count on a strong Dutch role in the EU.

Mosques, Korans and Islamic schools

As his campaign built steam, Mr Wilders dropped manifesto pledges to ban mosques, the Koran and Islamic schools in the hope of finally entering government after 25 years as a backbench MP.

I understand very well that parties do not want to be in a government with a party that wants unconstitutional measures. We are not going to talk about mosques, Korans and Islamic schools, he said.

Dilan Yesilgoz, 46, the leader of the conservative VVD, which has led governments since 2010, said she would not entertain entering a coalition with Mr Wilders until consulting her party members.

I dont see Wilders becoming prime minister because I dont see him being able to form a majority, she said. Now its his turn to show if he can do that.

She denied responsibility for his election victory after not ruling out a coalition government in the build-up to the vote.

The VVD said it was prepared to enter into a coalition with Mr Wilders as long as he is not prime minister, with a possible majority found with Peter Omzigts New Social Contract, which secured 20 seats.

The Netherlands will have to be governed, and we are available for that, Mr Omzigt said.

Caroline van der Plas, the leader of the BBB, the Dutch farmers party, said she would like to enter a coalition with Mr Wilders, provided Geert moves along a bit.

She said he would have to stick to his promise to be more moderate.

his fellow populist added that Mr Wilderss manifesto calls for Nexit, which would deny farmers EU agricultural subsidies, and a ban on the Koran were impossible and unfeasible.

Still, his victory prompted widespread concern because of his history as an anti-Islam firebrand.

This feels like my 9/11, Abdellah Dami, a Moroccan-Dutch journalist and writer, said at a rally of Denk supporters - the Left-leaning party representing Dutch citizens with immigrant origins.

One million Dutch Muslims are being deported and there is a lot of fear about that, Stephan van Baarle, the Denk leader, said after winning three seats in parliament.

A racist party has won the Dutch elections, said Amnesty.

We find it unacceptable that the Netherlands is in danger of being governed by a party that excludes people, said the Dutch Refugee Foundation.

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FILE PHOTO: U.S. Senate Majority Leader Schumer hosts tech leaders and experts at AI forum at the U.S. Capitol in Washington

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Senate Majority Leader Schumer hosts tech leaders and experts at AI forum at the U.S. Capitol in Washington

By Anna Tong, Jeffrey Dastin and Krystal Hu

(Reuters) -Ahead of OpenAI CEO Sam Altmans four days in exile, several staff researchers wrote a letter to the board of directors warning of a powerful artificial intelligence discovery that they said could threaten humanity, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The previously unreported letter and AI algorithm were key developments before the board's ouster of Altman, the poster child of generative AI, the two sources said. Prior to his triumphant return late Tuesday, more than 700 employees had threatened to quit and join backer Microsoft in solidarity with their fired leader.

The sources cited the letter as one factor among a longer list of grievances by the board leading to Altman's firing, among which were concerns over commercializing advances before understanding the consequences. Reuters was unable to review a copy of the letter. The staff who wrote the letter did not respond to requests for comment.

After being contacted by Reuters, OpenAI, which declined to comment, acknowledged in an internal message to staffers a project called Q* and a letter to the board before the weekend's events, one of the people said. An OpenAI spokesperson said that the message, sent by long-time executive Mira Murati, alerted staff to certain media stories without commenting on their accuracy.

Some at OpenAI believe Q* (pronounced Q-Star) could be a breakthrough in the startup's search for what's known as artificial general intelligence (AGI), one of the people told Reuters. OpenAI defines AGI as autonomous systems that surpass humans in most economically valuable tasks.

Given vast computing resources, the new model was able to solve certain mathematical problems, the person said on condition of anonymity because the individual was not authorized to speak on behalf of the company. Though only performing math on the level of grade-school students, acing such tests made researchers very optimistic about Q*s future success, the source said.

Reuters could not independently verify the capabilities of Q* claimed by the researchers.

'VEIL OF IGNORANCE'

Researchers consider math to be a frontier of generative AI development. Currently, generative AI is good at writing and language translation by statistically predicting the next word, and answers to the same question can vary widely. But conquering the ability to do math  where there is only one right answer  implies AI would have greater reasoning capabilities resembling human intelligence. This could be applied to novel scientific research, for instance, AI researchers believe.

Unlike a calculator that can solve a limited number of operations, AGI can generalize, learn and comprehend.

In their letter to the board, researchers flagged AIs prowess and potential danger, the sources said without specifying the exact safety concerns noted in the letter. There has long been discussion among computer scientists about the danger posed by highly intelligent machines, for instance if they might decide that the destruction of humanity was in their interest.

Researchers have also flagged work by an "AI scientist" team, the existence of which multiple sources confirmed. The group, formed by combining earlier "Code Gen" and "Math Gen" teams, was exploring how to optimize existing AI models to improve their reasoning and eventually perform scientific work, one of the people said.

Altman led efforts to make ChatGPT one of the fastest growing software applications in history and drew investment - and computing resources - necessary from Microsoft to get closer to AGI.

In addition to announcing a slew of new tools in a demonstration this month, Altman last week teased at a summit of world leaders in San Francisco that he believed major advances were in sight.

"Four times now in the history of OpenAI, the most recent time was just in the last couple weeks, I've gotten to be in the room, when we sort of push the veil of ignorance back and the frontier of discovery forward, and getting to do that is the professional honor of a lifetime," he said at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.

A day later, the board fired Altman.

(Anna Tong and Jeffrey Dastin in San Francisco and Krystal Hu in New York; Editing by Kenneth Li and Lisa Shumaker)
The stepbrother of Ruslan Gabbasov, an exiled Bashkir independence activist, has been detained by Russian security services and is being effectively held hostage, Gabbasov said on social media on November 23.

"It just became known that a search was carried out in the house of my brother (the father of three young children), and he was taken away," Gabbasov said.

A few hours later, Gabbasov posted an update, that a criminal case had been opened against his relative under the crime of "extremism."

Gabbasov heard "that the security officers had set the following condition: if I return to Russia, they will release him; if not, they will imprison him."

"My brother has never participated in political life, has never been in the opposition, he is an ordinary decent family man," Gabbasov said.

Gabbasov fled Russia in 2021 after being persecuted for advocating for the independence of the Republic of Bashkortostan, a mineral-rich territory located near the Ural mountains.

He was granted political asylum in Lithuania in April 2022.

The Russian authorities placed Gabbasov on the state list of "foreign agents" in 2022, and in 2023 on a state list of terrorists and extremists.

Russias "foreign agents" registry has been widely used to target and silence groups and individuals who are critical of the government, including independent journalists, activists, and NGOs.

Gabbasov now leads the Committee of the Bashkir National Movement Abroad.

The organization announced in September the creation of a "liberation army" for the Republic of Bashkortostan that will operate subordinate to the command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces until the end of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Addressing the security services who detained his brother, Gabbasov said that they are mistaken to "think that this will always last."

"This regime will fall sooner or later and you will have to answer for everything."

Read also: Kremlin labels Moscow Times foreign agent

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Geert Wilders's far-right Party for Freedom (PVV) is set to win the Dutch parliamentary Nov. 22 elections, securing 35 of the 150 parliamentary seats, exit polls suggested.

The Euroskeptic and anti-immigration firebrand overtook the Green-Labour alliance (25 seats) and the ruling People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD, 24 seats), exit polling shows.

It remains uncertain whether the PVV will be able to build a coalition government, a process that can last up to six months. Throughout this period, the Dutch foreign policy will remain in the reins of the current government.

Under the outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte (VVD), the Netherlands has been a staunch ally of Ukraine, being one of the few partners to pledge F-16 fighter jets.

While denouncing Russia's aggression against Ukraine, the PVV voiced opposition to sending financial support and fighter jets to Kyiv, preferring them to be used for domestic needs.

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"Russia's military action in Crimea is a blatant violation of Ukrainian sovereignty," said PVV foreign affairs spokesperson Raymond de Roon in 2014.

"However, the Netherlands currently has no interest in sanctions against Russia and a conflict with Russia, nor in the association agreement with the bankrupt state that is Ukraine."

Leaks by Ukrainian hackers suggested that the Kremlin has been actively developing ties with the PVV since 2013, which Wilders was attempting to conceal.

Moscow has traditionally maintained friendly ties with populist and anti-establishment parties in the EU.

Read also: Rise of populism in Ukraines neighborhood: Not as gloomy as you think

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ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo.  Two people are hurt, and a woman is behind bars after a Facebook Marketplace meetup in which the suspect arranged to purchase a car and allegedly tried to steal it.

Tamia Moore, 20, faces four felonies in St. Louis County in connection with the investigation.

Charges stem from an incident on Nov. 4 outside a Schnucks parking lot in Jennings. Moore met two people in-person about potentially buying their car after connecting through Facebook Marketplace.

Another St. Louis resident loses property via Recorder of Deeds Office

According to court documents obtained by FOX 2, the two would-be sellers offered to let Moore take a test drive with one of them in the car. After a brief test drive, Moore returned to the parking lot and inquired about purchasing the vehicle, but handed over less money than she reportedly agreed upon.

One of the would-be sellers then asked Moore about the money before a series of events followed. Investigators say Moore took the money back and tried to get into the vehicle to drive away. One victim attempted to grab the keys from inside before Moore could drive away.

Per court documents, the encounter led to Moore stepping on the gas and briefly driving through the parking lot with one victim hanging out the window. Within seconds, Moore crashed into a second vehicle, and the victim fell to the ground.

As the second victim went to check on the situation, Moore allegedly hit that victim in the face and ran away from the scene.

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The victims shared a photo of Moore to authorities, who requested a warrant last Sunday. Moore was arrested Monday and is jailed in St. Louis County on a $50,000 cash-only bond.

Prosecutors have charged Moor with first-degree robbery, second-degree assault, third-degree assault and property damage.

Amid this investigation and others, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department is reminding people to be vigilant during online marketplace transactions. People are encouraged to follow several safety precautions, such as meeting in well-lit public locations, bringing someone with you during an exchange and potentially meeting at a police office.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2.
FOX 2 (WJBK) - The family of Dalonta Dawson is desperate for justice after his murder at a party last summer.

Dawson was killed on Aug, 19 while in an altercation with a group of males, according to police.

The suspect in the case knew Dawson's name and also attempted to steal his eyeglasses. He was 23 years old.

His mother Lisa Hines spoke at a recent Crime Stoppers press conference asking for justice.

"Please come forward. The person that did that to my son doesn't know what they did to me - they actually broke me," she said. "I can't function, I can't do anything without him. That was my baby son. (He) just turned 23."

She added that Dalonta had just become a father.

"He didn't even get a chance to see his daughter. He was so happy to become a father," she said. "Please help me get justice for my son."

Crime Stoppers of Michigan is offering a cash reward of up to $2,500 for information that leads to the arrest for his murder.

If you have any information, please make an anonymous call to Crime Stoppers at 1-800 SPEAK-UP or visit our website at: 1800speakup.org Your identity will be kept anonymous.




If you see the homeless of our community as a sad monolith - the weathered, bummed and often desperate person holding a sign at the intersection asking for help, or the person sleeping on a park bench or alleyway - you're just seeing a small bit of a much more extensive picture.

Because more often, the homeless in our area are people like Jennifer Hendrieth, a 37-year-old single mother of three, a former victim of domestic abuse who works fulltime and still faces financial difficulties and stress-inducing challenges that sometimes would overwhelm her.

Hendrieth and her children are homeless. She and her two daughters, 15 and 11 years old, live with Hendrieth's mother, the mother's fiance and a sister in a Pensacola two-bedroom apartment. Hendrieth's son, 18, is now staying at another sister's house in Louisiana. Before he graduated from high school this year, Hendrieth's son was living at the Pensacola apartment with his sister, while Hendrieth was in her sister's home in Louisiana.

When he graduated, they switched places.

Family Promise of Escambia County Community Advocate Donna Pruett and Director Jennifer Lusher inspect the Gadsden Street United Methodist Church's living spaces on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. Family Promise plans to convert some of the church's unused spaces into a temporary shelter for homeless families.

"I had to leave my kids here while I went over (to Louisiana),'' she said. "Having to leave my kids was stressful. I would get really bad nose bleeds. It's just overwhelming sometimes. I work, pay my bills, I have a car note, my kids are on my insurance. I'm trying to do what's right, but sometimes it just feels like too much. I just thank God for Donna and Family Promise."

Donna is Donna Pruett. She is the community advocate for Family Promise of Escambia County, a chapter of the national Family Promise organization, which is a interfaith organization whose mission is to help families achieve housing stabilization through a community-based response, one family at a time.

In January, the group plans to expand its local mission with a downtown day center and the launching of its interfaith church partnership that lets families stay in church facilities overnight. During the day, the family members could stay at the downtown day center which would provide showers, laundry facilities, internet access and more.

A 2020 report by the United Way of Florida indicated that about 46% of Escambia County residents earn less than the area's basic cost of living.

Hendrieth started writing different organizations asking for help and assistance.

"Either I didn't hear back or they always told me they couldn't help," she said. "But then Donna reached out. Thank God for her. I have hope now. Without her, I wouldn't have that. I'd still be crying trying to figure out what I'm going to do."

What Pruett and Family Promise did was hook Hendrieth up with a real estate agent working with the organization who is readying a home for Hendrieth and her children, a home that will be ready for them to move into sometime in December. Family Promise is paying first-month's rent and deposit, and the real estate agent, Charles Stallion, is working with Hendrieth to keep her costs as low as possible.

Family Promise of Escambia County began in 2020 after a year of informational meetings with various local groups and receiving approval from the national organization. Family Promise has more than 200 affiliates across 42 states and has served more than 700,000 individuals, the majority of whom are children.

The local affiliate has been working with local nonprofits such as United Way, United Ministries of Pensacola and the Children's Home Society to connect families such as Hendrieth's with rental assistance, utility assistance and other forms of support.

In January, Family Promise of Escambia County will open up a day center in downtown Pensacola, though the organization has not yet released the location. It will also launch its interfaith partnership, which Family Promise affiliate leaders have worked to broaden since its inception.

Are you willing to go a night without a bed? Homeless advocates want you to try.

The way the program works is that churches provide space for families to sleep overnight, and Family Promise provides beds and bedding. Trained volunteers from the church or the community spend evenings with the families: preparing and serving meals, helping with children with homework and making sure guests are comfortable and safe. Participating churches would host families - no more than four families - for a week. Another church would pick up the next week.

Families are never in the church alone (some of the volunteers stay overnight) and they leave early in the morning to go to work or to a Family Promise day center where they receive case management, job training, showers, laundry facilities, life skills training and other support. Family Promise of Escambia County currently has partnership commitments from eight area churches, but hopes to get to 13 local churches willing to assist families with temporary shelter.

The Escambia affiliate recently hired a new executive director, Jennifer Lusher, to lead the organization as it grows and its mission expands. Lusher was previously an official with United Ministries of Pensacola.

"I'm excited because (Lusher) has brought us so far in such a short time," Pruett said. "We have a lot to do, but we're definitely going in the right direction."

Lusher said that 88% of Family Promise families nationwide secure housing within nine weeks.

Family Promise of Escambia County Community Advocate Director Jennifer Lusher describes the organization's mission to help homeless families during an interview on Nov. 7, 2023.

According to Family Promise of Escambia County, there are more than 1,800 homeless school-age children in Escambia County. Many of these children - and their parents - don't show up on typical homeless counts such as the annual "Point in Time" homeless survey.

"Some families won't self-identity because there's still this stigma about homelessness," Lusher said. "Most aren't the folks standing outside at the intersection. They're couch surfing. There are families staying in car but stay hidden because of the fear of their kids being taken away."

Hendrieth said she and her children were evicted from their apartment after experiencing major financial problems and she moved with her sister to Slidell, Louisiana, in September of 2022, while her children went to stay with her mom.

"I'm grateful I have great kids,'' she said. "They know what's going on and I know it affects them, but they make good grades and don't hang out. It was tough being separated. I know it's tough on my mom as well. It's still tough on her. She's having to put up with so much. I know it drives her nuts all the stuff we have around."

She is hopeful that the new year, and a new home, will bring better times.

Family Promise building support network for homeless Escambia children and families

"I want them to be comfortable and stable and have a good life," Hendrieth said. "I'm doing everything I can now - I'm there for them from sun-up to sundown and feel so stressed right now. But it's going to get better. I know the only way I could get back on top was to be separated for a while, but it was hard."

Gadsden Street United Methodist Church is one of the area churches that has partnered with Family Promise of Escambia County, and which will be hosting families. The church already has various family rooms and children's areas complete with toys, furniture, books and more. Pruett is a longtime member of the church.

"I think our church has the desire to help in our community and somewhere between not being able to do anything and just giving people a handout is a systematic response that helps keep families together. Churches have a lot of space, and sometimes that space is not being used. This is new to Escambia County, but not the United States. There are congregations across the country addressing homelessness this way. I think it's a really great way to address it."

For more information on Family Promise of Escambia County, including ways to donate, volunteer or provide shelter, go to Family Promise of Escambia County | Support.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Family Promise of Escambia County fights homelessness
Three suspects are in custody after a SWAT team was called in to help foil an armed robbery at a liquor store in Midlothian.

Midlothian police responded to Emporium Liquor at about 10:15 a.m. Wednesday to find two people leaving the store, one carrying merchandise and another with a ski mask. Officers posted on social media 45 minutes later, warning residents to stay away from the area surrounding the store.

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The suspects forced an employee into a backroom at gunpoint before confronting the stores clerk, Emporium Liquor manager Anuj Soni said.

Customers later told Midlothian police the intruders made them lay on the floor of the liquor store at gunpoint.

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One suspect fled in a van, then on foot, Chief Daniel Delaney wrote on Facebook Wednesday evening. Officers arrested him after a brief chase.

The other suspect ran into the store, where he and a third suspect armed with a handgun barricaded themselves inside a beer cooler, Delaney wrote.

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At this point, the Midlothian Police Department called in the South Suburban Emergency Response Team to help extract the suspects from the beer cooler.

After a lengthy negotiation with SSERT operators, both suspects ultimately surrendered without incident, Delaney wrote.

South Suburban Emergency Response Team draws officers from 34 police departments in the south suburbs to form an emergency response SWAT team.

Were doing all right, Soni said. We were watching the cameras  everyones safe, and the suspects were caught, so were happy here.

All three suspects are being held at the Midlothian police station. They will face felony charges, Delaney wrote, and are also wanted for armed robbery in Indiana.

After the three were arrested, members of the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms swept the store for more weapons.

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No one was harmed during the robbery attempt. Emporium Liquor is open for business as usual, Soni said.
A Thanksgiving trip to a rental cabin in the woods turned into a horror scene when 19 family members were struck down with carbon monoxide poisoning.

Jade Smith and his family had booked a trip to the Six Lakes Lodge in Duchesne County, Utah, for the holidays.

During the vacation, he said they all fell ill one by one as the silent killer leaked into the air.

Seven of the family members even became unresponsive.

Fortunately, they evacuated the property before the exposure proved fatal.

It was scary, but it was really lucky, Mr Smith told KUTV.

If one thing would have happened different, then this would be a story about 19 corpses being found in a cabin.

Mr Smiths partner Cassidee Smith told the outlet that the first signs of trouble came when she and her sister Jacqueline felt as if they were going to faint on Friday.

I just kept telling [Jade] something is not right, she said.

Not long later, one of the family members found the couples 11-month-old baby lethargic and pale.

The infant was immediately rushed to hospital.

A few hours later, she said that she and her husband had briefly laid down to rest when they were woken up by her sister frantically shouting that her 12-year-old niece was unresponsive.

Ms Smith tried to get up to respond to the distress, but as she rose up, she said she also blacked out, the outlet reported.

Moments later, Jacqueline fainted and hit her head on the floor.

At that moment, I was like, Okay, that is three people; my wife is upstairs; she cant move; theres something in the air, Mr Smith said.

We went from one unresponsive to four in about five minutes, he added.

The family had booked a Thanksgiving getaway in a cabin, not knowing what was about to unfold (KUTV)

Up until this point, the family had no idea that carbon monoxide was filling the air in the house, putting everyone in serious danger.

Carbon monoxide, an odourless and colourless gas, kills around 400 Americans each year and hospitalises more than 14,000 people, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

It can be emitted from various objects, such as vehicles, stoves, lanterns, grills, fireplaces, gas ranges or furnaces.

Everyone is at risk of being poisoned, but elderly people, infants and those with underlying health conditions like heart and breathing problems are more at risk of getting seriously ill.

The family called 911 and opened all the doors after recognising that something was wrong.

They then immediately tried to get all 13 children in their family group away from the cabin.

When the Altamont Fire Department arrived at around 2.30am on Saturday morning, they found that the carbon monoxide alarm in the home did have batteries in  but it was not working.

All 19 family members had a blood test, which showed carbon monoxide levels of over 8.5; the couples 12-year-old niece had a reading of 33.

The whole family was treated with hyperbaric chambers for two and a half hours, enabling them to breathe pure oxygen in a pressurised environment to reduce the risk of brain injury or nerve damage, the outlet reported.

By Saturday night, all 19 family members were back home ssafe, but the traumatic experience was still taking an emotional toll on the group.

It could have turned out so much worse, Ms Smith said to KUTV, as she urged others to check their carbon monoxide detectors.

But these are images, seeing their little bodies drop; we will live with that forever.

Dave Nelson, a staff member at Six Lakes, told KUTV that they are continuing to investigate what caused the incident. None of the other properties were impacted, he said.

The Independent has contacted Six Lakes for comment.
(Bloomberg) -- Geert Wilders was the surprise victor in Wednesdays Dutch elections, after a late surge that catapulted his anti-EU party to a resounding victory over his mainstream rivals.

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As people in the Netherlands, and the rest of Europe, adjust to the shock, these are some of the key issues theyll be considering:

Who is Wilders?

The 60-year-old Wilders has been a fixture in Dutch politics for decades. He started his career as a member of former Prime Minister Mark Ruttes liberal group but broke away to serve as an independent lawmaker before setting up the anti-migrant Freedom Party, known as the PVV in Dutch.

He has been facing death threats because of his anti-Islamic views and has been under tight police protection since 2004. In 2020, a court found him guilty on insult charges for comments he made about Moroccan immigrants, but the judges imposed no penalty.

Hes seen as the Dutch representative of the kind of populism championed by Donald Trump or Argentinas newly elected president, Javier Milei.

How did he win?

Few people considered Wilders a serious candidate at the outset of the campaign but Dilan Yesilgoz-Zegerius, Ruttes successor at the head of the liberal group, handed him a lifeline by saying that she would consider serving in a coalition alongside the Freedom Party.

Another early frontrunner, Pieter Omtzigt, lost ground after equivocating over whether he really wanted to be prime minister.

Wilders on the other hand set out a more pragmatic line, softening some of his more controversial policies and telling voters he wanted to be part of the next administration.

He then put on a strong showing in the final election debates, appearing more confident than his rivals.

What has he promised?

One signature proposal is for a binding referendum on leaving the European Union. He also wants the Netherlands to withdraw from its international climate obligations and has called for a massive reduction in immigration.

The Netherlands has been seriously weakened due the ongoing asylum tsunami and mass immigration, his party says in its election manifesto.

He has pledged to stop sending aid to Ukraine and called for banning the Koran, and for shutting down mosques.

But in his election-night speech he said hes willing to compromise in order to secure a coalition agreement, so its not clear how many of those policies he would be able to implement.

Can he really secure a coalition?

Wilderss Freedom Party is projected to win 35 seats but he needs 76 to secure an outright majority. After the exit polls Wilders suggested a center-right coalition that would include outgoing premier Ruttes former party, newly-launched center-right group New Social Contract and the Farmer Citizens Movement.

Together those parties would have 86 seats.

Before the election, Yesilgoz-Zegerius indicated that she might be prepared to govern alongside Wilders but she backtracked somewhat on election night. The farmers party said they want to be a part of the coalition talks.

But theres no guarantee Wilders will clinch the top job. In 1982, the Dutch Labor Party won the most seats, but its center-right rivals wound up at the head of the governing coalition.

--With assistance from Wout Vergauwen.

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BLANCO COUNTY, Texas (KXAN)  The Burnet County Sheriffs Office is assisting with traffic control following a fatal crash on U.S. Hwy. 281 in Blanco County, just south of Burnet County.

Officials said in a Facebook post just after 8 p.m. Wednesday traffic is extremely delayed in the area. As of 8 p.m., there was no ETA on when the roads would be cleared.

Both the Blanco County Sheriffs Office and the Texas Department of Public Safety are investigating the crash. Drivers are asked to avoid the area if possible.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin.
After fighting for months for access to the footage, the family of a Black man who died after being tased by an Alabama police officer in July was finally able to view body camera video from the incident Wednesday.

This is one of the worst videos of a police killing that I have ever witnessed, family attorney Harry Daniels told reporters at a news conference following the viewing. And Ill put it right up there with George Floyd  other cases across the nation.

Last week, a grand jury declined to indict the two police officers who struggled with Dallas before his death, WPMI reported.

The case come as police use of force, especially against people of color, remains a critical issue nationwide more than three years after Floyds murder at the hands of a Minneapolis officer.

Jawan Dallas, 36, died after Mobile police officers responded to a report of a residential burglary in progress at a mobile home park, authorities said. Officers found two men at the scene. As they were trying to identify one of them he tried to flee, police said in a July 4 news release.

The man, identified as Dallas, physically resisted when officers tried to apprehend him, police said.

The video has not been released publicly.

Describing what he saw on the video, Daniels said Dallas altercation with police began when two officers investigating the burglary call, which he described as a trespass at best, encountered Dallas and another man.

The situation then escalated when officers asked Dallas and the man with him for identification and Dallas claimed they had done nothing illegal, Daniels said.

Police asked Dallas to step out of his vehicle and he complied, then attempted to run away, the attorney said. Dallas was tackled to the ground and what sounded like some kind of struggle ensued.

Dallas was struck multiple times by officers and the taser could be heard, Daniels said. We heard almost 13 (Taser) cycles. Now we dont know if those cycles actually struck his body. But we know it was 13 times, we know he was begging for his life, telling the officers I cannot breathe, help me  At one point he even said, I dont want to be George Floyd.

Medical personnel were called to the scene to evaluate Dallas, who was taken to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, police said.

Phil Williams, Jawan Dallas father, called Wednesday one of the worst days of my life. I seen my son actually die, suffer, plead for his life. His mom is destroyed. Not just today, ever since July 2 when we got the news of our son being murdered. Mobile Police Department you straight murdered my son.

You held him there, you pound on him  You dry stunned him, you stunned him 13 to 15 times, Williams said. Yeah, of course he had a heart attack because you all caused and triggered a heart attack.

Emergency medical personnel administered aid to Dallas at the scene however, He never regained consciousness, Daniels said. Based on the video from what we saw, he died right there on the scene.

Dallas had injuries consistent with Taser applications and some blunt force trauma injuries to his back, according to a copy of an autopsy from the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences posted by CNN affiliate WPMI.

Dallas cause of death was listed as cardiorespiratory failure due to acute myocardial ischemia and methamphetamine toxicity, the report said. The manner of death is listed as an accident.

The names of the officers have not been publicly released.

Daniels said he hoped the video would one day be released to the public but cautioned, if you ever see it, youll never forget it.

CNNs Olivia LaBorde contributed to this report.

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A shooting which injured four people at an Ohio Walmart on Monday may have been racially motivated, the FBI said Wednesday.

The suspected gunman, Benjamin Charles Jones, shot and killed himself at the Walmart in Beavercreek, Ohio, according to authorities.

Based on evidence collected  including journal writings from the attacker, Benjamin Charles Jones  the attack may have been at least partially inspired by racially motivated violent extremist (RMVE) ideology, the FBI said in a statement Wednesday. The FBI will continue to investigate the motivating factors leading to this attack.

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The four victims were a white woman, a white man and two Black women, the agency said.

The FBI also said Jones purchased the assault-style weapon used in the shooting at a gun store in nearby Dayton, Ohio, last week.

The agency described the investigation as very active.

This has been an incredibly tragic incident, Beavercreek Police Capt. Scott Molnar said after the shooting. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the victims, responding officers and everyone who was here this evening.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Geert Wilders toned down his anti-Islam rhetoric during the campaign (JOHN THYS)

Dutch Muslim community leaders voiced anger, fear, and defiance after the election victory of anti-Islam firebrand Geert Wilders, but on the ground the picture seemed more nuanced, with many even expressing support because of his economic policies.

No mosques, headscarves or Korans: the manifesto of Wilders's PVV party is unashamedly anti-Islam. "We want less Islam in the Netherlands," says the PVV platform.

Wilders has called Moroccans "scum", compared the Koran to Hitler's "Mein Kampf", and received death threats after threatening to organise a competition to draw cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed.

He toned down his anti-Islam rhetoric during the campaign, focusing more on issues such as the rising cost of living. But community leader Muhsin Koktas of the CMO muslim association said: "I don't know if Muslims are still safe in the Netherlands. I am worried about this country."

Habib el Kaddouri from the SMN association of Moroccan Dutch told AFP that "some people are scared, others uncertain about their future, about what the result means for their citizenship or place in Dutch society."

"At the same time, I have noticed that people are also combative. 'We won't be driven away by Mr Wilders' or a right-wing cabinet," he said.

- 'He deserves a chance' -

But Muslims AFP spoke to in Amsterdam and the eastern city of Venlo painted a more nuanced picture, with some attaching more importance to economic issues than to his past comments about Islam.

"I'm from Turkish descent and a Muslim. Yet, I voted for Geert Wilders," said one Venlo-born man on condition of anonymity.

"Why? Because we are all poor and we think he can make a change. All this talk about closing mosques is just politics," said the 41-year-old unemployed man munching a toasted cheese sandwich.

In an Amsterdam cafe, Burak Cen, a 40-year-old taxi driver said he didn't vote, but he would have voted for Wilders.

"I think he deserves a chance," he told AFP.

"I honestly think he's just trying to drum up votes with his propaganda about mosques and Muslims. But otherwise what he says about the Dutch and poverty is right," added Cen.

"Refugees are given priority for housing while we have to wait 20 years for a home," he said, voicing a key campaign topic around a crippling shortage of affordable housing.

Many people however declined to comment to camera.

- 'Jan, Piet, Mustafa, Ahmed' -

Seeking to assuage fears of minorities after the vote, Wilders stressed he wanted to be "prime minister for all Dutch regardless of their religion, sexuality, colour, gender or whatever."

"When you are prime minister, you have a different role than when you are leader of the opposition," said Wilders.

Hasan Bensaid, a 49-year-old construction worker from Amsterdam, said he thought Wilders' bluster about the country's nearly million-strong Muslim community was for show.

"He has been shouting for 20 years in the parliament, I'm not impressed by it. 'We are extremists, we are thieves, we are everything'."

Reflecting another key issue from the campaign trial, Bensaid complained that "everything is expensive, and I think the ministers made a mess of things."

"I will give him a chance. He can be prime minister," Bensaid told AFP.

Mustafa Ayranci from the Turkish workers association HTIB said his community must respect the decision of the voters, even if disappointing.

He said he wants to take Wilders at his word -- to be the prime minister of everyone in the Netherlands.

"That he won't just be prime minister for Jan and Piet, but also for Mustafa and Ahmed."

jhe-str-ric/gv/jm
A felony hit-and-run suspect who led police on a brief pursuit have been arrested after hitting one person and crashing into several other vehicles in Woodland Hills Wednesday night, authorities confirmed to KTLA.

L.A. police said the suspect struck a pedestrian at Topanga Canyon and Victory Boulevard and sped off at approximately 6:01 p.m., prompting officers to pursue the vehicle. Less than a half mile away, at around 6:02 p.m., the suspects crashed their vehicle into two other cars at Owensmouth Avenue and Victory Boulevard.

Video of the scene posted to the Citizen app showed the wreckage. Police were forced to redirect traffic in the busy retail shopping area. Three cars showed heavy damage in the intersection.

It is unclear which vehicle the felony hit-and-run, pursuit suspect was driving.

L.A. police on the scene of a hit-and-run and a pursuit that ended in a crash in Woodland Hills on Nov. 22, 2023. (Citizen)

L.A. police on the scene of a hit-and-run and a pursuit that ended in a crash in Woodland Hills on Nov. 22, 2023. (Citizen)

L.A. police on the scene of a hit-and-run and a pursuit that ended in a crash in Woodland Hills on Nov. 22, 2023. (Citizen)

L.A. police on the scene of a hit-and-run and a pursuit that ended in a crash in Woodland Hills on Nov. 22, 2023. (KTLA)

L.A. police on the scene of a hit-and-run and a pursuit that ended in a crash in Woodland Hills on Nov. 22, 2023. (KTLA)

L.A. police on the scene of a hit-and-run and a pursuit that ended in a crash in Woodland Hills on Nov. 22, 2023. (KTLA)

Medical personnel with the Los Angeles Fire Department responded and rushed the hit-and-run victim to the hospital. No information was provided on the identity, age or gender of the victim.

At the crash site, police said an approximately 50-year-old man in one of the vehicles struck, was conscious and breathing. Paramedics assessed the man for injuries, but he was not taken to the hospital.

While its unclear what vehicle the suspect was in, police said they were detained and that gun was found in the vehicle.

No further details were provided.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.
Ferrexpo is the only company with main assets in Ukraine, whose shares are listed on the London Stock Exchange. The Swiss Ferrexpo AG, which is owned by Ferrexpo PLC (London), is the shareholder of Ukrainian mining plants in Poltava Oblast. Its shares are owned by dozens of minority shareholders around the world.

But its largest shareholder is Ukrainian businessman Kostyantyn Zhevago. This year, he was not included in NVs list of TOP-30 richest Ukrainians. Moreover, the assessment of his assets compared to the pre-war year of 2021 decreased by 70%, which has become the biggest drop among those in the rating.

In addition, the entrepreneur has many questions from Ukrainian law enforcement agencies.

He has been wanted in Ukraine since 2019, as well as abroad since 2021. At the end of last year, Zhevago was detained at the ski resort of Courchevel in France in the case of embezzlement of $113 million from the Finance and Credit bank. Only in mid-November 2023, a French court released the businessman and refused his extradition to Ukraine.

At the same time, law enforcement agencies are investigating at least three cases regarding the top management of Ferrexpo Ukrainian assets.

NV Business interview with Wolfram Kuoni, Chairman of the Swiss Ferrexpo Board of Directors, took place in Kyiv almost immediately after the announcement of the French courts decision in the Zhevago case. Zhevagos lawyers managed to impress the court with their version of selective justice in Ukraine and avoid extradition of their client.

The Ferrexpo top manager talked about the impact of courts on the companys activities, plans to improve logistics, and business survival in the coming winter.

Courts, courts, courts

NV: Lets start with a recent event. The French court released the companys largest shareholder, Kostyantyn Zhevago, from custody and refused his extradition to Ukraine. How did it affect the company?

Kuoni: Absolutely no way since this decision is related to Mr. Zhevagos personal case and has no impact on the company.

NV: That is, no improvement in share prices, nor a positive reaction from other shareholders took place, right?

Kuoni: We cannot say that the general situation that has developed around Mr. Zhevago doesnt affect the company in any way. However, this particular court decision concerned his personal case, i.e., not related to the company. At the same time, we read with interest the reasoning given during the court hearing, which influenced the courts decision on extradition, which was that Mr. Zhevago cannot expect a fair trial in Ukraine. Many foreign media wrote about it.

NV: You have another top manager who is being pursued by law enforcement agencies. Viktor Lotous, the Chairman of the Board of Poltava Mining, was under arrest. How does his situation affect the company?

Kuoni: These are different situations. He is currently the Chairman of the Board of Poltava Mining. We were shocked to hear about his arrest. We believe this is a completely wrong decision, and the accusations are completely unfounded. The arrest itself, in my opinion, was carried out in violation of Ukrainian law.

Well fight in court to defend our rights.

NV: The arguments of Ukrainian law enforcement agencies are constantly changing. After you agreed to post bail, new charges came forward. How long are you ready to spend energy and strength on this?

Kuoni: Well do everything necessary to protect the management of enterprises and our employees. Its important that the people in Horishni Plavni [a town in Poltava Oblast] see and understand that well protect them.

Read also: Which wealthy Ukrainians shelter from war and law enforcement in UK  interview

According to criminal law, its impossible to be convicted twice for the same violation or crime. Thats why the accusations are changing. Three criminal cases under different articles have been initiated against Viktor Lotous.

He has a good reputation in Horishni Plavni. He is a very respected person in the town, an example to follow. And he was taken from the hospital bed to the court. He spent 38 days in the pretrial detention center. Its not surprising that employees of Ferrexpo enterprises in Ukraine are surprised by what Ukrainian law enforcement agencies are doing.

NV: Did this event affect the operational activities of Poltava Mining?

Kuoni: No. Viktor has deputies who wont let stop or reduce operational activities. But it affects the morale of the staff and local residents.

NV: In the summer, the Supreme Court seemed to put an end to the dispute over the shares of Poltava Mining, which had been going on since 2002. But after that, there was a story with a bribe to the head of the Supreme Court, Vsevolod Knyazev. How does this situation affect the company? Do you see the risks?

Kuoni: The most important is that Ferrexpo isnt involved in the proceedings regarding the alleged bribe. Of course, weve heard and read about it, but the company has nothing to do with this case.

NV: That is, the situation with the alleged bribe didnt affect the courts decision regarding the ownership of Poltava Mining, right?

Kuoni: As of today, it hasnt affected the Supreme Courts decision.

NV: Jim North, Ferrexpo PLC CEO (London), announced his resignation between the courts decision regarding Poltava Mining shares and the appearance of the Knyazev bribery case. Although I interviewed him a month earlier and nothing predicted such a turn of events. Perhaps he expected some negativity as the company is under constant pressure?

Kuoni: All of us in the company are feeling strong pressure due to legal proceedings. But there is no direct connection between the pressure and Mr. Norths resignation.

Jim is a manager whose knowledge and skills are excellent for companies that are growing, investing, and increasing production. But we have a completely different situation now.

NV: Do you need a crisis manager?

Kuoni: Yes. We had an annual production of 11-12 million tons of pellets, and then it decreased to 4 million tons. This is already another company.

NV: Are you looking for such a crisis manager instead of Jim North?

Kuoni: We have 8,000 crisis managers. In addition, we involve more and more Ukrainians in management. For example, Yaroslavna Blonska heads marketing and sales, Mykola Kladiyev is the chief financial officer, etc.

Logistics and China

NV: You mentioned Yaroslavna Blonska, who was a speaker at one of NVs events. She is Ferrexpo Service LLC CEO. What kind of company is this?

Read also: Russian missile slamming into Odesa National Art Museum in brazen attack caught on camera  video

Kuoni: This is a logistics company. She is really madam sales, madam logistics. These directions are now super-complicated. Before the war, it was also not easy, but easier. We had the port of Pivdennyi [outside Odesa], capesize ships, sales to China, Japan, Taiwan. Its over. Now each ship is a huge job. We deliver to Izmail where we load it onto barges that go to Constanta (Romania), where we once again transship it to other vessels. Organizing all this is incredibly hard work.

NV: The first capesize ship has recently departed from Ukraine to China since the full-scale invasion. But then a Russian missile hit a ship that was also loading ore. Are you considering resuming exports through the Black Sea and how has this missile strike affected your plans?

Kuoni: Were closely monitoring the situation in the Black Sea. But for now, were focusing on our European customers who receive pellets by rail and the Danube River. The Black Sea is very important to us because 50% of our sales traditionally went to Asian markets. So, its only a matter of time before we get back to selling through the port of Pivdennyi. We have our own terminal there, TIS Ruda LLC.

We hope to have our first shipment by sea soon.

NV: This year?

Kuoni: We hope to resume supplies when the time comes. Lets wait.

NV: How easy will it be to return to the Asian markets, because your products havent been there for almost two years? Under what conditions will your former partners be ready to resume cooperation? Will it be necessary to conquer this market in a new way?

Kuoni: We need free access to Black Sea ports for deliveries to Asian consumers as these are maritime markets. Ferrexpo continues to maintain offices throughout Asia and remains close to its customers, particularly in China and Japan. Were inspired by the establishment of the Black Sea trade corridor, and were closely following the developments. Crew, vessel and insurance issues are getting easy, so we continue to consider shipping from the Black Sea and returning to our customers in the future.

Winter in Ukraine and new rules in the European Union

NV: In your opinion, will the next winter be easier or more difficult for Ferrexpo Poltava Mining?

Read also: French court denies extradition of Kostyantyn Zhevago to Ukraine

Kuoni: Unfortunately, Im not qualified enough to understand the military situation. There are many different scenarios being discussed. One of them is that the Russians will resume attacks after the temperature drops. We heard on Saturday [at NVs conference] from the Naftogaz CEO that the underground gas storages are full. This is good news.

But last year, when the Russians launched attacks on the energy infrastructure, we were forced to stop all four pellet production lines. Now one or two are operating. We rented warehouses close to our main customers not to interrupt deliveries. And we stockpile pellets there.

NV: Why do you keep products close to customers, and not in Ukraine?

Kuoni: Our clients are monitoring the situation in Ukraine. If our production stops due to shelling and we cannot deliver the product quickly, theyll switch to other suppliers. We show that we are a reliable supplier.

NV: If sea shipments resume and the number of customers increases, will you be able to meet all the demand? Are there any stocks of pellets in Ukraine?

Kuoni: Yes. Our warehouses are more than full now. If we compare the figures before the full-scale invasion and now, the ratio of stocks in warehouses is higher now than before Feb. 24, 2022. This is the case as we prepare for the coming winter.

NV: Youve built a solar power plant, and youre also using seed husk pellets instead of gas. Does this help the company during power outages, and do you plan to scale these projects?

Read also: Ukraine gets closer to recovering $113 million from Zhevagos Swiss accounts

Kuoni: We plan to scale these projects in the future. But now were fully focused on maintaining current operations that will enable us to supply finished products to customers under long-term contracts.

In addition, logistics, credit resources have become more expensive, as well as huge funds are frozen in warehouse stocks.

In addition, were improving the quality of products to produce pellets with an iron content of 65%.

NV: Are these DRI pellets for electrometallurgy?

Kuoni: DRI products contain 67-68% iron, and they really have the future.

NV: Do you plan to become a participant in this market?

Kuoni: We are already part of this market. In 2021, a total of 6% of our products were precisely pellets with an iron content of 67-68%. And our return to supply is only a matter of time.

Investments and possible sanctions

NV: What are the company and its investors expectations regarding the end of the active phase of hostilities in Ukraine?

Kuoni: This is a good question. We fully support Ukraine and hope that the situation will only improve. But that means were focused on whats called the right-scaling business. We must do everything to keep our first-class customers in Europe and stabilize the companys operations.

NV: So, you arent planning any big investments yet?

Kuoni: We have a clear investment plan for $3 billion. But it can be implemented when the military situation becomes safer. However, we continue to invest, e.g., about $161 million in 2022, while Ferrexpo capital investments reached $58 million in H1 2023.

NV: What are you currently focusing on in your investments?

Read also: Zhevagos Z-branded yacht found in Dubai

Kuoni: Support for the work of Poltava Mining. Well definitely not start any big projects in the short term. For example, the main projects implemented in H1 2023 included excavation work to ensure future production growth, expansion commitments, including the construction and commissioning of a press filtration complex, as well as work at Belanovo Mining [Poltava Oblast].

And this is where we come back to court proceedings. As for Belanovo Mining, 50.3% of corporate rights are blocked. The company has been sanctioned. Of course, our investors have questions: whats going on?

NV: It seems the pressure on Kostyantyn Zhevago and his assets in Ukraine is only intensifying. As far as I know, the legislation on subsoil doesnt quite clearly interpret the possibility of terminating the validity of special permits for the extraction of minerals, if personal sanctions are imposed against the beneficiary or company participant. Have you already analyzed the possible risks if sanctions are imposed against Kostyantyn?

Kuoni: Were ready for anything. We have no scenarios that were ready to reject.

But the fact is that Kostyantyn doesnt directly own shares of Ukrainian companies. Therefore, if the Ukrainian authorities win the Ukrainian court, they wont be able to get access to his shares at the level of Ferrexpo PLC. Its a British company whose shares are listed on the London Stock Exchange. This will already be a case for the international court where we have a strong position.

Its very important that the Ukrainian authorities stop intertwining Kostyantyn Zhevago as an individual with a company. These are two different things. Were a publicly traded company. Our shareholders, customers, and suppliers are following the events around Ferrexpo very closely.

Read also: Accomplice of Ukrainian oligarch Zhevago arrested in Cyprus

And the company cannot be held responsible for the actions of its main shareholder. This is a very big problem for us. Thats why we constantly receive questions from other shareholders: BlackRock, Schroders, and sovereign wealth funds. They dont understand whats going on.

And Ukraine doesnt work in a vacuum. It has signed bilateral investment agreements with the United Kingdom and Switzerland [Ferrexpo holding companies are registered in these countries]. Therefore, the Ukrainian authorities cannot do whatever they want.

Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!

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FILE - Fiji's Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka listens during a meeting with President Joe Biden and Pacific Islands Forum leaders during the U.S.-Pacific Islands Forum Summit in the East Room of the White House, Monday, Sept. 25, 2023, in Washington. Fiji's leader says that after a meeting with China's Xi Jinping, he anticipates collaborating with China on rebuilding Fiji's shipyards and port facilities. Rabuka made the remarks to lawmakers in Parliament on Wednesday, Nov. 22. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP)  Fiji's leader says that after meeting with China's President Xi Jinping, he hopes to collaborate with China on upgrading his nations shipyards and ports.

Sitiveni Rabuka made the remarks to lawmakers in Parliament on Wednesday.

Rabuka is generally viewed as leaning less toward China than his predecessor Frank Bainimarama, and in a visit to Australia last month, Rabuka emphasized he was more comfortable dealing with traditional friends such as Australia.

But in his Wednesday remarks, Rabuka highlighted the economic ties his small South Pacific island nation has forged with China over 50 years of diplomatic relations.

Rabuka said that in his meeting with Xi last week on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference in San Francisco, he discussed how China's assistance was pivotal to Fiji's post-COVID-19 economic recovery.

Rabuka said China's Belt and Road Initiative aligned with Fiji's development agenda and that China had contributed toward a number of grants and assistance packages.

As we navigate economic challenges, discussions are underway to address our debt crisis responsibly, Rabuka said.

He said a key focus of creating sustainable economic growth in Fiji was the comprehensive upgrade of infrastructure, particularly port facilities and shipyards.

I anticipate potential collaboration with China in that endeavor, given Chinas globally competitive shipbuilding, Rabuka said.

Chinas Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a daily briefing that China and Fiji are good friends and partners, and have previously cooperated on infrastructure.

The goal is to support island countries in making life better for their people and achieving development and prosperity, Mao said.

Fiji's move comes as China looks to expand its influence in the Pacific. Last year, China fell short in an ambitious attempt to get 10 small Pacific nations to sign to a sweeping deal covering everything from security to fisheries. The attempt came soon after Solomon Islands signed a security pact with China, a move that raised alarm throughout the Pacific.
Tunisian film star Hend Sabri has resigned as World Food Programme goodwill ambassador in protest at what she called the use of starvation as a weapon of war in Gaza.

Sabri, a leading figure in Arab cinema, said that she had decided with "a heavy heart and deep sadness" to step down after 13 years with the United Nations agency.

In a statement published on social media platform X late Wednesday, the 44-year-old said that she had asked the WFP leadership to push for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the besieged Palestinian territory.

She said that she had hoped the agency "would use its voice forcefully" as it had done in previous crises.

"However, hunger and starvation have been used as weapons of war... against more than two million civilians in Gaza," Sabri said.

A pause in fighting, due to take effect on Friday, was "too little too late," she added.

Sabri's most recent film, "Four Daughters," was named joint winner of a documentary film prize at this year's Cannes festival.

Directed by Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania, it explores the true story of how a mother comes to terms with the decision by two of her children to flee to Libya and join the Islamic State group.

Following her resignation, the WFP offered its "heartfelt gratitude" for Sabri's "unwavering support and dedication" as goodwill ambassador.

Israel tightened its siege of Gaza alongside relentless bombardment after Palestinian militant group Hamas carried out the deadliest attack in the country's history on October 7.

Israel says that around 1,200 people were killed in the cross-border raids -- most of them civilians -- and about 240 taken hostage.

The Hamas-run government in Gaza says Israel's operations have killed more than 14,000 people, also mostly non-combatants, and left much of the territory in ruins.

The planned four-day truce will see hostages freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

The pause is also intended to provide aid to Gaza's 2.4 million residents struggling to survive with shortages of food, water and fuel.

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A stop to visit Santa at the Hiram Buttrick Sawmill is one of the highlights at Antioch's Holiday Happenings. (Visit Lake County/HANDOUT)

With the opening of the railroad crossing at North Avenue last week, businesses in Antiochs historic downtown area can focus on the holiday traffic instead of detour backups. Closed for several months because of federally-mandated upgrades to the Canadian National/Metra Central train line corridor, Main Street resembled a conga line of vehicles at times.

I would like to thank the Lake County Division of transportation for finishing this project ahead of schedule, said Antioch Mayor Scott Gartner. The timing couldnt be better. This alleviates traffic congestion just ahead of the holiday shopping season in downtown Antioch.

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The village has partnered with the Antioch Chamber of Commerce in bringing numerous family-friendly events back for the holiday season. There are also new wrinkles added just for the fun.

The Kringle Holiday Village features displays and tableaus with different seasonal holiday themes. They resemble the window scenes in department stores from years past. (Visit Lake County/HANDOUT)

Downtown Antioch is a wonderful place to enjoy during the holidays for the whole family because there a lot of fun free events, said Barbara Porch, the Antioch Chamber of commerces executive director. Children will love the parade and the Kringle Christmas Village.

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The Village of Antioch Christmas Parade steps off at 6:30 p.m. Friday through the historic downtown business district on Main Street to the annual tree-lighting ceremony.

The chamber presents the Dickens Holiday Village, featuring a cast of memorable characters from Charles Dickens tales creating a wonderful story with costumes, scenes and storyboards. The display is indoors at Kringles Christmas Village, after lining spots along the downtowns Main Street until several years ago.

An Olde English public art exhibit with more than 40 lifelike mannequins displaying over 25 different storylines, it includes tableaus of oversized holiday and wintertime shadowboxes. The idea is to bring back memories of the Marshall Fields window displays at Christmas and runs from Nov. 25-Jan. 1, in the indoor showroom located at the far end of the Piggly Wiggly Plaza, on Orchard Street.

The Tarkowski Family Light Show has become a tradition at the residence, located at 1256 Bradford Lane in Antioch. This free animated light show is synced to music by setting your car radio to station 88.7 FM. The stand has candy canes. Consider adding to the donation box and benefiting the Antioch Traveling Closet shop. The show is running now to Dec. 25 (6-9:00 p.m., Sun. through Thurs; 6-9:30 p.m. Fri. and Sat.).

The Christmas Musical Light Show is a drive-up program at the Antioch Bandshell on Skidmore Avenue, behind Main Street on Depot Street. The shining bulbs have two shows that rotate on alternating days, from 6-9:00 p.m. Dec. 1-24.

The Christmas Musical Light Show takes place nightly at the Antioch Bandshell on Skidmore Avenue. The show features two programs that rotate presentations on alternate nights. (Visit Lake County/HANDOUT)

In addition to visiting the shops in the historic Main Street business district, between Depot and Lake streets, no visit would be complete without meeting Santa Claus at the Hiram Buttrick Sawmill (800 Cunningham Drive). The picturesque replica on Sequoit Creek represents one of the first major Lake County industries.

Santa Claus is available to hear wishes: Thursdays through Saturdays, Dec. 3-18, before flying off: Thurs. (Dec. 16) and Fridays (Dec. 3, 10, and 17) from 5:30-6:30 p.m., and Saturdays, from Noon-3:00 p.m. (Dec. 4, 11, and 18).

More activities and information can be accessed at http://www.antioch.il.gov.
A Finnish border guard escorts migrants at the border with Russia (Jussi Nukari)

Growing numbers of asylum-seeking migrants have in recent weeks been crossing the once quiet border from Russia into Finland in freezing temperatures, a move Helsinki has labelled a hybrid attack.

Cloaked in heavy winter coats, many have been arriving on bicycles, attempting to bypass a ban on crossing the border on foot. Finland barred entry by bicycle last week.

In early October, the Finnish border guard raised the alarm about a shift in Moscow's policy, saying Russia was allowing an increasing number of migrants without proper papers to reach the border.

Since August, around 700 asylum seekers have entered Finland without a visa over its 1,300-kilometre (800-mile) border with Russia.

This prompted Finland, over the past week, to close all but its northernmost border crossing with Russia, in the Murmansk region.

Finnish officials claim Russia is attempting to destabilise its Nordic neighbour.

"This is a systematic and organised action by the Russian authorities," Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said Monday.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova denied Russia was acting deliberately.

"Finnish authorities are beginning to make clumsy excuses, warming up Russophobic sentiments," she said.

- Weaponising migration -

Finland's traditionally cordial relationship with its eastern neighbour has soured since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

After Finland reversed its decades-long policy of military non-alignment and joined NATO in April, Moscow warned of "countermeasures."

"Russia and the West, including Finland, are in a very deep conflict," said Arkady Moshes, Russia Programme Director at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA).

"Weaponising migration is one of the instruments" Russia possesses.

Moshes said there were "parallels" to the Belarus-EU border crisis in 2021.

The EU has claimed President Alexander Lukashenko pushed tens of thousands of migrants across the Belarus border to Poland in retaliation for sanctions.

"The actions of the Finnish government show that the experience of Poland has been taken into account," Moshes said.

The European Union's border protection agency Frontex said Thursday it will deploy 50 officers to Finland, to help boost the country's border controls.

- Double win for Russia -

Poland toughened its border to resolve the crisis and Finnish authorities are aiming to do the same.

Anticipating that Moscow could use migrants as political pressure, Finland in February began building a 200-kilometre (124-mile) fence along its Russian border.

But only three kilometres of the fence is finished.

In terms of information warfare, pushing people to the Finnish border is potentially "a double-win situation for Russia," Moshes said.

Finland is left with two bad options: It can either keep the border open and accept the migrants, or close the border completely.

"If Finland does not close its border... that will show that the West is weak" in Russia's eyes, Moshes said.

If Finland closes the border, Russia can play the victim and call the response "a Russophobic action," he added.

But the manoeuvre also poses risks for Russia.

The migrants are predominantly from the Middle East and Africa and have no visas.

Pushing migrants to the Finnish side could attract criticism from Russia's allies in the Middle East and the Muslim world.

Moreover, as long as the migrants are on Russian territory, Russia bears responsibility for feeding and housing them.

"Even Lukashenko at the end of the day had to build shelters for those people," Moshes explained.

Confronted with growing numbers of migrants freezing at its border, Finland is now grappling with balancing its security concerns and human rights obligations.

"That is certainly one of the objectives of hybrid warfare, to try to undermine the key fundamental institutions of the state," University of Eastern Finland law professor Eeva Nykanen said.

Finland's government has considered closing the border, but is conscious of its international obligations.

The availability of locations to seek asylum "may be limited in exceptional circumstances" but Finland is obligated to ensure some access points, Nykanen explained.

Even if the border was fully closed, it is uncertain how Finland would deal with those crossing illegally through the wilderness.

From a legal point of view, a migrant is entitled to submit an asylum application even if they enter illegally, Nykanen said.

As temperatures plummet, it could also become ethically intolerable for Finland to witness migrants freezing behind barbed wire fences.

"That would be a humanitarian crisis that would need to be solved," Nykanen said.

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The Finnish government submitted a proposal for changes in the 2024 draft budget that includes, among other items, a higher spending limit for Ukraine aid, the country's finance ministry said on Nov. 23.

The upper threshold for defense spending for the period 2024-2028 would be raised by almost 96 million euros ($105 million) to cover costs for the previously announced 19th aid package for Kyiv.

Expenses for 2024 would be increased by 20.7 million euros ($22.6 million). Previously, the Finnish Defense Ministry's draft budget for the following year allocated 242 million euros ($264 million) for the replacement of military equipment sent to Ukraine.

The government also proposed to provide a further 25 million euros ($27 million) in investment and lending expenses in Ukraine to facilitate the participation of Finnish companies in reconstruction efforts.

Helsinki announced its 20th military aid package for Ukraine worth 100 million euros ($109 million) on Nov. 17, adding to the total of $1.6 billion in defense assistance pledged since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.

Read also: Finland to close all but one border crossing with Russia

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(Bloomberg) -- Finlands government will close its one remaining crossing point with Russia if its neighbor continues with a hybrid operation to push asylum seekers across the demarcation, Interior Minister Mari Rantanen said.

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If Russian authorities continue to transport migrants to or near the border, then the situation is that we will seal our entire eastern border, Rantanen said on YLE TV1 on Thursday. This has nothing to do with immigration policy, this is purely a question of national security.

The Nordic country has already taken decisions to close seven stations, leaving open only the northernmost remote border point, Raja-Jooseppi in Lapland. Its responding to an operation in which it says Russia is providing transport to asylum seekers who seek to enter Finland in order to put pressure on the newest member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Read More: Finland Seals Bulk of Russian Border With One Station Left Open

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An artistic depiction of the Pilgrims feast with the Wampanoag in 1621, published in 1932. Universal History Archive/Getty Images

Thanksgiving dates back to the Pilgrims in Massachusetts in 1621, right?

Wrong, some historians say.

The Spanish held a feast with Native Americans 60 years before, and even called it "thanksgiving."

You probably grew up hearing the story that the first Thanksgiving happened in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621.

But a group of Spanish settlers in Florida may have beaten the Pilgrims to the punch by nearly 60 years, some historians say.

The story of the Pilgrims' feast  the one behind all those elementary school plays and corny cartoon specials  is based on an actual meal that English settlers shared with the Wampanoag people to celebrate an autumnal harvest in the fall of 1621 in their newly established settlement of Plymouth, Massachusetts.

Yet in 1565, Spanish settlers in Florida held a first Thanksgiving-style feast with local Native Americans.

Pedro Menendez de Aviles and 800 Spanish settlers landed in Spanish La Florida on September 8, 1565, the National Park Service says on its website. There, they established a city called St. Augustine, which still exists today and is the "oldest continuously occupied settlement of European and African-American origin in the United States," according to the town's website.

Upon their arrival, the Spaniards held a "Mass of Thanksgiving," followed by a meal with the native Timecua people, also known as the Seloy tribe, who occupied the region, according to the National Park Service.

The meal likely included Spanish cocido, a stew of salted pork and garbanzo beans, as well as red wine and sea biscuits, the park service says. Historians don't know for sure if the Timecua people contributed to the feast, but if they did, they might have provided items like turkey, venison, squash, maize, and sea catfish, according to the NPS.

Though the Pilgrims get the credit for the first Thanksgiving, they never actually used the word "thanksgiving" to describe their event, unlike the Spaniards, who did so decades earlier.

Part of the reason why we attribute the holiday tradition to the Pilgrims and not to the Spanish  despite the Spaniards being first  is because the British settlers eventually took full control of the land, not the Spanish, the NPS says.

With control of land and culture, it makes sense that British colonists celebrated their feast, not the one by the Spaniards.

In the years following the first "thanksgiving" feasts, colonists weren't so kind to the native populations who'd occupied the land for thousands of years prior to the settlers' arrival.

Even though the original feasts between the Europeans and the Native Americans were peaceful, settlers and later colonial governments mistreated Indigenous peoples, driving them from the land and decimating the population.

Now, many modern-day Americans recognize the holiday not as a day of celebration, but as a "National Day of Mourning."

Read the original article on Insider
An upside-down whipnose anglerfish spotted by Japanese researchers in the western North Pacific Ocean in 2011. (Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology via The New York Times)

Usually, a belly-up fish isnt long for this world. But video evidence from the deep ocean suggests that some species of anglerfish  the nightmarish deep-sea fish with bioluminescent lures  live their whole lives upside down.

Just when you think they couldnt get any weirder, anglerfish outdo themselves, said Pamela Hart, an associate professor at the University of Alabama who researches fish that live in extreme conditions.

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The behavior, documented earlier this month in the Journal of Fish Biology, is beyond anyones wildest imagination, said Elizabeth Miller, who studied the evolution of deep-sea fish as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Oklahoma. (Neither Miller nor Hart was involved in the discovery.)

Whipnose anglerfish are small sea monsters with a fishing rod-like appendage on their faces. While a whipnoses body is no bigger than that of a house cat, it has a long, floppy spine that sprouts from its nose and stretches up to four times its body length. The fish tempt prey with bioluminescent bacteria that live in the tip of the lure. (This applies to female whipnoses, said Andrew Stewart, curator of fishes at the Museum of New Zealand and an author of the study. The males of the species are sad little tadpole things a fraction of the size of the females, and without the lure.)

For nearly a century, scientists assumed whipnose anglerfish would dangle their lures in front of their faces, as many anglerfish with shorter lures do. But now, videos from underwater missions in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans suggest that whipnoses spend their lightless days upside down, with their long lures hanging toward the seafloor.

The videos are confirmation of a tantalizing observation from more than 20 years ago, Stewart said.

In 1999, a remotely operated vehicle, or ROV, caught glimpses of whipnose anglerfish floating motionless, and, notably, upside down, about midway between Hawaii and California. Researchers suspected that they were targeting prey on the seafloor, but scientists couldnt discard the possibility that it was just one goofy fish behaving abnormally, Hart explained  a hazard of animal behavior studies.

If that whipnose was a goof, then theyre all goofs, based on evidence from the footage that has been captured by remote subs and crewed vehicles. In a video filmed near the Izu-Ogasawara Trench off Japan, a whipnose drifts with the current, her body parallel to the seafloor, mouth agape and hundreds of tiny teeth glistening in the light.

Suddenly, she bursts into motion, using her powerful tail to swim in a tight circle, still inverted. Eventually she calms and begins drifting again, only to bump into the ROVs light apparatus  probably a shock for a creature used to living in the featureless deep sea. Then she uses the tiny fins at her side to backpedal into the darkness.

In other videos, the propellers and power of the submersible tumbled the anglerfish so it was right side up, Stewart said. But the whipnoses werent having any of it, they very quickly reverted to being upside down again, he said.

While humans might find it hard to take a belly-up predator seriously, swimming upside down may make the whipnose more lethal. Researchers suspect that, by keeping their lures farther from their mouths, whipnose anglerfish could take down larger and faster prey without accidentally biting themselves. Stewart said that one dissected whipnose specimen had a gonatid squid in its belly  a real prize.

Squid are very much the Ferrari of the deep ocean, he said, adding that whipnose anglerfish must be extremely fast and efficient for them to have nailed a gonatid.

This new insight into the whipnoses behavior underscores how revolutionary ROV footage has been for deep-sea biology, Stewart said. Before this technology, scientists relied on dead specimens hoisted from the deep by trawling nets and pickled to preserve their delicate tissues, which are often damaged by the drastic change in pressure. There was nothing in the whipnose anglerfishs anatomy to suggest their bizarre behavior.

These videos are really precious, Miller said. Even a short, one-minute video tells us so much about how the anglerfish is living its life that we cant otherwise get.

c.2023 The New York Times Company
The Autumn Statement was one of the last chances for the Conservatives to win back voters in time for the next general election.

Jeremy Hunt on Wednesday announced tax cuts for 29 million workers, as well as the biggest tax break for businesses in 50 years.

But it still might not have been enough to turn the tide for the Conservative party. If an election was called today, 46pc of the country would vote Labour and only 25pc for the Tories, according to the latest Ipsos survey.

Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves said after Mr Hunts speech that the Tories time is up.

They have held back growth, crashed our economy, increased debt, trashed our public services, left businesses out in the cold, and made life harder for working people.

Our country cannot afford five more years of the Conservatives.

But many among Britains middle classes are more concerned about what a Labour win at the next election  which must take place before January 2025  would mean for their money.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has ruled out explicit wealth taxes, however his proposals to scrap the non-dom status, add levies to private schools and reimpose limits on pension savings have fuelled fears that many could see a rise in taxes and other costs.

Here are the actions you could consider taking to protect your wealth from a Labour government.

1. Protect your pension

In the March 2023 Budget, and following a long Telegraph Money campaign, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt made the shock decision to abolish the lifetime allowance (LTA), a tax charge on pensions worth more than 1.073m.

Labour was quick to condemn the move, calling it a tax cut for the rich, and promised to reinstate the LTA if it won the next general election.

Around 250,000 people aged 55 to 64 could have an LTA issue if it is reintroduced at its previous level of 1.073m, according to estimates by pensions consultants LCP.

Previously, savings over the limit were taxed at 55pc if the money was taken as a lump sum or 25pc plus income tax if taken out gradually.

But reversing the change is far easier said than done, especially now that HMRC has confirmed the scrapping of the LTA in a policy paper published on Wednesday.

Rachel Vahey, of stockbroker AJ Bell, said: Passing legislation to abolish the lifetime allowance altogether makes it far more difficult for policymakers to reverse the rules again, as Labour has pledged.

Sir Steve Webb of LCP, a former pensions minister, has warned that reinstating the LTA is fraught with difficulty for a number of reasons.

For one, bringing back the cap on pension saving risks driving senior doctors to retire just before the election. A key reason for scrapping the LTA was to stop highly paid NHS doctors from retiring early to avoid tax bills.

There could also be a flurry of savers rushing to draw their pension in the run-up to the election, Sir Steve said.

To stop a flood of workers from retiring early, Labour could still decide to row back on its promise. As a result, Steven Cameron, of pensions firm Aegon, said: Making predictions around the pensions lifetime allowance is extremely difficult.

This has left savers with large pension pots facing a huge amount of uncertainty. Should they make the most of todays generous pension rules, or err on the side of caution in case Labour pulls the rug out from underneath their feet?

Fortunately, even if the cap is reintroduced, savers who have made the most out of Mr Hunts rule change may still be able to protect their pension pot.

Since it was created in 2006, the lifetime allowance has been changed multiple times. In response, HMRC has introduced protections so those over the new limit could claim the old, higher limit.

Arguably, you should still seek to grow your pension as much as possible while the generous tax rules are in place.



Ms Vahey said Wednesdays confirmation that the LTA will be cut means those who feared hitting the lifetime allowance can resume contributions and keep building their pension pot.

Tax relief makes saving into a pension very attractive, as any investment returns made in your fund will be free of capital gains tax and dividend tax.

As well as scrapping the LTA, Mr Hunt increased the annual allowance from 40,000 to 60,000 in the last Budget, allowing higher-earners to save large sums into their pension tax-free every year.

Some savers may be tempted to crystallise their pension early in case a tax charge is reintroduced, but you should be cautious about drawing your pension unless you really need to. Crystallising a lump sum, and taking it out of a pension, brings this money into the scope of inheritance tax.

2. Consider selling assets to avoid capital gains tax

An attack on capital gains tax rates could be on the cards if Labour gets into power, despite the partys claims.

Capital gains tax receipts have been skyrocketing as landlords and company owners sell up, hitting a record 18bn in 2022-23. The Conservatives have already dramatically scaled back relief given to sales and payouts that incur capital gains and dividend taxes.

But under a Labour government, the tax take could grow ever bigger, accountants fear.

In 2022, the Office of Tax Simplification, a now disbanded quango, called for the rates to be aligned with income tax rates in order to close the gap between earned and unearned income.

Currently, basic-rate taxpayers pay 18pc on their profits from the sale of a second home and 10pc for shares while higher-rate taxpayers pay 28pc and 20pc.

Earlier this year, shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said Labour had no plans to increase capital gains tax. But tax experts have said for years that a future government may find it too difficult to resist.

However, Aysha Marley, of RSM, said: Ms Reeves may find it difficult to justify such a low rate of tax for wealthier individuals and rumours abound that she would consider lowering or even abolishing business asset disposal relief.

Business asset disposal relief grants business owners a low 10pc rate on the first 1m of gains realised on the sale of a business.

To take advantage of todays low rates, those sitting on large capital gains may want to consider selling up ahead of the next election.

Doing this before April 2024  when the capital gains tax allowance, currently 6,000, halves to 3,000  would save a higher-rate taxpayer with 50,000 worth of property gains more than 1,000 in tax.

If Labour then aligned rates with income tax, but kept the allowance the same, the tax owed would be 18,800, as opposed to 12,320 today.

Giving assets to family members who are basic-rate taxpayers is one way to avoid paying capital gains tax at the higher rates of 20pc and 28pc.

Alternatively, taxpayers might prefer to hang on to assets for longer and avoid realising gains or generating any liability at all, said Ms Marley. Once a taxpayer dies, capital gains are currently washed from their assets in the form of a tax free uplift in the base cost of those assets. In some circumstances, individuals will therefore prefer to hold onto assets until their death.

3. Plan for private school fee rises

With a Labour victory looming, one of the biggest concerns for many middle-class parents is the prospect of rising private school fees.

Sir Keir has said if he becomes prime minister he will slap private schools with 20pc VAT in his first year.

The Labour leader previously planned to strip private schools of their charitable status, but he has since backed down on this after the legal complexities became clear.

However, the U-turn may make Sir Keir even more determined to push ahead with the VAT proposals, said James Ward, of law firm Kingsley Napley.

This leaves parents facing a possible 20pc jump in fees. According to the Independent Schools Council, a trade body, the average day school fee is 16,656 per year while the average boarding school fee is around 39,000. A 20pc rise could therefore add tens of thousands of pounds to a familys bills over the course of a childs education.

Mr Ward said the levy could also limit parents choice of smaller private schools.

The biggest schools have got plenty of money and theyll give bursaries to kids who cant afford it. Its the small private schools that will go under.

Harry Bell, of wealth manager Charles Stanley, said: Not all parents who send their children to private schools are sufficiently wealthy to wear this extra cost easily, leading to many scrutinising their spending and delaying big one off purchases.

There is also a risk of parents sacrificing their retirement planning, such as pensions savings, in order to pay the fees, or even moving house to either release capital or be in an area with good state schools.

Considering an intergenerational planning strategy to encourage wealth transfer from grandparents could help support any changes to private school fees.

One option  if you can afford it  is to pay for your childs education upfront.

A number of schools offer fees in advance arrangements which could save parents potentially 60,000 in fees by allowing them to benefit from the current VAT exemption.

However, this strategy is not foolproof, as Labour could still find a way to claw back the VAT from those who have already paid upfront, said Richard Holm of RSM.

Given that Labour have already indicated that they will consider blocking independent schools from reclaiming VAT on historic spend, introducing similar measures aimed at preventing prepayments is not out of the question.

Nevertheless, paying in advance may still be worthwhile if you can afford it. Private schools will usually offer a discount to those who do.

If this is not an option but if there are grandparents who can contribute, then encouraging them to transfer some of their wealth could help ease the burden.

Transfers made for the education of children are free from inheritance tax  but only if made by the parent. So if you are asking a grandparent for a gift, remember it will need to fall outside the seven-year window before being free of inheritance tax.

Otherwise, grandparents could make gifts out of their surplus income to benefit from the little-used unlimited gifting rule that means the seven-year period will not apply. You can read up on the criteria for the surplus income rule here.

4. Use inheritance tax reliefs

Labour is reportedly considering scrapping two valuable inheritance tax exemptions  agricultural and business property relief  designed to let families pass on farms and businesses without paying the 40pc levy.

It is unclear whether Labour is mulling abolishing both exemptions in their entirety, or reforming them, but keeping protections for farmers in place.

If the reliefs are scrapped, then families could be forced to sell their businesses and farms in order to pay inheritance tax.

Ms Marley said a move to tax family businesses could have far reaching implications for families and for the structure of wealth ownership in the UK.

Land or business owners who are fearful of the potential withdrawal of the relief may decide to give away land or shares in their family business to younger family members and we are already seeing some clients doing this in anticipation, she said.

5. Leave the UK or shelter assets to avoid higher taxes for non-doms

High earners have already been leaving Britain in large numbers, attracted by the lifestyle, high salaries  and low tax  of hubs like Dubai and America.

Labour plans to scrap the non-domiciled tax regime that lets wealthy individuals earn foreign income tax-free for up to 15 years.

A study by academics at Warwick University and the London School of Economics has estimated that scrapping the non-dom status would save the Government at least 3.2bn a year. However, RSM has questioned whether it could generate extra revenue of this size.

Over 55,000 UK residents claimed to be non-domiciled in 2022, according to the latest statistics from HMRC. Of those, 37,000 claimed the remittance basis which lets those with over 2,000 in foreign income exclude this from UK taxation.

Wealthier non-doms who have been here for at least seven of the previous nine tax years will have to pay 30,000 as an annual remittance basis charge or 60,000 if they have been here for 12 of the last 14.

According to RSM, only 2,100 people pay the charge  suggesting that Labour would be relying on a relatively small number of taxpayers to raise the billions in revenue.

Many worry that non-doms would simply leave the UK if the tax relief was abolished, taking their wealth with them. Mr Ward said: If you have a substantial offshore income, the only thing you can do is either leave the UK or shelter that money in an offshore trust. Not only will we be losing hard-working people from our banking and legal sector, but also the hotels and restaurants where they spend their money.

The study estimates that fewer than 100 non-doms would move abroad as a result of the changes, but others are not so certain.

Given the risk of an exodus, Labour is more likely to slash the window in which residents can claim non-dom status rather than scrap the relief outright, Mr Ward reckoned.

Moving to another country with a preferential tax regime for foreign workers is not the only way non-doms and others can avoid the higher tax bills.

Investing for capital growth, rather than income, could bring assets out of the income tax regime and into capital gains tax. However, this strategy may not pay off if Labour does raise capital gains tax rates.

Sheltering investment portfolios in an offshore insurance bond could be a good idea for those who are confident they will become a basic-rate taxpayer or move to a low-tax jurisdiction later in life.

The income and gains of the bond are not taxed as they arise. However, you must plan your exit strategy carefully to avoid paying income tax on the bond at the higher rate.

Another option is to move assets into a protected trust, an offshore structure created by a non-UK domiciled settler.

However, Andrew Robins, of RSM, said: It is possible that the concept of a protected trust could be abolished by a new government, and although we would expect existing arrangements to remain valid, this cannot be guaranteed.

A spokesman for Labour said: After thirteen years of economic failure under the Conservatives, working people are worse off with higher mortgage bills, higher taxes and prices still rising in the shops. Under the Conservatives, the tax burden is at a seventy-year high, with 25 Tory tax rises since 2019 alone.

The Tories have become the party of high tax, because they are the party of low growth. Labour would get the economy growing again so we can boost wages, bring down bills and make working people in all parts of the country better off.

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In 2022 one in 30 foreign workers left before the 12 months was up - Ben Stansall/AFP

A major shift in the behaviour of foreign workers and students has been blamed by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) for a massive underestimate of net migration.

The ONS had originally calculated net migration for the year to December 2022 as 606,000 for the number who had come to the UK to work, study or seek refuge, minus those who had emigrated.

However, in its latest analysis, published on Thursday, it upgraded that figure to 745,000  the highest annual net migration on record.

It means that 139,000 more people than previously thought arrived in Britain in the year to last December.

This was largely because overseas workers and students stayed longer in Britain than previously, meaning their provisional estimates for the year to December were askew and underestimated the number of long-term migrants, defined as those staying more than 12 months.

Before the pandemic, one in five students did not stay long term in the UK and instead left before 12 months was up. By 2022, that had fallen to one in seven.

The trend is even more stark amongst foreign workers. Whereas one in six left before 12 months was up, that fell to one in 30 in 2022.

This is a consequence of the changing nature of international migrants coming to the UK.

Whereas before Brexit it was predominantly people coming from the UK to live, work and study, they are now non-EU migrants from further afield with an incentive to stay longer given the distance travelled.

They are also more likely than ever before to bring their spouses and children, giving them an extra incentive to stay for longer in the UK as they settle into British life.

The figures are particularly high for NHS and care staff, with 173,896 dependants brought for 143,990 actual workers, meaning more dependants arrive than actual workers.

For every three students granted a visa, a dependant also got one. This is a dramatic increase from 26 students per dependant in 2019.

The ONS published its 606,000 estimate for the year to December in May, which meant it was provisional and based on previous assumptions of migrant behaviour. Only now, having collected more definitive data, has it been able to make a more accurate estimate.

On Thursday, it said the significant revision of last years figures was due to unexpected patterns in the behaviour of migrants.

Jay Lindop, of the ONS, said that before the pandemic migration was relatively stable but patterns and behaviours have been shifting considerably since then.

More recently, were not only seeing more students arrive but we can also see theyre staying for longer. More dependants of people with work and study visas have arrived too, and immigration is now being driven by non-EU arrivals, he said.

Madeleine Sumption, the director of the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford, said the ONS faced a trade-off between accuracy and timeliness.

The thing that people focus on is the recent figures and I think that they [the ONS] do just face a trade-off between accuracy and timeliness, she added. And I think theres a cost in terms of public trust, of having  even if the revisions are planned  revisions that are really big.

She said the hope was that patterns would settle down, leaving it easier to predict who would turn out to be long-term and short-term migrants.

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A former FBI agent has warned Americans to remain on high alert during the holiday season as experts say travelers can expect "chaos" during a record-setting season.

"Now is the time to be extremely vigilant, on high alert and keep your head on a swivel," former FBI Special Agent Nicole Parker said during an appearance on "Hannity."

"As Americans, Im a big proponent [of] do not live in fear," she added. "We dont want to live in [fear], the terrorists are not going to win, but we need to be extremely vigilant and aware."

The holiday season is expected to see a record number of travelers, with industry group Airlines for America forecasting nearly 30 million passengers over Thanksgiving week, hitting an all-time high over even pre-pandemic levels by nearly 2 million travelers.

TSA ON THANKSGIVING DAY FOODS YOU CAN FLY WITH, CELEBRITY CHEF'S TAKE ON ITEMS THAT TRAVEL WELL

AAA last year noted a surge in foreign travel as post-pandemic travel interest, strengthened by the flexibility of remote work, drove more than 100 million people to travel 50 miles or more during the peak holiday season between Dec. 23, 2022, and Jan. 2, 2023.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

The record level of travel this year will lead to airport "chaos," according to travel journalist Francesca Page, who urged tourists going abroad to remain aware of foreign medical services in case of emergency and to get to airports early and stay updated on airline complications.

The holiday season is expected to see a record number of travelers, with industry group Airlines for America forecasting nearly 30 million passengers over Thanksgiving week, hitting an all-time high over even pre-pandemic levels by nearly 2 million travelers.

For those traveling abroad, the State Department issued a "Worldwide Caution" advisory, citing "increased tensions in various locations around the world, the potential for terrorist attacks, demonstrations or violent actions against U.S. citizens and interests."

James Hess, professor at the School of Security and Global Studies in the American Public University System, told Fox News Digital that "its appropriate to say any travel internationally certainly should be taken with vigilance," but he argued that Americans generally "travel well" due to their role as economic drivers for "many areas of the world."

5 TOOLS TO SAVE YOUR TRIP AFTER CANCELED OR DELAYED FLIGHT

"When you're traveling and there's a concentration of Americans, and you're in an area where suddenly erupts some sort of mass protest  in response to something that's going on in Gaza, that does put Americans at risk," Hess said, adding that the worldwide is advisory warranted and "well served."

Violence in the Middle East stirs concerns at home, and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said it would "be naive to think the war in the Middle East does not have the possibility to bleed over into other states, particularly New York."

For those traveling abroad, the State Department has issued a "Worldwide Caution" advisory.

"We have been targeted in the past, yet we are very prepared," Hochul said in response to what she deemed "a heightened threat environment" after a security assessment from the FBI, Department of Homeland Security and other agencies, ABC 7 reported.

The assessment, reviewed by ABC News, expressed concern about "lone actors using online platforms to express threats of violence against Jewish, Muslim, and Arab communities, as well as committing simple, unsophisticated attacks that are difficult to detect in advance."

8 KEY TIPS FOR KEEPING YOUR HOME SAFE AND SECURE WHILE YOU'RE TRAVELING FOR HOLIDAYS

The assessment included concerns that al Qaeda called for its followers to attack American, British and French nationals as well as Jewish people everywhere and using "public events and large gatherings" as a backdrop.

Spanish news outlet EFE reported in October that the U.S. closed a consulate in the Turkish city of Adana due to the ongoing anti-Israel demonstrations, which condemned Israels strikes in the Gaza Strip as it pursued Hamas targets.

Tourists crowd the area near the Rialto Bridge in Venice, Italy, on Aug. 2, 2023.

The "Worldwide Caution" issued by the State Department is the 23rd such advisory since 2008, with the most recent one occurring in 2022 after the death of al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri, according to a review of State Department alert archives by travel news outlet Skift.

Dr. Chuck Russo, department chair of criminal justice and human justice for American Military University and American Public University, suggested that countries with strong Arab populations might hold some hostility toward Americans who are seen as the enablers of Israel and its military operations in Gaza, which has deeply upset Muslim communities across the globe.

EUROPEAN COUNTRY WANTS TO CHARGE GREEN TAX ON ALL FLIGHTS TO FUND PENSIONS: REPORT

Anti-Israel/pro-Palestinian demonstrations have taken place in Australia, Myanmar, U.K., Germany and the U.S., and these protests have often included an anti-American element, with protesters seeing little distinction and even alleging that President Biden has "blood on (his) hands" for helping to fund the Israeli military and fully backing Israel in its war against Hamas.

"Many countries in Europe now are like this.  Take Belgium, for example; take Germany, for example," Russo said. "I can think of France as one where there's large segments of populations that came from the Middle East. They were basically like refugee centers, to where being an American, being Jewish  could be very problematic when traveling in those areas," he said.

A line of tourists waits to enter the Pantheon in Rome.

"If youre not traveling with, say, a structured group, you really need to know not only where you are but when youre going from one location to another, how youre getting there, what areas youre going through to get there, because one wrong turn and you can find yourself in a very, very poor situation."

"Were relaxed because were on vacation," Russo said. "We want to decompress. We want to unwind. We want to let the troubles of the world go away  yet, we also have to keep that safety factor in our minds."

Hess suggested that travelers should first look at individual countries of interest for their specific travel advisory because they might not have such heightened concerns, such as Peru, which has a level 2 "Exercise Increased Caution" advisory compared to Nicaraguas level 3 "Reconsider Travel" advisory. He said the primary concern for travelers remains criminals, not terrorists.

The State Department has advised U.S. citizens to enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program to remain informed throughout trips of any potential dangers and follow State Department updates on social media.

Reuters contributed to this report.





Original article source: Former FBI agent warns about heightened danger amid holiday travel 'chaos'
Marcella Novela, a recent candidate for the Miami Beach City Commission, was arrested Wednesday morning in a domestic dispute alongside her husband, Miami real estate executive Ricardo Dunin Borkowsky.

Novela, 45, and Dunin Borkowsy, 64, were charged with misdemeanor battery. Both were in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on Wednesday night, records show.

Earlier this month, Novela narrowly lost to Joe Magazine in the city commission election. She is an art advisor and curator, chairing the citys Art in Public Places committee and previously serving on the board of trustees for the Perez Art Museum in Miami.

Dunin is the founder and CEO of Miami-based real estate firm Oak Capital. He was also a founding partner of Lionheart Capital and developed the Ritz-Carlton Residences in Miami Beach.

Around 9:30 a.m., a Miami Beach police officer was called to the pairs home in relation to a domestic disturbance. According to the emergency call, Dunin was pushed into the pool by Novela and was scared to get out, an incident report read.

The officer found Dunin still standing in the pool with many of his belongings thrown in. Novela was sitting on the edge.

She was detained and had a strong smell of alcohol emanating off her, the report read. She told an officer she had been drinking until 3 a.m.

Novela went on to say that she had been attacked by Dunin inside their master bedroom, grabbed by her throat and pushed into a dresser. She then punched him in the head in self-defense, the report read.

After being pushed onto the bed, she followed him outside to the pool deck. He allegedly said something nasty to her, which she responded to by pushing him into the pool, she told the officer.

According to the report, Novela had a red mark on her neck.

Dunin told officers he was punched in the head by Novela in the bedroom after an argument. He ran outside of the room in fear and onto the pool deck, where he was pushed into the pool by her, he said.

He had a small cut on the right side of his head, the report read.

Police decided to arrest them both for their actions as mutual combatants.
A former Obama administration adviser has been arrested after videos shared on social media showed him using Islamophobic language against a New York City food cart worker.

Stuart Seldowitz, 64, was arrested Wednesday on preliminary charges of hate crime, stalking, second-degree aggravated harassment, stalking causing fear and stalking at employment.

Seldowitz is a former State Department employee and national security adviser. He confirmed to CNN before his arrest that it was him in the videos.

NYPD confirmed there is a report on file for aggravated harassment at 2nd Avenue and 83rd Street.

The victim was a 24-year-old male who told police Seldowitz approached him at his workplace multiple times and made anti-Islamic statements multiple times on different dates and caused him to feel afraid and annoyed.

The videos show him mocking Islam, taunting the man about his citizenship status, accusing him of supporting Hamas and referencing the ongoing war between Israel and the militant Palestinian group.

In the video, Seldowitz said, Im gonna put big signs here that say This guy believes in Hamas, Youre a terrorist, you support terrorism, and, If we killed 4,000 Palestinian kids, you know what, it wasnt enough.

His arrest comes at a time when antisemitism and anti-Muslim rhetoric is on the rise in the U.S. in the weeks since Hamas entered Israel in a surprise attack and killed more than 1,200 people.

A D.C.-based lobbying firm cut ties with Seldowitz several days ago after the videos circulated.

According to FBI Director Christopher Wray, the country is seeing historic levels of antisemitism, with actions targeting the Jewish community after the war began. Palestinian American groups have also grown increasingly worried over the past several weeks after an uptick in violence. The number of Islamophobic incidents in the U.S. has dramatically spiked, advocacy groups said.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) announced Tuesday that New Yorks government is stepping up its fight against online hate and an uptick of hateful rhetoric since the start of the conflict.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
A man has been sentenced in Lake County court to 99 years in prison for the 2022 ambush shooting that killed a man and injured another outside a Waukegan restaurant

Jorge Medina, 20, of Waukegan was handed a sentence Tuesday by Judge Daniel Shanes that will likely keep him in prison for the rest of his life.

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He had been found guilty of first-degree murder and attempted murder in the shooting death of Stefan Filipovic and the wounding of the second victim.

Filipovic, 24, of Waukegan, and the other man were shot as they walked near a restaurant in the 1500 block of Washington Street in May 2022.

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Authorities said a friend of Medinas named Fernando Andino had seen the victims earlier at the restaurant and mistook them for people with whom he had a dispute.

Andino picked up Medina and drove him to the area near the restaurant before letting him out of the car. Medina shot the men, and was then driven away by Andino, police said.

Andino later pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and testified as a prosecution witness at Medinas trial. Andino was sentenced last month to 26 years in prison.

Violent offenders have no place in our community. Mr. Medina and his accomplice will be incarcerated for decades in response to this premeditated and planned assassination. Our experienced trial team did an outstanding job of securing justice and safety for those impacted by this horrific crime, States Attorney Eric Rinehart said after the sentencing.

The judge sentenced Medina to 70 years in prison on the murder charge, which must be served at 100 %. The 29-year term for attempted murder must be served at 85%, prosecutors said.
2023 is likely the hottest year in human history (Frederic J. BROWN)

World leaders will face a reckoning over humanity's failure to curb climate-heating emissions and polluting fossil fuels when they meet for UN climate talks next week, as the planet swelters in likely the hottest year in human history.

Pope Francis, King Charles III, political leaders, activists and lobbyists will be among the more than 70,000 visitors expected for the COP28 meeting in oil-rich United Arab Emirates, making it the largest UN climate change conference ever held.

Negotiators will grapple with a host of flashpoint issues, including the future of oil, gas and coal, as well as financial solidarity between rich polluters and poorer nations most vulnerable to accelerating climate impacts.

But the central focus will be a damning stocktaking of the world's limited progress on curbing global warming, which requires an official response to be crafted at the November 30 to December 12 talks.

Signals from leaders will come early, with about 140 heads of state and government due to speak during a two-day summit beginning on December 1.

The stakes have never been higher, with scientists warning that the Paris Agreement's safer 1.5 degree Celsius warming limit is slipping through humanity's fingers.

"The biggest wildcard is probably is there geopolitical space for climate cooperation?" said Alden Meyer of the think tank E3G, adding there was a "corrosive lack of trust" even before the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Global relations have soured in recent years over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a mounting debt crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic, when developing countries struggled to access vaccines.

Campaigners have also raised concerns over the influence of fossil fuel interests at the talks, noting that COP28 president Sultan Al Jaber is both UAE climate envoy and head of state-owned oil firm ADNOC.

But they say the summit could also highlight the need to transition away from the energy sources responsible for the majority of human-caused emissions.

"I think it presents us with an opportunity, but also a great challenge, to ensure that fossil fuel phaseout is front and centre at this COP," said Mitzi Jonelle Tan of Fridays for Future Philippines.

- 'Out of road' -

The 2015 Paris climate deal aimed to limit global warming to well below 2C since the pre-industrial era, and preferably to 1.5C.

There has been some progress.

The International Energy Agency this year forecast fossil fuel demand will peak by 2030 due to the "spectacular" growth of clean energy technologies and electric cars -- helped by policies in China, the United States and Europe, among others.

But recent research has exposed how far off track the world still is.

This week the UN Environment Programme said the world is heading for devastating warming up to 2.9C, even with countries' climate plans, calling on G20 polluters to move faster.

The IPCC climate panel says emissions need to fall 43 percent this decade to stay under the 1.5C limit, yet they continue to rise.

"Leaders can't kick the can any further," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said. "We're out of road."

Nearly 1.2C of warming is already triggering blistering heatwaves, massive wildfires, floods and ferocious storms.

This year is expected to be the warmest on record, while proxy data like tree rings and ice cores suggest those temperatures could also be unprecedented in the past more than 100,000 years.

In a stark reminder of the high stakes, Australia this month agreed a landmark deal with Tuvalu to offer sanctuary to the island nation's residents should their home be engulfed by rising seas, as expected this century.

- The F-word -

For decades, global climate negotiations largely avoided mentioning fossil fuels, until Glasgow's COP26 agreed to "phasedown" unfiltered coal power and the "phase-out of inefficient fossil fuel subsidies".

Since then, momentum has built.

"This year has presented us with pretty unprecedented consensus among governments and civil society that the phase out of fossil fuels -- and the phasing in of renewable energy -- is the key thing to tackle in this decade," said Catherine Abreu of Destination Zero.

Even the UAE's Jaber has said he believes the phasing down of fossil fuels is "inevitable".

He has proposed tripling global renewable energy capacity and doubling the annual rate of energy efficiency improvements by 2030.

But the key question is whether these targets are formalised in a negotiated text or shunted into flimsier voluntary pledges, Abreu said, adding that a flurry of side deals from the UAE was "quite worrying".

Finance for developing nations will also stir controversy at COP28.

Monitors say wealthy nations likely met their goal of providing $100 billion in annual climate finance to poorer countries last year -- but the achievement is two years late and insufficient to meet growing needs.

A hard-fought agreement on aspects of a "loss and damage" fund to help climate-vulnerable countries was also recently secured, although details remain contentious.

One positive signal came in a recent US-China climate statement.

Meyer said this signalled a "shift" from Beijing on COP28's global stocktake response, having previously resisted the idea that countries should be pushed to increase emissions-cutting ambitions.

"The real question now is whether India and other big developing countries will change their stance," he said.

klm/dl/rl/lb
Pro-Palestine protesters demonstrated during the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday morning, some staging a sit-in on the parade route.

According to ABC 7 New York, about 30 protesters dressed in white coveralls doused in reddish juice  presumably to mimic blood  and adorned with words like "Racism," "Colonialism," "Consumerism" and "Ethnic Cleansing" ran into the streets, shouting "Free Palestine" or sitting down on the pavement. Some also brandished a banner that read, "Liberation for Palestine and Planet" featuring images of a cut watermelon and sunflower, symbols for Palestine and Ukraine.

Floats for LEGOs, Minions and "Dragon Ball" veered around the protesters. A few activists could be seen taken into police custody, reports ABC News. Many onlookers could be heard booing.

Separately, other protesters not dressed in jumpsuits marched along chanting, "Not another nickel, not another dime. No more money for Israel's crimes," while holding signs and banners that read, "Genocide Then, Genocide Now." Some flashed Palestinian flags.

Multiple protests occur this morning as the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is underway.



Protesters who blocked the street in white jumpsuits and fake blood were arrested, and parade directed around.



Dozens also marched in Times Square. pic.twitter.com/a1KNgAjAkx  PRO_NYC (@protest_nyc) November 23, 2023

The theme of protesting the war during a consumerist holiday with roots in colonialism was not lost on many who took to social media to add their voices to the protest.

On Wednesday, Israel and Hamas agreed to a four-day ceasefire to enable the exchange of prisoners.
Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) has claimed to have detained a Ukrainian citizen who was preparing to assassinate a senior Russian officer in Voronezh.

Source: RIA Novosti and TASS, Kremlin-aligned Russian news agencies

Details: The FSB said it had detained an "agent of Ukraine's special services" in Voronezh as he was preparing a terrorist attack on a senior Russian military officer.

The FSB stated that the so-called Ukrainian agent used "a bicycle and clothes of one of the food delivery services" for conspiracy.

Reportedly, an explosive device weighing more than 1 kg, electric detonators, and a forged Russian passport were seized from the detainee.

"The detained Ukrainian agent testified and said that he had been sent to Russia a year ago, in November 2022. The murder of the high-ranking commander, he said, was planned 'for revenge' and to intimidate," RIA Novosti quoted the FSB as saying.

The video of the arrest and testimony was also published.

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The Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis announced on Wednesday that there has been a conviction in the 2000 cold case murder of Edna Mae Whitt.

The DA said Vernon Spear, 64, was found guilty on five counts, including murder and rape.

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On March 1, 2000, Edna Mae Whitt asked four men to help her relocate from Richardson Street to McDaniel Street in Atlanta. Juanita Sturnes, a friend who helped with the move, came back the next day to visit and discovered the apartments front window had been shattered.

Officers responded to the scene and found Whitt dead with multiple injuries to her head, signs of sexual assault, and a broken wrist and torn fingernails.

The medical examiner said the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the skull.

The investigation turned cold until Detective Vincent Velazquez from the Atlanta Police Department utilized DNA analysis in 2011 to exclude three people who aided in Whitts move.

In 2014, while in federal custody on gun charges, Vernon Spears DNA was added to the CODIS database, and the system flagged a match with the sexual assault kit performed at Whitts autopsy. Further testing by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation confirmed that the DNA found in the victim during the sexual assault exam belonged to Spear.

On November 7, 2023, a competency trial that included the testimony of two doctors from Emorys Law and Psychiatry Service conclusively established that Spear was deemed competent to stand trial. On November 17, 2023, a jury returned a guilty verdict.

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This conviction was the result of relentless investigation and skillful prosecution, and underscores the crucial role DNA testing plays in solving sexual assault crimes, said District Attorney Fani T. Willis. After enduring a 23-year wait, Ms. Edna Mae Whitts family can finally find a sense of closure.

Spear has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

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IN OTHER NEWS:
The G7 foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the U.K., the U.S., and the High Representative of the European Union, condemned arms transfer from North Korea to Russia as a direct violation of United Nations Security Council Resolutions (UNSCRs) on Nov. 22.

"We reiterate our strong condemnation of arms transfers from North Korea to Russia, which directly violate relevant UNSCRs," the statement reads. "We urge North Korea and Russia to abide by these UNSCRs and immediately cease all such activities."

Western officials are concerned about bilateral cooperation and military ties between the two countries. Earlier this month, South Korean intelligence reported that North Korea sent over a million artillery shells to Russia.

With Russia's military stocks running low and domestic production capacity simultaneously hampered by Western sanctions, it has increasingly turned to other sources for military equipment, including North Korea.

According to U.S. State Secretary Antony Blinken, these military ties are increasingly a "two-way street," in which North Korea provides Russia with military equipment to use in Ukraine. In turn, Russia offers military technology and assists with North Korea's long-range attack capabilities, potentially including ballistic missiles and nuclear technology.

The Kremlin has denied accusations that it is using North Korean ammunition in its invasion of Ukraine.

North Korea is already one of the top backers of Russias war in Ukraine, according to the U.K. government.

Read also: Ukraine war latest: Germany delivers over 20 Marders; Military reports destroying 80% of Russian hardware near Avdiivka

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The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is looking into a shooting incident involving deputies from Treutlen and Laurens County.

At around 3:45 p.m. on Sunday, a Laurens County deputy initiated a traffic stop on 32-year-old Kadeem Amir Wicker of Wrightsville for reckless driving.

When the Laurens County deputy approached the vehicle, Wicker drove away. There was a pursuit into Treutlen County, & Treutlen County deputies joined the pursuit.

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Authorities said that Wicker shot at the deputies chasing after him during the course of the pursuit.

Eventually, a PIT maneuver was used by a deputy to end the chase in Montgomery County.

Wicker was injured and taken to the hospital where he remains.

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Drugs and a gun were found at the scene of the crash, according to deputies.

Authorities are continuing to investigate the crash.

Anyone with information about this investigation is asked to contact the GBI Regional Investigative Office in Eastman at 478-374-6988. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.

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IN OTHER NEWS:
Thought yall might like these while you wait, said my waitress, placing a red paper-lined basket on the table in front of me. Inside, a glorious heap of small, round, golden-crisp, freshly fried pickle slices. Dont forget the tartar sauce. She pointed to a small pot tucked behind an extra-large piece. Yall enjoy! And didnt I just, one warm, comforting tartar-dipped bite after another. I could hardly stop, despite the feast to come.

Overexcited to be experiencing my first taste of southern hospitality in the rural Deep South, Id gone all out with my order: a catfish sandwich, red beans and rice and a side of dam fries  the name a nod to the nearby reservoir, I later learned. Theyre topped with ranch and barbecue sauce, mustard, melted cheese and jalapeno slices. You want some? Theyre real good. Trust me, my server insisted, crouching down to add it to my order. She was right.

It was noon in sunny Louisiana, and I was having a hot sit-down lunch off Highway 473. At a gas station. The Curtis Grocery and Deli in Toro, Sabine Parish, to be exact. Behind the cashiers desk, the quiet, no-frills dining room had filled up with families, workers and solo diners. Forest-green booth-style seating lined the wall opposite an open kitchen. Lacing the air, a hearty scent and satisfying sizzle of frying food.

Deep-fried pickles are a gas station delicacy in the Deep South (Ellie Seymour)

I was following a 450-mile Gas Station Eats trail for five days through No Mans Land, a landscape of pine forests in the southwest corner of Louisiana on the border of east Texas. Also known as the Neutral Strip at one time, when the newly formed US fought over the border with Spain to buy Louisiana from France, the area became a lawless western frontier when armies were withdrawn.

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There are 21 stops on the trail  gas stations, convenience stores and diners  three in each of seven southwest Louisiana parishes, serving the best of the regions homespun southern soul food dishes. These range from seafood near the Gulf of Mexico to barbecue and traditional Southern recipes in the regions north. Each stop is signposted, listed on the trail website and a No Mans Land Trip Planner app, which includes other attractions, tours, events and more.

I walked my first Southern soul food lunch off on a stroll by the Toledo Bend Reservoir separating Louisiana from Texas roughly five miles west. This vast body of water is the largest in the South: a mecca for fishing, camping and lakefront living. Here, I found another trail stop, the Lakefront Store, home of Marias famous homemade tamales. It was a thankfully light traditional Mexican dish, made with a corn-based dough called masa and filled with, in this case, chicken and cheese.

Home of the shrimp Po Boy, New Orleans packs a flavour punch in its food (Getty)

My Louisiana culinary adventure began eight days earlier in New Orleans, the state capital, where I had two of my first-ever gas station meals: a shrimp Po Boy  a Depression-era sandwich in a baguette  at Tremes popular Triangle Deli and a chicken shawarma salad plate. Locals come in every day and order the same thing. I know them well and their orders, however complicated, said Shawarma on the Go owner Shannon, tipping me off about a new book, Thank You Please Come Again: How Gas Stations Feed & Fuel the American South, by photojournalist Kate Medley.

The parish gas stations represent the communities theyre located in, my tour guide Nate Prendergast, aka Dr Gumbo, said when I mentioned my trip. Outside here, the area is well known for the quality of its meat, so youre going to taste a real difference. Food up there is much heavier than in the city. Like boudin sausage.

Pronounced boo-dan, this rich blend of cooked pork, rice, onions, peppers and seasonings stuffed into a sausage casing is delicious and a bit like haggis. Folks eat it plain, without ketchup or mustard, the cashier at Kartchners Speciality Meats in Lafayette said, as a drive-through customer ordered at the nearby hatch. It was the perfect follow-up meal to spotting an alligator during an immersive and eco-educational ride around the Atchafalaya Swamp with McGees.

My first official night on the trail was spent in the historic hamlet of Grand Cane, Desoto Parish, peppered with grand whitewashed homes like Cooks Hill House. Here, I fulfilled a lifelong dream: to sit in a swing chair on a wooden porch, nursing a beer and watching the odd truck rumble past.

Light breakfast: Bacon biscuits to go at off-the-beaten-path DBs Station (Ellie Seymour)

Gas station food shines at lunch, but the next morning, at off-the-beaten-path DBs Station  complete with red-checked table clothes  I experienced the morning rush. While workers gobbled heaving plates of sausage and grits, I grabbed a bacon biscuit  a southern-style bacon sandwich made with a light savoury scone  to eat on the go around Mansfield, where at trail stop, ShopALott, I wished Id left room for a great-value plate lunch of freshly fried chicken, mashed potatoes and greens for $11.

Its a joy to discover historic Natchitoches, pronounced Nack-a-Tish, the setting for the 1989 Oscar-nominated movie Steel Magnolias  and a gas station famous for its moist and sweet iced yam cake in all shapes and sizes. French Market Express is a $20m-a-year, family-run operation with 50 employees. The yam cake started with my dad who used to make it, owner Linda Henderson told me over a chicken salad lunch. When he died I decided to carry on his legacy, and the rest is history. I had no idea how popular it would become! Every day we sell around 100 cakes, more during the holiday season.

DeRidder in Beauregard Parish  the first town in No Mans Land  was memorable for so many reasons. Barbecued brisket worth crossing the pond for at Big Thicket  open until we run out!  which started life as a food truck; the spooky gothic county jail, dressed for Halloween on my visit (Ive heard full conversations on the second floor and theres no one there, said my guide Marlena); Big Ds Western Wear inside an old cinema; and the Back Home Collection, a thrift shop on the trail for its homemade baked treats, including molasses cookies.

Fill er up: the gas station cabin at the Pleasant Hill Campground (Ellie Seymour)

After many a helping of biscuits, boudin and brisket later, it was fitting that I spent my last night in a cosy campground cabin decked out as a gas station. I ended my trip on several hearty high notes, with the best boudin ball  a scotch egg-sized meal in a ball  for just over a dollar, a box of melt-in-the-mouth homemade beef stew at off-highway gem, Jewels, and a bag of pork cracklin from Chadeauxs kitchen. I was all set for the journey home.

As I drove back to New Orleans I thought about Kate Medleys book, which spans 11 states in the American South, including a fair number in Louisiana. I grew up in the Deep South and have known gas station food from a young age, she told me over the phone after my trip. For a traveller, gas stations hold great mystery. You never quite know what youll find inside or how youll be received. When you swing open the glass door, a little bell rings, and what will I find? Hopefully, a comforting heaped basket of freshly fried pickles, to start with.

Travel essentials

Getting there

Ellie travelled to Louisiana as a guest of America As You Like It.

British Airways flies direct from London Heathrow to New Orleans. Return flights cost from 580.

Staying there

The historic boutique Frenchmen Hotel in New Orleans French Quarter has a tiny pool and a cocktail bar and is close to several jazz bars.

Stand-out accommodation on the Gas Station Eats trail includes the historic Cook-Hill House and the gas station cabin in the Pleasant Hill Campground in Deridder.

Read more of our best New Orleans hotel reviews
TEL AVIV  Palestinians in and outside of Gaza have expressed relief over the planned four-day pause in fighting agreed upon as part of the hostage deal between Israel and Hamas. But many fear that Israel will only ramp up its offensive once the cease-fire is lifted.

Mansour Shoman, an English teacher, was forced to flee northern Gaza to Khan Younis in the south amid Israels bombardment. He told NBC News crew in the region that he hoped the pause in fighting could lead to a permanent cease-fire where we can rebuild Gaza together with the support of the rest of the world.

However, Shoman said he felt pessimistic about what the outcome of the temporary cease-fire would actually be.

Im from Gaza City. I would love to go back to my home, he said on Wednesday. But it seems that with the current terms of the negotiations ... this is not possible right now.

Image: (Hatem Moussa / AP)

Per the agreement, announced early Wednesday morning local time, 50 women and children taken hostage by Hamas during its Oct. 7 attack will be released, as well as 150 Palestinian women and children held in Israeli jails. If all goes according to plan, the deal would bring a four-day pause in fighting and enable hundreds of aid trucks to enter the Gaza Strip.

Those would be major developments after weeks of intense violence.

But for Palestinian human rights activist Khalil Abu Shamala, the temporary truce is far from enough.

We dont need ... dont hope just for a cease-fire for a few days, he told NBC News in Khan Younis. We need to end this crisis, this genocide, this war.

Gaza Ceasefire Pause (Mohammed Abed / AFP - Getty Images)

Abu Shamala said he fears for what's ahead.

There is no critical achievements by this cease-fire, he said. The war has not stopped yet.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant vowed on Wednesday that military forces would resume their offensive in full force immediately after the cease-fire lifts, and continue to pursue Israel's goals of freeing all hostages and eliminating Hamas.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu similarly stressed on Wednesday that the war would not be over until we meet all our objectives.

Citizens of Israel, I want to be clear: The war continues, he said during a briefing.

Man covered in blood and dust receives treatment in Gaza (Mohammad Ahmad / AFP - Getty Images)

Ahead of the new agreement, Israelis had for weeks been vocally calling for their government to do more to secure the release of at least some 240 hostages taken captive in Hamas Oct. 7 attack, which saw around 1,200 people killed in Israel, according to Israeli officials. Families of those taken captive and supporters have held regular demonstrations outside the Israel Defense Forces headquarters in Tel Aviv.

At the same time, Israel has faced mounting pressure from the United States and many other nations over the rising death toll in Gaza, where local officials say more than 14,000 people, including more than 5,000 children, have been killed over the course of Israels bombardment and ground offensive. More than 1.6 million people have been displaced amid the war, according to UNRWA, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees.

Israeli forces have for weeks told Palestinians in northern Gaza to move south, saying it is safer there, but the IDF has continued to carry out deadly airstrikes in the area. Israel says those strikes are targeting Hamas, but civilians have also been killed.

IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari recently said Israeli forces would advance their operations "wherever Hamas exists, including in the south of the strip," according to Reuters, leading to mounting concerns that Israel will expand its offensive in the south.

Last week, leaflets were dropped in several neighborhoods of Khan Younis telling people to evacuate to known shelters.

Mustafa Barghouti, general secretary of the Palestinian National Initiative party and a veteran activist based in the occupied West Bank, said he feared that if Israel expands operations into southern Gaza, that could lead to a huge massacre.

When you have 2 million people clustered in less than 80 square miles or 70 square miles, if you just throw stones at them you will kill so many, so you can imagine what a bombardment would mean in this case, he said.

I hope they dont do that, Barghouti said. I hope that this cease-fire could be extended and that it will be prolonged  and that this will be the end of this war because we dont need more Israeli or Palestinian people killed.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
The result of this weeks Netherlands general election was a win for the right-wing populist party of Geert Wilders, the PVV (Party for Freedom), which came first with 37 seats. The runners up were the right-liberal VVD (Party for Freedom and Democracy) with 24 seats and a three party left alliance with 25. There were major losses for centre-left parties such as D-66. In terms of votes, there were major gains for the PVV and smaller ones for the left alliance.

This result has caused shock and dismay among the political establishment throughout Europe. It should not do so. In fact, the surprise shows that too many people have not been paying attention to what is going on, in the Netherlands and elsewhere. The details of the results such as the PVV being the beneficiary of a swing towards populism rather than a different party (for instance, the recently formed Burgers and Farmers Party) might be unexpected but the broad pattern should not.

The Netherlands has been the scene for several large scale popular protests in recent years, aimed at policies and beliefs associated there and elsewhere with the managerial centre-left establishment. It saw some of the largest protests against Covid controls anywhere in Europe. More recently there have been massive protests against the environmental policies of the Dutch government, aimed at reducing excessive manure production by buying out farmers.

These specific issues are part of a wider political reaction in the Netherlands, against the consensus position of most of the parties there. This reaction has three main aspects. These are disaffection from the EU and from supranational institutions and regulations in general, rising alarm about increasing immigration, particularly from Morocco and other Muslim countries and about community relations in general, and increasing hostility to the environmental agenda and its associated policies such as net zero. This popular sentiment has now consolidated behind a single party, which happens to be the PVV.

The centre-right VVD has tacked towards the populist position on immigration but this has not headed off the movement of voters. The Left is now blaming the VVD for legitimising that shift, but that is both arrogant and wrong-headed. The movement in voter sentiment cannot be denied and attempts to ignore or suppress it will only enrage voters even more. Had the VVD not moved in that direction, it would likely have suffered major losses rather than more limited ones.

What is undoubtedly clear though is that in the wider right of Dutch politics it is the national populist strand that is now dominant rather than the right-wing liberal one. In this, the Dutch fit into a pattern that is emerging or even consolidated across Europe. It has happened for example in Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, France, Italy, and Sweden and may even happen soon in Germany (if current polls are correct). Denmark is an exception but there it is the Left (the Social Democrats) who have moved in a more nationalist direction on the question of immigration and in so doing pushed the populist vote backwards.

The other aspect of the Dutch result is the consolidation of that countrys notoriously fractured politics (due to a highly proportional electoral system) into three clear camps: populist right, liberal right, and left. This again is a pattern we can see in several other countries, such as France.

It is not clear that Geert Wilders will be able to form a government, despite his partys success. The established parties may well form a cordon sanitaire and shut him out. The evidence from other countries such as Sweden and Germany is that this will not hold in the medium to longer term. The sentiment he represents and articulates is real and on all the evidence is growing in strength and intensity. Trying to suppress it or ignore it will only backfire. A better strategy for his opponents is to address the issues and engage with his arguments directly rather than dismissing them.

What we can be sure of is that the politics the PVV represents is not going away, in the Netherlands or elsewhere. Results like the one yesterday in the Netherlands are going to keep on happening so this is a taste of things to come. Here in the UK, many believe that this kind of politics is defunct and has been clearly defeated and seen off. This is a foolish view, as we will see in the years to come, particularly once the next election is past here.

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Geert Wilders' party is set to become by far the biggest party in the Dutch parliament after Wednesday's election

The unexpectedly meaty win for controversial, hard-right politician Geert Wilders in Wednesday's general election in the Netherlands set international headlines on fire.

Right-wing nationalists across Europe rushed to congratulate the populist politician, sometimes dubbed the Dutch Trump - partly for his dyed, bouffant-like hairdo, and partly for his famously firebrand rhetoric.

Geert Wilders' publicly expressed views - including linking Muslim immigration with terrorism and calling for a ban on mosques and the Quran - are so provocative that he has been under tight police protection since 2004.

Wilders was convicted of inciting discrimination, although later acquitted, and he was refused entry to the UK back in 2009.

But Europe's far right believes their views have now become more mainstream.

"The winds of change are here!" proclaimed Hungary's Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, after seeing the Dutch election results. He, like Geert Wilders, is big on anti-immigration themes, as well as Brussels-bashing Euroscepticism.

Far-right Flemish independence leader Tom Van Grieken, who hopes for a similar election breakthrough in Belgium to Geert Wilders in the Netherlands, was quick to conclude: "Parties like ours are on their way in the whole of Europe."

Dutch municipalities are in a political battle over housing for asylum seekers, like those gathered here at the Ter Apel centre southeast of Groningen

So, what impact can we expect not only on Dutch but also (and this has the Eurocrats rather anxiously pacing the halls at time of writing), on broader European politics?

Is Geert Wilders' success as clear-cut as it seems?

In fact, not even the man himself expected to win as many parliamentary seats. You can see his dance of surprised delight in a social media video of him watching results come in on Wednesday.

Wilders' team reportedly only rented a room to use as a party HQ for election night three days beforehand. His Freedom Party surged in the polls very late in the campaign.

What appears to have attracted Dutch voters was a mixture of:

Wilders' focus on restricting immigration, battling the Dutch housing crisis and improving health services. He toned down his anti-Muslim rhetoric as the election approached

His polished performance in TV debates compared to his rivals

Mainstream political parties also made immigration a centre-piece of their campaigns. This seems to have led many Dutch voters to conclude that they may as well vote for the "original". Geert Wilders has arguably campaigned on migration the longest and the loudest on the Netherlands' political stage.

Also helping Wilders to success, however inadvertently, was one of his rivals.

Dilan Yesilgoz-Zegerius, the leader of the centre-right VVD, opened the door during her campaign to going into coalition with Wilders. That helped soften his party's extremist image. Until then, the Netherlands political mainstream had ruled out the idea of governing with him because of the nature of his politics.

Attention now turns to negotiations between political parties to form the next government in the Netherlands

And what does all this mean for Europe?

Geert Wilders may be the leader of the Netherlands' largest parliamentary party, but he does not have nearly enough seats to form a government alone. Weeks of political horse-trading lie ahead.

Mr Wilders has admitted he will need to compromise on some of his policies to find political bed-fellows. And at this moment in time, it is not certain that Geert Wilders will be his country's next prime minister.

If he is, EU leaders' summits could become tenser and more fractious - for a number of reasons.

Mr Wilders has campaigned hard to take the Netherlands out of the EU. While he openly admits the idea is not popular amongst most Dutch voters, he may well push for a "Nexit" (the Netherlands' exit from the EU) referendum anyway.

The European Commission said on Thursday that it was not worried. It was "counting" on the Netherlands (a founding member of the EU) to continue to "strongly participate" in the bloc's affairs, said spokesperson Eric Mamer.

But Brussels is - and should be - concerned about EU unity to support Ukraine as the months grind on since Russia's full-scale invasion.

That support is costly.

Like the leaders of EU members Hungary and Slovakia, Mr Wilders is against sending more military aid to Kyiv.

Geert Wilders says he wants to put the Netherlands first; to "give the Netherlands back to the Dutch". A similar refrain to Donald Trump's Make America Great Again or Italian PM Giorgia Meloni's cry of "Italy and the Italians first!"

He would join a chorus of voices at the leaders table, including Ms Meloni, taking a hard line on EU migration and asylum policies. Mr Wilders talks of a "migration tsunami".

But it would be too simplistic, I believe, to conclude Geert Wilders' election success shows far-right, hard-right, nostalgic nationalist, populist parties - there are so many labels, and this is not a one-size-fits-all debate - are "taking over Europe", as some commentators suggest.

Poland's Law and Justice Party just lost a general election. Spain's Vox Party failed to perform nearly as well as predicted in Spain's summer election. In the Netherlands, a joint ticket between Labour and the Greens performed well.

But migration, migration, migration, plus cost of living - pretty much wherever you look across Europe - are top priorities for voters.

In France, Marine Le Pen's National Rally party performed powerfully in parliamentary elections. Germany's far-right AfD is consistently in second and sometimes in first place in opinion polls. Austria's People's Party is buoyant once more too.

These parties are making their anti-immigration stance heard loud and clear. Even if they do not make it into government, they create political pressure and are pushing those seen as more mainstream parties (like Germany's Social Democrats in government, or Emmanuel Macron's Renaissance Party) further to the right on immigration and security issues.

This is a pattern you see across Europe.

The European Commission would do well not to appear too dismissive of Geert Wilders, and what his election success tells us about political winds blowing across Europe.
Red-tailed hawks seem to be a bit more common in winter. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/Photo - Original Credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/HANDOUT)

Ive been seeing more red-tailed hawks out and about these last days of autumn. While driving along a busy road, Ive seen one soaring in the air spreading out its wide, rufous tail and broad wings. Just a few blocks away, I noticed one perched high on a branch with its piercing eyes scanning the ground for meal.

Now is a prime time to search for these common birds of prey in northern Illinois as migrants from the north fly south knowing that soon the snow will be knee-deep making it difficult for them to catch a meal.

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Red-tailed hawks live in our region year-round, but the one I saw on a cold November day may have been a winter visitor that spent summer in Canada, then flew south to live in northern Illinois during the colder months. These visitors then look for a niche among the resident red-tailed hawks to set up their feeding territories. Some red-tailed hawks that spent summer here may fly farther south as well  each looking for that perfect spot to spend winter where food is plentiful, before reuniting with a mate to begin nesting in spring.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology says this hawk species is so common that those who look carefully may see several of them during a long car ride, anywhere. Its a fun game while out on a road trip, counting hawks along the way instead of out-of-state license plates. You may see one soar in a wide circle, sometimes even hovering like a helicopter without flapping, if the wind is right. Or one will be perched on a telephone pole, and if youre lucky, another will be dive bombing a field to snatch an unsuspecting vole or rabbit. We would never see those mammals scurrying about in a field, but the red-tailed hawk has eyesight eight times better than a humans. From 100 feet in the air, a red-tailed hawk can see a mouse on the ground. This hawk also eats snakes and chipmunks, anything that weighs from an ounce to about five pounds.

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Its easy to identify the adult of the eastern population of the red-tailed hawk because its tail is a bright orange-red, and it almost always has a dark band on its light-colored belly. Immatures, those typically a year old or younger, have no red on their tails, but instead, brown tails with dark, horizontal bars. Red-tailed hawks have a wide variety of color morphs including those that breed in Alaska, which have a dirty white tail and are overall dark.

In winter, theres a chance of seeing these rare forms in Illinois. A rare dark form red-tailed hawk spent at least six winters at the University of Illinois Campus in Champaign. It had a bright burnt-orange-reddish belly and matching colored tail.

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Its just as exciting to hear a red-tailed hawk as it is to see one, no matter how common they are. Its been described as a chilling, raspy scream. It doesnt matter what time of year or where Im at. When I hear a red-tailed scream, I feel as if Ive been transported to the wilderness. Movies and television shows often use red-tailed hawk screams in outdoor scenes, but sometimes a bald eagle is shown with the hawk call. The majestic bald eagle has a much, weaker unimpressive call.

Though their bills look menacing, its the sharp, knifelike talons on this hawk and other raptors that helps it catch and kill its prey.

Red-tailed hawks were once called chicken hawks, with the belief that they robbed chicken coops. Red-tailed hawks were slaughtered in the early 1900s, but the practice stopped when humans realized these hawks mostly ate rodents, and that raptors benefited rather than harmed us.

If hawks had continued to be shot, the red-tailed may very well have gone the route of the passenger pigeon.

Instead, we today get the chance to experience the wild even in suburban and urban areas by watching and listening to red-tails. Come February and March, red-tailed hawk males will begin courting females and putting on a fantastic sky show that we can watch. The male soars in circle going higher and higher and then dives down quickly in a swoop, only to fly back higher and higher. At some point during this display, he and the female may actually clasp talons and spiral toward the ground before reaching it.

Every winter I watch and listen for red-tailed hawks whenever Im outdoors, knowing they will begin their courtship displays in spring.

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Sheryl DeVore has worked as a full-time and freelance reporter, editor and photographer for the Chicago Tribune and its subsidiaries. Shes the author of several books on nature and the environment. Send story ideas and thoughts to sheryldevorewriter@gmail.com.
Hard-Right Geert Wilders shocked the Netherlands and Europe with his disruptive victory

Geert Wilders landslide victory in the Dutch elections has transformed him from political pariah to a potential prime minister.

The veteran firebrand, infamous for his fiercely anti-Islam rhetoric, has shocked the Netherlands and Europe with his disruptive victory.

The 60-year-old has fought many elections since becoming a MP in 1998 without so much of a sniff of a formal role in government.

This time, after winning 37 seats in the hugely fragmented world of Dutch politics and leaving the establishment parties in the dust, it is different.

Geert Wilders' victory has transformed him from political pariah to a potential prime minister - REMKO DE WAAL/AFP

The hard-Right has never won a general election in the Netherlands. In fact, for the last 13 years the country has had the same prime minister.

Mark Rutte, the longest serving Dutch prime minister in history, resigned after his government collapsed in July over his push for tougher rules on migration.

Voters, faced with the highest migration numbers in 20 years, a cost of living and housing crisis, were ready for a change.

In March the BBB, a farmers party, won a shock landslide victory in regional elections which became a referendum on the leader of the conservative VVDs time in office.

Mr Ruttes successor as VVD leader is Dilan Yesilgoz, a 46-year-old Turkish-born former refugee who promised to crack down on migration and limit asylum seekers family reunification rights.

For his part, Mr Wilders was calling for zero asylum seekers and closed borders in a country where a tough stance on migration is often a vote-winner.

Ms Yesilgoz did not follow Mr Ruttes strategy of excluding Mr Wilders from any future coalition negotiations.

Her plan appeared to be to split the burgeoning anti-establishment vote among several Right-wing populist parties to ensure the VVDs continued dominance.

At first, it seemed to be working, especially after the hugely popular campaigning MP Pieter Omtzigt set up his radical centrist New Social Contract party three months ago.

Dilan Yesilgoz has promised to crack down on migration and limit asylum seekers family reunification rights - Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images

The Dutch farmers party began shedding support to Mr Omtzigt, a centre-Right politician, and to Mr Wilders Freedom Party (PVV).

Ms Yesilgoz was in a strong position and led the polls after Mr Omtzigt bafflingly declared he might not want to be prime minister after all.

Mr Wilders also benefited from the gaffe, winning support from BBB and NSC voters.

He moderated his usually harsh rhetoric as he scented a chance of government; even promising to be Prime Minister for all the Dutch including the almost a million Muslims in the Netherlands.

Mr Wilders dropped his manifesto calls for a ban on mosques, insisting other priorities such as immigration and healthcare were more important.

Tactical voting is part and parcel of the Dutch elections, where voters are faced with a ballot paper containing 29 different parties.

As Mr Wilders momentum grew, he attracted voters from other Right-wing parties, including the NSC and BBB, who stood no chance of government.

The election was shaping up to be a three horse race between the VVD, the PVV and the Groenlinks-PvdA, an alliance of Left-wing and green parties led by ex-EU climate boss Frans Timmermans.

Mr Timmermans was waging a Project Fear style campaign, warning Left-wing voters that only he could stop a Right-wing coalition.

Geert Wilders won 37 seats in the Dutch elections - Peter Dejong/AP

But the European Commission heavyweights strategy also backfired, encouraging conservative Dutch voters to back Mr Wilders to ensure the next coalition government would be Right-wing.

The day before the election, Mr Wilders took a narrow single seat lead ahead of the VVD and Groenlinks-PvdA, with a predicted 28 MPs. A day earlier polls had him in third.

When the ballots were counted, it emerged he had won a crushing victory of 37.

The PVV also owed a large part of its victory to VVD voters, 15 per cent of whom defected to Mr Wilders. About 12 per cent of those who spoiled their ballots in the last elections in 2021 also backed him.

The triumph was hailed by Europes hard-Right leaders as a game changer ahead of European Parliament elections next year that looks set to be a battle between nationalist and pro-EU parties.

So what happens next?

Mr Wilders, whose manifesto calls for a Nexit referendum and the banning of mosques, faces a tough struggle to convince traditional parties to join him in government.

Ms Yesilgoz has said she would not serve under Mr Wilders if he was prime minister but could be tempted to join forces with him, if she was made head of government.

That could leave Mr Wilders with a high-profile ministerial role and a legacy for his decades in Dutch politics as provocateur and outsider.

Mr Wilders has the first attempt to form a government, as the biggest party, but faces a struggle owing to his lack of government experience and fierce euroscepticism.

Ms Yesilgoz is now probably obliged to go through the motions of coalition talks with the shock-haired populist.

If that fails, Mr Timmermans, who came second, beating the VVD by a single seat with 25, can try but his route to power is as complicated with a clear majority of the Dutch preferring conservative parties.

In contrast, Ms Yesilgoz, when her time comes, can rely on the support of other Right-wing parties including the NSC, which is now set for a kingmaker role with 20 seats.

The woman dubbed a pitbull in high heels could still become the first female Prime Minister in Dutch history but only after months and months of long coalition negotiations.

Until then Teflon Mark Rutte, tipped to be Natos next Secretary General, will continue his lengthy stint in office as caretaker prime minister.

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In moments of discomfort, is there an item you reach for that puts you at ease? A recent trend on TikTok is showcasing how several Gen Z creators rely on a comfort necklace for this exact reason.

Rocking a simple chain with a pendant or two isnt anything new, but more Gen Z TikTok users are taking to the platform to bring attention to theirs. In each video, a young creator touches their necklace for comfort anytime they feel nervous or scared.

As of reporting, #comfortnecklace has more than 4.9 million views on TikTok.

touching my earrings and necklace for comfort   (@vxytri) November 1, 2023

What is a comfort necklace?

Psychologist Amelia Thompson recently told In The Know by Yahoo that necklaces hold a substantial combination of sensory and sentimental aspects that can provide reassurance and familiarity. The trend, Thompson explained, utilizes core principles of cognitive behavioral therapy.

The comfort necklace trend among Gen Zers aligns with the key pillars of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) which focuses on how our thoughts (cognition), feelings, and behaviors interact, she writes via email. Often, people are advised to use grounding objects as a form of self-soothing. Grounding objects are those that help someone to stay connected to the present moment.

The sensory stimulation of a comfort necklace, for instance, can help relieve symptoms of anxiety, according to Thompson.

On one hand, sensory stimulation, like playing with a necklace, can help divert the brains attention from an anxious state, Thompson adds. On the other hand, an item of sentimental value can evoke positive memories or feelings, furthering this effect.

Thompson also suggested that the act of playing with comfort necklaces could also be a coping mechanism that was developed in response to the uncertainty during the coronavirus pandemic.

A survey conducted by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that Gen Z-ers were the most likely to say that the pandemic negatively affected their mental health, per the Washington Post.

This trend can be a form of self-regulation, especially during a time of increased isolation and uncertainty due to the ongoing pandemic. The chosen necklaces serve as tokens of comfort, providing a sense of security and helping them manage their anxiety and enhance their mood, she explains.

Because of its self-soothing properties, Thompson also posits that comfort necklaces present Gen Z-ers with their own way of dealing with stress and anxiety without any taboo or stigma attached.

Its worth noticing that this trend might also be Gen Zs active attempt to cope with anxiety without being pathologized, she adds. While professional services and medication are sometimes necessary, having these kinds of self-organized methods are also important. They are paving a way for coping and promoting mental health in ways that feel authentic to them.

Still, seeking professional help should be prioritized to further develop a support system, adds Raul Haro, a marriage and family therapist.

It is important to note that these necklaces should not be used solely as a coping mechanism or to replace professional mental health treatment because each persons needs are unique and require personalized support, he tells In The Know by Yahoo in an email. Seeking professional help and developing a strong support network can help people manage their emotions and improve their overall well-being.

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The post Gen Z girlies are showing off their comfort necklaces in a new trend  but what exactly is it? appeared first on In The Know.

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A man accused of the 2021 murder of a Bibb County has pleaded guilty.

Macon District Attorney Anita Howard said on Nov. 16, 39-year-old Michael Maxwell pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and possession of a fire during the commission of a felony in Bibb Superior Court for the death of Antonio Mason.

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On Sept. 23, 2021, officials said Maxwell had called the police to the hotel where he lived.

When authorities arrived, Maxwell told them that people were trying to kill him. Officials said he asked deputies to give him a ride to his sisters home, where she lived with Mazon.

Authorities said Maxwell was sleeping on the couch in his sisters house when Mason got home from work.

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Maxwell pushed the door closed on him when he was trying to go inside. Mason tried again to get into the house, but Maxwell, thinking a potential killer was following him, fired one shot through the door, hitting Mason in the chest, the report said.

After Maxwell discovered his mistake, authorities said he dropped the weapon and left the home. He was eventually taken into custody.

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My heart goes out to these families for their losses in this fatal set of circumstances, Howard said. It is my prayer that any individuals who from time to time might suffer from certain mental health issues will be able to seek and to receive proper medical attention when that assistance is needed and before a tragedy strikes.

Maxwell has been sentenced to 25 years, with the first 17 to be served in prison.

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Darrell Bryant (Courtesy of the family)

SAVANNAH, Ga. - A brilliant Georgia teen is graduating from high school a year early.

Darrell Bryant is just 16 years old, but he already has a long list of accomplishments under his belt.

In December, Bryant will graduate from Saint John Academy in Savannah with a perfect 4.0 grade point average.

He's earned $600,000 in scholarship offers from 17 different schools.

Bryant has chosen to attend Savannah Technical College first to study aircraft assembly. He's still deciding on where he'll pursue his bachelor's degree.

At 11 years old, Bryant wrote a book called "The Flower Nerd," which addressed bullying.

It has sold hundreds of copies so far.
(Reuters) -German authorities searched 15 properties on Thursday in connection with a recent ban on activities of Hamas as well as pro-Palestinian group Samidoun, the German interior ministry said in a statement.

The searches in four German states, which started at 6 am local time (0500 GMT), are intended to enforce the ban as well as clear up illegal structures of Hamas, designated a terrorist organisation in the country, and Samidoun, it said.

"We continue our consistent action against radical Islamists," German interior minister Nancy Faeser said in the statement.

"With the bans on Hamas and Samidoun in Germany, we have sent a clear signal that we will not tolerate any glorification or support of the barbaric terror of Hamas against Israel," Faeser added.

According to the ministry, there are around 450 members of Hamas in Germany, whose activities range from support and propaganda to financing and the collection of donations.

(Reporting by Maria Sheahan; Editing by Kim Coghill and Linda Pasquini)
German police officers remove evidence from an address in Berlin on Thursday during raids on 15 suspected Hamas and Samidoun properties across the north and west of the country. Authorities executed the search warrants three weeks after the Interior Ministry dissolved and banned the two groups for "glorifying Hamas' terror." Photo by Filip Singer/EPA-EFE

Nov. 23 (UPI) -- German federal police mounted dawn raids Thursday on the homes of 15 alleged Hamas members and supporters in Berlin and three other states across the north and west of the country, national security officials said.

Search warrants were also executed at properties linked to the newly banned pro-Palestinian Samidoun organization in a crackdown on Islamic groups authorities believe are a threat to peace and stability in Germany in the wake of Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel, the Interior Ministry said in a news release.

The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution believes there are at least 450 Hamas sympathizers in Germany involved in disseminating propaganda and financing or fund-raising for the group.

The Samidoun Palestinian Solidarity Network, the ministry said, endangered "peaceful coexistence, advocates the use of violence as a means of asserting political interests and supports associations that advocate and threaten attacks."

Neither of the groups, both of which were banned Nov. 2 by Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, has carried out any acts of violence in Germany.

"We are continuing our consistent action against radical Islamists. With the bans on HAMAS and Samidoun in Germany, we have sent a clear signal that we will not tolerate any glorification or support of the barbaric terror of HAMAS against Israel," Faeser said following Thursday's raids.

"Islamists and anti-Semites cannot and must not feel safe anywhere here. These extremists must expect the full force of the rule of law. We are continuing our consistent action against radical Islamists,"

Faeser, who said Hamas' activities in Germany were illegal and sought to undermine international understanding enshrined in the country's laws, also alleged members and supporters were "committed to influencing the political and social discourse in Germany in the spirit of Hamas."

Samidoun was banned over demonstrations in which Israel's right to exist was "systematically denied" and anti-Israel and anti-Jewish incitement through chanting "From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free."

The ministry said the "glorification of Hamas' terror" had been particularly serious since its attacks on Israel on Oct. 7.
(Bloomberg) -- Germany will suspend a constitutional limit on net new borrowing for a fourth consecutive year after Chancellor Olaf Scholzs government was forced into a radical budget overhaul by a ruling last week from the nations top court.

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The emergency move to lift the so-called debt brake will be part of a revised 2023 budget that Finance Minister Christian Lindner plans to present next week, a spokeswoman for his ministry said Thursday. Because of the court judgment, Lindner has to retroactively account for at least 37 billion ($40.3 billion) of new off-budget debt earmarked to ease the burden of high electricity and gas prices on households and consumers.

Its a humiliating climbdown for the chairman of the Free Democratic party, who insisted on the restoration of the borrowing limit after it was suspended for three years because of the pandemic and the energy crisis and sees himself as a guardian of Germanys fiscal stability.

With the supplementary budget, the federal government will propose a resolution to the Bundestag to establish an extraordinary emergency situation for 2023, the spokeswoman said by email. The funds used to dampen energy costs will be placed on a secure legal basis and no new debt will be incurred, she added.

German debt extended declines after Bloomberg reported earlier Thursday that the government planned to lift the borrowing limit, pushing 10-year yields as much as six basis points higher to 2.62%. The premium on swaps over corresponding bonds  a key measure of supply risk  erased gains to leave the spread close to the lowest since February last year at 52 basis points.

Read More: German Yields Touch Session Highs on Debt Brake Suspension News

The bombshell Nov. 15 judgment by the Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe called into question hundreds of billions of euros of financing in the governments special funds  some of them decades old  that are not part of the regular federal budget.

As well as dampening the impact of high energy costs, Scholzs administration earmarked cash from the various pots for initiatives including greening manufacturing, expanding renewables and charging infrastructure and subsidies for battery and semiconductor facilities.

Using the special funds initially enabled Lindner to fulfill a pledge to reinstate the debt brake for the regular budget this year, while still directing cash to support the revamp of Germanys manufacturing base and help reduce harmful emissions.

Suspending the debt brake again is the second major step the government is taking after it froze virtually all new spending authorizations for 2023 as it assesses the broader and longer-term impact of the court ruling.

It has yet to deal with the potential impact on next years finance plan, which was supposed to go to parliament next week but has now been delayed indefinitely. Any action it takes to overhaul the special funds also potentially opens it up to more legal challenges.

We can only talk about 2024 and the next few years again once we have a legally secure, constitutionally sound situation, Lindner said earlier Thursday in a brief statement to reporters. There is now new legal clarity on how we have to deal with special assets.

What Bloomberg Economics Says...

The countrys fiscal policy outlook has become much more uncertain. A raft of infrastructure and environmental projects might not receive funding now. This could reduce GDP growth by 0.5 ppt next year, jeopardizing the gradual recovery after the downturn in 2023, and adding considerable downside risk to our 2024 forecast.

Martin Ademmer, economist. Click here for full GERMANY INSIGHT

Lars Klingbeil, a co-leader of Scholzs SPD party, was quoted as saying Thursday that its politically justified to suspend the debt brake for this year and called for it to be lifted next year too.

In an interview with Handelsblatt newspaper, he said the aftermath of the pandemic, the energy crisis, inflation, the war in Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East make it necessary.

The borrowing restrictions are baked into Germanys constitution but can be temporarily set aside in the case of natural disasters or emergencies beyond the control of the government.

They were suspended for three years through 2022 to address the fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic and the surge in energy costs triggered by Russias invasion of Ukraine.

Under the debt brake rules, structural net borrowing  adjusted to take cyclical factors into account  is limited to 0.35% of gross domestic product. An increase in net borrowing is permitted during an economic downturn, but there is less leeway for additional debt during an upswing.

--With assistance from James Hirai.

(Updates with finance ministry comment starting in second paragraph)

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Few would argue a 17-year-old who commits a major felony crime deserves a lesser punishment than an 18-year-old facing years in prison for the same offense.

Thats why Ohio lawmakers in 1996  during a get-tough-on-crime era  forced juvenile judges to begin sending more child offenders to adult court, where they can receive adult prison sentences as if they were already 18.

In a handful of cases, that might be necessary.

But stripping juvenile judges of most discretion has failed to prevent teen crimes and ignored the challenges many kids face through no fault of their own, not to mention recent research on brain development. Its a problem likely to get worse with so many teens using guns to commit crimes.

Teens may know its wrong to rob someone, but few understand that using a gun will likely send their case from juvenile to adult court. They have no idea they may be sent to adult prison, and on their 18th birthday placed into the general prison population to hang out with a really rough crowd.

When the offenders are finally released, the Childrens Law Center, a national nonprofit legal center that works for kids rights, reports they are 34 times more likely to commit a new felony.

Tasmone Taylor talks about his journey through the Ohio juvenile system from his Cleveland office at the Khnemu Foundation Lighthouse Center on Sept. 13.

You learn quick there are only two types of people in prison  predator and prey, said Tasmone Taylor, a 44-year-old Cleveland man, who was bound over as an adult at 15 and spent more than 25 years in prison. Its no place for juveniles.

Gov. Mike DeWine this month announced a working group to examine the states juvenile prisons and county-run youth jails following a USA TODAY Ohio Network investigation that found the system is overwhelmed by violence and trauma and doesn't have enough employees to provide adequate security, education and mental health treatment for incarcerated children.

Within three years of leaving a state youth prison, four in 10 teens are incarcerated again in either the youth or adult system. And those who don't return to prison face a higher likelihood of dying an early death, the investigation found.

DwWine also would be wise to examine how the mandatory bindover law is creating career criminals instead of giving children a second chance.Several other states already have abolished similar bindover laws, which also disproportionately impact diverse youths.

Research not available in 1996 now shows adolescent brains, even brains of people into their early 20s, dont work like adult brains. The prefrontal cortex of the brain  where people control their behavior, thoughts and emotions  is the last part of the brain to fully operate, said Laurence Steinberg, professor of psychology and neuroscience at Temple University.

But in Ohio, were sending children as young as 14 to adult court for charges including murder, rape, felonious assault or other crimes involving guns. Children can also be bound over to adult court if theyve had a history of being found guilty of other crimes. Those ages 16 or 17 are automatically bound over for serious crimes such as murder.

Most would likely be better off in a juvenile facility until their 21st birthday even with the problems at Department of Youth Services facilities.

Juveniles transferred

Instead, an average of 181 teens are sent to adult court every year. At any one time, roughly two dozen convicted teens age 17 or younger are held together at the Correctional Reception Center in Pickaway County until they turn 18.

Not only should judges have more discretion over which teens are sent to adult court, Ohio needs to rethink how it handles young adult prisoners. Perhaps they should be segregated from adults until they reach age 21 or older.

We also fear politics plays too big a role in these cases just as it motivated lawmakers nearly 30 years ago when mandatory bindovers were expanded. No judges or prosecutors want to appear they are soft on crime, even when the defendant is a child.

We can do better, Gov. DeWine. To quote you, this is not the Ohio way. Are we seeking to punish children or help them overcome mistakes and become productive adults?

Its time for a new plan.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Ohios mandatory adult charges for teen crimes not helping anyone
NEW YORK -- Earlier this year, about 100 new Girl Scouts took their first trip to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, touring the sights, learning their history and hearing how New York City has long been a beacon to migrants from across the globe.

The spring visit had special resonance for the youths, all of whom are migrant children staying at a city-run shelter. Theyre part of a new Girl Scout troop consisting entirely of young asylum seekers.

I felt very emotional because it was my first time, Laura, 12 said in Spanish of the trip.

Im learning about what I can do as a Girl Scout and Ive learned more values, she added.

Girl Scouts of Greater New York created the new troop in January as the city struggled to handle an ongoing increase in migrant arrivals. Amid mixed messages of support and criticism about the new population, Girl Scout leaders wanted to bring young asylum seekers into their fold.

They can sense that not everyone welcomes them, said Jimmy Van Bramer, Girl Scouts of Greater New Yorks chief growth officer. We are saying that youre not just here. Youre not just being tolerated  you belong.

The Girl Scouts had to retool their traditional program for the new troop, which now numbers 180 girls from ages 5 to 17. Leaders did outreach to kids and parents living in one of the emergency shelters the city set up for migrants, translated materials into Spanish and created a curriculum to teach recruits about navigating the intimidating city. There are lessons on U.S. civics, too.

With Spanish-language meetings on weeknights and trips to local monuments and museums on the weekends, the girls are starting to feel empowered, said Giselle Burgess, director of Girl Scout Troop 6000.

All these girls that come in completely change, build community and are different girls from when they first come in, she said.

The new group for migrants is part of Troop 6000, the Scouts well-known branch just for homeless girls.

Those in the asylum-seeker unit come from all over Latin America, including Colombia, Ecuador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Peru, according to Burgess.

Laura migrated from Bogota, Colombia, with her parents, little brother, uncle and aunt. She was reluctant to leave behind friends and family but had no choice when her parents abruptly decided to escape their home country amid deteriorating conditions there, according to her mother.

The Scouts offered Laura a new community as she adjusted to New York City following a strenuous eight-day journey that took the family through Mexico and Texas.

At the beginning, it was uncomfortable because I didnt know anybody but after time passed, the girls started to confide in me and we [formed] friendships Ive never had before, said Laura, whos in the seventh grade.

They taught me what it means to be a true friend.

Parent volunteer Karol, a migrant herself, noted some of the scouts endured long periods of separation from family members. All of the girls are grappling with a new language, new schools and uncertainty about their futures, she noted.

A lot of things have been taken from them, Karol, 27, said in Spanish. I want to impart on these girls hope that they can overcome it together.

Theres also some girls who dont feel that they can overcome their challenges, she added. I am attempting to refill those vessels of hope again.

The new troop comes as the Girl Scouts of Greater New York have seen membership numbers spike. There were 20,415 scouts as of last month, more than double the number in January 2022. Troop 6000 accounts for about 1,000 scouts total.

The creation of the migrant troop continues a long Girl Scout legacy of outreach to underserved groups.

Nonprofits including Trinity Church Wall Street and the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation donated about $400,000 total to help create the new group.

For as long as they are here, we will make sure they have as warm a welcome and as genuine a Girl Scout experience as we can possibly give them, said Girl Scouts of Greater New York CEO Meridith Maskara.

Laura described activities like a recent visit from Camille Joseph Varlack, chief of staff for Mayor Adams, as inspiring.

Women should be more visible in their communities, she said. To see that there are women that have the same power [as men], you feel proud to be a woman.

The latest challenge facing her and Karols families are notices from the city that they have to leave their current home soon. Under a recent policy change from Adams, migrant families have been receiving 60-day notices to exit city-run shelters.

Members of the new troop have all been living at the same site, where they hold their meetings. As the scouts begin to disperse throughout the city, troop leaders are planning to keep the group together through Zoom sessions, though they realize it wont be easy.

Karol, who came to New York City with her husband, their infant child and her younger siblings, plans one day to return to their native country. The couple are political activists who felt compelled to leave after Colombias latest presidential election, she said.

Lauras mother, who also volunteers for the troop, said she hopes to make a new life for her family in the States.

She gave the scouts a spontaneous, emotional speech during their April 2 trip to Ellis Island.

I explained to them, I want you to understand something. You are no different than anyone thats walked through those doors, said the 32-year-old mom. From the youngest to the oldest, whatever dreams you want to do, feel empowered. Know that you have many women and people behind you who are going to back you up and that we want the best for you.

____

-- With Anna Gratzer
Pop fans are celebrating the news that Girls Aloud will reunite for a huge UK and Ireland tour in 2024... even as the group confirm they will not be releasing new music.

Tabloid media reports ahead of the official reunion news had claimed that surviving members Nadine Coyle, Cheryl, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh were back in the studio and had filmed a music video that would pay tribute to their late bandmate, Sarah Harding, who died of breast cancer in 2021.

However, following their announcement of a string of shows taking place next year, the group have debunked those rumours while promising wild things for their first tour in over a decade.

We've been known for that, like the many tours that we've done, where we've flown over, landed on another stage and then flown back, Coyle told BBC Radio 2s The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show.

Or on one of the tours, we got under the B stage and then ran through the arena backwards to get to the dresser. I mean, we really are gluttons for punishment, but we're all about the entertainment.

When the bandmates were asked about the tour bringing new music, they all replied: No.

The groups publicist, Simon Jones, also debunked the reports, sharing a statement on Instagram that said: Girls Aloud will not be releasing any new music around the tour. The band havent recorded any new songs or filmed any music videos.

The tour will be a celebration of Girls Alouds rich back catalogue and all the ground-breaking success they have achieved as a band.

However, they didnt rule out a performance at Glastonbury Festival, which has yet to unveil its lineup for the 2024 edition.

(PA)

Girls Alouds first single, Sound of the Underground, spent four consecutive weeks at No 1 upon its release and was followed by a further 19 top 10 singles. They won the Brit Award for Best Single in 2009, for their No 1 hit The Promise.

The pop girl group first formed after its members appeared as individual contestants on the ITV talent show Popstars: The Rivals in 2002, splitting in 2013 following a greatest hits tour.

Cheryl said that their original crew has returned to help them with the tour, which will kick off on 18 May in Dublin.

You have that huge massive element of her not being here, Coyle said of Harding, while Cheryl acknowledged the tour was never going to be the same without her.

We're (going to) do our very best to keep it magical and keep her magic alive, she said. (She is) very much a part of the show... she was part of our make-up for 20 years and that's not going anywhere. She'll be there in spirit on the stage. We're going to celebrate her.

Cheryl also said being able to raise money for breast cancer charities was also a very proud moment for the band.

(Getty Images)

Last year, Girls Aloud hosted a charity gala to raise funds for the Christie NHS Foundation Trust and Cancer Research UK as part of the Sarah Harding Breast Cancer Appeal, and a 5k charity run, titled Race For Life For Sarah.

A pre-sale will begin on 29 November at 9am, while the general sale will begin at 9am on 1 December.

The full tour dates are as follows:

Sat 18 May - 3Arena Dublin

Mon 20 May - SSE Arena Belfast

Thurs 23 and Fri 24 May - Manchester AO Arena

Mon 27 May - Cardiff Utilita Arena

Fri 31 May & Sat 1 June - Newcastle Utilita Arena

Tues 4 June - Aberdeen P&J Live

Sat 8 June - Glasgow OVO Hydro

Weds 12 June - Nottingham Motorpoint Arena

Sat 15 June - Leeds First Direct Arena

Tues 18 June - Birmingham Resorts World Arena

Sat 22 and Sun 23 June - London The O2

Sat 29 June - Liverpool M&S Bank Arena
In the China Pavilion at the sixth China International Import Expo in Shanghai, a piece of bamboo art resembling a Taihu Lake Stone was the center of attention.

Qian Lihuai's bamboo weaving Inception.CHINA DAILY

It perfectly combined traditional craftwork with natural art, and demonstrated the beauty of the "thinness, perforations, convolutions and transparency" of the stone after which it was modeled.

What impressed the visitors most was that the "stone" was actually made entirely from bamboo.

It was the work of Qian Lihuai, an inheritor of traditional bamboo weaving techniques, a form of intangible cultural heritage from Zhejiang province.

Qian spent two months on the Taihu Lake piece. With no preexisting example to model it on, he had to start from scratch.

Following tradition while still innovating, and demonstrating the evolution of this traditional art, infusing it with fresh vitality, Qian has won a number of awards, and his works have been widely collected through exhibitions at home and abroad.

Rarely has anyone elevated the weaving of bamboo to such an art form, but Qian sees in the material boundless possibilities for artistic expression.

"I've always thought of bamboo weaving as a kind of brush to illustrate the world," he explains, adding that he has studied calligraphy and painting from an early age.

Born in Wuzhen in Zhejiang, the 38-year-old has a unique bond with bamboo and whether it's in the form of indoor bamboo bonsai or backyard bamboo groves, the material is an essential element in his home.

Qian grew up in the village known for its bamboo weaving and after studying industrial design at the Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, he began to develop an interest in the technique, learning how to do it himself.

He also traveled widely in Hunan, Hubei, Sichuan and Yunnan provinces to learn local bamboo weaving techniques.

"The variations are quite substantial across the regions, and bamboo weaving comes in a wide array of forms. It's sometimes used to make agricultural tools, sometimes to make daily necessities, and sometimes for artistic purposes," Qian says.

"In Wuzhen, each locality focuses on producing a specific item. For instance our village's specialty is in making bamboo trays exclusively for rearing silkworms."

During a visit to a traditional basket maker in Shengzhou, Zhejiang, Qian saw that instead of using nails to fasten the basket together, the craftsman used a slanting cut on the bamboo to create a precise fit that rendered the joint virtually imperceptible.

"I rarely encounter such a level of craftsmanship. He even creates small molds and modifies tools himself to refine the weaving process," Qian says.

During his visits, he was moved by the dedication of the weavers to their craft. These experiences inspired him to return to his hometown of Wuzhen and throw himself into the bamboo weaving industry in 2013.

At first, Qian devoted a substantial amount of time to streamlining the production process, meticulously standardizing this handmade craft.

"Bamboo weaving lacks documented records, the skills have always been passed down orally. I spent a considerable period interviewing seasoned artisans and meticulously compiling records of weaving techniques," Qian explains.

After around six months, he made four woven bamboo boxes, one of which was acquired by Ma Weidu, a well-known connoisseur of art. This sale brought Qian recognition and generated many new orders.

After understanding the foundational logic of bamboo weaving and the patterns, and unwilling to duplicate his efforts, Qian began to add artistic touches to his bamboo weaving endeavors.

"My artistic innovation revolves around how weaving can convey the essence of the world. For instance, we employ a diverse range of colors to amplify its expressive potential, infusing bamboo weaving with a compelling language."

Many of the pigments Qian uses in his work are extracted from plants, deepening the environmental awareness of bamboo weaving.

Additionally, there is a dynamic connection and dialogue with other materials. "Bamboo's unique combination of rigidity and flexibility, distinct from many other materials like metals or textiles, positions it in an intermediary zone. I believe it serves as an excellent adhesive with other materials," Qian explains.

Bamboo techniques he has developed or improved are now widely used in everything from home furnishings to clothing, part of a growing trend toward replacing the use of plastic with bamboo, that demonstrates a continuity of the traditional Chinese culture in which bamboo has long been cherished as a topic for arts and a material for daily utensils.

He has also taught his bamboo weaving techniques at his alma mater, the Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, and says the course is not just about achieving a certain level of proficiency in bamboo weaving, but is designed to encourage open-minded thinking, exploring the ways of integrating bamboo weaving expertise into different fields.

Joint Ideas

Besides his Taihu Lake Stone installation, Qian also displayed 12 woven bamboo patterns in unique shapes and colors that attracted attention at the expo.

He says that many visitors to the CIIE do not possess an in-depth understanding of bamboo weaving, and that most were more interested in its beauty. "The way we weave bamboo can capture and express this beauty, which is why it resonates with audiences, and is appreciated by them."

The Joint Laboratory of Digital Cultural Trade, a cultural trade platform, was responsible for introducing Qian's work to the China Pavilion at the CIIE, and the work was displayed alongside that of another inheritor of intangible cultural heritage.

Launched last September, the Joint Lab plays the role of think tank, bridge and platform. It focuses on the digital cultural trade industry and is dedicated to building an online and offline platform for cultural trade, as well as to promoting cultural exchange and cooperation with other countries.

Yang Zhaojie, a Joint Lab representative, explains that they chose to showcase Qian's work because it is innovative and easily understood by foreign audiences, adding that his work has also influenced international exhibitions.

"We aspire to leverage the CIIE as a platform for enhanced cultural exchange and trade, to more effectively promote Qian's work. Ultimately, our goal is to propel him more successfully onto the global stage."

Yang says that many people find Qian's work stunning, and that it raises a myriad of questions, and adds that foreign institutions have expressed interest in collaborating with the lab, opening up numerous possibilities.

Inheritors of intangible cultural heritage from other areas are also introducing their work to the Joint Lab, in the hope of finding assistance to showcase their talent on the global stage.

Pei Lifan, another representative of the lab, met Qian at an exhibition in Shanghai two years ago, and was impressed by his bamboo weaving. When the lab launched last year, she invited him to join the platform and has worked with him on several occasions.

In March, Qian was invited to create a bamboo installation, Serpentine, for the Bulgari exhibition in Shanghai Serpenti: 75 Years of Infinite Tales, that fully demonstrated his innovative and international perspective of the time-honored craft.

In August, he held a two-week solo exhibition The Present Tense of Chinese Bamboo Weaving in Tokyo, and all his pieces sold out in the first two days.

During Art Market Budapest in October, his collaboration with visual artist Yuan Zeming also sold out, and he signed intentions of cooperation with many cultural institutions.

Pei says that the collaboration with Qian has provided both parties with fresh avenues for development.

"One of his standout qualities is his consistent ability to push boundaries. At times, during our collaborative efforts, he himself is breaking through his own limitations," Pei says.

"For example, our focus had been on the promotion and innovation of intangible cultural heritage. However, since engaging with Qian, we've realized that bamboo weaving patterns can undergo digital transformations. This includes the exciting prospect of employing digital models for international e-commerce."

Many young people were captivated by Qian's exhibit. Pei expressed deep satisfaction with this engagement. "We initially believed that reaching the younger generation in terms of heritage was a formidable challenge. However, Qian's art demonstrates that he swiftly gained international acclaim because it resonates with modern aesthetics."

Pei says that Qian and the lab are planning a hotel collaboration, decorating rooms in a bamboo weaving theme, and devising bamboo-themed afternoon tea and dinner events.

"We believe that his creations are soothing to people. From a traditional Chinese cultural heritage standpoint, we hope that once people see them, they will share them of their own accord. We are confident that Qian's work perfectly meets this need," she says.
Thanksgiving week is a time to be grateful for the nutritional abundance you enjoy, and for many an appropriate time to think about how to help those who have so much less. A study released last month by the Cato Institute suggests that those who support U.S. government-to-foreign-government food delivery aid as the best means to ensure more abundant food access across the globe should think again.

The study, written by Chris Edwards, Colin Grabow, and Krit Chanwong, close-focuses on three specific food aid programs under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and details their overarching flaws. These problems include that "US food aid can undermine agriculture in recipient countries and exacerbate conflicts in strifetorn regions. Even in situations where food aid can reduce hunger, shipping US food abroad is an expensive way to help poor countries, particularly because of cargo preference rules requiring the use of USflagged ships. It is also usually slower to ship US food to needy countries than to procure it locally near aid recipients."

One program examined, Food for Peace, arose in 1954 mostly as a means to get rid of excess U.S. food production encouraged by government subsidies to American farmers. It involves direct shipping of food overseas, mostly for emergencies; the U.S. spent $2.28 billion on this in 2022. Another aid program, Food for Progress (2022 cost: $127 million), ships U.S. food abroad, not for direct giveaways to the hungry, but to be sold in foreign markets for cash that is then supposed to be used to help foreign development. A 2002 program known as McGovern-Dole (2022 cost: $193 million), as the Cato study explains, "donates food to schoolchildren and other groups in poor countries, while also helping countries expand their government food programs."

The study details some of the problems with these seemingly unobjectionable schemes of hunger philanthropy. These include harming local farmers trying to sell their products by displacing them in the markets where they need to sell to survive. A 2017 study cited by the Cato authors, written by Simon Gao and Barrett E. Kirwan of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, called "Does U.S. Food Aid Crowdout Local Food Production?" found that "U.S. cereal aid reduces cereal production in recipient countries In terms of food aid quantity, if the average amount of food aid were to double, food aid would increase by 70,832 metric tons (MT) and production in the recipient country would fall by 173,952 MT."

Free food in certain foreign countries can just create a valuable thing to be fought over, militarily or in decisions about which elements in a country get cared for. As the Cato authors write:

In a statistical study covering the years 1971 to 2006 across 125 countries, Nathan Nunn and Nancy Qian found that "an increase in US food aid increases the incidence and duration of civil conflicts." Nunn and Qian explain, "Because food aid is regularly transported across vast geographic territories, it is a particularly attractive target for armed factions." Furthermore, "Governments that receive aid often target it to specific populations, excluding opposition groups or populations in potentially rebellious regions. This has been noted to increase hostilities and promote conflict." The problem with the USDA's aid programs is that they are rigidly based on shipping USsourced food that can be hijacked by warring parties and used to extend conflicts, which can be a counterproductive way to help troubled countries.

And far from being a quick way to deal with overseas food emergencies, "the lengthy amount of time needed for delivery reduces its usefulness. US food aid shipments typically take four to six months to reach destinations abroad."

The authors point out that aid programs that procure food in markets near where it's needed are far quicker and cheaper ways to deliver food aid, but are not beloved of domestic agricultural interests.

Policies designed to help domestic interests while supposedly meant to help hungry foreigners extend to how we deliver food aid overseas. As the study reports:

the Cargo Preference Act of 1954requires that at least half the tonnage of governmentimpelled cargoincluding food aidbe shipped on USflagged vessels. Food for Peace, Food for Progress, and McGovernDole must abide by these rules. Competition is limited among USflagged vessels, and they are about three times more expensive to operate than their foreignflagged counterparts. According to economist Vincent Smith and Senator Jim Risch (RID), the "overwhelming majority" of US food aid is transported on drybulk ships. There are only four such ships in the US merchant fleet, three of which are owned by a single company. The GAO has pointed to the "very small pool" of USflagged vessels eligible to transport food aid, which "limits agencies' selection and flexibility, and leads to inefficient choices of trade." By mandating the use of expensive US ships, cargo preference rules result in higher taxpayer costs for aid programs.A USAID spokesperson at a 2019 hearing said that USflagged ships are "twice as expensive as normal vessels from other countries."

The Cato scholars argue that a movement toward general international market liberalization is likely a more effective way to reduce world hunger than shipping food bought from U.S. farmers slowly across the sea on expensive ships, insisting that indeed freer markets have already demonstrated their effectiveness in that regard: "The average share of populations undernourished in the leastfree quartile of countries is 20 percent compared to the mostfree quartile at just 3 percent. To reduce hunger, poor nations should free their economies, and many nations have. Despite a recent reversal due to conflicts and the COVID-19 pandemic, global hunger has plunged over the past halfcentury as more countries have adopted marketbased economic policies," something we can all be thankful for.

The post Giving Away Food from Government to Government Isn't the Best Way to Solve World Hunger appeared first on Reason.com.
Global awareness of the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip has been provided in large part by a small number of journalists willing to put their health and lives at risk to deliver information about the destruction.

An expected four-day cease-fire is now bringing questions about broader media access to Gaza during the pause in fighting.

However, a spokesperson for Qatari mediators, Majet Al-Ansari, said he does not know of any such plans.

Asked Thursday about media access to the war zone, Al-Ansari told reporters, Well, I know that a lot of your respective organizations are trying to get people out and get them to safety.

I am not aware that the [cease-fire] agreement includes any caveat about getting journalists in, he said.

He added: We applaud all of the coverage that the brave journalists have been doing inside.

Some in the Biden administration are reportedly concerned about greater media access to a region that over the last six weeks has seen residential areas obliterated, hospitals targeted by fighting and life-sustaining supplies dwindling. Protests in support of the Palestinian people have also swept cities around the U.S.

As Politico reported Wednesday:

There was some concern in the administration about an unintended consequence of the pause: that it would allow journalists broader access to Gaza and the opportunity to further illuminate the devastation there and turn public opinion on Israel.

President Joe Biden came out in strong support of Israel after the Oct. 7 massacre in Israel by Hamas fighters sparked the current Israeli assault on Gaza, although he has warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against any prolonged occupation of the Palestinian territory.

The U.S. has been providing aid to the Israelis in the form of weapons and intelligence over a span of decades.

Covering the current conflict has proved incredibly dangerous to members of the media: Since it began in October, at least 53 journalists have been killed in the war, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Related...
Since arriving in Chicago on April 30, Maria Goitia said shes been thankful for all the people who have crossed her path. There were some who fed her and her family, a group of eight including two young grandchildren, while others gave them coats to keep warm, and many more who had been there through their journey from Venezuela, one way or another.

But we couldnt have done it without everyones help; were extremely grateful for everything and everyone whos helped us to get to this day, the mother said.

On Tuesday morning, Goitia and her family met with Hope Vaughn, one of the people they first met when they arrived in Chicago, in one of the many buses sent from Texas with asylum-seekers. The family helped cook their first-ever Thanksgiving dinner, sharing it with other migrants and volunteers at St. Agatha Catholic Church in North Lawndale that evening.

Goitias family had never celebrated Thanksgiving before, and it was certainly not needed to express their gratitude, she said, but it made her happy and it gave her hope. She was especially grateful because, on Wednesday evening, Goitia and her family were finally moving into an apartment after living at the Inn of Chicago, one of the largest migrant shelters, for more than six months.

This is the perfect time to give thanks to God for all the support weve gotten. We are grateful for people like Hope who has embraced us  for the city that has taken us in and is giving us the opportunity to progress as a family, as individuals, said Goitia, who is 37.

Many other migrants gathered with Chicago residents and volunteers across the city this week to share a Thanksgiving meal. Some Chicago Bears players, including linebacker Dan Hardy and defensive end Khalid Kareem, helped to serve authentic Venezuelan food in four Salvation Army community centers across Chicago neighborhoods, including Humboldt Park, Little Village, North Park and the West Loop. Eliza Chappell Elementary School in Lincoln Square hosted its first Thanksgiving potluck Wednesday afternoon to welcome new families in the school.

Although new migrants are celebrating the holiday for the first time, finding significance in it comes easy. Like Goitia, most say theyre grateful for the opportunity to start a new life in the city. For the shelter that they have  even if the food isnt great, some laugh. For the opportunity to enroll their kids in school. Some had never had a chance to attend class consistently until now.

Pablo Lopez and Marienny Brito found a community for their first Chicago Thanksgiving at a potluck hosted in a cafeteria at the Chappell School.

The couple from Venezuela traveled through more than seven countries before arriving in Texas, where they were flown by Catholic Charities from San Antonio to Chicago. Their two boys, Juan Pablo Lopez, 9, and Paul, 6, have attended the CPS school for more than a month. To get to school, they take the bus or walk from the shelter down the street, whatever is easier, Pablo Lopez said.

Conversations in English, Spanish and French flowed easily at Chappell Elementary on Wednesday afternoon. Dishes on the table of food ranged from fried chicken and stuffing to arepas and polvorosas, a type of Venezuelan cookie.

It was the first Thanksgiving many of the new students had attended, and most had never heard of the holiday before Wednesdays potluck.

Theres lots of things to do, Duelande Emile, 10, said of her experience at the school. The fifth grader, who said she likes math, had not celebrated the holiday before.

The Lopez boys were at first enrolled in another school, but the daily commute, which required three buses, was taxing for the family. They requested to be switched to a different school and enrolled in Chappell, which has been marvelous for the family.

Weve heard of other families having bad experiences here, but we have had nothing but a good experience, Brito said. They opened up their doors to us.

Across the district, CPS saw a nearly 11% increase in English language learners in the 2023-24 academic year in its 20th day of enrollment tally, though the increase in English language learners is not entirely because of recently arrived migrant families in Chicago.

The Lopez boys have settled into school, alongside dozens of other children in migrant families who attend Chappell. Juan Pablo said he enjoyed making friends at the school. For Paul, its the park nearby.

We are just very grateful, their mother said, as her children smiled at each other between swigs from their soda.

For the volunteers who have adopted a new life since they began stepping in to help the asylum-seekers when the city and state dont have the resources, sharing the Thanksgiving meal with the migrants is a full circle: Theyve helped me more than Ive helped them, Vaughn said.

Seeing the resilience and perseverance of migrants who have risked their lives to get to the United States has been inspiring and moving, Vaughn said. It has helped her to redefine her own life and to grow as a person, as she learns more about each of those she has encountered.

Most migrants arriving are seeking asylum, fleeing from Venezuela where they face extreme poverty, violence and no opportunity for progress.

Ive learned how important relationships are and just extending that hand and being the companion to walk with someone  and we dont realize how impactful a single transaction can be, Vaughn said.

Vaughn is a therapist and social worker at Lawndale Christian Health Center who serves pregnant migrant women in city-run shelters, but she also volunteers to help migrants living in police stations and elsewhere. She met Goitia and her family in April at the Harrison District (11th) station.

Most migrants call her Esperanza, which is her name in Spanish, meaning "hope.

About a week ago, Vaughn decided to organize the dinner as a way to celebrate and show gratitude, she said. So she invited other volunteers to cook and asked the Rev. Larry Dowling if she could host it at St. Agatha.

Neighbors and migrants walked in together carrying the trays of food, three turkeys, rice, mac and cheese and more. The group set up the tables while children played on the side and waited for Father Larry to give grace.

The savory aroma of turkey filled the room and Vaughn smiled as she watched Goitias family serve themselves the food with excitement. They had spent the whole day cooking together with Esperanza, as they called her, and they were excited to try the turkey for the first time.

Jesus Montero, 12, Goitias younger son, gave a thumbs-up as soon as he had a spoonful of food. He smiled and kept eating.

For the first time in years, the feeling of uncertainty and anxiety was gone, said Goitia. The family was just grateful and excited to know that they would soon have a house where they all could live together: her husband, three children, her daughters husband and their two sons.

Por fin veo la luz al final del camino, said Goitia, meaning: I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

The family left their native Venezuela about six years ago after they were forced to close their small family auto parts factory, prompted by threats and extortions. First they migrated to Colombia, where they attempted to create a home and find a sustainable job.

But the violence and poor-paying jobs persisted. So at the beginning of last year, they began their journey north with no money, the mother recalled. It took them about a year to reach the U.S. border. The mother told the story of how they crossed each border and how long they spend in each country, all the cities they traversed and how Chicago became their sanctuary.

We decided that we couldnt let our children go through the same thing again, Goitia said.

For Vaughn, knowing the Goitia family makes her happy and gives her peace because she knows that they are safe. On Wednesday night, she helped them settle into their new apartment. For both Vaughn and Goitia, everything had been worth it.

larodriguez@chicagotribune.com

aguffey@chicagotribune.com
A black-cab driver has received an award from the Prime Minister for creating a new taxi app.

Unify London charges customers a 2 booking fee on top of their fare, which goes to a charity of the driver's choice.

The app was created by Micky Harris, from Gravesend, Kent, and his wife Barbara.

Mr Harris said his wife of 40 years, who died of cancer last year, was the "driving force" behind the app.

More than a quarter of London cab drivers have signed up to use the app since it launched - a figure that equates to about 3,000 taxis.

Following a successful launch, Mr Harris received a Points of Light award from Rishi Sunak's office - an accolade that acknowledges outstanding work of individual volunteers in the community.

Prior to Barbara's diagnosis, the couple had been working on the app after becoming frustrated with taxi apps charging both drivers and customers to book the taxi, Mr Harris said.

"For the drivers, the app is free to use," he said. "And for customers, they're only paying the metered fare, and they know the small booking fee goes entirely to charity.

"And our taxis can't cancel, so the customer can book safe in the knowledge that the taxi will arrive."

Speaking about his wife, he added: "She was an ordinary woman, as I'm an ordinary man. We didn't think we'd do extraordinary things; certainly nothing as extraordinary as this."

Barbara spent the final weeks of her life receiving at-home care from ellenor - a charity which provides care for patients with life-limiting illnesses throughout Kent.

Mr Harris said ensuring charities like ellenor benefit from the app was important.

"On her deathbed, Barbara held my hand, and said, 'Make it work, Micky'. And I still have her on my shoulders," he said.

Follow BBC South East on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk.
Kevin McCloud was one of the presenter of The Great Climate Fight. (Channel 4) (Channel 4/The Great Climate Fight)

What did you miss?

Kevin McCloud's The Great Climate Fight has sparked an outpouring of anger at the government for avoiding legislation to tackle climate change.

The Grand Designs star joined Mary Portas and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall to present the new Channel 4 documentary about global warming and the governments commitment to achieve carbon net zero by 2050.

The show was hailed by viewers for bringing climate awareness to primetime television, but at the same timer left many furious at what some called government "gaslighting".

Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had pledged to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 . (AFP via Getty Images) (JUSTIN TALLIS via Getty Images)

What, how, and why?

In the show, retail consultant Portas looked at the Sixth Carbon Budget, an official document which sets out how the UK can reach zero carbon by 2050.

The Secret Shopper presenter asked why Rishi Sunak's government isnt working harder to hit those targets.

Property expert McLoud highlighted how poor-insulation in homes results in high gas bills and questioned why housing secretary Michael Gove and construction companies are doing nothing to work towards building new homes to be greener.

And celebrity chef Fearnley-Whittingstall called for an end to the effective ban in England on onshore wind farms, brought in by David Cameron's Conservative government eight years ago.

Viewers were outraged by what they saw.

One wrote on social medial platform X, formerly known as Twitter: "Oh dear, turns out there is an evidence base that some Tory politicians monumentally stupid about the climate crisis, their leaders gaslighting liars, probably corruptly linked to anti-green lobbyists. Whod have thought so easy for Channel 4 to make The Great Climate Fight?"

Another fumed: "Just watched part one of the Great Climate Fight on @Channel4. Just made me angry that the government are just gaslighting us. They have the plans and technology to transition us away from fossil fuels, they are just unwilling to do it."

Another declared: "The Great Climate Fight @Channel4 Hear how activists like Just Stop Oil are on the right side of history, our government is lying to us & themselves. We have the solution but our government is blocking them! Be angry, be brave, join us on the streets"

And another viewer posted: "Powerful stuff on The Great Climate Fight tonight. Episode 2 tomorrow night on Channel 4. Why can't the governement pay attention to what needs to be done by following the advice of experts & just be open & honest to help take us all on the 'journey' with them? Have a look."

Kevin McCloud had planned to confront Michael Gove at a book launch. (Channel 4 screengrab) (Channel 4 screengrab)

What else happened on The Great Climate Fight?

McCloud was outraged himself during filming for the show when he learned he had been reported to the Met Police.

The TV presenter planned to confront Gove at a book launch, for which he had obtained a press ticket.

Her revealed he had had an email from the organisers of the event saying his ticket had been cancelled and they had informed the police of his plan to attend.

McCloud revealed: He goes onto say, not only has he cancelled my ticket, hes also reported me to the Met Police. For what? For impersonation of myself?

On properly checking, they said I can come. I now have my press pass. For Gods sake! I just want to ask somebody a question.

The Great Climate Fight part two airs on Channel 4 on Wednesday at 9pm and is available to stream now

Read more: The Great Climate Fight

Watch: Kevin McCloud reported to the Met Police in The Great Climate Fight
FAIRFIELD COUNTY  Thanksgiving is a holiday often celebrated for its plentiful food, but the true heart of the holiday is an opportunity to give thanks and contribute to the community.

Here is a list of opportunities to donate your money to a good cause this Thanksgiving season:

Fairfield County Foundation

The Fairfield County Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life and economic viability of the Fairfield County community. According to their website, the Fairfield County Foundation's vision statement is to lead the way in building a thriving and inclusive community that supports well-being and quality of life for all.

On Nove. 28 at 8 a.m., the Fairfield County Foundation will hold its annual 34-Hour Give campaign, which will end at 6 p.m. Nov. 29. This event marks the Fairfield County Foundation's 10-year anniversary of their "Give" events.

To learn more about the Fairfield County Foundation's 34-Hour Give campaign, visit their website.

Kroger Community Rewards

For an easy and free way to support local charities, look no further than Kroger Community Rewards. If you have a Kroger account or shopper's card, you can link your card to an organization of your choice so that every transaction you make supports your charity.

This program is free to use and does not take away from potential points, coupons, or gas discounts. To learn more, visit Kroger Community Rewards - Kroger.

The Salvation Army

The Salvation Army is a nonprofit organization with the stated mission of meeting human needs without discrimination. In Fairfield County, their goals include meeting basic needs, caring for seniors, and preparing youth for successful futures.

One way in which The Salvation Army is helping local families this holiday season is through its Christmas Cheer program. With this program, The Salvation Army helps hundreds of lower-income families in the community provide gifts and a Christmas dinner celebration for their families.

Other holiday giving campaigns from The Salvation Army include Red Kettle, Angel Tree, Adopt a Family, Holiday Gift Baskets, and more.

To learn more about The Salvation Army and its giving campaigns, visit https://easternusa.salvationarmy.org/southwest-ohio/fairfield-county/.

Maywood Mission

Maywood Mission is a Christian ministry with over 100 years of service in Lancaster. Their services to the community include a daily emergency food pantry, a thrift store offering low-cost goods, an affordable daycare center, a financial assistance program, pastoral and spiritual care, and seasonal offerings.

One of their seasonal offerings is a Christmas gift giveaway, where they assist families who need help with gifts for their children and/or Christmas dinner. This year's toy shop and food pickup dates are Dec. 18 and 19. To learn more, visit the Maywood Mission website.

Toys for Tots

Toys for Tots is a non-profit public charity run by the United States Marine Corp Reserve which distributes toys and gifts to children whose parents cannot afford them during the Christmas season. The mission of Toys for Tots is to collect new, unwrapped toys during October, November, and December each year, and then distribute those toys as Christmas gifts to children in need.

Toys for Tots' local chapter services Fairfield, Licking, Perry, Pickaway, Hocking, and Ross Counties. To learn more about your local Toys for Tots chapter, visit their website.

The Key to Giving

The Key to Giving is a nonprofit organization led by Rise Realty Family of Companies and was established to help others bring forth their creative pursuits in passionately helping others. Through inspiration, collaboration, accountability, and hustling with heart, The Key to Giving helps ideas for giving turn into a tangible reality.

Holiday events put on by The Key to Giving include their Letter to Santa campaign and the Holiday Joy Project. To learn more about these charitable giving initiatives, visit their website or their Facebook.

Habitat for Humanity of Southeast Ohio

Habitat for Humanity of Southeast Ohio is the local chapter of the well-known Habitat for Humanity nonprofit. According to their website, they seek to put God's love into action by bringing local families, individuals, businesses, and organizations together to build strength, stability, and self-reliance through shelter.

To support or volunteer for Habitat for Humanity of Southeast Ohio, visit their website.

Fairfield Area Humane Society

The Humane Society of the United States is an American nonprofit organization that focuses on animal welfare and opposes animal-related cruelties of national scope. The Fairfield Area Humane Society is the local chapter of this nonprofit, with Lancaster City Council representative Corey Schoonover serving as executive director.

According to the Fairfield Area Humane Society website, they have used the support of the people of Fairfield County to work to improve the welfare of animals through education, legislation, and prevention of cruelty.

To learn more about the Fairfield Area Humane Society, visit their website.

Aaron Burd is a breaking news and government reporter for the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette. Contact him via email at AMBurd@gannett.com for comments or story tips. Follow him on Twitter @AaronMBurd.

This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: A guide to giving this holiday season in Fairfield County
The gunman who injured four people at a Walmart in Beavercreek, Ohio this week was motivated in part by racist ideology, according to an update from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Benjamin Charles Jones  who injured two Black women as well as a white man and white woman  was partially inspired by racially motivated violent extremist (RMVE) ideology, a 22 November update from the FBI and Beavercreek, Ohio police said.

Evidence collected by police included journal writings from Jones, who took his own life shortly after opening fire on 20 November.

This investigation remains very active as the FBI thoroughly examines the attackers background, motive, connections, and online activity, the update reads. Anyone with information regarding Benjamin Charles Jones is asked to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or online at tips.fbi.gov.

The FBI and Beavercreek police said Jones purchased the weapon  a Hi-Point .45 calibre carbine with one nine-round magazine  from a Dayton, Ohio Walmart just two days before the shooting.

Three of the victims are in stable condition, while the fourth is in critical but stable condition, according to a 21 November update from Beavercreek city officials.

A spokesperson for Walmart told The Independent the company is focused on their employees needs, including offering counseling services to those affected.

Were grateful to first responders and will continue working with local law enforcement, the spokesperson wrote. Our store will reopen Friday morning (November 24) at 6am local time.

If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.

If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call the National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.
OAK HARBOR - This spring, Ottawa and Sandusky county residents will have a new resource for donating and purchasing new and like-new building materials, appliances, furniture and home goods.

Habitat for Humanity of Ottawa County will soon break ground on a 10,000-square-foot ReStore shop in Port Clinton. The organization is partnering with Habitat for Humanity in Sandusky County to collect gently used merchandise for the store.

Debi Heiks, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Ottawa County, has announced that a ReStore shop will be constructed in Port Clinton.

ReStore shops serve two purposes. By providing an outlet to upcycle gently used merchandise or surplus building supplies, the stores keep waste out of landfills and provide reasonably-priced merchandise to local residents. The donated merchandise is sold at a discount to the public  including homeowners, landlords, contractors and interior designers  who may find great deals on expensive products such as light fixtures, refrigerators or kitchen cabinets, depending on donations.

New ReStore to be built in Port Clinton Shopping Center

The Habitat ReStore will be built in the Port Clinton Plaza Shopping Center near Bassetts Hardware and City Market. If the weather holds, construction will begin soon, and the ReStore will open in spring or summer 2024.

Thanks to an Ohio EPA grant which provided 75% of the funds, Habitat for Humanity of Ottawa County purchased a truck that will pick up donations in Ottawa County and Sandusky County.

Well also have the truck at the Sandusky County Habitat on certain dates for drop-offs, said Debi Heiks, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Ottawa County. Were collecting any type of building materials and will take furniture, appliances and home decor. We dont accept clothing.

The Port Clinton ReStore will reflect the unique character of the area by accepting donations of recreational equipment such as fishing gear.

Oak Harbor police donated bicycles

The Oak Harbor Police donated 14 bikes to us, Heiks said. Well sell fishing equipment and sporting goods because those kinds of things work well in our community.

Most of the ReStores stock will vary with donations, but paint will always be available to purchase. The shop received a good start on its paint department when Color Haven in Fremont donated supplies when they closed.

Habitat for Humanity of Ottawa County is looking to an exciting 2024. Plans include the construction of a ReStore shop in Port Clinton and the development of a Habitat subdivision in Oak Harbor.

They donated everything they had  paint, shelving, Heiks said. Sandusky County Habitat Executive Director, Pam Kensler, connected us with Color Haven. One thing about the Habitat for Humanity affiliates, we all work together.

The Habitat ReStore isnt the only project on the horizon at Habitat for Humanity of Ottawa County. Just this week, it launched the Critical Home Repairs program which provides repair services for home needs such as ramps, flooring, roofs and plumbing to lower-income residents over the age or 65 and those with a disability.

The Critical Home Repair program is funded through grants by Habitat Ohio, St. Johns Lutheran Church in Oak Harbor, Ottawa County Community Foundation, Portage Resale and US Bank. Applications are now being accepted at habitatottawacounty.org, hfhoc@cros.net or 419-734-7074.

The organization is also in the process of building a Habitat subdivision, most likely in Oak Harbor, that will include 10 to 18 homes. Acquiring suitable homes for Habitat projects can be difficult. Purchasing a large lot and dividing it into multiple parcels will provide ready building lots and create expediency in the construction process.

Lots are no longer easy to find, and they are no longer inexpensive, Heiks said. Weve gone from one person building one home to building a subdivision.

Contact correspondent Sheri Trusty at sheritrusty4@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Port Clinton News Herald: Habitat for Humanity in two counties join to build mechandise store
Abu Ubaida, spokesman for Hamas's armed wing, called for an 'escalation of the confrontation' - NurPhoto

Hamas has called on its supporters in the West Bank and elsewhere to rise up against Israeli forces despite earlier agreeing to a ceasefire and hostage exchange in Gaza.

On Thursday, Hamas officials signed off on a four-day ceasefire with Israel but hours later a spokesman for the terrorist groups armed wing called for an escalation of confrontation outside of Gaza.

We call for escalation of the confrontation with the occupation throughout the West Bank and all resistance fronts, Abu Ubaida said.

It was hoped that any pause in fighting between Israel and Hamas in Gaza would also halt skirmishes between the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the militant group Hezbollah, which is based in Lebanon.

However, a spokesman for Qatars foreign ministry told reporters on Thursday that it mediated only between Israel and Hamas.

We are not talking about other fronts. We talk specifically about the situation in Gaza, Majed Al-Ansari said.

The UN, which keeps a tally of casualties in the West Bank, declared October to be the deadliest period in the territory in more than two decades, as Israeli settler violence against Palestinians intensified.

The ceasefire deal will allow four trucks with fuel to enter Gaza from Egypt - Khaled Desouki/AFP

However, Palestinian attacks against the IDF have not dramatically risen in recent weeks, raising the question of how much sway Hamas holds in the occupied West Bank.

Earlier on Thursday, al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, praised the truce and hostage exchange scheduled to begin on Friday and pledged to respect it.

It said that the deal would allow 200 aid trucks to deliver food and medication, as well as four trucks with fuel to enter Gaza from Egypt.

Qatar, which helped mediate the deal, said it hoped that the agreement could bring about a permanent end of the hostilities.

Mr Al-Ansari told reporters that it was in everyones interests to put an end to this war that everyone is suffering from.

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, and other officials in the country have insisted that the ceasefire will not exceed nine days and that the IDF will return to its task of wiping out Hamas in Gaza.

A total of 200 aid trucks will also be able to deliver food and medication thanks to the ceasefire deal - Anadolu

On Thursday, Yoav Gallant, the Israeli defence minister, told troops that he was expecting at least two more months of fighting in Gaza.

He said: This will be a short respite, at the end of which fighting will continue intensely, and pressure will be made to bring back more hostages.

Families of the hostages remain on edge, with the Qatar-brokered deal offering the first chance to see their loved ones after almost 50 days of captivity.

The agreement mentioned only children and their mothers, meaning that men and IDF soldiers will remain captive.

On Thursday, the mother of a young man abducted by Hamas from a rave festival near Gaza told the Kan public radio station that she was trying to come to terms with the fact that it will be other families, rather than hers, who will be reunited with their loved ones on Friday.

It is very painful, said Shelly Shem Tov, whose 21-year-old son Omer was taken to Gaza.

And yet I am happy for those who will get their children home.

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Around 30 people were killed in an Israeli attack on a school affiliated with the United Nations Palestinian refugee agency in northern Gaza, Hamas claimed in a statement on Thursday.

The school is based in the Jabalia refugee camp, many buildings of which have been turned to rubble after intense air strikes since Oct 7.

The alleged attack comes the evening before a temporary four-day pause in fighting, due to start tomorrow at 7am, which will also see Israeli hostages and Palestine prisoners released.

The agreement entails a complete ceasefire with no attacks from the air or the ground and the skies clear of drones to allow for the hostage release to happen in a safe environment.

10:02 PM GMT

Thats all for today

Thank you for following our live coverage of the Israel-Hamas conflict. The key developments from the day were the following:

A temporary four-day pause in fighting is due to start tomorrow at 7am, which will also see Israeli hostages and Palestine prisoners released.

Around 30 people were killed in an Israeli attack on a school affiliated with the United Nations Palestinian refugee agency in northern Gaza, Hamas claimed.

The head of Gaza Citys Al-Shifa hospital was arrested Thursday by Israeli forces who said it was over the facilitys alleged use by Hamas.

The spokesman of Hamas called for the escalation of the confrontation with Israel in the West Bank and on all resistance fronts.

Achieving control over the northern half of the Gaza Strip will mark only the first stage in the Israeli campaign to destroy Hamas, the chief military spokesman.

Spains prime minister has told Benjamin Netanyahu the number of dead Palestinians is truly unbearable.

A spokesperson for Qatars foreign ministry has said hostages from the same family will be released together.

09:39 PM GMT

Pictures of the day

An Israeli soldier sits in a Merkava tank and reads a book - Jim Hollander/UPI/Shutterstock

Smoke billowing after an Israeli strike on northern Gaza - JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP via Getty Images

A home destroyed during the attack by Hamas is seen within Kibbutz Be'eri - Christopher Furlong/Getty

Ali, the son of the head of Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc, Mohammed Raad, who was killed by an Israeli strike, lies on top of his father's coffin - AP Photo/Bilal Hussein

A Palestinian clown interacting with children who have fled their homes due to Israeli strikes - Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto/Shutterstock

09:22 PM GMT

More on the Israeli forces detaining Al-Shifa hospitals chief in Gaza

The head of Gaza Citys Al-Shifa hospital was arrested Thursday by Israeli forces who said it was over the facilitys alleged use by Hamas.

Hospital director Mohammad Abu Salmiya has been frequently quoted by international media about the conditions inside Al-Shifa, a major focus of the Israeli ground offensive.

The Israeli army, which raided the hospital last week, has alleged that Hamas fighters used a tunnel complex beneath the facility in Gaza City to stage attacks. Hamas and hospital officials have repeatedly denied the claims.

Palestinian health officials said Abu Salmiya, another doctor and two nurses had been arrested.

The hospital director was held for questioning following evidence showing that Shifa Hospital, under his direct management, served as a Hamas command and control centre, the Israeli military said in a statement.

There was extensive Hamas terrorist activity at the hospital while it was under his management, it said, adding that a Hamas tunnel network used electricity and other resources from the facility.

Whether the director would be subject to further questioning would depend on whether he was found to have involvement in terrorist activity, it said.

In a statement, Hamas said it strongly denounces the arrest of Salmiya and his colleagues, calling on the International Committee of the Red Cross and other international bodies to work towards their immediate release.

09:06 PM GMT

WHO chief discusses health situation in Gaza

The World Health Organization chief Tedros Ghebreyesus met with the Arab League Ambassadors Group in Geneva on Thursday to discuss the deteriorating health situation in Gaza.

In a post on X, Ghebreyesus said that the group agreed unfettered access is needed to ensure constant and enough health supplies.

This morning I met with Arab League Ambassadors Group in Geneva to discuss the health situation in #Gaza and @WHO's efforts to provide health assistance. We agreed unfettered access is needed to ensure constant and enough health supplies. pic.twitter.com/L8FaXh3sBr  Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) November 23, 2023

08:25 PM GMT

Haaretz publisher responds to Israel's communication chief's comments

More on the earlier story that Israels Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi submitted a proposal to cut state funding and advertising in Haaretz newspaper.

Karhi, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus Likud party, said the newspaper was sabotaging Israel in wartime and was an inflammatory mouthpiece for Israels enemies.

Haaretz publisher Amos Schocken responded to Karhis proposal by saying: If the government wants to close Haaretz, thats the time to read Haaretz.

The Israeli journalists union said in a statement that the communications minister has lost his way.

08:11 PM GMT

Pictured: Destroyed Israeli vehicles from the Oct 7 attacks

Hundreds of Israeli vehicles which were destroyed during the October 7 Hamas attack - Jim Hollander/UPI/Shutterstock

08:03 PM GMT

Hamas calls for escalation in fighting in West Bank

The spokesman of Hamas has called for the escalation of the confrontation with Israel in the West Bank and on all resistance fronts.

We call for escalation of the confrontation with the occupation throughout the West Bank and all resistance fronts, the spokesman for the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades, Abu Ubaida, said in a video speech aired by Al Jazeera TV.

07:28 PM GMT

Israeli military says control over northern Gaza is only first stage

Achieving control over the northern half of the Gaza Strip will mark only the first stage in the Israeli campaign to destroy Hamas, the chief military spokesman said on Thursday, a day before a four-day pause in fighting was due to start.

Control over northern Gaza is the first step of a long war, Israeli military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari told a regular news briefing, reported by Reuters.

We are preparing for the next stages, we are looking forward in the coming days we will focus on planning and fulfilling the next stages of the war, he added.

07:14 PM GMT

Lebanon's Hezbollah intensifies attacks on Israel

The Iran-backed Hezbollah group on Thursday intensified its attacks on Israel from southern Lebanon where Israeli bombardments killed seven of its fighters, including members of an elite unit., AFP is reporting.

The border between Lebanon and Israel has seen escalating exchanges of fire, primarily involving Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement, along with Palestinian groups.

The clashes have raised fears of a broader conflagration.

Hezbollah said it carried out more than 20 attacks on Israeli military positions and claimed to have caused casualties.

In one of the attacks, it said it fired 48 Katyusha rockets at a military base at Ein Zeitim, near the town of Safed in northern Israel, about 10 kilometres from the border.

07:07 PM GMT

Reuters cameraman hospitalised

Reuters news agency cameraman Fadi Shanna arrives at a hospital after being injured while filming the destruction of a house in Khan Yunis - MOHAMMED ABED/AFP via Getty Images

06:15 PM GMT

Israel parents name babies after communities ravaged by Hamas

Israeli parents have been naming newborn babies after communities that were attacked by Hamas militants on Oct 7, in tribute to the victims, the interior ministry said Thursday.

At least 45 babies born since October 7 have been named Beeri, the kibbutz community near the Gaza Strip that saw some of the worst atrocities in the cross-border attacks, the ministry said, reported by AFP.

The ministry added that the name Oz, which means strength in Hebrew, was given to 49 boys and one girl after Nir Oz and Nahal Oz, two other communities targeted in the attacks.

Eight other babies were named Nir and three girls were named Nova, after a desert rave targeted by Hamas.

05:57 PM GMT

Biden says he has 'fingers crossed' for release of American toddler

US President Joe Biden has told reporters that he has his fingers crossed that a three-year-old American girl being held hostage in Gaza will be among those released Friday.

He added that he would not be providing any more updates until after the deal if finished.

Ill be able to talk to you guys tomorrow, he said in Massachusetts. Im not prepared to give you an update until its done.

When asked about Abigail Edan, the three-year-old hostage, he said: Keeping my fingers crossed.

05:48 PM GMT

Turkey planning to evacuate some wounded Gazan children

Turkey plans to evacuate some wounded or sick Gazan children and young people on Friday as part of its third round of evacuation, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Thursday, reported by Reuters.

Turkey has so far brought 150 people, mostly cancer patients and their companions, from Gaza to continue their treatment. It has also evacuated more than 100 Turks, Turkish Cypriots, and their relatives this week.

Speaking at Ankaras Esenboga airport, Koca said three sick Gazan children had been brought to Turkey on Thursday. He added that the children  a two-year-old boy, as well as two girls aged nine and 10  would receive treatment in Turkey.

The third round of evacuations, consisting of a group of 50 people, has been delayed due to issues regarding permissions for their releases, the minister said, but added that those problems were now largely resolved and officials were working to complete the preparations.

We expect the third evacuation to be tomorrow (Friday) and it will be an evacuation that will largely consist of children and young people, Koca told reporters.

There are less cancer patients (in the group), but it will be an evacuation that mostly consists of wounded children and young people, he said, adding that none of the people in the list of 50 were in critical condition.

05:26 PM GMT

Pictured: The Gaza Strip and West Bank

An injured Palestinian child rests in a classroom at the Ras Al-Naqoura school in the southern Gaza Strip, after being transferred from the Indonesian Hospital - Mohammed Talatene / Avalon

Palestinians clash with Israeli security forces during a raid at the Balata camp for Palestinian refugees - Zain JAAFAR / AFP

A group of young men performs a show to entertain children who fled their home with families in Gaza City - Mustafa Hassona/Anadolu via Getty Images

05:22 PM GMT

Israel's communications minister proposes halting funding to Haaretz

Israels communications minister has proposed halting state advertising and commercial connections with the daily Haaretz newspaper, accusing the publication of defeatist and false propaganda against the state of Israel, according to a Times of Israel report.

In a letter to cabinet secretary Yossi Fuchs, Shlomo Karhi criticised Haaretz for its editorial stance on the war, and said that the state should not enter into any new commercial agreements with the newspaper, halt all advertising in it, and block any outstanding payments from being made.

Since the beginning of the war, my office has received numerous complaints that the Haaretz newspaper has taken a harmful line that undermines the goals of the war and weakens the military effort and societal resilience, he said.

Haaretz has not yet released a comment.

04:50 PM GMT

Three US citizens expected to be released

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus office said in a statement on Thursday that Israel had received an initial list of hostages to be released from Gaza.

Among the 50 women and children under the age of 19 being released by Hamas are three US citizens, including a girl who turns 4 on Friday, a US official said.

04:27 PM GMT

Pictured: Israeli Howitzer artillery gun fires towards Gaza

An Israeli self-propelled Howitzer artillery gun fires towards the Gaza Strip - Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

04:10 PM GMT

Number of premature births has risen by a third in Gaza, Oxfam says

The number of premature births has risen by almost a third in Israeli-besieged Gaza over the past month as mothers suffer growing stress and trauma, British charity Oxfam said on Thursday.

Juzoor, an Oxfam partner organisation that is supporting hundreds of pregnant women in Gaza, said the number of premature births had risen by 25-30 per cent in the last month, attributing the rise to difficulties faced by mothers who have had to flee their homes due to bombardment and have suffered stress and trauma.

Premature babies are more susceptible to illness and Juzoor said that at least one newborn had died in each of its 13 shelters for displaced people in north Gaza over the past month.

04:01 PM GMT

Spains PM tells Netanyahu the number of dead Palestinians is truly unbearable

Spains prime minister has told Benjamin Netanyahu the number of dead Palestinians is truly unbearable.

Speaking during a visit to the Middle East, Pedro Sanchez called for a peace conference and said that the creation of a Palestinian state remained the best way to bring peace and security to the region.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez during their meeting in Jerulasem - Borja Puig de la Bellacasa / LA MONCLOA / AFP

He said that the response to Hamass terrorist attacks last month cannot include the deaths of innocent civilians, including thousands of children.

Let me also be clear: Israel must abide by international law, including international humanitarian law, in its response, he said. The whole world is shocked at the images that we see coming from Gaza every day. The number of Palestinians killed is truly unbearable. I believe that all civilians must be protected at all costs.

03:46 PM GMT

Hostages captured with family to be released together

A spokesperson for Qatars foreign ministry has said hostages from the same family will be released together.

Majed Al-Ansari told reporters in Doha: If there were a group of hostages from the same family they will be released together in this first batch.

A total of 50 hostages are expected to be released over four days.

03:31 PM GMT

Pictured: The funeral of Shani Gabay in Israel

The funeral of Shani Gabay in Yokneam. Gabay, 25, was killed with at least 360 Israelis by Hamas at the outdoor music festival on Oct 7 - Ariel Schalit

03:18 PM GMT

Hostage families contacted

The Israeli prime ministers office has said authorities were in contact with the families of all the hostages being held in Gaza after receiving a first list of names, AFP has reported.

It did not immediately specify who was on the list, which was announced shortly after Qatar and Hamas said a ceasefire would go into effect at 7:00am (0500 GMT) on Friday.

03:06 PM GMT

Hamas' statement on the truce

On its Telegram channel, Hamas has said that once the truce begins hostile aircraft would completely halt flights over the southern Gaza Strip and would also cease flying for six hours daily, from 10 am to 4 pm over Gaza City and the northern areas.

The truce would last for four days, during which all military actions by al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas armed wing, and Israeli forces would cease, the statement added.

02:54 PM GMT

Israel confirms it has received initial list of hostages to be released

Israel has received an initial list of hostages to be released from Gaza, planned to take place after a ceasefire with Hamas takes hold on Friday, the Israeli prime ministers office said on Thursday.

The relevant authorities are checking the details of the list and are presently in contact with all the families, it said in a statement.

02:51 PM GMT

IDF finds weapons stashed under the beds of Hamas member's children

The Israeli Defence Forces has claimed that it found weapons stashed underneath the beds of the children of senior Hamas members.

The IDF said fighters from its Brigade 401 operating on the outskirts of Gazas Jabaliya located four significant tunnels dug deep underground.

The tunnels allegedly connect to an electricity network.

One was discovered during a search of the home of a senior member of the group.

At one home, IDF forces also uncovered documents and battle plans that have been handed to intelligence forces for examination.

Shafts for launching rockets, alongside long-range rockets - like those used to target Israel - were also found.

We have reached the heart of Hamass deployment, says the brigade commander, Col. Benny Aharon.

The claims have not been independently verified.

02:31 PM GMT

Qatar says Gaza ceasefire and hostage release to start Friday

A Gaza truce and hostage release will start on Friday morning, Qatars foreign ministry spokesman said.

The pause will begin at 7am on Friday ... and the first batch of civilian hostages will be handed over at approximately 4:00 pm on the same day, Majed Al-Ansari said Thursday, adding that the number of people freed will be thirteen.

02:28 PM GMT

Benjamin Netanyahu thanks Lord Cameron

Benjamin Netanyahu has thanked Lord Cameron for his visit to Israel, vowing that Israel will destroy Hamas.

Mr Netanyahu said the fight against Hamas is a fight against the savagery Lord Cameron saw during his visit to a kibbutz that was attacked on October 7.

He said:

Well continue with our war aims, namely to eradicate Hamas, because Hamas has already promised that they will do this again and again and again. Theyre a genocidal terrorist cult. Theres no hope for peace between Israel and the Palestinians, between Israel and the Arab states, if we dont eradicate this murderous movement that threatens the future of all of us. Its a larger battle of civilization against barbarism, the kind of savagery that you saw on your visit. Its the worst savagery perpetrated on Jews since the Holocaust. And just as the world united to vanquish the Nazis or vanquish al-Qaeda after 9/11 or vanquish ISIS, we have to unite to vanquish Hamas.

02:15 PM GMT

Pictured: Lord Cameron meets Benjamin Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) with Britain's Foreign Secretary David Cameron - GPO/KOBI GIDEON HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) with Britain's Foreign Secretary David Cameron - GPO/KOBI GIDEON HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

02:02 PM GMT

Lord Cameron meets Benjamin Netanyahu

Lord Cameron met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier today, saying that Britain stands with the people of Israel in sympathy.

The Foreign Secretary told Mr Netanyahu that it had been important to visit the sites where Hamas landed its deadly attack on Israel.

He said:

I just want to say thank you very much for finding the time to see me. I wanted to come in person and go to the sites of the country and go to Kibbutz Beeri to see just the true nature of the horrific attacks that you faced. I think its very important to do that and see that. And, you know, we stand with the people of Israel in sympathy for what you have gone through. I think that was important.

01:57 PM GMT

IDF hits further Hezbollah targets

The Israeli Defence Forces have hit Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon.

The sites include rocket launchers and other infrastructure and come as a response to repeated attacks on northern Israel.

In another attack, helicopters and tanks struck a Hezbollah cell that fired an anti-tank missile at an Israeli base, according to the IDF.

01:40 PM GMT

The latest pictures

Here is a roundup of the latest photographs from the conflict.

An Israeli soldier celebrates after returning from the Gaza Strip - Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

The 454th Brigade, which includes the aerial and artillery fire of the 252nd Division, has been operating for a month in the Gaza City area - IDF

Israeli soldiers operate at the opening to a tunnel at Al Shifa Hospital compound in Gaza City - RONEN ZVULUN

01:18 PM GMT

France says Israel-Hamas deal must start 'without further delay'

France on Thursday said an agreement between Israel and Hamas on the release of 50 hostages in exchange for a humanitarian truce should go ahead without further delay.

Paris is also urging the immediate release of all hostages, said Anne-Claire Legendre, spokeswoman for the French foreign ministry. We call for the terms of this agreement to be fully respected, she added.

01:09 PM GMT

Israel confirms detainment of al-Shifa hospital director

The Israeli military has confirmed that it detained the director of al-Shifa hospital.

Earlier, a chief of department at the hospital said that Dr Muhammad Abu Salmiya and several other senior doctors had been taken by soldiers for questioning.

According to reports, Israel has said that it is questioning the doctor over evidence that Hamas had used the hospital as a command and control centre.

In the hospital, under his management, there was extensive Hamas terrorist activity, the military said in a statement.

12:50 PM GMT

Red Cross staff 'fired upon'

Staff from the International Committee of the Red Cross were fired upon while trying to deliver humanitarian aid in northern Gaza, according to Al Jazeera.

It said healthcare workers have special protection under international law and we are pressing for immediate protection for all civilians.

It added that hospitals in Gaza have been turned into cemeteries and war fields.

12:36 PM GMT

Watch: David Cameron shown site of Hamas atrocities on first visit to Israel

Lord Cameron was taken to Kibbutz Beeri, where hundreds of people were killed and abducted by Hamas, on his first visit to Israel as Foreign Secretary.

12:20 PM GMT

Comparisons between Holocaust and Hamas attack are 'simplistic'

The chairman of Jerusalems holocaust memorial centre has said that comparisons between Hamass attack on Israel and the Holocaust were simplistic even if the genocidal intentions, sadism and barbarism of Hamas had similarities with Nazi atrocities.

Dani Dayan told AFP: The crimes that took place on 7 October are on the same level as Nazi crimes, but they are not the Shoah. I do not accept the simplistic comparison with the Holocaust even if there are similarities in the genocidal intentions, sadism and barbarism of Hamas.

For any Jew who has heard the stories of families putting their hands over a babys mouth to stop it from crying, the association of ideas is obvious. We have all thought about it.

11:54 AM GMT

Celebrations relating to Palestinian prisoners banned

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has said that no celebrations will be allowed upon the release of 150 Palestinian prisoners.

He told Israels Prison Service, Katy Perry, to quash any form of jubilation within incarceration facilities and Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai to use an iron fist.

Mr Ben Gvir has given police permission to shut down any celebrations in East Jerusalem.

My instructions are clear: there are to be no expressions of joy, Mr Ben Gvir said.

Expressions of joy are equivalent to backing terrorism, victory celebrations give backing to those human scum, for those Nazis.

11:45 AM GMT

Palestinian politician calls war 'genocide'

A Palestinian politician has accused Israel of commiting genocide in Gaza.

Mustafa Barghouti of the Palestinian National Initiative told Sky News that 9,000 have been killed since Israels bombardment began.

The tragedy is there are about 7,000 people missing under the rubble and half of them are probably Palestinian children, he added.

He urged for a permanent ceasefire deal.

There has been a ceasefire deal, which should be initiated, but I think the Israelis have delayed it so far, but it has to go into effect very soon, Mr Barghouti said.

Continuing this war is absolutely unacceptable and represents a terrible war crime because it means genocide.

11:30 AM GMT

Pictured: Lord Cameron visits kibutz

Lord Cameron visited a kibbutz that was a target of Hamass attack on October 7.

Foreign Secretary David Cameron is shown the damage caused by the October 7th attack by Hamas - Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron and Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen walk inside a damaged building - REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko

11:14 AM GMT

Iran top diplomat meets Hezbollah chief in Lebanon

Irans Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has met with Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah which has traded deadly cross-border fire with Israel since the start of the Gaza war, the Lebanese movement said Thursday.

Since the Israel-Hamas war began on October 7, the border between Lebanon and Israel has witnessed escalating exchanges of fire, primarily involving Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah, along with Palestinian groups.

The clashes have raised fears of a broader conflagration.

In a statement, Hezbollah said Amir-Abdollahian and Nasrallah reviewed the latest developments in Palestine, Lebanon and the region, and... the efforts made to end the Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip.

Amir-Abdollahian, who warned on Wednesday that the war could spiral out of control, left Beirut for Doha after their meeting, Irans Nour news agency reported.

11:02 AM GMT

Israel intercepts missiles from Lebanon

The Israeli military has claimed it intercepted missile launches sent from inside Lebanon.

It wrote on Telegram:

Following the initial reports regarding sirens sounding in northern Israel, approximately 35 launches were identified crossing from Lebanon toward Israeli territory.

The IDF Aerial Defense Array intercepted a number of the launches. In addition, since this morning, terrorists launched a number of anti-tank missiles and mortars at various locations along the border with Lebanon.

There have been frequent exchanges of fires between the IDF and anti-Israeli forces over the UN-drawn blue line that separates Lebanon and Israel.

Earlier it was reported that Hezbollah had claimed to fire 48 rockets into Israeli territory in Upper Galilee. There are no reports of any casualties on the Israeli side.

10:48 AM GMT

Lord Cameron to meet Israeli PM

Lord Cameron is set to meet Israels prime minister shortly, according to reports.

The talks with Benjamin Netanyahu are part of his trip to Israel.

He landed in the country earlier this morning as part of a wider trip to the Middle East.

Earlier today, Israels foreign minister, Eli Cohen, showed him around damaged buildings at a kibbutz targeted by Hamas.

10:29 AM GMT

Spain in favour of a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza in 'the very short term'

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said his country is in favour of a humanitarian ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the very short term.

Our position with regards to Palestine and the Palestinian people is clear. We are in favour of a Palestinian State. In the very short term, what is truly urgent is for a humanitarian ceasefire to happen, Mr Albares said in an interview with Spanish radio station RNE.

The existence of a Palestinian state will be the best guarantee for peace in the Middle East, ahead of a visit by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to Israel and the West Bank on Thursday.

He reiterated that Spain is ready to hold a peace conference on the conflict.

10:15 AM GMT

Gazans flee strikes in southern Gaza

Gazans are fleeing the site of Israeli strikes in the southern city of Rafah.

A Palestinian man carries an injured man as people flee following an Israeli strike in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip - Mohammed ABED / AFP

A girl carrying a bird cage reacts as people flee following an Israeli strike in Rafah - Mohammed ABED / AFP

10:13 AM GMT

David Cameron shown site of Hamas atrocities on first visit to Israel

Lord Cameron was taken to Kibbutz Beeri, where hundreds of people were killed and abducted by Hamas, on his first visit to Israel as Foreign Secretary.

He joined Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen and walked through the fire-damaged buildings on the Kibbutz.

The Foreign Secretarys visit to Israel is part of a wider trip to the Middle East, and comes as a temporary truce between Israel and Hamas looms.

Lord Cameron welcomed the agreement to a four-day pause in fighting in exchange for the release of hostages, calling it a crucial step and urging the parties to deliver the deal in full.

But the deal appears to have been delayed, with Israeli officials saying it will not take effect until Friday at the earliest.

10:04 AM GMT

Lord Cameron: I have heard and seen things I will never forget

This morning, together with @elicoh1, I visited Kibbutz Beeri, one of the communities affected by the appalling terror attack Israel suffered on 7 October.



I wanted to come here to see it for myself; I have heard and seen things I will never forget.



Today is also a day where pic.twitter.com/2dU4gbeaIE  David Cameron (@David_Cameron) November 23, 2023

09:52 AM GMT

Israel orders evacuation of Indonesian Hospital

Israel has ordered the evacuation of the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza, a Hamas health official inside the hospital has said.

Dr Munir al-Boursh told Al Jazeera that the hospital was organising buses to evacuate its 200 patients.

Fighting has raged outside the hospital for days.

09:36 AM GMT

Lord Cameron urges Israel and Hamas to 'make sure' hostage deal happens

Israel and Hamas must make sure the hostage deal is implemented, Lord Cameron has said.

Britains foreign secretary is visiting Israel today and has visited Kibbutz Beeri, describing what he saw as absolutely horrific.

Today we hope to see a humanitarian pause, he said.

I think its important because its an opportunity to get the hostages out and to get aid in, and I hope and would urge everyone involved in that agreement to make sure that it happens.

09:19 AM GMT

Israeli spokesperson says delay in hostage release is 'heartbreaking'

Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy appeared on British TV today, where he said that Hamas could choose to release hostages without a deal on tha table.

Speaking on Sky News, he said the delay in securing their release was heartbreaking.

You know, Hamas could release the hostages now. It could have released them yesterday. It could have released them on 7 October. And every moment that it chooses not to release those vulnerable little children is a moment that it continues to psychologically terrorise these childrens families. Theyve been holding them in the dark and theyve been keeping their families in the dark. Their families know nothing about their condition. Physically, mentally, emotionally. You know, maybe even worse, these children dont know what has happened to their families. This hostage crisis is intensely personal for everyone in Israel. Were a small country. Everyone knows someone who has had someone stolen from them. And were hoping to begin bringing back our stolen children, bring back those hostages, and were committed to the pledge that we will bring all of them back, and there will be no one left behind.

09:04 AM GMT

US intercepts multiple attack drones launched from Yemen

A US warship patrolling the Red Sea intercepted multiple attack drones launched from Huthi-controlled areas in Yemen on Thursday, the US Central Command said.

On the morning (Yemen time) of November 23, the USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116) shot down multiple one-way attack drones launched from Houthi controlled areas in Yemen, CENTCOM said on X, previously Twitter.

The ship and crew sustained no damage or injury, it added.

The Huthis have declared themselves part of the axis of resistance of Irans allies and proxies and have launched a series of drones and missiles towards Israel after the start of the war in Gaza.

The Huthis have also threatened to target Israeli shipping over the countrys war with Islamist militant group Hamas, which is backed by Irans clerical leadership.

08:55 AM GMT

Pictured: German police raid suspected Hamas homes

German police officers leave a house during a raid against people supporting the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas - REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

08:41 AM GMT

Death toll in Gaza reaches 13,000

More than 13,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the director of the Hamas run Health Ministry.

The report follows a gap in the reporting of the death toll inside Gaza. on November 11, after the breakdown of access and communication in northern Gaza/

The latest count is based on updated figures from hospitals in the south and November 11 figures from the northern hospitals. The real toll is likely higher.

The Health Ministry says another 6,000 people have been reported missing, and are feared buried under the rubble.

08:27 AM GMT

Germany says raids underway on homes of Hamas supporters

Germany on Thursday said raids were underway in four regions on the homes of members and supporters of Hamas and another Palestinian organisation which are banned in the country.

We are carrying out action against radical Islamists. By banning Hamas and Samidoun in Germany, we have sent a clear signal that we will not tolerate any apology or support for Hamass barbaric terror against Israel, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said in a statement.

Islamists and ant-Semites must not feel safe anywhere, she said.

The interior ministry said 15 properties had been raided so far since 6:00 am after courts in four regions ordered the raids.

08:11 AM GMT

Deal to free Hamas hostages delayed until Friday

A deal to release some of the hostages held by Hamas has been delayed, with Israeli officials saying it will not take effect until Friday, a day later than originally planned.

The diplomatic agreement between Hamas and Israel gave hopes of some relief to the bombardment pummelling Gaza since the October 7 attacks.

As part of the temporary ceasefire deal, 150 Palestinians, mostly women and teenagers, are due to be freed from Israeli jails in return for 50 of the roughly 240 hostages Hamas is holding.

Israels national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, announced the delay late on Wednesday.

He did not provide a reason, but Israeli media reported that some final details were still being worked out.

Hamas had said the ceasefire was due to begin at 10am local time (0800 GMT) on Thursday.

08:05 AM GMT

Spain in favour of recognition of Palestinian state in 'the very short term'

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares on Thursday said his country is in favour of the recognition of a viable Palestinian state in the very short term.

The existence of a Palestinian state will be the best guarantee for peace in the Middle East, he said in an interview with Spanish radio station RNE.

He reiterated that Spain is ready to hold a peace conference on the conflict.

07:55 AM GMT

David Cameron visits Israel

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron is due to visit the Middle East on Thursday and meet with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, Britains Foreign Office said in a statement.

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron and Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen visit Kibbutz Beeri - REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron and Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen visit Kibbutz Beeri - REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko

Former prime minister Cameron, who was appointed to the foreign policy brief last week, met with counterparts from Arab and Islamic countries in London on Wednesday to discuss the Israel-Hamas conflict.

He has welcomed the agreement between the Israeli government and Hamas to a four-day pause in fighting, calling it a crucial step and urging the parties to deliver the deal in full.

07:44 AM GMT

German authorities search properties connected to Hamas

German authorities searched 15 properties on Thursday in connection with a recent ban on activities of Hamas as well as pro-Palestinian group Samidoun, the German interior ministry said in a statement.

The searches in four German states, which started at 6 am local time (0500 GMT), are intended to enforce the ban as well as clear up illegal structures of Hamas, designated a terrorist organisation in the country, and Samidoun, it said.

We continue our consistent action against radical Islamists, German interior minister Nancy Faeser said in the statement.

With the bans on Hamas and Samidoun in Germany, we have sent a clear signal that we will not tolerate any glorification or support of the barbaric terror of Hamas against Israel, Faeser added.

According to the ministry, there are around 450 members of Hamas in Germany, whose activities range from support and propaganda to financing and the collection of donations.

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The third International Forum on the Collection, Study, and Publication of Ancient Texts took place in Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, at the end of October.

The forum was a collaborative effort by the Center for Ancient Chinese Classics and Archives of Peking University, the Guangxi Normal University Press Group, the School of Humanities of Wenzhou University, and the Center for the Compilation and Research of Ancient Texts at Guangxi Normal University.

More than 100 experts and scholars from libraries and universities around the world attended, including representatives from institutions such as the National Library of China, Shanghai Library, Nanjing Library, Ohio State University Library, Harvard-Yenching Library, the East Asian Library at the University of California in Los Angeles, Cambridge University Library, Peking University and Fudan University.

Huang Xuanzhuang, the Party secretary of Guangxi Normal University Press Group, said that publishing entities, research institutions and collection organizations need to deepen their cooperation.

Professor Liao Kebin, director of the Center for Ancient Chinese Classics and Archives at Peking University, explained that he views ancient text compilation as more than just a profession. He sees it as an industry and a cause that involves collectors, compilers, researchers and publishers, with the shared goal of using China's precious ancient texts, meticulously compiling them, and making them accessible to readers and society.

Throughout the forum, experts and scholars delivered keynote speeches on various topics, including the compilation and publication of ancient texts, the application of new technologies, and the investigation of ancient Chinese texts held abroad.

Chen Hongyan, director of the ancient books department at the National Library of China, talked about the importance of using technology to present ancient texts, and the need for interdisciplinary cooperation in their protection and accessibility.

Chen Chao, director of the Shanghai Library, discussed the modernization of libraries, including their role in preservation, in serving the needs of researchers and in transmitting cultural heritage.

Professor Zhang Guoxing from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences highlighted the role of publishers in national cultural development. He emphasized the appreciation of the aesthetic qualities of ancient texts and the exploration of Chinese aesthetics.

During the forum, Tang Wenhui, chief editor of the Guangxi Normal University Press Group, launched the Academic Resource Knowledge Service Platform for Rare Documents. The platform extends the work of the past three decades in publishing rare and distinctive documents. It focuses on five major areas, including rare documents collected by institutions or individuals from within China or overseas, ancient documents in ethnic languages and manuscripts from the pre-print era. The platform is designed to complement print publications and support academic research.

The forum was initiated by the Guangxi Normal University Press Group in Guilin in 2019 to encourage communication and collaboration among research institutions, collection organizations and publishers.
The former dentist of Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader, has described him as a cruel mastermind who recruited countless Palestinians to his cause while languishing in an Israeli prison.

Speaking to the German tabloid Bild, Dr Yuval Biton recounted how he treated Sinwar while working as a dentist at the jail where the Hamas chief was sequestered in the late 1990s.

I spent a lot of time with him...it was clear to me that he would rise to the very top within Hamas, said Dr Biton, describing Sinwar as a charismatic but menacing figure.

I know how cruel he is, I have never underestimated his abilities, but unfortunately others have ... he knows us very well, he follows Israeli society, our politics, our debates.

Dangerous

Sinwar, 61, spent 22 years in Israeli prisons on terrorism offences, and took advantage of his imprisonment to learn fluent Hebrew and gain a deep understanding of Israeli culture and society.

He quickly rose through the ranks of Hamas and was released from prison in 2011 as part of the Shalit prisoner exchange. Dr Biton said he was against this at the time as he felt Sinwar was dangerous.

Even back then, you could tell the difference between Hamas members from Gaza and those from the West Bank, he said.

While in prison, Yahya Sinwar learnt fluent Hebrew and gained a deep understanding of Israeli culture and society - DPA PICTURE ALLIANCE / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

Sinwar, who was born in Gazas Khan Younis refugee camp, was clearly part of the more radical former group, he said, which was uninterested in compromises with Israel.

In one significant incident, Sinwar was asked shortly before his release to sign some papers renouncing terrorism.

He asked what it was ... then he refused to sign the paper, and all subsequent Hamas prisoners then refused as well, Dr Biton recalled. All of them were released anyway.

Hamas massacre

Ironically, Israeli media reports have claimed that during his imprisonment Sinwar received surgery for an illness  a brain tumour, according to one former official  that saved his life. He would go on, years later, to serve as one of the masterminds behind the October 7 Hamas massacre.

Almost three decades after being Sinwars prison dentist, the roles have been reversed: now Sinwar and his men are the captors of Dr Bitons nephew, Tamir, who was dragged to Gaza during the massacre.

I know very well what these people are capable of ... but I didnt think it would affect me personally, he said.

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By Stephen Farrell and Samia Nakhoul

(Reuters) - Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas leader based in Qatar, has been the tough-talking face of the Palestinian group's international diplomacy as war has raged back in Gaza where his family home was destroyed in an Israeli air strike in November.

Appointed to the militant group's top job in 2017, he has moved between Turkey and Qatar's capital Doha, escaping the travel restrictions of the blockaded Gaza Strip and enabling him to act as a negotiator in the latest ceasefire deal or talk to Hamas' main ally Iran.

"All the agreements of normalisation that you (Arab states) signed with (Israel) will not end this conflict," Haniyeh declared on Qatar-based Al Jazeera television shortly after Hamas fighters launched their assault on Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 200 people hostage.

Israel's response has been a fierce military campaign that has killed more than 14,000 people inside Gaza so far. Two of Haniyeh's grandchildren are among those killed, his family said.

For all the tough language in public, Arab diplomats and officials in the region view him as relatively pragmatic compared with more hardline voices inside Gaza, where the military wing of Hamas planned the Oct. 7 that shocked Israel to its core.

While telling Israel's military they would find themselves "drowning in the sands of Gaza", he and his predecessor as Hamas leader, Khaled Meshaal, have shuttled around the region for talks over a Qatari-brokered ceasefire deal with Israel that includes exchanging hostages held by Hamas for Palestinians in Israeli jails, as well as more aid for Gaza.

Israel regards the entire Hamas leadership as terrorists, accusing Haniyeh, Meshaal and others of continuing to "pull the strings of the Hamas terror organisation."

But how much Haniyeh knew about the Oct. 7 assault beforehand is not clear. The plan, drawn up by the Hamas military council in Gaza, was such a closely guarded secret that some Hamas officials seemed shocked by its timing and scale.

Yet Haniyeh, a Sunni Muslim, has had a major hand building up Hamas' fighting capacity, partly by nurturing relations with Shi'ite Muslim Iran, which makes no secret of its moral and material support for the group.

During the decade in which Haniyeh was Hamas' top leader in Gaza, Israel accused his leadership team of helping to divert humanitarian aid to the group's military wing. Hamas denied it.

SHUTTLE DIPLOMACY

When he left Gaza in 2017, Haniyeh was succeeded by Yahya Sinwar, a hardliner who spent more than two decades in Israeli prisons and whom Haniyeh had welcomed back to Gaza in 2011 after a prisoner exchange.

"Haniyeh is leading the political battle for Hamas with Arab governments," said Adeeb Ziadeh, a specialist in Palestinian affairs at Qatar University, adding that he had close ties with more hardline figures in the group and the military wing.

"He is the political and diplomatic front of Hamas," he said.

Haniyeh and Meshaal have met officials in Egypt, which has also had a mediation role in the ceasefire talks. Haniyeh travelled in early November to Tehran to meet Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, Iranian state media reported.

Three senior officials told Reuters that Khamenei told the Hamas leader in that meeting, that Iran would not enter the war having not been told about it in advance. Hamas did not respond to requests for comment before Reuters published its report, and then issued a denial after its publication.

As he has shuttled around the region, Israel said on Nov. 16 its warplanes hit Haniyeh's house in Al-Shati, the Gaza refugee camp where he was born in 1962. It said his home "often served as a meeting point for Hamas' senior leaders to direct terror attacks."

As a young man Haniyeh was a student activist at the Islamic University in Gaza City. He joined Hamas when it was created in the First Palestinian intifada (uprising) in 1987. He was arrested and briefly deported.

Haniyeh became a protege of Hamas' founder Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, who like Haniyeh's family, was a refugee from the village of Al Jura near Ashkelon.

In 1994, he told Reuters that Yassin was a model for young Palestinians, saying: "We learned from him love of Islam and sacrifice for this Islam and not to kneel down to these tyrants and despots."

By 2003 he was a trusted Yassin aide, photographed in Yassin's Gaza home holding a phone to the almost completely paralysed Hamas founder's ear so that he could take part in a conversation. Yassin was assassinated by Israel in 2004.

Haniyeh was an early advocate of Hamas entering politics. In 1994, he said that forming a political party "would enable Hamas to deal with emerging developments".

Initially overruled by the Hamas leadership, it was later approved and Haniyeh become Palestinian prime minister after the group won Palestinian parliamentary elections in 2006 a year after Israel's military withdrew from Gaza.

The group took control of Gaza in 2007.

In 2012, when asked by Reuters reporters if Hamas had abandoned the armed struggle, Haniyeh replied "of course not" and said resistance would continue "in all forms - popular resistance, political, diplomatic and military resistance".

(Reporting by Samia Nakhoul in Dubai; Additional reporting and writing by Stephen Farrell; Editing by Edmund Blair)
A four-day ceasefire in Gaza set to begin on Friday will allow for the release of 50 hostages, the delivery of desperately needed humanitarian aid, and a brief respite from the relentless bombardment of the densely populated territory for more than two million civilians.

But what happens when it ends?

The short answer is that the war will continue, and it may be even bloodier than before. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu put it bluntly on Wednesday during a live address about the hostage deal. The war continues, he said. We continue until we have achieved complete victory.

Qatars prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, said he hoped the deal would eventually lead to "serious talks" on resolving the conflict, but the Israeli army has made it clear they do not consider this a precursor to more talks. Lt Col Richard Hecht, the Israeli armys international spokesperson, said they would not even call it a ceasefire.

Our terminology is not ceasefire, our terminology is an operational pause, Lt Col Hecht said.

Israels United Nations ambassador, Gilad Erdan, said that as soon as the pause ends, we will continue striving towards our goals with full force." Chief among those goals was to eliminate all of Hamas terror capabilities.

That will be no easy feat. Israel has repeatedly stated that it will be satisfied with nothing less than the complete destruction of Hamas. That could take months or years.

Moty Cristal, a crisis negotiator involved in previous exchanges and a former member of the government, told The Independent that there is no appetite within Israel for ending the war any time soon.

Something changed on 7 October. The magnitude of the national trauma changed something in the Israel psyche, the military mindset. We are no longer afraid of long wars, neither the public nor the military, he said.

The agreement between Israel and Hamas stipulates that the ceasefire may be extended by a day for every 10 hostages that are released. That leaves open the possibility that fighting may not resume immediately, but when it does, it will likely move in two directions.

Israeli forces currently control Gazas coastline and have cut through the middle of the territory, effectively surrounding the north. Aid agencies estimate that some 200,000 to 300,000 civilians remain in the northern half of Gaza. Israels bombardment there has targeted places of worship, hospitals, schools and residential areas, and it has justified those strikes with claims that they are used by Hamas fighters.

The Gaza Health Ministry said on Tuesday that Israeli forces had surrounded the Indonesian Hospital, a 110-bed outpatient and surgical facility that is among the final functioning hospitals in the north.

Relatives, friends and supporters of Alon Ohel, who is held hostage by Hamas, take part in a demonstration (AFP via Getty Images)

The Indonesian Hospital is now in its worst condition. It is besieged on all four sides, and food and medicine are not allowed to enter, Mounir al-Bursh, the Gaza Health Ministrys director of hospitals, told the Washington Post , adding that a strike on the hospital compound Monday had killed 12 displaced people and wounded four medical staffers.

Israel claims the bulk of Hamas infrastructure is in the north. As soon as the ceasefire ends, Israel will likely continue its bombardment there.

But even as Israel continues its push into Gaza City in the north, it has signalled that it may soon turn its attention to the south, where it believes many of Hamas key leaders have escaped to, and where most of an estimated 1.7 million displaced people have fled. Tens of thousands from the north have sought refuge there in schools and tents, and face a lack of food and water.

The Israeli air force began dropping leaflets over the southern city of Khan Younis last week, warning people to evacuate the area in anticipation of an offensive there.

"For your safety, you need to evacuate your places of residence immediately and head to known shelters," the leaflets said, naming the neighbourhoods of Khuzaa, Abassan, Bani Suhaila and Al Qarara. "Anyone near terrorists or their facilities puts their life at risk, and every house used by terrorists will be targeted," the leaflets said.

Just a few days later, at least 28 Palestinians were killed in Israeli air strikes on two residential areas of the city.

Some expect a bombing campaign to resume with even more force following the pause. A Middle Eastern diplomat told the Washington Post that the bombing campaign will likely be more much aggressive, the newspaper reported, and that the south will be targeted much more heavily due to the belief among Israel officials that Hamas operatives have escaped to the south.

Those warnings have sparked concern among aid groups.

Catherine Russell, head of the UN childrens agency, Unicef, said that a military escalation in the south of Gaza would exponentially worsen the humanitarian situation there, and said attacks on the south must be avoided.

Significantly, a potential attack on the south has also drawn criticism from Israels closest ally, the United States. The Biden administration has until now given its full support for Israels military operation, but several US officials have warned of the dire consequences of turning the offensive south.

We dont support those kinds of operations absent a cohesive plan by the Israelis to factor in how theyre going to be able to protect what is now mathematically an increased dramatically increased civilian population itself, because they were evacuated from the North, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on Tuesday.

Its even more incumbent upon the Israelis to make sure, before they begin operations down there, that they have factored in ways in which they can they can protect those civilians who moved at their urging to the south, he added.

Those words of caution are unlikely to restrain Israeli forces, however. The Israeli government has spoken of its operation in Gaza as a battle against the enemies of civilization itself.

Meanwhile, aid agencies say the four-day pause will not be enough to address the severe humanitarian crisis now facing 2.3 million people in Gaza, which will almost certainly worsen in the coming weeks and months.

Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council, said four days is not enough time to address the immense needs after six weeks of fighting, bloodshed, and destruction.

Winter is looming, and it will be a disaster to reignite this conflict. Small shelters have housed scores of people, with little food and water and mounting health hazards. Children are traumatised, and many face a future without their parents and siblings. They need urgent, long-term help. This can only happen through a sustained ceasefire, he said.

Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian-American lawmaker in Congress, also described the pause as "not enough."

When this short-term agreement expires, the bombing of innocent civilians will continue. We need a permanent ceasefire that saves lives, brings all the hostages and those arbitrarily detained home, and puts an end to this horrific violence, she said.
Keith Jesperson, also known as the "Happy Face Killer" who recently admitted to his eighth serial murder, said he has a new pen pal behind bars.

Suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann purportedly complained about jail food and exercise conditions and fretted that guards might be reading his mail, according to a handwritten letter that Jesperson forwarded to the "Lighter Side of Serial Killers Podcast" host and author Keith Rovere.

Jesperson mentioned the letter last month when police in Florida visited him in an Oregon prison to record his confession in the cold-case murder of Suzanne Kjellenberg. An image that Rovere shared with Fox News Digital shows it was dated Aug. 31.

"You were right about letters  I have gotten a number of them  asking for interviews, to be friends, pen pals, and one guy who sent me three letters asking me to write back and add to his collection of letters,'" the letter reads. "You are the only person who I have written back to and plan to write to."

SUSPECTED GILGO BEACH SERIAL KILLER REX HEUERMANN TAKEN OFF JAIL'S SUICIDE WATCH, SHERIFF SAYS

Heuermann's lawyer Michael Brown did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

Rovere, who said he has interviewed numerous murderers over the years, including "Son of Sam" David Berkwotiz, went public with the letter earlier this week after discussing it with Jesperson on the latest episode of his true crime podcast.

"Being only a month and a half into this, as you know, I have had a lot to think about," the letter reads.

At another point, he warned that, "I am not sure if my mail is not being read. I did have one officer make a comment to me that he knew you were writing to me."

Rovere said he spoke with Jesperson over the phone Tuesday night and they both picked up on a similar vibe in the letter.

SUSPECTED GILGO BEACH SERIAL KILELR LINKED TO TWO MORE VICTIMS BY EXPLOSIVE NEW TESTIMONY, LAWYERS SAY

"You have to look into it a little bit, but it seems like hes already at peace in his heart that he knows that hes busted," he said, noting the conversation was casual, talking about prison food and waiting for discovery.

"Keith was the same way," he said of Jesperson. "He's already at peace in his heart, and the calmness in the letter, the way he's writing."

Jesperson, in his October jailhouse interview, said he tries to advise suspects who are guilty to fess up  but also said on the podcast that Heuermann should keep quiet about his own case until it plays out in court and discouraged him from exchanging letters with anyone else.

"I always try to tell people to own it, just admit to it, you're caught," Jesperson told Florida authorities. "If you're arrested it means the prosecutor has enough evidence to take you to court and prove you guilty. They wouldn't have arrested you if they didn't."

He claimed that Heuermann wrote him back to say, "I'll take it under advisement"  but that phrase doesn't appear in the letter.

Gilgo Beach murders victims Amber Costello (top left), Maureen Brainard-Barnes (top right), Melissa Barthelemy (bottom left), and Megan Waterman (bottom right).

On Rovere's podcast, he discussed the correspondence in greater detail. He said that prison is more comfortable and more safe than jail, bringing up the deaths of Jeffrey Dahmer and Jeffrey Epstein. And he bragged that when he was convicted himself of three murders in 90 days, it led to the release of two wrongfully convicted suspects. (A woman made a false confession in one of those murders in order to get away from her abusive boyfriend, who she claimed killed and murdered the victim. Both were sent to prison.)

CLICK HERE FOR MORE TRUE CRIME FROM FOX NEWS

Heuermann is accused of killing three women and has been labeled the prime suspect in the murder of a fourth woman whose remains were found near the others.

LONG ISLAND SERIAL KILLER: DEATH OF WOMAN WHOSE DISAPPEARANCE LAUNCHED CASE WAS ACCIDENTAL, POLICE SAY

Heuermann has been held at the Suffolk County jail in Yaphank, New York, since mid-July on six murder charges in the cold-case deaths of Melissa Barthelemy, 24, Megan Waterman, 22, and Amber Costello, 27, whose bodies police found in 2010 while searching for a different missing woman, Shannan Gilbert, 23.

Police have said Gilbert's death was an accident. But they are also looking at Heuermann in connection with the death of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, whose remains they found near the others.

Jesperson's daughter is currently fundraising for Heuermann's now-estranged wife, Asa Ellerup, who filed for divorce shortly after his arrest.

Rovere, who describes himself as a Christian who previously worked with prison ministry, said he believes in positive interactions with the worst of the worst prisoners.

"Most of the people I talk to arent believers and arent religious. I dont push it on them, but thats my personal foundation," he said. "Its mostly about making a positive change in their lives, because no one else is doing it."





Original article source: 'Happy Face' serial killer brags he's pen pals with Gilgo Beach suspect Rex Heuermann
Chichester Harbour saw more than 1,200 hours of Southern Water sewage spills in a single month

A nature beauty spot in West Sussex saw more than 1,200 hours of Southern Water sewage spills in a single month, it has been revealed.

Chichester Harbour, which is a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, had sewage water pouring into the bathing site from 24 October to 23 November.

Campaigners called the spills an assault on the environment.

Southern Water said the releases were legal and were caused by overflows amid Storm Babet and Storm Ciaran.

According to the water firms data, Thornham marina has been releasing sewage for 710 hours and five minutes, while the outfall at Bosham shows multiple releases, including one of 281 hours and 24 minutes and another of 213 hours and seven minutes.

'No justification'

SOS Whitstable, a sewage pollution campaign group in Sussex, Kent and Hampshire, said the releases would have a devastating environmental effect.

Despite the heavy rainfall in recent weeks, there can be absolutely no justification over this level of water pollution, SOS Whitstable member Ed Acteson said.

Storm overflows are supposed to be used in exceptional circumstances to ease pressure on the sewage network.

The chief executive of Chichester Harbour Conservancy, Matt Briers, called for urgent improvements to infrastructure.

Chichester Harbour is one of the most important sites for wildlife in the UK, he said.

Good water quality is essential for the health of the harbour -particularly for the wildlife that depend on it.

Southern Water said the longer releases were the result of weeks of heavy rainfall.

We agree with campaigners and our customers that storm overflow releases are not acceptable and thats why reducing this is our top priority, a spokesperson said.

Follow BBC South East on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk.
Controversial Dutch politician Geert Wilders has won a massive victory in an election, positioning him to form the next ruling party and potentially become Netherlands next prime minister.

Wilders, 60, has long been likened to the "Dutch Donald Trump," for his brand of populist politics. But unlike the former U.S., he seemed destined to a lifetime in the opposition.

An exit poll revealing his landslide appeared to take Wilders by surprise.

In his first reaction, posted in a video on X, formerly Twitter, he spread his arms wide, put his face in his hands and said simply "35!"  the number of seats an exit poll forecast his Party for Freedom, or PVV, won in the 150-seat lower house of parliament.

The only time Wilders came close to governing was when he supported the first coalition formed by Prime Minister Mark Rutte in 2010. But Wilders did not formally join the minority administration and brought it down after just 18 months in office in a dispute over austerity measures. Since then, mainstream parties have shunned him.

SLOVAKIA'S GOVERNMENT, LED BY FIERY CRITICS OF UKRAINE AND JOURNALISTS, SURVIVES MANDATORY CONFIDENCE VOTE

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

"The PVV wants to, from a fantastic position with 35 seats that can totally no longer be ignored by any party, cooperate with other parties," he told cheering supporters at his election celebration in a small bar in a suburb of The Hague.

Wilders incendiary rhetoric against Islam has made him a target for extremists and led to him living under round-the-clock protection for years. He has appeared in court as a victim of death threats, vowing never to be silenced. He has moved from one safe house to another over nearly two decades.

In 2009, the British government refused to let him visit the country, saying he posed a threat to "community harmony and therefore public security."

To court mainstream voters this time around, Wilders toned down his rhetoric and sought to focus less on what he calls the "de-Islamization" of the Netherlands and more on tackling practical issues such as housing shortages, a cost-of-living crisis and access to good health care.

His campaign platform nonetheless calls for a referendum on the Netherlands leaving the European Union, an "asylum stop" and "no Islamic schools, Qurans and mosques," although he pledged Wednesday night not to breach Dutch laws or the country's constitution that enshrines freedom of religion and expression.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.





Original article source: Hard-right firebrand Geert Wilders wins election in Netherlands: 'Dutch Donald Trump'
PVV leader Geert Wilders reacts to the results of the House of Representatives elections in Scheveningen, the Netherlands, on Nov. 22, 2023. Credit - Remko de WaalAFP/Getty

For decades, the hard-right firebrand Geert Wilders has been shunned from mainstream Dutch politics. So when the results from the Netherlands snap election showed his Party for Freedom (PVV) emerging as the largest party, even he could hardly contain his shock. 35! Wilders exclaimed in apparent disbelief, his arms outstretched, as the exit polls flashed the partys projected seat count on the screen. (That forecast has since risen to 37 seats, putting the PVV well ahead of its main center-left and center-right rivals, which won 25 and 23 seats, respectively.)

While Wilders first-place performance puts him in a strong position as the parties enter into coalition talks, the prospect of him entering the Dutch government, let alone leading it as prime minister, is not a foregone conclusion. That will ultimately depend on whether any of the other 15 parties elected to Parliament are willing to enter into coalition with Wilders, which some parties, including the second-place Labor-Green alliance, have ruled out.

But regardless of whether the far-right leader wins power, or in what capacity, the outcome of the Dutch elections is particularly bad news for the European Union, which alongside Islam and immigration remains one of Wilders ideological bogeymen. In addition to campaigning for a Brexit style Nexit referendum, Wilders also advocates ending the free movement of labor within the E.U. and, perhaps most concerning of all for the bloc, cutting military aid to Ukraine. Nationalist leaders as far afield as Austria, Belgium, Italy, France, Germany, and Spain all rejoiced at the prospect of another nationalist, anti-establishment voice joining their ranks.

Analysts who spoke with TIME say that the prospect of the Netherlands ending its military aid to Ukraine outright remains unlikely, with or without Wilders in power. Indeed, the Dutch government recently allocated an additional 2 billion euros in military aid, bringing the Hagues total support for Ukraine to roughly 7.5 billion euros. I presume that probably wont happen, depending on how the coalition works out, Ben Coates, the author of Why the Dutch are Different, tells TIME in a phone call. But I think thats a dangerous moment for the E.U. and for Ukraine when that starts to become an election-winning issue.

While observers credit Wilders campaigning on salient issues such as immigration and the cost of living as part of the reason he was able to command such unexpected support, the scale of his victory can also be attributed at least, in part, to the approach of his center-right rivals, who not only helped amplify his signature issue (outgoing Prime Minister Mark Ruttes successor Dilan Yesilgoz, herself a former refugee, pledged to cut immigration if elected) but even opened the door to working alongside Wilders in coalition. In doing so, the center-right had perhaps hoped to outflank Wilders among right-wing voters. By treating Wilders as a viable coalition partner, however, they appear to have achieved just the opposite.

Should Wilders enter the Dutch government, there will be a much tougher line on spending and the treaties that are agreed in the E.U. on immigration and asylum policy, says Coates, noting that Brussels would almost certainly find itself with a much more difficult partner in the Netherlands than its had in the last 13 years under Rutte. But even if Wilders is excluded from government and the country ends up with a more left-leaning coalition, such as one led by former European Commissioner Frans Timmermans, Coates says he will still be able to steer the debate and frame it in such a way that [makes] it tricky for Dutch politics to come out strongly pro-Europe at this point.

What sway Wilders will ultimately have on the Netherlandsand, by extension, Europewill ultimately be determined by the outcome of the coalition talks, which are expected to be a months-long affair. Sarah de Lange, a politics professor at the University of Amsterdam, tells TIME in a phone call that although the exclusion of the largest party from government is not without precedent, the scale of Wilders victory would make such a gambit extremely difficult. It will mean that this coalition will very likely include four, if not five, parties, she says, which would make the government vulnerable to division. It also risks creating a legitimacy crisis that Wilders could exploit. Even though these parties might exclude him from government, that might mean that his voters become even more dissatisfied with democracy and its workings because theyre the largest party and theyre being excluded, says de Lange, which matches the populist narrative of the idea that there is a political elite thats trying to keep him from power.

If Brussels is worried about the hard-rights rise in the Netherlands and what it portends for next years European elections, it isnt showing it. We continue to count on the Netherlands strong participation in the European Union, European Commission spokesperson Eric Mamer told reporters on Thursday. But as the blocs Euroskeptic wing sees it, Wilders victory has reinvigorated Europes populist right at a time when many believed it was losing support.

The winds of change are here! Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said in a celebratory post. In response, one social media user said: Let's hope that the wind will blow all over Europe.

Write to Yasmeen Serhan at yasmeen.serhan@time.com.
HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN)  Theres a growing need for food assistance in Hays County right now.

As a result, the Hays County Food Bank increased the number of holiday food boxes its giving out this year by 300.

Even with that increase, it had to close registration early because it was at maximum capacity.

Smell like Thanksgiving

For 17 years, the food bank has hosted its Holiday Meal Box Program.

Marshmallows and your sweet potatoes, stuffing, Hays County Food Bank Executive Director Lisa Young said. Make it smell like Thanksgiving in your house.

This year, its increasing the number of boxes from 1,500 to 1,800.

Young said theyve noticed a higher demand recently.

Many, many people need this. These are not the poorest of the poor, Young said. Its families from just all across the board.

Young said both rising grocery costs and SNAP benefits decreasing because pandemic emergency benefits ended, are turning more people to the food bank.

We are now doing almost double what we were doing during COVID at this time in 2020, Young said. Were serving twice as many people.

On top of that, Young said more people in Hays County are food insecure.

She said nationwide, a little over 10% of people are food insecure.

But Young said in Hays County, that number is 11.8%

Were very needy, as far as food insecurity goes. Its a growing county. Weve got businesses bustling. Weve got people moving here, but we also have a large percentage of people that are food insecure, Young said.

Young said that comes out to be about 27,000 people.

$16 million shortfall between what people here can afford to buy, versus how much food they would need to have a meal every day for every member of their family, Young said.

Lori Rodriguez said thankfully she was able to sign up in time to get a holiday meal box.

Super excited to be able to get this box because honestly, I wasnt sure if we were going to be able to do a turkey this year, Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez said shes grateful shell get to spend this holiday surrounded by good food and family.

Instead of cutting into my, you know, monthly grocery bills were getting this to help out, Rodriguez said. So this, you know, helps so much.

A need to expand

With all that extra demand, Young said the food bank is looking to build a new facility to keep up.

Its way too small. It is 2,200 square feet. Its a house thats been converted into the food bank, Young said. Were running over a million pounds of food through what used to be a carport.

With a bigger space, Young said they could accept more trucks.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Hays County Food Bank awarded $1.2M to build new facility with more storage space

We could actually have a loading dock rather than just a road, you know. So that would be big for us to be able to distribute more foods, not just at our own location, but throughout the county, Young said.

She said another benefit of a new space would be to offer a shopping experience for people.

We would also have an element where people could come in and choose things and I think that would go a long way, Young said.

Young said that would reduce food waste, because people would only be taking things they thought they could use.

It would also increase the dignity, she said. Make it more of a shopping experience for those moms and kids that I was talking about that they could come in and pick something thats meaningful to them.

Young said theyll start fundraising efforts in February 2024.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin.
The head of a super PAC backing GOP presidential candidate Ron DeSantis announced Wednesday that he was stepping down from his post.

Never Back Downs main goal and sole focus has been to elect Governor Ron DeSantis as President. Given the current environment it has become untenable for me to deliver on the shared goal and that goes well beyond a difference of strategic opinion, Chris Jankowski, CEO of the Never Back Down super PAC, said in a statement through a spokeswoman for the group.

For the future of our country I support and pray Ron DeSantis is our 47th president, he added.

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The New York Times was the first to report of Jankowskis departure.

Jankowskis announcement came against the backdrop of reported disagreements between leadership within Never Back Down, with NBC News reporting Tuesday that several members of the pro-DeSantis group got into a heated argument during a budgeting discussion.

It also came against the backdrop of the creation of a newer super PAC, called Fight Right, that received a $1 million infusion as DeSantis and his wife reportedly expressed frustration with Never Back Down, according to NBC News and The New York Times.

Prior to DeSantiss entry into the 2024 GOP primary field, he was seen as former President Trumps chief rival. But he has struggled to narrow the gap in national and early-state polling against Trump, while former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley has made inroads in states such as New Hampshire and South Carolina.

Still, Haley, too, trails Trump by double digits in those states, raising questions about the viability of a non-Trump alternative in the primary.

DeSantis, who polls in second place according to RealClearPoliticss polling average of Iowa polls, has received a few boosts in recent weeks with endorsements from Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) and influential evangelical leader Bob Vander Plaats.

The Hill has reached out to the DeSantis campaign for comment.

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HANSON  Residents are reacting with anger and sadness after the news that a hunter took down Pumpkin the bear two weeks ago in Hanson.

MassWildlife biologist and bear expert David Wattles announced the news as part of a talk on living with black bears via Zoom last Wednesday.

"We received a harvest (killing) report that a bear had been taken last week (Monday, Nov. 6) in Hanson," Wattles said in an interview with The Patriot Ledger last Thursday.

After the news was announced, residents took to Facebook to mourn the death of Pumpkin, who had become somewhat of a local celebrity amongst them as they fondly followed the bear's movements by sharing photos and videos on resident Facebook pages.

Heres what residents had to say about their favorite neighborhood bear, Pumpkin.

More: Hunter kills black bear with bow and arrow in Hanson

Pumpkin the bear pictured in Hanson, MA.

Residents fall for their local black bear

Throughout late summer and fall, local black bears have made numerous appearances on popular resident Facebook pages, including South Shore Bear Sightings with more than 800 members and Where is NE Black Bear with more than 4,800 members.

Comments like poor baby is hungry and what a beautiful coat he has were written on a photo of a black bear eating from a bird feeder at a residence in Pembroke in August. In another video of a black bear lounging in a backyard in Pembroke, comments like Im coming over, he looked very cuddly, and so cute were posted.

Over time, a large black bear who was repeatedly seen eating pumpkins from residents doorsteps and backyards, was given the name Pumpkin by the public.

Pumpkin the bear got his name after being spotted eating resident's decorative pumpkins.

Pumpkin becomes a problem, residents disagree

After the Hanson Police Department announced that Pumpkin would be euthanized after a recent string of attacks on livestock, residents were not happy.

The announcement, which was posted on the Hanson Police Departments Facebook account earlier this month, received 1,000 comments, more than 500 reactions, and more than 200 shares.

Most of the comments expressed were of outrage and disappointment over the announcement and many questioned officials decision to kill the bear.

More: Why Hanson officials plan to kill local black bear nicknamed Pumpkin. Residents react

Is there a bear refuge or wildlife society that can come intervene and save this animal? one woman wrote. I feel like youre taking the easiest way out. Its easier to euthanize the animal than take steps to have him relocated, she continued.

Relocate him, please. The bear is just being a bear, commented another.

One man even wrote into The Enterprise to offer to pay for the animals relocation.

The same day Hanson police made the announcement, Hanson resident Rachel Baird created a petition on change.org titled Prevent the Unnecessary Killing of Pumpkin the Bear by Hanson Police. The petition received 1,299 signatures.

Pumpkin the bear was spotted in resident's backyards in Southeastern, MA in the summer and fall.

A hunter takes down Pumpkin

While the turmoil caused by Hanson polices announcement continued, without the publics knowledge, a hunter had actually used a bow and arrow to kill what is believed to be Pumpkin earlier in the month.

"Based on the size in the report of 300 pounds, we're very confident it is the same bear, but we can't 100% confirm that," Wattles said.

Beyond the size, he and others compared the bear that had been killed to images of Pumpkin that has been posted online. Wattles says the male bear was about 4 years old.

Pumpkin was killed during the second round of the bear hunting season, which began Nov. 6 and runs until Nov. 25. It allows using rifles, arrows, and muzzleloaders.

Wattles said the hunter who killed Pumpkin has agreed to submit a tooth sample, but the bear's official age won't be known until late summer, he said.

Pumpkin the bear was spotted going after a pumpkin on someone's doorstep.

Residents mourn the death of their favorite bear

Many residents and Pumpkin lovers took to Facebook to express their sadness over Pumpkins death. Our beloved Pumpkin has been killed. What a sad tragic ending to this magnificent misunderstood creatures life, wrote one woman. Some will be happy to hear this news, but many others like myself will be devastated by it."

Comments like "so sad," "heartbreaking" and "what a shame" riddled the neighborhood Facebook pages. One resident even posted a compilation slideshow of photos of the bear throughout the summer and fall.

Pumpkin the bear with a piece of trash in his mouth.

Learning from Pumpkin's life and death

Some residents also took the time to reflect on Pumpkin's life and death, including the weeks-long debate and argument over Hanson Police's announcement that he would be killed the next time he posed a public safety threat.

While the hunter taking down Pumpkin couldn't be controlled, Wattles and Hanson's police chief say Pumpkin's problematic behavior of attacking livestock and getting too comfortable with humans, which led to some of the bear's publicity, could have been.

Thankfully, but at [Pumpkins] expense, people have learned that they have to take responsibility and preventative measures to secure their yards and livestock from wildlife such as bears, a resident wrote on Facebook.

"We recommend residents remove food sources around their homes, like bird feeders, which train the bear to come into your yard to try to find food, increasing the chances of an interaction, Wattles said.

Shooting the bear doesnt get to the root problem, which is an unsecured food source," Wattles said of a bear that was shot by a hunter in Kingston earlier in the year. "We try to work with people who have backyard chickens or bees to use electric fencing, but it can also be used for larger livestock as well."

Wattles recommends every resident educate themself on what preventative measures to take and how to implement them to successfully live with black bears.

Bears are a native wildlife species in Massachusetts and having the full complement of wildlife in our natural areas is important. Even though Southeastern Massachusetts is highly developed, theres still a lot of forested natural habitat. Its my option that a bear has a role to play in there.

Enterprise staff writer Amelia Stern can be reached by email at astern@enterprisenews.com.

This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Hanson black bear: Hunter kills Pumpkin, residents react
This aerial photo taken on Sept. 10, 2023 shows a view of Zhangjiang area of the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone in east China's Shanghai. [Photo/Xinhua]

Many global financial institutions have been briskly stepping up investments and increasing their presence in China this year, as the country's brightened economic outlook and steady opening up are offering more opportunities, despite a sluggish global economy.



Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) Ltd. got the nod to set up a securities firm in the Chinese mainland early this year.

With an initial capital injection of 1.05 billion yuan (about 147.36 million U.S. dollars), the new company became the first newly-approved wholly foreign-owned securities firm since China lifted foreign ownership caps in the sector in 2020.

"We are firmly optimistic about China's medium- and long-term development prospects and look forward to the broad opportunities brought about by China's continuous opening up," said Zhang Xiaolei, executive vice chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Standard Chartered Bank (China) Ltd.

Standard Chartered is not the only foreign institution vying to explore new opportunities in the Chinese stock market.

The China Securities Regulatory Commission has green-lighted the establishment of seven foreign-controlled or wholly foreign-owned securities, futures and fund companies this year. The combined figure since 2020 has grown to 20.

In terms of the banking sector, Mastercard's Chinese joint venture was recently allowed to conduct bank card clearing operations. Mastercard NetsUnion Information Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd. can authorize its member institutions to issue Mastercard yuan bank cards in China.

This approval made Mastercard the second overseas bank card clearing institution to enter the Chinese market after American Express in 2020.

"China is one of our most important markets. We are pleased to have reached this milestone," said Michael Miebach, CEO of Mastercard, adding that Mastercard's deeper participation in the Chinese market will benefit the country, its consumers and its businesses.

Official data showed that in the first three quarters of this year, capital injection or increase by foreign-funded banks in China amounted to the equivalent of 1.96 billion yuan. Meanwhile, two banks set up new branches and six put new business outlets into use.

China has been intensifying moves to promote a high level of financial opening up in recent years, with more than 50 specific measures introduced, including allowing global investors to invest in China's capital market through more channels and scrapping ownership caps for foreign institutions for securities, futures and funds.

Lured by these concrete opening up steps, many global financial institutions expanded their footprints in China.

Standard Chartered's Zhang described China as the bank's "most important strategic market," while adding that "the Chinese market has been the largest contributor to Standard Chartered's global network revenue for many years, which proves the effectiveness of our China strategy."

In the first three quarters of 2023, Standard Chartered's China onshore and offshore pre-tax profit increased about three-fold year on year, reaching 1 billion U.S. dollars.

This U.K.-based multinational bank has committed to investing 300 million U.S. dollars in its China-related businesses from 2022 to 2024, including digitalization, renminbi's internationalization, and wealth management.

Meanwhile, betting on the potential of the Chinese market, HSBC plans to pump more than 3 billion yuan into its China operations over a five-year period running until 2025.

In October, HSBC agreed to buy Citigroup's retail wealth management portfolio in the Chinese mainland. Wang Yunfeng, president and CEO of HSBC Bank (China) Company Ltd., said the deal demonstrated HSBC's firm commitment to the Chinese market.

HSBC raked in more than 6 billion yuan in net profits in China last year, surging 54 percent from 2021.

As for the Bank of East Asia (China) Ltd., its business in China's vibrant Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area has become an important growth driver.

Ho Shun-wah, executive director and chief executive of BEA China, expressed strong confidence in the Chinese markets and said the bank will boost new loans in China next year to better serve the real economy.

Analysts believe that this stronger China push on the part of foreign-funded financial institutions in essence confirms widespread optimism about China's economic prospects.

With China's third-quarter performance surpassing market expectations, a number of international institutions have upgraded their China growth predictions.

China's real gross domestic product (GDP) is projected to grow by 5.4 percent in 2023, a recent International Monetary Fund (IMF) statement said.

"The Chinese economy is on track to meet the government's 2023 growth target, reflecting a strong post-COVID recovery," read the statement issued by the IMF's First Deputy Managing Director, Gita Gopinath, following a visit to China.

The UBS also raised its forecast for China's GDP growth in 2023 to 5.2 percent from its previous 4.8 percent prediction, while Deutsche Bank, Nomura and J.P. Morgan have all raised their China full-year GDP growth forecasts.

Early this week, a meeting of the country's Central Financial Commission highlighted work to steadily promote the opening up of the financial sector, as well as its development and growth. Observers said the country's steady institutional opening up in the financial sector will continue to facilitate cross-border investment and financing and attract more foreign investors and long-term capital.

China's financial opening up will never stop, and its determination to share development opportunities with the rest of the world will never change, said Li Yunze, head of the National Financial Regulatory Administration.

Li pledged efforts to further expand the market access of foreign institutions, make the financial system and policies more transparent, stable and predictable, and create an institutional environment conducive to prudent operation and fair competition.
On this Thanksgiving Day, we are grateful for the help that nonprofits provide to struggling Arizonans with support from Season for Sharing.

Since 1993, donors to The Arizona Republics annual campaign have given more than $73 million, 100 percent of which has gone back to communities around the state to help folks who struggle with housing, hunger, violence, education, illness and other challenges.

Fallout from COVID-19 continues to show up in education and income gaps. Food banks report higher demand now than during the pandemic.

Rural areas of the state have their own obstacles. In western Arizona, for instance, one domestic violence shelter serves several counties. Drivers for meals programs can log hundreds of miles a day reaching older residents who cant get out.

Season for Sharing

We are grateful for donors  and hope you will continue to give again this year. For any newcomers who havent supported Season for Sharing before, consider these five reasons to give:

How we take care of military veterans matters. Nonprofits in Prescott, Phoenix and Fountain Hills specifically help veterans either get on their feet post-service or help them as they age. U.S. Vets helps homeless and disabled vets find shelter and other services, for instance. VMLC Charities provides job training and even emergency financial assistance. All received $7,500 Season for Sharing grants last year. If domestic violence is an issue, shelter should be near. A New Leaf in Mesa provides crisis intervention, safe shelter, basic needs and support for nearly 8,000 survivors of domestic or sexual violence. It's one of several groups providing the services in Maricopa County. It received a $25,000 Season for Sharing grant last year. In Parker, the Colorado River Regional Crisis Services received a $7,500 grant. It's the sole shelter for survivors in La Paz County. Arts and culture education is education. A $7,500 Season for Sharing grant supports Act One's in-person and virtual arts field trips for more than 35,000 K-12 students who wouldn't otherwise be able to attend. Similarly, a $15,000 donation to the Summer Youth Program Fund helps provide summer camps and other activities for at-risk students. When a child is seriously ill, the whole family suffers. Phoenix's Ronald McDonald House received a $10,000 grant last year to provide a place to stay for out-of-town families traveling to the Valley for lifesaving pediatric medical care. Similarly, Amanda Hope Rainbow Angels provides 200 families fighting childhood life-threatening and critical illnesses with food and emergency financial assistance. The Arizona Burn Foundation helps family members with lodging, transportation, meals and financial support while victims of any age are treated at the Arizona Burn Center. Education matters. Whether its after-school feeding programs for elementary students, tutoring for high schoolers or adult literacy classes, education is key to success. The Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation received $15,000 to help students stay on their education track, even if they struggle financially. The Sandra Day OConnor Institute for Democracy provides online and in-person civics courses for middle and high schoolers and for adults through a new all-ages online course.

For these nonprofits and the 150-plus others that received a Season for Sharing grant last year, thank you for making Arizona better for all.

Underway: The Arizona Republic's Season for Sharing kicks off 30th year of helping Arizonans

Ways to give to Season for Sharing

Fill out the secure, online form at sharing.azcentral.com.

Text SHARING to 91-999.

Visit facebook.com/seasonforsharing, and look for the DONATE HERE post.

Clip and mail the coupon on Page 4A of The Arizona Republic.

Scan the QR code.

Scan the QR code with your smartphone camera and click on the link to donate to Season for Sharing.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 100% of Season for Sharing donations go to Arizona nonprofits
A man diagnosed with Hepatitis C says he is proof it can be treated and cured as he urges others to get tested.

Keith Hathaway, 48, from Bristol, is supporting European Testing Week (ETW) - a health initiative that aims to increase blood testing efforts.

He said: "When I was diagnosed with Hepatitis C it was a shock."

A total of 73% of people living in Bristol have limited or no knowledge of the condition, an Opinion Matters survey has revealed.

People are now being encouraged to get a home-test kit if they think they are at risk of contracting the virus, which can cause irreversible damage to the liver.

Mr Hathaway began his own treatment in 2019 before going on to work for the Hepatitis C Trust in 2022, raising awareness of the virus and aiding others with a diagnosis.

"I'm lucky that it was picked up when it was," he said. "It's so important people get a test if they are at risk.

"I think people sometimes assume that Hepatitis C only affects drug users or homeless people.

"That's not the case and I've worked with everyone from people in gyms, to people who've caught it from a tattoo.

"My friends and I didn't know anything about it. I'm living proof that Hepatitis C can be cured and treated."

Hepatitis C is a blood-borne virus, acquired via blood-to-blood contact

ETW is promoting awareness of a range of illnesses, including Hepatitis C, and encouraging people to get tested earlier.

The continent-wide initiative is a partnership of organisations across communities, health care and policy institutions.

The condition is a blood-borne virus, acquired via blood-to-blood contact with someone who is infected.

The most common way the virus is passed on is through shared needles and other drug-taking paraphernalia.

'Thousands at risk'

In many cases, people who have the virus may well have lived with it for decades before they start to notice symptoms, at which point they may have untreatable damage to their liver.

However, the virus has an almost 100% cure rate when using simple antivirals.

Rachel Halford, CEO of The Hepatitis C Trust, said: "With public awareness of Hepatitis C so low, there is a lack of testing within the general public - there may be thousands of people who do not know they are at risk of the virus.

"If you are concerned about Hepatitis C, it's never been easier to get tested. The at-home testing kit from the NHS will help you to quickly and confidentially find out if you have the virus so that you can start your treatment straight away."

The symptoms are flu-like, including muscle aches, loss of appetite, over-tiredness and depression, so it is easy for a patient to be unaware they have contracted the virus.

Follow BBC West on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: bristol@bbc.co.uk
Ali, son of Abbas Mohammed Raad, the son of the head of Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc, Mohammed Raad, who was killed by an Israeli strike, lies on top of his father's coffin during his funeral procession in the southern town of Jbaa, Lebanon, Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023. The militant Hezbollah group fired more than 50 rockets at military posts in northern Israel on Thursday, a day after an Israeli airstrike on a home in southern Lebanon killed five of the group's senior fighters. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

BEIRUT (AP)  The militant Hezbollah group fired more than 50 rockets at military posts in northern Israel on Thursday, a day after an Israeli airstrike on a home in southern Lebanon killed five of the groups senior fighters.

The waves of rockets sent over the border represented one of the most intense bombardments since Hezbollah started attacking Israeli posts in the country's north at the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war.

Hezbollah has said that by heating up its actions on the Israel-Lebanon border, it is easing pressure on the Gaza Strip, where Israel's crushing aerial, ground and naval offensive has left more than 13,300 Palestinians dead and caused wide destruction in the sealed-off enclave.

The war was triggered by an Oct. 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel that left about 1,200 people dead, most of them civilians, and resulted in about 240 hostages getting taken to Gaza.

An agreement for a four-day cease-fire in Gaza and the release of dozens of hostages held by the militants and Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, was set to take place Thursday but it was later announced in Qatar, which was a main mediator, that the truce would go into effect Friday morning.

Hezbollah said in a series of statements released Thursday that the volleys it fired toward Israeli posts included 48 Katyusha rockets that were directed at an Israeli army base in Beit Zeitem, about 10 kilometers (6 miles) south of the border.

In another attack, Hezbollah said its fighters monitored four Israeli soldiers as they took positions inside a house in the Manara Kibbutz then fired an anti-tank missile that destroyed the house and killed the soldiers. There was no comment on the claim by Israel's military.

Hezbollah released at least 21 statements claiming attacks on Thursday alone making it a record in one day since the fighting began last month. The group said its fighters also struck Israeli tanks.

The intense fire followed an Israeli airstrike on a house in Beit Yahoun, a village in southern Lebanon, that killed the five senior fighters, including Abbas Raad, the son of the head of Hezbollahs 13-member parliamentary bloc in Lebanon, Mohammed Raad.

The deaths bring the number of Hezbollah fighters who have been killed in seven weeks of fighting to at least 83.

Thousands of people, including senior Hezbollah officials, attended Raad's funeral in the southern village of Jbaa. After a Thursday afternoon ceremony in the main square, the coffin, draped in Hezbollah's yellow flag, was carried to a cemetery for burial.

When Netanyahu accepts to abide by a truce, this means he is not capable of wiping out the resistance, top Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine said in a funeral speech, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah met in Beirut in Thursday with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian. They discussed the ongoing war in Gaza and efforts to stop the Israeli aggression, as well as the situation at the tense Lebanon-Israel border, according to a statement released by Hezbollah.

Amirabdollahian warned in comments to journalists upon his arrival in Lebanon Wednesday that the ongoing Israel-Hamas war could spiral out of control if a truce does not last.

Iran-backed factions in Iraq, including the militant group Kataib Hezbollah, have carried out more than 60 and rocket or suicide drone attacks at bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria. Kataib Hezbollah is allied with Lebanon's Hezbollah but the groups have different leaders.

The U.S. military said Thursday that one of its warships in the Red Sea shot down bomb-carrying drones launched from territory controlled by Yemens Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

The American militarys Central Command said the USS Thomas Hudner, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, shot down the drones early Thursday morning. The ship and crew sustained no damage or injury, Central Command said.
Some families are ditching traditional turkeys on Thanksgiving in favor of wild game meats.

Whole smoked alligator and stuffed venison backstraps are among the unique alternatives.

The owner of a game processing business said some people are trying to avoid high grocery prices.

While many Americans will be roasting a traditional turkey this Thanksgiving, others will be digging into something a bit more adventurous: smoked alligator, venison backstrap, or wild ham.

Christopher Shane Smith, the owner of Red Antler Processing in Yazoo City, Mississippi, said for many people in the Southeast, it's a family tradition to have wild game for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any big family gathering. This time of year is one of the busiest for his company, which processes wild game meats into desirable cuts, sausages, and other products.

"Hunting is really a way of life in my community and so many other communities in the Southeast," he said, adding that especially around this time of year families are out hunting together, harvesting the meat, and eating it together.

Many of Smith's customers bring in animals for processing that they've personally harvested, but he also gets meat donated from hunters who have extra. Smith said Red Antler regularly processes meat and brings it to local homeless shelters that use it to feed hundreds of people a day.

Alligator sausage. Red Antler Processing

This year Smith has seen more people looking for game meat for the holidays.

"Just because of the high prices of groceries, some people that don't normally lean towards the venison or the wild hams" are seeking them out this year, he said.

Wild game can be especially economical when you're feeding a large crowd of 30 or 40, Smith said, noting it would take a whole lot of store-bought turkeys to feed that many people.

For one family who came in this week looking for an alternative to a traditional turkey, Smith set them up with smoked venison hind quarters. For those who've never had venison, Smith said it's a red meat, like beef, but has a richer flavor and is leaner.

Another man drove all the way from Tennessee to Mississippi this week just to pick up an alligator, which he planned to smoke whole. As far as alligator goes, Smith said it's a white meat with a flavor that can best be described as a combination of chicken and fish.

Smith personally said his family is having stuffed venison backstrap on Thanksgiving. He takes the loins of deer that he harvested, stuffs them with salted cream cheese and jalapenos, and then wraps them in bacon.

Stuffed venison backstrap wrapped in bacon. Red Antler Processing

And it's not just the South where people are seeking out unique meats for the holidays. The Wall Street Journal reported that for one butcher shop in Queens, New York City, exotic meats made up 25% of their Thanksgiving orders. Although, those orders included animals like kangaroo, ostrich, and rattlesnake.

Smith said he prefers wild game meat because, like many people in his area, he grew up eating it. Many prefer wild game because they know it's free from hormones and chemicals that may be used in commercial meat production. But also, there's just something about knowing where an animal came from that makes you more grateful.

"It's a fine line there of being saddened when you harvest an animal versus being appreciative," he said. "I respect wildlife and I spend thousands of dollars every year to preserve it and make sure that that renewable resource is here for many years to come."

Read the original article on Insider
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  A man was sentenced to over three years in prison after breaking into a home over the summer and approaching the bed of a young girl in the residence, according to the Washington County District Attorneys office.

Jesse Holt pleaded guilty to first-degree burglary with the intent to commit sex abuse.

On June 2, officials say Holt smashed a window and broke into a Hillsboro home.

Elderly man dies in July crash, marking record high traffic death toll for Portland

The homeowners had just put their two young children to bed. One of the victims heard a noise but didnt realize anything was wrong until she saw the defendant coming up the stairs towards her bedroom. She began screaming as the defendant approached her in her bed, at which point her husband made his presence known and chased the defendant from the home, officials said. The victims found the broken window and saw that the defendant prepared his escape by unlocking their back door. He used that door to exit the house and then fled the area. A home surveillance camera captured the defendant ringing the doorbell just before he broke the window.

Investigators used footage from the home surveillance camera to circulate a photo of Holt to law enforcement. He was recognized by a detective from the Beaverton Police Department and the victims later confirmed that Holt was the one who broke into their home.

Holt was arrested at his mothers home, where they found the same clothing he used in the burglary.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
Biologists say Chip Michalove is magic.

The ones he works with cant recall anyone else in the Southeast who can consistently reel in as many great white sharks as the Hilton Head Island charter captain.

But Michalove, with no biology degree and boat-load of charisma, would tell you himself that sleepless nights and obsessive planning are behind his prolific ability to capture, tag and release dozens of the apex predators in the past decade.

The Kentucky native was hooked from the time he caught his first shark on a fishing trip in Hilton Heads waters when he was a little boy. Now, more than four decades later, Michaloves mark is one he couldve never imagined.

Chip Michalove has spent more than a decade of his life searching for great whites. Now hes out to discover more about the animal of his obsession. Outcast Sport Fishing

Hes been called the white shark whisperer. Hes appeared on National Geographic and The Discovery Channels Shark Week. His name has popped up on several major media outlets over the years. To the general public, they see his bounding energy and shock of blonde hair, as he reels in massive fish with a rocky reputation.

But look closer and listen harder, because Michaloves imprint goes further than pure adrenaline. He struck gold and a symbiotic relationship with the scientific community  catching, tagging and releasing the sharks in partnership with the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy.

What shark is swimming away with about $10,000 worth of the satellite equipment? Michalove said. I never thought Id be applying this type of technology to a shark.

With his typical effervescence, he adds that the journey beyond his belief has been Amazing!

And its far from over.

Partnering with science

Nearly 10 years ago, on Jan. 29, 2014, Michalove hooked his first great white. He thought to himself this is once in a lifetime.

Then, the unparalleled experience wriggled off his hook.

When the charter captain called an Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette reporter to tell him about the first-ever great white caught off Hilton Heads waters, the reporter pushed back. The claim was too far-fetched, Michalove recalled the reporter saying to him. There was no data showing a white shark had been caught in South Carolina waters.

Days later, there was proof in the pudding. The rest was history, and an unpredictable one at that, with over 120 hooked white sharks by this fall.

It just kind of snowballed, Michalove said. If you would have told me 10 years ago that I was gonna be on Shark Week with Snoop Dogg, I would have said Youre crazy. Now Ive got the top scientists in the world fishing with me.

Before a nonprofit organization stationed in North Chatham, Massachusetts, snagged the vivacious charter captain, he was working with South Carolinas Department of Natural Resources by tagging tiger sharks in the Port Royal Sound.

When attached to a shark, acoustic and PSAT tags show the species movement and migration patterns. The tags let scientists know the saltiness of the water they prefer, the depths they swim down, and alert receivers when the shark is in certain waters.

New England Shark Biologist John Chisholm told Greg Skomal, with the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, about a South Carolina charter captain who was good at targeting white sharks.

By 2016, Michalove tagged his first shark for the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, a regional organization leading white shark research. Since then, according to Michalove, the Hilton Head legend has tagged 36 great whites for the organization.

Thats very, very impressive, Skomal said.

Michaloves tagged white shark was thefirst time shark scientists ever had access to these animals in the Northwest Atlantic, said Megan Winton, a scientist who works alongside Skomal.

In Cape Cod, where theres a concentrated white shark population that feeds on seals in shallow water, its easier to tag the apex predators. They have upwards of 260 tagged up north. But when the sharks swim south in the winter, its a different story. They spread out far and wide.

Chips kind of like magic, Winton said.

And maybe Michaloves magic was sparked over four decades ago.

Building a legacy





Fuzzy Davis, an island charter captain with 40 years of experience under his belt, remembers Michalove as a boy on the day they caught the black tip shark. It was Michaloves first catch.

The shark was 6 feet long and, understandably, little Michalove was terrified.

I was scared to death and crying, Michalove told the Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette in 2017. But afterward I thought it was the coolest thing in the world. I went back to Kentucky and put signs up all over the lake with my phone number saying guide for hire.

Reunited on Hilton Head decades later, Michalove and Davis laud each other for their accomplishments. Michalove calls his senior the godfather of fishing. Davis dubbed his junior a modern-day pioneer.

Thinking back to the little boy petrified by a 6-foot black tip stirs up laughter in Davis.

Its so funny to think of now that hes almost putting his hand down the throats of these sharks, he said of the now 47-year-old. Its like nothing nobody else would do.

In 1989, the ocean-lover returned to the island. By 23, wanting to nix dreaded college talk and determined to become a successful charter fisherman, he purchased a boat and kicked-off his charter business.

There was no overnight success.

Michalove waited tables. Drove a limousine. Power-washed. His fishing season was June through August, different from his now 12-month season. Suffice it to say, he was living week to week.

Knowing that he looked far younger than he was, Michalove knew his customers trust wasnt inevitable. So, he guaranteed an 8-foot shark for every trip or their money back. For three years, he didnt have to return a single dime, but it was a feat that bred so much stress that he ended up with a stomach ulcer.

This female great white shark was tagged off the coast of Hilton Head on Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022. Photo courtesy Chip Michalove/Outcast Sport Fishing

To make money on the side, he entered kill tournaments  fishing sharks for sport and garnering rewards, both money and state records.

When he hauled in a record-sized lemon shark at 35 years old, he asked a scientist in Charleston the dead fishs age. She estimated it was about 35. At that moment, Michalove knew he was done with kill tournaments. Theyd been on the earth for the same amount of years, he mulled over and over.

Theres no reason to drag in 30, 40-year-old tiger sharks so you can win a few $1,000 dollars, Michalove said, who admitted hes not proud of that past. But I was doing that, and I didnt realize how important they are to our local ecosystem. I didnt realize that I was chopping down my cherry tree.

Sure, harvesting fish sustainably is OK, he said. But species with slow reproductive systems and ones that other creatures of the sea rely on  like large sharks  should be left alone.

Michalove began speaking out about the tournaments, admonishing them. And he credits scientists for molding his genuine fascination into a researchers dream.

Pressure of white shark catch

Out on his 26-foot boat named Outcast, not far from his charter business with the Outcast Sport Fishing moniker, Michalove is a bundle of energy.

The days are long, Winton said, and only sometimes does she see Michalove get quiet.

You can tell his mind is going, hes thinking about things, she said. There are a lot of choices he has to make in the course of the given day out there. And you know, I can only imagine it. Its a lot of pressure.

The similar pressures came when he had three days with the Shark Week team to produce a great white catch. Of course, it was after one of South Carolinas harshest winters. On day one, they lost the shark. But two weeks later, the crew came back and a dead whale washed up. It was a feeding frenzy.

That couldve been the magic Winton was talking about. Or just luck. But really, in order to tag the number of white sharks Michalove has for the Conservancy, its taken endless patience and studying.

When you prep for a great white shark, everything has to be perfect, Michalove said. If theres one little thing wrong with your whole leader system, your whole setup, its gonna break.

Every knot, every crimp, the sharpness of the hook and weather conditions all have to be perfect. Hell study the currents and water temperature on days he sees great success. And even on Sunday, his only day off, he stresses over and prepares for the setup. But duplication is rarely guaranteed.

Winton says Michalove will constantly tell her that hes not a scientist. But she wont hear it.

Hes been studying this fish more and probably more intensely even than a lot of scientists, she said. A lot of times people seem to think that scientists are at odds with fishermen and fishing communities, but its really not the case.

Michaloves work with the Conservancy has helped identify migratory patterns of dozens of white sharks swimming thousands of miles  some all the way up to Nova Scotia and back down to Pensacola, Florida, in a 12-month span.

When sharks are down off the southeastern United States, theyre not hunting big prey like seals, so their behavior changes, Skomal said. Every tag increases understanding of that behavior where the sharks overwinter.

Whats next in the shark world?

The relationship between the Conservancy and Michalove is what he calls perfect storm of information. One thats made him a better fisherman.

Biologists in a lab know exactly how much a white sharks liver weighs and its gestation period. While he can assess the exact water temperatures and clarity his tagged sharks prefer.

For a man whose icon is Frank Mundus, the first to catch a white shark in the Atlantic and the inspiration for Quints character in Jaws, Davis said Michalove has reached beyond that status. While he hasnt reeled in the 3,000-plus pound sharks Mundus had (yet), Michaloves contributions to science have put Hilton Head on the map.

Around 9 years old and under 1,000 pounds, a great white shark is pictured underwater a few miles from Hilton Head Island on Monday, March 28, 2022. Chip Michalove/Outcast Sport Fishing

But whats next for the mile-a-minute Michalove? Shark-propelled video footage.

A newfangled camera tag, attached to a dorsal fin, allows about 10 hours of footage. The 20 that have been deployed by the Conservancy have unveiled peculiarities. Theyve witnessed a shark get zapped by a torpedo, stunned by seals and diving birds, staring curiously at rocks and buoys, and relying on the current after eating to push water through its gills instead of constant swimming.

The tags also contain a three-dimensional sensor that allows scientists to look at the sharks movements and behavior. It records data 20 times a second, which Winton said is essentially like theyre giving smartphones to white sharks and downloading an app to track their swim.

Wintons the first to say shes been pushing Michalove to begin tagging with the cutting-edge technology. And the charter captain, who has never let doubt get in his way, is the first to respond that hes ready.

Its gonna be wild, Michalove said.
Who knew that Elagabalus, the 3rd century Roman Emperor, was transgender? This remarkable detail was somehow missed by generations of historians over thousands of years. Yet this week, the North Hertfordshire Museum in north London has brought it to the attention of many.

Keith Hoskins, an executive member for Enterprise and Arts at North Herts Council, claims that its clear the Roman ruler identified as a woman and its therefore only polite and respectful to use she/her pronouns in the museums display.

If only Elagabalus had been quite so polite towards his guests whom he killed in cruel and unusual ways at his parties, tying some to a waterwheel and watching them slowly drown, or quite so respectful to Colosseum goers when he set poisonous snakes into the crowd. In any case, the theory of Elagabaluss transgenderism is equus cacas, to use the Latin term.

The chronicler Cassius Dio said that Elagabalus was termed wife, mistress and queen, and insisted he said, call me not Lord, for I am a Lady. According to a blog post on the North Hertfordshire museums website, Elagabalus also asked whether a surgical procedure could make him female.

Dio, it turns out, is not always the most reliable narrator. Elsewhere Dio says (through the mouth of Boudicca) that Nero was a woman. Was he also trans? Or might the LGBT advisers at Stonewall, who were consulted on the project, be confusing ancient Roman slurs denigrating a rulers masculinity with modern-day gender ideology?

Ancient Rome was a sexually permissive culture in which prostitution was widespread and sex between men was common practice. However, the Romans prized masculinity and frowned upon effeminacy and poor self-control. As Andrew Wallace-Hadrill, a Cambridge classics professor, explained to The Telegraph: The Romans didnt have our idea of trans as a category, but they used accusations of sexual behavior as a woman as one of the worst insults against men.

This isnt the first time the LGBT crowd has gotten carried away. Last year, Shakespeares Globe put on I, Joan, a play by Charlie Josephine who identifies as nonbinary and saw in Joan a kindred spirit. Really, St. Joans medieval Catholicism is about as far as one can get from modern-day gender ideology. And the teenage saints radically unusual life as a woman in her time remains critical to her story.

The madness continued further this week: new research at the Museum of London, examining the gravesites of 145 individuals, reported that Londoners of African descent were disproportionately affected by the Black Death and concluded that this is one of the devastating effects of premodern structural racism. The BBC, Britains state news broadcaster, decided to promote such a nakedly propagandistic piece of research on its website. The United Kingdom is in the grips of a destructive cultural revolution  and no historic fact is safe.

Weve seen similar derangement in the United States, with the New York Times 1619 project, a highly selective history furthering the unserious argument that the era of historical slavery, not the American founding, led to everything that truly made America exceptional. As Allen C. Guezlo has written, the projects narrative is one in which black leaders who preached reconciliation and seized hold of the American promise for themselves all but disappear from view, white abolitionists vanish, and in which 360,000 Union soldiers die in vain.

It is a gross distortion of history to treat its figures and events as empty vessels for what we want to say about ourselves. And yet we keep seeing new feats of this vapid and anachronistic narcissism. While were at it, why not cut out Mona Lisas face and insert a mirror instead.

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Holed Up

A large hole in the Antarctic ozone layer once thought to be steadily closing could actually be widening, according to new research, casting doubt on whether global efforts to heal the ozone have been successful after all.

Most scientists would disagree. The findings, published in the journal Nature Communications, contradict the broader consensus that the ozone has been steadily recovering over the past four decades.

By analyzing both monthly and daily changes in the ozone from 2004 to 2022, the researchers found that the ozone hole has significantly less ozone than it did 19 years ago, with levels declining by a shocking 26 percent.

"Our analysis ended with data from 2022, but as of today the 2023 ozone hole has already surpassed the size of the three years prior  late last month it was over 26 million square kilometers, nearly twice the area of Antarctica," said study lead author Hannah Kessenich at the University of Otago said in a statement about the work.

Solar Shield

Located miles above the surface in the stratosphere, the ozone layer is essential to life on Earth, shielding our planet from the Sun's harsh ultraviolet radiation. To protect it, world leaders at the United Nation passed the landmark Montreal Protocol in 1987, internationally banning a chemical used in aerosols called chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) that scientists discovered just years earlier was depleting the ozone.

The treaty has been widely hailed as a huge environmental victory. This year, a UN report projected that the ozone will return to 1980s levels by 2040.

But Kessenich and her team argue that it's too soon to pat ourselves on the back.

"Most major communications about the ozone layer over the last few years have given the public the impression that the 'ozone issue' has been solved," Kessenich said. "While the Montreal Protocol has vastly improved our situation with CFCs destroying ozone, the hole has been among the largest on record over the past three years, and in two of the five years prior to that."

Cold Culprit

So the ban on CFCs did work  but they may not be the sole culprit if we're to explain this recent widening. Instead, the researchers suggest that ozone depletion could also be driven by the Antarctic polar vortex, a low pressure swirl of cold, westerly winds. So far, they've noted a link between changes in the vortex and declines in the ozone, but can't explain why this would happen.

The researchers' peers aren't quite convinced, though. Martin Jucker at the Climate Change Research Centre at the University of New South Wales notes that existing literature has already found that these holes were caused by climate events such as the 2019 bushfires and a massive volcanic eruption.

"It is important to note that the ozone hole is extremely variable from year to year, meaning that it can be large one year and small the other year," Jucker wrote in response to the paper on SciMex. "It is only over longer terms that a trend can be identified," he explained, criticizing the study for "using only 22 years" of data.

Still, right or wrong, the researchers say their work highlights "the importance of continued monitoring of the state of the ozone layer."

More on Earth: A Supernova Blew Out Part of Earth's Atmosphere, Scientists Say
Homeskillet, a popular breakfast restaurant that closed in May 2022 after 10 years of service, has recently been popping up, serving its well-missed food at Homeschool BBQ.

But is Homeskillet reopening?

After Tina and Kirby White, the previous owners of Homeskillet, decided to retire and closed the restaurant, Christopher Reeves, Aaron Kirschenmann and Daniel Ryan decided to take over the space and create Homeschool BBQ, according to an email from Reeves, who was also the previous general manager of Homeskillet.

The three owners opened HomeSchool BBQ in February, and serves a classic BBQ menu featuring brisket, ribs, mac and cheese, chili, pulled pork and potato salad.

At the start of Fall, Tina and Kirby, in their infinite generosity and love, offered to do pop-up breakfasts with us to treat Bellingham to their favorite breakfasts of all time, but also bring more awareness to Bellingham that Homeschool BBQ is open and serving awesome BBQ and drinks. Perhaps the greatest challenge for a new business is getting people to know youre there, Reeves wrote.

Homeschool BBQ has hosted two pop ups, and is planning to have Homeskillet cooking again from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. November 24-26 and Dec. 30-31.

Unfortunately for Homeskillet fans, these pop-ups are the most they will see the restaurant.

These are only special events. There is no chance of Homeskillet returning. While these are the only other pop-ups planned, they could potentially happen in the future as special fundraising events, Reeves wrote. We are super happy and excited to share the Homeskillet menu with everyone! Please come down and enjoy your favorite breakfasts, have a blast in the party atmosphere, but take a moment to check out the refreshed space and new BBQ menu at the same time.

While there is slim to no chance Homeskillet will return, we along with Tina and Kirby are very proud of what we are doing now and are doing everything to encourage Bellingham to come check us out, Reeves wrote.

Homeschool BBQ is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday through Monday and is at 521 Kentucky St. in Bellingham.
(KRON)  Hundreds of tech and science jobs will be lost in California if NASA moves forward with a plan to cut funding from the Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission, according to state lawmakers.

U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Representative Adam Schiff (D-Calif.-30), sent a letter on Wednesday to NASA Administrator Bill Nelson to reverse a decision to slash the missions funding. The funding cut would result in the loss of hundreds of California jobs, prevent the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) from making its 2030 launch window, and lead to the cancelation of billions of dollars in contracts supporting American businesses, the lawmakers wrote.

JPL is a federally funded NASA research and development center managed by Caltech in Southern California. Lawmakers said they were mystified by NASAs rash decision.

If the mission goes forward in 2030, it will mark the first time in human history that a spacecraft is launched from the surface of another planet. The spacecraft would give scientists the opportunity to directly analyze samples from Mars.

It would also pave the way for humans to explore the planet Mars in the future, lawmakers said.

Mars (Image courtesy JPL / NASA)

The letter states, We write to express our strongest opposition to NASAs recent unilateral and unprecedented decision to prematurely move forward with funding cuts to the Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission before Congress has finalized its Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations process. This short-sighted and misguided decision by NASA will cost hundreds of jobs and a decade of lost science, and it flies in the face of Congressional authority. To enable a launch by 2030, we urge the inclusion of at least $822 million for MSR in Fiscal Year 2024.

The 2023 Planetary Sciences Decadal Survey identified the completion of MSR as NASAs highest scientific priority.

The lawmakers said the Mars mission should be a national space exploration priority because of its scientific and strategic importance. Space technological innovation is a critical aspect of the United States ongoing strategic competition with China and Russia, the letter states.

The letter continues, China is rapidly expanding its space program with a new space station, a goal of landing taikonauts on the moon by the end of this decade, a stated intention of being the first to return samples from Mars, and an aggressive vision for more ambitious endeavors such as building infrastructure in space, missions to the outer solar system, and creating a space governance system.

Mars-Sample-Return-LetterDownload

Last month, Padilla urged Senate leadership to include at least $822 million for NASA to keep the Mars Sample Return mission on schedule to launch by 2030.







For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman testifies at a hearing of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary on Oversight of A.I.: Rules for Artificial Intelligence, in Washington, D.C., the United States, on May 16, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

OpenAI announced late Tuesday that Sam Altman will return as CEO, days after he was dismissed by the board.



"We have reached an agreement in principle for Sam Altman to return to OpenAI as CEO with a new initial board of Bret Taylor (Chair), Larry Summers and Adam D'Angelo," it said on X, formerly Twitter.

Altman was fired last week after OpenAI's board of directors said it "no longer has confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI."

Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella said Monday the company would hire Sam Altman and OpenAI's co-founder Greg Brockman, who had quit after Altman's dismissal, and make them lead an advanced artificial intelligence (AI) research team.

Over 700 of its 770 employees signed an open letter on Monday demanding the board to step down and reinstate Altman and Brockman, or they would leave the company.

After OpenAI's announcement of Altman's return and the new board, Nadella said on X that it is "a first essential step on a path to more stable, well-informed, and effective governance."

"I love OpenAI, and everything I've done over the past few days has been in service of keeping this team and its mission together," Altman said on X, and he looks forward to returning to OpenAI and building on the strong partnership with Microsoft.
A police vehicle stands on the street during a raid in Berlin-Adlershof in Berlin, Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023. Hundreds of police officers searched the properties of Hamas members and followers in Germany on Thursday morning with the majority of the raids taking place in Berlin.(Sven Kaeuler/dpa via AP)

BERLIN (AP)  Hundreds of police officers searched the properties of Hamas members and followers in Germany on Thursday morning following a formal ban on any activity by or in support of the militant group.

The German government implemented the ban on Nov. 2 and dissolved Samidoun, a group that was behind a celebration in Berlin of Hamas Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

Germanys domestic intelligence service estimates that Hamas has around 450 members in the country. Their activities range from expressions of sympathy and propaganda activities to financing and fundraising activities to strengthen the organization abroad.

We are continuing our consistent action against radical Islamists," German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said. By banning Hamas and Samidoun in Germany, we have sent a clear signal that we will not tolerate any glorification or support of Hamas' barbaric terror against Israel."

The raids, which mostly took place in Berlin, were meant to enforce the bans and to further investigate the groups, the German interior ministry said in a statement.

A total of 16 properties were searched by 500 police officers in Berlin and the states of Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia and Schleswig-Holstein.

In Berlin alone, more than 300 police officers carried out searches at 11 locations in order to seize evidence and assets. Seven searches were related to Hamas and four to Samidoun. The searches mainly took place at the homes of supporters and the premises of a Palestinian association, German news agency dpa reported.

Germany has been clamping down on groups supporting antisemitism in the wake of the latest Israel-Hamas war.

On Tuesday, police raided the homes of 17 people in the southern German state of Bavaria who were accused of spreading antisemitic hate speech and threats targeting Jews online. On Nov. 16, German police raided 54 locations across the country in an investigation of a Hamburg-based organization suspected of promoting the Iranian leaderships ideology and possibly supporting activities of Hezbollah in Germany.

We are keeping a close eye on the Islamist scene, Faeser said. Islamists and antisemites cannot and must not feel safe anywhere here. She said the members and supporters of Hamas in Germany are also committed to influencing the political and social discourse in the country.

Hamas has vowed to annihilate Israel and has been responsible for many suicide bombings and other deadly attacks on civilians and Israeli soldiers. After the group's incursion into Israel in October, Israel vowed to wipe out Hamas.

The U.S. State Department designated Hamas a terrorist group in 1997. The European Union and other Western countries also consider it a terrorist organization.
GRINDAVIK, Iceland  Earthquake activity continues to decrease in southwestern Iceland where residents remain evacuated and on edge, wary of a potential volcanic eruption that has been threatening the region for two weeks.

On Wednesday, Icelandic officials measured just 100 quakes between midnight at 6 p.m.  a drop from about 300 quakes the day before and significantly less than the thousands that were measured daily earlier this month. A few hundred more quakes were measured Thursday, but most were below magnitude 1.0, officials said.

WHAT HAPPENS BEFORE A VOLCANO ERUPTS?

Still, the significant threat of a volcanic eruption persists along the 9-mile-long channel where magma has intruded over the past few weeks, though the risk of an eruption in the heart of the Grindavik urban center has lessened.

GRINDAVIK, ICELAND - 29 OCTOBER 2023: A satellite view of the coastal town Grindavik, Stora-Skogsfell mountain peak, Blue Lagoon hot springs and Svartsengi Geothermal Power Plant, Geldingadalir volcano and Fagradalsfjall volcano on the Reykjanes Peninsula. (Photo by Gallo Images/Orbital Horizon/Copernicus Sentinel Data 2023)

"Based on the latest data, and considering the evolution of activity since (Nov. 10), the likelihood of a sudden eruption within the Grindavik urban area is decreasing daily, and it is presently assessed as low," officials with the Icelandic Met Office wrote Thursday. "It can be assumed that newly emplaced magma beneath Grindavik has solidified partially, thereby reducing the likelihood that the magma will reach the surface within the city limits. However, we emphasise that the possibility of a volcanic eruption at some point along the length of the intrusion, particularly between Hagafell and Sylingarfell, remains plausible."

CAN ONE VOLCANO'S ERUPTION TRIGGER AN ERUPTION AT ANOTHER VOLCANO?

Officials had worried that severe weather with howling winds and pounding surf that was buffeting the island on Tuesday and Wednesday would hamper getting accurate data from sensitive seismic equipment.

GRINDAVIK, ICELAND - 2023/11/17: The road to Grindavik is closed by emergency services and police. Access is only possible with special permits. (Photo by Raul Moreno/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

"During the period of severe weather on 21 and 22 November, efforts were made to assess how weather conditions and ocean swell influences IMO's monitoring systems," the IMO wrote Thursday. But the IMO stated on Thursday the number and intensity of quakes above magnitude 2.0 have decreased.

"As crustal relaxation continues to occur and seismicity decreases, along with a decrease in magma inflow to the intrusion, the likelihood of an imminent volcanic eruption diminishes with time," the IMO said Friday.

Residents of the town fled their homes on Nov. 10 when the IMO put the area under high alert as magma pooled under the town. The magma intrusion has been setting off up to 2,000 earthquakes per day as it presses up the surface of the Earth. Photos and video show torn streets and a twisted landscape.

CAN VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS AFFECT THE WEATHER?

"There's no certainty about whether we will be able to get back to our home or not," Hans Vera, an evacuated resident told, FOX Weather earlier this month. "It just depends on where the probable eruption is going to happen. If it's coming up in the middle of town, which is a possibility, then there's a great chance that all of Grindavik, all of town, all of the villages is going under."

Meanwhile, the Icelandic government continues to build two walls, 3-miles long and 25-feet high to divert the magma away from the neighborhood and a geothermal energy plant serving over 30,000 families.

"They continue to monitor that ten-mile long tunnel of magma. At this point, they think the most likely eruption point is 2 to 6 miles north of Grindavik. And at that point, it depends on which way the lava will flow," FOX News Correspondent Bryan Llenas told FOX Weather on Tuesday. "They hope to have enough time to put up barriers to divert it and try to save the town in a worst-case scenario."





Original article source: Iceland volcanic activity continues to wane, reducing Grindavik eruption threat
While the temperature may be dropping, your utility bills arent. But there is good news.

It typically costs more to heat your home or apartment in the winter. However, households using natural gas or are in the West could spend less compared to last year.

Heres how you can save.

Tips for saving

To save on your heating bills, the Department of Energy recommends decreasing how much energy is needed to heat your home. You can do that by ensuring your home is properly insulated, reduce air leakage by air sealing, and replacing or improving your heating system.

When your windows are not insulated for cold weather, they can lose heat from inside your home. You can caulk small gaps, apply weatherstripping to the parts that move, or use window attachments to improve energy performance.

You should also be sure to check and replace the central heating filters regularly (as in replace it every three months), as dirty filters can trap lint, pollen and dust that make the system work harder and drive up costs.

Your thermostat temperature can also make a difference. Setting it to around 68 degrees to 70 degrees while youre awake and home and lowering it while asleep or away from home can help save, according to the department.

During winter, the lower the interior temperature, the slower the heat loss, the department wrote in a post. So the longer your house remains at the lower temperature, the more energy you save, because your house has lost less energy than it would have at the higher temperature.

One last tip: Use your ceiling fan. You might use this in the summer to stay cool, but reversing the motor (meaning it rotates clockwise at a low speed) can help stay warm. The reversal creates an updraft to force warm air near the ceiling down.

Need help?

If youre trying to weatherize your home, you can get help to do that.

In 2023, households can get a tax credit to cover up to 30% of the costs for efficiency improvements such as up to $1,200 in credit for adding insulation or installing efficient windows and doors, according to the White House.

State or local weatherization offices offer assistance for low-income families. You can find yours through the state locator. Californias is offered through the states department of Community Services and Development and includes three programs: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, U.S. Department of Energys Weatherization Assistance Program, and Low-Income Weatherization Program.

The possible energy efficiency improvements include: sealing holes and cracks, ensuring proper insulation, replacing or repairing windows, checking the systems run smoothly, and repairing or replacing water heaters.

Are prices going up?

A forecast from the U.S. Energy Information Administration expects natural gas prices  the most common source of heat for households in the U.S.  will be about 21% lower than last winter.

Compared to last winter, households heating with propane and electricity will likely spend about the same, which means prices for home heating this coming winter will remain at near record levels for home heating due to an expected colder winter except for the states in the western part of the nation, according to a news release from the National Energy Assistance Directors Association.

What is The Sum?

The Sum is your friendly guide to personal finance and economic news.

Were a team of McClatchy journalists cutting through the financial jargon so you know how these issues impact your life. We verify information from diverse sources and keep the facts front-and-center, making finance and economic news add up for you.

Ready to take the first step to getting your finances under control? You can sign up for our five-week budgeting newsletter at thesum.news.
The director of Gazas largest hospital has been arrested as Israel published new footage of what it claims is an underground complex used as a Hamas command and control centre.

Mohammad Aba Salmiya, director of the Al-Shifa Hospital, was detained on Thursday along with several doctors while they were evacuating to the south.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said he was being questioned after evidence was uncovered showing that the Shifa Hospital, under his direct management, served as a Hamas command and control center.

The Hamas terror tunnel network situated under the hospital also exploited electricity and resources taken from the hospital, the IDF said in a statement.

In the hospital, under his management, there was extensive Hamas terrorist activity. Findings of his involvement in terrorist activity will determine whether he will be subject to further questioning.

The Telegraph has analysed and geolocated a tranche of footage released by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) which does show tunnels with inter-connected rooms beneath the hospital.

While the footage does prove the existence of tunnels underneath the complex, it remains unclear whether they formed part of a Hamas command centre, as Israel claims.

After Mr Salmiyas arrest, Gazas health ministry said it would stop coordinating with the World Health Organisation (WHO) on any future evacuations of medical staff and patients from Israeli-besieged hospitals.

We are deeply surprised by the position of the UN and the WHO which have not provided any explanation for this crime.

Before gaining control of Al-Shifa last week, Israel alleged that the Israeli-built hospital served as the headquarters for Hamas.

Israeli forces in recent days laid siege to the hospital and later raided it. Snipers posted on nearby roofs were allegedly shooting at anyone trying to move from one wing of the hospital to another.

IDF representatives this week showed reporters underground rooms where they claimed the fighters were holed-up and kept some of the prisoners.

But the evidence published so far does not yet corroborate Israels assertion that Al-Shifa served as Hamass nerve centre.

Israeli soldiers at the opening to a tunnel at Al-Shifa Hospital compound in Gaza City - RONEN ZVULUN/REUTERS

In one video published on the IDFs official social media channels, IDF spokeswoman Masha Michelson, wearing olive green body armour and a helmet, shows off an array of captured Hamas weaponry, drones and laptops.

She enters an unlit tunnel, consisting of multiple rooms, including a bathroom and a kitchen area.

Despite Ms Michelson insisting her footage is evidence that Hamas uses this place as a command and control centre, there are no visible signs of any human activity in any of the rooms on the visual tour.

The walls of the cramped, concrete tunnels are bare and there is no rubbish on the floors of the underground facility, a sign that it hasnt been used recently.

One of the rooms is tiled with a sink fitted to a steel cabinet, similar to those found in medical facilities.

An aerial shot, featured in a second IDF video, shows the entrance to the tunnel system nestled in a crater alongside the Al-Shifa.

Israeli soldiers take viewers deeper into the underground labyrinth, again only showing entirely empty shells of passages void of any signs of life.

A third video offers more proof that the network of tunnels had been used more recently, as an IDF cameraman clambers over piles of belongings strewn across the floor of a civilian house.

In one room, a group of heavily-armed Israeli troops stand over a set of stairs heading down into a dark tunnel, an empty plastic bottle of drink occupying the first step.

The footage, however, stops short at a metal, spiral stairway heading into the darkness below.

Instead, bringing the viewer back into the building above, which resembles a school with used chalkboards and English-language posters on the wall.

Standing in another stretch of the tunnel network, which was said to be 300 metres long, an IDF spokesman claimed all the gear was evacuated from empty rooms, which appeared to be a series of toilets and showers.

Dr Mohammad Abu Salmiya, director of Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza, was arrested while helping to evacuate patients - HAMAS MEDIA OFFICE

The video ends at a spiral, metal staircase similar to the one shown entering the tunnels from a civilian house.

Israel has been under increasing international pressure to back-up its claims that Hamas had built a terror base under the besieged hospital.

The facility endured a large-scale assault by the IDF, forcing the evacuation of vulnerable patients amid heavy bombardment of the surrounding area.

An Israeli soldier stands in a room containing a sink inside a tunnel underneath Al-Shifa Hospital - REUTERS

CCTV footage showing hostages being taken into Al-Shifa had been released by Israel to justify its claims.

The hospital was originally built when the State of Israel had full control of the area.

Israels former Prime Minister Ehud Barak told CNN earlier this week that some of the underground space underneath Al-Shifa was built by Israeli engineers.

Israeli officials said that Hamas dug several further floors and added more tunnels to the basement areas originally built in the 1980s.

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The Israeli military shared video of tunnels under the al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza on Wednesday, claiming that the footage proves Hamas has used the hospital complex as a command and control center.

Videos shared by the IDF show soldiers walking through small, concrete-lined tunnels with sparse electric lights. Another video shows a tiled bathroom attached to the tunnels.

Hamas has been systematically using hospitals in Gaza to run its terror machine, IDF spokesperson Brig. Gen. Daniel Hagari said. Hamas built tunnels underneath hospitals, used them to command their operationsHamas wages war from hospitals. This is the sick nature of the savage terrorists we are fighting.

A separate IDF video shows firearms and military supplies, including grenades and drones, which a spokesperson claims were retrieved from the tunnels.

The IDF has long accused Hamas of operating within the tunnels underneath al-Shifa, which doctors and international aid organizations at the hospital have denied. The tunnels were built as part of the hospitals construction by Israel in the 1980s, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak told CNN this week.

After a raid of the complex last week, following days of surrounding the hundreds of doctors and patients inside the hospital, the IDF released videos showing small caches of weapons and supplies in some hospital rooms.

It is unclear how large the tunnel complex underneath al-Shifa is, or if the IDF videos show the entirety of the tunnels.

The videos provided so far fall well short of previous IDF claims, which described a vast military headquarters complex capable of permanently housing dozens of people, akin to an underground city.

A computer-generated approximation of the purported command center that the Israeli military published last month showed a complex similar to some early media portrayals of Tora Bora  the cave complex believed to house Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda leadership in Afghanistan.

Israels claims about al-Shifa and other Gaza hospitals have been at the center of the conflict in Gaza for weeks, as the Israeli military continues its ground invasion in a push south from Gaza City.

The six-week war in Gaza has waged on since Oct. 7, when Hamas militants killed over 1,200 people in a surprise attack on Israel. An Israeli air and ground campaign has since killed over 12,000 Palestinians, including over 4,600 children.

The two sides of the conflict agreed to a four-day pause in the fighting Tuesday in order to free about 50 of the approximately 240 hostages held by Hamas. The pause is set to to go into effect later this week.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Nathalie Selvon-Bruce runs an events company in Croydon that hires out VW campervans and beetles

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has announced cuts to National Insurance and a rise for the minimum wage in his Autumn Statement.

The government says changes to National Insurance will save the average self-employed person 542 a year, without affecting their NI contributions record or benefits entitlement.

After a tricky few years of battling high energy bills, rising food prices and other challenges during the cost-of-living crisis, self-employed workers have been particularly badly hit by the pandemic fallout.

As of March 2022, there were around 4.2 million self-employed workers in the UK - a sharp drop of a million since 2019 - with the number of women in self-employment at its lowest since 2016.

This is what some of Wednesday's announcements mean for them.

Stretched finances

Claire, who owns a hairdressing business in Truro, Cornwall, employs 10 people in her salon and says a rise in the National Living Wage (minimum wage) from 10.42 to 11.44 an hour is a concern.

"We really need to sit down and think how we're going to make it work," she says. "At the end of the day, we do need to find that money."

The hike is going to cause a rise in costs throughout her business, she told BBC Radio 5 Live, as her very experienced staff will want to earn more than their colleagues who are newer to the job. She also warns that the need to pay higher wages could put some employers off hiring more people.

With expensive energy bills, Claire says her finances are already stretched. Eighteen months ago, she was paying 1,200 a month but this has now come down to around 700 - "and we don't use a lot of heating because we have hairdryers".

'My plan is to expand'

Camden, 24, is a barber in Great Yarmouth

In Great Yarmouth, Camden, a 24-year-old barber with his own shop, is positive about the future of his business.

Camden opened his shop in January after previously paying over 250 a week to rent a chair at a barbers in nearby Norwich. He praises cuts to business rates announced on Wednesday, and says rates have been "extortionate" in his area.

"My plan is to expand and it would help me buy the bigger parts, barber chairs - even just furniture," he told BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat.

Craig Brothers, owner of design agency Affari and Six Degrees Associates, who is also a board member of the Chamber of Commerce, says the statement had "snippets of positivity".

"A National Insurance cut is helpful from an employer point of view," he said. "We constantly hear that recruitment filling is a challenge, and there were a couple of initiatives that could help."

Nathalie Selvon-Bruce hires out ice cream vans and camper vans

Nathalie Selvon-Bruce, who owns Buttercup Bus Vintage Campers in Croydon, says the last few years have been a struggle and this latest announcement is overwhelming as a small business owner.

Rising costs are already stretching her finances and eating into profits, she says, despite business booming again after Covid.

Nathalie hires a lot of her vehicles out to wedding couples and says she often gives initial quotes 18 months in advance. She's worried she won't be able to stick to these costs when changes from the Autumn Statement come into force.

"The stark reality is I will need to put prices up to find funds to increase wages," she says. "I'm already absorbing the impacts on fuel and electricity rises - we're looking at seriously running at a loss in the year ahead to match quotes."

She says fuel is a "big challenge" for vehicles but also for powering freezers in her company's ice cream vans.

"The cost is astronomical. In the winter, it's cheaper to get rid of ice cream stock and shut the freezer than to keep it."

Nathalie agrees with Claire about the pressure to increase wages to make sure experienced staff feel valued.

'Done nothing for my family'

Mark Johns, 59, from Manchester, is a self-employed decorator

Mark Johns, a self-employed decorator from Manchester, says he is "devastated" by Mr Hunt's plans, saying the chancellor has "done nothing for my family".

The 59-year-old says he has had to reduce his rates by as much as 30% just to get work, as the cost-of-living crisis means people do not have the disposable income for home improvements.

"I'm probably earning less than I did seven years ago," he says, adding that changes to National Insurance will not help him as they only help those whose earnings reach the threshold to pay the tax.

He says he saved 50,000 over the last 30 years ready for his retirement but says this is all gone just to keep afloat in the last four years.

More on the Autumn Statement
CHICAGO  With COVID-19 hospitalization back on the rise in Illinois, state public health officials are asking residents to double down on protecting themselves against seasonal illness.

Twenty Illinois counties are now at a medium level for hospitalization related to COVID-19, with a 17% increase in hospital COVID-19 cases since last week. Flu and RSV infections are also rising in hospitals, according to a news release from the Illinois Department of Public Health.

During Thanksgiving, staying healthy means washing hands often during the holiday, keeping rooms ventilated and asking guests to cover coughs, IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra said in the release.

I want to encourage our residents to use all of the tools at their disposal to protect themselves and their loved ones this Thanksgiving holiday weekend, Vohra said.

IDPH also asks residents to skip holiday gatherings if they have symptoms of respiratory infections, Vohra said. Residents can sign up online for four free COVID-19 tests, masks and other free personal protective equipment.

The department is also calling on health care centers to enforce masking policies this holiday season.

Omicron strains of COVID-19 are currently the most common, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. The CDC also reports a nationwide rise in RSV, with low vaccine rates but high hospitalization rates among children and older adults.

The CDC operates a free COVID-19 vaccine program for people without insurance. Children and teens under 19 can receive other free vaccines if they are uninsured, or if they are Indigenous or Native Alaskan.

However, with current shortages of RSV vaccines for children, pregnant people should seek a vaccine between 32 and 36 weeks to pass along antibodies, according to IDPH.

_____
New Zealand's incoming Prime Minister Christopher Luxon expects the agreements to form a three-party coalition government to be signed on Friday (Marty MELVILLE)

New Zealand's incoming conservative prime minister said Thursday that an agreement to form a three-party coalition government had been reached, 40 days after the country went to the polls.

Christopher Luxon's National Party, which secured 48 seats in the 123-seat parliament in last month's general election, needed the support of the conservative ACT and populist New Zealand First parties to form a government.

After protracted talks, Luxon said negotiations had "concluded" and the agreement now needed to be ratified by the three coalition partners.

"At which point, I'll talk again to the governor general and formally confirm that we're able to form a government," he told reporters in Wellington.

A formal signing ceremony is expected to be held on Friday morning, Luxon said, "so that we can get the show moving and get this country going forward".

Luxon said he then plans to reveal the ministers in his new coalition government.

ACT leader David Seymour and NZ First head Winston Peters are both in the running to be deputy prime minister.

Luxon said an official swearing-in ceremony is slated for Monday.

New Zealand has had a caretaker government since voters ended the six-year reign of the centre-left Labour government in elections on October 14.

Labour's Chris Hipkins, who replaced Jacinda Ardern as prime minister in January, conceded defeat a few hours after the polls closed.

Luxon's National Party has promised to ban cellphones in schools, crack down on crime and scrap planned fuel tax hikes in its first 100 days in office.

ryj/djw/cwl
The head of Indonesia's anti-corruption agency has been named as a suspect in an extortion case.

Police said there was enough evidence to link Firli Bahuri, chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), to corruption at the country's ministry of agriculture.

Former agriculture minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo was himself detained in a corruption case last month.

Mr Bahuri, an ex-police chief, has not been detained and denies he is corrupt.

Officers said they had uncovered foreign exchange transaction documents and US dollars worth 7.4bn Indonesian Rupiah ($477,730) in connection with the investigation.

Jakarta police official, Ade Safri Simanjuntak, told reporters on Wednesday that "sufficient evidence" had been found to implicate Mr Bahuri in a case of alleged corruption.

He added a state official had extorted money at the agriculture ministry from 2020 to 2023, Reuters reported.

A total of 91 witnesses have been interviewed since the case opened in October.

Before being named as a suspect, Mr Bahuri said he had "never extorted anyone, and I've never been involved in a bribery... with anyone," during a press conference on Monday.

President Joko Widodo said on Thursday he would "respect the process of law" when questioned about Mr Bahuri.

The president must temporarily suspend any KPK chief named as a criminal suspect, according to Indonesian law.

A corruption conviction for state officials carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.
(Bloomberg) -- The chairman of Indonesias Corruption Eradication Commission has been named a suspect in a graft case, the first time a sitting leader of the agency was implicated in corruption.

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Firli Bahuri, 60, is suspected of extortion and receiving gratuities in handling legal matters involving the Ministry of Agriculture from 2020 to 2023, police said in a statement late Wednesday, citing results of an investigation.

This is the first time a leader of the anti-graft agency locally known as KPK was implicated in corruption since its establishment two decades ago. Bahuri wasnt immediately available for comment, after denying the allegations and calling them a form of retaliation from corruption suspects in an earlier press conference.

Investigators have seized documents that include foreign exchange transactions in Singapore and US dollars with a total value of 7 billion rupiah ($450,000) from February 2021 to September 2023, the police said.

Authorities didnt say whether they will detain Bahuri. The law requires him to be removed from his position during the investigation.

Indonesia ranks 110th out of 180 countries monitored by watchdog group Transparency International, citing bribery, judicial corruption and conflicts of interest in the worlds fourth-most populous country.

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You are here: China

The Chinese honor guards (left row) receive coffins containing remains of Chinese People's Volunteers martyrs during a handover ceremony at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, Nov. 23, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

The remains of 25 Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) soldiers killed in the 1950-1953 Korean War were returned to China on Thursday from the Republic of Korea (ROK).

At around 11:30 a.m., a Y-20 military transport aircraft carrying the remains and belongings of the fallen soldiers landed at the Taoxian International Airport in Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province.

The remains will be buried in a martyrs' cemetery in Shenyang, with a burial ceremony due to be held Friday.

China and the ROK have completed 10 instances of such repatriation since 2014, following a handover agreement signed between the countries. Between 2014 and 2022, the remains of 913 CPV martyrs were returned to China from the ROK.
By Stanley Widianto

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesian court documents have revealed for the first time the chain of events that led to toxic ingredients being used in cough syrup that was among the products blamed for the deaths of more than 200 children in the country last year.

According to the previously unreported 373-page court ruling in a criminal case of officials at Indonesia drugmaker Afi Farma, the seeds of the tragedy were sown in 2021 during a global shortage of pharmaceutical grade propylene glycol (PG), a key base for syrupy medicines.

The same year, CV Samudera Chemical - a small Indonesian soap ingredient supplier struggling during the COVID pandemic - began selling drums of industrial grade ethylene glycol (EG) repackaged as PG, the ruling said, citing testimony from CV Samudera Chief Executive Endis, who goes by one name.

The company downloaded the logo of major PG supplier Dow Chemical Thailand from the internet and applied it to drums containing EG. It sold them to distributor CV Anugerah Perdana Gemilang for several months until May 2022.

EG is employed in making antifreeze and de-icing solutions for cars, among other uses. If swallowed, it may cause acute kidney injury. It is sometimes substituted for PG by unscrupulous producers because it costs less than half the price, several drug experts said.

Cough syrup contamination in several mostly developing countries has sparked criminal investigations, lawsuits and a surge in regulatory scrutiny worldwide.

Endis said he did not know the product was going to be used in drugs and the company simply repackaged it "to lower expenses because buying propylene glycol would be very expensive and the product was hard to procure because it was imported," according to the documents.

CV Anugerah Perdana Gemilang issued certificates of ingredient analysis for several batches of fake PG product allowing its pharmaceutical use without testing it.

The material was then supplied to Afi Farma's drug ingredient supplier, before finding its way into 70 batches of cough syrup. Police testing later showed the ingredients had contained up to 99% of EG, the document showed, when the World Health Organization's safety limit was 0.1%

OFFICIALS CONVICTED

Four officials at Afi Farma were convicted earlier this month. A separate court sentenced Endis and a CV Samudera colleague, along with two officials at CV Anugerah Perdana Gemilang to 10 years in prison last month for violating drugmaking laws.

Reza Wendra Prayogo, Afi Farma's lawyer, told Reuters the company denies intentionally supplying drugs with deadly ingredients and had filed an appeal.

Reuters could not independently contact CV Samudera and CV Anugerah Perdana Gemilang.

Authorities also claimed Indonesia's drug regulator BPOM "allegedly did not perform monitoring as it was supposed to be done," the document showed.

Indonesia issued the latest version of pharmacopeia, or drug standards guidelines, in 2020 that included for the first time maximum allowed limits of EG.

But Afi Farma followed the previous edition of the guideline and registered its product in 2021 without EG test results, which was approved by BPOM "thoughtlessly," the ruling said.

The document cites testimony from a BPOM official as saying it developed the methods of EG analysis only in October last year when the country was scrambling to establish the cause of acute kidney failure cases affecting children that led to 204 deaths.

BPOM did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

It previously said several parties in the drug supply chain had exploited gaps in the safety rules, and drugmakers did not run sufficient checks on raw ingredients used.

(This story has been refiled to fix a spelling error in paragraph 2)

(Reporting by Stanley Widianto; Editing by Miyoung Kim and Lincoln Feast.)
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation say two inmates killed another inmate at the California Correctional Institution in Tehachapi Wednesday morning.

Just before 9 a.m., 38-year-old David Moreno was attacked by two other inmates, identified as Armando Taylor, 41, and Carlos Cervantes, 39.

The altercation at the maximum-security facility required chemical agents to separate the inmates, CDCR officials said.

38-year-old David Moreno was serving a life sentence for attempted first-degree murder in Los Angeles County. (CDCR)

Moreno was stabbed multiple times and received immediate treatment from staff at the prison. He was then transported to an outside medical facility, but died during the ride around 9:40 a.m.

Back at the prison, guards recovered three inmate-manufactured weapons, and Cervantes and Taylor were moved into restricted housing. Movement at the prison has been limited, CDCR officials said.

Moreno had been imprisoned for nearly 20 years, arriving from Los Angeles County in April 2004 after receiving a life sentence for attempted first-degree murder. He also had an additional conviction for battery on a non-prisoner during his time incarcerated. Despite his convictions, he was eligible for parole and could have conceivably been released in the future.

Carlos Cervantes, 39 (left) and Armando Taylor, 41 (right) are accused of killing a fellow inmate at the California Correctional Institution on Nov. 22, 2023. (California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation)

Cervantes was brought to the prison after two first-degree murder convictions in 2018. He is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole. He has previously been convicted of possession of a manufactured weapon during his time behind bars.

Taylor has been in prison since 2017 following a conviction in Imperial County for first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. He is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole as well. Taylor has also received additional sentencing for an assault committed while incarcerated.

The incident is being investigated as a homicide by the Kern County District Attorneys Office and the prisons investigative unit. The Kern County medical examiner will determine the official cause of Morenos death.

The California Correctional Institution has been in operation for 90 years and currently houses around 1,700 inmates.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.
WASHINGTON  The deal between Israel and Hamas for the release of 50 hostages from Gaza capped an "extremely excruciating five-week process," a senior U.S. official said, with President Joe Biden directly involved in negotiations that nearly collapsed as recently as last week.

A "cell" of aides to Biden worked secretly behind the scenes to negotiate a deal while hostage families have desperately sought answers about their loved ones.

The group's work culminated Wednesday morning with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet approving an agreement to pause fighting in the Gaza Strip for four days and release 150 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for 50 women and children to be freed from Hamas captivity.

Israel has also agreed to extend the temporary cease-fire for one day for every 10 additional hostages Hamas lets out.

Relatives, friends and supporters of Israeli hostages held in Gaza since the October 7 attack by Hamas militants in southern Israel, hold placards and images of those taken during a protest for their release in Tel Aviv on November 22, 2023.

The structure of the deal  with Qatar and Egypt acting as key intermediaries  came together last weekend after a series of fits and starts in negotiations including communications going completely dark with Hamas earlier in the week. With nearly 200 hostages remaining in Gaza following the deal, negotiations still aren't over.

"We are determined to get them all out. That has been a main demand of this deal," the same U.S. official told reporters ahead of the deal's approval.

A 'gut-wrenching' meeting between Biden and hostage families

The deal is a massive breakthrough in diplomatic efforts to free the approximately 240 hostages militants kidnapped by Hamas during the Oct. 7 attack. Only four hostages, including two Americans, have been released so far. A fifth hostage was rescued by Israeli forces.

In mid-October, the secret cell was assembled by Brett McGurk, the National Security Council's Middle East coordinator and Joshua Geltzer, a deputy assistant to the president. Its formation came at the request of Israeli and Qatar, both of which demanded "extreme discretion and sensitivity," the official said.

Since those early days, the group maintained daily, and sometimes hourly, engagements with each other and Qatar and Egypt.

There were also teams on the ground that worked to corroborate the information that they were receiving on the hostages, the U.S. official said.

One of the complications of securing the captives' release is that it's not always clear who is held by whom. While Hamas holds a majority of the hostages, another armed militant group, Islamic Jihad, is also holding hostages, including children.

US President Joe Biden speaks during a meeting on progress to counter the flow of fentanyl into the US, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on November 21, 2023.

Qatar, a tiny but wealthy Persian Gulf nation that has played the role of international mediator in other sensitive negotiations, took on the role of intermediary in the hostage talks.

Qatari officials held discussions with Hamas, Israeli and U.S. officials about the fate of the hostages.

David Barnea, who heads Israels intelligence agency Mossad, was reportedly in Qatar for part of the discussions. Mediators for Qatar shuttled between Mossad's Barnea and Hamas leaders to try to secure the hostages release.

Israel has no formal diplomatic relations with Qatar but acknowledged its role in the hostage negotiations.

Qatar is the only government that has sufficient capability and is looked upon favorably enough by both Hamas and Israel to be willing to engage with them on things like humanitarian issues, said Jonathan Panikoff, an expert on Middle Eastern affairs with the Atlantic Council, a nonpartisan think tank based on Washington.

Biden met with families of unaccounted Americans virtually on Oct. 13, an experience that the U.S. official described as "gut-wrenching." Biden extended the length of call to hear the concerns of every family member.

The release of hostages was a primary focus of Bidens subsequent meeting in Israel the following week with Netanyahu in which a deal was brokered for aid to be allowed into Gaza.

In Israel, families of the hostages held an emotional meeting on Oct. 18 with Gal Hirsch, the coordinator for returning hostages and the missing on behalf of the Israeli government.

Ilan Eshel, father of Roni Eshel, a 19-year-old Israeli soldier who has been missing since Hamas' attack on Israel, demanded answers about his daughter.

"I'm asking that someone tell me eye to eye what is Roni's condition," he said. "We want to know who they are being held by and where."

Orli Gilboa, mother of Daniella Gilboa, another Israeli soldier presumed to be among those captured, made a personal appeal to Hirsch.

"I ask that you reassure me that all the bombings being carried out in Gaza are being thoroughly examined so that our loved ones will not be harmed by them," she said. "I want to know that each decision maker is looking at the situation as if it were their own child."

Hirsch assured the families that officials "are working 24 hours a day" to bring all of the hostages home.

"The State of Israel does not give up on anyone," he said. "The return of all hostages and missing is part of the war's objectives."

Early release of two Americans proved Qatar can deliver

A key moment in negotiations came Oct. 20, when Hamas released two American hostages, Judith Raanan of Evanston, Ill. and her teenage daughter Natalie. It served as a "pilot" for a larger hostage deal, the official said, giving the U.S. confidence that Qatar could deliver.

The hostage deal was a key topic of Bidens calls with leaders of Israel, Qatar and Egypt over the next week. Proposals were traded back and forth.

An arrangement was under discussion at one point for the release of all women and children in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners on the Israeli side. But Hamas only agreed to 50 hostages, and the deal ultimately secured by the Biden administration still leaves some women and children in Gaza.

Three Americans are among the hostages set for release including 3-year-old Avigail Idan, whose parents were killed during the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel. The two other American hostages are both women.

Initially, Hamas refused to provide identifying information for most of the hostages, according to the official. Biden told Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, in a Nov. 12 phone call that Hamas needed to provide the ages, nationalities and genders of hostages for any agreement.

During a subsequent phone call with Qatars emir on Nov. 17, Biden relayed this was the time that this had to close, and that the onus really at this moment was on Hamas, the official said.

Once Hamas agreed to identify the hostages, Biden told Netanyahu it was time to move forward.

When communications went dark last week, Biden was in San Francisco hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.

Talks, though, resumed late last week. U.S. officials met in-person with Israeli and Qatar officials in Doha to finalize the details spelled out in six-page agreement.

Reach Joey Garrison on X, formerly known as Twitter, @joeygarrison.

Contributing: Kim Hjelmgaard

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Israel hostage deal: Inside negotiations to get 50 hostages from Gaza
(Bloomberg) -- In a former four-star hotel in Budapests leafy 11th district, Mathias Corvinus Collegium invites young people into a relative world of luxury.

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Its headquarters a 20-minute walk up from the Danube River is replete with spa access and study pods overlooking a park with a duck pond. Students can browse seminars ranging from digital transformation to modernism in architecture. They can hang out in a cafe named after conservative English philosopher Roger Scruton or sign up for study trips to the UK and Ireland.

The MCC, as its known locally, couldnt be more divorced from the teacher shortages and battered infrastructure typical of Hungarian schools and colleges right now. Thats because MCC is no typical institution in a country where power is centered around one man and his world view.

The college is endowed with more than $1 billion by Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his government to nurture Hungarys future leaders. Underpinned by money comparable with the rest of the countrys combined higher education budget, MCC has become a training ground for the next generation of Orban disciples to ensure the nationalist forces sympathetic to his illiberal democracy are replenished and exported.

Last month, MCC opened another site in Slovakia to add to the 18 centers across Hungary, a university in Vienna and expansion in Romania and Ukraine. It also has branches and partnerships in Brussels, Berlin and the UK, and plans for a much more palatial building up the hill from the current headquarters.

Its hosted events with speakers including former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson and Columbia University professor Jeffrey Sachs, who has shared some of Orbans criticism of sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine. Most recently, former Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, an Orban ally against immigration who was charged with providing false testimony in a corruption probe, was feted as a celebrity at an MCC event in Budapest on Nov. 8.

The MCCs board of trustees is chaired by Balazs Orban, a close aide to the Hungarian prime minister, though not related to him. The college describes itself as independent without being value-neutral and its main mission is to develop talent rather than impose any ideology, according to its leadership.

Its not about Hungarian soft power mainly, Balazs Orban said on the sidelines of an event in Paris this month. Its about my students. I am responsible for the new generation of Hungarian people.

MCC offers additional classes for students attending other schools and universities to improve their language skills, writing and communication, which are often sore points in the regular education system focused on rote learning.

With courses ranging from economics to psychology, it covers primary level all the way up to the mentoring and research support for doctorates, mainly in the humanities.

Listen to Andras Gergely discuss Viktor Orban's academy on the Daybreak Europe podcast.

Yet, its no ordinary establishment. After humble beginnings as a small academy founded in the 1990s, it turned into a key lever of Orbans influence over education, backed by huge financial might.

An injection of assets by the government in 2020 meant the college came to own 10% of shares in oil refiner Mol Nyrt. and drugmaker Gedeon Richter Nyrt., tied as the biggest holder in each with another education foundation. The two companies make up about half of Hungarys stock market index.

MCC also boasts prime property across Hungary and a majority stake in Libri, a bookseller that caused controversy by wrapping some books in plastic foil. The company was complying with a law introduced by the government that restricts the marketing of material that can be deemed to publicize homosexuality or gender change to minors.

Orbans leadership has pumped extraordinary amounts of money into MCC to help nurture a circle of intellectuals who will help his Fidesz party keep power at home and widen his influence abroad, said Daniel Hegedus, a senior fellow focused on Central Europe at German Marshall Fund.

For example, MCC publishes studies on such things as the European Unions relationship with LGBTQ groups, which have come under attack in Orbans Hungary. In one report, MCC said the EU had turned into a supranational LGBTQ advocacy group so the bloc could gain moral authority. MCCs director general, Zoltan Szalai, is also editor-in-chief of Mandiner, a news website that promotes Orbans views.

MCC is part of the Fidesz propaganda machine, said Hegedus, who is based in Berlin. Orban would like to create that sort of organic intelligence or this web of public intellectuals in Hungary, first and foremost for the sake of regime stability.

Orban, 60, has fostered a narrative that outsiders are trying to undermine Hungary. In 2018, Central European University, funded by billionaire Hungarian emigre George Soros, said it had been forced out of the country after a tussle with the government. This week, Orban unveiled a new Sovereignty Protection Agency to weed out what he sees as foreign efforts to influence politics.

Hes also reveled in his role as the EUs chief antagonist. The Donald Trump supporter has clashed with Brussels on everything from the independence of judges in Hungary to education and media freedom. Orban was quick to congratulate Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders on his election victory on Wednesday.

The war in Ukraine added another layer to his culture war with what he calls the liberal elites in Western Europe. Orban has sealed energy deals with Moscow, tried to limit EU aid to Ukraine, and publicly called on the bloc to scrap economic sanctions against Russia. Last month, he met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing.

Still, the EU is close to releasing as much as 1 billion ($1.1 billion) of funds for Hungary, though is still withholding billions more over corruption allegations. Meanwhile, Orban is targeting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and George Soross son Alex in his latest poster campaign.

A lot of Orbans entourage was originally made up of fellow students at an academy he attended during his time at law school in Budapest in the 1980s. Those people went on to assume powerful roles in the ruling party, which acquired a broad sway over all branches of government, business, media and the judiciary. MCC is another incarnation of that, said Hegedus, part of what he calls Orbans socialization machinery building support.

MCC students get more benefits than just better facilities. Many universities in Hungary will now award extra points to applicants who complete MCCs high school program. That creates an unfair advantage, according to some educators.

Tamas Fedeles, vice rector of the University of Pecs in southern Hungary, said MCC students were already among the top tier of applicants due to the extra classes they receive. Its obviously on an excellent financial footing, he said.

The MCC has a student roll of about 7,000, with plans to increase that to 10,000. And with its sailing marina on Hungarys Lake Balaton and bursaries to carry out research abroad, its an irresistible magnet for many young people.

Like Orban, who went on to study on a scholarship at Oxford University, many are also from poorer, rural backgrounds. For Zoltan Turo from eastern Hungary, the MCC opened an array of opportunities he might not otherwise have had.

The son of an illiterate father from the Roma community, the 24-year-old is in his senior year in sociology at Karoli Gaspar University of the Reformed Church in Hungary and attends MCCs Roma Talent Program on the side. He spends a weekend a month at MCCs workshops, gets help brushing up his math skills and classes to nurture his dual identity as a Hungarian and a member of the Roma minority.

MCC is obviously a conservative institution, its values are based on that, including Christian values, Turo, who gets a stipend from MCC and supplements it by working as a waiter at a Mexican restaurant, said over tea in Budapest. There is common ground between MCC and the governments views because of their shared conservativism.

More controversial is MCCs expansion in neighboring countries with Hungarian minorities, which were left after Hungary lost more than half its territory following World War I. On its website, the college talks of encouraging patriotism and fostering young people who will care for the Hungarian nation.

Last month, MCC unveiled a new institute dedicated to researching Hungarys national consciousness, using case studies of ethnic Hungarians abroad to help define what being part of the nation means. Anita Major, who co-chairs the institute with her husband, said the research will be apolitical and look at the viewpoint of the majority populations, too.

I don't think we'll be subject to any sort of pressure at all, she said. We aim to preserve values that serve to strengthen Hungarian identity among Hungarians living both in and outside the borders.

MCC has a branch in western Ukraine, where Orban has accused the authorities in Kyiv of depriving the ethnic Hungarian minority of their rights to use their language, especially in education.

The latest location is the branch in Dunajska Streda, Slovakia, which was officially opened in October. The majority of the 23,000 inhabitants of the town southeast of Bratislava is ethnic Hungarian. Krisztian Pomichal, the head of the local MCC affiliate, said the training is aimed primarily at Hungarian speakers, though its open to Slovak students.

Back at its headquarters in Budapest, Director General Szalai said MCC wouldnt be so popular with students if it tried to force any ideology onto them. But they need to know they are part of a group culture, he said in an interview at the event to mark the new research institute.

Individualism doesnt lead to success in todays world, said Szalai. Young people should know that they are part of a community, whether thats their family, the Hungarian nation or Europe. Its up to them.

--With assistance from Ania Nussbaum and Veronika Gulyas.

(Updates with Dutch election, release of EU funds in paragraphs 18-20.)

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DES MOINES, Iowa  An Iowa school district has apologized after using a quote tied to World War II Nazis as part of its morning announcements.

In an email shared with the Des Moines Register, part of the USA TODAY Network, the Indianola Community School District apologized for using a quote by Heinrich Himmler  a high-ranking Nazi considered to be the architect of the Holocaust. The quote "My honor is my loyalty" was the "Respect Quote of the Day" that was shared over Indianola Middle School's public address system and in an email to families on Monday, KCCI reported.

The phrase was used in Nazi Germany by the Schutzstaffel or SS, the Nazi Party's paramilitary group, to show their loyalty to Adolf Hitler, according to the Anti-Defamation League. The school district later apologized to families in an email, saying that a "staff member did not realize that the quote was from a highly inappropriate source."

"This morning (Nov. 20), an administrative staff member accidentally posted a Respect Quote of the Day before checking the source of the quote," Indianola Superintendent Ted Ihns wrote in the email.

"I first want to apologize for the oversight," Ihns added. "While it was completely unintentional, I understand that some of those who saw the quote and realized the source were offended."

Ihns said district officials plan to implement a new process for double-checking the quotes going forward. He did not give details on what the change would include.

District officials did not respond to the Register's emails or phone calls seeking additional information.

Over 800 antisemitic acts since Oct. 7: Jewish student groups plead for Biden's help

'Words have power'

Experts stress that school officials need to remember that words can influence people.

"Taking a step back, what are you trying to communicate?" said Jarad Bernstein, Jewish Federation of Greater Des Moines executive director, in an interview with the Register. "Maybe it is a powerful tool to help educate, but because you're gonna go down that route, know what you are doing, because words have power."

Bernstein recommends officials do a Google search before using any quotes in the future.

The Indianola quote incident comes just weeks after the U.S. Department of Education released a "Dear Colleague" letter to remind academic institutions of their "federal legal obligations to ensure nondiscriminatory environments" for all students amid an increase in "antisemitic incidents and threats to Jewish, Israeli, Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian students on college campuses and in P-12 schools."

Rise in hate incidents across the U.S.

Since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, there has been a spike in antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents across the country.

According to the ADL, the group has documented 832 antisemitic incidents of assault, vandalism, and harassment between Oct. 7 and Nov. 7. And the Council On American Islamic Relations has received 1,283 requests for help and reports of bias between Oct. 7 and Nov. 4.

The Israel-Hamas war has also stirred tensions at academic institutions, with numerous schools drawing national attention for dueling protests, alleged hate incidents, and criticism of how university leaders are handling students' behavior.

Last week, the U.S. Department of Education said its Office of Civil Rights opened seven investigations related to alleged antisemitic and anti-Muslim harassment at six colleges and in one K-12 school district since the war began. The schools are accused of violating federal laws prohibiting discrimination or harassment based on a persons shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics.

'Difficult time': Feds, local officials on high alert as reports of antisemitism, Islamophobia surge

Nazi quotes slip into school settings

Indianola is not the only school district that has used quotes attributed to Nazis in schools.

In May 2019, a Green Bay Area Public Schools high school senior in Green Bay, Wisconsin, used "'If you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed.' - Adolf Hitler" as his yearbook quote. The quote is a paraphrase of a statement by Hitlers propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels.

At the time, the district announced it would discontinue the practice of allowing senior quotes in yearbooks.

In February of 2021, Westside Community School District officials in Omaha, Nebraska, apologized after a staff member displayed the quote "The man who has no sense of history is like a man with no ears or eyes"  which is attributed to Hitler  in an eighth-grade hallway, WOWT reported at the time.

Bernstein hopes the use of the Himmler quote was an honest mistake because the incident could have an impact on the school's overall climate.

"The Nazi regime was an enemy of the United States," he said. "What would you do if you Googled the quote and (it) turned out to be from Robert Lee? Do you think that would be appropriate? No. If you're trying to communicate an idea, find a better way or a better source."

Contributing: Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY

Samantha Hernandez covers education for the Register. Reach her at svhernandez@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @svhernandez or Facebook at facebook.com/svhernandezreporter.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa school district apologizes for using Nazi quote in announcement
Iran has secretly executed a man sentenced to death in connection with last year's anti-government protests, informed sources have told BBC Persian.

Milad Zohrevand, 21, was put to death on Thursday morning at a prison in the western city of Hamadan, they said.

Human rights group Hengaw also said it had received reports of the execution.

There was no confirmation from Iran's judiciary, which convicted Zohrevand of murdering a member of the Revolutionary Guards during a demonstration.

The sources said he was denied a lawyer throughout his detention and trial.

If confirmed, Zohrevand would be the eighth protester to be executed after last year's rallies.

A recent report by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned that in the seven previous cases, information "indicated that the judicial proceedings did not fulfil the requirements for due process and a fair trial".

It added: "Access to adequate and timely legal representation was frequently denied, with reports of coerced confessions, which may have been obtained as a result of torture."

The protests against Iran's clerical establishment erupted in September 2022 following the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who was detained by morality police for allegedly wearing her hijab "improperly".

Hundreds of people have been killed and thousands detained in a violent crackdown by security forces, which have portrayed the protests as "riots".

Two informed sources told BBC Persian that Milad Zohrevand was executed at Hamadan Central Prison at dawn on Thursday. But prison authorities had not handed over his body to his family by the afternoon, they said.

Hengaw, which focuses on Iran's Kurdish ethnic minority, said in a statement that Zohrevand had also not been notified that his execution was imminent or granted a final meeting with his family.

It strongly condemned the execution, which it said "not only violates the right to life but also egregiously infringes upon the human rights of the detainee and his family".

Hengaw also alleged that the Revolutionary Guards - a major military, political and economic force in Iran - had put pressure on authorities to carry out the execution.

It said this had happened without the explicit consent of the family of the officer whom Zohrevand was alleged to have killed.

Last week, Hamadan's prosecutor said a branch of the Supreme Court had confirmed the death sentence handed to a defendant convicted of the murder of Ali Nazari, a member of the Revolutionary Guards' intelligence service.

They did not identify the defendant, but legal collective Dadban cited sources as saying that it was Zohrevand. It also reported that his family had been pressured into not publicising his case.

Zohrevand was reportedly accused by prosecutors of being one of a group of five masked men who shot Nazari as he confronted students demonstrating at the Malayer Faculty of Medical Sciences in October 2022.

Iran is second only to China in the number of executions carried out annually.

The UN secretary general's report said Iran was carrying out executions "at an alarming rate", putting to death at least 419 people in the first seven months of the year. That is a 30% increase compared to the same period in 2022.
Smoke billows from the site of an Israeli strike in Lebanon's southern village of Jibbayn near the boder with northern Israel on November 23, 2023 (-)

The Iran-backed Hezbollah group on Thursday intensified its attacks on Israel from southern Lebanon where Israeli bombardments killed seven of its fighters, including members of an elite unit.

Since the Israel-Hamas war began on October 7, the border between Lebanon and Israel has witnessed escalating exchanges of fire, primarily involving Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement, along with Palestinian groups.

The clashes have raised fears of a broader conflagration.

Hezbollah said it carried out more than 20 attacks on Israeli military positions and claimed to have caused casualties.

In one of the attacks, it said it fired 48 Katyusha rockets at a military base at Ein Zeitim, near the town of Safed in northern Israel, about 10 kilometres (six miles) from the border.

That attack marked the largest rocket salvo to be fired by the Iran-backed group since violence broke out last month. Hezbollah said it also used the heavy-duty Burkan missile in another attack against an Israeli border position.

The Israeli army said that, in response to fire towards Israel, its helicopters and fighters jets had struck "terrorist infrastructure" belonging to Hezbollah, as well as rocket launch sites.

Lebanon's official National News Agency said the Israeli army had shelled several locations in southern Lebanon in response.

Hezbollah says it has been acting in support of Hamas since the Palestinian Islamist movement's October 7 attacks on Israel, which Israeli officials say killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and saw about 240 people taken hostage.

Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas and its retaliatory air and ground offensive in the Gaza Strip has killed nearly 15,000 people, thousands of them children, according to the Hamas government of the Palestinian territory.

- 'Great victory' -

Thursday's exchange of fire came as Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian met with Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

In a statement, Hezbollah said Amir-Abdollahian and Nasrallah "reviewed the latest developments in Palestine, Lebanon and the region, and... the efforts made to end the Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip".

Amir-Abdollahian, who warned on Wednesday that the war could spiral out of control, left Beirut for Doha after their meeting, Iran's Nour news agency reported.

Iran, which backs Hamas and Hezbollah, celebrated the October 7 attacks but denied any direct involvement.

The violence between Israel and Hezbollah has claimed at least 109 lives in Lebanon, most of them Hezbollah fighters, but also at least 14 civilians, including three journalists, according to an AFP count.

Six Israeli soldiers and three civilians have been killed on the Israeli side, according to the authorities.

Hezbollah held funerals on Thursday for militants killed in southern Lebanon, including the son of a member of parliament.

Abbas Raad, the son of Hezbollah MP Mohamed Raad, was killed with four others in an Israeli strike on a house in Beit Yahoun village on Wednesday evening, a source close to the family told AFP, requesting anonymity.

Two leaders of Hezbollah's elite Al-Radwan force were among the five killed, according to a source close to the group.

Two more fighters were subsequently announced dead by Hezbollah.

Israel and Hamas on Wednesday agreed a four-day truce and a hostage and prisoner swap which is now expected to start on Friday.

In Tehran, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said Israel had failed to achieve its war objectives and "the Palestinian people and resistance won a great victory", the official IRNA news agency reported.

burs-jos/jsa/it/ach
Police are investigating how pro-Palestinian protestors - some with their faces covered - disrupted a council meeting in Londonderry.

The demonstrators held up a banner saying: "Expel the Israeli ambassador."

The S letters on it were written like the symbol of the SS, a Nazi military unit that ran concentration and death camps and killed millions of Jews during the Holocaust.

The protesters wanted the council to implement a boycott of Israeli goods.

Some unionists on Derry and Strabane District Council condemned the protest as antisemitic after the incident at the Guildhall on Wednesday evening.

Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) councillor Niree McMorris said she and her colleagues felt "intimidated" by the protestors and were "frozen to their seats".

'Colleague crying beside me'

"People started coming in from all doors, doors that I may add are private and they shouldn't have had access to," she told the BBC's The North West Today.

"I don't know how people were able to access them and get in. It was unacceptable - there was shouting and it was absolute chaos.

"It was frightening - I had a colleague who was crying beside me and didn't know what to do."

Niree McMorris has questioned the level of security at the council meeting

The mayor, Sinn Fein's Patricia Logue, suspended the meeting early and said the protest had left some staff "unnerved".

She had asked those protestors who had covered their faces to "take down their masks in the interests of openness".

In a statement issued on Thursday, Sinn Fein said it was "opposed to all forms of hatred and discrimination, including racism, sectarianism, homophobia and antisemitism.

"It has no place in our society," said the party.

Catherine Hutton, of the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign, was due to address the meeting at the time and told councillors that her campaign group was against antisemitism in any form.

Speaking to BBC News NI about the banner, Ms Hutton said it "does not have anything to do with us".

She said that while she agrees with the statement calling for expulsion of the Israeli ambassador, she "does not agree with the Nazi insignias" and that her group is "against all sorts of discrimination".

Ms Hutton added that she had asked for the banner to be removed and for anyone wearing masks to take them off "because it was inappropriate".

'A peaceful act'

Earlier a pro-Palestinian protest had taken place outside the Guildhall.

People Before Profit councillor Shaun Harkin described what happened in the council chamber as a "side issue".

"There is absolutely nothing antisemitic about a banner that says: 'Expel the Israeli ambassador'," he said.

Shaun Harkin says there should be more protests against the Israel-Gaza war

Asked why some of those who unfurled it had their faces covered, he said he would encourage people not to wear masks.

He added: "There was over 100 people at the [earlier] protest yesterday. I think it was great that it happened.

"I don't think there should be business as usual when there is a genocidal war going on.

"This was a peaceful act of civil disobedience. I think there needs to be protests like this happening right across this island."

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said inquiries were ongoing into "an online video of a verbal altercation at a meeting in the Guildhall".

A Derry City and Strabane District council spokeswoman said "a grouping" had entered the public gallery and council had suspended standing orders, with the meeting being subsequently adjourned.

Some political parties and campaign groups across the island have called for Israel's ambassador to Ireland to be expelled following the start of the Israel-Gaza war.

More on Israel-Gaza war
The start of a short-term cease-fire between Israel and Hamas that will allow for the release of some hostages held in Gaza, the release of Palestinians being held by Israel and for more humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip has been delayed until Friday, an Israeli official said.

"The contacts on the release of our hostages are advancing and continuing constantly. The start of the release will take place according to the original agreement between the sides, and not before Friday," Israeli National Security Council Director Tzachi Hanegbi said Wednesday in a statement.

The release of hostages, along with a four-day cease-fire, was originally set to begin Thursday morning. A spokesperson for the U.S. National Security Council stressed that the delay did not indicate the deal was in peril.

"The deal was agreed and remains agreed. The parties are working out final logistical details, particularly for the first day of implementation," Adrienne Watson, the NSC spokesperson, said in a statement. "It is our view that nothing should be left to chance as the hostages begin coming home. Our primary objective is to ensure that they are brought home safely. That is on track and we are hopeful that implementation will begin on Friday morning."

According to the terms of the deal, Hamas will release 50 hostages, all women and children, over the course of four days. Three Palestinian prisoners held by Israel will be released for every Israeli hostage released by Hamas. President Biden said three Americans are among those expected to be released by Hamas. One of the American hostages is a three-year-old girl, the only American child being held by Hamas, but it was not immediately clear if she would be part of the initial release.

There is a possibility more could be released by both sides.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that "the release of every additional ten hostages will result in one additional day in the pause."

If the first phase of the hostage release goes as planned, roughly 20 more hostages will be released by Hamas and the pause in fighting would be extended.

Israel has said Hamas militants seized about 240 hostages during their Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel, in which 1,200 people were killed. Four hostages had been released before Wednesday's deal was announced, and another, an Israeli soldier, was rescued by her Israel Defense Forces troops in Gaza. Israel also said two hostages were found dead near the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza last week.

An operation center is expected to be set up in Doha, Qatar, to monitor the hostage transfers. The Qatari government, along with Egypt, was instrumental in helping plan and negotiate the deal.

The neutral International Committee of the Red Cross is expected to take custody of the hostages from Hamas in Gaza and hand them over to the Israel Defense Forces.

A woman looks at photographs of hostages who were abducted during the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, in Ramat Gan, Israel, on Nov. 22, 2023. / Credit: Oded Balilty / AP

A source familiar with the talks told CBS News that most of the Palestinian prisoners who are released will live in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, though some did come from Gaza.

During the pause in fighting, aid will be allowed into the Gaza Strip, with 300 trucks per day carrying supplies, including cooking oil for bakeries and fuel for hospitals, a source familiar with the talks told CBS News.

Prior to a Wednesday meeting of Israel's war cabinet to discuss the hostage deal, Netanyahu stressed in a statement that the pause would not mean an end to the war.

"There is a lot of nonsense out there to the effect that after the pause to return our hostages, we will stop the war. Then let me make it clear: We are at war  and will continue the war," he said. "We will continue the war until we achieve all of our war aims: To eliminate Hamas, return all of our hostages and our missing, and ensure that there is no element in Gaza that threatens Israel."

 Margaret Brennan, Kathryn Watson and Tucker Reals contributed reporting.

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CHICAGO  Chicago has long been held up by Democrats as a blend of diversity, progressive policies and a union stronghold, which made it a natural host city for the party's 2024 presidential nominating convention. But escalating tensions over the war between Israel and Hamas are disrupting the city and dividing Democrats as they prepare to show unity in nominating the president to a second term next summer.

The actions shaking up life in the city mirror whats happening across the country, from Washington, D.C., where demonstrators targeted the Democratic National Convention headquarters, to Sacramento, where protesters forced a state Democratic convention to halt.

Dozens of vigils and large protests have sprouted up in the city and surrounding suburbs since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, including one targeting President Joe Biden during a fundraiser in which protesters filled a street yelling genocide Joe. Protesters have taken over the suburban offices of Rep. Jan Schakowsky, a progressive and Jewish American member of Congress, and theyve shown up at her home, too.



Police arrested 106 demonstrators last week when hundreds of mostly Jewish American protesters gathered near the Israeli Consulate in Chicago. And in one demonstration, a gunshot erupted during a clash last month between pro-Palestinian activists converging on a gathering in support for Israeli hostages at a suburban Chicago community center. No one was injured, but it rattled officials.

"I realize there are things happening half a world away that affect people's reactions, emotional and otherwise. But, again, we live here," Gov. JB Pritzker said at a news conference after the incident with gunfire.

Both synagogues and mosques in the area have ramped up security in the wake of the brutal murder of a local 6-year-old Palestinian American boy that authorities called a hate crime.

This week, progressives on the Chicago City Council sent a letter to Mayor Brandon Johnson, urging him to call for a cease-fire. Johnson, who comes from the world of left-leaning organizing, is facing some of the same pressures as other progressives in Congress and the White House from staffers.

Brian Stryker, a national political consultant based in Chicago, said, Its personal in Chicago in a way that is not true for every American city.

The Chicago area is home to more than 320,000 Jewish Americans, making it the fourth largest such community in the United States. And though Dearborn, Mich., is considered home to America's largest Arab-American population, the largest Palestinian community is in Illinois, with a population between 70,000 to 100,000 in the Chicago metropolitan area, according to sociologist Louise Cainkar, who studies the Arab American community and is on the board of the Arab-American Action Network.

It is not surprising that emotions are raw and tensions are high given what has transpired since Oct. 7, said former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who is teaching at Harvard University this semester.

Elected officials at all levels of government have been trying to walk a careful line on the issue. Johnson attended a vigil at the prominent Anshe Emet Synagogue and also joined mourners at the funeral for the slain Palestinian boy.

Nadine Naber, a University of Illinois at Chicago professor whos active in the Palestinian and Arab community, points to a long history of community involvement by the Palestinian community in the Chicago area as helping fuel the activism thats going on now.

We have organizations that go back decades. Its what makes Chicago a crucial site because of the long history of community and grassroots organizing. They're Muslims, Christians, citizens, migrants, refugees, workers, their elected officials. They are every sector of the community.

Lonnie Nasatir, president and CEO of the Jewish United Fund Chicago, said the Jewish community has a visceral connection to Israel. He said Chicago-area Jews feel sadness, anger and despair coupled with concerns that residents are feeling pressured to hide their Jewish stars or take down their Mezuzahs. As jews in America, we never expected to be at this moment.

Tensions have become so fraught that some elected officials have avoided speaking out on the issue for fear of alienating one group or another.

A recent symbolic resolution put forth by the Chicago City Councils lone Jewish alderwoman supporting Israel and condemning Hamas faced pushback. Ultimately, the measure passed on a voice vote with more than 20 aldermen saying aye and only one saying nay while the rest were silent or left the building ahead of the vote. The alderwoman who led opposition to the resolution has faced further criticism for using a slogan chanted at pro-Palestinian rallies, one that The Anti-Defamation League has condemned.

Illinois congressional delegation is divided, too. All but two members supported a resolution on Israels right to defend itself. Rep. Delia Ramirez, a Democrat, voted no, and Rep. Jesus Chuy Garcia, also a Democrat, voted present.



Schakowsky has refused to sign on to a nonbinding resolution from Missouri Rep. Cori Bush calling for an immediate cease-fire between Israel and Hamas and has been the target of cease-fire demonstrations.

People are traumatized, Schakowsky said, explaining the emotions that have erupted since the war began last month.

Lindsay Schubiner, an extremism expert and programs director at Western States Center, expects the Middle East war will seep into the 2024 election. We often see a rise in bigoted rhetoric related to election cycles. And I think we can expect that in this case, too, she said in an interview.

Those election concerns are already playing out for some progressives in Congress.

Whether youre Jewish American or Palestinian American, people are not going to vote because theyre so mad that no ones listening to them, said former Democratic Rep. Marie Newman, who represented a large segment of the Palestinian community and who supports a cease-fire. She said Democrats who dont speak up on behalf of their communities risk alienating voters.

Its a big problem for everybody because we dont want Donald Trump, she said.
Chinese premier attends virtual G20 leaders' summit

Xinhua) 08:18, November 23, 2023

Chinese Premier Li Qiang attends the Virtual G20 Leaders' Summit and delivers a speech at the meeting, in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 22, 2023. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

BEIJING, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Wednesday attended and delivered a speech at the Virtual G20 Leaders' Summit in Beijing.

Noting the road to global economic recovery is still difficult, Li said China stands ready to work with all parties to uphold the original aspiration of cooperation, respond to the call of the times, and forge ahead to create a better future for humanity.

Li called on G20 members to give high priority to development cooperation and oppose the politicization of development issues.

The premier said that more practical measures should be taken to implement the consensus reached at the 18th G20 Summit in New Delhi.

"It is necessary to coordinate and cooperate more closely, revitalize multilateralism, continue to strengthen macro policy cooperation, and pay more attention to the concerns of developing countries in the reform of the World Trade Organization and the International Monetary Fund," Li said.

Noting China has demonstrated through practical actions its firm determination to promote high-level opening up and to share development opportunities with the world, Li said China will continue to work with all parties in an open and inclusive manner to make greater contribution to world economic recovery and global development and prosperity.

Leaders of G20 members, leaders of guest countries, and heads of relevant international organizations attended the meeting.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang attends the Virtual G20 Leaders' Summit and delivers a speech at the meeting, in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 22, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan)

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
A temporary cease-fire between Israel and Hamas will begin Friday at 7 a.m. local time, Qatar said.

Majed al-Ansari, a spokesperson for Qatars foreign ministry, made the announcement in a news conference Thursday morning and said humanitarian aid will be delivered to civilians in Gaza as soon as possible.

According to al-Ansari, the first batch of captive civilians, including 13 women and children, will be delivered around 4 p.m.

Israel and the militant group Hamas reached an agreement earlier this week to pause fighting for four days to exchange hostages and allow aid to be delivered to the Gaza Strip. The agreement, which was expected to take effect Thursday, was delayed after hitting a last-minute snag, Israeli officials said.

It was announced Tuesday that Hamas agreed to release 50 women and children held hostage. Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization, took 240 people hostage during a surprise attack on Israel that left at least 1,200 people dead in early October.

Israel has agreed to release 150 Palestinian prisoners as part of the agreement.

According to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, more than 12,000 Palestinians have been killed in retaliatory Israeli strikes.

After the four-day pause, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue the war against Hamas.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Israeli military vehicles are seen in the town of Tulkarem, West Bank, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. The Palestinian Health Ministry said the Israeli military killed six Palestinians, five of them militants, during a raid that sparked an hourslong firefight with militants in a flashpoint refugee camp in the northern city of Tulkarem. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP)  A four-day cease-fire in Gaza between Israel and Hamas was set to begin Friday morning, Qatar said after a daylong delay extended the agony for those hoping for some relief from the deal, which is to bring the release of dozens of hostages held by militants and Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

The diplomatic breakthrough promised some relief for the 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza who have endured weeks of Israeli bombardment, as well as families in Israel fearful for the fate of their loved ones taken captive during Hamas Oct. 7 attack that triggered the war.

The cease-fire was originally set to begin Thursday morning, but it appeared to hit a snag the night before when Israels national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, announced a one-day delay without providing a reason.

On Thursday, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari announced the cease-fire will start at 7 a.m. local time Friday (5 a.m. GMT).

He said the two sides had exchanged lists of those to be released, and the first group of 13 women and children held by Hamas would be freed Friday afternoon. He did not say how many Palestinian prisoners would be freed, but officials have said three would be freed for every hostage.

Increased aid for Palestinians will start to enter Gaza as soon as possible, al-Ansari said. The hope is that the momentum from this deal will lead to an end to this violence," he told reporters.

RISING TOLL IN GAZA

Israeli airstrikes continued Thursday. In the afternoon, a strike leveled a residential building in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. At least 12 people were killed, according to officials at nearby Al-Aqsa Hospital.

One resident, Hosni Moharib, said his wife and several children were killed and other relatives remained buried under the rubble.

It exploded on the house, striking the babies and young children. Everyone in the house, they are all dead, he said, bursting into tears.

The Israeli bombardment, now in its seventh week, has killed more than 13,300 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza, which resumed its detailed count of casualties in Gaza from the war. The ministry had stopped publishing casualty counts since Nov. 11, saying it had lost the ability to do so because of the health system's collapse in the north,

The new numbers were not fully broken down, but women and minors have consistently made up around two-thirds of the dead. The figures do not include updated numbers from hospitals in the north. The ministry says some 6,000 people have been reported missing, feared buried under rubble.

The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and militants in its death tolls. Israel says it has killed thousands of Hamas fighters, without presenting evidence for its count.

NETANYAHU SAYS TRUCE WONT END WAR

The truce agreement raised hopes of eventually winding down the war, which has leveled vast swaths of Gaza, fueled a surge of violence in the occupied West Bank and stirred fears of a wider conflagration across the Middle East.

Air-raid sirens sounded across northern Israel on Thursday as Hezbollah said it fired 48 Katyusha rockets from southern Lebanon. The barrage came after an Israeli strike killed five Hezbollah fighters, including the son of the head of the groups parliamentary bloc.

The Israeli military said it was striking the sources of the launches. Israel and Hezbollah, which fought a monthlong war in 2006, have repeatedly traded fire across the border since the war in Gaza broke out.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue the war after the truce expires to destroy Hamas military capabilities, end its 16-year rule in Gaza and return all the estimated 240 captives held in Gaza by Hamas and other groups.

We will continue it until we achieve all our goals, Netanyahu said, adding that he had delivered the same message in a phone call to U.S. President Joe Biden. Washington has provided extensive military and diplomatic support to Israel since the start of the war.

In Gazas city of Khan Younis, Palestinians welcomed the respite of the upcoming cease-fire but said four days would do little to relieve the humanitarian disaster caused by the war.

God willing, it becomes a total cease-fire, said Jihan Qanan. People have had houses brought down on their heads, theyve been expelled ... Theres no homes, no money, no possessions. The whole world is wrecked.

SURROUNDING JABALIYA

The Israeli military said combat operations would continue until it was ordered to hold fire, and chief spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said troops would remain in place during the truce. Israeli forces hold much of northern Gaza, where they say they have dismantled tunnels and much of Hamas infrastructure there.

The military said it has surrounded the Jabaliya refugee camp and called on any residents inside to evacuate Thursday. The military has said it is pursuing Hamas fighters in Jabaliya, a dense urban district adjacent to Gaza City that has been heavily bombarded for weeks.

The military said Thursday it detained the director of Gaza Citys Shifa Hospital, Mohammed Abu Selmia, for questioning over his involvement in what it called extensive Hamas activities in the hospital. Gazas Health Ministry condemned Abu Selmias arrest and called on international bodies to intervene.

A day earlier, Israel showed a tunnel and rooms that military officials said were a major Hamas hideout beneath Shifa. Hamas and hospital staff deny Israeli allegations that Shifa was used as a militant command center. Hagari said Israel has mapped out Shifa Hospital and plans to destroy all terror infrastructure" it has found.

Ahmed El-Mokhallalati, a plastic surgeon working at Shifa, said 150 patients are still there, with only two doctors, a nurse and three volunteer workers to care for them. My colleagues and I are unable to continue providing treatment to patients," El-Mokhallalati said on X.

Israel has threatened to extend its invasion to southern Gaza, where most of the territorys population is now located. More than 1 million people, including hundreds of thousands who fled the north, have crammed into overflowing U.N.-run shelters with dwindling food, water and basic supplies.

For Hamas, the cease-fire would provide an opportunity to regroup after weeks of apparently heavy losses. Hamas leader Yehya Sinwar, who is believed to be alive and in hiding in Gaza, is likely to claim the release of Palestinian prisoners as a major achievement and declare victory if the war ends.

HOSTAGES TO BE FREED IN STAGES

Under the truce deal, 50 hostages are supposed to be freed in stages, in exchange for the release of what Hamas said would be 150 Palestinian prisoners. Women and children would be released first, and Israel said the truce would be extended an extra day for every additional 10 hostages freed.

The return of hostages could lift spirits in Israel, where their plight has gripped the country. Families of the hostages have staged mass demonstrations to pressure the government to bring them home. Netanyahus office said it notified the families of hostages listed for release Friday.

Hamas said 200 trucks a day will enter Gaza carrying aid. Qatar said the aid will include fuel, but has given no details on quantities.

Israel cut off all imports at the start of the war, except for a trickle of food, water and medical supplies allowed in from Egypt. The lack of fuel has caused a territory-wide blackout, leaving homes and hospitals reliant on faltering generators.

Israels Justice Ministry published a list of 300 prisoners eligible to be released, mainly teenagers detained over the past year for rock-throwing and other minor offenses.

The war erupted when several thousand Hamas militants stormed into southern Israel, killing at least 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking scores of hostages, including babies, women and older adults, as well as soldiers, for whom Hamas is expected to demand a large number of high-profile prisoners.

___

Jobain reported from Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, and Jeffery from Cairo. Associated Press reporters Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut, Melanie Lidman in Jerusalem and Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed.

___

Full AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war.
Jerusalem  Israel's military continued pummeling the Gaza Strip on Thursday after a four-day cease-fire intended to see the militant group Hamas free dozens of Israeli hostages in exchange for the release of some 150 Palestinian prisoners was delayed at least until Friday. About 10 U.S. citizens remain unaccounted for after Hamas' brutal Oct. 7 terror attack, and some of them are thought to be hostages, including 3-year-old Abigail Mor Edan.

With Israeli-American families such as Abigail's hoping on Thanksgiving that their loved ones might soon be free, the government of Qatar  which helped broker the hostage deal  said the pause in fighting will begin on Friday at 7 a.m. local time (midnight EST), and the first batch of 13 hostages will be released at 4 p.m.  all of them women and children. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office confirmed to CBS News that it's received a preliminary list of names.

Under the agreement reached in Qatar this week, at least 50 hostages, many of them children, will be released, in return for at least 150 Palestinian prisoners, and a four-day temporary cease-fire. Hundreds of trucks carrying desperately needed aid, including cooking oil and fuel, will cross into the Gaza Strip.

Hamas is incentivized to release more of the 236 captives Israel accuses it of seizing during its rampage across southern Israel, which saw the U.S.-designated terror group kill some 1,200 people. Every 10 additional hostages freed by Hamas will see Israel extend the temporary cease-fire by one day. More Palestinian prisoners would also be released if the deal is extended, at a ratio of three prisoners for every hostage handed over.

President Biden, who is spending Thanksgiving in Massachusetts, told reporters on Thursday that he is "not prepared to give you an update until it's done." He said he hoped he could say more on Friday.

In Israel, six weeks of anxious waiting could soon be over for some of the hostages' families.

Hadas Calderon told CBS News that her life ended and her "family was broken" the moment Hamas gunmen stormed through their small farming community of Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct. 7 and abducted her daughter Sahar, 16, and her son Erez, 12.

Asked what she thought her children have been through since that day, Calderon said: "Hell! Hell is what they're going through I just want them to come back and [to] heal them."

As other American families prepared tables for Thanksgiving dinner, in central Tel Aviv, a dining table was set with a seat for every one of the 236 hostages that Israel says are being held in Gaza.

Palestinians demand end to Gaza war, release of all prisoners

But with Israel's military still carrying out regular airstrikes and ground operations in Gaza  all of which it says target the Palestinian territory's longtime Hamas rulers or other extremist groups  and the death toll said to be over 13,000, besieged residents have told CBS News that a four-day pause in the fighting isn't enough.

"We've lost thousands of people," said one girl at a protest in Ramallah, the biggest city in the other Palestinian territory, the Israeli-occupied West Bank. "If the war continues, we'll lose everyone."

Palestinians injured in ongoing Israeli airstrikes arrive at Nasser Medical Hospital, Nov. 23, 2023, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip. / Credit: Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty

The demonstrators want to see an end to the war completely, and they want Israel to release all Palestinian prisoners. According to Palestinian prisoners' rights groups, there are more than 200 Palestinian children in Israeli prisons, and around 75 women.

Dozens of people have been arrested over the past few weeks alone, bringing the total number of Palestinians currently held in Israeli jails to over 7,000 according to prisoner rights advocates.



"Ultimately, I want freedom and I want for liberation," Palestinian journalist and activist Joharah Baker, who is based in Jerusalem, told CBS News. "Palestinians deserve to be free."

Samaher Aouwad's daughter Norhan is on Israel's list of those who could be released from prison this week. She was arrested at the age of 15 for the attempted stabbing of an Israeli soldier. She has always denied the charge, but she's spent nine years in prison for it.

"The Israeli occupation stole her childhood, and that's what I feel sad about," Aouwad told CBS News. "No one can replace her childhood."

Israel has used the release of Palestinian prisoners for decades as leverage in its negotiations with various Palestinian leaders.

In 2011, Hamas agreed to free kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in exchange for the release of more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners.

Gershon Baskin, an Israeli hostage negotiator who helped secure that agreement, told CBS News the fact that the militants are getting just three prisoners in exchange for each hostage they release this time is an indication that Hamas is eager to hand back women, children and elderly hostages it's holding.

People protest, demanding the Israeli government sign an agreement with Hamas for the release of hostages, outside the Defense Ministry compound in Tel Aviv, Israel, Nov. 21, 2023. / Credit: Heidi Levine/The Washington Post/Getty

"They were a burden" on the Palestinian militant group, he said. "Once they have the soldiers and only the soldiers, they will then begin demanding what they really want, which is the release of all Palestinian prisoners in Israel."

Hamas has yet to iterate such a demand, and while Israel has not provided a breakdown of how many of the hostages are civilians and how many are soldiers, the extremist group has never had the kind of leverage it does now.

In the meantime, with less than 24 hours until the expected pause in the fighting, Israel is continuing with its stated mission: To "destroy Hamas."

Asked Thursday if Israeli forces were trying to avoid complicating the plan for a short cease-fire by reducing their aerial assault on densely-populated areas in Gaza, military spokesperson Lt. Col. Richard Hecht told reporters it was "business as usual," adding that due to the possibility of operations pausing soon, they could, in the interim, "even intensify."

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(Bloomberg) -- Qatar said a short truce in the war between Israel and Hamas would begin on Friday morning, about a day later than initially expected as negotiations between the two sides over hostages and prisoners dragged on.

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A four-day pause in fighting in Gaza will start at 7 a.m. local time, while a first group of women and children hostages will be released by Hamas around 4 p.m., according to Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari.

Israel and Hamas, a militant group backed by Iran, reached an agreement this week. As well as the truce, Hamas is set to free 50 hostages, while Israel is meant to release 150 jailed Palestinians. All of the 200 will be women and children.

The accord, brokered by Qatar as well as Egypt and the US, was expected to start on Thursday morning, but the delay underscored its complexity and the difficulty of achieving a breakthrough between two warring sides.

Israel-Hamas Deal Hinged on Proof-of-Life, Qatar Sheikh

These are critical hours, Israeli President Isaac Herzog said earlier on Thursday after meeting the prime ministers of Spain and Belgium. We are waiting and praying for the return of the first group of hostages and the entry into the cease-fire that was agreed.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said hes still confident of freeing all the roughly 240 people abducted by Hamas last month.

The deals not without its challenges, Netanyahu said after meeting UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron in Israel. But we have to, we hope to get this first tranche out.

In northern Gaza, there were more battles between Hamas militants and Israeli troops. And on Israels northern border with Lebanon, there were further exchanges of fire on Thursday, with the Hezbollah militant group unleashing its largest barrage of rockets since the war began.

Israel and Hamas agreed that the Iran-backed group would free 50 women and children. In turn, Israel will release 150 women and Palestinians under the age of 19 from Israeli jails. US officials said three Americans would be among the hostages leaving Gaza.

Netanyahu said the war will carry on until Hamas, which the US and European Union designate a terrorist group, is destroyed. But the accord will still mark the first major lull in fighting since the conflict erupted just over six weeks ago.

Israeli media have reported that the cease-fire would start only after the Red Cross receives hostages from Hamas. An Egyptian official said it was expected to happen on Friday.

Under the deal, more aid is expected to flow into Hamas-controlled Gaza to alleviate what the United Nations and Palestinian officials say is a humanitarian disaster. A second stage could see the pause in fighting extended another day for every 10 additional hostages released.

The agreement falls short of calls from many nations for an extended cease-fire. Israel and the US have rejected such a move, saying it would allow Hamas to rearm.

What Will Happen in Gaza After Israel Stops Its War on Hamas?

The deals outcome has high stakes for US President Joe Biden, who faces pressure from many in his own party to bring an end to Israels offensive, launched after an Oct. 7 Hamas attack that killed 1,200 people in addition to the abductions. More than 14,850 people, including 6,150 children, have since been killed in the Palestinian enclave, the Hamas-run government media office said.

Biden and Netanyahu spoke by phone on Thursday, and the president emphasized the importance of maintaining calm along the Lebanese border as well as in the West Bank during the pause. Netanyahu made no concrete commitments, according to a report on Channel 13.

Wider diplomatic efforts to contain the conflict continued. The UKs Cameron met Palestinian as well as Israeli officials. He also visited one of the Israeli communities near Gaza in which residents were massacred by Hamas fighters in October.

Iran Top Diplomat Meets Hamas, Islamic Jihad Officials in Beirut

Other events in the region underlined the risks of the war spilling over.

Hezbollah, also funded by Iran and considered a terrorist group by the US, said it launched 48 Katyusha rockets at an Israeli army base, Al-Manar TV reported. Israel said it intercepted some of them and struck back.

Earlier, Lebanese state media said an Israeli airstrike on a house in the village of Beit Yahoun killed four people and wounded another. Hezbollah said five of its members were killed, including the son of the head of its bloc in parliament. It wasnt clear if it was the same incident.

It is unclear if groups such as Hezbollah and the Houthis in Yemen, who seized an Israeli-owned ship on Sunday and have fired missiles at Israel in the past month, will respect the truce.

--With assistance from Omar Tamo.

(Updates with phone call between Biden and Netanyahu.)

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Israel's military offensive in northern Gaza -- seen here from southern Israel on Wednesday, November 22, 2023 -- intensified ahead of a temporary cease-fire between Israel and Hamas that was slated to begin Thursday was pushed back by 24 hours. Photo by Jim Hollander/UPI

Nov. 23 (UPI) -- Israeli forces stepped up their attacks on northern Gaza as a truce draws closer, mounting 300 airstrikes against Hamas infrastructure and killing dozens of the group's fighters in a ground operation.

Targets included operational headquarters, tunnels, factories producing improvised explosive devices and warehouses storing them as well as anti-tank launching posts, Israel Defense Forces said Thursday in a series of posts on X.

Fire from the IDF's 215th Artillery Regiment hit targets in the Jabaliya neighborhood with the unit calling in an airstrike to halt a Hamas counter-attack and a precision-guided bomb to destroy an observation post.

Remotely manned aircraft and tanks also "eliminated several terrorist squads" during other battles involving Israeli infantry across districts in the north.

IDF said ground troops killed dozens of Hamas fighters in an operation targeting the headquarters of Hamas' Northern Brigade in the Sheikh Zayed area of the strip.

Wounded Palestinians from the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza in a makeshift ward at a Khan Yunis school on Wednesday, November 22, 2023, after being transferred from the Indonesian Hospital. Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI

"Sheikh Zayed is a neighborhood in which many senior operatives of the Hamas terrorist organization live. In this area there are many Hamas outposts that are used, among other things, by Hamas' Nukhba forces and are located in the heart of the civilian population," IDF said in a news release.

In one outpost, troops located several tunnel shafts, including a strategic tunnel shaft 165 feet deep by 23 feet wide and training mock-ups of an IDF armored fighting vehicle and the security fence that walls off Gaza from Israel.

Israel Defense Forces said Thursday its ground troops killed dozens of Hamas fighters in an operation targeting the headquarters of Hamas' Northern Brigade in the Sheikh Zayed area of the strip where there are numerous military outposts. In one outpost, IDF claimed to have found launch complexes, with one equipped with a lathe for producing rockets, underground pits for launching rockets and numerous weapons. Photo courtesy of IDF

They also found launch complexes, with one equipped with a lathe for producing rockets, underground pits for launching rockets and numerous weapons.

"As part of the activity, the soldiers eliminated dozens of terrorists in the area. At the end of the operation, the soldiers destroyed the outpost," IDF said.

The guns were expected to have fallen silent Thursday at 10 a.m. local time under a truce in the fighting agreed between Israel and Hamas earlier in the week, but an eleventh-hour logistical snag pushed it back to Friday.
Louisville native Jack Harlow returned to the Derby city to the delight of hometown fans in a sold out concert at the KFC Yum! Center on Dec. 18, 2022.

Louisville rapper Jack Harlow is giving fans attending his upcoming tour an opportunity to donate essential supplies to Kentuckians in need.

The Jack Harlow Foundation announced Monday it had partnered with Louisville-based Metro United Way and nonprofits in other Kentucky cities to set up collection barrels at each stop of the "No Place Like Home: The Kentucky Tour."

More: He's back! Louisville rapper Jack Harlow announces his third 'No Place Like Home Tour'

What can I donate if I have concert tickets?

Each location of the "No Place Like Home" tour has a particular set of items requested:

Ownesboro Sportscenter in Owensboro (Nov. 24): Deodorant and body wash

Appalachian Wireless Arena in Pikeville (Nov. 25): Non-perishable foods

Truist Arena in Covington (Nov. 26): Non-perishable foods, particularly green beans and corn

CFSB Center in Murray (Dec. 1): Non-perishable foods

E.A. Diddle Arena in Bowling Green (Dec. 2): Four-packs of toilet paper and single paper towel rolls

Rupp Arena in Lexington (Dec. 3): Children's pajamas, sizes extra small to extra large

Where do I drop off my items?

Specific drop-off locations have not been revealed on social media as of Wednesday afternoon. Harlow's foundation said Monday that it will provide more information on drop-off locations at a later date.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Jack Harlow opens up donation drive along Kentucky concert tour stops
Jamie Foxx is the latest star to face sexual assault allegations in a flurry of lawsuits delivered this week ahead of New Yorks Adult Survivors Act (ASA) expiring on Friday, 24 November.

The ASA provided a one-year window for survivors of assault to come forward, regardless of when the assault took place.

In new court documents, seen by The Independent, the plaintiff referred to as Jane Doe accuses Foxx (real name Eric Marlon Bishop) of assaulting her at the Catch restaurant rooftop in New York City in August 2015.

The Independent has contacted Foxxs representatives for comment.

The suit also lists the restaurant; its employees; and the co-founder of Catch Hospitality Group, Mark Birnbaum, as defendants. The plaintiff is seeking a trial by jury, and compensatory and punitive damages.

According to the suit, the woman and a friend were sitting at a table next to Foxx and Birnbaum on the night that the alleged incident occurred. The plaintiff said she asked Foxx, 55, for a selfie to which he replied: Sure baby anything for you.

Foxx then began complimenting the plaintiff, the suit states, saying: Wow, you have that supermodel body and You smell so good.

Jamie Foxx (Getty Images)

The plaintiff alleges that Foxx then guided her to a more secluded area of the rooftop where he sexually assaulted her.

The lawsuit alleges that a security guard, also listed as a defendant, witnessed the incident but did not intervene.

As a result, the woman suffered and continues to suffer severe emotional distress and anxiety, humiliation, embarrassment, post-traumatic stress disorder and other physical and emotional damage, the documents state.

The lawsuit alleges that Birnbaum and Catch NYC enabled the assault and failed to adequately supervise their employees.

The Independent has contacted Catch Hospitality Group for comment.

The lawsuit against Foxx is the latest high-profile action to be filed through ASA, which temporarily waived the statute of limitations on sexual misconduct claims for civil suits.

In another lawsuit filed Wednesday, a former model accused Guns N Roses frontman Axl Rose of sexually assaulting her in 1989, which he denies.

The ASA came on the heels of the Child Victims Acts passage in 2019. Both measures allow for survivors to bring civil action against their alleged assailants within a one-year period.

Rape Crisis offers support for those affected by rape and sexual abuse. You can call them on 0808 802 9999 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, and 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland, or visit their website at www.rapecrisis.org.uk. If you are in the US, you can call Rainn on 800-656-HOPE (4673)
US actor Jamie Foxx is being sued by a woman who alleges he sexually assaulted her at a restaurant in New York City eight years ago.

According to the lawsuit, Mr Foxx, whose real name is Eric Marlon Bishop, groped the unnamed woman after she asked to have her photo taken with him.

The accuser is suing Mr Foxx for damages, alleging "sexual assault, abuse, assault and battery".

A representative for the actor said "the alleged incident never happened".

In a statement to Deadline on Thursday, the spokesperson said the woman had filed a similar lawsuit in Brooklyn three years ago, which was dismissed.

"We are confident they will be dismissed again. And once they are, Mr Foxx intends to pursue a claim for malicious prosecution against this person and her attorneys for re-filing this frivolous action," the representative said.

The BBC has reached out to Mr Foxx's representatives for comment.

The lawsuit alleges the assault occurred at around 01:00 in the morning on 26 August 2015 at Catch NYC after the woman was seated at a table next to Mr Foxx.

The actor appeared intoxicated and agreed to a photo, saying, "sure, baby, anything for you", the lawsuit says.

It adds that he told the woman she had a "supermodel body" and smelled "so good".

He led her to a secluded part of the restaurant and touched her breasts and put his hands in her underwear without her consent, the lawsuit says, adding that the incident ended when her friend came looking for her.

The lawsuit is also seeking damages from the restaurant and bar owner Mark Birnbaum, who the accuser says was seated with Mr Foxx shortly before the alleged assault occurred.

The legal action says Mr Birnbaum and the restaurant's employees breached their duty of care towards the plaintiff by failing to protect her.

Mr Birnbaum did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the BBC on Wednesday night.

The lawsuit adds that as a result of the "heinous acts" the woman "suffered and continues to suffer severe emotional distress and anxiety, humiliation, embarrassment, post-traumatic stress disorder and other physical and emotional damages".

The legal action comes days before the New York Adult Survivors Act - which allows alleged victims of sex crimes to sue after the statute of limitations has lapsed - ends on 24 November.

Former US President Donald Trump, rapper Sean Combs, comedian Bill Cosby, actor Cuba Gooding Jr and Russell Brand have all been sued under the act.

Mr Foxx won a Best Actor Academy Award for his performance as pianist Ray Charles in 2004 film Ray.

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NEW YORK  Jamie Foxx, Bill Cosby, Rikers Island, and disgraced Columbia University gynecologist Robert Hadden were among those named as defendants in a deluge of new sex abuse lawsuits before a window to bring time-barred claims under the Adult Survivors Act closes.

With just over 24 hours to go before the legislation expires, data provided by the state Office of Court Administration showed that nearly 1,400 cases had been filed under the law in New Yorks supreme courts by nearly 1,800 people since it went into effect on Thanksgiving Day 2022. As of Nov. 1, just under 1,500 claims had been filed under the law in the Court of Claims, the majority of them by detainees alleging abuse inside prisons and jails, according to state court administrators.

The law has been cited in a raft of federal court lawsuits, too  including in last weeks quickly-settled lawsuit against rapper Sean Diddy Combs by Cassie Ventura  but there is no centralized data on how many. Manhattan Federal Judge Lewis Kaplan upheld its constitutionality in January in allowing E. Jean Carrolls ultimately successful sexual assault lawsuit against Donald Trump to proceed.

Over the past 48 hours, lawsuits filed from Buffalo to Brooklyn to the Bronx accused Catholic priests, Franciscan brothers, and religious leaders of sexual abuse.

Jamie Foxx was accused of sexual assault and battery in a Manhattan Supreme Court lawsuit by an anonymous woman who alleges he forced his hand down her pants at a Manhattan bar in 2015. His attorney could not immediately be reached.

Four women sued the city, alleging they were raped by correction officers while in custody on Rikers between 1988 to 2010. A spokesperson for the city DOC declined to address the specific allegations but said the department has a zero tolerance policy toward all forms of sexual abuse and has implemented training.

Several former patients of Hadden joined hundreds who have already sued the medical institutions where he worked, as did several former male patients of disgraced urologist Darius Paduch. Paduch was arrested on federal charges in April for systemic sexual abuse and has pleaded not guilty.

Cuba Gooding Jr. was sued by Kelsey Harbert, whom he was required to apologize to for groping her at a Manhattan bar in his guilty plea last year. Goodings lawyer Frank Rothman said he denied any intentional sexual contact.

Among the last to bring claims before the law expires was former NYPD Officer Meaghan Ciotti, who alleged the department enabled and covered up rampant abuse she suffered at the hands of fellow Officer Jamie Angelastro.

Ciottis Manhattan federal court suit alleges higher-ups retaliated against her after she reported being raped, sexually abused, and stalked by Angelastro, who she alleges sometimes threatened her at gunpoint.

NYPD has a violent rapist named Jamie Angelastro freely roaming its halls. Instead of taking Ms. Ciotti seriously when she reported his abuse, NYPD blamed her while doing everything in its power to protect him, said Ciottis lawyer, Susan Crumiller.

The NYPD declined to comment on ongoing litigation, and Angelastros union reps did not respond to inquiries. The Daily News could not reach him for comment.

As of Friday, New Yorkers will only have five years to bring claims for most types of sexual misconduct, including unwanted or forcible touching. In 2019, the window to bring claims for rape and certain forms of severe sexual violence was expanded from five to 20 years, but it cannot be applied retroactively.

Attorney Doug Wigdor said the one-year revival period afforded people with no legal recourse a path to justice.

The passage of the Adult Survivors Acts has allowed victims an opportunity to come forward despite the passage of time and seek redress for the harm they have suffered, Wigdor said.

Wigdors firm has filed 12 cases under the law, including last weeks against Combs, whose undisclosed settlement did not require him to admit wrongdoing. Wigdors firm also represents clients in disputed cases pending against Wall Street billionaire Leon Black and Jeffrey Epsteins estate, convicted film producer Harvey Weinstein, and other industry titans.

The firm this week added three to its caseload in the lead-up to the statutory deadline, including one by a former patient of Hadden, who was convicted of sexually abusing his patients and sentenced to 20 years in prison earlier this year. Hundreds of his former patients have brought claims under the temporary legislation against the institutions where he committed his abuse, Columbia University and New York-Presbyterian.

In recent days, an anonymous woman represented by Wigdors firm sued Interscope Records co-founder Jimmy Iovine, who co-founded Beats with Dr. Dre, for alleged instances of sexual abuse and forcible touching in 2007. His lawyer did not return a call seeking comment.

In Manhattan Supreme Court, Guns N Roses frontman Axl Rose was sued Wednesday by Sheila Kennedy for allegedly raping her in a Central Park West hotel room in 1989. He denies the allegations. A former stand-in on The Cosby Show accused the disgraced comedian in a suit Tuesday of drugging and raping her in the 1980s. His lawyer could not be reached.

Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal, who sponsored the legislation, said shes exploring other avenues for sexual assault victims to seek justice.

Were contemplating introducing another bill, which would create another lookback window  whether one year or permanent, were grappling with, Rosenthal told The News Wednesday. Not everyone who wanted to file would have had the opportunity before the window closes.

People who wish to file claims under the Adult Survivors Act have until 11:59 p.m. on Thursday.

_____
Rioters clash with police as they push barricades to storm the US Capitol in Washington on January 6, 2021 (ROBERTO SCHMIDT)

A newly-released mass of security footage from the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol has reignited a host of long-debunked conspiracy theories -- with conservative lawmakers and media personalities getting in on the act.

Republican Senator Mike Lee and Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene joined a chorus of influencers claiming cameras caught a man disguised in a "Make America Great Again" cap flashing a badge that identified him as law enforcement.

"I can't wait to ask FBI Director Christopher Wray about this at our next oversight hearing," Lee, who represents Utah, said on X, formerly Twitter.

In reality, the man in the clip -- published after new House Speaker Mike Johnson ordered hours of surveillance video released -- is a Donald Trump supporter from Chicago.

Kevin James Lyons, identifiable by his outfit, worked as an air conditioning technician until he was sentenced to more than four years in prison in July, according to court filings. One of more than 1,200 people arrested in connection to the riot, he was found guilty of six charges.

Now Lyons is the latest fodder for a years-old disinformation campaign experts say aims to whitewash Trump's efforts to overturn Joe Biden's 2020 election victory.

Another man charged in the Capitol attack, Ray Epps, filed a defamation lawsuit against Fox News in July after ex-network host Tucker Carlson falsely claimed he was an FBI operative working to entrap Trump supporters.

- 'Rewrite the history' -

Court documents say Lyons filmed himself inside Nancy Pelosi's office and posed with a framed photo he stole from the then-House speaker. He also pocketed a wallet, and called the police Nazis.

Other footage from the day appears to show him carrying a vape -- not a badge.

"Complete fact-free idiot," former Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger, who served on the House committee that investigated the Capitol riot, posted in response to Lee. "It's a vape."

Greene and others who amplified the accusations about Lyons, including the far-right Gateway Pundit website, backtracked after journalists and online sleuths identified him.

Keven Ruby, a senior research associate with the Chicago Project on Security and Threats, said his team's analysis of more than 1,130 cases has found no evidence FBI agents instigated any defendants charged in the assault.

But across platforms, conservatives misrepresented other moments from the tapes.

Another video of a man's handcuffs being removed also inspired claims about undercover officers until he was identified as a rioter charged in October for allegedly assaulting police.

Asked about the allegations, the FBI pointed AFP to recent testimony in which Wray said the agency had "emphatically not" orchestrated the violence.

A law enforcement source on Capitol Hill also told AFP it is "false" that federal personnel instigated the attack.

Laura Thornton, senior vice president of democracy at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, told AFP the buck stops with Trump, who has downplayed the events as he prepares to go on trial in March on charges of conspiring to reverse the 2020 election results.

"Trump calls the January 6 insurrectionists in prison 'hostages,' plays their 'anthem' at his rallies and promises to pardon them all," she said.

On Truth Social, Trump congratulated Johnson for releasing the videos, claiming they would "reveal what really happened."

He also shared a post from Lee asking how many in the mob were "feds."

Michael Jensen, of the University of Maryland's National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism, said such claims are "virtually guaranteed" to persist, noting they also took off when Carlson previously aired other unseen footage.

"This is all part of a broader effort to rewrite the history of that day, downplay the seriousness of the crimes that were committed, and bolster the election campaigns of the former president and his allies," he said.

bmc/df/mgs/st
Im a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here contestant Nella Rose has found a supporter in Janet Street-Porter, as the talk show panellist defended her from criticism over a recently televised clash with Fred Sirieix.

The YouTube star and First Dates maitre d are both currently competing in the ITV1 jungle survival programme.

On Tuesdays episode (21 November), Rose, 26, expressed her distaste with Sirieix, 51, quipping that he could be her dad, in terms of their age differences. Rose, whose father died in 2020, eventually declared that as a result of Sirieixs disrespect, she was no longer interested in building a friendship with him.

The argument between the campmates was widely debated by viewers, and became a topic of discussion on Wednesdays episode of Loose Women (22 November).

While lead panellist Christine Lampard said she found the scene uncomfortable to watch, Jane Moore likened the exchange to something out of a parallel universe.

Former Love Island star Olivia Attwood Dack offered some support to Rose, she added that where the influencer went wrong was by calling the food connoisseur a weirdo. However, Street-Porter spoke in Roses favour and opined that Sirieix was, in fact, a weirdo for his remark.

In her defence, I found Fred incredibly patronising, Street-Porter said. I mean, hes not serving food in a restaurant now, hes not dealing with difficult customers.

Janet Street-Porter on Loose Women (ITV / screengrab)

I can see that what he said to her couldve offended her and also, looking at her back story, her parents came from the Congo, they went to Belgium, both of her parents died within a few months of each other

After Moore chimed in by saying that Roses family circumstances are not Sirieixs fault, Street-Porter concurred while adding that the context of her life will inform how she reacts to him.

The broadcaster also noted her hope that this incident wouldnt result in her having an early departure from the series, as Rose has a unique perspective compared to her campmates.

Nella Rose on Im a Celebrity (ITV)

I would hate to see, as a result of this, that she gets voted out of that camp, Street-Porter explained. Because, to me, the mix of people in the camp and to make the show work, we need people like her.

Im not saying that in a patronising way, I think she has a voice that other people dont have and I find that Fred is more of the same, frankly.

On Wednesdays episode of Im a Celebrity, Rose questioned Brexit pioneer Nigel Farage over his policies and beliefs regarding immigration.

After the former UKIP politician claimed that the pressure of people in the UK was having an effect on GP appointments, the online content creator said: Im stopping you getting a GP appointment? Youre not getting an appointment because the NHS is lacking funding.

I bet you anything if every single immigrant or from immigrant descent was to leave the UK, all your doctors gone, most of your doctors are Asian right? Most of your nurses are African women, right?

You want us gone, thats all I understood.

Im a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! airs Sunday to Friday at 9pm and Saturday at 9.30pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
FILE PHOTO: Summit discussion with Japan's PM Fumio Kishida and South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol, on the sidelines of APEC summit, at Stanford

FILE PHOTO: Summit discussion with Japan's PM Fumio Kishida and South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol, on the sidelines of APEC summit, at Stanford

TOKYO (Reuters) - A Beijing delegation of Komeito, the junior coalition partner of Japan's ruling party, handed a letter from Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for Chinese President Xi Jinping in a meeting with China's top leadership team on Wednesday, NHK reported.

The leader of the party, Natsuo Yamaguchi, delivered the letter when he met with Cai Qi, head of the powerful Secretariat of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee that oversees day-to-day affairs of the CPC, according to the Japanese public broadcaster.

The broadcaster did not say what was in the letter. Komeito representatives and Kishida's office were not available to comment on Thursday, a public holiday in Japan.

Yamaguchi and Cai also agreed to work toward a resumption of dialogue between the CPC and the coalition of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Komeito, NHK reported. Such talks had been broken off in 2018.

The meeting took place as Asia's two largest economies seek to improve ties which have been strained after the neighbours clashed over issues ranging from Japan's release of treated radioactive water into the ocean to maritime territorial claims, China's detention of Japanese citizens, Taiwan and export curbs.

(Reporting by Makiko Yamazaki; Editing by Stephen Coates)
PHILADELPHIA - The driver at the center of a crash that claimed the lives of two Pennsylvania State Troopers and a pedestrian has been sentenced to prison after entering a guilty plea in court Wednesday.

Jayana Webb has been sentenced to 27  years to 60 years in the March 2022 incident that claimed the lives of Troopers Martin Mack III and Branden Sisca, and Reyes Rivera Oliveras. She pleaded guilty to multiple charges Wednesday, including third-degree murder and homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence.

The crash occurred just after 12:30 a.m. on March 21 on I-95 as Troopers Mack and Sisca were called to assist Oliveras, who had been walking on I-95 southbound near the stadium area.

Jayana Tanae Webb has plead guilty to charges stemming from a March 2022 crash that claimed the lives of two Pennsylvania State Troopers and a pedestrian on I-95 in South Philadelphia.

As the troopers attempted to put the man into custody and walk him back to their vehicle, Webb fatally struck all three men and the patrol car at a high rate of speed, authorities say. Sources told FOX 29 that Webb had a blood alcohol level twice the legal limit when she was tested after the crash.

Trooper Martin Mack III (L) and Trooper Branden Sisca (R) (Pennsylvania State Police)

It was later learned through a source that Troopers Mac and Sisca stopped Webb on I-95 between the Girard and Allegheny exits moments before the deadly crash.

A recording from the trooper's dashboard camera shows the stop lasted less than a minute before the pair was dispatched to the pedestrian walking southbound on I-95 near the stadiums, according to law enforcement sources.

Webb appears to have documented the stop in a tweet posted just before the crash that read "why the cop pull me & he say im doing 110 ina 50." In a tweet from mid-January, Webb appeared to boast about her abilities to drive while intoxicated. "If you ask me, Im the best drunk driver ever," the post reads.

Officials say Trooper Mack, 33, joined the force in 2014, while Sisca, 29, only recently graduated from the academy and had enlisted in February of 2021. Sisca was also a Fire Chief of Trappe Fire Company in Montgomery County.
Jeremy Hunts wife Lucia sat through her husbands 52-minute speech in the House of Commons with their three children - JEFF GILBERT PHOTOGRAPHY

Jeremy Hunt has said he wished his wife a happy birthday during the Autumn Statement after he forgot to buy her a card.

The Chancellor began his speech on Wednesday by telling his wife, Lucia, who was watching from the press gallery with their children, that she looked younger every year.

He later admitted feeling incredibly guilty for not buying his wife a card or a present and that he was hoping to make up for it on the weekend.

It is not the first time the Chancellor may have ended up in his wifes bad books. On a state visit to China three years ago, he mistakenly said she was Japanese, rather than Chinese, before correcting himself and apologising for the terrible mistake.

Mr Hunt told the House of Commons on Wednesday: I come today with good news. Its my wifes birthday and unlike me, shes looking younger every year.

Lucia Hunt laughed and covered her face when she was mentioned, while their three children  who had looked serious as their father got to his feet  grinned along.

Jeremy Hunt told the Commons: I come today with good news. Its my wifes birthday and unlike me shes looking younger every year - UK PARLIAMENT

They sat through Prime Ministers Questions and Mr Hunts 52-minute speech, but left as Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor, attacked the Conservatives 13 years of economic failure.

Speaking to LBC Radio the following day, Mr Hunt said: Im afraid I have not bought anything for my wife. I didnt even get her a birthday card. I feel incredibly guilty.

What I did was publicly acknowledge her birthday to millions of people, which is something I havent done before. So, hopefully I will be able to make up for that at the weekend.

Mr Hunt met his wife, who was born in Xian in central China, while she was working at Warwick University in 2008.

He has previously described her as his secret weapon, and between them they are fluent in four languages: English, Chinese, Japanese and French.

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Nearly two weeks after the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy stood alongside state lawmakers and signed a bill barring Russian-tied companies from government dealings  including state and local government contracts, economic subsidies and investment from the states pension fund.

We are sending a strong message today to Vladimir Putin and his cronies in Belarus that their actions will not be tolerated, Murphy, a Democrat and former top executive at Goldman Sachs, said in a statement at the time.

But New Jersey might have been too aggressive with its push.

Nearly two years later, the state has halted enforcement of the Russian sanction law following a legal challenge  and after it became clear the effort could punish not just Russian oligarchs but also multinational companies.

The state voluntarily suspended enforcing the law this summer after a company it had planned to blacklist won a temporary restraining order from a federal judge in part on constitutional grounds.

At the time, Murphys administration was in the process to blacklist other major corporations the state determined had Russian ties, including JP Morgan Chase, Xerox and one of the states largest suppliers of synthetic turf fields.

Those companies and others could have lost contracts and subsidies had they been blacklisted. JP Morgan alone had more than $260 million in tax breaks on the line. But since the law applies to companies doing business with hundreds of municipalities, school boards and county governments, its difficult to conduct a complete accounting of the financial stakes.

Other states moved to sever ties to Russia after its invasion. In neighboring New York, for example, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed an executive order to bar government contracts to companies that do business in Russia.

But New Jerseys aggressive sanctions law, as written, appears to have greater reach than any of the other state-level initiatives  until it went to court. It also offers an example of a public display of moral authority bumping up against constitutional protections, with the federal judge who issued the temporary restraining order saying there was a strong, compelling probability of eventual success from one of the companies challenging the law.

The state of New Jersey is acting as though it has its own foreign policy, former state Supreme Court Justice Barry Albin, who is representing the U.S. subsidiary of Kyocera, a Japan-based electronic company whose lawsuit led to the judges order, said during a court hearing this summer.

We cannot have 50 different states with 50 different foreign policies, he added.

Usually, it is the federal government issuing sanctions. Since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the Biden administration has targeted about 3,000 businesses and people, according to the Atlantic Council think tank.

In New Jersey, Murphy sought to deliver a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin and his crony government, as he put it. The sanctions law Murphy signed also included barring companies linked to Belarus from government dealings.

The state Treasury Department had begun the process to blacklist JP Morgan Chase, the largest bank in the world, as well as Xerox and the American subsidiary of Tarkett, a major turf field supplier and flooring company, according to public records obtained by POLITICO through the Open Public Records Act. (Xerox has since divested from Russia and federal officials have encouraged JP Morgan to maintain a limited Russian presence as of November 2022, according to Bloomberg.)

Treasury sent those companies preliminary determinations that they were engaged in prohibited activities with Russia  putting them on track to be blacklisted from government contracts and subsidies in New Jersey. If JP Morgan were to be blacklisted under the law, local governments would be barred from banking with the company.

But then the state  in its own words  "voluntarily stopped enforcing the sanctions law after the U.S. subsidiary of Kyocera won the temporary restraining order. In response, the state quietly posted a notice in August saying it was suspending the law and taking down the public blacklist as it defends the law in court.

JP Morgan, Xerox and Tarkett were ultimately not put on the states Russia blacklist, in part because the state temporarily stopped enforcing the law. It is unclear whether Treasury would move forward with adding the companies to its blacklist should the state enforce the law again. Treasury spokespeople declined to comment on the status of specific companies ensnared in the law.

The preliminary determinations do not necessarily mean a company will be added to the states blacklist; companies accused of engaging in prohibited activities with Russia or Belarus are given the opportunity to respond to the state to potentially avoid being added to the blacklist.

But the states preliminary actions underscore how far it was willing to enforce the sanctions law  as well as what could be waiting if the state eventually does enforce it again.

The legal fight

Other states have hit limits in the past when trying state-level sanctions. A unanimous U.S. Supreme Court decision from 2000 struck down a 1990s Massachusetts law that aimed to prohibit the state from contracting with businesses that did business with Myanmar. More recently, Florida stopped enforcing a 2012 law to bar state contracts to companies connected to Cuba after setbacks in court.

New Jersey currently has similar state-level prohibitions on contracts with companies that are affiliated with Iran stemming from a 2012 state law, although those restrictions are authorized under federal law.

The U.S. subsidiary of Kyocera was caught up in the states sanctions law after certifying to state contracting officials in Sept. 2022 that its parent company had a subsidiary based in Russia  a connection that led the state to start the process to blacklist it.

In court briefings, Kyocera  which is represented by Albin, the recently retired justice, and former New Jersey Attorney General Chris Porrino  argued that the state is overstepping its constitutional boundaries by trying to regulate foreign commerce and it interfered with federal Russian sanction efforts. The state has argued that it is not trying to regulate foreign policy, but is acting as a market participant.

The federal judge overseeing the case, Robert Kirsch, wrote in his order that Kyocera was likely to succeed on its claims that the law was unconstitutional, barring Kyocera from joining the states Russia blacklist as the litigation continued.

The judges temporary restraining order applied only to Kyocera, but it put the state in the position of opening itself to more legal action from other companies that could have used similar arguments. The state then stopped enforcement as the legal challenge continued.

A spokesperson for Kyocera declined to comment, citing the pending litigation.

There is no evidence that JP Morgan, Xerox or Tarkett asked the state to stop enforcing the law. State lobbying records show that Xerox and JP Morgan contacted Murphys office on the potential sanctions, although records do not indicate what they requested, if anything. A spokesperson for the governor declined to comment on the matter, citing the pending litigation.



Big names trigger New Jerseys blacklist process

It is unclear what the exact scope of impact would be if JP Morgan, Xerox or Tarkett were put on the states blacklist  but it could be significant.

The sanctions law could interfere with hundreds of millions of dollars worth of state subsidies JP Morgan is looking to receive from the state Economic Development Authority, stemming from awards for bringing jobs to Jersey City that were approved when Chris Christie was governor. According to the authority, JP Morgan still stands to receive up to $266 million in subsidies from the state, although that amount could drop if it doesnt meet certain requirements.

The state gave JP Morgan the preliminary determination it was in violation of the Russian sanction law in July 2023, after the financial services giant filed forms required by the subsidy program.

JP Morgan has a foreign subsidiary incorporated in Russia, according to records it submitted to the state  a connection the state determined was enough to begin the blacklist process. (JP Morgan announced in early 2022 it was beginning to scale back its Russia operations.)

The state law also prohibits the state and local governments from banking with companies put on the blacklist. JP Morgan has contracts with public sector clients across the country, including in New Jersey.

In a brief statement to POLITICO, JP Morgan spokesperson Patricia Wexler said: Our operations have not been impacted, and are consistent with Federal law. The one-sentence statement did not address the now-halted state law.

The U.S. subsidiary of Tarkett, a French-based flooring company and major synthetic turf field contractor, could see its public contracts disrupted across the state if it were put on a sanctions list. In correspondence with the state, the company said it operated in all 21 counties and supplied turf fields at MetLife Stadium, home to the New York Jets and New York Giants.

Treasury notified the company in October 2022 there was a preliminary determination it was engaged in prohibited activities with Russia after seeking a state contract since its parent company has a subsidiary that does business in Russia. The company requested  and successfully received  extensions until at least the end of June 2023, records show, to respond to the state. Its unclear what happened to Tarkett afterward.

Guillermo Artiles, a former Murphy aide who is now a lobbyist representing Tarkett, wrote in a November 2022 email to the state Treasury that the preliminary determination paralyzed Tarkett USA's business in New Jersey and has had serious impact out of State with customers that have no relationship with the State.

Accordingly, Tarkett USA and the Parent Company are considering several options and the impact those options will have on our operations and customers, Artiles wrote. Any corporate decision of this magnitude requires many levels of action, all of which take considerable time, even if done in an expedited manner.

A spokesperson for Tarkett USA wrote in an email that it does not sell product in Russia or Belarus and is compliant with state law. The spokesperson, Jennifer Holdsworth, said the company does not comment on its interactions with regulators.

Treasury notified Xerox in June 2023 that it made a preliminary determination it was engaged in prohibited activities with Russia. According to a July 2023 email from Xerox to the state, the company was in the process of a complete exit from the Russian market  a process they said was slowed by the Russian government. Xerox fully exited all operations in Russia in October 2023, according to a company spokesperson and media reports, although it is unclear whether Treasury has rescinded its preliminary determination against the company.

In a statement, Xerox spokesperson Justin Capella said the company was in compliance with the New Jersey Russia sanction law since it came into effect.

We provided full disclosure to New Jersey regarding our divestment status and the fact that the necessary Russian approvals to leave the country were taking longer than expected, Capella said. At no time did Xerox request that New Jersey terminate the law nor did Xerox seek an injunction.
Pope Francis meets people on the day of a weekly audience at the Vatican

By Philip Pullella

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Jewish groups have criticised Pope Francis and demanded clarifications over his comments that they saw as accusing both Hamas and Israel of "terrorism".

Francis made the comments on Wednesday after meeting separately with Jewish relatives of hostages held by Hamas and with Palestinians with family in Gaza.

Later that day at his general audience in St. Peter's Square, he spoke of the meetings, saying he felt the pain of both sides.

"This is what wars do. But here we have gone beyond wars. This is not war. This is terrorism," he said.

He asked for prayers so that both sides would "not go ahead with passions, which, in the end, kill everyone".

In a toughly worded statement on Thursday, the Council of the Assembly of Italian Rabbis (ARI) accused the pope of "publicly accusing both sides of terrorism".

It went on to accuse unnamed "Church leaders" of not condemning the Hamas attack and of "putting the aggressor and the attacked on the same plane in the name of a supposed impartiality".

At the Palestinian news conference on Wednesday, those who met with the pope said he condemned Hamas' action as terror but also quoted him as saying that "terror should not justify terror". They also quoted him as using the word "genocide" to describe the situation in Gaza.

Gunmen from Hamas burst across the border fence on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and seizing about 240 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Since then, more than 14,000 Gazans have been killed by Israeli bombardment, around 40% of them children, according to health authorities in the Hamas-ruled territory.

In a posting on Wednesday evening on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, the American Jewish Committee (AJC) thanked the pope for meeting the families of hostages and for his repeated calls to free those being held.

But the AJC added: "Later in the day, he described the Israel-Hamas war as 'beyond war' as 'terrorism.' Hamas' butchering and kidnapping of civilians is terrorism. Israel's self-defense is not. Vatican, please clarify".

In a statement, the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a U.S.-based Jewish human rights organization, called on the pope "not to forget that all the loss and suffering since October 7th stems from the intolerable actions of Hamas".

It said all the suffering and loss of both the families of hostages and civilians in Gaza was "on the hands of the Hamas terrorists who, on October 7th, inflicted in the most brutal way, the worst mass murder of Jews since the defeat of Nazi Germany and World War II".

The Italian rabbis questioned the worth of "decades of Jewish-Christian dialogue" if when Jews are attacked the Vatican responds with "diplomatic acrobatics".

Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, who has gone on several peace missions in Ukraine for the pope, defended him on Thursday, telling reporters that the pontiff was "not putting everyone on the same plane" and that the pope "understands the motivations of the Israeli government".

(Reporting by Philip Pullella; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
A 14-fold increase in anti-Semitic hate crimes have been reported to the Metropolitan Police since the conflict in Israel and Gaza began in October - DANIEL ALLAN/PHOTODISC

A 55-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of arson and racially aggravated harassment following two separate alleged incidents on a woman in the Tottenham, north London area.

The first incident took place on November 6, when a womans car was set alight in Townsend Road.

Two weeks later on November 26, the same woman, who is in her 30s, was subjected to racist abuse while in the street.

Det Sgt Chris Church, from the Metropolitan Police, said: This was a terrifying experience for the victim who was just going about her day.

Abhorrent crimes

We wont tolerate hate crime and those who commit such abhorrent crimes will be prosecuted.

While the victim was not physically harmed, the effects of being a victim can be damaging and long lasting. We continue to support her and her family.

All reports of hate crime are taken seriously and I would like to reassure all of our communities that we have specially trained officers who investigate these cases with a view to taking robust action against offenders. If you encounter hate please do report it.

Increase in hate crimes reported

There has been a 14-fold increase in anti-Semitic hate crimes being reported since the conflict in Israel and Gaza began in October.

Police have increased patrols in predominantly Jewish areas and victims are being urged to report any incidents.

Scotland Yard also announced that a 20-year-old man had been arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences and also on suspicion of inciting racial hatred, relating to anti-Semitic content online.

The man was initially stopped by police in June coming through Heathrow and police said the allegations pre-date the Israeli-Hamas conflict.

He was taken to a south London police station and has been released on bail to a date in February 2024 pending further enquiries.

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TAMPA, Fla. - It was the first time a sitting president ever visited Tampa, and riding next to President John F. Kennedy in his limo was Tampa Congressman Sam Gibbons  who was thrilled.

"Here I was a freshman member of congress, and here I am riding in a car with the President of the United States," said Gibbons.

FOX 13's Lloyd Sowers sat down with the late congressman in 2011, a little more than a year before he died. He greeted JFK when he arrived at MacDill Air Force Base on November 18, 1963  four days before he was assassinated in Dallas.

RELATED: 'I loved the president': The 16-year-old behind the camera who photographed President Kennedy's Tampa visit

From MacDill, they went to Al Lopez Field, where they first discovered how special President Kennedys visit to Tampa would be.

"He addressed a large crowd of Tampa folks and people came from all over this area just to hear him speak," Gibbons told FOX 13.

There were security concerns, but the same open limo the world would later see tragically in Dallas was seen by people lining the streets in Tampa.

"We motored from there down Grand Central, now called Kennedy Boulevard," said Gibbons. "And there were huge crowds along the way, and he was so impressed with them. It really made him feel good."

LOST ARCHIVES: Former Tampa Mayor Dick Greco muses on citys growth: Like one giant family years ago'

It lifted Kennedy's spirits and his hopes for re-election in 1964. The visit to Tampa would be one of his last triumphs before the tragedy that no one alive at the time could forget.

Gibbons had gone back to his office in Washington by then.

"And some fella came running out of his office and said the president's been killed. I said president who? And he said President Kennedy," Gibbons sighed and closed his eyes for a moment before softly saying, "My God."

The sadness of Dallas quickly overshadowed the hope and happiness in Tampa. Gibbons mourned for his country and his friend, the president.

"My children had played with the Kennedy children, and it was a terribly emotional experience," he said. "One, honestly, Ill never forget."

If only, instead of Dallas, the visit to Tampa could be what we remember with the happiness and hope that Sam Gibbons felt riding through his hometown with the president.
Former first lady Rosalynn Carter died Nov. 19 at 96 years old with husband, former President Jimmy Carter, who turned 99 last month, by her side at their home in Georgia, their son told The Washington Post.

The Carters celebrated their 77th wedding anniversary this summer, and by then had already been the longest-married presidential couple in United States history for some time. In the wake of Rosalynn Carter's death, new details emerged this week about her final moments and the former president's devotion throughout them.

The couple's son, James E. Carter III, known as "Chip," detailed his parents' last days together in comments to The Post that were published on Nov. 23. He said that his father sat beside Rosalynn Carter's bed, in his wheelchair, on Saturday night as other family members gathered in their bedroom.

"My Dad told her he loved her and thanked her for all the wonderful things she had done," Chip Carter told the newspaper. "Then he asked us to leave so he could be alone with her."

On Tuesday, the former president attended his wife's memorial service in Atlanta and listened as their daughter Amy read aloud a letter Jimmy had written Rosalynn 75 years ago when he was in the Navy.

"My darling, every time I have ever been away from you, I have been thrilled when I return to discover just how wonderful you are," the letter read. "... Goodbye, darling. Until tomorrow, Jimmy."

Rosalynn Carter entered hospice care at the couple's Georgia home shortly before her death. The Carter Center shared the news in a statement issued Friday on behalf of the Carters' grandson, Jason Carter, which said, "She and President Carter are spending time with each other and their family. The Carter family continues to ask for privacy and remains grateful for the outpouring of love and support."

Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, share a moment aboard his campaign plane in October 1976. / Credit: Bettmann via Getty Images

The former first lady was previously diagnosed with dementia, the Carter Center said in May on behalf of the family. She continued to live at home in Plains, the small farming city in central Georgia where both she and her husband grew up and to which they returned later in life.

The Carter Center announced in February that Jimmy Carter was receiving hospice care at home, following a series of short hospital stays. The charity, which the former president founded in 1982, said in a statement at the time that he "decided to spend his remaining time at home with his family and receive hospice care instead of additional medical intervention." The center did not specificy why he had recently had short hospital stays, but the former president had undergone treatment in August 2015 to have a small cancerous mass removed from his liver, but said the following year that he did not need further medical attention after an experimental drug eliminated the cancer.

Chip Carter recalled to the Post conversations with his father over the months that passed since Jimmy Carter himself entered hospice care, saying the former president had expressed concern over whether he would die before his wife, which was something he had not expected before.

"Dad told me several times over the last nine months that he had always thought he would outlive Mom and protect her until she passed, but that now he wasn't sure that was going to happen  and that upset him," Chip Carter said. "But he stayed alive. We all told him how proud we were of his relationship with her and of how he looked after her."

The night before Rosalynn Carter died, her husband sat beside her hospital bed in his wheelchair and held her hand for about 30 minutes after asking their family members to leave their bedroom, said Chip Carter. "I'm sure he was praying," Chip Carter said.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Jimmy Carter signs the guestbook in the Nobel Institute in Oslo, Norway, on Dec. 9, 2002, next to his wife Rosalynn, as members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee look on. / Credit: -/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Later on Saturday night, aides helped Jimmy Carter into his own hospital bed and placed it opposite his wife's with their feet facing each other, so that they could talk, the Washington Post reported. But Rosalynn Carter's health continued to decline overnight, and the former first lady and revered humanitarian figure died the next afternoon at 2:10 p.m., the Carter Center announced in a statement that same day. The charity said she died "peacefully, with family by her side."

Jimmy Carter was there when it happened, with Chip Carter recalling that "tears were coming out of his eyes," according to the Washington Post. Family members spent time in the bedroom in the immediate aftermath of Rosalynn Carter's death, but then, Chip Carter said, his father asked everyone to clear the room again so that he and his wife could be alone.

"Rosalynn was my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished," the former president said in a statement after her death released by the Carter Center. "She gave me wise guidance and encouragement when I needed it. As long as Rosalynn was in the world, I always knew somebody loved and supported me."

The Carters first met in Plains when Jimmy Carter was three years old and Rosalynn Carter was just a newborn. Their love story began about a year before their wedding in 1946, when the former president's younger sister introduced him to the woman who back then went by Rosalynn Smith. She was a family friend.

Jimmy Carter with wife Rosalynn Carter and their daughter Amy at the Baptist church in his hometown of Plains, Georgia, in 1976. / Credit: / Getty Images

After their first date, Jimmy Carter went home and told his mother, "She's the girl I want to marry," according to a detailed account of their relationship published by the White House. And, on July 7, 1946, Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter tied the knot while he was home from school at the U.S. Naval Academy and she was in college. The couple moved several times during his Navy service, with each of their four children born in different U.S. states. After the Navy, the Carter family returned to live in Georgia and ran Carter's Warehouse, a seed and farm supply company in Plains, along with the farm that Jimmy Carter inherited.

Rosalynn Carter was a member of her husband's campaign team when he ran for the Georgia Senate in 1962 and continued to play an active role in his political career as he went on to become governor of Georgia in 1970 and, eventually, president of the United States. The former president once described his wife as "much more political," and Rosalynn, for her part, once said of campaigning, "I love it. ... I had the best time. I was in all the states in the United States. I campaigned solid every day the last time we ran," according to the Associated Press.

In addition to their respective professional legacies, with Rosalynn Carter remembered especially for the work she did to bring issues surrounding mental health, without stigma, into the national conversation at a time when doing so was particularly unprecedented, the Carters were known publicly for their strong and lasting bond, as well as their joint philanthropic endeavors.

New York, N.Y.: Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter at work renovating a tenement on the East 6th Street in the East Village in Manhattan on September 4, 1984. The couple were working with Habitat for Humanity. / Credit: Jim Peppler/Newsday RM via Getty Images

Together, Rosalynn Carter and Jimmy Carter helped expand Habitat for Humanity, an organization focused on affordable housing, and grew the Carter Center, their charity whose mission centers on human rights and "the alleviation of human suffering."

"Rosalynn Carter's deep compassion for people everywhere and her untiring strength on their behalf touched lives around the world. We have heard from thousands of you since her passing," her family said in a statement after her death. "Thank you all for joining us in celebrating what a treasure she was, not only to us, but to all humanity."

Love letter from Jimmy to Rosalynn Carter read by their daughter, Amy Lynn

Giving back on Giving Tuesday

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LITTLE ROCK, Ark.  A Q&A and screening in Little Rock with a famous actor has been canceled.

Robinson Center officials said An Evening with John Cusack as well as a subsequent screening of Sixteen Candles at the Robinson Center set for Dec. 1 has been canceled.

John Cusack hosted Sixteen Candles screening rescheduled

Officials said the event was canceled due to scheduling conflicts.

The event had initially been set for September but was rescheduled to December.

Organizers said refunds will be issued at the point of purchase and apologize for any inconvenience.

Tickets now on sale for 2023-2024 Broadway Season at Robinson Center

Cusack is still set to host a screening of the film and Q&A in northwest Arkansas on Dec. 3 at Baum Walker Hall at Walton Arts Center.

Plans remain to schedule Cusack in the future, but no date has been projected.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KARK.
People walk through the atrium of the British Museum in London, Britain, Sept. 8, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]



In 2012, Intelligence Squared hosted a debate on whether the Elgin Marbles should be returned from London to Athens. These marbles, a collection of statues originally housed in the Greek Parthenon, were taken to Great Britain by Thomas Bruce, the 7th Earl of Elgin, in the early 1800s and are now in the British Museum.



Greeks have long demanded their return, while the British have resisted despite changing public opinion in Britain over the years. Discussions have occurred between the British government, the museum, and Greece, but no long-term resolution has been reached.

During the Intelligence Squared debate, Tristram Hunt, director of the Victoria & Albert Museum, argued that the marbles represent an example of Western culture and Enlightenment thinking. He described them as a great treasure of world culture, not just Greek culture.

Hunt stated that the British Museum serves as a global hub where people can view art and cultural relics from around the world and learn about the exchange of ideas. The museum houses over 8 million artifacts, some acquired during colonial expeditions, often by force or through controversial means. This includes items like the Benin Bronzes and the Admonitions Scroll by Chinese painter Gu Kaizhi. Therefore, the debate surrounding the marbles could extend to many other pieces in the British Museum's collection, and those of other museums as well.

Hunt emphasized that the marble, and other ancient relics, by extension, must "remain available to all, free to all in the world, at the British Museum." However, the notion that the museum is accessible to everyone is debatable. While admission to the museum is free, traveling to London and lodging are not.

Of course, any item can only be in one place at one time. London, being a relatively international city, attracted 19.9 million international tourists in 2016, making it the world's second-largest tourist destination, according to a report commissioned by Mastercard. The British Museum has reportedly offered to "loan" the sculptures to Greece, but Greece has rejected this offer on the grounds that the museum does not have the right to loan something it does not rightfully own.

Another argument is that the British Museum will preserve these cultural artifacts for future generations. It is often said that the museum employs some of the most highly educated and skilled curators and preservationists in the world. However, news from earlier this summer about a senior curator of Greek and Roman art being suspected of stealing artifacts and selling them on eBay has led many to question this claim.

The first indications of possible artifacts being listed on eBay appeared in 2016. The British Museum became aware of these listings in 2020. The suspected thief was only fired in August 2023 and has denied any involvement. Reportedly, about 2,000 artifacts were stolen. In 2012, a 2,500-year-old Greek sculpture of a head was allegedly stolen from a display by a visitor. There were also major cases in the 1970s, 1990s, and 2000s.

Thefts are a problem in all museums. The British Museum is not unique in that regard. However, proponents have argued that the thefts only intensify the need to return those artifacts taken illegitimately. Greek Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni said this news "reinforces the permanent and just demand of our country for the definitive return" of the Elgin marbles.

Nigerian officials reaffirmed their demand that the Benin Bronzes be returned in full. The British took the Benin Bronzes during an invasion in 1897 and they have since been placed in museums around the world. Other museums, like the Smithsonian in the United States, have agreed to return them. The British Museum is still in possession of one of the largest Benin Bronze collections.

While similar principles may be involved in these diffuse cases, the specifics should be considered when each determination about an individual object is made.

Growing up, I always loved visiting Asian art exhibits at museums in the U.S. Seeing the traditional paintings, calligraphy scrolls, and statues from those civilizations helped give me an appreciation for Asian culture that persists to this day.

There is value in having diverse forms of art from across the globe accessible to people in different parts of the world. It does help expand people's minds. But the wishes of the ancestors of the people who created the art must also be respected.

Mitchell Blatt is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:

http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/MitchellBlatt.htm

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.
Jonathon Heyward, The Converse Conductor, Is The Youngest And The First Black Music Conductor For Baltimore Symphony Orchestra | Photo: Getty Images

Jonathon Heyward, known as the Converse Conductor, became the youngest and the first Black music conductor and director for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in its 107-year existence. Now, the 31-year-old plans to use his position to attract more Black youth to orchestral music.

In the year 2023, I didnt think I would be saying that: the first African American music director,' Heyward told NBC News. Its a testament that work needs to be done.

Heyward became interested in orchestral music at age 10 and started playing the cello after many students at his performing arts school in Charleston, South Carolina, wanted to play the violin.

The violin line was completely out the door and no one was in the cello line, Heyward said, per NBC News. I was ready to go home.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (@baltsymphony)

Since then, Heyward fell in love with cello and knew he could unite a community through his work.

I picked up the cello in the fifth grade and instantly felt a part of something.  You are creating something bigger than one person. I think thats the beauty of the unity that you get from that classical music form.

Heywards passion for symphony music was enhanced in eighth grade when a substitute teacher chose him to lead his class orchestra as the music conductor.

Guess who got picked? Heyward said. To my sort of embarrassment, I didnt like standing up in front of my peers and being in charge at all. But what I fell in love with was the idea of the score.

Throughout his musical career, Heyward has inspired others through his work and clothes, leading him to be nicknamed the Converse Conductor.

Heyward started wearing the classic red Chuck Taylors during a concert after he had forgotten his dress shoes. At the time, he worked as the assistant conductor for The Halle Orchestra in Manchester, England, and wearing the Converses later started a trend among those who attended his shows. The 31-year-old said he owns 15 pairs now, per NBC News.

Heyward also wore the red Chucks during his three-concert tour weekend on Sept. 23, which kicked off his five-year engagement with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.

The weekend also included performances by the Dance Theatre of Harlem and Baltimores OrchKids program, which creates opportunities for classical music in Baltimore city schools.

Heyward is an advocate for the program and believes he can encourage other young up-and-coming performers.

I felt like I could do it because I had amazing supporters. I had amazing educators. To be able to pass that baton, no pun intended, or pun intended, its vital, Heyward said, adding, The sky is the limit.
Jodie Turner-Smith and Joshua Jackson pictured at the Vanity Fair Oscars Party in March (AFP via Getty Images)

Joshua Jackson and Jodie Turner-Smith have agreed to joint custody of their three-year-old daughter, Juno Rose Diana.

In court documents seen by The Blast, the Canadian actor, 45, has finally responded to Turner-Smiths petition and agreed that irreconcilable differences were the reason for the split.

The legal docs, filed by the Dawsons Creek alum, also revealed that he and Turner-Smith, 37, will split legal and physical custody of their daughter.

According to The Blast, Jackson only disagreed with the White Noise star on one issue  the date of their separation.

The British model-turned-actress listed the date as September 13, 2023 while he insisted it was later, September 30, 2023.

Last month, it was revealed that Turner-Smith and Jackson were parting ways after almost four years of marriage.

Turner-Smith filed for divorce in October. Pictured with Joshua Jackson in February 2022 (Getty Images for Gucci)

The couple met in 2018 through mutual friends and have spoken previously about how their relationship was casual to begin with.But the couple tied the knot in December 2019 after the actress proposed during a New Years Eve holiday in Nicaragua, with Jackson saying in the past he instinctively said yes.

Celebrity divorce lawyer Laura Wasser  who has previously worked with Kim Kardashian and Britney Spears  is said to be representing Smith in the divorce.

Speculation that the pairs relationship has been on the rocks began in September 2022 when they stopped following each other on social media.

But shortly afterwards, Jackson gushed about his wife in an interview with E! News.

He said: She is undeniably one of the most beautiful women on the planet. And she always smashes it when shes on the red carpet. That is truly a wonder to behold.

But I will tell you, that there is nothing like waking up in the morning, opening my eyes and seeing her face in the morning.

Turner-Smith spoke in 2021 about how their relationship started out casually after meeting at a party.

She said on Late Night with Seth Meyers: When I first met my husband, we had a one-night stand. Were in a two, three-year one-night stand now.
Jacksonville Sheriffs Office responded to Wolfsons Hospital about a teen shot in the groin.

On Nov. 22, a 19-year-old male was dropped off at the hospital with single gunshot wound to his groin.

The victim has non-life-threatening injuries but was transported to Shands Hospital for further treatment.

Read: Five people injured after police chase ends in vicious crash, Nassau Sheriffs Office reports

According to the victim, the shooting occurred on Spring Park Road but JSO was not able to locate a crime scene for find any evidence.

JSO has Violent Crime Detectives actively investigating.

Read: Search for road rage car; Police looking for BMW and suspect connected to Jacksonville shooting

JSO is asking residents with any information to call the JSO non-emergency number (904) 630-0500 or Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS.

[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]

Read: Person shot, group detained after shooting in Sunbeam neighborhood, JSO says

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Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Colorado Avalanche defenseman Devon Toews, front left, vie for control of the puck with defenseman Cale Makar and Vancouver Canucks center J.T. Miller, back left, after Avalanche goaltender Alexandar Georgiev,stopped a shot by Vancouver center Elias Pettersson during the second period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

DENVER (AP)  Riley Tufte, called up from the minors earlier in the day, scored the go-ahead goal 24 seconds into the third period and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Vancouver Canucks 5-2 on Wednesday night.

Cale Makar added a goal later in the third on a breakaway, and Mikko Rantanen scored into an empty net. Valeri Nichushkin and Jonathan Drouin also had goals for the Avalanche. Alexandar Georgiev made 27 saves.

J.T. Miller and Nils Hoglander scored for the Canucks.

We had a nice effort from a lot of guys tonight throughout our lineup, Colorado coach Jared Bednar said. I thought we were here to play tonight, no question.

It was Tufte's first goal with the Avalanche, who recalled him from the Colorado Eagles of the AHL. Miles Wood took a shot from the top of the left circle that glanced in off the upper right leg of Tufte, who was positioned in front.

What I was trying to do was get in front, get in the goalies eyes, Tufte said. Woodie shot it and it hit something on my pants. I was just trying to have a good net presence there and it hit me and it went in. I was kind of banging around for the rebound there but it already went in. But you know, Im glad I was able to help and get one there. The Avalanche added two more goals later in the period to seal the win.

I think we played alright, Vancouver defenseman Quinn Hughes said. We did some good things tonight, but I think they capitalized a little bit more on their looks in the third. We had our looks as well, but sometimes youre just going to lose a close game. Thats what happened.

There was a scary moment late in the second when Vancouvers Mark Friedman collided with Nichushkin as the two battled for position in front of the Canucks net. Friedman lost his footing and fell headfirst to the ice, briefly laying motionless before being tended to and heading to the bench. There was a visible cut on his forehead.

Vancouver tied it 2-all at 9:04 of the second as Miller, with defenseman Devon Toews draped all over him, muscled in a wrist shot from the bottom of the left circle that snuck into the upper corner of the net.

The Avalanche scored twice in little more than a minute to move in front 2-1 late in the first. Colorado was on the power play when it got an equalizer from Nichushkin, who extended his goal streak to five games at 17:37. Rantanen got a centering pass through traffic to Nichushkin, who wristed a shot from the crease over goalie Thatcher Demkos stick.

Just 66 seconds later, Makar launched a slap shot from the point that Drouin tipped in from up close.

Vancouver struck first on Hoglanders sixth goal at 16:23 of the first. He wristed in a rebound that trickled out in front of the net after Georgiev stopped a shot from Anthony Beauvillier.

UP NEXT

Canucks: Play at Seattle on Friday night.

Avalanche: Play at Minnesota on Friday night.

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Update: Arthur Snyder has been found and is safe, police said Thursday.

Kansas City police were asking the public for help Wednesday to locate a 73-year-old man reported missing from the Sterling Acres neighborhood.

The missing man, Arthur Snyder, was last seen around 3 p.m. near East 44th Street and Moats Drive, according to police. He was in a blue Jeep Gladiator with a California license plate.

Police said Snyder has medical conditions that require care and his family is concerned for his well-being.

Synder is described as a white man, 5-foot-8 and 230 pounds. He has green eyes and gray hair.

He was wearing a long-sleeved black shirt and blue jeans Wednesday.

Police were asking anyone who locates Snyder to call 911 or Kansas Citys Missing Persons Unit at 816-234-5043.
UPDATE: KCPD says Arthur Snyder has been located safe.

KANSAS CITY, Mo.  The Kansas City, Missouri Police Department has issued a Silver Alert Wednesday for a 73-year-old man diagnosed with medical conditions.

KCPD says Arthur Snyder was last seen around 3 a.m. in the area of 44th Street and Moats Drive, in a light blue 2021 Jeep Gladiator with unknown California license plates.

View the latest Weather Alerts in the Kansas City region on FOX4

He was wearing a black long sleeve shirt and blue jeans, according to police.

KCPD said Snyder is diagnosed with medical conditions which require care and his family is concerned for his well-being.

He stands 58 and weighs 230 pounds. He has green eyes and gray hair.

Download the FOX4 News app on iPhone and Android

Police ask anyone with information to call 911 or the KCPD Missing Persons Unit at (816) 234-5043.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports.
Business Secretary Kemic Badenoch is being questioned by the inquiry about the government's response to Covid - UNPIXS

Kemi Badenoch is very concerned about Covid conspiracy theories, she told the Inquiry.

Ms Badenoch said people still approach her in the street and tell me that I am part of a grand conspiracy to infect them and that it is very disturbing.

The former minister for equalities in No10 during the pandemic added: I dont think governments got a handle on dealing with misinformation.

She said social media and information travelling at speed across the world compounded the issue.

It comes after Prof Dame Angela McLean, who once referred to Rishi Sunak as Dr Death, was questioned on Thursday morning.

03:27 PM GMT

The Inqury has ended for the day

The Covid Inquiry has ended for the day. It will resume on November 27 at 10.30am with the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan due to be questioned.

Thank you for following The Telegraphs live coverage.

Check the website for the latest updates.

03:19 PM GMT

Too much focus on health impacts of virus, says Badenoch

Ms Badenoch told the inquiry that there was too much focus on the health impact of the virus and that more should have been done to look at the economic impact of lockdown.

Asked what the greatest lesson we can learn to improve going forward after the pandemic was, she said: I think another area that we should have done more on was on the economic impact. We were looking very much at the health side and I think that we should have looked at the economic impact of lockdown.

I think that now youre seeing many outcomes which are related to, you know, the missing children in schools, for example, what happened to them. No ones quite got to the bottom of the economic impact of lockdown, how that triggered even more inequality further down, even if people had furlough or safety net.

She added: Im not sure that that work was done because we were very, very focused on the health side. And I think when we have these sort of grand problems we need to have multiple lenses through which were looking at them, and this is hindsight analysis, but the fact that we looked at things purely from a health perspective without opportunity costs analysis, what was happening looking at it through another lens, I think we should not have done that.

02:58 PM GMT

Misinformation following the pandemic 'very concerning'

Kemi Badenoch said she is still very concerned about misinformation following the pandemic, and thinks the Government has yet to get a handle on dealing with the issue.

She told the inquiry of how people come up to her in the street and tell me that I am part of a grand conspiracy to infect them and that it is very disturbing.

I dont think governments got a handle on dealing with misinformation, she added. I dont think that we have adapted to this age of social media where information travels at lightning speed across the world. I dont know how we solve it.

02:29 PM GMT

Badenoch: Not possible to prepare for pandemic

It was not possible to prepare for the pandemic or have a government response ready and waiting, according to Kemi Badenoch.

She told the Inquiry: You cant skill up quickly for a pandemic and you cant have a pandemic-sized response sitting there waiting all the time.

The former minister for equalities added: A pandemic like that, and the amount that we were doing, Im not sure there would ever have been enough capacity.

02:12 PM GMT

Joining forces with disability ministry wouldn't have made difference, says Badenoch

When asked why she didnt join forces with the minister for disabilities when it became clear disabled people and ethnic minority groups were being impacted disproportionately, Kemi Badenoch said she thought it wouldnt have made a difference.

She told the Inquiry: I think just because youre looking at things separately doesnt mean there is a hierarchy of needs.

The evidence showed that disabled people were more impacted, and we were keen to ensure that it was the people who were most impacted that got the most attention.

02:08 PM GMT

Comforting upset civil servants was my job during pandemic, says top scientific adviser

The Governments top scientist had to comfort civil servants upset by academics they thought were rude during the pandemic, the Covid Inquiry heard.

Read the full story by Neil Johnston and Blathnaid Corless here.

02:00 PM GMT

The Inquiry has resumed

The Covid Inquiry has resumed following a lunch break. Quesitoning of Kemi Badenoch continues.

01:02 PM GMT

Covid Inquiry is breaking for lunch

The Covid Inquiry has finished its morning session. It is due to restart at 1.50pm.

01:00 PM GMT

Badenoch says term BAME 'masked what happened' within different ethnicities

Kemi Badenoch said she had concerns regarding the terminology used in a report published by Public Health England looking at the disparities in risk and outcome of Covid-19.

She said the use of the term BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) masked what was actually happening within different ethnicities by lumping people who are black with people who are Asian.

She said this umbrella term could make it harder to look at the underlying factors causing.

Ms Badenoch said the term completely obscures different bits of information, and from an analysis perspective she said it was not particularly helpful.

12:47 PM GMT

Badenoch sworn in to give evidence

Kemi Badenoch has now been sworn in and is giving evidence to the Inquiry.

Ms Badenoch served as minister for equalities in No10 during the pandemic, until July 2022. She is currently serving as Secretary of State for the Department for Business and Trade.

12:33 PM GMT

Second lockdown a 'terrible moment', Inquiry hears

Dame Angela described the decision to implement the second lockdown as a terrible moment in her written evidence.

She told the Inquiry this was because the thing that we had been trying to avoid by having smaller interventions at lower [Covid] prevalence had had to be done.

It felt like March all over again. We wait until the last possible moment - we delay and delay a decision, and then we have to slam the brakes on as hard as possible with the attendant social costs and economic costs.

12:04 PM GMT

Scientists 'not consulted' about Eat Out to Help Out

Scientists were not consulted about the governments Eat Out to Help Out initiative, Prof Dame Angela McLean has said.

The scheme gave diners a 50 per cent discount at restaurants in August 2020.

Asked what advice she would have given about it, she told the Covid-19 Inquiry: It would have been longer lines of advice that we were giving routinely, which is that there wasnt much room for increasing mixing and the kind of mixing that should be avoided is between households indoors.

So, we would have said could you not find some other way to stimulate the economy?

11:53 AM GMT

Repeat circuit breakers may have been better than long lockdowns

Short circuit-breaker lockdowns would have been more effective than prolonged restrictions during the pandemic, Prof Dame Angela McLean has told the Covid Inquiry.

There were plenty of good reasons why intermittent short lockdowns could well have worked better than the long, harsh lockdowns that we had to live with because we put them off to the last possible moment, she said.

The governments chief scientific adviser said repeat circuit breakers should have been adopted from September 2020 onwards.

This is when we needed to do it, she said.

Interventions that keep a epidemic flat are not as bad, not as damaging as the ones that you have to impose if you have got to get cases down really fast.

That was the time to act and we kept saying so... we couldnt understand why we werent explaining clearly enough that this is what we needed to do.

11:38 AM GMT

UK 'could not have eliminated Covid' like New Zealand

Prof Dame Angela McLean has told the Covid Inquiry that the UK could not have eliminated all Covid cases in the same way as New Zealand and Australia did.

Inquiry counsel Joanne Cecil asked: Looking back now, would elimination have ever been possible based on what is known?

Dame Angela responded: Certainly not after we had seeded the epidemic the way we did after half-term in February.

11:24 AM GMT

Government thought UK was 'halfway through pandemic' in April 2020

The government held mid-way reviews in April 2020 as if the UK was halfway through the pandemic, Prof Dame Angela McLean has told the Covid Inquiry.

The chief scientific adviser said there were concerns at the beginning of the crisis that decision-makers did not understand the seriousness of the virus.

In her witness statement to the inquiry Prof Dame Angela wrote: I do not know what people in Government understand the characteristics of Covid-19 to be, but we were worried that for whatever reasons, decision-makers had not taken on board quite how serious it was.

I remember one early meeting in the MoD where I said that this would take at least 18 months, which was met with disbelief.

There were mid-way reviews in April 2020 as if we were halfway through the pandemic.

11:10 AM GMT

Britain should have gone into lockdown 'two weeks earlier'

Prof Dame Angela McLean has said the government should have introduced lockdown two weeks before it actually did so on 23 March 2020.

Youve already heard from colleagues that it was too late, the governments chief scientific adviser said. So, if we did a with benefit of hindsight exercise here, I would say it should have been two weeks earlier.

That would have made a really huge difference.

Without hindsight, Dame Angela said there was enough information available at the time to justify bringing in lockdown on 16 March.

I think on the 16th, given what we knew about how fast this epidemic was spreading, given what we knew and could surmise about the fact that probably everybody was susceptible to catch it, I think there was enough information on that date to say we need to stop all non-essential contact, she said.

10:57 AM GMT

Hancock, Raab and Gove

Matt Hancock, Dominic Raab and Michael Gove will be among those giving evidence to the Covid Inquiry next week.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham will also appear, alongside former health secretary Sajid Javid.

10:55 AM GMT

Inquiry resumes after break

Proceedings at the Covid Inquiry have resumed after a 15 minute break.

10:55 AM GMT

Treasury could not spot 'egregious errors' in data

The Treasury failed to spot egregious errors in data during the pandemic, Prof Dame Angela McLean has said.

The governments senior scientist said academics created a simple toy model for use in training policymakers about how infectious disease systems work.

However, the Inquiry heard that the Treasury had played around with and changed that model.

In an email exchange in relation to this, Dame Angela said: Given their inability to spot egregious errors in other things they were sent, I do not have any confidence in their ability to hack a simple, sensible, model.

10:29 AM GMT

Care homes outbreak was 'foreseeable'

Asked if the issue of outbreak in care homes during the pandemic was foreseeable, Prof Dame Angela McLean replied: Yes.

She added that Sage had said early on that attention would need to be paid to care homes.

It was clearly going to be an issue, she said.

Of course, at that very early stage we did not have many tools in our pockets for helping and testing would have been one of the few things we could do.

10:24 AM GMT

McLean had to 'paper over the cracks' between academics and civil servants

Prof Dame Angela McLean said there were times she had to paper over the cracks when difficulties arose between academics and civil servants.

Asked if differences in approach caused any difficulties during the pandemic, the Governments chief scientific adviser said: There were several occasions when I had to paper over the cracks, I would say.

It was mostly that an academic on SPI-M-O (Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling, Operational) had told a civil servant why they were wrong in some way that the civil servant felt was rude.

She added that it was her job and she was very happy to do it.

I was in contact with people saying Im sorry, that was upsetting for you. They didnt mean to be rude to you personally. What they were talking about was your work, Dame Angela said.

10:10 AM GMT

Speed of decisions UK's 'most significant pandemic shortcoming'

Prof Dame Angela McLean said there was a lack of appreciation that very quick decisions were needed when it came to dealing with the exponential growth of the virus.

This was the most significant shortcoming in decision-making during the pandemic, she said.

Prof Dame Angela wrote in her witness statement to the inquiry that the approach of watch and wait was, in itself, a decision capable of producing damaging consequences.

She added: From my perspective, this is an important lesson for the future as it represented what appears from my perspective to be the most significant shortcoming in decision-making during the pandemic.

10:03 AM GMT

Rishi Sunak was described as Dr Death by the countrys most senior scientist

Rishi Sunak was described as Dr Death by the countrys most senior scientist during a pandemic crisis meeting that discussed the Eat Out To Help Out scheme, the UK Covid-19 Inquiry heard.

Dame Angela McLean, who became the first female Chief Scientific Adviser earlier this year and sat on the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) during the Covid-19 pandemic, made the comments in private messages to a colleague during a Zoom meeting chaired by Boris Johnson.

During the meeting, titled Should the Government intervene now and if so how?, in September 2020, she also sent a WhatsApp to fellow Sage member Prof John Edmunds where she described Prof Carl Heneghan, a prominent lockdown critic, as a f---wit.

Read the full story by Senior Reporter Neil Johnston.

09:46 AM GMT

Welcome to The Telegraph's live coverage of the Covid Inquiry

Welcome to The Telegraphs live coverage of the Covid Inquiry.

Professor Dame Angela McLean has arrived and is being questioned with Kemi Badenoch expected to appear this afternoon.

Government chief scientific adviser Professor Dame Angela McLean arrives to give a statement to the Covid Inquiry - Lucy North/PA

Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month, then enjoy 1 year for just $9 with our US-exclusive offer.
A train derailed in a small Kentucky town on Wednesday afternoon.

Some train cars were carrying molten sulfur, which caught on fire and released chemicals.

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear declared an ongoing state of emergency.

A CSX freight train derailed in eastern Kentucky Wednesday afternoon, the company said, spilling chemicals and forcing evacuations that have stretched into the Thanksgiving holiday.

16 train cars were involved, two of which were carrying molten sulfur. Because the derailment also started a fire, the spilled sulfur turned into sulfur dioxide, a colorless gas that can cause irritation and even frostbite. One crew member was treated for minor injuries.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency, urging residents of Livingston, Kentucky to evacuate. The fire was only about 50% contained in Rockcastle County as of Thursday morning, and the evacuation order has impacted about a dozen homes so far.

"Due to the train derailment, many families in Livingston in Rockcastle Co. will be displaced for Thanksgiving," Beshear said in a statement on Thursday morning. "Please think about them and pray for a resolution that gets them back in their homes."

CSX is paying for hotels in Mount Vernon, Kentucky as well as holiday meals from local restaurants to help affected families.

"We will work together with the local authorities to secure the area and safety is our top priority as we develop a recovery plan," CSX said in its press release.

Read the original article on Insider
The Gitchie Manitou State Preserve where four people were murdered in 1973.

Editor's note: This is the third in a series of stories on children that Jackie Hendry, producer and host of South Dakota Public Broadcasting's "South Dakota Focus" will write for South Dakota News Watch. Each month, she will preview the show that will air the following week.

This piece contains discussions of violence, sexual assault and suicidal thoughts. If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988 for 24-7 support.

Phil Hamman knew someone died. The rumors began over a November weekend in 1973. He was a sophomore at Sioux Falls Washington High School.

"We'd gotten some word in the neighborhood that some kids from our school had been killed, but we didn't know any details," Hamman remembered. "We thought maybe it was a car accident or something."

The following Monday, as he got ready for school, Hamman heard four names announced on the radio: 18-year-old Stewart Baade; his 14-year-old brother, Dana Baade; 17-year-old Roger Essem; and 15-year-old Mike Hadrath, Hamman's childhood best friend.

"I became physically sick. I went to the bathroom and almost threw up," Hamman said.

All four boys had been shot to death near their campsite in Gitchie Manitou State Preserve, just across the border into northwestern Iowa. A couple driving through the park found their bodies the next morning. At first, there was no suspect or motive.

Hamman went to school to find other students crying in the hallways. All, like him, were shocked and desperate to understand what happened.

"But the teachers were starting to get irritated," Hamman said. "They were yelling at kids. 'Don't talk about this! Just go to class. No more talking about this Gitchie Manitou thing!'"

Hamman said he and other students obeyed without much resistance. Privately, though, friends talked among themselves about who could've done such a terrible thing and why. When the suspects  three brothers  were captured, new questions arose. Turns out, there had been a witness: a 13-year-old girl named Sandra Cheskey.

Cheskey met Essem at a drive-in movie theater earlier that summer, and they'd been smitten with each other ever since. He'd invited her to join him and his three friends for a campfire at Gitchie Manitou the night of Nov. 17, 1973.

Three men, later identified as brothers Allen Fryer, James Fryer and David Fryer, posed as law enforcement. They shot Essem to death before taking the rest hostage. Cheskey was separated from the others, raped and threatened to silence before one of the Fryers dropped her off at her home late at night.

Sandra Cheskey revisits the site Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2013, where she and four friends were hanging out when the Fryer brothers began to shoot at them at Gitchie Manitou State Preserve near Granite, Iowa.

The next day, as rumors began spreading in Hamman's neighborhood that some kids had been killed, Cheskey learned none of the boys made it home. She took her story to the authorities. Despite her fear and the officer's initial doubt to her story, Cheskey played a crucial role in finding the Fryer brothers. She served as the only witness in the subsequent trial that landed each brother with a life sentence.

By age 14, Cheskey had witnessed murder, been raped and faced intense scrutiny throughout the criminal justice process. Rumors spread throughout school that she was somehow responsible for the murders. People called her the Gitchie Girl.

The social stigma remained well after the trail ended.

Decades later, she reached out to Hamman with an idea. The two had crossed paths through the years, and Hamman had written a memoir that included his memories of the Gitchie Manitou murders.

With Cheskey's help, Hamman and his wife, Sandy Hamman, published "Gitchie Girl: The Survivor's Inside Story of the Mass Murders That Shocked the Heartland" in 2016. The book also details Cheskey's struggles after that fateful November night, including suicidal depression and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder that followed her for years.

The publicity that accompanied the book proved Cheskey's instincts correct. The first chapter of 2019's companion book, "Gitchie Girl Uncovered," describes dozens of people at book signings shared their own stories of trauma and survival with her.

Phil Hamman remembered a conversation the two had following the release of "Gitchie Girl." During the 1974 trial, a lawyer advised young Cheskey to keep her head down so journalists posted outside the courthouse couldn't get a good photo of her.

"And she said, 'Phil, for 40 years I've walked with my head down,'" Hamman remembered. "'Now I can finally start walking with my head up.'

Phil Hamman recently retired from 40 years as a public school teacher, mostly in Sioux City, Iowa. He's witnessed how much things have changed since crisis struck his sophomore year.

"It's slowly evolved from, 'You don't talk about this,' to, 'You need to talk about this.

Talking through loss and trauma can mitigate mental health impacts in many cases. Kari Oyen is director of the school psychology program at the University of South Dakota, the only school psychology program in the state.

It's not a matter of if a crisis will touch a particular school population but when, she said.

Oyen said staying silent can have the opposite effect, as Cheskey experienced.

Sandra Cheskey revisits the shelter in the Gitchie Manitou State Preserve in this photo shot on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2013.

"Adolescents are known for trying to seek rewards and approval from peers. If I'm being further socially isolated from my peers, that can make it so I'm even more vulnerable than I was before," she said.

The philosophy surrounding responses to child trauma has certainly changed in the 50 years since the murders at Gitchie Manitou. The challenge now is providing adequate resources.

"We have a lot of kids that are going through a lot of things, and even though there's help, there's not enough help," said Phil Hamman.

Schools serve as a central resource hub for most children. Oyen said 1 in 5 children today has a diagnosable mental illness, but only a quarter of those children receive any kind of treatment. "Of those who do get help, about 75% of them get help at school," she explained.

That help can come in the form of school counselors, social workers and school psychologists. There are nationwide shortages in all three categories. South Dakota is no different, with one school psychologist available for every 1,650 students  about three times the ratio recommended by the National Association of School Psychologists.

 This article was produced by South Dakota News Watch, a non-profit journalism organization located online at sdnewswatch.org.

How to watch 'South Dakota Focus'

The next episode of "South Dakota Focus" airs on Thursday, Nov. 30, at 7 p.m. Central time / 6 p.m. Mountain time. It can be viewed on SDPB-TV 1, Facebook, YouTube and SD.net.

The episode includes:

How support for child victims has changed in schools and the court system since the 1973 Gitchie Manitou murders

How adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can influence a child's future, and how understanding that influence can help break cycles of trauma

Peer support for mental health makes a difference on the Lower Brule Indian Reservation

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Responding to child trauma 50 years after Gitchie Manitou murders
King Charles patted the first ladys arm and said: Hope the dogs are OK. - BEN STANSALL/PA

The King and Queen bonded with the South Korean president and his wife over their mutual love of canines just days after the country vowed to end the sale of dog meat.

Their Majesties bid a warm farewell to president Yoon Suk Yeol and first lady Kim Keon Hee at Buckingham Palace as their three-day state visit drew to a close.

In a sign of how well they got on, the King, 75, patted the First Ladys arm and said: Hope the dogs are OK.

The president, 62, and his wife have a menagerie of 11 pets  six dogs and five cats  some of them rescued strays.

Mrs Kim, 51, has been a vocal critic of dog meat consumption and vowed earlier this year to bring an end to the practice, saying. I think that is my duty.

President Yoon, who once said eating dogs was a matter of personal choice, later changed his position and pledged to work to ban the practice during his election campaigning.

Last week, his government announced that it would impose laws banning the trade by 2027.

In a bid to appease dog meat farm owners, the proposed laws will include a three-year period in which such businesses will be given financial support and helped to switch to other trades, such as cultivating parsley and chillies.

The Queen 76, is similarly fond of dogs and has two beloved terriers, Beth and Bluebell, which she rehomed from the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home.

The Queen rescued Beth (left) and Bluebell (right) from Battersea dogs home - DANNY LAWSON/PA WIRE

On Tuesday, the Queen gave Mrs Kim a pashmina hand embroidered with the Mugunghwa  the national flower of South Korea  and the names of her six dogs, created by embroiderers from The Royal School of Needlework.

It comes after she had images of her own Jack Russell Terriers embroidered in gold thread on her Coronation gown.

As their guests left for the airport, the King, in a smart morning suit ahead of audiences at the Palace, and the Queen, in a bright blue royal dress, waved and smiled from the red carpet at Buckingham Palace.

Mr Yoon thanked the King for his hospitality, giving him a warm double handshake.

Just before stepping into his car, he turned and bowed to the King.

Meeting with veterans

Their Majesties then met four Chelsea Pensioners, all of whom are in their 90s, to thank them for their service during the Korean War.

Peter Fullelove, 90, a veteran of the Black Watch regiment, made the King laugh by discussing how tricky it was as a parachutist to find a clearing in the jungle during operations in Malaya. The monarch had spotted his parachute wings on his red uniform.

Mr Fullelove said: They dropped me in Malaya but the only problem was the bloody trees, you see. It brought a smile to his face anyway.

Sapper John Riley, 91, of the Royal Engineers, was thanked by the King after describing his years of service. We were clearing the minefields and the bridges that were loaded up with explosives over the Imjin River, he said.

George Reed, 91, also of the Royal Engineers, said he had helped Mr Riley to collect the explosives hed collected.

Trevor John, 92, of The Kings (Liverpool) Regiment, told their Majesties how he was seriously wounded in a mortar attack in Korea and airlifted out to a Japanese naval hospital to which the King replied: Its tough.

The four veterans, celebrated as heroes in South Korea, watched proudly earlier as president Yoon and Mrs Kim bid farewell to the King and Queen at the palaces grand entrance.

On Tuesday, the president and first lady thanked the veterans at Westminster Abbey for helping to save their country from a Communist takeover.

Their visit coincided with the 70th anniversary of the armistice of the war.

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 Flash

Chinese Premier Li Qiang attends the Virtual G20 Leaders' Summit and delivers a speech at the meeting, in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 22, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Wednesday attended and delivered a speech at the Virtual G20 Leaders' Summit in Beijing.

Noting the road to global economic recovery is still difficult, Li said China stands ready to work with all parties to uphold the original aspiration of cooperation, respond to the call of the times, and forge ahead to create a better future for humanity.

Li called on G20 members to give high priority to development cooperation and oppose the politicization of development issues.

The premier said that more practical measures should be taken to implement the consensus reached at the 18th G20 Summit in New Delhi.

"It is necessary to coordinate and cooperate more closely, revitalize multilateralism, continue to strengthen macro policy cooperation, and pay more attention to the concerns of developing countries in the reform of the World Trade Organization and the International Monetary Fund," Li said.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang attends the Virtual G20 Leaders' Summit and delivers a speech at the meeting, in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 22, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

Noting China has demonstrated through practical actions its firm determination to promote high-level opening up and to share development opportunities with the world, Li said China will continue to work with all parties in an open and inclusive manner to make greater contribution to world economic recovery and global development and prosperity.

Leaders of G20 members, leaders of guest countries, and heads of relevant international organizations attended the meeting.
The families of some hostages had said they did not want to see the Israeli government agree a partial deal

Israel and Hamas have reached a deal to exchange 50 of the hostages held in Gaza for a four-day pause in fighting.

The agreement should also see 150 Palestinian women and teenagers held in Israeli jails released and an increase in humanitarian aid allowed into Gaza.

The pause was initially expected to start at 10:00 on Thursday, but a top Israeli official now says the hostages will not be freed before Friday.

The US president said the deal would end the hostages' "unspeakable ordeal".

He also said it would "alleviate the suffering of innocent Palestinian families".

The Israeli government vowed to complete its war to eliminate Hamas and return the rest of the more than 200 hostages who Hamas gunmen kidnapped during a cross-border attack on southern Israel on 7 October in which 1,200 people were killed.

Hamas - which Israel, the US and other Western powers class as a terrorist organisation - said the deal would give Palestinians time to recover after an intense Israeli air and ground assault which its government in Gaza has said has killed more than 14,000 people.

Which hostages will be released?

After talks continued into the early hours of Wednesday morning, Israel's coalition government finally signed off on this deal.

A statement from the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that 50 women and children would be released over four days, during which time "a pause in the fighting will be held".

It also offered Hamas an incentive to release more, saying: "The release of every additional 10 hostages will result in one additional day in the pause."

That clause is important for the hostages' families, some of whom had previously told the BBC that they did not want to see a partial deal.

The 50 hostages expected to be released in four batches of 12 will be Israeli nationals or dual nationals, rather than foreigners.

Map showing damaged areas in the Gaza Strip (18 November 2023)

No list of names has been published, but a senior US official told reporters that at least three American citizens - including three-year-old Avigail Idan, whose parents were killed in Kibbutz Kfar Aza - would be among them.

A senior Israeli official said on Tuesday afternoon that Hamas could also unilaterally release the 26 Thai nationals believed to be among the hostages.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has said it is ready to facilitate any releases, as its staff did when Hamas freed two Israeli-American women and two Israeli women last month.

Israeli forces operating inside Gaza have also rescued one female soldier and recovered the bodies of two other female hostages - a soldier and a civilian.

The Israeli government said it would "continue the war in order to return home all of the hostages, complete the elimination of Hamas and ensure that there will be no new threat to the State of Israel from Gaza".

What will happen in Gaza during the pause?

A longer Hamas statement gave more details of what Israeli military action was expected to cease for the duration of what it called a "hudna", or temporary truce.

It said all drone and Israeli aircraft activity was expected to stop for four days in the south of Gaza.

But in the north - which has been the main target of Israeli operations to dismantle Hamas - the same will only hold between 10:00 and 16:00 local time (08:00-14:00 GMT) each day.

Israeli troops and tanks are expected to remain in their positions inside Gaza during the four-day pause, but the Hamas statement said Israeli forces would not attack or arrest anyone.

The deal will allow people in Gaza safe passage from northern areas, like Jabalia refugee camp, to south

For Palestinians in Gaza, 1.7 million of whom have fled their homes according to the UN, a respite in the brutal fighting cannot come soon enough.

The deal will allow 200 lorries carrying aid, four fuel tankers and four lorries carrying gas to enter Gaza via Egypt's Rafah crossing on each of the four days.

But it is understood that the boost in fuel - desperately needed for hospital generators, water desalination and sewage facilities - will only last for as long as the pause.

Israel cut off electricity and most water, and stopped deliveries of food, fuel and other goods to Gaza in retaliation for Hamas's attack.

It has allowed 1,399 lorryloads of humanitarian supplies to enter via Egypt over the past month, compared to a monthly average of 10,000 before the war, according to the UN. It blocked all fuel deliveries until a week ago, saying that it could be stolen by Hamas and used for military purposes.

And although the deal will allow people in Gaza safe passage from north to south, it will not permit the hundreds of thousands of displaced people from the north to return home.

Who are the Palestinian prisoners?

Hamas said that the deal would also see 150 Palestinian prisoners - all women and children - released by Israel.

The Israeli government statement did not mention that, but on Wednesday morning its justice ministry published a list in Hebrew of the names of 300 prisoners eligible for release as part of the deal - based on the possibility that Hamas will agree to free 50 more hostages.

The list comprises 123 boys aged between 14 and 17, one 15-year-old girl, 144 18-year-old men, and 32 women aged between 18 and 59. Most are remanded in custody while awaiting trial on charges that range from stone-throwing to attempted murder.

The family of a young Palestinian prisoner watches TV for updates at their home in Hebron, in the occupied West Bank

The reason the list had to be published is because of a legal formality in Israel. Ahead of any prisoner release, Israeli citizens must be allowed 24 hours to make an appeal to the Israeli Supreme Court.

No serious holdups are expected, but this is why there is a delay in the deal taking effect.

Israel is currently holding about 7,000 Palestinians accused or convicted of security offences, according to Israeli and Palestinian rights groups. Almost 3,000 Palestinians are reported to have been arrested in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, where violence has also surged, since 7 October.

Hamas's statement ended by saying the deal aimed to "serve our people and strengthen their steadfastness in the face of aggression".

It also warned: "Our fingers remain on the trigger, and our victorious fighters will remain on the look out to defend our people and defeat the occupation."
Emilia Zarazua was hospitalized at Loma Linda University Children's Hospital in 2022 with respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Ahead of the winter respiratory virus season, many parents were relieved the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a shot to combat respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, for infants and toddlers this summer.

But the shot is hard to come by.

RSV is a common respiratory virus that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms in most adults who recover in a week or two, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But that's not the case for infants and toddlers, who are at higher risk of the virus becoming severe or life-threatening.

The first vaccine for RSV was approved in May and was targeted for older adults.

Two months later, federal regulators approved the first long-lasting shot for infants younger than 8 months who are entering their first RSV season. According to the CDC, Nirsevimab, which is made by AstraZeneca and sold under the brand name Beyfortus, reduces the risk of severe RSV by 80%. One dose lasts about five months, the length of the average RSV season.

Read more: L.A. County reports first flu death of season, renews call for residents to get vaccinated

The shot does not activate the immune system the way a vaccine would, but instead introduces antibodies to protect against RSV. Health officials with the CDC say once the antibodies are out of a baby's system, the immunity is also gone.

Amid the peak of RSV season, there has been unprecedented demand for the shot and not enough supplies to go around.

The CDC recently announced the release of more than 77,000 additional doses to be distributed immediately to physicians and hospitals through the Vaccines for Children Program. The CDC and FDA are working with drug manufacturers to ensure availability through early next year.

Read more: RSV is on the rise. How to recognize it and treat the symptoms

What preventive measures can parents can take?

Children at high risk include those 6 months and younger, infants born prematurely, those younger than 2 with congenital heart disease and those with weakened immune systems who have neuromuscular disorders, according to the American Lung Assn.

Previously, the only immunization against severe RSV for babies was a shot women could get during weeks 32 through 36 of pregnancy. That shot is still available and recommended September through January.

There also are everyday preventive measures to help reduce the spread of RSV and other respiratory illnesses, according to health agencies such as the CDC, American Lung Assn. and the California Department of Public Health:





Stay home if you're feeling sick.

If you need to leave your home, consider wearing a mask in crowded or indoor areas.

Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

Avoid touching your face with unwashed hands.

Cover your mouth and nose when you cough and sneeze.

Avoid close contact with others, such as kissing, shaking hands and sharing cups and utensils.

Clean frequently touched surfaces, including doorknobs and mobile devices.





Read more: What you need to know as fall vaccinations against COVID, flu and RSV get underway

What are the signs of RSV?

RSV affects both the upper respiratory system, which includes the nose and throat, and the lower respiratory system, which includes the lungs.

The virus is highly transmissible. You can catch it if the droplets from an infected persons cough or sneeze get in your eyes, nose or mouth; if you touch a surface (such as a doorknob) that has the virus on it and then touch your face before washing your hands; or if you have direct contact with the virus (for example, by kissing the face of a child with RSV). Being in crowded places with people who may be infected or having exposure to other children or siblings who may be infected are common ways to pick up the virus.

RSV can survive for many hours on hard surfaces such as tables and crib rails; it has a shorter life span on softer surfaces such as tissues and hands.

A person infected with RSV is usually contagious for three to eight days. However, some infants and people with weakened immune systems can continue to spread the virus for as long as four weeks, even after their symptoms go away, according to the CDC.

Virtually all children get an RSV infection by the time they are 2, but the virus can cause complications, the CDC said.

Health agencies recommend parents reach out to their healthcare provider if their child is showing signs of infection.

According to health officials at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, the most common symptoms are runny nose; fever; cough; short periods without breathing; trouble eating, drinking or swallowing; wheezing, flaring of nostrils or straining of the chest or stomach while breathing; breathing faster than usual or trouble breathing; and turning blue around the lips and fingers.

These symptoms can seem like other health conditions, so the hospital advises parents to have their child see a healthcare provider for a diagnosis.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  The Las Cruces Police Department (LCPD) is inviting potential applicants to meet with recruiters and commissioned officers who can answer questions about the recruiting process and life as a police officer this upcoming Friday and Sunday at Cielo Vista Mall in El Paso.

Recruiters will be at the mall, which is located at 8401 Gateway Blvd. West, from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 24, and from noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 26.

LCPD is accepting applications for cadets interested in participating in the next training academy scheduled to begin in 2024. Applications must be submitted by Dec. 31.

More information can be found on the departments website, at www.CLCPD.com, or by meeting with a recruiter this weekend at Cielo Vista Mall.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.
LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  A firefighter with Las Vegas Fire and Rescue is not only fighting fires but also setting records.

In August, Captain Jacqueline Belluomini took part in the annual Firefighter Challenge. She beat her own record in the womens 40 to 49 female category after taking a six-year break from racing.

She is now a record holder.

They dont have a clock on the course, I was just trying to finish, she said. It is a worldwide event, there are different leagues in different countries.

She says the challenge was first considered a physical fitness test for firefighters and then turned into an official sporting event.

So, I started when I first got hired and I raced for about 10 years, Belluomini said. Last year, one of my friends on the department she came to me and said she would really want to do it, says Belluomini.

Jessica Garboski, also with the Las Vegas Fire and Rescue trained with Belluomini.

Jackie has been a really big mentor of mine and she [has] helped push me beyond limits, Garboski said.

Belluomini told 8 News Now the most difficult part for some women in the race was having to drag a dummy that weighed 165 pounds.

8 News Now Anchor Ozzy Mora tried it herself and can confirm its definitely not as easy as it looks.

So, what it consists of is we are in [and] its supposed to imitate everything we do on the fire ground, Belluomini said.

Firefighters climb about 63 steps to the top of the fire tower while carrying a 42-pound hose. Once they get to the top, they drop the hose while pulling another 42-pound hose on a roll to the top, eventually making their way to the dummy.

And [then] drag it backwards 106 feet, Belluomini said about the course.

Belluomini called it a brotherhood of firefighters.

We need to recruit everybody, theres a shortage, she said.

LVFR Chief Fernando Gray agrees and said there needs to be more female recruits.

From a national perspective about, 6% of career firefighters are female, Gray said.

According to Women in Fire, women made their way into the ranks of seasonal wildland firefighters in the early 70s. About 11,000 women in the U.S. work as career firefighters and officers.

Here in the Las Vegas department, we have 14 percent of our personnel are identifying as female, Gray said.

Belluomini is one of two female captains in her department. Gray thanked her for inspiring a new generation of female firefighters.

And also seeing them thrive as far as getting opportunities, he said.

For Belluomini, her journey is about getting to the finish line.

Belluomini was recently recognized during the Las Vegas City Council meeting. She was thanked for paving a path forward for women and men in fire. She finished the course with a time of two minutes and 28 seconds.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.
LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  Las Vegas police say a man accused of murder shot and killed the man he and his girlfriend bought fentanyl from out of jealousy, according to police documents.

At around 11:20 p.m. on Nov. 11, officers with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department were called to the intersection of Silverheart Avenue and Abbey Drive after reports of a shooting.

Arriving officers and medical personnel found a man with a gunshot wound in his abdomen. Medical personnel pronounced him dead on the scene. He was later identified as Oscar Escobedo.

In surveillance video from the area, detectives heard arguing off-screen, where a mans voice said get on the ground and raise your hands up several times before the sound of five gunshots, according to the arrest report.

Detectives then saw a vehicle accelerate into view of the camera traveling south on Abbey Drive, turning west of Sandstone Drive. Moments later, the video showed the vehicle returning to the crime scene, stopping, then taking off again, the report stated.

Escobedos family told police he was recently divorced, which caused him to start using unknown substances and associate with people who were conducting fraud and forgery crimes involving vehicles, according to the arrest report.

On a cell phone found at the crime scene, detectives found a Facebook Messenger conversation between Escobedo and a Shelly Gonzalez, in which Shelly asked Escobedo for some blues, or fentanyl. Shortly before the shooting, Escobedo received a message from Shelly telling him she was pulling up, the report stated.

A records check showed the vehicle belonged to Tyler Knocke, 28.

Tyler Knocke, 28, faces a charge of open murder. (LVMPD)

Homicide detectives learned that the day before the shooting, Shalisa Ness, 31, called 911 because her boyfriend, Knocke, overdosed on fentanyl at a home in the 1900 block of Jansen Avenue, according to the report. Police saw a vehicle matching the one seen on video at the crime scene at the home.

A booking photo of Ness matched a photograph from the Facebook account of Shelly Gonzalez.

Shalisa Ness, 31, faces several charges. (LVMPD)

On Nov. 17, detectives interviewed Knocke, who said he was the owner of the vehicle, but Ness would occasionally drive him. He told police he and Ness had been together for around five months and lived together in her moms house on Jansen Avenue, the report stated.

Knocke told police that Ness was addicted to drugs and would often cheat on him with various men. Ness described her relationship with Knocke as rocky, because Knocke was jealous and would accuse her of cheating all the time, according to the report.

When police spoke to Ness, she said she wasnt going down for this, before saying Knocke was tripping out on narcotics and wanted more blues, so she reached out to Escobedo, who agreed to meet her, the report stated.

Ness told police she dropped Knocke off several houses away from the meet point because she feared he was going to do something to Oscar. When she met up with Escobedo, he got into the vehicle and gave her the fentanyl.

As Escobedo exited the vehicle, Knocke ran up to the vehicle and pulled him out, yelling at him to get the [expletive] out of the car, before the two started arguing, the report stated. Ness yelled for Knocke to get into the car, but he grabbed her gun and shot toward Escobedo several times.

Knocke got back into the car and the two began driving away before returning to grab Knockes cell phone that he dropped before they drove back to their house, the report stated.

Knocke told police it was not a set-up murder and there was no plan to kill Escobedo. He told police he wanted to confront him about talking to [Ness].

Police arrested Knocke on a charge of open murder. He is held without bail at the Clark County Detention Center. His next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 10.

Ness was also facing a charge of open murder, but it has since been dismissed. She faces one count of mail theft, 10 counts of obtaining or possessing credit or debit card without cardholders consent, and seven counts of possessing documents/persons ID to commit forgery/counterfeit. Her next court appearance is scheduled for Dec. 5.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.
Three more cantaloupe recalls were made Wednesday in relation to a salmonella outbreak that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says has hit 15 states.

Heres what you need to know about this most recent run of recalls.

Wasnt there a cantaloupe recall earlier this month?

In mid-November., Sofia Produce, doing business as Trufresh, pulled Malachita cantaloupes that went to distributors in 10 states and, then, to the retail stores that are customers of those distributors.

READ MORE: Check your cantaloupes in Florida, California and other states. Theres been a recall

Aldi recalled cantaloupes, cantaloupe chunks and pineapple spears sold in stores Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Vinyard Fruit and Vegetable recalled various fruit products sold at Oklahoma stores.

Wednesdays recalls expand on the above.

READ MORE: Listeria outbreak causes recall of fruit sold by many retailers including Albertsons stores, Walmart

What cantaloupes and related products got recalled most recently?

Trufresh expanded its original recall to include cantaloupes sold under the Rudy brand with 4050 on the individual stickers as well as Malichita cantaloupes with 4050 on the stickers.

Trufresh says in its recall notice that these melons were distributed to Florida, California, Texas, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Arizona, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah, Wisconsin and Canada.

Questions about this recall can be directed to Trufreshs Rafael Roiz, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. through 7 p.m., Eastern time, at 520-394-7370.

The stamp on the recalled Rudy cantaloupes FDA

Another one of the stickers on recalled Malichita cantaloupes FDA

Crown Jewels Produce out of Fresno, California, recalled all sizes of 1960 boxes of Malichita/Z Farms cantaloupes sold from Oct. 31 through Nov. 9. These went to Ohio and California retail stores and wholesalers. The stickers on the whole cantaloupes have Malichita. They came to the stores in cardboard cartons with a faux wood look and stickers with Agropecuaria Malichita on the boxes.

For questions about this recall, phone Crown Jewels Rod Sbragia at 520-281-2325, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Eastern time.

The boxes with Malichita/Z Farms recalled cantaloupes. FDA

The CF Dallas company used Trufresh cantaloupes in making RaceTracs Fruit Medley and eight fruit-in-plastic products sold under Walmarts Freshness Guaranteed brand: Seasonal Blend; Melon Trio; Melon Mix; Fruit Blend; Fruit Bowl; Fruit Mix; Seasonal Fruit Tray; and Cantaloupe Chunks. Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Illinois, Texas, and Louisiana.

A label for recalled Walmart Freshness Guaranteed Cantaloupe Chunks FDA

The label on the recalled RaceTrac Fruit Medley FDA

All of these, with best by dates from Nov. 7 through Nov. 12, have been recalled.

Though all the products have expired, CF Dallas FDA-posted recall notice says buyers might have frozen them. If theyre in your refrigerator or freezer, return them to the store for a full refund.

If you have questions, call CF Dallas at 281-651-5400, ext. 5400, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday.

About salmonella and the current outbreak linked to cantaloupes

Among foodborne illnesses, salmonella is one of the most common, infecting about 1.35 million Americans each year, according to the CDC. Of those, about 26,500 wind up in the hospital and about 420 die. Usually, youll just experience fever, stomachaches and diarrhea for four to seven days. The time from ingesting salmonella to infection can be six hours to six days.

Avoiding salmonella is behind the food safety advise to wash hands, counter tops and food contact surfaces regularly, especially while working with raw turkey, raw chicken or eggs. Also, make sure your poultry is cooked to an inner temperature of 165 degrees.

The current outbreak, as of Tuesdays CDC update, has infected 43 people, 17 of which have been hospitalized, in 15 states. Arizona leads with seven people, but the next four states with the most sickened are in the Midwest: Minnesota and Missouri each have five people ill, Illinois and Wisconsin each have four. Kentucky and Texas each have three. Two Georgians have been hit. California, Maryland, Ohio, Washington, Virginia and Oklahoma each have one person ill.

What you should do now

If you have any of the cantaloupes recalled above, return them to the seller or, at least, throw them in the garbage and make sure your pets cant get to them. Obviously, if you feel symptoms of salmonella very intensely, go to an urgent care, emergency room or your medical professional.
The Latvian parliament approved the extension of assistance for Ukrainian refugees, such as housing and food, until the end of 2024, the national broadcaster LSM reported on Nov. 23.

Over 30,000 Ukrainian refugees have been registered in Latvia to date, according to U.N. data.

The same bill also enables parliament-owned movable property, such as cars, to be transferred as assistance to Ukraine.

It will also allow other official bodies to transfer movable property to Ukraine free of charge, provided the government's approval.

Since February, Latvian law has enabled the state to send cars confiscated from drunk drivers to Ukraine.

The country has also banned vehicles under Russian registration, ruling that any Russian cars will be confiscated and handed over to Ukraine.

Read also: Opinion: What to do about Ukraines brain drain

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Latvia will be able to transfer movable property to Ukraine, in particular cars in the possession of the Seima, as well as extend primary assistance to residents of Ukraine who arrived in Latvia for another year.

Source: European Pravda with reference to the LSM.lv

Details: This follows from the final reading of the amendments to the law on the support of the Ukrainian civilian population.

Since mid-February, the law has allowed the Latvian state to transfer to Ukraine cars confiscated from drunk drivers, and it has already done this more than once. In addition, self-government has the right to donate financial resources or property to the country fighting off the attack of the Russian Federation.

The amendments adopted today by the Saeima in the final reading allow other official structures to transfer movable property to Ukraine free of charge; for this, in each case, an appropriate decision of the Cabinet of Ministers will be needed. The Saeima itself, under the new regulation, will be able to transfer its property to Ukraine, making decisions independently on the basis of the standards governing the work of the parliament.

LSM.lv notes that, judging by the information in the Electronic Procurement System, 71 pieces of equipment are in the possession of the Seima, and in November, the purchase of OCTA policies for more than 60 cars, a freight van, two trailers and a tractor was announced. For the most part, the parliament owns Audi A6 cars.

The same amendments extended until the end of 2024 the programme of primary care, in particular housing and food, for Ukrainian refugees arriving in Latvia.

Background: On 23 November, the Saeima of Latvia unanimously adopted a statement of support for the start of negotiations on the accession of Ukraine and Moldova to the EU.

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Since 2020, there have been 1,052 reports of a crime involving a knife in Jersey

A "prevalence" of knife crime in Jersey schools has prompted a proposed amendment to legislation.

Home Affairs Minister, Deputy Helen Miles, has proposed a series of changes to the Public Order Law.

States of Jersey Police said in the proposal, that since 2020, there had been 1,052 reports of a crime involving a knife - 25% were in a public place and 6% of those took place in schools.

If approved, the proposed draft Crime (Public Order) Law would replace the current Firearms (Jersey) Law 2000 - carrying an offensive weapon in a public place without lawful excuse - to include schools.

The new law would also be extended to include carrying "a blade or sharply pointed" weapon as an offence, in line with laws in the UK and Guernsey.

"The extension of this offence into school premises seeks to satisfy the legitimate aim of protecting children, and the public generally, from harm and is proportionate for this purpose," the report said.

Ms Miles said the public order laws were "outdated, and have needed to be updated for some time".

She said: Statistics from the States of Jersey Police show that between 2019 and 2023 to date, a quarter of logged incidents that refer to a knife happened in a public place and, of those, around 6% relate to school premises.

This is a relatively small number and not a cause for alarm, but it is important that we have legislation in place in the event it is needed.

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN)  As technology evolves, so do the criminals who use it to exploit people. Artificial intelligence is no different. Criminals are using it. But so is law enforcement so they can stay one step ahead.

It was during the quiet early hours of Christmas morning 2020 when a bomb went off, killing the bomber and destroying Second Avenue and Commerce Street. In the initial days and weeks, artificial intelligence played a critical role in the investigation.

One of the great advantages of AI for us is video review, said FBI Supervisor Special Agent Kevin Varpness.

Varpness works in the Nashville FBI office. In past investigations, his team would have to go through thousands of hours of security camera video from that bombing, carefully combing it for suspect clues and motivations, but not with AI.

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Now we can have machines go through it like that, said Varpness, snapping his fingers. So it ingests large volumes of this video and is able to pick out certain parts more relevant than others that vastly saves swaths of time.

This form of AI has helped the Feds investigate the Las Vegas mass shooting  the deadliest in American history.

As well as the Austin serial bomber, an event that terrorized Texas for weeks. But its not just criminals at home who can exploit AI, Varpness says hes deeply concerned about foreign actors.

Im highly concerned about Chinas use of AI. What theyre currently doing even with their surveillance system, and what I know theyre trying to do with big data.

He says China has a number of tactics to steal our artificial intelligence. One is as easy as doing business in the U.S. A Chinese company can purchase an American tech startup, obtain the AI technology, and that whole transaction is perfectly legal.

The Peoples Republic of China is the greatest threat to the United States right now.

 Read todays top stories on wkrn.com

As open-sourced AI platforms expand, the fear is that it can also target individuals, including our children. Take sextortion  a criminal using a nude picture or video of a child in order to get money from that young victim. With a new type of AI-generated deep fake that photograph doesnt even have to be real.

If they get your picture, they can put it on another persons body and the AI could make that look real. But, now they even have AI out there that can artificially generate a body, so its definitely a real problem, said Varpness. Its a terrible situation to be in.

Heres a website youll want to know if you or a loved one are ever a victim: www.IC3.gov. Put in the details of your crime, and law enforcement will review it. This portal also helps them connect the dots and see if they have a larger case.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.
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People cast their votes at a polling station in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Nov. 22, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

The Party for Freedom (PVV) led by Geert Wilders is leading the 2023 Dutch parliamentary elections, according to a first exit poll cited by Dutch public broadcaster NOS on Wednesday.

The PVV is on a predicted 35 of the 150 seats in the House of Representatives, the lower house of the parliament. The Green Left-Labor alliance led by Frans Timmermans is second on a predicted 26 seats.

The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), which won the previous four elections with outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte, is forecast to end up with 23 seats with its new leader Dilan Yesilgoz-Zegerius. The New Social Contract (NSC) led by Pieter Omtzigt ranked the fourth with 20 seats.

"The biggest party!" Wilders said in a victory speech. "The voter has spoken. The Dutch people want their country back. The Dutch people will be number one again."

If confirmed, the PVV, founded in 2006, is set to become the biggest party in the Netherlands.

The result came unexpected as the latest polls predicted a close match between the PVV, the VVD and Green Left-Labor alliance.

In the previous elections held in 2021, Rutte's VVD won with 34 seats, before the Democrats 66 (D66) that won 24 seats and the PVV with 17 seats.

D66, led by Rob Jetten, is now predicted to get 10 seats, according to the latest exit poll. The farmers' movement BoerBurgerBeweging (BBB) and the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) will get seven and five seats respectively.

The official results of the 2023 Dutch parliamentary elections are expected to be announced on December 1.
(Bloomberg) -- Frances Marine Le Pen said the victory of far-right lawmaker Geert Wilders in Dutch elections shows that there are growing demands to curb immigration and opposition to the European Union.

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Wilders said he plans to lead the next government in the Netherlands after his anti-European Union Freedom Party more than doubled its number of seats in parliamentary elections.

More and more countries at the heart of the EU contest how it works and want to again take control of immigration that many people in Europe see as massive and totally anarchic, Le Pen said on France Inter radio Thursday. The EU has become an obese technocratic structure.

Le Pens party, called Rassemblement National, is leading opinion polls in France for European elections scheduled in June. The party would get the vote of 28% of those surveyed, well ahead of the 19% support recorded by French President Emmanuel Macrons party and its allies, according to a poll published on Nov. 20 by OpinionWay for Les Echos and Radio classique.

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EL PASO, Texas (EL PASO MATTERS)  Loretta Lyn Hewitt, an El Paso assistant district attorney who was hired about a year ago as the lead prosecutor overseeing the Walmart shooting case, has resigned, multiple sources told El Paso Matters.

The sources asked not to be identified because theyre not authorized to speak publicly about the matter.

Neither Hewitt nor District Attorney Bill Hicks could be reached for comment.

Hewitt becomes the ninth state prosecutor assigned to the Walmart case to resign or be taken off the case, which has been pending since 2019.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.
The head of the Fair Russia  For Truth party, Sergey Mironov, and his wife "adopted" aten-month-old girl deported from Ukraine, subsequently changing her name, BBC reported.

Mironovs wife, Inna Varlamova, arrived in Kherson in August 2022. She visited the Kherson Regional Childrens Hospital and was shown two children, ten-month old Margarita Prokopenko, and two-year-old Ilya Vashchenko. Margarita was being treated for bronchitis at the time. Shortly after, the children were discharged and abducted to Russia.

Russia claims the children were taken to Moscow for examination, determination of further treatment tactics, and rehabilitation.

Mironov and Varlamova adopted Margarita in December 2022, changing her name to Marina Sergeyivna Mironova, and altering her birthplace from Kherson to Podilsk, near Moscow.

Read also: How the Russians 're-educate' young Ukrainians

Margaritas biological mother was deprived of parental rights and her father passed away. She has no other relatives. There is no complete information available about Ilya. A new birth certificate was forged for him in September 2023. Both children are currently in Moscow.

According to the Ukrainian state platform Children of War, as of Sept. 27, at least 19,546 children have been deported or forcibly displaced by Russia.

In total, the number of Ukrainian children illegally taken to Russia could reach 16,000 to 300,000, says the European Parliament. MEPs believe that Russians began taking Ukrainian children back in 2014 when they started their military occupation of Ukraines Crimea and parts of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
The recent electoral victories of Javier Milei and Geert Wilders have focused attention on right-leaning populists, once again on the march. But left-leaning populists are also gaining political strength in many nations. And the serious threat they pose to the Western elite consensus is even more dangerous.

Populism is not an ideology. It is rather an approach to politics that can be used by all sorts of ideologies. Populists left, right, and center tend to blame societies ills on a broken or corrupt set of institutions, led by out of touch elites. They also tend to argue they represent the real people or the nation. In that sense, America First and the Scottish Nationalist Party are both populist despite their wildly divergent philosophies.

The right-leaning part of this phenomenon has garnered much attention in recent years. Thats partly understandable because of Brexit and Donald Trump. Yet election wins by Viktor Orban in Hungary, Georgia Meloni in Italy, and others have received outsized attention as insiders fret about their supposed threats to liberal democracy. Left-leaning populists, however, have been overlooked even though they espouse as or even more radical views than the rightists.

Irelands Sinn Fein is a case in point. This leftist nationalist party surprisingly finished first in the 2020 election and has led in Irish polling averages since late that year. It was perceived as the political wing of the terrorist Irish Republican Army for decades and has never renounced that linkage. Yet one hears almost nothing about the increasing likelihood that it will lead the next Irish government, with all that might imply for a nation that hosts many American companies seeking a low tax entry into the European Union.

Sinn Feins victory would put Ireland far outside any mainstream consensus on foreign and economic policy. It still agitates for uniting Ireland, which places it in direct conflict with Northern Irelands ruler, Great Britain. Its democratic socialist economic policy envisions immediate and significant increases in government spending, financed by large tax increases on individuals making more than 100,000 euros a year. It tilted towards placating Russias ambitions regarding Ukraine prior to the 2022 invasion. And it is so supportive of so-called liberation movements worldwide that it unabashedly backs Hamas in its war with Israel and has called for the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador.

Frances national leftist party, La France Insoumise, has similarly dangerous views. It, too, has sided with Hamas, refusing to label the October 7 attack as terrorism, and has long viewed Russias Vladimir Putin as someone to deal with rather than to oppose. It calls for a new constitution that would involve the drawing of lots: including people selected at random to become deputies in the National Assembly. It also would seek to withdraw France from Nato and refuse to implement European Union rules that conflict with its agenda.

Right-leaning populist Marine LePen is regularly castigated for having expressed similar views in the past. Yet LFIs leader, Jean-Luc Melenchon is barely known in America even though he twice almost bested LePen for a spot in the French presidential runoff election.

Leftist populism is even gaining momentum in Europes most powerful country, Germany. A former leader of Die Linke, a party that grew out of East Germanys ruling Socialist Unity Party, Sahra Wagenknecht, has recently formed a new political party. This new entity combines far-left economics with the anti-immigrant and anti-green policies of the right-populist Alternative for Germany (AfD in German). Like AfD, Wagenknechts new party also opposes German support for Ukraine and wants a rapprochement with Russia. Polls show it would win 14 per cent in the next election, surpassing the Greens and on the heels of the Social Democrats to become Germanys largest party on the left.

Wagenknechts emergence demonstrates the clear double standard that often applies to coverage of leftist populist leaders and parties. Her old party was formed by former East German Communists, and she herself was a member of that party before the fall of the Berlin Wall. Italian Prime Minister Georgia Melonis membership in a party that traces its lineage to post-fascist parties is still noted in media coverage. Wagenknechts past Communism, like Sinn Feins terrorist past, is often glided over or ignored. Why the difference?

This disparity is even more problematic given how right-leaning populists have actually behaved in power. Meloni is a firm backer of Ukraine and is on good terms with European allies. Polands populist, the Law and Justice Party, have been leaders in backing Ukraine and have presided over the fastest growing economy in the EU Populist-backed governments in every Scandinavian country have not played footsie with Putin or pulled away from engagement with the European Union. The outsized fear towards one set of populism while neglecting the views of another is deeply problematic.

Those of us who love Western values must back those who support them and condemn those who oppose them regardless of their ideological provenance. The danger posed by leftist populism is growing stronger and deserves much stronger attention than has hitherto been offered.

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More than 53,000 has been raised since the deaths of Dean, 48 and Charlie Lowe, 11, in August

A fund has been set up in memory of a father and son who died after being hit by a vehicle when walking home.

The family of Dean, 48, and Charlie Lowe, 11, said two charity events had raised more than 53,000 since their deaths in August, and the Jersey Community Foundation (JCF) would now manage the funds.

The grant-giving charity said the Lowe Legacy Fund would "promote accessibility to the arts and music", as well as support disadvantaged communities in Jersey.

Ashleigh, Dean's fiancee and Charlies mother, said the family had been "overwhelmed" by the public support.

"During a time of profound grief and shock, it has been such a comfort and a point of pride to see how loved my son and his father were within our community," she said.

JCF chief executive Anna Terry said it would work to "ensure the fund encapsulates the strong spirit of both Dean and Charlie".

She added: "We hope that the good work done through the Lowes Legacy Fund will go some way to help our community heal.

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Congressional obstructionists should be censured or expelled

The threats by the House Freedom Caucus to block funding for the next fiscal year show a callous disregard for our service members, federal law enforcement, and other essential workers who are REQUIRED to work without pay.

That smacks of "involuntary servitude" which was eliminated by the 13th Amendment except as a criminal penalty. In a shutdown, these personnel are required to show up for work, do their jobs, and go without pay. How is that fair in any scenario?

Congress is telling these people that they are needed but not worthy of being paid for their labor. That is simply unacceptable. If a person works, they should be paid...PERIOD!

This group of scorched-earth, irresponsible obstructionists should be censured or expelled for dereliction of duty to their constituents and the country. Their attempted extortion of more concessions from the Speaker shows that they would rather burn the place down than give an inch.

Let us hope and pray that calmer, more rational heads prevail and that consensus can be reached on funding the government on a timely basis rather than these last minute derailments of the budgetary process.

Ernie Frazo, Bloomington

Is this governing?

The GOP remains hopelessly tarnished and dysfunctional by the chaotic inability to select a leader for more than three weeks.

Now the House is led by climate-denying congressional rookie Speaker Mike Johnson, who was effectively nominated by ex-Pres. CG Orange Guy and who was a key congressional figure in promoting voter fraud and denying the results of the 2020 election. An evangelical Christian determined to restrict the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals. An ultra-conservative who supports a nationwide abortion ban. A MAGAn authoritarian who represents the suppression of voters and the destruction of democracy and the rule of law.

With 10 legislative extremists who have full command of the House, what's the over/under on the length of the government shutdown after Nov. 17? How many bills do you think the House will pass that will be passed by the Senate and signed by the President? How long will Mike Johnson last as Speaker? Is this governing? Wanna change?

We don't need a GOP bootlicker representing Indiana's 9th Congressional District. We need a Democrat.

Jeff Kaden, Bloomington

Editor's note: On Nov. 16, Congress passed and President Joe Biden signed a stopgap measure funding the government into 2024. The temporary funding package created two deadlines, Jan. 19 for some federal agencies and Feb. 2 for others.

One last monstrosity from Hamilton

The demise of Mayor Hamiltons 40-foot obelisk in Miller-Showers Park means that our lame duck mayor has less than two months to come up with another insanity.

I suggest that, in lieu of a 40-foot obelisk, the city erect a 40-foot statue of Our Glorious Leader in observation to his dubious policies. I further suggest that rather than being erected in Miller-Showers Park, the statue be placed in the middle of Seventh Street to highlight Hamiltons most egregious achievement. Or it might be placed in the middle of Cascades Drive, or on either of a two-way College Avenue or Walnut Street  whatever would be the more disruptive of traffic. Or in lieu of one enormous statue I suggest a number of smaller statues in the areas of the county threatened by annexation.

All of these dubious achievements sprang from Hamiltons reliance on consultants. By their very nature, consultants have to recommend changes. To justify their fees they cannot simply report that everything is just fine as it is.

Then, after spending all that money, the city feels obligated to implement the consultants recommendations no matter how ludicrous.

It is hoped the new city administration will be less reliant on out-of-town consultants.

Charles Aiken, Bloomington

Thank you to our departing City Council members

As the year wraps up, so, too, do the terms of a number of city council members who are deserving of our thanks.

Susan Sandberg, Sue Sgambelluri, Jim Sims, Ron Smith and Steve Volan have faithfully served their community for years. These five individuals have had their own sets of priorities, demonstrated unique approaches to government, and voted their consciences.

Even through occasional differences, what theyve always had in common is a dedication to making ours a better place to live for all our neighbors.

One or two of them might have shaved a few years off my life when I was mayor, but thats the job of a legislator  to provide oversight and insist upon accountability. Im confident each of these public servants will continue to contribute to Bloomingtons best interests in the future.

Thanks very much to each of them and best of luck to those who succeed them in doing this important job.

Mark Kruzan, Bloomington

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Letters: Congress, consultants and city council
Visitors browse through books and records inside of the Last Bookstore in Downtown Los Angeles. (Kailyn Brown / Los Angeles Times)

To the editor: My favorite edition of The Times is any in which a column by Patt Morrison appears. Her pieces gift us true stories of our citys fascinating (and sometimes forgotten) history  this time, it's independent bookstores. ("Dont let anybody diss L.A.s reading habits. This was and is a bookstore boomtown," Nov. 14)

My favorite line: "Wandering through a real bookstore promises the element of surprise, and lets you discover and cultivate interests you never knew you had." Bingo!

What a rush of memories Morrison brought back for me: Campbell's in Westwood while I was at UCLA, Dutton's Books in Brentwood when I was newly married, Village Books in Pacific Palisades as a young mother, Bart's Books in Ojai on weekend jaunts with girlfriends, and finally, far away from L.A., a few jewels here in Santa Barbara  Book Den, Chaucer's Books and Tecolote Book Shop.

These places each sold me books, but the experiences at them make up the lasting memories.

Diane Graham, Santa Barbara

..

To the editor: I read with delight Morrisons piece on bookstores in Los Angeles. It brought back the anecdote my father used to tell.

When he was doing his internship as a young physician, he loved books but had no money to buy them. He would walk from California Hospital on Hope Street just south of downtown L.A. to Fowler Brothers and climb a ladder to the upper shelves. He'd stash his current read there and sit atop the ladder, reading for hours.

He was sure the owners were on to him but were too kind to expel a book lover, even a Depression-poor one.

Meg Quinn Coulter, Los Angeles

..

To the editor: The Times still delights. Reading Morrison's story about bookstores in Los Angeles brought to mind fond memories of Fowler Brothers.

I spent the summer of 1959 between my last two years of high school working as the freight elevator operator in the Park Central Building on West 6th Street, where Fowler's was on the ground floor.

I spent most lunch hours perusing books, atlases and other delights. I was always most welcome, and they offered me a discount on purchases.

To this day, I read a book a week  alas, mostly on my Kindle.

Alan Miller, Santiago, Chile

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
To the editor: As Board President of the Plumery, a nonprofit whose mission is to provide a haven for displaced and relinquished parrots, I am grateful for the Nov. 18 opinion piece "I love L.A.'s noisy parrots. Poachers should leave these wild creatures alone."

No one can really validate how parrot colonies in Southern and Central California became established. But a few are thriving, finding environments that support how they live and what they eat.

At Carpinteria's Avocado Festival last October, three of us from the Plumery talked with people from neighborhoods mentioned in the opinion piece. They all loved having parrots nearby and in their backyards, giving them a bird's-eye view into the joyful life of these exotic avians.

The despicable poachers capturing these innocent parrots only serve to illustrate how objectification and commodification have replaced ethics and empathy. The pain and suffering they cause are not only unforgivable, but also criminal.

Leslie Rugg, Santa Barbara

..

To the editor: Several years ago, one of our local green parrots flew down from an oak tree in my yard and perched on my shoulder. It spent the afternoon with me, even going into the house with me for a glass of water. After several hours it flew back up to the oak and then off to the east.

Our local troupe passes through occasionally, and I always hope my friend will stop in again. It may be an immigrant, but its ancestors were on the continent well before mine.

John Sherwood, Topanga

..

To the editor: I was delighted to read the article about the feral parrots that have made Alhambra their home. Better parrots than peacocks, I always say.

We bought our house here in 1975, and for decades crows and their extended families have lived rent-free in the huge pine tree in our front yard. One day about six years ago, we heard loud, frantic caws, rattles and clicks coming from the old tree, and the racket went on for hours.

The next day, the crows were gone, and the bright green parrots had taken up residency.

Evidently, the victorious but flighty parrots didnt much care for their new digs, because they've since taken up permanent residence in my neighbor's backyard palm tree.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention: The crows are back.

Ramona Saenz, Alhambra

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Several online publications and social media users are urging Americans to reconsider the Thanksgiving holiday while alleging the holiday is a symbol of "colonization" and "racism."

"Lets drop the lie of Thanksgiving and begin a Truthsgiving," a social media post from The Nation read this week that linked to an article with the headline: "Should America Keep Celebrating Thanksgiving?"

In the article, author Sean Sherman, argues that Americans should "decolonize Thanksgiving."

"For many Americans, the image of Thanksgiving is one of supposed unity: the gathering of Pilgrims and Indians in a harmonious feast," Sherman, a member of the Oglala Lakota Nation, explains. "But this version obscures the harsh truth, one steeped in colonialism, violence, and misrepresentation. By exploring the Indigenous perspective on Thanksgiving, we can not only discern some of the nuances of decolonization but gain a deeper understanding of American history."

5 COMMON MISTAKES WHEN COOKING A TURKEY ON THANKSGIVING: CHEF LEAH COHEN REVEALS HOW TO AVOID THEM

The tradition of Thanksgiving in America dates back to 1621.

Sherman writes that Americans, in order to avoid the "tremendous distress to those of us who are still reeling from the trauma" of the Pilgrims landing in America, by promoting the "nutritional and culinary diversity" of Native American foods and "centering the Indigenous perspective and challenging the colonial narratives around the holiday."

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

The Nations social media post drew strong pushback on social media from users rejecting that Thanksgiving is a symbol of colonization.

INDUSTRY EXPERT WARNS THANKSGIVING FLIGHTS COULD BE 'UNSAFE' AS RECORD NUMBER OF TRAVELERS PREPARE FOR TAKEOFF

Thanksgiving meal.

"It's starting to sound like 'decolonization' just means ruining any and every tradition and fun time, to be replaced by the narcissistic, jargon-filled rantings of 20-somethings whose infallible knowledge of the world is informed by TikTok," writer and podcaster Meghan Murphy responded on X .

Other outlets have run similar headlines, including Delish.com, which posted an article in late October titled: "The Dark Truth Behind the Origins of Thanksgiving."

In the story, the author outlines how the holiday is "not what you learned in school" and provides ways for Americans to celebrate Thanksgiving differently.

"For example: Seek out Native American authors, activists, artists, and chefs, and support in their work," the author writes. "Listen to and uplift their perspectives and make sure your support goes beyond Thanksgiving and holidays like Indigenous Peoples Day."

CRINGEWORTHY THINGS YOUR FAMILY DOESN'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT THIS THANKSGIVING

President Biden, right, speaks after pardoning the National Thanksgiving Turkey, Liberty, during a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Monday.

This week, an article by Jason Nichols with the headline "Decolonize Thanksgiving" was published in Newsweek that argued Thanksgiving is an important holiday that should not be lost but "truth should triumph over nationalistic narratives."

"And the truth about Thanksgiving should be learned by all Americans, as it is a part of our complicated history of savage betrayal and removal of indigenous people and the colonization of their land," Nichols, a full-time lecturer in the African American Studies department at the University of Maryland, College Park, wrote.

"Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to spend with family and friends, but we owe it to our indigenous forefathers to know its history," Nichols wrote, while pointing out that "even if the initial feast was dedicated to peace, the settlers decimated the Wampanoag and other New England indigenous groups soon after through war and disease."

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Abraham Lincoln, in a stirring call to spiritual unity amid the carnage of the Civil War , issued an emotionally powerful Thanksgiving proclamation on Oct. 3, 1863.

The president invited Americans at home and abroad "to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens."

The tradition of Thanksgiving in America dates back to the first Pilgrim and Wampanoag feast of 1621. President George Washington proclaimed a day of Thanksgiving exactly 74 years before Lincoln's decree on Oct. 3, 1789.

Fox News Digital's Kerry J. Byrne contributed to this report.





Original article source: Liberal columnists call for Americans to 'decolonize Thanksgiving,' promote 'Truthsgiving'
There were tears and anger from the family of Johnny Hollman after Atlanta police released bodycam video of the moments that ultimately led to his death.

They said the videos release shows a story that doesnt fit what Atlanta police said happened that night.

For months, the Hollman family wanted the public to see the police body-worn camera video of what happened to their father.

This is what we are facing every day and to do it around the holidays tell me  Its around the holidays. How we supposed to digest that? daughter Arnita Hollman said.

Video they say is contrary to what APD said, that Hollman wouldnt sign the ticket and that he was belligerent on that August evening when Hollman called the police after a minor traffic accident.

However, you can hear the officer ask him to sign it multiple times before Tasing him.

Because yall see they lied. They lied and everybody can see that now, Arnitra Hollman said.

After Hollman died, the medical examiner ruled his death a homicide.

In a statement Wednesday, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens expressed his condolences to the Hollmans and went on to talk about policy changes after Hollmans death.

But the Hollmans wanted more.

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The statement that the mayor issued, I think the family was disappointed. They were hoping this would be an opportunity for him to part ways (with) some with the Atlanta Police Department, from its version of what happened, family attorney Mawuli Davis said.

The family is now planning for their next steps. They want to see the officer prosecuted and theyre angry they wont have their father at the table this Thanksgiving.

Kiran Kimbrough, hes going to sit at the table with his family. Hes going to eat a meal, hes going to talk and theyre going to have memories, but were not going to have that, Arnitra Hollman said.

Atlanta and Dickens say the incident has sparked several policy changes. Theyve revised policy allowing officers to write refusal to sign rather than making an arrest.

The department is also expediting the launch of its civilian response unit, allowing unarmed, trained civilians to respond to low-risk calls.

The department said theyve also developed new policies between the District Attorneys Office and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation when considering the release of video evidence in the use of force cases.

RELATED NEWS:




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People mourn a victim killed in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis, on Nov. 15, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

Israel announced on Wednesday that it will resume its offensive in the Gaza Strip immediately after the implementation of the newly clinched truce deal to release hostages.

"We are at war with Hamas, a war that was launched with the Oct. 7 Hamas' massacre and that will continue," said Eylon Levy, spokesperson for the Israeli government, during a press conference.

Levy said that the war will "immediately" resume after the full implementation of the truce deal and the release of the hostages planned under the agreement.

Israeli and Hamas officials were still working on Wednesday night to finalize the last details of a temporary truce deal.

The four-day truce is set to come into effect on Thursday, but as of Wednesday night, the exact hour for the commencement of the ceasefire has not been officially announced. Moussa Abu Marzouk, a Hamas senior official told Al Jazeera on Wednesday that the cease-fire in Gaza will begin Thursday at 10:00 a.m. local time (0800 GMT).

Additionally, specific details regarding the release of at least 50 children and women held by Hamas militants in Gaza, as well as at least 150 Palestinian women and teenage prisoners in Israeli custody, were not confirmed.

Head of Israel's National Security Council Tzachi Hanegbi confirmed in a statement that talks on the specific details of the deal were still ongoing. "The (hostage) release will begin according to the original agreement, and not before Friday," he said.

Chief of Israel's intelligence agency Mossad, David Barnea, traveled to Qatar, a country that does not have official ties with Israel, for talks on the details of the deal, according to a statement released by the Israeli government.

In the early hours of Wednesday morning, the Israeli government voted to accept the Qatar-mediated deal with Hamas for hostage release and a temporary cease-fire.

During the truce, both Israel and Hamas will halt the fighting. The conflict has seen massive destruction in Gaza, including whole neighborhoods razed by Israeli strikes, and the killing of at least 14,532 people, mostly civilians, according to official Palestinian figures. According to Israeli figures, about 1,200 people were killed and about 240 others were held as hostages during the Hamas attacks on southern Israel that triggered the conflict.

Levy said that each day during the cease-fire, Israel and Hamas would exchange lists of hostages and prisoners to be released on the next day. The hostages would be transferred to the Red Cross and then to Israeli forces. Later, Palestinian prisoners would be released.

The first group of hostages will include 8-13 people, according to the Hebrew-language Ha'aretz newspaper. Levy said they would be taken first for a medical checkup.

For each additional 10 hostages that Hamas would release, Israel would offer an additional day of ceasefire, said Levy.

Israeli media reported that 200-300 truckloads of fuel and aid would enter Gaza daily. Levy said that during the truce, Israel would put no constraint on the entry of humanitarian aid into the coastal enclave, which Israel cut off from electricity, fuel, food, and water since the beginning of the conflict.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the deal in a statement, saying it was "an important step in the right direction, but much more needs to be done to end the suffering."
Residents of West Orange, New Jersey, have been left heartbroken after a wild turkey named Turkules, whose resilient nature and ability to evade capture brought the town together, was finally snared by state officials.

Turkules, who was named by a local man, first took up residence in West Orange, 25 miles west of New York City, over the summer. The birds fearless attitude towards traffic and disregard for authority soon made him a local celebrity, and his fame only grew as Turkules spent weeks outwitting animal control officers.

Related: Moose on the loose in Minnesota entrances wildlife watchers

Standing at 3ft tall, with a vibrant red wattle and a wingspan of more than a yard, Turkules claimed a patch of grass, next to a busy road, as his own. He soon became known for his tendency to wander into the road, causing all sorts of commotion.

On Facebook and Instagram, people regularly posted photographs and videos of the turkey standing in the middle of a road, preventing cars from passing by fearlessly pecking at tires and flapping his wings. Despite sometimes causing mile-long traffic jams, Turkules was hailed as a sort of West Orange mascot. His popularity was such that on Saturday businesses organized a Hometown Hero event in Turkuless honor.

But it turns out that the Hometown Hero celebration, during which businesses donated a portion of profits to the Wildlife Conservation Society, was really a goodbye.

On Tuesday, the New Jersey department of environmental protection told the Guardian that after a weeks-long effort, Turkules had been captured and relocated to Wharton state forest, 85 miles away.

It has left locals bereft.

Ill miss him a lot. Ill miss the daily reports on his sightings, I look forward to getting updates about him every day, said Gia Garcia, who owns Willow and Olivia dessert cafe in West Orange.

With everything being so tense in the world, political-wise and all that stuff, he came around, and he was the one thing that could just bring the whole town together. No one was arguing about politics, no ones talking about conflicts that are going on: it was just everyone who just wanted to know if this turkey was still around and was still alive.

He was just our little uniter. The one thing that makes us smile, the thing that everyone could agree on.

The wild turkey is native to North America, but almost went extinct in the US in the early 1900s from overhunting. Since then, conservation efforts have led to a population boom, with 7 million nationwide and an estimated 20,000 in New Jersey.

As their numbers have grown, wild turkeys have sometimes clashed with humans, particularly in the north-east of the country. Reports of vicious pecking, loud gobbling and even kicking have become increasingly common, as turkeys stake their claim to parks, front yards and even roads.

When turkeys misbehave in a town, it falls to state officials to catch the birds. In Turkuless case, this process took more than a month, including one botched episode in which officials shot the turkey with a tranquilliser dart. The dart struck Turkules, but had zero effect, and he spent weeks wandering about with a blue and orange dart hanging from his breast.

He is resilient, Garcia said. To see a turkey actively show a type of protective nature for that patch of land, and then for him to walk around with a tranq dart in him, I mean, thats badass.

Aaron Guikema, the New Jersey state director for the Department of Agricultures wildlife services program, said that typically about half a dozen wild turkeys have to be removed from residential areas in the state each year  usually when the birds continually interfere with traffic or otherwise become a nuisance.

Turkules proved particularly difficult to capture, Guikema said, because he tended to fly more than the average wild turkey.

So it just made him tougher to catch, he added.

As West Orange mourns the loss of their well-liked bird, some residents believe they may not have seen the last of Turkules. According to local lore, Turkules was previously captured and relocated earlier this year, only to return to the town.

Its very sad. He has given the community near and far a reason to come together to hear of his adventures and determination, said Susan, a West Orange resident who asked that her last name not be used.

But he is a gangster. He will make his way back. He always does.
A protest in support of Palestine and a ceasefire was held outside the council meeting in Liverpool

A Labour-run council has voted to support calls for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Hours after Israel and Hamas agreed to a four-day pause in fighting, Liverpool councillors agreed to support a motion pushing for it to become "the basis for a permanent ceasefire".

The vote followed days of debate and negotiation between the parties on the council, over the motion's wording.

The full council meeting in the city's Town Hall was held as demonstrators outside called for a ceasefire.

Liberal group leader Steve Radford, who proposed the motion, said the amended text had only been finally agreed "at the eleventh hour".

The motion had been tabled by opposition councillors, leaving Labour to have to decide whether to support it or not.

It is understood there were internal splits in the city's 61-strong Labour group on how to respond.

The decision to support the call for a ceasefire potentially put Labour councillors on a collision course with the national party, as it comes seven days after Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer sacked a number of frontbench MPs for backing an SNP motion to call for a ceasefire.

Council leader Liam Robinson denied the local party's stance went against the party's stance nationally.

"I don't think this puts us at odds with anyone," he said.

"What we are marking is that we are pleased that this international agreement has been found as the start of a process of returning hostages which is something everyone wants to see.

"Hopefully, this will lead to proper international engagement that can lead to a proper peaceful settlement into the future."

Steve Radford, who proposed the motion, said the text of it was agreed "at the eleventh hour"

Outside the meeting, about 100 people with Palestinian flags and banners gathered, chanting "ceasefire now" and "free Palestine".

The amended motion, which all councillors voted for, said the "four-day ceasefire and hostage return" was "a welcome first step which we hope will become the basis for a permanent ceasefire and long-term settlement".

References to "collective punishment of the Palestinian people" were removed from the text and a commitment to "reject any and all inflammatory rhetoric" was added.

The meeting was also addressed by Tawhid Islam from the Liverpool region mosque network and Merseyside Jewish Representative Council chairman Max Marcus.

Speaking together after the meeting, Mr Marcus said the conflict was "impacting significantly" on "relationships between Israelis and Palestinians, Jews and Muslims living on Merseyside" and there had been "a substantial rise in anti-Semitism from all quarters".

He added he was pleased Liverpool City Council had come up with "an acceptable way forward".

Tawhid Islam said communities across Liverpool had been "coming together" to discuss the conflict "and they have different opinions", so there needed to be "more balance to the narrative".

He added those communities were clearly "on the side of humanity and we want to see the fighting stop, the killing stop".

Tawhid Islam and Max Marcus shared the concerns of the Muslim and Jewish communities with councillors

Speaking after the meeting, Mr Robinson said it was a "challenging issue" and he understood some residents might question why a local council was debating international affairs.

Liberal Democrat councillor Richard Clein said he was unsure why that was as it was "not for us to pass comment on military conflict".

Underlining the anti-Semitic abuse he had personally suffered, he said the council had previously heard some "inflammatory" comments that could divide communities and no other global conflicts had been the subject of a formal motion.

Mr Radford said "if things go wrong", the conflict could lead to more displaced people in Liverpool.

"In my ward, we have a high number of refugees - it has an impact on us," he said.

He added other councils would be listening to Liverpool.

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The first presidential debates are set for 2024 as voters are less a year away from election day.

The nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates announced the dates and locations for the vice presidential debate and the three presidential debates at four select colleges and universities to host the events before the general election.

"The United States general election debates, watched live worldwide, are a model for many other countries: the opportunity to hear and see leading candidates address serious issues in a fair and neutral setting," commission co-chairs Frank Fahrenkopf and Antonia Hernandez said in the announcement news release.

DeSantis racks up Iowa endorsements: But Trump rallygoers are unimpressed.

The GOP will formally declare its nominees for president and vice president at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee in July, while Democrats declare their picks at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August.

Three GOP primary debates have already been held in Milwaukee, Miami and Simi Valley, California. Former president Donald Trump has maintained his status as a Republican frontrunner despite not attending any of this year's debates. President Joe Biden has not yet commented on next year's debate dates.

President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential candidate, former Vice President Joe Biden appear in the first Presidential debate in the Sheila and Eric Samson Pavilion at the Cleveland Clinic, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020, in Cleveland.

When and where are the presidential debates?

The first presidential debate is set for Sept. 16 at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas.

The vice presidential debate is set for Sept. 25 at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania.

The second presidential debate is set for Oct. 1 at Virginia State University in Petersburg, Virginia.

The third presidential debate is set for Oct. 9 at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.

A HBCU will host a general election presidential debate for first time

On Oct. 1, 2024, Virginia State University will be the first historically Black college or university to host a general election presidential debate. The school founded in 1882 will host the broadcast in the campus' "state-of-the-art" Multipurpose Center.

"We are honored and grateful to have been chosen as a host for a 2024 Presidential Debate," VSU President Makola M. Abdullah said in a news release. "This is a historic moment for our university and for HBCUs nationwide."

Breaking News!!! We have been selected as one of the 2024 Presidential Debate sites. We are honored to serve as the first HBCU to host a General Election U.S. Presidential Debate. #GreaterHappensHere#VSUDebate24 pic.twitter.com/nFXDi10ley  Virginia State University (@VSU_1882) November 20, 2023

Chris Christie went all in: Then New Hampshire GOP voters found his perfect defect.

When is the next GOP presidential debate?

The fourth Republican presidential primary debate is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 6 from 7-9 p.m. Central time, according to a news release from the RNC. It will take place in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, at the University of Alabama's Frank Moody Music Building.

Talk show host Megyn Kelly, NewsNation anchor Elizabeth Vargas and Washington Free Beacon editor-in-chief Eliana Johnson will moderate.

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and businessperson Vivek Ramaswamy during the Republican National Committee presidential primary debate hosted by NBC News at Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County.

When is the next presidential election?

Nov. 5, 2024. Presidential elections are held in the United States every four years.

U.S. legal code dictates that federal elections be held "the Tuesday next after the 1st Monday in November." Presidential and congressional midterm elections are always held in even-numbered years (e.g. 2016, 2018, 2020.)

Contributing: Anna Kaufman, Gabe Hauari

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: See the schedule, dates and locations for 2024 presidential debates
Pictures have emerged that offer an inside look at the Navy's new NC-20G range support aircraft.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Navy's Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 30 (VX-30), the "Bloodhounds," took delivery of a unique NC-20G range support aircraft. Now pictures have emerged that offer a look inside this modified Gulfstream IV business jet, which is primarily configured to visually document missile tests using a specialized camera system called Cast Glance.

A head-on look at the NC-20G. USN

Pictures of the NC-20G's interior were included in a contracting announcement that the U.S. Air Force put out regarding contractor support for a variety of C-20 and C-37 variants in service across the U.S. military. Gulfstream III and IV variants in U.S. military service are designated as C-20s, while versions of the Gulfstream V (including the G550) have generally received C-37 designations .

The Navy previously operated a number of standard C-20Gs as light transports , but has since transitioned to the larger Boeing 737-based C-40 Clippers. The NC-20G had previously served as a transport with Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 51 (VR-51). The U.S. Marine Corps continues to fly C-20Gs in this configuration, which are readily reconfigurable to carry passengers, including VIPs, or palletized cargo, or a mix of both.

One of the Navy's now-retired standard C-20Gs. USN

The interior shots of the NC-20G, which is also known by its tail code BH 500 (BH referring to VX-30's 'Bloodhounds' nickname), show that seats on the right side of the cabin have been removed and replaced with frames to support the Cast Glance cameras and other equipment racks. A pair of what look to be specialized camera ports have been installed, as well.

A look at some of the equipment racks, as well as the two apparent camera ports, on the left side of the NC-20G's main cabin. USAF

USAF

USAF

The exact configuration of the Cast Glance system used on the NC-20G, which VX-30 received back in May, is unknown. There are publicly available details about the system as installed in a modified P-3C maritime patrol plane that the squadron has used in this same role previously.

"The Cast Glance suite includes a 170mm focal length, gyro-stabilized imaging system capable of obtaining precision and/or high resolution video and still images, as well as transmitting them to a ground-based control room from long standoff distances," according to GlobalSecurity.org . "This system has been used to support the Space Shuttle and various missile launches. It provides critical optical data during launch, stage separation and impact phases of flight. Streak photography capabilities provide excellent coverage of ballistic missile reentry profiles."

The pictures of the NC-20G's interior also show three seats on the left side of the cabin. An array of controls are prominently visible alongside at least two of them.

One of the seats on the right side of the NC-20G's main cabin, with a set of controls alongside it. USAF

USAF

Additional control panels, cable jacks, and a flat panel monitor have been installed in the cabin, as well.

USAF

USAF

The NC-20G retains a galley, which has a microwave and a sink, among other features. Though not plainly visible, the aircraft would have a lavatory, too. Cast Glance missions can last up to seven hours, the Navy says .

USAF

As is the case with VX-30's other range support aircraft, the BH 500 is expected to primarily fly missions in and around the expansive Point Mugu Sea Range off the coast of Southern California, which is heavily utilized by the entire U.S. military to test new and improved missiles . This range, which covers some 30,000 square miles of the Pacific and the airspace above it, is regularly used for non-missile-related test and evaluation and training activities , too.

There are a host of other ranges off the Southern California coast where BH 500 could be utilized, as well. The NC-20G could also be deployed to provide its services elsewhere around the world, if required. VX-30's modified P-3s have often flown to Florida and Hawaii to support other test activities in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, respectively.

Otherwise, "the airplane flies how you would expect a luxury passenger airplane to handle," Navy Lt. Cdr. Spencer Smith, one of VX-30's first pilots to quality to fly the NC-20G, said back in September . It has positive stability and smooth, damped control responses for maximum cabin comfort during maneuvering."

A full profile view of the NC-20G. USN

A typical full crew for the NC-20G is expected to include a pilot, co-pilot, and Naval Flight Officer (NFO; to help manage activities in the main cabin), as well as an observer and range support team made up of an unspecified number of individuals, according to the Navy . This is smaller than the crew complement of the P-3-based aircraft VX-30 has been using to support missile tests and other test and evaluation work. Those aircraft can have up to four people in the cockpit, as well as two flight engineers, an NFO, and the observe/range support team.

It's also worth noting that the Gulfstream-based NC-20G will be able to fly higher than the Cast Glance-equipped P-3C VX-30 has used previously. This will give personnel aboard more flexibility to observe missile and other tests.

In addition, the NC-20G's underlying airframe is a much more supportable airframe than any P-3 variant. New Gulfstream IVs were still being produced until 2018 and versions are still in widespread use globally. The modified P-3C aircraft that BH 500 is now set to supplant was originally delivered to the Navy in its maritime patrol configuration in 1987. The P-3 series has been completely out of production since 1990.

The modified P-3 that VX-30 has previously used to carry the Cast Glance system, which is also known as BH 300. USN

The Navy is otherwise moving ahead with plans to have completely phased out the P-3 family, including its EP-3E Aries II intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance variants, by 2025.

The Navy's test and evaluation community has also acquired a heavily modified Gulfstream V configured for range support and clearance duties, including telemetry tracking, as part of the broader shift away from the P-3. You can read more about this aircraft, which is designated as an NC-37B and carries the tail code BH 100, and its capabilities here .

The NC-37B range support and clearance aircraft, which is also assigned to VX-30. USN

The NC-20G and NC-37B also reflect an overhaul of VX-30's capabilities that comes as the squadron's test support assets can expect to be especially heavily tasked in the coming years. The explosion in hypersonic weapon development programs has already been a particularly pronounced driver of efforts across the U.S. military to expand and improve key testing infrastructure .

The pictures of the inside of the NC-20G have now offered an additional look at this unique aircraft, which looks set to be an important range support asset for the Navy for years to come.

Contact the author: joe@thedrive.com
Valuable copies of Russian literature are being targeted by thieves (Wojtek Radwanski)

A spate of thefts of rare Russian classics worth millions of euros from libraries across Eastern Europe has left a trail that points all the way to auctions in Russia.

Shelves of 19th century Russian literature have been ransacked over the past two years in Poland and the Baltic states, with originals replaced by fakes.

The University of Warsaw library only found out last month about the thefts, including first editions of works by Alexander Pushkin and Nikolai Gogol.

A university employee with knowledge of the matter estimated the value of the stolen books at "around a million euros".

"It was like gouging out the crown jewels," Hieronim Grala, a former diplomat, an expert in Russia policy and professor at the University of Warsaw told AFP.

"Fortunately, not everything was picked out, but a few emeralds, diamonds and rubies are lost," said Grala, who has helped the university assess the damages.

The theft in Warsaw was not an isolated event.

Libraries in the three Baltic countries have also fallen prey to thieves, and in each case Russian literature was targeted.

Experts believe the stolen works have found their way to Russia, with at least some sold off at hasty auctions in Moscow.

- 'Industrial scale' -

The first known case of what turned out to be a series of similar raids was detected at the National Library of Latvia last year, when three books were stolen.

A Georgian citizen was later found guilty of stealing them and sentenced to six months in prison, but his accomplice remained at large.

In the same month, two men claiming to be studying censorship and printing policy in early 19th-century Russia showed up at the university library in the Estonian city of Tartu and asked for the nearly 200-year-old works of Pushkin and Gogol.

It was only four months later that the library realised they had left behind eight convincing-looking copies, not the books that were later estimated to be worth a total of 158,000 euros ($170,000).

In May, Lithuania's Vilnius University library discovered 17 of its rare Russian books had gone missing too.

"Most of the stolen books were replaced with non-original ones," Gintare Vitkauskaite-Satkauskiene, spokeswoman of the Lithuanian Prosecutor General's Office, told AFP.

According to Lithuanian investigators, the stolen books were worth around 440,000 euros.

The University of Warsaw has so far identified 79 books as missing, meaning it suffered the most substantial losses of all four countries.

"Here, the thieves operated on an industrial scale," a Warsaw University library employee who declined to be named, told AFP.

"When I saw what they had taken, I felt a hot flash."

The fake books the thieves left behind, seen by AFP, range from sloppy imitations to meticulous counterfeits, where only the improper stamp ink colour or size of label revealed the forgery.

While these books were being counted as still in the collection, the originals were being sold off in Moscow.

"There's a memo dated December 22, 2022 that the books are in their place," Grala told AFP.

"On the same day, at an auction in Moscow, one of these books goes for 30,500 euros."

- 'Organised from Russia' -

Sources close to the Warsaw library's investigation have shown AFP screenshots of auctions held by Russia's Litfond auction house with books carrying stamps and catalogue numbers of Warsaw University.

"It is clear to me that the whole action was centrally organised from Russia," Grala told AFP.

AFP contacted the Litfond auction house but its general director Sergei Burmistrov did not explicitly deny nor confirm any wrongdoing.

"The Litfond auction house works within the framework of the current legislation of the Russian Federation, and we do not accept for sale nor do we sell any books with stamps from existing state libraries", Burmistrov said.

To Grala, there is a clear Russian link connecting the thefts in Poland and the Baltic countries which is hardly a surprise or coincidence.

"The first three strikes hit those countries that the Russians accuse of fighting the Russian language and Russian culture," he told AFP.

"They recognised quite well that the Rossica (items related to Russian culture) are guarded less strictly in our region... and less guarded means more accessible."

Poland's relations with Russia have long been strained, with Warsaw being an ardent critic of the Kremlin and Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Both sides frequently trade barbs about protecting each other's cultural heritage.

Grala could barely hide his emotion as he spoke of how he was "devastated" by the "irreversible" losses of Russian books that survived two national uprisings and two world wars on Polish soil.

"The librarians of the University of Warsaw, risking their lives during the war, secretly built a double ceiling and hid the books so that they wouldn't disappear or burn down," Grala told AFP.

"And we couldn't protect them from looting."

bur-mmp/jm/ach
SAN FRANCISCO  About 2 a.m. on March 19, Adam Wood, a San Francisco firefighter on duty, received a 911 call and raced to the citys Mission neighborhood to help a male who was having a medical emergency. After loading the patient into an ambulance, a black-and-white car pulled up and blocked the path.

It was a driverless vehicle operated by Waymo, an autonomous car company that Googles parent, Alphabet, owned. With no human driver to instruct to move out of the way, Wood spoke through a device in the car to a remote operator, who said someone would come take the vehicle away.

Instead, another autonomous Waymo car arrived and blocked the other side of the street, Wood said. The ambulance was finally able to leave after being forced to back up, and the patient, who was not in critical condition, made it to the hospital. But the self-driving cars added seven minutes to the emergency response, he said.

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All that was lost time for no reason, Wood, 55, said.

His experience was a sign of how self-driving taxis are increasingly starting to take a toll on city services. In San Francisco and Austin, Texas, where passengers can hail autonomous vehicles, the cars have slowed down emergency response times, caused accidents, increased congestion and added to the workloads of local officials, said police officers, firefighters and other city employees.

In San Francisco, more than 600 self-driving vehicle incidents were documented from June 2022 to June 2023, according to the citys Municipal Transportation Agency. After one episode where a driverless car from Cruise, a subsidiary of General Motors, ran over and dragged a pedestrian, California regulators ordered the company to suspend its service last month. Kyle Vogt, Cruises CEO, resigned Sunday.

In Austin, city officials said there were 52 autonomous car incidents from July 8 to Oct. 24, including a first-of-its-kind crash by a prototype robotaxi with no steering wheel into a small electrical building.

To handle the fallout, San Francisco has designated at least one city employee to work on autonomous car policies and asked two transportation agencies to compile and manage a database of incidents based on 911 calls, social media posts and employee reports. This summer, Austin also formed an internal task force to help log driverless vehicle incidents.

A lot of people on the task force are juggling this as well as other normal day-to-day operations, said Matthew McElearney, a training captain at the Austin Fire Department. In my job description, it doesnt say a task force member.

San Francisco and Austin offer a preview of what to expect in other places. While self-driving cars have been tested in more than two dozen U.S. cities over the years, those trials have moved into a newer phase where human drivers  who once rode along on autonomous vehicle rides  no longer stay in the cars during rides. Waymo and Cruise then started offering fully driverless taxi services in some cities with those cars.

Cruise has since suspended its autonomous vehicle operations. But Waymo and others continue developing and testing their cars in potential markets and the technology will spread, said Bryant Walker Smith, a University of South Carolina professor who has advised the federal government on automated driving.

Cruise had tested its driverless taxis in San Francisco, Austin and Phoenix and planned to expand to Houston, Dallas and Miami. Waymo, which provides driverless rides in Phoenix and San Francisco, said it would next roll out its services in Los Angeles and Austin. Zoox, another self-driving car company, said it planned to introduce robotaxis in San Francisco and Las Vegas but did not provide a time frame.

Other cities where self-driving cars have been tested are preparing for when robotaxis are fully deployed. The Nashville, Tennessee, Fire Department said it was creating an annual training for firefighters about the cars. Seattles Fire Department said it had added safety issues with driverless cars to the responsibilities of an employee during each shift.

Some cities said their experience with robotaxis had been smoother. Kate Gallego, the mayor of Phoenix, where Waymo has run autonomous taxi services since 2020, said the company met extensively with local officials and conducted safety tests before deploying a fleet of 200 vehicles to locations including the airport.

Our residents have generally really appreciated this service, she said.

Waymo, Cruise and Zoox said they had worked closely with officials in many cities and continued to improve their vehicles to minimize the effects on local services. Waymo added that it had no evidence of our vehicles blocking an ambulance on March 19 in San Francisco.

Few cities have grappled more with self-driving cars than San Francisco. Google, whose headquarters are in nearby Silicon Valley, began testing driverless vehicles in the city in 2009 and introduced robotaxi services in November 2022. Cruise, founded in San Francisco in 2013, started testing its vehicles on the citys roads in 2015 and offered its first driverless ride to passengers in February 2022.

Hundreds of the cars have since wound their way through San Francisco streets. At one point, Waymo had 250 driverless vehicles in the city, while Cruise had 300 out during the day and 100 at night. Residents frequently saw the cars  sedans equipped with more than a dozen cameras and high-tech sensors, some spinning on their roofs  driving by.

In July 2018, the citys Municipal Transportation Agency asked Julia Friedlander, a transportation policy veteran, to work on understanding how San Francisco would be affected by self-driving cars. She met with autonomous car companies and state regulators, who issue permits to the companies for testing and operating their vehicles, to discuss the citys concerns about safety and congestion.

After five years, there are still no systematic state safety and incident reporting standards for driverless cars in California, Friedlander said. This is such a dramatic kind of change in transportation that its going to take many years for the regulatory structure to really be finalized, she said.

Last year, the number of 911 calls from San Francisco residents about robotaxis began rising, city officials said. In one three-month period, 28 incidents were reported, according to a letter that city officials sent to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

By June, autonomous car incidents in San Francisco had risen to such a concerning level that the citys Fire Department created a separate autonomous vehicle incident form, said Darius Luttropp, a deputy chief of the department. As of Oct. 15, 87 incidents had been recorded with the form.

We move forward with expectations that this wonder technology will operate like a human driver, Luttropp said. That did not turn out to be the case.

Wood, the firefighter, attended a weeklong training session held by Waymo in June at the Fire Departments training center to learn more about the self-driving vehicles. But he said he was disappointed.

None of us walked away from the training with any way to get a stalled car to move, he said, adding that manually taking over the car takes 10 minutes, which is too long in an emergency.

His main takeaway was that he should bang on the cars window or tap on its door so he could talk to the vehicles remote operator, he said. The operator would then try to remotely reengage the vehicle or send someone to manually override it, he said.

Waymo said it had rolled out a software update to its cars in October that would let firefighters and other authorities take control of the vehicles within seconds.

After the California Public Utilities Commission, a state regulator, voted in August to allow an expansion of robotaxi services in San Francisco, Waymo and Cruise started meeting every two weeks with the citys fire, police and emergency management departments.

Jeanine Nicholson, San Franciscos fire chief, said her department was now at a decent place with the companies and added that Cruises suspension offered more time to work out issues with the cars in emergency situations. But she anticipated more meetings and adjustments as other self-driving companies moved in.

Time is going to be taken up, and we have a whole fire department  a whole city  to run, Nicholson said.

c.2023 The New York Times Company
Self-proclaimed Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has condemned Armenia's absence from the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) summit, calling it a "demarche".

Source: European Pravda with reference to the Belarusian state agency Belta

Quote from Lukashenko: "We came to the conclusion that there have always been and will be problematic issues. If we want to solve them, we need to do it at the negotiating table, but not to make demarches without reasons, without specific reasons."

Details: At the meeting, the CSTO members discussed the situation in the Caucasus and "some dissatisfaction of a Collective Security Councils member", referring to Armenia's decision not to attend the organisation's summit in Minsk.

Background:

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin arrived in Minsk for a session of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), which was ignored by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

Belarusian Foreign Minister Sergei Aleinik said decisions in the CSTO are made through consensus, and the decisions will be legitimate even in the absence of the Armenian side.

Armen Grigoryan, Secretary of Armenia's Security Council, explained that the country ignored the previous CSTO meetings because it "had numerous questions" for the organisation, which still have no answers.

Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, accused Armenia of "trying to sit on two chairs" because Yerevan is improving relations with the West.

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Im a CelebrityGet Me Out Of Here! contestants were left red in the face after controversial politician Nigel Farage bared it all while taking a bath in the middle of camp.

In scenes aired on Thursday night (23 November), Farage ran himself a nice hot bath but did not warn his campmates that he would be putting on a display in their open-plan camp with the bathtub placed at a height.

EastEnders star Danielle Harold walked past and caught sight of his bare bottom as he got out of the tub and said to herself: Thats a sight for sore eyes.

The actor then bumped into This Morning presenter Josie Gibson and said: I just saw something I never thought Id see: Nigels bare a***.

This brought back memories for Gibson who caught a sighting of Farages bare behind during the first day of the competition.

I see it on the first day! Considering hes nearly 60 it aint too bad, Gibson said.

Harold replied, commenting on the politicians physique: He looks good doesnt he? Nice little bum.

Then, in a confessional moment in the Bush Telegraph, Harold said: It was the weirdest feeling seeing Nigel Farages a*** first thing in the morning.

Nigel Farage taking a bath on Im a Celeb (ITV)

Standing together Gibson and Harold said in sync: Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No its Nigel Farages a***!

Harold, doing her best impression of Sir David Attenboroughs Planet Earth voiceover, said: Here we have Nigel Farage, politician, in his natural habitat.

Gibson joined in with the impression: Long gone are the days of Brexit. He now just dwindles in the bush.

Meanwhile, Im a Celebrity viewers have been similarly shocked to see Farages behind.

Some asked the more subtle questions: Why is Nigel Farages a*** on my screen again?

Nigel Farage competing in Im a Celeb Bushtucker Trial (ITV/Shutterstock)

Didnt have #danielleharold saying #NigelFarage has a nice a*** in my 2023 bingo card, another Twitter/X user remarked.

Another made a joke about Farages unpopularity following his Brexit campaign: This is NOT what we meant when we said we wanted to see the back of Nigel Farage.

Farages appearance on the reality TV competition has been the subject of vibrant debate on social media with #BoycottImACelebrity trending on Twitter/X.

After the 2023 launch episode, viewing figures showed a huge loss of two million viewers on last year.

Viewers are attributing the dip to the inclusion of controversial ex-politician Farage. Since the GB News host was revealed to be appearing on this years series, long-time fans of the show announced plans to boycott it, and the ratings dip has been branded the Farage effect.

Farage is known for espousing right-wing views on subjects ranging from immigration and the gender pay gap, and over the years, has been accused of inciting xenophobia.

During his past five days in the Australian jungle, fellow campmates have tried to confront Farage about his political views, specifically his stance on immigration.

On Monday nights episode, First Dates star Fred Sirieix told Farage that he thought his Brexit campaign as Ukip leader was shameful.

Sirieix criticised Farage for a poster he launched in 2016 depicting a line of refugees trying to reach Europe under the headline Breaking Point.

It was about demonising migrants, Sirieix told Farage, adding: I thought it was disgraceful what you did, Nigel.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday nights episode (22 Novemeber), YouTube star Nella Rose, 26, confronted Farage over his views on immigration and accused him of wanting people like her gone from the UK.

Lets get everything out in the open. All the tea is coming out now apparently youre anti-immigrants? asked Rose.

Farage defended himself: You can disagree with somebody, but to chuck around accusations the way theyve been chucked around is grossly unfair. Anti-immigrant, right? No, no, all Ive said is we cannot go on with the numbers coming to Britain that are coming.

Im one of the numbers? Rose said. Those immigrants that are coming in, I came in. What is so wrong about immigrants?

Farage said: Listen. Since 2000, the British population has increased by 10 million. 10 million.

Rose asked whether that was a good thing and Farage replied: Unless you want a GP appointment

Rose replied: Im stopping you getting a GP appointment? Youre not getting an appointment because the NHS is lacking funding. I bet you anything if every single immigrant or from immigrant descent was to leave the UK, all your doctors, go most of your doctors are Asian right? Most of your nurses are African women, right?

You want us gone, thats all I understood.

Im a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! airs Sunday to Friday at 9pm and Saturday at 9.30pm on ITV.
SpongeBob SquarePants was among the characters to feature this year

People have packed the streets of New York for the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Parade - which also saw protesters glue themselves to the ground.

Balloons depicting SpongeBob SquarePants, Ronald McDonald, and Paw Patrol were seen in the streets - along with bands and cheerleaders.

Big names including superstar Cher are due to perform later in the day.

Pro-Palestinian protesters temporarily disrupted the parade when a group of about 30 people ran into the street.

The group were demonstrating on Sixth Avenue, when some of them jumped the barriers and unveiled a banner reading "genocide then, genocide now".

This appeared to be an effort to draw an equivalence between the foundation of the United States, and the current Israeli military action in Gaza.

Members of the group glued themselves to the ground, also pouring what seemed to be fake blood on each other and the road. A number of them were taken into custody.

A group of pro-Palestinian protesters stand behind a sign which shows the slogans "genocide then, genocide now" and "free Palestine"

Father Christmas and a group of elves ride on a float through the Thanksgiving Parade

The US celebrates the Thanksgiving holiday on the fourth Thursday in November every year.

The day - originally a way of giving thanks for the blessings of the harvest and of the preceding year - is supposed to commemorate the first feast shared between British colonists and indigenous people after the Mayflower ship landed on Plymouth Rock in 1620.

The first Macy's parade to celebrate the day took place in 1927.

However, some argue the traditional depiction of the holiday erases the experience of indigenous people, glossing over the conflict and suffering which followed the feasting.

Those enjoying the parade included families who had travelled long distances to see the spectacle.

Syndney Abeyta, from Virginia, told CBS News: "It means a lot, because I've never see the Macy's Day Parade and I'm so excited."

Ahead of the parade, President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden spoke to NBC News and urged Americans to "come together".

The president said: "We have to remind ourselves how blessed we are to live in the greatest nation on the face of the earth."

A balloon depicting Ronald McDonald floats through the street during Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

A large group of cheerleaders walk through the street during Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

An aerial view of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade - including a large balloon character

People look through their windows to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in the street

All photos subject to copyright.
The late Mildred Mama Dip Councils well-known baking and original recipes legacy continues to live on through her granddaughter.

Tonya Council is carrying the torch for her family with the grand opening of her new bakery Tonyas Cookies. On Nov. 17, the chef opened the doors to her 1,200-square-foot bakery, and she ultimately plans to expand her business into a cafe that offers soups, salads and sandwiches, according to The Daily Tar Hill.

The chef spent a lot of her childhood working at her grandmothers nationally-recognized restaurant Mama Dips Kitchen, which opened in 1976 and was put up for sale with an asking price of $3.6 million. The eatery served homemade Southern-styled food and desserts and by lending a helping hand in the kitchen, the Chapel Hill native gained a special love for baking and cooking.

The pecan pie was a staple item on the menu. Inspired by her grandmothers entrepreneurial spirit and the flavor of the pie, she worked tirelessly to craft a pecan cookie that tasted very similar. After many failed attempts she created the perfect recipe that gained a big fan base since they were available at Mama Dips Kitchen.

I messed up a lot of ingredients, finally got it right and put them in the case and they started selling, she told the publication.

Other local stores began to sell her baked goods, which led to her holding pop-up shops and opening a bakery in Raleigh. The talk of her cookies eventually landed her Pecan Crisps on Oprah Winfreys 2021 Favorite Things holiday list.

Since her roots are in Chapel Hill, Tonya felt it was important to bring her passion back to the place that sparked it so she planted on her second store in the city.

Being from Chapel Hill, my family has always been really big in the community here, Council said, per The News & Observer. I wanted to open the shop where I grew up. Chapel Hill has seen a lot of growth and we have a lot of customers in Chapel Hill. I decided it was time to bring it back home.

Right now, they are serving a limited menu and handling the many Thanksgiving orders that are flooding in. Once the full bakery is ready to go, there will be various lunches and desserts customers will be able to grab and go. Some of the various items residents can look forward to are cakes, pies, cookies, collards, sausage rolls, cinnamon rolls, sweet potato cornmeal muffins, and candied bacon doughnuts. Tonya even plans on having daily specials like Funnel Cake Fridays.

Tonyas Cookie is located at 400 S. Elliott Road, Chapel Hill, NC 27514. The stores hours are Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For information, check out the companys website.
 Flash

People conduct rescue work among the rubble of buildings destroyed in Israeli airstrikes in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, on Nov. 22, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

Israel and the Gaza-ruling Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) confirmed Wednesday a cease-fire agreement in the conflict-ridden Gaza Strip for four days, to allow for more aid delivery to Gaza as well as the exchange of Israeli hostages held by the armed Palestinian faction and Palestinian prisoners jailed in Israel.

The humanitarian pause, mediated by joint Qatari, Egyptian and U.S. efforts, would enable the release of 50 hostages held in Gaza, mainly children and women and most are foreign nationals, in exchange for about 150 female and teenage Palestinians jailed in Israel, the Israeli presidency and a top Hamas official revealed separately.

Hamas politburo member Moussa Abu Marzouk told Al Jazeera on Wednesday that the cease-fire in Gaza will begin at 10:00 a.m. local time (0800 GMT) on Thursday.

The hostages will be released in smaller groups over a span of four days, during which "there will be a pause in the fighting," said the statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office, adding that the release of every additional 10 hostages will result in one additional day in the pause.

A Hamas source told Xinhua that Hamas and Israel were still finalizing on Wednesday night their respective swap list that would be handed to each other.

According to the source, the two sides would pause fighting simultaneously when the time comes, and Hamas would send the first batch of hostages to Red Cross personnel. The latter would then transfer them onward to Israel after the Israeli side confirmed their identities, after which the Israeli side would release a batch of Palestinian prisoners to their residences in the West Bank.

Under the agreement, more truckloads of humanitarian aid, medicine, and fuel will be allowed to enter Gaza through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt. Israel would also pause aerial surveillance on Gaza for six hours starting 10 a.m. local time daily.

Had the cease-fire and swap deal been commenced, it would be the first step to suspend hostilities between the two sides since the start of the conflict.

Israeli newspaper Times of Israel reported earlier in the day that the cease-fire might extend for 10 days to allow for the release of up to 300 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for 100 Israeli hostages from Gaza.

Responding to the list circulated among Israeli media, Thaer Shriteh, spokesman for the Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners Affairs Authority of the Palestine Liberation Organization, said the list includes prisoners with lengthy sentences and those who have spent years in Israeli prisons.

Palestinian sources familiar with the affairs told Xinhua that the published list includes 221 names from the West Bank, 74 from Jerusalem, and five from Gaza, and among them 47 were affiliated with Hamas.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the PLO leadership welcomed the humanitarian cease-fire deal and appreciated the Qatari and Egyptian efforts in this regard, Hussein Al-Sheikh, secretary-general of the PLO Executive Committee said in a statement on Wednesday.

He added, "We renew the call for a comprehensive halt to the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people, the entry of humanitarian aid, and the implementation of a political solution based on international legitimacy leading to ending the occupation and achieving freedom, independence, and sovereignty for the Palestinian people."

Israel has been carrying out attacks on Gaza over the past weeks to retaliate against the Hamas surprise attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, during which Hamas militants killed about 1,200 people and took more than 200 hostages.

A total of 14,532 Palestinians have died, more than 35,000 others were injured since the start of the current Israel-Hamas conflict, the Hamas-run government media office said Wednesday.
A 30-year-old man was left seriously injured following a shooting overnight on the Far South Side in the West Pullman neighborhood, Chicago police said.

Shortly after 3:30 a.m. Thursday, the victim was walking in the 1400 block of West 112th Place when he heard shots and felt pain. He was taken in serious condition to Advocate Christ Medical Center with a wound to the abdomen, police said.

Calumet detectives were investigating.
A former top Obama aide has been arrested by New York City Police Department officials after he racially abused a food vendor multiple times while speaking about the war between Israel and Hamas.

A spokesperson for the NYPD confirmed to The Independent that Stuart Seldowitz, 64, was taken into custody on Wednesday on charges including aggravated harassment, hate crime, and stalking.

A hate crime probe into the incidents is ongoing, the spokesperson said.

Videos of Stuart M Seldowitz berating the vendor, 24-year-old Mohamed Hussein, at Adam Halal food cart began circulating the internet this week. In the footage, he can be heard saying, We killed 4,000 Palestinian kids. You know what? It wasnt enough.

Gazas Health Ministry has reported that approximately 5,000 Palestinian children have been killed in the war, which started on 7 October after Hamas launched a series of attacks in Israel resulting in the deaths of about 1,200 individuals, mostly civilians.

When the worker told the man to go, he responded by making insulting comments about the Prophet Muhammad. He then proceeded to call the worker a terrorist.

Former White House and State Department officail Stuart Seldowitz admitted to being the man caught on video delivering a tirade of racist abuse to a New York food vendor (Twitter: Itslaylas)

Ever since the attacks surface on social media, Mr Seldowitz has been fired from his most recent job as the chair of foreign affairs at Gotham Government Relations, a New York City lobbying firm.

He previously served as the deputy director/senior political officer in the US Department of States Office of Israel and Palestinian Affairs from 1999 to 2003. In the Obama administration, he worked as acting director for the National Security Council South Asia Directorate.

Mr Hussein told The Independent: I was terrified, I just kept quiet.

He told Vice News hed been on the receiving end of three of Mr Seldowitzs rants. His employer, Islam Moustafa, also came in contact with the former Obama aide, as did another employee.

After the rants, he toldVice News he didnt feel like smiling while continuing to do his job. When one employee called the police, officers reportedly told him that the incident was normal.

Speaking to The New York Times, Mr Seldowitz said he regretted making the comments. He told the outlet that he is not Islamophobic.

Ive worked with Muslims, he said. I have many people who are Muslims and Arabs and so on, who know me very well and who know me very well and who know that Im not prejudiced against them.

Still, the incident has generated much support for the vendor from local New Yorkers.

On Wednesday, a crowd gathered around the food cart.

People from all walks of life stopped by for a meal on the corner of 83rd Street and 2nd Avenue to take a stand against anti-Muslim hate, according to a statement posted on X, previously known as Twitter, by the Street Vendor Project, an advocacy organisation working to better the lives of food merchants.
Newly released video shows a 62-year-old man struggling with an Atlanta police officer and saying I cant breathe moments before he is tased. The man died less than two hours later, and now his family is calling for the former officer to be prosecuted.

The Fulton County District Attorneys Office released the body camera footage, which shows the moments leading up to the August 10, 2023, death of Johnny Hollman, who was a church deacon, according to his familys attorney.

An investigation by state and local law enforcement ruled the officer violated protocol by not having a supervisor on scene before proceeding with the arrest, and he was fired. The criminal investigation is ongoing, and the officer has not been charged.

Hollmans daughter, Arnita Hollman, said during a news conference Wednesday she believed her father was murdered on the streets of Atlanta, and called for the jailing of the officer. We need him prosecuted to the fullest extent.

This image from bodycam video provided by the Atlanta Police Department shows Johnny Hollman Sr. speaking with Officer Kiran Kimbrough on August 10, 2023. - Atlanta Police

Authorities have identified the officer involved as Kiran Kimbrough.

In an emailed statement, an attorney for Hollmans family said the videos release confirms the undeniable truth that Kimbrough needlessly and brutally escalated a routine police-citizen encounter over a traffic ticket into a fatal encounter.

But an attorney for the firm who represents the officer told CNN Hollman violently and unlawfully resisted Officer Kimbroughs lawful efforts to arrest him.

The Atlanta Police investigation confirmed Officer Kimbrough deployed his city-issued TASER and used force in a manner consistent with his training and Georgia law, said Lance LoRusso with LoRusso Law Firm. Georgia law does not require any officer to seek approval from a supervisor prior to making an arrest.

What we know about the traffic incident

Officers responded to the scene of a traffic accident just after 11:30 p.m., after both Hollman and another person involved in the accident called 911. Police released audio of both of the calls.

The person that I got in the accident with is acting a little belligerent, the caller told dispatchers, referring to Hollman. He keeps yelling.

Kimbrough, the officer, found Hollman to be at-fault for the crash.

As Kimbrough was attempting to issue him a traffic ticket, body camera video shows Hollman was upset and refused to sign the citation. Kimbrough warns Hollman he would be taken to jail for not signing. As the officer repeatedly says sign the ticket, the camera is jostled in an apparent physical confrontation between the officer and Hollman. The details of that contact are unclear.

Kimbrough brings Hollman to the ground while repeatedly telling him to place his hands behind his back. A Taser can be heard firing several times in the video, but it is unclear if or where the Taser was making contact with Hollman.

I didnt do anything, Hollman yells. He then repeats the words I cant breathe at least a dozen times during the interaction, according to the video.

After Hollman is placed into handcuffs, he appears limp. About a minute later, Kimbrough requests medical assistance, according to the video. He requests assistance again and asks first responders to come faster.

In the video, Kimbrough can be seen checking Hollman for a pulse, breath and then giving him sternum rubs.

This guy needs medical attention right now, the officer says on video.

More than 10 minutes since the officers first request for assistance, video shows an EMS crew arriving and the officer is heard telling them to check him out to make sure he is still alive.

Hollmans death was ruled a homicide, according to a medical examiners report obtained by CNN.

According to that report, Hollman became unresponsive at the scene and was transported to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead in the emergency room on 8/11/2023 at 12:57 a.m.

The report said his heart rhythm was disrupted because of being stunned by the Taser, but also noted Hollman had high blood pressure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which were contributing factors in his death.

The Atlanta Police Department asked the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to conduct an independent investigation. A spokesperson for the GBI told CNN Wednesday their investigation has been completed and given to the Fulton County district attorney.

A spokesperson for the DAs office said they could not comment, adding the investigation remains ongoing.

Officer has appealed his firing

The Atlanta Police Departments Office of Professional Standards conducted an administrative investigation, officials said.

The police probe found Officer Kimbrough violated standard operating procedure when he failed to have a supervisor on the scene prior to proceeding with the physical arrest after Mr. Hollman refused to sign the citation, authorities said in a statement.

The officer was terminated on October 9, police said.

Kimbrough has appealed his termination, according to his attorney.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said the investigation has led to changes in policy in how Atlanta police officers handle traffic citations and new guidelines regarding the public release of use-of-force video evidence.

As Mayor, I know it is critically important for the City of Atlanta to continually assess, evaluate and adjust how our public safety departments carry out their sworn mission to serve and protect our citizens, Dickens said.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified the attorney who spoke on behalf of the LoRusso Law Firm. It was Lance LoRusso.

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A battered ATM and a safe were found in a wooded area of University City Wednesday afternoon.

A man told Channel 9 he found it in his yard at his home near Prosperity Church Road.

ALSO READ: WATCH: Thieves use U-Haul to rip ATM from northeast Charlotte gas station

The man told us police checked the serial number and it didnt come back with a match, so he will be responsible for getting rid of it.

Channel 9 has reached out to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police for more information.

(WATCH BELOW: Driver says company towed car, raised price to $560 to get it back)
NEW ORLEANS (WGNO)  A man is dead after being shot in the Seabrook neighborhood on Wednesday, Nov. 22.

According to the New Orleans Police Department, the shooting was reported around 9:50 p.m. in the 7300 block of New Castle Street.

Two killed, one wounded in shootings minutes apart on Canal Street

Police say they located a man suffering from a gunshot wound. He died at the scene.

The NOPD didnt release further details.

Anyone with information about the crime can call NOPD Homicide Section investigators at (504)-658-5300 or Crimestoppers at (504)-822-1111.

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Stay updated with the latest news, weather, and sports by downloading the WGNO app on the Apple or Google Play store and subscribing to the WGNO newsletter.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGNO.
Charles Cannon was convicted following a trial at Winchester Crown Court

A man with "extreme and disturbing far-right beliefs" has been found guilty of collecting instructions on how to make explosives and weapons.

Charles Cannon "talked enthusiastically about stabbing asylum seekers", a jury at Winchester Crown Court was told.

The 22-year-old, of Aldershot, Hampshire, was convicted of seven counts of possessing documents that could be used to prepare acts of terrorism.

He is due to be sentenced on 2 February.

Ben Isaacs, prosecuting, previously said Cannon was stopped at Luton Airport under terrorism regulations in August 2020.

Guides on making explosives and "booby traps," as well as instructions on "unconventional warfare devices and techniques", were found on the defendant's phone and computer, the court heard.

On social media, Cannon talked about stabbing asylum seekers and advocated "racial holy war", the jury was told.

Mr Isaacs said: "Mr Cannon is a young man with extreme and disturbing political views.

"He holds far-right beliefs, sympathises with Naziism, fascism. He has offensive things to say about black people, Jews, gay people, women generally and anyone who does not fit in with his extreme view of the world."

The defendant, who is autistic, told the court he originally downloaded the documents in 2014 when he was 13 years old.

He said he was researching illegal drugs and downloaded a cache of files that included information on explosives and other subjects he was not interested in.

Cannon, of Highfield Avenue, admitted he had previously held "vile and disgusting" views but said his politics changed under the influence of his Brazilian wife who he married a year ago.

Counter Terrorism Policing South East said it was pleased with Cannon's conviction on all of the charges against him.

Follow BBC South on Facebook, X, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to south.newsonline@bbc.co.uk.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - A 15-year-old was shot to death in Binghampton Thursday, according to Memphis Police.

At around 2:15 a.m., officers responded to the shooting in the 300 block of Vandalia Street.

The suspects left the scene southbound in a silver or grey vehicle, police say.

 Download the WREG App today and stay up to date with breaking news and weather.

 Sign up for WREG newsletters and have the latest top stories sent right to your inbox.

 See more breaking news, local news and weather from WREG.com for Memphis and the Mid-South.

Anyone with information is urged to call CrimeStoppers at 901-528-CASH.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH)  A man accused of firing shots at police officers in the Hilltop neighborhood in November 2022 has been sentenced to prison.

Lamar Blue, 37, of Columbus, was sentenced to 14 to 16 years in prison on Monday.

ODOT advises against makeshift roadside memorials following I-70 crash

Blue was charged with two felony counts of assaulting a peace officer, after he reportedly fired his gun at police officers vehicle near the 600 block of Kingsford Road, according to records with the Franklin County Municipal Court.

One officer discharged his firearm and hit Blue, who then ran away from the scene but was located by officers a short distance away, according to Columbus police. No officers were injured during the shooting.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV.
The ESA ExoMars robot on Mars, which is expected to launch in 2028 - M THIEBAUT/ESA

When Russia invaded Ukraine, few could have envisaged that it might prevent life being discovered on Mars.

The ExoMars rover mission  a joint venture between the European Space Agency (ESA) and Russias Roscosmos  was scheduled to launch in September 2022 with the aim of drilling down into the Red Planet in search of evidence of past habitation.

If it had lifted off on time, we may already know that life once thrived on Mars, but the mission was mothballed as relations with Russia soured, leaving Europe struggling to plug critical technical gaps.

Now the UK Space Agency has stepped in to provide 10.7 million to replace a crucial Russian instrument that will pick out the most promising spots for finding life, allowing the mission to launch in 2028.

An ExoMars trace gas orbiter detecting the green glow of oxygen in the martian atmosphere - ESA/SWNS

Dr Paul Bate, the chief executive of the UK Space Agency, told The Telegraph: This is the best opportunity to find if past life once existed on Mars.

The really key bit is that once the rover has landed and trundles out and looks around, it needs to find the right spot to drill down.

And this instrument can look at the infrared signatures of different rocks and say over there. Its like getting to a city and wanting to go out to eat, and instead of walking around every restaurant checking the menu, you look on Google Maps first.

Dr Bate added: One of the things that would have been really challenging was if we hadnt replaced the Russian instrument.

This is about finding evidence of past life, but that is not to rule out that you might find extant life, and this is definitely the first and best opportunity weve got to find out about life there.

This is humanity-defining science and were confident in the work that ESA has been doing that this is on track to launch in 2028.

Russian invasion forced mission to pause

The ExoMars spacecraft was waiting to be shipped to Baikonur in Kazakhstan for launch on board a Russian Soyuz rocket when war broke out in February 2022.

As relations broke down, Russia took back its landing hardware and instruments, meaning ESA was forced to go back to the drawing board for many of the elements.

Last year, ESA member states agreed to save the mission, now called the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin mission, with Britain spending 377 million to date to get the project off the ground, and additional support from the US.

The ESA is developing a new landing module to get the rover to the surface of Mars, and will need to find a new launcher.

The rover, named Rosalind Franklin after the British chemist who helped uncover the double-stranded helix structure of DNA, was built by Airbus in Stevenage.

Challenging and complex endeavour

The new instrument, an infrared spectrometer, will be designed and built primarily by Aberystwyth University and named Enfys, meaning rainbow in Welsh.

Enfys and the missions camera system, PanCam, will work together to identify minerals that could harbour evidence for life to enable the rover to drill for samples which will be analysed in situ with its onboard laboratory.

Dr Matt Gunn from Aberystwyth University, Principal Investigator on Enfys, said: This is a challenging and complex technical endeavour which has the potential to make a significant contribution to our search for signs of life on Mars.

I have always been fascinated by space and the technologies used to explore it, and so it is really exciting to be leading the development of one of the missions key science instruments.

Orson Sutherland, Mars Exploration Group Leader at the European Space Agency, said: With Enfys on board, the Rosalind Franklin rover is recovering its full capability to perform the assigned ExoMars scientific mission.

The instrument will provide key science data working in full synergy with the rest of the payloads.

Britain is also supplying other instruments for the mission including a laser spectrometer which can look for chemical indicators  or biomarkers  of past or present life.

The announcement was made on the final day of the UK Space Conference in Belfast.

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James Cleverly, the Home Secretary, has given assurances that the Government is working 'to prevent exploitation and manipulation of our visa system' - Leon Neal/Getty Images

The migration figures published on Thursday are extraordinary. In the 12 months to June, an astonishing 1.2 million people moved to the UK, the vast majority arriving from outside of the EU. Net migration stands at 672,000, three times higher than its pre-Brexit peak. Given the Conservative Partys 2019 manifesto commitment to reduce net migration, these numbers are a body blow to any claim that we are keeping our promise to voters.

The Home Secretary has given assurances that the Government is working to prevent exploitation and manipulation of our visa system. But this misses the point. There is no need for anyone to exploit or manipulate the system to obtain a visa when the Home Office is handing them out like sweets. People who come to this country with visas are not abusing the system; they have played by the rules. The problem is that our rules set such a low bar for entry.

Take work visas, for instance, which accounted for 322,000 of those issued last year. When the public voted for a points-based immigration regime, they had in mind the rigorous Australian system that requires potential migrants to prove high levels of skill and substantial financial means. Instead, the UK salary demand for a work visa is just 26,000, which, at significantly below the median wage, cannot possibly be described as highly skilled. At this salary, it is very likely that workers and their dependants will be net beneficiaries of our public services, services to which they have not contributed through tax.

Student visas are equally easy to obtain. Around 400,000 were granted last year, including nearly 100,000 for dependants. With numbers like these, we cant pretend that offers are being restricted to elite university courses. And in allowing two years for foreign students to find work after graduation, we have created a strong incentive to settle in Britain.

Even the shortage worker scheme is failing. As of July, despite 100,000 care worker visas having been issued, vacancies in the sector had reduced by just 10,000.

Compelling arguments

The economic arguments against mass immigration are compelling. Increasing the number of people in the labour market has boosted overall GDP, but it has failed to increase GDP per capita, a good proxy for the standard of living. Allowing employers to recruit low-paid staff from abroad disincentivises investment in capital and skills and stifles productivity. Efforts to solve the housing crisis or reduce NHS waiting times are futile against a backdrop of yearly population growth of over half a million.

Cultural arguments against high levels of immigration are harder to make but equally legitimate. If we have learned anything from recent political turmoil in Western democracies it is that national identity matters. While the vast majority of Britons have respect for other cultures and agree that many immigrants contribute enormously to this country, it is also true that immigration on such a large scale challenges social cohesion. Over the last few weeks we have witnessed the results of a clash of cultures on the streets of London, and few would claim our nation is more secure as a result.

But the strongest argument against almost unlimited immigration is a democratic one. At every election since 1992, the Conservative Party has promised to reduce migration. Brexit and the 2019 election confirmed this popular mandate and polling consistently shows the majority of Britons think migration is too high. Ignoring the voice of the people for more than 30 years puts a strain on our democracy. Failing to deliver on this issue is more serious than failing to cut taxes or taking too long to build hospitals - mass migration is changing the nature of Britain forever.

For there to be any hope of restoring trust, the Government must act now. We must increase the salary threshold for work visas, stop people bringing family members they cant support and consider an Australian-style overall cap.

And we must tear up the Treasury orthodoxy that clings on to immigration to generate superficial GDP growth, papering over structural weaknesses in our economy. Britain is not a spreadsheet. We must listen to the people.

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 Flash

Canadian and U.S. national flags are seen from the Canadian side of the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, on May 19, 2020. [Photo/Xinhua]

The Buffalo Field Office of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating a vehicle explosion Wednesday morning at a border crossing between the United States and Canada in Niagara Falls, the FBI said.

"As the situation is very fluid, that's all we can say at this time," the FBI said in a statement.

The incident killed two occupants in the car, which was coming from the Canadian side toward the United States and ended in an explosion at Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls, according to media reports. One border officer was injured.

New York State Police is actively working with the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force to monitor all points of entry to New York, said New York State Governor Kathy Hochul in a separate statement.

Four border crossings in the Niagara Falls area were closed while security check at the Buffalo-Niagara International Airport was beefed up.

"Right now we currently have the Rainbow Bridge closed in both directions in Niagara Falls," said Ontario Provincial Police Sgt. Kerry Schmidt, adding that the Fort Erie Peace Bridge is also closed in both directions.

Canadian government officials are operating under the assumption the incident is terror-related, and are trying to determine if the incident was isolated, Canadian media reported.

On Wednesday afternoon, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he had been briefed by the national security and intelligence advisor on the situation.

"We are in contact with the U.S. officials. The minister of public safety, RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) and CBSA (Canada Border Services Agency) are fully engaged and providing all necessary support," Trudeau said.
Jeremy Hunt made a cruel but still quite interesting point in his Autumn Statement speech this week. Labour, he said, grows the economy by importing foreign workers and doesnt much care about unemployed Brits. Conservatives, by contrast, use the potential we have right here at home. Hes quite right to say that immigration lets governments ignore social problems by recruiting industrious workers from abroad. Hes right to talk about it as an economic drug, but wrong to suggest the Tories havent been getting high on it for years.

We had the latest update yesterday. David Cameron famously pledged to get net migration down to the tens of thousands even though it was closer to 250,000 under his premiership. Then, Brexit came along  and, with it, complete power over border control. How have the Tories used this power? By ratcheting up net migration to more than six times Camerons target: we found out yesterday that the annual figure is 670,000. This covers up what would otherwise stand exposed as a full-scale crisis in the welfare state.

Having new arrivals settle at the rate of 3,000 a day is quite something, relatively new to Britain. We had more net migration in January this year than in the Windrush period  or, come to think of it, the whole of the last century.

But newcomers are certainly needed in a country where 4,000 people a day apply for sickness benefit. Mel Stride, the Work and Pensions Secretary, has caused outrage by saying hell crack down on this but even he doesnt plan any changes before 2025.

Why the slow progress? Because our welfare system is out of control. Its sucking people in at a rate that leaves ministers shocked and sickened, but unable to change. Strides reforms are good and necessary, but he has been advised that even these changes will land him endless lawsuits and judicial reviews by campaign groups adept at using lawfare to fight the Government. And yes, the Tories should have cleared up this legal mess long ago  but they were preoccupied by Brexit, Covid and regicide. The consequences of all this distraction are now becoming clear.

Now, consider the politics. Reforming welfare is a political suicide mission: get it right and youll be riddled with bullets and resented for trying tough love. Get it wrong and youll be castigated for being cruel and heartless. Ken Loach will make a critical film about you. And who is out there demanding reform? Id say only three people, a minister told me recently. Mel Stride, Jeremy Hunt and you. So there are columnists for whom this is an obsession, but not very many other people. Employers like these skilled, affordable migrant workers. The Treasury likes the tax revenue they bring. Who wants to bring all this to an end?

Migration allows the cover-up of the biggest welfare problems the country has ever seen. I recently asked Andy Burnham, mayor of Greater Manchester, if he knew that 18 per cent of his city were on out-of-work benefits. He didnt. The figures are worse for Birmingham, Glasgow and Liverpool (all 20 per cent), Middlesbrough (23 per cent) and Blackpool (25 per cent). In the 1980s such figures would have been seen as a scandal: how could a fifth, or a quarter, of entire cities be on the dole? Businesses would not be able to grow. They would be forced to raise wages to entice people to work, or provide training.

But mass immigration offers an alternative, and it is one we have silently chosen to take. So we dont notice the missing workers: the real total (5.5 million) doesnt show up in the official claimant count. If you know where to look, you can find shocking projections: 2.8 million claiming sickness benefits now, for example, and thats expected to rise to 3.4 million by the end of the decade. An increase bigger than the population of Bristol, swallowed up by this system. A social problem? Absolutely. But an economic one? Nothing that mass migration cannot solve.

It feels churlish to criticise Hunt and Stride when they are doing more about this than any other politician. With Labour, there is just silence. If the problem isnt getting enough attention under the Tories, it will be getting none under Keir Starmer, who has never spoken about it. His party would have even less appetite for this battle, and tends to see welfare as a public service that anyone can use. To write cheques, approve sick notes and consign people to edge-of-town estates has always been the more expensive but politically easier option.

We should at least stop being surprised by the huge numbers. We can expect net migration to stay high: about 400,000 next year, slowly settling at about 250,000 in a few years time. More than twice Camerons target. Dont expect housebuilding to proceed at anything like the same pace. The newcomers will keep flattering social and economic statistics. Theyre more likely to be in work, now, than natives.

But we can see the effect in our economic figures: this years economic growth of 0.6 per cent would be a 0.3 per cent decline on a per-capita basis. The UK-born workforce has not risen much since 2010: two-thirds of employment growth (and 80 per cent of it since the Brexit vote) is down to migration. Were very good at integration; at finding great newcomers and welcoming them. But Britain is also quite good at not discussing the problems facing those at the bottom: and that is the risk we face.

Why is it that white working-class boys are the demographic least likely to go to university? Why are 400 people a day being written off as being too sick to do any work? And even after the reforms announced this week, why should we now see a future where we consign literally hundreds of thousands to the same fate?

If the Brexit vote was intended to nudge Britain towards a more cohesive economic model, then its hard to say that it has worked so far. Im not at all confident that a Labour government would do any better. So yes, Hunt and Strides reforms may not be enough. But at the moment, they really are all that we have.

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Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) reportedly killed Ukrainian collaborator Oleksandr Slisarenko, previously installed by Russia as a deputy head of occupation authorities in Kharkiv Oblast, New Voice reported on Nov. 23, citing undisclosed sources.

Slisarenko, a former employee of the Ukrainian Interior Ministry, was allegedly assassinated in the Russian city of Belgorod, law enforcement sources told Ukrinform.

The collaborator was said to have died in the hospital after his car was allegedly blown up on Nov. 16.

The Kyiv Independent could not verify the report.

Slisarenko was an active member of Kharkiv Anti-Maidan in 2014  pro-Russian demonstrations aimed against the EuroMaidan Revolution and the post-revolution government.

He fought in Russian proxy forces in Luhansk Oblast between 2021 and 2022 and was made "deputy head" of occupation authorities in Kharkiv Oblast in 2022, New Voice said.

The collaborator was reportedly involved in atrocities against the Ukrainian population on occupied territories and was suspected of treason by the SBU.

Ukrainian media reported in late October that the SBU was behind the attack that seriously injured pro-Russian politician Oleg Tsaryov in Crimea.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on his Telegram channel on Nov. 23 that he received a report from the SBU's chief Vasyl Maliuk on "new results in countering enemy operations and collaborators."

Read also: How Ukrainian identity evolved since the Revolution of Dignity

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD)  Mel Trotter Ministries served up a free Thanksgiving meal to individuals and families in need at the DeVos Place Thursday.

The nonprofit serves up to 2,000 people a Thanksgiving meal each year at the annual event, which is sponsored by Meijer.

More than 500 volunteers helped prepare and serve the meal, including 2,400 pounds of stuffing, 600 pounds of green beans, 600 pounds of green bean casserole and 60 gallons of gravy. The Gilmore Collection cooked 180 turkeys and homemade rolls.

Mel Trotter Ministries serves serves up to 2,000 people at its annual Thanksgiving meal event. (Nov. 23, 2023)

The Gilmore Collection and Gilmore Catering are humbled by the opportunity to partner with Mel Trotter in giving back to the people of Grand Rapids on Thanksgiving Day. This is a time of year for reflection, and we are filled with gratitude for the West Michigan community that has supported us since 1978, Angela Shea, director of events at Gilmore Catering, said in a release.

Donated homemade pies were served for dessert.

Donated homemade pies were served for dessert at Mel Trotter Ministries annual Thanksgiving meal event. (Nov. 23, 2023)

CEO Dennis VanKampen said the event is open to anyone in need of a Thanksgiving meal.

We want to bless people that dont have as much as we do, he told News 8. Im going to go home and have a great Thanksgiving meal and I want to make sure we help everyone in this community have the same experience and the same meal.

He said the team is blessed by serving the meal.

These are some of the kindest people and the most grateful people, he said. Its an opportunity for us to build a relationship and also to make our community a little bit brighter and a little bit happier on this Thanksgiving holiday.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com.
MEMPHIS, Tenn.  A Memphis Police officer has been relieved of duty after being arrested in Arkansas Wednesday night.

The Memphis Police Department said they were contacted by police in Crittenden County, Arkansas around 8 p.m. Wednesday after off-duty officer Garry Arnold was taken into custody for driving under the influence.

Investigators were then dispatched to Arkansas, where they relieved Arnold of his duties with pay.

Arnold joined the department in 2017 and is assigned to Uniform Patrol.

Arkansas police officer dead after crash

MPD said they are conducting an internal investigation to address policy violations.

The actions of this off-duty officer do not reflect the hard work and values of officers of the Memphis Police Department, who strive tirelessly to make a positive contribution to our communities, MPD said in a statement Thursday.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com.
MEMPHIS, Tenn.  A group of community leaders all gathered together in front of City Hall on Wednesday to voice their frustration with youth crime in Memphis.

This comes less than 24 hours after Memphis police told the City council that they arrested more than 4,000 juveniles last year. Twelve of those kids were only 8 years old.

13-year-old charged in carjacking outside animal hospital

We have plans for crime but we dont have plans for the youth, said Damon Curry Morris, a Community activist.

Organizations like Towanna Murphys Project Lets Read and Sharon Mournings Ride of Tears put together a 5-point action plan to cut youth violence across the Bluff City. It focuses on education, mental health, outreach, and community.

Memphis is in trouble. We are in trouble, Murphy said.

How MPD plans to keep shoppers safe this holiday season

We have an agenda which is to come back to our communities and take back our communities, Mourning said.

Morris says this plan is the framework for a comprehensive plan that is set to be finalized in December. The goal is for the city to come together and create a task force to save Memphis youth.

Our leaders need to start listening to the youth and what they want. All of them are not bad, Morris said.

We hold the education system accountable, the city, the parents accountable, Murphy said. Its time we stand up and we save our children.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com.
Extra security was deployed around the building to which "El Nini" was transferred in Mexico City

Mexico's National Guard has arrested the alleged security chief of a faction of the Sinaloa cartel, Nestor Isidro Perez Salas, also known as "El Nini".

"El Nini" is accused of leading a ruthless group of bodyguards providing protection for the sons of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman.

The sons, known as "Chapitos" (little Chapos), rose to lead a faction of the cartel after their father was jailed.

The US had offered $3m (2.4m) for information leading to his capture.

He is wanted there on drug trafficking and weapons charges.

There was a multi-million dollar reward for information leading to his capture

The US authorities are trying to stem the flow of fentanyl from Mexico to the US by targeting the cartels which are smuggling the synthetic opioid.

According to the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), three of El Chapo's sons - Ovidio Guzman Lopez and his half brothers Ivan Archivaldo and Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar - have built a fentanyl-trafficking empire which smuggles millions of doses of the deadly opioid to the US.

Ovidio Guzman Lopez, also know as "El Raton" (The Mouse), was extradited to the US in September and has pleaded not guilty to charges of drug trafficking and money laundering.

The two other "Chapitos" remain at large.

"El Nini" is suspected of leading a violent group which provides personal security for the brothers.

According to US investigators, "El Nini" is one of the most feared hitmen for the Chapitos, tasked with kidnapping, torturing and killing rival drug traffickers.

He was detained in Culiacan, the capital of the state of Sinaloa, which is the stronghold of the cartel of the same name.

In a joint operation, soldiers and members of the National Guard swooped down on the Colinas de Rivera neighbourhood.

Mexican media reported that "El Nini" tried to flee by climbing on to the rooftop of a house, but gave up after shots were fired.

He was quickly flown to Mexico City and extra security was deployed in Culiacan to prevent any outbreaks of violence such as those which paralysed the city after the first time Ovidio Guzman Lopez was arrested.

"El Nini" is thought to have been behind the group's retaliation for Ovidio Guzman Lopez's 2019 arrest, which included prison riots, shoot-outs and blockading major roads.

The violence was such that President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador ordered Guzman Lopez be released.

Guzman Lopez was eventually re-arrested in 2023 and extradited to the US.
Hill Harper, a Democratic candidate for a US Senate seat in Michigan, said a donor offered him $20 million in campaign support if he were to agree to end his Senate bid and instead mount a primary challenge against Rep. Rashida Tlaib.

In a post on X, the actor-turned-politician said he rejected the donors offer. I wont be bossed, bullied, or bought, he wrote.

Tlaib, the only Palestinian-American member of Congress, has faced intense scrutiny in recent weeks over her criticism of the Israeli governments military operations against Hamas. Earlier this month, the House passed a GOP-led resolution to censure Tlaib over her comments.

Harper did not name the donor in the post. But in an interview with CNN, his campaign spokesman Karthik Ganapathy identified Michigan businessman Linden Nelson as the person who offered the financial support.

Nelson did not immediately respond to emails and telephone messages Wednesday afternoon.

Politico, which first reported on Harpers allegation, said it had reached Nelson briefly but that he quickly ended the call and did not respond to subsequent messages seeking comment.

CNN reached Harper by phone Wednesday, but he referred questions to Ganapathy.

Ganapathy told CNN that Harper received Nelsons call on October 16 and said it included an offer to bundle $10 million in contributions and provide another $10 million through independent expenditures on his behalf.

Candidates face strict limits on the size of donations they can receive from individuals, under federal law. And wealthy donors and the candidates they support are legally barred from coordinating financing for independent groups that can spend unlimited sums on a candidates behalf, said Saurav Ghosh, a former Federal Election Commission enforcement lawyer who now works with the Campaign Legal Center watchdog group.

But bundling together contributions that do not exceed the legal limits is permissible, he added.

Harper, a first-time candidate known for his roles on The Good Doctor and CSI: NY television shows, faces a stiff challenge in vying for an open Senate seat next year. Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin, another candidate seeking the Senate seat, had led Harper  and the rest of the field  in fundraising.

Harper is using the phrase about not being bossed, bullied, or bought to solicit campaign donations.

CNNs Eva McKend contributed to this story.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
More than 20 Michigan state lawmakers sent a letter to President Biden Wednesday, urging him to advance a lasting ceasefire between Israel and militant group Hamas.

In the letter, the state lawmakers noted that international organizations  including the United Nations, World Health Organization, and UNICEF , faith leaders, elected officials, and community leaders have all called for a ceasefire in the conflict, urging for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.

The lawmakers said that the temporary cease-fire deal between the two sides is a positive step forward.

Some aid has been able to enter Gaza since October 21, but there continue to be insufficient supplies of water, food, medicine, and blood, the letter reads. According to the World Health Organization, 20 of Gazas hospitals are no longer functioning. Over 1 million residents have been displaced from their homes in Gaza, leading to a growing humanitarian crisis.

The letter also mentions that many of the actions that have taken place in the Gaza Strip are also prohibited by the Geneva Convention.

The letter was signed by 25 state lawmakers, including state Rep. Abraham Aiyash (D), who is the majority leader of the states House chamber.

Today, I joined 25 other Michigan House and Senate colleagues pressing President Biden for a lasting ceasefire, Aiyash wrote in a post to X, a social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

Bombing children will not bring peace. An end to violence is the only way to legitimately address the occupation and bring lasting peace for Palestinians and Israelis alike, Aiyash added. We must advance and lasting and durable ceasefire to end the bombing and devastation in Gaza.

The letter comes a day after Israel and Hamas agreed to implement a temporary cease-fire for four days to allow for the safe transfer of hostages and the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

The militant group agreed to release 50 hostages, all women and children, currently kept by them. With the transfer of hostages, Palestinian prisoners will also be released from Israelis jail, per Hamass demands.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  A Las Vegas mother filed a lawsuit against the Clark County School District challenging a policy and decision that led to her sons expulsion.

He was playing like a kid with something that he didnt think would be called a weapon because it doesnt look like a weapon, Melisa Jenrett said. It looks just like a water gun.

Three students were allegedly kicked out of Orr Middle School for using a water gun.

Melvin McDonald was one of the students. The eighth grader was playing with whats called an Orbeez water gun that shoots small beads on Sept. 8th of this year.

Yet, little did McDonald know it would lead to his expulsion.

He been out of school for two and a half months, so Im highly pissed, Jenrett said.

Jenrett shared with 8 News Now a hearing she had with CCSD administrators on Oct. 31 challenging his expulsion.

Im not going to allow yall to put him in a behavior school when he already been getting bullied in a normal school, so what type of sense does that make? Jenrett said to administrators. Hes going to go be around some real ghetto kids. Kids that dont got a future for real.

Jenrett added, Yall are not about to put that on my child. Never.

According to CCSD administrators, a teacher and several students were hit with water beads from an Orbeez gun.

The law doesnt consider that a weapon, Jenrett said.

Orr Middle School Interim Principal Sara Friedman told administrators at the hearing they didnt know if it was a real weapon.

She played a video of the students hiding the toy.

We werent sure at that time even where it was on campus and we didnt know what it was for sure, Friedman said.

According to a lawsuit Jenrett filed on Nov. 7, Friedman stated she had called the police to charge Melvin McDonald with a weapons charge. The police did not press charges for the water gun.

The direction that I have been given is that if an Orbeez gun is on campus, and its not doing anything, its not considered a weapon. But the moment that the students do start to shoot other students, than its considered to be that, which is why I did call the police, Friedman said.

CCSD policy on discipline states principals can use their discretion and expel students who exhibit dangerous behaviors, such as having weapons, in order to protect other students.

However, Jenrett says that the same policy also exempts children such as her son who have a learning disability and are under an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) from being expelled.

The district has a policy of not commenting on pending litigation.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.
GENEVA (Reuters) - The number of premature births has risen by almost a third in Israeli-besieged Gaza over the past month as mothers suffer growing stress and trauma, British charity Oxfam said on Thursday.

Dozens of premature babies made headlines this week when they were rescued from a north Gaza hospital and transferred to Egypt after the site came under bombardment.

The northern part of the densely populated enclave has born the brunt of Israel's six-week-old military campaign against Gaza's ruling Hamas movement and none of its hospitals are functioning normally.

Juzoor, an Oxfam partner organisation that is supporting hundreds of pregnant women in Gaza, said the number of premature births had risen by 25-30% in the last month, attributing the rise to difficulties faced by mothers who have had to flee their homes due to bombardment and have suffered stress and trauma.

Premature babies are more susceptible to illness and Juzoor said that at least one newborn had died in each of its 13 shelters for displaced people in north Gaza over the past month.

Even before the current conflict, Gaza had a high infant mortality rate, with newborn deaths representing 68% of the total, according to the World Health Organization.

Sally Abi Khalil, Oxfam's Middle East Regional Director, said some displaced mothers have had to give birth in crowded classrooms, without medical support or basic hygiene.

"I don't think there is anyone anywhere in the world that would disagree that is simply inhumane," she said.

(Reporting by Emma Farge; editing by Mark Heinrich)
 Flash

The aerospace agency of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said Wednesday that the reconnaissance satellite "Malligyong-1" will formally start its mission from Dec. 1 after a seven-to-10-day fine-tuning process, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

The National Aerospace Technology Administration made the announcement during a visit by Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the DPRK, to Pyongyang General Control Center of the aerospace agency, according to the KCNA report.

Noting that the country has finally developed and possessed aerospace reconnaissance capability by its own efforts and technologies, the DPRK top leader lauded the satellite launch as "a great event" in developing the DPRK armed forces and coping with the evolving military situation in the region, said the report.

Kim stressed the need to send into orbit more reconnaissance satellites of various kinds and operate them in a combined and practical manner, in order to "provide the DPRK armed forces with abundant valuable real-time information about the enemy and further promote their responsive posture," it added.

The DPRK successfully launched a space rocket and sent the "Malligyong-1" into orbit late Tuesday, the KCNA reported earlier Wednesday.
Stroudsburg Mayor Michael Moreno intends to stay in his job after being charged with a DUI for the second time.

Past council members have also stayed in their roles after breaking the law, Borough Council President Matt Abell recalled at the Tuesday, Nov. 21., borough council meeting.

Their comments came after the Pocono Record requested comment from Moreno and council on the mayor's charges during the public comment for non-agenda items segment of the meeting.

I have no comment about it other than to say weve had issues with elected officials in the past and theyre all pretty much dealt with the same way, which is to say we have no authority over removal of any members unless they commit a felony, they perjure themselves in a court of law, or they move out of the jurisdiction. Those are basically the three causes for removal from office, said Stroudsburg Borough Council President Matt Abell.

Abell indirectly referenced examples of council members who were arrested while in office. Former President Kim Diddio was charged with DUI after crashing her car in East Stroudsburg in January 2007 with a blood alcohol content more than three times the legal limit. She addressed the incident in the first regular meeting afterward, and continued to serve as council president. Former Vice President Neil Allen pled guilty to heroin possession in April 2013 after he was caught with ten bags of heroin and did not attend council meetings for a while after his arrest.

More: Stroudsburg council president ready to put DUI experience behind her

Related: Stroudsburg council member guilty of heroin possession

So, you get it both ways, and it just comes down to the character of the person and you hope that they continue to live out the responsibilities that they were elected to do, and beyond that, we have zero control over it.

Moreno was arrested in Wind Gap on Sept. 11 by the Slate Belt Regional Police Department and later charged with DUI highest rate of alcohol (BAC .16+) a second-offense first-degree misdemeanor, and general impairment, a second-offense misdemeanor. His first offense was in December 2021.

After thanking Abell for his comments, Moreno spoke about the incident.

I just want to say that I did not wake up and decide to get a DUI, it was a grave mistake that Im deeply regretful for, said Moreno. It is my intention to stay on council and do the duties I was elected to do."

Moreno apologized for the incident.

"I've showed up here virtually every day for the past year, and I intend to do so for the next two," said Moreno. I love working for this borough, I love the residents and the business owners that I see every day, and I just want to say that Im very sorry, and it was not my intention.

Stroudsburg Mayor Michael Moreno at the Nov. 21, 2023, Stroudsburg Borough Council meeting. At left is Borough Solicitor Christopher Brown.

Moreno was appointed mayor in December 2022 after former Mayor Tarah Probst was elected to the Pennsylvania House. Earlier this month, he won an election for the remainder of the term.

When addressing questions asked by attendee Dennis McMahon, Moreno stated that his first offense happened before he was seeking office, and also declared that he will seek help.

McMahon called for Moreno's resignation.

Well, I think you should step down, because you disrespected your order, your job as mayor of this Stroudsburg, said McMahon. And I think theres quite a few people in this borough who think the same thing.

Moreno responded by saying that he appreciates McMahon's comments, thanking him for his service, and stating, "That's all I have to say."

Max Augugliaro is the public safety and government watchdog reporter at the Pocono Record. Reach him at MAugugliaro@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: Stroudsburg Mayor Michael Moreno plans to keep job after DUI charge
KYIV (Reuters) - The bulk of Ukrainian crops have entered the winter season in predominantly good condition, analyst APK-Inform quoted the country's state weather forecasters as saying on Thursday.

Ukraine is a grower of winter wheat, winter barley and winter rapeseed.

"During the second ten-day period of November, agrometeorological conditions for the end of the growing season of winter crops were quite satisfactory," APK-Inforn quoted forecasters as saying in a report.

"The condition of the plants before entering winter is mostly good."

The state-run weather forecasting centre monitors weather conditions and their effects on crops.

The agriculture ministry this week said that farmers had completed winter crop sowing, seeding about 5.8 million hectares as of Nov. 20.

The area included 4.02 million hectares of winter wheat, or 92.3% of the expected area, the ministry statement said. Ukraine's winter wheat typically accounts for at least 95% of its overall wheat output.

(Reporting by Pavel Polityuk; Editing by David Goodman)
NEW CONCORD  Muskingum University will receive $1,164,209 in Choose Ohio First program funding from the Ohio Department of Higher Education.

Muskingum will utilize its COF funding to support traditional undergraduate students, adult degree completion students and graduate students in health care related degree programs. For traditional undergraduates, the eligible major includes the bachelor's of science degree in nursing.

For students in the Muskingum Adult Program, nursing degrees will be available to registered nurses looking for career advancement through the RN-to-BSN program and to those looking into enter the nursing profession from another field through the accelerated bachelor in science in nursing program. At the graduate level, the eligible degree includes the Master of Occupational Therapy

ODHE provides funding to Ohios colleges and universities to support students in innovative academic programs. Participating universities and colleges award scholarships to students desiring a certificate, associate degree, baccalaureate degree or graduate degree in eligible STEM and STEM education fields.

Muskingum University has played a vital role in preparing STEM students for successful careers in Ohio and I am pleased to have Muskingum University among this latest group of Choose Ohio First awardees, said Chancellor Randy Gardner.

According to ODHE, Choose Ohio First funds higher education and business collaborations that will have the most impact on Ohios position in world markets such as aerospace, medicine and information technology. Choose Ohio First is part of a strategic effort to encourage Ohios economic strength by ensuring a ready workforce for STEM-related industries.

With this award, Muskingum has received more than $3 million in COF grant award funding over the last three years.

Undergraduate students interested in learning more can visit muskingum.edu/financial-aid/science-scholarships. Graduate and Muskingum Adult Program students can inquire about the Choose Ohio First scholarships with the Office of Graduate and Continuing Studies.

This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Muskingum University receives Choose Ohio First funding
By Bart H. Meijer

THE HAGUE (Reuters) - Dutch Muslims expressed shock on Thursday at the election win of far-right populist Geert Wilders, who has previously called for mosques and the Koran to be banned in the Netherlands.

Wilders and his Freedom Party (PVV) beat all predictions on Wednesday night by winning 37 seats out of 150 in the Dutch parliament, well ahead of a Labour/Green combination and the outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte's conservatives.

"These election results are shocking for Dutch Muslims. We did not expect such a party with a programme that is against the basic principles of the rule of law to be so big," said Muhsin Koktas of Muslim organization CMO.

Muslims make up around 5% of he Dutch population of almost 18 million people.

"It was a blow I have to process," Abdessamad Taheri, a 45-year old community worker in the multi-ethnic Schilderswijk neighbourhood in The Hague told Reuters.

Mehdi Koc, a 41-year-old insulation installer, said he was shocked by the swing to the PVV, while Taheri said the vote sent different messages to Muslims, although the overwhelming emotion was of disappointment.

"In part the message is that many people are xenophobic and don't want foreigners or Muslims. But another message is that people are very disappointed in 13 years of Rutte," he said.

However, Taheri, a member of the Labour party, said he could not really separate that from all the "nasty things" Wilders had said about banning head scarves and closing mosques.

After his surprise win, Wilders said he wanted to be prime minister for all Dutch people, but that appeared to do little to assuage concerns about what he might do later.

"If you say yes to Wilders now, than you will have to say yes later when he closes down all the mosques, because then you cannot go back," Koc said, warning that Wilders will not lose sight of his eventual goals.

Some in the Netherlands think that the Dutch system of coalition government means Wilders will have to compromise on his most radical views, as political analysts also predict.

"He will not make the laws alone (other parties) will join and they have to cooperate," Kemal Yildiz, 54, said.

"It will be fine," Yildiz added.

(This story has been refiled to fix the first name of Abdessamad Taheri in paragraph 5)

(Reporting by Stephanie van den Berg and Bart Meijer; Editing by Alexander Smith)
Our moon has been our constant companion for billions of years.

But we're still not sure how it came to be, though scientists have a few theories.

The most outlandish theory, in which an alien planet crashed into Earth, is also the most likely.

With the likes of NASA and Elon Musk vying to land on the moon within the next five years, you would think we would know everything about our satellite.

But there remain a vast number of unanswered questions, including one of the most fundamental: how did the moon first come to be?

That has been surprisingly difficult to answer, and scientists still aren't certain how it happened.

But they have theories, the most prominent of which is arguably the most bizarre as it involves a theoretical alien planet crashing into the Earth  then disappearing  more than 4 billion years ago.

Here are four leading theories of how the moon was formed, and why the secret to uncovering the truth could lie deep within our planet.

The moon wandered by the Earth and was captured into its orbit

According to the capture theory, the moon was wandering through the universe like a giant asteroid. One day, it passed within the vicinity of Earth and was captured into its orbit, staying with it ever since.

This isn't altogether impossible. After all, this is how Mars is thought to have captured its moons Phobos and Deimos.

Mars and its moons, Deimos and Phobos. NASA

In the case of the Earth, however, the capture theory is very unlikely. One reason is that our moon is very big  almost the size of Mars itself.

An object of that size "would be more likely to impact into the planet rather than just to be captured in orbit," Sara Russell, a professor of planetary sciences at the Natural History Museum, told Business Insider.

Lunar samples brought back during the Apollo missions put a final nail in that hypothesis.

Scientists analyzed the isotope makeup of these samples. Isotopes are forms of atoms that have the same chemical function, but carry a different number of neutrons.

"We use isotopes as a fingerprint, which are very distinctive," Russell said.

When space rocks form independently, it's easy to tell them apart with isotopes. A Mars rock looks different from an Earth rock for instance.

But the moon it turns out, is made up of the same isotopes as the Earth.

"That means they must be genetically linked somehow because every other body in the solar system has got a different isotope signature," she said.

An animation of the moon rotating around the Earth. Scientists are starting to uncover the moon's tiny but mighty effect on Earth's earthquakes. NASA/NOAA

The moon formed alongside the Earth

The accretion hypothesis ties the moon to the birth of the Earth. This theory suggests both objects emerged from the same cosmic cloud of dust around 4.6 billion years ago.

The Earth, per that theory, would have been the greedier twin, pulling more material to its side during its early accretion, which led to its bigger size, molten core, and stronger gravity. The moon, then, would have been pulled into Earth's orbit.

The problem is that while the moon and the Earth share isotopes, the way they put them together is very different. The moon is made up of much less sodium and iron than the Earth, for instance.

"You would expect that if it formed from the same cloud, the same mixture of material, it would end up with roughly the same composition, it might just be smaller," said Russel.

"But actually, it's completely different," she said.

The moon was a glob of material shed by the Earth as it started spinning

Another theory for the formation of our constant companion is not very flattering. This one argues that the moon is just a bit of excess baby fat our Earth shed early on in its life.

The moon also pulls as the earth, scientists have found. Getty Images

Per the fission theory, as the Earth started spinning faster, part of its material spun off, and then miraculously stopped exactly where it needed to be to create a body in Earth's orbit.

In this case, physics is not on the side of this theory.

It's very difficult to shed such a big mass of rock, no matter how quickly the planet was spinning at the time, said Russell.

"It might happen for an asteroid, but not something as big as the planet," she said.

Another issue with that theory is that the moon would have been much more likely to fly off toward the sun or fall back to Earth than to stay in orbit.

A Mars-sized planet crashed into the early Earth

That leaves us with one last hypothesis, the giant impact theory. While this hypothesis has the most scientific support, it is arguably the one that requires the biggest leap of the imagination.

The theory suggests that around 4.5 billion years ago, a Mars-sized planet called Theia crossed paths with a new Earth that had just started accreting.

The collision between the two planets created a humongous explosion, 100 million times bigger than the impact that wiped out the dinosaurs.

An animation shows Theia crashing into the moon. Vincent Eke and Jacob A. Kegerreis

Per this theory, the blow was so brutal that Theia kicked some of the Earth's material into space, which eventually turned into the moon. Theia disappeared by melting into the mess of molten rock that would eventually become the Earth and the moon as we know them today.

The subtle difference between the Earth and the moon, then, would be explained by Theia grazing the Earth's mantle but avoiding its iron core, which could explain why the moon is so iron-poor, per Russell.

The whole process may have taken only a few hours, according to NASA.

While this sounds far-fetched, thanks to the Apollo samples, it has quickly become the leading theory for how the moon formed.

"That is one of the absolute triumphs of the Apollo missions," said Russell. "Before Apollo, people honestly had no clue which of these models was the cause of the formation of the moon," she said.

"Apollo showed clearly that the moon has such great similarities to each other, that they must be somehow linked in some way," she said.

Still, the giant-impact theory is not without its issues. We have no idea where Theia came from and the planet left no evidence behind.

Another issue is that it's not quite clear why the moon and the Earth would be so similar if they picked up bits of Theia along the way. Models suggest more than 60% of the moon should be made up of Theia, per Space.com.

One possibility is that at the point of impact, Theia mixed in so thoroughly with both the Earth and the moon that these are virtually indistinguishable.

Another possibility is that Theia was almost a twin of the Earth, created in the same corner of the solar system.

Scientists are working to reconcile these finer points of the giant-impact theory. Modeling can explore the angle at which the planet hit the Earth and how its material mixed in with the Earth's mantle.

A recent study suggested that continent-sized chunks of an alien world may be hiding deep within our planet  and it could explain the weird structures that appear to be surrounding Earth's core.

Hongping Deng, a professor of computational physics from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, ran computer simulations tracking 100 million virtual particles from the moment Theia may have crashed into the Earth through to millions of years later.

Using these simulations, the scientists were able to show that some fragments of Theia  roughly 2% of the whole mass of the Earth could have survived inside our planet, slowly sinking through the mantle.

This is what the future of moon exploration might look like if phone networks are brought there. peepo/NASA

As humans return to the moon, they can bring back precious samples

An upcoming slew of planned missions to the moon, including NASA's Artemis mission to bring astronauts to the lunar surface for the first time in more than 50 years, could also offer opportunities to return more samples from the moon.

"Everyone's really excited about Artemis at the moment and having NASA and ESA, returning to the moon," said Russell.

"There's loads of stuff that we're gonna find out in the next decade or so," she said.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Igors Bobirs was detained in August, with authorities in Riga claiming he could have been working for the Russian Federal Security Service secret service - KONTRAST-FOTODESIGN/E+

A man detained in Latvia on suspicion of spying for Russia has died in detention after developing sudden health problems, prison authorities said.

Igors Bobirs was detained in August, with authorities in Riga claiming he could have been working for the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) secret service.

The Prison Administration of Latvia said on Wednesday that 53-year-old Bobirs  who had still not been officially charged  had died one week earlier, after being admitted to hospital.

It did not give a cause of death for the Russian-born man, but said there had been a rapid deterioration in his health.

The LETA news agency, a Latvian media organisation, said police had launched an investigation and post-mortem and toxicology reports were ordered.

High-profile espionage trial

Bobirs and three other suspects were detained after their names came up in the high-profile espionage trial of Janis Adamsons, the former Latvian interior minister.

Adamsons, a former navy deputy chief, was convicted this month of spying for Russia and sentenced to eight and a half years in jail. The 67-year-old had reportedly been able to transmit information of varying degrees of secrecy to Russia for four years.

Erlens Ernstsons, the Riga City Court judge, stated at the time: Adamsons collected secret and unclassified information for the Russian secret services, in an illegal, systematic and targeted way.

Latvia is a former Soviet republic that is now a Nato and EU member. Its relationship with Moscow has strained as it staunchly supports Ukraine against Russias invasion.

Two weeks ago, Latvias president told the Associated Press that countries must keep supplying arms to Ukraine, or Russia would have a green light for threatening others in the future.

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The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will lend 200 million euros ($218 million) to Ukraines state-owned energy giant Naftogaz to help build up its strategic gas reserves, the EBRD announced on Nov. 23.



The signing of the loan follows an agreement between Kyiv and the EBRD in June for a 600 million ($654 million) financing package to bolster energy security. The deal allocates 200 million euros to Naftogaz, 200 million euros to Ukrenergo, and 200 million euros to Ukrhydroenergo.



This is a very important step towards strengthening the energy stability of our country in wartime conditions. I am sincerely grateful to the EBRD and (Managing Director, Eastern Europe and the Caucasus) Matteo Patrone for their cooperation and consistent support of Ukraine in this difficult time, said Naftogaz CEO Oleksiy Chernyshov.



Ukraine is preparing for its second winter under Russian aggression. The EBRD previously supported Naftogaz last year with a 300-million-euro loan ($327 million) as part of a 500-million-euro ($545 million) package.



The bank listed energy security as one of its five investment priorities in support of Ukraines economy.



In August, the CEO announced that Naftogaz plans to make history by ensuring Ukraine is totally self-reliant on gas this year, without importing any supplies from Europe.



The EBRD loan provides security for the company should Ukraine face a particularly brutal winter.

Read also: Reuters: EBRD expects to invest over $3 billion into Ukraine over next 2 years

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
China has repeatedly stunned the U.S. intelligence community in the last five years with rapid progress in its space exploration program, landing a rover on the far side of the moon and completing its very own space station orbiting Earth.

Their advances have established that a new space race is on between Washington and Beijing  this time with the ultimate goal of sending a crewed mission to Mars, each vying to be the first to land humans on another planet.

Americas success may come down to a team of scientists based out of Idaho Falls.

Engineers at the Energy Departments Idaho National Laboratory are leading a nationwide team of scientists to enhance the capabilities of nuclear thermal propulsion, a technology that NASA hopes will cut the travel time to Mars by half.

It is an ambitious project that could transform the future of human space travel.

What NASA ultimately is looking for is a nuclear thermal solution to get to Mars, Sebastian Corbisiero, senior technical advisor for advanced concepts at the Idaho National Laboratory, told McClatchy in an interview. Theres additional technology that needs to be developed to have the higher capability that you need for the Mars mission.

NASA aims to reach Mars by 2040 and is working on entirely new technologies for the mission, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson told McClatchy in an interview.

READ MORE: Racing to the moon and Mars, U.S. intelligence sees China advancing with remarkable speed

With conventional technology, launch opportunities to Mars come along just once every 26 months, Nelson told McClatchy. Missing a launch window could mean a delay of several years, and if something goes wrong midflight, the crew will be on its own in deep space.

I dont think its practical to go to Mars with conventional technology conventional propulsion  because it takes us seven to nine months to get there. Once you get there, youre going to have to stay on the surface maybe a year, maybe two, until the planets realign so you can get back, Nelson told McClatchy. So I think one of the essentials is were going to have to get nuclear electric or nuclear thermal propulsion that will get us there faster.

The sheer length of the journey means a crew will need more food, equipment, and physical and mental stamina than any previous mission ever tested, Nelson said. A heavy launch vehicle will be necessary to carry an unprecedented payload off the Earth. The longer the journey into deep space, the longer astronauts will be exposed to dangerous levels of microgravity and high doses of radiation. They will steer their final approach to Mars with their vestibular systems out of whack, muscles atrophied, immune systems degraded, eyesight impaired.

Then they will have to land through an atmosphere that is thick enough to kill them but too thin to be used as a break to slow their descent to the surface. Should they succeed, they will be on the other side of the sun with no one there to help them.

Todays rockets are fueled by conventional combustion engines that require substantial amounts of fuel onboard to power a journey. While a chemical engine could get a spacecraft to Mars, an engine fueled by a nuclear reactor would be far more fuel efficient  heating up freezing hydrogen to high temperatures and using the exhaust as a thruster  and could continue accelerating the vehicle on its long trip to Mars, cutting the travel time.

The Idaho National Laboratory is working to enhance control over the velocity of the engine, increase its efficiency and control its heat generation, Corbisiero said, noting that the lab serves as a government-funded research and development center for national priority projects.

Cutting their travel time could reduce many of the logistical hurdles and risks currently burdening the mission, Nelson said. NASA is also working on radiation shielding that avoids the use of a heavy metal such as steel, and the generation of a centrifugal force in the spacecraft that would create artificial gravity for the crew.

A very powerful sense of urgency

At the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, in Arlington, Virginia, Tabitha Dodson is working to resurrect a thermal nuclear engine project that began in the Apollo era, but sat on a shelf after the United States abandoned manned spaceflight in the 1970s.

In an interview, Dodson compared Washingtons decision to let the technology languish to a directive from Beijing in 1525 to gather Chinas world-class fleet of ships and destroy them, relinquishing naval power for generations to come.

I feel a very powerful sense of urgency, said Dodson, program manager for the nuclear thermal rocket engine program at DARPA. Theres just this perfect storm of support, all up and down the various government agencies nationwide  in Congress and at the presidential level  to the point where I feel like we have to get this done, right now, because we might miss our chance.

Dodson said she has high confidence that DARPA and its main private industry partner, Texas-based Lockheed Martin, will successfully demonstrate their rocket, known as DRACO, in 2027.

But DRACO would only be an initial spaceflight test of nuclear propulsion technology in near-Earth orbit. Corbisiero explained that his team is working to build on DRACOs anticipated success, increasing the efficiency of the propellant and velocity scale of nuclear thermal propulsion in preparation for longer missions.

Dodson and Corbisiero both acknowledged working toward an internal deadline of reaching Mars by 2040 and expressed confidence it could be reached.

From a technology standpoint, its certainly within our grasp, Corbisiero said. This isnt something where you need to invent new physics or some magical breakthrough.

A senior official in President Joe Bidens administration told McClatchy that it is indeed a priority of the White House to advance this technology with haste.

Some of this foundational technology is very important for us to get toward a crewed Mars mission, the senior official said. We know its going to take significant time for us to be able to develop that technology early on, because these are long-lead needs.

Jim Bridenstine, NASA administrator under former President Donald Trump, told McClatchy that traveling to Mars makes a trip to the moon look easy.

Humanity is going to eventually walk on the surface of Mars, and I think that is going to be an exceptional moment, Bridenstine added. Who will be there first? I dont know.

China works to develop nuclear propulsion

Chinese officials, too, appear to be working on a nuclear propulsion project of their own.

In November 2022 on Hainan Island, where China has built a launch site for its heaviest rockets, Wu Weiren, an architect of Chinas lunar program, made a presentation that previewed Chinas plans for future missions that included spaceship designs to accommodate nuclear electric engines, according to slides of the proposal obtained by McClatchy.

This comes with real technological repercussions, including the command of different environments in space, said Chris Carberry, CEO and co-founder of Explore Mars, Inc. And if theyre beating us to Mars, theyre probably doing very well closer to Earth, as well.

READ MORE: Sen. Jerry Moran pushes NASA funding in emerging China race: Were in a space marathon

Chinese officials have remained quiet on their plans for a manned mission to Mars. But in 2021, at a conference on space exploration in Russia, a senior executive at Chinas main space launch vehicle manufacturer said that Beijing had a roadmap to send humans and establish a base there in the mid-2030s.

U.S. intelligence and national security officials told McClatchy that Chinas space program is advancing with remarkable speed, and could inhibit the United States freedom of movement in space by the end of the decade.

Mars is the horizon goal, said Scott Pace, executive secretary of the National Space Council under Trump. Landing on Mars  if theyre able to do it  would play into Chinas narrative as the great power of the 21st century.

But having that goal and doing it are two different things, he added.
Flags representing the tribal nations based in Oklahoma fly outside the state Capitol in Oklahoma City in October. Native American Heritage Day has particular significance in Oklahoma, which is home to 39 tribal nations.

Many people know the day after Thanksgiving as Black Friday. But the federal government officially recognizes the day in a much different way: as Native American Heritage Day.

The day marks the final week of National Native American Heritage Month and is meant to celebrate the cultures and contributions of Indigenous people in the United States.

The day has particular significance in Oklahoma, which is home to 39 tribal nations. One in six Oklahomans identified as Native American in the 2020 census. That amounts to the largest share of residents in any state except Alaska.

U.S. lawmakers proposed the day as a way to encourage schools to teach about Native American history and promote working relationships between federal and tribal governments.

Many Native people say those goals should last all year long, especially as legislators in Oklahoma and other states seek to limit how schools teach about race. Some people worry students wont learn about harmful U.S. policies toward tribal nations, such as government-funded boarding schools that sought to assimilate Native students for generations.

More: 8 new Native American shows and movies you can stream now  and 3 coming soon

President Joe Biden acknowledged that complicated past in an Oct. 31 proclamation recognizing November as Native American Heritage Month.

Since time immemorial, Native communities have passed down rich cultures, knowledge, traditions, and ways of life, Biden said. But throughout our history, Native peoples cultures, identities, and governments were not always seen as a part of this Nation but as a threat to it.

Despite enduring centuries of violence and oppression, Native people have made contributions that are essential to the fabric of the United States, Biden said.

Their diverse cultures and communities continue to thrive and lead us forward, he said.

What is the history of Native American Heritage Day and Month?

It all started as Native American Awareness Week in October 1976.

President Gerald Ford proclaimed the week at the urging of Congress, as one of many events in honor of the 200th birthday of the United States. The 1970s also marked a critical turning point in federal policy toward tribal nations, from a focus on terminating their rights to acknowledging them.

More: Oklahoma tribes celebrate Thanksgiving despite holiday's false narrative

The culture and heritage of our Native Americans are unique, Ford wrote in his proclamation. In renewing the spirit and determined dedication of the past 200 years, we should also join with our Native Americans in rebuilding an awareness, understanding and appreciation for their historical role and future participation in our diverse American society.

Many other presidents went on to issue similar proclamations. George H.W. Bush was the first president to proclaim a full month in recognition of Native Americans in 1990, signing off on a Congressional resolution.

His son, President George W. Bush, approved a similar resolution in 2008 to create a standalone Native American Heritage Day. President Barack Obama made the day a permanent fixture on federal calendars the following year.

Leaders of tribal nations in Oklahoma gather for a photo at an October 2022 election rally at the First Americans Museum in Oklahoma City.

More: When was the first Thanksgiving hosted?

What is the purpose of Native American Heritage Day?

Congress explained the reasons for a permanent Native American Heritage Day in a resolution passed in 2009, which became law.

The resolution calls on governments, civic groups, schools and others to honor the historical and present-day cultures, traditions and accomplishments of Native Americans.

Nationwide recognition of the contributions that Native Americans have made to the fabric of American society will afford an opportunity for all Americans to demonstrate their respect and admiration of Native Americans for their important contributions to the political, cultural, and economic life of the United States, the resolution said.

Two dancers from Moore Public Schools watch their classmates perform during the 2023 Indigenous Peoples Day celebration at the First American Museum in Oklahoma City.

What is the difference between Indigenous Peoples Day and Native American Heritage Day?

More states are starting to recognize Indigenous Peoples Day on the second Monday of October in place of Columbus Day. The federal government has not officially made the switch, although Biden has issued proclamations in support of Indigenous Peoples Day.

Supporters of the change say Columbus Day erroneously honors Christopher Columbus for discovering the Americas, when millions of Indigenous people already lived on those lands.

Columbus Day fell in the middle of the federal governments first Native American Awareness Week in 1976. But that doesnt appear to have ever happened again. All of the subsequent weeks honoring Native Americans have occurred in November or December.

More: Five things to know about Indigenous Peoples Day in the U.S.

What is the history of days honoring Native Americans in Oklahoma?

Oklahoma has had an official day honoring Native Americans since 1998. Lawmakers approved a law that year declaring the third Monday in every November to be Native American Day.

State officials celebrated the first-ever Native American Day with an event outside of the legislative chambers in the Oklahoma Capitol, according to The Oklahoman archives.

In 2019, lawmakers voted to move the date to coincide with Columbus Day, after hearing from many tribal leaders whose nations already recognized Indigenous Peoples Day. Gov. Kevin Stitt signed the change into law.

The First Americans Museum in Oklahoma City, which opened in 2021, features exhibits that share the perspectives of Native people in Oklahoma.

What to do for Native American Heritage Day and Month in Oklahoma

There is no shortage of ways to find out about Native American cultures, tribal nations and how they have shaped Oklahoma. The learning can continue all year long. Here are a few suggestions to get you started.

Visit cultural centers, museums

Explore one of the expansive cultural centers or museums operated by tribes across the state. Options abound, including the Comanche National Museum and Cultural Center in Lawton, Citizen Potawatomi Cultural Heritage Center in Shawnee and Chickasaw Cultural Center in Sulphur.

Another great option is the First Americans Museum in Oklahoma City, which features perspectives from all of the 39 tribes based in the state.

Hours of each location vary.

Read Indigenous works

Make your next book one by an Indigenous author. Some picks include:

The contemporary fiction book Calling for a Blanket Dance by Cherokee and Kiowa author Oscar Hokeah.

The classic House Made of Dawn by Kiowa author N. Scott Momaday.

The Deaths of Sybil Bolton, a personal investigation into the Osage Reign of Terror by Osage author Dennis McAuliffe.

Watch

Check out a movie or documentary told from an Indigenous perspective. The National Museum of the American Indians annual Native Cinema Showcase is streaming online through Friday at americanindian.si.edu/native-cinema-showcase-2023/

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Native American Heritage Day 2023: What to know, how it started
Native American storyteller Perry Ground, a Turtle Clan member of the Onondaga Nation, starts his "rethinking" of Thanksgiving with a quiz.

Ground, who has been telling stories for 25 years in an effort to increase cultural understanding around Native American history, says his audience is usually surprised by "what they think they know  and don't know about the story of the 'First Thanksgiving.'"

The three-day feast in 1621 was a moment in time, with just one tribe, Ground says, but has shaped the way that many people think about Native Americans because of the role they are believed to have played in the event.

Native American storyteller Perry Ground shares a story with a young audience. / Credit: Perry Ground, courtesy Fenimore Art Museum

Ground hopes his work  and those of other native voices  can help Americans "rethink" the idea of Thanksgiving by providing a more nuanced understanding of what happened in 1621 and the incredible destruction and upheaval forced upon native tribes when settlers arrived in North America.

The 21-question quiz includes questions on whether turkey was served at the "First Thanksgiving" feast, why the celebration became a national holiday and what the interaction was really like between the Pilgrims and Native Americans.

Many respondents don't know the answers. They also don't realize how little Native Americans had to do with the "creation of Thanksgiving," said Ground. He tries to widen their perspective by sharing the history and dispelling the myths surrounding the holiday through story.

In 1621, Pilgrims shared a feast with the Wampanoag people, which was recounted in a letter written by settler Edward Winslow. He wrote, "we exercised our arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and amongst the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted."

From those few lines rose the myth surrounding the relationship between Native Americans and settlers. The interaction was presented as a rosy story instead of talking about the outcome and the effects on the native community, said Joshua Arce, president of Partnership With Native Americans, one of the largest Native-led nonprofits in the U.S.

Arce, a member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, said Thanksgiving for many Native Americans is "a day of resilience, of mourning  and a day of survival."

Cooperation and peace between the native tribes and the settlers after the feast was short-lived. Throughout the period of European colonization, millions of Native Americans were killed, either in fighting or by disease. Between 80% and 95% of the Native American population died within the first 100-150 years of European contact with the Americas, researchers estimate.

It was after "The Trail of Tears," when Native Americans were forcibly displaced from their homelands following the 1830 Indian Removal Act (with over 10,000 dying on the brutal trek) that Thanksgiving became a holiday. President Abraham Lincoln made a proclamation in 1863 that Thanksgiving was to be regularly commemorated each year on the last Thursday of November. On Dec. 26, 1941, President Franklin D.

Roosevelt signed a resolution establishing the fourth Thursday in November as the federal Thanksgiving Day holiday.

Native American storyteller Perry Ground tells stories about his community. / Credit: courtesy Perry Ground

Arce said the struggle for the native community is to "reconcile what happened then to now." November is a time of harvest and part of the natural cycle when communities prepare for winter. For Arce, incorporating seasonal elements important to native communities and their distinct traditions into Thanksgiving can help honor their survival and resilience.

For Ground, storytelling is the way to learn about Native American cultures and traditions, and he wants his audience to engage through different techniques, like his quiz.

In addition to his "Rethinking Thanksgiving" presentation, he also tells stories about different Native American myths and legends, because while communities have evolved, "we also have these traditions and ideas that are important to us."

For Ground, Thanksgiving shouldn't be the only time people should think about Native Americans. "We are human beings that have a continuum of history and we continue to exist today," he said.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday congratulated Javier Milei on his election as president of Argentina.

In his congratulatory message, Xi said that China and Argentina, both major developing countries and emerging economies, have been committed to mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, and firmly supported each other on issues concerning each other's core interests.

Noting that practical cooperation in various fields has brought tangible benefits to the two peoples, Xi said that the China-Argentina friendship has taken deep roots in the hearts of the two peoples and that it has become the consensus among people from all walks of life in both countries to advance the development of China-Argentina relations.

"I highly prize the development of China-Argentina relations and am willing to work with Milei to carry forward our friendship, boost development and rejuvenation in both countries via win-win cooperation, and promote the sound and sustained growth of China-Argentina relations so as to better benefit the two peoples," the Chinese president said.

Milei, who won Argentina's presidential runoff on Sunday, is set to assume the presidency on Dec. 10.
By Sabine Siebold

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO has warned its members that too much red tape is hindering troop movements across Europe, a problem that could cause major delays were a conflict with Russia to erupt.

"We are running out of time. What we don't get done in peacetime won't be ready in case of a crisis or a war," the chief of NATO's logistics command JSEC, Lieutenant-General Alexander Sollfrank, told Reuters in an interview published on Thursday.

NATO's Joint Support and Enabling Command (JSEC) in the southern German town of Ulm started operating in 2021. Its job is to coordinate the swift movement of troops and tanks across the continent as well as logistical preparations such as the storage of munitions on the alliance's eastern flank.

A result of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in 2014, the creation of JSEC reflected the assessment that NATO, after decades of detente following the Cold War, once again needed to be ready for a war in Europe that could break out at any time.

However, the task of quickly deploying forces up to a size of a division with some 20,000 troops, as well as having ammunition, fuel, spare parts and provisions in place, has become trickier since the Cold War.

While NATO and Warsaw Pact troops in the past faced each other mainly in Germany, the alliance has since expanded some 1,000 kilometres (600 miles) to the east, multiplying the length of NATO's eastern flank to some 4,000 kilometres in total.

"The expanse of space, the fact that not all forces are forward-based - all this means that the alliance has to be quick in moving troops from their bases to the right spot on the eastern flank," Sollfrank noted, adding this needed preparation.

"At the heyday of the war in Ukraine, Russia fired 50,000 artillery shells per day. These rounds have to reach the howitzers," he said. "So you have to set up warehouses - for ammunition, fuel, spare parts and provisions."

As it is, NATO forces have to navigate a variety of national regulations, stretching from the advance-notice required before ammunition can be shipped to the permissible length of military convoys and disease prophylaxis.

"We have a surplus of regulations, but the one thing we don't have is time," warned Admiral Rob Bauer, head of NATO's military committee. "Russia's war against Ukraine has proven to be a war of attrition  and a war of attrition is a battle of logistics."

Sollfrank said he would like to see a "military Schengen", an area of free military passage akin to the political Schengen zone that allows free movement within most of the EU.

NATO must not prompt a miscalculation in the Kremlin by giving the impression Moscow might stand a chance to win because the alliance is not prepared, he warned.

"We need to be ahead of the curve. We have to prepare the theatre well before Article 5 has been invoked", he said, referring to NATO's collective defence clause which effectively puts the alliance at war.

(Reporting by Sabine Siebold; editing by Christina Fincher)
Black Americans have faced the unimaginable, and while there is still a long way to go, the High on the Hog Netflix series celebrates the resilience of our people by honing in on the language that connects us all: food.

In season 1 of Netflixs High on the Hog, host Stephen Satterfield and renowned culinary scholar Jessica B. Harris explored the cuisine across the diaspora that connects our people to the motherland. For the series second installment, they focus on the delicacies stemming from prominent Black communities, including New Orleans, Chicago and many others.

I think the whole notion of how much history we have within ourselves that we dont know, that we dont examine, that we dont look at, Harris told Blavitys Shadow and Act. We talk to our elders, but not in the same way that we did when I was your age or younger. We have, in many families, given up the whole idea of family dinner on a weeknight. We may still do it on Sunday, but thats when the exchanges used to take place.

She continued, So, what I am hoping is that this, particularly because there are so many intergenerational conversations in this season, might encourage people your age to talk to people my age.

Satterfield had a very personal experience this season, having traced the roots of his grandfather, who worked as a Pullman porter in Chicago.

It was a quite profound experience, one of the most Ive had actually on or off camera, he recalled of the episode in which the crew voyaged to Chicago and spoke directly with Pullman operators from the past. And one that I am still processing in some ways as I never had the chance to meet my grandfather, and Mr. Gaines, actually since the filming, unfortunately, has moved on, so Im holding a lot with that. But, it was quite profound and an honor to lift up my grandfathers name like that.

Beyond just connecting the rich history of Black Americans and their families through food and fellowship, the name of the show alone holds a lot of power.

The book High on the Hog begins with the story that allegedly gives us that expression, which goes back to like a master and John trickster tale. The bottom line is John, who is the enslaved person, gets over on ol massa, gets his own hogs, gets beyond the chitlins and pigs feet and ears and tails that master would give him for slaughtering a hog, and once he gets his own hogs, he gets ham and pork chops and all of that, and he says hes living high on the hog, not the feet, but the ham, Harris explained. I think that the whole story about the inventiveness of the story and the way that it talks about the creativity, albeit sometimes clandestine, of African Americans is what has allowed some/many/not as many as I would like to think of us, to live high on the hog and many of us to live higher on the hog than our ancestors do.

Since the Black experience has never been monolithic, Satterfield expressed the necessity of using platforms like High on the Hog to share our narratives.

Theres plenty of Black folks in our history who lived a life that was high on the hog and many who continue to do so, he said. So, I think part of it, in the telling of this particular throughline of our narratives and our stories, which is to say that in this context, we are speaking high on the hog as more of an aspirational idiom.

He concluded, I think that we do try to tell the story of our people in a way that shows what we were trying to get and what it was like and also sometimes how it felt and what it looked like when food has been that other thing for us, which is a companion, a hug, the place of solace and strength.

When is 'High on the Hog' back on Netflix?

Season 2 of High on the Hog returns to Netflix this Wednesday.
Israel-Hamas war: Gaza hostages will not be released before Friday, says senior Israeli official

Israels national security adviser said the release of hostages under a temporary truce agreement with Hamas will not happen before Friday.

Negotiations for the release of our captives are progressing and continue all the time, Israeli National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said in a statement released by the prime ministers office.

The start of the release will proceed according to the original agreement between the parties, and not before Friday, Hanegbi said.

It is expected that at least 50 hostages will be freed by Hamas during a four-day ceasefire under a new deal with Israel, brokered by the Qatar and the United States.

Dozens of children and their mothers held captive in Gaza since Hamass brutal incursion into Israel on 7 October will be freed via Egypt, according to the agreement.

The deal can be expanded to include the release of 85 women and children in total, diplomatic sources told The Independent. Israel is willing to extend the much-needed humanitarian ceasefire by a day for every 10 additional hostages released by Hamas, sources said.

The first release of hostages had been expected on Thursday, but late on Wednesday Israel said it had been delayed and would not happen until at least Friday.

Key Points

At least 50 hostages to be freed from Gaza during four-day ceasefire

Israel could extend ceasefire by a day for release of every 10 hostages

US and Qatar-brokered deal follows gut-wrenching talks

Deal to free Palestinian children from Israeli prisons not yet finalised

Hostage swap delayed by at least a day, says Israel

More than 13,000 people have died in Gaza, officials say as they resume detailed count

10:29 , Tom Watling

The director of the Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza says it has resumed its detailed count of casualties from the Israel-Hamas war, and has documented more than 13,000 deaths.The Health Ministry had stopped updating its figures on 11 November after the breakdown of access and communication in northern Gaza, where Israeli ground troops are battling Palestinian militants.The latest count is based on updated figures from hospitals in the south and 11 November figures from the northern hospitals. The real toll is likely higher.The Health Ministry says another 6,000 people have been reported missing, and are feared buried under the rubble.

Palestinians flee to the southern Gaza Strip, on the outskirts of Gaza City, during the ongoing Israeli bombardment (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press All rights reserved)

Anxious families wait to see if loved ones will be among those freed

09:45 , Namita Singh

Relatives of the Israeli hostages are worried about the fragility of the agreement, while others fear not everyone will come home, writes Kim Sengupta:

Anxious families wait to see if loved ones are among 50 freed in Gaza hostage deal

Gaza is worlds most dangerous place for children - Unicef

09:30 , Namita Singh

The Gaza Strip is the most dangerous place in the world to be a child, the head of the United Nations childrens agency Unicef says.

Executive Director Catherine Russell told the UN Security Council that more than 5,300 Palestinian children had reportedly been killed since 7 October, when Palestinian militants of Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking hostages, most of them civilians.

Israel has focused its retaliation against Hamas in Gaza, a territory of 2.3 million people.

How Joe Biden and a secret cell of aides worked to arrange a Gaza ceasefire

09:15 , Namita Singh

How Joe Biden and a secret cell of aides worked to arrange a Gaza ceasefire

Children will be traumatised after capture, says psychologist

09:00 , Namita Singh

Dozens of Israeli children held hostage by the Islamist movement Hamas in Gaza for more than six weeks face a difficult return when they return home under a prisoner swap agreement, doctors and child psychology specialists said.

At least 50 hostages, most of them children, are expected to be returned under a deal which includes a four-day pause in the fighting in Gaza and the return of around 150 Palestinian prisoners.

They will probably show signs of post-trauma, which means that some of them will be very fidgety, very frightened, some may be very angry, said Dr Daphna Dollberg, clinical and developmental psychologist at the Academic College of Tel Aviv-Yaffo.

Watch: IDF says Israel still at war despite suspension of hostilities for hostage release

08:45 , Namita Singh

Lord Cameron in Israel following truce announcement with Israel

08:27 , Namita Singh

Foreign secretary Lord Cameron is visiting Israel following the announcement of a truce in the war with Hamas.

The former prime minister arrived in Israel amid uncertainty about when the pause in the fighting will begin.

The agreement for a four-day ceasefire in Gaza appears to have hit a last-minute snag.

(REUTERS)

A senior Israeli official said it would not take effect before Friday, a day later than originally expected.

The deal will see the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, with Palestinian prisoners expected to be freed by Tel Aviv.

The lull in the fighting is also expected to clear the way for humanitarian aid to enter Gaza to ease the suffering of citizens who have been bombarded and besieged by Israel as it takes on Hamas in response to the 7 October atrocities.

In pictures: David Cameron reaches Israel

08:18 , Namita Singh

British foreign secretary David Cameron and Israeli foreign minister Eli Cohen visit Kibbutz Beeri following the 7 October deadly attack by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas (Reuters)

(Reuters)

(Reuters)

Israel-Hamas truce deal for hostage release hits last-minute snag

08:11 , Namita Singh

An agreement for a four-day cease-fire in Gaza and the release of dozens of Hamas-held hostages and Palestinians imprisoned by Israel appeared to have hit a last-minute snag when a senior Israeli official said it would not take effect until Friday, a day later than originally announced.

The diplomatic breakthrough promised some relief for the over 1.7 million Palestinians who have fled their homes under weeks of Israeli bombardment, as well as families in Israel fearful for the fate of their loved ones captured during Hamas 7 October attack that triggered the war.

This picture taken from southern Israel near the border with the Gaza Strip shows smoke billowing after an Israeli strike as flares are also dropped over north Gaza on 22 November 2023 (AFP via Getty Images)

Israels national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, announced the delay late on Wednesday, without providing a reason. Israeli media reported that some final details were still being worked out.

The Persian Gulf nation of Qatar, which played a key role in mediating with Hamas, said early Thursday that a new time for the agreement to go into force would be announced in the coming hours. It was originally set to begin today at 10am . The US and Egypt also helped negotiate the deal.

Israel says attacked over 300 Hamas targets over the last day

07:02 , Namita Singh

Israel said its forces carried out aerial strikes on over 300 Hamas targets over the past day. The claims could not be independently verified.

In Israel, sirens warning of incoming rocket fire from Gaza blared in communities near the border with the enclave, the military said. There were no reports of damage or injuries.

No let up in Israels attack on Gaza amid truce deal

07:02 , Namita Singh

Israeli aircraft and artillery struck Gazas southern city of Khan Younis in at least two waves and 15 people were killed, reported Palestinian media. This comes amid efforts to broker a ceasefire deal to secure release of hostages and let in humanitarian aid.

Smoke billows after an Israeli strike on Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip on 23 November 2023 (AFP via Getty Images)

Attacks were also reported in several other parts of Gaza, including the Jabalia and Nuseirat camps.

Announcement on start of truce could come in few hours - Qatar

06:25 , Namita Singh

An Egyptian security source said mediators had sought a start time of 10am today.

Speaking in the morning, Qatars foreign ministry spokesperson Majid bin Mohammed Al Ansari said an announcement on the beginning of the truce could come in the next few hours. Qatar has been mediating in the negotiations on the truce.

The negotiations on the release of our hostages are advancing and continuing constantly, Israeli National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said in a statement released by the prime ministers office.

The start of the release will take place according to the original agreement between the sides, and not before Friday, it said.

Maryland hate crime commission member suspended for anti-Israel social media posts

05:40 , Namita Singh

Marylands attorney general suspended a member of the states new commission aimed at addressing hate crimes this week after she posted on social media criticizing Israels actions in Gaza.

Attorney General Anthony Brown said in a news release on Tuesday that his office recently learned about the personal social media posts of Zainab Chaudry, director of the Maryland chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

The Maryland Commission on Hate Crimes Response and Prevention is required to include a representative of CAIR along with other advocacy organizations. It was created by state lawmakers during the 2023 legislative session and began meeting last month. Mr Brown has the authority to appoint its members as chair of the commission.

Report:

Maryland hate crime commission member suspended for anti-Israel social media posts

Humanitarians want more aid for Gaza, access to hostages under Israel-Hamas truce. And more time

05:26 , Namita Singh

International aid groups say they are ready to deliver thousands of truckloads of food, water and other supplies to besieged Gaza if a temporary cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war takes hold as hoped on Thursday.

Some hailed an important first step, but many said on Wednesday that a four-day truce isnt enough to meet overwhelming needs after seven weeks of fighting have displaced hundreds of thousands of Palestinians now living in miserable conditions.

More here:

Humanitarians want more aid for Gaza, access to hostages under Israel-Hamas truce. And more time

What happens when the Gaza ceasefire ends?

04:57 , Namita Singh

A four-day ceasefire in Gaza set to begin on Friday will allow for the release of 50 hostages, the delivery of desperately needed humanitarian aid, and a brief respite from the relentless bombardment of the densely populated territory for more than two million civilians.

But what happens when it ends?

The short answer is that the war will continue, and it may be even bloodier than before. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu put it bluntly on Wednesday during a live address about the hostage deal. The war continues, he said. We continue until we have achieved complete victory.

More in this report:

What happens when the Gaza ceasefire ends?

Palestinian journalist Plestia Alaqad flees Gaza

04:56 , Namita Singh

Plestia Alaqad, a Palestinian journalist whose dispatches from Gaza have provided a rare glimpse of the war to millions of social media followers around the world, has fled Gaza amid Israels ongoing bombardments and military siege.

I traveled yesterday and this was literally one of the hardest decisions that I took, she wrote in the caption under an Instagram video on Wednesday. I hope this nightmare ends and Ill be back in Gaza soon.

She made the decision to leave for the safety of her family, fearing that her reporting and role as a journalist could put her familys life in danger, she said.

My colleague Alex Woodward has more:

Palestinian journalist Plestia Alaqad flees Gaza: I hope this nightmare ends

Optimistic that release will begin on Friday: White House

04:55 , Namita Singh

The release of hostages under a temporary truce between Israel and Palestinian Hamas militants will not happen before Friday, Israels national security adviser and the US said, dashing hopes of relatives that some would be freed on Thursday.

Israel and Hamas agreed early on Wednesday to a ceasefire in Gaza for at least four days, to let in humanitarian aid and free at least 50 hostages held by militants in the enclave in exchange for at least 150 Palestinians jailed in Israel.

The starting time of the truce and release of hostages captured by Hamas during its 7 October attack on Israel has yet to be officially announced. An Egyptian security source said mediators had sought a start time of 10am on Thursday.

White House spokesperson Adrienne Watson said final logistical details for the release were being worked out. That is on track and we are hopeful that implementation will begin on Friday morning, Ms Watson said.

Shadowy Hamas leader in Gaza is at top of Israels hit list after last months deadly attack

04:23 , Namita Singh

The mastermind of the Hamas attack on Israel that triggered the worst Israeli-Palestinian bloodshed in generations is a secretive figure, feared on both sides of the battle lines.

Since Hamas fighters carried out the deadliest attack on Israel in decades, Israeli officials have vowed to crush the Palestinian militant group and its enigmatic leader in Gaza.

Report:

Shadowy Hamas leader in Gaza is at top of Israel's hit list after last month's deadly attack

Anxious families wait to see who will be freed in Gaza hostage deal

04:22 , Namita Singh

There is relief that moves are being made to bring those being held captive back, writes our World Affairs Editor Kim Sengupta. But some relatives are worried about the fragility of the agreement, while others fear not everyone will come home.

Anxious families wait to see if loved ones are among 50 freed in Gaza hostage deal

Israel unveils what it claims is a major militant hideout beneath Al Shifa Hospital

04:22 , Namita Singh

Israeli military officials have shown a group of international journalists a small living quarters they found in a tunnel underneath Al Shifa Hospital, claiming that the space had been used by Hamas militants.

Israel unveils what it claims is a major Hamas militant hideout beneath Gaza City's Shifa Hospital

How the hostage deal came about

04:08 , Namita Singh

The negotiations hardly ran smoothly. But in the end, persistence paid off.

Six weeks ago, not long after Hamas killed more than 1,200 Israelis and took scores of others hostage in a surprise assault, the government of Qatar quietly reached out to the United States to discuss how to release those who had been taken captive by the militant group.

But the mission demanded extreme sensitivity. It was so secret that US officials established a communications cell to reach Hamas directly, and kept those negotiations tightly guarded throughout the US government. Only a handful of people were aware of the talks, according to a senior White House official.

For weeks through the cell, which allowed the small circle of negotiators to speak regularly without additional bureaucracy, US and Israeli officials would scramble to put together a deal that would release dozens of hostages held by Hamas.

Report:

How the hostage deal came about: Negotiations stumbled, but persistence finally won out

Netanyahu vows Gaza war will continue after ceasefire

04:04 , Namita Singh

Families of hostages, and Palestinians trapped in besieged Gaza wait anxiously for the start of a long-awaited truce and exchange of captives, in the first breakthrough in a bloody seven-week war.

At least 50 women and children captured by militants are expected to be gradually released over a four-day period in exchange for a halt in fighting and the release of 150 Palestinian women and children jailed in Israel.

Hamas said hundreds of trucks carrying humanitarian aid  including fuel  would be allowed to enter Gaza. Israeli diplomatic sources told The Independent the ceasefire could be extended by a day for every additional 10 or so additional hostages released. In exchange, there will also be more Palestinians released.

Our chief international correspondent Bel Trew reports:

Netanyahu vows Gaza war will continue after ceasefire as hostages face anxious wait

NYC halal food truck vendor terrified by former Obama advisers racial abuse

03:57 , Namita Singh

Mohamed Hussein told The Independent that Stuart Seldowitzs insults about his Islamic faith and threats against his family in Egypt were entirely unprovoked.

Report:

Food truck vendor says he is terrified over former Obama advisers racial abuse

Susan Sarandon, Melissa Barrera dropped from Hollywood companies after comments on Israel-Hamas war

03:46 , Namita Singh

Oscar-winning actor Susan Sarandon and Scream star Melissa Barrera were each dropped by Hollywood companies after making comments on the Israel-Hamas war that some deemed antisemitic.

Spyglass Media Group, the production company behind the upcoming Scream VII, acknowledged Barreras exit from the horror franchise.

The Mexican-born actress, who starred in In the Heights and the two recent Scream installments, had posted statements on Instagram Stories calling the war genocide and ethnic cleansing.

Gaza, she wrote, is currently being treated like a concentration camp.

An Israeli armoured vehicle heads towards the Gaza Strip on 22 November 2023 in Southern Israel (Getty Images)

Spyglass said in a statement that its position is unequivocally clear: We have zero tolerance for antisemitism or the incitement of hate in any form, including false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing, Holocaust distortion or anything that flagrantly crosses the line into hate speech.

Late on Wednesday, Barrera posted a statement on Instagram Stories about her firing.

First and foremost I condemn antisemitism and Islamophobia. I condemn hate and prejudice of any kind against any group of people, she wrote.I believe a group of people are NOT their leadership, and that no governing body should be above criticism, she added.

I pray day and night for no more deaths, for no more violence, and for peaceful co-existence. I will continue to speak out for those that need it most and continue to advocate for peace and safety, for human rights and freedom.

Ex-State Department official arrested for hate crime after confronting halal vendor

03:36 , Namita Singh

New York police on Wednesday arrested a former US State Department official after he was captured on video calling an Egyptian halal street vendor a terrorist and saying the death of 4,000 Palestinian children wasnt enough.

Stuart Seldowitz, 64, was arrested on charges of aggravated harassment, hate crime stalking, stalking causing fear, and stalking at a place of employment, police said in a statement.

A 24-year-old male victim stated to police that an individual approached him at his work place multiple times and made anti-Islamic statements multiple times on different dates causing the victim to feel afraid and annoyed, police said.

Video went viral earlier this month of multiple arguments over the Israeli-Hamas conflict between Mr Seldowitz, a former State Department employee, and the unidentified man working in a halal cart on a Manhattan sidewalk.

The war that broke out on 7 October has prompted a surge in antisemitism and Islamophobia in the United States and fueled frequent street protests in support of both Israel and Palestinians in Gaza.

Social media posts showed Seldowitz saying, If we killed 4,000 Palestinian kids, you know what? It wasnt enough. It wasnt enough.

Red Cross can visit hostages, says Netanyahu

03:27 , Namita Singh

The Red Cross will be able to visit any remaining hostages in Gaza, Benjamin Netanyahu said.

We need to know they are alive, if theyre okay. Its the minimum, said Gilad Korngold, who drew just a measure of comfort from the deal between Israel and Hamas and was among those who was still awaiting word of relatives. Seven of his family members, including his 3-year-old granddaughter, were taken hostage.

I want everybody back. But I think - and its a very tough decision - but I think the children and women must be (first). Theyre most fragile. You know, they need to get out.

Smoke from Gaza City fills the sky in the distance as an Israeli tank heads towards the Gaza strip on 22 November 2023 in Southern Israel (Getty Images)

Release delayed as truce agreement not signed by Hamas and Qatar

03:18 , Namita Singh

There was a 24-hour delay because the agreement was not signed by Hamas and mediator Qatar, reported Israels public broadcaster Kan, citing an unidentified Israeli official. The official said they were optimistic the agreement would be carried out when it was signed.

No one said there would be a release tomorrow except the media ... We had to make it clear that no release is planned before Friday, because of the uncertainty that hostages families are facing, Kan quoted a source in Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahus office as saying.

In this photograph taken near the Israeli border with the Gaza Strip, smoke rises over Beit Hanoun in Northern Gaza after an israeli air strike on 22 November 2023 in Sederot, Israel (Getty Images)

Israeli media, citing anonymous officials, reported the pause in fighting with Hamas also would not start before Friday. Israels Ynet news website reported that Israel had not yet received the names of the hostages slated for release by Hamas.

Since the Hamas attack on southern Israel that surprised the government and shocked Israelis, five hostages have been recovered alive. Israel says 1,200 people were killed, mostly civilians and about 240 hostages of different nationalities taken hostage by Islamist gunmen.

No Gaza hostage release before Friday, Israel says

03:02 , Namita Singh

The release of hostages under a temporary truce between Israel and Palestinian Hamas militants will not happen before Friday, Israels national security adviser said, thwarting hopes of relatives that some would be freed today.

Israel and Hamas agreed early yesterday to a ceasefire in Gaza for at least four days, to let in humanitarian aid and free at least 50 hostages held by militants in the enclave in exchange for at least 150 Palestinians jailed in Israel.

The starting time of the truce and release of hostages captured by Hamas during its 7 October attack on Israel had yet to be officially announced.

An Egyptian security source said mediators sought a start time of 10am today, but the Israeli official said negotiations over the fine details of the handover were still taking place and would take some time.

US shoots down multiple drones launched from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen

02:56 , Namita Singh

The United States shot down multiple one-way attack drones launched from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen on Thursday morning local time, US Central Command said on X.

The drones were shot down while the US warship was on patrol in the Red Sea. The ship and crew sustained no damage or injury, the post said.

Negotiations still going on, says Israeli security chief

Wednesday 22 November 2023 22:20 , Jane Dalton

The release of 50 hostages from Hamas captivity in Gaza will not begin until Friday, according to Israels national security adviser.

The release, which was part of a deal between Israel and Hamas that included a four-day ceasefire, had been expected to begin on Thursday.

Negotiations for the release of our captives are progressing and continue all the time, the adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, said in a statement released by the prime ministers office.

The start of the release will proceed according to the original agreement between the parties, and not before Friday, Mr Hanegbi added.

At least 50 women and children who were captured by Hamas militants on 7 October are expected to be released in the coming days in exchange for a four-day pause in fighting and the release of 150 Palestinian women and children jailed in Israel.

The deal represents the first diplomatic breakthrough since the beginning of the war.

Aid groups ready to deliver thousands of trucks to Gaza

Wednesday 22 November 2023 22:10 , Jane Dalton

International aid groups say they are ready to deliver thousands of truckloads of food, water and other supplies to besieged Gaza if a temporary ceasefire takes hold as hoped on Thursday.

Some hailed an important first step, but many said that a four-day truce wasnt enough to meet overwhelming needs after seven weeks of fighting have displaced hundreds of thousands of Palestinians now living in miserable conditions.

Key details of the accord remain unclear, including the mechanics of getting more aid to desperate civilians and escorting the first group of Israeli hostages out of Gaza where they have been held since Hamas rampage in Israel.

Aid groups say a key ambition is to get help to northern Gaza.

Hostage swap delayed by at least a day, says Israel

Wednesday 22 November 2023 21:59 , Jane Dalton

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus national security adviser says a planned hostage-for-prisoner swap with Hamas has been delayed until at least Friday.

Tzachi Hanegbi said contacts on the deal were continuing. The release will begin according to the original agreement between the parties, and not before Friday, he said.

Pope Francis meets with relatives of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners

Wednesday 22 November 2023 19:00 , Tom Watling

Pope Francis met separately Wednesday with relatives of Israeli hostages in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners in Israel and begged for peace and an end to what he called terrorism and the passions that are killing everyone.

Francis spoke about the suffering of both Israelis and Palestinians after his meetings, which were arranged before the Israeli-Hamas hostage deal and a temporary halt in fighting was announced. Francis didnt refer to the deal, which marked the biggest diplomatic breakthrough since the war erupted following Hamas Oct. 7 raid into southern Israel.

Pope Francis meets with relatives of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners

Gaza health officials say they lost the ability to count dead as Israeli offensive intensifies

Wednesday 22 November 2023 18:00 , Tom Watling

Palestinian health officials in Gaza said Tuesday that they have lost the ability to count the dead because of the collapse of parts of the enclaves health system and the difficulty of retrieving bodies from areas overrun by Israeli tanks and troops.

The Health Ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza, which carefully tracked casualties over the first five weeks of war, gave its most recent death toll of 11,078 on Nov. 10. The United Nations humanitarian office, which cites the Health Ministry death toll in its regular reports, still refers to 11,078 as the last verified death toll from the war.

Gaza health officials say they lost the ability to count dead as Israeli offensive intensifies

Israel Supreme Court rejects appeals against Palestinian prisoner swap

Wednesday 22 November 2023 17:02 , Tom Watling

Israels Supreme Court has rejected appeals to the exchange of Palestinian prisoners for hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, it has just been announced.

The rejection paves the way for the negotiations to go ahead for tomorrow. A temporary truce in Gaza is expected to begin at 10am tomorrow.

Earlier today, the Israeli Ministry of Justice published a list of 300 Palestinian prisoners from which at least 150 could be swapped for 50 hostages held by Hamas.

Israeli citizens and officials had 24 hours to appeal against this, pursuant to standard law.

It was not believed that any appeals would carry significant weight and the Supreme Court has now confirmed this.

UN chief 'welcomes temporary truce agreed by Israel and Hamas

Wednesday 22 November 2023 16:30 , Tom Watling

The United Nations secretary general has welcomed the agreement to a temporary truce between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Antonio Guterres, in a statement on X, wrote: I welcome the agreement reached by Israel & Hamas. Its an important step in the right direction, but much more needs to be done.

The UN will mobilise all its capacities to support the implementation & maximise positive impact on the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

I welcome the agreement reached by Israel & Hamas. Its an important step in the right direction, but much more needs to be done.



The @UN will mobilize all its capacities to support the implementation & maximize positive impact on the humanitarian situation in Gaza.  Antonio Guterres (@antonioguterres) November 22, 2023

UK's Cameron meets Arab, Islamic country counterparts to discuss Israel-Hamas conflict

Wednesday 22 November 2023 16:00 , Tom Watling

British foreign minister David Cameron met his counterparts from Arab and Islamic countries in London on Wednesday to discuss the Israel-Hamas conflict after the two sides agreed to ceasefire in Gaza for at least four days.

We discussed how to use this step forward to think about the future and how we can build a peaceful future which provides security for Israel but also peace and stability for the Palestinian people, Cameron said in a statement.

Foreign Ministers from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, the Palestinian Authority, Turkey, Indonesia and Nigeria, as well as the Secretary General of the League of Arab States and Ambassador of Qatar attended the meeting, Britain said.

Lord David Cameron poses for a family photo with members of the Arab League (PA)

Iranian foreign minister meets Hamas officials in Beirut

Wednesday 22 November 2023 15:30 , Tom Watling

The Iranian foreign minister has met with Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad officials in Lebanon ahead of the temporary truce in Gaza, which comes into effect tomorrow.

In a statement on X, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian wrote: Today in Beirut, in a meeting with Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad officials, I was informed about the latest developments in Gaza and the West Bank, as well as more details of the humanitarian ceasefire and future scenarios.

Undoubtedly, resistance cannot be removed. The killing of civilians, the human blockade and the forced displacement of Palestinians must be stopped.

                            .



     .           .



    pic.twitter.com/NaiN9p3XBJ  H.Amirabdollahian  (@Amirabdolahian) November 22, 2023

Israeli officials to visit Qatar later today ahead of hostage swap

Wednesday 22 November 2023 15:00 , Tom Watling

Head of the Israeli security service Dedi Barnea and Major General Nitzan Alon will visit Qatar today to finalize the final details of the agreement for the release of the abductees and the ceasefire, local reports have said.

More than 50 from same family killed in north Gaza - Palestinian minister

Wednesday 22 November 2023 14:39 , Tom Watling

More than 50 members of the same family have been killed in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza during Israels military campaign there, the Palestinian foreign minister said on Wednesday.

Only this morning, from the Qadoura family in Jabalia, 52 people have been wiped out completely, killed, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said on the sidelines of a briefing by Arab and Muslim foreign ministers in London.

I have the list of the names, 52 of them, they were wiped out completely from grandfather to grandchildren.

Palestinians search for casualties at the site of Israeli strikes on houses in Jabliya (REUTERS/Fadi Alwhidi)

Gary Lineker in new impartiality row after sharing post accusing Israel of textbook genocide

Wednesday 22 November 2023 14:15 , Tom Watling

Gary Lineker has sparked a new impartiality row after sharing an interview with an Israeli academic describing the situation in Gaza as textbook genocide.

The Match of the Day presenter reposted a video of journalist Owen Jones speaking with Raz Segal, an associate professor of Holocaust and genocide studies at Stockton University, New Jersey.

In the clip, Segal  who has an established career discussing Israeli history  told Jones the raids and violence taking place in Gaza was a clearly articulated case of genocide.

Gary Lineker shares interview accusing Israel of textbook genocide

Israeli sources confirm 6-hour window for hostage releases every day

Wednesday 22 November 2023 13:54 , Tom Watling

Israeli sources have reported that there will be a six-hour window each of the four days of the temporary truce, effective from tomorrow, in which hostages may be exchanged.

Another Israel-Hamas prisoner swap will take place this month - Palestinian official

Wednesday 22 November 2023 13:38 , Tom Watling

The Israel-Hamas deal agreed on Wednesday for the freeing of 50 hostages held in Gaza in exchange for the release of 150 Palestinian prisoners will be repeated later this month, a Palestinian official told Reuters.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that would mean a total release of 100 of the around 240 people Hamas seized during its Oct. 7 killing spree in southern Israel.

Hamas top advisor discusses details of temporary truce

Wednesday 22 November 2023 13:09 , Tom Watling

A top Hamas advisor has discussed additional details of the temporary truce agreed with Israel overnight.

Taher al-Nono, adviser to the head of Hamass political bureau Ismail Haniyeh, said that eight of the 300 aid trucks that will enter Gaza each day of the truce will be fuel tankers.

He added that the aid will also include basic equipment, clothing and medical equipment for all hospitals. It was suggested that the aid will continue beyond the days of the agreement but that remains unconfirmed.

 -,          -':  ,      6         .  , ,        pic.twitter.com/9ROFLhuqkN    | Sapir Lipkin |   (@sapirlipkin) November 22, 2023

Syrian air defences shoot down missiles over Damascus, state media claims

Wednesday 22 November 2023 12:48 , Tom Watling

Syrian state TV is reporting intercepted missiles over Damascus, fired from the direction of Israel.

Rishi Sunak says he welcomes ceasefire in Gaza

Wednesday 22 November 2023 12:45 , Tom Watling

WHO chief joins chorus of voices calling for temporary truce to become permanent ceasefire

Wednesday 22 November 2023 12:20 , Tom Watling

The chief of the World Health Organisation has joined the chorus of Arab leaders and Palestinian groups calling for the temporary truce agreed between Israel and Hamas overnight to be turned into a permanent ceasefire.

In a statement on X, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he welcomed the announcement from the early hours of this morning but that it was not enough to end the suffering of civilians.

Efforts to free the remaining hostages must continue, and I reiterate that those still in captivity must receive any needed medical care, he said.

We continue to call for all hostages to be released. We also continue to call for a ceasefire so that civilians in Gaza can receive sustained, safe and scaled up support for recovery.

You can read his full statement below.

We welcome the announcement of the Israel-Hamas agreement for 50 Israeli hostages to be released. My thoughts are with the families, some of whom my @WHO colleagues and I met with in recent weeks.



We also welcome the 4-day pause in fighting that will allow more aid to be safely  Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) November 22, 2023

Israel-Hamas cease-fire to start Thursday morning, according to Egyptian state media

Wednesday 22 November 2023 11:55 , Tom Watling

Egypt's state-run Qahera TV has said that the Israel-Hamas truce will take effect at 10 am local time (0800 GMT) tomorrow, adding weight to claims originally made by a senior Hamas official earlier this morning to the same effect.

Egypt helped mediate the four-day cease-fire, which will facilitate the release of dozens of hostages captured by Hamas during its 7 October attack into southern Israel.

The deal will also see the release of dozens of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel and the entry of more humanitarian aid into Gaza.

Israeli media has also reported that the truce will begin Thursday at 10 am.

Ex-Obama official caught on video allegedly racially abusing Muslim man

Wednesday 22 November 2023 11:42 , Tom Watling

A former high-ranking official in the Obama administration has been caught on video allegedly racially abusing a Muslim food vendor in New York.

The video was posted online and quickly ignited a firestorm among Democrats who quickly identified its subject as Stuart Seldowitz, a former member of Barack Obamas White House national security council (NSC) who also worked on Israel-Palestine policy for the State Department for several years.

In the video, Mr Seldowitz is allegedly seen and heard making racist comments to the vendor, who tries to get him to leave him alone without further abuse, reported The Daily Beast.

Ex-Obama official caught on video allegedly racially abusing Muslim man

Family of girl among three American hostages to be released hope she will be home for fourth birthday

Wednesday 22 November 2023 11:13 , Tom Watling

A three-year-old girl is among three American hostages expected to be released in the landmark deal struck between Israel and Hamas, with the little girls family clinging onto hopes that she will be home for her fourth birthday on Friday.

The Israeli government approved a truce agreement  brokered by the US and Qatar  on Wednesday for the release of hostages kidnapped by Hamas in the 7 October attack on Israel which left 1,200 dead.

Under the terms of the deal, 50 hostages  many of them women and children  will be freed by Hamas in exchange for a four-day pause in Israels air and ground campaign in Gaza.

Arab ministers welcome truce but call for extended cessation of hostilities

Wednesday 22 November 2023 11:10 , Tom Watling

Arab foreign ministers welcomed an agreement for a temporary truce between Israel and Gaza militant group Hamas on Wednesday but said it should be extended and become a first step toward a full cessation of hostilities.

The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan said at a roundtable discussion with journalists in London that the agreement, which includes hostage releases and stepped-up aid into the devastated Gaza Strip, should also ultimately lead to a resumption of talks for a two-state solution.

Earlier, The Independent reported that the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank were issuing the same calls.

The Arab foreign ministers are leading a so-called contact group of mostly Muslim countries which are lobbying Israels major allies to bring about an end to the Gaza war, which erupted on Oct. 7 when Hamas gunmen launched an attack on Israel, killing 1,200 civilians and Israeli soldiers.

Saudi Arabias Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud attends a meeting hosted by Russia yesterday (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Keir Starmer welcomes hostage agreement and humanitarian pause

Wednesday 22 November 2023 11:03 , Tom Watling

Keir Starmer has welcomed the agreement over hostages and a pause in the conflict.

The Labour leader called for all remaining hostages to be released and for "all sides" to uphold this agreement.

Sir Keir added: A substantial humanitarian pause is what Labour has been calling for alongside our international partners.

We must now ensure this pause is used to tackle the urgent and unacceptable humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.

There must be immediate access to aid, food, water, fuel and medicine to ensure hospitals function and lives are saved. Aid and fuel need to not just get in but be distributed widely and safely.

We must also use the space this pause creates to take more steps on a path towards a full cessation of hostilities rather than an escalation of violence.

It must start a process that ensures Israelis feel safe and secure from terror and that innocent Palestinians, who have endured far too much death and destruction, can return home and rebuild their lives free from bombardment and Hamas control.

In recent years, the international community has treated the two-state solution as a slogan rather than a serious strategy. That must now change.

Keir Starmer has welcomed the agreement over hostages and a pause in the conflict (EPA)

Palestinian Authority leader welcomes truce but calls for permanent ceasefire

Wednesday 22 November 2023 10:55 , Tom Watling

The leader of the Palestinian Authority, who presides over parts of the West Bank, has said he welcomes the humanitarian truce brokered overnight but is still demanding a permanent end to the fighting.

President Mahmoud Abbas, 87, is widely unpopular among Palestinians but US officials, including top diplomat Anthony Blinken, have met with him to discuss taking over in Gaza.

President Abbas and the leadership welcome the humanitarian truce agreement, we appreciate the Qatari-Egyptian effort that has been made, and we renew the call for a comprehensive cessation of the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people, the introduction of humanitarian https://t.co/ZkNdouuaMJ    Hussein AlSheikh (@HusseinSheikhpl) November 22, 2023

Watch live: Relatives of Israeli hostages hold press conference in Vatican following ceasefire deal

Wednesday 22 November 2023 10:46 , Tom Watling

Watch live as relatives of Israeli hostages held by Hamas hold a press conference after a meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Wednesday 22 November.

Live: Relatives of Israeli hostages hold press conference following ceasefire deal

Hamas official says Gaza ceasefire to begin at 10am tomorrow

Wednesday 22 November 2023 10:40 , Tom Watling

A senior Hamas official has said that the temporary ceasefire agreed upon overnight will begin in Gaza at 10am local time tomorrow.

Musa Abu Marzouk told Al Jazeera: The cease-fire in the Gaza Strip will begin tomorrow at 10am.

Gaza is two hours ahead of London, meaning that the ceasefire will begin here at 8am.

Israeli foreign minister Eli Cohen told Army Radio that he expects to recover the first hostages from Gaza tomorrow under a foreign mediated deal. He declined to confirm a report that the process would begin at 5am.

Who are the Palestinian prisoners to be swapped for Hamas hostages?

Wednesday 22 November 2023 10:35 , Tom Watling

Israel has released the names of 300 Palestinians prisoners being held across the country, ahead of an imminent swap for dozens of hostages taken by Hamas during their attack on 7 October that killed 1,200 people and saw 240 people taken captive into Gaza.

The deal is the culmination of weeks of back-and-forth negotiations mediated by US and Qatari officials and will involve a four-day truce during which the hostages and prisoners will be released.

You can read the full report here.

Who are the Palestinian prisoners to be swapped for Hamas hostages?

Hostage recovery to begin tomorrow

Wednesday 22 November 2023 10:23 , Tom Watling

The process of the recovery of Hamas hostages will begin tomorrow, the Israeli foreign ministry has announced.

Cameron welcomes Israel-Hamas truce which paves way for hostage release

Wednesday 22 November 2023 10:20 , Tom Watling

Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron said the truce between Israel and Hamas was a crucial step towards releasing hostages and providing humanitarian relief in Gaza.

Hamas will release dozens of hostages in exchange for Palestinians in Israeli prisons.

The Israeli government said the deal will see Hamas free 50 of the roughly 240 hostages held in the Gaza Strip over a four-day period.

Cameron welcomes Israel-Hamas truce which paves way for hostage release

IDF says hostage release is 'step forward'

Wednesday 22 November 2023 10:05 , Tom Watling

Russia welcomes Israel-Hamas ceasefire, says humanitarian pauses are only way forward

Wednesday 22 November 2023 09:59 , Tom Watling

Russia welcomed a ceasefire agreement in the Israel-Palestinian conflict on Wednesday and said humanitarian pauses were the only way to make progress towards a settlement.

This is the first good news from Gaza in a long time, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Russia and most countries were calling for a truce and humanitarian pauses, because only on the basis of such pauses can the contours of future attempts at a sustainable settlement be built.

Since the start of the conflict, President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly emphasised the suffering of Palestinian citizens, called the crisis a failure of US policy and urged Israel to show restraint. Russia also angered Israel by hosting a Hamas delegation in Moscow last month.

Western officials have accused Russia of employing double standards. They have suggested the Kremlins calls for Israel to stop bombing civilian areas in Gaza are undermined by its own constant targeting of civilian areas in Ukraine as part of its special military operation.

Indeed, the United Nations Human Rights Office confirmed yesterday that the number of Ukrainian civilians killed by Russian attacks has surpassed 10,000, though they added that the true total was likely significantly higher.

Vladimir Putin has been accused of using the Gaza bombardment for his own political gain (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Fifty hostages in Gaza to be freed as Israel and Hamas reach deal after weeks of fraught negotiations

Wednesday 22 November 2023 09:45 , Tom Watling

Fifty hostages, including dozens of children, will be released from captivity in Gaza after a deal was reached between Israel and Hamas  marking a major breakthrough after weeks of fraught negotiations.

Under the agreement, which was brokered by Qatar and the US, at least 50 Israeli civilians  including the children and their mothers  will be released via Egypt during a four-day pause in hostilities.

The Independent understands that there will also be an exchange of Palestinian women and children held in Israeli prisons but details were not yet finalised.

Our Chief International Correspondent Bel Trew reports.

Fifty hostages in Gaza to be freed in Israel and Hamas deal after weeks of talks

Pope says conflict between Israel and Hamas has gone beyond war to 'terrorism'

Wednesday 22 November 2023 09:24 , Tom Watling

Pope Francis on Wednesday met separately with Israeli relatives of hostages held by Hamas and Palestinians with family in Gaza and said the conflict had gone beyond war to become terrorism.

Speaking in unscripted remarks at his Wednesday general audience in St. Peters Square shortly after the early morning meetings in his residence, Francis said he heard directly how both sides are suffering.

Pope Francis on Wednesday met separately with Israeli relatives of hostages held by Hamas and Palestinians with family in Gaza (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Israel and Hezbollah exchange rocket fire over northern border

Wednesday 22 November 2023 09:08 , Tom Watling

Israel and Hezbollah appear to be exchanging fires across the northern border only hours after a temporary truce in Gaza was negotiated.

Local reports have claimed in the last few minutes that sirens are sounding in the northern Israeli settlement of Kfar Rosh.

Meanwhile, Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) spokesperson Daniel Hagari claimed that warplanes attacked several terrorist targets of the Hezbollah terrorist organisation in Lebanese territory this morning.

He also posted a video purporting to show the attack.

Smoke rises from an Israeli army position which was hit by Hezbollah shells as it is seen from Rmeish, a Lebanese border village (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All right reserved)

Iraq's Kataib Hezbollah militia says 5 killed by US strikes

Wednesday 22 November 2023 09:00 , Tom Watling

Iraqs Kataib Hezbollah militia said five of its members were killed in its stronghold of Jurf al-Sakhar, south of Baghdad, in U.S. strikes that Washington said were in response to attacks by Iran-aligned militias against its forces in the region.

The U.S. carried out two series of strikes in Iraq on Tuesday and Wednesday, its first publicly reported responses on Iraqi territory to dozens of recent attacks and a sign of escalation in the regional conflict tied to the Israel-Hamas war.

The attacks began on Oct. 17 and have been linked by Iraqi militia groups to U.S. support for Israel in its bombardment of Gaza following attacks by Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel.

The strike by fighter aircraft targeted and destroyed a Kataib Hezbollah operations centre and a command and control node near Al Anbar and Jurf Al-Sakhar, a U.S. defence official said.

An Iraqi military official said at least three members of Kataib Hezbollah had been killed and seven wounded in the overnight U.S. strikes.

Kataib Hezbollah is part of Iraqs Popular Mobilisation Forces, a group of many mainly Shiite Muslim armed groups that was formed in 2014 to fight Islamic State and subsequently recognised as an official security agency by Iraqs government.

On the morning of November 22 in Iraq, U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) forces conducted discrete, precision strikes against two facilities in Iraq. The strikes were in direct response to the attacks against U.S. and Coalition forces by Iran and Iran-backed groups, including the pic.twitter.com/HySbSFNlp5  U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) November 22, 2023

Hezbollah leader meets with senior Hamas officials in Lebanon

Wednesday 22 November 2023 08:57 , Tom Watling

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah has met with senior Hamas officials in the Lebanese capital of Beirut amid confirmation of a temporary truce in Gaza, local reports have confirmed.

Nasrallah met with Khalil al-Hiya and Osama Hamdan to discuss with them continuing coordination.

They spoken beneath a portrait of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Senior Hamas officials speak with Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah (R) in Beirut (Telegram)

Ambulances arrive to evacuate final Al-Shifa hospital patients

Wednesday 22 November 2023 08:49 , Tom Watling

More than a dozen ambulances have arrived at the al-Shifa hospital in northern Gaza this morning to evacuate some of the remaining patients.

Israeli Defence Forces took control of the hospital last week after claiming that Hamas was running a command post underneath it. They have yet to show conclusive evidence of this.

14 PRCS ambulances accompanied by the UN & Doctors Without Borders arrived at Al-Shifa Hospital to evacuate the wounded and patients, a Palestine Red Crescent Society statement said on X.

As of Monday, the United Nations said that just under 300 patients remained in al-Shifa hospital.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians were either sheltering there or being treated prior to the evacuation notices handed down by Israeli forces in the past few weeks. It is the largest medical complex in Gaza.

On Monday, the World Health Organisation said it had become a death zone.

Israeli soldiers inside the al-Shifa hospital complex last week (via Reuters)

Add-ons of the Hamas hostage deal

Wednesday 22 November 2023 08:41 , Tom Watling

A deal was agreed upon overnight for a four-day ceasefire in Gaza while roughly 50 hostages will be released from the enclave in exchange for roughly 150 Palestinian prisoners in Israel.

But included in the deal are additional elements designed to improve the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Israel will allow roughly 300 aid trucks to enter Gaza per day, according to one report. This would amount to a significant increase; in the previous weeks, less than a dozen have been permitted to enter the enclave via the Egyptian Rafah crossing.

More fuel will also be permitted into the enclave during the pause in fighting, according to one senior Israeli official, though it is unclear how much and to whom it will be given.

Previously, any fuel supplies have been handed only to United Nations organisations for fear of Hamas using it for their own ends. Overcrowded hospitals in Gaza have said previously that the lack of fuel is preventing them from performing life-saving surgeries.

A Jordanian humanitarian aid convoy enters the Gaza Strip from Egypt in Rafah (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
Another Ukrainian trucker died at the border with Poland during the continued Polish trucker blockade, Ukrinform reported on Nov. 23, citing Volodymyr Mykhalevych, the head of the NGO International Automobile Carriers of Ukraine.

The trucker, a 56-year-old man, died after waiting almost three days on the Polish side of the border to cross, Mykhalevych told the Ukrainian media outlet.

Mykhalevych cited Polish authorities saying the man most likely died of natural causes, but the circumstances were still being investigated.

Deputy Infrastructure Minister Serhii Derkach said on Nov. 12 that a 54-year-old Ukrainian trucker had died waiting at the Polish border, likely of natural causes.

Polish truckers have been protesting and blockading the border with Ukraine for weeks now against the EU's liberalization of transport rules for Ukrainian trucks.

Polish truckers complain that the high number of Ukrainian drivers entering Poland are hauling goods from Poland to other countries, undercutting local businesses that cannot match cheaper Ukrainian prices.

Ukrainian officials and industry representatives deny the accusations.

Three border crossings, Yavhodyn Dorohusk, Rava-Ruska Hrebenne crossings, and Krakivets-Korczowa, have been blocked since early November. However, Ukraine's State Border Service told Hromadske on Nov. 23 that truckers had begun to block the Medyka-Shehyni crossing as well.

Negotiations to resolve the situation have so far been unsuccessful.

Slovak truckers joined in on the protest on Nov. 21, although Derkach said on Nov. 23 that Slovak authorities would seek to prevent the blockades.

Read also: Trucker protests: Unraveling the standoff between Polish and Ukrainian haulers

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Miss Nicaragua Sheynnis Palacios reacts after being crowned Miss Universe at the 72nd Miss Universe Beauty Pageant in San Salvador, El Salvador, Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

MEXICO CITY (AP)  Nicaragua's increasingly isolated and repressive government thought it had scored a rare public relations victory last week when Miss Nicaragua Sheynnis Palacios won the Miss Universe competition.

But the "legitimate joy and pride President Daniel Ortega's government expressed in a statement Sunday after the win quickly turned to angry condemnation, after it emerged that Palacios graduated from a college that was the center of 2018 protests against the regime  and apparently participated in the marches.

Ordinary Nicaraguans  who are largely forbidden to protest or carry the national flag in marches  took advantage of the Saturday night Miss Universe win as a rare opportunity to celebrate in the streets.

Their use of the blue-and-white national flag, as opposed to Ortega's red-and-black Sandinista banner, didn't sit well with the government.

Palacios' victory  along with photos she posted on Facebook in 2018 of herself participating in the protests  overjoyed Nicaragua's opposition.

Roman Catholic Rev. Silvio Baez, one of dozens of priests who have been jailed or forced into exile by the government, congratulated Palacios in his social media accounts.

Thank you for bringing joy to our long-suffering country!, Baez wrote. Thank you for giving us hope for a better future for our beautiful country!

With clunky rhetoric reminiscent of North Korea, Vice president and First Lady Rosario Murillo lashed out Wednesday at opposition social media sites (many run from exile) that celebrated Palacios' win as a victory for the opposition.

In these days of a new victory, we are seeing the evil, terrorist commentators making a clumsy and insulting attempt to turn what should be a beautiful and well-deserved moment of pride into destructive coup-mongering, Murillo said.

Thousands have fled into exile since Nicaraguan security forces violently put down mass anti-government protests in 2018. Ortega says the protests were an attempted coup with foreign backing, aiming for his overthrow.

Ortega's government seized and closed the Jesuit University of Central America in Nicaragua, which was a hub for 2018 protests against the Ortega regime, along with at least 26 other Nicaraguan universities.

The government has also outlawed or closed more than 3,000 civic groups and non-governmental organizations, arrested and expelled opponents, stripped them of their citizenship and confiscated their assets.

Palacios, who became the first Nicaraguan to win Miss Universe, has not commented on the situation.

During the contest, Palacios, 23, said she wants to work to promote mental health after suffering debilitating bouts of anxiety herself. She also said she wants to work to close the salary gap between the genders so that women can work in any area.

But on a since-deleted Facebook account under her name, Palacios posted photos of herself at a protest, writing she had initially been afraid of participating. I didn't know whether to go, I was afraid of what might happen.

Some who attended the march that day recall seeing the tall, striking Palacios there.

The protests were quickly put down and in the end, human rights officials say 355 people were killed by government forces.

____

Follow APs coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america
Shortly after taking power, Tiani pledged to return Niger to civilian rule within three years (-)

Niger's military ruler General Abdourahamane Tiani on Thursday met with his counterparts in Mali and Burkina Faso in his first international visits since seizing power in July.

Niger's neighbours Mali and Burkina Faso -- which are ruled by military leaders who seized power in 2020 and 2022, respectively -- have pledged solidarity with Niger's coup leaders.

Tiani arrived in Burkina Faso on Thursday evening for a "friendship and working visit" with Captain Ibrahim Traore.

The pair discussed "issues common to both countries, in particular the fight against terrorism and socio-economic development", according to a statement from Burkina's presidency.

In Bamako earlier in the day, he had thanked his Malian counterpart Colonel Assimi Goita for "the support and determination of the Malian authorities and people to work with the authorities and people of Niger, whatever the obstacles".

The three Sahel countries in September signed a pact that includes provisions for mutual defence in the event of an attack on the "sovereignty and territorial integrity" of any of the countries.

While in Mali, Tiani said the aim of the alliance was to transform the Sahel region from an "area of insecurity" to "an area of prosperity".

The leaders also plan to strengthen economic ties and Tiani thanked his neighbours for standing by his country after Niger's regional and Western partners announced a series of sanctions against it following the coup.

"It would seem that the purpose of the embargo was to exert pressure on the authorities," Tiani said.

"But this does not take into account the fact it is actually the people who are suffering... that is why we are willing to exchange, to negotiate, but with people motivated by good will, with sincere people, with people who care about the African people."

The regimes are also united in the fight against jihadism in their countries.

Shortly after taking power, Tiani pledged to return Niger to civilian rule within three years.

Mali, meanwhile, has indefinitely postponed a presidential election that was scheduled for early 2024.

Mali plans to host ministers from the three countries for meetings with the aim of ironing out the operational details of the new Sahel alliance, it said in a statement Thursday.

kt-amt/mrb/prc/acc/imm
The Scoop

LOME, Togo  Lagos-based Access Bank, one of Africas biggest banks, is close to finalizing a regulatory process to launch its first full banking service in Asia in the first quarter of 2024, the chief executive of its holding company told Semafor Africa.

The Asian bank plan is part of a wider global expansion target which includes a strategy to expand more deeply into Francophone Africa, build closer ties with North Africa, and across Europe where it already has wholesale banking operations in London and Paris, which opened in May.

Herbert Wigwe, chief executive of Access Holdings, parent company of Access Bank, said he and his team expect to receive approval from monetary authorities by this side of Christmas. Wigwe declined to confirm the country in which the bank would launch in order to avoid preempting local regulators, but he added: We will definitely be in Asia by the first quarter of next year. He spoke with Semafor Africa on the sidelines of the Africa Financial Industry Summit in Lome, Togo.

Access has used a wholesale banking model outside of Africa, which is a corporate to corporate approach rather than retail banking with individuals.

Know More

Wigwe and his team have built Access from a small Nigerian operator into the largest banking group in the country through an aggressive and ambitious acquisitive approach. The lender accounts for 16% of the banking systems assets at the end of 2022, according to ratings agency Fitch.

It has also expanded rapidly across the continent over the last half decade. Most recently, it snapped up the banking operations of Standard Chartered in Angola, Cameroon, The Gambia, Sierra Leone, and Tanzania.

Access, which had 21.3 trillion naira ($26.5 billion) in total assets on its balance sheet at the end of September, has seen its share price double on the Lagos stock exchange since the start of the year to give it a market capitalization of around 614 billion naira ($762 million).

Yinkas view

The rise of Access Bank since it was taken over in 2002 by Herbert Wigwe and his partner Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede has been remarkable. But its the ambition of their strategy that is worth paying more attention to because it makes an unabashed and long-term bet on Africa and African businesses on the global stage.

Wigwe explains the move for Asia as serving their customers who operate in those regions. The big advantage is we gain access to capital and trade; these are trade hubs where people come from across the continent, set up businesses, and trade from there  so were following that chain of trade, he told me.

He sees an Asia bank supporting overall network effects in terms of what customers already do in the region. But, most importantly, he emphasized the ability to access huge pools of capital which would typically be unavailable in African markets. So by being present in these markets, there is a brand recognition and a real business supporting trade.

Room for Disagreement

While Wigwe says he has little choice but to be bullish about Africa, market watchers like Fitch raise concerns at the large number of cross-border acquisitions because it creates execution risks and may pressure capital.

The View From South Africa

Johannesburg-based Standard Bank  Africas largest bank by assets with $75 billion at the end of June  has spent most of the last two decades consolidating and selling off ventures outside Africa other than major centers including London, Dubai, and New York. But, after years of acquisitions across Africa, it now expects to expand by organic growth on the continent, according to CEO Sim Tshabalala.
By Andrew Mills and Bassam Masoud

DOHA/GAZA (Reuters) -Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas will start a four-day truce on Friday morning with a first group of 13 Israeli women and child hostages released later that day, mediators in Qatar said.

World powers gave the news a cautious welcome. But fighting raged on, with local officials saying a hospital in Gaza City was among the targets bombed as the hours counted down to the start of the first break in a brutal, near seven-week-old war. Both sides also signalled the pause would be temporary before fighting resumes.

The truce would begin at 7 a.m. local time (0500 GMT) and involve a comprehensive ceasefire in north and south Gaza, Qatar's foreign ministry said.

Additional aid would start flowing into Gaza and the first hostages including elderly women would be freed at 4 p.m. (1400 GMT), with the total number rising to 50 over the four days, ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari said in the Qatari capital Doha.

Palestinians were expected to be released from Israeli jail, he told reporters. "We all hope that this truce will lead to a chance to start a wider work to achieve a permanent truce."

U.S. President Joe Biden, vacationing in the Massachusetts island of Nantucket for the Thanksgiving holiday, said he was keeping his "fingers crossed" that a 3-year-old American girl would be among those released first.

A U.S. State Department official called the truce a "hopeful moment" but said work would continue to free all the hostages.

Hamas - which had been expected to declare a truce with Israel a day earlier on Thursday only for negotiations to drag on - confirmed on its Telegram channel that all hostilities from its forces would cease.

But Abu Ubaida, spokesman for Hamas' armed wing, later referred to "this temporary truce" in a video message that called for an "escalation of the confrontation with (Israel) on all resistance fronts", including the Israeli-occupied West Bank where violence has surged since the Gaza war erupted.

Israel's military said its troops would stay behind a ceasefire line inside Gaza, without giving details of its position.

"These will be complicated days and nothing is certain... Even during this process there could be changes," Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said.

"Control over northern Gaza is the first step of a long war, and we are preparing for the next stages," he added. Israel had received an initial list of hostages to be freed and was in touch with families, the prime minister's office said.

Israel launched its devastating invasion of Gaza after gunmen from Hamas burst across the border fence on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and seizing about 240 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Since then, some 13,000 Gazans have been killed by Israeli bombardment, around 40% of them children, according to Palestinian health authorities. However they have said it has become increasingly difficult to keep an up-to-date tally as the health service has buckled under the Israeli bombardment.

"People are exhausted and are losing hope in humanity," U.N. Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA's Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said after a visit to Gaza, referring to "unspeakable suffering" in the enclave.

"They need respite, they deserve to sleep without being anxious about whether they will make it through the night. This is the bare minimum anyone should be able to have."

'WE NEED TO KNOW THEY ARE ALIVE'

Ahead of the ceasefire, fighting continued at even greater than normal intensity, with Israeli jets hitting more than 300 targets and troops engaged in heavy fighting around Jabalia refugee camp north of Gaza City.

An army spokesman said operations would continue until troops received the order to stop.

The Indonesian hospital in Gaza City was reeling under relentless bombing, operating without light and filled with bedridden old people and children, Gaza health officials said.

International alarm has focused on the fate of hospitals, especially in Gaza's northern half, where all medical facilities have ceased functioning with patients, staff and displaced people trapped inside.

Hamas said 30 people had been killed in an Israeli strike on a school affiliated with the UNRWA in Jabalia. There was no immediate comment from UNRWA.

Earlier, from across the border fence in Israel, clouds of smoke could be seen billowing above northern Gaza's war zone accompanied by the sounds of heavy gunfire and booming explosions.

In Rafah, on the strip's southern edge, residents combed with bare hands through the ruins of a house smashed in a giant crater. A grey-bearded man wailed amid the shattered masonry while another man lay a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. Neighbour Khaled Hamad told Reuters it was the home of a primary school teacher, killed inside with his children.

Israel says Hamas fighters use residential and other civilian buildings, including hospitals, as cover. Hamas denies this.

The delay to the start of the truce meant another day of worry for Israeli relatives who say they still know nothing about the fate of hostages, and of fear for Palestinian families trapped inside the Gaza combat zone.

"We need to know they are alive, if they're okay. It's the minimum," said Gilad Korngold, desperate for any information about the fate of seven of his family members, including his 3-year-old granddaughter, believed to be among the hostages.

Palestinian media reported at least 15 people killed in air strikes on Khan Younis, Gaza's main southern city. Reuters could not independently verify the toll there.

In a post on X, Doctors Without Borders said the city's Nasser hospital, where it treats burn patients and supports the emergency room, was overflowing with patients and families sheltering in the building.

Israel said on Thursday it had detained the head of Gaza's biggest hospital Al Shifa for questioning over his role in what it said was the hospital's use as a Hamas command centre.

Hamas condemned the arrest of Shifa director Muhammad Abu Salamiya and other doctors it said were trying to evacuate remaining patients and wounded from the facility.

(Reporting by Reuters bureauxWriting by Peter Graff, Andrew Heavens and Deepa BabingtonEditing by William Maclean, Mark Heinrich, Jonathan Oatis and Diane Craft)
A local turkey sure felt like a lucky duck when he was saved and pardoned the day before Thanksgiving.

Carolina Waterfowl Rescue said the turkey was raised as a house pet and was going to be sold to be killed.

Luckily for the turkey, someone intervened, bought him and brought him to the Rescue and saved him from the dinner table.

The Rescue says hes really affectionate with people and is an expressive fowl.

READ MORE Biden confuses Taylor Swift with Britney Spears during turkey pardoning speech

If youre interested in supporting him and the Carolina Waterfowl Rescue, you can donate through their website or through payment apps listed on the Facebook post above.

(WATCH: President pardons turkeys from Union County in 75th annual ceremony)
No sign of terrorism in blast that killed 2 at US-Canada border in Niagara Falls, governor says

Two people were killed in an explosion at the Canadian border when an airborne car crashed into a checkpoint at the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls, New York, on Wednesday, Nov. 22, officials said.

So far, there are no immediate signs of terrorism, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul told reporters.

At this time, there is no indication of a terrorist attack, she said. Let me repeat that: At this time, there is no indication of a terrorist-involved attack here at the Rainbow Bridge in Western New York.

The two people who were killed were in the car that crashed, and at least one of them was from western New York.

The car, which officials have said was traveling at a high rate of speed, was on the U.S. side of the border when it crashed, caught fire and exploded, contrary to some early reports that it had come from Canada.

Hochul said she has seen video of the car, which was going at an extraordinarily high rate of speed before it went flying in an absolutely surreal scene.

When you see this video, your jaw will drop in disbelief at how this went so high, over an 8-foot-high fence, she said.

Rickie Wilson, who works for Gray Line Tours, couldnt believe his eyes when he spotted the airborne vehicle. He said it appeared the car struck a cement median before it went flying.

I first thought it was an airplane. Looked like slow motion, Wilson told NBC affiliate WHEC of Rochester. And I said, My God, its a car, and its a vehicle, and its flying through the air.

He estimated the car was 10 to 15 feet in the air.

I mean, how did it get up there? I mean, this thing was up in the air, Wilson told reporters. I know it sounds like Im crazy, but the car was airborne, and not 3 or 4 feet  I mean, it was up there.

A Customs and Border Protection employee suffered minor injuries and was treated at and released from a hospital, a law enforcement official said. Hochul said that the employee was working in the booth and that the booth literally protected that individual.

This vehicle basically incinerated, Hochul said. Nothing is left but the engine. The pieces are scattered over 13, 14 booths.

An initial search didnt find a secondary explosive or device, the law enforcement officials said, noting that was preliminary information.

Authorities are investigating whether the crash was intentional.

Hochul said at a news conference that the incident was a horrific accident that led to a high-level anxiety all the way from western New York to Albany to Washington.

It occurred on one of the busiest travel days in the U.S., when people across the country hit the road for the Thanksgiving holiday.

All western New York bridge crossings into the U.S. were shut down, the Erie County executive said shortly after the crash. Hochul later said all bridges had been reopened.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said that security has been increased and that the city is on heightened alert due to the upcoming holiday.

The White House was also closely monitoring the situation, an official said. The Canada Border Services Agency said it was liaising with our U.S. counterparts on this matter.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said that at this time, there is no indication of a threat related to this incident and that he has been in contact with Hochul and Canadian officials.

The Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority said it would increase security systemwide.

Travelers at Buffalo Niagara International Airport should expect additional screenings, and vehicles going into the airport will undergo security checks, it said.

The Buffalo and Niagara Falls Airports are fully operational. We advise travelers to give themselves time for these extra precautions in addition to holiday travel, the agency said on X.

Amtrak said Wednesday that its Maple Leaf Train from New York City to Toronto would terminate at Niagara Falls because of the incident.

This story first appeared on NBCNews.com.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com
Global financial institutions jump at chance to boost China presence

Xinhua) 08:23, November 23, 2023

BEIJING, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- Many global financial institutions have been briskly stepping up investments and increasing their presence in China this year, as the country's brightened economic outlook and steady opening up are offering more opportunities, despite a sluggish global economy.

Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) Ltd. got the nod to set up a securities firm in the Chinese mainland early this year.

With an initial capital injection of 1.05 billion yuan (about 147.36 million U.S. dollars), the new company became the first newly-approved wholly foreign-owned securities firm since China lifted foreign ownership caps in the sector in 2020.

"We are firmly optimistic about China's medium- and long-term development prospects and look forward to the broad opportunities brought about by China's continuous opening up," said Zhang Xiaolei, executive vice chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Standard Chartered Bank (China) Ltd.

Standard Chartered is not the only foreign institution vying to explore new opportunities in the Chinese stock market.

The China Securities Regulatory Commission has green-lighted the establishment of seven foreign-controlled or wholly foreign-owned securities, futures and fund companies this year. The combined figure since 2020 has grown to 20.

This photo taken on Nov. 7, 2023 shows a scene of the main session of the Global Financial Leaders' Investment Summit in Hong Kong, south China. (Xinhua/Chen Duo)

In terms of the banking sector, Mastercard's Chinese joint venture was recently allowed to conduct bank card clearing operations. Mastercard NetsUnion Information Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd. can authorize its member institutions to issue Mastercard yuan bank cards in China.

This approval made Mastercard the second overseas bank card clearing institution to enter the Chinese market after American Express in 2020.

"China is one of our most important markets. We are pleased to have reached this milestone," said Michael Miebach, CEO of Mastercard, adding that Mastercard's deeper participation in the Chinese market will benefit the country, its consumers and its businesses.

Official data showed that in the first three quarters of this year, capital injection or increase by foreign-funded banks in China amounted to the equivalent of 1.96 billion yuan. Meanwhile, two banks set up new branches and six put new business outlets into use.

China has been intensifying moves to promote a high level of financial opening up in recent years, with more than 50 specific measures introduced, including allowing global investors to invest in China's capital market through more channels and scrapping ownership caps for foreign institutions for securities, futures and funds.

Lured by these concrete opening up steps, many global financial institutions expanded their footprints in China.

Jose Vinals, chairman of Standard Chartered Group, delivers a speech at the Belt and Road CEO Conference in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 17, 2023. (Xinhua/Chen Bin)

Standard Chartered's Zhang described China as the bank's "most important strategic market," while adding that "the Chinese market has been the largest contributor to Standard Chartered's global network revenue for many years, which proves the effectiveness of our China strategy."

In the first three quarters of 2023, Standard Chartered's China onshore and offshore pre-tax profit increased about three-fold year on year, reaching 1 billion U.S. dollars.

This U.K.-based multinational bank has committed to investing 300 million U.S. dollars in its China-related businesses from 2022 to 2024, including digitalization, renminbi's internationalization, and wealth management.

Meanwhile, betting on the potential of the Chinese market, HSBC plans to pump more than 3 billion yuan into its China operations over a five-year period running until 2025.

In October, HSBC agreed to buy Citigroup's retail wealth management portfolio in the Chinese mainland. Wang Yunfeng, president and CEO of HSBC Bank (China) Company Ltd., said the deal demonstrated HSBC's firm commitment to the Chinese market.

HSBC raked in more than 6 billion yuan in net profits in China last year, surging 54 percent from 2021.

As for the Bank of East Asia (China) Ltd., its business in China's vibrant Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area has become an important growth driver.

Ho Shun-wah, executive director and chief executive of BEA China, expressed strong confidence in the Chinese markets and said the bank will boost new loans in China next year to better serve the real economy.

This aerial photo taken on Sept. 10, 2023 shows a view of Zhangjiang area of the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone in east China's Shanghai. (Xinhua/Fang Zhe)

Analysts believe that this stronger China push on the part of foreign-funded financial institutions in essence confirms widespread optimism about China's economic prospects.

With China's third-quarter performance surpassing market expectations, a number of international institutions have upgraded their China growth predictions.

China's real gross domestic product (GDP) is projected to grow by 5.4 percent in 2023, a recent International Monetary Fund (IMF) statement said.

"The Chinese economy is on track to meet the government's 2023 growth target, reflecting a strong post-COVID recovery," read the statement issued by the IMF's First Deputy Managing Director, Gita Gopinath, following a visit to China.

The UBS also raised its forecast for China's GDP growth in 2023 to 5.2 percent from its previous 4.8 percent prediction, while Deutsche Bank, Nomura and J.P. Morgan have all raised their China full-year GDP growth forecasts.

Early this week, a meeting of the country's Central Financial Commission highlighted work to steadily promote the opening up of the financial sector, as well as its development and growth. Observers said the country's steady institutional opening up in the financial sector will continue to facilitate cross-border investment and financing and attract more foreign investors and long-term capital.

China's financial opening up will never stop, and its determination to share development opportunities with the rest of the world will never change, said Li Yunze, head of the National Financial Regulatory Administration.

Li pledged efforts to further expand the market access of foreign institutions, make the financial system and policies more transparent, stable and predictable, and create an institutional environment conducive to prudent operation and fair competition.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
SAN DIEGO  Interfaith Community Services, located in Escondido, received a $5 million grant from Jeff Bezos foundation, Bezos Day 1 Families Fund.

The foundation said the 38 groups were selected to use the donation to continue their compassionate, needle-moving work to help families move from unsheltered homelessness and shelters to permanent housing with the services they require to achieve stability.

We just opened a new family shelter that has no government funding and it costs more than a million dollars a year to operate, we arent sure, havent been sure how to pay for it, we just knew it was needed, and so to have a gift like this come in, at a time when we are bringing families with children off the streets, into our shelter, helping them overcome homelessness, its truly transformational, Greg Anglea, chief executive officer of Interfaith Community Services said in an interview with FOX 5 Wednesday.

Anglea said this funding will help at least 2,500 families have a place to call home.

This grant will meet each family where theyre at, some families will benefit from our new family shelter, others will be able to end their homelessness much more quickly, and we can negotiate with a landlord to get them back into housing in a matter of hours or days, Anglea said.

Dozens evacuate and 10 homes are destroyed by a wildfire burning out of control on the edge of Perth

At a time of year full of Thanksgiving, Anglea and his staff at Interfaith Community Services now has a lot more to be thankful for, and the announcement of the funding came around the time of the groups annual Thanksgiving dinner for the unhoused.

We turn our soup kitchen operation into a five-star restaurant and were going to welcome them in, families, veterans, seniors, Anglea said.

It just does my heart great joy to see people enjoying the day, said Gerry, a volunteer at Interfaith Community Services.

The funding came just a few months after Interfaith Community Services learned it would no longer receive a $50,000 grant from the City of Escondido that it had received annually for about a decade.

Escondido has the highest homeless population among cities in the North County. The latest data shows 499 people are unhoused in Escondido, but Interfaith helps people throughout the North County.

Were having a chance to give back to the homeless, Interfaiths Lead Cook Bill said. He used to be one of the people Interfaith helped, now hes come full circle.

Im not only staff now, but Im also an ex-participant because Interfaith helped me save my life, Bill added.

Anglea said one issue they have is not knowing exactly how many families are homeless in the North County, and some of the funding will be used to gather data and determine who needs help and how best to help them.

Since the inception of Jeff Bezos Day 1 Families Fund, it has awarded $639.1 million to 208 groups and organizations.

2023 marks the sixth year of this award, and the first time Interfaith Community Services has received the funding. This years donations total $117.55 million to 38 organizations.

Interfaith was one of three foundations in California to receive the grant funding.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego.
North Korea said Thursday it will deploy new military hardware along the military demarcation line that separates it from the South after Seoul partially pulled back from a 2018 agreement designed to ease tensions along the border, state-run media reported.

North Korea acted after Seoul vowed to increase its intelligence and surveillance along the demilitarized zone (DMZ) in response to the launch of North Koreas first-ever spy satellite on Tuesday, which analysts said could give Pyongyang information to better target opponents forces.

The reactive move by Seoul represents a partial retreat from the Inter-Korean Military Agreement, which was signed in 2018 as part of efforts with the US to contain the threat of war on the Korean Peninsula  and broaden the buffer zone between the two Koreas.

It was signed by then-South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Panmunjom on the border, with the text declaring there will be no more war on the Korean Peninsula and thus a new era of peace has begun.

But any goodwill generated by the agreement has evaporated in recent years. Kim, who did not get the concessions he wanted from the US and South Korea during subsequent talks, has since ramped up the Norths ballistic missile program, pledging to give Pyongyang a nuclear deterrent like that possessed by Washington.

In response to the North Korean buildup, the US and South Korea  along with Japan  have stepped-up their military cooperation via exercises and deployments that Pyongyang sees as a threat.

Earlier this week North Korea denounced the US for its potential sales of advanced missiles to Japan and military equipment to South Korea, calling it a dangerous act in a report from KCNA.

North Korea said it was obvious who the offensive military equipment would be aimed at and used against.

On Thursday North Koreas Defense Ministry said that its army will never be bound by the military agreement, vowing to deploy more powerful armed forces and new-type military hardware in the region along the Military Demarcation Line, according to KCNA.

It claimed that the agreement has long been reduced to a mere scrap of paper owing to the intentional and provocative moves of South Korea, and warned that it must pay dearly for its irresponsible and grave political and military provocations that have pushed the present situation to an uncontrollable phase, KCNA said.

Pyongyang also said that South Korea will be held wholly accountable for clashes that may break out between the two Koreas.

The most dangerous situation in the area of the military demarcation line, where the worlds most acute military confrontation lingers and any slight accidental factor may aggravate an armed conflict to an all-out war, has become irreversibly uncontrollable, due to the serious mistake made by the political and military gangsters of the ROK [Republic of Korea], KCNA said.

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North Korea said Thursday that it was withdrawing from an inter-Korean pact that limited military activities in the border area. File Photo by Thomas Maresca/UPI

SEOUL, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- North Korea said Thursday that it was completely withdrawing from an inter-Korean agreement and would restore "all military measures" in the border area one day after Seoul scrapped part of the deal in response to Pyongyang's satellite launch.

The North will "never be bound" by the 2018 Comprehensive Military Agreement, its Defense Ministry said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.

The pact was signed during a period of detente under the previous administration of South Korean President Moon Jae-in. It aimed at lowering tensions between the two Koreas by establishing a no-fly zone and prohibiting military drills near the border, among other provisions.

"We will immediately restore all military measures that have been halted according to the [N]orth-[S]outh military agreement," the statement said.

The North will "deploy more powerful armed forces and new-type military hardware in the region along the Military Demarcation Line," the ministry added.

The move came in response to South Korea's partial suspension of the agreement after the North launched a military spy satellite into orbit late Tuesday night. The South restored aerial surveillance and reconnaissance activities in the border area between the two Koreas on Wednesday afternoon, a military spokesperson confirmed at a press briefing.

Adding to the rising tension in the region, North Korea fired an unspecified ballistic missile toward the East Sea late Wednesday night. However, the launch appeared to fail, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a message to reporters.

In its statement, North Korea justified the satellite launch as part of its right to self-defense and called the South's partial suspension of the military agreement a "vivid expression of their hostility."

"Those of the 'ROK' will be held wholly accountable in case an irretrievable clash breaks out between the [N]orth and the [S]outh," the statement said, using the official acronym for South Korea.

The launch marked the North's third attempt this year at placing a satellite into orbit and came amid growing international concern over Pyongyang's military relationship with Russia.

Washington and Seoul say that Pyongyang is shipping artillery and equipment to Russia for its war in Ukraine, while the North is believed to be receiving advanced technology for its space and missile programs in return.

Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Wednesday that the satellite appeared to successfully enter into orbit, but it remains unclear whether its surveillance capabilities are operational.

"Determining whether the satellite is working normally will take time as additional analysis is required under coordination between South Korea and the United States and relevant agencies," the JCS said in a text message sent to reporters.
North Korea has ripped up a five-year-old deal with Seoul aimed at lowering military tensions, in the latest escalation of a row between the two.

It all started when Pyongyang claimed to have successfully launched a spy satellite into space on Tuesday.

This led to South Korea part suspending the agreement, saying it would resume surveillance flights along the border.

Pyongyang is now vowing to fully suspend the pact and send stronger forces and equipment to the border.

"From now on, our army will never be bound by the September 19 North-South Military Agreement," it said in a statement.

It promised to withdraw all measures "taken to prevent military conflict in all spheres including ground, sea and air", and deploy "more powerful armed forces and new-type military hardware" in the border region.

Pyongyang fired a rocket believed to contain its Malligyong-1 spy satellite late on Tuesday and hailed the launch as a "success".

South Korea's military later confirmed that the satellite had entered orbit but said it was too soon to tell if it was actually functioning.

Seoul strongly condemned the launch - and on Wednesday morning top officials agreed to immediately restart surveillance operations along the border, which would allow the South to monitor North Korean outposts and long-range artillery.

That is a breach of a no-fly zone established under the Comprehensive Military Agreement in 2018 - signed by both nations' leaders in an attempt to de-escalate tensions between their two countries and prevent a conflict erupting.

But North Korea has violated the pact multiple times over the past two years, by launching missiles and firing artillery rounds into the sea in the South's direction. Last December, it sent drones across the border into South Korea, with one flying as far as the capital Seoul.

This was part of Seoul's justification to scrap parts of the agreement - that the North was already not abiding by it.

Some analysts therefore argue that Pyongyang officially withdrawing from the deal might not make much of a difference.

"Because North Korea was not adhering to the agreement in the first place, the possibility of limited collision has always been there", said Jo Bee Yun of the Korea Institute for Defence Analysis.

Though both sides are blaming each other for escalating tensions and threatening to retaliate, Jo Bee Yun called this a "political tit-for-tat" that would not necessarily result in a "physical military collision".

The outcome will likely depend on what action the North now takes.

Chun In-bum, a retired South Korean Army lieutenant general, said the North would want to "make life as difficult for the South as the South makes it for them". He predicted that they will start by displaying artillery along the border, and by flying more drones, possibly into South Korean territory.

South Korea's defence minister Shin Won-sik warned earlier that if the North used the suspension as an excuse to carry out provocations, Seoul would "immediately and firmly punish it to the end." He said he would be monitoring the North's behaviour and discussing what counter measures to take with President Yoon Suk-yeol, when he returns from his trip to the UK.

Pyongyang insists the launch of the spy satellite is part of its "right to self-defence" - but it has been strongly condemned by South Korea, the US and Japan.

Developing a functioning spy satellite is a major part of North Korea's five-year military plan, set out by its leader Kim Jong Un in January 2021.

The technology could in theory enable Pyongyang to monitor the movement of US and South Korean troops and weapons on the Korean Peninsula, allowing it to spot incoming threats. It would also allow the North to plot its nuclear attacks with more precision.

North Korean state media has claimed the country's leader Kim Jong Un is already reviewing images of US military bases in Guam sent by the new satellite. The BBC has not verified this.
(Bloomberg) -- North Korea said it is ending an agreement aimed at reducing military tensions with the South, a sign ties are fraying after Pyongyang placed a spy satellite into orbit for the first time.

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North Korea vowed that our army will never be bound by the 2018 agreement, the official Korean Central News Agency reported Thursday, adding that it will immediately restore all military measures that have been halted.

It would deploy more powerful armed forces and new military hardware in the area along the border separating it from South Korea, it added.

A South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman said at a regular briefing that the nation would punish the North immediately, strongly and to the end based on its defense partnership with the US, if Pyongyang engages in further provocations.

The heightened tensions come after North Korea appeared to successfully place a spy satellite into orbit, putting leader Kim Jong Un closer to his goal of deploying an array of reconnaissance probes allowing him to monitor US forces in the region. Kim oversaw the latest launch, and his state media said the country wants to fire off several more probes within a short period of time.

See: North Korea Satellite Likely Entered Orbit, South Korea Says

Adding to the renewed strains, North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward waters to the east of the peninsula around 11:05 p.m. Wednesday, though the launch appears to have failed, South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a text message.

Missile failures have been rare under Kim. The last one happened about a year ago when North Korea launched a suspected intercontinental ballistic missile from an area near Pyongyang. South Koreas military said it reached an altitude of 1,920 kilometers (1,200 miles) before failure.

Chinas Foreign Ministry said Thursday it was concerned about the situation on the Korean Peninsula. It added in a statement that it hoped all relevant parties will remain calm and restrained. Beijing has been Pyongyangs biggest benefactor for years.

Also: How the North Korea Nuclear Threat Keeps Growing: QuickTake

Following the launch of the spy satellite, South Korea suspended parts of a 2018 deal with North Korea that was intended to ease military tensions along the border. The cabinet in Seoul approved a plan to restore reconnaissance and surveillance activities that were halted under the agreement.

South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff has said that it assessed the satellite entered an orbit but it was unclear whether the device was operational. While officials in Seoul believe a North Korean spy satellite would be rudimentary at best, it could help Pyongyang refine its targeting as it rolls out new missiles designed to deliver nuclear strikes in South Korea and Japan, which host the bulk of Americas military personnel in the region.

Kim has viewed photos of US military facilities in Guam that were taken by the Malligyong-1 satellite, official media in Pyongyang said.

Marco Langbroek, a lecturer in optical space situational awareness at Delft University of Technology, said that the technical requirement of the launch show that the North Koreans are now ready for complex launch scenarios and have a versatile rocket system.

More: North Korea Says Kim Saw Photos of US Bases From Spy Satellite

Group of Seven foreign ministers condemned North Korea for the ballistic missile launch that sent up the spy satellite, saying in a statement that it poses a grave threat to the peace and stability of the region and beyond.

The White House also condemned the launch and was working with allies to assess the situation, National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said.

North Korea is barred by UN Security Council resolutions from conducting ballistic missile tests. The US and its partners have warned that technology derived from North Koreas space program could be used to advance its ballistic missiles.

--With assistance from Shinhye Kang.

(Updates with comment from Chinas Foreign Ministry.)

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Norway has contributed NOK 240 million (roughly US$22 million) to the Support to Ukraine's Reconstruction and Economy Trust Fund (SURE TF).

Source: Ukraines Economy Ministry

Details: The ministry noted that the Trust fund had been designated as the World Bank's Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) in February 2023 to provide insurance for investments in Ukraine.

"Private investment will fund the post-war recovery of our country; therefore, ensuring the utmost security for investors' money is essential for us. We would like to thank Norway for its funds allocated to the Support to Ukraine's Reconstruction and Economy Trust Fund.

This will help support individual projects in the real sector that will positively impact the country's economy," said Yuliia Svyrydenko, Ukraine's First Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister.

"MIGA has established the SURE Trust Fund to help deploy a bilateral strategy to assist Ukraine in overcoming the effects of the ongoing war. MIGA will provide guarantees in the short term to finance trade and essential commodities and support credits and liquidity for small businesses.

In the longer term, MIGA plans to provide political risk insurance for large-scale projects in the real economy. The Fund aims to meet existing and emerging needs with a commitment to support post-war recovery," the economy ministry added.

Norway's support for the SURE TF is part of Norway's multi-year Nansen support programme for Ukraine and supplements other funding to Ukraine through the World Bank.

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Storskog is the only regular border crossing point between Norway and Russia

Norway may follow Finland and close the border with Russia, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stre said on Nov. 22, according to the Norwegian TV channel TV2.

Asked by journalists whether it is advisable to follow the example of the Finns and close the border with Russia, the Prime Minister said that Norway could do so "if necessary."

Currently, the Norwegian authorities are closely monitoring the situation in Finland and Estonia.

Read also: Russias military expansion near Finnish border raises questions, but no immediate threat to Helsinki, say experts

Norwegian Minister of Justice Emilie Enger Mehl expressed a similar opinion on Nov. 16, and the next day the same statement was made by Estonia.

Finland announced on Nov. 16 the closure of four border crossings located in the east along the border with Russia. The restrictions will be in effect until Feb. 18, 2024, but could be extended.

Several more checkpoints were closed on Nov. 22, leaving only one Russian-Finland border crossing open.

Finnish border guards reported that in recent months, a large number of people without entry documents have been trying to enter Finland through checkpoints on the southeastern border.

Read also: Polish PM announces plan to construct physical barrier along entire border with Russias Kaliningrad exclave

A temporary fence was being erected at the Vartius checkpoint near the border with Russia, Finnish outlet Yle wrote on Nov. 19.

The Finnish military was sent to help the border guards.

At the checkpoint, some asylum seekers were "pushed" from the Russian border post toward Finland against their will, the Finnish Border Guard announced. The gate was then closed behind them, making it impossible to return to Russian territory.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Injection pens and boxes of Novo Nordisk's weight-loss drug Wegovy are shown in this photo illustration in Oslo

By Michel Rose and Maggie Fick

PARIS/LONDON (Reuters) -Novo Nordisk on Thursday announced a $2.3 billion investment to boost production of its wildly popular weight-loss and diabetes drugs at a site in Chartres, France as it races to meet soaring demand.

The investment will significantly increase production capacity for current medicines including Ozempic and Wegovy as well as other obesity treatments that are being developed, the Danish drugmaker said.

There is a growing crisis in Europe over supply of diabetes therapy Ozempic, which uses the same ingredient semaglutide as the hugely popular weight-loss drug Wegovy, which is not yet widely available in Europe.

Novo this week introduced curbs on the use of Ozempic, which is also widely used for weight loss, in the European Union because of this 'off label' use. Germany is considering banning exports of the drug. Belgium has banned prescriptions of the weekly injection unless they are for type 2 diabetes patients.

The British government tried in July to prevent Ozempic reaching people who want to lose weight but a Reuters report found people without diabetes are still buying the medicine for weight loss.

Thursday's announcement comes after Novo earlier this month announced a $6 billion investment in its native Denmark to boost production.

WIN FOR FRANCE'S MACRON

It is also a boost for French President Emmanuel Macron as a global economic slowdown threatens to undo the progress made over the past few years in curbing French unemployment.

Macron's office told journalists ahead of the announcement that he convinced Novo Nordisk CEO Lars Fruergaard Jorgensen to make the investment during his "Choose France" summit earlier this year. The company did not immediately comment on this.

The investment mirrors a similar move by U.S. rival Eli Lilly, which last week laid out plans to build a $2.5 billion manufacturing site in Germany in response to soaring demand for its new diabetes and obesity therapies.

Analysts have estimated the obesity drug market will be worth as much as $100 billion by 2030.

Novo said the French investment will significantly increase its capacity for several types of manufacturing needed to make its weight-loss and diabetes drugs from the GLP-1 drug class. Those are the specialist work of filling the injection pens with the active ingredient semaglutide, and assembly and packaging of the injection pens.

Novo said earlier this month that it is ramping up its in-house manufacturing capacity to fill injection pens for Ozempic and for the European version of Wegovy, but did not give details.

The company employs nearly 2,000 people at the Chartres factory west of Paris. The investment is expected to create 500 more jobs, Novo said. Construction has begun and will be completed between 2026 and 2028.

($1 = 6.8320 Danish crowns)

(Reporting by Anna RingstromWriting by Ludwig Burger;Editing by Terje Solsvik, David Goodman and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
A large group that turned out to support a Palestinian-American man convicted of taking part in a hate crime beating of a Jewish man in a Times Square protest was ejected from a Manhattan courthouse Tuesday after shouting at the judge during his sentencing.

Mahmoud Musa was among a group of men who brutally beat Joseph Borgen after spotting him in public wearing a yarmulke in 2021. They set out that morning "to attack Jewish people," according to prosecutors, and they found Borgen, who was headed to a pro-Israel rally.

They pummeled him to the floor, kicked him while he was down and doused him with pepper spray.

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Mahmoud Musa appears in New York Supreme Court for sentencing in Manhattan, New York on Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023. Musa pleaded guilty to the May 2021 attack against a Jewish man in Times Square and was sentenced to seven years in prison.

"I felt a liquid being poured on my face, and at first I thought I was getting urinated on, but it turned out I was getting maced and pepper sprayed," Borgen told the New York Post shortly after the 2021 attack. "My face was on fire. That pain was worse than the concussion and all this other stuff that followed."

Video of the attack also showed his assailants berating him with antisemitic slurs as they left him with a concussion and needing a neck brace.

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HAMAS DAY OF RAGE DRAWS HEIGHTENED SECURITY IN MAJOR AMERICAN CITIES, ATTENTION FROM THE FBI

Mahmoud Musa appears in New York Supreme Court for sentencing in Manhattan, New York on Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023. Musa's attorney Lance Lazzaro gestures during the hearing before his client was sentenced to seven years behind bars.

"If the cops did not come, if they did not save my life, I would have died," Borgen said during his victim impact statement.

Borgen's supporters sat quietly in the courtroom Tuesday, wearing hats and T-shirts demanding justice and condemning antisemitism.

About 30 minutes into the hearing, Musa's supporters arrived. His defense wanted the minimum, three and a half years, but prosecutors had asked for a six-year sentence.

After Judge Felicia Mennin told Musa he would be spending seven years behind bars, his side of the crowd erupted, calling it "unfair."

Joseph Borgen speaks to members of the media following the sentencing of Mahmoud Musa outside the New York Supreme Court in Manhattan, New York on Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023. Musa was sentenced to seven years in prison following the May 2021 attack of Borgen in Times Square.

The Post reported that journalists in the back of the courtroom overheard them calling Judge Mennin a "racist" for the sentence, which is less than half of the maximum punishment of 15 years.

Court officers removed them from the building. It was another 20 minutes before the courthouse was cleared and Borgen's supporters and members of the media were told they could safely head outside.

Borgen said he was happy with the sentence but still worried about antisemitic violence amid ongoing protests about the current war between Israel and Hamas, a Palestinian terror group that launched a surprise attack on the country last month.

"I'm relieved it's over, I think we got a strong prison sentence and I think it sends a clear message that Jewish blood, for that matter hate crimes in all senses of the word, are not going to be treated lightly in New York City," Borgen told reporters outside the courthouse.

Two other suspects in the attack have received much shorter sentences, and two more have not yet learned their fate.





Original article source: NYC Palestinian man sentenced in brutal antisemitic beating before judge ejects angry supporters from court
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH)  Its been a little over a week since the deadly I-70 crash that took the lives of six people, who were all part of the Tusky Valley community. As a way to honor the victims, a local nonprofit added a cross to the crash site, but there is a safety concern.

Its not because the Ohio Department of Transportation doesnt think a memorial should be there, but these makeshift roadside memorials can be distracting. For the time being, ODOT has put barrels around the memorial.

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The idea is we have had people, unfortunately, stopping to add items to that cross, which was put up by some folks who obviously wanted to honor those lost in this crash. While we certainly respect and understand people wanting to do that, it does create a dangerous situation for them, said Matt Bruning, press secretary for ODOT.

Ducks Helping Heroes is the nonprofit that made seven crosses. Six of them are honoring the lives lost, complete with each of their names and a picture of them. The seventh is a larger cross, designed to honor everyone involved.







People put time, they put money, they put their own efforts into making not just the cross thats out there now, but the six that are made with each of the victims names on it. That was all done, Im sure, with a labor of love, said Bruning.

When someone is killed in a car crash, its common for loved ones of the victim to want to memorialize them with a makeshift roadside memorial, but its something that ODOT is strongly against.

At the end of the day, what we want is to make sure that nobody else goes through what these six families are going through right now. That is the bottom line. Thats the only motivation for us to make any of these changes out there is to keep people safe, said Bruning.

According to Bruning, there are other, safer, ways to honor your loved ones.

We would prefer you adopt a highway, for example, where we will put a sanctioned sign out there and let people know this is adopted in memory of someone, Bruning said.

Barrelling off the side of a highway around a roadside memorial is not something ODOT does. This is only a temporary solution.

In this case, just given the, you know, proximity and time to the crash that occurred, obviously these families, this community, we are grieving with everyone. You know, we just felt like this was a temporary compromise that would allow people to still see that cross thats out there, said Bruning.

In the meantime, Ducks Helping Heroes is working to find a new, more permanent home for the seven crosses. Once they do, the cross thats currently on I-70 will be removed by ODOT and then go to its new location. As of right now there is no definite timeline of when this will all happen.

If anyone is curious about alternatives to roadside memorials, visit ODOTs website to learn about the Adopt-A-Highway program or the Memorial Highway program.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV.
Armenia is not considering leaving the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), the country's Deputy Foreign Minister Mnatsakan Safarian said on Nov. 23, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported.

The statement comes shortly after Yerevan's decision not to attend today's summit of the Russia-led military coalition in Minsk, attracting criticism from Belarusian and Russian leaders.

The CSTO is an international military alliance consisting of Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Armenia.

The summit, chaired by Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko and attended by his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, will reportedly focus on "issues of international and regional security" and Kazakhstan's upcoming presidency.

Despite the snub, Armenia also does not currently plan to discuss the withdrawal of Russian military bases on Armenian territory that host thousands of Russian troops, Safarian said.

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"At the moment, there are no such topics on our agenda," the Armenian official told journalists.

Tensions between Yerevan and Moscow have been mounting as Russia failed to halt Azerbaijan's offensive against Nagorno-Karabakh despite deploying peacekeepers in the region since the last war in 2020.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan implied that Russia failed to live up to its commitments as an ally, adding that he sees no further use in the continued presence of Russian military bases in the country.

The rift between the two formal allies has been further manifested in Armenia's refusal to participate in CSTO maneuvers in Kyrgyzstan or the coalition's ministerial meetings.

As worries grow that Baku may expand its aggression even to Armenian soil, the South Caucasian country has been looking further west for new allies, securing military aid from France.

Read also: Azerbaijan says it seeks peace talks with Armenia without Western mediation

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Norway may follow the example of Finland and close its land border crossing with Russia "if necessary," Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stre said on Nov. 22, as cited by Norwegian TV2 channel.

On the same day, Estonia's interior minister accused Russia of organizing "a hybrid attack operation" to bring migrants to its border, adding that Estonia has prepared to close border crossings if "the migration pressure from Russia escalates," Reuters reported.

"Unfortunately, there are many signs that Russian border officials and possibly other agencies are involved," Estonia's Lauri Laanemets said.

"Quite frankly, (the) ongoing migration pressure on Europe's eastern border is a hybrid attack operation."

Speaking at a press conference, Stre reportedly said the Norwegian government is closely following the situation on border crossings in both Finland and Estonia.

The only legal land border crossing between Norway and Russia is called Storskog and is located in the far northeastern part of Norway.

Read also: ISW: Putin wants to break up NATO

Finland announced on Nov. 22 that it would close all but the northernmost crossing on its border with Russia due to a rising number of asylum seekers.

The measure will take effect on Nov. 24. It follows Helsinki's accusations that Russia is orchestrating the influx of migrants as retribution for Finland's entry into NATO, which Moscow has denied.

According to the Finnish Border Guard, some 600 migrants without proper documentation arrived in the country in November compared to a few dozen in the previous months. These migrants are foreigners who pass through Russia from third countries, such as Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and Somalia.

Reports of Moscow-orchestrated migrant crisis echo the strategy used by Belarus against its NATO neighbors. Minsk has been facilitating flows of third-country migrants to the Baltic countries and Poland since 2021.

Read also: Trucker protests: Unraveling the standoff between Polish and Ukrainian haulers

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH)  The mother of an Ohio social workers client has sued both the employee and her employer, claiming warnings of sexual misconduct fell on deaf ears and later resulted in violence.

In a civil complaint filed Monday in Franklin County Common Pleas Court, the mother accused the National Youth Advocate Program of failing to remove her 13-year-old son from 24-year-old Payton Shires care when she alerted the nonprofit that Shires was having an inappropriate sexual relationship with the teen client. A Columbus SWAT team arrested Shires on Oct. 6 on a felony charge of sexual conduct with a minor.

Payton Shires. (Courtesy Photo/Columbus Division of Police)

The civil lawsuit document also detailed that from August to September 2023, Shires engaged in sexual acts with the teen victim in multiple places in Franklin and other Ohio counties within the course and scope of her employment with NYAP. The mother informed the nonprofit of what was happening on Sept. 22, two weeks before police would take Shires into custody.

The civil complaint also accuses Shires of something previously unseen in criminal court documents. Police previously arrested Shires a second time after they said she showed up at the victims home with a gun. She called the victims mother on the phone, telling her that she ruined her life, and threatened to kill the mother and then herself, according to an affidavit. In the lawsuit, the mothers attorney said that Shires fired a single shot while she was there, which was never mentioned in initial police reports.

The civil complaint claimed both the mother and teen client  both listed as plaintiffs  suffered physical injury, bodily injury, disability, embarrassment, humiliation, loss of enjoyment of life as well as healthcare expenses, wage loss and other damages as a result of Shires actions and NYAPs lack of. The lawsuit asked for a judgment with payments in excess of $25,000, both compensatory and punitive, from both Shires and NYAP.

After the incident at the victims home, Shires criminal case moved from Franklin County Municipal Court to Franklin County Common Pleas Court. As of Wednesday, she faced four counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, two counts of witness intimidation and one county each for discharging a firearm and inducing panic. Because she was prohibited from having any contact with the alleged victim, her bond was revoked.

Columbus police first got involved when the teens mother called them to report text messages she found between him and Shires. The social worker had asked the 13-year-old if he deleted videos, and if his mother had seen them or messages between them, a detective wrote in a criminal complaint document.

The mother gave her sons phone to the Columbus Division of Police as evidence. After getting a warrant, investigators found a video of Shires engaging in sexual acts with the teen on the device. The criminal complaint said CPD then joined the mother for a phone call with Shires, where she admitted to participating in multiple sexual acts with the 13-year-old.

Franklin County Common Pleas Court records show Shires has a trial scheduled for 9 a.m. on Dec. 7. State records confirmed that Shires social work license remained active as of Nov. 20. There were no details available regarding a possible suspension or forfeiture.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV.
Nov. 23 (UPI) -- Rep. Bill Johnson, R-Ohio has announced his retirement from the House and will become president of Youngstown State University.

"After much thought and prayerful deliberation, I have accepted the offer to lead Youngstown State University and will not be seeking an 8th term in Congress," Johnson said Tuesday.

"As I've stated previously, I wasn't looking for another job, because I love the one I have serving the people of Eastern Ohio in the U.S. House," Johnson continued. "This was an extremely difficult decision."

Mahoning Matters reported Johnson will be paid $410,000 a year to lead Youngstown State, a hefty raise over his current House salary of $174,000. Johnson is scheduled to start the new job by March 15th.

"This is not a goodbye, however," Johnson said in a social media post. "I will continue serving in the House for several more months, and you will see no let up. My offices are open and my staff remains ready to serve you."

Johnson said there is still a list of things "on my agenda to do before I depart Congress, including doing all I can to help pass tax exemption legislation to benefit the people of East Palestine as well as a broader rail safety bill, streamline America's LNG export process, and advance a responsible budget and spending package for the remainder of this fiscal year," he said in the statement announcing his decision.

Johnson was the second House member to announce their retirement Tuesday. Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-California, also said she will not seek reelection.

"I'm choosing this beautiful season of Thanksgiving to announce that I will not seek reelection, and I do so with a heart filled with unending gratitude to you, my magnificent constituents," Eshoo, 80, said in a social media video.

Johnson said he was not looking for a new job when word of the offer leaked Nov. 16, but that he had been approached by an executive search firm which made the offer and Johnson said then that he was considering it.

Johnson is a social conservative who opposes abortion and restrictions on gun rights. He was among the 100 GOP House members who voted against certifying election results from Arizona and Pennsylvania in January 2021 after former President Donald Trump falsely claimed to have won the 2020 presidential election.

YSU alumni, some of whom are opposed to Johnson's conservative positions, wrote a letter to the university's board of trustees over the weekend denouncing his opposition to gay marriage and refusal to accept the results of the 2020 presidential election.

"The Board's refusal to incorporate the greater YSU community in its decision making flouts basic values of transparency, accountability, and democratic participation," the alumni wrote. "The fact that Johnson's positions are highly contentious - and directly relevant to the diverse interests and identities of YSU's student body - increases the need for public vetting of his candidacy."

They launched a Change.org petition Friday disagreeing with YSU's decision to offer Johnson the job. As of Tuesday, it had garnered more than 1,800 signatures. The university's governing board was said to be finalizing the details of the contract.

During his tenure in Congress, Johnson worked to expand domestic energy production and internet access to rural communities. His priorities largely reflected the sentiments of his constituents in a part of the state with a large fossil fuel production base.

Johnson was thrust into the national spotlight when a Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine in February, spilling dangerous and toxic chemicals which ran into nearby creeks and streams.
The closure of Scotlands only oil refinery risks a repeat of the social devastation caused by the end of the coal and steel industries, expert advisers to SNP ministers have warned.

Scotlands Just Transition Commission (JTC) said Petroineoss decision to end operations at the Grangemouth refinery had been made with minimal engagement with workers, the community or government ministers.

In a statement, the commission warned the move ran directly counter to a just transition from traditional industries to a low carbon economy. Around 400 jobs are expected to be lost.

Referring to the social and economic upheaval of the 1980s, it said it was deeply concerned that we will see a repeat of previous unmanaged industrial transitions in coal and steel whose harmful effects are still felt by communities across the country.

The warning came the day after Neil Gray, the SNPs Energy Secretary, said that the closure was a commercial decision that reflected the Scottish Governments ambitions for decarbonising industry.

In an update to MSPs on Thursday, he insisted that the firms announcement that the refinery would shut by 2025 had not been finalised and he wanted it to continue operating as long as possible.

He rejected accusations that SNP hostility to further exploration in the North Sea had contributed to the decision, arguing it was down to global factors rather than anything the UK or Scottish governments had done.

But the Tories said the SNP and Labour had set out to demonise the oil and gas industry at every opportunity and argued the message being sent out by Scottish ministers was risking thousands of jobs.

About 500 people are employed at the refinery. It is estimated only about 100 would be needed for the planned import terminal.

Petroineos has said the timescale for the transition had not yet been determined, but the work was expected to take about 18 months.

The decision by the firm, a joint venture between PetroChina and Sir Jim Ratcliffes INEOS, also leaves Scotland and the north of England more dependent on imported fuel. Grangemouth supplies 80 per cent of Scotlands fuel.

Commission urges clarity on plans to support workers

The JTC is an independent body that advises the Scottish Government on its plans to transition to a low carbon economy and publishes an annual report on progress.

It is led by Prof David Reay, chairman in carbon management at Edinburgh University and executive director of the Edinburgh Carbon Institute.

The commissions statement said: We urgently need to understand what plans, if any, have been made to support a transition for workers impacted by these changes beyond redundancies, as well as what steps will be taken to ensure we are not effectively off-shoring emissions currently associated with the Grangemouth site.

In a direct challenge to SNP ministers, it added: The announcement underlines clearly the need for government to play an active role in safeguarding workers and communities through the transition, since the market alone will not deliver a just transition.

The closure was announced a month after Andrew Gardner, the chairman of Petroineos, warned that Labours plans to ban new North Sea oil and gas projects put Grangemouth at risk.

Humza Yousaf, the First Minister, has also opposed the Prime Ministers decision to award new oil and gas licences, saying it flies in the face of the countrys climate goals.

Michelle Thomson, Falkirk East MSP, told Holyrood that Grangemouth already struggles with high levels of social deprivation, and the ultimate closure potentially will be felt acutely in the town.

Speaking after meeting trade union leaders, Mr Gray responded: We absolutely recognise the uncertainty, the anxiety, the feeling of despair that this announcement will place on a range of people.

I give my assurance to work collaboratively with all partners to ensure that any impact of this and subsequent decisions are mitigated as far as we possibly can.

But Douglas Lumsden, the Scottish Tory energy secretary, highlighted the SNPs decision to bring the Greens into government.

He said: The Cabinet Secretary should now accept that the message the government is sending out is putting thousands of jobs at risk, including those at Grangemouth.

Petroineos was approached for comment.

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In a classroom full of future teachers at Oklahoma State University, Robin Fuxa instructs her students to count sounds in words like map and can, by placing pennies on a corresponding chart.

Lets look at stop, Fuxa prompts.

Ss-tuh-ah-puh, her students respond in unison. Four, they count and move four pennies into the sound boxes on the chart.

Fuxa continues to demonstrate to her education majors different approaches for teaching literacy to their future students. They isolate sounds to see which ones are voiced  like ah  and which are unvoiced  like k.

They use tablet programs to record close-ups of their mouths as they form words. They cut out little boxes of word parts like ch and ad and d to create new words like dad and Chad.

The heavy focus on phonics is a major part of whats called the science of reading. While theres no single definition for the science of reading, its a generally accepted term covering a convergence of evidence on what works in literacy instruction  and that evidence says five methods are especially effective: phonological awareness, phonics and word recognition, fluency, vocabulary and oral language comprehension, and text comprehension.

The science of reading has been around for decades in some form or another, but a shift in what were thought to be best practices championed other methods that havent been nearly as effective. And now, fueled in part by a popular American Public Media documentary podcast on the subject, the science of reading is returning to the limelight, and Oklahoma schools and universities are using those techniques to teach literacy to the next generation.

With stakes higher than ever, Tulsa goes all-in on the science of reading

No district in the state has such a magnifying glass on its recent literacy rates as Tulsa Public Schools  whose accreditation status is on the line at every Oklahoma State Board of Education meeting.

State schools Superintendent Ryan Walters has targeted the Tulsa district in recent months, demanding accelerated improvement and condemning district leadership  ultimately culminating in the resignation of the districts superintendent, Deborah Gist.

At an August Board of Education meeting, Walters warned the Tulsa district not to test him, saying that every option was still on the table  including a potential downgrade in its accreditation status or even a state takeover.

Then-board member Suzanne Reynolds reiterated Walters demands to Tulsa Public Schools officials, telling them, We can teach a child to read in a matter of a few weeks.

More: What to know about how proposed charter schools in northeast OKC will approach teaching

Among the issues Walters cited in his case against Tulsa Public Schools was the districts low reading rates. 12.9% of the district's students meet or exceed grade-level standards for English proficiency, but the state average is 27.2%. To address that, the board demanded a plan for specifically teaching the science of reading to improve literacy rates.

Since then, the board has heard monthly updates from Tulsa officials. At the October meeting, the district's interim Superintendent Ebony Johnson outlined how the district is focusing on science of reading approaches to meet students literacy goals.

Johnson said 82% of the Tulsa district's elementary teachers have been trained in the science of reading. By March 2024, she said the district is committed to training 95% of elementary and secondary teachers.

Johnson said the aggressive plan to tackle the districts low literacy rates includes: intensive professional development and monitoring for teachers of science of reading techniques, requiring high-quality resources aligned to Oklahoma academic standards and monitoring for effective implementation, and using student achievement data to inform reading interventions and track student progress.

According to the districts data projections, Tulsa Public Schools is on track to have 700 more students proficient in reading by the end of the year, but their target is higher. Walters wanted more.

Future teachers in Robin Fuxas class at Oklahoma State University record their mouth shapes while forming words.

We want bigger, right? We want much more than that, and again, I appreciate you saying that, as you always have, Walters said at the meeting. So what happens then when you look at that number and say, alright, well, we want, you know, 4,000 to be there, or whatever the number may be. How do we move that number to be a much more aggressive amount of students that are reading?

At the end of the districts presentation, Walters reiterated his threat that there was nothing off-limits for what he would do to make sure Tulsa Public Schools was successful.

Over the last seven and a half years, Tulsa Public Schools has transitioned to science of reading curricula. And in 2020, the district began comprehensive training of its teachers in the science of reading.

Since 2020, more than 40% of its economically disadvantaged elementary students and nearly 47% of middle school students have met literacy growth goals.

More: What to know about Oklahoma's comprehensive new tutoring program for students

Kelly Kane, executive director of early childhood education at Tulsa Public Schools, said 72 languages are represented in the district, and more than 34% of enrolled students are multilingual learners. With such a diverse array of learners, Kane says the district has gone all-in on the science of reading to meet those childrens unique needs.

For all of our students at TPS, the science of reading is the key to helping our students master foundational literacy skills, which in turn can change life outcomes for students, Kane said. When more of our students have strong foundations of literacy, more of our students can then engage with grade-level learning, which ultimately sets them up for success not only in school but ultimately for college and for career.

According to the district, students receive on average 2.5 hours of daily reading instruction with a state-approved, evidence-based curriculum.

As the district continues to develop its teachers in the science of reading, university teacher training programs are also focusing on the wide array of skills that learners need to be successful readers  though some say the training doesnt go far enough.

A 'constellation of skills' needed to get kids reading

OSUs Robin Fuxa said the phonics exercises are just one of many methods her students learn to teach literacy. She emphasized the necessity of using targeted assessments that individualize what kinds of instruction children need and adapting to those needs.

Theres a constellation of skills that learners use, Fuxa said. So theyre going to be building back on their phonological awareness if theyre struggling to hear and identify individual sounds. Bridging that into phonics, when we get into written words and letters, letters and patterns. But then youre also going to work on fluency and make sure theyre reading fluently.

Comprehension, Fuxa said, is also not something that should be held off until other skills are mastered. Students should be writing as well as reading. And all of those skills are better fostered in an environment that is motivational and supportive. She said phonics is a critical part of the puzzle, but theres more to it than that.

More: After Ryan Walters alleged Chinese course had Communist ties, state to offer alternative

That systematic phonics piece isnt new, Fuxa said. How we conceptualize it [is], and certainly weve improved in how we teach it because we have increased our focus on the need for students background knowledge and building that up.

Even though programs like the one at OSU use science of reading techniques to teach literacy instruction, some groups say its not enough and the programs should go further.

Nationally, according to the National Council on Teacher Quality, only 28% of teacher preparation programs fully address all five components of the science of reading. And according to the council, none of those programs that cover all five components exist in Oklahoma.

Students 'Walk to Read' every morning at John Burroughs Elementary

At Tulsa elementary schools, students spend each morning participating in Walk to Read, a dedicated time when they can interact with digital reading programs and receive targeted instruction in small groups with similar reading levels.

In Vicky Caldwells second grade classroom at the Tulsa district's John Burroughs Elementary School, several students sit at a table with her while the rest work independently on digital programs on their laptops. The students at the table matched cut-outs of pictures based on the words beginning sounds.

A student lines up bike and bus next to a column with shark and shoe. When they finish their columns, Caldwell directs them to glue the pictures onto brightly colored paper. Tomorrow morning, another small group of students on similar levels will get to work with Caldwell.

Around the classroom, students with headsets read sentences and identify parts of speech on digital learning platforms. Some students are advanced  for instance, one second grader was reading a sentence about the Swedish parliament  and others are still practicing more foundational skills like sounding out one-syllable words.

The digital programs include Imagine Learning for multilingual students and the AI tutoring program Amira for other students.

Before using it district-wide, the Tulsa district began using Amira last year to support students with dyslexia. It gives students benchmark assessments to tailor lessons to a specific childs current ability level, it provides real-time corrections when students make mistakes, and it tracks their progress through data.

In studies from several universities, Amira was about as effective as a certified human tutor. And a study from Columbia University found that a year of instruction from Amira nearly doubled the effect size on literacy development compared to just human tutoring alone.

But like most technology, the program isnt perfect, and there are still some kinks to work out.

For instance, during a Walk to Read time on a recent Tuesday, some students at Burroughs Elementary experienced difficulty in getting the program to recognize their voice amid a cacophony of their peers speaking into their own laptops. Some students appeared slightly frustrated, trying to prompt Amira repeatedly with the programs trigger phrase, I am ready to start.

But Kane said the district is constantly assessing where those gaps are that need to be filled and finding ways to address them. Outside of the digital learning platforms, teachers engage in collaborative, frequent and ongoing teacher training and planning for maximizing science of reading approaches. Additionally, she said many Tulsa district schools are leveraging federal funds to hire dedicated reading interventionists.

Despite experiencing declines in student achievement during the height of the pandemic, Kane said things are looking up for Tulsa students.

We know the stakes are very high and we have an incredible sense of urgency. () And we are starting to see those gains. Not as fast as we need to  we know that we need to really accelerate growth for our children in order to have the number of students proficient that we need, Kane said. But we think were moving in the right direction with the work that were putting in place.

This article was originally published by StateImpact Oklahoma. StateImpact Oklahoma is a partnership of Oklahomas public radio stations which relies on contributions from readers and listeners to fulfill its mission of public service to Oklahoma and beyond.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma teachers using old-school methods to teach literacy
CHESAPEAKE (WAVY)  The mass shooting of November 22, 2022 in Greenbrier led to several lawsuits against Walmart. Six people were killed. While one case has been set aside for the time being, four other lawsuits remain active, some for as much as $50 million.

The four active cases involve plaintiffs who were employees at the time and survived the incident  Donya Prioleau, who filed within a week of the shooting; Sarah Merlo, who was shot seven times yet survived; James Kelly, and Briana Tyler. An additional case was filed by Teresa Blevins on behalf of her husband Randy, who was killed that night. Blevins opted to close the case earlier this year with the option to refile later.

In Chesapeake Circuit Court two weeks ago, Walmart had its attorneys and so did Tyler. She had been working at the store on Battlefield Boulevard less than seven weeks when her shift supervisor began shooting.

Walmart said its a workers compensation case and therefore it cant be sued. But Judge Stephen Telfeyan decided this week the Tyler lawsuit can continue.

He said Tylers claims are viable that Walmart should be responsible for the actions of its employee who opened fire  and the company should have recognized warning signs that he was a danger to others. Walmart can appeal. Telfeyan dismissed Tylers claims of either gross negligence or willful and wanton negligence.

Tyler was not wounded, but a bullet penetrated the hood of her jacket as the shooter chased her and shot at her before she was able to escape. Like three other lawsuits, Tyler is claiming physical injuries, extreme pain and suffering, and numerous emotional and psychological aftereffects, along with lost wages and medical costs.

If Walmart would prevail on any or all of the cases in its effort to make them workers compensation claims, attorneys told 10 On Your Side that Virginia has one of the strictest workers compensation laws in the nation.

The Code of Virginia spells out what the loss of various body parts or functions are worth if theyve resulted from a workplace injury, and also details what dependents can recover if their loved one is killed on the job.

For example for a full-time worker making $15.50 per hour who was killed on the job, that victims dependents would be entitled to recover a maximum of about $207,000.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WAVY.com.
Every year at Thanksgiving, my family and I share with each other something for which we are thankful. It sounds somewhat hokey, which it is, but it is also heartwarming and beautiful. This year, when it is my turn, I will declare that I am thankful for New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Turkey  the country, not the bird.

In these dark times, I am in desperate need of a distraction. And the growing scandal around Adams and his suspected ties to Turkey is to me, nothing short of well  delicious. It really does hit my sweet spot: Turkey has been an endless source of fascination for me ever since my first visit as a 24-year-old backpacker in the early 1990s. Im now an expert on U.S. foreign policy in the country. Also, I am a New Yorker. I was born in an outer borough and grew up a card-carrying member of the bridge and tunnel crowd.

Among the Turkey  the country, not the bird  watchers I know, no one knows what to make of the scandal. We know what we know from what we have read in the papers: The FBI and Manhattan prosecutors are probing whether a Brooklyn construction company with suspected ties to the Turkish government used straw donors to help fund Adams successful run for City Hall in 2021. We also know that His Honor has from time to time boasted of his ties to Turkey. When he was Brooklyn borough president, he made two sponsored visits to the country, one of which was paid for by entities including the Turkish consulate. It seems reasonable to ask if the construction company in question sought Adams help with a variety of building projects that groups associated with the Turkish government have around the city. If that is the case, it seems like the kind of classic electoral chicanery that is too often part of big-city politics in the United States.

It is not unheard of for American politicians to get themselves into sticky wickets with foreign governments. See, for example, United States of America v. Robert Menendez (and others).

But over the last decade or so there seems to be an unusual number of political scandals in which the Turkish government is directly or indirectly involved. President Donald Trumps one-time national security adviser Michael Flynn was indicted in 2019 for acting as an undisclosed agent of the government of Turkey. Then there is the case of former Ohio Republican Rep. Jean Schmidt, who collected nearly $600,000 in between the years 2009 and 2011 from the Turkish Coalition of America (TCA), who had to repay the money after an ethics investigation.

The TCA is formally independent, but like so much during the era of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, it can be hard to tell because its work seems geared toward advancing Turkish interests in Washington. The same goes for a variety of other organizations Turkey-related groups such as the Turken Foundation and SETA  a research group with offices in Ankara and Washington  and the now closed Turkish Heritage Organization. A 2015 report found that 159 lawmakers and staffers had received privately sponsored trips from Turkish organizations that Erdogans allies at the time controlled.

Most of these political scandals involving Turkey are the fault of those American politicians who bring disrepute to themselves and their offices, but there is something else going on here. For all their experience dealing with the U.S. political system, Turkish leaders seem to believe that the way politics works in the United States is not all that different from the way they work in Turkey. And sometimes, theyre right about that  or at least that a few politicians play by their own rules.



We might not know the details of the Adams case yet, but a couple of larger cases demonstrate how Turkey thinks it can influence policy here in the United States. Erdogans efforts to make what is known as the Halkbank case go away, along with his governments determination to convince American officials to send a Pennsylvania-based cleric named Fethullah Gulen back to Turkey, provide the best insight if were to understand how Turkeys leaders believe that what goes in Ankara also goes in Washington  and now, New York City.

In 2013, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, Preet Bharara, launched an investigation into Halkbank, a Turkish financial institution of which the government owns a 51-percent share. Bhararas investigation revealed that Halkbank was being used to help Iran evade international sanctions. A key player in the plot was an Iranian-Turkish businessman named Reza Zarrab, who was arrested at Kennedy Airport in March 2016. His detention on federal charges set off alarm bells in Ankara because Erdogan and the people around him feared that the investigation and/or a trial would reveal unflattering information about the Turkish presidents own corrupt practices. From the moment Zarrab was taken into custody, the Turkish government engaged in a wide-ranging effort to make the case disappear.

It became well known among D.C.-based Turkey analysts that whenever a Turkish official (of any rank) visited Washington, they lobbied their American counterpart to convince the Justice Department to drop its investigation. Obama administration officials rebuffed them each time. But after Trump was elected in 2016, Erdogan sized up the new American president and decided once again to lobby the new team to do his bidding. Enter Rudy Giuliani.

Americas Mayor did not have an official position in the Trump administration, but he did have a direct line to the Oval Office. And shortly after Trump was inaugurated, Giuliani and former Attorney General Mike Mukasey took on Zarrab as a client. (It remains unclear who exactly hired the duo, though Zarrab apparently paid his own legal bills.) In the course of their representation of Zarrab, Giuliani and Mukasey traveled to Turkey on several occasions to confer with Erdogan.

After one of these trips, Giuliani suggested a swap: The United States would send Zarrab back to Turkey and in exchange, the Turks would release a guy named Andrew Brunson. Brunson is an evangelical pastor who has been living and preaching in Izmir  on Turkeys Aegean Coast  for the better part of the previous two decades. In the aftermath of a failed coup attempt in July 2016 (more about that below), the Turkish police arrested him for being a member of a terrorist organization and spying for another one. Neither allegation had any relationship to the truth.

Brunson ended up in a Turkish prison for the sole purpose of gaining leverage with the United States, which despite being a NATO ally and committed to Turkeys defense, political elites in Ankara and an overwhelming number of Turks distrust and dislike.

Trump supported Giulianis proposal  proving Erdogans instincts about the new American president to be correct  but Secretary of State Rex Tillerson flatly rejected the idea and refused to support it. There was no legal basis to send Zarrab back to Turkey; Erdogan wanted to tank the Halkbank case by effectively muzzling the prosecutions star witness. It did not work, thanks to Tillerson and others. According to Zarrabs testimony at trial, Erdogan had full knowledge of what Zarrab was doing, and Erdogan engaged in billions of dollars of illicit trades through Halkbank.

It never seemed to dawn on Erdogan and other Turkish officials who lobbied two administrations to undermine a Justice Department investigation that while that kind of political interference they advocated is routine in Turkey, it is illegal in the United States. Because Turkeys ruling party dominates the judicial branch  and at Erdogans behest has weakened already less-than-robust checks and balances in the Turkish system  the Turkish president has the ability to influence the courts. That is precisely what he did in 2018, when he made sure Brunson was finally released from Turkish jail under threat from Trump that he would impose sanctions on Turkeys struggling economy.



Of course, Zarrab was not the first Turkish national that the Turks sought to bring back without a proper legal process. In July 2016, military officers tried and failed to overthrow Erdogan. The Turkish government quickly identified Gulen, a Muslim cleric and onetime Erdogan ally turned opponent now living in the United States, as the mastermind behind the plot  an allegation that he and his followers deny.

When the Obama administration sent then-Vice President Joe Biden to Ankara in a demonstration of American solidarity with the Turkish government, Erdogan asked the vice president to have the cleric returned to Turkey to stand trial.

Biden demurred, explaining that extradition was a legal process, and that he and the president would be impeached if they removed Gulen from the United States without a finding from a court. Erdogan, who believes the United States was complicit in the failed putsch, did not buy it. The Turkish leader and his advisers thought that if the Obama administration wanted to pack Gulen off to Ankara, it would. We know this because when Barack Obama left office, the Turks sought Gulens return with Trump, offering Brunson for Gulen. Erdogans proposed deal  like the failed effort to exchange the pastor for Zarrab  reflected the way in which Turkish leaders graft onto the United States their view that laws are flexible, to be used to advance their political interests, and when necessary, they can be weaponized against ones opponents.

The ways in which the Turkish leadership has attempted to meddle in White House decision-making betray a misconception about how the justice system works in the United States, but so do the smaller cases of that have ensnared lawmakers, a former national security adviser and now Mayor Adams. In all of these cases, whether graft, corruption or influence-peddling, Erdogan and his advisors have imposed the way they do business in Istanbul and Eskisehir onto municipalities here. Erdogans patronage machine at home is run through the construction industry. It seems he wants to extend that system all the way to New York City.

Of course, it may very well be the case that because of who I am and where I come from, I do not see what Turkish officials see: It is possible Americas political system is closer to Turkeys than many realize. I certainly hope not, but those are dark thoughts for another day. In the meantime, I am going to lap up the scandal enveloping Adams along with Turkey  the bird, not the country.
Brave Afghans who fled their home and the atrocities they faced under oppressive Taliban rule continue to be unjustly mired in the U.S. immigration system. Since the Taliban took over Afghanistan in 2021, tens of thousands of people have waited years for their applications for U.S. humanitarian parole to be processed. As immigration attorneys from a nonprofit organization providing legal support to students at the University of California and their family members, we urge the Biden Administration to adjudicate humanitarian parole applications quickly given the dire urgency.

U.S. humanitarian parole is a form of legal authorization to travel to the U.S. for humanitarian reasons. Seeking safety from Afghanistans oppressive and dangerous conditions under Taliban rule is one such example. Unfortunately, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the adjudicating agency, received 44,785 applications from Afghan citizens between January 1, 2020, and April 6, 2022, of which it adjudicated only 2,360 (about 5%), and approved only 114 (less than 1%), according to an American Immigration Council article earlier this year.

Meanwhile, despite efforts to introduce a new law granting permanent relief to Afghans paroled into the U.S., Congress failed to pass it in its July session.

Opinion

For Afghan citizens, humanitarian parole can save lives. We recently helped an individual arrive in the U.S. and reunite with her last surviving family member in the Sacramento area after an 18-month application process (to protect our clients privacy and safety, we do not include their names). Her journey of survival during the long wait for USCIS adjudication involved fleeing from Afghanistan to Pakistan, being subjected to a forced marriage and assault and suffering a crippling fear of deportation.

Here is our clients story in her own words:

Living in Pakistan is very challenging for Afghan refugees, especially women. First, I had to pay over $1,000 for Pakistans visa to get there. I was lucky to have a personal connection with foreign journalists to help me flee Kabul alone since the Taliban doesnt let women board the plane without a male relative. When I arrived in Pakistan, I was forced to marry my landlords son because he sexually assaulted me. According to them, marrying him was the only way out of that shame. I was held like a hostage in their home. They wouldnt let me talk to my sister or even go to the doctor when I got sick.

I was lucky I had my sister in the Sacramento area who helped me escape him and his abuse through her connections in Pakistan. Over the one year I stayed in Pakistan, the difficulties I endured were unspeakable. I thought of ending my life and being done with everything. My mental pain turned into physical pain, and I felt as if my soul was being dipped into boiling water.

I recently learned that the Afghan girl who was renting the room down the hall jumped off the roof and died. Then I saw it on the news. It broke my heart that she was only 20 years old with hopes and dreams. Her application was pending with the U.S. embassy like mine. I understand why she took her life. When I was in her place, I thought of it, too. You are in limbo with an unknown future. It feels like you are dead, and this is hell. Even when my application was approved, USCIS asked that a third-party organization vouch for me and my story. The only third-party organization I knew in Pakistan was (the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), and they did not help me at all. Once again, I relied on the journalist who helped me physically escape my ex-husband to write what she witnessed. Not everyone gets lucky to find an extraordinary human to put herself and her job at risk and help a stranger.

Our clients experience shows that it essentially takes miracles for an Afghan national to reach the U.S., both in legally receiving parole and in physically surviving long enough to do so. Thousands of others in similar situations deserve a chance to be safe. USCIS should promptly process, adjudicate and approve Afghan parole applications because this fulfills the very purpose of humanitarian parole.

The Biden administration must honor our governments commitment to its Afghan allies by welcoming the thousands of Afghan Humanitarian Parole applicants still waiting in limbo. The existing process is embarrassingly inadequate, and many families remain unsafe. For both Congress and the Biden administration, the time to act is now.

Christopher Relos is a staff attorney and Rachel Ray is the managing attorney at the UC Immigrant Legal Services Center at the UC Davis School of Law.
Celeste Maloy waves as she rides in a parade in Farmington while campaigning for Congress on July 15, 2023. Following her election, Maloy will now represent Utahs 2nd District in Washington. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News

Celeste Maloy deserves hearty congratulations for her victory in Tuesdays election, becoming Utahs newest representative in Congress from the 2nd District and the fifth woman to represent the state in the House.

When she is sworn in, she will become the 151st currently serving woman in the House and Senate, a new record.

As she has alluded to many times, her rise is an example of American egalitarianism, an almost Horatio Alger-like story of rising from humble beginnings.

Raised in a mobile home in a speck of a town in Nevada, her road to Congress is an example of how anyone in America can rise above his or her circumstances. But that statement can belie the hard work it took for her to earn a law degree and land a job as chief legal counsel to Rep. Chris Stewart, whose seat in Congress she will occupy. Maloy, who comes to Congress with bonafides, begins her tenure with a great deal of Washington experience already on her resume.

She also begins by assuming the remainder of the term Stewart was serving before he resigned. That means she will have less than a year to campaign for reelection, and she will need to focus on bringing real results to voters who will get to consider her again next fall.

We also congratulate state Sen. Kathleen Riebe, Maloys Democratic opponent, for waging a strong campaign.

Related

Maloy won on every level, from the state Republican convention to the primary and general elections, despite being a relatively unknown newcomer to state politics. From now on, she will have a record on which to run.

At a time when many in Congress are prone to name-calling and political bombast, Maloy won with a mild voice and a campaign mostly devoid of attacks. Despite identifying as a staunch conservative, she has said she has no interest in joining the Freedom Caucus, which pushes the agenda of the far right in ways that often are more obstructionist than helpful.

That is good to hear. It demonstrates a greater willingness to seek real results than to gain media attention. It is evidence of the type of seriousness needed to confront the problems facing the nation.

Maloy has emphasized states rights and public land issues, for which she has an expertise. These are important matters for rural Utah, where federal ownership of land can interfere with energy extraction and other uses important to local economies.

A big part of her campaign involved personal visits with community and county leaders throughout the district. Her ability to continue that strategy will be important, as it gives a voice to parts of the state that have felt frustrated by edicts from faraway Washington.

Maloy also must be a steady voice for fiscal restraint at a time when the national debt and interest payments on that debt are rapidly growing. One member of Congress can do only so much, but every voice for responsible spending is important, particularly as deadlines for the end of the current continuing budget resolution loom.

Maloy has expressed interest in serving on the Natural Resources and Armed Services committees. The latter would bring her face-to-face with important issues regarding national security, giving Utah an important voice.

Much has been made of how Maloy won on the strength of southern Utah voters. This may signal a political sea change in terms of the power of the rapidly growing St. George and Cedar City areas. Early results showed her gaining 71% of the vote in Washington County and 74% in Iron County.

She also gained 63% of the votes in northern Utahs Davis County, but only 27% from the part of the district that includes Salt Lake County.

As a representative, she must work to further the interests of every part of her district, of course. All four Utah representatives must deal to some extent with a mix of urban and rural issues. Perhaps the burgeoning political power of Washington and Iron counties will change that equation when districts are redrawn in 2030.

Much of that depends on whether Maloy can continue to count on those areas for reelection, and on whether she can deliver for her constituents. We wish her the best in that endeavor.
If the United States could be given a prescription for what ails it  from political cynicism and anger to dissatisfaction with employment or rising prices, to anxiety, depression or any of myriad other concerns  it would be hard to find one more effective than a daily dose of gratitude.

Americans have inherently understood the value of giving thanks, which is one reason why the Thanksgiving holiday has been a tradition since before the United States was a nation.

Early colonists were known to set aside special days for the reflection of gratitude and spiritual blessings. The first such day typically is believed to have been in 1621, when settlers from Britain and people of the Wampanoag tribe shared their autumn harvest at a feast.

People may have been more prone to such things then, at a time when they had to endure hardships that are foreign to modern Americans. But the need for gratitude is just as fresh and important now as it was then  perhaps even more so.

A poll by the Deseret News and the Hinckley Institute of Politics a year ago found nearly a quarter of Utahns agreeing that violence against the government could sometimes be justified. That figure was in line with the results of national surveys.

Those feelings may be connected to the results of a Pew poll last year, which found that 63% of Democrats nationally think Republicans are immoral, while 72% of Republicans feel the same way about Democrats.

The advocacy group Everytown reports that 550 people were shot in road rage incidents in the United States in 2022. Many internet posts are filled with vitriol. A study by BambooHR found that workers today are more unhappy than ever. Many feel underappreciated, dont like their boss or feel they arent paid enough. Some harbor grudges against relatives or others who once were friends.

Strange as it may seem to some, the answer to all of this may lie around that table where you eat the Thanksgiving Day feast.

Related

Many families have a tradition of taking turns expressing gratitude for something or someone during Thanksgiving dinner. We would do well to make this a daily habit, rather than a once-a-year tradition. Happiness is a state of mind, and it is fed by a spirit of gratitude. But gratitude helps much more of the body than just the mind. The act of counting ones blessings is the equivalent of a miracle drug.

In an internet post late last year, the Mayo Clinic made this observation: Studies have shown that feeling thankful can improve sleep, mood and immunity. Gratitude can decrease depression, anxiety, difficulties with chronic pain and risk of disease.

If there was a pill that could do this, everyone would be taking it.

But gratitude is far more than a physical phenomenon. Its essence is spiritual, and its essential prerequisite is humility.

As an essay on the Harvard Medical School website puts it: With gratitude, people acknowledge the goodness in their lives. In the process, people usually recognize that the source of that goodness lies at least partially outside themselves. As a result, being grateful also helps people connect to something larger than themselves as individuals  whether to other people, nature, or a higher power.

The same essay cited academic sources to show that gratitude is an attribute that can be practiced and cultivated, and that it is most effective when twinned with emotional maturity. It is a skill that can find pleasure when applied to the past, present or the anticipation of positive blessings in the future. It can be expressed toward other people, circumstances or ones nation. Many people use prayer as a means to cultivate it.

We have been a most favored people. We ought to be a most generous people. We have been a most blessed people. We ought to be a most thankful people. Those were the words of President Calvin Coolidge, written in a White House Thanksgiving proclamation exactly 100 years ago this month.

They remain as fresh today as the food on Thanksgiving tables nationwide.

As does the truth that Americans could indeed solve many of the nations ills by adopting the spirit of this holiday year-round.
Ukrainian rapper Vyacheslav Drofa, known as OTOY, announced the death of a second brother on the frontline during his speech at Ukrainska Pravdas UP 100 awards ceremony on Nov. 22.

OTOY gained a worldwide audience after performing during an opening act during a semifinal at Eurovision 2023 in Liverpool, England.

Read also: Ukrainian karate champion Serhiy Bereznyak dies fighting for Ukraine

"I have two brothers left, one of whom joined the Marines. And yesterday my grandmother called me and told me that my elder brother is now gone. I asked myself, 'Are they leaders? In my opinion, they are leaders at least for their family, and at most - for every Ukrainian, for the people and the nation in general. I learned a very important lesson for myself: there is no such thing as being a leader in a week, tomorrow, or when you plan to be one. Tomorrow will never come, and the only mark you leave, the only path you walk, is the one that is already behind you. So, you don't leave it behind, you do it here and now," he said from the stage.

Another brother of OTOY, who was part of the Azov Battalion defending besieged Mariupol in the opening months of the invasion, was killed on April 15, 2022, during the Russian assault on Azovstal. Only his skull and a hand were recovered.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  Scammers are posing as members of Multnomah County Sheriffs Office, calling residents and demanding money, the sheriffs office warns.

Officials said scammers often post as a sergeant or deputy and claim the victim has a warrant, unpaid court fines, or missed jury duty and must pay a fine with a gift card or through a cash app to avoid arrest.

MCSO says they have taken recent reports totaling more than $9,000 in losses.

Oregon mom convicted for preventing daughter from receiving surgery for liver cancer

This warning comes after authorities alerted residents of a similar phone scam in which one victim lost $4,000.

Often, a tactic of the scammers is to keep the person on the phone during the entire process and tell the person they are not allowed to contact family or friends for advice. Once the scammer receives payment, they may tell the person they can come to an MCSO office for reimbursement. New tactics reported to us include, scammers using fake badge numbers, case numbers to try to legitimize their claims, and texting fraudulent warrants, the sheriffs office warns.

MCSO says they never call for warrant service, missed jury duty, or missed payments. Authorities warn residents to not send money or engage with the scammers  noting victims have the option to file a police report.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
(KRON)  If the wine on your table this holiday season is from Napa Valley, you might have some feathery friends to thank for the good harvest.

Matt Johnson, professor in Cal Poly Humboldts Department of Wildlife, and his students have been studying the role owls play in pest control in Napa Valley, Sonoma and the Central Valley for the past nine years.

Courtesy Cal Poly Humboldt

We do have evidence that its not just a feel-good story; that they do actually help control rodents, Johnson said. Specifically, gophers, mice and voles, Johnson added, which are big issues for the regions award-winning vineyards.

In Napa, there are over 300 barn owl nest boxes. The lab estimated that each property with two bird boxes home to an average of two adult owls and four babies kills 1,000 rodents over the course of the breeding season between March and June. Research also shows that properties with boxes home to insectivorous birds might be immune to pest outbreaks.

Courtesy Cal Poly Humboldt

Johnson said because of barn owls almost cosmopolitan nature, farmers all around the world have latched onto this idea; from palm farmers in Israel to rice farmers in Florida to oil palm farmers in Malaysia and vegetable farmers in Kenya.

Barn owls will eat whatever the local rodent is so that really can be a useful tool, Johnson said.

Johnson said they are working on the economic analysis of how this can help farmers in the future, but they do know that using barn owls can serve as a safer and more sustainable method of pest control.

Courtesy Cal Poly Humboldt

Second Generation Anticoagulant Rodenticides are increasingly tightly regulated by the state of California. In 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill that banned the use of SGARs until further evaluation. These pesticides can be deadly to non-target species, including foxes, coyotes and even your dog.

The writing is on the wall, Johnson said. Poisonous rodenticides will not be around and available for farmers to use in the future.

Johnsons research is funded by the Agricultural Research Institute.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4.
Pakistan is charging an exit fee to people who arrived without a visa.

Pakistan has confirmed that it is charging an $830 fee to undocumented refugees who want to leave the country.

The exit fee applies to people who arrived without a visa.

In October Pakistan announced that it would deport 1.7 million undocumented foreigners from the country if they did not leave by 1 November.

Most are Afghans, including hundreds of thousands of people who fled Afghanistan when the Taliban retook power in 2021.

Those who have expired visas will be charged depending on how long they have overstayed.

An exit fee does not apply to anyone travelling back to Afghanistan.

Many Afghans who arrived in Pakistan when Kabul fell to the Taliban have faced delays getting documentation, according to groups like Amnesty International.

Pakistan is not a party to the Refugee Convention and has said it does not recognise any of the Afghans living in its borders as refugees.

A senior diplomat in Pakistan told the BBC that the fee was particularly worrying when it was being applied to people who were being relocated on humanitarian grounds.

"In many countries, if you overstay your visa you have to pay or you get booted out," they said.

"The problem is charging those we are taking on humanitarian visas. Not necessarily the people we are taking because they worked for us, but who UNHCR sees as having a humanitarian need. It sets a very bad precedent."

The diplomat said that there had been some early indication that the government could be reviewing the policy, which they said they're encouraging.

The Pakistan authorities did not discuss the possibility of a review with the BBC.

The UNHCR told the BBC it is trying to "resolve the issue".

"We are advocating for the authorities to exempt refugees from these requirements.

"The Government and people of Pakistan have a commendable, decades-long history of providing asylum and protection to Afghan refugees, this needs to continue."

A spokesperson for the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said "Pakistani laws, like the immigration laws in other countries including the United Kingdom, have fines and punishments for individuals who overstay their visas or are in violation of immigration laws.

"Any fines that Pakistan has imposed or will impose are in conformity with our laws."
For many Palestinian-Americans living thousands of miles away from Gaza but watching the deadly violence from afar, it's more than grief that grips them - it's also guilt.

"I think guilt is a feeling that a lot of Palestinians in the diaspora feel because every single Palestinian has Palestine in their heart, no matter where we live," says Anees, a Palestinian-American musician who lives in Virginia.

The 31-year-old has a huge Instagram following of 1.7 million people, and since the start of the Israel-Gaza war has used his platform to post about the war and call for a ceasefire.

"When we see the devastation, when we see the killings, I think inherently we feel this guilt that it could have been us," he says.

Since Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October, killing 1,200 people and taking about 240 people hostage, the Israeli military has responded with a heavy bombing campaign which it says is aimed at Hamas but which the UN says is "wiping out whole families and entire neighbourhoods". More than 14,000 people have been killed, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

Palestinian-Americans who spoke to the BBC say watching what's happening in Gaza unfold on social media feeds and TV screens has been emotionally debilitating.

"Everything I enjoy - every little thing - from the smallest to the biggest joy, my second thought is [Palestinians in Gaza] don't get to enjoy this," says Anees.

"I'm still able to go with safety to the grocery store without being bombed. I'm still able to go out to dinner without being bombed."

In the minds of many Palestinian-Americans, the answers for how and why they're in the US only add to the complexity of emotions - many are the children and grandchildren of Palestinians who fled previous wars.

Jinan Deena, born in Ohio and one of seven million Palestinians around the world, says her grandmother was one of up to 750,000 Palestinians who fled or were forced out of their homes at gunpoint in the war that followed Israel's creation in 1948.

This violent displacement is what Palestinians today call al Nakba, or "the Catastrophe", and it pushed Jinan's grandparents to want to leave, she says.

Her family first resettled in the West Bank, where Jinan's mother was born, before coming to the US in 1981.

"Sometimes I wonder what if my mom stayed, and I was born and raised there?"

Jinan, 41, spent many summers in the West Bank and lived there for two years as a teenager. But her family eventually returned to the US because "it just wasn't easy for us to go from living in America to living under occupation".

The presence of Israeli military tanks and checkpoints, tear gas and rubber bullets was too much, she says.

"I look back at us leaving, and I'm like, 'Was that a cowardly thing to do? What makes me better than them?' Palestinian guilt has different levels to it."

More on Israel-Gaza war

The US sends Israel billions of dollars in military aid every year, and a bill is making its way through Congress which would send more.

"I also feel guilty as an American, because my tax money is going to fund this huge war," says Jinan.

The rising death toll has intensified the emotional distress of Palestinian Americans. At least 5,600 children in Gaza have died since 7 October, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. And the number grows each day, "becoming a graveyard for children", according to the UN.

"I feel helpless, and I feel hopeless," says Jinan. "I find joy in absolutely nothing."

Feelings of guilt are also amplified by news of living conditions on the ground. Residents of Gaza have had their access to water cut off by Israeli blockades, and are facing food and water shortages and disease. Some residents of Gaza have told the BBC that they have been driven to drink sea water.

"I was running water into a massive pot to boil potatoes and I just broke down crying," Marcelle Afram recalls.

"Here I am just being able to turn on the faucet and literally pour more water into one pot to boil potatoes than one person in Gaza is able to have in an entire week right now."

Marcelle, a food catering business owner in Washington DC, says feelings of guilt have moved him to turn down work that isn't related to fundraising for Palestinian causes.

"If I don't use everything at my disposal to help, I will have to live with that for the rest of my life."

It's a sentiment echoed by Anees, who says he only uses his platform now to speak about the war.

Stephanie, an administrator for the Facebook group Palestinians in Boston, says she feels similarly. She asked that we not use her last name, saying she has received threatening messages on Facebook since becoming more vocally pro-Palestinian.

Pregnant with her first child, intense nausea and fatigue kept her on the sidelines during some of the initial protests in Boston. Instead, she says she tried to be an "activist at home" and made calls to her state representatives urging for a ceasefire.

"I would feel bad. Part of me was like, 'People are dying, and you feel sick and you're going to stay home?'"

Eventually, she says her feeling of "personal responsibility" outweighed the discomforts of her pregnancy.

She attended a pro-Palestine rally in Boston on 22 October, the biggest she had ever been to in her life.

It was moving, and it made her feel something else she said she hadn't in a while - hopeful.

"It made me feel like maybe we could make a difference."
In the spring of 2020, as the coronavirus swept over the globe, air travel disappeared. Airlines flew empty "ghost flights" to retain airport slots. Airport terminals were deserted. And the planet-warming emissions from aviation also plummeted - to less than half their 2019 levels.

As the pandemic wore on, workers grew accustomed to Zoom meetings and virtual conferences; families opted to take driving trips instead of getting on cross-country flights. Some climate experts and activists wondered if the shift in transportation would have long-term effects - transforming the way Americans travel for work and vacation.

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But now, 3 1/2 years on, Americans' love of flying has fully returned. Last month, the Transportation Security Administration logged 75.5 million passengers passing through airports in the United States - more than the 72 million who traveled in October of 2019. The TSA expects 30 million passengers to travel over the Thanksgiving holiday period alone. Globally, the International Civil Aviation Organization expects 2023's passenger demand to outpace 2019's by about 3 percent.

Experts say the social norms around travel, the desire to maintain connections with distant family and friends, and the relative convenience of air travel keep Americans flying. And as aviation returns, any hope of a lasting decrease in emissions from flying is disappearing - at least until technology improves.

Some aspects of flying don't seem to have returned entirely; analysts say business travel, for example, has not fully returned to pre-pandemic levels and is unlikely to do so until next year. But traveling for vacation and other leisure activities has increased to offset the number of meetings now occurring via Zoom and other platforms. That's similar to airline shocks of the past - after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and 2008 financial crisis, leisure travel was the first to rebound, while business travel took much longer.

Flying is responsible for approximately 2.5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions but about 3.5 percent of the human-caused warming every year - because of the way planes affect the chemical composition of the sky. That might seem like a small amount, but by 2050, aviation emissions could triple - as countries develop and more people are able to afford flights.

Last year at a gathering of the International Civil Aviation Organization, nearly 200 nations pledged to achieve net-zero emissions in the aircraft sector by 2050. But at the moment, there is no truly "green" method of flying: Carbon offsets aren't reliable, and the ramp-up of sustainable aviation fuels has been slow. The agreement also doesn't include interim goals for 2030 or 2040 - or say how much individual nations have to cut back their aviation emissions.

Some people passionate about climate change and the environment - including some climate scientists - have signed pledges to cut back on, or entirely give up, flying. (While aviation is a small part of global climate emissions, it can be the largest part of an individual's carbon footprint.)

But in a country like the United States, there are few easy alternatives. A study by the International Council on Clean Transportation found that if the country invested in high-speed rail, 54 percent of domestic flights could be replaced by train travel. But the country's fastest train at the moment - Amtrak's Acela from Boston to Washington, D.C. - operates at only half the speed of high-speed rail in other countries. California's planned high-speed rail from San Francisco to Los Angeles, approved by state voters in 2008, still doesn't have a planned opening date.

Dan Rutherford, program director for aviation and marine programs at the International Council on Clean Transportation, says the return to air travel is proceeding essentially as expected - but that's not great news for those hoping to see a decrease in emissions. "We're unlikely to achieve net-zero aviation emissions by 2050 if people resume flying like they did before covid," he wrote in an email. "Strong policy interventions will be needed."

- - -

Kevin Crowe contributed to this report.

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Parents see school as a pick-and-choose exercise post lockdown, Ofsteds chief inspector has said.

Amanda Spielmans annual report found that the remarkable flexibility shown by many schools in England during the pandemic and remote learning may have had unintended consequences, including the idea that parents can pick and choose when children attend school and which rules they obey.

She said: The idea that school can be a pick-and-choose exercise needs to be debunked. The benefits of school go well beyond specific lessons and exam results.

Only through full participation can children get all the benefits  of social skills, confidence and resilience as well as academic achievement. School is a package deal that cannot be entirely personalised to every child or parents preferences.

The Ofsted chief cited a rise in pupils missing school as well as parents being increasingly willing to challenge uniform and discipline codes as evidence of a continued breakdown in the social contract between parents and schools.

The latest data from the Department for Education shows that for the academic year so far, around one pupil in 46 has been recorded as absent for unauthorised reasons.

The rate of unauthorised absences has been higher in every week of the school year so far compared to last year, despite a plea from Gillian Keegan, the Education Secretary, for children to return to their classrooms.

Less respect for full-time education

Ms Spielman pointed to evidence that middle-class families are now prepared to take children out of school for holidays during term time, marking a shift in attitudes post pandemic.

She said: Absence is particularly noticeable in secondary schools, but it is a problem for all year groups, all ages, in all demographics and for children with and without special needs.

Across society, there is less respect for the principle of a full-time education.

She said that schools are facing greater hostility from parents. Its clear that theres more friction between schools and parents who are increasingly willing to challenge school rules, she said.

Schools set rules and codes for a reason. They dont just casually say well make life difficult for everybody. Theyre trying to build a culture, theyre trying to bring children together and create cohesion.

And its important that parents understand that and the more requests for exceptions, or opt outs there are, the harder it is for schools to build that unity, that cohesion, and peer respect among pupils.

Ofsted recorded a rise of almost 25 per cent in complaints about schools in the last academic year to 14,900. However, Ms Spielman said the number of warranted complaints had not risen.

Parents less willing to support schools

Ms Spielman said: I think this comes back to what I said about the social contract, about parents being a little bit less willing to support schools and a bit more willing to find fault.

And of course, theres no question that there are more children at the moment who are anxious, whove got various kinds of problems resulting from delayed socialisation or teaching that they didnt get during Covid. There are more demands at the moment on education, of all kinds.

Ofsted inspections have found that schools are breaking Department for Education guidance by increasingly using part-time timetables, which should only be used in exceptional circumstances.

Ms Spielman said schools are using them for medical reasons while waiting for child and adolescent mental health service assessments because of school refusal or emotionally based school avoidance or due to a pupils Send [special educational needs and disabilities].

She said that part-time timetables should not be used as a sanction for poor behaviour, and only ever on a strictly temporary basis.

Head teachers given too much leeway

The chief inspector, who is due to leave the inspectorate in December, said head teachers are given too much leeway to decide policies, which can leave schools in an increasingly tricky position, where a routine decision can lead to prolonged public debate.

More Government guidance on issues from uniform to the handling of transgender issues would ensure the treatment of children is more consistent, she suggested.

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: There has indeed been a troubling shift in pupil behaviour, attendance and attitudes towards education since the pandemic, and parents are increasingly willing to challenge school rules themselves.

He said that Government guidance should provide parameters within which school leaders then make decisions based on their professional judgement and the relevant circumstances.

Responding to the Ofsted report, Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said that making sure every child is in school every day is her number one priority.

She said: Were making progress, with 380,000 fewer children persistently absent compared to last year. This is thanks to the hard work of our fantastic teachers and school leaders, who we are supporting through our attendance hubs and mentoring programmes.

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Traditional Thanksgiving gatherings have been disrupted by a variety of forces in recent years  from pandemic barriers to politics. Far less attention has gone to another influential variable making a more gradual impact across decades: declines in the average family size in America.

Surprisingly, while maintaining one of the higher fertility rates in the country, Utah is not having enough children to replace itself. This follows trends around the world as developed countries (and some developing countries) are increasingly finding it difficult to have enough babies to take care of their aging populations.

What does that mean for Latter-day Saints famously large families?

It turns out those who wonder if the large Latter-day Saint family is a thing of the past might be getting ahead of the data. Although it can be hard to say for sure whats happening because very few datasets asking about religion have sample sizes necessary to calculate the best, standard measure of family size (total fertility rate), we still can get close.

For example, the Cooperative Election Study in 2022 had 706 Latter-day Saints. When looking at how many children each age group of Latter-day Saints had, comparing it to the non-Latter-day Saints, you will find that, even in the year 2022, Latter-day Saints still report much larger family sizes across almost all age groups.

Related

Overall, it looks like even though Utah families are not replacing themselves, Latter-day Saints in the United States are still having relatively large families  almost twice as large as the American average in some age groups.

My colleague Stephen Cranney just finished an interesting analysis of the 2022 Cooperative Election Study showing that, even in an age of declining fertility rates across the board, Latter-day Saints still report measurably larger family sizes across almost all age groups. pic.twitter.com/Fxhk5c6PDU  Jacob Z. Hess (@JacobZHess) November 22, 2023

This is a case where equating Utahns with Latter-day Saints might be slightly misleading  since, of course, a lot of Utahns are not Latter-day Saints, and a lot of Latter-day Saints are not Utahns.

That Latter-day Saints are having larger families is not surprising, as the faiths theology has always partly revolved around the family. Alongside the Abrahamic religious imperative to multiply and replenish the earth, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints centers its afterlife theology around, as Apostle Parley P. Pratt said, those inexpressibly endearing relationships of family.

So, why then is Utah fertility declining? First, one likely reason is the decline in percentage of Latter-day Saints in Utah, since many people are moving to the Beehive State.

As people move into Utah, affordability is also becoming an issue preventing people from having more children, with rising home prices in Utah making it increasingly difficult to support a large-family lifestyle.

This is borne out by studies on a national level, which ask people why theyre having the number of children they are. Among other things, they provide evidence that women in the U.S. are not having as many children as they say they want to have, in large part because of financial concerns, and in part because they are not finding partners with whom they want to have children.

Countries around the world have tried a wide range of creative policies ranging from the straightforward (cash bonuses for having children) to the creative (Russias National Conception Day), with very little, if anything, to show for it.

It is possible that secularized societies just dont, fundamentally, have what it takes to encourage larger families, but in principle a society that values larger families will esteem and support caretaking work  whether stay-at-home parents or child care professionals  as much as they do more traditional, market-based occupations.

To encourage larger families, societies would also need to engineer policies to make society more affordable for larger families, in particular. Even if such policies cant reverse deep-seated attitudinal shifts and demographic tendencies, they might have effects on the margins. For something as important as the perpetuation of the human species, every little bit helps.

Whether large or small, politically aligned or divergent, maddening or enlivening, be grateful for those you will be gathering with today. These precious relationships are something we can all be thankful for, no matter how many seats are at our Thanksgiving table.

Stephen Cranney is a nonresident fellow at Baylor Universitys Institute for the Studies of Religion and teaches at Catholic University of America.
AUSTIN (KXAN)  Thousands of ran in the 33rd annual ThunderCloud Subs Turkey Trot Thanksgiving morning.

Which roads will be closed for Austins 2023 turkey trot?

All proceeds will go to Caritas of Austin, a nonprofit aiming to help those experiencing homelessness.

Thousands of ran in the 33rd annual ThunderCloud Subs Turkey Trot Thanksgiving morning (KXAN Photo)

Thousands of ran in the 33rd annual ThunderCloud Subs Turkey Trot Thanksgiving morning (KXAN Photo)

Thousands of ran in the 33rd annual ThunderCloud Subs Turkey Trot Thanksgiving morning (KXAN Photo)

Thousands of ran in the 33rd annual ThunderCloud Subs Turkey Trot Thanksgiving morning (KXAN Photo)

KXAN anchor Britt Moreno runs in the 33rd annual ThunderCloud Subs Turkey Trot Thanksgiving morning (KXAN Photo)

KXAN anchor Britt Moreno runs in the 33rd annual ThunderCloud Subs Turkey Trot Thanksgiving morning (KXAN Photo)

Thousands of ran in the 33rd annual ThunderCloud Subs Turkey Trot Thanksgiving morning (KXAN Photo)

The race featured untimed and timed five-mile races. There was also a Stepping Stone School Kids K race and a one-mile walk and run course.

The Turkey Trot began in 1991 with a handful of volunteers and 600 participants. This year, more than 20,000 people were expected to run, walk and volunteer.

Full closures

West Riverside Drive: closed from South Lamar Boulevard to Barton Springs Road from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m.

South First Street: closed from Cesar Chavez Street to Barton Springs Road from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Cesar Chavez Street: closed from MoPac Expressway to Colorado Street from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Colorado Street: closed from Cesar Chavez Street to Fifth Street from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Lavaca Street: closed from Cesar Chavez Street to 15th Street from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m.

15th Street: closed from Lavaca Street to Enfield Road from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Eastbound ramp to 15th Street: closed from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Enfield Road: closed from Newfield Lane to West 15th Street from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Newfield Lane: closed from 10th Street to Enfield Road from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Ramp to Enfield Road: closed from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Eastbound ramps to Cesar Chavez Street: closed from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Local access only

Second Street: local access only between South First Street and South Congress Avenue from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Third Street: local access only between South First Street and South Congress Avenue from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Fourth Street: local access only between South First Street and South Congress Avenue from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Sixth Street: local access only between Guadalupe Street and Colorado Street from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Seventh Street: local access only between Guadalupe Street and Colorado Street from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Eighth Street: local access only from Guadalupe Street to Colorado Street from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Ninth Street: local access only from Guadalupe Street to Colorado Street from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

10th Street: local access only from Guadalupe Street to Colorado Street from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

11th Street: local access only from Guadalupe Street to South Congress Avenue from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

12th Street: local access only from Guadalupe Street to Lavaca Street from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

13th Street: local access only from Guadalupe Street to Lavaca Street from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

14th Street: local access only from Guadalupe Street to Lavaca Street from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Guadalupe Street: local access only from 14th Street to 16th Street from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

San Antonio Street: local access only from 14th Street to 16th Street from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Nueces Street: local access only from 14th Street to 16th Street from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Rio Grande Street: local access only from 14th Street to 16th Street from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

West Avenue: local access only from 14th Street to 16th Street from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Hartford Road: local access only from Enfield Road to Palma Plaza from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Palma Plaza: local access only from Newfield Lane to Woodlawn Boulevard from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Waterston Avenue: local access only from Newfield Lane to Toyath Street from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

West 11th Street: local access only from Newfield Lane to Toyath Street from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

West 10th Street: local access only from Newfield Lane to Toyath Street from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin.
Volunteer Charley Baldwin, right, is now a regular volunteer at the Total Living Center in Canton. The Rev. Ben Kariuki, left, said Baldwin's story is one that needs to be shared.

CANTON  Not so long ago, Charley Baldwin spent his days loitering outside a convenience store in his southwest neighborhood, seeking money to feed his alcohol and drug addictions.

Now you can find him leading morning and lunchtime prayers as a volunteer at the Total Living Center.

Baldwin, 53, credits God, and the mission at 2221 Ninth St. SW, with changing and saving his life.

Baldwin's story is one that needs to be shared, said the Rev. Ben Kariuki, Total Living's executive director.

"I feel like bad stories are the ones that get a lot of attention," he said. "We have good stories, stories that can inspire people to change in positive way, and I feel like Charley's story can help. I've seen the impact he has had on his friends. They're starting to realize there's something very different about him."

Baldwin, a native of Youngstown, grew up on southeast Canton's Highland Park/Skyline Terrace apartment complex. As a teenager, he drifted into drugs and crime, becoming one of the founders of a gang known as the Rated-R Boys.

An assault conviction landed him in the Indian River juvenile prison in Massillon.

"At the same time I should have been graduating from high school, I was in Indian River," he said. "I got my GED at Indian River. I was spoiled. It was blessing in disguise since I was from the area."

Charley Baldwin's take on drugs: "An elephant can't sell peanuts"

Baldwin said upon his release, he plunged into selling and taking crack cocaine.

"But an elephant can't sell peanuts," he said with a smile. "I lost that battle, trying to be a seller and a user at the same time. I got heavily involved with drugs and the stuff that comes with the territory of trying to maintain and getting high. Stealing, lying, all those things."

His addiction consumed decades of his life.

Baldwin said that although he thought he had "hit a wall" in the past, real change came after a chance encounter last year with Kariuki outside of the convenience store.

"I live right down the street, so I had been coming here (mission) on and off to eat and whatever," he said. "I didn't know that it would change my life."

Baldwin was unaware that Kariuki had succeeded Don Bartow as executive director of the ministry in 2022. Bartow, who launched the mission in 1991 with virtually no funds, died in February 2022 at age 93.

"I didn't know that a Black man had become the director," he said. "He was passing out flyers. I was so used to people in power, not dealing with the likes of me. So, the fact that he was walking around the neighborhood intrigued me. I liked the fact that an African American man was walking around the neighborhood, trying to make a difference. I wanted to be part of that, but I didn't know how."

Baldwin, who started volunteering at the Total Living Center, said he grew up going to church, mostly at his mother's insistence.

"My mother wasn't a Christian but she made me go to church," he said. "So I was introduced to God at an early age."

Baldwin's volunteer efforts were no match for his addictions.

"I fell back into addiction really heavy, so I stopped coming here," he said. "I was ashamed to come back."

Those addictions led to a medical crisis when he had to undergo a leg amputation because of blood clots, a condition he blames on a combination of heart problems and crack cocaine.

Last December, Baldwin fell into more trouble when he was arrested for shoplifting. Canton Municipal Court Judge John Poulos sentenced Baldwin to 100 hours of community service, which he reduced to 50.

"He asked me, 'Are you able to do community service?' I told him yes, and he asked me, 'Have you heard of the Total Living Center?' I just looked at my wife," Baldwin recalled with a laugh.

Baldwin finished his community service in three weeks and hasn't stopped.

Total Living Center's life-skills academy

He enrolled in January in the Total Living Center Academy, a year-long life-skills program. A new class starts in January.

"We have a process in place for people who want to change their lives," Kariuki said. "Freedom from drug addictions and habits that have kept them in cycles for years; cycles of poverty, cycles of violence. It's called an academy for reason. It's something that will challenge you to change, and we do it in a community of loving people."

January, Baldwin said, is also the month that God answered his prayer to be delivered from his addictions.

"I knew I needed a greater power than myself," he said. "I had never really totally committed myself to God. I wanted to change my life because I had a whole bunch of addictions. I wasn't just an addict. I was a liar, a cheater. I know change is possible, but I also had to put in the footwork. I changed some behaviors."

Baldwin said he's found positive friendships at the mission.

He said he still visits the neighborhood convenience store, but only to say hello to a friend who works there before heading off to the Total Living Center, where he leads morning devotions for the staff and prayer prior to lunch.

"I think the biggest impact has been on my family and my mom," he said. "You know, you can fool other people but you can't fool your mom. My mom is starting to breathe. I think sometimes when I call, she's still waiting to hear bad news. She saw me let her down so many times."

Baldwin recently attended a Christian conference in Virginia, and he brought back his nametag as a keepsake for his mother.

Baldwin said he and his wife, Robin, married after he underwent his second leg amputation.

"She always believed in me; she saw something in me. I used to ask her like, 'Man, what do you see in me?' for a lot of reasons. For one, my behavior, and for two, my situation of being in a wheelchair... I never thought I'd be married."

Kariuki said Baldwin's experience shows that change can happen for anyone.

"What has happened in Charley shows that is possible," he said. "We're known for free food, the free laundry and chiropractic services and the grocery distribution which is good, because the community needs it. But at the same time, there's something much greater."

Baldwin wants others to know help and change are available at the Total Living Center. To learn more the agency's programs, call 330-455-3663 or visit the website.

Baldwin's life isn't perfect. Currently, he's using a borrowed electric wheelchair as he wrangles with an insurance company. But compared to his past, he couldn't be happier.

"I can't even put into words what this path has done for my life," he said. "I got baptized in April. I got married here on Sept. 30. People just think this is somewhere you can get a meal but it changes lives."

Reach Charita at 330-580-8313 or charita.goshay@cantonrep.com

On Twitter: @cgoshayREP

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Canton man grateful for turning life around at Total Living Center
The vermin have swarmed through the towns of Karumba and Normanton in the Gulf Country area of Queensland. - Derek Lord/AFP

Rats are destroying cars, clambering onto boats and washing up dead on beaches in northern Australia after a plague of the rodents hit the region.

The vermin have swarmed through the towns of Karumba and Normanton in the Gulf Country area of Queensland.

The number of native long-haired rats has exploded thanks to plentiful rainfall and an abundance of crops on which to feed.

They are invading homes, menacing poultry and munching their way through the electrics of cars.

Mate, theres rats everywhere, said Derek Lord, 49, who runs a vehicle hire business in Normanton.

We have hire vehicles, and they literally destroyed a car overnight, taking all of the wiring out of the engine bay.

The rats have been steadily moving northwards from inland Outback areas towards the Gulf of Carpentaria since June.

Authorities are doing their best to remove the rodent corpses - Facebook

They have swept through Outback towns such as Cloncurry and Julia Creek, eating crops and contaminating water sources.

They are a menace to pets and some domestic animals, including ducks owned by Mr Lord.

He said: Last night, the ducks were going mad and I went downstairs to see what was going on, thinking maybe theres a cat in there or something. And theres bloody lots of rats running through the cages, through the pens chasing ducks. Theyre bold as hell.

In their desperate search for food, some of the rats have been swimming to sandbars in rivers and estuaries.

When the tide rises, they drown, and their bloated bodies wash up on beaches.

Authorities are doing their best to remove the rodent corpses, which attract clouds of flies.

The fishing town of Karumba has been particularly badly hit, where rats have been climbing up anchor chains and onto boats that are moored offshore.

Predators such as kites are feeding on the rats but this has not made much difference to the vast numbers - Facebook

Jemma Probert, the owner of a fishing charter business, said that she had to fight off the rats trying to reach her boats.

The stench along the waterways is intense, she told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

With more rain forecast for many parts of Queensland, there is no end in sight to the rat plague.

Weve heard there are still more that are coming, said Ms Probert.

Predators such as kites are feeding on the rats, but this has not made much difference to the vast numbers.

In the Gulf of Carpentaria, the floating bodies of dead rats are providing rich pickings for tiger sharks and bull sharks, locals said.

Two years ago, New South Wales was hit by the worst mouse plague in living memory, with millions of the creatures causing huge damage to farmland and harvested crops.

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The Hampshire Hedge will eave its way through the centre of the county

Work has begun on a rural hedgerow connecting two national parks and designed to benefit wildlife.

The Hampshire Hedge project is intended to link the New Forest and South Downs with a "nature recovery corridor".

The Campaign for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE) has launched the three-year initiative with community groups and landowners to improve existing, and replace lost, hedgerows.

CPRE's Ellie Banks said it would help "fragmented" wildlife habitats.

The hedgerow is planned to wind its way for about 14 miles (22km) through the central Hampshire parishes and link woodlands, meadows, local nature reserves and Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs).

CPRE's Ellie Banks said volunteers would begin working at both ends of the hedge

It will connect Shawford and Compton in the South Downs with Copythorne on the edge of the New Forest.

A total of three miles (5km) of new hedgerow is set to be planted in the project area during the first year with 25,000 whips going into the ground this winter.

Hedge laying involves the the cutting and weaving together of saplings to encourages dense new growth at the base. They intermingle to form a natural barrier which provides food and shelter for birds and animals.

The CPRE said more than half of England's rural hedgerows have been lost since 1945.

Ms Banks said: "The big problem in this country is that wildlife is fragmented on 'islands' and unable to get between those habitats, so hedgerows can provide that connectivity."

Volunteers are set to plant thousands of whips in the Hampshire countryside

The project was launched at an event for volunteers near Winchester.

Hedge-laying expert Nigel Adams said: "They're putting mixed species of plants so in the future, we've got that biodiversity associated with all the different species.

"Hedgerows actually define our countryside - they are the stitching in the patchwork quilt of or countryside - and they are so important for biodiversity, for carbon storage, and indeed our culture, they're so British."

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PHILADELPHIA - A man was shot in the early hours of Thanksgiving Day in Northeast Philadelphia.

According to Philadelphia police, the incident occurred on the 9000 block of Ashton Road at around 2:27 A.M.

Officials say a 26-year-old man was shot once in his left chest.

Medics transported the victim to Jefferson Torresdale Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 3:07 A.M.

Police arrested a 22-year-old man in connection to the incident. They were also able to recover a weapon at the scene.

This is an ongoing investigation.

Tips can be submitted by calling 215-686-TIPS (8477) or text a tip to 215-686-TIPS (8477). Tips can also be submitted anonymously online, here . All tips are confidential.

Click here to find resources for victims of violence in Philadelphia.
Alicia Smith, center, mother of Takar Smith, who was fatally shot by LAPD officers, is comforted by 14-year-old granddaughter Rashi Avery-Smith, left, and wife of Takar, Shameka Smith at a press conference held in front of LAPD headquarters. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

Two Los Angeles police officers violated department rules on lethal force by shooting and killing a schizophrenic man who barricaded himself in a cramped kitchen as officers ordered him to drop his knife, the LAPD's civilian Police Commission ruled Tuesday.

The decision marked the second time in recent weeks the commission found that city officers were not facing an imminent threat when they used force against someone in the throes of a mental health crisis.

Furthermore, officials concluded that the officers' attempts in January to coax Takar Smith out of the kitchen were undermined by a combination of poor planning, questionable tactics and a disregard for protocols that direct officers to summon the department's mental health unit for such occasions.

The incident came after Smith's wife, Shameka, called police on Jan. 2 to report her husband had violated a restraining order by showing up at her apartment, where he grew violent.

Read more: LAPD officers involved in Keenan Anderson death found out of policy

She mentioned several times that he hadnt been taking his medication to treat schizophrenia, but the information wasn't relayed over a radio transmission dispatching officers to the scene. Rather, a dispatcher informed the responding officers that Smith said he intended to fight police.

By a 4-0 tally, the commission agreed with Chief Michel Moore's findings that officers Joseph Zizzo and Nicolas Alejandre acted inappropriately when they fired a combined seven rounds at Smith, who used a pair of bikes to create a barrier between himself and police as he stood in the kitchen, holding a knife.

After officers shocked Smith several times with a Taser, he was knocked to his knees and lost control of the blade; officers opened fire when he picked up the knife again.

Moore agreed with an internal force review board that said Alejandre and his police partner, Audrey Lopez Alonzo, had "sufficient time to contact" the Mental Evaluation Unit, or MEU, which pairs officers with county social workers trained in de-escalating standoffs with people thought to be mentally ill.

Lopez Alonzo was a probationary officer at the time of the incident. Neither she nor Alejandre considered contacting the MEU, Moore said, nor did they relay information about Smith's history of schizophrenia to the other responding officers, including Zizzo.

The layout of the small, cluttered apartment posed several tactical disadvantages for officers, according to the report. For one thing, they had little space to maneuver and find better cover, Moore wrote in the report. Still, Moore said he would've liked the officers to retreat, even briefly, so they could reevaluate the situation and come up with a better plan of action.

What punishment the officers will receive, if any, falls to Moore.

Smith's death came amid a string of fatal police encounters to start the year, which set off protests and prompted Mayor Karen Bass to voice her "grave concerns" after watching body camera video of the encounters.

Last month, the commission concluded that officers involved in one of those deaths broke from department policy on multiple occasions. In that incident, Keenan Anderson, a school teacher and cousin of Black Lives Matter Global Network co-founder Patrisse Cullors, died several hours after an officer stunned him repeatedly with a Taser after a traffic accident.

As with Anderson's case, Smith's death was held up by mental health practitioners and critics of the department as proof that officers are ill-equipped to make the right decisions when confronting people in distress. Days after Smith was shot, Moore took the unusual step of publicly second-guessing the officers actions, telling reporters at a news conference that he worried about the "actions of our officers and supervisors."

Read more: Amid concerns over three deaths, LAPD releases video

Some of those concerns were reflected in his report about the incident, released Tuesday, which synthesized the findings of a months-long investigation of the incident.

In an interview after the shooting, Alejandre told department investigators he felt that even while on his knees Smith could still cause him harm because of his 6'1" height. "The stabbing motion to me appeared that it could reach me," said Alejandre, who is 5'4", according to the chief's report.

No officers were injured in the incident.

Relatives said Smith, a father of six, had been on medication the last several years to treat schizophrenia. But, his wife and others said, his mental health had been worsening, which had strained the couples relationship.

On the day of the shooting, Smith became enraged and started throwing things around the apartment. When he refused to leave, Shameka Smith walked into the nearby Rampart police station and told an officer at the front desk that her husband had violated a restraining order.

The officer gave her the number for the departments nonemergency dispatch and advised her to return to the apartment and wait for police there, the chief's report said. Moore said the officer's actions are the subject of an internal investigation.

A few hours later, a group of officers showed up and instructed her to wait outside while they checked on her husband, Shameka Smith said. In an exchange that was captured on Alejandre's body-worn camera, she warned him that her husband had threatened to fight police if they were called and that there was a knife in the kitchen. But she also relayed that he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and implored them not to kill him.

Inside, the officers confronted Smith, engaging in a tense back-and-forth with the incoherent man.

Both Alejandre and Zizzo fired their Tasers at Smith after he picked up a kitchen knife and wouldn't drop it; but the electrified barbs didn't appear to have any effect on Smith, who pulled them out of his skin. Another officer deployed pepper spray. At one point, Smith fell to the ground and dropped the knife, but picked it up.

The standoff ended when the officers opened fire, killing Smith as he knelt on the kitchen floor holding a knife. Alejandre shot twice, while Zizzo fired five rounds.

Smith's family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city in July, alleging that the involved officers unnecessarily escalated the encounters while contending that "there were other reasonable alternatives to using deadly force against (Smith) which were available and not utilized prior to using deadly force." The suit is pending.

Read more: LAPD officers shot fewer people in 2022, but the percentage that turned deadly increased

In recent years, the LAPD and other law enforcement agencies nationwide have faced increasing criticism for how often officers shot people in the throes of a mental health crisis. LAPD data show that 35% of the people shot at in 2022 were showing obvious signs of mental distress, a 6% decrease from the year before.

Moore has expressed support for partnering officers with mental health workers but has maintained that incidents involving armed suspects require some sort of police response. Understaffing at the county has resulted in gaps of coverage by the mental health co-responder teams, Moore has previously said.

Several of Smith's relatives attended the Nov. 14 meeting of the Police Commission, giving emotional testimony, calling for the officers involved to be held accountable and describing how his death had left a huge hole in their lives that they could never hope to fill.

His cousin, Daphne White, said his death had devastated Smith's mother, who had suffered two mini-strokes that family members think may have been from the pain and stress of losing her son so suddenly. She has been given to long bouts of crying since the incident, White said. "She misses her baby."

White wondered why the officers hadn't called a mental health unit upon recognizing they were dealing with someone who wasn't in his right mind, and may not have understood what was happening.

"They could've handled it way differently. I mean he wasn't charging them," she told a reporter before the meeting.

Raischard Smith, Smith's brother, wore a gray hoodie and held a photo of Smith.

"They didn't go through the right procedures. If they'd gone through the right procedures we wouldn't be here," he said. "We want justice. They keep killing us and getting away with it."

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Chicago police on Thursday issued a community alert connected to a string of armed robberies on the citys West and Southwest sides during the early hours of Thanksgiving morning.

In each of the dozen robberies, two to four men approached victims while brandishing black handguns or a long gun and demand their property, according to officials. It was not immediately clear whether all 12 robberies were related.

The robberies began at 7:20 a.m. on the Lower West Side neighborhood, the first occurring on the 2300 block of West 21st Street, and the next took place only five minutes later and less than a mile away on the 2000 block of West 23rd Street.

Five minutes after that, another robbery took place on the 1700 block of West Cermak Road . About an hour later, another robbery occurred on the 1900 block of Cermak Road.

At 7:47 a.m., a robbery occurred south of the Lower West Side neighborhood on the 3700 block of South Wolcott Avenue in McKinley Park. Police said that just eight minutes later, armed robbers targeted someone on the 4900 block of South Paulina Street in the New City neighborhood.

Another robbery occurred at 8 a.m. on the 4700 block of South Hermitage Avenue in New City, less than half a mile north from the previous robbery.

Within a span of 13 minutes beginning at 8:07 a.m., five more robberies took place: two in Gage Park, one in New City, another one in Gage Park and a final one in Chicago Lawn:

5800 block of South Sacramento Avenue at 8:07 a.m.

5000 block of South Fairfield Avenue at 8:08 a.m.

4700 block of South Honore Street at 8:10 a.m.

5200 block of South Rockwell Street at 8:15 a.m.

5900 block of South Mozart Street at 8:20 a.m.

Police are asking neighborhood residents to be aware of their surroundings and report any suspicious activity. If approached by one or more assailants, remain calm and remember any of the suspects unique physical characteristics, but never pursue them, police advised.

The suspects fled the scenes in a blue four-door sedan, possibly a Hyundai or Toyota. Police described the men as being between 17 and 25 years old, and said they were all wearing dark clothing and ski masks.

adperez@chicagotribune.com
Police have urged the public not to approach a man who has gone missing from the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh.

Ryan Gandy, 34, was last seen at Crewe Road South at about 17:00 on Wednesday.

Police Scotland previously said they were searching for a prisoner who escaped from custody while being moved.

Mr Gandy is about 6ft tall, of slim build with dark receding hair. He has a tattoo of the name "Katy" on his right arm and has scars on both sides of his face.

When last seen, he was wearing a blue Nike dry-fit top, black jogging bottoms, dark-coloured trainers and a black Hoodrich gilet.

Officers were reported to have been seen searching with police dogs near the hospital.

Police Scotland said they were carrying out extensive searches and reviewing CCTV in an effort to trace him.

They have asked for anyone with information to contact them.
A massage parlor in Worcester was the scene of a suspicious death investigation on Thanksgiving.

Worcester police detectives were initially dispatched to Angies Bodywork Spa on Pleasant Street around 11:37 a.m. for a report of a woman experiencing a possible medical issue.

Arriving officers were flagged down by a man who directed them to an unconscious woman. Officers rendered medical aid before Worcester EMS arrived and pronounced her dead.

Police say the womans death appears to be suspicious.

If you have information about this incident, please send an anonymous text to 274637 TIPWPD + your message or send an anonymous web-based message at worcesterma.gov/police. Calls can also be made to the Worcester Police Detective Bureau at (508) 799-8651, Worcester police said in a statement.

Police blocked off the entrance to Angies Bodywork Spa with crime scene tape as investigators worked Thursday afternoon.

According to their website, Angies Bodywork Spa is open from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and offers many different options for bodywork.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  A 32-year-old man is in critical condition after he was hit by a vehicle while attempting to cross a road near the Las Vegas Strip, according to police.

It happened at 6:49 p.m. on Wednesday near Harmon Avenue and Koval Lane.

Police told 8 News Now the man entered the path of a Ford Mustang on Harmon Avenue outside of a marked or implied crosswalk when the vehicle hit him.

The man was taken to a hospital in critical condition.

The driver remained at the scene and showed no signs of impairment, police said. The crash remains under investigation by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Departments Collision Investigation Section.

Harmon Avenue from Koval Lane to Paradise was shut down due to debris through the 11 oclock hour on Wednesday. Access to Grand Vacations is open off Koval Lane.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.
Rafal Mekler, the organizer of the Polish trucker protest on the Polish border with Ukraine, announced on Twitter his intention to extend the blockade until Feb. 1.

Organizers of the protest reportedly submitted an application for the extension of the blockade at the "Yagodin-Dorohusk" checkpoint.

Polish truckers started blocking three border crossing points on Nov. 6, in protest of the liberalization of EU transport rules for Ukrainian trucks, causing huge lines on both sides of the border.

Drivers stuck in line are facing tough conditions as temperatures plummet and snow falls in eastern Poland. Kyiv has created a support group to provide Ukrainian drivers with food, drinking water, medicine, and fuel.

Deputy Infrastructure Minister Serhiy Derkach wrote on Facebook on Nov. 19 that 1,200 trucks were blocked at the Korczowa crossing, and 500 trucks were blocked at the Hrebenne crossing.

"There were a total of no more than 15 protesters at these two checkpoints," Derkach said, highlighting that "a dozen people are holding the border hostage."

The protesters demand renewed restrictions on the number of Ukrainian trucks permitted in Poland. They are also calling for a ban on transportation companies from outside the European Union.

According to EU rules, Ukrainian trucks do not require permits until June 30, 2024, after the EU and Ukraine signed an agreement in June 2022 to liberalize transport rules.

Read also: Ukraine war latest: Germany delivers over 20 Marders; Military reports destroying 80% of Russian hardware near Avdiivka

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Poland is facing changes, and not only Poland. Recent election results create new opportunities for Ukraine, Europe, and Ukraine in Europe.

The last few weeks were not very optimistic. We are approaching winter, the Ukrainian counteroffensive is not bringing radical changes on the frontline, and the threat of a new war in Palestine may weaken the West's attention to Ukraine.

We desperately need good news. There is such news. However, I am afraid we may not notice it behind the daily anxious routine. It is the opposition's victory in the Polish parliamentary elections on October 15. The ruling Law and Justice party (PiS) again showed the best result, garnering 35% of the vote, but the three opposition parties combined for a majority of 54%. They can form their government. This means that PiS's eight-year rule is over.

Poland is facing changes, and not only Poland. The election results create new opportunities for Ukraine, Europe, and Ukraine in Europe.

I was able to observe the election campaign in Poland directly. This year, my Global History of Ukraine was translated into several languages, including Polish. So, in September, I had presentations in several Polish cities.

In the evenings, in my hotel room after another presentation, I watched political shows on TVP info. And I felt a Deja vu effect. It was like watching Russian programs about Ukraine, the only difference being that the role of Ukraine, in this case, is played by the opposition and Ukraine itself. TVP info commentators were "drowning" the Polish opposition, and at the same time Volodymyr Zelenskyy, after his speech at the UN criticizing the Polish government. The whole world, they claimed, condemned Zelenskyy, and stood up for Poland.

Unsuccessful move

I follow the world media. I can confidently say that most Western experts sided with Zelenskyy and Ukraine, not the Polish authorities. Of course, there is no such thing as stupidity or nastiness that cannot be done during elections. But even stupidity must have decent limits. In the case of TVP info, we are dealing with a lie  or, as they often say, a post-truth  like the communication of Orban, Putin, and Trump.

We, Ukrainians, want to have the same chance

One of TVP info's primary rivals is Gazeta Wyborcza. A week before the election, the publication recalled one of the favorite jokes of its founder, Adam Michnik. The joke is about Czechoslovakia after the Soviet invasion in 1968: "In the morning, in the center of occupied Prague, a drunkard with a hangover is vomiting into a fountain. A decently dressed gentleman approaches him and says politely: "Dear sir, although I don't know you at all, I completely agree with you!"

For eight years in power, Law and Justice have created precisely this nauseating situation for most Poles. It is a party of populists, and like every populist government, it appeals to the lowest human instincts  envy, fear, irresponsibility, and an unwillingness to use one's own mind.

An example of such an appeal was an election ploy that PiS copied from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban: to hold a national referendum simultaneously with the elections and to formulate the questions in this referendum in such a way that the answers to them would increase the chances of the government's victory. In the case of Poland, the questions were: should we sell state-owned enterprises, raise the retirement age, accept immigrants from the Middle East and Africa, and keep the wall on the border with Belarus? It is hard to imagine what level of intelligence ordinary Poles would have to have to fall for this primitive ruse. Fortunately, the majority reacted normally and ignored the referendum. Therefore, its results have no legal force, no matter how expected and favorable they may have been for the authorities,

Instead, Poles showed a record high level of participation in the elections  74%. It is even higher than the turnout in the fateful elections of June 1989 (62.7%). Back then, the anti-communist Solidarity Party defeated the communist government and launched a chain of change, the last link being the proclamation of Ukrainian independence in December 1991. Similarly, this election could be historic: populism, which replaced communism in the early 2010s, was defeated in one of the key countries of the European Union.

Without hope for the best

Young people contributed significantly to the defeat of the ruling party. In fact, among this age group, PiS received the fewest votes. There were fears that they would mostly vote for the Confederation, a party of young leaders that criticizes both the government and the opposition. The Confederation attracted young voters with its libertarian rhetoric, primarily its promise to cut taxes. On the other hand, this party advocates Poland's withdrawal from the European Union, a sharp reduction in labor emigration, and cutting aid to Ukraine.

In a broader context, its success or failure should be a measure of the strength of a new and dangerous trend that is sweeping the Western world and is embodied by Trump and Alternative for Germany. It is based on the fear of young people of an uncertain future.

Until recently, every young generation in the West believed they would live better than their parents. Now, as a result of rising social inequality, global warming, the covid epidemic, and the war in Ukraine, this belief is evaporating. The future no longer offers hope for the better. On the contrary, it is terrifying. Hence, there is a desire to return to the past, when things were better, to fence off the outside world and its challenges with a high wall.

The Confederation was most popular among young Poles in smaller towns, villages, and traditionally poorer eastern regions. There, local youth could not compete with the more successful youth of Warsaw and large cities. The same applies to the attitude toward the current Ukrainian emigration. Ukrainians are educated, hardworking, and willing to take on jobs for lower wages.

Fortunately, the fears were not justified. The Confederation barely passed the 5% threshold to get into parliament, and among the new parliamentary parties, it came in fifth place with 7%.

Polish youth turned out to be better than people thought. Some young Poles were tired of the struggle between two political dinosaurs, PiS and the opposition Civic Platform, so they voted for the Third Way party, which gained twice as much (14%) as the Confederation. A smaller part of them voted for the Left Party, which garnered only 9%. This is because of its "masculine" character: no women are in the party's leadership.

Instead, Platform had the most women on the top of the electoral list. Young Poles, especially young women, are very sensitive to gender equality and women's rights. PiS was dealing with problems "below the belt," which young people did not like.

But the main thing is that young people unequivocally support Poland's membership in the European Union. For them, the EU is a chance for Poland to be a normal and modern liberal democratic state.

A lesson for Ukraine

We, Ukrainians, want to have the same chance. The victory of the Polish opposition strengthens this chance. PiS was characterized by very strong anti-Union rhetoric. The main thrust of its criticism was directed against Germany: Berlin was presented as Poland's second biggest enemy after Moscow. One of the main lines of the pre-election attack on opposition leader Donald Tusk was to claim that he was not really a Pole, but a German, and therefore cared more about German interests than Polish ones. This ricocheted to Ukraine. They say that Ukrainians are looking for rapprochement with Berlin behind Poland's back, and this once again shows their treacherous and ungrateful nature.

The Polish government has been working to divide Europe. In times of war, Ukraine needs a stable and reliable Kyiv-Warsaw-Berlin axis. Instead, PiS tried to break this axis in the western segment and objectively weaken it in the eastern segment with its actions and statements. The victory of the Polish opposition creates chances for strengthening this axis on both sides. It can become the lever that will shift the center of gravity of the European Union from the West to the East. And this will objectively strengthen the role of Ukraine.

The results of the Polish elections lift the curtain on Ukraine's future. It is no secret that in many national traits, Ukrainians are closer to Poles than Russians. Before the war, when Ukrainians were asked which country's experience they would like to emulate, Poland was often the first choice. Now, during the war, the solidarity of Ukrainians resembles the solidarity of Poles in 1989. As then, so now, both were united by hatred of the common enemy.

However, the example of modern Poland can serve as a warning for Ukraine. Both PiS and the Civic Coalition are two children of Solidarity. But as soon as the enemy, the common enemy, disappeared, yesterday's allies turned into today's enemies. By analogy, we can say that hopes that Ukrainians will maintain their current level of solidarity after Putin's disappearance are in vain. After all, normal politics always means struggle and competition. There is no struggle and competition in North Korea or Putin's Russia. But these examples are unlikely to be attractive to Ukraine.

Another Polish lesson for Ukraine is that modern politics carries a new political agenda. The status of women and sexual minorities will play an increasingly important role in it. Whether we like it or not, young people are very sensitive to these things.

The main lesson is that every democracy can deteriorate and evolve toward xenophobia and populism. This does not mean, however, that this movement is irreversible. The recent elections in Poland show that it can be stopped. The medicine populists offer to cure the shortcomings of democracy is worse than the disease itself.

When Poles I know tell me about their problems and warn me about what may be in store for us in the future after we win the war and join the European Union, I have a simple answer: "We, Ukrainians, want to have your problems!" We must solve them not with Russians, but Poles, Germans, and other European nations.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Polish farmers who joined the blockade of hauliers on the border with Ukraine are planning to continue their protest 24 hours a day until 3 January, although they originally planned to block the border checkpoint until 25 November.

Source: European Pravda with reference to Wiadomosci Rolnicze Polska

Quote from Roman Kondrow, one of the protest organisers: "We sold maize very cheaply, we are losing 2,000 zlotys per hectare. The costs per hectare are 5,500 zlotys, and we received only 3,300. Liquidity loans, which supported us to some extent, were withdrawn so that we could continue to function as farmers. Unfortunately, the government that is now finishing its term has taken these loans away from us."

Details: Kondrow said that "the third demand is very simple, that the land tax is not raised for us."

"We stand in solidarity with the hauliers because these industries have suffered the most," he added, announcing that only two trucks a day would be allowed through the border crossing from Monday to 3 January.

He also said that all humanitarian aid would be allowed to enter Ukraine without restrictions.

Background:

As reported, Polish hauliers, who have been blocking three checkpoints on the border with Ukraine for lorries since 6 November, began blockading another checkpoint on Thursday  Medyka-Shehyni.

Rafa Mekler, the campaign organiser and head of the Lublin branch of the far-right Confederation party, announced that Polish hauliers intend to extend the protest until 1 February 2024.

On 22 November, the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada addressed the new Polish Sejm and Senate with a proposal to unblock the border for hauliers.

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Democratic Party lawmakers publicly support the Biden administrations $106 billion package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, but many are unsure of how to navigate the bill past the Republican-led House, POLITICO reported on Nov. 22.

I dont know that Ukraine can survive until February of 2024, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said. My sense is they start to run short on ammunition in the next several weeks.

US House Speaker Mike Johnson has said he intends to call a vote on Ukraine, but there is no indication of how any deal on further aid to Kyiv will be reached.

This is really important funding. I think its important for the civilized world to take a stand against dictators like Vladimir Putin and terrorist groups like Hamas, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) said. And I also think we have a failed policy at the southern border, and we need to look at ways to fix it.

With another deadline looming as the newest stopgap funding bills expire in January, many of Congress strongest Ukraine backers fear the country cant wait that long.

President Biden and the leaders in the Senate, both Republican and Democrat, are rock solid in their support of Ukraine.

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is threatening to block all future EU aid to Ukraine as well as Ukraine's accession to the bloc unless EU leaders agree to review their entire strategy of support, according to a letter seen by Politico journalists.

The Hungarian leader wrote a letter to the European Council chief Charles Michel stating that future decisions regarding Ukraine-EU accession talks, funding for Ukraine, and new sanctions on Russia cannot be discussed until a "strategic discussion" over current EU Ukraine policy is reviewed next month when EU leaders gather in Brussels.

The European Council should take stock of the implementation and effectiveness of our current policies towards Ukraine including various assistance programs, the letter reads.

According to Politico, the letter is undated but bears the stamp of Orban's office.

The letter also questions why the EU must continue to support Ukraine when the United States, the largest provider of military aid to the country, may not be able to continue sending aid due to partisan deadlock.

The European Council must have a frank and open discussion on the feasibility of the EUs strategic objectives in Ukraine...Do we still regard these objectives realistically attainable? Is this strategy sustainable without robust support from the United States? Can we take continuing support from the United States for granted?"

Orban also adds that "the European Council is not in a position to make key decisions on the proposed security guarantees or additional financial support for Ukraine, endorse further strengthening of the EU sanctions regime or agree on the future of the enlargement process unless a consensus on our future strategy towards Ukraine is found.

Hungary has previously threatened to block talks on Ukraine's accession and is blocking 500 million euros in aid to compensate EU states for the weapons they sent to Ukraine.



Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Hungary has repeatedly obstructed EU funds for Kyiv while opposing sanctions against Russia. Orban, who maintains close ties with the Kremlin, has refused to provide military aid to Ukraine and claimed that Kyiv's counteroffensive was destined to fail.

Both Orban and Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto have met with high-ranking Russian officials, including Putin, since Feb. 24, 2022. Szijjarto has also traveled to Russia five times since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.

A majority of Hungarians have expressed their disapproval of Orban's meeting with Putin at the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing on Oct. 17.

Read also: Orban: EU must not start membership talks with Ukraine









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Air pollution particles from coal-fired power plants are more harmful to human health than many experts realized, and its more than twice as likely to contribute to premature deaths as air pollution particles from other sources, new research demonstrates.

In the study, published in the journal Science, colleagues and I mapped how U.S. coal power plant emissions traveled through the atmosphere, then linked each power plants emissions with death records of Americans over 65 years old on Medicare.

Our results suggest that air pollutants released from coal power plants were associated with nearly half a million premature deaths of elderly Americans from 1999 to 2020.

Its a staggering number, but the study also has good news: Annual deaths associated with U.S. coal power plants have fallen sharply since the mid-2000s as federal regulations compelled operators to install emissions scrubbers and many utilities shut down coal plants entirely.

In 1999, 55,000 deaths were attributable to coal air pollution in the U.S., according to our findings. By 2020, that number had fallen to 1,600.

How PM2.5 levels from coal power plants in the U.S. have declined since 1999 as more plants installed pollution-control devices or shut down. Lucas Henneman.

In the U.S., coal is being displaced by natural gas and renewable energy for generating electricity. Globally, however, coal use is projected to increase in coming years. That makes our results all the more urgent for global decision-makers to understand as they develop future policies.

Coal air pollution: What makes it so bad?

A landmark study in the 1990s, known as the Harvard Six Cities Study, linked tiny airborne particles called PM2.5 to increased risk of early death. Other studies have since linked PM2.5 to lung and heart disease, cancer, dementia and other diseases.

Following that research, the Environmental Protection Agency began regulating PM2.5 concentrations in 1997 and has lowered the acceptable limit over time.

PM2.5  particles small enough to be inhaled deep into our lungs  comes from several different sources, including gasoline combustion in vehicles and smoke from wood fires and power plants. It is made up of many different chemicals.

Coal is also a mix of many chemicals  carbon, hydrogen, sulfur, even metals. When coal is burned, all of these chemicals are emitted to the atmosphere either as gases or particles. Once there, they are transported by the wind and interact with other chemicals already in the atmosphere.

As a result, anyone downwind of a coal plant may be breathing a complex cocktail of chemicals, each with its own potential effects on human health.

Two months of emissions from Plant Bowen, a coal-fired power station near Atlanta, show how wind influences the spread of air pollution. Lucas Henneman.

Tracking coal PM2.5

To understand the risks coal emissions pose to human health, we tracked how sulfur dioxide emissions from each of the 480 largest U.S. coal power plants operating at any point since 1999 traveled with the wind and turned into tiny particles  coal PM2.5. We used sulfur dioxide because of its known health effects and drastic decreases in emissions over the study period.

We then used a statistical model to link coal PM2.5 exposure to Medicare records of nearly 70 million people from 1999 to 2020. This model allowed us to calculate the number of deaths associated with coal PM2.5.

In our statistical model, we controlled for other pollution sources and accounted for many other known risk factors, like smoking status, local meteorology and income level. We tested multiple statistical approaches that all yielded consistent results. We compared the results of our statistical model with previous results testing the health impacts of PM2.5 from other sources and found that PM2.5 from coal is twice as harmful as PM2.5 from all other sources.

Residents living near the Cheswick coal-fired power plant in Springdale, Pa., publicly complained about the amount of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and coal particles from the plant for years. Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images

The number of deaths associated with individual power plants depended on multiple factors  how much the plant emits, which way the wind blows and how many people breathe in the pollution. Unfortunately, U.S. utilities located many of their plants upwind of major population centers on the East Coast. This siting amplified these plants impacts.

In an interactive online tool, users can look up our estimates of annual deaths associated with each U.S. power plant and also see how those numbers have fallen over time at most U.S. coal plants.

A US success story and the global future of coal

Engineers have been designing effective scrubbers and other pollution-control devices that can reduce pollution from coal-fired power plants for several years. And the EPA has rules specifically to encourage utilities that used coal to install them, and most facilities that did not install scrubbers have shut down.

The results have been dramatic: Sulfur dioxide emissions decreased about 90% in facilities that reported installing scrubbers. Nationwide, sulfur dioxide emissions decreased 95% since 1999. According to our tally, deaths attributable to each facility that installed a scrubber or shut down decreased drastically.

As advances in fracking techniques reduced the cost of natural gas, and regulations made running coal plants more expensive, utilities began replacing coal with natural gas plants and renewable energy. The shift to natural gas  a cleaner-burning fossil fuel than coal but still a greenhouse gas contributing to climate change  led to even further air pollution reductions.

Today, coal contributes about 27% of electricity in the U.S., down from 56% in 1999.

Globally, however, the outlook for coal is mixed. While the U.S. and other nations are headed toward a future with substantially less coal, the International Energy Agency expects global coal use to increase through at least 2025.

Our study and others like it make clear that increases in coal use will harm human health and the climate. Making full use of emissions controls and a turn toward renewables are surefire ways to reduce coals negative impacts.

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and analysis to help you make sense of our complex world.

It was written by: Lucas Henneman, George Mason University.

Read more:


Pope Francis met with a dozen relatives of hostages held by Hamas, as well as several Palestinians who lost loved ones in Israels assault on Gaza, the Associated Press reported. Several Palestinians told the Associated Press that Francis used the term genocide to describe Israels assault on Gaza, but Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni refuted those claims. In an address given in St. Peters Square, Francis urged peace. Here weve gone beyond war. This isnt war anymore, this is terrorism, Francis said. He did not clarify who he was referring to as terrorists, irking some Israelis.

Read it at Associated Press

Read more at The Daily Beast.
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) -Far-right populist Geert Wilders wants to be the Netherlands' next prime minister after a landmark election win by his Freedom Party (PVV).

Following is some of the reaction.

INTERNATIONAL REACTION:

EUROPEAN COMMISSION SPOKESPERSON:

"Elections take place at regular intervals in the member states, and this has not per se put in doubt, in any way, the membership of any country in the European Union. We continue to count on the Netherlands' strong participation in the EU, obviously."

"The Netherlands is a founding member of the European Union, a very strong member of our union."

HUNGARIAN PRIME MINISTER VIKTOR ORBAN:

"The winds of change are here! Congratulations to Geert Wilders on winning the Dutch elections!"

FRENCH FAR-RIGHT LEADER MARINE LE PEN:

"Congratulations to Geert Wilders and the PVV for their spectacular performance in the legislative elections which confirms the growing attachment to the defence of national identities.

"It is because there are people who refuse to see the national torch extinguished that the hope for change remains alive in Europe."

GERMAN EU MINISTER, ANNA LUEHRMANN:

"The high level of support for anti-European forces in the Netherlands is bitter. All pro-Europeans must now work to ensure that this does not happen again in the European elections. Because Europe protects our freedom, our democracy, and our security."

EUROPEAN GREENS PARTY:

"The election result is very worrying and marks a clear shift to the far-right in the Netherlands. All democratic parties of the political centre must now join forces and prevent the progression of extremist ideologies."

"With a view to the European elections, it is clear that we need to defend democratic principles and values even more strongly and urgently - in dialogue with the people and in public debates."

BELGIAN FAR-RIGHT LEADER TOM VAN GRIEKEN:

"I would like to congratulate Geert Wilders on this victory. It is clear: the population is yearning for real change. Not only in the Netherlands, but also in Flanders. Parties like ours are coming all over Europe!

SPANISH FAR-RIGHT LEADER SANTIAGO ABASCAL:

"More and more Europeans demand in the streets and at the polls that their nations, their borders and their rights be defended."

ITALIAN FAR-RIGHT LEADER MATTEO SALVINI:

"Congratulations to our friend Geert Wilders, leader of the PVV and historic ally of the League, for this extraordinary electoral victory. A new Europe is possible."

DOMESTIC REACTION:

HABIB EL KADDOURI, HEAD OF DUTCH ORGANISATION REPRESENTING DUTCH MOROCCANS

"The distress and fear are enormous.

"Wilders is known for his ideas about Muslims and Moroccans. We are afraid that he will portray us as second-class citizens."

FRIENDS OF THE EARTH NETHERLANDS, INTERNATIONAL NETWORK OF GRASSROOTS ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANISATIONS:

"A Wilders government will mean four years of climate change denial, exclusion and a breakdown of the rule of law."

LABOUR/GREEN LEFT LEADER FRANS TIMMERMANS:

"Democracy has spoken, now it's time for us to defend democracy, to defend the rule of law. We have to make a fist against exclusion, against discrimination."

"It is clear that many people expect solutions from the right. Then the right should also show that."

CONSERVATIVE, PRO-BUSINESS VVD PARTY LEADER DILAN YESILGOZ:

"It is up to Wilders to show he can form a majority. I don't see it happening."

(Reporting by Charlotte Van Campenhout and Bart Meijer; additional reporting by Julia Payne, Piotr Lipinski in Brussels, John Irish in Paris, Andreas Rinke in Berlin; Editing by Jamie Freed and Toby Chopra)
President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and their spouses, first lady Dr. Jill Biden and second gentleman Doug Emhoff, will travel to Atlanta to pay their respects to the late former first lady Rosalynn Carter.

The White House announced on Wednesday that they will travel to Atlanta on Tuesday for a tribute service to Mrs. Carter.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

The service is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Glenn Memorial Church at Emory University.

Mrs. Carter passed away on Sunday after being diagnosed with dementia earlier this year. She was admitted to hospice care just a few days before she passed. She was 96.

REMEMBERING ROSALYNN CARTER:

Her official funeral service has been scheduled for Wednesday morning in her hometown of Plains.

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REMEMBERING ROSALYNN CARTER:
A group of pro-Palestinian protesters interrupted New York Citys annual Thanksgivings Day Parade by gluing themselves to the parade route.

Demonstrators ended up diverting Thursdays procession after several people from a 30-person protest jumped over barriers near West 45th Street and fixed themselves to 6th Avenue around 10 a.m., according to ABC News.

The protesters, who were wearing fake-bloodied jumpsuits with the words colonialism, racism, militarism and ethnic cleansing on them, were detained by New York Police Department officers.

During the skirmish, Thanksgiving Day floats, bands and balloons were redirected from 6th Avenue to their final destination at Macys in Herald Square.

Pro-Palestinian protesters interrupted the Thanksgiving Day parade in New York City on Thursday.

Pro-Palestinian protesters interrupted the Thanksgiving Day parade in New York City on Thursday.

Protesters wave Palestinian flags as performers move along 6th Avenue.

Protesters wave Palestinian flags as performers move along 6th Avenue.

After demonstrators glued themselves to 6th Avenue, the parade was diverted around them.

After demonstrators glued themselves to 6th Avenue, the parade was diverted around them.

New York City police officers take pro-Palestinian protesters into custody during the Thanksgiving Day parade.

New York City police officers take pro-Palestinian protesters into custody during the Thanksgiving Day parade.

The protesters' jumpsuits had been doused in fake blood.

The protesters' jumpsuits had been doused in fake blood.

The demonstrators wore jumpsuits with the words colonialism, racism, militarism and ethnic cleansing on them.

The demonstrators wore jumpsuits with the words colonialism, racism, militarism and ethnic cleansing on them.

Video from the scene taken by Newsday reporter Matthew Chayes showed a green dinosaur balloon sponsored by the Sinclair Oil Corp. floating behind them at the time.

According to WABC-TV in New York City, parade spectators booed the protesters once they were aware of the disruption.

The television station also reported disturbances at West 49th Street and at West 59th Street. Fox 5 New Yorkreported that protesters wearing Free Palestine shirts were detained near West 55th Street.

Police presence was high during this years Thanksgiving Day parade, which was expected to draw 3 million people.

Though there were no credible threats ahead of the event, NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism Rebecca Weiner told CBS News the department was ready to handle any disruptions that might arise.

We will not compromise on public safety, absolutely not. Not in this environment, not when theres so much going on, Weiner said, pointing to public tension over the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

President Joe Biden made a call for unity while he and first lady Jill Biden spoke to NBCs Al Roker by phone during the parade.

We have to come together, he told Roker. We can have different political views, but we have one view. The one view is were the finest, the greatest nation in the world. We should focus on that. And we should focus on dealing with our problems and coming together ... and stop the rancor. We have to bring the nation together.

Related...
More than two dozen pro-Palestinian protesters briefly disrupted the annual Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the militant group Hamas.

New York ABC affiliate WABC reported the protest happened at Sixth Avenue at West 45th Street about 10 a.m. Thursday. Protesters reportedly jumped over the barricades, ran into the streets and glued themselves to the parade route.

The demonstrators, about 30 of them, wore white jumpsuits sprayed with fake blood and labeled with words like colonialism and consumerism, according to WABC.

Their protest began 90 minutes after the annual parade began. Spectators started to jeer the demonstrators once they realized what was happening.

Authorities arrested the demonstrators and took them into custody after they refused to leave the area.

Disturbances were also reported at two locations at West 49th and West 59th streets, WABC reported.

This staged protest is similar to one that occurred in 2014, where police arrested seven people protesting the courts decision to indict a police officer in the fatal shooting of Black teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., WABC noted.

The Hill has reached out to the NYPD for more information.

Its been a month since Hamass surprise attack against Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people and the taking of around 240 hostages by the militant group.

In response, Israel has launched a series of airstrikes and a ground invasion in Gaza, resulting in the death of at least 13,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.

The incident comes days after Israel and Hamas agreed to implement a temporary cease-fire for four days to allow for the safe transfer of hostages and the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

The militant group has agreed to release 50 hostages, all women and children. With the transfer of hostages, Palestinian prisoners will also be released from Israeli jails.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Pro-Palestinian protesters are detained during Macy's annual Thanksgiving Day Parade on Nov. 23, 2023 in New York City. Credit - Stephanie Keith/ Getty Images

Protesters temporarily disrupted the Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City in what was the latest demonstration in opposition to the Israel-Hamas war.

Groups of protesters gathered both on the parade route and sidelines, holding banners and chanting. Floats and marching bands continued to move down 6th Avenue, veering around the protesters.

Read More: From Lawsuits to Protests, Pro-Palestinian Americans Are Pushing Biden to Pivot

Video footage shows one group of protesters in white jumpsuits with words like imperialism and genocide written on them, blocking a dinosaur balloon by Sinclair Oil Corporation. The group, reportedly known as the Seven Circles Alliance, lay on the ground as fake blood was poured on them, chanting liberation for Palestine and planet.

Another group reportedly jumped over the barricades separating the parade route, ABC News reports, and displayed a banner that said Genocide then, genocide now, as individuals behind the barricades lined the route with Palestinian flags.

BREAKING: Several pro-Palestine activists were arrested for staging a sit-in on the march route of the Macys Thanksgiving Day parade in New York City pic.twitter.com/kv9pUQgO77  BreakThrough News (@BTnewsroom) November 23, 2023

During the parade, as the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribes float moved along the route, one member unfurled and displayed the Palestinian flag.

watching the macys parade this morning and im so glad i was able to see this with my own eyes. the mashpee wampanoag tribe from ma brought a palestinian flag on their float in solidarity for palestine! the world sees you!! pic.twitter.com/ahQvJGageB  ki  (@vapevocalist) November 23, 2023

Video footage shows several protesters being led away in handcuffs by police officers, though the exact number of protesters or arrests have yet to be confirmed. The NYPD did not return TIMEs request for comment ahead of publication.

The Independent reports that one of the protesters said, I will not celebrate the genocide of thousands of children who are being bombed and buried under rubble. We have nothing to celebrate.

Write to Simmone Shah at simmone.shah@time.com.
Pro-Palestinian protesters temporarily halted the annual Macys Day Thanksgiving Parade in New York City by glueing their hands to the ground in the middle of 6th Avenue.

Around 30 protesters were demonstrating against the ongoing conflict in Gaza when a few made their way into the middle of the parade just before 11am, reports said.

They jumped the barricades and ran into the street where the parade procession was happening and allegedly glued themselves to the ground.

The demonstrators were wearing white jumpsuits, with words such as colonialism, imperialism and consumerism written on them, then proceeded to pour fake blood over each other.

As they walked down 6th Avenue in front of large float displays, they chanted pro-Palestinian messages, such as Theres an ongoing genocide and our planet is dying and We need a ceasefire.

Pro-Palestine protestors at Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade (Brendan Mcdermid/Reuters)

A swarm of NYPD police came to arrest the protesters, while the parade continued around them.

Floats, balloons and bands were all diverted around the police who were circling the demonstrators who were glued onto the ground.

One reportedly told police: Im glued down. I cant get up.

Some in the onlooking crowd reportedly booed as the activists were arrested.

Protesters being arrested (AP)

Other protesters who jumped into the parade procession were seen wearing t-shirts that stated Stop the Genocide and carrying a banner that read Genocide then. Genocide now, although it was unclear if they were part of the same group as the ones in white jumpsuits.

The demonstrators reportedly came from a larger protest of 400 people that gathered in Madison Square Park, The New York Post said.

A Palestinian flag was also lifted and displayed by a person aboard the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribes float in the parade as it passed the Macys flagship store on 34th Street, Fox News reports.

Security measures increased for this years Thanksgiving Parade, as well as in airports and shopping malls across the United States, Reuters said.

The boost in security comes at a time when Islamophobia and antisemitism have seen a huge surge, especially since the start of the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.

Activists poured fake blood on each other (AP)

On Wednesday, New York Mayor Eric Adams declared he would not tolerate violent demonstrations, saying: Youre not going to destroy property, youre not going to injure people.

President Joe Biden also commented in an interview with NBC on the need for decency.

Today is about coming together, Mr Biden said. We can have different political views but ... we should focus on dealing with our problems. ... And stop the rancor, he said.
Groups of pro-Palestinian protesters disrupted the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, with some chanting and singing "Palestine will be free" while others glued themselves to the street along the parade route.

One group of protesters took to the parade route in midtown Manhattan and unfurled a banner reading, "Liberation for Palestine and Planet." They called for an end to fossil fuels while supporting Palestinians in Gaza.

The protesters wore white jumpsuits, doused themselves with red liquid and glued their hands to the street to try to disrupt the parade. The crowd lining the sidewalk could be heard drowning out the chants with boos.

NYPD officers were seen removing the protesters from the street and taking them away from the scene so that the parade could continue.

PRO-PALESTINIAN RALLIES IN NYC AND DC INTERRUPT CROWDED HUBS DURING RUSH-HOUR COMMUTE

On another part of the parade route, protesters waving Palestinian flags and holding pro-Palestinian signs were singing a variety of chants, including "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free."

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

Some protesters chanted "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free."

Some chanted, "There is only one solution, intifada revolution," while others called for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war.

They also chanted, "There is only one solution, intifada revolution."

In another act of protest, an individual aboard a Native American float whipped out a Palestinian flag during the parades broadcast on television.

The float from the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, also known as the People of the First Light, was passing Macys flagship store on 34th Street in midtown Manhattan when a male individual unfurled a small Palestinian flag and raised it above his head.

Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb, who were announcing the floats at that point during NBCs broadcast of the parade, said that the "float represents the promise of the future guided by the knowledge of our shared heritage."

Pro-Palestinian protests have broken out across many U.S. cities and college campuses in recent weeks, with many demanding a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war.

Last week, pro-Palestinian protesters in New York City converged near Penn Station and blocked access to the main train hub in and out of the city. Other pro-Palestinian protesters in San Francisco and Boston also temporarily blocked traffic on bridges during rush hour.

DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST MEMBERS OF CONGRESS HAVE NOT CONDEMNED VIOLENT ANTI-ISRAEL PROTEST TARGETING OWN PARTY HQ

Israel vowed to wipe out Hamas after the militant group launched its Oct. 7 surprise attack, in which at least 1,200 people died in Israel and around 240 were taken captive by militants back to Gaza.

CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

More than 11,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.





Original article source: Pro-Palestinian protesters disrupt Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City
LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  Tourists view the 15 pedestrian bridges towering over Las Vegas Boulevard as the perfect vantage point to get the perfect shot of the Las Vegas Strip. Law enforcement, instead, views them as safety concerns when not enough people are flowing in the walkway.

They began rising in the mid-90s to keep vehicle traffic flowing underneath them. Now, law enforcement wants the foot traffic up there to remain flowing too.

A new ordinance, introduced to the Clark County Commission on Tuesday, would establish pedestrian flow zones both on the bridges and within 20 feet of adjoining escalators, stairs, and elevators if approved. These defined areas would make it unlawful for any person to stop, stand, or engage in an activity that causes another person to stop or stand, according to the ordinances language.

Analyses by UNLV Criminal Justice Professor William H. Sousa are cited within, showing a 23% increase in disorderly calls for service on Las Vegas Boulevard from 2018 to 2022. 11% of those calls were on these bridges, he reports, despite them representing only 6% of total available sidewalk space along the resort corridor.

The analyses additionally show a 1,700% increase in calls for disorderly unhoused individuals on the bridge within the same time frame: 56 calls in 2018 to 1,031 calls in 2022.

While law enforcement is concerned about increased safety risks, promoters and performers are concerned about losing an audience. Jone, as he asked to be called, is a venue promoter who picks a spot along one of the bridges five days a week and hands out flyers to the show paying him to be there.

Its not good for me because I (could) lose my hours. I cant do what I do every day, Jone said Tuesday, referencing the proposed ordinance while working on top of a bridge over Las Vegas Boulevard and Tropicana.

Artists, like Verlincia Prince, also believe the new rule would push promoters and street performers further into the shadow. As a tourist from Texas, she also says it may swindle visitors out of the popular tourist selfie above the Las Vegas Strip.

You build them with the clear windows. What is the point of it? Prince said while on top of a bridge over the boulevard and Park Avenue Tuesday. You need to be seen. You need to be out there. You need to be able to show people what it is that you do, because all publicity is great.

The first public hearing for the introduced ordinance is scheduled for the next Clark County Commission meeting on December 5. If approved, it would amend Title 16 of the Clark County Code.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA)  A proposed Florida bill would limit the use of pronouns in any government-related workplace that are different from those of a persons assigned sex at birth.

HB 599, which was filed Tuesday by Rep. Ryan Chamberlin (R-Marion County), would prohibit employees and contractors of certain employers from being required to use, from providing, and from being asked to provide certain titles and pronouns; prohibiting employees and contractors from being penalized or subjected to certain actions for not providing certain titles and pronouns

The bill would make it illegal for an employee or contractor to provide to an employer his or her preferred personal title or pronouns if such preferred personal title or pronouns if such preferred personal title or pronouns do not correspond to his or her sex.

It also bans any employer who receives state funding from requiring training or instruction regarding sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression as a condition of employment.

If passed, the bill would go into effect Jan. 1, 2024.

The next Florida legislative session begins in January.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.
Jackson County prosecutors have charged a 33-year-old man with seven felonies for allegedly firing an assault rifle at a plainclothes Leawood police detective who was in Kansas City investigating an automobile theft.

Stefan A. Dixon, of Kansas City, is accused of first-degree assault, unlawful weapon use, armed criminal action, tampering with a motor vehicle and resisting arrest by fleeing police, according to a criminal complaint filed Tuesday in Jackson County Circuit Court. He was being held in the county jail on a $150,000 bond.

Authorities allege Dixon fired the rifle from inside a stolen vehicle that was being followed by a Leawood detective Monday afternoon near East 38th Street and Wabash Avenue, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in court Tuesday. The detectives vehicle was not struck by gunfire and no one was injured.

The suburban detectives were investigating a reported theft of a vehicle out of a Leawood driveway. Its owner told police there was a GPS device showing its possible location in Kansas City.

One of the detectives followed the stolen auto for about 11 minutes in an unmarked police vehicle through the Ivanhoe Northeast neighborhood. He witnessed an apparent hand-to-hand drug transaction when the driver stopped at a residence.

The detective continued to follow, calling KCPD to assist by pulling the vehicle over, and lost sight of it over a hill. The detective then came upon the vehicle as it was parked near a small church with its drivers door open.

The detective saw the long barrel of a rifle and took evasive action, accelerating and weaving left to right to present a moving target, and radioed dispatch for help. He saw the shooter drive north on Wabash Avenue and then west on 37th Street.

The detective reported hearing about 10 gunshots and fearing for his life. He later told Kansas City police investigators he was certain the driver knew he was police as his vehicle is a blue Ford Explorer with red-and-blue lights in its grill.

Kansas City police pursued the stolen vehicle after it was spotted roughly 30 minutes later near 75th Street and Troost Avenue. Dixon was arrested after a high-speed chase that went through several red lights until the vehicle became disabled in the 6400 block of East 87th Street.

During a police interview Monday, Dixon said he found the stolen car near 39th Street and Wabash Avenue with its engine running and an assault rifle in the front passenger seat. After driving it to buy methamphetamine, he said, he noticed an SUV behind him and took several turns to confirm he was being followed.

He allegedly admitted to firing the gun but said he aimed over the SUV so he wouldnt hurt anyone, according to the affidavit.

Dixon made his initial appearance on the charges Wednesday in Jackson County. A judge ordered he be screened for representation by the Missouri Public Defenders Office.

Court records showed no defense attorney assigned to Dixons case as of Wednesday. A hearing was scheduled for Nov. 30.
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin made a rare trip abroad by arriving in Minsk to participate in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) summit, Russian propaganda agency TASS reported on Nov. 23.

His Il-96PU plane with the registration number RA-96024 landed at the Minsk National Airport at12:14 local time, the Belarusky Hajun monitoring group wrote on Telegram.

Putins last visit to Belarus was 11 months ago.

He has rarely traveled abroad since sending troops into Ukraine in Feb. 2022 and has attended major international summits either online or not participated at all after the ICC issued a warrant for his arrest on March 17, accusing him of overseeing the illegal deportation of children from Ukraine.

The Russian dictator did not attend the BRICS summit in South Africa in August or the G20 summit in India in September for fear of arrest. Instead, Russia was represented by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Since being charged by the ICC, Putin has traveled abroad only three times  to China, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan. The Kremlin dictator could be arrested on the territory of 123 countries that have ratified the Rome Statute.

Putin also participated in an online G20 summit on Nov. 22 for the first time since the start of his full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He reiterated his false narrative about Ukraine's "attack on the Donbas" and Moscow's alleged pursuit of "peace" in his online address to the virtual summit.

U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping did not participate in the virtual G20summit attended by Putin, Bloomberg wrote on Nov. 22. The summit was chaired by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin has pardoned Denis Gorin, a cannibal from Sakhalin Oblast, and Nikolai Ogolobyak, who was convicted of ritual murders, because they fought in the war against Ukraine, Russian media reports say.

Source: Holod media; Sibir Realii [Siberia Realities] project; Russian  News service; 76.RU

Details: Gorin, a native of Sakhalin Oblast, has been convicted three times of murdering at least four people in 2003, 2010 and 2011. He committed two of the murders with his brother Yevgeny.

The murder he committed in 2010 was uncovered in the summer of 2012. According to the investigation, Gorin first killed the victim and then cut the flesh off the corpse's legs. He washed it, put it in the refrigerator, and later ate it. After his last conviction, the murderer was sentenced to 22 years in a maximum-security penal colony.

The media reported that a new photo was posted on Gorin's profile on social media a month ago, showing him wearing a military uniform with the letter Z on the sleeve.

Gorin's neighbour Dmitry told journalists where he is now.

Quote from Dmitry: "He is in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk now, in a military hospital, with a moderate injury. Hes basically free, pardoned, and half his [prison] sentence has been wiped out. But I dont think hell stay free for long. His victims' relatives remember everything."

Details: The Russian media also reported that Nikolai Ogolobyak, 33, who was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment in 2010 for the ritual murders of four teenagers and cannibalism, was pardoned this week after fighting in the war in Ukraine.

Nikolai Ogolobyak

Photo: 76.ru

Ogolobyak's father said he came home to Yaroslavl from the war in early November.

Quote from Ogolobyak's father: "He served in the Storm Z unit for six months... He is disabled after being wounded. He can walk, but the wound was a serious one. He isnt working yet, hes recovering. Hes not likely to be drafted back into the special military operation [the Russian term for the war in Ukraine  ed.]."

Ogolobyak was a member of a Satanist sect which started off by killing dogs and cats and in 2008 killed and dismembered four teenagers: three girls and a boy.

The investigation concluded that the murders were ritualistic. The killers had a ritual place where they would light a bonfire, line up in the shape of a pentagram, and stab their victims with daggers. During one of the murders, Ogolobyak is said to have counted out the stabs aloud until he got to 666.

According to the investigation, the corpses were dismembered and buried.

The murderers reportedly cut off the breasts of the first two girls they killed and took out their hearts and tongues, which they roasted and ate.

Most of the sects members were under 18 at the time and were sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. Ogolobyak, who was an adult at the time of the murders, was imprisoned for 20 years and should have remained in the penal colony until 2030.

Background:

In April 2023, Putin pardoned Vladislav Kanyus, the killer of Vera Pekhteleva, a student in Kemerovo, Siberia.

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LURAY  Shenandoah National Park has reopened all trails in the Rapidan Camp area previously closed due to the Quaker Run Fire, according to a press release from the National Park Service. These areas were closed to the public while crews worked to remove fire weakened trees.

On Nov. 17, the Quaker Run Fire was declared 100% contained, the Nov. 22 release said. Firefighters and support staff from Virginia Department of Forestry, Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, Madison County, and National Park Service worked to contain the fire, which affected 3,937 acres on private, state and federal lands.

About 700 acres were within Shenandoahs boundary. Shenandoah National Park thanks the Southern Area Gold Incident Management Team for their assistance in managing and containing the Quaker Run Fire, the release said.

Shenandoahs complete fire ban remains in effect. All open-air fires are prohibited including in picnic area and campgrounds.

To keep track of Virginia wildfires, visit The News Leader's wildfire, smoke map.

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More: Kate's Mercantile & Co. offers creative workshops in Staunton

More: Kennedy assassination: The horror, the headlines, and the hidden story that marked the end of an era

This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Shenandoah National Park wildfire affected 3,937 acres is contained
Queen Camilla was praised for making reading sexy as she hosted authors shortlisted for the Booker Prize  and was given the trophy for safe keeping.

Sir Ben Okri paid tribute to the Queen, a passionate reader and patron of a number of literacy charities, saying her example had encouraged others to delve into books.

The poet and novelist, whose book The Famished Road won the Booker Prize in 1991, said: She sets a very good public example, she makes reading sexy, and makes it appealing to the public, and makes it something that you ought to do.

Its very, very important, reading, literacy needs all the help it can get.

Sir Ben Okri praised the Queen's work on literacy and reading at a literary gathering at Clarence House - Chris Jackson/PA Wire

The Queen welcomed the Booker Prize Foundation, which runs the awards, to her Clarence House home and at the end of the event was asked to look after the trophy ahead of the presentation ceremony on Sunday.

She told her gathered guests: I just wanted to say thank you to all the writers who enhance our life, we couldnt do without you all.

Ive always said reading is an escapism, whatever is happening in your life, and if you feel its difficult to cope with, you can pick up a book and just go off into another world.

So if it wasnt for all of you, and all the publishers, and all the agents that help you put your books on the map, it would be a very sad world.

The Booker Prize is one of the worlds leading literary awards that recognises talent from around the globe, and has helped to make household names of authors such as Margaret Atwood, Dame Hilary Mantel and Sir Salman Rushdie, all past winners.

Authors, agents and publishers with Queen Camilla at Clarence House - Chris Jackson/Getty Images

None of this years six Booker finalists  two Americans, a Canadian, two Irish and a British author  have been shortlisted before and their books explore themes ranging from immigration, political extremism and erosion of personal freedom to grief.

Sir Ben gave an impassioned speech championing the importance of books, telling the Queen and her guests: We know that stories told well and truthfully can shake the world and bring quiet liberation. We know literature is a force for good in an ever darkening world.

He said the Queen was someone who loves reading and who also champions the rights of writers to write freely and unfettered, for a fairy tale is not an unreal fact, taking place in a real world. It is a transformative act taking place in a resistant world.

Magic is only possible because reality is hard. And all fairy tales take place against the background of what [Arthur] Schopenhauer would call the suffering of the world, he added.

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Olha Stefanishyna, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine, during her visit to Vienna on 23 November, has advocated for the early opening of Ukraines EU accession negotiations.

Source: European Pravda with reference to Die Presse

Details: The Ukrainian official thinks that there exists a "window of opportunity" for a quick start of Ukraines EU accession negotiations by the end of the year, and Kyiv hopes for a "clear signal" from Brussels.

Speaking about the advantages of such a decision, she stressed that it would "prevent EUs enlargement fatigue". Moreover, Ukraine is also a large European market that the EU will benefit from.

Stefanishyna added that Ukraine wants to prevent Hungarys veto through a "dialogue" with Budapest, specifically for solving the issue of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine.

"But all the debates about the future of Europe cannot revolve around the threats by one government head," she noted.

Stefanishyna recalled that Ukraine has been trying to build closer relations with Europe for many years: "We have been standing on the threshold of the accession negotiations for a decade. Ukrainians have patience".

Background:

Recently, there have been reports that the EU may not support the start of Ukraines EU accession negotiations during the summit in December. The possibility of postponing this decision until March due to a lack of unanimity in the EU is allegedly being considered. Hungary is publicly promising to block the positive decision for Kyiv.

Read also: What Should Ukraine Do to Overcome Orban's Veto and Start EU Accession Negotiations

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The FBI said the gunman who opened fire inside a Walmart in Ohio on Monday, wounding four before killing himself, may have been at least partially inspired by racially motivated violent extremist ideology.

Related: Kentucky mass shooter detailed mental health issues and ease of gun purchase

It confirmed two of the victims were white and the other two were Black.

An FBI spokesperson told ABC News that two Nazi flags, the SS history book, a shooting complex card, handwritten notes and a laptop were among items recovered from the home of the gunman, identified as 20-year-old Benjamin Charles Jones, of Dayton, Ohio.

Based on evidence collected, including journal writings from the attacker, he may have been at least partially inspired by racially motivated violent extremist ideology, the spokesperson told ABC, adding that the agency will continue to investigate the motivating factors leading to this attack.

Jones entered the Beavercreek store in suburban Dayton at about 8.30pm holding a Hi-Point 45-caliber carbine. He opened fire, hitting three women and a man, before turning the weapon on himself, authorities said.

Police said three of the injured were in stable condition and one of the women was in critical but stable condition on Tuesday.

Tragedy struck our beloved community Monday evening, and, in the face of adversity, the strength of our community shines through, Beavercreeks mayor, Bob Stone, said during a news conference.

Walmart said in a statement that the company was heartbroken by what had happened and was working closely with investigators.

An eyewitness, Christopher Suffron, told WHIO-TV in Dayton that he was shopping with his wife when they heard five or six shots ring out. I turned around and told her to get behind me, he later recalled. The couple escaped through nearby loading doors as shots rang out behind them.

The Beavercreek store was the scene of a fatal shooting involving police almost a decade ago, when a white police officer shot and killed 22-year-old John Crawford III, who was Black, after he picked up an unpackaged pellet rifle from a shelf. Crawfords family later reached a $1.7m settlement with the city of Beavercreek.

The Beavercreek shooting was the second to target Walmart in less than 24 hours. A day earlier, a man at an outlet in Anchorage, Alaska, shot and killed a woman before fatally wounding himself. Police in Anchorage said it was a domestic violence-related crime.

Walmart, which has police outposts in some of its 4,600 locations nationwide, has taken steps to address gun violence, including a computer-based active shooter training in 2015.

The latest shootings come a year after a Walmart supervisor in Chesapeake, Virginia, killed six co-workers shortly before Thanksgiving. In 2019, a white gunman killed 23 people at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, in a racially motivated attack on Hispanic shoppers.

Soon after, the retail giant stopped sales of certain types of ammunition and asked customers to no longer openly carry firearms in its stores.

We take a comprehensive approach to promoting a safe shopping and work environment  including policies, training, monitoring and response  as well as regular reviews of security protocols and practices, a company spokesperson said in a statement to the Associated Press.

While we dont publicly discuss security measures we take in our stores, the safety of our associates and customers is a top priority.
A car exploded on a bridge connecting Canada and the US on Wednesday, leaving two people dead and prompting both nations to bolster their border security measures.

The car was in the process of crossing the Rainbow Bridge near Niagara Falls, one of the busiest crossings between the US and Canada, when the explosion occurred.

Two male passengers who were in the car at the time were declared dead at the scene, according to law enforcement sources on the ground. A border agent was also injured.

Photos and video from the scene showed large flames near a security booth at the crossing. Eye witnesses described the car rising around 10 feet into the air after it hit a fence, before it crashed to the ground in a ball of fire.

In this image taken from security video, a light colored vehicle, circled, flies over a fence into the Rainbow Bridge customs plaza

US terrorism investigators were deployed to the scene, but the FBI said later that their initial inquiries showed no sign of a terror attack.

Asked why he believes there isnt a threat of terrorism, FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia told reporters the FBI had identified a suspect and looked into his background.

We do not have any derogatory information on this person that weve identified, were scanning his social media, theres nothing there, were still running a full investigation so thats a preliminary assessment, he said.

We feel, at this point, this might be just something that occurred, theres no larger picture here to look at for now.

Canadian officials said it was too early to confirm whether it was a deliberate act.

Justin Trudeau, the Canadian Prime Minister, said his government was taking the incident extraordinarily seriously.

All four border crossings between Canada and western New York were closed amid the heightened security alert.

Mr Trudeau said officials were implementing additional measures at all other border crossings across the country.

This is obviously a very serious situation at Niagara Falls. There was a vehicle explosion at the Rainbow Bridge crossing, he told the Canadian House of Commons.

Law enforcement sources said the car passed through a preliminary checkpoint between Canada and the US and then exploded close to a secondary checkpoint.

Security footage appears to show the car then travelling along a road on the US side of the bridge at an extraordinarily high rate of speed, New York governor Kathy Hochul said.

The car then hit a curb, became airborne and landed in a secondary search area on the bridge before exploding:

CCTV of Canada US crash

It is unclear what prompted the car to accelerate, and whether the explosion was a result of it landing on impact or due to an explosive device.

An initial US customs and border protection assessment suggested the cause was reckless driving, a source familiar with the investigation told Reuters.

Ive been newly briefed by the @FBI this evening on the incident at Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls.



They have now confirmed that there is no reason at present to believe this was terrorism.



And they believe they have the identity of the driver.  Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) November 22, 2023

Ms Hochul told a press conference there is a suspicion that the vehicle may have originated in that vicinity of a casino.

Eye witness Mike Guenther, a Canadian visiting the US, said the car appeared to be travelling over 100 miles per hour.

Weve seen this car coming down towards the border and he was flying - over 100 miles an hour, he told CBS News.

The car then swerved and hit the fence, went flying up into the air, he said, describing an ensuing fireball.

The Rainbow Bridge is one of four border crossings connecting Ontario to western New York - among the busiest entry points between Canada and New York.

The others - Lewiston, Whirlpool and Peace Bridge - were all closed as a precaution but had reopened by Wednesday evening.

An FBI joint terrorism task force (JTTF) is investigating the car explosion, Ms Hochul said.

At my direction, New York State Police is actively working with the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force to monitor all points of entry to New York, she said.

Giving an update on Wednesday evening she said there was so far no sign of terrorist activity in this crash.

Israel-Hamas war has US on higher alert

Officials were also bolstering security in the US capital of Washington DC.

The incident came on one of Americas busiest travel days - the eve of the Thanksgiving holiday - prompting added wait times as millions of Americans were travelling.

Joe Biden was briefed on the incident from Nantucket, where the US president and his family are spending the holiday.

He and his team are closely following developments, the White House said.

Last month, FBI director Chris Wray warned the US was facing the most significant terror threat since the rise of the Islamic State nearly a decade ago as a result of the Israel-Hamas war.

Since the start of the conflict in Gaza, multiple foreign terrorist organisations have called for attacks against Americans and the West, raising the threat posed by homegrown violent extremists, Mr Wray said.

Meanwhile it emerged on Monday that New York City, home to the largest Jewish population of any city, was at increased risk of a possible terror attack in a new threat assessment by New York States intelligence centre.

The intelligence centre warned that the spread of antisemitic and anti-Palestinian rhetoric on social media is fueling an increase in hate crimes targeting Jews, Muslims and Arabs.

12:15 AM GMT

Blog is now closed

Thanks for following along with our live coverage of todays explosion on the US/Canada border.

12:13 AM GMT

CCTV pictures of the explosion

A vehicle burns at the Rainbow Bridge U.S. border crossing with Canada, in Niagara Falls, New York,

11:47 PM GMT

FBI says no signs crash was terror-related

Asked why he believes there isnt a threat of terrorism, FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia said, We do have someone in mind for it and were working through it through the JTTF (Joint Terrorism Task Force).

We do not have any derogatory information on this person that weve identified, were scanning his social media, theres nothing there, were still running a full investigation so thats a preliminary assessment.

We feel, at this point, this might be just something that occurred, theres no larger picture here to look at for now.

11:19 PM GMT

Chuck Schumer: FBI has identified the driver

Ive been newly briefed by the @FBI this evening on the incident at Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls.



They have now confirmed that there is no reason at present to believe this was terrorism.



And they believe they have the identity of the driver.  Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) November 22, 2023

10:42 PM GMT

Three of four border bridges reopened

Three of the four bridges joining Canada and the US have been reopened.

The Peace, Lewiston-Queenston and Whirlpool bridges had been closed for several hours following the blast.

The Rainbow Bridge - where the crash happened - remains closed.

Were going to make sure the public is safe before they go back on the Rainbow Bridge, New York Governor Kathy Hochul said.

Amtrak has temporarily suspended its cross border service between New York State and Canada.

10:30 PM GMT

Driver was a Western New Yorker

Appearing to refer to the driver, New York Governor Kathy Hochul said: Weve identified that this is a local individual, a western New Yorker, two individuals died in the vehicle.

She said a border patrol staff member working in the booth was injured and the booth had literally protected that individual.

The staff member was taken to the hospital to be treated for minor injuries and has now been released.

10:23 PM GMT

New York Governor: No sign of terrorist attack

Governor Kathy Hochul is currently holding a press conference on the car explosion.

She said while more information could arise, based on the preliminary investigation there is no sign of terrorist involvement in the horrific explosion that occurred here in Western New York.

She said it was a horrific incident, a crash, an explosion, loss of life, but at this time no known terrorist connection.

She said the driver had been travelling at an extraordinarily high rate of speed.



09:59 PM GMT

Car was travelling from US into Canada

The car was driving from the US side of the border towards Canada when it exploded, sources told CNN.

Police officials told the broadcaster CCTV analysis traced the car to a New York casino ahead of the incident.

While the authorities have identified the owner of the vehicle, they are still working to identify the bodies of those killed.

09:50 PM GMT

Bomb ruled out as cause of blast

A bomb has been ruled out as the cause of the blast which killed two people at the border, a source told Reuters.

The source said terrorism had not yet been discounted because we really have no idea what happened.

09:38 PM GMT

Where the explosion happened

09:35 PM GMT

New York Mayor says NYPD officers deployed to support

The NYPD and our team have been closely monitoring the situation on the ground in Buffalo after an explosion at the Rainbow Bridge, and weve already sent NYPD officers upstate to support efforts on the ground.  Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) November 22, 2023

09:11 PM GMT

Extra security at US - Canada borders

Extra security measures have been put in place at border zones across the US and Canada.

Security has been bolstered in Washington DC.

The Buffalo Niagara International airport is closed to international flights on one of the busiest travel days of the year for America. Domestic flights are still arriving and departing, but the TSA said it was operating in a heightened state.

08:47 PM GMT

Watch: Footage from the scene

The Telegraphs video desk has put together this wrap of the footage we have so far from the scene.

08:44 PM GMT

Incident appears to be 'reckless driver', initial assessment suggests

An initial US customs and border protection assessment suggests the incident was caused by reckless driving, a source familiar with the investigation told Reuters.

The assessment suggests the crash and fire were not caused by a deliberate act.



07:50 PM GMT

Car 'sped up' before explosion

US media cited law enforcement sources as saying there were two people in the car, which had passed through one border checkpoint where it was selected for a secondary check.

The car then sped up, crashed into a barrier and exploded, the sources said, stressing it was unclear if the blast was the result of the impact or from a device.

07:50 PM GMT

Dramatic images of the scene

Here are some of the images we are getting from the scene.

Rainbow Bridge

Flames at the US - Canada border

07:32 PM GMT

Trudeau: 'We are taking this extraodinarily seriously'

Mr Trudeau said his government was taking the situation extraordinarily seriously as he addressed Canadian MPs in Parliament just now.

There are a lot of questions, Mr Trudeau said, and we are following up to try and get as many answers as rapidly as possible.

He said: We are in close contact with US officials and well continue to work closely with them.

Mr Trudeau said all four border crossings from Canada into western New York were currently closed.

Additional Measures are being contemplated and activated at all border crossings across the country, he said.

We are taking this extraordinarily seriously.

Mr Trudeau then excused himself from the chamber so he could go and receive further updates and work on this very serious situation.

The Canadian Prime Minister was applauded by other MPs as he left the chamber.

07:25 PM GMT

Canada: Too soon to say if it was 'deliberate act'

Dominic LeBlanc, the Canadian public safety minister, said he and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau were receiving regular updates on the incidents.

Mr LeBlanc said there was currently no reliable, verifiable information on whether there was a public safety risk.

He added that it was too soon to say if the explosion was a deliberate act.

07:23 PM GMT

Reports of two passengers dead

The two passengers in the exploded car are dead, according to sources quoted by Fox News.

One border patrol has also been injured, the cable network reported.

Canada/US Border closed at Niagara Falls, Rainbow Bridge

07:15 PM GMT

Biden being briefed

President Joe Biden is being brought up to speed on the incident during his Thanksgiving break in Nantucket, an official said.

The White House is closely monitoring the situation.

07:08 PM GMT

Joint terror task force investigating

A joint terrorism task force (JTTF) is investigating the incident, the New York governor said.

At my direction, New York State Police is actively working with the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force to monitor all points of entry to New York, Kathy Hochul said.

There is understood to be a system-wide uptick in security screenings at the border as a result. It comes on one of Americas busiest travel days of the year - the day before the Thanksgiving holiday.

At my direction, @nyspolice is actively working with the @FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force to monitor all points of entry to New York.



I am traveling to Buffalo to meet with law enforcement & emergency responders & will update New Yorkers when more information becomes available.  Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) November 22, 2023

06:59 PM GMT

Car was attempting to enter the US

A car was attempting to enter the US side of the border, according to a spokesman for the mayor of the city of Niagara Falls.

We dont really know too much  just that there was a vehicle trying to come into the US and they shut down both sides of the bridge, Aaron Ferguson told CNN.

06:44 PM GMT

Photo from the scene

A photo from the scene shows what is left after a vehicle exploded at Rainbow Bridge.

Canada/US Border

06:42 PM GMT

Explosion on Rainbow Bridge

The FBIs field office in Buffalo said in a statement that it was investigating the explosion on the Rainbow Bridge, which connects the two countries across the Niagara River.

Photos and video taken by news organisations and posted on social media showed a security booth that had been singed by flames.

Further information wasnt immediately available.

06:40 PM GMT

Border crossing closed

Border crossing between US and Canada closed after vehicle explosion on bridge near Niagara Falls, FBI says

06:38 PM GMT

This is a breaking news story

The FBI has described the situation as very fluid. We will keep you updated.

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HOUSTON - Hip-hop legend Juvenile is returning to Houston for a special holiday meet & greet.

RELATED: Juvenile rapper Juvie Juice brand launches in Houston

Fans will have the opportunity to meet Juvenile and celebrate the launch of his signature drink, "Juvie Juice," created in partnership with Urban South. This will be an experience for fans, where they can engage with Juvenile and have their merchandise signed by the iconic artist himself.

Juvie Juice, a collaboration between Juvenile and Urban South Brewery, is a hard iced tea with lemonade that combines the rapper's distinctive style with the artistry of craft brewing. Known for its refreshing and vibrant flavors, Juvie Juice has quickly become a favorite among music and craft beer enthusiasts.

FOX 26 Houston is now on the FOX LOCAL app available through Apple TV, Amazon FireTV, Roku, Google Android TV, and Vizio!

During the meet & greet event, attendees will have the opportunity to purchase this one-of-a-kind beverage and learn more about the creative process behind its development.

"We are thrilled to announce that Juvenile will return to Houston for a meet and greet during the holidays," said Jacob Landry, Founder of Urban South Brewery. "Collaborating with a legendary artist like Juvenile has been an incredible experience, and we can't wait for fans to taste the fruits of our partnership with Juvie Juice. It's a unique blend that embodies Juvenile's style, and we're excited to share it with the people of Houston."

Juvenile Meet & Greet Schedule

Friday, November 24th

6:00 p.m.

Urban South HTX - 1201 Oliver St #10, Houston, TX 77007

DOWNLOAD THE FOX 26 HOUSTON APP BY CLICKING HERE

For an even more memorable experience, fans can order merchandise online or at the HTX taproom in advance. Juvenile will sign any merchandise purchased for the occasion, adding a personal touch to your collection. To find Juvie Juice and other Urban South products near you, visit Urban Souths beer finder page.

Stay connected with Urban South HTX by following the taproom on Instagram and Facebook .
Local American Red Cross officials said Thursday they had provided assistance to 7 people, including two children, impacted by a home fire in West Palm Beach.

The volunteer members of the Disaster Action Team from the Palm Beach County/Treasure Coast Chapter "responded to a home fire" on Monaco Terrace in the Frenchman's Landing community, according to a Red Cross statement.

"The Red Cross is providing emergency financial assistance, health and mental health services, one-on-one support to connect people to available recovery assistance and will continue to provide additional support to the family to meet their disaster-caused needs.," the statement said.

The Red Cross said the Disaster Action Team "is a group of local, specially trained, Red Cross volunteer responders, who are ready to take action in these emergencies, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year." The statement added "volunteers also provide emotional support and information to help families begin the process of recovery" and they do so "free of charge, a gift made possible by donations to the Red Cross.

How you can help

The Red Cross said area residents can finds ways to help at redcross.org/SouthFlorida.

Other ways to help are:

Make a financial donation to their local Red Cross to help people affected by home fires and other disasters in the United States and around the world. Visit redcross.org/donate.

Visit redcross.org/homefires to find out how to protect themselves and their homes from fire.

Become a Red Cross volunteer by applying at redcross.org/sflvolunteer.

Download the Red Cross Emergency App by visiting redcross.org/apps or texting alerts to help keep the user safe.

Antonio Fins is a politics and business editor at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at afins@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Red Cross assists 7 people after home catches fire in West Palm Beach
(BCN)  A Redwood City resident was arrested Wednesday and booked into San Mateo County Jail on suspicion of two felonies after allegedly texting an underage girl to meet for sex.

The Redwood City Police Department said Pouya Asrar, 37, had allegedly initiated a text conversation with a 17-year-old female.

The two met as co-workers at the math tutoring center known as Mathnasium on El Camino Real in Redwood City, according to police. The victim told officers that she began texting with him on Monday at his invitation. She said she had given Asrar her age, but that he continued messaging her anyway, and eventually the texts became lewd and sexual in nature.

Detectives managed to get the suspect to come to a location where he allegedly thought he was going to meet with the victim to have sexual relations, but he was arrested instead.

According to police, the suspect had condoms with him. Detectives conducted a search of the suspects residence as well.

Redwood City police commended the victim for alerting them and said they are currently investigating to determine if there were any other alleged victims.

Asrar was arrested on suspicion of communicating with a minor with the intent to commit a sex crime and arranging to meet with a minor to engage in sexual activity, both felonies.

Copyright  2023 Bay City News, Inc.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4.
TAMPA, Fla. - As the community mourns the loss of former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, they will have several chances to say goodbye.

Flags will fly half-staff starting Saturday, and starting on Monday, Mrs. Carter will lie in repose at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum.

On Tuesday, a tribute service is also planned at Glenn Memorial Church at Emory University, and on Wednesday, family and friends will hold a private funeral at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia.

The Carter Center set up a digital condolence book for you to pay your respects online. To pay respects to the former first lady and her family, click here.
The Mililani Mauka Wildfire still burns on the island of Oahu and may not get much media attention because it is not currently threatening homes, but experts say the fire and extremely dry conditions could in the future lead to another Lahaina tragedy.

The fire started on Oct. 30 and continues to smolder in the O'ahu Forest National Wildlife Refuge rain forest. It has so far charred about 1,600 acres  about a third of the land  and is still not fully contained. The acreage may seem small compared to recent massive Western and Canadian wildfires, but the percentage loss is on par.

"When these fires ravage the landscape and turn these native forests into barren landscapes oftentimes they are re-colonized by invasive grasses, which actually are very damaging for fire because they burn hotter and ignite faster than a native forest would," explained Emma Yuen, the Native Ecosystem Manager for Hawaii's Department of Land and Natural Resources. "And so a cycle is created when you have these fires that actually makes the landscape more prone to igniting and spreading hotter and more intense fires in the future."

AERIAL FOOTAGE SHOWS SHEER DESTRUCTION AFTER DEADLY HAWAII FIRES ACROSS MAUI

Smoke rises from the remains of Lahaina during the wildfire in Lahaina, Hawaii on August 10, 2023.

Yuen and Michael Walker, the Hawaii Statewide Fire Protection Forester, told FOX Weather that now invasive grasses cover 25% of the state. Many non-native plants evolved in Africa with regular growth and wildfire cycles. The grasses proliferate and are fast to colonize any open spaces in the soil. The resulting wildfires burn more extensively than they would a native Hawaiian forest and travel quicker, they said. They call it the grass fire cycle, which feeds itself.

"Those are really a major threat, particularly for the Lahaina fire and what caused it to be so devastating," Walker said.

WATCH: MAUI POLICE RELEASE BODYCAM FOOTAGE OF HAWAII WILDFIRE RESCUES

A large amount of destruction is visible in Lahaina town after deadly wildfires ravaged parts of Maui island in Hawaii.

"The only real natural source of (wildfire) ignition was lava flows," Yuen said. "We dont get thunderstorms and lightning like the continental U.S., and the lava doesnt last for a long period of time compared to the evolutionary timeline of an island that lasts maybe thousands of years. But Kauai is 6.5 million years old. So, there are 1 million years of plant evolution that have evolved without the presence of fire, and once a fire goes through an undominated area, it doesnt respond as fast as these grasses do."

Past land use also increased the extent of the grass. The two experts used Lahaina's Maui as an example. Sugarcane plantations once covered tens of thousands of acres but were shuttered in 2016, leaving barren land.

WHY ARE THUNDERSTORMS SO RARE ALONG THE PACIFIC COAST?

File: Sugarcane fields in Oahu in 1987.

"Theres no reforestation going on on these lands. Landowners are just taking advantage of the agricultural tax being lower, but not actively farming or ranching on these lands," Yuen said. "Instead, what you get is a vacuum where all these grasses will grow in there, and then theyll burn. Theres no management going on, theres no active farming or ranching, and thats the real issue right there."

Weather and climate were the other factors in the perfect storm of destruction that took almost 100 lives on the island in early August.

"With the change from La Nina system to El Nino, that kind of transition this summer really impacted our levels of rainfall, so the entire island of Oahu right now is in a severe drought," said Walker. "That includes areas of the forest that normally would be receiving 200 inches of rain per year on average. So, very little rainfall has really impacted this fire in particular conditions."

STRONG EL NINO WINTER: WHAT KIND OF WEATHER CAN YOU EXPECT?

The Mililani Mauka Wildfire burns on Oahu, but 75% of the state is currently in "severe drought," according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The fire also burns over a Priority 1 watershed, according to the Wildfire Incident Information System. The area feeds the Pearl Harbor Aquifer, which most of Oahu depends on for freshwater.

"Here in Hawaii, you can think of these for us as a giant living sponge that has mosses and ferns and trees that absorb rain and cloud water," said Yuen.

HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHER

File: Vegetation on Oahu.

WHAT EXCESS RAIN MEANS FOR BURN SCARS

"And so when they have this absorption, it trickles down into our underground freshwater supplies. So wildfires that devastate these forests mean that we can't absorb as much fresh water," she continued. "And so after a fire, we often see a really higher vulnerability to flooding because when rains come (with no plants), it just runs off the mountain into the coastal communities below, bringing a lot of sediment down, as well as smothering our beaches and coral reefs."

With a strong to super El Nino in place, Walker said that will mean a drier wet season and an extremely dry dry season.

"And so it really exacerbates the wildfire conditions here in Hawaii," said Walker.

NOAA's forecast predicts the El Nino pattern to continue through spring.





Original article source: Remote Hawaii wildfire could lead to next Lahaina tragedy, experts warn
People wait by the site of an under-construction road tunnel that collapsed trapping 41 workers in Silkyara in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. The workers have been trapped for over a week, as rescuers work on an alternate plan of digging toward them vertically. (AP Photo)

UTTARKASHI, India (AP)  The rescue of 41 construction workers who have been trapped in a collapsed tunnel in northern India for nearly two weeks ran into another delay during what was described as the final phase of digging to reach them, officials said Thursday.

The platform of the drilling machine got destabilized while piercing through rock debris, and technicians need to fix it before the rescue operation can resume, Kirti Panwar, a spokesperson for the Uttarakhand state government, said.

Officials earlier hoped to be ready to start bringing the workers out Thursday, but now that won't happen until Friday at the earliest.

"We are fixing the machine. It should be ready tomorrow," the Press Trust of India news agency quoted Arnold Dix, an international expert, as saying.

Since the trapped workers on the other side of the rubble are safe and fit, not rushing has enormous value because if we rush in a situation like this, we might create problems we cannot imagine, Dix said.

The drilling also was interrupted on Wednesday night when boring machine hit a metal girder, causing some damage to its blades. That caused a six-hour delay as the rescuers cut the metal object and cleared the obstacle, officials said.

The machine started operating during the day Thursday, said Atul Karwal, chief of the state-run National Disaster Response Force.

The workers have been trapped since Nov. 12, when a landslide caused a portion of the 4.5-kilometer (2.8-mile) tunnel they were building to collapse about 200 meters (650 feet) from the entrance.

Pushkar Singh Dhami, Uttarakhand state's top elected official, visited the site on Thursday and spoke to some of the workers in the tunnel by walkie-talkie, Karwal said.

As of Thursday evening, the drilling had made it through nearly 46 meters (151 feet) and needed to excavate up to 12 meters (40 feet) more to create a passageway, according to Kirti Panwar, a state government spokesperson at the accident site.

Rescue teams plan to insert and weld together pipes that would be the trapped workers' route to freedom. Approximately 46 meters of pipes have been put in so far, Panwar said.

Members of the National Disaster Response Force will then crawl inside and bring out the workers one by one, most likely on stretchers which have been fitted with wheels, he said.

Rescuers resumed drilling horizontally through the entrance of the tunnel Wednesday after problems with the machine forced them to stop digging last week and consider alternate rescue plans.

The mountainous terrain in Uttarakhand has proved a challenge to the drilling machine, which broke down as rescuers attempted to dig horizontally toward the trapped workers. The machines high-intensity vibrations also caused more debris to fall.

On Wednesday evening, ambulances and a team of 15 doctors were deployed to the accident site, PTI reported.

Relatives who had gathered there told PTI they were finally feeling optimistic after days of anxiety over the rescue and concern for their trapped loved ones.

Indrajeet Kumar said he felt hopeful and relieved after he was able to speak to his brother and another relative who were among the workers in the collapsed tunnel.

They told me not to worry and that we would soon meet outside, he said, adding that both of them were doing fine.

Authorities began supplying the trapped workers with hot meals, made of rice and lentils, through a 6-inch (15.24 cm) pipe earlier this week after days of them surviving off of dry food sent through a narrower pipe. Oxygen is being supplied to them through a separate pipe.

Officials on Tuesday released a video, after a camera was pushed through the pipe, showing the workers in their construction hats moving around the blocked tunnel while communicating with rescuers on the ground through walkie-talkies.

Uttarakhand is dotted with Hindu temples, and highway and building construction has been constant to accommodate the influx of pilgrims and tourists. The tunnel is part of the Chardham all-weather road, a flagship federal project connecting various Hindu pilgrimage sites.

___

This version has corrected the name of the state-run National Disaster Response Force.
Several researchers at OpenAI wrote a letter to the companys board of directors warning of a new development in its artificial intelligence program that could prove dangerous to humanity, Reuters reported Wednesday night.

The discovery, part of a project called Q* (pronounced Q-Star), involved an artificial intelligence model solving simple math problems. One of Reuters sources said the advancement could be a step toward whats known as artificial general intelligence, a breakthrough that could see an AI system surpass humans in certain tasks.

The dream of an artificial general intelligence is a program that can generalize, learn and comprehend, Reuters reports, rather than a calculator-like service that can only solve a set number of problems. The project thrilled researchers at OpenAI  the company says on its website OpenAI began with the goal of building safe and beneficial artificial general intelligence for the benefit of humanity  but also prompted concerns about its potential dangers.

Reuters added the letter several researchers sent to the board was among the concerns cited before Altman was fired last week.

The Information also reported that there were internal concerns OpenAI didnt have enough safeguards in place to prevent any negative impacts from such a discovery.

The Verge added later Wednesday a person familiar with Altmans removal said the board never received a letter about the model and that it did not play a role in his removal.

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, participates in the

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, participates in the "Charting the Path Forward: The Future of Artificial Intelligence" at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders' Week in San Francisco, California, on Nov. 16.

Still, the report may add context to the whiplash surrounding Altmans position at OpenAI. He was suddenly fired by the companys board of directors on Friday after serving as the de facto face of the artificial intelligence boom. Altman spent days jostling to return with the support of most of OpenAIs staff, but seemingly lost the bid when the company said it would stand firm in its decision and bring in a new CEO. Microsoft quickly announced it had hired him and another OpenAI executive for a new AI research team.

But OpenAI announced early Wednesday he had been reinstated as chief executive after almost all of the companys employees threatened to resign and follow Altman to Microsoft.

i love openai, and everything ive done over the past few days has been in service of keeping this team and its mission together. when i decided to join msft on sun evening, it was clear that was the best path for me and the team. with the new board and w satyas support, im  Sam Altman (@sama) November 22, 2023

We have reached an agreement in principle for Sam to return to OpenAI as CEO with a new initial board, the company wrote on X. We are collaborating to figure out the details. Thank you so much for your patience through this.

Altman seemed to tease a new breakthrough at OpenAI earlier this month during a summit in San Francisco.

Four times now in the history of OpenAI, the most recent time was just in the last couple weeks, Ive gotten to be in the room, when we sort of push the veil of ignorance back and the frontier of discovery forward, he told the room. Getting to do that is the professional honor of a lifetime.

Related...
Another retaliatory U.S. airstrike in the Middle East -- the first of its kind in Iraq -- ratcheted up tensions in the region Wednesday as casualties among Iranian-backed forces mounted and one militia group vowed retaliation.

A U.S. defense official confirmed to Military.com on Wednesday that fighter aircraft conducted precision airstrikes against two facilities used by a Hezbollah militia to support recent attacks on bases used by U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria.

The strikes, which were carried out in Iraq, came just a day after Iran-backed fighters shot ballistic missiles at Al Asad Air Base in western Iraq, prompting a response by a nearby U.S. AC-130 gunship against a vehicle near the launch site, killing some fighters.

Read Next: 'I'm Still in the Fight': Top Marine General Makes First Video Appearance Since Cardiac Arrest

According to the defense official, Tuesday's strikes were conducted against Kata'ib Hezbollah, an Iraqi Shia militant group that, according to U.S. intelligence, has thousands of members and seeks to establish an Iran-aligned government in Iraq.

The strikes targeted an operations center and a command-and-control node south of Baghdad, the official said. They also added that the initial evaluation indicated that "U.S. forces successfully destroyed the intended facilities." But while they confirmed the presence of Kata'ib Hezbollah personnel, "we're unable to provide a casualty assessment at this time."

In a statement reported by The Associated Press, Kata'ib Hezbollah said it was considering "expanding the scope of targets" if the U.S. strikes continued, adding that the most recent attack "will not go unpunished."

The most recent U.S. strike -- the first planned retaliation in the country -- also angered the Iraqi prime minister who, in a statement reported by several media outlets, called the attack a violation of the country's sovereignty and breach of the longtime U.S. mission to combat the Islamic State terrorist group on Iraqi soil.

Attacks against bases housing U.S. troops in the region have been near constant since Oct. 17, with at least 66 rocket and drone attacks that have injured at least 62 service members. Since that time, Pentagon officials have been forced to walk a thin line between proportionally responding to attacks on U.S. troops that, while generally ineffective, have led to injuries and damage but without escalating into a deeper conflict.

Officials such as Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said as recently as Tuesday that U.S. retaliations have been precise and aimed solely at the groups they believe are responsible for attacking American bases.

However, despite the messaging, the pace of attacks and U.S. retaliation appeared to be growing. The first planned, retaliatory airstrike was conducted by U.S. jets on Oct. 27 in Syria. Since then, two more strikes have been conducted in that country.

Singh also revealed Tuesday that U.S. forces have been taking undisclosed but smaller-scale retaliatory actions whenever possible.

"We have had other cases where we have responded in retaliation when we were able to identify the point of origin" of the attack, she said.

Tuesday's AC-130 gunship strike was one such action.

Meanwhile, the U.S. presence in the region has grown dramatically since Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, launched a brutal and bloody surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7 that left about 1,400 Israelis dead.

A separate defense official confirmed to Military.com on Monday that the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, which has been in the waters off of Israel since the start of the conflict, has had its deployment extended.

When Military.com asked whether there was a limit to how long the Pentagon plans to keep the Ford on deployment -- which is now nearing 7 months in length -- Singh had no firm answer.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin "will make that [decision] when he determines that it's time for the Ford to come home," Singh said Tuesday.

Meanwhile, defense officials say that they will continue to message Iran that they plan to hold it accountable for the attacks of the militias it backs.

"We will not hesitate to take further measures to protect our people, if necessary," a defense official told Military.com.

-- Konstantin Toropin can be reached at konstantin.toropin@military.com. Follow him on X at @ktoropin.

Related: Iran-Linked Fighters Killed by US AC-130 Gunship After Attack on Base with Ballistic Missiles
Turkey will not conclude its internal debates on Sweden's accession to NATO in time for the meeting of the alliance's foreign ministers on Nov. 28-29, which was hoped to be an opportunity to announce that Sweden was joining NATO, sources told Reuters on Nov. 23.

The Turkish parliament previously delayed a vote on Sweden's accession to the alliance on Nov. 16.

Turkish lawmaker Fuat Oktay said on Nov. 1 that Turkey would not speed up the process of approving Sweden's accession because it did not consider the matter as urgent as other NATO countries.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed a long-awaited protocol on Sweden's NATO accession on Oct. 23, which was then sent to parliament for final ratification.

If ratified, it will then return to Erdogan to formally sign it into law.

Both Sweden and Finland applied to join the alliance in May 2022 following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Turkey initially blocked both of their bids but gave the green light to Finland's accession in March.

Among the main reasons why Ankara denied Stockholm's entry was the alleged Swedish support for Kurdish groups that Turkey considers terrorists. Sweden denied such support.

Even after Sweden secures final approval from Turkey, there are signs that Hungary, another NATO member and previous holdout on Finland's accession, may also cause delays.

Read also: Charles Michel: We provided more than 82 billion euros, we are ready to do more

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ROANOKE RAPIDS, N.C. (WNCN)  A woman was taken into custody after possession of powdered cocaine, crack cocaine, fentanyl, and marijuana, Halifax County Sheriffs Office said.

According to the sheriffs office, the Halifax Regional Drug and Gang Task Force were helping patrol with the Halifax Police Department Investigations Bureau in Roanoke Rapids on Wednesday when the woman was stopped.

Get crime updates in your inbox  Sign up for CBS 17s Crime Tracker newsletter

During that time, deputies noticed her driving a car without a seatbelt. They conducted a traffic stop and found reason to search the vehicle, the sheriffs office said.

According to the sheriffs office, 26-year-old, Jadetta Bennett of Roanoke Rapids was in possession of varying quantities of powdered cocaine, crack cocaine, fentanyl, and marijuana.

Bennett was charged with the following:

Trafficking in opium/opioid by possession

Trafficking in opium/opioid by transportation

PWISD cocaine

Felony possession of cocaine

Felony possession of a schedule I controlled substance

Felony maintaining a vehicle for the sale of narcotics

Possession of marijuana (misdemeanor)

Possession of drug paraphernalia (misdemeanor)

Seatbelt violation (infraction)

Bennett received a $50,000 secured bond.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CBS17.com.
WAVERLY, Ohio (WCMH)  Waverly police have arrested a man accused of robbing a store in a stolen car and leading officers on a chase.

Waverly police shared body camera footage on Wednesday that showed them pulling suspect Zachary Boone out of a crashed SUV. The crash came as a result of a Nov. 16 chase when officers responded to a report of a robbery at a local Valero gas station.

At 10:56 a.m. that day, the Waverly Police Department said it received a report to look out for a stolen 2006 Saturn Vue traveling on U.S. Highway 23 from Piketon. Dispatchers noted the suspect was a man recently released from the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility.

A still picture from a bodycam shows Waverly police officers attempting to pull Zachary Boone through a broken window in a crashed SUV on Nov. 16., 2023. (Courtesy Photo/Waverly Police Department)

The caller from the Valero gas station told police they saw Boone in an SUV that matched the description of the one from Piketon. Officers and deputies from the Pike County Sheriffs Office both headed to that location.

Authorities then received a tip that the stolen vehicle was in the parking of Rural King, a Waverly farm supply store. As officers got there, they learned Boone had left the store wearing products from inside. He then stole a persons phone in the parking lot, got in the stolen Saturn and struck the victim with it, according to Waverly police.

This embedded content is not available in your region.

The officers chased Boone as he drove onto West 2nd Street before he crashed near Depot Street.

This embedded content is not available in your region.

After Waverly police removed him from the SUV, they said a Portsmouth ambulance took Boone to a local hospital and treated him for injuries from the crash. He was then taken into custody on multiple charges, including:

Failure to comply with order or signal of a police officer

Robbery

Aggravated robbery

Felonious assault

Waverly police said they filed the charges through Pike County Court, but records from the case were not publicly available online as of Wednesday.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV.
(Reuters) - Andrew Tate and his brother will have fewer restrictions on movement as they await trial on human trafficking charges after a Romanian judge ruled they could travel around the country, the divisive influencer's representatives said on Thursday.

Tate was indicted in June along with his brother Tristan and two Romanian female suspects for human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women, allegations they have denied.

In August, the Tates were released from house arrest, but were required to stay in the Romanian capital Bucharest.

"This adjustment in judicial control signifies a notable development in the ongoing legal proceedings, reflecting the Tate brothers' and their legal team's commitment to clearing their name," Tate's representatives said in a statement.

A judge had previously loosened restrictions on Tate's movement in September, but this decision was overturned on appeal.

The court has yet to rule on a separate request from the brothers that assets such as cars and jewellery that were confiscated from them be returned, a spokesperson said.

Prosecutors say the Tate brothers, who have dual U.S. and British citizenship, lured seven women into making pornography by pretending to be in a relationship with them.

Lawyers for witnesses and alleged victims of Tate say they are being harassed and intimidated in an effort to silence them. Tate's representatives deny this.

Andrew Tate has become popular among many young men by projecting an ultra-macho image centred around fast cars, beautiful women and money.

While Tate, a self-proclaimed misogynist, says his online content aims to help young men better themselves, critics say he denigrates women and encourages his audience to hold sexist views.

(Reporting by Alan Charlish in Warsaw; Editing by Sharon Singleton)
Romanians with organized crime ties among 20 nabbed at US-Canadian border

A group of 20 Romanian nationals  including two with organized crime ties  were nabbed Tuesday after illegally entering the U.S. from the Canadian border, authorities say.

Border Patrol agents apprehended the subjects after four vehicles were observed crossing the international boundary from Canada into the United States, according to a press release from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Romanian nationals were observed by Border Patrol agents crossing into the U.S. in vehichles early Tuesday morning.

Agents were alerted to the illegal crossing just after 6 a.m., and responded to the area on Lincoln Road in Hodgdon, a rural town in northeastern Maine, along the Canadian border.

Border Patrol agents stopped the vehicles using emergency equipment, CBP says. The subjects were transported to Fort Fairfield Station for processing.

The processing revealed that the subjects were from Romania. Most of them were family members, including 10 adults and 10 juveniles. Two of the subjects processed were revealed to have ties to transnational organized crime, CBP says.

ADAMS WARNS NEW YORKERS THAT WE CANNOT STOP MIGRANTS FROM SLEEPING ON THE STREETS

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Acting Chief Patrol Agent in Charge Dennis Harmon said there has been an overall rise in apprehensions in the Houlton Sector.

"In the last three Octobers, Houlton Sector encountered a total of 33 individuals," Harmon said. "In fiscal year 2024 alone, weve encountered 53."

The illegal nationals were spotted in vehicles in Hodgdon, Maine, near the Canadian border.

Fox News Digital has reached out to CBP for further details on the apprehension.

The apprehension after a Romanian national was indicted last week for attempting to smuggle six Romanian nationals into the U.S. via the Washington-Canadian border.

Federal prosecutors say Ionel Niculae was arrested near Lynden, Washington at an accident scene where the car he was driving flipped over, injuring three passengers.





Original article source: Romanians with organized crime ties among 20 nabbed at US-Canadian border
The overhead signs at the entrances to Raleigh-Durham International Airport list the airlines in Terminal 2, and right now theyre full. At 12 airlines, theres no space to add Lufthansa and Aeromexico, which begin flying from RDU next summer.

The signs are just one of the challenges the airport must overcome to fit 14 airlines into its main passenger terminal. The newcomers will also need ticket counters and access to one of the four gates at RDU that can handle incoming international flights.

Since the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic, RDU has attracted eight new airlines and lost only one  Allegiant. Like the host of a Thanksgiving dinner, the airport must pull out chairs and new place settings and make room for each new carrier.

The team has done a very good job of recruiting lots of airlines, Michael Landguth, the airports president and CEO, said in an interview. These are great problems to have.

Triangle travelers have especially benefited from a slew of new international flights. By next summer, nine airlines will fly nonstop to destinations in Europe, Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean.

But that bounty also poses a challenge.

Only four gates in Terminal 2 are capable of handling incoming international flights, by funneling passengers to Customs and Border Protection, which is only open between 11 a.m. and about 8 p.m., Landguth said. Making sure each incoming flight has a spot will be harder when Lufthansa and Aeromexico make their debuts next summer.

Its all about gate management, Landguth said. Weve got a whole team of people who manage that, monitor that, and were in conversations with carriers about it before they decide to come to the market.

Ticket counter space is also tight in Terminal 2. In the short-term, RDU will ask carriers with counters to share a spot with the new airlines with which they have partnerships and code-sharing agreements. So Lufthansa will likely use a bit of Uniteds counter, while Air France and Aeromexico will bunk with Delta.

Longer term, RDU is planning to expand Terminal 2 to add another ticketing island and three more baggage carousels as well as more space for passengers in customs and the Transportation Security Administration checkpoints. The airport doesnt expect to begin construction, though, until early 2025.

How about moving airlines to Terminal 1?

RDU will also look to move airlines from Terminal 2 to the much smaller Terminal 1. For a long time, Southwest had Terminal 1 and its five gates all to itself. The airport opened four moth-balled gates in 2022 and had first Spirit and then Avelo join Southwest.

One consideration is that Terminal 1 has no gates capable of handling international flights. Some airlines that dont offer international service now may want to begin flying to the Caribbean or Mexico in the future, Landguth said, so it may not be prudent to move them.

We are in conversation with the carriers to try to understand what their needs are, he said. Were trying to understand how we can provide some relief in Terminal 2 and what would be the right match and mix over in T1.

As for the signs listing the airlines in Terminal 2, RDU is working on that, too, Landguth said. Its not clear yet if the brackets will hold a larger sign or if the airport will need to erect a second one.

But it will be fixed before Lufthansa and Aeromexico arrive next summer.

Weve got some time to figure that out, Landguth said. Well make sure that customers know how to get from point A to point B.

Nonstop international destinations from RDU

Airlines offer nonstop flights from the Triangle to the following international destinations:

 Cancun, Mexico: Delta begins flying to Cancun Dec. 16, joining American and JetBlue with nonstop service to the Yucatan Peninsula.

 Frankfurt, Germany: Lufthansa will fly to Frankfurt five days a week year round starting June 6, 2024.

 Freeport, Bahamas: Bahamasair resumed twice-weekly flights between the Triangle and Freeport on Grand Bahama Island this fall, and theyll continue until May 30, 2024.

 London, United Kingdom: American Airlines began flying nonstop from RDU to Londons Heathrow Airport in 1994.

 Mexico City, Mexico: Aeromexico will begin daily nonstop service to Mexico City Juarez International Airport on July 1, 2024.

 Montreal, Canada: Air Canada flies between RDU and Montreal on a seasonal basis. Those flights are scheduled to resume in May.

 Paris, France: Air France took over the Paris route that Delta Air Lines began in 2016. The airline will fly the route three days a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, until March 31, when it will become daily.

 Reykjavik, Iceland: Icelandair launched new flights to Iceland in May 2022, flying four days a week. The service is now year round and will operate daily starting May 20, 2024.

 Toronto, Canada: Air Canada flies twice daily between RDU and Toronto-Pearson International Airport.
A Roxbury woman, missing since June, has been found dead, the Morris County Prosecutor's Office announced Wednesday evening.

The body of Lara Emanuele, 46, who was reported missing on June 7, was found in a wooded area near Howard Boulevard and Route 80 in Roxbury on Sunday and the Morris County Medical Examiners Office confirmed the identity, the prosecutor stated.

"While a thorough investigation continues into her death, at this time, evidence points to Emanuele having taken her own life. This was a determination that could not have been made prior to the recovery of her body," said Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll, refuting social media rumors that foul play was involved.

Lara Emanuele

Carroll stated that a handwritten note was found in her car that said "she did not want to be found." The prosecutor said his office normally does not share "details regarding suicide investigations," but given the interest in this case is doing so "in the interest of transparency. "

Emanuele's disappearance spurred extensive searches by multiple agencies during the past five months. Her body was discovered by K9 Denali from the Ramapo Search and Rescue Organization, which has been conducting weekly Sunday searches for Emanuele, the prosecutor's release stated.

The Roxbury Police Department would like to offer our deepest sympathy to Lara's family, friends, and students. We hope that finding her will provide some sense of relief and help loved ones begin the healing process," Roxbury Police Chief Adone said.

Chief of Detectives Robert McNally said, Morris County is not untouched by the national mental health crisis, and unfortunately there have been 31 suicides reported to the Morris County Prosecutors Office Major Crimes Unit year to date.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available by calling 1-800-273-8255 or texting 988.

The prosecutor's office noted the efforts of Roxbury Police Department, Morris County Sheriffs Office, New Jersey State Police Missing Persons Unit, New Jersey State Police K9 Unit, New Jersey Search and Rescue, Middlesex County Prosecutors Office K9, Bergen County Sheriffs Office K9, Pennsylvania Search and Rescue, the Conservation Police and Morris County Prosecutors Office Missing Persons Unit and Major Crimes Unit.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Lara Emanuele, missing Roxbury woman, found dead
LITTLE ROCK, Ark.  More than 1,500 runners laced up their shoes on Thanksgiving morning in Little Rock benefitting the Arkansas Food Bank.

Participants in the annual free Gobbler Turkey Trot were asked to donate food or money to the Arkansas Food Bank. Runners donated more than 8,000 pounds of food and $1,200 to the organization this year.

Why are turkeys associated with Thanksgiving?

People came out to run or walk a 3,4, or 6 mile course through The Heights and Hillcrest neighborhoods. The crowd included local runners and people from all over the country in town to celebrate the holiday with their families.

Gobbler Turkey Trot







The event was hosted by Rock City Running.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KARK.
Oleksandr Lytvynenko, the head of the Foreign Intelligence Service, believes that Russia is determined to fight "as much as necessary", and the war has entered the stage of exhaustion. Russia will concentrate on three tasks regarding Ukraine: gaining advantage on the battlefield, destroying infrastructure and undermining social unity, Lytvynenko says.

Source: Lytvynenkos blog on Interfax-Ukraine

Quote: "The goals are unchanged. Putin needs as much territory of Ukraine as he can get because the Russians believe it is about "the return of genuinely Russian lands".

The war entered the stage of a war of attrition. There is more and more evidence that the Kremlin is ready to wage war for as long as necessary."

Details: Lytvynenko thinks that Russia is already incorporating "the special military operation" (as the war against Ukraine is called in Russia  ed.) into the plans for the 2024-2025 recruitment of the Russian Armed Forces.

The Kremlin believes that it has enough military, technical, economic and human resources for hostilities with Ukraine at the current level for a long period.

At the same time, Moscow is convinced that Ukraine's internal resources are allegedly "approaching complete exhaustion."

Lytvynenko says that the Kremlin plans to adjust its strategy, following Russias FSB order, and stated that the key to the victory of the Russian Federation is internal destabilisation in Ukraine.

The head of the Foreign Intelligence Service believes that Russia plans to focus on three tasks:

pressure along the entire front line with the capture of certain, politically and media-important points, in particular Avdiivka;

destruction of critical infrastructure in winter (power plants, oil refineries, transport hubs) to reduce the quality of life in Ukraine;

undermining social unity by fuelling the ambitions and provoking the military ("only they can bring things back in order") and opposition political forces ("only they are worthy to rule Ukraine"). A critical mass of dissatisfaction with the policies of the current government should form in Ukraine.

Lytvynenko believes the Russians do not care who will come to power in Ukraine after the current leadership. Still, they are convinced that whoever it is, he or she will be unable to control the situation, and Ukraine will plunge into chaos.

After all, the plan of the Kremlin foresees that the West will suspend aid and come to Russia with proposals for urgent negotiations and a suspension of the war.

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Russia blocked the election of Malta as a state that will chair the Organisation in 2024 at a meeting of diplomats of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna.

Source: Brussels correspondent of Radio Liberty Rikard Jozwiak, writes European Pravda

Details: According to Jozwiak, on Thursday 23 November, the Russian Federation blocked the appointment of Malta as the presiding state in the OSCE, as well as four top officials of the organisation, including the Secretary General.

Quote: "They [the Russians - ed.] want Lavrov to be welcomed in North Macedonia next week for the OSCE ministerial, taking the final decision," he added.

 has already blocked  to be OSCE chair in 2024. Now it is not giving consent to  as alternative OSCE chair + Top4 OSCE posts (like sec gen) as a package. They want Lavrov to be welcomed in  next week for the OSCE ministerial, taking the final decision  Rikard Jozwiak (@RikardJozwiak) November 23, 2023

The OSCE makes all decisions by consensus, which Russia uses to blackmail the organisation.

Background: Earlier this week, Russia, along with Belarus, vetoed Estonia's approval of the next OSCE chair in 2024. Moscow has repeatedly opposed such an appointment since 2020, citing the fact that Estonia is a member of NATO.

Against the backdrop of Russian opposition, Malta received an offer to take over the chairmanship of the OSCE in 2024. It was seen as a compromise, since Malta declared neutrality, although it condemned Russian aggression and, as a member of the EU, joined the sanctions regime against Russia.

This is not the first month the OSCE is looking for ways to maintain the functioning of the organisation despite the position of Russia, which refused to cooperate but can veto any decision.

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Three civilians were killed and five others injured in the Russian artillery shelling of Chornobayivka, Kherson Oblast, Ukraines Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko reported on Telegram on Nov. 23.

The injured are receiving medical treatment with varying degrees of severity.

Read also: Russian forces strike yet another school in Kherson as artillery bombardment goes on

More than 60 buildings and sheds were damaged in the attack, Ukrainian President's Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak wrote, sharing some photos of the aftermath.

Russian troops shell Kherson and region almost daily, killing civilians and destroying the region'sinfrastructure. On the same day, a 70-year-old cyclist was killed by a drone in Beryslav.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Oleksandr Lytvynenko, Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine, believes that Russia will try to inflate conflicts in the Middle East, Africa, and the Balkans. And by 2028, Russia plans to restore the Russian Federation's military capabilities to the state they were in 2022.

Source: Oleksandr Lytvynenko for Interfax-Ukraine

Quote: "Putin believes that by failing to defeat Ukraine in three days of the large-scale war, the Kremlin has passed the point of no return in its relations with the West. There is no turning back. Putin can only triumphantly win or lose.

He is convinced that he can take back Ukraine and the rest of the 'historical Russian lands' and restore the Empire only within the framework of global redistribution of the world. Such a redistribution can last 10-15 years, accompanied by conflicts of various scales and intensities, possibly with nuclear weapons."

Details: According to Oleksandr Lytvynenko, the war against Ukraine is perceived by the Kremlin as an important but not the only front for the Russian Federation, which is waging a world war with the United States and the West as a whole.

Lytvynenko believes that the Kremlin has set itself four tasks that it is currently solving:

ensure internal stability in the Russian Federation, mobilise the population and economy, and increase the production of weapons and military equipment.

form an alternative coalition of states to the West, the "majority coalition". This Global South+ format should promote alternative models to the West (political, economic, financial, humanitarian, value, etc.).

prepare for future aggression against other countries: Moldova and the Baltic states; Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia; the entire western part of the former USSR.

inflating conflicts in the Middle East, Africa and the Balkans.

According to the head of the Ukrainian Foreign Intelligence, the volume of military production in Russia will be able support large-scale, high-intensity military operations in 2026, and in 2028, the Russian Federation will restore the military capabilities it had in 2022.

This is exactly what the Russian budget for 2024-2026 was formed for. Already in 2024, almost 40% of Russia's budget expenditures will be used to fund the war (29.4% or more than US$100 billion for defence, and 9.2% or US$34 billion for law enforcement and special services); in 2025  35% (US$93 billion and US$35.5 billion respectively), in 2026  30.5% (US$80 billion and US$37 billion respectively).

In 2023, these figures were 31.8% (US$69.5 billion for defence and US$35 billion for law enforcement and special services).

Russia will engage in increasing nuclear blackmail and try to convince Western elites that they will undoubtedly lose and that they should retreat peacefully: "The key role here will be to strengthen the military power of Russia, China and other countries of the majority coalition."

Quote: "The outcome of the Russian war against Ukraine is of global significance and will be a powerful impetus for changing the global balance in one direction or another.

In his attempt to create an international coalition, Putin is flirting with the Russian Muslims. Despite the dissatisfaction of many Russians, the Kremlin allows Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov to publicly execute a person suspected of desecrating the Koran out of court."

Details: In addition, Stalin's traditions of anti-Semitism are also considered in the Kremlin as a tool in establishing relations with the pro-Palestinian camp.

As for future conflicts, Moscow has already begun to declare "harassment of Russian speakers in the Baltic states" and "the right of peoples to self-determination".

Lytvynenko believes that after the expulsion of Russian spy diplomats, Russians actively infiltrated the countries of Europe, primarily Southern Europe, with their agents, creating businesses, NGOs, etc: "There are signs of preparing the infrastructure for subversive activities for the great war (an approach tested during the Soviet era)."

In Lytvynenkos opinion, the Russians are trying to take advantage of the weakening of the positions of the West, primarily France, in the Sahel and Africa as a whole: "We are talking about natural resources, attempts to restrict Europeans' access to uranium, oil and gas, and get rid of alternative sources of supply to Russia."

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Moscow is concerned that Ukraine will receive F-16 fighter jets and prepares to counter them.

British intelligence has reported that Russia is now working to accelerate the integration of the A-50 flying radar and S-400 air defense systems. The Russians are concerned that Ukraine will receive F-16 fighter jets and are preparing to fight them. The deputy director general of the State Concern Rostekhnologii announced this methodology of possible strikes on F-16s. This is a concern that unites many military industry enterprises. So this person is not the last. He said that the S-400 system can reach the aircraft from the ground at a range of 100-120 kilometers. If, after the launch, the anti-aircraft missile system initially controls the missile, and then it transfers control to the A-50 aircraft, and the A-50 aircraft is already guiding the missile to the zone where the missile's radar is activated (because semi-active radar guidance has not disappeared, either with the anti-aircraft system's radar or with the A-50: it finishes guiding the missile, then the missile's radar turns on), and the missile is already guided independently to the target, which is an airplane some 20-30 kilometers away.

Can this be done with the A-50?

We need to see this in practice. I don't see any great difficulty in this yet. The main thing is to have the equipment that will transfer control of the missile to the aircraft. Then - to take it to the right area.

As of last year (unfortunately, I can't get more recent information now), the Russians had three unmodernized A-50s and six modernized A-50Us. In general, they will not be able to provide constant patrolling in the zone to participate in targeting these missiles at our aircraft. A-50 flying radars have a normal operating altitude of six thousand meters and above. Therefore, our radar stations will be able to see them from the same distance as they are able to launch missiles. It will be possible to simply warn our pilots not to enter the area of potential damage and warn them about launches. No matter how fast the missile of an anti-aircraft missile system is, a pilot at the maximum range will have time to get out of the kill zone, in case of a timely warning.

S-400 system can reach the aircraft from the ground at a range of 100-120 kilometers

So, indeed, if the Russians realize this, it is a threat, but these threats can also be dealt with using various tactics.

The prospect of Ukraine receiving F-16s early next year has become more realistic. There is a statement from William LaPlante, the U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Logistics, that Washington is ready to supply spare parts for the fighter jets for 90 days at a time. Specialists for qualified maintenance began training in Denmark at the end of August this year. This issue has been resolved. The issue of spare parts and weapons remains. As for the weapons, it is not yet known what types of missiles we will receive, and in addition to air-to-air missiles, what range of air-to-ground missiles we will receive. Of course, we would like to have AGM-158 JASSM cruise missiles, the equivalent of Storm Shadow and SCALP.

The problem of spare parts has begun to be resolved. Why 90 days? Well, these are American standards. They believe that if you bring in enough spare parts for this period, you can not only relax but also consider that the task of supplying is completed, and you can pay attention to other priorities. After some time, you must deliver a new batch with a reserve.

What are F-16 spare parts? The U.S. Air Force currently has up to 600 F-16s in service. The National Guard has another 320. There are 360 more at the storage base in Arizona. The number of these aircraft worldwide, for example, in NATO, is minimal because almost all are being decommissioned. That is, there is a lot of need, a lot of stocks of these components.

What can fail and need replacing? First, the landing gear at our airfields. This is a critical component. Secondly, at our airfields, again, these engines can suck anything off the runway because they are low-mounted. Thirdly, there is the possibility of aircraft damage. There is everything here  some components of the hydraulic, electrical, and communication systems.

An airplane is a very complex product of the military industry. It has hundreds of different elements that can fail at any time. That is why these stocks are large and expensive. That's why the Americans, while there are financial problems there, want to give us some supplies for 90 days, after which various other financial sources will be unlocked to provide us with further stocks.

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Russian forces shelled 11 communities in Sumy Oblast on Nov. 22, firing 17 times over the course of the day, the Sumy Oblast Military Administration reported. At least 54 explosions were recorded.

Russia's military targeted the communities of Krasnopillia, Yunakivka, Bilopillia, Velyka Pysarivka, Nova Sloboda, Putyvl, Esman, Shalyhyne, Znob-Novhorodske, Hlukhiv, and Seredyna-Buda.

No casualties or damage to civilian infrastructure were reported.

The Russian military targeted the settlements with an onslaught of shelling and mortar attacks, while continuing to drop mines on the surrounding areas.

The community of Krasnopillia, home to roughly 1,300 residents, experienced the most intense attacks, with 18 explosions recorded in the area. The town is located some 35 kilometers west of the Russia-Ukraine border.

Sumy Oblast is located along Ukraine's northeastern border with Russia and has been the target of near-daily shelling since April 2022.

Read also: Ukraine war latest: Germany delivers over 20 Marders; Military reports destroying 80% of Russian hardware near Avdiivka

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Ukraines military says it is inflicting major losses on Russian troops as Vladimir Putins forces seek to try and encircle the key strategic city of Avdiivka in the east.

The general staff of Ukraines armed forces said soldiers are standing their ground, inflicting major losses on the enemy both around Avdiivka and along other areas of the eastern frontlines. "Our defenders are steadfastly holding the defence in the Avdiivka direction," Commander Oleksandr Tarnavskyi said.

It comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian troops face "difficult" defensive operations on parts of the eastern front with bitter winter cold setting in. Images from the frontline in Donbas, as well as in Kyiv, show that snow has already begun to fall.

Russian troops have launched offensives on different sections of the frontline in Ukraine's east this autumn, trying to advance on the devastated town of Avdiivka and in the northeast between the towns of Lyman and Kupiansk.

"Difficult weather, difficult defence on the Lyman, Bakhmut, Donetsk and Avdiivka fronts. Offensive actions in the south," Mr Zelensky said.

Key Points

Russia has never abandoned peace negotiations with Ukraine, says Putin

Ukrainian army pushing Russian forces back at Dnipro river

Putin Scales back attacks on Avdiivka

Ukraines defence

Thursday 23 November 2023 10:03 , Chris Stevenson

Ukraines military says it is inflicting major losses on Russian troops as Vladimir Putins forces seek to try and encircle the key strategic city of Avdiivka in the east.

Russia has been trying to advance in the area for weeks, with the army saying that Ukrainian troops have repelled more than 30 attacks in the last 24 hours.

ICYMI - Ukraine may fail to meet future grain demands amid non-stop Russian attacks

Thursday 23 November 2023 21:00 , Lydia Patrick

Ukraine may not be able to meet domestic and export demand for wheat in the years to come if Russias attacks on its export routes and facilities continue, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) has warned.

If attacks on food infrastructure and the blockage of sea export routes continue, it will dramatically impact the agricultural production outlook over years to come, and may, in a worst-case scenario, lead to wheat production being unable to meet domestic and export demand, said the WFPs Ukraine director Matthew Hollingworth on Tuesday.

Since mid-July this year, there have been 31 documented attacks on Ukraines grain production and export facilities, according to an upcoming report by the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR), said Mr Hollingworth.

Of these, 28 of these attacks were in Odesa oblast alone. The province has critical Black Sea and the Danube River terminals essential for global trade, the top official told the UN Security Council (UNSC).

Ukraine may fail to meet future grain demands amid non-stop Russian attacks, says UN

Watch - Putin will choose Iran over Israel in tough choice for protecting his regime, says expert

Thursday 23 November 2023 20:00 , Lydia Patrick

Russian journalist killed by drone strike, claim Russia

Thursday 23 November 2023 19:00 , Lydia Patrick

A Russian television journalist has died from injuries he sustained in a Ukrainian drone attack, says Russias Ministry of Defence.

Boris Maksudov died after being wounded in a drone attack while working in southern Ukraines Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia region. Maksudov, who worked for Russian state television channel Russia 24, was hit Wednesday while working on a story about Ukraine allegedly shelling civilians, according to Russias Ministry of Defense.

Zaporizhzhia is one of the four Ukrainian regions that Russia illegally annexed last year.

Russian court fines Google over 'fakes' about Ukraine war

Thursday 23 November 2023 18:00 , Lydia Patrick

A Russian court fined Alphabets Google 4 million roubles ($44,582) for its failure to delete what the court called fake information about the course of Russias special military operation in Ukraine, the RIA news agency reported.

Russia has repeatedly clashed with foreign technology companies over content, censorship, data and local representation in a simmering dispute that intensified after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

A Russian court fined Alphabets Google 4 million roubles (Getty)

Israel and Ukraine could face each other in a playoff final for a spot at soccer's Euro 2024

Thursday 23 November 2023 17:00 , Lydia Patrick

Israel and Ukraine, two countries currently fighting wars, could face each other for a spot at next years European Championship.

The two national teams were put on the same qualifying path in Thursdays playoff draw, with a possible deciding match in March.

Israel was paired with Iceland, while Ukraine will face Bosnia-Herzegovina in the playoff semifinals. The 12 playoff teams will play the six semifinal matches on March 21. All three finals are scheduled for March 26.

Neither Israel nor Ukraine can currently host games at home because the wars. If they both advance to the playoff final, they could meet in a neutral country.

Israel and Ukraine could face each other in a playoff final for a spot at soccer's Euro 2024

Another person killed in Kherson strikes

Thursday 23 November 2023 16:00 , Lydia Patrick

The death toll from the overnight strikes on Kherson has risen to four.

The office said on the Telegram messaging app that Russian forces shelled the town of Beryslav, killing a man who was riding a bicycle.

In a separate massive shelling of several settlements in Kherson district, three people - two men and a woman - were killed, it said.

It is preliminarily known that the shelling was carried out with cluster munitions, Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukraines presidential office, said on Telegram.

Russian troops abandoned Kherson and the western bank of the Dnipro River late last year, but now regularly shells those areas from positions on the eastern bank.

Reuters could not independently confirm the report.

Russia singer killed in occupied Ukraine after missile strike hits concert hall during her performance

Thursday 23 November 2023 15:30 , Lydia Patrick

A Russian singer entertaining soldiers in occupied Ukraine has been killed after a missile hit the concert hall in which she was performing, local reports have confirmed.

Polina Menshikh was performing at a dancehall in the town of Kumachove, Donetsk Oblast, roughly 37 miles from the frontline when two missiles allegedly struck the area on 19 November.

The first missile hit the car park outside and the second struck the hall, according to Russian commentators on Telegram.

A video circling among Russian military blogger channels appears to show the moment the first missile hits the car park while Ms Menshikh was singing inside.

Russia singer killed in occupied Ukraine after missile hits the concert hall

Ukraine says at least three dead in Russian airstrike on hospital

Thursday 23 November 2023 14:43 , Lydia Patrick

At least three people were killed and eight others injured after Russian missiles struck a hospital in southern Ukraine, said the countrys emergency services.

Missiles had struck and damaged two buildings of the hospital in Selydove town late on Tuesday, interior minister Ihor Klymenko had said in an earlier statement.

He had warned in his statement that casualties would increase as officials assessed damage from the attack.

Rescue workers finished clearing the rubble after sifting through the remains night and day, 24 hours after the attack, emergency services said on Wednesday. A whole section of the building had totally collapsed, they said.

Ukraine says at least three dead in Russian airstrike on hospital

Kremlin inexplicably concerned about upcoming election, say ISW

Thursday 23 November 2023 14:00 , Lydia Patrick

The Kremlin seems to be inexplicably concerned about the outcome of next years election, despite Putins widespread popularity, report the Institute for the Study of War.

Ella Pamiflova, the chairperson of the Russian Central Electoral Comission, said both Russian citizens who live in Russia and those who have left are attempting to discredit the president.

The ISW suggests the statement means the government will continue to intensify censorship efforts under the guise of fighting attempted internal election meddling.

Russia National Expo (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

NATO logistics chief warns We are running out of time'

Thursday 23 November 2023 13:30 , Lydia Patrick

NATO has warned its members that too much red tape is hindering troop movements across Europe, a problem that could cause major delays were a conflict with Russia to erupt.

We are running out of time. What we dont get done in peacetime wont be ready in case of a crisis or a war, the chief of NATOs logistics command JSEC, Lieutenant-General Alexander Sollfrank, told Reuters in an interview published on Thursday.

NATOs Joint Support and Enabling Command (JSEC) in the southern German town of Ulm started operating in 2021. Its job is to coordinate the swift movement of troops and tanks across the continent as well as logistical preparations such as the storage of munitions on the alliances eastern flank.

A result of Moscows invasion of Ukraine in 2014, the creation of JSEC reflected the assessment that NATO, after decades of detente following the Cold War, once again needed to be ready for a war in Europe that could break out at any time.

However, the task of quickly deploying forces up to a size of a division with some 20,000 troops, as well as having ammunition, fuel, spare parts and provisions in place, has become trickier since the Cold War.

We have a surplus of regulations, but the one thing we dont have is time, warned Admiral Rob Bauer, head of NATOs military committee.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, left, speaks at a joint press conference with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, on the occasion of their meeting in Belgrade, Serbia (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Russian journalist killed by drone strike, claim Russia

Thursday 23 November 2023 13:00 , Lydia Patrick

A Russian television journalist has died from injuries he sustained in a Ukrainian drone attack, says Russias Ministry of Defence.

Boris Maksudov died after being wounded in a drone attack while working in southern Ukraines Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia region.Maksudov, who worked for Russian state television channel Russia 24, was hit Wednesday while working on a story about Ukraine allegedly shelling civilians, according to Russias Ministry of Defense.

Zaporizhzhia is one of the four Ukrainian regions that Russia illegally annexed last year.

This pool photograph distributed by Russian state agency Sputnik shows Russia's President Vladimir Putin taking part in a virtual G20 leaders' summit in Moscow (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

ICYMI- Putin may start sourcing ballistic missiles from Iran, warns White House

Thursday 23 November 2023 12:30 , Lydia Patrick

At least three people were killed and eight others injured after Russian missiles struck a hospital in southern Ukraine, said the countrys emergency services.

Missiles had struck and damaged two buildings of the hospital in Selydove town late on Tuesday, interior minister Ihor Klymenko had said in an earlier statement.

He had warned in his statement that casualties would increase as officials assessed damage from the attack.

Rescue workers finished clearing the rubble after sifting through the remains night and day, 24 hours after the attack, emergency services said on Wednesday. A whole section of the building had totally collapsed, they said.

Ukraine says at least three dead in Russian airstrike on hospital

Russia carry out deadly strike in southeastern regions

Thursday 23 November 2023 12:00 , Lydia Patrick

Russian shelling killed three civilians in southeastern regions of Ukraine, Kyiv authorities said.

Eight artillery barrages targeted Kherson overnight, killing a 42-year-old in his apartment and wounding another man, the Ukrainian presidential office said.Russian shelling also killed two people in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, the office said.It was not possible to independently verify the reports. Long-range Russian shelling that hits civilian areas has been a hallmark of Moscows 21-month war in Ukraine.

A heavily damaged building is seen in Chasiv Yar, Donetsk region, Ukraine (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Two Ukrainian truckers die amid trucker protest

Thursday 23 November 2023 11:45 , Lydia Patrick

Two Ukrainian drivers have died and thousands of trucks have been stuck for days in the winter cold as the truckers block the roads to three crossings on the Polish-Ukrainian border, a key route for Ukraines trade during Russias invasion.

Ukraine wants its export routes via Poland to be unblocked before it holds talks with Warsaw and the European Commission aimed at ending protests by Polish truckers.

Taras Kachka, Ukraines trade representative and a deputy economy minister, said drivers were being forced to live for days in freezing temperatures and unhygienic conditions.

Our task is to unblock the road first and then talk about all the demands that the protesters have, Kachka said in an interview on national television.

This should be done at the negotiating table... in Brussels, or in Warsaw, or in Kyiv, but not on the road in winter, causing damage not only to the economy but also to the health and lives of drivers who are stuck there, he added.

Ukrainian media outlets reported that a truck driver died overnight near the Polish village of Korczowa where he had been stuck waiting to cross the border. Another driver died on Nov. 11 near the crossing in the Polish city of CheAm.

Polish truckers started their blockade on Nov. 6 to protest against what they said was business lost to Ukrainian drivers who have been made exempt from seeking permits to cross the Polish border during the Russian invasion.

With Ukraines Black Sea ports - a key export route before the war - virtually blocked by Russia, Ukrainian businesses rely on roads and railways to reroute exports and imports.

Ukraines Infrastructure Ministry estimated that an average 40,000-50,000 trucks cross the border with Poland per month via eight existing crossings, twice as many as before the war. Most of the goods are carried by Ukraines transport fleet.

ICYMI - What Russian leader said in virtual address about Ukraine war tragedy in G20 speech

Thursday 23 November 2023 11:15 , Lydia Patrick

Russian president Vladimir Putin told the leaders of the Group of Twenty (G20) on Wednesday it was time to think about how to stop the tragedy of the war in Ukraine which entered its 22nd month.

Acknowledging his military operations in the neighbouring nation, the Kremlin chief said some of the leaders mentioned in their speeches that they were shocked by the continuing aggression of Russia in Ukraine.

Yes, of course, military actions are always a tragedy. And of course, we should think about how to stop this tragedy, he said.

Mr Putin declared a full-scale invasion of the country  calling it a special military operation  and despite international calls for peace, continued to send to Ukraine tens of thousands of troops who are trying to capture areas in east and south of the country.

Putin G20 speech: Russian leader calls Ukraine war a tragedy

Wagner veterans officially recognised by Russia, say MOD

Thursday 23 November 2023 10:45 , Lydia Patrick

A group of Wagner soldiers have been officially recognised as veterans by Russian troops.

The Russian Ministry of Defence has established a new system allowing Wagner veterans to receive official identificaion documents and obtain bonuses, reports the UKs MOD.

Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine  23 November 2023.



Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/7tiQlpoOMV



 #StandWithUkraine  pic.twitter.com/NOyuF1SdrK  Ministry of Defence  (@DefenceHQ) November 23, 2023

Yale historian says west can help Ukraine break stalemate

Thursday 23 November 2023 10:15 , Lydia Patrick

A historian urges western countries to continue their aid to Ukraine so they can overcome their deadlock.

Timothy Snyder insisted Ukraine had not reached a stalemate since the west could drop five more queens on the board, in conversation with the Guardian.

It comes as Kyivs top military commander said the Ukrainian counteroffensive was stalling in an interview with the Economist in November.

Professor Snyder told the Guardian: I hate the stalemate analogy because war is not a game of chess,.

In chess, there are only so many pieces on the board, and the reason why you get into stalemate is that your pieces get into a certain arrangement.

Historian Timothy Snyder has spoken out in support of Ukraine (Yale University)

Russia carry out deadly attack on Ukrainian hospital

Thursday 23 November 2023 09:45 , Lydia Patrick

At least three people were killed and eight others injured after Russian missiles struck a hospital in southern Ukraine, said the countrys emergency services.

Missiles had struck and damaged two buildings of the hospital in Selydove town late on Tuesday, interior minister Ihor Klymenko had said in an earlier statement.

He had warned in his statement that casualties would increase as officials assessed damage from the attack.

Rescue workers finished clearing the rubble after sifting through the remains night and day, 24 hours after the attack, emergency services said on Wednesday. A whole section of the building had totally collapsed, they said.

Ukraine says at least three dead in Russian airstrike on hospital

Mapped - Current battlefields and frontlines

Thursday 23 November 2023 09:14 , Lydia Patrick

Putin ally adopted Ukrainian child, claim BBC

Thursday 23 November 2023 08:38 , Lydia Patrick

A 10-month-old who was taken from a Kherson children home has been linked to Vladmir Putins political ally.

Sirgey Mirnov, aged 70 and leafer of a Russian Political party has been named on the adoption record of a two-year-old who was taken in 2022 by his current wife, found the BBC.

The girl who was orginally named Margarita and 47 other children were taken from the care home when the city was under Russian occupation last year.

A BBC investigation has attempted to trace the missing and to identify a mysterious woman in lilac who claimed to be the head of childrens affairs from Moscow.

The smiley baby was discharged from hospital where she was being treated for bronchitis and returned to the home- where she was then taken, report the BBC.

Some weeks later more children were taken from the home, the BBC believes almost all the children remain in Russian hands, just one child, three-year-old Viktor Puzik has returned.

A view of the courtyard of Kherson regional children's home in Kherson, southern Ukraine (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Ukraine says at least three dead in Russian airstrike on hospital

Thursday 23 November 2023 08:16 , Andy Gregory

At least three people were killed and eight others injured after Russian missiles struck a hospital in southern Ukraine, said the countrys emergency services.

Missiles had struck and damaged two buildings of the hospital in Selydove town late on Tuesday, interior minister Ihor Klymenko had said in an earlier statement.

He had warned in his statement that casualties would increase as officials assessed damage from the attack.

Rescue workers finished clearing the rubble after sifting through the remains night and day, 24 hours after the attack, emergency services said on Wednesday. A whole section of the building had totally collapsed, they said.

My colleague Arpan Rai reports:

Ukraine says at least three dead in Russian airstrike on hospital

Swedens Nato bid unlikely to be ratified by summit next week, sources say

Thursday 23 November 2023 07:52 , Andy Gregory

Turkey has informed Nato that ratification of Swedens membership bid will not be completed in time to allow the countrys accession ceremony at a meeting of alliance foreign ministers next week, two sources familiar with the matter have told Reuters.

Last week, the Turkish parliaments foreign affairs commission delayed a vote on Swedens Nato membership bid in order to hold further talks on the subject.

One source said the commission will likely resume its debate on the matter on Tuesday or Wednesday, when Nato foreign ministers will meet in Brussels  a gathering that some had hoped would mark Swedens accession.

Finland considering shutting entire Russian border

Thursday 23 November 2023 07:00 , Alexander Butler

Finlands foreign minister has revealed they are considering closing some of the four remaining crossing points - or even the entire border - with Russia.

More than 600 people without valid travel documents to the EU have come to Finland via Russia so far this month, prompting Helsinki to shut several crossings.

Russia claims Ukraine attacked a group of journalists

Thursday 23 November 2023 05:01 , Alexander Butler

Moscow has claimed a group of Russian journalists have come under attack from Ukrainian forces.

The Russian Defence Ministry said the incident happened in Ukraines southern Zaporizhzhia region, which is partially under Russian occupation.

Russia annexed the region, illegally, in September last year.

Thursday 23 November 2023 03:01 , Alexander Butler

The Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban has now written to European Council President Charles Michel arguing EU leaders should not endorse the European Commissions recommendation that Ukraine be allowed to join the bloc.

The European Council is not in a position to agree on the future of the enlargement process unless a consensus on our future strategy towards Ukraine is found, he said.

The Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Thursday 23 November 2023 01:00 , Alexander Butler

After more than a thousand of its workers went to fight Russias invasion, a coal mining enterprise in eastern Ukraine suffered a huge staff shortage. Its answer was to allow women to work underground for the first time in its history.

Over a hundred took up the offer. I took this job because the war started and there were no other jobs, 22-year-old Krystyna said.

For five months, she has worked as a technician 1,542 feet below ground, servicing the small electric trains that haul workers more than 2.5 miles from the lift shaft where they descend to the seams of coal.

Its like Covid: Zelensky says Putin has made five or six attempts on his life

Thursday 23 November 2023 00:01 , Alexander Butler

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed that at least five or six Russian attempts to assassinate him have been foiled by his security services.

The wartime leader, speaking from the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, said the volume of attempts had turned him almost numb to the danger. He compared the later attempts to catching the Covid-19 infection.

The first one is very interesting, when it is the first time, and after that it is just like Covid, he said in a new interview.

Its like Covid: Zelensky says Putin has made five or six attempts on his life

Ukrainian sniper breaks world record after killing Russian solider nearly 2.5 miles away

Wednesday 22 November 2023 23:00 , Alexander Butler

A Ukrainian sniper claims to have broken the world record by killing a Russian soldier almost 2.5 miles away, with a custom rifle called Lord of the Horizon, Holly Evans reports.

The previous record was held by a Canadian special operations sniper at a distance of 2.2 miles in Iraq in 2017.

In a press statement, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said: The SBU sniper set a world record for a successful shot.

He hit a Russian soldier from an incredible distance.

SBU snipers are changing the rules of world sniping, demonstrating the ability to work effectively at fantastic distances.

Ukrainian sniper breaks world record after killing soldier nearly 2.5 miles away

Estonia accuses Russia of helping migrants to its border

Wednesday 22 November 2023 21:00 , Tom Watling

Estonias interior minister accused Russia on Wednesday of being involved in a hybrid attack operation to bring migrants to its border, aiming to undermine security and unsettle the Baltic states population.

A total of 75 migrants, largely from Somalia and Syria, have attempted to enter Estonia from Russia through the Narva crossing point since Thursday, Estonias public broadcaster ERR reported. None have asked for an asylum and all were turned back, the interior ministry said.

Estonia has made preparations to close border crossings if the migration pressure from Russia escalates, and to deal with migrants if they try to enter outside official crossings, Interior Minister Lauri Laanemets told Reuters through a spokesperson.

Unfortunately, there are many signs that Russian border officials and possibly other agencies are involved, said the minister.

Quite frankly, (the) ongoing migration pressure on EuropeAAAs eastern border is a hybrid attack operation, he added.

Russian officials were not immediately available to comment.

Estonias neighbour Finland said on Tuesday Russian authorities were likely directly involved in more than 500 asylum seekers, mostly from Yemen, Somalia, Syria and Iraq, arriving in a sudden surge from Russia over the past two weeks.

On Monday, the Kremlin denied Russia was deliberately pushing illegal migrants towards the Finnish border and said Russian border guards were carrying out their duties in line with the rules.

Migrants look at a Finnish Customs officials dog at the international border crossing with Russia earlier this week (AP)

10 years later, a war-weary Ukraine reflects on events that began its collision course with Russia

Wednesday 22 November 2023 20:00 , Tom Watling

It happens every November, when the cold descends on Kyiv. The change in weather always makes Dmytro Riznychenko think back, and he is overwhelmed by his emotions.

This is where it truly began, Riznychenko said, walking through central Kyivs Independence Square recently, reflecting on the uprising that unleashed a decade of momentous change for Ukraine, eventually leading to the current war with Russia.

Ten years of war and struggle, the 41-year-old psychologist continued, wearily and reluctantly. And it seems like the blood has only just begun to flow, truly. I regret nothing. But, God, its just so tiresome.

10 years later, a war-weary Ukraine reflects on events that began its collision course with Russia

Ukraine may fail to meet future grain demands amid non-stop Russian attacks, says UN

Wednesday 22 November 2023 19:00 , Tom Watling

Ukraine may not be able to meet domestic and export demand for wheat in the years to come if Russias attacks on its export routes and facilities continue, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) has warned.

If attacks on food infrastructure and the blockage of sea export routes continue, it will dramatically impact the agricultural production outlook over years to come, and may, in a worst-case scenario, lead to wheat production being unable to meet domestic and export demand, said the WFPs Ukraine director Matthew Hollingworth on Tuesday.

Ukraine may fail to meet future grain demands amid non-stop Russian attacks, says UN

Germany's defense minister unveils more help for Ukraine's fight against Russia's invasion

Wednesday 22 November 2023 18:00 , Tom Watling

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius vowed Tuesday to keep supporting Ukraines efforts to win its war against Russia, pledging further military aid worth 1.3 billion euros ($1.4 billion).

The new support is to include further Iris-T SLM anti-aircraft missile systems as well as anti-tank mines and 155-millimeter artillery shells, German news agency dpa reported.

We are talking about 20,000 additional shells, Pistorius said at a joint news conference with his Ukrainian counterpart, Rustem Umerov, in Kyiv, according to dpa.

Germany's defense minister unveils more help for Ukraine's fight against Russia's invasion

Putin may start sourcing ballistic missiles from Iran, warns White House

Wednesday 22 November 2023 17:00 , Tom Watling

The White House said on Tuesday it was concerned that Iran might be providing Russia with ballistic missiles for use in its war against Ukraine.

Moscow is already receiving Irans help with Shahed drones, guided aerial bombs, and artillery ammunition and may be gearing up to go a step further in its support for Russia, said National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby.

Moscow has received hundreds of Shahed drones that the Russian military used against Ukraines energy facilities and other key infrastructure.

Putin may start sourcing ballistic missiles from Iran, warns White House

Putin scales back attack on Ukraines strategic Avdiivka town after heavy Russian losses

Wednesday 22 November 2023 16:30 , Tom Watling

Vladimir Putin has scaled back his assault on Avdiivka, said Kyivs military officials who also warned that the attacks have not fully stopped yet.

Mr Putin is pouring in fewer troops and equipment in an attempt to seize the battered but strategic Ukrainian stronghold in the Donetsk oblast that has largely been occupied by Russia.

Russian occupying forces have reduced the number of ground and air attacks, though they still violate the rules of war by shooting at medical teams and evacuation vehicles, said Ukrainian military spokesperson Oleksandr Shtupun.

Putin scales back attack on Ukraines strategic town after heavy Russian losses

Lithuanian military support package arrives in Ukraine

Wednesday 22 November 2023 16:03 , Tom Watling

A Lithuanian military support package has arrived in Ukraine, a ministry of defence statement has shown.

You can read the specifics of the package below.

One more new package of military support from Lithuania has reached Ukraine today



@LTU_Army delivered 3 million units of 7.6251 mm ammunition, remote detonation systems & winter equipment to the Ukrainian Armed Forces



Our commitment to assist Ukraine remains unbreakable pic.twitter.com/IkA508EMFL  Lithuanian MOD  (@Lithuanian_MoD) November 22, 2023

Here are some of the latest photos from Ukraine

Wednesday 22 November 2023 15:16 , Tom Watling

Below are some of the latest photos from Ukraine as the first snowfall of the winter covers parts of the country.

A woman walks her dog beside destroyed Russian armoured vehicles during the first snowfall of winter in Kyiv (EPA)

Vladimir Putin speaks during a virtual G20 summit hosted by Indian prime minister Narendra Modi (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

A Ukrainian tank crew member of the 21st Mechanised Brigade sits inside a German made Leopard 2A5 battle tank near the front line (AFP via Getty Images)

Russia has shipped grain to Africa free of charge, Putin tells G20

Wednesday 22 November 2023 14:40 , Tom Watling

Russia has sent the first vessels carrying grain to Africa free of charge, President Vladimir Putin told an online gathering of the Group of 20 leading economies on Wednesday.

Russia pulled out of a United Nations-backed deal in July that had allowed safe passage for Ukrainian grain exports via the Black Sea, but Moscow has since pledged to help developing countries that rely on Russian and Ukrainian grain exports.

In his comments to the G20 meeting, Putin also said a large share of global economic activity was shifting to Asia and Africa, and he called for a bigger role for developing nations in the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

Putin says Russia stands for mutually-beneficial cooperation in the world

Wednesday 22 November 2023 13:36 , Tom Watling

Vladimir Putin said Russia stands for restoring the spirit of open and mutually beneficial cooperation in the world.

Putin finishes addressing the G20

Wednesday 22 November 2023 13:34 , Tom Watling

Vladimir Putin has finished addressing the G20 virtual summit.

We will continue to post the most newsworthy bits of his speech as they are translated.

Russia says relations with US risk breaking at any moment

Wednesday 22 November 2023 13:30 , Tom Watling

The fabric of relations between Russia and the US is extremely thin and risks being torn at any moment, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday.

Zakharova told reporters at her weekly briefing that Washingtons actions could lead to unpredictable consequences.

Russia has never abandoned peace negotiations with Ukraine, says Putin

Wednesday 22 November 2023 13:28 , Tom Watling

Vladimir Putin has said Russia has never abandoned peace negotiations on Ukraine.

The situation in Ukraine cannot but shock, but the coup in Ukraine and the extermination of the civilian population there and in Palestine is not shocking, he said, according to state media.

Putin pictured addresses a virtual G20 summit

Wednesday 22 November 2023 13:25 , Tom Watling

Vladimir Putin has been pictured addressing the virtual G20 summit.

It appears only a handful of countries have tuned in to hear him speak, inlcuding India, Spain Indonesia, and Korea.

Vladimir Putin addresses a G20 virtual summit (Tass)

Ukraine troops face difficult defence in east as bitter cold sets in, admits Zelensky

Wednesday 22 November 2023 13:16 , Tom Watling

Ukrainian troops face "difficult" defensive operations on parts of the eastern front with bitter winter cold setting in, but forces in the south are still conducting offensive actions, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Wednesday.

Russian troops launched offensives on different sections of the front line in Ukraine's east this autumn, trying to advance on the devastated town of Avdiivka and in the northeast between the towns of Lyman and Kupiansk.

"Difficult weather, difficult defence on the Lyman, Bakhmut, Donetsk and Avdiivka fronts. Offensive actions in the south," Zelenskiy said on Telegram messenger.

Snow and freezing temperatures that stood at about minus 5 degrees Celsius during the day on Wednesday and were expected to drop lower may further complicate operations on the battleground, where fighting is moving to an attritional phase.

Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022, controls nearly a fifth of Ukraine. Kyiv launched a counteroffensive to retake occupied territory this summer, but has not forced a major breakthrough.

Since mid-October, Avdiivka, where the front line has changed little since the first war erupted in 2014 between Kyiv and Russian-backed militants, faced waves of attacks followed by temporary lulls, according to the Ukrainian military.

After one such lull the day before, the head of the "Tavria" military command said on Wednesday that Russian troops had "dramatically increased" the number of assaults and airstrikes.

"Our defenders are steadfastly holding the defence in the Avdiivka direction," Commander Oleksandr Tarnavskyi said on Telegram. Ukrainian forces continued the offensive on the southeastern Melitopol front, he added.

In their morning readout on the battlefield, the General Staff said troops were also holding onto the bridgeheads secured on the eastern side of the River Dnipro that was occupied by Russian forces in the early days of their invasion.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a joint press conference in Kyiv on Tuesday (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Vladimir Putin begins G20 speech

Wednesday 22 November 2023 12:54 , Tom Watling

Vladimir Putin has just begun speaking at the G20 virtual summit, according to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.

Kremlin declines to comment on US suggestion that Russia may get ballistic missiles from Iran

Wednesday 22 November 2023 12:40 , Tom Watling

The Kremlin declined on Wednesday to comment on a suggestion by White House spokesman John Kirby that Iran may be considering providing Russia with ballistic missiles for use in Ukraine.

"We are developing relations with Iran, including in the field of military-technical cooperation, but we do not comment on this information," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in a regular news briefing.

Kirby said the United States would monitor the situation between Iran and Russia, and take appropriate action as needed.

Iran has been a key military support for Russia, supplying the Kremlin with thousands of Shahed kamikaze drones that have been used to target critical Ukrainian infrastructure.

Ukrainian air defense intercepts a Shahed drone mid-air over Kyiv (Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Putin scales back attack on Ukraine town after heavy Russian losses

Wednesday 22 November 2023 12:20 , Athena Stavrou

Vladimir Putin has scaled back his assault on Avdiivka, said Kyivs military officials who also warned that the attacks have not fully stopped yet.

Russian occupying forces have reduced the number of ground and air attacks, though they still violate the rules of war by shooting at medical teams and evacuation vehicles, said Ukrainian military spokesperson Oleksandr Shtupun.

Read more...

Putin scales back attack on Ukraines strategic town after heavy Russian losses

Ukraines coal mines turn to women for first time ever

Wednesday 22 November 2023 11:53 , Athena Stavrou

Ukrainian coal mines have allowed women to work underground for the first time in history to solve wartime staff shortages.

Krystyna, 22, is one of the 100 women who took up the offer.

She has worked as a technician 470 metres below ground for five months. She took the job after overcoming her fear of leaving her four-year-old son, Denys, at home with her mother.

Her hometown of Pavlohrad is 100 km (62 miles) from the front, but is often hit by Russian missiles.

I took this job because the war started and there were no other jobs, she said candidly.

Her beloved older brother worked in the same mine. He joined the army two weeks after the start of the full-scale invasion, Krystyna said, adding that she worries greatly about him.

She added: Our boys were taken to the front, and now we need to support them: there is no-one else to work in the mine now.

Putin to give Russian view on world situation at G20 virtual summit today

Wednesday 22 November 2023 11:41 , Athena Stavrou

The Kremlin said on Monday that President Vladimir Putin will set out Russias view of what it sees as the deeply unstable world situation when he addresses an upcoming virtual G20 summit.

Russian state TV presenter Pavel Zarubin said on his Telegram channel on Sunday that it would be the first event in a long time including both Putin and Western leaders.

According to the state RIA news agency, the G20 virtual summit will be held on Wednesday.

Separately, RIA reported that Putin will also take part via video link in a discussion on Tuesday about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at a summit of the BRICS bloc of nations.

(POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Russia says three Ukrainian drones destroyed over Crimea

Wednesday 22 November 2023 11:40 , Athena Stavrou

Russian anti-aircraft units destroyed three Ukrainian drones over the Crimean peninsula, the Russian defence ministry said.

An attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack with aircraft-type UAVs on objects on the territory of the Russian Federation was prevented, the defence ministry said.

Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. Ukraine says it will not rest until every last Russian soldier is ejected from its territory. Russia says Crimea is now part of Russia.

Three Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed over the territory of the Republic of Crimea by air defences, the ministry added.
Russian attacks on Kherson on Nov. 23 injured a 39-year-old woman, a 15-year-old boy, and an 11-year-old girl, said Roman Mrochko, the head of the Kherson City Military Administration.

The woman was wounded in the streets of the city's Dniprovskyi municipal district at around 4 p.m., Mrochko reported.

The two children, who are siblings, were reportedly wounded in the same district. The boy suffered injuries to his head, leg, and back, and the girl sustained facial injuries and an acute reaction to stress, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported.

Both of the minors are now in medical care, the governor noted.

Ukraine's Armed Forces liberated Kherson and other regional settlements west of the Dnipro River in the fall 2022 counteroffensive.

Russian forces were pushed to the east of the river, from where they have since been firing at the liberated territories, regularly resulting in civilian deaths and injuries.

Three people were killed and five injured in a Russian cluster munitions attack on Kherson earlier on Nov. 23. A 70-year-old man was killed in a Russian strike on the town of Beryslav in Kherson Oblast on the same day, the governor reported.

Read also: Opinion: What to do about Ukraines brain drain

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Russian attacks against Ukraine killed three people and injured four more in the past day, regional authorities reported on Nov 23.

Russia targeted a total of eight Ukrainian oblasts over this period.

Russian troops struck Antonivka in Kherson Oblast on the morning of Nov. 23, wounding a 51-year-old woman, the regional administration reported.

In the previous 24 hours, Russan forces attacked the southern region with a variety of different weapons, including mortars, artillery, tanks, multiple-launch rocket systems, drones, and aircraft, killing one person and injuring another, according to Governor Oleksandr Prokudin.

The attacks were directed at civilian targets in the oblast, including factories, educational and medical institutions, and shops, Prokudin said on Telegram. Russian forces reportedly fired 29 shells at the city of Kherson.

In Kharkiv Oblast, Russian forces attacked at least 18 different settlements, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said on Telegram. A 61-year-old man was wounded in Shyikivky, Izium district, and hospitalized with shrapnel wounds, Syniehubov added.

The attacks on Kharkiv Oblast also reportedly damaged a number of buildings in Kupiansk, Kupiansk-Vozlovyi, and Vovchansk.

Two people were killed in Russian attacks on Donetsk Oblast, and another was wounded, acting Governor Ihor Moroz said.

One person was killed in Pivnichne near Toretsk, and another was killed in the Chasiv Yar community near Bakhmut, according to Moroz. One person was reportedly injured in Avdiivka.

Russian attacks were also reported in Sumy, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, Chernihiv, and Mykolaiv oblasts, causing damage but no casualties.

Read also: Ukraine war latest: Germany delivers over 20 Marders; Military reports destroying 80% of Russian hardware near Avdiivka

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
The documents analyzed by the HUR show that in the nine months of 2023 there were 150 cases of technical malfunctions of Russian aircraft

Sanctions are accelerating the collapse of Russian aviation, the Ukrainian Defense Ministrys Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) reported.

The HUR made the comments after analyzing classified official documents it obtained in a complex special cyber operation against Federal Air Transport Agency Rosaviatsia, which is responsible for flight safety and records of all emergencies.

Read also: Turkey bans flights of Russian aircraft with dual registration

"Among the data obtained as a result of hacking and penetration into enemy information systems is a list of daily reports of Rosaviatsia throughout the Russian Federation for more than a year and a half. Their analysis shows that the civil aviation sector of terrorist Russia is on the verge of collapse," HUR wrote on Telegram on Nov. 23.

In January, 185 air accidents were recorded, about a third of which were serious. In total, in the first nine months of this year there were 150 cases of aircraft malfunctions, while last year in the same period there were 50.

Read also: Russian airlines continue flying western aircraft despite sanctions

Russia, due to the lack of capacity and specialists in Moscow, is trying to redirect aircraft maintenance to Iran, where the work is carried out in a "makeshift manner" without appropriate certification.

"The analysis of the nature of aviation incidents from the documents we received indicates that a number of failures, especially those related to engines, landing gears, and wing mechanisms, are systemic. The trend indicates that the civil aviation sector in Russia is in a zone of serious turbulence with a high risk of a steep crash," the HUR concluded, stressing that this poses a "deadly danger to the population".

Read also: Russian mob attacks Israeli airplane in modern pogrom, Zelenskyy reacts

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Ukrainian forces repelled 30 Russian assaults on the Avdiivka front and 12 on the Kupiansk front over the course of the past 24 hours.

Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook, information as of 06:00 on 23 November

Details: Over the course of the past day, Ukraines defence forces clashed with Russian forces 74 times. Russian forces carried out 3 missile strikes and 43 airstrikes and deployed multiple-launch rocket systems (MLRS) more than 64 times to attack the positions of Ukrainian troops and civilian settlements.

Russian forces also deployed 14 Shahed-136/131 drones to attack Ukraine on the night of 2122 November. Ukraines air defence intercepted all 14 Shaheds. Russian attacks killed and injured civilians and damaged private residential houses and other civilian infrastructure facilities.

Russian aircraft struck areas in Kharkiv, Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts.

Russian forces shelled more than 100 civilian settlements in Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk and Kherson oblasts.

On the Kupiansk front, in the area of responsibility of the Khortytsia Operational Strategic Group, Russian forces conducted offensive operations near Synkivka and to the northeast of Petropavlivka and Ivanivka (Kharkiv Oblast), with Ukrainian forces repelling 12 Russian assaults.

Russian forces did not undertake any offensive operations on the Lyman front.

Russian forces also did not undertake any offensive operations on the Bakhmut front. Ukrainian forces are continuing assault operations to the south of the city of Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast. They are inflicting personnel and equipment losses on Russian forces and consolidating their positions.

In the area of responsibility of the Tavriia Operational Strategic Group on the Avdiivka front, Russian forces are continuing their attempts to encircle the city of Avdiivka (Donetsk Oblast). Ukrainian forces are holding the line and inflicting significant losses on the Russians. Russian forces conducted unsuccessful offensive operations to the east of Novobakhmutivka and to the north of Lastochkyne, Avdiivka and Pervomaiske (Donetsk Oblast), with Ukrainian forces repelling 30 assaults.

On the Marinka front, Ukrainian forces repelled 18 Russian assaults in the vicinity of Marinka and Novomykhailivka (Donetsk Oblast).

Russian forces conducted unsuccessful offensive operations in the vicinity of Staromaiorske (Donetsk Oblast) on the Shakhtarsk front.

On the Zaporizhzhia front, Russian forces made 4 unsuccessful attempts to regain the positions they had previously lost near Robotyne (Zaporizhzhia Oblast).

Meanwhile, Ukraines defence forces are continuing to pursue the offensive on the Melitopol front and to carry out offensive operations on the Bakhmut front. They are inflicting personnel and equipment losses on the Russian forces and wearing them out all along the frontline.

On the Kherson front, in the areas of responsibility of the Odesa Operational Strategic Group, Ukrainian forces are holding the positions they took on the Left Bank of the River Dnipro (the eastern bank, which is largely Russian-controlled  ed.), engaging in counter battery fire, and striking positions beyond the Russian frontline.

Over the course of today, Ukrainian aircraft carried out airstrikes on 11 clusters of Russian military personnel, weapons and equipment.

Units of Ukrainian Rocket Forces and Artillery struck a Russian command post, 13 clusters of Russian military personnel, weapons and equipment, 4 artillery systems, and an ammunition storage point.

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MANILA, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- Four children, including an 11-month-old baby boy, died and two others were injured in a fire that hit a residential area in Cebu City in the central Philippines early on Thursday, authorities said.

The Cebu City Command Center said the fire broke out at 5:51 a.m. local time. Firefighters declared the fire out around 6:15 a.m.

An uncle of the children told authorities that the four victims, aged 11, six, one and 11 months, were asleep and trapped on their house's second floor. Those injured were a 30-year-old woman and a 31-year-old man, also family members.

Authorities said at least seven houses were gutted in the fire.

An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the fire. 
A worm originally made for espionage against Ukraine has now been identified as a nuisance worldwide as it branching out globally, collecting and transmitting user's data without their knowledge.

The worm, called 'LitterDrifter', was made by Russian hackers known under multiple names (one of which is Gamaredon), whose cyber attacks typically use malware and have gained a reputation for it. In 2014, Ukraine's security service claimed this was done by Russia's Federal Security Service, the Kremlin. Despite this identification, the threat wasn't contained on time and has since been found to be infecting systems globally. It's been found to have collected information from users in the United States, Chile, Poland, Germany, Vietnam, and Hong Kong, as well as in Ukraine.

Unlike viruses, worms typically spread through systems on their own. Because of this, it was only a matter of time before LitterDrifter started operating outside its intended target  whether this was intentional or not, we'll never truly know.

This malicious code has been tracked by Check Point Research, which did extensive research on its method and its indicators. The research group says this worm affects computers through USB drives. The code is written using Visual Basic scripting language, which permanently infects systems connected through infected USB drives and sends data to Gamaredon's servers. Specifically, this type of malware affects the Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) framework. Typically the infected USB drives will create an LNK shortcut and insert a copy of the 'trash.dll' file to the system.

It may sound like a simple delivery method, but it's effective enough to infect both intended and unintended targets. It's been nine years since it was created, so it's had plenty of time to spread worldwide and is likely not limited to the countries mentioned above. By no means are these worms made for small-scale data mining. Since its method of delivery is via a USB connection, it needs to be simple enough for infected USB drives to propagate through connected systems.

Worms used by other states

As concerning as LitterDrifter is, it's not the only worm causing problems. Stuxnet, which was allegedly created through a U.S. collaboration with Israel to spy on Iran, has also been found on systems worldwide. Sadly, this is a very common occurrence with this type of delivery method, where such worms operate beyond their targeted locations for many years. Active servers that receive this data are usually a telltale sign that groups are still gathering data.

It's unlikely we'll see such a method of delivery banned by international laws, as many countries feel the need to have such data harvesting methods available. And even if bans are placed globally, such restrictions will likely be ignored as reinforcement is difficult (especially against dominant players). The best way to fight this problem is with malware protection applications that can clean both the system and its carriers (a USB drive, in this case).
The Russian parliament passed a budget for 2024 that increases military spending to more than one-third of total government expenditures, Russian independent media outlet Meduza reported on Nov. 23.

If combined with funding for domestic law enforcement agencies, the figure rises to 40%.

According to Meduza, state expenditures on Russia's military sector will exceed social payments for the first time.

The budget has passed through all but one of the necessary steps in order to become a law, with only the signature of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin remaining to bring the budget into force.

The budget had gone through 900 amendments since its first draft, Meduza wrote, with an additional 725 billion rubles ($8.2 billion) being allocated to the country's military sector in the second draft.

In addition, Russia has earmarked a significant amount of money, at least $2.6 billion, to be spent on the territories of Ukraine that it illegally annexed in September 2022.

In order to fund the increased military expenditures, Russia will need increased revenue. Funding the first draft of the budget, which was smaller than the final version passed, would reportedly require a 22% increase in government revenue from 2023.

The Russian government is considering raising taxes to account for the discrepancy, sources told Meduza.

Read also: Charles Michel: We provided more than 82 billion euros, we are ready to do more

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Boris Maksudov, a correspondent for the Russian state television network Rossiya 24, died after allegedly being injured in a Ukrainian drone strike, prominent Russian propagandist Vladimir Solovyov said on Nov. 23.

At the time of this publication, it is impossible to confirm the incident's details and attribute any responsibility. There were no official comments from Kyiv.

The Russian Defense Ministry said on Nov. 22 that Maksudov had been working in the occupied part of Zaporizhzhia Oblast with other Russian correspondents when a Ukrainian drone allegedly struck the area. The ministry then said that Maksudov's injuries were not life-threatening.

In a video shared by Maksudov, he and the other correspondents were wearing military uniforms, and it was difficult to see if there was an inscription that said "press." It can be challenging to distinguish soldiers from the press without such insignia.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that it was a "big tragedy."

Solovyov has regularly made outlandish claims and a variety of threats against the West, including that Russia should use nuclear weapons. He also urged escalation in Russia's war against Ukraine and called for strikes against civilian targets.

Speaking on state television, Solovyov commented on Maksudov's death, adding that he had been killed while working on a story to document Ukraine's purported shelling of civilians.

Ukrainian forces allegedly shelling civilians in the Donbas has been a regularly repeated Kremlin talking point since the beginning of hostilities in 2014. The claims have been thoroughly debunked.

On the other hand, Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilians kill and wound people daily.

Regional Ukrainian authorities reported early on Nov. 23 that Russian attacks had killed three and injured four civilians over the past 24 hours.

The Prosecutor General's Office said that by June, 63 journalists from 14 countries, including Ukraine, had been killed since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.

According to Serhii Tomilenko, the president of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU), Russia is also holding at least 25 Ukrainian journalists prisoner.

Read also: Ukraine war latest: Germany delivers over 20 Marders; Military reports destroying 80% of Russian hardware near Avdiivka

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Russian dictator Vladimir Putin planned aggression against Ukraine as early as 2008, Yaroslav Hrytsak is sure.

Russia's plan for military aggression against Ukraine was approved as early as late 2008, historian and professor at the Ukrainian Catholic University, Yaroslav Hrytsak, said in an interview with NV Radio.

"Russia had plans for large-scale military aggression against Ukraine long before the Maidan [protests of 2014], Hrytsak said.

Read also: Russias invasion of Ukraine and Hamass attack on Israel seen as global turning point  Sullivan

According to my sources, sources of my colleagues who are familiar with this, this plan was approved at the end of 2008.

The only surprise for Russia was the Revolution of Dignity in 2014, as Russia expected mass protests to erupt in Ukraine in 2015 when then-President Viktor Yanukovych would run for a second term, the academic suggested.

At that time, it was believed that it would be the best time for Russia to invade Ukraine, allegedly to restore order in this country, to save it from chaos, says the professor.

Therefore, it could be said that Russia immediately 'punished' Ukrainians, 'punished the revolution.' They had this plan.

Russia considered using military force every time Ukrainians demonstrated their active position regarding approaching the West and moving away from Russia.

Read also: What comes next, now that Putin is a recognized dictator

"We knew about it. I say 'we' because these were Maidan experts. We were warned long ago that the invasion was inevitable. I remember that at some point, we asked to go out to Maidan and declare this. And it exists somewhere on YouTube, that Yanukovych is no longer a threat to us, our main threat is Putin. Unfortunately, the events confirmed this, said Hrytsak.

In June 2022, former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili stated that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin clearly indicated to him nearly 20 years ago that he wanted to occupy Ukraine.

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A Russian court sentenced Yegor Balazeikin, 17, to six years in a penal colony for attempting to set fire to two military enlistment offices in Kirovsk and St. Petersburg, RFE/RL reported on Nov. 22.

Many military enlistment centers in Russia have been targeted in attempted arson attacks by protestors since Russia launched its full-scale military campaign against Ukraine in 2022.

I started looking for information on the Internet, followed Meduza I cannot agree with Russias invasion of Ukraine. Therefore, I began to talk with people around me in order to collect information about the military registration and enlistment office. I realized that conversations were useless, and decided that something needed to be done to change the situation. he told prosecutors.

Balazeikin says Russian security service officers threatened to beat and rape him in custody.

The prosecutor stated that he considered the defendant's age, his state of health, and his confession as circumstances for the sentence.

Balazeikin has already served nine months in pre-trial detention.

Read also: UK Defense Ministry: Russia ramps up army recruitment campaign by appealing to masculine pride

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Russian troops continued their ground attacks along the Kupiansk-Svatove-Kreminna line on 22 November and confirmed the offensive, as geolocation footage indicates the Russians advancing east of Synkivka (8 kilometres northeast of Kupiansk). The Russians are also completing the regrouping of their forces and may soon increase the pace of their offensive on this front.

Source: the Institute for the Study of War (ISW)

Details: A Russian military blogger claimed that Russian troops had made some progress near Serebrianka Forest (10 kilometres southwest of Kreminna), although the ISW found no visual evidence of this claim.

General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that Russian forces conducted unsuccessful attacks near Synkivka and Ivanivka (20 kilometres southeast of Kupiansk), northeast and east of Petropavlivka (7 kilometres east of Kupiansk), and towards Siversk (19 kilometres south of Kreminna).

In addition, Ukrainian military expert Kostiantyn Mashovets estimated that Russian troops are completing the regrouping of forces and may soon increase the pace of offensive actions on the Kupiansk front.

To quote the ISWs Key Takeaways on 22 November:

Russian President Vladimir Putin reframed the Kremlins stance on the Israeli-Hamas war to a much more anti-Israel position in an attempt to demonstrate the supposed hypocrisy of Western condemnations of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Putin also reiterated boilerplate rhetoric falsely portraying Russia as willing to engage in meaningful negotiations, likely to pressure the West into prematurely pushing Ukraine to negotiate with Russia.

US National Security Council Spokesperson John Kirby reported on 21 November that Iran is supplying Russia with glide bombs and that Iran may be preparing to transfer short-range ballistic missiles to Russia.

The Kremlin appears to be inexplicably concerned about the outcome of the upcoming March 2024 Russian presidential elections, despite apparent widespread Russian approval of Putin.

Russian Investigative Committee Head Alexander Bastrykin called for Russia to codify an unspecified state ideology in the Russian constitution, suggesting that some Russian officials may want to explicitly end nominal constitutional protections for civil rights, democratic pluralism, and ethnic equality.

Bastrykin has yet to detail what a potential Russian state ideology should be, although the Kremlins support for Russian ultranationalism would likely heavily influence any potential Russian state ideology.

Bloomberg reported on 21 November that the European Union (EU) proposed a plan to strengthen security commitments from EU member states to Ukraine.

Russian forces conducted a series of missile and drone strikes against Ukraine on the night of 21-22 November.

Russian milbloggers appear to be focusing renewed complaints against the Russian military command for what milbloggers perceive as poor choices that contribute to Russian casualties.

Russian forces continued offensive operations along the Kupiansk-Svatove-Kreminna line, near Bakhmut, northwest of Horlivka, near Avdiivka, west and southwest of Donetsk City, in the Donetsk-Zaporizhzhia Oblast border area, in western Zaporizhzhia Oblast, and in east (left) bank Kherson Oblast and advanced east of Synkivka.

The Russian Federation Council approved the Russian 2024-2026 federal budget on 22 November, and Russian officials continue to emphasise social spending over defense expenditures.

The Russian government and occupation authorities continue to forcibly deport children in occupied Ukraine to Russia under medical treatment schemes.

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Russians have begun the third wave of assault actions as part of the offensive on the Avdiivka front.

Source: Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, Commander of Tavriia operational strategic group on Telegram

Details: The commander assures the Ukrainian defenders steadfastly hold the defence on the Avdiivka front.

The total losses of Russians amounted to 706 people on this particular front over the past day.

51 units of military equipment were destroyed, including 8 tanks, 13 armoured vehicles, 8 artillery systems, 2 air defence systems, 15 UAVs, 5 vehicles. 2 ammunition depots and 4 important Russian facilities were also destroyed.

In general, the commander reports that Russian losses in manpower and armoured vehicles are growing on the Tavriia front; 8 tanks were destroyed, and the total losses in manpower are more than 700 people.

In the operating zone of the Tavriia operational-strategic group, Russia carried out 11 airstrikes, conducted 56 combat clashes and 973 attacks.

Another 44 pieces of Russian equipment were damaged.

The offensive operation continues on the Melitopol front, Tarnavskyi adds.

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The greatest immediate threat to security in Europe has come from Russia's aggressive war, and therefore the EUs unity and cohesion on this issue have been very important.

Source: Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg during a joint press conference with his Slovak counterpart in Vienna on Wednesday, 22 November; Ukrinform news agency

Quote from Schallenberg: "Undoubtedly, we want peace. Everyone wants peace. And people in Ukraine want it the most. But everything lies in the hands of only one person, namely Russian President Vladimir Putin. He can end the war tomorrow. If he does it, the war will end. If Ukraine stops fighting, Ukraine simply ceases to exist. And then Slovakia may suddenly get a different neighbour."

Details: The minister also emphasised that Austria's position is "no negotiations regarding Ukraine without Ukraine".

Schallenberg noted that the greatest immediate threat to security in the European continent comes from Russia's aggressive war, and therefore the EUs unity and cohesion on this issue is very important. "The unity and cohesion of the European Union on this issue has been our greatest achievement, our greatest asset. And I believe that we are doing everything right and should work to ensure that we preserve this unity and cohesion in the future", he said.

The Austrian minister said it is also necessary to realise that "we are being watched at the international level, and that our position as a Western world depends very much on our behaviour in this matter".

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SAN JOSE, Calif. - In an unprecedented move, the Santa Clara County District Attorney on Wednesday announced prosecutors charged two parents with the murder of their 18-month-old daughter, who died of fentanyl and methamphetamine toxicity.

The charge stems from the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroners finding on Nov. 2, which revealed that Winter Rose Rayo had a fentanyl blood concentration of 74 ng/mL in her bloodstream.

Blood concentrations as low as 5 ng/mL can be lethal.

Armed with the coroner's results, San Jose police served a warrant at the home of Derek Vaughn Rayo, 27, and Kelly Gene Richardson, 28, in the 1500 block of Huddersfield Court.

Rayo was supposed to be arraigned on Wednesday afternoon, but he refused to come out of his cell. Richardson has not been located. There is a warrant out for her arrest.

Efforts to speak to them or their attorneys were not immediately successful.

This is the first time that the Santa Clara County DAs Office has charged parents with the murder of their own child in a fentanyl-related death.

"This innocent child and her sad and stolen life," District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement. "This is not a law enforcement official overreacting to an illegal substance. Fentanyl will kill you as easily as a bullet. It is killing the children of our community."

As prosecutors and police laid out the allegations, officer arrived at the family's home just before midnight on Aug. 12 after Rayo had summoned them by calling 911.

Paramedics observed that the toddler had been dead for hours.

During a search of the home, investigators located fentanyl on the nightstand of the master bedroom, and scraping tools with fentanyl residue on the desk and on a rug located underneath the girls body.

Homicide detectives also ended up taking multiple electronic devices belonging to the couple, prosecutors said.

On them were text and social media messages showing narcotic use at the house when the child was present, prosecutors said. There were also photos and videos on Richardsons phone showing Rayo smoking drugs near Winter, court documents allege.

Winter's parents and other people living with the couple had actually texted concerns about using drugs near the toddler, prosecutors said.

"A baby swallowed enough fentanyl to kill a grown person, again," said Rosen.

While this is the first fentanyl-related parental murder charge in Santa Clara County, the DA's office is also prosecuting another case of a 3-month-old baby, who was found dead in a San Jose apartment littered with fentanyl.

In that case, though, prosecutors charged father David Anthony Castro, 38, with felony child neglect and misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance.

His child, Baby Phoenix, died from consuming methamphetamine and fentanyl in May.

Phoenix's mother was not home when she died. She also died from an overdose in September, officials said.

Rosen noted similarities between the fentanyl death of Winter and that of Phoenix. The district attorney said the messages and video gathered by investigators are what spurred the murder charge in the case of Baby Winter.

"The evidence we have found shows their concious disregard for human life," stated Rosen.

The Santa Clara County DA has already charged at least six other fentanyl-related cases with murder  the difference is that these defendants are not parents.

Around the state, other prosecutors are turning to murder charges with fentanyl is involved.

In July, Nathaniel Cabacungan, 21, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder following the death of 15-year-old Jewels Wolf of Roseville, Calif.

The Placer County District Attorney said it was the first fentanyl murder conviction of its kind in the state.

According to 1pillcankill.placer.com, fentanyl is now the No. 1 cause of death among 18- to 45-year-olds in the United States.
As Thanksgiving passes, visions of sugar plums, Christmas shopping and coordinating holiday plans may start dancing in some Louisvillian's heads  if they haven't already.

To get into the holiday spirit, The Courier Journal dove into the names of communities across the region to find the most Christmas-centric ones.

For celebrators in these towns and unincorporated communities across Southern Indiana and Kentucky, the holiday season may feel all the more festive.

Santa Claus, Indiana

A little over an hour away from Louisville is Santa Claus, Indiana, a town that has garnered national attention from its unique name.

But the Christmas spirit doesn't stop there.

Visitors can interact with live reindeer, attend tree lighting ceremonies and write letters to the town's namesake, Mr. Claus, during the holiday season. The town is also home to Holiday World & Splashin' Safari  which was originally called Santa Claus Land  and other attractions, like Santa's Candy Castle and Santa's Stables.

Mistletoe, Kentucky

This unincorporated community is nestled close to the Daniel Boone National Forest in Eastern Kentucky.

When the post office in Mistletoe was established in 1900, it was named after the white-berried plant that grew around the region. The plant has long been connected with Christmastime. As legend has it, couples who are caught underneath a branch of it can share a kiss or risk bad luck  which has become a popular trope in holiday-themed romance movies.

Ebenezer, Kentucky

There are two unincorporated communities in Kentucky that share a name with the main character of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," Ebenezer Scrooge, who is visited by the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come.

One is in Muhlenberg County and the other is in Mercer County. The name "Ebenezer" has Biblical origins.

Coal Run Village, Kentucky

It is no secret that coal has been ingrained in Kentucky's culture for decades, but it is also what is famously left for children on Santa's "naughty list."

The story of Santa leaving lumps of coal in children's stockings for Christmas has been circulating for hundreds of years, but there is no conclusive origin to the lore. Some say the coal is a last-minute gift for kids on the naughty list, plucked by Saint Nick as he comes through the chimney, while others believe it is simply a disappointing alternative to other presents, like toys and candy, to encourage better behavior.

Bethlehem, Indiana and Kentucky

Both Indiana and Kentucky have communities named Bethlehem, which is famously known as the birthplace of Jesus Christ and whose birth is at the core of the holiday.

Up until 1894, Bethlehem, Kentucky was named Mobley Stand. It is unclear why the name was switched, but records show that beginning in 1961, local churches in Bethlehem sponsored a "living nativity" play with local people and animals playing the parts, except for the infant Jesus, who was represented by a doll.

Chestnut Grove, Kentucky

Nat King Cole's hit, "Christmas Song" opens with the line "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire."

Roasted chestnuts used to be a common treat prior to a blight that destroyed most of the American chestnut trees in the U.S., and it has since decreased in popularity. Still, some vendors sell the nuts around the holiday season.

Chestnut Grove, Kentucky, is an unincorporated community about 40 miles east of Louisville in Shelby County and was named for a local grove of the trees.

More: What's the difference between yams and sweet potatoes? 3 things to know

Snow, Kentucky

Snow has become synonymous with Christmas over the years, especially after the song "White Christmas" came out in the 1940s.

On average, the first snowfall in Louisville totaling at least an inch falls on Dec. 26, just a day after Christmas, so dreams of a white Christmas might not be out of the question.

However, Snow, Kentucky, located in Clinton County near the Tennessee border, is not actually named for the flakes of white ice crystals, but for a family who lived in the area at the time.

Reach reporter Eleanor McCrary at EMcCrary@courier-journal.com or at @ellie_mccrary on X, formerly known as Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: The best Christmas town names in Kentucky and Southern Indiana
Hamas reveals details of first cease-fire, swap deal since Gaza conflict

Xinhua) 08:27, November 23, 2023

People conduct rescue work among the rubble of buildings destroyed in Israeli airstrikes in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, on Nov. 22, 2023. Israel and the Gaza-ruling Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) confirmed Wednesday a cease-fire agreement in the conflict-ridden Gaza Strip for four days, to allow for more aid delivery to Gaza as well as the exchange of Israeli hostages held by the armed Palestinian faction and Palestinian prisoners jailed in Israel. (Photo by Khaled Omar/Xinhua)

GAZA, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- Israel and the Gaza-ruling Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) confirmed Wednesday a cease-fire agreement in the conflict-ridden Gaza Strip for four days, to allow for more aid delivery to Gaza as well as the exchange of Israeli hostages held by the armed Palestinian faction and Palestinian prisoners jailed in Israel.

The humanitarian pause, mediated by joint Qatari, Egyptian and U.S. efforts, would enable the release of 50 hostages held in Gaza, mainly children and women and most are foreign nationals, in exchange for about 150 female and teenage Palestinians jailed in Israel, the Israeli presidency and a top Hamas official revealed separately.

Hamas politburo member Moussa Abu Marzouk told Al Jazeera on Wednesday that the cease-fire in Gaza will begin at 10:00 a.m. local time (0800 GMT) on Thursday.

The hostages will be released in smaller groups over a span of four days, during which "there will be a pause in the fighting," said the statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office, adding that the release of every additional 10 hostages will result in one additional day in the pause.

A Hamas source told Xinhua that Hamas and Israel were still finalizing on Wednesday night their respective swap list that would be handed to each other.

According to the source, the two sides would pause fighting simultaneously when the time comes, and Hamas would send the first batch of hostages to Red Cross personnel. The latter would then transfer them onward to Israel after the Israeli side confirmed their identities, after which the Israeli side would release a batch of Palestinian prisoners to their residences in the West Bank.

Under the agreement, more truckloads of humanitarian aid, medicine, and fuel will be allowed to enter Gaza through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt. Israel would also pause aerial surveillance on Gaza for six hours starting 10 a.m. local time daily.

Had the cease-fire and swap deal been commenced, it would be the first step to suspend hostilities between the two sides since the start of the conflict.

Israeli newspaper Times of Israel reported earlier in the day that the cease-fire might extend for 10 days to allow for the release of up to 300 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for 100 Israeli hostages from Gaza.

Responding to the list circulated among Israeli media, Thaer Shriteh, spokesman for the Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners Affairs Authority of the Palestine Liberation Organization, said the list includes prisoners with lengthy sentences and those who have spent years in Israeli prisons.

Palestinian sources familiar with the affairs told Xinhua that the published list includes 221 names from the West Bank, 74 from Jerusalem, and five from Gaza, and among them 47 were affiliated with Hamas.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the PLO leadership welcomed the humanitarian cease-fire deal and appreciated the Qatari and Egyptian efforts in this regard, Hussein Al-Sheikh, secretary-general of the PLO Executive Committee said in a statement on Wednesday.

He added, "We renew the call for a comprehensive halt to the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people, the entry of humanitarian aid, and the implementation of a political solution based on international legitimacy leading to ending the occupation and achieving freedom, independence, and sovereignty for the Palestinian people."

Israel has been carrying out attacks on Gaza over the past weeks to retaliate against the Hamas surprise attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, during which Hamas militants killed about 1,200 people and took more than 200 hostages.

A total of 14,532 Palestinians have died, more than 35,000 others were injured since the start of the current Israel-Hamas conflict, the Hamas-run government media office said Wednesday.

People conduct rescue work among the rubble of buildings destroyed in Israeli airstrikes in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, on Nov. 22, 2023. Israel and the Gaza-ruling Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) confirmed Wednesday a cease-fire agreement in the conflict-ridden Gaza Strip for four days, to allow for more aid delivery to Gaza as well as the exchange of Israeli hostages held by the armed Palestinian faction and Palestinian prisoners jailed in Israel. (Photo by Khaled Omar/Xinhua)

People conduct rescue work among the rubble of buildings destroyed in Israeli airstrikes in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, on Nov. 22, 2023. Israel and the Gaza-ruling Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) confirmed Wednesday a cease-fire agreement in the conflict-ridden Gaza Strip for four days, to allow for more aid delivery to Gaza as well as the exchange of Israeli hostages held by the armed Palestinian faction and Palestinian prisoners jailed in Israel. (Photo by Khaled Omar/Xinhua)

People conduct rescue work among the rubble of buildings destroyed in Israeli airstrikes in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, on Nov. 22, 2023. Israel and the Gaza-ruling Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) confirmed Wednesday a cease-fire agreement in the conflict-ridden Gaza Strip for four days, to allow for more aid delivery to Gaza as well as the exchange of Israeli hostages held by the armed Palestinian faction and Palestinian prisoners jailed in Israel. (Photo by Khaled Omar/Xinhua)

People conduct rescue work among the rubble of buildings destroyed in Israeli airstrikes in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, on Nov. 22, 2023. Israel and the Gaza-ruling Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) confirmed Wednesday a cease-fire agreement in the conflict-ridden Gaza Strip for four days, to allow for more aid delivery to Gaza as well as the exchange of Israeli hostages held by the armed Palestinian faction and Palestinian prisoners jailed in Israel. (Photo by Khaled Omar/Xinhua)

People conduct rescue work among the rubble of buildings destroyed in Israeli airstrikes in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, on Nov. 22, 2023. Israel and the Gaza-ruling Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) confirmed Wednesday a cease-fire agreement in the conflict-ridden Gaza Strip for four days, to allow for more aid delivery to Gaza as well as the exchange of Israeli hostages held by the armed Palestinian faction and Palestinian prisoners jailed in Israel. (Photo by Khaled Omar/Xinhua)

People conduct rescue work among the rubble of buildings destroyed in Israeli airstrikes in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, on Nov. 22, 2023. Israel and the Gaza-ruling Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) confirmed Wednesday a cease-fire agreement in the conflict-ridden Gaza Strip for four days, to allow for more aid delivery to Gaza as well as the exchange of Israeli hostages held by the armed Palestinian faction and Palestinian prisoners jailed in Israel. (Photo by Khaled Omar/Xinhua)

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
BERLIN, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- As Germany is accelerating its energy transition, demand for employees in the wind and solar sectors is picking up, with the number of online job advertisements almost doubling between 2019 and 2022, according to a study published by the Bertelsmann Stiftung on Wednesday.

"The sharp rise in demand in the wind and solar sectors shows one thing above all: in order to manage the expansion of renewable energies, we need to invest significantly more in the training and further education of workers," said Jana Fingerhut, labor market expert at Bertelsmann Stiftung.

To achieve the energy transition in the foreseeable future, at least 300,000 skilled workers are needed before the end of this decade, according to the study conducted by the German Economic Institute (IW) on behalf of the foundation.

As Germany is seeking to generate at least 80 percent of its gross electricity consumption with renewable energies by 2030, up from the present 50 percent, the country is pushing hard to expand clean energy.

Despite a slight decline in electricity generation, wind power was already the most important source of energy in Germany in the first half of the year, accounting for a share of 28.6 percent, according to official figures.

The expansion has picked up speed in recent years, but not enough to achieve the government's short-term targets, according to the Science Media Center Germany. The current pace would leave 3 gigawatts (GW) short of the 69 GW target of installed capacity in the coming year.

"Even though we see a significant increase in new permits this year, it is still a tough challenge to reach the annual addition targets," said Baerbel Heidebroek, president of the German Wind Energy Association (BWE), in mid-October.

The expansion of solar power, on the other hand, is already achieved. According to recent data assessments, the expansion targets of 9 GW of new capacity for 2023 have been met after nine months.

Accordingly, the demand for skilled workers in the solar industry is particularly high, as three times as many jobs are advertised as in wind power, according to the Bertelsmann Stiftung.

To counteract the general shortage of skilled workers, the German government just passed a new immigration law.

The law shows that the country "not only accepts qualified immigration, but also wants it," said Minister of Labor Hubertus Heil in early November. 
This year, Home Instead celebrates 20 years of bringing joy to the greater Pensacola community with Be a Santa to a Senior, a gift-giving program for older adults who may be overlooked, isolated or alone during the holiday season.

Since the programs nationwide inception in 2003, Be a Santa to a Senior has engaged more than 65,000 volunteers, provided more than 2.2 million gifts, and shared the holiday spirit with about 800,000 older adults.

Last year, more than 500 older adults in Pensacola received gifts thanks to the communitys generous support.

To participate, shoppers can look for Be a Santa to a Senior trees or displays at locations around the area. Ornaments featuring the name and desired gift of an older adult will be on display, and shoppers can buy the requested gift and return it wrapped to the location with the ornament attached. Ornaments will be available now through Dec. 20. The gifts will be delivered to local older adults in time for the holidays.

Owner Stacy Robello places ornaments on Home Insteads "Be a Santa to a Senior" tree set up at First United Methodist Church in downtown Pensacola on Friday, Nov. 18, 2022.

Be a Santa to a Senior trees can be found at the following locations:

Downtown YMCA, 165 E. Intendencia St.

Escambia County Sheriff's Office, 1100 E. Cervantes St.

First United Methodist Church, 6 E. Wright St.

Walmart Supercenter, 3767 Gulf Breeze Parkway, Gulf Breeze.

Be a Santa to a Senior brings together the entire community, with support from local businesses, nonprofit organizations, retailers, volunteers, and countless other community members.

Visit BeaSantatoaSenior.com or imreadytocare.com for details.

Santa Rosa Medical Center accepting donations for the 2024 New Years Baby Basket

The Santa Rosa Medical Center is now accepting donations for the 2024 New Years Baby Basket.

The basket will be given to the family of the first baby born in Santa Rosa County in 2024. In January, the Santa Rosa Medical Center presented a local family with a wagon of items donated by the hospital, hospital staff and area businesses. Items ranged from gift certificates to items for mom and baby.

Those interested in donating to the basket can contact SRMC's marketing manager by phone at 850-626-5370 or by email at jackalyn_kovac@srmcfl.com to coordinate the donation before the Christmas holiday.

Find ways to help: Thanksgiving food distribution giveaways hosted in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties

Safe Haven signage installed at Escambia County Fire Rescue 24/7 fire stations

Escambia County Fire Rescue recently announced that Safe Haven signage, provided at no cost by A Safe Haven for Newborns, have been installed and are operational at all ECFR 24/7 fire stations.

Founded in 2000, A Safe Haven for Newborns' mission is dedicated to saving the lives of newborn babies from the dangers of abandonment while also saving pregnant girls and women during a crisis. As a result, over 300 babies in Florida have been saved from total abandonment.

Safe Haven is considered a safety net for both the mother and the newborn infant. The program allows mothers, fathers or whoever is in possession of an unharmed newborn, approximately seven days old or less, to leave them with someone at Safe Havens with full anonymity and no questions asked. Safe Haven locations include fire stations, hospitals or any staffed emergency medical service station. Once a baby is delivered to a Safe Haven, a local participating adoption agency is contacted.

The confidential and multilingual 24/7 hotline number for A Safe Haven for Newborns is 877-767-2229.

Visit ASafeHavenforNewborns.com for details.

Organizers seek authors, literary professionals for outdoor book festival

Books By the Bay, a new outdoor book festival sponsored by nonprofit Emerald Coast Writers, is seeking authors, poets, editors, graphic designers, cover artists, illustrators, agents, literary professionals, and new and used book vendors to participate in its inaugural 2024 festival. The one-day, free event is slated for March 23 at Pensacolas Museum Plaza, 300 S. Tarragona St., behind the Pensacola Museum of History.

Books By the Bays planning committee is also seeking proposals from literary professionals who would like to speak at the festival. The event focuses on literary appreciation and will feature a wide range of genres from childrens books to memoirs, romance to steampunk, nonfiction to historical fiction, and graphic novels. The days events will include author signings, book sales, author panels, and writers workshops.

Attendees will have the opportunity to interact with local authors, national bestselling authors, literary experts, and characters in costume. For information about volunteering, acquiring space or participating as an author or literary professional or sponsor, email BooksByTheBayFest@gmail.com, call 850-270-8806 or visit booksbythebay.org.

Take part: To make a Causes submission, email giving@pnj.com.

Never miss a story: Subscribe to the Pensacola News Journal using the link at the bottom of the page under Stay Connected.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Be a Santa to a Senior celebrates 20 years of brightening holidays
SARASOTA, Fla. - Right in the middle of Sarasota sits 40 acres of untouched land that was once owned by one of Sarasota County's first families  The Crowley's.

The land has been a farm for students to get hands-on learning, but it's being improved by the Sarasota County School District. It will ensure students get even more opportunities to learn about agriculture and where our food comes from.

The 40 acres of land sits right outside of McIntosh Middle School in Sarasota, and the farm helps educate the students on Old Florida and the importance of farming and agriculture.

READ: It could come back: The technique giving Florida citrus industry renewed hope about future crops

"With our ever developing community, we are losing farmland and with that agriculture education, we are looking to design an agricultural literacy hub for our students and for our community," said Tripp Jennings, the assistant director of career and technical education for Sarasota County Schools.

The farms transformation includes two new animal barns that are being built with 50 stalls for students to raise livestock. Itll give students an opportunity to showcase animals at the County Fair or participate in organizations like 4H and Future Farmers of America.

"There are students and families who would like to have an animal project, but they dont have the capacity at their own home, they dont have family who has farm space. This project will open up that opportunity," said Jennings.

Kate Traugott, the farm manager for Sarasota County Schools, said the opportunity helps the students understand the entire food system. Traugott has witnessed how the land can spark an interest in students.

MORE: USF College of Marine Science gets $3.2 million grant to develop sargassum forecasting system

"I see students learning for themselves how they can problem solve things critically, and I see them becoming more confident in learning what they can do for themselves," she said.

The goal is to give all 45,000 students of the Sarasota County School District a chance to come out to the farm, get a hands-on lesson and possibly leave with a new career to explore.

"We are trying to keep that education and opportunity alive because even if it all gets developed, agriculture still has a major impact on the economy, textiles, clothing, medicine, paper, almost everything we do," said Jennings.
Oil prices fell on Thursday after OPEC delayed its meeting from November 26 to November 30.

It's set to take place virtually, suggesting members have made an agreement, says Anas Alhajji.

There could be additional cutbacks not anticipated by the markets, he added.

As the US Thanksgiving holiday puts the stock market at a standstill, oil prices are still on the move.

West Texas Intermediate (WTI), a benchmark for oil prices, has been in free fall since Wednesday after OPEC members delayed a meeting from November 26 to the 30th that was set to determine crude oil supply output for 2024.

It's good news if you're at the pump but bad if you're a trader who had bet on prices going up. US crude traded at around $76.01 on Thursday, down by about 2.4% from the previous day.

A surplus in supply has dragged down the price of a barrel by almost 19% since September. As a result, traders anticipated an announcement that OPEC and its allies, known as OPEC+, would agree to production cuts to keep the commodity's price steady. The expectation caused markets to react prematurely, leading to a rally over the weekend before reversing.

Traders weren't wrong  they were just too early, according to 30-year energy expert Anas Alhajji, who believes that we should be bracing for a potential surprise announcement from Saudi Arabia.

Alhajji, a managing partner at the research and advisory firm Energy Outlook Advisors, says the initial impression from the meeting's delay is that OPEC+ has issues agreeing on production quotes with countries like Nigeria and Angola, pushing to increase their output. But with no official post from the organization about the reason for the delay, this is all speculation, he noted.

However, since the November 30 meeting is virtual, it suggests that the members have already agreed on their quotas, and the meeting will be a short formality, he said. It also coincides with the COP28 climate summit in Dubai, which many ministers will be attending, he added.

There are three levels at which production can be pulled back: through OPEC+, an extension of the existing voluntary cuts, and new voluntary cuts.

Markets should expect production cutbacks from OPEC+, and on the voluntary level from Saudi Arabia and its allies extending into January or the first quarter of 2024, Alhajji noted. This is because demand seasonally declines in the first quarter. But, what he anticipates could happen is an announcement about additional voluntary cuts from Saudi Arabia.

"Why all of this?" Alhajji said. "Because we believe that the only way the Saudis can be in the driver's seat in the oil market without anyone else with them is if we are in backwardation, where today's prices are way higher than the following month's prices."

Right now, it's the opposite, he said. The futures market is in contango, which means futures contracts are higher than current prices. This incentivizes investors and companies to store oil, causing inventories to rise. If Saudi Arabia does implement additional cuts, then this will flip the futures curve into backwardation, he noted.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Ukraines SBU security service has killed former Ukrainian police officer Oleksandr Slisarenko in Belgorod after he allied with Russia and was appointed deputy head of Kharkiv's occupation administration, law enforcement sources told NV on Nov. 23.

NV sources say Slisarenko's vehicle was destroyed by a car bomb in Belgorod, Russia, on Nov. 16, and he died from his injuries in a hospital. Russian authorities have remained silent on the apparent assassination.

Read also: Russian FSB agent scouting Ukraines military equipment movements in Kharkiv Oblasts border areas detained by SBU

In 2014, Slisarenko was a prominent figure in opposition to the Euromaidan uprising. During 20212022, he fought with the so-called "Lynx" special unit of the "LPR" terrorist group. In the summer of 2022, Slisarenko received an unlawful appointment as deputy of foreign policy in Kharkiv's occupation government and was involved in atrocities on occupied Ukrainian lands.

Read also: SBU uncovers another draft evasion scheme in Odesa, two organizers arrested, face 9 years in prison

The SBU had indicted Slisarenko on charges of treason. However, he failed to appear in court.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in a statement on the evening of Nov. 23, said he received a briefing from SBU head Vasyl Malyuk on "recent successes against enemy efforts and collaborators."

Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
(FOX40.COM)  Thanksgiving has been observed throughout California since becoming a national holiday under President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, but the Golden States first turkey day was a mix of official meals and scattered celebrations, and most feasts did not even include a turkey.

Thanksgiving in 1850 arrived just a little over two months after California became the 31st state in the Union and many residents had never heard of the holiday, which was mainly observed in the New England area at that time.

California celebrates its birthday of joining the United States

An 1896 article by the San Francisco Call recalls a scattered and seemingly unconventional Thanksgiving across much of the state, although it had been declared a holiday by then-Governor Peter H. Burnett.

However, even Burnetts proclamation was a bit uncommon as Thanksgiving was not held on the fourth Thursday of November as it is today, but on Saturday, Nov. 30, the final day of the month.

According to the San Francisco Call, all business operations around the state were halted and although a true recollection of the events of the day was never recorded an estimated 50 Thanksgiving celebrations took place across the state.

Those not familiar with the New England tradition had some initial reservations about the holiday, but when they released a feast and lots of drinking was involved they quickly accepted the new tradition.

A revolt, a now-extinct bear and the Lone Star State inspired Californias flag

At this time much of Californias population was still living in mining camps and small communities, with limited options for food beyond beans, bread, and whatever wildlife was hunted.

Wild turkey was not on the plates of many early Californians unless they lived in an area where they could hunt the bird. Instead many enjoyed jackrabbit as it was abundant and considered an adequate meal.

In Sacramento, which was not the state capital at the time, the Sons of New England held a banquet in the dining room of the Columbia Hotel.

The decorations of the hall on this occasion were by far the most elaborate that had ever been attempted in the State, the San Francisco Call wrote. The walls were hung with bunting and flags and shields containing the names of the States were placed in the form of a frieze.

When and how did Sacramento become Californias capital city?

The celebration was open to all in the city and featured 40 different dishes and eight kinds of wine.

Governor Burnett attended the celebration and was made the guest of honor at the table where the festivities continued until midnight.

The Bay Area and Coastal Region was a little less celebratory than Sacramento and the surrounding foothills, according to the San Francisco Call.

Businesses remained open but did see a slight drop in customers, some churches held services in recognition of the governors proclamation.

California wildlife: What to do if you encounter bears, mountain lions or snakes

In San Francisco, some of the French restaurants did serve up a turkey dinner and many people were happy to take part in the good time.

There were many though that did not celebrate the states first Thanksgiving, but not out of protest but rather for a lack of knowledge about the governors proclamation.

The San Francisco Call spoke with George K. Fitch, who recalled working in one of the states diggings during Thanksgiving.

The Governors proclamation did not reach his camp, and if it had the chances are that no attention would have been paid to it, as there were no New Englanders for several miles around, the Call wrote. When the news came that some of the boys over the ridge had been celebrating considerable surprise was expressed.

It would not be until 1863 that President Abraham Lincoln would proclaim the fourth Thursday of November as Thanksgiving after a fervent 36-year campaign by writer Sarah Josepha Hale to establish the national holiday.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX40.
Beneath the Earths surface are ticking time bombs. Two supervolcanoes, located in Italy and California, have long been dormant, but have been stirring as earthquakes in the region become more frequent. While experts say there is no immediate danger of eruption, seismic unrest could be a sign that a volcano is waking up, NBC News reported. A supervolcano is a rare but unofficial label given to those that have produced the most intense eruptions in Earths history, said The Washington Post .

Where are the supervolcanoes?

The first supervolcano, Campi Flegrei, is located in Pozzuoli, Italy, near Naples. The region has experienced over 2,500 earthquakes in just the past three months. The frequent earthquakes are part of a phenomenon called bradyseism, the gradual rising or falling of a part of the earths surface caused by activity inside a volcano, The Wall Street Journal explained. Campi Flegrei last erupted in the 1500s when it wiped out an entire village and formed a volcanic cone now called Mount Nuovo. Today, the 80-square-mile depression is home to more than a dozen conical volcanoes, several crater lakes  and half a million residents, the Journal continued. Another 800,000 people live just outside the depression.

The second supervolcano is the Long Valley Caldera in eastern California, which last erupted approximately 100,000 years ago. In the 1970s, a swarm of earthquakes began to emanate from the caldera, Science Alert reported. However, scientists are less concerned about this eruption, because data shows the magma beneath is actually cooling. That doesnt imply that you cant have smaller eruptions, Ettore Biondi, a research scientist in the division of geological and planetary sciences at the California Institute of Technology, told NBC News. But from a supervolcanic eruption perspective, I think as of now we are on the safe side.

Should we be worried?

Experts say the supervolcano label is misleading. When a volcano is called a supervolcano, what we really mean is it had a super eruption once, at least, in the past, Christopher Kilburn, a volcanologist at University College London, told the Post. But that doesnt mean that its going to have other super eruptions in the future.  Very, very, very large eruptions are much, much rarer.

There are approximately 20 supervolcanoes in the world, one of the most famous being Yellowstone. Today, the supervolcano is a hot tourist attraction, despite seeing frequent earthquakes. We have to spend a lot of time on the volcanic system, monitoring it to understand whats normal at that volcano, and then be able to recognize when something becomes abnormal, Michael Poland, a geophysicist at the U.S. Geological Survey, told NBC News.

In Campi Flegrei, like in Yellowstone and the worlds other supervolcanoes, the probability of a catastrophic eruption is low but not nil, said Alessandro Iannace, a geology professor at the University of Naples Federico II to the Journal. The difference is that in Yellowstone, if you think the eruption is coming, you can send the tourists home and close the park for four years. Instead, preparing for the worst-case scenario is a better course of action. Volcanoes are sort of like people  they all have their own personality, Poland said. A big part of volcanology and monitoring active volcanoes is getting to understand the personality of the specific volcanoes that youre interested in. And some volcanoes are noisier than others.
Recent studies have shed light on an often overlooked consequence of global warming: the dramatic increase in ocean noise. New research indicates that the rise in global temperatures is also turning up the volume in the ocean, posing an unprecedented challenge for marine life.

Whats happening?

According to a study by the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, the underwater world is becoming noisier due to the rise in average temperatures worldwide. The research forecasts that by the end of this century, the sound of ships  will be five times as loud in certain ocean regions. This intensification is not solely caused by direct human noise sources but also because sound travels more efficiently through warmer and more acidic seawater.

Luca Possenti, an author of the study, paints a concerning picture, emphasizing that these changes could result in an increase in underwater noise levels by seven decibels in parts of the North Atlantic. This phenomenon is likely to disrupt communication among marine animals, affecting everything from their reproduction to feeding habits.

Why is this increase in ocean noise concerning?

Underwater noise pollution is alarming for several reasons. Numerous marine species rely on sound for navigation, finding food, and communication. The noise caused by human activities, now intensified by climate-induced changes, can lead to miscommunication, stress, and disorientation in marine animals.

The health of our oceans is a delicate balance, and sound plays a more crucial role than is commonly understood. Disrupting the acoustic environment could have domino effects, potentially impacting breeding grounds, migration patterns, and predator-prey relationships in ways we have yet to fully grasp.

The rising noise levels reflect another dimension of concerns about rising worldwide temperatures, reminding us of the intricate ways in which the consequences of human activities manifest in natural systems. Its not just about the waters rising or getting warmer; its about how these changes alter the very fabric of marine life.

Whats being done about ocean noise?

In the face of this challenge, scientists and environmentalists are rallying for solutions. Research initiatives are diving deeper into understanding sounds underwater behavior, utilizing innovative methods like breaking glass spheres to mimic marine mammal sounds and study their propagation.

Environmentalists are also pushing for policies that call for quieter ship designs and the establishment of marine protected areas, creating safe havens free from human-generated noise. These measures, coupled with broader environmental action strategies like reducing pollution, offer hope for mitigating this issue.

What can I do to help?

On an individual level, you can contribute by supporting ocean conservation initiatives, being more responsible in our interaction with marine environments during recreational activities, and advocating for climate policies that address the root causes of ocean acidification and warming. Each step, no matter how small, is part of the collective effort needed to ensure the health and tranquility of our oceans for the creatures that inhabit them and for future human generations.

Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the coolest innovations improving our lives and saving our planet.
A public inquiry into the murder of a GAA official will not be objected to by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), the force has said.

Sean Brown's family dismissed the move as a "calculated diversion" from inquest proceedings.

Mr Brown was abducted in Bellaghy, County Londonderry, and shot near Randalstown, County Antrim in 1997.

He was locking the gates of GAA club Bellaghy Wolfe Tones when he was taken by the Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF).

The inquest into the 61-year-old's death opened in March and is due to resume in January.

It has been delayed over the disclosure of police material.

Earlier in November, it emerged MI5 was behind an application to withhold information from the inquest using a public interest immunity (PII) certificate.

A case management hearing was held at Belfast High Court on Thursday morning.

During proceedings a letter from the PSNI, received by the Brown family on Wednesday night, was read out in court.

In it the PSNI said it had encountered issues related to intelligence which, it said, could not be aired at an inquest.

"The PSNI considers these issues will inevitably and unavoidably require a closed hearing," the correspondence stated.

It went on: "The PSNI position is that an inquest is not the appropriate vehicle for the continuation of the investigation into the death of Mr Brown.

"In the event that the family seek a public inquiry into Mr Brown's death, PSNI confirms that it does not dispute that a public inquiry, which would have the facility for a closed hearing to address such issues, would be an appropriate method to continue the investigation into the death of Mr Brown."

'Public scandal'

The letter also stated that Chief Constable Jon Boutcher was prepared to meet Mr Brown's family "if they so wish".

Des Fahy KC, representing the Brown family, accused the PSNI of "a calculated diversion from the work of the inquest".

He said the family were "appalled and distressed by the development", which he described as "a public scandal".

"This is high-handed and arrogant in terms of how it appears the chief constable feels he can direct the progress of this inquest," Mr Fahy said.

"A public inquiry is not the gift of the chief constable.

"The PII process must continue to its conclusion. To talk in any shape of a public inquiry shows disregard for the inquest process.

"The failure by state parties to disclose material is cynical in the extreme."

Mr Brown's family is concerned delays will mean the inquest cannot complete by the May deadline.

All conflict-era inquests will be ended at that point under the Troubles Act.

The act does not prohibit the holding of public inquiries into Troubles incidents, which are decisions for government.

The coroner in charge of the case said he would "take a breath" and hold another hearing week.
In this season of gratitude, there is so much to be thankful for when it comes to Caddo Parish Public Schools.

The recent accomplishments of our schools are not just a cause for celebration but a testament to the unwavering commitment of our students, teachers, staff and school leaders. As we reflect on the remarkable strides made in this academic season, it is evident that the collective dedication to create the highest-quality learning environments is making an incredible difference in the lives of our children.

Last week marked a historic milestone for our school district with an impressive 49 schools demonstrating academic growth. The Louisiana Department of Education's release of school performance data revealed that 15 campuses moved up by a letter grade, showcasing the persistent efforts invested in enhancing educational outcomes. Such accomplishments are not only commendable but also reflect the collaborative spirit that permeates every corner of our school system.

Caddo School Superintendent Dr. Lamar Goree speaks to Caddo Middle Magnet students Tuesday 09-19-23.

A remarkable achievement lies in the fact that 19 schools were acknowledged as Top Gains schools, and an additional seven were honored as Opportunity Honorees. Together, these numerous highlights paint a picture that underscores the widespread improvements Caddo is seeing across grade levels, subjects, and diverse school settings, be they in rural, urban, or suburban areas. The scale of these advancements highlights the shared commitment to excellence that resonates among students, educators, and administrators alike.

Furthermore, our community has reason to be proud, as several schools have been acknowledged as top performers in the state. Caddo Middle Magnet has not only claimed the top spot among middle schools in Louisiana but has surpassed every elementary and K-8 institution. Caddo Magnet High stands tall as the highest-scoring high school serving grades 9-12 in the state, while South Highlands Elementary Magnet earned the distinction of being the second-highest performing elementary school in Louisiana.

Caddo Parish Superintendent Dr. Lamar Goree speaks to the Captain Shreve High School class of 2023.

The accolades continue with Judson Fundamental Elementary, which demonstrated an impressive increase of 13.6 points in its school performance score, securing its place as the 8th most improved K-8 school in the state. Pathways in Education also deserves applause for its remarkable 16.5-point improvement over the past year, earning it the 9th spot in the state for growth among all alternative schools.

These successes extend beyond statistics; they tell the stories of individual triumphs and the collective impact of a community that values education. Each achievement speaks to the ongoing efforts to expand opportunities and ensure that every child receives the experiences necessary for success in their future endeavors.

These efforts would not be possible without the support of our community. Whether you are a parent, grandparent, businessperson or citizen who loves your community, thank you for the critical role you play in supporting our teachers, students, parents, staff and leaders. You are actively changing the lives of children which will shape the future of Caddo Parish, and ultimately, the world.

Together, we are building a foundation for success and fostering an environment where every child can thrive.

Dr. T. Lamar Goree serves as Superintendent of Caddo Parish Public Schools.

This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: A Season of Academic Triumph: Celebrating Success in Caddo Parish Public Schools
SEATTLE - Police are investigating a shooting that left a man injured in the South Beacon Hill area on Wednesday.

According to the Seattle Police Department (SPD), at around 8 a.m., officers responded to reports of a man with a gunshot wound in the 3900 block of S Kenyon St.

When officers arrived, they found a 29-year-old man who had been shot in the leg. The victim was treated at the scene and taken to Harborview Medical Center for further treatment.

It was reported that the suspect shot the victim near the corner of S Chicago St. and Martin Luther King Junior Way S and left in a vehicle.

RELATED: Police search for suspects who allegedly struggled with woman for keys, stole her car in Sumner

The SPD says officers searched the area, but could not find any evidence of the shooting.

Further information is limited at this time as the investigation remains ongoing.

This is a developing story.
MUREWA, Zimbabwe, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- Poultry farmers in Murewa, a farming area about 100 km from Zimbabwe's capital of Harare, are killing two birds with one stone by practicing sustainable farming practices through limited and judicious antimicrobial usage.

By substituting indiscriminate antimicrobial usage with sustainable practices to maintain the health, production and welfare of their chickens, the farmers are not only contributing to the global antimicrobial resistance (AMR) fight, but their sustainable practices have also increased farm productivity, thereby improving livelihoods.

With support from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and their local agricultural extension officers, the farmers are educated and capacitated to practice sustainable farming methods that protect the health of the planet through farmer field schools.

The Farmer Field Schools program, which started in June 2021, and is still ongoing, consists of two groups of 25 farmers each.

Before enrolling in the farmer field school, Christina Muunganirwa, a poultry farmer, used to practice indiscriminate antimicrobial usage. She said some of the reasons that prompted the use of antimicrobials by some villagers were to mask suboptimal poultry farming practices such as the use of unclean water, improper housing, poor hygiene and improper vaccination.

"We ensure that the poultry are not exposed to cold and excessive heat. If you take care of the chicken, they can reach maturity without the need for antibiotics," Muunganirwa told Xinhua Wednesday. "If they get sick, we don't rush to use antibiotics, we have to consult professionals before doing so."

Happymore Muchenje, another poultry farmer, said the initiative has been a game-changer. "They taught us that the water we give the chicken for drinking should be clean to such an extent that you can drink it," Muchenje said.

Muchenje, who had traditionally practiced subsistence farming, said best farming practices have also resulted in increased production, which in turn empowered women, thereby improving livelihoods.

Amanda Gwangwadze, an agricultural extension officer, said all poultry farmers should be educated on antimicrobial resistance.

"We taught farmers how to use the antibiotics so that they will not misuse or overuse the antibiotics because that's the major driver of antimicrobial resistance," Gwangwadze told Xinhua.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), antimicrobial resistance occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites no longer respond to antimicrobial medicines, and the misuse and overuse of antimicrobials in humans, animals and plants are the main drivers in the development of drug-resistant pathogens.

As a result of drug resistance, antibiotics and other antimicrobial medicines become ineffective and infections become difficult or impossible to treat, increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness, disability and even death.

As the world marks the World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW), which started on Nov. 18 and concludes on Nov. 24, the farmers have proved to be proactive in addressing AMR, which WHO identified as one of the top 10 global public health threats.

In an address during the opening ceremony of the WAAW Monday, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Africa Abebe Haile-Gabriel noted that AMR poses an increasingly serious threat to public health and sustainable food production.

"If left unaddressed, AMR may force tens of millions of people into extreme poverty, hunger and malnutrition, and could cripple livelihoods. Therefore, it is crucial to implement measures to reduce the spread of drug-resistant microbes and use antimicrobial drugs more responsibly and only when needed," he said.

The FAO is supporting national and regional initiatives in Africa to address AMR, focusing on its vision to reduce AMR levels and slow the emergence and spread of resistance across food production and value chains, he noted.

Zimbabwe's Health and Child Care Minister Douglas Mombeshora said the country must mitigate the AMR challenge by using antimicrobials prudently and rationally.

"We must not forget that the antimicrobial resistance response requires a whole-of-society approach, hence all of us are called upon to play our part in the prevention and control of antimicrobial resistance," said Mombeshora in an address during the official opening of the WAAW.

The WAAW, which is being commemorated in Harare, is an annual global event that aims to enhance awareness and understanding of the challenges posed by antimicrobial resistance. 
China has reported no "unusual or novel pathogens" in clusters of child pneumonia cases, the World Health Organization has said.

Beijing has attributed a rise in flu-like illnesses to the lifting of Covid curbs, said the WHO, which had requested for more data on the cases.

Still it urged residents in China to take precautions, like getting vaccinated and wearing masks.

Local media had in recent days reported hospitals being overwhelmed.

In a statement on Wednesday, the WHO said it requested China for more information on reports in the media and from ProMed - a global outbreak surveillance system - of "clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children in northern China".

Pneumonia is a general medical term used to describe an infection and inflammation of the lungs. It can be caused by many different viruses, bacteria or fungi.

After the WHO's request, state-run Xinhua news agency published an article which quoted officials of China's National Health Commission (NHC) as saying they were paying close attention to the diagnosis and care of children with respiratory illnesses.

Later on Thursday, the WHO said in a statement that China has not detected any "unusual or novel pathogens", and that the increase in respiratory illnesses spreading in the north of the country was due to "multiple known pathogens".

Since October, northern China has reported an "increase in influenza-like illness" compared to the same period over the past three years, the WHO said.

"Some of these increases are earlier in the season than historically experienced, but not unexpected given the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions, as similarly experienced in other countries," the statement said.

The WHO said it is "closely monitoring the situation and is in close contact with national authorities in China".

While mentions of China and a wave of infection can get people jittery as it brings memories of the Covid-19 pandemic, it's good practice for the WHO to ask for clarity.

It is also not unusual for the WHO to ask countries for more information about a cluster of illnesses. They do so almost every day.

A specialist WHO team combs through thousands of media reports and internal surveillance information on circulating diseases from countries on a daily basis. Experts then decide whether they need more information, in case it could have the potential to become a public health emergency of international concern.

But it is unusual to announce the request for more information publicly. In general, this has previously been done through private channels between the WHO and health officials in a country.

The UN agency is no doubt mindful that people might be more jumpy about viruses reported in China with the not so distant memory of Covid-19. The WHO is also trying to be more transparent in the aftermath of the pandemic.

The UK's health security agency (UKHSA) said it was closely monitoring the situation.

Last week, the Chinese NHC said there had been a rise in several respiratory diseases across the country: in particular influenza, Covid, mycoplasma pneumoniae - a common bacterial infection affecting younger children - and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

Officials attributed the rise to the lifting of Covid restrictions.

Other countries, including the UK and the US, saw similar surges in flu-like illnesses once pandemic restrictions were lifted.

"China is likely experiencing a major wave of childhood respiratory infections now as this is the first winter after their lengthy lockdown, which must have drastically reduced the circulation of respiratory bugs, and hence decreased immunity to endemic bugs," said Prof Francois Balloux of the University College of London Genetics Institute.

Prof Paul Hunter, of the University of East Anglia (UEA), said at present there was too little information to make a definitive diagnosis of what was causing the infections.

He added: "Overall, this does not sound to me like an epidemic due to a novel [new] virus. If it was, I would expect to see many more infections in adults. The few infections reported in adults suggest existing immunity from a prior exposure."
A Michigan entrepreneur offered a Democratic senate candidate millions of dollars to run against Representative Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian American in Congress.

Entrepreneur Linden Nelson offered candidate Hill Harper  an actor, lawyer and union organizer  $20 million to drop out of the senate race and run against Ms Tlaib in the 2024 primary race, The New York Times reports.

Mr Harper responded to the report on X, formerly Twitter, writing he would not be bought, or bossed, or bullied.

Im not going to run against the only Palestinian-American in Congress just because some special interests dont like her, Mr Harper wrote.

Im running because I want to break the stranglehold wealthy special interests have on our politics, whether its the Israel lobby, the NRA or Big Pharma, he added.

Mr Nelson has previously donated to groups funding Rep Tlaibs opponents. He donated $13,000 to Concerned Citizens of Michigan, a group that supported Rep Tlaibs primary challengers in 2020.

Ms Tlaib is the first and only Palestinian American serving in Congress. On 7 November, the US House of Representatives voted 234-188 to censure the Michigan representative over her comments on the Israel-Hamas war, including her use of the phrase from the river to the sea.

Ms Tlaib, echoing the sentiments of many Palestinian human rights supporters, wrote on X the slogan is an aspirational call for freedom, human rights, and peaceful coexistence, not death, destruction, or hate.

Other members of Congress have called the phrase antisemitic. Representative Richie Torres, a New York democrat, wrote on X the phrase crosses a line of hate speech that no public official should ever cross.

At least 11,078 Palestinian have died since the war began on 7 October, according to the last verified death toll recorded on 10 November, per the Associated Press .

Mr Harper, Rep Tlaib and Mr Nelson did not immediately respond to The Independents request for comment sent on a US federal holiday.
South Korean lawmakers said North Korea had received aid from Russia for its successful launch of a reconnaissance satellite earlier this week, Reuters reported on Nov. 23.

North Korea's launch on Nov. 21 was the third attempt after two failed tries and the first since its leader Kim Jong Un traveled to Russia in September, where Russian President Vladimir Putin pledged to help Pyongyang develop satellites.

According to Yoo Sang-bum, a member of the South Korean parliamentary intelligence committee, North Korea shared data on vehicles used in two previous satellite launches with Russia, which then provided Pyongyang with its analysis.

"Regarding the success of the third launch, the National Intelligence Service assessed that there was assistance from Russia," Yoo said at a press conference.

Reuters cited North Korean state-run media reports that Kim had seen images of U.S. military facilities taken by the satellite above Guam in the Pacific Ocean.

However, Yoo emphasized it was difficult to verify whether the North Korean satellite was capable of producing such images.

Read also: President Yoon: North Korea involved in Russias war

"They (the intelligence agency) were not in a situation to determine the satellite's capabilities unless North Korea releases a video showing that it took those pictures of Guam," Yoo said, as cited by Reuters.

Earlier, the Group of Seven condemned arms transfer from North Korea to Russia as a direct violation of United Nations Security Council Resolutions (UNSCRs).

With Russia's military stocks running low and domestic production capacity simultaneously hampered by Western sanctions, it has increasingly turned to other sources for military equipment, including North Korea.

According to U.S. State Secretary Antony Blinken, these military ties are increasingly a "two-way street," in which North Korea provides Russia with military equipment to use in Ukraine.

In turn, Russia offers military technology and assists with North Korea's long-range attack capabilities, potentially including ballistic missiles and nuclear technology.

Read also: Russia, China and North Korea have new dynamics. And its bad for Ukraine

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) A vehicle crashed and exploded at a checkpoint in Niagara Falls at the U.S.-Canada border in New York on Wednesday. The explosion resulted in two fatalities. As of now, there is no indication that this was a terrorist attack.

Although flights have not been affected, officials told travelers at Buffalo Niagara International Airport to expect additional screenings for security purposes. As for the Bay Area, the three major airports in the region (SFO, Oakland Airport and San Jose Airport) have not been affected.

Best and worst times to hit the road for Bay Area Thanksgiving travel

San Francisco International Airport

SFO officials said there have been no changes in security protocol. However, the airport is in close contact with federal government agencies and prepared to make any adjustments if necessary.

Oakland Airport

As of Wednesday afternoon, operations at Oakland Airport have not been affected. The airport did not disclose its security plans, if any, regarding the explosion near the U.S.-Canada border.

San Jose Airport

Operations at SJC are running smoothly. The increased security at SJC is related to the increased number of passengers and the busy holiday period, as part of the Airports procedures, San Jose Airport said in a statement to KRON4.

This story will be updated.

WIVBs Nick Veronica contributed to this report.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4.
Sheep at New Zealand's 6,500-hectare Lake Hawea Station may be the most pampered in the world (KAVINDA HERATH)

Classical music, soft mattresses and the gentlest touch of a wool clipper: welcome to the New Zealand farm indulging what may be the world's most pampered sheep.

Forget any preconceptions of rough-hewn shearers manhandling the flock as they quickly deprive them of their fleece in crowded, noisy wool-sheds.

At Lake Hawea Station on New Zealand's South Island, owners Geoff and Justine Ross are advocates of the gentler, more soothing art of "slow-shearing".

The sounds of Debussy, Vivaldi and Mozart may be wafting through the shed as shearers usher the ewes from their pens before trimming off their thick wool with slow, methodical strokes of the clippers.

Shearers are paid according to the sheep's overall experience: stress, bruises and cuts can lead to lower wages.

The trimming is performed on pristine whitewashed boards, to better reveal any nicks inflicted on the sheep's skin.

Once shorn, each sheep is guided towards a chute, where it slides into a holding pen -- landing not on gravel but on a soft mattress.

It's sheep shearing, reconsidered from the sheep's perspective.

"It came first from a place of care for the animal," Justine Ross told AFP.

"We're all about having happier, calmer sheep. That starts with the way we treat them.

"We raised lambs in our first season. Once you see their personality and their unique character, you know the great responsibility of their care. And we have 10,000."

- Silence for the lambs -

On the station, there are "silent yards" where working dogs are trained not to bark while moving the merino flock.

In the hospital paddock, sick sheep get extra nutrition and medical treatment.

"You lose animals in farming, that's a fact, but sometimes with a little extra love and care, they come good," Ross said.

After reading that cows produce more milk if played classical music, Ross decided to make additions to the playlist in the shearing shed, where high-tempo rock, pop or rap is typically heard.

"We sometimes play Mozart. Some dairy farmers use it as a way to calm the animals," Ross said.

"Vivaldi's 'Four Seasons' is probably my favourite. We're just trying stuff to build a case for less stress for the animal and a calmer, happier shed."

New Zealand is home to five million people and 25 million sheep.

It is one of the world's main wool exporters, sending 84 million tonnes, worth US$232 million, overseas in the last financial year.

Shearing, meanwhile, is hard, physical work.

It demands skill and stamina to handle the sheep. Each weighs up to 60 kilograms (132 pounds) and can give the occasional painful kick. A good shearer trims several hundred sheep per day.

Traditionally, shearing was about speed, with little concern given to the occasional cut.

Nowadays, animal welfare is a key factor, Carolyn Clegg from New Zealand's shearing association told AFP.

The priority remains trimming the best quality wool, she said, "but that extends to the sheep -- you don't want them cut up or under stress, because that affects their welfare".

- 'Relaxed at all times' -

On the Lake Hawea station, farm manager Jack Mansfield said he likes to see "a nice slow, tidy job with the sheep relaxed at all times".

Pay is based on how the sheep are handled -- known as stockmanship -- and whether they are free of scratches, with the extra care coming at the cost of volume.

"We're possibly down 50 sheep a day, which probably ends up being a couple of NZ$100 out of our back pockets," said shearing gang leader Kevin Patrick O'Neill.

"That is replaced with a bonus from the farmer."

The slower pace also means the sheep are less inclined to wriggle or kick.

"If we're calm and relaxed, the sheep are too," O'Neill added.

After selling their successful vodka business to an international spirits company, Geoff and Justine Ross bought the sheep station in 2017, determined to make it sustainable.

It was the first New Zealand farm to be certified as carbon clear by a government research institute.

In addition to keeping emissions down, the couple also wanted to reduce stress on their sheep.

And focusing on animal welfare has business benefits too, said Justine Ross.

"Our clients are demanding animal welfare credentials as part of their fibre purchasing. If an animal isn't stressed -- full of that fight-or-flight energy -- then they will use that energy to grow more wool," she said.

UK-based merino knitwear firm Sheep Inc. is one of the companies that buys their wool.

Co-founder Edzard van der Wyck said they were drawn to Lake Hawea because of its carbon-clear status and animal welfare policy.

"If you bring less stress into a sheep's life, there is less breakages in the wool fibre, so the quality sustains itself," he said.

ryj/djw/sft/smw/cwl
This man and his accomplice were caught on video stealing a wallet from a shopper in Athens in August.

During the busy winter holidays, shoplifting becomes a problem for stores. But shoppers themselves can be targeted by thieves during this busy time.

Athens-Clarke police Detective Nathaniel Franco said one of the current problems police are facing involves groups of people traveling the state targeting elderly women by stealing their wallets as they shop.

Weve had several incidents of those and it seems to be a continual thing, he said.

The suspects park far away from the store to prevent anyone from getting their tag numbers, which hinders making an identification.

They enter as a team, Franco said.  Usually a female will distract the victim and while she is turned around a male will steal the wallet.

Before the victim can realize that their wallet is missing, the thieves will make their way to a large department store where they will use any credit cards to purchase thousands in gift cards.

As stores are more crowded for the holidays, there is more potential for these thefts to occur, he said.

Athens: Athens Neighborhood Health Center's McKinley Drive facility reopens for patients

People need to keep their purses on their person or keep it zipped up. Dont make it easy for someone to reach into your purse and take your wallet, Franco said.

Recently there was a spat of entering autos as thieves broke into vehicles looking for purses or wallets left in center consoles, Franco said.

The thieves target parking lots that are crowded. The more crowded the parking lot, the more opportunities for thefts, according to Franco.

Never leave anything in plain view in your vehicle, he said.

There are people who may not arrive at a store with intent to steal, but if they see merchandise in plain view, they will break a window to take the property, he said.

Thats a common thing around the holidays. Dont leave anything in plain view if youre going from store to store, he said.

The University of Arkansas Police Department offered these tips for shoppers.

Be alert and aware of your surroundings at all times. Knowing who and what is around you can help you avoid being surprised.

Display confidence. Criminals choose the victim who looks like the easiest target. That choice is partially based on their perception about your abilities to react to an attack.

Trust your instincts. Your body will tell you when someone or something is suspicious.

Carry only what you need. Extra cash, credit cards, jewelry should be left at home. A purse should be kept in front and close to your body. Men should keep wallets out of back pockets.

Dont be overburdened with packages. Carrying several shopping bags makes you look vulnerable.

Shop with others. The chance of being victimized drops dramatically when you are with a companion.

Ask for an escort. Many retailers have security personnel.

Be prepared. Have your keys in hand when walking to your vehicle. The keys can be used as a defensive weapon. Carry a whistle or personal alarm.

Plan ahead. Choose areas to park where lighting is good and activity is high.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Shoppers need to follow safety rules during the holiday season
A bullet fired inside Oak Park Mall earlier this month came close to striking a child after a teenage shoplifting suspect allegedly disarmed an Overland Park police officer and struggled to keep control of the gun, according to an affidavit unsealed Wednesday in Johnson County District Court.

Surveillance cameras reviewed by police showed a girl, between ages 5 and 7, sitting in a chair nine seconds before the struggle between officers and the suspect. Investigators later discovered the bullet in the leg of the chair in the malls food court.

The affidavit, made in support of criminal charges for 19-year-old Nery Gonzalez-Munoz, was filed in Johnson County on Nov. 14. It was made public Wednesday through a judges order and provided to The Star through a records request.

Prosecutors have charged Gonzalez-Munoz with two counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, battery of a law enforcement officer and aggravated endangerment of a child, all felonies, along with five misdemeanors. He is held in the county jail on a $1 million bond.

The Nov. 12 incident, which sent frightened shoppers scrambling and prompted a major police response, unfolded after security officers called police about two youths stealing clothes from the Macys department store.

The youths, Gonzalez-Munoz and a juvenile identified in court documents as A.M., were tracked leaving the store, going up an escalator and walking through the busy food court toward a mall exit, the affidavit says.

Two plainclothes Overland Park officers approached them, while wearing badges, and identified themselves as police, the affidavit says. Both resisted the officers, a struggle followed and Gonzalez-Munoz removed a gun from the holster of one of the officers, authorities allege.

Gonzalez-Munoz and the officers fought over the weapon, the affidavit says, and the gunshot was fired during that struggle. Both officers feared being shot, including one who felt the gun pressed against his abdomen, according to the affidavit.

After the disarmed officer regained control of the gun, Gonzalez-Munoz ran briefly before the second officer took him to the ground. A personal firearm that was on Gonzalez-Munoz at the time fell out of its holster and was collected by police, the affidavit says.

Gonzalez-Munoz allegedly bit the arresting officer and further struggled for several minutes before other officers and citizens helped take him into police custody.

The juvenile also suspected of stealing was arrested by police after leaving the food court when a detective tackled him, the affidavit says.

Police have said no one was injured after the shot was fired and the mall went into lockdown. Sunday shoppers who were visiting Oak Park Mall previously described the situation to The Star as a chaotic one that sparked serious fears for the safety of themselves and their children.

The value of the clothing stolen from Macys was estimated at $477.50.
TheGrio has rounded up the top savings deals by Black-owned brands during Black Friday and Cyber Week.

It is officially time: Black Friday  or Black-owned Friday, as many like to refer to it (including theGrio)  is upon us. With her own rendition of the song 100% Pure Love, Keke Palmer ushered in the annual shopping event earlier this week, highlighting Black-owned brands worth checking out this Black Friday. In that same spirit, theGrio Lifestyle team wants to make shopping for Black-owned brands this Black Friday even easier with our curated suggestions.

While many brands and stores began their savings as soon as November began, there are still plenty of upcoming deals from Black-owned brands to take advantage of. (Photo credit: Adobe Stock/ Drazen)

While many brands and stores began their savings as soon as November started, there are still plenty of upcoming deals from Black-owned brands to take advantage of. Some of our favorites include $7 sitewide at Mielle and 40% off at Nude Barre. Below, we have rounded up a range of Black-owned brands offering Black Friday deals fit for almost everyone on your gift list.

For the home

(Photo credit: Adobe Stock)

NiLu Harlem

Looking for a literal one-stop shop where you can find a variety of Black woman-owned brands? Look no further than NiLu Harlem, a New York City-based boutique specializing in home and skincare products by top Black woman-owned brands.

The deal: Now through Thursday, Nov. 30, NiLu is offering free shipping on orders of $50 or more.

Harlem Candle Co.

The Harlem Candle Co. celebrates the scents of the Harlem Renaissance, Black legends, and the Black home in a range of luxury candles, home fragrances, and perfumes.

The deal: For Black Friday, you can save between $10 and $100 on orders.

Hair care

(Photo credit: Adobe Stock)

Mielle Organics

Long before Mielle Organics reached mainstream popularity, the brand was a staple for the natural hair set. Since its viral moment, the brand has only continued to soar, offering a wide range of products to suit a variety of hair concerns and styling needs.

The deal: Currently, for Black Friday, the brand is offering $7 sitewide, up to 65% off on orders, and a free pink bonnet with orders $65 or more.

Pattern

Tracee Ellis Ross haircare brand, Pattern, continues to celebrate every curl pattern, texture, and beyond.

The deal: Sign up for email and text alerts and receive access to 25% off the entire site plus 30% off of the brands styling cream.

Pardon My Fro

The haircare and apparel line, founded by self-taught artist Dana Bly, Pardon My Fro features Blys original designs on products, t-shirts, bags, and beyond.

The deal: From now through Sunday, November 26, receive 50% off all products.

Oyin Handmade

Oyin is the Yoruba word for honey, and Oyin Handmade is an artisanal haircare brand celebrating the moisture-rich ingredients in their products designed specifically for highly textured hair and dry skin.

The deal: Now through Monday, November 27, receive 30% off on products.

Beauty and skincare

(Photo credit: Adobe Stock)

Pat McGrath Labs

The eponymous makeup brand founded by the legendary makeup artist Pat McGrath offers bold and dreamy palettes, lipstick shades, and beyond.

The deal: While supplies last, receive up to 30% off of orders $50 or more, 35% off of orders $150 or more, and 40% off of orders $250 or more.

Fenty Beauty

Rihannas highly successful beauty brand, Fenty Beauty, continues to grow and expand now offering makeup, skincare, fragrance, and more.

The deal: Now through November 27, receive 25% sitewide at FentyBeauty.com.

The Lip Bar

Founded and owned by a Black woman, The Lip Bar is a vegan beauty brand sold in Walmart, Target, and CVS with shades for melenated makeup enthusiasts.

The deal: On Friday, November 24, receive up to 50% off + a free Eclipse Duo Chrome (while supplies last) with code DUOCHROME.

On Saturday, November 25, through Sunday, November 26, use code Auto Discount for access to the same deal.

On Monday, November 27, shop BOGO (Buy one, Get one) on select products and receive a free Arch Nemesis brow gel and pencil with a $35 purchase with code TLB BOGO + BROW.

Uzari Skincare

The African-inspired brand Uzari Skincare celebrates traditional skincare recipes made sustainably.

The deal: Pay it forward. Instead of receiving a discount, 50% of proceeds from the brands Ritual Box Set will be donated to BIIKA, a charity sponsoring the education of young women in Ghana, where Uzari sources their premium ingredients. Use code Giveback50 at check to activate the deal and receive free shipping.

Bevel

One of the foremost brands specializing in shaving and skincare products for Black facial hair, Bevel offers a range of skincare products and tools, including state-of-the-art razors, shaving creams, and lotions.

The Deal: On Friday, November 24, in-store and online, receive 30% off services (excluding foil shaver).

From Friday, November 24 through Sunday, November 26, receive 15% off all Bevel products at Target.com.

On Monday, November 27, in-store and online, receive 30% off services (excluding foil shaver).

Health and wellness

(Photo credit: Adobe Stock)

Honey Pot

The Black-owned vaginal wellness brand Honey Pot offers organic, vegan, cruelty-free, healthy washes, bath bombs, sanitary pads, and more.

The deal: Use discount code BLKFRIDAY at checkout to receive 30% off sitewide.

Fashion

(Photo credit: Adobe Stock)

Anima Iris

The modern black luxury handbag brand Anima Iris has a signature small and sleek handbag for just about anyone, including fans of genuine leather, Fuschia, and snakeskin.

The deal: From November 24th through November 27th, shop up to 70% off.

Brandon Blackwood

Another name to know in luxury handbags is Brandon Blackwood. His eponymous brand offers handbags, outerwear, shoes, and more.

The deal: Beginning at 8 pm (EST) on Thursday, November 23, receive 20% off non-sale items.

Nude Barre

Theres a source for melanated skin tone tights, bralettes, and panties, Nude Barre.

The deal: Receive 40% off sitewide and free shipping on all orders.

Lita by Ciara

Channeling Ciaras style has never been easier, thanks to her clothing brand, Lita, which has sleek and slinky dresses, tailored suits, knit two-pieces, and more.

The deal: Receive up to 50% off sitewide.

Diyanu

At Diyanu, you will find stylish African-inspired clothing, bags, and more for every member of the family, including matching sets.

The deal: Currently offering an early bird Black Friday deal of 20% off.

Stationery

(Photo courtesy of Be Rooted)

Be Rooted

From astrology notebooks to planners to inspirational pens and pencils, Be Rooted is a stationery company that celebrates Black women and creativity.

The deal: Now through Sunday, November 26, receive 20% off on orders using code BF2023. On Monday, November 27, receive 20% off using code Cyber2023.

One-stop shops

Prefer to do all your shopping in one stop? Several big box stores carry a curated and easily accessible selection of Black-owned brands, including Nordstrom, Macys, Target, Walmart and Sephora. Check them out to catch some seasonal deals!

Never miss a beat: Get our daily stories straight to your inbox with theGrios newsletter.

The post Show Black-owned brands your 100% support this Black Friday appeared first on TheGrio.
Oleh Tatarov (left) and Rostyslav Shurma (right) will soon lose their positions in the Presidential Office, predicts Yaroslav Zheleznyak

Controversial officials Rostyslav Shurma and Oleh Tatarov will soon lose their jobs at the Office of the President of Ukraine, Ukrainian MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak said in an interview with NV Radio on Nov. 22.

Read also: Ukrainian tax bill fails to meet IMF demands, says MP Zheleznyak

I think that we will soon forget about such a character as Mr. Shurma, at least in the role of deputy head of the Presidential Office, said Zheleznyak.

I do not believe that he will be able to hold onto his position for long with such a background of corruption.

The MP added that, in his opinion, "we will soon be losing Tatarov as well."

He noted that since 63% of Ukraine's budget is "not filled by the president, not by [head of the Presidents Office Andriy] Yermak, not Tatarov, and even not by Shurma," but by international partners, "who would very much not like to have a situation where their taxpayers' money is being stolen."

Read also: Ukraine plans to use transparency to eliminate corruption in food procurement for the military

"It is quite clear who is responsible for the corruption throughout our country," Zheleznyak added.

Read also: Ukrainian MP Zheleznyak on why Zelenskyy must veto controversial e-declaration bill  interview

Shurma has been embroiled in investigations of being involved in unlawfully receiving state subsidies for solar power plants that have fallen under Russian occupation.

Tatarov was previously described by Ukrainian media as abusing his power to advance the interests of his business associates in construction and development.

Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Its the day before Thanksgiving and across the country, thousands of people are jumping in a car, train, or even a plane to get to their final destination.

At the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, officials projected Wednesday to be the busiest day of the week with an estimated 175,000 people making their way through the airport.

The second busiest day is Sunday, November 26th (171,000), with the third busiest day expected on Saturday, November 25th (167,000).

The airport hasnt received the official number of people who made their way through SeaTac Wednesday but expects to know by early Thursday morning.

According to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport spokesperson, Perry Cooper, if the number initially projected is off, it may only be off, by only one or two percent.

In total, a little over a million will come through the airport between now and Monday. Officials with Sea-Tac airport recommend travelers arrive at their terminal two hours before their flight if theyre flying domestically and three hours if theyre flying internationally.

One family we spoke to showed up three hours early for their flight to Texas.

It looks pretty calm right now but since its the start of Thanksgiving its going to be pretty crazy, said 11-year-old Hriday Gupta whos traveling with his family.

In the rush of people flying in and out of Seattle, another traveler coming from Washington D.C said getting to Seattle has been busy and said when it comes to traveling during the holidays.

Wake up early. I dont care if you have clear, wake up on time because youre going to need the extra time to get here. Theres a lot of traffic in Seattle here specifically, said Essence Winston.

With plenty of passengers to keep the airport full, ongoing construction in ticketing areas and baggage claim could also exacerbate travel delays so here are some of the best tips when traveling:

SEA Spot Saver: If you dont have pre-check or any of our other trusted traveling programs like clear TSA spot saver is a virtual reservation for a 15-minute period in checkpoint, its free, and you can do it 5 days in advance and jump the line for general screening passengers, said Perry Cooper

Avoid the ticketing counters: Many airlines like Alaska encourage passengers to check in and get their boarding pass online.

Be EARLY: Cooper told KIRO 7 that all passengers flying domestically should be in the terminal two hours early, and if youre flying internationally to make it three hours early.

Plan ahead with pick-ups: If youre picking up passengers this week dont add to the congestion in arrivals by parking at the curb. Head to the cell phone lot or park for 90 minutes free in general parking (all levels except the fourth floor) between 8 p.m. and midnight. This free 90-minute parking is an extension to a pilot program introduced this past weekend.

Parking: Know where to park and budget time to park and enter the terminal. Theres long-term and short-term parking on site and many park-and-ride shuttle options. Choose which option is best for you and explore the options available by clicking here.
ULAN BATOR, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- At least 10 of all the 21 Mongolian provinces have been experiencing extreme wintry weather, known as "dzud," the country's National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said Thursday.

Dzud is a Mongolian term to describe a severely cold winter when a large number of livestock die because the ground is frozen or covered in snow.

"At least 10 provinces, including Bayan-Ulgii, Uvs, Khovd, Zavkhan and Govi-Altai in the west, as well as Khentii and Dornogovi in the east, are now experiencing the dzud," the NEMA said in a statement.

In addition, eight provinces, including Sukhbaatar in the east and Bulgan in the north, are experiencing near-dzud conditions, the emergency agency said.

In 2016, a dzud killed more than 1 million livestock in Mongolia, a nation where pastoral herding is still common.

The livestock sector is a central pillar of the Mongolian economy. The country's total livestock population stood at 71.1 million at the end of 2022. 
Scottish folk/electronica band Niteworks have announced they will play their last gigs as a band next year.

Niteworks was formed in Skye by school friends Allan MacDonald, Christopher Nicolson, Innes Strachan and Ruairidh Graham in 2007.

The band's music has been played during Edinburgh's Hogmanay fireworks display and they have performed at the Belladrum music festival and gigs across the UK and Europe.

In a statement, the band members said they could never have imagined in their "wildest dreams" where their music would take them.

Niteworks at Inverness music venue The Ironworks

The band was formed by four teenage friends in 2007

They said: "Weve had an absolute blast.

"However, this has never been a full-time venture for us, and weve now reached a point in our lives where we have a few more responsibilities than when we started."

The band, which has a huge following in Scotland's traditional music scene, and has worked with other artists including Ellen Macdonald, Julie Fowlis, Kathleen MacInnes and Donald Macdonald.

Thanking their fans for their support, Niteworks said: "Well be doing a small run of select shows in 2024 and we would love to see as many of you at them as possible, for one more dance."
The Centre for International Cooperation and Development (CMSR), an independent Slovenian non-profit research and advisory organisation in the field of international economic relations, is prepared to give Ukraine up to 5 million to fund infrastructure rebuilding projects.

Source: European Pravda, with reference to the Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine (Ministry of Infrastructure)

Details: Anna Yurchenko, Ukraines Deputy Minister of Infrastructure, and Mustafa Naiem, Head of Ukraines State Agency for Restoration and Infrastructure Development, met with the delegation from Slovenia. The CMSRs 5 million commitment was announced following the meeting.

The CMSR will establish grants that will cover up to 50% of the costs of infrastructure rebuilding projects.

Ukraine said that Slovenia has provided 4.3 million in humanitarian aid and another 1 million in funds for the Grain from Ukraine programme since the beginning of Russias full-scale invasion.

In July, Slovenia also approved a 1.5 million package to help Ukraine with humanitarian demining.

Ukraine and Slovenia signed a joint declaration in early 2023 in which the latter supported Ukraines future NATO membership.

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Ukraine could be inadvertently dragged into peace talks with Russia if allies fail to supply Kyiv with the necessary weapons and ammunition to win the war, Lithuania's Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said on Nov. 23, as reported by Bloomberg.

Landsbergis noted that the lack of missile systems and munitions shipments to Ukraine, coupled with the protracted decision-making process within the EU, risks putting Kyiv in a position where it may have no choice but to enter disadvantageous peace talks with the Kremlin.

Read also: Qatar helps negotiate return to Ukraine of four children abducted by Russia

The minister emphasized that Ukraine, which has been receiving assistance from the EU, would never willingly negotiate with the terrorist state, but "reality may prove to be such."

Read also: EU gives Hungary 900M to unblock 18B aid package for Ukraine

He also mentioned that the EU provides less aid to Ukraine than North Korea does to Russia, having shipped over one million artillery rounds for the Russian military. Since August, roughly ten shipments of weapons from North Korea to Moscow were reported by Western intelligence sources.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
The cuddly monkey, which had been with the boy since he was born, was given a makeover by Network Rail

A three-year-old boy's soft toy that got lost on a train and went on a 600-mile round trip has been returned to him.

Kayna Tay and her son were returning to Bristol via Birmingham New Street after visiting family in Rutland.

They were asked to move carriages and the cuddly monkey, which the boy has had since he was born, was left behind.

Network Rail said Monkey was found by staff in Edinburgh and four different companies came to the toy's rescue to get it home.

Ms Tay, 43, headed straight for Network Rails Birmingham New Street station reception when she noticed the toy was missing.

Customer service assistants Leon Allen and Vinny Murphy spearheaded a mission to trace the treasured toy - which by now was on its way towards Newcastle.

It was only when the CrossCountry service terminated in Edinburgh, 384 miles away from Monkey's usual home, that he was found and taken to lost property.

Kayna Tay says she cannot thank staff enough for bringing Monkey home

Vinny and Leon arranged for the toy to travel back down from Scotland to Birmingham.

Ms Tay was delighted to pick up the well-travelled teddy at Bristol Temple Meads the next day.

Network Rail said Monkey had clocked up an extra 619 miles (1,000 km) on top of what should have been a 155-mile (250 km) trip home, adding it was a journey "Paddington would have been proud of".

Ms Tay said: I cant thank everyone involved enough."

Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk
TechCrunch

There is "reasonable evidence" to conclude that Tesla and its officers, including CEO Elon Musk, knew its vehicles had defective Autopilot systems but still allowed the cars to be driven in areas "not safe for that technology," a Florida judge found. The ruling last week from Judge Reid Scott, in the Circuit Court for Palm Beach County, means the family of a man who died in a collision while his Tesla's Autopilot was engaged can go to trial and seek punitive damages from Tesla for intentional misconduct and gross negligence. The hit to Tesla comes after the electric vehicle maker won two product liability cases in California earlier this year over the safety of its Autopilot system.
(Bloomberg) -- South African industry and civil rights groups are pushing back against a draft procurement law aimed at supporting small businesses that were disadvantaged under White minority rule, warning that the measures are open to abuse.

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The Public Procurement Bill requires the government to evaluate the ownership makeup and capabilities of small businesses when they bid for contracts before taking price considerations into account, Willie Mathebula, the National Treasurys chief director for supply chain management: policy and legal, told lawmakers in Cape Town.

The Group Of Construction and Engineering Companies, the National Research Foundation, Corruption Watch and other groups criticized the law because it didnt specifically exclude politically exposed people from winning deals. The legislation also ignored a judicial panel that spent four years investigating state graft and recommended that procurement policy should focus on ensuring the government got value for money, rather than on empowering the Black majority, they said.

Parliaments finance committee will hold further deliberations on the draft law before deciding whether to refer it to the National Assembly for approval.

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The vehicle fatality report shows South Dakota far ahead of runners-up North Dakota and South Carolina at 0.55 and 10th-place Nebraska at 0.35 per 100,000 people between 2012 and 2021.

The Jerry AllCar App has some sobering news for South Dakota drivers this Thanksgiving. The state ranks No. 1 for the percentage of fatal car accidents involving drunken drivers during the holiday.

Over recent Thanksgiving weekends, which begins 6 p.m. Wednesday and last until 6 a.m. Monday, the state saw an average of 0.79 drunken driving fatalities per 100,000 people.

That means 57% of the total fatal crashes involved drunken drivers.

The vehicle fatality report shows South Dakota far ahead of runners-up North Dakota and South Carolina at 0.55 and 10th-place Nebraska at 0.35 per 100,000 people between 2012 and 2021.

The report is a blow to Chris Olson, an associate professor of computer science at Dakota State University in Madison. He's been warning people about the consequences of drunken driving since Good Friday 2001 when he found himself paralyzed on the side of a road near Madison after he and his fiancee got into a vehicle with an impaired driver.

"We were smart enough to know all of us shouldn't drive vehicles, so we all got into one vehicle," Olson recounted about the night. "It's a 13-and-a-half mile drive, we made it 12-and-a-half before entering the ditch and we hit an approach."

Olson, who was 23, wasn't wearing a seat belt. He was thrown from the backseat of the vehicle and broke his neck. His fiancee, 21-year-old Tana Thompson, was ejected from the passenger seat and killed.

"She was a DSU student going to school for teaching, and she loved kids and loved teaching," Olson said. "We had hoped to spend our lives together, have a family, help on the farm and have the American dream."

Though his crash was Easter weekend, the premise is the same, Olson said. People, especially young people, are coming home to hang out during the holiday weekend. And nobody thinks they will be the ones to get into an accident.

In fact, the average drunken driver will have driven impaired about 80 times before his or her first arrest, said Rachel Martens, manager of victim services for the South Dakota chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

"The choice of an individual to take an impairing substance and then drive has long-lasting effects on every sphere of their life," she said. "Drunk and drugged driving is not an accident. It is a choice that can lead to a car crash, and that choice changes individuals' and families' lives forever."

A 2022 Forbes survey found 52% of South Dakota drivers have seen someone they know drive drunk after a holiday party, which is the highest in the country.

Olson went on to graduate from DSU with bachelor's and master's degrees in information systems, earned his doctorate from Northcentral University and got married in 2016.

But the impact from choices made that night remains.

He's paralyzed from the shoulders down. He has some movement in his arms but none in his hands, so he types with plastic sticks or uses voice recognition software. He faces increasing health challenges related to the accident and can't walk, get out of bed on his own, feed himself, dress himself or do many of things he could before that night.

Despite the troubling Thanksgiving statistics, South Dakota is making headway, said South Dakota Highway Patrol Capt. Robert Whisler.

"Our percentage of alcohol-related fatalities is at a five-year low," he said. "To this day, it's a 35% decrease from last year at this time."

Whisler said Highway Patrol and other law enforcement personnel will be out running sobriety checkpoints, which he hopes will be a deterrence for anyone considering taking the risk.

"South Dakota motorists are aware that we conduct sobriety checkpoints," he said. "And with that information, we hope the public makes a better decision before they decide to get behind the wheel."

South Dakota defines drunken driving as anyone operating a vehicle with a blood alcohol content greater than 0.08%, or while under the influence of alcohol, drugs or prescribed medication that renders them incapable of safely operating a vehicle.

Drivers operating commercial vehicles are held to stricter 0.04% limit, and anyone under 21 years old is held to a 0.02% limit.

According to Responsibility.org, South Dakota reported 5,522 drunken driving arrests in 2019, with 60 of those arrested being minors.

A first-time conviction for driving under the influence in South Dakota carries a maximum penalty of up to a year in jail, a $2,000 fine and a license suspension of at least 30 days.

Despite the overall improvements, Olson said it's disheartening to learn that even after 20 years of trying to educate those around him, drunken driving is still so prevalent in South Dakota.

 This article was produced by South Dakota News Watch, a non-profit journalism organization located online at sdnewswatch.org.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: South Dakota leads in DUI fatalities over Thanksgiving weekend
FILE - This photo provided by the North Korean government shows what the country said is the launch of the Malligyong-1, a military spy satellite, into orbit on Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP, File)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  South Korea has concluded that Russian support likely enabled North Korea to put a spy satellite into orbit for the first time this week, and it should be clear in several days whether it is functioning properly, officials said Thursday.

The launch has deepened regional animosities, with both Koreas threatening to breach a past reconciliation deal and take hostile actions along their heavily armed border.

After two launch failures earlier this year, North Korea said it successfully placed its Malligyong-1 satellite into orbit on Tuesday night. South Koreas military has confirmed that the satellite entered orbit, but said it needs several more days to verify whether it is working properly.

In a closed-door briefing, South Koreas spy agency told lawmakers on Thursday that Russian assistance was likely the main reason the launch was successful, according to lawmakers who attended the meeting.

The National Intelligence Service cited Russian President Vladimir Putin's earlier mention of a promise to support North Koreas satellite program. It said it also obtained intelligence that North Korea had sent Russia the design and other data for its new Chollima-1 rocket used in the two previous failed launches. The intelligence showed that Russia returned its analysis of the North Korean data, according to lawmaker Yoo Sang-bum, who attended the NIS briefing.

South Korean Defense Minister Shin Wonsik told a separate parliamentary committee meeting Thursday that Russia appears to have been providing technological assistance for North Korea's satellite program.

The same satellite and rocket were used in all three launches. The two earlier attempts in May and August failed due to technical problems with the rocket.

There has been speculation that Russia is providing technological support for North Koreas satellite and other programs since leader Kim Jong Un traveled to Russia to meet Putin and visit key technology and military sites in September. The Kim-Putin summit was held at Russia's main space launch center.

Asked whether Russia would help North Korea build and launch satellites, Putin told Russian state media at the time that thats why we have come here. The (North Korean) leader shows keen interest in rocket technology. Theyre trying to develop space, too, Putin said.

The U.S., South Korea and Japan accuse North Korea of seeking to obtain high-tech Russian military technologies in return for supplying conventional arms for Russias war in Ukraine. Both Russia and North Korea have denied the alleged deal.

North Korea said its Malligyong-1 satellite will begin its official mission on Dec. 1. But it said the satellite has already transmitted images of military facilities in the U.S. territory of Guam and that Kim saw them. North Korea hasn't released the images.

Many foreign experts are skeptical about the satellite's ability to take high-resolution images and whether it is militarily meaningful. After recovering debris from the first failed launch attempt, South Korea's military said the satellite wasnt sophisticated enough to perform military reconnaissance.

Defense Minister Shin said he worries that Russia could help North Korea produce higher-resolution satellite photos.

Shin said South Korean, U.S. and Japanese authorities will be able to determine whether the satellite is functioning normally as early as this weekend or early next week.

South Korea, the U.S. and Japan strongly condemned the satellite launch, saying North Korea is using it to improve its missile technology as well as acquire a space-based surveillance system.

U.N. Security Council resolutions ban any satellite launches by North Korea, viewing them as disguised tests of long-range missile technology. North Korea says it has a sovereign right to launch spy satellites to cope with what it calls U.S.-led military threats. It says spy satellites would allow it to better monitor its rivals' moves and enhance the precision-strike capability of its nuclear-capable missiles.

In response to the satellite launch, South Korea said it has partially suspended a 2018 agreement to reduce tensions with North Korea and will resume flying surveillance aircraft and drones along their border.

North Korea's Defense Ministry slammed the South Korean decision on Thursday, saying it will deploy more powerful weapons at the border in a tit-for-tat measure. It said it wont be bound by the 2018 deal any longer and will reverse all the steps it has taken to ease front-line military tensions under it.

South Korea's military replied that it would strongly punish North Korea if it acts provocatively.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward the sea on Wednesday, but the launch likely failed. It was North Koreas first known weapons launch in more than two months.

Kim has publicly vowed to acquire spy satellites and other high-tech weapons systems. Since last year, North Korea has test-fired about 100 ballistic missiles in an effort to expand its nuclear arsenal. Experts say Kim ultimately wants to use his enlarged arsenal to wrest greater concessions from the United States if they resume diplomacy.
Southwest Florida residents are asked to conserve water usage to avoid mandatory water restrictions because of current drought conditions.

Florida wastes a lot of water on grass and other plants not well-suited to our heat, rain, and seasonal drought. Choosing the right plants can help save water and cost to the homeowner.

The South Florida Water Management District issued a warning Tuesday for Collier and Lee counties asking residents to limit lawn watering and to conserve water usage elsewhere.

More: Recent rains not enough to make up for huge deficit as parts of SWFL in drought conditions

If voluntary conservation measures are not enough, the water district could invoke mandatory water restrictions.

Drought monitoring systems show the Southwest Florida coast is facing an abnormally dry to moderate drought with rainfall 13 inches below normal, according to the water district.

More: How much rain is on tap for SW FL? Not enough to erase drought conditions

The region has received 42 inches of rain this year. The shortage has caused water levels in underground aquifers to decline. The aquifers supply most of the water in the region.

More: Why are we so dry? Lee, Collier about a foot below normal for 2023 rainy season

The water district anticipates water levels in aquifers will continue to decline without significant rainfall during the current dry season that runs from November to May.

(The water district) is encouraging residents, visitors, and businesses to conserve water and limit irrigation, according to its advisory. If the voluntary conservation efforts are not enough, the (district) may declare a water shortage and invoke mandatory water use restrictions.

The water district proactively develops long-term water supply plans to monitor, evaluate and identify water sources for its 16-county region.

Residents can use these simple tips to save water both inside and outside their home:

All landscape irrigation should comply with the allowed days and times as established in your local governments year-round landscape irrigation ordinance. Visit Lawn Watering Restrictions to learn more. During the cooler winter months, lawns do not need to be irrigated as frequently as summer months. Most of the time, one day of irrigation per week is sufficient to maintain a healthy landscape.

Check irrigation timers to ensure settings are correct and rain sensors are working properly. Check irrigation systems to ensure they are working properly and test and repair broken pipes and damaged sprinkler heads.

Fix leaks. Finding and fixing water leaks conserves water, saves money and protects your home from damage.

Avoid washing or cleaning streets, sidewalks, driveways, or other impervious areas with water.

When utilizing water indoors, reduce shower durations, minimize loads of laundry, and only run dishwashers when full.

Landscape the Florida-Friendly Way by planting low maintenance plants using environmentally sustainable practices.

Read more Simple Steps to Save Water.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Southwest Florida residents told to conserve water usage
Margarita Robles, Spanish Defene Minister, during her participation in the 17th meeting of the Contact Group for the Defence of Ukraine (Ramstein format), spoke online about sending medicines to Ukraine and training the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Source: European Pravda with reference to the Spanish Defence Ministrys press service

Details: Robles noted "significant progress" in training Ukrainian servicemen in Spain. More than 3,000 servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have undergone military training. Training courses on international humanitarian law will be held for legal advisers of the Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces.

During the meeting, Robles reported the recent shipment of 15 pallets of medicines and surgical instruments to Ukraine. They will ensure the functioning of the field hospital that Spain donated a few months ago.

The minister also reported on the cooperation of Spanish industry in the supply of equipment and ammunition to Ukraine and a programme to support the families of Ukrainian soldiers killed in action by providing vacations in military sanatoriums on the Spanish coast.

At the end of her speech, she reaffirmed "Spain's firm commitment to support Ukraine for as long as necessary," the press release reports.

Background:

On Wednesday, 22 November, the 17th meeting of the Contact Group for the Defence of Ukraine, with the participation of about 50 countries, began in a virtual format. The meeting was opened by Lloyd Austin, US Secretary of Defense, who visited Ukraine earlier this week.

Lithuania on the Ramstein announced the new concept of the mine clearance coalition. It suggests that Lithuania will try to help Ukraine "both in combat and humanitarian demining," the country's Defence Ministry said.

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DHAKA, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Bangladeshi government and the World Bank inked a loan agreement worth over 1 billion U.S. dollars on Thursday to help the country achieve resilient and inclusive growth by improving early childhood development, secondary education, riverbank protection and navigability, urban primary health, and gas distribution efficiency.

The agreement comprising five projects was signed by Sharifa Khan, senior secretary of Bangladesh's Economic Relations Division, and Abdoulaye Seck, World Bank country director for Bangladesh and Bhutan, in Dhaka.

Among the projects was the Bangladesh Enhancing Investments and Benefits for Early Years Project which will help improve early childhood development by providing cash transfers and counseling services to about 1.7 million pregnant women and mothers of children under four in vulnerable households.

The Learning Acceleration in Secondary Education Operation Project will help strengthen secondary education by improving learning outcomes and teaching quality, said the Washington-based lender.

It said the Jamuna River Sustainable Management Project 1 and Urban Health, Nutrition and Population Project will improve primary healthcare services for treatment, prevention and referral for common illnesses including mosquito-borne diseases like dengue and help improve riverbank protection and navigability in the Jamuna River, protecting about 2,500 hectares of land from riverbank erosion and flooding.

Apart from this, the bank said the Gas Sector Efficiency Improvement and Carbon Abatement Project will help improve the efficiency of gas distribution and end-use through pre-paid metering systems and reduce methane emissions along the natural gas value chain.

"Bangladesh and the World Bank have a strong partnership focused on achieving the country's vision of upper middle-income status by 2031 and higher income status by 2041," said Khan.

Seck said, "Bangladesh is an important partner for the World Bank toward its vision of a world free of poverty on a livable planet. Since the country's independence, the World Bank and Bangladesh have had an impactful partnership that lifted millions of Bangladeshi people out of poverty." 
An investiture plenary session is held at the Spanish parliament, in Madrid

MADRID (Reuters) - Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez proposed an international peace conference on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to forge a viable Palestinian state in a meeting on Thursday with Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem.

Prospects for reviving peace talks frozen since the last U.S.-brokered round collapsed in 2014 have dimmed further with war raging between Israel and Gaza's ruling Palestinian Islamist group Hamas for almost seven weeks.

Sanchez also met Israeli President Isaac Herzog and was set for talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank later on Thursday before travelling on to Egypt.

"Today, more than ever, we need to bring back a serious and credible prospect for peace," Sanchez said after talks with Netanyahu. "Without a political settlement, we are bound to run again into a never-ending cycle of violence."

Sanchez said he and unspecified colleagues had proposed holding an international peace conference with the parties as soon as possible. He said the European Union, Arab League and the Organisation for Islamic Cooperation had endorsed the idea.

"It is in Israel's interest to work for peace, and today, peace means the establishment of a viable Palestinian state that includes the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, according to the U.N. resolutions," he said.

U.S. officials have said the time is not right to try to resume peace talks given the protracted intransigence of both sides.

Sanchez attended the meetings alongside his Belgian counterpart, Alexander De Croo, whose countries hold the current and upcoming rotating presidencies of the Council of the EU, respectively.

De Croo told reporters that both Israel and the Palestinians would need to show "political courage" to achieve peace.

Last week, Sanchez said a Union for the Mediterranean summit in Barcelona on Nov. 27-28 would be an "ideal place" to relaunch Israeli-Palestinian dialogue as the two sides would "sit on an equal footing" there.

Both Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA), the self-rule body set up under interim peace accords in the 1990s, are members of the Mediterranean grouping along with neighbours Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt and Syria.

In 1991, Madrid hosted a multilateral peace conference aimed at resolving the conflict through negotiations based on a "land for peace" formula, eventually leading to the 1993 Oslo interim accords that set up the PA.

But a series of follow-up negotiations aimed at creating a Palestinian state in territories Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war foundered on intractable differences over borders, Palestinian refugees, Israel's steady expansion of settlements on occupied land, and the status of Jerusalem.

(Reporting by David Latona and Belen Carreno in Madrid; additional reporting by Marine Strauss in Brussels; editing by Aislinn Laing and Mark Heinrich)
Chemicals spilled in a train derailment in Rockcastle County caused a fire that was put out Thursday afternoon, CSX confirmed on its website.

Later Thursday, the company said local residents in Livingston could return home after authorities conducted air monitoring. They had been urged Wednesday to evacuate after Gov. Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency. The derailment involved 16 rail cars, including two that were carrying molten sulphur. It derailed north of Livingston Wednesday afternoon.

While there is still work to be done, we are thankful for the good news that our families in Livingston are able to spend the rest of Thanksgiving at home, Beshear said in a post to X Thursday.

In addition to the cars carrying sulphur, the company said two other cars were loaded with magnesium hydroxide, but there is no indication that these cars were breached. The remaining cars were either empty or carrying non-hazardous products like grain or plastic.

Exposure to sulphur dioxide can make breathing difficult and can damage the respiratory system, according to the EPA. People with asthma, especially children, are susceptible. The chemical can also damage the environment.

CSX encourages residents in proximity to the incident who are concerned about their safety to utilize the lodging that the company has secured in Mt. Vernon, KY, CSX said in the statement. In addition to the hotels, the CSX team is working with local restaurants to provide meals for affected residents.

CSX said on its website that Thanksgiving meals would be served to area residents from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday. The meals would be served at First Christian Church, 160 West Main Street, and Rockcastle Middle School, 945 W Main Street. Both locations are in Mt. Vernon.

The governor urged people to please stay clear of this area as state, local and CSX officials respond.

U.S. 25 was closed between Calloway Branch Road and the Laurel County line, WYMT reported Wednesday night.

In addition to residents of Livingston, people in Piney Branch were also asked to evacuate as a precautionary measure, state Sen. Brandon Storm, whose district includes Rockcastle County, said in a news release Wednesday night.

He said no casualties were reported, just one engineer sustained minor injuries and the impacted area appears remote. For all of this, we can be thankful.

The Energy and Environment Cabinet Emergency Response Team has responded to the scene, and the Kentucky Emergency Operations Center has been activated, the governors office said in its news release.

By issuing a state of emergency, we are ensuring that every state resource is available to help keep our families safe, Beshear said in the release.

Storm said he is committed to working closely with all relevant parties to provide timely updates and address any concerns.

I will closely monitor the cleanup to ensure the well-being of our community, he said in the release.

CSX said it will cover the cost for concerned residents who wish to stay at the Quality Inn on Wilderness Road or the Haven Inn on Richmond Street in Mount Vernon. They said residents can eat at the Derby City South Truck Stop on Richmond Street or the Limestone Grill on Holt Drive. For more information, CSX said people can call 800-805-9840.

A temporary shelter also was set up at Rockcastle County Middle School. Rockcastle County Schools said in a Facebook post Wednesday night that cots, food, water and a pet trailer were available for all community members in need.

Due to the train derailment, many families in Livingston in Rockcastle Co. will be displaced for Thanksgiving. Please think about them and pray for a resolution that gets them back in their homes. Thank you to all the first responders spending this day protecting our people. 1/2  Governor Andy Beshear (@GovAndyBeshear) November 23, 2023

This article may be updated as more information becomes available.
If a symbol of the American lifestyle exists, it might very well be the car. So perhaps its not surprising that, according to the Federal Highway Administration, the average American drives an average of 14,000 miles per year or just under 1,200 miles a month. Thats enough for a round-trip drive from Miami to Seattle twicewith a few hundred miles left over.

Another way to measure driving is with vehicle miles traveled per capita, the sum of annual miles traveled by vehicles divided by the states total population. Collectively, Americans drive roughly 3.2 trillion miles every yearwhich measures out to 9,780 miles per capita.

But people in different states drive different amounts. Population density and the cost of gas are among the factors influencing driving habits. CheapInsurance.com used data from the Federal Highway Administration and the Census Bureau to find out which states residents do the most driving. The data are ranked by the average number of vehicle-miles driven in each state, by capita. Driving data are from September 20211 through August 2023, and population data are from 2022.

Southern and Western states lead the rankings of where drivers spend more time behind the wheel. The top five states are more rural and have lower population densities than others, meaning they may have longer distances to travel for work or regular errands. Its also likely they have less access to public transportation.

At the other end of the list, the five states with the lowest miles driven per capita are in the Northeast and along the Pacific coast. Some of them are home to cities with the best public transportation systems in the country.

#51. Washington DC

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 3.25 billion

Per capita: 4,843.7

#50. New York

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 112.65 billion

Per capita: 5,724.9

#49. Hawaii

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 10.48 billion

Per capita: 7,278.2

#48. Rhode Island

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 8.10 billion

Per capita: 7,407.7

#47. Washington

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 59.18 billion

Per capita: 7,600.6

#46. Alaska

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 5.80 billion

Per capita: 7,902.3

#45. Pennsylvania

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 103.89 billion

Per capita: 8,008.7

#44. Illinois

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 101.66 billion

Per capita: 8,079.8

#43. California

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 319.63 billion

Per capita: 8,189.5

#42. Connecticut

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 30.40 billion

Per capita: 8,383.7

#41. New Jersey

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 78.62 billion

Per capita: 8,488.2

#40. Oregon

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 36.49 billion

Per capita: 8,606.8

#39. Nevada

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 27.54 billion

Per capita: 8,666.1

#38. Massachusetts

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 62.12 billion

Per capita: 8,897.6

#37. West Virginia

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 16.35 billion

Per capita: 9,211.6

#36. Maryland

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 57.68 billion

Per capita: 9,355.9

#35. Colorado

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 54.67 billion

Per capita: 9,361.6

#34. Virginia

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 83.20 billion

Per capita: 9,580.9

#33. Ohio

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 113.94 billion

Per capita: 9,692.2

#32. New Hampshire

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 13.61 billion

Per capita: 9,753.9

#31. Delaware

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 10.02 billion

Per capita: 9,839.0

#30. Michigan

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 99.17 billion

Per capita: 9,883.6

#29. Texas

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 299.85 billion

Per capita: 9,985.0

#28. Idaho

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 19.47 billion

Per capita: 10,043.2

#27. Minnesota

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 57.78 billion

Per capita: 10,106.9

#26. Utah

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 34.35 billion

Per capita: 10,161.5

#25. Iowa

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 33.15 billion

Per capita: 10,356.1

#24. Arizona

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 77.38 billion

Per capita: 10,514.5

#23. Florida

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 234.29 billion

Per capita: 10,532.4

#22. Nebraska

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 20.86 billion

Per capita: 10,598.5

#21. South Dakota

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 9.75 billion

Per capita: 10,718.6

#20. Vermont

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 6.97 billion

Per capita: 10,774.8

#19. Maine

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 14.93 billion

Per capita: 10,780.0

#18. Kansas

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 31.67 billion

Per capita: 10,782.2

#17. Kentucky

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 50.26 billion

Per capita: 11,138.4

#16. North Carolina

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 119.59 billion

Per capita: 11,178.1

#15. Wisconsin

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 65.88 billion

Per capita: 11,179.9

#14. Oklahoma

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 45.20 billion

Per capita: 11,243.3

#13. South Carolina

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 60.26 billion

Per capita: 11,407.8

#12. Georgia

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 125.48 billion

Per capita: 11,498.3

#11. Indiana

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 80.70 billion

Per capita: 11,810.9

#10. North Dakota

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 9.33 billion

Per capita: 11,978.0

#9. Tennessee

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 84.72 billion

Per capita: 12,014.5

#8. Montana

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 13.53 billion

Per capita: 12,045.1

#7. Louisiana

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 55.33 billion

Per capita: 12,054.7

#6. Arkansas

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 38.25 billion

Per capita: 12,560.3

#5. Missouri

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 80.59 billion

Per capita: 13,045.1

#4. New Mexico

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 27.62 billion

Per capita: 13,068.4

#3. Mississippi

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 40.49 billion

Per capita: 13,771.5

#2. Alabama

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 77.64 billion

Per capita: 15,300.3

#1. Wyoming

Annual vehicle-miles driven: 10.69 billion

Per capita: 18,378.7

Story editing by Jeff Inglis. Copy editing by Kristen Wegrzyn. Photo selection by Ania Antecka.

This story originally appeared on CheapInsurance.com and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.

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Stella McCartney and her husband Alasdhair Willis have angered locals with plans for a modernist 5 million bolthole on a secluded plot in the Scottish Highlands

Stella McCartney has suffered a fresh blow to plans for a modernist 5 million bolthole on a secluded plot in the Scottish Highlands after the woman who sold her the land objected to the shocking design.

The fashion designer and her husband, Alasdhair Willis, have angered locals, who claim their proposal for a contemporary home overlooking Loch Ailort in Roshven, Lochaber, will be an eyesore.

The latest objection comes from Karen White, who owned the land for two decades and secured planning permission to build a property sympathetic to the wild landscape.

Ms White claims that when she sold to the couple, she was given assurances that they intended to build a modest house with a light footprint.

She said a substantially larger property was now planned that would alter the landscape and impact on the areas flora and fauna.

Plans by Brown + Brown architects have atracted complaints - Brown + Brown Architects

In a letter to Highland council, Mrs White refers to a previous submission she made earlier this year and states: The purchasers solicitor assured us that a modest house with a light footprint was planned. I am shocked that what is proposed should potentially have such a needless impact on the sensitive ecology and landscape. It should be possible for talented architects to achieve a stunning design which does not affect the local flora and fauna or sense of history and place.

She added: This proposal is a substantially larger property and by adding the master bedroom spur it will be highly visible and will require removing a number of the landmark ancient Scots Pines on the headland. It will change not only the view of the horizon from the road but also the character of this prominent landmark.

Drawings unveiled by McCartneys architects, Brown & Brown, envisage a single-storey main building with a lower ground floor and a connected side building erected on Commando Rock, a viewpoint about 34 miles west of Fort William.

The home would have five bedrooms, including an en-suite master bedroom, a covered terrace, living area, snug and pantry.

A design statement claims that the contemporary glass-fronted house would be constructed with Scottish granite and weathering steel, adding that the property will enhance the landscape and retain the wild nature of the site.

Plans for Stella McCartney's Highlands holiday home on an isolated peninsula overlooking Loch Ailort, in Roshven - Brown + Brown Architects

Highland council has received dozens of objections to the scheme, which was submitted in the name of Mr Willis.

They include concerns over the impact on otters and plans to fell five mature Scots pines that were planted more than a century ago.

McCartney, 52, the daughter of Sir Paul McCartney, has previously campaigned against deforestation linked to the production of viscose, a semi-synthetic fibre made from trees.

Brown & Brown recently wrote to Highland council labelling some of the comments over the size of the planned property and loss of an otter holt as inaccurate. The firm also said it is looking at reintroducing a number of native Scots pine trees following complaints that some could be at risk.

Ms White said her original plans to build a home in 1999 were very carefully considered to ensure minimal impact on flora and fauna and the ancient woodland.

An impression of the spectacular views from inside the five-bedroom holiday home - Brown + Brown Architects

She stated in her objection that this is not the case with the current proposal, adding: The building footprint has been moved further forward towards the sea. The footprint has been enlarged significantly by adding two new wings, one of which impinges on the ancient oak woodland and the other encroaches on the cliff edge and hence requires the removal of mature pine trees.

The justification given by the architect for shifting the site makes no sense, but means there is a far greater impact on the flora and fauna.

Ms White claims the property will undo the work of Prof Hugh Blackburn, a Scottish mathematician who embarked on an ambitious programme of landscaping and tree planting when he bought the property in 1855.

She also poured scorn on the architects claim that otters, a protected species, were not visible during a site visit. Otters do not appear on demand, wrote Ms White, adding she had seen otters on numerous occasions in the area over the past 50 years. There is no doubt that they would be disturbed should this building be allowed to proceed.

Brown & Brown declined to comment.

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A legal group headed by former Donald Trump adviser Stephen Miller is representing an Arizona school board member her fight against transgender-supportive policies.

America First Legal filed a lawsuit Monday against Mesa Public Schools on behalf of board member Rachel Walden, alleging that the districts policies violate the states parental rights law. It also names the districts superintendent, Andi Fourlis. It was filed in Maricopa County Superior Court.

This case involves an astonishing situation that once would have been unthinkable: a school district policy to assist and encourage students who want to represent themselves as having a gender different from their biological sex, and which forbids the notification of parents, the lawsuit says. The policy directly violates multiple statutes, especially Arizonas Parents Bill of Rights, which recognizes and protects the fundamental right of parents to direct the upbringing, education, health care and mental health of their children.

The policy also violates many other statutes, such as the requirement that parents will be notified in advance of ... any instruction ... or presentations regarding sexuality  and the requirement that parents provide consent before any mental health screening in a nonclinical setting or mental health treatment on a minor, it continues.

Even worse, in a brazen lack of respect for democratic principles, MPS maintains this policy of parental non-notification and facilitation of sex transition even though the elected MPS Governing Board, the only entity authorized by state law to adopt policies and procedures to govern the schools, has never voted to adopt any such policy, the suit says.

The district allows trans students to use the facilities designated for their gender identity and to use the names and pronouns that match that identity, The Arizona Republic reports. It also requires staff to ask students if they want their parents notified, and if they say no, the district cant notify parents, the suit says. It says the trans-supportive policies have been in place at least since August 2015 and have been revised several times.

Since Walden joined the board in January, she has been outspoken in her opposition to the districts guidelines related to transgender students, the Republic notes.

The district sought legal advice this year on whether these guidelines violate state law, and the Mesa-based law firm of Udall Shumway responded that they do not. Also, Fourlis sent a letter to parents and staffers this summer saying that parents are not kept in the dark about support plans for trans students and that those plans do not include medical transition, as some people have alleged.

The suit seeks to have the districts trans support policies declared illegal and to prevent the enforcement of any policies relating to matters of sexuality or to the gender or sexual identity of students unless the board has approved them. It further seeks to require parental notification and consent whenever a student attempts to discuss any matters of sexuality with school employees, including when students express confusion or concern about their gender or sexual identity or when they express a desire to transition to represent themselves as having a gender different from their biological sex. This ignores the fact that if parents are not supportive, notification could put students in danger.

The district hasnt responded to the Republics request for comment.

America First Legal was founded in 2021 and is based in Washington, D.C. Its mission is to oppose the radical lefts anti-jobs, anti-freedom, anti-faith, anti-borders, anti-police, and anti-American crusade, its website states. Miller, who was a senior adviser to Trump, is its president. Gene Hamilton, who worked in the Department of Justice during Trumps presidency, is vice president and general counsel.

Millers firm recently filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission over Kelloggs LGBTQ-supportive practices and has sued Target over its marketing of Pride merchandise. Before last years election, it spread the lie that President Joe Biden and other liberal politicians are pushing young people to take cross-sex hormones and are out to destroy womens sports.

Pictured: Stephen Miller
EU leaders should not favor Ukraine over the Western Balkans when deciding whether to approve the countries' accession talks next month, Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said in a comment to the Financial Times on Nov. 23.

The diplomat emphasized the importance of "anchoring" both Ukraine and Bosnia and Herzegovina "in the EUs orbit" to counter Russian influence.

Strengthening stability in both regions  Eastern and Southeastern Europe  is equally important, Schallenberg stressed.

"Our geostrategic seismograph is kicking out in both directions," he said.

Read also: Ukraines EU accession path and potential hurdles  expert interview

If the European Commission were to look at the Western Balkans "with a magnifying glass" and Ukraine "with rose-tinted glasses," it would be a "geostrategic disaster," the politician argued, adding that "you cannot have certain groups on the fast lane, others on service lane."

Schallenberg is reportedly a strong advocate of gradual EU enlargement, in which candidate countries must integrate into the bloc's sectoral programs and policies before full membership. According to him, the EU needs a different approach than during the previous waves of enlargement in 2004, 2007 and 2013, when only the question of in or out was considered.

The European Commission recommended on Nov. 8 to begin negotiations on Ukraine and Moldova's accession to the EU. EC President Ursula von der Leyen said that Ukraine had completed "more than 90%" of the necessary steps outlined by the European Commission in 2022, especially lauding judicial reforms and efforts to fight corruption.

Read also: European Parliament to open office in Kyiv  report

Brussels expects Ukraine and Moldova to complete the reforms by March 2024.

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal also officially received the EC's report on the recommendation to start negotiations from the EU Ambassador to Ukraine, Katarina Mathernova.

In mid-December, the European Council is to decide whether to start membership talks with Ukraine.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Councillors have said new energy bill relief funding for people living near planned pylons is "not sufficient".

National Grid has proposed an additional line of pylons and cables across Babergh and Mid Suffolk.

On Wednesday, Jeremy Hunt announced plans to offer 10,000 off electricity bills over 10 years for those living closest to new transmission infrastructure in Suffolk.

Babergh's acting leader John Ward said: "Constable country is not for sale."

He continued: "Once the landscape has been industrialised, nothing can compensate for this loss."

Local communities are calling for National Grid to bury power lines

Babergh District Council has restated its objections to the proposed pylons cutting through the countryside, commenting on the impact the project would have on the environment, local communities and businesses.

During his Autumn Statement, where he announced numerous tax and spending measures, Mr Hunt announced those living near the new pylons could get up to 1,000 a year for 10 years, for energy bill compensation.

But councillors said this was not enough to offset the impact on the local area.

'Better option'

David Bean, East Suffolk Council's deputy leader, called the measure a "bribe".

"It's welcome for those people who will get it, but it's no compensation in terms of what they're planning to do to our countryside.

"What we need is a proper long-term investment, not political gimmicks like this to try and bribe people."

It is still unclear as to how close a house will need to be in order to qualify for this funding.

Babergh's deputy leader, councillor Deborah Saw, added: "Much more work needs to be done on this, taking on board the feedback of our communities."

She continued that there was a "better option", and called for a "strategic off-shore grid, which will minimise onshore infrastructure and the associated impacts of that".

Speaking ahead of the announcement, a spokesman for the Treasury said the plan would help with the required updating of the UK's electricity network upgrade.

"By speeding up the planning system - including the rollout of electric vehicle charge-points - we will be tackling one of the most common issues raised by businesses who are keen to invest in the UK," he said.

Follow East of England news on Facebook, Instagram and X. Got a story? Email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp 0800 169 183
Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak leaves 10 Downing Street for his weekly Prime Ministers Questions at the House of Commons in London, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

LONDON (AP)  U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak faced heavy pressure from his own Conservatives to take swift action to bring down migration, as new data published Thursday showed net migration numbers were higher than previously thought.

The Office for National Statistics revised its estimates for net migration to the U.K.  meaning the number of people arriving minus those leaving  in the year to December 2022 to 745,000. That is a new record and significantly higher than the previous estimate of 606,000 for the same period.

The more hard-line wing of the Tories urged Sunak to act now as a general election looms next year.

The word existential has been used a lot in recent days but this really is do or die for our party, said a statement by a group of lawmakers known as the New Conservatives. Each of us made a promise to the electorate. We dont believe that such promises can be ignored."

Suella Braverman, the hard-line, anti-immigration former home secretary who was fired by Sunak this month, joined in the criticism.

Todays record numbers are a slap in the face to the British public who have voted to control and reduce migration at every opportunity, she said.

The Conservatives were reelected in 2019 on the back of a manifesto to take back our borders" and break away from the constraints of the European Union. Britain completed its divorce with the trade bloc in 2020.

Migration continues to be a political hot potato, although Sunak's government has focused less on legal migration than the issue of unauthorized asylum-seekers arriving on small boats across the English Channel.

The latest figures do show that net migration in the 12 months up to June 2023 decreased to 672,000. The Office for National Statistics said that it was too early to tell if that's the start of a new downward trend.

Sunak's office at Downing Street said that net migration remained far too high and indicated that further measures could be introduced to bring down the figures. Authorities said in May that foreign postgraduate students can no longer bring family members to the U.K. from next year as part of efforts to curb immigration.

Officials said they revised the 2022 figures upwards because patterns and behaviors have been shifting and less predictable than before the COVID-19 pandemic struck.

Jay Lindop, director of the international migration department at the statistics office, said the main drivers of the increase were people arriving from non-EU countries for study and work, particularly in Britain's health and social care sectors.

Britain also took in hundreds of thousands of people who fled Russia's war in Ukraine and the Chinese government's crackdown on civil liberties in Hong Kong, though those numbers have slowed in recent months.

Net migration to the U.K. has been running at record levels, driven by a rise in people coming for work, increasing numbers of students and a series of world events," he said.

More recently, were not only seeing more students arrive, but we can also see theyre staying for longer. More dependants of people with work and study visas have arrived too, and immigration is now being driven by non-EU arrivals," he added.

The latest figures showed that a total of 1.18 million people are estimated to have arrived in the U.K. in the year to June 2023, while 508,000 are estimated to have left, leaving the net migration figure at 672,000.

Sunak's Conservatives have trailed behind the opposition Labour Party in national polls for months. However, polls suggest that the economy and inflation, rather than migration, are the top concerns for voters.

___

Follow APs coverage of migration issues at https://apnews.com/hub/migration
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  An online survey revealed that 67% of Americans prefer Thanksgiving side dishes over traditional main courses such as turkey or baked ham. And in Oregon and Washington, there are two particular sides that families are sure to see on the dinner table.

For the second time, soup brand Campbells has released its State of the Sides report. The company surveyed 5,000 people nationwide to determine just how important side dishes are for Thanksgiving celebrations, and which ones are family favorites.

These places are serving up free Thanksgiving meals around Portland

This year, the report shows that the average American serves five sides at their Thanksgiving dinner. It also said 54% of respondents  17% more than last year  would be content with only side dishes as their Thanksgiving meals.

According to the survey, there are five top side items of 2023: mashed potatoes, stuffing or dressing, mac and cheese, yams or sweet potatoes, and green bean casserole. The nations other favorite sides are salad, bread and any dish with root vegetables.

In Oregon, and in several other states, mashed potatoes are the favorite. In Washington, green bean casserole took the top spot.

How to (safely) deep fry a turkey, according to PF&R

An additional report used Google Trends data to determine the most uniquely-searched Thanksgiving pies in the country. Across the U.S., pumpkin pie, apple pie, sweet potato pie, key lime pie, and pecan pie reigned supreme.

Tamale pie was the most-searched Thanksgiving pie among Oregonians. For Washingtonians, it was blackberry pie.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
Hollywood companies have dropped Oscar-winning actor Susan Sarandon and Scream franchise actor Melissa Barrera after their comments about the Israel-Hamas war drew scrutiny and accusations of antisemitism.

The United Talent Agency dropped Sarandon after she made remarks at a pro-Palestinian rally in New York last week, said a spokesperson for the firm, who did not elaborate on the decision.

Her listed representative did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment on the decision.

Sarandon, a prolific political activist known for her left-wing views, received criticism after she said at a rally Friday that people who are afraid of being Jewish at this time are getting a taste of what it feels like to be Muslim in this country, so often subjected to violence.

The remarks were recorded in a video published by the New York Post. The tabloid reported that Sarandon called for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, which has been under siege and bombardment by Israeli forces since the Hamas terrorist attack in Israel on Oct. 7.

The comments attracted attention on social media. Aviva Klompas, a former speechwriter for Israels mission at the United Nations, tweeted that she believed Sarandon was saying that American Jews have it coming  that we dont deserve to live free from harassment and assault.

In other comments at the rally, Sarandon said criticism of Israel should not be conflated with antisemitism. Theres a terrible thing thats happened where antisemitism has been confused with speaking up against Israel, she said, according to The New York Times.

I am against antisemitism. I am against Islamophobia, she went on to say.

In a separate development, Spyglass Media Group confirmed that it had dropped Barrera, an up-and-coming actor, from the Scream horror series after a series of Instagram posts reportedly condemned Israel in strong terms.

She also appeared to echo an antisemitic trope about Jewish control of the media, reportedly writing in one post: Western media only shows the [Israeli] side. Why do they do that, I will let you deduce for yourself. (NBC News has not seen the posts; Variety reported on them.)

Actress Melissa Barrera in Los Angeles, Calif. on April 20, 2023. (Michael Buckner / Variety via Getty Images)

In a statement posted on social media Wednesday, Barrera said she would continue to speak out when she felt compelled.

First and foremost I condemn Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. I condemn hate and prejudice of any kind against any group of people.  Every person on this earth  regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or socio-economic status  deserves equal human rights, dignity, and, of course, freedom, she wrote.

She stated she was praying for the end of violence and peaceful co-existence.

I will continue to speak out for those that need it most and continue to advocate for peace and safety, for human rights and freedom. Silence is not an option for me, the actor wrote.

Barreras publicist did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment on Spyglass decision.

Spyglass said in a statement, We have zero tolerance for antisemitism or the incitement of hate in any form, including false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing, Holocaust distortion or anything that flagrantly crosses the line into hate speech.

The company co-produced the two most recent installments in the Scream series; Paramount Pictures handled distribution.

Sarandon is a five-time Oscar nominee who won the best actress award for her performance in Dead Man Walking. She is also known for her roles in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Bull Durham and Thelma & Louise.

Barrera appeared in the fifth and sixth installments of the Scream franchise, and she had been set to appear in future installments. She also acted in the Starz series Vida and the big-screen adaptation of the musical In the Heights, released in 2021.

The war between Israel and Hamas has roiled Hollywood. Maha Dakhil, an agent at Creative Artists Agency, drew criticism after she posted messages on social media that accused Israel of genocide. (She has removed the posts and apologized.)

Some members criticized the Writers Guild of America after it did not immediately send out a statement condemning the Hamas assault, which killed more than 1,000 people. Israels retaliatory offensive has killed more than 14,000 people in Gaza.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com
DHAKA, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a loan package of 336.5 million U.S. dollars to establish domestic vaccine, therapeutics, and diagnostics manufacturing capacity in Bangladesh and strengthen its national regulator to ensure vaccine supply security.

"Our experience with the COVID-19 pandemic exposed challenges in accessing diagnostic testing kits, availability of vaccines, and pandemic preparedness. It highlighted the need to improve self-sufficiency and establish capacity to manufacture vaccines," said ADB principal health specialist Dinesh Arora in a statement on Wednesday.

"This project aims to build Bangladesh's resilience against future pandemics, improve vaccine supply security, and reduce the incidence and severity of vaccine-preventable diseases," said the specialist.

According to the Manila-based lender, the project will establish a comprehensive vaccine, therapeutic, and diagnostics manufacturing facility, along with a warehousing unit in Bangladesh's Essential Drugs Company Limited's existing location in Gopalganj, with a capacity to manufacture 58 million vials of vaccines per year.

An in-house research and development center will also be established to support the production of diagnostic kits and packaging of biosimilar therapeutics, it said.

ADB said the project is financed through its Asia Pacific Vaccine Access Facility, an initiative worth 9 billion dollars that was launched in December 2020, in order to provide rapid and equitable vaccine-related support to ADB's developing members. 
Authorities are searching for a suspect they say is part of an international jewel theft ring.

West Boylston Police issued an arrest warrant on Wednesday for Monica Rostas, 33, of Ridgewood, New York, and also Romania. She is accused of stealing a Rolex watch from Watermark Antiques on September 13 valued at $14,500.

Video from September shows Rostas and another suspect walking into the store and looking at the valuables in the glass case. Police suspect they parked their car in a different lot so as not to arouse suspicion.

An investigation by Sgt. James Bartlett determined that Rostas is a suspect and that she may be part of a group of international jewel thieves, with previous arrests in the UK and various locations in the United States.

Police say the group targets places on the East Coast.

Anyone with information about Rostass whereabouts or the other person in the video is asked to call the West Boylston Police Department at 774-450-3510.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

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An SUV drove into a home in Millvale on Wednesday night.

>>> CLICK HERE to see photos from the scene <<<

Emergency crews were called to the 100 block of Sheridan Street at 8:41 p.m.

BREAKING: Firefighters & EMS in Millvale are working to pull out an SUV that crashed into a house on Sheridan St. Police chief says no one was hurt. @WPXI pic.twitter.com/6nQLX1An1W  Antoinette DelBel (@AnnieDelBel) November 23, 2023

Police said the SUV, which was driven by a rideshare driver, pulled out in front of another car as it was crossing through a nearby intersection. The SUV spun and went through the garage of the home.

Crews made sure the structure was sound before removing the vehicle.

No injuries were reported.

Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.

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(Bloomberg) -- Taiwans opposition presidential candidates engaged in a public mud-slinging match on live television, shattering the prospects of a China-friendly unity ticket in a moment likely to be remembered as one of the most farcical in the islands political history.

Most Read from Bloomberg

With just 24 hours to go until registration for Januarys election closed, the Kuomintangs Hou Yu-ih and the Taiwan Peoples Partys Ko Wen-je met in Taipeis Grand Hyatt Hotel on Thursday. Ostensibly, the meeting was to decide who would lead any alliance ticket, despite the two sides deep political divisions.

Those talks never got started. Instead, a pre-negotiation press briefing descended into 90 minutes of on-stage insult-trading, political grandstanding and, at times, off-topic ranting, beamed to the island of some 23 million people.

Ko accused his prospective running mate of bringing a bunch of nannies to the event, referring to senior KMT figures. Hou read out private text messages he claimed were from Ko, saying tech tycoon Terry Gou  an independent candidate currently fourth in polls  needed an off-ramp from the race.

I have never seen something like this in the 20 plus years of Taiwanese politics, said Niu Tse-hsun, a professor at the Chinese Culture University, who specializes in political science and political communication. These political leaders mishandling of such a crucial agenda would cause them a big loss of supporters.

Former Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou, of the KMT, sat silently between the warring candidates, refusing to take the microphone and shouting to reporters that he was only there as a witness. The spectacle ended when Hou, Ma and KMT Chairman Eric Chu walked out.

Taiwans presidential election, which will shape cross-strait relations and the US presence in the region for years, looks set to be one of the closest and most dramatic in the islands history. Four major figures have been vying for the top job, with the ruling Democratic Progressive Partys candidate, Vice President Lai Ching-te, the frontrunner.

Hours before the registration deadline at 5:30 p.m. Friday, its still unclear what the tickets beyond the ruling DPPs are going to look like, adding an unprecedented layer of uncertainty to the proceedings.

The drama started to unfold earlier Thursday when both sides indicated a willingness to talk but couldnt agree on a venue. The KMTs Hou, a mayor and former cop, summoned Ko to former President Mas office for talks. At the same time, Ko was at billionaire Gous residence, though they later moved to the Grand Hyatt hotel and demanded the other side come to them.

That created a stand-off. Hou broke first in the political game of chicken, heading to the luxury hotel in downtown Taipei. Foxconn Technology Group founder Gou then put out a statement saying the former president was not invited. Both septuagenarians enjoy strong relationships with the Chinese government in Beijing, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory.

When both camps finally met at the hotel, tense scenes underscored the distance between them. The KMTs Hou, Chu and Ma were kept waiting by the other candidates in a room full of reporters for more than 20 minutes. Spokespeople for the KMT and Gou engaged in public bickering over the delay in front of the assembled press.

When Gou and Ko finally appeared, Gou seized the microphone and launched into a lengthy monologue on how he had worked hard to broker a deal. He also insisted the talks should only consist of the three candidates, calling Ma and Chu uninvited guests who should wait elsewhere.

The chances of an opposition unity ticket in Taiwans presidential election now appear slim. Hou and Ko are set to sign up for the race separately between 11 a.m. and 12 noon Friday, according to party statements. This would confirm an end to months of tumultuous talks over a joint campaign and increase the DPPs chance of staying in power.

An alliance would greatly increase the chances of a government that would be able to restart talks with Beijing. China is unwilling to talk with the DPP because it refuses to acknowledge its claim over the democratically ruled island.

Last week, the KMT and TPP agreed to an alliance, only for talks to collapse over disagreements about who would lead the ticket. Former surgeon Ko said after that initial accord that he hates the KMT, in comments that cast a long-shadow over the relationship.

The entire opposition alliance has been a terrible soap opera, said Niu, and yesterdays event was the horrendous season finale.

(updates throughout)

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RENDON, Texas - The Tarrant County Sheriff's Office is looking for a woman they believe committed murder in Rendon on Wednesday.

Deputies are searching for 25-year-old Kaitlyn Marie Bailey.

Kaitlyn Marie Bailey (Source: Tarrant County Sheriffs Office)

She is believed to be traveling in a 2007 Black Ford Fusion with the Texas license plate FVH1258.

The Sheriff's Office says they believe Bailey has a handgun and should be considered "armed and dangerous." Deputies warn anyone who sees her not to approach.

The department did not give any information about the murder or the murder victim.

Anyone with information about Bailey is asked to contact the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office.
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4)  Ogdens mayoral race appears to be over. Taylor Knuth conceded the race Wednesday to Ben Nadolski, who holds a significant lead as ballots continue to be counted.

Although this isnt the result we had hoped for, I am grateful to have had the opportunity to dedicate so much to the city that built me, Knuth posted on social media.



Addressing Nadolski as our next mayor, Knuth said that he looked forward to working with him on their shared goals for the city.

Preliminary results in Weber County races: Nadolski leads in Ogden mayoral race

As of Wednesday night, Nadolski had amassed 54% of the vote, leading by more than 900 ballots.



ABC4 reached out to Nadolskis campaign Wednesday night, and he said that Knuth had not called him to concede, although he noted that he did see Knuths social media post.

Ahead of Tuesdays election, Knuth, 30, billed himself as a young, outsider who would bring a breath of fresh air to Ogden. His main issues were housing attainability, improved public safety and easier access to local government.

In contrast, Nadolski highlighted his past service as a member of Ogdens city council, noting that such experience helped him to better understand the issues facing the city.

His central platform was economic prosperity, promising that hed accelerate business opportunities for Ogden residents. Nadolski, 46, is a regional supervisor for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.

Knuth and Nadolski were the only two candidates in Tuesdays nonpartisan race. A primary in September narrowed the contest from a field of seven candidates after former Mayor Mike Caldwell announced that he would not seek a fourth term.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.
US singer-songwriter Taylor Swift performs during her Eras Tour at Sofi stadium in Inglewood, California, August 7, 2023 (Michael Tran)

The chief executive of the company organizing Taylor Swift's tour dates in Brazil apologized Thursday after a fan died in a searing heat wave during the pop superstar's Rio de Janeiro show.

Organizers have faced criticism after fans said they were forbidden to enter the stadium with water bottles at the concert last Friday, despite a heat index that hit 59 degrees Celsius (138 Fahrenheit) in the Brazilian beach city that day.

A 23-year-old fan in the sold-out crowd of 60,000 people died.

"We recognize we could have taken alternative measures in addition to all those we implemented, such as providing shade in external areas, changing the time of the concerts and emphasizing that fans could enter the stadium with disposable water cups," Serafim Abreu, head of Time For Fun, said in a video posted on social media.

"I want to apologize to all those who didn't have the best possible experience," he added, sending his "most sincere condolences" to the late fan's family.

The company said the young woman was quickly treated by emergency workers after falling ill, then transferred to the hospital about an hour later.

A preliminary autopsy found she had a lung hemorrhage and three heart attacks, according to newspaper O Globo.

Swift said Saturday she was "devastated" by the death, and postponed the concert scheduled for that night to Monday.

"We know that climate change means these episodes will be more and more frequent," Abreu said.

"The entire concert industry has to rethink how it operates in the face of this new reality."

Swift's "Eras Tour" continues this week in Brazil, with concerts scheduled for Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Sao Paulo.

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The implementation of an agreement for a four-day cease-fire in Gaza and hostage exchange between Israel and the militant group Hamas has been delayed until at least Friday after hitting a last-minute snag, Israeli officials said.

The temporary pause in fighting will not take effect until Friday, one day later than originally planned, Israeli national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said, according to The Associated Press.

Negotiators were still working to create the appropriate conditions for the cease-fire and hostage swap, according to a spokesperson for Qatars foreign ministry.

Although the cease-fire was initially set to begin Thursday morning, officials now expect an announcement on its start in the coming hours.

It was announced Tuesday that Hamas had agreed to release 50 women and children held hostage starting Thursday. Hamas, designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. government, took 240 people hostage during a surprise attack on Israel in which at least 1,200 Israelis were killed in early October. Israel has agreed to release 150 Palestinian prisoners as part of the agreement.

Israel, which has repeatedly struck the Gaza Strip as part of its retaliatory counteroffensive, agreed to implement a temporary cease-fire for four days to allow for the safe transfer of hostages, the delivery of humanitarian aid for civilians in Gaza and the transfer of Palestinian detainees from Israeli jails.

According to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, more than 12,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes.

Several Americans are expected to be released during the cease-fire. The Biden administration has said 10 U.S. citizens are unaccounted for but didnt specify whether they were being held hostage. Its expected that at least three Americans will be released once the cease-fire begins.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue the war against Hamas, now in its seventh week, after the pause in fighting.

The Associated Press contributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
WASHINGTON  When it was all said and done, the deal to release some of the hostages held by Hamas came down to two critical phone calls ultimately forcing each side to make a tough concession.

The Israelis were insisting that it was not enough to free just 50 of the roughly 240 hostages. They had to have more, they said. At that point, President Joe Biden had to talk Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel into accepting what was on the table and then keep working to recover the rest.

As for Hamas, according to senior administration officials, its leaders were demanding that the pause in fighting incorporated into the agreement last five days, even though the Israelis refused to agree to more than four. Biden told the emir of Qatar, who was serving as the intermediary with Hamas, that four was all they would get for now.

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The path to the hostage deal was painful and painstaking, one marked by fitful progress, deep mistrust, terrible choices and moments when the whole thing was on the verge of unraveling. Neither side got exactly what it wanted. But if the agreement is carried out successfully over the next few days  and that is still an important if  it could serve as a template for further negotiations to free more of the hostages and extend the temporary cease-fire.

Last nights deal is a testament to the tireless diplomacy and determination of many dedicated individuals across the United States government to bring Americans home, Biden said Wednesday on X, the platform formerly called Twitter. Now, its important that all aspects are fully implemented.

This account is based on senior Biden administration officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid disrupting the channels of communication.

The effort to free the hostages extends back to the hours following the terrorist attack of Oct. 7, when Hamas gunmen killed about 1,200 people and captured 240.

Shortly after the attack, the government of Qatar, a small Gulf emirate that hosts some Hamas leaders but maintains close relations with the United States, approached the White House with information about the hostages and suggested the possibility of a deal to win their release. The Qataris asked that a small group of U.S. officials work secretly with them and the Israelis.

Jake Sullivan, the presidents national security adviser, directed Brett McGurk, the White House Middle East coordinator, and Joshua Geltzer, then the deputy homeland security adviser who has since become the top lawyer for the National Security Council, to take the lead. To preserve secrecy, other agencies were kept in the dark about the initiative.

McGurk, who has wide contacts in the region, held early morning phone calls each day with the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, then briefed Sullivan, who kept Biden informed. Sullivan stayed in touch with Ron Dermer and Tzachi Hanegbi, two of Netanyahus closest advisers.

The issue was personal for Biden, who met with families of Americans who were believed to be among the hostages on a Zoom call Oct. 13. Biden extended the scheduled time for the call so each family would have a chance to talk about their missing loved ones. Administration officials who were in the Oval Office or on the line described it as one of the most agonizing moments of the Biden presidency.

On Oct. 23, the White House negotiations with Qatar led to the release of two American citizens, Natalie and Judith Raanan, with Sullivan, McGurk and Jon Finer, the deputy national security adviser, tracking what turned out to be a multihour trip out of the Gaza Strip in real time from the West Wing. Their release emboldened Biden and his team to believe that the Qatar channel could lead to the release of more hostages.

The Israelis delegated authority to negotiate to David Barnea, the director of Mossad, the Israeli spy agency. Barnea began to speak regularly with William Burns, the CIA director, about the contours of a deal. Biden spoke with Netanyahu on Oct. 20, 22, 23 and 25, each time with the hostages a key topic of the conversation.

Hamas got word to the Americans on Oct. 25 that it had agreed to the parameters of a deal to release the women and children among the hostages, as long as there was a delay of a planned Israeli ground invasion into Gaza. But the Israelis did not view the deal as firm enough to hold back the invasion. Among other things, Hamas had not provided any proof that the hostages were still alive.

But the Israelis adapted their ground invasion to be phased in a way that would allow for a pause in fighting if a deal came together, according to U.S. officials. Over the next three weeks, as Israeli forces moved into Gaza, negotiations continued with Qatar, as well as Egypt.

At one point after McGurk got off the phone with Qatars prime minister, Biden insisted he wanted to talk with the emir himself. The call, which was not announced publicly, helped shape a deal that was coming together to free women and children in the first phase as part of what would be several stages of release in exchange for the release of Palestinians held prisoner by the Israelis.

The Israelis insisted that the first release include all women and children and demanded proof of life or identifying information. Hamas responded by saying it could guarantee that 50 hostages would be liberated in the first phase but refused to produce a list or even the criteria it was using to determine who would be released. On Nov. 9, Burns met in Doha, the Qatari capital, with Sheikh Tamim and Barnea to go through the texts of the emerging arrangement.

Biden called Sheikh Tamim three days later and said enough was enough, according to U.S. officials. The Americans and Israelis needed the names or clear identifying information for the 50 hostages who would be released. Without that, Biden told the emir there was no basis to proceed. Soon after, Hamas produced identifying criteria for the 50, although the Israelis and Americans believed the criteria would include more than that just 50.

Sullivan met the next day at the White House with families of Americans being held hostage to reassure them all was being done to secure their freedom.

A day later, Biden spoke with Netanyahu, who was still pressing for more than 50 hostages. The president urged that Netanyahu take the deal and then together, they would continue to work to free the rest in future stages. The prime minister ultimately agreed, and Dermer, his adviser, later called Sullivan to outline the formula preferred by Israels war Cabinet.

McGurk saw Netanyahu that same day in Israel. Walking out of a difficult meeting, the prime minister grabbed McGurks arm. We need this deal, Netanyahu said and implored McGurk to have the president call Sheikh Tamim on the final terms.

Hours later, as the deal seemed to be coming together, the talks abruptly halted, as communications went dark in Gaza and there was no line to Hamas. Once communications were restored, Hamas broke off the talks, citing the Israeli attack on Shifa Hospital in Gaza, a site the Israelis and Americans say is used by Hamas as a military outpost. Hamas insisted that Israeli forces leave the hospital without searching the grounds. Israel refused but sent word that it would keep the hospital running.

Talks then resumed. Biden, who was in San Francisco for unrelated meetings with Asian-Pacific leaders, called Sheikh Tamim on Friday and told him this was the last chance and time was up, as a U.S. official put it. Hamas wanted a five-day pause in fighting, but the president told him Israel would accept only four and Hamas should bow to that.

McGurk, who was listening in on the call from the Middle East, met with Sheikh Tamim in Doha the next day to go over the text of the deal. They patched in Burns by phone after he spoke with Mossad. The six-page deal envisioned women and children coming out in a first phase, including three Americans, but anticipated future releases. The emir passed the proposal to Hamas late that night.

In Cairo the next morning, McGurk was meeting with Abbas Kamel, the head of Egyptian intelligence, when a U.S. aide brought a message from Hamas leaders accepting nearly all of the terms. Over the course of the next few days, final details were worked out. On Tuesday morning, Hamas informed Qatar that it had approved the deal. Israels government met for seven hours that night and signed off, too.

Todays deal should bring home additional American hostages, Biden said in a statement shortly before midnight on the East Coast on Tuesday, and I will not stop until they are all released.

c.2023 The New York Times Company
Swedish postal workers began halting deliveries to Tesla offices and repair shops on Monday, in support of a strike launched by the metal workers' union IF Metall over the electric carmaker's refusal to sign a collective wage agreement (Jessica Gow/TT)

Tesla chief executive Elon Musk broke his silence Thursday on a strike against his company in Sweden, saying it was "insane" that it may block new car deliveries.

Swedish postal workers began halting deliveries to Tesla offices and repair shops on Monday, in support of a strike launched by the metal workers' union IF Metall over the electric carmaker's refusal to sign a collective wage agreement.

Financial newspaper Dagens Industri later reported that this in effect could block new Tesla's from hitting the road as license plates for new cars issued by the Swedish Transport Agency are only delivered via mail carrier Postnord.

Replying to a user posting about the issue on X, formerly Twitter, Musk, who had not publicly reacted to the strike previously, said simply: "This is insane."

Mikael Andersson, head of press at the Swedish Transport Agency, confirmed in an email to AFP that new number plates are delivered through Postnord.

Andersson explained that the agency was bound to use the carrier under a procurement contract for all government agencies negotiated by the Swedish Legal, Financial and Administrative Services Agency.

Some 130 mechanics at 10 Tesla repair shops in seven cities across Sweden first walked off the job on October 27, according to trade union IF Metall.

The strike has since expanded to include other repair shops that service Tesla among other auto brands, and dock workers have stopped unloading Tesla cars at all Swedish ports.

In addition to IF Metall, nine other unions have announced "sympathy measures," including the Swedish Union for Service and Communications Employees (Seko) -- which represents postal workers -- and the Swedish Building Workers' Union.

Despite these moves, several Swedish media have reported that their impacts have so far been limited, and IF Metall has accused the electric carmaker of systematically using strike breakers to circumvent the labour action.

Tesla has also found other ways to deliver new cars to Sweden, notably by road.

Negotiated sector-by-sector, collective agreements are the basis of the Swedish labour market model, covering almost 90 percent of all employees and guaranteeing standard wages and working conditions.

According to IF Metall, Tesla had told them it would not sign a collective bargaining agreement because they "don't do that anywhere in the world."

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GEORGETOWN, Texas (Nexstar)  Retired Major Paul Lasen has been soaring through the skies for longer than most people have been alive.

I wanted to fly. And thats what Ive been doing ever since, he said.

Starting in 1960, Lasen is still flying even as he enters his 90th year.

When you get up and pull the gear up, and start climbing, the world looks so much better, so much better, he said.

As if turning 90 wasnt a milestone enough, his Wednesday birthday encapsulates a lifetime of excellence. In 2017, Lasen flew with the Thunderbirds  even though regulations stipulate that no one over the age of 55 can fly with the renowned air squadron. The Thunderbirds told their family that the only person older than Paul to ever fly with them was Buzz Aldrin.

Lasen chuckles, I was a little bit over the age.

Additionally, he received the prestigious Wright Brothers Master Pilot award  a U.S. Federal Aviation Administration award given to pilots who have practiced safe flight operations continuously for at least 50 years over the course of their aviation career.

But when asked about what the accolades meant to him, he laughed saying not much.

Retired Maj. Paul Lasen's yearbook photo from the U.S. Air Force Academy before graduating in 1959. Lasen was part of the first class to ever graduate from the academy. (Photo: U.S. Air Force Academy)

Lasen holds a unique place in history as part of the first class to graduate from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1959. After graduating, he went on to serve in Thailand during the Vietnam War  flying more than 100 combat missions in F-105 fighter bombers.

Even decades later, the scars from war remain. Lasen describes the war as a big waste in retrospect. He lost at least 44 friends, many of whom he taught how to fly.

At that time, we didnt question it. It was our job, he said. Those names and those people and those faces come back to see you.

A face that revisits him daily is his co-pilot in life, Barbara. Married for 52 years until her passing in 2011, Lasen fondly recalls the love and warmth they shared at home.

These days, his son Michael accompanies him on adventures by plane. Michaels pride in his father far surpasses the elevations theyve climbed to together.

He once said that hes only done two things well in life, and though I may argue with that, he put loving your mom and flying aircraft as his two major accomplishments in life. And I can say that I think he got it right, Michael said. Theres a good reason to share his story  hes a valiant warrior, hes a passionate husband and father, and hes extraordinarily good at flying an aircraft.

He describes his father as reserved and humble. The sky is where his father will open up to him more, sharing stories that Michael will cherish forever.

When you have that three and a half hours in transit flight, where youre not too busy in flyover America. Theres not a lot to do, but we do talk. And the conversations sometimes go to war, sometimes go to friendships and survival. A lot of different things come up that wouldnt come up in any other situationand theyre wonderful, Michael said.

As Paul celebrated his 90th birthday on Wednesday, he and Michael embarked on another adventure, flying to Florida to celebrate the holidays and milestones together.

With his birthday, Lasen says he feels that hes reaching the absolute ceiling of his aviation career and plans to retire soon. His legacy, however, will undoubtedly continue to soar through the stories and memories shared by his family.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin.
This photo taken on Nov. 22, 2023 shows the signing of a cooperation agreement between the Institute of Tourism Studies of Malta and the Shanghai Industrial and Commercial Polytechnic in Valletta, Malta. The Institute of Tourism Studies of Malta (ITS) and the Shanghai Industrial and Commercial Polytechnic (SICP) here on Wednesday signed a cooperation agreement on tourism education.(Xinhua/Chen Wenxian)

VALLETTA, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Institute of Tourism Studies of Malta (ITS) and the Shanghai Industrial and Commercial Polytechnic (SICP) here on Wednesday signed a cooperation agreement on tourism education.

The document was signed in the presence of Chinese Ambassador to Malta Yu Dunhai, and Maltese Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo who said that with this agreement, the ITS was reaching new heights.

The agreement officially establishes the SICP Malta International School. Chinese students will now have the option of enrolling in the school and advance their studies at the ITS campus in Malta.

"This landmark agreement signifies Malta's commitment to sharing our education story throughout the world," Bartolo said at the signing ceremony.

"Education and tourism need to continue walking hand in hand. This agreement is a win-win," he said. "I am optimistic that we will see it flourish in the months and years to come."

Over the 51 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Malta, bilateral ties have consistently been dynamic and vibrant, said Yu, adding that both sides have achieved fruitful cooperation in various fields such as education and tourism, bringing benefits to the people of both countries.

He said the establishment of the SICP Malta International School will "bring students a more diverse and enriched educational experience, opening new avenues for exchange in the education and tourism sectors between China and Malta, and contributing to the development of bilateral relations."

From October 2024, the ITS will have the first Chinese students enrolled in the SICP Malta International School, said Pierre Fenech, chief executive officer of ITS.

Zhang Yang, vice president of the SICP, said the agreement signified the school's commitment to fostering international collaboration in the field of education.

"This collaborative approach will not only enrich the learning experience but also contribute to the growth and development of both our colleges," he added. 

Chinese Ambassador to Malta Yu Dunhai speaks during a cooperation agreement signing ceremony in Valletta, Malta, on Nov. 22, 2023. The Institute of Tourism Studies of Malta (ITS) and the Shanghai Industrial and Commercial Polytechnic (SICP) here on Wednesday signed a cooperation agreement on tourism education.(Xinhua/Chen Wenxian)

Maltese Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo speaks during a cooperation agreement signing ceremony in Valletta, Malta, on Nov. 22, 2023. The Institute of Tourism Studies of Malta (ITS) and the Shanghai Industrial and Commercial Polytechnic (SICP) here on Wednesday signed a cooperation agreement on tourism education.(Xinhua/Chen Wenxian)
[Source]

A mother is demanding stronger measures against hate speech and discrimination from a Texas school district after her two Asian American sons were allegedly subjected to racism and harassment.

Alleged targeting: Vietnamese American mother HaiAu Huynh has raised concerns about the safety of students of color in the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District (Cy-Fair ISD), urging the reinstatement of certain policies for better protection, according to ABC13. Incidents reportedly began in January when both of her sons were called racial slurs on the school bus.

According to Huynh, her sons have been called "Ching Chong, Wing Wong," adding that others would "pull their eyes back" to do the slant-eye gesture. The harassment allegedly persisted; in May, one student allegedly drew a swastika on her older son's shirt at McGown Elementary.

Call for systemic changes: Huynh says she last met with school district officials on Nov.17 and will have to wait up to 10 business days before a decision is reached on her latest appeal. Having communicated her grievance three times in the past six months, she remains unsatisfied with what she perceives as an inadequate response.

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Huynh believes the school district is not taking the incidents seriously enough and lacks sufficient measures to support students from diverse backgrounds. She voiced her concerns during a district board meeting, emphasizing the failure to protect all students and calling for systemic changes to prevent future incidents.

"The district's job is to protect all children, and it has failed miserably in that regard. My children do not feel that CF ISD will keep them safe," Huynh said at the meeting.

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How complaints are handled: In response to the allegations, Cy-Fair ISD provided a statement to ABC13, emphasizing its system for handling complaints at the campus level. The district noted that if it confirms inappropriate behavior, it assigns appropriate disciplinary consequences in accordance with the Student Code of Conduct.

Stay away order request: Huynh has requested a stay away order, which would keep the student who drew the swastika away from her child. The purpose of such an order is to create a physical and, potentially, social separation between the alleged perpetrator of harassment and the victim.

The school district sent Huynh an email in October, stating that the delay in granting her request was due to the involved students subsequent transfer to Sprague Middle School. However, it declined to provide details about how the offending student was handled, citing the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

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Safety measures: The school district's letter to Huynh also outlined safety measures implemented at Sprague Middle School. Those include preventing her older son from being in the same class as the alleged perpetrator, regular check-ins with the counselor and principal, and establishing connections with various adults on campus for support.

Despite these measures, Huynh contends that more systemic changes are needed to ensure the safety of her children and other students of color.

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Pim Wangtechawat's debut novel "The Moon Represents My Heart" has catapulted her into the small but growing group of Thai authors published internationally (Lillian SUWANRUMPHA)

With a spate of critically lauded novels -- one of them picked up by Netflix -- a new wave of young Thai authors looks poised to break through on the world stage.

Thailand boasts a rich literary tradition, with the 1920s seen as a golden age when writers tackled entrenched social issues, but while modern Thai authors have kept up that legacy, they have struggled to make a splash abroad.

That could be about to change.

Pim Wangtechawat's debut novel "The Moon Represents My Heart", released in June, has catapulted her into the small but growing group of Thai authors published internationally -- catching the eye of Hollywood star Gemma Chan and Netflix in the process.

And earlier this year, "Welcome Me to the Kingdom" by Mai Nardone was recognised as a New York Times editor's choice, while Pitchaya Sudbanthad's swirling 2019 novel "Bangkok Wakes to Rain" has won rave reviews.

Many authors dream of a big-name screen adaptation, and Pim was no different.

"When my agent said that someone read your book, and it was Gemma, I screamed," Pim told AFP in a cafe in Bangkok, recalling the moment she learned her novel had been optioned.

The English-language sections of Bangkok bookshops sometimes feel dominated by sleazy crime thrillers playing on the Thai capital's reputation for seediness and vice.

Keen to escape those stereotypes, Pim centred her novel on a time-travelling Chinese family in London and Hong Kong.

"Crazy Rich Asians" star Chan hailed it as a "beautiful exploration of family, love and loss across the generations", but writing it was a nerve-wracking experience for Pim.

"I was very scared at one point because I was like, 'Oh, am I Chinese enough to write this?'" she said.

"And then I think that white authors don't have to question, 'Am I white enough to write this book?'"

Growing up in Bangkok, Pim -- who has the Elvish word for "hope" and Aslan from C.S. Lewis's Narnia books tattooed on her arms -- started off reading European works translated into Thai, before later reading them in the original.

Part of the reason for the lack of internationally respected Thai authors, she said, was the failure of Thai schools to promote a homegrown "literature culture, writing-reading culture, the way they do in the UK for example".

- Soft-pedalling 'soft power'? -

While authors like Pim -- who writes in English -- have been published abroad with success, translated Thai novels remain vanishingly few and far between.

But one author bucking that trend is Uthis Haemamool, whose latest book "The Fabulist" examines the idea of national identity.

Released by Penguin in April, it was his first to be picked up by a foreign publisher, despite his having written multiple award-winning books.

"We question why we can't break through to the foreign market," a palpably frustrated Uthis told AFP.

"Why is nobody interested, is it not good enough?"

One of his translators, Palin Ansusinha -- who also co-founded Soi Squad, a Bangkok literary agency promoting English and Thai translations -- said the kingdom remained a forgotten corner of the literary world.

"I think it's the lack of connection that we have to the global publishing ecosystem," she told AFP.

In the past 15 years, only three Thai books have been translated for the US market, while neighbouring Vietnam has seen 15 translations, according to the Translation Database, which tracks global literature.

Meanwhile, the new government of Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has made much of its desire to promote Thailand's "soft power", but so far this has focused on food and films, not literature.

Palin says the commitment rings hollow and Bangkok could be doing more to raise the profile of Thai writing.

"There's a lot of buzz around the words 'soft power' right now... I feel like it's been so overused and abused that it has literally no meaning now," she said, suggesting the government only celebrated artists after the fact, rather than nurturing them from the start.

"It's more like cherry-picking on the finished product."

Uthis offered a similar take: "You only see them when they succeed," he said.

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After facing hardships and deaths on a new continent, the pilgrims still set aside days to thank God for the blessings they had. Perhaps one of the first objects of their gratitude would have been for the abundance of natural liberty that allowed them to worship freely. Another fitting object of their gratitude would have been for the abundance of kindness from their Wampanoag neighbors. Then finally came the abundance of food, which became the first Thanksgiving feast.

Now, nearly four centuries later, I feel similar gratitude to God for the abundances in my life. I am thankful for the liberty to think and say and acknowledge the Almighty. I am thankful for the kindnesses of my family and others in my life. I am thankful for food on a daily basis (including Thanksgiving dinner with family). I know America has similarly provided for you on our basic liberties. I pray everyone also receives kindness in their lives. And we all should applaud the continual work being done by both the government safety net and the non-profit sector to end hunger.

Norman Rockwell's "Freedom from Want" is part of the "Enduring Ideals: Rockwell, Roosevelt & the Four Freedoms" exhibit at the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation.

So every Thanksgiving I am grateful for my family and God and more. When I think of Thanksgiving, a picture that immediately comes to mind is Norman Rockwells painting Freedom from Want, inspired by President Franklin Roosevelts Four Freedoms speech: A family sits happily at a table as the family matriarch serves a turkey. Roosevelt in his speech also mentioned freedom of speech, freedom of worship, and freedom from fear. Rockwell captured these in other paintings with a man standing at a town hall meeting, people praying, and parents tucking their children in at night. I am grateful every Thanksgiving for all these freedoms, and I am thankful for what helps make them happen: Families and abundance and government programs and soup kitchens, the U.S. Constitution and free places of worship and free press, the U.S. military and peacemakers and first responders. I pray for them all.

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Which makes Thanksgiving a wondrous holiday. Part of this is the joy of spending time with family. Part of this is the joy of an abundance of food. Part of this is remembering why the pilgrims came here: To live and worship in their own way, to build a city on a hill that inspired all. Part of this is remembering the charity that led the Wampanoag to help the pilgrims. Part of this is continuing an American tradition rooted in the first Thanksgiving proclamation by George Washington. Meanwhile, we also remember those in need by providing Thanksgiving food to them.

God has blessed our country. We have freedoms missing in other parts of the world. We have economic opportunities missing in other parts of the world. We have citizens willing to lend a helpful hand to each other through the safety net and private charity. We have an all-volunteer military committed to our nation's security. I am thankful for all of these. We are John Winthrop's "city on a hill" in a way that would be no doubt beyond the imagination of his generation of early American colonists.

Scott Miller is a graduate of York College and Widener School of Law and a former congressional staffer. The views expressed here are solely his.

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: What we have to be thankful for: Freedom, family, abundance
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS)  A gunshot wound victim suffered life-threatening injuries following a Thanksgiving Day shooting in southwest Charlotte, Charlotte Medic said Thursday morning.

Emergency personnel responded to calls regarding the incident at some point before 10 a.m. near 1800 Choyce Circle by the Sugar Creek Greenway in southwest Charlotte.

Medic said one gunshot wound patient was transported to an area medical center to be treated for life-threatening injuries.

Queen City News has reached out to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police for more details.

This is a developing story ; check back for updates.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
As families across the U.S. prepare their turkeys and stuffing for Thanksgiving, Asian Americans are putting a unique spin on and finding their own meaning in the holiday, and it sometimes means busting out the hot pot, masalas and gochujang.

Many say theyre just building their own niche in a season they didnt grow up celebrating, and others say their big communities have been carving out their own traditions for years now.

Erika Acosta, 20, and her Filipino American family celebrate Thanksgiving less traditionally. She said the annual holiday is always an excuse for her father to cook up a Brazilian steak or to indulge in Filipino noodle dishes, such as pancit canton and pancit palabok.

We think turkey is too dry, Acosta laughed, when asked why her family does not eat traditional Thanksgiving foods. In the Philippines, we never really loved having turkey or any of the side dishes.

Sweet potato mochi balls and miso green beans help some connect to holiday

Frankie Gaw, a Taiwanese American food content creator, said he jumped at the opportunity to reinvent Thanksgiving staples this year, drawing from his culture. His menu will feature sweet potato mochi balls drizzled with gochujang butter sauce. And instead of a green bean casserole, hell be serving green beans flash fried Din Tai Fung-style in a creamy miso mushroom sauce.

I grew up loving green bean casserole as a kid even though I rarely eat it. It was this dish that I always saw from afar when my friends would talk about what they ate at Thanksgiving, Gaw said in an email to NBC News. I also wanted to honor the way my grandma cooks green beans, and I loved the idea of creating a green bean casserole dish without the casserole part since my grandma would have no idea what a casserole is.

Thai and Chinese American celebrity chef and restaurateur Jet Tila  one of the minds behind Dragon Tiger Noodle Co. in Los Angeles and Pei Wei Asian Kitchens new menus  said his first-generation immigrant household hardly celebrated Thanksgiving.

For me and I think a lot of my friends who are in a similar kind of world, we have this nostalgia for American holidays when I didnt grow up with them, Tila said.

This year, he unveiled an Asian American spin on a classic Southern Thanksgiving side dish with his Chinese sausage and chestnut rice dressing recipe. I wanted to create dishes that were familiar to any of my Asian roots but were also familiar to American traditional Thanksgiving, Tila said.

A Thai-Italian Diwalisgiving makes guests feel represented

Freelance journalist Nimarta Narangs first Thanksgiving dinner was in a college dining hall. Having grown up in Thailand, she wasnt initially in love with the dorm versions of turkey, cranberry and pumpkin pie. But as an international student on a mostly empty campus, she was grateful to have it.

Now 28 with an Italian American partner, Narangs most recent Thanksgiving involved a few more spices. She hosted a combined Friendsgiving and Diwali party in November, bringing all her friends together over some masala chicken parm.

Masala pasta is a thing I grew up eating at home in Thailand, she said. His parents make really delicious chicken parmesan, and its something that he grew up eating.

Together they crafted their fusion entree, and for dessert, their friend brought a South Asian-inspired tres leches cake, infused with cardamom, rose and saffron. She reflected on how Thanksgivings meaning is changing in this generation for young people of color specifically.

We feel more seen, we feel more represented, she said. And we feel more comfortable to share our different cultural practices without being shunned or made fun of. Our holiday being combined together in the way that we want to experience, it shows a level of agency that people now have.

Texas fusion and Sikh prayers bring families across continents together

Upneet Kaur, 21, has Thanksgiving celebrations packed with between 40 and 60 people. In a suburb of Houston, the familys menu combines Sikh tradition, Texan fusion and classic American Thanksgiving food.

With much of her family being vegetarian, she said her Thanksgiving spread is, largely based on the things that we cant have.

Upneet Kaur

Nonvegetarian sides get reimagined with tofu or impossible meat, she said, with some staples such as mashed potatoes and mac and cheese being yearly staples on the table. Without Turkey as the centerpiece, Kaurs family opts for something theyre all more accustomed to in the South.

In terms of the main dish, it often just ends up being tacos, she said. Its the food that a lot of people in my family are familiar with outside of Punjabi food. Since here in Texas, its largely available.

A small portion of daal and roti is also available for the picky eaters in the family who need their daily staple.

Her great-uncle leads the family in ardas, a Sikh prayer, every year to express gratitude at everyone being together. The family, once fragmented across continents, now grows in Houston every year, she said.

I think the twist on dishes allows for everyone to come together, she said.

Tandoori chicken for those solo on Thanksgiving

Ever since he arrived in the U.S., Sahej Preet Singhs Thanksgivings have been a place for those with nowhere else to go. Those who cant go to see their parents or parents missing their children are welcomed to his traditional Punjabi feast, with fresh vegetables picked from his farm in Monroe, New York.

Unimpressed with turkey meat, Singh, 36, decided tandoori chicken was an apt alternative during his first Thanksgiving as a host. Indian-style spicy mashed potatoes, or pav bhaji, is also a staple on his menu as a nod to the American mainstay.

Sahej Preet Singh

Its not just that we dont like the traditional food here, but its also because people are already used to having all of that, he said. We wanted to give them another perspective. We wanted to give them a taste of real, authentic Indian food.

He rounds out the menu with butter chicken, paneer tikka and chickpea salad, with a dessert spread consisting of pie and brownies.

Having grown up in Punjab, Singh says hes brought the community-oriented ideals of his upbringing to his new home here, including an open door policy. Thanksgiving is a time when that is exemplified the most.

In India, we never used to lock our doors; my friends used to walk in and out all day long, he said. We brought those values here with us when we moved here. We want to be able to, not only help people get away from their loneliness, but spend time having a really nice meal, as well.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
MILWAUKEE - To click on this article you're either a weather nerd, or you really need to be distracted from family for Thanksgiving. Either way, we're here to help with this important question: How many turkeys does a cloud weigh?

Right off the bat, we'll be making all kinds of assumptions in this article, since we have yet to see an actual turkey cloud form in real life. But hey, it's 2023, anything is possible.

First, we have to agree on how big the cloud is. Clouds are a lot bigger than you think and, for the sake of math, let's make this a nice fair-weather cumulus cloud you might see this Thanksgiving.

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On a day like Thursday, Nov. 23  with a cloud at 5,000 feet  it wouldn't be all that surprising if that cloud was a kilometer wide, a kilometer long, and half a kilometer tall. That would give the cloud a total volume of 500 million cubic meters.

In this scenario, we can now assume a total volume of our turkey cloud, but now it's time to determine the weight of it. This is where even more assumptions will have to be made.



For a cloud to form, the air has to be saturated or have humidity at 100%. To do that, the temperature has to be equal to the dewpoint. If our dewpoint is at the forecasted 30 degrees, it won't be that hard to calculate  but the problem is we're 5,000 feet in the air. This means the air density and pressure is less than it is at the surface, so we have to solve for the specific humidity at that elevation to determine how much water is in a cubic meter.

Using the equation for specific humidity as being equal to  (.622*vapor pressure of water)/(atmospheres of pressure at 5000ft minus vapor pressure of water)  with a dewpoint at 30 degrees, you end up with a specific humidity of .00407.

Now we can put it all together! The amount of water in a cubic meter of air is equal to the specific humidity multiplied by the density of air. Assuming the density of air at a height of 5,000 feet is around .736 kilograms per cubic meter (more assumptions being made), we get a total mass of water per cubic meter to be around .00299 kilograms.

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Lastly, how much does a turkey weigh? Well, there's a variation, and for the sake of my calculator blowing up, let's say it's 11 pounds or 5 kilograms. If we proportionally had the same amount of turkey for the same amount of water in each cubic meter of our theoretical cloud, that would give us around .000598 turkeys per cubic meter of cloud.

From the beginning, using an assumption of a cloud with a volume of 500 million cubic meters, we can multiply that by the weight of turkeys per cubic meter and get around 299,000 turkeys. So our theoretical turkey cloud roughly weighs 299,000 turkeys!

Aren't you glad you read this instead of talking to your family? If you're a meteorology professor and disagree with our math, please let us know.

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But wait there's more! But I'm too tired to truly calculate this

We assumed the cloud was a half-kilometer tall. The pressure would vary from the bottom of the cloud to the top, thus we'd have a different density of air and, thus, as you go up in our turkey cloud we would need fewer turkeys. So the answer is probably less, but for the sake of generalization, it's around 299,000.

And for some reason, because you kept reading: How much would the turkey cloud cost? According to Morningstar, an investment company, the average turkey in 2023 cost $1.71 per pound. If each turkey is around 11 pounds in our cloud, then the cloud turkey would cost about $3,289,000.
FORT COLLINS, Colo.  Cooking is the leading cause of home fires and injuries in the United States, and the top two days cooking fires start are Thanksgiving and the day before.

An estimated 1,160 home cooking fires were reported to officials across the country on Thanksgiving Day 2021, a 297% increase over the daily average, according to the nonprofit National Fire Protection Association. That year, emergency personnel responded to about 170,000 home cooking fires nationally, according to data from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Most of these flames spark because people leave their cooking unattended, according to the NFPA, which raises awareness to prevent house fires. As Thanksgiving approaches, and as Americans prepare to spend more than triple the amount of time cooking, officials released tips to stay safe over the holiday.

The Red Cross advised people to stay in the kitchen when frying, grilling, and broiling foods. Frying a turkey, in particular, is considered risky, according to officials.

"We all think, 'It wont happen to me,'" said Ron Simms, a Colorado Fire Authority battalion chief. "Have the mindset that it can happen to you."

From 2017 to 2021, cooking was the leading cause of reported home fires and the second leading cause of death in these incidents, according to NFPA. Ranges were involved in 53% of residential fires and 88% of cooking fire deaths.

"We want everyone to have a safe, enjoyable holiday, so dont leave the kitchen while youre cooking," Red Cross Executive Director Melissa Venable said in a news release.

Here are some more tips to safely cook a holiday meal:

What do I do if there is a cooking fire in my kitchen?

If a small grease fire starts, use a fitting lid to smother the flames and then turn off the burner, Simms said. Dont take the lid off or the fire could start again. Let the pan cool for a long time.

If the oven catches fire, turn the heat off and do not open the door until the flames are completely out; air outside the oven can refuel the fire. Stand to the side when opening the oven, officials warned.

Smaller fires can be put out without emergency intervention, but officials should be called if the flames and char spread above the stove or on the wall or ceiling.

How to prepare for a day (or two) of holiday cooking

Clean the oven in advance, Simms said. Burned food or debris can ignite and start a fire. The stovetop should also be cleaned regularly to avoid any grease buildup.

If, for any reason, the cook needs to leave the kitchen, officials advice to turn everything off, take food out of the oven, and take pans off hot burners.

If the stove is on, you should be near the stove, Simms said.

Simms also recommends keeping nearby when cooking: well-fitting pans and a fire extinguisher or baking soda to put out small fires. Keep flammable things off and away from your stovetop, even if the burners aren't on, he said.

The Red Cross also suggests not wearing loose clothing while cooking. And Simms added that it's a good time to check smoke detector batteries.

Deep frying a turkey this Thanksgiving? Be sure you don't make these mistakes.

When cooking around pets, kids or a lot of people

Cooking around guests can be distracting, Simms said. He recommended cooks remain vigilant about what is near the stove because anything, including oven mitts and food packaging, can catch fire.

Keep an eye on pets and kids, and consider making the kitchen a pet- and kid-free zone, Simms said. Turn pan handles toward the wall to prevent kids from grabbing them.

When done cooking, make sure the oven, stove and any other appliances are turned off.

Frying a turkey: Potentially dangerous and irresistible flavor

Frying a turkey is a potentially dangerous (albeit tasty) way to prepare the Thanksgiving classic.

"With the speed of deep-frying, the irresistible flavor and juiciness, turkey frying has become a Thanksgiving tradition for some," according to State Farm. But the insurance company warned the fryers can cause fires and serious injury.

Each year, deep fryers cause an average of 60 injuries, 5 deaths and over $15 million in property damage, according to the NFPA.

The association "strongly discourages" frying a turkey, and instead recommends buying one from a grocery store or restaurant, or purchasing a fryer that does not use oil.

Here are some tips from State Farm to safely fry a turkey:

Dont fry a frozen turkey. Make sure it is completely thawed.

Turn off the burner as you put the turkey in the pot in case the oil overflows.

Check the temperature of the oil throughout cooking, because overheated oil can cause a fire.

Wear proper attire to protect arms, hands and legs from the hot oil.

Dont leave the fryer unattended while it's on, even while waiting for the oil to heat up.

Turn off the burner and wait 24 hours for the oil to completely cool before storing or safely disposing of it.

Cooking tips from the health department

Dont let distractions or a busy day of cooking mess up your meal. The Larimer County Department of Health and the Environment in Colorado shared the following tips for making sure your Thanksgiving meal will make your guests satisfied, not sick:

Separate raw meats from other foods and use separate cutting boards and utensils to prepare them.

Cook the turkey to an internal temperature of 165 degrees, and cook it at an oven temperature of 325 degrees or higher.

Use three places to check the internal temperature of the holiday bird: the innermost part of the thigh, the thickest part of the breast and the innermost part of the wing.

Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours of them being cooked. Leftover turkey should be cut into smaller pieces and stored in smaller containers.

Leftover turkey is safe to eat in the fridge for 3-4 days and is safe indefinitely when frozen (but eat it within 2-6 months for the best quality).

Make sure to reheat leftover turkey back to 165 degrees before enjoying.

What's safe to feed your dog from the Thanksgiving table?

There are some traditional Thanksgiving foods that are generally safe for dogs to eat, but its important to ensure the food they're getting is plain. That means no seasoned turkey or vegetables and no mashed potatoes with butter or milk.

Of course, every pet is different.

Here are some things the American Kennel Club says are generally safe for dogs to eat:

Plain potatoes or sweet potatoes (baked or boiled without any seasonings)

Apples (cut out the core)

Turkey meat (unseasoned and without bones or skin)

Plain green beans or peas

Pumpkin puree

The list of foods dogs should avoid is much longer:

Turkey bones, skin and gravy

Mashed potatoes

Casseroles

Stuffing

Chocolate

Alcoholic beverages

Raisins and grapes

Onions, scallions and garlic

Ham

Yeast dough

Average cost of a Thanksgiving: We're breaking down what you need to know

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: How to prevent kitchen fires during Thanksgiving and Christmas cooking
Violent anti-immigration protesters descended on Dublin city centre on Thursday night after five people were injured in a knife attack outside a school.

At least three small children were injured in the stabbing attack in the Irish capital, as well as a man and a woman.

A five-year-old girl sustained serious injuries and was receiving emergency treatment, police said.

According to RTE, the suspected knifeman was seen hanging around in front and behind the school before launching the attack.

A police car was set on fire after far-Right protesters descended on the scene of the attack - Brian Lawless/PA

Despite the police not revealing the suspected knifemans identity or motive, far-Right vandals emboldened by misinformation descended on the streets of the capital, setting fire to a police car, a tram and a double-decker bus among other vehicles and throwing fireworks at officers.

A bus was set on fire on O'Connell Street in Dublin city centre - PA Wire

The Rotunda Hospital, a maternity hospital near to the incident in Parnell Square, told patients not to travel there for treatment unless absolutely necessary.

Justice Minister Helen McEntee said the scenes in the city centre, including attacks on police, cannot and will not be tolerated and promised to take action.

A thuggish and manipulative element must not be allowed to use an appalling tragedy to wreak havoc, she said, calling for calm.

Protesters disrupted a broadcast on RTE chanting close the borders. Police have not identified if the suspect is an Irish citizen or a migrant.

Police in riot gear confronted the violent crowd - EPA-EFE

A bus and car on fire on OConnell Street in Dublin city centre after far-Right violence followed a knife attack in the area - Brian Lawless/PA

The Irish president, Michael D Higgins, said: We are particularly thinking of the five year old girl and the member of staff caring for her who are both in serious condition in hospital. All of our prayers are with each of them for a full recovery.

He added: The Gardai deserve all of our support in dealing with this incident. This appalling incident is a matter for the Gardai and that it would be used or abused by groups with an agenda that attacks the principle of social inclusion is reprehensible and deserves condemnation by all those who believe in the rule of law and democracy.

Police said over 400 officers, including many in riot gear, were deployed in Dublin city center to contain the unrest, which they said was caused by a small group of thugs.

Officers with shields fended off people attempting to kick and punch them:

Men kicking police in Dublin

Fares and fireworks were also fired at the police cordon around the scene of the incident.

Shop windows were routinely smashed and a Foot Locker store was looted. All transport in the city was suspended.

We have a complete lunatic hooligan faction driven by far-Right ideology, and also then this disruptive tendency engaged in serious violence, said Irelands top police officer, Drew Harris.

A police car was among vehicles set on fire - Reuters

Police at the scene of the incident in Parnell Square, which is close to O'Connell Street - Brian Lawless/PA

The frenzied knife attack took place near a school in Parnell Square yesterday afternoon. Witnesses described how the alleged attacker was confronted by passers-by.

I spotted a guy with a stabbing motion across the road and people screaming, so I look across the road and there were fellas there and they pulled the guy off the children, witness Siobhan Kearney told The Irish Times.

Police at the scene on Thursday - Brian Lawless/PA

A man on a moped grabbed the knife, which Ms Kearney described as about 10 inches long, a big knife from the alleged attacker and threw it across the road onto a grass verge.

The alleged attacker sustained wounds believed to have been self-inflicted. He was arrested by police.

The Irish police ruled out any terrorist link. The male in his 50s is a person of interest to An Garda Siochana in this investigation and An Garda Siochana is not looking for any other person at this time, a spokesman said.

It would appear to be a standalone attack, and we need to determine the reasons behind that.

Leo Varadkar, the prime minister, said earlier that he was shocked by the incident and added that police were still trying to work out the circumstances.

The emergency services responded very quickly and were on site within minutes. I thank them for that. Gardai have detained a suspect and are following a definite line of inquiry, he said.

Helen McEntee, the justice minister, said she was appalled by the attack and said the alleged assailant would be brought to justice. She said: All our thoughts are with those injured, especially with the children, their parents and families, during this extremely difficult period.

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NEW ORLEANS (WGNO)  Less than twelve hours after Cantrell addressed holiday weekend safety, the New Orleans Police Department was called out to three separate shootings, two of which were blocks apart on Canal Street, a high-tourist area Wednesday night, Nov, 22.

Well be engaged. There will be boots on the ground making sure this city is safe, says Mayor Latoya Cantrell.

With the kick-off of the Bayou Classic on Saturday, Nov. 25, fans are beginning to settle into the city, but cautiously after the news of the shootings.

I think because we dont get that in the UK, we have to be in a real crime area. I think we have crossed the road a few times to avoid people, but to be honest, you do that in London. Also, you wouldnt assume that they are armed, but its what you do to avoid someone thats going to do something crazy, says tourist Margaret Keenan.

Road closures announced ahead of 50th Bayou Classic in New Orleans

Denise Joseph grew up in New Orleans. She explains the ongoing shootings show the need for more manpower on the streets for occasions like Bayou Classic. Around this time, she finds herself constantly telling tourists to be careful and and watch their surroundings.

I just tell them to be safe because thats not going to stop anyone. They come to New Orleans to have fun. You know its a fun city. Thats why I tell the tourists if you need directions, ask the police, says Joseph.

Another tourist says the shootings are just a reminder for her to be careful where she goes, but she isnt worried about the crime.

When you come to New Orleans, you come knowing that its going to be edgy, so you have to accept that. We are walking around, and so is everyone else. I havent felt unsafe, so you know youre doing something right, says Walford.

Anyone with information about the crime can call NOPD Homicide Section detectives at (504)-658-5300 or Crimestoppers at (504)-822-1111.

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Good evening. A Gaza truce and hostage release will start on Friday morning, Qatars foreign ministry spokesman said.



Elsewhere, net migration has hit a new record high, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Hamas to release 13 hostages on Friday, says Qatar

A Gaza truce and hostage release will start on Friday morning, Qatars foreign ministry spokesman said. The pause will begin at 7am on Friday ... and the first batch of civilian hostages will be handed over at approximately 4:00 pm on the same day, Majed Al-Ansari said Thursday, adding that the number of people freed will be thirteen.

Net migration to UK hits record high

Net migration has hit a new record high, according to the Office for National Statistics. In the year to December 2022, net migration is estimated to have hit a record 745,000, revised figures show. The previous estimate for the year to December 2022 had been 606,000, but the ONS has since raised this in light of unexpected patterns in the behaviour of migrants.

BBC reporters accuse it of favouritism towards Israel

The BBC has been accused by its own journalists of favouritism towards Israel and a failure to humanise Palestinian victims in the ongoing conflict. In a 2,300-word letter to Al Jazeera, eight of the corporations UK-based journalists accused their employer of failing to accurately cover the Israel-Hamas conflict since the war began.

Evening Briefing: Todays essential headlines

Snowdonia tragedy | A slippery road sign has appeared near the spot where four teenagers died following a car crash in Snowdonia.

Comment and analysis

World news: WHO asks China for more data on spread of mystery child pneumonia

The World Health Organization has issued an official request for China to share more information about an undiagnosed respiratory illness that is reportedly spreading among children in the country.

Feature of the day

This is a ballsy little number: The Telegraphs annual Christmas cake taste test

The nostalgic festive staple is a tough one to get right, but this years winning slice makes all others pale in comparison.

Read the piece

Business news: OpenAI board warned Project Q* could threaten humanity prior to Sam Altmans sacking

Senior OpenAI staff warned that a closely-guarded project at the company posed risks to humanity prior to Sam Altmans sacking, it has been claimed. A project known internally as Q* was said to have been able to accurately solve simple maths problems. While only at the level of a child, AI algorithms have struggled with maths concepts and have so far been more adept at mimicking language.



Live business news: Borrowing costs jump as traders unpick Hunts Autumn Statement

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Jones was one of Britains most colourful and successful tech entrepreneurs - Vincent Cole/Manchester Evening News

A major Tory donor who was one of Britains most colourful and successful tech entrepreneurs has been convicted of drugging, raping and sexually assaulting women decades apart following two separate trials.

Lawrence Jones, 55, who is worth an estimated 700 million, was remanded in custody in January after being convicted of attacking an ex-employee.

But full details can only now be reported after Jones, the former chief executive of UKFast, was found guilty in a second trial of drugging and raping two women decades earlier.

Jones, a married father of four, lived in Hale Barns, Cheshire, but also had homes in Wales, the Caribbean and Switzerland.

He stood down as the head of UKFast, a web-hosting business, in 2019 after allegations of sexual misconduct against him first surfaced.

A number of stories appeared in the media in which Jones was accused of unwanted touching, verbal abuse and creating an atmosphere of fear in the workplace.

In 2021, he was charged with sex offences against two ex-employees who came forward to police with complaints against him.

In January, Jones was cleared of raping and sexually assaulting the first complainant, but convicted of one count of sexual assault against the second complainant.

Sentenced on Dec 1

Earlier this month he went on trial at Manchester Crown Court accused of drugging and raping two women he met in hotels and bars where he was working as a pianist in the 1990s.

Jurors in the trial were not told of his conviction in the earlier case, but he was convicted of two counts of rape after four hours of jury deliberations.

One woman claimed Jones had attacked her at his flat after plying her with wine and cannabis, which left her completely disorientated.

A second woman told the court Jones had raped her after asking her to sniff a liquid from a small medicinal bottle, which immediately incapacitated her.

Joness wife, who had attended both trials in support of her husband, put her hand over her mouth as Thursdays verdicts were handed down, while two of his daughters were in tears in the public gallery.

Jones, who has been held in custody since January, will be sentenced for all the offences on Dec 1.

Cloud computing king a major Tory donor

It represents an extraordinary fall from grace for a man once known as the cloud computing king, who was awarded an MBE in 2015 for services to the digital industry.

Jones launched UKFast from his spare bedroom more than 20 years ago and it expanded quickly, employing more than 400 people at its Manchester headquarters. It was voted one of Britains top 10 places to work, with employees invited on international bonding exercises to the Joness Swiss ski lodge in Verbier.

The companys head office had a large slide that ran from the top floor to its reception area, which was cushioned with beanbags. Staff were also able to make use of a free gym and beers that were handed out from an office bar on Friday afternoons.

In the summer, the company car park was converted into a makeshift beach with sun loungers, and one winter it was transformed into a skating rink. Cinema and fancy dress parties for employees were held throughout the year, and staff were also invited to a summer festival in the grounds of the couples home.

Jones became a major Tory party donor and was photographed with Boris Johnson when he was prime minister.

In 2018, he sold a 30 per cent stake in the business to a private equity firm but he and his wife retained a 30 per cent share each, but he was forced to take a leave of absence from the firm in 2019 after a number of complaints of sexual misconduct against him surfaced.

Jones and his wife severed links with UKFast in May 2020 when they sold their remaining shares to a private equity investor.

One former employee told police that Jones had raped her in 2010, but he was acquitted of that charge. A second complainant alleged he had sexually assaulted her during a business trip in 2013.

Jurors in the first trial heard that when they arrived at the hotel the victim discovered Jones had booked adjoining rooms in the penthouse with a communal seating area.

The court heard that after sitting next to her on a sofa Jones had tried to grab the woman and pull her towards him, putting his hands between her legs.

She eventually managed to get away and lock herself in her room. She later left the company and was paid 13,000 after signing a non-disclosure agreement.

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MOUNT VERNON, Ky.  Livingston area families spent Thanksgiving day in hotels after a CSX train derailed, spilling hazardous chemicals that forced the evacuation of the town, which is south of Lexington and surrounded by the Daniel Boone National Forest.

A total of 16 cars derailed in Rockcastle County early Wednesday afternoon, CSX said, with molten sulfur spilling from two of them. The derailment caused a fire that continued to burn into Thanksgiving. Two cars carrying magnesium hydroxide had no indication of a breach, according to CSX.

No one was injured, the company said.

The fire was extinguished Thursday afternoon, CSX said, announcing at 4 p.m. that residents could begin returning to their homes.

Rockcastle County Sheriff stop vehicles at a roadblock leading into downtown Livingston, Ky., Thursday, Nov. 23 2023 in Livingston Ky. A CSX train derailed outside of Livingston prompting an evacuation of the town.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Kentucky Department of Environmental Protection were both on-site and monitoring for sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide and other air emissions. They said they found adverse readings near the site and in Livingston following the crash, but there have been no detectable readings since early Thursday morning in Livingston and since early afternoon in the area immediately around the incident site.

Exposure to sulfur dioxide has an array of health impacts, including irritation to the skin, eyes, nose, throat and lungs, as well as potential decreased fertility.

Workers are now cleaning up the site, the company said, and the cause of the derailment is under investigation.

Air monitoring will continue 24/7 until the cleanup is complete.

More: Huge amounts of hazardous materials pass through Midwest every day. How safe are residents?

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear ordered a state of emergency Wednesday afternoon, and residents in and around Livingston, a town of 165 people, were evacuated.

Some people chose to stay in their homes but 112 people and 40 pets were evacuated, said Joe McCann, CSX's director of emergency management and hazardous materials. They were put up in hotels outside of Livingston. CSX said it will reimburse residents for out-of-pocket expenses and wage losses; they can call 800-805-9840.

Connor Giffin is an environmental reporter for The Courier Journal and a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues. The program funds up to half of corps members salaries, but requires a portion also be raised through local community fundraising. To support local environmental reporting in Kentucky, tax-deductible donations can be made at courier-journal.com/RFA.

Learn more about RFA at reportforamerica.org. Reach Connor directly at cgiffin@gannett.com or on X @byconnorgiffin.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Train derailment causes chemical spill, evacuations near Livingston
A CSX train derailed near Livingston, Ky., causing people to evacuate their homes on Wednesday.

The railroad company promised hotel rooms and Thanksgiving meals for people asked to evacuate after the train derailed, spilled chemicals and caught fire, The Associated Press reported. The train derailed around 2:30 p.m. near the remote town that has a population of about 200 people.

CSX said two of the trains 16 cars that derailed carried molten sulfur, which caught fire. There were two cars carrying magnesium hydroxide, but the company said there is no indication they were breached.

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The remaining cars were either empty or carrying non-hazardous products like grain or plastic, the companys statement said.

The company said it worked alongside emergency responders through the night to extinguish the fire, and crews were still working to extinguish the fire Thursday morning.

CSX said it would pay the costs of anyone asked to evacuate ahead of the holiday.

Officials have not released the results of air quality measurements taken Wednesday night, but it is believed the fire is releasing sulfur dioxide into the air.

Short-term exposure to sulfur dioxide can harm the respiratory system, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. At high concentrations, the gasses can harm trees and plants.

Gov. Andy Beshear (D) announced he signed an executive order declaring a state of emergency due to the derailment.

Yesterday I signed an executive order declaring a state of emergency, which activates resources as needed to help, Beshear posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. Ive also spoken with the Judge this morning and let him know we are here for support.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Dozens of people took to a bridge over Interstate 40 on Wednesday afternoon hoping to persuade drivers to support a cease-fire in Gaza.

Carrying signs that read Stop genocide in Gaza and Silence is violence, the demonstrators gathered in William B. Umstead State Park before marching out onto the North Harrison Avenue bridge over I-40 in Cary. They also handed out leaflets to drivers exiting the highway.

A group of demonstrators organized by Jewish Voice for Peace march from Umstead State Park to the North Harrison Avenue overpass over Interstate 40 where they held signs and banners on both sides of the overpass Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 22, 2023. The demonstrators were calling for a cease-fire in Gaza.

The event was organized by Jewish Voice for Peace, one of several groups in the Triangle that have been holding demonstrations and appearing at town and city council meetings pressing for support for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza and an end to the Israeli military action there. Israel began bombing Gaza shortly after Hamas fighters crossed into southern Israel Oct. 7, killing more than 1,200 civilians and soldiers and taking hundreds of people hostage.

Israel has agreed to a limited cease-fire in exchange for the release of hostages.

Roxana Bendezu, director of Triangle-based Migrant Roots Media, said actions like Wednesdays demonstration helped pressure Israel to negotiate the temporary cease-fire.

But a pause is not enough,  Bendezu said. The temporary (pause) doesnt work for people who dont have access to water, to food, to shelter. Right now, its getting really cold in Gaza.

Organizers said their action Wednesday was aimed at putting pressure on the Triangles three members of Congress  Valerie Foushee, Wiley Nickel and Deborah Ross  to join other Democrats in supporting a full and lasting ceasefire. On the Aviation Parkway bridge over I-40, they hung a banner that read: Durham voters want a ceasefire now, and listed Foushees name and phone number.

A group of demonstrators organized by Jewish Voice for Peace hold signs and banners on both sides of the North Harrison Avenue overpass over Interstate 40 in Cary Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 22, 2023. The demonstrators were calling for a cease-fire in Gaza.

The demonstrators were also trying to get the attention of Gov. Roy Cooper and the Raleigh City Council, who theyve also been trying to get to support a cease-fire resolution.

Weve been treated as invisible by the mayor of Raleigh, said Rania Masri, a local activist who is of Lebanese and Palestinian descent. We have gone twice in large numbers to the City Council, and they have received over 1,800 letters from us.

Jewish Voice for Peace had initially planned to appear at Raleigh-Durham International Airport to canvas, pray, and sing to encourage travelers to contact Foushee, Ross and Nickel. They shifted their action to the North Harrison Avenue bridge. Instead of personal contact, the demonstrators had to settle for honks of support from passing cars and trucks.

In a written statement, RDU said it was monitoring the situation, but would not comment further.

Airport law enforcement is always vigilant about protecting the safety of guests and visitors but does not publicly discuss its security measures, it said.
Donald Trump's complaints about a clerk in his New York civil fraud trial are "baseless" and "highly inappropriate," so a gag order restricting his comments about court staffers should be reinstated, according to a lawyer on state Attorney General Letitia James' staff.

Dennis Fan, the senior assistant solicitor general in James' office, argued Wednesday in an appellate court filing that the former president's repeated comments about the clerk were unwarranted and that Trump was unlikely to overturn the gag order.

Trump made "highly inappropriate, and personally identifying attacks against the courts principal law clerk," Fan said in his affidavit. "Each of these orders properly imposed exceedingly limited restraints on speech to protect the safety of the courts staff and preserve the orderly administration of the trial."

Trump's ability to make public comments in his cases have caused thorny legal battles as the courts navigate the unprecedented nature of having a leading presidential candidate on trial. Trump has appealed gag orders in two cases: the New York fraud trial and the pending federal election conspiracy trial. Georgia prosecutors sought to revoke the bond of one of Trump's co-defendants in the election racketeering case, Harrison Floyd, for his social media posts, but the judge refused Tuesday.

Taking Trump off the ballot: With three major recent losses, is the effort to knock Trump off ballots in 2024 over?

The New York civil fraud trial judge, Arthur Engoron, has fined Trump a combined $15,000 for violating the gag order against commenting on his chief law clerk, Allison Greenfield.

Lisa Evans, deputy counsel in the Office of Court Administration representing the judge and clerk, said threats, harassment and disparaging comments increased exponentially after Oct. 3. That was the day Engoron issued his first gag order, after Trump posted the picture of Greenfield with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

Greenfields personal cellphone number and email addresses have been compromised, Evans said. Greenfield receives 20 to 30 calls a day and 30 to 50 messages through social media and email with harassing and disparaging comments, Evans said.

Although Mr. Trump did not directly threaten Ms. Greenfield, the comments made in his post resulted in hundreds of threatening and harassing voicemail messages that have been transcribed into over 275 single spaced pages, Evans said in her affidavit.

But Trump appealed, calling the order unconstitutional and arguing the sanctions violate the courts rules.

Judge David Friedman, who sits on the appellate division above Engorons court, suspended the gag order while the appeal is debated. Trump has until Monday to reply to Fan's arguments.

Trump gag order: Federal appeals court grapples with free speech, fair trial hearing arguments over Donald Trump gag order

Justice Arthur Engoron presides over the civil fraud trial of former President Donald Trump and his children at New York State Supreme Court on Nov. 13, 2023, in New York. Seated next to him is clerk Allison Greenfield.

Trump claims judge and clerk are partisans

The New York fraud trial resulted from James suing Trump, his sons Eric and Donald Trump Jr., and their namesake corporation for $250 million. Engoron has already ruled they committed fraud for years in overvaluing real estate properties for more favorable loans, and he is now considering what damages to impose.

Engoron ordered the cancellation of Trump's business certificates, which could end his ability to do business in New York state. But that part of the decision is on hold while Trump appeals.

Trump has repeatedly criticized Engoron and Greenfield as partisans out to destroy his business. On Wednesday, the former president's lawyers asked the judge to declare a mistrial, citing what they called Engoron's ample bias and Greenfield's co-judging.

Trump lambasted Engoron from the witness stand in his Manhattan courtroom. "He called me a fraud, and he didnt know anything about me, the former president said.

Former President Donald Trump sits in the courtroom with attorneys Christopher Kise and Alina Habba during his civil fraud trial at New York State Supreme Court on Nov. 6, 2023 in New York City. Trump is scheduled to testify in the civil fraud trial that alleges that he and his two sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump conspired to inflate his net worth on financial statements provided to banks and insurers to secure loans. New York Attorney General Letitia James has sued seeking $250 million in damages. His sons testified in the trial last week and his daughter Ivanka Trump is scheduled to testify on Wednesday after her lawyers were unable to block her testimony.

Judge fines Trump for comments on social media and outside courtroom

Engorons initial gag order Oct. 3 was sparked when Trump reposted a social media post that falsely claimed Greenfield was a girlfriend of Schumer. Engoron later expanded the order to include Trumps lawyers, including Christopher Kise and Alina Habba, who have questioned Greenfields influence on Engoron.

The judge fined Trump $5,000 on Oct. 20 for leaving the social media post visible on his campaign website for two weeks after the gag order. Engoron later fined him another $10,000 on Oct. 25 for comments outside the courtroom to reporters about Engoron and Greenfield being partisans, despite Trump claiming under oath he was referring to witness Michael Cohen rather than Greenfield.

Trump's lawyers have also "refused to stop repeating unprofessional and vexatious arguments" against the clerk, according to Fan.

After the appellate judge temporarily lifted the gag order, Trump commented on the clerk again in posts on Truth Social. For example, he posted Nov. 16 that the courts politically biased and out of control, Trump Hating Clerk, who is sinking him and his Court to new levels of LOW, is a disgrace, Fan wrote.

On Nov. 18, Trump reposted an online article suggesting the clerk engaged in drug use. In another post, Fan said Trump lambasted the crooked and highly partisan Law Clerk and stated that she should be sanctioned and prosecuted over this complete and very obvious MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE!!!

Since the gag order was lifted, about half the comments to Greenfield have been antisemitic, according to Evans.

Trumps lawyers argued in their appeal that the gag order curbed his right to free speech while campaigning for president.

This constitutional protection is at its apogee where the speech in question is core political speech, made by the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, regarding perceived partisanship and bias at a trial where he is subject to hundreds of millions of dollars in penalties and the threatened prohibition of his lawful business activities in the state, the lawyers wrote in a legal filing.

Trump's Georgia trial: Georgia prosecutor asks for Aug. 5 trial for Donald Trump on election racketeering charges

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Donald Trump fraud trial: New York AG urges reinstating gag order
Donald Trump renewed his attacks on the judge overseeing his civil fraud trial in New York and the judges law clerk, baselessly accusing them both of political bias in a Thanksgiving Day social media post.

Trump had repeatedly raged against Judge Arthur Engoron and his clerk, leading the judge to impose a gag order last month on the second day of the $250 million New York civil fraud trial against the former president. The gag order was later expanded, placing similar restrictions on members of Trumps legal team.

A New York appeals court last week temporarily blocked the gag order, issuing a stay after Trumps attorneys had appealed the order as unconstitutional. The pause will be in effect until at least Nov. 27, when a panel of appeals court judges will consider the issue.

With the gag order on hold, Trump took to his Truth Social platform on Thursday morning and accused Engoron of criminally defrauding him and the state of New York. He also alleged that the judges law clerk is Politically Biased & Corrupt, writing that the clerk sits by his side on the 'Bench' & tell him what to do.

Trump, in the same post, called President Joe Biden crooked and addressed all of the other Radical Left Lunatics, Communists, Fascists, Marxists, Democrats, & RINOS, who are seriously looking to DESTROY OUR COUNTRY.

The New York Unified Court System did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The gag order had prohibited Trump from attacking the judges staff but did not prohibit the former president from criticizing Engoron himself.

The judge issued the gag order after Trump had made critical comments about his law clerk on social media and to reporters covering the trial in Manhattan

At the time he issued the order, Engoron said he had the right to confer with his clerk and that Trump and his lawyers were falsely accusing her of bias against them and of improperly influencing the ongoing bench trial.

Arguing in favor of reimposing the gag order, court officials on Wednesday detailed what they described as a "deluge" of threats targeting the clerk after the former president complained about her online. She has been subjected to, on a daily basis, harassing and disparaging comments, Charles Hollon, who works in the Public Safety Departments Judicial Threats Assessment Unit, wrote in a legal filing.

Since the appeals court paused the gag orders, about half of the harassing and disparaging messages to the law clerk have been antisemitic, Hollon said, adding that he believes that the threats against the judge and the clerk are serious and credible and not hypothetical or speculative.

The judge has fined Trump twice for a total of $15,000 after finding that the former president had violated the order while it was still in place. Trumps lawyers contended on appeal that the fines were excessive and the judge didnt follow proper procedure when he imposed them.

Appellate Division Justice David Friedman, who paused Engorons gag order, said he was granting the interim stay due to the constitutional and statutory rights at issue. He made the ruling after Trumps lawyers argued in their appeal that the gag orders were not narrowly tailored.

Friedman was the same judge who issued a temporary stay of the trial in September, citing worries put forth by Trumps lawyers over outstanding legal issues. That stay was lifted before the trial started.

Hours after the gag order was temporarily lifted, Trump took to Truth Social and welcomed the ruling, calling the law clerk politically biased, but he did not name her then.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
FILE - Javier Milei, presidential candidate of the Liberty Advances coalition, speaks at his campaign headquarters after polls closed for general elections in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Oct. 22, 2023. Donald Trump has long praised a particular type of foreign leader  men he describes as tough and strong, even if they're accused of chipping away at democracy. He's now celebrating Argentina's newly elected president, Javier Milei. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko, File)

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP)  Former President Donald Trump has told Argentinas President-elect Javier Milei that he plans to travel to the South American country so the two can meet, Milei's office said Thursday.

The office did not give a date for when Trump intends to be in Buenos Aires. The inauguration of Milei, a right-wing populist who has expressed admiration for Trump, is scheduled for Dec. 10.

The president-elect received a call last night from the former president of the United States, Donald Trump, who congratulated him and pointed out his triumph by a wide margin in last Sundays election had a great impact on a global scale, a news release from Milei's office said.

A local journalist who was first to report the news, Luis Majul, wrote on X early Thursday that the lawmaker son of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, Eduardo Bolsonaro, was the one who facilitated the contact between Milei and the GOP front-runner. Thats right, Milei posted in response.

Trump celebrated Mileis victory with a social media post of his own on Tuesday.

I am very proud of you. You will turn your country around and truly make Argentina great again, Trump said in a video published on social media Tuesday.

Milei has often been compared to Trump, whom he praised in an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson earlier this year. During the interview, Milei called on Trump to continue with his fight against socialism, because hes one of the few who fully understood that the battle is against socialism, that the battle is against the statists.

His conversation with Trump on Wednesday took place a few hours after Milei spoke with President Joe Biden.

The White House said Biden congratulated Milei and spoke of the strong relationship between the United States and Argentina on economic issues, on regional and multilateral cooperation, and on shared priorities, including advocating for the protection of human rights, addressing food insecurity and investing in clean energy.
Two people died after a vehicle exploded at a US-Canada border crossing at Rainbow Bridge, Niagara Falls, on Wednesday 22 November.

The car was attempting to enter Canada from the United States when it sped toward a checkpoint, crashed into a fence and erupted into a fireball just before midday ET, according to witnesses.

Video footage and photos showed flames and thick black smoke billowing from the checkpoint, and a security booth that had been charred by flames.

The blast reportedly injured one Border Patrol officer, and led to the closure of four border crossings between the US and Canada in New York state.

Within hours, investigators had ruled out that the car had been carrying explosives.

Smoke billows from Niagara Falls border crossing at Rainbow Bridge (Reuters)

New York Governor Kathy Hochul said during a press conference just after 5pm that there is no indication of a terrorist attack.

The FBI is leading an investigation into the explosion, and described the situation as very fluid.

President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said they were closely monitoring the incident, amid heightened warnings of terror attacks due to the Israel-Hamas war.

The fatal explosion threw Thanksgiving travel plans into chaos, as borders were closed and travel routes suspended.

What happened?

At 11.50am ET, the Rainbow Bridge was closed due to a traffic event, according to an incident alert from the Niagara International Transportation Technology Coalition.

Witness Mike Guenther told NBC-affiliate WGRZ-TV that he had been walking on the bridge when he saw a speeding car approach the border checkpoint, hit a fence and go airborne before exploding.

Debris is scattered about inside the customs plaza at the Rainbow Bridge border crossing (AP)

Another witness told reporters that he had seen the vehicle catch fire, before seeing black smoke and flames.

Ambulances arrived soon afterwards to find the vehicle completely burned out. Two men travelling in the car died, officials said.

Law enforcement sources told CNN they had identified the registered owner of the car. The FBI is still working to identify the bodies of the deceased.

Thanksgiving travel impacted

Officials closed four US-Canada border crossings in New York, the Rainbow Bridge, the Peace Bridge, Whirlpool Bridge and Peace Bridge.

Just after 3pm, international departures and arrivals were paused at Buffalo Niagara International Airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. It was reopened several hours later.

Travellers arriving at the airport were warned to expect additional screenings, while vehicles would undergo extra security checks.

All bridges between New York state and Canada were closed after the explosion. Three were reopened hours later (Getty Images)

The Buffalo and Niagara Falls Airports are fully operational. We advise travelers to give themselves time for these extra precautions in addition to holiday travel, the agency said on X.

Later the airport announced that it was open to international flights once again.

Three of the four bridge crossings were reopened on Wednesday afternoon, with only the Rainbow Bridge still closed.

The Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority said security would be stepped up across the area.

Amtrak temporarily suspended cross-border services between New York and Canada.

The Jewish Community Center of Greater Buffalo said it would close until after Thanksgiving out of an abundance of caution.

Who were the two people killed in the blast?

Law enforcement sources told CNN that the Rainbow Bridge crash is now believed to have involved a local New York man and his wife who had ill-fated plans to attend a KISS concert over the border in Canada on Wednesay night.

The couple, who have not been identified but are said to live in western New York, were travelling in their speeding Bentley when the car rammed into the crossing.

The sources said that the couple were planning to cross the border to go to a KISS concert in Toronto that night.

But, the concert was cancelled earlier in the day due to frontman Paul Stanley being taken ill with flu.

The pair instead headed to a casino not far from the border, CNN reported.

The crash then unfolded when the couple left the casino in their Bentley.

It remains unclear whether the crash was intentional or accidental, with investigators probing the possibility that the driver may have suffered a medical emergency.

What are officials saying?

Speaking to reporters around five hours after the explosion, Ms Hochul said there was no indication it was a terror attack and that one of the suspected occupants of the car was a local individual.

She called on news outlets to dial down the temperature.

The car had been complete destroyed, complicating investigation efforts, she said.

This vehicle basically incinerated, there is nothing left but the engine. It is going to take a long time for our federal law enforcement partners to piece together the real story.

Based on what we know at this moment there is no sign of terrorist activity. This is a local individual, a Western New Yorker, the governor told reporters.

We are still investigating but based on the preliminary investigation there is no sign of terrorism in this horrific explosion.

The White House said in a statement that President Biden was closely following developments.

Mr Trudeau said officials in Canada were taking this extraordinary seriously.

Incident at the Rainbow Bridge border crossing in Niagara Falls (via REUTERS)

This is obviously a very serious situation in Niagara Falls, Mr Trudeau told the Canadian Parliament on Wednesday afternoon.

The FBIs Buffalo Field Office said in a statement it was leading the local, state and federal response.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms also responded to the scene.

US Attorney General Merrick Garland was briefed on the unfolding situation.

Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati told CBC on Wednesday afternoon that the explosion appeared to be an isolated incident.

Increased terror alert

The incident came at a time of heightened fears of a possible terror attack.

Ms Hochul issued a warning days earlier that officials had detected increased chatter of a possible terror attack in the state due to unrest in the Middle East.

The governor announced she was expanding staff on the states Joint Terrorism Task Force.
NEW ORLEANS (WGNO)  Two people are dead, and another is hospitalized after two separate shootings in New Orleans on Wednesday, Nov. 22.

NOPD officials said officers responded to a call of two separate shootings around 7:58 p.m.

One of the shootings happened in the 800 block of Canal Street.

Officers say they located a man suffering from a gunshot wound at the scene. He was taken to the hospital where he later died.

Man dies after being shot in New Orleans Mid-City area

At the other shooting, NOPD officers found two victims suffering from gunshot wounds in the 2200 block of Canal Street.

Both victims were taken to the hospital, one by ambulance and another by a private car.

Both victims identities have not been released at this time, but one died at the hospital.

The shootings remain under investigation.

Anyone with information about the crime can call NOPD Homicide Section detectives at (504)-658-5300 or Crimestoppers at (504)-822-1111.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGNO.
(WBRE/WYOU)  Two men have been charged with attempting to entice minors into sexual activity and even prostitution.

The United States Attorneys Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced Wednesday that Gregory A. Wilson, 50, of Lewistown, Mifflin County was indicted by a grand jury on an attempted enticement of a minor charge.

U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam says the indictment alleges on November 8, in Centre County, Wilson attempted to persuade, entice, and coerce a minor to engage in prostitution and sexual activities.

According to the U.S. Attorneys Office, Christopher Crispen, 32, of Howard, Centre County was indicted on Tuesday, November 21, by a grand jury on attempted enticement of a minor and attempted receipt of child pornography charges.

2 men charged in assault on Black man at Indiana lake

U.S. Attorney Karam stated that the indictment alleges that on November 8 and 9 in Centre County, Crispen also attempted to persuade or entice a minor to engage in prostitution and sexual activity.

Karam says, the indictment also alleges that Crispen attempted to receive child pornography on November 8.

The maximum penalty under federal law for these offenses is life in prison, a term of supervised release, and a fine.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PAhomepage.com.
(CNN)  Actor Jamie Foxx faces sexual assault and battery charges in a lawsuit filed on Monday with the New York State Supreme Court.

The alleged incident occurred in 2015 at Catch NYC, a popular New York City restaurant, according to the complaint obtained by CNN.

CNN has reached out to a representative for the plaintiff seeking comment.

The plaintiff, identified as Jane Doe, claims in the suit that Foxx intentionally and without consent used force to offensively touch Plaintiffs person, including groping her breasts and genitals. The complaint alleges Foxx seemed intoxicated at the time of the incident.

As a result, the complaint states the woman suffered and continues to suffer physical and emotional injuries, anxiety, distress, embarrassment and economic harm, and is seeking an unspecified amount.

A spokesperson for Foxx told CNN in a statement Thursday: The alleged incident never happened. In 2020, this individual filed a nearly identical lawsuit in Brooklyn. That case was dismissed shortly thereafter. The claims are no more viable today than they were then.

The statement added: We are confident they will be dismissed again. And once they are, Mr. Foxx intends to pursue a claim for malicious prosecution against this person and her attorneys for re-filing this frivolous action.

The plaintiff is also suing the restaurants parent company, Catch Hospitality Group, and various related business entities as defendants for negligent hiring, training and supervision.

A representative for the company was not immediately available for comment.

The lawsuit was filed under the New Yorks Adult Survivors Act, which went into effect in late November 2022 and allows adult survivors of sexual abuse to sue their abusers in New York  even if the statute of limitations on their claims had expired.

The law has given adult survivors of sexual assault one year to file lawsuits against their perpetrators and is set to expire on Friday.

Foxx had a medical episode earlier this year after he was hospitalized in Atlanta for an undisclosed medical condition. The Oscar-winner addressed his recovery for the first time in July.
People thought to be migrants cross the Channel in August

Two migrants have died attempting to cross the Channel in a small boat.

The boat was spotted getting into difficulty, with several people in the water, less than a mile from the French coast early on Wednesday afternoon.

Some 57 people were rescued by boat and taken to the French town of Boulogne-sur-Mer while another was airlifted to safety, French officials said.

British and French teams also responded to a separate small boat incident on Wednesday evening.

In the first incident, the two people drowned after the boat carrying them capsized just two hours after leaving the French town of Neufchatel-Hardelot.

With 60 people onboard, the boat was seen getting into difficulty in French waters shortly after 13:00 local time. Several of those who were rescued had hypothermia, officials said.

An investigation has since been opened by prosecutors in France.

Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, described it as "yet another appalling and preventable tragedy".

Their deaths come almost two years to the day since the UK's deadliest migrant boat incident which saw at least 27 people die, including a pregnant woman and three children.

Meanwhile, photos have emerged showing groups of people, thought to be migrants, being brought to shore in Dungeness, Kent, by an RNLI lifeboat shortly after 20:00 GMT on Wednesday.

One person was pictured being carried away from the shore on a stretcher.

On Wednesday evening, the UK government confirmed an ongoing response in the Channel inside French waters.

RNLI confirmed their crews were involved in the earlier incident, and are seen here bringing people ashore in Dungeness, Kent

A spokesperson for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said its teams had been working with French counterparts who had coordinated the response.

"HM Coastguard will continue to work with partners to respond to those in distress around the seas and coastal areas of the UK," the spokesperson added.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made "stopping the boats" a key priority for his government.

As of 13 November, 27,284 people had been detected crossing the English Channel in 2023, according to the Home Office. This is down a third from the same date in 2022.

Chart showing the number of small boats crossing the English Channel, 2018-2023 (13 November 2023)

In 2022, 45,755 migrants made the crossing - the highest number since figures began to be collected in 2018.
New Delhi  U.S. officials have spoken with their counterparts in India about allegations that the South Asian nation may have been involved in a plot to assassinate a Sikh separatist leader on U.S. soil, the U.S. National Security Council said Wednesday. The plot targeted Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a U.S.-Canadian dual national designated a terrorist by India's government, according to the Financial Times, which first reported on the story Wednesday.

The FT, citing anonymous sources, said "U.S. authorities thwarted" the murder conspiracy and "issued a warning to India's government over concerns it was involved in the plot."

The NSC, in a statement provided Wednesday to CBS News, said it was treating the matter "with utmost seriousness."

A member of the United Hindu Front organization holds a banner depicting Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a lawyer and activist designated as a terrorist by the Indian government, during a protest in New Delhi, India, Sept. 24, 2023. / Credit: ARUN SANKAR/AFP/Getty

"It has been raised by the U.S. Government with the Indian Government, including at the senior-most levels," NSC spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in the statement when asked about the FT report.

"Indian counterparts expressed surprise and concern. They stated that activity of this nature was not their policy. Based on discussion with senior U.S. Government officials, we understand the Indian government is further investigating this issue and will have more to say about it in the coming days," Watson said, adding that the Biden administration had "conveyed our expectation that anyone deemed responsible should be held accountable."

Gurpatwant Singh Pannun and the Khalistan movement

Pannun was born in India's predominantly Sikh Punjab province, but he left his home country decades ago. He's the head of the New York-based organization Sikhs for Justice, which he founded in 2007 to advocate for an independent Sikh state to be carved out of India and known as Khalistan.

The Indian government banned Pannun's organization in 2019 for "anti-India activities" and declared him a terrorist. Just two days before the FT report on the alleged murder plot, India's leading counterterrorism agency, the National Investigation Agency (NIA), registered a new case against Pannun over recent social media posts in which he called upon Sikhs to stop flying Air India.

He said in one video that people's "lives could be in danger" if they chose to fly on India's national carrier, but he didn't say why.

The FT said it was not clear "whether the [U.S.] protest to New Delhi led the plotters to abandon their plan" or if U.S. law enforcement had intervened to foiled thwart the plan.

The Indian government acknowledged in a Wednesday statement that U.S. officials had "shared some inputs" about common security concerns, which it said it was taking seriously.

"During the course of recent discussions on India-U.S. security cooperation, the U.S. side shared some inputs pertaining to nexus between organized criminals, gun runners, terrorists and others. The inputs are a cause of concern for both countries and they decided to take necessary follow up action," Arindam Bagchi, a spokesperson for India's foreign affairs ministry, said in the statement.

"India takes such inputs seriously since it impinges on our own national security interests as well," he added.

U.S. federal prosecutors have filed a sealed indictment against at least one suspect in the plot, according to the FT report.

The murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada

The alleged plot against Pannun came to light just two months after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there was "credible" evidence of an Indian government role in the murder of another Sikh separatist leader in Canada. India has firmly denied any role in the killing.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar was fatally shot by unidentified gunmen in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, and Trudeau's allegation of Indian involvement led to a major diplomatic row between the two nations.

The Biden administration said it was "deeply concerned" about the allegations made by Trudeau that India was involved in the killing, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken called it "critical that the Canadian investigation proceed," adding that it was "important that India work with the Canadians on this investigation."

Pannun knew Nijjar for 20 years, treated him like his "younger brother" and would "avenge" his death, the Sikh leader told the Times of India in July.

2 dead in vehicle explosion at Rainbow Bridge U.S.-Canada border crossing, sources say

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JERUSALEM (Reuters) -British Foreign Secretary David Cameron met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Thursday after visiting the south of the country to see for himself the communities affected by last month's Hamas attacks.

Britain's Foreign Office said former prime minister Cameron, who was appointed to the foreign policy brief last week, was due to meet Palestinian leaders later to discuss the way forward in the crisis.

"I wanted to come here in person ... to see just the true nature of the horrific attacks that you faced, I think that's very important to do that and see that, we stand with the people of Israel," Cameron told Netanyahu.

Cameron's visit came as war raged on in Gaza, with a proposed truce and release of hostages delayed for at least another day.

"It's important we talk about this potential humanitarian pause. I think it's an opportunity to crucially get the hostages out and to get aid into Gaza," Cameron added. "I hope everyone who is responsible and behind this agreement can make it happen."

Netanyahu said getting the hostages out was "not without its challenges" but Israel was committed to getting everyone out.

"But we'll continue with our war aims, namely to eradicate Hamas, because Hamas has already promised that they will do this again and again and again," he said.

"There's no hope for peace between Israel and the Palestinians, between Israel and the Arab states, if we don't eradicate this murderous movement that threatens the future of all of us."

Earlier Cameron, wearing a flak jacket, toured damaged buildings in Kibbutz Be'eri in southern Israel with his Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen, telling reporters he had "heard things and seen things that obviously I will never forget".

Cameron met counterparts from Arab and Islamic countries in London on Wednesday to discuss the conflict.

Both British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Cameron's predecessor James Cleverly have visited Israel since fighting began last month.

(Reporting Dan Williams in Jerusalem and Kylie MacLellan and William James in London; Editing by Jan Harvey and Christina Fincher)
Net migration into the UK was a record 745,000 last year, figures show - far higher than originally thought.

Office for National Statistics data published on Thursday show that experts have revised up previous estimates.

In May, it said net migration - the difference between the number of people coming to live in the UK and those leaving - for 2022 had been 606,000, 139,000 lower than the true figure.

No 10 said migration was "far too high" but it was taking action.

PM Rishi Sunak's spokesman said migration was putting "unsustainable pressure on communities and councils" and it was clamping down on dependents of students arriving in the UK. "We believe there is more to do," he added.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said "shockingly high" net migration represented "a failure not just of immigration, but also of asylum and of the economy".

The ONS said the population of England and Wales grew by an estimated 1% in the year to June 2022 - the fastest rate since the baby boom in the 1960s, but this time it was driven by international migration.

But it cautioned its estimates could be revised again - and provisional figures to June of this year suggest the rate of net migration may now be slowing.

Statisticians said in the year to June net migration fell back to 672,000, after 1.2 million people came to live in the UK for at least a year, and 508,000 left.

The vast majority (968,000) arriving were from countries outside the European Union.

Students accounted for the largest group of non-EU migrants, also true of last year.

But there has been an increase in workers arriving with visas to fill chronic staff shortages in the NHS and social care, the ONS said.

Arrivals of people via humanitarian routes have fallen from 19% to 9% over the same period, the ONS said, with most of these made up of Ukrainians and British Nationals (Overseas) arrivals from Hong Kong.

They said estimates showed a marked change in immigration since 2021 following Brexit - when free movement for EU nationals ended, the easing of travel restrictions after the pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

However, the ONS said it was too early to know whether the latest falling net migration figure was the start of a downward trend, but recent estimates did indicate a slowing of immigration coupled with increasing emigration.

With more than a decade of Conservative-led governments promising to reduce numbers, these latest figures represent a political challenge for the prime minister.

Back in 2010, David Cameron, former Tory PM now foreign secretary, pledged to get net migration below 100,000 - "no ifs, no buts". And the party's 2019 manifesto also committed to bring the rate down, without setting a specific target.

Home Secretary James Cleverly said the government remained "completely committed" to reducing levels of legal migration while also focusing on "stopping the boats", referring to the issue of people making dangerous English Channel crossings in small boats.

He said the ONS figures did not show a "significant increase from last year's figures" and pointed to "a number of important and positive changes" affecting them.

"The biggest drivers of immigration to the UK are students and healthcare workers - [they] are testament to both our world-leading university sector and our ability to use our immigration system to prioritise the skills we need," he said.

He added that he was "proud" the UK had welcomed more than half a million people through humanitarian routes, principally from Hong Kong, Ukraine and Afghanistan, over the last decade but said they still needed to reduce numbers by "eliminating the abuse and exploitation of our visa system by both companies and individuals".

Some Conservative MPs are not convinced by his argument however.

The New Conservative group, on the right of the party, called for Rishi Sunak to "act now" on the "do or die" issue and propose a package of measures to bring down migration.

"Each of us made a promise to the electorate. We don't believe that such promises can be ignored," the group, led by Miriam Cates, Danny Kruger and Sir John Hayes, said in a statement.

It is understood the government is considering some new measures, including:

Limiting to one the number of relatives that health and social care workers are allowed to bring with them

Raising the minimum salary threshold for work visas

And abolishing the system allowing employers to pay less where there are recognised shortages

Downing Street said any next steps needed to be carefully considered.

Labour has criticised the government for the cost of using hotels to house asylum seekers who make up a tiny proportion of overall migration.

Home Office figures, also published on Thursday, showed hotel use reached a record high in September - despite a slight fall in the asylum backlog.

There were 56,042 people in hotel accommodation, while 58,444 people were in "dispersed" accommodation - usually housing provided by the Home Office through private companies.

The number of people in hotels rose by 5,500 over three months while the number in housing stayed broadly the same.

Labour's shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said the number of asylum seekers in hotels was 10,000 more than when Rishi Sunak promised to end hotel use - and was costing almost 3bn a year.

"Once again, the British taxpayer is footing the bill for the Conservatives' chaos," she said.

The population of England and Wales was estimated to be 60.2 million mid-2022, an increase of around 578,000 - or 1% - since 2021.

The ONS's Neil Park said: "Unlike the baby boom driving population growth in the 1960s, the increases in our latest estimates are predominately being driven by international migration."

He said the picture varied across regions, with growth higher in the north of England than the south, and lowest in London.

Prof Brian Bell told the BBC's World At One programme net migration "is very high in the UK relative to historical trends", adding: "But there's probably some indication it's beginning to fall. I wouldn't want to bet my house on it, but I think the indications are that we've reached the peak."

He said the Government should raise the salary thresholds related to the skilled worker route - which have not been increased for a number of years - as a way to reduce net migration
Ukraine's National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) added Knauf, one of the world's largest manufacturers of building materials, to its list of "international sponsors of war," the agency announced on Nov. 23.

The company operates in Russia through 10 subsidiaries and has invested over $1.8 billion into the Russian economy since 1993, according to the NACP.

It is known for manufacturing building materials like drywall, plaster, and insulation.

Knauf announced they had no plans to leave the Russian market following the launch of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and went on to contribute around $117 million to the Russian state budget in 2022 alone, the agency said.

It has 20 factories in Russia and employs over 4,000 people, making it the largest German investor in the Russian construction industry.

The company has actively helped the Russian military mobilize its employees, according to NACP, citing German media reports from October 2022.

The managers of a Knauf factory near Moscow reportedly checked the lists of who would receive military summons, dividing the employees into those who were essential for the functioning of the plant and those who could join the military.

Knauf's close relations with the Russian authorities stretch further into the past.

Nikolaus Knauf, the son of the founder and a key shareholder, received an Order of Friendship in 2006 from Russian President Vladimir Putin for his contribution to developing relations between Russia and Germany.

Russia appointed him the head of an honorary consulate in Nuremberg in 1999, a role he gave up in March 2022 following local protests.

Read also: Ukraine designates Nestle as international sponsor of war

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The Kremlin has an aggressive plan for the future and is currently solving four tasks, Ukraines Foreign Intelligence Service head, Oleksandr Lytvynenko, said in his column for Interfax-Ukraine on Nov. 22.

Task No. 1 is to ensure internal stability, mobilize the population and economy, and increase the production of weapons and military equipment.

Read also: Russian fueling tension in Balkans says Ukraines military intelligence  exclusive

"The Kremlin has so far ensured economic stability and control over socio-political processes," Lytvynenko wrote.

The political field has been cleared: the liberal and far-right (so-called "turbo-patriots") opposition has been destroyed or marginalized.

By 2026, Russia's military production should support large-scale high-intensity hostilities, and in 2028, the aggressor should restore the military capabilities it had as of 2022, Lytvynenko says.

"This is what the Russian budget for 2024-2026 is designed for," he wrote.

Read also: Putins plan for the rest of the war

The Kremlins Task No. 2 is to form a coalition of states, a "majority coalition," alternative to the West. This "Global South+" format should promote models alternative to the West (political, economic, financial, humanitarian, value, etc.).

"The goal of the Russian Federation in building a majority coalition is to normalize the West, to turn it into just another region (Euro-Atlantic) with the prospect of further embedding Western countries in their regions (North America, Europe, East Asia), and the United States into just another leading world country," Lytvynenko added.

In their view, the West is a powerful but retreating nature.

To do this, the aggressor needs, among other things, to intensify nuclear blackmail, break the West's will to confront, and convince Western elites that they are "definitely losing" and should "peacefully retreat."

the key role in this will be played by strengthening the military power of Russia, China, and other countries of the majority coalition. At the same time, the outcome of the Russian war against Ukraine is of global importance and will be a powerful impetus for changing the global balance in one direction or another.

The Kremlin's No. 3 task is to prepare for future aggression against other countries, Lytvynenko said. The current priority is Moldova and the Baltic states: Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia  the entire western part of the former USSR.

"The Kremlin has already started such work," he wrote.

Read also: Zelenskyy says Russia wants to oust him from office by end of 2023 in Maidan-3 plot

The reason is the (so-called  ed.) violation of the rights of Russian speakers (primarily in Latvia and Estonia). Moscow is already screaming about the oppression of Russian speakers in the Baltic States and the right of peoples to self-determination.

After the expulsion of Russian diplomats-spies, Russians are actively infiltrating European countries, especially in the South, with their agents, creating businesses, NGOs, etc. There are signs of preparing an infrastructure of subversive activities for a major war.

Task No. 4 facing the Kremlin is to stir up conflicts in the Middle East, Africa, and the Balkans, Lytvynenko believes.

The aggressor's approach to the Middle East conflict is known, but we should not forget about Africa.

The public execution of Wagner PMC leader Yevgeny Prigozhin does not mean that the Kremlin "has abandoned the Prigozhin modus operandi on the continent," he wrote.

Russia is forming an "expeditionary corps" involving not only the remnants of Wagner, but also the Russian General Staff, Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, and Russian Federal Security Service, said Lytvynenko.

Read also: Russian aviation on verge of collapse due to sanctions, Ukraine announces after successful hack

The Russians are seeking to take advantage of the weakening of the West's positions, especially France's, in the Sahel region of Africa and on the continent in general.

"We are talking about natural resources, attempts to limit Europeans' access to uranium, oil and gas, and to get rid of sources of supply alternative to Russia," he said.

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On the night of November 10, the HUR conducted a successful operation in Crimea, hitting two Russian boats

Ukraine killed Senior Ensign Denis Nikitin, who commanded a Russian Project 11770 Serna-class landing craft, in its Nov. 10 attack on Russian Black Sea Fleet vessels moored near the village of Chornomorske in occupied Crimea, Russian propaganda outlets reported on Nov. 23.

He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage and was buried in Russian city of Novorossiysk on Nov. 20.

Read also: Zelenskyy tells PABSEC Russia no longer able to use Black Sea as springboard to destabilize other countries

Two more Russian landing craft were added to the list of Russian Black Sea Fleet vessels destroyed or damaged by Ukraine on Nov. 10. The landing craft were carrying crews and loaded armored vehicles, including BTR-82 personnel carriers, at the time of the attack, said Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR).

Russia has been using small Serna-class landing craft since the beginning of its invasion of Ukraine. The Russian military has been actively using them to transfer military equipment and troops to occupy Zmiyinyi Island (Snake Island).

NV

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Ukraine has initiated the creation of a monitoring group by the European Union on the border with Poland, where Polish carriers have been blocking key checkpoints for more than two weeks.

Source: Serhii Derkach, Deputy Minister of Infrastructure, on Facebook, as European Pravda writes

Details: As Derkach said, Kyiv proposes that EU observers record the situation near checkpoints: "whether dangerous goods are allowed through, how humanitarian aid crosses the border, and most importantly, what conditions our drivers have been in for more than two weeks."

"An official letter with such a proposal has been sent. We are waiting for a response," he added.

The official also said that Kyiv started collecting data for the evacuation of Ukrainian drivers, as it had failed to agree on it during the negotiations with the local and central authorities of Poland and the EU.

"We have proposed a number of compromises, and the Polish government and the European Commission are aware of them. But it is possible to agree on something only when there is a desire to negotiate and not just a desire to block the border," Derkach concluded.

Background:

Polish carriers, who have been blocking three checkpoints on the border with Ukraine for trucks since 6 November, began blocking another checkpoint on Thursday, Medyka-Shehyni. Their blockade may last until 3 January.

On 22 November, the Ukrainian Parliament appealed to the new Sejm and Senate of Poland with a proposal to unblock the border for carriers.

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Russian journalist Boris Maksudov has died after sustaining injuries in a drone attack in southeastern Ukraines Zaporizhzhia region

A Russian state television journalist was killed by shrapnel in a Ukrainian drone attack.

Boris Maksudov, 38, was embedded with Russian forces in the occupied Zaporizhzhia region of south-eastern Ukraine when he was injured on Wednesday.

Russias defence ministry initially said his injuries were not life-threatening but today confirmed his death.

Boris Maksudov died a heros death, like a brave fighter, said Dmitry Kiselyov, the chief executive of media group Rossia Segodnia.

Mr Maksudov was seen injured on the ground before being carried towards a vehicle in footage filmed by state news agency TASS in the moments after the attack.

03:03 PM GMT

That's all for today

Thank you for following our live coverage of the war in Ukraine today. Ill be back tomorrow morning to guide you through all the latest developments.

03:01 PM GMT

Todays headlines

Ukraines counter-offensive has not failed, European Council president Charles Michel insisted

Vladimir Putins call for peace talks in his speech at the G20 on Wednesday was deemed false by the ISW

Wagner Group mercenaries who fought in Ukraine have received bonuses from Russia, the MoD said

Russian military spending is set to surge to one-third of its total budget next year

A Russian state television journalist died after being hit by shrapnel in a Ukrainian drone attack

Russia sentenced a Ukrainian partisan to 18 years in prison for a bombing behind enemy lines

The EU agreed to send Hungary 800m in a bid to overcome Orbans opposition to Ukraines accession

Ukrainian soldiers said Russia is throwing waves of men at Avdiivka like a Zombie movie

Ineffective sanctions will see Russias economy grow three times faster than the EU next year, Europes largest manager said

02:49 PM GMT

Pictured: Ukrainian soldiers don snow suits

Ukrainian soldiers are seen wearing snow suits as winter sets in - Ukrainian Army

The soldiers receive instructions from officers in an undisclosed forest location - Ukrainian Army

02:42 PM GMT

Russia throwing 'waves' of men at Avdiivka 'like a Zombie movie'

Russia is throwing waves of soldiers at Avdiivka in its attempt to take the eastern Ukrainian city.

The fields are just littered with corpses, Oleksandr, a deputy battalion commander in Ukraines 47th mechanised brigade, told AFP. They are trying to exhaust our lines with constant waves of attacks.

The Russian army has now switched to infantry tactics, he said  advancing solely at the expense of human resources.

Some die, others keep on coming. Its like a zombie movie, added a drone operator who goes by the callsign Trauma.

On Thursday, Ukraine said it had repelled 30 separate Russian attacks around the city in the past 24 hours alone.

Russias relentless attempts to capture Avdiivka are reminiscent of its conquest of Bakhmut earlier this year, where 20,000 Russians were said to have died.

02:28 PM GMT

Counter-offensive has not failed, EU insists

Ukraines counter-offensive has not failed, one of the European Unions most senior leaders has insisted.

European Council president Charles Michel said Ukraines Black Sea navy and its recently established bridgehead over the Dnipro river were successes.

I dont think this counteroffensive had failed, he said in an interview with the Kyiv Independent.

Firstly, how the Ukrainian Army made huge progress in the Black Sea is extremely important. This is a major step in the right direction.



Secondly, the recent progress made on the left side of the Dnipro River is also very important.



Concerns have grown in recent months about Western allies commitment to funding Ukraines defence amid a faltering counter-offensive that has not shifted the frontlines as much as had been hoped.

02:05 PM GMT

EU border agency to send officers to Finland amid migrant crisis

The European Unions border agency will send 50 officers and other staff to Finland next week to help it deal with a surge in illegal migration.

Finland has closed all but its northernmost border crossing with Russia in response to a large increase in asylum seekers which it says Russia has orchestrated.

01:38 PM GMT

We've sold 99pc of our oil above West's price cap, boasts Russia

Russia has sold more than 99 per cent of its oil for more than the Western-imposed price cap of $60 per barrel, an official has claimed.

Even unfriendly countries note that the so-called price cap has not worked, Vladimir Furgalsky, an energy ministry official said.

More than 99 per cent of oil traded well above the $60 per barrel ceiling.

01:07 PM GMT

Russia's economy to grow 'three times faster' than Eurozone despite sanctions

Russias economy will grow three times faster than the Eurozone in 2024 because of ineffective Western sanctions, the chief investment officer of Europes largest fund manager has said.

Vincent Mortier said Amundi expects Russias gross domestic product (GDP) to grow by 1.5 per cent in 2024 and two per cent in 2025, compared with the eurozones 0.5 per cent and 1.2 per cent.

He said the West needed to accept a reality check that sanctions have not been effective in hamstringing the Russian economy.

12:42 PM GMT

EU approves 800m funding for Hungary to overcome Ukraine veto

The European Union has approved 800million ($1bn) in funding for Hungary in an attempt to overcome its opposition to Ukraine joining the bloc.

Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban said on Wednesday that the EU should not admit Ukraine until it undertakes a full review of its strategy of support for Kyiv.

Mr Orban is in a stand-off with Brussels over 11.3bn in funding which the EU has held back over concerns that Budapest is not upholding the rule of law.

The EU is expected to vote next month to start accession talks and grant Ukraine 43bn in economic aid by 2027.

12:01 PM GMT

Ukraine moves national seed bank after Russian strikes

Ukraine has moved its national seed bank away from the embattled north-eastern city of Kharkiv amid repeated Russian bombardments.

The bank is the 10th largest seed collection in the world and is home to more than 50,000 seeds.

As part of a year-long effort, the Ukrainian genebank system... has successfully and safely transported over 50,000 seeds from Kharkiv to a more secure location, the Crop Trust NGO said in a statement.

A research facility near the seed bank was damaged in the spring of 2022 in a Russian strike.

Kharkiv has been the target of repeat missile and drone attacks ever since the war began.

11:38 AM GMT

Russia sentences Ukrainian partisan to 18 years for bombing

A Ukrainian partisan has been sentenced to 18 years in prison by a Russian military court for attempting to blow up buildings in the occupied city of Melitopol.

Russian state media said Dmitri Golubev was found guilty of international terrorism after carrying out one explosion at a traffic police headquarters in August last year and plotting two others.

I am Ukrainian, I was defending Ukraine, Mr Golubev was quoted by Russian newspaper Kommersant as telling the court.

Prosecutors said the partisan was trained and equipped by Ukraines secret services.

The southern Ukrainian city of Melitopol was captured by the Russian army in the first week of their invasion in February 2022.

11:17 AM GMT

Putin arrives in Belarus on official visit

Vladimir Putin has arrived in Belarus in his first visit to the country for 11 months.

The Russian president will participate in a Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) summit hosted by Belarus dicator Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk.

Alliance members Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan will also attend.

Putin last visited Belarus in December 2022.

11:01 AM GMT

Kremlin 'inexplicably concerned' about next year's election

The Kremlin is inexplicably concerned about the presidential elections next March despite widespread expectations of Vladimir Putin winning, the Institute for the Study of War think tank has said.

The Kremlins apparent concern about Putins support is odd, the ISW said, given that the Levada Center  an independent Russian polling organisation  found that 82 per cent of Russians approved of Mr Putins performance as of October this year.

Ella Pamfilova, the chair of Russias electoral commission, said on Tuesday that some citizens and emigres had already begun efforts to discredit the election.

On 15 November, Mr Putin said any foreign or domestic election interference would be suppressed.

The Kremlin may also be concerned about a perceived lack of support for Putin from the Russian veteran community, the ISW added, saying the veterans want the war in Ukraine to be fought more vigorously.

10:36 AM GMT

Russian attacks kill three civilians and injure five

Russian attacks on Ukraine have killed three civilians and injured five others in the past 24 hours.

One person was killed and one injured in the Kherson region, governor Oleksandr Prokudin said.

Dnipropetrovsk governor Serhii Lysak said two men, 61 and 37, were injured on Wednesday morning.

Attacks on 18 settlements in the Kharkiv oblast hospitalised a 61-year-old man, said governor Oleh Syniehubov.

Donetsk governor Ihor Moroz said two were killed and another injured in his region.

10:14 AM GMT

Russian war correspondent killed by shrapnel in drone strike

A Russian war correspondent was killed on Thursday after suffering shrapnel wounds in a Ukrainian drone strike.

Rossiya 24s Boris Maksudov, 38, was wounded in occupied Zaporizhzhia in south-eastern Ukraine and later died from his injuries.

Boris Maksudov was hospitalised urgently but the injuries turned out to be fatal, state television said.

Footage filmed by state news agency TASS just moments after the attack showed Maksudov moaning on the ground before being carried towards transport.

09:50 AM GMT

Lithuania gives Ukraine three million rounds of ammunition

Lithuania has donated three million rounds of ammunition to Ukraine as part of a new military aid package.

It also delivered remote detonation systems and winter equipment for use in the war against Russia.

Our commitment to assist Ukraine remains unbreakable, Lithuanias defence ministry said.

One more new package of military support from Lithuania has reached Ukraine today



@LTU_Army delivered 3 million units of 7.6251 mm ammunition, remote detonation systems & winter equipment to the Ukrainian Armed Forces



Our commitment to assist Ukraine remains unbreakable pic.twitter.com/IkA508EMFL  Lithuanian MOD  (@Lithuanian_MoD) November 22, 2023

09:17 AM GMT

Russian military spending surges to one-third of total budget

Russian military spending will surge to a record one-third of its total budget in 2024, independent Russian outlet Meduza reported.

The figure rises to 40 per cent when funding for internal security is included.

The budget has been approved by Russias parliament and is only requires Vladimir Putins signature.

08:55 AM GMT

In pictures: Fighting near Bakhmut

Heavily damaged buildings in Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region - Alex Babenko

Artillery craters pepper a field on the frontline near Bakhmut - Alex Babenko

08:32 AM GMT

Wagner fighters officially recognised as veterans, says MoD

Former Wagner Group fighters have been officially recognised as Russian veterans for the first time, the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) has said.

A number of the men were issued official veteran ID documents on 14 November and are now able to receive commensurate bonuses.

This highly likely signals the rehabilitation of some Wagner elements by the Russian administration, the MoD said.

The Wagner Group has been subsumed into Russias national guard since its failed coup attempt in June.

Leader Yevgeny Prigozhin and a number of other top brass died in a suspected assassination in August when their plane was destroyed in an explosion.

08:12 AM GMT

ISW: Putin's peace talks rhetoric is 'false'

Vladimir Putins calls for peace talks in his speech to the G20 on Wednesday were false, the Institute for the Study of War think tank has said.

Kremlin officials have pushed this narrative while claiming that Ukraine is unwilling to negotiate with Russia, likely to coerce Western officials into prematurely offering concessions favorable to Russia rather than engage in meaningful, good faith negotiations, it said.

It added that a premature cessation of hostilities in Ukraine greatly increases the likelihood of renewed Russian aggression on terms far more favorable to the Kremlin in the near future.

Ukraine has said it will negotiate with Russia when it removes its forces from internationally-recognised territory in Crimea, Donbas and the rest of the occupied territories.

07:55 AM GMT

Russia aided North Korea's satellite launch, says South Korea

Russia helped North Korea successfully launch its first military satellite on Tuesday, South Koreas spy agency has said.

Kim Jong Un met Vladimir Putin in September and is said to have received feedback on the plans from the Russians.

After the summit with Putin, the North provided Moscow with the blueprint and data relevant to the first and second satellite launches, the National Intelligence Service told MPs in a briefing.

Russia in turn analysed those data and provided the North with feedback.

South Korea suspended a 2018 de-escalation accord in response to the launch.

North Korea is said to have provided Russia with millions of artillery shells since the war in Ukraine began.

07:46 AM GMT

Ukraine's air raid alerts to continue despite criticism

Ukraines air raid alert system will continue unchanged despite being criticised for paralysing social and economic activity.

We have no right to take risks here, said Yuriy Ihnat, the air force command spokesperson.

He added: For us, the public notification scheme will not change.

Volodymyr Zelensky has previously promised reforms that allows us to somewhat modernise the response without unnecessarily shutting the country down.

07:39 AM GMT

Russian teenager sentenced for army recruitment arson attacks

A Russian teenager has been sentenced to six years in a penal colony after attempting to set fire to two Russian army recruitment centres.

Yegor Balazeikin, 17, confessed to the arson attacks on enlistment offices in St Petersburg and Kirovsk, a town 21 miles to the east.

I cannot agree with Russias invasion of Ukraine, he told prosecutors.

Therefore, I began to talk with people around me in order to collect information about the military registration and enlistment office.

I realised that conversations were useless, and decided that something needed to be done to change the situation.

Mr Balazeikin has accused Russian security service officers of threatening to beat and rape him in custody.

07:29 AM GMT

Norway and Estonia may close borders with Russia

Norway and Estonia may follow Finland in closing their borders with Russia.

Helsinki has completely closed its border with Moscow after a surge in illegal migration which it said Russia has orchestrated.

Lauri Laanemets, Estonias interior minister, accused Russia of a hybrid attack operation and said it would also close its border if the migration pressure from Russia escalates.

Norwegian prime minister Jonas Gahr Store said on Wednesday that he would do the same if necessary.

Finland has accused Russia of funneling migrants to its border in retaliation to its accession to Nato earlier this year.

07:21 AM GMT

Zelensky hails 20-country 'air shield' protecting Ukraine from bombardment

Volodymyr Zelensky has hailed the formation of a 20-country Western coalition to strengthen Ukraines air defences.

Not everything can be disclosed publicly at this time, but the Ukrainian air shield is becoming stronger every month, Mr Zelensky said.

Russia is expected to launch a major bombardment of Ukraines power grid this winter in a repeat of similar attacks last year.

Germany and France are leading the group, which was formed at a virtual meeting of the Ramstein group of countries that meets to discuss Ukraines military needs.

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Ukraine has introduced economic sanctions against more than 300 companies around the world, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced via presidential decree on Nov. 23.

The sanctions were advised by Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council (NSDC). Those on the list face blocks to their assets and will be prevented from withdrawing capital outside of Ukraine.

A number of energy companies from across Russia have been targeted by five-year sanctions, while sanctions lasting 10 years were imposed on 87 individuals, among them Ukrainian citizens.

A separate decree imposed 10-year sanctions on Swiss, Cypriot, British, Uzbek, and Russian citizens, as well as companies based in Malta, China, Turkey, Cyprus, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, and Russia.

Prominent names on the list include Anatoly Chubais, the former head of Russia's presidential administration, and Volodymyr Sivkovich, the ex-deputy secretary of the NSDC.

Another sanctioned person is Leonid Kharchenko, a Ukrainian national who was convicted by a Dutch court in 2022 for his involvement in shooting down flight MH17 over Russian-occupied Donetsk.

Ukraine will inform its Western partners of the sanctions and request that "similar restrictive measures" be introduced against those on the list.

Read also: AP: Cypriot president asks foreign experts to help with Russian sanction evasion investigations

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 23)  Filipino journalist Patricia Evangelista's book "Some People Need Killing" is among the New York Times' 100 Notable Books of 2023.

"Some People Need Killing" is a memoir of Evangelista's on the ground experiences covering for Rappler the bloody drug war of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

READ: Through "Some People Need Killing," Patricia Evangelista reminds us how leaders can use language to justify brutality

Evangelista told CNN Philippines' The Final Word on Oct. 25 that she wrote the book to make sure a record of Duterte's anti-drug campaign existed for reference of future generations.

"I want them to remember what happened," Evangelista said. "I want them to see the names and see the faces. Imagine the lives that were lost and imagine the lives that were lived."

"I want people to remember that stories matter and that they can refuse the story," she added.

The journalist also shared that while she did not receive threats to her life during her drug war coverage, the vivid scenes of death took a toll on her mental health.

"We are not cameras. We absorb everything," she said. "You take what you get in the field and you carry it for the rest of your lives."

In a post on Wednesday, Evangelista said she was "incredibly grateful and more than a little stunned" after knowing that her book got into the New York Times' list.

"I wrote more than 90,000 words. I can't quite find any for right now," she wrote.

"Some People Need Killing" was also included in TIME Magazine's Top 100 Must-Read Books of 2023.
An aerial view of the multiple craters left by shelling in a field on the frontline close to Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Alex Babenko)

KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  A Russian attack using cluster munitions killed three people Thursday in a suburb of Ukraines southern city of Kherson, a Ukrainian official said, bringing the number of civilians to die in a day of war to at least six.

Five people were wounded in what Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said was heavy afternoon shelling of Kherson's Chornobayivka suburb. More than 60 residential and infrastructure buildings were damaged in the daylight attack, he said.

Cluster munitions  a type of bomb that opens in the air and releases smaller bomblets across a wide area  are used by both Russia and Ukraine, which has received them as military aid from the United States. Critics say the weapons litter the ground and harm and kill many more civilians than combatants.

Kherson city is the capital of a region of the same name that is located on the Dnieper River near the mouth of the Black Sea and a key gateway to Crimea. Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014 and uses it for logistics operations and rear supply depots during the current war.

Of military significance and lying on the war's long front line, the Kherson region has been a stage for heavy fighting. Ukrainian troops last week reported gaining multiple bridgeheads on the Russian-held eastern side of the river.

Before the afternoon attack, Russian forces fired other parts of the province with eight nighttime artillery barrages, killing a 42-year-old man in his apartment building and wounding another man, the Ukrainian presidential office said.

Russian shelling also killed two people in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, the office said.

It was not possible to independently verify the reports. Long-range Russian shelling that hits civilian areas has been a hallmark of Moscows 21-month war in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Russian state media reported that TV journalist Boris Maksudov died after being wounded in a drone attack while working in southern Ukraine's Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia region

Maksudov, who worked for Russian state television channel Russia 24, was hit Wednesday while working on a story about Ukraine allegedly shelling civilians, according to Russias Ministry of Defense. Zaporizhzhia is one of the four Ukrainian regions that Russia illegally annexed last year.

A stepped-up Russian bombardment of civilian infrastructure has prompted Ukraine and its Western allies to beef up air defense systems. Officials fear the Kremlins forces will repeat their aerial attacks on the Ukrainian power grid this winter in an effort to break the countrys will.

The grid is already showing signs of strain. Ukrainian national electricity operator Ukrenergo reported an energy deficit Wednesday due to a steep rise in consumption caused by a drop in temperatures after a spell of mild weather, a company statement said.

Ukrenergo asked system operators in Romania, Slovakia and Poland to provide emergency assistance.

At a meeting Wednesday of some 50 countries supporting Ukraines war effort, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said they were placing extra emphasis on ground-based air defense, with Germany and France leading the European effort to furnish equipment.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a Telegram post that Ukraines sky shield is getting more powerful literally every month.

___

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Lifting the veil on their most crucial covert missions, Ukraine's SBU security service will unveil never-before seen details of their high-impact operations in a new documentary series created by the 1+1 production studio.

Read also: Exclusive video shows new unmanned naval vessels used in attack on Crimean Bridge

The SBU promised revelations on formerly hidden aspects of missions that helped shift momentum on the battlefield, the group said in a Nov. 23 statement.

The first film, Crimean Bridge Encore, shares the story the unprecedented SBU attack and how the unique SeaBaby surface drones were developed.

The next episode in the series, Bakhmut: The Road of Life, tells about night raids by SBU sappers and the destruction of Wagner units in the hottest spot of the frontline to hold the "road of life" key to the Ukrainian Armed Forces' logistics.

The SBU will also reveal the details of the de-occupation of Kyiv Oblast with the help of an agent and guerrilla network and rescue of residents of occupied Ivankiv in the episode Universal Agents: De-Occupation.

Read also: Gifts from the sky  Ukraines special forces show off how they eliminate Russian invaders

Another episode called The Enemy's Lair: Liquidation tells the story of the destruction of a Russian rear command post in the Polissya region in northern Ukraine, which played an important role in the plans to occupy Kyiv in the first month of the full-scale war. The special forces eliminated Russian officers and destroyed a large number of weapons and fuel.

A separate episode was dedicated to surgeons who operate on wounded soldiers near the front line in extremely difficult conditions  Combat Medics: Death Can Wait.

The SBU notes that filming began in May 2023. The first episode of the series will be aired on the 1+1 Ukraine TV channel and during the national telethon program on Nov. 24, at 9:40 p.m. EET. The rest of the films will be released every Friday.

Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Germany and France are leading a new ground-based air defense coalition designed to bolster Ukraines ability to defend against Russian missile and drone threats.

The 20-nation coalition was announced Wednesday as part of the 17th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG), an organization of some 50 nations gathering to provide Kyiv with what it needs to keep fighting Russia.

I appreciate the leadership of Germany and France in organizing this important initiative, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Wednesday before the virtual meeting. Combined, UDCG members have provided Ukraine with more than $80 billion in security assistance since early 2022.

https://twitter.com/SecDef/status/1727394385107861923

Details about the coalition, what it will provide, how it will work and who will take part are limited.

Following the meeting, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov lauded Germany for providing a new $1.4 billion aid commitment announced Tuesday that includes an unspecified number of additional IRIS-T air defense systems with interceptors and one additional Patriot air defense system . Those as well as about 20,000 155mm artillery shells and 8,000 anti-tank mines will be delivered by mid-December, Umerov said.

https://twitter.com/DefenceU/status/1727427551272808678

In his evening address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the new coalition.

The leaders in its organization are Germany and France. I am grateful for this leadership. I am also grateful to every country that participates in these efforts, which enable our cities and villages to be more protected from Russian attacks, he said. Not everything can be said publicly yet, but Ukraine's sky shield is getting more powerful literally every month.

https://youtu.be/X6nHFM8B8CU

Before we head into the latest updates from Ukraine, The War Zone readers can catch up on our previous rolling coverage here .

The Latest

In a summary of battlefield conditions he presented on Telegram Wednesday, Zelensky said Ukraine faces "difficult weather, difficult defense in the Lyman, Bakhmut, Donetsk and Avdiivka directions." He said his forces are conducting "offensive actions in the south."

Gen. Valeri Zaluzhny, the commander-in-chief of Ukraine's military, said on Telegram Wednesday that he took part in his first Defense Contact Group meeting. He told those attending "that the situation at the front is complicated, but controlled. The Armed Forces of Ukraine continue to conduct defensive and offensive operations."

Ukraine continues to battle Russian forces in and around the village of Krynky in occupied Kherson Oblast about 1.5 miles across the Dnipro River.

"A Russian milblogger claimed that Ukrainian forces attacked from Krynky and entered the forest area near the settlement," the Institute for the Study of War reported Tuesday . "Russian sources claimed that Ukrainian forces continue to hold positions in Krynky and near the Antonivsky Road Bridge and the small railway bridge six kilometers east of the Antonivsky Bridge."

"Geolocated footage published on November 21 indicates that Russian forces advanced northeast of Krynky. The Russian Defense Ministry (MoD) reported that elements of the Russian 810th Naval Infantry Brigade (Black Sea Fleet) are operating in the Kherson direction.

Video has emerged showing a new Ukrainian "Mammoth" drone attacking a building in Krynky. In the video below, backed by Aerosmith's Dream On, you can it fly through a window, into the building and cause serious damage.

https://twitter.com/noelreports/status/1727238341203202524?s=12

Elsewhere on the battlefield, the fighting continues despite the cold, snowy weather, but there has been little territory gained or lost by either side. Here are some key takeaways from the latest Institute for the Study of War assessment :

Ukrainian and Russian forces continue to conduct offensive operations in eastern and southern Ukraine despite rainy and snowy weather conditions.

The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) and Russian officials are struggling to subdue Russian hysteria around Ukrainian operations in the east (left) bank of Kherson Oblast.

Russian forces conducted a series of missile and drone strikes overnight on November 20-21 and on November 21 targeting port and civilian infrastructure, including a hospital in Donetsk Oblast.

Russian forces conducted offensive operations along the Kupyansk-Svatove-Kreminna line, near Bakhmut, near Avdiivka, west and southwest of Donetsk City, in the Donetsk-Zaporizhia Oblast border area, and in western Zaporizhia Oblast on November 21 and advanced in some areas.

https://twitter.com/TheStudyofWar/status/1727454458626375913

You can see the challenges of fighting in the mud in this video below of a Ukrainian M777 howitzer team working in the muck.

https://twitter.com/wartranslated/status/1726886738151248369?s=20

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow is ready for talks to end the tragedy of the war in Ukraine, but blamed a Kyiv law prohibiting talks, The Guardian reported Wednesday .

Putin, who unilaterally launched the all out invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, used his speech at the virtual meeting of the G20 nations to say it was necessary to think about how to stop the tragedy of the conflict in Ukraine and said Russia had never refused to participate in peace talks with Ukraine.

Military actions are always a tragedy, Putin said to the virtual meeting. And of course, we should think about how to stop this tragedy. By the way, Russia has never refused peace talks with Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, signed a decree in October 2022 formally declaring the prospect of any Ukrainian talks with Putin impossible but leaving the door open to discussions with Russia.

https://twitter.com/kyivpost/status/1727332469513343226?s=12

On Tuesday, addressing former U.S. President Donald Trump's claim about being able to quickly end the war, Zelensky told Fox News that Ukraine could stop the war by giving up Donbas and Crimea, but "this is not a peace plan."

https://twitter.com/clashreport/status/1727318457770037626?s=20

Russia has begun using its MiG-35 Flanker fighter in combat, the official Russian RIA Novosti news agency reported Wednesday. It as part of an evaluation to see if the so-called 4++ generation aircraft should be produced in greater numbers in part to sell to foreign customers.

Today, in connection with the events that are taking place, the vehicle is already participating in all operations that are being carried out. Further test flights still have to be completed, and then the Ministry of Defense will make a final decision, General Designer of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) Sergei Korotkov told RIA Novosti.

There are currently six pre-production MiG-35s in service with the Russian Aerospace Forces, Korotkov said.

Korotkov said that the capabilities of the MiG-35 satisfy the foreign customer and added that export negotiations are underway. RIA Novosti did not specify which countries are considering purchasing the MiG-35. As far as its capabilities, you can read more in our report about Russia's development of the jet.

https://twitter.com/GuyPlopsky/status/1727314726454264182?s=20

A still image from a recently published Russian Defense Ministry (MoD) video shows a closer look at the UMPK, or Unifitsirovannyi Modul Planirovaniya i Korrektsii, meaning unified gliding and correction module. You can read more about this wing kit for dumb bombs in our story here .

https://twitter.com/GuyPlopsky/status/1726992054067290568?s=20

Here is a closer look at a Ukrainian Air Force Su-24M Fence r, armed with air-launched cruise missiles. It is unclear from this photo whether they are U.K.-donated Storm Shadows or French-donated SCALP-EG s.

https://twitter.com/front_ukrainian/status/1726976707180306829?s=20

Ukraine claimed that the air defense forces destroyed an Iranian-made Russian Mohajer-6 reconnaissance and strike drone near Odesa.

https://twitter.com/front_ukrainian/status/1727022929790341550?s=20

One of the many attributes the Bradley Fighting Vehicle brings to the battlefield for Ukrain e is its Bushmaster 25mm main gun. In this video below, you can see it in action, raking a Russian position in a treeline, reportedly near Stepove in Donetsk Oblast.

https://twitter.com/Osinttechnical/status/1727455011792138282?s=20

Speaking of tree lines, Michael Kofman (@KofmanMichael), Senior Fellow, Carnegie Endowment, is back from a recent trip to Ukraine and talked about the slowdown of the war.

"The level of fighting has gone to a place where the individual tree lines all have a name  tree lines have become critical objectives," he said in a recent War On The Rocks podcast .

https://twitter.com/shashj/status/1726974480172630078?s=20 https://twitter.com/KofmanMichael/status/1727050842409464186

The raw horror of battle is captured in this 33-minute long video released by the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade. It shows the unit in fierce trench warfare near Avdiivka, trading volleys with the Russians, dodging incoming fire and treating the wounded.

https://twitter.com/noelreports/status/1727347401479078399?s=12

More than a dozen people were detained after Poland wrapped up an investigation into the operation of a Russian spy network, Polish media outlet RMF24 reported Wednesday.

In total, 16 foreign nationals are suspected of participating in an organized criminal group and acting against Polish interests for foreign intelligence, and 15 have been detained, the outlet reported. If convicted, they face up to 10 years in prison.

The National Prosecutor's Office said it placed 15 suspects in pretrial detention "due to the need to secure the proper course of the proceedings" and the risk that the accused could escape.

The suspects are all foreign nationals from "beyond our eastern border," RMF24 said.

https://twitter.com/KyivIndependent/status/1727313764087931186?s=20

The Russian Defense Ministry (MoD) claimed Ukrainian forces wounded a Russian journalist in a drone attack Wednesday.

"An unmanned aerial vehicle of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) dropped a fragmentation munition at a group of Russian journalists who were preparing a report on the shelling of Zaporizhzhia region settlements by the AFU," the MoD wrote on Telegram. "As a result of the AFU unmanned aerial vehicle strike, correspondent for the Russia-24 TV channel Boris Maksudov was wounded by shrapnel. The journalist was promptly evacuated to a medical facility of the Russian Defence Ministry. There is no threat to his life. Boris Maksudov was provided with all the necessary medical assistance."

https://twitter.com/xeberazbaku/status/1727445025536028932

Ukraine's Defense Intelligence Directorate (GUR) once again set its sights on the Kerch Bridge in a cheeky Tweet.

"Crimean autumn wind and a completely unnecessary construction. November 22, 2023 - To be continued," GUR said.

The sign in the video says "GUR Artan," one of its special units.

https://twitter.com/DI_Ukraine/status/1727219315794117082

And finally, as the harsh chill of late autumn sets in, Ukrainian troops unveiled a secret weapon to keep them warm.

https://twitter.com/gerashchenko_en/status/1727088200332845496?s=12

That's it for now. We'll update this story when there's more news to report about Ukraine.

Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com
Key developments on Nov. 23:

Putin in Belarus for official visit

Russian parliament passes budget with record military expenditures

Russian state media: Russian propagandist killed in Ukraine

Media: SBU allegedly kills high-ranking collaborator in Belgorod

Ukraine designates German company Knauf as 'international sponsor of war'

Russian attacks kill 7, injure 12 over past day



Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Belarus to participate in a Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) summit in Minsk, the Kremlin's press service announced on Nov. 23.

The CSTO is a military alliance between Russia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus, and Tajikistan, formed in 2002.

The meeting was set to discuss "further improvement of the collective security system."

The summit is being held in Minsk, as Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko is its current chairman.

The last time Putin arrived on an official visit to Belarus was in December 2022.

When Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, its forces started advancing from multiple fronts, including from the north, where Ukraine borders both Russia and Belarus.

Though Belarus hasn't officially joined Russia's war, Moscow has used Belarusian territory to launch missiles and drones at Ukraine, as well as trained its troops there.

Over the last few months, Putin has traveled to Kazakhstan, China, and Kyrgyzstan.

His trip to Kyrgyzstan in October was his first trip abroad since the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for him in March 2023 for the mass deportation of Ukrainian children.

Read also: Historian Serhii Plokhy: The better we prepare for the long war, the sooner it will end

Russian parliament passes budget with record military expenditures

The Russian parliament passed a budget for 2024 that increases military spending to more than one-third of total government expenditures, Russian independent media outlet Meduza reported on Nov. 23.

If combined with funding for domestic law enforcement agencies, the figure rises to 40%.

According to Meduza, state expenditures on Russia's military sector will exceed social payments for the first time.

The budget has passed through all but one of the necessary steps in order to become a law, with only the signature of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin remaining to bring the budget into effect.

The budget had gone through 900 amendments since its first draft, Meduza wrote, with an additional 725 billion rubles ($8.2 billion) being allocated to the country's military sector in the second draft.

In addition, Russia has earmarked a significant amount of money, at least $2.6 billion, to be spent on the territories of Ukraine that it illegally annexed in September 2022.

In order to fund the increased military expenditures, Russia will need increased revenue.

Funding the first draft of the budget, which was smaller than the final version passed, would reportedly require a 22% increase in government revenue from 2023.

The Russian government is considering raising taxes to account for the discrepancy, sources told Meduza.

Read also: Charles Michel: I dont think this counteroffensive has failed

Russian state media: Russian propagandist killed in Ukraine

Boris Maksudov, a correspondent for the Russian state television network Rossiya 24, died after allegedly being injured in a Ukrainian drone strike, prominent Russian propagandist Vladimir Solovyov said on Nov. 23.

At the time of this publication, it is impossible to confirm the incident's details and attribute any responsibility. There were no official comments from Kyiv.

The Russian Defense Ministry said on Nov. 22 that Maksudov had been working in the occupied part of Zaporizhzhia Oblast with other Russian correspondents when a Ukrainian drone allegedly struck the area.

The ministry then said that Maksudov's injuries were not life-threatening.

In a video shared by Maksudov, he and the other correspondents were wearing military uniforms, and it was difficult to see if there was an inscription that said "press."

It can be challenging to distinguish soldiers from the press without such insignia.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that it was a "big tragedy."

Speaking on state television, Solovyov commented on Maksudov's death, adding that he had been killed while working on a story to document Ukraine's purported shelling of civilians.

Ukrainian forces allegedly shelling civilians in the Donbas has been a regularly repeated Kremlin talking point since the beginning of hostilities in 2014. The claims have been thoroughly debunked.

Solovyov has regularly made outlandish claims and a variety of threats against the West, including that Russia should use nuclear weapons. He also urged escalation in Russia's war against Ukraine and called for strikes against civilian targets.

Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilians kill and wound people daily.

Regional Ukrainian authorities reported early on Nov. 23 that Russian attacks had killed three and injured four civilians over the past 24 hours.

The Prosecutor General's Office said that by June, 63 journalists from 14 countries, including Ukraine, had been killed since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.

According to Serhii Tomilenko, the president of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU), Russia is also holding at least 25 Ukrainian journalists prisoner.

Read also: I never planned to fight against Ukraine: Forcibly conscripted by Russia, Ukrainians await fate in POW camp

Media: SBU allegedly kills high-ranking collaborator in Belgorod

Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) reportedly killed Ukrainian collaborator Oleksandr Slisarenko, previously installed by Russia as a deputy head of occupation authorities in Kharkiv Oblast, New Voice reported on Nov. 23, citing undisclosed sources.

Slisarenko, a former employee of the Ukrainian Interior Ministry, was allegedly assassinated in the Russian city of Belgorod, law enforcement sources told Ukrinform.

The collaborator was said to have died in the hospital after his car was allegedly blown up on Nov. 16.

The Kyiv Independent could not verify the report.

Slisarenko was an active member of Kharkiv Anti-Maidan in 2014  pro-Russian demonstrations aimed against the EuroMaidan Revolution and the post-revolution government.

He fought in Russian proxy forces in Luhansk Oblast between 2021 and 2022 and was made "deputy head" of occupation authorities in Kharkiv Oblast in 2022, New Voice said.

The collaborator was reportedly involved in atrocities against the Ukrainian population on occupied territories and was suspected of treason by the SBU.

Ukrainian media reported in late October that the SBU was behind the attack that seriously injured pro-Russian politician Oleg Tsaryov in Crimea.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on his Telegram channel on Nov. 23 that he received a report from the SBU's chief Vasyl Maliuk on "new results in countering enemy operations and collaborators."

Read also: Ukraine war latest: Germany delivers over 20 Marders; Military reports destroying 80% of Russian hardware near Avdiivka

Ukraine designates German company Knauf as 'international sponsor of war'

Ukraine's National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) added Knauf, one of the world's largest manufacturers of building materials, to its list of "international sponsors of war," the agency announced on Nov. 23.

The company operates in Russia through 10 subsidiaries and has invested over $1.8 billion into the Russian economy since 1993, according to the NACP.

It is known for manufacturing building materials like drywall, plaster, and insulation.

Knauf announced they had no plans to leave the Russian market following the launch of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and went on to contribute around $117 million to the Russian state budget in 2022 alone, the agency said.

It has 20 factories in Russia and employs over 4,000 people, making it the largest German investor in the Russian construction industry.

The company has actively helped the Russian military mobilize its employees, according to NACP, citing German media reports from October 2022.

The managers of a Knauf factory near Moscow reportedly checked the lists of who would receive military summons, dividing the employees into those who were essential for the functioning of the plant and those who could join the military.

Knauf's close relations with the Russian authorities stretch further into the past.

Nikolaus Knauf, the son of the founder and a key shareholder, received an Order of Friendship in 2006 from Putin for his contribution to developing relations between Russia and Germany.

Russia appointed him the head of an honorary consulate in Nuremberg in 1999, a role he gave up in March 2022 following local protests.

Read also: Investigative Stories From Ukraine: Russian military helicopters get Czech components despite sanctions

Russian attacks kill 7, injure 12 over past day

Russian attacks killed seven people and injured 12 in the past day, including two teenagers, local authorities reported.

Russian attacks on Kherson on Nov. 23 injured a 39-year-old woman, a 15-year-old boy, and an 11-year-old girl, said Roman Mrochko, the head of the Kherson City Military Administration.

The woman was wounded in the streets of the city's Dniprovskyi municipal district at around 4 p.m., Mrochko reported.

The two children, who are siblings, were reportedly wounded in the same district. The boy suffered injuries to his head, leg, and back, and the girl sustained facial injuries and an acute reaction to stress, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported.

Both of the minors are now in medical care, the governor noted.

Russia struck the settlement of Chronobaivka in Kherson Oblast with cluster munitions on Nov. 23, killing three people and injuring five, Prokudin reported.

Russian forces reportedly launched the attack around noon. Around 60 buildings, including civilian residences, were damaged as a result, Prokudin said.

Chornobaivka lies on the northwestern outskirts of Kherson, close to the city's airport.

A 70-year-old man was killed in a Russian strike on the town of Beryslav in Kherson Oblast earlier on Nov. 23, the governor reported.

Russian attacks against Ukraine killed three people and injured four more between Nov. 22- Nov. 23, regional authorities reported.

Russia targeted a total of eight Ukrainian oblasts over this period.

Russian troops struck Antonivka in Kherson Oblast on the morning of Nov. 23, wounding a 51-year-old woman, the regional administration reported.

In the previous 24 hours, Russian forces attacked the southern region with a variety of different weapons, including mortars, artillery, tanks, multiple-launch rocket systems, drones, and aircraft, killing one person and injuring another, according to Prokudin.

The attacks were directed at civilian targets in the oblast, including factories, educational and medical institutions, and shops, Prokudin said on Telegram.

Russian forces reportedly fired 29 shells at the city of Kherson.

Ukraine's Armed Forces liberated Kherson and other regional settlements west of the Dnipro River in the fall 2022 counteroffensive.

Russian forces were pushed to the east of the river, from where they have since been firing at the liberated territories, regularly resulting in civilian deaths and injuries.

In Kharkiv Oblast, Russian forces attacked at least 18 different settlements, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said on Telegram. A 61-year-old man was wounded in Shyikivky, Izium district, and hospitalized with shrapnel wounds, Syniehubov added.

The attacks on Kharkiv Oblast also reportedly damaged a number of buildings in Kupiansk, Kupiansk-Vozlovyi, and Vovchansk.

Two people were killed in Russian attacks on Donetsk Oblast, and another was wounded, acting Governor Ihor Moroz said.

One person was killed in Pivnichne near Toretsk, and another was killed in the Chasiv Yar community near Bakhmut, according to Moroz. One person was reportedly injured in Avdiivka.

Russian attacks were also reported in Sumy, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, Chernihiv, and Mykolaiv oblasts, causing damage but no casualties.

Read also: Under deadly attacks, Kherson fights to keep life going 1 year after liberation

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The best photos of 2023

American magazine Time published its Top 100 Photos of 2023 on Nov. 21, and several photos from Ukraine were among the most powerful photos of the year.

Many of the photos show the consequences of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. They depict wounded soldiers, medics at the front, civilians fleeing from a Russian missile attack, and children in bomb shelters.

Read also: Photographers relay views of Ukraine's defense efforts in Donbas within sight of enemy trenches

The photographs are by photographers working for leading global media outlets, such as The New York Times and the Associated Press.

Ukrainian military medics treat a wounded comrade in a field hospital near Bakhmut, Ukraine, February 26 Evgeniy MaloletkaAP

All that remains of a Russian soldier on the road in Donetsk Oblast, September 26 Tyler HicksThe New York Times/Redux

Bakhmut, the site of the fiercest fighting with Russian troops in the Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, June 22 LibkosAP

Young patients of the Okhmatdyt children's hospital with painted faces gather in the hospital's bomb shelter, Kyiv, Ukraine, June 1 Nicole TungThe New York Times/Redux

A wounded Ukrainian soldier on a medical stretcher smokes a cigarette before being loaded into a mobile hospital bus by medics of the Hospitaller battalion, September 12 David GuttenfelderThe New York Times/Redux

A family runs away from an explosion after a Russian missile strike on a residential area in Pervomaisk, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine, July 4. Oleksandr MagulaAP

Residents of Bucha gathered to honor Ukrainian soldier Oleksiy Zavadsky, who was killed in action in Bakhmut, Bucha, Ukraine, January 19 Daniel ColeAP

A wounded Ukrainian military man lies in a frontline medical stabilization center in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, April 23. Anna KudriavtsevaReuters

A Ukrainian soldier of the 28th Brigade sits a few hundred meters from enemy trenches, Bakhmut, March 26 Maxim Dondyuk for The New Yorker

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk, commander of the Air Force, thanked the soldiers for effective combat work against kamikaze drones and posted video footage of the work of mobile fire groups.

Source: Oleshchuk on Telegram

Quote: "Combat work against Shahed UAVs on 22 November 2023!

All 14 assault UAVs downed! Good job!"

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Olha Stefanishyna, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, expressed hope that EU members would not allow Hungary to block the start of negotiations with Ukraine on joining the EU.

Source: Stefanishyna in an interview with Sofiia Sereda, journalist of Ukrainska Pravda, as reported by European Pravda

Details: The official admitted that Hungary has a "legal opportunity" to block the start of negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the European Union at a summit in mid-December. She called "alarming" the fact that the European Commissioner for Hungary at one of the recent events did not mention the European Commission's recommendation on negotiations whatsoever.

Quote: "But I think that Hungary's veto is much more important for strong EU states than for Ukraine. Because the future of Europe is at stake  from Albania to Chisinau  and the understanding that the decisions that are being made now affect stability in Europe in general," she added.

Stefanishyna explained that after Ukraines victory, Europe should "cement this victory on the continent" and neutralise other possible conflicts.

"And therefore I am sure that the most influential and progressive EU states will not allow Hungary to be at the centre of all events, because the future of Europe should be at the centre of events," the vice prime minister concluded.

On 8 November, the European Commission recommended that the European Council begin accession negotiations with Moldova and Ukraine. The final decision on the start of negotiations should be made by the leaders of the member countries at a meeting on 14-15 December.

In recent days, there have been signals from the EU that the Union may not support the start of negotiations on Ukraine's accession during the December summit. There is allegedly a possibility of postponing this decision until March due to a lack of unity in the European Union. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said the European Union should not start EU accession negotiations with Ukraine, adding that this is Hungary's "clear" stance.

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The Embassy of Ukraine in Poland has communicated with the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in connection with the death of a Ukrainian driver in a queue at the border, which is blocked by protesting Polish hauliers.

Source: European Pravda, citing Ukraines Ambassador to Poland Vasyl Zvarych

Details: "The Embassy has urgently addressed another official note to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland, demanding that the movement of freight vehicles be unblocked. The appropriate signals were also communicated to the Ministry of the Interior and the Polish administration," Zvarych wrote on Facebook.

The diplomat stressed that the Polish hauliers protest is putting peoples lives and health at risk and presents a significant danger to road safety, meaning that Poland could break up the gathering by law.

Quote: "We call on the Polish authorities to take decisive action to unblock the traffic and stop Ukrainian, Polish and foreign truck drivers from having to wait in multi-kilometre-long queues without proper conditions, being held hostage to the actions of the protest organisers."

Background:

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Ukraine's Prosecutor General Andrii Kostin welcomed on Nov. 23 Europol's decision to establish an open source intelligence (OSINT) task force to support the investigation of war crimes in Ukraine.

So far, 14 countries have agreed to support the German and Dutch-led Operational Taskforce (OTF) to help identify suspects and their involvement in war crimes, crimes against humanity, or genocide crimes committed in Ukraine, Europol said on Nov. 21.

The "unprecedented" scope of open-source data, thanks to the growing role of social media and the internet, "can greatly assist investigators in verifying and recording instances of war crimes," the EU's law enforcement agency noted.

"This development marks another significant milestone in our ongoing cooperation since Europol has become a participant in the Joint Investigation Team (JIT)," Kostin wrote on the social media platform X.

Europol joined the JIT, an international coalition for the investigation of Russia's war crimes in Ukraine, on Oct. 5.

The prosecutor general told the media earlier in November that Kyiv has collected evidence of 109,000 Russian war crimes in Ukraine.

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Ukraines Security Service has killed Oleksandr Slisarenko, a Ukrainian official who collaborated with Russian occupation forces, in the Russian city of Belgorod.

Source: Ukrainska Pravda source in security forces

Details: Oleksandr Slisarenko, Deputy Head of the Russian occupation administration in Kharkiv Oblast, was killed when his car exploded in Belgorod, Russia, on 16 November.

An anonymous source told Ukrainska Pravda that Ukraines Security Service was behind the incident.

The source said that Slisarenko died from injuries he suffered in the explosion.

Quote: "This former traitor used to work in Ukraines internal affairs agencies. He was an active participant in the anti-Maidan movement in Kharkiv [a movement opposing the Revolution of Dignity and its pro-European values  ed.] in 2014 and fought on the side of the so-called Luhansk Peoples Republic as part of the Rys [Lynx] Special Forces unit in 2021-22. He became the Deputy Head for Internal Affairs of the Kharkiv Oblast occupation administration in the summer of 2022. He was involved in the atrocities committed by Russian forces on the occupied territories.

Ukraines Security Service served Slisarenko with a notice of suspicion of high treason, but he did not appear in court. But justice found him. The Russian authorities still havent said anything about the explosion that killed Slisarenko."

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 23)  China's Ministry of National Defense (MOD) has accused the Philippines of enlisting foreign forces to patrol the South China Sea and stirring up trouble in the region.

"Since November 21, the Chinese People's Liberation Army Southern Theater Command Navy ship Yuncheng has conducted routine patrols in the South China Sea," the MOD said in a statement issued Thursday. "During this period, the Philippines enlisted foreign forces to patrol the South China Sea, stir up trouble, and hype up regional peace and stability, violating the spirit of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea."

"The theater troops maintain a high degree of vigilance, resolutely defend national sovereignty, security and maritime rights and interests, and resolutely safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea," it added.

From Nov. 21 to 23, the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the United States Indo-Pacific Command began a series of tactical exercises as part of a three-day long maritime cooperative activity (MCA) in the waters off Batanes and in the West Philippine Sea, all within Manila's 200 nautical-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

The exercises were aimed at enhancing interoperability and fostering cooperation between the Philippines and the US.

The AFP said the MCA was within the framework of the Mutual Defense Treaty, promoted rules-based international order, and demonstrated the two countries' commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.

China has accused the US of increasing tensions in the region after Manila and Washington further bolstered their defense alliances this year, through the expansion of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) forming new American troop bases in the Philippines, and through continued joint patrols in Philippine waters.

These developments come amid China's continued harassment of Filipino ships and incursions in the West Philippine Sea. Since 2021, Beijing has escalated its aggression against Manila, through its use of military-grade lasers, water cannons, and even dangerous maneuvers resulting in collisions with civilian and government vessels.

In 2016, an arbitral tribunal constituted under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) shut down China's sweeping claims over most of the South China Sea, including the part Manila calls the West Philippine Sea. Beijing continues to defy this ruling.
A Ukrainian Maritime Autonomous Guard Unmanned Robotic Apparatus (MAGURA) V5 uncrewed surface vessel (USV) has been captured intact by Russia in western Crimea, Russian milbloggers are reporting on Telegram. Images of the drone boat sitting totally intact onshore seem to support this claim.

It was attempting to attack Russian ships in western Crimea "when it fell into Russian hands," the Russian Military Informant Telegram channel reported. In commenting on the capture, the Two Majors Telegram channel offered an ominous warning: "Soon a surprise will await the enemy," a seeming indication that Russia might work to reverse engineer this USV.

https://twitter.com/capt_navy/status/1727366118434541879?s=46\u0026t=WGR8ATVuYlDW934sMHUUhQ

Neither the Ukrainian nor Russian defense ministries have commented on the claimed capture of the MAGURA V5, which The War Zone cannot independently verify. The capture of this vessel, however, could provide a boost to Russia's ability to counter these USVs as well as to the development of their own. It would also mark the second known time that Russia has gotten its hands on a Ukrainian USV. As we reported in September 2022 , an early version of a Ukrainian USV was found beached in Sevastopol. It was the first time we had ever seen a Ukrainian USV and it was a month before Ukraine unleashed its drone boat campaign against Russian naval assets, starting with a massive attack on Sevastopol .

The first appearance of a Ukrainian USV was well over a year ago, and it too fell into Russian hands.

The more advanced UAV in question today was created by the Ukrainian state enterprise  SpetsTechnoExport , the MAGURA V5 is a 5.5 meter (18 feet)-long USV with a range of 450 nautical miles, a cruising speed of 22 knots and a burst speed of 42 knots thanks to its waterjet propulsion and streamlined hull, according to according to the Ukrainian Militarnyi media outlet . Sitting a half meter (1.6 feet) above the waterline with a payload capacity of 320 kilograms (705 pounds), the Magura V5 packs a significant punch in a hard-to-spot USV. The company says it communicates via mesh radio with an air-based repeater and/or SATCOM, but more on that in a moment.

It's unclear when the MAGURA V5 was first used in combat, but it was introduced publicly at the International Defense Industry Fair (IDEF) in Turkey in July, according to Militanaryi.

Also in July, a CNN report on Ukraine's USV program included video that shows the MAGURA V5. While CNN does not name the USV, it's the same USV depicted in the images released on Russian Telegram Wednesday, but there are some differences in terms of sub-component configuration.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iv1WbNY-yB0

In the CNN video, the MAGURA V5 features a gimbaled forward-looking infrared (FLIR) sensor, which appears to be missing from the one reportedly captured. We see the round hole where it should be mounted, so it may have fallen off when coming ashore. Both boats have the fairing that encloses a staring forward-looking camera system on the bow, as well.

The one in the video also features a single high-bandwidth SATCOM array. The one on the rocks features three distinct high-bandwidth SATCOM arrays and what looks like one low-bandwidth SATCOM antenna. The latter would be used to provide semi-autonomous control and to provide periodic updates during transits, for instance. The variant CNN was shown was clearly for the demonstration and it would not require any SATCOM capability, let alone the redundant kinds of beyond line-of-sight communications systems needed to successfully guide a USV manually during its attack run while operating hundreds of miles from its controllers.

As for Ukraine's prevalent use of USVs, in August, the Ropucha class vessel Olenegorsky Gornyak was struck by a Ukrainian USV near Russias Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, roughly 420 miles from Ukrainian-held shores.

https://twitter.com/Osinttechnical/status/1687358900079587329?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1687358900079587329%7Ctwgr%5E548e38906723948099e56ec2abe9e683f6528fbf%7Ctwcon%5Es1_\u0026ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedrive.com%2Fthe-war-zone%2Fukrainian-drone-boat-scores-direct-hit-on-russian-warship

In an interview with Naval News during the September DSEI 2023 exhibition in London, Ivan Sybyriakov, Unmanned Systems Manager for SpetsTechnoExport said the Magura V5 "is very fast" and "the line of the water is not so high. So its very difficult to detect it in the water. Also, this drone can be used not only as a chemical hazard to hit the target, it could work in the swarms for different purposes."

In addition, he said the MAGURA V5 "can also be used as a safety boat, for intelligence and surveillance operations to detect possible enemies in different kinds of waters."

A model of the MAGURA V5, which you can see in the video below, seems to be the same type of USV seen in the CNN broadcast.

https://youtu.be/9-Zl2_qFjbs?t=35

As we noted earlier, Ukraine first unleashed its USV campaign against Russia in October 2022 when several were used to attack Sevastopol in Crimea, home to Russias Black Sea Fleet. There has been a constant series of attacks since then on a variety of targets. Here are just a few examples of many in Ukraine's ongoing maritime campaign:

There was an a strike on a Russian Navy intelligence ship Ivan Khurs deep in the Black Sea in May, the July attack on the Kerch Bridge and in August, the Ropucha class vessel Olenegorsky Gornyak was struck by a Ukrainian USV near Russias Black Sea port of Novorossiysk. That's some 70 miles southeast of the Kerch Bridge and roughly 420 miles from Ukrainian-held shores.

https://twitter.com/Osinttechnical/status/1687358900079587329?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1687358900079587329%7Ctwgr%5E548e38906723948099e56ec2abe9e683f6528fbf%7Ctwcon%5Es1_\u0026ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedrive.com%2Fthe-war-zone%2Fukrainian-drone-boat-scores-direct-hit-on-russian-warship

Prior to the one claimed Wednesday, the most recent of these attacks came two weeks ago. That's when Ukraine's Defense Intelligence Directorate (GUR) said it destroyed two Russian landing vessels in western Ukraine. You can read more about that attack here .

https://youtu.be/GG_hFTFVNX8?t=7

As we noted earlier, there likely is no critical loss of highly sensitive technology here, but knowing exactly what components are being used operationally is a substantial problem. Having an intact example of anything of this nature is the holy grail of intelligence gathering on technological systems, as we have detailed many times before . In this case, capturing this boat could lead to enhanced detection of them by Russian forces, especially in terms of what exact communications they are using, their electronic signatures, and how exactly they are using them. Even the exact FLIR systems being used and their operating wave lengths can be helpful in developing countermeasures, which Russia is already very active in doing .

The warhead is also important. Russia can see exactly how it is configured with an intact example. What mission computing is onboard and exactly how the boats are physically controlled would also be of interest. Comparing all these elements to those from the drone boat captured over a year ago would provide a high-quality comparative physical analysis of Ukraine's technological progress in terms of drone boat capabilities.

That being said, we really don't know what Russia already knows through other collection means, especially intelligence gathering efforts that differ from the exploitation of foreign materiel, such as cyber espionage and human intelligence sources. Still, Ukraine is rapidly evolving its drone boat capabilities so technical intelligence perishes rapidly in this regard.

Samuel Bendett, a drone expert and researcher with the Center for Naval Analyses think tank, offered a similar take about the value of the MAGURA V5 to the Russians.

"Well, remember the first two Ukrainian USVs that washed up in Sevastopol last September ? The loss of these boats did not prevent Ukraine from building more unmanned maritime craft, and they still conducted more and more strikes - and Russian possession of those captured USVs did not lead Russians to build better defenses against such weapons that could have prevented all such attacks," he told The War Zone. You can see that USV in the tweet below.

https://twitter.com/UKikaski/status/1572617974586183680?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1572617974586183680%7Ctwgr%5Ea4a11fdc1188b4ebca41b0ce019df14957042704%7Ctwcon%5Es1_\u0026ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedrive.com%2Fthe-war-zone%2Fmystery-drone-boat-washes-up-near-home-of-russias-black-sea-fleet

While those were initial versions of Ukrainian USVs which have had successive improvements over time, "...it is unclear at this point if the loss of this MAGURA is a big deal, given that Ukraine is many steps ahead of the Russians so far in this unmanned maritime technology race," Bendett said.

Bendett acknowledged that having access to an intact vessel will give the Russians insight into how all the components work together and that it "maybe" prove problematic. That, however, is a calculus Ukraine likely takes when it launches these missions.

"I think Russians had that information before as well," he said about what details they could learn by capturing an intact MAGURA V5. "I assume Ukrainians don't think that none of their systems can be captured by the Russians - it's realistic to assume that some of these USVs may be in fact taken captive."

So clearly, for Russia, having one of these intact is a good thing. How good it is, and how bad for Ukraine remains to be seen.

Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com
The FPV drone of the Armed Forces of Ukraine caught the occupier by surprise

Ukrainian drones continue to hunt down Russian military personnel who have "strayed from the herd," catching them in the most inopportune moments.

A video surfaced on social media showing a drone strike on a Russian soldier who was unexpectedly caught in a rather embarrassing situation somewhere near Avdiivka.

Read also: Ukrainian drone mercilessly punishes Russian looters  funny video

While having a "moment of privacy" behind a piece of damaged equipment, the invader did not take into account that he would hardly be able to calmly carry out his "mission" without the constant supervision of the air reconnaissance of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and quickly paid the price for his mistake.

Noticing the approach of the kamikaze drone, the Russian soldier tried to escape with his pants down, but it was already too late.

Yet another invader learned an important lesson from the Defense Forces about the inadmissibility of desecrating Ukrainian land.

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The Ukrainian embassy in Poland appealed to Warsaw to end a haulers' blockade at the Polish-Ukrainian border after a second trucker died while waiting in the line, Ambassador Vasyl Zvarych said on Nov. 23.

Polish protesters have been blocking the movement of cargo vehicles at several border crossings with Ukraine since early November in a protest against the EU's liberalization of transport rules for Ukrainian trucks.

Four checkpoints have been blocked so far, and a fifth is being considered, leaving thousands of vehicles stranded at the crossings. A similar protest was launched by Slovak haulers at the Vysne Nemecke-Uzhhorod crossing earlier this week.

Two Ukrainian truck drivers died while stuck in the line caused by the blockade, reportedly of natural causes. A 54-year-old man died on Nov. 12, and the death of a 56-year-old trucker was reported earlier on Nov. 23.

"The restriction of freight traffic by Polish protesters poses a threat to people's lives and health and causes a significant threat to the safety and order of traffic on public roads," Zvarych wrote on social media.

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The ambassador pointed out that this provides local authorities with legal grounds for the dissolution of the protests, according to Polish law.

"We appeal to Polish authorities to take decisive action and unblock the traffic and prevent Ukrainian, Polish, and foreign truck drivers from standing in many-kilometers-long lines in unsuitable conditions."

Polish haulers complained that the high number of Ukrainian drivers entering Poland are hauling goods from Poland to other countries, undercutting local businesses that cannot match cheaper Ukrainian prices.

Ukrainian officials and industry representatives denied the accusations, and the EU warned the Polish government to ensure the end of the blockade.

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal discussed the issue on Nov. 23 with EU Commission Vice President and Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis.

"We paid special attention to the situation on Ukraine's borders with some EU members. We are promptly setting up alternative logistics routes; I voiced our proposals," Shmyhal said, adding that Kyiv is counting on the European Commission's support to resolve the matter.

Ukraine also proposed the creation of an EU monitoring group to observe the situation at the border, Deputy Infrastructure Minister Serhii Derkach said.

The group's task would be to check whether humanitarian goods are allowed to cross and to ensure proper conditions for stranded drivers, among other priorities.

Polish farmers who joined the protests said they intend to maintain the blockade until early January. Some organizers voiced the intention to block the Yahodyn-Dorohusk checkpoint until Feb. 1.

Read also: Trucker protests: Unraveling the standoff between Polish and Ukrainian haulers

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JSC Ukrnafta, the largest Ukrainian oil company, has signed an agreement with the German Oil Dynamics company about the supply of 200 electric pumping systems for the intensification of oil production.

Source: Ukrnaftas press service

Details: It is planned to conduct the supply of electric pumping systems in four batches, each comprising 50 pieces, starting in December 2023. The first order states that the company expects the supply of 200 systems.

Moreover, the agreement also provides for the supply of a control station with software that increases the lifecycle of such systems with the help of uninterrupted remote monitoring.

"The Oil Dynamics equipment was developed and manufactured in Germany within the Industry 4.0 concept and meets API standards," Serhii Koretskyi, head of Ukrnafta, explained.

The agreement provides for possible cooperation during the next five years, until 2028.

Background:

Within the first year of operation under state management, Ukrnafta will receive a UAH 95 billion (US$2.5 billion) income, which exceeds an average annual index twice over the past decade.

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Ukraines ruling Servant of the People political party has suspended the membership of Andriy Odarchenko MP, after he was detained for attempted bribery, RFE/RL reported on Nov. 23, citing the partys press service.

The decision was reportedly made by the leader of the party's parliamentary faction, David Arakhamia.

Read also: Servant of the People MP Anatolii Hunko caught accepting bribe  reports

This is a standard procedure we apply in such cases, said a party spokesperson.

The final decision regarding him [Odarchenko] will be made based on the investigation results. However, we want to emphasize once again that, as in previous cases, no one will be shielded [from responsibility]. Political responsibility has already occurred. The next steps are up to the anti-corruption authorities," said a party spokesperson.

Read also: Ukraine plans to use transparency to eliminate corruption in food procurement for the military

On Nov. 21, Odarchenko was charged with attempting to bribe Mustafa Nayyem, the head of Ukraine's State Agency for Restoration and Infrastructure Development. According to the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO), Nayyem cooperated with the investigation.

Read also: Ukraine to pay first ever whistleblower reward in $6 million bribe case

According to the prosecution, the MP sent $10,000 worth of bitcoin to the official's cryptocurrency wallet. In return, he allegedly expected the agency to allocate funds for the restoration of the Kharkiv State Biotechnology University, which he formerly headed and continues to influence.

The charge carries a potential sentence of five to ten years' imprisonment.

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An underground hospital has been set up in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, featuring wards, an intensive care unit equipped with oxygen, and a fully functional operating room, Dnipropetrovsk Regional Military-Civil Administration head, Serhiy Lysak, shared on Facebook.

Multimedia relaxation zones are arranged in the corridors along with adequate reserves of water, medications, and food. The facility has Wi-Fi, and alternative energy sources are installed.

Efforts to establish the hospital began at the onset of the full-scale invasion. UNICEF later joined the efforts. International partners contributed to the shelter's renovation, providing the capability to conduct urgent operations under any circumstances.

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The Great Smoky Mountain Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals has presented United Cleanup Oak Ridge (UCOR) with the 2023 Outstanding Corporate Philanthropist Award.

UCOR team accepts Corporate Philanthropist award in November 2023. From left: Darris Upton, Eric Abelquist, Sonya Johnson, Mike Koentop (Department of Energy), Ken Rueter, Shannon Potter, Pat Timbes, Chris Caldwell, Sandra Fairchild.

UCOR is the Department of Energys lead environmental cleanup contractor in Oak Ridge tasked with removing unused, Manhattan Project-era facilities across the Oak Ridge Reservation.

The award, presented at the organizations National Philanthropy Day Luncheon, recognizes UCOR for its outstanding community spirit and commitment to the goals of building a better community for all citizens, a news release said.

We want to ensure that cleanup work in Oak Ridge doesnt negatively impact nearby communities. Our philosophy is to be an active corporate partner in the diverse communities where we conduct business, UCOR President and CEO Ken Rueter said in the release.

UCORs philanthropy focus areas are childrens advocacy; education and workforce development; health and wellness, with an emphasis on behavioral and mental health; conservation and historic preservation; and economic development through civic, stakeholder, and labor partnerships, according to the release.

Under these areas, UCOR has developed long-term partnerships, including East Tennessee Childrens Hospital, Second Harvest, Emory Valley Center, Legacy Parks, Methodist Medical Center, and the Roane County NAACP Freedom Fund. In the education and workforce development arena, UCOR annually sponsors a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) mini-grants program. Last year, that program provided $40,000 to teachers in 28 schools, the release said.

In fiscal year 2023, UCOR donated more than $300,000, according to the release. Over the course of the companys 12-year history, UCOR has contributed in excess of $3.7 million in donations and sponsorships alone. In addition, many of UCORs leaders, managers, and frontline workers personally support charitable organizations.

To UCOR, philanthropy is about more than writing a corporate check  our employees volunteer their personal time and treasure in dozens of worthy causes in our region, Rueter said.

UCORs 2,200 workers are dedicated to safely reducing environmental risk on the Oak Ridge Reservation while helping DOEs Office of Science and the National Nuclear Security Administration continue their missions. Info: UCOR.com.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: UCOR named 2023 Outstanding Corporate Philanthropist
Editors note: This article was first published on Sept. 11, 2023.

There is an old wives tale that suggests cockroaches would be the only creatures to survive nuclear winter. That will not be the case, however, if the U.S. Army has anything to say about indestructible innovation.

For nearly two decades now, the service has crafted the shelf stable sandwich in flavors such as barbecue chicken, barbecue beef, nacho cheese, bacon cheddar, and Italian pocket. And while that last one sounds like something sewn into a silk robe worn by Robert De Niro, its actually more like a pepperoni and sausage hot pocket  and is hopefully a little less crunchy than those pesky insects.

The demand for these seemingly indestructible heroes for heroes, which are currently included in the First Strike Ration, arose out of a need for more on-the-go eats. And though a number of Meals-Ready-to-Eat menu items could be used to construct a sandwich, that would take time ... and some serious ratf***ing.

Instead, the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Systems Center in Massachusetts invested in a dehydration process involving humectants, which eliminate the potential for the dreaded scourge of soggy bread. After the sandwiches are made, theyre then stored in foil tri-laminated pouches that absorb oxygen and prevent the food from breeding bacteria.

For those curious non-military folks and doomsday preppers, the good news is that these tasty morsels are available at places like Walmart and Bass Pro Shops, according to the Army.

Whatever your background, these make the perfect snack for nuclear winter  as long as you arent planning to live more than three years after the apocalypse. The shelf stable sandwich  unfortunately  does have a shelf life.
(Bloomberg) -- American and Chinese officials are working to bring back more passenger flights between the worlds two largest economies, another sign of progress following deals struck last week between Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping in California.

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Civil Aviation Administration of China chief Song Zhiyong held talks with the US ambassador Nicholas Burns Tuesday in Beijing, the regulator said in a statement on Wednesday. The duo had in-depth discussions on significantly increasing flights and enhancing cooperation between the two countries civil aviation sectors across the board, the Chinese readout added.

Read More: China Weighs Ending Freeze on Boeing With 737 Max Deal in US

Burns described his meeting with Song as productive in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. Aviation connects us all, and US firms enable that connectivity in China and the world, he added.

The Hong Kong-listed shares in Chinas biggest airlines traded lower Thursday. As of 9:41 a.m. local time, China Southern Airlines Co. declined 1%, China Eastern Airlines Corp fell 0.8% and Air China Ltd. was down 0.7%. The benchmark Hang Seng Index dropped 0.7%.

Bidens Nov. 15 talks with Xi on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit had yielded progress in repairing strained ties in the bilateral relationship, hailing agreements to restore high-level military communications, combat fentanyl and open a dialogue over artificial intelligence. The meeting also saw an agreement to substantially increase flights between the two countries early next year, according to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Shortly after the summit, Air China Ltd. announced it will resume flights to Washington and increase its service to Los Angeles starting this month.

Flights between the US and China, which averaged 340 a week before Covid-19 sent the world into lockdowns, were slow to return after pandemic controls lifted. American officials said last month that flights between the countries would increase to 70 a week in early November.

Song also attended the US-China Aviation Cooperation Program reception held at Burnss residence and addressed an audience of more than 100 that included officials from aviation regulators in both countries as well as representatives from Boeing Co. including its China head Alvin Liu and other firms. China is encouraging American aviation businesses to invest and expand in the country, he said.

--With assistance from Foster Wong.

(Adds Chinese airline share prices in fourth paragraph.)

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Well before Washington banned Nvidia's exports of high-performance graphic processing units to China, the country's tech giants had been hoarding them in anticipation of an escalating tech war between the two nations.

Baidu, one of the tech firms building China's counterparts to OpenAI, has secured enough AI chips to keep training its ChatGPT equivalent Ernie Bot for the "next year or two," the firm's CEO Robin Li said on an earnings call this week.

"Also, inference requires less powerful chips, and we believe our chip reserves, as well as other alternatives, will be sufficient to support lots of AI-native apps for the end users," he said. "And in the long run, having difficulties in acquiring the most advanced chips inevitably impacts the pace of AI development in China. So, we are proactively seeking alternatives."

Other deep-pocketed Chinese tech companies have also been taking proactive measures in response to U.S. export controls. Baidu, ByteDance, Tencent and Alibaba collectively ordered around 100,000 units of A800 processors Nvidia to be delivered this year, costing them as much as $4 billion, the Financial Times reported in August. They also purchased $1 billion worth of GPUs that are scheduled for delivery in 2024.

Such heavy upfront investments could easily deter many startups from entering the LLM race. Exceptions do exist if the young business manages to secure handsome investments quickly. 01.AI, which was founded in late March by prominent investor Kai-Fu Lee, acquired a substantial number of high-performance inference chips through loans and has already paid off its debt after raising capital that valued it at $1 billion.

With its reserve of GPUs, Baidu recently launched the Ernie Bot 4, which Li claimed is "not inferior in any respect to GPT-4."

Rating LLMs is tricky thanks to the sheer complexity of these AI models. Many Chinese AI firms have resorted to ranking boosting by diligently fulfilling the criteria of LLM charts, but the effectiveness of these models when applied to real applications real-life is still pending judgment.

Smaller AI players, lacking the cash flow to hoard chips, will have to settle for less powerful processors that aren't under U.S. export controls. Alternatively, they can await potential acquisition opportunities. Li expects that with a confluence of factors, including the scarcity of advanced chips, high demand for data and AI talent, and huge upfront investments, the industry will soon transition into a "consolidation stage."
Senior CPC official meets Japanese guests

Xinhua) 08:37, November 23, 2023

Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, meets with a delegation led by Natsuo Yamaguchi, leader of Japan's ruling coalition party Komeito, in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 22, 2023. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei)

BEIJING, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- Cai Qi, a senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC) met on Wednesday with a delegation led by Natsuo Yamaguchi, leader of Japan's ruling coalition party Komeito.

This year marks the 45th anniversary of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship Between China and Japan.

Cai, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, called on the two ruling parties to implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, accurately grasp each other's development and strategic intentions, promote positive and friendly mutual understanding, and work together to build China-Japan relations that meet the requirements of the new era.

He also clarified China's position on issues such as history, the Taiwan question and the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water from the Fukushima power plant.

Yamaguchi said that the Komeito Party is willing to uphold the conviction of its founder Daisaku Ikeda, who was firmly committed to the friendly relations between Japan and China, actively promote exchanges and cooperation between the two countries in various fields, give full play to the role of the exchange mechanism of the ruling parties, properly handle differences, and promote the improvement and development of bilateral relations.

Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, meets with a delegation led by Natsuo Yamaguchi, leader of Japan's ruling coalition party Komeito, in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 22, 2023. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei)

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 23)  The 17 Filipino seafarers taken hostage by Yemens Houthi rebels are safe and will hopefully be freed soon as the Israel and Hamas deal for a four-day truce takes effect on Thursday, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.

It should do some positive notes if it works out because the Houthi rebels have assured, from what we understand, they have spoken to the crewmen who were taken of all countries to assure them that they will not be harmed. Its time for diplomacy to work, DFA Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega told CNN Philippines The Source.

The Filipino seafarers are part of the 25 crew members taken hostage by the Houthi on Nov. 19. The group allegedly backed by Iran has said it will attack all ships belonging to Israel. Israel has denied any connection to the vessel.

De Vega said all indications show the Filipinos are not being harmed by the rebels, and one of the Filipino crew was even able to contact his family.

The DFA official added they are reaching out to governments to hopefully talk to the rebels.

Meanwhile, two Filipinos remain missing after the Hamas' surprise attack against Israel in October.

De Vega said one of them is a male who is likely among those taken hostage. The other one is a female who was either taken by the Hamas or killed during the Oct. 7 attack.

CNN reported that Israel and Hamas have agreed to a four-day truce in exchange for the militant groups release of at least 50 women and children hostages.

The DFA official said they told Israeli authorities that they hope Filipinos will be among those released first if a deal is made.

More hostages could be released if the truce continues beyond four days, he added.
Signage is seen at the headquarters of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday said it struck down the Biden administration's decision to deny small refiners "hardship waivers" that exempt them from nation's biofuel mandates, in a win for the refining industry.

In July, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) denied almost all outstanding petitions from oil refiners that argued the federal requirement that they blend ethanol and other biofuels into their fuel would cause them financial hardship.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit found in favor of refineries that challenged the EPA's decision, including Ergon, Calumet Shreveport and Placid.

The court said in its 38-page decision that the EPA's rejection of the waiver requests was "impermissibly retroactive; contrary to law; and counter to the record evidence".

Under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), oil refiners must blend billions of gallons of biofuels into the nation's fuel mix, or buy tradable credits from those that do.

The EPA can, however, award exemptions to some small refiners if they prove that the obligations cause them undue harm.

The biofuel industry, including producers of corn-based ethanol, have fought the small refinery waiver program for years, arguing that it has been overused in a way that helps the oil industry but hurts American farmers.

Refiners, meanwhile, have long argued that the nation's ethanol mandates impose unfair costs on fuel producers, and can threaten the viability of small plants.

(Reporting by Heather Timmons; Editing by Mrigank Dhaniwala)
During the Cold War, the US had the capacity to fight two wars simultaneously.

Amid rising global conflict, US military planning is again under scrutiny.

An analyst told Business Insider that US had shifted its doctrine in response to new threats.

At the summit of US power, the Pentagon had a clear task: ensure the US could fight and win against two adversaries at the same time.

That strategy enabled America to deter the Soviet Union and its allies and emerge triumphant from the decades-long Cold War. It then fought in Afghanistan and Iraq simultaneously in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.

But a recent proliferation in threats facing the US, ranging from terror groups to a resurgent China, has prompted a rethink.

A shift after the Soviet collapse

US Army 3rd Division 3-7 Bradley fighting vehicles took up a position along a road on March 19, 2003, inside the demilitarized zone between Kuwait and Iraq. Scott Nelson

After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the US cut its military spending with the world seemingly headed toward a new era of stability.

The Pentagon retained the ability to battle two adversaries at once, a capacity tested after the 9/11 terror attacks when the US invaded Afghanistan and Iraq in a bid to reshape the region and reduce the threat of Islamist militants.

But toward the end of the 2000s, the US faced daunting new threats, and Pentagon officials began redrawing their plans.

The threat from China and Russia

Chinese soldiers practice marching in formation ahead of military parade to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China ON September 25, 2019 in Beijing, China. Pool

Now, the Pentagon faces the possibility of war with resurgent major powers Russia and China which can deploy huge militaries and sophisticated weapons.

Over the past decade, both have signaled their hostility to the US' global dominance, and their willingness to extend their power by force, with Russia waging a campaign to conquer US ally Ukraine and China menacing Taiwan with invasion.

They've made the prospect of the US triumphing in two simultaneous conflicts increasingly improbable, unless it massively increases its defense spending and expands its military, Raphael Cohen, an analyst with the RAND Corporation think tank told BI.

"That's going to be a hard sell in this political climate," said Cohen.

"Fighting two wars simultaneously: That's a fairly sizable commitment, particularly once powers become on the scale of China or Russia," he continued.

A new doctrine

The US military had been stretched when fighting at the same time in Afghanistan and Iraq. It prompted a 2009 rethink of US military doctrine under President Barack Obama that was rubber-stamped by then-President Donald Trump and later President Joe Biden.

Instead of winning two wars, it's now committed to being able to win against one major adversary such as China, and to present a serious deterrent to attacks from other enemies, Cohen said.

The Pentagon's 2022 US National Defense Strategy, the most recent, commits the US to being able to "prevail in conflict" yet still "deter opportunistic aggression elsewhere."

In planning for the possibility of a new world war, the US must look at the global picture.

The US has long relied on its enemies being divided, and unlikely to join forces to attack the US simultaneously.

But China, Russia, Iran, and other US adversaries are drawing closer together, sharing weapons technology and drawing up new alliances, magnifying their threat.

In a worst-case scenario in which various nation-state adversaries of the US attacked simultaneously, the US would likely be fighting alongside its allies in various regions.

European allies could help to push back Russia, allies in the Middle East, such as Israel or some Arab states, would fight against Iran, while US allies in the Pacific region, such as Australia and Japan, would likely play an important role in repelling Chinese aggression, said Cohen.

The Ukraine war is providing important new lessons to the US in what it and its allies need to do to prepare for this scenario, said Cohen.

For example, both Russia and Ukraine have burned through vast amounts of ammunition in the conflict, highlighting the need for the US to increase defense industrial capacities to support allies.

"That's still an expensive proposition," but one less expensive than vastly expanding the US military, said Cohen.

Planning to counter today's threats, said Cohen, comes down not just to military might, but to political will and the careful cultivation of alliances.

"If there's a World War, you know, it won't be the sort of single-handed conflicts that we've sort of gotten used to," he said.

Read the original article on Business Insider
A person in camouflage sits at a computer screen looking at an animation of several rings around Earth denoting spacecraft orbits .

The U.S. Space Force wants to be able to identify and track mysterious objects in orbit.

The Space Force's Space Training and Readiness Command, or STARCOM, which is tasked with educating and training U.S. Space Force personnel, recently published a document titled "Space Doctrine Publication 3-100, Space Domain Awareness" that outlines what space domain awareness (SDA) is and how to establish and maintain it. In a nutshell, SDA means being able to identify, understand, track and maintain custody of all of the various objects in orbit around Earth.

Most of the document describes the need to maintain a safe environment by monitoring and tracking such objects as pieces of space debris, the ever-growing number of commercial satellites, spacecraft operated by adversaries, and "the hazards posed by the space environment and natural debris" such as meteoroids or solar flares.

However, the document goes on to note that operating safely in space also requires "the ability to rapidly identify and respond to threats and hazards, including objects that exhibit abnormal observables and patterns of life and cannot by correlated to any owner or point of origin." So what might these objects be?

Related: US Space Force establishes new unit to track 'threats in orbit'



Most of the time, these are objects launched by other nations. The STARCOM document points out that it is "imperative for the safety of space operations that the United States not only knows where objects and spacecraft are at any given time, but also how they got there, who owns them, their potential capabilities, and their operator's intent."

The publication goes on to outline the many ways this ability can be achieved, including the use of radar systems, infrared and optical sensors, radio frequency monitoring, orbital space weather stations, and by using information produced by the intelligence community.

a graphic showing satellites in orbit and radar stations on Earth

Still, even with the multitude of ways the U.S. Space Force and other organizations keep track of objects in Earth's orbit, recent events demonstrate how some can go unattributed.

In one example from early 2022, a rogue rocket was seen hurtling toward the moon. While most observers noted the rocket was likely a booster from China's Chang'e 5-T1 lunar mission, China itself denied the claim.

China's reusable space plane has also been observed releasing unknown payloads into orbit as recently as October 2022.

Earlier, in 2014, space tracking stations observed an unknown object alongside three Russian satellites. It was believed to be either an anti-satellite device or an inspector spacecraft, but it ultimately remained unidentified.

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 A Chinese spacecraft has been checking out US satellites high above Earth

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In light of these and other developments, the Space Force is attempting to keep a closer eye on what's going on in orbit. In October 2023, Space Force's Space Systems Command selected several private companies to help accelerate the development of new technologies related to space domain awareness, according to SpaceNews.

Earlier this year, United Launch Alliance launched the Space Force's secretive Silent Barker spacecraft, designed to be a "watchdog" over satellites in geosynchronous orbit, the region of space some 22,236 miles (35,786 kilometers) up that allows spacecraft to remain stationary above fixed points on Earth.

And in 2022, the Pentagon created AARO, the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office, whose mission is to attempt to detect, identify and attribute "anomalous, unidentified space" objects, as well as those in air or water, or those that appear to travel between these domains. So far, the office has found "no credible evidence" that any of these anomalous objects are extraterrestrial in origin.

But despite the need for more awareness of what is in space and who might be operating it, "space domain capabilities for space awareness are still lagging," Space Force's Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman said in April 2023.
The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said the USS Thomas Hudner, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, shot down multiple one-way attack drones in the Red Sea on Thursday morning.

On the morning (Yemen time) of November 23, the USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116) shot down multiple one-way attack drones launched from Houthi controlled areas in Yemen, CENTCOM posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The drones were shot down while the U.S. warship was on patrol in the Red Sea.

Officials said the ship was not damaged and no crew members were injured.

Tensions in the region have increased since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.

Yemens Houthi rebels seized an Israeli-linked cargo ship in the Red Sea shipping route Sunday and took its 25 crew members hostage, officials said. The group said the ship was hijacked over its connection to Israel, and vessels in international waters would continue to be targeted.

The Houthi rebels also recently claimed missile and drone attacks targeting Israel, drawing their main sponsor, Iran, closer to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, The Associated Press noted.

The Houthis are currently in a cease-fire amid a civil war with the Yemeni government.

A Houthi military spokesman said on X that armed forces will continue military operations until Israel ends its war against the militant Palestinian group Hamas.

A deal was reached earlier this week to release 50 women and children who were kidnapped in Hamass initial surprise attack on Israel and pause fighting for four days to allow for the safe transfer of hostages, the release of 150 prisoners in Israel and the delivery of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.

Israeli officials said the cease-fire has been delayed until at least Friday after hitting a last-minute snag. The temporary pause in fighting is not expected to take effect until Friday, which is one day later than originally planned.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Families and friends of hostages held in Gaza call for Netanyahu to bring them home during a demonstration in Tel Aviv on November 21. - Ariel Schalit/AP

US officials have a working list of 10 hostages that they believe are likely to be released from Gaza on day one, a source familiar told CNN. It was not clear whether any of the three American hostages  including 3-year-old Abigail Edan  would be released on the first day.

The working list consists of 10 individuals who Hamas had proposed releasing earlier in the negotiations. The list consists of information like gender, nationality and age, but the names of the individuals were never offered.

The deal is structured in such a way that each day, a group of hostages to be released would be handed off to the Red Cross; the Red Cross would then take the group to a designated border point, which will largely depend on the location of those hostages, the source familiar said. Many of the first 50 hostages are expected to come out through Egypt, they said.

The first two days of the hostage release will be treated as a testing period, a source said, to make sure the process is working. By day three, there is expected to be intense discussions about the potential second phase of the hostage release beyond the initial group of 50.

The first swap is the most crucial to see that the mechanism is working as was agreed, the source said.

A source familiar with how hostages are expected to leave Gaza told CNN that the first swap had been expected to take place on Thursday. However, the Israeli National Security Council said later that the pause would be delayed and no hostages are expected to be released before Friday.

Talks to release our hostages are advancing and are ongoing. The start of the release process will take place according to the original agreement between both sides, and not before Friday, Israels National Security Council said in a statement.

A senior US official said Wednesday evening that more time was needed to iron out details related to the locations and routes of each of the hostages as well as the logistics of moving them. A decision was made to wait one extra day to minimize things going wrong, said the official, who added Israel made the decision together with Qatar and Egypt, and that the US was consulted on and agreed with the decision.

Fifty Israel hostages  including some with dual nationalities  are expected to be released over the four-day pause, with a minimum of 10 hostages to be released each day. Under the terms of the deal, the Israeli Cabinet Secretariat said 150 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails would also be released in four stages over four days.

Every evening before the next days release Israel and Hamas will give the Red Cross the list of hostage and prisoner names being released.

Hostages will be brought by the Red Cross to Rafah where they will be met by specially trained Israeli soldiers. They will verify that the hostages released were the people expected and on the list. The families of the hostages will not be notified until the identities of those released have been confirmed.

Hostages will then be taken by helicopter to several designated hospitals in Israel where there will be special areas and rooms for them, closed to the public. There, their families will finally be able to see them after more than six weeks in captivity.

The Red Cross is expected to be able to visit and offer medical support to the hostages that remain in Gaza as part of the deal, the source said.

Biden administration hopeful release process to begin Friday

National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement Wednesday night that the Biden administration was hopeful the hostage release process would begin Friday morning as the parties were working out final logistical details.

The deal was agreed and remains agreed. The parties are working out final logistical details particularly for the first day of implementation, Watson said. It is our view that nothing should be left to chance as the hostages begin coming home. Our primary objective is to ensure that they are brought home safely. That is on track and we are hopeful that implementation will begin on Friday morning.

White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Brett McGurk confirmed earlier Wednesday that three US hostages  Edan and two women  are expected to come home as part of the 50 hostages released by Hamas. A total of 10 Americans are believed to be hostages.

I was asked earlier do we know if the 50 are alive and well. We understand theyre alive, but theyre certainly not well, McGurk told CNNs Boris Sanchez on CNN News Central. These 50 women, children and toddlers, its just unimaginable what theyve gone through, but were gonna make sure that they get the care they need when they come home.

McGurk suggested that the humanitarian pause and hostage releases could continue beyond the initial four-day period, saying they do have some assurances on this.

For this humanitarian pause to continue, we have to see more hostages coming out, he said. We do have some assurance that even beyond the four-day period, on day five, day six, we will meet that benchmark to extend the humanitarian pause at least by those period of days, but I cant guarantee that.

We have to see, he said, and again, were dealing with Hamas, a terrorist group here, whos holding toddlers and babies at the other end of the table.

Asked whether there are concerns around the release of the Palestinian prisoners, McGurk said that the Israelis are balancing a number of different objectives and risks and they determined that the release of the Palestinian prisoners in this circumstance, after a full debate within their government, was the way to proceed.

A senior Israeli official previously told CNN that there was a 24-hour window following the announcement of the deal for appeals to be lodged with the court.

The Israeli Supreme Court rejected a challenge, clearing any legal objection in Israel to the execution of the hostage deal.

The Almagor association, which was set up in 1986 to represent victims of terror, had argued that the governments decision, among a series of objections, intensified the risk of the recurrence of serious acts of terrorism to which all the citizens and residents of the country are exposed.

The court said it rejected the petition outright on the grounds that the hostage deal is a clear political issue to which this court does not consider its involvement as necessary.

Focus will shift to other groups after expected release of women, children

After the expected release of the women and children hostages held by Hamas begins, focus will turn to the other groups being held in the Gaza Strip, the release of whom is expected to be harder to secure, sources said.

Women and children have been the first priority to get released and if that is successful, it will leave men, Israeli soldiers and the remains of those killed  either bodies taken into Gaza on October 7 or those who were killed after.

A source familiar with the negotiations said that US and Israeli officials viewed elderly men as being the next category of people that may be easiest to get out of Gaza, followed by foreign national men. Both female and male soldiers were considered the hardest to negotiate out of Gaza, the source added. In addition, the parties would also need to work toward retrieving the bodies of those killed that Hamas is believed to be holding.

The negotiation for those categories hasnt started in earnest yet, the source said. As a result of the complexity for the remaining hostages, another source familiar with the discussions confirmed that the others have not been part of the immediate conversations and therefore are on something of a separate track.

Another complicating factor in the case of many of those who would remain, the person added, is that theyre not in Hamas custody but with other groups and individuals.

Israeli soldiers held hostage could give Hamas huge leverage in negotiations. In 2011, Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was exchanged for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners after years of negotiations.

Following mandatory Israeli military service for both men and women, most Israelis become reservists. Hamas had wanted to consider all Israeli women under age 45 as soldiers, given that women have to serve in the Israeli military and are often reservists, the source said. Israel rejected that, and the two sides ultimately agreed that only women in uniform when they were abducted, would be designated as soldiers.

Aside from Israelis, there are kidnapped nationals from other countries, like Thailand and Nepal, whose countries have been in contact with Qatar, since Qatari mediators have been a main point of contact with Hamas, a person familiar with the discussions said.

This headline and story have been updated with additional developments on Wednesday.

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The Navy destroyer Thomas Hudner shot down multiple one-way attack drones Thursday while operating in the Red Sea, the second time the warship has intercepted such drones in the past eight days.

U.S. Central Command said in a brief statement that the drones were launched by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.

The ship and crew sustained no damage or injury, CENTCOM said.

On the morning (Yemen time) of November 23, the USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116) shot down multiple one-way attack drones launched from Houthi controlled areas in Yemen. The drones were shot down while the U.S. warship was on patrol in the Red Sea. The ship and crew sustained no pic.twitter.com/TqXuaKsgwe  U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) November 23, 2023

It remains unclear if the attack drones were targeting Hudner when Thursdays intercept occurred.

The destroyer shot down another drone on Nov. 15 that officials also said was launched from Yemen.

That follows fellow destroyer Carney shooting down cruise missiles and drones on Oct. 19 in the Red Sea.

U.S. officials at the time said Iran-allied Houthi rebels in Yemen launched the barrage toward Israel, the same week that U.S. ground forces in Iraq and Syria came under drone attack, incidents that have continued and prompted retaliatory U.S. airstrikes in Syria.
Following a tradition that he has upheld for over 10 years, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and his family took time Wednesday to serve Thanksgiving meals to the city's homeless population.

"We know that there are some people that aren't feeling great this holiday season who don't have what we have. They don't have a warm home to go to and a warm Thanksgiving meal, maybe they don't have family in the area," Cox said.

"We look forward to this every year because it's a chance to get off Capitol Hill and to stand shoulder to shoulder with our friends and get to know new people and listen to their concerns and their challenges and hopefully find solutions."

The annual event  held at the Rescue Mission of Salt Lake  includes a full, sit-down Thanksgiving meal with all the usual fixings, the opportunity for members of the homeless population to get set up with essential winter clothes and shoes, receive free haircuts, medical checkups, as well as COVID-19 and influenza vaccinations.

People were also able to take to-go meals for friends, family and themselves.

Chris Croswhite, executive director at the Rescue Mission, said the mission has hosted the same Thanksgiving banquet for over 20 years.

"Our homeless friends have often been beaten up by life. Frequently, what they need is a little bit of respect, a little bit of hope (and) a dream," Croswhite said. "What our goal is is to help those individuals strive for that highest capacity in life and it will not happen if they don't have dignity, respect and hope."

People wait for a Thanksgiving meal at the Rescue Mission in Salt Lake City on Wednesday. Following a tradition that he has upheld for over 10 years, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and his family took some time Wednesday to serve Thanksgiving meals to Salt Lake City's homeless population. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News

Based on the crowd inside and lined up outside of the mission, hundreds of people participated in Wednesday's banquet.

Both Croswhite and Cox spoke to the importance of volunteers and community support in helping to put on and sponsor the banquet. Croswhite said the mission typically has six to 20 volunteers a day, with that number growing to around 100 on the day of the banquet.

"It is absolutely incredible how the greater Salt Lake area has stepped up to volunteer  although we have a very good relationship with the state and the city and the county, we don't receive any of those funds," Croswhite said. "We are completely dependent upon the local community saying that they believe in the model of the Rescue Mission and they financially sponsor our banquets and they financially sponsor men and women on our recovery program and seeking shelter."

Lt. Gov. Deidre M. Henderson serves Thanksgiving meals at the Rescue Mission in Salt Lake City on Wednesday. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News

In operation since 1972, the Rescue Mission of Salt Lake takes care of Utah's most vulnerable populations in two ways: emergency services and addiction recovery.

Emergency services include day and night shelters for people who are homeless, three hot meals a day, showers, clothing, laundry facilities, transitional housing and employment counseling.

"Our goal, the goal of Salt Lake City, the goal of Salt Lake County  all of us working together  is to make sure that no one spends a night on the streets in the cold, ever," Cox said. "And that there is something better. No matter where we find ourselves, where our friends find themselves, there is something to move forward, to move upward, to help lift them. We have a responsibility to do that."
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The operation to rescue 41 workers trapped inside a tunnel in India's Uttarakhand state has resumed after hitting a snag, officials say.

They hope to free the workers in the next 10-12 hours if things go to plan.

The workers have been inside the tunnel since 12 November after a part of it caved in due to a landslide.

Late on Wednesday, the operation to rescue them was slowed down after a drilling machine encountered a steel structure it could not cut through.

Rescuers had drilled through three-quarters of the debris trapping the workers by that point, and hopes had been high they could be brought out by Thursday morning.

Gas-cutters were then used to slice through the obstacle, which delayed the work by around six hours.

"If everything goes to plan, and there are no impediments, we should complete the rescue by tonight," Atul Karwal, director general of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), told BBC Hindi on Thursday morning.

Mr Karwal added that the authorities were prepared to deal with any obstacles that might come in their way.

"We will get these men out," he said.

Officials established contact with the trapped men hours after the collapse. They have been supplying them with oxygen, dry snacks and water through a pipeline that was laid for supplying water to the tunnel for construction work.

They have also been communicating with them regularly and giving updates on their health.

Officials say they are just a few metres away from the men trapped inside the tunnel

Friends and relatives of the workers are waiting anxiously and have been asking why it is taking so long to get the men out. Earlier this week, some of them were able to get a glimpse of their loved ones through an endoscopic camera inserted inside the tunnel.

On Thursday, Mr Karwal said that Uttarakhand's Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami spoke to the workers in the morning and they seemed to be in good spirits.

"Even they feel they will be rescued soon," he said.

Authorities have been working to send multiple pipes of differing widths through the estimated 60m (197ft) debris wall to create a micro-tunnel through which the workers can be brought out.

Rescuers have been working day and night to reach the trapped workers

But the operation has encountered several delays and obstacles due to loose soil, hard rock and falling debris.

An American-made auger drill was flown in from across the country to drill through the debris, after excavators failed to clear the thick mound of soil and rock. The powerful tool has a spiral shaft at the end that spins to push soil and stones away and make its way into the ground.

Once the final rescue pipe reaches the workers, a doctor will be sent ahead to check on their condition.

Ambulances have been kept on standby outside the tunnel. Officials say the aim is to pull the workers out to safety and shift them to the nearby hospital as quickly as possible.

BBC News India is now on YouTube. Click here to subscribe and watch our documentaries, explainers and features.
MANOR, Texas - Four people are in custody after a vehicle was stolen in Manor.

Manor police, DPS aircraft and TCSO K-9 units were out searching the Carriage Hills and Bell Farms neighborhoods Wednesday morning after a man in a red jumpsuit ran from a stolen vehicle.

Three others, who were inside the vehicle when it stopped, were taken into custody.

Police say two of the four people who were taken into custody are now facing charges including, but not limited to, auto theft.

MORE CRIME NEWS:

The incident is still under investigation.
FILE PHOTO: Undocumented migrants remain stuck in Chile after Peru refused to open its borders to migrants, in Chacalluta area, Arica

(Reuters) - Venezuelan authorities rejected a flight of Venezuelans expelled from Chile trying to enter the country, a top Chilean official said on Thursday.

Chile had chartered a plane to return the Venezuelans to their country of origin, "but a single decision by the Venezuelan aeronautical authority ruined everything," Chilean Deputy Interior Minister Manuel Monsalve told news program 24 Horas.

"They said, 'No, I do not authorize the flight to Venezuela,'" he added.

Venezuela's information ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

To escape Venezuela's prolonged economic and political crisis, at least 7.7 million Venezuelans have left the country in recent years, with around 444,000 settling in Chile, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Monsalve, who did not say how many Venezuelans were on the flight, said the decision to send them back also depended on the Venezuelan government.

He added that, per Chilean law, if the expulsion was not carried out within five days, then the Venezuelans would be released.

(Reporting by Vivian Sequera; Writing by Kylie Madry; Editing by Josie Kao)
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 23)  The House of Representatives on Wednesday approved on third and final reading a measure aimed at preventing the smuggling and proliferation of contrabands inside prison facilities.

House Bill 9153, or the Contraband Detection and Control System Act, seeks 40 years imprisonment and 10 million in fines for inmates found in possession of illegal substances, merchandise, and other contrabands.

The contraband detection and control system will be created by government agencies and local government units. It will include handheld and walk-through metal detectors, X-ray scanners, and K9 units.

Items considered as contraband are illegal drugs, firearms, explosives, alcohol or intoxicating beverages, cigarettes, tobacco products, vapes, currency and monetary instruments, electronic communication devices, and luxury items.

Also tagged as contraband are items that can threaten the safety, security, or health of persons in the correctional institution, and any item that can be used for planning, aiding, or executing the escape of inmates.

The bill also penalizes any person who shall introduce, convey or attempt to introduce dangerous drugs, firearms and explosives.

They will face imprisonment ranging from 20 years and one day to 40 years, and a fine of not less than 5 million but not more than 10 million.

Any public official, jail authority, or employee found in violation will also be given the additional penalty of perpetual absolute disqualification from holding public office and forfeiture of all retirement benefits and accrued leave credits.

In a statement, House Speaker Martin Romualdez said the bill will have a "chilling effect" on persons deprived of liberty (PDLs).

Surigao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Robert Ace Barbers  the principal author of the bill  also said it will hinder inmates involved with drugs inside and outside prison.

"[It] will put a stop to their nefarious activities, where they are transacting drug deals even inside prison," he added.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  The Gresham Police Department is seeking public assistance in their investigation of a stabbing that occurred on Wednesday afternoon, authorities announced.

Officials say the stabbing took place at NE Hogan Rd and NE 19 St around 3:45 p.m. According to police, officers provided care to the victim before medical responders arrived.

Woman shot, killed in Parkrose Heights neighborhood

Available Gresham police officers and assisting Multnomah County Sheriffs Office (MCSO) deputies surrounded the area while an MCSO canine deputy searched the area with a tracking dog. Despite a large police presence and a canine search, the suspect was not located. The victim was transported to an area hospital with critical injuries, police said.

This occurred along a busy road and it is possible there are witnesses that saw the incident or the events leading up to it, added Gresham Detective Tyson Conroy.

Witnesses are asked to call the Gresham police tip line at 503-618-2719. People can also report anonymously at Crime Stoppers of Oregon.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
HANOI (Reuters) - Vietnam's president, Vo Van Thuong, will visit Japan next week, a Vietnamese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Thursday, as the two countries discuss strengthening their relations.

Closer ties would confirm Vietnam's increasingly strategic role as an important link in global supply chains amid trade tension between China and the West, which is helping to bring foreign investment to the southeast Asian country as some companies relocate operations from China.

The elevation of ties with Japan would follow Vietnam's historic upgrade of relations with the United States in September, when the former foes signed multiple cooperation agreements, including on semiconductors and critical minerals.

It may also be followed by a visit to Hanoi by China's President Xi Jinping, who according to officials and diplomats, could travel to Vietnam in December and agree on a joint statement indicating the two countries share a common destiny.

Thuong's visit from Monday to Thursday next week is his first to Japan as president and coincides with celebrations for the 50th anniversary of ties between the Asian countries.

Vietnam classifies Japan as a strategic partner, one notch below China, Russia, South Korea, India and the United States.

Japan is Vietnam's third-largest source of foreign investment and its fourth-largest trading partner.

Several Japanese multinationals have big factories in the southeast Asian manufacturing hub, including Canon, Honda, Panasonic and Bridgestone.

Talks about a possible diplomatic upgrade have been going on for months with officials discussing possible cooperation agreements, diplomats said.

It is not clear whether an upgrade would be announced during Thuong's visit or later.

"The visit will contribute to deepening relations between the two countries in trade, investment and the economy," Vietnam's foreign ministry spokesperson told a press conference, declining to comment about a possible upgrade.

(Reporting by Khanh Vu and Francesco Guarascio; editing by Robert Birsel)
(KRON)  Oakland restaurant AlaMar reported a break-in on Tuesday. The popular uptown eatery posted a video to its Instagram of an apparent burglar making their way behind the counter.

We are extremely sad and angry that we have been violated again, especially close to the holidays. We love Oakland and we want to continue to be here but situations like this make it hard to want to stay here, AlaMar said.

AlaMar did not specify exactly what damages were caused by the burglary. The video shows the suspect grabbing items from behind the counter.

SFO in close contact with federal authorities following explosion at US-Canada border

This is not the first time the restaurant has been targeted by crime, AlaMars post said. On Oct. 29, it posted a picture of its Stomper statue outside the restaurant uprooted and on the ground.

We are still here for the community and we will continue to be resilient, AlaMar said.

AlaMar was founded by Top Chef alum Nelson German, who claims it is the only Dominican restaurant in the Bay Area. It is located just west of Lake Merritt at 100 Grand Ave.

KRON4 reached out to the Oakland Police Department for more on the burglary and is awaiting a response.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4.
Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy tried his hand at a different kind of race on Thanksgiving Day, joining hundreds of runners for the 2023 Des Moines Turkey Trot.

Ramaswamy ran the 5K while pushing his son in stroller and said afterward he experienced a sense of patriotism in the crowd, even exchanging a fist bump with a runner holding an American flag.

Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy engaging with runners with his son in a stroller after the 2023 Des Moines Turkey Trot Nov. 23, 2023.

"I would say it was an uplifting day," Ramaswamy said after the race. "We're meeting people, have no idea whether they're Republican or Democrat, but they're unified and with their families. Multiple grandparents to grandchildren to parents (are) doing this together, and so that's something that gave me a sense of optimism."

Ramaswamy said he still has a shot in the Iowa Caucuses despite the recent endorsements of Gov. Kim Reynolds and Iowa evangelical leader Bob Vander Plaats for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

"I think it's entirely unsurprising, I mean, everybody from the start of this race saw those (endorsements) coming," Ramaswamy said. "That didn't surprise anybody, but what I'm seeing on the ground (is that) this is gonna be decided by the people; this is gonna be bottom up."

Ramaswamy, who has held roughly 22 events across Iowa in the past week alone, said most of the attendees at his events have never even been to a caucus before.

"I think we're poised to deliver a major surprise, and I think that's going to be great to propel us to the rest of the race," Ramaswamy said.

Ramaswamy said he had not planned to run a 5K as part of the campaign but before hitting the trail he regularly ran.

Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy pushed his son in a stroller through the 2023 Des Moines Turkey Trot Nov. 23, 2023.

"I've always believed that physical fitness is a good ticket to mental health fitness," Ramaswamy said. "(I) want to set a good example for this country and that's what we're doing."

After the race, Ramaswamy said he planned to door-knock and hand out pumpkin pies to supporters before going home for his Thanksgiving meal.

"I think we'll surprise some people with knocking some doors and we have some pumpkin pies ready for them, just to say thank you for the people who are putting in such hard work  not just for this campaign, but it's because they care about this country," Ramaswamy said. "If I can take one day today to say thank you to those who are doing their part, that's what we're going to do for that next phase of the day."

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Vivek Ramaswamy runs in Thanksgiving Turkey Trot in Des Moines
By Yimou Lee and Fabian Hamacher

TAIPEI (Reuters) -Talks between Taiwan's two main opposition parties on forming a joint presidential bid teetered on collapse on Thursday after a dramatic showdown broadcast live on television in which party leaders bickered and revealed sensitive private conversations.

The dramatic scenes came less than a day before the opposition has to register its presidential candidates with the election commission ahead of the Jan. 13 polls, which are happening as China steps up its military pressure to try and force the island to accept Beijing's sovereignty claims.

The opposition Kuomintang (KMT) and much smaller Taiwan People's Party (TPP), both campaigning to forge better ties with China, had previously agreed to work together against the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) but had made no progress on plans for a united presidential ticket.

Added to the mixture has been Terry Gou, the billionaire founder of major Apple supplier Foxconn who is standing as an independent but has also not registered his candidacy and had this week been trying to bring the KMT and TPP together.

Gou on Thursday invited the KMT's presidential candidate Hou Yu-ih and TPP's candidate Ko Wen-je to meet at a Taipei luxury hotel to bash out their differences. Hou initially refused to go, but then turned up with KMT Chairman Eric Chu and former president Ma Ying-jeou, a senior KMT member, in tow.

The five then gathered in a conference room where they had invited reporters and proceeded to argue and reveal previously confidential conversations in public in footage shown live on Taiwanese television stations.

In one of the most dramatic moments, Hou read out a private text message from Ko in which Ko said Gou needed to "find a reason" to drop out of the presidential race.

Ko sat stony faced as Hou continued to read out other messages, and when finally given the chance to respond said that reading out private messages was not something presidential candidates do.

After more than an hour of talks and further arguments, the KMT team walked out.

But the party subsequently said talks had not broken down.

KMT spokesperson Yang Chih-yu told reporters that despite senior party leaders being "greatly humiliated in public" during the meeting, the KMT will continue to work hard to make the joint ticket happen.

"The KMT will not give up until the last moment," she said.

Following that press conference, the TPP announced that Ko would register his candidacy to be president with the election commission on Friday morning, along with a running mate the party did not identify.

Gou, who stepped down as chairman of iPhone maker Foxconn in 2019, did not answer reporter questions as he left the room and it remains unclear if he will register for president on Friday.

The DPP, meanwhile, has been powering ahead in its campaign having registered its presidential ticket on Tuesday - current Vice President Lai Ching-te who is leading the polls, and his running mate Hsiao Bi-khim, previously Taiwan's high-profile de facto ambassador to the United states.

Hsiao, speaking to international media earlier on Thursday, discussed the sanctions China has placed on her - Beijing believes both she and Lai are dangerous separatists - and the importance of dialogue.

"It's also important that the international community, who also agrees with our position in continuing peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, make clear to our counterparts across the Taiwan Strait that dialogue is the only way to resolve differences. War is not an option," she said.

(Reporting by Yimou Lee and Fabian Hamacher; Writing by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Jacqueline Wong, Robert Birsel, Alexandra Hudson)
Editors note: This story contains details that may be disturbing.

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  A Washington County man was formally sentenced in U.S. District Court to seven months of already-served jail time on Nov. 16 for threatening to shoot up a local elementary school in May of 2022.

Local authorities arrested 27-year-old Braeden Richard Riess on May 16, 2022, for sending threatening emails to a federal office in Langley, Virginia between May 5 and May 15. In the emails, Riess threatened to kill Middleton Elementary School students and himself because he believed that time travelers were hacking his video games, FBI Special Agent Francisco Rivera stated in an affidavit.

Due to the terroristic, cruel, and extremely unusual hacking done to me, I will be walking into [Middleton Elementary School], shooting dead every person I see, and then continuing until Im dead, an email from Riess reads, according to Riveras affidavit.

The students at [Middleton Elementary School] will die brutal, painful, bloody cruel deaths, this is not a joke, another email reads.

Over $9K lost in phone scam impersonating MultCo Sheriffs Office deputies

Some of these emails were sent from varying spoof email accounts like thisisnotajoke@imbeingserious.com, but were signed using Riess name. During his arrest, Riess allegedly admitted to sending the emails and owning a gun. However, he told authorities that he didnt actually intend to commit the crimes, Rivera said in a sworn statement.

At the time the threats were made, Riess appeared to be suffering from serious mental health issues, prosecutors stated in court documents. Following his arrest, he was diagnosed with Schizophrenia and was admitted to the Oregon State Hospital for approximately 30 days of rehabilitation.

Riess was released from federal pretrial supervision on Dec. 22, 2022, and was transferred to the Northwest Residential Reentry Center in Portland after serving seven months and five days in the Washington County Jail. On March 21, a doctor determined that Riess was no longer displaying symptoms of delusions and his mental condition appeared to be under control, court documents filed by the prosecution state.

At his Nov. 16 hearing, U.S. Chief District Court Judge Marco A. Hernandez sentenced Riess to time served for interstate communication of a threat  a federal felony. The judge also gave Riess three years of federal probation and ordered him to participate in a mental health treatment program.

Prior to the federal ruling, local prosecutors attempted to charge Riess with six misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct and one felony count of criminal mischief. However, Washington County District Attorney Kevin Barton said that the charges were dismissed due to a lack of local laws that address threats of mass violence.

Because Oregon law does not provide sufficient means to address threats of mass violence, this office reached out to the U.S. Attorneys Office to refer the case for federal prosecution, Bartons office stated in a press release. Oregon law does not provide an adequate means to address threats of mass violence to public places such as schools or places of worship.

1 man dead after Tuesday night shooting in Cully neighborhood

Barton said that he is actively working with local lawmakers to create new legislation in 2024 that would address the type of threats that Riess made against Washington Countys elementary school students.

I am grateful for the assistance in this case from the U.S. Attorneys Office to keep our Washington County community safe, Barton was quoted as saying in a press release. Now we must ensure that lawmakers act without delay to fix the gap in Oregon law so that we can send a clear message that threats of mass harm to locations such as schools and places of worship will not be tolerated.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
The second test flight of SpaceX's Starship was a photogenic one.

On Saturday (Nov. 18), the massive Starship rocket launched for the second time ever, lifting off from SpaceX's Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas. The Super Heavy booster of the 400-foot-tall (122 meters) rocket exploded shortly after stage separation, while the upper-stage Starship vehicle reached an altitude of 91 miles (148 kilometers), well above the 62-mile (100 km) boundary of space before it, too, experienced what SpaceX refers to as a "rapid unscheduled disassembly."

Despite both parts of the vehicle exploding, SpaceX considers the test flight a success. "All 33 Raptor engines on the Super Heavy Booster started up successfully and, for the first time, completed a full-duration burn during ascent," SpaceX wrote in a recent mission update.

As spaceflight fans and photographers around Boca Chica pointed their cameras to the skies to document the spectacle, Scott Ferguson of Astronomy Live was watching from much farther away with a different kind of instrument: A telescope. Observing from the village of Islamorada in the Florida Keys, Ferguson captured an incredible view of Starship's upper stage as it exploded in suborbital space.

Related: SpaceX's 2nd Starship launch test looks amazing in these stunning photos and videos

a highly zoomed-in view of a silver rocket in the upper atmosphere

Ferguson told Space.com via email how he captured this incredible footage.

"I had planned this shot for the last couple of years," he wrote. "I came up with the idea when I realized that Starship should fly close enough to the Florida Keys to be well above the horizon during the second-stage burn. I wrote a program for tracking rocket launches that I have used many times for filming launches from Cape Canaveral, normally by using a combination of video-based tracking or joystick-based tracking.

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"I realized that Starship would likely launch out of Boca Chica during the day, so I expanded my program's capabilities by writing a predictive tracking feature that uses trajectory predictions from the website FlightClub.io so that the telescope will track where it expects the rocket to be even before it's visible. I still wasn't sure if Starship would reflect enough sunlight to be visible during the day from the Keys, but I decided it was worth the risk.

"On the day of the launch, I called a friend who was watching the launch in person from Boca Chica, so that he could call out the moment of launch and I could sync the start of the tracking to that moment without any internet streaming delay from the webcast. I just had to hope the first stage of the flight went off without a hitch this time; IFT-1 [Starship's first test flight, which launched on April 20] never rose above the horizon for me in Florida, and it wouldn't be until 5 minutes into flight that Starship would even reach the horizon from the Keys. Minute after minute, I kept hearing reports that all the engines were still running on the first stage.

a plume of fire high in the atmosphere as seen through a telescope

"Then the hot staging happened without issue. My excitement kept building. First stage explodes. No issue for me; it did its job sending Starship on its way. Then as Starship rose my heart sank when I could not see anything against the blue sky. Just when I thought it was over, I saw a cloud suddenly appear in the finder camera. I knew it had to be Starship, so I quickly moved the telescope with the joystick to put it in frame.

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"There it was, spinning out of control, spewing clouds of gas in multiple directions. I realized the cloud I saw was probably the flight termination system destroying the vehicle, yet it looked to me like the whole thing was still intact. I thought the flight termination system had failed to blow it up, much like IFT-1. It wasn't until I got home and reviewed the footage that I realized it was just the front nose section and forward flaps that were still relatively intact.

"SpaceX has since asked if I would be willing to provide the video to them, and I have already sent them the stabilized version of the footage. I am just now completing the upload of the original raw file from the camera, so that they can perform their own analysis of the footage."

See more of Scott Ferguson's work at the Astronomy Live YouTube channel or on X (formerly known as Twitter). Ferguson thanks @TechSpatiales on X for his work stabilizing the footage.
WAUPUN, Wis. - A lockdown at Waupun Correctional Institution continues more than a week after Gov. Tony Evers announced changes to ease it.

Amid the ongoing lockdown of nearly 8 months, prisoners told FOX6 News it is a nightmare inside.

Prisoners said they are still locked in their cells for 24 hours a day except a weekly shower and possibly a once-a-week recreation period. They also report eating all of their meals in their cells, not having regular programming, nor being able to have visits from family.

SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News

"Its been horrible. It's like a nightmare here," said inmate Shawn Rowsey. "Six days of the week, were in the room for 24 hours a day."

Rowsey told FOX6 he has not noticed changes in the past week following Evers' announcement.

The Wisconsin Department of Corrections blamed the lockdowns on "repeated threats" and "assaultive behavior."

Wisconsin Department of Corrections (DOC)

State data shows a spike this year in Waupun prisoners assaulting staff. Another problem? Fifty-five percent of its guard jobs aren't filled, and the prison population of 990 is 108 people over capacity.

"Its an irredeemable torture chamber where no one should be forced to live again," said Mark Rice, WISDOM's Wisconsin transformational justice campaign coordinator.

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Evers said the state will use every option to boost staffing, including pay raises for guards. The state also plans to move roughly 220 inmates out, to take pressure off the existing staffing shortage.

"Its disturbing that it took that long for Gov. Evers and the Department of Corrections to make an announcement. Its really not acceptable," said Rice. "Whats happening right now in the prison system is a human rights crisis that should have been addressed many months ago, that should never have happened in the first place."

"I believe they need to close this institution down because they have nothing positive here for any inmate to do. We are criminals, OK, we broke rules or whatever may happen. But, we are supposed to be here for rehabilitation. They dont have anything to rehabilitate us."

Rowsey, who was convicted of killing his brother, told FOX6 about life inside the locked-down prison.

"It messes with you mentally," he said. "Thats like putting us in a cage, not teaching us anything, to be rehabilitated, as in going to school, doing programs, so we can learn from our mistakes and know how to work with situations when they do come, or get a job.

"If we dont have those things, were going to come back into the community, and its going to be worse."

FOX6 asked the Wisconsin Department of Corrections when it would end the Waupun lockdown and when normal recreation  as well as regular showers and in-person classes  would return. A spokesperson said they don't have an exact timeline on any of those, but they are assessing it every day. Waupun Correctional Institution earlier this month did restart religious services.

"I want all of yall to pray for us," Rowsey requested.
An artist's impression of the robot rover, which is designed to search for life on Mars

A scientific instrument built in Wales will lead the search for life on Mars at the end of this decade.

Enfys, meaning "rainbow" in Welsh, is an infrared spectrometer and will be assembled at Aberystwyth University.

It will be fitted to the European Space Agency's Rosalind Franklin rover, which launches to the Red Planet in 2028.

Enfys will work alongside the robot's other camera systems to identify the most promising rocks to drill and test for evidence of ancient biology.

The development cost of 10.7m ($13.4m) is due to be announced by science minister Andrew Griffith at the UK Space Conference in Belfast on Thursday.

The Welsh spectrometer will be replacing an instrument from Russia.

Enfys (white box) sits under the main camera system, Pancam (blue)

Moscow had previously been a partner on the mission but all its hardware was offloaded from the rover by Europe's space agency in protest at the war in Ukraine.

Enfys will be a direct replacement in terms of mass and volume but will carry a number of technical updates.

It will be hung from a mast holding the robot's camera platform, called Pancam, working in unison with high-resolution and wide-angle sensors to survey the Martian landscape.

"We will take a picture with Pancam and get a spectral measurement from Enfys," explained the university's Dr Matt Gunn.

"This will allow us to work out what kind of minerals are in the rocks," he told BBC News, adding: "We'll be interested in the sorts of minerals that formed in wet environments, the kinds of environments that could potentially have harboured life."

Rosalind Franklin is designed to do something no previous Mars rover has attempted, which is to drill and retrieve rock samples from more than a metre underground. It is thought any evidence of present or, more likely, past life will be found beneath the planet's surface, away from the destructive effects of space radiation.

The six-wheeled Franklin robot was first approved way back in 2005. The project has since gone through a number of redesigns and funding crises. The fallout over Ukraine is just the latest setback and means the mission will not get to the launchpad for another five years now.

Much larger Russian components than the infrared spectrometer also need to be substituted with European-sourced elements, not least the rocket mechanism that will land Rosalind Franklin softly at a near-equatorial site on Mars known as Oxia Planum.

The rover will be aimed at Oxia Planum where clay minerals may preserve evidence of past life

The late inclusion of Enfys does have the benefit that its performance requirements can be revisited.

An example is the range of infrared wavelengths in which it will be working.

Previously, there was going to be a gap in sensitivity between what Pancam could detect and what the old Russian spectrometer could see.

Enfys will be set up so that there is a slight overlap.

"We'll now have spectral continuity from Pancam into the infrared, which is light we can't see with our own eyes," said Enfys team member Dr Claire Cousins from the University of St Andrews in Scotland.

"This mission will be very focused on looking for clay minerals, which have the greatest likelihood of preserving organic matter. And these minerals have very specific absorption bands in the infrared that Enfys will be able to see but that Pancam won't."

Dr Matt Gunn will lead Enfys development at Aberystwyth University

Aberystwyth University will be assisted on the new build by the Mullard Space Science Laboratory at University College London, STFC RAL Space in Harwell, Oxfordshire, and Qioptiq Ltd in St Asaph, Denbighshire.

The 10.7m being spent on Enfys brings the total UK investment in the Rosalind Franklin rover to 377m. With other members of Esa and help from the US space agency (Nasa), the total cost of the robot project will be well in excess of 1bn.

Dr Paul Bate, chief executive of the UK Space Agency, said: "The UK-built Rosalind Franklin rover is a truly world-leading piece of technology at the frontier of space exploration. It is fantastic that experts from the UK can also provide a key instrument for this mission, using UK Space Agency funding.

"As well as boosting world-class UK space technology to further our understanding of Mars and its potential to host life, this extra funding will strengthen collaboration across the fast-growing UK space sector and economy."
A social enterprise that picks up unwanted office furniture and redistributes it is in the running for an international award.

Waste to Wonder has helped several charities in Wiltshire to get furniture for free.

The group has won the National Green Champion of Champions Environment Award, making it through to the Green World Awards.

CEO Michael Amos, from Westbury in Wiltshire, said it was "amazing".

"What we've developed over 20 years is essentially an international redistribution service," he added.

The organisation has equipped more than 1,300 schools in 32 countries with their School in a Box programme.

In Wiltshire, Fairfield Farm College, Westbury Community Project, Westbury Area Network and the Hope Nature Centre have all benefitted from Waste to Wonder.

All over the world, they have helped a variety of organisations, from hospitals to primate rescue centres.

Mr Amos told the BBC: "They make use of it in terms of direct use but also they generate funds."

The funds then go towards projects including providing bore wells for clean water.

"So the social impact being realised from what was considered a waste product is quite profound," he said.

The organisation has also prevented more than 2,500 tonnes of equipment every year being wasted.

"We're really flying the flag for companies to not see this stuff as waste. We know that reusing this equipment can have an enormous social impact," Mr Amos explained.

"I would love for schools and charities from Wiltshire and beyond to get in touch with waste to wonder because we provide equipment at no cost to you.

"Almost everything you can imagine in a corporate environment."

The organisation said it had donated more than 30m worth of equipment since 2002.

They were awarded the national Champion of Champions after winning the 'service' category.

They are now entered into the Green World Awards being held in San Paolo Brazil in March 2024.

Follow BBC West on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: bristol@bbc.co.uk
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 23)  The House of Representatives urged the international community to extend assistance for the safe release of crew members, including 17 Filipinos, taken hostage by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea.

"We call on the international community to join us in condemning this act of piracy and to assist in any way possible to resolve this crisis," House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez said in a statement on Thursday.

He said lawmakers in the lower chamber were "deeply concerned" about the news.

READ: 17 Pinoy seafarers among crew taken hostage by Houthi rebels in Red Sea

"This situation demands our immediate and focused attention," he said, adding that they are cooperating with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Marcos said on Wednesday that the safety of the Filipinos was a priority.

A CNN report showed the rebels allegedly backed by Iran seized the vessel for thinking it was an Israeli ship. The Japanese government, however, said it was operated by one of its companies.

Both Israel and Japan said there were no Israelis or Japanese on board the ship.

Earlier reports stated that Iran leads a so-called "axis of resistance," which the Houthis are part of, to oppose Israel.
West Coast leaders are calling on the federal government to reconsider plans to expand a fracked gas pipeline throughout western states.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or FERC, authorized the expansion of the Gas Transmission Northwest XPress fracked gas pipeline in October.

Gov. Jay Inslee was joined at a virtual news conference Wednesday by an attorney for Columbia Riverkeeper, a Hood River, Oregon-based nonprofit organization whose mission is to protect and restore the water quality of the Columbia River and all life connected to it to announce a motion that was filed to reconsider the decision.

Attorneys General of Washington, Oregon and California filed the petition for reconsideration Wednesday.

Were doing so because this FERC decision totally ignores both the legal requirements in the state of Washington and our vision to decarbonize our economy, and wean ourselves off of dangerous toxic methane gas, Inslee said.

The governor said the federal decision to move forward with the project ignores Washington state laws to reduce the use of methane.

It is incredible to us that a federal agency would allow a project to move forward which is diametrically opposed to the policies and the laws of the state of Washington, he said.

The FERC decision is also ignoring another specific requirement, Inslee noted.

It is required to consider the public necessity, and the public interest, and it considered neither fully in regard to this petition, the governor said.

Inslee said that in future years fossil fuels will become stranded assets that will result in rate increases for consumers. He said he believes the decision is bad for consumers from a rate increase standpoint as well as for Washingtons environment.

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, Jeff Merkley, Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell have all opposed the project as well.

A petition was filed yesterday by Columbia Riverkeeper and Rogue Climate, a nonprofit based in Southern Oregon focused on climate issues.

Audrey Leonard, an attorney for Columbia Riverkeeper, said that the petition challenges the approval of the pipeline under the National Environmental Policy Act and the Natural Gas Act.

FERCs approval violates the Natural Gas Act, which requires a finding that the project is in the public interest, she said. FERC ignored our state policies and evidence of declining demand for fracked gas which clearly show that there is not a need for this gas in our region.

The pipeline enters Washington just to the east of Spokane and passes just to the east of the Tri-Cities near the western edge of Walla Walla County.

The governors office said in a news release Wednesday that if the pipeline operates as proposed, it would represent 48% of the regions target greenhouse gas emissions from all sources by 2050.

Inslee previously released a statement in October condemning FERC approval of the pipeline. In the statement he noted that the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission also was opposed to the project.

TC Energy, a pipeline company involved in the plans for expansion, said on their website that the project will upgrade three existing compressor stations on the Gas Transmission Northwest (GTN) system  transporting natural gas since 1962  to meet increasing demand from residential, commercial and industrial customers in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States while also providing supply reliability to the Pacific Northwest and West Coast regions as natural gas supplies coming from the Rockies region of the United States decline.

The Project will ensure ongoing reliability to communities in the Western U.S. in a safe and responsible manner, supplementing renewable energy as required, TC Energy says.
West Coast leaders are calling on the federal government to reconsider plans to expand a fracked gas pipeline throughout western states.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or FERC, authorized the expansion of the Gas Transmission Northwest XPress fracked gas pipeline in October.

Gov. Jay Inslee was joined at a virtual news conference Wednesday, Nov. 22, by an attorney for Columbia Riverkeeper, a Hood River, Oregon-based nonprofit organization whose mission is to protect and restore the water quality of the Columbia River and all life connected to it to announce a motion that was filed to reconsider the decision.

Attorneys General of Washington, Oregon and California filed the petition for reconsideration Nov. 22.

Were doing so because this FERC decision totally ignores both the legal requirements in the state of Washington and our vision to decarbonize our economy, and wean ourselves off of dangerous toxic methane gas, Inslee said.

The governor said the federal decision to move forward with the project ignores Washington state laws to reduce the use of methane.

It is incredible to us that a federal agency would allow a project to move forward which is diametrically opposed to the policies and the laws of the state of Washington, he said.

The FERC decision is also ignoring another specific requirement, Inslee noted.

It is required to consider the public necessity, and the public interest, and it considered neither fully in regard to this petition, the governor said.

Inslee said that in future years fossil fuels will become stranded assets that will result in rate increases for consumers. He said he believes the decision is bad for consumers from a rate increase standpoint as well as for Washingtons environment.

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, Jeff Merkley, Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell have all opposed the project as well.

A petition was filed Nov. 21 by Columbia Riverkeeper and Rogue Climate, a nonprofit based in Southern Oregon focused on climate issues.

Audrey Leonard, an attorney for Columbia Riverkeeper, said that the petition challenges the approval of the pipeline under the National Environmental Policy Act and the Natural Gas Act.

FERCs approval violates the Natural Gas Act, which requires a finding that the project is in the public interest, she said. FERC ignored our state policies and evidence of declining demand for fracked gas which clearly show that there is not a need for this gas in our region.

The pipeline enters Washington just to the east of Spokane and passes just to the east of the Tri-Cities near the western edge of Walla Walla County.

The governors office said in a news release Nov. 22 that if the pipeline operates as proposed, it would represent 48% of the regions target greenhouse gas emissions from all sources by 2050.

Inslee previously released a statement in October condemning FERC approval of the pipeline. In the statement he noted that the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission also was opposed to the project.

TC Energy, a pipeline company involved in the plans for expansion, said on their website that the project will upgrade three existing compressor stations on the Gas Transmission Northwest (GTN) system  transporting natural gas since 1962  to meet increasing demand from residential, commercial and industrial customers in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States while also providing supply reliability to the Pacific Northwest and West Coast regions as natural gas supplies coming from the Rockies region of the United States decline.

The Project will ensure ongoing reliability to communities in the Western U.S. in a safe and responsible manner, supplementing renewable energy as required, TC Energy says.
MEMPHIS, Tenn.  While families and friends count their blessings over a traditional Thanksgiving meal, countless volunteers will serve up food for the homeless in our community.

Dallas Minner got psyched up Wednesday for whats sure to be a long Thanksgiving eve.

Minners home church, Lindenwood Christian, is partnering with Westys bar and restaurant downtown to serve free hot meals to the homeless on Thanksgiving.

Tonight, were going to be cutting four hundred fifty pounds of potatoes, fifty pounds of onions, possibly some cabbage, plan on feeding about 12 hundred people tomorrow, Minner said.

Photo by Spencer Cheveallier, WREG

Photo by Spencer Cheveallier, WREG

Photo by Spencer Cheveallier, WREG

Photo by Spencer Cheveallier, WREG

DeSoto County Dream Center feeds 300 families for Thanksgiving

The number is expected to far exceed 1,200 meals this year. Thats why it takes a U-Haul van to carry just some of whats needed.

Minner said there will be a slight departure this year from the traditional Thanksgiving meal.

This years chicken. We work in whats donated to us, and one of our Operation Bar-b-Q teams members, right now, is one the way to Nashville to pick up chicken that was donated, Minner said.

MemFeast changes tradition to help families the week of Thanksgiving

Jake Shorr, the owner of Westys, said he and Lindenwood Christian Church have teamed up in this Turkey Day labor of love for nearly twenty years.

I always lose track, but I think this is our seventeenth or eighteenth year, and who knew what would happen, he said.

Shorr said he estimates the partnership, which provides meals at both Thanksgiving and Christmas, has served more than 40,000 homeless people through the years. They even continued serving meals during the COVID pandemic.

Turkey talking: Butterball help line is back in action

Our rule is if youre hungry, well feed you, Shorr said. If youre going to be homeless, Memphis is a good place to be homeless. There are many groups of people, many churches, many shelters.

Volunteers are encouraged to help feed the homeless Thursday morning at Westys on North Main in the Pinch District. If you would like to help out, show up around 6:30 a.m. and be prepared to stay until around 2 p.m.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com.
Wichita Falls Police on Wednesday arrested a man they say committed indecency with a child in a Walmart store one year ago.

According to an arrest warrant affidavit, officers were called to the Walmart on Central Expressway about 8 p.m. on Nov. 22, 2022.

No caption

A woman told them she was shopping with her daughters and noticed a bearded man in a black hoodie following them around the store. She said she was returning an item to a shelf when she turned, heard the man say, my bad, and he walked away.

One of her daughters said the man had reached between her legs and touched her. The mother told store employees and an asset prevention officer found the suspect in a restroom stall and made him leave the store. The security worker got a description of the suspects vehicle and police got his image from security footage.

WFPD used facial recognition software to identify the man and traced his vehicle to a picture on his Facebook page. That led them to Edward Peter Leon, 30, who lists an address in Friona.

Police learned Leon faced three charges in New Mexico for Criminal Sexual Contact with a minor.

Leon was booked into the Wichita County Jail on charges of indecency with a child by contact and is held in lieu of $200,000 bail.

This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: WFPD uses facial recognition program to track suspect in indecency with a child in Walmart
Teachers used swearing and poo emojis to criticise vulnerable primary school pupils in a WhatsApp group chat, BBC Scotland News can reveal.

The existence of the chat between staff at Aberdeenshire schools was first revealed last year but the affected pupils' parents were not informed.

The messages have now been obtained by the BBC and show derogatory exchanges about pupils and parents.

Aberdeenshire Council said nobody was put at risk from the messages.

The local authority has apologised for the situation and said the incident was dealt with through the council's disciplinary procedure.

An independent review last year ruled some of the messages were "disparaging" but did not put the children at harm and the council was right not to tell parents about them.

But Nick Hobbs, head of advice and investigations at the Children and Young People's Commissioner Scotland, said the council got it wrong.

He said: "We repeatedly made clear to the council that the children's rights issues engaged went beyond simply child protection.

"Of particular concern was the failure to tell the children and their families about the WhatsApp messages, either at the time or subsequently.

"This decision denied their right to complain, to seek redress, and to receive an apology from the council."

Four-letter swear word

It is understood the independent reviewer into Aberdeenshire Council's handling of the situation did not speak to the commissioner's office during her investigation.

The WhatsApp messages, some of which date back to 2018, include comments about individual children and their behaviour in the classroom.

In one exchange about a pupil with additional support needs, a teacher refers to them as a "complete little" and then uses a four-letter swear word.

The teachers then go on to share their concerns about teaching the pupil again.

whatsapp messages

Elsewhere the pupils' parents also come in for criticism from the teachers.

There is a discussion about individuals' parenting decisions and then exchanges about pupil behaviour and the role of parents in this.

whatsapp messages

In a letter to Aberdeenshire Council in 2021, Scotland's children commissioner said the WhatsApp messages contained "unprofessional, abusive and degrading" references to children with additional support needs who attended schools in the area.

At the time of the first complaint about the messages, Aberdeenshire Council decided, after an internal investigation, not to tell the parents as they ruled the exchanges did not give any child protection concerns.

The council commissioned Mhairi Grant, chairwoman of a child protection committee in a different local authority area, to review its actions last year.

She concluded: "The messages at the centre of this review were indiscreet and at some parts disparaging and certainly not what is expected from a professional working with children.

"However, I do not find that the messages themselves or any commentary therein gave cause for concern that a particular child or children in general had been harmed or were at risk of harm."

'Appropriately and proportionately'

Laurence Findlay, director of education and children's services at Aberdeenshire Council, said he was sorry the incident happened and that it was both "unprofessional and unfortunate".

He said: "As soon as the incident came to light, it was dealt with through the council's disciplinary procedure.

"To parents of pupils at Aberdeenshire schools, it is important you know that the safety of your young people is our top priority.

"No young people were at placed at risk as a result of these messages being sent. This matter was dealt with appropriately and proportionately."
Lovebugs, notorious for their midair mating, are typically rampant twice a year: Once in late April and May and again in late August and September.

But this year, the swarming insects were nowhere to be seen, and Norman Leppla, a professor with the University of Floridas Department of Entomology and Nematology, is getting calls from across the state asking why.

Leppla fell in love with these particular bugs in 1972, when he moved from Arizona to the Sunshine State on a research grant. His first paper on lovebugs, published two years later, studied their behaviors in Paynes Prairie, just outside of Gainesville.

At that point, the lovebug outbreak still was at its peak and Leppla was fascinated by them.

The agglomeration of all his lovebug knowledge is chronicled in Lepplas 2018 article Living with lovebugs. (Hes now considering writing a sequel: Living without lovebugs.)

While questions about the insects are swirling, Leppla said because lovebugs dont contribute much to Floridas ecology, research on their apparent demise would be unlikely to get funding.

The Tampa Bay Times recently spoke with Leppla about what may have happened to Floridas nonessential nuisances.

This conversation has been lightly edited for clarity and length.

When did you realize the lovebugs had disappeared?

I didnt really notice it until about maybe last year or the year before. Theyve just sort of tapered off and this year  or at least this season  I havent seen any. It just seemed like, OK, its a natural variation. But then they didnt rebound and I was very surprised. I have a holly tree outside of my office window, and theyre always abundant there because its a source of nectar. But theres nothing.

Do we know what happened to them?

Well, people are noticing and would like to have answers, but its really not an area where we could get funding to do research. There is quite a bit of concern about declining insect populations. And maybe somebody would want to include (lovebugs) with some studies right now that focus on things like honeybees and pollinators.

And lovebugs arent big pollinators, right?

No. We dont even think of them as pollinators. They are basically thought of as nuisances. Thats a real classification. Its insects that dont bite or sting or transmit diseases or do things that harm other animals and plants.

Those would be nuisances.

Could their disappearance be related to this years drought conditions and record-breaking heat?

Florida is really, really diverse in habitats. Well get rainfall in one area and drought in another 30 miles (away). So theres so much variability in the habitat that that would not account for the lovebug decline.

Theyre pretty hardy, but theyre also in lots of different habitats. So, all in all, there are plenty of ways that we would still have lovebugs in certain parts of Florida.

The larvae can move. If they have a bit of drainage  like on the side of a highway  they can move up and down, so they dont drown or desiccate. They are under things like leaves, cow manure, just plain, decaying plants. So they get a certain amount of protection.

One thing that really would cause them to decline is their attraction to automobile exhaust. But thats never caused them to go away before. I guess the only other thing would be some sort of general pressure.

Its got to be variables that we look at, and thats obviously climate, habitat, pollution. Theyre just standard reasons that we look at and wonder, What happened?

Scientists are warning of an insect apocalypse. Forty percent of all insect species are declining globally, and a third are endangered. Why is this happening?

Its gotten to the point where its alarming. Entomologists are concerned about it, and were doing more and more to try to figure out whats going on, but its just that our habitats are changing. Our climate is changing, and its putting pressure on lots of organisms. Certainly, were tracking all kinds of vertebrates. As you know, populations are declining and habitats going away. Were concerned that insects are part of that problem.

Theyre part of the food chain. I guess even lovebugs have entered it. In the case of lovebugs, theyre invasive. Our ecosystem doesnt depend on them, so theyre not that big of a concern.

Nobody seems like they wanted them to come back, but people are asking. Im surprised theres quite a bit of interest in wanting to know why they went away, and I wish I could give you an answer, but I dont know, either.

Youve studied these insects for decades and seen populations wax and wane. Do you expect them to bounce back?

I dont think so.

This continuous decline for three years indicates that something has changed. The flowers that typically attract them are abundant but the insects are absent.

What could have caused lovebugs to decline in Central Florida? Lovebugs have occurred over a wide geographical area and in a range of habitats. It is unlikely that environmental conditions have changed significantly everywhere in Central Florida. It is more likely that lovebugs have been attacked by a parasite or pathogen. If so, these organisms require hosts for continued reproduction and may not be limited to lovebugs. This hypothesized situation would keep lovebugs from resurging.

Honestly, I cant accurately predict what will happen to lovebugs in Central Florida.

This story was produced in partnership with the Florida Climate Reporting Network, a multi-newsroom initiative founded by the Miami Herald, the South Florida Sun Sentinel, The Palm Beach Post, the Orlando Sentinel, WLRN Public Media and the Tampa Bay Times.
Ready to kick off the Christmas season with a stop to see Santa or an outing to find the perfect evergreen tree to decorate?

You can make either of those activities part of your Thanksgiving week celebrations since at least three area tree farms are open, while Santa has been hearing wish lists at Cabela since the first weekend in November. Through the upcoming weeks, there are several opportunities to combine a visit with Santa while enjoying another holiday event.

OH, CHRISTMAS TREE

Growing Christmas trees is a tough business in Kansas, which is home to only one native evergreen species. And the eastern red cedar is generally not thought of as a Christmas tree. So, farmers end up growing non-native trees that take years to grow, but the drought has been taking its toll on some farms. Most area tree farmers also bring in pre-cut fir trees, primarily the Fraser fir variety, that tend to be a very popular option.

If a Kansas-grown evergreen is on your holiday shopping list, check out these five area farms within an easy drive of Wichita.

Pine Lake Christmas Tree Farm, 6802 S. Oliver St., Derby. Pine Lake has been selling its trees since 1984. It plans to be open through Dec. 20; hours are 2-6 p.m. weekdays, 9 a.m.- 6 p.m. Saturdays and 1-6 p.m. Saturdays. Owners Celia and Glen Goering grow Scotch, Austrian, Virginia, southwestern white and eastern white pine trees, with imported trees also available. More information: 316-258-0088, pinelakechristmastrees.com

4 C Tree Farm, 11229 E. Creed, Wichita. Hours are 10 a.m.-dark Friday, Nov. 24; 10 a.m.-dark Saturdays; noon-dark Sundays; and 2 p.m.-dark Wednesdays through Fridays. Last year, the farm ran out of trees rather quickly, according to owner Willy Goevert. The farm, started in 1978, grows Scotch and Austrian pines. It also is a collection point for donations for the national Trees for Troops effort, in which trees donated by growers are sent to U.S. military bases and troops overseas. More information: 316-684-0464 or 4cchristmastreefar.wixsite.com/trees/about

Pine Creek Farm, 994 Meridian Road, Newton. Hours are 1-5:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays, 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Saturdays, and noon-5:30 p.m. Sundays. Second-generation owners Ardie and Wynn Goering grow Scotch and Austrian pine and bring in Frasier firs from northern Minnesota. Theres also a candy cane tree maze for kids. More info: 620-367-2606, pinecreektreefarm.com

Prairie Pines, 4055 N. Tyler Road, Maize, opens at 9 a.m. Friday, Nov. 24, and closes at 5 p.m. with Santa arriving at 11 a.m. and staying until 4 p.m. Hours through Sunday, Dec. 17, are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays, noon-5 p.m. Sundays and 2-6 p.m. Wednesdays-Fridays. After Dec. 17, the farm offers tree cuttings by appointment only. Santa will be available for Saturday visits from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. through Dec. 9, and 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 16; and on Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m. through Dec. 10, and 1-3 p.m. Dec 17. More information: 316-303-2037, prairiepines.com

Peaceful Pines, 762 80th, Walton, opening Friday, Nov. 24, from 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Regular hours are 1-5:30 p.m. Fridays and Sundays, 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Saturdays, with the closing date determined by inventory. The farm, which opened in 2018, grows Scotch, Virginia, Austrian and white pine trees. Activities include backdrops for casual photos. More info: 620-367-2612 or peacefulpinestreefarm.com

Windy Knoll, 15630 E. 47th St. South, Derby, opens Friday, Nov. 24, and plans to be open through Dec. 15, depending on supply. Hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Nov. 24 and Saturdays; 1-5 p.m. Sundays; 3-7 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays. New owners Jeff and Josie Adams have added some activities including a fire pit with smores kits and hot chocolate for sale and a petting zoo comprising their pet baby doll sheep, miniature donkeys and goats. Theres also a kiddie train ride. Scotch, Austrian, white and Virginia pines are grown on the farm, which was established in 1980; imported firs will also be available. More info: 316-644-1519, windyknolltrees.info

HERE COMES SANTA CLAUS

Santa has already been making appearances in Wichita, but the pace will pick up as Santa gets more invitations to area holiday events.

Taking appointments

Since the first weekend in November, Santa has been set up at Cabelas, 2427 N. Greenwich Road, where he can be visited daily until Christmas Eve, Dec. 24. Advance reservations are required, with bookings taken a week in advance; visit cabelas.com/shop/en/santas-wonderland to make an appointment. Visitors get a free 4x6 photo with Santa and a free shareable video.

Santa will arrive at Towne East Square, 7700 E. Kellogg on Friday, Nov. 24, and will stick around until Dec. 24. To avoid lines, make an online reservation; you must purchase a photo package to place a reservation. A bonus for booking online is a free personalized call from Santa. An exclusive time for children with special needs who require a sensory-friendly environment is available 9-10:30 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 3; online reservations are required. To book appointments, visit simon.com/mall/towne-east-square/stores/santa-photo-experience.

Part of the experience

Illuminations at Botanica, 701 N. Amidon, 5:30-9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 24, through Saturday, Dec. 23. As usual, Santa can be found at what may well be Wichitas brightest holiday event; Illuminations features well over 2 million lights and a lit 62-foot tree. Tickets  for designated admission times starting at 5:30 p.m. and continuing every hour through 8:30 p.m.  must be purchased in advance online at botanica.org/illuminations. Cost is $16, $13 for members, military members and seniors, $10 for children ages 3-12, free for children 2 and younger.

Watsons Christmas Express at O.J. Watson Park, 3022 S. McLean Blvd., evenings Fridays-Sundays through Dec. 17. In Wichitas re-creation of The Polar Express book, Watson Parks miniature train transports riders to see Santa at a simulated North Pole set up in the park. For an even more true-to-book experience, participants are encouraged to wear pajamas. Two ticket options are available: $18 VIP tickets that can be booked online at wichita.gov/ParkandRec/WatsonPark/Pages/Train.aspx, or $12 first-come, first-serve at-the-door general admission tickets for a pared-down experience. For ages 2 and older.

A Country Christmas, Fulton Valley Farms, 5079 SW Fulton Road, Towanda, 5:30-9 p.m. Fridays-Sundays, Nov. 24-Dec. 10, and then nightly Dec. 15-23. See Santa and live reindeer when you visit Fulton Valley Farms to check out the more than 1 million lights displayed on wooded paths. This year, you can take a ride in a sleigh pulled by Clydesdales. Theres also a nightly living nativity performance. Tickets: $10 ages 12 and up, $7 ages 4-11, free ages 3 and under. Fulton Farms also offers dining experiences with Santa on select dates that sell out quickly. More info: 316-775-1894, fultonvalleyfarms.com

Victorian Christmas at Old Cowtown Museum, 1865 Museum Blvd., 6-9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, Dec. 1, 2, 8 & 9. Head to the historic Southern Hotel on the museums main street if you want to visit with Santa and get your own photos. Other activities include a re-enactment in the schoolhouse of the classic Night Before Christmas tale about one familys visit from Santa. Tickets are $8 per person, free for kids 4 and under and Cowtown members. More info: oldcowtown.org, 316-350-3323

Wichita Art Museum holiday open house, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2. Santa, Mrs. Claus and select reindeer will visit WAM during its annual open house. There also will be holiday performances, storytelling and opportunities to make art. Free. More info: 316-268-4921, wichitaartmuseum.org

Lights on the River, Wichita Boathouse, 515 S. Wichita St., 4-7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 3. Santas scheduled to show up for this event, where lights, available for a $5 purchase, are set afloat on the Arkansas River. Free to attend. More info: wichitacleanstreams.com/lights-on-the-river

Winter Wonderland, Naftzger Park, 601 E. Douglas, 5-7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 9. Santa will be joined by Mrs. Claus during the lighting of Wichitas official Christmas tree but expect the Grinch to crash the event as he has in the past. There also will be letter-writing to Santa and other activities. Free. More info: wichita.gov/winterwonderland

Dining with Santa

Santa dining events at Fulton Farms, 5079 SW Fulton Road in Towanda. Home to live reindeer, this country farm offers some dining options with the jolly old elf. Supper with Santa happens 5:30-9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 24; tickets are $22 for ages 12 and up, $15 for ages 4-11 and free for ages 3 and younger. Get your fill of flapjacks during a Pancakes with Santa breakfast starting at 8:30 a.m. every Saturday morning Dec. 2-23, plus Sunday, Dec. 24. Breakfast tickets are $15 for ages 4 and older, free for children 3 and under. More info: 316-775-1894, fultonvalleyfarms.com

Breakfast with Santa, Old Cowtown Museum, 1865 Museum Blvd., 9-11 a.m. Saturdays, Dec. 2 and 9. Along with eating breakfast, participants can make crafts, listen to a story and get photos with Santa. For ticket information, oldcowtown.org, 316-350-3323

Breakfast with Santa on the Farm, Eberly Farm, 13111 W. 21st St., Saturday, Dec. 2. Two entry times are available: 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Tickets are $5 (free for kids under 1) and include breakfast pastries, coffee, hot chocolate and juice. Mimosas and other concessions are available for additional purchase. Santa and elves will be on site for photos, plus there will be craft stations. More info: facebook.com/EberlyFarmEventVenue

Cookies with Santa, Love of Character, 3200 E. Douglas, various times Dec. 3-Dec. 10, with several sessions already sold out. Kids get to have cookies and milk with Santa during 30-minute small-group sessions. Theres also time for storytelling and letter-writing. Cost is $25 per child, with a $10 photo add-on option. More info: loveofcharacter.com/workshop-tickets, 316-351-5527

Buffet Santa Breakfast at Stearman Bar & Grill, 14789 SW 30th St., Benton, 9 a.m.-noon, Saturday, Dec. 16. Santa is available for photos with patrons who partake of the breakfast buffet at this restaurant, which is adjacent to an airstrip. The buffet breakfast is $17.99 for adults, $10.99 for children. No reservations or call-ahead seating. More info: facebook.com/StearmanBarAndGrill, 316-778-1612.
This year, let the professionals prepare the Thanksgiving meal.

For Californians who wont be sharing a meal with their families, would rather not spend hours cooking a feast, or will be traveling, Thanksgiving is the perfect time to try new local cuisine options or indulge in some of your favorite restaurant meals.

Here are some places residents can visit to enjoy an exceptional meal for Thanksgiving this year.

Honey Baked Ham stores see long lines in L.A. area

Fairmont Grand Del Mar, San Diego

Travelers visiting San Diego this Thanksgiving can enjoy a three-course meal or family-style buffet at the Fairmont Grand Del Mar. Prices for the dining experience vary.

Interested parties can make reservations online.

The Gambling Cowboy Chophouse & Saloon, Temecula

A four-course Thanksgiving feast will be served at The Gambling Cowboy Chophouse & Saloon in Temecula. Diners can choose between roasted turkey, prime rib and maple-glazed ham entrees that come with multiple sides like sourdough-sausage stuffing, green beans and mashed potatoes.

More information about the dinner can be found here.

Balboa Bay Resort, Newport Beach

The resorts Lighthouse room will serve a Thanksgiving buffet curated by their executive chef. Holiday staples like turkey will accompany a seafood bar, ribeyes and a dessert station, the website said.

Prices for the buffet vary for adults and children depending on the time of day.

Aquarium of the Pacific, Long Beach

The entire family can enjoy a day at the aquarium and a buffet Thanksgiving dinner afterward.

Reservations for the feast can be made online and cost $95 for adults and $67.50 for children. For Aquarium members, adult reservations cost $70 and children reservations cost $47.50.

Madonna Inn, San Luis Obispo

Guests at the Madonna Inn can enjoy a classic Thanksgiving meal paired with house-special appetizers and desserts, the website said.

Reservations for the Thanksgiving dinner can be made on the inns website.

Download this app, get a free Thanksgiving meal

Calado Verde, Downtown Los Angeles

Diners can enjoy a Portuguese-inspired Thanksgiving feast complete with roasted turkey, stuffing, brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes. The restaurant will also offer vegan Thanksgiving options.

More information about the dinner can be found here.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.
The musical partnership between Daryl Hall and his Hall & Oates bandmate John Oates has hit a sour note.

Hall, 77, filed a lawsuit on Nov. 16 and obtained a temporary restraining order against Oates, 75, in Nashville Chancery Court, according to court documents viewed by NBC News.

One of the most successful duos in rock history, Hall & Oates scored dozens of hits in the 1970s and '80s, including "Rich Girl," "Kiss on My List," "Private Eyes," I Cant Go For that (No Can Do)," "Out of Touch," and "Maneater," which all hit the No. 1 spot on Billboard's Hot 100 chart.

Daryl Hall and John Oates (Michael Tran / FilmMagic)

Hall's lawsuit falls under the category of contract/debt. According to court documents obtained by People, but not seen by NBC News, the duo formed a limited liability partnership, and Oates now wants to sell his share of it to a company called Primary Wave Music, which already owns some of their music catalog.

Hall alleged in the legal motion that the sale would be a breach of contract and would cause him "imminent irreparable harm," according to People.

Derek C. Conover, an attorney for Oates, said in a statement to NBC News his client has no comment on the lawsuit at this time.

"Mr. Oates team will work toward a resolution that makes sense for all involved, but for now we plan to let the facts, law and courts play this one out," Conover said.

NBC News has reached out to an attorney and a representative for for Hall but has not received a response.

"Hall appears to be trying to prevent John Oates from selling his shares in their collective joint venture which appears to own at least some rights to their catalogue of music," Danny Cevallos, NBC News legal analyst, said on TODAY.

"Musician's catalogs are among the most precious thing they can own," he added. "Because once they sell that off, they dont really have a lot else."

Though Hall & Oates has not released new music in many years, the band has never announced a breakup and, in fact, had still been performing together in recent years.

But as far back as 2003, Hall had been indicating the pair may be better off on their own.

"We've wound up putting records out on our own now," Hall said while performing on TODAY in 2003. "I think we work better on our own, that seems to be the best thing for us."

In January 2020, Hall told told Rolling Stone that he was writing new songs for an album. Oates told the publication separately that he would definitely jump on board later" to add his own parts to the songs.

However, last year Hall confirmed to the Los Angeles Times that the album, which had been planned before the pandemic," had been shelved.

"Perceptions changed, life changed, everything changed," Hall explained. "Im more interested in pursuing my own world. And so is John.

Hall also said on the "Club Random with Bill Maher" podcast last year he didn't consider Oates to be a "creative partner."

"John and I are brothers, right, but we are not creative brothers, we are business partners," he said. "We made records called Hall and Oates together, but weve always been very separate, and it's a very important thing for me."

This article was originally published on TODAY.com
Why the House GOP is having a hard time passing its remaining funding bills

House conservatives are ramping up calls for the party to pass the remaining annual government funding bills as Republicans look to strengthen their hand ahead of spending talks with the Democratic-led Senate.

The House has passed seven of the dozen full-year funding bills, clearing partisan fiscal 2024 spending plans for the Pentagon, departments of Homeland Security, Veterans Affairs, State, and a host of other agencies in recent months.

But leadership is having trouble locking down support for the five remaining bills as some conservatives press for a harder line on reducing spending, while moderates are wary of what could end up on the cutting room floor.

Best Black Friday Deals

With the narrow GOP majority, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) can afford to lose only a handful of votes on any given bill, leaving him trying to walk a tightrope to please both factions.

Here are some of the sticking points threatening each remaining bill.

Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.)

Agriculture

House GOP leadership has struggled for months to pass the partys annual agriculture and rural development funding bill amid divides over spending and measures aimed at restricting abortion access.

The bill was one of the first the party sought to bring to the floor in the summer. But leadership scrapped plans for a vote in July as hard-line conservatives pressed for steeper cuts to overall funding levels while moderates came out against the bill over language that sought to limit access to an abortion pill known as mifepristone.

The bill  which funds the Department of Agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration and other related agencies  ultimately failed when it came up for a vote in September over the same issues.

And while some are hopeful the party will eventually be able to get it across the finish line, others are doubtful.

Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.), chair of the subcommittee that crafted the funding bill, said earlier this month the House should go to conference with the Senate with what we have instead of opting for another floor vote.

There are members who have said, look, they cant vote for that bill with the mifepristone language in and there are a whole lot more members who said they cant vote for that bill with the mifepristone language out, Harris told The Hill then. There is no solution to it.

So, that means, lets go to conference with what we have and bring a conferenced product back to the floor, he said.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation headquarters.

Financial Services and General Government

Reproductive rights also played a role in House Republicans canceling a vote on their annual financial services and general government funding bill earlier this month, as did funding for an FBI headquarters.

Some moderate Republicans said they opposed the bill over language seeking to prohibit Washington, D.C., from carrying out a law that aims to protect people from employer discrimination based on their reproductive health decisions.

The bill also faced pushback from some in the right flank amid scrutiny of the FBI. Conservatives have accused the agency of political weaponization and pushed for the measure to include language barring funding for a new FBI headquarters.

Some also said the measure didnt go far enough to cut spending, despite a proposal to claw back billions of dollars in IRS funding passed in the previous Democratic-led Congress in hopes of offsetting spending in the bill.

Among the offices the bill covers funding for includes the Treasury Department, the executive office of the president and the General Services Administration, which constructs and manages federal buildings.

Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.)

Transportation, Housing and Urban Development

House Republicans punted plans to bring up their annual transportation and housing funding bill twice this month, as some moderates took issue with proposed cuts to Amtrak.

Some people want to cut more, other people are worried that we cut too much, or theyve got particular concerns, Amtrak concerns, Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), who heads the spending subcommittee that crafted the bill, told The Hill earlier this month.

Moderates, especially those from New York, voiced concerns about a drop in Amtrak funding of more than $1 billion below fiscal 2023 levels.

I think that many of us are comfortable reining in federal spending, but not disproportionately impacting our region, Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-N.Y.) told reporters this month, adding that proposed cuts in the bill are just too significant.

But there had also been criticism in the right flank among members pressing for lower funding in the bill, which covers funding for offices like the Departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development, that the bill didnt go far enough to lower funding.

Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.)

Commerce, Justice and Science

A group of mostly hard-line conservatives recently tanked consideration of the partys bill to fund the Department of Justice for most of next year, as some opposed the bills proposals for the FBI among other issues.

The bill itself didnt go far enough to defund some of the policies and practices going on with [the] Department of Justice and FBI, weaponization of the government, Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.), who was among the GOP members that opposed the bill, said at the time.

It also increases spending instead of cutting spending of all departments, thats not the one we should be doing that for, he said of the sweeping bill, which also provides funding for the Department of Commerce, NASA, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Office on Violence Against Women and other operations.

Several moderates also helped block consideration of the bill on the procedural vote, raising concerns about how certain proposals would impact public safety.

There was specific grant funding that trickles down to the Suffolk County Police Department and other Long Island police departments that, if this bill was ultimately approved, would have made public safety a worse issue on Long Island, Rep. Nick LaLota (N.Y.), another no vote, argued. It would have made affordability a worse issue on Long Island.

Rep. Michael Simpson (R-Idaho)

Labor, Health and Human Services

Another bill Republicans hoped to pass before leaving Washington on Wednesday would have funded the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), and Education for most of next year.

However, that bill also proposed steep cuts that faced staunch resistance from some moderates.

The bill sought to prohibit Planned Parenthood-affiliated clinics from receiving funding, slash funding for Title I grants for states with schools where children from low-income families make up at least 40 percent of enrollment and laid out double-digit percentage cuts to discretionary funds for Labor, HHS and Education, according to a legislative summary.

Republicans say the bill would cut funding for programs under its purview by more than $60 billion compared to enacted levels in fiscal 2023, drawing backing from some hard-line conservatives pressing for more aggressive action to tackle the nations growing debt.

Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho), a member of the House Appropriations Committee, said theres not a lot of cuts that were missed and they cut $60 billion out.

That means theres some significant cuts, Simpson said, adding that bothers a lot of people.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 23)  The suspect in the Mandaluyong City road rage, which happened on Wednesday morning, is facing an attempted murder complaint, authorities said on Thursday.

In a viral video posted on social media, the suspect, riding in an orange Suzuki XL7, sideswiped a motorcycle taxi after the Angkas rider sped up to overtake him. The motorcycle fell, injuring the rider and another passenger, while the suspect drove away quickly.

The incident happened along EDSA Ortigas-Southbound Lane in Mandaluyong City.

https://fb.watch/ouGCNPqM3V/

Sinubukan ng Angkas driver na lampasan ang sasakyan na minamaneho ng suspek sa kaliwang bahagi ng kalsada na naging dahilan para magalit ang nasabing driver at pinaharurot ang sasakyan at sinadyang sagiin ang mga biktima na dahilan ng kanilang pagkatumba at pakakatamo ng mga sugat sa katawan, Mandaluyong City Police Station-NCRPO said in a statement.

[Translation: When the motorcycle taxi tried to overtake the car, this resulted in the car driver getting enraged. His car hit the left side of the lane where the two victims were positioned. The motorcycle fell and the two victims were injured.]

The cops said the two injured victims were rushed to the nearest hospital by a Red Cross ambulance. Meantime, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) personnel caught the suspect.

Thank you to those who expressed their concern sa ating ka-gulong na Angkas biker at sa kaniyang pasahero. Nasa kamay na po ng mga otoridad natin ang may-ari ng sasakyan at kasalukuyang iniimbestigan ang nangyaring insidente, said George Royeca, co-founder and CEO of Angkas.

[Translation: Thank you to those who expressed their concerns to our rider and to his passenger. The suspect has already been taken into custody and authorities are investigating the incident.]
Protesters lift national flags during a rally in the West Bank in support of Gaza and Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails on Nov. 14, 2023. Credit - Zain JaafarAFPGetty Images

Israel released a list of 300 Palestinian prisoners who could be freed as part of a highly-anticipated hostage exchange deal with Hamas amid the ongoing war.

The release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israela number Palestinian officials and nonprofit organizations say has ballooned during the current warhas been critical in negotiations over any temporary truce and release of Hamas hostages.

Israel has experienced division over what concessions to make to Hamas in order to bring hostages home, with the families of some pushing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to free Palestinian prisoners in exchange, per Hamas initial demands.

Hamas took more than 200 people hostage during its Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

Hamas has already released four hostagesan American mother and daughter on Oct. 20 and two Israeli women on Oct. 23, both for humanitarian reasons according to the militant groupin deals brokered by Qatar and Egypts governments.

As of November, Israeli nonprofit organization HaMoked reported that the Israel Prison Service (IPS) was holding 6,704 Palestinian prisoners on security grounds, a jump from 5,192 in October and months before, based on government data. TIME has reached out to IPS to confirm this number.

What are the terms of the exchange?

The two sides in the war came to an agreement for Hamas to release at least 50 women and children held hostage over the course of four days in exchange for Israel pausing fighting and freeing 150 Palestinian prisoners.

Hamas said in a statement on Telegram that Israel agreed to stop air traffic over the south of the Gaza Strip for the four days of military pause, while air traffic in the north will be halted for six hours daily, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Israel will also allow around 300 aid trucks, including fuel, to enter Gaza daily from Egypt, Axios reported.

According to the Jerusalem Post, after the initial group of 150 prisoners are released in exchange for the 50 hostages to be released by Hamas, an additional three Palestinians from the list will be released for every additional hostage Hamas releases. The release of every ten additional abductees will result in another day of respite from fighting, the Israeli government said.

The first temporary ceasefire is expected to begin at 7 a.m. local time on Nov. 24 and the first group of hostages will be handed over at 4 p.m. that day, Qatar's Foreign Ministry, which helped negotiate the deal, announced during a news conference on Nov. 23.

Who are the prisoners that could be released?

The Israeli government published a list of 300 prisoners who could be released if Hamas frees all the hostages. The Israeli Prime Ministers Office and Department of Justice have not yet responded to a request from TIME about how the prisoners on the list were selected or who decides the order of those released.

A majority of those on the list are teenage boys. A Sky News analysis found that around 10%33 are women.

A similar number are 19-years-old or older, while 146 are 18-years-old. A total of 124just over 40%are under the age of 18, the United Nations definition of a child. Of those, 76 are 17 years old, 37 are 16 years old, six are 15 years old and five are 14 years old.

Why are they imprisoned?

Most prisoners were listed as accused of multiple offenses, ranging from throwing or spraying stones, creating explosives, damage to a security area, carrying a knife, attacking a police officer, arson and more.

Netanyahu told the public that no one to be released was accused of murder. A TIME review of the list found more than a dozen prisoners accused of attempted murder, among other charges.

Some of the charges included being associated with a designated terrorist organization. TIME found more than 40 prisoners listed by Israel as affiliated with Hamas.

Some prisoners are listed as under arrest, without a prison sentence. One 18-year-old on the list has been detained under arrest since Oct. 2022 on a charge of damage to the security of the area.

What is the situation for Palestinian prisoners?

The current number of Palestinian prisoners includes 2,313 sentenced detainees, 2,321 remand detainees and 2,070 administrative detainees, according to government data reported by HaMoked.

Remand means detainees are under interrogation or charged and awaiting trial as part of the criminal process, while administrative detention is preventative detention without charges or trial, Jessica Montell, the organizations executive director, told TIME in an email.

Data shows that there has been a big jump in administrative detainees since Oct. 7 to an all-time high, Montell said. Half of all those detained over the past month have been placed on administrative detention, which should be a rare, extreme measure, she argues.

The data mostly reflects recent arrests from the West Bank, although it also includes people from Gaza serving sentences from before Oct. 7 and 105 people held as "unlawful combatants from Gazadefined in Israeli law as a person who has participated either directly or indirectly in hostile acts against the State of Israel or is a member of a force perpetrating hostile acts against the State of Israel.

Montells organization is receiving complaints from families regarding more recent detention of Palestinians in Gaza, but we dont know the scale of these detentions, she said.

The numbers also dont include an estimated 4,000 day laborers from Gaza with Israel work permits who were held after Oct. 7, Israeli media reported.

Montell said her organization received calls from 500 families of the workers and has submitted habeas corpus petitions on their behalf. The court responded that 2,900 had been returned to Gaza, but the number of those remaining in Israeli detention is unknown, she said.

Montell said her organization is concerned about reported increases in violence in the course of detentions and in prisons, which she said are currently very overcrowded. Visits by attorneys are restricted and family visits have been canceled, she added.

Nonprofit organizations including Save the Children have expressed concern in the past about Palestinian children held in Israeli detention and the treatment they allegedly receive.

The United Nations says that detention of juveniles under the age of 18 should be a last resort and children should not be tortured or subjected to cruel or degrading treatment.

TIME has reached out to IPS in regards to the criticism of administrative detention and treatment of prisoners, including children.

Contact us at letters@time.com.
Why is Spain one of the few EU voices supporting Palestine?

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is visiting the Middle East this week but, in the wake of the Israel-Hamas conflict, his trip perhaps wont be as formulaic as those of other European leaders.

Spain has been historically close to the Arab world and, as such, the nation is actively trying to push a line more favourable to Palestinian aspirations within the European Union.

Its an approach that Sanchez will likely defend during his visit to the conflict-hit region.

Reappointed just a week ago for a new four-year term, the Prime Minister will meet with his counterparts Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel, and the President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank.

Sanchez will then travel to Egypt, where he will hold meetings with President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi and Ahmed Aboul Gheit, the secretary general of the Arab League.

These encounters provide the Spanish Prime Minister with an opportunity to renew his call for a lasting ceasefire in Gaza as well as the holding of an urgent peace summit.

Spain hopes there will be a political solution to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians - on the basis of two states.

Why is Spain so outspoken on its recognition of the Palestinian State?

In a speech last Wednesday, Sanchez promised that his new government's "first commitment" on foreign policy would be to "work in Europe and Spain to recognise the Palestinian state.

At the same time, he said he was "on the side of Israel" in the face of "the terrorist attack" committed by Hamas on 7 October, but also called on the Jewish state to put an end to the "indiscriminate killing of Palestinians."

According to Isaias Barrenada, a professor at the Complutense University of Madrid, Sanchez hopes his position will have "a ripple effect" on the rest of the EU.

The stance comes at a time when many Western countries are facing criticism in the Arab world for being seemingly too favourable towards Israel.

In 2014, under a conservative government, the Spanish Parliament adopted a resolution calling for the recognition of the Palestinian state, supported by all political parties.

The vote, though, was non-binding and not followed by any action.

In Europe, several countries have taken this step in a more effective way.

They include Sweden, Hungary, Malta and Romania - but none of the main EU member states have done so, meaning that Spain could become a pioneer.

Earlier this week Josep Borrell, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy - and a former minister under Sanchez - told El Pais that Spain was a country with "a clearer sympathy for the Arab world.

FILE: People display banners, reading ''Gaza We Are All'', and ''Peace'', during a protest against Israel's offensive on Gaza, in Pamplona, 2014 - Alvaro Barrientos/AP

A brief history of Spanish-Arab relations

Geographically close to the Maghreb region of North Africa, Spain turned to Arab countries during the Franco dictatorship which ran from 1939 to 1975 in order to circumvent its isolation in the West.

It was not until 1986, however, that the nation established official relations with Israel.

The relatively late date was a consequence of tensions born from the Hebrew State's opposition to Spain's entry into the UN at the end of the Second World War, due to its proximity to Nazi Germany.

In 1993, they played a role in the Oslo Accords, through which Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organisation mutually recognised each other as part of the peace process.

Overall, though, Spain remains perceived by many as a pro-Arab country.

At the end of October, a mini-diplomatic crisis even broke out with the Israeli embassy after controversial statements by a far-left Spanish minister who spoke of a "planned genocide" in Gaza.

With much of Europe firmly pro-Israel, though, Isaias Barrenada explains it will be an uphill battle for Sanchez.

It is difficult to imagine that Spain has the capacity to reorient the European position," Barrenada tells AFP, but "it can contribute to showing that there are sensitivities within the EU different.
Four years ago Shivonda moved to Fort Worth from Louisiana with her husband Jerron to start a new life. However, the happiness and hope they were looking for soon turned into tragedy.

Jerron was murdered in June of this year, leaving Shivonda alone to support their eight children.

The loss of my husband has been very difficult and hard for me and my family, she said. My husband made all the money. I was a stay-home wife, and now its just me and my kids here in Texas by ourselves. I dont have a job and it is so hard.

With children ranging in age from 1 to 16, finding suitable employment can be a great challenge. It gets even tougher during the holidays  the first holiday season without their father and husband.

The Goodfellow Fund is there to help as they have been for well over a century. Once again this year the Star-Telegram charity has a goal of helping 13,000 children in need in Tarrant County have a joyful holiday by providing a $50 tax-free gift certificate for each child for clothing from Old Navy Stores.

I would be so appreciative for anything you can offer my kids, Shivonda said.

About Goodfellow Fund

The story on the Goodfellow website describes its beginning as an offshoot of the first newspaper charity drive in the United States, started by the Chicago Tribune on Dec. 10, 1909. A Chicago city attorney wrote a letter challenging his friends to donate the money they would have spent on holiday partying to charity.

A couple years later, the Advertising Club of Fort Worth staged the first local Goodfellow campaign. On the day after Thanksgiving in 1912, Publisher Amon G. Carter brought the tradition to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

To find out more, or to learn more about helping, visit www.goodfellowfundfw.com. The post office box for donations and correspondence is P.O. Box 149, Fort Worth, TX. 76101
The wife of a Republican politician in Iowa has been convicted of dozens of criminal charges related to a 2020 voter fraud scheme aimed at getting her husband into office.

Department of Justice officials announced the verdict against Kim Phuong Taylor in a statement released on Tuesday, explaining that she had submitted absentee ballots on behalf of voters who had not given her permission to do so.

She was convicted of 52 counts in total, including 26 counts of providing false information in registering and voting, 23 counts of voter fraud, and three counts of fraudulently registering to vote. She could face up to five years in prison for each charge.

According to the DoJ, Ms Taylor perpetrated a scheme to fraudulently generate votes for her husband in the primary election for Iowas 4th US Congressional District in June 2020. Shes then accused of doing the same thing after his defeat when he would go on to launch a campaign for Woodbury County supervisor. Mr Taylor won that second race.

Her husband Jeremy, an unindicted co-conspirator in the case whose campaigns were the intended beneficiary of her fraudulent actions, said in a statement to a local news affiliate, KCAU, that he and his wife had hoped for a verdict of not guilty but added that they respected the verdict.

We are thankful many aspects of the background of this case were brought to light. While this was certainly not the outcome we were hoping for, we respect our court system that allowed the jury to hear my wifes side of the story. We are thankful for our friends, family, and community who know us best and have stood by our side, said Mr Taylor.

While I plan to continue making decisions that are best for our countys families, my first priority right now is to deal with todays results as a private matter in order to be there for my own family, my wife and our children, he continued.

US attorney Timothy Duax, one of the prosecutors, commented on the verdict to KCAU as well.

The right to vote is one of our most important constitutional rights. Ms. Taylor deprived citizens of their right to vote in order to benefit her husbands campaign, Duax said. The guilty verdict is an example of how the justice system works to protect the voting rights of citizens and ensure fair and honest elections.

Republicans led by Donald Trump continue to falsely allege that voter fraud was widespread during the 2020 election and cost Mr Trump his victory in the race. Though his own administrations experts denied this before the end of his presidency, Mr Trump has continued to insist that he should be reinstated as president  even as he and his campaign failed to provide any concrete evidence of fraud on a scale the likes of which they have alleged. In 2016, he made similar false accusations after losing the popular vote to Hillary Clinton.

Meanwhile, his supporters including those who have latched on to his voter fraud explanations have faced charges in multiple states related to their own efforts to defraud US election systems.

In Wisconsin, one of Mr Trumps supporters was indicted in February of 2022 and demanded that authorities look into Mr Trumps claims when she herself came under investigation, according to the Associated Press.
While its common to see flocks of wild turkeys in San Luis Obispo County, either pecking at lawns or roaming through neighborhoods, the experience can still be intimidating.

These birds, which can run 18 mph on foot and fly up to 50 mph, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, are notorious for being aggressive and fearless.

Turkeys in California have broken into homes, gobbled at cars in the middle of traffic and terrorized Amazon drivers and mail carriers.

In San Luis Obispo County, the turkeys are particularly well known on Cal Poly, where a viral video in January 2022 showed them aggressively chasing bicyclists on campus.

Meanwhile, California is seeing a rise in wild turkeys in nearly all parts of the state, The Sacramento Bee reported in April.

Heres what to know if you run into a turkey.

Wild turkeys are regularly seen in north Morro Bay, scratching for food in yards. These birds were spotted at the corner of Paula Street and Juniper Avenue.

What to do when you see a wild turkey

According to the Humane Society, turkeys have a pecking order of dominance and will chase you or block your way if you or your pet act scared.

The nonprofit organization advises that you assert dominance by hazing the turkey.

You can scare turkeys away by making noises, waving your arms, yelling or blowing a whistle. If possible, you can open an umbrella, throw balls or squirt water at the turkey with a hose or squirt gun.

Although wild turkeys may look large and intimidating, they are usually timid and scare easily, the Humane Society said.

During mating season from February to May, male turkeys can be drawn and be aggressive to reflective surfaces, such as windows, cars and mirrors, the Humane Society said.

After youve hazed the turkey away, cover any shining surfaces.

Wild turkeys are regularly seen in north Morro Bay.

Can I feed wild turkeys?

According to state fish and wildlife officials, wild turkeys dont need your handouts.

Feeding turkeys will make them become comfortable around your property and can cause trouble for you and your neighbors.

When people feed the big birds they lose their natural fear of people, agency spokesman Peter Tira told The Sacramento Bee in 2023.

Fish and wildlife officials advise people to remove bird feeders until the turkeys leave the area and install sprinklers if the wild fowl keep roaming into their yards.

Judith Larmore, who took the photograph Feb. 16, 2021, near the Old Santa Rosa Chapel in Cambria and is the chapels event coordinator, said of the big birds, They come and go around the grounds and my front deck. Havent seen any since November until today. I think these are the prettiest ones Ive ever seen. Straight out of Central Casting.

Can I kill wild turkeys?

Local municipal ordinances largely prohibit the use of weapons for game hunting in populated areas  so no shooting turkeys in your neighborhood.

You can hunt wild turkeys outside of populated areas in both the fall and the spring during California turkey season, according to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Those open seasons run from Nov. 11 to Dec. 10, and from March 30 to May 19, depending on what type of weapon is used to hunt them, according to Fish and Wildlife.

Youll need a hunting license and upland game bird validation before killing one of the birds.

Depredation permits are also required to kill wild turkeys that are causing property damage.

To get a depredation permit, contact your local Fish and Wildlife office.

What do you want to know about life in Sacramento? Ask our service journalism team your top-of-mind questions in the module below or email servicejournalists@sacbee.com.
(Bloomberg) -- A far-right election victory and the likelihood of tricky coalition talks have put Dutch businesses on edge about political uncertainty, loss of skilled workers and risks to a business environment thats served them well in recent years.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Stability and consistency were the key pleas that emerged in early reactions after the far-right politician Geert Wilderss shock victory. He will have the largest party in parliament, though wont have enough to lead, meaning the stage is set for haggling with rivals to form a coalition.

The business community needs a stable government and direction, said Medy van der Laan, chair of the Dutch Banking Association. The dust has yet to settle in The Hague. A lot depends on the coalition formation and the compromises made.

Wilders election campaign included policies such as restricting immigration and even holding a referendum on leaving the European Union. Businesses will be keen to avoid the latter, given the Netherlands has benefited from the UKs departure from the bloc. Amsterdam is home to the worlds oldest stock exchange and its financial center has overtaken London as a share trading venue since Brexit.

Read more: Far-Right Won the Dutch Election: Heres What You Need to Know

In recent years, the economy has outpaced the euro-area average, and the country has a thriving technology sector thats drawn established firms, startups, investors and foreign talent.

Given the labor demand, the reactions on Thursday included barely veiled comments about Wilderss anti-immigration stance, with some companies saying its vital that they can continue to attract skilled workers from outside the country.

Any restrictions on the amount of knowledge workers or international students relevant for our industry are undesirable, said ASML Holding NV, the Netherlands most valuable firm. We need the international talent as we the availability of Dutch talent is not sufficient to meet the current demand for workforce.

For now, with little certainty on whether Wilders will be able to govern and the sense his more extreme positions would be moderated by the need to form a coalition government, bond and equity markets were little ruffled.

Major Issues

But theres still the broader issue about how the Netherlands is now perceived.

The election is going to create a lot of additional uncertainty, ABN Amro Chief Economist Sandra Phlippen said. What businesses value the most in the Netherlands is exactly what ASML is asking for  stable policies.

Well have to see whether thats going to happen, but what you see is that there will be less experienced politicians and less experienced ministers, she added.

Entrepreneurs association VNO-NCW and business lobby MKB-Nederland, also urged stability, and called for steps on housing and regulation to improve the investment climate.

We cannot afford to stand still, because we are facing major issues and that requires long-term clarity, they said in a statement.

Ali Niknam, founder of Dutch bank Bunq BV, had spoken previously about the changing shift in policies in the Netherlands, warning that the country should be careful not to lose all the great things they have worked so hard for. On Thursday, he said one the banks strongest values has always been togetherness.

We believe in a unified world where people live in peace and harmony, said Niknam. Anyone and everyone guiding us in that direction can count on Bunqs support.

Daan Sanders, a Dutch tech investor at VNV Global, said any tightening of immigration laws could also hinder the growth of Dutch firms. And headlines about the far right and anti-Islam will be offputting as the average tech employee tends to be more progressive.

Everyone is extremely surprised, personally worried and slightly ashamed, he said.

--With assistance from Aisha S Gani, Sarah Jacob, Leonard Kehnscherper, Sabah Meddings and Verena Sepp.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
Geert Wilders and his far-right PVV Freedom Party have pulled off an extraordinary political bombshell, winning the Dutch election comfortably, according to initial results.

Wilders softened his anti-Islam rhetoric during the campaign, preferring to focus on issues such as cost-of-living, with some analysts describing him as "Geert Milders".

It remains to be seen whether he can attract enough support from other political parties to form a workable coalition as prime minister.

But what are his PVV's policies? AFP breaks down the election manifesto, including a freeze on asylum, a referendum on EU membership and more oil and gas extraction.

- Islam -

"With a reduction in the asylum and immigration flood to the Netherlands, the Islamisation of our country will also be reduced," says the PVV election programme.

"The Netherlands is not an Islamic country: no Islamic schools, Korans and mosques."

"We want less Islam in the Netherlands and we will achieve that through: less non-Western immigration and the introduction of a general halt to asylum."

"Ban on wearing Islamic scarves in government buildings."

- Immigration -

The PVV proposes a "freeze on asylum" and "a generally more restrictive immigration policy", as well as an opt-out from EU asylum and migration rules.

The party wants to restore Dutch border controls, turning away asylum-seekers attempting to enter the Netherlands from "safe neighbouring countries."

Illegal immigrants will be detained and deported, Syrians with temporary asylum permits will have these withdrawn as "parts of Syria are now safe".

Refugees with residence permits will lose them "if they go on holiday to their country of origin".

EU nationals will require a work permit and the number of foreign students will be reduced, the manifesto pledges.

- Europe -

The PVV wants "a sovereign Netherlands, a Netherlands that is in charge of its own currency, its own borders and makes its own rules".

Therefore, the party rejects any form of "political union" like the EU -- "an institution that is pulling more and more power to itself, hoovers up taxpayer money, and imposes diktats on us".

"The PVV wants a binding referendum on Nexit," the idea that the Netherlands could leave the EU.

Until such a referendum, the Netherlands wants to become a net recipient of EU funds, not a net contributor. The party also rejects any further EU expansion, and wants to restore its veto power in Brussels.

Finally, the PVV wants to tear down the EU flag from government buildings. "We are in the Netherlands. Only the national flag flies here."

- Foreign policy -

"Our guiding principle is: act in the interests of the Netherlands and the Dutch. Our own country comes first."

The PVV is a "great friend of the only true democracy in the Middle East: Israel," says the manifesto.

"Relations with Israel will be strengthened, by moving our embassy to Jerusalem, among other things."

Wilders pledges to close the Dutch representation in Ramallah, home to the "corrupt Palestinian Authority."

Diplomatic relations will be broken off "immediately" with countries with Sharia law and from where Dutch MPs have received death threats.

- Climate -

"We have been made to fear climate change for decades... We must stop being afraid," says the PVV manifesto.

The Dutch have the best water engineers in the world and there is no need to panic about rising sea levels, the document says.

The manifesto calls for more oil and gas extraction from the North Sea and keeping coal and gas power stations open.

"The PVV is also in favour of rapidly constructing new nuclear power stations."

ric/lb
WILLIAMSON COUNTY,Texas (KXAN)  Williamson County EMS says it will teach members of the public how to administer life-saving overdose-reversing medication in an effort to improve the odds of survival amid the ongoing opioid crisis.

Stacee Henrichs, assistant outreach education coordinator for WCEMS, said the class will teach attendees how to identify the signs of an opioid overdose and how to administer Naloxone, which reverses an overdose in progress.

She said the class aims to familiarize people with what steps to take in the event of an overdose so they are prepared to intervene when needed.

If they can recognize that its an opioid overdose, they can get them the life saving medication and administer it before EMS ever gets there, rather than not knowing what to do, and then that person ends up in cardiac arrest, Henrichs said.

This year, WCEMS said it has submitted 105 presumed opioid overdose cases to Bluebonnet Trails Community Services for outreach. From July 2022 to December 2022, WCEMS said it submitted half that number, 55, for the same type of outreach.

In August, the Williamson County Commissioners Court proclaimed August 21, 2023, National Fentanyl Awareness and Prevention Day. In the proclamation, it reported that as of August 2023, Williamson County had 29 overdose deaths with 32 other deaths pending autopsy and toxicology results.

It can happen anywhere, so having the training and knowing that you have Naloxone, or Narcan, readily available in a public area could help save a life, Henrichs said.

Williamson County puts around 60 boxes of Narcan in county buildings

Last year, Williamson County EMS and other partner agencies began placing Naloxone in county and city buildings, local schools and churches to make the drug more readily available. As of November, 1,168 boxes have been distributed.

WCEMS said in the coming months it will start the next phase of Naloxone deployment. This includes at-home Naloxone and educational materials which EMS responders can provide to the public.

Residents wanting to learn how to use Naloxone can register for the class through the WCEMS website. The class will take place Wednesday, December 6, at 6:30 p.m. at 3189 S.E. Inner Loop in Georgetown.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin.
Window on a Wider World (WOWW) held its 10th annual Youth Art Show Saturday at the newly renovated Arts in the Sunset in Amarillo, showcasing the art of Texas Panhandle students from fourth to 12th grade.

A young girl points to a painting Saturday at the Window on a Wider World Youth Art Show at Arts in the Sunset in Amarillo.

More than 220 students from more than 40 different schools across the Texas Panhandle participated in the annual exhibit, which had the theme of Iconic for this years young artists to work with. The students competed in three divisions, with 10 winners comprising elementary and intermediate grades in no specific order. For high school students, there were special awards for first through third place.

Mary Bralley, executive director of WOWW, spoke about this year's exhibit and theme. She emphasized the importance of the program because fewer than half of the school districts in Region 16 have a visual arts program. Families and students from as far as Perryton were on hand to show off their art.

First prize winner Ava Eidam from West Plains High School stands by her award-winning painting "The Dog with The Hoop Earring" Saturday at the Window on a Wider World Youth Art Show at Arts in the Sunset in Amarillo.

We offer this program to help fill the gap for art that is not being able to be provided in area schools, Bralley said. Students had the freedom to choose anything they saw as iconic; it could be cotton candy, the Mona Lisa or whatever stands out as iconic to that person.

Bralley said that WOWWs mission is to promote arts within the Texas curriculum to local students and to better equip them with the tools to fully integrate art, science, math and other subjects.

Sadie Cummins from Perryton High School stands by her second-place painting "Monumental Phases" Saturday at the Window on a Wider World Youth Art Show at Arts in the Sunset in Amarillo.

Many people do not understand that art is mathematical or scientific, or if you want to tell a story for your art, you need to know language arts, Bralley said. When we take students on a tour of the Globe-News Center, they can see that it's an arts place, but the geometry of the way that it has to be built for the sound to come through is mathematics. So many students do not realize that art is mathematics and science, so it is giving them a unique perspective of the core things they are learning in school. Students are learning that it's true when teachers and parents say you must use math in everything.

Ava Eidam garnered an award for the second straight year, winning the top prize. She was also on the West Plains High School team that won first place at Art in the Park in 2022.

Yuna Iwai, a student from West Plains High School, stands with her third place painting "Supermarket Superstar," a homage to her sister Hanna, Saturday at the Window on a Wider World Youth Art Show at Arts in the Sunset in Amarillo.

Whenever I hear the word iconic, I really want to do my own spin on something already considered iconic, Eidam said. And since usually what I do is a lot of animals such as dogs, I am going to incorporate that into my art and kind of do my own icon.

Eidam said that it was really surprising to win, but it felt really good.

Third-place finisher Yuna Iwai said that she wanted to do a piece painting her 5-year-old sister Hanna as her role model.

"I really thought it was iconic to use her because she usually dresses up in the supermarket, Iwai said. I thought it's super lively and free that she can dress up as whatever she wants to be and be really happy with it."

An attendee studies the wall of paintings Saturday at the Window on a Wider World Youth Art Show at Arts in the Sunset in Amarillo.

Iwai said that the contest made her feel accomplished, being recognized at her first show. She said that she felt good about her chances today.

This was a nice chance to see what it was like to be in a contest like this and grow my confidence, Iwai said.

Sadie Cumminss unique take on Mount Rushmore scored well with the judges and earned her second place in the competition.

A young student walks to receive his award Saturday at the Window on a Wider World Youth Art Show at Arts in the Sunset in Amarillo.

I wanted to do a landmark of some sort, and I thought Mount Rushmore was among the most iconic landmarks in the nation, Cummins said. I wanted to change it around some so that each of the four faces on the monument was presented at a different time of day. I feel good to be recognized today.

Funding for the program comes from grants and donations from individuals. With the beginning of this year's Panhandle Gives fundraising campaign underway, WOWW is one of the many organizations that depend on the generosity of donations to cover costs as it brings art across the Texas Panhandle to help give children art experiences.

We want our kids to be confident in what they do, Bralley said. They might not be confident when solving math problems or be the best speller, but when creating, they become confident because there is no wrong or right. It's what you see in your eyes and what you try to convey to others. We are definitely helping kids gain confidence, and along with that, they become confident in everything else they do.

For more information about the organization, visit https://www.woww.org/ .

The winners of this year's WOWW Youth Art Show are as follows:

Fourth and Fifth Grade Division Winners

Student winners from the 4th to 6th-grade division show off their awards Saturday at the Window on a Wider World Youth Art Show at Arts in the Sunset in Amarillo.

Andrea Barba, Bivins Elementary School

Apixious Grice, Texline ISD

Diane Murrillo, Farwell ISD

Hazel Aycock, Baker Elementary School (Canadian)

Kimberly Argonez, Panhandle Elementary School

Remi Bartlett, Baker Elementary School (Canadian)

Rowan Green, Texline ISD

Ruth Caldera, Rolling Hills Elementary School (River Road)

Truitt Harris, Mimi Farley Elementary School (Boys Ranch)

Vylette Zwick, Highland Park Elementary School

Honorable mention: Gael Moreno, Travis Elementary School (Pampa)

Sixth through Eighth Grade Division Winners

Student winners from the 6th to 8th grade division show off their certificates Saturday at the Window on a Wider World Youth Art Show at Arts in the Sunset in Amarillo.

Autumn Pinion, Fannin Middle School

Carolina Nite, Crockett Middle School

Chloe Pennington, Crockett Middle School

Emma Wheat, Fannin Middle School

Logan Ayala, Crockett Middle School

Moises Sandoval III, Lorenzo de Zavala Middle School

Lupita Toscano, Sudan High School

Sadie Collins, Crockett Middle School

Sophie Saysiri, Lorenzo de Zavala Middle School

Sophie Welch, Crockett Middle School

Ninth through 12th Grade Division

Student winners from the high school division show off their awards Saturday at the Window on a Wider World Youth Art Show at Arts in the Sunset in Amarillo.

First Place: Ava Eidam, West Plains High School

Second Place: Sadie Cummins, Perryton High School

Third Place: Yuna Iwai, West Plains High School

Actziry S. Ballinas, Stratford High School

Faith Spencer, Boys Ranch High School

Mansel Limbaugh, Bushland High School

Pedro Uribe, Perryton High School

Phoenix Crume, Randall High School

Regan Sullivan, Randall High School

Toby Tabor, Bushland High School

Honorable Mention:

Austin Drake, Sudan High School

Brody Young, Boys Ranch High School

Fernando Silva, Perryton High School

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: WOWW holds 10th annual Youth Art Show for Texas Panhandle students
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  Portland police announced that a woman was shot and killed in the Parkrose Heights neighborhood on Wednesday afternoon.

Officers say they were dispatched to the report of a shooting outside an apartment complex around 4 p.m. in the 11100 block of Northeast Weidler Street. They arrived to find a woman dead at the scene, according to authorities.

Hillsboro burglar sentenced to 41 months in prison after breaking into home

The suspect or suspects left before officers arrived and no arrests were made, police say.

During the investigation, Northeast Weidler Street is closed between Northeast 108th Avenue and Northeast 112th Avenue.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact Detective Meghan Burkeen at Meghan.Burkeen@police.portlandoregon.gov or 503-823-2092, or Detective Brian Sims at Brian.Sims@police.portlandoregon.gov or 503-823-2079 and reference case number 23-303557.

Police say additional information will be released as appropriate.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 23)  The City of Manila has no objections and is willing to pursue the resumption of suspended reclamation activities in Manila Bay, its representatives said in a House panel briefing Thursday.

According to the citys lawyers who attended the House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means hearing, Mayor Honey Lacuna and Environment Secretary Ma. Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga are set to meet and tackle the suspended activities.

After presentations of Pasay Harbor City Corp., Waterfront Manila Premier Development Inc. and SM Holdings - proponents of the reclamation activities, panel chair and Albay 2nd District Rep. Joey Salceda concluded that the projects have no adverse impacts on the environment.

Basically, with respect to climate change and all the other disaster hazard, there is no adverse impact, he said.

"There is enough evidence already that where there is reclamation there are no floods," Salceda said, citing data from Project NOAH, an independent disaster risk reduction and management program in the country.

The presentation included master plans of building eco-cities using sustainable and green architecture. The corporations also laid out all environmental permits acquired as proof of compliance.

Meanwhile, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said it will still conduct a technical conference to evaluate compliance of all proponents before endorsing the resumption of activities to the Office of the President.

Lawmakers, environmental groups, and even foreign diplomats have called for a stop to the reclamation, citing environmental damage and a project contractors possible ties to China.

In August, the President announced that all reclamation projects have been suspended except one which has finished review.

The DENR, however, quickly refuted this and said all 22 projects are suspended after the Chief Executive has been aware of the economic, environmental, social impacts of the reclamation.
The mayor of New York City, Eric Adams, has been accused of sexual assault in a court filing submitted late on Wednesday.

The summons against Adams alleges that the plaintiff was sexually assaulted by Defendant Eric Adams in New York, New York in 1993 while they both worked for the City of New York.

It was filed under the Adult Survivors Act, a New York state law which provided a one-year look-back window for adult sexual misconduct accusers to file civil lawsuits that previously would have been barred due to the statute of limitations.

The window expires on 24 November.

The summons adds that the accusations concern sexual assault, battery and employment discrimination on the basis of Plaintiffs gender and sex, retaliation, hostile work environment and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Asked about the allegation, a city hall spokesperson said: The mayor does not know who this person is. If they ever met, he doesnt recall it. But he would never do anything to physically harm another person and vigorously denies any such claim.

The three-page summons does not detail the alleged sexual assault. The Guardian is withholding the name of Adamss accuser as the allegation involves sexual assault.

The summons also names the New York City police departments transit bureau, and the New York City police department Guardians Association social organization, as defendants.

The accusers attorney, Megan Goddard, said: Goddard Law is thankful for the Adult Survivors Act, which has given so many women the opportunity to seek justice. We are immensely proud of our clients and all the women who are seeking justice under the ASA. We are also thankful that the legislature may be considering reopening the window because so many victims of sexual assault are only finding out about the ASA now.

The Messenger first reported the summons.

The summons comes as Adams, who was elected in 2021, faces scrutiny from the FBI, which is reportedly investigating his campaign. Its inquiry reportedly focuses on whether Adamss campaign unlawfully accepted money from the Turkish government in exchange for favors, such as pressuring the New York City fire department to speed up the opening of a Turkish consulate.

On 2 November, federal agents raided the home of Adamss top fundraiser, Brianna Suggs, seizing electronic devices and documents. The FBI also reportedly searched a Turkish Airlines executives home, as well as Brooklyn construction company owned by Turkish immigrants; the executive and company had both fundraised for Adams.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams is being sued for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman back in 1993.

A new lawsuit was filed against the mayor on Wednesday  just two days before the New Yorks Adult Survivors Act expires on Friday.

In the suit, the woman, who has not been identified, alleges Mr Adams assaulted her when they were both working for the New York Police Department (NYPD).

Between 1984 and 2006, Mr Adams worked in the citys police force, rising up the ranks to become captain before entering the world of politics.

Plaintiff was sexually assaulted by Defendant Eric Adams in New York in 1993 while they both worked for the City of New York, the summons said.

The claims brought here allege intentional and negligent acts and omissions for physical, psychological, and other injuries suffered as a result of conduct that would constitute sexual offenses, it added.

According to the filing, the woman is seeking a trial and $5m in damages.

A spokesperson for Mr Adams said the mayor denies the allegation, while the NYPD said it has no record of the woman working for the police department, ABC affiliate WABC-TV reported.

New York Mayor Eric Adams arrives at a news conference at New Yorks City Hall on 14 November (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

The mayor does not know who this person is. If they ever met, he doesnt recall it. But he would never do anything to physically harm another person and vigorously denies any such claim, a mayoral spokesperson said.

The summons was filed under New Yorks Adult Survivors Act, which passed last year, creating a temporary window for victims of historic sexual assault to sue their alleged abusers past the states usual deadlines.

The law has led to more than 2,500 lawsuits being brought against alleged abusers, including cases against former president Donald Trump, hip hop mogul Sean Diddy Combs and the comedian and actor Russell Brand.

The suit against Mr Adams comes amid an FBI investigation into his 2021 campaign, which prompted agents to seize his cellphones and raid the home of his chief campaign fundraiser.

The FBI is investigating whether Mr Adams inappropriately tried to help the government of Turkey get city approval to open a 35-story skyscraper housing diplomatic facilities in 2021, despite concerns about the towers fire safety systems.

Mr Adams has admitted lobbying the former FDNY commissioner over safety delays to the opening of a new Turkish consulate in New York in 2021, but has denied he all wrongdoing.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) has denied allegations that he sexually assaulted a colleague in 1993.

According to a legal summons filed Wednesday, the plaintiff alleges Adams sexually assaulted her when they were employees for the City of New York.

The three-page filing, first reported by The Messenger, also named the New York Police Departments (NYPD) transit bureau and the Guardians Association of the NYPD as defendants in the lawsuit, according to The Associated Press.

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Plaintiff was sexually assaulted by Defendant Eric Adams in New York, New York in 1993 while they both worked for the City of New York, the summons reads.

The lawsuit is seeking a trial into the matter and $5 million in relief, according to the AP.

In a statement, a City Hall spokesperson told The Hill the mayor vigorously denies the allegations against him.

The mayor does not know who this person is. If they ever met, he doesnt recall it, the spokesperson said. But he would never do anything to physically harm another person and vigorously denies any such claim.

The lawsuit against Adams, 63, is the latest one filed under the Adult Survivors Act, a state law that allows people who say they were victims of sexual abuse to file civil suits after the statute of limitations has expired.

The state law, which expires Friday, also saw victims file lawsuits against famous male celebrities, including rapper and music mogul Sean Diddy Combs, Academy Award-winning actor Jamie Foxx, Interscope Records co-founder Jimmy Iovine, Guns N Roses frontman Axl Rose and comedian Bill Cosby.

Adams, who started as a city police officer before entering politics, had his electronic devices seized by the FBI last week amid an ongoing federal investigation into his 2021 mayoral campaign fundraising.

Adams has denied any wrongdoing in the matter.

The Associated Press contributed.

Updated: 1:09 p.m. ET

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
(WHTM) A local woman was killed in a four-vehicle crash in Maryland that caused an hours-long closure on a busy interstate the day before Thanksgiving, according to State Police.

The Maryland State Police said in a news release that a 30-year-old woman from Hanover was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash on I-795, just before the Westminster Pike, around 1 p.m. Tuesday.

It was just after 1 p.m. when Troopers were called to the scene and started an investigation.

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A 2011 Ford F150 crashed into the rear of another truck, a Ford F350, and both went over a grassy medium and then hit a metal cable barrier before entering the northbound lanes. The woman was driving a 2017 Toyota Rav4 that was hit head-on by the F350, State Police said. There was a fourth car that crashed into debris.

She was pronounced dead at the scene by first responders, State Police said. The driver of the F350 was taken to the hospital for treatment of their injuries, while the other drivers were unharmed.

All lanes of I-795 were closed for about four hours. The crash is still under investigation by the Maryland State Police Crash Team who will submit their findings to the Baltimore County States Attorneys Office which will choose whether or not charges will be filed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC27.
Two people died after a vehicle exploded at a US-Canadaborder crossing at Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls, on Wednesday 22 November.

The car was attempting to enter Canada from the United States when it sped toward a checkpoint, crashed into a fence and erupted into a fireball just before midday, according to witnesses.

Video footage and photos showed flames and thick black smoke billowing from the checkpoint, and a security booth that had been charred by flames.

The blast killed two, reportedly injured one Border Patrol officer and led to the closure of four border crossings between the US and Canada in New York state.

Within hours, investigators had ruled out that the car had been carrying explosives or was connected to terrorism.

The fatal explosion briefly threw Thanksgiving travel plans into chaos, as borders were closed and travel routes suspended.

Smoke billows from Niagara Falls border crossing at Rainbow Bridge (Reuters)

What happened?

At 11.50am ET, the Rainbow Bridge was closed due to a traffic event, according to an incident alert from the Niagara International Transportation Technology Coalition.

Witness Mike Guenther told NBC affiliate WGRZ-TV that he had been walking on the bridge when he saw a speeding car approach the border checkpoint, hit a fence and go airborne before exploding.

Another witness told reporters that he had seen the vehicle catch fire, before seeing black smoke and flames.

Ambulances arrived soon afterward to find the vehicle completely burned out. Two individuals travelling in the car died, officials said.

Thanksgiving travel impacted

The incident came at a time of heightened fears of a possible terror attack. Ms Hochul issued a warning days earlier that officials had detected increased chatter of a possible terror attack in the state due to unrest in the Middle East.

The White House said in a statement that President Biden was closely following developments. US Attorney General Merrick Garland was briefed on the unfolding situation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms also responded to the scene.

Mr Trudeau said officials in Canada were taking this extraordinary seriously.

This is obviously a very serious situation in Niagara Falls, Mr Trudeau told the Canadian Parliament on Wednesday afternoon.

The FBIs Buffalo field office said in a statement it was leading the local, state and federal response until it determined there were no threats of terrorism. It then handed the investigation to the Niagara Falls Police Department.

Debris is scattered about inside the customs plaza at the Rainbow Bridge border crossing (AP)

Officials closed four US-Canada border crossings in New York: the Rainbow Bridge, Peace Bridge, Whirlpool Bridge and Lewiston-Queenston Bridge.

Amtrak also temporarily suspended cross-border services between New York and Canada.

The Jewish Community Center of Greater Buffalo said it would close until after Thanksgiving out of an abundance of caution.

International departures and arrivals were paused at Buffalo Niagara International Airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. It was reopened several hours later.

Travellers arriving at the airport were warned to expect additional screenings, while vehicles would undergo extra security checks.

The Buffalo and Niagara Falls Airports are fully operational. We advise travelers to give themselves time for these extra precautions in addition to holiday travel, the agency said on X.

Three of the four bridge crossings were reopened on Wednesday afternoon, with only the Rainbow Bridge still closed. It reopened on Thursday afternoon.

The Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority said security would be stepped up across the area.

Who were the two people killed in the blast?

Law enforcement sources told CNN on Wednesday night that the Rainbow Bridge crash is believed to have involved a local New York individual and a passenger who had planned to attend a KISS concert in Toronto, Canada.

The concert was cancelled earlier in the day due to frontman, Paul Stanley, falling ill with the flu.

Police identified the couple on Friday as Kurt P Villani and Monica Villani, both 53; they lived in Grand Island, New York. They are survived by two children, according to an obiturary for the husbands father.

All bridges between New York state and Canada were closed after the explosion. Three were reopened hours later (Getty Images)

Seneca Niagara Resort and Casino, owned and operated by The Seneca Nation, did not confirm if the car that crashed was present at their location but said they were cooperating with law enforcement, in a statement provided to The Independent.

We have reviewed and provided information related to a vehicle that stopped at Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino only for a matter of minutes shortly before the crash occurred, the Seneca Nation said.

Reportedly, the couples car was speeding in a Bentley when the car rammed into the crossing.

Devastated friends, neighbours and loved ones in the upstate New York community of Grand Island have spoken out paying tribute to the Villannis.

The couples friend Chuck Meyer told WGRZ of his shock when he learned that the tragedy broadcast on national news involved those close to him.

I got home yesterday (Wednesday). I didnt know anything other than hearing things on the news about the border, and then saw that their driveway was filled up with all these cars, he told the local outlet on Thursday.

I thought, Oh, theyre having Christmas or Thanksgiving early, and like, thats really nice. And then about an hour later, heard the news and Im like, oh my God.

What caused the crash?

The cause of the Rainbow Bridge blast remains something of a mystery, with investigators now exploring whether a mechanical failure in the car could be to blame.

Robert Restaino, the mayor of Niagara Falls, told The New York Times that the Bentley the couple was driving in was an older model and may have experienced some sort of mechanical glitch that caused it to suddenly accelerate as it approached the border checkpoint.

However, a spokesperson for the American arm of Bentley Motors told the paper that the automaker was yet to hear from investigators about the incident.

Whatever the cause, getting to the bottom of what happened could take time as the car was effectively incinerated in the fireball blast.

Incident at the Rainbow Bridge border crossing in Niagara Falls (via REUTERS)

On Thursday, Niagara Falls Police Department  which is now leading the investigation after the FBI found no signs of terrorism  carried out an accident reconstruction, including retracing the last known movements of the couple.

In a press conference on Wednesday evening, Ms Hochul said she would not go so far as to declare the blast an accident just yet as the probe continues but that the two people killed were local residents with no ties to terrorism. No other potential motive had been discovered.

I want to be very, very clear to Americans and New Yorkers, at this time there is no indication of a terrorist attack, Ms Hochul said.

She added: Based on what is happening in the world, everyone is on edge. This is an international border. I wont call it an accident yet. All we know is there was a horrific incident, a crash, a loss of life  but at this time: no known terrorism activity.

The FBIs Buffalo division also released a statement saying that no explosives had been found at the scene and that no terrorism nexus was identified.

The bureau said it had turned the investigation over to the Niagara Falls Police Department as a traffic investigation.

Ariana Baio, Rachel Sharp and Kelly Rissman contributed to this report.
Eric Adams, the mayor of New York City, was accused of sexual assault in a lawsuit filed late Wednesday stemming from an alleged incident that occurred in 1993, when Adams was a member of the New York Police Department.

The summons preceding the $5 million lawsuit was filed before Thursdays deadline for the Adult Survivors Act, which witnessed a wave of sexual assault lawsuits filed Wednesday before the one-year window  which allowed for legal action for cases otherwise barred by statute of limitations  closed.

The three-page summons did not detail the accusations against Adams other than stating Plaintiff was sexually assaulted by Defendant Eric Adams in New York, New York in 1993 while they both worked for the City of New York. The NYPDs transit bureau and Guardian Association were listed as co-defendants.

A spokesperson for Adams said Thursday (via the Messenger), The mayor does not know who this person is. If they ever met, he doesnt recall it. But he would never do anything to physically harm another person and vigorously denies any such claim.

The accusers attorney Megan Goddard said in a statement (via the Guardian), Goddard Law is thankful for the Adult Survivors Act, which has given so many women the opportunity to seek justice. We are immensely proud of our clients and all the women who are seeking justice under the ASA. We are also thankful that the legislature may be considering reopening the window because so many victims of sexual assault are only finding out about the ASA now.

The lawsuit against Adams is one of an influx of last-minute filings ahead of the Adult Survivor Acts deadline, which also saw legal action against Axl Rose, Jimmy Iovine, and Jamie Foxx; a similarly timed lawsuit filed by Cassie against Sean Diddy Combs was quickly settled.

The lawsuit against Adams comes amid other legal woes against the New York City mayor, including an FBI probe investigating the nature of his trips to Turkey and accusations his administration expedited inspections priority for some real estate backers of his mayoral campaign.

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(Reuters) - A woman on Wednesday accused New York Mayor Eric Adams of sexual assault and other offenses in a court filing, alleging they occurred in 1993 while both of them worked for the city of New York.

A spokesperson for Adams denied the claim and said the mayor does not know the accuser and does not recall meeting her.

The accusation against Adams was one in a flurry of complaints filed this week against public figures under New York state's Adult Survivors Act, ahead of the expiry of a special one-year window for such complaints. The law allows such lawsuits to be filed in court even if the statutes of limitations have run out.

The New York state court summons filed against Adams, a former police officer, did not offer specific details about what happened but said, "The nature of this action is sexual assault, battery and employment discrimination on the basis of Plaintiff's gender and sex, retaliation, hostile work environment and intentional infliction of emotional distress."

The summons, filed late on Wednesday and seen by Reuters, seeks at least $5 million in damages and also names the city of New York, the New York Police Department's transit bureau, the department's Guardians Association, a fraternal organization representing Black officers, and three unknown entities as defendants.

The police department and the Guardians Association did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Thursday.

"The mayor does not know who this person is. If they ever met, he doesn't recall it. But he would never do anything to physically harm another person and vigorously denies any such claim," a City Hall spokesperson said in a email.

The allegation comes as Adams faces other legal trouble.

The FBI on Nov. 6 searched Adams' electronic devices as part of an investigation into what the New York Times reported was the possible acceptance by Adams' 2021 campaign of illegal donations including by the Turkish government. Adams' lawyer said that the mayor was cooperating with an investigation but did not say what it was about.

(Reporting by Daniel Trotta and Kanishka Singh; Editing by Ross Colvin and Daniel Wallis)
OVERLAND PARK, Kan.  The Overland Park Police Department is investigating a shooting Wednesday afternoon that left a young boy injured.

Officers responded to the shooting just after 3:40 p.m. near W. 81st Street and Perry Street.

View the latest Weather Alerts in the Kansas City region on FOX4

When officers arrived on scene they found a male juvenile who had been shot. He was taken to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

An investigation into the incident revealed the victim was threatened with a firearm by another male juvenile and was subsequently shot by the suspect.

The suspect was identified and located and has been taken into custody.

The incident remains under investigation.

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Anyone with information is asked to call the police department at (913) 895-6300.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports.
(Bloomberg) -- New Zealands National Party will form a center-right government with two smaller partners after reaching agreement on cabinet positions and policies that include changing the central banks mandate.

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National will lead a three-way coalition with the libertarian ACT Party and the nationalist New Zealand First Party, Prime Minister-elect Christopher Luxon said Friday in Wellington. Key planks for the new administration will be cutting government spending, proceeding with tax cuts and returning the Reserve Bank to a sole focus on price stability.

The government will manage a strong economy that will ease the cost of living and deliver tax relief, restore law and order, deliver better public services and strengthen democracy, Luxon said. Its exciting to be on the cusp of delivering a big policy program with two coalition partners who, alongside National, are determined to make New Zealanders lives better.

At the Oct. 14 election, National won enough votes to oust the ruling Labour Party but not enough to hold a majority in parliament. Preliminary discussions to form a new government began soon after the vote but negotiations became more intense once official results on Nov. 3 showed that National would need New Zealand First as well as its ally ACT to govern.

Luxon said New Zealand First leader Winston Peters will be Deputy Prime Minister for the first half of the three-year term, with ACT leader David Seymour filling the role for the second half. Peters will be Foreign Minister and Seymour will be Minister for Regulation. The smaller parties will have three seats each in the 20-seat cabinet.

Nationals Nicola Willis has been confirmed as Minister of Finance.

Luxon said said the coalition agreements between National and its two partners support the major elements of Nationals policy program including our 100-day plan, our 100-point economic plan, and our tax and fiscal plans, with some adjustments.

Tax Cuts

Nationals proposed tax cuts will proceed but they will no longer be partly funded by allowing foreigners to purchase houses worth more than NZ$2 million ($1.2 million) and applying a levy to those transactions. Funding will instead come from a combination of spending reprioritization and additional revenue measures.

The coalition parties have adopted ACTs policy to speed up the rate at which interest deductibility for rental properties is restored, Luxon said.

The coalition agreement confirms Nationals plan to return the Reserve Banks remit to a sole focus on price stability, removing the employment objective. But it also says the government will take advice on replacing medium term with specific time targets for the bank when it is setting monetary policy.

The government will also take advice on removing the Treasury observer from the Monetary Policy Committee and returning to a single decision-maker model, the agreement says.

Speaking at a press conference after a signing ceremony, Seymour said changes to the RBNZs legislation were a matter of great urgency but didnt provide a time-frame.

A new agency, accountable to Seymour, will assess the quality of new and existing regulation. This agency will be funded by disestablishing the Productivity Commission.

A Regional Infrastructure Fund proposed by New Zealand First will have NZ$1.2 billion in capital funding.

Historic Deal

There will be five ministers from National, two from ACT and one from New Zealand First outside cabinet, while ACT and New Zealand First will each have one parliamentary under-secretary.

While coalition governments are common under the proportional representation system that New Zealand adopted in 1996, it is the first time that three parties have entered into such an agreement. Luxon described his coalition as historic.

New Zealanders turned to parties on the right of the political spectrum after growing frustrated with left-leaning Labour, the party of former prime minister Jacinda Ardern.

Ardern won global praise for her leadership during the Covid-19 pandemic but her prolonged use of lockdowns and social restrictions became divisive, while Labours failure to deliver some of its promises also drew criticism.

Ardern stood down in January and her successor Chris Hipkins walked back some of her policies, but it was not enough to turn the tide and win Labour a third term.

--With assistance from Ainsley Thomson.

(Updates with details throughout)

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By Renju Jose and Lucy Craymer

WELLINGTON (Reuters) -New Zealand's National Party said on Thursday it has reached an agreement with ACT New Zealand and New Zealand First to form a government, ending weeks of negotiations and political uncertainty with the country under a caretaker government.

The center-right National Party won the largest share of votes in New Zealand's Oct. 14 general election but needed the support of both right-wing ACT New Zealand and the populist New Zealand First parties to form a majority government.

Negotiations have dragged on as the three parties had to agree on a political agenda for the coming three years and allocate ministerial positions.

"I'm very pleased to announce that we're in a position where we've concluded negotiations with the respective parties. Those agreements are now before the parties for ratification, which we hope to have this evening," incoming Prime Minister Christopher Luxon told reporters.

"We are genuinely excited."

Both NZ First's Winston Peters and Act's David Seymour confirmed negotiations had concluded.

The conservative National Party won over voters by promising relief for struggling middle-income New Zealanders, and to bring historically high inflation under control while reducing the country's debt. It is expected to announce plans to return the central bank to a single mandate of targeting inflation of 1% to 3%.

The formation of the new coalition government will bring to an end six years of left-wing government led by Labour. Labour lost support with many New Zealanders disgruntled over the country's long COVID-19 lockdown and the rising cost of living.

New Zealand operates a mixed member proportional system, which means coalition governments are the norm and historically it takes roughly a month for a government to be formed but can take longer.

A detail breakdown of the new government's policy agenda is expected to be released Friday. Ministerial appointments are also expected to be announced then.

(Reporting by Lucy Craymer and Renju Jose; Editing by Stephen Coates)
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 23)  Former President Rodrigo Duterte is not prohibited by any law should he plan to resume his political career, former PDP-Laban leader Johnny Pimentel said Wednesday.

"Under our Constitution, one term is applicable only to the president. In this case, he'll (Duterte) be running as vice president, there is no prohibition," Pimentel told CNN Philippines' Politics As Usual.

"We are in a democracy. Therefore, every citizen, everyone is entitled to file that certificate of candidacy as long as they are qualified," the Surigao del Sur lawmaker added.

The 1987 Constitution states that the president is elected by direct vote by the people for a term of six years. He is not eligible for reelection and may only hold office for one term.

Edna Co, former dean of the UP National College of Public Administration and Governance, echoed Pimentel's position, saying it is not unprecedented for a former president to return to politics.

"Pwede naman yun [It can be done]. We have not had that except in the case of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. She ran for Congress after her term as president. That's a possibility, we cannot count that out. It's the choice of the former president," Co said.

While it is Duterte's characteristic to be unpredictable, Co and Pimentel said anything can happen when it comes to the former president.

"If we notice, maraming sinasabi [he says a lot of things] which is why he can change his mind and this can change," Co noted.

"Only time can tell if he's serious [about] running for vice president," Pimentel said.

In a TV interview Monday evening, Duterte said he would return to politics if his daughter, Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte, is impeached over the 125-million confidential fund controversy, which she allegedly spent in just 11 days.

READ: Marcos: VP Duterte does not deserve impeachment

"Alam mo, 'pag ginawa niyo iyan, babalik ako sa pulitika. Mapilitan ako, either I run for senator or I will run for vice president maski matanda na ako," he said.

[Translation: You know what, if you pursue that, I will return to politics. I will be forced to either run for senator or I run for vice president even though I'm already old.]
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has removed Yurii Shchyhol, former head of the State Special Communications Service, from the Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief and appointed Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov to this position.

Source: a decree on the website of the Presidents Office

Quote: "In accordance with Article 8 of the Law of Ukraine On the Defence of Ukraine, on the basis of a proposal by the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, I decree... that Mykhailo Fedorov, Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine for Innovation, Development of Education, Science and Technology and Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, shall be appointed to serve on the Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief; and Yurii Shchyhol shall be removed from the Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief."

Details: The decree comes into force from the day of its publication.

Background:

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office have exposed the leadership of Ukraines State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection as having appropriated more than UAH 62 million of public money.

The Cabinet of Ministers dismissed Yurii Shchyhol, Head of the State Special Communications Service, on the same day.

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President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted in his evening address on 23 November that Ukrainian special services will continue to work on sanctions against the Russian Federation.

Source: Zelenskyy's address

Quote: "Ukraine complements the international sanctions mechanisms with its sanctions. And we are working to ensure that the sanctions of our partners are extended to those against whom Ukraine has already made appropriate decisions.

Today I signed decrees on more than 300 legal entities and almost 150 individuals of the terrorist state. And our special services, first of all the Security Service of Ukraine, as well as the Cabinet of Ministers and the National Security and Defense Council, will continue their work. There will be other sanctions decisions."

Details: Zelenskyy noted that the sanctions against more than 300 companies and individuals from the Russian Federation and other countries, which came into effect on Thursday, are a synchronisation with partners regarding those persons who directly work for or assist Russian aggression. These are also sanctions against terrorist state entities related to critical infrastructure.

Background:

Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued two decrees validating the decision of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine (NSDC) from 23 November about imposing economic sanctions against a number of Russians and Russian companies.

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A solar farm could come to Nelson County in the next four to five years after a recent presentation to the board of supervisors from Savion.

Based in Kansas City, Missouri with more than 190 employees, Savion was founded in 2019 and is a team comprised of utility-scale solar and energy storage development professionals that has projects across 33 states.

Savion Development Manager Jeannine Johnson and Senior Permitting and Environmental Manager Lauren Devine presented its plans for a solar project and construction in the county.

Were very well established and we have a lot of lessons learned from other projects, Johnson said.

In terms of how the energy works, Johnson said there are solar panels, for example in the field or rooftops, that absorb sunlight and converts it into electricity; and from there, the power is sent to the inverter which converts the energy, sends it to the grid and then to the homes or businesses.

Johnson said panels can be anywhere between 10 to 15 feet high.

She added that some reasons for going solar include: it being cost effective, reliability with the source, sustainability, grid diversification, limited maintenance needed and positive economic impacts.

Generally, Johnson explained, the project typically takes four to seven years from inception to construction with three stages: early, mid and late.

For the proposed project, the property is located in the southeastern portion of the county near the Gladstone area, Johnson said.

Its a proposed 90-megawatt project with the equivalent to powering 14,000 Virginia homes.

Johnson said 100% of the project site is secured with no significant environmental issues, adding that the company is looking at a construction date of 2026.

According to Johnson, the economic impact locally will include increased revenue to the county, no stress on local infrastructure or sewer and minimal water use. The project will serve as a silent revenue generator for the county, Johnson said.

Constructing the solar farm would bring 250 direct and indirect jobs with local labor used as available, local companies such as landscapers used directly for project needs, approximately one year of increased revenues to local business such as equipment rentals and hotels, and two to five permanent jobs throughout the life of the project in charge of maintaining the area, according to Savion representatives.

Prior to the presentation, some county residents addressed the board on the potential solar project.

A concern one resident mentioned was the amount of solar projects popping up in surrounding areas, describing it as quite alarming.

Edith Napier, a county resident, urged the board to look at the full implications of the project such as the economic benefits and employment opportunities for citizens in Nelson County.

Im not for it or against it, Im saying please, please, make sure this is not another Piney River project where someone comes in, says things that seems like its going to be good, and then down the road we find out that it was not, she added.

Napier referred to the Piney River Solar Project, a 50-megwatt solar farm that Energix, a solar company, is proposing in Amherst County on Virginia 151 close to the Nelson County border. The Amherst County Planning Commission on two occasions has denied a special except permit for that project largely based on impacts on the viewshed: the project is expected to go before the Amherst County Board of Supervisors for final review in December.

Johnson said Savion looks to submit its special use permit in December, go through the state permit process next year with a plan of construction in 2026 and being commercial operational in 2027.

There werent any decisions from the supervisors during the Nov. 16 meeting regarding the project as the company plans to submit a special use permit to Nelson County Planning Commission in the coming month.
TOKYO, Nov 23 ( News On Japan ) - Japan hosted the "Self-Defense Forces Joint Exercise," from October 10, attended by the Japan Self-Defense Forces (SDF) and the U.S. military. JNN reports on Japan's only elite unit, the 1st Airborne Brigade, during their training.

In Chiba Prefecture's Narashino Station, soldiers from a special unit, the 1st Airborne Brigade of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, were training. This unit, unique in Japan, is deployed at the forefront for reconnaissance and surprise attacks during emergencies, parachuting into action. Their motto is "Unparalleled Elite," and they are among the most formidable members of the SDF.

On the 19th, they participated in an "Island Defense Training" in Tokunoshima, Kagoshima Prefecture, simulating the defense and recapture of islands. The 1st Airborne Brigade's role involved rapidly deploying hundreds of soldiers from the air.

In times of need, this elite unit is ready to respond to any mission anywhere in Japan.
The Daily News publishes death notices and obituaries on a daily basis for Norfolkans, area residents and former residents.

Death notices, which include information about when and where a person died, funeral services, burial and visitation for the deceased and memorial information, are published free of charge.

If families of the deceased desire to have an obituary printed, there is a fee charged for doing so. Because of that, families of the deceased can decide what information they want included in the obituary, as well as if they desire to have a photograph of the deceased published along with it. The Daily News reserves the right to edit.

Norfolk and area funeral homes have detailed information about placing an obituary in the Daily News. If individuals want to submit obituary information themselves, it can be emailed to funerals@norfolkdailynews.com or faxed to (402) 644-2080.

People needing additional information about death notices and obituaries can call the Daily News at 371-1020 or (877) 371-1020 and ask for the newsroom.
Guinea has announced an investigation into former president Alpha Condes alleged involvement in treason, two years after the ex-president was overthrown in a coup by Colonel Mamady Doumbouyas special army squad in September 2021.

Guineas public prosecutor reportedly received a letter from Justice Minister Alphonse Wright, requesting that the new authorized investigation look into alleged acts of treason, criminal conspiracy and complicity in the illicit possession of arms and ammunition committed by the ex-president, who has been living in exile in Turkey. The probe puts more legal pressure on Conde, Guineas first democratically elected leader of the former French colony after decades of authoritarian and dictatorial regimes. He is already facing allegations of corruption, assassination, and torture.

The coup in 2021 came after he sought to extend his decade-long tenure with a third term in office and violently suppressed protests against the election bid.

Doumbouya seized power in the coup with a promise to hand the reins of government to elected civilians by January 2026. Guineas military leaders have since launched a slew of judicial probes and prosecutions against Conde and people close to him, including for alleged corruption, assassination, torture, kidnapping, and rape. Guinea is one of several West and Central African states to have undergone at least one coup since 2020, the others being Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.
Moroccan authorities arrested 25 Sub-Saharan migrants due to their involvement in a violent attack on security forces trying to prevent them from crossing into the Spanish-occupied enclave of Ceuta.

Last week, some 1000 migrants attempted to violently storm the fence of Ceuta and engaged in violent skirmishes with law enforcement members in which they used bladed weapons.

The violent crossing attempt left 50 injured security forces and 30 wounded among migrants.

The migrants attempted to immolate the violent crossing of Melilla fence on June 2022 which left dozens dead in a stampede.
Reminex SA, a subsidiary of Moroccos largest mining company Managem, signed a partnership agreement with global engineering company China Electronics Corporation on a cobalt sulfate factory.

This strategic and know-how sharing partnership represents a major opportunity to build an industrial cluster and contribute to the Moroccan-Chinese alliance, Reminex said in a statement.

The new plant is part of Managems strategy to expand its strategic metals portfolio and meet the growing demand by EV battery manufacturers.

Both cobalt and sulfate are critical to investments in the renewable energy industries with rising demand from the automotive sector in particular.

Morocco has one of the finest cobalt mines in the world and has attracted manufacturers like BMW and Renault, which signed supply deals with Managem.
General Abdourahamane Tiani, the leader of junta in power in Niger is expected in Mali this Thursday November 23, for his first foreign trip since ascending to power on July 26, after ousting elected leader Mohamed Bazoum.

Tianis visit is a friendly and working trip to his Malian counterpart Assimi Goita, Malis Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The visit will only last one day as Tiani is expected to return to Niger in the afternoon. The visit comes following days after the Malian Armys takeover of the northern region of Kidal from Touareg rebels who controlled the area for 10 years. The seizure of the region was possible after months of clashes.

It has been rumored that Niger and Burkina Faso participated in operations on the sides of the Malian Army.

Ties between the two countries further solidified under both leaders. In August 2023, Niger granted Mali and Burkina Faso the authorization to militarily intervene should the country be attacked by regional bloc Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) that had wielded the threat of military intervention to force Tiani to step down and restore Bazoum.
Anti-migrant and anti-Islam Dutch party PVV, led by Geert Wilders, won by far the parliamentary election, in a result that signals the rise of the far-right across Europe leaving many migrants in the country, especially Moroccans, expecting the worst.

PVV win will send shockwaves across Europe where mainstream parties fear a sweeping return of the far-right riding on the tide of anti-migrant and anti-EU rhetoric.

Wilders, who gained notoriety for his slunder campaigns against Moroccans, promised to halt migration and oppose EU policies, including support for Ukraine and new admissions to the Union.

After the election result announcement, he said the Netherlands will be returned to the Dutch, the asylum tsunami and migration will be curbed.

His win comes after similar victories of the far-right in Italy and Slovakia, joining states like Hungary whose leader Victor Orban has never shied away from espousing an outright anti-Muslim and anti-migrant stance.

Moroccans, one of the largest migrant groups in the Netherlands, fear the worst after the win of Wilders who is poised to form a coalition government after widening the gap with his political contenders.

Wilders has previously taken aim at the Moroccan diaspora describing them as scum.

In a statement to Dutch news agency ANP, Habib El Kaddouri, leader of a Moroccan Dutch migrant organization said distress and fear are enormousWe are afraid that he will portray us as second-class citizens.
(CNN)  Israel and Hamas have reached a deal for a four-day pause in fighting and the release of at least 50 women and children held hostage in Gaza, marking a major diplomatic breakthrough nearly seven weeks after the start of a conflict that has spiraled into a grave humanitarian crisis in the enclave.

The deal, as laid out by key negotiator Qatar in a statement, would see hostages held captive by Hamas released in exchange for a number of Palestinian women and children in Israeli jails. The truce, meanwhile, would also allow the entry of a larger number of humanitarian convoys and relief aid, the statement said.

The starting time of the pause in fighting would be announced within the next 24 hours, the statement added. An Israeli official told CNN Wednesday that the truce is slated to begin at 10 a.m. local time (3 a.m. ET) on Thursday.

There is an option for the pause to last as long as 10 days, but Israeli officials believe it is unlikely to last that long.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said when the deal was approved that for every additional 10 hostages who are released, there will be an additional day of a pause in the fighting.

The US and Israel will also both pause drone flights over Gaza for six hours each day as part of the deal to secure the release of 50 women and children hostages from Gaza, deputy national security adviser Jon Finer told CNN.

Qatars lead negotiator Minister of State Mohammed Al-Khulaifi said the agreement should prompt the international community to seize this brief window of opportunity to generate further momentum for the diplomatic track.

The announcement has been greeted with relief and heightened anticipation from the families of those taken hostage, who now await further news about their loved ones.

It has also been met with positive reaction on the international stage. Egyptian President Abdelfattah El-Sisi reiterated Egypts commitment to finding a sustainable solution for the Palestinian people, while Qatars prime minister said his country hopes the development will establish a comprehensive and sustainable agreement that will put an end to the war and the bloodshed.

Jordans foreign ministry said it hopes the foreign-mediated deal will be a step that leads to a complete cessation of the war in Gaza. In Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov welcomed the deal, saying that Moscow views it positively and describing it as the first good news from Gaza in a very long time.

How the agreement will unfold

A source familiar with how hostages are expected to leave Gaza told CNN that the first swap is expected to take place Thursday 10 a.m. Israeli time. Some 50 Israel hostages  including some with dual nationalities  are expected to be released over the four-day pause. Ten is the minimum number of hostages to be released each day, but that could be higher.

The first swap is the most crucial to see that the mechanism is working as was agreed, the source said.

Every evening before the next days release, Israel and Hamas will give the Red Cross the list of hostage and prisoner names being released the next day, they added.

Hostages will be brought by the Red Cross to Rafah where they will be met by specially trained Israeli soldiers. They will verify that the hostages released were the ones expected and on the list. The families of the hostages will not be notified until the identities of the hostages released have been confirmed, the source said.

Hostages will then be taken by helicopter to several designated hospitals in Israel where there will be special areas and rooms for the hostages, closed to the public. There, their families will finally be able to see them after over six weeks in captivity.

Hamas is holding 239 hostages captive in Gaza, including foreign nationals from 26 countries, according to figures from the Israeli military. The mass abductions at gunpoint took place during October 7, when Hamas militants struck across the border in a coordinated and bloody surprise attack killing around 1,200 people  the largest such attack on Israel since the countrys founding in 1948.

Prior to the deal, only a handful of hostages had been released.

Israel responded to the attack by declaring war against Hamas and imposing a blockade on Gaza that cut off supplies of food, water, medicines and fuel, while launching a relentless air and ground assault. Some 12,700 people have been killed in Gaza since October 7, according to data from the Palestinian health ministry in the West Bank, which draws on information from Hamas-run health authorities.

The newly announced deal followed weeks of negotiations that included the United States and Egypt, and was approved by Israels cabinet in the early hours of Wednesday morning following a six-hour meeting an Israeli official described as tense and emotional.

Some 150 Palestinian prisoners would be released over four days during the initial hostage release if terms are met, the government said.

Just hours away from the first set of hostages being released from Gaza, US officials have a working list of 10 hostages that they believe are likely to be released on day one, a source familiar says. It was not clear whether any of the three American hostages  including 3-year-old Abigail Edan  would be released on the first day.

The deal is structured in such a way that each day, a group of hostages to be released would be handed off to the Red Cross; the Red Cross would then take the group to a designated border point, which will largely depend on the location of those hostages, the source familiar said.

Many of the first 50 hostages are expected to come out through Egypt, they said. The first two days of the hostage release will be treated as a testing period, the source said, to make sure the process is working. By day three, there is expected to be intense discussions about a potential second phase of the hostage release beyond the initial group of 50.

The deal followed mounting pressure on the Israeli government from the families of the hostages, who have demanded answers and action from Netanyahu. It also comes amid growing international pressure for more humanitarian support for the people of Gaza.

Hostages families anxiously await the release

Even as the details of the release remained unclear, some family members of the hostages held by Hamas expressed relief  and anticipation as they waited to learn whether their loved ones would be included in the negotiated release.

Anat Moshe Shoshany, whose grandmother was kidnapped from kibbutz Nir Oz on the back of a moped, said hearing of the hostage deal gave her so much hope.

I really do hope to see someone walking out of there alive, Shoshany said. We want a chance to see our loved ones back. This is all we want and I really hope this is just the first step in this mess.

Liz Hirsh Naftali, the great-aunt of Abigail Edan, the 3-year-old US citizen being held hostage by Hamas, told CNN that the situation has been excruciating.

We have spent the last seven weeks, seven weeks, worrying, wondering, praying, hoping, she said.

The family hopes Abigail, who is the youngest American hostage held by Hamas, can come home by Friday, her fourth birthday.

We need to see Abigail come out and then we will be able to believe it, Naftali added.

US President Joe Biden welcomed the deal in a statement Tuesday night in Washington, saying it should bring home additional American hostages. He pledge he will not stop until they are all released.

Three Americans could be among the 50 women and children freed as part of the deal, senior US officials said. Ten Americans remain unaccounted for, including two women and a 3-year-old girl, according to a senior administration official. The official didnt name the girl.

A US official also said there are various locations where the hostages will be brought out, but declined to provide further detail.

The IDF spokesperson Conricus said the list of hostages to be released in the deal are all Israelis - some with dual nationalities. He added that the Palestinian prisoners set to be released are not serious offenders.

Israel on Wednesday released a list of 300 prisoners that could be released, leaving open the possibility of a second phase of exchanges of prisoners for hostages after the initial four-day period.

The vast majority of the Palestinian prisoners listed as eligible for release in an exchange for Israeli hostages are male teenagers aged 16 to 18  children under the United Nations definition  although a handful are as young as 14. Some 33 are women, according to a CNN count.

The list of names published by Israel also lists the charges under which the prisoners are being held. Throwing stones and harming regional security are among the most common, but others include support for illegal terror organizations, illegal weapons charges, incitement, and at least two accusations of attempted murder.

The publication of the list starts a 24-hour period during which legal petitions against the release of Palestinian prisoners can be filed to Israels Supreme Court, after which point the process is expected to begin.

The total number of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails is approximately 8,300, according to Qadura Fares, the head of the Palestinian Prisoners Club, a non-governmental organization.

Of those 8,300, more than 3,000 are being held in what Israel calls administrative detention, which Amnesty International says can be extended indefinitely.

Potential for longer pause

The arrangement for a second phase of exchange built into the deal has the potential to create a longer humanitarian pause than just the four days originally stipulated, officials and statements from the US, Israel and Qatar have suggested.

The hostages deal, as it is structured, includes a pause, a humanitarian pause over a number of days, four to five days at least. And theres the potential with additional releases for that to be for that to be extended, but that will also be dependent upon Hamas releasing additional hostages, according to a senior US official, who added this incentivizes the release of all hostages.

The pause will also allow for additional, much-needed humanitarian convoys and relief aid to enter the enclave.

Those would include fuel designated for humanitarian needs, according to Qatar, which did not provide further details on the volume of aid expected.

In its statement Wednesday, Hamas said the deal involves the entry of hundreds of trucks carrying aid relief, medical supplies and fuel to all parts of Gaza.

Israel has been highly reluctant to allow fuel into Gaza since October 7, citing concerns Hamas will use it to power its operations, and only last week agreed to allow minimal deliveries to power sewage facilities and water supply systems.

Humanitarian groups have for weeks called for fuel to be allowed into Gaza, arguing it is critical for cooking food and maintaining operations at hospitals, which have struggled to keep patients, including neonatal babies alive, amid power outages, supply shortages and bombardment.

Governments across the world and international organizations have also been ramping up pressure for increased aid deliveries to the struggling enclave.
High-ranking military medical leaders and professionals from the Maghreb and the Arab world are meeting in Marrakesh to discuss cooperation ties and exchange experiences to counter current and future common challenges.

The four-day event, which opened Wednesday, is organized by the Royal Armed Forces Health Service under the aegis of the International Committee of Military Medicine (ICMM). It is attended by military physicians, surgeons, pharmacists, dentists, veterinarians, health engineers and managers.

The opening ceremony of the 6th ICMM Pan-Arab Regional Congress and the 6th ICMM Maghreban Regional Congress on Military Medicine was marked by the screening of a video showing the Royal Armed Forces response to Al Haouz earthquake and presentation on Arab-Islamic medicine.

In his keynote address, Minister Delegate in charge of national defense administration Abdeltif Loudyi said the wars, natural disasters, climate change, and the spread of epidemics the world is facing require greater global mobilization to mitigate the impacts of these issues.

He lauded the swift response of the Royal Armed forces and their medical emergency medical team, upon the royal instruction, to participate in the search & rescue operations and to provide assistance to Al Haouz earthquake victims.

For his part, Major-Gen. Dr.Mohamed Abbar, Military Health Service Inspector, said armed conflicts, disasters in all their forms and deadly epidemics that the world is experiencing, particularly in recent years, continue to pose the greatest challenge to humanity.

He called for more intensified efforts and capacity building to adapt to various circumstances and address challenges and with professionalism.

The agenda of the Marrakesh military medicine congress features debates and presentations on the logistical, medical, and surgical challenges in field operations, infectious diseases, scientific research, and the new technologies in military medicine.
Chinas car parts maker Citic Dicastal opened its third factory in Morocco in Kenitra worth 180 million euros to manufacture aluminum chassis parts.

The new factory spans over 20,000 square meters and employs 1000 people. It has an annual production capacity of 5 million units, of which 90% will be exported to Europe.

This plant brings Citic Dicastal total investments in Morocco to 350 million euros.

Its two plants, employing 1400 people, manufactured 6 million alloy wheels last year, supplying carmakers in Morocco and abroad, according to industry ministry figures.

Moroccos car industry exports rose 33% to stand at 103 billion dirhams, or $10 billion, contributing largely together with phosphates and agri-food products to a significant rise in exports.

Morocco is home to two plants of French carmakers PSA and Renault as well as car part suppliers.
The Kingdom of Morocco has expressed satisfaction on Thursday, November 23, 2023, following the agreement establishing a ceasefire in Gaza between Israel and the Palestinian movement Hamas, starting from Friday, as well as the release of some hostages and Palestinian prisoners.

The statement was made by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nasser Bourita, during a joint press briefing with Abdoulaye Bathily, Special Representative for Libya and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) who is currently on a working visit to Rabat.

We have welcomed this agreement with satisfaction, hoping that the parties achieve a long and lasting ceasefire, said Nasser Bourita.

Morocco also praises the mediation efforts made by Qatar, Egypt and the United States which led to this agreement, Bourita said, stressing0 that Morocco welcomes this important effort which resulted in this agreement that could represent an essential milestone for thinking about a lasting and verifiable ceasefire.

He recalled the repeated calls launched by King Mohammed VI, urging the conflicting parties to initiate a de-escalation process in the ongoing war in Gaza to enable the delivery of humanitarian aid and launch a process that could lead to a lasting ceasefire.

De-escalation is key to enable the delivery of humanitarian aid and facilitate relief efforts for the brotherly Palestinian people and launch a process that could lead to a lasting ceasefire, the minister insisted.

In the Middle East, Nasser Bourita affirmed, We must move away from the logic of managing the crises and move towards the necessity of a solution based on the coexistence of two states.

The Middle East region will not escape the logic of crises succession without recognition of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people to the establishment of their independent State.

The escalation must stop with the consolidation of a ceasefire, emphasized the head of Moroccan diplomacy, reaffirming the unwavering position of Morocco and of King Mohammed VI, the Chairman of the Al-Quds Committee, regarding notably the opening up of prospects for peace through a genuine political process that would achieve a two-State solution, a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with Al Quds as capital, living side by side with an Israeli State, and consecrate the Palestinian peoples rights.
News of record installations of so-called renewable energy electric generation in China may have kindled the hopes of those supporting the "green" agenda and hostile to fossil fuels. However, China is in no position to give up hydrocarbons, particularly coal.

During the first half of 2023, China approved 52 gigawatts (GW) of new coal power, which was more than all the approvals issued in 2021. These new approvals are in addition to the 136 GW of coal capacity that are already under construction. Together, these new plants represent more than 67% of all new approvals in the world.

Why is China doing this despite climate pledges? And what does the future hold?

Turning Away from Paris One-Step at a Time

Nearly all countries signed the historic Paris Agreement in 2015, which set aggressive goals to keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial levels. The assumption was that reducing carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels would halt future warming deemed as catastrophic.

As part of this accord, China, the largest greenhouse gas emitter in the world, agreed to reach carbon neutrality by 2060 and peak its emissions of carbon dioxide by 2030. Many praised these promises, celebrating China's apparent acceptance of its supposed responsibility to address the climate issue.

But these promises are at odds with reality. China's economy is mostly based on fossil fuels, which are the most affordable, abundant and dependable energy source. At 159 exajoules, Chinas primary energy consumption in 2022 was the highest in the world and 40% more than that consumed the U.S. -- the second largest user.

Last year, 82% of the total energy consumed by China came from coal, oil and natural gas. Wind and solar, despite significant investments by Beijing, represented just 7% of all energy consumed in 2022.

Coal remains the linchpin of China's energy infrastructure and economic vitality. According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, coal consumption increased by more than 4% in 2022. Coal imports in August 2023 were the highest since 2015. China is ramping up its import from Russia and Australia and continues to increase imports from Indonesia, which is its main supplier.

Tsvetana Paraskova of OilPrice.com writes, China is mining record amounts of coal and also importing record volumes of coal as it looks to boost its energy security. This growing appetite for coal is inevitable given the huge demand from the power sector and industry in general.

Demand from Industries to Increase Coal Demand

Over 1 billion tons of crude steel are produced in China each year, accounting for over half of global steel output. The Chinese steel industriesover 90% of themuse coal-based processes.

Despite introducing in 2021 a policy to curb emissions of carbon dioxide, Beijing has yet to announce any cap for steel production. S&P Global believes that there will be no mandatory steel output cuts this year. The crude steel output in 2023 is to exceed 2022 levels.

According to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, Chinese steel firms are making significant investments in new, coal-based steelmaking capacity. To put this in context, Chinas approval of new steel capacity per year is twice that of the entire capacity of the German steel industry.

Like steelmaking, the manufacturing of cement is energy intensive, with coal accounting for up to 85% of the energy used in the process. China is the world's largest producer and consumer of cement.

According to analysts, China consumes as much cement every two years as the U.S. did over the entire 20th century. Cement production is projected to increase further in coming years, and high demand will possibly last for decades.

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In short, China's security and economic growth depend on satiating the country's colossal appetite for fossil fuels. Western politics around a non-existent climate crisis won't change that.

Vijay Jayaraj is a Research Associate at the CO2 Coalition, Arlington, Virginia. He holds a masters degree in environmental sciences from the University of East Anglia, U.K.

Authored by Vijay Jayaraj of RealClear Wire via Zerohedge.com

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China saw its exports of gasoline drop in October from a year earlier and from September as Chinese refiners grapple with weaker domestic margins and limited remaining fuel export quotas.

The decline in fuel exports out of China suggests that the world's top crude oil importer may not be able to come to the rescue of the Asian and global fuel markets this winter like it did last winter, Reuters columnist Clyde Russell notes.

Last month, China's diesel exports rose by 4.4% year over year to 1.1 million tons, but were down from September's 1.18 million tons of exports, according to data from the General Administration of Customs of China.

But gasoline exports slumped by 20% compared to October 2022, as domestic demand surged during a week-long holiday in early October.

Diesel shipments held relatively strong as Chinese domestic demand continues to wobble amid the ongoing crisis in the property sector and mixed manufacturing activity in recent months.

But it looks like China's diesel exports peaked this year in June, Reuters's Russell says. Chinese exports of diesel have declined since then, with the exception of August, when refiners got a third batch of fuel export quotas.

Between January and August, Chinese refiners tripled their diesel exports as export quotas and rising refining margins in Asia proved incentives enough amid tepid domestic diesel demand. In the first eight months of the year, China's diesel exports soared by 197.2% compared to the same eight months of 2022, according to data from the General Administration of Customs cited by Reuters.

At the end of August, China issued a larger-than-expected fuel export quota in the third batch of allocations for 2023 as authorities sought to incentivize refiners to sustain economic growth and sell more product abroad at a time when China's 2023 fuel demand may have peaked.

The third batch of export quotas brought the total 2023 quota volumes above the allowances awarded for the who

+le of 2022, according to Bloomberg's estimates.

As a fourth batch of export quotas for this year hasn't been issued, Chinese refiners could further limit fuel exports due to a lack of quotas for the remainder of 2023, despite the stronger margins on the Asian market compared to the domestic market.

Therefore, Chinese refiners may not be in a position to come to the rescue of the Asian, and indirectly Western, fuel markets in case a cold winter raises demand more than currently expected.

The drying Panama Canal due to a lack of rainfall and congested tanker and cargo vessel traffic there could also impact global fuel markets as ships will have to make longer voyages if they want to avoid passing through the canal. Nearly half of the volumes of goods that were shipped through the Panama Canal in 2022 consisted of petroleum, refined petroleum products, and gas-based products, according to data from the Panama Canal Authority cited by Bloomberg.

While global fuel supplies are not as tight as they were in late 2022, the longer tanker travels due to the Panama Canal's limitations could affect fuel supplies in some regions.

With a lack of additional fuel export quotas, Chinese refiners may not be able to alleviate potential shortages.

"China's clean fuel exports will remain capped for the remainder of 2023, as refiners have not yet received the long-awaited fourth batch of export quotas or approvals to convert their remaining LSFO quotas for CPP exports," Emma Li, Senior Market Analyst at Vortexa, wrote earlier this month.

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"Market participants have indicated that both Chinese state-run refiners and non-Shandong independent refiners are planning to reduce run rates in November, with deeper cuts expected among independent refiners,' Li added.

"State-run refiners may only reduce production by 2-3% to address declining domestic margins, tight export quotas, and the need for seasonal maintenance."

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Recent oil and gas discoveries in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) mean that the country has the second largest crude oil reserves in Central and Southern Africa, after Angola. Several international oil majors have been eyeing Africa for the development of new operations in a largely untapped region. New oil and gas projects in the DRC could provide energy companies with massive new reserves and allow them to develop lower-carbon operations. However, there is widespread opposition in the country, as environmentalists worry about the ecological impact of drilling, and residents are concerned about the effect on the community, as well as the potential for corruption.

The DRCs proven oil reserves of 180 million barrels are mainly located in the four major lakes bordering Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, and Uganda. Its reserves are thought to include a total of around 30 billion cubic metres of methane and natural gas. In Lake Kivu, bordering Rwanda and Burundi, there are also almost 60 billion cubic metres of dissolved methane in the waters. The DRC currently exports all its crude production and imports all its petroleum products, something that could change to boost the countrys energy security if its oil and gas industry is developed further.

Three major oil companies currently operate oil projects in the region, the Anglo-French firm Perenco, French oil major Total, and state-owned SONAHYDROC. There has been great optimism around oil discoveries in the region in recent years, with estimates for petroleum reserves as high as three billion barrels. Therefore, further exploration could prove fruitful for companies looking to break into Africa.

However, many are worried about the potential environmental and social impacts of developing the DRCs oil reserves. Earlier this year, the New York investment firm EQX Biome, a biodiversity fintech company, made a bid of $400 million in an auction for oil concessions in the Congo basin rainforest and Virunga National Park with the idea of converting them into conservation projects. It signalled its interest in 27 oil exploration blocks put up for auction in July last year to the DRC government. The region includes a critically endangered gorilla habitat, as well as parts of the worlds largest tropical peatlands, and some of the worlds second-largest rainforest in the Congo basin. Environmentalists worldwide have warned of irreversible environmental harm should drilling go ahead in the region.

Three gas blocks in the region have already been sold in the auction to North American oil companies. But EQX Biome hopes to develop a carbon and biodiversity credits programme in the remaining blocks, partnering with NGOs to help companies buy credits to offset their carbon emissions. The firm believes the projects could bring in revenues of at least $6 billion, as well as create jobs and provide tax revenues for the DRC government, meaning it would not lose out from the lack of oil production. It would also support the DRC in meeting international climate change goals. The hydrocarbons minister Didier Budimbu postponed the end of the auction until October in a move that suggested the government was considering the offer.

Yet, in October, the DRC government rejected calls from U.S. climate envoy John Kerry to withdraw some oil blocks from its auction to protect forests in the region. The countrys Environment Minister Eve Bazaiba responded to the request by stating, Nobody can put pressure on us... no convention in the world, not even the Paris Agreement, forbids a country from emitting CO2 for development reasons. The DRC government has been steadfast in its position on oil exploration, suggesting it needs companies to invest in the countrys oil and gas industry to help it develop its economy, power industries, and provide electricity to its population. Bazaiba suggested that the potential impact of drilling on the environment would be assessed before any blocks were auctioned.

However, several communities across the DRC are staunchly opposed to the potential development of the countrys oil and gas reserves. While the first contract for gas extraction in Lake Kivu was signed in September, the auction deadline for bids on oil blocks has been postponed until next year. The DRC government has promised that the auction will be transparent, impartial, and competitive. Yet, many Congolese do not care how transparent the process is, they simply do not want oil drilling on their land. Many communities living in the oil region depend on the rainforest for their livelihoods, and environmental degradation could put them at risk. In addition to drilling, the development of oil operations would require a huge investment in supporting infrastructure, such as roads and pipelines, which could have a detrimental impact on the rainforest.

While there is significant potential for the development of the DRCs oil and gas reserves, international and local pressure from environmentalists and communities in the region could encourage the government to halt the auction of several blocks in the region. So far, the government has been adamant about the need to develop its oil and gas industry to help support economic and industrial growth. However, some companies believe that revenues from the creation of a carbon credit programme could bring in funds without putting the rainforest at risk. Once again, the issue of aggravating climate change versus the economic growth of a developing country comes into play, suggesting the need for a global approach if Western governments and international organisations support a green transition.

By Felicity Bradstock for Oilprice.com

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European natural gas markets and governments are much calmer at the beginning of this winter heating season compared to last year, thanks to full gas storage sites and steady flows of LNG supply, including to the new import terminals built in the past year.

Governments and forecasters continue to warn against complacency despite the full inventories and the structural decline in Europes gas consumption, prompted by demand destruction in industry and energy conservation among households.

Even if the EU manages to go through this winter without major disruptions or shortages in gas supply and another shocking surge in gas and power prices, Europe will have to come to terms with the fact that its natural gas prices are now being determined in faraway places, such as Australia, Japan, China, and the United States. Unpredictability and volatility are here to stay.

Europe is unlikely to struggle to procure LNG supply, but the price it would pay for gas will increasingly be determined elsewhere, Reuters market analyst John Kemp writes.

LNG Dependence

Increased reliance on LNG, which replaced a large part of the lost Russian pipeline gas supply, renders Europe more vulnerable to global supply and demand issues. A strike at an Australian LNG export terminal, a fire at a U.S. export plant, or a cold snap in Japan or China would immediately reflect on the European benchmark natural gas prices, as seen in the past two months.

LNG demand in Europe and Asia has been rising in November compared to warmer October, but LNG spot prices in Asia have remained steady in the past few weeks amid high levels of gas in storage.

Demand from end-users in northeast Asia has remained largely weak, with market participants flagging continued high terminal inventories in South Korea and Japan in particular, Samuel Good, head of LNG pricing at Argus, told Reuters last week.

In Europe, the benchmark natural gas prices have seesawed this week as traders weighed higher heating demand amid colder weather with still nearly full EU inventories. Below-average temperatures have raised demand for heating and natural gas, and traders have begun withdrawing natural gas from Europes record-high inventories.

Record-High European Gas Inventories

The gas storage sites in the EU were 98.69% full as of November 21, according to data from Gas Infrastructure Europe. In the past weeks, most EU countries have made consecutive small net withdrawals of gas from their storage, the data showed. These were the first consecutive net withdrawals from Europes gas storage since Aprilthe end of the previous winter heating season. Related: European Utility Giant Turns More Selective On Renewables Spending



In early November, EU storage sites were 99.6% full, way above the average of 89% full inventories for the past ten years, Reuterss Kemp notes.

Considering the changes in storage for the last decade, European gas sites would end this winter 52% full, or, in case of a very cold winter  35% full in April next year. A very mild winter could leave storage sites 70% full when the 2023/2024 winter ends, per Kemps estimates.

In recent days, gas supply to Europe from Norway hit a three-year high, Ole Hansen, Head of Commodity Strategy at Saxo Bank, said. Combined with ample LNG volumes at sea looking for a home, the peak winter contract of February has seen its premium over spot prices shrink to just $1.64 (1.50 euros) per megawatt-hour (MWh), Hansen added.

For now, record-high inventories and steady LNG inflows are giving Europe confidence that last years energy crisis will not repeat itself.

However, the calmness in the market could turn into volatile turbulence again if fresh supply concerns emerge and if this winter is really cold in Europe and/or Asia.

Uncertainty and Unpredictability

Governments and markets should be anything but complacent as the winter approaches as risks of tighter markets and soaring prices remain, analysts and forecasters say.

No one can predict how cold this winter in the northern hemisphere will be. Last winter was mercifully warmer than usual in Europe just as the continent was scrambling to import higher LNG volumes despite spiking prices to replace the lost Russian pipeline gas supply.

It's not certain this winter will be equally warmer than usual, and weather will be the driving force behind the LNG market and prices.

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Weather is one of the biggest unknowns, Colin Parfitt, vice president for midstream at Chevron, told Bloomberg earlier this month.

As Europe is buying increasingly larger volumes of LNG to meet its gas demand, the global nature of the LNG market and trading exposes Europe to supply disruptions as far away as Australia and to spikes in demand in Asia which is competing with the EU for LNG supply.

LNG has evolved into a global commodity, which has had a significant effect on the price volatility that markets have experienced in recent years, Ana Maria Jaller-Makarewicz, Lead Energy Analyst for the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) Europe team, said earlier this year.

Gas markets are becoming riskiergas and LNG prices are increasingly volatile and greatly affected by global factors, Jaller-Makarewicz wrote.

The uncertainty of future events that could affect gas supply makes it extremely difficult to predict how the supply and demand could be balanced and how much prices could escalate by.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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A gas field offshore Gaza with more than a trillion cubic feet in reserves could become a future revenue stream for the Palestinian economy.

There have been suggestions that this gas is the reason for the war between Israel and Hamas, with the Israeli government eyeing control of the Gaza Marine field. Still, the U.S. has now signaled the gas belongs to the Palestinian people and is theirs to exploit. For that to happen, however, peace must be restored.

During a recent visit to Israel, President Biden's energy security advisor Amos Hochstein said that the Gaza Marine field could go a long way towards helping the Palestinian economy grow.

In an interview with The National, Hochstein noted that the potential of the field should not be overestimated; however, he added that "it can absolutely be a revenue stream for a Palestinian government, and to ensure there is an independent energy system for Palestine."

The Gaza Marine field was discovered in 2000 by British Gas, which had signed a 25-year exploration deal with the Palestinian Authority in 1999 under the Oslo II Accord that gave Palestinians maritime jurisdiction over waters extending 20 miles from the coast.

Israel's government at the time signed off on the drilling, and British Gas drilled two wells, tapping an estimated 1.4 trillion cu ft of gas. However, conflict, economic troubles, and political disputes interfered with exploration in the years that followed. Related: European Utility Giant Turns More Selective On Renewables Spending

Earlier this year, the Netanyahu government preliminarily approved the renewal of exploration work at the Gaza Marine field.

"In the framework of the existing efforts between the State of Israel, Egypt, and the Palestinian Authority (PA), with emphasis on Palestinian economic development and maintaining security stability in the region, it has been decided to develop the Gaza Marine gas field off the coast of Gaza," the Israeli Prime Minister's Office said in a statement in June.

The National asked Hochstein whether Israel would allow Palestinians to exploit their gas reserves, to which the official replied: "I am very confident, there is no reason for them not to, it is not theirs [the Israelis], the gas belongs to the Palestinian people."

A 2019 paper by the UN Conference on Trade and Development suggested that there are substantial oil and gas reserves in Palestinian land and waters and that some of the gas discovered in the eastern Mediterranean could belong to the Palestinians.

However, the paper said, "Israel has begun to exploit [the resources] for its own benefit, while these resources may be considered shared resources, whereby the oil and natural gas exist in common pools."

In this context, Hochstein's comments regarding the Gaza Marine field are critical. They essentially demonstrate that the U.S. recognizes Palestinian jurisdiction over at least this fieldlike Israel, which approved drilling there.

The U.S. official also noted that companies have already expressed interest in the development of Gaza Marine. This is hardly a surprise since the East Mediterranean has become a hot spot for oil and gas, especially gas.

The two giant fields off the coast of IsraelTamar and Leviathanhave turned the country into a gas exporter that gas-thirsty Europe is eyeing as a potential supplier. Israel recently awarded six exploration licenses to companies, including BP and Eni. The licenses are all for offshore exploration for gas.

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"The winning companies have committed to unprecedented investment in natural gas exploration over the next three years, which would hopefully result in the discovery of new natural gas reservoirs," Israel's Energy Minister, Israel Katz, said.

With so much interest in the area, companies may indeed be prepared to develop Palestinian gas resources, with the very grave caveat of if and when the war ends.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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In the aftermath of a postponement in the next OPEC+ meeting for four days to November 30 over oil output quotas, Angola is not considering quitting the cartel, an official told Bloomberg on Thursday morning.

Theres no thinking in that direction, Angola OPEC governor Estevao Pedro told Bloomberg by telephone, ensuring markets that Africas second-largest producer had no intentions of rocking the boat to that extent.

Crude oil prices plunged by over 4% on Wednesday and continued their downward spiral on Thursday after OPEC+ officially delayed its meeting originally scheduled for this Sunday, by four days. At issue is disagreement among OPEC members on production levels, African nations Angola, Nigeria and Congo reportedly seeking higher quotas than those agreed upon at the Cartels June meeting.

According to Bloomberg, the cartel needs additional time to address quotas, suggesting that Saudi Arabia has expressed discontent with Africa quotes while the Kingdom shoulders the bulk of the output cut burden. There was also speculation, according to Bloomberg, that Angola could quit the cartel amid the dispute.



The UAE, the third-largest OPEC producer, may now raise its oil output for 2024 after having won a higher quota in the latest OPEC+ agreement. For years, the UAE has been fighting to increase its quota as it raises production capacity.



But the Saudi rift with the UAE over output targets was resolved at the expense of African nations.

"OPEC squared the books on increasing UAEs quota... by reducing the targets for the African nations that were underperforming their required production numbers," RBC Capital Markets Helima Croft said in a note, cited by Reuters. Croft told Bloomberg that the dispute with Angola may be difficult to bridge.

African nations had their output quotas reduced in June due to reduced capabilities, with Angola already falling short of its production targets. The country produced 1.17 million barrels per day in October. Nigeria, on the other hand, has been producing above its targets for 2024.

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Chinese independent refiners, the biggest customers of Venezuelas crude before the U.S. sanctions relief, are now holding back fresh purchases of oil from the Latin American country due to unpredictable discounts on cargoes after international majors returned to Venezuelan trades, trading sources in China have told Reuters.

China and its independent refiners were buying Venezuelan crude even under the U.S. sanctions, providing an outlet to Venezuelas oil. But now the trades with crude from the country holding the worlds largest reserves are in disarray and discounts cannot be predicted, the sources told Reuters.

Chinese refiners are also reducing Venezuelan oil intake because of a seasonal drop in demand for asphalt, for which Venezuelas heavy crude is suited.

Before the U.S. eased the sanctions on Venezuela, Chevron was the only Western major with a special exemption from late 2022 to operate in Venezuela and export crude from the country holding the worlds largest crude oil reserves.

The easing of the sanctions now allows the production, lifting, sale, and exportation of oil or gas from Venezuela, and the provision of related goods and services, as well as payment of invoices for goods or services related to oil or gas sector operations in Venezuela.

As a result, the top international oil trading houses are back in the business of trading with oil from Venezuela.

Some of the largest independent oil trading houses are already offering Venezuelan cargoes, including to U.S. buyers. Commodity giants have also struck deals to buy crude from intermediaries approved by Venezuelas state-owned oil company PDVSA.

Vitol Group, the worlds largest independent oil trader, has hired a supertanker to load oil from Venezuela, lists of ship charters compiled by Bloomberg showed last week.

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Meanwhile, Venezuelan Oil Ministry officials said on Wednesday that output had reached 850,000 barrels per day (bpd) after the easing of the sanctions. Analysts, however, dont see Venezuela having the ability to raise production too much in the near term. Venezuelan oil production is unlikely to jump above 900,000 bpd by the end of 2024, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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(CNN)  A US warship shot down multiple one-way attack drones launched from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen on Thursday morning local time, according to the United States Central Command.

In a statement, CENTCOM said the USS Thomas Hudner shot the drones down while it was on patrol in the Red Sea, adding that there had been no damage to the ship or injuries sustained by the crew.

Tensions have increased in the Red Sea region since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, with Yemens Iran-backed Houthi rebels claiming to have fired ballistic missiles and drones toward Israel.

On Sunday, the Galaxy Leader cargo ship was hijacked by the Houthis in the Red Sea with about 25 crew members on board.

The United States demands the immediate release of the cargo ship and crew seized by the Houthis in the Red Sea, State Department spokesperson Matt Miller said Monday.
The Japanese government has asked the countrys LNG buyers to seek long-term supply deals as the G7 member heavily dependent on energy imports looks to enhance its energy security.

Japans Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry has urged the signing of long-term supply contracts during meetings with domestic LNG importers and foreign exporters, sources familiar with the talks have told Bloomberg.

Japan is thus looking to reduce its exposure to possible harsher sanctions on Russian LNG and fresh energy price shocks, according to Bloombergs sources.

Japan has been looking to boost its energy security and lower import bills amid volatile energy commodity prices and altered energy flows following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Earlier this year, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visited the United Arab Emirates (UAE) during a trip in several Arab Gulf states to discuss energy and trade relations.

Japan is relatively late to the party of decades-long LNG supply deals.

In recent weeks, Qatars state giant QatarEnergy has signed 27-year LNG supply deals with European and Chinese companies to provide from 2026 cargoes from its expanded export projects currently under development.

Last month, QatarEnergy signed a 27-year agreement to ship LNG to Europe by agreeing to deliver cargoes for Eni in Italy beginning in 2026, after similar deals with Shell and TotalEnergies for supply to the Netherlands and France, respectively.

Qatar has also signed similar long-term deals with Chinese buyers, the latest being an agreement between QatarEnergy and China Petrochemical Corporation (Sinopec) for the North Field South (NFS) expansion project and supply of 3 million tons per annum (MTPA) of LNG from the NFS project to Sinopecs receiving terminals in China over a span of 27 years.

The United States and Qatar are frontrunners  by a mile  as the LNG exporters best positioned to capture the global demand for additional supply capacity over the next two decades. Thats the estimate by Wood Mackenzie, which sees the abundant, low-cost natural gas resources in the worlds current top two LNG exporters as the key factor for their export capacity growth.

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The High Court in London has ruled that thousands of Nigerians can sue Shell for breaching their right to a clean environment due to oil spills, law firm Leigh Day, representing the plaintiffs, said on Thursday.

If the case succeeds at trial, it will be the first time in legal history that a UK multinational will have been found to have breached a communities right to a clean environment, the law firm said in a statement.

In February this year, more than 13,000 residents from the Ogale and Bille communities in Nigeria filed claims against Shell over the oil spills, seeking compensation for loss of livelihoods and damage against the oil giant.

In the ruling of the High Court in London this week, The judge found it could be argued the pollution has fundamentally breached the villagers right to a clean environment under the Nigerian Constitution and the African Charter and those constitutional rights were directly enforceable and can be relied upon against companies like Shell, the law firm said today.

Importantly, such claims have no limitation period, meaning Shell would not be able to evade liability on the grounds the communities did not bring their claims within a narrow time frame, Leigh Day added.

Shell has denied responsibility for oil spills in Nigeria.

Oil is being stolen on an industrial scale in the Niger Delta, Shell said in a statement carried by Bloomberg. This criminality is a major source of pollution and is the cause of the majority of spills in the Bille and Ogale claims.

In recent years, the UK-based supermajor has won several cases concerning oil spills in Nigeria that have occurred since the 1990s.

In late 2019, Shell won a court ruling that blocked the enforcement of more than half a billion dollars for damages against the oil supermajor in a decade-old oil spill case in Nigeria.

In May this year, Shell won a similar case after the UK Supreme Court ruled it was too late for Nigerian claimants to sue two Shell subsidiaries over a 2011 offshore oil spill.

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The Iran-aligned Houthi rebels of Yemen have warned Israel and its allies that any ship crossing the Bab el-Mandeb Strait linking the Red Sea with the Arabian Sea will be considered a legitimate target, in the latest escalation of the threat to one of the worlds most important oil chokepoints.

Allies of the Zionist enemy who ensure passage through Bab al-Mandab are also considered to be a legitimate target, General Mohammad Fadl Abdelnabi, the commander of Houthi naval forces, said in a video aboard the Galaxy Leader, a cargo ship that the Iran-backed rebels seized earlier this week.

We say to the Zionist entity that Bab al-Mandab is a red line... Every civilian or military (Israel-affiliated) ship is considered a legitimate target, AFP quoted the Houthi commander as saying in the video posted on Twitter.

The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is a sea route chokepoint between the Horn of Africa and the Middle East, connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea. Most exports of petroleum and natural gas from the Persian Gulf that transit the Suez Canal or the SUMED Pipeline pass through both the Bab el-Mandeb and the Strait of Hormuz.

The additional threat to commercial shipping in the Middle East comes days after the Houthi rebels seized a cargo ship linked to an Israeli company in the Red Sea.

The seized vessel, Galaxy Leader, is owned by a company registered under Isle of Man-headquartered Ray Car Carriers  a unit of Tel Aviv-incorporated Ray Shipping, per LSEG data cited by Reuters.

Israel blamed directly Iran for the cargo ship seizure on Sunday, while Iran denied any involvement in the incident.

The latest Iran-Israel flare-up came days before the OPEC+ group of oil producers is set to decide next week their production policy for early next year after oil prices fell in each of the four past weeks.

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A man shot and killed himself in Omahas Blackstone neighborhood after a police pursuit late Wednesday, police said.

According to the Bellevue Police Department, the pursuit began near 15th Street and Cornhusker Road in Bellevue at about 11:06 p.m. Wednesday. Police said they attempted to pull over a vehicle driven by Rashad Harris, 38, a Bellevue man who had multiple warrants for his arrest out of Sarpy County. Instead, he allegedly fled from the area and officers began a pursuit.

Harris crossed into Council Bluffs, according to Bellevue police, and officers lost sight of his vehicle. He was later located in Omaha by the Omaha Police Departments helicopter.

The pursuit came to an end near 39th and Farnam Streets  in the heart of Blackstone  after multiple officers used their cruisers to pin Harris vehicle and prevent him from fleeing. Harris then shot and killed himself inside his vehicle, according to Bellevue police.

Court records show that an arrest warrant had been issued for Harris in Sarpy County on Wednesday alleging domestic violence assault, child abuse and kidnapping related to a Tuesday incident in Bellevue. Harris, who had a Nebraska drivers license, was described as homeless in court documents.

Other than the police helicopter surveillance, no Omaha police officers were directly involved in the pursuit. Three Bellevue police officers and a Nebraska State Patrol trooper were at the scene at the end of the pursuit when Harris was found dead.

The investigation is ongoing. A grand jury will convene to investigate Harris death, which is considered an in-custody death since it occurred in the presence of law enforcement.
KYIV, Ukraine  When Tymofii Postoiuk and his friends set up an online fundraising effort for Ukraine, donations poured in from around the globe, helping to purchase essential equipment for Ukrainian armed forces.

As the fighting with Russia wore on and war fatigue set in, the donations slowed down, but money continued to come in steadily.

Then the Israel-Hamas war broke out on Oct. 7.

With the start of another major conflict, social media networks including X, formerly known as Twitter, were flooded with news from the Middle East. "Our fundraising posts and updates simply get lost in between those tweets," Postoiuk said.

The result has been a broad shift in the world's attention away from Ukraine to the fighting in Gaza  a trend that worries many Ukrainians. They fear that a combination of global fatigue, competing political agendas and limited resources will result in less aid for their military, hurting the country's ability to sustain its confrontation with Russia.

"The longer we talk about our war, the less interest it holds for people," said 21-year-old Ivan Mahuriak, who lives in Lviv in western Ukraine. Like many other Ukrainians, he feels as if the world stopped paying attention to the war in Ukraine even before the Hamas attack on Israel.

The fatigue, he said, arises from the fact that dynamics on the ground are significantly less than in 2022, when Ukrainian armed forces managed to completely or partially push Russians out of several regions.

"In some places, the front line is still. But that doesn't mean that nothing is happening," he said. His brother, two cousins, several colleagues and friends are in the Ukrainian military and continue to fight Russian troops.

This year's much-touted counteroffensive, which took off in June, has progressed at a much slower pace, with Ukrainian troops struggling to dislodge Russians entrenched in captured territory. Additional U.S. funding for Ukraine is jeopardized by political fights in Washington, where the new war consumes attention at the highest levels.

Divisions over Ukraine also emerged in the European Union, which says it cannot provide all the munitions it promised. EU summits and other high-level global meetings now tend to focus on the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.

United States President Joe Biden has made a point of linking U.S. support for Israel and Ukraine, saying both are vital for national security. Biden's secretary of transportation, Pete Buttigieg, paid an official visit to Ukraine on Nov. 8 to show that the U.S. commitment has not wavered.

"The fact that I am here is one way to demonstrate that, in addition to the great concern and attention that we have toward what is going on in the Middle East, we have as much attention, focus and commitment as we have ever had right here to Ukraine," he said, standing outside of St. Michael's Church in Kyiv.

But many Ukrainians are worried.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged the fatigue earlier in November. "Yes. A lot of people, of course, in the world are tired," he said in an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press."

The war in the Middle East also presents an opportunity to Russian President Vladimir Putin by taking the spotlight off Ukraine.

"Of course, Russia is very happy with this war," Zelenskyy added.

Millions of Ukrainians are burdened by the realization that the war Russia initiated in their country won't end any time soon.

"No matter how frightening it may sound, I am preparing myself for the fact that this war will last my entire life," said Zoya Krasovska, a 34-year-old resident of Lviv, who says her greatest fear is that allies will divert resources to other conflicts.

"It's akin to receiving a diagnosis of an incurable illness, where you don't stop living because of it, but you live with the awareness that it is with you forever," Krasovska said.

Unlike 2022, when morale was high despite power outages, disrupted water service and blackouts, this year Ukrainians face the frustration of the slow counteroffensive and shortages of sophisticated weapons. Domestic politics have become a greater focus.

Postoiuk, a Netherlands-based development manager for the Way to Ukraine fund, said the team expected a decline in donations, but not to this extent. Since the Israel-Hamas war broke out, it takes at least twice as long to raise enough money to buy a car for the army  usually $8,000 to $14,000.

The team collected nearly $147,000  money that supported 13 brigades and provided vehicles that included 15 pickups, three SUVs, an ambulance and a drone.

For the first time in the history of the fund, donations from within Ukraine exceeded those from abroad, he said.

Ukraine's "war for independence is simply not on the agenda anymore, at least for now," he said.

Ivan Bezdudnyi, a 26-year-old from Kyiv, is consumed by the war in his country. For the past two years, he has been involved in documenting Russian war crimes. Little has changed for him personally since the outbreak of the war in the Middle East.

He does not worry that diminishing interest will affect Ukraine's war for long.

"When the wave of interest in Israel and Hamas subsides, and I tend to think it won't last long  the level of attention we had will remain," he said. "Maybe not as high as in February or March of last year, but probably higher than it is now."

Upward of 20,000 Ukrainian amputees face trauma on a scale unseen since WWI
JERUSALEM  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's national security adviser said Wednesday a planned hostage-for-prisoner swap with Hamas was delayed until at least Friday.

Tzachi Hanegbi said in a statement that contacts on the deal were continuing. "The release will begin according to the original agreement between the parties, and not before Friday," he said.

The swap was to take place as part of a four-day truce in the war in Gaza that was originally expected to begin Thursday.

Hanegbi gave no explanation for the delay, and it was not immediately clear when the cease-fire might begin.

The surprise announcement came after Israel and Hamas earlier Wednesday agreed to a four-day cease-fire  a diplomatic breakthrough that would free dozens of hostages held by militants as well as Palestinians imprisoned in Israel, and bring a large influx of aid to the besieged territory.

The truce raised hopes of eventually winding down the war, which started after Hamas' Oct. 7 deadly raid into Israel. Now in its seventh week, the war has leveled vast swaths of Gaza, fueled a surge of violence in the occupied West Bank, and stirred fears of a wider conflagration across the Middle East.

However, Netanyahu, joined by the two other members of his special war Cabinet, told a nationally televised news conference that the war would resume after the truce expires. Israel's goals are to destroy Hamas' military capabilities and return all 240 hostages held captive in Gaza.

"I want to be clear. The war is continuing. The war is continuing. We will continue it until we achieve all our goals," Netanyahu said, adding he had delivered the same message in a phone call to U.S. President Joe Biden.

He also said he instructed the Mossad spy agency to hunt down Hamas' exiled leadership "wherever they are."

Israeli troops hold much of northern Gaza and say they dismantled tunnels and much of Hamas' infrastructure there. But Israeli officials acknowledge the group's infrastructure remains intact elsewhere.

Just days before the truce, Israel said it was determined to take its ground offensive into the south. That could be potentially devastating for Gaza's uprooted population, most of which is squeezed into the south with nowhere to go to avoid the assault.

Residents in Gaza City said the fighting intensified overnight into Wednesday, with gunfire, heavy artillery and airstrikes. "Apparently they want to advance before the truce," said Nasser al-Sheikh, who is sheltering with relatives in the city.

Palestinian militants continued firing rockets at Israel throughout the day without causing casualties.

The announcement of the truce capped weeks of indirect, stop-and-go negotiations to free some of the roughly 240 hostages taken by Hamas and other militants during their Oct. 7 raid. Egypt and Qatar, along with the United States, helped mediate the deal.

Fifty hostages will be freed in stages, in exchange for the release of what Hamas said would be 150 Palestinian prisoners. Both sides will release women and children first.

Israel said the truce would be extended an extra day for every additional 10 hostages freed by Hamas. Hamas said hundreds of trucks carrying humanitarian aid  including fuel  will be allowed to enter Gaza.

Netanyahu said the deal also included a provision for the International Committee of the Red Cross to visit the hostages in captivity. Earlier, the ICRC said it was unaware of any agreement to do so.

Biden welcomed the deal, saying Netanyahu committed to supporting an "extended pause." Several nations, including Britain, France, China and Russia, also welcomed the agreement.

Qatar's prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, said he hoped the deal would eventually lead to a permanent cease-fire and "serious talks" on resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israel's Justice Ministry published a list of 300 prisoners eligible to be released, mainly teenagers detained over the past year for rock-throwing and other minor offenses.

Weeks of Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, followed by a ground invasion, have killed more than 11,000 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-run territory. It does not differentiate between civilians and militants, though some two-thirds of the dead were identified as women and minors.

The ministry said that as of Nov. 11 it had lost the ability to count the dead because of the collapse of large parts of the health system, but says the number has risen sharply since then.

Israeli troops and tanks are expected to remain in place around northern Gaza during the truce.

An airstrike overnight hit a residential building in the southern town of Khan Younis, killing 17 people, including children, said Ahmad Balouny, a relative of the deceased. An Associated Press reporter saw the bodies of two children pulled from the rubble.

Outside Khan Younis, workers dug a mass grave for 111 bodies that Israeli authorities handed over after troops took them from Shifa Hospital and other parts of northern Gaza. Israeli troops took the bodies apparently for DNA analysis amid the search for hostages in the north.

Strikes also leveled buildings in the Nusseirat refugee camp and the city of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza. The city's Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital said 128 bodies were brought in overnight after strikes.

"There's no safe place," said Umm Rami al-Jabali, who survived a strike in Deir al-Balah.
NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y.  On the day before a national holiday, walking distance from Niagara Falls  one of the worlds natural wonders that draws millions of people annually  the peace was shattered by an explosion caused by a car crashing into an obstacle near a U.S. Customs and Border Protection inspection booth.

Law enforcement authorities did not know what caused the explosion on the Rainbow Bridge, and U.S. and Canadian officials shut down traffic in both directions to all four international crossings between Western New York and Canada as they looked into whether an act of terror was committed on Western New Yorks doorstep.

Within six hours, local, state and federal officials gave the word: It was not.

Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a news conference that there is no indication of a terrorist attack. Erie County Sheriff John Garcia said the crash was a very unfortunate fatal car accident.

Authorities said the cause of the incident was still under investigation.

The FBI's Buffalo office said late Wednesday that it had concluded its investigation: A search of the scene revealed no explosive materials, and no terrorism nexus was identified, it said in a statement. The matter has been turned over to the Niagara Falls Police Department as a traffic investigation.

Security camera video released by the U.S. government showed the car race through an intersection on a wet road, hit a low median and vault high into the air in a U.S. Customs and Border Protection area just east of the main vehicle checkpoint. The car flew for yards, twisted, then crashed into a line of booths out of the cameras view.

Video from the scene showed a fire quickly spreading in the plaza and a huge plume of black smoke billowing into the sky. Other images that circulated on social media appeared to show charred remnants of a shattered vehicle strewn about the plaza.

Two people inside the vehicle were killed and a customs officer was injured.

The two people who died were a husband and wife, according to a person briefed on the investigation who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release information about the people who were killed.

A Customs and Border Protection worker in a checkpoint booth was treated at a hospital for minor injuries and released, Hochul said. Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center evaluated and treated a single patient with non-life-threatening injuries from the incident, said Sean Dwyer, the hospitals marketing director. That patient, a border agent, was discharged from the hospital, Dwyer added.

This vehicle basically incinerated; there is nothing left but the engine, Hochul said, noting the investigation would likely take a long time. She also said authorities identified that this is a local individual.

According to two local law enforcement sources with knowledge of the investigation, the vehicle involved was a relatively new Bentley and the two occupants were from Western New York. Earlier in the day, they were at the nearby Seneca Niagara Casino, the sources said. They were traveling at a high speed as they approached the bridge. Investigators are looking at the possibility that the driver had a medical incident or there was a malfunction with the vehicle.

After the crash, U.S. and Canadian authorities shut down not only the Rainbow Bridge, but also the Peace Bridge, Lewiston-Queenston Bridge and Whirlpool Bridge. All but the Rainbow Bridge were reopened by about 5 p.m.

At Buffalo Niagara International Airport, flights continued but security was greatly heightened. NFTA police with K-9 units checked each car that entered the airport and passengers were subjected to extra screenings on one of the busiest U.S. travel days of the year.

The FBI Office in Buffalo was leading the investigation. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was aiding in the investigation, along with Homeland Security Investigations. Garcia told The News that his specialty teams are involved in the investigation as well.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that U.S. President Joe Biden was aware of the incident. He and his team are closely following developments, Jean-Pierre wrote.

The states U.S. senators, Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, were briefed by the FBI.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau received briefings and updated Parliament on the developments, saying officials were taking this extraordinarily seriously.

Paul Edwards of England and Gloria Fiorito of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, were on their way back from the outlets in Erie, Pa., shopping for holiday gifts for their grandchildren when they noticed the commotion at the Rainbow Bridge entrance.

We went on a little getaway for the night. We were looking for deals, which we found, Fiorito said. We were really looking forward to being home today.

The couple got out of their car after seeing emergency vehicles at the entrance to the bridge.

They approached reporters gathered at the corner of Niagara and Third streets and said they didnt know at first why the bridge was closed.

The couple booked a hotel room for the night and said they would try again to cross the bridge Thursday. They were thankful to not be closer to the scene of the explosion.

You never know what could have happened, Edwards said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Read more:

Rainbow Bridge explosion kills 2 at U.S.-Canada border crossing in Niagara Falls
LINCOLN  Gov. Jim Pillen announced a whole-of-government strategy Wednesday aimed at fighting antisemitism, protecting Nebraskas Jewish residents and supporting Israel in its war with Hamas.

His actions included a proclamation declaring it the official policy of Nebraska to condemn antisemitism in the strongest possible terms and to condemn demonstrations and public statements that seek to normalize or justify terrorist violence and support for Hamas.

In a statement, Pillen said Nebraskans need to support Israel, which he called Americas greatest ally. Regarding Nebraskans who have criticized Israel, he said that, while everyone has a right to their opinion, its important Nebraskans dont get duped into some information that can be very, very questionable.

Tragically, despite the clear justifications for Israels defensive action in Gaza, activists and politicians have used propaganda and misinformation to try to deceive people into believing a false equivalence between Israeli military efforts and Hamas terror, he said. This has fueled antisemitism across the country and must be stopped immediately.

Toward that end, Pillen said he had directed the State Purchasing Bureau to develop a policy banning public contracts with companies or firms that are boycotting businesses based in Israel or Israeli-occupied territories. The policy would apply to new state contracts. It would not go as far as a bill proposed by State Sen. Julie Slama of Dunbar that would also apply to local government contracts.

The governor also ordered a review of the anti-discrimination and anti-harassment training provided to state employees to ensure that it adequately covers Jewish identity and antisemitism.

In addition, he named Lt. Gov. Joe Kelly, a former prosecutor, to be a liaison between Nebraskas Jewish and other faith communities and state law enforcement authorities. He charged Kelly with ensuring that, if security threats emerge, they get referred to and addressed by the correct agency.

Pillen said incidents of antisemitism in Nebraska have increased since Oct. 7, when Hamas militants invaded Israel and killed more than 1,200 people, including many women and children, and took about 240 people hostage.

Israel has responded with heavy air bombardment and a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip. Health authorities in Hamas-controlled Gaza have said the attacks killed more than 11,000 people, but they have been unable to update that number since Nov. 10. Most of those killed were women and children.

Earlier this month, Anti-Defamation League Director and CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said there had been a 388% increase in antisemitism in America following the Oct. 7 attack. Pillen said Jewish leaders reported an increase in Nebraska as well, but he did not have a number of such incidents.

In a statement, Bob Goldberg, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Omaha, thanked the governor for his support of Israel and of local Jewish residents.

Fighting antisemitism and all forms of hate is all of our work, and we appreciate the State of Nebraska for partnering with us in this endeavor, he said.

The proclamation endorsed a definition of antisemitism developed by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance: Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.

Pillen directed all state agencies under his control to use the IHRA definitions when investigating complaints of antisemitic harassment and discrimination, to the extent consistent with Nebraska and federal law.

On its website, the alliance distinguished between its definition of antisemitism and some criticisms of the state of Israel.

Manifestations (of antisemitism) might include the targeting of the state of Israel, conceived as a Jewish collectivity, it said. However, criticism of Israel similar to that leveled against any other country cannot be regarded as antisemitic.

Immediately following the Oct. 7 attack, Pillen demonstrated state support for Israel by ordering flags to be flown at half-staff to honor the victims of the Hamas attack. He also directed the State Capitol to be lit up in blue, the color of the Israeli flag, to show solidarity with Israel.

Earlier this month, a majority of Nebraska lawmakers also took a public stance supporting Israel and condemning Hamas. Forty of the 49 state senators signed an informal resolution affirming their unwavering commitment to the welfare, security and survival of the State of Israel and their support for Israels right to pursue without interference or condemnation the elimination of Hamas.

Our best Omaha staff photos & videos of November 2023
BLOOMINGTON  A former shipping container gained new life as a destination spot for special beverages thanks to the ingenuity of local owners  and inspiration from a furry namesake.

Jasper's Java, 1601 G.E. Road in Bloomington, is this week's pick for Eats of the Week. The double-sided drive-thru coffee shop, which opened for business Oct. 14, is the brainchild of husband and wife Curt and Melissa Livesay and partners Bret Williams and Kate Thalken.

"We wanted this to be for the community, to have like a cool community spot where we could sort of give back and also go and get our coffee fix," said Curt Livesay, who brainstormed dozens of potential names before settling on the homage to the Livesays' Bernese mountain dog, Jasper.

"Yeah, you get your drink, you can talk to the barista ... it's just a more humanizing interaction," Livesay continued. "And I think that's something the world desperately needs."

Recipes are based on Melissa Livesay's baked goods and Williams' coffee concoctions; he also is the graphic designer who made the logo. Thalken handles the marketing and financial side of things, and Curt Livesay is the self-proclaimed "director of growth and chaos."

Almost all drinks can be made hot, iced or blended. Popular menu items include the drip coffee, which is the No. 1 best-seller, and the Jasper drink, an iced espresso. The business also sells various teas, cold-pressed juice, smoothies crafted without added sugar and lotus drinks, which are made from a plant-based energy concentrate mixed with club soda and flavoring.

Then there's the nitro-infused cold brew, the recipe for which was tested by the owners at several tasting parties hosted for friends. The team has special gadgets to ensure the cold brew recipe stays cold, so they will not run out.

Also available is a filter coffee made by mixing hot milk, sugar and a ground coffee powder in a traditional filter from southern India. An Indian friend who makes her own filter coffee aided in the creation of this drink, said Curt Livesay.

He added they wanted a menu that would represent everyone, and they feel the Indian community is an integral part of the Bloomington-Normal area, but is often overlooked.

The business recently welcomed the arrival of the holiday season with an array of winter drink specials, including candy cane and eggnog lattes, peppermint mocha, gingerbread man chai, frozen hot cocoa, sugar plum and sangria smash lotus drinks, and more.

While standard favorites like caramel and vanilla are always popular, seasonal flavors tend to generate special excitement because the drinks change out a lot, Melissa Livesay said.

"We have a lot of really creative people," she said. "It's a fun environment. ... The baristas all have a lot of energy and excitement."

Showing love to their mascot and namesake, Jasper's offers "pup cups," which are small cups filled with whipped cream and free with any purchase when a dog is in the car.

The business has also launched a "Pet of the Month" promotion, which involves making a drink named after a pet and donating a portion of all sales from the drink to a local organization. A standard submission is coming soon, but for now, the featured animals will be chosen by employees who see the pets visit the store with their humans.

This month, customers can try Moose's Tracks  created for a dog named, you guessed it, Moose  and proceeds from sales of the drink (flavored with chocolate, peanut butter and toasted marshmallow) are pledged to Wish Bone Canine Rescue in Normal.

"It just checks so many boxes that I agree with, where it's just like, you have that friendly interaction. You have that quality, and we don't bend on it and we don't compromise," Williams said. "We want everything to be good, to be something for everybody, and we want that to be as best as it possibly can.

"And there's dogs  can't get much better than dogs."

Want to meet Jasper? He is scheduled to appear during the first two hours of a Christmas Extravaganza planned from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 10. The event will feature a live reindeer to pet and music from carolers and a brass quintet. Pictures with Santa, free with any drink purchase, will be available ia a lighted and heated shipping container provided by Nord Custom Containers.

This week, Jasper's began selling baked goods from Great Harvest Bread Co. in Bloomington, including chocolate muffins, blueberry muffins, apple spice muffins and cinnamon scones.

Soon to come: holiday hours and a holiday logo, which will be shown on Jasper's Java gift cards.

"We have super local people. I just love ... I think my favorite part is getting to work with my family and my partner. We're such an interesting team in the fact that like, all of us are so very different from each other," Kate Thalken said.

Though the team hopes franchising is in the future, Thalken said they want to make this Jasper's the best it can be, as they're still in the learning process.

24 photos from Friday night in Downtown Bloomington Theo, Oliver, Kristen and Specs owner Julie Kubsch Chris Magnuson, Bev Long, Barb Taft, Rod Wells, Julie and Steve Kubsch, Bill Taft Michael Cheli and Gwen Mercer drove from St. Louis to purchase glasses from Specs Around Town. Gwen is being helped by Kelli Miller. Kelli Millers, Julie Kubsch Oliver Kubsch Theo and Oliver Kubsch Ramona Brown, Suniti Sud Matt and Kristen Kubsch with sons Theo and Oliver Peter Pontius, Amanda Covher Tim and Ruth Keith chat with Julie Kubsch Santino Lamancusa of the Hangar Art Co. Artist Jim Neeley stands in front of his new curation with Hangar Art Co. owner Santino Lamancusa Aianna Zachary, Peter Thaddeus Kinetic artist Steve Flynn shows off his robot Oscar to Larry Schumacher at the Hangar Art. Co. during the November F1rst Friday event Lala Boutique owners Melanie Rust and Erika Zilm Maureen Schiller, Sara Doran Tim Kennedy, Madison Triplett, Jennifer Doran David Davenport playing during F1rst Friday at The Bistro Leroy Adams, Jan Lancaster, Tim Adams Painted Wraith owners Stephanie and Mike Stoltz. Amy Kuritz with her hand-knit hats at Refine 309 Refine 309 owner Christina Rogers, Jen Hooker, Amy Kuritz Izabella Villatuya, Maddy Hall, Matthew Galvan Coleen and Charlie Moore Debi and Jim Grossman
NORMAL  Heartland Community College expects to increase its property tax levy by about 12.6% from last year, though the tax rate could stay the same or decrease because of overall growth in the tax base.

Heartland plans to seek almost $34 million from property taxes for its 2023 levy, which is a $3 million increase over the 2022 levy.

The 2023 levy for taxes payable in 2024 is expected to translate to a tax rate of $0.58217 per $100 equalized assessed valuation, a decrease of around $0.00237 per $100 EAV from last year.

The 2023 estimated rate would mean Heartland's share of taxes on a $165,000 house would be about $320, a decrease of $1.30 from 2022 taxes payable in 2023.

Sam Overton, interim vice president for finance and administration, said that as with every year, the college requested more than it thinks it will receive from the property tax levy because factors such as the final determination of the equalized assessed value (the total taxable value of property in the district) have yet to be finalized.

"This is kind of what our tax levy looks like," Overton said. "We ask for a certain number; we'll probably receive less than that."

The board adopted an equity tax resolution in October, which allows Heartland to levy additional money in order to bring it in line with other community college districts throughout the state.

Overton said the equity tax is projected to yield approximately $3.4 million in unrestricted operating funds for fiscal 2025 and will not increase the college's overall tax rate.

The board voted only to set an estimated levy amount and schedule a Dec. 12 public hearing on the levy, which is required by law because it is over 5% more than the previous year's levy. The board will formally approve its levy after that.

The board also accepted the filing of the 2023 audit, which was conducted by Wipfli LLP of Sterling. The audit was clean and unmodified.

In other business, the board received an update on the college's facilities master plan and ongoing projects with various buildings.

Andy Litwiller, executive director of facilities, said one of the goals of the master plan includes achieving a net-zero carbon emission campus, with its wind turbine producing around 70% of the college's electricity. There are ideas of exploring a solar field on the north side of campus to help produce the remaining amount of electricity.

In terms of new developments, the college plans to complete the newly updated advanced manufacturing and technological training building and the new agricultural complex, which will be the first net-zero building on campus, by the end of this year for the spring semester.

Progress on the new student center in the Workforce Development Center continues. Most of the work areas are being sectioned off, and certain services or departments are being moved out of the Workforce Development Center, the Instructional Commons Building or Instructional Commons North building, Litwiller said.

Other plans include a landscape enhancement master plan that calls for general upkeep and projects like the Birky Pond Bike Path, a continuation of Constitution Trail, for which the college received $200,000 from the state, and an interior master plan for color schemes and designs as the college continues renovations.

Litwiller said as the college continues planning those projects, the staff is working with employees, students and others who use certain buildings or rooms to better understand the needs of the college.

"We are trying to keep in mind costs and other things, so there's a little push and pull there, but I play nice, and we really try to make a space that they can own, that they feel comfortable in, and have that (space) that they are going to be very happy with and be able to grow and thrive in," Litwiller said.

The board will begin talking about funding for future projects at its January meeting.

The board approved naming Rooms 1406 and 1407 in the Community Commons Building, where the board meets, as the Greg Chadwick Community Boardroom in honor of former board trustee Greg Chadwick, who died in 2020.

The board previously approved renovations of the space, including adding storage for information technology equipment, replacing the projectors with wall-mounted television screens, replacing the carpet, and repainting the walls with Heartland's signature hawk blue.

Other items include new lighting fixtures, sound panels and dedicated signage for the hallway.

Renovations will begin in February following the board meeting that month and will be finished around April.

The total cost for the renovations is $482,000.

A ribbon cutting ceremony will be held upon its reopening to honor Chadwick.

Photos: Normal Community vs Bloomington during Intercity boys basketball tournament at Illinois Wesleyan
(CNN)  A four-day truce between Israel and Hamas will begin on Friday morning, with civilian hostages and Palestinian prisoners to be released later in the afternoon, Qatar announced Thursday, hours after the deal was originally meant to take effect.

The pause in fighting will start at 7 a.m. local time (midnight ET), with 13 women and children hostages to be freed at 4 p.m., according to a spokesperson for Qatars foreign ministry, Majed Al-Ansari.

The list of hostages who are expected to be released has been handed to the Israeli intelligence service Mossad, Al-Ansari said.

The Mossad will also hand over a list of Palestinian prisoners expected to be released to the Qataris, he added. Whenever we have both lists confirmed this is when we can begin with the process of getting people out, the spokesperson said.

An Israeli official told CNN a total of 39 Palestinian prisoners will be released Friday as part of the deal between Israel and Hamas.

The prisoners will be taken from two jails  Damon and Megiddo, both southeast of Haifa  and driven to the Ofer prison, south of Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, for final checks by the Red Cross.

And Israel has started notifying the families of the first hostages set to be released on Friday, Israeli coordinator for hostages and missing persons Gal Hirsch said in a statement. Liaison officers have informed all of those families whose loved ones appear on the list, as well as all of the hostages families, the statement said.

An Israeli official told CNN Wednesday that the truce had been slated to begin at 10 a.m. local time on Thursday to be followed by the release of at least 50 women and children out of the more than 230 being held hostage in Gaza. But those plans were delayed late Wednesday, just hours before the pause in fighting was initially expected to begin.

Nothing is finalized until its actually happening. And even amid the process, changes might occur at any moment, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Daniel Hagari said in his daily press briefing on Thursday.

He said that the Israeli army continues to fight in the Gaza Strip at this hour, pointing out that once the pause goes into effect, IDF soldiers will be stationed along the truce lines established inside the territory.

Under the deal outlined earlier, 150 Palestinian prisoners would be released from Israeli jails. The prisoners concerned are women and children, Hamas said Wednesday, adding that the agreement also involves the entry of hundreds of trucks carrying aid relief, medical supplies and fuel to all parts of the besieged territory.

The Israeli government on Wednesday published a list of 300 Palestinian prisoners for possible release, as Israel is offering a potential second phase of exchanges.

The list includes the ages of the prisoners, and the charges on which they are being held  throwing stones and harming regional security are among the most common. Others are listed as detained for supporting illegal terror organizations, illegal weapons charges, incitement, and at least two accusations of attempted murder.

Most of the Palestinian prisoners listed as eligible for release are male teenagers aged 16 to 18  children under the United Nations definition  although a handful are as young as 14. Some 33 are women, according to a CNN count.

Delay until Friday

Israels National Security Council said earlier in a statement that the first group of hostages would not be released before Friday. An Israeli official told CNN the start of an agreed temporary truce in fighting was also delayed until Friday.

Talks to release our hostages are advancing and are ongoing. The start of the release process will take place according to the original agreement between both sides, and not before Friday, the statement said.

The comments over ongoing planning echo those from American officials.

A US National Security Council spokesperson stressed in a statement late Wednesday that the hostage deal remains agreed, adding that the parties were working out final logistical details particularly for the first day of implementation.

It is our view that nothing should be left to chance as the hostages begin coming home, NSC spokesperson Adrienne Watson said. Our primary objective is to ensure that they are brought home safely. That is on track and we are hopeful that implementation will begin on Friday morning.

One Israeli official familiar with the matter downplayed its seriousness, putting it down to fairly minor implementation details.

Netanyahu warned on Thursday, however, that getting the first group of hostages out of Gaza is not without its challenges.

We hope to get this first tranche out, and then were committed to getting everyone out, Netanyahu said during a meeting with British Foreign Secretary David Cameron.

Officials and analysts in Israel have long cautioned that any deal would be precarious up and until the hostages were safely across the border.

The fighting will continue forcefully

The IDF had continued ground and air operations in Gaza on Wednesday ahead of the expected start of the truce, carrying out strikes in the north-eastern and central parts of the Gaza Strip. Areas further south, including Khan Younis and Rafah, were also hit, according to Palestinian accounts.

Israeli forces continued to strike targets on Thursday, the IDF said, including in northwest Jabalya.

The IDF also said Thursday that Israeli soldiers had located a tunnel shaft inside a mosque and located and struck another tunnel shaft in an agricultural area in Beit Hanoun. It claimed IDF soldiers had located numerous weapons and identified a tunnel shaft inside a civilian residence in the area.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has said Israels military operation against Hamas will continue forcefully after the brief truce and that the fighting is expected to go on for at least two more months.

This will be a brief pause, when it ends the fighting will continue forcefully, and will create pressure that will allow the return of more hostages Fighting of at least two more months is expected, Gallant said while visiting Israeli troops on Thursday.

The deal had marked a major diplomatic breakthrough nearly seven weeks after the start of a conflict that has spiraled into a grave humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The announcement was greeted with relief and heightened anticipation from the families of those taken hostage.

The truce, meanwhile, would also allow the entry of a larger number of humanitarian convoys and relief aid, as laid out by key negotiator Qatar in a statement.

There is an option for the pause to last as long as 10 days, but Israeli officials believe it is unlikely to last that long.

Netanyahu said when the deal was approved that for every additional 10 hostages released, there will be an additional one day pause in the fighting.

Hamas is holding 236 hostages captive in Gaza, including foreign nationals from 26 countries, according to figures from the Israeli military. The mass abductions at gunpoint took place during October 7, when Hamas militants struck across the border in a coordinated and bloody surprise attack killing around 1,200 people  the largest such attack on Israel since the countrys founding in 1948.

Prior to the deal, only a handful of hostages had been released.

Israel responded to the attack by declaring war against Hamas and imposing a siege on Gaza that cut off supplies of food, water, medicines and fuel, while launching a relentless air and ground assault. Some 12,700 people have been killed in Gaza since October 7, according to data from the Palestinian health ministry in the West Bank, which draws on information from Hamas-run health authorities.
NORMAL  Illinois State University's Presidential Search Committee has scheduled its next meeting.

A statement from ISU said it will meet at 1 p.m. Tuesday in the Circus Room of the Bone Student Center, 200 N. University St., Normal.

Agenda documents state the committee may receive public comments, opening and closing remarks by chairperson Kathyrn Bohn and updates from the Parker Executive Search firm.

Topics from the latter group will include an advertising overview, candidate identification and recruitment nominations, general market feedback and their next steps.

The committee is comprised of 29 members who represent a broad cross-section of the campus community, including students, faculty, staff and trustee board members.

Aondover Tarhule is currently contracted as ISU's interim president through June. His predecessor, Terri Goss Kinzy, abruptly resigned in February.

For more information about the committee, visit illinoisstate.edu/trustees.

Photos: Illinois State mens basketball wins 69-61 over Eastern Illinois
How Time Flies is a daily feature looking back at Pantagraph archives to revisit what was happening in our community and region.

100 years ago

Nov. 23, 1923: According to figures of County Treasurer C.C. Baldwin, a total of $14,835 in dog license money has been paid into the county treasurer during a period of four years. After deducting the amount of sheep claims and the $2,000 to be retained in the fund for the payment of claims, there is a distributive amount of $6,836.79.

75 years ago

Nov. 23, 1948: A new Grand Cafe, featuring Chinese cookery, will open at 106 West Front street Tuesday. Pete and Charlie  Peter W. Lum and Lum Bing  have been operating at 204V2 North Center street. The cafe is the city's only Chinese restaurant.

50 years ago

Nov. 23, 1973: Three McLean County 4-H'ers claimed top honors in annual achievement night activities. Beverly Elson of Lexington and Mary Jan Builta of Arrowsmith were named to attend the National 4-H Congress. Rodney Sabick of 301 N. Grove, Normal, won an electric program award trip to Chicago.

25 years ago

Nov. 23, 1998: The fourth Friday of every month is more than just another day at Tri-Valley Elementary School. It's School Shop Day, when students can buy a little of everything  from UFO pencil sharpeners to embroidered socks  to support the PTO. It started last year, when the organization set aside $500 to purchase a few items and see if the project would generate interest among the kids. It did.
THUMBS UP! To a safety reminder. A continuing robbery occurrence is victims being lured to locations believing they are going to complete deals made on Facebook Marketplace. Police are encouraging people to know what's around where the transactions are to be completed.

THUMBS DOWN! To a novel new tax effort. Decatur is just one of the cities around the United States pondering implementing a tax on streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu. Cities have the authority to make such taxes without state government approval. The justification, however, is questionable. The companies that laid the cable have already paid for the delivery method. No one has suggested that streaming services should be like cigarettes or alcohol and have "sin tax" applied. Streaming services are not a utility. This requires further examination.

THUMBS UP! To a finished portion of road construction. U.S. 51 from Pershing road to Forsyth is a much U.S. 51 smoother ride with construction work done. That section of the road was particularly in need of repair. The entire road going through Decatur and Forsyth still has its share of car-rattling spots, but this is a taste of something better.

THUMBS UP! For academic achievement. Stevenson Elementary School Principal Lynn Shook was named the Illinois Principal Association's Principal of the Year for the Corn Belt Region. The award recognizes Shook's outstanding leadership and positive impact on students and the learning community. Shook has served as principal at Stevenson since 2020 and previously served as assistant principal at Bloomington Junior High School starting in 2013.

THUMBS DOWN! To worsening air travel. Consumer complaints about airlines nearly doubled in the first three months of this year compared with the same period last year and kept soaring in April and May. The U.S. Transportation Department received 24,965 complaints about airline service in the first three months of the year, up 88% from the first quarter of 2022. Consumers filed another 6,712 complaints in April, up 32% from a year earlier, and 6,465 in May, an increase of 49%. The department is investigating "several domestic airlines" for possibly offering flight schedules they are unlikely to be able to perform.

THUMBS DOWN! To the Social Security Administration. The government agency has been attempting to recover $23 billion in overpayments without much success. That's a lot of money, and the SSA is demanding repayment. One of the problems is some overpayments were made years ago, and penalties -- issued despite no wrongdoing by the individual -- have grown thanks to interest due. These are not people who have conspired to dupe Social Security. They're the people Social Security was designed to help.

THUMBS UP! To an effort to keep technology under control. YouTube has issued rules for artificial intelligence content. At a time when users can find whatever truth they want to find, attempting to control the falsification of information is an admirable endeavor. Those violating the YouTube rules face suspension or removal of content.
There isnt much Elon Musk hasnt made a hash of at the social network once called Twitter. But over the last week, the man who has described himself as a free-speech absolutist has gone from promoting a vile antisemitic conspiracy theory to far too aggressively trying to control political debate on X.

And as Musk has trashed his own credibility as the head of what should be one of the internets most vibrant public squares, the antisemitism watchdogs at the Anti-Defamation League have stepped in it as well. What a mess.

Last week, a tweet complained about antisemitic rhetoric: To the cowards hiding behind the anonymity of the internet and posting Hitler was right, You got something you want to say? Why dont you say it to our faces.

A white nationalist then answered the challenge thusly: Jewish commun[i]ties have been pushing the exact kind of dialectical hatred against whites that they claim to want people to stop using against them and proclaimed Im deeply disinterested in giving the tiniest st now about western Jewish populations coming to the disturbing realization that those hordes of minorities that [they] support flooding their country dont exactly like them too much. You want truth said to your face, there it is.

To which Musk replied You have said the actual truth.

The odious claptrap Musk so publicly endorsed is essentially the same one that animated the man who perpetrated the deadliest antisemitic attack in American history, the 2018 Tree of Life synagogue massacre in Pittsburgh: that George Soros and other Jews bring invaders who purposely and corrosively undermine the cultural and racial sanctity of America.

It was well and good that the ADL under Jonathan Greenblatt took extreme umbrage, calling it indisputably dangerous to use ones influence to validate and promote antisemitic theories; and X advertisers started jumping ship; and a White House spokesman said, We condemn this abhorrent promotion of antisemitic and racist hate in the strongest terms.

But rather than apologizing like a responsible person would, Musk made matters worse. The very man who upon taking over Twitter said he wanted free speech with as few restrictions as possible reacted to the backlash by declaring that  decolonization, from the river to the sea and similar euphemisms necessarily imply genocide and would therefore result in suspension from the platform.

Greenblatt  who just days earlier had lambasted Musk  praised this as an important and welcome move, lending it essential support.

We dont in the least bit like either term Musk forbade, nor do we suggest Musk doesnt have the right to do what he wants on the platform he owns. But its deeply counterproductive for those who support Israel and revile terrorists to try to win the argument by censoring speech, that, while often used by Jew-haters, has legitimate uses as well.

Dont hold your breath to see if X suspends the accounts of those who call for the restoration of Judea and Samaria  or, put another way, the creation of a unified Israel from the river to the sea. Or if it will take action against those who embraced the casting off of colonial control in subsaharan Africa, India, the Philippines and elsewhere.

It all would be funny if it werent tragic.

New York Daily News
The Minister for Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum has appealed for a 3rd term for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) put all E-block projects initiated under the Mahama administration to use.



According to the minister, the Nana Addo administration is on course to revolutionize the countrys education.



Taking his turn to debate the 2024 budget in parliament, Dr. Adutwum disclosed many of the community day schools built by Mahama have now been equipped with boarding facilities thereby paving the way for them to be populated with students.



Deputy Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin on his part accused the NDC MPs of unnecessarily making Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia a ticket for attacks arguing he is the future of Ghana while Mahama belongs to the past.



This assertion however did not go down well with his counterpart from the Minority, Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah who argued the country is doomed if indeed its future lies with the Vice President.



He further went on to point out the challenges in the 2024 budget relative to the energy sector.



Deputy Minority Chief Whip, Comfort Doyoe Ghansah Cudjoe addressing the media after proceedings argued the country needs independence now and that can only be offered by former President Mahama.



The Ada MP served warning the country is not ready for any nonsense from any politician including the Vice President.

Source: Starrfm.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
The Ghana Police Service has rendered an apology to the general public for causing traffic on the Accra-Ofankor stretch of the N6 Highway, due to the Course 52 Cadet Officers Graduation Ceremony at the National Police Training School (NPTS) Tesano.



The service said that the unfortunate occurrence would not be repeated.



The Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and the entire Ghana Police Service wish to sincerely apologize to the public for the traffic congestion.



We would like to assure you that we have learnt the relevant lessons and will improve our management of traffic for similar events going forward. The statement said.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Mali's military government has signed an agreement with Russia that includes a gold refinery project in the Malian capital Bamako.



The deal involves building the refinery to process 200 tonnes of gold annually.



It is valid for four years and does not specify the timelines for the construction.



Gold is Mali's leading export product by value and one of its largest contributors to economic growth, according to the country's mining ministry.



The project will allow Mali to control all gold production in the country and "correctly apply all taxes and duties", according to Finance Minister Alousseni Sanou.



Mali has strengthened its relations with Russia in recent years following the military coup in 2021 and the withdrawal of French forces from the country a year later.

Source: BBC









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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South African opposition leader Julius Malema and five other MPs from his Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party were on Wednesday punished with a one-month suspension without pay from parliament.



The parliament's powers and privileges committee found them guilty of contempt of parliament for storming the stage during President Cyril Ramaphosas state of the nation address in February.



The speaker then suspended proceedings as security removed Mr Malema and the other MPs from the hall.



The committee added that "each member must also make an apology in person in the House to the president, the speaker and the people of South Africa" for disrupting the president's address and "putting the country in a bad light".



The suspension of the six MPs will run during the whole month of February next year, meaning that Mr Malema and the other five MPs will be blocked from attending the president's next state of the nation address, which is due in that month.



On Monday, the EFF MPs refused to participate in the hearings against them after the committee declined their request for postponement.



Mr Malema also protested against the appointment of advocate Anton Katz as the initiator in the hearing.



I will not be persecuted by a white man, Mr Malema said.

Source: BBC









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Ghanaians imported products from 191 countries in the first half of the year, 47 countries more than the countries they exported to, the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) has disclosed.



In its second trade report for the first half of the year, the GSS said imports originated from 191 unique countries, while exports were directed towards 144 countries.



The Government Statistician, Professor Samuel Kobina Annim, who presented the report of comprehensive overview of trade statistics, also revealed that gold and mineral fuels and oils were the leading exports in the first half of 2022 and 2023.



At the African Statistics Day 2023 yesterday on the theme: "Modernising Data Ecosystems to Accelerate the Implementation of the AfCFTA: The Role of Official Statistics and Big Data in the Economic Transformation and Sustainable Development of Africa, Prof. Annim said the countrys trade dynamics had undergone a noteworthy transformation, marked by a trade surplus of GH2.4 billion in the first half of 2023, in contrast to the trade deficit of GH2.3 billion in the same period of 2022.



He said the value of both exports and imports were higher in the first half of 2023 by GH24.3 billion and GH19.6 billion respectively, with trade flow in the first half suggesting that 2023 imports and exports were substantially higher than in the same period in 2022.



In terms of food imports into the country, he said Canada was the leader in wheat, while Brazil was the largest for sugar and meat, and Vietnam for rice.



He said the main food imports were cereal and grains, frozen cuts and offal of fowl and sugar.



In the first half of 2023, the total value of Ghanas exports to African countries was GH19.3 billion, representing almost a quarter (22.0 per cent) of total exports.

Imports to other countries were GH7.7 billion, which is less than half the value of exports to African countries, he added.



He said African countries were the destination of 22 per cent of all of the countrys exports globally, and the source of 9.1 per cent of all imports, suggesting untapped potential for intra-African trade.



He said the report demonstrated that there were numerous trade possibilities within the regional bloc.



Trade report

The Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, also addressing the event, said the world was undergoing rapid transformation with profound implications for trade.



He said the GSS had initiated a process to measure informal cross-border trade which held significance for African economies.



The measurement of informal cross-border trade has become a practical necessity, especially for the African Continental Free Trade Area.



A comprehensive trade data is needed for fostering economic development, improving trade policies and ensuring the well-being of communities engaged in such activities.



The Director of the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER), Prof. Peter Quartey, said it was quite striking that the country imported a lot of grain from Canada.



Even if we import, why dont we import from Uganda that has surplus grain maize at a lower price? he asked.



He urged the country to consume what was grown locally to check the effect on the exchange rate, saying anything short of that would not be good for the economy.



We should be independent.



I think we are becoming too dependent on imported commodities, which doesnt augur well for us, he said.



Background

The GSS last Tuesday released a mid-year trade report for the first half of 2023 at a ceremony in Accra.



The report is the second in the series published by the service to provide for the first half of the year, and to offer valuable insights for decision makers.



The report also builds on the 2022 Trade Vulnerability Report already released by the GSS and offers additional statistics on the countrys external trade with specific focus on food and intra-African trade.

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Government has allocated GH11.6 billion in the 2024 budget statement to settle arrears owed contractors to enable them to return to site to complete ongoing projects across the country.



Many projects in the country have stalled due to non-payment to contractors, forcing them to abandon their project sites, and leaving roads in particular in deplorable state.



The announcement is in line with the governments intention to avoid starting new projects, and forms part of measures to ensure fiscal discipline as the country heads into an election year.



Speaking at a breakfast meeting at the instance of Deloitte Ghana in Accra on the theme: Building together: Accelerating the recovery process through fiscal discipline and economic competitiveness, a Deputy Minister of Finance, Abena Osei-Asare, said the government had also decided not to secure any commercial loans next year to fund new projects in the country.



It is not immediately clear whether the decision by the government is part of austerity measures occasioned primarily by the closure of the international capital market to the country over its current unsustainable debt levels.



History has shown severe budget overruns in election years, a phenomenon which subsequently worsens the countrys already bad economic conditions post-elections.



But amid calls from experts and civil society organisations on the government to ensure fiscal discipline, Ms Osei-Asare said: "We will not make any new project promises because of next years elections.



We will stay disciplined, and that we can assure you.



All we need from you is cooperation.



We also do not want to be pressured unduly by people from all walks of life wanting one project or another to be undertaken in their constituency or area at this time".



The Deputy Minister, however, stressed that in the event that the government was highly pressed to secure such loans for an essential project, it would go through the full process to seek the necessary approvals before any such loans were secured.



Meanwhile, she said, state-owned enterprises (SOEs) had also been directed to desist from accessing commercial loans for any new projects.



Elections budget cycle

Governments across the Forth Republic have gained a reputation for overrunning their budgets in election years, with the award of new projects ostensibly to win electoral votes to cling on to power.



For instance, in the election year of 2004, despite the country just benefiting from the HIPC initiative which led to a total debt cancellation of $3.5 billion, Ghana still recorded a budget deficit of 3.2 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) against a target of 1.7 per cent.



Again, in 2008, the budget deficit went into double digits and more than double of what was budgeted for, recording 11.5 per cent of GDP against a projection of four per cent.



The story was no different in 2012 as the country recorded a budget deficit of 12 per cent against a target of 6.7 per cent.



In 2016, despite being under an IMF programme, the government still missed its budget deficit target.



The overall budget deficit on cash basis was the equivalent to 8.7 per cent of GDP against an IMF programme target of 5.3 per cent of GDP. On commitment basis, the fiscal deficit was 10.3 per cent of GDP.



In 2020, COVID-19 expenses, coupled with election year spending, caused the country to miss the deficit target.



The overall budget deficit on cash basis was 11.7 per cent of GDP against a revised target of 11.4 per cent of GDP.



Next year, total revenue and grants are projected at GH176.4 billion, which is 16.8 per cent of GDP, but by way of resource allocation for 2024, the government is projecting a total expenditure on commitment basis of GH226.7 billion, which is 21.6 per cent of GDP.



The projection reflects a reduction of 6.1 percentage points of GDP in total expenditures (commitment basis) relative to the outturn in 2022.



The government is expecting the overall budget deficit of GH61.9 billion, equivalent to 5.9 per cent of GDP.



Pessimism

Meanwhile, an economist and professor of finance, Professor Godfred Bokpin, said he was not convinced by the pledge of the government to remain within its budget for next year, saying: since 1992, we have not seen any government which has ensured fiscal discipline in an election year.



He wondered what could change this time around when the stakes were high for a ruling government which was determined to break the eight to set a new election record.





Source: graphiconline.com









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(CNN)  Israel and Hamas have reached an agreement for a pause in fighting, alongside the release of some of the hostages held by the militant group, in return for Palestinian prisoners jailed by Israel.

The truce will begin at 7 a.m. local time (midnight ET) on Friday, and civilian hostages will be released at 4 p.m. local time, according to Qatar  which played a crucial role in brokering the agreement.

The breakthrough deal comes after weeks of painstaking discussions involving international negotiators and mediators  and marks the first major de-escalation in the conflict, which began on October 7 after Hamas brutal attacks on Israel killed around 1,200 people.

Since then, more than 12,700 people have been killed by Israeli attacks on Gaza, according to Palestinian authorities, as hundreds of thousands of civilians seek shelter from airstrikes amid a shortage of food, medicine and fuel.

Heres what we know so far.

Whats in the deal?

The deal will see the release of 50 women and children held captive in Gaza by Hamas, according to Qatar, which mediated negotiations between Israel and the militant group.

In return, Israel will grant a humanitarian pause in its assault of the enclave and release some Palestinian prisoners.

Hamas released a statement saying 150 women and children held in Israeli prisons would be freed. The deal also allows hundreds of trucks carrying aid relief, medical supplies and fuel to enter Gaza, it said, echoing details in Qatars statement.

Israels own statement said the pause in fighting would last four days  but said the truce could potentially be longer, with an extra day added for each 10 additional hostages available for release.

There is an option for the pause to last as long as 10 days, but Israeli officials believe it is unlikely to last that long.

In the first hostage release scheduled for Friday morning, 13 women and children will be freed, according to a spokesperson for Qatars foreign ministry, Majed Al-Ansari.

An undisclosed number of Palestinian prisoners are also set to be released around 4 p.m. local time (9 a.m. ET), after the hostages are freed from Gaza, Al-Ansari said in a news conference.

The route the freed hostages will take cannot be disclosed for safety reasons, Al-Ansari said in response to a question from CNN. Qatar will be working closely on the operation with the Red Cross and parties of the conflict.

Many of the first 50 hostages are expected to come out through Egypt.

Which hostages are being freed?

The names of the hostages to be released havent been publicized. However, Israeli military spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus said they are all Israelis, with some dual nationals.

US President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that the deal should bring home additional American hostages.

Two American hostages, Judith Tai Raanan and her 17-year-old daughter, Natalie Raanan, were among four hostages released earlier in the conflict.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a group that sprang up in response to the Hamas attack on Israel, lists 201 Israelis believed to be alive and held hostage in Gaza since October 7.

That list includes 39 children aged 18 and under; 44 adult women and 89 adult men aged 19 to 64; and 29 people aged 65 and over. The youngest is Kfir Bibas, who is 10 months old; the oldest are Yafa Adar, Shlomo Mansour and Arye Zalmanovich, who are all 85.

Hamas has said 150 Palestinian prisoners will also be freed from Israeli prisons. Most of the Palestinian prisoners listed as eligible for release in an exchange for Israeli hostages are male teenagers aged 16 to 18  children under the United Nations definition  although a handful are as young as 14. Some 33 are women, according to a CNN count.

The list of 300 names published by Israel also lists the charges under which the prisoners are being held. Throwing stones and harming regional security are among the most common, but others include support for illegal terror organizations, illegal weapons charges, incitement, and at least two accusations of attempted murder.

Al-Ansari, the Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson, said Thursday the list of hostages expected to be released had been handed to the Israeli intelligence service Mossad.

How did the agreement come together?

The deal follows weeks of negotiations that involved the United States and Egypt, with several starts and stops as fighting on the ground raged on, including Israels raid on the largest hospital in Gaza, sources told CNN.

The deal hinged upon approval from Israels cabinet  which voted in favor of the agreement by a significant majority in the early hours of Wednesday morning, after what an Israeli official called a tense and emotional six-hour meeting.

It also followed mounting pressure on the Israeli government from the families of the hostages, who have demanded answers and action from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The plans were delayed overnight Wednesday  just hours before the hard-negotiated ceasefire was slated to begin early Thursday morning. An official familiar with the matter downplayed the seriousness of the delay, attributing it to fairly minor implementation details. Qatar confirmed later Thursday that the truce would begin Friday.

What happens next in the war?

Several parties and hostage families expressed their hopes that this initial deal could pave the way for the return of all hostages, with Israels president calling it a significant first step.

Qatars lead negotiator has also urged the international community to seize this brief window of opportunity to generate further momentum for the diplomatic track, saying such a move was the only way to resolve the conflict and establish lasting peace.

However, Israel made clear in its statement it plans to resume its air and ground campaign on Gaza, to complete the eradication of Hamas, once this round of hostage releases concludes.

Netanyahu has repeatedly said there are two goals to the war: the return of all hostages and the destruction of Hamas.

On Tuesday before the deal was approved, Netanyahu told his cabinet the agreement would allow (the military) to prepare for the continuation of the fighting. He said the war would continue until Hamas, Gaza will no longer be a threat to Israel.
The Director General of the National Communications Authority (NCA), Joe Anokye is delivering the 12th R.P. Baafour Memorial Lecture at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi.



The lectures, established in honor of the first Ghanaian Vice Chancellor of KNUST, is being delivered under the broad theme, "KNUST After 70: A New Age for A Renewed Focus In An Era of Disruptive Technologies".



In the first of three lectures, Mr. Anokye, a Geodetic Engineer and an alumnus of KNUST spoke under the the sub-theme, "KNUST, a history of remarkable growth in science and technology education, resilience and adaptability in the digital space".



Mr. Anokye recounted the establishment of KNUST and the various high points since its establishment to add up to the advancement of education and Ghana's science and technology space. He acknowledged the role of KNUST in that regard while singling out alumni such as Kofi Annan, Professor Francis Allotey, Dr. Thomas Mensah, Ibrahim Mahama, the Tamale-born artist, and various past Vice Chancellors for the introduction of various programmes that have placed KNUST on the world academic map.



According to Mr. Anokye, "the illustrious legacy of KNUST is not merely anchored in its academic and infrastructural triumphs but is brought to life by the luminaries it has produced over the years". Their success stories, he added, are testament to the academic rigor and holistic grooming that KNUST prides itself in.



The NCA boss also touched on Ghana's telecommunications growth over the past decades starting from the days of the use of smoke signals and gong-gong beaters through various advancements including the introduction of postal services, telegram usages and the coming in of broadcasting amongst others.



In concluding his first of three lectures, Mr. Anokye said "as we pivot from honoring the remarkable 70-year legacy of KNUST, we seamlessly weave into the theme: KNUST After 70: A New Age for a Renewed Focus in an Era of Disruptive Technologies. The onus rests on us to rekindle Dr. R. P. Baffour's flame of visionary leadership, ensuring that KNUST remains illuminated, guiding not just Ghana but the entire African continent into an era where technology is not just adopted, but innovated, understood, and pioneered, here, within our revered walls".



Mr. Anokye's second lecture will be titled "Ghana's Digitalisation Drive, a response to the New Age of Disruptive Technologies". This will be delivered on Thursday afternoon and the last lecture will be themed "KNUST, a Renewed Focus in the Era of Disruptive Technologies".



About R.P. Baafour Memorial Lectures



The R.P. Baffour Memorial Lectures were inaugurated in 2012 to commemorate the life and contributions of Dr. Robert Patrick Baffour. The lectures are designed to promote scholarly debate on issues of national and international importance.



Dr Baffour was a Ghanaian engineer, politician, and university administrator who served as the first Vice-Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology from 1961 to 1967. He was also a pioneer in engineering education in Ghana. Robert Patrick Baffour (a.k.a. Papa Andoh) was born on 14 May 1912 in Elmina. His father was in the service of the British Civil Service in Nigeria as a Master of Schools. He was the first-born son of Robert Patrick Baffour Andoh and Maria Frederica Adwoa Kane (Okai).



Between 1917 and 1926, Baffour attended various schools in Ghana and Nigeria: Catholic School in Elmina, Okar Government School in Nigeria and Richmond College.



Baffour attended the Mfantsipim School and obtained the Cambridge Senior School Certificate with exemption from London Matriculation. After secondary school, he achieved the singular honour of coming first in the Civil Service Examination of his time.



Yet instead of joining the British Civil Service, he chose to continue his education at Achimota College to study engineering, where he was taught by Charles Deakin, a founding engineering instructor at the school. He became the first Ghanaian to obtain a University of London degree in mechanical engineering on Ghanaian soil.

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Professor Smart Sarpong has backed the New Patriotic Party's dismissal of Hopeson Adorye, a defeated parliamentary candidate, Nana Ohene Ntow, a former General Secretary, Boniface Abubakar Saddique, a former Zongo Minister and Yaw Buaben Asamoah, former Adentan Member of Parliament.



The New Patriotic Party, in a statement signed by their General Secretary, Justin Frimpong Koduah, noted that these persons are no longer members for declaring their support for Alan Kyerematen, an independent candidate.



According to the statement, the four individuals' behavior breaches their constitution, so they forfeit their membership.



A Member of the Party, who stands as an independent candidate against the officially elected member of the Party, or who joins or declares his or her support for another Political Party, or for an independent candidate, when the Party has sponsored a candidate in a general or by-election, automatically forfeits his or her membership of the Party, the party established.



They stressed; In line with these constitutional provisions, it is the view of the NPP that Hopeson Adorye, Nana Ohene Ntow, Boniface Abubakar Saddique and Yaw Buaben Asamoa have AUTOMATICALLY FORFEITED their membership of the Party. They are, therefore, no longer members of the Party.



Discussing the matter during Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" show Wednesday morning, the Senior Research Fellow of the Kumasi Technical University, Prof. Smart Sarpong stated; "If you are not for me, then you are not with me. Those should know those who are for them and work with them...If you say you want to do party job but feel something worries, so you want to leave to join party B or C, be bold; do it".



"But if you will remain in the party, then note that whatever it is, something will get on your nerve. When two people are going for competition, both of them can't win. One will win and when the person wins, be humble enough to work with the person in the interest of the party you claim to be a member of", he added.



He however warned the New Patriotic Party to watch the way they treat their members as it may engender hostile reactions.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Former Minister for Central Region, Kwamena Duncan has admonished the Ghanaian electorate not to make a mistake to vote for the opposition during next year's December polls.



Firing subtle shots at former President and leader of the opposition National Democratic Congress, John Dramani Mahama, Kwamena Duncan described him as the past and advised Ghanaians to leave the past in the past.



He made this comment during discussions on the enskinment of Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia as Konukolewura (Chief of Unity) by the Overlord of Gonjaland, Jire Kuunu-bi I.



The Yagbonwura (Gonjaland Overlord) enskinned the Vice President in recognition of his character traits as a unifier and with a tolerant heart.



Speaking on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" programme Wednesday morning, Kwamena Duncan congratulated the Vice President for the honor and commended him for pledging to renovate the Jakpa Palace, the seat of the Gonja Kingdom which is in a deplorable condition.



"Bawumia is now and the future. Others are the past. The greatest harm you can do to yourself is to go to the ballot box and cast your ballot for those who are the past. The greatest harm any Ghanaian can do to themselves is to, on the 7th of December, 2024 queue and go to the poll and cast their ballot for those who are the past", the former Minister asserted.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Economist Nii Moi Thompson has waded into the 24-hour economy debate; responding to comments made by Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.



Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has stressed former President John Mahama lacks understanding of his own 24-hour economic policy.



"Today, John Mahama says he has new ideas and that he wants a 24-hour economy, he doesnt even understand that policy...Today, our hospitals, electricity company, water company, fuel stations, chop bars and many sectors all work 24 hours. Today, because of digitalisation you can transfer and receive money in 24 hours, so he doesnt understand his own policy, the Vice President pointed out.



However, Dr Nii Moi Thompson disagrees.



Read his reaction in the article below:



Bawumia, chop bars, and the 24-hour economy



When former president and flag bearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, declared a 24-hour economy as his main strategy for transforming Ghanas development fortunes, his adversaries across the pond probably dismissed it as just another campaign talk.



That is, until the Secretary General of the Trades Union Congress, Dr. Yaw Baah, an economist, described the strategy as a game changer. And then panic set in across the pond, and even inside it.



For some crazy reason, those adversaries reduced the idea of a 24-hour economy to having fun at night Hence, in the 2024 budget, the finance minister tried to upstage Mr. Mahama by promising everything from a Night and Sport Economy (p. 92) to the Night Economy and tourism (p. 92) to the development of Black Star Square into a City Light Centreto drive the night economy in Accra [and create] a welcoming night-time environment (p. 92), and, finally, to the use of Astro Turfs to create vibrant night economies in their host communities (p.93). (For the record, the word night appears only once in the 2023 budget, in reference to patrols by immigration officers).



Not to be outdone by the finance minister, the vice president and chairman of the economic management team, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, who will be contesting Mr. Mahama in the December 2024 presidential election, reportedly said at a political rally that Mr Mahama doesnt understand his own policy and that it does not make sense.



He went on to remind his audience that Ghana already has a thriving 24-hour economy, citing hospitals, fuel stations and chop bars  yes, he did!  as proof. He then promised a new vision complete with a new policy that would transform this country.



The news report gave no details about this vision. But if his idea of a 24-hour economy, beyond the nightlife of the finance minister, is about building more chop bars across Ghana to ensure round-the-clock access to fufu or fried rice, then he is even more rudderless than he has proven in the past seven years.



A 24-hour economy is about more than keeping a few establishments open around the clock  or lighted Astro Turfs at night. Its a multi-dimensional strategy for economic transformation, where businesses that operate during the day are strengthened and conditions are created for others across the country  not just Accra  to rise or thrive in an inter-connected world that never sleeps. Its about a country living to its fullest potential, not settling for mediocrity over chop bars.



When the idea of a 24-hour was originally proposed in the 40-Year National Development Plan, it was partly to address unemployment from what the Plan called the technological upheavals of the future, such as robotics, AI, and 3D printing, that would displace workers in many traditional and high-value sectors. The strategy, as laid out in the Plan, aimed at three shifts of 8 hours each and 4 shifts of 6 hours each, depending on a productivity revolution, which was also proposed in the Plan.



The strategy, which was subsequently incorporated into the NDCs 2020 manifesto, alongside transformative policies like an Employment Act (to complement the Labour Act) and a jobs programme called Edwuma Pa (Good Work), also recognised the availability, dependability AND increased use of electricity (a measure of a growing economy) as a pre-condition and one of 10 key drivers of a productive 24-Hour economy. Specific targets for electricity consumption, measured by kilowatt-hour (kWh) per capita, were therefore set, and Dr. Bawumias government inherited more than enough electricity from Mr. Mahama in 2017 to meet those targets. They didnt.



Instead, they blamed Mr. Mahama for giving Ghana too much electricity, when the real problem was too little economic activity due to the bankrupt economic policies that they initiated the moment they took office, destroying the financial sector and subverting industrial activity. Thus, they missed the critical first-years targets.



For example, in 2018, the government attained only 452 kWh per capita, instead of the projected 620 kWh, and in 2021 it managed 548 kWh instead of 850 kWh; it is unlikely that they would meet the 1,433 kWh target for 2025.



The consequences of these fatal errors were predictable: Manufacturing growth declined from 14.24% in the first quarter of 2017 to 6.32% in the last quarter of 2019, while electricity use by the economy peaked at 20.82% in the first quarter of 2018 and then plunged to 0.90% in the third quarter of 2019, all before Covid and Ukraine, which are now the whipping boys of their mismanagement.



The latest data from the Ghana Statistical Service show that the economy has still not recovered from the wrong-headed policies of Dr. Bawumia and his team. The manufacturing sector shrank by 2.5% in the first three months of 2023 and by 0.5% in the next three, inevitably worsening unemployment. (His voodoo claim of creating 2.3 million jobs in a collapsing economy will be tackled another time).



Significantly, and despite popular perceptions, Mr. Mahama has perhaps the best record of any president, except Kwame Nkrumah, in providing electricity to Ghanaians, after inheriting dumsor, which had plagued Ghana intermittently since 1983. The following are the average annual growth rates for installed electricity (by Megawatt) under the four most recent presidents, based on data from the Energy Commission:



JAK: 1.2% (2001-2004)



JAK: 3.6% (2005-2008)



JAM: 3.7% (2009-2012)



JDM:15% (2013-2016)



NAA: 8.1% (2017-2020)



 NAA:1.1% (2021-2022)



Even chop bars, taflatse, need electricity, and Dr. Bawumia has woefully failed to provide that. It is doubtful that he would do any better. Now or ever.



Nii Moi Thompson



22/11/2023



What others have done, we can do.  Marcus Garvey.

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The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has told Parliament that the residence of the current Clerk-to-Parliament was sold to a private developer in 2015 and not 2019.



He said his checks at the Lands Commission showed that the said land was given out during the previous administration.



The then Minister of Works and Housing gave an offer to a private developer in 2015 and a lease was granted in the 2015, he said.



Related articles

Investigations to find who attempted to sell Speaker's residence welcome - Parliament

VIDEO - What Bagbin said about Speaker's residence "almost sold" to private sector and "actually given out"

At no point was Speaker's residence almost sold to private sector - Lands Commission reacts [VIDEO]

Speaker didnt say his residence was sold  Parliamentary Service

Unimpeachable records



Contributing to a debate for the House to approve the motion on the 2024 Budget Statement on the floor of Parliament Thursday (Nov 23), Mr Jinapor said, these records at the Lands Commission is unimpeachable as it happened in 2015."



It just so happened that the developer, having bought the land in 2015 and having been given an offer letter in 2015 and having been granted a lease in 2015 took possession in 2019."



To all intent and purposes, the land was sold in 2015, he told the House.



Background



Attached below is a breakdown of what the Minister presented to Parliament



ALLEGED SALE OF SPEAKERS RESIDENCE AND THE RESIDENCE OF CLERK OF PARLIAMENT



THE FACTS



As the Lands Commission indicated in its earlier Press Release, the land in question is a public land acquired by the State since 1920. As a public land, no person, other than the Lands Commission, has the right to make any grant, sale, or lease of the said property;



At no point in time has the Lands Commission sold, or attempted to sell, the official residence of the Rt. Hon. Speaker. On the contrary, the Commission has taken steps to regularise the interest of the Parliamentary Service in the said property, by granting a Certificate of Allocation to the Service on 28th April, 2023;



Neither the Rt. Hon. Speaker, nor the Parliamentary Service, has made any complaint to the Lands Commission about a purported and/or attempted sale of the official residence of the Rt. Hon. Speaker. The Commission first became aware of the said allegation following the ongoing media discourse on the subject matter;



The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources has, subsequently, directed the Commission to investigate the matter, and submit a report to him, accordingly. The Commission will, therefore, respectfully, formally communicate to the Parliamentary Service to seek its assistance in the ongoing investigations;



In respect of the other properties adjoining the Speakers property, the Commission wishes to clarify that the Cantoments Residential Area, where the Speakers official residence is located, was earmarked for redevelopment as far back as 1995, under Governments Redevelopment Agenda, and several lands in the area has since 1995 been leased to private developers for this purpose;



It must be noted that the Speakers official residence was designated as such in the year 2003, after the original official residence of the Speaker was de-confiscated and returned to the original owner. The then Speaker of Parliament, therefore, moved to the area after the said redevelopment had commenced in 1995, at the time some of these lands had already been leased to private developers;



On the specific allegation of the Clerk of Parliaments accommodation being sold in 2019, records at the Lands Commission indicates that the property in question, House No. 90, Sixth Circular Road, Cantoments, was granted to a private developer in the year 2015, by a letter from the Ministry of Works and Housing, dated 23rd June, 2015, as part of the Accra Properties Redevelopment Scheme. Subsequent to the said letter, a lease dated 18th August, 2015, was granted to the private developer over the said property;



For the avoidance of doubt, the said property was not sold in 2019, but rather in 2015;

Source: graphiconline.com









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A senior lecturer at the University of Ghana Political Science Department, Dr Kwame Asah-Asante has said that the ultimate goal of the founder of the Movement For Change, Alan Kyerematen, towards the 2024 general elections is to be a kingmaker and not President.



He said that Mr Kyerematen himself was aware that the best he could do was to gather some significant votes, add it to the other existing parties and push the 2024 presidential elections into a second round.



Alan Kyerematen, who was a stalwart of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) and served as Minster of Trade and Industry resigned from the party in September this year after special delegates conference that selected five out of 10 aspirants who wanted to lead the NPP as presidential candidate in 2024. He placed third in the first round of the race. But dropped out of the race and resigned from the NPP.



Alan Kyrematen proposes government of national unity if successful in 2024 Presidential bid

That is the best that they can do. We did some work, and if you look at the statistics, from 1992 up to 2020, all the other political parties put together in terms of their average performance, did not go beyond 4 per cent , he noted, Dr Asah-Asare explained.



So if you are talking about an individual who is going to come in and cross the threshold of 50 per cent and beyond, I am afraid that is not what Mr Alan Kyerematen is working for. He himself knows that it wont work, he stressed.



The Senior Political Science Lecturer was Speaking on JoyNews PM Express on Wednesday, November 22, 2023,



He further stated that Mr Kyerematen, who is a former Minister of Trade and Industry, knew he could be a kingmaker if he pushed the elections into a runoff which would bring all those who launched attacks against him that he was not a candidate for the 2024 elections before him on their knees.



That is all that he is fighting for. But for winning, he knows that it will not work, Dr Asah-Asante added.



However, even on the ability of Mr Kyerematen to push the election into a runoff, Dr Kwame Asah-Asante m said it was too early to make that prediction.







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The upcoming general elections in Ghana have stirred up debates and discussions among citizens and politicians alike, with each party striving to select the perfect candidate as their running mate. For John Mahama, former President of Ghana and presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the selection process has been made particularly challenging, thanks to the impressive achievements of Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum (MP), the Minister for Education.



The NDC had previously chosen Jane Naana Opoku, the then Education Minister, as the running mate to Mahama in the 2016 general elections. However, with the impressive track record of Dr. Adutwum, Mahamas team is now left with an enormous task of identifying a running mate that can complement their vision and mission for the nation without being overshadowed by the Education Minister.



In the lead-up to the 2016 and 2020 elections in Ghana, the debate over the future of the country's education sector took center stage as the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) presented competing visions for the transformation of Ghana's educational landscape.



The NPP, under the leadership of President Nana Akufo-Addo, put forward an ambitious agenda focused on groundbreaking policies such as Free Senior High School (SHS) and initiatives to bolster Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education. These initiatives were designed to address critical gaps in the educational system and provide opportunities for Ghanaian youth to thrive in the modern, knowledge-driven economy.



In contrast, the NDC, led by its flagbearer and former President, John Dramani Mahama, and his running mate, Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, took a different approach, emphasizing a desire to abolish what they deemed as unsustainable policies in the education sector. The NDC's stance, as articulated by Prof. Opoku-Agyemang, appeared to set the party on a collision course with the transformative reforms championed by the NPP.



Central to the NPP's education agenda was the landmark Free SHS policy, which sought to ensure that every Ghanaian child had access to secondary education without financial barriers. This bold initiative was a game-changer, expanding educational opportunities and empowering young Ghanaians to pursue their dreams and aspirations. Furthermore, the government's emphasis on STEM education underscored its commitment to equipping students with the skills and knowledge needed to thrive in a rapidly evolving global economy.



On the other hand, the NDC's position on education policy seemed to reflect a desire to dismantle the progress made under the NPP's tenure. The party's rhetoric suggested a readiness to overturn the strides made in expanding access to education and enhancing the quality of learning in Ghana. This approach raised concerns about the potential repercussions for the educational prospects of the nation's youth.



It is evident that the NPP's vision for education in Ghana aligns with the imperative to nurture a generation of innovative thinkers, problem solvers, and leaders. By championing policies that prioritize access to education and the development of critical skills, the NPP has demonstrated a commitment to positioning Ghana as a hub for knowledge, creativity, and technological advancement.



Conversely, the NDC's stance on education policy has generated skepticism, with many questioning the wisdom of rolling back initiatives that have the potential to elevate Ghana's educational standards and empower its citizens. The party's apparent inclination to abolish policies that have contributed to the transformation of the education sector raises fundamental questions about its vision for the future of Ghanaian education.



As Ghana continues its journey toward prosperity and sustainable development, the choices made in shaping the country's educational landscape will be pivotal. The decisions taken by political leaders today will resonate for generations to come, shaping the opportunities available to Ghana's youth and influencing the nation's competitive position in the global arena. Hence, the attempt by Mr. John Mahama to cancel the Teachers' Licensure Exams is an attempt to distinguish himself from the achievements by the NPP Akufo-Addo led government.



Ghana deserves better than the usual rhetoric promises the former president is making without recourse to any strategic plan and that is why he carried out no due diligence but to make a promise of an initiative that is already in existence through the digitalization agenda of the NPP government led by H. E. Mahammudu Bawumia.

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Above, the phase-folded light curve of TOI-4377 b from TESS is shown, with the individual flux observations in blue and the larger white-filled points representing a 10-point temporal binning. The solid black line represents the best fit transit model to the data. Below, the residuals between the data and the transit model are shown, with the dashed black line representing the null offset. The root-mean-square (rms) deviation between all points and the zero offset is also shown above the plot. Credit: Pereira et al, 2023

Using NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), an international team of astronomers has discovered two new "hot Jupiter" exoplanets. The newfound alien worlds, designated TOI-4377 b and TOI-4551 b, both orbit distant red-giant stars. The finding was reported November 8 in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Launched in April 2018, TESS is conducting a survey of about 200,000 of the brightest stars near the sun with the aim of searching for transiting exoplanets, ranging from small, rocky worlds to gaseous giants. To date, it has identified nearly 7,000 candidate exoplanets (TESS Objects of Interest, or TOI), of which 402 have been confirmed so far.

A group of astronomers led by Filipe Pereira of the University of Porto, Portugal, has now confirmed another two TOIs monitored by TESS. They identified a transit signal in the light curve of red-giant stars known as TOI-4377 and TOI-4551, located 1,486 and 704 light years away. The planetary nature of these signals was verified by follow-up radial velocity observations using ground-based telescopes.

"The planets were found during a search for transits around bright, low-luminosity red-giant branch stars observed by TESS in the southern ecliptic hemisphere," the researchers wrote in the paper.

TOI-4377 b has a radius of about 1.35 Jupiter radii and has a mass of some 0.96 Jupiter masses, which yields a density at a level of 0.88 g/cm3. The planet orbits its host every 4.38 days, at a distance of 0.058 AU, and its equilibrium temperature.

When it comes to TOI-4551 b, its radius is about 6% larger than that of Jupiter, while its mass is estimated to be 1.49 Jupiter masses. Therefore, the planet's density was calculated to be 1.74 g/cm3. The observations show that TOI-4551 b has an orbital period of approximately 10 days and is separated from its parent star by 0.1 AU.

The stars TOI-4377 and TOI-4551 have masses of 1.36 and 1.31 solar masses, respectively. They are both about 3.5 times larger than the sun and have effective temperatures of almost 5,000 K. TOI-4377 is estimated to be 3.88 billion years old, while TOI-4551 is about 1 billion years older.

Summing up the results, the authors of the paper concluded that TOI-4377 b and TOI-4551 b can be both classified as "hot Jupiters" and are a rare example of giant alien worlds with short orbital periods, orbiting red giants. The so-called hot Jupiters are similar in characteristics to the solar system's biggest planet, with orbital periods of less than 10 days. Such exoplanets have high surface temperatures, as they orbit their parent stars very closely.

"All in all, the two newly confirmed planets enrich the existing population of known hot Jupiters orbiting evolved hosts. They should prove particularly relevant to demographic studies of short-period giant planets around red-giant stars, where only a handful of planets are known," the researchers explained.

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The serotine bat does not use its strangely large penis for penetration but as a 'copulatory arm' during mating.

Scientists have solved the mystery of one of the animal kingdom's most disproportionately large penises thanks to a Dutch retiree recording bat sex in a church attic.

The serotine bat does not use its strangely large penis for penetration, but instead as a "copulatory arm" during mating, a European team of researchers said on Monday.

This marks the first time that a mammal has been documented reproducing without having penetrative sex, the researchers added.

The serotine bat, which has a wingspan of more than 35 centimeters (14 inches), is common in woodlands across Europe and Asia.

Nicolas Fasel, a researcher at Switzerland's University of Lausanne, told AFP that his team had been working on the bat for years and had observed that its "penis is super long when it is erect".

Their penises are around seven times longer than the vaginas of female serotine bats, the scientists measured.

Stranger still, the head of the penis expands into the shape of a heart, making it seven times wider than their partners' vaginas.

The scientists were baffled.

"There is no way it can penetrate with this structure," said Fasel, the first author of a new study in the journal Current Biology.

Relatively little is known about how bats mate because it is difficult to observe, and the scientists could not see a way of solving this mystery.

But then Fasel received a strange-looking email.

'Really amazed'

"Penis," was the first word of the email's subject line, followed by something in Dutch, then the word "Eptesicus".

"So I was thinking, OK, that looks like spam," Fasel said.

However Eptesicus is the genus of the serotine bat, so Fasel risked opening the email and watching the videos inside.

"Then I was really amazed because we had our answer," he said.

The email was from Jan Jeucken, a retiree with no scientific background who lives in the southern village of Castenray in the Netherlands.

Jeucken had become interested in a population of serotine bats living in the attic of a local church, and had set up cameras recording huge amounts of footage.

Fasel said Jeucken's "passion made him the best guy" to understand the bats, and the retiree was named as a co-author of the study.

The researchers analyzed 93 mating events in the church attic, as well as four recorded at a bat rehabilitation center in war-torn Ukraine.

By filming through a grid that the bats climbed on, the researchers were able to observe them mating.

Female serotine bats have a large membrane between their tail and ankles which they can use to shield their genitals.

During mating, the males grab the females by the nape and use their large penises like an extra arm to reach around and remove this membrane, the researchers said.

Then follows a long, still embrace called "contact mating," during which sperm is transferred.

While this form of reproductionalso called "cloacal kissing"is common in birds, it had never previously been observed in a mammal.

For serotine bats, the process takes some time. The average session was 53 minutes, but the longest lasted nearly 13 hours.

Fasel speculated that the female bats could use their unusually long cervixes to hold onto the sperm of several different males for months before choosing which male they bear offspring with.

It is possible that other bat species mate without penetration, Fasel said, adding more research was needed.

"We could see that there are many, many species with quite strange penises," he said.

 2023 AFP
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

A seasoned deer hunter is shocked when his hound dog trots up with a human femur clenched between its teeth. A woman veers off her normal urban walking path and happens upon a human skull. New property owners commission a land survey that reveals a set of human remains just below a pile of leaves.

These examples are real cases handled by coroners' offices, where we have assisted as forensic anthropologists.

What happens after someone inadvertently discovers a human body? How are human skeletal remains identified? It can be a major effort, requiring collaboration across law enforcement, forensic anthropologists, and death investigators to uncover the identities of the unidentified dead and help bring justice to people who were victims of foul play.

There are nearly 15,000 open cases in the United States involving unidentified people, according to the Department of Justice's National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, a centralized database and resource for unidentified, missing and unclaimed people. This is an underestimate, though, because there is no universal reporting requirement across agencies. Many practicing forensic anthropologists work hard to alleviate what's routinely referred to as the "nation's silent mass disaster"the crisis of so many missing and unidentified individuals.

A specialized branch of anthropology

Anthropology is the holistic study of human culture, environment and biology across time and space. Biological anthropology focuses on the physiological aspects of people and our nonhuman primate relatives. It considers topics ranging from the evolutionary history of our species to the analysis of ancient and modern skeletal remains. Forensic anthropology is a further subspecialty that analyzes skeletal remains of the recently deceased within a legal setting.

Forensic anthropologists are trained in identifying human skeletal remains. They use scientific techniques to identify deceased people whose faces are unrecognizableoften referred to as "Jane and John Does." Forensic anthropologists' skills allow them to interpret from skeletons the trauma and disease a person suffered in life, as well as estimate when that person died.

One of us is employed as a postdoctoral research fellow as well as a forensic anthropologist and deputy coroner through a county coroner's office; the other is a university professor who responds to local forensic scenes on an as-needed, consulting basis. The realities of forensic anthropology casework are often misrepresented by crime and mystery movies and shows, but our positions reflect how a lot of practicing forensic anthropologists are employed in the United States.

Outside of local work, forensic anthropologists travel to sites of political violence, mass disasters such as the tragedies of 9/11 or the collapse of the Surfside condo building in Miami, and events like the devastating fires in Maui. Normal procedures for handling deaths can quickly become overwhelmed during crises; burial of the dead can take priority over identification, as has been occurring in Gaza.

Scientific tools to identify the unidentified

The complex decomposition process begins as soon as someone dies. Environment, weather, trauma, clothing and location of the death, among other variables, can all complicate how quickly a body decomposes. In cases of advanced decomposition or extreme circumstances such as fires or building collapses, the deceased may no longer be recognizable. That's a situation in which local law enforcement might want to contact a forensic anthropologist, if possible, to collaborate on figuring out the person's identity and possibly the circumstances around their death.

A forensic anthropologists' primary toolkit involves observing subtle variations in features of the skeleton to create a biological profile: an estimation of the individual's age at death, biological sex, height during life and any potentially unique skeletal characteristics, such as healed trauma or tooth loss that may have been visible during life. Forensic anthropologists assess the entire skeleton, with an emphasis on the skull, pelvis and long bones.

Information learned from the skeleton is then uploaded to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System so it can be compared with missing person records. The goal is to develop leads on the person's identity. An estimated time of death can also provide a useful point of comparison.

For example, consider a case in upstate South Carolina that one of us assisted on. Human remains were discovered in someone's yard after a dog dragged several bones out of a creek. Our assessment revealed that the size and shape of the bones were consistent with this Jane Doe being a middle-aged woman. This information allowed local investigators to quickly narrow the pool of missing people in the area who fit that description. Ultimately, they were able to identify this unknown person.

Missing person records can vary at the county and state levels, though, and not all missing people are even reported. These bureaucratic challenges can complicate our attempts to match up information learned from the skeleton with the database.

In the absence of a match, the next step in the identification process can involve a forensic facial reconstruction. Based on the forensic anthropologist's assessment, along with any clothing found associated with the decedent, a forensic artist will create a 2D or sometimes 3D facial reconstruction. Law enforcement can release the image to the public through a press release, which may generate leads about who the person was.

DNA can provide other valuable clues, but submitting samples for analysis can be cost-prohibitive. If funding and resources are available, we submit samples from bone or teeth to a lab that can then generate a genetic sequence from the skeletal remains.

Even with a clear sequence, though, the unknown DNA sample must be matched either to a sample collected during life or from a close relative in order to be useful for determining identity. It can take weeks, months, or even years to get the unknown sequence back and compare it with known individuals. If no match is found, genetic genealogy may suggest leads through potentially related individualsbut this investigative field is still emerging.

In each step toward identification, there are many logistical and bureaucratic barriers that contribute to an enormous backlog of unidentified people in county morgues and coroners' offices. Many cold cases remain unsolved for decades, and the process is further compounded in cases involving undocumented people. Despite these hurdles, forensic anthropologists remain committed to returning names to the unidentified.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Chinese FM holds phone talks with Singaporean counterpart

Xinhua) 08:40, November 23, 2023

BEIJING, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday held a phone conversation with Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan.

In his talks with Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, Balakrishnan said that Singapore and China have close relations and in-depth cooperation, and the Singaporean side is ready to take new measures to facilitate personnel exchanges and increase flights between the two countries.

Singapore, Balakrishnan added, is prepared to work with China to give full play to the role of the China-Singapore bilateral cooperation mechanism meetings and further deepen bilateral cooperation.

The Chinese foreign minister said that under the strategic guidance of the leaders of the two countries, the China-Singapore relationship has been upgraded to an all-round high-quality future-oriented partnership, with cooperation in various fields maintaining a strong momentum.

China is ready to work with Singapore to provide more favorable conditions for further resumption of their personnel exchanges, make up for the losses inflicted by the pandemic during the past three years as soon as possible, and push bilateral cooperation to a higher level, Wang said.

The two sides should make good use of bilateral cooperation mechanisms, and push for more results in their cooperation, he added.

Expressing congratulations on the success of the San Francisco summit between the heads of state of China and the United States, the Singaporean foreign minister said that Singapore and ASEAN countries are all happy to see the meeting take place, on which ASEAN has issued a statement.

China-U.S. relations are vital to the world, and the decoupling of the two will exert a serious negative impact on the world, he added.

The two sides also exchanged views on international and regional issues of mutual concern.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
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An illustration of a sleeping alvarezsaurid dinosaur, Jaculinykus, like modern birds. Credit: Seiji Yamamoto, from PLOS ONE (2023). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0293801 CC-BY 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

A team of paleontologists and biologists from Hokkaido University, Hokkaido University Museum, North Carolina State University and the Mongolian Academy of Sciences, has uncovered a previously unknown species of dinosaur that appears to have slept in the same position as modern birds.

In their paper published in the open-access journal PLOS ONE, the group describes where the fossil was found, its condition, and the unique position in which the specimen had folded itself before dying.

Until recently, members of the Alvarezsauridae family, a group of small therapods (carnivorous bipedal dinosaurs), were believed to be a kind of flightless birdnow, they are classified as Maniraptoran dinosaurs, a type that is non-avian but is still related to modern birds. In this new study, the researchers found a new species of Alvarezsauridae they have named Jaculinykus yaruui. It translates to "speedy, tiny dragon" and has a lineage with a group that had several bird-like features.

The fossil was found at a dig site in Mongolia's Gobi Desert called the Barun Goyot Formation, embedded in rock in a place called Nemegt. The site has yielded a number of dinosaur fossils over the past several years. The newly found fossil has been dated to approximately 71 million years ago. The team describes it as being in very good conditionit is a nearly complete, 3D preserved fossil.

When alive, the research team estimates the dinosaur would have been nearly a meter tall and weighed approximately 30 kilograms. What was most interesting about the fossil, however, was its position. It appeared to have settled in for a nap with its neck and tail bent to make laying down more comfortable. It also had its hind limbs folded under its pelvis. The position is similar to the sleeping position of modern birds. The finding suggests that Maniraptorans in general may have slept in the same position as modern birds.

Prior research has suggested that modern birds curl up when they sleep as both a means of comfort and to preserve heat. This finding suggests that Maniraptorans were also trying to keep warm as they slept.

More information: Kohta Kubo et al, A new alvarezsaurid dinosaur (Theropoda, Alvarezsauria) from the Upper Cretaceous Baruungoyot Formation of Mongolia provides insights for bird-like sleeping behavior in non-avian dinosaurs, PLOS ONE (2023). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0293801 Journal information: PLoS ONE

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The Predicted Relationship Between Cognitive Ability and the 5-Point Unrealistic Optimism ScaleSociodemographic, Socioeconomic and Educational Attainment Controls Included. Note. Bars (with 95% confidence intervals) represent the predicted probabilities of unrealistic optimism, for those high (+2 standard deviations from the mean) and low (2 standard deviations from the mean) on cognitive ability. Credit: Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin (2023). DOI: 10.1177/01461672231209400

A behavioral economist at the University of Bath in the U.K. has found evidence linking higher levels of unwarranted financial optimism with lower levels of cognitive ability. In his study, published in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Chris Dawson surveyed thousands of people in the U.K. about their economic outlook and compared their responses with their true financial outlook.

Prior research has found links between a sunny outlook and better health and also a higher overall quality of life, including better relationships with people. But it has also shown that being overly optimistic can lead people to make poor decisions, such as how much to save for retirement. In this new study, Dawson looked for an association between unrealistic optimism and cognitive ability regarding financial decision-making.

Suspecting that people with lower cognitive abilities tended to overestimate their financial acumen, and thus make poor financial decisions, Dawson accessed the data repository of the Understanding Society project, which conducted a longitudinal survey involving more than 40,000 households in the U.K. and Northern Ireland over the years 2009 to 2021. He also analyzed data from the British Household Panel Survey run from 1991 to 2008.

The surveys queried respondents about their financial situation along with their expectations for the future. And because respondents were queried more than once over the course of the survey, Dawson was able to compare their earlier expectations with how things had actually panned out years later. Also included in the surveys were questions designed to assess several traits associated with cognitive ability, such as memory, word recall, verbal fluency, math ability and abstract thought.

By comparing the results from both parts of the surveys, Dawson was able to compare cognitive ability with financial optimism. In so doing, he found associations between the degree of optimism reported and cognitive ability. Those with higher cognitive abilities tended to be less optimistic, while the opposite was true for those who had lower cognitive abilities.

More specifically, he found that respondents scoring the highest on the cognitive tests were 22% more likely to fall into the category of realists, which Dawson describes as more objective about their financial prospects, than were those falling on the opposite end of the spectrum.

More information: Chris Dawson, Looking on the (B)right Side of Life: Cognitive Ability and Miscalibrated Financial Expectations, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin (2023). DOI: 10.1177/01461672231209400 Journal information: Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin

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Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Baristas who work in specialty coffee shops, along with hipsters more generally, have been referred to as the "shock troops" of urban gentrificationand it's no different in Philadelphia. These servers of artisanal coffee contribute to economic and demographic changes in neighborhoods in two ways.

First, they work in coffee shops that appeal to a new wave of middle-class residents who can afford higher rentswhile at the same time alienating longtime and less economically advantaged residents.

Second, these baristas almost invariably live in gentrifying neighborhoods. They don't have much money, but they tend to exude a cool, white middle-class presence. The appearance of specialty coffee shops and baristas signifies that a neighborhood is becoming trendy and more expensive.

As a professor of sociology at Temple University who is fascinated with urban artistic subcultures, I recently published a book called "Barista in the City" with co-authors Keith McIntosh and Ewa Protasiuk. In 2019, we interviewed 61 baristas in a variety of gentrifying neighborhoods in Philadelphia, including Fishtown, Kensington, Point Breeze and West Philadelphia.

We wanted to understand why baristas become gentrifiers and how they view their role as agents of change.

Privileged but low-wage workers

A few baristas whom we interviewed were managers or assistant managers. Some were employed by Starbucks, but the vast majority worked in specialty coffee shops that strive to outdo Starbucks by offering coffee that is slightly more expensive and relatively high in quality, sustainability and fairness to coffee farmers.

We classified most of the baristas we interviewed as either artistic baristas or coffee careerists.

Artistic baristas work in coffee shops primarily because they offer flexible employment that allows time for low-paid artistic activities, or enables them to finance their undergraduate education at art schools or other academic institutions.

Coffee careerists, on the other hand, have a strong interest in artisanal coffee. They aspire to become coffee shop managers, coffee roasters or coffee buyers who travel to other countries in search of the best beans.

Both types of baristas were attracted to the relatively relaxed coffee shop environment. They enjoy chatting with their co-workers and favorite customers. Many stated that they have nothing against those who do corporate work but wouldn't feel comfortable in that environment. "I would probably like lose my mind in a 9-to-5 kind of thing," an artistic barista explained. "I just am not that type of person. I don't like paperwork. I also don't like the feeling of not being able to be myself.  I just know I would end up hating it."

Most come from middle-class families and have attended, if not graduated, from college. As such, they have rejected relatively well-paid, middle-class positions in favor of an occupation suited to the lifestyle they wish to lead.

Living in a gentrifying neighborhood not only enables them to be near their job, but also to be near emerging art and music scenes, thrift shops or vegan eateries. It also provides relatively low-cost housing that is compatible with their budgets. The average barista in our sample earned $23,000 per year in 2019 and typically worked 32 hours per week.

On being a gentrifier

The baristas we interviewed tended to view gentrification as a process that is harmful to lower socioeconomic class and mostly minority populations. A barista who observed affluent university students move into a low-income West Philadelphia neighborhood and displace working-class Black residents stated: "Obviously, it's terrible."

They felt a degree of guilt about being part of this process. But their low-wage employment and need for affordable urban space that is compatible with their lifestyle caused them to feel they have little recourse to make other residential decisions.

"I understand that I'm also part of the problem when it comes to gentrifying an area," one of the baristas said. "My boyfriend tends to disagree with me on that. He's like, 'Well, where are we going to move, then?' And it's true. Like, I don't know, we can't afford to live in Rittenhouse Square. I can just barely afford to live in Fishtown at this point. I thought this would be a good area for meeting other creatives. And I don't want to live in the suburbs."

Many baristas, however, were ignorant of the role that their coffee shop plays in commercial gentrification. They tend to believe that such shops open only after a neighborhood has already gentrified. As one barista put it: "I think coffee shops are a symptom rather than a cause of gentrification. They spring up in neighborhoods that have already been taken over by gentrifiers."

Urban scholarship suggests that the relationship is more complicated, with coffee shops being both a cause and effect of neighborhood gentrification.

While specialty coffee shops generally present themselves as progressive and inclusive, longtime residents often view them as expensive, culturally alienating, and what American sociologist Elijah Anderson referred to as "white spaces." Furthermore, these cafes often displace other retail businesses that long-term residents relied on.

There are, of course, some specialty coffee shops in Philadelphia that have designed their prices, programming and decor to attract customers and residents that often feel excluded from such shops. These include Uncle Bobbie's Coffee & Books in Germantown and Kayuh Bicycles & Cafe in Francisville. Some, like Quaker City Coffee and The Monkey & the Elephant in Brewerytown, employ vulnerable populations such as formerly incarcerated people and former foster youth. But specialty coffee shops designed to appeal to those that often feel excluded are rare, and they employ only a handful of baristas.

Blame the barista?

The coffee shops that the baristas we interviewed work for are not the main drivers of urban gentrification. Such gentrification is pushed mainly by real estate developers and by local governments seeking to enhance their tax base.

Gentrification, furthermore, is fundamentally a result of larger structural forces such as zoning rules that prohibit multi-unit and mixed-use construction, and government acquiescence to NIMBY resistance to high-rise buildings. These forces limit the supply of housing in walkable urban neighborhoods. In Philadelphia, such neighborhoods include, but are not limited to, Chestnut Hill, Germantown, Society Hill, Mount Airy, Strawberry Mansion and Point Breeze.

To ease residential gentrification, baristas could relocate. But they are low-wage service workers, and their housing options are limited by affordability issues and the shortage of urban neighborhoods issues that zoning boards, community groups and political leaders have failed to address.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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The structure of a dolomite crystal edge. Rows of magnesium (orange spheres) alternate with rows of calcium (blue spheres), and are interspersed with carbonate (black structures). The pink arrows show the directions of crystal growth. Calcium and magnesium often attach to the growth edge improperly, which stops dolomite growth. Credit: Joonsoo Kim, University of Michigan

For 200 years, scientists have failed to grow a common mineral in the laboratory under the conditions believed to have formed it naturally. Now, a team of researchers from the University of Michigan and Hokkaido University in Sapporo, Japan have finally succeeded, thanks to a new theory developed from atomic simulations.

Their success resolves a long-standing geology mystery called the "Dolomite Problem." Dolomitea key mineral in the Dolomite mountains in Italy, Niagara Falls, the White Cliffs of Dover and Utah's Hoodoosis very abundant in rocks older than 100 million years, but nearly absent in younger formations.

"If we understand how dolomite grows in nature, we might learn new strategies to promote the crystal growth of modern technological materials," said Wenhao Sun, the Dow Early Career Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at U-M and the corresponding author of the paper published today in Science.

The secret to finally growing dolomite in the lab was removing defects in the mineral structure as it grows. When minerals form in water, atoms usually deposit neatly onto an edge of the growing crystal surface. However, the growth edge of dolomite consists of alternating rows of calcium and magnesium.

In water, calcium and magnesium will randomly attach to the growing dolomite crystal, often lodging into the wrong spot and creating defects that prevent additional layers of dolomite from forming. This disorder slows dolomite growth to a crawl, meaning it would take 10 million years to make just one layer of ordered dolomite.

Luckily, these defects aren't locked in place. Because the disordered atoms are less stable than atoms in the correct position, they are the first to dissolve when the mineral is washed with water. Repeatedly rinsing away these defectsfor example, with rain or tidal cyclesallows a dolomite layer to form in only a matter of years. Over geologic time, mountains of dolomite can accumulate.

To simulate dolomite growth accurately, the researchers needed to calculate how strongly or loosely atoms will attach to an existing dolomite surface. The most accurate simulations require the energy of every single interaction between electrons and atoms in the growing crystal. Such exhaustive calculations usually require huge amounts of computing power, but software developed at U-M's Predictive Structure Materials Science (PRISMS) Center offered a shortcut. Credit: University of Michigan

"Our software calculates the energy for some atomic arrangements, then extrapolates to predict the energies for other arrangements based on the symmetry of the crystal structure," said Brian Puchala, one of the software's lead developers and an associate research scientist in U-M's Department of Materials Science and Engineering.

That shortcut made it feasible to simulate dolomite growth over geologic timescales.

"Each atomic step would normally take over 5,000 CPU hours on a supercomputer. Now, we can do the same calculation in 2 milliseconds on a desktop," said Joonsoo Kim, a doctoral student of materials science and engineering and the study's first author.

The few areas where dolomite forms today intermittently flood and later dry out, which aligns well with Sun and Kim's theory. But such evidence alone wasn't enough to be fully convincing. Enter Yuki Kimura, a professor of materials science from Hokkaido University, and Tomoya Yamazaki, a postdoctoral researcher in Kimura's lab. They tested the new theory with a quirk of transmission electron microscopes.

"Electron microscopes usually use electron beams just to image samples," Kimura said. "However, the beam can also split water, which makes acid that can cause crystals to dissolve. Usually, this is bad for imaging, but in this case, dissolution is exactly what we wanted."

After placing a tiny dolomite crystal in a solution of calcium and magnesium, Kimura and Yamazaki gently pulsed the electron beam 4,000 times over two hours, dissolving away the defects. After the pulses, dolomite was seen to grow approximately 100 nanometersaround 250,000 times smaller than an inch. Although this was only 300 layers of dolomite, never had more than five layers of dolomite been grown in the lab before.

The lessons learned from the Dolomite Problem can help engineers manufacture higher-quality materials for semiconductors, solar panels, batteries and other tech.

"In the past, crystal growers who wanted to make materials without defects would try to grow them really slowly," Sun said. "Our theory shows that you can grow defect-free materials quickly, if you periodically dissolve the defects away during growth."

More information: Joonsoo Kim et al, Dissolution enables dolomite crystal growth near ambient conditions, Science (2023). DOI: 10.1126/science.adi3690. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adi3690 Juan Manuel Garcia-Ruiz, A fluctuating solution to the dolomite problem, Science (2023). DOI: 10.1126/science.adl1734 , www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adl1734 Journal information: Science
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Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

A team of environmental scientists at the University of Wollongong Faculty of Science Medicine and Health's School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, working with a colleague from the University of New South Wales, has found that sea level rise is encouraging mangrove expansion on some Great Barrier Reef islands. In their paper published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, the group describes how they used a two-pronged approach to measure plant diversity and number of trees growing on the Howick Islands and what they found.

As global warming continues, more and more ice around the world melts into the sea, leading to rising sea surface levels. Such rising is expected to be problematic for many countries as it leads to flooding of coastal areas and overrun of low-lying islands. One particular impact of sea level rise has already been noted: the decline of mangrove forests.

Mangroves are uniquely suited to growing along coastal shorelines as they have evolved to handle the salty terrain. But such proximity to the sea also puts them at risk when sea levels rise, because they become flooded and drown. In this new effort, the team in Australia has found an exception to this trendmangrove forests growing on the Howick Islands, which are part of the Great Barrier Reef.

The Howick Islands are different than other islands due to their history. Twelve thousand years ago, as sea levels rose at the end of the Last Glacier Maximum, coral reefs grew to take advantage of the changing climate. But when sea levels fell again, 10,000 years later, the reefs died due to dehydration. As they did so, they left behind a mass of salt and dead coral, mixed with ocean sedimentwith small outcroppings of mangroves around the edges of the islands. Now, as sea levels rise again, conditions are improving, and because of that the mangroves are flourishing.

To learn how the mangroves are faring on the islands, the researchers flew drones over them to capture imagery from the sky. They also walked and waded through some of the mangrove forests to measure tree characteristics such as height and diversity.

They then compared what they found with the results of a similar survey conducted back in 1973. In so doing, they found that the mangrove forests on the islands have grown by 10,000 metric tons over the past half century, and that the mangrove forests have grown much denser.

Such a change is considered a good thing, because mangroves soak up large amounts of carbon dioxide from the air around them.

More information: Sarah Hamylton et al, Mangrove expansion on the low wooded islands of the Great Barrier Reef, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (2023). DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1183 Journal information: Proceedings of the Royal Society B

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Roger Bryant studied ocean floor core samples at the Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) facility at Washington University in St. Louis during his PhD studies. Bryant and David Fike have used this data to prove a discovery that will fundamentally change how scientists use pyrite sulfur isotopes to study oceanic conditions. Credit: Clive Jones, Washington University in St. Louis

Blame it on plate tectonics. The deep ocean is never preserved, but instead is lost to time as the seafloor is subducted. Geologists are mostly left with shallower rocks from closer to the shoreline to inform their studies of Earth history.

"We have only a good record of the deep ocean for the last ~180 million years," said David Fike, the Glassberg/Greensfelder Distinguished University Professor of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis. "Everything else is just shallow-water deposits. So it's really important to understand the bias that might be present when we look at shallow-water deposits."

One of the ways that scientists like Fike use deposits from the seafloor is to reconstruct timelines of past ecological and environmental change. Researchers are keenly interested in how and when oxygen began to build up in the oceans and atmosphere, making Earth more hospitable to life as we know it.

For decades they have relied on pyrite, the iron-sulfide mineral known as "fool's gold," as a sensitive recorder of conditions in the marine environment where it is formed. By measuring the bulk isotopic composition of sulfur in pyrite samplesthe relative abundance of sulfur atoms with slightly different massscientists have tried to better understand ancient microbial activity and interpret global chemical cycles.

But the outlook for pyrite is not so shiny anymore. In a pair of companion papers published Nov. 24 in Science, Fike and his collaborators show that variations in pyrite sulfur isotopes may not represent the global processes that have made them such popular targets of analysis.

Instead, Fike's research demonstrates that pyrite responds predominantly to local processes that should not be taken as representative of the whole ocean. A new microanalysis approach developed at Washington University helped the researchers to separate out signals in pyrite that reveal the relative influence of microbes and that of local climate.

For the first study, Fike worked with Roger Bryant, who completed his graduate studies at Washington University, to examine the grain-level distribution of pyrite sulfur isotope compositions in a sample of recent glacial-interglacial sediments. They developed and used a cutting-edge analytical technique with the secondary-ion mass spectrometer (SIMS) in Fike's laboratory.

"We analyzed every individual pyrite crystal that we could find and got isotopic values for each one," Fike said. By considering the distribution of results from individual grains, rather than the average (or bulk) results, the scientists showed that it is possible to tease apart the role of the physical properties of the depositional environment, like the sedimentation rate and the porosity of the sediments, from the microbial activity in the seabed.

"We found that even when bulk pyrite sulfur isotopes changed a lot between glacials and interglacials, the minima of our single grain pyrite distributions remained broadly constant," Bryant said. "This told us that microbial activity did not drive the changes in bulk pyrite sulfur isotopes and refuted one of our major hypotheses."

"Using this framework, we're able to go in and look at the separate roles of microbes and sediments in driving the signals," Fike said. "That to me represents a huge step forward in being able to interpret what is recorded in these signals."

In the second paper, led by Itay Halevy of the Weizmann Institute of Science and co-authored by Fike and Bryant, the scientists developed and explored a computer model of marine sediments, complete with mathematical representations of the microorganisms that degrade organic matter and turn sulfate into sulfide and the processes that trap that sulfide in pyrite.

"We found that variations in the isotopic composition of pyrite are mostly a function of the depositional environment in which the pyrite formed," Halevy said. The new model shows that a range of parameters of the sedimentary environment affect the balance between sulfate and sulfide consumption and resupply, and that this balance is the major determinant of the sulfur isotope composition of pyrite.

"The rate of sediment deposition on the seafloor, the proportion of organic matter in that sediment, the proportion of reactive iron particles, the density of packing of the sediment as it settles to the seafloorall of these properties affect the isotopic composition of pyrite in ways that we can now understand," he said.

Importantly, none of these properties of the sedimentary environment are strongly linked to the global sulfur cycle, to the oxidation state of the global ocean, or essentially any other property that researchers have traditionally used pyrite sulfur isotopes to reconstruct, the scientists said.

"The really exciting aspect of this new work is that it gives us a predictive model for how we think other pyrite records should behave," Fike said. "For example, if we can interpret other recordsand better understand that they are driven by things like local changes in sedimentation, rather than global parameters about ocean oxygen state or microbial activitythen we can try to use this data to refine our understanding of sea level change in the past."

More information: R. N. Bryant et al, Deconvolving microbial and environmental controls on marine sedimentary pyrite sulfur isotope ratios, Science (2023). DOI: 10.1126/science.adg6103. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adg6103 I. Halevy et al, Sedimentary parameters control the sulfur isotope composition of marine pyrite, Science (2023). DOI: 10.1126/science.adh1215. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adh1215 Journal information: Science
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Lake Luzerne resident Peter Brady admitted to being involved in a brief altercation after a meeting of what is left of the Rockwell Falls library board on Tuesday Nov. 21. Brady told The Post-Star that the quick fight was between him and the son of a man Brady had argued with about library matters before.

Brady said the son made first contact by hitting Brady in his chest, but The Post-Star could not independently confirm this.

When he hit me in the chest, I hauled off and I hit him in the jaw. Brady said.

The scuffle was quickly broken up and law enforcement was called. As the two men waited to give their statements. Brady said they were able to shake hands and part ways without pressing charges.

So I said, yeah, Im willing to forget it, but I says, the next time you start something, make sure you can finish it, Brady told The Post-Star.

Although the fight had little to do with anything particular that was said during the meeting that ended minutes earlier, the fight still punctuated eight months of seething frustration and divisiveness, which has gripped the community.

The meeting on Tuesday was originally scheduled to be the monthly meeting of the Rockwell Falls Library Board. However, numerous board members resigned earlier this year, and when board member Kathleen Jones, resigned earlier this month, it left the board with just two people, Josh Jacquard and Jason Hall, not enough to have a quorum of the board.

This meeting included a zoom appearance by Sara Dallas, a representative of the Southern Adirondack Library System, of which the library is a member.

The board has been under intense scrutiny since April, when a proposed Drag Queen Story Hour forced community members to probe more deeply into the librarys operations and programing. Inconsistencies in policy and financial records have been found in that time, which has caused massive distrust and frustration communicated by the community. Even as the board has been working to locate and fill in the gaps in its record-keeping, angry community members have continuously harangued and accused board members and library staff of everything from perpetuating a liberal agenda, to outright embezzlement.

The months-long vitriol has led to a mass exodus by board members and staff, which has, in turn, forced the library to close its doors and stymied all official board business. Blame for the latter; however, rests squarely on the shoulders of Kathleen Jones, according to remaining board member Josh Jacquard.

There are people who are not getting paid today  they have done work for this library  they will not get paid until this library reopens, because she valued her agenda so much, Jacquard said. This library remains closed today, because she valued her agenda so much.

Jacquard was referencing a statement made on Jones social media page, which he read:

My resignation came after realizing the only way to open this library was to have the state step in and govern, he read. Certain trustees do not have a monopoly on who they want or dont want to serve in the library. Now it is out of their hands, period. Had another trustee been appointed that library would probably have been opened right now. Those are her words, so what does that say to us. That says that she valued her agenda more than she valued this library.

Jones resignation without the appointment of at least one new member, left the board unable to conduct any official business. Certain bills that are automatically withdrawn from the librarys bank account may continue to be paid.

As per state procedure, the New York State Board of Regents will appoint three new members to the board in order to fill in the ranks. Sara Dallas, director of the Southern Adirondack Library System (SALS) presented at the beginning of the informational meeting Tuesday on how the new members will be selected. Dallas said that interested applicants would be asked to submit an online application, resume, letter of interest, and two references. Only applicants 18-years and older, who live within the Hadley-Luzerne school tax district will be eligible for appointment. Applications must be turned in by the end of day on Dec. 4.

Names and addresses will be redacted and the applications and other materials will be reviewed by members of SALS against a rubric to determine the top-ranking candidates, who will then be presented to the Board of Regents, which will meet Dec. 11-12 and Jan. 8-9, 2024, to make the appointments.

The process drew consternation from some community members  including Jacquard  who believe SALS to be a politically motivated entity.

I think theyve turned into a political organization thats pushing an agenda, Jacquard had said during the boards Oct. 17 meeting.

I feel very uncomfortable with SALS representing us, one resident asserted at Tuesdays meeting. I dont think its fair that the Board of Regents (appointed) SALS to collect all this information.

Still, others in the room were of the opinion that the divisiveness within the community makes it necessary for an outside entity to make the decision.

I think that someone beyond this room and probably our community right now does need to select, kind of impartially by taking out names and just going by what their credentials are to help lead us through this until we can have an election and provide board (members) designated by the community, another community member said.

Recordings of the full presentation by Dallas and the boards informational meeting can be found on the Rockwell Falls website. As well as application information for open board positions.
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Agents with the Quad City Metropolitan Enforcement Group arrested a Moline man Monday who allegedly was in possession of a pound of cocaine and two firearms, including a rifle.

Mario Pena, 26, is charged in Rock Island County Circuit Court with one count of possession of 400-900 grams of cocaine or an analog. The charge is a Class X felony under Illinois law that carries a prison sentence of 12 to 50 years.

Pena also is charged with two counts of manufacture and delivery of 1-15 grams of cocaine. Each charge is a Class 1 felony that carries a prison sentence of four to 15 years. He also is charged with two counts of being ineligible to possess a firearm, both of which are Class 3 felonies that carry a prison sentence of two to five years.

Andrew Fratzke, director of Quad City MEG, said agents seized a 9mm handgun and a 9mm Kel-Tec Sub 2000 rifle that can fold in half.

Agents also seized a half-kilogram, or 1.1 pounds, of cocaine.

Fratzke said cocaine, including its analog known by its street name crack, was making a comeback as the drug cartels south of the border are finding it easy to smuggle the drugs over the border into the United States.

During a first appearance on the charges Tuesday in Rock Island County Circuit Court, Circuit Judge Peter Church scheduled a preliminary hearing on the case for Tuesday, Dec. 5. Church then released Pena from custody on a notice to appear.

Federal authorities could take over Penas case under Project Safe Neighborhoods. Instituted in 2001, Project Safe Neighborhoods is a Justice Department initiative that brings together law enforcement at all levels to reduce gun violence.

Under Project Safe Neighborhoods, in addition to the drug charges, Pena could be charged with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug crime. A conviction under that charges carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison that is automatically consecutive to any other prison sentence he would receive.
Andrew Wold was arrested Wednesday night by Bettendorf Police on charges of operating while under the influence-first offense and speeding.

Wold was the owner of The Davenport apartment building that partially collapsed May 28 killing three men.

According to the arrest affidavits, Police Officer Zakary Kohlmeyer was sitting at the intersection of State and 19th streets at 6:32 p.m. Wednesday when he saw a black Chevrolet Silverado traveling fast.

Kohlmeyer followed the vehicle for 11 blocks and was able to pace the pickup traveling at about 54 mph in a 30-mph zone and initiated a traffic stop near the intersection of 30th and State streets.

Kohlmeyer said Wold had "watery, bloodshot eyes, slurred speech and smelled of ingested alcohol."

Wold took the standard field sobriety test and, according to the police report, showed "multiple signs of impairment." Wold refused to take a pre-breathalyzer test, and, at the police station, he refused to sign the implied consent paperwork and refused to provide a breath sample for the Datamaster breath test.

Under Iowa law, by refusing to provide a breath sample, Wold faces revocation of his driving privileges for up to one year.

Wold was also issued a citation for speeding more than 21 mph over the posted speed limit.

Operating while under the influence-first offense is a serious misdemeanor under Iowa law that carries a possible jail term of up to one year. There is a minimum mandatory jail term of 48 hours for an OWI-first conviction.

Since this is Wolds first offense, he could receive deferred judgement in the case. The fine in on OWI-first case is a maximum of $1,250.

According to Scott County Jail electronic records, Wold was booked into the jail at 7:37 p.m. He was released at 9:08 p.m. after posting a cash bond of $1,300.

Wold pleaded guilty to a civil infraction for not maintaining safe conditions with respect to The Davenport. He was ordered to pay a $300 fine and $95 in court costs, according to Scott County District Court records.
Scott County Sheriffs deputies arrested a Park View man Tuesday on 20 charges related to child pornography, in addition to drug and gun charges.

Damon Michael Fetes, 28, is charged with 10 counts of promotion of child pornography, each of which is a Class D felony under Iowa law that carries a prison sentence of five years.

Fetes also is charged with 10 counts of possession of child pornography-first offense, each of which is an aggravated misdemeanor that carries a prison sentence of two years.

According to a news release issued by Scott County Sheriffs Lt. Daniel Furlong, earlier in November the Internet Crimes Against Children, or ICAC, Data System contacted the Scott County Sheriffs Department related to 27 cyber tips. There were approximately 1,300 images and video that were categorized as child pornography linked to the cyber tips.

On Tuesday, deputies with the Scott County Sheriffs Department and officers with the Moline Police Department executed a search on Fetes Park View apartment.

In addition to the porn charges, Fetes also is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession with the intent to deliver 58 grams of marijuana and violating Iowas drug tax stamp law. Each of those charges is a Class D felony. He also is charged with possession of a controlled substance-marijuana-second offense, a serious misdemeanor that carries a jail sentence of up to one year.

Fetes was being held Wednesday night in the Scott County Jail on a cash-only bond of $16,000, and a bond of $150,000, cash or surety.

Federal authorities could take over the case from Scott County under Project Safe Childhood which coordinates federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.

Possession of child pornography at the federal level carries maximum prison sentence of 10 years on each count.

For possession of child pornography that that depicts a child under the age of 12, the minimum federal prison sentence is 10 years, with the maximum being 20 years.

There is no parole in the federal prison system.
Update: The Montana Highway Patrol reported early Thursday the driver has been found and thanked the public. No further information was provided.

Authorities are seeking the publics help in finding a person of interest in connection with the early Wednesday death of a pedestrian near Toston.

The pedestrian, a 54-year-old St. Petersburg, Florida man, was struck and killed about 4:30 a.m. on U.S. Highway 287 at milepost 95 south of Townsend, the Montana Highway Patrol said. The MHP report stated the man "was walking northbound in the middle of U.S. Highway 287 when he was struck by a vehicle."

The vehicle then left the scene.

The person of interest is driving a 2011 to 2016 white Ford Superduty crew cab long-box pickup.

The pickup was pulling a single-axle box-type utility trailer. The trailer will be missing the driver's side fender and possibly has a spare tire on it now, officials said.

The vehicle was last seen traveling north through Townsend at 5:10 a.m., authorities said on Facebook.

Broadwater County Sheriff Nick Rauser said the incident occurred between Toston and Three Forks. He said the death was still under investigation. The name of the deceased was not released.

If you have information on where this vehicle is located, call the MHP Communications Center at 406-841-7022.
It isnt just about giving thanks, Richmonders say. It is simply about giving.

At Swansboro Baptist Church in Richmond, a collaborative effort brought Thanksgiving joy (and meals) to the community with 40 smoked turkeys handed out for the holiday.

Its always a blessing, the Rev. Keith Hickson, associate minister at Swansboro Baptist, told the Richmond Times-Dispatch. When God is good to us, we have to be good to others, and we are able to bless others through this food program.
You think your family Thanksgiving dinner was a labor of love?

For the 18th consecutive year, The Giving Heart, a Richmond local nonprofit, hosted its annual Community Thanksgiving Feast, which this year took place at the Greater Richmond Convention Center in downtown.

In a pecan pie nutshell, the organization prepared for thousands to line up and pick up Thanksgiving dinners to take home, a practice instituted during the pandemic and one that is still in place. The feat required three full days of cooking food, all to be served within a three-hour window, a task that called for a small army of volunteers and enough turkey for 1,000 drumsticks.

Staff members and volunteers came in droves, prepared to distribute the take-home meals to as many as 5,000 people between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Thursday. Around 4,000 people turned out for the feast last year, and organization staff said they wanted to be able to top that number this year.

That meant preparing, plating and serving nearly 500 turkeys, as well as other classic Thanksgiving dishes, according to Sandra Antoine, executive director of The Giving Heart.

(This is) one big, happy family coming together, Antoine said of the event. Its the village coming together to celebrate this special day of giving thanks and also being thankful that we can serve others.

Preparing food for such a large number of people is no small feat, Antoine said. To make sure everything was ready in time, groups of volunteers  totaling almost 150 people  began cooking on Monday.

Understanding that theres a homelessness crisis in our city, you want to prepare for the masses, Antoine explained.

In addition to traditional Thanksgiving fare, The Giving Heart was offering free vaccinations and handing out clothing, shelf-stable food and toiletries.

Planning the event is a massive undertaking, but Antoine said it is well worth it.

Its about what were charged to do as human beings, as people, to be of service to each other, to lend a hand, she said. What better way then, on Thanksgiving, to open the door to (our) hearts and homes?

James Saunders of Richmond was one of those lending a hand Thursday morning.

Saunders said his wife works at the convention center, and he came to keep her company while she worked. Upon his arrival, he was recruited.

And he was happy to help.

It gives you that fulfilling feeling that youre doing something good for the community, he said. It was his first year volunteering at the event, he said, but it would not be his last.

The Richmonders in attendance expressed their gratitude and appreciation for the feast and for the sense of community it created.

I got an all-turkey meal, said Jimmy Joe Williams of Richmond, a U.S. Army veteran whose service dog, Chloe, was visibly interested in his dinner.

This is great, said Williams, adding that he was especially grateful for the opportunity to spend one of Americas favorite holidays with other people enjoying good food. Williams said it was his first year attending, but that he would definitely be back.

Esmerelda Villegas, originally of El Salvador, who has lived in the country for 15 years, said her family has been coming to the feast for over a decade.

We started in 2012, she said, and (we) will never stop (coming). We always invite more people and family to come over. No matter what, we are here.

This is not my country, Villegas said, but I feel like this is my country.
Neither the pious and precision-minded Virginians of the Church of England in 1619 at Berkeley Plantation, nor their early Puritan cousins in 1621 in Plymouth, Massachusetts, created our national Thanksgiving holiday. They would both have never envisioned what colonies, empire and new country would grow from their nearly dying settlements.

Both of those groups would most likely have found it curious, if not sour to their sensibilities, that an Irish-Catholic president of the United States of America, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, finalized what would become the words for the congressionally authorized proclamation entrenching a national holiday for that last Thursday in November 1963. Kennedy followed what President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, of Dutch ancestry, had started between 1939 and 1941. Almost certainly, the original English colonists would have snickered that someone from a Dutch family came to rule what was the old British colonies.

The country had grown a lot since the first two colonies by 1621, since the 13 new states of 1776, and President Abraham Lincolns restored Union of 1865. After FDR led us through the might of the nuclear age in 1945, the country had not just grown, but had become a world superpower.

It would seem appropriate that in his resolution Kennedy wrote: Yet, as our power has grown, so has our peril.

We must pause to remember that not only had Kennedy arguably led us to the brink of, and out of, WWIII with the Cuban Missile Crisis the year before, but that he would be assassinated on Nov. 22, 1963, not living through the next week to enjoy with family and countrymen his first official Thanksgiving. Kennedy, thinking beyond himself, expressed the larger meaning when he wrote these Thanksgiving Day expressions:

On that day let us gather in sanctuaries dedicated to worship and in homes blessed by family affection to express our gratitude for the glorious gifts of God; and let us earnestly and humbly pray that He will continue to guide and sustain us in the great unfinished tasks of achieving peace, justice, and understanding among all men and nations and of ending misery and suffering wherever they exist.

So, yes, this modern 20th century president tied up the loose ends that started with what President George Washington wrote after winning our independence from England and the birth of our republic in 1789; what Lincoln wrote in 1863 following the victories of Gettysburg and Vicksburg; then later what Roosevelt did as he attempted to win over public sentiment for the holiday as we entered into World War II in 1941.

Thanksgiving origins are certainly known. But how do they fit with our modern country and world? Perhaps it should be stated what we think of the English colonists and native people who collided in the early 17th century: Whether it was Virginia and Massachusetts, the Powhatan people of Wahunsonacock, or the Wampanoag people of Massasoit, both cultures made giving thanks to their deity a daily, weekly or seasonal occurrence. They both cherished their families, esteemed peace, a successful harvest, and often had feasts or festivals to give thanks.

One of the sentiments Kennedy expressed could have been related to either culture: They gave reverent thanks for their safety, for the health of their children, for the fertility of their fields, for the love which bound them together and for the faith which united them with their God.

It would seem highly unlikely, though, that the early colonists would have endorsed or even recognized the modern version of their routine giving of thanks and commemorating the simple and sublime reasons for such moments, either religious or secular. The later-called pilgrims and Wampanoags did not focus on turkey, as written by a Massachusetts colonist: Besides waterfowl there was a great store of wild turkeys, which they took many. Once the famous gathering was organized and Plymouth leaders invited Massasoit, the leader, he showed up with 90 warriors, though the food arranged by the English was for 60 people.

The bulk of the rations were brought in by Massasoits hunters who went and harvested a lot of deer  so venison was the largest entree. Cornbread, berries, lobster and eels were also on the menu. This harvest party in 1621 along Cape Cod lasted three days and had food and alcohol of all sorts.

Meanwhile, the Virginians at Berkeley Plantation had ordered an annual day of thanksgiving starting in 1619 for safe travels and arrivals in the New World. No parties or recreation, just prayer and church. The two seem almost reversed in their origins considering their factions of the Church of England. Yes, the Virginia Thanksgiving was the first in 1619, but the 1621 Massachusetts one had more of the feasting and communal gatherings we more closely associate with the holiday.

There were different associations, too. In Virginia in 1621, English colonists and the Powhatan people were trying to live in peace, at least for a while, that was born from the 1614 marriage of John Rolfe and Pocahontas. That marriage, agreed to by Chief Powhatan, led to an alliance between the two cultures and afterward it was noted that native people worked, ate and even lived among the English for several years. Though an account has not been found, we wonder what type of feast and thanksgiving occurred at that moment in 1614. Perhaps the evangelical-minded high marshal, Sir Thomas Dale, in charge of the marriage, did not allow festivities common to English merry-making at such a transformative time. Maybe he did but chose not to put it on record?

Other colonists writing from Virginia did suggest some things reminiscent of Massachusetts a few years later. They wrote that the tribes nearby daily frequented us with provisions they could get, and would guide our men on hunting, and oft hunt for us themselves. Captain Yearly had a salvage or two so well trained up to their peeces, they were as expert as any of the English, and one he kept purposely to kill him fowle.  Thus we lived together, as if we had been one people.

One last thought comes back to the basics of all that has been written: What was thanksgiving long ago, and was it universal? The following account brings us into the house of Virginia leader Sir Thomas Dale, where he and his minister, the Rev. Alexander Whitaker, are having their supper with Machumps, a relative of Pocahontas, who often was permitted by Powhatan to live among the English and act much like a neutral observer and liaison.

According to Virginia Company Secretary William Strachey, the Indians always said their version of grace or giving thanks at meals: Before their dinner and suppers  the better sort will do a kind of sacrifice, taking the first bit and casting it into the fire, and to repeat certain words. I have heard Machumps at Sir Thomas Dales table once or twice upon our request repeat the said grace, howbeit I forgot to take it from him in writing.

Did our ancestors have universal beliefs? Surely. It really does not matter who we are talking about in our early colonial history, our early republic, or our modern generations  we have had or often adopted the common ideals Kennedy and others attempted to articulate into an expression of this certain commemoration.

Thanksgiving is for the vastness and uniquity of who we are, who we were, and what we will be; and that we will at least once a year come together to say thank you for the blessings of life, family and peace.

Close In June 1986, Historic Richmond Foundation leader John G. Zehmer Jr. (center left) reviewed roof plans with architect Kenneth MacIlroy at Monumental Church on East Broad Street in Richmond. The historic church, built as a memorial to those killed in the 1811 Richmond Theatre fire, was getting a new copper roof as a step toward preserving the building. 05-06-1965: New sign proclaims formerly Episcopal Monumental Church as Ecumenical Inter-Denominational Church in 1812. 06-20-1962: Workmen measure Monumental Church with mammoth 'yardstick' Richmond's old Monumental Episcopal Church is hving its measurements taken. The measurements are needed to draw up plans for the proposed restoration of the 150-year-old church. 06-09-1963: The Rev. A. Ronald Merrix examines bricks found beneath stucco exterior. Fine brickwork was discovered during restoration of 150-year-old church. 04-25-1964: Monumental Church, on site of 1811 fire, is observing its sesquicentennial. 04-17-1960: Monumental Episcopal Church in downtown Richmond is preparing for its 150th anniversary. From the Archives: Monumental Church Monumental Church on East Broad Street was built in 1814 as a memorial to those killed in the 1811 Richmond Theater fire. This fire killed 72 people including Virginias governor. That night, nearly 600 people had filled the theater for a post-Christmas day performance which was a local highlight of the holiday season. However, disaster struck when a chandelier was raised into the rafters before it was completely extinguished and in mere minutes, the building was consumed by flames. The building was designed by Robert Mills, Americas first native-born architect and the only architectural pupil of Thomas Jefferson, according to the Historic Richmond Foundation which owns the building today. Mills won a competition to construct the memorial in 1812. The 70-foot octagonal auditorium was accentuated with Roman, Greek and Egyptian motifs and funerary imagery. The Richmond church is considered the most elaborate example of the four domed churches that Mills designed during his career. Nationally, it is considered one of the earliest and best examples of Greek Revival. Monumental Church was deeded to the Medical College of Virginia in 1965. In 1971 it was designated a National Historic Landmark and Historic Richmond received the building in 1983 and continues to maintain it today. In June 1986, Historic Richmond Foundation leader John G. Zehmer Jr. (center left) reviewed roof plans with architect Kenneth MacIlroy at Monumental Church on East Broad Street in Richmond. The historic church, built as a memorial to those killed in the 1811 Richmond Theatre fire, was getting a new copper roof as a step toward preserving the building. 05-06-1965: New sign proclaims formerly Episcopal Monumental Church as Ecumenical Inter-Denominational Church in 1812. 06-20-1962: Workmen measure Monumental Church with mammoth 'yardstick' Richmond's old Monumental Episcopal Church is hving its measurements taken. The measurements are needed to draw up plans for the proposed restoration of the 150-year-old church. 06-09-1963: The Rev. A. Ronald Merrix examines bricks found beneath stucco exterior. Fine brickwork was discovered during restoration of 150-year-old church. 04-25-1964: Monumental Church, on site of 1811 fire, is observing its sesquicentennial. 04-17-1960: Monumental Episcopal Church in downtown Richmond is preparing for its 150th anniversary.
Americans detained at border for entering Mexico with shotgun shells

Hermosillo, Sonora  Two Americans from the state of Arizona were arrested at the U.S.  Mexico border after being found with dozens of shotgun cartridges. The pair were detained Wednesday in the Mexican state of Sonora.

The Public Ministry of the Attorney Generals Office (FGR) in Sonora says both are being charged with violations of the Federal Law on Firearms and Explosives.

According to the investigation, elements of the National Guard, in coordination with Customs personnel, detained two American people aboard a vehicle with license plates from the state of Arizona.

The pair were arrested in the vicinity of the Sonoyta Tax Precinct, Sonora after authorities located and seized 51 useful cartridges for a 12 GA caliber firearm. It is illegal to enter Mexico with guns, ammo or even parts.
FGE Quintana Roo requests 2 billion pesos for 2024 more than double the current budget

Riviera Maya, Q.R.  More than 2 billion pesos is required by the FGE to improve administration and increase police officer counts in the state of Quintana Roo. State Attorney General Raciel Lopez Salazar made the request Wednesday for a 2024 budget of more than 2 billion pesos.

The 2024 budget request is a 112 percent increase over the 963 million peso budget he worked with during the latter part of 2023 after taking over the position. However, the state government is proposing a 1.4 billion peso budget for next year.

Salazar presented his budget request to the XVII Legislature of Quintana Roo detailing where the money would go. The budget, which was prepared by Ruben Avalos Garnica, the FGE Director of Administration, would first include the hiring of 150 officers.

Salazar said the money is also needed to cover the requirements derived from the reform of the Organic Law that involved the creation of new administrative bodies and improving the infrastructure in the northern part of the state.

He argued that the extra resources will allow them to strengthen the justice administration by hiring more elements, including experts, investigative police and public ministries. Money would also be spent on salary increases of around 20 percent.

The expenditures also included the construction of a new building in Cancun to meet the service capacity of the northern region. The proposed budget also includes salaries, public projects and general purposes as well as program and training courses.

Last year, State Congress approved reforms to the Organic Law of the FGE, which make its senior command structure larger by creating three district prosecutors offices, 18 specialized prosecutors offices, 14 general directorates and a technical secretary, for whose implementation an additional 333 million pesos was required.

Money was also required to deal with the more than 200,000 backlogged case files Salazar found when he took over the position in mid-2023.
Mexico and China work to stop chemical precursors from reaching U.S.

Mexico City, Mexico  The governments of Mexico and China are working together to stop the manufacturing of drugs such as fentanyl from reaching the U.S. Mexicos President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador says both countries are working to stop the arrival of chemical precursors used in the manufacturing of such drugs.

Lopez Obrador met with the President of China, Xi Jinping, in San Francisco, California last week. During their meeting, the pair agreed to help the United States in their fentanyl consumption crisis.

It is something very painful and I raised this issue with the President of China, that we take care of the chemical precursors to prevent this drug from reaching the United States.

The chemical precursors not only come from China to Mexico, but also to Canada and directly to the United States, so we wanted to make an agreement, he said in his Wednesday morning press conference.

That we made an effort to communicate more and confront this entire gang that is dedicated to the trade of these drugs and the importation of these chemicals, and action is already being taken. He agreed that we work together, he added.

President Lopez Obrador reiterated that protecting the lives of people is a humanitarian issue that goes beyond political and ideological differences, which is why the collaboration between nations is essential.

Xi Jinping is very aware that we have to work together to prevent the chemicals from arriving, the chemicals that make fentanyl which is very harmful, he said.

Currently, Mexicos Secretary of the Navy and the Attorney Generals Office of the Republic collaborate in the seizure of chemical precursors.
The operator of a jet ski who crashed into a motor boat carrying three families on Smith Mountain Lake is facing a $1 million lawsuit.

Nathanial D. Silvers, 22, was attempting to jump a wake created by the boat, which was occupied by five adults and four children when it was struck from behind, according to the lawsuit filed Nov. 20 in U.S. District Court in Lynchburg.

Silvers, of Kansas, was motivated by the adrenaline, thrill and risk of his dangerous acts, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit makes the following allegations:

On July 21, 2022, a boat operated by Thomas McCue was headed to Hales Ford Bridge to get ice cream for members of his family and two other vacationing families on board. They soon encountered a jet ski approaching at a high speed.

The boat was split open by the impact and started to rapidly fill with water, prompting a frantic search for the four children. A passing boater who witnessed the crash was able to get everyone to safety on his watercraft.

As a result of the defendants negligence, all of the passengers have been physically and emotionally injured, the lawsuit states. Some were taken to a hospital and others are still dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder, according to attorneys Matthew Broughton and Jared Tuck, who represent McCue and other plaintiffs.

Silvers was later convicted in Bedford County General District Court of operating his jet ski in an improper manner and fined $100, according to court records.

A call to Silvers lawyer was not immediately returned Wednesday.
STUART  A Roanoke-based company is playing a key role in widening U.S. 58 over Lovers Leap Mountain in Patrick County, a $300 million project that was 30% complete as of the end of October.

Design-build contractor Branch Civil Inc. of Roanoke began construction in spring 2022 and intends to be finished by summer 2026, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation.

Were moving $10 million [cubic] yards of dirt, Branch Civil Project Superintendent Chad Sutton told a Patrick County Chamber of Commerce audience this month. Its 7.4 miles long from the top of the mountain to the existing four-lane. Weve moved 3.4 million yards so far.

Sutton said he had been with the company for 12 years and wasnt new to Patrick County.

We did the Meadows of Dan bypass, Hillsville, and the Tri-County Connector, Sutton said. There will be 82,000 tons of asphalt put down first on this project, and well be around 150,000 tons of asphalt altogether.

VDOT signed a Comprehensive Agreement with Branch Civil to develop and widen 36 miles of the U.S. 58 Corridor from Hillsville to Stuart as funding becomes available. The corridor begins southwest of Hillsville and continues east through Carroll, Floyd and Patrick counties to approximately 1 mile west of Stuart.

The Route 58 Corridor from Hillsville to Stuart is the last remaining section to complete U.S. 58 from Virginia Beach to Interstate 77.

The project team has been working diligently to deliver this roadway improvement that will enhance safety and support economy development opportunities, said Rob Griffith, district construction engineer for the VDOTs Salem District.

Even with the challenges of working alongside and maintaining safe traffic operations on the existing roadway, the steep terrain and heavy rain events, we have been very successful in maintaining our construction schedule, said Jeff Humphreys, design-build project manager for Branch Civil.

The Lovers Leap project will widen 7.4 miles of U.S. 58 from two lanes to four lanes over the mountain, including the area where the existing overlook is located. The project begins approximately a quarter mile west of the Poor Farmers Farm store in Vesta and continues eastward over and down the mountain, ending at the existing four-lane section of the Stuart Bypass.

Construction entails widening the road to four lanes, improving alignments and grades, expanding the shoulders, adding turn lanes at all secondary road connections as well as enhancing the Lovers Leap Overlook. In addition, brake check areas and escape ramps for trucks will be added, a VDOT release stated.

Excavation is a significant part of the project, and dirt is being moved at elevations that range between 1,300 and 3,000 feet, the release stated.

On Wednesday, drivers going both ways on U.S. 58 were greeted with frequent flaggers and intermittent blasting. During the blasting, traffic was blocked for about 15 to 20 minutes at a time. Electronic message boards informed drivers of the ongoing operations and heavy equipment moving about the area.

Were moving a mountain and I know thats not easy, said Sutton to the Chamber members in attendance. I see quite the passion and excitement here and I hope what were doing helps you achieve your objectives.
Thank you for reading!

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Live updates | Israel says hostage release will not take place before Friday, as talks are ongoing

Israels national security adviser says cease-fire talks with the Hamas militant group are ongoing, and a hostage release will not take place before Friday
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Violent clashes break out in Dublin after knife attack that injured 3 children, one seriously

Violent clashes have broken out in central Dublin after a 5-year-old girl was seriously injured in a knife attack that also saw a woman and two other young children hospitalized
The BNP has staged a series of major rallies and marches in a bid to force Hasina to quit power and let a neutral government run the polls (Munir uz zaman)

Bangladeshi courts have convicted more than 200 officials and activists of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, mostly in absentia, lawyers said Thursday, taking the number sentenced since last month to nearly 500.

The BNP said the cases were politically motivated, aimed at crushing the only opposition party in the country that can offer a realistic challenge to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's 15-year rule.

Bangladesh holds a general election on January 7, with Hasina eyeing her fourth consecutive term in power.

Many were convicted on historic charges over protest violence, with sentences ranging from 2.5 to seven years.

Monir uz Zaman, a prosecutor, said 75 BNP activists were sentenced in a Dhaka court to 2.5 years on charges of violence and arson during political turmoil in 2013.

Zaman said 72 of the 75 were "absconding" and were now wanted fugitives.

Atauar Rahman, a prosecutor at the Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate court, told AFP that 112 BNP activists were convicted in two separate cases of violence in 2013 and 2018.

Taposh Kumar Paul, another prosecutor, told AFP another Dhaka court sentenced 12 BNP activists to seven years in jail for violence in 2015.

Nazrul Islam, a defence lawyer, said 11 more BNP members were sentenced to seven years in jail on Wednesday for violence during political clashes in 2013.

Several of those convicts were also sentenced in absentia.

Islam said cases had been "conducted in a hurry".

Kayser Kamal, BNP's legal chief, said nearly 500 BNP senior officials and activists have been sentenced in recent days.

They included former lawmakers, youth and student leaders and those who had hoped to contest elections.

"These cases are staged, baseless and politically motivated," he told AFP. "Trials of these cases started all of a sudden just a few weeks before the national election".

The BNP has staged a series of major rallies and marches in a bid to force Hasina to quit power and let a neutral government run the polls.

Story continues

But since late last month, the police have cracked down on the opposition, arresting almost the entire top leadership of the BNP and arresting thousands of its activists and supporters.

Hasina has overseen impressive economic growth during her 15 years in power, but there has been international alarm over her increasingly authoritarian rule and thousands of extrajudicial killings.

Amnesty International has raised concerns over the convictions, saying they are part of a pre-election repression of the opposition.

"It is important to note that those incarcerated are not allowed to vote in Bangladesh," Yasasmin Kaviratne, a South Asia regional campaigner of Amnesty International, told AFP.

Amnesty International has documented "a chilling pattern of repression in Bangladesh where opposition leaders and activists have been repeatedly arbitrarily arrested solely for their dissenting views, especially a few weeks ahead of the election," she added.

Apart from the convictions, the BNP and the Jamaat-e-Islami, the country's largest Islamist party, said at least 16,000 of their activists have been arrested since October 28 when police broke up a major opposition rally in Dhaka after the killing of an officer in clashes.

Police haven't disclosed the full figure of the arrests but said those who were arrested had warrants against their names.

In a statement police have also accused opposition of torching nearly 290 vehicles, mostly buses, during their more than three weeks long nationwide strikes and transport blockades.

At least six people were killed in the violence, police said.

str/sa/bfm
The BNP has staged a series of major rallies and marches in a bid to force Hasina to quit power and let a neutral government run the polls (Munir uz zaman)

Bangladeshi courts have convicted at least 98 officials and activists of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, mostly in absentia, lawyers said Thursday, taking the number sentenced since last month to over 400.

The BNP said the cases were politically motivated, aimed at crushing the only opposition party in the country that can offer a realistic challenge to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's 15-year rule.

Bangladesh holds a general election on January 7, with Hasina eyeing her fourth consecutive term in power.

Many were convicted on historic charges over protest violence, with convictions ranging from two-and-a-half to seven years.

Monir uz Zaman, a prosecutor, said 75 BNP activists were sentenced in a Dhaka court to two-and-a-half years on charges of violence and arson during political turmoil in 2013.

Zaman said 72 of the 75 were "absconding" and were now wanted fugitives.

Taposh Kumar Paul, another prosecutor, told AFP another Dhaka court sentenced 12 BNP activists to seven years in jail for violence in 2015.

Nazrul Islam, a defence lawyer, said 11 more BNP members were sentenced to seven years in jail on Wednesday for violence during political clashes in 2013.

Several of those convicts were also sentenced in absentia.

Islam said cases had been "conducted in a hurry".

Kayser Kamal, BNP's legal chief, said at least 400 BNP senior officials and activists have been sentenced in recent days.

They included former lawmakers, youth and student leaders and those who had hoped to contest elections.

"These cases are staged, baseless and politically motivated," he told AFP. "Trials of these cases started all of a sudden just a few weeks before the national election".

The BNP has staged a series of major rallies and marches in a bid to force Hasina to quit power and let a neutral government run the polls.

But since late last month, the police have cracked down on the opposition, arresting almost the entire top leadership of the BNP and arresting thousands of its activists and supporters.

Hasina has overseen impressive economic growth during her 15 years in power, but there has been international alarm over her increasingly authoritarian rule and thousands of extrajudicial killings.

str/sa/pjm/aha
Find out how Mongabong suffered from skin issues and her journey to finally discovering the products that work for her. PHOTO: Mongchin/Innisfree

First impressions last and often, your face and skin are what others see first. Yahoo Life Singapore chats with familiar faces from influencers, celebs and beauty insiders to share their beauty journey; from their former struggles, to their skincare routine, favourite beauty products as well as tips to set you on your way to finding the right skincare and makeup products that suit you. Read on for the reveal.

Content creator Mongchin (also known as Mongabong) is a familiar face on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. As one of the OG content creators who started 11 years ago, Mongchin has been sharing her life with her followers across different platforms, from checking out beautiful cafes, eating spots in Singapore, on top of beauty and fashion finds. More often than not, Mongchin considers herself a beauty junkie. During her free time, she is also learning the Korean language.

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Yahoo Life Singapore: Which are 1 or 2 of your biggest skin concerns?

Mongchin: Now that Im in my 30s, Im focusing on anti-ageing, hydrating, and keeping my skin bright and clear.

Which step is an essential part of your daily skincare routine?

Sunscreen for sure! The Innisfree Hyaluron Moist Sunscreen SPF50+ PA++++ is one of my top picks for a natural, traceless, everyday finish which is why I had to include it when I was curating my Innisfree | MONG Glowing Holiday Set.

[CLICK ON IMAGES FOR PRODUCT LINKS.]

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Innisfree Hyaluron Moist Sunscreen SPF50+ PA++++. PHOTO: Lazada

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Which are the top skincare products you cant do without?

I have dry and sensitive skin, so adding hydration is a big part of my routine whether its through the moisturisers or hydrating toners that I use. Serums are something I also enjoy incorporating into my skincare routine, and to help keep my skin bright and clear, I incorporate Vitamin C into my daily routine. One of the serums on rotation for me right now is the Innisfree Vitamin C Green Tea Enzyme Brightening Serum, which has a gentle formulation thats suitable for people with sensitive skin! And not forgetting sunscreen of course!

Innisfree Vitamin C Green Tea Enzyme Brightening Serum

Innisfree Vitamin C Green Tea Enzyme Brightening Serum. PHOTO: Sephora

Which are your favourite makeup products you cant do without?

When it comes to makeup, I love to enhance my eyes with products like eyeshadow palettes and eyeliners. This is why my Innisfree | MONG Glowing Holiday Set has an Essential Shadow Palette (#1 Beige Brown) added to it! This palette works well as an everyday multi-use palette for eyes, as blush and even contour. For me, no makeup look is complete without lipstick! I love a good neutral tone and at the moment, my go-to shade for the Innisfree Airy Matte Lipstick is #4 Soft Rose.

Essential Shadow Palette

Essential Shadow Palette. PHOTO: Lazada

Innisfree Airy Matte Lipstick

Innisfree Airy Matte Lipstick. PHOTO: Lazada

Was there a time when you experienced a very bad bout of skin condition? When, what, and how did your skin get better eventually?

Yes! I struggled with acne growing up and I get eczema flare-ups during stressful periods. I spent years understanding my skin and trying different skincare products to find the right routine for me. These days, my skin is much more stabilised!

To stop picking at my pimples and stop over-drying my skin with oil-blotting sheets and physical scrubs!Mongchin's top skincare tip for her younger self.

Over the years, what is one (or two) beauty faux pas you have learned that surprised you?

This is a tough questionapplying foundation without any prior skincare! It'll be difficult to blend the foundation on the skin, resulting in a thick and patchy appearance. Also, using bronzer as a contour  youll look orange!

What is your pet peeve about beauty mistakes you see people committing? What do you wish people do about it?

I think back to the above - not applying skincare before makeup, haha! I wish people would know how important hydration is! Even if you have oily skin, you have to hydrate!

If you can give your 15-year-old self a beauty tip, what would that be?

To stop picking at my pimples and stop over-drying my skin with oil-blotting sheets and physical scrubs!

What is one bad beauty habit you will NEVER commit?

Going to bed without removing makeup.

How effortless he/she looks on the outside and when it comes to living the best life!When asked what makes a person attractive

Is there anything you dislike about yourself?

When I was younger I didnt like my eyes because I found them too short but these days I am starting to embrace how much space I have to draw my eyeliner!

What is your beauty secret that no one knows about or good beauty habits you are practicing?

I dont think this is a secret, haha, but I love soaking hydrating toners and creating my sheet mask before makeup! Another good beauty habit is to make sure I double-cleanse every day.

How do you feel about ageing? And what active steps are you taking to age gracefully?

Its inevitable, and while there are many things to embrace with age, skin is not one of them (for me HAHA!) I incorporate lots of anti-ageing ingredients in my routine, like vitamin A and retinol, and pay more attention to hydration!

I wish people would know how important hydration is! Even if you have oily skin, you have to hydrate!On Mongchin's top beauty faux pas

Anything else to share about achieving glowy skin?

For me, addressing concerns such as dark spots, and dull and uneven skin tone is important in maintaining healthy, glowing skin. That's why I turn to the Innisfree Vitamin C Green Tea Enzyme Brightening Serum to keep my skin in check. It does the double duty of brightening and refining, helping to fade blemishes and acne marks, gradually unveiling a smooth, glass skin texture over time.

What do you think makes a person beautiful and why?

How effortless he/she looks on the outside and when it comes to living the best life!

Kickstart your Innisfree journey with these NEW, Sephora-exclusive limited-edition holiday sets that are only available online

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[Sephora exclusive] Day & Night Skincare Besties Trio (Holiday Limited Edition). PHOTO: Sephora

Innisfree Splash Into The Soothing Pond Trio (Holiday Limited Edition)

A set of 3 skincare essentials  Retinol Cica Repair Ampoule, Green Tea Seed Hyaluronic Serum and Bija Cica Balm Ex  to soothe and retexturise the skin, intensely moisturise and relieve dryness for a healthy-looking and glowing complexion.

Innisfree Splash Into The Soothing Pond Trio (Holiday Limited Edition). PHOTO: Sephora

Marvel At Enzyme Lights Trio (Holiday Limited Edition)

A set of 3 essential skincare products, which includes the Vitamin C Green Tea Enzyme Brightening Serum, Green Tea Seed Hyaluronic Skin Toner and the Green Tea Seed Hyaluronic Cream, delivering the benefits of green tea to soothe and hydrate the skin and reduce the appearance of dark spots.

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Explore The Green Tea Rainforest Set (Holiday Limited Edition)

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[Holidays Edition] Innisfree 2023 Holiday Edition Hand Cream Trio

[Holidays Edition] Innisfree 2023 Holiday Edition Hand Cream Trio. PHOTO: Lazada

Sephora Black Friday sale starts 23 Nov, 10pm

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Save up to 72% at Lazada's Innisfree Black Friday Cyber Monday Sale

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Thanksgiving Service

Redeemer Lutheran Church, 3204 S Lakeport, invites the public to Thanksgiving Day worship services on Wednesday, Nov. 22, at 11:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. with Holy Communion. Please join for giving thanks to God for all His blessings He has bestowed.

Eleven churches - St. Thomas Episcopal, Faith United Presbyterian, Grace United Methodist, Augustana Lutheran, First Lutheran in South Sioux City, First Lutheran in Sioux City, Trinity Lutheran, St. John Lutheran, St. Luke Lutheran, St. Mark Lutheran, United Lutheran - will share in Thanksgiving Eve Worship at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 22, at First Lutheran Church, 3939 Cheyenne Blvd. The community is invited to attend. A combined choir, under the direction of Diana Wooley, will rehearse at 6 p.m. All are invited to sing. Pie will be served following worship.

32nd Annual Cookie Walk

Calvary Lutheran Church, 4400 Central St., will host its 32nd Annual Cookie Walk from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 2.

Carmelite Board Meeting

The monthly Carmelite Board Meeting will be held Monday, Dec. 4, at the Carmelite Monastery, 2901 S. Cecelia Street with Mass at 7 a.m. and refreshments at 8 a.m. The business meeting will begin at 8:30 a.m., the rosary will start at 9 a.m., and prayers with the Sisters at 9:15 a.m.. Honorary members are always welcome.

GriefShare for the Holidays

GriefShare for the Holidays presentation will be held at host-church Calvary Lutheran, 4400 Central St., 51108, on Monday, Dec. 4, at two different times, 10:30 a.m. to noon, and 6:30 to 8 p.m. All are welcome to join for this 1.5-hour presentation that is filled with coping strategies for dealing with the loss of a loved one at Christmas. The presentation is free, and includes a free, informative, exercise booklet for all participants. You may register at www.calvaryleeds.com. Call 712-389-5226 if questions. There is HOPE for this journey of grief.

Holiday Pastry Sale

Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church Ladies Philoptochos Society, 900 6th St., is having their annual Holiday Pastry Sale. Pastries offered for sale include Christmas Tree Bread at $7 each; Baklava, Melomakarona, Kourambeithes, or Variety Pastry Packs at $17 for a package of 6, $32 for a package of 12, or a Holiday Package of 12 for $34; and Koulouria at $10 a dozen. Holy Trinity Cookbooks are also available for $25 each. Forms can be found online or by contacting Mary 712-490-3555. Orders are due by Saturday, Dec. 8. Orders can be picked up Saturday, Dec. 16, or Sunday, Dec. 17.

30th Annual Cookie Walk and Craft Fair

Westminster Presbyterian Church, 2915 Glenn Ave., will host their 30th Annual Cookie Walk and Craft Fair from 9 to 11 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 9. Homemade cookies, candies, and crafts will be available for sale at $7 per pound.

Lutefisk and Meatball Dinner

St. Paul Lutheran Church, 31903 475th Ave., Elk Point, S.D., will host a lutefisk and meatball dinner from 4 to 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 9 (in case of inclement weather, Dec. 11). Holiday baked goods will be available. All proceeds benefit the St. Paul Restoration Fund and Community Missions/Charities. Tickets are $30 for adults and $10 for kids 4 to 12 years old. Kids 3 years old and under are free. For tickets, visit the Lewis Drug in Elk Point or find the event link in Facebook.

Christmas Program and Bazaar

Peace Reformed Church, 4100 Outer Drive, will hold its Children's Christmas Program and Bazaar on Sunday, Dec. 10. The Christmas Program will be during worship at 9:30 a.m. The Christmas Bazaar will be open from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. and from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., and includes a silent auction. Items available will include homemade quilts, Christmas decor, baked boods, and lots of different items.

Citywide confessions

In an effort to encourage the Catholic faithful to participate in the sacrament of reconciliation (confession), the four Catholic parishes in Sioux City are collaborating on citywide confessions throughout the next year.

Each parish will host one of four come and go confessions in the next 10 months to remind Catholics that the sacrament is available throughout the year  not just during the liturgical (church) seasons of Advent and Lent.

Confessions will be available at the following locations from 7 to 8 p.m. and the Blessed Sacrament will be exposed for confession participants to pray in adoration if they wish. Multiple priests will be present at each citywide confessions event.

Dec. 19 at the Cathedral of the Epiphany at 1000 Douglas St.

March 19 at Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ Church at 4241 Natalia Way

June 18 at Sacred Heart Parish at 5010 Military Rd.

Pastors of the four parishes include: The Rev. David Hemann of Holy Cross Parish, which includes Blessed Sacrament and St. Michael churches; The Rev. David Esquiliano of Cathedral Parish, which includes the Cathedral of the Epiphany, St. Boniface and St. Joseph churches; The Rev. Brad Pelzel of Mater Dei Parish, which includes Immaculate Conception and Nativity churches, and The Rev. Tim Friedrichsen of Sacred Heart Parish

Food pantry

St. Thomas Episcopal Church, 1200 Douglas St., will have its food pantry open from 10 a.m. to noon Mondays.
LAKE VIEW, Iowa -- Authorities are seeking the public's help to find a missing Wall Lake, Iowa, man.

The Lake View Police Department said in a post to its Facebook page that 53-year-old David Schultz has been missing since Tuesday. He was "last heard from in the early morning hours of Tuesday," according to the post.

The police department and the Sac County Sheriff's Office began an investigation into Schultz's whereabouts Tuesday afternoon. Several law enforcement agencies, local fire departments and volunteers conducted a search on Wednesday, according to a statement from the sheriff's office.

"Law enforcement will be continuing to expand the search area and continue this investigation in the coming days," the statement said.

In the statement, the sheriff's office asked northeast Sac County property owners to check their properties and outbuildings for "anything out of the ordinary."

"If anything out of the ordinary is observed, please do not disturb the immediate vicinity and let items remain in place before contacting the Sac County Communications Center at 712-662-7127," the statement said.

The police department asked anyone who has seen or heard from Schultz to contact them at 712-657-2513.
DES MOINES  Ron DeSantis has received another endorsement from another prominent player in Iowa Republican politics.

A group supporting DeSantis has produced a pair of campaign ads deploying his first big endorser, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds.

And both Reynolds and DeSantis were the target of some sharp criticism from the man DeSantis is trying to catch in the Republican presidential primary polls, former President Donald Trump.

There are just more than 50 days remaining before the Jan. 15 first-in-the-nation Iowa Republican caucuses, and the campaign activity is heating up  and getting a little heated.

Trump takes on Reynolds, DeSantis

Trump on Tuesday posted a series of videos to his official campaign account on X (formerly Twitter). Among the Festivus airing of grievances-like series of videos was one in which Trump roasted both Reynolds and DeSantis.

Trump has been displeased with Reynolds ever since she first informed Trump of her plan to remain neutral in the 2024 Republican presidential primary. Trumps displeasure grew earlier this month when Reynolds strayed from that plan  and nearly 30 years of precedent by Iowa governors  by endorsing DeSantis for president.

In the one-minute video, Trump notes Reynolds unfavorable rating and his lead over DeSantis in the presidential primary polls.

Kim Reynolds of Iowa has gone from a popular governor to the most unpopular governor in the entire United States of America. Not an easy feat, Trump says in the video. Her endorsement of Ron DeSanctimonious, who is 50 points down to me in the polls, has given him exactly zero bounce. Hes a wounded bird falling violently from the sky. I wonder what position Kim was promised in order to back someone who is so far down in the polls.

In Morning Consults quarterly governor approval ratings for the third quarter of 2023, Reynolds approval rating was at 49 percent and her disapproval at 47 percent. The latter is the highest number in the nation, making her Americas most unpopular governor, according to Morning Consult.

No. 2 on that list is DeSantis, whose numbers in Florida were 51 percent approve and 45 percent disapprove.

However, Reynolds is popular among Iowa Republicans  many of whom will be choosing their preferred presidential candidate in the first-in-the-nation Iowa Republican caucuses on Jan. 15.

In a Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll published in August, Reynolds approval rating among Iowa Republicans was 81 percent against 18 percent who disapproved. That rating was down from 86 percent in March, and from 93 percent in October of 2022, just before her re-election victory.

Trump has held a consistent and commanding lead in polling on the Republican presidential primary, both nationally and in Iowa.

In rolling averages of polls on Republican presidential candidates in Iowa, Trumps support is at 47 percent at Real Clear Politics and 44.7 percent at FiveThirtyEight. Second-place DeSantis is at 17.3 percent at Real Clear Politics and 17.5 percent at FiveThirtyEight, or 29.7 and 27.2 points behind Trump, respectively  not 50, as Trump claimed in the video.

Nationally, Trumps lead over DeSantis in the polls is 45.4 points at Real Clear Politics and 47.1 points at FiveThirtyEight.

Reynolds, later Tuesday from her campaign account on X, appeared to respond to Trumps video.

Its not about me. Its about our country, Reynolds posted. (DeSantis) follows through on his promises, can serve 8 years, and has a WINNING record. Hes the most effective leader Ive ever seen. If you like what we are doing in Iowa, youll love what hell do for this country!

Vander Plaats endorses DeSantis

Later Tuesday, Christian conservative leader Bob Vander Plaats announced he also is endorsing DeSantis for president.

Vander Plaats is president and CEO of The Family Leader, an influential Christian conservative advocacy organization.

Kim Reynolds of Iowa has gone from a popular governor to the most unpopular governor in the entire United States of America. Not an easy feat, Trump says in the video. Her endorsement of Ron DeSanctimonious, who is 50 points down to me in the polls, has given him exactly zero bounce. Hes a wounded bird falling violently from the sky. I wonder what position Kim was promised in order to back someone who is so far down in the polls.

In Morning Consults quarterly governor approval ratings for the third quarter of 2023, Reynolds approval rating was at 49 percent and her disapproval at 47 percent. The latter is the highest number in the nation, making her Americas most unpopular governor, according to Morning Consult.

No. 2 on that list is DeSantis, whose numbers in Florida were 51 percent approve and 45 percent disapprove.

However, Reynolds is popular among Iowa Republicans  many of whom will be choosing their preferred presidential candidate in the first-in-the-nation Iowa Republican caucuses on Jan. 15.

In a Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll published in August, Reynolds approval rating among Iowa Republicans was 81 percent against 18 percent who disapproved. That rating was down from 86 percent in March, and from 93 percent in October of 2022, just before her re-election victory.

Trump has held a consistent and commanding lead in polling on the Republican presidential primary, both nationally and in Iowa.

In rolling averages of polls on Republican presidential candidates in Iowa, Trumps support is at 47 percent at Real Clear Politics and 44.7 percent at FiveThirtyEight. Second-place DeSantis is at 17.3 percent at Real Clear Politics and 17.5 percent at FiveThirtyEight, or 29.7 and 27.2 points behind Trump, respectively  not 50, as Trump claimed in the video.

Nationally, Trumps lead over DeSantis in the polls is 45.4 points at Real Clear Politics and 47.1 points at FiveThirtyEight.

Reynolds, later Tuesday from her campaign account on X, appeared to respond to Trumps video.

Its not about me. Its about our country, Reynolds posted. (DeSantis) follows through on his promises, can serve 8 years, and has a WINNING record. Hes the most effective leader Ive ever seen. If you like what we are doing in Iowa, youll love what hell do for this country!

DeSantis ads feature Reynolds

The super PAC backing DeSantis is taking Reynolds to the airwaves in a pair of ads that feature the governor encouraging voters to support DeSantis.

The ads are part of a seven-figure ad buy in Iowa from Never Back Down. They are the first to feature Reynolds making a direct-to-camera pitch for DeSantis.

In the ads, Reynolds praises DeSantis approach to leadership and says a DeSantis presidency would mirror the direction of Iowa in recent years.

Getting to know Ron and Casey and their children tells me everything I need to know about why Ron is who he is and accomplishes what he does, Reynolds says in one of the ads, titled Focused. Ron is focused, principled and results driven. He gets things done.

In another ad, titled Fight, Reynolds says DeSantis is fighting for our children, cutting taxes and standing up for common sense.

The ads are another instance of Reynolds taking a high-profile role in DeSantis campaign as he seeks to build his support ahead of the caucuses. Reynolds has said she is going to be active on the campaign trail to help boost DeSantis support over the next two months.

Reynolds joined DeSantis on Saturday as he opened a campaign office in Urbandale. About a third of DeSantis staff has moved to Iowa as the campaign has put high importance on the outcome in the state.

An Iowa State University Poll, conducted by Civiqs, found 63 percent of surveyed likely caucus-goers said Reynolds endorsement of DeSantis made no difference in who they support. About 13 percent said it made them more likely to support him while 22 percent said it made them less likely to support him.

Never Back Down Chief Operating Officer Kristin Davison said in an emailed statement Reynolds endorsement of the Florida governor was historic and has helped sway undecided caucus goers.

He has already proven he can win, fight, and lead in Florida by cutting taxes, lowering unemployment, fighting for life, and protecting parents rights and school choice, and he will do the same for the country, Davison said. Iowans have shown their support tenfold since Gov. Reynolds endorsed, with many undecided caucus goers joining her in committing to caucus for DeSantis.
Skeptical Science New Research for Week #47 2023

Posted on 23 November 2023 by Doug Bostrom, Marc Kodack

Open access notables

How warped are we by fossil fuel dependency? Despite Russia's invasion of Ukraine, 35-40 million cubic meters per day of Russian natural gas are piped across Ukraine for European consumption every single day, right now. In order to secure European cooperation against Russian aggression, Ukraine must help to finance its own destruction at the hands of one of the world's largest petro-kleptocracies, assisting its attacker in marketing what has become a transcendently toxic geopolitical hazard. Publishing in Energy Policy, Ah-Voun, Chyong & Li describe how this tortuously ironic knot might be unraveled, in Europe's energy security: From Russian dependence to renewable reliance. People keen on self-respect may appreciate the authors' contribution to showing how to crawl from a moral and ethical cesspit.

Those of us who have investigated the costs of upgrading to an EV or perhaps switching to a heat pump for residential use already know: it's often hard or impossible to show a reasonable "profit" from making such investments. Equally, economists steer us to discount the future because we can't take the future to the bank right now. It's an argument that can be vastly extended when we myopically ignore factors other than cash gripped in our greedy fingers. If Ray Galvin's article The economic losses of energy-efficiency renovation of Germany's older dwellings: The size of the problem and the financial challenge it presents holds water, "we're gonna need a bigger reason" (with apologies to Chief Brody) than yet more money to justify modernizing aging housing stock. How about a pleasant planet? Reason enough?

Also publishing in Energy Policy and serving as a restorative antidote to Galvin's grim findings are Kantorowicz et al., with How to finance green investments? The role of public debt. We've a long history of solving hard problems with public finance including debt and revenue. Here the authors explore public preferences in that regard, and taking that into account--how best to communicate options to those utlimately holding the reins: electorates.

Details of how Florida is sinking into a tight spot, via two journals. The role of compound climate and weather extreme events in creating socio-economic impacts in south Florida, in Weather and Climate Extremes, and Living with water: Evolving adaptation preferences under increasing sea-level rise in Miami-Dade County, FL, USA via Climate Risk Managment. The latter article offers suggestions for coping, while the former indicates an avid audience for such advice.

Putting later and now together as a bigger picture delivered through two journals: Future Global Population Exposure to Record-Breaking Climate Extremes in Earth's Future and Leaving Home: Cumulative Climate Shocks and Migration in Sub-Saharan Africa via Environmental and Resource Economics. Instead of "refugees" or "migrants," how about another term a bit less othering: "people trying to survive?" A few of us are creating a lot of real people facing real hardships not of their own making, with our helping hands only grudgingly extended if at all. We can do much better. We know how to ease this need, after all. Why not?

We may complain about insurance premiums but silver linings to the pain of paying include safety belts, smoke detectors and many other good things universally adopted at least in part by nudges from underwriter self-interest. So far, the USDA Crop Insurance Program is failing to properly advise its clients, according to EWG's report Crop insurance pays farmers billions of dollars for weather-related losses closely linked to the climate crisis, from this week's government/NGO section:

Indemnities for the five most expensive weather-related causes of loss  drought, excess moisture and precipitation, hail, heat, and freeze  totaled over $118.75 billion between 2001 and 2022, representing 73 percent of total crop insurance payouts. The extreme weather events that triggered these payments are closely associated with the climate emergency. Yet the Crop Insurance Program does not encourage farmers to adapt to the extreme weather linked to the climate crisis.

118 articles in 48 journals by 716 contributing authors

Physical science of climate change, effects

Arctic Warming and Eurasian Cooling: Weakening and Reemergence, Xu et al., Geophysical Research Letters Open Access pdf 10.1029/2023gl105180

Observed and Projected Changes in North Atlantic Seasonal Temperature Reduction and Their Drivers, Grist et al., Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans Open Access pdf 10.1029/2023jc019837

Separating Direct Heat Flux Forcing and Freshwater Feedback on AMOC Change Under Global Warming, Wen et al., Geophysical Research Letters Open Access pdf 10.1029/2023gl105478

The Temperature Control of Cloud Adiabatic Fraction and Coverage, Lu et al., Geophysical Research Letters Open Access pdf 10.1029/2023gl105831

Observations of climate change, effects

Acidification Of Northeastern USA Lakes From Rising Anthropogenic-Sourced Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide and Its Effects on Aluminum Speciation, Johannesson et al., Geophysical Research Letters Open Access pdf 10.1029/2023gl104957

Anthropogenic Weakening of the Atmospheric Circulation During the Satellite Era, Shrestha & Soden, Geophysical Research Letters Open Access pdf 10.1029/2023gl104784

Frequent marine heatwaves hidden below the surface of the global ocean, Sun et al., Nature Geoscience Open Access pdf 10.1038/s41561-023-01325-w

Recent changes in the upper oceanic water masses over the Indian Ocean using Argo data, Shee et al., Scientific Reports Open Access pdf 10.1038/s41598-023-47658-9

Spatiotemporal Trends of Extreme Temperature Events Along the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Transportation Corridor From 1981 to 2019 Based on Estimated Near-Surface Air Temperature, Wang et al., Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres Open Access pdf 10.1029/2023jd039040

Start&2023&4, Ivanov et al., Open Access pdf 10.3897/bdj.11.e100521.figure4

Instrumentation & observational methods of climate change, effects

Event attribution is ready to inform loss and damage negotiations, Noy et al., Nature Climate Change 10.1038/s41558-023-01865-4

Limitations of reanalyses for detecting tropical cyclone trends, Emanuel, Nature Climate Change 10.1038/s41558-023-01879-y

Reply to: Limitations of reanalyses for detecting tropical cyclone trends, Chand et al., Nature Climate Change 10.1038/s41558-023-01880-5

Modeling, simulation & projection of climate change, effects

Asymmetry of AMOC Hysteresis in a State-Of-The-Art Global Climate Model, van Westen & Dijkstra, Geophysical Research Letters Open Access pdf 10.1029/2023gl106088

Advancement of climate & climate effects modeling, simulation & projection

Can Sub-Daily Multivariate Bias Correction of Regional Climate Model Boundary Conditions Improve Simulation of the Diurnal Precipitation Cycle?, Kim et al., Geophysical Research Letters Open Access pdf 10.1029/2023gl104442

Evaluation of Dynamically Downscaled CMIP6-CCAM Models Over Australia, Chapman et al., Earth's Future Open Access pdf 10.1029/2023ef003548

Generalized Aerosol/Chemistry Interface (GIANT): A Community Effort to Advance Collaborative Science across Weather and Climate Models, Hodzic et al., Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society Open Access pdf 10.1175/bams-d-23-0013.1

Investigation of Added Value in Regional Climate Models for East Asian Storm Track Analysis, Byun et al., Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres Open Access pdf 10.1029/2023jd039167

Summertime Near-Surface Temperature Biases Over the Central United States in Convection-Permitting Simulations, Qin et al., Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres Open Access pdf 10.1029/2023jd038624

Cryosphere & climate change

CRYO, Duke et al., Ultramicroscopy Open Access 10.1016/j.ultramic.2013.10.006

Meta-analysis reveals responses of coccolithophores and diatoms to warming, Wang et al., Marine Environmental Research 10.1016/j.marenvres.2023.106275

Modes of Antarctic tidal grounding line migration revealed by Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) laser altimetry, Freer et al., The Cryosphere Open Access pdf 10.5194/tc-17-4079-2023

Southern Ocean warming and Antarctic ice shelf melting in conditions plausible by late 23rd century in a high-end scenario, Mathiot & Jourdain, Ocean Science Open Access pdf 10.5194/os-19-1595-2023

Wind-driven device for cooling permafrost, Qin et al., Nature Communications Open Access pdf 10.1038/s41467-023-43375-z

Sea level & climate change

The Emerging Golden Age of Satellite Altimetry to Prepare Humanity for Rising Seas, Hamlington et al., Earth's Future Open Access pdf 10.1029/2023ef003673

Paleoclimate & paleogeochemistry

Geodynamically corrected Pliocene shoreline elevations in Australia consistent with midrange projections of Antarctic ice loss, Richards et al., Science Advances Open Access pdf 10.1126/sciadv.adg3035

North Atlantic meltwater during Heinrich Stadial 1 drives wetter climate with more atmospheric rivers in western North America, Oster et al., Science Advances Open Access pdf 10.1126/sciadv.adj2225

Biology & climate change, related geochemistry

A 2 C difference affecting the spatiotemporal distribution of small demersal fish assemblages in shallow tropical and subtropical waters of Western Taiwan, Chen et al., Scientific Reports Open Access pdf 10.1038/s41598-023-47300-8

A cloudy forecast for species distribution models: Predictive uncertainties abound for California birds after a century of climate and land-use change, Clare et al., Global Change Biology Open Access pdf 10.1111/gcb.17019

Contrasting range changes of Bergenia (Saxifragaceae) species under future climate change in the Himalaya and Hengduan Mountains Region, Qiu et al., Theoretical and Applied Climatology 10.1007/s00704-023-04746-0

Enhanced growth resistance but no decline in growth resilience under long-term extreme droughts, Wang et al., Global Change Biology 10.1111/gcb.17038

Experimental mining plumes and ocean warming trigger stress in a deep pelagic jellyfish, Stenvers et al., Nature Communications Open Access pdf 10.1038/s41467-023-43023-6

Horizon scanning of potential threats to high-Arctic biodiversity, human health and the economy from marine invasive alien species: A Svalbard case study, Cottier?Cook et al., Global Change Biology Open Access pdf 10.1111/gcb.17009

How tree stand phenology determines understorey senescence - a case study from boreal forests, Durand et al., Agricultural and Forest Meteorology Open Access 10.1016/j.agrformet.2023.109807

Impacts of climate change on semi-natural alpine pastures productivity and floristic composition, Movedi et al., Regional Environmental Change Open Access pdf 10.1007/s10113-023-02158-4

Limiting resources for soil microbial growth in climate change simulation treatments in the Subarctic, Yuan et al., Ecology Open Access pdf 10.1002/ecy.4210

Nitrogen fixing shrubs advance the pace of tall-shrub expansion in low-Arctic tundra, Schore et al., Communications Earth & Environment Open Access pdf 10.1038/s43247-023-01098-5

Plant biodiversity responds more strongly to climate warming and anthropogenic activities than microbial biodiversity in the QinghaiTibetan alpine grasslands, Shangguan et al., Journal of Ecology 10.1111/1365-2745.14222

Projections of changes in the global distribution of shallow water ecosystems through 2100 due to climate change, Moki et al., PLOS Climate Open Access pdf 10.1371/journal.pclm.0000298

Sea ice concentration decline in an important Adelie penguin molt area, Schmidt et al., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Open Access 10.1073/pnas.2306840120

Shift in algal blooms from micro- to macroalgae around China with increasing eutrophication and climate change, Feng et al., Global Change Biology 10.1111/gcb.17018

Shifts in population density centers of a hibernating mammal driven by conflicting effects of climate change and disease, Boyles et al., Global Change Biology 10.1111/gcb.17035

Spatial asynchrony and cross-scale climate interactions in populations of a coldwater stream fish, Valentine et al., Global Change Biology Open Access pdf 10.1111/gcb.17029

Spatio-temporal shifts in British wild bees in response to changing climate, Wyver et al., Ecology and Evolution Open Access pdf 10.1002/ece3.10705

The limits of stress-tolerance for zooplankton resting stages in freshwater ponds, Santos & Ebert, Oecologia Open Access pdf 10.1007/s00442-023-05478-8

Tracking lake drainage events and drained lake basin vegetation dynamics across the Arctic, Chen et al., Nature Communications Open Access pdf 10.1038/s41467-023-43207-0

Within- and transgenerational stress legacy effects of ocean acidification on red abalone (Haliotis rufescens) growth and survival, Neylan et al., Global Change Biology 10.1111/gcb.17048

GHG sources & sinks, flux, related geochemistry

Aquatic Carbon Export and Dynamics in Mountain Headwater Streams of the Western U.S., Clow et al., Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences Open Access pdf 10.1029/2023jg007538

Attribution of individual methane and carbon dioxide emission sources using EMIT observations from space, Thorpe et al., Science Advances Open Access pdf 10.1126/sciadv.adh2391

Characterizing Performance of Freshwater Wetland Methane Models Across Time Scales at FLUXNET-CH4 Sites Using Wavelet Analyses, Zhang et al., Open Access pdf 10.1002/essoar.10512704.1

China's conservation and restoration of coastal wetlands offset much of the reclamation-induced blue carbon losses, Fan & Li, Global Change Biology 10.1111/gcb.17039

Climate warming and elevated CO2 alter peatland soil carbon sources and stability, Ofiti et al., Nature Communications Open Access pdf 10.1038/s41467-023-43410-z

Climatic drivers of litterfall production and its components in two subtropical forests in South China: A 14-year observation, Liu et al., Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 10.1016/j.agrformet.2023.109798

Emergent Climatic Controls on Soil Carbon Turnover and Its Variability in Warm Climates, Huang et al., Geophysical Research Letters Open Access pdf 10.1029/2023gl105291

Higher global gross primary productivity under future climate with more advanced representations of photosynthesis, Knauer et al., Science Advances Open Access pdf 10.1126/sciadv.adh9444

Investigating Terrestrial Carbon Uptake Over India Using Multimodel Simulations of Gross Primary Productivity and Satellite-Based Biophysical Product, Uchale et al., Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences Open Access pdf 10.1029/2023jg007468

Mycorrhizal type regulates trade-offs between plant and soil carbon in forests, Yang et al., Nature Climate Change 10.1038/s41558-023-01864-5

Natural Vegetation Succession Under Climate Change and the Combined Effects on Net Primary Productivity, Zhang et al., Earth's Future Open Access 10.1029/2023ef003903

Precipitation consistently promotes, but temperature oppositely drives carbon fluxes in temperate and alpine grasslands in China, Liu et al., Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 10.1016/j.agrformet.2023.109811

Quantifying the drivers of terrestrial drought and water stress impacts on carbon uptake in China, Yang et al., Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 10.1016/j.agrformet.2023.109817

Reoxidation of Reduced Peat Organic Matter by Dissolved Oxygen: Combined Laboratory Column-Breakthrough Experiments and In-Field Push-Pull Tests, Obradovi? et al., Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences Open Access pdf 10.1029/2023jg007640

Spatial and temporal variations of gross primary production simulated by land surface model BCC&AVIM2.0, Li et al., Advances in Climate Change Research Open Access 10.1016/j.accre.2023.02.001

Temperature dependence of spring carbon uptake in northern high latitudes during the past four decades, Zhu et al., Global Change Biology Open Access pdf 10.1111/gcb.17043

CO2 capture, sequestration science & engineering

Identifying the Most (Cost-)Efficient Regions for CO2 Removal With Iron Fertilization in the Southern Ocean, Bach et al., Open Access pdf 10.22541/essoar.167979670.07996683/v1

On error, uncertainty, and assumptions in calculating carbon dioxide removal rates by enhanced rock weathering in Kantola et al., 2023, Reershemius & Suhrhoff, Global Change Biology Open Access pdf 10.1111/gcb.17025

Towards just, responsible, and socially viable carbon removal: lessons from offshore DACCS research for early-stage carbon removal projects, Nawaz & Satterfield, Environmental Science & Policy Open Access 10.1016/j.envsci.2023.103633

Decarbonization

Minimizing the impacts of the ammonia economy on the nitrogen cycle and climate, Bertagni et al., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Open Access 10.1073/pnas.2311728120

Prospective life cycle assessment of sodium-ion batteries made from abundant elements, Wickerts et al., Journal of Industrial Ecology Open Access pdf 10.1111/jiec.13452

Storage integrity during underground hydrogen storage in depleted gas reservoirs, Zeng et al., Earth Open Access 10.1016/j.earscirev.2023.104625

Geoengineering climate

Stratospheric Aerosol Injection Can Reduce Risks to Antarctic Ice Loss Depending on Injection Location and Amount, Goddard et al., Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres Open Access pdf 10.1029/2023jd039434

Aerosols

Anthropogenic amplification of biogenic secondary organic aerosol production, Zheng et al., Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Open Access pdf 10.5194/acp-23-8993-2023

Radiative forcing from aerosolcloud interactions enhanced by large-scale circulation adjustments, Dagan et al., Nature Geoscience Open Access pdf 10.1038/s41561-023-01319-8

Climate change communications & cognition

Extreme heat experience influences public support for local climate adaptation policies in Germany, Zanocco & Sousa-Silva, Urban Climate 10.1016/j.uclim.2023.101759

Global warming vs. climate change frames: revisiting framing effects based on new experimental evidence collected in 30 European countries, Stefkovics & Zenovitz, Climatic Change Open Access pdf 10.1007/s10584-023-03633-x

Local articulations of climate action in Swedish forest contexts, Reimerson et al., Environmental Science & Policy Open Access 10.1016/j.envsci.2023.103626

Making people aware of eco-innovations can decrease climate despair, Neale et al., Climatic Change 10.1007/s10584-023-03635-9

Media Representations and Farmer Perceptions: A Case Study of Reporting on Ocean Acidification and the Shellfish Farming Sector in British Columbia, Canada, Drope et al., Environmental Communication Open Access pdf 10.1080/17524032.2023.2280873

The role of iconic places, collective efficacy, and negative emotions in climate change communication, Waters et al., Environmental Science & Policy Open Access 10.1016/j.envsci.2023.103635

Agronomy, animal husbundry, food production & climate change

Climate change mitigation through soil carbon sequestration in working lands: A reality check, Moinet et al., Global Change Biology 10.1111/gcb.17010

FACTORS AFFECTING WILLINGNESS TO ADOPT CLIMATE INSURANCE AMONG SMALLHOLDER FARMERS IN SRI LANKA, Aheeyar et al., Climate Risk Management Open Access 10.1016/j.crm.2023.100575

Quantifying the impact of climate smart agricultural practices on soil carbon storage relative to conventional management, Schreiner-McGraw et al., Agricultural and Forest Meteorology Open Access 10.1016/j.agrformet.2023.109812

Risk to rely on soil carbon sequestration to offset global ruminant emissions, Wang et al., Nature Communications Open Access pdf 10.1038/s41467-023-43452-3

Weather information, farm-level climate adaptation and farmers' adaptive capacity: Examining the role of information and communication technologies, Chetri et al., Environmental Science & Policy Open Access 10.1016/j.envsci.2023.103630

Hydrology, hydrometeorology & climate change

Diagnosing the ability of reservoir operations to meet hydropower production and fisheries needs under climate change in a western cordillera drainage basin, Larabi et al., Climatic Change Open Access pdf 10.1007/s10584-023-03632-y

Future Extreme Precipitation in Summer Will Become More Widespread in China Depending on Level of Warming, Yu et al., Earth's Future Open Access pdf 10.1029/2022ef003413

Middle east warming in spring enhances summer rainfall over Pakistan, Li et al., Nature Communications Open Access pdf 10.1038/s41467-023-43463-0

Process-driven susceptibility assessment of glacial lake outburst debris flow in the Himalayas under climate change, ZHOU et al., Advances in Climate Change Research Open Access 10.1016/j.accre.2023.11.002

Understanding the Contributions of Paleo-Informed Natural Variability and Climate Changes to Hydroclimate Extremes in the San Joaquin Valley of California, Gupta et al., Earth's Future Open Access pdf 10.1029/2023ef003909

Climate change economics

How to finance green investments? The role of public debt, Kantorowicz et al., Energy Policy Open Access 10.1016/j.enpol.2023.113899

The Green Climate Fund and private sector climate finance in the Global South, Kalinowski, Climate Policy Open Access pdf 10.1080/14693062.2023.2276857

Climate change and the circular economy Climate change mitigation public policy research

Ambitious climate targets and emission reductions in cities: a configurational analysis, Roggero et al., Climate Policy 10.1080/14693062.2023.2282488

Ambitious near-term decarbonization and direct air capture deployment in Latin America's net-zero goal, Adun et al., Energy for Sustainable Development 10.1016/j.esd.2023.101338

Are European Blue Economy ambitions in conflict with European environmental visions?, Andersen et al., Ambio Open Access pdf 10.1007/s13280-023-01896-3

Energy trade stability of China: Policy options with increasing climate risks, Guo et al., Energy Policy Open Access 10.1016/j.enpol.2023.113858

How are climate policies assessed in emerging economies? A study of ex-ante policy appraisal in Brazil, China, and India, Qin et al., Climate Policy Open Access pdf 10.1080/14693062.2023.2283174

Imagining circular carbon: A mitigation (deterrence) strategy for the petrochemical industry, Palm et al., Environmental Science & Policy Open Access 10.1016/j.envsci.2023.103640

Leveraging environmental assessment and environmental justice to deliver equitable, decarbonized built infrastructure, Greer, Environmental Research: Infrastructure and Sustainability Open Access pdf 10.1088/2634-4505/ad084b

Policy diffusion and the interdependent fuel taxes, Zhang, Climatic Change 10.1007/s10584-023-03608-y

Strategies for gender mainstreaming in climate finance mobilisation in southern Africa, Gerhard et al., PLOS Climate Open Access pdf 10.1371/journal.pclm.0000254

The economic losses of energy-efficiency renovation of Germany's older dwellings: The size of the problem and the financial challenge it presents, Galvin, Energy Policy Open Access 10.1016/j.enpol.2023.113905

The key determinants of individual greenhouse gas emissions in Germany are mostly domain-specific, Brandenstein et al., Communications Earth & Environment Open Access pdf 10.1038/s43247-023-01092-x

Unintended consequences of urban shrinkage: Adverse impacts on local household carbon emissions, Wang et al., Urban Climate Open Access 10.1016/j.uclim.2023.101761

Climate change adaptation & adaptation public policy research

Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Efforts in Different Economic Sectors of the Trinational Metropolitan Region Upper Rhine, Scholze et al., Climate Risk Management Open Access 10.1016/j.crm.2023.100576

Human adaptation to climate change in the context of forests: a systematic review, Paige Fischer et al., Climate Risk Management Open Access 10.1016/j.crm.2023.100573

Intervention: The invisible labor of climate change adaptation, Johnson et al., Global Environmental Change 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2023.102769

Leaving Home: Cumulative Climate Shocks and Migration in Sub-Saharan Africa, Di Falco et al., Environmental and Resource Economics Open Access pdf 10.1007/s10640-023-00826-x

Living with water: Evolving adaptation preferences under increasing sea-level rise in Miami-Dade County, FL, USA, Seeteram et al., Climate Risk Management Open Access 10.1016/j.crm.2023.100574

The role of compound climate and weather extreme events in creating socio-economic impacts in south Florida, Ali et al., Weather and Climate Extremes Open Access 10.1016/j.wace.2023.100625

Climate change impacts on human health

Future Global Population Exposure to Record-Breaking Climate Extremes, Li et al., Earth's Future Open Access pdf 10.1029/2023ef003786

Regimes of Soil MoistureWet-Bulb Temperature Coupling with Relevance to Moist Heat Stress, Kong & Huber, Journal of Climate 10.1175/jcli-d-23-0132.1

Climate change & geopolitics

Europe's energy security: From Russian dependence to renewable reliance, Ah-Voun et al., Energy Policy Open Access 10.1016/j.enpol.2023.113856

Other

Sunshine and solar power in the UK, Spellman & Bird, Theoretical and Applied Climatology Open Access pdf 10.1007/s00704-023-04711-x

Informed opinion, nudges & major initiatives

Carbon known not grown: Reforesting Scotland, advanced measurement technologies, and a new frontier of mitigation deterrence, Stanley, Environmental Science & Policy Open Access 10.1016/j.envsci.2023.103636

Enabling gender and social inclusion in climate and agriculture policy and planning through foresight processes: assessing challenges and leverage points, Marty et al., Climate Policy Open Access pdf 10.1080/14693062.2023.2268042

Engaging with informality and the subaltern in overlooked cities: towards an agenda for climate change research in the Global South, Fattah & Walters, Climate and Development 10.1080/17565529.2023.2277245

Reconsidering the lower end of long-term climate scenarios, Fujimori et al., PLOS Climate Open Access pdf 10.1371/journal.pclm.0000318

Sensationalized soil carbon sequestration estimates excuse further climate inaction, McClelland & Woolf, Global Change Biology 10.1111/gcb.17012

Articles/Reports from Agencies and Non-Governmental Organizations Addressing Aspects of Climate Change

Crop insurance pays farmers billions of dollars for weather-related losses closely linked to the climate crisis, Anne Schechinger, Environmental Working Group

Crop insurance payouts for losses associated with extreme weather have cost billions of dollars. Indemnities for the five most expensive weather-related causes of loss  drought, excess moisture and precipitation, hail, heat, and freeze  totaled over $118.75 billion between 2001 and 2022, representing 73 percent of total crop insurance payouts. The extreme weather events that triggered these payments are closely associated with the climate emergency. Yet the Crop Insurance Program does not encourage farmers to adapt to the extreme weather linked to the climate crisis. The author found that weather-related crop insurance indemnities have steeply risen over the past 22 years. As climate change continues to accelerate, it seems inevitable that, without meaningful reform, crop insurance costs will likewise grow unsustainably.

The 2023 report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: the imperative for a health-centred response in a world facing irreversible harms, Romanell et al., The Lancet

The authors monitor the evolving impacts of climate change on health and the emerging health opportunities of climate action. At the current 10-year mean heating of 114C above preindustrial levels, climate change is increasingly impacting the health and survival of people worldwide, and projections show these risks could worsen steeply with further inaction. However, with health matters gaining prominence in climate change negotiations, there are opportunities to deliver health-promoting climate change action and a safe and thriving future for all.

Prospects for Children in the Polycrisis, Byrne et al., UNICEF Innocenti  Global Office of Research and Foresight

The authors outline the polycrisis in which the world finds itself  multiple, simultaneous shocks with strong interdependencies, intensified in an ever-more integrated world  along with eight trends that will shape child rights and well-being in the coming year. For example, multiple factors will contribute to continued food and nutrition insecurity  with increasing calls for greater climate adaptation and food systems reform to prevent food poverty in children. The worsening energy crisis may cause immediate harm to children  but the focus on energy sustainability provides hope for a greener future.

Sun and wind for net zero - benchmarking renewables growth in South, Southeast and East Asia, Mentari Pujantoro and Mathis Rogner, Agora Energiewende

While recent global additions of wind and solar are encouraging, progress of renewable energy development in South, Southeast and East Asia has been insufficient. The share of solar and wind power in most countries in this region is below six percent today, despite the falling cost of clean energy technologies. Accelerating the deployment of wind and solar power within the next five years is crucial to meeting the regions climate mitigation goals. To be aligned with a 1.5C-compatible pathway, renewables in the region will need to supply 50% of total electricity by 2030, with 30% coming from wind and solar. This corresponds to annual capacity additions of at least 55 GW for solar and 20 GW for wind, compared to just 11.9 GW solar and 1.5 GW wind installed in 2021. Accelerating the integration of wind and solar power in the region requires a paradigm shift towards increased system flexibility and removal of policy, regulatory, and market barriers. Some solutions include de-risking mechanisms and accelerated permitting processes which can kick-start wind and solar deployment while supportive grid codes can aid in their system integration.

State Scorecard 2023, Think Microgrid

Microgrids have the potential to play a pivotal role at a transformative moment for the electric grid. As communities and consumers seek solutions for the resilience, climate, and equity challenges they face, the combination of advanced technology and market interest provides the opportunity for the widespread commercialization of microgrids. The U.S. Department of Energy has advanced a vision that by 2035, microgrids will be the core building block of a transformed grid where 30-50% of electricity generation comes from distributed resources. This vision, however, is not inevitable and there remain potentially existential barriers to microgrid commercialization. The authors present the policy and market conditions for microgrids in each state across five critical dimensions  deployment, regulation, resilience, market access, and equity. The resulting state scorecard is at once disappointing and encouraging. On the one hand, only a few states receive even a B and far too many receive a C or D. On the other hand, the results highlight how states can proactively and creatively begin to immediately take action to reform outdated policies and collaboratively move toward the coordinated action that this moment deserves.

LA100 Equity Strategies, Anderson et al., Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, National renewable Energy Laboratory and the University of California Los Angeles

The authors provide community-guided, data-driven strategies for increasing equity in Los Angeles transition to clean energy. Community-guided modeling and analysis identified that the current energy system is inequitable, lack of ability to pay energy-related costs and lack of financial capital limits communities access to electric vehicles, efficiency options, jobs, training, and entrepreneurship, without changes in rates and solar compensation, energy inequity will increase over time California laws constrain rate affordability and prevent the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power from providing robust low-income rate and bill assistance, and as the climate changes, universal access to home cooling will save lives.

Emissions Gap Report 2023. Broken Record. Temperatures hit new highs, yet world fails to cut emissions (again), United Nations Environment Programme

The authors provide an independent science-based assessment of the gap between the pledged greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions and the reductions required to align with the long-term temperature goal of the Paris Agreement, as well as opportunities to bridge this gap. COP 28 marks the conclusion of the first global stocktake under the Paris Agreement, held every five years to assess the global response to the climate crisis and chart a better way forward. This closely mirrors the objective of the Emissions Gap Report, and the authors aim to provide findings relevant to the concluding discussions under the global stocktake.

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Its not hard to see why the story of Napoleon Bonapartea man who emerged from obscurity to marshal large numbers of people and materiel to realize his vision, despite daunting oddsappeals to leading directors. First out of the gate in 1927 was French director Abel Gance with a five-hour silent epic, still the gold standard. Then Stanley Kubrick started developing a biopic that proved to be too ambitious and expensive to get off the ground, although Steven Spielberg recently floated the idea of adapting Kubricks notes into a seven-hour limited series. Now Ridley Scott has weighed in with a 2.5-hour feature for theatrical release (a four-hour directors cut version will supposedly be appearing on Apple TV at a later stage).

Scott has tried to tackle the sprawling nature of the Napoleonic story by reducing it to its essence: major military campaigns, thrilling battle set-pieces, and, at its heart, the complicated, passionate relationship between Napoleon and his first wife, Josephine. The problem is, dramatizing Napoleons story is not as simple as dramatizing, say, Julius Caesars (one of Napoleons role models)i.e., now Im going to invade Gaul, now Im going to invade Germania, now Im going to invade Carthagebecause the context for Napoleons actions was Europes fiendishly complicated patchwork of ever-shifting alliances reinforced by dynastic marriages (an arrangement that remained in place until WWI blew it to smithereens). Its easy to understand why Scott preferred to spend screen time on a cinematic cavalry charge instead of wrangling over a treaty clause.

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Paring back or compressing historical detail is fine if it helps makes the story more comprehensible and less likely to overwhelm the dramatic narrative. The danger is that it flattens out the characters and relationships. Scotts Napoleon is reduced to being obsessed by three things only: military tactics, Josephine, and his destiny. The developer of the Code Napoleon, which still forms the basis of most of Europes legal systems, and the autocrat who nevertheless championed equality before the law (for white men), is completely missing.

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Scott has made clear how he feels about historical nitpicking. When I have issues with historians, he told Britains Sunday Times, I ask: Excuse me, mate, were you there? No? Well, shut the fuck up then.  At the risk of bringing down Sir Ridleys wrath, we take a look at whats fact and whats fiction in his Napoleon.

Was Napoleon Already Middle-Aged When His Career Took Off?

In the film, Napoleon, as portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix, appears to be at least 40 when, despite being a lowly artillery captain, he is tasked with breaking the blockade of Toulon, where British navy warships are defending the Royalist forces occupying this essential Mediterranean port. Napoleons cunning plan is to seize control of the relatively undefended fort overlooking the harbor and then use its guns to blow the British ships out of the water. Putting on a disguise, he reconnoiters the fort himself to see where to place explosives; then, after they have gone off while the British soldiers are carousing, sends French troops (including himself) to scale the walls for hand-to-hand combat. As a result of this daring victory, he is made a brigadier general.

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Much of this is correct. Napoleon did indeed come up with this effective strategy, showing the genius for tactics that defined his military career, and he received a promotion as a result. However, the capture of Toulon took place in 1793, when Napoleon was only 24 years old and a young man in a hurry. Also, Napoleon did not get his plan adopted because he was buddies with Paul Barras, the minister for war; he became friends with Barras because he won the battle.

Was Josephine Younger Than Napoleon?

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Napoleon attends one of the notorious survivors balls, a raucous celebration by aristocrats who had been held in the Bastille awaiting execution but managed to survive until the end of the Reign of Terror in 1794. There, across a crowded room, he sees the alluring Josephine de Beauharnais (Vanessa Kirby), the seductive widow of an aristocrat and a former prisoner in the Bastille, who appears to be in her early 30s. He is smitten but she is cooler, accepting his card but no more.

In fact, Josephine, born in 1763, was six years older than Napoleon (on their marriage certificate, the canny Josephine took four years off her age and increased Napoleons by 18 months, making them roughly the same age). But Scott apparently did not want to break the Hollywood rule that says an older male star must have a female co-star at least a decade younger than himself. Making her younger changes the whole dynamic of their relationship. Napoleon is shown to be somewhat, er, unsophisticated in the bedroom, until Josephine shows him a thing or two. This would make more sense if he was in his early 20s, but for him to be in his 40s and still so unskilled just makes him a boor. She also is shown improving his table manners. In actuality, Napoleon was not the loutish soldier Scott depicts; rather, he was from a family of minor Corsican aristocrats (Josephine came from a similar family of minor nobles on Martinique), and so was not quite a rough diamond unacquainted with proper table manners. In fact, he was known for his love of literaturehe curated a famous personal libraryand Enlightenment thought.

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Also, Napoleon did not meet Josephine across a crowded room, but was introduced to her by his friend Barras, the most recent in a line of influential lovers and protectors the young widow had cultivatedindeed, it was said that Josephine was to the boudoir what Napoleon was to the battlefield.

The Egyptian Campaign

Barras sends Napoleon to Egypt in 1794 with the goal of liberating it from British influence and attacking England via its Eastern Empire. Deploying artillery as per usual, Napoleon fires at the pyramids (I dont know if he did that, but it was a fast way of saying he took Egypt, Scott explained) and later inspects a golden sarcophagus that has been removed from a tomb, opening it up and destroying the dried mummy within by touching it. On discovering that Josephine has taken a lover, he hustles back to Paris even though this will be seen as deserting his post.

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While firing on the pyramids and destroying a mummy reinforces the films take on Napoleon as a strategically intelligent thug (a sort of proto-Hitler; very much the British, though not the European, view of Napoleon), in fact he brought along 167 scholars, including geographers, historians, economists, and architects, because he wanted wanted the campaign to be more than a military mission. Initially, Napoleon won a major victory against the Mameluke army and spent the three months he was in control of Cairo introducing street lighting and cleaning, reforming the tax system to place less of a burden on the Egyptian peasantry, and building modern plague hospitals, as well as changing the citys administrative structure so it was no longer feudal. He also established a scientific institute to study mathematics, physics, political economy, and the arts.

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He did learn Josephine was having an affair, but then again, he was having an affair of his own (with the wife of a junior officer who became known as Napoleons Cleopatra), so his withdrawal from the city had more to do with problems finding food in the desert, as well as a plague epidemic and renewed resistance from the Egyptians supported by the British. By 1801, the remaining French army withdrew in defeat, although the expedition resulted in a 23-volume encyclopedia about the country and arguably the creation of Egyptology as a field of study.

Did Napoleons Mother Put a Young Woman in His Bed?

In the movie, after Napoleon has himself been crowned emperor and Josephine his empress, he becomes increasingly conscious of the need for an heir to secure his legacy and concerned about Josephines inability to provide him with one. In order to determine whether the fault lies with Josephine (although shes already had two children, which would seem to have settled the question) or her husband, Napoleons mother installs an attractive 18-year-old in her sons bed and tells him to get her pregnant.

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If Madame Bonaparte did in fact do this, it seems entirely unnecessary. Josephine had already caught her husband in the bedroom of her lady-in-waiting, Elisabeth de Vaudey, shortly before the 1804 coronation, at which point Napoleon threatened to divorce her due to her failure to produce an heir (the divorce became official in 1810). Then in 1805, he met the 18-year-old Eleonore Denuelle de La Plaigne, who was part of his sister Carolines household (and sleeping with Carolines husband). Napoleon set Eleonore up in a house in Paris, and in December 1806, she gave birth to Napoleons son. He had a second illegitimate child in 1810 with another mistress, Countess Marie Walewska. It has been said of the Bonapartes marriage that Josephine was serially unfaithful while he was devoted before he became the First Consul, and then after he became the ruler of France, the positions were reversed.

Was Napoleon Defeated by the Russian Winter?

The film follows the traditional view that in 1812, after winning the Battle of Borodino, Napoleon figured that he was only 200 miles from Moscow, so he might as well push through. However, when the French army arrives, they find the city deserted and three-fourths of it destroyed by the departing residents in an act of patriotic arson. With no food or supplies, the army is forced to retreat toward France during the harsh Russian winter with horses that, as one general says, were not raised for it. Having set out with 600,000 men, Napoleon returns with only 40,000, and his mystique is gone forever.

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This is broadly what happened, but it has always seemed unlikely that anyone as devoted to planning as Napoleon was would not have taken the ferocity of the Russian winter into account. However, the 2001 discovery in Lithuania of some 2,000 skeletons, the remains of Napoleons Grande Armee, provided a more plausible explanation; it wasnt the winter (or not the winter alone) that decimated the French forceit was typhus.

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According to a Slate article, the problems started in the spring of 1812, when deeply rutted roads in Poland meant the supply trains lagged farther and farther behind the main force, with resulting shortages of food and water. The combination of having no water for bathing plus living in the same clothes for days plus a hot summer meant the French soldiers were soon infested with lice. Within a month, Napoleon had lost 80,000 soldiers to typhus despite the excellent French sanitary facilities. In July, three generals, noting that the army was now at half strength and supply chain difficulties were getting worse, urged Napoleon to abandon the campaign. By September, even before reaching Moscow, the army was down to 103,000 men. The most powerful man in Europe was undone by a tiny parasite.
Google Thanksgiving and free enterprise and you will find links to articles on conservative and libertarian think tank websites with titles like How Communism Almost Ruined the First Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving is a Celebration of Free Enterprise, and Thanksgiving, Socialism, and Free Enterprise. These pieces, remarkable in their ideological consistency, are the product of decades of mythmaking, begun before the internet was a glint in Al Gores eye.

Making use of excerpts from Plymouth Colony Gov. William Bradfords journals, all of these pieces tell roughly the same story about the real meaning of Thanksgiving: the Pilgrims went to Plymouth in 1620 with a utopian vision of holding property in common, but after being mugged by the reality of two years of poor harvests and starvation, they abandoned collectivism for capitalist individualism. These articles conclude in roughly the same way: The lesson of the first Thanksgiving was that socialism does not work; the one and only source of abundance is free markets. Whats more, many of the pieces claim, this true history has been suppressed, deleted from the official story, no longer told in the textbooks because it is thoroughly unPC.

To understand how Thanksgiving became a conservative touchstone, we need to turn to historybut to the history of opposition to New Deal liberalism, rather than the history of the Pilgrims of 17th-century New England. As Joshua Keating showed in Slate in 2014, the free enterprise Thanksgiving arguments misconstrue the history of the Plymouth settlement. For one thing, the Pilgrims celebrated the first Thanksgiving not in 1623, when they supposedly threw off the shackles of socialism, but in 1621, when they were still supposedly suffering under it. While the Pilgrims complained a lot in the early years, they did so more as unhappy shareholders of a corporation, then as victims of communism. The accuracy of these histories of the first Thanksgiving matters. So, too, does how and why this reading of the Pilgrims as repentant socialists and die-hard free enterprisersas Whittaker Chamberslike converts from communismemerged.

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The narrative of free enterprise Thanksgiving was a proxy skirmish in the battle between conservatives and New Deal liberalism and its emerging welfare state, which many critics on the right conflated with socialism and even communism. In claiming Thanksgiving, a holiday associated with family, abundance, and Americanism, these critics sought the legitimation of history for their view that security underwritten by the state was not only un-American, but the path to authoritarian socialisma charge that took on particular force during the Cold War, when this narrative of free enterprise Thanksgiving was born.

The first use Ive found of the argument that Pilgrims found success by rejecting socialism appeared in 1920, a time when, according to an editorial in the South Idaho Journal, the story had special significance as theories of socialism are running rampant throughout the world. But the narrative of Thanksgiving as a vindication of free enterprise capitalism was widely popularized in the late 1930s and early 1940s, and gained momentum in the postwar years, as critics of expansive Rooseveltian liberalism sought to find a usable past to justify their dislike of his popular New Deal. By claiming that the Pilgrims rejected a philosophy that they analogized to New Deal liberalism and embraced free enterprise capitalism, these critics sought the sanction of history for their view that, as a political columnist wrote in 1952, in recent years this love of liberty has been subordinated to an alien philosophy of security and the siren song of the welfare state.

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In 1939, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved up the Thanksgiving holiday, scheduled to fall on the last day of November, by one week to extend the Christmas shopping season, a Republican mayor in New Jersey, reflecting the unpopularity of this decision, called it Franksgiving. (Congress officially set the date as the fourth Thursday in November in 1941.) But Thanksgiving became associated with the Roosevelt administration in a more positive way in 1943, when Norman Rockwell illustrated each of FDRs Four Freedoms (freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from fear, freedom from want), which the president first enunciated in his 1941 State of the Union address, for the Saturday Evening Post. The most iconic of these images was Rockwells 1943 painting, Freedom From Want, which depicted a Thanksgiving dinner. Rockwells cozy portrayal of a bountiful family meal domesticated the idea of freedom from want, perhaps the most radical of the Four Freedoms, on the cover of a decidedly middlebrow magazine.

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The association with Rockwell can make it look, from our perspective, like the Four Freedoms idea was universally embraced; it was not. From the moment he announced the Four Freedoms, critics of FDR condemned him for omitting freedom of enterprise, which Herbert Hoover, the former president and inveterate enemy of the New Deal, called the Fifth Freedom and the building block of all of the others. In December 1942, as the United States was one year into the global war against fascism, Republican Sen. Alexander Wiley from Wisconsin, referring to this fifth freedom, said: Deny any man this most important freedom and you have taken the first step toward the tyranny that created the Nazi state. Throughout World War II, the celebration of the Fifth Freedom, which was simultaneously a condemnation of FDRs wartime goals, was a regular feature of business advertising. In a 1943 Thanksgiving ad, the men and women of Kemper Insurance offered the following proclamation to Roosevelt: Free enterprise isnt mentioned in the famous Four Freedoms, yet without it there is no free America.

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New Deal critics repeatedly singled out freedom from want as the most dangerous of the Four Freedoms. They emphasized that the security it promised was a trap, the very opposite of freedom. They employed images of imprisonment, enslavement, and caged animals to drive home the point that freedom from want was, in effect, a form of unfreedom. A man in jail has the four freedoms but what Americans want is the right to be free from government, and to work out our own destiny, said Republican Rep. Frank Fellows from Maine in 1944. Speaking before the Gastonia Chamber of Commerce two years later, North Carolina Sen. Clyde Hoey, a conservative Democrat, claimed that the African slave, criminals, and the farm animal all possessed freedom from want, but they all lacked the more important quality of liberty.

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In 1949, Thurman Sensing, the research director of the Southern States Industrial Council and a critic of the New Deal, said that Gargantua, the Ringling Brothers famous lowland gorilla who was displayed in a cage at the circus, represented the perfect example of the four freedoms. In our frantic search for security in recent years, proclaimed Sensing, we have unquestionably been inclined to trade our birthright of freedom for a mess of pottage. Government-backed security, in this view, was not freedom at all but its opposite; indeed, as an editorial on the  fallacy of freedom from want in a Louisiana newspaper opined in 1947, such a government assurance of sustenance can come only as the final and complete step toward totalitarian government and dictatorship. According to the Spokane Spokesman Review, in 1954, Theres actually nothing in our Constitution about freedom from want and freedom from fear, whose goals are by no means part of what we commonly consider the American heritage.

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The battle over the Four Freedoms joined with related claims about the supposedly true history of Thanksgiving to consolidate the rights repudiation of Roosevelts vision. The argument that the Pilgrims were antiNew Dealers avant la lettre, who experimented with but quickly rejected socialism and then became fervent free enterprisers, first appeared in former Rep. Samuel Pettengills 1940 book, Smoke Screen. This portion of the book was excerpted in newspapers in November 1939 and made the anachronistic claim that our Pilgrim ancestors abandoned the same economic system the Socialists, Communists and Fascists are now urging us to adopt. This contrasted with the much less explicitly partisan, more American-exceptionalist conventional academic wisdom of the time that, as the Harvard historian Samuel Eliot Morison put it in his 1952 edition of William Bradfords Of Plymouth Plantation, 1620-1647, the Pilgrims history is a story of a simple people inspired by an ardent faith to dauntless courageone that made the Pilgrim Fathers in a sense the spiritual ancestors of all Americans, the pioneers.

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Pettengill, who had just stepped away from his seat in Congress, was an avid antiNew Deal Democrat from Indiana, soon to cross over and join the Republican Party, who believed that the biggest danger the United States faced was what he called Roosevelts creeping collectivism. This was the smoke screen of his title. Pettengill, beginning the tradition of drawing on Bradfords journal to show him to be a collectivist-turned-capitalist, aimed to make the relevance of his history clear for the present. In the first sentence of this section of the book, he wrote, It has been forgotten that the 102 pioneers who came over in the Mayflower set up a socialistic commonwealth, somewhat like  the Tugwelltowns of today. Pettengill was referring to Rexford Tugwell, the head of the Resettlement Administration, which built the so-called Greenbelt towns.

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Following Pettengill, many other critics sought to find a usable past in which free enterprise was as American as apple pie, with Thanksgiving at the center. Others followed suit in linking the dilemma of the Pilgrims to those of the modern conservative opponent of the welfare state. A 1949 editorial in the antiNew Deal Chicago Tribune said, They go now by the names of communism, socialism, and the welfare state. There was a little of all of these in the original experiment at Plymouth, but the same ideas had already been tried and found wanting on American soil. A 1952 editorial in the Los Angeles Times, making the use of history of Thanksgiving for the purpose of fighting political battles in the present explicit, said, For, in 1623, as in 1952, Americans saved themselves from the state, the welfare state or the socialist state.

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A key accelerant in the free enterprise Thanksgiving discourse was the publication in 1958 of W. Cleon Skousens The Naked Communist, a book that has been reprinted several times since, and has sold more than a million copies. Skousen, a former police chief of Salt Lake City, was very popular in far-right circles , and his histories remain so today. His central claim, like Pettengills, was that the Plymouth colonists tried Communism before they tried capitalistic free enterprise.

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Many columnists and letter writers to newspapers repeated the Pettengill/Skousen narrative for decades thereafter, showing the reach of this story. These include Thurman Sensing, the conservative who had written about Gargantua. Most likely inspired by Skousen, Sensing first wrote about Thanksgiving in 1962 and continued to do so several times into the 1970s. Sensings Thanksgiving lesson was quoted verbatim in business advertising as early as 1963.

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The most prominent dissemination of this view came in 1974, when the famous conservative economist Milton Friedman devoted his Newsweek column to the topic, Giving Thanks for Thanksgiving. After a brief preface in which he wrote, As we seek the roots of our present discontent, we shall do well to ponder the experience of our Pilgrim fathers, who replaced cultivating the lands in common with private ownership, the rest consisted of quotations from Bradfords journals, some of the passages already having been flagged by Pettengill and Skousen.

Popularizing these narratives, the late conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh, drawing on the Dead White Guys, or What the History Books Never Told You, chapter of his 1993 book, See, I Told You So, annually relayed to his listening audience what he called the true story of Thanksgiving, which was that the misguided Pilgrims at first followed a plan of collective property ownership that led to starvation and death, but within two years they had harnessed the power of good old free enterprise by invoking the undergirding capitalistic principle of private property.

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So, though Sensing called this an Untaught American History Lesson, and Limbaugh implied that the story had been hidden on purpose, thats far from the case. The narrative of Thanksgiving as a prescient warning against the dangers of a welfare state morphing into a dictatorship has circulated widely for decades, in both intellectual and popular conservative circles, in newspaper editorials, opinion pieces, advertisements, think tank websites, talk radio monologues, and political speeches.

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The free enterprise Thanksgiving narratives depicted Roosevelts Four Freedoms as a prime example of the kind of collective security and overweening bureaucracy against which the Pilgrims supposedly revolted; this is what Pettengill meant when he condemned the misguided New Dealers who would now go back to the system that the Pilgrims abandoned. The attempt to recast Thanksgiving from a wholesome symbol of state-sanctioned security to a rejection of that very principle was only a small part of an overall critique of the emerging welfare state. The battle to reclaim the meaning of Thanksgiving was a form of politics by historical means. The lesson had less to do with the fate of the Pilgrims in the 1620s, than with the dangers of totalitarian collectivism in the guise of contemporary liberalism. Do all American families deserve a November Thursday off work to sit around a groaning table togetheror just some, whove earned their cranberries and sweet potato casserole the right way? Theres a lot at stake in that debate, and those who talk about free enterprise Thanksgiving know it.
Every Thanksgiving, we give Instagram so much to be thankful for. Over 10 million photos that mentioned Thanksgiving-themed words in their captions were shared yesterday, the disembodied voice of the social network announced in a blog post upon the conclusion of the Thanksgiving holiday in 2012. For several hours throughout the day, more than 200 photos about Thanksgiving were posted every second. It was the busiest day the network had ever had. One year later, Instagram users again broke the upload record with their holiday pics. Instagram was thrilled to see people use Instagram to share their holidays, the company wrote.

Me, not so much. Thanksgiving is the busiest day on Instagram and also the worst. Social media functions simultaneously as a diary (where we keep track of notable events in our personal lives) and a newsletter (through which we keep our friends and families informed of our movements). But the same material rarely satisfies both ends equally, and the divide is most stark on Thanksgiving Day. Its natural to want to preserve some memories of a time when far-flung family members come together to prepare and eat a meal. It is unnatural to want to spend the day thumbing through pictures of other peoples stuffing.

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Instagram and Thanksgiving may appear perfectly pairedboth are obsessed with food. But thats also why the platform and the holiday dont complement each otherThanksgiving didnt need to be more food-themed than it was before. In her book Food and Social Media, food scholar Signe Rousseau compares food-focused social media to a perpetual Thanksgiving dinner, a virtual table for sharing food and for giving thanks for the people seated around it.* In both cases, were encouraged to gorge, only realizing we have eaten too much after that last slice of pie. Rousseau calls this the paradox of plenty of social media: in order to reap its benefits, you have to take part, and by taking part you risk either exposing yourself to too much of this good thing, and/or contributing to the same.

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Part of the problem is that Thanksgiving traditions are so rooted in the familiar. Instagram is intriguing on Halloween, a holiday about shocking transformations. Its informative on Christmas, when a social networks disparate traditions reveal themselvesa Nativity scene juxtaposed with a pagan troll arrangement; a glazed ham followed by a plate of Chinese food. Even standard food Instagramming allows for some element of surprise: Whats for dinner? But on Thanksgiving, conforming to convention is kind of the point. So heres how it goes down: Yams are vaulted to cultural prominence on Thanksgiving; you feel like you ought to acknowledge your engagement with this significant dish by gramming a photo of it; your friends are subjected to a hundred picture of yams, while themselves eating yams; its the worst.

Also, the food looks gross.

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The traditional Thanksgiving spread resembles the scene of a medical emergency: vegetable casseroles that appear predigested; starches mashed into shapeless slop; lumpy red gelatin oozing around fleshy cuts of meat. It was made to be consumed, not seen. The main coursea whole bronze bird!seems visually interesting until youve scrolled past every friends identical avian carcass, at which point you may begin to feel strangely stuffed. A 2013 study published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology suggests that looking at pictures of food makes the food itself seem less appetizing when it comes time to actually eat. The new Thanksgiving tradition of photographing too much food is messing with the storied Thanksgiving tradition of eating too much of it. Are we prepared to make that sacrifice?

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Meanwhile, because everyones eating essentially the same thing, the natural inclination to compare oneself to the photographs scrolling by is whipped to new heights. When the New York Times published its inevitable Instagram envy trend piece in 2013, it lead with the horrifying tale of a Philadelphia woman who thumbed over to Instagram that Thanksgiving to share in her social circles holiday cheer, only to be affronted by a friends insufferable photograph of a  mashed potato bar featuring 15 spud-filled martini glasses artfully arranged in a pyramid, alongside a matching pyramid of bowls of homemade condiments. When I asked food stylist and author Suzanne Lenzer for some tips on avoiding the various pitfalls of Thanksgiving food photography, she told me: Eat and drink and talk and laugh and dont turn on your bloody iPhone for this one day. And give thanks that you have all you do without having to get the validation of an unseen audience to know youre happy.

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As usual, Black Twitter does it better. The hashtag #ThanksgivingWithBlackFamilies trended early this week as Twitter users paired insights about shared holiday experiences with endlessly iterating reaction GIFs. The result was a roiling communal experience that managed to be familiar without becoming tedious, competitive but not insufferable, seasonal yet not clichedeverything Thanksgiving Instagram is not.

When Its time to do the dishes #ThanksgivingWithBlackFamilies pic.twitter.com/dpmd8A8QWR  Perfect Black Boy (@workwthecoach) November 24, 2015

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When you think the food gone but your mom already made you a to go plate!#ThanksgivingWithBlackFamilies pic.twitter.com/DiNCq3x6g8  MellymelAllday (@TrendCityPromo) November 24, 2015

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In her book, Rousseau argues that online food obsession suffers from what cultural historian Neal Gabler calls the post-idea world. In this world, writes Gabler, Few talk ideas. Everyone talks information, usually personal information. Where are you going? What are you doing? Whom are you seeing? These are todays big questions. Id add: What are you eating? If your social media documentation of Thanksgiving dinner doesnt manage to say something new, insightful, or funny, perhaps it was only meant to be shared with those who care so much about you that theyre actually sitting at your table. Unless theres a dog in your photo trying to eat human foodthat is also fine.

Read more Slate pieces about Thanksgiving.

Correction, Nov. 29, 2015: This article originally misidentified Signe Rousseau as a chef and scholar. She is a food scholar, but not a chef. (Return.)
This article is from Big Technology, a newsletter by Alex Kantrowitz.

Sam Altman is back. Improbably and dramatically, the ex-OpenAI CEO returned as CEO late Tuesday. Altmans counter-coup swept out three board members who sparked his firing and included an agreement to investigate what went down this past weekend. The new boardwhich now includes Larry Summers and Bret Taylorwill expand to up to nine members and likely include someone from Microsoft.

The A.I. field will not go back to normal after this. OpenAI was already vulnerable coming into the chaos and will now have to work harder to maintain its lead while facing inspired competition. Though the narrative might frame this as a major win for OpenAI and Microsoft, the reality, as always, is a bit more nuanced. Heres how the A.I. field changes after this.

A sigh of relief for Microsoft: Eighteen thousand Microsoft customers use its OpenAI service on Azure, and the disintegration of OpenAI wouldve left them scrambling. After Altmans surprise ouster last week, Microsoft had to restore order to its OpenAI partnership, and it realistically could not have hired OpenAIs entire staff and kept the OpenAI service running. So this is a positive resolution and a relief after a tense few days in which Microsoft played its cards by announcing it had hired Altman and his colleague Greg Brockman to lead a new A.I division. Now, within OpenAI, there are still some governance issues to resolve. Microsoft doesnt have an board seat after all this. But Altmans return was the least bad option for Satya Nadella & co., who can now press forward with their industry-leading A.I. efforts, even if having Altman in-house wouldve paid dividends over time.

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A golden opportunity for OpenAI competitors: Companies building on OpenAI technology freaked out this past week. They trusted in a company that almost evaporated in a weekend. So now, those building on OpenAI are putting contingency plans in place should the situation repeat. The era of model agnosticism is really here. Soon, any serious A.I. company will be able to substitute OpenAI for Anthropic or any other competitor. Startup founders using OpenAI have already told me theyve started work on it this week. OpenAI competitors are already trying to exploit the situation. Utterly insane weekend. So sad. Wishing everyone involved the very best, Inflection CEO Mustafa Suleyman wrote this week. In the next breath, the rival A.I. boss said: Come run with us!

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The talent wars will heat up: OpenAI sold the worlds top A.I. researchers on a vision and a safety valve: Join us, help us get closer to human-level artificial intelligence, and if things get unsafe, the board will step in. It was a win-win proposition that was ultimately a sham. The OpenAI board was poorly structured, almost blew up the company, and the new structure will be less safety-focused. This will open avenues for competitors to recruit researchers who otherwise mightve gone to OpenAI. Meta chief A.I. scientist Yann LeCun is already endorsing the case that his teams open-source focus will make it an unlikely winner. He might be right.

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Related From Slate What the Firing and Rehiring of Sam Altman Actually Means Read More

OpenAIs lobbying efforts will be hampered: Altmans pushed an A.I. safety agenda in Washington and globally, becoming a lobbying force. OpenAIs corporate structure lent legitimacy to his efforts. The implicit message: Were the A.I. safety company, not the for-profit, please listen to us and consider the following rules. With the nonprofit boards decision so quickly reversed after pressure from investors (and well-compensated employees), the myth will take a hit. OpenAI will now become one of the pack, without its special sheen, which will change its ability to influence policy.

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A muddy future for A.I. safety: OpenAIs board was supposed to save us from an A.I. apocalypse. Then, it couldnt think three steps ahead in a boardroom coup. Much of the blame rests with the specific individuals. But more broadly, its hard to imagine anyone will have confidence in our ability to stop harmful A.I. should we develop it. (And what if the boards concerns in this area were legitimate?) So the future of the A.I. safety field is in flux.

Chaos and competition: OpenAIs chaos may be its own ladder. It moves forward with a board more sympathetic to accelerating A.I. development. It will work more closely with Microsoft under the new structure, with fewer speed bumps along the way. And it may have some incredible products en route. But the chaos will also be a ladder to those OpenAI was once lapping. And some competitorwhether its Anthropic, Inflection, Google, or otherswill inevitably exploit the moment and rise.
Payroll Vault has been named a top franchise by Franchise Business Review Magazine in its 2020 report. The payroll company is 2020s Top 50 Franchise for Women by the magazine.

It is also ranked at the top of the list of franchises in the financial and tax category Top Franchises for Women Report. Setting itself among the leading franchise companies in the marketplace for the highest levels of satisfaction and performance among their franchisees.

Discover the Zoho Ecosystem Drive Traffic to Your Website Sell Your Business Advertise Your Business Here

Payroll Vault received the accolade among the 307 franchise brands, representing nearly 7,796 female franchise owners. The owners participated in Franchise Business Reviews research on the Top Franchises for Women.

Payroll is also in the Top 3 Outsourced Business Services. Over 90% of the business is in the small business category. Established in 2008, Payroll Vault has been franchising since 2012. Today it has 52 franchises across the US and Canada. The company helps to provide administrative solutions that include managing operations, sales and management.

To operate a Payroll Vault franchise, you need an initial investment of between $42,950  $70,569. The fees are a $400 minimum per month or 6%.

One of the selling points for this franchise is, Payroll Vault offices are up and running 90 days after training. The monthly fee goes to support the payroll software, franchisees website, monthly email newsletter for drip marketing, CRM software, and SEO fee for internet optimization.

Small Business Deals

Its exciting to see so many women entering into the franchising industry and even more so, the Payroll Vault brand. They are flourishing in their local business communities as strong leaders, stated Tricia Petteys, C0-founder of Payroll Vault.

Perks of Franchising

In a franchising arrangement, the franchisor licenses its brand and operating system to a franchisee in exchange for a franchise fee and royalty.

Buying a franchise can be a rewarding business venture as it helps you start a business with limited financial risks. With franchising, you can start a business on a budget as well as benefit from a complete franchise package that includes support, advice and guidance from the franchisor.

Franchising allows those trying to go into entrepreneurship without having to risk making common mistakes of start-up businesses. When it comes to financing banks are more comfortable funding the purchase of a franchise than supporting a business with no track record. Today franchising offers unlimited entry across all industries that include education, finance, food and retail, hospitality, car rentals and others.

Choosing the Right Franchise Business for Women: Our Methodology

To guide you in this exciting decision-making process, weve established a set of criteria that any woman considering a franchise should consider. Weve ranked these criteria on a scale of importance, using a 1-5 rating scale, with 5 being the highest importance and 1 being the lowest:

Passion Alignment (5/5): The franchise should align with your passions and interests, making it a business youre enthusiastic about running. Proven Success (5/5): Look for franchises with a track record of success, including a strong history of profitability and satisfied franchisees. Training and Support (4/5): Adequate training and ongoing support from the franchisor are essential for your success, especially if youre new to the industry. Flexibility (4/5): Consider franchises that offer flexibility in terms of working hours and location, allowing you to balance business ownership with other responsibilities. Financial Viability (5/5): Assess the financial requirements, including the initial investment and ongoing fees, to ensure they align with your budget and financial goals. Market Demand (4/5): Research the demand for the product or service in your target location, as well as the competition in the area. Franchisee Satisfaction (4/5): Reach out to current franchisees to gauge their satisfaction and get insights into the day-to-day operations. Brand Reputation (5/5): A strong and reputable brand can give you a competitive edge and attract customers more easily. Community and Networking (3/5): Consider franchises that offer opportunities for networking and support from a community of fellow franchisees. Work-Life Balance (3/5): Evaluate the work-life balance that the franchise model allows, as this can significantly impact your quality of life.

Franchises for Women

Running a franchise provides both the opportunity to pursue a career and financial security. Running a franchise requires a serious investment of time. But it does allow owners to structure their time with greater flexibility than a traditional job.

The relative ease to buy and operate franchises has seen more women owning their own business. In the past 24 months, 41% of the new franchises launched across America have been by women. This follows a trend spanning the past ten years where there has been a 24% increase in women-owned franchise businesses. While women solely own 26% of the franchises, a further 9% have at least one female partner in the ownership group.

The number of franchise opportunities can be overwhelming, so its critical to examine feedback from other female franchise owners on how well the franchise meets their expectations in terms of support, work/life balance, financial opportunity, and other key areas of business ownership, said Michelle Rowan, President and COO of Franchise Business Review.

The Survey

This year the franchises are based on 33 benchmark questions. The Franchisee Satisfaction Index (FSI) includes factors such as leadership, training and support, financial opportunity, and work/life balance. Personal questions concerning their business lifestyle and overall enjoyment of running their franchise were also part of the index.

According to Franchise Business review the brands on this years list are all excellent options for women looking to make the transition to owning and operating their own business.

The Perks of Franchising: Your Path to Entrepreneurship

Franchising offers a unique avenue for aspiring entrepreneurs, providing a structured framework to start and operate a business with numerous benefits. Here are some of the perks of franchising that make it an appealing choice:

Lower Financial Risk: Franchising allows you to start a business with reduced financial risks compared to launching a new independent venture. The established brand and proven business model increase your chances of success.

Franchising allows you to start a business with reduced financial risks compared to launching a new independent venture. The established brand and proven business model increase your chances of success. Budget-Friendly: Starting a franchise often requires a more manageable initial investment compared to creating a business from scratch. Franchise packages typically include essential support, advice, and guidance from the franchisor.

Starting a franchise often requires a more manageable initial investment compared to creating a business from scratch. Franchise packages typically include essential support, advice, and guidance from the franchisor. Guidance and Support: Franchisors provide comprehensive support, including training, operational assistance, marketing strategies, and ongoing guidance. This support can be invaluable, especially if youre new to entrepreneurship.

Franchisors provide comprehensive support, including training, operational assistance, marketing strategies, and ongoing guidance. This support can be invaluable, especially if youre new to entrepreneurship. Avoiding Common Start-up Mistakes: Franchising provides a structured roadmap, helping you avoid common mistakes made by new businesses. You can leverage the franchisors experience to navigate potential challenges.

Franchising provides a structured roadmap, helping you avoid common mistakes made by new businesses. You can leverage the franchisors experience to navigate potential challenges. Easier Financing: Banks and lenders are more inclined to fund franchise purchases due to the established track record and lower risk associated with recognized brands.

Banks and lenders are more inclined to fund franchise purchases due to the established track record and lower risk associated with recognized brands. Industry Variety: Franchising offers opportunities in various industries, from education and finance to food, retail, hospitality, and more. You can choose a franchise that aligns with your interests and goals.

Franchising offers opportunities in various industries, from education and finance to food, retail, hospitality, and more. You can choose a franchise that aligns with your interests and goals. Community and Networking: Many franchises foster a sense of community among franchisees, providing opportunities for networking, shared experiences, and mutual support.

Many franchises foster a sense of community among franchisees, providing opportunities for networking, shared experiences, and mutual support. Proven Business Model: Franchises come with a tested and proven business model, including established processes and systems that contribute to your success.

Franchises come with a tested and proven business model, including established processes and systems that contribute to your success. Flexibility: While running a franchise requires dedication and hard work, it often offers more flexibility in terms of managing your time compared to traditional employment.

Perk Description Benefits Lower Financial Risk Franchising reduces financial risks by leveraging an established brand and proven business model. Increased chance of business success, Lower risk of financial loss Budget-Friendly Starting a franchise requires a manageable initial investment, often including crucial support and guidance. Affordable entry into entrepreneurship, Access to essential franchisor assistance Guidance and Support Franchisors offer comprehensive support, including training, operational guidance, and marketing strategies. Accelerated learning curve, Minimized chances of costly errors Avoiding Common Start-up Mistakes Franchising provides a structured roadmap, helping you avoid common pitfalls encountered by new businesses. Reduced likelihood of critical mistakes, Faster progress towards profitability Easier Financing Recognized franchise brands make it easier to secure funding from banks and lenders due to lower associated risk. Improved access to financial resources, Greater ease in securing loans Industry Variety Franchising offers opportunities across diverse industries, allowing you to choose a business that aligns with your interests. Flexibility to pursue a passion, Expansive range of business options Community and Networking Many franchises foster a sense of community among franchisees, providing networking opportunities and mutual support. Access to a supportive network, Shared experiences and insights Proven Business Model Franchises come with a tried-and-tested business model, including established processes and systems. Higher likelihood of profitability, Streamlined operations Flexibility While dedication is required, franchising often allows greater flexibility in managing your time compared to traditional employment. Work-life balance, Control over your schedule

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What recognition has Payroll Vault received in the franchising industry?

Payroll Vault was named a top franchise by Franchise Business Review Magazine in its 2020 report. It earned the title of 2020s Top 50 Franchise for Women and was ranked at the top of the list in the financial and tax category for Top Franchises for Women.

How many female franchise owners are associated with Payroll Vault?

Payroll Vault received recognition among 307 franchise brands, representing nearly 7,796 female franchise owners who participated in Franchise Business Reviews research on the Top Franchises for Women.

What types of services does Payroll Vault offer?

Payroll Vault provides administrative solutions, including managing operations, sales, and management, with a focus on payroll services.

What is the initial investment required to operate a Payroll Vault franchise?

To operate a Payroll Vault franchise, an initial investment ranging from $42,950 to $70,569 is required.

What does the monthly fee for a Payroll Vault franchise cover?

The monthly fee for a Payroll Vault franchise supports various aspects, including payroll software, franchisees website, monthly email newsletter for drip marketing, CRM software, and SEO fee for internet optimization.

How quickly can a Payroll Vault franchise be up and running?

One of the selling points of Payroll Vault is that its offices can be up and running within 90 days after training.

What types of support and guidance do franchisors typically offer?

Franchisors provide comprehensive support, including training, operational assistance, marketing strategies, and ongoing guidance to franchisees.

Why is franchising considered a lower financial risk compared to starting an independent venture?

Franchising reduces financial risks due to the established brand, proven business model, and support from the franchisor, increasing the chances of success.

How can I evaluate whether a franchise aligns with my interests and goals?

Consider factors such as passion alignment, proven success, financial viability, market demand, franchisee satisfaction, brand reputation, community and networking opportunities, flexibility, and work-life balance.

Why are banks more comfortable funding franchise purchases?

Banks are more inclined to fund franchise purchases because of the established track record and lower risk associated with recognized franchise brands.

What industries can I explore through franchising?

Franchising offers opportunities across various industries, including education, finance, food, retail, hospitality, and more, allowing you to choose a business that aligns with your interests and goals.

What is the trend in women-owned franchise businesses?

Over the past ten years, there has been a 24% increase in women-owned franchise businesses. In the past 24 months, 41% of new franchises launched in the United States have been owned by women.

What criteria were used to evaluate franchises for women, and how were they ranked?

Franchise Business Review used criteria such as passion alignment, proven success, training and support, flexibility, financial viability, market demand, franchisee satisfaction, brand reputation, community and networking, and work-life balance. These criteria were ranked on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest importance.

What is the Franchisee Satisfaction Index (FSI), and how does it contribute to franchise rankings?

The Franchisee Satisfaction Index includes factors such as leadership, training and support, financial opportunity, and work/life balance. It plays a significant role in determining franchise rankings.

Are franchises a good option for women looking to own and operate their businesses?

Yes, franchises offer a rewarding business venture for women, providing opportunities for entrepreneurship with established support systems and proven models for success.

Where can I find more information about franchises and franchising opportunities?

For detailed information about franchises and available opportunities, you can visit franchisor websites, industry publications, and consult with franchise experts.
Total of 225 tons of ice were used in the dome's creation.

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In previous years, ice structures in the Tatra Ice Cathedral were inspired by architecture from different parts of the world. This year's edition is dedicated to a visit by Queen Elizabeth II.

The cathedral, which is now open to visitors, at the Hrebienok resort has an ice sculpture inspired by Westminster Abbey.

Detailed travel guide to the Tatras introduces you to the whole region around the Tatra mountains, including attractions on the Polish side.

"It was on October 24, 2008, when the British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, visited Hrebienok. In 2023, exactly 15 years have passed since then, and precisely because of this, as a tribute to her Majesty and at the same time as a tribute to her successor, King Charles III, the Tatra Ice Cathedral has arisen again, inspired by Westminster Abbey. It is a temple that is not only the place of coronations, but also the last farewell of British monarchs," said manager of the Tatra Ice Dome Lukas Brodansky, as quoted by the TASR newswire.

"Queen Elizabeth II had a special relationship with the High Tatras and Westminster Abbey has a special relationship with the royal family. I never thought I would have the opportunity to see Westminster Abbey made of ice. We will definitely see a lot of British tourists here and I also believe that it will inspire many Slovaks to visit Great Britain," said Nigel Baker, Ambassador of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, told TASR.

The ambassador unveiled a commemorative plaque commemorating Elizabeth II's visit to the High Tatras. After the closure of the ice cathedral it will find its new home at Hrebienok.

As is tradition, the opening of the dome also means the symbolic opening of the winter season in the High Tatras.

"Let's hope that the winter season will be as good as possible and that visitors will find everything they are looking for in the Tatras. We believe that the British landmark will also bring more guests from Great Britain in connection with the strengthened air lines between the Tatras and London," said Lucia Blaskova, executive director of the Regional Tourism Organisation for the High Tatras.

The main builder of the dome was Adam Bakos, while ice sculptors from Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland and Germany also contributed working under him.

Before entering the cathedral, visitors will find a photo exhibition commemorating Elizabeth II's visit.

The dome also includes an exhibition of miniature replicas of coronation objects dedicated directly to Westminster Abbey. The dome also includes several works by glassblower and designer Achilleas Sdoukos.

In total, 225 tons of ice in 1,800 blocks were used in the production of the cathedral. The tallest point of the building is 11.5 metres and the diameter of the dome in which the building is located is 25 metres. It will be open daily until April 14, 2024 and will also be the venue for 12 music concerts and performances.

https://sk.frame.mapy.cz/s/novazemozu

Spectacular Slovakia travel guides
Move is "in the interest of stability of the coalition", says minister.

March against hate after the terrorist attack on Zamocka Street. (Source: TASR)

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The Health Ministry will scrap expert guidelines regarding gender transition at the request of the Slovak National Party (SNS) party "in the interest of the stability of the government coalition", Health Minister Zuzana Dolinkova (Hlas) said on Tuesday.

The SNS party reportedly would not vote for the government programme in parliament and not suport a vote of confidence if the guidelines were not abolished.

Before his departure in March, ex-minister Vladimir Lengvarsky signed expert guidance on unifying medical procedures to issue a medical opinion on gender transition. It had been approved by a 20-member expert committee a month before. Still, conservative MPs criticised Lengvarsky for the move.

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Related article Everyday fear and discrimination continue to shape queer peoples lives, a survey finds Read more

The regulation ensured a more dignified process of medical transition and healthcare for transgender people and made it possible for transgender people to change their birth number, name and surname without undergoing surgery.

The previous regulation was adopted in 1981 and referred to no longer valid laws. This has made the life of transgender people and the work of doctors complicated for a long time.

The new guidelines were among the demands of LGBT+ initiatives in the wake of the murders of two queer people, Juraj Vankulic and Matus Horvath, in a terror attack on an LGBT+ bar on Zamocka Street in Bratislava in autumn 2022.

In a press release Dolinkova said "this issue will be dealt with comprehensively and professionally by the Health Ministry within during the adoption of the new international classification of diseases". No further details were provided.

SNS has opposed the guidelines for a long time. In October, Environment Minister Tomas Taraba (SNS) made it clear the party wanted to scrap them.

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Related article Conservatives' two proposals to erase transgender people Read more

Earlier this year, a group of conservative MPs submitted an amendment that would make it impossible for transgender people to undergo a legal transition and have their birth number changed in identification documents as it can indicate their sex.

At the time, Hlas chair Peter Pellegrini said the party would not back such a move, but conservative MPs are looking for a way to bring the amendment back.
Oleg Krystiuk runs an international company selling mobile phone and computer accessories.

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Ukrainian entrepreneur Oleg Krystiuk says he has always been a dreamer. And for as long as he can remember he has enjoyed making his dreams come true.

For me, experimenting is the most interesting thing on the journey to achieving a goal, he tells The Slovak Spectator. I enjoy exploring new horizons.

It hasnt always been easy, the Kyiv-born businessman admits. Successful projects have often been followed by failures, but he has never given up. Every success, he says, drove him to set a new goal and start working towards it.

Krystiuk started his first small business in 1992, a year after the break-up of the Soviet Union and Ukraine becoming an independent country, while continuing to do different jobs in several companies in Kyiv. It helped him grow professionally, he says.

One of those jobs was at a Ukrainian computer manufacturing company, and he gradually worked his way up until he was appointed director.

It was interesting to sell products all over Ukraine and take over the market, which we did in the 2000s with Bravo computers, he recalls.

Krystiuk says the move allowed him to fulfil another dream - of showing fellow Ukrainians that a computer was a very ordinary device that would change their life  but it also fuelled an urge to create something of his own.

In 2007 he established his own company, ColorWay, selling mobile phone and computer accessories, ink, cartridges and photo paper. The firm grew to be one of the largest in Ukraine.

Our company helped make printing a photo in an instant an affordable and easy process, he claims. And most importantly, we made people happy because they could print their happiest moments in their own home.

A few years later, the firm began selling products in Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan and in 2012, ColorWay opened its first office in the EU - Krystiuk chose Bratislava.

Today, it has operations in 30 countries from the USA to Hong Kong and its own central warehouse in Samorin, southern Slovakia, from which it supplies its products to Europe and other countries around the world.

And it remains a market leader at home - its products are sold in more than 20,000 retail stores across Ukraine, and before Russias full scale invasion, a ColorWay product was sold every 3-4 seconds in the country.

Despite his business success, Krystiuk remains down to earth.

First of all, Im a human being and - this is very important - a Ukrainian, the 49-year-old says, adding that he is also a son, a husband and a father of three. Last, but not least, Im also a businessman.

video //www.youtube.com/embed/cQqqXaAkjBw

Opening a business in Slovakia

Getting a foothold in European markets was not easy for Krystiuks firm. His experience from post-Soviet countries convinced him he could sell his goods through various distributors, focusing on marketing and brand development from Ukraine, without having to open an office in Europe.

But at a computer trade fair in Germany he found that while there was interest among western European customers in ColorWay products, they were hesitant about having to receive large orders shipped in containers from Ukraine, and instead urged him to build a reputation for ColorWay as a European firm, he recalls.

Try to work for a year or two, and well come back, he was told.

He took the advice on board, but it still took a long time before the Bratislava office was opened  just setting up meetings for the process was a struggle.

Everything was slower compared to Ukraine, the entrepreneur says. Summer began and people went on holiday. A month before Christmas, everyone was preparing for the festive season. Afterwards, everyone was recovering.

Ukrainians are hungry for success and want to achieve their goals immediately, he explains, which made the slow progress frustrating.

The office opened in Bratislava eventually, but Krystiuk reveals that he and his partners had considered other cities in central Europe, too, but that they had all had disadvantages - Hungary was off the table because of the language barrier, Czechia because there were a lot of Russian businesses, and Poland was believed to have a bad business reputation at that time. That Slovakia borders with Ukraine was another plus, as was the similarity between the two countries languages. Slovakias use of the euro was another draw, Krystiuk and his partners agreed.

My partners and I travelled for half a year looking for a place for our warehouse, the entrepreneur said. And as I drove around Slovakia, I realised what a beautiful country it was.

His European partners call Slovakia a big dedina (village)  in a good way - Krystiuk reveals. Although not perfect, he says he has seen a change in the country in recent years, even if Slovaks themselves may not have.

Slovakia has become a much better place to live over the last 10 years, he says.

Read also:

Read also: The Ukrainian who became a fundraiser, debunker and TV personality in Slovakia Read more

Conservative EU citizens

Krystiuk is a firm believer in immersing oneself in any country in which one plans to open a new business so as to better understand local cultural nuances, customers, trends, and the market itself. He argues this knowledge means you can experiment and quickly adjust business strategy.

Over the years, he has learnt that western and central Europeans, including Slovaks, are conservative when it comes to trying new things, being satisfied with what they already have.

If someone opens a new bakery with delicious desserts, no one will go there. Theyll go to the old one where their parents have bought bread for years, he says.

EU citizens aspire to a higher standard of living but do not want to do experiment because they see it as risky, Krystiuk adds. He also believes working less and having more free time is extremely important to people in western and central Europe.

After ColorWay opened its branch in Slovakia, the firm began to establish partnerships with European companies, and today works with different distributors, retail chains, and e-shops across the continent.

We have ambitious goals for our business development in Europe, Krystiuk declares.

However, not everything has gone smoothly in Slovakia. Krystiuk decided to close down the Bratislava office during the pandemic and moved operations to the warehouse in Samorin.

Another problem is finding the right staff. He says that he would like to hire Slovak workers to sell his products, but talented young Slovaks tend to leave the country and those who do come for interviews with him tell him they do not want to work hard or do a stressful job.

It sounds strange to me, he says.

Although ColorWay has shut down its branch in Bratislava, it continues to sell its products around Europe. The sales of its Slovak company, Capital System, grew by 80 percent in 2022, to 1.3 million.

(Source: Facebook/Oleg Krystiuk)

Real faces of Ukraine

The last 18 months has been very difficult for Krystiuk as he has had to watch his fellow Ukrainians suffer following Russias invasion in February 2022.

I dream about our victory and hope that it will happen as soon as possible, he says, adding that it will only be once the war is finished that Ukrainians will be able to start building their own future again. Well create a better Ukraine, one which will be an important part of the EU.

He says he has noticed a change for the worse in Slovaks attitudes towards Ukrainians after the invasion. Meanwhile, against a background of an influx of Ukrainian refugees to Slovakia and various ongoing crises that have impacted society, he has seen how prone Slovak people seem to be to believing disinformation spread from Russia and by pro-Russian parties and propagandists in Slovakia. He says many Slovaks appear to have forgotten about the 1968 Prague Spring and how it was crushed by Warsaw Pact troops invasion of Czechoslovakia.

But at the same time, he points out, there are many Slovaks who support Ukraine and acknowledge the contributions of Ukrainian people to Slovak society.

There are Ukrainians who moved to Slovakia and did not just become wage earners. They have also organised cultural events, achieved things, opened their own businesses, he notes. They are the real faces of Ukraine.

Ukrainians are also responsible for how Slovak people see them, he stresses.

He hopes to see more Ukrainian businesses thrive in Slovakia and elsewhere in Europe.

Ukraine wants to be part of the EU. You need to prepare for this, Krystiuk says before thanking Slovakia for helping Ukraine and providing opportunities for his business.

This story was published with support from the International Press Institute's Ukraine regional reporting fund.
Do you want to enjoy the capital at no cost? Explore Velka Bana hill above Raca or come enjoy the opening of Bratislava Christmas markets with a special program.

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Nature | Music | Christmas

Nature

Autumn in the Kamzik green area in Bratislava on October 18, 2022. (Source: TASR - Dano Veselsky)

Hike to Velka Bana

Meeting point: Saturday, November 25 at Patronka stop at 10:10

This weekend the hikers will set out on a short hike to Velka Bana. They will meet at the Patronka stop for the bus at 10:20, which will take them to Lesopark.

Velka Bana is an unmarked hill above Bratislava's Raca and thus provides a view of this part of the city.

The hike is about 10 km, taking approximately 3 hours of walking. You can expect to walk up some minor increases in elevation, and walking on mostly marked trails.

If you would like to go on the hike later, see the map below.

https://sk.frame.mapy.cz/s/monojepuzo

Music

Kafe Scherz. (Source: Citylife.sk)

Jam session at Kafe Scherz

Sunday, November 26 at 20:00 in Kafe Scherz, Palisady 27

If you like music, then live-music venue Kafe Scherz is the place to be on Sunday. Take advantage of the opportunity, come and play or sing, joining some top rhythms at the Kafe Scherz music club.

Whether you sing or play a musical instrument  or just like listening or watching as others make music  come and enjoy the last day of the weekend in the company of some talented artists.

There's even a jam session where you can play with the Gabriel Jonas Trio in the cast: Gabriel Jonas, Juraj Kalasz and Jakub Valicek.

https://sk.frame.mapy.cz/s/fofubetalo

Christmas

Bratislava Christmas (Source: BKIS Lucia Benedigova)

Bratislava Christmas

Start: November 24 at 18:00 on Main Square in Bratislava

The official opening of the Bratislava Christmas celebrations is this Friday at 18:15. You can participate in lighting up the Christmas tree on the Main Square together.

Everyone who takes part will stir up the magical atmosphere of Christmas at the Main and Old Town Christmas Markets. The evening will be enriched musically by the Bratislava Hot Serenaders Orchestra and the Bratislava Children's Choir.

Also you can look forward to several concerts that will take place at the Christmas Market on November 25 and 26 at 19:30.

https://sk.frame.mapy.cz/s/pagehajasu

If you have tips for free events in Bratislava or you would like to share your hiking or cycling trip ideas with readers, let us know at kseniia.husieva@spectator.sk.
The plant will be built in Nitra Region.

The Slovak government and the Slovak-Chinese company GIB sign a deal on Wednesday, November 22, 2023. (Source: Government Office)

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Gotion InoBat Batteries (GIB), a firm established by the Slovak firm InoBat and the Chinese firm Gotion High-Tech, will build the first battery plant in Slovakia.

The government announced the investment on Thursday.

Surany, a town in the Nitra Region, and its local industrial park, will become home to the new factory producing batteries for electric vehicles.

Initially, the Volkswagen concern was said to be considering the construction of a battery plant in Surany or elsewhere in central Europe. Earlier this month, Czech PM Petr Fiala said that the company put its plan on hold due to the low sales of electric cars.

Slovakia will provide subsidies

The construction of the GIB plant should start next year.

Slovakia will provide land, subsidies and connection to the electric grid. The Nitra Region is home to a Jaguar Land Rover car plant, which plans to produce the first e-cars by the end of the decade.

With the support of the Slovak government, Gotion has the ambition of building the most advanced battery factory with a zero carbon footprint not only in Europe, but even on the global level, said the Chinese companys board member Li Zhen on November 22.

The full launching of battery production is expected in 2026. About 1,500 workers should find a job at the plant.

Zhen added that he hopes Slovakia will not only be the world leader in the production of cars per capita, but also in the production of batteries per capita in the future.

The plants production capacity will be 20 gigawatt hours in the first phase, with future potential to reach a capacity of up to 40 gigawatt hours, the government added.

Shining on the tech map

The Economy Ministry did not disclose the amount of the investment.

It noted that Slovakia has the opportunity to shine again on the map of countries with technologically advanced industry thanks to the successful Slovak firm.

Our government is the guarantor of a stable and predictable political and legal environment, as well as the guarantor of professionalism in managing the country, said PM Robert Fico of the ruling Smer party.

The Slovak Battery Alliance has also welcomed the signing of the agreement between Slovakia and the Slovak-Chinese firm.

A large number of Slovak companies can benefit from the giga factory, said the alliances chair Andrea Strakova Fedorkova.

Gotion High-Tech is one of the top 3 global battery conglomerates and the exclusive supplier for Volkswagen (VW) outside of China. VW also owns a 24.77 percent stake in Gotion High-Tech and is the companys largest shareholder.
The states fight against disinformation has weakened.

Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (l) and Head of the Government Office Juraj Gedra. (Source: TASR)

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In early November, Prime Minister Robert Ficos Chief of Staff Juraj Gedra (Smer) shared a video on Facebook in which he slammed the teams at several ministries and the Government Office, which have been fighting Russias influence operations.

Political activists will no longer dictate the right opinion to Slovaks, Gedra said, promising to fix the problem at least at the Office he is responsible for.

In addition to the Government Office, the undersupported teams operate at the Foreign Ministry, the Defence Ministry and the Interior Ministry. Most were formed after the parliamentary election in 2020.

But Gedras claim goes against the governments plan to fight hybrid threats.
PM Fico will visit Czechia on Friday, first battery plant in Slovakia, and free Bratislava events.

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Good evening. Here is the Thursday, November 23 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.

Hauliers will decide on a blockade over the weekend

In the picture, a 16-kilometre long tailback from the Vysne Nemecke border crossing to the village of Nizna Rybnica in the Sobrance district in the early evening of November 10, 2023. (Source: TASR)

On Saturday, the Slovak Hauliers Union (UNAS) will decide on whether hauliers will continue to block the border crossing in Vysne Nemecke.

The crossing point with Ukraine has come under pressure following the blockade of four Polish border crossings with Ukraine in recent weeks. Polish hauliers demand the EU reintroduce a permit system to limit the number of Ukrainian lorries entering the EU. Slovak hauliers have supported the initiative.

UNAS blocked the Vysne Nemecke border crossing for an hour last week. Today, the association is saying that the blockade will make sense only if Hungarian hauliers also join in. UNAS is threatening to block the crossing point completely if the Commission doesnt act.

The Slovak Transport Ministry backed UNAS on Thursday, claiming that Hungary holds a similar opinion. The ministry also asked hauliers to not block the crossing point for now.

The Slovak police have overseen the traffic situation near the border crossing up until now.

More stories from The Slovak Spectator website

If you like what we are doing and want to support good journalism, buy our online subscription with no ads and a print copy of The Slovak Spectator sent to your home in Slovakia. Thank you.

FEATURE STORY FOR THURSDAY

He made Ukrainians happy. Later, he decided to bring joy to EU citizens

ColorWay founder Oleg Krystiuk. (Source: LinkedIn)

Ukrainian entrepreneur Oleg Krystiuk says he has always been a dreamer. And for as long as he can remember he has enjoyed making his dreams come true. One of his dreams was to create something of his own. In 2007 he founded his own firm, ColorWay, which also operates in Slovakia.

SAVE THE DATE

A silent film with live music

video //www.youtube.com/embed/0fHxjbigh3U

The Austrian Cultural Centre in Bratislava will screen the Austrian expressionist film, The City Without Jews (1924), on December 6. During the silent film, live music performed by violinist Alicia Svigals and pianist Donald Sosin.

The free screening starts at 18:00. However, registration is required at pressburg-kf@bmeia.gv.at

In other news

Former teacher Michal Bilisnansky, 41, ha been sentenced to four years in prison for sexually abusing 17 boys aged 12 to 13 during a ski camp in 2021. Bilisnansky suffers from ephebophilia (sexual interest in mid-to-late adolescents). The state sent 5,200 each to 17 children as part of compensation for being victims of violent crimes. (Korzar)

Bilisnansky suffers from ephebophilia (sexual interest in mid-to-late adolescents). The state sent 5,200 each to 17 children as part of compensation for being victims of violent crimes. (Korzar) The Finance Ministry is preparing a bill that would introduce a tax on sweetened soft drinks. The ministry argues that it wants to motivate people to live a healthier lifestyle. It adds that about 50 countries have introduced a similar tax.

The ministry argues that it wants to motivate people to live a healthier lifestyle. It adds that about 50 countries have introduced a similar tax. All pensioners will receive the 13th pension, ranging from 50 to 300, as well as a one-off bonus of 300 in 2023. The bonus will cost the state 440 million.

The bonus will cost the state 440 million. Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (Hlas) faced a vote of no-confidence for police purges on Thursday in the parliament. Be careful about the word revenge. We are talking about the application of legal regulations, said PM Robert Fico (Smer) in defense of his minister. The minister has the right to surround himself with people he trusts, Fico added. The opposition described Sutaj Estok, who had talked in the chamber for more than an hour, as arrogant for suspending and bullying some police investigators. Prior to the parliamentary election, Fico and Sutaj Estok, in particular, had talked about taking revenge on the police officers investigating corruption linked to the previous Smer-led governments. Those officers are currently protected thanks to the whistle-blower status and cannot be fired, but the minister argues that they should not have been granted the status. The court is currently deciding on the cases of selected suspended police officers.

Be careful about the word revenge. We are talking about the application of legal regulations, said PM Robert Fico (Smer) in defense of his minister. The minister has the right to surround himself with people he trusts, Fico added. The opposition described Sutaj Estok, who had talked in the chamber for more than an hour, as arrogant for suspending and bullying some police investigators. Prior to the parliamentary election, Fico and Sutaj Estok, in particular, had talked about taking revenge on the police officers investigating corruption linked to the previous Smer-led governments. Those officers are currently protected thanks to the whistle-blower status and cannot be fired, but the minister argues that they should not have been granted the status. The court is currently deciding on the cases of selected suspended police officers. Austria will continue to carry out border checks with Slovakia until it is necessary, Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said on Thursday . The Schengen Area is not working today, he noted.

. The Schengen Area is not working today, he noted. Deputy Environment Minister Filip Kuffa (SNS nom.) and Agriculture Minister Richard Takac (Smer) announced the intention to cancel the Mala Fatra National Park and replace it with a nature park, in which a lower level of protection would apply. (Dennik N)

The Jahodna ski resort near Kosice on November 23, 2023. (Source: TASR)

WEATHER FOR FRIDAY: Large cloud cover during the day. In most areas, rain or showers. At higher altitudes, snowfall. Rare black ice.

The first-level wind warning will be in place in the districts of Bratislava, Senec, Pezinok and Dunajska Streda from tonight (21:00 on Thursday - 8:00 on Friday). The first-level black ice warning will be in place in the Presov Region and some districts in the Zilina and Kosice Regions from midnight until Friday morning. (SHMU)

Thank you for subscribing and reading. It means a lot to us.

P.S. If you have suggestions on how our news overview can be improved, you can reach us at editorial@spectator.sk.

Follow The Slovak Spectator on Facebook and Instagram (@slovakspectator).
https://sputnikglobe.com/20231122/rainbow-bridge-explosion-whats-known-so-far-about-us-canada-border-incident-1115150947.html

Rainbow Bridge Explosion: What's Known So Far About US-Canada Border Incident

Rainbow Bridge Explosion: What's Known So Far About US-Canada Border Incident

The car explosion occurred on the bridge over Niagara Falls at the US-Canada border. The FBI is investigating the incident as an attempted terrorist attack.

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niagara falls

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New York Gov. Kathy Hochul revealed late Wednesday during a news conference that the deadly explosion that took place at the Rainbow Bridge at the US-Canada border had "no indication" of being connected to a terrorist attack.The governor detailed that "nothing" but the engine of the vehicle managed to survive the explosion, underscoring that it would "take a long time" to fully grasp exactly what happened. Hochul added that no explosive devices had been found at the scene, shutting down earlier misreporting on the matter.It was further confirmed that the two individuals who were inside the vehicle were deceased, and that one border patrol official who was inside the checkpoint booth had sustained injuries. That official has since been released from the hospital following treatment.Hochul went on to note that while officials could not yet confirm the origin of the vehicle, "there is suspicion that the vehicle may have originated" in the vicinity of an area casino.The bridge will remain closed until further notice as the investigation into the explosion remains ongoing; however, the three additional border crossings between the US and Canada have since been reopened. The cause of the explosion remains unclear.Earlier media reports citing insider sources stated the vehicle stopped at an initial security checkpoint but ultimately exploded after crashing into a barrier in a secondary screening location. The vehicle was traveling from the US toward the checkpoint into Canada.Video footage released by the US Customs and Border Protection Agency captured the vehicle driving at an excessively high speed before crashing into a barrier. Hochul had described watching video of the incident as "surreal."One individual who witnessed the incident told media it appeared as though the vehicle was traveling "over 100 miles an hour."Early on in the investigation, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau relayed to the public that officials were "taking this extraordinarily seriously," and that "additional measures are being contemplated and activated at all border crossings across the country."The FBI previously described the situation as "very fluid" and noted it was working in coordination with local authorities.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20231122/dramatic-footage-captures-moment-car-exploded-on-us-canada-border-bridge-1115149936.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20231122/resurfaced-audio-captures-house-speaker-johnson-blasting-humans-as-inherently-evil-1115149714.html

Resurfaced Audio Captures House Speaker Johnson Blasting Humans as Inherently Evil

Resurfaced Audio Captures House Speaker Johnson Blasting Humans as Inherently Evil

Newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is garnering increased attention for comments he made in the past.

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planned parenthood

clarence thomas

supreme court

mike johnson

us house of representatives

speaker of the house

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House Speaker Mike Johnson, who was elected to the position by the lower congressional chamber in October, referred to abortion as an American holocaust and said that the health care group Planned Parenthood sees people living in cities as easy prey.The comments and others that have recently garnered attention come from interview segments Johnson gave over the years.In one clip, Johnson asserted that humans are inherently evil and said it is the governments responsibility to restrain their behavior.One of the primary purposes of the law in civil government is to restrain evil, Johnson said in 2010.According to US media, which played some clips and described others, Johnson also highlighted his opposition to same-sex couples adopting children and argued that homosexuality was a "behavior" which made it not protected under anti-discrimination laws.One clip showed Johnson defending Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas suggestion that the Supreme Court reconsider several landmark cases the same day the high court overturned Roe v. Wade, ending federal abortion protections.At the time, Thomas wrote a concurring opinion in the case that stated the court should reconsider Griswold v. Connecticut, which established the right to contraception; Lawrence v. Texas, which legalized same-sex intercourse; and Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized same-sex marriage.Johnson said that Thomas opinion is not radical, calling it the opposite of that. However, his office has since clarified that he believes those cases to be settled law.In one clip, Johnson asserts that humans are inherently evil and said it is the governments responsibility to restrain their behavior.One of the primary purposes of the law in civil government is to restrain evil, Johnson said in 2010. We have to acknowledge collectively that man is inherently evil and needs to be restrained. Thats see, thats the problem with the radical left. They dont acknowledge a God.The various clips gained renewed attention after being compiled for an investigative piece intended to highlight Johnson's beliefs and past remarks in the face of his quick rise to the House leadership.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20231123/csto-collective-security-council-meeting-to-take-place-in-minsk-on-thursday-1115156014.html

CSTO Collective Security Council Meeting to Take Place in Minsk on Thursday

CSTO Collective Security Council Meeting to Take Place in Minsk on Thursday

A session of the CSTO Collective Security Council will be held in Minsk on Thursday under the chairmanship of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

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alexander lukashenko

kazakhstan

minsk

collective security treaty organization (csto)

csto

vladimir putin

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The leaders of the CSTO member states are expected to discuss topical issues of global and regional security, identify the objectives for the near future and sign a number of documents aimed at maintaining and strengthening security in the region. Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend the session in person. He will also hold a bilateral meeting with his Kazakh counterpart, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, and hold talks with Lukashenko on the sidelines of the event.The Collective Security Treaty Organization is a military alliance consisting of six countries: Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan. The organization aims to promote regional security and stability, as well as to coordinate joint military efforts.The organization has participated in several peacekeeping missions and joint military exercises.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20231101/putin-lukashenko-discuss-preparations-for-csto-collective-security-council-talks--kremlin-1114639176.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20231123/dems-fear-ukraine-might-not-survive-until-2024-as-house-stonewalls-funding-1115166882.html

Dems Fear Ukraine Might Not 'Survive' Until 2024 as House Stonewalls Funding

Dems Fear Ukraine Might Not 'Survive' Until 2024 as House Stonewalls Funding

The crisis in the Middle East, the possibility of a government shutdown and the election of a new House speaker have shifted Washingtons attention away from Ukraine, with officials in the Pentagon and civilian agencies sending increasingly desperate warning signals that theyre running out of cash to sink into NATOs proxy war against Russia.

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White House officials and Democratic lawmakers lobbying for the extension of US economic and military assistance to Ukraine have sounded the alarm over GOP House Speaker Mike Johnsons perceived foot-dragging in setting up a vote on the issue.Citing recent attempts to include Ukraine funding into omnibus, must-pass funding measures, Democratic lawmakers pointed out that the next stopgap funding bill wont be coming until late January or early February of 2024, and expressed fears about whether Kiev can hold out for that long.We have to bear down, get this done and get this supplemental passed soon because the brave Ukrainians who are fighting as winter is coming are looking at losing the supplies theyve needed for ammunition, for missiles, for drones, for defense, for armor, and we cannot possibly afford to abandon Ukraine, his colleague, Democratic Senator Chris Coons concurred.Johnson and his conservative Republican colleagues in the House of Representatives torpedoed President Joe Bidens proposed $105 billion all-in-one funding bill this month containing money for Ukraine, Israel, cash for US brinksmanship with China in the Pacific, and the border crisis, instead pushing through a stopgap measure preventing a government shutdown and assuring funding for government services, but not a cent more. The bill passed the Senate, and President Biden reluctantly signed it, despite earlier threats by the White House to veto the measure.For the Pentagon and US civilian agencies tasked with doling out cash to Kiev, Johnsons reluctance to tee up a vote on Ukraine poses a real danger, with US military officials warning earlier this month that there was only about $1 billion remaining in the Ukraine war chest, and a USAID administrator revealing that its funds for direct budgetary support were all gone.Senior White House aides informed media that part of the administrations problem with Johnson is that it does not yet have a clear read on the politicians negotiating style, and expressed concerns that the speaker may not be as malleable as his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy to backroom side deals (which helped culminate in McCarthys ouster).The US' pro-Ukraine lobbyists expect to hold a vote on funding for Kiev and other spending priorities, including Israel and the border, in the Senate after Thanksgiving, where the neoconservative wing of the GOP led by Minority Leader Mitch McConnell continues to play the decisive role. But in that chamber, Democrats and Republicans have run into other problems, with the White House disagreeing with Senate Republicans proposed hardline immigration and border-related positions, such as a lack of "path to citizenship" measures for millions of illegal immigrants living in the country.If our Republican colleagues demand too much in this negotiation, we wont be able to get it passed in the Senate and then in the House, Senator Coons said.Zelenskys TroublesWhatever Washington decides, it will need to do it quickly. Kiev has been engaged in a desperate search for more cash since at least September, with the conflict with Russia eating away at more and more of the nations budget, and Americas allies tamping down their assistance, as Ukraines debt rapidly approaches 100 percent of GDP, and vulture funds that pumped tens of billions of their own dollars into the country searching for a return on their investment.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20231123/uber-alles-germany-to-choose-lifeline-for-its-embattled-economy-over-ukraine-aid-1115159618.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20231121/it-keeps-growing-and-growing-ukraines-national-debt-in-decade-since-maidan-coup-1115115204.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20231123/fast-lane-for-ukraine-eu-membership-fraught-with-geostrategic-disaster---austrian-fm--1115165331.html

'Fast Lane' For Ukraine EU Membership Fraught With 'Geostrategic Disaster' - Austrian FM

'Fast Lane' For Ukraine EU Membership Fraught With 'Geostrategic Disaster' - Austrian FM

Setting Ukraine on the fast lane towards European Union (EU) membership would be fraught with a geopolitical disaster, warned Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg.

2023-11-23T14:06+0000

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Putting Ukraine in the fast lane towards European Union (EU) membership would be fraught with geopolitical disaster, warned Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg.Brussels should not be looking at Ukraines EU bid through rose-tinted glasses, the politician told FT.While the European Commission recommended launching talks with Ukraine and Moldova on membership, regarding Bosnia it clarified that this should only begin once the necessary degree of compliance with the membership criteria is achieved. Schallenberg, however, cautioned Brussels against looking at the western Balkans with a magnifying glass while adopting a much more condescending stance towards Kiev.However, Schallenberg stopped short of confirming whether Austria might consider vetoing the launch of Ukraines membership talks over Bosnia, adding that talks with Brussels were going in the right direction already.It should be noted that both former and current European officials have offered contradictory opinions on Ukraine's prospects for EU membership. European Council President Charles Michel said earlier that Ukraine could become a member of the bloc by 2030 if "both sides do their homework," "actively and steadily carry out reforms, fight corruption and comply with legal conditions." EU chief diplomat Josep Borrell, on the other hand, warned that the 2030 target was just a political horizon, not a hard-set commitment.Former European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker warned against making any false promises to the Ukrainians, adding that anyone who has anything to do with Ukraine knows that this is a country that is corrupt at all levels of society, and, as such, remains ineligible to join.In Austria, the leader of the opposition Freedom Party of Austria (FPO), Herbert Kickl, stated on last week that it is "madness" for the European Union to seek the accession of Ukraine."Wanting to admit a country in the middle of a war into the EU is an act of political madness," Kickl was quoted as saying in an FPO statement. According to him, Ukraine's accession to the EU "would mean its [Austria's] direct involvement" in the West's ongoing proxy war against Russia.Meanwhile, Hungarys Prime Minister Viktor Orban recently warned that his country may block the start of accession talks with Ukraine. Hungary will never agree to link the issue of paying Ukraine from the European Union budget and its admission into the bloc with the return of frozen money from EU funds to Budapest, Orban said.Orban stressed that Kiev is not ready to start talks on its EU membership in any way, and "this is a clear Hungarian position."

https://sputnikglobe.com/20231006/backing-ukraines-bid-for-eu-membership-simply-suicidal---polish-journalist-1113981645.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230929/orban-eu-may-have-given-hungarian-money-to-ukraine-1113790834.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20231123/israel-hamas-reach-deal-after-heated-debate-in-knesset-1115143734.html

Israel, Hamas Reach Deal After Heated Debate in Knesset

Israel, Hamas Reach Deal After Heated Debate in Knesset

On this episode of Fault Lines, hosts Jamarl Thomas and Melik Abdul discussed a wide range of topics from around the world, including the prisoner exchange deal that was reached on Tuesday night between Israel and Hamas.

2023-11-23T10:00+0000

2023-11-23T10:00+0000

2023-11-23T10:00+0000

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Israel, Hamas Reach Deal After Heated Debate in Knesset On this episode of Fault Lines, hosts Jamarl Thomas and Melik Abdul discussed a wide range of topics from around the world, including the prisoner exchange deal that was reached on Tuesday night between Israel and Hamas.

In the first hour, Fault Lines spoke to cartoonist Ted Rall about the recent figures that showed presidential candidate Robert Kennedy Jr.'s significant boost in favorability in comparison to the likes of Donald Trump and Joe Biden.In the second hour, journalist and podcaster Peter Coffin spoke to Fault Lines about the Media Matters and Elon Musk saga, amid the recent filing of a lawsuit against the media watchdog.In the final hour, lawyer and activist Dimitri Lascaris broke down the Hamas-Israel prisoner exchange and what this means going forward in the Gaza conflict.The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the position of Sputnik.We'd love to get your feedback at radio@sputniknews.comCatch us in the US at 105.5FM, 104.7FM, 102.9FM, 1390AM, 1140AM

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fault lines, situation in gaza, hamas-israel deal, prisoner exchange in gaza, media matters and elon musk saga, robert kennedy jr. popularity
https://sputnikglobe.com/20231123/its-like-a-show-for-them---journalist-blasts-west-for-ukraine-crisis-stance-1115169160.html

'It's Like a Show for Them' - Journalist Blasts West for Ukraine Crisis Stance

'It's Like a Show for Them' - Journalist Blasts West for Ukraine Crisis Stance

In a recent radio discussion, Moscow-based journalist and writer Sonja Van Den Ende offered a critical view on the current Ukraine conflict, suggesting that the US is leading Europe into a severe crisis while waging a proxy war in Ukraine.

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Sonja Van Den Ende told Sputnik that European countries, particularly Germany, are facing economic challenges, making their continuous support for Ukraine unsustainable. The speaker stated that "Germany is bankrupt... they don't have the money anymore," and emphasized the dire situation in the country, where "pensioners are eating from the garbage bins." This financial strain, according to her, is a direct result of misplaced priorities, such as funding Ukraine while neglecting domestic challenges. The situation in Ukraine, as Van Den Ende sees it, is part of a longer conflict that is being misrepresented by Western media. She criticized the Western narrative, which alleges that the conflict began in 2022. The writer asserted that it dates back to the 2014 Euromaidan protests and the subsequent violent coup d'etat in Ukraine. Van Den Ende expressed concern about the growing public unrest in both the US and Europe due to these policies. She noted the increasing homelessness and societal challenges, warning of potential riots and social collapse if the current trajectory continues. The journalist also criticized the Western media for spreading misinformation about the Ukraine crisis, urging a need for awareness and a shift in public opinion to prevent further escalation.Regarding the possibility of the US reducing its support for Ukraine, Van Den Ende predicted the significant implications of such a development. "Europe is going the same way as the US," she warned, suggesting that a reduction in US support could exacerbate Europe's economic and social crises. Commenting on the public opinion in Europe towards the Ukraine crisis, the speaker complained about the massive propaganda bombardment preventing people from understanding the true picture. Van Den Ende blasted the total ignorance of Europeans and Americans about the conflict, stating that people in the West know nothing other than what their media tells them.However, Van Den Ende believes that as soon as Westerners start to recognize where their taxes are going, whom they are helping, then they will start asking their governments questions regarding the reasons for their economic downfall.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20231115/germanys-energy-woes-spark-deindustralization-on-considerable-scale-1114980581.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20231022/us-forbade-ukraine-to-make-peace-with-russia-in-march-2022---former-german-chancellor-1114405707.html

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Humanitarian Pause in Gaza to Begin at 07:00 AM Local time on Friday - Qatar

The humanitarian pause in the Gaza Strip will begin at 7 am local time (05:00 am GMT), the Qatari Foreign Ministry said, adding that Hamas will release first hostages at 04:00 pm on that day.

The humanitarian pause in Gaza will begin at 7 am on Friday November 24, the ministry wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, adding that first hostages will be released "at 4pm on Friday November 24.

In total, 13 Israeli women and children will be released on the first day of the humanitarian pause, the ministry said.

Qatar has completed talks with all particles and truce mediators in the Gaza Strip, according to the ministry.

The list of hostages that will be released has been handed to the Israeli Intelligence Services, the statement read.

Qatar expects that the humanitarian pause will facilitate reaching the agreement on a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Mohammed Al-Ansari stated on Thursday.

"We hope that this humanitarian truce will lead to the beginning of greater work to achieve a permanent truce and lasting peace," Al-Ansari told the Qatari state news agency QNA.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20231123/more-americans-say-they-are-tired-of-paying-for-ukraine-1115152925.html

More Americans Say They Are Tired of Paying for Ukraine

More Americans Say They Are Tired of Paying for Ukraine

Polling shows that the American people are becoming war weary in the wallet, when it comes to the support the Biden Administration, with the help of Congress have pledged for Ukraine. The Backstory's host Rachel Blevins looks at how the "unwavering support" of Western governments is falling apart in the minds of their constituents.

2023-11-23T10:54+0000

2023-11-23T10:54+0000

2023-11-23T10:54+0000

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More Americans Say They Are Tired of Paying For Ukraine Polling shows that the American people are becoming war weary in the wallet, when it comes to the support the Biden Administration, with the help of Congress have pledged for Ukraine. On this episode of The Backstory, host Rachel Blevins looks at how the "unwavering support" of Western governments is falling apart in the minds of their constituents.

In the first segment, Rachel interviewed journalist Sonja Van Den Ende on the recent election in the Netherlands, where initial exit polls show the right-wing Party for Freedom claiming the majority of seats. Sonja talked about possible reasons behind this outcome and what it could mean for the country. Among the issues facing the Dutch people are the farmer protests, a migrant crisis, and the standard of living for the Dutch. Meanwhile, Germany has pledged another $1.4 billion in aid to Ukraine's military, as European countries are becoming increasingly reliant on US foreign policy. But as Sonja explained, it's leading to a decrease in their internal standards of living. If the US is not able to provide financial support for Ukraine moving forward, she predicted a rise in unrest led by those facing poverty could be inevitable.In the second segment, Rachel was joined by David Tawil, CEO of Pro-Chain Capital, to discuss the latest drama in the technology world. It's not every day that we see a record-breaking penalty being issued, but that's what happened to Binance, which received a whopping $4.3 billion fine from the Treasury Department, who found willful negligence in reporting suspicious transactions with sanctioned groups and countries. These decisions are sure to have far-reaching implications for the U.S. crypto community, which has seen a surge in cryptocurrency prices since the news broke. Rachel and David also discussed the OpenAI drama, where Sam Altman's sudden ouster as CEO caused shockwaves in the tech industryonly for him to return as the head of the company less than a week later. He held a level of influence so great that employees were willing to up and leave. David said this was an unprecedented event, and it goes to show the lengths that some companies go to, in order to retain their employees in the fast moving world of AI.Then Rachel and George Szamuely, Senior Research Fellow at the Global Policy Institute, talked about the ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas that has been hailed as a significant relief for the people of the region, given its humanitarian implications. George noted, however, that it is too early yet to assess the largest significance of this delicate deal. What is becoming clear though, is that Israel's international standing is rapidly declining. With mounting civilian casualties from their bombardment and a perceived lack of military objectives achieved, public opinion is turning against Israel. George pointed out that even the public in the EU, ordinarily the staunchest supporters of their political elites, are losing patience with the continual repetition of similar messages from the US administration. It is clear that Israel's political and military decisions have serious consequences not only for themselves, but for the wider global community. On the 60th anniversary of the assignation of JFK, Rachel closed with two guests of the open questions that still remain. If you're one of the many Americans who think the official story of JFK's assassination is a total sham, you're in good company. Tyler Nixon, an attorney, media relations specialist, and political analyst, has been studying this event for four decades. Having recently attended a conference in Dallas dedicated to uncovering the truth about Kennedy's death, he said he strongly believes that the Warren Commission was a complete farce. In his view, JFK's assassination was part of an orchestrated coup by a deep state cabal, and the government has been lying and covering up their involvement in the matter ever since. Tyler points out that Clint Hill, a Secret Service agent on the scene, ought to be held accountable for his role in allowing Kennedy to be murdered in broad daylight.Then Rachel spoke to John Kiriakou, a former CIA Officer and Co-Host of Political Misfits, who said there is evidence of a deep state operating outside of government accountability; Indeed. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is campaigning for transparency within government, pushing for the declassification of files surrounding JFK's death. And Kiriakou noted that's for good reasonas it's widely believed that elements within the CIA were involved in the president's assassination due to lingering resentment over his role in the Bay of Pigs incident. Kiriakou also discussed the recent revelation from one of the two surviving Secret Service agents who found an unscathed bullet at the scene. He noted that it raises serious questions about the origin and why it wasn't bagged for evidence. With all of this in mind, Kiriakou said there is no denying that there is much more to the story of JFK's assassination than we have been led to believe.The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the position of Sputnik.We'd love to get your feedback at radio@sputniknews.comCatch us in the US at 105.5FM, 104.7FM, 102.9FM, 1390AM, 1140AM

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20231123/musk-takes-on-media-matters-1115151399.html

Musk Takes on Media Matters

Musk Takes on Media Matters

On this episode of The Final Countdown, hosts Ted Rall and Angie Wong discussed the prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Hamas, and Elon Musk's bombshell lawsuit against Media Matters.

2023-11-23T10:15+0000

2023-11-23T10:15+0000

2023-11-23T10:15+0000

the final countdown

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Musk Takes on Media Matters On this episode of The Final Countdown, hosts Ted Rall and Angie Wong discussed the prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Hamas, and Elon Musk's bombshell lawsuit against Media Matters.

The show kicks off with political commentator Steve Loeb, who shares his perspective on the Hamas-Israel prisoner exchange.Then, Army Infantry veteran Tyler Nixon weighed in on presidential candidate Robert Kennedy Jr.'s significant boost in popularity comparing to his mainstream candidates.In the second hour, RT Host Scottie Nell Hughes spoke to The Final Countdown about Elon Musk's lawsuit against the watchdog Media Matters.The show closes with veteran news anchor Manila Chan, who breaks down the stress of airline travel during the holidays amid layoffs, shortages, and bad weather.The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the position of Sputnik.We'd love to get your feedback at radio@sputniknews.comCatch us in the US at 105.5FM, 104.7FM, 102.9FM, 1390AM, 1140AM

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20231123/project-nyx-alpha-what-will-uk-do-with-new-cyprus-based-space-surveillance-telescope-1115171672.html

Project Nyx Alpha: What Will UK Do With New Cyprus-Based Space Surveillance Telescope?

Project Nyx Alpha: What Will UK Do With New Cyprus-Based Space Surveillance Telescope?

A dark horse UK-based company has been awarded a contract to build and operate a new space domain awareness telescope at a British military base in Cyprus. Sputnik reached out to one of Russias leading space researchers for insights on the projects possible goals, and its geopolitical implications for Britain, its allies and adversaries.

2023-11-23T16:21+0000

2023-11-23T16:21+0000

2023-11-23T17:36+0000

analysis

natan eismont

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SpaceFlux, a previously unheard of company created a year ago to tackl[e] the problem of space congestion in view of rising satellite deployment, has won what it says are lucrative contracts with Britains military and the civilian space agency to provide space domain awareness services via a network of ground-based optical telescopes and sensor systems across five continents.The military contract, signed with UK Space Command, will necessitate the construction, operation and maintenance of a new telescope at one of Britains military bases on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. The project lays at the heart of an MoD initiative known as Project Nyx Alpha, a military space domain awareness program designed to prevent British satellites and spacecraft from colliding with or being damaged by space junk and foreign nations spacecraft, accidentally or otherwise.Space domain awareness underpins our ability to protect and defend UK and allied interests in space, UK Space Command chief Paul Godfrey said in the MoDs announcement of the program.Little is known about the mystery innovative UK space company behind the project. British government records indicate that SpaceFlux is registered in London, and that its CEO, one Marco Rocchetto, a 34-year-old British/Italian dual national businessman with a PhD in astrophysics and experience in data analytics, management, robotics, and telescope technology.As for the telescope, little information about it has been made available, apart from the expectation that it will increase Britains orbital surveillance and targeting capabilities. The project is expected to already be up and running by next spring, and to be operated from the Space Operations Centre at the Royal Air Forces base at High Wycombe, southern England. Cyprus was ostensibly picked due to its status as an optimal vantage point for monitoring objects and spacecraft in geostationary orbits, some 36,000 km above Earths equator.Britain maintains two gigantic sovereign base areas on Cyprus in the south of the island, meaning the ability to keep the new telescope facility free of any unwanted prying eyes, if needed. The island is already known to be home to a top secret British internet surveillance hub, and to have played a key role in NATOs surveillance and nuclear capabilities in the Mediterranean going back to the Cold War, despite Cypruss formally non-aligned status.Wide Spectrum of TasksPutting the new surveillance telescope in Cyprus will be convenient for solving a wide spectrum of tasks for London, Dr. Natan Eismont, a leading researcher at the Russian Academy of Sciences Space Research Institute, told Sputnik.One of the elements of the convenience of this location is good climate, the researcher explained, noting that although Cyprus is situated in the Mediterranean, its atmosphere is quite dry.As for the capabilities SpaceFlux and by extension Britain will receive from the telescopes use, the Russian researcher indicated as far as their publically stated goals are concerned, the Cyprus facility will definitely assist in the tasks of looking out for space objects among the most congested areas around the planet, including space junk.Optical telescopes can look out for space junk that cannot be spotted using radio telescopes, which can detect objects larger than about 10 centimeters. Detecting objects smaller than that requires the use of optical telescopes. To date, only major space powers, including Russia and the US, have been equipped with the capabilities Britain is looking to receive.As always, the tasks here are of a dual nature, both civil and defense. And they are doubtlessly among the list of tasks planned for those structures which are going to be located on Cyprus, he said.The Cyprus telescope will assist Britains military in collecting and processing intelligence observing very-low orbiting satellite constellations.Accordingly, one can look at the organization of an observatory by SpaceFlux as a reflection of this growing interest, providing supply to meet the necessary demand to meet both civilian and military objectives.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20231109/chinas-use-of-ai-to-operate-military-satellites-real-game-changer-says-us-space-tech-chief-1114830412.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20231122/why-did-north-korea-launch-spy-satellite-1115133185.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230608/us-new-spy-satellite-constellation-another-small-step-toward-militarization-of-space-1111012686.html

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"The enemy was defeated, crushed, and some positions still had military equipment. After reconnaissance, we arrived, assessed the situation, and in coordination with commanders and higher-ups, decided to take the vehicles. Of course, we were exposed because we arrived in a tank, but the mission was accomplished. We snatched the YRP-765 armored personnel carrier from under their noses and pulled it out under enemy fire. It's one of the first examples of Western trophy equipment displayed at the Army-2023 Forum," Evgeny said.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20231123/scott-ritter-hamas-winning-battle-for-gaza-1115160045.html

Scott Ritter: Hamas Winning Battle for Gaza

Scott Ritter: Hamas Winning Battle for Gaza

The recently announced ceasefire is a blessing for Palestinians and Israelis alikea chance for prisoners to be exchanged, humanitarian aid to be distributed to those in need, and for emotions on both sides of the conflict to cool down.

2023-11-23T11:29+0000

2023-11-23T11:29+0000

2023-11-23T11:33+0000

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While the ceasefire, negotiated between Israel and Hamas by Qatar, was mutually agreed between the two parties, let no one be fooled into thinking this was anything less than a victory for Hamas. Israel had taken a very aggressive position that, given its stated objective of destroying Hamas as an organization, it would not agree to a ceasefire under any conditions.Hamas, on the other hand, had made one of its primary objectives in initiating the current round of fighting with Israel the release of Palestinian prisoners, and in particular women and children, held by Israel. Seen in this light, the ceasefire represents an important victory for Hamas, and a humiliating defeat for Israel.One of the reasons Israel eschewed a ceasefire was that it was confident that the offensive operation it had launched into northern Gaza was going to neutralize Hamas as a military threat, and that any ceasefire, regardless of the humanitarian justification, would only buy time for a defeated Hamas enemy to rest, refit, and regroup. That Israel signed on to a ceasefire is the surest sign yet that all is not well with the Israeli offensive against Hamas.This outcome should not have come as a surprise to anyone. When Hamas launched its October 7 attack on Israel, it initiated a plan years in the making. The meticulous attention to detail that was evident in the Hamas operation underscored the reality that Hamas had been studying the Israeli intelligence and military forces arrayed against it, uncovering weaknesses that were subsequently exploited. The Hamas action represented more than sound tactical and operational planning and executionit was a masterpiece in strategic conceptualization as well.One of the main reasons behind the Israeli defeat on October 7 was the fact that the Israeli government was convinced that Hamas would never attack, regardless of what the intelligence analysts charged with watching Hamas activity in Gaza were saying. This failure of imagination came about by Hamas having identified the political goals and objectives of Israel (the nullification of Hamas as a resistance organization by undertaking a policy built on buying Hamas through an expanded program of work permits issued by Israel for Palestinians living in Gaza.) By playing along with the work permit program, Hamas lulled the Israeli leadership into complacency, allowing Hamas' preparations for their attack to be carried out in plain view.The October 7 attack by Hamas was not a stand-alone operation, but rather part of a strategic plan possessing three main objectivesto put the issue of a Palestinian state back on the front burner of international discourse, to free the thousands of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, and to compel Israel to cease and desist when it came to its desecration of the Al Aqsa Mosque, Islams third holiest place. The October 7 attack, on its own, could not achieve these outcomes. Rather, the October 7 attack was designed to trigger an Israeli response which would create the conditions necessary for Hamas' objectives to reach fruition.The October 7 attack was designed to humiliate Israel to the point of irrationality, to ensure that any Israeli response would be governed by the emotional need for revenge, as opposed to a rational response designed to nullify the Hamas objectives. Here, Hamas was guided by the established Israeli doctrine of collective punishment (known as the Dahiya Doctrine, named after the West Beirut suburb that was heavily bombed by Israel in 2006 as a way of punishing the Lebanese people for Israels failure to defeat Hezbollah in combat.) By inflicting a humiliating defeat on Israel which shattered both the myth of Israeli invincibility (regarding the Israel Defense Forces) and infallibility (regarding Israeli intelligence), and by taking hundreds of Israelis hostage before withdrawing to its underground lair beneath Gaza, Hamas baited a trap for Israel which the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu predictably rushed into.Hamas has prepared a network of tunnels underneath the Gaza Strip that, in total, stretch for over 500 kilometers. Nicknamed the Gaza Metro, these tunnels consist of interconnected deep underground bunkers used for command and control, logistical support, medical treatment, and billeting, along with other tunnel networks dedicated for both defensive and offensive operations. The tunnels are buried deep enough to avoid destruction by most bombs in Israels possession and have been provisioned to withstand a siege of up to three months (90 days) in duration.Hamas knows that it cannot engage Israel in a classic force-on-force encounter. Instead, the goal was to lure Israeli forces into Gaza, and then subject these forces to an endless series of hit-and-run attacks by small teams of Hamas fighters who would emerge from their underground lairs, attack a vulnerable Israeli force, and then disappear back underground. In short, to subject the Israeli military to what is the equivalent of a death by a thousand cuts.And it worked. While Israeli forces have been able to penetrate into the less urbanized areas of the northern Gaza strip, taking advantage of the mobility and firepower of its armored troops, the progress is illusory, as Hamas forces harry the Israelis continuously, using deadly tandem-warhead rockets to disable or destroy Israeli vehicles, killing scores of Israeli soldiers and wounding hundreds more. While Israel has been reticent in releasing the figures of armored vehicles lost in this fashion, Hamas claims the number is in the hundreds. Hamas' claims are bolstered by the fact that Israel has halted the sale of older Merkava 3 tanks, and instead has organized their inventory of these vehicles into new reserve armor battalions to make up for the heavy losses being sustained in both Gaza and along the northern border with Lebanon, where Hezbollah forces are engaged in a deadly war of attrition with Israel in operations designed to support Hamas in Gaza.But the main reason for Israels defeat to date is Israel itself. Having taken the bait, and fallen into the Hamas trap, Israel went on to execute its Dahiya Doctrine against the Palestinian population of Gaza, carrying out indiscriminate attacks against civilian objects in blatant disregard for the law of war. An estimated 13,000 Palestinian civilians have been killed by these attacks, including more than 5,000 children. Many thousands more victims remain buried under the rubble of their destroyed housing.While Israel may have been able to garner the support of the international community in the aftermath of the October 7 attack by Hamas, its gross overreaction has instead turned world public opinion against itsomething Hamas was counting on. Today, Israel is increasingly isolated, losing support not only in the so-called Global South, but also in traditional strongholds of pro-Israeli sentiment in the US, UK, and Europe. This isolation, combined with the kind of political pressure Israel is unaccustomed to receiving, helped contribute to the Netanyahu governments acquiescence regarding the ceasefire and subsequent prisoner exchange.Whether the ceasefire will hold or not remains to be seen. So, too, the question of turning the ceasefire into a lasting cessation of hostilities remains an open question. But one thing is certainhaving declared that victory is defined by Hamas total defeat, the Israelis have set the stage for a Hamas victory, something Hamas achieves simply by surviving.But Hamas is doing more than surviving  it is winning. Having fought the Israel Defense Forces to a standstill on the battlefield, Hamas has seen every one of its strategic objectives in this conflict reach fruition. The world is actively articulating the absolute necessity of a two-state solution as a prerequisite for a lasting peace in the region. Palestinians held prisoner by Israel are being exchanged for the Israelis Hamas took hostage. And the Islamic world is united in condemning Israels desecration of the Al Aqsa Mosque.None of these issues were on the table on October 6. That they are being addressed now is testament to the success Hamas enjoyed on October 7, and in the days and weeks that followed, as Israeli forces were defeated by a combination of Hamas' tenacity and their own predilection for indiscriminate violence against civilians. Far from being eliminated as a military and political force, Hamas has emerged as perhaps the most relevant voice and authority when it comes to defending the interests of the Palestinian people.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20231122/israel-would-prefer-dead-hostages-to-gaza-ceasefire--scott-ritter-1115145227.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20231122/israel-lobby-should-tread-carefully-risks-losing-influence-in-washington-1115137299.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20231121/ex-cia-analyst-us-responsible-for-gaza-genocide-by-empowering-netanyahu--1115100230.html

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palestinians and israelis, hamas, battle for gaza, prisoners to be exchanged, war in gaza, gaza war, palestine-israel war, gaza crisis, who wins in gaza, who wins hamas or idf, israel gaza operation
https://sputnikglobe.com/20231123/second-ukrainian-driver-dies-in-queue-on-border-with-poland---carriers-association-1115168184.html

Second Ukrainian Driver Dies in Queue on Border With Poland - Carriers Association

Second Ukrainian Driver Dies in Queue on Border With Poland - Carriers Association

A second Ukrainian driver died at a checkpoint between Poland and Ukraine on Thursday while waiting his turn to cross the border between the two nations amid a strike by Polish carriers that has been ongoing for over two weeks, the Association of International Road Carriers of Ukraine said.

2023-11-23T14:48+0000

2023-11-23T14:48+0000

2023-11-23T14:48+0000

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The first fatality occurred on November 11, when a 54year-old truck driver from Ukraine died in a parking lot in Poland while waiting to cross the border, Ukrainian media reported. "This morning we received information that a driver had died in a parking lot in [the village of] Korczowa [at the Korczowa-Krakovets' checkpoint] at night. Unfortunately, this is the second fatal case since the beginning of the blockade," Ukrainian TV channel Hromadske quoted the association's head, Vladimir Balin, as saying. In early November, Polish carriers blocked three automobile checkpoints on the border with Ukraine, including the Korczowa-Krakovets' checkpoint to protest what they said was the Polish government's inaction over their loss of business to foreign competitors. Their discontent is associated with the fact that Ukrainian truckers have been exempt from obtaining permits to cross the Polish border since February 2022, which has made their services cheaper and more attractive to customers. The protesters demand the reintroduction of restrictions on Ukrainian truckers entering Poland and a ban on Poland-based transport companies with capital from outside the European Union. The strike is expected to last until January 2024.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20231123/ukraine-loses-435mln-due-to-border-blockade-by-polish-truckers---carriers-association-1115154176.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20231123/soldiers-going-crazy-ukraine-has-no-one-left-to-fight-because-of-desertion-1115159209.html

'Soldiers Going Crazy': Ukraine Has No One Left to Fight Because of Desertion

'Soldiers Going Crazy': Ukraine Has No One Left to Fight Because of Desertion

The Ukrainian Armed Forces are clearly having trouble replenishing their ranks. People are unwilling to die for the Kiev regime and actively avoid mobilization or desert. Of course, the propaganda claims the opposite. You can read what the real situation is like in Sputniks article.

2023-11-23T16:57+0000

2023-11-23T16:57+0000

2023-11-23T17:03+0000

russia's special operation in ukraine

russia

kiev

ukrainian armed forces

ukraine

ukraine crisis

ukrainian counteroffensive attempt

desertion

deserters

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The botched counteroffensive has caused the Kiev regime a serious shortage of human resources for mobilization, not to mention growing questions from Kiev's Western allies and donors as to what they are actually providing money and weapons for.Fear of DeathIn 2021, the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine initiated 117 criminal cases for desertion. Another 2,028 cases were classified as "unauthorized leaving of a military unit or place of service," meaning that individuals left their units with the intention of returning. In addition, there were 33 cases of self-inflicted injuries.In the first nine months of this year, 4,638 soldiers deserted from the Ukrainian Armed Forces, 10,940 temporarily left service, and there were 161 cases of self-harm. Deserters face sentences of five to eight years in prison. In some instances, these cases often end with a pretrial agreement and a suspended sentence.Ukrainian prisons are currently holding at least a few brigades of deserters. Their motive is clear: fear of death. Local media reported that a Russian missile destroyed several dozen soldiers in their barracks. One survivor fled, taking his rifle with him. His friends say he surrendered as a PoW. Nevertheless, he was sentenced to eight years in prison.Another soldier left his position after it was shelled, but returned later. He was sent to a military psychiatrist. He did not fully recover, disappeared again, then was arrested and sentenced to 2.5 years in prison.Another deserter admitted in court that he feared for his life during the attack on Liman. According to him, the operation was poorly planned and lacked fire support. Sentence: five years. Some try to flee abroad. In July, a deserter was caught on the border with Romania. He was also sentenced to five years.They are also sent to penal battalions. This is not widely publicized, but it happens. At the front, however, they only trust those who surrendered at the first opportunity, and now they are only assigned to construction work.Psychological SupportOfficers are punished for the desertion of subordinates. Therefore, if a soldier declares that he would rather go to jail than face bullets, he will be kept in the rear.However, fatigue from the fighting is mounting for everyone. Losses are enormous and finding replacements are problematic. Many combat units are 30-40 percent short of personnel. Almost everywhere, there are hidden desertions. Soldiers, sergeants, and officers feign illness and try to stay at headquarters and in rear units - anything to avoid the front lines.And then "psychologists" rush to help, complaining that many people live by the principle "see no evil, hear no evil," so the state should intensify propaganda.At First OpportunityHe served in the Ukrainian Armed Forces in 2016-2017, and even then there were desertions, with 10 percent in his platoon. The problem was that at the time, there were no more volunteers, and those who were mobilized did not want to go to the zone of the Anti-Terrorist Operation. But the problem was hushed up. Bespalko does not rule out that the authorities are still playing down the statistics of the losses.Another former Ukrainian serviceman, Anton Amosov, notes that there are many well-educated and successful people among the mobilized. But they are commanded by illiterate officers who often suffer from alcoholism."No one is shouting 'For the Motherland' anymore. Instead, they ask: whose motherland is it? Of course, there is hatred against the Russians, which is cultivated by the authorities. But at the same time there is a growing lack of understanding of what the ruling elite is doing."No wonder they call mobilization utilization, Sputnik's source added. If a person has a chance to avoid the army, they will take it, and no one will blame them for it.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20231004/russian-leaflets-offer-ukrainians-escape-from-meat-grinder-1113924286.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20231120/draft-dodgers-say-ukraine-unable-to-take-on-russia-slam-counteroffensive-as-senseless-killing-1115063928.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20231123/ukraine-loses-up-to-280-soldiers-in-donetsk-direction-in-past-24-hours---moscow-1115163875.html

Ukraine Loses Up to 280 Soldiers in Donetsk Direction in Past 24 Hours - Moscow

Ukraine Loses Up to 280 Soldiers in Donetsk Direction in Past 24 Hours - Moscow

Ukraine has lost up to 280 soldiers both killed and injured in the Donetsk direction over the past 24 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday.

2023-11-23T11:30+0000

2023-11-23T11:30+0000

2023-11-23T11:30+0000

russia's special operation in ukraine

ukraine

donetsk

russian armed forces

attack

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Over the given period, the Russian armed forces have repelled two attacks by Ukrainian troops in the Donetsk direction and another one in the Krasny Liman direction. Kiev has also lost up to 140 soldiers in the South Donetsk direction, the statement read.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20231116/russia-repels-14-attacks-in-donetsk-direction-ukraine-lost-up-to-310-soldiers-1115000905.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20231123/watch-russian-su-25-aircraft-hit-positions-and-armored-vehicles-of-ukrainian-forces--1115156713.html

Watch Russian Su-25 Aircraft Hit Positions and Armored Vehicles of Ukrainian Forces

Watch Russian Su-25 Aircraft Hit Positions and Armored Vehicles of Ukrainian Forces

The Russian Defense Ministry has released footage of Su-25 aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces destroying camouflaged field positions and armored vehicles of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

2023-11-23T07:49+0000

2023-11-23T07:49+0000

2023-11-23T07:49+0000

russia's special operation in ukraine

russia

ukraine

russian defense ministry

russian aerospace forces

ukrainian armed forces

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The Russian Defense Ministry has released footage of an Su-25 jet of the Russian Aerospace Forces destroying camouflaged field positions and armored vehicles of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The footage shows pre-flight training of aircraft and crews, departure on a combat mission, entering the target area, striking the enemy with unguided weapons, and returning home.

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Su-25 attack aircraft of the Russian Air Force destroyed camouflaged field positions and armored vehicles of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Su-25 attack aircraft of the Russian Air Force destroyed camouflaged field positions and armored vehicles of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. 2023-11-23T07:49+0000 true PT1M15S

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20231123/what-are-palestines-exports-imports-and-trade-partners-1115168552.html

What are Palestine's Exports, Imports and Trade Partners?

What are Palestine's Exports, Imports and Trade Partners?

The raging Gaza war threatens to hinder the economic development of Palestine, a partially recognized state consisting of the Gaza Strip and West Bank. Sputnik looked into Palestine's economic indicators to find out what it buys and sells and who its main trade partners are.

2023-11-23T15:50+0000

2023-11-23T15:50+0000

2023-11-23T16:00+0000

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world

palestine-israel conflict

palestinians

yasser arafat

palestine

israel

gaza strip

imf

hamas

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While Palestine  a partially recognized state consisting of the Gaza Strip and West Bank enclaves  usually steals the headlines when geopolitical tensions rise, one might be surprised to know that it's also a land of industrious workers and talented businessmen.Sputnik has looked into the economic indicators of the State of Palestine to find out what it buys and sells, and who its main trade partners are.Palestine's Geography and PopulationThe State of Palestine was founded on November 15, 1988, when Yasser Arafat, then-chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), issued the Palestinian Declaration of Independence. So far, Palestine has been recognized by a total of 139 of the 193 UN member states, including Russia, China, Iran, and Turkiye. However, the US, major European powers, and their allies still hesitate to make the move, admitting, nonetheless, the Palestinian people's right to self-determination.The combined area of the West Bank and Gaza Strip is 6,165 square kilometers, which is approximately one third of the area of the State of Israel. The West Bank is 5,800 sq. km in area, while the Gaza Strip is much smaller, amounting to just 365 sq. km.The Gaza Strip largely consists of coastal plains and sand dunes. For its part, the landlocked West Bank features a whopping four topographic zones: fertile plains of around 400 sq. km (Jordan Valley); a rocky semi-arid area of 1,500 sq. km (the Eastern Slopes); the mountainous area of the Central Highlands, which is the largest zone of the region (3,500 sq. km); and a semi-coastal zone (400 sq. km).The State of Palestines 2023 population is estimated at 5,371,230 people (with an annual growth rate of 2.4%), while its gross domestic product (GDP) was about $3,789 per capita in 2022, or $19.112 billion for the whole economy.What Does Palestine Export?In 2021, Palestine exported products worth $3.18 billion, according to the CIA World Fact Book. The export commodities included building stone, scrap iron, plastic lids, furniture, seating, dates, olive oil, and other agricultural products.As per the TrendEconomy website, the state's export structure (2021) was represented by following major goods: 13.3% stone, plaster, cement, asbestos, mica, or similar materials; 11.7% furniture, bedding, mattresses, lamps and lighting fittings, and related items; 10.1% plastics; 9.13% iron and steel; 4.22% aluminum; 4.13% fruit and nuts; 3.33% salt, sulfur, earths, and stone; 3.32% animal, vegetable, or microbial fats and oils; 2.99% wood and articles of wood.The list of main export destinations of the commodities includes 10 countries and is topped by Israel, which is by far Palestine's largest customer: Israel (86%) Jordan (5.12%) United Arab Emirates (1.45%) United States (1.13%) Saudi Arabia (around 1%) Turkiye (around 1%) United Kingdom (around 1%) Kuwait (less than 1%) Qatar (less than 1%) Germany (less than 1%)Over the past several years, Palestine has sought to diversify its trade ties and reduce its dependence on Israel. In particular, the partially recognized Mideast state has signed a series of trade and business association agreements with the EU, US, Egypt, Russia, and Turkiye, and in recent years has expanded trade ties with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. Palestinians have also been focused on developing new trade routes through the Mediterranean and Jordan.For its part, the Palestinian Investment Promotion Agency (PIPA) has set a goal of developing new sectors of the economy as part of its broader national export strategy, including: tourism; food and beverages; agro-processed meat; pharmaceuticals; information and communication technology (ICT); and renewable energy, to name but a few.What Does Palestine Import?Palestine's imports are three times larger than its exports, and amount to $10.245 billion. The country mostly buys food, consumer goods, construction materials, petroleum, and chemicals.In 2021, Palestine imported the following commodities: 16.3% mineral fuels, mineral oils and products of their distillation, bituminous substances, mineral waxes; 5.8% residues and waste from the food industry, prepared animal feed; 5.23% electrical machinery and equipment; 4.94% vehicles, parts and accessories; 4.22% pharmaceutical products; 4.18% plastics; 4.06% machinery and mechanical appliances; 3.81% iron and steel; 3.16% live animals; 3.04% salt, sulfur, earths, and stone.When it comes to Palestines import sources, Israel again plays the first fiddle, with a 53% share of all imports. Thus, the list of Palestines top trading partners includes: Israel (53%) Turkiye (10.3%) China (6.79%) Jordan (3.28%) Germany (2.54%) Egypt (2.04%) Switzerland (1.73%) Italy (1.5% (118) United States (1.46%) Saudi Arabia (1.44%)In addition, Palestine is highly dependent on Israel and its other neighbors in terms of energy. Palestinians import 86% of their electricity from Israel, Jordan, and Egypt (generating the remaining 14% locally), according to the International Trade Administration.Meanwhile, the Jenin Power Plant, in Jenin Governorate in the northern West Bank, has yet to be completed. It was designed as a Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) with a generation capacity of 450 megawatts. It is projected that it will be supplied by natural gas from the Gaza Marine gas field. The Jenin Power Plant is expected to satisfy 50% of Palestine's current total electricity consumption.Conflicts and DevelopmentDespite sporadic conflicts in the region, Palestine's trade has grown slowly but steadily over the past 10 years, judging from TrendEconomys graphs. Still, Palestine has long been a recipient of foreign aid.Meanwhile, living conditions and economic indicators differ in two main parts of the partially recognized state. Thus, the West Bank, governed by the Palestinian Authority, has less unemployment and is developing faster than the Gaza Strip (ruled by Hamas), largely because the latter has been under blockade for the last 16 years.International donors primarily direct financial aid to the West Bank, while the remaining assistance packages, flowing into the Gaza Strip, primarily consist of humanitarian aid. In 2020, 77% of households in the Gaza Strip received assistance in the form of food and cash transfers, mainly through the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), as per the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) September report. The Gaza Strip is heavily dependent on supplies from Israel, Egypt, and international humanitarian aid. The largest donor for the Palestinians is Europe.The ongoing Gaza war has already dealt a heavy blow to its infrastructure, undermining the region's ability for further development. Between 40% and 51% of all buildings in northern Gaza have been damaged since the beginning of Israel's military operation against Hamas, according to some estimates. Likewise, the ongoing strife may hinder the works at Gaza Marine  a Palestinian offshore gas deposit  and delay the commissioning of the Jenin Power Plant, thus hindering Palestine's economic development.

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Why Not Now said the time was now in Wednesday's (Nov. 22) Progress Pace at Bally's Dover.

Frequenting the top three spots, the sophomore colt has only ever missed the board once in his 27 career starts. In his last three starts, the Dylan Davis student has landed in second each time by narrowing margins against his competition; however, on Wednesday, Why Not Now achieved the advantage of a one-length margin of victory in the final worth $260,000.

Andy McCarthy and Why Not Now got away fourth as the field rounded the first turn with El Rey (Dexter Dunn) leading the charge to an opening panel in :25.4. As El Rey continued onward to the half in :53.3, Why Not Now tipped first over to the outside. Why Not Now hit third from the outside as the three-quarters clocked 1:20.1. At the top of the stretch, Why Not Now achieved the lead. He faced the challenge of the pacesetting El Rey along with Moment Is Here (Tim Tetrick) and favoured Cannibal (Yannick Gingras) down the lane. However, the colt braved the pressure and kept going to win by a length in 1:48.2. Moment Is Here secured the second spot and El Rey rounded out the top three.

Both of the top two finishers, Why Not Now and Moment Is Here, were $25,000 supplemental entries into the Progress Pace.

Why Not Now (Always A Virgin-Star Of The Show) has demonstrated nine wins, seven seconds and two thirds in 18 starts during a breakout season. He moved his 2023 earnings total to $617,165 and career bankroll to $706,880. Howard Taylor, Dylan Davis and Jeffrey Billings co-own the winner, who equalled his career mark. He paid $7.80 to win.

Curtsyforpurrseco completes DSBF sweep

Jo Ann Looney-King's Curtsyforpurrseco completed a clean sweep of the Delaware Standardbred Breeders' Fund (DSBF) series for two-year-old pacing fillies at Bally's Dover with a dominant 1:56.1 score in the $110,000 Ramona Hubbard, conducted Wednesday evening.

Tim Tetrick floated the Roddys Bags Again-Purrfectly Bad filly into midfield from post eight while Bellas Dream (Tony Morgan) and Slipinsidewayz (Victor Kirby) disputed the lead through early splits of :27.3 and :56.2. Curtsyforpurrseco found her way into contention after flushing cover from Bad Nella Monella (Ross Wolfenden) up the backstretch and then vaulting off that cover to take the lead turning for home. She drew clear by 3-1/2 lengths for her fourth consecutive win and her sixth from 10 career starts. Smalltown Bad Girl (Dexter Dunn) rallied from last to edge Bad Nella Monella for second.

Jim King Jr. trains Curtsyforpurrseco, who has now earned $104,771. She paid $4.60 to win as the 6-5 favourite.

The win was one of five on the card for birthday boy Tetrick.

Novas Baby Girl ($5.20) emerged victorious in the $20,000 DSBF consolation, evading Grace O Malley by a length to win in 1:58.4. Martin Davis trains the Nova Artist-Occasionally Bad filly for owner-breeder-driver Eddie Davis.

(With files from Delaware Standardbred Breeders' Fund)
A passenger vehicle using an emergency cross over on Interstate 77 in Wythe County collided with a tractor-trailer, Virginia State Police said.

The resulting crash, at the 43-mile marker on I-77, left two dead, a VSP spokesperson said.

The tractor-trailer was headed northbound, snarling traffic to the interchange with Interstate 81 in Wytheville.

The crash occurred at 7:05 a.m. and is still under investigation, officials said.
Syrians are holding onto hope that the movement unfolding in the city of Suweida will serve as a beacon of change, Ali Safar writes in Syria TV

Syrians are holding onto hope that the movement unfolding in the city of Suweida will serve as a beacon of change, distinct from the tumultuous situations in other regions. This hope is rooted not only in the strategies employed by the revolutionaries, such as tailored actions and responses based on local dynamics but also in the reactions of various societal actors. It is intertwined with a keen awareness of the internal dynamics of the regime, the reception of events by its Russian and Iranian allies, as well as regional and international stances. All of these elements combine to create tools of regional influence that hinder the regimes attempts to create hotbeds of tension leading to armed confrontations, which in turn could provide a pretext for repressive security measures.

However, the true source of the immense hope associated with this movement goes beyond these considerations. It stems from a prevailing sentiment that, 13 years after its inception, the Syrian revolution finds itself in an unprecedented statesuspended in time. It has neither achieved victory nor been extinguished. Instead of a clear-cut conflict, the dictatorial regime persists as a central obstacle, albeit not the sole one. The revolution is no longer solely confronting a single adversary; it now contends with an array of forces that not only aim to crush the peoples will but also seek to erode their national identity, splintering and dispersing them, rendering individuals and groups akin to wandering nomads, both within their homeland and abroad, in search of salvation.

Consequently, there is great anticipation surrounding the events in Karama Square. Yet, this hope also engenders a desire for a swift and definitive resolution, something that has eluded the revolution in the past thirteen years.

Within this perspective, the question of what comes next gains prominence. Others focus on the imperative of openly and explicitly linking the Suweida movement with opposition political forces, both domestically and internationally.

Nevertheless, those who advocate for such steps should not overlook the significant efforts made by activists to maintain unity within the movements leadership. Equally important are the endeavours to elevate the leadership to higher levels, creating a national front that unites all segments of the local community, regardless of their affiliations. These efforts are guided by the fundamental principle of implementing International Resolution 2254, which calls for a peaceful transition of power.

Revolutionary momentum is not solely sustained by aspirations but also by a strategic political approach, essential for overcoming domestic and foreign obstacles. It relies on internal approaches that encourage dormant groups to shed their historical reluctance toward engaging in politics, a reluctance instilled by the Baath regime, which had deemed political engagement a sin. Convincing such groups is an arduous task that demands time and caution, particularly in environments characterized by fear of reprisals.

The surface manifestations of the movement, evident in live broadcasts from protest hotspots in Suweida city and throughout the governorate, represent only a fraction of the burdens associated with launching a revolution against a brutal authoritarian regime. These public displays mask a deeper significancea shift in the static Syrian status quo. Despite the regimes assertion that these events do not concern it and have no impact, a local dynamic has emerged that challenges the prevailing narrative. Syrians have demonstrated their capacity to assert themselves, regardless of external interventions and foreseeable futures. This alternative narrative enhances the legitimacy and authenticity of the change envisioned by the 2011 revolution.

The regimes strategy to divide the local community surrounding the revolutionaries, pressuring societal groups to compromise their principles in exchange for safety and avoiding punishment, has backfired. Activists have succeeded in engaging with silent segments of the population, persuading them to join the protests. The presence of groups bearing trade union and professional banners in Karama Square signifies, among other things, that the movement has succeeded in fracturing the regimes support base. This is a significant departure from the past when the regime had co-opted civil society union forces and subjected them to the authority of its regional leadership offices since the late 1970s.

The sustained momentum of the movement evokes parallels with historical moments, such as the 1936 general strike that played a pivotal role in gaining independence from the French mandatory state. Despite the initial simplicity of narratives about liberation from colonialism, the intricacies of these events continue to be dissected. Historians are now engaged in deciphering motivations, analyzing roles, and assessing the impact of errors and improvisations, all of which can either delay or hasten the realization of the ultimate truththe liberation of Syrians from tyranny, after decades of sacrificing generations to its oppressive rule.

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
Asma al-Assad's influence is evident in the strict measures by the government to hinder NGO operations, according to Shaam Network.

The authoritarian government has recently enforced stringent measures to impede the operations of NGOs, with indications pointing towards the prominent role of Asma al-Assad as the driving force behind these decisions. As the exclusive overseer of humanitarian organizations, she wields significant influence in shaping and implementing these restrictive measures.

The Ministry of Finance within the Assad regime has announced the establishment of a collaborative mechanism to execute the ministrys directives. This involves close coordination with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor in the Assad regime. The decisions outlined by the Ministry of Finance involve the formation of a committee comprising personnel from finance directorates in Damascus and Aleppo governorates. This committee is tasked with conducting on-site inspections of charitable organizations, housing initiatives, cooperative ventures, and consumer societies.

Under the pretext of scrutinizing records, contracts, and documentation, and ensuring the accurate assessment of stamp duties and income taxes in accordance with the law, the Ministry of Finance justifies these measures. It emphasizes adherence to the decisions within the framework that governs the activities of non-governmental organizations, asserting that such steps are essential to uphold the rule of law. The government contends that every action taken concerning the NGO sector is intended to benefit this sector, which has made substantial contributions over the years, operating alongside the government sector. Simultaneously, it asserts the preservation of state rights in a manner that serves the collective interest.

There are allegations that Asma al-Assad, through the Syria Trust for Development, is diverting funds from NGOs. Leaked information suggests an undisclosed plan to assert control over all associations, potentially facilitating the redirection of remittances through a recently established database.

Kenan Yaghi, the Minister of Finance in the Assad regime, has announced the conclusion of studies pertaining to the technical aspects of implementing a value-added tax. This is part of an ongoing examination of a proposed law to impose such a tax. Yaghi directs the completion of technical studies and their presentation to the committee, incorporating observations from committee members and actual data. The presentation is scheduled for the upcoming meeting before the end of the current month.

The Assad regime continues to reintroduce decisions, legislation, and laws related to economic affairs, exacerbating the already challenging living conditions and high prices. The primary aim appears to be tightening control and imposing additional restrictions on traders, ostensibly to secure additional financial revenues through increased taxes and fees.

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
Many students used to rely on second hand books, and face challenges in accessing the university website and downloading material, according to Enab Baladi.

On Wednesday, the University of Damascus declared a shift towards utilizing the universitys electronic library resources in lieu of traditional paper books. The decision to cease printing books applies to numerous faculties, with the exception of the Faculty of Sharia, effective from the commencement of this year. The university disclosed that the development of an e-book service is currently underway, and regularly updated lists can be found on its official website.

Digitization of books hampered by slow internet

The Ministry of Higher Education in Syria is striving to digitize university education; however, the limited internet infrastructure poses a significant challenge for students. Reem, a student at the Technical Institute of Business Administration and Marketing in Damascus, expressed that students are hesitant about adopting e-books. The sluggish communication network not only hampers access to the universitys website but also impedes the seamless downloading of books. Additionally, students are accustomed to traditional paper lectures, with many having subscribed to university libraries on a quarterly basis to obtain lectures regularly.

Syrias internet speed is notably low, ranking 180th out of 182 globally for terrestrial internet speed, as reported by the specialized site Speed test. Furthermore, the mobile internet connection speed in Syria is ranked 132 out of 141 countries. The introduction of 5G, the fifth generation of communication technologies, has yet to be implemented in the country and is currently confined to Wafa Telecom, the third operator.

Despite these challenges, the Ministry recently issued a directive mandating the use of e-books for students in the preparatory year of medical colleges earlier this month. The success of this initiative may hinge on addressing the internet infrastructure issues and addressing students concerns about transitioning from traditional paper-based learning to digital formats.

Used books: The current economic alternative

In Syria, academics often depend on purchasing second-hand books from students in previous batches at prices lower than new books. Additionally, written lectures, created through an agreement between students and the library, are commonly bought. Libraries initiate the sale of these lectures at the onset of university courses.

As per the University of Damascus regulations set on November 1 of this year, the official price for printing one sheet is 150 Syrian pounds per side and 250 Syrian pounds for double-sided printing. However, the actual prices in various offices range between 600 and 700 Syrian pounds per sheet. In cases of common power outages, the printing cost per sheet can escalate to a thousand Syrian pounds. This increase is attributed to the necessity for libraries to switch to electric generators during power outages, as explained by student Reem. Addressing discrepancies between official and actual prices, especially during power outages, may be crucial for ensuring fair access to printed materials for academics in Syria.

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
The Minister emphasized the need for a comprehensive legal framework to effectively counteract begging by creating a robust deterrent law, according to al-Watan.

A specialized committee within the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour is in the process of drafting legislation to address the issue of begging in Syria. Minister of Social Affairs and Labor, Louay al-Munajjid, affirmed the complexity of the beggary problem during a meeting of the small committee dedicated to preparing the draft law. He emphasized the need for a comprehensive legal and legislative framework to counteract the longstanding and evolving challenges associated with begging. The minister acknowledged that the challenges had been further compounded by the impact of war, exacerbating the phenomenon.

Munajjid highlighted the necessity of a robust law that serves as a deterrent, preventing the depletion of resources in addressing beggary effectively. He elaborated on the importance of the draft, calling for specific descriptions for each involved party to allocate roles and responsibilities. The proposed mechanism involves expanding the team of experts and collaborating with non-governmental organizations actively engaged in beggary-related initiatives. The goal is to gather comprehensive insights and formulate a preliminary plan for public discussion across all governorates. Subsequently, the draft will be enriched through dialogue and returned to the ministry for the preparation of an initial proposal to be presented to the Human Development Committee.

The Minister of Social Affairs and Labor engaged in discussions with Yasumasa Kimura, the Resident Representative of the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) in Syria, exploring avenues for collaboration in drafting laws related to restorative care and addressing the begging phenomenon.

Munajjid expressed the ministrys commitment to facilitating UNICEFs work on the ground and providing necessary support to implement programs that positively impact targeted segments, particularly the cash assistance program for children with disabilities. He emphasized the importance of ongoing communication between the technical teams of both parties to streamline efforts and devise innovative mechanisms for cooperation in UNICEFs programs and projects in Syria.

In response to the issue, Member of the Peoples Assembly Khaled Shabib underscored that while poverty is a contributing factor to begging, the predominant cases involve children or individuals with disabilities and illnesses who exploit peoples sympathy to secure financial support. Shabib emphasized the necessity for authorities to impose deterrent penalties on those engaged in such exploitative practices, highlighting the significant gains often accrued by those who exploit beggars, especially when they are children.

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
Your daily brief of the English-speaking press on Syria.

An article detailing the remarkable transition of a Syrian woman, evolving from a participant in the Syrian revolution to becoming a culinary ambassador in Los Angeles, was recently published by the LA Times. Meanwhile, Turkey, Israel, and the U.S. jointly targeted locations within Syrian territories.

Syrian state media says Israeli strike caused material losses near Damascus

Syrias state-run SANA broadcaster, citing a military source, says Israeli Air Force warplanes fired two missiles from over the Golan Heights at a site near the capital Damascus.

It claims Syrian air defenses downed one of the missiles, while the second caused material losses.

The report says there are no injuries in the alleged strike.

U.S. Strikes Iranian-Linked Facilities in Iraq

The United States conducted a new round of airstrikes  the second in roughly a day  in Iraq early Wednesday, destroying two facilities used by Iranian proxies that had been targeting American and coalition troops, U.S. military officials said.

According to The New York Times, The latest rounds in the tit-for-tat attacks between the United States and Iranian-backed fighters took place in Iraq, in a departure from the United States practice of striking mostly targets in Syria.

This time, the United States struck an operations center and a command-and-control node south of Baghdad used by Kataib Hezbollah, a militia group in Iraq that is considered a proxy of Iran. Kataib Hezbollahs political wing is part of the coalition of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani of Iraq.

A defence official said the military could not provide a casualty assessment.

The strikes came as the Biden administration has escalated its attacks recently. Barely more than 24 hours earlier, an American military gunship fired on and killed three Iran-backed militants on Monday night who the Pentagon said Tuesday were part of an attack on U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq. Unlike that exchange, which Pentagon officials said came at the spur of the moment after an American warplane in the area witnessed the ballistic missile attack on Al Asad Air Base and retaliated, the Wednesday morning strikes were planned, at least for a few hours.

The administration blames Iran and the militias aligned with it, known as the Axis of Resistance, for what has become a daily barrage of rocket and drone attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria.

U.S. fires on key Iranian-backed sites in Syria

U.S. forces struck a pair of key sites in Iraq commonly used by Iranian-backed forces in Syria on Wednesday, UPI reported.

An Air Force AC-130 gunship fired on a vehicle said to be carrying Iran-backed militants who had launched a missile at American troops in western Iraq, causing several enemy casualties, the U.S. Central Command and defense officials said.

On the morning of November 22 in Iraq, U.S. Central Command forces conducted discrete, precision strikes against two facilities in Iraq. The strikes were in direct response to the attacks against U.S. and coalition forces by Iran and Iran-backed groups, including the one in Iraq on Nov. 21, which involved the use of close-range ballistic missiles, a statement from Central Command read.

U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria have sustained nearly daily attacks on American targets and assets. This is the fourth U.S. retaliatory airstrike on Iranian-backed forces in the region since the attacks began in mid-October, 10 days after Hamas launched a surprise offensive on Israel, killing at least 1,200 people.

Turkish drones target three cars in northern Syria

Turkish drones consecutively targeted three cars within a few hours in northern Syria (Syrian-Kurdistan, or Rojava), in three locations in the countryside of Qamishlo, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reports.

Turkish drone strikes targeted three cars in separate attacks in the Shurak village, located in the countryside of Qamishlo, Tal Marouf, and Rumaylan in the Hasakah province.

According to the most recent data update from SOHR, Turkey has executed 101 drone strikes since the beginning of 2023, leading to 82 deaths, and injuring another 90 persons.

Syrias two main airports still shut month after Israeli strikes: monitor

Syrias two main airports are still shut a month after simultaneous Israeli strikes put them out of service  the longest such closure since the Syrian conflict began, a war monitor said Wednesday, according to Arab News.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported two Israeli strikes near the capital Damascus on Wednesday, targeting Lebanons Hezbollah group, a Damascus ally.

Flights to and from Damascus and Aleppo airports have been suspended since the October 22 strikes damaged the runways.

Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Britain-based Observatory, said both airports are closed despite the completion of repairs.

Syrian authorities did not respond to an AFP request for comment on the extended closures.

Since Syrias conflict began in 2011 after the government repressed pro-democracy protests, Israel has repeatedly targeted Damascus airport, but this is the first time it has been shut for a month, Abdel Rahman added.

Israel, which has launched hundreds of air strikes on its northern neighbour since 2011, primarily targeting Hezbollah fighters and other Iran-backed forces as well as Syrian army positions, has intensified attacks since the Israel-Hamas war began on October 7.

On Wednesday morning, the Observatory, which has a vast network of sources inside Syria, said Israeli strikes targeted a center belonging to Hezbollah in the Damascus countryside.

Later in the day, it reported new Israeli air strikes that targeted Hezbollah on the outskirts of Damascus, without immediately reporting casualties.

Syrian state media did not report the morning attack.

But state news agency SANA, carrying a statement from a military source, later said that at around 3:10 p.m. (1210 GMT), the Zionist enemy carried out an air attack with two missiles from the direction of the occupied Syrian Golan, targeting some points in the vicinity of the city of Damascus.

Air defences responded to the attack and downed one of the missiles, the statement said, reporting material damage.

With both Damascus and Syrias second airport Aleppo out of service, the transport ministry said flights have been re-routed to Latakia on the coast in the west.

Latakia airport, more than 300 kilometres (185 miles) from Damascus, is smaller and flights there are limited, including to Russia, Iran and Iraq.

Several U.S. service members injured in missile attack at Al-Asad Airbase in Iraq, Pentagon says

Several U.S. service members were injured in a ballistic missile attack by Iranian-backed militias on Al-Asad Airbase in Iraq, Pentagon officials said Tuesday. The attack Monday night on U.S. and coalition forces involved a close-range ballistic missile and resulted in eight injuries and minor infrastructural damage, Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, a Pentagon spokesperson, said in a statement.

U.S. military responded with a retaliatory strike, which was not pre-planned, killing several Iranian-backed militia personnel, CBS News learned.

Immediately following the attack, a U.S. military AC-130 aircraft in the area conducted a self-defense strike against an Iranian-backed militia vehicle and a number of Iranian-backed militia personnel involved in this attack, Ryder said in his statement.

In a tweet, U.S. Central Command said the AC-130 maintained visual confirmation of the individuals from the time of the launch to the time of engagement.

The U.S. conducted further precision strikes against two facilities in Iraq early Wednesday morning local time, CENTCOM said in a statement.

The strikes were in direct response to the attacks against U.S. and Coalition forces by Iran and Iran-backed groups, including the attack on Al-Asad Airbase, which involved use of close-range ballistic missiles, the statement read.

A U.S. official told CBS News the targets were an operations center and a communications node belonging to Kataib Hezbollah, one of the main Iran-backed militias in Iraq. The sites were manned at time of strikes, the official said, so casualties were expected. The official said there had been no retaliatory action by Kataib Hezbollah as of Wednesday morning.

The U.S. service members wounded in the attack are still being evaluated, a Pentagon official told CBS News, adding that this was the 66th attack against American-affiliated military bases in Iraq and Syria since Oct. 17.

A former revolutionary has a new mission: better representation of the Syrian table

The Los Angeles Times published a report on a Syrian womans journey from a participant in the Syrian revolution to a culinary ambassador in Los Angeles.

Nesrin, a former participant in the Syrian revolution, has embarked on a new missionto promote and celebrate Mediterranean cuisine. Her journey takes place in Los Angeles, where she has established Mediterranean Pastries Den, a stand at various Westside farmers markets. Despite its name, the real star of her offerings isnt pastries but rather a diverse array of savoury dishes, with a strong emphasis on vegetables, legumes, and whole grains.

Nesrins culinary expertise is showcased in her meticulous cooking style. In an industrial kitchen in West Los Angeles, she can be found meticulously preparing dishes, infusing them with the flavours and traditions of the Mediterranean. Clad in gold slides and a green apron, her hair neatly tied back with a cloth headband, she tends to each clay pot with care. Her creations include eggplant tagine, where the eggplant is first fried and then stewed with onion, garlic, and tomatoes, resulting in a rich, sweet, and creamy concoction adorned with whole cloves of garlic. She also prepares okra by gently folding it rather than stirring it to retain its unique texture. Among her specialties is Yemen-style ful, made from pureed favas stewed with garlic, tomatoes, cumin, and turmeric, a recipe passed down from her neighbours in Damascus.

Nesrins journey into the culinary world was inspired by her experiences in the Syrian revolution. She passionately discusses her involvement in the civil rights movement from 2010 to 2014, emphasizing the challenges faced by the movement. Nesrins commitment to her homeland led her back to the United States, where she sought asylum and obtained a green card. Her ultimate dream is to open a restaurant, but the high rents and substantial investment required for such an endeavour in West L.A. pose significant obstacles.

Amidst her culinary endeavours, Nesrin remains informed about world events. While cooking, she listens to the news and checks alerts on an iPad, staying engaged with current affairs. She has a deep connection to regions in conflict, having witnessed the suffering in both the Syrian civil war and the Israel-Hamas conflict. For her, the impact on civilians in such conflicts is particularly distressing.

Nesrins customers come from diverse backgrounds, and she sees her role as an educator, aiming to address shortcomings in American food culture. Her approach challenges conventions such as the over-reliance on meat and the practice of serving plain roasted vegetables. Many of her regular customers are families who appreciate her flavorful and kid-friendly dishes, such as her expertly prepared okra and green beans. Her culinary creations have even changed the way some customers perceive and appreciate certain ingredients, like okra.

In essence, Nesrins mission extends beyond serving delicious Mediterranean cuisine. She seeks to foster a deeper understanding of the diverse and rich culinary traditions of the Mediterranean region, bridging cultural gaps and inspiring an appreciation for a more vegetable-forward and culturally diverse approach to food.
The Salvation Army of Longview is seeing more people in need at its almost 7-month-old food bank as food prices continue to rise and the holidays near.

The nonprofit is currently serving over 100 families each week, amounting to around 400 people, food pantry director Kayla Jacobson said.

An increasing number are first-time visitors, and many are seniors living on a fixed income. Jacobson attributed the surge in need to a combination of COVID-19 relief programs ending and rising costs of food and housing.

Families are struggling even with both parents working, she said.

Donations from The Daily News annual Neighbors in Need fundraiser will go toward the Salvation Armys holiday food vouchers, and any leftover funds will go toward preparing for next years holiday program and purchasing extra supplies for the nonprofits food bank, Jacobson said.

The Salvation Armys Client Choice Food Pantry and Hygiene Center opened in May. Anyone can visit the pantry after checking in with the Salvation Army Social Services Office, but families are limited to one visit every 30 days and six visits per year.

The hygiene center is available for 30-minute appointments, which can be requested at the office or by phone at 360-423-3990. Visitors can use the accessible shower at the center while a volunteer does their laundry.

People come in who havent showered in weeks, and when they leave, its like theyre a whole new person, Major Lawry Smith said.

The pantry and hygiene center are currently open for two hours per day, three days a week, but they are looking to expand to five hours per day and five days a week, Major Phil Smith said. The Salvation Army also hopes to add an additional shower and washer-dryer unit to the hygiene center. The plumbing to do so already exists as the center was built with expansion in mind, but they have to apply for a new permit from the city, he said.

The food pantry and hygiene center initially opened with a permit for one shower and washer-dryer unit and limited hours to gauge the impact it might have on the surrounding community. Jacobson said that although some nearby residents were concerned about increased traffic around the Salvation Army office, they have not received any complaints or noticed any issues. They have, however, seen a large positive impact on the hygiene center clients mental health.

Its like youve given them a thousand dollars, Jacobson said.

How to donate Online: salarmy.us/longviewtsa. Include Neighbors in Need in the comment field. Mail: Salvation Army, P.O. Box 1218, Longview, WA 98632. Please make checks payable to the Salvation Army and include Neighbors in Need in the memo line. Checks made to Neighbors in Need cannot be accepted.

Food vouchers

In addition to year-round services, during the holidays, families can receive food vouchers from the Salvation Army to redeem at the Longview Grocery Outlet. Vouchers come in $25, $50 and $100 amounts depending on family size. They cant be used to buy tobacco or alcohol, but they are not limited to certain types of food, Lawry Smith said. The goal is to allow each family to tailor their Christmas meal to their own preferences.

To be able to go and purchase food for your family, not just get a box, it really boosts people up, Jacobson said. It makes them feel like theyre really contributing to their family.

Last year, the Salvation Army distributed vouchers to 246 families, Phil Smith said. They gave out $8,550 worth, but because not all of them were redeemed the final cost was $5,470.

The food vouchers are paid for through donations such as the Neighbors in Need fundraiser.

Our community is helping each other and they dont even know it, Jacobson said. Or they know about it, but they dont see the impact it has.

This years Neighbors in Need goal is $50,000. The fundraiser begins Thanksgiving and runs through Dec. 31.

Donations will rotate between three nonprofits annually, and all 2023 donations will go to the Salvation Army of Longview.

Previously the donation drive was split each year between the Longview Salvation Army, YMCA of Southwest Washington and Longview St. Vincent de Paul, but due to limited staff, The Daily News is now marketing the drive and requesting donations be sent directly to one nonprofit a year.

Last years Neighbors in Need drive raised $44,704 for the three charities.

Gifts

To prevent income restrictions from being a barrier to Christmas celebrations, the Salvation Army of Longview also provides gifts for qualifying families each holiday season.

Longview and Kelso families with children who can prove they meet the federal poverty income guidelines can apply for the program on the Angel Tree website, saangeltree.org. Applications opened Oct. 1 and will remain open until the programs limit of 300 families is reached, Lawry Smith said.

When a familys application is accepted, their childs gift wish list is added to an Angel Tree at one of about 30 locations in Longview, Lawry Smith said. Community members who want to support the program can take a tag, buy the gift listed on it and return the unopened gift and tag to a tree or the Salvation Army office. Additional donations of toys, clothes and other useful items are also welcome, she said.

Angel Tree Locations Walmart, 540 Seventh Ave. and 3715 Ocean Beach Hwy., Longview.

Fred Meyer, 3184 Ocean Beach Hwy., Longview.

Sweet Spot Yogurt, 1015 Ocean Beach Hwy., Longview.

Starbucks, 808 Ocean Beach Hwy., Longview.

Cowlitz County PUD, 961 12th Ave., Longview.

Hall of Justice, 312 First Ave., Kelso.

Hilander Dental, 510 Allen St., Kelso.

Riverwoods Chiropractic & Massage, 820 Ocean Beach Hwy., Longview.

The Salvation Army provides new toys for children aged 0-12 years as well as clothing and miscellaneous items such as blankets, stuffed animals and games. Depending on the donations they receive, household items for parents may also be available. Parents choose gifts for their children from the Salvation Armys Toy and Joy Shop, which is set up to imitate the feeling of doing Christmas shopping at a store.

In order to keep the gifts a surprise, families are not allowed to bring their children while they shop, she added.

It provides a sense of dignity, Lawry Smith said. Were not just handing them a wrapped gift where they dont even know what it is.
The UK is boosting its ability to keep an eye on space with the new Nyx Alpha telescope. The UK Ministry of Defence recently announced a deal with a small London-based company to set up a ground-based telescope in Cyprus. This project, called Nyx Alpha telescope will be run by SpaceFlux, a British space technology company, and it will help the UK Space Command and the UK Space Agency monitor the increasing number of satellites and debris in space more accurately.

The plan is to have the system up and running by spring 2024, bringing back a capability that was once there but had been neglected. SpaceFlux will build, maintain, and operate the Nyx Alpha telescope system from the upcoming UK Space Operations Centre at the Royal Air Force base in High Wycombe, southern England, according to a gov.uk report.

This centre will coordinate both civilian and military space awareness to protect UK interests, such as the Skynet satellite communications network, from potential space threats. Air Vice-Marshal Paul Godfrey, head of the UK Space Command, highlighted the importance of this new capability in defending Britain's interests in space, stating that it underpins the ability to protect and defend UK and allied interests.

Strategic Location in Cyprus

The UK also secured space awareness data from SpaceFlux and Raytheon Systems to support military and civil missions in space. SpaceFlux boasts the largest optical taskable sensors in the market, with telescopes up to 70 cm in diameter, allowing detection of faint objects from low Earth orbit to geostationary and cislunar orbits.

SpaceFlux is expanding its network to 10 locations this year and aims for a total of 25 locations by the end of 2024. Cyprus was chosen for the British Nyx Alpha telescope because it provides a better view of the geostationary orbit compared to locations on the UK mainland, according to the Ministry of Defence. The announcement was made at the UK Space Conference in Belfast, Northern Ireland, emphasising the crucial role of the new capability in safeguarding the country's interests in space.
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

The OpenAI logo appears on a mobile phone in front of a screen showing a portion of the company website in this photo taken on Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023 in New York. Credit: AP Photo/Peter Morgan

It's been quite a week for ChatGPT-maker OpenAIand co-founder Sam Altman.

Altman, who helped start OpenAI as a nonprofit research lab back in 2015, was removed as CEO Friday in a sudden and mostly unexplained exit that stunned the industry. And while his chief executive title was swiftly reinstated just days later, a lot of questions are still up in the air.

If you're just catching up on the OpenAI saga and what's at stake for the artificial intelligence space as a whole, you've come to the right place. Here's a rundown of what you need to know.

WHO IS SAM ALTMAN AND HOW DID HE RISE TO FAME?

Altman is co-founder of OpenAI, the San Francisco-based company behind ChatGPT (yes, the chatbot that's seemingly everywhere todayfrom schools to health care ).

The explosion of ChatGPT since its arrival one year ago propelled Altman into the spotlight of the rapid commercialization of generative AIwhich can produce novel imagery, passages of text and other media. And as he became Silicon Valley's most sought-after voice on the promise and potential dangers of this technology, Altman helped transform OpenAI into a world-renowned startup.

But his position at OpenAI hit some rocky turns in a whirlwind that was the past week. Altman was fired as CEO Fridayand days later, he was back on the job with a new board of directors.

Within that time, Microsoft, which has invested billions of dollars in OpenAI and has rights to its existing technology, helped drive Altman's return, quickly hiring him as well as another OpenAI co-founder and former president, Greg Brockman, who quit in protest after the CEO's ousting. Meanwhile, hundreds of OpenAI employees threatened to resign.

Both Altman and Brockman celebrated their returns to the company in posts on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, early Wednesday.

WHY DOES HIS REMOVALAND REINSTATEMENTMATTER?

There's a lot that remains unknown about Altman's initial ousting. Friday's announcement said he was "not consistently candid in his communications" with the then-board of directors, which refused to provide more specific details.

Regardless, the news sent shockwaves throughout the AI worldand, because OpenAI and Altman are such leading players in this space, may raise trust concerns around a burgeoning technology that many people still have questions about.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman participates in a discussion during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit, Nov. 16, 2023, in San Francisco. Altman, the ousted leader of ChatGPT-maker OpenAI, is returning to the company that fired him late last week, the latest in a saga that has shocked the artificial intelligence industry. San Francisco-based OpenAI said in a statement late Tuesday, Nov. 21: We have reached an agreement in principle for Sam Altman to return to OpenAI as CEO with a new initial board of Bret Taylor (Chair), Larry Summers, and Adam DAngelo. Credit: AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File

"The OpenAI episode shows how fragile the AI ecosystem is right now, including addressing AI's risks," said Johann Laux, an expert at the Oxford Internet Institute focusing on human oversight of artificial intelligence.

The turmoil also accentuated the differences between Altman and members of the company's previous board, who have expressed various views on the safety risks posed by AI as the technology advances.

Multiple experts add that this drama highlights how it should be governmentsand not big tech companiesthat should be calling the shots on AI regulation, particularly for fast-evolving technologies like generative AI.

"The events of the last few days have not only jeopardized OpenAI's attempt to introduce more ethical corporate governance in the management of their company, but it also shows that corporate governance alone, even when well-intended, can easily end up cannibalized by other corporate's dynamics and interests," said Enza Iannopollo, principal analyst at Forrester.

The lesson, Iannopollo said, is that companies can't alone deliver the level of safety and trust in AI that society needs. "Rules and guardrails, designed with companies and enforced by regulators with rigor, are crucial if we are to benefit from AI," he added.

WHAT IS GENERATIVE AI? HOW IS IT BEING REGULATED?

Unlike traditional AI, which processes data and completes tasks using predetermined rules, generative AI (including chatbots like ChatGPT) can create something new.

Tech companies are still leading the show when it comes to governing AI and its risks, while governments around the world work to catch up.

In the European Union, negotiators are putting the final touches on what's expected to be the world's first comprehensive AI regulations. But they've reportedly been bogged down over whether and how to include the most contentious and revolutionary AI products, the commercialized large-language models that underpin generative AI systems including ChatGPT.

Chatbots were barely mentioned when Brussels first laid out its initial draft legislation in 2021, which focused on AI with specific uses. But officials have been racing to figure out how to incorporate these systems, also known as foundation models, into the final version.

Meanwhile, in the U.S., President Joe Biden signed an ambitious executive order last month seeking to balance the needs of cutting-edge technology companies with national security and consumer rights.

The orderwhich will likely need to be augmented by congressional actionis an initial step that is meant to ensure that AI is trustworthy and helpful, rather than deceptive and destructive. It seeks to steer how AI is developed so that companies can profit without putting public safety in jeopardy.

 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

Despite the use of chemical treatment for strengthening sandy soils, an understanding of how it gains strength is lacking. Now, scientists have studied how sandy soil is made stronger through the injection of chemicals. The image above shows the dynamic changes in the molecular structure of hydrogels over time, as revealed through theoretical modeling. Credit: Shinya Inazumi, Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan

Chemical injection is a process that enhances sand strength and its water-sealing capacity, making sandy soil suitable for various applications in construction. However, a unified understanding of how this process results in increased strength remains elusive. Some studies in the past have suggested that chemical injection separates soil particles, which causes volume expansion.

This creates pockets of vacuum, resulting in "negative pressure," which pulls soil particles together and strengthens it. Increased tensile strength (which determines the load the soil can endure) is also thought to influence this behavior. Other studies have proposed that shrinkage of hydrogels (water-retaining polymeric structures) leads to soil particle compression and confinement, imparting strength to the soil. However, there is still a lack of clear understanding of the underlying mechanism behind the strength development of sandy soils.

Now, a team of scientists from Japan, led by Professor Shinya Inazumi from the Department of Civil Engineering at Shibaura Institute of Technology, has conducted a thorough investigation into the behavior of chemically injected sandy soil. Talking about the motivation behind this study, Prof. Inazumi says, "We were driven by a passion for sustainable development and the desire to contribute to safer and more efficient construction practices, particularly in the context of climate change and increasing urbanization."

Additionally, the researchers were also motivated by the goal of advancing geotechnical engineering, with the hope that it can have implications for public safety by enabling the development of technologies that mitigate the risk of natural disasters. Their work was published in the journal Gels.

In this study, the researchers first chemically injected sand-gel and hydrogel mixtures with an acidic solution and conducted various tests. This included the consolidation drainage triaxial compression tests, which isolate and measure the "cohesive strength" and the "angle of internal friction" in chemically enhanced soils. This testing method was chosen for its ability to provide accurate insights into soil behavior under static conditions, which is crucial for the safety and reliability of construction soil.

Additional techniques for mechanistic and structural analysis included unconfined compression tests, small-angle X-ray scattering, volume shrinkage studies, and theoretical modeling. Notably, this study marks the first instance of independent examination of the effects of dilatancy and hydrogel shrinkage on soil strength development. This distinction holds significance for the field, offering the potential to guide more targeted and efficient soil treatment methods.

The experiments revealed that the enhancement of strength in chemically treated sandy soil can be attributed to increased cohesion and the internal friction angle of the soil particles. Moreover, this improvement exhibits no long-term strength loss, and interestingly, the initial weakness of untreated sandy soil can be traced back to the hydrogel itself.

This understanding of hydrogels at the molecular level holds immense potential in civil engineering and environmental management. For example, this breakthrough can be used in earthquake-prone regions to enhance building safety, impart seismic resilience, and diminish soil liquefaction risks. Furthermore, flood-prone areas also stand to benefit from this new understanding as the water-sealing properties of these treated soils can mitigate floods and safeguard human settlements and agriculture.

In the long term, this technology can also protect coastal communities against rising sea levels, storm surges, and saltwater intrusion.

By stabilizing soil and increasing its water retention capacity, the present work yields numerous advantages across various other domains as well. This includes land reclamation, which is crucial for global food security, and pollution mitigation, which is important for curbing leaching into water bodies from landfills. Furthermore, it can also enhance the structural durability of civic infrastructure and ensure mining safety by preventing landslides.

As Prof. Inazumi explains, "Our research promises to fill critical knowledge gaps in soil treatment, which can be translated into more efficient and durable construction practices, and ultimately benefit a wide range of industries."

More information: Toshiyuki Motohashi et al, Strength Assessment of WaterGlass Sand Mixtures, Gels (2023). DOI: 10.3390/gels9110850
Great West Life Assurance Co. Can grew its stake in Sun Communities, Inc. (NYSE:SUI  Free Report) by 1.1% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 149,931 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock after buying an additional 1,688 shares during the quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Cans holdings in Sun Communities were worth $19,610,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. BlackRock Inc. lifted its position in shares of Sun Communities by 2.6% in the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 10,936,309 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $1,540,707,000 after buying an additional 273,133 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in shares of Sun Communities by 17.5% in the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 6,317,268 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $889,975,000 after buying an additional 939,057 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Sun Communities by 1.5% in the first quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,879,907 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $833,364,000 after buying an additional 85,103 shares during the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Sun Communities by 45.6% in the second quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 2,456,346 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $320,455,000 after buying an additional 769,749 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC increased its stake in shares of Sun Communities by 4.4% in the first quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,207,969 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $311,059,000 after purchasing an additional 93,952 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.79% of the companys stock.

Get Sun Communities alerts:

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on SUI. Bank of America lowered Sun Communities from a buy rating to a neutral rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $148.00 to $128.00 in a research note on Monday, October 2nd. JMP Securities dropped their price objective on Sun Communities from $160.00 to $150.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 15th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on Sun Communities from $148.00 to $143.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 11th. Compass Point dropped their price objective on Sun Communities from $125.00 to $116.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 27th. Finally, StockNews.com began coverage on Sun Communities in a research note on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a sell rating on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Sun Communities presently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $141.36.

Sun Communities Stock Up 0.5 %

NYSE SUI opened at $123.98 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 2.65, a quick ratio of 2.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94. The stocks 50 day moving average is $115.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $124.46. The company has a market capitalization of $15.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 67.75, a PEG ratio of 5.77 and a beta of 0.73. Sun Communities, Inc. has a 1-year low of $102.74 and a 1-year high of $163.83.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sun Communities

In other Sun Communities news, EVP Marc Farrugia sold 4,962 shares of Sun Communities stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.90, for a total transaction of $614,791.80. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,093 shares of the companys stock, valued at $631,022.70. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.06% of the companys stock.

Sun Communities Profile

(Free Report)

Established in 1975, Sun Communities, Inc became a publicly owned corporation in December 1993. The Company is a fully integrated REIT listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol: SUI. As of September 30, 2023, the Company owned, operated, or had an interest in a portfolio of 670 developed MH, RV and Marina properties comprising approximately 180,170 developed sites and approximately 48,030 wet slips and dry storage spaces in the U.S., the UK and Canada.

Read More

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding SUI? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Sun Communities, Inc. (NYSE:SUI  Free Report).

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A North Korean state-sponsored threat actor tracked as Diamond Sleet is distributing a trojanized version of a legitimate application developed by a Taiwanese multimedia software developer called CyberLink to target downstream customers via a supply chain attack.

"This malicious file is a legitimate CyberLink application installer that has been modified to include malicious code that downloads, decrypts, and loads a second-stage payload," the Microsoft Threat Intelligence team said in an analysis on Wednesday.

The poisoned file, the tech giant said, is hosted on the update infrastructure owned by the company while also including checks to limit the time window for execution and bypass detection by security products.

The campaign is estimated to have impacted over 100 devices across Japan, Taiwan, Canada, and the U.S. Suspicious activity associated with the modified CyberLink installer file was observed as early as October 20, 2023.

The links to North Korea stem from the fact that the second-stage payload establishes connections with command-and-control (C2) servers previously compromised by the threat actor.

Microsoft further said it has observed the attackers utilizing trojanized open-source and proprietary software to target organizations in information technology, defense, and media sectors.

Diamond Sleet, which dovetails with clusters dubbed TEMP.Hermit and Labyrinth Chollima, is the moniker assigned to an umbrella group originating from North Korea that's also called Lazarus Group. It's known to be active since at least 2013.

"Their operations since that time are representative of Pyongyang's efforts to collect strategic intelligence to benefit North Korean interests," Google-owned Mandiant noted last month. "This actor targets government, defense, telecommunications, and financial institutions worldwide."

Interestingly, Microsoft said it did not detect any hands-on-keyboard activity on target environments following the distribution of the tampered installer, which has been codenamed LambLoad.

The weaponized downloader and loader inspects the target system for the presence of security software from CrowdStrike, FireEye, and Tanium, and if not present, fetches another payload from a remote server that masquerades as a PNG file.

"The PNG file contains an embedded payload inside a fake outer PNG header that is, carved, decrypted, and launched in memory," Microsoft said. Upon execution, the malware further attempts to contact a legitimate-but-compromised domain for the retrieval of additional payloads.

The disclosures come a day after Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 revealed twin campaigns architected by North Korean threat actors to distribute malware as part of fictitious job interviews and obtain unauthorized employment with organizations based in the U.S. and other parts of the world.

Last month, Microsoft also implicated Diamond Sleet in the exploitation of a critical security flaw in JetBrains TeamCity (CVE-2023-42793, CVSS score: 9.8) to opportunistically breach vulnerable servers and deploy a backdoor known as ForestTiger.

The surge in software supply chain attacks conducted by North Korean threat actors  3CX, MagicLine4NX, JumpCloud, and CyberLink  has also prompted a new advisory from South Korea and the U.K., which warned of the growing sophistication and frequency of such attacks, urging organizations to put security measures in place to reduce the likelihood of compromise.

"The actors have been observed leveraging zero-day vulnerabilities and exploits in third-party software to gain access to specific targets or indiscriminate organizations via their supply chains," the agencies said.

"These supply chain attacks [...] align and considerably help fulfill wider DPRK-state priorities, including revenue generation, espionage, and the theft of advanced technologies."

Update

After The Hacker News reached out to CyberLink for further information, the company shared the following statement -

On 11/22/2023, we identified a malware issue in the installation file for one of our programs, Promeo. Upon discovery, our dedicated cybersecurity team immediately removed the bug and additional security measures were put in place to prevent this from happening again in the future.

We are committed to maintaining the highest standards of digital security and are taking this matter extremely seriously. Hence, as a precautionary measure, we made the decision to inspect the full lineup of CyberLink products (e.g., PowerDirector, PhotoDirector, PowerDVD) using trusted tools like Microsoft Defender, CrowdStrike, Symantec, TrendMicro, and Sophos software. We can confirm that none of the other programs were affected.

(The article was updated after publication to include information about an advisory issued by South Korea and the U.K. on North Korea-linked software supply chain attacks as well as a statement from CyberLink.)
Infrastructure is a fancy word that refers to various types of connectors such as roadways; the Internet; and water-bearing systems such as ditches, water lines, sewer lines, and stormwater lines.

Gilda speaking Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, left, introduces the panelists for a town hall meeting on infrastructure needs on Thursday, Nov. 16, in the Santee C

Improving infrastructure usually results in a better quality of life, but the work can be expensive, complicated, and time-consuming.

Elected and appointed officials often get infrastructure-related questions from their constituents, says state House District 95 Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, D-Orangeburg.

So she sent a mass email inviting recipients to attend a town hall meeting at the Santee Conference Center on Thursday, Nov. 16, to talk about eastern Orangeburg Countys infrastructure needs.

Bonnie Ammonds Bonnie Ammonds, executive director of the South Carolina Rural Infrastructure Authority, speaks during a town hall meeting on infrastructure

Our purpose was simply to provide you with an opportunity to ask questions directly of the people who have the answers, she said. Weve heard from you and we just thought it made sense to bring them here.

The meeting lasted for an hour and a half. It was almost evenly divided between presentations by the state officials and a question-and-answer session.

Gilda town hall audience More than 100 people attend a town hall meeting on Thursday, Nov. 16, in the Santee Conference Center to discuss eastern Orangeburg Countys

First up was Bonnie Ammonds, executive director of the South Carolina Rural Infrastructure Authority. State legislators created the office a decade ago after they determined that basic water and sewer is going to be the key to development in rural areas, she said.

Its the key to economic development, public health, and protection of the environment, she added.

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The RIA gets $25 million in state money each year and awards grants and loans to local governments throughout South Carolina to improve water, wastewater, and stormwater systems.

In 10 years we have awarded 60 grants in Orangeburg County for over $31 million, Ammonds said. Ten of them are active and open and were recently awarded.

The American Rescue Plan Act, passed by the U.S. Congress, allocated a one-time infusion of $1.4 billion to improve water and wastewater systems in South Carolina.

That was transformational, Ammons said. We awarded 219 grants (statewide) from those funds.

RIA grant and loan recipients over the years have included the City of Orangeburg and the towns of Branchville, Elloree, Norway, and Springfield.

Last week the RIA awarded a grant of nearly $1 million to the Town of Holly Hill and a grant of nearly $500,000 to the Town of Santee.

Next was Jim Stritzinger, director of the Office of Broadband, which was established only two years ago.

Were going to connect every single house in South Carolina to high-speed Internet  everybody, he said. If we havent reached your house already, theres probably a project underway.

And its high-quality, he emphasized.

Some of you may have whats called a Digital Subscriber Line, if a telephone line comes into your house. It is known that when (storm) water (builds) up, it will short-circuit and it will take your Internet out, he said.

The root cause is that you have the wrong technology in your house. You need to get something else besides a DSL. Find a new provider that can give you fiber (optics) or (coaxial) cable to your house, he said.

His office has received hundreds of millions of dollars in federal and state money and awards it to Internet providers through a competitive grant process.

We dont put any fiber in the ground, he said. Our job is to make investments in Internet providers so they can (expand their service areas). The investment has to happen first, and then the construction occurs.

It doesnt happen overnight, he said, but rest assured the cavalry is coming and were going to try to get to everybody as quickly as we can.

We just signed a grant with TriCoLink for the Eutawville area 10 days ago, he said.

We funded a grant for the whole Town of Holly Hill. It was signed last February. Brightspeed is replacing a lot of their old copper (lines) with fiber. By Christmas next year, all of Holly Hill should have fiber service.

When asked if senior citizens are still eligible for discounts, he said, Its better than just seniors. The Affordable Connectivity Program, or ACP, provides a $30-a-month subsidy for any family in need. If you are eligible for public assistance like SNAP and TANF, you will qualify for the Internet subsidy.

Next was Justin Powell, chief of staff of the South Carolina Department of Transportation.

He said the state Legislatures vote in 2017 to increase the gasoline tax is allowing DOT to spend 4 times as much on road improvements as it did before. The amount of road work under contract is approaching $5 billion, he said.

The budget for paving projects is the largest in 30 years, enough to pave 7,700 miles statewide, including 304 miles in Orangeburg County. Too, hundreds of bridges across the state are being improved or replaced.

Interstate highways are another priority. I-26 breaks down with some regularity, Powell said. There are plans to widen the highway to six lanes from Columbia to Charleston and to rebuild the interchange at Interstate 95.

Powell said it is unacceptable that South Carolina has the nations worst rural road fatality rate. We cant fix speeding or impaired driving, but we can improve roads, he said.

We dug into the data and found that 30 percent of the fatalities happened on just 5 percent of the roads, he said. About 1,250 miles of rural roads are targeted for safety improvements, such as adding rumble strips on the edges.

Already its making a difference. Weve seen a 24 percent decrease in fatal and serious accidents on roads that have been improved, he said.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, more people ate take-out food and created more litter, so DOT received $8 million to hire contractors to pick up litter along non-interstate roads. The pilot program began in Orangeburg County, he added.

He said DOT is purposely keeping those contracts small to encourage small businesses to bid on them.

The pandemic also resulted in the resignations of a lot of maintenance employees. Weve raised the entry-level pay to $20 an hour for front-line workers and were hiring if anyones interested, he said.

Regarding ditches and drainage issues, DOT District 7 resident engineering administrator Brian Heape advised residents to contact him or the local DOT maintenance office.

Wed be glad to take a look at anything thats within our right-of-way, he said. Outside the states right-of-way, drainage is not a DOT issue. Its a private property owner or county or town issue.

He added that under certain circumstances, DOT can approach it in a team effort with a county or municipality.

The final speaker was Ben Duncan, the states chief resilience officer. The Office of Resiliency was created two years ago to replace the Disaster Recovery Office. Its mission is to help officials anticipate, absorb, recover, and thrive.

The office awarded  in Orangeburg County  slightly under $3 million to repair or replace 61 residences after a flood in 2015 and slightly less than $500,000 to repair or replace 9 homes after Hurricane Matthew.

The office is providing $439,150 for an Orangeburg County-wide hydrologic and hydraulic study and $285,251 for a City of Orangeburg stormwater drainage study. Both studies are complete except for the final reports, which are due by Dec. 31.

The countywide study identified four street-level stormwater mitigation infrastructure projects. The citywide study identified three street-level stormwater projects. The seven projects would cost a total of $8.9 million.

Those seven projects are among 30 projects totaling $90 million that will compete for funding at the state level. Only a fraction of that amount is available. The winning projects will be announced in May 2024, he said.

Then the audience members gave their questions  written on cards  to Rep. Cobb-Hunter, who looked over them and said, Weve got a pattern of questions. A lot of these are about drainage and ditches.

All sorts of items  including trees, abandoned appliances, and beaver dams  can be found clogging waterways, she said.

When residents try to find out whos responsible for clearing ditches, they get the runaround: the county says its the state. The state says its the county, Cobb-Hunter said.

We are trying to make sure that we dont have entities in place that arent doing anything, and Im talking about and looking specifically at the Horse Range Watershed. We need to take a look at that, Cobb-Hunter said.

Another question dealt with the rough railroad crossing in Eutawville.

It is not because of lack of effort that nothing has happened, Cobb-Hunter said. It is because CSX has decided  not just in Eutawville but in a whole lot of communities across this state  they just aint going to be bothered.

Road paving requests were referred to the County Transportation Committee, whose next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 18, at 5 p.m. in the council chambers of the County Administrative Centre, 1437 Amelia St.

Questions about street lights, missing street signs, and unmowed road rights-of-way were referred to the DOT. Powell noted that residents can submit maintenance requests online.

Concerns were raised about new development, such as increased traffic, speeding, and noise. Cobb-Hunter said those concerns should be directed to a municipality, if applicable, or otherwise to the county.

I know some of these answers may not be what you want to hear, Cobb-Hunter said.

I hope what you are able to get from what youve heard here is that there is work being done, finally, to try to address (infrastructure issues). It didnt happen overnight and its not going to change overnight, so I would just ask for your patience.

This is one in a series of town halls that I am doing around my district, Cobb-Hunter said. The next one will be held in St. George.

She said that leaders cant resolve an issue they dont know about. None of us is a mind reader, so if you have an issue you really want solved, come to us, she said.

She encouraged audience members to address their individual concerns with the appropriate public officials after the meeting.

In attendance were the mayors of Bowman, Eutawville, Holly Hill, Santee, and Vance; County Council Chairman Johnnie Wright and Councilman Johnny Ravenell; County Auditor Audrey Asbury; Clerk of Court Winnifa Clark; County Transportation Committee Vice Chair Diane Cheeseboro and member Matthew Henderson; and Deputy County Administrator Marion Lloyd.
HAMPTON  Lawmakers have asked Gov. Henry McMaster to order an investigation into Hampton Countys precarious financial situation, saying county government is too broke to hire someone to find out how millions of dollars vanished from its coffers.

Members of the Hampton County legislative delegation told the governor in a letter dated Nov. 15 they were exceedingly concerned about the countys financial situation. They cited pleas for help from concerned residents, increasingly dire warnings from county leaders and recent reporting by The Post and Couriers Uncovered initiative about the countys struggle to determine what happened to its money.

Uncovered The Post and Courier of Charleston in 2021 launched Uncovered, a project to cast new light on questionable government conduct, especially in

The county has acknowledged misspending at least $3.1 million from a penny-per-dollar sales tax intended for construction projects and $1.5 million from a fund restricted to fire expenses. Its former finance director said the money appeared to cover everyday expenses, papering over mounting deficits. But no one can say for sure how the funds were spent.

There appears to be a lot more to this issue than misspent funds. However, the county has no resources to determine culpability, wrote state Rep. Bill Hager and Sens. Margie Bright Matthews and Brad Hutto.

The trouble is that South Carolina subjects its local governments to minimal oversight, Uncovered previously reported. The states watchdog agencies say they dont have the jurisdiction to investigate counties and municipalities. And while the state employs forensic accountants for law enforcement, they only deal with suspected criminal acts.

The Hampton County delegation asked McMaster to refer the case to any of a litany of agencies: his offices ombudsman, the state inspector general, the state treasurer, the S.C. Department of Revenue or the State Law Enforcement Division.

The Department of Revenue is said to be auditing the missing sales tax money already. But it isnt clear any of the others have the authority to investigate.

It doesnt matter what agency. Find somebody to come down, said Hager, R-Hampton, the countys only resident lawmaker.

McMaster spokesman Brandon Charochak said the governor shares Hampton County lawmakers concerns. He said the governor would support legislation giving the states inspector general the authority and manpower to investigate problems in local governments. Currently, the inspector general can only look at state agencies and school districts.

The letter is not the first to request the governors intervention. Hampton County lawmakers asked for help getting someone to review the countys books in 2020, and a group of concerned residents calling themselves Hampton County Citizens for Active Restoration asked for a forensic audit in 2022.

Each time, the governors office responded by saying the options were limited.

State agencies and officials typically have limited, if any, authority to exercise general oversight over county elected officials, deputy legal counsel Michael Shedd wrote the citizens group in February 2022.

He encouraged the group to call their lawmakers to ask for more oversight and keep pressing county leaders.

The legislative delegation said its latest request for help was prompted in part by a Hampton County Council meeting that two of its members attended earlier in November. At that meeting, Hamptons new finance director said the county needed to slash spending to make ends meet. He called for a 9 percent budget cut countywide.

By the countys next meeting Nov. 20, the assessment was even more dire. Bills were stacking up, and Penska said he had to wait to pay them because the county is essentially functioning paycheck-to-paycheck. It wont be able to cover them until more residents pay their property tax bills in the next few months, he said.

A council member asked how much money was set aside to pay basic expenses like the power bill and payroll. If push comes to shove, he asked, could the county cover 30 days of bills? 60?

To answer you quite frankly, we are late on our utility bills. And we are very low on cash. And no, we cant guarantee that anybodys going to get paid, Penska said.

In the future, Penska said, the county needs to make a plan to repay the money it misspent and pay off the balances it owes contractors, the local school district and others. But for now, he said, the county would need to use debt to stay afloat.
The Cecil Williams South Carolina Civil Rights Museum has received funding from the SC Humanities.

The money will be used to present five symposiums across the state.

The series Briggs Before and Beyond Brown will explore the Briggs vs. Elliott case for desegregation of schools in South Carolina and its contributions to the 1954 Supreme Court Decision, Brown vs. the Board of Education.

Symposiums will be held in Summerton, Anderson, Rock Hill, Florence and Columbia. Panelists will include historians, descendants of the Summerton plaintiffs and local community members for each location.

Founded in 2019 by renowned photographer Cecil Williams and located in Orangeburg, the museum (the Palmetto State's first and only civil rights museum) honors a generation of people throughout the Palmetto State who deserve to be remembered for their unselfish commitments and sacrifices, especially the citizens of Clarendon County. Together, they destroyed Jim Crow, demanded dignity and justice for all people, and inspired humanity.

The museum is open for visits by appointment. For more information visit the museum website at https://www.cecilwilliams.com/ or call Williams at 803-531-1662.

South Carolina Humanities receives funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities as well as corporate, foundation and individual donors. It is governed by a volunteer board of directors comprised of community leaders from throughout the state.
(TBTCO) - Tai Hoi nghi Cong uoc khung cua Lien hop quoc ve bien oi khi hau lan thu 28, du kien dien ra tu ngay 30/11 en het 12/12/2023 tai Dubai. Ngan hang Phat trien Lien My (IDB) cho biet, se tang so tien tai tro tu 50 ty USD hien tai len 150 ty USD trong 10 nam toi cho cac du an phuc hoi va giam nhe nham giai quyet cac cuoc khung hoang khi hau o My Latinh va Caribe.
Zone change on Wyoming Boulevard and Gannett Street

In an effort to get rid of all the PUD zoning classifications in Casper  city staff believe they are burdensome, a memo notes  council voted unanimously in favor of a zone change for three lots off of Wyoming Boulevard and Gannett Street on its first reading.

The area includes a vacant former bank building and the former Village Inn (now Los Amigos Mexican Food), among other structures. If successful, the zone would switch from a PUD to a C-2 General Business (which is mixed-use for residential and business). The applicant  Curve TV, LLC  has plans to demolish the former bank in favor of redevelopment of the site, a meeting memo notes.

Though a representative from Curve TV did not comment until later in the hearing, two residents spoke against it. One said that she lived on Gannett Street, and the possible change made her concerned about increased taxes and crime and changes in property values. If the change passed, she requested that some kind of barrier be put up to block light pollution from her and her neighbors houses.

City Planner Craig Collins said that enhanced landscaping as a privacy barrier was something that the city would consider for the residential area nearby.

The current zoning just doesnt make sense, he explained, and a general business zone would narrow down what the area could be used for.

The PUD zoning regulations were applied liberally from the 1970s to the 90s, he said, and in his opinion, they were done poorly.

Councilor Gena Jensen had reservations about the zone change, as it seemed unnecessary and like it was leaving too much up to interpretation.

But, Napier clarified, the zone change would actually keep the zoning from being left up to interpretation.

Going to a C2 tightens up what can be built there compared to whats going on right now, he said.

A representative from Curve TV, Chris Hatch, was invited to speak to clarify what the companys plans are with the lots.

Our intention here is to build a new retail building ... , he said, ostensibly where the bank was. Curve TV brings in national and regional retailers, he explained, and since they have certain expectations for development of storefronts, changing to a C2 would help Curve TV bring in more retailers.

The properties came with a private set of CCRs from the Ridleys supermarket. Those CCRs prevent the company from building housing on the properties, Hatch also noted.

This ordinance has two more readings to go before its fate is decided.

Plat and zone change for new college

Council voted unanimously in favor of a proposed plat and zone change for two lots located south of CY Avenue and west of Hickory Street. The two lots will be used for the development of Luther Classical College, a new school associated with Mount Hope Lutheran Church in Casper.

The first lot will be an R-5, or mixed residential, zone, and the second would be an ED, or educational district.

The college will be small in both student body size and faculty and staff, but the planners do not want to build dorms. Instead, they seek to build houses to encourage community amongst students.

Both a member of the colleges Board of Regents and Robert Lower of Lower Brothers, the owners of the land, spoke in favor of the zoning changes.

The total area of the lots encompasses about 61.5 acres.

New Wi-Fi at the Ford Wyoming Center

While acts, vendors and staff have access to Wi-Fi at the Ford Wyoming Center, eventgoers do not. This was an unbudgeted expense, City Manager Carter Napier noted, but with about $100,000 left over from another project, the city could install new equipment to expand Wi-Fi access.

The city has requested proposals so as to know the final cost of the project.

Council approved the re-allocation of these funds to complete the Wi-Fi project.
THE current financial imbalance, which has the potential to deplete the National Insurance Boards assets by 2035, is not rooted in investment issues but rather stems from the challenges posed by this countrys ageing population, the acting chief operating officer, Business Services at NIBTT, Andy Edwards has said.
Nailah Blackman believes shes entering her creative prime.

Nailah, on the eve of her 26th birthday celebrations, says she is creatively firing and feels evolved.

The Sweet & Loco singer will mark the occasion with a special performance, at La Tropical nightclub in San Fernando, tomorrow night. The public is invited to purchase tickets to the festivities at the door.
Industry insiders highlight global cooperation in developing aerospace information industry

Xinhua) 08:43, November 23, 2023

CHONGQING, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- Global efforts should be coordinated to develop the aerospace information industry with enhanced trust and synergy among all parties, said industry insiders at a relevant event held in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality.

Themed "One Starry Sky, One Shared Future," the Mingyue Lake Aerospace Information Industry International Ecosystem Event 2023 gathered more than 1,000 representatives from China's local governments, global enterprises in the aerospace information industrial chain, and research institutions from home and abroad.

Collaboration should strengthen within the aerospace information industry to build an industrial ecosystem for space information applications, said Shi Hongwei, vice president of the First Research Institute of China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, during the event held from Monday to Tuesday.

Integration into local development strategies is crucial to achieving synergistic development of the space information industry, Shi noted.

Christian Feichtinger, executive director of the International Astronautical Federation (IAF), said that the IAF and China share a "very rich" history of connection and cooperation.

"For many years, we have been fruitfully cooperating," he said, noting the federation's pleasure in witnessing the significant progress that China has made in space in recent years.

The event saw the establishment of the International Alliance of Aerospace Information Industry, which consists of global universities, enterprises, investment organizations, and research institutions and looks to build a coordination platform within the industry.

Ten investment institutions jointly initiated a 100-billion yuan (about 14.03 billion U.S. dollars) community fund during the event. The fund will invest in aerospace information infrastructure and key enterprises.

Also, during the event, Chongqing released 15 aerospace information application scenarios to serve the city's transportation, emergency response, and public security, among others.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Cathy Rosenthal suggests ditching dry cat food and enticing a cat into a trap with wet cat food, jarred baby food, unseasoned cooked chicken or canned mackerel. NurPhoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Dear Cathy,

Eighteen months ago, a female cat showed up in our neighborhood. No one knows where she came from. Since then, she has had three litters with nine surviving kittens. The neighborhood has pitched in to give homes to seven of the kittens; the current two are still not weaned. The kittens were easy to catch using traps rented from the Humane Society. But the mama cat won't go into the trap. We tried not feeding her, but she was starving herself to death. Can you connect me with someone who can help? We just want to catch her, get her spayed and maybe find her a forever home.

Victoria

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Cats eat food left out by a volunteer from the Roadrunner Cat Coalition. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates there are between 30 to 80 million feral cats in the U.S. William Luther/Staff

Dear Victoria,

How nice of you to help this cat  and what wonderful neighbors to take in so many kittens from her litters.

Fixing her is definitely the next step. You can learn a lot about TNR from the wonderful volunteers at the San Antonio Feral Cat Coalition. They have informational videos online and step-by-step classes on how to do TNR. Just call their help line at 210-877-9067 or visit their website at https://sanantonioferalcats.org/ for more information.

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In the meantime, here are a few tips on how to trap a trap-wary cat.

Cover the trap with a towel or blanket to make it look safer to her.

If she is savvy and knows how to step over the trigger plate, place a stick or wooden spoon in front of it so she has to step over that and onto the trigger plate.

If she circles the trap, try placing two traps next to each other but with the cage doors facing opposite directions. If she doesn't enter one, she might enter the other.

Ditch regular cat food and entice her with wet cat food, jarred baby food, unseasoned cooked chicken or canned mackerel. Put a  teaspoon of food just outside the trap door, and then create a food trail by placing a  teaspoon of food every few inches up to just past the pressure plate in the trap.

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If all this fails, try a drop trap. Prop up the trap using a stick or water bottle so it hovers above the food bowl; there will be no trap for her to walk into. The downside is that you must trigger the trap manually with a long piece of rope or string when you see her eating. If you are an inexperienced trapper, you might find this trap harder to use, but many experienced trappers use these for trap-wary cats. The SAFCC can teach you how to use them.
A nursing manager waiting for two years to get an echocardiogram (ECG) appointment for an urgent heart condition is the reality and experience of patients in the public healthcare system.

Members of the public ventilated several negative experiences they have had at health centres and hospitals to a Joint Select Committee (JSC) town hall meeting on Social Services and Public Administration on Wednesday at the Parliament Complex, Cabildo Building, St Vincent Street, Port of Spain.
Ultimately, the fate of the Report of the Commission of Enquiry (CoE) into the Paria Diving Tragedy is as important as the report itself.

From all indications, the Commissions report contains a cauldron of hard truths. We can easily extrapolate from comments by CoE chairman Jerome Lynch, KC, that those truths will rock many a boat. But we too agree that the public interest demands immediate public view of its contents.
Mary Morales, 59, and her husband Ben Morales, 62, deliver meals to tables of hungry guests during the 44th annual Raul Jimenez Thanksgiving Dinner at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center on Thursday. Mary attended the dinners years ago, when her children were young, and decided to come back with her family to volunteer. Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News Robert Torres, who calls himself Cowboy Bob, drinks Big Red out of a goblet he brought with him to the 44th annual Raul Jimenez Thanksgiving Dinner at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center on Thursday. He put out a sign featuring a photo of his deceased parents to honor their memory as he ate. Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News Elsa Herrera sings for the crowd at the 44th annual Raul Jimenez Thanksgiving Dinner at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center on Thursday. She regularly performs at Market Square on the weekends. Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News A volunteer delivers pieces of pumpkin pie to guests at the 44th annual Raul Jimenez Thanksgiving Dinner at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center on Thursday. Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News Mary Morales, 59, and her husband Ben Morales, 62, deliver meals to tables of hungry guests during the 44th annual Raul Jimenez Thanksgiving Dinner at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center on Thursday. Mary attended the dinners years ago, when her children were young, and decided to come back with her family to volunteer. Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News

As a volunteer walked by with a tray full of dinner plates, Robert Torres flagged her down.

He gratefully took another plate laden with turkey and fixings, then offered her a pumpkin-shaped cookie, one of his own contributions to the annual Raul Jimenez Thanksgiving Dinner.

Torres, 64  who goes by Cowboy Bob and was dressed in matching attire  also brought pickles, olives and extra gravy to top off his dinner, as well as a glass goblet to hold his can of Big Red.

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He decorated his spot, at one end of a long table, with small toys and a sign, one side bearing a picture of his late parents Roberto and Clara, whom he used to accompany to the dinner. On the other side was a call for suitors, proclaiming Torres the last living golden bachelor in search of a wife.

The sign hadnt attracted a spouse yet, but his familiar face was a welcome sight to Mark Robles.

Robles met Torres at last years Jimenez dinner, attracted by an even larger sign that hed propped up on his table.

Both said they didnt have anyone to spend the holiday with and came to the dinner seeking community and socializing.

Walking in alone last year was intimidating, Robles said  but Torres kept him laughing the entire time. This year, on his return to the Convention Center, he spotted the distinctive cowboy hat and was grateful to find a friend in the crowd.

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The dinner, now in its 44th year, started for just that reason: Restaurateur Raul Jimenez wanted to offer a dinner for people who would otherwise be alone on the holiday or who couldnt afford a Thanksgiving meal of their own. In the years since 1979, it has grown to serve up to 25,000 people, many of whom come back year after year.

It takes thousands of volunteers to pull off the dinner each year: Patricia Jimenez, daughter of the dinners late founder, said more than 3,500 people signed up to help out. It wasnt hard to find enough people to meet the need: Volunteer registration opened Nov. 3 and filled up just three days later.

They started work Sunday morning, when 550 turkeys were delivered and preparations began, continuing through the week.

On Thursday, they formed assembly lines, loading up thousands of plates with the works: turkey, stuffing, green beans, yams, gravy, cranberry sauce and a Hawaiian roll. Other volunteers acted like air traffic controllers directing planes, pointing volunteers toward tables with waiting diners.

Four of those volunteers wore matching turkey hats with their white aprons: Mary and Ben Morales and April and John Ramirez. As a single mom with young children, Mary Morales brought her kids, April and John, to the dinner more than 20 years ago, she said. Now, shes returned with them to give back, a new tradition the family started last year.

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April, 32, and John, 25, scanned the crowd for diners with their hands in the air, carefully placing plates in front of each person, one by one.

At one point, we were homeless, Mary said, which means she was in the same position as some of the people she now was serving.

For Patricia Jimenez, the day is the culmination of months of work and preparation. But she looks forward every year to seeing the thousands of guests and volunteers.

Its beautiful to see all the smiling faces, the appreciation and everyone coming together, whether youre receiving or being a blessing, Jimenez said.

She paused, becoming emotional as she spoke about her father and continuing his work. Hed be proud and happy to see how much the dinner has grown since he died in 1998, she said.

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Despite its growing diversity, Tucson is not known for having the widest array of ethnic restaurants  at least not authentic ones.

A majority of the places here are not very authentic, said Nguyen Dang, a University of Arizona student from Vietnam. I guess its just because of the taste of here and how Americans perceive the food.

With so many Americanized ethnic restaurants in town, it can be hard for international residents to find authentic cuisine from their home countries.

But there are some, according to some international residents. Here are a few restaurants that international residents say rival what they get at home.

Vietnamese: Pho Ngan

Dang, 20, is from Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam and has been in the U.S. since 2018 and in Tucson since 2020.

For Vietnamese food here, its not the best of the best, he said. The stuff that youre eating here is basically like a mixture of American style, but also the southern Vietnamese style of pho.

For authentic Vietnamese food, Dangs go-to restaurant is Pho Ngan at 4951 E. Grant Road, near North Swan Road.

Dang said his favorite things to order are the Pho Dac Biet, a pho special made with steak, brisket, meatballs, tendon and tripe; or Bun bo Hue, a spicy beef and noodle soup.

In southern Vietnamese style of pho, we do serve with herbs and also bean sprouts, while the northern style, you dont really get served with that, Dang said. Here, they use a lot of different kinds of herbs, like cinnamon, cloves, things like that. Its somewhat sweeter and thats definitely like the southern Vietnamese one.

Pho Ngan is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesdays through Mondays. Learn more by visiting tucne.ws/phongan or calling 520-347-5413.

Polish: Polish Cottage

Agnieszka Aggie Fisher came to the U.S. 10 years ago from Poznan and said it can be hard to find Polish food in Tucson.

Typically, Fisher, 42, will cook traditional European food at home with ingredients from Trader Joes or Whole Foods. But when her family gets the inkling to go out for authentic Polish food, they go to Polish Cottage.

Polish Cottage on East Broadway offers a wide variety of authentic fare ranging from stews to Polish sausages and sandwiches.

Fisher says everything is good, but her favorite is the beef pierogi, Polish-style dumplings filled with beef that can be boiled or pan-fried. They are served with sauerkraut or a side salad and mashed potatoes topped with butter.

My husband likes them pan fried, she said. I prefer them without being pan fried and just normal boiled because thats more like home. My daughter likes them boiled, too.

Polish Cottage, 4520 E. Broadway, is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays. Get more info at polishcottageaz.com or by calling 520-777-5407.

Chinese: Jun Dynasty, Chef Wang, Kung Fu Noodle

For the first time in almost 20 years, the number of international students from India outnumber students from China, but Chinese restaurants in Tucson far outnumber those from India.

Peter Chan, former president of the Tucson Chinese Cultural Center, said one of the most authentic Chinese restaurants in Tucson is Jun Dynasty on East Grant Road.

Jun Dynasty is a staple for Chinese students who want authentic Chinese food that combines the best of Sichuan cuisine and American accented service, he said.

Chan said Chef Wang, not far from campus on East Grant Road and North Sixth Ave., also provides patrons with authentic northeastern Chinese cuisine.

It has hearty meals, such as spicy chicken hot pot and guo bao meat, fried pork with a twist of vinegar and sweet-and-sour sauce, he said.

But for 28-year-old Shantae Lee, Kung Fu Noodle is her go-to for comfort food from home.

This is probably the most authentic one, Lee said. When you walk in, half of it at least is Chinese people and I think the boss is also Chinese.

Lee, who moved to Atlanta from Hong Kong about 15 years ago and to Tucson about a year ago, said Kung Fu Noodles spicy Sichuan water boiled fish, or Shui Zhu Yu, is her favorite thing to order.

The spices that they use are really close to what Ive eaten before, she said. The numbing and the spice, you dont get it anywhere except for China, which is pretty darn close to what Ive tasted. Its the only Chinese restaurant that Im willing to go back to.

Jun Dynasty, 2933 E. Grant Road, is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Sundays. Check out the website jundynasty.com or call 520-881-0778 for more information.

Chef Wang, 356 E. Grant Road, is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays and Tuesdays through Thursdays and from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Get more info at chefwangtucson.com or call 520-367-5375.

Kung Fu Noodle, 3122 N. Campbell Ave., is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Fridays, noon to 9:30 p.m. Saturdays and from noon to 9 p.m. Sundays. Learn more at kungfunoodleaz.com or call 520-881-7800.

African: Alafia West African Cuisine

There arent too many African restaurants in Tucson, which is why, after only a few months in Tucson, it was easy for 20-year-old Leticia Maoudonodji to pick a favorite.

Alafia West African Cuisine on Swan Road near Speedway is a small restaurant representing the cuisine of numerous African countries.

Its similar with all of the countries, so that is very authentic, said Maoudonodji, who was born in the central African country of Chad and has lived in the U.S. since she was a child. The owner and the workers are also from Africa so they have knowledge on the ingredients and all of that stuff.

She said one of the best dishes is the Attieke, or acheke, which is cassava couscous with tomatoes and fried fish.

You feel like you are home when you go there and eat, said Maoudonodji, who is studying political science and global studies at the University of Arizona. The vibes amazing, people are very friendly and welcoming. If they want a taste of Africa, that is the exact place to go.

Alafia West African Cuisine, 1070 N. Swan Road, is open from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. Visit facebook.com/alafiawestafricancuisine or call 520-331-7161 for more information.
PHOENIX  Gov. Katie Hobbs and Attorney General Kris Mayes want a judge to toss a lawsuit filed against them by state schools chief Tom Horne because they cant give him the legal relief he wants: an end to public schools dual-language programs he contends are ineffective and illegal.

Hanging in the balance are more than the practices for teaching English in the 10 districts that Horne sued. Whatever the court decides could determine whether other districts, wanting something different than structured English immersion, will be allowed to offer dual-language lessons to the approximately 95,000 students classified as English language learners.

The litigation stems from the fact that several Arizona school districts are using a dual-language model where students are taught academic subject matter in classrooms featuring both English and their native language, usually Spanish.

Horne, a Republican, said that violates Proposition 203, a 2000 voter-approved measure spelling out that all children in Arizona public schools shall be taught English by being taught in English, and all children should be placed in English language classrooms.

He wants Judge Katherine Cooper to rule any actions to the contrary are illegal. A hearing has been set for January.

She has no such power

In filings in Maricopa County Superior Court, neither the governor nor the attorney general, who are Democrats, address Hornes claim that schools that do not use structured English immersion to teach students who are not proficient are acting illegally.

Instead, an assistant attorney general, Nathan Arrowsmith, said Horne has no legal right to sue. He said if Horne thinks some schools are out of compliance, there is only one legal remedy: To take the case to the Arizona Board of Education, which approved using the dual-language model.

The superintendent is not powerless when it comes to board policy, Arrowsmith wrote of Horne, whose title is superintendent of public instruction.

He is a member of the board and is therefore able to directly influence board policy. However, he has declined to take any action in his capacity as a board member and instead brought his disagreement with the board of the dual-language instruction model before this court.

Hornes problem with Mayes, Arrowsmith wrote, appears to be that she wrote a legal opinion saying he has no authority to override the boards actions approving the dual-language model. Mayes said school districts remain entitled to rely on that approval, and that Horne cant do anything about it.

But simply writing a legal opinion, Arrowsmith said, provides no grounds to sue.

Hornes case against Hobbs is even more tenuous, said an attorney for the governor, Andrew Gaona, in his own legal filings.

In suing Hobbs, Horne argued she has a constitutional obligation to take care that the laws be faithfully executed.

Hornes lawsuit says, The governor has been touting dual-language even though she knows, or should know, that it is contrary to law.

Gaona, however, said the whole dispute has nothing to do with Hobbs.

The complaint alleges no facts establishing that Gov. Hobbs implemented Prop. 203 or has any power to control how anyone else implements Prop. 203, Gaona said, adding she has no such power.

State board approved program

Hobbs attorney also said if Horne is upset that the state Board of Education wont take action against the schools, he should sue it. He said the only way Horne can get the legal relief he wants  a declaration against the use of dual-language instruction  is to sue the board for approving it, something he has refused to do.

Horne, however, said theres a good reason he didnt do that.

The executive director told me that the board will take no action until theres a court decision, Horne told Capitol Media Services. Theyll do whatever the court decides. It seems kind of silly to name them as a part of a lawsuit.

He insisted theres nothing legally wrong with filing the lawsuit he did against everyone else to get dual-language instruction declared illegal.

The 2000 initiative created a requirement for a rigid bloc of instruction of at least four hours a day in classrooms whose students are not proficient in English. The idea was that a single year of immersion would result in proficiency quicker than bilingual-education programs where instruction was offered in both English and the language spoken by students when they enrolled in school.

Dueling data claims

Theoretically, that was designed to provide proficiency in just one year. That proved not to be true, with the Arizona Department of Education finding that in 2018 just 14% of English language learner students were proficient enough to leave the program.

That led to questions about why the students were being segregated, especially if the language instruction meant they were not keeping up with their peers in other subjects.

A 2010 study by researchers at Arizona State University said ELL students are physically, socially, and educationally isolated from their non-ELL peers.

In 2019 then-Gov. Doug Ducey, a Republican, signed legislation allowing the state board to adopt and approve alternate research-based models that involved just two hours a day, giving school officials more flexibility in how to schedule that time. It allows classrooms mixed with students whose native language is English as well as those from homes where that is not the case.

That led to the dual-language model adopted by the board.

Horne said he has data showing structured English immersion produces better results. But he said that is legally irrelevant to his bottom-line claim that what the Legislature approved and the state board adopted are illegal.

The language of the initiative passed by over 60% of the voters says that English language learners will be instructed in English by being taught in English, Horne said. The initiative means what it says.

Voter-approved law

He said it doesnt matter that the Legislature authorized it.

The Arizona Constitution spells out that lawmakers cannot repeal anything approved by voters.

Alterations are acceptable. But the Voter Protection Act says those are permitted only if they further the purpose of the original initiative, something Horne said this does not do.

To back up that argument, he provided the court with a declaration from Margaret Dugan. She said she not only participated in writing the 2000 initiative but is now the chief deputy superintendent in Hornes Department of Education.

Dugan said it is clear that neither the 2019 law nor the 2020 rules adopted by the Board of Education meet the requirements of the ballot measure that all children shall be taught English by being taught in English and that all children shall be placed in English-language classrooms.

This is the purpose of the initiative: that children should no longer be taught in bilingual or dual-language classes, where they are taught part of the day in Spanish, but should be taught the entire school day in English, so that they would quickly become proficient in English, Dugan said.

Horne has something else: a memo from Hannah Nies, general counsel to the Arizona Legislative Council. She said if the dual-language model allows students to be taught subject matter in a language other than English, the model likely violates Proposition 203.

In a separate legal filing, Robert Haws, representing the schools that Horne sued, said they are doing nothing wrong.

He cited the 2019 law directing the Board of Education to develop evidence and research-based models for teaching English. Board members complied the following year  before Horne was schools chief and a member of the board  with the dual-language model, a decision that stands.

If Horne has a problem with all that he should sue the board, said Haws, echoing the other attorneys.

There was an effort in 2020 to put a measure on the ballot to replace Proposition 203 with a requirement for public schools to provide dual-language programs for both native and non-native English speakers. It spelled out that schools must provide effective and appropriate instructional methods.

It was approved by the House Education Committee on a 10-1 margin but died when it could not get the required hearing by the Rules Committee.
PHOENIX  Supreme Court Justice William Montgomery said he has done or said nothing that would make him unable to fairly judge a pending lawsuit brought by Planned Parenthood Arizona over whether abortion remains legal in Arizona.

In an order he signed late Wednesday, Montgomery does not dispute that he made comments in 2015 about Planned Parenthood saying that the profit-driven activities must end. And he said he did post a comment on Facebook in 2017 saying Planned Parenthood is responsible for the greatest generational genocide known to man.

But Montgomery said none of that runs afoul of one provision of the Code of Judicial Conduct for a simple reason.

When each of the statements were made in 2015 and 2017, I was not a member of the judiciary nor was I a candidate for judicial office, Montgomery wrote. Therefore, the Code of Judicial Conduct did not apply, he said, including a rule about avoiding impropriety and the appearance of impropriety.

The justice, a former Maricopa County attorney who was appointed to the states high court in 2019, acknowledged there is a separate rule that requires a judge to recuse himself or herself if there is a personal bias or prejudice concerning a party or a partys lawyer.

But he said that any comments he made were not specifically about Planned Parenthood Arizona  the local affiliate that is involved in the lawsuit  or its facilities. And Montgomery said he did not use his position to investigate or prosecute the organization criminally or civilly.

And all that, he said, allows him to be one of the justices deciding the future of abortion law in Arizona.

There was no immediate response late Wednesday from Planned Parenthood, which had asked him to step aside.

His decision, by itself, is not a surprise.

Montgomery told Capitol Media Services last month that he would not step aside. He said then that anything he has said in the past about abortion or Planned Parenthood is irrelevant.

As with any other case involving an issue I may have previously taken a position on while serving as an executive branch official, I will consider the facts and the law to determine the merits of any legal argument presented without regard for any prior position and without passion or prejudice, he said at the time. My oath of office requires no less.

What is unusual is the 10-page, single-spaced statement issued Wednesday where Montgomery explains in detail why he made the earlier comments about Planned Parenthood  and why he can fairly judge this case.

Particularly noteworthy is Montgomery even seeks to build a defense against any claim he is biased against Planned Parenthood.

He disclosed for the first time about records about donors and contributions to the organization that found their way to his office as county attorney in 2015. They were discovered by a crew cleaning a building that Planned Parenthood had vacated.

Montgomery said after reviewing the records to look for possible criminal violations, he ordered them destroyed to protect any confidential information. And in handling them that way, he said, he avoided creating public records that could be used to insinuate or suggest Planned Parenthood had engaged in any illegal activity.

That the records could easily have been used for political gain during 2016 or otherwise used to the detriment of (Planned Parenthood) was never discussed or contemplated, Montgomery said, saying the organization was treated fairly and impartially.

Yet even as he said that he could have used that information, he repeated there was no evidence of any wrongdoing.

All that leaves the two statements that Planned Parenthood said undermine his ability to be impartial  and why Montgomery disagrees.

The context for the first about the profit-driven activities of Planned Parenthood, he said, was reporting concerning the sale of body parts from abortion procedures.

Similar events occurred across the valley and around the country, Montgomery said. The remarks to the media specifically focused on a call for Congress to end federal funding of Planned Parenthood.

All this was based on an undercover video by anti-abortion activists from the Center for Medical Progress they said showed that Planned Parenthood officials  not in Arizona  were selling aborted fetal tissue.

Multiple investigations concluded that while Planned Parenthood does provide tissue for medical research, there was no evidence it was making a profit.

A grand jury in Harris County, Texas, indicted two activists from Center for Medical Progress for using fake drivers licenses to get access. And a federal jury in San Francisco awarded Planned Parenthood more than $2 million in damages after concluding that a leader of that group had broken federal and state laws when he secretly recorded workers for the organization.

Montgomery acknowledged that he could find no reported cases of any court, anywhere, determining that such sales of fetal tissue ever occurred. But he said his statements at the time on the controversy do not disqualify him from judging this case.

I made not allegations as to (Planned Parenthood Arizonas) specific facilities, he said, nor did he call for any investigation or prosecution.

As to the comments about Planned Parenthood being responsible for the greatest generational genocide known to man, Montgomery repeated his comments that he never made said anything specifically about Planned Parenthood Arizona, the party to this case. And he called it misleading to say the statement was made by him as a prosecutor.

What makes all of this relevant is that the court will hear arguments Dec. 12 about which of two potentially conflicting laws on abortion will be the law in Arizona.

Mark Brnovich, then the state attorney general, fired the first legal salvo last year after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and its conclusion there is a constitutional right of women to terminate a pregnancy. He argued  and Pima County Superior Court Judge Kellie Johnson agreed  that automatically reinstates a territorial-era law which outlaws all abortions except to save the life of the mother.

But Planned Parenthood Arizona, along with Pima County Attorney Laura Conover, pointed out that state lawmakers had previously approved a law allowing doctors to perform an abortion through the first 15 weeks of pregnancy. That measure was designed to be ready had the U.S. Supreme Court, rather than overturning Roe, upheld a similar 15-week restriction from Mississippi.

The Court of Appeals agreed, setting the stage for the Supreme Court hearing in December  and prompting Planned Parenthood to ask Montgomery to recuse himself given his prior statements.

Montgomery said there is precedent for an appellate court judge to sit in when a justice is recused, a move that ensures there are seven people on the bench to decide.

But that, he said, is not a path for him.

I was appointed by the governor of Arizona and retained by the people of Arizona, he said, the latter a reference to the fact that, like all judges, he had to stand for reelection on a retain-reject basis. He earned a new term in 2022 by a 55-45% margin, the smallest of any of the justices on the ballot that year.

There is no procedure for Montgomerys decision to be overridden by the other six justices.

While Planned Parenthood asked him to recuse himself, the other parties seeking to preserve the 15-week ban did not.

Kris Mayes, the current state attorney general, has weighed in on the side of Planned Parenthood. She has said recusal in the case is up to Montgomery.
Curtis Killman Tulsa World Staff Writer Follow Curtis Killman Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today

A judge has dismissed a civil rights lawsuit filed by a former Tulsa police officer whose firing was based on Facebook posts he made prior to being hired by the city.

U.S. District Judge William P. Johnson ruled that while Wayne Browns posts were protected free speech, those rights were nevertheless overridden by the city of Tulsas interest in avoiding disruption in department affairs.

Here, the Defendant Citys interest in maintaining a police force that instills public confidence and prohibits partisanship in law enforcement outweighs Plaintiffs interest in having his expressions protected, Johnson wrote in a 29-page ruling filed Tuesday in Tulsa federal court. Because the Defendant Citys interest outweighs Plaintiffs interest in his protected speech, as a matter of law, Plaintiffs First Amendment claim against the city must be dismissed.

An attorney for Brown said Wednesday that an appeal was planned.

We think it is wrong, and we do intend to appeal, said Robert Muise, an attorney for the Michigan-based nonprofit American Freedom Law Center.

Brown was fired by then-Chief Chuck Jordan on Sept. 4, 2019, less than one month after he graduated from the police academy and began his field training.

In his complaint, filed about one month later in Tulsa federal court, Brown claimed that he was fired for three Facebook posts he made in 2015 and 2016.

One of the 2015 posts depicts former President Donald Trump riding a lion with a confederate flag in the background.

Another meme, dubbed the Blue Lives Matter Post, depicts an image allegedly created by American veteran Chris Kyle that is superimposed over an American flag with a thin blue line in place of one of the red stripes. On the image are the words: despite what your momma told you  violence does solve problems.

The third post, made in 2015, depicts an image of a fist colorized to look like an American flag with the words: Pledge to my family and country  when the day comes I will fight to my last breath, before I will submit to Islam.

Other posts reportedly referenced waterboarding and anti-Islamic sentiments.

Johnson said that while efficient law enforcement requires mutual respect, trust and support, those goals are difficult for the city to achieve if its employees are permitted to publicly broadcast images that cause actual disruption.

Johnson sided with the citys contention that Browns posts created actual disruption, which is an element that can override free speech rights in certain situations.

The city contended that the posts created such a public disruption that Chief Jordan and the Tulsa Police Department received numerous inquiries from concerned citizens and the posts caused public outrage and disruption (and) harmed the publics trust in Plaintiff as a Tulsa Police Officer.

Muise, meanwhile, said the ruling would be appealed to the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver.

We think that this decision undermines fundamental rights to free speech protected by the First Amendment, Muise said. And so we are going to seek an appeal to vindicate those rights.

In addition to dismissing Browns First Amendment claim, Johnson dismissed other civil rights claims alleged by Brown against the city. He also dismissed claims against Jordan, in both his official and personal capacity, as well as a wrongful discharge claim against the city of Tulsa.

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Randy Krehbiel Tulsa World Staff Writer Follow Randy Krehbiel Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today

Women having or attempting to have an abortion performed cannot be prosecuted under state law, according to a formal opinion issued by Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummonds office late Tuesday.

The opinion, sought by six legislators, would seem to have implications for those trying to prevent women from leaving the state to terminate a pregnancy or who attempt to do so with abortion drugs obtained through the mail.

In a separate but related guidance memo, Drummond said medical professionals and particularly doctors should be given substantial leeway in deciding whether termination of a pregnancy is medically necessary.

The opinion and memo were issued less than two weeks after the Oklahoma Supreme Court halted enforcement of three abortion laws in large part because no physician would likely risk providing constitutionally protected care for fear of violating these statutes.

In recent months, several women have reported being forced to leave the state to have life-saving procedures because Oklahoma hospitals and doctors were afraid to perform them.

Reiterating the courts findings, Drummonds guidance says: Medical doctors, in particular, should be given substantial leeway to treat pregnant women experiencing life-threatening or emergency physical conditions, using their reasoned medical judgment, so long as they are not unnecessarily terminating the life of the unborn child or intentionally abusing their position to facilitate elective abortions.

In the opinion, Drummond and Director of Special Litigation Zach West wrote: Oklahoma law does not allow the punishment of pregnant women attempting an abortion, self-induced or otherwise. The Legislature has repeatedly made this clear in statutory text, and just last year, repealed the one law that would have expressly allowed such a prosecution.

According to the opinion, that law allowed for a woman seeking an abortion to be charged with a misdemeanor. Although the law predates by decades Roe v. Wade, which recognized a constitutional right to abortion until overturned last year, Drummond and West said they could find no instance in which it had ever been used.

Historically in Oklahoma, prosecution of a pregnant woman for a misdemeanor was theoretically permitted but not carried out in any substantial manner, if at all, states the opinion.

Drummond and West acknowledged that another section of law, enacted in 1978, says that no woman shall perform or induce an abortion upon herself except under the supervision of a duly licensed physician. But, they say, the statute provides no penalty for violation, and no one seems to have ever been charged as a result of it.

In any event, said Drummond and West, the section runs contrary to more recent legislation that treats women as victims of abortion rather than criminally culpable for it.

The opinion and guidance do not challenge the states broader ban on abortion.

Oklahoma district attorneys and law enforcement agencies should pursue criminal prosecution of any person who intentionally performs, attempts to perform, or assists with the performance of elective or on-demand abortion in Oklahoma, surgical or chemical, the guidance reads.

In short  law enforcement should focus on ensuring that abortion on demand is unavailable in Oklahoma and that violators are prosecuted.

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Indian two-wheeler maker TVS Motor on Wednesday began offering five models of scooters and motorcycles at between VND25.8 million (US$1,060) and VND35.9 million ($1,475) each in Vietnam, marking its foray into the Vietnamese market through its partnership with local distributor Minh Long Motors.

The vehicles are all imported from Indonesia.

Of them, TVS Rockz is the most affordable, which is priced at VND25.8 million ($1,060) apiece.

As part of TVS Motors flagship models, Ntorq 125 has three versions -- RE, XP, and XT -- which are offered at VND32.9 million ($1,352), VND33.9 million ($1,393), and VND35.9 million ($1,475) each, respectively.

The vehicles can be connected with smartphones, allow riders to give orders with voice, and display notifications from social media as well as directions and journey information through an LCD monitor.

Motorbike traders in Vietnam assessed that the local two-wheeler market is now close to saturation given the fierce competition among manufacturers.

TVS Motor offers five models of scooters and motorcycles in Vietnam through its partnership with local distributor Minh Long Motors. Photo: Q.An / Tuoi Tre

VinFast and Pega electric scooters are increasingly favored instead of motorbikes with internal combustion engines.

Therefore, TVS Motor, the worlds fourth-largest two-wheeler manufacturer, may face many challenges when venturing into the domestic market.

However, J Thangarajan, president director of TVS Motor, was confident that the company would need not much time to conquer a large market share in Vietnam with its position as the fourth-largest two-wheeler manufacturer in the world.

It also plans to build a factory in the Southeast Asian country.

J Thangarajan believed that it is high time to enter the Vietnamese market to offer more choices to local consumers.

According to economic experts, both Vietnam and India are among the largest consumers of scooters and motorcycles in the world, ranking fourth and first, respectively.

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SAN FRANCISCO -- ChatGPT-maker OpenAI has reached an agreement for Sam Altman to return as CEO days after his ouster, capping frenzied discussions about the future of the startup at the center of an artificial intelligence boom.

The company also agreed to revamp the board of directors that had dismissed him. OpenAI named Bret Taylor, formerly co-CEO of Salesforce, as chair and also appointed Larry Summers, former U.S. Treasury Secretary, to the board.

After Altman was fired on Friday, the original board had given scant explanation other than his lack of candor and its need to defend OpenAI's mission to develop AI that benefits humanity.

The deal to restore Altman ushers in a potentially new era for the startup - a non-profit - which long juggled concerns among staff about AI's dangers and its potential for commercialization.

Tuesday's reshuffle appeared to favor Altman and financial backer Microsoft, which is rolling out OpenAI's technology to business customers globally.

In a statement on X, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella welcomed the changes. "We believe this is a first essential step on a path to more stable, well-informed, and effective governance," he said.

Quora CEO Adam D'Angelo will stay on what OpenAI called the new "initial board." It was not immediately clear if the remaining directors holding no equity in OpenAI would retain their seats, or if investors in its capped-profit entity - such as 49 percent owner Microsoft - would win their first appointments.

Reuters earlier reported that some investors were exploring legal recourse after the week's events threatened the future of OpenAI, recently expected to have a more than $80 billion valuation.

Spokespeople for the startup did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Susannah Streeter, head of money and markets at Hargreaves Lansdown, said OpenAI's path was now clear of the recent and murky tumult.

"Sam Altman's views about how to run the company will dominate future direction, especially given he'll be supervised under a new board," Streeter said.

Years faster than Steve Jobs

Altman's dramatic turnaround has drawn comparisons in Silicon Valley lore to Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO who left the computer maker in a 1985 power struggle only to return 12 years later.

Altman took back the CEO mantle after four days.

His departure had immediately precipitated upheaval at OpenAI, with President Greg Brockman quitting in protest. By Sunday Altman was back at OpenAI's offices expecting his swift reappointment, when the board surprised again by naming ex-Twitch boss Emmett Shear as interim CEO.

In a post on X on Tuesday, Shear said he worked "~72 very intense hours" to bring stability - and ultimately Altman - back to OpenAI. "This was the pathway that maximized safety alongside doing right by all stakeholders involved," he said.

Altman's master stroke was made possible in part by Microsoft. When he was out of a job, CEO Nadella said Altman could head a new research team alongside Brockman and other colleagues departing from OpenAI.

By Monday, nearly all of OpenAI's over 700-strong staff had threatened to leave and join Microsoft's effort unless the board stepped down and reinstated Altman, according to a letter reviewed by Reuters.

This threat was backed by Microsoft's vast computing power, the key asset powering OpenAI's technology along with its staff of computer scientists.

Co-founder and President Brockman celebrated with a staff selfie late Tuesday night, having beaten the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday deadline against which parties raced to negotiate.

"We will come back stronger & more unified than ever," he said.
Eyes closed, hips swaying, retiree Polly Chan danced like no one was watching at a community centre in Hong Kong, where experts warn of a loneliness epidemic among the ballooning elderly population.

The 71-year-old and about 30 others were part of a pilot programme called "Noon-D" -- for "afternoon disco" -- intended to reach out to an increasingly isolated group in the fast-paced city.

A self-proclaimed "rebel" who has been clubbing since she was a teenager, Chan said she struggles to express her unhappiness to her family -- and finds the dance floor to be the best cure.

"I don't have many people to talk to," Chan told AFP. "When I dance, I feel very relieved."

Kicked off in July, the disco sessions take place weekly at a community centre that is made over with spinning mirror balls and floor-to-ceiling shimmering tassels.

Programme curator Lai Sim-fong told AFP the idea was born out of workshops held with elderly Hong Kongers in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the city enforced some of the world's harshest social restrictions.

"It's mainly designed to address the loneliness suffered by the elderly and their lack of social life," she said.

"Some elderly people said they avoided going outside and they observed many others had lost interest in leaving their homes."

And while the disco sessions were fully booked, Lai said the programme meets only a fraction of the need for socialisation among a Hong Kong elderly population that can all too often feel invisible.

World's oldest city

Hong Kong is forecast to become the world's oldest city by 2050, according to the United Nations, with the population of people aged 65 and older reaching 40.6 percent.

Adding to the issue is an exodus of younger people -- partially triggered by a sweeping national security law Beijing imposed in mid-2020 to quell political dissent -- as well as the lingering effects of the pandemic.

A survey conducted by the University of Hong Kong in the first half of 2022 found that a third of the nearly 5,000 elderly respondents were suffering from at least one of three conditions -- depression, anxiety and loneliness.

That poll was taken when the city was still struggling to curb a fatal coronavirus wave that hit seniors the worst.

Another poll from later in 2022 found that among seniors whose children and grandchildren had left the city -- a group classified as "left behind" -- nearly 70 percent showed a tendency toward depression, while nearly 80 percent were "under a high risk of social isolation".

The number of suicides in the city hit a decade-high 1,080 last year, according to the Samaritan Befrienders Hong Kong, with more than 40 percent of victims aged 60 or older.

"Elderly people are often less capable of seeking help and often tend to consider themselves a burden when they suffer mentally," said Samaritan chairman Heymans Wong.

Caregivers should help older people to "expand their social circles", he said.

'Hidden elderly'

But doing so is easier said than done, according to Adeline Tsang, elder care director at Hong Kong's Christian Family Service Centre.

She struggles to convince her wards to leave their homes.

Pandemic lockdowns "affected both their cognitive and physical conditions", Tsang told AFP.

"The separation anxiety and sense of interpersonal distance have also become stronger for them since many of their young relatives have left the city in recent years," she said.

At an elderly daycare centre Tsang oversees, she enlisted a special troop of caregivers to socialise with seniors -- volunteer therapy dogs.

Retired driver Ho Yiu-keung, 70, melted with joy when Rally, a labrador and former guide dog, allowed him to pet her golden hair.

"It's better than hanging out with people," Ho told AFP. "They (the dogs) don't talk back."

He had started going to the centre after spending much of the pandemic locked down at home, making him "feel like I was being jailed", he said.

Meeting friends, exercising, and playing mahjong at the daycare have brightened his daily life, he said, advising carers to draw out the "hidden elderly" using more fun activities.

"Make them happy, make them feel that they can have some attention here, then they would be interested to come out," Ho said.
FILE PHOTO: Officer John Carroll shot and killed Ruben Garcia, 34, pictured, on the Southwest Side during a struggle over Garcia's firearm, police say. Courtesy of SAPD

Police footage of a disputed confrontation that ended with an officer shooting and killing a man on the West Side was released Wednesday.

The body camera footage shows the moment Ruben Garcia, 34, was shot and killed after midnight Oct. 23 in the 2500 block of South General McMullen.

Footage may be viewed in both raw and narrated forms on the departments YouTube channel.

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At midnight, officer John Carroll, who has been on the force for four years, was patrolling an apartment complex in an area known by police to have a high volume of reported crimes.

Carroll saw Garcia with a handgun, according to a custodial death report filed by the department.

Come here, bro. Let me talk to ya, Carroll said, stepping out of the police SUV, body camera footage shows.

Garcia immediately ran away from the officer, who ordered him to stop. The two ran through a parking lot and nearby apartment buildings.

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The officer broadcast a description of Garcia over the police radio, white shirt, black shorts. As the chase continued, the officer tried to use a stun gun on Garcia, but it had no effect.

The body camera was slightly ajar at this moment, but Carrolls shadow can be seen reaching out with the stun gun and the camera captured audio of the electricity surging.

Garcia ran until he stumbled and fell. Carroll caught up and tried to detain him.

Im bleeding from my hand, boss. Come on, man, Garcia said repeatedly.

During the struggle, police said Garcia was reaching for a handgun in his waistband.

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Officer, please, no, he said as the struggle continued.

Carrolls arm can be seen holding on to something behind Garcia. Sgt. Washington Moscoso said in the video that the officer was trying to stop Garcia from pulling out a gun.

Fearing for his life, police said, the officer stepped back and fired several shots at Garcia, who was still hunched over.

Garcia looked over at Carroll after the shots were fired. Carroll yelled for him to Drop it! and the footage ends.

A still frame shown from after the shots were fired appears to show Garcias hand near a gun as hes on the ground looking at Carroll.

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Ultimately, Garcia was hit several times and died at the scene.

Some neighbors who witnessed the last moments of the incident told local news stations they disputed the police account of the shooting. They said it appeared Garcia had his hands cuffed behind his back when the officer fired shots into Garcias back.

One woman can be heard in the body camera footage saying, He wasnt even doing (anything), using terse language.

Neighbors said they wanted Garcias wife to know what they saw. His wife, who identified herself to TV stations as Sabrina Carreon, said she was at a loss as to what led to the death of the father to several of her children. Attempts to reach Garcias wife before the footages release were unsuccessful.

This year has seen an unprecedented number of officer-involved shootings, which Chief William McManus has attributed to people with criminal histories who are repeatedly released from jail on bond.

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Garcia himself was out on a $1,000 bond for a charge of possession of a controlled substance. He had a lengthy criminal history that included multiple counts of criminal mischief and several accusations of assault from 2020 that were dropped because of missing witnesses, court records state.

Months ago, tensions rose between the chief and District Attorney Joe D. Gonzales, who said that some cases were being dismissed because the office had not been receiving video evidence from police needed to prosecute violent offenders.

In October, McManus presented a plan to upgrade the departments in-car video to Axon Enterprise. At the same time, Gonzales received permission from the Commissioners Court to negotiate with the same company for a new evidence management system. All of this is to streamline access to evidence.
A seventh grader in Gia Lai Province, located in Vietnam's Central Highlands region, used his smartphone to steal the passwords of two LED light boards at two schools and change their content to include filthy and offensive words, a local education official said on Thursday.

Many schools in Vietnam are equipped with LED light boards at their gates to provide students with necessary information.

Nguyen Dinh Thuc, head of the education and training bureau in Pleiku City, which is the capital of Gia Lai, said that police had launched a probe into a case in which two LED light boards at two schools in the city had their content changed.

The content was replaced with filthy and offensive words.

The two affected schools are Nguyen Luong Bang Elementary School and Ly Tu Trong Middle School.

Police investigation showed that the mischief-making boy was identified as a student at Ly Tu Trong Middle School.

The student confessed that another student in grade eight joined the mischief.

After the official result is announced, the education division will ask their schools and families to punish them, Thuc proclaimed.

He said that all schools in the province will have to tighten control over their LED light boards to prevent potential public disorder.

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The Australian government on Tuesday launched four new business partnerships to cope with climate change and improve outcomes for local communities in Vietnams Mekong Delta, with a total investment of AUD$2.5 million (US$1.64 million).

The Australian government has invested more than AUD$9.4 million ($6.1 million) in Business Partnerships Platform (BPP) partnerships in Vietnam since 2016, including some AUD$4.3 million ($2.8 million) in the Mekong Delta.

Australia remains a committed partner for the sustainable development of the Mekong Delta region," said Australian Consul-General Sarah Hooper.

The climate adaptation partnerships in the delta aim to support efforts by Vietnam and Australia to tackle the challenges of climate change."

The BPP partnerships in the delta are expected to underpin efforts by both nations to respond to climate change by trialing new models and technologies for climate adaptation, scale up successful initiatives, and offer important social, gender equality, and development benefits to Mekong communities.

The Australian government has a long history of support for the sustainable development of the Mekong Delta.

This year, Vietnam and Australia are celebrating the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic ties.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong this August announced AUD$94.5 million ($62 million) for climate change adaptation in the delta, which includes the BPP climate adaptation partnerships.

Each partnership requires a co-investment by the partner of an amount that meets or exceeds the Australian governments investment.

Among these partnerships, the first is between Hillridge, MSIG Vietnam, and the Australian government to weather-proof agriculture through parametric insurance.

The second one involves Symmetry, Southern Shrimp JSC, Vietnam Sustainable Shrimp Alliance, and the Australian government to scale climate resilient mangrove shrimp farming in the Mekong Delta.

In the third one, the Australian government collaborates with Mekong Conservancy Foundation and Vietnam Housewares Corporation to create sustainable livelihoods through climate-adaptive crops.

Regarding the last one, the Australian government partners with New Energy Nexus to create a Womens Agribusiness Climate Adaptation Accelerator.

Launched in 2016, the BPP program has established 16 business partnerships in Vietnam, including seven in the Mekong Delta.

In March this year, the BPP put out a call for expressions of interest from potential business partners with innovative ideas to partner with the Australian government to support climate adaptation and resilience and deliver social, gender, and development benefits in the agriculture sector in the Mekong Delta.

The BPP also invited applications for a partner to manage a womens agribusiness climate adaptation accelerator that would support women-led micro and small enterprises that deliver greater income earning opportunities or other benefits to women in the delta.

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Two boys, 9 and 10, found a bundle of Vietnamese banknotes worth VND19 million (US$780.5) and handed it over to a police station in Gia Lai Province, located in the Central Highlands region, on Tuesday, in the hope of the money finding its way back to the rightful owner.

The boys  Nguyen Hoang Anh and Nguyen Sinh Phuc  are students at Nguyen Tat Thanh Elementary School in Phu Tuc Town, Krong Pa District.

The boys saw a woman drop the money at 6:00 pm that day. Though they tried to chase her, she did not hear them calling.

Eager to see the money returned to its owner, they brought it to a police station in Krong Pa District to ask for help.

Police officers then identified V.T.C., a 42-year-old resident of Phu Tuc Town, as the owner of the dropped cash.

A bundle of Vietnamese banknotes valued at VND19 million (US$780.5) collected by two boys in Gia Lai Province, Vietnam. Photo: Supplied

The police force in the district held a ceremony to hand the cash back to C. on Wednesday.

C. was glad to receive her lost cash and expressed her deep gratitude to the two boys for their honesty as well as police officers.

Ta Thi Bay, Anhs mother, said that she was proud her son was growing up to be a kind and honest person.

I am pleased to know that my son returned the money instead of trying to keep it, Bay said.

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Health authorities have reported an increase in respiratory infections among children in Vietnams southern provinces and cities from October compared to previous months, a trend typically observed toward the end of every year.

The significant influx of children with respiratory diseases has prompted childrens hospitals to expand their bed capacity and bolster medical personnel.

Since early October, respiratory diseases have topped 1,100 cases among the daily average visits of nearly 2,000 pediatric patients at Can Tho Childrens Hospital in the Mekong Delta region of southern Vietnam, the hospital said on Tuesday.

Doctor Ong Huy Thanh, deputy director of the hospital, noted that pediatric patients have been primarily hospitalized for pneumonia, bronchial asthma, and severe respiratory infections.

During peak times, up to 200 cases require hospitalization per day, necessitating shared beds in some instances.

Therefore, the hospitals respiratory department has added around 180 beds.

The hospital also arranges for patients to stay temporarily in other departments with lower patient numbers to alleviate the crowding.

Certain areas are designated for patients at risk of cross-infection to minimize the spread of illnesses.

Encouragingly, in the past week, the hospitalizations for pediatric respiratory infections have decreased, averaging out at around 130 cases per day.

In Ho Chi Minh City, despite a possible gradual drop in respiratory cases in children during this period each year, the current numbers remain high compared to previous years, according to Dr. Tran Anh Tuan, head of the respiratory ward at Childrens Hospital 1 in District 10.

Tuan added that kids from other provinces represent 60 percent of the total cases in his department.

The doctor emphasized that people often focus solely on cough symptoms, while the severity of a respiratory disease does not necessarily align with the intensity of coughing.

He explained that excessive coughing does not necessarily indicate a serious illness, and minimal coughing does not imply a mild ailment.

Tuan advises parents to observe how the child breathes at home instead, particularly noting any rapid breathing, as it can be an early sign of pneumonia.

Furthermore, parents should be vigilant for other symptoms such as fever, headache, a runny nose, and critical signs associated with respiratory diseases, including lethargy, difficulty waking up, reluctance to breastfeed or poor feeding in the case of newborns, vomiting, or an inability to consume any liquid for two-month-old infants, convulsions, and cyanosis.

According to Tuan, a positive sign is the majority of parents promptly seeking hospital treatment for their children.

Overall, the citys pediatric experts report that the morbidity and mortality rates due to severe pneumonia in children in the southern region have not shown significant changes in recent years.

Most pediatric patients succumbing to respiratory diseases have pre-existing chronic conditions, such as premature birth, low birth weight, chronic lung disease, birth defects, and immunodeficiency.

Northern region

Last week, a sudden drop in temperature in the northern region reduced the ability of the elderly and young children to protect their airways, leading to a climb in the number of patients with respiratory diseases.

In several hospitals, the number of children admitted for respiratory-related treatment has doubled compared to over a month ago.

Doctor Vu Minh Dien, deputy head of the department of general internal medicine at the National Hospital For Tropical Diseases (NHTD) in Hanoi, explained that the cold weather provides favorable conditions for respiratory disease-causing viruses and boosts their virulence.

The viruses easily infiltrate congested throats, leading to diseases at various levels, particularly bronchopneumonia in young children and pneumonia in the elderly.

Notably, a significant number of elderly people have been hospitalized with acute respiratory infections.

Aside from those with a history of respiratory diseases, many patients are admitted in severe conditions following self-treatment at home.

Besides grappling with respiratory diseases, Hanoi maintains a high nationwide tally of dengue fever cases.

Last week, the Vietnamese capital city recorded 2,530 dengue fever cases, down 60 from the preceding week.

Forecasts indicate that the dengue fever situation in the city will continue to evolve, with a potential jump in cases in the coming weeks, entailing a heightened risk of more severe cases and fatalities.

Doctor Nguyen Trung Cap, deputy director of NHTD, emphasizes the importance of testing for dengue fever for individuals exhibiting fever symptoms.

Complications of dengue fever can swiftly develop after the fever subsides, resulting in low platelets and dengue shock, Dr. Cap warned.

Timely treatment is crucial to prevent fatalities."

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Many parts of Vietnams central region are forecast to experience downours from November 25 to 27 due to the influence of a cold air mass.

Vu Anh Tuan, an official from the national weather center, said on Thursday that the cold front is moving from the north to the south in Vietnam, thereby bringing rains to the central region in the next few days.

The coastal provinces from Quang Tri to Khanh Hoa will be hit by medium to heavy rains with rainfall estimated at up to 600 millimeters.

This deluge of rain will not be heavier than the wave of downpours which swept through the region from November 13 to 17, said Tuan.

He also warned of potential flash floods and landslides in mountainous areas following the lashing rains.

The provincial and municipal administrations in the central region were told to proactively brace for these natural disasters.

In particular, residents in low-lying areas and flood-prone ones should be quickly evacuated to a safer shelter.

The cold air mass is forecast to intensify at the end of November.

Showers, paired with thunderstorms, will batter the Central Highlands and southern regions in late November, according to the national weather center.

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VinBus Ecology Transport Services Company (VinBus), a subsidiary of major Vietnamese conglomerate Vingroup, will likely halt its electric bus service in Ho Chi Minh City by the end of this year due to a low subsidy.

The city planned to pilot five e-bus routes within 24 months, with the first one, numbered D4, starting at Vinhomes Grand Park in Thu Duc City and ending at Saigon Bus Station in District 1 launched in March last year.

The service has attracted many local commuters thanks to modern facilities, according to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport's report sent to the municipal administration.

In January-September this year, more than 28,800 rides were conducted on the D4 route, transporting some 819,900 passengers.

However, VinBus revenue was not enough to cover costs despite an increase in the number of passengers.

The company reported that the subsidy for the D4 route was low, at 44.1 percent of the operation costs, equivalent to two-thirds of that for diesel oil- and compressed natural gas-fueled buses.

This has led to VinBus huge losses. It incurred a deficit of VND16.1 billion (US$661,880) last year and VND12.5 billion ($513,547) in the January-August period this year.

As a result, the company proposed adjusting the subsidy for e-buses to 64.8 percent, equal to the average subsidy for normal bus routes in 2023.

VinBus will find it hard to launch four other e-bus routes and seek to cease the D4 route from the end of this year if the proposal is not approved.

The Department of Transport also attributed the delay in launching the four remaining e-bus routes to the time-consuming procedures for VinBuss depot project.

The firm drew up a plan to develop a depot with an area of 1.5 to two hectares in Thu Duc with sufficient facilities, such as offices, a bus maintenance and repair workshop, a charging station, and a parking area.

However, legal procedures for the project are complicated and require the involvement of various departments and agencies.

Amendments to policies for the construction sector have also hindered the progress of the project.

VinBus has a plan to open the four remaining routes if the subsidy increases, specifically in May and June next year.

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport proposed the municipal administration approve the subsidy rise to 64.8 percent for five e-bus routes this year to remove the service providers difficulties and encourage public transport enterprises to use eco-friendly vehicles.

The Department of Transport of Hanoi has requested VinBus to operate nine e-bus routes in the capital city, offering an average subsidy of 80 percent, according to VinBus.

D4 e-buses have modern equipment, such as free Wi-Fi, phone charging ports, monitors, and a floor which is low and can be adjusted to serve the disabled.

The service is available from 5:00 am to 9:15 pm on a daily basis, with each trip starting every 20 minutes.

The service provider has developed a mobile app to help commuters get updates on incidents on the route, such as congested sites or buses late arrival.

The company also established a customer service unit which works around the clock.

Quarterly surveys on passengers satisfaction with the e-bus route showed that the service got 89-95 points out of the maximum 100 points.

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Olivier Dhenin Huu, a French poet, playwright, and director of Vietnamese descent, composed an opera entitled Paysage Dans Loubli (Landscape of Oblivion) to discover his familys origin in Vietnam.

The French opera Paysage Dans Loubli, part of the Villa Saigon residency program initiated by the French Institute in Vietnam, will premiere at the Municipal Theater in Ho Chi Minh City on November 26 and at the Ho Guom (Sword Lake) Opera House in Hanoi on November 28.

Written from the historical and legendary perspectives, the five-act work is likened to a painting and a lyrical poem about Vietnam and its relation with France in the past.

Actors and actresses are seen during a rehearsal for the French opera Paysage Dans Loubli (Landscape of Oblivion).

Olivier said that his family left Vietnam for France in 1958, with his maternal grandfather who served in the French military going first, while his maternal grandmother and their children moved there later.

The children then separated and lived in different French families, thereby gradually forgetting Vietnamese and their homelands culture.

For Olivier, who was born and grew up in France, Vietnam is something so strange to him even though there is one Vietnamese word Huu' in his full name and he looked like Vietnamese when he was little.

Olivier first returned to Vietnam five years ago for a photo exhibition, during which he embarked on a north-south trip from Hanoi to the countrys Mekong Delta and he felt an urge to discover his familys origin and tell a story about that.

However, he just had several old photographs when he began working on the opera, and lots of questions popped up in his mind as to why his family left Vietnam and why people in France did not talk much about the periods in which France occupied Vietnam and wars involving the French and the U.S. broke out in the Southeast Asian country.

He had to research and read a lot to find materials for his work.

Actors and actresses are seen in 'ao dai' (Vietnam's traditional long gown) and other outfits that will feature in the opera Paysage Dans Loubli (Landscape of Oblivion).

The French playwright paid much attention to details related to Vietnamese things in the opera, such as costumes, bird cages, and others, while using some Vietnamese poems dating back to the 15th-17th centuries in the dramatic work.

I dont tell stories about wars but the lives of Vietnamese figures in history such as Emperor Duy Tan, Tran Cao Van, and more in the opera," Olivier elaborated. The opera is also a tribute to my mother and my maternal grandmother, who used to live in Vietnam and got part of their soul lost when leaving their homeland.

Knowing your roots, you can grow up like a tree, he said, stressing the importance of the past as it shapes the future.

The director considered literature and stages as places for preserving memories.

Olivier Dhenin Huu does a rehearsal for the opera Paysage Dans Loubli (Landscape of Oblivion).

According to Olivier, Paysage Dans Loubli is one of his longest operas so far, with the operas music composed by Benjamin Attahir.

The work revolves around the family of Antonin.

Rosaline, the maternal grandmother of Antonin, left Saigon, the former name of Ho Chi Minh City still commonly used now, in 1958 to join her husband, then a Vietnamese pilot in the French military, in France.

Louise, Antonin's mother, had little memory about her childhood in Saigon as she grew up in a new country and gradually forgot her homeland.

Antonin tries to retrieve memories about his familys native country through the stories from his maternal grandmother, as well as old books and photographs.

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The Proud of Vietnams Frontier Zone photo exhibition was opened to the public at Bach Dang Park on Phu Quoc Island off Kien Giang Province in southern on Tuesday, bringing a feast for the eyes to domestic and international visitors.

As many as 187 photos depicting the charming beauty of the countrys border areas and picking out cultural features are being showcased at the exhibition, co-organized by the Party Central Committees propaganda department and the Kien Giang Province Party Committee.

These photos were aimed at introducing the beauty of border scenery and cultural values, while promoting patriotism among Vietnamese, said Nguyen Thanh Phong, head of the propaganda commission of the provincial Party Committee.

The exhibition was also meant to raise peoples awareness of Vietnam's land and sea sovereignty, and to honor border forces who protect the country at all times, Phong said.

Representatives cut a ribbon to launch the photo exhibition in Phu Quoc City, Kien Giang Province, southern Vietnam, November 21, 2023. Photo: Chi Cong / Tuoi Tre

Throngs of local revelers and foreigners visited the exhibition area to admire these photos and witness the beauty of Vietnameses daily life on Tuesday.

Through these photos, I feel the grandeur of Vietnams frontier zone, said an international tourist, named Lena.

Moreover, I learn more about Vietnamese customs, habits, and culture.

I do love Vietnam.

In 2022, the Party Central Committees propaganda department held a national art photo competition titled Proud of Vietnams Frontier Zone, featuring the participation of many photographers.

The organizer selected 22 outstanding photos to award prizes, and picked 187 works for display.

As many as 187 photos depicting the beauty of Vietnams frontier zone are on display at an exhibition in Phu Quoc City, Kien Giang Province, southern Vietnam. Photo: Chi Cong / Tuoi Tre

A photo taken by photographer Nguyen Hoang Nam in An Giang Province, southern Vietnam describing Khmer ethnic peoples water fight festival. Photo: Chi Cong / Tuoi Tre

The beauty of Vietnamese people and cultural values in border areas is introduced to foreign visitors through photos on Phu Quoc Island off Kien Giang Province in southern Vietnam. Photo: Chi Cong / Tuoi Tre

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With the return of Frasier Crane to Boston in the new Paramount+ revival, does that open the door for a potential visit to Cheers?

Actor and producer Kelsey Grammer was quizzed by trade publication Deadline.

Deadline: Any chance Frasier could revisit the Cheers bar now that hes in Boston? Also, any plans to have other characters from the series appear in the new show?

Grammer: Im not sure the guys who wrote Cheers would want us to go back to Cheers. Its like, lets let that be where it is. Its a monument in the minds of television history. But is it possible we might see someone from the old days at the bar? Maybe. I was just spitballing a little while ago about how it might be kind of fun to do a Christmas show next year, the Christmas of Cheers Past. Frasier could revisit scenes that he lived out before like when he had made a mistake. What could he do to fix it? [Laughs] I dont know, it just seems like a good idea and it would be really funny. And [the original cast] wouldnt even have to appear; it would just be old clips. But well see. You know, I love Ted [Danson] and working with him, so Id love to do something with him. We just havent broken that idea yet.

Deadline: Do you have any plans yet for what we could see in Season 2?

Grammer: Weve been kicking around some ideas but they mostly revolve around the idea of Frasier finding happiness and becoming a good father and having breakthroughs at college. Maybe Frasier could become an important person in somebodys life [as a professor]? Hes always getting into trouble in one way or another so Im sure thats going to continue to happen. Who knows whats gonna arise? We do have really talented writers who will come up with some ideas and well discuss it. Its a collaborative effort and I think were going to be fine but I have no beans to spill at this point.

Deadline: Is there any chance we could see an appearance from David Hyde Pierce at any point?

Grammer: Well, I suppose theres a chance but Im the wrong guy to ask.

You can read more here.

Frasier is now screening on Paramount+.
Zan Rowe and Charlie Pickering will return as hosts of ABCs New Years Eve broadcast on December 31.

Zan Rowe also teased the musical acts saying, It is an incredible lineup. Im so excited to tell you that we have from Brisbane the incredible electric pop duo Conidence Man this is a show that has to be seen to be the believed, King Stingray who are one of the best bands in Australia right now from Northeast Arnhem Land, phenomenal live.

And the powerhouse, the legend, the myth, the magic that is Jessica Mauboy is going to be bringing in the New Year as well. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Well be announcing more artists very soon.
The Ezekiel W. Cullen Building on the campus of University of Houston on Thursday, Nov. 10, 2022 in Houston. Elizabeth Conley/Staff photographer

A University of Houston student is being treated for tuberculosis, and other people on the school's campus may need be tested for the contagious disease.

In an announcement Tuesday, the university said the student diagnosed with the disease was being treated away from campus and was no longer a health risk to others. The student's identity wasn't revealed.

"The university is working closely with the Houston Health Department to identify any student, faculty or staff member who should be tested for TB infection," Jon Rusciano. interim executive director of the university's student health center, said in letter announcing the diagnosis. "The Houston Health Department determines who needs testing based on the type of exposure a student or employee has had to the sick individual."

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PRICE GOUGING CASE: Major anesthesia group, tied to some Texas doctors, accused of price gouging

People who have a tuberculosis infection can feel sick or weak, and suffer weight loss, fever and night sweats, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC said other symptoms may include chest pain, cough or expectorate blood. The disease is treatable with drugs.

The university learned about the diagnosis from the City of Houston Health Department. Public announcements did not, however, make it clear when the student fell ill.

No other students, staff or faculty members had been diagnosed with the disease as of Wednesday. But school officials said some people might receive notifications in coming days about the need to be tested because of their close contact with the sick student.

Contact tracing is being done by the Houston Health Department, the university said.

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"Please be assured that we are taking this situation seriously  your health is of utmost importance," Rusciano said.

Tuberculosis is a bacterial infection that can be contagious and spread through the air. The ill student was diagnosed with active tuberculosis, which means germs are multiplying and destroying tissue in a body, according to an information sheet put out by the university.

People with tuberculosis of the lung or throat can spread the infection to others when they cough, sneeze, speak or sing, the statement said. The germs can stay in the air for several hours, but the disease is rarely spread between people who have short, casual contact with an infected person.

Tuberculosis cases are not unheard of in the United States, but are far less frequent than they were even 20 years ago.

In 2000, there were more than 16,000 cases of the disease diagnosed in the U.S., according to the CDC. In 2020, the number of diagnosed cases had dropped to 7,171. Last year, there were 8,331 cases of tuberculosis diagnosed in the U.S., including more than 1,000 in Texas.

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Tuberculosis was once one of the deadliest diseases world, causing as many as a 25% of deaths in Europe and United States from the 17th to 19th centuries, according to the CDC.

In more recent years, there have been reported tuberculosis cases in Pearland, Fort Bend County and Sugar Land, though none were reported to result in widespread outbreaks.
Sevens Queensland lifestyle show Weekender is celebrating a 20-year milestone, including its previous title, with a special anniversary episode looking back on thousands of stories.

Since its launch in 2003, the show has clocked up close to one million kilometres by road  the equivalent of the shows camera crews driving around the equator once a year.

The team has undertake countless flights in everything from hot-air balloons to hang-gliders and commercial jets, along with an ocean of nautical miles cruised, sailed, kayaked, jet skied and even a luxury ocean liner.

Long-running presenter Alastair McLeod said, Authentic television is an oxymoron. Weekender is the antithesis  a true love letter to travel that is inspirational rather than aspirational.

The show is presented by a relatable team that share a genuine sense of wonder, positivity and pride in Queensland and thats the secret to our success. We are the real thing.

In 2019 Seven announced the show had been axed but by 2020 moved to an amalgamated version of Queensland Weekender and The Great Day Out.

Chris Parsons cut his television teeth on the show back when it was called Queensland Weekender.

I feel ridiculously lucky to be a part of the Weekender team, and for so long. To be able to showcase this incredible state to a wide and appreciative audience is nothing short of an honour, he said.

I get daily reminders of the shows positive impact. People approach me to say hello, eager to share what episode they loved and why, and I get a real kick when they tell me they finally visited that place they saw on the show, how great it was and how much fun they had there with the family.

Thanks to Weekender, theyve created memories for a lifetime and thats what its all about.

Victoria Carthew has been with the show from the start.

What a privilege it is to step into the lives of fellow Queenslanders and do things we otherwise never would, she said.

We also have the honour of sharing those familiar places that are close to our hearts. For me thats Minjerribah [North Stradbroke Island] and Im so proud that I had the chance to visit my spiritual home for our 20th anniversary show.

The show is also offering one viewer the chance to tag along with a camera crew on assignment in 2024 and star as an extra in a Weekender story.

Competition entry details will go live on the Weekender Facebook page from 5.30pm on Sunday, 26 November.

5.30pm Sunday on Seven (Queensland)
Former ABC producer Patricia Barraclough, an original Lateline host and Australian Story, has died.

Yesterday Former Queensland Senator Cheryl Kernot posted on X, My dear friend @PMBarraclough died yesterday. Many of you appreciated her photography on here. She spent the last few days in a Canberra hospice with beautiful views of the lake & late spring greenery embracing her. I will miss her humour & wisdom enormously.

Ms Barraclough (pictured left) spent four decades working in Australian television and radio.

She joined the ABC in the 1970s, working on daily current affairs program This Day Tonight.

She was an inaugural host of Lateline, alongside Kerry OBrien, and was co-creator and first supervising producer of Australian Story.

Ms Barraclough spent 13 years working on 7.30 ACT, formerly Stateline ACT.

Kerry OBrien said in 2014 that Ms Barraclough was One of the very best Ive worked with over nearly 50 years in journalism.

Source: Daily Mail
Everyone is talking about Trump. Apart from the general disbelief that he got in in the first place, theres now a lot of people, some within the US government and judiciary, speaking out against the gruesome possibility of another Trump presidency. And this with a man who has 91 criminal indictments in four jurisdictions, many relating to January 6 riots. While the American far right rejoice with every Trump crazy utterance his opponents look on in horror.

West Virginian Democratic senator Joe Manchin is one such doomsayer: I think if Donald Trump is elected, he will destroy democracy in America, reported The Guardian newspaper this month.

"You cant say that youre going to take the most powerful office in the world and use it for vengeful purposes. You cant have this visceral hatred spewing out every time you give a speech, denigrating Americans: the only good American is the one that likes and supports you; the only fair election is the one you win; laws pertain to everybody but you; and January 6 was a walk-in-the-park visit to their favourite place, the United States Capitol. This is crazy stuff.

Retired federal judge Micheal Luttig has also expressed his trepidation: I am more worried for America today than I was on January 6, he told The Guardian newspaper this month. For all the reasons that we know, his election would be catastrophic for Americas democracy.

He did what he did on January 6. Hes continued to maintain for three years that the election was stolen from him. Hes done that with now complete and total support of the Republican Party. All that he has done beginning with January 6 has corrupted American democracy and corrupted American elections and laid waste to Americans faith and confidence in their democracy to the extent that today millions and millions and millions of Americans no longer have faith and confidence in their elections.

Hes the presumptive nominee of the Republican Party in 2024 and indeed many people believe he will be the next president.

Then theres American author Fran Lebowitz well known for her sardonic social commentary on American life was interviewed last month on salon.com and of course the subject of Trump arose. She said she was shocked when Trump won in 2016: One of the things that bothers me is that people outside of New York think hes a New Yorker, no one in New York thinks hes a New Yorker.

No one in New York thought he was a real estate developer! Can you imagine a level of moral squalor so profound that real estate developers look down on you?

Micheal Cohen's book Disloyal says it all

From the October 2023 New York Times Siena Poll Trump is now leading for the Republican nomination ahead of Biden in five out of six battleground states. After all thats been reported about Trumps behaviour in recent years, its hard to understand how he could be still even be considered for US president. His popularity with the far right is unfathomable. To better understand this, its well worth reading Michael Cohen's memoir "Disloyal". Trumps former attorney and personal advisor explains with much humility his relationship with Trump.

There are plenty of examples throughout the book of Trumps homophobic, sexist, racist, lying and cheating bully-boy tactics that permeated his presidency. Cohen saw it all, and its no surprise Trump did his best to stop the memoir from being published.

On December 12, 2018 Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison for tax evasion, making false statements to a federally insured bank, and campaign finance violations. All described in much detail in his book.

JB Pritzker, the Illinois governor of Jewish descent who helped drive the construction of the states Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Chicago, has also spoken out against Trump. I repeat it wherever I go, that Donald Trump is dangerous for our democracy.

Hes dangerous for specific minority groups in the US. And I think that for those of us who have a platform to call it out it is a requirement, as the Guardian newspaper reported last week. Im deeply concerned about the rise of hate. I worry about it on our college campuses. Weve seen protests, and I think its everybodys right to express themselves. What I dont want is protests and counter-protests encountering each other and that turning into violence.

At a rally in New Hampshire recently, Trump ramped up his scaremongering rhetoric when referring to his unfounded claim that fraud cost him the 2020 election saying he was going to root out the communists, Marxists, fascists and the radical left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country that lie and steal and cheat on elections.

Referring to Trumps comments, Joe Biden while at a fundraiser in San Francisco soon after attacked Donald Trump, saying Trump's comments echoed language heard in Nazi Germany in the 1930s. In just the last few days, Trump has said if he returns to office hes gonna go after all those who oppose him and wipe out what he called the vermin  in America it echoes language you heard in Nazi Germany in the 30s. It isnt even the first time. Trump also recently talked about, The blood of America is being poisoned  Again, echoes the same phrases used in Nazi Germany.

When your opponents start referring to your comments as reminiscent of Nazi Germany, then you have a problem. The American far right who support you also have a problem.

The more he ramps up the venom, the more his audience cheers. Asking someone to be objective about the person they want to represent them in the highest office in the land is a big ask, and Trump clearly knows this. Whatever the ending, its not going to be pretty.
The deal between Israel and Hamas to free 50 hostages held by the Palestinian militant group should be "broadened" and the "humanitarian pause" it brings used to work towards a "lasting ceasefire", the French President Emmanuel Macron said after a meeting with foreign ministers from Arab and Muslim countries.

Macron hosted a delegation of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Foreign ministers from major Arab and majority-Muslim countries in Paris on Wednesday.

The Paris leg of the diplomatic tour came on the back of meetings in Beijing, Moscow and London, and will be followed up by a meeting in Washington DC.

"There will be no lasting ceasefire without very solid guarantees on Israel's security," Macron told top diplomats from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the Palestinian territories, Indonesia, Nigeria and Turkey as well as the secretary general of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit.

Macron's comments came shortly after the announcement of a deal between Israel and Hamas for the release of some hostages on both sides and a "humanitarian pause" in fighting in the Gaza Strip.

But he indicated that international diplomatic efforts to free the remaining hostages and negotiate a ceasefire were far from over.

"We are working tirelessly to get all of the hostages freed," Macron wrote on X (formerly Twitter). Among them are eight French citizens.

The ministers discussed efforts to "reinvigorate" diplomatic efforts towards a two-state solution.



Read more on RFI English



Read also:

France's Macron calls on Israel to stop bombing Gaza civilians

Thousands turn out in French cities to demand ceasefire in Gaza

Israel, Hamas agree ceasefire and release of 50 hostages held in Gaza
China provides billions of dollars in loans and direct investments to African nations each year. Oleksii Liskonih/iStock/Getty Images Plus

China has big ambitions in Africa. Between 2000 and 2020, the economic superpower loaned African governments US9 billion to build railroads, highways, stadiums and bridges.

Complementing those loans, foreign direct investment by Chinese-owned businesses that operate in Africa and employ Africans have grown from million in 2003 to billion in 2021.

Chinas investment and influence in the region has garnered both recognition and criticism from scholars as well as Western media. Some see a mutually beneficial relationship that improves infrastructure and economic development for African countries. Others warn that Chinas presence and noninterference policy is a guise for its intent to colonize Africa.

As professors of political science who study Africa-China relations, weve seen how the arguments on either side rarely factor in how the African public feels about Chinas involvement on the continent. So in March 2023 we asked 1,000 urban professionals in Zimbabwe  64% were college educated; 94% lived in urban areas  for their opinions on Chinas economic and political influence on their country. Our study is currently under journal review.

We found that exposure to Western media led to a more negative view of Chinas economic and political activities in Zimbabwe. Exposure to Chinese media, such as the English-language Peoples Daily and Xinhua News, meanwhile, improved Zimbabweans views of Chinas economic activities  but had little or no effect on their views of Chinas political activities.

Our study also shows that the political party that respondents belonged to played a role in how much they were influenced by Chinese or Western media.

Chinas long relationship with Zimbabwe

During the Cold War, China competed with the Soviet Union to project itself as a force for liberation in Africa.

For example, China trained and supported the Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front, or ZANU-PF, which was fighting for the liberation of the Black majority from the white-minority government led by white supremacist Ian Smith. The ZANU-PF has remained in power in Zimbabwe since the countrys independence from the U.K. in 1980.

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This relationship has been unshakable since 2003 when then-President Robert Mugabes government was sanctioned by the West. The sanctions followed a controversial land reform policy that led to white Zimbabwean farmers losing land to Black Zimbabweans. China responded by strengthening its economic ties with Zimbabwe  providing loans and increasing investments.

Zimbabwes new parliament building was constructed and fully funded by China as a gift to the southern African country. Shaun Jusa/Xinhua via Getty Images

Debt-trap diplomacy?

However, the specter of colonization still haunts Africans, and some politicians and scholars depict China as a colonizing power dressed in a mantle of noninterference. They accuse China of exploiting African countries to enrich itself.

These critics claim that loans from China trap African countries in debt as China makes further inroads into Africas economic landscape. This is a precursor for neocolonization, some observers claim.

Furthering this argument is the fact that Chinese companies have contributed to the destruction of areas of Zimbabwe, Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo and Ghana through mineral and oil extraction  disrupting natural landscapes, emitting hazardous pollutants and displacing local residents.

On the other hand, proponents of greater Africa-China relations see the economic ties as mutually beneficial. They say the debt-trap narrative underestimates the decision-making capacity of African governments who seek to leverage the economic advantages from their relationship with China to benefit their populations.

This vantage point posits that China boosts economic development, that Chinese loans are not significant drivers of debt distress, and that there is an overemphasis on the drawbacks of Chinas investment in Africa.

African perspectives on China

As to what ordinary Africans think about Chinese influence, survey data collected by the independent research network Afrobarometer in more than 30 countries between 2019 and 2021 shows that roughly 63% of Africans think Chinas economic and political influence is positive.

This public perception of China is on par with public perception of the United States  which 60% of Africans view favorably when it comes to economic and political influence.

Our survey respondents in Zimbabwe, however, were far more critical: Only 37% viewed Chinas influence positively.

We also examined how foreign media coverage from the West  specifically the U.S. and U.K.  and from China influenced respondents views on Chinas economic and political influence.

While Chinese media is favorable to Chinas involvement in Zimbabwe and emphasizes how Zimbabwe benefits from the relationship, Western media is critical of Chinas economic presence and warns about exploitation.

We found that Zimbabweans were more likely to negatively perceive Chinas economic and political impact when exposed to critical coverage. Researchers call this a negativity bias. We found the effect of positive media coverage was more limited  and affected the perceptions of Chinese economic influence but not political influence.

However, partisanship also played a role in how likely Zimbabweans were to be swayed by foreign media. Zimbabweans who support the countrys China-friendly incumbent party ZANU-PF were more likely to be influenced by foreign media than opposition supporters. Their favorable views of China diminished when exposed to critical news and improved when exposed to favorable news.

Opposition party supporters, meanwhile, already had a critical position toward China and were less likely to be swayed by media. This echoes the opposition partys critical stance on China. Concerning Chinas political influence, we found neither positive nor negative media coverage significantly affected their attitudes.

Weight of public opinion

What ordinary Africans think of China has significant implications for China, especially in democracies and in countries where the opposition parties have influence. China, of course, knows this and uses its news media to sway public opinion in Africa.

We believe the discussion surrounding Chinas presence in Africa should be democratized by taking public opinion more seriously. Although China might win the hearts of African elites through economic investments, critical voices exist among the public, especially among those negatively affected by Chinas presence. The public will ultimately decide the extent of Chinas endeavors in African countries through the influence they exert on their elite representatives.

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world.Like this article? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

It was written by: William Hatungimana, Oklahoma State University and Haruka Nagao, Oklahoma State University.

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The American Political Science Association Summer Centennial Center Research Grants funded this study.

This study was funded by the American Political Science Association Summer Centennial Center Research Grant 2nd Century Fund.
One of the nations largest feeding and turkey distributions hosted by City Wide Club on Thanksgiving at the George R. Brown Convention Center on Thursday November 24, 2022. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff Photographer

The Thanksgiving feast is an American tradition families look forward to every year. But how much of the food on the dining room table Thursday will be safe for the furry members of your family?

TrustedHousesitters, a company that connects pet sitters with pet owners, recently released some tips for ways to help pet owners keep their animals safe by knowing which foods their pets can eat and digest this November.

Turkey, for example, can be eaten by cats and dogs  if it is cooked without spices and fats. In fact, turkey is found in certain types of dog food.

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The turkey carcass should not be given to pets, however. The bones of the animal can cause all different types of headaches for pets, and owners, from cracked teeth to digestion problems.

Set the Alarm: Here's how long to thaw a frozen turkey for Thanksgiving

Another food that is safe for pets to eat is an apple. But just because they can eat apples in small doses doesn't mean they should eat apple pie. That is off-limits, along with apple seeds.

Not all seeds are off-limits for cats. They do eat pumpkin seeds, although it is best for them to eat the seeds after they've been ground up. Pumpkin in general is a mixed bag for cats and dogs. Raw pumpkin can be difficult to digest and canned pumpkins might have additives that aren't good for a pet.

Naturally rich in vitamins, minerals, and soluble fiber, pumpkin can help ease digestion, veterinary surgeon Dr. Lily Richards told TrustedHousesitters. Fresh pumpkin, including the seeds, can be a tasty treat in moderation, but watch out for canned products that may contain xylitol, a sweetener additive that is harmful to dogs."

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Potatoes are also dependent on how they've been prepared. Raw potatoes are a no-go for pets but cooked sweet potatoes can work. They must be cooked without fats, salts, spices and sweeteners and only a small amount can be consumed at once.
HA NOI  Infrastructure, planning and a market mechanism were among key issues that must be addressed in order to develop a market for liquefied natural gas (LNG) in Viet Nam, heard participants at a conference on LNG on Wednesday in Ha Noi.

Deputy head of the Electricity and Renewable Energy Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) Bui Quoc Hung said the importation of LNG must follow international trade standards and regulations while Viet Nam is still lacking in many key areas including design, construction, and operation of infrastructure for LNG imports.

As of now, the country has not yet developed a fully functional legal framework for its LNG power projects. This is especially concerning as LNG prices have seen significant fluctuations in recent years, which will likely hurt price-sensitive markets such as Viet Nam.

In addition, LNG power projects often require long-term commitments and are subject to market changes and international geopolitical events. They also often demand an advanced level of technology and large capital investments by experienced and financially capable investors.

Hung said the biggest challenge for LNG power projects, from an investor's perspective, lies in negotiating Power Purchase Agreements (PPA), which must be conducted in accordance with the regulations of the MoIT.

Industry experts said such projects will likely face fierce competition from other power-generating plants, traditional and renewable, as the Vietnamese Government does not offer guarantees for LNG.

Deputy Director-General of PetroVietnam Gas (PV Gas) Huynh Quang Hai said one of the most difficult challenges to overcome was a lack of centralised LNG storage facility.

"The idea is to have multiple storages for LNG to supply multiple LNG power plants but many localities still have no plans for warehouses and pipelines. It will be extremely challenging to meet the plants' demand with just one warehouse," he said.

Hai proposed having dedicated warehouses for each LNG power plant to bring down transport costs and the construction of warehouse hubs and ports. He said the Government must quickly establish policies related to LNG projects, including transitioning prices, LNG purchase contracts and power purchase contracts.

Economist Ngo Tri Long said pricing remains a key problem, holding back the development of an LNG market in Viet Nam.

He advised the Government to employ a market-oriented approach while trying to balance the rights and interests of both investors and consumers. This is especially important to LNG power projects as LNG import costs typically amount to 70-80 per cent of its total costs.

He said Viet Nam could consider setting up several specialised import hubs to supply LNG power projects, which are under the management of the State, to ensure transparency and compliance.

He said the Government must select capable investors, offer additional financial incentives, standardise technical and legal requirements to give the market a boost.

"It is unlikely LNG projects can proceed according to schedule and operate efficiently without a form of guarantee and successfully negotiated PPAs," Long said.

Economist inh Trong Thinh from the Vietnam Academy of Finance said LNG power is to play a key part in meeting Viet Nam's energy target, which has been projected at 150.000-160.000MW in 2030 or double the country's current output.

In addition, as Viet Nam remains committed to lowering its carbon emissions the country's power sector must maintain growth while going under a major restructuring process.

Under the National Power Plan VIII, LNG power was expected to increase from 7GW (10.2 per cent of the total output) in 2020 to 32GW (21.8 per cent of total output) in 2030. He said LNG remains a viable option to make up for shortfalls from output generated from renewable sources and a key component in ensuring Viet Nam's energy security.

Nguyen Hung Dung, deputy chairman and secretary-general of the Vietnam Petroleum Association, said under the National Power Plan VIII there is only one 1-million tonnes storage planned while many localities across the country have voiced their interest in developing LNG.

"The sector's key issues remain profitability and the sustainable development of a strong and fair LNG market," he said.  VNS
HA NOI  The digital transformation is creating unprecedented opportunities for Viet Nam to promote the development of the internet economy and drive socio-economic development, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Pham uc Long said at the Internet Day 2023 Conference  Exhibition held on Wednesday in Ha Noi.

In contrast to the picture of a global economic recession leading to a wave of layoffs and cuts in ICT investment budgets, billions of dollars from the worlds technology giants such as Nvidia, Meta, SpaceX, Foxconn, Samsung, LG and Intel have been and are being prepared to be massively poured into Viet Nam, Chairman of Vietnam Internet Association (VIA) Vu Hoang Lien said.

This is a golden opportunity for Vietnamese digital technology businesses to open up new growth space, Lien said.

He cited statistics from the International Telecommunication Union that there were 5.4 billion Internet users around the world, or 67 per cent of the global population. Figures from Wearesocial showed that there were 77.93 million Internet users in Viet Nam, or 79.1 per cent of the countrys population.

A recent report by Google and Temasek found that the Vietnamese digital economy was developing rapidly and expected to reach $45 billion by 2025.

Forecasts are optimistic about the prospect of the Vietnamese Internet economy and e-commerce, he said.

In July 2023, the Ministry of Information and Communications identified five new areas that would have a scale equivalent to telecommunications by 2025 and even surpass telecommunications by 2030, including cloud computing, digital platforms, e-commerce, Make-in-Vietnam technology and cyber security.

These new spaces would provide new opportunities for digital technology and telecommunications businesses to capitalise on in the next decade, Lien said.

Viet Nam needs new space to grow faster. The new space is the digital economy. The new space will require a new driver. The new driver is the digital economy, Long said. Digital transformation is providing unprecedented opportunity and motivation for the countrys socio-economic development, opening up a new era of development based on science, technology and innovation.

Digital transformation is a must-do for Viet Nam to become a high-income country, Long said, adding that regardless of form, digital transformation must be based on the Internet and the Internet must be broader to meet development requirements.

With the large potential of an Internet economy, which was forecast to reach $49 billion by 2025, Viet Nam attracted the attention of a number of international investors, including those from the US, Germany, China, Japan, the Republic of Korea and Singapore, he said.

Long also pointed out the problems of Viet Nam, including the limited Internet infrastructure and ecosystem. However, looking positively, the shortage of infrastructure meant that there was significant room for growth.

Long said that the ministry was improving the legal framework and policies to create new drivers for innovation and development.

The amended Law on Telecommunications, which was going to be submitted to the National Assembly, would provide a framework for data centre services, cloud computing and telecommunications infrastructure development.

The information and communications infrastructure planning was expected to be approved within this year, which would provide orientations for Internet development by 2030 with a vision to 2050.

Besides, the ministry issued a plan to commercialise 5G in 2024. Viet Nam was also considering a plan to develop undersea fibre optic cable routes.

A programme on public telecommunications services by 2025 was approved to enable coverage of telecommunications services to remote areas to ensure that no one was left behind, he said.

Being an annual event held by VIA, Internet Day provides a platform to identify opportunities, challenges and solutions to promote the development of the Internet economy in Viet Nam.

At this years event themed Internet Vietnam: New Spaces, New Opportunities", experts also discussed the application of AI, sustainable development strategy and digital connectivity, and the new-generation Internet.

The Report on Viet Nam Cloud Computing and Data Centres 2023 was also announced at the event.

Being showcased at the Internet Day exhibition were the latest technologies, such as metaverse, generative AI, distributed ledger technology, extended reality and quantum computing.  VNS
By Vu Hoa

YUNNAN Technology plays a vital role in fuelling economic growth. Investments in broadband networks and other ICT infrastructure help enterprises improve production efficiency, create new business models and enhance product quality.

Built along rivers and surrounded by mountains, the town of Heshun is located in Tengchong City about 650 kilometres west of the provincial capital, Kunming. Its history stretches back more than 600 years. During the Ming era, it was established as a trading and military outpost to fortify the dynastys presence when Yunnan was just a distant frontier.

But Heshuns long history has not turned it into a mere cultural relic. Instead, the town has embraced digital technology by combining the ancient with the new  in unexpected ways.

Heshun is fully covered by a 5G network. A high-speed broadband network enables visitors to access better services, more quickly and conveniently. Just as important, full 5G coverage creates the infrastructure needed for Big Data analytics, allowing all the connected objects in the Internet of Things (IoT) to send data to the intelligent platform for analysis.

That yields insights that can make tourists lives easier  for example, by assigning a visitors car to an optimally situated parking place that saves the driver and his family a long walk. First-time visitors don't have to worry about getting lost. Using a WeChat mini programme, they can find their way around, buy tickets, locate restaurants, catch buses and book hotels, among other things. City's management can receive alarms from 50 points throughout the town to respond to any emergency in real time. Whether youve lost your phone  or lost contact with your family member  help is just one click away.

Even the physical infrastructure has intelligence built into it. Automatic photo printers allow shutterbugs to scan a QR code and print their best snapshots on site. Benches equipped with solar panels and electric outlets can be used to charge smartphones. Smart water fountains monitor the quality and flow rate of water, ensuring it is both safe to drink and not being wasted. If youre visiting in July, but want to know what Heshun looks like while blanketed in snow, you can see it vividly rendered with VR and 3D digital animation technology. Heshuns digital infrastructure also allows it to be equipped with security cameras and a fire monitoring system, playing an important role in the protection of the natural environment and its historically significant sites.

Tengchong's tourism industry has unique advantages, said Chang Zaifei, Deputy Director of the Tengchong Culture and Tourism Bureau. From January to September 2023, Tengchong received a total of 13.37 million tourists, and achieved a total tourism revenue of 17.1 billion yuan, increases of 22 and 38 per cent respectively year-on-year.

Taking Heshun as an example, more than 4,000 local residents have increased their income as a result of the new economic opportunities opened up by tourism, which have been created by the buildout of digital infrastructure.

The latest research from the International Telecommunication Union suggests that a 10 per cent increase in mobile broadband penetration has led to an average increase of 1.5 per cent in real GDP per capita.

Providing the right digital infrastructure could be especially helpful to rural economies. Official government figures show that by the middle of 2023, roughly 60 per cent of Chinas rural inhabitants had access to the internet, while the number of broadband users in the countryside was expected to exceed 190 million by the end of this year.

One can see the benefits of this digital build-out in Yunnan, a less-developed, largely rural province in southwestern China. Yunnans recipe for success has three key ingredients including ambitious goals, better ICT infrastructure, and a strategic blueprint (drawn up in 2020) to concentrate on industries in which the province has a natural advantage.

In a bid to revitalise rural areas, operators have stepped up the implementation of universal telecommunications services, gradually expanding 5G and fibre connectivity to remote areas. As a digital infrastructure provider, Huawei has contributed to Yunnan's digital development.

Huawei and local operators explored innovative ways to both improve rural coverage and reduce its costs, said Lei Lei, Director of Huawei's Yunnan Carrier Business Department.

The case study of Heshun Ancient Town shows how digital technology can accelerate rural growth. Building on this success will require efforts to fill digitalisation gaps and bridge the last mile, especially in smaller villages.

Shi Yun, General Manager of Baoshan Branch of China Mobile Yunnan told Viet Nam News: With regard to the future development of 5G technology, I believe that the emergence of new devices will also drive the development of further applications, and this will actually further drive the development of 5G infrastructure. Similar products will be launched to the Chinese market very soon, given the advanced manufacturing capability in China. Vendors such as Huawei and other domestic equipment providers will also follow this path.

He added that there's still room for us to improve the 5G smartphone penetration rate. So far, the 5G device penetration rate is not very high.

We have about two million mobile users, but we have less than one million 5G device users, so there's still a lot of room for improvements in this regard. As we have more and more smartphones that can be sold at say 1,000 yuan or even cheaper, I believe that there will be more 5G users further driving the applications of 5G in this area, he said.

Technologies such as 5G, cloud and AI form the foundation for upgrading rural digital infrastructure, said Su Ruiping, Director of the ICT Development Section of the Yunnan Provincial Management Bureau. In the coming year and beyond, Yunnan aims to upgrade its digital infrastructure and narrow the digital divide. By continuously driving other parts of Yunnan forward in the digital arena, we can serve as a model of economic development for the rest of China, and the rest of the world.  VNS
Volunteers prepare plates at the annual Jimenez Thanksgiving dinner last year. At a time of national discord, tap into gratitude and service to others. Jessica Phelps

There are special moments in life no photograph can truly capture.

They may live in photo albums, but they live more deeply in our hearts.

Thanksgiving is one of those moments. And yet this year, like those in the recent past, we may think there is little reason to show gratitude.

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The reasons for gloom are all around us:

The plague of mass shootings in America, each one raising a chorus of demands for gun safety legislation; the recent rampage that left 18 dead in Lewiston, Maine, was all the more heartbreaking because there were signs, unheeded by officials, that the alleged shooter had been a troubled man.

The rise of antisemitism and Islamophobia throughout the world, including in this country, sparked by the brutal conflict between Israel and Hamas, as partisans take up arms far from a battlefield where innocent civilians have been killed.

The four criminal indictments against former President Donald Trump  charges that, regardless of your political ideology, bring shame on the nation at a time when our democracy seems more frail than ever.

It is not cynical to see how these factors, and others, undermine our notion of Thanksgiving, which should be wrapped in the warm, comforting cocoon of family.

War and hate blare from our televisions, radios and computers, conspiring to sabotage the feel-good aura of the holiday. It is hard to feel hope when events, here and throughout the globe, encourage distress.

But it is the dark times that should heighten our gratitude this holiday season. Thanksgiving, more than any other American holiday, brings families together. The dinner table is a symbol of community, and community is a bulwark against reality.

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Let gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer, Maya Angelou wrote in her collection of poems, Celebrations: Rituals of Peace and Prayer.

Along with the blessings we celebrate, however, we must also consider the blessings denied our fellow Americans.

They include the survivors of gun violence, the victims of hate crimes, the veterans who return to a land that expresses its support while withholding legislation that would make that support meaningful.

Thanksgiving has a troubled legacy, dating to the oppression afflicting Native Americans since the presumed, albeit inaccurate, birth of this national holiday.

If we link Thanksgiving to inequality, however, we must also link it to liberty, for it was President Abraham Lincoln who in 1863 established this day as a day of thanks. He gave us a reason to be proud of a nation that had covered itself in shame with the shackling of Black men and women.

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The struggle is far from over, but there are good men and women fighting to fulfill the promise of the Emancipation Proclamation to Black people and other Americans who suffer oppression. It was no coincidence that the man who freed the slaves also proclaimed Thanksgiving as a national holiday. If any segment of our society is persecuted, we all suffer.

Referring to the Civil War as lamentable civil strife, Lincoln wrote that he implored the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

Today, as we feast on turkey, dressing and pumpkin pie, we know the real nourishment comes from our family and our values. These are challenging times for many, but Thanksgiving shines a light that can pierce the gloom, helping us see a brighter tomorrow.
HA NOI  The Ho Chi Minh City Development Joint Stock Commercial Bank (HDBank - HDB) received the Board of the Year Award given by the Vietnam Institute of Directors (VIOD) at the Annual Forum on Corporate Governance in Ha Noi on November 22.

VIOD presents this award to recognise exceptional achievements and comprehensive efforts by the boards of listed companies in various areas of governance, and meeting certain criteria for effective governance.

The award recognises HDBank's pioneering efforts in adopting advanced corporate governance standards and promoting transparency in business operations in accordance with international best practices.

It reflects HDBank's results in integrating environment, society and governance (ESG) standards into its business activities to achieve sustainable development and contribute to the green transformation and sustainable growth of the economy.

In 2021, as part of its internationalisation of banking management activities, HDBank appointed Kim Byoungho as the chairman of the board of directors.

Kim, with extensive experience in management and leadership roles as the chairman and CEO of prominent financial institutions in South Korea and the region, has achieved significant success.

The HDBank board of directors currently consists of seven Vietnamese and foreign banking and financial experts with long experience, professional ethics and commitment to the bank's sustainable development strategy, who seek to provide all possible benefits to investors, partners, customers, employees, and the wider community.

VIOD is a professional organisation that aims to enhance awareness and promote the application of best corporate governance standards and practices in the Vietnamese corporate sector to foster investor confidence.

It was established with technical support from the International Finance Corporation and Switzerlands State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, and has close cooperation with the State Securities Commission, Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HOSE) and Hanoi Stock Exchange.

VIOD is also a regular member of HOSE's Best Listed Company Evaluation Board.  VNS
Bilateral trade relations between Viet Nam and Singapore in digital and green economy are expected to further deepen. Gan Kim Yong, Singapores Minister for Trade and Industry, talked to media about the two countries co-operation in the emerging areas at the sidelines of the Singapore Week of Innovation and Technology 2023 held recently.

This February, Viet Nam and Singapore signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on green and digital economic partnership to deepen the bilateral co-operation in the two emerging areas. So how have the two countries implemented so far? What is your expectation from the MoU?

This is a very important MoU for us. Digitalisation remains a key area for progress and development. It is better for us to work together both bilaterally as well as regionally, even within ASEAN where we have the digital economy framework. This involves providing a framework and a basis for co-operation among countries. But we also recognise that not all countries will be at the same level of progress in terms of digitalisation. Therefore, there is a diversity among ASEAN members in terms of readiness and development. We are working together, but we also encourage members to engage in bilateral collaboration to see how we can push ahead with co-operation in the digital economy

One area that we are working with Viet Nam and other countries is how we can ensure data flow across borders, how we can make sure that digital systems are interoperable, how we can link up with digital payment system and how we can use digital means to facilitate trade. For example, electronic bills of lading is something that's very critical for international trade. We want to strengthen digital adoption to encourage more trucks. We have the ASEAN Singapore Window initiative to allow for trade and economic integration among our regional trading partners through a common database. This can only be done if information is digitalised.

On green economy, this is very new and emerging area. We want to encourage co-operation on various projects. One of the projects that we are hoping to make progress on is electricity export from Viet Nam to Singapore. Perhaps 10 years ago, nobody thought this is possible. Now we are in serious discussion on how we can have green energy generated from Viet Nam and sold to Singapore.

We are also looking at the possibility of low carbon solutions, for example reforestation and how we can promote decarbonisation of industries. These projects will then create carbon credits and help countries to achieve their zero carbon national commitment. How this works is through carbon trading, where countries can invest in reforestation project in Singapore, Viet Nam and other countries. It's all about win-win proposition and working together to develop many of these sustainability related solutions for both countries.

We're also very keen to work together to accelerate technological developments in the green space, one area being hydrogen technology. The whole world is very keen on the development of hydrogen technology but doing so is challenging. While it is possible to use hydrogen for industry and for power generation, transportation remains a problem. So I think digitalisation and the green economy are some of areas of collaboration between Singapore and Viet Nam.

The development of startup ecosystem and the supporting government policies contribute to the success of Singapores innovation landscape. Could you share some lessons that countries including Viet Nam can learn from Singapore?

We can learn a lot from Viet Nam. Viet Nam is a very innovative country and fast developing economy. I think your companies have been growing very rapidly. One lesson that we've learned is keeping our market open. This enables Singapore to remain open to ideas, investments and global talent. Many of our innovative projects are not done just in Singapore but in close collaboration with partners such as the US, Viet Nam and China. There is immense R&D talent worldwide. So I think it is important for us to have a system to allow researchers and our scientists to tap into the global network of innovation. This will help us develop our own capabilities and attract more R&D to benefit companies in varying stages.

With all investments, you need to also have risk tolerance to be able to accept that some will fail. It's always the knowledge that you will gain in the process of a failed project that can be valuable in the next. At some point in time, you will have a successful project. So we need to find a way to support R&D efforts, at the same time have a system to capture the value of R&D efforts even if the project itself does not succeed. By doing so, you're able to capture the value of that knowledge gained and apply them to the next project to maximise the chances of success.

Many of startups in Singapore said that they are looking to Viet Nam as their next market of choice. So how is the Singapore government supporting them in expanding their businesses to Viet Nam and building an innovation ecosystem between the two countries?

We have our Market Readiness Assistance (MRA) scheme to support our enterprises expand into overseas markets, including Viet Nam. Enterprise Singapore, our government agency driving enterprise development, also has overseas offices that will be able to help them set up in these markets and collaborate with overseas partners. We are very happy to support our enterprises to collaborate with their counterparts in Viet Nam, across areas such as technology and agriculture. VNS
HA NOI A series of exhibitions honouring the cultural heritage values of Ha Noi have been opened at the Hanoi Museum, as part of the events celebrating Vietnam Cultural Heritage Day on November 23.

The exhibitions include The Giang Vo School and the Collection of Weapons from the Le Dynasty, The History of Earth's Formation through a Collection of Fossil Artefacts, and The Essence of Vietnamese Traditional Crafts through the Perspective of Contemporary Interior Design.

The first exhibition introduces over 200 artefacts, images and documents about Giang Vo School, the first national martial arts school of ancient Thang Long Imperial Citadel, and the collection of Ngoc Khanh weapons that have been recognised as national treasures.

Through the architectural artefacts made of ceramics and wood excavated at the location, it can be affirmed that this is a large-scale construction of a national martial arts school during the Le Dynasty, spanning from the 15th to the 18th century.

The exhibition The Essence of Vietnamese Traditional Crafts through the Perspective of Contemporary Interior Design aims to honour the traditional handicraft villages of Ha Noi, connect tourism and commerce, and promote creative design activities.

Ten typical craft villages of Ha Noi are introduced within the space, including inh Cong silver casting village, Khoai Noi embroidery village, Phu Vinh bamboo and rattan weaving village, Nhan Hien sculpture village, Chuon Ngo mother-of-pearl inlay village, Thiet Ung fine wood carving village, Thuy Ung horn comb village, Bat Trang pottery village, Van Phuc silk village and Hang Trong folk painting village.

From the creative perspective of students from nine universities in Viet Nam and another from Thailand, the exhibited products bring forth an innovative and unique art space.

For the first time, the Hanoi Museum has collaborated with the Hanoi Fossil Museum to launch a joint exhibition. The History of Earth's Formation through a Collection of Fossil Artefacts revolves around the intersection of science, history, nature, and art, allowing visitors to experience film footage, appreciate paintings, and particularly, examine fossil specimens dating back hundreds of millions of years.

The exhibition is divided into several sections like a collection of fossil specimens depicting the evolution of living organisms, including animal and plant fossils from up to 530 million years ago, the collection of fossil specimens from the prehistoric era, or a collection of fossil specimens, tools and models that depict the evolution of human species.

In addition to the exhibited fossil artefacts, the Hanoi Fossil Museum has also designed a 3D Mapping space that depicts the history of Earth's formation adopting 3D virtual reality technology.

By organising these specialised exhibitions, the Hanoi Museum not only showcases its role as a prominent cultural creative space in the capital city Ha Noi but also realises its commitments and initiatives to integrate creative activities into all aspects of life, said Director of the Hanoi Museum, Nguyen Tien a. VNS
HA NOI  Nghinh Phong (Welcoming Wind) tower square, located on the coast of Tuy Hoa City, the south-central province of Phu Yen, is the only representative from Southeast Asia to have received the 2023 Asian Urban Landscape Award.

The award was given to nine projects in the five countries of Japan, China, the Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka, and Viet Nam, at a recent ceremony in Busan city, the RoK.

The tower square draws inspiration from the local Ghenh a ia coastal area, known for its interlocking rock columns, and influenced by the legendary ancestors Lac Long Quan and Au Co.

Legend has it that Lac Long Quan (real name Sung Lam, son of Kinh Duong Vuong and Than Long Nu) married Au Co (the fairy daughter of e Lai). Au Co then went on to give birth to a pouch filled with 100 eggs, which soon hatched into a hundred sons. However, soon thereafter, Lac Long Quan and Au Co separated. Lac Long Quan went to the coast with 50 of the children, while Au Co went to the highlands with the rest.

Their eldest son was made king, who named the country Van Lang and set up the capital in Phong Chau (modern-day Viet Tri City in Phu Tho Province), beginning the 18 generations of the Hung Kings.

The tower features two tall stone columns, representing Lac Long Quan and Au Co at 35 and 30 metres.

Projects and initiatives that clinch this award undergo evaluation based on five critical criteria: harmonious coexistence with regional environment; safety, convenience and sustainability; respect for regional culture and history; high artistic quality; and contributions to local development, capabilities of becoming models for other cities.

Recent awardees from Viet Nam include Can Tho floating market in the Mekong Delta city of the same name, Hoi An ancient town in the central province of Quang Nam, the central city of a Nang, Ha Noi mural street, and Nguyen Tat Thanh square in the northern province of Tuyen Quang.  VNS
HA NOI  Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuans visit to Norway is expected to create new momentum for the development of bilateral relations, Vietnamese Ambassador inh Nho Hung told Vietnam News Agency.

The diplomat said that the relationship between Viet Nam and Norway is developing positively with increased cooperation activities in both quantity and quality. The two sides have strengthened meetings and delegation exchanges at all levels and in various fields.

The two countries as well as the International Partners Group (IPG) adopted a political declaration on the establishment of the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP). All the plans postponed in two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic have been resumed, including the deputy ministerial-level Political Consultation in March 2023, he noted.

The two sides have worked on the negotiation of a number of agreements, the ambassador said, adding that the visa exemption policy for Norwegian citizens entering Viet Nam has been expanded, with the temporary stay period increased from 15 days to 45 days.

For many years, Norway has been an important partner of Viet Nam, said Ambassador Hung, noting that the European country has provided Viet Nam with active support in implementing the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the past and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at present.

Norway has offered about US$320 million to Viet Nam, while many Norwegian firms have effectively operated in Viet Nam, he said, adding that tourism activities between the two sides have bustled.

Ambassador Hung underlined that businesses of both sides have shown increasing interest in cooperating with each other, while more opportunities are being seen in bilateral partnership in the fields of green economy, circular economy, sustainable development, renewable energy, and marine economy, which are expected to contribute to the growth of both countries, matching the major trends of the world in the next 1-2 decades.

The diplomat pointed to three foundations that enable Viet Nam and Norway to be optimistic about their relations in the future. Firstly, despite fluctuations in the world, Viet Nam has seen stable growth and made active and positive contributions to the joint efforts in the region and the world for peace and development. Secondly, Norway is a leading country in green industries with its strengths in technology solutions, finance and experience, providing effective support to developing countries in SDG realisation and climate change response. And thirdly, the world is facing many great challenges, evolving at a faster pace than previously forecast, requiring countries regardless of their sizes to increase cooperation.

Regarding the significance of Vice President Xuans upcoming visit to Norway at the invitation of Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stre, Ambassador Hung said that the visit will be a highlight of the Viet Nam-Norway relations.

This will be the first visit to Norway by the Vietnamese Vice President, which is expected to create a new momentum for the growth of the relations between the two countries, contributing to increasing the cooperation efficiency and optimising collaboration potential, while implementing Viet Nams external policy of independence, self-reliance, cooperation, development, multilateralisation and diversification, active and positive international integration, being friend, trustworthy partner, positive and responsible member of the international community, he said.

Vice President Xuans visit is also expected to contribute to implementing important development strategies, planning and programmes of the countries, while promoting the realisation of national targets in SDGs implementation and commitments given at the UN Climate Change Conference.

Activities that the Vice President will conduct in Norway are hoped to help expand bilateral cooperation opportunities in trade, investment, education, science-technology and culture, mobilising resources for national development, said the ambassador.

He said that during the visit, Vice President Xuan is scheduled to mention many important cooperation areas, including sustainable and green development, as well as solutions to support the development of circular economy, marine economy, green agriculture, sustainable aquatic farming, and plastic waste treatment.

Particularly, the two sides will discuss cooperation and support to Viet Nam in realising the JETP and the implementation of Vietnams energy development plans, as well as solutions to promote efficient energy use, contributing to the achievement of Vietnams net-zero emission commitment by 2050 and ensuring the national energy security and equality in energy transition.

The two sides will also discuss the speeding up of the negotiations on a free trade agreement between Viet Nam and European Free Trade Association (EFTA) states which comprises Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, and Liechtenstein and has a total GDP of VN1.2 trillion, said Ambassador Hung. VNS
HA NOI  President Vo Van Thuong will lead a high-level Vietnamese delegation to pay an official visit to Japan on November 27-30 at the invitation of the Japanese State, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Thursday.

During the press briefing in Ha Noi, foreign ministry spokesperson Pham Thu Hang said this is the first visit to Japan by President Thuong since taking office and the fourth visit by a Vietnamese President since the establishment of the two countries diplomatic relations.

2023 marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Viet Nam and Japan and the ninth anniversary of the upgrade to an Extensive Strategic Partnership.

"Relations between two countries have witnessed strong growth across the board," Hang said, with engagements and exchanges of delegations at all levels having been enhanced.

Japan continues to be the leading economic partner, the biggest provider of non-refundable Official Development Assistance (ODA), the second largest partner in labour cooperation, the third largest in investment and tourism cooperation, and fourth in trade, according to the foreign ministry.

Cooperations between localities have been constantly expanded; so far there are nearly 100 paired localities currently in cooperation ties.

"During the visit, President Thuong will hold talks with Japanese Prime Minister Kishida, have an audience with the Emperor and the Empress Consort, have meetings with senior leaders of Japan, deliver remarks at the Parliament of Japan, and attend the ceremony commemorating the 50th anniversary of Viet Nam-Japan diplomatic relations, among other activities," she said.

The visit will continue to deepen relations between the two countries politically, diplomatically, and in terms of trade and investment, as well as bolstering bilateral cooperation in new areas such as green and digital transformation.

Asked about the prospect of the two countries' upgrading relations during President Thuong's upcoming visit, Hang acknowledged that this is a "point of interest for many."

"I would like to emphasise that Viet Nam's foreign policy is that of independence and self-reliance, and peace, multilateralisation and diversification of relations, and Viet Nam strives to be an active and responsible member of the international community, as well as a trustworthy reliable partner," the spokesperson remarked.

"In that spirit, Viet Nam is committed to strengthening relations with our partners, including Japan, on the basis of mutual benefit for our peoples, for peace, stability and development of the region and the world."  VNS
LONG AN  President Vo Van Thuong on Thursday attended a ceremony to mark the 60th anniversary of the Hiep Hoa victory in the Mekong Delta province of Long An.

At the event, he presented the Ho Chi Minh Order to Long An Provinces Party, administration and people for their excellent contributions to revolutionary cause of the Party and State.

Following the success of Viet Nam's ong Khoi (General Uprising) Movement (1959-1960) in the South, the US imperialists carried out the Special War strategy which was built with three measures, including the establishment of strategic hamlets.

In September 1963, the provincial Party Committee decided to ramp up efforts to destroy the strategic hamlets, and Hiep Hoa  the largest commando camp in the south - was the target.

The victory of the Hiep Hoa battle opened a chapter in the glorious history of Long An Party and peoples resistance against the enemy. Besides, it was important for the southern battlefield, helping expand the corridor that connected the southeastern region with the southwestern one and Cambodias southeastern area.

In his speech, head of the Party Central Committee Commission for Popularisation and Education Nguyen Trong Nghia highlighted the significance of the Hiep Hoa battle victory to the revolutionary movement in the south, describing it as a vivid illustration for the sound policy and resolve of the Party Central Committee and the provincial Party Committee.

He suggested the province sharpen focus on its key programmes and tasks, and pay due attention to branching out local culture, society, education and health care in tandem with economic development, working to ensure social security and accelerating the reform of administrative procedures.

Earlier, President Thuong offered incense in tribute to Vo Van Tan, a former member of the Party Central Committees Standing Board, former Secretary of the Party Committee of the southern region, and a loyal revolutionary soldier of the Party and State, at uc Hoa crossroads historical relic site in uc Hoa town.

He also visited and presented gifts to war invalid Pham Thi Liem who engaged in revolutionary activities and was imprisoned by the enemy.  VNS
HA NOI  Ethnic minorities' (EM) representation in the National Assembly (NA) is a fundamental tenet of Viet Nam's political doctrine; the country has spared no effort in ensuring they are presented from the top.

That remark was made by Nguyen Lam Thanh, Vice Chairman of the NA's Council on Ethnic Minorities, at a press conference on human rights yesterday.

Thanh said the Law on the Election of NA Deputies 1997 was a big boost to EM candidates as it assigned the council the task of providing them with electoral training and nominating them to the legislature.

The 2016 version of the law went one step further by stipulating that at least 18 per cent of candidates running for election must come from EM.

The country's legal efforts have translated into good results, with the legislative body becoming increasingly inclusive over the past decade. Between 2011 and 2016, EM deputies constituted 15.6 per cent of the NA. The share rose to 17.3 per cent from 2016 to 2021, and 17.8 per cent in the next five years.

What is more impressive is that some EM groups with a population of less than 1,000 have had a say in the legislative body. For instance, the Brau people (population of less than 1,000) made it to the 15th NA whereas Mang (less than 5,000) had their deputies in the 14th NA.

So far, 51 out of 53 EM groups in Viet Nam have seats in the legislature. The country has set it a goal to have the two remaining groups, O-u (less than 1,000) and Ngai (less than 2,000), legislatively represented in the short term.

The vice chairman also suggested several measures to create a more inclusive representative body. The measures include training for elected EM representatives and bottom-up nomination for EM candidates.

Tran Chi Mai, Deputy Director of the International Cooperation Department, Committee for EM Affairs, said Viet Nam's delegates will defend its 5th Report on the Compliance with the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD) from 29-30 November in Geneva.

The report is comprised of two parts.

The first part delves into the fundamental aspects of Viet Nam's institutions and legal framework concerning human rights protection. It also outlines the complexities of implementing CERD in the country.

The second provides insights into the measures taken by Viet Nam to align its legal framework with CERD. It also highlights the progress made in safeguarding the rights of EM groups in line with CERD.  VNS
HA NOI  Viet Nam is determined to strictly deal with the acts of producing, trafficking and transporting drugs without distinguishing whether offenders are Vietnamese citizens or foreigners, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Pham Thu Hang said.

At the ministrys regular press conference in Ha Noi on Thursday, Hang reiterated that Viet Nam has always actively boosted cooperation both bilaterally and multilaterally in crime prevention and control, including drug-related crimes.

According to the information the ministry has received, HCM City Peoples Court on November 11 held a first-instance trial of a case of illegal drug transportation involving more than 216 kilos of illegal narcotics.

Among the 18 defendants sentenced to death, there are two Koreans and one Chinese citizen.

According to court documents, on July 19, 2020, police forces at Tan Cang-Cat Lai Port in HCM City searched a tractor suspected of illegal drug transportation and discovered 39.5kg of methamphetamine.

Investigations then show that from May to July 2020, the ring successfully stored, transported and traded 216.3kg of narcotics in HCM City, ong Nai and Binh Duong provinces, of which 162kg were seized by law enforcers.

The substances were delivered from Cambodia to HCM City. Parts of the shipments were also transferred to South Korea.

In case there is an appeal or protest against the ruling, competent authorities will continue to handle the case in line with legal regulations on criminal procedures, she added.  VNS
AN GIANG  An Giang Province is developing rice production towards enhancing value, establishing linkages among stakeholders, increasing mechanisation, and growing high-quality varieties to meet export requirements.

The Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta province, the second-largest rice producer in the country after neighbouring Kien Giang Province, benefits from a constant freshwater supply throughout the year from the Tien and Hau rivers, tributaries of the Mekong River.

Situated in the deltas upstream area, the province is seldom affected by saltwater intrusion, enabling most areas to grow three crops annually.

With nearly 640,000 hectares and an annual paddy output of nearly four million tonnes, An Giang's rice export value exceeds US$250 million per year.

With the support of relevant departments and agencies, more farmers are forming partnerships with companies to cultivate rice under contractual agreements, ensuring stable outlet and selling prices.

The provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Province's Farmers Association, and the Province Co-operative Alliance have signed an agreement with the Loc Troi Group for rice production from 2024 to 2030.

According to the agreement, the large-scale rice fields planted through collaboration between farmers and the group will cover 139,000 hectares next year and 257,000ha in 2025.

Nguyen Si Lam, the department director, said to effectively implement the agreement, the department would facilitate and support the Loc Troi Group, including its member companies, in rice production in designated areas.

It will assist the group in establishing cooperatives in rice-growing areas, expanding agricultural extension activities, and implementing high-tech agriculture in cooperatives involving the group.

Collaborating with district-level peoples committees, it will guide relevant agencies in facilitating the signing of farm contracts between cooperatives, farmers and Loc Troi.

It will issue production codes for rice-growing areas linked with the group.

Nguyen Van Nhien, chairman of the Province Farmers Association, reported that the association has encouraged over 40 cooperatives and several cooperative groups to partner with more than 30 companies, ensuring reliable outlets for farmers.

An Giang aims for rice farming areas under stakeholder linkages to constitute 25-28 per cent of its total rice-growing area by 2025.

The province has registered with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to participate in a project for the sustainable development of one million hectares of high-quality and low-emission rice cultivation associated with green growth in the Mekong Delta.

An Giang's extensive rice farming area positions it favourably to engage in the project, said Lam, the department director.

Under the project, the province targets a high-quality rice-growing area of 103,000 hectares by 2025 and 152,000 hectares by 2030.

For the 2023-24 winter-spring crop, localities in the province have registered to grow 20,609 hectares of rice under the project, according to the department.

Improving Quality

An Giang is encouraging farmers to adopt environmentally friendly rice-growing models that enhance quality and profits.

The Viet Nam Farmers Association has selected An Giang to participate in a project applying environmentally friendly rice-growing methods. These methods involve reducing chemical usage, employing wet and dry irrigation techniques, and planting flowers around rice fields to attract insects that control brown plant hoppers, the main pest for rice.

The province has taught farmers environment-friendly farming techniques and developed some excellent models.

Tran Thanh Van in Cho Moi Districts An Thanh Trung Commune said: After learning environmentally friendly farming techniques, I apply them to a 1,000sq.m rice field.

By using these techniques, he can reduce the quantity of chemical fertilisers by 5-8 kilogrammes compared to traditional farming methods. Besides, the number of irrigation cycles in a rice crop has decreased by two, he said.

He utilises paddy straw and stubble to grow mushrooms and then uses the used paddy straw and stubble to make organic fertilisers, generating an additional income.

Farmers are currently in the autumn-winter rice peak harvest, and are enjoying a bumper crop and high prices.

Nguyen Thanh Vu in Thoai Son Districts Vinh Chanh Commune has harvested 3.9 hectares of IR 50404 rice and achieved a yield of 6.1 tonnes per hectare.

He sold the rice at VN8,900 per kilogramme, earning a profit of around VN27 million (US$1,100) per hectare, he said.

Lam said the province has 157,000 hectares of rice and harvested more than 50,000 hectares with an average yield of 5.8 tonnes.

Rice from lands without linkages between farmers and companies and guaranteed outlets have been pre-purchased by traders, providing farmers with a sense of security, he added.  VNS
Rebecca Viagran, a former San Antonio City Councilwoman who has become president and CEO of the South Texas Business Partnership, speaks during a partnership luncheon on Sept. 26 at Texas A&M University-San Antonio on the South Side. William Luther/San Antonio Express-News Rebecca Viagran, a former San Antonio City Councilwoman who has become president and CEO of the South Texas Business Partnership, speaks during a partnership luncheon on Sept. 26 at Texas A&M University-San Antonio on the South Side. William Luther/San Antonio Express-News Rebecca Viagran, a former San Antonio City Councilwoman who has become president and CEO of the South Texas Business Partnership, speaks during a partnership luncheon on Sept. 26 at Texas A&M University-San Antonio on the South Side. William Luther/San Antonio Express-News Rebecca Viagran, a former San Antonio City Councilwoman who has become president and CEO of the South Texas Business Partnership, speaks during a partnership luncheon on Sept. 26 at Texas A&M University-San Antonio on the South Side. William Luther/San Antonio Express-News

For eight years, Rebecca Viagran represented much of the South Side as councilwoman for District 3. In her new role, her territory covers all South Texas.

She stepped up in January to become president and CEO of the South Texas Business Partnership, an economic development group aiming to foster growth in the region  stretching from the U.S.-Mexico border east to Corpus Christi and as far north as San Antonios South and West sides  by promoting infrastructure projects, job skills programs and courting businesses to locate there.

I love that Im still able to work with the community, which I am so familiar with, in just a different aspect, she said. Really digging into the needs, the concerns of our businesses and workforce pipeline. What are the issues? What are the items that we need to coordinate around?

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She took the role at a time when many local leaders are focusing more on the importance of San Antonios economic and cultural ties to the south  not only South Texas but also northern and central Mexico. A recent buzz phrase is the South Texas Triangle, said to reach as far as Monterrey, in Nuevo Leon, mirroring the Texas Triangle thats linked by San Antonio, Dallas and Houston.

Viagrans family has a tradition of civic engagement; she recalls her gregarious father holding political barbecues when she was growing up. In 2021, her sister Phyllis was elected to take her former seat as District 3 councilwoman. Viagran launched an unsuccessful bid for Congress in 2022 for Texas 35th District stretching between San Antonio and Austin.

The service to the community never stopped in my life, she said. Always knowing that it wasnt just about yourself, it was about what can you do for others? What can you do for the community?

The partnership was known as the South San Antonio Chamber of Commerce before it rebranded itself in 2020 after merging with the West San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, adopting a new logo to reflect its new territory.

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Viagran recently sat with the Express-News to discuss the partnerships new focus, her priorities for the South Texas region and whether she plans to seek political office again. The following has been edited for brevity and clarity.

Q: The partnership has gone through lots of changes lately, including changing its name.

A: In 2020, the board members rebranded and wanted to take a larger vision. They wanted to take a proactive approach to what was happening in South Texas. They saw all the growth in Elmendorf, Floresville, Atascosa and all the way down to the Rio Grande Valley, Corpus Christi. The board said, You know, we have more in common and we see so many people from the Valley come to San Antonio, go to school and stay in San Antonio. Theres a lot of connections and commonality. So they said, Lets build that relationship, so we can coordinate and advocate for our own destiny.

Q: What region do you cover now?

A: From Laredo to Corpus all the way to the Rio Grande Valley. Its really because we see that synergy of so many assets that we can continue to work together for. Especially when youre looking at infrastructure  people coming up Interstate 37 into San Antonio. When youre looking to Laredo, all of the traffic from the international bridges and all of the trade that comes through and up to San Antonio.

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Q: I would imagine that many of those communities have their own development groups. Have they embraced your new role?

A: Yeah. Whats wonderful about it is even on our board of directors, we have members who are from Wilson County and other counties south of San Antonio. Im very proud that we are going to be members of the Rio Grande Valley Partnership and RGV Partnership is going to be a member of our partnership. Just to really see that spirit of collaboration, knowing that we can do more together than in silos. Mayor (Ron) Nirenberg and six other mayors have created this alliance of South Texas cities. We all met in Mission, Texas, with some economic development leaders there. Mayors from Mission, from Harlingen, from Weslaco and from Edinburg, along with Mayor Nirenberg.

Q: One of your priorities is workforce development. What type of workforce?

A: When were talking about workforce, were looking at everything that can help with our companies that are here. Were talking about engineers when were looking at our large employers like Navistar, like Toyota. When were looking at medical and biosciences, were looking at the hospital thats coming south of Loop 410 near (Texas) A&M (University)-San Antonio. When were looking at all the biosciences, the need for doctors and nurses in this area. Very similar to how SA Worx is helping with the talent pipeline management.

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Q: What kind of infrastructure does the region need?

A: We need an east-west connector from Palo Alto Road or Highway 16 up to either (U.S.) 281 or (Interstate) 37. To have that east-west traffic  we do not have that in south Bexar County. When were looking further south, to Corpus Christi or the Rio Grande Valley, were looking at the (Interstate 69) completion, to get the interstate connected to 37. Here, what we need in our backyard  coming up 37 from the south to downtown, it is back-to-back traffic because all of the housing that is being developed in Elmendorf, Floresville, further down into Atascosa County. With all of the development, you have a lot of these 18-wheeler trucks; we need to make sure that its safe for the families and for the truck drivers.

Q: Your website mentions South Texas being a well-kept secret. Are people figuring it out?

A: I think people are starting to wake up to it. People have been talking about the South Texas Triangle for a while. We took the steps to build the relationships and say, Lets do this. Now it seems like everybody is talking about South Texas.

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Q: What do people talk about when they talk about South Texas? Theres a lot going on: a surge in border traffic, what SpaceX is doing in Brownsville 

A: Part of it is the international trade, because some of the bridges are going to have an increase of traffic. But what I also mean is, locally, in the San Antonio area, people are now saying, Oh, lets look south. You also know that companies are looking for a lot of land; the only place youre going to find a lot of land now is south San Antonio, south Bexar County and South Texas. What is not in alignment yet is that infrastructure  meaning utilities, the roads, the water, the electricity. Were trying to be proactive, but unfortunately, a lot of the methodology that is used for funding for certain projects doesnt come until after you see the surge of population and cars.

Q: Apart from the availability of land, what do you mention when you pitch the region?

A: The affordable cost of living. We also pitch that you do have a workforce here. You do have a region of people who can travel. If you build a massive megasite, you will have communities from the south of you or from the north that can come.

Q: I read an opinion article on your website from last year that mentioned the partnership helping to identify megasites. Do you have them picked out?

A: Were working with our partners to look at all of those sites. We do know the areas, and we do have the relationships. You can look at it on on a computer screen and think, Oh, nothings there. But we have those relationships with the communities to know what was there before, who are the families that are around there. Thats where we can come in, with the nuance.

Q: Years ago, people would talk about the South Side being held back by a lack of housing. It seems like a lot has been built since then.

A: Its pretty amazing. Theres a lot of growth happening, even south of Loop 410. The VIDA project, Southstar Communities. They have builders that have never come to the South Side that are now building in the South Side because people want to live closer to where they work and they also want a different housing stock. For so many years, it was only this type of house with this type of builder. But now when you get a variety of housing, you can have a townhome, you can have a single-family, you can have a two-story, you can have a one-story. Youre seeing custom-built homes. That is so important.

Q: The growth at Brooks has been impressive. Are there other hot spots where you could imagine so much growth?

A: Yeah, absolutely. The Texas A&M, VIDA, the University Health System hospital there. The Madla Greenway trail. What A&M-San Antonio is doing  another residential hall; they just opened their library; theyre building a new rec center; theyre going to be building an early child care center. This is not just transformative, but generation-changing, much to what Brooks is like.

Q: When you were growing up, was your family involved in politics and civic life?

A: I was sharing this with (Bexar County) Judge (Peter) Sakai the other day. He was mentioning how he knew my dad. Because in the South Side, people would come and meet my dad because he had a lot of friends there. We always thought he was going to run for office; he never did. He just liked to talk to a lot of people. My sister and I grew up going to what we thought were family barbecues; those were actually campaign fundraisers. We were just seeing friends that we knew from the neighborhood and our cousins. It didnt click that it was it was a political rally or fundraiser. But we always knew that we had to support the community.

Q: Do you think youll seek political office again?
A NANG  The Korean International Co-operation Agency (KOICA) has funded facilities and equipment worth VN300 million (US$12,000) for Korean language smart study (KLaSS)  the Korean language digital education project at the a Nang-based ong A University.

The project, signed by the University and Visang Viet Nam Education Group, is seen as the first in a Nang and the 20th in Viet Nam aiming to boost Korean language learning skills and job support for Vietnamese young people.

A Korean language Skill Lab officially opened at the university for 250 students in central Viet Nam getting digital practical courses and improving capability in Korean language, as well as opportunities for studying and working in Korea.

Director of KOICA Viet Nam Office Lee Byung Hwa said: We acknowledged that a Nang City is seen as a favourite destination for Korean tourists, and a high demand of Korean language learning related to hospitality and other industries.

The KLaSS is the first project in a Nang and the 20th in Viet Nam that KOICA and Visang company have developed so far. I hope that Korean language education will be further promoted in the city through KLaSS in the future.

ong A university and the South Korea Cyber Hankuk University of Foreign Studies introduced the Korean Foundation Global E-school to begin Korean language education and culture exchanges programme for Vietnamese students in central Viet Nam in 2022-24.

Last year, a deal on cooperation and development on environmentally-friendly projects and Sustainable Development Goal communication campaigns among Vietnamese and Korean students was signed between the university and South Koreas Most Beautiful Tree organisation.

Five universities from Korea, including Busan, Kangwoon, Keimyung, Deagu and Cyber Hankuk University, have now inked co-operation with ong A University in education and cultural exchange. VNS
BINH INH  Vessel SAR 412 of the Viet Nam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre on Thursday successfully saved 39 fishermen onboard a damaged fishing boat after towing it to the south-central province of Binh inh,.

Earlier, at 6pm on November 20, the boat, captained by Nguyen Duy Thanh (46 years old), a resident in Binh Chanh Commune in Binh Son District of Quang Ngai Province, experienced engine failure while fishing in the sea between Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagoes.

It lost control in adverse weather conditions and was hit by large waves that pierced its bow. As water flooded in rapidly and led to the rapid sinking of the ship, Thanh contacted the search and rescue coordination centre requesting urgent assistance.

At 11:21pm on the same day, maritime rescue forces approached the boat, deploying rescue personnel and towing it out of the dangerous area.

Deputy Chairman of the Binh Son People's Committee Ung inh Hien said local authorities will assist the fishermen and assess the extent of the ship damage to determine appropriate support policies in accordance with state regulations.  VNS
By Tran Khanh An

Since 1945, he has been a legend to the entire Vietnamese people, from young to old, which we all are aware of and grateful for, wrote Professor Phong Le in his remark for the conference celebrating the 100th birth anniversary of composer Van Cao.

Born Nguyen Van Cao on October 15, 1923 in the port city of Hai Phong, Van Cao was the author of the iconic revolutionary song Tien Quan Ca (Marching Song) written in 1944, which one year later became the national anthem of the new independent Viet Nam until now.

Since then, generation after generation of Vietnamese citizens have learned the national anthem and his name by heart, as the song is a summons from the motherland, reflecting the inner voice of their hearts.

Although the anthem alone undoubtedly marks Cao's eminent career, he was also an extraordinary talent, a virtuoso in music, poetry and painting with a long career and an extensive collection of works.

Elegance in music, poetry

Cao only wrote over 30 songs in his entire career. His only poetry collection La (Leaf) includes 28 poems; and the collection Anthology of Van Cao Poetry, published after his death, contains just 59 poems.

Though Cao did not have a great number of compositions, his music and poetry have endured, representing the essence of his generation and the country.

Cao's music contains the romance of an artist and heroism of a patriot. He composed rhythmic lyrical songs with folk influences such as Mua Xuan au Tien (First Spring), Lang Toi (My Village), and soldiers' marching songs such as Chien si Viet Nam (Vietnamese Fighters) and Tien ve Ha Noi (Marching to Ha Noi).

His music also fused the Vietnamese soul with traditional culture and the melody and rhythms of modern Western music. He transcended conventional musical forms and became a pioneer in a musical genre imbued with national creativity, with Truong Ca Song Lo (The Epic of the Lo River).

Cao's music contains diverse and complex transformations linked with significant developments in the nation's history, while also conveying the artist's humanity," said art researcher o Anh Vu.

Autumn and spring themes feature frequently in Cao's poetry and music, with autumn representing separation and nostalgia, and spring representing happiness and unity.

If Tien Quan Ca is the music that urges soldiers to go to the battlefield, Mua Xuan au Tien praises soldiers' homecoming to reunite with their families.

"His music and poetry are full of artistry and fusion between the two genres. His poetry is abundant in melody and his music is also abundant in poetry," said art researcher Nguyen Thanh.

All of these characteristics have added a distinct elegance to Cao's music and poetry, as celebrated musician Trinh Cong Son once said: "In music, Van Cao is as elegant as a king."

Illustrator

Cao's versatility extended to painting, and the majority of his artworks were book illustrations. Although his painting career was less prominent than his music and poetry realms, he still established a new perspective on modern Vietnamese graphic and illustrative art.

"Cao is firmly a pioneering design artist in Viet Nam," said art critic Phan Cam Thuong.

Over half a century, he created thousands of covers for publications such as the Van Nghe magazine, the Lao ong newspaper, and the ai oan Ket newspaper, as well as illustrating more than 300 book covers for Vietnamese and foreign authors worldwide.

The highlights of Cao's illustrations include his basic expressive outlines and strong structures, with bright colours and pleasant dispositions.

"In the 1960s, it was Cao and a few others who established a new aesthetic for book illustrations and graphic designs," translator-writer Thai Ba Van said.

For every new day in Viet Nam and many other places throughout the world, the melody of the Vietnamese national anthem Tien Quan Ca resounds eloquently, representing the Vietnamese people's tremendous spiritual power throughout thousands of years of history.

Though Cao passed away in the summer of 1995, his artistic legend will live forever in Vietnamese hearts.

Van Cao was posthumously awarded the Resistance Order, the Independence Order and the Ho Chi Minh Prize in Music in 1996 by the state for his outstanding contributions to the nation's cause of independence and freedom. VNS
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We create many opportunities for each employee to develop themselves and their career, such as training courses and an open feedback culture. Also, DKSH respects human rights and supports diversity, equality, and inclusion to create a favourable environment for all employees.

For the pillar of increasing the sustainability of the supply chain, DKSH works with partners towards sustainability and minimising the impact on the environment via waste management initiatives, such as expanding eco-friendly packaging, paperless operation, and b-box delivery.

DKSH is committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2030 through various actions. Specifically, the company focuses on operating activities to neutralise climate change, disclosing emissions, and utilising renewables. At the same time, the goal of climate neutrality is achieved through improving operational efficiency. From there, the company reduces energy use and emissions by optimising delivery routes or focusing on using energy-saving equipment, such as LED lighting at distribution centres.

Meanwhile, DKSH implements projects contributing to the local community. Such schemes are implemented by company employees focusing on bringing positive impacts to the communities where we operate, from hunger eradication and poverty reduction to improving life skills.

With our new sustainability strategy, we bring related values deeper into business operations. DKSH defines the vision of being a trusted partner for clients, customers, and businesses. Furthermore, the company also operates with the goal of enriching lives in the communities where we do business globally.

In addition, becoming a member of the UNs Global Compact in 2022 demonstrates DKSHs strong commitment to strategic planning and operations with the highest standards of human rights, labour, environment, anti-corruption, and action for common community goals.

(*)Pham Duy Khiem, General manager of Supply Chain Management, DKSH Vietnam
Coffee companies in Vietnam are currently awaiting EU guidance on implementing the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). Under the EUDR, any operator or trader who places commodities like soy, beef, palm oil, wood, cocoa, coffee, and rubber commodities on the EU market, or exports from it, must be able to prove that the products do not originate from recently deforested land or have contributed to forest degradation. The regulation poses administrative and cost issues for the nations coffee industry.

The EUDR has been issued, but implementation guidelines are yet to be provided, said Le Thi Hoai Thuong, senior communications and external relations manager at Nestle Vietnam, VIRs conference on sustainability on November 16.

The EU has more stringent rules for assessing the risk of various imports

Vietnams production activities are influenced by partner countries, including the EUDR. However, the regulation is not just a challenge. Its an opportunity to demonstrate that Vietnam has a low risk of deforestation, creating an advantage for businesses exporting to Europe, Thuong said.

The EUDR was passed by the European Parliament in June, to be effective from December 30, 2024. From 2025, there will be a two-year grace period for small and micro-enterprises. According to the European Coffee Federation, the new EU regulations apply to all types of coffee, both produced within and outside the EU, impacting all coffee-exporting countries.

Two weeks ago, EUDR-compliant programmes were launched in Vietnam. On November 3, as a part of this effort, Forest Trends, a US-based organisation, released a report noted that in 2022, the export value of Vietnamese coffee to the EU reached nearly $1.5 billion, a 42 per cent increase from 2021. Vietnam primarily exports raw coffee, accounting for over 95 per cent of the total value of its coffee exports to the EU.

The Forest Trends research team expressed concerns about the complex coffee supply chain, making source tracing challenging. Vietnam has an extensive coffee supply chain with intricate intermediate stages. Farmers play a leading role at the chains beginning, with over 80 per cent of coffee cultivation directly managed by farmers, contributing 95 per cent of the total coffee supply in Vietnam, with over half of production originating from small plantation households.

Land for production is relatively fragmented, with coffee plantations often smaller than three hectares per household, each comprising various land plots. A widespread procurement team operates at multiple levels, from commune to province and city, playing a leading role in purchasing channels and connecting farmers with processing and export companies. The end products of the processing mainly serve exports, accounting for over 80 per cent of the total produced products.

Dr. To Xuan Phuc, director of the Resource Management and Trade Policy programme at Forest Trends, stated that the EU was currently the largest coffee export market for Vietnam, accounting for nearly 40 per cent of the total export turnover.

With the implementation of the EUDR, the EUs import management agency will assess the risk of importing these goods based on two criteria, Phuc said.

Firstly, evaluating the risk of the import supply chain through conventional methods. Secondly, ranking the risk of the country or region of production according to the criteria set by the EU. The risk assessment criteria for exporting countries/regions do not differentiate between industries and apply uniformly to all imported goods from countries/regions within the scope of the regulation.

The more complex the supply chain, the greater the compliance risk with legal requirements at various stages in the chain, Phuc added.

The EUDR examines the characteristics of the supply chain in the region of production as a crucial criterion for classifying the risk level of the exporting country. The more complex and lengthy the supply chain, with many participants and activities in intermediate stages, the more challenging traceability becomes, and vice versa.

Vietnam holds significant potential in coffee production, being the worlds second-largest producer and exporter after Brazil. It is also the largest producer and exporter of robusta coffee globally.

According to Phuc, the risk of deforestation related to the coffee production process is low. However, collecting and documenting evidence to substantiate this requires sufficient resources in terms of personnel, technology, and finance.

The Vietnamese government, along with businesses and partners, should prioritise resources for this task as soon as possible, he said.

Coffee exporters squeezed with rising expenditures Coffee exporters are enjoying little benefit from current high prices as freight costs and other factors impact their overall operations.

Coffee export turnover exceeds 2 billion USD in five months Vietnam shipped 889,000 tonnes of coffee overseas for more than 2 billion USD in the first five months of 2022, up 24.2 and 54 percent year on year, respectively.
Haiphong discounts land lease fee for investors in 2023

On November 20, Haiphong Economic Zones Management Authority office issued the document guiding the implementation. The policy is being introduced following a prime ministerial decision issued on October 3 on reducing land rental fees in 2023.

The reduction in land use fees will benefit organisations, units, enterprises, households, and individuals who directly lease land from the state under state agency decisions or contracts and make rent payments annually.

Land rent reductions totalled VND3.5 trillion ($149.33 million) last year.

Earlier this year, the Ministry of Finance proposed the prime minister extend the temporary 30 per cent reduction on land use fees throughout 2023 as part of measures to help businesses and individuals overcome the ongoing difficulties.

Dinh Vu - Cat Hai EZ covers a total area of 22,540 hectares and combines many industrial parks, such as VSIP Hai Phong, MP Dinh Vu, Dinh Vu, Trang Due, and Nam Dinh Vu.

Most are operating in electronics manufacturing, vehicle manufacturing, mechanics, chemical, pharmaceuticals, garments and footwear, logistics, and infrastructure.

LG Display Haiphong is the largest foreign-invested project in Dinh Vu  Cat Hai EZ with an investment of $4.64 billion.

Core5 Factory Village in Haiphong celebrates pre-opening Indochina Kajima Development Co. and iCore5 Vietnam have celebrated a notable milestone with the pre-opening ceremony of their Core5 Factory Village in Haiphong.

Tesa opens new site in Haiphong Tesa, the German manufacturer of adhesive tapes and solutions, opened its new site in Haiphong on October 12 as part of its strategy to regionalise production, expand capacity, and optimise supply chains.

tesa adhesive tape expanding its footprint in Asia With high-quality and more sustainable adhesive tape products, tesa's newly launched plant in Haiphong has expanded its footprint in Asia. Dirk Hartmann, general manager of the new site, told VIR's Nguyen Huong about the plant's plans and ambitions.
In recognition of World Childrens Day, Marriott International announced it is working together with UNICEF to relaunch and expand its donation programme Check Out for Children.

The programme - which invites guests to make a voluntary donation for each night of their stay - is now live in over 500 properties across 40 countries in Marriotts Caribbean, Latin America, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific excluding China regions.

Over the course of nearly three decades, hotels in the companys portfolio have helped Marriott raise over $50 million for UNICEF, benefiting more than 4.5 million children worldwide, mainly through the Check Out for Children donation programme.

With the programs official relaunch in February 2023, Check Out for Children has generated over $250,000 in further support for UNICEF.

Additionally, since 2022, Marriott, along with the Marriott Disaster Relief Fund, Marriott Bonvoy and Marriott guests, have contributed over $1.3 million to UNICEF.

These contributions have gone towards responding to some of the worlds most severe challenges such as the COVID pandemic, natural disasters and humanitarian crises as well as providing ongoing care for the worlds most vulnerable children.

Marriott is proud to continue its legacy of serving our world in collaboration with UNICEF, said David Marriott, chairman of the Board, Marriott International.

Since 1995, we have worked with UNICEF to provide much needed funding for youth health and nutrition, safe water and sanitation, quality education and skill building, and the protection and care of children in the face of natural disaster. The Check Out for Children programme is an incredible opportunity for our guests and our hotels to support UNICEFs relentless pursuit of bettering the lives of children around the world."

Marriotts Check Out for Children programme helps fund UNICEFs ongoing efforts to make a better world for every child in over 190 countries and territories.

The programme invites guests to make a voluntary donation to their bill at check-in, with the option to remove or modify the donation at any time during their stay.

Donations will be used to help further UNICEFs work across the regions through initiatives like creating safe and clean environments for children in CALA; providing access to education in APEC; and helping protect refugees and advocate for children with disabilities in EMEA.

For nearly 30 years, Check Out for Children has raised funds to support UNICEFs work to protect the rights of every child. Our partnership with Marriott International is helping UNICEF reach children wherever and whenever the need is greatest, said Carla Haddad Mardini, director of Private Fundraising and Partnerships, UNICEF. We are grateful for the innovative way in which Marriott has invited its guests to learn more about UNICEF and support our work to meet childrens needs throughout every stage of childhood and adolescence, including being there before, during and after emergencies, providing vital assistance."

As part of Marriotts Serve 360 sustainability and social impact platform, the Check Out for Children programme reflects the companys larger commitment to Nurture Our World, making the communities where Marriott operates better places to live, work, and visit.

To learn more about the Check Out for Children programme visit here.

Marriott International inks deal with Vinpearl A number of global hotel chains are looking to open new facilities in Vietnam, highlighting the nation's attractiveness in other areas beyond manufacturing. A significant example is the cooperation between Marriott International and Vinpearl which will see Marriott Internationals management take over seven hotels and resorts from April.

Marriott International announces 20 new hotels in Vietnam Marriott International plans to launch 20 additional hotels and resorts in Vietnam's prime locations, as president and CEO Anthony Capuano highlights the country's attractive tourism assets, including its natural landscapes, rich culture, and diverse cuisine.
New mindset advised for sharing economy, illustration photo/ Source: Shutterstock

At last weeks conference on the sharing economy held by the Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM), Nguyen Cong Hung, vice chairman of the Vietnam Automobile Transportation Association said a standout example of mismanagement is in transportation.

Currently, the Ministry of Transport manages transport and the Ministry of Industry and Trade manages e-commerce and platforms, so there is no clear delineation of management responsibilities for tech companies that work in both areas.

The initial target plan was to call for individuals with idle cars to participate in transport activities. However, there are several shortcomings, Hung said. Drivers of ride-hailing platforms are not strictly managed, not in serious compliance with traffic safety regulations, and the hours of driving time completely depend on the drivers self-discipline.

Since Uber entered the transport market as a ride-hailing platform, many similar applications like Grab, Be, Gojek, Dichung, and Fastgo have entered the market. Hung said they were working in the transport industry but not being managed by the conditions of the transportation business because these technology companies were not clearly identified as under any particular purview.

Besides this, transport activities carried out through social networking platforms are very active, but there are still no specific legal provisions to manage it, Hung added.

The application of the sharing economy to the wrong target group has led to the massive emergence of new modes of transport, while the legal framework and management measures are not ready. This is disrupting local transport planning, causing tax revenue loss, and inequality among entities participating in the transport business, Hung said.

Dang Thi Thuy Trang, head of Public Affairs at Grab Vietnam, said that while the government encouraged a sharing economy, there were many restrictive regulations. Decree No.10/2020/ND-CP on the auto transport business does not allow contract vehicles to sign multiple contracts in one trip, for example.

This restricts the deployment of services that allow passengers to share journeys, as with a bus. Therefore, we recommend amending the regulations to allow ride-sharing services on the same contract ride, especially shared rides that are connected and arranged clearly on ride-hailing platforms, Trang said.

Luu Huong Ly from the Ministry of Justices Civil-Economic Legislation Department said that the key difficulty was the confusion in identifying and determining the legal nature of the businesses providing platform services.

Legal adjustments should focus on handling and limiting risks to workers and consumers in the sharing economy, and risks of personal data infringement, Ly said.

CIEM vice president Luong Van Khoi said that after four years of implementing Decision No.999/QD-TTg on approving the promotion of the sharing economy, the model in Vietnam had yet to develop as strongly as in other countries.

The sharing economy is a new model, but not a separate part or a separate economic component of the economy. It is not necessary to make policies for this business model only. Most importantly, we should change the mindset and state management measures to catch up with the trend of the digital economy and Industry 4.0, he said.

Khoi suggested that the state management should create an equal business environment between businesses in the sharing economy and traditional ones, between local and foreign-invested enterprises, and facilitate and support traditional businesses to transform and local tech firms to develop further.

Nguyen Binh Minh, a representative of the Vietnam E-commerce Association, proposed several solutions to sustainably develop the sharing economy, such as responsible e-commerce business, quality goods with traceability, environmental protection, and training in sustainable e-commerce.

We should coordinate numerous digital tools, and develop digital business platforms in a healthy direction; promote transformation in localities, and narrow the digital gap. Also, the legal corridor on e-commerce and protecting consumer rights should be improved as soon as possible, Minh said.

A sharing economy for new startups The rapid development of the IT revolution has helped startups generate a buzz in the social circle, establishing a new era of promoting globalisation in all sectors while building a new economy  the sharing economy. Hong Nhung reports.

Sharing economy rules required Sharing economy platforms have taken Vietnam by storm in recent years, especially in the fields of transportation, hotel bookings, and fintech. However, the rise of internet-based sharing services like Grab, FastGo, Airbnb, and Agoda has caused a headache for policymakers to adjust the regulations to manage disruptive businesses.
What do you think are the key factors that can unlock Vietnams potential, particularly in the digital sector?

Sheena S. Iyengar

Vietnam boasts significant potential due to its sizeable young population, quality universities, and established industries such as agriculture, where it is a top exporter of products like fish and furniture. There is also a strong base in textiles, with many designer clothing brands manufactured here, and in heavy industries like steel production.

The key to unlocking Vietnams potential lies in fostering collaboration between businesses, government, and universities, particularly in the digital sector. This synergy could create Vietnams own version of a tech hub, leveraging its demographic advantages and industrial base.

Regarding the innovation of Vietnamese companies, what are your observations?

Vietnamese companies are increasingly focused on driving economic growth through higher-value services rather than just material goods and manufacturing. There is a clear ambition and recognition of the importance of digital innovation. The challenge is to create stronger linkages between universities, the private sector, and the government to foster new digital experiences and services.

Encouraging entrepreneurship and collaboration between established companies and startups is also crucial. This approach has been successful in the financial services sectors in other parts of the world.

In a developing economy like Vietnam, what are the primary challenges businesses face in digital transformation, and how does organisational complexity impact this process across businesses of different sizes and scopes?

Every business and organisation is capable of undergoing transformation. The difficulty in transformation isnt predominantly due to the industry, age of the business, or the country, including Vietnam. Instead, the challenges are more about organisational complexity.

As businesses grow in size, diversify into multiple lines of business, and expand into different geographies, they inherently become more complex. This complexity is the most significant factor in the difficulty of transformation.

For instance, a business with 200 people operating solely in Vietnam, focusing on a singular type of product or service, can indeed transform. It is challenging but comparatively less so. However, an organisation with thousands of employees, catering to various needs across multiple markets and perhaps operating internationally, will inherently face greater complexity.

This journey of transformation isnt an overnight process, particularly for larger organisations. It may take more time, but its absolutely possible for every organisation to undergo digital transformation in a successful manner.

Could you share insights from your personal journey in pursuing your dreams?

My familys move from India to the US was a journey not just across continents but also of mindset. I learned early that the only thing we truly control is our choice. This understanding became a foundational tool for personal and organisational development, driving the idea that thinking bigger can significantly impact our growth and future prospects.

Over the last 10 years, Ive developed that mindset to think bigger, using a framework that supports change at individual, business, and community levels. The method is about harnessing the power of choice to drive transformation. To illustrate, I often refer to examples like Pablo Picassos self-reinvention. These examples show how individuals and organisations that dare to think bigger amidst myriad choices often achieve greater development and success.

How can individuals and organisations apply this methodology practically, particularly in Vietnam?

To adopt this, one must cultivate a mentality that is outside of the box, steering clear of conventional patterns. Specifically, there are six steps: identify the problem, break it down into manageable parts, compare and understand your desires, search for solutions in and out of existing frameworks, create a roadmap for your choices, and finally, put yourself in someone elses shoes to reassess your choices.

Vietnam undoubtedly holds significant potential for innovative transformation. The key step now is to build for the future, creating a system that facilitates this growth. The choices made in this regard are crucial. My advice would be to courageously embrace the principles of thinking bigger, fostering a culture of innovation and expansive thinking. This approach will drive transformation and position Vietnam as a leader in innovative development.

Considering the approach of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to digital transformation, how do you see their journey differing from larger businesses?

Despite serving limited markets, SMEs should actively engage in digital transformation, customising it to fit their customers unique needs. The advantage they have is their simpler organisational structure, which allows for greater agility and ease in implementing changes.

SMEs are in an excellent position to try out creative solutions without the burden of investing in expensive technologies, growing organically from their initial steps.

What is more, SMEs can benefit significantly from collaborations and capital injections from larger businesses or venture funds capital, alongside mentorship. Its crucial for these smaller entities to recognise their market position - whether they remain small due to their niche focus or possess the potential for scaling.

Domestic workers cannot be left behind digital upheaval With a growing population and fast digital transformation depriving workers of job opportunities, Vietnam must find new ways to generate sufficient employment for its citizens.

Digital transformation is the way forward for agriculture Experts, government officials, industry leaders, and innovators from around the world gathered in Hanoi on November 9 for a crucial event to explore how digital tools can transform Vietnam's agricultural sector, making it more competitive, sustainable, and climate-resilient.
Companies are looking to implement more green initiatives so they can expand their operations, Photo: Pham Hoang Van

A plan from agricultural manufacturer and service supplier Loc Troi Group to establish carbon credits has been submitted for evaluation and appraisal, with results expected by the end of 2023.

The groups main goal is to establish carbon credits for rice exports to the European and US markets. When carbon tax regulations take effect in 2025 in these countries, green production records are a great advantage in export competition, said Nguyen Duy Thuan, general director of Loc Troi Group, at VIRs November 16 event on sustainability.

A trading and profit sharing mechanism has been predetermined by the group. Around 30 per cent of the proceeds from the sale of 100 carbon credits will be spent to pay taxes to the state, and the remaining 70 per cent will be transferred back to farmers.

Developing the rice industry to adapt to climate change and reduce emissions is necessary, Thuan said. This goes along with improving the competitiveness of Vietnamese rice in the world market. We talk about this a lot, but have not created motivation for businesses to transform, Thuan noted.

Penalties and rewards are two ways to create motivation for businesses to transform to green, but must be done at the same time to be effective. If we only penalise businesses with large emissions, they will find a loophole, while rewarding low-emitting businesses is meaningless when they already have abundant financial conditions, he added.

According to Thuan, the situation will change when farmers have more income from selling carbon certificates, this will become a new driving force for businesses when products meet green standards of international organisations.

However, enterprises are in dire need of an organisation that determines emission levels for each industry and issues emission standard certificates recognised by Vietnam and internationally, he said.

The EU stipulates that a project cannot issue carbon certificates and receive payments unless it demonstrates measurable and verifiable results by a third party in reducing or abating emissions. New regulations also clarify the methodology and scope of climate action projects, the latest being the EUs Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, effective from last month.

At last weeks conference, the importance of green transformation was identified in the plans of homecare, health, and beauty company EMcom.

Choosing a small-step option can help the company bring sustainable values, in the context of climate change and emissions that are directly affecting the Vietnamese people, said Bui Bich Lien, director of EMcom JSC. When business owners are aware and dedicated to sustainable values, they will find ways to steer their businesses and overcome current challenges.

Declining sales and profits also lead to frustration among workers, while the green transformation roadmap does not bring results quickly, Lien added.

EMcoms strength is offering products that can support customers in protecting their bodies. Many Vietnamese users want to see immediate results when using a product, but want to limit their spending.

They almost ignore the perceived value for future health. This is similar to the story of green transformation of businesses. Focusing on short-term goals can ignore sustainable values, values that can cause imbalance, and affect the sustainable development of businesses, Lien said.

The green transformation process will not have a general formula suitable for all businesses, but depends on many different factors such as the size, field, location, and culture of each type of business.

In the general trend of sustainable development, the Korean Chamber of Business in Vietnam is keen to join the government in promoting green transformation in Vietnam. Chairman Hong Sun said that this year there are now around 10,000 South Korean enterprises producing and doing business in Vietnam. For many years, South Korean businesses have implemented many greening projects along with the process of investing in production and business in Vietnam, Sun said. Companies in the high-tech sector, such as Samsung or LG, have developed green and clean production, meeting global green standards. They also invest heavily in technology, as well as rooftop solar energy systems, to minimise emissions.

Industrial manufacturing companies, such as in textiles and footwear, also follow this trend. Hansae, a South Korean garment production chain, with sales in Vietnam of about $1 billion a year since 2021, launched a recycled fabric project last year. This was the first of many initiatives for the textile industry in moving towards green production, meeting increasing requirements from European importers and many other markets. Vietnam is promoting the green transformation roadmap, but businesses will not simply invest because of good communication, Sun said. Businesses need attractive incentives and predictable results. Therefore, green transformation in Vietnam must create potential profits for businesses to dare to invest.

Momentum can still be created if the Vietnamese government further simplifies administrative procedures and sharply reduces taxes for low-emission businesses. These moves will support businesses to invest more strongly, contributing to Vietnams green transformation process, Sun added.

AEON committed to more sustainable consumption The rental of shopping bags and utilising supporting partners to participate in green transformation are just some of AEON Vietnams initiatives to promote sustainable consumption. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Hue, corporate communications and external affairs general manager of AEON Vietnam, discussed the companys green journey with VIRs Oanh Do.

Only the best for SABECOs sustainability direction Following the trends of sustainable development in the Vietnam and around the world, Saigon Beer-Alcohol-Beverage Corporation, known as SABECO, is implementing related targets and campaigns not only for the business but also for the whole of society.
Colorado law enforcement personnel arrested a man following a search of a shooting that left three people dead and one in critical condition.

The development in the case comes after a day-long search for the individual responsible for the shooting, who was identified as 45-year-old Hanme K. Clark from Westcliffe. The Custer County Sheriff's Office said that the suspect was taken into custody by New Mexico State Police on Tuesday afternoon.

Colorado Manhunt

It added that a property dispute was believed to have been what led to the shooting, which occurred along a "property line in the wooded area" in Custer County. Police officers responded to the scene of the shooting at around 1:00 p.m. local time on Monday to a report of shots being fired.

The sheriff's office said that the officers discovered three people, two men, and a woman, fatally shot while another woman was in critical condition. The Chaffee County Sheriff's Office said that an arrest warrant was issued for Clark on three counts of first-degree murder, as per ABC News.

During the manhunt for the suspect, law enforcement personnel were looking for a white Ram 1500 pickup associated with the suspect. The vehicle was spotted at a Walmart in Salida after the shooting incident.

In a statement, the Chaffee County Sheriff's office said that the car's occupant bought several items in the Walmart and promptly left in the vehicle "in the direction of the Methodist Mountain residential area."

Officials issued shelter-in-place orders in Custer and Chaffee counties during the manhunt for the suspect, which were lifted after his arrest. Custer County Sheriff Rich Smith noted that the incident was reported near a residence on Rocky Ridge Road in Westcliffe.

Smith announced Clark's arrest during a news conference, saying that the suspect was taken into custody shortly before 3:00 p.m. near Albuquerque. He added that the arrest went without incident and that "nobody was injured," according to CNN.

Read Also: Headless Torso Found on NYC Beach Could Be Missing Irish Filmmaker Ross McDonnell

Fatal Shooting of Three People

The sheriff also said that the suspect and at least one of the victims who were shot have been in previous civil disputes about property lines and easements. The three fatal victims were identified as 63-year-old Rob Geers, 73-year-old Beth Wade Geers, and 58-year-old James Daulton.

The latter's wife, Patty Daulton, was the fourth person involved in the incident who was wounded and was being treated for injuries at a trauma center. During the news conference, Smith said that her condition was improving.

The sheriff said that now that they have the suspect in custody, they have a lengthy investigation ahead to get the case to prosecution. He had hoped that the development would bring relief to the neighborhood and the community as well as closure for the families of the victims and their friends.

Smith also said they had visited the suspect's house multiple times in relation to property disputes. He said that during those times, there were no indications that it would have led to a shooting, said USA Today.

Related Article: Ohio: Gunman at Walmart Injures 4, Shoots Himself

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Vietnam has been one of Sojitzs most important markets in recent years, and the firm has built value chains for manufacturing, logistics, and retail industries here to meet the rapid expansion of supermarkets, convenience stores, and other retail business formats.

Through the acquisition of New Viet Dairy, Sojitz will work alongside its consolidated subsidiary and major consumer goods wholesaler, Huong Thuy Manufacture Service Trading Corporation (HT), to create a broadline wholesale food distribution business that supplies independently owned retail stores, mass merchandisers, and mid- to high-end hotels and restaurants.

Sojitz will leverage both New Viet Dairy and HTs customer networks to expand its sales channels in Vietnam. Additionally, The Japanese corporation will make use of New Viet Dairys sales network to promote seafood products and other business collaborations. Sojitz will continue to pursue a synergy with other businesses in the group to strengthen its value chains in Vietnam.

New Viet Dairy is a wholesale importer and distributor that operates in three areas, namely commercial foods, food services, and dairy ingredients. The companys annual sales totalled approximately $248 million in 2022.

It is also the sole food importer in Vietnam to be granted approval and certification by the Authorised Economic Operators programme as a business operator with established security management and legal compliance systems, which enables expedited customs clearance procedures.

Growth is anticipated in Vietnams dining industry as demand continues to increase from both eat-in restaurants and takeaway delivery services. As part of New Viet Dairys commercial food and food services businesses, the company handles a total of 2,000 products for nearly 6,000 mid- to high-end luxury hotels and restaurants and has approximately 100 suppliers in Vietnam and from overseas.

The company is also one of the countrys largest handlers of beef, cheese, and other food products that have increased in demand due to diversifying needs from an evolving food culture. Many products are processed and manufactured at the companys factory and distributed nationwide under the Bottega Lachize brand. These production activities will continue to be developed moving forward.

The companys food services division is an added-value segment that offers food solutions to professionals.

With the rise in middle-class consumers, Vietnams dairy product market is expected to grow to approximately $8.4 billion, with an average annual growth rate exceeding 8 per cent.

New Viet Dairy imports dairy ingredients to Vietnam from New Zealands largest dairy manufacturer, Fonterra, to supply manufacturers with powdered milk and other products. Sitting at the top in the industry, the company boasts a 40 per cent market share.

Sojitz to build industrial park in Dong Nai Sojitz Corporation will develop the Long Duc 3 Industrial Park in the southern province of Dong Nai to serve growing manufacturing demand.

Japanese investors venturing into Vietnam's renewable energy market More Japanese investors are actively entering Vietnam's renewable energy market to satisfy increasing energy demand.
Many consumers abroad are keen on Vietnamese-made products, but are wary over proving origin

The supply chains of American flooring manufacturers are undergoing a reorganisation. Last month, the representative of a US-based manufacturer of premium flooring products said he would travel to Vietnam in November to meet with potential long-term partners.

The representative had contacted Vietgo, an import-export consulting and support firm headquartered in Hanoi. His company deals in a wide variety of products, but stone-polymer composite (SPC) flooring and lock slabs are his primary offerings.

The companys current intention is to import flooring from Vietnam. Previously, we imported 10 containers of Chinese flooring per month on a regular basis, he said. However, to serve the new business project as well as the desire to expand the variety of products, my company currently wants to try importing flooring products from Vietnam.

Since June 2022, the implementation of a 25 per cent import tax and the stricter enforcement of the Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act (UFLPA) by the US government have had a significant impact on the supply of SPC originating from China.

This context has an impact on Vietnamese SPC manufacturers in both directions: they gain from the slowdown in Chinese SPC imports to the US, but they also face pressure to tighten customs clearance regulations on par with commodities coming from US Customs.

Pressure from the UFLPA was anticipated in Vietnam in advance. IDVN, a Hanoi-based law firm specialising in international trade, cautioned in an early-year report that the UFLPA might expose Vietnamese exporters to risks when shipping to the United States.

IDVNs managing attorney, Dinh Anh Tuyet, stated that the UFLPA mandates that US importing companies conduct a comprehensive evaluation of supply sources to prevent the importation of Xinjiang-origin products into the US.

This means that Vietnamese companies are obligated to manage the source of input materials, store documentation, and implement a system for tracing the origin of products. Businesses that fail to fulfil these requirements might forfeit export markets, Tuyet said.

Facilitating supply chains

A change in conditions has compelled organisations to modify their strategies in order to gain a greater competitive edge. Neo Floor, according to CEO Le Quang, has implemented a number of controls over the provenance of input materials used in the production of SPC plastic floors. As an additional supply control criterion, the organisation demands complete certificates of origin for imported materials.

The retrieval mechanism of Neo Floor commenced testing in August, with a planned official launch date of 2024. In an effort to eradicate forced labour from its supply chain entirely, Neo Floor invested in the development of a product traceability system in accordance with national and international standards two years ago, when the UFLPA was in the drafting stages.

The traceability system ensures interoperability and data exchange with the traceability systems of domestic and international enterprises. This system will facilitate the oversight and investigation of coerced labour within the supply chains of businesses, encompassing not only manufacturers but also direct and secondary suppliers.

For the production of SPC floors, stone granules and polypropylene carbonate (PPC) are the two primary components. Almost no origin-related issues exist for Neo Floor, as it imports more than 70 per cent of its primary PPC from prominent US suppliers and obtains the remainder from domestic plastic manufacturers.

In addition, it possesses two white stone mines in the provinces of Yen Bai and Nghe An, each with reserves of up to five million cu.m, ensuring that member enterprises have access to sufficient raw materials annually to manufacture 25-30 million sq.m of SPC flooring.

Neo Floor can concentrate on large-scale production, develop intelligent access systems, forge alliances, and arrange resources to satisfy market demands due to its long-term perspective. Presently, the company is engaged in the implementation of development strategies for the 2021-2025, encompassing innovation in construction materials based on technology.

Surpassing expectations

However, the company has invested heavily in the production of SPC flooring products since before 2020, with exports to the US market comprising over 90 per cent of total output. Consequently, the technical and legal prerequisites for exporting to the US have been fulfilled as well, including acquiring GreenGuard Gold certifications and acquiring the copyright for Unilins locking technology from the US Mohawk Group.

Transparency in the manufacturing process and privileges in raw materials will help Neo Floor compete better and boost exports to the US market, said Quang of Neo Floor. SPC is a relatively new building material that has only been available on the global market for the past five years. Its impermeable and termite-resistant properties, resistance to shrinkage caused by temperature fluctuations, and ability to maintain the integrity of the floor surface are what attract users, Quang explained.

According to the company, this material has captured half of the flooring market share in the US, which is an increase rate that surpasses the wildest projections of material distributors.

Despite investing later in SPC flooring production compared to other US-exporting countries, Vietnam entered the market rapidly on account of the variety and quality of its product lines. As per Quangs assertion, plastic flooring products are consistently gaining user interest due to their evolving structures.

First-generation luxury vinyl plank flooring is appropriate for hospitals and schools, among other public structures, while wood-plastic SPC flooring of the second generation is water-resistant and straightforward to install due to the product thickness. Nonetheless, this product lines price advantage is minimal.

SPC flooring, the third generation, exceeds expectations in terms of quality, design, and cost, in addition to satisfying technical and environmental standards that are imported into the US.

Many American consumers, according to Quang, feel more secure when purchasing Vietnamese-made goods. However, there are additional purchasers who are apprehensive about the faking origin situation in Vietnam in order to export goods to the US, given that Vietnam is home to 10 of the largest SPC manufacturers in China.

They have an expectation that manufacturers furnish them with digitised documents, as the provision of paper documents would impede usability and storage, Quang said. When employing conventional business practices, an SPC floor container necessitates an estimated 150 data documents. We desire to show our capacity to work hand in hand with our partners and our responsibility to the end consumer.

The proactive implementation of a traceability system by Neo Floor is beneficial for both manufacturers and purchasers. Concurrently, it generates sufficient evidence of origin to support third parties, including export markets, Vietnamese state management agencies, and US Customs.

The aggregate worth of SPC exports from Vietnam to America in 2021 amounted to $784 million, representing 14 per cent of the value consumed in the US. The volume of exported goods reached 84 million sq.m, which is 19.2 per cent of US consumption. The aggregate worth in 2022 amounted to $939 million, representing 17 per cent, while the export volume reached 125 million sq.m, or 28.7 per cent of US consumption.Source: Neo Floor market analysis

SPC exports to US at risk due to questions on origin claims The Vietnamese producers of construction materials believe that while the danger of false origin is currently low, they must still take precautions.
At last weeks National Policy Dialogue on accelerating the transition to electric vehicles (EVs) held by the Ministry of Transport, Deputy Minister Le Anh Tuan said that sales of EV batteries in the second quarter of 2023 rose eight-fold due to strong demand in Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia.

In Vietnam in recent years, more EV models are being made available in the market. In 2021, only 167 manufactured, assembled and imported EVs were certified, but the figures in 2022 hit about 22,000 as well as more than 11,000 hybrid cars. In addition, 2 million e-motorbikes and more than 700,000 electric bicycles have been sold.

However, one of the difficulties hindering this wave is the weakness of charging station infrastructure. Businesses and users are very interested in equipment and services for EVs, especially charging stations for electric cars, Tuan said.

Currently, there are about 50,000 EV charging stations across all provinces and cities in Vietnam.

Although the number of charging stations increased significantly every year, we need more solutions to improve the quality of charging infrastructure, Tuan added.

Ha Dang Son, director of the Centre for Energy and Green Growth Research, said that the current infrastructure system cannot meet future needs. If EVs develop too quickly while the supply capacity and electricity infrastructure cannot meet them, it will be a huge technical barrier.

A full ecosystem and convenient infrastructure must be built for people to use EVs easily. However, in fact, the network of charging stations for routes among cities and provinces is too poor, Son said.

Moreover, monopolising charging stations will cause numerous difficulties in the development of electric transportation, so we need appropriate legal regulations to solve this trouble. In addition to EVs, there are some vehicles that use green energy, and we need to clearly define this and need more policies to promote the conversion to green energy vehicles, he proposed.

Bui Hoa An, deputy director of Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport, cited the results of a survey of more than 10,000 people in Ho Chi Minh City about whether they want to change to EVs or not. About 87 per cent of respondents said there was currently "no need."

The four main reasons given are that charging station infrastructure is not widely covered, EV prices are expensive, battery technology is not strong enough, and they are used to traditional cars, An said.

Wilmar Martinez from the United Nations Development Programme said in Germany, private-owned companies operate their own model, while state-owned companies comply with electricity prices. The South Korean government provides the biggest support to develop charging stations, while Thailand deploy a model like Tesla to provide free charging.

Martinez said, The key points of these countries include deploying charging infrastructure, building standardisation, charging locations, charging sources and speeds, regulations on public charging and charging at private homes, fiscal and tax policies to develop this infrastructure.

For Vietnam, Martinez highlighted five key points to expand the scale of charging stations: choosing a charging standard for itself, issuing preferential policies, prioritising charging infrastructure on roads with high traffic density, increasing taxes on petrol vehicles, and promoting investment in power grid infrastructure.

To achieve the goal that EVs can dominate the market by 2045, Dao Cong Quyet, representative of the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers Association, recommended the cooperation and collaboration between the state and businesses.

In particular, the state plays a role in guiding and developing policies and technical standards and regulations. After implementation, they should provide assessment on impact and influence to learn from experience and make adjustments, Quyet said.

On the business side, the research and investment of vehicle manufacturers need to be carried out in a balanced and harmonious way not to cause market disturbance, unless it can affect investment decisions on expanding business activities.

Demand for charging stations causes jam in EV advancement As air pollution in big cities passes far beyond acceptable limits, the interest in electric vehicles is rising. However, the lack of an adequate charging infrastructure looks to be a major roadblock on the journey towards a clean vehicle transition. Ha Anh reports.

Slow-charging progress in e-mobility in need of boost Rising air pollution amidst the rapid urbanisation in developing countries like Vietnam is a headache for authorities and citizens alike. Alongside Vietnams plan to ban motorcycles from big cities that remains in limbo, the countrys transition to e-mobility and building out the relevant infrastructure seems equally uncertain. Phuong Thu reports.

Standardised charging a must for adoption of e-cars Vietnam is boosting the production of electric vehicles, with a rise in investment for related infrastructure. However, a lack of standards for charging systems may be holding back ambitions for this type of means of transport to dominate the market.
Vietnam is developing a credit carbon market to achieve net-zero by 2050. What are your recommendations for Vietnam to successfully achieve that this?

Marc Stuart

It is a strong first step, depending on how well it is put together. There is obviously an international carbon market and requirement for a domestic one, but for Vietnams ambitions to meet the 2050 goal, a domestic market creating a price on carbon for local entities makes a lot of sense.

International carbon markets, sometimes called voluntary carbon markets, open real opportunities for capital to come to Vietnam to help it with the green transition. So creating a good policy environment for international entities both to invest in Vietnams green transition will be very helpful.

What are the challenges facing Vietnam, and what can it learn from elsewhere?

Not every country gets it right from the start. It takes time to create the public policy, and it cannot be introduced overnight. Sometimes the only way to figure it out is to learn by doing, so creating a pilot system, as will occur in 2025 here, will be very helpful.

There will always need to be tweaks in terms of regulations, as the market may not work for one particular sector or is not achieving the environmental results that you want. But the most important thing is to get a system in place, as long as it allows for adaptation over time as you learn about the specific needs in the country.

There is a whole ecosystem of companies and government agencies that can create an attractive business environment for these goals. Its really just down to having a policy commitment at the highest level that filters down into provinces and cities. But decarbonisation is not just about compliance, its about creating a competitive advantage over time.

Developing countries have made strong commitments. Colombia and South Africa have done quite well. Thailand has carried out some of the earliest government-to-government transactions, which have been very attractive but are relatively small.

There is an emissions trading system in South Korea as well as in Japan. Singapore has an advanced carbon tax and the ability to use credits from places like Vietnam as ways to reduce the tax burden.

Europe has had an emissions trading system for nearly 20 years. At the beginning mistakes were made, but then they fixed them. California in the US has had an emissions trading system for nearly 15 years, and that always goes through slight evolutions.

The world is looking at nations like Vietnam, and there is a lot of support from other countries as well as institutions like the World Bank to help Vietnam get through this process.

How can cooperation with local partners and stakeholders like Saigontel help promote green development in Vietnam?

We work a lot with global corporates and major brands that think about their emissions from their production to their supply chains.

Industrial parks (IPs) are a key area where the more companies that can be lured in to manufacture, the more green we must make them. As Vietnam becomes more competitive, we want to make sure that new IPs have the lowest emissions profiles in the world and that they can be certified as being green IPs.

We have moved more of our production into IPs in Vietnam that have an 80-100 per cent reduction in emissions compared to conventional IPs, to make Vietnam a more competitive economy for entities that wish to show their green credentials.

Saigontel is also piloting a model of low-carbon IPs in Vietnam. This model is being applied in building a green production ecosystem and circular economy model. This is done through economical and efficient use of natural resources and energy based on science and technology and the application of digital tech, contributing to improving competitiveness and minimising impact on the environment.

The company has talked to a number of provinces about creating net-zero strategies, which doesnt just involve IPs but covers agriculture, forestry, transport, and other areas.

We are still very early on this journey, but we expect more fruitful results to come.

Vietnam makes efforts to develop domestic carbon market In the context that about 70 countries and territories have applied carbon pricing instruments, experts held that Vietnam should also apply such tools, especially by developing the domestic carbon market, in order to support the realisation of the countrys greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction target.
Unveiling ST25 By KOTO: A fusion of culinary excellence and community impact

The new outlet, set to open its doors on December 6 this year, declared its kitchens open at an unveiling press conference held in the hotel on November 14. Located in the vibrant heart of Ho Chi Minh City on the second floor of Sofitel Saigon Plaza, ST25 by KOTO introduces a contemporary twist to Vietnamese cuisine, marking a pioneering leap in culinary innovation. Boasting a seating capacity of 140 guests, it aims to welcome 100 diners nightly.

The name ST25 by KOTO pays tribute to the renowned Vietnamese rice variety, ST25, which earned the prestigious title of World's Best Rice in 2019. Beyond mere sustenance, rice assumes a role of profound significance in the fast-emerging Southeast Asian nation, embodying the tenacity, ingenuity, and unwavering ardour of Vietnam.

This restaurant endeavours to be more than just a dining experience. In the words of KOTOs founder, social enterprise pioneer, and luminary Jimmy Pham, it is, A living testament to the power of knowledge-sharing, encapsulated in KOTO's mission to Know One, Teach One.

Entirely staffed by KOTO graduates, who have been trained in the art of Vietnamese hospitality, ST25 by KOTO offers exquisite Vietnamese cuisine and contributes to the KOTO Foundation, empowering marginalised Vietnamese youth.

These skilled professionals have received training in Vietnamese hospitality from some of the country's top culinary experts. Through ST25 by KOTO, the organisation not only provides its graduates with a platform to showcase their skills on a global stage, it also remains dedicated to community development.

We are delighted to partner with Sofitel Saigon Plaza to launch ST25 by KOTO, said Pham.

"ST25 by KOTO represents the strength of collaboration and our vital commitment to community betterment. Up to 10 per cent of each bill will be allocated to the KOTO fund. Through ST25 by KOTO, we're providing fresh prospects for our graduates and presenting the pinnacle of Vietnamese culinary artistry on the global stage. Moreover, as a co-founder of VietHarvest, ST25 also joins forces with the VietHarvest mission, amplifying its impact in reducing food waste and supporting vulnerable communities."

Mario Mendis, general manager of Sofitel Saigon Plaza stated, ST25 by KOTO is a testament to our belief that every meal can be a force for good and that every dish can tell a story of tradition and innovation. With the introduction of ST25 by KOTO, we aim to celebrate Vietnamese culinary excellence, reinforce our deep commitment to the local community, and express our strong dedication to corporate social responsibility.

Pham added, "ST25 by KOTO rises above the conventional definition of a restaurant. Collaboratively curated by two culinary talents, Bao La and Heath Gordon, our menu promises an extraordinary dining experience. ST25's culinary offerings showcase a diverse range of contemporary Vietnamese dishes, all meticulously prepared with seasonal, locally sourced ingredients."

Chef Bao La said, "At ST25, we're on a mission to elevate Vietnamese cuisine to new heights. It's an honour to work alongside Chef Heath Gordon and contribute to this culinary masterpiece. Our shared passion for authentic, unforgettable flavours drives us to create dishes that not only satisfy the palate but also leave a lasting impression on every guest."

The KOTO Foundation is a pioneering social enterprise in Vietnam, founded in 2000 by Jimmy Pham. It focuses on providing comprehensive hospitality training and job opportunities for disadvantaged Vietnamese youth, aiming to break the cycle of poverty.

KOTO's holistic programmes cover various aspects of hospitality, including cooking, customer service, and social skills, as well as financial management and English communication. Graduates are highly sought after in the industry for their dedication and positive attitude. Many have successfully secured positions in prestigious hotels and restaurants in Vietnam and around the world, showcasing the profound impact of KOTO's transformative initiatives.

From humble start to worlds best rice The Vietnamese rice sector was shocked last month when companies from the US and Australia attempted to attain the trademark for ST25 rice. Ho Quang Cua, the engineer who created the variety, explained to VIRs Hoang Oanh his side of the story and explained why the rice is so widely sought after beyond these shores.

ST25 and building up a protected trademark ST25 rice - also known as Soc Trang fragrant rice, yielded from the ST25 rice variety - is the creative result of the hard researching process of agricultural engineer Ho Quang Cua and his team for the past 12 years.

Proper brand protection strategy: urgent requirement for enterprises A proper brand protection strategy is a compulsory requirement for Vietnamese companies to survive and develop their products in the context of domestic brand names being registered by overseas competitors. Nguyen Vu Quan, trademark and copyright manager at KENFOX IP & Law Office, writes about the needs for domestic firms to register their brand names internationally.
Vice State President Vo Thi Anh Xuan and Christina Grumstrup Srensen, senior partner at CIP

The vice state president met with Christina Grumstrup Srensen, one of CIPs senior partners, and also toured the Middelgrunden Offshore Wind Farm, which was the worlds largest offshore wind farm when it was built in 2000 and remains a symbol of Denmarks pioneering role in clean energy.

Accompanying Vice State President Xuan were notable dignitaries from Vietnam, including Luong Thanh Nghi, Ambassador of Vietnam to Denmark, Le Thi Thu Hang, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, and representatives from various ministries and provinces.

At CIPs headquarters, Vice State President Xuan and her delegation were warmly received by Srensen, one of CIP's four founding members. She shared an overview of CIPs vision and mission, highlighting its global leadership in investing, developing, constructing, and operating world-class renewable energy projects.

She also praised Vietnams progress in its green energy transition and its desire to become an offshore wind hub in Southeast Asia.

The delegation also listened to two other CIP partners, Niels Holst and Robert Helms, speaking about their plans to develop renewable energy projects in Vietnam, particularly the La Gan offshore wind project  off the central coast of Binh Thuan province.

The La Gan project will have a capacity of 3.5GW when fully developed, and a total estimated investment of $10.5 billion. When fully established, La Gan is expected to power more than 7 million Vietnamese households, demonstrating CIPs commitment to supporting the countrys transition to a sustainable and green economy.

The Vietnamese delegation also visited the Middelgrunden Offshore Wind Farm. Operational since 2001, it was a pioneering offshore wind project in Denmark, holding the title of the worlds largest offshore wind farm at the time of its inauguration.

Located in the strait separating Copenhagen and Malmo, 3.5km off the Danish coast, the Middelgrunden Offshore Wind Farm has 20 wind turbines and produces 85,000 megawatt hours of electricity per year, accounting for 4 per cent of the total energy consumption of Copenhagen. The project received a total investment of $60 million at the time, in which CIP was one of the crucial investors.

By strengthening its relationship with experienced development partners, Vietnam will receive valuable transfer in terms of knowledge, expertise, and technology, thereby accelerating its clean energy development process, supporting the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and contributing to a green and sustainable future for the nation.

Vietnamese, Danish firms shake hands to develop offshore wind power Vietnams Doosan Vina and Denmarks rsted have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop the offshore wind power supply chain in Vietnam.

Green strategic partnership inked between Vietnam and Denmark Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen co-chaired a virtual ceremony on November 1, 2023, to jointly declare the establishment of a Green Strategic Partnership between the two governments.
The event was attended by Le Duc Thinh, director of The Department of Economic Cooperation and Rural Development under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and Le Viet Nga, deputy director of the Domestic Market Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, as well as representatives from other ministries, agencies, and organisations.

The opening ceremony of the Vietnam regional specialities fair 2023 on November 22

The fair will provide an opportunity for businesses and localities to promote their specialities to local consumers, as well as domestic and foreign tourists. It will also serve as a chance for distributors to select supply partners.

Bui Duy Quang, deputy head of HPA, said that Hanoi People's Committee has assigned HPA to coordinate with relevant departments and agencies to organise many trade promotion activities, connecting Hanoi with provinces throughout the country. The goal is to promote socioeconomic cooperation between provinces and cities while supporting the promotion of new products, enabling them to join the citys supply chain.

"2023 marks 10 years of the development journey, underlining the event's role in terms of trade promotion. The fair has received a positive response and strong participation from numerous provinces and cities throughout the country. It is a trade link between domestic producers, traders, and the distribution system, including shopping centres, supermarkets, and consumers," said Quang.

Taking place from November 22 to 26, the fair boasts 287 booths and the involvement of 250 businesses and cooperatives from more than 60 cities and provinces nationwide.

Moreover, as part of the event, there are activities to promote tourist destinations, traditional cultural features, and culinary shows. There are also business and trade connection activities with prominent distributors such as AEON, Lotte, Central Retail, and more.

Connecting ties between Hanoi and Red River Delta Hanoi Centre for Investment, Trade, and Tourism Promotion (HPA) in collaboration with Quang Ninh Investment Promotion Agency (IPA) on August 25 held a seminar to promote investment, trade and tourism cooperation between Hanoi and the provinces of the Red River Delta.

Hanoi to host Autumn Festival in late September The very first Hanoi Autumn Festival will be held from September 29 to October 1 around Hoan Kiem Lake, bringing local autumn specialities to visitors.
WRANGELL, Alaska (AP)  Searchers looking for three people who remain missing after a massive landslide that killed three others and injured a fourth have changed their strategy from holding an active search to a reactive search that will involve methodically clearing the highway, officials said Thursday.

"During active search periods we have searchers in the field meticulously looking for missing persons," Austin McDaniel, a spokesperson with the Alaska Department of Public Safety, told the Associated Press. During reactive searches, search teams are not actively in the field but will react to new information and then actively search that area supported by the new information.

Since Monday night's slide, officials have inspected the site by air with drones, helicopters and planes while teams using detection dogs and sonar covered the ground and water, but the three people  one adult and two juveniles  remain missing, McDaniel said.

The slide churned up the earth from near the top of the mountain down to the ocean, tearing down a wide swath of evergreen trees and burying a highway in the island community of Wrangell, about 155 miles (250 kilometers) south of Juneau. Rescue crews found the body of a girl in an initial search Monday night and the bodies of two adults late Tuesday.

Around 54 homes are cut off from town by the landslide, and roughly 35 to 45 people have chosen to stay in that area, interim borough manager Mason Villarma said. Boats are being used to provide supplies, including food, fuel and water, and prescription medications to those residents. Given the geography of the island  with the town at the northern point and houses along a 13-mile (20.9-kilometer) stretch of paved road  currently the ocean is our only access to those residences, he said.

Wrangell usually celebrates Thanksgiving with a tree lighting and downtown shopping events but could replace that with a vigil, he said.

In that way, the town can come together physically and recognize the tragedy and the loss of life ... but also the triumph of a small community thats really come together and been able to pull off some remarkable successes, even in the face of all this adversity, Villarma said in a phone interview with The Associated Press.

The state transportation department said on social media Wednesday that the process of clearing the highway would only begin once search and rescue efforts were complete. There was no immediate timeline for when that portion of the highway would reopen.

A woman who had been on the upper floor of a home was rescued Tuesday. She was in good condition and undergoing medical care. One of the three homes that was struck was unoccupied, McDaniel said Tuesday.

Because of the hazards of searching an unstable area, a geologist from the state transportation department was brought in to conduct a preliminary assessment, clearing some areas of the slide for ground searches. But authorities warned of a threat of additional landslides.

The slide  estimated to be 450 feet (137 meters) wide  occurred during rain and a windstorm. Wrangell received about 2 inches (5 centimeters) of rain from early Monday until late evening, with wind gusts up to 60 mph (96 kph) at higher elevations, said Aaron Jacobs, a National Weather Service hydrologist and meteorologist in Juneau.

It was part of a strong storm system that moved through southeast Alaska, bringing heavy snow in places and blizzard-like conditions to the state capital Juneau as well as rainfall with minor flooding further south.

Jacobs said the rainfall Wrangell received on Monday wasnt unusual, but the strong winds could have helped trigger the slide.

Saturated soil can give way when gusts blow trees on a slope, said Barrett Salisbury, a geologist with the Alaska Department of Natural Resources.

Wrangell is one of the oldest non-Alaska Native settlements in the state  founded in 1811 when Russians began trading with Tlingits, according to a state database of Alaska communities. Indigenous people long lived in the area before outside contact. Tlingits, Russians, the British and Americans all accounted for historical influences on Wrangell.
Post and Courier. November 19, 2023.

Editorial: SC has bigger problems than controversial school library books

Critics believe S.C. Education Superintendent Ellen Weavers proposal to let the State Board of Education decide which books are prohibited in school libraries is a thinly disguised plan to override local officials and get rid of any controversial books that upset snowflake parents. And they might be right.

What theyre not right about is the idea that the state shouldnt have the power to overrule decisions of local school boards. One of the biggest problems with education in South Carolina is that the state never has been sufficiently willing to overrule local school boards, which unlike cities or even counties are instruments created by the Legislature to do a job our state constitution assigns to the Legislature: educating children.

Critics also arent right about the idea that rejecting a librarians decision about what books a school makes available to students constitutes banning books. First, its not possible for any school officials to ban any book; all they can do is prohibit its distribution in schools. And regardless of what you call it, the decision to reject a librarians decision simply constitutes overriding an employees decision  something that happens routinely in the public and private sectors; the idea that librarians should be exempt from this routine process is nonsensical.

Would state officials always make an appropriate decision about which books to remove from schools? Likely not  just as local school boards dont always make the right decisions. Although theyre not elected like local officials, members of the state board are appointed by politicians, and tend to hold political views similar to the legislators who appointed them. And the idea of transferring the final say about library books to the state board came from an official who has spent her career as a political operative.

Frankly, its ridiculous that a lot of the library books under fire are under fire. While it might be inappropriate to require students to read books that tell them, for instance, that our nation was founded for the purpose of enslaving black people, or that all white people are racists, theres nothing wrong with allowing children to select such books from the library. Indeed, it makes sense for students to be exposed to a variety of ideas  even ideas that we find disagreeable. It makes even more sense to provide books they find interesting, in order to improve their reading skills.

Likewise, though, some of the books under fire clearly do not belong anywhere in our schools. Most notable are books that are essentially how-to manuals for having sex  gay or straight should make no difference  unless theyre part of a sex-ed class, and in many cases not even then. Nor should we allow books that critics couldnt describe on the evening news and we wouldnt allow to be described on our pages. Prohibiting material in our schools that meets most peoples definition of obscene or pornographic is no more censorship than prohibiting Hustler magazine.

We are not so much concerned about what the proposal says, although theres room to tighten the language to make sure it doesnt prohibit, say, Shakespeare, or the Bible, and to make sure the reporting requirements dont create an undue burden for the schools. We are more concerned about whos saying it: the education superintendent instead of the Legislature.

Ms. Weaver seems to be trying to do by regulation at least part of what her allies in the Legislature have been unable to do by legislation. That might seem like an empty concern since regulations are subject to legislative approval, but theres a crucial difference: The Legislature has to pass bills, but regulations take effect unless the Legislature passes a resolution rejecting them. And passing anything  including a rejection  takes a lot more work than preventing it from passing. Think of it as reversing the burden of proof.

It makes some sense to have the same library standards statewide  although thats far from the most important area where we need the state to play a more active role. Intervening when local school boards cant or wont provide a decent education to their students  that is, ensuring that kids can read those books  is exponentially more important than guaranteeing that students cant sneak off to the library to read a book that other students parents dont consider appropriate.

Wed prefer that our elected leaders spend more time on that and less on ... well, on just about everything else. But if theyre going to make those library decisions at the state level, their focus needs to be on increasing the odds that neither extremists on the left nor extremists on the right are able to control the decisions. What we dont need is to reject all the books that acknowledge that slavery hurt black people or allow any books that teach children how to arouse their partners or offer them tips on sex apps and random sex in public places.

Times and Democrat. November 18, 2023.

Editorial: 2 SC tribes need federal recognition

As Thanksgiving approaches, the Christmas holiday season is in full swing. To be remembered this time of year is another observance: Native American Heritage Month.

South Carolina officially recognizes locally the Santee Indian Organization and the Beaver Creek Indians, as well as the Pine Hill Indian Community Development Initiative. In addition to the Catawbas and the Edisto Natchez-Kusso Tribe of South Carolina, the others are:

The Catawbas are the largest tribe in South Carolina and the only federally recognized tribe. For now.

Congresswoman Nancy Mace of South Carolinas 1st District wants two other tribes to have federal recognition.

In November 2021, Mace introduced a bill to extend federal recognition to the Edisto Natchez-Kusso Tribe. The proposed legislation has not made it past the Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States but efforts to move it forward continue.

The Edisto Natchez-Kusso Tribe was recorded as living in the Lowcountry as early as the 1500s. South Carolina granted the tribe recognition first in 1987.

Concentrated mostly in Dorchester and Colleton, members of the tribe still live in the Creel Town, St. Bartholomews Parish and Four Holes communities.

When he became chief of the Edisto Natchez-Kusso Tribe, comprised of nearly 400 Native Americans in Dorchester and Colleton counties, the Rev. John G. Creel, M.D., said he would focus on gaining federal recognition.

Creel told Charlestons WCBD-TV that recognition would help mitigate potential impacts of development, which could cut into tribal land:

Ridgeville is ground zero for development in the Lowcountry area and a part of our community tribal grounds is right in the center of what is taking place. We do not want to be left out; therefore, we are working with some land developers and landowners as well as local county council members to improve our communities in a mutualistic way.

In August 2023, Mace introduced legislation to extend federal recognition also to the Wassamasaw Tribe of Varnertown Indians.

The bill has the backing of a host of Lowcountry mayors. They have written letters urging lawmakers to grant the tribes petition for federal status.

Wassamasaw Chief Lisa Collins told The Berkeley Observer that gaining federal status will make it easier for the tribe to shape its future and preserve its ancestral lands and sacred traditions.

With recognition comes access to vital resources, vitalizing our communities with healthcare, education, and economic prospects, she said. Preserving our cultural heritage is paramount, and recognition affirms our contributions to the nations history, nurturing our traditions for generations to come.

Collaboration becomes a driving force, uniting native communities and amplifying our collective voice. This recognition ignites economic development, fostering opportunities for growth, prosperity, and shared progress within our territories and beyond, she continued.

Educational horizons broaden, strengthening cultural education and knowledge sharing. Federal recognition is more than an acknowledgment; it is a catalyst for change, healing historical wounds, and building bridges towards a brighter, self-determined future for our people.

The Wassamasaw Tribe is a community is located near present-day Carnes Crossroads between the major towns of Summerville, Moncks Corner and Goose Creek. The tribe descends from the original Etiwan, Edisto, Catawba, Cherokee, and other settlement Indians.

The tribe currently consists of approximately 1,500 members.

Federal recognition is important for tribes living in a rapidly changing area. And it is important beyond just the government benefits.

Dianna Little Badger Chavis of the Edisto Natchez-Kusso Tribe makes the case that recognition of Native Americans is about more than a designation.

Over the years, more of Native American history has been taken out of the history books. NATIVE AMERICAN HISTORY IS AMERICAN HISTORY!!!! Children and adults need to know that we, American Indians, are still here. We want our presence to be known. We want to have a voice. We are just as important as any other ethnic group.

END
A Waco man was indicted on murder and assault charges Tuesday, accused fatally shooting a woman in September, while he was free on bond and awaiting trial on a charge he had choked her three years earlier.

A McLennan County grand jury handed down the indictments against Gustavo Rojas, 26, in the Sept. 29 shooting at a home in the 1900 block of Avondale Avenue that killed Maria Fernanda Guerrero, 21, and sent a 21-year-old man to the hospital.

Waco police arrested Rojas the day after the shooting, after a neighbor and the 21-year-old man who survived surgery after the shooting identified Rojas as the shooter, according to an arrest affidavit.

Rojas has remained in McLennan County Jail since his arrest on $900,000 bond.

Before his arrest, Rojas would have been due in court Oct. 9 in a case that charged him with choking Guerrero.

Police responded to the shooting at 11:10 p.m. Sept. 29 and found Guerrero and the 21-year-old man with multiple gunshot wounds. Guerrero was pronounced dead at the hospital that night, and the man received emergency surgery, police said at the time.

According to the arrest affidavit, Guerrero and the man were sitting in a parked car in the backyard of the home on Avondale when Rojas arrived, went to the backyard and opened fire on the passenger side window, where Guerrero was sitting, the affidavit says.

Police recovered 18 shell casings from the ground, indicating that Rojas shot Guerrero and the man and kept shooting until he was likely out of ammo, the affidavit says.

A next-door neighbor told police they saw Rojas pull up to the residence in a white Ford F-150, commit the shooting and leave in the same vehicle, the affidavit says. Rojas has a 2001 white Ford F-150 registered to his address, which was not present when officers followed up at his home, but police found other evidence, including a handgun license, possibly linking him to the shooting, the affidavit says.

The affidavit says Rojas and Guerrero had a history of domestic violence. He was arrested Oct. 15, 2020, after his sister called police to report she had seen Rojas strangle Guerrero and slap her in the face, according to an affidavit in that case. The affidavit says he grabbed her by the neck and lifted her up as she held their newborn child, choking her and causing her to be unable to breathe before slapping her.

Court records show Rojas was released the next day on $5,000 bond. Under Rojass bond conditions, he was not permitted to contact with Guerrero or go near her residence. Rojas was also subject to drug testing. Under his bond conditions, he was not prohibited from purchasing or possessing a firearm.

Felons in Texas are prohibited from possessing firearms, and in some cases a misdemeanor domestic violence conviction can come with a five-year ban on possessing firearms. In certain cases, judges can issue protective orders that prohibit people under indictment for domestic violence from possessing firearms, but court records do not show such an order filed against Rojas.

Additionally, last year U.S. District Judge David Counts of the Western District of Texas ruled it was unconstitutional for people under felony indictment to be prohibited from purchasing firearms, arguing such laws violate their Second Amendment rights. That case is under appeal with the Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals and could wind up before the Supreme Court.

Guerreros sister, Karina, has set up a GoFundMe to cover funeral expenses and other costs.

She said she wants her sister to be remembered as a great mother, and said she was always with her 3-year-old son or doing something productive with him.
On Sunday, a California highway patrol officer shot Jesse Dominguez, an aspiring actor, in fear for his safety during their confrontation along the Los Angeles freeway.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's office identified the man on Tuesday and reported that Dominguez was strolling along the westbound lanes of Interstate 105 in south Los Angeles county when the incident began.

California Officer Shot Dominguez Amid Confrontation

A video footage was posted online by a passerby, which showed the officer on top of Dominguez as they fought on the highway and the two grabbed each other.

The CHP said that the officer tried to make Dominguez leave the highway, but he refused and started an argument. Dominguez grabbed the officer's taser in the middle of the fight and used it on the officer.

A shot was fired, and the officer suddenly jumped to his feet as Dominguez went limp on the pavement. The officer shot Dominguez multiple times and kept his gun pointed at Dominguez while he was lying down unconscious.

The CHP said that the officer shot his service weapon in fear for his safety.

Dominguez died in the hospital, and the CHP did not disclose further information about the officer, the number of shots fired, additional details about the altercation, and a specific protocol for handling someone wandering on the freeway.

Rob Bonta, the state attorney general, said that the California department of justice was continuously investigating the incident as required by state law. The justice department did not release any further details about the incident.

Ed Obayashi, a use-of-force expert who examines police shootings for law enforcement agencies in California, warned against jumping to conclusions from the video alone.

The authorities questioned why the officer approached the pedestrian without a backup near him. Obayashi said that the officers were able to close the freeway, so there was probably law enforcement around the highway.

Obayashi added that the investigation would focus on whether Dominguez was armed and why the officer was urged to shoot Dominguez after the fight.

Obayashi said to the investigators that they did not know what kind of threat the officer had perceived and if there was a weapon like a knife or a stun gun.

State senator Steven Bradford, assembly member Mike A Gipson, and council member Tim McOsker, who was in charge of the area, issued a joint statement about the shooting, calling for transparency by the highway patrol

Bradford commented on the video and said that the footage was alarming as it showed an unnecessary use of deadly force.

"The community deserves answers. If the roles were reversed, people would be immediately calling for murder charges. I call on the California highway patrol and the department of justice to be transparent and for the community to be calm and patient during the investigation," he said.

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Dominguez's Mental Health Issues

Dominguez was an aspiring actor who suffered from a mental illness, homelessness, and substance use disorder. The family said that Dominguez was currently suffering from a mental health and drug crisis at the time of the incident.

His stepmother said that Dominguez was not trying to hurt anyone, but the officer shot him multiple times even after the officer had discharged his firearm.

His family said that Dominguez was staying at a sober living facility near the highway, and he had been carrying a taser for protection after threats from other residents.

Related Article: Ohio: Gunman at Walmart Injures 4, Shoots Himself



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Construction at the Cameron Park Zoos Penguin Shores exhibit is going vertical, with progress still on track to be open by next summer.

The penguin project is paired with the zoos new split-level educational and veterinary complex. The two projects are part of an expansion partly funded by a $14.5 million countywide bond voters passed in 2019. Additional city of Waco, McLennan County and Cameron Park Zoological and Botanical Society funding split the bill on the rest of the $22 million budget, which senior facilities project manager Thomas Yourman confirmed has not changed.

The makings of the 12,000-square-foot education center and 9,000-square-foot vet hospital can be seen from the zoo parking lot, as timber framing imported from Canada is being put in place.

Inside the zoo, signs greet guests at the gate to the Penguin Shores site, with penguin cutouts that exclaim the animals excitement over their new home. Inside, rondavel-like buildings that will house a bathroom and kiosk with conical roofs are taking form, paying homage to the penguins South African roots.

Mike Zedlitz, project superintendent with Jacobe Brothers Construction, said power transformers were set early last week. Mesh rebar and wood was lined out for concrete to be poured in the entryway and walkway as soon as samples are approved, Zedlitz said. Concrete blocks are in place that will form a black-footed cat exhibit across from the penguin exhibit.

The contractor has poured concrete for the life support system pit, which houses piping and equipment vital to keeping conditions in the exhibit optimal for penguins. Yourman said the crew took time placing the piping precisely into concrete so the pipes will line up correctly once the equipment is in place.

Deputy Zoo Director Duane Hills said not every animals habitat has a life support system, but because penguins are an aquatic species their water must be constantly filtered. Life support systems may filter out excrement and maintain a habitable aquatic environment for zoo animals through mechanical, biological and chemical filtration.

Its a critical function so thats why we call it life support, Hills said. Its literally supporting their life.

The temperature of the water in the pool can also be mediated, and Zedlitz said the complicated water processing system will also be equipped with an effect generator that will make the water look like it is always flowing. He said he has worked on other zoo exhibits, but none with the complexity of the penguin habitat.

Next to the life support system, the outline of a night house building is in place. The building will have a window for guests to look into the night house if the animals are off the exhibit.

The exhibit so far is a dirt pit, but Zedlitz said his crew is starting on the footings that will form the pond area, so the penguin exhibit will start taking great shape in the next couple weeks. The exhibit will have rocks native to the penguins rocky natural habitat along the coast of South Africa.

Hills said the exhibit will also be immersive, allowing guests to purchase an encounter with the ambassador animals in their own habitat.

One of the things thats going to be unique about this exhibit with the penguins is that its actually going to be immersive, he said. So individuals will have some opportunity to purchase an experience where they can actually get into the habitat, of course with staff supervision.

The Cameron Park Zoo has never had penguins of any kind before, and Hills said African penguins with their charismatic personalities are one of his favorite species of bird.

Fully grown the birds come to just under 2 feet tall and weigh between 8 and 13 pounds. Despite the common assumption that penguins thrive in frigid environments, only six of 18 penguin species live in the cold, Hills said.

These are African penguins so theyre native to the southwest coast of Africa, he said. So their natural habitat is very rocky, but its also humid because it is Africa. Theyre not a cold-weather penguin.

They will be fine in the Waco weather, and have the night house to provide respite from yearly cold snaps, he said.

The penguins are considered endangered and are part of a Species Survival Plan Program, which is an effort between Association of Zoos and Aquariums-accredited facilities to keep a sustainable population of the species, support field conservation and promote the associations extinction initiatives. According to an Association of Zoos and Aquariums highlight in 2020, the Species Survival Plan population had grown 47% since 2005, maintaining about 99% of its genetic diversity.

The Cameron Park Zoos cohort of 20 to 25 breeding pairs will come from multiple facilities across the country, Hills said.

We might start lower and then build up but ultimately were looking to have somewhere between 20 to 25 pairs, he said.
From the other side of the planet, Ashland, Nebraska, seems like a world away from the war taking place between Israel and Islamist militant group, Hamas.

But one Ashland expat and her Israeli-born husband live on the periphery of the conflict in Ramat HaSharon, a Tel Aviv suburb about 50 miles from Israels northern border with the Palestinian Gaza Strip territory.

Emily Judds-Winograd graduated from Ashland-Greenwood High School in 2009 and has lived in Israel for about six years. She found work at Israeli web analytics startup Oribi  since acquired by LinkedIn  where she met Ehud Winograd. The two married in Ashland in 2021 and welcomed their first child in mid-September of this year.

Emilys parents and brother Micah flew over several weeks later to meet the newborn.

They got here Oct. 3, and four days later, war breaks out, Emily said. So, yeah, their trip was kind of ruined.

While her family was in town, they all got used to listening for the sirens that alerted them to an imminent missile threat. The sirens meant that they should head to the bomb shelter, Emily with an infant in her arms.

Its been stressful, Emily said. I mean, you have the whole newborn thing, and now theres a war. I never thought Id have to take a 3-week-old baby to the bomb shelter.

The sirens had quieted for a few days when The Ashland Gazette spoke with Emily and Ehud on Oct. 23, but the sounds of intercepting missiles firing from Israels Iron Dome defense system were still audible from their apartment building. The Iron Domes success rate is enough to provide some peace of mind.

I feel protected by the Iron Dome, she said. Its not the first time that Im experiencing the rockets. Whats different this time is that (Hamas) infiltrated the country.

That infiltration began on Oct. 7 with several coordinated attacks on public groups, many on civilians living near the Gaza border. Hamas killed more than 1,400 people that day, and hundreds of others were taken hostage.

In some respects, Emily and Ehud felt distanced from the events happening to the south  their city is about 90 minutes by car from Reim, for example, where Hamas killed at least 270 people at an outdoor music festival. But then they remember the single degree of separation between them and people who knew casualties of Hamas massacres. Ehud said his sister was in the Israeli Defense Force with someone who died at the music festival.

Everybody pretty much knows someone who knows someone who was killed or kidnapped, Emily said. So, in that sense, it seems very close.

Ehud said his cousin was also planning to attend the music festival, but had to pick his parents up from the airport that day instead.

He knows some of the people who are missing or were killed at the (festival), Ehud said. Its terrible.

The scariest part, Emily said, was the IDFs unpreparedness when Hamas attacked.

That freaks me out, she said. It wasnt our area now, but what if it is next time?

Of course, they hope there wont be a next time, but they realize that Hamas and Israels government are a long way ideologically from finding common ground. And nearly a month later, these differences are costing the lives of thousands of civilian Palestinians and Israelis.

For decades, both sides have struggled over what is considered holy land by Jews and Muslims, and the continuous conflict has resulted in countless territorial disputes.

As a result, Ehud has grown up in a reality with a semi-regular threat of aerial attacks.

But this is not exactly like the last several skirmishes or wars that weve had here, he said.

Usually what happens, he said, is both sides will fire a few shots, the frequency of the missiles dwindles, and a ceasefire agreement is reached.

Then things go back to normal, he said. I dont know how things are going to go back to normal right now, because theres no ceasefire as long as Hamas has so many hostages.

Recently, Israel has taken aim at Hamas leaders with heavy attacks on Gaza, and many Israelis have wondered how that assault can go on without killing Hamass hostages in the process.

My hope is that theyll be able to find them or sort of trade them for some peace and quiet in the area, said Ehud, whose required service in the IDF ended a decade ago.

From Emily and Ehuds perspective, much of the conflict stems from some Jews and some Muslims claiming rights to certain parts of Israel, Gaza and the West Bank. Emily and Ehud are Jewish, but theyre not very religious, she said. Many devout Jews, however, believe theyre entitled to religious holy places in the West Bank, Emily said.

That land is supposed to belong to the Palestinians, she said, though she knows Jews who live in the West Bank. We dont go there. There are tons of security checkpoints that you have to go through.

When Emilys family was visiting, she said her mom wanted to visit the holy Temple Mount, which is located in the West Bank, just across the border from Israels portion of Jerusalem.

But its, like, specifically a Muslim zone, Emily said. Thats just sort of whats been agreed on. And Im okay with that. Does it kind of suck? Yeah. Do I need to go to the Temple Mount? No. I would much rather people just get along.

If conditions were to worsen in Emily and Ehuds area, they would consider flying to the United States, and they received an emergency passport for their newborn in case air travel became necessary. But Emilys biggest fear is that Israeli airports would be targeted by the countrys enemies. They have a car, but Israel is surrounded by countries that could be hostile to fleeing Jews, she said.

For now, Emily and Ehud just hope some semblance of peace can be reached, and in Ehuds lifetime, his hope has fluctuated.

I feel like it changes as life happens, Ehud said. Its going to take some compromises. If youre not willing to make the sacrifices to make the compromises, then you will not have peace. There are times when I feel like were getting closer. Not right now.
WATERLOO -- The CV East Side Ministerial Alliance will host its first annual Christmas in November Vendor Fair from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Nov. 25 at the EMA Community Center, 205 Adams St.

Stop by and check out some of the local vendors. There will be baked goods, jewelry, crafts and more.

The CV East Side Ministerial Alliance will host its first annual Christmas In November Vendor Fair on Saturday November 25, 2023 at the EMA Community Center 205 Adams St Waterloo Ia 50703. The doors will be open from 9am until 5pm. Please stop by and check out some of our local vendors. There will be baked good, jewelry, crafts and more. For more information contact CV EMA Executive Director Bishop Randy L Jackson at 319-504-7477
A notorious burglary gang used an Airbnb in Mayo as a base for a crime spree in the western region.

Up to 20 homes were broken into in less than five days as the gang went on a rampage across counties Mayo, Galway, and Roscommon.

It has been reported that the Dublin-based gang rented the property near Knock earlier this month to carry out the crimes.

The Irish Independent reported that the host of the property was an innocent party who had no idea it was criminals who were using the house.

Investigations revealed that up to eight gang members stayed at the property for less than a week and they used it as a base to carry out a series of burglaries of unoccupied homes.

The gang is suspected of carrying out around 20 break-ins at night time in houses that were not occupied.

Cash and jewellery were the primary targets in these crimes, and while there is not a stand-out figure in terms of what was stolen, the gang got away with goods with a combined value worth thousands of euro.

Last month it was revealed that the number of burglaries in Mayo has increased by 17% in the past 12 months. According to the quarterly PhoneWatch Burglary Report, a total of 153 burglaries have occurred in the county in the past 12 months. Gardai are investigating a spate of burglaries that occurred in October. Properties in Ballinrobe, Partry, Crossmolina, Foxford, Swinford, Claremorris, Aughamore, Irishtown, Ballyhaunis, Ballindine and Kilkelly were targetted.
In order to mark 50 years of the Vintners Federation of Ireland, Guinness has created miniature versions of six iconic Irish pubs. Images of the six cake pubs will appear in digital and social advertising across the country for everyone to see.

The featured pubs include The Porter House in Westport, Reardens in Cork, Treacys in Laois, The Cloch Ban in Wexford, Mother Macs in Limerick and The Glyde Inn in Louth.

Joe OMalley owner of The Porter House said: Were delighted to celebrate 50 years of the Vintners Federation of Ireland with our friends in Guinness. Its so exciting to see The Porter House in press nationwide and for such a fun initiative!

Guinness created a miniature version of The Porter House to mark 50 years of the VFI.

The celebratory campaign is just the latest chapter in a long history of collaboration between the VFI and Guinness. Their shared mission is to celebrate the place everyone celebrates, as recently seen with the launch of Guinness Live & Rising which showcases the unique creativity, culture and craic that can only be found in an Irish pub. Now thats a recipe for success.

VFI President John Clendennen commented: What a great surprise from the team at Guinness! We are delighted to see such great VFI pubs feature in the advertisements. For 50 years we have worked on behalf of our members across Ireland to promote and protect their interests, and to keep our beloved Irish pubs thriving and vibrant through good times and bad. The big 5-0 is a huge landmark for us so were thrilled to be celebrated in this way!

Award-winning Galway actress Nicola Coughlan teamed up with Guinness to wish the VFI a very happy anniversary. The Derry Girls and Bridgerton star was on hand in The Glyde Inn, Annagassan, Co Louth to help blow out the candles.

Diageo On Trade Commercial Director Ross Bissett commented: We are delighted to mark this special anniversary. Were looking forward to making some well-deserved noise for the VFI with this unique nationwide campaign. Guinness and VFI share so much in common, in particular our love of the great Irish pub. With the benefit of our 264 years of experience, we can safely say to our younger friend, your best years are ahead of you.
The US Capitol Police accused Matthew Honigford, a former National Guard member, of assaulting law enforcement officers at the US Capitol in Washington, Ohio, on January 6.

Honigford was arrested on November 21 when he fought with a group of Capitol Police and Metropolitan Police Department officers on Capitol grounds, which was seen in footage from the body camera of the officers.

Capitol Police Accuses Honigford of Assaulting Law Enforcement Officers

The video footage showed that Honigford was shoving a flagpole into the chest of one officer and throwing his body to push a barrier into a line that the officers had formed.

He also told people around the area to pull down the barriers and tried following the crowd when it successfully broke the police line.

The charging documents stated that Honigford ignored commands from officers and handed a silver pole he was holding to officers and told them they did not want to have the stick. He also told the officers that he was praying for them.

The investigators found similar reports from Google, Verizon, and law enforcement databases. The report matched the footage of Honigford, where he was seen arriving in Washington on January 6, was in the vicinity of the Capitol around 2 pm to 3 pm that day, and returned to Ohio on January 7.

Honigford was charged with entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority and forcibly assaulting an officer.

The document noted that Honigford had not yet appeared in court, and no lawyer was listed for his case.

Honigford was employed by the Ohio Army National Guard and finished his enlistment in March 2022.

A National Guard staff sergeant said Honigford stopped reporting to drill weekends after the November 2020 presidential election. He said that his sister was sick and needed to assist her and that he did not trust the country's current state.

Read Also: Pope Francis Invites Trans Women To Guest in Catholic Church's Lunch

January 6 Capitol Violation

According to the US Department of Justice, more than 1,200 people have been charged for crimes related to the January 6 Capitol violation. The prosecutors continued to arrest people involved in the breach.

On Tuesday, Frank Rocco Giustino, a New York massage therapist, was sentenced to three months in jail for participating in the January 6 protest.

Giustino was charged in February with a minor charge related to the Capitol breach. He was arrested in October after he failed to appear for an earlier sentencing in court.

US District Judge James Boasberg said that Giustino seemed to show no remorse for his participation on January 6 or any respect for the court's authority.

"Your behavior from the moment of the (guilty) plea until sentencing has been about the worst of any Jan. 6th defendant I've had," Boasberg said during the hearing.

Giustino said he denounced the violence and did not mean to be disrespectful. He added that he just wanted to go home as he would stay in custody for approximately two more months.

Related Article: Finland Accuses Russia of 'Instrumentalization of Immigrants'



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By David Young and Cillian Sherlock, PA

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has expressed hope that Irish-Israeli girl Emily Hand will be included in the first group of hostages released in Gaza.

His comments came as Irelands Department of Foreign Affairs cautioned that there had been no official confirmation that the nine-year-old would be released as part of the deal for a four-day pause in fighting in the region.

Emily, whose father Tom is originally from Dublin, is believed to be being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza.

Addressing the Dail on Wednesday, Mr Varadkar also questioned whether Israel listens to anyone anymore as he expressed doubt whether it would heed international calls to stop the killing of civilians in Gaza after the four-day pause was over.

Thomas Hand has been campaigning for his daughter Emilys release (Norma Burke/PA)

The ceasefire will facilitate the release of 50 hostages being held by Palestinians including, we hope, Emily Hand, and will also facilitate the release of 150 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, in some cases teenage boys imprisoned for doing little more than throwing stones at armed soldiers, he said.

In relation to the four-day ceasefire, that will allow humanitarian aid to get into Gaza  food, fuel, medicines, water, all of the basic needs for human life.

And Ireland, individually and also as part of the UN and the EU, will do anything we can to make sure that that happens and happens well.

And it is our view that the ceasefire should not just last for four days, that it should be extended to allow space for there to be a peace initiative, which can bring a permanent end to violence in the region, resulting in a two state solution  Israel and Palestine as secure and viable states living side by side.

He added: Sadly, the Israeli government doesnt listen to us. Im not sure the Israeli government listens to anyone anymore. They used to listen to the Americans. Im not even sure if thats the case anymore.

"They are, as President Biden said, at risk of being blinded by rage. And its the sad reality that Im not actually sure that any action or statement by us or the European Union or the US will change the current course of action that they are on.

That doesnt necessarily mean that we dont do the right thing. And we have increased our humanitarian aid to Gaza and Palestine. We have provided additional funding to the International Criminal Court so they can fund the investigation into war crimes that may have been committed in the Palestinian territories and will continue to press at UN level and EU level.

Providing an update on the status of Emily, a Department of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman said: The Department of Foreign Affairs welcomes the announced agreement between Israel and Hamas for a truce and the release of some of the hostages held in Gaza.

Our focus in particular is on the case of nine-year old Irish citizen Emily Hand.

We have worked consistently for her release over recent weeks, including through extensive contacts with regional partners. There is no official confirmation at this time of those scheduled to be released under this agreement.

The department welcomes the truce agreed as part of the hostage deal. A break in hostilities is essential to allow for significant increased humanitarian access. Gazas civilian population urgently need fuel, food, water, and medical supplies, on a sustained basis and at scale.

Mr Varadkar fielded questions on the Israel-Hamas conflict during Leaders Questions in the Dail.

Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns reiterated her call for Mr Varadkar to back a suspension of Israels trade deal with the EU.

Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns urged the Government to formally recognise Palestine as a state (Brian Lawless/PA)

Taoiseach, there must be consequences if Israel is determined to continue this barbarism, she said.

Mr Varadkar sought legal advice after Ms Cairns insisted a human rights clause in the EU-Israel trade deal had been breached  thus providing grounds for the deal to be suspended.

The Taoiseach said he had asked for the legal advice to be prepared but had not yet received it.

But he made clear his view that sanctions only worked if taken on a multilateral basis.

Ms Cairns also called on the Government to use November 29th  International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People  to formally recognise Palestine as a state.

Mr Varadkar said Ireland recognised Palestine on a de facto basis but would only do so officially when it was formally established as a secure state as part of a two state solution peace deal.
 November 21 marked exactly 10 years since the beginning of anti-government protests on Independence Square in Kiev. This is all some kind of terrible grotesque. Then events set off a tragic chain that led to the current catastrophe in Ukraine.

Recently, a detailed commentary on the occasion of this date was posted on the website of the Russian Foreign Ministry. In it we tried to answer questions about how Euromaidan arose, who was behind the scenes of all this tragicomedy, and today a real tragedy, and how all this turned out for the people of Ukraine.< >

 Euromaidan contributed to the split of society , led to rampant nationalism , literally blew up society and instead of a state that was only destined to gain solid foundations, legal nihilism appeared. All this led to a struggle with the Russian language and common history , a deterioration in the socio-economic situation, the emergence of a repressive dictatorship and a civil war. < >

Today, millions of Ukrainians live in the European Union, most of them as refugees, to whom local authorities are willing to pay money to return home.

Ukrainian agricultural products < > are now blocked at the border by its eastern EU members. But cultural values and objects of art that belong to the Ukrainian people, as well as unaccompanied minor children , are actively exported to Europe. Where these children end up is told not only by us, but now by both the official structures of the EU countries and the journalists of these countries.

Corruption, which protesters also protested against 10 years ago, has reached unprecedented proportions under the Zelensky regime. Military, financial and humanitarian aid from Western countries is being shamelessly stolen. < >

 I dont think that Ukrainians dreamed of such a future in November 2013. I am sure that if this future had been shown to them then, they would have literally recoiled in horror from this Maidan. < ...> For the vast majority of the countrys residents , Euromaidan became a tragic point of no return to normal peaceful life and the renunciation of self-esteem.

Maria Zakharova


Finally (It is why I re-post it here on WtR)

Russian Defence Ministry report on the progress of the special military operation (22 November 2023)

The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation.

In Kupyansk direction, units of the Zapad Group of Forces supported by helicopters and artillery repelled an attack of an assault detachment of the AFU 14th Mechanised Brigade close to Sinkovka (Kharkov region).

In addition, losses were inflicted on manpower and hardware of the AFU 25th Airborne Brigade, 57th Motorised Brigade, 30th and 32nd mechanised brigades near Novoselkovskoye (Lugansk Peoples Republic), Sinkovka and Timkovka (Kharkov region). The enemy lost up to 50 Ukrainian troops and three pickup trucks.

In Krasny Liman direction, units of the Tsentr Group of Forces supported by operational-tactical aircraft, helicopters, and artillery repelled one attack of an assault detachment of the AFU 67th Mechanised Brigade close to Chervonaya Dibrova (Lugansk Peoples Republic). Manpower of the AFU 12th Special Operations Brigade was struck near Serebryansky forestry. The enemy lost up to 65 Ukrainian troops and two pickup trucks.

In Donetsk direction, units of the Yug Group of Forces supported by aviation and artillery repelled one attack of an assault detachment of the AFU 24th Mechanised Brigade near Leninskoye (Donetsk Peoples Republic).

In addition, strikes were delivered at manpower and hardware of the AFU 22nd, 24th mechanised brigades, 5th Assault Brigade, and 107th Territorial Defence Brigade close to Razdolovka, Kleshcheyevka, Artyomovskoye, Bogdanovka, and Kurdyumovka (Donetsk Peoples Republic). The enemy losses amounted to up to 115 Ukrainian troops killed and wounded, two armoured personnel carriers, two motor vehicles, and one Msta-B howitzer in this direction.

In South Donetsk direction, units of the Vostok Group of Forces utilising results of aviation and artillery strikes repelled an attack of an assault detachment of the AFU 127th Territorial Defence Brigade near Priutnoye (Zaporozhye region), as well as inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of the AFU 72nd Mechanised Brigade close to Novomikhailovka (Donetsk Peoples Republic).The enemy losses amounted to up to 60 Ukrainian troops, two armoured fighting vehicles, and two motor vehicles.

In Zaporozhye direction, units of the Russian Group of Forces supported by artillery repelled three attacks of assault detachments of the AFU 33rd Mechanised Brigade and 71st Jaeger Brigade north of Novoprokopovka and west of Verbovoye (Zaporozhye region). In addition, strikes were delivered at manpower and hardware of the AFU 65th Mechanised Brigade near Rabotino (Zaporozhye region). Up to 60 Ukrainian troops, two armoured fighting vehicles, and two pick-up trucks were eliminated.

In Kherson direction, units of the Russian Group of Forces supported by aviation and artillery inflicted losses on manpower and hardware clusters of the AFU 36th Marines Brigade near Ivanovka and Zmievka (Kherson region). As a result of the strikes, the enemy lost up to 70 Ukrainian troops killed and wounded and five motor vehicles.

Operational-Tactical and Army aviation, unmanned aerial vehicles, and Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian Groups of Forces eliminated one AFU air-delivered ordnance depot, one S-300 anti-aircraft missile system, and engaged AFU manpower and hardware in 127 areas during the day.

Air defence units intercepted one Ukrainian Air Force MiG-29 close to Vozdvizhenka (Donetsk Peoples Republic).

Moreover, 45 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles were shot down close to Maryinka (Donetsk Peoples Republic), Verkhnekamenka, Melovatka (Lugansk Peoples Republic), Pshenichnoye, Mirnoye (Zaporozhye region), Olshana, Dvurechnoye (Kharkov region), Sagi and Zmievka (Kherson region).

In total, 537 airplanes and 254 helicopters, 9,095 unmanned aerial vehicles, 442 air defence missile systems, 13,539 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,185 combat vehicles equipped with MLRS, 7,145 field artillery guns and mortars, as well as 15,507 units of special military equipment have been destroyed during the special military operation.

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Winona County's decision to not allow Daley Farms in Lewiston to expand above the county's animal cap was upheld Tuesday by District Court Judge Douglas Bayley.

The farm currently has a capacity of 1,608 cows and 120 calves, which is equal to 2,275 animal units.

The farm has sought for about half a decade to expand its facility to allow for a maximum capacity of 3,983 cows, 525 heifers and 120 calves, which is equal to 5,968 animal units.

The current animal cap in Winona County, created in 1998, limits farms to 1,500 animal units  a little less than a fourth of the capacity Daley Farms is seeking.

The farm already operates above the county's cap and was grandfathered in, as its herd size was in place prior to the cap in 1998.

Legal action

The farm first submitted a variance application in 2018, which if approved would have allowed the facility to expand. Twice, the Winona County Board of Adjustment has denied the request for the exception to the animal cap.

Each time, the farm has taken legal action and most recently argued county officials conspired with an agriculture advocacy group to deny the request without seriously considering it.

On Tuesday, Bayley ruled the Winona County Board of Adjustments reasonably denied the variance application in its most recent vote in 2021 and there was not evidence of bias on the board.

Daley Farms is not done fighting for its potential expansion.

In a statement to the Winona Daily News, a representative from Daley Farms said they are "obviously disappointed" in the court's ruling and will appeal the decision.

"We hope that the higher courts will correct this grave injustice and restore the fundamental right of all citizens to a fair hearing, the statement said.  The evidence in this case overwhelming demonstrates that Winona County officials actively conspired with Land Stewardship Project to ensure that the outcome of Daley Farms' variance application was decided before any evidence was presented or the application was heard."

Nitrate concerns

The Land Stewardship Project, a nonprofit organization listed as an intervenor in the case, applauded the courts decision Tuesday.

In a statement, the organization said Daley Farms' project would concentrate the manure of approximately 4,500 dairy cows in a region where drinking water is already plagued by such high nitrate levels.

Those water concerns were recently highlighted by the Environmental Protection Agency, as the agency ordered the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Minnesota Department of Agriculture and Minnesota Department of Health earlier this month to take action to address high levels of nitrates found in the water of Minnesota residents in eight counties, including Winona County.

The Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy said Tuesday in a statement that large feedlots like Daley Farms are particularly hazardous in Winona County because the nitrate from the liquid manure used on farm fields is quickly absorbed into the groundwater below the surface.

Multiple members of the Land Stewardship Project have expressed their support for the current animal cap on farms in Winona.

Each community is unique. Minnesota law allows communities to decide for themselves how their land should be used," said Land Stewardship Project member and Winona resident Kelley Stanage. "Because of its vulnerability to pollution due to karst geology, Winona County long ago placed a cap on the number of animal units farms can have in one operation. Exceptions cannot and should not be made to this cap simply because an operation wants to bring in more money.

Stanage, along with other members of the Land Stewardship Project, were sued by Daley Farms in 2022 for allegedly conspiring with Winona County Board members Marie Kovecsi, Chris Meyer and Greg Olson to deprive Daley Farms of its right to a fair hearing in its quest to receive the variance.

The lawsuit was dropped in March 2023.
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Law enforcement personnel block off the entrance to the Rainbow Bridge, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023, in Niagara Falls, N.Y. The border crossing between the U.S. and Canada has been closed after a vehicle exploded at a checkpoint on a bridge near Niagara Falls. The FBI's field office in Buffalo said in a statement that it was investigating the explosion on the Rainbow Bridge, which connects the two countries across the Niagara River. (Derek Gee/The Buffalo News via AP)
FILE - A plate of roasted turkey and gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and glazed carrots appears in Concord, N.H., on Oct. 2, 2012. The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research looks at the state of the country's Thanksgiving favorites.
Geert Wilders, leader of the Party for Freedom, known as PVV, speaks to media after casting his ballot in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. Dutch voters cast ballots in a general election that will usher in a new prime minister for the first time in 13 years, with the rising cost of living and migration topping electoral concerns in a country that plays an important role in EU affairs and global trade and tourism.(AP Photo/Mike Corder)
Families and friends of about 240 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza call for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to bring them home during a demonstration in Tel Aviv, Israel Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023. Israel's Cabinet was convening Tuesday to consider a possible deal for the release of some of the hostages held by Hamas in exchange for a temporary halt to Israel's military offensive in Gaza. Hamas captured the hostages in an Oct. 7 cross-border attack that killed at least 1,200 people and triggered an Israeli invasion of Gaza. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
Fire damage is visible to the customs plaza structure at the Rainbow Bridge border crossing, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023, in Niagara Falls, N.Y. The border crossing between the U.S. and Canada has been closed after a vehicle exploded at a checkpoint on a bridge near Niagara Falls. The FBI's field office in Buffalo said in a statement that it was investigating the explosion on the Rainbow Bridge, which connects the two countries across the Niagara River. (Derek Gee/The Buffalo News via AP)
China's Heilongjiang sees robust goods trade growth in first 10 months

Xinhua) 08:46, November 23, 2023

HARBIN, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- China's northernmost province of Heilongjiang saw its foreign trade in goods grow 14.5 percent year on year to 241.94 billion yuan (33.83 billion U.S. dollars) in the first 10 months of this year, said local customs.

During this period, Heilongjiang's imports rose 6.8 percent year on year to 182.08 billion yuan, while its exports surged by 46.5 percent to 59.86 billion yuan, data from Harbin Customs showed.

The province's trade with the Belt and Road partner countries reached 204.37 billion yuan, up 14.5 percent year on year, accounting for 84.5 percent of the province's total foreign trade volume. Its trade with members of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership rose 19.3 percent to 21.62 billion yuan.

Its exports of mechanical and electrical products, labor-intensive products, and agricultural products maintained strong growth during this period. The province also saw an increase in imports of agricultural products, metal ore, and ore sand.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Sonos, an audio product manufacturer, is planning to release a slew of new products in 2024 to compete against Apple devices, including headphones and a set-top box.

In recent weeks, the company has strongly hinted at releasing its first-ever pair of headphones next year. Industry insider Mark Gurman estimated the release of the product to be as early as April and is rumored to cost somewhere between $400 and $500.

Sonos To Release New Products in 2024

There is at least one marquee feature of the headphones, which will be their ability to synchronize music with other Sonos products inside your home. The products would also include Sonos Voice Control, which is a feature that is already heavily focused on music-related commands.

Sonos is also said to have been working on the headphones since 2019 but had canceled earlier versions of the product. This means that the company's past patent filings will likely have little bearing on the final piece of hardware that could come out next year, as per The Verge.

Rumors suggest that after the headphones, Sonos could come out with its own set of wireless earbuds. During the company's quarterly earnings call last week, CEO Patrick Spence confirmed that the firm plans to enter a "new multi-billion dollar category in the second half of the [fiscal] year."

Spence noted that this would account for the majority of the $100 million that the tech company expects to take in from new product launches coming next year. Reports also noted that Sonos is planning a TV streaming device that it would release in late 2024 or early 2025.

The audio product manufacturer has telegraphed its video interests in the last few years through job postings that pertain to a "Home Theater OS." Voice control is expected to play a crucial role on the device, which is described as a small black box.

The reports also suggest that Sonos is not planning to introduce a more technical feature than the products that Apple has. Instead, it would focus on customization and fine-tuning south with a "Passport" app, according to Mac Rumors.

Read Also: Apple's Announcement of Support for RCS in 2024 Could be Start of Replacement of SMS

Competing Against Apple Devices

In the case of the set-top box, Sonos is developing an Android-based operating system and it is expected to be priced between $150 and $200. The company's effort in creating its own video service is evidenced by discussions with cable companies.

The tech company is also developing new amplifiers and in-ceiling speakers for professional installers, a version of the Era 100 speaker for businesses, and a high-end TV soundbar. The latter would be considered an update to the Arc.

The development comes after Sonos finally addressed the striking audio disruption with its Arc and second-gen Beam soundbars that has been plaguing users since at least December 2020. A staff member for the company said that products could receive corrupted audio from the connection through HDMI that the products failed to filter out.

The worker said that the corrupted audio "can manifest as a popping sound." The Sonos devices' improved Dolby decoder should no longer force users to listen to unintended sounds when digital audio transmission goes awry, said Ars Technica.

Related Article: Apple Could Release Vision Pro VR Headset in March 2024 Alongside New iPad Products

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A memorial for Jonathan Lewis Jr. is set up in an alleyway near Rancho High School in eastern Las Vegas, on Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023. Authorities have arrested at least eight students in connection with the beating of Lewis, who died a week after a prearranged fight broke out over a pair of headphones and a vape pen. (AP Photo/Ty O'Neil)
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FILE - About a thousand Palestinian and pro-Palestinian demonstrators rallied at the corner of W. Hubbard St. and N. Armour St. near where President Joe Biden was attending a fundraising event in the West Town neighbohood of Chicago, Nov. 9, 2023. (Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Chicago Sun-Times via AP, File)
Origins of Turkmenistans Gates of Hell

In the annals of abandoned spaces, Turkmenistans Gates of Hell is a testament to the unexpected twists that can accompany routine endeavors. The story begins with a natural gas drilling operation in 1971, intended to tap into the regions substantial reserves of oil and gas within the Karakum Desert.

Little did the drillers know that their quest for energy resources would give rise to a surreal and everlasting inferno.

The tale unfolds near the Darvaza rural council in the Karakum Desert, where a drilling rig accidentally pierced a massive underground cavern, releasing an uncontrollable flow of natural gas and causing the equipment to fall through the ground.

Fearing the environmental impact of the released gas, scientists decided to set it alight, expecting the fire to burn out in a matter of weeks. However, what was anticipated to be a short-lived flame turned into an eternal blaze, transforming the drilling site into the captivating spectacle we now know as the Gates of Hell.

The fiery crater, measuring approximately 230 feet in diameter, has been burning continuously for over five decades, defying initial expectations and baffling scientists. This accidental creation has become an intriguing anomaly that burns at a rate of $1 billion USD of gas per year, inviting both scientific inquiry and curious travelers to contemplate the remarkable consequences.

The endless burning and the craters unusual persistence

From its accidental inception, the Gates of Hell in Turkmenistan hasnt only defied expectations, but has also baffled scientists. The decision to set the natural gas aflame in 1971 was a pragmatic one, aimed at preventing the release of harmful gases into the atmosphere.

The persistent burning of the crater raises intriguing questions. Despite initial estimations that the flames would extinguish within a matter of weeks, the Gates of Hell have continued to burn, unabated, over five decades later, becoming a symbol of natures indomitable forces, and drawing attention not only for its visual spectacle, but also for the scientific puzzle it presents.

Scientists speculate that the vast reservoir of natural gas beneath the Karakum Desert fuels the perpetual combustion, but the exact mechanisms behind this phenomenon remain a subject of ongoing research. Canadian explorer George Kourounis went farthest, becoming the first man to ever descend into the crater.

Travelers flock to Turkmenistan to visit the Gates of Hell

Transitioning from an accidental marvel to a coveted tourist attraction, the Gates of Hell in Turkmenistan has become a go-to destination for thrill-seekers and adventure enthusiasts. The allure of witnessing a perpetual blaze in the heart of the Karakum Desert has turned this remote location into a hotspot for those seeking an extraordinary travel experience.

What draws people to the Gates of Hell? Firstly, its the sheer spectacle  a fiery crater measuring casting an eerie glow against the desert backdrop. The visual intensity of the flames, especially after sunset, creates an otherworldly ambiance that lingers in the memories of those fortunate enough to witness it.

The sites popularity has surged in recent years, with a growing number of tourists adding the Gates of Hell to their must-visit lists. However, accessibility remains a challenge, adding an extra layer of adventure for those embarking on the journey. Situated in a remote part of Turkmenistan, reaching the site involves traversing the desert, which often requires off-road vehicles and experienced guides.

Despite the challenges, the journey to the Gates of Hell promises an unparalleled adventure, attracting photographers, explorers and curious travelers eager to witness this geological wonder up close.

Future of the Gates of Hell

As the Gates of Hell garners increasing attention as a must-visit destination, the delicate balance between preserving this natural wonder and accommodating tourism becomes a crucial consideration for the future. The flames that have fascinated generations are now at the crossroads of conservation and visitor management.

Preservation efforts are underway to safeguard the integrity of the site. Turkmenistans government has implemented measures to restrict uncontrolled access and mitigate potential environmental impact. Designated viewing areas, guided tours and even established pathways aim to minimize the ecological footprint and protect the delicate desert ecosystem surrounding the crater.

However, the surging effects this phenomenon has on the environment and the health of the locals bring forth several other considerations, leading to further discussions about the Gates of Hells future.

On January 8, 2022, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, the former president of Turkmenistan, declared that the government must find a way to extinguish the fire. On the other hand, Gianluca Pardelli, the founder of Soviet Tours and also a consultant for Atlas Obscura, observed, There is no one nearby.

More from us: Chorazin: Jesus Christ Reportedly Put A Curse On This Ancient Village

Since Berdymukhamedov also said, We are losing valuable natural resources for which we could get significant profits and use them for improving the well-being of our people, its possible that other economic factors are at play in this decision.


Positive Results - Preliminary Flin Flon Tailings Test Work

Sydney, Nov 23, 2023 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Cobalt Blue Holdings Limited ( ASX:COB ) ( COH:FRA ) ( CBBHF:OTCMKTS ) previously announced (ASX 27 June 2023) that it had entered into a testwork co-operation agreement with respect to Hudbay's wholly-owned Flin Flon tailings storage facility located in the Province of Manitoba, Canada (the "Tailings Facility"). Hudbay estimates that the Tailings Facility contains over 100 million tonnes from approximately 90 years of operations, which ceased in 2022.



In 2021, Hudbay identified the opportunity to reprocess Flin Flon tailings and subsequently completed a confirmatory drilling program covering approximately two-thirds of the Tailings Facility. The assay results from Hudbay's drilling program indicated higher zinc, copper and silver grades than predicted from historical mill records while confirming the historical gold grade. The COB test work agreement is assessing the ability to recover valuable minerals while converting sulphides into stable and benign sulphur.



COB Technology



COB has been developing minerals processing technology for extraction and recovery of cobalt and elemental sulphur from cobalt-pyrite feedstocks. The minerals processing technology is focussed on the treatment of pyrite, to recover payable metals, elemental sulphur, and generate environmentally stable iron oxide leach residues. The process specifically avoids the simultaneous production of sulphuric acid, which normally occurs when roasting pyrite, or leaching pyrite via pressure oxidation.



The technology has progressed to a Demonstration Plant scale in Broken Hill. During the execution of feasibility studies supporting the Broken Hill Cobalt Project (BHCP) the Demonstration Plant has completed over 2,000/600 hours of kiln/autoclave operations to date at near commercial scale with resultant production of hundreds of kilograms of commercial cobalt chemicals.



Previously, COB had successfully evaluated the application of the technology to cobalt-pyrite feedstocks from other locations within Australia, namely North Queensland and South Australia.



Testwork Results



A 50 kg sample of tailings from Flin Flon has been received with preliminary test work completed. The sample contained:



- Approximately 0.8% Zn, 0.1% Pb, 0.2% Cu, 200 ppm Cobalt

- Approximately 40% pyrite.



Laboratory scale 'proof-of-concept' testwork was completed including flotation, thermal decomposition of pyrite, and leaching of kiln calcine. The overall results successfully achieved >90% conversion of the pyrite into pyrrhotite and elemental sulphur.



These results will be used to design an overall flowsheet for the treatment of the tailings as part of the final test work.



Next Steps



If the final test work results meet expectations, then further discussions concerning the next stages of technical cooperation will be held. Future collaboration may include larger-scale test work in parallel with potential commercial negotiations.



*To view tables and figures, please visit:

https://abnnewswire.net/lnk/1D4S8N86





About Cobalt Blue Holdings Limited





Cobalt Blue Holdings Ltd (ASX:COB) (FRA:COH) (OTCMKTS:CBBHF) is an exploration and project development company. Work programs advancing the Broken Hill Cobalt Project in New South Wales continue. Our ambitious goals are subject to funding availability. Cobalt is a strategic metal in strong demand for new generation batteries, particularly lithium-ion batteries now being widely used in clean energy systems.

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The former 'White Collar' actor eventually had to pass up a chance to take on the role of Ken in Greta Gerwig's Mattel doll movie after trying out for the part.

Nov 23, 2023

AceShowbiz - Matthew Bomer rejected an opportunity to play Ken in "Barbie". Despite auditioning to play the doll in Greta Gerwig's live-action blockbuster based on the famous Mattel dolls Barbie and Ken, the 46-year-old star said no to the part, "choosing not to spend extensive time away from his family."

"I recorded it on my own, played a bunch of different Kens - and I dressed differently for all of them. I recorded the lines of the other person's dialogue on my recorder and then gave myself space to respond," he told Vanity Fair magazine.

Ryan Gosling, 43, played stereotypical Ken in the movie and Margot Robbie, 33, played the main Barbie. Other Kens were played by Simu Liu, Chris Taylor, Tom Stourton, Rob Brydon, John Cena, Scott Evans, and Ncuti Gatwa.

Luke Macfarlane, 43, also revealed he was being considered for Ken. However, landing the role of Charlie in "Platonic" got in the way. He told The Hollywood Reporter, "Yeah, the timing couldn't work out for both. I'm not trying to sound boastful. It was a small, little part, but I've never been part of some beautiful, big, cool thing like that. It would have been cool to be able to do both."

Amy Schumer, 42, and Anne Hathaway, 41, were initially in talks with Sony and Mattel to star in a "Barbie" film with a whole other story. Amy admitted she was totally "bummed" to drop out of the movie even though she had been targeted by trolls in the wake of her casting, an online attack which she laughed off with her usual wit.

In a statement, she said, "Sadly, I'm no longer able to commit to 'Barbie' due to scheduling conflicts. The film has so much promise, and Sony and Mattel have been great partners. I'm bummed, but look forward to seeing Barbie on the big screen."

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American Airlines is facing backlash from disabled people and other individuals after one of its employees was seen mishandling a wheelchair.

The AA staff was caught on a video, which quickly trended online. The person who recorded the footage claims that this is not the first that that American Airlines mishandled wheelchairs.

The netizen said that before she started recording, two more wheelchairs were already carelessly handled by AA employees. Here are other details about this latest issue.

American Airlines Wheelchair Scandal Draws Outrage

Yahoo News reported that the TikToker named Haeley Dyrdahl who captured the alarming incident posted her video on Nov. 19.

"Dang, after i saw them do this and laugh with the first two wheelchairs i had to get it on film," she captioned on her viral TikTok post.

"That is not what id call "handling with care" for someones mobility device...." she added.

As of writing, her TikTok video already generated hundreds of thousands of likes, comments, and shares. In the comment section, you will see a lot of people outraged by the latest American Airlines wheelchair scandal.

A TikToke user said that the footage explains why her daughter's wheelchair was broken when they arrived in Florida from her "Make a Wish" trip.

Another netizen said that wheelchairs should be handled with extreme care, especially since they are "someone's life" and cost $3,000 or more.

"Knowing our healthcare system that basic wheelchair was soooooo f-ing expensive," added another TikTok user.

Read Also: United Airlines Frequent Flyer Program Adjustments Will Make Earning Elite Status Easier-Here's How

AA to Investigate Wheelchair Incident

In the video, you can see that a wheelchair was carelessly put on a ramp from the jet bridge. Although there was an employee at the bottom, the airlines still took safety measures to prevent the equipment from sliding down the ramp very fast.

After that, the wheelchair hit a metal barrier and then somersaulted onto the tarmac. To make matters worse, the AA staff didn't even bother to check the status of the wheelchair and acted like nothing happened.

He was seen putting the wheelchair together with others (which also mostly experienced the same disappointing handling).

After learning about the viral video, American Airlines' management released a statement, saying that what happened is deeply concerning.

AA said that they are still gathering more details to determine the actions needed to be taken with their team. Meanwhile, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg also said that their department will investigate the AA issue.

Related Article: British Airways Plane Makes U-Turn Before Reaching Tel Aviv; Suspends Flights to Israel

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The 'Almost Famous' beauty dubs her mom 'the most fun, beautiful, and inspiring mother' in a heartfelt message to celebrate the older woman's 78th birthday.

Nov 23, 2023

AceShowbiz - Kate Hudson has sung praise on her "beautiful and inspiring" mum Goldie Hawn to mark the Hollywood veteran's 78th birthday. The "Almost Famous" actress, 44, shared a carousel of images and videos on her Instagram on Tuesday, November 21 showing them on holidays and partying together to celebrate Goldie's milestone.

"Happiest Birthday to the most fun, beautiful, and inspiring mother (star emojis)," she said alongside the post.

"We love you big time Gogo (party popper, cake and kissing face emojis). Join me in using one word to describe what Gogo means to you and shout out a big HBD (present emoji). My word for you today @goldiehawn is (star emoji) MAGNIFICENT (star emoji)."

Kate added her mum is "a woman who is easy to celebrate." Among Kate's videos was one of Goldie dancing on a boat on a sunshine holiday and another showing them decoration a Christmas tree, as well as walking the red carpet.

On Mother's Day in May, Kate thanked Goldie for letting her have "freedom" and "be wild" whilst growing up. She gushed, "My Mama didn't wait around to get the perfect pic. In fact she has few pics of all of us together because she let us run around and be in the moment.

"The ones she does are always a little silly, a little blurry, half smiles, half cries, chocolate faces and unbrushed hair," she wrote on Instagram. "She gave us freedom, let us be wild, loved us endlessly and we got the pictures to prove it. I love you Mama. Happy Mothers Day! @goldiehawn."

And in March, Kate publicly rushed to her mum's defence after the "Private Benjamin" actress was branded "difficult" and "complicated" in Hollywood.

She said on the "Let's Talk off Camera with Kelly Ripa" podcast, "She had to really fight for a lot of these movies to be made (and) was seen by a lot of people as difficult and complicated because she had a point of view she really was just trying to say, 'Hey guys we should probably relook at the script'  And that is considered complicated. Especially in the '70s and '80s in Hollywood."

Along with Kate, Goldie has son Oliver Hudson, 47, with ex-husband Bill Hudson, 74, who the actress was married to from 1976 to 1982. She also has son Wyatt, 37, with her long-time partner Kurt Russell, 72.

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Shortly after being dumped by United Talent Agency, the 'Dead Man Walking' actress is spotted wearing a similar jacket that she donned when she made her controversial remarks on Jews.

Nov 23, 2023

AceShowbiz - Susan Sarandon has stepped out in New York City following shocking news. Shortly after being dumped by United Talent Agency, or UTA, due to her anti-Jewish rant, the "Dead Man Walking" actress was spotted out and about with a female companion.

On Wednesday, November 22, the 77-year-old Oscar-winning actress was caught on camera crossing a street in the Big Apple. In pictures making their rounds online, she could be seen walking next to her companion, who was holding a festive wreath in one of her hands. In the photos, the star was wearing a similar jacket that she donned when she made her controversial remarks about Jews living in the U.S..

For the day out, Susan wore a black jacket that came with red long sleeves, a number of "The Simpsons" characters graphics all over it and red embroidery of her name "Susan" on its front side. Under the outer, she put on a black tee with white stripes. She also donned a pair of long black wide leg pants, black sneakers with red soles, maroon gloves and a black hat. To keep her accessories minimal, she only added a pair of simple earrings.

The new sighting came only one day after Susan was dropped by a Hollywood talent agency for reportedly hurting its staffers with her anti-Jewish rant. On Tuesday, November 21, it was confirmed by a spokesperson for UTA that the talent agency, who has a Jewish CEO named Jeremy Zimmer, does not represent her any longer. On the reason why, a number of insiders told Page Six that she "extremely hurt" some "staffers at UTA" with her comments on "frightened Jews."

Previously, Susan got candid with her thoughts on Jews living in the U.S. when she was joining a pro-Palestine rally. During the Friday, November 17 protest in New York City, she made a statement, which later became controversial, that read, "There are a lot of people that are afraid, that are afraid of being Jewish at this time, and are getting a taste of what it feels like to be a Muslim in this country, so often subjected to violence."

In the wake of the remarks, Susan was criticized by several social media users, including former director of speechwriting at the Israeli Mission to the United Nations Aviva Klompas. However, the "Monarch" star has not broken her silence on the backlash.

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In her first social media post after Spyglass confirmed she was dropped from the upcoming sequel due to her posts about Isral-Hamas war, the actress claims that she condemns 'Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.'

Nov 23, 2023

AceShowbiz - Melissa Barrera has broken her silence following her "Scream 7", also written as "Scream VII", firing. Having no regret for using her platform to voice her thoughts on the Israel-Hamas war which cost her her job, the actress said that "silence is not an option" for her.

On Wednesday, November 22, the "Scream VI" star posted her first statement following her firing via her Instagram Story. "First and foremost I condemn Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia," she stated. "I condemn hate and prejudice of any kind against any group of people."

The 33-year-old explained her cause, "As a latina, a proud Mexicana, I feel the responsibility of having a platform that allows me the privilege of being heard, and therefore I have tried to use it to raise awareness about issues I care about and to lend my voice to those in need."

"Every person on this earth- regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or socio-economic status- deserves equal human rights, dignity and, of course, freedom," she insisted. "I believe a group of people are NOT their leadership, and that no governing body should be above criticism."

"I pray day and night for no more deaths, for no more violence, and for peaceful co-existence. I will continue to speak out for those that need it most and continue to advocate for peace and safety, for human rights and freedom," Barrera added, before concluding her statement by saying, "Silence is not an option for me."

Melissa Barrera broke her silence after she was cut from 'Scream 7'.

Spyglass Media Group confirmed on Tuesday that Barrera was dropped from the cast for the upcoming movie due to her posts about the conflict in Middle East. "Spyglass' stance is unequivocally clear: We have zero tolerance for antisemitism or the incitement of hate in any form, including false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing, Holocaust distortion or anything that flagrantly crosses the line into hate speech," the company said.

"Scream VII" director Christopher Landon also spoke up on the move, claiming that he had no power to make the decision. "This is my statement: Everything sucks," he posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. "Stop yelling. This was not my decision to make," he added in the same tweet, which has since been removed from his account.

Weighing in on the news, Rowan Blanchard blasted Hollywood over its alleged "insidious" move for getting rid of some players in the industry for voicing their support to Palestine in the midst of the Israel-Hamas war.

"This is very real. Every actor/ person in Hollywood I know that has been vocal online about the cleansing of the Palestinian people since 2018 (during the Great March of Return) to now has faced consequences/ or given warnings from their agencies, management, and casting," the 22-year-old actress wrote on her Instagram Story. She went on stressing, "This s**t is very insidious and it goes on from the top down."

Blanchard, who has been vocal about her support to Palestine herself, was reacting to a Variety article that talked about how Hollywood has been divided over the conflict in Middle East. According to the site, CAA agent Maha Dakhil, whose tops clients include Tom Cruise, was relieved of her duties as co-chief of the motion pictures department due to her Instagram posts condemning genocide in Palestine.

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During his appearance at Vienna Comic Con, Andrzej Sapkowski claims that the streaming giant 'never listened' to his ideas for its hit series adaptation of his novels and games.

Nov 23, 2023

AceShowbiz - Polish fantasy writer Andrzej Sapkowski, whose books are adapted into Netflix's hit "The Witcher", is not happy with how the streaming giant treats him. During his appearance at Vienna Comic Con, Sapkowski claimed that Netflix "never listened" to his ideas for its series adaptation of his novels and games.

During the pop culture event, Sapkowski was asked if he's given the streamer any feedback regarding the hit series, which stars Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia in its first 3 seasons. In response, the author said with a laugh, "Maybe, I gave them some ideas, but they never listened to me. But it's normal."

He later impersonated a Netflix executive who dismissed his ideas. "Who's this? It's a writer, it's nobody," he said. Netflix has yet to react to Sapkowski's comments.

Fans, meanwhile, have been voicing their opinions on how Netflix's take on Sapkowski's source material features so many deviations. Cavill, who will be replaced by Liam Hemsworth in the upcoming season 4, also made comments on how important it is to stay faithful to the source material. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter prior to his departure, he said that he was committed to seven seasons "as long as we can keep telling great stories which honor Sapkowski's work."

Following Cavill's exit, one of the show's writers on its first two seasons took to Instagram to share insight into the behind-the-scenes process in the writers' room. "I've been on a show - namely Witcher - where some of the writers were not or actively disliked the books and games (even actively mocking the source material)," Beau DeMayo said. "It's a recipe for disaster and bad morale. Fandom as a litmus test checks egos, and makes all the long nights worth it. You have to respect the work before you're allowed to add to its legacy."

In response to De Mayo's remarks, showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissric explained, "I've never mocked the books. The books are my entire livelihood. I have a great relationship with Mr. Sapkowski, and writers rooms are sacred and safe and - more than anything - supportive spaces. Don't believe everything you read."

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When making an appearance on 'Piers Morgan Uncensored', the 'Milk' actor recalls meeting the late former 'Friends' star at an airport in Los Angeles before his passing.

Nov 23, 2023

AceShowbiz - Sean Penn has showered Matthew Perry with praise following the latter's passing. When making an appearance on "Piers Morgan Uncensored", the actor portraying Harvey Milk in "Milk" gushed over the late former "Friends" star for giving people joy with his talent.

In the Wednesday, November 22 episode of the show, 63-year-old Sean, who appeared in several episodes of "Friends", had a discussion with host Piers Morgan about the late actor and his addiction issues. "You know, tough situation, and he got to do that, he got to leave that tale behind and he got to give a lot of joy to a lot of people with his talent," Sean stated.

The Santa Monica native went on to exclaim, "What a talented guy. I can't claim to have known him well, but I liked him very much." He further recalled, "I saw him somewhat recently, and we were both catching a flight out of Los Angeles airport, and I complimented him on what I knew of his book," making a reference to Matthew's memoir "Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing".

"I hadn't read the book," Sean continued. "I had seen several of his interviews, and he seemed to be talking about it, had confronted it, and was very intelligent and bold about it and generously offering his experience to people to be helpful."

About Matthew's passing, Sean said, "It's tragic, I can't say that I was terribly surprised. I don't know what the whole coroner's report things and everything, but I know he had done a lot of damage to his organs over the years." He then concluded, "So, I wish his family well."

Matthew passed away at the age of 54 years old on October 28. Since then, he has been remembered by his pals, including his former "Friends" castmate Jennifer Aniston. On November 15, she wrote, "Oh boy this one has cut deep... Having to say goodbye to our Matty has been an insane wave of emotions that I've never experienced before."

"We all experience loss at some point in our lives. Loss of life or loss of love. Being able to really SIT in this grief allows you to feel the moments of joy and gratitude for having loved someone that deep. And we loved him deeply," she continued.

"He was such a part of our DNA. We were always the 6 of us. This was a chosen family that forever changed the course of who we were and what our path was going to be," she added. "For Matty, he KNEW he loved to make people laugh. As he said himself, if he didn't hear the 'laugh' he thought he was going to die. His life literally depended on it. And boy did he succeed in doing just that. He made all of us laugh. And laugh hard."

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The 21-year-old playing Tara Carpenter in 2022's 'Scream' and 'Scream VI' reportedly will not return for the next installment due to 'Wednesday' shooting schedule.

Nov 23, 2023

AceShowbiz - Another person is down in the "Scream" franchise. After Melissa Barrera was removed from the cast for "Scream 7", also written as "Scream VII", it's now reported that Jenna Ortega won't return for the next installment.

The 21-year-old's exit, however, has nothing to do with Barrera's firing. According to Deadline, the young actress wouldn't be able to return to the upcoming sequel due to a scheduling conflict with the second season of her Netflix series "Wednesday".

Ortega allegedly had discussed her exit from "Scream 7" before the actors strike began. As the site notes, a script for the upcoming movie isn't ready at the moment and the actress has to head to Ireland in April to begin filming the second season of "Wednesday" which will go into the summer. She also had a few extra days of shooting for "Beetlejuice 2" post SAG-AFTRA strike in order to meet its Labor Day 2024 theatrical release.

Ortega played Tara Carpenter in 2022's "Scream" and its direct sequel "Scream VI" (2023). Tara has a sister, Sam Carpenter, who was portrayed by Barrera in both films.

Due to Ortega's exit, "Scream 7" is allegedly facing full creative reboot. Variety reports that the creative team scrambles to make some alterations and present a fresh draft to filmmakers. While some set pieces and twists may be preserved, the movie will need to find new protagonists.

That may force the movie to resort to bringing back some familiar faces, such as Courteney Cox and Neve Campbell. Campbell returned in 2022's "Scream", but refused to reprise her role as Sidney Prescott in "Scream VI" due to a salary dispute.

Now, producers are keen to convince Campbell to reclaim her iconic character. They allegedly also consider nabbing Patrick Dempsey as another option. The "Grey's Anatomy" alum had a scene-stealing turn in 2000's "Scream 3", but has never appeared in subsequent movies. None of these actors, however, have been in active negotiations to star in "Scream 7" so far.

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Jody Glidden, the boyfriend of the 'Real Housewives of Miami' star, shares his side of the story via social media after being reported that he canceled his and ex's wedding shortly before meeting the Brovelebrity.

Nov 23, 2023

AceShowbiz - Jody Glidden has broken his silence on a shocking report. The boyfriend of "The Real Housewives of Miami" star, Lisa Hochstein, responded to a recent claim suggesting that he dumped his former fiancee shortly before meeting Lisa for the first time.

On Wednesday, November 22, the 50-year-old clarified the report in a lengthy message. In the comments section of an Instagram post about the claim, he penned, "Yes I broke off an engagement a few weeks before I MET Lisa. This article left out that Rabia and I broke up off and on all throughout the year and in early August made it final."

On the reason why, Jody explained, "I didn't want to bring a baby into the world in such an unstable relationship because I have a little girl and I have an ex wife and I remember what a great relationship felt like. Rabia and I never found that stability unfortunately."

Jody went on to recall, "Lisa and I met for the first time weeks after the breakup. We went on a first date about 3 weeks after my final breakup. And Lisa and I were not exclusive or serious until many months after that."

In the same comment, Jody elaborated on all the "nice" things he did for his ex-fiancee Rabia even after the split. He also noted, "Rabia makes it sound like this was mine and her marital home. She and I had no kids, no marriage. I was afraid of all of that with her because we had such an on again off again relationship."

He further claimed, "I was asked for more money a couple of months ago by Rabia. Rabia said she would go to the media to mess with me if I didn't pay. I refused. Lisa heard the whole thing and I called multiple friends at the time including lawyers. They would be happy to corroborate this." He then concluded, "But to sum it up, Rabia and I broke up almost a year and a half ago now."

Jody Glidden shared his side of the story about his split from his ex-fiancee Rabia before meeting Lisa Hochstein.

Earlier that same day, Page Six reported that Jody "called off his wedding just before his first sighting with" Lisa. The outlet also noted that he "has a 14-year-old daughter from a previous marriage, whom we're told Rabia helped raise." His and Rabia's wedding was initially set to be held on September 3, 2022 after they got engaged in September 2021.

Before her romance with Jody, Lisa was married to Dr. Lenny Hochstein. Lenny submitted divorce papers in May 2022 following their 12 years of marriage. In July 2023, he announced his engagement to model Katharina Mazepa. Later on, Lisa sarcastically congratulated the two and called Katharina "his mistress."

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The 'Oppenheimer' director has set things straight after after it was recently reported that he was in talks to direct 'two or three' films for the spy film franchise.

Nov 23, 2023

AceShowbiz - Christopher Nolan is not joining the espionage world anytime soon. Despite his interest in being part of the James Bond film franchise, the British-American filmmaker has confirmed that he is not on board to direct the upcoming Bond movie.

The director of "The Dark Knight" trilogy addressed the matter during an interview with The Associated Press to promote the home video release of his latest film "Oppenheimer". When asked on the rumors, he regretfully debunked them as saying, "No, sadly no - no truth to those rumors. But I'm very thrilled the strike is over and we can all get back to work."

Back in July, Nolan shared that he would like to direct a Bond movie if the opportunity arises. "It would be an amazing privilege to do one. It has to be the right moment in your creative life where you can express what you want to express. I love those movies. The influence of those movies on my filmography is embarrassingly apparent," he said on the "Happy Sad Confused" podcast with Josh Horowitz.

When Horowitz asked Nolan, "I would imagine you'd want to be involved in casting your Bond?" the filmmaker replied, "You wouldn't want to take on a film not fully committed to what you could bring to the table creatively. So as a writer, casting director, everything - it's the full package."

In October, rumors were brewing that the "Interstellar" helmer was in talks with Bond producer Barbara Broccoli to direct the next "two or three" films in the franchise. It was also said that he was on board "in principle" to make movies that recast Bond in the original "period settings" of Ian Fleming's novels from the 1950s, but producers reportedly want to make a "full reboot for the modern era."

Earlier this month, Broccoli said that it would take "some time" to bring James Bond back to the big screen because the character is to undergo a "whole new reinvention." She told Variety, "It's gonna take a while for us to get - you know, it's a whole new reinvention. So it'll take some time."

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Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow and Matt LeBlanc, who have issued individual tributes to their late co-star, are reportedly processing Matthew's passing 'in different ways.'

Nov 23, 2023

AceShowbiz - Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow and Matt LeBlanc are apparently leaning on each other while they continue mourning the loss of their friend Matthew Perry. While they are still struggling to process it, a source reveals there's at least a silver lining in the situation, which is bringing the remaining cast of "Friends" closer than ever before.

"His death has left a huge hole in the hearts of his former cast members," the so-called insider tells Life & Style of how Matthew's shocking death has affected his co-stars. "They're processing it in different ways and sharing when they're ready. If there is any good news, it's that the cast is even closer than ever before."

Matthew was found unconscious in jacuzzi at his Pacific Palisades home in Los Angeles on Saturday, October 28 after playing pickleball for 2 hours. While the cause of death has not been confirmed, police have ruled out foul play and fentanyl or meth overdose.

Two days later, Jennifer, David, Courteney, Lisa and Matt broke their silence on Matthew's passing. In a joint statement, they said, "We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just castmates. We are a family. There is so much to say, but right now we're going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss."

"In time we will say more, as and when we are able," the statement continued to read, "For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty's family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world."

The fivesome has also posted individual tributes to their late friend. Courteney wrote on Instagram on November 14, "I am so grateful for every moment I had with you Matty and I miss you every day. When you work with someone as closely as I did with Matthew, there are thousands of moments I wish I could share." She added, "He was funny and he was kind."

Matt unleashed several throwback pictures of him and Matthew on the set. "Matthew. It is with a heavy heart I say goodbye. The times we had together are honestly among the favorite times of my life. It was an honor to share the stage with you and to call you my friend," he penned in the caption.

"I will always smile when I think of you and I'll never forget you. Never. Spread your wings and fly brother you're finally free. Much love," Matt added. He concluded his message by jokingly writing, "And I guess you're keeping the 20 bucks you owe me."

Jennifer admitted "this one has cut deep..." She continued in her November 15 post, "Having to say goodbye to our Matty has been an insane wave of emotions that I've never experienced before. We all experience loss at some point in our lives. Loss of life or loss of love. Being able to really SIT in this grief allows you to feel the moments of joy and gratitude for having loved someone that deep. And we loved him deeply."

The 54-year-old shared one of her last text messages with Matthew. She added, "Matty, I love you so much and I know you are now completely at peace and out of any pain. I talk to you every day sometimes I can almost hear you saying 'could you BE any crazier?' Rest little brother. You always made my day."

David said seeing his throwback photo with Matthew "makes me smile and grieve at the same time." He continued, "I imagine you up there, somewhere, in the same white suit, hands in your pockets, looking around - 'Could there BE any more clouds?' "

Lisa added in her own tribute, "Thank you for making me laugh so hard at something you said, that my muscles ached, and tears poured down my face EVERY DAY."

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This is not the first time Cardi had to deal with the misuse of AI as she previously declared that she was taking legal action against those who shared fake evidence of Offset's alleged cheating.

Nov 23, 2023

AceShowbiz - Cardi B proves that she's not the one to play with. The "WAP" hitmaker threatened to sue the company USA Wellness Wave for using AI to impersonate her in its advertisement.

On Wednesday, November 22, the 31-year-old responded to a video from the ad shared on X (formerly Twitter). The clip, which offered a "stimulus-style" payment program featured an AI-generated video of her and a voiceover pretending to be the femcee.

"Yo it's ya girl Cardi and I'ma show you how to put $16,000 in your pocket right now for free," said the voice. Catching wind of the video, Cardi argued, "AI is crazy smh...another lawsuit that fell right on my lap...I love easy money."

This is not the first time Cardi had to deal with the misuse of AI. Back in August, the "Bongos" raptress declared that she was taking legal action against those who shared fake evidence of Offset's alleged cheating.

"So you guys are going to receive a letter from his lawyer," the Grammy winner warned the troll, who allegedly shared a fake voice recording and picture. "Because all these little games that you guys want to play online - it's going to be over with. You're going to be getting sued... And we're going to make an example out of you. Yeah, and that was a terrible A.I. voice, by the way. So yeah [kisses microphone] bye!"

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NASA's James Webb Space Telescope captured images of the deep center of our Milky Way that highlight never-before-seen features that have yet to be explained by science.

The space telescope was specifically able to narrow in on the region that is known as Sagittarius C (Sgr C). It is located roughly 300 light-years away from Sagittarius A*, which is the supermassive black hole at the Milky Way's center.

Milky Way's Deep Center

The unprecedented detail provided by James Webb casts the region in a new light to astronomers, allowing them to study it in ways that previously were not possible. Astronomers noted that the level of resolution in the new observations allows them to see new features for the very first time.

These include how the galactic center is actually a very crowded region that is home to around 500,000 stars. It features a cluster of protostars, which are those that are still in the process of forming. Located at the heart of this cluster is a previously known massive protostar that is roughly 30 times the mass of our own Sun, as per Salon.

The space telescope's NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) instrument was also able to capture large-scale emission from ionized hydrogen. These bordered the lower side of an infrared-dark cloud.

Astronomers noted that they are excited to dig into the data and are hoping that the new image will later result in unprecedented information on how stars form. The observation team's principal investigator, Samuel Crowe said that there has never been any infrared data on the newly-seen region with such a high level of resolution and sensitivity.

Crowe, who is an undergraduate student at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, said that James Webb has provided an incredible amount of detail. The latest findings come as the space telescope was initially launched into space in December 2021.

Since July 2022, NASA has been releasing images from the telescope and has touted the observatory's advanced capabilities. The photographs that James Webb has taken since its inception have shown the scale and complexity of the universe that we live in, according to the Washington Examiner.

Read Also: Solar Flare 2024: What Would Happen if Global Internet Suddenly Stopped

Providing Valuable Insights

Crowe noted that Webb's latest image will help science advance even further than it has ever before. He noted that massive stars are factories that produce heavy elements inside their nuclear cores. This means that understanding them better is akin to learning about the origin of the majority of things in the universe.

Studying the center of our galaxy using data from James Webb could provide valuable insights into how many stars form inside. It could also help in identifying whether or not massive stars are more likely to form near the galactic center rather than the spiral arms of the Milky Way.

A research professor of astronomy, Jonathan Tan said that the galactic center is the most extreme environment in our Milky Way galaxy. He noted that it is the region where current theories of star formation can be put to their most rigorous test in history, said CNN.

Related Article: Researchers Discover Fascinating Triple Star System That Could Provide Crucial Insights Into Stellar Formations

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In a new Instagram post, the 'In Da Club' hitmaker declares that he will executive produce a movie called 'Surviving P Diddy', seemingly a reference to the 2019 documentary 'Surviving R. Kelly'.

Nov 24, 2023

AceShowbiz - 50 Cent continued to troll Sean "P. Diddy" Combs after Cassie exposed the latter in her bombshell lawsuit. In a new Instagram post, the "In Da Club" hitmaker declared that he will executive produce a movie called "Surviving P Diddy", seemingly a reference to the 2019 documentary "Surviving R. Kelly".

On Wednesday, November 22, Fif shared screenshots of a headline about sexual assault against Diddy. There were also articles with the titles, "Diddy's Clothing Brand Sean John Being 'Phased Out' Of Macy's After Two-Decade Partnership" and "Diddy's Legal Battle Over Tequila Brand Put On Ice Until 2024."

In the caption, Fif wrote, "I Told you they was coming, in 5,4,3,2,1 SMH." He added, "This is a movie (SURVIVING P DIDDY) OR (DIDDY, DO IT OR NOT) executive produced by Curtis 50cent Jackson coming soon !"

After Cassie filed a rape lawsuit against Diddy, which has been dismissed, 50 Cent poked fun at his long-time rival on social media. "Damn brother love, brother love, brother love, you out here looking [eyes emoji] CRAZY AS A MF. LMAO," the G-Unit mogul penned on Instagram earlier this month.

When Cassie and Diddy announced that they agreed to "amicably" resolve the issue, Fif argued, "LOL He paid that money real quick." The "Power" star continued, "Should have done that before the sharks saw the blood in the water and here they come in 5,4,3,2,1 every woman he put his hand on."

Diddy's lawyer, however, insisted that the settlement is in "no way" an admission of his client's "wrongdoing." The attorney said on Saturday, "Just so we're clear, a decision to settle a lawsuit, especially in 2023, is in no way an admission of wrongdoing. Mr. Combs' decision to settle the lawsuit does not in any way undermine his flat-out denial of the claims. He is happy they got to a mutual settlement and wishes Ms. Ventura the best."

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The former producer who now makes a living as a bus driver has demanded 'proper credit' and compensation for his contributions to the iconic 1995 track.

Nov 24, 2023

AceShowbiz - A bus driver has said he's owed royalties for his work on Tupac Shakur's "Dear Mama". New York City bus driver and musician Terrence Thomas, who used to produce and DJ under the moniker Master Tee, has lodged a lawsuit alleging he had a significant role in the creation of the late hip hop legend's iconic 1995 track, which featured on his third album "Me Against the World".

Thomas - who was credited as a co-producer on the song - has claimed he was "never properly and fully credited for his publishing copyright," as reported by Music Business Worldwide. He cites, in the lawsuit, interviews with the rapper himself as well as handwritten credits he wrote which named him as the creator of the original beat.

He also alleged that Interscope, the label's parent company Universal Music Group and producer Tony D. Pizarro "conspired" to diminish his role in order to stop him earning royalties as a co-writer.

The lawsuit claims, "A self-serving group, led by an upstart music producer, Tony D. Pizarro, conspired with executives at Interscope Records and Universal Music Group (UMG), misappropriated Master Tee's publishing copyright and master recording copyright and assumed the identity of writer/publisher of Dear Mama's music."

The song itself is one of only three hip hop tracks to be recognised in the Library of Congress registry, with the organisation describing it as "a moving and eloquent homage to both the murdered rapper's own mother and all mothers struggling to maintain a family in the face of addiction, poverty and societal indifference."

The lawsuit also targets Warner Bros, Fox, Hulu, Disney, and NBC regarding the five-part documentary series "Dear Mama", which dropped earlier this year and focused on the relationship between Tupac and his mother Afeni Shakur.

The lawsuit does note that the version he and Tupac recorded in 1993 wasn't the version that was released in 1995, but he claims Pizarro did use the original to create the latter. Thomas is seeking "proper credit" on the track as producer, co-writer, and co-publisher, plus "compensation for his contributions to the song."

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Dylan once clashed with the television producer on set of his Disney series for defiantly skipping a 'fat joke' and insisting he 'would not disrespect any woman that way.'

Nov 24, 2023

AceShowbiz - Dylan Sprouse wouldn't make a "fat joke" on "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody". Actress Kim Rhodes - who starred as twins Dylan and Cole Sprouse's mother on the classic Disney Channel series - has recalled the way the child star reacted to show bosses trying to make a joke about her pregnancy.

"I got pregnant when I was on the show, and of course the show dealt with it by making fat jokes. And one of my favorite memories is Dylan had a line that was a fat joke and he just kept skipping over it. It was, like, in the middle of a chunk of dialogue, so he kept skipping this laugh line," the 54-year-old actress told the "Back to the Best" podcast.

Kim can still remember everyone going to film the scene for the studio audience and Dylan - who played Zack on the show alongside brother Cole as Cody - skipping over the line to the fury of the executive producer backstage.

She added, "He goes, 'Cut! Dylan! Say the line!' And [Dylan] goes, 'I would not disrespect any woman that way, let alone this women. You write something funny and I'll say it.' That's my little man."

She admitted both the twins, now 31, was "protective" of herself and the rest of the cast, including Ashley Tisdale and Brenda Song. She explained, "They understood that - like, early on, Phil [Lewis] was like, 'Look, you are the only two people on this set that are not expendable, so you take the bullet, every time.' And they took that so seriously."

Kim revealed she isn't in contact with the duo anymore, noting "they were kids" when they worked together. She pointed out, "I often tell people when they're like, 'Aw, you don't keep in contact?' I'm like, 'Think about your favorite teacher in middle school. Think about your favorite teacher. Now as much as you love them, you're probably not still in contact with them.' "

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Only several months after settling a rape case with a woman, now the 'Jerry Maguire' actor is bracing himself for similar battle after being slapped with more lawsuits by two females.

Nov 24, 2023

AceShowbiz - Cuba Gooding Jr. is taken to court for sexual assault by two women. The "What Dreams May Come" actor is facing a further two cases after only settling a case with a woman who claimed he had raped her in a New York City hotel room a decade ago in June.

Both incidents reportedly took place at New York eateries in 2018 and 2019. The lawsuits were filed with the New York Supreme Court on Wednesday, November 22, two days before the Adult Survivors Act ends on Friday, November 24.

In the summer, the Oscar-winning star avoided a trial after it was cancelled just moments after jurors were due to take their seats in the New York federal court with both parties meeting an agreement. A calendar entry in the official court record read, "TRIAL OFF. Reason for cancellation (on consent), the parties have resolved the matter."

The woman had alleged Cuba raped her in 2013 in a hotel room. However, she seemingly pulled out of the trial when Judge Paul Crotty ruled that she would have to share her name.

The acclaimed star was originally accused of violating three different women in New York City in 2018 and 2019. However, he only pleaded guilty to one of the allegations and insists he "didn't mean to disrespect anyone."

Cuba told "Piers Morgan Uncensored", "You have to live in your truth, and I know in my truth, I didn't mean to disrespect anyone." He admitted to touching a woman at a New York nightclub in 2018.

The "Jerry Maguire" actor has always denied any wrongdoing, insisting any acts were consensual, but apologised for making women feel "uncomfortable." Cuba insists he has "100 per cent changed" since he pleaded guilty to one count of forcible touching.

The Hollywood star - who agreed to attend counselling for six months as part of his plea deal - told Piers, "It's funny too because I don't want this to stop me connecting with my fans. I don't want this to stop me connecting with the gregarious behaviour in terms of the positive energy that I have. I'm ten times more aware of what is going on around me and I just use that as my focus."

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Remember that advertisement is all about making a product or a service unique. Even the best of the software like ChatGPT will never offer that uniqueness. So, do not feel discouraged by them as they often compromise the quality of the advertisements, said Vikram Sahay, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, while delivering his keynote address at the 19th edition of the Marketing Conclave (MarCon), organised by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) on November 22, 2023, in Mumbai.

This year, MarCon explored, through 30 sessions, across four tracks, the theme of Tomorrows Canvas: Tech and the Art of Marketing. The conference was co-powered by Whistle Feed.

Addressing the conferences theme topic, Sahay delved into the dynamic intersection of technology and marketing, shedding light on innovative strategies to navigate the evolving landscape of digital advertising.

In his keynote Sahay also dwelt on advertising regulatory practices and underlined the importance of ethical marketing. Today, we have certain regulatory practices and guidelines that protect us from misleading ads, especially in education and healthcare. We must stay away from such unethical practices, he said.

MarCon 2023 brought together on one platform more than 65 industry captains and subject stalwarts to explore the theme subject 360 degrees. Over 350+ agencies, 500+ leading brands and 1,500 delegates took part in the conference.

Speaking on unified measurement for digital platforms, Gulshan Verma, CEO of Jio Ads, explained, Fundamentally, measurement is the backbone of business, translating into vital components such as your business metrics, engagement metrics, and sales figures. What further adds to this process is the perception of your brand. Introducing unified measurement transforms the landscape, where context makes all the difference. Online and physical touch points make it challenging to analyse or even apply unified measurement. Unification will happen if we are able to link business numbers and other tangibles to arrive at some sort of numeric unification or one scale of measurement for digital platforms.

Talking on changing tech allowing new age marketers to connect with Bharat, MVS Murthy, CMO, Federal Bank, said, AI does not have an emotional quotient, hence, it cannot be sensitive towards human emotions. Only humans can understand the subtle sensitivities of any matter. While targeting Bharat, its important we understand and acknowledge these nuances and think regional and vernacular first, its a human emotion, we think in our mother tongue and then speak in English or any other language.

Among other prominent speakers at the conclave were Tushar Vyas, President, GroupM South Asia; Gaurav Verma, Vice President, Games 24x7; Arun Srinivas, Director & Head of Ads Business, Meta; Ranjana Mangla, Senior VP and Head of Ad Revenue, Sony Pictures Network Ltd; Sanket Narkar, Head of Marketing, Physics Wallah; and Shoumyan Biswas, Chief Marketing Officer, Tata Digital.

Results of the second edition of the prestigious Digital Native Brands Awards (DNBA) were announced at a gala ceremony at MarCon. This year there were over 150 entries for DNBA, which were distributed in 19 categories. The Awards celebrate and honour businesses and brands that have harnessed the power of digital technology, epitomise the spirit of digital entrepreneurship, and leverage technology as a core driver of their success. The Best DNB Woman Entrepreneur of The Year Award went to Ghazal Alagh, Honasa Consumer, (Mamaearth), and the Best Digital Native Brand Entrepreneur Award was bagged by Manish Chowdhary, WOW Skin Science.
IIT Mandi iHub and HCI Foundation concluded the first edition of its flagship HIVE Conclave held at Hotel Pride Plaza, New Delhi. The event marked a pioneering milestone in fostering collaboration and convergence between researchers and industry professionals in India. The event, the first-of-its-kind in the country, witnessed enthusiastic participation from an array of researchers and industry professionals and successfully achieved its goal in enabling the ideal convergence between research and industry to address real-life problems through the aid of technology.

The event witnessed a series of insightful discussions, presentations, and talks from eminent personalities from across sectors like industry, research, and Government. It further provided an effective platform for researchers and industry to gain a deeper understanding of market realities and needs. The theme of the conclave was Leading through Problem Statement: Following it with Solution Pitch! The association between the research community and the industry professionals showcased the potential for mutual support, alignment, and collaboration which could lead to accelerated and meaningful outcomes, in turn contributing positively towards the socio-economic progress of our nation.

The conclave began with a Networking Dinner on November 17th, setting the stage for collaborative engagement, backed by the idea that collaborative efforts are the best way forward to provide industry stakeholders, including startups, with a research-based foundation for their ideas and products, while simultaneously enabling researchers to gain insights into market realities and needs.

The Inaugural Address by Prof. Laxmidhar Behera, Director, IIT Mandi, on November 18th, marked the official commencement of the event; he congratulated IIT Mandi iHub for its Skill Development Program which is not only focusing on skilling but ensuring employment after skill training. Prof. Behera further shared, IIT Mandi is at the forefront of Human-Computer Interaction, with numerous exciting developments underway. Our focus extends beyond theoretical research to tangible marketable products. In collaboration with a consortium of researchers, we are driving four grand projects, including an innovative artificial scheme, a bio-manufacturing initiative for printable food, and the crucial development of a Made-in-India air ambulance. These projects showcase our commitment to addressing real-world challenges. Beyond these, our diverse projects span non-invasive diabetic diagnosis, smart yoga mats, and more. The Technology Innovation Hub empowers youth, boasting a 100% success rate, with 180+ students having being trained and securing jobs. I am confident that todays conclave shall play an instrumental role in translating visionary ideas into impactful products, learning from those who have navigated the same path.

Dr. Akhilesh Gupta, Sr. Advisor, DST and Secretary of Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), who graced the occasion as Chief Guest, said, In public-private-partnership programs implemented across India in the recent years, the industry has always been playing a supporting role, whereas majority of these initiatives were led by academia. However, it should go the other way around to be successful and impactful  its important for todays startups and other industry players to take the lead in terms of creating innovation and impact. We have over one lakh startups in India today, out of which only around 3500 are into deep-tech; this too has to be increased and focused upon so that India can lead globally in disruption in the near future.

Mr. Somjit Amrit, CEO, IIT Mandi iHub and HCI Foundation, setting the context of the event theme said, Indian-centric datasets across problem statements is the key to success in the Human-Computer Interaction endeavors in the Indian Market. IIT Mandi iHub firmly believes in this. This was clearly indicated in our theme for the conclave Leading through Problem Statement;Following it with Solution Pitch!, while highlighting that Outcome and Impact are not Synonyms.

The event also featured a series of impactful addresses and talks, including a Keynote Address by Hon. Prof. M Balakrishnan, IIT Delhi, focusing on the simplicity fostered by user-centric designs. Prof. Anirudha Joshi, IIT Bombay, spoke on Design technology solutions for and with Indian emergent users. Lt. Gen. Dr. Anil Kapoor (AVSM, VSM Retd.) shared insights on Human-Machine Interface - A Design Thinking Perspective from Lab to Market.

The HIVE Conclave also showcased numerous innovative presentations and case studies, covering groundbreaking topics such as - "Beyond the Line of Sight, Human-Drone Interface" by Dr. Satadal Ghosh, IIT Madras, and "Edible customized content creation through 3D printing" by Dr. Sumit Murab, IIT Mandi. Dr. Gaurav Jaswal presented a real-life case study on "Driver Alertness Management System," emphasizing its journey from research to market. Additionally, there were impactful presentations, including "A full lifecycle of tumour detection from screening to diagnosis" by Dr. Vishakha Bharati, UE Lifesciences, and Dr. Sukomal Dey, IIT Pallakad; and "A Human-Device Intervention for Stress Management" by Dr. Amita Jain, NSUT Delhi, and Priyanshu Priyam, AyuSpectra.

Finally, in a bid to ensure that industry perspectives dont go unspoken about, there were talks by various industry stalwarts as well. Anil Viswas, General Manager, Open Innovation - Startups, Samsung Research, provided a practitioner's viewpoint on Business to Consumer based innovative practices over the lifecycle of prototype to product. Mr. KR Venkatadri, CTO, Tata Chemicals Ltd., discussed the "Collaboration between Research Institutes and Industry  Benefits & Models. Mr. Sridharan Thyagrajan, Founder of Bumo3dr (Singapore), and Mr. Anu Pillai, Digital Partner at Wipro, discussed the "Use of experience technologies in solving real-life problems."

In all, there were 5 presentations consisting of collaborative efforts from both the research and industry sides. The value and potential impact from these presentations were judged by an esteemed panel of experts, and the winning presenters were rewarded with a cash prize. The event concluded with the announcement of results and a vote of thanks, celebrating the successful collaboration between research and industry. HIVE Conclave 2023 has set a precedent for future events that aim to address real-world problems through technology-oriented solutions.
INNOCEAN Worldwide is getting on the top gear to grow its business worldwide. Among many strategies being put into execution, collaboration with meaningful partners is gaining momentum.

Last week, INNOCEAN Global CEO William Lee announced that the company has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for strategic collaboration with ADK, a major Japanese agency with a 67-year history.

At the MOU signing ceremony, which took place at the ADK headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, executives of both companies, including Lee and ADK HD President & Group CEO Toshiya Oyama, celebrated the strategic partnership to explore new businesses and joint investment opportunities and exchange creative capabilities.

Founded in 1956, ADK is a large comprehensive advertisement agency with 11 offices throughout Japan in addition to its Tokyo headquarters, as well as global affiliates in 13 countries around the world. ADK is known to offer a full range of marketing services with its rich experience and know-how in creative planning/production, brand consulting, UI/UX, web design, space design, digital marketing, media planning/purchasing, content planning/production, IP and loyalty business.

INNOCEAN and ADK will establish a dedicated collaboration team based on this MOU, and both companies pledged to actively engage in exchanges of core creative resources and capabilities, explore new businesses, and seek joint investment ventures. INNOCEAN plans to undertake the role of a bridgehead for Korean companies looking to enter the Japanese market and actively develop new business opportunities in Japan.

Furthermore, Japanese clients of ADK are also expected to enter the Korean market through INNOCEAN. Meanwhile, the partnership is also part of INNOCEANs Asia Creative Hub project, which the company is aggressively implementing. Recently, INNOCEAN has signed MOUs with leading agencies in Singapore and Thailand in order to reinforce its creative alliance in Asia. With this partnership with the Japanese agency ADK, INNOCEAN has successfully expanded its network into East Asia.

Lee stated, It is critical to establish a partnership with a capable company when entering the Japanese advertisement market, and added INNOCEAN and ADK are planning to offer unprecedented global service by combining the strengths and unique capabilities of the two agencies.

Speaking on the occasion, Innocean India MD and CEO Jae Ho Yoo mentioned that Innocean India will also be looking forward to forging meaningful alignments/ collaborations in the Indian market to expand its business here. We are here to deeply entrench ourselves in the Indian market and be a part of its growth story. We are not here just as the branch of a global marketing communications company.

Santosh Kumar, the COO of Innocean India shared another perspective. The objective of new collaborations besides being able to add to the bottom line, is also to enhance the scope of service offerings for their current clients here in India. Leveraging the relevant domain capabilities of new partners to delight our clients by providing solutions to the evolving complexities in appealing to the new age audiences mindset is extremely important he said.
MAGGI is excited to introduce the latest edition of its unique initiative, 'MAGGI Apna Food Business.' This edition signifies a new chapter as MAGGI prepares to support budding home cooks across the country. MAGGI aims to empower aspiring content creators with the skills and knowledge they need to become successful culinary content creators. The winners will also have the opportunity to win INR 5 lakhs in seed capital to kickstart their own online food channel.

MAGGI has been a trusted companion over the last four decades in India, igniting the culinary curiosity of budding chefs. With the MAGGI portfolio, millions of homemakers and foodpreneurs are delighting people with extraordinary dishes each day. In line with the commitment towards fostering culinary talent and innovation, MAGGI Apna Food Business is offering individuals the perfect platform to embark on their journey as food content creators. Further to this, every registrant also gets a thoughtfully crafted starter kit. This kit comprises all the essential tools and guidance required to foray into the realm of food content creation.

Commenting on this initiative Rajat Jain, Director, Foods business, Nestle India said, Over the years MAGGI has evolved into a symbol of empowerment, innovation, and a celebration of the culinary arts. MAGGI Apna Food Business is another testament of our unwavering commitment towards celebrating the chefs and being their ally. We would like to thank our partners: India Food Network and some of the most prominent food influencers in India, Kabita Singh (KabitasKitchen), Madhura Bachal (MadhurasRecipe), Teja Paruchuri (Vismai Foods), and Tanhisikha Mukherjee (Tanhir Paakshala), who have joined hands with us in this endeavour.

In our country, numerous individuals who possess remarkable culinary skills, aspire to venture into content creation. However, they require the essential direction, expertise, and resources to initiate their own online food channel. MAGGI Apna Food Business is designed to provide them with the initial support they need to turn their dreams into reality.

Registration for MAGGI Apna Food Business is now open, inviting all aspiring food content creators to seize this remarkable opportunity and be part of something that's not just bigger and bolder but better in every way. To ensure the ease of accessibility for all, a missed call to 9289722997 is all it takes to register for MAGGI Apna Food Business initiative. The participants can even choose the language in which they would like to register and receive content in English, Hindi, Marathi, Kannada and Telugu. Like its debut edition, this edition also aims at being a step-by-step guide for culinary enthusiasts to explore their passions, create mouth-watering content, and connect with audiences across the nation.
Netflix India celebrated a historic win at the International Emmy Awards 2023, with Vir Das winning the award for Vir Das: Landing, in the Comedy category. This makes him the first Indian comedian to achieve this feat. The success underscored the global appeal of Indian storytelling and Netflixs key role in bringing these local stories to global audiences. The award for the Comedy Category was a tie with Derry Girls Season 3 also receiving the recognition.

Talking about winning at the International Emmy Awards, Vir expressed his excitement and joy saying, This moment is truly surreal  an incredible honor that feels like a dream. Winning an Emmy for 'Vir Das: Landing' in the 'Comedy Category' is not just a milestone for me but for Indian comedy as a whole. It's heartening to see 'Vir Das: Landing' resonate globally, thanks to Netflix, Aakash Sharma and Reg Tigerman who made it special. My journey from crafting local stories to receiving a global accolade has been both challenging and rewarding, and Netflix has been instrumental in that growth. I'm excited about the continued exploration of diverse narratives, from Noida to the International Emmys - India gets you there.
Leading independent full sensory experience agency, The Company We Keep (The CWK), has strengthened its South-East Asia (SEA) team with the addition of three new hires, including a Project Director and two Project Managers.

Based in The CWKs recently opened Singapore hub, newly appointed Project Director, Tam Xu, will spearhead the delivery of bespoke projects for clients across the SEA region. Additionally, Xu will nurture and train the team of producers for the Singapore Hub, ensuring a stellar production powerhouse.

Xu has held various roles and showcased exceptional skills. At MOI Global, Xu played a pivotal role in setting up the Events and Project Management teams from scratch. As an Event Director, she successfully led a growing team, managed end-to-end event planning and execution, and built strong client relationships with companies such as Fujifilm, Google Cloud, Oracle, Red Hat, and UBS.

Commenting on her new Project Director role and vision, Tam Xu said, The CWK has an envious reputation and Im thrilled to be part of the SEA team during an exciting growth phase. Together with Victor, I look forward to scaling new heights, building a team and achieving new milestones for The CWKs Singapore Hub.

In her position as Project Director, Xu is responsible for day-to-day project management across multiple departments, ensuring operational and financial discipline, delivery excellence, and resource optimisation.

Nicole Pow and Deon Tan will also be stepping into Project Management roles within the Singapore Hub, where they will be overseeing The CWK projects. Pow will leverage her tech-savvy expertise, while Tan will take on a social and creative heavy role.

Pow has spent the last 8 years in events management, where shes worked on many events ranging from conferences, meetings, award ceremonies, travel incentives and more. Tan brings 10 years of experience across events, sales, and marketing.

Victor Darmawan, Business Director Asia, The CWK, said, I am incredibly excited about Tam, Nicole, and Deon joining the company, and I look forward to working closely with them to elevate Singapore as the next Hub for The CWK. Together, we will continue to provide world-class service to our clients, fostering growth and success.

Nigel Ruffell, CEO, The CWK, added here, The addition of Tam, Nicole, and Deon to our growing team is a testament to The Company We Keep's remarkable success in the SEA region. Each of them brings a wealth of invaluable experience that will undoubtedly enhance our capabilities across APAC. With our expanding team and reinforced presence, we're embarking on an exciting journey filled with limitless opportunities, and we eagerly anticipate the amazing work they will do.

With the Singapore base launching earlier this year, The CWK has already commenced work with clients such as Credit Suisse and WalkMe. Adding to the roster of project work with foundation clients Salesforce, and Docusign.

Servicing client events globally, The CWK creates experiences that uniquely target the senses by delivering strong, long-lasting, emotional bonds between audiences and brands.
Sam Altman is back to manage OpenAI, only days after his unexpected removal as CEO of the firm, the business said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday, November 22. His eviction last week caused a staff revolt that threatened to damage what has been the top company in the emerging artificial intelligence (AI) field.

OpenAI announced in a post on X that its initial board will consist of Bret Taylor, the former chair of Twitter's board before the acquisition by Elon Musk, Larry Summers, the former United States treasury secretary, and Adam D'Angelo, the CEO of Quora and one of the trustees who voted to oust Altman.

"We have reached an agreement in principle for Sam to return to OpenAI as CEO ... We are collaborating to figure out the details. Thank you so much for your patience through this," the statement read.

We have reached an agreement in principle for Sam Altman to return to OpenAI as CEO with a new initial board of Bret Taylor (Chair), Larry Summers, and Adam D'Angelo.



We are collaborating to figure out the details. Thank you so much for your patience through this. November 22, 2023

New Board Members Revealed

With Altman back at work, the AI firm's operations can finally return to normal after almost a week of upheaval.

His dismissal last Friday, November 17, stunned many in the tech world, and it even alarmed OpenAI's investors and workers, who quickly organized a campaign to get him reinstated. Altman decided to join Microsoft on a Sunday night, November 19, but the following day, both he and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella indicated that they would still be open to his returning to OpenAI.

Nearly all of the company's 770 workers threatened to resign in a letter circulated earlier this week if he was not reinstated.

According to The Washington Post, a source familiar with the situation said that under the terms of the latest agreement, Altman will not be allowed to serve on the new board, and the board has agreed to an independent investigation into all aspects of the recent events, including Altman's role.

The sole reason given for firing Altman was that he had been dishonest in his dealings with the board.

Another source acquainted with the situation said that the original board of three will screen and designate a formal board of up to nine members. Board members Ilya Sutskever, Helen Toner, and Tasha McCauley, who joined D'Angelo in seeking Altman's removal, will reportedly resign from their positions, the insider added. This individual also confirmed the departure of Emmett Shear, the temporary CEO appointed to succeed Altman.

See Also: OpenAI Now Seeking More Funds From Microsoft for Superintelligence Development

Company's Internal Turmoil

OpenAI's internal strife over who should direct the company's future was brought to light by the uproar around Altman's abrupt dismissal.

OpenAI was founded in 2015 as a nonprofit research lab, but under Altman's leadership, the company has raised billions of dollars from companies like Microsoft and venture investors and has begun selling consumer goods. Outside critics and even workers believed the business had abandoned its objective and was acting more like a Big Tech corporation. The initial intention behind it was to provide a more democratic and open alternative to Big Tech.

Altman's return will relieve investors, customers, and staff who worried the boardroom conflict might sink the firm. That would have created an empty space in the AI business, allowing rivals to grow.

See Also: OpenAI CEO's GPTs Bashes X's Grok AI, Calling It 'Cringey Boomer'

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
AI (Artificial Intelligence) has recently become indispensable to the web design world. User experience is everything in the web development industry. AI can solve challenges in regard to customized user experience. Artificial Intelligence can improve your websites user experience, marketing strategy, chatbots, and web design. This article details the crucial role AI plays in web design.

How AI is used in Web Development

Artificial Intelligence is being used by web developers in different ways including:

Faster Coding

Some web developers consider coding to be challenging or a problematic task. With the use of AI, coding is quicker and more manageable. AI in web development is used to automate multiple tasks that assist web developers to code more effectively. Using AI in coding cuts down the processing time and allows developers to create more intuitive applications within a shorter time frame.

24/7 Chatbots Support

Businesses that can not afford to hire support staff to work around the clock can hire a machine learning engineer to develop a chatbot for their website. Chatbots help to manage customer requests faster and provide customer service better. Companies that use chatbots as their support on their websites have seen sales increase by 67%. This proves that customer experience is better with chatbots for all customers.

Voice Search Optimization

Nowadays, you dont have to type your search term as most people are used to doing. About 58% of consumers are now utilizing voice search features to find information about local businesses. For businesses with websites, voice search adaptability is an essential feature if you want more traffic and an easy way for your customers to locate you. VAs (Virtual assistants) such as Alexa, Siri, Cortana, and Google Home use Artificial Intelligence to recognize voice commands and react.

Better Personalized User Experience (UX)

The increased accessibility to the World Wide Web has put site owners in a crucial spot. Web developers want to build the best websites that enhance customer experience. With the use of AI in web development, it is now possible to have a website with a better user experience. Artificial Intelligence techniques use real-time data that help to understand each users preference.

AI puts the customers choices in the middle of the whole web experience. This approach makes the customers feel they are valued. Some examples of streaming websites that rely on AI for the best user experience are YouTube and Netflix. By harnessing the power of AI, premier web development services in Hong Kong can tailor websites to individual preferences, ensuring a more engaging and tailored online experience for users.

(ADI) Artificial Design Intelligence

An ADI designs and creates functional and complete e-commerce sites for users. It comes up with the aesthetics, structure and content for the website. An ADI is capable of designing a website that is fit for any use and sense of taste. It does this by asking users questions and utilizing the data that its been trained on.

EndNote

AI has evolved since its first discovery. However, there is still a big potential for AI capabilities that are yet to be realized. With the increased demand for AI in human society, there will be bigger developments and progress in artificial intelligence globally. Above are just some of the applications of AI in web design.
A few days ago, state BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule was seen in a casino in Macau, sharing the photograph Shiv Sena (UTB) leader Sanjay Raut had posted a photograph on X purportedly showing Bawankule in a casino in Macau. He wrote in his post, I do not know whose photo it is. Someone told me he was a prominent personality from Maharashtra. Within a span of twenty-four hours, he spent 3.5 crore. It means there is suddenly acche din in Maharashtra, he told reporters two days ago.

While clarifying the allegation, Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule said it was a deliberate attempt to defame him and hurt his family. He denied allegations made by Raut that he was seen in a casino in Macau. Bawankule claims the photo was taken to defame him and says it is impossible to take such a large amount of money to a foreign country. Raut has defended his actions, saying he tweeted the photo out of humanity.

I have reached this stature through hard work and struggle. I am so busy with party work that I manage to spend only one day a month with my family. They (the family) insisted that I stay with them for three days, and hence we planned a trip to Macau. Every hotel there has a casino, and you cannot reach your room without going past the casino. The picture was clicked during that period just to defame me, he said.

Bawankule further explained how anyone could take Rs 3.5 crore to a foreign country. Even if you carry Rs 1 lakh, you are made to go through several rounds of checks. Neither do I have any friends there. Therefore, the question of spending such a huge amount does not arise at all.

To counter Bawankule, Raut tweeted only one photograph of humanity. Bawankule should teach leaders from his own party about the pain the families of opposition leaders go through after the attack from those in the ruling alliance. What the leaders of his party do is part of their culture.
Police said a 19-year-old was killed just after 2 a.m. Thursday morning in a single-vehicle crash in Lawrence County.

Alabama State Troopers said Wiliam A. Owens Jr., of Decatur, was fatally injured when his Dodge Challenger he was driving left the roadway, overturned and struck a utility pole.

Troopers said Owens was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash and was pronounced dead on the scene.

The crash occurred at approximately 2:09 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day on Lawrence County Road 222, about three miles east of Trinity.

No additional information was available at publication time. Troopers with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agencys (ALEA) Highway Patrol Division continue to investigate.
A small group gathered in Huntsville Tuesday night to sample and celebrate Avalon Zwickelbier, a new craft beer made with a new strain of Alabama barley identified by Alabama scientists, grown by Alabama farmers and brewed by an Alabama brewery.

The verdict? Good beer. Even better was evidence Alabama is becoming a state that has its mind open to trying something different, Huntsville plant geneticist Alex Harkess said.

Craft beer is big business in America. More than 9,500 breweries were operating in 2022, according to the national Brewers Association, and most breweries in the East import key ingredients like barley and hops that grow best in the West.

Scientists from the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology in Huntsville, like Harkess, and from Alabama A&M University teamed with Auburn University in 2021 to see if they could develop a barley that would grow well in winter when Alabama farm fields are mostly empty. They tried more than 50 varieties and the ones that grew best were planted in four large A&M field plots. The trial yielded more than 30,000 pounds of barley.

HudsonAlpha scientists had the idea during the pandemic when their labs were mostly closed and they got together occasionally over a beer. We wanted to capture more of the (craft beer) value chain for Alabama, hopefully moving from growing barley to malting to brewing, HudsonAlpha researcher Jeremy Schmutz said. Were trying to build an alternative value chain for Alabama.

Alabama barley grown in an experiment by the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology in Huntsville sits on a dinner table at the unveiling of new craft beer made with the barley. It could become a new winter crop for farmers.Lee Roop

The state liked the idea, too. Funding for the barley project, now in its second year, is from ADECA (Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs), Schmutz said.

Just like most science, it takes a bit of a leap, Harkess said. It takes a bit of faith from all the people involved. And it started to work.

HudsonAlpha started by collecting as much barley diversity as we possibly could from research universities. They found strains that grew well in winter and spread them among willing trial farmers like Jackson Countys Kevin Olinger. Olinger planted a small field of barley last year when his fields were normally empty or growing wheat.

I like to experiment, and we thought we could help, Olinger said at the Tuesday beer unveiling. Did it work? Yes, sir, Olinger said. I planted 10 (more) acres yesterday.

Its exciting to see, Olinger added. We need something new in Alabama.

HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology genetic scientists Alex Harkess, left, and Jeremy Schmutz, right, pose with Yellowhammer Brewing co-founder Ethan Couch in Huntsville Nov. 21, 2023 at the unveiling of the new craft beer Avalon Zwickelbier made with barley grown in Alabama. The beer and others to come offer customers new tastes to try and farmers a new winter crop to grow.Lee Roop

We started to see beautiful yields and gorgeous barley, Harkess said, and then we kind of had an issue. We had thousands of pounds of barley. What do you do with that much barley? You either make granola or beer. Were starting to do both.

The project needed malt from the barley to make beer. The researchers found that in North Carolina at the craft malt producer and vendor Riverbend Malt House. Can I send tens of thousands of pounds of barley to you? Harkess asked. Yes, Riverbend said.

The next need was breweries. Alabama craft breweries like Yellowhammer in Huntsville were contacted and it along with at least a dozen breweries across the state are now using malt from the barley. Each one of them are taking multiple varieties developed for us by Riverbend, Harkess said.

The project was a massive coordination challenge and both Harkess and Schmutz praised Kaitlyn Williams, project coordinator in HudsonAlphas Clevenger Laboratory. She led the effort getting seed to the farmers, barley to Riverbend and malt to the brewers.

For me, its a very powerful story, Harkess told the audience. Weve connected the farming community in Alabama, non-profit research communities like HudsonAlpha, research universities like Auburn, HBCUs like Alabama A&M.

Now, the institute is looking for long-term partners to keep the chain growing.

(Updated 11/30/23 to correct the name of craft malt producer Riverbend Malt House)
A Pennsylvania father has been charged after his 7-year-old son used his pistol to shoot and wound his 11-year-old brother.

Mark Anthony Dunlap Sr., 35, of Cogan Station, turned himself in Wednesday and was released on $10,000 unsecured bail on a charge of endangering the welfare of children.

He is accused of failing to seek immediate treatment for his wounded son.

Lycoming Regional Police said they were told of the Oct. 14 shooting on Nov. 5, the same day the boys mother, who lives in Bradford County, said she learned of it from the victim who claimed he had a secret.

The 11-year-old did not want his father to know he told her he had been shot by his brother, police said.

The younger boy shot his brother with Dunlaps 45-caliber handgun while they were with him in Cogan Station, they said.

The victim told police he asked his father to take him to the hospital but he refused, claiming the boy would be taken away if he did.

The following is taken from the arrest affidavit:

The boy said he missed several days of school and when he returned, blood from the wound seeped through a bandage and his shorts prompting him to see the school nurse.

The school contacted Dunlap who claimed his son had fallen on rocks. He did not immediately return the boys to their mother telling her they were ill.

When he did return them, she took the 11-year-old to Robert Packer Hospital in Sayre where investigators said a doctor confirmed he had been shot with the bullet entering the right upper thigh/lower buttocks and exiting through the left buttock.

Bullet fragments remained inside the child, the mother said a doctor told her.

Dunlap confirmed that account, police said. The arrest documents do not say how the 7-year-old was able to get the gun.
Dothan police say a 19-year-old male has died after being shot on Wednesday night.

Police said the Dothan-Houston County Emergency Operations Center received a call at around 10:07 p.m. Wednesday reporting a firearm assault in the 4000 block of Richland Road.

Dothan police and Dothan Fire and Rescue arrived on the scene to find a male with a gunshot wound to the upper torso and began life saving measures. The victim was transported to Southeast Health, where he was pronounced dead.

The victim was identified as Antwan Shonquez Register of Dothan.

Dothan police say they are investigating the incident and are working to identify and locate the person, or persons, responsible.

Police urge anyone with information about the incident to contact the Dothan Police Department at 334-615-3000. The Dothan Police Department says it will will stringently guard and protect the identities of all those who wish to help in an anonymous capacity.
Police say a 76-year-old from Tuscumbia has died after a two-vehicle crash near Muscle Shoals.

Alabama State Troopers said Jimmie D. Smallwood was fatally injured when the 2005 Ford Freestyle he was driving was struck by a 2016 Nissan Rogue driven by Emma C. Snipes, 24, also of Tuscumbia.

Troopers said the crash occurred around 10:45 p.m. Wednesday on Alabama Highway 20 near mile marker 30, about three miles southeast of Muscle Shoals in Colbert County.

No further information was available at publication. Troopers with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agencys (ALEA) Highway Patrol Division continue to investigate.
Alabama State Troopers say a 25-year-old woman has died after the car she was driving left the road and struck a tree in St. Clair County.

Troopers say Mekala S. Bonner of Odenville was fatally injured in the crash which occurred around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday on Kelly Creek Road, about three miles south of Odenville.

Troopers say Bonner was driving a 2015 Ford Mustang and was not using a seatbelt at the time of the crash. She was pronounced dead on the scene.

No further information is available at publication time. Troopers with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agencys (ALEA) Highway Patrol Division continue to investigate.
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A former advisor to President Barack Obama was caught on camera Nov. 21 making Islamaphobic remarks to a muslim street vendor in New York City this week.

The video has garnered more than 10 million views after it was posted to X on Tuesday afternoon. The video posted on X shows Stuart Seldowitz, who was a national security advisor to former President Obama, making racist remarks at a halal food vendor in New York City.

If we killed 4,000 Palestinian kids, it wasnt enough. Its not my fault you pray to a criminal, Seldowitz said said to the vendor, who repeatedly asked him to leave because he was working.

More than 13,000 people have been killed in Gaza since October 7, according to the United Nations. In Israel, the official death toll from Hamass attacks stands at about 1,200.

Seldowitz, who is a three-time winner of the State Departments Superior Honour Award, was also filmed harassing a street vendor in what appeared to be a separate incident, where he was wearing different clothes and it appeared to be a different time of day.

Seldowitz worked in the U.S. State Departments Office of Israel and Palestinian Affairs from 1999 to 2003 and then served as Acting Director of the National Security Council South Asia Directorate from 2009 to 2011 for the Obama administration.

Do you speak Arabic, the language of the Koran? The holy Koran, he also said, appearing to mock the Muslim religious text. Thats why youre selling food in a food cart, because youre ignorant, but you should learn English. Itll help you when they deport you back to Egypt.

Meet Stuart Seldowitz, a former advisor to the White House who used to advise Obama on foreign policy.



He is a three-time winner of the State Departments Superior Honour Award.

pic.twitter.com/DYDUKnhmEw  Zara Magnusson (@zaramagnusson) November 21, 2023

Commenters on social media are responding to the videos of Seldowitz comparing his harassing language to U.S. government support of Israel in the war.

This is the Former Obama national security advisor, Stuart Seldowitz. When these are the people shaping US foreign policy then it makes sense why the US has the blood of Muslims in their hands. They are proud of their hatred for islam and their crimes against the Muslim world, said X user @Abo_Mradd.

This harassment comes at a moment of unprecedented rising Islamophobic sentiment among Americans in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said reports of anti-Muslim harassment have increased 216%.

CAIR received more than 1,200 reports of anti-Muslim incidents from Oct. 7 to Nov. 4, which the organization said represents a 216% increase in reports compared to last year.

In the last six weeks, Muslim American victims of violent hate crimes have made national headlines, including a 6-year-old Palestinian stabbed 36 times and killed in Chicago, the fatal assault of Talat J. Khan, a Muslim pediatrician in Texas, an Arab Muslim Stanford University student was sent to the hospital after a hit and run on campus and threats to people wearing Palestinian clothing in public.

We want to emphasize that these incidents are not occurring in isolation, but theyre actually connected to the ongoing violence in Gaza, said CAIR research and advocacy coordinator Farah Afify in response to the Seldowitz video. When politicians and media networks use and uplift Islamophobic rhetoric in order to justify the ongoing killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza by the Israeli government, that lends itself directly to Islamophobic sentiment and therefore anti-Muslim incidents in the United States.

While the violence being reported now represents a deviation, there was still a regular stream of anti-Muslim hate crime in the United States. In 2021, there were over 2,700 anti-Muslim hate crimes reported in the United States. Despite a report earlier this year marking decreased incidents of anti-Muslim hate, CAIR said the more than 200% increase from this year compared to last year is alarming.

Afify said anti-Muslim hate is directly connected to American lawmakers who have embraced Islamophobic rhetoric. On Nov 7, during the Florida legislative session, Florida Rep. Michelle Salzman, who shouted all of them in response to a rhetorical question from Rep. Angie Nixon (D-Jacksonville) who asked, We are at 10,000 dead Palestinians. How many will be enough [to call for a ceasefire]?

In the clip, which has racked up 11.9 million views on X, a heckler can be heard shouting, all of them. The woman was later identified as Salzman.

This isnt new behavior. In 2021, United States Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colorado) made a joke about Rep. Ilhan Omar being (D-Minnesota) mistaken for a terrorist in a Capitol elevator. Boebert later issued an apology.

At the same time, reports of anti-semitic hate in the US are also on the rise. The Anti-Defamation League, an American Jewish advocacy group and one of the oldest anti-hate groups in in America, documented a staggering 832 antisemitic incidents of assault, vandalism and harassment between Oct. 7, the day Hamas attacked Israel, and Nov. 7, which represents an increase of 316% over the same period last year.

The US Justice Dept. has also reportedly been taking notice of the spike in hate crimes against Jewish and Muslim individuals since Oct. 7 and says it is taking measures to protect and assure those communities. In addition to meeting with Jewish leaders about threats to Jewish university students, the department has opened a hate crime investigation in the case of the Muslim child stabbed to death in Chicago.

The fallout of Seldowitzs Islamophobic rant

Gotham Government Relations, a Manhattan-based lobbying group for which Seldowitz served as the new foreign affairs chain, cut ties with him Tuesday after his remarks went viral that afternoon.

Seldowitz told the New York Times Wednesday the conversation started after the vendor told him he supported Hamas. His claims are currently not confirmed and nNone of those statements from the vendor were shown in videos posted online,, and the vendors support for Hamas has not been confirmed, the NYT reported.

In an apology shared with City & State New York following the backlash from the videos, Seldowitz said he didnt consider himself an Islamophobic guy.

If I had to do it all over again, I would not have raised the religious aspect, he told City & State. Ive spoken up for equal treatment of Muslims on numerous occasions with numerous different people. But you know, in the heat of the moment, I said things that probably I shouldnt have said.

Afify said the interaction between Seldowitz and the food vendor is not unique when compared to the reports of anti-Muslim harassment and violence the organization has responded to this year.

She said the proliferation of this type of behavior is even more reason for a ceasefire in Gaza.

I would emphasize that it is not a unique example, but it is similar to the kinds of anti-Muslim rhetoric incidents that weve seen across the country, Afify said. It speaks to the need for the Biden administration to come out and call for a lasting ceasefire in order to protect the lives of Palestinian civilians abroad and to protect the lives and well being of Muslims, Arabs and Palestinians in the United States.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and First Lady Kim Keon Hee visited London this week in a state visit to the United Kingdom.

The purpose of the state visit was to boost economic ties and security partnerships as the Republic of Korea faces what it saw as a growing danger from its nuclear-armed northern neighbor.

Yoon's visit to the UK was the first-ever state visit since the coronation of King Charles III.

British Ambassador to South Korea Colin Crooks told Reuters that the state visit was a "hugely significant" moment in the two countries' partnership, 140 years after it was officially established.

Diplomatic ties between London and Seoul go back to the British-Korean Treaty of 1883, back when Korea was still a monarchy.

"It reflects the fact that UK-Korea relations are the closest they have ever been, with close collaboration across defense, trade, science and technology, culture and energy and climate," Crooks said in a statement.

Aside from the symbolism of being the first state visit of Britain's modern Carolean age, the trip would also take bilateral cooperation to what Crooks described as "a new level of intensity through an ambitious and comprehensive suite of new partnerships and agreements," without any further elaborations.

Yoon's UK Trip So Far

Upon landing in London, Yoon and his wife were treated to a ceremonial welcome at Buckingham Palace by King Charles and his wife Queen Camilla.

Later that day, Yoon addressed British lawmakers in Westminster on Tuesday (November 21), saying that the relations between the two nations would be "reborn."

Barron's reported that the South Korean leader highlighted in his speech the intertwined history of the two nations before looking forward to deepening ties on Wednesday (November 22) by signing an agreement on a series of documents known as the "Downing Street Accord," which would open negotiations on a strengthened trade deal.

"We will begin negotiations to modernize the [free trade agreement] to strengthen cooperation and supply chains and digital trade," Yoon said. "Tomorrow Prime Minister [Rishi] Sunak and I will sign the Downing Street Accord. Our bilateral relations will be reborn as true global strategic partners."

Read Also: South Korea Moves To End Country's Dog Meat Industry by 2027

Blackpink in the Palace

Later on Tuesday night, Yoon and the rest of the South Korean delegation were invited to a state dinner at Buckingham Palace.

Among the Koreans in the banquet were the highlight of the evening - Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa, and Rose of the KPop group Blackpink.

The presence of the group - who heeded the strict white-tie dress code in style - was duly noticed by Charles, who mentioned them in his speech.



"It is especially inspiring to see Korea's younger generation embrace the cause," the monarch said. "I applaud Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa, and Rose, better known collectively as BLACKPINK, for their role in bringing the message of environmental sustainability to a global audience as Ambassadors for the U.K.'s Presidency of COP 26, and later as advocates for the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals."

BLACKPINK react to being honoured during a speech by King Charles III for the Korean State Banquet at Buckingham Palace, via Sky News. pic.twitter.com/OYSfEOIqtm  Pop Base (@PopBase) November 21, 2023

Upon the mention of their names, the girls were observed to be visibly delighted by Charles's apparent shoutout, People reported.

The king also highlighted in his speech Korea's influence in pop culture, in which he reckoned BTS as a worthy rival to The Beatles, whose surviving members have released what could be the band's final song, "Now and Then."

Aside from the king and queen, also present were the Prince and Princess of Wales William and Catherine, as well as Sunak and his predecessor and current Foreign Secretary, Lord David Cameron.

Related Article: Blackpink Singapore Concert VIP Ticket Holders Paid $300 Only to See The Girls Performing Live Via Smartphones

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English News China's Xinjiang fastens steps of opening up

Alwihda Info | Par pd - 23 Novembre 2023



In addition to numerous cross-border e-commerce enterprises, there is also a fantastic destination for shopaholics in Horgosthe China-Kazakhstan Horgos International Border Cooperation Center. Spanning an area of 3.43 square kilometers on the Chinese side and 2.17 square kilometers on the Kazakh side, this center offers visitors 30 days of visa-free cross-border facilitation.

By Jiang Yunlong, Wen Suwei, People's Daily Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, located at the heart of the Eurasian continent, sees the most land ports as a provincial-level region in China. It plays an irreplaceable role in the development of the Silk Road Economic Belt.



In Xinjiang, it takes only 0.08 hours for cargos to complete customs clearance through the Alashankou railway port; the number of China-Europe freight trains departing from and arriving in Horgos has increased with an annual growth of 81 percent; foreign trade volume of the autonomous region exceeded 250 billion yuan ($34.44 billion) in the first three quarters this year, reaching a historical high.



In recent years, with China's efforts to expand opening up, develop its western region, and promote the Belt and Road Initiative, Xinjiang has transformed from a relatively closed inland area to a frontier of opening up.

Not long ago, China's State Council issued a general plan for establishing the Xinjiang Pilot Free Trade Zone (FTZ), further promoting Xinjiang's high-level opening up and writing a new chapter in the autonomous region's engagement with the outside world.



Recently, a China-Europe freight train departed from Xinjiang's Alashankou, also known as Alataw Pass, for Kazakhstan.



"We send polyvinyl chloride materials and solar cells out and take wheat, edible oil, and minerals back to China," said Guan Xizhi, driver of the train. Thanks to the continuous improvement in transport efficiency, the frequency of the China-Europe freight service has also increased in recent years, Guan added.



It is learned that the Alashankou railway port has introduced a "24/7" appointment-based customs clearance mechanism to ensure quick inspection, verification and release. This helps minimize the time for customs clearance and significantly reduces transportation costs.



Since the freight service was launched in 2011, the number of China-Europe freight trains leaving and entering China via the Alashankou Port has surpassed 30,000. Nearly 6,000 trips are made a year now, up from 17 in the beginning, connecting 25 Chinese provincial-level regions to some 20 countries to the west.



At present, a network covering over 110 routes has been formulated. More than 200 categories of goods are currently being transported along these routes, including automobiles, auto parts, cotton yarn, and timber.



"Reaching Europe via Alashankou is the international trade channel with the shortest distance, the least time and the lowest freight cost on the Silk Road Economic Belt," said Li Jianglin, executive deputy mayor of the city.



At the Horgos highway port, trucks are often seen lining up. As of Nov. 3 this year, the number of vehicles exported through this port reached 101,100, a year-on-year increase of 177.3 percent. The highest daily export of vehicles reached 1,301 units, showing exponential growth.



"Chinese vehicles, especially new energy vehicles, have become a new highlight of Xinjiang's foreign trade," said Hu Laijie, director of the port management bureau of the Horgos economic development zone.



Currently, 35 Chinese carmakers export vehicles through the Horgos highway port, and there are over 80 vehicle export agencies, according to Hu. He said Chinese vehicles are exported via the port to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Russia, and other Belt and Road countries.



"I believe I can find 'gold' in the 'desert,'" said He Haiyan, who came to Alashankou from her hometown Shaanxi province to start a business.



Today, her three small counters have blossomed into a 275-square-meter cross-border e-commerce store. Stepping into the store, visitors are greeted by a dazzling array of imported goods that entice them to fill their shopping carts and spend hours exploring the vast selection.



To support the development of cross-border e-commerce and leverage the advantages of the Alashankou port and the Alashankou Comprehensive Bonded Zone, the city has established a 28,000-square-meter sorting and customs clearance center. Renowned e-commerce platforms such as Alibaba, Amazon, and eBay have settled in the city, providing services to 508,000 e-commerce enterprises.



"We have pioneered an innovative 'slow air transportation' model, enabling exported goods to reach Europe within 12 to 18 days, at a cost of only 1/5 of regular air transportation and 1/6 of the time taken by sea freight," said Zhou Chong, deputy director of the management committee of the Alashankou Comprehensive Bonded Zone.



The local authorities have implemented an efficient and fast customs clearance process, prioritizing the declaration, sealing, and inspection of cross-border e-commerce goods, Zhou added.



In addition to numerous cross-border e-commerce enterprises, there is also a fantastic destination for shopaholics in Horgosthe China-Kazakhstan Horgos International Border Cooperation Center. Spanning an area of 3.43 square kilometers on the Chinese side and 2.17 square kilometers on the Kazakh side, this center offers visitors 30 days of visa-free cross-border facilitation.



Entering into the Chinese side of the center, each visitor is allowed to carry 8,000 yuan worth of duty-free goods per day. The center received an average of 24,000 visitors per day from January to September this year.



"The demand for shops is so high that as soon as one becomes available, it is immediately snatched up by eager tenants," said Ji Gang with the cooperation center.



As the autonomous region becomes more open, ports in Xinjiang are thriving, said Hao Weiming, head of Urumqi Customs. He believes that by taking the establishment of Xinjiang Pilot FTZ as an opportunity, the high-quality development of Xinjiang's open economy will surely reach a new level.



Dans la meme rubrique : < > China voices to lead global AI governance A glimpse into express packaging box's carbon reduction journey in China Strengthening partnership the right choice for future of China-U.S. relations Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena)










English News Kenyan avocado finds ready market in China after CIIE debut

Alwihda Info | Par pd - 23 Novembre 2023



In recent years, under mechanisms such as the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, 16 agricultural products from 11 African countries have gained access to the Chinese market, and China has granted zero-tariff treatment to 98 percent of products originating from 21 African countries. Today, China stands as the second-largest destination for African agricultural exports.

By Che Bin, Huang Weixin, Huang Peizhao, People's Daily In a lush avocado orchard on the shores of Lake Naivasha in Nakuru County, Kenya, more than 2,500 avocado trees stretched as far as the eye could see. Richard Wafula, owner of the farm, was busy harvesting avocados with his workers.



"Soon, approximately 10 containers of fresh avocados will be delivered to Chinese consumers from here," he said.



China and Kenya signed a protocol to foster bilateral trade in avocados in January 2022. Seven months later, the first batch of fresh avocados grown in Kenya entered the Chinese market, making Kenya the first African country to export fresh avocados to China.

In November 2022, Kenyan fresh avocados made their debut at the fifth China International Import Expo (CIIE), immediately favored by Chinese consumers. It marked another remarkable chapter in China-Africa win-win cooperation.



Richard Tuwei is an avocado farmer from the western Kenyan city of Eldoret whose orchard was originally planted with 1,200 avocado trees. In August 2022, Tuwei's products were among the first to pass an access review and export fresh avocados to China.

"In the past, when the avocado season arrived, we had to wait for some time before picking because local traders needed time to find buyers. But now, we pick the fruit as soon as it is ripe. The demand in the Chinese market is enormous, and our products have quickly found a ready market. This new opportunity encouraged us to plant an additional 500 trees last year," Tuwei told People's Daily.



Kenya is the largest exporter of avocados in Africa. Currently, 30 percent of the country's avocados are exported to China, and this trend is expected to continue growing in the future. According to estimates from the local agricultural department, avocado exports to China will increase the annual income of local farmers by 30 percent to 50 percent.



The business with the Chinese market has brought tangible changes to the lives of Kenyan farmers. Tuwei told People's Daily that in the past, he had to borrow money from friends to pay for his children's tuition. But now, with a stable income from avocado farming, he can comfortably cover his daily expenses, and his life quality has been significantly improved.



Wafula and Tuwei's Chinese partner is Shanghai-based Greenchain Information Science and Technology (Greenchain). Greenchain has built partnerships with over 500 avocado growers and manages seven farms in Kenya.



To ensure that the fresh avocados meet the standards of the Chinese market, the company has signed cooperation agreements with local growers, which cover the entire process starting from the planting of avocado seeds all the way to the final sale of the fruit. This helps realize order-based cultivation management.

According to Du Gongming, general manager of Greenchain's African business division, avocado features high economic value and low cultivation costs, and its cultivation boasts mature pest control techniques. After the successful export of fresh avocado to China last year, many Kenyan farmers started switching to avocado planting, hoping for more cooperation with China, he said.



"China has a huge population, which is a crucial asset for any market. We believe that in the future, more farmers will export avocados to China," said Kello Harsama, principal secretary in the State Department for Crop Development in Kenya's Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development.



After the fifth CIIE, Greenchain established a new avocado processing plant, in order to meet the growing demand in the Chinese market. The plant officially started operation in March this year.



"We purchased new equipment, introduced new packaging technology, and built a fumigation laboratory. Everyone is confident about the business development," said Du.



It takes about 25 days for an avocado to hit the Chinese market from being picked in Kenya. Last August, the first batch of avocados from the African country arrived in China in 4 containers. This year, Greenchain has already shipped over 100 containers of avocados to China, and the number is expected to reach 300 by the end of the year.

"The CIIE has brought obvious driving effects, promoting win-win situations for multiple parties," Du said.



In the past, China mainly imported avocados from South American countries. Nowadays, African avocados have entered the Chinese market, providing more choices for consumers.



"We are continuously expanding our marketing channels and increasing the sales of Kenyan avocados in the Chinese market," said Du.



The CIIE debut of Kenyan avocados marked the deepening agricultural cooperation, as well as economic and trade exchanges between China and Africa.



In recent years, under mechanisms such as the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, 16 agricultural products from 11 African countries have gained access to the Chinese market, and China has granted zero-tariff treatment to 98 percent of products originating from 21 African countries. Today, China stands as the second-largest destination for African agricultural exports.



Greenchain has participated in the CIIE for five consecutive years, and will continue to join the sixth CIIE this year. At that time, African specialties such as pineapples from Benin, chili peppers from Tanzania, and seafood from Kenya will be showcased for the first time at the event.



China-Africa practical cooperation enjoys broad prospects, and the stories of mutual benefit and win-win outcomes between the two sides are to be continued at the CIIE.



Dans la meme rubrique : < > China voices to lead global AI governance A glimpse into express packaging box's carbon reduction journey in China Strengthening partnership the right choice for future of China-U.S. relations Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena)
Thanksgiving in the United States is increasingly overshadowed by Black Fridays commercialism. While the commercial connection between Christmas and Thanksgiving goes back a while, the ascent of commercialism (together with historical revisionism) is destroying Americans awareness of the roots of their holidays.

Constraining Thanksgiving Commercialism

In A Charlie Brown Christmas, Lucy deplores the commercialization of Christmas, tellingly assuring us We all know Christmas is a big commercial racket. Its ruined by a big Eastern syndicate, ya know.

Criticizing the commercialization of Christmas is standard holiday fare. But the truth is: its bleeding into Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving has always had some commercial nexus. Being so close to Christmas and with many families enjoying a long Thanksgiving weekend, theres always been some association between the two holidays. For many towns, the Thanksgiving weekend was a chance for Santa Claus to arrive on town squares or store thrones, an opportunity for cities and villages to turn on their Christmas decorations and maybe even put up a Christmas Tree for later official lighting.

The commercial nexus isnt even that new: it goes back more than four score years! Up until 1939, Americans observed Thanksgiving on the last Thursday of November. But that could be as late as November 29 or 30, as it was that year, leaving a bit over three weeks till Christmas. Wanting to get Americans out of Depression doldrums, FDR switched Thanksgiving to the fourth Thursday of November, giving retailers a little extra time cushion to sell their wares.

Of course, we now speak of Black Friday (intended to keep sellers in the black rather than red). Black Friday has proliferated into multiple sales and spending days, urging Americans to buy local, buy cyber, donate to charity in short, loosen their purse strings.

But perhaps the most invidious seepage of commercialization into Thanksgiving has been the creep into Thanksgiving itself.

Once upon a time, Black Friday started a little earlier on Friday morning. Gradually, kickoff time got earlier and earlier until some stores were opening at midnight.

But to open to customers at midnight means staff needs to be there earlier, i.e., on Thanksgiving itself. And that staff isnt the CEOs or even the green eyeshade accountant types measuring the black ink. Its typically the shift floor workers, earning minimum wage or a little more, who are expected to report.

About a decade ago, a number of cities and towns began pushing back, adopting ordinances banning opening on Thanksgiving and/or requiring store workers to show up for work on Thanksgiving night. Shamed by their lust for lucre, some national chains made clear they would not open in the middle of the night and make their employees work. Others shamelessly touted their customer readiness.

Lets not even go back into the true origins of Thanksgiving, a celebration of gratitude to God for human survival. Of the 100-some people who sailed left England aboard the Mayflower in 1620, only about half were left a year later when the Pilgrims marked their first Thanksgiving in Massachusetts. After a rough winter, having unexpectedly landed in a wilderness and then ravaged by disease and malnutrition, the survivors had brought in the sheaves of their first harvest of crops they learned to plant from the local peoples. The pattern of the first Thanksgiving was one of religious gratitude.

Over time, Thanksgiving assumed not just a religious but a domestic character: the family gathered around the family dinner table, a roast turkey in their midst. Its the image of multiple smiling generations around the dining room table as grandmother brings in the turkey, captured in Norman Rockwells Freedom from Want, one of his famous Four Freedoms posters published in the middle of World War II. In that poster, Rockwell fuses history and memory: the celebration of Thanksgiving as a quintessential American feast with the warm reminiscences of family altogether.

Isnt that what most Americans remember about Thanksgiving? How many people remember the family at the Thanksgiving table? Compare that with how many even remember what they bought on Black Friday, even Black Friday 2022.

Americans are being progressively cheated of their history from two ends. One is historical revisionism. Critical approaches to history undermine any shared narrative, certainly any narrative shared with pride. Does the 1620 Project, the idea of people braving coming to a New World in the name of religious freedom, gain any of the traction the ersatz 1619 Project (claiming American history starts with the slave trade) receives?

The other factor eating away at our history is rank commercialism. With the possible exception of the Fourth of July, almost every other American holiday is characterized less today by a shared history than a sale. Do Americans reflect on the abiding significance of George Washington, or do they buy sheets at the Presidents Day Sale? Is one even allowed to admit pride in Columbuss arrival in the Americas, or is that holiday to be effaced, its meaning celebrated by the earliest appearance of Halloween-Thanksgiving-Christmas merchandise? Does memory of sacrifice on Memorial Day compete with get-into-summer sales, awareness of the achievements of organized labor with back-to-school sales?

Have the distinguishing marks of many American holidays become some amorphous awareness I bought something on X?

Recovering American history requires recovering American memory, both of events gone by as well as times shared together, especially as families. That means tempering creeping commercialism eating away at our holidays, our heritage, and our faith.

Otherwise, well just adopt Shania Twains credo: Our religion is to go and blow it all/So were shopping every Sunday at the mall.

Ka-ching!

Image: AFP Image Forum
The 2/5 infantry battalion (2d Battalion, 5th Regiment)  the most highly decorated battalion in the U.S. Marine Corps  has a motto: Retreat, Hell! Its members embrace this credo in honor of Major Lloyd W. Williams, who, as company commander of the 51st at the Battle of Belleau Wood during World War I, refused to withdraw at the urging of a French colonel and countered, Retreat, hell! We just got here! Williams later led an assault that routed the Germans at the cost of most of his men, but their bravery became legend for generations of warriors who followed.

America has always been blessed with an oversized helping of heroes. Open up a detailed atlas of the United States, and you will be amazed at the tens of thousands of streets, hilltops, lookouts, and bodies of water named after American heroes who sacrificed themselves so that others might live and prosper. You can walk into any small town in the country and learn about the heroics of some stranger whose accomplishments and daring were as deserving of national recognition as those with well-known names.

It is easy to get hypnotized into a state of unnerving fatigue when woke, anti-American propagandists try daily to rewrite history, but this is a land of giants. In your blood and in your spirit stirs the untamable defiance of American greatness.

Thats why none of the new-world-order crap that keeps raining down over our heads ever completely dispirits me. Mass immigration, out-of-control crime, central bank chicanery, the World Economic Forums dystopian, technocratic oligarchy  let those Marxist globalist bastards do their worst, and lets see whose vision for America ultimately prevails. To no-ones surprise, the tyrants are acting tyrannically. Every few generations human freedom comes under attack; beating back the wolves forever lingering at the gates remains the eternal price of liberty.

We humans are natural storytellers. Long before the invention of written languages, oral traditions connected groups to their ancient history. Poetic bards were seen as quasi-magical priests who safeguarded the past through the recitation of epic tales. Wise elders recorded the stories of their tribes in woven tapestries that they could interpret for young members. Throughout human existence, stories of heroes and villains, sacrifices and triumphs have been the most valuable treasures passed from one generation to the next.

As beneficiaries of these stories, we are prone to embrace past glories without fully appreciating the pain and heartache that accompanied victory. It is easy to celebrate American Independence without considering the hard-fought battles, economic tribulation, and general uncertainty of those times. We honor the accomplishments of that revolutionary generation that included our Founding Fathers but struggle to recognize that their achievements came slowly over several decades.

Because past troubles are often buried and forgotten, we can be misled in the present to view all hardship as a harbinger of future defeat. Imagine telling George Washington  whose military setbacks far outweighed his victories  that surrender to the British was inevitable. Imagine telling Thomas Jefferson or any of the signers of the Declaration of Independence that the miseries they bore for their principles were too great a cost for the defense of human liberty. Imagine telling a 2/5 Marine that blood and guts glory could somehow be earned through quick retreat.

Heroic sacrifice is not often pretty. It is filled with the kinds of violence and indignities that Hollywood never wrote into John Waynes movies. Try reading E.B. Sledges With the Old Breed to get a glimpse into the hellscape of the Pacific Theater during WWII. Try digesting Tim OBriens The Things They Carried to grasp an inkling of what warriors endured during Vietnam. Pick up Paul Fussells two classics, The Great War and Modern Memory and Wartime, for a sober portrait of the life of a common soldier during both global wars. The things we celebrate, we often take for granted. Those who fought the battles, who trudged through mud and muck and vermin, who were tasked with doing horrendous things, and who carried those burdens for the remainder of their lives  they know the cold, soul-crushing price of victory.

Only when we engage our past and attempt in some small way to understand the sacrifices of all those Americans who came before us can we put todays troubles in proper perspective. Whatever hardships come our way, they have been borne and beaten before. Whatever obstacles land in our path, they have been climbed, repelled, or vanquished. If these feel like challenging times, that is because great moments in human history require great men and women to dig in and persevere.

There is a reason why English-speakers faced with difficulty are fond of repeating an apocryphal Chinese saying: May you live in interesting times. In our hearts, we know that times of danger and uncertainty and adventure are both a blessing and a curse. During periods of peace, people live their lives free from the turbulence of cultural upheaval, technological revolution, and political conflict. Yet it is also true that some of the worlds most important ideas, books, musical compositions, and social awakenings have come in the midst of absolute chaos.

Walking along a tightrope high above an ocean of flames focuses the mind and fills the soul with purpose. Sometimes it is only by moving through fire that great and meaningful change can ever be forged. Our colonial ancestors certainly lived in interesting times. Many endured pain, poverty, and loss. Yet they also forged the greatest nation in human history  one founded on the revolutionary principles that all men are created equal and that legitimate governments exist to preserve human liberty. They walked through the fire and changed the world. That is their legacy.

What will our legacy be? Will it be one of quiet acquiescence and timid surrender? Will millions of Americans run at the first sign of real trouble? Or is it possible that many will remember that in their blood and spirit stir the ingredients of sterner stuff? A lot of people claim that America is dying. I think it could more accurately be described as hibernating. There is an energy in our country. It grows daily, even if it remains mostly hidden in some dark cave. Like any slumbering beast that awakens, it will hungrily devour anything that gets in its way.

Dont fear the interesting times. Decades after they have come and passed, our descendants will marvel at all that happens now. If Americans alive today succeed in preserving liberty for the future, those born tomorrow will be forgiven for failing to appreciate the cost. They might even celebrate what we achieve without knowing our personal agonies. That is how great things come to be  by equal measures grit, sweat, tears, blood, and determination. Only afterwards do those who benefit from those efforts mistake triumphs as foregone conclusions.

If nothing else, be thankful that you come from a place filled with heroes who have stared down empires, made the impossible look easy, and found the will to unite even after civil war. America is a special place because it is home to exceptional people.

One of those exceptional people was Irving Berlin, one of the greatest songwriters of all time. A Jewish immigrant from czarist Russia who reached Ellis Island when he was five, Berlin rose from poverty to stardom. In celebrating the end of WWI, he wrote a heartfelt tribute to the country that had given him everything. He prayed: God bless America, land that I love / Stand beside her and guide her / Through the night with the light from above.

May we always follow that light. Amen.

I am grateful for American Thinkers readers and the wonderful community that thrives here. May you all have a joyous Thanksgiving.

Image via Pxhere.
The Thanksgiving holiday, which commemorates one part of the Pilgrim story, remains the favorite holiday for many Americans. And for good reasons beyond enjoying a feast. With our country passing through troubled times, it is worth revisiting the Pilgrims five significant achievements, which created the seminal story of America, and reveal remarkable insight into who we are and the qualities of character we need to overcome our present challenges.

First, of the many groups of settlers who came to America, only the Pilgrims were singularly motivated by a spiritual quest for religious freedom -- one that had its origin with the Protestant Reformation a century before. They repeatedly spoke of their voyage to the New World in terms of a flight from tyranny to freedom, comparing themselves to Gods chosen people -- the Israelites -- who overcame slavery and abuse in Egypt to get to the Promised Land. Similar to the Israelites exodus, the Pilgrims had left what they saw as oppressive and morally corrupt authorities in Great Britain and Europe to create a new life in America. Thus, both American Christians and Jews find profound meaning in the Pilgrims Thanksgiving story.

Thanksgiving could be thought of as the holiday that made the other American holidays possible. Without the Pilgrims having courage; absolute faith in their cause and calling; and a willingness to sacrifice and risk everything, they never would have embarked on the 94-foot Mayflower -- a ship of questionable seaworthiness. Were it not for their faith and determination to find freedom of conscience and live according to their Biblical beliefs there may never have been a July 4th Independence Day or other subsequent American holidays we take for granted and celebrate each year.

After a harrowing passage across the Atlantic -- one that included wild pitching and broadside batterings by gale-force winds and ferocious seas that caused the splitting of the ships main beam -- the Mayflower was blown off course from the intended destination of the established Virginia Colony territory to wilds of Cape Cod. The Pilgrims knew not where they were nor how to proceed, so they beseeched the Almighty for favor in a making landfall in a suitable place with fresh water and fertile soil to establish a new and independent settlement.

Now in sight of land after a frightening voyage, facing hunger from spoiled and depleted provisions, and anxious about settling outside the purview of Virginia Company charter territory, the secular Mayflower passengers were restless and insolent. And this is when the Pilgrims made their second major achievement that would shape the future of America.

Pilgrim leaders John Carver, William Bradford, and William Brewster, recognized that Mayflower passengers, diverse as they were, needed to maintain unity to survive in a potentially inhospitable environment. So, they drafted a governing agreement that would be acceptable to both their Christian brethren and the secular crew members and merchant adventurers -- who made up about half the 102 people aboard the Mayflower. That governing document, known as the Mayflower Compact, provided for peace, security, and equality for everyone in their anticipated settlement. With every man aboard signing the Mayflower Compact the Pilgrims established the foundation for democratic self-government based on the will of people for the first time. The Mayflower Compact laid the cornerstone of the U.S. Constitution, which would be drafted and adopted some 170 years later.

The fact that all the Pilgrims survived the squalid and cramped ship quarters during the dangerous crossing of a vast ocean, is no doubt partially attributable to the good fortune that the Mayflower had previously been enlisted as a wine transport cargo ship. Unlike most merchant ships, she had a sweet smell, from all her decks and bilges being disinfected with wine sloshing and soaking from broken barrels of Bordeaux and high-alcohol port in the many prior crossings of the sometimes-stormy English Channel.

That all changed once the Mayflowers passengers settled in New Plymouth, Massachusetts in December of 1620. The first winter was devastating, with illness afflicting most and over half the Pilgrims dying, including four entire families. But it could have been worse.

The fate of the Pilgrim colonists would surely have been more difficult had they not settled where they did, adjacent to friendly natives of the Pokanoket Indian village that were part of the Wampanoag tribe. And had they not befriended two who providentially could speak broken English -- Squanto and Samoset -- perhaps none would have survived. Squanto and his fellow native tribesmen would teach the Pilgrims survival skills, showing them how to hunt, fish, and plant various crops, such as corn, squash, and varieties of beans -- which were unknown to the Englishmen.

The Pilgrims third major achievement was the Pilgrim-Wampanoag Peace Treaty that was signed on April 1, 1621, by Massasoit and leaders of the Plymouth colony. And a remarkable accomplishment it was, for it lasted more than 50 years -- longer than subsequent peace treaties made by other colonizing groups with native Indian tribes. The fact that there were bloody conflicts between other colonists and tribes, such as in the Pequot War fought in Connecticut in 1636-1637, makes the Pilgrims stand out for they succeeded in maintaining the longest-lasting and most equitable peace between natives and immigrants in the history of what would become the United States.

Despite learning from the native Indians how to plant, cultivate ,and harvest new crops in their first year, the Pilgrims complied with their sponsoring Virginia Company charter that called for settlement farmland to be owned and worked communally and for harvests to be equally shared. This socialist common property approach created disincentives to work. William Bradford recorded in his memoirs that while slackers showed up late for work everybody was happy to claim their equal share and production only shrank.

Although no one is certain of the exact date of the first Thanksgiving, we know it was a Pilgrim initiative, celebrated in November 1621 to give thanks to God for their survival -- having lost so many during that first winter in Plymouth, and for the first harvest -- meager though it was. When Massasoit was invited to join the Pilgrims, it was assumed that he wouldnt bring more guests than the 50-odd Mayflower survivor hosts. Massasoit arrived with twice that number, well-stocked with food, fowl, and game of all kinds -- including five deer. There was more than enough for everyone, and it turns out that the first Thanksgiving celebration would last three days, punctuated by Indian song, games, and dance, Pilgrim prayers and even a military parade by Myles Standish.

The Pilgrims fourth major achievement was the rejection of socialism and the adoption of private enterprise. After the meager Thanksgiving harvest, the second season of collective farming and distribution proved equally disappointing. Governor Bradford had seen enough, recording that the system was found to breed much confusion and discontent and retard much employment that would have been to their benefit and comfort. So, before the 1623 season he scrapped socialist farming and replaced it with private ownership of land for each of the families. As a result of becoming responsible for their own welfare and gaining freedom to choose what to grow for consumption or trade, the Pilgrims productivity surged.

The fifth factor that distinguished the Pilgrims was their model relational behavior. While tolerance enabled them to keep relative harmony within their diverse community, they also looked outwardly to serve and help others. In March of 1623, it came to be known that Massasoit was on the brink of death from an unknown illness. Senior Pilgrim elder Edward Winslow immediately set out on a forty-mile journey to administer medicinal broth, natural herbs, and prayers to Massasoit. Astonishingly, upon making a full recovery within days, he remarked, Now I see the English are my friends and love me; and whilst I live, I will never forget this kindness they have showed me.

In summary, the Pilgrims five achievements and the qualities of character that made them exemplary are as relevant today as ever. A contemporary Thanksgiving makeover might include: rekindling a quest for adventure; developing the faith to hold on to a vision of a promised land no matter what; mustering the courage to go against the crowd and defend the truth; gaining the resolve to endure hardship; revitalizing respect for and tolerance of people of different beliefs; rejuvenating a joyful willingness to sacrifice for others; and renewing the predisposition to extend love, assistance and gratitude at every appropriate opportunity.

Scott Powell is senior fellow at Discovery Institute. This article is a vignette out of his latest acclaimed book, Rediscovering America, which has been a #1 new release in history for eight straight weeks at Amazon. Reach him at scottp@discovery.org

Image: Robert Walter Weir
Perhaps no year in American history has been more pivotal or historically significant than 1863. That year, the nation had been torn in half, with the seceded Confederate States remaining embroiled in the midst of the great Civil War. In the early summer of that year, the nation witnessed the climactic battle of Gettysburg.

Gettysburg concluded on July 3, 1863, with Robert E. Lees tattered Confederate Army of Northern Virginia retreating south, on July 4, Independence Day, after a disastrous military maneuver at Gettysburg that has become known as Picketts Charge.

Some military historians refer to Picketts Charge as the high watermark of the Confederacy. On July 4, the very day that Lee retreated back into Virginia, his future rival in battle, General Ulysses S. Grant, defeated the Confederate Army at Vicksburg on Independence Day, effectively securing two major victories for the Union Army within a matter of two days and pushing the outmanned Confederates into military desperation.

For military tacticians, historians, and President Lincoln himself, the realization became clear. After Lees defeat at Gettysburg, followed quickly by the fall of Vicksburg, the military tide had turned significantly in favor of the Union. Lincolns dream of reunifying the nation under one flag, as one United States of America, was finally within reach.

Even so, Lincoln realized that even with the likely defeat of the Confederate Army, the long battle was not yet over, and many more American lives would be lost before the end.

Lincoln, a man who many historians call our greatest president because he presided over the reunification of the nation during its seemingly irreconcilable divide, was also a man of great sobriety. With nearly 60,000 casualties from both sides suffered at Gettysburg alone, Lincoln realized that the nations healing could not come from man alone.

On October 3, 1863, three months to the day after Lees disastrous defeat at Gettysburg, Lincoln penned a national proclamation. In it, he declared and urged Americans to set aside the fourth Thursday of November, from henceforth, as a national day of Thanksgiving.

On the third Thursday of November, November 19, 1863, Lincoln went to Gettysburg and, standing amidst the buried bodies of thousands of Union and Confederate soldiers, in a short period of two to three minutes, delivered the most famous political speech in American history.

One week later, on Thursday, November 26, 1863, the nation observed its first Thanksgiving under the presidential proclamation.

Each year since, America has paused, on that fourth Thursday, just as President Lincoln asked that we do, to give thanks.

As a nation, the national thanksgiving list remains too long to enumerate herein. Still, we give thanks for the men and women of the American Revolution, and the Founding Fathers who gave us the U.S. Constitution; for the Americans who gave their lives in the Civil War to end the stench of slavery over the land; for the American doughboys who gave their lives in the Ardennes Forest and other areas of France; for Americans of the Greatest Generation who fought Nazi and Japanese tyranny in World War II; for American servicemen who fought in Korea, Vietnam, Kuwait, Iraq, and Afghanistan; for the heroes of the Civil Rights movement of the sixties, who fought to finally bring real equality to all Americans regardless of race; for the heroic first responders who charged into the collapsing Twin Towers and the burning Pentagon on 9-11; and the list goes on and on.

Hopefully, again on this Thanksgiving, we will reflect upon the sacrifices of those who have gone before us to give us the freedoms that we so often take for granted.

But as we do so, perhaps we should also reflect back on another great proclamation delivered by President Lincoln that year, 1863, which, unfortunately, has long since been forgotten and largely ignored by the nation ever since.

Five bloody Civil War battles would be fought in 1863, three won by the Union  Gettysburg and Vicksburg in July and Chattanooga in November  and two by the Confederacy  Chancellorsville in April and Chickamauga in September.

As 1862 rolled into 1863, before any of these battles unfolded, and even as he signed the Emancipation Proclamation on New Years Day of 1863, Lincoln knew that the nation would face great bloodshed that year.

Thus, before the first great battle, in Chancellorsville in April, Lincoln, on March 30, 1863, issued a proclamation calling for a national day of fasting and prayer.

The proclamation began by recognizing that

whereas, the Senate of the United States, devoutly recognizing the Supreme Authority and just Government of Almighty God, in all the affairs of men and of nations, has, by a resolution, requested the President to designate and set apart a day for National prayer and humiliation ... it is the duty of nations as well as of men, to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions, in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord.

Finally, Lincoln proclaimed that it behooves us then, to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness. He then designated April 30, 1863 as a national day of fasting and prayer.

Thus, the Lincolnian proclamations of 1863, the bloodiest and most historically significant year to the United States, began in the spring with proclamation for prayer, fasting, and repentance and closed in the fall with the proclamation for Thanksgiving.

In the 160 years that have passed since both of these great proclamations, the nation seems to remember one, Thanksgiving, which is a good thing. But the other proclamation for a day of prayer, fasting, and repentance, Americans have largely forgotten.

Perhaps this year, with America divided internally more than any time since the Civil War, we might remember and practice both of Lincolns proclamations, with national prayer on the one end, and national Thanksgiving on the other.

That combination, both Thanksgiving and prayer seemed to help lead the nation to healing in the first Civil War.

Hopefully, by heeding Lincolns proclamations, by combining Prayer with Thanksgiving, we can find healing again.

Don Brown, a former U.S. Navy JAG officer, is the author of the book Travesty of Justice: The Shocking Prosecution of Lieutenant Clint Lorance, The Last Fighter Pilot: The True Story of the Final Combat Mission of World War II, and CALL SIGN EXTORTION 17: The Shootdown of SEAL Team Six and the author of 15 books on the United States military, including three national bestsellers. He is one of four former JAG officers serving on the Lorance legal team. Lorance was pardoned by President Trump in November 2019. Brown is also a former military prosecutor and a former special assistant United States attorney. He can be reached at donbrownbooks@gmail.com and on Twitter @donbrownbooks.

Image: Cathy Rowe via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped).
For the first time since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, a temporary ceasefire has been announced, and the details confirm everything we knew or suspected about the contradictory cultures of the Israelis and the so-called Palestinians.

It has been reported that the deal was brokered by Qatar. Not quite a client state of Iran, Qatar is nevertheless one of Irans few friends and is often therefore not on speaking terms with its other Muslim neighbors. When we refer to Hamas as a client terror group of Iran, they like to protest that theyre really an independent group, but whom do they turn to whenever a mediator is needed? Funny how often its either Qatar or some other country in Irans orbit.

What are the terms of this alleged deal? Desperate to free as many suffering hostages as possible, the Israelis have agreed to a three-to-one swap: three jailed Palestinians to every one hostage, plus an agreement to have some daylight hours without air attacks every day for some time. In addition, the agreement requires again allowing the flow of food, fuel, and other humanitarian aid into Gaza.

The mere fact that Israel would consider such an agreement shows how much more Israel cares about the individual human lives in question. The Israeli negotiators are putting themselves in the shoes of the hostages, imagining how awful their circumstances must be, chained or strapped into underground makeshift tunnels for over six weeks straight now. The Israelis think of what condition some of them were in when they were taken, and what condition they must be in now, after over six weeks underground.

The Israelis know the danger to Israel posed by any ceasefire, but Israel values these specific human lives, and it is doing whatever it can to get as many out of there as possible  even though this current agreement frees only less than a quarter of the innocents kidnapped and dragged underground on October 7.

What if the situation were reversed?

Would Hamas put its best interest aside, in the same way, for fifty of its own innocent civilians? I think we all know the answer to that. For decades now, Hamas has raised its children to become suicide bombers. Hamas has located its rocket launch sites in or under clinics, hospitals, apartment buildings, nurseries, aid offices. Wherever innocent non-militants might be, Hamas locates a munitions cache, a tunnel entrance, an artillery depot there, intentionally turning it into a military target, intentionally turning its most innocent children into human shields.

When the world has seen prisoner swaps in the past, such as the swaps between the communists and the West during the Cold War, or the POW swaps of our own 18th-century War of Independence, they have traditionally been exchanges of equals: a thousand of your soldiers for a thousand of ours, or five of your spies for five of ours.

But thats not how it works with Hamas  or with any of the other jihadist groups of recent generations, for that matter. The side of decency doesnt imprison innocent civilians, so we wouldnt have any to release anyway.

The side of decency  the side of Western civilization  imprisons murderers, robbers, rapists, drug-pushers, and terrorists. Thats the kind of people in our penitentiaries, not innocent families, schoolchildren, or music festival attendees. So it is that when Hamas says it will give back our innocent civilians in a prisoner exchange, its not remotely a matter of exchanging equals.

Over these next few days, in order to get back 50 innocent civilians, Israel must release 150 vicious convicted jihadists.

Its not just in numbers that this swap is imbalanced.

Hamas demands six hours per day  10 A.M. to 4 P.M.  of freedom from flyovers so it can return to its usual antics of positioning equipment for later assaults. To obtain the freedom of 50 innocents, Israel agrees.

Hamas demands a return to the flow of aid  fuel it will use to power rockets before heating civilians homes, food it will use to feed their fighters before feeding its women and children, plumbing and irrigation pipes that it will use for the manufacture of makeshift rockets, before ever considering the planting of crops or indoor plumbing for schools and hospitals. To obtain the freedom of 50 innocents, Israel agrees.

Everything Hamas demands in this ceasefire contributes to future war-making. And Israel agrees to it, because to Israel, the lives of these 50 innocent civilians today are worth more than a thousand tomorrows.

Its easier now than ever to see how different the two sides are in this confrontation, easily among the most black and white in history.

And its easy as well, upon reflection, to see why none of the dozens of other Arab nations in the world, near or far, has ever invited the people of Gaza to immigrate and thereby improve their lives in a new land. Their fellow Muslims too have watched Hamas for decades now, and they see exactly what we see. No rational country wants a death culture like that to infect its population.

John F. Di Leo is a Chicagoland-based international transportation professional and consultant. A onetime Milwaukee County Republican Party chairman, he has been writing a regular column for Illinois Review since 2009. Read his book on vote fraud (The Tales of Little Pavel) and his political satires on the current administration (Evening Soup with Basement Joe, Volumes I and II, and the brand new Volume Three, just released last week).

Image: scottgunn via Flickr, CC BY-NC 2.0.
Another Thanksgiving, and we remember President Reagan.

Like most two-term presidents, Reagan gave many holiday messages. They were memorable and full of Reagan's optimism and religious convictions. There were even a couple of "turkeys" who stole the show over the years.

In 1988, Pres. Reagan delivered his last message. It was a few weeks after VP Bush carried 41 states.

This is what Pres. Reagan said Thanksgiving 1988:

"In this year when we as a people enjoy the fruits of economic growth and international cooperation, let us take time both to remember the sacrifices that have made this harvest possible and the needs of those who do not fully partake of its benefits. The wonder of our agricultural abundance must be recalled as the work of farmer who, under the best and worst of conditions, give their all to raise food upon the land. The gratitude that fills our being must be tempered with compassion for the needy. The blessings that are ours must be understood as the gift of a loving God Whose greatest gift is healing. Let us join then, with the psalmist of old: O give thanks to the Lord, call on His name, Make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, sing praises to Him, Tell of all His wonderful works! Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice! NOW, THEREFORE, I, RONALD REAGAN, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim Thursday, November 24, 1988, as a National Day of thanksgiving, and I call upon the citizens of this great Nation to gather together in homes and places of worship on that day of thanks to affirm by their prayers and their gratitude the many blessings God has bestowed upon us."

Two months later, President Reagan left Washington and flew west to his retirement in California. Hard to believe that it was 35 years ago, but it happened that way.

Happy Thanksgiving to the AT family and all those nice friends who drop comments. We enjoy reading them.

P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos.

Image: National Archives
Three days ago, the New York Post published an item on a recent tragedy in rural Francea mob of about 10 knife-wielding thugs had forced their way into a town celebration described by the mayor as a very simple ball with a sound system organized by the village festival committee.

In the immediate aftermath, details about the identities and motive of the attackers werent known (but of course if you have a brain, they were); initial stories indicated a brawl while the prosecutor of Valence even suggested that the attack was to settle a score between rival criminal gangs.

Now we learn, from Helene de Lauzun at The European Conservative, the truth we knew all along:

The profile of the attackers then became clearer: guys from La Monnaie, i.e., young people from a so-called sensitive area of the neighbouring [sic] town of Romans-sur-Isere. As elsewhere in France, this neighbourhood [sic] was in flames a few months ago during the riots that followed Nahel Merzouks death. The accumulation of evidence against the killersyoung people from North African immigrant familieshas not prevented a number of left-wing columnists from persisting in their denial.

For Exhibit A, see below:

A gang of North Africans stabbed 17 French people at a festival. One attacker said: "We are here to stab white people"



Media: pic.twitter.com/js5OsiQcpa  End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) November 22, 2023

And Exhibit B here:

If those horrible and oppressive white people didn't "deprive" the conquering African hordes, then none of this would have happened!  Olivia Murray (@americaliv1) November 22, 2023

These are just cultural enrichers spreading cultural enrichment, dont be a bigot!

Image generated by AI.
Trans deaths in the U.S. are alarmingly increasing, as revealed by a new report released by the National Center for Transgender Equality.

NTCE's annual remembrance report revealed that transgender death reports increased since 2022; 53 were killed while 32 of them commit suicide across the United States.

However, numerous experts said that this number could be higher since it is difficult to attain accurate reporting and data within the LGBTQ+ community, especially in trans communities.

Experts Blame Anti-Trans Laws for Rising Transgender Deaths in US

The Guardian reported that the rising trans deaths revealed by the new NCTE report were revealed as the U.S. government creates more anti-transgender legislation and rhetoric.

"It is no coincidence that we are seeing anti-trans violence rise at the same time as we're seeing anti-trans legislation rise," said NCTE Executive Director Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen.

"Every year from 2020 to today, we have broken the record... of anti-transgender bills ever introduced," he added.

The NCTE leader claimed that physical violence against trans people is further increasing as American officials release more anti-trans policies.

He explained that this is happening because the anti-LGBTQ+ laws act as a signal about whose lives are more important than others. The National Center for Transgender Equality said that trans people cover the majority of the deaths they recorded in 2022.

Read Also: Thousands of Pro-ceasefire Protestors Disrupt California Democratic Party Convention, Leaders Lock Down Building

Over 30 US States Introduce Anti-Trans Laws

Heng-Lehtinen said that there's no denying that the overall hate crimes in the United States are decreasing. However, the hate against LGBTQ members, especially trans people, is not getting better.

In October, the FBI's national crime statistics revealed that hate crimes based on gender identity increased by 32%.9 compared to the same month in 2022.

The increases in trans hate crimes and deaths are all happening as more anti-transgender laws are being introduced. According to Reuters, over 35 U.S. states created at least 142 bills against transgenders.

These policies specifically aim to restrict them from gender-affirming healthcare and other benefits.

This is why NCTE and other organizations supporting the rights of LGBTQ members are urging the U.S. government to avoid and take down laws that prevent them from receiving the benefits that other Americans are receiving.

If you want to learn more details about the worsening death cases among trans people because of anti-transgender laws, you can click this link.

Related Article: Philippines: Drag Artist Pura Luka Vega Arrested Over Controversial Performance Using Religious Hymn

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
How does a little destabilization in Mexico sound for the U.S.?

InSightCrime reports that Mexicans in northern Sonora state are so under siege from cartel infighting over the migrant smuggling trade they are now fleeing their homes -- and into the U.S.

According to InSightCrime:

On a recent November evening, residents of Sasabe, a small outpost on the US-Mexico border, received threatening messages warning of an impending attack. The next morning, they awoke to several houses engulfed in flames and dozens of men with high-powered weapons shooting at each other around the main plaza. Hours later, nearly 100 locals, among them elderly men and women and young children, took off for the US-Mexico border. They found a hole in the border fence, crossed into the United States, and pleaded with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials to protect them. People got tired of waiting [for help], said Dora Rodriguez, co-founder of Casa de la Esperanza, a migrant and community resource center in Sasabe. It was extraordinary, they had to save their own lives. Hundreds more are still trapped. Surrounded by barren desert and mountains in northern Sonora, Sasabe is a small town of less than 1,000 people where the Sinaloa Cartel has long been the dominant criminal actor. For the last 12 years, the boss of the local Sinaloa Cartel affiliate managing Sasabe left the townspeople alone and allowed them to work, local residents told InSight Crime. That all changed in October, when internal divisions over synthetic drug trafficking came to a head and another cell moved in with backing from the Chapitos, a faction led led by several sons of the now-jailed former leader, Joaquin Guzman Loera, alias El Chapo.

That happened this month.

No, these aren't people who should be sent back. They are authentic, bona fide refugees, people who didn't want to come here but had to come here because their homes were being set on fire by human smugglers profiting from the open-borders migrant trade. They didn't have time to sell their properties to pay smugglers' "crossing fees." They ran for their lives -- women, children, old people, not military-aged young men. They would probably like to go back to the peaceful country they once knew. The U.S. is their first country of refuge by happenstance, not the country-shopping expedition that we see in today's illegal migrants.

Thanxalot, Joe.

That's the open-borders crisis driving a new refugee wave that never would have existed had there not been open borders, and vast profits to be fought over by Mexico's heinous cartels.

Biden's open border is now driving people in who don't even want to come here, and it's not likely to be the last town forced to clear out because of cartel might and profits. Destabilized Mexico? It's imaginable.

Thanks, Joe. A destabilized Mexico. A fresh refugee crisis for us to pay for. That's quite a legacy.

Image: panza.rayada via Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.0
According to Sujata Gupta, a columnist for ScienceNews, our positive narrative of Thanksgiving is a myth. Digging through her mountain of words, her contention seems to be that most Americans do not know the actual history of our nation and that, if they did, they would inevitably understand that America is irredeemably evil. The articlelong, obtuse, and, ultimately, as ludicrous as it is slanderousis only noteworthy because, bizarrely, Real Clear Science is pushing it as their topline story.

Let us start with the relevant history. By the time Europeans came to Americas shores, almost a millennium had passed since Christian nations and groups began directing that a day be given to thanking God for His blessingsor, as they said, a day for humiliation and fasting in response to calamities. The first national day of thanksgiving in the newly formed United States occurred when President George Washington proclaimed that November 26, 1789, was to be a day for the United States to acknowledge the Providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor.

Over the next seven decades, various presidents directed several other national days of thanksgiving. None of these occasional national celebrations was annual, nor did any reference the feast that 52 Pilgrims and some 90 Wampanoag Indians celebrated at Plymouth in 1621.

Its thanks to Sarah Josepha Hale that America established a national celebration of Thanksgiving, along with its unofficial but indelible association with the feast at Plymouth. Ms. Hale (b. 1788), a novelist and the first female editor of a national U.S. publication, lived in New England where, each year, the people celebrated a day of Thanksgiving tied to the 1621 celebration. It was Ms. Hales favorite family holiday, and she wrote about the Pilgrims Thanksgiving often in editorials and her novels. For instance, in her 1827 novel, Northwood, Ms. Hale devoted Chapters VII and VIII to the celebration. In 1863, Ms. Hale wrote a letter to President Abraham Lincoln that convinced him to make Thanksgiving an annual national holiday.

Image: The first Thanksgiving by Jean Louis Gerome Ferris.

Now, to return to the atrocious calumny from Sujata Gupta. According to Gupta, our national narrative of Thanksgiving is that, in 1621, the Pilgrims and Indians had this peaceful meal and powwow [while] singing kumbaya. Science, she baldly asserts, shows that is false because the tidy tale ignores context, particularly the deadly diseases and bloody wars that devastated Indigenous populations both before and after the occasion.

She then says this science can be found in a paper by three academicsan English professor and two Psychology professors. This trio claims that our national origin stories, including that of Thanksgiving, are not supported by non-contemporaneous facts, such as slavery, disease, and the like, all of which the authors deem relevant.

As a threshold matter, this is not science. Science is a process to validate or disprove objective facts. Ultimately, Gupta and the academics she relies on have written bald opinion pieces about historical events. They drape themselves in the word science to justify writing this garbage without actually having to make and support their arguments with reason and logic.

At no point does Gupta tell us what facts surrounding Americas iconic first Thanksgiving are wrong. Only at the very end of her screed does she give away her animus. She begins by embracing the 1619 Project, the single most fraudulent rewrite of history in the past century. Then she tells us that our nation needs a racial reckoning, finally quoting an academic who opines, The common narrative makes the settlers look like the good guys. Once you start chipping away at it, then everything falls apart.

Ms. Guptas arrogance and bad faith, as well as that of the academics she quotes throughout, are stunning, To call this science is a bad joke. Im still struggling to understand why Real Clear Science made this piece of angry historical revisionism its topline story the day before Thanksgiving.

Wolf Howling is a pseudonym.
What to do with the Jew-haters who walk among us? They fall into two broad categories: non-citizens and citizens, and the answer depends on the category into which they fall.

For the non-citizen category, Newt Gingrich writes, Americans overwhelmingly believe that activities designed to intimidate or frighten Jewish Americans can be punished legally (66 percent to 17 percent) and By 66 percent to 22 percent, Americans would deport non-citizens who publicly support the killing of Jews or support Hamas or other terrorist organizations. Newt calls upon Congress to enact legislation that mandates deportation.

As for the citizen category, when it comes to our mostly home-grown loudmouth punks calling for violence against Jews, let them be prosecuted! Many states have statutes criminalizing threats of bodily injury and threats intending to place others in fear of bodily injury. These crimes may be called menacing, intimidation, harassment, or some variation of this concept.

Image by Andrea Widburg using two YouTube screen grabs, one of a pro-Hamas rally and one of an unrelated arrest.

For example, the State of Washington defines the gross misdemeanor of harassment in RCW 9A.46.020 this way:

1) A person is guilty of harassment if: a) Without lawful authority, the person knowingly threatens: i) To cause bodily injury immediately or in the future to the person threatened or to any other person; or ii) To cause physical damage to the property of a person other than the actor; or iii) To subject the person threatened or any other person to physical confinement or restraint; or iv) Maliciously to do any other act which is intended to substantially harm the person threatened or another with respect to his or her physical health or safety; and b) The person by words or conduct places the person threatened in reasonable fear that the threat will be carried out.

The State of Colorado likewise criminalizes such behavior as a misdemeanor at CRS 18-9-111:

1) A person commits harassment if, with intent to harass, annoy, or alarm another person, he or she: a) Strikes, shoves, kicks, or otherwise touches a person or subjects him to physical contact; or b) In a public place directs obscene language or makes an obscene gesture to or at another person; or c) Follows a person in or about a public place; or d) Repealed. e) Directly or indirectly initiates communication with a person or directs language toward another person, anonymously or otherwise, by telephone, telephone network, data network, text message, instant message, computer, computer network, computer system, or other interactive electronic medium in a manner intended to harass or threaten bodily injury or property damage, or makes any comment, request, suggestion, or proposal by telephone, computer, computer network, computer system, or other interactive electronic medium that is obscene; or f) Makes a telephone call or causes a telephone to ring repeatedly, whether or not a conversation ensues, with no purpose of legitimate conversation; or g) Makes repeated communications at inconvenient hours that invade the privacy of another and interfere in the use and enjoyment of another's home or private residence or other private property; or h) Repeatedly insults, taunts, challenges, or makes communications in offensively coarse language to, another in a manner likely to provoke a violent or disorderly response.

And, as just one example of a law criminalizing harassing behavior, the State of Missouri defines the crime of harassment in RSMO 565.090, specifying:

1. A person commits the offense of harassment in the first degree if he or she, without good cause, engages in any act with the purpose to cause emotional distress to another person, and such act does cause such person to suffer emotional distress. 2. The offense of harassment in the first degree is a class E felony.

These are just statutes from three states with which I happen to have some familiarity. I would happily bet dollars against donuts that the remaining 47 states have similar statutes. Therefore, although 22 congressional Democrats are protecting the college punks who are supporting Hamas and threatening Israel, these collegians are all vulnerable to state prosecution under state criminal laws. Let there be law and order!
The Netherlands was, for decades, a bastion of Europes soft socialism. However, the disconnect leftist politicians had from the needs of their countrymen and the effects of a huge influx of Muslims have changed the country. Now, theres a new sheriff in town.

When my mother was a little girl in Holland in the 1920s and 1930s, it was a conservative country with self-controlled but still famously tolerant people who were required, if they lived in Amsterdam, to scrub the stairs and sidewalks in front of their buildings. When Mom revisited Amsterdam in 1980, she was utterly appalled by the filth and decay we found. The last time I was there in 2012, the city was cleaner than in 1980, but I still found it an unsavory place outside of the core tourist areas.

In the modern era, the Netherlands has had the usual European leftist government. Beginning last year, the Dutch parliament announced it intended to cut back nitrogen emissions from farms by 30%. This would have meant that up to 11,200 Dutch livestock farmers would be driven out of business. There was even talk of turning the farms into refugee settlements. No wonder that, in March 2023, the recently formed Boer-Burger Beweging farmers party made a powerful showing in the Dutch parliament.

The Netherlands is also much less Dutch than it used to be. The Netherlands population is currently almost 6% Muslim. Amsterdam itself has a Muslim population of 12%, a dangerous number for a free, civil society. In 2004, a Muslim assassinated Theo van Gogh, a filmmaker, for making a movie that offended the assassins sensibilities. Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who had worked with van Gogh on the movie, was threatened with death and had to go into hiding, as was Geert Wilders, a conservative politician who inveighed against Islamic immigration into Holland.

Image: Geert Wilders. YouTube screen grab.

While there are undoubtedly many lovely people of the Muslim faith in the Netherlands, Muslims generally have not been good neighbors. Bruce Bawer has written extensively about the violent homophobic, antisemitic, and anti-Christian hostility that Muslims bring to Holland, once known as a bastion of tolerance, as well as to the rest of Europe.

As even Wikipedia concedes, Wilders and his wife have paid a high price for taking a stand against unrestricted Islamic immigration (hyperlinks omitted):

Wilders is said to have been deprived... of a personal life for his... hatred of Islam. He is constantly accompanied by a permanent security detail of about six plainclothes police officers, and does not receive visitors unless they are cleared in advance, thoroughly searched, and escorted at all times. He lives in a state-provided safe house which is outfitted to be bulletproof, is heavily guarded by police, and has a panic room. He is driven from his home to his offices in parliament in an armored police vehicle, and wears a bulletproof vest. His office is located in the most isolated corner of the Dutch Parliament building, and was chosen because potential terrorists can get to it through only one corridor, making it easier for his bodyguards to repel an attack. He is married to Krisztina Wilders (nee Marfai), a former diplomat from Hungary of Jewish origin. The restrictions on his life, he said, are a situation that I wouldnt wish on my worst enemy.

Sometimes, though, those who make the greatest sacrifices reap great rewards. Yesterday, Geert Wilders, whom the media insist on characterizing as far right (an insult), became Prime Minister of the Netherlands, and he apparently won by a landslide, probably with help from those farmers:

BREAKING: The Dutch Donald Trump Geert Wilders has won the election to be the next Prime Minister of the Netherlands with a landslide margin



The result puts him in line to lead talks to form a new ruling coalition and become the countrys prime minister.



Yet another major loss pic.twitter.com/wa5wfPTkQC  George (@BehizyTweets) November 22, 2023

Coming on the heels of Javier Mileis victory in Argentina, we may be seeing a sea change as countries around the world break free from the leftism and Islamo-philia that have been strangling them for so long. Time is running out, though, including here in America. The lefts goal is to destroy Western civilization. The race is to see whether leftists succeed or whether enough normal people realize what is happening and vote these monsters out of office before its no longer possible to do so.
I do not like Pope Francis. While hes been staunch on abortion, when it comes to many other things, hes worked hard to have the Church Eternal bend to the ideas of leftism. This isnt surprising given that hes a product of the communist Liberation Theology movement that swept the Latin American church when he worked there, but the fact that its not surprising doesnt mean we should like it. Most recently, Francis has seemingly been trying to normalize so-called transgenderism. His latest push in that direction occurred when he invited a busload of 44 so-called transgender people to the Vatican.

The Bible is very clear that there are only two sexes. According to the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition of Genesis 5:1, Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Humankind when they were created. Indeed, Pope John Paul IIs Theology of the Body was a lecture series that was published as a book, entitled Man and Woman He Created Them. One of the points that Pope John Paul made is that male and female are the only two sexes, and they are complementary.

Man and woman, male and femaleaccording to Catholic doctrine, thats it. Of course, we can acknowledge the fact that there are people who reject this religious (and biological) reality, whether because of mental illness or dangerous sexual fetishism and perversion. However, their beliefs cannot or, at least, should not change a core tenet of the Christian faith.

Image: So-called transgender women heading to dine with the Pope. YouTube screen grab.

As the worlds leading Christian figurehead, one would think that Pope Francis would emphasize this point, namely, that there are only men and women, although we can feel compassion for those who are misguidedand I assume, try to warn away from eternal punishment those who have vile fetishes, especially when they visit them on children or other innocents. Ill admit, though, that as to this latter point, Im a bit hazy on Catholic doctrine.

Instead, though, the Pope has chosen to elevate transgenderism, just as leftists do. In July, he told a transgender person, God loves us as we are. That implies that God has accepted the existence of an infinite variety of genders that He did not create, which strikes me as complete nonsense. God may love the individual, but the pastors job is to help that individual escape the irreligious and non-biological delusion that impairs his or her life and imperils his or her soul.

For that same reason, to my non-Catholic way of thinking, theres something wrong with the Popes recent announcement that so-called transgender people can serve as godparents. How can people who reject a foundational religious principle be childrens spiritual mentors?

The most recent elevation of transgenderism is the Popes decision to invite 44 so-called transgender people to dine at the Vatican:

A group of transgender women with a history of personally interacting with the Pontiff were invited to join 1000 other poor and homeless guests for lunch to mark the Catholic Churchs World Day of the Poor. The women were treated like VIPs, with one, a former sex worker, seated at the table with the Pope.

As a student of history, I understand and greatly appreciate the churchs millennia-old commitment to the poor and downtrodden. But since when did it become appropriate for the Pope to embrace not just the sinner but also the sin, no matter how egregious?
Its Thanksgiving Day and, as always, we who live in America in 2023 have so much to be thankful for. However, this year, Im thankful not only for the good things, Im also thankful for the bad ones, for I hope they are the wake-up call that apathetic Americans need.

Personally, Im very blessed. I have a loving family, many friends, a comfortable home, decent health, food on my table, and a job I adore. I am daily filled with gratitude, although I particularly like the food and sociability that comes with that gratitude on Thanksgiving Day itself.

Looking at the larger canvas, Im endlessly grateful to live in America. Ive traveled widely in Europe and Asia, as well as making smaller forays into parts of Latin America and the Middle East. Everywhere Ive been, Ive seen beautiful, impressive, and inspiring things, both natural and manmade. Ive also met good, kind, and interesting people along the way.

And yet, for me, the best part of every trip is coming home. No matter how friendly people are in other parts of the world, Americans are more friendly. And no matter how well-run their countries are (Japan gets a special nod on this one), for the average person, the American standard of living is always better. In a material way, Americans easily outstrip the rest of the world, and I am a person who likes her creature comforts.

Recently, though, Americas begun to fray around the edges. In too many places, its not big and shiny anymore, and people often have a bristling hostility about them. Believe it or not, for that, I am grateful.

Image: The First Thanksgiving by Jennie Augusta Brownscombe, 1914. Public domain.

Im grateful because, for too long, we have had the political equivalent of an infection eating away at America. Because we Americans could tolerate the early symptoms, we ignored the problem and simply continued as before. Now, though, we cant ignore the problem anymore. My eternally optimistic pessimism sees me devoutly hope that our painful wake-up to reality means that, when we cast our votes in November 2024, well make the choices that will finally treat the scourge of leftism that is ravaging our body politic.

As one example of that disease, for decades, we Americans (especially those of us who have traveled) have known that America is the least racist nation in the world. However, were finally waking up to the fact that the leftist plagues of CRT and DEI that infect our schools and institutions are turning us into a racist country.

As another example, for centuries, we believed that America lived up to its constitutional promise to keep the government away from our religions while not keeping religious values out of government. Therefore, we had a country remarkably free from the religious animus that has plagued many other nations.

Now, though, were waking up to the fact that leftism, too, is a belief system that relies on faith, not reason and that the government is using its might to force that faith on us and, worse, our children. The religion of leftism teaches us to hate America, the Judeo-Christian faith, the gender binary, the concept of colorblind brotherhood, and the idea of absolute truth. The fact that increasing numbers of Americans finally understand this ugly reality promises to galvanize those who want a country where all faiths, not just leftism, can participate in the public square.

The biggest wake-up of all, though, is that Americans are seeing that we no longer have two functional political parties, both of which are patriotic but see different means to achieve the same pro-American ends. The corrupt, anti-American Biden administration has opened the curtain, revealing how politics really work in America.

In 2023, we dont have Democrats versus Republicans. Instead, we have Democrats, the Uniparty, the GOP, and the Deep State versus a small cohort of conservatives.

The Democrats have morphed from anti-communist working-class people seeking a piece of the American pie into hardcore communists whose policies, when put into action, destroy the economy, national security (both foreign and domestic), education, families, and children.

The Uniparty has shown that most people in Washington, D.C., operate for the benefit of most people in Washington, D.C. The GOP has been revealed as a subset of the Uniparty. Losing constantly is the perfect grift, for it has perks without responsibility.

The Deep State stands revealed as the real power in the country. Its an unconstrained permanent bureaucracy that supports the Democrat party and that, thanks to the Supreme Court, circumvents the Constitution by generating rules that have the force of law.

And finally, standing in opposition to Americas power brokers are the people who will fight for core constitutional values. These are the people who believe in the promise of America, the superiority of the Constitution as the best contract ever written between a people and their government, and the essential role that the Judeo-Christian faith plays in creating the moral people without which a free society cannot function.

To drag out Al Gores frog in the pot of boiling water analogy, Americans have been basking in what they thought was comfortably warm water. They ignored increasing heat, convincing themselves it was a hot tub and that it was good for them to tolerate a bit of heat. Now, though, the pot is approaching boiling point.

Heres the important thing, though: Were not frogs. We dont have to lie there and cook to death. The good news is that, as things get worse in America, more people are seeing whats happening, hopping out of that pot, and taking a stand against the ideological corruption destroying their country.

People dont change unless theyre forced to, and the left, finally, may have applied that force in the nastiest way possible. And for that, I am very, very thankful.
Trumpenfreude, which I believe is a word that Don Surber coined, happens when we get a warm glow learning about people who struck out at Trump or those close to him and, instead, managed to destroy themselves. While we should feel guilty about regular schadenfreude (e.g., delighting in other peoples misery), Trumpenfreude is something to be celebrated. The latest, somewhat delayed, comeuppance for a Trump hater is The Red Hen, the restaurant that, in 2018, proudly ejected Sarah Huckabee Sanders and her family in the middle of their meal.

At the time, the mainstream media, of course, lapped up the story of the brave restaurateur:

Stephanie Wilkinson tells the Washington Post that her business has thrived for 10 years because shes kept politics off the menu in a town that has been deeply divided over political issues. But when President Donald Trumps press secretary came into the Red Hen with her family on Friday evening, Wilkinson says she felt compelled to take a stand. Im not a huge fan of confrontation, Wilkinson said. I have a business, and I want the business to thrive. This feels like the moment in our democracy when people have to make uncomfortable actions and decisions to uphold their morals. Wilkinson explains that her staff initially seated Sanders and her family and served them cheese plates before the chef called Wilkinson for advice on how to proceed. Wilkinson, who was at home that evening, came into the restaurant and talked the issue over with her staff. She says they all objected to Sanders defense of Trumps since-reversed child separation policy and his desire to ban transgender people from the military. Wilkinson says she personally believes that Sanders works for an inhumane and unethical administration and defends the presidents cruelest policies. But Wilkinson left the decision up to her staff. She says she told them, Tell me what you want me to do. I can ask her to leave. They said yes. 

Giving Wilkinson the floor to account for her discriminatory conduct wasnt enough, though. On the anniversary of Sanders ousting, the Washington Post gave her room on the editorial page to expand upon the new rules for restaurants.

Wilkinson explained that she approves of the rules barring discrimination for race, religion, country of national origin, etc., but when it comes to bad ideas, a business owner should still get a say: [I]f youre an unsavory individual  of whatever persuasion or affiliation  we have no legal or moral obligation to do business with you. Wilkinson then explains that at bottom this isnt about politics. Its about values, and accountability to values, in business.

Here's something that may surprise you: I agree with her completely. While neither the government nor monopolistic businesses (e.g., social media or the only hotel in town), both of which have complete control over the marketplace, should be allowed to discriminate, other businesses should be able to put their values front and center.

For example, bakers shouldnt be forced to make cakes for same-sex marriages, and restaurants shouldnt have to serve Nazis. Youll make more money if you serve or sell to all comers, but there are things more important than money.

However, once you decide to lead with your values, it helps if your values are the correct ones. Given that Trumps policies were infinitely more humane than Obamas and Bidens, that they served Americans much better, and that individual liberty with a light government hand really was Trumps byword, I would argue that Wilkinson got things very, very wrong.

Moreover, a whole lot of Americans who support strong borders, individual liberty, and the other policies Trump advanced felt that if Trump staffers werent welcome at the Red Hen, it wasnt their kind of restaurant. That fact, combined with the dismal Biden economy and, perhaps, the lockdowns that Democrats supported during COVID, may explain why the Red Hen is no more:

The owners of Lexington, Virginias Red Hen restaurant have announced that the business will shutter and a new restaurant with a new name will pop up in its place. The announcement comes several years after The Red Hen faced massive scrutiny for removing Trump Administration Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders and her family from the premises in the middle of their meal after triggered left-wing employees called the restaurants left-wing owner, Stephanie Wilkinson, requesting that she take action to remove the family from their midst.

The people have spoken, and I can only say that its a gloat-worthy thing when Trumpenfreude strikes again.

Image: The Red Hen restaurant by Artaxerxes. CC BY-SA 4.0.
UPDATE: The people in the car were finally identified on Friday as Kurt Villani and his wife Monica, neither of whom appear to have any terrorist connections. I will continue to wonder about the long delay in making their names public. I've lost all faith in both the government and the media to give honest accountings of anything.

Yesterday, the news was filled with reports of an attack at the Rainbow Bridge border crossing between the United States and Canada near Niagara Falls. It was a dramatic incident that ended with a fiery explosion. Very quickly, though, we were told, Not to worry. It was just a guy speeding. What we havent been told, though, is the names of the people involved. In this day and age of cynicism and paranoia, I find that silence weird.

In the footage below, you can see the car at the very top of the screen, in the background, as it begins to soar:

NEW VIDEO: Speeding car goes airborne at NY-Canada border before deadly explosion https://t.co/6H7xajUyR1 pic.twitter.com/eIFbT1DyxU  Breaking911 (@Breaking911) November 22, 2023

There was footage, too, of the moment the car burst into flames:

BREAKING: Security camera footage of the explosion at Rainbow Bridge US-Canada border crossing. pic.twitter.com/EJsFDQBVtY  Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) November 22, 2023

After the crash, the car continued to burn, sparking rumors that there were explosives in the car:

 BREAKING: The car explosion at the border between U.S. and Canada was an attempted terrorist attack and there were a lot of explosives in the vehicle pic.twitter.com/94yOf2U8Vq  Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) November 22, 2023

The cars occupants were killed. No one else was.

The authorities, however, swiftly dispelled any claims about terrorism:

The car that crashed at a high speed and exploded at the U.S.-Canada border crossing near Niagara Falls, N.Y., on Wednesday, killing both passengers inside, had no link to terrorism, the FBI said Wednesday night. A search of the scene revealed no explosive materials, and no terrorism nexus was identified, the agency said in a statement. The matter has been turned over to the Niagara Falls Police Department as a traffic investigation.

New Yorks governor, Kathy Hochul, reiterated this message:

WATCH: New York Gov. Kathy Hochul says vehicle crash and explosion on Rainbow Bridge was a "horrific accident"



"At this time, there is no indication of a terrorist attack." pic.twitter.com/GwFWpekaKM  Breaking911 (@Breaking911) November 22, 2023

We swiftly learned the non-terrorist info about what happened. The narrative involves a rich New York couple in a Bentley, a KISS concert, an evening at a casino andboom!a big crash:

Investigators believe the two people in the car, a man and a woman, may have been heading from a casino in Niagara Falls to a Kiss concert at the Scotiabank Arena in Ontario, according to the sources. The driver, a Western New York resident, was going at a high rate of speed when he swerved into a US Customs and Border Patrol barrier at a checkpoint on the US side, Hochul and the sources said. The car never made it to the Canadian side of the border.

CNN even gave us the drivers age56.

And thats it. The news stories I can find are, at the latest, from early yesterday evening. Since then, theres complete media silence.

But have you noticed the one thing missing from this whole narrative? Yup, the couples identity.

Now, its possible that theyre not releasing the name until relatives have been notified, but thats not usually the case when something is headline news, the way this crash was. Instead, the names of the people involved instantly appear on social media. And given the level of detail we have about the couplewhere they lived, how old the driver was, what they were doing that eveningyoud think someone would know their names.

And yetnothing. For that reason, Im not willing to dismiss Catturds cynicism:

Nothing to see here - it was just 2 rich adults in a nice car driving 100 mph and purposely ramping to their suicidal deaths because they were mad at a KISS concert being canceled.  (farting sound)



It definitely wasn't terrorism though. https://t.co/JvPpWadXSj  Catturd  (@catturd2) November 23, 2023

As with the Nashville shooters entire manifesto, until we get all the information, I am not willing to accept the agreed-upon narrative. The media simply doesnt deserve our trust.

Image: X screen grab.
As Israel approved a four-day truce with Hamas to facilitate the release of Israeli women and children held hostage in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners in Israel, the Arab militant group designated by several Western countries as a terrorist organization claimed that the pause in the fighting would begin soon.

The Times of Israel cited an Al Jazeera interview with Hamas top official Moussa Abu Marzouk on Wednesday (November 22), who said that the truce would enter into force at 10:00 local time on Thursday (08:00 UTC, November 23).

Qatar's foreign ministry first announced the truce, the Associated Press added.

Read Also: Hamas Claims 'Truce' With Israel Is Close; Israeli Officials Yet to Respond

Hostage Deal Discrepancies

According to the agreed-upon terms, which the Israeli war cabinet of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved overnight, at least 50 of the approximately 240 hostages Hamas abducted on October 7 - mostly women and children - would be released in exchange for 150 underage and female Palestinian security prisoners in Israeli prisons.

Abu Marzouk said that most of the hostages slated to be released have foreign citizenship, without specifying if they also held Israeli passports.

There was no immediate confirmation from Israeli authorities regarding Hamas's claims.

Earlier in the discussions, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir warned that the potential deal would end in a "disaster." He added that the deal would prevent Israel from continuing the war after at least four days, noting that past prisoner releases have allowed terrorists to return to battle while incentivizing more hostage-taking.

Related Article: Israel-Hamas Ceasefire: Israeli Leaders to Halt Pursuit, Terrorist Leaders to Release Hostages

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Samsung plans to update most of its eligible Galaxy devices to Android 14 before the end of the year. And if it maintains the current pace for the next few weeks, it might end up updating them all within 2023. Over the past few days, the firm has released the new Android version along with One UI 6.0 for about a dozen models. A couple more are joining that group today. The Galaxy A34 and Galaxy M53 are the newest entrants.

Samsungs Android 14 update reaches the Galaxy A34 and M53

As of this writing, Samsungs Android 14-based One UI 6.0 update is available to Galaxy A34 users in the UK. The updated firmware build number for the phone is A346BXXU4BWK2. First reported by X/Twitter user @tarunvats33, the initial rollout only covers users who participated in the beta program. The company will soon push the update to users on Android 13/One UI 5.1. A global release should be just around the corner too.

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For beta users, the OTA (over the air) package weighs just 282MB. However, those updating from Android 13 will receive a much bigger file, possibly weighing more than 2GB. One UI 6.0 brings new camera features, UI revamp, smoother system animations, functional improvements, and more to your Galaxy A34. The November security patch, which fixes more than 60 vulnerabilities, is also part of this release.

The new features and security enhancements are also rolling out to the Galaxy M53. It is currently picking up the Android 14 and One UI 6.0 update in Russia with the build number M536BXXU4DWK2 (via SamMobile). Users in other parts of Europe and the rest of the world will receive it in the coming days. The M-series phone wasnt sold as widely as the A-series model. It didnt come to the US.

If youre using the Galaxy M53 or Galaxy A34, you can check for updates from the Settings app. Samsung has also released Android 14 for the Galaxy S23 series, Galaxy S23 FE, Galaxy S22 series, Galaxy Z Fold 5, Galaxy Z Flip 5, Galaxy A54, Galaxy Tab S9 series, and Galaxy A73. We will let you know as soon as it pushes the new Android version to more models.

The Galaxy A54 is getting the update in more markets

Alongside pushing Android 14 to more devices, Samsung is expanding the availability of the big update to more markets. The Galaxy A54, which received One UI 6.0 in the US yesterday, is now picking it up in Europe. The new build number there is A546BXXU5BWK4 (A546USQU5BWK4 in the US). The November security patch is part of the package in both regions. Users in the remaining markets can expect to receive the update soon.
Binance founder and CEO Changpeng Zhao announces hes stepping down as the CEO of the cryptocurrency exchange center. The news comes after Binance was accused of money laundering and breaking sanctions against specific countries.

The companys former global head of regional markets, Richard Teng, will be the new CEO. Zhao wrote on his X account that it was not easy to let go emotionally. But I know it is the right thing to do. He further added he takes responsibility for the mistakes and stepping down is the best decision for all.

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Following the federal money laundering charges, Binance reached a plea deal with the US Justice Department that cost the company $2.5 billion. The fines also make up for $1.8 billion. Besides paying $50 million in personal fines, the ruling bars Zhao from any association with Binance for three years. Zhao also pleaded guilty to charges that he and his company violated the Bank Secrecy Act.

Binances CEO is leaving the company following the money laundering charges

It was alleged that Zhao and Binance had not implemented a robust anti-money laundering program to prevent suspicious activities. They broke economic sanctions in a deliberate and calculated effort to profit from the U.S. market without implementing controls required by U.S. law, the Justice Department claims.

According to court records, between 2018 and 2022, Binance enabled about $900 million in financial transactions that violated Irans sanctions due to a lack of anti-money laundering procedures.

Earlier this year, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), which regulates the U.S. derivatives markets, accused Zhao, Binance, and the companys former compliance chief, Samuel Lim, of violating its rules and the Commodity Exchange Act. The Binance new settlement with the U.S. agencies resolves most allegations against the company. However, Samuel Lim should still face his charges.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said, Binance turned a blind eye to its legal obligations in the pursuit of profit. Its willful failures allowed money to flow to terrorists, cybercriminals, and child abusers through its platform.

While Binance could continue with its operations, it loses $4.3 billion in total and must accept stricter supervision by lawmakers. The company must also ensure it meets national anti-money laundering regulations and appoint an independent compliance monitor.
Samsung is working on a new rugged Android smartphone, the Galaxy Xcover 7. We recently shared exclusive official renders of the handset, revealing its design early. A subsequent benchmark listing gave us a few additional details about the phone. While there is still no word on its launch date, the upcoming device has just popped up on the BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) certification website. It may head out to the market soon.

Galaxy Xcover 7 picks up the BIS certification

The BIS certified the Galaxy Xcover 7 with the model number SM-G556B (via MySmartPrice), which we have known for a while now. The listing doesnt reveal anything about the device, which isnt surprising. The BIS website usually only mentions the model number of the product. The surprising thing is that Samsung didnt release the Galaxy Xcover 5 and Galaxy Xcover 6 Pro in India. It appears the company plans to bring the next-gen model to the country.

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The Korean firm will soon pick up other necessary regulatory approvals for the Galaxy Xcover 7, so the specs may not be under wraps for much longer. As things stand, we only have a handful of details about the phone. The next-gen rugged handset will ship with Android 14 onboard, featuring 6GB of RAM. Samsung may offer it in multiple RAM variants, but there is no confirmation of that.

The octa-core chipset powering the Galaxy Xcover 7 has two high-performance CPU cores operating at a maximum frequency of 2.2GHz. The six efficiency cores are clocked at 2.0GHz. ARMs Mali-G57 MC2 GPU supports the CPU. Based on this information, we might be looking at MediaTeks Helio G99 or Dimensity 6100+ SoC. These chipsets have the same core specs but the latter supports 5G cellular connectivity.

Since we are talking about budget SoCs, the Galaxy Xcover 7 may not be a direct sequel to last years Galaxy Xcover 6 Pro, which features a relatively more powerful Snapdragon 778G 5G chipset. A single rear camera also points toward a budget-friendly rugged smartphone. The model number (SM-G556B) suggests it is the successor to 2021s Galaxy Xcover 5 (SM-G525F), which is less powerful than the 2022 model.

The new model should boast a MIL-STD-810H-compliant build quality

Samsungs Xcover-series smartphones feature the same level of ruggedness irrespective of their pricing. So the Galaxy Xcover 7 should boast MIL-STD-810H-compliant build quality with an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance. We are also expecting drop-to-concrete resistance, customizable hardware buttons, a removable battery, and enhanced touch sensitivity. Stay tuned for the official launch of the next-gen rugged Samsung smartphone.
Nearly eight years after the initial announcement, Kodak is finally preparing to sell its Super 8 film camera. Unveiled in January 2016 at CES, aka Consumer Electronics Show, the camera will go on sale in limited quantities in the US next month. A wider release will follow later, with the company aiming to sell it in Canada and Europe, including the UK.

Kodak is finally selling its nostalgic Super 8 film camera

Kodak worked with industrial designer Yves Behar to revive its iconic Super 8 film cameras with a touch of modernity. At its core, it is a film camera. However, it comes with some digital functionality, like a digital viewfinder. The company showcased a prototype of the nostalgic camera at CES 2016 and said that the limited-edition gadget would be available later in the year for between $400 and $750.

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The New York-based firm planned to release a less expensive version of the modernized Super 8 film camera in 2017. However, nothing materialized for the next two years. In January 2018, Kodak said the product is still in the pipeline but will cost a lot more. It shared an expected price of between $2,500 and $3,000 but didnt go into details about the changes that triggered such a dramatic price increase.

Meanwhile, the company released a demo reel of footage shot on the camera. The footage had that grainy look of film cameras you dont get with digital cameras, evoking nostalgia for people who lived in that era. Unfortunately, Kodaks second attempt to release the revised Super 8 camera failed too, with no information for the next six years or so. It was believed that the firm abandoned the project.

However, Kodak seemingly never gave up and is finally set to bring the nostalgic Super 8 film camera to the market next month. Its global managing director for motion picture, Vanessa Bendetti, told The Verge that the iconic gadget will debut on December 4. It will now cost pretty much a fortune, though. The firm has doubled the expected price to a whopping $5,495.

You can sign up to buy the super expensive limited-edition camera

Sure enough, you can get much better cameras at this price. However, its not just about picture quality. Kodak is betting on the factor of nostalgia here. It is a niche proposition for extremely nostalgic filmmakers who lived through the challenges of shooting on film before transitioning into digital videography. While used vintage Super 8 cameras can be found for a few hundred dollars, its a brand-new hybrid product we are looking at here.

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The new Kodak Super 8 film camera features a four-inch LCD viewfinder, interchangeable lenses, 16:9 shooting format, microSD card support for recording audio, and a Micro HDMI output for connecting an external monitor. However, it still charges via a MicroUSB port, which is an outdated charging mechanism today. It appears the firm developed the camera in 2016 and never bothered changing or upgrading anything.

As pointed out by 404 Media, one Super 8 film cartridge can shoot roughly two and a half minutes of footage at 24fps and costs about $35. The processing and editing charges will add to the overall cost of shooting with this vintage camera, which already is super expensive. The gadget is more of a novelty than a camera you take on your holiday trip to record memories.

Kodak has added a sign up to buy button to the new Super 8 film cameras product page on its website, allowing interested buyers to register their interest and get notified about its release. Those who joined the reservation list in the past must sign up again by Tuesday, November 28, to maintain their position of priority. The firm says it will contact customers in sign-up order when a camera is available for purchase in your region.
Google really looks after its Pixel users by giving them exclusive goodies. One goody is the collection of curated wallpapers that populate its ever-updating catalog. New entries in this catalog are a rare treat, and theyre always gorgeous photos. Today, Google just added 12 new wallpapers to its Community Lens collection for Pixel users.

If you dont know what the Community Lens collection is, its a collection of wallpapers shot by actual Googlers. The company unveiled this collection back in October 2021, and its been pretty popular ever since.

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If you own a Google Pixel device, you can access them by holding your finger down on your home screen and tapping on the Wallpaper & Style button. There, youll see a page showing a preview of your wallpaper. Tap on the Change Wallpaper button. Youll see a grid of wallpaper collections that you can look through. Tap on the Community Lens category to look through the entire collection of wallpapers.

Google added 12 new Community Lens wallpapers for Pixel users

If youre a nature lover, then youll be right at home with these wallpapers. These new additions are all picturesque shots of Mother Natures best. Do you like pictures of icebergs under the aurora borealis during twilight (first one pictured below)? Well, theres a fantastic picture of that. Maybe pictures of a storm over an empty beach are more your speed (second one pictured below). As you can guess, theres a picture of that. Below are just a few examples of the whole collection.

The company distributed 12 of these Community Lens wallpapers, so your Pixel phone will look absolutely dashing with one assigned. If you dont have a Pixel phone, dont refrain from throwing your phone against the wall in anger; you can directly download these wallpapers to assign to your non-Pixel devices.

You can follow this link and download the files from the gallery. The files will download as WEBP files, but you can open them in a photo editor and export them as JPG or PNG files. Youll download them in their original high resolutions.
Qualcomm seemingly doesnt plan to return to Samsung Foundry for 3nm chip production. The American chipmaker has reportedly decided to stick with TSMC, using its second-gen 3nm process (N3E) for the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 next year. MediaTeks Dimensity 9400 will also use the same TSMC process.

Samsung fails to win Qualcomm back despite a 3nm headstart

TSMC and Samsung are the worlds top two semiconductor foundries. The former has a massive lead over its Korean rival, which has struggled with power and efficiency issues for years. Samsung is hoping to make up some ground in the 3nm era where it has a headstart over TSMC. The Korean firm also has a technological advantage thanks to its more advanced GAA transistor architecture. TSMC is using the older FinFET architecture for 3nm chips.

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Unfortunately, it appears Samsung has still failed to win Qualcomm back. There have been reports that the American Semiconductor giant, which is a fabless company (doesnt have a chip manufacturing plant), will use Samsung Foundry for the production of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4. If not all, it could give a portion of the contract to the Korean firm, with TSMC manufacturing the rest.

However, according to the Taiwanese media, Qualcomm is sticking with TSMC. The entire volume of its 2024 flagship smartphone chipset will be manufactured by the Taiwanese firm. TSMC produced Qualcomms Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 and Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 last year and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 this year (all 4nm chips). Before that, Samsung produced the Snapdragon 888 (5nm), Snapdragon 888+ (5nm), and Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (4nm) in 2021.

The new report adds that TSMC is rapidly improving its 3nm production capacity and yield rate as it welcomes Qualcomm aboard. It is on track to produce 60,000-70,000 wafers per month by the end of this year. The monthly production volume may exceed 100,000 wafers in 2024. TSMCs 3nm wafers currently cost $20,000. The total usable chips produced from one wafer depends on the yield rate, which is said to be around 60 percent.

Samsung may find it difficult to challenge TSMC anytime soon

If the report of Qualcomm sticking with TSMC for its first 3nm chip is true, Samsung may find itself in a dire situation in the foundry industry next year. The Korean firm has yet to win major 3nm production contracts. It may get orders for Googles Tensr G4 next year, but it is rumored to be a 4nm chip.

Samsungs smartphone division is working with the semiconductor design unit on a custom processor for flagship Galaxy models. The dream chip could debut next year with Samsung Foundrys second-gen 3nm (3GAP) process under the hood. However, a contract from its sister firm may not be enough for the Korean behemoth to increase its foundry share. Time will tell whether Samsung can challenge its Taiwanese foundry rival anytime soon.
Last week, a major leak revealed detailed specifications of Samsungs next-gen laptop offerings, the Galaxy Book 4 series. The same source has now shared images of the new laptops, giving us an early look at their design. The leaked renders show Samsung is keeping the design mostly unchanged from the Galaxy Book 3. We dont yet have a launch date for the upcoming models.

Galaxy Book 4 laptops show up in renders

Samsung is readying a sequel to every model in the Galaxy Book 3 series. So we have five new laptops on the horizon. Theres the standard Galaxy Book 4 and a beefed-up Galaxy Book 4 Pro, with both models getting 360 versions. The latter laptops feature a 360-degree hinge, allowing you to rotate the screen all the way back for a tablet-like experience. The Galaxy Book 4 Ultra leads the line with the most powerful specs of the lot.

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All five Galaxy Book 4 models sport a sleek and classy design with relatively thin display bezels. The presence of a full keyboard, including the number pad, means the touchpad isnt positioned at the center. According to Windows Report, the source of these renders, Samsung is offering the same set of input/output ports. We have one USB 3.2 port, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, one HDMI port, a MicroSD card reader, and a 3.5 headphone/mic jack.

The images shared by the publication show the Thunderbolt 4 and HDMI ports on the left side of the laptop, with the other three ports on the right. A microphone hole can also be seen on the left side. The report suggests all five models will keep the same layout for holes and ports. The overall design is identical to the Galaxy Book 3 series, with Samsung seemingly focusing on performance improvements over aesthetics.

The entire lineup is powered by Intel processors

Samsungs Galaxy Book 4 laptops feature Intel processors. The base Galaxy Book 4 and Galaxy Book 4 360 have the Core i5 chipset, while the two Pro models upgrade to the Core i7. If you pick the Galaxy Book 4 Ultra, you get the Intel Core i9 185H processor with a clock speed of 5.1GHz, 24MB of L3 cache, 32GB of LPDDR5X RAM, and 1TB of NVMe SSD storage.

The Korean firm is giving you AMOLED displays on all but one modelthe base model has an LED panel. It also languishes with Bluetooth 5.1 and Wi-Fi 6, while the other four models have Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi-Fi 6E. The base Galaxy Book 4 shares an Intel graphics card with its 360 version. The Galaxy Book 4 Pro and Galaxy Book 4 360 Pro get Intel Arc Graphics. Finally, the Ultra model ships with the NVIDIA GeForce 4070 GPU.
After an unexpected delay, Samsungs Android 14 rollout is now back on trackand how! It has already released the update for more than 15 Galaxy devices if you count each model in a series separately. Except for the Galaxy S23 series, all other devices received One UI 6.0 within the past three days. The company may not take its foot off the gas anytime soon as it is aiming to update most eligible Galaxy models to Android 14 before the end of the year.

Samsung releases a detailed Android 14 update roadmap

Samsung releases a roadmap for its major Android OS updates every year. The precise calendar varies depending on the market as some devices arent sold everywhere. However, the schedules turn out to be mostly identical. With the Android 14 rollout now well and truly underway, the Korean firm is here with its latest roadmap. It has released the schedules for South Korea and Germany, with the latter featuring more devices.

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According to these roadmaps, the vast majority of eligible Galaxy devices will receive the Android 14-based One UI 6.0 update before the end of 2023. The Galaxy Z Fold 4, Galaxy Z Flip 4, Galaxy Z Fold 3, Galaxy Z Flip 3, Galaxy S21 series, Galaxy S21 FE, Galaxy Tab S8 series, Galaxy A53 5G, Galaxy A33 5G, Galaxy A652, Galaxy Xcover 6 Pro, and many other models are scheduled to make the jump to the new Android version within the next few weeks.

As said earlier, some devices may pick up the update earlier than others in some markets. Moreover, the schedule may not be 100 percent accurate. For example, Samsung says the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite will receive Android 14 ahead of the Galaxy Tab S8, recent foldables, and the Galaxy S21 series, which may be untrue. The Galaxy M53, which has already got Android 14 and One UI 6.0 in some European countries, is scheduled to get it in December in Germany.

You will find the roadmap for your region in the Samsung Members app

Nonetheless, these roadmaps give us an idea of when a Samsung smartphone or tablet may receive Android 14. We expect the company to push the update to some models earlier than scheduled. From what it looks like, the Korean behemoth will complete the rollout by February 2024. As always, we will keep you posted on the rollouts. Dont forget to watch out for Samsungs Android 14 roadmap for your region in the Samsung Members app.
The California Court of Appeal reversed a lower court judge's judgment from last year, which held that disclosing sensitive data of gun owners to researchers to investigate gun violence breaches privacy rights, and concluded that the state may continue releasing such information.

Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom signed a measure in 2021 that would enable the state's Department of Justice to provide personal details of more than 4 million gun owners in the state to academic institutions that meet certain criteria in order to better analyze gun-related deaths. Information, including names, addresses, phone numbers, and criminal histories, is collected by the state with each weapon transaction so that background checks may be conducted.

While researchers may publish their conclusions based on the data, they are prohibited by law from disclosing individual gun owners' names or addresses.

Reversing the Bill's Temporary Ban

According to AP News, gun owners and groups filed suit against the state because they felt their privacy had been invaded by the law. In October 2022, Judge Katherine Bacal of the San Diego County Superior Court issued a ruling temporarily blocking the bill.

On Friday, November 17, however, a panel of three judges from California's Fourth District Court of Appeals said that the lower court's reasoning, which had temporarily halted the bill, failed to take into account the state's interest in investigating and reducing gun violence. Justice Associate Julia C. Kelety wrote an opinion remanding the case and stating that the preliminary injunction must be overturned.

A federal court had already declined to block the legislation in a different case, so Friday's verdict came as a surprise.

Rob Bonta, the state's attorney general, has said that once the data-sharing order is enforced, California will once again make this information available to researchers. "The court's decision is a victory in our ongoing efforts to prevent gun violence."

He went on to say that the legislation "serves the important goal of enabling research that supports informed policymaking" to curb gun violence.

See Also: How to Prevent Gun-Related Suicides: Here's What Experts Suggest

'Important Victory for Science'

Garen Wintemute, the California Firearm Violence Research Center Director at the University of California, Davis, applauds the latest verdict. The institute has been collaborating with the state on studying gun violence. In a statement, Wintemute hailed the court's ruling as an "important victory for science."

"For more than 30 years, researchers at UC Davis and elsewhere have used the data in question to conduct vital research that simply couldn't be done anywhere else. We're glad to be able to return to that important work, which will improve health and safety here in California and across the country."

Legal challenges have been filed against various California firearms laws, including the data-sharing legislation. A federal court in October ruled that the state's assault weapon ban, which had been in place for three decades, was unconstitutional.

See Also: California's New Gun Control Legislation Restricts Firearms in Public, Boosts Gun Sales Taxes

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
(ANSA) - ROME, NOV 23 - Stellantis Chairman John Elkann said Friday that every Italian plant of the Italo-Franco-US carmaker had a clear mission.

'Today each of our plants has a clear mission," he said in a conference call.

"Melfi will become the centre for the production of medium-sized electric cars.

"Cassino will specialise in larger electrics.

"Termoli is engaged in a fundamental reconversion: from the production of thermal engines to a European gigafactory: an investment of 2.1 billion.

"This applies to all our plants.

"Here, at Mirafiori, in addition to existing production, after the start-up of the circular economy centre, we plan to build a plant for the production of electric transmissions with Punch Powertrain." Elkann said the investment at the historic Turin plan showed the group's clear commitment to Italy.

He added "we are proud of our contribution to automotive history".

CEO Carlos Tavares said at the inauguration of the show "Drive Different" that Stellantis was confident about the future and ready to lead the envirenmentally friendly transition amid the climate crisis. (ANSA).


(ANSA) - ROME, NOV 23 - Police did not respond to an emergency call by a neighbour of Giulia Cecchettin who heard people fighting in the car park where she was first allegedly attacked by Filippo Turetta before he drove to another site to finish her off soon after, investigative sources said in the murder of the 22-year-old biomedical engineering student allegedly killed by her 22-year-old ex and course mate near Venice on November 11.

The call was placed by a neghbour of the Cecchettins' who said he had heard someone shout "you're hurting me" and saw a person kicking another one on the ground but was unable to get the license plate in the car park near the family home of Vigonovo, in the province of Venice.

Turetta, who arrested in Germany after an international manhunt last Saturday night, later allegedly took Giulia to an industrial site at Fosso, another Venice province town, where he allegedly finished her off with stab wounds to ht neck and head as well as defensive wounds to the hands, all in about 22 minutes.

The neighbour's phone call will be logged as evidence in the probe.

Turetta, who has confessed, is expected to be extradited to Italy Saturday. (ANSA).


(ANSA) - ROME, NOV 23 - A 27-year-old Moroccan man got eight years in jail Thursday for raping a 36-year-old foreign woman at Milan's Milano Centrale main rail station on April 27 last.

The victim, who was supposed to board a train to Paris after arriving in the city from Norway, was approached and attacked outside the station by the homeless young man without regular documents.

The rape took place in an elevator leading to the platforms at around six a.m.. (ANSA).


(ANSA) - ROME, NOV 23 - Deputy Premier and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini on Thursday threatened to issue a new injunction in relation to a nationwide 24-hour public transport strike called by grassroots labour unions for Monday November 27 if common sense does not prevail.

"I do not accept a 24-hour public transport stoppage because it would be chaos," said Salvini.

"If (the unions) use common sense I will not intervene, but if they plan to bring the whole of Italy to a halt for 24 hours I will do everything the law allows me to do to prevent it from happening," he added.

Earlier the transport ministry issued a statement saying a letter had gone out inviting the trade unions that have called the strike to desist.

In the event of a negative response the union leaders will be summoned to the ministry for discussions, the statement added.

Salvini's remarks are the latest episode in an ongoing row with unions over strikes in the transport sector.

Last week he issued an injunction limiting a one-day strike called by trade union confederations UIL and CGIL in protest against the government's 2024 budget bill to four hours in the transport sector after the nation's strike watchdog said the stoppage did not meet the requirements for a general strike and should be rescheduled.

The unions and opposition parties accused the government of attacking the right to strike and the watchdog of being compliant to the executive's demands. (ANSA).


(ANSA) - ROME, NOV 23 - The ruling majority will always be willing to work together with the other political forces in parliament on the issue of gender-based violence (GBV), Premier Giorgia Meloni told a question time in the Senate on Thursday.

"The memory" of Giulia Cecchettin, the 22-year-old biomedical engineering student murdered by her ex boyfriend Filippo Turetta on November 11, "is not the subject of this question time," said Meloni.

"But I thank all the groups for approving the law on violence against women," she continued.

"There is a ground on which we are able to work together and we will always be available to do so," said Meloni.

On Wednesday the Senate gave unanimous approval, with 157 votes in favour, to a government bill on violence against women, making it the law of the land.

The law, drafted by Family and Equal Opportunities and Family Minister Eugenia Roccella, ups protection for women in danger and the survivors of gender-based violence.

The package, which was signed off by the government in June and approved by the Lower House in October, includes new restraining orders and heightened surveillance on men guilty of domestic violence and it also boosts the emergency gender-violence hotline.

The measures aim to interrupt the "cycle of violence" and to "act promptly and effectively" according to Roccella.

The government and opposition agreed on two motions accelerating the passage of the bill in the Senate amid the outcry sparked by the femicide of Cecchettin. (ANSA).


(ANSA) - ROME, NOV 23 - The European Commission is finalizing its assessment of Italy's request for the fourth installment of payment for its National Recovery and resilience Plan (NRRP), worth 16.5 billion euro, a spokesperson said on Thursday.

"On the request for the fourth instalment of payment" under the NextGenerationEU programme established by the European Union to help member states recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, with resources to be deployed in the period 2021-2026 period, "the Commission continues its constructive dialogue with the Italian authorities," the spokesperson said.

"In recent days we have adopted our assessment of the recovery and resilience plans of a number of countries. We expect to conclude the one on the revised Italian NRRP very soon and we will communicate the outcome of our assessment as we always do for each Member State," she added.

In October Italy received the third installment of funding worth 18.5 billion euro for implementation of the NRRP.

The revised plan presented by the government before the summer and now being examined by European Commission experts also includes a separate 2.76-billlion-euro submission requested under the RePowerEU programme containing measures to help end Italy's dependence on Russian fossil fuels and fast forward the green transition.

European Affairs Minister Raffaele Fitto has said the fourth installment worth 16.5 billion euro should arrive before the end of the year, although there are still a number of hoops to go through first. (ANSA).


(ANSA) - ROME, NOV 23 - The Italian parliament will be able to express itself on the recent memorandum of understanding to set up migrant processing centres under Italian jurisdiction in Albania to process up to 36,000 asylum seekers a year, Premier Giorgia Meloni said at question time Thursday.

She described as "fake news" reports that the parliament had been stripped of its functions over the memorandum, and pledged that a bill implementing the accord will be filed soon.

"This accord is a framework, and we will submit to the parliament in short order a ratification bill including spending norms," she said.

Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Tuesday that the government will present a bill in parliament to ratify the agreement it has reached with Tirana to set up migrant centres in Albania.

There had been some initial talk of there being no need for this international agreement to be approved by parliament, something that led opposition parties to cry foul.

"The government intends to quickly submit a ratification bill to Parliament that will also contain the rules and the funding allocations necessary for implementation of the protocol," Tajani told the Lower House.

"Today's debate (on the agreement) and the vote at the end of it demonstrate, if there were any need, that our government has never shied away from dialogue and parliamentary scrutiny, especially on issues of such importance".

The minister said that two centres will be set up in Albania under the agreement and no more than 3,000 migrants will be held at them at the same time.

He reiterated that only migrants rescued at sea by the Italian authorities will be taken to the centres in Albania, so not those saved by NGO-run ships or people who land on Italian soil.

"It will not be possible to tow the barges of the smugglers, nor will it be possible to direct boats run by non-governmental organisations, to Albania," he said.

"The migrants will have exactly the same treatment as foreseen under Italian and European regulations".

Tajani added that "this Protocol is not comparable with the agreement between the UK and Rwanda.

"There is no outsourcing of the processing of asylum applications to a third country," he continued.

"And there is no derogation from internationally guaranteed rights, which are expressly reaffirmed several times in the Protocol.

"Soon Albania will join the European Union and it is part of the Council of Europe. Derogations would have been impossible".

Premier Meloni has said Italy was being a "pioneer" with the agreement, adding that has attracted much interest from other EU States.

She stressed that "Italian jurisdiction" would be guaranteed throughout when migrants are taken to Albania.

Meloni also took issue with the Italian Left for criticizing Albania's Socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama for having agreed to the migrant-centre idea.

Centre-left opposition Democratic Party (PD) leader Elly Schlein has said the plan is unconstitutional because it is effectively a push-back towards a third country.

The Council of Europe on Monday has expressed concern about the agreement, saying it raises several human rights issues and "adds to a worrying European trend towards the externalisation of asylum responsibilities". (ANSA).


(ANSA) - BRUSSELS, NOV 23 - (by Alessandra Briganti) Brussels had been gearing up to toast the go-ahead for the AI Act, the world's first law on artificial intelligence (AI), but the celebrations now risk being postponed until the New Year.

Putting a spanner in the works of already complex negotiations are Italy, France and Germany which, in a document, have expressed their opposition to introducing "un-tested norms" on the highest performing AI models such as GPT-4, the basis of the ChatGPT chatbot.

On this point, one of the thorniest in the negotiations involving the European institutions, the three EU heavyweights suggest opting for the path of self-regulation through codes of conduct for AI developers in order not to burden companies with excessive administration that would stifle innovation in a critical sector for the future.

It is an issue dear in particular to French President Emmanuel Macron, who recently called for "not punitive regulation to preserve innovation".

In the search for a delicate balance between progress and the protection of human rights, it is up to the European Parliament to dig in its heels.

"We are not prepared to accept light self-regulation for the most powerful models," Brando Benifei, leader of the Democratic Party (PD) MEP delegation in the European Parliament and rapporteur for the AI Act, told ANSA.

He is, however, open to the possibility of limiting the scope of this specific regulation to models for general use.

Codes of conduct are not enough, explained Benifei, pointing to the OpenAI issue, which "showed up all the instability also in the governance of companies that develop powerful models, namely those that entail a systemic risk".

It is therefore imperative to introduce "clear obligations" that can be "sanctioned", added the PD MEP, recalling that the proposal from Rome, Paris and Berlin contains "no incentive to respect self-imposed rules".

However, another issue undermining progress towards concluding the negotiations is the use of AI tools in the context of national security.

On this point EU member states are asking for broad derogations from the EP's more restrictive approach.

According to Benifei, the finalisation of the AI Act agreement, expected on December 6, will depend on "the efforts of the Council to find a sufficiently ambitious point of compromise".

However, member states are not going to sit and do nothing while the AI Act receives the green light and is implemented.

The data protection watchdog had given a signal in this sense by launching a fact-finding investigation on public and private websites to verify the adoption of adequate security measures to prevent the massive collection of personal data, known as web-scraping, for the training of AI algorithms by third parties.

The Authority will then be able to take the necessary measures, also on an urgent basis. (ANSA).


NY lawyers explained how people can survive divorce financially. When Americans hear about divorce, most of them are worried about their mental health.

Some of them will seek help from their friends or other psychiatrists who can assist them why they are emotionally and mentally recovering from the heartbreaking separation from their wives/husbands.

While this is true, it is also critical to ensure that you know how to recover financially if you and your spouse decide to go through a divorce.

NY Lawyers Explain How People Can Survive Divorce...Financially

Fox Business interviewed some New York Lawyers, asking them how Americans can survive divorce financially. One of them is NY state divorce lawyer Dennis Vetrano.

"I think if each person prepares themselves to be able to stand on their own feet independently of their spouse financially, there's not really as much panic or difficulty post-divorce being able to support yourself," he explained.

He added that there's nothing wrong with being reliant on each other after getting married. However, it would still be best to ensure that you can maintain enough for yourself to allow you to become financially independent in case of divorce.

Another lawyer, Lara Badain, Esq. of New York-based firm Badain & Crowder, also shared the same testament. She explained that although marriage agreements that wives and husbands need to abide by, it is different when it comes to finances.

"But here's how we want to treat our assets and income that we receive during the marriage. Mine is going to be mine, yours is going to be yours," she said.

This is why they provided the following tips on how to survive financially after divorce:

Make sure to have all critical financial documents.

Make your own decisions regarding your major assets.

Check your credit reports regularly.

Try reinventing your budget since your financial life will be different after divorce.

Create a detailed net-worth statement.

Mull over retirement plans.

Read Also: Italy: Mother Wins Lawsuit to Evict Sons, Aged 40 and 42, Who Refuse to Move Out

Surviving Divorce Mentally, Emotionally

Of course, it is also important to know how to survive a divorce mentally and emotionally. Divorce Girl Smiling provided some helpful suggestions you can follow:

Acknowledge your fear over finances, assets, and children in case of a divorce.

Don't stop yourself from grieving; let it all out.

After a divorce, try finding things to do that can make your mind and emotions busy.

Make sure that your body is getting the daily exercise it needs.

Try talking to other women/men who experienced going through a divorce.

Don't ever look back or try to reconnect with your ex-spouse.

Related Article: Amir Khan Sexting Scandal Update: Retired Boxer Posts Selfie Upon Return to London

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Suella Braverman has joined Tory MPs in piling pressure on Rishi Sunak over net migration, after figures showed it hit a new record of 745,000.

The Prime Minister is facing calls to bring down net migration urgently, with the former home secretary among those warning that current levels are unsustainable.

Revised estimates from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) put net migration to the UK in the year to December 2022 higher than previously thought. However, the figure for the year to June 2023 is estimated to be lower, at 672,000.

The former home secretary said that while in Government she had pushed for a number of measures, including an annual cap on net migration, the closure of the graduate visa route and a cap on health and social care visas.

Todays record migration stats show weve let in an extra million people in just two years, a population equivalent to Birmingham. The pressure on housing, the NHS, schools, wages, and community cohesion, is unsustainable. When do we say: enough is enough? she said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

(PA Graphics)

We were elected on a pledge to reduce net migration, which was 229k in 2019. Todays record numbers are a slap in the face to the British public who have voted to control and reduce migration at every opportunity. We must act now to reduce migration to sustainable levels.

Brexit gave us the tools. Its time to use them.

The 2019 Conservative Party manifesto pledged to bring overall net migration numbers down after the introduction of post-Brexit border controls. Many MPs on the right of the party have called on Mr Sunak to honour that commitment.

The right-wing New Conservative group of MPs  led by Miriam Cates, Danny Kruger and Sir John Hayes  was among those demanding action from the Prime Minister and his Home Secretary James Cleverly.

The group said: The word existential has been used a lot in recent days but this really is do or die for our party.

Each of us made a promise to the electorate. We dont believe that such promises can be ignored.

The Government must propose, today, a comprehensive package of measures to meet the manifesto promise by the time of the next election.

Former Cabinet minister Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, appearing on BBC Radio 4s World At One programme, said the figures pointed to a serious political failure in controlling post-Brexit borders.

Im embarrassed that we havent achieved what we set out to achieve, he said.

Tory MP Sir Simon Clarke said the level was unsustainable both economically and socially, adding that there is no public mandate for it.

(PA Graphics)

Former minister Neil OBrien called the numbers extraordinary and said that Mr Sunak must now take immediate and massive action.

Tory MP Jonathan Gullis said the figures were completely unacceptable and will rightly anger the British people, as he called for drastic action to bring down legal migration.

The ONS said it is too early to tell if this is the start of a new downward trend but that the most recent estimates indicate a slowing of immigration coupled with increasing emigration.

Mr Cleverly said the latest figure is largely in line with our own immigration statistics and insisted the Government remains completely committed to reducing levels of legal migration.

The previous estimate for the year to December 2022 had been 606,000, but the ONS has since revised this upwards in light of unexpected patterns in the behaviour of migrants.

The latest figures show that a total of 1.18 million people are estimated to have arrived in the UK in the year to June 2023 while 508,000 are likely to have left, leaving the net migration figure at 672,000.

(PA Graphics)

Most people arriving in the UK in the year ending June 2023 were non-EU nationals (968,000), followed by EU (129,000) and British (84,000), the ONS said.

Study remained the biggest contributor to non-EU immigration in that period, accounting for 39%, largely unchanged compared with the previous period.

The next biggest contributor to non-EU immigration was migrants coming for work  having risen to 33%, from 23% in the year ending June 2022, and largely attributed to people on health and care visas.

Migration was fairly stable before the #COVID19 pandemic but patterns and behaviours have been shifting considerably. More people are arriving from non-EU countries, before migration was driven by people from EU countries. Scroll through to see how things have changed   Office for National Statistics (ONS) (@ONS) November 23, 2023

Arrivals of people via humanitarian routes have fallen from 19% to 9% over the same period, the ONS said, with most of these made up of Ukrainians and British Nationals (Overseas) arrivals from Hong Kong.

Labour said the figures were a sign of the Governments failure on immigration.

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said: These figures are driven by a 54% increase in work visas and a 156% increase in health and social care visas which prove the Conservatives abysmal record on skills, training and workforce planning, as they have run our economy into the ground.

They are still failing to make changes Labour has called for to end the 20% wage discount in the immigration system and to link it to training requirements.
David Cameron has met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog during a visit to Israel, amid the announcement of a truce in the war with Hamas.

The former prime minister expressed hope that it could be an opportunity to crucially get hostages out and get aid into Gaza.

It was confirmed that the ceasefire will begin on Friday morning from 7am local time, with aid going in as soon as possible, according to Qatari officials.

The first set of civilians held captive by Hamas are expected to be freed at about 4pm on Friday local time, including 13 women and children.

The agreement for a four-day ceasefire in Gaza appeared to have hit a last-minute snag, with Lord Cameron telling Mr Netanyahu that he wanted all parties to the agreement to make it happen.

There are hopes that the lull in the fighting will clear the way for humanitarian aid to enter Gaza to ease the suffering of citizens who have been bombarded and besieged by Israel as it takes on Hamas in response to the October 7 atrocities.

Lord Cameron, who earlier visited Kibbutz Beeri, scene of some of the worst violence during the Hamas assault, said: There is never any excuse for this sort of hostage-taking.

All the hostages should be released, but I hope that everyone who is responsible and behind this agreement can make it happen, to bring relief to those families, including, of course, there are British nationals who have been taken hostage.

A building collapses following an Israeli air strike in the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel (Leo Correa/AP)

Mr Netanyahu promised to continue with the goals of the war and we will eradicate Hamas.

There is no hope for peace between Israel and the Palestinians and between Israel and the Arab countries if we do not eradicate this murderous movement, which threatens the future of all of us, he told the Foreign Secretary.

Meeting Mr Herzog, the ex-prime minister said it was very good to be back in Israel.

Theres a huge amount of trauma in Israel because of the taking of 244 hostages. Im not sure anyone can fully understand and share that trauma, but I remember the worst days of being prime minister was when British hostages were taken in Syria, and so many of them lost their lives in the most gruesome, terrible fashion.

I remember the effect that had on me as prime minister and thinking about that and so perhaps know a tiny bit of what your nation is going through.

This morning, together with @elicoh1, I visited Kibbutz Beeri, one of the communities affected by the appalling terror attack Israel suffered on 7 October. I wanted to come here to see it for myself; I have heard and seen things I will never forget. Today is also a day where pic.twitter.com/2dU4gbeaIE  David Cameron (@David_Cameron) November 23, 2023

Lord Camerons visit comes a day after he met counterparts from Arab and Islamic countries  including the Palestinian Authority  at Lancaster House in London to discuss the Middle East crisis.

Foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Indonesia and Nigeria, as well as the secretary general of the League of Arab States, and the ambassador of Qatar, attended the event.

Lord Cameron said the group discussed how to use the planned pause in the Israel-Hamas fighting to consider how we can build a peaceful future which provides security for Israel but also peace and stability for the Palestinian people.
The Governments failure to act quickly in response to warnings about rising Covid-19 cases in autumn 2020 led to preventable deaths, the nations chief scientific adviser has said.

Professor Dame Angela McLean criticised a lack of appreciation that very quick decisions were needed during the pandemic, and said this was the most significant shortcoming in decision-making.

She told the UK Covid-19 public inquiry on Thursday that ministers had enough data to lock down earlier in March 2020, and also failed to act quickly when cases were rising in autumn that year.

Dame Angela said she was in agreement with Professor John Edmunds that ministers were making the same mistakes again by not imposing tighter restrictions in the autumn.

If we had acted decisively then we would have learned from March, but we didnt, she said.

She criticised a lack of action in September 2020 when she and other scientists were calling for a circuit breaker to reduce cases.

When asked if the failure to impose circuit-breaker restrictions was a mistake, she said: Yes, I believe that was a mistake. If we had a circuit breaker in September cases would have dropped a little bit and then we would have bought some time.

The number of infections kept rising through September and October with attendant hospitalisations and, sadly, deaths.

When asked whether deaths would have been lower if a circuit breaker had been imposed earlier, Dame Angela said: Yes.

Figures show that there were 57,896 deaths involving Covid-19 which occurred in the UK during the first wave of the pandemic, from the start of the crisis to the end of August 2020.

Some 95,915 deaths involving Covid-19 occurred in the UK during the second wave from the start of September 2020 to end of April 2021.

The advice was initially given to Government in a meeting on September 20, with Dame Angela saying she did not remember then prime minister Boris Johnson saying anything in response.

During the meeting, Dame Angela explained the situation with Covid-19 was about to exceed the reasonable worst-case scenario.

Dame Angela said the initial lockdown in March 2020 should have come earlier (Lucy North/PA)

At a meeting the following day, scientists again recommended a package of interventions to help slow down the spread of the virus, with a further Sage meeting on September 24 once more recommending a two-week circuit-breaker.

She told the inquiry: Having lived through the first wave with its horrible consequences, I couldnt understand why we werent doing things to try hard to avoid a second autumn wave.

Wed been telling them since we started there will be an autumn wave.

In her witness statement, she described the second lockdown as a terrible moment.

She went on to say: It felt like March all over again. We wait til the last possible moment  we delay and delay a decision, and then we have to slam the brakes on as hard as possible, with the attendant social costs and economic costs.

Dame Angela also told the inquiry there was a lack of appreciation that very quick decisions were needed around exponential growth of cases and lagged control  the time-lag between something happening and its actual effect.

Professor Dame Angela McLean is the Governments chief scientific adviser (PA)

Joanne Cecil, counsel to the inquiry, asked her: As we will see as we move chronologically through that period, that informs what you consider to be one of the most significant shortcomings in relation to decision-making to some extent in the early part of the pandemic, but certainly in the autumn period of 2020?

Dame Angela replied: I agree. I think we made the same mistake three times.

And she said there was enough data for the Government to initiate the first Covid lockdown in March 2020, a week before it was actually introduced.

She told the inquiry that in mid-March 2020, ministers had enough information to show voluntary measures had only reduced social contact by around 40%, when experts had said contacts needed to reduce by around 75% to reduce the spread of the virus.

By the 16th we had enough data, in my opinion, we should have gone into lockdown on that Monday the 16th, she said.

Dame Angela was also asked about describing September 2020 as the worst moment of the pandemic.

She told the inquiry: It was very frustrating for us to be asked to advise the Government and to advise the Government that the autumn would be difficult, and that that difficulty would manifest as rising numbers of infections And then we had this astonishingly good ability to watch that happening with the ONS Covid infection study and it proceeded to happen.

We said you should do something now. But nothing happened.

In her written statement, Dame Angela also said it was necessary to consider a target level of infections, but that she may have been politically naive to think that politicians would be prepared to do so, because setting a target would make it obvious when that target is not being met.

There was an absence of longer-term thinking that meant the Governments communication of risk, especially after the first lockdown, was confusing, she said.

This undermined public health messaging about the virus, Dame Angela said.

Elsewhere, the inquiry also heard that:

 Dame Angela said she was not consulted on the Eat Out To Help Out scheme.

 She suggested some officials thought the pandemic was halfway over in April 2020.

 Dame Angela said an elimination strategy  as perused by New Zealand  would not have succeeded in the UK.

 She said she was not confident of the Treasurys use of a simple model during the pandemic.

 Dame Angela also said the situation in care homes was a foreseeable problem.

 There were times during the crisis where she had to paper over the cracks when difficulties arose between academics and civil servants.

It comes as it was announced that Matt Hancock, Dominic Raab and Michael Gove will be among those giving evidence to the inquiry next week. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham will also appear, alongside former health secretary Sajid Javid.
Sarah Frith, 50, from Sheffield, was just 48 when she was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Here, her long-term partner and fiance Gareth Heslop, 50, who works in financial crime compliance, reflects on the heartbreaking challenges of caring for a partner with young onset dementia.

Sarah Frith was diagnosed with dementia at the age of 48. Her condition deteriorated so rapidly that her partner Gareth has now become her carer. (Supplied) (Supplied)

Words: Marie-Claire Dorking

As the car meandered through the dark, country lanes, I turned to Sarah to suggest she put on the full beams. Wed been to a village fair near my parents and were heading home to Sheffield.

Sarah couldnt quite work out how to switch on the full beams, so I told her to pull over so I could help, but though she slowed down, she couldnt seem to be able to stop. In the end, our eldest son had to physically press the brake.

That was the first real indication that something wasnt quite right with Sarah, but not for a second did I suspect dementia.

Sarah and I met when we both worked in a call centre in 2001. I think we both knew early on that our relationship was going to be long-term and things moved fairly quickly.

Within months, wed moved in together and around a year later, Sarah was pregnant with our first child, Lewis, now 21, followed later by Euan, now 12.

I first noticed some potential warning signs in Sarah when she was 46. It was 2019, which was a pretty bad year for us as we both lost our jobs and my dad died from kidney cancer.

I started to spot some changes in Sarahs behaviour. For example, instead of a toothbrush she referred to it as a tooth-cleaning thingy. Another time she asked if they had cows in America. We all have days when we say something a bit silly so I just dismissed it as that.

Sarah Frith and Gareth Heslop in happier times, before her dementia diagnosis. (Supplied) (Supplied)

Struggling with everyday tasks

The following year, however, Sarah got a job working from home and I noticed she was struggling with day-to-day tasks shed previously had no trouble with, like drafting an email.

In September 2020, she was really anxious about how the job was going, so she went to the GP who signed her off work with stress and anxiety.

At the time, this seemed like a plausible cause for her behaviour, but looking back there were other signs too  replies to text messages that didnt make sense, going out without a jacket on a cold day, for example. It was only little things, but I started to become worried.

As a family, we made the decision not to tell Sarah about the diagnosis. We worried that her knowing might make her deteriorate more quickly.

The devastating truth

The incident with the full beams was a turning point  and I decided to book Sarah an appointment with her GP who referred her for a memory test.

She passed, but I now know that the test isnt always suitable for people with frontotemporal dementia as memory loss isnt always one of the first symptoms.

In the summer of 2021, I wrote a letter to her doctor listing all the things I was worried about  finding it difficult to hold conversations or going to the supermarket for one thing and coming back with something totally different.

The doctor was sufficiently concerned to refer Sarah to a neurologist and, after various scans and tests, Sarah was formally diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia in October 2022, aged just 48.

Id already suspected thats what we were dealing with, but hearing the words was still heartbreaking.

Sarah Frith and Gareth Heslop with their sons Lewis and Euan, before her diagnosis. (Supplied) (Supplied)

Breaking the news

As a family, we made the conscious decision not to tell Sarah about the diagnosis. We worried that her knowing might make her deteriorate more quickly, but I still had to break it to the boys, who were 20 and 11 at the time.

I planned for us to go somewhere we dont normally go as I didnt want them to associate a regular place with a bad memory. We talked it all through and I tried to be as honest with them as I could, but it wasnt an easy conversation to have.

On the way back, Lewis asked lots of questions but Euan remained silent. At home I could hear him banging in his room, so I went up to ask if he wanted to talk.

"Whats the point?" he replied. "Its not going to change things?"

I told him that it wouldnt but that it was good for us to keep talking.

Losing speech skills

Things have progressed quickly for Sarah and Ive effectively now changed from being Sarahs partner to her carer, while also still working full-time.

She cant dress or look after herself anymore, so I have to do it all for her, which isnt easy on either of us.

Sarah can also no longer communicate verbally, which we all find really difficult.

She also has trouble with certain foods. Frontotemporal dementia affects the frontal lobe of the brain, which is linked to behaviour, and can cause some challenging issues around food, including swallowing and chewing. It means Im constantly worried about her choking.

Sarah can also no longer communicate verbally, which we all find really difficult.

Evenings are particularly challenging as Sarah often gets up late at night because she is worried about something and isnt able to tell me what it is. Sometimes Im so physically exhausted that I dont want to get up and check, but I have to because otherwise she wont settle.

Despite no longer being able to speak, Sarah has still retained her sense of humour. (Supplied) (Supplied)

Adjusting to a new life

Most days I wake up with my eyes red raw from tiredness and have to push myself to get up.

Its the little things I miss too  having someone there looking out for me, who thinks of the special Christmas presents Id love, someone to give me a hug when Im upset.

Its hard also having to make decisions on my own and not having the reassurance of the person youd previously have turned to. All the responsibility sits on me.

Theres a financial impact too. Ive estimated that to look after Sarah properly for the next six years is going to cost an additional 150K, because of making adaptations to the house, for example, which places greater emphasis on me keeping my job.

My own health is deteriorating too, because I dont have any space to think about looking after myself.

But its hard to concentrate on work with so many distractions  co-ordinating Sarahs care needs and health appointments is a part-time job in itself.

My own health is deteriorating too, because I dont have any space to think about looking after myself.

Thankfully, weve now received funding for 35 hours a weeks care for Sarah, which means I can have someone here while Im working during the day and on a Tuesday theres a carer here until 9pm. That means Euan and I can get some respite.

Lewis is at university, so hes slightly more removed, but he worries a lot about whether his mums condition is progressing whilst he is away.

Euan sees his mum declining on a more day-to-day basis. Sometimes, Sarah will forget to pack enough lunch for him to take to school or will wake him up in the middle of the night for no reason.

I make sure I talk to the boys and encourage them to open up as much as possible, but it isnt always easy.

Their eldest son Lewis (left) is now at university, but Euan, now 12, sees his mum's health declining daily. (Supplied) (Supplied)

Making the most of every day

A few months after telling the boys about Sarahs dementia, Euan asked me if his mum would be still alive this time next year.

Sometimes I can reassure them but I cant always give them the answers they would like. I try to support them as best I can and let them know I am here. Im fiercely devoted to giving them as much of the life they were expecting as possible.

For Christmas, Im asking people not to buy us presents but to give us vouchers so we can make as many memories as possible.

With Frontotemporal dementia, your life span is a lot shorter  the average time from diagnosis is around six years  so its difficult to look back at the hopes we made for our future together and not feel sad that we wont get to realise them.

The plan was to get to the age that the kids were starting to go off to university and go travelling, which of course we can no longer do. But we are trying to enjoy as much time together as a family as we can.

For Christmas Im asking people not to buy us presents but to give us vouchers so we can make as many memories as possible.

Sarah's partner Gareth is determined to create as many special memories for the family as possible. (Supplied) (Supplied)

Still Sarah inside

Of course, Sarah has changed a lot, but shes still Sarah. Shes always had a mischievous sense of humour and still loves to laugh. The boys are always saying things to make her giggle and she still loves watching Gogglebox.

I try not to get too sad, but one thing always guaranteed to make me cry is when people say Im doing a good job, which I find hard to accept. I love this person so Im doing it all because I love them not because I have to.

Im hoping by sharing our story people may know not to dismiss behavioural changes in loved ones even if theyre younger.

I try not to get too sad, but one thing always guaranteed to make me cry is when people say Im doing a good job, which I find hard to accept.

Id also like people to know there is support out there. When Sarah was diagnosed I did hours of research, so we were prepared as possible for the future, but Ive spoken to a lot of people who feel abandoned.

I know at some point Ill probably have to make a decision about putting Sarah in a care home and the guilt is already there. My hope is that the dementia will have developed to the extent she doesnt recognise where she is.

The decision will be made slightly easier knowing Im making it not just for Sarah, but also for the kids. Obviously Sarahs needs are paramount, but I have to think about them too.

Its hard enough losing a parent when youre young, but with dementia its basically like a long goodbye  youre grieving before theyre actually gone.

Carers Rights Day is on 23 November, 2023. For advice and support on living with dementia visit the charity Dementia UK.

Watch: Rumer Willis is 'really missing dad' amid dementia battle
Penny Mordaunt has claimed young Scots will have somewhere safe and warm to take heroin as a result of the SNPs appalling legacy.

The Commons Leader took aim at the SNPs record, including its support for a drug consumption facility, after saying the party is on her list of those she is standing up and fighting against.

Her criticism came in response to SNP Commons leader Deidre Brock, who mocked Ms Mordaunts Conservative Party conference speech in which she repeatedly urged people to stand up and fight against things.

Ms Brock said Chancellor Jeremy Hunts autumn statement had shown the UK Government wants a fight with people unable to work because of ill health, given his promised welfare reforms to ensure people signed off sick look for work.

Ms Brock also said the UK Government should hold an inquiry into itself and the many billions it has squandered over the last four years.

The UKs first drug consumption room could be open by next summer, with a facility planed in Glasgow already approved by NHS and council officials.

The project took a step forward after Scotlands Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain KC announced it would not be in the public interest to prosecute users of such a facility.

The UK Government has said it is not in favour of drug consumption rooms, but said it has no plans to interfere.

Speaking in response to Ms Brocks criticism of the Conservatives, Ms Mordaunt told the Commons: Im not in any doubt who Im standing up and fighting for  the people of this country  and who Im standing up and fighting against, and the SNP are on that latter list.

Im standing up and fighting against them because first of all what she says is not the case, she has spoken about the welfare measures that were announced yesterday.

The closing claims measures, she knows, doesnt apply in Scotland but also does not apply to anyone with disabilities or a child.

A safe drugs consumption room could be open in Glasgow by next summer (Jane Barlow/PA)

Ms Mordaunt encouraged Ms Brock to be a little more self-reflective, before saying: Which party is it whose leader smirked whilst people booed the national anthem? Whose party is it whose activists called BBC reporters traitors?

Whose party is it that bullied Conservative Party members attending a conference in Scotland to the extent that it made national news?

Whose party is it whose behaviour was so horrific towards its own elected representatives that they said they suffered panic attacks and some of them have crossed the floor?

And who is it that is responsible for the bile-fuelled rants that are so evident in Hansard?

Once (Ms Brock) has clocked that all these things are her party, she might reflect on why that is the case and the appalling legacy that such a warped, irresponsible displacement activity has ceded to a generation of Scottish children.

A wrecked education system, a widening attainment gap, fewer teachers, maths scores declining in every Pisa survey, science at a low record and plummeting literacy rates.

But they will have, of course, somewhere safe and warm to take heroin.

Deidre Brock said the Tories believe Scots should know our place (Roger Harris/UK Parliament/PA)

Im not going to take any lectures from (Ms Brock) about values, responsibility or performance in office.

SNP MPs heckled Ms Mordaunt throughout her comments.

Writing on X, SNP MP Stewart McDonald (Glasgow South) said: You disgrace yourself, @PennyMordaunt.

My brother died of a drug overdose at his home. If he had access to a healthcare facility such as a safe consumption room  somewhere safe and warm as you put it  in order to manage his addiction then he might well still be alive today.

Ms Brock had earlier told the Commons: We know in Scotland she likes having a fight with us  shes always telling us off for disobedience or treachery. In Tory Britain we Scots should know our place.

But the Chancellor helpfully revealed who else her Government wants a fight with. If youre unable to work because of ill health, get ready for battle with the Tories.

If youre amongst the four million families destitute in the UK, forget it, no real help for you in your daily struggle to survive.

And its clear from the Covid inquiry if youre a scientist or, God forbid, an actual expert, gird your loins.

In England, Tories fight NHS workers, they fight teachers, they fight local councils, they fight the low paid. If youre on pensions or benefits, sure they threw you a few crumbs yesterday from the table but the ONS (Office for National Statistics) says food prices are 30% higher than they were two years ago so they will fight you at the checkout tills.

Not a word about fighting billionaires tax evasion, or fighting dirty money being laundered through London, or fighting corruption and fraud drenching this Government in sleaze.

Ms Brock pressed the case for an independent Scotland to be free of the bedlam of Westminster, before asking: Isnt it time her profligate Government stopped fighting everybody, held an inquiry into itself and the many billions it has squandered over the last four years?
Olly Murs has said the late Caroline Flack told him a year before she took her life that some of her happiest times were spent working with him.

Singer and presenter Murs, 39, who found fame as a contestant on The X Factor, went on to present spin-off series The Xtra Factor for a number of years alongside presenter Flack, who died in 2020 aged 40.

Murs spoke to Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen on the Take That: This Life podcast, set up in anticipation of the groups upcoming album, set for release on Friday.

Caroline Flack attending the Virgin TV British Academy Television Awards 2018 (Ian West/PA)

Discussing what it was like for him and Flack to present the show, on which Barlow was a judge for several years, Murs said: They were great years and it was good for us cause we did The Xtra Factor at the time, so it was a bit more relaxed.

The way we wanted the show to be when I came in  we wanted to create that sort of TFI Friday kind of vibe.

Speaking to Barlow he said: When you guys (judges) used to come down you could forget all the stuff thats going on and producers in your ears.

In response Barlow said that they would often look forward to it.

Murs went on: Me and Caroline sensed that and, bless her, when what happened in the last few years with Caz and her passing away in 2020, I actually got her to write something in my book on my tour in 2019  the Hits Tour.

Its hard for me to talk about it, but she actually writes in it that the times that we had in the years that we worked together were the happiest that she had, but they were the happiest for me as well.

 Take That: This Life the Podcast LIVE!  To celebrate the release of our brand-new album, This Life, we are hosting a LIVE & IN PERSON podcast recording at Leicester Square Theatre this Sunday evening. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/I1rBD1ZsAu  Take That (@takethat) November 20, 2023

Speaking to Barlow he said: We had such a laugh with you guys (judges), we were bantering, had fun with you, Nicole (Scherzinger).

It was just a really good, feel-good atmosphere and I think thats what Xtra Factor created and what me and Caroline loved and it really actually helped my career as well as I think people getting to know, not just my music, they got to know me as a person.

It was brilliant times and X Factor was intense.

Asked if he enjoyed The X Factor, Barlow said: For me I always want to feel like Im learning something and I definitely came away from that show feeling like I had learned a few bits and pieces I didnt know before.

Murs has also appeared on reality singing show The Voice as a judge and made a special appearance at Flackstock this year, a festival set up in honour of Flack to raise money for her favourite causes.

Take That will be touring This Life around the UK and Ireland in 2024 with Murs as a special guest.
The 60th anniversary of Doctor Who will be marked in Cardiff with a water-based projection that will take audiences through the six decades of the show.

Former Doctor Who script editor Gary Russell has arranged the script for the five-minute piece, which features a new version of composer Murray Golds iconic theme.

Highlights throughout the series  the longest running sci-fi TV show  will be shown in the display, as well as an exclusive shot of upcoming 15th doctor Ncuti Gatwa.

Highlights throughout the series feature in the display

The projection, commissioned by BBC Wales, will be launched on November 23 and run every half-an-hour between 5.30pm and 9.30pm until November 25 at Roath Basin in Cardiff Bay.

Steffan Powell, presenter of spin-off show Doctor Who: Unleashed, will host the initial switch on at 5.30pm on Thursday  which is known as Doctor Who Day.

Doctor Who first appeared on BBC television on November 23 in 1963, with William Hartnell as the first Doctor. It originally ran for 26 years before ending in 1989 and was then relaunched in 2005.

In addition to the water-based projection, the 60th anniversary celebrations will include the opportunity for visitors to see the Tardis and a Dalek at the Senedd building from November 23 until December 2.

The hit series returns to screens on November 25, with the first of three 60th anniversary special episodes to feature 14th doctor David Tennant.

A Dalek is projected in Cardiff Bay (Huw John/BBC)

In the first of the three episodes, named The Star Beast, The Doctor is reunited with Donna Noble played by Catherine Tate.

The second episode, Wild Blue Yonder, airs on December 2, with The Giggle a week later. All will be aired on BBC One and iPlayer.

Russell T Davies is returning to the Doctor Who brand as showrunner for the special episodes, which were produced by Bad Wolf with BBC Studios.

LCI Productions will provide the water projection to mark the anniversary, while Cardiff Council and Associated British Ports gave permission to use Roath Basin. Coleridge Cymru assisted in facilitating the project.
Rishi Sunak is facing calls from Tory MPs to act now to bring down net migration, as new figures showed that it hit a new record of 745,000.

Revised estimates from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) put net migration to the UK in the year to December 2022 higher than previously thought. However, the figure for the year to June 2023 is estimated to be lower, at 672,000.

In a strongly-worded statement, the right-wing New Conservative group of MPs demanded action from the Prime Minister and his Home Secretary James Cleverly.

The group, led by Miriam Cates, Danny Kruger and Sir John Hayes, warned: The word existential has been used a lot in recent days but this really is do or die for our party.

Each of us made a promise to the electorate. We dont believe that such promises can be ignored.

The Government must propose, today, a comprehensive package of measures to meet the manifesto promise by the time of the next election. We will assess any such package and report publicly on whether it will meet the promise made to the electorate.

The Prime Minister, Chancellor, and new Home Secretary must show that they stand by the promises on which we were elected to Parliament. We must act now.

The 2019 Conservative Party manifesto pledged to bring overall net migration numbers down after the introduction of post-Brexit border controls.

Former Cabinet minister Sir Simon Clarke said: This level of legal immigration is unsustainable both economically and socially.

There is no public mandate for it, it is beyond our public services capacity to support and it undercuts UK productivity and wages by substituting cheaper foreign labour.

(PA Graphics)

He called for an urgent change of approach, with curbs on the list of shortage occupations allowed to bring in migrant workers and a requirement for higher earnings for those seeking a visa.

Former minister Neil OBrien said: In every election since 1992 we have promised to reduce migration. Todays extraordinary numbers mean the PM must now take immediate and massive action to do just that.

Tory MP Jonathan Gullis said the figures were completely unacceptable and will rightly anger the British people, as he called for drastic action to bring down legal migration.

Former Cabinet minister Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, appearing on BBC Radio 4s World At One programme, said that the figures pointed to a serious political failure in controlling post-Brexit borders.

Im embarrassed that we havent achieved what we set out to achieve, he said.

The ONS said it is too early to tell if this is the start of a new downward trend but that the most recent estimates indicate a slowing of immigration coupled with increasing emigration.

Mr Cleverly said the latest figure is largely in line with our own immigration statistics and insisted the Government remains completely committed to reducing levels of legal migration.

The previous estimate for the year to December 2022 had been 606,000, but the ONS has since revised this upwards in light of unexpected patterns in the behaviour of migrants.

The latest figures show that a total of 1.18 million people are estimated to have arrived in the UK in the year to June 2023 while 508,000 are likely to have left, leaving the net migration figure at 672,000.

(PA Graphics)

Mr Cleverly said: This figure is not showing a significant increase from last years figures and is largely in line with our own immigration statistics.

The Government remains completely committed to reducing levels of legal migration while at the same time focusing relentlessly on our priority of stopping the boats.

He said the UK needs to reduce our overall numbers by eliminating the abuse and exploitation of our visa system by both companies and individuals.

Downing Street said that net migration remains far too high and indicated that further measures could be introduced to bring down the figures.

The Prime Ministers official spokesman also promise to leave no stone unturned in tackling abuse of the visa system.

Most people arriving to the UK in the year ending June 2023 were non-EU nationals (968,000), followed by EU (129,000) and British (84,000), the ONS said.

Study remained the biggest contributor to non-EU immigration in that period, accounting for 39%, largely unchanged compared with the previous period.

Migration was fairly stable before the #COVID19 pandemic but patterns and behaviours have been shifting considerably. More people are arriving from non-EU countries, before migration was driven by people from EU countries. Scroll through to see how things have changed   Office for National Statistics (ONS) (@ONS) November 23, 2023

The next biggest contributor to non-EU immigration was migrants coming for work  having risen to 33%, from 23% in the year ending June 2022, and largely attributed to people on health and care visas.

Arrivals of people via humanitarian routes have fallen from 19% to 9% over the same period, the ONS said, with most of these made up of Ukrainians and British Nationals (Overseas) arrivals from Hong Kong.

Labour said that the figures were a sign of the Governments failure on immigration.

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said: These figures are driven by a 54% increase in work visas and a 156% increase in health and social care visas which prove the Conservatives abysmal record on skills, training and workforce planning, as they have run our economy into the ground.

They are still failing to make changes Labour has called for to end the 20% wage discount in the immigration system and to link it to training requirements.

The Tories have broken the asylum system with the number of asylum seekers in hotels now at a record high of 56,000  over 10,000 more than when Rishi Sunak promised to end hotel use  and costing almost 3 billion a year. Once again, the British taxpayer is footing the bill for the Conservatives chaos.
Coldplay will perform in Malaysia on Wednesday, November 22, despite backlash from conservative Muslims. However, they may have to face a "kill switch" that cancels the gig if they misbehave or do something offensive.

Earlier this month, Deputy Communications and Digital Minister Teo Nie Ching issued a ruling mandating "a kill switch that will cut off electricity during any performance if there is any unwanted incident." This is in response to the public outcry that followed the same-sex kiss between members of the 1975 at a Kuala Lumpur concert in July.

Band's Support for Palestine

Fahmi Fadzilit, Malaysia's minister of communications and digital economy, stated that the kill switch was one of the things they had gone over with the organizer of Coldplay's Kuala Lumpur event, as reported by the Guardian. Although, Fadzilit did not anticipate any difficulties to arise. He added that the prime minister also indicated that the band is highly supportive of Palestine, so they are feeling optimistic.

This week, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim asked parliament, "Why should we stop a group that supports the Palestinian cause from performing?" He was questioned whether he thought the performance was acceptable given the ongoing crisis in Gaza.

When speaking to an audience in Japan, Coldplay co-founder and member Chris Martin recently made the following statement: "We don't believe in oppression, or occupation, terrorism or genocide ... You can send [love and kindness] to Gaza and Israel, you can send it to the West Bank." He also mentioned Azerbaijan, Armenia, Ukraine, Russia, Iran, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Coldplay worked with Palestinian band Le Trio Joubran in 2019 to write and record the song Arabesque, which appears on the album Everyday Life. This follows the band's Facebook promotion of the charity track Freedom for Palestine in 2011, the Guardian reported.

See Also: Coldplay's Singapore Shows Spark Outrage in Malaysia

Protests From Conservative Muslims

Some conservative Muslims in Malaysia are protesting Coldplay's performance because of the band's outspoken stance in favor of the LGBTQ+ community.

The information leader for the Islamic party PAS, Ahmad Fadhli Shaari, said in parliament: "This is not about whether they purely support the Palestinian cause or not but the issue of hedonism culture that they bring to our community."

In May, PAS made a social media post demanding the performance be canceled, claiming the band promoted "a culture of hedonism and perversion," and included a photo of Martin with a rainbow flag.

Concertgoers have been asked to be respectful of local customs and sensitivities by police and event producer Live Nation Malaysia.

In the days leading up to Coldplay's show in Gelora Bung Karno stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia, conservative Muslim protesters battled with police. A banner allegedly stated, "Reject, cancel, and disband Coldplay concerts."

See Also: Pop Star Pink Gives Away Thousands of Banned Books at Florida Concert as State Remains at Center of Book-Banning Debate

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A multi-millionaire tech entrepreneur has been behind bars for 10 months after he was convicted of sexually assaulting an ex-employee, it can be reported today.

Lawrence Jones, 55, was remanded in custody in January after a jury at Manchester Crown Court found him guilty of the offence.

On Thursday, reporting restrictions in the case were lifted at the conclusion of a second trial in which the former chief executive of UKFast was convicted of drugging and raping two women decades earlier when he worked as a hotel bar pianist.

He will be sentenced for all matters on December 1.

Jones, from Hale Barns, Greater Manchester, set up the web hosting provider with his wife Gail from a spare bedroom in September 1999.

The company went on to deal with more than 5,000 clients including the NHS, the Ministry of Defence and the Cabinet Office.

The UKFast Campus factory in Birley Fields, Manchester (Peter Byrne/PA)

UKFast employed around 500 staff, including many young people, and its success led to Jones becoming a MBE in 2015 for services to the digital economy.

In January 2019 a former employee rang police to make a string of allegations against Jones including that he had forced himself on her to have sex in 2010.

A second woman then came forward to say that Jones sexually assaulted her in a hotel on a 2013 business trip.

At Joness first trial, prosecutor Eloise Marshall KC told jurors: On the way to the hotel in the back of a taxi he (Jones) commented inappropriately that he could see up her dress.

When they arrived at the hotel, it transpired that although she had a separate room to Jones, it was part of the penthouse suite and adjoined a seating area, with an open bath and Mr Joness bedroom.

The pair later had drinks in the hotel bar where the complainant said she became upset when Jones asked intrusive questions about sexual acts with an ex-boyfriend, the court heard.

Ms Marshall went on: After the bar, they went back up to the penthouse suite.

He sat next to her on the sofa and became more persistent in his approaches to her despite her clear resistance.

He put his arm around her and started dragging her in towards him. He ignored (the complainant) repeatedly who was clearly telling him that she did not want to engage in this sort of behaviour.

Things escalated and he started asking: Let me see your knickers. As he said that he placed his hands on her body, on her legs and became quite forceful trying to prise her legs apart, with his hands on the inside of her thighs.

This caused her dress to ride up and as she was trying to pull it down and get away, he was trying to get on top of her.

The woman managed to escape from Joness clutches into her room and locked the door, said the prosecutor.

She later left the company as Jones paid for her silence, said Ms Marshall, with a 13,000 settlement which required her to sign an NDA (non-disclosure agreement).

Giving evidence, Jones claimed the woman quickly became drunk in the hotel bar and was flirtatious.

He considered her to be a troublemaker and denied any wrongdoing.

Jones said she was not recruited because he was attracted to her and did not tell her she needed to look like a Bond girl.

He said he did not create a sexual atmosphere in the workplace by being handsy and touchy.

Jones told Miss Marshall: I put my hands on peoples shoulders but only people I thought I had a really good relationship with. Theres nothing sexual about what I was doing.

I gave hugs to people, thats the sort of person I am.

Jones was cleared of the sexual allegations he faced concerning the first complainant  one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault.

He denied any sexual contact with the first complainant apart from one occasion, he said, when he crossed the line at his family home.

Jones said both became very drunk when drinking tequila, along with his wife who became ill and went to bed.

He and the complainant then moved from the swimming pool area, he said, to the steam room where he said the complainant performed oral sex on him.

Jones admitted he kept silent about the incident to his wife who attended court each day of the two trials in support of her husband.

At Joness second trial this month, he denied attacking two women at his then flat in Salford in the early 1990s.

In 2021 and 2022, the women, who did not know each other, came forward to the police and made separate allegations of rape against the defendant.

One complainant described being given something to sniff which had an immediate impact on her, while the other described being overly affected by a glass of wine and a few puffs of what she believed was cannabis.

Miss Marshall told jurors: Both women were stupefied and left partially conscious but unable to react.

Such was the effect of the drugs that the women, even then, were unclear about what drug had been used and exactly what had happened to them.

Jurors in the second trial were not told about his sexual assault conviction earlier this year.

Mrs Jones held her hand over her mouth as the jury foreman delivered the unanimous verdicts after four hours of deliberations, while two of the defendants daughters were in tears in the public gallery.

Isla Chilton, senior district crown prosecutor for CPS North Wests rape and serious sexual offence unit, said: Jones raped two women with no thought for how his actions would affect them.

By denying the offences, he compounded the harm to the women, attempting to evade responsibility for his actions. The jury saw through his lies and found him guilty.

I would like to thank the victims for supporting this prosecution and I hope this case will encourage others to seek justice. Its never too late.
BEIJING/MANILA (Reuters) -The Philippines has enlisted "foreign forces" to patrol the South China Sea and has been stirring up trouble, China's military said on Thursday, referring to joint patrols this week by Philippine and U.S. forces.

The Chinese military will maintain high vigilance, resolutely defend sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, and resolutely safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea, China's military said.

"The Philippines enlisted forces out of the region to patrol ... stirred up trouble and engaged in hype, undermining regional peace and stability," the southern theatre command of the Chinese military said.

Philippine officials have said their military and the U.S. launched joint patrols on Tuesday in waters near Taiwan, a democratically governed island that China claims as its own, raising the possibility of further tensions with China.

Relations have soured between China and the Philippines over the South China Sea under Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr as he pivots towards closer ties with the U.S., which supports the Southeast Asian nation in its maritime disputes with China.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday China had warned the U.S. and the Philippines in connection with their patrols.

"China has made clear its position to the Philippines and the U.S. that the Philippine-U.S. joint patrols must not undermine China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests," spokesperson Mao Ning said.

A Chinese navy ship shadowed three U.S. and Philippine warships conducting joint patrols on Thursday, the Philippine armed forces chief, Romeo Brawner, told reporters.

The incident occurred at around 10:15 a.m. near the platform of a natural gas field 27 nautical miles off Palawan province, Brawner said. "There was no challenge, no dangerous manoeuvres."

The Philippines achieved its goal of closely operating with its ally, the United States, and there was no untoward incident, Brawner added.

The Philippine foreign ministry and the national security adviser's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

(Reporting by Ella Cao, Bernard Orr and Liz Lee in Beijing, Neil Jerome Morales in Manila; Editing by Edmund Klamann, Robert Birsel)
David Dee Delgado/Getty Images

Cuba Gooding Jr. is facing two new lawsuits related to separate groping incidents that date back to 2018 and 2019.

The suits were filed Wednesday, November 22, under New York states Adult Survivors Act, which was enacted on Thanksgiving Day in 2022 and provided plaintiffs a one-year window to submit civil claims of sexual assault that otherwise would not meet the statute of limitations.

In one suit, according to The Los Angeles Times, an unnamed plaintiff alleges that Gooding forced his tongue down her throat while she was on duty as a waitress at LAVO nightclub in New York. Gooding pleaded guilty last year to a lesser charge of criminal forcible touching in connection with the same incident.

In the second suit, per the Times, a woman named Kelsey Harbert alleges Gooding touched her thighs and breast after she approached a table where he was seated with his girlfriend and joined the couple to talk. Harbert states in the suit that the conduct made her feel like a piece of meat. Gooding also previously pleaded guilty to a lesser criminal charge related to that incident, admitting to non-consensual physical contact.

Jeremy Piven, Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, Sexual Misconduct, Hollywood, Sexual Harassment

While Hollywood may appear to be all glitz and glam on the surface, the industry has seen its fair share of scandals through the years. The New York Times and the New Yorker first published investigative pieces in 2017 that accused disgruntled movie producer Harvey Weinstein of decades of sexual assault and harassment. Soon after, Weinstein stood trial and was []

The plea deal Gooding struck in the criminal trial for both incidents allowed him to escape jail time, instead requiring six months of counseling. In a statement provided to Deadline, Gloria Allred, the plaintiffs attorney in the new lawsuits, said: Our clients were deprived of the justice they sought in the criminal case. They are now seeking justice and accountability in their civil cases. We are proud of their courage and intend to vigorously fight for them until they win the justice that they deserve.

Both women are seeking unspecified damages for assault and battery; emotional, physical and mental distress; lost wages; and attorneys fees.

The suits are just the latest in a string of sex abuse claims the Oscar-winning actor has faced over the last few years. In June, he reached a settlement with a woman who had accused him of raping her twice in a Soho hotel room in 2013. And as the criminal groping trial unfolded in 2020, dozens of women came forward with stories of unwanted touching by Gooding; eventually, the list of accusers reached 30.

Us Weekly has reached out to Goodings lawyer for comment.
A former State Department official and White House adviser was arrested in connection to directing repeated anti-Islamic remarks to a New York City food vendor, authorities said.

Stuart Seldowitz made an initial court appearance Wednesday night after he was taken into custody facing possible charges including hate crime and stalking, second-degree aggravated harassment, stalking causing fear and stalking at employment, police said Thursday. The incidents were filmed and prompted an investigation by the New York Police Department's Hate Crimes Task Force.

It's unclear what charges Seldowitz will face as calls to the Manhattan district attorneys office were not immediately returned Thursday.

Seldowitz, 66, served as acting director for South Asia at the National Security Council under former President Barack Obama and worked in various roles in the U.S. government across decades under multiple presidents, according to government webpages and a biography for a government relations firm he worked with.

The videos have prompted widespread condemnation from state politicians and caused the government relations firm to cut ties with him.

"Islamophobia is hate. Plain and simple," New York City Mayor Eric Adams said. "This vile, disrespectful rhetoric has no home in our city. We reject it  and we're glad to see we're not alone."

The New York Police Department's Hate Crime Task Force is investigating, the police department told USA TODAY on Wednesday.

Seldowitz did not immediately respond to email and text message inquiries from USA TODAY and calls to a phone number listed as his were directed to a full voicemail inbox on Wednesday.

What happened in the videos?

A series of videos filmed from inside a halal food cart show a man berating a food vendor.

The videos were posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, and Seldowitz has told multiple publications he was the person speaking to the vendor. The vendor has not been publicly identified.

In the videos, which appear to be taken on different days because Seldowitz wears different clothes in each, Seldowitz made a slew of derogatory comments to the vendor about the Islamic religion and Egypt. It's not clear what Seldowitz believed the vendor's connection to either Islam or Egypt was.

The beginning of the interactions is not shown on video.

Seldowitz also referenced the Israel-Hamas war, accusing the vendor at one point of being a "terrorist" and saying, "you support terrorism."

"If we killed 4,000 Palestinian kids, you know what? It wasn't enough. It wasn't enough," Seldowitz said.

During the portions of the encounters on video, the vendor minimally engaged with Seldowitz, asking him to leave. "I'm working now, can you please leave?" the vendor said at one point. Another time the vendor threatened to call the police.

Seldowitz made derogatory comments to the vendor about working in a food cart and not speaking English. He also repeatedly questioned the vendor's immigration status and suggested the vendor would be deported.

Seldowitz told The New York Times that his interactions with the food vendor began after the vendor allegedly expressed support for Hamas. No such comments were included in the recorded videos.

At that point, I got rather upset and Ive said things to him, that in retrospect, I probably regret, though  that I do regret," Seldowitz told the outlet. Instead of focusing in on him and what he said, I expanded into insulting his religion and so on.

He told the Times that despite his remarks, he is not Islamophobic or prejudiced against Arab people.

MORE: Feds, local officials on high alert as reports of antisemitism, Islamophobia surge

Lobbying firm cuts ties after videos go viral

A New York City-based lobbying firm said it has cut ties with Seldowitz on Tuesday.

"The video of his actions is vile, racist, and beneath the dignity of the standards we practice at our firm," Gotham Government Relations said in a statement posted to social media.

Seldowitz was listed as foreign affairs chair on the firm's website in a since-deleted page accessed through internet archives. Gotham said in its statement this week that Seldowitz had not contributed to the firm's work in years, but a November 2022 press release announced his appointment as foreign affairs chair.

"Mr. Seldowitz has worked on some of the most difficult political, trade, and national security issues facing the United States throughout his career, including relations with Afghanistan, the Middle East, Mexico, and South Africa," his biography on the firm's site said.

Seldowitz was acting director for the National Security Council South Asia Directorate in the early 2000s and received an honor award from the State Department three times, the biography said. The biography said he had served under five presidents, and Seldowitz told The New York Times he'd served during both Democrat and Republican administrations.

He retired from foreign service in 2011, according to a State Department announcement at the time. He told the Times he's not currently employed by the government.

Gotham's president, David Schwartz, said on X he has offered to represent the vendor should he choose to sue Seldowitz.

Videos denounced by politicians as police investigate

The videos also prompted condemnation from a number of New York politicians, including Gov. Kathy Hochul who called Seldowitz's behavior "hateful, disgusting and unacceptable."

Seldowitz has previously worked for the New York state government, according to his biography.

New York City Councilmember Julie Menin said on social media she had contacted NYPD "and they are reviewing these videos."

"This is vile hate speech and harassment and truly abhorrent," Menin said.

Contributing: Terry Collins, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Stuart Seldowitz arrested for berating New York City food vendor
Dutch far-right populist leader Geert Wilders, who has called for a referendum on leaving the EU and vowed to stop all immigration to the Netherlands, has won a shock victory in parliamentary elections held on Wednesday.

The victory for Mr Wilders, sometimes dubbed the Dutch Donald Trump, is sending shockwaves across Europe and represents a dramatic lurch to the right for a country once seen as a beacon of tolerance.

The anti-Islam politician will now seek to form a new ruling coalition to become the country's first far-right prime minister.

With 98 per cent of votes counted on Thursday morning, Mr Wilders Freedom Party (PVV) had won 37 seats out of 150, well ahead of 25 for a joint Labour/Green ticket and 24 for the conservative Peoples Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) of outgoing prime minister Mark Rutte.

The Freedom Party will still need to form a coalition government, but has already more than doubled the 17 seats it won at the last election.

I had to pinch my arm, a jubilant Mr Wilders said in a victory speech.

Voters said, We are sick of it. Sick to our stomachs, he said, adding he was now on a mission to end the asylum tsunami, referring to the migration issue.

The Dutch will be No 1 again, he said. The people must get their nation back.

Immigration  the issue that triggered the collapse of Mr Ruttes cabinet after 13 years in power  has been one of the dominant talking points in the election campaign.

Mr Rutte was the countrys longest-serving prime minister, but faced a steady decline in popularity.

Mr Wilders election programme called for a referendum on the Netherlands leaving the European Union, a total halt to accepting asylum-seekers and migrant pushbacks at the Dutch borders.

The populist with dyed blonde hair said in a television debate during the election campaign: Its been enough now. The Netherlands cant take it any more. We have to think about our own people first now. Borders closed. Zero asylum seekers.

A self-proclaimed fan of Hungarys far-right Victor Orban, Mr Wilders is also explicitly anti-EU, urging the Netherlands to significantly reduce its payments to the bloc, and to stop the entry of any new members.

He has also repeatedly said the country should stop providing arms to Ukraine, saying it needs the weapons to be able to defend itself.

None of the parties he could potentially form a government with shares these ideas.

Mr Wilders called on other parties to engage in coalition talks, although both the VVD and the upstart centrist New Social Contract party  the Freedom Partys most likely partners  have raised serious concerns about working with the far-right.

Pieter Omtzigt, a former centrist Christian Democrat who built up the New Social Contract party in just three months to take 20 seats, said he would always be open to talks.

Frans Timmermans, the leader of an alliance of the centre-left Labor Party and Green Left, which was seen winning 25 seats, said Mr Wilders should not count on a coalition with him.

We will never form a coalition with parties that pretend that asylum seekers are the source of all misery, Mr Timmermans was quoted by the Associated Press as saying.

And in the coming days and weeks we will increasingly see how difficult, how important, how essential our task is to stand up for the Netherlands where we exclude no one, to stand up for the Netherlands where we embrace everyone to stand up for the Netherlands, where we do not look at what your background is, what your religion is, what your skin color is, he added.

Hungary's nationalist prime minister on Wednesday congratulated Mr Wilders, saying the "winds of change are here".

Congratulations to Geerts Wilders and the PVV for their spectacular performance in the legislative elections which confirms the growing attachment to the defence of national identities, said French far-right leader Marine Le Pen.

It is because there are people who refuse to see the national torch extinguished that the hope for change remains alive in Europe, she added.

Spains far-right politician, Santiago Abascal, added: More and more Europeans demand in the streets and at the polls that their nations, their borders and their rights be defended.

Matteo Salvini, the deputy prime minister of Italy, said, "a new Europe is possible.

In 2016, Mr Wilders said he wanted to ban all Islamic symbols, mosques and the Quran, although in this election campaign he has been seeking to soften his image in the hope of entering government, which some voters said they liked.

He said recently that opposing Islam remained at his partys core but concerns over the cost of living, improving care for the elderly and limiting immigration were what he focused on now.

His enduring popularity since he created PVV in 2006 has pushed ruling parties over the years to give the Netherlands one of Europes toughest immigration policies.

Abroad, his comments about the prophet Mohammed and calls for the Quran to be banned led to sometimes violent protests in countries including Pakistan, Indonesia and Egypt. He was convicted of discrimination after insulting Moroccans at a campaign rally in 2014.

Death threats against him mean he has lived under heavy police protection for years.
Chinese investments have been pouring into Mexico lately. Last month alone brought two notable ones. The government of Nuevo Leon, a northern state bordering the United States, announced that Chinas Lingong Machinery Group, which makes diggers and other construction equipment, would build a factory that it estimates will generate $5bn dollars in investment. The same day Trina Solar, a solar-panel manufacturer, said it would invest up to $1bn in the state. Both companies and their corporate compatriots can now find a home away from home at Hofusan, a Chinese-Mexican industrial park in Nuevo Leon.

Chinese companies heightened interest in Mexico dates to 2018 when Donald Trump, Americas president at the time, launched a trade war that included raising tariffs on imports from China. His successor, Joe Biden, has kept the tariffs in place. Mr Bidens own America-first policies, such as the Inflation Reduction Act, are encouraging companies to consider nearshoring in North America, in large part to thwart China. The pandemic and the snarl-ups in supply chains it caused also pushed manufacturers to move closer to the American market. And setting up in Mexico has begun to look cheaper, as wages and other costs in China rise.

Mexico has tried to lure Chinese money before. The Mexico-China Chamber of Commerce and Technology organised events in 2008 to encourage the flow of capital but they were unsuccessful, says the chambers Cesar Fragoz; back then China had no need to use Mexico as a way into America, which had yet to turn its back on Chinese companies. The irony is that the first to react positively to an explicit policy against China are Chinese firms, says Enrique Dussel Peters of the Centre for Chinese-Mexican Studies at UNAM, a university in Mexico City.

China gets a back door into America because Mexico is part of a free-trade agreement with the United States and Canada. Depending on what components they use, Chinese companies based in Mexico cannot enjoy all the benefits of the trading bloc, whose rules dictate what percentage of a product must originate in North America. But, Mr Dussel Peters notes, the average American tariff on imports from Mexico in 2021 was 0.2%, far lower than on those from China.

Accurate statistics are hard to come by but, according to some estimates, Chinese foreign direct investment in Mexico increased from a total of $500m in 2000-04 to $2.5bn in 2022 alone. That is below a peak of nearly $6bn in 2016, but more than twice the figure in 2018and rising (see chart). The nature of these investments differs from how China spends its money in the rest of Latin America. In countries such as Brazil and Chile most Chinese investments are in raw materials or infrastructure, often courtesy of Chinese state-backed companies. In Mexico, Chinese investment is in services and manufacturing, including of electronics, cars and home appliances.

In the 1990s and 2000s Mexican exports to America lost out to Chinese competition. Now Chinese investments are helping Mexicos exporters. In September Mexico overtook China for the first time since the early 2000s to become the leading exporter of goods to the United States. Net trade with China generated 6.8m jobs in Latin America between 1995 and 2021, compared with 6.7m for the regions exchange with the United States. Chinese investors are also less particular about environmental and human rights. And they have learned to deal with the challenges of working in Mexico, such as insecurity and poor infrastructure.

A growing Chinese presence in Mexico could backfire if it raises tensions with the United States. Most Chinese manufacturing and assembly in Mexico seems to be aimed at exports, observes Mr Dussel Petersespecially to America. This is alarming some lawmakers across the border. In a recent letter to Katherine Tai, the US Trade Representative, four members of Congress warned of Chinese carmakers in Mexico trying to take advantage of preferential access to the US market through our free-trade agreements and circumvent any [China-specific] tariffs. If China is too successful in skirting tariffs it may find its back door as well as the front entrance slammed shut.

To stay on top of the biggest stories in business and technology, sign up to the Bottom Line, our weekly subscriber-only newsletter.

 2023 The Economist Newspaper Limited. All rights reserved.

From The Economist, published under licence. The original content can be found on https://www.economist.com/business/2023/11/23/why-chinese-companies-are-flocking-to-mexico
A four-day truce between Israel and Hamas will begin on Friday morning, with civilian hostages and Palestinian prisoners to be released later in the afternoon, Qatar announced Thursday, hours after the deal was originally meant to take effect.

The pause in fighting will start at 7 a.m. local time (midnight ET), with 13 women and children hostages to be freed at 4 p.m., according to a spokesperson for Qatars foreign ministry, Majed Al-Ansari.

The list of hostages who are expected to be released has been handed to the Israeli intelligence service Mossad, Al-Ansari said.

The Mossad will also hand over a list of Palestinian prisoners expected to be released to the Qataris, he added. Whenever we have both lists confirmed this is when we can begin with the process of getting people out, the spokesperson said.

An Israeli official told CNN a total of 39 Palestinian prisoners will be released Friday as part of the deal between Israel and Hamas.

The prisoners will be taken from two jails  Damon and Megiddo, both southeast of Haifa  and driven to the Ofer prison, south of Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, for final checks by the Red Cross.

And Israel has started notifying the families of the first hostages set to be released on Friday, Israeli coordinator for hostages and missing persons Gal Hirsch said in a statement. Liaison officers have informed all of those families whose loved ones appear on the list, as well as all of the hostages families, the statement said.

An Israeli official told CNN Wednesday that the truce had been slated to begin at 10 a.m. local time on Thursday to be followed by the release of at least 50 women and children out of the more than 230 being held hostage in Gaza. But those plans were delayed late Wednesday, just hours before the pause in fighting was initially expected to begin.

Nothing is finalized until its actually happening. And even amid the process, changes might occur at any moment, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Daniel Hagari said in his daily press briefing on Thursday.

He said that the Israeli army continues to fight in the Gaza Strip at this hour, pointing out that once the pause goes into effect, IDF soldiers will be stationed along the truce lines established inside the territory.

Under the deal outlined earlier, 150 Palestinian prisoners would be released from Israeli jails. The prisoners concerned are women and children, Hamas said Wednesday, adding that the agreement also involves the entry of hundreds of trucks carrying aid relief, medical supplies and fuel to all parts of the besieged territory.

The Israeli government on Wednesday published a list of 300 Palestinian prisoners for possible release, as Israel is offering a potential second phase of exchanges.

The list includes the ages of the prisoners, and the charges on which they are being held  throwing stones and harming regional security are among the most common. Others are listed as detained for supporting illegal terror organizations, illegal weapons charges, incitement, and at least two accusations of attempted murder.

Most of the Palestinian prisoners listed as eligible for release are male teenagers aged 16 to 18  children under the United Nations definition  although a handful are as young as 14. Some 33 are women, according to a CNN count.

Delay until Friday

Israels National Security Council said earlier in a statement that the first group of hostages would not be released before Friday. An Israeli official told CNN the start of an agreed temporary truce in fighting was also delayed until Friday.

Talks to release our hostages are advancing and are ongoing. The start of the release process will take place according to the original agreement between both sides, and not before Friday, the statement said.

Families and friends of hostages held in Gaza call for Netanyahu to bring them home during a demonstration in Tel Aviv on November 21. - Ariel Schalit/AP

A billboard in Jerusalem bears the portraits of Israeli hostages taken by Palestinian militants. - Ahmad Gharabli/AFP/Getty Images

The comments over ongoing planning echo those from American officials.

A US National Security Council spokesperson stressed in a statement late Wednesday that the hostage deal remains agreed, adding that the parties were working out final logistical details particularly for the first day of implementation.

It is our view that nothing should be left to chance as the hostages begin coming home, NSC spokesperson Adrienne Watson said. Our primary objective is to ensure that they are brought home safely. That is on track and we are hopeful that implementation will begin on Friday morning.

One Israeli official familiar with the matter downplayed its seriousness, putting it down to fairly minor implementation details.

Netanyahu warned on Thursday, however, that getting the first group of hostages out of Gaza is not without its challenges.

We hope to get this first tranche out, and then were committed to getting everyone out, Netanyahu said during a meeting with British Foreign Secretary David Cameron.

Officials and analysts in Israel have long cautioned that any deal would be precarious up and until the hostages were safely across the border.

The fighting will continue forcefully

The IDF had continued ground and air operations in Gaza on Wednesday ahead of the expected start of the truce, carrying out strikes in the north-eastern and central parts of the Gaza Strip. Areas further south, including Khan Younis and Rafah, were also hit, according to Palestinian accounts.

Israeli forces continued to strike targets on Thursday, the IDF said, including in northwest Jabalya.

The IDF also said Thursday that Israeli soldiers had located a tunnel shaft inside a mosque and located and struck another tunnel shaft in an agricultural area in Beit Hanoun. It claimed IDF soldiers had located numerous weapons and identified a tunnel shaft inside a civilian residence in the area.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has said Israels military operation against Hamas will continue forcefully after the brief truce and that the fighting is expected to go on for at least two more months.

This will be a brief pause, when it ends the fighting will continue forcefully, and will create pressure that will allow the return of more hostages Fighting of at least two more months is expected, Gallant said while visiting Israeli troops on Thursday.

The deal had marked a major diplomatic breakthrough nearly seven weeks after the start of a conflict that has spiraled into a grave humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The announcement was greeted with relief and heightened anticipation from the families of those taken hostage.

The truce, meanwhile, would also allow the entry of a larger number of humanitarian convoys and relief aid, as laid out by key negotiator Qatar in a statement.

There is an option for the pause to last as long as 10 days, but Israeli officials believe it is unlikely to last that long.

A Palestinian medic walks among civilians on the rubble of a building after an Israeli strike on Rafah. - Said Khatib/AFP/Getty Images

Netanyahu said when the deal was approved that for every additional 10 hostages released, there will be an additional one day pause in the fighting.

Hamas is holding 236 hostages captive in Gaza, including foreign nationals from 26 countries, according to figures from the Israeli military. The mass abductions at gunpoint took place during October 7, when Hamas militants struck across the border in a coordinated and bloody surprise attack killing around 1,200 people  the largest such attack on Israel since the countrys founding in 1948.

Prior to the deal, only a handful of hostages had been released.

Israel responded to the attack by declaring war against Hamas and imposing a siege on Gaza that cut off supplies of food, water, medicines and fuel, while launching a relentless air and ground assault. Some 12,700 people have been killed in Gaza since October 7, according to data from the Palestinian health ministry in the West Bank, which draws on information from Hamas-run health authorities.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

CNNs Simone McCarthy, Jeremy Diamond, David Shortell, Kaitlan Collins, Matthew Chance, Oren Liebermann, Tamar Michaelis and MJ Lee contributed to this report.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
People ice skating

It's a whimsical spectacle in the heart of New York City; the Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park returns in time for the holidays.

"We have people who make plans months and months in advance to come and skate and shop at Bryant Park," said Irene Vagianos, vice president of brand partnerships and events for Bryant Park.

One of New York City's most popular attractions is back in its 22nd season. It's filled with lots and lots of food and a free-admission skating rink.

This season's holiday shops feature over 190 new and returning merchants in a European-style open-air holiday market. The shops are curated by Urbanspace, a British company that started in London and has been curating public markets in New York for over 30 years.

"Something magical actually occurs when all these booths come together," said Eldon Scott, the president of Urbanspace.

Each day, thousands of shoppers flock to the red-and-green "jewel box" kiosks in search of holiday gifts or a bite to eat.

The organizers say as many as three million people will visit the winter village at Bryant Park through the winter season, and as many as 300,000 people will enjoy the ice-skating rink.

A winter wonderland that generates millions of dollars in revenue.

"We see about between 15 and 20 million between the rink and the food and beverage establishment," said Vagianos.

Plus, an estimated $30 million is just off the holiday market. This year, the market's small business spotlight showcases four minority-owned businesses in New York.

New York educator Kanika Mobley sells children's books that reflect diversity.

"All children deserve to see themselves in the books that they read. And so, we really want to make sure that we're providing access to books with diverse characters," said Mobley.

The holiday shops are open through January, and the ice-skating rink and lodge are open through early March.

SEE MORE: Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade kicks off holiday season
Scotlands Health Secretary is to be investigated by the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) over his near-11,000 data roaming bill racked up during a holiday to Morocco.

Last week, Michael Matheson admitted in an emotional statement to MSPs his teenage sons had used his parliamentary iPad as a hotspot to watch football during a holiday in January, incurring costs of more than 7,000 in one day as a result of an out of date sim card.

Following a failed challenge over the bill to provider EE, Mr Matheson initially agreed to pay 3,000 from his own expenses and the remaining balance was paid by his office  all of which is funded by taxpayers.

But following press reports about the bill, he said he would cover the full cost personally.

Michael Matheson previously insisted there had not been personal use of the iPad (Andrew Milligan/PA)

Mr Matheson previously told journalists there had been no personal use of the iPad during the trip, prompting accusations he had been untruthful as he said in his statement in Holyrood that he did not initially provide the reasons for the bill when he found out earlier this month in order to protect his family.

Following significant pressure from opposition politicians, Mr Matheson referred himself to the SPCB  but was told this was not possible.

In the latest twist in the saga, the body announced on Thursday it will undertake an investigation of the Health Secretary and potentially refer him to the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee.

Such a referral could result in him losing access to all or part of his parliamentary expenses for such period and to such extent as the SPCB may specify if found to have submitted an improper claim, while other unspecified action can be taken if he was found to have misused parliamentary facilities and services.

Following a meeting on Thursday, the SPCB said it has a vital interest in the integrity of the members expenses scheme as it launched a probe.

A spokesman for the Scottish Parliament said: The corporate body will therefore undertake an investigation in line with its duties under the MSP code of conduct.

The investigation will consider whether the claims for 11,000 of public money, incurred through data roaming charges, were proper and met the requirements of the scheme, and whether resources were used for parliamentary purposes in accordance with all SPCB policies.

The SPCB will seek to conclude its investigation promptly and its findings in fact will be published.

Depending on those findings, there may be a number of options open to the SPCB, as set out in section nine of the code of conduct, including referral to the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee.

The body said it will make no further comment until the investigation has concluded, but stressed it is wholly committed to openness and transparency and will release all material it can, when it can, in line with its legal obligations.

The announcement comes after Deputy First Minister Shona Robison said ministers aim to tell the truth to the Scottish Parliament.

Deputy First Minister Shona Robison said she and other ministers aim to tell the truth in Parliament (Jane Barlow/PA)

Pressed on whether ministers always tell Parliament and the public the truth, Ms Robison told BBC Radio Scotlands Good Morning Scotland programme: I aim, and the Scottish Government aims, to do that.

Michael Matheson made clear in his statement that he was trying to protect his family from being part of the associated political and media scrutiny.

Asked if that means it is acceptable for ministers to lie to protect their families, Ms Robison insisted: No, I didnt say that.

What I am saying is Michael Matheson set out the reasons that he was trying to protect his family, he set all that out to Parliament.

He has said he will co-operate with any inquiry that is established.
New Yorks governor says that there is no sign of terrorism in the violent vehicle explosion that left two people dead and injured a border guard at the Rainbow Bridge crossing between the United States and Canada in New York near Niagara Falls.

Governor Kathy Hochul told reporters on Wednesday afternoon that there was no evidence of any terror planning and that an investigation would continue to look into what happened.

This vehicle basically incinerated, there is nothing left but the engine. it is going to take a long time for our federal law enforcement partners to piece together the real story, she told a press conference and said no threats had been made against the region. The pieces are scattered over 13, 14 booths so it is a large scene.

Based on what we know at this moment there is no sign of terrorist activity. This is a local individual. Its a Western New York resident who was most likely in that vicinity prior to the high speed, high rate of speed, extraordinarily high rate of speed that led to the crash into the median that sent the vehicle airborne.

She added: We need to dial down the temperature, all is well, we are still investigating but based on the preliminary investigation there is no sign of terrorism in this horrific explosion.

FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia also told reporters that there was no indication of terrorism.

We do have someone in mind for it and were working through it through the JTTF, he said in reference to the Joint Terrorism Task Force.

We do not have any derogatory information on this person that weve identified, were scanning his social media, theres nothing there, were still running a full investigation so thats a preliminary assessment, Agent Miraglia said. We feel, at this point, this might be just something that occurred, theres no larger picture here to look at for now.

Debris is scattered about inside the customs plaza at the Rainbow Bridge border crossing, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023, in Niagara Falls (AP)

Instead, investigators believe the crash involved a local New York man and his wife who had ill-fated plans to attend a KISS concert over the border in Canada on Wednesay night.

The couple, who have not been identified but are said to live in western New York, were travelling in their speeding Bentley when the car rammed into the crossing, law enforcement sources told CNN.

The sources said that the couple were planning to cross the border to go to a KISS concert in Toronto that night. But, the concert was cancelled earlier in the day due to frontman Paul Stanley being taken ill with flu.

The pair instead headed to a casino not far from the border, CNN reported  with the crash then unfolding when the couple left the casino in their Bentley.

Surveillance footage captured the vehicle driving at high speed and exploded as it crashed near a security checkpoint at the Rainbow Bridge crossing on Wednesday morning.

The car became airborne during the incident and crashed into a cement pillar. A suitcase was found near the vehicle but did not contain any explosives, officials told The New York Times.

A 27-year-old Border Patrol agent was taken to Niagara Falls Memorial Hospital with minor back pain and minor cuts, according to Fox News.

Video showed black smoke billowing from the scene of the crash, while debris could be seen scattered inside the customs plaza where an inspection booth was completely destroyed.

The Peace Bridge, Lewiston-Queenston Bridge, Whirlpool Bridge, and Rainbow Bridge were all also closed in both directions at the request of US officials. Later on Wednesday all of the bridges apart from the Rainbow Bridge were reopened to traffic.

Eye witness Mike Guenther told WGRZ-TV that he saw a vehicle speeding towards the US border crossing when it swerved to avoid another vehicle, crashed into a fence and exploded.

All of a sudden he went up in the air and then it was a ball of fire like 30 or 40 feet high, Mr Guenther told the station. I never saw anything like it.

Earlier, City of Niagara officials said that the incident involved a vehicle trying to enter the US, with the FBI Field Office in Buffalo describing the incident as an explosion.

While terrorism is believed to have been ruled out, it remains unclear whether the crash was intentional or accidental  with investigators said to be probing the possibility that the driver may have suffered a medical emergency.

The Rainbow Bridge connects the US and Canadian cities of Niagara Falls and is located less than a mile from the famed waterfalls themselves.

Law enforcement personnel block off the entrance to the Rainbow Bridge, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023, in Niagara Falls, N.Y. (AP)

As this situation is very fluid, thats all we can say at this time, the FBI Buffalo office said on X.

The Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority increased security systemwide. Travellers at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport underwent additional screenings, while vehicles were put through extra security checks.

The Buffalo and Niagara Falls Airports are fully operational. We advise travelers to give themselves time for these extra precautions in addition to holiday travel, the agency said on X.

The airport was closed to international arrivals for several hours before being re-opened.

Amtrak temporarily suspended rail services between the US and Canada, while police in Toronto have increased patrols in the city out of an abundance of caution.

Smoke billows from Niagara Falls explosion as two dead in Rainbow Bridge blast (Reuters)

The White House is closely monitoring the situation and law enforcement is on-scene and investigating, a White House official told The Independent

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he had been briefed by Canadas National Security and Intelligence Advisor on the situation.

We are in contact with the US Officials. The Minister of Public Safety, RCMP and CBSA are fully engaged and providing all necessary support, the prime ministers statement read.

Dominic LeBlanc, Canadas Minister of Public Safety, told reporters it was too early to speculate on the explosion.

Obviously any time a piece of infrastructure as important as a border crossing sees violent circumstances it is a cause of concern for the government of Canada and the United States, he said.

Until we have more accurate information it is not responsible (to speculate).

The Jewish Community Center of Greater Buffalo has announced that it was closing until after Thanksgiving Out of an abundance of caution at the advice of police.
Remains of 25 CPV martyrs laid in coffins in S. Korea

08:47, November 23, 2023 By GT staff reporters ( Global Times

Workers transfer the remains of 25 Chinese soldiers who died in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-53) into caskets in Incheon, South Korea, on November 22, 2023. Photo: Xinhua

The remains of 25 Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs who sacrificed their lives in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-53) were casketed in Incheon, South Korea on Wednesday. On Thursday, they will be returned to the home country.

The ceremony to lay the 25 remains in coffins was held on Wednesday morning. Personnel from the Chinese Ministry of Veterans Affairs, the Chinese Embassy in South Korea, representatives of Chinese students and Chinese companies in South Korea, as well as officials from the South Korean Ministry of National Defense, and personnel responsible for the excavation and identification of the remains attended the ceremony, according to China Central Television (CCTV).

All members of the Chinese delegation bowed three times to the CPV martyrs and presented flowers. The South Korean side placed the remains in coffins after the memorial service by the Chinese side, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

According to the Chinese Ministry of Veterans Affairs, after the embalming ceremony, a handover ceremony will be held at the Incheon International Airport in South Korea on Thursday. Then, the remains of the martyrs will be transported back home on a Chinese Air Force Y-20 transport aircraft.

A welcome ceremony will held at Shenyang Taoxian International Airport in Northeast China's Liaoning Province on Thursday, followed by a burial ceremony at the Shenyang Martyrs' Cemetery on Friday morning.

Senior Chinese officials will be invited to attend the welcome ceremony in Shenyang and deliver speeches to highlight the country's respect, said Li Jingxian, an official from Chinese Ministry of Veterans Affairs.

Li said representatives from the regions of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan will also be invited to the welcome and burial ceremony to boost patriotism.

Starting from 2014, South Korea has been transferring to China the remains and items of the Chinese martyrs discovered in South Korea. With the return of the 25 martyrs this time, 938 CPV martyrs will have been returned to the motherland, CCTV reported.

Since 2015, the PLA Air Force has sent aircraft to South Korea every year to carry out pick-up missions. Starting in 2020, the Air Force began sending the domestic large transport aircraft Y-20 to carry out this task, according to the Air Force.

Li noted this year's return of CPV martyrs' remains places emphasis on the country's respect and care as 2023 marks the 70th anniversary of the victory in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea.

On preserving the CPV martyrs' remains, Li noted that the ministry initiated in 2020 a platform to look for relatives of the martyrs. Currently, the DNA extraction and identification work has been completed for the 913 CPV martyrs' remains that have been brought back.

Efforts are being made to confirm the identities of the martyrs and notify their relatives, Li said.

(Web editor: Tian Yi, Liang Jun)
Russia allegedly helped North Korea put its controversial spy satellite into orbit. This allegation was shared by analysts after South Korean officials announced that NoKor launched its surveillance orbital aircraft.

On Wednesday, North Korea claimed that its spy satellite entered orbit, claiming that the third attempt was a success. If NoKor's spy satellite is already active, then it would be a big deal for South Korea.

Russia's reportedly playing a major part in this surveillance enhancement could also worsen tensions between it and the U.S., as well as Western allies.

Russia Allegedly Helped North Korea's Spy Satellite

The Russian government is believed to have helped North Korea upgrade its launch capabilities. Analysts claim that Russia's launch enhancement assistance also helped Pyongyang successfully put its spy satellite into orbit.

"It's possible that Russian scientists discussed the results of the failure analysis and verified the data," explained Korea Research Institute for National Strategy's Missile Center Head Chang Young-keun via Nikkei Asia.

Asan Institute for Policy Studies' principal fellow Cha Du-hyeon also said that instructions on the "know-how" of assembling spacecraft components were provided by Russian engineers to North Korea.

The analysts also claimed that Russia could have provided support on the software end. Meanwhile, other experts believe that Russia also provided advice on stage preparation.

"They gave advice on stage separation," said retired Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Vice Admiral Yoji Koda.

Read Also: Putin Prepares Russia's Meteorite Hypersonic Nuclear Missile That Can Strike Targets Around the World Within Minutes

What To Know About NoKor's Spy Satellite

Although North Korea is very secretive regarding the real capabilities of its controversial spy satellite, many experts familiar with the tech shared what they know so far.

CNN World reported that some analysts claim that the surveillance satellite can drastically enhance the military capabilities of the Asian nation. For example, the spy spacecraft can allow North Korea to target opponents more accurately.

Aside from this, other experts said that the spy satellite can capture images of critical bases in the U.S., Japan, and other countries; sending super-HD photos to Pyongyang.

Another benefit that the spy satellite can bring to North Korea is conducting damage assessments during a war. These are just some of the possible capabilities that the advanced North Korean spy satellite has.

You can click this link to learn more about this controversial surveillance technology.

Related Article: North Korea Spy Satellite Launch Aftermath: South Korea Suspends Military Deal, Restores Border Surveillance

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Johnny Hollman Sr. died during the encounter

ATLANTA (AP)  An Atlanta police officer responding to a minor car crash deployed a Taser on a church deacon who disregarded multiple commands to sign a traffic ticket, shocking the man after he repeatedly said he could not breathe, police body camera video released Wednesday shows.

Johnny Hollman Sr. became unresponsive during his arrest late on the night of Aug. 10 and later died. An autopsy determined the 62-year-olds death was a homicide, with heart disease also a contributing factor, and his family has called on prosecutors to charge Officer Kiran Kimbrough with murder. An attorney for Kimbrough, who was fired, says the officer acted lawfully.

Lawyer Mawuli Davis holds up a document showing traffic charges dismissed against Johnny Hollman Sr. because he is dead in a news conference Tuesday in Decatur, Georgia. Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum on Tuesday fired the officer who electrically shocked Hollman during an Aug. 10, 2023, traffic stop, leading to Hollmans death (Photo: Jeff Amy/AP)

The roughly hour-long video shows Kimbrough arriving at the scene of the crash and gathering information from Hollman, the other driver and a passenger before the confrontation.

Relatives have said Hollman was driving home from Bible study at his daughters house and bringing dinner to his wife when he collided with another vehicle while turning across a busy street just west of downtown Atlanta.

In the video, Hollman repeatedly insists the other driver hit him, but otherwise follows Kimbroughs orders to move his car and stay by it. The encounter escalates after Kimbrough tells Hollman he failed to turn his white Chevrolet Silverado pickup correctly and was at fault for the crash.

Hollman immediately begins protesting, saying repeatedly, I didnt do nothing. Kimbrough tells Hollman he can contest the finding in court, but he needs to sign the citation. He also accuses Hollman of screaming and repeatedly warns him that he will be jailed if he doesnt sign.

Kimbroughs attorney Lance LoRusso said in an emailed statement Wednesday that before the officer arrived, the other parties in the collision called 911 to report Hollman was disorderly and they were concerned for their safety.

Mr. Hollman violently and unlawfully resisted Officer Kimbroughs lawful efforts to arrest him, LoRusso said. The Atlanta Police investigation confirmed Officer Kimbrough deployed his city-issued TASER and used force in a manner consistent with his training and Georgia law.

In the video, Hollman says he will sign the ticket after Kimbrough steps closer to him. Kimbroughs body camera gets blocked, obscuring exactly what happens next, but the two men begin to struggle.

Johnny Hollman Sr. died after an encounter with police. (Source: YouTube screenshot via WXIA-TV 11 Alive)

Kimbrough demands Hollmans arm, but Hollman says his right arm hurts. Within seconds, Hollman is on the ground, saying he didnt do anything and asking the officer why hes doing this.

Im an old man. Im an old man, Hollman says.

Kimbrough yells at him to sign the ticket and says he is going to use his Taser on him.

Put your hands behind your back now. Put your arms behind your back, Kimbrough shouts before engaging his Taser in what police have said was a warning arc.

The tussling continues, with Kimbrough continuing to tell Hollman to put his hands behind his back and Hollman repeating over and over, I cant breathe.

The officer then uses his Taser to shock Hollman  a maneuver police have called a drive stun.

The video also shows the aftermath of the struggle. Another first responder arrives and helps Kimbrough get handcuffs on Hollman, who is lying face down and is no longer fighting. Kimbrough rolls Hollman over, checks his pulse and tells him to sit up. But Hollman is unresponsive, lying on the ground with a bloody face.

When other officers arrive a couple of minutes later, Kimbrough explains Hollman protested when instructed to sign a ticket, resisted when told to put his hands behind his back and looked like he was going to hit the officer. Kimbrough said he punched Hollman a couple of times, stunned him and put him in handcuffs.

I dont know whats going on with him now, Kimbrough says. Hes still breathing, though.

The videos release came after Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum fired Kimbrough on Oct. 10. Schierbaum said Kimbrough, who like Hollman is Black, violated department policy when he didnt wait until a supervisor arrived to arrest Hollman.

LoRusso said Georgia law doesnt require an officer to seek approval from a supervisor before making an arrest and said Kimbrough has appealed his firing.

Mawuli Davis, a lawyer for the family, said at a news conference Wednesday that Hollman was doing nothing wrong.

What he was doing was he was making his case, like so many of us do when someone is going to issue us a ticket, Davis said. He later added, Instead of listening and being patient and using his training of de-escalation, instead this officer treated him as if he were not an elder.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has completed its inquiry into Hollmans death and handed over its investigative file to Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who will decide whether to seek charges. The district attorneys office investigation is ongoing, and its not clear when that decision will be made, a spokesman said Wednesday.

Hollmans daughter, Arnitra Hollman, said shes grateful to Willis for releasing the video, but thats only the first step.

Now moving forward, we need him jailed, she said of Kimbrough. We need him prosecuted to the fullest extent because our fathers life means so much, not just to us but to people in the community.

Hollmans death has contributed to discontent with police among some Atlantans that centers on a proposal to build a large police and firefighter training facility that opponents call Cop City.

It also prompted Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens to instruct the police department to do a top-to-bottom review of its standard operating procedures and training curriculum. That review led to some changes, notably a rule change that says officers should write refusal to sign on a traffic ticket instead of arresting someone who wont sign.

In a statement Wednesday, Dickens said many people, especially Hollmans family, will find the video difficult to watch.

I continue to extend my deepest sympathy to them and hold them close in my thoughts and prayers, he said.

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The post Atlanta officer used Taser on Black church deacon after he said he could not breathe, police video shows appeared first on TheGrio.
Families of hostages, and Palestinians trapped in besieged Gaza wait anxiously for the start of a long-awaited truce and exchange of captives, in the first breakthrough in a bloody seven-week war.

At least 50 women and children captured by militants are expected to be gradually released over a four day period in exchange for a halt in fighting and the release of 150 Palestinian women and children jailed in Israel.

Hamas said hundreds of trucks carrying humanitarian aid  including fuel  would be allowed to enter Gaza. Israeli diplomatic sources told The Independent the ceasefire could be extended by a day for every additional 10 or so additional hostages released. In exchange there will also be more Palestinians released.

It was expected that hostages would start to be released on Thursday, but Israels national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said captives would not be let free before Friday.

Negotiations for the release of our captives are progressing and continue all the time, Mr Hanegbi said in a statement released by the prime ministers office.

The start of the release will proceed according to the original agreement between the parties, and not before Friday, Mr Hanegbi added.

Relatives and friends of Ditza Heiman in Tel Aviv call for her release (AFP via Getty Images)

The Israel Justice Ministry published a list of a total of 300 Palestinians eligible to be released, mainly teenage boys detained over the past year for throwing stones and other minor offences.

The deal  which came after weeks of fraught discussions  is the most significant breakthrough for desperate families who have been lobbying for the release of an estimated 240 hostages held captive by militants.

Many fear  because tensions and distrust are so high  it could crumble. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was the right choice but the truce was only temporary.

I want to be clear. The war is continuing. The war is continuing. We will continue it until we achieve all our goals, he said.

He said Israel would resume the war after the truce and keep fighting until we achieve all our goals, including the destruction of Hamas fighting and governing abilities and the return of all hostages.

The Israeli military has signalled after the truce it will push their offensive south  which rights groups have said would be devastating for families sheltering there.

On 7 October Hamas militants seized hundreds of civilians, including foreign nationals, babies as young as 10 months old and the elderly, during a bloody rampage through southern Israeli towns, where they killed at least 1200 people.

In retaliation Israel unleashed a crippling siege, its heaviest ever bombardment of Gaza and launched a ground offensive deep inside the blockaded strip. So far only four female hostages have been released in deals brokered between Egypt, the US and Israel: the bodies of two other Israeli women have been found in Gaza City.

In besieged Gaza, a fragile four-day halt in hostilities  and an accompanying increase in delivery of badly needed aid  would be the first respite for civilians living under ferocious bombardment launched by Israel in the aftermath of 7 October.

Men look over the site of a deadly explosion at al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City (AP)

The Palestinian health ministry has said it has stopped officially counting the death toll from Israels strikes because the bombing was so heavy it was impossible to properly count the dead. As many as 14,000 are believed to have been killed.

And so there has been tense expectation riding on the truce deal, with negotiations continuing until the eleventh hour.

The families of hostages  who had forged a central gathering point in a square in Tel Aviv  told The Independent people were nervous but optimistic about the deal and just hoped the truce would hold for the full four day period.

It feels as if this deal opens the door to the next deal, and so the release of even more hostages, said Gil Dickmann, whose 39-year-old cousin Carmel was kidnapped from her home in Kibbutz Beeri.

The problem is whether its going to fall apart in between the days. What could go wrong is that the deal will collapse midway.

This was a concern shared by civilians in Gaza for different reasons, who told The Independent they were on the brink of running out of basic supplies, struggling to find clean water, and frightened about the prospects of Israels ground incursion pushing deep into the south where most of Gazas 2.3 million population is crammed into after answering Israels orders to evacuate south.

David and Varda Goldstein pose for a picture whilst holding-up photos of their 3 grandchildren, Gal, Tal and Agam, and their mother, Chen, who were kidnapped by Hamas (Getty)

Ahmed, who asked for his full name and identity to be withheld for his security, said he and his family were bracing themselves for a difficult night in the southern city of Rafah.

The hours before a pause or truce are usually the deadliest. I expect a horrible night, Ahmed said.

Four days would never be enough to provide enough humanitarian aid for such a huge and dense population as we have here in the south, he said, adding that he and his wife are fast running out of basic supplies.

It is only a pause. People cant go home to pick up their remaining stuff or even claim the bodies of those buried under the rubble.

The details were still being hammered out in the eleventh hour. Israels Mossad chief David Barnea reportedly flew to Doha on Wednesday afternoon to tie up the final print of the deal with Qataris. Late on Wednesday one diplomatic source told The Independent: The details are being finalised, it is extremely sensitive.

The International Committee of the Red Cross, which will manage the transport of hostages, said on Wednesday evening they had still not been given details of the logistics of the deal.

Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip (AP)

Diplomatic sources told The Independent the truce will begin at 10am local time  a time Hamas has also confirmed publicly.

The Independent understands at that point they will start to gather and transport the hostages to the south of Gaza  a treacherous journey in the war-blasted territory that for previous hostage releases had taken as long as 13 hours.

When they have left Gaza they will be met by psychologists and doctors before being taken to hospitals in Israel for treatment if needed. Later in the day Palestinians in Israeli prisons who were listed in the deal will be released and returned home.

US President Joe Biden welcomed the deal, saying Mr Netanyahu committed to supporting an extended pause. Several nations, including Britain, France, China and Russia, also welcomed the agreement.

Qatars prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, said he hoped the deal would eventually lead to a permanent ceasefire and serious talks on resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Arab foreign ministers also applauded the deal but said aid to Gaza needed to be significantly increased, the truce must be extended and it should be the first step toward full cessation of hostilities.

There were also tense exceptions about the release of Palestinian women and children in Israels jails as part of the truce.

A Palestinian boy on a bicycle looks at rubble of a building following Israeli strikes in Rafah on Wednesday (AFP)

The Israeli military says it has detained more than 1,850 Palestinians in the West Bank since the war began, mostly suspected Hamas members. Palestinian rights groups say that number is closer to 3000 including 200 children.

The United Nations said it has been the deadliest year in the West Bank in decades  200 Palestinians have been killed there, mainly during battles triggered by army raids. Attacks by Jewish settlers have surged, deepening Palestinian despair.

In Gaza on Wednesday the ferocious fighting continued. Outside Khan Younis, workers dug a mass grave for 111 bodies that Israeli authorities handed over after troops took them from Shifa Hospital and other parts of northern Gaza. Israeli troops took the bodies apparently for DNA analysis amid the search for hostages in the north.

Strikes also levelled buildings in the Nusseirat refugee camp and the city of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, which have been heavily bombarded in recent days.

The citys al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital said 128 bodies were brought in overnight after strikes. Theres no safe place, said Umm Rami al-Jabali, who survived a strike in Deir al-Balah. Inside isnt safe, outside isnt safe.
By Foo Yun Chee

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - An adviser to Europe's top court on Thursday said judges should dismiss Deutsche Telekom's bid to get EU antitrust regulators to pay interest on the reimbursed portion of a fine imposed nearly a decade ago.

A number of companies have recently demanded that antitrust enforcers pay default interest on fines in annulled antitrust cases. Intel is the most high profile case with a claim for 593 million euros ($646.8 million) in interest on a reimbursed fine of 1.06 billion euros.

Deutsche Telekom's case dates from 2014 when the European Commission fined the German telecoms operator 31 million euros for charging unfair wholesale prices in Slovakia with its Slovak unit to squeeze out broadband rivals.

Deutsche Telekom challenged the fine at the Luxembourg-based General Court, Europe's second highest, which cut it to 19 million euros in 2018, forcing the EU competition enforcer to repay the difference.

Deutsche Telekom returned to the court after the EU competition enforcer refused to pay interest for the period between the payment and the reimbursement and got judges to back its fight. The Commission then appealed to the Luxembourg-based EU Court of Justice (CJEU).

CJEU advocate general Anthony Michael Collins sided with the Commission, saying judges should do the same because of the General Court's legal errors.

"In February 2019, the Commission complied with the 2018 judgment by refunding that part of the fine that had been annulled. It follows that the only default interest that the Commission might be liable to pay relates to the period as between those two dates," he said in a non-binding opinion.

"In so far as the General Court, in the judgment under appeal, established an obligation to pay default interest in respect of a period prior to the date of the delivery of the 2018 judgment, it erred in law."

The CJEU, which follows four out of five such recommendations, will rule next year.

The case is C221/22 P European Commission v Deutsche Telekom AG.

($1 = 0.9168 euros)

(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)
A herd of buffaloes wander parched land amidst a drought, a farmer and his cows wade knee-deep through floodwater, and people walk across a bridge over a multicolored river of trash. All three scenes were among the winning images of the Environmental Photographer of the Year 2023 competition, and all three were taken in Bangladesh.

The country is one of the most vulnerable to climate change in the world, ranking seventh on the latest Global Climate Risk Index, based on data from 2000 to 2019. Its prone to cyclones, tornadoes and floods, and it is estimated that by 2050, one in every seven people in Bangladesh will be displaced by climate change.

Bangladeshi photographers like Shafiul Islam believe they have a responsibility to highlight these threats. His captivating image of buffalo depicts the droughts that have struck the north of the country in recent decades. Rivers, canals and reservoirs in the area have dried up, crop production is decreasing and local communities are suffering as a result, he says.

When it does rain, it pours  as shown in 18-year-old Solayman Hossains photo of a farmer navigating floodwaters during monsoon season in the Kushtia district, in the west of the country. Brought up in a nearby village, Hossain recounts how he has witnessed devastating changes to the environment in his lifetime. My village has been hit with frequent flooding and cyclones which damage crops and destroy livelihoods, he tells CNN.

As extreme weather events become more and more frequent so does the damage, displacements, and anxiety around when the next disaster will hit. Many of us are forced to keep rebuilding our lives, often in the aftermath of each calamity, he says.

A farmer and his cows wade through floodwater, after a road in Kushtia, Bangladesh, became submerged in water during monsoon season. - Solayman Hossain

Photography on the frontlines

Now in its 16th year, the photo competition  organized by streaming platform WaterBear and the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management and in partnership with Nikon  attracted thousands of submissions from over 159 countries. So it may seem surprising that three of the six category winners hailed from one country.

Sam Sutaria, CEO of WaterBear, believes its down to the countrys relationship with climate issues. Bangladesh is a place where the climate crisis isnt an abstract concept but a harsh and immediate reality. With frequent flooding, rising sea levels, and extreme weather events, its no wonder theyre so engaged in documenting these challenges, he says.

He adds that this years competition saw entries from other regions also severely threatened by climate change, such as India, West Bengal, Antarctica and Argentina. (It proves) that photographers on the front lines of these crises are using their lenses as a force for change. Theyre inspiring awareness and action by showcasing the pressing issues they face daily.

A bridge in Dhaka, Bangladesh, is surrounded by plastic waste. - Jahid Apu

Jahid Apu, a professional photographer from Bangladesh, took the drone shot of a bridge in the capital Dhaka surrounded by plastic waste that won the MPB vision of the future category. With the image, he wants to communicate the impact of plastic pollution and hopes that when people see it, they might realize the consequence of throwing away plastic and change their behavior.

I do not take pride in a photo that someone looks at and says, Wow, pretty picture and moves on. For me, success is achieved when I catch the person off guard, drawing consciousness about causes, or when someone comes to me to tell me what the photograph brings to mind, Apu tells CNN.

Sutaria believes that the winning images from this years prize represent a wider shift in environmental photography, away from simply portraying nature as an untouched paradise to images that carry a conservation message.

Theyre showing it in all its raw, vulnerable glory, challenging us to step up and protect it, he says. These photographs represent a dynamic new wave in climate storytelling.

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The husband of a woman who vanished in 2021 was charged in her murder Wednesday after authorities spent hundreds of hours investigating the case but failed to find her body, police said.

Dale Warner, 55, was arrested at home Tuesday and arraigned Wednesday on one count of open murder and one count of tampering in the disappearance of Dee Ann Warner, 52, Michigan State Police said in a news release.

murder victim (Rikkell Bock)

Bond was set at $20 million, the agency said.

State police officials said investigators had pieced together a very difficult case with unique challenges because Dee Warners body has not been found.

We will continue our efforts to bring closure to the family and to find Dee Warners remains so that her family can lay her to rest, said Capt. Steve ONeill, a state police commander.

The agency did not identify a possible motive or provide details about evidence that helped identify Dale Warner as a suspect. A police spokesperson declined to comment.

In a statement to NBCs Dateline, Warners lawyers said a fair and objective review of the evidence will show that their client did not kill his wife. The lawyers intend to vigorously fight the charges, the statement added.

In an interview with "Dateline" after the arrest, Dee Warner's brother, Gregg Hardy, said it was "horrible" to be at odds with a person he has known his whole life. His sister was married to Dale Warner for 15 years.

"I have to stay focused on the reality that it happened," Hardy said. "Sometimes it feels almost impossible that it could have happened, but I stay focused on the facts that demonstrate that it did happen and who did it. And Im a firm believer in justice."

"The pain has not gone away," he added. "The actual event that took place and not having any closure to that is haunting for the family. We have all, I believe, resigned ourselves to the fact that theres no other option than she has been killed and her body some way hidden or destroyed by Mr. Warner."

Dee Warner, a mother of five who ran a trucking company and a farming business, was last seen by her husband on the morning of April 25. Three of her adult children reported her missing the same day.

Lenawee County Sheriff Troy Bevier told "Dateline" last year that there had been a business dispute among her, her husband and one or two employees the night she disappeared.

At the time, Bevier said investigators were following up on the lead, according to "Dateline."
Pennsylvanias highest court handed a victory Wednesday to the states highway agency, finding it has the authority to pursue a potential suspension of a major construction contractor based in Centre County after it was accused of millions in theft from employees.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court reversed a prior statewide appeals court ruling in a unanimous 37-page opinion that marked a victory for the state Transportation Department.

In a written statement, PennDOT championed the decision as a win for workers rights, as well as its ability to hold contractors accountable. Messages left with attorneys that represent Glenn O. Hawbaker Inc. were not immediately returned.

PennDOTs partnership with the construction industry is critical to delivering a better, safer transportation system and we must continue ensuring that all contractors follow the same rules, the agency wrote in a statement. This is a good day for Pennsylvania and continues this Administrations track record of championing workers rights and opportunities, while ensuring a level playing field in procurement.

PennDOT moved in 2021 to prevent the Hawbaker company from doing state work for up to three years after it pleaded no contest to theft in a case that was the largest of its kind. The company was accused of illegally diverting millions of dollars and other benefits from its workers to pad its profits, undercut competitors and pay for internal projects and company bonuses.

It agreed to pay more than $20 million to workers and submitted to oversight by a corporate monitor at its own expense to ensure compliance with state and federal laws. In exchange, state prosecutors agreed to not bring criminal charges against Hawbaker or any of its shareholders, officers and employees.

The business is one of the top employers in Centre County, one that booked $1.7 billion in state transportation construction contracts between 2003 and 2018.

It has been pre-qualified to bid on PennDOT projects for decades, a status the agency sought to suspend because of the conviction. The company received temporary relief from a statewide appeals court, but the states high court reversed that decision after a review of what justices described as a procedurally and substantively complex matter.

Its unclear when PennDOTs administrative hearing, which could lead to Hawbakers suspension, may be scheduled.

It is our expectation that PennDOT will discharge its adjudicatory functions in good faith by allowing Hawbaker to raise and develop every issue it chooses to advance and by giving each issue its due consideration, so that an adequate record is created should appellate review become necessary, Justice Kevin Brobson wrote on behalf of all six justices.
(Getty/Alamy/Nathan Nicholson)

The handoff was quick and seamless, a coffee cup containing the DNA of a suspected Russian spy swapped for an identical one in a hallway exchange between a CIA operative and an FBI agent.

The move was textbook spycraft, but everything else about the scenario was extraordinary: The handoff went down within the bowels of CIA headquarters, and the suspected mole was one of the agencys own  but so was the man tasked with catching him.

The target was Harold Jim Nicholson, a charismatic career spy and devoted single dad whod been working for the CIA for 16 years.

The CIA colleague whod swiped the coffee cup from his desk was John Maguire, a former Baltimore cop whod carved out a counterrorism niche within the spy agency.

Maguire had been recalled from overseas by CIA superiors  banished to HR as punishment, hed thought, for rejecting a posting in Pakistan in autumn 1995  before being called into a secret meeting at Langley, asked if hed accept an unidentified job, then whisked to an off-site location.

There, in an FBI safe house in an unprecedented interagency spy-catching collaboration, he learned the details of the ask: Someone within the CIA was sneaking secrets to the Russians. Nicholson was the likely culprit. Maguire was to get Nicholson to hire him as his righthand man, spy on him from within his own department, then nail him with evidence so they could lock Nicholson up for treason.

By the summer of 1996, Maguire was working next to the suspected spy.

There were times when I just wanted to stab him in the neck at his desk and just say, F*** it, hes dead. Its over. Here, Maguire, now retired from the agency, tells The Independent.

Harold James Jim Nicholson, a longtime CIA officer and father of three, was described as smooth and crafty  and mercenary  by the man who was tasked with catching him (FBI)

He resisted the urge, however  and in just a matter of months, using an arsenal of tricks from old-school detective work to info-seeking liquid lunches, Maguire pulled it off. A spy had never been used to catch a spy at Langley before, and theres been no public announcement of any such feat since.

After more than two decades behind bars, Nicholson will be released from prison on 26 November. He was sentenced in 1997 to 23 years and 7 months for conspiracy to commit espionage  one of the highest-ranking CIA officers ever convicted of the offence. But the turncoat spy wasnt done; from prison, he duped his youngest child  a son in his mid-20s who worshipped his dad and long believed hed been railroaded  into continuing his traitorous relationship with the Russians.

They were caught and both convicted, the younger Nicholson avoiding jail time with a plea deal while his father was slapped with eight more years. The disgraced CIA man was also transferred from his cushy Oregon facility to the hardcore Colorado prison colloquially known as Supermax  from which hes scheduled to walk free after Thanksgiving.

Jim Nicholson was what they call a double hitter: There was his first crime, which he got caught for, went to prison, and then from prison organized his second one, author Bryan Denson, who interviewed Nathaniel Nicholson, Maguire and other players extensively for his 2015 book The Spys Son, tells The Independent.

Denson believes the release will be a gut-check moment for the spy, who turns 73 just days before hes scheduled to walk free.

Maybe Jim is a better person than he proved himself to be there for a bit, and maybe he will show fealty for his family and want to, you know, put his grandchildren on his knee and be that guy  but hes going to be a pauper if he does it, Denson tells The Independent, noting that Nicholson, like any convicted spy, will be legally barred from profiting off of his crimes.

Maguire, who has more firsthand experience of Nicholson and his personality, is convinced hes going to run.

Hes not going to stay here, says Maguire, who remains incredulous that the US government never used Nicholson as a bargaining chip to get back Americans imprisoned in Russia like Brittany Griner and Paul Whelan. Hell be gone in a couple of weeks.

Nicholsons lawyer, contacted by The Independent, said neither he nor his client could comment before the release.

Very few turncoats have been released from prison in recent years  Robert Hanssen died behind bars earlier this year and Aldrich Ames remains serving a life sentence without parole. Ana Montes, who spied for Cuba and was released in January, moved to Puerto Rico, and Jonathan Pollard, who spied for Israel, moved there after his 2015 release.

After covering Nicholson for years and literally writing the book on him, Denson says the spys next steps remain a big question to me.

Does he just get himself plucked by the Russians and go back to Moscow where the moneys waiting for him? Denson says. Or does he stay here and do right by his family?

Because Nicholson, when it comes down to it, betrayed everyone and everything in his life that he purported to hold dear: His country, his colleagues, his career and, most importantly, his family and his children.

Nicholson was arrested in 1996, on the eve of his 46th birthday, and sentenced to more than 23 years in prison but he then co-opted his son into continuing his relationship with the Russians while he was behind bars (FBI)

Its all a far cry from the life Nicholson imagined as he idolized James Bond while growing up on Air Force bases with a former Army cryptographer mother, Betty, and Air Force serviceman stepfather, Marvin Nick Nicholson. Bettys first husband and Jims biological father had walked away from the family, and Marvin married her when Jim was seven, formally adopting the child.

Inspired by his familys military history and the spy stories he devoured, a young Nicholson enrolled in ROTC during college at Oregon State, where he met his future wife, Laurie, who would later give birth to the couples three children. Nicholson worked in military intelligence but left the Army in 1979 and held a civilian job briefly, before joining the CIA the following year.

He hauled his growing family to various posts abroad. From the Philippines to Romania to Thailand, his marriage grew ever more tumultuous with allegations of cheating on both sides; by 1992, Laurie, fed up with her husbands selfish ambition and infidelity, had returned to the US and filed divorce papers. She later told Denson that one of Jims greatest faults  was that he had somehow accustomed himself to champagne tastes on a Budweiser budget, he writes in The Spys Son.

Two years later, Nicholson walked into the Russian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, where he was stationed, the CIA under the impression he was trying to recruit their intelligence chief. Instead, the veteran operative offered his own services to the SVR (the Russian foreign intelligence department that preceded the KGB) for payment  just weeks after infamous CIA turncoat Ames was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Nicholson, Denson writes in his book, figured that with Ames out of the way, the SVR might be in the market for another highly paid mole inside the CIA.

They were. So began a deeply damaging double-cross that would continue, in various guises, for more than a decade.

In the immediate, however, Nicholson pulled off some of his most damaging work. With primary custody of his children, he moved the family back to Virginia in 1994 and began working as an instructor at the CIAs training facility, colloquially referred to as The Farm. There, he gathered intelligence on the upcoming recruits and sold it to the Russians, rendering the future US spies effectively useless going forward. He was also photographing and summarizing top-secret files and reports to pass along, everything from information about US policy to foreign cables to debriefings of Ames that could prove useful to the Russians.

By 1996, US intelligence had realised it had a problem and was frantically trying to root out the mole.

Thats when the higher-ups tapped Maguire, who was miserable at his temporary Langley desk assignment after years of exciting and efficacious field work. Hed been recalled from overseas as authorities zeroed in on Nicholson as the mole  unaware that higher-ups were readying him for a mammoth in-house espionage challenge, he says.

Theres a reason that HR is only on the second floor, he jokes You cant even jump out of the window high enough; youll land in the bushes, break your legs and then youll be in HR in a wheelchair.

Hes the type of no-nonsense guy who cracks those jokes in between explaining how he took down one of the most damaging spies in history. He learned the details in the safe house after passing a polygraph from the first-string, varsity officers  people that know their s***.

Eventually, says Maguire, The lead agent said, Weve got another Ames.

Nicholsons son, Nathaniel, travelled in his stead to meet-ups with Russians in exotic locales but was spared prison through a plea deal after his arrest (Nathan Nicholson)

He was instructed to get [Nicholson] to pick you to be his deputy and use the position to surveil and snare him  and fast.

Youve got to catch that f****r in a year; we cant afford to wait five years, Maguire says another high-ranking superior told him at a later meeting. Youve got to catch him doing something.

Real-life espionage, he says, is not some swashbuckling James Bond thing, although he noted that Nicholson, who was enamoured with 007 as a child, himself was a real womanizer, known for being tall, dark, handsome, and very smooth, very, very, crafty.

The spywork itself was more mundane, a methodical mind game of four-dimensional chess, and you have to plan and role play, Maguire says.

What I had to do for this was essentially an operational meeting for eight to nine hours a day and not make a mistake and not mess up, says Maguire  all the time watching for clues that Nicholson might be readying to do something operational.

I needed to make sure I didnt miss anything, he tells The Independent. It was very stressful an enormously straining mental exercise.

Nicholsons MO included targeting younger officers and collecting background information on them to share with the Russians, so that they would be vulnerable to being convinced to share information themselves later down the track on overseas missions.

He was a clever guy and a mercenary son of a bitch, because he didnt care what happened to those kids, those young officers  theyre working for a guy whos set up a target package on them so they can be approached later in their careers, he says. Ive never seen that before.

Nicholsons predecessor, Ames, executed horrible crimes, Maguire says  but he didnt headhunt in the building,

And we know Jim was headhunting in the building.

So was Maguire, though  and his efforts paid off after a liquid lunch in Georgetown in October 1996, not long before Nicholson was scheduled to make an overseas trip.

He had a six-pack of beer on the floor of the car, and Im drinking beer in his car on the way back to the building; were driving around in rural Virginia, and I say, Are you lost? And he goes, No, no, no, and theres a place out here, this is one of the days when they release unique runs of stamps.

Nicholson hopped out at a rural post office, bought stamps, got back in the car, and they returned to Langley, Maguire triggering a meeting with the FBI to tip them off that it seemed his boss was readying to do something operational.

They just bet the farm on that night, and they had a tremendous amount of manpower deployed and prepared, Maguire says. And sure enough, he went out late at night, left his house, left his kids at home alone and went out  and they actually caught him in the act mailing something, and then that was the stamp that he bought  and he licked it, so there was DNA on it. And he threw it in the mailbox, and before the sun came up that thing was processed and in the evidence system, and then the real postcard went back in the mailbox and went on its way to the overseas address, and he established a direct link to the KGB.

Nicholson was arrested on the eve of his 46th birthday and sentenced in June 1997 to 23 years and seven months in prison. His childrens lives had been uprooted unceremoniously, the family home in Virginia turned upside down before the oldest, Jeremi, who was in college in Oregon, flew his younger sister, Star, and brother, Nathaniel, back to the West Coast.

Nicholson, who turns 73 this week, served as overseas case officer and instructor at the CIAs training facility before taking up a position at Langley, where his righthand man was tasked with spying on him to prove his treason (NCSC)

The youngest Nicholson was just 12 when his father was arrested, and the spys mother and stepfather refused to believe their feted, patriotic scion had done any wrong. Along with the children, theyd visit the imprisoned ex-CIA officer at the Oregon facility where he was sent, and it was there that Nathan recalled his father apologising  and explaining that hed just wanted to help you kids out, Denson writes in The Spys Son.

Nathan never let go of the memory of that painful heart-to-heart, Denson writes. Seeing his dad so sorrowful, head literally hung low, churned in his young mind. He convinced himself that the government must have pressured him to confess  even to his own kids  that he spied for Russia.

Nathan followed his fathers footsteps into the Army, but an injury sidelined his military career and he returned to Oregon, where he enrolled in community college in 2005, visiting his father in prison every other Saturday. Nicholson had been cooking up ways to resume contact with the Russians, and it wasnt long before he enlisted his son.

During one visit, he told Nathan that his old friends in Moscow were holding an account open in his name, and that together they might be able to make some early withdrawals, Denson writes. Jim had lost his freedom in service to the Russian Federation, and now he felt it was Russias turn to help support his kids while he was away. He wanted to know if Nathan was willing to serve in his stead on the outside.

His youngest agreed on the spot  soon establishing contact with the Russians by walking into the consulate in San Francisco, before travelling to meetings in far-away locales from Mexico to Cyprus, passing messages and accepting money between 2006 and 2008 before he was caught. The younger Nicholson, at 26 years old, narrowly avoided jail in a plea deal that helped him build the prosecutions case against his father, who received an additional eight years.

I think his heart was really, for a time, broken when he realized, finally, what his dad had done, Denson, a fellow Oregonian who now considers Nathan a friend after extensively interviewing him for the 2015 book. His dad made it sound like it was no big deal  and this is, of course, coming from Nathan himself. [His dad] made it sound like he was just doing him a little favour, but he had to be secretive.

I think, in his heart, Nathan probably knew that it was wrong, but  hes a guy who is a pleaser, Denson says. He loves his close circle of friends and family and shows it  Nathan Nicholson is a fundamentally decent man.

Denson and Maguire, both fathers, could not believe the spy had coopted his son into crime.

That was the most mercenary thing, Maguire says, adding: He used his son and destroyed the basis of trust that a kid has with their father.

That ruthless streak and demonstrated fairweather loyalty only supports Maguires theory that Nicholson will high-tail it out of America as quick as his treasonous feet can carry him.

Hell behave himself for a couple of weeks, hell get a plan together and figure out what he wanted to do, says Maguire, adding that every officer has a long-term contact break plan that investigators never uncovered among Nicholsons things.

He is a traitor he made his bed. He is a spy. He doesnt believe in the country. He hates the system, and he signed up with an enemy nation, he says. And if thats where he wants to have his allegiance, then ship him there and get a good innocent man back.
Mohamed Hussein, 24, was racially abused by former Obama national security adviser Stuart Seldowitz (Bevan Hurley )

A New York City food truck worker who was racially abused and threatened by a former Obama administration official says he is terrified of reprisals.

Mohamed Hussein, 24, told The Independent how former National Security Council adviser Stuart Seldowitz ridiculed his religion, taunted him about his immigration status and threatened his family in Egypt during three separate encounters at the Adam Halal Food Cart on New Yorks Upper East Side.

Mr Hussein recorded Mr Seldowitz as he unleashed a torrent of abuse, and the videos have since gone viral after they were posted to social media. On Wednesday NYPD sources told The Independent that Mr Seldowitz had been taken into custody on charges including hate crime.

He adamantly denied making pro-Hamas statements, as Mr Seldowitz has since claimed.

I was terrified, I just kept quiet, he said, speaking in Arabic as food truck owner Islam Moustafa translated.

Mohamed Hussein, 24, was racially abused by former Obama national security adviser Stuart Seldowitz (Bevan Hurley)

The first encounter took place on the morning of 7 November, when Mr Seldowitz allegedly pushed open the food truck window on the corner of East 83rd St and 2nd Ave while staff were preparing to open for the day.

Mr Seldowitz asked where the vendor was from, to which he responded Egypt.

You guys support Hamas, youre a terrorist, and you guys like killing Jewish people, Mr Seldowitz says in one of the videos.

Mr Seldowitz returned to the food truck on three further occasions over the following three weeks to harass staff, the owner said.

Former White House and State Department officail Stuart Seldowitz admitted to being the man caught on video delivering a tirade of racist abuse to a New York food vendor (Twitter: Itslaylas)

Mr Hussein told The Independent: He cursed me out and cursed the prophet Muhammad and then threatened he was going to do something to my family back in Egypt.

Mr Moustafa, the food truck co-owner, told The Independent he was 100 per cent confident that the racist remarks were unprovoked and his staff had been trying to defuse the situation.

I think the video is very clear. Hes trying to act like the victim. He [Seldowitz ] is a smart official who knows how to play with words but I think the video speaks for itself, said Mr Moustafa.

But even if he had said something, imagine going that low, and talking with that much hate about religions?

Mr Hussein shared the cellphone footage with a friend, which went viral after it was posted to X/Twitter on 21 November.

Islam Moustafa said he hoped to see the incident prosecuted as a hate crime, and was considering taking a civil lawsuit against Stuart Seldowitz (Bevan Hurley)

In the video Mr Seldowitz, who worked on Israel-Palestine policy for the US State Department, can be heard insulting the Prophet Muhammad and berating the vendor over the Israel-Hamas war.

If we killed 4,000 Palestinian kids, you know what, it wasnt enough. It wasnt enough, he said.

Mr Seldowitz asked Mr Hussein if he knew about Egypts feared intelligence service, the Mukhabarat.

Mukhabarat in Egypt will get your parents, Mr Seldowitz told the vendor. Does your father like his fingernails? Theyll take them out one by one.

Mr Seldowitz has since offered a muted apology, telling the City & State New York that he was not Islamaphobic and regretted raising the religious aspect.

Mr Moustafa told The Independent that his staff member was fearful of retribution after Mr Seldowitzs identity had been confirmed.

Now hes even more scared because he knows the guy has some power and status and connections.

Mr Moustafa said he initially thought the abusive customer had been homeless or mentally ill.

I thought he was just a random guy in the street, that he wasnt feeling well and was maybe having some mental issues. But once we learned he was a government official and a consultant at big firms, I was very offended.

As much as I feel bad for him that he has that much hate inside him, I dont accept what he says. Its not freedom of speech, its a hate crime.

Mr Moustafa said staff had reported Mr Seldowitzs remarks to the NYPD after the first incident, but they had failed to not send officers out to take a statement.

He said a customer contacted the NYPD after Mr Seldowitz spewed insults at his staff member on a separate occasion.

They said we get insulted all the time, you can just insult him back.

After the footage went viral on Tuesday, NYPD officers returned and took statements from the vendors.

A spokesperson for the NYPD confirmed to The Independent that Mr Seldowitz was taken into custody on Wednesday on charges including aggravated harassment, hate crime, and stalking.

A hate crime probe into the incidents is ongoing, the spokesperson added.

Mr Moustafa previously said he hoped to see hate crime charges brought against Mr Seldowitz.

Its very offensive and insulting and I hope this falls under a hate crime and he gets charged. As Muslim-Americans its very insulting to talk like that about our prophet. Maybe some other religions consider it freedom of speech, we dont consider it freedom of speech.

Coming from an official, its even more insulting.

The food truck had been in business for nearly eight years, and never had any disputes with customers or issues with police, Mr Moustafa said.

Customers and community members had been in contact to offer their support since the video went viral, he said. One passerby brought coffee to the staff members as he chatted to The Independent.

Mr Moustafa told The Independent he had moved to the United States from Egypt more than 20 years ago, and had never experienced this kind of racism.

This country has been great to us and I dont feel any racism here. I love America. I respect all religions. Everybody has a choice. Hopefully the gentleman will get help, and hopefully well get some justice.

Mr Seldowitz was until recently the Foreign Affairs Chair at Gotham Government Relations.

President David Schwarz told City & State New York that he had cut all ties with Mr Seldowitz, and would represent the vendor pro bono if he wanted to file a lawsuit.

Mr Moustafa told The Independent he was interested in pursuing civil legal action against Mr Seldowitz, and would look into taking him up on the offer.
An oil spill seen in the Gulf of Mexico on Nov. 16, 2023

Efforts continued this week to contain an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that began last week and has now grown to more than a million gallons.

The Coast Guard says crude oil was released near a pipeline southeast of New Orleans, Louisiana, starting on Thursday.

By Wednesday, Nov. 22, the Coast Guard estimated more than 1.1 million gallons of crude oil had been released, but the agency said there was no evidence of new spillage.

Responders are using planes, remote submersibles and oil-skimming vessels to investigate and contain the spill. The Coast Guard said submersibles had inspected more than 23 miles of pipeline.

SEE MORE: Poison in Paradise: A Scripps News special report

The spill was identified near a pipeline operated by Main Pass Oil Gathering Company, LLC. Main Pass is a subsidiary of Houston-based Third Coast, which operates oil and natural gas pipelines and processing in the Gulf Coast and Gulf of Mexico.

The exact cause and source of the spill is still unknown. The Coast Guard and other responders are continuing their investigation and have not identified a responsible party.

The Coast Guard said there were no injuries or reported impacts to the local wildlife or shoreline.
As Thanksgiving is only hours away, preparations for this year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday (November 23) are underway.

Balloons, floats, and other iconic scenes are making a comeback in this year's parade, which would be the 97th installment of the New York City tradition marking the start of the year-end holidays.

Parade Features, Acts

This year's parade would feature 25 giant character balloons, 31 floats, six ballonicles, 29 clown crews, 11 marching bands, and 18 performers.

Among the balloons that would grace the parade include Stuart the Minion and Grogu balloons return, joined by new giants like Beagle Scout Snoopy, the Pillsbury Doughboy, Monkey D. Luffy, and Uncle Dan.

Aside from Santa Claus, a staple in Macy's parade, Cher would be expected to perform tracks from her very first Christmas album which was released last month.

Read Also: Thanksgiving Will Be More Stressful This Year, Says OSU Psychologist

When, Where to Watch the Parade?

The parade would air from 08:30 to 12:00 in all time zones, with rebroadcasts airing from 14:00 to 17:30 on NBC.

Aside from NBC, the parade would be broadcast and livestreamed simultaneously on Telemundo and Peacock, respectively.

The parade would start from West 77th Street & Central Park West. It would traverse down Central Park West to Columbus Circle before turning left to Central Park South toward Sixth Avenue, and right to Sixth Avenue to Macy's Herald Square, where the parade would finish up.

Those who are in New York could watch the parade in person, beginning from Central Park West between West 75th and West 61st Streets, or the rest on Sixth Avenue between West 59th and West 38th Streets.

Related Article: 55 Million Americans Expected to Travel for This Year's Thanksgiving

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
According to Princess Eugenie, ordering takeout food isnt an easy process for the family, especially when staying at Kensington Palace.

So last night we got a curry, which I never do. I never eat them, Eugenie, 33, shared on the Tuesday, November 21, episode of the Table Manners podcast. [My husband] Jack and I were literally sitting for an hour on Deliveroo, like, What on Earth does this mean?

After placing their order on the British delivery app, the couple had to ring down to palace workers to alert them that food was on the way. And then, well get in our pajamas and drive down and go pick it up, Eugenie added.

The revelation took the podcast hosts Jessie and Lennie Ware by surprise, as they questioned why the pair had to drive on the property to pick it up instead of having someone bring it to them. We could walk, Eugenie noted, but I dont want to be in my pajamas outside.

January 2018 Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank Relationship Timeline

After more than a decade together, Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank remain as in love as ever. After seven years of dating and doing long distance, Brooksbank proposed during a trip to Nicaragua in January 2018. The lake was so beautiful. The light was just a special light I had never seen, Eugenie recalled via []

Eugenies takeout order trek isnt the only food-related topic the princess discussed. Earlier in the podcast, she described her tea as not that princess as she only leaves her Earl

Grey tea bag in for a few moments before taking it out.

Ive always done it like that, she explained. I think my mom [Sarah Ferguson] did it, and then I copied her. I dont know how else to do it. I mean, I do know how else to do it, but I dont like the taste.

The Princes of York also said she gave up drinking coffee because she heard that the three things that make you unhealthy is coffee, sugar and alcohol. She continued: I thought the easiest one to give up would be coffee.

Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

Growing up as the daughter of Prince Andrew, Eugenie and her sister, Princess Beatrice, learned the importance of table manners both at home and when visiting their grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II. It was always like, We cant have knees at the table, she shared on Tuesday. So my mom, if I had a knee at the table, shed say, Are they invited to lunch? Are they invited to dinner? And so, theyd be down.

For now, Eugenie said shes not worried about enforcing strict table manners with her husband Jack Brooksbanks two young sons, August, 2, and Ernest, 5 months. She even let her eldest eat breakfast in front of the TV the morning of her podcast interview.

Royal Family Tree update

In honor of the royal baby's imminent birth, here's a look at where Prince William and Kate Middleton fit into Queen Elizabeth II's royal family tree

He goes, Mamma, tray? This on tray? Take in playroom? I was like, OK, she stated. So, I brought his cereal and his marmite toast in with me so I could go and get Ernie and bring him down so they can all hang out.

Eugenie and Jack, 37, welcomed their second child earlier this year. Jack and I wanted to share the news that we had our little boy, Ernest George Ronnie Brooksbank on 30th May 2023 at 8.49 weighing 7.1lbs, she captioned a sweet pic of her newborn via Instagram in June. He is named after his great great great Grandfather George, his Grandpa George and my Grandpa Ronald. Augie is loving being a big brother already.
A "moose on the loose" in southern Minnesota has become a local celebrity with a group of followers tracking his movements online through photographs and video clips.

The young male moose, who is believed to have made his way to Minnesota from South Dakota, is making his journey back home and his fans want to ensure that he reaches home safely, which is why they are tracking his movements, keeping an eye on his whereabouts and documenting his journey in a Facebook group called Central MN Moose on the Loose. The group has more than 34,000 followers at last check.

Brenda Johnson, who created the group, almost five years ago in 2018, told USA TODAY that the group had actually been set up for another moose who was spotted in the area. Unfortunately, that moose was killed when he was struck by a semi while crossing a highway.

The group, which had about 1,000 members at the time, fell silent after the tragedy up until a few weeks ago in September, when it picked up again after the now-viral moose was spotted in Iowa near the Minnesota border.

"People just started posting videos and pictures," said Johnson. "And we've been following it [since] and making a map and jotting down his locations."

A map tracking Rutt as he moves up north through Minnesota.

Johnson said that according to sightings that matched the moose's description, she believes that the young moose, who appeared to be less than 2 years old, traveled from North Dakota through South Dakota and Iowa before coming back to Minnesota. The moose was last spotted Tuesday about 140 miles northwest of Minneapolis.

"He's heading back north and it's just really a rare thing to see in this area of Minnesota," said Johnson. "He might make it home and meet some other moose in time for Christmas!"

Rutt's followers believe that the young moose traveled from North Dakota through South Dakota and Iowa before coming back to Minnesota, based upon reports of sightings that matched the moose's description.

How do birds keep warm in winter? Here's what birds do to stay warm in chilly temps.

Crossing I-94

Johnson said the group was particularly worried as the massive animal was making his way over Interstate 94.

"He was in a town called Sauk Center for almost a week, which is just south of Interstate 94," said Johnson. "And we were worried he wasn't gonna make it overnight."

The group was relieved when the moose was spotted on Sunday morning, assuring them that he made it over fine.

"He's heading back north and it's just really a rare thing to see in this area of Minnesota," said Brenda Johnson, who created the Facebook group. "He might make it home and meet some other moose in time for Christmas!"

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"It's really fun to wake up every day and see if there's any new sightings coming through," said Johnson, adding that it is likely that spottings will decrease in the upcoming days as the moose is expected to get into a deep forest up north.

Johnson said that the moose needs to cross another highway, which is a cause of concern for the group.

However, as far as the moose's final destination is concerned, Johson said that "nobody knows exactly where it's gonna go".

Naming the moose

While the moose has been referred to by several names such as Bullwinkle, the name that has stuck is Rutt," inspired by the movie Brother Bear, chosen by Holly Stang, who saw a moose for the first time in her life.

While the moose has been referred to by several names such as Bullwinkle, the name that has stuck is Rutt," chosen by 26-year-old Holly Stang, who saw a moose for the first time in her life. The name Rutt was inspired by the moose from the movie Brother Bear, her mother Bernie Stang told USA TODAY.

"The moose has no clue how famous he is, and he has brought so much joy and happiness to so many people!," said Bernie, who spotted the animal in late October. "So much joy, hope and so much happiness for so many people."

Its almost like seeing a unicorn, Danielle Magnuson, who saw a moose for the first time in her life, said. Theyre just really beautiful animals, and we dont get a chance to see them around our area.

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'Like seeing a unicorn'

Danielle Magnuson, who began searching for the moose last month, told the Associated Press that she spent several days a week searching for Rutt before she finally spotted him on Nov. 13 near Sauk Centre in central Minnesota.

Its almost like seeing a unicorn, Magnuson told AP. Theyre just really beautiful animals, and we dont get a chance to see them around our area.

Love golden retrievers? Your heaven on Earth exists and it's in Vermont

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @saman_shafiq7.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Minnesota moose on the loose named Rutt as followers track him
Seven Deadly Sins Four Knights Percival

A-1 Pictures The Seven Deadly Sins was a smash hit for Netflix, and helped pave the way for Netflixs expanded slate of anime production thats been serving it well in recent years. The series wrapped up in 2021, but a sequel series started in Japan last month, and soon itll be coming to Netflix.

Netflix announced that The Seven Deadly Sins: Four Knights of the Apocalypse will start airing on the video streaming service on January 31, 2024. It first started airing in Japan in early October, and later that month Netflix had announced it would be releasing the series outside of Japan.

The series is a sequel to the original The Seven Deadly Sins, among the best anime on Netflix, taking place roughly 16 years after the end of the previous series. It focuses on a new protagonist, Percival, whos prophesied to be one of four knights said to bring about the end of the world.

Heres how Netflix describes it:

A kind young boy named Percival lives with his grandfather in a remote area called "the Finger of God"  but the world would not allow this peace to last. An encounter with a mysterious knight changes Percival's destiny and reveals a startling secret, causing him to set out on an endless journey. Whether you are familiar with "The Seven Deadly Sins" or not, everyone can enjoy this exhilarating fantasy adventure long-awaited by the whole world!

Netflix will be streaming Four Knights of the Apocalypse in both English dubbed format and in Japanese with English subtitles, much like its predecessor, though its a little unclear if Netflix will be releasing a bunch of episodes all at once, streaming it weekly, or some combination of the two.

The trailers description on YouTube says: New episodes of The Seven Deadly Sins: Four Knights of the Apocalypse stream one week early starting January 31, 2024, only on Netflix. Make of that what you will, I guess.

Related: Netflixs Gritty Astro Boy Adaptation Looks Incredible
For families across the country, the Christmas season begins Black Friday. But for Greater Cincinnatians, a special day in early December is when the real festivities start.

The Feast of St. Nicholas, fondly referred to by many across the region as St. Nick's Day, takes place annually on Dec. 6. Though the holiday involves stockings and small gifts, it is separate from Christmas Eve and Christmas Day celebrations.

St. Nick's Day may not be widely celebrated in the United States. Still, it is popular in American cities with large German or Dutch populations, such as Cincinnati, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, St. Louis and Cleveland.

But what is St. Nick's Day, and how did it begin? Here's everything to know about the longstanding tradition.

Who was St. Nicholas?

Saint Nicholas of Myra, or St. Nicholas, was a bishop during the Roman Empire.

Saint Nicholas of Myra, or St. Nicholas, was a bishop during the Roman Empire who became the Patron Saint of Children because of the kindness he showed to young kids. He was widely known for gift-giving and helping the poor, even if it meant selling his possessions.

St. Nicholas left golden coins behind for some children, slipping them into stockings that were hung up to dry. This led to the creation of the long-lasting custom of children hanging up stockings or leaving a plate out on St. Nicholas Eve.

St. Nicholas was named a saint by the church on Dec. 6, which is the same day he is believed to have died in 343 A.D. The day is celebrated as a feast day.

The Dec. 6 Feast of St. Nicholas became a popular tradition during the medieval period, particularly in Germany and German-speaking countries.

When is St. Nicholas Day?

St. Nick's Day occurs annually Dec. 6, which is a Wednesday this year.

What is St. Nicholas Day, and how is it celebrated?

St. Nicholas Day is the feast day of St. Nicholas, the fourth century bishop of Myra. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, children are often given cookies, candies and gifts under their pillows or in their shoes and stockings during the feast day. Common St. Nick's Day items include oranges, chocolate coins and candy canes.

James Phillippe shows off the treats left in his shoe by St. Nicholas after he visited Immaculate Conception School in Freemont, Ohio.

It is also common for children to leave letters for St. Nicholas and carrots or grass for his donkey or horse.

When did St. Nick's Day come to America?

St. Nick's Day was brought to the United States with German immigration that began in the 1600s.

In Cincinnati, Dr. Ludwig "Louis" Rehfuss, a German immigrant who was a medical doctor, set up the first Christmas tree in the early 19th century, Don Heinrich Tolzmann, curator of the German Heritage Museum and president of the German American Citizens' League, told The Enquirer in 2021.

St. Nick's Day began in Cincinnati around that same time period.

"That custom, because of the German heritage of our area, is widely celebrated here even to this day," Tolzmann said.

What's the difference between St. Nicholas and Santa Claus?

On St. Nick's Eve, St. Nicholas fills stockings left out for children based on how they behaved that year.

On Christmas Eve, Santa Claus  sometimes referred to as St. Nick, Kris Kringle or Father Christmas  similarly fills stockings and gives presents to children based on their behavior.

According to Smithsonian Magazine, a Bavarian immigrant named Thomas Nast, a cartoonist during the Civil War, created the first image of Santa Claus in 1863. The image, which first appeared in Harper's Weekly, was created as Union propaganda during the war, featuring Santa handing out presents at a Union Army camp. In the image, Santa wears a jacket that has stars and pants colored in stripes.

The image was based on the likeness of St. Nicholas.

A version of this story was published in 2021 and 2022.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: When does St. Nick arrive? When is St. Nick's day? What to know
South Koreas President Yoon Suk Yeol was welcomed at Downing Street to sign a diplomatic accord which he hopes will help promote freedom, peace and prosperity around the world together.

Prime minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty greeted Mr Yoon on the steps outside No 10 on Wednesday afternoon.

Mr Yoon, who began his three-day state visit on Tuesday, described it as an honour and a privilege to be at Downing Street and said he was looking forward to talks with Mr Sunak to modernise a free trade agreement (FTA).

Through a translator, he said: Today we are going to sign a historic Downing Street Accord and, as allies and as friends who have shed blood together in the Korean War, I believe that there is no other areas that we cannot further deepen our co-operation including economic partnerships, science and technology.

The leaders are to sign a long-term agreement covering defence and technology co-operation.

The Downing Street Accord follows similar agreements with Singapore and Japan as the UK seeks to consolidate influence in the Indo-Pacific region.

It is set to include a defence agreement to boost the British and Korean militaries co-operation on countering smuggling in the East China Sea, which North Korea relies on to evade sanctions.

Mr Sunak told Mr Yoon: Your state visit underlies the deep partnership and friendship between our two countries and the signing of the Downing Street Accord today strengthens that friendship.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty welcome President of South Korea Yoon Suk Yeol outside 10 Downing Street (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

From defence and security to trade and technology, we already co-operate in lots of different areas.

But that co-operation will also be matched by the private sector by our agreement to upgrade and strengthen our FTA and the very welcome 20 billion-plus of investment from Korean companies into the United Kingdom.

That investment is a huge vote of confidence in the UK and a symbol of our close co-operation. I am looking forward to discussing all of these things with you this afternoon.

Mr Yoon also met with Opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer on Wednesday.

A Labour spokesman said Sir Keir and the visiting president agreed on the need to boost UK-Korean trade and investment, while also discussing the ongoing need for closer co-operation on security.

At a tense time in the world and in the region, (Sir Keir) Starmer reiterated Labours strong commitment to Korean security and they agreed that Britain and Korea must seek to strengthen security ties to face down new and modern threats, the party said, in a readout of the talks.

The state visit began with a welcome from the King and Queen on Tuesday.

Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch began trade negotiations with her South Korean counterpart Bang Moon-kyu at the UK-Korea Business Forum at Mansion House on Wednesday.

They are set to announce 21 billion of investments committed by Korean businesses in green energy and infrastructure projects across the UK.

The UK secured a free trade deal with South Korea in 2019.

In his banquet speech on Tuesday, the King said Koreans have created a miracle in their journey from wartime devastation to a thriving country where the industrial efficiency he witnessed during a visit in 1992 had become the epitome of technological innovation.

The UK visit coincides with the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the UK and Korea, as well as the 70th anniversary of the armistice of the Korean War.
DURHAM  The University of New Hampshire and school police are investigating recent incidents of antisemitism, homophobia, Islamophobia, and racism on campus.

On Wednesday, with many students home or traveling the day before Thanksgiving, university leaders shared with community members that multiple incidents have been reported to the school.

The University of New Hampshire and school police are investigating recent incidents of antisemitism, homophobia, Islamophobia, and racism at the schools flagship campus.

UNH spokesperson Tania deLuzuriaga stated that the school recently received two separate reports of swastikas drawn onto surfaces, one that was wiped away from a bathroom in a residence hall and the other drawn onto a broken picnic table. On Sunday, Nov. 19, a group of unidentified men were roaming Hitchcock Hall around 3:30 a.m. and were being loud and disruptive and writing hate speech on the walls and bulletin boards, she said.

This vandalism was homophobic, racist, antisemitic, and generally vulgar, deLuzuriaga said. The vandalism was removed the following morning, residents were notified, and UNH police are investigating. While disturbing, this was an isolated incident.

No victims were directly targeted in the incidents, according to deLuzuriaga, and no suspects were immediately identified.

UNH's Wednesday announcement came from school President James W. Dean Jr., provost and vice president for academic affairs Wayne Jones, chief diversity officer and associate vice president Nadine Petty, and senior vice provost for student life Kenneth Holmes.

These actions are unacceptable, antithetical to our community values, and undermine our collaborative efforts to foster a community where all members can succeed, reach their full potential, and feel safe, valued, and included, their message reads.

The note to the school community was sent three days after a student died by suicide at the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity house. He was a junior studying in the schools Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics and a member of the fraternity, according to the school.

The message from the four leaders referenced the death of the student and recent regional and international tragedies.

For many, we know the last few weeks have been challenging. Acts of violence in Lewiston and Concord have felt far too close to home. The war in Israel and Gaza has brought consternation to our community, particularly for the many with ties to the region. The loss of a fellow Wildcat has shaken and saddened all of us. In these challenging times, it's crucial that we come together as a community and demonstrate our shared values of inclusivity and respect for each other, the note states.

Since the fall semester began, the schools Civil Rights and Equity Office has received 11 actionable bias complaints, four of which have been referred to the school police department.

Those investigations are ongoing. Neither (figure) is significantly different from what we see in a typical semester, said deLuzuriaga.

UNH officials are asking students with information on the recent incidents to report it to the schools Civil Rights and Equity Office or to the UNH Police Department.

The end of the semester and holiday season can be a stressful time for many. In the coming weeks, we ask you to support each other with care and empathy, the schools Wednesday communication reads. We have far more in common than divides us, and we should view our differences as assets that enrich our community and create opportunities for dialogue and learning.

If you need help

The University of New Hampshire is advising students to contact the following three community resources for assistance or to report information about recent incidents on campus:

The schools Psychological and Counseling Services is available for 24/7 mental health support: (603) 862-2090

The Civil Rights & Equity Office is for anyone who has experienced or observed bias to make a report: (603) 862-2930

The University Police Department is available at any time for any student who has an immediate safety concern or who has information on an on-going police investigation: (603) 862-1212

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: UNH, police investigate acts of hateful, racist vandalism
The Biden administration issued a warning to the Indian government over its possible involvement in a plot to kill a Sikh separatist leader on American soil, according to a report.

The alleged plot, which targeted New York-based lawyer Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, was thwarted following an intervention by the US authorities, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday, citing multiple people familiar with the case.

The report comes just two months after Canada accused New Delhi of being involved in the killing of a Canadian national associated with the Sikh separatist movement in Surrey, British Columbia.

Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi on Wednesday said: During the course of recent discussions on India-US security cooperation, the US side shared some inputs pertaining to nexus between organized criminals, gun runners, terrorists and others.

The inputs are a cause of concern for both countries and they decided to take necessary follow-up action.

Mr Bagchi added that India takes such inputs seriously as it also impinges on our own national security interests.

Earlier on Wednesday India finally restored e-visas for Canadian citizens following a lengthy diplomatic spat over the accusation, made by prime minister Justin Trudeau in parliament, which India described as absurd.

The new report from the Financial Times said it was unclear whether the alleged plot against Mr Pannuns life was abandoned after Washingtons intervention, or if it was actively thwarted by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Indian officials expressed surprise and concern when informed about the incident, the White House said in a statement, adding that US authorities were treating the issue with the utmost seriousness.

Spokesperson Adrienne Watson said Washington had raised the issue with the Indian government, including at the senior-most levels.

They stated that activity of this nature was not their policy ... We understand the Indian government is further investigating this issue and will have more to say about it in the coming days.

We have conveyed our expectation that anyone deemed responsible should be held accountable, she added.

Washington reportedly informed a wider group of allies of the attempt against Mr Pannun following Mr Trudeaus September statement.

Mr Pannun is the general counsel of Sikhs for Justice, an activist group that is linked to the movement for a separate Sikh state, known as Khalistan, to be carved out of Indias Punjab.

A member of the United Hindu Front organisation holds a banner depicting Gurpatwant Singh Pannun (AFP/Getty)

He has come under scrutiny for a series of social media posts targeting the Indian government, including one which appeared to threaten flights operated by Air India.

India sees the Khalistan movement as a threat to its national security and Mr Pannun had previously been designated a wanted terrorist by the Indian government. On Tuesday a new case was registered against him by Indias National Investigation Agency (NIA) over the Air India video.

Mr Pannu told the FT he would let Washington respond to the issue of threats to my life on American soil from Indian operatives.

The threat to an American citizen on American soil is a challenge to Americas sovereignty, and I trust that the Biden administration is more than capable of handling any such challenge, he added.

The warning sent by Washington to the Indian government came after prime minister Narendra Modis state visit to Washington in June, according to the report.

Federal prosecutors have separately filed a sealed indictment in a New York district court against at least one suspect involved in the plot, it said.

One person charged in the indictment is believed to have already left the US, the Financial Times reported, citing people familiar with the proceedings.

The Indian foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Independent.
The $4.3 billion pact Binance reached with US authorities this week creates new complications for the worlds largest cryptocurrency exchange. But crypto enthusiasts are breathing an audible sigh of relief, saying the deal lifts a lot of the uncertainty hanging over their industry.

"It's nice to wake up in crypto and not worry about what will happen with Binance," Matt Hougan, chief investment officer at crypto asset manager Bitwise, said on X, formerly known as Twitter. "2024-2025 is going to be so great."

It's nice to wake up in crypto and not worry about what will happen with Binance. 2024-2025 is going to be so great.  Matt Hougan (@Matt_Hougan) November 22, 2023

The settlement, JPMorgan Chase analysts added in a note, ends "potential systemic risk emanating from a hypothetical Binance collapse."

Michael Safai, a partner with crypto trading firm Dexterity Capital, argued the Binance "resolution means a path forward for crypto and confidence that the asset class wont be enforced out of existence."

The movement in cryptocurrencies and related stocks in the aftermath of the Binance announcement showed that investors largely shared that optimism.

Binances own crypto token BNB (BNB-USD) was down 13% in the hours after its settlement was announced  an illustration of its many remaining challenges now that it is under tighter government scrutiny  but then recovered on Wednesday as the prices of other currencies stabilized.

Bitcoin (BTC-USD), the worlds largest cryptocurrency, was up 1% in the 24 hours after the Binance announcement, while ether, the second-largest digital currency (ETH-USD), was up more than 4%.

The stock of another big crypto exchange, Coinbase (COIN), also rose more than 3% Wednesday on possible expectations that it may prove to be a beneficiary of Binance's troubles.

The bull case

The bull case for crypto is that the worst of its problems are now in the rearview mirror.

Bitcoin peaked at $68,789 in November 2021 but then crashed in 2022 as the Federal Reserve began raising interest rates and a series of firms imploded, including crypto exchange FTX in November 2022.

A widespread crackdown on the crypto industry followed. Regulators sued a number of big players, including Coinbase and Binance. Earlier this month a jury convicted FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried of defrauding customers, lenders, and investors.

In this courtroom sketch, FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried stands as the jury foreperson reads the verdict in his fraud trial that ended Nov. 2. (Jane Rosenberg/REUTERS) (JANE ROSENBERG / reuters)

Now investors are newly optimistic that the industry is poised for wider acceptance and regulatory clarity from Washington. They are hoping the Securities and Exchange Commission will soon grant approval for a spot bitcoin ETF, which would allow investors to get exposure to the cryptocurrency without having to own it.

BlackRock (BLK) is among the big-name money managers that have recently applied to launch such a product. Grayscale Investments is also pushing the SEC to sign off on the conversion of its bitcoin trust into a spot bitcoin exchange-traded fund following an August decision in its favor from a three-judge panel of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals.

The panel concluded the SEC had been "arbitrary and capricious" when it denied Grayscale's conversion application in 2022.

The next official milestone where the SEC must accept or reject approval for a spot bitcoin ETF is Jan. 10, although the SEC could approve applications sooner.

The 'end of an era'

There are some reasons for investors to be cautious, however. The SEC still has a series of lawsuits pending against some of the biggest names in the industry, including Binance and Coinbase, as it tries to force more players to register with the regulatory agency and classify digital assets as securities.

And the fact that Binance now has to operate with so much government scrutiny will certainly hamper what remains the industrys largest crypto exchange.

Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the pact with Binance at a news conference Tuesday. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) (Anna Moneymaker via Getty Images)

It is "the end of an era," said Yiannis Giokas, senior director of digital assets at Moodys Analytics. "With digital currencies becoming more mainstream and institutional players entering the space, regulations and enforcement will become stricter to ensure compliance and consumer protection."

The Binance pact with US authorities "marks the same inflection point that we saw earlier at the intersection of the dot-com and post-dot-com eras," Giokas added.

Binance pleaded guilty to criminal charges relating to money laundering, conducting an unlicensed money transmitting business, and sanctions violations. Its CEO Changpeng Zhao agreed to step down, plead guilty to violating anti-money laundering requirements, and pay a $50 million fine, while retaining majority control of the exchange.

Former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao leaves the US District Court in Seattle on Nov. 21. (David Ryder/Getty Images) (David Ryder via Getty Images)

Binance will also pay the largest fine any crypto firm has had to pay  $4.3 billion to various US government agencies  and operate with an independent compliance monitor for three years to ensure it meets its plea agreement terms.

While the full terms of its agreement with the US havent yet been unsealed, they are "likely onerous, robust and extraordinarily invasive," John Reed Stark, a legal consultant and former SEC enforcement attorney, said over X, formerly Twitter.

What is known is that Binance now must review and report on billions of dollars' worth of transactions it facilitated for suspicious activity, including $898 million in trades between US users and sanctioned users based in Iran.

The mandate also entails Binances full cooperation "in any and all matters" related to the agreement or "any other conduct under investigation by the government" during the agreement period.

Richard Teng, the new CEO of Binance. (Abdel Hadi Ramahi/REUTERS) (Abdel Hadi Ramahi / reuters)

This will also likely become "increasingly burdensome, cumbersome and challenging" for the firm, according to Stark.

Its new CEO, Richard Teng, faces no small amount of challenges in charting a new direction for the company while correcting for past legal violations.

In the first 24 hours following the government's announcement, customers pulled a net $695 million from Binance, according to data compiled by 21Shares.

That was significantly higher than Binances average daily withdrawals yet far from the largest since the beginning of 2023.

Traders view the Binance deal as the "industry finally turning a corner" and putting "to rest one of the lingering questions for crypto in 2023," said Dexteritys Safai.

As for the future, "be prepared for a slower, more sustained pace of growth in crypto," he added.

David Hollerith is a senior reporter for Yahoo Finance covering banking, crypto and other areas in finance.

Click here for the latest crypto news, updates, values, prices, and more related to bitcoin, ethereum, dogecoin, DeFi, and NFTs

Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance
The World Health Organization is requesting detailed information from China on an increase in respiratory illnesses and pneumonia among the countrys children, using language similar to a Jan. 5, 2020, pre-pandemic missive regarding COVID-19.

Officials from Chinas National Health Commission reported an increase in respiratory illness at a Nov. 13 press conference, the WHO said in a Wednesday news release. On Tuesday more reports of pneumonia of an unknown cause in children in northern China were received.

The WHO on Wednesday said it had requested additional information from the Eastern superpower, including patient lab results and data on the circulation of known respiratory pathogens like flu, COVID-19, and RSV. It also requested details on how such circulation is affecting health care system capacity.

Children's hospitals in Beijing, Liaoning, and elsewhere in the country are "overwhelmed with sick children," with schools "on the verge of suspension," according to a Tuesday bulletin from the International Society for Infectious Diseases, citing local news reports.

'Concerning,' but likely not new, experts say

Experts Fortune spoke to late Wednesday said they found the cases concerning and called on China to be forthcoming with its data.

But the limited information provided so far doesn't point to the development of a new pathogen, they said.

The first suspicion of Dr. Michael Osterholmdirector of the University of Minnesotas Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP)is "a series of already recognized respiratory pathogens," due to the fact that illness are reportedly occurring in children.

"If it was a new pathogen, it would be showing up in kids and adults equally, " he told Fortune.

Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease specialist and senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, agreed, telling Fortune that while information is sparse, "it would not be surprising if it's a constellation of various respiratory pathogens together causing clusters of illness."

Some reporting has pointed to mycoplasma pneumoniae, an atypical bacteria that can cause lung infection, as a potential cause, he said. It's commonly known as "walking pneumonia."

"It will be important to gain insights into what pathogens are being tested for and what results are available," he added, calling the "historical lack of transparency that is emblematic of China's authoritarian government" problematic, and likely to result in a delay of information.

Dr. Stuart Ray, vice chair of medicine for data integrity and analytics at Johns Hopkins Department of Medicine, called the infections "concerning" and said "rapid response and evaluating is the right path."

"But it's not so out of the ordinary that we should presume this is due to a new pathogen," he told Fortune. "We can hope that authorities there will evaluate rapidly, take appropriate steps for mitigating spread, and be forthcoming about the nature and severity of the epidemic."

Dr. Eric Topol, a professor of molecular medicine at Scripps Research in La Jolla, Calif., and founder and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, said it was "impossible to make a comment based on such limited information."

But in a text to Fortune, he called for "careful watch on this and full transparency from the folks in China."

WHO calls for masking 'as appropriate' in China

While the WHO seeks additional information, it called on Chinese citizens Wednesday to obtain recommended vaccinations, maintain distance from those who are ill, stay home when sick, wear masks as appropriate, ensure good ventilation, wash their hands, and obtain medical care as needed.

Northern China has reported an increase in flu-like illness over the past month, when compared to levels seen during the past three years, according to the WHO.

If mycoplasma pneumoniae is to blame, common antibiotics like azithromycin and doxycycline should be effective, Raj Rajnarayanan, assistant dean of research and associate professor at the New York Institute of Technology campus in Jonesboro, Ark., told Fortune.

Health officials should look to pin-down the culprit quickly, ruling out fluhopefully not a highly pathogenic avian fluRSV, adenovirus, and COVID, he added.

Jay Weiland, a leading COVID modeler, said there is no reason to suspect a new COVID variant is responsible for the epidemic.

"It's unclear at this point if this is a collection of simultaneous peaks of a typical seasonal illness or a new infectious illness," he told Fortune.

Earlier this month Chinese officials attributed the rise in mysterious pneumonia cases to the circulation of viruses like flu and RSV, as well as the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions. But such restrictions terminated a year ago, making the milestone an unlikely culprit.

Still, Osterholm said, it's possible that China sees a surge in viruses this respiratory season due to the immunity debt theory many blamed for last year's "tripledemic" of respiratory pathogens in the U.S. and other Western countries.

The so called "immunity debt," some experts say, is the price society must pay for adhering to pandemic precautions and, thus, receiving less exposure to other viruses. It results, they say, in a delayed surge in non-pandemic viruses after mitigation efforts are abandoned.

Osterholm disagrees with the concept as it applies to last year's respiratory season in the U.S. While it got off to an early start, respiratory viruses didn't cause more deaths than usual, he points outnor were "lock downs" in the United States true lock downs. In U.S. states, stay-at-home orders lasted only monthsnot years, like in Chinaand didn't apply to "essential workers." In Minnesota, that meant 82% of the state's population was exempt, Osterholm said, adding, "that's not a lock down."

China, with its much more stringent regulations, truly locked down, he said. And, thus, it might expect to see a resurgence of other viruses this year, in "immunity debt" fashion.

"I think you're going to see more of this happening around the world with seasonal respiratory viruses," he said. The next respiratory season or two may be atypical, he addedperhaps due to "immunity debt," or perhaps due to viral interferencein which competitive viruses like COVID "cancel out" other viruses for a period of time. Such a phenomenon appears to have happened during the H1N1 bird flu pandemic of 2009, during which other strains of flu and RSV "disappeared" for a time.

An alternate theory that could explain post-pandemic surges in other viruses, according to some experts like Ryan Gregory, a biology professor at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada: that COVID suppresses the immune systemat least temporarily, and at least in somemaking them more susceptible to other infections. Another: that being infected with both COVID and another pathogen at the same time makes what would otherwise be mild illness more severe.

"Assuming immunity debt as the explanation may miss something important and concerning," he told Fortune. "The idea that the way out of situations like this is for peopleespecially childrento get infected is problematic. Not everything is COVID, but not nothing is COVID either, and we should not be content to have this be our new normal."

As for what exactly is going on in China, two pieces of data are needed, according to Osterholm: "accurate epidemiological data describing who is sick, and lab-based data."

"Then we can answer in short order what's going on."

While the epidemic must be taken "most seriously by those closest to the problem," in China, "we also need to realize how small our world is now," Ray added. "We're all neighbors."

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
A 26-year-old Israeli woman named Shani Gabay has been found dead weeks after she went missing from the music festival in Kibbutz Re'im on October 7.

Her body was discovered on Wednesday (November 22), with authorities saying she was one of the staffers behind the Supernova music festival on the eve of Hamas's attack in southern Israel.

"Our Shani is gone. Our hearts are broken into pieces," Yokneam Mayor Simon Alfasi said, as per The Jerusalem Post. "We are all crying and refuse to believe how much we waited for a different ending."

Alfasi also confirmed that Gabay was killed in the October 7 attack.

Read Also: Israeli, Hamas Leaders Agree to Four-Day Ceasefire

Presumed Hostage Before Discovery of Body

The Times of Israel reported that the woman was initially presumed to be a hostage prior to the announcement.

However, it was revealed that she fled to a field shelter near Kibbutz Alumim before Hamas terrorists threw grenades inside.

Gabay eventually went out of the shelter and back to her car, where she was shot. She made her way to a paramedic, who took her to the police command post, which was later attacked by Hamas fighters.

She has not been heard from since then.

"My heart goes out to my dear parents Jacob and Michal, her brother Aviel and her sister Nitzan - who for seven weeks turned every stone and went everywhere in Israel and the world to find Shani, and fought and cried out to bring her home," Alfasi added. "We all hug the family and stand by their side. May her memory be a blessing."

Over 300 Israeli and foreign civilians were killed in the Supernova music festival massacre.

Gabay's funeral was scheduled for Thursday (November 23) in her hometown of Yokneam. The family has requested privacy during their period of mourning.

Related Article: Israel Laying Out Plans for Jerusalem, Palestinians Post-War, Deputy Mayor Says

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.


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YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 23, ARMENPRESS. The Chair of the Armenian National Assembly Standing Committee on Labor and Social Affairs Heriknaz Tigranyan on Nov. 23 held a meeting with the UN Special Rapporteur on the Promotion of Truth, Justice, Reparation and Guarantees of Non-Recurrence Fabian Savioli.

During the meeting Heriknaz Tigranyan highly appreciated the importance of the UN Special Rapporteurs mandate and the mission of visiting Armenia in the period full of challenge, the National Assembly of Armenia said in a statement.

Within the framework of the working visit the UN Special Rapporteur, as an independent expert has been trying to highlight the events happening in Armenia since the independence, which refer to the protection of human rights, the institute of damage compensation and the transitional justice.

Heriknaz Tigranyan presented the legislative reforms implemented in the judicial system, the protection of human rights. The works being done on the servicemens social guarantees and compensation mechanisms were discussed in detail.

The Committee Chair underscored that the social protection issues of the servicemen and their family members are always in the center of attention of the legislative and executive bodies.

The member of the Standing Committee on Protection of Human Rights and Public Affairs Marina Ghazaryan also attended the meeting, reads the statement.
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 23, ARMENPRESS. Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister Arayik Harutyunyan received the delegation led by Barbara Boeni Slaats, Regional Head of Cooperation South Caucasus at Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.

At the meeting, reference was made to the humanitarian problems of our compatriots forcibly displaced from Nagorno Karabakh and the programs implemented by the Armenian government in that direction, the press service of the Government said.

Arayik Harutyunyan highly appreciated the support provided by Switzerland to the Armenian Government related to both the problems of the population of Nagorno-Karabakh and to the ongoing reforms implemented by the Government.

An agreement was reached to continue cooperation on the reform agenda, in particular, the Public Administration Reform (PAR) strategy.

The Chief of the Prime Ministers Staff emphasized that the priority of participatory management of the PAR strategy is one of the important directions, as it will improve the involvement of civil society in decision-making.

B. Slaats noted that bilateral programs with the Armenian government are progressing successfully and they are ready to cooperate in the direction of other development programs in Armenia.
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 23, ARMENPRESS. On November 23, the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia to the Kingdom of Belgium hosted the forcibly displaced Artsakh citizens who have been taken to Belgium for treatment as a result of the explosion took place at a fuel depot near the Stepanakert-Askeran road. The family members of the medical patients also participated in the meeting.

Armenia's Ambassador to Belgium and Head of the Mission of Armenia to the EU, Tigran Balayan discussed with them their health condition, plans for the return to Armenia and issues related to integration.

The patients expressed their gratitude to the Armenian Embassy in Belgium, the hospital staff where they have received treatment, and the Armenian community of Belgium for their attention and compassionate attitude. They spoke about their desire to return to the homeland - Nagorno-Karabakh. In response, Ambassador Balayan assured them that every effort is being made to facilitate the return of the people of Artsakh, ensuring a normal and dignified life under the auspices of international law and protection.
Firms reportedly agree on the need for actionable work in areas such as detection, prevention and increasing awareness

The move of the government comes after some celebrities are learnt to have reported their faces being manipulated onto another video. (Representional Image: By arrangement)

New Delhi: Flagging deepfakes as a new threat to democracy, the Union government is set to come up with new regulations to tackle the menace. As per the upcoming guidelines, the government is likely to impose penalties on both creators as well as the platforms hosting deepfakes. It has already started drafting a regulation in this regard, and a new set of rules are expected to be in place within a short time. The move comes after certain celebrities reportedly raised the issue of their faces being superimposed on other videos.

The new regulations may have several measures to safeguard citizens, including watermarking artificial intelligence-generated content, deepfake detection, rules for data bias, privacy and safeguards against concentration, among others. IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said various firms have agreed on the need for actionable work in areas such as detection, prevention and increasing awareness.
Multiple petitions have been filed before the top court, seeking a review of the order in the matter

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court will consider if a review plea challenging the October 17 verdict, refusing to grant legal recognition to same-sex marriage, can be heard in an open court.

A petitioner in the case mentioned the review plea before a bench led by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud, Justice J.B. Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra.

I have not examined the (review) petition. Let me circulate in (among the judges of the bench) and get all the administrative formalities completed, the Chief Justice said in his brief order.

The review plea, mentioned on Thursday, was filed by one Udit Sood in the first week of November, assailing an earlier judgment of the apex court denying marriage between two people of the same sex. Sood is among the 21 petitioners in the matter.

Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, on behalf of the petitioner, told the court that the tentative date for listing of the case is November 28 and the same may not be deleted from the list. He also told the court that the petitioner has requested an open court hearing. Lives of large numbers of people depend on this, Rohatgi contended.

Multiple petitions have been filed before the top court, including one filed by the lead petitioners in the matter, Supriya Chakravarty and Abhay Dang, seeking a review of the order in the matter. According to the petitioners, constitutional courts are empowered to review statutory law to ensure its conformity with constitutional values. Such courts do not need to wait for the legislature to enact or amend laws to recognise same-sex marriage, the petitioners have contended.

The petitioners highlighted that the existing statutory regime governing marriage discriminates against them by exclusion. The bench took note of the submissions by Rohatgi that the review plea needed to be heard in open court to redress the grievances of those seeking validation of same-sex marriages.

The CJI, however, said that he has not examined the case yet and asked the petitioner to complete all the administrative formalities for listing of the case.

According to relevant procedures, the pleas seeking review of judgments are considered by judges of the apex court concerned in chambers with no oral submissions by lawyers. In exceptional cases, however, review pleas including the one relating to the death penalty, are heard in an open court.

In October, a five-judge constitution bench headed by the CJI had delivered four separate verdicts on the batch of 21 petitions seeking legal sanction for gay marriages.

In a unanimous order, the bench refused to give legal sanction to same-sex marriage under the Special Marriage Act and observed it is within Parliament's ambit to change the law for validating such union.
Modi alleged that "be it water, the sky or land, the claws of the Congress do only one thing -- loot"

New Delhi/Jaipur: Predicting that the BJP will form governments in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday asserted that his party will make the desert state a leader in investments and industry while claiming that under the incumbent Congress government, the state has turned number one in crime and number one in corruption.

As the campaigning ended for the 200-member Rajasthan Assembly elections scheduled for November 25, the Prime Minister reiterated that where the hope from the Congress ends, Modi's guarantee begins.

Sharpening his attack on the Ashok Gehlot-led government in Rajasthan, Mr Modi alleged that "be it water, the sky or land, the claws of the Congress do only one thing -- loot".

Addressing a poll rally in Rajsamand, Mr Modi once again raised the Sachin Pilot issue amidst the ongoing tussle between the former deputy CM and chief minister Ashok Gehlot. He said: "A Gurjar's son struggles to make his place in politics, gives his life to the party and after coming to power, the royal family removes him like a fly in milk."

"They did the same with late Rajesh Pilot and are doing the same with his son," he said, alleging that the Congress is "insulting" Gurjars now and had insulted the community in the past too.

Mr Pilot, who lost his state Congress chief post as well as deputy chief ministership for rebelling against Mr Gehlot, hit back at Mr Modi on Wednesday after he had made similar remarks.

Mr Modi had accused the Congress on Wednesday of punishing Mr Pilot, saying anyone who speaks the truth in the grand old party is shunted out of politics and suggesting that Rajesh Pilot lost favour with the Congress leadership after he contested against Sitaram Kesri for the party president's post in 1997.

Reacting to Mr Modi's comments, Mr Pilot said there is no need for anyone other than his party and the people to worry about him.

He said his father was a dedicated Congressman throughout his life and the Prime Minister's statements were far from the truth and aimed at diverting people's attention.

Mr Pilot is a Gurjar leader and the community had voted the Congress to power from eastern Rajasthan in 2018.

On the reaction of the Congress leaders to his statement, Mr Modi on Thursday said, "The Congress is not answering my real questions. It is lying with full force that the royal family of the Congress never insulted Rajesh Pilot. Answer the questions I raised."

He wondered how the Congress can deny that Mr Pilot was abused with words such as "gaddar, nakara and nikamma" (traitor, worthless).

Mr Modi said he had not seen the photo of Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on the party's posters during his road show in Jaipur and alleged that the grand old party does not care about Dalits.

"On the Congress posters, Gehlotji is visible, people from the royal family are visible, but our Khargeji is not visible. Should the Congress behave like this with the son of a Dalit mother?" he asked the gathering.

Slamming the Congress, the Prime Minister said, "Rajasthan has never seen a more anti-women government than this. Therefore, the people of the state have resolved to overthrow the Congress government."

He alleged: "Be it water, the sky or land, the claws of the Congress do only one thing -- loot", adding that if the BJP is voted to power in the desert state, it will not stop the good work of the current government.

"When the Congress government was formed in Rajasthan five years ago, it banned all the good schemes of the (previous) BJP government. The BJP government that will be formed here on December 3 will not indulge in anti-people work like the Congress For us, public welfare is supreme. Whoever is in the government, if it has done public welfare work in the true sense and there is something good in it, if it is useful for the country, then Modi is in favour of taking things forward. He does not work out of animosity and hence, whatever good happens in Rajasthan will also be taken forward. This is my assurance to you. But I will close the windows of corruption," he said.

Accusing the Congress of making Rajasthan riots infested, Mr Modi said the BJP will make the state a leader in tourism.

"The Congress made Rajasthan number one in crime. The BJP will make Rajasthan a leader in investments. The Congress made Rajasthan number one in corruption, the BJP will make Rajasthan a leader in industry," Mr Modi said.
Tel Aviv has cancelled the Palestinians work permits as much to punish them for Hamas savage attack on Israel

India doesnt lead the world only in exporting cow dung which it sells to the United States, Singapore and the Maldives. India is also the worlds largest exporter of manpower, explaining its boast of the biggest global diaspora. More than 30 million Indians fled these shores and settled abroad because the motherland could not -- and still cannot -- guarantee them a decent living.

That number will increase marginally if New Delhi rejects common humanity and disregards the objections of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions by yielding to Israels Builders Associations request for about 100,000 construction workers to replace 90,000 Palestinians who were sacked after the October 7 Hamas attack. However much a flattered India might want to oblige Israels Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, it should not forget the grim realities of the situation. Tel Aviv has cancelled the Palestinians work permits as much to punish them for Hamas savage attack on Israel as to drive the besieged people of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank into even more dire poverty. Not only would their Indian replacements become instruments of further Israeli exploitation but they would be drawn into the morally wrong side of a bitter and bloody 100-year-old conflict that doesnt concern them.

Theres a racist angle too. Most Israelis are European Ashkenazi Jews. The Palestinians are Arab and Asian. Mr Netanyahus defence minister, Yoav Gallant, brutally drove home the difference when he dismissed Palestinians as human animals. Just as the October 7 raid didnt occur in a vacuum, as the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, pointed out to Israels great anger, abuse also reflects historic contempt. Rafael Eitan, chief of staff of the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), observed during the 1983 crisis that once Israelis had settled the land, all the Arabs will be able to do about it will be to scurry around like drugged cockroaches in a bottle. India should never forget that economic migrants enjoy scant respect.

Yet, the external affairs ministry admits that a record 225,620 Indians renounced their citizenship last year. While this may have been an exception (reflecting dissatisfaction with the NDA governments economic mismanagement), an average of between 120,000 and 140,000 people would not have migrated annually if jobs really had been plentiful at home. So much then for the National Sample Surveys latest claim that the unemployment rate for urban individuals aged 15 and more has fallen to 6.8 per cent from 8.2 per cent a year ago. Official boasting about the job market recalls the irony of Samuel Taylor Coleridges water water everywhere and not a drop to drink.

Not only has the healthy economy that Dr Manmohan Singh had built up been squandered but the army of Indian wage slaves in foreign countries provoked West Bengals former finance minister, Dr Amit Mitra, to taunt the Prime Minister about the hollowness of his Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas slogan. Himself an economist of some distinction, Dr Mitra said, quoting the World Bank: If the bitter truth be told, 47 million people were unemployed, mainly youths, during the festive month of October 2023. That, he stressed, was Spains entire population.

Dr Mitra also pointed out that youth unemployment hit a record high of 23.22 per cent last year when the comparable figures for Bangladesh and landlocked and resource-poor Bhutan were only 12.9 and 14.4 per cent. This is an even more damning indictment for it has always been our pride that with half of Indias 1.4 billion people aged below 25 (65 per cent being under 35), the youth dividend gives India a huge advantage over much more dynamic China. The Chinese will be an ageing society when Indians are coming into their own.

Even a more ominous sign of future destitution, many educated young people are taking recourse to manual or casual work or deceptive forms of self-employment which official propaganda has made fashionable by harping on start-ups as a symbol of the so-called digital future. True, the quantum of loans under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana that Narendra Modi launched in 2015 for loans of up to Rs 10 lakhs to non-corporate, non-farm small and micro enterprises has gone up somewhat. So have start-up registrations and tax returns.

In fact, the number of people engaged in self-employment, including unpaid household work or running small businesses, increased to 57.3 per cent from 55.8 per cent a year ago.

However, this evidence could be deceptive. The time was when buses, taxis and auto-rickshaws being hypothecated to nationalised banks were hailed as proof of dynamic enterprise. But most of those loans had to be written off because the political credentials of the borrowers were stronger than their economic competence. India may be the worlds fifth largest economy hoping to move up to third place, but its nominal GDP ranks 139th internationally and it still languishes at the 132nd place in the United Nations Human Development List.

Of course, the Covid-19 pandemic and the consequent lockdown was catastrophic for the informal sector, which absorbs 80 per cent of the work force. The manner in which the Goods and Services Tax was clamped down in 2017 was similarly disastrous. But while these were to an extent outside the governments purview, that cannot be said of Prime Minister Modis decision to introduce partial demonetisation in November 2016. That not only cost 95 lakh jobs but dragged the employment rate down to 42 per cent.

Countries do change course. China, in 13th place in 2000, has been second only to the United States since 2010. Indonesia vaulted from the 27th largest economy to the 16th between 2000 and 2022. That year Saudi Arabia climbed from 18th to 17th place, and Argentina from 28th to 22nd.

Indians have the skills to follow suit if only resources are not squandered on a Rs 3,000-crore statue, a Rs 150,000-crore capital redevelopment project, and a Rs 615-crore moon landing. It would be more to the point if instead of seeking to glorify itself, Indias complacent leadership heeded N.R. Narayana Murthys advice and spent a billion dollars annually on 10,000 retired teachers from all over the world to train our teachers in Stem areas (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) so that the unemployed young are not also unemployable. The resultant prosperity might even lend some semblance of substance to Indias now empty Vishwa Guru boast.
by Sumon Corraya

Bangladesh is facing the worst dengue outbreak in its history with hospitals overwhelmed and more than 1,500 deaths this year. No dengue patients have died during treatment at St. John Vianney Hospital, which opened in the capital in 2019. We encourage patients to receive treatment, said the hospital director, Fr Kamal Corraya, who also noted that the quality care is for everyone.

Dhaka (AsiaNews)  Mosquito-borne dengue fever has already killed 1,562 people this year in Bangladesh. That is the highest figure ever.

In recent days, more than a thousand people have been hospitalised after contracting the virus in the capital alone. A total of 863 of them were admitted to different hospitals outside Dhaka.

The data is provided by the Health Emergency Operations Centre and Control Room of the Department of Health.

According to the latter, 303,536 people have been hospitalised due to the dengue virus since 1 January this year.

St John Vianney Hospital in Dhaka, a Catholic health facility, is at the forefront of care for dengue-positive patients.

Over 2,000 dengue patients have received our treatments and are now doing well," said Fr Kamal Corraya, executive director of the hospital.

Fortunately, he added, none of our dengue patients have died during treatment. Our doctors and nurses have tried to provide the best care for them and their families."

Many hospitals are congested because they accept patients even if they do not really need to be admitted, because they make a profit from every patient.

"We don't do that," Fr Corraya explained. We encourage patients to receive treatment at home if there is no serious risk to their health. We are not interested in profit but in health.

Our doctors never recommend tests that are not essential." What is more, "With our quality treatments and care, we also bear Christian witness," Fr Corraya said.

Dhaka has a population of about 23 million and St. John Vianney is the only Catholic hospital in the city. It opened on 11 November 2019, and has a staff of about 100 and 20 beds.

Alamgir Hossain, a Muslim, said his 10-year-old son Arav Ahmad was admitted to the hospital run by Fr Corraya.

"I am impressed by the treatment and service at St. John Vianney Hospital. Doctors and nurses are knowledgeable and devote time to patients. This hospital is tidy and a healthy place, he said.

I am happy because my son's situation had worsened after he contracted dengue. This hospital saved my son's life. I thank the doctors, nurses and hospital administration."

Another patient, Subroto Gomes, a Catholic, added: "I felt at home during my stay for dengue at St. John Vianney.
Authorities have confirmed the closure of all four US-Canada border crossings near Niagara Falls after a vehicle exploded at Rainbow Bridge, one of the four border crossings between New York state and the Canadian province of Ontario on Wednesday afternoon (November 22).

The FBI Buffalo Field office posted a statement on social media saying it was "investigating" the incident, adding that the situation was very fluid and no further details were immediately available.

"At my direction, the New York State Police is actively working with the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force to monitor all points of entry to New York," Governor Kathy Hochul said in a statement, adding that she was on her way to Buffalo to "meet with law enforcement and emergency responders."

Read Also: Ohio: Capitol Police Accuses Former National Guard Member of Assaulting Law Enforcement Officers

CBS Buffalo affiliate WIVB initially reported that the vehicle was attempting to enter the US from Canada.

According to the Associated Press, videos capturing the fire that followed the explosion were in a US Customs and Border Protection area just east of the main vehicle checkpoint.

Other local media outlets reported that, according to eyewitnesses, the vehicle in question was speeding toward the crossing from the US side of the border when it swerved to avoid another car, crashed into a fence, and exploded.

The Rainbow Bridge is a popular crossing for tourists, connecting the two towns named "Niagara Falls" in both New York State and Ontario.

Other border crossings near Niagara Falls were the Peace Bridge, the Whirlpool Rapids Bridge, and the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge.

Meanwhile, on the Canadian side of the border, Peace Bridge general manager Ron Rienas also confirmed to the CBC that the bridges were shut down.

This is a developing story. Please follow HNGN for more updates.

Related Article: Canada: Court Approves Saskatchewan Man's Life Sentence After Killing Wife With Deadly Drink

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
by John Ai

Beijing is reportedly planning a greater role in the Middle East, as part of its global military challenge to US dominance in the Persian Gulf. So far, senior government officials have not commented. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is accelerating plans to build a blue-water navy.

Beijing (AsiaNews)  China is expanding its military capabilities in the Persian Gulf. According to some reports, Beijing is planning a new base in Oman while the Bloomberg agency reports that US President Joe Biden has also been informed of the issue, in particular the presence of a new Chinese naval facility in the Middle Eastern country.

The initiative is part of a broader effort by China to boost its war potential globally and to accelerate the navy's transformation by providing it with a blue-water capability.

Well-informed sources say the US president received reports about Chinese military officials discussing the issue with their Omani counterparts in October. Experts say it is plausible that Beijing and Muscat have agreed to further talks in the weeks to come.

China's foreign ministry declined to respond directly to media questions about the naval base, but said in a statement that cooperation with Oman had yielded fruitful results.

For his part, US President Biden recently called Omani ruler Sultan Haitham and held an in-depth discussion with him about the general situation in the Middle East, although he did not specifically mention the Chinese military base project.

If these talks are largely predictable in view of Omans role as mediator (which relations with Saudi Arabia and Iran), it should be noted that a Chinese Navy fleet visited Oman in October. On that occasion, it held a joint drill with the Omani Navy in the waters near the Omani capital.

Currently, Oman is one of China's largest oil suppliers. After the Arab country joined its Belt and Road Initiative, China invested heavily in crude oil refining projects and bought land in the port of Duqm, where oil refining plants are concentrated.

Analysts believe that behind plans for a military base, there is a need to secure energy supplies and enhance China's influence in the area, further challenging the decades-long power of the United States in the Persian Gulf.

The US, UK, and Japanese ships routinely get oil and food supplies in Oman. The US Navy has military bases in Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Hence, a Chinese naval presence would represent a challenge to the USs traditional power in the region.

What is certain is that China is further expanding its involvement in Middle East affairs, especially after a partial US disengagement in recent years.

In fact, in the aftermath of the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas, Beijing tried to mediate between the warring parties.

At the start of the year, Iran and Saudi Arabia announced that they had ended the diplomatic confrontation after holding talks in Beijing, further sign of Chinas influence in the region.

Once completed, the base will have intelligence and logistics functions and may provide services for international actions against pirates in the Gulf area and in the waters near Somalia, a key element in the protection of global maritime trade so important to China.

China's first overseas military base in Djibouti became functional and operational in 2017. Two years later, in 2019, a pier at the base was completed, capable of accommodating Chinas new aircraft carriers.

China is also involved in another project to build a naval base in Ream, Cambodia. While denying that it is a military base, satellite photos show that the projected pier is very similar to the one in Chinas military base in Djibouti.

RED LANTERNS IS THE ASIANEWS NEWSLETTER DEDICATED TO CHINA. TO RECEIVE A WEEKLY UPDATE EVERY THURSDAY, CLICK HERE
Police disrupt gatherings by Evangelical Christians. For Pastor Aga, more threats and repression are coming. In addition to taking land away from ethnic minorities for state-owned companies, the government believes that following unrecognised religious groups causes social unrest.

Milan (AsiaNews/Agencies)  In ak Lak, a province in Vietnams Central Highlands, the local Evangelical Church of Christ has complained of increasingly harsh persecution by the authorities. The Church is strong among local ethnic Montagnards but is not officially recognised by the Vietnamese government.

Pastor Aga, who lives in exile in the United States, told Radio Free Asia that hostility grew after the headquarters of the People's Committee in two municipalities in the province were attacked by armed gangs in June, causing nine deaths.

On 15 November, police and officials tried to disrupt and record what they called "illegal religious activities" at a house in the Buon Don district where dozens of worshippers were gathered.

Two days later, the police summoned for questioning many of the people who had attended the meeting and tried to force them to sign a pledge not to meet again. However, people refused to sign.

Last Sunday, agents showed up again during the Sunday celebration. They forced them to abandon the Central Highlands Evangelical Church of Christ, Pastor Aga said. They even threatened that if they continued, they would be fined or imprisoned like Y Krec Bya and Nay Y Blang.

The latter are community members who were arrested last spring on charges of "undermining the national unity policy" and "abusing democratic freedoms".

According to a report by Montagnards for Justice, police and local officials last Sunday went to the meeting places of these Christian communities in the village of Kdun, the town of Buon Ma Thuot, and the village of Ko Dung B, trying to force the faithful to disperse and threatening to punish them if they continued to gather "illegally".

According to the Vietnam Human Rights Report 2022-2023, published by the Vietnamese Human Rights Network, in addition to taking land from ethnic minorities for state-owned companies, the government does not allow these groups to practise their faith freely, based on the belief that following unrecognised religions causes social unrest.
by Jamil Al-Qassas *

Jamil Al-Qassas tells his story. He lost his mother, brother and friends to the conflict, but chose the path of peace with Combatants for Peace, an Israeli-Palestinian NGO. Faced with the images of the Hamas massacre, he felt for the first time that I was not the victim. We cannot stop calling out and showing that there is another way. We will not lose hope. We continue to work for our collective liberation from fear and oppression.

Jerusalem (AsiaNews)  Jamil Al-Qassas, a Palestinian refugee, lost his mother, a brother and many friends in the conflict, and this drove him to be a fierce fighter in the first intifada. But over time, he learnt to look at the picture from all angles" learning that violence creates violence, and revenge creates revenge.

Combatants for Peace", an Israeli-Palestinian NGO that fights with non-violent methods against Israels occupation in the Palestinian territories, today published Al-Qassass story.

He does not hide his great "pain" for the events of 7 October, when Hamas attacked in the heart of Israel, with hundreds of civilian casualties, but with Israeli and Palestinian "friends" he intends to keep "the flame of hope alive" and fight for peace.

Here is his full story published yesterday in the NGO's newsletter.

My name is Jamil Al-Qassas. Im a Palestinian refugee. My family was displaced from their village in 1948 by the Israeli army. The current scenes of Palestinians being driven out of their homes in Gaza reminds me of the 1948 Nakba.

I grew up in the Dheisheh refugee camp. During the first intifada in 1987, I was exposed to the harshness of the occupation. Our house used to be searched by the Israeli army many times a day due to its proximity to the main road and we were exposed to the violence of the Israeli army. I thought that my childhood was harsh, until I saw what the children in Gaza have experienced over the past month of a relentless bombardment with no safe place and no sense of security.

I lost my brother, my mother, and many friends because of the conflict. I was a fierce combatant in the first intifada, but over the years I learned to look at the picture from all angles. I learned that violence creates violence, and revenge creates revenge. I felt so much pain because of the events of October 7th. I did not understand what was happening. The news came like a lightning strike. I was watching TV, I was in shock, and I did not know how to act and how to communicate with my Israeli friends.

For the first time, as a Palestinian, I was not the victim. Usually, my Israeli friends take the initiative and reassure the Palestinians because we have always been the ones exposed to oppression. It took me hours to take it all in. Later, Israels revengeful military campaign against Gaza began, and the death toll numbers began to increase on both sides.

We, Palestinians and Israelis, grieve together. When we gathered over Zoom for the first time after the tragic events, I could feel that we model genuine empathy. We are going through a difficult time, but we are keeping the flame of hope alive and I am proud of our joint community of activists who all act as one beating heart. They all stand in solidarity with each other in this time of crisis. Our communities are going through a difficult emotional, psychological and economic time.

Since October 7th, about 200,000 Israelis were internally displaced amid the ongoing Gaza war and over one million Palestinians or about 65% of Gaza's population, are now internally displaced inside Gaza. Our role is to support our communities as much as possible and we are facing many challenges. The voices calling for hatred, anger and revenge are very loud. But CfP will not stop calling out and showing that there is another way. We will not lose hope. We continue to work for our collective liberation from fear and oppression.

Humanity should unite above all political, military, or economic interests. As Palestinians and Israelis, we call for a ceasefire, to free all of the hostages in Gaza and the Palestinian prisoners in Israel, as well as working toward a lasting political solution. Let us preserve and hang on to our humanity and morality. This is the least we have.

* A Palestinian refugee
by Shafique Khokhar

In recent days, a Muslim radical killed a 20-year-old Christian. The attack was based on alleged social media posts by the young man in support of the Jewish state in the war in Gaza. A similar motive had triggered an assault in October, forcing more than a hundred people to flee. Activists call for justice and government intervention.

Pasrur (AsiaNews) - The murder that occurred in recent days of a twenty-year-old Christian student, Farhan-ul-Qamar, in addition to having thrown a family into desperation, raises the alarm at the same time about the violence against religious minorities in Pakistan, also and above all for the contours in which it occurred.

The incident dates back to 9 November in the Pasrur area, Sialkot district (Punjab province); The shooter would have been Muhammad Zubair, a Muslim, who according to initial reconstructions would have struck for alleged posts published on social media by the young man in support of Israel in the war against Hamas in Gaza.

The following day the police arrested the murderer, but to repeated requests from Farhan's family about the course of the investigation and the true motive for the murder, the police remained completely silent, refusing to answer questions. The investigators report that the investigation "is still ongoing" without adding further details, leaving the relatives in the dark.

Noor Ul Haq, Farhan's father, says that the murder took place at 3 in the morning when Zubair, identified as a Muslim extremist, crossed the wall of the house and entered the house using the opening in a wing at the time under renovation.

The assailant opened fire, exploding three shots that hit the 20-year-old Christian in the neck, ear and shoulder; the family, woken up by the mother, tried to help the young man only to be held at gunpoint and threatened by Zubair for over 45 minutes, peppered with extremist slogans and sectarian threats from the Muslim against the Christian minority.

Farhan's sister, Shoua ul Qamar, does not hide her pain by highlighting her brother's kind nature and her bond with her family, while calling for justice. My brother was murdered she-she states-she before my eyes, and we live in agony every day. We demand justice."

A similar incident had already occurred in the same village in October, when a Christian named Aqib Javed was the victim of an assault and his father, Javed Masih, was arrested and detained by the police without any reason for about ten days.

The attacks were allegedly based on demonstrations of Christian support for Israel in the fight against Hamas, firmly rejected by the family who denies similar positions - especially public ones - on the part of the young man. Nonetheless, the rumors, although unfounded, have triggered a climate of hostility and violence that has pushed hundreds of Christians to flee their homes in search of shelter.

Commenting on the story, Joseph Jansen, president of Voice for Justice, expresses "deep concern" and condemnation for the "terrible situation" faced by around a hundred Christians "forced to flee" in the face of threats of "Muslim attacks".

Highlighting the case of Aqib Javed, whose father faced illegal detention for ten days, Jansen underlined the unfair repercussions suffered by innocent individuals and the "alarming increase" in intolerance and sectarian hatred in Pakistan.

The Farhan-ul-Qamar affair, combined with the recent outbreaks of violence in Jaranwala incited by Muslims against Christians, has further exacerbated an already "terrible" situation and it is "worrying that the government does not address the underlying social factors that fuel this violence".
The 50 Israelis kidnapped by Hamas and other terrorist organisations who were due to return home today will have to remain in the Gaza Strip for an extra day. This was confirmed by Israeli National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi, who announced that Hamas will not proceed with the release of the hostages until Friday.

"Negotiations for the release of our hostages are continuing. The release will begin according to the original agreement between the parties, not before Friday," Hanegbi said in a statement.

The delay is due, according to Israeli media reports based on senior Israeli officials, to the fact that the terrorist group has not yet handed over the list of those it will release and has not signed the agreement.

"There is currently no ceasefire. Abu Marzouk (senior Hamas official) was the one who estimated that it would start on Thursday. But the list of hostages was not handed over and the agreement was not signed," Ynet reports quoting a senior Israeli official, who also estimates that the release of the first hostages will begin around 7am on Friday.

However, an exact time has not yet been confirmed, although Qatar - a key player in the deal and the talks - says it will be announced soon. Moreover, according to Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari, hostage negotiations between Israel and Hamas are "progressing positively".

Al-Ansari says Qatar is working with the two sides, along with the US, "to ensure the rapid start of the truce and to provide what is necessary to ensure the commitment of the parties to the agreement".

PHOTO/FILE - Qatar is working with the two sides, along with the US, "to ensure the rapid start of the truce and to provide what is necessary to ensure the commitment of the parties to the agreement".

The delay is a blow to the families of the abductees, who have been held for nearly 50 days by Hamas and other organisations such as Palestinian Islamic Jihad. However, despite the delay, the Israeli military and health authorities are already prepared to receive the first hostages, who will be minors and women.

The country's hospitals have already designed a "meticulous" plan for the care of the hostages and their families, focusing on medical examinations and mental health. Regarding the military personnel who will receive the children, i24 News reports that soldiers are trained to treat them "with extreme sensitivity".

"If the child asks about the family, the soldiers are asked not to reveal any information," the Israeli media outlet adds. Many of the children abducted on 7 October are unaware that their parents were killed by Hamas during the attack.

We thank the whole world for the support- we must bring all of them back home now!#BringThemHomeNow pic.twitter.com/gBzz1HhtrF  Bring Them Home Now (@bringhomenow) November 22, 2023

The agreement between Israel and Hamas

The agreement between Israel and the terrorist group consists of the exchange of 50 live Israeli hostages (children, their mothers and other women in groups of 12 to 13 people) for a four-day pause in the fighting in Gaza and the release of up to 150 Palestinian women prisoners and minors in Israeli jails.

Women to be released after the deal include 25-year-old Misoun Mussa, arrested after stabbing a 19-year-old Israeli soldier in the neck; Fatma Shahin, imprisoned for stabbing an Israeli man at a checkpoint; or Asra Jaabis, who in 2016 injured an Israeli soldier after blowing up a petrol tank.

Heres an example of what the hostage deal looks like.



Israel receive:

10-month-old Kfir Bibas

Crime: Being Jewish



Hamas receive:

Misoun Mussa

Crime: Stabbed female soldier

Marah Bakeer

Crime: Stabbed border cop

Asra Jabas

Crime: Attempted car bombing



No equivalence. pic.twitter.com/5ROlUt3nkC  Eli Kowaz (@elikowaz) November 22, 2023

Regarding the hostages released by Hamas, the Israeli authorities have stated that they will not inform the families before the hostages are released, but only after they have been definitively identified in the country in order not to give false hope.

The agreement also provides for more fuel and humanitarian assistance to enter Gaza during the truce, the first since the war began. In a recent press conference, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed that the agreement also allows the International Red Cross to visit all hostages not included in the agreement and provide them with necessary medicines.

Hamas has not allowed the Red Cross to visit the hostages all these weeks, despite the fact that many of the hostages are minors, elderly or have health problems and need medication.

Holocaust survivors hold photos of the hostages and ask to #BringThemHomeNow pic.twitter.com/j1OE9My9l7  Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) November 22, 2023

Israel warns again as Hezbollah launches one of its biggest attacks since the war began

Netanyahu also stressed that the agreement does not mean the end of the war. "Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel. We will restore security in both the south and the north," he told a joint press conference with Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and Minister Benny Gantz, who took the opportunity to issue another warning to Hezbollah after weeks of clashes on the northern border.

"What is happening now in northern Gaza could also happen in southern Lebanon; what happened in Gaza could happen to Beirut," Gantz said. "We are aware of Iran's attempts to challenge us: no attack on Israel's border will go unanswered," he added.

"What is happening right now in the north of Gaza could also happen in southern Lebanon."



Benny Gantz, Israeli opposition leader, issues a warning to Hezbollah, which has been exchanging fire with Israel since 7 October.



Latest updates  https://t.co/DK9gGYf1Us



 Sky 501 pic.twitter.com/OMY8nywE5K  Sky News (@SkyNews) November 22, 2023

This morning, hours after the press conference, Hezbollah launched one of the biggest attacks on northern Israel since the start of the war. According to the Iranian-backed Shi'ite group, 48 rockets were fired at a military base, although the Israel Defence Forces cite some 35, several of which were intercepted by air defence systems.

The IDF says some 35 rockets fired from Lebanon crossed the border in the earlier barrage on northern Israel. Hezbollah claimed to have fired 48 rockets.



Air defenses intercepted several of the rockets.



The IDF says it struck the rocket launchers.



Additionally, several pic.twitter.com/eYR1HMSALi  Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) November 23, 2023

This attack coincides with a meeting between Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah somewhere in Lebanon. Also in the last few hours, the son of a Hezbollah parliamentarian, Mohammed Raad, was killed in an attack in southern Lebanon along with other fighters of the Shiite group.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah met with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Beirut this morning.

A Hezbollah statement said the two reviewed the latest developments in Palestine and Lebanon, and "the efforts made to stop the Israeli aggression against Gaza." pic.twitter.com/ejkAL0kbBg  Ariel Oseran (@ariel_oseran) November 23, 2023

IDF continues to uncover Hamas tunnels under and around al-Shifa

Since the release of the first hostages has been delayed, the ceasefire, which will not begin until Friday, is also postponed. As a result, the IDF is continuing its operations in Gaza, both on the ground and in the air.

In the last 24 hours, the Israeli Air Force struck 300 Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip, including operational headquarters, underground battle tunnels, warehouses and production sites for explosive devices and anti-tank launch sites.

#BREAKING: As Hamas delays ceasefire, the IDF announces that it has struck an additional 300 Hamas terror targets in Gaza. It says troops continue to fight, eliminate terrorists, locate underground sites, and destroy Hamas terror infrastructure. pic.twitter.com/DdLw0EvEqo  Israel War Room (@IsraelWarRoom) November 23, 2023

In addition, ground forces have attacked targets in the Jabalia area and eliminated several terrorist cells in northern Gaza, where troops located a tunnel inside a mosque. Tunnels have also been found in residential areas, in the vicinity of Al-Shifa hospital and under the medical centre itself.

"The findings show unequivocally Hamas's deliberate method of operating underneath hospitals. The terrorist organisation also makes use of hospital buildings, using them to store weapons and as terrorist headquarters," says the Israeli army, which claims that Hamas headquarters are located underneath Al-Shifa.

Yes, we have discovered yet another Hamas tunnel, however this time beneath a civilian house near Shifa Hospital. pic.twitter.com/PbDEZQgU8R  Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 23, 2023

According to Kan, Dr Mohammad Abu Salmiya, the director of the health centre, is being interrogated by Israel's Shin Bet intelligence agency and IDF intelligence after he was arrested while trying to flee south of the Strip.

Inside the deep tunnels under Al-Shifa, with air conditioning and toilets, evidence has been found showing that some of the Kibbutz Be'eri abductees were held there.

BREAKING: First images from Hamas terror tunnel built right below Gaza's Al Shifa hospital. Items found from Kibbutz Beeri, site of Oct. 7 massacre, and IDF-issued weapon & helmet, indicating Hamas held hostages there. @DrTedros, isn't this a war crime?



Report by @ItayBlumental pic.twitter.com/tmx2WsCsCJ  Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) November 22, 2023

In this regard, it is worth noting that last week Israeli troops found the body of Yehudit Weiss, a woman from Be'eri, at the entrance of a tunnel near the hospital.
One vehicle in Toyota's lineup for the United States market stands out as being way too long in the tooth. Care to guess which one? As you might have guessed by now, it's the ever-popular 4Runner.

Photo: Halo oto on YouTube

Internally referred to as N280, the fifth-gen 4Runner dates back to 2009 for the 2010 model year. Closely related to the Land Cruiser Prado 150 series and FJ Cruiser, this family-sized overlander is also joined at the hip to the 2016 to 2023 model year Tacoma pickup truck. Originally available with two engine choices, the 4Runner had its base four-cylinder lump dropped after MY10 due to an abysmal take-up rate.Refreshed for the 2014 model year, the body-on-frame with seating for either five or seven peeps now comes with a naturally-aspirated V6 connected to a five-speed automatic transmission. A pretty underwhelming combo, but remember how many eons have passed since the N280 arrived at dealers.Manufactured in Japan at the Tahara plant in the Aichi Prefecture, the 4Runner is due a ground-up makeover sometime next year as a 2025 model. Similar to the Tacoma, the off-road sport utility vehicle designed by Toyota with everyday driving in mind is going TNGA-F and four-pot turbo muscle.This information comes courtesy of a Toyota insider source cited by the gentleman who runs the 4Runner6G forum, with said insider offering three clues in regard to exterior design. These are 2024 Toyota Tacoma influences for the front end, evolutionary rather than revolutionary design cues, and upright C pillars.The folks at Halo oto used this information to render the next-gen 4Runner, a rendering that's faithful to all three of the aforementioned clues. The upright C pillars do give it boxier styling than its predecessor, which isn't a bad thing. Also worthy of note, the Tacoma-inspired front end helps differentiate the 4Runner from the five-seat-only Land Cruiser 250.Known as Land Cruiser in the United States, the 250 series doesn't replace the old V8-powered line. It's actually the all-new Prado, but for some reason or another, Toyota doesn't refer to it as the Land Cruiser Prado in the United States or Japan. It does in New Zealand and Australia, though, because why not?The mid-size utility vehicle comes with a 2.4-liter turbo hybrid exclusively in the US, a setup that would suit the next-gen 4Runner perfectly. The Land Cruiser's twin, a.k.a. the Lexus GX, currently flaunts a 3.4-liter twin-turbo V6 with no hybrid assistance.The proverbial worst-case scenario for the all-new 4Runner would be the mid-range turbo inline-four powertrain slotted between the base I4 and hybrid I4 of the 2024 Toyota Tacoma. Think 278 horsepower and 317 pound-feet (430 Nm) in combination with an eight-speed automatic transmission as opposed to 270 horsepower and 278 pound-feet (377 Nm) for the outgoing naturally-aspirated V6 and fiver.
Leaders of major emerging economies within the BRICS group-Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa-convened in a virtual summit chaired by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to address the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

The leaders collectively called for an end to Israel's war on Gaza and a cessation of hostilities on both sides to alleviate the worsening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, as per Aljazeera.

BRICS Summit Calls for Ceasefire in Palestine-Israel Conflict

During the summit, the BRICS grouping denounced attacks on civilians in both Palestine and Israel, condemning the forced displacement of Palestinians, both within Gaza and beyond its borders, as "war crimes."

The joint statement released on Tuesday also called for the release of all illegally held civilians and advocated for a humanitarian truce leading to a halt in hostilities, with the UN Secretary-General's office endorsing the statement.

While the BRICS statement conveyed a unified stance, it also revealed nuanced differences among member countries. South Africa strongly criticized Israel compared to China, Brazil, and Russia, with India maintaining a more reserved approach.

In his address to the conference, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for an immediate cease-fire, denouncing what he termed as Israel's "collective punishment" of Gazan civilians and urging the international community to intervene to prevent the conflict from escalating. President Xi referenced China's recent veto of a United Nations Security Council resolution affirming Israel's right to defend itself.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, also advocating for a cease-fire, emphasized the potential role of BRICS states, alongside regional nations, in finding a political solution to the conflict. Despite Moscow's muted support for Israel after a Hamas attack on October 7, President Putin underscored the importance of BRICS engagement in resolving the crisis, according to The New York Times.

Read Also: House Speaker Mike Johnson Plans to Publicly Release 44K Hours of Jan. 6 Footage

South African President Denounces Israel's "War Crimes"

Host President Cyril Ramaphosa condemned Israel's conduct as a violation of international law, labeling it a "war crime" for the "collective punishment" of Palestinian civilians through the unlawful use of force.

Ramaphosa went further, describing the deliberate denial of essential resources to Gaza residents as "tantamount to genocide." Last week, South Africa referred Israel to the International Criminal Court, prompting Israel to recall its ambassador and the South African parliament voted to close the Israeli embassy.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India should have addressed the gathering, leaving India's position unclear. However, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar emphasized the need for urgent humanitarian aid without commenting on Israel's actions. Jaishankar highlighted the immense human suffering caused by the ongoing conflict and called for international efforts toward de-escalation.

The Brazilian president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, termed the war a "humanitarian catastrophe" and criticized Hamas's attacks as "barbaric." While avoiding the term genocide, he asserted that such attacks did not justify the use of "indiscriminate and disproportionate force against civilians," emphasizing the disproportionate impact on women, children, and the elderly.

Israel and Hamas have agreed to a Qatar-mediated four-day truce in Gaza, accompanied by the release of 50 captives. As part of the agreement, 150 Palestinian women and children held in Israeli jails are set to be freed. The ongoing conflict has resulted in over 14,000 Palestinian casualties in Gaza, with the official death toll in Israel from Hamas attacks standing at about 1,200, Outlook reported.

Related Article: Man in His 20s Commits Suicide at Disneyland by Jumping from Parking Structure

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SUV

The 4Runner has been around since late 1983, and currently, it has reached the fifth iteration  familiar with the N300 Toyota Tacoma, since 2009. Almost a decade and a half later, it's obviously due for a significant redesign. Yes, the model is capable; it's virtually indestructible and also looks dated in a very cool way. But truth be told, the mileage is as bad as 2009 sounds in your mind when you're approaching 2024  that five-speed auto transmission has half the number of gears in a Ford Bronco, for example.Most likely, although Toyota hasn't started the teaser campaign for the 2025 model year, we expect the complete overhaul to arrive sometime next year  in time to join the roster of TNGA-F body-on-frame models like Tundra, Sequoia, Land Cruiser, and most importantly the N400 Tacoma. According to the rumor mill, the design won't jump away from the bulletproof styling of the current iteration  and most likely, it will steal away some design cues from both the N400 Tacoma and the recently introduced 2024 Land Cruiser (Prado or 250 in certain regions).Naturally, the bet on interior design and powertrains is the same  Tacoma doppelganger, complete with the 4Runner's move away from the current 4.0-liter V6 into the inline-four territory. It's safe to assume that Tacoma's 2.4-liter turbo engine  pushing out 278 horsepower and 317 lb-ft of torque through an eight-speed auto  will represent the base option. The 326-hp i-Force Max could also be a great asset against the Jeep Wrangler 4xe.How about the looks ? Well, it's anyone's guess at this point as Toyota is still preoccupied with showing off the 2025 Camry mid-size sedan and Crown Signia crossoverat the ongoing Los Angeles Auto Show to care about giving us any insights into the design of the next 4Runner. No worries, though, as the imaginative realm of digital car content creators is always ready and willing to share its unofficial opinion with the internet world.The good folks over at the Car Release TV channel on YouTube have unleashed their resident pixel master to portray their vision of this legendary SUV  and it looks exactly like an N400 Toyota Tacoma mid-size pickup truck transformed into a five-door SUV that also snatched the rear lights off the upcoming 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser off-road SUV.Well, it will be interesting to see how the two fare on the market since both occupy the same niche of rock-crawling and dune-bashing body-on-frame SUVs. As far as we can tell, Toyota obviously believes there's ample space for both to clash with the Jeep Wrangler and Ford Bronco.
It's never quiet in the Android Auto world, as bugs come and go, turning a stable and reliable experience into a dream that never comes true.

The most recent problem plaguing Android Auto users concerns WhatsApp, one of the most popular instant messaging platforms on Android and iPhone.Users reported in mid-July that making calls through WhatsApp when the mobile device is connected to the car works as expected, but every call is eventually interrupted approximately one minute later.The issue happens with everything being up-to-date, and users said the generic workarounds in the Android Auto world didn't help restore the expected functionality.You'd think a bug reported in July is already fixed, but a few days ago, the problem has become more widespread. A growing number of users now report the same glitch in their cars, explaining that WhatsApp calls automatically disconnect approximately one minute after the connection is established.Someone says the connection only drops during audio calls, as video calls work correctly. However, the problem happens only when Android Auto runs on the screen, as disconnecting the mobile device from the head unit restores the expected behavior.A Google Community Specialist asked for additional bug information in August, but the issue has never been fixed. No update has been offered since then, so it's unclear if Google even started an investigation, but based on users' reports, the bug never received a fix.It's impossible to tell who is affected by this bug's comeback, but the easiest workaround is to disconnect the mobile device and use WhatsApp when Android Auto isn't connected. If you want the sound routed to the vehicle's speakers, you can keep the device connected to the car via Bluetooth.The issue happened on Android 13 and Android 14  back in July, when the bug appeared for the first users, Android 14 wasn't yet available, so the new operating system inherited the problem from its predecessor. It also doesn't seem exclusive to a specific brand or phone model, as I'm seeing reports from Xiaomi, OnePlus, Samsung, and Google Pixel owners signaling the same error in their cars.Installing the latest Android Auto builds doesn't help. The most recent version is Android Auto 10.9 beta , with a stable release expected in the coming days. Google releases Android Auto updates at a faster pace thanks to its beta program, as testing builds land for registered users almost weekly. However, it doesn't seem like the latest update includes a fix for this bug, meaning that the next stable release won't bring any improvement either.Google has yet to acknowledge the bug and begin an investigation, so it's impossible to tell why the problem is becoming more widespread and whether it could receive a fix in the coming updates.
PHEV

EV

To be more precise, the official nametag titles for the Ranger and Transit Custom are the 2024 International Van of the Year (IVOTY) and International Pickup Award (IPUA). Interestingly, the IVOTY and IPUA awards were claimed on three separate occasions  in the past; Ford Pro also scored double victories in 2013 and 2020.Naturally, these awards were tied to a related event  this time, the special award ceremony was held during the Solutrans commercial vehicle show in Lyon, France. "This is a pride point for our Ford teams across the globe who strive to deliver quality-driven products for our customers. We are delighted that the jury has recognized the strength of our newest commercial vehicles, built with the purpose of supporting customers' business needs across all vocations," said Tim Slatter, vice president of Product Programs at Ford.Twenty-five commercial vehicle journalists voted Ford Pro's all-new Transit Custom winner of IVOTY 2024. The new generation started deliveries earlier this year with many new features: a tilting steering wheel, a practical MultiCab body style, a 5G modem for "superfast connectivity," Delivery Assist, or Alexa Built-in. Last year, Ford's Transit Custom was Europe's best-selling one-ton van, plus the UK's top-selling vehicle overall in 2021 and 2022. Ford Otosan produces it at the Yenikoy Assembly Plant in Turkey."Well, it's a 'High Five' for the Ford Transit on winning the International Van of the Year Award 2024. This is the fifth occasion that Ford Transit has won IVOTY, first in 2001 and 2007 with the then all-encompassing model. Soon after its launch, the new generation standalone one-ton variant  the Transit Custom  secured the title in 2013, and in 2020, and now for 2024," explained Jarlath Sweeney, chair of International Van of the Year.The IPUA jury tested the Ranger alongside other candidates in sunny Greece earlier this year and now has snatched the accolade for the third time. The mid-size pickup truck is a truly global product, sold from Thailand to Australia and from the US to the Old Continent. It is also produced in six plants across four continents, and in Europe, it was the region's most-delivered pickup truck for the past eight years."We are delighted that the Ford Ranger has been recognized by the IPUA jury for the third time, which is a testament to its enduring appeal as Europe's favorite pickup for the past eight years," adds Hans Schep, general manager of Ford Pro Europe. The company recently introduced a first-ever Ranger plug-in hybrid variant  "Europe's firstpickup  combining electric driving capability with Ranger's work-ready versatility." Now, we are obviously expecting a Ranger Lightning, of course.
The JL may have been off to a poor start due to numerous quality issues, most notably inadequate welds, but Jeep continues to dominate this particular segment with the long-running Wrangler. No fewer than 126,551 examples were delivered to customers in the United States in the first three quarters of 2023 as opposed to 91,468 units of the Ford Bronco.

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Photo: Jeep

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

NHTSA

As it happens, a handful of those Wranglers have been hit with a safety recall. According to a release published by FCA US LLC, an estimated 32,125 examples of the 2021 to 2024 model year Jeep Wrangler 4xe need to be inspected over a potential fire risk. Chrysler is aware of eight vehicle fires related to the recall condition, with all eight vehicles being turned off when the battery fire started.The Auburn Hills-based automaker that became Stellantis after the merger with Groupe PSA further disclosed that six of those battery fires occurred while connected to chargers. Thankfully, Stellantis isn't aware of any injuries related to this problem.Why does the Wrangler 4xe catch fire? In typical fashion, Chrysler didn't explain the root cause. On the other hand, the automaker did mention that a software flash is required. In case of a certain error code that Chrysler didn't share with the media, the high-voltage battery pack (supplied by Samsung SDI) will be replaced at no charge whatsoever to the owners.It should be noted that Samsung SDI recalled no fewer than 24 batteries intended for the Wrangler 4xe in January 2022, along with 1,139 more for the Ford Escape. As per the South Korean supplier, inadequate welding between the battery cell terminal and busbar may lead to a loss of motive power.Turning our attention back to the current recall, Chrysler is also calling back 3,856 examples of the Wrangler 4xe in Canada, plus 9,249 other vehicles outside North America. The automaker estimates that one percent of the grand total may require a replacement high-voltage battery . One percent of 45,230 means 452.In the meantime, as Chrysler prepares to send recall notifications via first-class mail to affected owners, the automaker urges Wrangler 4xe owners to refrain from recharging their vehicles. Of course, owners are further advised to park outside, away from structures and other vehicles, until the remedy is performed.As of November 22, thehas yet to publish any information regarding this recall. The manufacturer communications uploaded to the's website for the 2024 and earlier Jeep Wrangler 4xe don't offer any clues either, at least not for the time being.Refreshed for the 2024 model year , the fourth-gen Wrangler soldiers on with four-, six-, and eight-cylinder powertrains. The plug-in hybrid brings together a 2.0-liter turbo and an electric motor sandwiched by two clutches: one for the transmission, and the other for the engine. Up front, a second electric motor acts as a starter generator. At the present moment, the 4xe retails at $50,695.
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SUV

We are almost ready to cross into 2024, and the Japanese automaker has diligently taken care of its North American roster. In the United States, the lineup starts with the 2024 Mazda3 Sedan and Hatchback at $24,170 and $25,690 a pop, followed by the $25k Mazda CX-30, the $29,300 CX-5 or $30,300 CX-50 compact crossovers, plus the $39,595 and $49,945 CX-90 and CX-90After some reshuffling that saw the departure of the failed MX-30 and the retirement of the CX-9, the only major novelty for Mazda was the introduction of the first-ever CX-90 full-size crossoverbased on the new Large Product Group platform like the CX-60. No worries, the largest Mazda SUV to date will be followed by the mid-size CX-70 soon, and the company is also almost ready to start sales of the ND3 Mazda MX-5 Miata for the 2024 model year.Currently, the company is still playing coy about the refreshed Miata's MSRPs, so we imagine the upgrades also come with a hefty penalty compared to the $28k and $35,750 starting prices of the 2023 MX-5 and RF. That also means the fourth generation is destined to stay for another couple of model years on the US market. But, of course, some people are too impatient for that and already want to know a little more about the upcoming next iteration No worries, the imaginative realm of digital car content creators is always ready to oblige any fantasy. For example, the good folks over at the REC Trends channel on YouTube discuss the latest automotive rumors and also paint a CGI picture with help from AI software  and the resident pixel master recently went on an unofficial Mazda spree. As such, the latest video features, all embedded below, talk about the upcoming Mazda CX-50 Hybrid, a potential Honda CR-V killer, the 2025 Mazda3's shocking redesign, and also about the next MX-5 Miata.The latter is of utmost importance as there are rumors that Toyota is going to allow the affordable MR2 to come out of retirement. As such, the CGI expert decided to give the little Miata upgrades in all the right places  it features a sleeker yet sportier design inspired by the latest concepts and production models, but it's also a bit wider and longer than the current iteration. Plus, as far as we can tell, this is the MX-5 Miata RF, so we reckon the author wants the retractable hardtop model to come back alongside the roadster for another stint. Cool or not?
Hyundai Motor Group (HMG) is the third largest conglomerate in South Korea, behind Samsung and SK Group. It is, of course, best known through its affiliates, Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Motors Corporation, rather than other companies.

SUV

Hyundai and Kia have an intertwined relationship, and today, after years of thinking they are just affordable brands from Asia, they have genuinely outshined their roots. Currently, Hyundai and Kia are some of the most prolific automotive brands in the world, and their offspring, like Genesis and Ioniq, are setting new standards in their respective niches, too.Naturally, you can't build a house without a foundation  and that is a solid model lineup with popular nameplates. Well, as it turns out, two of their most successful monikers just got many updates across different regions. In Europe and Australia, Hyundai will soon bring out the refreshed Tucson compact crossoverthat comes with subtle exterior updates and significant interior upgrades. Sure, the company is still mum about powertrains  we only know Australia is getting a new Hybrid version next year when it goes on sale.On the other hand, the LA Auto Show was the host for the arrival of the refreshed, larger 2024 Kia Sorento. This was once a mediocre compact or mid-size crossover SUV, but now the fourth generation sticks the landing at the Californian event like a true superhero of the automotive genre. Unlike its all-new 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe sibling, the 2024 Kia Sorento is merely a facelift, but it still brings a lot to the table, including the new X-Pro and X-Line packages for some off-road adventures.Logic dictates the updated Hyundai Tucson and refreshed Kia Sorento are some of the most important releases for the South Korean group next year. So, it is no wonder that everyone is paying attention to their fresh goodies. And that is also valid for the imaginative realm of digital car content creators, which has decided to take a jab at making both a little more likeable than stock.More precisely, Nikita Chuicko, the virtual artist better known as kelsonik on social media, thinks now is the right CGI time to fiddle with the upcoming Tucson and Sorento in a way that would make the aftermarket world pretty darn proud of his unofficial design projects. The compact Hyundai crossover SUV gets bigger shoes  the new wheels are not only sportier but also much larger than their OEM counterparts.On the other hand, the 2024 Kia Sorento also comes with a lowered suspension setup, black aftermarket wheels, red brake calipers, and a neat chrome delete that could make it viable for the pixel master's CGI 'Shadow Line' series. So, which one is your favorite?
Tesla has been rumored to be preparing FSD Beta deployment in China on several occasions this year, without it happening. Now, it's finally happening, as Tesla China officially confirmed to a local media outlet. Earlier this week, Tesla "slipped" the Full Self-Driving chapter in the owner's manuals, another indication that plans are underway.

EV

Full Self-Driving

FSD

It's official: Tesla will start FSD Beta tests in China

Tesla ???????? officially indicated today the prep work to roll out FSD Beta is currently underway in response to reporters inquiry. Though no specific timeline is given, Im guessing itll be when V12 is ready, probably towards the end of December or early January 2024. pic.twitter.com/KOpIC6wvAr  Ray (@ray4tesla) November 23, 2023

Although most people consider Tesla an automotive company, themaker aims much higher. Elon Musk repeatedly stated that electric vehicles are no longer critical and that Tesla would go bust if it didn't solve vehicle autonomy. This shows how vital Tesla'sdevelopment is for Elon Musk and Tesla.Announced as a fait accompli by Elon Musk for many years, the Tesla Full Self-Driving remains in a forever Beta state, or so it seems. When the 11th iteration of the software launched a year ago, everyone (including Musk) dreamt that it would solve autonomy, with a commercial release almost certain "by the end of the year." After several point releases, it became clear even for Musk thatBeta needed more time and polishing.Earlier this year, Musk announced that FSD V12 would not be Beta anymore, as the "end-to-end AI" version will become safer than human drivers. What Musk didn't tell was how long it would take for the FSD V12 to arrive . Work is underway to make it at least suitable for restricted beta testing on public roads, although no deadline has been submitted. In the meantime, FSD Beta V11 development has almost stagnated, with few notable improvements in everyday city traffic.Besides pushing FSD Beta development in the US and Canada, Tesla hopes to start public tests in other regions, notably Europe and China. Earlier this week, Tesla changed its owner's manuals outside North America to include an important section about Full Self Driving (Beta). This raised everyone's hopes that Tesla FSD was finally rolling out worldwide. Alas, it was not, as Tesla removed the FSD section as soon as people started talking about the move.To be fair, Tesla would not be able to start FSD Beta tests in other regions without proper regulatory approval. This has not been achieved yet, although Tesla works with regulators to get the necessary licenses. China, especially, is a sensitive region, considering Tesla's market position. Rumors about an FSD Beta deployment in China have been circulating throughout 2023.This April, the rumors got a significant boost after Chinese media claimed Tesla would start testing FSD Beta in China. Tesla later dismissed the claims, although this didn't convince many people, especially as Tesla did it in the past without meaning it. However, it was clear that Chinese authorities were warming up to allowing Tesla to test FSD Beta. Tesla also did its part by establishing data centers in China to comply with local rules and regulations.That's why we're not surprised that Tesla finally confirmed the preparations for the FSD Beta rollout "are currently underway" in China. The information was offered to the local news outlet China Fund News. Admitting that FSD Beta is ready to roll out in China is a significant change, considering how conservative Tesla China has been so far on this matter.Although unconfirmed, other rumors indicate that Tesla might start to roll out FSD Beta gradually in December. If this proves true, we could see Tesla establishing an important revenue stream from FSD Beta activations in China. Tesla has a significant user base in the country, and many owners are eager to test Tesla's self-driving software.
Tesla took a radical step and offered all the design and engineering of the original Roadster to the community as part of the open-source push. Tesla Roadster enthusiasts can use the information to modify or maintain the Tesla Roadster without taking the car to a Tesla service center or a Tesla partner.

EV

All design & engineering of the original @Tesla Roadster is now fully open source.



Whatever we have, you now have.https://t.co/5d10soAYr8  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 22, 2023

In 2014, Tesla announced that it would open source all its patents and would not initiate patent lawsuits against "anyone who, in good faith, wants to use our technology." That's not to say that Tesla gave up on filing for new patents, as I've covered many of them personally at autoevolution. Still, Tesla would let anyone use their knowledge, with the condition that third parties will not sue Tesla for patent infringement.In his "All Our Patent Are Belong To You" manifesto published in June 2014, Elon Musk explained that Tesla created patents out of concern that the big car companies would copy its technology and then use their massive manufacturing, sales, and marketing power to overwhelm Tesla. But then he changed his mind, as Tesla's goal was to accelerateadoption for everyone.Even back then, Musk was well aware that legacy carmakers had no intention to do that, with Big Auto's ambitions in the EV area being small to non-existent. This hasn't changed much since then, so Musk was right in following his open-source philosophy. Almost ten years later, Tesla is practically unchallenged in the EV market. Despite that, Tesla still files patents to protect its most sensitive technologies from falling into the hands of competitors. But it also offers some of its older technologies free of charge.In the most recent move, Elon Musk announced that all the design and engineering of the original Tesla Roadster has been open-sourced. The information was published on Tesla's website, including service manuals, circuit diagrams, connectors, circuit boards, controllers, and diagnostic software. Since the Roadster was last produced in 2012 , this information might not help other carmakers advance their EV programs. Still, it's a boon to Roadster owners and enthusiasts.Access to the Roadster's inner workings allows independent garages to service and repair the Roadster. Theoretically, it could also enable people to build replicas, although that might involve advanced manufacturing and engineering capabilities. Let's not underestimate Chinese companies, though. I wouldn't rule out seeing DIY kits similar to the "Jeep in a box" projects.It's intriguing why Tesla decided to open-source the Roadster now, but some speculated that it might have something to do with the second generation of the Roadster. Tesla Roadster is, just like the Cybertruck, long overdue. The latest information regarding the Roadster came earlier this year when Musk said the final design and engineering would be completed by the end of 2023 . This means the Roadster could finally enter production next year, although nothing is guaranteed in the Tesla world.
Photo: Mecum

kW

The JK iteration Wrangler , aka the previous one, is one great off-roader that doesn't break the bank. Well, so long as you stick to a standard copy that has seen some action. Otherwise, a hairy-chested version with decent mileage that is in great shape could cost you a hefty sum (for a Jeep).Case in point, say hello to a 2012 example that was modified to the teeth. It bears the signature of Bedrock Motors and is said to be one of just ten copies to have been built in this specification. It boasts heavy-duty Dana 44 front and rear axles, has an 8-inch (203 mm) lift kit, an electronic disconnecting front sway bar, electric front and rear locking differentials, and off-road bumpers.Therefore, it's safe to say this is not your regular Barbie Jeep . Moreover, it also comes with a set of 20-inch wheels wrapped in massive 41-inch tires, has wide fenders, a padded rollbar, and a red paint finish. Attached to the rear door, the spare wheel is just as big as the ones on which it rides.Getting in and out could be tricky due to the elevated ground clearance, and once inside, it won't baffle you. It has a basic layout, with black being the dominating hue. This 2012 Jeep Wrangler has seating for four and a tiny cargo area behind the rear seats. For a more modern vibe, its been equipped with an aftermarket touchscreen infotainment system hooked up to an audio that features a subwoofer.The previous-gen Wrangler came with different powertrains, including a straight-four and a pair of V6s. This one packs the 3.6-liter unit, which is said to kick out 285 hp (289 ps/213). As a result, it doesn't boast any extra oomph, with the thrust rated at 260 lb-ft (353 Nm) with no outside intervention. An automatic transmission delivers everything to the four-wheel drive system with a transfer case.As you already know, this eleven-year-old Jeep Wrangler is about to hit the auction block at Mecum's Kissimmee event in Florida, hosted between January 2 and 14, 2024, at the Osceola Heritage Park. The auction house hasn't released an estimated selling sum, though due to the heavy modifications and low mileage (7,893 miles/12,703 km), this two-door off-roader should change hands for a hefty sum.Would you buy it if you were shopping for such a vehicle, or would you get a stock one and spend numerous days in the garage to elevate its appeal?
Motorola's MA1 adapter, which has long been considered a top AAWireless adapter, especially thanks to Google's backing, is now on sale with a 28% discount. The device costs $64.99 , down from the regular $89.99 price.It's one of the lowest price tags the device has received since launch, and according to its product page, the price will remain available throughout the entire Black Friday sale. When the promo ends, the MA1 will return to its regular price.Motorola's device converts the wired version of Android Auto into a wireless experience thanks to a clever approach pioneered by AAWireless.The adapter connects to the USB port in the cabin (the one you use for running Android Auto) and then connects to the smartphone using Bluetooth. When you get in the car, the mobile device connects directly to the adapter, which in turn sends the signal to the vehicle, allowing Android Auto to run wirelessly.Depending on the device, it could take anywhere between 5 seconds and 30 seconds for the Android Auto wireless experience to load, and I believe this is the only major drawback of using a dongle to give up on cords in the car. Otherwise, an Android Auto wireless adapter makes running the application more convenient, especially considering the number of problems caused by cables.Motorola's MA1 was announced at Google's I/O developer event and received the search giant's backing, eventually selling out in record time. The device remained in hot demand for several months, with Motorola having a hard time aligning the demand with production.The device is now in stock at Amazon, so if you purchase it today, you should receive the adapter in the United States in a couple of days.Meanwhile, the market was filled with many other Android Auto wireless adapters, some from generic Chinese brands whose devices are available for approximately $30 to $40. The difference between these cheaper products and the premium alternatives from AAWireless and Motorola is that the more expensive models should offer improved reliability and stability.You don't need anything special to run Android Auto wireless, as the only prerequisite is support for 5GHz, though most mobile devices should already offer such capabilities. The experience is as straightforward as possible, so pair the mobile device with the adapter, connect it to the car, and wait for Android Auto to launch automatically on the screen. The next time you get behind the wheel, Android Auto should fire up automatically once the mobile device connects to the wireless adapter. You might still want to keep a cable around for charging while driving.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has granted the release from prison of Nikolai Ogolobyak, a self-proclaimed cannibalistic Satanist who was found guilty of eating the remains of two adolescents.

The disclosure ensued subsequent to Ogolobyak's involvement in Putin's conflict in Ukraine, as per The Sun.

Putin Frees Russian Cannibal Killer

Ogolobyak, now 33 years old, had served 13 years of his original 20-year prison sentence for his role in the ritualistic killings of four Russian teenagers before being recruited into Putin's army.

The horrifying crimes took place in 2008 when Ogolobyak was part of a sect of Satanists in Yaroslavl, Russia, consisting of six other members. The group engaged in gruesome rituals that included animal sacrifices and desecrating human graves.

They drugged and stabbed three girls and one boy, all aged between 16 and 17, a total of 666 times with daggers. Afterward, they dismembered the victims and cooked their remains over a bonfire during a two-night ritual. The criminals also recited a Satanist text found on the Internet during these horrific acts.

The victims, Anya Gorokhova, Olga Pukhova, Varya Kuzmina, and Andrei Sorokin, suffered a gruesome fate at the hands of the cult. Ogolobyak and his accomplices even posed with the severed heads of their victims for photographs. The cult cooked and ate the victims' tongues and hearts as part of their ritualistic practices.

Ogolobyak received the harshest sentence of 20 years in prison because he was the only member of the group who was of legal age at the time of the murders. The other members, who were under 18, received lesser sentences, according to Mail Online.

Read Also: South Africa Parliament Votes in Favor of Motion To Shut Down Israel Embassy

Controversy Surrounds Ogolobyak's Release

The gruesome crimes were discovered in August 2008 when the victims' body parts were found in a pit near Ogolobyak's apartment building. Investigators also found a small rodent crucified on an upside-down cross at the scene.

Despite the heinous nature of the crimes, Ogolobyak has been pardoned by Putin after serving only six months in Ukraine as part of Russia's 'Storm Z' unit for convicts. His release has caused outrage and raised concerns about the policy of releasing prisoners who have fought in Putin's war in Ukraine.

Since the start of this policy, more than 30 people have been killed by released convicts who returned to Russia. Putin has defended this practice by saying that these convicts "atone with blood for crimes on the battlefield."

This shocking case has highlighted the dark side of Putin's war effort and the controversial release of prisoners involved in gruesome crimes, leading to growing alarm across Russia.

Ogolobyak, the first known Satanist cannibal killer to be pardoned, now lives with his mother after sustaining severe injuries during his war service in Ukraine.

The decision to release him has reignited debates about the consequences of such actions and the potential threat posed by those returning from the war zone.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has not commented on the situation, and the release of Ogolobyak continues to raise questions about the Russian government's policies regarding pardons for criminals involved in heinous acts, Newsbreak reported.

Related Article: US Considers Labelling of Houthi Rebels as 'Terrorist' Group After Hijack of Cargo Ship

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The Los Angeles Auto Show opened its gates at the Convention Center in Los Angeles, California, and carmakers have put their best foot forward. It is the first time every carmaker present at the event has an EV on display.

SUV

The Los Angeles Auto Show is a star-studded event

New cars, special exhibits, driving experiences. That is what guests are getting at the car event that is called North Americas most influential auto show. But there is a world premiere that organizers are highlighting.For the first time in the 116-year history of the Los Angeles Auto Show, every car manufacturer present in LA has at least one all-electric model on display. There are more than 50 such cars at the Convention Center these days, wearing the badges of Cadillac, Chevrolet, Ford, Genesis, Hyundai, Honda, Toyota, Porsche, and others.Guests can get the chance to even drive some of the vehicles present at the Auto Show. Cadillac, Chevrolet, Ford, Lucid, Polestar, Porsche, and Tesla are only some of the participants that offer such opportunities along a nearly one-mile course around South Hall at the LA Convention Center.Furthermore, Ford, Subaru, and Tesla also offer street drives. Guests are also expected to join the Ford Bronco Off-Rodeo Ride Experience , which takes them to unbeaten paths onboard the Blue Oval off-roader for around four hours for nearly $800.On the Must-See list, organizers also wrote down the name of the Lucid Gravity. The three-row, seven-seathas been drawing crowds like a magnet since the Los Angeles Auto Show opened its gates. With a projected range in excess of 440 miles, the Gravity sits alongside the Air at the Lucid booth. The model will enter production in 2024, with deliveries scheduled to begin toward the end of the year.Exotic cars are also on the list. Those who want to see them will be specifically directed to Galpin Hall of Customs, Renovation Motorsports, Kevin Hart Collection, and The Aftermarket Garage. The Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray, the ultra-rare Pagani Huayra , cars from Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Lotus are the stars of this area of the show.There are also several interesting concept cars that the organizers recommend seeing. Kia brought both the EV3 and EV4. The concept cars feature sustainable materials like bio-plastic and leather substitutes, recycled fabrics, and BTX-free paint. The models they preview will be underpinned by the E-GMP architecture. They should be unveiled sometime next year and should enter production in 2025.Another concept car that has been enjoying the spotlight in Los Angeles is the Honda Prelude. The hybrid concept car made fans of the brand wonder when they will get a new-gen Prelude. Honda dismissed the nameplate more than 20 years ago.The Kevin Hart Collection is on display in LA, showing the actor's custom-built muscle cars on their public debut. His custom Ferrari SF90 Spider in black with contrasting yellow accents is also there. Kevin's touring DJ, Joey Wells, performs every day except Thanksgiving.The cars from the MAX series Downey's Dream Cars are these days in Los Angeles as well. The collection includes six classic cars belonging to Robert Downey Jr. The actor chose to convert them into eco-friendly vehicles with less polluting powertrains. All of them will be auctioned off, with the proceeds going to the actor's charity.The doors of the Los Angeles Convention Center will remain open until November 26. Tickets start at $24.
The announcement came after Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry called on November 21 for direct negotiations with Armenia in a mutually acceptable venue, including at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.

Responding to that call, the Armenian side reaffirmed Yerevans readiness to re-engage in negotiations with Baku to establish peace between the two South Caucasus nations and mentioned a possible meeting at the state frontier of Armenian and Azerbaijani members of commissions involved in border delimitation and demarcation processes, something that it said Yerevan had already proposed earlier.

The Armenian ministry stopped short, however, of mentioning the possibility of direct Armenian-Azerbaijani talks at the highest level.

The commissions headed by the deputy prime ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Mher Grigorian and Shahin Mustafayev, already have the experience of negotiating at the border. The first such meeting took place in May 2022 followed by another in July of this year.

An ally of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian in the Armenian parliament told RFE/RLs Armenian Service on Wednesday that Yerevan was still inclined to hold negotiations with Baku at the level of the two countries leaders through the mediation of the European Union, in particular, of President of the European Council Charles Michel.

Sargis Khandanian, who represents the pro-government Civil Contract faction and heads the Armenian National Assemblys Foreign Relations Commission, explained that such negotiations would be based on the main principles for Armenian-Azerbaijani normalization, including mutual recognition of territorial integrity and borders based on a 1991 declaration signed by a dozen former Soviet republics, including Armenia and Azerbaijan, after the collapse of the USSR, and the sovereign jurisdictions of the states over transportation links passing through their territories, that he said were agreed upon by the parties in July when the latest round of EU-mediated talks was held between Pashinian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

Based on this logic, it is necessary to ensure the continuity of those negotiations and continue meetings at the level of the countries leaders through the mediation of the European Union, in particular, European Council President Charles Michel, Khandanian said.

Aliyev appears to have avoided Western platforms for negotiations with Armenia after Azerbaijani forces recaptured the whole of Nagorno-Karabakh in a one-day military operation in September, causing more than 100,000 people, virtually the entire local Armenian population, to flee to Armenia.
There was an official assessment of what happened, that is, that ethnic cleansing was carried out as a result of Azerbaijans military operation against Nagorno-Karabakh, and work is being done in this direction with international partners. The issue is on the agenda and, naturally, it will be addressed in one way or another during the negotiations, Mnatsakan Safarian told RFE/RLs Armenian Service.

Armenias Foreign Ministry announced earlier on Thursday a preliminary arrangement about holding a meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijan commissions dealing with issues of border delimitation and demarcation at an undisclosed location of the state frontier between the two countries on November 30. The Azerbaijani side confirmed this arrangement later during the day.

The announcement came after Azerbaijan offered to hold direct talks with Armenia in a mutually acceptable venue, including along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.

Armenia said it agreed to a meeting of border commissions, but stopped short of mentioning the possibility of direct Armenian-Azerbaijani talks at the highest level.

Asked whether Armenia was against talks without mediators, the deputy foreign minister said: There are issues where the presence of mediators is mandatory and plays a very important role. For example, issues related to the rights of the population forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh. The existence of international mechanisms is important here. There are also other issues where guarantees are important.

The International Court of Justice issued a preliminary order last week obliging Azerbaijan to ensure the safety of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians who fled their homes and crossed into Armenia following Azerbaijans lightning offensive on September 19, but now wish to return to the region that Baku has established full control of as a result of that one-day military operation.
In a statement released on November 23 the Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine (ZCMC) insisted that the businessman in question is no longer its majority shareholder and that no international sanctions were currently applicable to the company.

Sanctions targeting Russian businessmen over Russias war in Ukraine that Washington announced in early November also included those imposed on several businesses of Gleb Trotsenko, a purported close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin. AEON Corporation owned by the Trotsenko family was also mentioned in the sanctions list.

Both Trotsenko and AEON Corporation have links with Armenia. According to Armenias State Register, Trotsenko is the largest shareholder in the ZCMC, holding a 40-percent stake in the company, which is based in the countrys southern Syunik province.

It was due to Trotsenkos acquiring the largest stake in the ZCMC and donating part of it to Armenia that the Armenian government also became a shareholder of the company in 2021, currently holding a more than 20-percent stake in it.

The ZCMC explained, however, that Trotsenko, who formerly did hold a beneficial ownership position in the company, no longer retained such status due to the alienation of all his indirect shares in the Company on October 27, 2023.

Currently, there is no relationship between Mr. Trotsenko and the Company, the ZCMC said.

In its press release the ZCMC provided a link to the official website of the State Register of Legal Entities of Armenias Ministry of Justice, according to which Trotsenkos name is absent from the list of the companys shareholders.

The biggest shareholder listed there is Svetlana Ershova, a Russian citizen with a participation size of nearly 48 percent. Ershova is known to have had business links with the company owned by Gleb Trotsenkos father Roman Trotsenko.

The ZCMC remains steadfast in its commitment to transparent corporate governance, and periodic publication of ultimate beneficial owners declarations according to the Armenian legislation underscores the Companys continuous efforts to uphold the highest standards of business conduct, it said.

The ZCMC was Armenias number one tax payer in 2022 and remains one this year. According to the data released by Armenias State Revenue Committee, the company contributed 52,4 billion drams (nearly $130 million) to the state budget during the first nine months of 2023.
23 November 2023 08:30 (UTC+04:00)

Qabil Ashirov Read more

China stepped out among the traditional trade partners of Azerbaijan by leaving them behind in imports. Russia and Turkiye ranked first and second places in imports since the inception of Azerbaijan's independence. It is the first time, China has overtaken them. Until eight years ago, China even was not among the top five importers and it ranked third place for eight years from 2016-2022.

In 11 months of the current year, Azerbaijan's imports from China soared by 47 percent and amounted to $2.5bn. However, Azerbaijan's imports from Russia increased by 19 percent, and from Turkiye grew by 5.6 percent. It is interesting how long China will stand on holding the first place.

In a comment for Azernews on the issue, Sinomach Holding Eurasian Region Commercial Director Kanan Guluzade noted that China is the main trade partner of Azerbaijan. The development of trade and economic relations between the two countries is based on the development of political relations in recent years. As for the products Azerbaijan purchases from China, he noted that these are mainly construction materials, equipment, electronics, cars, and some other designated products.

As I mentioned earlier, we can show Azerbaijan's participation in the "One Belt, One Road" initiative, which envisages rapprochement with China, as well as Azerbaijan's geostrategic position and restoration of the historical Silk Road.

At the same time, I would like to emphasize the fact that the People's Republic of China supports Azerbaijan's territorial integrity in the international arena and that recently the heads of both states have frequently met and discussed the Trans-Caspian and Middle Corridor logistics routes, K. Guluzade noted.

As for the question of who can challenge China in the Azerbaijani market in the future, the Director of the Holding noted that it could be India. He pointed out that India is a rising power in terms of production in Asia and very soon it could be seen that the Azerbaijani market filled with Indian-made products.

The strengthening of production, the clash of commercial interests, convergences based on the demand of the time, etc. repeated throughout history. In this direction, the rapid development of Indian production is noticeable. I think that after some time it is predicted that Indian products will appear and dominate the Azerbaijani market, he said.

Apart from these, it should be noted that Azerbaijan's exports to China amounted to $74m which is very low compared to imports. So, it is observed a negative balance worth $2.5bn in trade turnover between the two countries in favor of China. During the said period, Georgia, the neighboring country, exported products worth $274 m to China which is 3.7 times more compared to Azerbaijan.

Kanan Guluzade answered the question that arose in this regard. He attributed the reason that despite the fact that the economy of Azerbaijan is strong among the South Caucasus states, it does not export as much goods to China as Georgia, because the Chinese market is different from other markets.

"The Chinese market is different from other markets and it is very specific. Different cultures and different customs determine the type and characteristics of non-oil products exported from Azerbaijan to China. As regards Georgia, the country's development in this direction is also different. Both countries are members of the International Trade Organization, which allows Georgian products to enter the Chinese market without import duties. Thus, Georgian wines, which are more resistant to competition, are sold cheaper in China. Due to the fact that price is one of the main elements of the market, the corresponding wines have gained a special rating in the Chinese market.

Azerbaijani products also have a special potential in this direction. I can especially emphasize the efforts of our country's newly appointed ambassador to China, Bunyad Huseynov, and Trade Representative Teymur Nadiroglu.

Besides, Azerbaijan Trading Houses, which have started operating in many Chinese cities, are an example of this. I believe that in a short time, a positive balance in trade turnover between Azerbaijan and China will be in our favor, the expert added.

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Qabil Ashirov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @g_Ashirov

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
23 November 2023 15:25 (UTC+04:00)

By Asim Aliyev, AZERNEWS

France, which is already losing its influence in Africa and countries affected by former colonialism, has decided to choose a new outpost. The EU mission and France's new weapons that Armenia wants to bring to the region indicate that the South Caucasus has already been chosen as the next target.

Obviously, France has been pursuing a policy of colonisation since the 16th century. If we take a glance at the history of France, we can see that the country has ruled and is still ruling African countries, including Algeria, Morocco, Chad, Senegal, Tunisia, Benin, Gobon, Vietnam, and Cameroon as colonies. Currently, 13 states are strongly affected, and France keeps meddling in their domestic and foreign policies. The colonisation policy of France is usually observed through coups that, in the last year, shook countries such as Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, and Niger and brought some strong economic crises.

Although France has been among the developed countries since 1998, if we look at the countries that have been colonised under the guise of democracy, it is crystal clear that these countries are in a deplorable state and are experiencing a serious economic crisis.

The colonisation policy put forward by France in the past centuries (epochs) is also reflected in the new era. It is just that we can see the manifestation that France is not open but is pursuing this policy underhandedly in more sophisticated ways. For example, in order to conduct the policy of colonisation in African countries and interfere with their domestic and foreign policies, France is controlling the currency of the colonised states and making it dependent on itself.

If we look at world statistics, France ranks 4th in the world in terms of gold deposits. It raises and balances its economy by absorbing the gold reserves of Guiana, which it manages as a colony.

Over the past five-six months, four African countries, having been exhausted by the insidious policies of France, have insisted on the withdrawal of the French army. Thus, France's pseudo-authority in African countries has already weakened, and France has leaned towards the South Caucasus to fuel the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia and to continue its nefarious policy.

Note that Azerbaijan regained its sovereignty after the 44-day war and liberated more than 20 percent of its land after 30 years of occupation. In the post-war period, Azerbaijan proposed to Armenia to sign a peace agreement in order to end the war in the South Caucasus and bring peace. An interstate 3-way meeting with the conflicting parties was held with the participation of the European Union, and preliminary steps were taken to sign a peace agreement. However, France's desire to take part in the 4-Way meeting in Europe slowed down the peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which even in the post-war period continued to supply and sell a large amount of ammunition to Armenia.

Today, Azerbaijan is taking important steps to protect the South Caucasus region from the threat of France as well as from the influence of other Western forces. Although France is a powerful country, it does not want relations with Azerbaijan to be completely spoiled.

Anar Hasanov, a political analyst commenting on the issue for Azernews, is of the same opinion. He states that as much as France takes a step against Azerbaijan, the opposite side will receive a reciprocal response. However, according to the analyst, this cannot affect the complete suspension of relations between France and Azerbaijan.

"Despite the fact that France shows antagonism, Russia has French embassies, and France has a Russian Embassy. Relations in the humanitarian sphere remain and continue. Therefore, relations between France and Azerbaijan will be tense and cold. I do not think that any action, such as higher economic sanctions, could be imposed," he said.

In addition, Anar Hasanov clarified France's intention to arm Armenia and noted that although this is a common threat to the South Caucasus, it cannot lead to the start of a new war between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

"I do not consider the possibility of a new war between Azerbaijan and Armenia at the instigation of France, as the military-technical potential of Armenia was destroyed during the 44-day war, and I do not think that Armenia is in such a situation other than some kind of offensive operation. Armenia did not have the resources for the war until 2020, and especially for the war with Azerbaijan after 2020.

It seems to me that the support of France is most likely directed towards the domestic political agenda, in the sense that the goal is to separate Armenia from Russia. We know that Russia's support in terms of weapons is delayed, but the French, taking advantage of this, provide Armenia with some modern weapons. That is, one gets the impression that an ally refuses (delays) military assistance, and the latter takes the chance to go ahead. I think that around 2040 bastions, some kind of missile, and Indian support cannot be a point of recurrence of war. Obviously, this weapon is needed for defence. I would even say that it is not a sufficient resource to develop an offensive operation, and I do not think that this resource will be sufficient in the next decade. Most likely, this is dust in the eyes and a demonstration of iron musclesnothing more than an attempt to separate Armenia from Russiabut I do not see this as a serious threat to Azerbaijan.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
24 November 2023 00:26 (UTC+04:00)

Elnur Enveroglu Read more

The political history of the Netherlands is as rich in extraordinary events as it is an instructive example for the human race. Just looking at the history of the assassination of Johan de Witt, who was the Prime Minister in the third half of the 17th century, together with his brother, is enough to justify the reasons why anti-Islamic and anti-Semitic tendencies in the country are at such a peak.

So according to the gruesome history, when the two brothers were killed in 1672, there are accounts of some among the mob taking parts of the bodies and eating them

I know it is a little long history but it tells a lot about the countrys political properties.

The savage murder of a man that history has judged a highly competent leader is regarded by the Dutch as one of the most shameful episodes in their history.

Today, at a time when the Western community is experiencing a storm of anti-Islamic aggression from the authorities and society in the Netherlands, a person with strong anti-Islamic sentiments has begun to become noticeable. Geert Wilders, a far-right leader, who won the Dutch elections for prime minister of the country is recognized as a real pressure on the EU to find ways to reduce immigration. With his latest triumph, he builds momentum for hard-right parties ahead of European parliament elections in June. Some of Wilders' promises did not rule out busting immigrants, especially from Muslim countries, and preventing the Islamization of the Netherlands. Prohibition of the Holy Koran, the closing of mosques, and much more are included in Wilders agenda.

He was previously tried on charges of inciting hatred against Muslims and was acquitted by the court. The reason for Wilders' accusation, among other things, was the comparison of Islam with fascism, and the Quran with Adolf Hitler's book "Mein Kampf".

Instead of bringing up a child and raising a healthy generation, Geert, who enjoys life with his wife and two cats, says that his aversion to Islam is related to the murder of another anti-Islam filmmaker Theo van Gogh, in 2004 by unknown persons. When he joined in the prime ministerial elections, he promised to take steps for the mass elimination of the Quran and mosques in the Netherlands. The Dutch politician, who called Moroccan Muslims "scum" in particular, was known for his inability to restrain his bad language and even for using physical force on his political opponents. For this reason, Geert Wilders was previously charged by the court.

Wilders also has the ability to control political parties and use special maneuvers to gather them around him. It is true that all this is an important factor in politics, but it is quite interesting that Wilders does it within the framework of anti-Islamic views.

In a victory speech on Wednesday, Wilders called on other parties to engage constructively in coalition talks and even suggested he would be willing to compromise on his anti-Muslim stance in order to form a government.

I understand very well that parties do not want to be in a government with a party that wants unconstitutional measures, he said. We are not going to talk about mosques, Qurans, and Islamic schools.

Another dangerous aspect of Wilders is his desire to leave the European Union. The ultra-right new Prime Minister believes that the Netherlands can run its country more successfully by adopting Nexit. In his opinion, the European Union is a place polluted with migrants, and the Netherlands cannot stay in this polluted world for long. Of course, for Wilders, being among migrants from the Islamic religion and breathing air with them is a big trouble. Wilders, who spends 24 hours of his life in fear, even used to change his house almost every day before. It is truly a miracle that a man is so afraid of the influence of Islamophobia, that he was not crazy and finally won a majority of votes and was elected as the prime minister of the country. But it can be said with certainty that the European Union has already accepted the election of Geert Wilders as the beginning of the dark days of Europe.

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Elnur Enveroglu is AzerNews Deputy Editor-in-Chief, follow him on @ElnurMammadli1

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23 November 2023 12:31 (UTC+04:00)

SPECA countries are developing transport infrastructure in order to expand economic and trade ties. In this regard, the importance of the Middle Corridor and the role of Azerbaijan as a catalyst ensuring the efficiency and sustainability of the corridor were assessed, Minister of Economy Mikayil Jabbarov said in his speech at the 18th meeting of the SPECA Governing Council.

According to Azernews, the minister said the importance of SPECA countries at the international level is increasing.

"All SPECA countries face challenges. They have no access to the open sea. This also creates transport and logistical problems. We are connected with the SPECA countries by historical and cultural roots. We continue to cooperate in the field of "green energy". The common values, rich resources, transport, logistics, and alternative energy potential of the SPECA countries create fertile ground for mutually beneficial economic and trade cooperation. In this context, the development of the digital economy is important. Investment cooperation between Azerbaijan and SPECA countries is expanding, and joint investment funds are being created. SPECA countries are showing interest in the Alat Free Economic Zone, the Minister underlined.

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23 November 2023 15:08 (UTC+04:00)

Qabil Ashirov Read more

The Small and Medium-Sized Business Development Agency reported that in JanuaryOctober of this year, entrepreneurs applied to the Baku SMB House for the services of the Azerbaijan Land Transport Agency (AYNA), subordinate to the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport.

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23 November 2023 14:46 (UTC+04:00)

In Kazakhstan, 4,500 companies work in the SPECA region (the UN Special Program for the Economies of Central Asia), the Deputy Minister of Economy of Kazakhstan, Abzal Abdykarimov, said in his speech at the 18th meeting of the Governing Council of SPECA, Azernews reports.

The Deputy Minister of Economy of Kazakhstan said that Kazakhstan has invested $10 million over the past 100 years.

"The SPECA program needs to expand its activities, and SPECA needs institutional support. I hope that the decision taken at the end of today's 18th meeting of the SPECA Governing Council will bring a new fundamental scenario to the SPECA program, the minister noted.

Minister of Economy Mikayil Jabbarov, during the 18th meeting of the Governing Council of SPECA, informed that In 2024, it was decided to hold a SPECA week (a special UN program for the economies of Central Asian countries) in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan.

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Snowdonia National Park in North Wales, four teens were discovered deceased in an overturned and partially submerged vehicle.

Their bereaved family and friends are in a state of sorrow over their tragic demise. The boys, identified as Jevon Hirst, Harvey Owen, Wilf Henderson, and Hugo Morris, all sixth-form students from Shrewsbury, had embarked on a camping trip over the weekend, as per to Fox News.

North Wales Mourns Fatal Loss of Missing Teens

The group, aged between 16 and 18, was reported missing on Sunday morning after they failed to return home as planned on Monday. North Wales Police launched an extensive search, and the grim discovery was made when a silver Ford Fiesta was located on the A4085 at Garreg, near Tremadog.

The car had overturned and was partially covered in water, marking what authorities describe as a "tragic accident."

The harrowing incident unfolded on a 'windy, narrow, and steep' road, with the vehicle leaving the road and flipping onto its roof. Two of the boys were 17 years old, and the others were 16 and 18. Police have yet to formally identify the bodies, but the families of all four teens have been notified.

As the community grapples with the shock of this tragedy, heartfelt tributes have poured in for the young lives lost. Wilf's girlfriend, Maddi, expressed her grief on Instagram, describing him as the "sweetest and most loving boy." She pledged to miss him forever, reflecting the deep impact of this heartbreaking loss.

Lisa Corfield, the mother of Wilf's girlfriend, shared her devastation, highlighting that the boys were not experienced campers and had minimal equipment for the trip. Crystal Owen, Harvey's mother, revealed that she was unaware of the camping plans, adding that she had not slept since the boys went missing, according to Mail Online.

Read Also: Hamas Claims 'Truce' With Israel Is Close; Israeli Officials Yet to Respond

Four Teens' Fatal Camping Trip in Snowdonia Tragedy

The search efforts involved multiple agencies, volunteers, and mountain rescue teams scouring Gwynedd's Harlech and Porthmadog areas. The weather conditions in the region were challenging, with cloudy skies, showers, and strong winds, according to the Met Office.

As the investigation into the circumstances of the tragic accident continues, the local community has rallied together to support the families affected. Local MP Liz Saville Roberts and Senedd Member Mabon ap Gwynfor issued a joint statement expressing their condolences and acknowledging the efforts of emergency services in the search operation.

The impact of the loss has resonated beyond the immediate community, with condolences coming from various quarters. A friend of Hugo Morris, 18, Beth Head, described him as "a lovely and funny young lad" and expressed deep sorrow at his passing.

Local councilor June Jones conveyed the shock and sadness felt by the entire area. She expressed the hope that the boys had gotten lost without a phone signal, highlighting the challenging weather conditions in November and the unfamiliarity of the roads.

The investigation is ongoing, and authorities are working to piece together the events leading to the tragic accident. Meanwhile, the entire community mourns the loss of these promising young lives, emphasizing the need for support and compassion during this difficult time, The Sun reported.

Related Article: Netanyahu Slams Palestinian Leader Mahmoud Abbas for Claiming Israel Killed Their Own People, Not by Hamas

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23 November 2023 19:16 (UTC+04:00)

Qabil Ashirov Read more

The Azerbaijan-Kyrgyz Development Fund will invest in priority projects of business in the agro-industrial complex, energy, horticulture, textiles, tourism, and other fields using various financial instruments, Azernews reports.

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President of the International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation, Gunay Afandiyeva, has addressed the Non-Aligned Movement Conference on Advancing Rights and Empowerment of Women.

In her speech, the current chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement, Baku Gunay Afandiyeva, touched upon the social activism of women in Turkic-speaking countries from the past to the present day and the attitude towards women, Azernews reports.

She hailed the achievements of prominent women, including female rulers, diplomats, writers, and poetesses, who left a deep mark in the history of the Turkic world.

The foundation president also highly appreciated the services of the First Vice President of Azerbaijan, the President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Mehriban Aliyeva, as an example of the leading women of the Turkic world, taking into account the projects, initiatives, and charitable actions carried out under her leadership, which have gained significant influence both within the country and internationally.

Speaking about the activities of the International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation, Gunay Afandiyeva stressed that the organisation brings civilizations and people together through international-level projects and events.

The foundation contributes to the further strengthening of interstate and global cooperation and solidarity through cultural diplomacy.

She recalled the foundation's projects, including the book "Poetry Anthology of Azerbaijani Women Poets," published in English, German, Italian, Bulgarian, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, and other languages, as well as the Seven Beauties Ensemble, named after Nizami Ganjavi's masterpiece.

The ensemble consists of professional female musicians representing seven countries of Turkic origin: Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkiye, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Hungary.

Gunay Afandiyeva expressed the inadmissibility of the deaths of hundreds of women and children during armed conflicts in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and other regions.

She noted that hundreds of women in Africa lost their lives due to hunger, a lack of food, and a lack of necessary health services.

The President of the International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation drew attention to the destruction of historical monuments and handicrafts in Azerbaijan's Garabagh region as a result of the 30-year occupation.

In conclusion, Gunay Afandiyeva called on the world community not to fall into double standards, not to lose objectivity, and not to turn a blind eye to injustice.

Note that the Non-Aligned Movement Conference on Advancing the Rights and Empowerment of Women was co-organized by Azerbaijan, the current Chair of the Non-Aligned Movement, as well as Uganda and Uzbekistan, the next chairs of the organisation.

The event was held on the basis of the initiatives announced by President Ilham Aliyev at the Ministerial Meeting of the NAM Coordinating Bureau held in July this year.

Around 60 delegations, including representatives of NAM member states and the states with observer status under the organization, international organizations, as well as the high-ranking officials invited as special guests participated in the conference.

The conference featured discussions on topics such as the development of women's rights and empowerment of women within the NAM, as well as women's major role in sustainable development, economic growth, peace and security issues and other areas.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @lmntypewriterrr

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23 November 2023 13:56 (UTC+04:00)

Laman Ismayilova Read more

The Seven Beauties Ensemble has successfully performed in Toronto, Canada.

The gala evening was organised at the initiative of the Network of Azerbaijani Canadians in partnership with the International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation in order to promote the cultural heritage of the Turkic world, Azernews reports.

Seven Beauties is a music ensemble created under the auspices of the organisation. Headed by Honoured Artist of Azerbaijan Turan Manafzade, the ensemble consists of professional musicians representing seven Turkic states, including Azerbaijan, Turkiye, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Hungary.

Speaking at the event, representatives of the Executive Council of the Network of Azerbaijani Canadians, Dmitriy Kirilov and Nigar Jabiyeva, the Canadian Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, Ya'ara Saks, and members of the Canadian Parliament, Francesco Sorbara and Ali Ehsassi, emphasised that such events play a key role in the development of intercultural dialogue.

A certificate of appreciation was presented to the International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation, as well as to the Network of Azerbaijani Canadians, for their efforts in promoting Turkic culture in Canada.

Representatives of political and cultural circles in Canada, members of the Canadian Parliament, diplomats from different countries in Canada, representatives of Azerbaijani and Turkic societies attended the event.

The concert program consisting of music pieces by the Turkic world and folk, left a lasting impression on the guests.

Initiated in 2012, the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation focuses on the preservation of the Turkic heritage in member countries as well as conducting projects in collaboration with partners in third nations.

The foundation provides assistance in the protection, study, and promotion of Turkic culture and heritage through supporting and funding various activities, projects, and programs.

The organisation carries out its activities in cooperation with TURKSOY and the Turkic Academy.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @lmntypewriterrr

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23 November 2023 18:11 (UTC+04:00)

Laman Ismayilova Read more

UNESCO will celebrate the 950th anniversary of the Diwan Lughat al-Turk, a compendium of the Turkic dialects.

The date was included in the UNESCO list of anniversaries for 20242025, Azernews reports.

The decision was announced during the 42nd session of the UNESCO General Conference.

Diwan Lughat al-Turk is the first comprehensive dictionary of Turkic languages, compiled in 107274 by the Turkic scholar Mahmud Kashgari who extensively studied the Turkic languages of his time.

At the same time, it was decided to commemorate the 900th anniversary of Azerbaijan's prominent architect, Ajami Nakhchivani.

Ajami ibn Abubakr Nakhchivani significantly contributed to the architecture of Nakhchivan. He is the founder of the Nakhchivan school of architecture.

Nakhchivani is the architect of buildings such as Yusif ibn Kuseyir Mausoleum, Momine Khatun Mausoleum, and Juma Mosque.

The 42nd session of the UNESCO General Conference focused on two crucial challenges, in particular: peace, through the revision of the 1974 UNESCO Recommendation on Education for Peace and Human Rights, as well as the ethics of neurotechnology.

Set up in 1945 and headquartered in Paris, the United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) now has 193 member states.

The 43rd UNESCO session will be held outside Paris for the first time in over 40 years. The next session will be held in 2025 Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

As a UNESCO member, Azerbaijan has been actively engaged in promoting cultural diversity and heritage preservation.

The country has been constantly participating in UNESCO programs since 1992.

Through its efforts, Azerbaijan plays a significant role in UNESCO's mission to build peace, foster sustainable development, and foster intercultural dialogue through education, the sciences, culture, communication, and information.

In 2003, the parties signed a framework agreement on cooperation in the areas of culture, science, education, and communication, which allowed Azerbaijan to become one of the donors of UNESCO.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @lmntypewriterrr

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23 November 2023 11:36 (UTC+04:00)

Abbas Ganbay Read more

In accordance with the instructions of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, the return of former internally displaced persons to the restored village of Zabukh in the Lachin district took place, Azernews reports.

On November 23, 25 families (93 people) living in the capital city and Absheron left the Gobu Park 3 residential complex in the Garadagh district of Baku for Zabukh.

The resettled families will settle in the houses where they once lived in Lachin, which were restored or rebuilt on the basis of instructions from the head of state after the end of the Armenian occupation. Lachin residents thanked President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva for their comprehensive care and expressed gratitude to the valiant Azerbaijani Army, which liberated the lands from occupation.

Thus, until today, a permanent settlement in the village of Zabukh has been provided for 121 families475 people.

To recall, the first migration to Zabukh took place on August 25 of this year.

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23 November 2023 10:18 (UTC+04:00)

The working visit of Deputies of the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Director General Mr. Agil Gurbanov and Commander of the Air Force, Lieutenant General Ramiz Tahirov to Georgia is underway, Azernews reports, citing the Azerbaijan Defense Ministry.

The leadership of the Defense Ministry visited State Military Scientific-Technical Center "Delta" in Tbilisi.

At the meeting held in the center, detailed views were exchanged on a number of issues of common interest in the field of military-technical cooperation.

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23 November 2023 11:17 (UTC+04:00)

Abbas Ganbay Read more

Baku hosts the ministerial session of the V Conference of Labour Ministers of the member countries of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Azernews reports.

The session started with the recitation of ayahs of the Holy Quran.

The session heard the speech of Deputy Minister of Human Resources and Social Development of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Adnan Abdullah Al Nuaim (Chairman of the IV Conference of Labour Ministers of the OIC).

The Chairman of the Fifth OIC Conference of Ministers of Labour and the composition of the Bureau were then elected.

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is set to hold the 5th Session of the Islamic Conference of Labour Ministers (ICLM) from November 21st to 23rd, 2023, in Baku, the Republic of Azerbaijan, under the theme Innovative Solutions and Digitalization of Labour and Employment Services in the OIC Member States. The Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Population of the Republic of Azerbaijan (MLSPP) will host the ICLM. The Conference will bring together labour ministers from across the OIC Member States to address critical issues affecting the Muslim world in the changing world of work, including the impact of new technologies, employment trends, and social protection.

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23 November 2023 11:00 (UTC+04:00)

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has addressed the participants of the V Conference of Ministers of Labor of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states held in Baku.

Dear conference participants!

I welcome you to the Fifth Session of the Islamic Conference of Labour Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

Azerbaijan attaches special importance to relations with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and supports the development of cooperation in all fields within the Organization. The city of Baku, which was declared the capital of Islamic culture in 2009, has hosted a number of meetings of the ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. Todays conference is also of great importance in terms of expanding cooperation and strengthening joint efforts in the fields of labor, employment and social protection among member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

As an active member of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Azerbaijan has continuously supported the Organizations efforts to strengthen Islamic solidarity in the world. In the era of global crises, new ordeals and difficulties facing humanity, and widespread Islamophobia, it is extremely important for Muslim countries to support each other and strengthen Islamic unity.

Year 2023 was particularly significant for Azerbaijan. By removing the gray zone that used to exist in our territories and putting an end to separatism, we have restored the sovereignty and constitutional structure of our country, thereby ensuring the celebration of international law and justice.

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation has always condemned Armenias 30-year-long aggression and policy of occupation against Azerbaijan, continuously and consistently supported Azerbaijans just cause and territorial integrity both during the Second Karabakh War and in the post-war period. Therefore, we express our gratitude to member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

Unfortunately, during the years of occupation, our cities and villages were ravaged and looted, our cultural and religious sites were destroyed by Armenia. In addition, according to preliminary estimates, Armenia planted about a million landmines in our occupied territories, committed urbicide, culturicide and ecocide there. The Armenians, who committed genocide against the cultural heritage of the Azerbaijani people, destroyed our mosques and insulted not only our own feelings, but also those of Muslims all over the world. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation vehemently condemned Armenias destruction and looting of Islamic historical and cultural sites and shrines in the previously occupied territories, and strongly censured the desecration of our mosques. Therefore, we once again express our gratitude to member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the General Secretariat of the Organization.

Large-scale restoration and reconstruction work is now underway in our territories liberated from occupation. Important infrastructure projects are being implemented. As part of the Great Return Program, some of the former internally displaced persons have already returned to their ancestral lands, the cities of Lachin and Fuzuli, including three villages. More than 140,000 people are expected to return to Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur before the end of 2026.

It is quite remarkable that a conference of labor ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation was held in Baku 10 years ago. According to the Framework document adopted there, future priorities for the exchange of experience in the fields of labor, migration and social protection were identified. Within the framework of the conference, I put forward the initiative to establish the Labor Center of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation with headquarters in Baku, and member countries unanimously supported that initiative. Over this period, important work has been done towards establishing the Labor Center of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Baku. I am sure that the center will play an important role in strengthening cooperation between member countries.

Todays event is dedicated to innovative solutions, as well as digitization of labor and employment services. The issues to be discussed are of particular importance for every country, including Azerbaijan. Important work on digitalization in the social sphere has been carried out in Azerbaijan in recent years. Basing social services on a foundation of innovative approaches and modern technologies, creating a system of transparent, agile, high-quality, accessible and citizen-oriented social services are one of the main goals of the social reform program. In this context, the ASAN service model, the DOST concept, and a large-scale electronicization program of social services have been implemented.

Comprehensive electronicization of public services in the fields of labor, employment and social protection, provision of more than 140 electronic services to the population in these areas, and the creation of a unified labor relations platform have put in place a rigorous support mechanism for the population. As a result of all-round reforms carried out in the country, employment opportunities have increased, the level of unemployment and poverty has dropped significantly to 5.5 percent, and social benefits have been increased several times. The four social reform packages adopted in the last four years alone covered 40 percent of our population, the minimum wage has increased 2.7 times, the salary fund 2.6 times, the median wage 2.1 times, the minimum pension 2.5 times, and the average monthly pension 2 times.

I am sure that todays conference will serve as an important platform for exchanging useful ideas and coordinating efforts on new opportunities for expanding cooperation in the fields of labor, employment and social protection among member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and will also enrich our mutually beneficial partnership with new content.

I extend my best wishes to you and wish the conference success.

Ilham Aliyev

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Baku, 23 November 2023

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23 November 2023 12:12 (UTC+04:00)

Abbas Ganbay Read more

A festival called "Return to Western Azerbaijan" and a congress on "The Road Leading to Western Azerbaijan" are being held in Nakhchivan, Azernews reports.

Participants in the events first visited the monument erected in the centre of Nakhchivan to the national leader of the Azerbaijani people, Heydar Aliyev, and paid tribute to his memory.

At the Heydar Aliyev Museum, the visitors familiarised themselves with photos and exhibits reflecting the life and activity of the great leader.

Samples of folklore of Western Azerbaijanis were presented at the festival, a book exhibition, stands with samples of cooking and material culture, a concert program, and films dedicated to Western Azerbaijan were screened.

Literature samples, scientific research, a collection of articles, and paintings dedicated to Western Azerbaijan will also be presented at the festival.

It should be noted that the festival and congress are held in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic under the joint organisation of the Plenipotentiary Mission of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, the Ministry of Science and Education, the Nakhchivan State University, and the Western Azerbaijan Community.

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23 November 2023 12:59 (UTC+04:00)

In accordance with the training plan of the current year, the graduation ceremony of the Training Course for Long-Term Active Military Servicemen was held at the Training and Educational Centre of the Air Force.

According to Azernews, first, the memory of the National Leader of the Azerbaijani people, Heydar Aliyev, and Shehids (Martyrs), who sacrificed their lives for the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, was honoured by observing a minute of silence. The National Anthem of the Republic of Azerbaijan was performed.

The speakers spoke about the importance of conducting such courses to improve the knowledge and skills of military personnel and wished success to those who completed the course in their future service.

Then certificates were presented to the successful graduates.

In the end, the servicemen solemnly marched in front of the podium, and a photo was taken.

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Cuba Gooding Jr. allegedly sexually assaulted two women in NYC bars. Plaintiffs filed new lawsuits against the Oscar-winning Hollywood actor after he pleaded guilty to another similar incident.

The two women filed the lawsuits on Wednesday, Nov. 22, in a New York state court in Manhattan. These ladies were identified as Kelsey Harbert and Jasmine Abbay.

Both of them filed separate lawsuits against the celebrity; accusing him of forcing them to kiss them without their consent, as well as groping them aggressively.

Cuba Gooding Jr. Allegedly Sexually Assaulted Women in NYC Bars

According to The Guardian's latest report, Jasime and Kelsey claimed that they were sexually assaulted by the Hollywood actor separately.

In the case of Jasmine, the woman said that Cuba Gooding Jr. kissed her forcibly in September 2018. She added that the incident happened when she was working as a cocktail waitress at the Lavo nightclub, which is located in midtown Manhattan.

Meanwhile, Kelsey's case is more serious since the celebrity groped her breast without her consent in June 2019. The sexual assault happened at the Magic Hour rooftop bar.

Harbet's lawsuit claimed that Cuba Gooding Jr. was "intoxicated" and in full view of his girlfriend when he was groping the victim. The plaintiff said that when she tried removing the actor's hands from her breast, he tried to kiss her hand.

These lawsuits are the latest legal actions that Cuba Gooding Jr. faces after he settled a lawsuit in June because he was accused of raping another woman in 2013.

"Our clients were deprived of the justice they sought in the criminal case," said the plaintiffs' lawyer, Gloria Allred, via The New York Post.

"They are now seeking justice and accountability in their civil cases," she added.

Read Also: Former Baltimore Prosecutor Convicted in Perjury Case in Relation to Purchase of Florida Homes

What Plaintiffs Seek From Cuba Gooding Jr.

Kelsey and Jasmine are both seeking damages for emotional distress, punitive damages, liquidated damages, lost wages, as well as attorneys' fees from the American actor.

However, the overall amount they are asking from the celebrity is still unknown. Allred said that her clients were deprived of the justice they were looking for in the criminal, case.

But, they are still seeking it, as well as accountability in their civil legal cases. The lawyer said that she is proud of the two women's courage and will fight with them until they have achieved the justice they deserve.

As of writing, Gooding Jr.'s representatives haven't commented regarding the latest lawsuits against the actor.

Related Article; Kim Phuong Taylor Convicted in Fraud Scheme Case for Helping Husband Fraudulently Win Votes

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23 November 2023 14:21 (UTC+04:00)

Abbas Ganbay Read more

Experts of the Centre for Analysis of International Relations, Roza Bayramli and Maryam Ismayilova have prepared a report in English titled "Disputes around Lachin-Khankendi Road".

According to Azernews, the main purpose of the report is to summarise the events that have taken place in the Garabagh region of Azerbaijan over the past 3 years and convey them to a foreign audience.

The article notes that the events that took place on the Lachin-Khankendi road during the last three years were actively propagandised by Armenians under the terms "blockade", "ethnic cleansing" and "humanitarian crisis".

It is emphasised that, despite the fact that Azerbaijan has always acted in accordance with the norms of international law, the number of countries that supported Armenia during this period was considerable. Both the crimes committed by Armenians and the facts proving the falsity of the theme of "blockade" were reflected in the analysis.

The first chapter of the analysis provided information about the illegal economic operations of Armenians in Garabagh and the damage they caused to the ecological environment. The events that led to the protests of eco-activists were also shown. Although these protests were also presented by Armenians as a "blockade", the analysis showed facts that refute this.

The next chapter of the analysis provides information on weapons and ammunition smuggled from Armenia into Garabagh prior to the establishment of the Lachin border crossing. Visual evidence proving this illegal activity has also been added to the analysis. Azerbaijan's establishment of a border crossing point on the Lachin-Khankendi road to prevent war crimes and the sharp Armenian reaction to this were also included in the analysis.

The analysis includes statistical data on persons crossing the border from Armenia to Azerbaijan and from Azerbaijan to Armenia in April-September of the current year, as well as information on crimes resulting in restrictions on the use of roads provided by the State Border Guard Service.

In response to Armenia's request, an extraordinary meeting of the UN Security Council on August 16, 2023, discussed the situation in Garabagh and stressed that no documents were adopted as a result of the meeting. The analysis also includes photos of Armenians organising weddings and parties amid a "humanitarian crisis". The photos are taken from the social media posts of Armenians living in Garabagh.

In the final part of the analysis, it was stated that Azerbaijan supports the establishment of peace in the region and is ready for reintegration processes.

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23 November 2023 16:55 (UTC+04:00)

Qabil Ashirov Read more

Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan discussed cooperation in the field of the defense industry, Azernews reports.

The Azerbaijani Defense Industry Ministry noted that Defense Industry Minister Vugar Mustafayev met with the delegation headed by Aset Nurlanovich Turisov, Deputy Minister of Digital Development, Innovation, and Aerospace Industry of Kazakhstan, who is on an official visit to the country during the SPECA week.

At the meeting, which was also attended by Alexander Yuryevich Podvalov, the general director of Kazakhstan's "Ag Tech" company, information was provided about the company's activities.

During the meeting, it was agreed that the possibility of cooperation on the application of modern digital technologies in the field of defense industry will be considered in the future, and other issues of mutual interest were exchanged.

Deputy Minister of Digital Development, Innovation, and Aerospace Industry of Kazakhstan, Aset Nurlanovich Turysov, expressed confidence that bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan will continue to develop.

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23 November 2023 16:01 (UTC+04:00)

Qabil Ashirov Read more

Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov met with Tatyana Molchan, executive secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), who is visiting Azerbaijan within the framework of the UN Special Program for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA) week, Azernews reports.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry noted that at the meeting, the cooperation agenda and perspectives of cooperation between Azerbaijan and UNECE were discussed, as well as Azerbaijan's relations with Central Asia, including SPECA, and the possible role of UNECE in this context.

Minister Jeyhun Bayramov spoke about the environment, energy, urban planning, etc. included in the scope of UNECE and emphasized that it is important to increase joint efforts in these directions. He pointed out that since the foundation of SPECA, Azerbaijan has actively contributed to the activities within the framework of this platform, and in this direction, the existence of tripartite cooperation formats with the countries of Central Asia gives a greater impetus to the implementation of joint successful projects.

The existence of a useful cooperation agenda in the fields was noted with satisfaction. In particular, the importance of existing initiatives and projects in the field of development of regional transport and communication lines, as well as expansion of the opportunities of the Middle Corridor, was emphasized.

Minister Jeyhun Bayramov spoke about the efforts of Azerbaijan in the direction of strengthening cooperation within the framework of this platform, as well as expanding the bilateral, regional and international relations of SPECA countries, and noted that the SPECA Summit, which will take place within the SPECA week held in Baku, is one of the important results of these efforts. did.

Executive Secretary T. Molchan noted that Azerbaijan's efforts to transform SPECA into a platform in line with the challenges of the modern era during its chairmanship are commendable. In this direction, hope was expressed that the SPECA Summit to be held in Baku the next day will play an important role in strengthening cooperation within the framework of the Program against the background of regional and international challenges.

During the meeting, opinions were also exchanged on other issues of mutual interest.

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23 November 2023 17:45 (UTC+04:00)

Abbas Ganbay Read more

A meeting of the commission on border delimitation will be held on 30 November in the border region between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Head of the Press Service Department of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Aykhan Hajizadeh says, Azernews reports.

Armenian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Ani Badalyan wrote on her social network account that according to the preliminary agreement, a meeting of the Armenian-Azerbaijani delimitation commission will be held on 30 November.

To remind, on 21 November, the Armenian Foreign Ministry reacted to the statement of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry and said that Yerevan is ready to participate in negotiations with Baku.

The statement noted that the Armenian side reaffirms its political will to make efforts for the normalization of relations with Azerbaijan, as well as for the establishment of peace and stability in the South Caucasus.

It should be noted that official Baku said that Azerbaijan is ready for direct negotiations with Armenia on a bilateral basis to conclude a peace agreement as soon as possible:

"We believe that both countries should decide together on their future relations. Both countries are responsible for the continuation of the peace process, including the choice of a mutually acceptable location or the decision to meet at the state border. We call on the Armenian side to avoid further unnecessary delays and hope that they will respond favorably to this call to start negotiations soon," MFA said.

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22 November 2023 18:24 (UTC+04:00)

The Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan will consider the expediency of requirements on development of prospective programs of road traffic organization by individuals and legal entities.

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has signed a decree in this regard.

According to the decree, the Cabinet of Ministers within three months will examine the expediency of development, as well as implementation of perspective programs, complex schemes, and projects of road traffic organization by physical and legal persons and submit its proposals on this to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

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The Statistics Agency of Uzbekistan has published information on the foreign trade turnover of the country in January-October 2023, Azernews reports, citing Kun.uz News Agency.

It is noted that during the reporting period, the republics foreign trade turnover (FTT) reached $51 billion. The volume of export was $20.47 billion, and the volume of import was $30.5 billion. Compared to the same period last year, the volume of export increased by 29.1%, and the volume of import increased by 22.7%. The negative balance of foreign trade reached $10 billion. In the corresponding period of last year, the foreign trade deficit was $9 billion.

China is strengthening its position as the largest trading partner of Uzbekistan. During the reporting period, the volume of mutual trade reached $10.8 billion. This is 21.2% of the total foreign trade turnover of the republic.

Top 10 countries with the highest share in foreign trade turnover of Uzbekistan in January-October 2023:

 China  $10.8 billion;

 Russia  $7.9 billion;

 Kazakhstan  $3.6 billion;

 Turkey  $2.6 billion;

 Korea  $1.87 billion;

 Turkmenistan  $939 million;

 Germany  $876 million;

 Kyrgyzstan  $814 million;

 France  $773 million;

 Afghanistan  $693 million.

Out of the 20 major partner countries in terms of foreign economic activity, only three countries  Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan - have a positive foreign trade balance. A passive foreign trade balance with the remaining 17 countries has been maintained.

In the 10 months of 2023, the volume of exports to China decreased by 12.5%, and sales to Turkey decreased by 21%. In turn, the volume of exports to Russia increased by 5% and to Kazakhstan by 2%.

Also, the volume of imports from China increased by 65%, from Russia by 6%, and from Turkey by 7%. The volume of imports from Kazakhstan (6 percent) and Korea (5 percent) decreased.

The share of the CIS countries in the total foreign trade turnover is decreasing. In particular, this indicator was 39.8% in 2022, and decreased to 32.9% this year.

Export of gold

Gold worth $6.87 billion was sold in January-October of this year. This is 33.6% of total exports.

In turn, gold exports increased by 2.3 times compared to the corresponding period of 2022.

For information, $4.1 billion worth of gold was sold in 2022, $4.1 billion in 2021, $5.8 billion in 2020, and $4.9 billion in 2019.

Export and import of fuel products

During the reporting period, Uzbekistan imported $561 million worth of gas, which is 2.1 times more than in the corresponding period of 2022. In turn, during this period, gas export decreased by 47.9% or $458 million.

It also imported $161 million worth of coal during the 10-month period, which is 73.2% more than the same period last year.

In January-October, electricity worth $102.4 million was purchased (decrease  2.3%) and electricity worth $50.3 million was exported (decrease  43.7%).

Export of oil and oil products increased by 2.1 times to $259 million, and import increased by 25.6% to $1.24 billion.

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23 November 2023 20:30 (UTC+04:00)

By News Centre

The Russian Federation Consul General in Istanbul, Andrey Buravov, said in his statement that there has been a huge jump in Turkish-Russian trade volume in the last 56 years, and the trade volume has almost tripled.

Reminding that the Turkish-Russian trade volume exceeded 65 billion dollars last year, Buravov said that this year would be similar. The two countries will maintain the dynamism,

Emphasising that the relationship between Turkiye and Russia is actively developing, Buravov said:

"Regular dialogue between the leaders of the two countries continues. In parallel, regular contacts are held at the level of our Ministry of Economy institutions. In the coming days, the ordinary meeting of the Russian-Turkish Joint Economic Commission will be held in Ankara. How such meetings will contribute to the economic cooperation between the two countries in the future, how we will solve the problems, how we will use the existing potential in a better way, and such issues will be discussed."

"Shipments are made through the Turkish Stream natural gas pipeline in the volume desired by Turkey."

Andrey Buravov reminded that the issue of "creating a natural gas centre in Turkiye" was announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who said that the two parties were working on the details.

Stating that natural gas shipments from Russia continue through various channels, Buravov said, "Finally, gas shipments are made through the Turkish Stream natural gas pipeline in the volume desired by Turkiye and there is potential. Also, there is a potential for sending this natural gas to third countries that want to receive it through Turkiye," he said.

Reminding that the construction of the first nuclear power plant in Turkiye continues, Buravov pointed out:

"The first reactor is about to come into operation, and not only a new facility is being established here, but also a new branch of the economy is being created in Turkiye. Regarding atomic energy, we are talking about a wider range than atomic energy, and the personnel who will work in this branch will be at the level of engineers and technicians. The training is done in Russia. In this way, a new group of engineers who can work in nuclear energy will be created in Turkiye. I think this is a very important factor."

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23 November 2023 18:51 (UTC+04:00)

Turkish Commerce Minister Omer Bolat gave a speech at the opening of the Smart Building Technologies and Electrical Lighting Fair (A-TECH) held at the Istanbul Expo Centre. He said that the electricity and electrical devices sector, which has an important place in the world, is developing very rapidly in Turkiye.

Stating that this sector accounts for more than 10 percent of world industrial production, Bolat said, "When we consider the recent and near past, we are very pleased to see how successfully our country has progressed in this field. We would like to thank our industrialists, producers, and entrepreneurs in this sector," he said.

Stating that global trade in the sector was at the level of $3.7tr last year and China, Taiwan, South Korea, and the USA were in first place at this point, Bolat said, "As Turkiye, our exports of electrical and electronic products have shown a great increase. In the last 5 years, the sector's exports increased from $8.7bn to $13.7bn. In other words, at a time when the world is struggling with crises such as epidemics, wars, energy crises, food crises, droughts, and climate change, the sector in our country increased its exports by $5bn. I heartily congratulate you all. At this point, we reached $12.5bn in exports in the first 10 months of 2023, a 15 percent increase in this sector. In a year when world trade developed nearly 5 percent, a 15 percent export increase in the electrical devices and electronic products sector is a great success," he said.

"We have a target of exporting 375 billion dollars of goods and 200 billion dollars of services for 2028"

Pointing out that they have big targets in this sense, Minister Bolat noted that exports increased from $36bn in the last 21 years to $254bn last year and that $256bn of goods exports will be reached this year, which is a 7.5-fold increase.

"Again, in the last 21 years, services exports, which were $12bn, reached $89bn last year," Bolat said and continued:

"This year, hopefully, we will exceed $100 billion in service exports. Here too, a 6.5-fold increase was achieved. We have targets of $375bn billion in goods exports and $200bln in service exports for 2028. As the Ministry of Commerce, we spend more than 60 percent of our budget on both goods and services. We have allocated both services and support for our exporters. As the ministry staff, we are all with you and at your service. You can contact us at any time. Our door is open 24 hours a day. I want to say this clearly."

"We provided support to more than 17 thousand exporters in 2023"

Minister Bolat stated that they support participation in 1500 international fairs in 80 countries, and the Smart Building Technologies and Electrical Lighting Fair is also within the scope of ministry support.

In this sense, Bolat stated that they organised more than 200 sectoral trade delegations to more than 60 countries for exporters and provided support to more than 17 thousand exporters in 2023, and said, "We will continue our work non-stop. The private sector, the government, and the public, hand in hand, will lead Turkiye to exports. Our greatest mission and goal is to become a more prosperous, more successful, and more powerfully developed country with a growth model based on economic growth and to increase the welfare and purchasing power of our people," he said.

"We are ready to cooperate on carbon tax regulation at the border"

Stating that there are green and digital transformation harmonisation studies within the framework of the European Green Deal and that Turkiye has initiated the necessary legal regulations on this subject, Bolat continued his speech as follows:

"As the Ministry of Commerce, we are the leading organisation in all inter-ministerial coordination efforts. We are ready to cooperate in preparing our business world for the carbon tax regulation at the border that will start on January 1, 2026, and not to impose new costs on you. We continue our work."

Minister Bolat added that they have prepared new support packages for exporters.

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23 November 2023 20:50 (UTC+04:00)

About 2-2.5 million Chinese tourists can visit Russia in 2024, said Alexander Osaulenko, vice president of the Russian Tourist Industry Union (RST) told a press conference, Azernews reports, citing TASS.

"I think that we can easily receive and serve between 2 and 2.5 million Chinese tourists next year," he said.

The expert noted that in 2023, the mechanism for visa-free group tourist exchange between countries is being fine-tuned. So far, Chinese tourists are received mainly in the territories bordering China.

"I hope that in 2024 we will see them not only in the border regions of the Russian Federation - in Transbaikalia, in the Far East - but also on large scale in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kaliningrad, Kazan, in the south of the Russian Federation," Osaulenko said.

As Executive Director of the Alliance of Travel Agencies (ATA) Natalia Osipova said during a press conference, introduction of visa-free travel for individual travelers from China could have a positive impact on the Chinese tourist flow. Currently, this regime is valid for groups of tourists from China.

Earlier, the press service of the Economic Development Ministry reported that the mutual tourist flow between Russia and China in 2023 will be about 500,000 people. In pre-Covid 2019, the mutual tourist flow reached 4 million people - approximately 2 million people on each side.

The first group of tourists from China arrived in Russia under a group visa-free exchange agreement on August 10, 2023. The document implies that tourists in a group of 5 to 50 people can visit the neighboring country without obtaining a visa and stay there for up to 15 days.

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Canberra liberals are trying to shore up support for next year's elections by pledging to conduct an independent review of the annual kangaroo cull.

The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) government said that the policy was a "baffling" political stunt. Officials said that this is because the yearly culls were already independently reviewed. Parts of the nation's capital have some of the highest-density populations of kangaroos in the country.

Canberra Liberals Pledge to Review Kangaroo Culls

Australian rangers have overseen regular culls for more than a decade and said that the animals' overgrazing damages the habitats of a range of endangered animal, insect, and plant species.

In 2023, officials killed off more than 1,000 kangaroos across five ACT nature reserves. In a statement, liberal leader Elizabeth Lee said that if her party wins office next year, they would stop the yearly culls until a review is completed and alternative practices are investigated.

She added that the evidence of the culls' environmental effectiveness was contested. Lee noted that there have been many stakeholders and experts who provided conflicting advice on what needs to be done about the kangaroo population, as per ABC.net.

Lee also cited a CSIRO report from 2014 that was unable to decisively conclude that the ACT's kangaroo population significantly damages biodiversity in the region. She added that many people in Canberra were concerned about whether or not the killings were being carried out humanely.

The suggested independent review of liberals would investigate several issues that Lee said were disputed. These include the methodology for counting kangaroos, alternatives to culls, and the environmental impacts of bushfire-level reduction.

On the other hand, ACT Environment Minister Rebecca Vassarotti said that the opposition's election pledge was confusing. She added that the city's yearly culls were already independently reviewed and that the staff who were involved regularly published peer-reviewed studies about their work.

Vassarotti said that the Australian government's independent reviewer wrote to stakeholders last week and invited them to participate in the review. The minister added that the annual activation of the Eastern Grey Kangaroo Management program is a necessary part of good environmental stewardship, according to City News.

Read Also: Australia Releases Stateless Rohingya Man, Urges 6 Countries To Resettle After High Court Challenge

Controversial Kangaroo Management Program

She noted that the situation is not as simple as putting a hold on all program activities, noting that kangaroo management is the difference between a healthy environment and the destruction of native ecosystems.

The development comes as in June, parks and reserves across Australia's capital were closed to allow shooters to gun down kangaroos. They planned to target 1,402 eastern greys as part of this year's culls.

This year, the program has a funding allocation of $620,000 as authorities claim that 66% of locals support the culls. On the other hand, Jane Robinson from the advocacy group Save Canberra's Kangaroos believes that shooting adults and clubbing joeys is the "nastiest, cheapest" form of animal management.

Last year, the Greens-Labor government allowed the killing of 1,645 kangaroos, including 608 pouch young. Robinson argued that instead of using guns, the government should create better wildlife corridors. She said that this would allow animals to migrate between habitats when they are landlocked by development, said Yahoo News.

Related Article: Pro-Palestine Protesters Demonstrate In Front of ABC's HQ in Sydney

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23 November 2023 22:25 (UTC+04:00)

The Ministry of Energy has identified the winner of the bid for the construction of a new wind power plant in Karakalpakstan, Azernews reports, citing Kun.uz News Agency.

As part of the project, it is planned to build a wind farm with a capacity of 200 MW and an electricity storage system with a capacity of 100 MW in the Beruniy and Karauzak districts. The tender, with the support of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, started in April 2022.

The initial selection included proposals from nine companies from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, China, India, France and Turkey. Of these, two participants submitted their commercial proposals at the final stage, the opening of which took place on November 22.

ACWA Power JSCs proposal was recognized as the best. The Saudi company offered a price of 4.09 cents per 1 kWh of electricity.

Its main competitor, Abu Dhabi Future Energy PJSC, Masdar, priced the project at 4.99 cents per kilowatt-hour. An energy concern from the UAE became the reserve winner of the competition.

Now we have to conclude an agreement with the winner and approve all the necessary documents. The company will design the future power plant, provide financing for the work and operation.

ACWA in Uzbekistan is implementing a number of projects. Thus, the company is constructing two wind power plants in Karakalpakstan  1.5 GW and 100 GW  and is working on two 500 MW wind farms in the Bukhara region.

The Saudi company also signed agreements on the creation of two photovoltaic power plants and energy storage complexes in the Tashkent and Samarkand regions. In addition, ACWA will invest $88 million in green hydrogen production in Chirchik.

Another project in which the company is involved is a 1.5 GW gas power plant in Shirin, Syrdarya region. The first power unit of the TPP started operating on the morning of October 27.

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23 November 2023 17:30 (UTC+04:00)

Laman Ismayilova Read more

Azerbaijan's tourism potential has been promoted in Istanbul, Turkiye.

Around 50 representatives of Turkish travel agencies, including media representatives, took part in the event, organised by the Azerbaijan Tourism Board, Azernews reports.

A presentation was made about the winter tourism centres in Azerbaijan.

The guests of the event were briefed about Azerbaijan's tourism potential, its gastronomy and cultural legacy

Chairman of the Board of the Azerbaijan Association of Travel Agencies Heydaniz Gahramanov and the Executive Director of the Azerbaijan Hotels Association Gunay Saglam took part in the event aimed at promoting Azerbaijani-Turkish cooperation in the tourism field.

It was brought to the attention that 308, 942 people left Turkiye for Azerbaijan in ten months, which is 20 percent more than the same period last year and 18 percent more than the same period in 2019.

Earlier, the State Tourism Board promoted Azerbaijan's tourism potential at Qatar Travel Mart 2023.

Seven local tourism industry partners represented Azerbaijan in the fair, which aims to support and enhance the competitiveness of the tourism sector in Qatar.

The national pavilion provided insight into the country's tourism potential, including must-see places, ecotourism, health and winter tourism opportunities, and samples of national cuisine.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @lmntypewriterrr

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A legal dispute over groundwater rights in the Cuyama Valley has led small ag producers in the area to call for a boycott of products sold by 
The family of Abigail Mor Edan, the youngest American held hostage by Hamas, wishes for her to return on her fourth birthday on Friday.

Edan's parents were killed in the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.

Edan's Family Wishes for Her Return

The US-designated terrorist organization released women and children as part of an agreement with Israel. Her family was hoping Edan would be one of the children released.

Edan's great-aunt, Liz Hirsh Naftali, said that their family was not sure whether or not Edan would be released, but they were hoping that the child could come home for her fourth birthday.

On Wednesday, she said they had not heard anything from the news or press yet. She added that they had been praying that Edan would be in one of the first groups, and that was what they had been hoping.

The family said that they still had not seen the list or heard any confirmation, and they were all hoping that she would be released immediately as she was only three years old, and no child should be held captive.

Noa Naftali, Edan's cousin, said, "Every day, 46 days, since October 7, has felt like October 7 for us as we wonder and pray and as our hearts are with our little cousin."

Naftali said that Edan was held captive in Gaza with their neighbors from the Kfar Aza kibbutz, where she, her parents, and her siblings resided. She noted that Edan's parents were killed in front of her and two other older siblings and Edan ran outside to her father, who picked her up but was killed while holding her.

Furthermore, she said that Edan's older siblings remained alive by locking themselves inside a closet for 14 hours.

Edan survived when her father used his body to shield Edan, and she crawled out from underneath him and went over to their neighbor, who took her but was also taken hostage.

Read Also: Supreme Court Rejects Derek Chauvin's Appeal for New Trial in George Floyd Murder Case

Israel-Palestine Agreement

On Wednesday morning, the deal was approved by Israel's government, which was to free at least 50 Israeli hostages in exchange for 150 Palestinian women and minors in Israeli prison on security offenses.

Israel's government also agreed to a four-day humanitarian pause in the war against Hamas in Gaza, which could also be extended.

There were approximately 240 hostages held by Hamas and other terrorist organizations in Gaza. The hostages were abducted during the October 7 attack in which 1,200 people were killed.

The recent protests include tens of thousands of Israelis marching from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem last week, calling to free the hostages.

The crowd in the protest blocked a boulevard, but police made no effort to disperse the crowd. "It is not like the judicial reforms. These are Israeli citizens captive in Gaza, it is much more important," a driver of a stalled Egged bus said.

Related Article: Mastermind of Hamas Attack Yahya Sinwar Remains Alive, Israeli Officials Vow to Kill Him



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Norman Rockwell's Thanksgiving, circa 1928

Norman Rockwell's Thanksgiving, a festive segment of the Four Freedoms series - "Freedom from Want," circa 1943.

Will you be traveling more that 50 miles to be with family on this Thanksgiving - 2012? 19.32% I will be traveling more than 50 miles 69.32% I will be traveling less than 50 miles 11.36% It's not important 88 total vote(s) Voting has Ended!

As America transforms to more of a Socialist sociopolitical economy, do you remain thankful, or do you require more? 76.33% Yes, I am thankful for what I have 11.24% No, I need more free stuff 12.43% The Lord will provide 169 total vote(s) Voting has Ended!

Thanksgiving as a holiday just makes profound sense. It is one of the Unites States's oldest holidays and is emblematic of who Americans are ... or maybe were.In the past, most Americans were thankful for their inherited right to call this nation their home. With the United States of America as one's homeland, Americans were afforded the freedom to work towards a goal, and succeed or fail, but at least they had the freedom to attempt to live out their dream.As of late, we've seen a small, but vocal, segment of Americans show a much greater initiative to whine rather than to work. Wesee students, slackers, anarchists, Socialists, and yes, Big Labor, in the Occupy movements in the 24 hour news cycle, yet there are hardworking, near exclusively Mexicans, who are hopefully legal, restoring roofs all over the eastern North Carolina in the wake of the Hurricane Irene devastation, here in Autumn, 2011. What is wrong with this picture here?Obviously, there is a huge disconnect with some Americans as to what is expected of the individual in a truly free society.Shortly after the 102 Pilgrims, nearly half puritans, landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620, rather than the intended Jamestown, Colony of Virginia, they set up a communal society where they would be free. It did not work as was planned.Long before the systemic economic problems of present day Europe, the horrible initial year of the Pilgrims was one of the the first signals that Socialism does not work.In the early days of this fledgling colony that would become New England, colonists were allowed to work to gather food, build shelter, or to pursue other interests. What eventually occurred is that more than half of the colonists pursued the direction of other interests, and the sustenance to continue the colony could not be sustained. Come the first New England Winter, many within the colony froze or starved to death - a completely untenable position for a colony to be continued.Governor William Braddock, whose sole charge was to sustain the colony, decreed that families would be given a plot of raw land, and their survival would be determined by their willingness to work, to persevere. In short: Your don't work, you don't eat.Within a short two year window of time, and with the help of the indigenous Wampanoag Tribe, the remaining Pilgrims had built the foundation for their very survival. They were relatively warm in the frigid New England Winters, and they had a bounty of food after the 1623 harvest, which they shared with each other and the Wampanoag people, who, in part, provided for their survival.Years later in present day America, we celebrate this tradition of being thankful for the bounty, that has long been the promise of being an American, on the fourth Thursday of November. This established date for this hallowed day of thanks was set, during President Franklin Roosevelt's administration, on December 26, 1941. Previously, the United States of America celebrated Thanksgiving on the last Thursday of November since 1863, when that date was set during President Abraham Lincoln's administration.Americans, who have always worked hard and have much to be thankful for, celebrate this day for the promise that their freedom insures. Hopefully, our vast majority of Americans will continue to understand that there will always need to be sacrifice to sustain that freedom.
We have posted this story each Thanksgiving for several years. We do so again this year. We hope you will teach this story to your children and grandchildren, for surely most of them do not hear about it in public schools.

Property and the First Thanksgiving



By Gary Galles



At Thanksgiving, Americans reflect on their blessings and hope for uplifting family gatherings of togetherness and unity, with the Pilgrims used as examples of peace, harmony, and thankfulness. However, while the Pilgrims' 1623 "way of thanksgiving" represents what we wish to infuse in Thanksgiving, Plymouth Colony before 1623 was closer to a Thanksgiving host's worst fearsresentments surface, harsh words are spoken, and people turn angry and unhappy with one another.



The Pilgrims' unhappiness was caused by their system of common property (not adopted, as often asserted, from their religious convictions, but required against their will by the colony's sponsors). The fruits of each person's efforts went to the community, and each received a share from the common wealth. This caused severe strains among the members, as Colony Governor William Bradford recorded:



" . . . the young men . . . did repine that they should spend their time and strength to work for other men's wives and children without any recompense. The strong . . . had not more in division . . . than he that was weak and not able to do a quarter the other could; this was thought injustice. The aged and graver men to be ranked and equalized in labors and victuals, clothes, etc . . . thought it some indignity and disrespect unto them. And the men's wives to be commanded to do service for other men, as dressing their meat, washing their clothes, etc., they deemed it a kind of slavery, neither could many husbands well brook it."



Bradford summarized the effects of their common property system:



"For this community of property (so far as it went) was found to breed much confusion and discontentment and retard much employment that would have been to their benefit and comfort . . . all being to have alike, and all to do alike . . . if it did not cut off those relations that God hath set amongst men, yet it did at least much diminish and take off the mutual respects that should be preserved amongst them."



How did the Pilgrims move from this dysfunctional system to the situation we try to emulate in our family gatherings? In the spring of 1623, they decided to let people produce for their own benefit:



"All their victuals were spent . . . no supply was heard of, neither knew they when they might expect any. So they began to think how they might raise as much corn as they could, and obtain a better crop than they had done, that they might not still thus languish in misery. At length . . . the Governor (with the advice of the chiefest among them) gave way that they should set corn every man for his own particular, and in that regard trust to themselves. . . . And so assigned to every family a parcel of land . . . "



The results were dramatic:



"This had very good success, for it made all hands very industrious, so as much more corn was planted than otherwise would have been by any means the Governor or any other could use, and saved him a great deal of trouble, and gave far better content. The women now went willingly into the field, and took their little ones with them to set corn, which before would allege weakness and inability, whom to have compelled would have been thought great tyranny and oppression."



That was quite a change from their previous situation, where severe whippings had been resorted to as an inducement to more labor effort, with little success other than in creating discontent.



Despite the Pilgrims' increased efforts in 1623, a summer drought threatened their crops. Following their beliefs, they offered contrition for their sins. Then the drought broke, which led to the Thanksgiving we still try to emulate. And as historian Russell Kirk reported, "never again were the Pilgrims short of food." It is appropriate to remember the Pilgrims as Americans celebrate Thanksgiving. Though we have incomparably more than they did, we can learn much from their "way of thanksgiving."



But we should also remember that our material blessings are the fruits of America's system of private property rights, whose power for peaceful and productive cooperation the Pilgrims began to prove by experiment almost four centuries ago, because those rights, and the freedoms and prosperity they entail, are under constant assault today.



------



Gary M. Galles is a professor of economics at Pepperdine University. See his Mises.org Daily Articles Archive. See also Murray Rothbard's 4-volume history of Colonial America and the American Revolution: Conceived in Liberty.
UPDATE: With almost all votes in and seats unlikely to change, the populist nationalist anti-immigration Party for Freedom has decisively won the Dutch parliamentary election, more than doubling its seats and running far ahead of its nearest rival. Of the four large parties winning double digit seat totals, three were parties of the right. The Party for Freedom won 37 seats, the leftwing alliance between the Labor Party and the Green Left won 25 seats, the traditional conservative VVD won 24 seats, and the new populist nationalist anti-immigration New Social Contract won 20.

Overall, parties of the right won 100 of the 150 seats in the Dutch parliament to 45 for the left and 5 for centrists. Fifteen parties will sit in the new parliament. On the right, populist right parties won 68 seats and traditional parties of the right 32.

On the populist right, in addition to the Party for Freedom and the New Social Contract, the Farmer-Citizen Alliance won 7 seats, the Forum for Democracy 3 and JA21 1. On the traditional right, in addition to the VVD, the Christian Democratic Appeal won 5 seats and the Reformed Party 3.

While neither of the largest populist right parties had their leaders invited to appear on any Dutch news TV interview during the campaign, the performance of Party for Freedom leader Geert Wilders in the one televised debate sent his party soaring in the polls.

https://europeanconservative.com/articles/analysis/geert-wilders-bogeyman-to-the-left-now-in-drivers-seat/

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ORIGINAL POST:

Exit polls in the Dutch parliamentary election show a huge win for Geert Wilders and his populist nationalist anti-immigration Party for Freedom, coming far ahead of other parties and almost doubling its seats from the last election. Wilders has called for a referendum on leaving the European Union (Nexit), banning mosques, and severely cracking down on immigration to achieve "zero asylum seekers".

"We are going to ensure that the Dutchman comes first again," Wilders declared election night.

The Party for Freedom is projected to win 35 seats, with the next largest party, a coalition of the Labor Party and Green Left, at 25 seats, and the traditional conservative VVD third at 24 seats. The only other party expected to be in double digits is the populist / nationalist anti-immigration New Social Contract, likely to win 20 seats in the 150 seat parliament.

The VVD had moved to the right under its new leader, who as Justice Minister has been a hardliner against illegal immigration, after jetisoning former Prime Minister Mark Rutte, a globalist as its leader. Unlike previous elections, the VVD has indicated a willingness to join a coalition with the Party for Freedom but would prefer a prime minister other than Wilders. New Social Contract has also indicated a wllingness to join such a coalition. The three parties would have 79 (UPDATE: 81) seats between them, a majority.

Several days prior to the election, the leader of another populist / nationalist anti-immigration and anti-globalist party, the Forum for Democracy was vicious attacked and injured by ANTIFA thugs and had to be hospitalized.

This election was called early after the coalition formed after the 2021 election which was led by Rutte collapsed over internal disputes over immigration and climate / farm policy. After battles over farm policy, the coalition finally collapsed when Rutte belatedly decided to take some measures against illegal immigration, supported by coalition partner the Christian Democratic Appeal, but resisted by the third coaltion partner, the left-liberal D66. D66 lost heavily in this election, falling from the second largest party to fifth largest.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/11/22/anti-islam-firebrand-geert-wilders-wins-dutch-election/
SB 4 is the bill that every state needs to pass, not just the border states. What comes to the border doesnt remain at the border. It migrates to our cities.

To that end, after several years of dawdling, the Texas legislature last week finally passed SB 4, which empowers state and local law enforcement to arrest illegal aliens for their illegal entry into the state. Given that the effects of the invasion plague every major city, the Texas bill needs to be the beginning of a paradigm shift in the way states address the crisis.

SB 4 also grants state judges authority to return illegal aliens to Mexico. In some instances, however, the crime of entering the state illegally would be punishable by up to six months in jail for first-time offenders and two years for a second offense.

https://www.theblaze.com/columns/opinion/if-enforced-texas-new-immigration-law-would-be-a-game-changer
Confucius Institute, Ghanaian university ink deal to boost Chinese language learning

Xinhua) 08:54, November 23, 2023

Photo taken on Nov. 22, 2023 shows a front gate of the Accra Technical University in Accra, capital of Ghana. The Confucius Institute at the University of Ghana and the Accra Technical University (ATU) on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the introduction of Chinese language and culture in the school. (Photo by Seth/Xinhua)

ACCRA, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Confucius Institute at the University of Ghana and the Accra Technical University (ATU) on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the introduction of Chinese language and culture in the school.

Through the collaboration, students of ATU will acquire proficiency in the Chinese language and culture to deepen student exchange between the ATU and institutions in China.

During the signing ceremony, Wang Jimin, the Institute's Chinese director, described the inking of the partnership as a historic moment.

"It is a solid step forward for vocational schools to deepen cooperation in Chinese language education. We firmly believe that by combining language teaching and cultural activities, we can effectively promote cultural exchanges between our two countries," Wang said.

Wang also praised the ATU for offering the Confucius Institute its trust and support with new opportunities to connect, understand, and respect cultures everywhere through learning exchanges to gain more knowledge and information with the attitude to understand and respect different cultures.

According to the MOU, the Confucius Institute will help ATU with language teaching, cultural activities, language proficiency exams, scholarship applications, and some other services.

Amevi Acakpovi, the acting vice-chancellor of the ATU, said the Chinese language has become important in all spheres of education and the job market due to the trend of globalization, and the collaboration with the Institute would also enable Ghanaian students to acquire Chinese language proficiency to prepare them for their studies in China.

"The collaboration is a pillar and motivation towards our recently signed collaboration to have students continuing in computer science, cybersecurity, and meteorological-related programs in the Nanjing University of Information, Science and Technology," said the acting vice-chancellor. "It will also bring the Chinese language to the doorstep of our students and colleagues who desire to pursue their study in China to learn Chinese here, be certified properly, and then get their way through to China."

Photo taken on Nov. 22, 2023 shows a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signing ceremony between the Confucius Institute at the University of Ghana and the Accra Technical University in Accra, capital of Ghana. The Confucius Institute at the University of Ghana and the Accra Technical University (ATU) on Wednesday signed the memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the introduction of Chinese language and culture in the school. (Photo by Seth/Xinhua)

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Younger Americans are more at risk of getting fooled by holiday scams. This is what an expert from the Better Business Bureau-a non-profit organization focusing on advancing marketplace trust-claims.

As of writing, most Americans who are younger than 30 years old spend more time on the internet. Teens tend to scroll on social media for hours to entertain themselves or find important news about critical happenings in the world.

Meanwhile, those 20 years old and above access the internet for work purposes or gigs. But, spending more time on the internet exposes them to more scams that can drain their bank accounts.

Younger Americans More At Risk of Holiday Scams

BBB expert Tom Stephens claimed that younger Americans tend to be more at risk of holiday scams.

"The 18-24 age group gets scammed more than anybody," he said via WTOC.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation also said that over 12,000 U.S. residents have fallen victim to holiday shopping scams in 2022.

Most of these fraud campaigns are online surveys, gift cards on social media platforms, as well as fake advertising messages. All these scams aim to steal sensitive information, especially bank details.

Stephens explained that younger Americans are more at risk of holiday scams because they spend more time on the internet compared to other people.

He clarified that older individuals also fall victim to these scammers. Although not often, people over 30 years old lose more money when they get fooled by cybercriminals.

Read Also: TikTok Shop Scam Alert Issued by BBB-Offers Tips on How to Avoid Fake, Faulty, Non-Existent Products

Most Common Holiday Scams

If you are among the younger Americans who spend hours scrolling online, Morgan Stanley provides the most common holiday scams you need to look out for.

These fraud campaigns include the following:

Gift Card Scams

Social Media Scams

Package Delivery Scams

Missed Package Scams

"Brushing" Scams (this scam aims to create fake reviews by giving away cheap products)

What Younger Americans Can Do

Now that you know the most common holiday scams that might target you, it is time to learn the things you can do to avoid getting fooled by them.

To avoid becoming one of the holiday scam victims this 2023, here are some tips you can follow:

If you receive unknown suspicious email messages, never click the attachments or links.

If you suspect that you accessed some scam website or accidentally clicked a suspicious email message, monitor your bank accounts as soon as possible.

Always shop on online websites with "https" and those with the padlock icons in their links.

Try using your credit card when doing online transactions.

Check the reviews and the online seller account's history.

Related Article: How To Avoid Black Friday Christmas Scams: UK Finance Shares Tips to Parents

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Series is back with a brand new cast and murder investigation

Filming begins for the police drama Showtrial in Corporation Street in Belfast city centre on Wednesday. Picture by Peter Morrison

Filming begins for the police drama Showtrial in Corporation Street in Belfast city centre on Wednesday. Picture by Peter Morrison

Filming is under way in Belfast for season two of hit BBC drama Showtrial  brought to the small screen by the makers of Line of Duty.

The show is back with a brand new cast and murder investigation.

Season two focuses on a high-profile climate activist Marcus Calderwood who is left for dead in a violent hit and run, but uses his dying moments to identify his killer  a serving policeman.

From the victims last breath to the jurys final verdict, Showtrial takes us into the worlds of the charismatic and cocky officer Justin Mitchell; Sam Gill, an anxious defense solicitor with a reputation for winning lost causes; and Leila Hassoun-Kenny, a rigorous CPS lawyer leading the case against the accused.

Filming begins for the police drama Showtrial in Corporation Street in Belfast city centre on Wednesday. Picture by Peter Morrison

The new season stars Bafta award-winner Adeel Akhtar, Nathalie Armin and Michael Socha and will once again centre around a hotly contested criminal trial that divides the nation and takes place in the full glare of the media spotlight.

Actress Zoe Telford, who was recently announced as joining the cast, was spotted during filming this week.

Showtrial creator and writer Ben Richards said: I am very grateful to the BBC for the opportunity to explore another sensational trial which I hope will be just as entertaining as our first outing. I love writing Showtrial and Im honoured to have a cast of such high quality to deliver it.

Showtrial is produced with support from Northern Ireland Screen, in association with ITV Studios.

Series one is available to stream now in full on BBC iplayer.
Queen Camilla was praised for making reading sexy as she hosted the Booker Prize shortlisted authors  and was given the trophy for safe keeping.

Sir Ben Okri paid tribute to Camilla, a passionate reader and patron of a number of literacy charities, saying her example had encouraged others to delve into books.

The poet and novelist, whose book The Famished Road won the Booker Prize in 1991, said: She sets a very good public example, she makes reading sexy, and makes it appealable to the public, and makes it something that you ought to do.

Camilla chats with authors Sir Ben Okri and Penelope Lively during the Booker reception (Chris Jackson/PA)

Its very, very important, reading, literacy needs all the help it can get.

The Queen welcomed the Booker Prize Foundation which runs the awards to her Clarence House home and at the end of the event was asked to look after the trophy ahead of the presentation ceremony on Sunday.

She told her gathered guests: I just wanted to say thank-you to all the writers who enhance our life, we couldnt do without your all.

Ive always said reading is an escapism, whatever is happening in your life, and if you feel its difficult to cope with, you can pick up a book and just go off into another world.

Camilla told her guests how reading is an escapism (Chris Jackson/PA)

So if it wasnt for all of you, and all the publishers, and all the agents that help you put your books on the map, it would be a very sad world.

The Booker Prize is one of the worlds leading literary awards that recognises talent from around the globe, and has helped to make household names of authors like Margaret Atwood, Hilary Mantel and Sir Salman Rushdie, who are past winners.

None of this years six Booker finalists  two Americans, a Canadian, two Irish and a British author  have been shortlisted before and their books explore themes ranging from immigration, political extremism and erosion of personal freedom to grief.

The six shortlisted books for this years Booker Prize (Chris Jackson/PA)

Sir Ben gave an impassioned speech championing the importance of books, telling the Queen and her guests: We know that stories told well and truthfully can shake the world and bring quiet liberation. We know literature is a force for good in an ever darkening world.

He said Camilla is someone who loves reading and who also champions the rights of writers to write freely and unfettered, for a fairy tale is not an unreal fact, taking place in a real world. It is a transformative act taking place in a resistant world.

Magic is only possible because reality is hard. And all fairy tales take place against the background of what Schopenhauer would call the suffering of the world.
American expats here will be serving up turkey, cranberries and pumpkin pie today to mark Thanksgiving. Gillian Halliday finds out more about the tradition

Turkey is the centrepiece of any Thanksgiving meal

Today, from east to west coast, millions of Americans will be gathering together to celebrate Thanksgiving  a national holiday that sees loved ones enjoy a traditional feast of roast turkey, cranberry stuffing and pumpkin pie.

Although on this side of the Atlantic it may have all the trappings of Christmas dinner come early, it is an important date in the US calendar with its origins in New England in the 17th century.

In 1621 a harvest feast was shared by the English colonists and the indigenous Wampanoag people  widely attributed to be the first official Thanksgiving meal, although there are differing accounts as to how the celebration came about. Always held on the fourth Thursday each November, the meal  like Christmas  has become one of the few occasions when people spend special family time together.

Keen to maintain the tradition on this side of the Atlantic, Queens University has been holding a Thanksgiving event for the past decade.

Mylie Brennan's Thanksgiving pies

Last year US consul general Paul Narain met with students, and today his successor James Applegate will once again be enjoying the festivities.

Queens pro-vice chancellor for Internationalisation, Professor Margaret Topping, told Belfast Telegraph the holiday has become a regular highlight in the university calendar.

We have long had links with the US, and recently welcomed the US special envoy Joe Kennedy and a trade delegation to showcase the impact our students and our university have on wider society, to help drive prosperity in Northern Ireland, she said.

Every day sees new tourists, businesspeople, academics and visitors from the USA arrive in Belfast city.

And each year we are proud to provide opportunities for our staff and students to travel to America to engage in life-changing work and educational opportunities.

This exchange of people and ideas is hugely important and helps makes Queens the diverse and internationally esteemed university we are so proud of.

Third year PhD student Mylie Brennan (29) from Indiana and her 30-year-old husband Hunter will be enjoying their own celebration..

They said they were surprised by the curiosity from their friends in Belfast about the holiday.

I accidentally hosted 18 people the first year, and had to pare back after that for a lack of chairs at our house, she explained.

Were considering hosting two Thanksgivings this year so no one is left out!

Meghan Sheehan, partner Kevin Gartside and their children Jackson and Alanna

Although the origins of the holiday has settled on the date of 1621 in New England, there are other schools of thought about the history.

In 1963, in an attempt to reconcile the different narratives, President John F Kennedy acknowledged the separate claims by saying: Over three centuries ago, our forefathers in Virginia and in Massachusetts, far from home in a lonely wilderness, set aside a time of thanksgiving.

On the appointed day, they gave reverent thanks for their safety, for the health of their children, for the fertility of their fields, for the love which bound them together, and for the faith which united them with their God.

Mylie pointed out that growing up, an official Thanksgiving narrative is told to children  of how the European settlers were embraced by the local tribes and they ended up sharing a meal, hence the tradition of serving turkey. In recent years Thanksgiving has come under scrutiny from some commentators, who have criticised it as a period that has effectively whitewashed the impact the English settlers had on the native American people, thousands of whom were killed and forced from their traditional lands.

This has prompted some in the United States to hold a national day of mourning every November 24 instead, viewing it as a celebration of the conquest of native Americans by colonists, or an embellished tale of Pilgrims and natives looking past their differences to sit together and share food.

It was interesting the questions about it from our friends, remarked Mylie.

My friends would ask: What were you taught about what really happened? And I didnt expect that.

Her guests also didnt expect another common tradition of the holiday.

Mylie added: Its standing in a big circle, and I asked my friends to say one thing they were thankful for.

I think they thought it was silly.

While some of what goes into making a traditional Thanksgiving meal also falls under a traditional Christmas Day dinner  roast turkey, mashed potato and stuffing  there are other elements that would be less familiar to us, such as sweet potato casserole topped with toasted marshmallow, and pecan or pumpkin pies.

This means Mylie and Hunter have to order some ingredients online, as well as taking a visit to one of the citys foodie landmarks.

Sawers in Belfast is the only place that we can get pumpkin puree. All the Americans and Canadians flock there, Sawers cant keep it on the shelves, she said.

Its carbs on carbs on carbs. One of my favourite parts of the meal are devilled eggs, which I thought would be more popular here, but Ive found that theyre not that well-known.

Turkey is the centrepiece of any Thanksgiving meal

Celebrating Thanksgiving in a foreign land has meant some of her friends have come to their home with prepared dishes that often boast a culinary twist  and the responses can be a little mixed.

Mylie explained: One of my friends made a sweet potato casserole with goats cheese.

Its not traditional, but it was really good.

One of my friends is a chef and he was asked to make a dish of green beans cooked in cream of mushroom soup, and he just said to me: This is an abomination.

Another turned up with chipolatas  and I have never heard of them before.

Mylie is a vegetarian, while Hunter has remained a meat-eater, which means hes in charge of the centrepiece of the meal, the turkey.

My husband comes from a family of butchers so he takes care of the meat, Mylie added.

We normally take a day off to do the cooking, but my husband has a new job so this year well be doing midnight turkey.

She admits that she appreciates Thanksgiving even more now, particularly in the wake of the pandemic.

She said: Just having your friends around a table, all together, is special, especially after Covid.

Its just about expressing what you feel gratitude for.

Fellow mid-Westerner Meghan Sheehan, who hails from Wisconsin, and her partner Kevin Gartside and two children Jackson and Alanna live in east Belfast.

While she relocated from the US to the UK more than a decade ago, it is only when she came to Belfast that Thanksgiving became a significant occasion for her again.

She explained: Ive been in the UK for 15 years, 13 of which have been in London and the last two in Belfast, and its been a proper Thanksgiving I do with my Belfast family, who have really embraced the tradition.

Its nice to hear my Belfast nephew say: Are we going to Megs for Thanksgiving dinner?

You are 13! Thanksgiving isnt a thing for you! But I think its great.

I have my box of stuffing ordered, which I know is shameful, but I love it.

Youre not meant to make Thanksgiving about the best food, its not Jamie Olivers moment to shine.

This is the best of Mid-West 1980s America and its that moment to shine, and that means putting marshmallows on sweet potato.

Is it gross? Of course it is. Thats why I never opt to eat that, but its so delicious  its so wrong but delicious.

Meghans approach to the meal is that its not meant to be haute cuisine.

In fact, its central appeal to her is that its the exact opposite.

She added: Do I make my own homemade stuffing with classy spices?

No, I order it and it comes in a box and its Stove Top [stuffing mix].

All the things I can have from home I get.

I even have this electric oven  and everyone needs to get this  its an enormous lightweight tin oven that you plug in and Id never been able to find one in the UK, but this gigantic converter box that I plug my turkey roaster into and I love it.

My mom, my sisters and both my grandmothers all have one, and you plug that bad boy in  its Thanksgiving, it smells like Thanksgiving, and it frees up your oven.

While Meghan has incorporated roast potatoes into her Thanksgiving meal since moving to this side of the Atlantic, her favourite food element of the celebration is green bean casserole.

Its another all-American classic, and actually if you use a proper recipe, it tastes better.

You take lightly cooked green beans, and you mix it with a thick mushroom soup and you sprinkle fried onions on top.

I appreciate that it sounds disgusting, but its delicious. Even my four-year-old eats it, everyone eats it.

Theyll look at the sweet potatoes and say: This is disgusting. And I just say: But have you tried the creamy casserole?

Ive tried making it not on Thanksgiving, but it doesnt taste as good. Its integral to the meal.

Shes keen for her children to share in her love of the holiday as they grow up, and to continue the tradition themselves.

She said: It probably will be the most influential moment to their connectivity to the States.

Well do the trips, and my parents will come here, but this is the most American tradition I can give them, even more than the Fourth of July.

If they keep any single tradition, I hope that they keep Thanksgiving.

I hope that they do Thanksgiving with their kids.

Even having complex feelings towards everything that has been happening in the States right now, its the one cultural aspect in America that has not been sullied in any way, which is ironic because its about wiping out a native civilisation.

The historical aspects of the holiday are explored at the Ulster American Folk Park in Omagh, where events are held to mark Thanksgiving.

Part of it will see actors portray a family who have emigrated from Ireland during the American Civil War period.

Visitors will get to meet the Partridges of Slippery Rock, who live in a log house in western Pennsylvania. The family are anxiously preparing the turkey for their Thanksgiving feast while awaiting the return of their only son Joseph, an infantryman the Union Army.

John-Paul Coyle, general manager at the museum, told Belfast Telegraph: Its about families coming together with the traditional Thanksgiving food such as Succotash, which is an indigenous dish made mostly of sweetcorn and lima beans.

The word itself is indigenous and means broken corn.

It became a standard New England dish, popular in Pennsylvania for Thanksgiving, along with the turkey, so you get all these lovely smells of the celebration.

Its a really lovely, simple event, and on the Irish side of the family, they get letters from their relatives in the New World about their celebrating.

Well also have dancing in the barn.

People will be able to enjoy apple pie, follow along to the steps of 17th century folk dance the Virginia reel, and watch re-enactments of Civil War battles by The Minstrel Boys Living History group. John-Paul said the park gets many US visitors at this special time of the year.

He added: The events are quite similar, we like to keep it traditional. We hold them on the weekend rather on the day itself because obviously its not a [bank] holiday. We do get American visitors coming to our Thanksgiving events because its a chance for them to mark it in a historic sense. We also have events that mark Black History Month, as well as events for indigenous Americans.
Man took nearly 180k off customers, which included a sensory room for an autistic child

A building contractor who defrauded unsuspecting customers out of almost 180,000 by taking deposits  up to 50% of total costs in some cases  but never completing the work has been jailed.

Paul McAloon (38) from Eshnadarragh Road, Enniskillen was arrested at Belfast International Airport in March 2022 as he disembarked from a flight.

He admitted 30 counts of fraud by false representation.

Offending occurred between April 2020 and March 2022.

Dungannon Crown Court heard McAloon, who initially denied the charges before later changing his plea, ran a successful building company.

However, it ran into financial difficulties.

Fraudster Paul McAloon pictured at Dungannon Court on October 26

He began taking money from victims as deposits for work, claiming this would commence as soon as possible. However, it never did.

In addition, McAloon would obtain materials from building suppliers which were never paid for.

Addressing McAloon directly, Judge Brian Sherrard said: Your business capacity was to complete on eight to 10 large jobs a year, and youve offered no credible explanation (for) taking on the unsustainable workload within these timeframes.

You could not have believed you could have completed the work you were promising.

Read more Dodgy NI builder pleads poverty after cheating 180k out of more than 20 customers

He noted money paid into McAloons bank account was paid out instantly and he was defaulting on payments owed to suppliers.

Victims all reported him as presenting in a charming and confident manner while seeking significant deposits to secure jobs.

Thereafter you made excuse after excuse, said the judge.

On occasions you would attend to do small quantities of work, all in an effort to stall complaints.

You also promised to return money but it never was. The deposits were used to pay running costs, wages and suppliers for other jobs in progress and not for the work promised.

No stock from suppliers was found at your yard.

Mr Sherrard held McAloon reached a point with his victims where he dishonestly misrepresented his intentions to carry out the work and its clear you need their money to pay the bills for other jobs and keep you company afloat.

When your credit with suppliers ran out you knew you could never have completed the jobs started with your determined promises.

Mr Sherrard said McAloon had a previously good work record, although I temper that with the realisation that your work has caused you to come before the court.

It must have become apparent to you that the obligations made may not be met. You effectively took this money and then fobbed people off who had already given you money with other reassurances which were also false, he added.

The judge accepted the fraud was not to maintain a high-value luxurious lifestyle but rather was to fund McAloons failing business, but it became a roller-coaster which had gone out of control.

However there was some degree of planning involved and you continued when it was quite apparent your obligations would not be met, Mr Sherrard said.

Read more Woman accused of defrauding Co Antrim hotel by using stolen credit card has case returned to Crown Court

Imposing a term of two years imprisonment to be divided equally between custody and on licence, the judge concluded: The most significant aspect for me is that so many people were affected by your fraud.

These are people who worked hard and saved hard for the home improvements they paid for but did not receive.

Windows were left unfinished as was a dog run and even a sensory room for a child with autism was left uncompleted. The inconvenience, loss, stress and distress of the victims is obvious.
An Englishman charged with having an estimated 200,000 worth of cannabis seized at Belfast docks is set to make full admissions, a court heard today.

Jamie Fletcher, 33, was arrested by police in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Organised Crime Team officers carried out the port operation in partnership with HMRC and Harbour Police.

Herbal cannabis with a street value of up to 200,000 was recovered, according to the PSNI.

Fletcher, of Montgomery House in Manchester, Lancashire, appeared at Belfast Magistrates Court charged with possessing Class B drugs with intent to supply on dates between October 1 and November 22.

Read more Alleged New IRA leaders among four fined over illegal protest outside jail

He faces a further count of using a motor vehicle without insurance, namely a Vauxhall Corsa stopped at the port terminal.

A detective said he could connect him to the alleged offences.

Fletcher did not seek bail during the brief hearing where no further details were disclosed about the operation.

However, defence solicitor David Jones told the court his client made full admissions in police interviews and wanted to have the case dealt with as soon as possible.

District Judge Anne Marshall remanded Fletcher in custody until December 21.
A woman accused of defrauding the Rosspark Hotel by using a stolen credit card to pay for the bill has had her case returned to the Crown Court.

In addition to allegedly defrauding the Co Antrim hotel, Iulea Iliescu (34), with an address in Portrush but who is being currently held in jail, is also accused of having numerous items in order to commit fraud.

A bench warrant was previously issued for her male co-accused, Selvis Sali (50), whom police are still hunting.

Romanian national Iliescu is alleged to have possessed credit cards, card readers, mobile phones, SIM cards, a laptop, notebooks containing third-party details and third-party correspondence to commit fraud.

Appearing at court by videolink from Hydebank Womens Prison today, Iliescu confirmed she was aware of the six charges against her and did not object to her case being returned to the Crown Court.

Co-accused Selvis Sali is being hunted by police

Iliescu, with an address at Coverall Court, Portrush, faces one charge of having items in connection with fraud and five counts of fraud by false representation, all allegedly committed between January and March this year.

Co-accused Sali failed to attend court last month and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest.

Previous courts heard claims that Sali and Iliescu had stayed for several days in the Rosspark Hotel in Kells and ran up bills for food and room service before they allegedly tried to pay for it with a fraudulent credit card.

Read more Former Belfast councillor Jolene Bunting given conditional discharge for taking part in unlawful protocol parades

A search of a vehicle allegedly connected with the pair uncovered stolen documentation, as well as other credit cards and a card reader.

In court today, a prosecution lawyer submitted there was a case for Iliescu to answer, which was conceded by defence solicitor Stewart Ballentine.

Returning the case to Antrim Crown Court, District Judge Nigel Broderick scheduled the arraignment to be heard on December 14, remanding Iliescu back into custody in the meantime.
An interim arrangement involving both HPV testing and cytology screening had been in place this year.

Around 3% of negative HPV tests in the last year showed abnormal changes on cytology screening

The Public Health Agency has continued to urge women to come forward for their cervical screening ahead of the planned switch to HPV-first screening next month.

The screening helps detect signs of cervical cancer, which develops slowly over time in a woman's cervix.

Before cancer appears in the cervix, the cells go through changes known as dysplasia, during which abnormal cells begin to appear in the cervical tissue.

Over time, if not destroyed or removed, the abnormal cells may become cancerous and begin to grow, spreading more deeply into the cervix and the surrounding areas.

Almost all cases of cervical cancer are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). There are over 100 different types of HPV, with a small number of high risk types known to cause cancer.

Cervical cancer is one of the few cancers that can be prevented by screening, and many lives have been saved since it was first introduced here in 1988.

The screening test  commonly known as the smear test  looks for abnormal changes in the cells that line the cervix, the lower part of the womb, which may develop into cancer if left untreated.

Under the current screening model, all smears are checked under a microscope to identify potential abnormalities, a process known as cytology.

But under the full primary HPV testing system, all cervical samples will be firstly tested for the presence of HPV.

Cytology will then be carried out on those that are HPV positive to identify potential cell changes. This method of screening has been shown to be a better first step in identifying abnormalities that may progress to cancer.

As an interim measure, a temporary arrangement was put in place in 2023 to both manage the backlog and ensure those at the highest risk of developing cancer are identified using a two-step process known as co-testing.

This uses HPV testing as a method of triage to identify those at higher risk as well as the existing cytology investigation of samples.

During that time, around 1,085 samples collected tested negative for HPV while also producing an abnormal result on cytology, representing around 3% of the total 41,649 samples processed.

The PHA has stressed that the discovery of abnormal changes does not always mean the patient has cervical cancer and said the majority of those detected are low grade changes.

They said the new process would be more effective, and will bring Northern Ireland into line with the rest of the UK and in the Republic of Ireland, but the change was only signed off in March 2022 by then-Health Minister Robin Swann.

"This [interim] model was introduced as a short-term solution to address a specific issue whilst planning is under way for the implementation of full primary HPV testing, which is recommended as clinical best practice by the UK National Screening Committee, said a spokesperson.

"It is not designed to be a long-term arrangement as it is not a clinically recommended or sustainable operational model.

Around 3% of negative HPV tests in the last year showed abnormal changes on cytology screening

The PHA said the introduction of full HPV testing in Northern Ireland would help to eradicate the backlog in testing by removing the need for all samples to undergo cytology.

"Primary HPV testing has been shown to be a better first step in identifying abnormalities which may progress to cancer, and has been used in the screening programme as a triage process since 2013 to inform which patients require further assessment, they said.

"The pathway involves testing all cervical samples for the presence of HPV, and then undertaking cytology for those that are HPV positive to identify potential cell changes.

"This pathway has been introduced elsewhere in the UK and RoI. Planning for full implementation of primary HPV testing into the cervical screening pathway here is progressing as an urgent priority.

"Correspondence and guidelines on the new pathway will be issued to Trusts and GPs in advance of introduction in Northern Ireland.

As well as urging all women to attend for cervical screening when invited, the PHA also stressed that anyone who experienced symptoms between tests to seek medical help.

"No matter what age you are, if you are concerned about symptoms such as vaginal bleeding after sex, between periods or after the menopause; vaginal discharge that is not normal for you; persistent back or tummy pains; and/ or pain during sex you should seek advice from your GP, even if you attend regularly for screening, they added.

It comes after the Belfast Trust this month announced they would be appealing a decision to suspend its cervical cytology service accreditation.

The move to suspend the service has caused the delay of a major review of 17,000 smear tests in the Southern Trust dating back to 2008.

The Trust said the review was a precautionary measure to double check the correct information was provided to women at that time.
A male motorcyclist is in a critical condition after a road crash in Co Antrim on Wednesday.

The incident occurred on the Cullybackey Road, Ballymena, around 5.45pm.

The motorcyclist (53), was taken to hospital after the crash and police have said he is in a critical condition.

A man in his 20s who was arrested on a number of offences has since been released on bail.

A spokesperson for the PSNI said: "The Cullybackey Road, Ballymena at the junction with the Teeshan Road has reopened following a two vehicle road traffic collision on Wednesday, November 22.

"The incident, which involved a car and a motorcycle, was reported to police at around 5.45pm.

"The male motorcyclist aged in his 50s was taken to hospital for his injuries and his condition is described as critical.

Officers would appeal to anyone who may have witnessed the collision or to anyone with dash cam footage which could assist with their enquiries, to contact them on 101 quoting reference number 1419 22/11/23.

On Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service confirmed they sent two emergency crews to the incident and one person was taken to hospital.

The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service received a 999 call at 5.42pm following reports of a two vehicle crash on Railway View, said the NIAS.

NIAS despatched a rapid response paramedic and two emergency crews to the incident, along with a BASICS doctor.

Following assessment and initial treatment at the scene, one patient was taken by ambulance to Antrim Area Hospital.
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Councillors in Derry City and Strabane were deeply divided over motions that called on the local authority to show solidarity with Palestine.

Pro-Palestine protestors interrupted the meeting by standing with a banner that read Expel the Israeli ambassador.

The S letters on it were written like the symbol of the SS, a Nazi military unit that ran concentration and death camps and killed millions of Jews during the Holocaust.

A small number of protestors wearing face coverings were asked to remove them.

Catherine Hutton of IPSC was then allowed to address the meeting and distanced herself from the banner and any anti-Semitic symbols.

Read more PSNI probing interruption of Derry and Strabane Council meeting by pro-Palestinian protestors

She called for a full ceasefire and thanked the local authority for backing its Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) campaign, but insisted that tangible action should be taken.

Mayor Patricia Logue then asked for a minutes silence to be held for all children who needlessly lost their lives in the conflict.

A number of unionist councillors remained seated.

A protestor called for UUP Alderman Derek Hussey to get out of that seat and a shout of shame on you could be heard from the public gallery.

When contacted by the Belfast Telegraph, Mr Hussey refused to provide any comment, saying he would be making a statement at Thursdays meeting.

DUP councillors have since said they felt intimidated by what they described as an invasion of the council chamber.

At Wednesdays meeting Mr Hussey put forward a motion calling on council to condemn the use of hospitals, camps, schools and other civilian areas by Hamas in a human-shield fashion and its declared aim of eradicating Israel and its people.

It was defeated by 28 votes to seven.

Earlier in the meeting, Sinn Fein councillor Sandra Duffy said what people have witnessed on their TV screens over recent weeks is genocide with the savage bombardment of the Gaza Strip seeing over 15,000 people murdered, with over half of them being women and children.

She added: The targeting of hospitals, schools and refugee camps is disturbing to look at, and also despicable, and it is a breach of international law. It is not a defence  they are simply war crimes and they are collective punishment.

She welcomed a pause but said nothing short of a ceasefire and the release of all hostages is what is needed.

Ms Duffy put forward a motion calling on the council to support an international day of solidarity for Palestine on November 29.

She proposed lighting up council buildings in Palestinian colours and for the council to recommit to its BDS policy against Israel.

A second motion was tabled by People Before Profit councillor Shaun Harkin, who said there is a genocide happening and an attempt by the Israeli government to drive Palestinians out of the Gaza Strip.

Mr Harkin said people are either with the occupier state or against the oppressor state.

His motion also urged the US, UK and Irish Governments to take harsher actions against Israel.

DUP Alderman Niree McMorris said the proposal was not inclusive and asked what kind of message it sends to our Jewish community.

She added: We need to get more inclusive as a council. And this is not inclusive  where were lighting up and were being mindful about one side of the conflict and not the other.

Ms McMorris said the party had no option but to oppose the proposal.

Independent councillor Gary Donnelly insisted that a report be brought before the next full council meeting.

He said there was a frustration with the council about a lack of movement on the BDS policy as he described Gaza as a graveyard for children.

Mr Donnelly said groups have held street protests around Derry for decades marking atrocity after atrocity, adding that this didnt start on October 7.

The independent councillor argued that killing thousands of people is not the path to peace and wont defeat Hamas but will create a next generation of resistance.

UUP Alderman Ryan McCready said the realities of the conflict are abhorrent and there are no winners.

Mr McCready said he took issue with a one-sided proposal. On lighting up council buildings, he said the colours of peace would be more appropriate.

He added that China, Russia and North Korea could be included in a BDS movement as he accused other councillors of being selective.

Mayor Patricia Logue disagreed with accusations of discrimination on the part of the council, saying this started in 1948 and there are 67 differences in rights, entitlements or rules that Israel is imposing on the West Bank so it is apartheid.

SDLP councillor Brian Tierney said people will be waiting a long time if they expect his party to apologise for sending support to stop people from dying.

MPs at Westminster who voted against a ceasefire, he told the meeting, were effectively supporting the war, because theyre not supporting the stopping of it.

The DUP and UUP voted against the proposal, but it passed with 28 for and eight against.
Many people don't know the real dangers posed by social media oversharing.

Ever since the global COVID-19 pandemic happened, online users across the globe started becoming more and more open when it comes to sharing personal information online.

This is now the new norm since lots of people want to improve their social media presence, even those who have no plans of becoming online influencers.

However, cybersecurity experts warned that oversharing on social media can have serious consequences.

Dangers of Social Media Oversharing

Via its official support blog post, Microsoft explained why oversharing on social media platforms is a dangerous thing to do.

"If we're not careful we could be sharing more than we intended, or with a much larger audience than we expected," said the software giant.

Microsoft said that social media oversharing can make it easier for cybercriminals and other bad actors to learn more about you; information can help them create new methods to fool you and other unsuspecting victims.

If this still doesn't concern you, here are other more specific risks posed by social media oversharing:

You might accidentally inform criminals you have valuable objects at home, encouraging them to locate your residence.

Sharing information and photos of family members could make them potential targets of criminals.

Oversharing travel photos and other images showing your activities will let criminals know you're not at home.

Sharing your pet's name, your previous high school, and other personal information can allow hackers and other criminals to answer security questions about your social media and bank accounts.

Read Also: Google Upgrades Bard AI's YouTube Extension To Better Answer Questions About Videos

Top Information to Avoid Oversharing Online

Now that you know the real dangers of social media oversharing, it is time to know the top sensitive information you need to avoid posting online.

MakeUseOf provided some of the most important details that people should never disclose on their social media accounts, such as the following:

Travel information, such as your schedule, plane departure, and arrival, as well as days of being out of town.

Make sure your location data is turned off when taking photos and videos you plan on sharing online.

Stop sharing your personal rants/complaints online.

Avoid sharing personally identifying details, such as driver's license, passport, credit card number, etc.

Don't share self-incriminating information such as when you're driving while drinking, carrying firearms without a license, etc.

Related Article: Meta 2024 US Election Ads Guidelines Update: Advertisements Saying 2020 Election Was Rigged Now Allowed

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
On Wednesday, a meeting of Derry and Strabane Council was interrupted by protesters who criticised the council for not implementing a boycott of Israel and Israeli linked companies.

The PSNI said enquiries were ongoing into "an online video of a verbal altercation at a meeting in the Guildhall".

The Londonderry group of the DUP has said the protest raises significant questions  for both the Chief Executive of the Council and the Mayor following the incident.

In a statement the DUP Group said: At the Council meeting, a large number of protestors, some with their faces covered, gained access to both the public gallery and the floor of the Council chamber itself.

The DUP said there was no attempt by the Mayor to challenge or restrict the activities of the protestors.

"A number of the protestors appeared to enter the chamber through an entrance not accessible by the general public, they said.

All this occurred despite DUP Councillors raising concerns about potential intimidation of elected representatives following an incident after last months meeting.

There are significant questions for the Chief Executive of the Council to answer about the approach taken to the safety of elected representatives, whilst the Mayor needs to explain her approach.

Derry and Strabane Council has been contacted for comment.
DUPs absence has done so much damage, Donaldson needs a lot to show for it but likelihood is he doesnt have much
Dubliner Ross McDonnell has been confirmed dead by his family

The family of award-winning Irish filmmaker Ross McDonnell, who was believed to have died after a body was recovered on a beach in New York, have confirmed his death.

Howth native Mr McDonnell (44), was reported missing by his family after he was last seen on Saturday, November 4 at Fort Tilden Beach, NY, where his bike was found locked up days later.

The Irish photographer was last seen leaving his apartment in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.

Mr McDonnells remains were discovered after New York police received reports of a body found on the beach. His family have now confirmed his death through RIP.ie.

The death has occurred of Ross Alexander McDonnell, Howth, Dublin, unexpectedly, on the 5th November 2023, it says on RIP.ie.

Read more Tributes paid to Emmy award-winning Irish filmmaker after body found on New York beach

The Emmy-award winning filmmaker is the much loved son of Maureen and Nicky, beloved brother of Louise and cherished uncle of Eva.

He will be very sadly missed by his loving parents, sister, niece, aunt, uncles, cousins, extended family and his many dear friends, LJ, and also his colleagues in Ireland, USA and around the world, his official death notice adds.

It is suspected that Mr McDonnell got caught in a current at the Fort Tilden Beach in Queens while going for a swim. No foul play is suspected, law enforcement sources have said.

Mr McDonnell is a three-time Emmy winning director, producer and cinematographer and has worked in documentaries, commercials and features.

He began his career as a photographer before moving into film after his first feature film Colony premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, was a winner at IDFA and nominated for an Irish Film and Television Award.

Ross was living in New York City and frequently travelled between New York and Dublin for work.

Dubliner Ross McDonnell has been confirmed dead by his family

Heartbreaking tributes have been paid across the world of photography by friends of Mr McDonnell, who was described as having both charm and a dynamic personality.

A very dynamic talented photographer who over the years has become my good friend, said Darragh Shanahan of Photo Museum Ireland.

"Ross was always really good at turning up for other people, he added.

Heartfelt condolences have also been flowing in for Mr McDonnell since his family confirmed his death today.

One person said he will be remembered as a very sweet guy with a broad smile and cheeky grin with whom many a great time we had.

He was a one of a kind guy who made a huge difference in this world and he touched so many hearts and souls with his talents and his magic and no doubt he had so much more to give.

Very special and beautiful person who is sorely missed, another person wrote.

A memorial service for Ross will take place at a later date and funeral arrangements will be made later, his family said.
Man and woman also being treated in hospitalEyewitness describes scene of terror as students fell to the groundViolence and looting flares amid subsequent protests in city centre as bus, Luas and garda car set alight and fireworks fired at gardaiTraffic and public transport at standstill in city centre amid protestsGardai praise members of the public who intervened in attack

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald at the scene in Dublin city centre after five people were injured, including three young children, following a serious public order incident involving a man in possession of a knife. Photo: Brian Lawless/PA Wire

Scene of incident where three children and two adults were stabbed in Dublin city centre

A creche worker has been hailed as a hero after she stepped in when a man launched a random stab attack on children who were in her care on a Dublin street.

One child aged five is in a critical condition in hospital, while two other young children and the woman, aged in her 30s, were also being treated for injuries after the knife attack on Parnell Square East in Dublin.

Gardai have ruled out a terror related motive, and are holding a man aged in his 50s who was also injured during the incident.

The heroic woman is being treated for serious stab injuries to her body that she suffered when she tackled the knifeman on Thursday afternoon.

It is understood that before she could intervene with the attacker he had stabbed a five-year-old girl in the neck.

This child is currently in a critical condition in hospital.

This all happened in a matter of seconds and after her very brave actions another two children suffered superficial stabbing injuries to their chest and shoulder in what was a frenzied incident, a source said.

She defended those children with all her strength  all that she was doing was trying to protect those little kids and people in what was is a very built up area in the city centre saw what was happening when they passed the school.

At this stage a number of very brave members of the public including pedestrians and cyclists arrived on the scene and the suspect was taken down after he was hit with a motorcycle helmet in the face, the source added.

Read more Tram, bus and garda cars set on fire as businesses looted in night of havoc in Dublin after knife attack on children

The suspect was arrested at the scene and is being treated in a Dublin hospital after he suffered facial injuries when members of the public became involved.

The children he had targeted were lined up under supervision outside the school as they went from one class to another.

Gardai have ruled out a terrorism motive in relation to the activities of the man who had been living at various addresses in Dublin over the past number of years.

At least three children stabbed near Parnell Square in Dublin

It is understood he is an Irish citizen who had lived here for many years but was not born in Ireland.

Early investigations indicate that he has no link to the school.

One line in the investigation is that the suspect may have suffered a psychotic episode and there has been reports he was seen near the highly respected school in the minutes before the horrific attack at lunchtime today.

Gardai are not looking for any other suspects in relation to the horror attack.

The incident happened at Gaelscoil Cholaiste Mhuire shortly after 1pm today, on Parnell Square East, in the north inner city.

In a second garda briefing on the stabbings on Thursday evening, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said the gardai were not ruling anything out in relation to the stabbings.

Irish President Michael D Higgins said in a statement: All of our thoughts are with each of the children and their families affected by today's horrific attack outside Gaelscoil Colaiste Mhuire in Dublin city centre.

We are particularly thinking of the 5 year old girl and the member of staff caring for her who are both in serious condition in hospital. All of our prayers are with each of them for a full recovery.

The Gardai deserve all of our support in dealing with this incident. This appalling incident is a matter for the Gardai and that it would be used or abused by groups with an agenda that attacks the principle of social inclusion is reprehensible and deserves condemnation by all those who believe in the rule of law and democracy.

Read more Girl (5) in critical condition and two children treated in hospital following Dublin knife attack as cops rule out terrorist link

Garda update

Superintendent Liam Geraghty earlier said preliminary indications are that a male attacked a number of people on Parnell Square East.

"Five casualties have been taken to hospitals in the Dublin region, he said.

"These casualties include three young children, an adult female and an adult male.

"One girl, aged five years, has sustained serious injuries and is currently receiving emergency medical treatment in CHI Temple Street."

He added that a five-year-old boy and six-year-old girl were treated for less serious injuries relating to the incident.

Supt Geraghty said: "The boy has since been discharged from CHI Crumlin. An Garda Siochana is providing support to the parents of all the children. The adult female in her 30s is being treated for serious injuries at the Mater Hospital.

"An adult male in his 50s is also being treated for serious injuries at a hospital in the Dublin region. The scene remains sealed off and a technical examination of the scene is ongoing.

"An incident room has been established at Mountjoy garda station and a senior investigating officer has been appointed. An Garda Siochana is following a definite line of inquiry.

Suspect

Supt Geraghty said that a male in his 50s is a person of interest in the investigation. Gardai are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident.

He praised members of the public who intervened to protect the students, saying: "My understanding is members of the public did intervene at a very, very early stage and we would applaud those members of the public for getting involved in such a traumatic and potentially dangerous situation for themselves.

"We're aware that the public are concerned about the activities that have happened today. The message to them is that we believe that this is a standalone incident, not necessarily connected to any wider issues that are ongoing in the country or in the city, and we need to identify the exact reasons for that happening.

"So we'd ask for people not to jump to conclusions and not to make rash judgments on what may have happened."

The garda superintendent added: "We are dealing not just with the parents of the three children, but parents of the wider group that would have seen and potentially be traumatised as a result of what happened this afternoon.

"My understanding is that the first emergency services were ambulances, and they were there within minutes, followed by An Garda Siochana.

Protests and traffic disruption

There are riots and looting in Dublin city centre this evening after protesters descended on the scene as night fell, with gardai forced to push them back beyond the cordon. Video shows a youth carrying lit cardboard to an unoccupied squad car on Parnell Street, putting it inside and shutting the door, as onlookers cheer, before the car catches fire.

A Luas, a bus and several cars were also set alight, while business premises were also attacked.

Protesters in the city centre were also firing flares and fireworks at the Garda cordon.

Gardai with shields were fending off violent demonstrators attempting to kick and punch them and riot police were deployed.

Many of those attacking gardai had hoods up and their faces covered.

At a second briefing on the stabbings this evening, Garda commissioner Drew Harris labelled the violent scenes as disgraceful describing protesters as a complete lunatic faction driven by far right ideology

He confirmed that a number of garda cars had been damaged and said they had serious pubic order scenes to deal with.

He said that a hooligan faction was using innuendo, which is being spread for malevolent purposes.

And he said: For those engage in public disorder tonight, its our responsibility to bring them to justice.

He said he has given garda units responding to the violence  full direction to make arrests and bring offenders to justice.

He appealed to agitators to calm down, go home and allow us to do these investigations properly.

Reaction

In a statement, the Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO) said its thoughts and prayers were with the students and teachers in the school.

"Our hearts are with the entire school community of Gaelscoil Cholaiste Mhuire following the horrendous incident that has taken place today, a spokesperson for the INTO said. We are thinking of the children, their families and the schools staff during this unimaginably difficult time.

"We are in touch with the school and know teachers around the country will have the school in their thoughts and prayers this evening.

Minister outlines psychological support

The Minister for Education has said that the National Educational Psychological Service is providing support to the school community following the attack.

In a statement, Minister Norma Foley said: I wish to express my deepest sympathies to the three children and the woman who were viciously attacked in Dublin.

"Our hearts and minds go out to all who were injured today and to all of their families, as well as all the staff who care for them in the school and in their creche.

"The National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) is providing support to the school community.

Garda at the scene of a serious incident on Parnell Square East this afternoon. Pic : Colin Keegan / Collins Photos

Eye-witness

An eye-witness described the scene of terror outside the school.

The kids were out walking. All of a sudden, one of them fell to the ground, then another fell to the ground, then another falls to the ground, they said.

Then this guy started running past.

The witness said the assailant was armed with a knife and fell to the ground, following which a load of people jumped on him.

They said that people at the scene then formed a cordon around the assailant to stop him from being assaulted.

The witness said: The police were on the scene pretty quickly. An undercover garda came running up and intervened.

Then the cordon went up and there were people running up and going underneath it, sprinting up the road.

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Anxious parents waiting to collect their children from school gathered at the top of OConnell Street earlier today.

Some stood, breaking the news to passers-by as they phoned relatives, telling them why they would be late arriving home from the school-run.

Emotional parents pushed buggies through the crowd before being stopped at the cordon, stressed by how little they knew about what had happened.

People were trying to attack the man

Another witness, Siobhan Kearney said she saw what she believes was a man attacking children.

She described what she witnessed as "absolutely bedlam".

Ms Kearney told RTE she watched people disarm a man who she said had a knife.

"I looked across the road and I see the man and the stabbing motion with a load of children, so I flew across the road," she said.

"People were trying to attack the man so me and an American lady, we formed a ring around the man. Then, about three minutes later, the ambulance came for the children, and then another ambulance and fire officers came for the man on the ground.

Taoiseach responds

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said: We are all shocked by the incident which has taken place in Parnell Square. A number of people have been injured, some of them children. Our thoughts and our prayers go out to them and their families.

I have been in contact with the Minister for Justice who is keeping me updated. The facts in this matter are still emerging. The emergency services responded very quickly and were on-site within minutes. I thank them for that. Gardai have detained a suspect and are following a definite line of inquiry.

Paschal Donohoe, a Government minister and local Fine Gael TD, said: I am aware of an extremely serious incident that has taken place at Parnell Square in my constituency of Dublin Central.

"My thought and prayers are with the victims of this very serious incident, and their families. Anyone with information is being asked to contact Store Street police station.

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald at the scene in Dublin city centre after five people were injured, including three young children, following a serious public order incident involving a man in possession of a knife. Photo: Brian Lawless/PA Wire

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald said the incident had caused "shock and horror".

In a social media post, Ms McDonald said: "Violent attack at Gael Cholaiste Mhuire Parnell Square has sent shock and horror throughout the community.

"My heart goes out to all the hurt and injured, the parents, teachers but especially the children who have been so traumatised.

"This is beyond words."

Speaking at the scene Ms McDonald added: I know that the gardai acted very swiftly in this matter, but this is certainly the last thing that any of us expected on a Thursday afternoon where children should come safely from school and be collected by their parents.

I pray the injured make a full recovery.

The community is stunned. Stunned and horrified.
Israeli-Irish girl Emily Hand celebrated her ninth birthday while held in captivity by Hamas.

A young Irish-Israeli girl is not on the list of the first 13 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza expected to be released on Friday, her family has said.

The nine-year-old is understood to be being held hostage by militants in Gaza after being captured in the Hamas attack on Kibbutz Beeri on October 7.

A four-day pause in the fighting was due to come into effect today, Thursday, with the hostage releases taking place thereafter, but that choreography was hit with a late hitch.

Under the terms of the breakthrough deal, brokered by Doha and Washington, Hamas militants will free 50 women and children they abducted in exchange for the release of 150 Palestinian women and teenagers from Israeli prisons.

Thirteen Israeli hostages will be released from Gaza on Friday at the start of a four-day truce that Qatar called a catalyst for long-term peace and a glimmer of light at the end of tunnel.

However, Irish-Israeli girl Emily Hand is not on the list of the first 13 hostages set to be released tomorrow, a spokesperson for her family told RTE News.

Earlier, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar told Newstalk Breakfast: Its hard to get accurate information because the situation is dynamic and changing every day.

The information that we have is that the agreement on the ceasefire and the hostage and prisoner exchange is still happening.

But most likely it will be tomorrow before we see it coming into effect.

It will be a four day ceasefire, the release of 50 hostages held by Palestinian militant groups in Gaza, so mainly children and women who have children being released and, in return, Israel will release 150 prisoners who are in their jails. And, again, mainly women and teenage boys being released.

And, in the meantime, there will be no military actions happening for those four days.

So were hoping obviously thats the Irish Israeli girl Emily Hand is going to be released, she is on the priority list.

Thomas Hand

But, speaking to my contacts in the region, even Hamas isnt clear exactly where everyone is, you know, it operates on the basis of cells, theres other groups involved too, so you know, well only know in the next few days as to whether shes one of those being released but shes certainly on the priority list.

So I think all of our thoughts are with her and her family.

I cant imagine what a traumatic experience that is being held captive in a tunnel away from your family.

So hopefully shes out in the next few days.

And, you know, maybe Im a foolish optimist but if there can be ceasefire for four days, maybe there can be a ceasefire for a longer period.

I think its possible that theres some suggestions that it could be extended if more hostages are released.

Of course, it creates some breathing space to get fuel, food, medicine, humanitarian aid into Gaza, which is so important.

Mr Varadkar reiterated his view that there was no military solution to the situation in the Middle East.

He said Israelis and Palestinians either had to live together or a viable two-state solution had to be agreed.
Tanaiste Micheal Martin has agreed to re-engage with the Women of Honour group over its concerns about the proposed terms of reference at a tribunal of inquiry into the Defence Forces.

The tribunal of inquiry will examine the effectiveness of the complaints processes in the Defence Forces in respect of workplace incidents relating to discrimination, bullying, harassment, sexual assault and rape.

The support group for former and current female Defence Force members who allege they were abused in the military held a meeting with Mr Martin on Thursday morning.

Former army captain Diane Byrne said serious issues remain.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting with Mr Martin, she said: It was an extremely frank conversation but he has agreed to re-engage, so conversations will keep going to try to work out the differences that we have with the Terms of Reference.

Were very firm in the position that there are some serious issues here.

Were as keen as anybody to get this resolved and move forward  but only if it is right.

The group also raised its concerns over what it earlier described as a flippant remark from the Tanaiste.

Mr Martin, who is also defence minister, had previously told the group that the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act would not be explicitly included in the inquirys definition of complaints processes as it could include trips, slips and falls.

The Women of Honour had asked Mr Martin to withdraw the remark, which it felt minimised the extremely serious incidents to be covered by the inquiry.

A spokeswoman of the Department of Defence described this characterisation of Mr Martins remarks as unfair.

On Thursday, Ms Byrne said the Tanaiste did not apologise for the comment during the meeting.

Women of Honour member Diane Byrne (Brian Lawless/PA)

He alluded to how he meant that to be. We obviously took it in a different light. That is what it is.

Ms Byrne said the group would continue to explain why the legislation should be included in the definition of complaints processes.

She said the groups request for the negotiations to be taken out of the hands of the Department of Defence and instead be arbitrated through the Department of An Taoiseach has never been entertained.

Tanaiste Micheal Martin (Niall Carson/PA)

We always believe that it is inappropriate. Even if its for perception purposes. Really and truly were talking about the Department of Defence creating a terms of reference that has them included in the review and investigation of it.

Of course, thats a conflict of interest. Weve raised that countless times before and we just havent got any traction on it. We are prepared to keep going on these issues, pending on getting what we need in the terms of reference.

Ms Byrne said the group would continue to engage as long as the Government continues to be reasonable.

Asked if she was hopeful the groups requests would be listened to, she said: Im always hopeful. We wouldnt be doing this if we felt there was no point. This takes an awful lot of time, effort, energy and resources that we dont have.

The Women of Honour group leaving the meeting with Tanaiste Micheal Martin (Brian Lawless/PA)

We are working mothers at home and we have to turn our lives upside down every time we come in here but we do have hope that we will eventually get somewhere with this.

Were not going anywhere. So, if we dont have hope  whats the point?

The group anticipates another meeting with the Tanaiste before Christmas.

She also told reporters that victims are aligned on what they want but it was unclear if all representative groups were.

Ms Byrne said there had been previous requests for multiple groups to meet with officials at the same time, rather than one-on-one engagements.
Gardai rule out terrorist linkGirl (5) fighting for her life in hospital, while boy (5) and girl (6) are being treated for less serious injuriesEyewitness describes scene of terror as students fell to the groundTraffic and public transport at standstill in city centre amid protestsJustice Minister describes it as an 'appalling attack

At least three children stabbed near Parnell Square in Dublin

Gardai have ruled out a potential terrorist link to the stabbing in Dublin in which three young children, a woman and a man were injured.

A suspect has been detained following the incident which happened at Gaelscoil Cholaiste Mhuire shortly after 1pm, on Parnell Square East , in the north inner-city this afternoon.

Gardai have ruled out a potential terrorist link to knife attack.

Superintendent Liam Geraghty said that preliminary indications are that a male attacked a number of people on Parnell Square East.

"Five casualties have been taken to hospitals in the Dublin region.

"These casualties include three young children, an adult female and an adult male.

The scene in Dublin city centre. Image: Irish Independent

"One girl, aged five years, has sustained serious injuries and is currently receiving emergency medical treatment in CHI Temple Street."

He said that a five-year-old boy and six-year-old girl were treated for less serious injuries after the incident in Dublin.

He said: "The boy has since been discharged from CHI Crumlin. An Garda Siochana is providing support to the parents of all the children. The adult female in her 30s is being treated for serious injuries at the Mater Hospital.

"An adult male in his 50s is also being treated for serious injuries at a hospital in the Dublin region. The scene remains sealed off at this time and a technical examination of the scene is ongoing.

"An incident room has been established at Mountjoy Garda Station and a senior investigating officer has been appointed. An Garda Siochana is following a definite line of inquiry.

Scene of incident where at least three children were stabbed in Dublin city centre. Credit: Irish Independent

Superintendent Geraghty said that a male in his 50s is a person of interest in the investigation and gardai are not looking for any one else in connection with the incident.

In a statement the Irish National Teachers Organisation said its thoughts and prayers were with the students and teachers in the school.

"Our hearts are with the entire school community of Gaelscoil Cholaiste Mhuire following the horrendous incident that has taken place today. We are thinking of the children, their families and the schools staff during this unimaginably difficult time.

"We are in touch with the school and know teachers around the country will have the school in their thoughts and prayers this evening," a spokesperson for the INTO said.

All lanes are currently closed as emergency services deal with a serious incident. Diversions are in place.

It comes as an eye-witness described the scene of terror outside the school this afternoon.

The kids were out walking. All of a sudden one of them fell to the ground, then another fell to the ground, then another falls to the ground, they said.

Then this guy started running past.

The eyewitness said the assailant was armed with a knife and fell to the ground and a load of people jumped on him.

They said that people at the scene then formed a cordon around the assailant to stop him from being assaulted.

The witness said: The police were on the scene pretty quickly. An undercover garda came running up and intervened.

Then the cordon went up and there were people running up and going underneath it, sprinting up the road.

Anxious parents waiting to collect their children from school gathered at the top of OConnell Street earlier today.

Some stood, breaking the news to passers-by as they phoned relatives, telling them why they would be late arriving home from the school-run.

Emotional parents pushed buggies through the crowd before being stopped at the cordon, stressed by how little they knew about what had happened.

Another witness, Siobhan Kearney said she seen what she believes was a man attacking children.

She described what she saw as "absolutely bedlam".

The scene on Parnell square East following a serious stabbing incident. Picture; Gerry Mooney

Ms Kearney told RTE she watched people disarm a man who she said had a knife.

"I looked across the road and I see the man and the stabbing motion with a load of children so I flew across the road," she said.

"People were trying to attack the man so me and an American lady, we formed a ring around the man, and then about three minutes later the ambulance came for the children and then another ambulance and fire officers came for the man on the ground.

In a statement, gardai said: "Five casualties have been taken to various hospitals in the Dublin Region. The casualties include an adult male, an adult female and three young children, the spokesperson said.

One child, a girl, has sustained serious injuries, the other two children are being treated for less serious injuries. An Garda Siochana is in contact with parents of all three injured children.

The adult female is being treated for serious injuries and the adult male for less serious injuries.

An Garda Siochana is following a definite line of inquiry. An Garda Siochana is not looking for any other person at this time, the spokesperson added.

The scene remains sealed off.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said: We are all shocked by the incident which has taken place in Parnell Square. A number of people have been injured, some of them children. Our thoughts and our prayers go out to them and their families.

I have been in contact with the Minister for Justice who is keeping me updated. The facts in this matter are still emerging. The emergency services responded very quickly and were on site within minutes. I thank them for that. Gardai have detained a suspect and are following a definite line of inquiry.

Minister and local Fine Gael TD Paschal Donohoe said; I am aware of an extremely serious incident that has taken place at Parnell Square in my constituency of Dublin Central. My thought and prayers are with the victims of this very serious incident, and their families. Anyone with information is being asked to contact Store Street police station.

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald said the incident in Dublin city centre had caused "shock and horror".

In a social media post, Mrs McDonald said: "Violent attack at Gael Cholaiste Mhuire Parnell Square has sent shock and horror throughout the community.

"My heart goes out to all the hurt and injured, the parents, teachers but especially the children who have been so traumatised.

"This is beyond words."

Speaking at the scene of a stabbing attack in Dublin, Sinn Fein president Mary-Lou McDonald said children who witnessed what happened have been traumatised.

Our heart goes out to the whole school community, to the children, the parents, the teachers, she said.

I know that the gardai acted very swiftly in this matter, but this is certainly the last thing that any of us expected on a Thursday afternoon where children should come safely from school and be collected by their parents.

I pray the injured make a full recovery.

The community is stunned, stunned and horrified.
Garda Commissioner blames complete lunatic faction driven by far-right ideologyTraffic chaos as a result of OConnell Street being blockProtesters broke through a garda cordon and set patrol car on fire

Protesters clash with gardai and set patrol car on fire as violence erupts after children stabbed in Dublin

Violent and chaotic scenes have erupted in Dublin city centre after three children and a woman were attacked near a school earlier in the day.

A garda car and Luas tram were set on fire by protesters who gathered near OConnell Street.

A bus and car were also set alight on O'Connell Bridge as disorder continues this evening.

Videos showed people breaking into numerous shops along OConnell Street on Thursday night as unrest broke out in the capital.

A bus and car on fire on O'Connell Street in Dublin city centre after violent scenes unfolded following an attack on Parnell Square East where five people were injured, including three young children. Brian Lawless/PA Wire

A number of businesses on OConnell Street have been looted and windows have been smashed during ongoing unrest.

The shutters of one business were forcefully lifted as people emerged holding stock.

Read more Girl (5) in critical condition and two children treated in hospital following Dublin knife attack as cops rule out terrorist link

Frontline Gardai backed up by Public Order Units are deployed in large numbers in Dublin City Centre and Gardai are advising members of the public to avoid the North City Centre at this time due to the riots.

All Luas and Dublin Bus services have now been suspended as a result of the current unrest in the city centre.

In a post on X, the operators said "all Luas services have been suspended due to a non Luas related safety incident at Parnel Street. Apologies for any inconvenience caused."

There have been calls for calm and warnings against misinformation following the violent scenes in Dublin.

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Minister for Justice Helen McEntee labelled the scenes "intolerable", and said a "thuggish and manipulative element must not be allowed to use an appalling tragedy to wreak havoc".

The Irish Defence Forces have confirmed they have not deployed any assets or personnel in support of the gardai in relation to the disturbance in Dublin City this evening.

Earlier, a group charged at a garda cordon around the scene of the knife attack which had been sealed off for a forensic examination.

A number of gardai were assaulted during scuffles, although it is unclear at this point whether any were injured.

Commuters in the capital have been hugely disrupted as the protests have made areas in the city centre off-limits for public transport.

A burnt out bus in Dublin city centre. Credit: Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph

All traffic and public transport through O'Connell Street has been blocked.

A number of buses cannot pass the group to turn onto the street, while the Green line Luas also remains suspended.

A garda armed support unit vehicle was forced to turn around after a group of protestors blocked the path forward.

At one point protesters have since broken through a garda cordon and could be heard chanting get them out". At least one garda car was set on fire while another was smashed up.

Protests in Dublin.

Ms McEntee said the real tragedy of the day must be remembered, and an investigation allowed to happen.

"A thuggish and manipulative element must not be allowed to use an appalling tragedy to wreak havoc," she said.

"I have spoken to local TDs from all sides of the Dail and we are of the same view. We will not tolerate a small number using an appalling incident to spread division. I would appeal for calm in the city centre as An Garda Siochana carry out their work - attacks on members of An Garda Siochana must be utterly condemned and will be dealt with severely. Most importantly, we must remember the real tragedy of today and allow the investigations take their course."

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Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said a "complete lunatic faction driven by far-right ideology" is behind disorder in Dublin this evening.

He said a number of Garda vehicles have been damaged.

"I think there's disgraceful scenes in terms of a major investigation, the maintenance of a scene and the gathering of evidence," he told media during a press conference at Mountjoy Garda Station.

Riot police in Dublin city centre. Credit: Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph

"We have a complete lunatic hooligan faction driven by far-right ideology, and also then this disruptive tendency engaged in serious violence.

"We are drafting in resources to deal with that and that will be dealt with properly. I've given full direction to our resources here in respect of making arrests and bringing offenders to justice.

"It's our responsibility to make sure that we police the streets, and part of that is we ask people to act responsibly and not to listen to the misinformation and rumour that is circulating on social media.

"The facts are being established, but the facts are still not clear on a lot of the rumour and the innuendo is being spread for malevolent purposes."

Luas tweeted an update this evening: "Please be advised that there are no Green Line services running between St Stephens Green to Dominick. This is due to a non Luas related incident at Parnell. Luas tickets are valid for travel on Dublin Bus during this disruption. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Violent scenes have unfolded close to the site of the attack in Dublin city centre as crowds of protesters gathered. Brian Lawless/PA Wire

Dublin Bus said earlier there are diversions in place. For their southbound route they said:

Buses cannot serve Parnell Square East, they are operating normal route to Frederick Street North, divert via Denmark Street, Gardiner Street, Cathal Brugha Street, O'Connell Street and back on to normal route.

And for northbound routes: Normal route. We ask customers to please expect delays, as emergency services deal with the incident.

Protesters can also be seen around a garda armed support unit vehicle.

A strong garda presence remains at Parnell Square tonight.

The attack on the three children and a woman occurred shortly after 1pm near Parnell Square on the northside of Dublin.

The three children have been taken to hospital, with one girl in serious condition.

The young girl (5) is in a critical condition at Temple Street Childrens Hospital.

A boy (5) and a girl (6) were taken to Crumlin Childrens Hospital for their injuries. The boy has since been discharged.

In total five people have been hospitalised including a man and a woman.

The womans condition is described as serious.

A male (50s), who is a person of interest to gardai, is receiving treatment.
Penny Mordaunt took aim at the SNPs record in Government in Scotland (Danny Lawson/PA)

Penny Mordaunt has claimed young Scots will have somewhere safe and warm to take heroin as a result of the SNPs appalling legacy.

The Commons Leader took aim at the SNPs record, including its support for a drug consumption facility, after saying the party is on her list of those she is standing up and fighting against.

Her criticism came in response to SNP Commons leader Deidre Brock, who mocked Ms Mordaunts Conservative Party conference speech in which she repeatedly urged people to stand up and fight against things.

Ms Brock said Chancellor Jeremy Hunts autumn statement had shown the UK Government wants a fight with people unable to work because of ill health, given his promised welfare reforms to ensure people signed off sick look for work.

Ms Brock also said the UK Government should hold an inquiry into itself and the many billions it has squandered over the last four years.

The UKs first drug consumption room could be open by next summer, with a facility planed in Glasgow already approved by NHS and council officials.

The project took a step forward after Scotlands Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain KC announced it would not be in the public interest to prosecute users of such a facility.

The UK Government has said it is not in favour of drug consumption rooms, but said it has no plans to interfere.

Speaking in response to Ms Brocks criticism of the Conservatives, Ms Mordaunt told the Commons: Im not in any doubt who Im standing up and fighting for  the people of this country  and who Im standing up and fighting against, and the SNP are on that latter list.

Im standing up and fighting against them because first of all what she says is not the case, she has spoken about the welfare measures that were announced yesterday.

The closing claims measures, she knows, doesnt apply in Scotland but also does not apply to anyone with disabilities or a child.

A safe drugs consumption room could be open in Glasgow by next summer (Jane Barlow/PA)

Ms Mordaunt encouraged Ms Brock to be a little more self-reflective, before saying: Which party is it whose leader smirked whilst people booed the national anthem? Whose party is it whose activists called BBC reporters traitors?

Whose party is it that bullied Conservative Party members attending a conference in Scotland to the extent that it made national news?

Whose party is it whose behaviour was so horrific towards its own elected representatives that they said they suffered panic attacks and some of them have crossed the floor?

And who is it that is responsible for the bile-fuelled rants that are so evident in Hansard?

Once (Ms Brock) has clocked that all these things are her party, she might reflect on why that is the case and the appalling legacy that such a warped, irresponsible displacement activity has ceded to a generation of Scottish children.

A wrecked education system, a widening attainment gap, fewer teachers, maths scores declining in every Pisa survey, science at a low record and plummeting literacy rates.

But they will have, of course, somewhere safe and warm to take heroin.

Deidre Brock said the Tories believe Scots should know our place (Roger Harris/UK Parliament/PA)

Im not going to take any lectures from (Ms Brock) about values, responsibility or performance in office.

SNP MPs heckled Ms Mordaunt throughout her comments.

Ms Brock had earlier said: We know in Scotland she likes having a fight with us  shes always telling us off for disobedience or treachery. In Tory Britain we Scots should know our place.

But the Chancellor helpfully revealed who else her Government wants a fight with. If youre unable to work because of ill health, get ready for battle with the Tories.

If youre amongst the four million families destitute in the UK, forget it, no real help for you in your daily struggle to survive.

And its clear from the Covid inquiry if youre a scientist or, God forbid, an actual expert, gird your loins.

In England, Tories fight NHS workers, they fight teachers, they fight local councils, they fight the low paid. If youre on pensions or benefits, sure they threw you a few crumbs yesterday from the table but the ONS (Office for National Statistics) says food prices are 30% higher than they were two years ago so they will fight you at the checkout tills.

Not a word about fighting billionaires tax evasion, or fighting dirty money being laundered through London, or fighting corruption and fraud drenching this Government in sleaze.

Ms Brock pressed the case for an independent Scotland to be free of the bedlam of Westminster, before asking: Isnt it time her profligate Government stopped fighting everybody, held an inquiry into itself and the many billions it has squandered over the last four years?
The Environmental Audit Committee has expressed concerns over the potential impact of climate change on schools (Ben Birchall/PA)

The Department for Education (DfE) is not moving at pace to deliver its sustainability commitments, undermining its own targets, MPs have warned.

The Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) said on Thursday that only 20% of the UKs school estate will have been retrofitted and therefore made net zero compliant by 2050 under the Governments current progress.

In a three-page letter to Education Secretary Gillian Keegan, EAC chairman Philip Dunne said the committee has been examining the DfEs future sustainability, based on the findings of the recent National Audit Office report.

Mr Dunne wrote: We are concerned that the potential impact of climate change on schools, particularly in respect of risks from flooding, overheating and water scarcity, is not adequately understood across those who have stewardship of the education estate in England.

The EAC wrote a three-page letter to Education Secretary Gillian Keegan (Jonathan Brady/PA)

He added that the EAC welcomed schemes such as the DfEs Climate Action Plans, but is concerned that the availability of sufficient funding could hamper efforts to truly address the effects of warming on the education estate.

In the letter, Mr Dunne noted that the retrofits required to the estate in order to reach net zero will be a significant and costly undertaking which could amount to an annual cost of 2 billion.

It comes as the DfE already faces costly refits to school buildings with more than 40 believed to have been built with some form of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac), which is prone to collapse after around 30 years.

The committee recommended the Governments approach to the issue should provide the greatest value for money by addressing sustainability and climate risks alongside the Raac refits, the letter said.

It also called on the DfE to publish urgently detailed plans for the mitigation of likely climate risks to the school estate as well as a fully costed plan for the achievement of its sustainability strategy.

In a statement, Mr Dunne said: Education is the public sectors largest emitter of carbon from buildings, amounting to 37% of all public sector emissions. Therefore, getting a grip and stemming these dangerous emissions is critical for our net zero future.

But the committee is concerned that given the scale of the challenge, the current pace of the work required to meet net zero, lacks urgency.

It struck the committee that while there is some understanding of the dangers climate change poses to schools and colleges in England, not enough is being done to adapt to the risks from flooding, overheating and water scarcity.

Making the education estate fit for Net Zero Britain will be a costly and significant undertaking.

There is no time to lose and the Department for Education must urgently publish detailed plans for mitigating risks caused by climate change, and set out how it will deliver its own sustainability strategy.

The PA news agency has contacted the DfE for comment.
Investigators have ruled out the possibility that the explosion at the Rainbow Bridge between New York State and the Canadian province of Ontario on Wednesday (November 23) was linked to terrorism.

Law enforcement sources with knowledge of the investigation told reporters that the incident involved a Bentley that was traveling at high speed before it hit a curb and a guardrail. The collision sent the vehicle airborne and into the secondary screening area before it exploded.

The still-unidentified male driver of the car and his wife were pronounced dead at the scene, while a US border patrol employee inside a booth suffered minor injuries.

Some of the sources also told CNN that the couple, who were residents of New York state, had plans to attend a KISS concert in Canada. However, when they were told it was canceled, they decided to cross back to the US to go to a casino instead.

An eyewitness told local broadcaster WKBW that the way the car flew was "almost like a movie."

Read Also: FBI Says Ohio Walmart Suspect Partially Motivated by Racial Extremism in Shooting of 4 People

US Authorities Rule Out Terrorism in Rainbow Bridge Crash

As the incident happened on the eve of Thanksgiving, New York Governor Kathy Hochul assured residents that the attack was not terror-related.

"I want to be very, very clear to Americans and New Yorkers, at this time there is no indication of a terrorist attack," she told reporters at a news conference on Wednesday night.

US Attorney Trini Ross also stressed the same conclusion at a separate news conference, but also said they would "continue to stay vigilant."

"We will continue to make sure that the information we have is passed onto the public," Ross added.

The FBI also concluded its investigation, saying that the incident did not have a terrorist motive.

"A search of the scene revealed no explosive materials, and no terrorism nexus was identified," the agency said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter. "The matter has been turned over to the Niagara Falls Police Department as a traffic investigation."

Rainbow Bridge remains closed as investigations continue, but the other crossings in the US-Canada border between Niagara Falls, New York, and Niagara Falls, Ontario - the Peace, Whirlpool, and Lewiston-Queenston bridges - have been reopened.

Meanwhile, Canadian government sources also told the CBC that answers about what happened might take some time as the vehicle involved was badly burned.

Security in other Canadian border crossings has been heightened in the aftermath of the Rainbow Bridge incident.

Related Article: Vehicle Explodes at Rainbow Bridge, Closes US-Canada Border

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Warnings issued after Chancellors autumn statement with no new money expected

The autumn statement confirms there is no new money coming to help Northern Ireland, one of the regions most senior civil servants said.

And a former top mandarin said the outlook for public services for NI remained grim following the Chancellors speech, in which Northern Ireland missed out on 185m.

While Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced giveaways such as reductions to national insurance for both self-employed people and employees, he said money which would have otherwise been available to NI would instead be put towards a budget overspend.

He confirmed an increase in the National Living Wage to 11.44 an hour, and said the triple lock on pension increases would be maintained, resulting in an 8.5% increase in the state pension.

And he said benefits like Universal Credit would go up by 6.7%, bringing relief to around 250,000 benefits claimants in NI who had feared a lower increase.

But Northern Ireland lost out on any funding boost, after the Treasury said the devolved administrations were receiving over 1bn in extra funding as a result of the Chancellors spending decisions.

The share of 185m for the NI Executive will not come here, and will instead be used to repay the 297m Northern Ireland Executive overspend from 2022-23, the Treasury said.

It later emerged that 75m allocated to Northern Ireland from the autumn statement will be used to help pay off Stormonts overspend, while a decision on the other 110m will not be made until next year.

Neil Gibson, Permanent Secretary at the Department of Finance, said the statement was largely as expected  more about tax and tax policy.

Those announcements do have an impact on the Northern Ireland economy. Many of the announcements around pensions, around benefits, around national insurance, will have an economic impact here locally, he said.

It would be wrong to say there was nothing in the autumn statement, but from this seat, as the Permanent Secretary in finance, there wasnt a lot about public finances. What we saw in the statement confirmed what we already knew, which was essentially that Northern Ireland doesnt have any more money coming to it, in order to meet its very significant financial pressures on public sector finances, and therefore were rather much in the same position as we were before the statement was announced.

DUP Treasury spokesman Sammy Wilson said the decision boded ill for NIs ability to receive Barnett consequentials in future budget processes.

In the absence of an Executive, Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris imposed a budget earlier this year requiring departments here to make cuts.

Mr Wilson said: The budget imposed by the Secretary of State means that Northern Ireland will not get the full Barnett consequential of 185m but rather additional money from the autumn statement will be used to pay down the 297m overspend from last year.

Indeed when considered against the half a billion overspend projected for this year, it is deeply worrying as to when Northern Ireland will ever receive a full Barnett consequential again.

Colin Lewis, a commentator and former Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Department for the Economy, said the measures including the move to deny Northern Ireland 185m for public services will do nothing to improve the current sorry state of Northern Ireland public finances.

Coming a day after the news that there is uncertainty that Northern Ireland will benefit from 50m of levelling-up funding, the immediate prospects for public services in Northern Ireland remains rather grim.

But he said the measures to increase benefits and to cut rates of national insurance will undoubtedly materially boost disposable income for most people in Northern Ireland, which in turn will create a welcome short term economic stimulus, particularly in the retail and hospitality sectors.

In a measure welcomed by business, the Chancellor announced that a relief allowing firms to write off the cost of spending on new machinery and equipment from profits will be made permanent instead of expiring in 2026.

Under the scheme, for every pound a company invests, their taxes are cut by up to 25p.

Janette Burns, Charted Accountants Ireland

Janette Burns, chair of the Northern Ireland Tax Committee of Chartered Accountants Ireland, said it was a bold move and will provide the certainty needed for major investment plans, which in turn will bolster the economy and productivity. But this is only of real benefit to larger companies.

But it did not have enough for small and medium businesses. For example, Northern Irelands hospitality sector could have benefited from a reduction in the 20% Vat rate. Just a few miles down the road in Ireland, the rate is 13.5% and many other European countries have much lower rates than the UK. When coupled with high food prices, this makes it very difficult for our hospitality businesses to compete.
A Conservative donor who sued former party MP Charlotte Leslie for libel has launched an appeal bid after losing a High Court fight (Fiona Hanson/PA)

A Conservative donor who sued a former party MP for libel is making an appeal bid after losing a High Court fight.

Two Court of Appeal judges are considering Mohamed Amersis libel claim against Charlotte Leslie at a preliminary Court of Appeal hearing in London.

A High Court judge struck out Mr Amersis claim in June.

Mr Justice Nicklin, who oversaw a High Court hearing in London, said evidence relied upon did not disclose a claim with a real prospect of success.

Mr Amersi says Mr Justice Nicklin was wrong to strike out his claim and argues that he has a real prospect of winning an appeal.

He says he has an arguable case and wants appeal judges Lord Justice Underhill and Lord Justice Warby to give him the go-ahead to mount a full appeal.

The hearing is due last a few hours.

Mr Amersi has accused Miss Leslie, former MP for Bristol North West, of publishing documents to a number of influential individuals and defaming him between late December 2020 and early January 2021.
A man killed in a motorbike accident travelled around 14 metres through the air before landing on a grass verge, an inquest has heard.

John Ireland died after his off-road bike collided with a car in west Belfast in September 2014.

The 20-year-olds family have always maintained he was a pillion passenger and that his friend Aaron Stilges was driving.

Mr Stilges left the scene immediately after the crash and was taken by car to Antrim Area Hospital for treatment to his injuries.

He denies being the driver and, despite a recommendation from police, was never charged.

On the third day of the inquest yesterday, police forensic specialist Ian McNeill was asked about hairs taken from a helmet recovered at the scene of the crash.

While eyewitnesses reported Mr Ireland had been wearing the helmet, the person behind the wheel of the Vauxhall Astra hit by the bike said its driver was wearing the helmet and the person most seriously injured, Mr Ireland, was not.

In earlier evidence to Belfast Coroners Court, Mr Stilges denied he had been wearing the helmet at the time.

In previous correspondence to an investigating officer, Mr McNeill had said the main problem with examining hairs taken from the helmet was that there was no way to establish who had been wearing it.

He added that while Mr Stilges denied wearing it, We could not rule out the scenario that close physical contact between a motorcycle rider and a pillion passenger did not result in the innocent transfer of hairs and fibres between the two people, particularly when they are subject to the forces of the crash.

The inquest heard that examining six hairs would cost 25,000 and examining them all significantly more.

Mr McNeill said that with a decision not to prosecute Mr Stilges having been taken,  it would be impossible to justify this expenditure.

He added: However, I would stress the main problem is not monetary but centred on the evidential value of the examination.

The inquest also heard from Damien Coll, a retired forensic scientist who specialised in traffic accident investigations and who attended the scene of the collision.

He had noted that bloodstains showed Mr Ireland had travelled around 14 metres to the verge where he was found face up and attended to by the emergency services.

Mr Coll was asked about Mr Stilges claim that he was a pillion passenger with his legs hanging down and was holding onto Mr Ireland in a bear hug at the time of the crash.

He replied the Astra was moving slowly at the time of impact, probably about 10 miles per hour, with the motorbike travelling at 20 to 25 miles per hour.

Coroner Anne-Louise Toal was told the Kawasaki motorbike involved in the crash was intended to be driven off road and was not for use on public highways.

It was examined on September 25 and found to be empty of brake fluid. The front brake was also not working at the time of the crash.

Examination of clothes worn by Mr Stilges showed his left shoe had made forcible contact with the drivers side of the Vauxhall Astra.

Mr Coll said it would appear from this, and from injuries sustained by Mr Stilges, that his left leg had become trapped between the bike and the car.

Mr Colls notes said: The absence of similar damage to the clothing of Mr Ireland, the deceased, provides support for the proposition that Mr Stilges was positioned ahead of Mr Ireland on the Kawasaki motorcycle, when the contact between the motorcycle and the offside of the Vauxhall Astra occurred.

Mrs Toal asked the forensic expert who, on the balance of probability, he believed was the driver at the time of the accident.

Mr Coll replied: Based on what I examined and measured, and based on the conclusions formed  what Im saying is it provides support for the proposition (that Aaron Stilges was driving).

If the evidence is that Mr Stilges legs were hanging down, so that his feet were close to the road surface at the point of the start of the impact  his legs are below where the contact mark is on the car. It is perhaps more likely that Mr Stilges was the rider and Mr Ireland was behind.

The inquest continues.
Israeli soldiers are on the ground in Gaza (AP)

An agreement for a four-day ceasefire in Gaza and the release of dozens of Hamas-held hostages and Palestinians imprisoned by Israel appeared to have hit a last-minute snag after a senior Israeli official said it would not take effect until Friday.

The diplomatic breakthrough promised some relief for more than 1.7 million Palestinians who have fled their homes under weeks of Israeli bombardment, as well as families in Israel fearful over the fate of loved ones captured during Hamas October 7 attack that triggered the war.

Israels national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, announced the delay late on Wednesday, without providing a reason. The ceasefire had originally been due to start at 10am local time (8am GMT) on Thursday.

Israeli media reported that some final details are still being worked out.

The Persian Gulf nation of Qatar, which played a key role in mediating with Hamas, said early on Thursday that a new time for the agreement to go into force would be announced in the coming hours.

The US and Egypt also helped negotiate the deal.

Israeli soldiers are seen during a ground operation in the Gaza Strip (AP)

Meanwhile, the health ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza said it has resumed its detailed count of casualties, documenting more than 13,000 deaths.

The ministry had stopped updating its figures on November 11 after the breakdown of access and communication in northern Gaza, where Israeli ground troops are battling Palestinian militants.

The latest count is based on updated figures from hospitals in the south and November 11 figures from the northern hospitals. The real toll is likely to be higher.

Thousands of people are feared buried under rubble (AP)

The health ministry says another 6,000 people have been reported missing, and are feared buried under rubble.

The ceasefire agreement had raised hopes of eventually winding down the war, now in its seventh week, which has levelled vast swathes of Gaza, fuelled a surge of violence in the occupied West Bank, and stirred fears of a wider conflict across the Middle East.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a nationally televised news conference that the war would resume after the truce expires, with the goal of destroying Hamas military capabilities, ending its 16-year rule in Gaza and returning all of the estimated 240 captives held in Gaza by Hamas and other groups.

The war is continuing. We will continue it until we achieve all our goals, Mr Netanyahu said, adding that he had delivered the same message in a phone call to US President Joe Biden.

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Washington has provided extensive military and diplomatic support to Israel since the start of the war.If implemented, the deal temporarily freezes both sides at a delicate moment.

Israeli troops hold much of northern Gaza and say they have dismantled tunnels and much of Hamas infrastructure there.

On Wednesday, Israeli forces revealed what they said was a major Hamas hideout in a tunnel beneath Shifa Hospital.

The territorys largest medical centre has been at the heart of a fierce battle of narratives over both sides allegedly reckless endangerment of civilians.

An Israeli soldier stands in an underground tunnel found underneath Shifa Hospital in Gaza City (AP)

Israel meanwhile ordered the full evacuation of the Indonesian Hospital in the north, Dr Munir al-Boursh, a health ministry official inside the facility, told Al-Jazeera television.

He said hospital officials were trying to organise buses to evacuate some 200 patients, including older adults and children with burn injuries.

Fighting has raged outside the hospital for days, and hundreds of people have already been evacuated to the south.

Despite the advances in the north, Israeli officials acknowledge that much of Hamas infrastructure remains intact.

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Israel has threatened to launch wider operations in southern Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of people who fled the north have crammed into overflowing UN-run shelters with dwindling food, water and basic supplies.

For Hamas, the ceasefire would provide an opportunity to regroup after weeks of apparently heavy losses. Hamas leader Yehya Sinwar, who is believed to be alive and in hiding in Gaza, is likely to claim the release of Palestinian prisoners as a major achievement and declare victory if the war ends.

Under the truce deal, 50 hostages will be freed in stages, in exchange for the release of what Hamas said would be 150 Palestinian prisoners.

Both sides will release women and children first, and Israel said the truce would be extended an extra day for every additional 10 hostages freed by Hamas.

Ambulances are seen on a road near an Israeli forces tank during an Israeli army ground operation in the Gaza Strip (AP)

The return of hostages could lift spirits in Israel, where their plight has gripped the country.

Families of the hostages have staged mass demonstrations to pressure the government to bring them home.

Qatar said the ceasefire would allow a larger number of humanitarian convoys and relief aid to enter Gaza, including fuel, but it gave no details on actual quantities.

Israel cut off all fuel imports at the start of the war, causing a territory-wide blackout and leaving homes and hospitals reliant on generators, which have also steadily been forced to shut down.

Mr Netanyahu said the deal includes a provision for the International Committee of the Red Cross to visit the hostages in captivity.

Israeli air strikes have devastated some areas of Gaza, including the town of Khan Younis (AP)

Israels justice ministry published a list of 300 prisoners eligible to be released, mainly teenagers detained over the past year for rock-throwing and other minor offences.

The war erupted when several thousand Hamas militants stormed into southern Israel, killing at least 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking scores of hostages, including babies, women and older adults, as well as Israeli soldiers.

Israel has a long history of agreeing to prisoner swaps with militant groups, and Hamas is expected to demand a large number of high-profile Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the soldiers.

The country says it has killed thousands of Hamas fighters, though it has presented no evidence for its count.

Three quarters of Gazas population of 2.3 million have been displaced in the war. Many, if not most, will be unable to return home because of the vast damage and the presence of Israeli troops in the north.
The Malligyong-1 military spy satellite went into orbit on Tuesday (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

South Korean officials have concluded that Russian support likely enabled North Korea to put a spy satellite into orbit for the first time this week, and say they will know whether it is functioning properly by early next week.

The launch has deepened regional animosities, with both Koreas threatening to breach a past reconciliation deal and taking hostile actions along their heavily armed border.

After two launch failures earlier this year, North Korea said it successfully placed its Malligyong-1 satellite into orbit on Tuesday night.

South Koreas military has confirmed that the satellite entered orbit, but said it needs several more days to verify whether it is working properly.

South Korea assessed that it was likely Russian support that enabled North Korea to put a spy satellite into orbit for the first time this week (Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

In a closed-door briefing, South Koreas spy agency told politicians on Thursday that Russian assistance was likely the main reason the launch was successful.

The National Intelligence Service (NIS) cited Russian President Vladimir Putins earlier mention of a promise to support North Koreas satellite programme.

It said it also obtained intelligence that North Korea had sent Russia the design and other data for its new Chollima-1 rocket, used in the two previous failed launches.

The intelligence showed that Russia returned its analysis of the North Korean data, according to legislator Yoo Sang-bum, who attended the NIS briefing.

South Korean defence minister Shin Wonsik told a separate parliamentary committee meeting that Russia appears to have been providing technological assistance for North Koreas satellite programme.The same satellite and rocket were used in all three launches.

The two earlier attempts in May and August failed due to technical problems with the rocket.

There has been speculation that Russia is providing technological support for North Koreas satellite and other programmes since leader Kim Jong Un travelled to Russia to meet Mr Putin and visit key technology and military sites in September.

The Kim-Putin summit was held at Russias main space launch centre.

Asked whether Russia would help North Korea build and launch satellites, Mr Putin told Russian state media at the time that thats why we have come here.

He added: The (North Korean) leader shows keen interest in rocket technology. Theyre trying to develop space, too.

Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un held a summit in September (Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)

The US, South Korea and Japan accuse North Korea of obtaining high-tech Russian military technologies in return for supplying conventional arms for Russias war in Ukraine. Both Russia and North Korea have denied the alleged deal.

North Korea said its Malligyong-1 satellite will begin its official mission on December 1. But it said the satellite has already transmitted images of military facilities in the US territory of Guam and that Mr Kim saw them. North Korea has not released the images.

Many foreign experts are sceptical about the satellites ability to take high-resolution images and whether it is militarily meaningful.

After recovering debris from the first failed launch attempt, South Koreas military said the satellite was not sophisticated enough to perform military reconnaissance.

Defence minister Shin said he worries that Russia could help North Korea produce higher-resolution satellite photos.

Mr Shin said South Korean, US and Japanese authorities will be able to determine whether the satellite is functioning normally as early as this weekend or early next week.

The launch has inflamed regional tensions (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP, File)

South Korea, the US and Japan strongly condemned the satellite launch, saying North Korea is using it to improve its missile technology as well as acquire a space-based surveillance system.

UN Security Council resolutions ban any satellite launches by North Korea, viewing them as disguised tests of long-range missile technology. North Korea says it has a sovereign right to launch spy satellites to cope with what it calls US-led military threats.

It says spy satellites would allow it to better monitor its rivals moves and enhance the precision-strike capability of its nuclear-capable missiles.

In response to the satellite launch, South Korea said it has partially suspended a 2018 agreement to reduce tensions with North Korea and will resume flying surveillance aircraft and drones along their border.

North Koreas defence ministry slammed the South Korean decision on Thursday, saying it will deploy more powerful weapons at the border in a tit-for-tat measure.

It said it will not be bound by the 2018 deal any longer and will reverse all the steps it has taken to ease front-line military tensions under it.
Nostalgia is definitely the flavour of the moment, and Girls Aloud are just the latest in a string of singing icons to jump on the trend, with the news of their reunion tour next year causing a flurry of headlines.

As a millennial pop lover  whose 30th birthday falls on the bands first arena gig, which happens to be in Dublin next May  I was understandably excited about the announcement.

However, as with all these stars and soloists reassembling, a quote from The Great Gatsby cant help but ring in my ears.

Cant repeat the past? Why, of course you can!

Its the famous line F. Scott Fitzgeralds protagonist says in order to convince himself and his friend that he could recapture his former love.

But, can the revival of Girls Aloud, who havent performed together in over a decade, recapture the love of fans?

The group formed 21 years ago, thanks to the show Popstars: The Rivals. TV talent shows reigned supreme back then and social media wasnt yet heard of.

They last played a tour date in Northern Ireland in 2009  which I attended  but a lot of things have changed since, and not just the fact that Belfasts Odyssey has been renamed.

Nadine Coyle, Kimberley Walsh, Nicola Roberts and Cheryl (Tweedy) will of course, this time be without Sarah Harding, who died of breast cancer two years ago aged 39.

While Nicola recently said that their new 15-date tour will be dedicated to celebrating Sarah in the most enormous, magical way, the absence of the blonde bombshell  who in my opinion had one of the bands most powerful voices  will undoubtedly be felt by crowds.

Times the great redeemer; a reminder of whats real, and it waits for no one.

Sadly, many beloved celebrities from the late 90s and early 00s era have passed away in recent years, reminding us that no matter how one frames a reunion, things can never really be the same.

Read more Girls Aloud to perform at Belfast SSE Arena next year as part of comeback tour

Tom Parker, a member of boy band The Wanted, died at age 33 in March 2022, after being diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour, while S Club 7s Paul Cattermole passed away just seven months ago unexpectedly with a heart condition, at 46.

Due to the latters death, Hannah Spearritt, who used to date Cattermole, decided to opt out of S Clubs subsequent comeback tour, and theres just something downright depressing about going to see a five-piece performance when theres supposed to be seven onstage.

As for Girls Aloud, their songs deserve another step in the spotlight.

With our very own Nadine Coyle usually leading the vocals on most tracks, they redefined the girl group genre by reintroducing guitars and other instrumental elements into their discography, instead of the usual bubblegum synthetic sounds that had come in female pop music before them.

The 90s had the Spice Girls and the 2010s had Little Mix, but the 00s had Girls Aloud, which were different from both.

Im not sure if anyone else is currently filling that void in the 2020s, so now seems the perfect time for those girls to have their homecoming and remind us of simpler times, and with a new single on the way, it will hopefully encompass a good mix of reminiscence and refreshment.

Sarah is also entitled to a fifth of the bands profits made from concerts, TV appearances and merchandise due to a deal that protects her earnings up until 2032, and The Sarah Harding Breast Cancer Appeal is expected to earn 1m from the reunion.

So, while her voice wont be featured on the new single, her presence will still be positively represented.

All being well, it will be worth fans donning low-rise jeans, belly tops and hair quiffs again for old times sake next year.
We are all guilty of this. It's Thanksgiving Day, your house is packed, and you're rushing to get the turkey out. At no point have you stopped to just appreciate the holiday, God, and everything He has done for you to make this special occasion happen. Thanksgiving turns into day of gluttony, the day loses its reverence and power. Thanksgiving for the Christian should be more than just another holiday. Theres no better time to set an attitude of gratitude towards God than during this special season, so it's important to stop and appreciate Him even when things a chaotic and the pie is burning in the oven. There are lots of ways to celebrate Thanksgiving and the goodness of God and His many blessings. Here is a list of eight ways you can honor Him during this time of year.

Spend time praising Him. Shutterstock.com There are many ways that you can praise the Lord. This can happen through prayer with your family, singing hymns at church, or completing a daily devotional. The way you choose to worship the Lord isnt important; its the fact that you have done it. Most people get busy during the holidays and their spirituality gets put off to the side because of it. Set up traditions with your family to praise Him on Thanksgiving, like having a prayer before your meal where each family member says what they are thankful for. This way, everyone is included and focused on God while theyre chowing down mountains of mashed potatoes. God should be at the center of your big meal, so make sure to keep Him there and at the forefront of your minds.

Forgive others. shutterstock.com When is the last time you talked to that estranged family member? How about connecting with an old friend you had a falling out with? Jesus is able to forgive us each and every day for the countless sins we commit, so who are we to not forgive others? The holidays are the perfect time to let this pain go. This Thanksgiving, choose to honor God by letting your heart be vulnerable and forgiving that person you hold a grudge against in your life. Though they may have put you through some hard times, forgiveness is something that can help set you free. It releases built up pain and anger in your heart so that you can make more space for Gods love.

Give back. One way to honor God is by serving your community. This is something you should be doing year round, but doing so around Thanksgiving is an even more special affair. It helps you stay focused on what the holiday is really about, helping others and showing thanks. There are many different ways you can do this. Many churches open their doors to the less fortunate during the holidays by holding soup kitchens, for example. You might even find some churches letting the homeless in to eat and have a safe place to stay. There are also some non-Church related ways you can give back. Running a Thanksgiving turkey trot 5k to help raise money for a charitable cause might be the way your family gives back this year.

Meditate on His blessings. lightstock.com When is the last time that you said thank you to God? Have you told Him recently that you appreciate all that He has done for you? God has transformed your life in so many ways for the better, simply because He loves you unconditionally. He never expects anything in return. Thanksgiving is all about gratitude, so this is the perfect time to meditate on the many blessings He has given you. Dont focus on just the earthly blessings you have been given, such as a good job or cool car. Also open up the Bible and meditate on His bigger promises. He sacrificed His Son for you, for example. He also promises to always take your worry and cast it aside when you need Him. These are things that we are blessed with every single day, so share your gratitude with Him.

Manage your stress levels. The holiday season is an incredibly stressful time for many families, and it can cause breakdowns in communication and arguments. When we say yes to too much, never give ourselves a break, and forget to take care of ourselves, it only cause us to be bad servants to our families and God. You should always strive to be the best version of yourself you can be, and that starts with making sure you are mentally healthy. Making that second batch of cookies for your neighbor could quickly go sour when your stress levels are high, and you are thinking about your to-do list instead of the recipe. Make sure to try and stay present in each moment and keep a level head. Understand that you dont need to be perfect and that at times it is appropriate to say no, I cant do that right now. This will help you to be of better service to your other commitments, including God.

Attend a Thanksgiving church service. Shutterstock.com Even if your church isn't holding a Thanksgiving service, there are most likely ones in the area that are. Some even host entire Thanksgiving dinners. Thanksgiving services are a great way to glorify God and help keep you focused on the true reasons you are celebrating. Plus, you get to spend more time with friends and family for the holiday this way, rather than just sitting on your couch at home. Many churches also have fall festivals leading up to Thanksgiving that are great for kids. Considering finding one in your area as its another great way your children can see God in action during the holiday. Search your church bulletin for options that work for you.

Teach your children the importance of Thanksgiving. unsplash For most children, Thanksgiving is only a fancy day to eat lots of great food. It's not something they connect with on a deeper, more spiritual level. This can be changed by setting aside time to explain the importance of the holiday to your children. There are many pieces of scripture about thanks and gratitude. For example, in I Thessalonians we are commanded in everything give thanks. In another passage, we are told to present all of our requests to God with a heart of thanksgiving (Philippians 4:6). Part of the discipline involved in being thankful is to realize the goodness of God and his everlasting love toward us (Psalm 107:1); that every good and perfect gift comes from God (James 1:17); and when thankfulness is combined with prayer and supplication it is a cure for anxiety and conduit of peace (Philippians 4:6). Spend time reflecting on this scripture and helping your children learn how to apply it to their own lives.

Share testimonies. unsplash Hearing others share their testimonies is a great way to connect with God on Thanksgiving. While you probably spend a lot of your time with God focusing on what He has done for your life, it is also important to acknowledge the amazing blessings He always provides others. Thanksgiving is about appreciating of all of God's works, not just the ones He gave to you. A great way to do this is letting your Thanksgiving guest know ahead of time that they should prepare a short and simple testimony. It doesn't have to be long or turn into a sermon by any means. Then when everyone is together on Thanksgiving Day, each can share how God transformed their lives for the better.

Thanksgiving, while not always known to be a Christian holiday, is still one that should be used to glorify God. We should be glorifying Him in everything that we do. This starts by showing Him our appreciation and thanks, spreading His Word, and working for Him. These tips will help you to create a Thanksgiving that your whole family will remember.

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Megan Bailey is a former Social Media Specialist and Content Producer for Beliefnet. She attended James Madison University where she received a degree in psychology.
Indonesian presidential candidates (from left) Anies Baswedan and running mate Muhaimin Iskandar, Prabowo Subianto and running mate Gibran Rakabuming Raka, and Ganjar Pranowo and running mate Mahfud Mahmodin, hold their ballot numbers for the Feb. 14 general election as they pose for a group photo following a drawing at the election commission in Jakarta, Nov. 14, 2023.

The three candidates seeking to be Indonesias next president are unlikely to offer strategic clarity for defense and foreign policies  two issues that are low on the list of priorities for the nations voters ahead of the February 2024 general election.

A controversial court ruling that allowed President Joko Jokowi Widodos son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, to run as vice president with Prabowo Subianto is evidence to many that the president is no longer neutral.

Instead, he appears to be actively backing his defense minister and two-time presidential rival. The most recent polls show Prabowo, the defense minister in Jokowis second administration, leading with more than 40% support.

Ganjar Pranowo, the former governor of Central Java, is from Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the same party as Jokowi, who enjoys soaring popularity amid a growing economy. The race should be Ganjars to lose.

He was weakened by PDI-P chairwoman Megawati Sukarnoputris meddling and mercurial support. Jokowi, whose rift with Megawati is irreversible and who appears much more interested in establishing a political dynasty than seeing a continuation of his policies, never endorsed Ganjar. Ganjar has also campaigned poorly.

The three presidential candidates  former Jakarta Gov. Anies Baswedan is the third  are economic protectionists, defenders of Jokowis resource nationalism and critical of competition between the great powers.

All three are vocal advocates of Indonesias tradition of non-alignment and have pledged to modernize the military. Without releasing sufficient details, each wants to do so through greater indigenous production.

But unlike Jokowi, each has spoken of a more prominent international role for Indonesia, which is predicted to become the worlds sixth largest economy in the next five years.

As none of the candidates offer any strategic clarity, to truly understand their differences, one has to analyze their positions on the maritime territorial issue, in particular their positions on Chinas aggression and excessive claims.

Maritime territories

Indonesias stance on Chinas maritime claims is naive. Jakarta has asked for the exact coordinates of its nine-dash line, which appears to go through its exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Beijing has refused.

Indonesia does not recognize Chinas boundary line. That gives Jakarta the flimsy excuse that it does not have a territorial dispute with Beijing, despite the China Coast Guard, maritime militia and seismic research ships routinely violating its EEZ.

As a first-time presidential candidate a decade ago, Jokowi developed a holistic strategy that sought to increase resourcing for the navy and coast guard to protect territorial waters, while at the same time, enhancing the maritime infrastructure to knit the archipelago together and broaden the economic growth.

Sadly, he never implemented the so-called maritime fulcrum strategy and instead has courted Beijing.

An Indonesian Naval cadet uses binoculars to monitor the signal from the KRI Diponegoro-365 during a joint exercise in the North Natuna sea off Indonesias Riau islands, Oct. 1, 2021. [Antara Foto/Muhammad Adimaja/via Reuters]

This year, no candidate has been willing to provoke China. Indeed, the sharp downturn in exports to China in 2023 because of its economic slowdown is expected to slow Indonesias economic growth by roughly 1%.

Anies, who is courting the conservative Muslim vote but falls a distant third in the polls, has been the most critically outspoken against China.

Ganjar has emulated Jokowi the most in terms of defense policy and has been the most hesitant to publicly call out China, which is central to Indonesias growth.

His campaign manifesto focused less on building up the navy and air force, but instead building a coast guard that will be large enough to defend the countrys territorial waters from foreign intervention and illegal and unregulated fishing.

Ganjars defense priorities have focused on cheaper and more asymmetric weapons, including anti-ship missiles, coastal artillery, mines and electronic warfare.

Even as Prabowo has transformed himself from Jokowis antagonist into the defender of his legacy, there are differences when it comes to defense and security policies.

A former son-in-law of the late dictator Suharto, Prabowo, who has denied accusations of human rights violations during his military career, has revitalized the maritime fulcrum concept without releasing sufficient detail. Still, his defense policy is likely to be more bombastic than his rivals.

Nonetheless, even his rhetoric as defense chief has become less anti-China than it was in the past.

Under Prabowos watch as defense minister, Indonesia was largely unwilling to stand up to Chinese bullying or seismic research within Indonesias EEZ. This encouraged more Chinese aggression.

He has tried to rapidly modernize Indonesias military, in particular, the air force and navy, but the massive buildup of arms has been problematic for several reasons.

First, there has been little thought as to the countrys strategy. Jakarta has not clearly defined its threats and thus seems to be purchasing weapons more for show than any expected contingency.

Second, given the historic over-reliance on U.S. weapons and the punishing impact of sanctions, Indonesia has tried to diversify its sources of military hardware. That effort has gone too far with arms coming from 33 countries.

Aging arsenal

Indonesia, known for trying to modernize on the cheap, is stuck with weapons systems that do not communicate with one another and are not necessarily interoperable. This also creates an astoundingly complicated logistics chain.

Third, there has been little thought as to how Indonesia will pay for this even as the finance ministry has been putting up stiff resistance to Prabowos plans.

A Dassault Rafale multirole combat plane refuels during a demonstration flight by the French Air Force over Indonesias Sunda Strait, Sept. 12, 2022. [Adek Berry/AFP]

Modernization of the air force is a case in point. Indonesia has an aging fleet of F-16s from the United States along with SU-27s and SU-30s from Russia. Moscow rejected attempts to enter into another barter agreement to trade military hardware for needed commodities with Jakarta.

This forced Indonesia to look elsewhere. It purchased 42 Dassault Rafale fighters from France in a U.S. $8.1 billion deal, but also bought a wing of used Dassault Mirage fighters from the UAE for $800 million.

Prabowo signed an agreement in August for two dozen F-15EX fighter-jets from the United States for an undisclosed sum.

Previously, Indonesia entered into a 2016 development and production agreement with South Korea for KF-21 stealth aircraft, promising to pay 20% ($958 million) that would qualify it for local production of 48. Since then, it defaulted on payments, prompting Seoul to consider excluding Jakarta from the program.

Foreign policy is usually a low priority for voters and that seems to be the case in Indonesias upcoming election.

And the differences between the candidates in most aspects of foreign and defense policy are not significant. Prabowo is the most vocal about the need for military modernization, but its not clear to what end.

Beyond their pledge of neutrality and fear of being caught up in great power competition, Indonesia has an ill-defined strategy and none of the candidates is likely to make it any more clear.

Zachary Abuza is a professor at the National War College in Washington and an adjunct at Georgetown University. The views expressed here are his own and do not reflect the position of the U.S. Department of Defense, the National War College, Georgetown University or BenarNews.
Al Shifa Hospital director was reportedly detained by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), according to a local physician and local media. The medical institution is the biggest hospital facility in the Gaza Strip.

Khalid Abu Samra, head of the hospital's emergency room, told the AFP news agency on Thursday, November 23, that Muhammad Abu Salmiya and many other "senior doctors" had been taken into custody, as reported by Al Jazeera.

Salmiya's detention was reported by the Israeli Broadcasting Authority and verified by his cousin, Adham Abu Selmiya, in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

Health Ministry in Gaza Demands Explanation

The Ministry of Health in Gaza has demanded an explanation from the World Health Organization (WHO) after these physicians transporting patients in a WHO convoy were arrested by Israeli authorities.

Ashraf al-Qudra, a spokesman for the health ministry, stated, "The World Health Organization has not yet sent us any report to explain the situation, including the numbers and names of those detained. The inability to contact al-Shifa means we don't know who has been arrested ... There's a chance some of those detainees will be killed. We know the occupation forces are capable of that."

He said that until the ministry receives an explanation report from the WHO, they would cease working together on evacuation plans.

On Thursday, Al Jazeera's Tareq Abu Azzoum reported from southern Gaza that Israeli occupation troops had also arrested two Palestinian paramedics. This shows no immunity inside the Strip, even for medical workers.

Hamas issued a statement strongly denouncing the arrest of Salmiya and his colleagues. It is urging the International Committee of the Red Cross and other international organizations to act for their immediate release.

See Also: BRICS Summit: Leaders Call for 'Immediate' Humanitarian Truce in Gaza Conflict

IDF Raids Al Shifa Hospital

Israel's ground attack in northern Gaza has centered mostly on Al Shifa Hospital. Although the army ordered the institution to be evacuated on Saturday, November 18, the surviving staff estimates that there are still roughly 180 patients inside.

The IDF conducted a raid on the hospital in Gaza City last week on the suspicion that Hamas militants were using a tunnel network underneath the building for their bases and launch strikes. Hamas leaders and hospital administrators have consistently refuted the allegations.

According to a report from November 17, the Israeli Air Force unit that led the raid on the hospital complex said that the presence of weaponry in the building proved that terrorists from Hamas were using it as a command center.

Rifles, bombs, and grenades are among the weapons revealed. However, other individuals say these weapons are not proof that the Palestinian terrorist group utilized the Al Shifa Hospital. IDF spokesman Lt. Col. Richard Hecht indicated they would provide further proof, but it would take some time.

See Also: Missing Israeli Woman Shani Gabay Found Dead

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Bennington, VT (05201)

Today

Partly cloudy early then becoming cloudy with periods of rain this afternoon. High around 50F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Rain showers this evening with overcast skies overnight. Low 37F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.
North Korea has threatened to send more weaponry and reinforcements to its already fortified border with South Korea amid the recent new about Pyongyang's spy satellite.

Rising tensions on the peninsula were signaled on Tuesday, November 21, when North Korea said it would resume "all military measures" it had suspended in accordance with a 2018 confidence-building deal with South Korea. Seoul claims that Russia assisted North Korea in its recent satellite launch.

Abandoning the Military Agreement?

After North Korea allegedly successfully launched a satellite on Tuesday evening, South Korea said it would temporarily halt some of the precautions meant to prevent unintended confrontation near the demilitarized zone (DMZ). In addition, Seoul said it would increase its monitoring of the DMZ.

In response, the North Korean Ministry of Defense issued a statement to the state-run KCNA news agency saying that the North Korean armed forces would never be bound by the September 19 North-South military agreement, the Guardian reported.

"We will withdraw the military steps, taken to prevent military tension and conflict in all spheres including ground, sea and air, and deploy more powerful armed forces and new-type military hardware in the region along the military demarcation line," the statement reads, referring to the border that has separated the two nations since the end of the 1950-1953 Korean War.

The experts warned that the possibility of a border conflict may rise if the comprehensive military agreement between the two Koreas was scrapped.

See Also: Russia Allegedly Helped North Korea's Spy Satellite, Which Is Now Reportedly in Orbit

The Alleged Spy Satellite

After two unsuccessful launches in May and August, North Korea will claim a major success for its space program when the Malligyong-1 spy satellite reaches orbit.

South Korean officials said they were certain the satellite had reached orbit but that it was too soon to report on the spacecraft's condition. According to official North Korean media, Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un inspected satellite imagery of American military installations on Guam in the Pacific.

South Korean lawmakers speculated that Moscow's assistance was likely responsible for the launch, given that Kim had reportedly discussed his regime's space goals with Russian President Vladimir Putin only weeks before.

Yoo Sang-bum, a legislator from South Korea who had been informed by the national intelligence agency, said that Russia had provided Pyongyang with feedback after the leaders' September meeting. "After the summit with Putin, the North provided Moscow with the blueprint and data relevant to the first and second satellite launches. Russia, in turn, analyzed those data and provided the north with feedback."

After examining rocket fragments from the prior unsuccessful launches, South Korean intelligence officers concluded that the satellite was probably not operational.

Although both presidents have denied forging a weapons agreement, North Korea has given Russia substantial amounts of munitions for its fight in Ukraine after expanding the partnership between Pyongyang and Moscow.

See Also: North Korea Successfully TesKorea'sd-Fuel Engines for Intermediate-Range Nuclear Ballistic Missiles

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Guthrie Center meals

The Guthrie Center holds a Thanksgiving dinner for the community each year. Reservations are appreciated, and can be made by calling 413-528-1955.
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PITTSFIELD  When the new organizers of Thanksgiving Angels ordered the pies  2,500 in total  for this year's distribution, they were told they would need to be picked up a day early.

Then, when the drivers arrived with the goodies, the organizers were greeted with another surprise: They were all sweet potato pies.

Gretchen DeBartolo, one of the organizers, said she was profoundly disappointed  the program has historically offered a variety of pies, including apple, pumpkin and pecan. And worried that she was letting down her predecessor, longtime organizer Mary Wheat.

But Wheat, in classic fashion, saw the silver lining.

She says, Well, Gretchen, thats wonderful  now no one can fight about the pies, DeBartolo said with a smile. She teaches me how to look at everything in a different way.

Wheat, who has served as the chair of Thanksgiving Angels since its inception 12 years ago, stepped back this year to allow DeBartolo and Hope Amandos to serve as co-chairs. Despite the sea change, Wheat was still  unsurprisingly  at the pantry on Monday helping to move materials and organize volunteers on the floor.

Shes so at ease with all this stuff, Amandos said with a smile. We should all aspire to be her. She doesnt get flustered.

The program provides food such as turkey, potatoes, green beans, cranberry sauce, carrots and pies to families in Pittsfield. Many elect to pick up their meals from South Congregational Church, while others have the meal kits delivered. DeBartolo said the program had 1,700 people registered this year, but estimated it would serve over 2,000 with walk-ins.

Wheat said that the program has been increasingly important as more and more people face food insecurity since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Wheat said she has seen the program grow from serving about 700 families when it first started, ballooning to over 2,000 this year.

Wheat was also the driving force behind a recent drive to gather 900 boxes of cereal donated to the food pantry. The pantry far exceeded that goal, with a final total of 6,000 boxes of cereal  a response Wheat called tremendous.

By Nov. 20, the first day of pickup for the program, all of the boxes of cereal had been given away.

Wheat would be the first person to tell you that the meal kit distribution program isnt perfect  but it always does its best, she said.

Each year, we improve some things and some things slack, Wheat said. The next year, we fix that and then something else slacks.

There was no slack in the inaugural effort by DeBartolo and Amandos, who Wheat said did a good job and were very organized.

The program also got help from the community, Amandos said. Loaves of bread are donated with organizational support by Lisa Udel, a legislative aide for state Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier. DeBartolo said that the program has many corporate sponsors and individual donors that provide support too, and thanked them.

The pair picked up the mantle this year knowing exactly what the stakes were. DeBartolo didnt mince words when asked what it meant to pick up where Wheat left off.

Its terrifying, DeBartolo said. Seriously.

She also had a good sense of humor about taking over the Herculean effort that Wheat has orchestrated for a dozen years.

It took two of us to replace one 90-year-old woman, DeBartolo said with a smile.

The new duo in charge are far from newcomers  Amandos has been working with Thanksgiving Angels for close to 10 years, she said, and DeBartolo is a longtime volunteer at the pantry.

Shes the brains of the operation," DeBartolo said, "and Im the body that makes things happen.

Amandos took charge of ordering food and materials  no small task, considering the sheer bulk of them. She had to add to an initial order of 100 bags of potatoes, each weighing 50 pounds, as even more people than expected showed up for the meal kits.

On the first day of distribution for the program, Amandos was engaged in what the Rev. Mike Denton described as potato-based negotiations: trying to get more to put in meal kits. There were similar numbers for the 1,920 bags of carrots, 110 cases of butternut squash and roughly 1,700 turkeys that were set to go.

While the transition has been daunting, Amandos said that the new co-chairs havent just had Wheat to rely on. There are a number of volunteers at the pantry that have helped to run the show for years.

Theres so many people here that have such strength, Amandos said. They know stuff. We can come up with a plan. When we have a problem, everybody has a solution.

That help also comes in the form of volunteers, which the program had some help with this year, too. Brenda Petell, director of volunteer engagement with Berkshire United Way, helped provide nearly 600 volunteers for the program over the last month, including 196 on the first day of meal distribution.

The program, and the pantry at large, will need continued volunteer support and financial donations. DeBartolo said the pantry is always looking for volunteers, and is in the process of registering as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Anyone interested should visit South Congregational Church at 110 South St.

As for Wheat, who remains the volunteer site manager at the church, the assurance that the program has new hands at the helm is a relief.

It feels good to have somebody be able to take over, she said. Im glad its being carried on.
Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the interpretation of facts and data.
The central theme of Global Bio-India 2023 is Biotech Innovation and Bio-manufacturing. This event will serve as evidence based demonstration of biotech sector potential and opportunities in India for nucleation of global biotech community promoting Destination India. To find out more details about the upcoming event, BioSpectrum spoke to Dr Manish Diwan, Head - Strategic Partnership & Entrepreneurship Development Mission Incharge - Make In India for Biotech sector, BIRAC, Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India

How is the government enhancing its focus on biomanufacturing? How will it contribute to the growth of bioeconomy in the long run? How is the Global Bio India 2023 event being used to highlight the biomanufacturing sector?

Biomanufacturing has been identified as a priority area especially promoting for 2G ethanol, Bio-gas, Enzymes, Smart proteins, Cell and Gene therapy, vaccines, diagnostics and other biologics for human, plant and veterinary applications.

Biotech product manufacturing requires high end infrastructure, running cost, and skilled human resource. This also requires an ecosystem support consisting of talent pool driving innovations, funding support, regulatory and compliances to meet the safety and efficacy/ efficiency. At present, a major proportion of products, equipments, reagents and tools for R&D and Manufacturing are import centric.

Biomanufacturing upscaling in India is aimed to reduce this imbalance and import dependence by indigenisation of such finished goods and intermediaries. The innovation ecosystem acting as the fly wheel completes the cycle of creating innovation led solutions pipeline for addressing the unmet needs.

This cycle also promotes MULANKUR of deep tech innovations that are IP led, attract investments, create high value jobs, and potentially address unmet needs through high impact and disruptive innovations. Startup India and Make In India National Missions are also in the same direction. Prime Ministers clarion call for India to emerge as a $100 Billion Biomanufacturing Hub recognises the potential of biotech  the sunrise sector. Indias Bioeconomy is increasing at a double digit CAGR for last few years contributing to about 3% of Indias GDP. By 2030, it is expected to reach $300 Billion. Biomanufacturing capacity enhancement can potentially contribute to 5% of Indias GDP.

At the Global Bio-India 2023 event, States with 'Biotech state policies' would be setting up their help desks for promoting greenfield and brownfield projects.



Bioeconomy report 2023 is to be released during the Global Bio India 2023 event? Any key highlights to be mentioned prior to the event? Would there by state-wise reports?



Indias BioEconomy has shown a substantial increase from $44.7 Billion in 2017 to $88.1 Billion in calendar year 2021 at a double digit CAGR. It is expected that we have crossed $100 Billion milestone. The BioEconomy report for calendar year 2022 would be released in Global Bio-India 2023. The report would emphasise the impact of Biotech products/ technologies in the entire value chain and how it is integrating within different sub-sectors and day to day life. For example, enzyme powered detergents for washing cloths, bio-mass waste conversion to 2G ethanol as Bio-fuel, etc. besides bio-therapeutics like Covid Vaccines, CAR-T cell cancer therapies, etc.

Indias BioEconomy mapping initiated by DBT/ BIRACs Make In India PMU each year has now become a referral document for national and international community. Policy makers, Industry community look forward to the annual BioEconomy report. Based on this, the projected target for 2030 is $300 Billion.

DBT/BIRACs initiative of annual mapping of BioEconomy has also played a significant role in sensitisation at the State level. States with mature biotech cluster, like Karnataka has set up $50 Billion as Bioeconomy target for 2030. It is advised that States especially with 'State Biotech Policy' may start actively monitoring and set a target. This way collectively Indias BioEconomy growth and coverage would get a huge boost. The BioEconomy report 2023 is expected to provide the State level potential as well.

What is the current status of biotech policies in different states in India? What more needs to be done to increase each state's contribution into biotech innovation and bioeconomy growth?

More than 22 States have Biotech policy now. This has seen significant improvement in last 8 years.

The culture of biotech innovation and entrepreneurship, conducive policies and common access infrastructure like Bio-Incubation centres would promote Innovation ecosystem in the Research Institutions, Research Hospitals, Universities. This is critical to create a pipeline of new generation entrepreneurs and expand the industry footprint.

Industry promotion and planning, setting up of advanced level common access infrastructure for pilot level and early stage Manufacturing (Technology Clusters) is where State Govt can come forward to provide land, investment incentives in PPP mode with some co-funding assistance from DBT/ BIRAC. This would provide a huge boost to develop local Bio-manufacturing ecosystem.

State level deployment of innovations like medical devices, diagnostics for human, animal and plant applications would provide the forward pull to the Startups/ SMEs and built a robust foundation of bio-manufacturing and bio-innovation ecosystem.





How does the government plan to support AI, big data, deep tech based startups to enhance biotech innovations in India? Any new policies, strategies to be highlighted during the Global Bio India 2023 event?



AI, BIG data is integral for the interdisciplinary biotech innovations. In the Global Bio-India 2023 one can expect to hear about global trends and insights. A professional report by E&Y to be released in Global Bio-India 2023 on Digital Transformation of R&D would provide more details.

What major is in store for the biotech startups at Global Bio India 2023 event?

This would be the largest congregation of biotech startups, larger than the one held last year at the BIRACs 10th year celebrations as Biotech Startup Expo 2022 in Pragati Maidan which was also inaugurated by the Prime Minister.

Highlights of the Global Bio-India 2023 event:

300+ exhibits by successful Biotech Startups/SMEs

100+ Biotech Incubation centres

30+ Large Industries, Services and CROs

10 States representation for promoting their Biotech policies

25 Universities and Research Institutions

30+ Country representation

40+ Startup pitches to Investors

100 Investors, Angels, VCs, HNIs

Masterclass for Startups- Art of Pitching

Public sessions on Science connect with society

Public hours for Exhibition

CEO Round tables  MNCs representing Biopharma, Medtech, Diagnostics, Industrial Biotech, Bio-Agri

Stakeholder discussion on National and Global Regulatory Trends

Supersessions on Biomanufacturing and Biotech Innovation ecosystem

Industry Academia interactions

Representation from Major Industry Associations, Investor Associations, Global Entrepreneurship Organizations

Biopartnering and B2B meetings

Help desks - Startup India, Regulatory facilitation, Funding and Investment, Technology Management, etc.

Launches

India Bio-Economy Report

National Biopharma Mission Impact Book

DRIVEN Network Monograph

JanCARE Healthtech Innovations report

MoU Announcements

25+ New Products by Biotech Startups

Awards

Women Biotech WInER Fellowship Awards

Exhibitor awards for Incubation Centre

Exhibitor awards for Startup

Innovator award

SPARSH entrepreneurs Awards

Dr Manbeena Chawla

(manbeena.chawla@mmactiv.com)
Hot 102.7FM is celebrating another memorable Party for Good, following the successful staging of its annual Jingle Jam Christmas party at the Sound Room in Kyalami on Saturday, 18 November.

Hot 102.7FM, Johannesburgs newest commercial radio station, has become famous for its legendary Old Skool music parties and the 2023 Jingle Jam was no different, with a focus on ringing in the festive season and using the stations growing platform to do some good in the community.

That involved asking all partygoers to bring a toy for a child aged between three and seven, with these toys set to be used to drive Hot 102.7FMs Toy Run in early December  another landmark event on the stations calendar.

Jingle Jam really is the start of the festive season for us, but its also a great opportunity to invite our listeners to party with us and to do it in the right spirit, remembering that there are many people out there who arent as fortunate as we are, said Lloyd Madurai, managing director of Hot 102.7FM. In particular, those kids who might not be anticipating a great Christmas. Wed like to make it one to remember for them.

Tickets to Jingle Jam sold out quickly, ensuring a big crowd was on hand to enjoy one of the parties of the year, featuring the music that Hot 102.7FM has become famous for, from the stations world-class DJs: Madurai, Shawny B, Steve Bishop and Shane The Duke Wellington.

The Christmas theme ensured there was plenty of dressing up, with prizes on the night for those who made the most effort with their outfits and went to town with the Christmas theme.

We love to throw great parties, but we also love to give back, particularly to those who desperately need it, and were fortunate that Hot 102.7FM is in a position to do that, said Madurai. It really is one of the great benefits of having the platform we have.

The giving doesnt end there, with Hot 102.7FM about to embark on the Hot Cares Christmas, between 4 and 14 December, which will see four lives changed every day for those nine days.

Its been a busy and successful few weeks for Hot 102.7FM, which recently was named Best Local Radio Station at the Best of Joburg Readers Choice Awards, along with the Hot 1027 Breakfast winning the Best Radio Show category.

The station also raised an incredible R19.4m in just 12 and a half hours at its annual Teddython Hot Cares charity fundraiser.

Hot 102.7FM will be looking to add to its awards tally on the second of December, when the SA Radio Awards takes place in Johannesburg. The station has been nominated in 14 categories, including in the coveted Commercial Station of the Year category, whilst significantly, Hot 102.7FM is also on the shortlist in the My Station  Most Loyal Listener category.
The pressure intensifies on banks alleged to have manipulated the rand as Standard Chartered Bank, a British multinational lender, has broken ranks and taken responsibility for its involvement in the cartel.

Source: Wikipedia.

In a significant development, the bank not only admitted to its role but also expressed its commitment to co-operate with investigators assisting the Competition Commission in uncovering the depth of the malpractice.

This admission puts additional strain on other implicated banks to come forward and disclose their actions in the ongoing investigation.

Eight years ago the Competition Commission launched an investigation into 28 banks for alleged price fixing involving the rand. Covering the period from 2007 to 2013, the commission asserted that multiple banks had engaged in manipulating bid prices, offers, and bid-offer spreads concerning spot trades involving rand currency pairs.

These alleged activities were purportedly carried out through both bilateral and multilateral communications, utilising instant messaging platforms and other modes of communication.

Furthermore, the banks collaborated by facilitating a scenario where a trader with a substantial open risk position could execute their trades ahead of others and by collectively holding and/or withdrawing their trades to manipulate liquidity instead of engaging in typical market trading.

Several years ago, Citibank, a prominent US banking institution, acknowledged its participation in spot trading of rand currency pairs spanning from September 2007 to October 2013. The bank consented to a payment of an administrative penalty totaling R69.5m and committed to complete co-operation in the prosecution of the case.

In the latest development, Standard Chartered Bank is set to pay South African authorities R43m while also implicating other banks, compelling them to follow suit.
Leading edtech company continues to impact Higher Education.

Snapplifys innovative digital solutions have caught the attention of GESS Dubai 2023 judges and it is a privilege to be named the Higher Education Resource/Equipment Supplier of the Year at the recent GESS Dubai award ceremony. This is off the back of world-class recognition by UNESCO for promoting mother-tongue literacy through our Africa e-Library project.

Snapplifys traction in the Higher Education market has grown considerably, spurred in part by the pandemic and more broadly, by the pressure on institutions to embrace digital tools and prepare for the 4IR.

In response to the unprecedented challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, South African universities struggled to provide their undergraduate students with access to essential learning resources that are typically located in the short-loan collections of on-campus libraries. With traditional print-based options unavailable, digital solutions were required to bridge the gap.

Fortunately, Snapplifys innovative library model, which enjoys strong support from both local and international publishers, proved to be an invaluable resource in this regard.

By offering core textbooks via the Engage online platform, universities were able to provide students with convenient, reliable access to the resources they need to successfully navigate their academic pursuits.

Snapplify is dedicated to bringing sustainable change to the education sector through innovative digital tools and solutions. Our products have demonstrated exceptional customer care and an outstanding standard of service to the education industry.

We boast a vast collection of higher education resources that directly cater to the unique educational needs of students and faculty alike. Our extensive catalogue features internationally renowned textbooks from publishers such as Cengage, Elsevier, Sage, Wiley, Springer, and OUP, as well as locally sourced content from reputable publishers in South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, and beyond. Amongst these offerings lies a treasure trove of scholarly and research-level material to support the academic endeavours of undergraduate, postgraduate, and faculty members. highlights Penny de la Plain who spearheads the HE portfolio.

Furthermore, the reader application also features accessibility options, such as text-to-speech, large-print, and dyslexia fonts, making it easier for all students to access learning materials and reducing the barrier to success for learners.

Snapplifys technology is built for education  its simple to use and it also integrates with other tools, including hundreds of LMSes, allowing for an easier, frictionless learning and teaching experience, explains de la Plain.

By offering a freemium model on our Engage e-learning platform, Snapplify equips institutions with digital learning at their own pace, making it accessible for all budgets. Our partnerships with local and international publishers give us a diverse catalogue of nearly a million titles, constantly growing to meet the curricula requirements of new territories. Our e-library also saves librarians time with easy-to-manage checkout, auto-return functionality, automatic waitlist management, and curated collections.

Thousands of institutions across 30 countries rely on Snapplifys solutions to promote reading, boost literacy and build 21st-century skills. With low-data solutions and seamless user experiences, we strive to provide excellence in all areas of digital learning globally.

With offices across Africa, as well as in Europe, the UK and the US, Snapplify is the number one Higher Education ebook provider in Africa, working with the continents most prestigious universities and TVET institutions, all of which have a strong history of student book purchasing.

Snapplify is trusted across the education industry. Register for Snapplify Engage for free or email hello@snapplify.com to chat about your specific needs and how we can work together.
The truce between Israel and Hamas has been delayed until at least Friday (November 24). Israeli officials confirmed that the beginning of the truce was rescheduled to at least 24 hours later than agreed upon.

Israeli national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi told local media about the delay in a late-night televised announcement but did not provide a reason why.

However, the Associated Press cited Israel's Channel 13 when it stated that there were still some last-minute details being ironed out.

As a result, airstrikes and offensive actions continue.

If the truce was officially initiated, Israeli troops and Hamas fighters were supposed to adhere to the pause in the fighting for at least four days to facilitate the release of Hamas hostages - particularly women and children - in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israel.

Read Also: Family of Youngest American Held Hostage by Hamas Wishes for Her Return on Fourth Birthday

Netanyahu: The War Continues

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a televised news conference that the war would resume after the truce expires, and to continue its mission of destroying Hamas's military capabilities and the return of all Israeli civilian and foreign hostages.

"I want to be clear: The war is continuing," he said. "We will continue it until we achieve all our goals."

Netanyahu added that he also delivered the same message in a phone call to US President Joe Biden, as well as instructed the Israeli spy agency Mossad to hunt down Hamas's exiled leadership "wherever they are."

Israeli military officials also insisted that the truce was not the end of the war.

"We will continue until we are victorious," Israeli Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi told commanders in a video released by the Israel Defense Force (IDF) on Thursday (November 23).

Hostage Deal Potentially Divisive

The return of hostages could lift spirits in Israel, where their plight has gripped the nation as families of the hostages staged protests clamoring for the Israeli government to bring their loved ones home.

However, since the hostages set to be freed are limited, there could be a potential division between the hostages' families.

Related Article: Al Shifa Hospital Director, Several Gazan Doctors Arrested by Israeli Troops: Report

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In a recent media roundtable at the inaugural annual energy conference of the South African National Energy Development Institute (Sanedi), the focus was on collaboration and inclusion in South Africas energy transition project. The discussions centred around the decision to repower and repurpose old coal-fired power stations, in line with South Africas pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions and switch to clean, renewable energy sources.

Inaugural Sanedi annual energy conference. Source: Supplied

Sanedi CEO, Dr Titus Mathe, highlighted the need for an and-and approach rather than an either-or approach. He clarified that repowering and repurposing old power stations would not be limited to a single technology but would explore a variety of cleaner fossil-fuel technologies.

The same theme was echoed in responses to questions about the use of international loans and grants to fund South Africas Just Energy Transition (JET), and the implementation of renewable energy sources in rural areas and informal settlements. Panellists emphasised that South Africas Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) provides the policy framework for funding applications and technology exploration, and that a broad range of options are being considered within this framework.

We welcome the loans announced by National Treasury today, said Mathe, but it is important to understand that the funding comes to us in response to the governments policy framework.

The Deputy Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Nobuhle Nkabane, mentioned that the presidential planning commission that deals with all matters related to climate change is formulating the plan according to which the R33.5bn in new loans will be allocated.

Mathe noted that Sanedis view is that the funds will be used to upgrade the grid, roll out cleaner coal technologies and do research.

Grid requirements considered in new plan

Grid requirements arose as a reason for the delay in finalising and publishing the long-awaited updated IRP. In response to several questions regarding the IRP, the panellists noted that the 2019 plan had not taken transmission requirements into consideration. Adding a transmission module to the modelling, as well as green hydrogen as a fuel of the future, had delayed the plan.

However, it is going through cabinet now and should be ready for public participation by the end of this year.

Sanedi highlighted the range of technologies that have been successfully piloted and are ready to be rolled out in rural areas and informal settlements. These include paint that cool down roofs and walls, biogas, solar technology, and biofuels.

Prof Sampson Mamphweli mentioned the innovative work being done to convert captured carbon into useful products such as green ammonia. He also highlighted the multi-stakeholder project currently being piloted in a village in Limpopo that combines water, food and energy technologies with rural economic and skills development, as well as technology-driven solutions  such as solar-powered science and media labs  to improve rural education.

Balanced transition

While JET is well-known now, Dr Mathe introduced the Balanced Just Energy Transition in his welcoming address.

When asked to unpack it, he said that balanced signifies that all technologies must be considered in the countrys energy transition programme. Casting the net as wide as possible not only to technology, but also to participants in the process.

There is a role for the private sector to play in research and development, in supporting Eskom to overcome the electricity crisis and even in building new generating capacity.

Nkabane summarised it best with her concluding statement when she reiterated the International Energy Agencys recent declaration that oil, gas and nuclear are regarded as green technologies that should be exploited to grow economies.

We have to develop our own reserves within the context of our national climate-change mitigation commitments and the socioeconomic circumstances of our people," he said. "We need to invest in science, technology and innovation to grow the economy and address our energy challenges.
The Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) has awarded Infrastructure South Africa (ISA) a Net Zero Carbon Level 1: Building Emissions certification for the standardised design of small clinics.

Cabinet approved the establishment of Infrastructure SA, which is responsible for raising additional funding for the projects, and driving efforts to ensure that implementation is expedited and projects are completed.

It is governed under the executive authority of the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure. The top governance structure within ISA is the Infrastructure Investment Committee (IIC), chaired by the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure.

The development of a standardised design for frequently designed public assets, such as small clinics, is a mandate given to ISA by Cabinet in 2021 for the purposes of accelerating planning and delivery of social infrastructure, developing updated cost estimates and reducing professional service costs for frequently delivered public infrastructure.

The Net Zero Carbon Level 1 Building Emissions certificate is defined as a building that is highly energy-efficient, and the remaining energy use is from renewable energy, preferably on-site but also off-site where absolutely necessary, so that there are zero net carbon emissions on an annual basis (Net Zero).

The updated designs provided by ISA mean that a small clinic will be able to cover its own operational electrical consumption with its own embedded renewable energy system which leads to a design that reduces onsite bulk service provision and greatly reduced operational costs, over the buildings lifecycle, Mbasa Tshombe from ISA.

Tshombe said they are still consulting with the various stakeholders prior to making a presentation before Cabinet.

We are hoping the presentation before Cabinet will be early next year, he said.

Best practice standards

In addition, the building materials and services have been designed at green building best practice standards, including technologies related to water efficiency, waste reduction and energy efficiency.

The building is simple to build and prioritises low skill labour. Its major wall and floor material is either Biomass Insulated Concrete (BIC) or other suitable alternative technology building material with impressive sustainability criteria, said Tshombe.

The building has been designed in response to the major challenges facing SA clinics, which include cross infection, waiting times and access for people with disabilities.

ISA has over the past few months worked on a long-term plan for infrastructure development across the country, the National Infrastructure Plan (NIP) 2050.

About R6.224tn is estimated to be needed in infrastructure finance between 2016 and 2040.

ISA is an infrastructure centre of excellence and is established as a single point of entry for infrastructure planning, management, and delivery.

It is a catalyst for closing the infrastructure investment gap and meeting the infrastructure target set out in the National Development Plan, and provides best practises in project preparation, leadership on infrastructure planning, technical and financial support for nationally prioritised infrastructure projects and programmes.

The Green Building Council SA was formed in 2007 to lead the greening of South Africas commercial property sector. They provide the tools, training, knowledge and networks to promote green building practices across the country and build a national movement that will change the way the world is built.
Leveraging its expertise in office design, Trend Group collaborated with HK Studio, experts in experiential design, to craft a stunning 3,000m bespoke office in Oxford Parks, Rosebank, catering to an international management consultant.

Source: Supplied.

The new head office embodies the best of interior design, storytelling, and true collaboration to create a space that transcends the expected in office design. It blends corporate functionality with a rich narrative that reflects the essence of the vibrant city of Johannesburg, explains Dorethe Swiegers, operations manager, Trend Group.

From a functional perspective, the clients fast-paced corporate environment necessitated a unique approach. Every element, from open work spaces to closed meeting rooms, was meticulously designed to cater to diverse work modes and the need for confidentiality.

The office layout was devised to accommodate flexible working solutions, aligning with the evolving demands of a hybrid work model.

The project began with a compelling brief: Create an office space that exceeded expectations, making it more than just a place to work. This was an opportunity to redefine the concept of the modern office in the post-pandemic era, a time marked by uncertainty, where the return to physical workplaces needed a fresh perspective, comments Swiegers.

The design needed to reflect the clients high global standards for an office but, more importantly, needed to change the mindset of staff about returning to the office.

The client conducted extensive analysis to explore new ways of approaching office culture and space. Alongside this, the design team dedicated time to deeply understanding the clients unique corporate structure, culture, and processes.

Through this intensely collaborative process, the design took shape around the following principles:

Creating a workspace surpassing conventional office design: Offering the best possible experience at every level, providing comfort and convenience that would be unmatched by home set-ups.

Offering the best possible experience at every level, providing comfort and convenience that would be unmatched by home set-ups. Empathy and authenticity: Anchoring the design in a greater story that is authentic and uncontrived.

Anchoring the design in a greater story that is authentic and uncontrived. Demonstrating value: A physical and psychological demonstration of the immense value of the staff to the business and bringing a thoughtful approach to every touchpoint in their working environment.

The design narrative took inspiration from Johannesburgs history as a city uniquely founded on ambition, driven by the allure of gold. This juxtaposition of grit and gold, of ambition and reward, became the heart of the design. Johannesburgs cosmopolitan nature and spirit of inclusivity were celebrated, reflecting the citys status as a melting pot.

It is also a city where the exotic is embraced, and often even subtly included in its sense of identity. This is symbolised perfectly by the jacaranda trees seen everywhere across the city for their brief flowering season  exotic yet loved as part of each persons story. This fleeting beauty is infused into various design elements.

We had the honor of receiving an exclusive visit from the Italian Ambassador in UAE. #DXBDW23 #trendgroup #dubaidesignweek pic.twitter.com/75j243ldvA  TREND Group (@TrendGroup) November 17, 2023

Ones journey through the office itself is an unfolding experience, drawing from experience in luxury and retail, and with an emphasis on thoughtful choices. It begins with a deeply sophisticated entry that exudes gravitas, featuring a neutral base palette and mining imagery, embellished with brass details. It anchors the image of the city in ones mind as a landmark, a place of dynamism and hard work.

Unveiling urban narratives

Progressing through the space reveals new aspects of the narrative of the city. Elements of surprise and exoticism are gradually revealed in different ways through various design elements: Wallpaper, furniture, or artwork, creating an unfolding adventure and sense of curiosity. Each space is thoughtfully linked to others as part of this exploration, without for a moment compromising usability and function.

The canteen area is a focal point for the office, and a true showcase of local excellence. From the handmade bespoke furniture to the custom-made Wolkberg wall tiles, each item has been made and placed with care and consideration.

Bruces Pantry in the canteen area is a drawcard in itself, offering the best of South African food products in an experiential culinary space that elevates the entire canteen concept and gives it a truly local character. The public areas overall strike a careful balance: Inviting and characterful spaces are created through a combination of timeless choices, contemporary style, and subtly playful elements.

To align with international standards and global consistency, certain elements such as desks and carpets were imported. It was, however, particularly important to the project team to incorporate as many local items as possible.

Artistic fusion

Approximately 80% of the furnishings and fittings are locally sourced and made, crafted with meticulous detail and showcasing the best of African design. Furniture procurement was done through Trend Groups own Design Collab.

The central staircase in the entrance area is a masterpiece in metal and wood with a tree at the centre, symbolising the grit and gold of the city, as well as the fusion of African and global excellence. Similarly, the Houtlander Preservation bench in the adjacent double volume area creates a beautiful and interesting conversation piece.

The design team collaborated with local artists, furniture makers, and galleries to source custom furniture pieces, artworks, and photographic works  most of which were created by Johannesburg-based artists like Justin Dingwall and Seth Pimentel.

The clients new Johannesburg office is an utterly bespoke space, unique to Johannesburg and reflective of the combined identities of the company and the city. The design, born out of thoughtful yet joyful collaboration and research at both the high level and the individual level, celebrates ambition, authenticity, and inclusivity while showcasing African excellence.

Strong, serious and philosophical, yet with a touch of playfulness, the result is a space that not only meets the practical needs of a corporate environment but also tells a compelling story of Johannesburgs unique identity, concludes Swiegers.
On Tuesday, 21 November, the Select Committee on Health and Social Services in the National Council of Provinces adopted the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill without any changes, despite assurances to business associations that the Bill would be softened. This development is further proof that government was never intent on incorporating the inputs and suggestions made by the private sector.

"The Free Market Foundation (FMF) has long called on business to not assume good faith from the government. Its naivety will cost commerce and all South Africans dearly," said David Ansara, chief executive officer of the FMF. "We now face the collapse of the private healthcare sector, which will mean that countless jobs will be lost, along with quality service and freedom of choice in healthcare."

Business should never have accepted NHI in principle. This concession did not buy them any political capital. Organised business has been focused on amending section 33 of the Bill. This provision will, once the NHI is fully implemented, prohibit medical schemes from offering benefits covered by the NHI Fund. But the NHI is bigger than only section 33, and touches on constitutional liberties and governance.

Businesss narrow approach is misguided. NHI represents a fundamental assault by the state on the independence of private healthcare, and should be opposed in its entirety.

"Business has no reason to grovel before a malicious government for minor concessions. The commercial sector in South Africa is significantly stronger and more capacitated than the public sector. Business needs to start taking the lead, rather than reinforcing the harmful agenda of the government," continued Ansara.

Businesss attempts to substantively water down NHI have failed. This strategy must change. Businesss leadership role in this context should be to defend the interests of healthcare consumers, medical professionals, and shareholders, not to toe the line of the brazenly ideological programme that is the NHI.

Unconstitutional

The NHI Bill infringes upon several rights that are enshrined in the Constitution. It will prevent medical schemes from covering services covered by the NHI, which will deny everyone the right to receive healthcare from service providers of their choice.

The NHIs imposition effectively nationalises the private healthcare sector, forcing doctors to become servants of the state or, in the more likely event, emigrate, said Martin van Staden, FMF head of policy.

The FMF Health Policy Unit has long warned of the NHIs weak governance model, which will enable political interference in key components such as setting up the NHI board and its numerous sub-committees.

This is likely to result in politically aligned cadres managing an NHI budget that is in excess of R500bn annually. The constitution of the NHI Fund flies in the face of the Zondo Commissions insights and recommendations.

The Free Market Foundation insists that organised business must change its future approach to dealings with government, and reject the NHI proposal with the contempt that it deserves," concluded Ansara.
A new preprint study up for peer review finds billions of residual DNA fragments in COVID-19 mRNA vaccine vials.

The lead author of the study , molecular virologist David Speicher, who has a doctorate in virology, told The Epoch Times that the study is "the largest study" on residual DNA in COVID-19 vaccines to date.

"In our study, we measured DNA copies of spike, ori (origin of replication), and SV40 enhancer genes," he told The Epoch Times. "The loads of SV40 enhancer-promoter, ori, and virus spike in Pfizer are up to 186 billion copies per dose."

The spike he refers to is the DNA sequence of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, which can be transcribed to spike mRNA to be used in the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines. The other two DNAsSV40 enhancer genes and orihelp facilitate the replication of spike DNA.

However, the final mRNA vaccines should only include RNA and not residual DNA instructions for spike production.

The researchers sequenced the gene material in 27 mRNA vaccine vials from 12 different lots. Nineteen vials were from Moderna, and eight were from Pfizer.

Why Would There Be DNA in mRNA Vaccines? The mRNA vaccines are made from DNA.

Initially, Pfizer reported that it would use a PCR machine to produce the DNA for its mRNA vaccines. The PCR machine would first make many copies of DNA, and then the same DNA would be sequenced into RNA.

However, because this process wouldn't be fast enough to meet demands, Pfizer announced it would use bacteria to mass produce the spike DNA instead . The DNA produced from the bacteria would then be harvested and sequenced to RNA in a machine.

Moderna's manufacturing report submitted to the European Medicine Agency also showed that the company used plasmid DNA to produce the vaccines. A plasmid is a strand of circular DNA common to bacteria and certain parasites. Plasmids are circular, while human DNA is linear.

Using bacteria to produce genes and proteins is a standard biotechnological process employed in the production of pharmaceuticals.

To have the bacteria replicate spike protein DNA, scientists first have to introduce spike protein DNA into the bacteria. As the bacteria multiply, so do the spike protein DNA that they carry.

However, the spike DNA can't be introduced alone; other sequencessuch as the ori, which signals for DNA replication; the SV40 enhancer gene, which encourages more DNA replication; and an antibiotic resistance gene, which helps scientists identify the bacteria that have taken up the genewould all be introduced together in a circular bacterial DNA.

It should be noted that the SV40 enhancer gene is a genetic sequence from the polyomavirus simian virus 40 (SV40), a DNA virus known to cause cancer in laboratory animals. The gene isn't the SV40 virus itself.

Once the mRNA and DNA are harvested from the bacteria, the DNA is then supposed to be removed.

However, it wasn't cleared efficiently, as the billions of copies of spike, ori, and SV40 enhancer DNA detected in the Pfizer vials suggest. Several millions of copies of ori and spike DNA were also found in the Moderna vials, but the SV40 enhancer gene wasn't detected. Why DNA Impurities in mRNA Vaccines Are Concerning Foreign DNA introduced into the cell alongside the mRNA is at risk of being mistaken as human DNA. If it is, it can then be integrated into the cell's blueprint.

The presence of SV40 enhancer genes increases the risk of DNA integration, said the lead author, citing a study published in 1999 that found maximal transport of DNA using the SV40 enhancer. The peak period for SV40 research, in terms of the overall rate of publication, spanned from the 1980s to 1999

If the DNA for spike protein is integrated into the host genome, cells will forever contain spike protein sequences. Integration of foreign DNA into the human genome can also cause cancer, as shown in studies of viral DNA integration

The SV40 enhancer gene is highly controversial in the field of vaccination because it comes from a virus linked to cancer.

Vials With More DNA Fragments Related to More Adverse Events The research paper further suggested that vials with higher doses of DNA content could potentially cause more adverse reactions like those found on the Vaccine Adverse Reaction Reports System (VAERS). Some of the polio vaccines administered between 1955 and 1963 were found to be contaminated with the complete SV40 virus. Even so, studies have concluded that those vaccinated with the entire SV40 gene aren't at a higher risk of developing cancer.The research paper further suggested that vials with higher doses of DNA content could potentially cause more adverse reactions like those found on the Vaccine Adverse Reaction Reports System (VAERS).

These vaccines tended to be the purple-top vials that required dilution before administration. If pharmacists forget to dilute the vials, they may accidentally inoculate children with five times the recommended dose. Therefore, the higher adverse events could also be linked to incorrect dosing of the vaccines.

The researchers used two techniques to determine DNA content dosage: fluorometry and qPCR.

The fluorometry test showed that the DNA content exceeded the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) limits of 10 nanograms per dose by 188 to more than 500 times. However, the qPCR test indicated that the DNA levels detected were below the regulatory standard.

Kevin McKernan, one of the study's authors with 20 years of experience in genomic sequencing who previously worked on the Human Genome Project and who's currently the chief scientific officer and founder of Medicinal Genomics, explained that the discrepancy in tests was because while fluorometry can detect double-stranded DNA of any size, qPCR can only detect DNA that has 100 base pairs or more.

However, while the qPCR tests rendered a result below regulatory standards, Mr. McKernan explained previously that the FDA standards were published at a time when residual DNA in the vial would only be naked DNA that would have difficulty entering cells. This is different from the current mRNA vaccines; now, DNA can be packaged into lipid nanoparticles, transporting it directly into the cell.

The study's additional authors include pharmacotherapeutic specialist L. Maria Gutschi, immunologist Jessica Roserecognized for her VAERS analysis reportsand pharmaceutical expert David Wiseman, who has also published research on COVID-19 treatments. What's Next? The lead author told The Epoch Times that far more research is needed to be done in investigating DNA contamination in the COVID-19 vaccines.

Other laboratories also need to trial his team's tests and reproduce their work to come to a more accurate conclusion on the effect that DNA dosage has on post-vaccination symptoms.

Other unanswered questions include whether the SV40 sequence in the vaccines is triggering "turbo cancer," according to the lead author. Animal studies must also be done to determine whether residual DNA is causing an immune response.
By Jill Glasspool Malone, PhD

Each nation in the world has its own culture, governance structures, traditions, property, borders and peoples. We must preserve the diversity and sovereignty of nations and cultures.

By globally synchronizing the public health response across the United Nations member states, new powers were granted to the UN and its organizations at the cost of national sovereignty. These universally applied regulations and multilateral agreements have given birth to an enlarged, globalized administrative state.

Although this power grab has been percolating for many decades, the COVIDcrisis acted as an accelerant to synergize international agreements that advance the UN as a world government.

The United Nations has morphed into a leviathan. Its various agreements and goals seek to centrally dictate the worlds economy, migration, reproductive health, monetary systems, digital IDs, environment, agriculture, wages, climate modifications, one world health, and other related globalist programs.

To be clear, these are the goals of an organization seeking a globalized command economy, not an organization focused on world peace, ending wars or human rights!

This UN aims to regulate every dimension of our personal and national lives. It is working to reduce and eliminate national sovereignty across the world, and thereby to decrease our diversity, our traditions, our religions and our national identities.

The UN has partnerships and strategic agreements with member nations, as well as other globalist organizations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Bank, CEPI, GAVI, The World Trade Organization, The European Union and the World Economic Forum, known as the WEF.

For an example of how the United Nations operates.

The WEF and the UN signed a strategic agreement and partnership in 2019. Remember that the WEF has a commitment to stakeholder capitalism, by which private-partnerships work to control governments.

The WEF developed a plan in 2020 to use the COVID-crisis to reorganize global governance around social issues including climate change  this plan was called the Great Reset.

The WEF is a trade organization representing the worlds largest corporations. It repeatedly exploits disruptive technologies to enhance economic growth opportunities for its corporate members. The WEF is specifically designed to advance the economic power of its global elite members, otherwise known as the billionaire class.

As the WEF feeds money into the United Nations through their 2019 strategic agreement, who is managing the conflicts of interests that come with this partnership? Where is the transparency?

The UN has fourteen specialized organizations under its leadership, all involved in global governance, including the World Health Organization or WHO.

None of these organizations have anything to do with the scope of the original UN charter, which was focused on ending wars, promoting world peace and human rights.

The UN has been quietly building power for years prior to the pandemic through various agreements and treaties. For instance, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is a recent example of such an agreement. Agenda 2030 is a treaty for transforming our world and was signed into international law in 2015. This treaty has elevated the United Nations to a position of a self-serving global government bureaucracy.

Agenda 2030 has 17 goals and 169 targets, which vary widely in scope and topic, but almost all of these goals directly affect world governance.

Here are just a few examples from the Agenda 2030 treaty. Is this what the United Nations should be concerned with, or are these issues more properly addressed by the policies of sovereign nations?

We are determined to protect the planet from degradation, including through sustainable consumption and production, sustainably managing its natural resources and taking urgent action on climate change achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men. eliminate discriminatory laws, policies and practices  Adopt policies, especially fiscal, wage and social protection policies, and progressively achieve greater equality Facilitate orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility of people By 2030, provide legal identity for all, including birth registration This is an Agenda of unprecedented scope and significance. It is accepted by all countries and is applicable to all

Agenda 2030 is essentially a totalitarian socialist manifesto. These and many more forceful statements regarding the reduction of national rights are found in this United Nations Treaty.

The UN has signed strategic agreements with the largest organizations, corporations and world powers to fulfill their utopian vision for the world.

This is a new world order- with unelected officials in control. That means that you and I will be ruled by a non-democratic UN administrative bureaucracy. This is a form of inverse totalitarianism. A world order based on a command economy; one that is at its core both socialist and totalitarian.

Now, these goals and targets may be fine for any single nation to undertake but this is a re-structuring of the United Nations beyond its charter.

Early in the pandemic, the UN - through its surrogate the WHO, declared that a global vaccine passport was needed, and provided extensive guidance to member nations to standardize vaccine passports worldwide.

In response, the leaders of the G-20 issued a declaration in 2022 supporting development of a global standard of vaccination for international travel and the establishment of "global digital health networks" to be built on existing digital COVID-19 vaccine passports.

In June 2023, a new initiative between the EU and the WHO for strategic cooperation on global health issues was announced. This agreement seeks to:

bolster a robust multilateral system with the World Health Organization at its core, powered by a strong European Union.

After failing to manage the COVIDcrisis, the WHO now seeks more money and power to control all aspects of our health and lives. They intend to amend the International Health Regulations to govern the pandemic prevention, preparedness and response" of future outbreaks, which includes public health emergencies of any type. This includes a major role for the WHO in direct governance, as opposed to a guidance-based role.

These changes are predicated on G-20 global adoption of vaccine passports. These passports will collect and contain private health data, and will enable surveillance, tracking and control of individuals and populations worldwide. The passports will include not only COVID-19 vaccine data, but the status of all vaccinations. It will become a world digitized passport  including personal health information that the United Nations has no right to access.

The G20 Joint Declaration regarding vaccine passports and future pandemics is a declaration on how future pandemics will be handled. It states:

We acknowledge the importance of shared technical standards and verification methods, under the framework of the IHR (2005), to facilitate seamless international travel, interoperability, and recognising digital solutions and non-digital solutions, including proof of vaccinations. We support continued international dialogue and collaboration on the establishment of trusted global digital health networks as part of the efforts to strengthen, prevention and response to future pandemics, that should capitalise and build on the success of the existing standards and digital COVID-19 certificates.

The G-20 is also working with the International Monetary Fund (the financial agency of the UN), the World Bank (which has a founding treaty relationship with the UN) and the Bank for International Settlements to formalize use of central bank digital currencies in banking systems. The Bank for International Settlements specifically refers to the disruption caused by Covid-19 as a justification to create central bank digital currencies.

The pandemic has allowed world leaders to coalesce global administrative power under the guise of public health through the administrative bureaucracy of the UN. Public health has been weaponized to gain control of passports, travel, banking, the environment and the international economy. This is a gross violation of the individuals right to privacy, national sovereignty and the UN charter.

It is just a matter of time before these vaccine passports will be coupled with central bank digital currencies. Then the passports can be used to deny the unvaccinated or other political dessenters access to travel and use of their own money.

Once international passports, central bank digital currencies, command economy aspects of the UNs Agenda 2030, and the WHO amendments to the IHRs are put into place, the groundwork for a new world order will be complete. A global administrative state, whose core power resides with the UN, will become a spiderweb of rules, regulations, agreements and treaties within which individuals and nations will be trapped like flies.

This new global governance will be virtually unbreakable. From there, it is only a matter of time before national sovereignty becomes obsolete. This is a reality, unless we fight to stop this madness.

For this reason, the power of the United Nations must be exposed and curtailed.

Globalists seeking to advance their agendas are using the model of the European Union, whereby rules and regulations stymie national sovereignty, to build a worldwide system of control.

All must fight this take-over at the local, national and international level. We must use the courts, our legislatures, media, public protests and the power vested in our national and state sovereignty to fight this. If all else fails, individual nations may need to withdraw from the UNs New World Order in order to remain free.

Lets work together to keep our personal and national sovereignty safe for future generations. A New World Order is not needed, is not acceptable, and we the people and our sovereign governments should unequivocally reject this globalized takeover.
A new Apple illegal union-busting complaint has been filed by the National Labor Relations Board. The new filing comes after the June ruling of the NLRB, claiming that there's an anti-union practice in the company.

NLRB's recent ruling specifically targeted the Apple World Trade Center store, which the labor board claims to be practicing illegal anti-union measures.

Now, the new complaint focuses on the iPhone maker's Towson Town Center, which is located in Towson, Maryland. Here's what NLRB's leadership claims.

New Apple Illegal Union-Busting Complaint Filed by NLRB

The National Labor Relations Board filed the new complaint on Tuesday, Nov. 21. According to 9To5Mac, the Towson store employees were the first Apple workers to unionize.

However, the tech giant firm doesn't appear to want staff from its other stores across the globe to follow what Towson Town Center workers did.

Apple Insider reported that NLRB's complaint revealed that Apple announced a series of new employee benefits in October 2022. Unfortunately, the iPhone manufacturer didn't allow unionized workers to have them.

The filing further stated that denying unionized employees benefits is Apple's way to discourage other workers from unionizing.

NLRB said that the new benefits introduced in 2022 include free Coursera subscription, prepaid tuition at some colleges, as well as new healthcare options.

If what NLRB's leadership claims is true, then Apple will be in big trouble since it denies employees benefits while other workers receive them is a violation of labor laws.

As of writing, the National Labor Relations Board scheduled a hearing to determine if the gadget manufacturer really broke the law.

Read Also: Apple Could Spend Nearly $5 Billion Next Year To Boost Generative AI Capability

Apple's Never-Ending Union-Busting Allegations

Ever since Apple Towson Town Center employees started unionizing, the smartphone developer has been facing illegal union-busting allegations.

Numerous organizations already filed complaints against Apple. These filings claimed that Apple is creating a fake union, requiring mandatory attendance at anti-union meetings, penalizing unionized workers, and conducting coercive interrogations.

Previously, IAM (Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers) and NLRB filed a complaint against Apple, accusing it of using new benefits to discourage workers from joining a union.

These are just some of the illegal anti-busting union accusations that Apple faced and is still facing today. You can click here to learn more.

Related Article: REI Violates US Labor Law, Employees File Complaints Due to Retaliation Against Pro-Union Workers

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Award-winning American actor, comedian, and musician Jamie Foxx is being sued by a woman who alleges he sexually assaulted her in August of 2015 at a rooftop bar in New York.

On Wednesday, November 22, a complaint was filed in the New York Supreme Court claiming that Foxx had fondled the unidentified lady and assaulted her by putting his hand down her trousers. It was submitted only two days before the New York Survivors Act's expiry, which allows adult survivors of sexual assault to sue for up to one year after the statute of limitations has passed.

The Alleged 2015 Incident

According to the documents, NBC News said the lady claimed that she and a companion, both of whom had been at a table away from the actor, moved up to ask for a photo with him. The Burial star had allegedly been having drinks with a co-founder and the owner of the establishment, Catch NYC & Roof.

The complaint claims that while they were taking photos, an "intoxicated" Foxx "roughly" took the woman's phone and began to take additional pictures while allegedly making sexual statements such as "Wow, you have that supermodel body."

The complaint alleges that he then grabbed her arm and dragged her to the rooftop's back area, where he put his hand beneath her blouse and started fondling her breasts. According to the paperwork, the victim attempted to get away, but Foxx placed his hands down her trousers and put his fingers on and in her vagina and anus.

The lawsuit states that a security guard saw the incident but did nothing to intervene. Foxx reportedly stopped groping the lady and approached the security guard when her companion arrived.

See Also: Sean 'Diddy' Combs Faces Lawsuit After R&B Singer Cassie Accuses Ex of Rape, Repeated Physical Abuse

Further Allegations Made in the Lawsuit

Case defendants also include Catch NYC Inc., Catch Hospitality Group, and Catch NYC & Roof owner Mark Birnbaum, as well as the Catch NYC & Roof rooftop bar at 21 Ninth Ave. in New York, according to NBC News. The lawsuit claims Birnbaum and the other bartenders that night were negligent in their duties and failed to ensure the safety of their patrons.

The suit argues that Foxx's aggressive conduct toward women, the possibility of unwanted sexual contact, and his unpleasant demeanor when very intoxicated were all known to Birnbaum and the staff at the Catch NYC & Roof.

The lady claims in her complaint that the attack forced her to seek medical attention, caused her "pain and suffering," and left her with lasting effects. She claimed that this resulted in "severe emotional distress and anxiety, humiliation, embarrassment, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other physical and emotional damages." She is seeking compensation for unspecified damages.

See Also: A$AP Rocky Faces Criminal Charges for Second Time Without Rihanna, Sparks Separation Rumors

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
NEW DELHI (PTI): An Indian armed forces contingent comprising 81 personnel left for Australia on Wednesday to take part in the second edition of the joint military exercise AUSTRAHIND, the Defence Ministry said in a statement.



The exercise will be conducted in Perth in Australia from November 22 to December 6. The Australian contingent will include 20 personnel each from the Royal Australian Navy and Royal Australian Air Force.



The AUSTRAHIND exercise was instituted in 2022 and the first edition was conducted in Mahajan in Rajasthan. It is planned to be an annual training event to be conducted alternately in India and Australia.



The aim of the exercise is to foster collaborative partnership and share best practices between the two sides.



The exercise will promote inter-operability while undertaking multi-domain operations in urban and semi-urban terrains under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter on peacekeeping operations.



The joint exercise will promote exchange of ideas and jointly rehearse tactics, technique and procedures for conducting tactical operations.



Its training curriculum includes sniper firing and jointly operating surveillance and communication equipment to achieve a high degree of situational awareness. Casualty management and evacuation will also be rehearsed besides tactical actions at company/battalion level.



The exercise will also help in promoting understanding between the two militaries and further strengthen the defence cooperation between the two friendly nations.


NEW DELHI (PTI): Indian Naval Ship Sumedha, which is on an extended deployment to Africa, arrived in Maputo and will hold joint Exclusive Economic Zone surveillance with the Mozambique Navy between November 23 and 25, the defence ministry said on Wednesday.



In an official statement, the ministry said the ship arrived in Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, on Tuesday.



The port call is aimed at strengthening long-standing diplomatic relations, reinforcing maritime cooperation and boosting interoperability between both the navies, it said.



During the visit, the two Navies will hold professional interactions, cross-deck visits, planning conferences and joint EEZ surveillance will be done, it said.



Activities during the port call include courtesy calls by the commanding officer on various dignitaries and government officials of Mozambique, including the Navy Commandant, Mozambique Navy and Mayor of Maputo City.



The ministry said Mozambique and India have traditionally enjoyed warm and friendly bilateral relations, and share common values of democracy, development and secularism.



Bilateral Defence Cooperation is also being progressed through regular Joint Defence Working Group (JDWG) meetings, it said.



"Indian Naval ships are regularly deployed overseas as part of Indian Navy's mission of building bridges of friendship' and strengthening international cooperation with friendly countries," the statement said.



INS Sumedha is part of the Indian Navy's Eastern Fleet based at Visakhapatnam and functions under the operational command of the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command.



The ship is equipped with several weapon systems, sensors, state-of-the-art navigation and communication systems/electronic warfare suits.



Sumedha has undertaken various fleet support operations, coastal and offshore patrolling, ocean surveillance and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) missions in the past.


A solicitor who worked in Michael Lynn's legal practice has told his multi-million euro theft trial that she was never a partner in the practice.

Mr Lynn (55), of Millbrook Court, Redcross, Co Wicklow is on trial accused of the theft of around 27 million from seven financial institutions. He has pleaded not guilty to 21 counts of theft in Dublin between October 23rd, 2006 and April 20th, 2007.

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It is the prosecutions case that Mr Lynn obtained multiple mortgages on the same properties, in a situation where banks were unaware that other institutions were also providing finance.

The financial institutions involved are Bank of Ireland, National Irish Bank (later known as Danske Bank), Irish Life and Permanent, Ulster Bank, ACC Bank, Bank of Scotland Ireland, and Irish Nationwide Building Society (INBS).

Fiona McAleenan, who worked as a solicitor in Michael Lynn and Co, told Karl Finnegan SC, prosecuting, on Thursday that following High Court proceedings, she was found not to be a partner in the practice.

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She said she took legal action against AIG, the practice's insurance company, as they had refused to indemnify her. She also noted that various banks issued legal proceedings against her.

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Ms McAleenan told Paul Comiskey O'Keeffe BL, defending, that she was never a partner in the practice, but there had been negotiations about her becoming a partner.

She said she did not dispute an email being sent to staff announcing the partnership while negotiations were ongoing. She said the discussion was at an advanced stage, and she believed she was going to become a partner, but was ultimately advised not to proceed.

She accepted that in hindsight, she should not have consented when asked by Mr Lynn.

Ms McAleenan agreed with Mr Comiskey O'Keeffe that she told the Law Society she was a partner in the practice at Mr Lynn's request.

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Mr Comiskey O'Keeffe put it to her that she also signed letters of undertaking as a partner. She said these documents were completed by former Michael Lynn and Co. legal executive Liz Doyle.

She said Ms Doyle would bring in letters of undertaking for her to sign with the required page open, then turn to the next page she was required to sign.

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I didnt see myself as guard that I should have to inspect undertakings, she said.

She said there was always pressure and she didn't pay a huge amount of attention to the solicitors' undertakings that Ms Doyle brought her to sign.

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She told Mr Comiskey O'Keeffe that she trusted Ms Doyle and Mr Lynn.

Mr Comiskey O'Keeffe suggested to Ms McAleenan that while this process may have been standard, it was not considered best practice by the Law Society.

The Law Society carried out thorough investigation into the activities in [the practice]. They were aware I signed undertakings... They did not make findings against me, and did not ask me to attend disciplinary meetings.

Ms McAleenan was taken through a mix of documents, including solicitors' letters of undertaking, emails and letters during her direct evidence.

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She agreed with Mr Finnegan that she had not signed a number of these solicitor's undertakings, and it was not her signature on these documents. She said it was her view that it was Ms Doyle's handwriting.

Ms McAleenan said she had not given Ms Doyle or anyone else permission to sign on her behalf.

She said she recognised her signature on several letters of undertaking but did not recall the specific signing of it. She said the rest of these documents had been completed by Ms Doyle.

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Ms McAleenan said she was asked by Ms Doyle and others in the practice to sign letters of undertaking, but had no further involvement with these conveyancing files.

She told Mr Comiskey O'Keeffe during cross-examination that she would sign the letters of undertaking, but all necessary work was carried out by the person dealing with conveyancing file, and I was entitled to accept that.

She said Ms Doyle dealt with conveyancing on behalf of Mr Lynn.

When shown a letter with the header Fiona McAleenan Solicitor during her direct evidence earlier today/yesterday (THURS), Ms McAleenan replied, no firm ever existed in that name.

I was never a sole practitioner.

She was shown an email to Orla Deignan, former assistant business banking manager for National Irish Bank, in February 2007, which stated Fiona McAleenan was a partner in Michael Lynn and Co solicitors and was in a position to act independently.

Ms McAleenan said she did not send the email. It did not come from me.

She added. I wasnt acting for Mr Lynn in relation to the purchase of these properties. I had no involvement.

She suggested that someone else may have used her account to send the email, as her computer was left on when she was at lunch or in court. It would have been very simple for someone to send that email.

Mr Finnegan outlined evidence from Michael O'Malley, former senior legal adviser for National Irish Bank, earlier in the trial that he received a phone call from a woman who introduced herself as Fiona McAleenan from Michael Lynn & Co in February 2007.

Ms McAleenan said she never had any dealings with Mr O'Malley. All I could say somebody had a conversation with Mr O'Malley. That was not me.

She said she saw correspondence come into the office that concerned me in late 2007.

Mr Comiskey O'Keeffe put to Ms McAleenan that Ms Doyle had been given authority to sign her name and did so with her consent and knowledge. Ms McAleenan denied this.

The trial continues before Judge Martin Nolan and the jury.
Girls Aloud will reunite for a 2024 arena tour in memory of their late bandmate Sarah Harding.

The band announced the tour with a video which saw Nadine Coyle, Cheryl, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh reunite at a drive-in cinema where clips of the band performing their hit tracks including Sound Of The Underground, Love Machine, Call The Shots and Biology were played.

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The tour will be a celebration of Sarah, our music and our incredible fans, the social media announcement said.

Announcing The @GirlsAloud Show arena tour next May/June 2024. A celebration of Sarah, our music & our incredible fans. On sale Fri 1 Dec, Presale Weds 29 Nov. Presale signup: https://t.co/uNLymJO9VX. We cant wait to sing & dance with you again  pic.twitter.com/Kgifar5BWM  Kimberley Walsh (@KimberleyJWalsh) November 22, 2023 Advertisement

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The tour will kick off in Ireland on May 18th with a concert at Dublin's 3Arena, followed by Belfast's SSE Arena on May 20th.

The band will then hit Manchester, Cardiff and Newcastle at the end of the month, before heading to Aberdeen and Glasgow in June, as well as Nottingham, Leeds and Birmingham.

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The band will perform two nights at Londons O2 before closing the tour at the Liverpool M&S Bank Arena on June 29.

It comes after the death of Harding in 2021 at the age of 39, after revealing she had breast cancer which had spread to other parts of her body.

In an interview with BBC News, Roberts said: Were going to do our absolute utmost to celebrate her in the most enormous, magical way.

Coyle confirmed that while rumours of the reunion tour were true, there is no new music or video coming  although weve shot a commercial, she said.

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Nicola Roberts, Nadine Coyle, Kimberley Walsh, Cheryl and Sarah Harding of Girls Aloud (Ian West/PA)

Cheryl said: Making new music without Sarah would be odd, but celebrating what we made together? Fabulous.

The group formed in 2002 on reality show Popstars: The Rivals and went on to achieve four UK number one singles and a Brit award for The Promise.

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After parting ways, the group reunited with new music for their 10th anniversary  while a second reunion was planned for their 20th anniversary when Harding was diagnosed with cancer.

Roberts said: Its not going to be easy for us to put a show together with four people, instead of five, while Cheryl added: It hasnt felt right, until now, to do anything without her, but now we feel strong enough, emotionally.

While Coyle suggested that some of Hardings original vocals could be used in the show.

A pre-sale will begin on November 29th at 9am with the general sale on December 1st at the same time.
Sean Penn described the Will Smith Oscars slap as karma for the Academy who chose not to allow the Ukrainian president to address the 2022 ceremony following Russias invasion.

Hollywood star Penn, who has won two Oscar awards for best actor, said it was discouraging and a low moment for the leadership of the Academy when it did not invite former actor Volodymyr Zelenskiy to present a message to the audience.

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He had no intention of being partisan politics in the United States, Penn said during an interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored.

TONIGHT: A brilliant interview with Hollywood superstar Sean Penn.

Tune into @PiersUncensored at 8pm to hear a fierce actor with a fierce mind, getting fierce re Ukraine, Israel, Gaza and more. pic.twitter.com/BImoeT0141  Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) November 22, 2023 Advertisement

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It was really to talk about the value of cinema and to thank all of those around the world that were supporting and the Academy. Thats what he would have shared.

And they traded that for, I guess, the karma of what happened with Will Smith.

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King Richard star Smith, who later won the Oscar for best actor, stormed the stage and slapped comedian Chris Rock after he made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smiths hair loss.

Penn said he was in Lviv, Ukraine, with his organisation Community Organised Relief Effort (Core) during the infamous Academy Awards ceremony.

I wasnt watching it, but I heard about it the morning after and saw the clip, he said.

I literally felt something like safer in Ukraine than Hollywood, watching it, mentally. It just seemed so small.

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Last year Penn gave one of his Academy Awards to Mr Zelenskiy as a symbol of faith in the countrys victory in the ongoing conflict with Russia  and it will stay in Ukraine until the end of the war.

The Milk actor also made a documentary about the war in Ukraine titled Superpower, which had its world premiere at the Berlin film festival earlier this year.
GAA players in east Belfast have celebrated the Hamely Tongue in what is believed to be the first Ulster Scots event held by a club in the sporting organisation.

It was attended by members of East Belfast GAA and included learning about a number of Ulster Scots words, a language known affectionately as the Hamely Tongue.

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Ulster Scots expert and author Liam Logan described the event at the Stormont Pavilion on Wednesday night as quite light-hearted, adding a list of handy insults was enjoyed, including gansh, meaning an empty chatterbox.

East Belfast GAA club secretary David McGreevy said the event, which came during Ulster-Scots week, solved a few mysteries of the origins of some commonly used words which are not known outside the North.

Sometimes you dont realise its Ulster Scots until someone doesnt know a word that youre saying  back in 2013 I was playing in an All Ireland quarter-final, the team I played for was filled with Co Kerry and Co Mayo guys, I described the opposition midfielder as a gansh, they didnt understand it, and I didnt know how to explain it to them, he said.

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Our crest features Ulster Scots as well, its trilingual with Irish, English and Ulster-Scots.

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The reason for that is a GAA club should always represent the community in which it exists and bring people together.

As a GAA club you have to promote the Irish language, but its not just the Irish language that exists on our crest, theres also Ulster Scots which represents people in our community so we should be promoting that.

It was a good opportunity to find out more about Ulster Scots, and it was good craic to be honest.

He said he believes they are the first GAA club to host an Ulster Scots event.

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Mr Logan described Ulster-Scots as being derived from an eclectic selection of languages from across Europe, including Scandinavian, French, German and even Latin.

I think this was the first GAA club I spoke at, but I go to a lot of different groups, fundamentally people are curious about these words, he said.

Im of the opinion that because they were largely linked to the land with most people working in agricultural circumstances, there was a lot of use for Ulster Scots words.

As farms nowadays are heavy on the big machinery not quite so much on farm labourers, Ulster Scots has fallen slightly into disuse.

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In a world that grows ever more homogenised its something that makes us a distinctive tone, and a vocabulary that makes us distinctive.

There are two qualities that most Ulster Scots speakers will be familiar with, thran (stubborn, pig headed) and carnaptious (argumentative).

As long as we have those traits in our personalities, Ulster Scots will continue.
Updated: 5.45pm

Five people, including three children, have been injured in a stabbing incident in Dublin City Centre, with one child requiring emergency treatment for her injuries.

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Gardai and emergency services attended the scene at Parnell Square East in the north-inner city shortly after 1.30pm on Thursday.

Three young children, a woman and a man were taken to various hospitals in the Dublin region for treatment.

Gardai at the scene at Parnell Square East. Photo: Collins

Gardai confirmed a five-year-old girl sustained serious injuries and is currently receiving emergency medical treatment in CHI Temple Street.

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A five-year-old boy and a six-year-old girl sustained less serious injuries and were taken to CHI Crumlin for treatment. The boy has since been discharged.

A woman aged in her 30s is receiving treatment for serious injuries at the Mater Hospital.

There was a large Garda presence in the area following the incident. Photo: Collins

Gardai added that a man in his 50s, who is a person of interest in the investigation, also sustained serious injuries and is being treated at another hospital in the region.

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Investigators are not looking for any other person in connection with the incident at this time. However, the force said it "continues to have an open mind at this early stage of the investigation".

According to The Irish Times, early indications suggest a man attacked a group of young people with a knife and passers-by intervened. The paper adds that a knife was recovered at the scene.

The scene at Parnell Square remains sealed, and a technical examination is ongoing.

The scene remained closed off on Thursday afternoon. Photo: Collins

An update from Gardai on Thursday evening said they are appealing for anyone with information on the attack to contact Mountjoy Garda Station on 01-666 8600, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800-666 111, or any Garda station.

The force is also asking for anyone who may have footage of the attack, or the immediate aftermath of the incident, to make it available to investigating officers.
Are Israelis' lives more valuable than Palestinians? This question left the Israeli government spokesman speechless; at least for a few seconds.

After Israel and Hamas agreed on the four-day ceasefire, Eylon Levy was interviewed by Sky News. English broadcaster Kay Elizabeth Burley was the one who interviewed Levy.

Because of the surprised expression of the Israeli official, their interview is now going viral on X (formerly called Twitter) and other social media platforms.

Here's what the broadcaster and Israeli government spokesperson talked about.

Israeli Govt. Spokesman Speechless When Asked if Israelis are More Valuable Than Palestinians

According to Fox News' latest report, Kay Burley asked why Israel agreed to an unfair hostage exchange ratio with Hamas. Previously, the Israeli government confirmed that the hostage release would be 3:1.

This means that Hamas is expected to let go of a total of 50 hostages in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners.

"And he made the comparison between the numbers and the fact that does Israel not think Palestinian lives are valued as highly as Israeli lives?" asked the English journalist.

This question surprised Eylon Levy. But, the top Israeli official was able to quickly answer it with confidence and a little disappointment.

"That is an astonishing accusation. If we could release one prisoner for every one hostage, we would obviously do that," said Levy.

He explained that Israel is operating in horrific circumstances, saying that they are about to release Palestinian prisoners who have been convicted of violent attacks in exchange for innocent Israeli civilians.

Because of this, Levy said that the question of Burley was "outrageous" since it suggests that they are not valuing Palestinian lives.

"Really, that's a disgusting accusation," reiterated the Israeli government spokesman.

You can watch Eylon Levy's official X post below to see their actual conversation.

The first question that left me speechless (but only for a second): pic.twitter.com/P4Bh0SKtl9  Eylon Levy (@EylonALevy) November 23, 2023

Read Also: Al Shifa Hospital Director, Several Gazan Doctors Arrested by Israeli Troops: Report

When Will Israel-Hamas Hostage Exchange Happen?

The Guardian reported that the four-day ceasefire in the Gaza Strip will happen on Friday, Nov. 24. It will specifically start at 7:00 a.m., which is a bit later than originally announced.

Qatar foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said that Israel and Hamas already exchanged their lists of hostages who will be released later that day.

These include 13 women and children captured by the Palestinian militant group and Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. However, since Hamas will only release 50 hostages, this means that around 190 Israelis will remain in their hands.

Related Article: Israel-Hamas Ceasefire: Israeli Leaders to Halt Pursuit, Terrorist Leaders to Release Hostages

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Removing the "triple lock", which prevents Ireland deploying troops overseas without UN approval, would be a vindication of Irish sovereignty, the Taoiseach has said.

Leo Varadkar said he was never a fan of the policy and that he did not regard the concept as being part of Irish neutrality.

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Tanaiste Micheal Martin has instructed Department of Defence officials to prepare legislation to remove the triple lock and the UN Security Councils ability to veto the deployment of Irish troops abroad.

The triple-lock system requires approval from the Dail, Government and either the UN Security Council or General Assembly for the deployment of more than 12 defence forces members on overseas operations.

According to Mr Martin, the system hands the five permanent members of the Security Council a veto over our national sovereign decision to deploy troops to peacekeeping missions as we see fit.

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Mr Varadkar pointed out that the UN has not approved a peacekeeping operation in almost 10 years. Removing the triple lock would be a vindication of Irish sovereignty, he said, saying that we actually arent going to allow Russia or China or America or Britain or France decide where we can or cant send our troops.

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I think theres a danger that we wont be able to participate in any new peacekeeping operation if we continue to allow the veto power of those great powers  that won the war 75 years ago and have nuclear weapons  to decide where we cant send our troops.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar. Photo: PA

Mr Varadkar added he had been advocating for reform of the UN and the Security Council, but that this was unlikely.

Meanwhile, there are places in the world that may be looking for help, looking for a support. And I think we should be open to that.

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I dont honestly believe any party in Ireland would wantonly send Irish troops into a place of danger. You know, I dont remember ever doing that before, and I dont think that that would be done deliberately again, the Taoiseach said.

Meanwhile, Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris defended the Tanaiste and the timing of his announcement in the Dail on Wednesday about changes to the triple lock system.

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Mr Harris told RTE radios Today with Claire Byrne that the Tanaiste had taken the time to outline his response to the consultative forum on international security.

Theres a way to go on this, he said. This was not the end of the process, he added. The point was that the UN Security Council had the power of veto over the sending of Irish troops on peace-keeping missions, Mr Harris said.

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There are five permanent members of the Security Council who can veto any such mandate, and that includes Russia and includes China. Are we really saying that after all that has happened in the world, that we dont want the Irish Government or the Irish peoples representatives to decide if we can send peacekeeping troops overseas? Do we want Vladimir Putin to have a say in relation to it, and thats actually the effect.

While Ireland was a proud member of the UN, the fact remained that the Security Council was not functioning well, he said.

This is a body that took six weeks, six weeks after the terrible terrorist atrocity in Israel to even issue a statement, to get agreement on a statement. Its a body that to this day hasnt offered words in relation to a resolution on Ukraine, despite the fact that the war is on the continent of Europe.

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So we have to be real here. To be clear, this is not about neutrality. Were not changing our policy on neutrality. But if we want to send more than 12 Irish men and women abroad to help keep peace, do we really want Putin or others to have a veto on that?

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We have no confidence in the UN Security Council to be able to form a collective opinion on major issues that arent then vetoed by somebody else. What were saying is we cant sit idly by while a body that has five countries that have a veto gets to decide whether Irish men or women can play an important part in peacekeeping. And I dont think Irish people want that.

I think what we want here is the democratically elected representatives of the people, the Oireachtas and the Irish Government to have a say. But lets also be really clear. This will all have to be legislated for. The detail of this will have to be teased through. Theres plenty of opportunity to debate this.

Speaking earlier on Thursday, Independent TD and former Irish Army Ranger Cathal Berry also said he did not regard the triple lock as a component for Irelands neutrality.

Ireland Tanaiste asks officials to legislate for major cha... Read More

Mr Berry told RTEs Morning Ireland the triple lock was unique to Ireland and no one was asking us to have it.

I think a balance could be struck so there can be circumstances with external checks and balances but that could also provide the Government with additional autonomy to assist Irish citizens overseas where appropriate.

The abolition of the triple lock would allow Ireland to take part in missions organised by other bodies such as the EU or African Union, Mr Martin said. Ireland could also directly assist a country which is requesting assistance from the international community.

Ireland can, and does, take part in EU- and Nato-led peacekeeping missions but only if they have received a UN mandate.
Tanaiste Micheal Martin has agreed to re-engage with the Women of Honour group over its concerns about the proposed terms of reference at a tribunal of inquiry into the Defence Forces.

The tribunal of inquiry will examine the effectiveness of the complaints processes in the Defence Forces in respect of workplace incidents relating to discrimination, bullying, harassment, sexual assault and rape.

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The support group for former and current female Defence Force members who allege they were abused in the military held a meeting with Mr Martin on Thursday morning.

Former army captain Diane Byrne said serious issues remain.

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Speaking to reporters after the meeting with Mr Martin, she said: It was an extremely frank conversation but he has agreed to re-engage, so conversations will keep going to try to work out the differences that we have with the Terms of Reference.

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Were very firm in the position that there are some serious issues here.

Were as keen as anybody to get this resolved and move forward  but only if it is right.

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The group also raised its concerns over what it earlier described as a flippant remark from the Tanaiste.

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Mr Martin, who is also Minister for Defence, had previously told the group that the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act would not be explicitly included in the inquirys definition of complaints processes as it could include trips, slips and falls.

The Women of Honour had asked Mr Martin to withdraw the remark, which it felt minimised the extremely serious incidents to be covered by the inquiry.

A spokeswoman of the Department of Defence described this characterisation of Mr Martins remarks as unfair.

On Thursday, Ms Byrne said the Tanaiste did not apologise for the comment during the meeting.

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Women of Honour member Diane Byrne (Brian Lawless/PA)

He alluded to how he meant that to be. We obviously took it in a different light. That is what it is.

Ms Byrne said the group would continue to explain why the legislation should be included in the definition of complaints processes.

She said the groups request for the negotiations to be taken out of the hands of the Department of Defence and instead be arbitrated through the Department of the Taoiseach has never been entertained.

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Tanaiste Micheal Martin (Niall Carson/PA)

We always believe that it is inappropriate. Even if its for perception purposes. Really and truly were talking about the Department of Defence creating a terms of reference that has them included in the review and investigation of it.

Of course, thats a conflict of interest. Weve raised that countless times before and we just havent got any traction on it. We are prepared to keep going on these issues, pending on getting what we need in the terms of reference.

Ms Byrne said the group would continue to engage as long as the Government continues to be reasonable.

Asked if she was hopeful the groups requests would be listened to, she said: Im always hopeful. We wouldnt be doing this if we felt there was no point. This takes an awful lot of time, effort, energy and resources that we dont have.

The Women of Honour group leaving the meeting with Tanaiste Micheal Martin (Brian Lawless/PA)

We are working mothers at home, and we have to turn our lives upside down every time we come in here, but we do have hope that we will eventually get somewhere with this.

Were not going anywhere. So, if we dont have hope  whats the point?

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The group anticipates another meeting with the Tanaiste before Christmas.

She also told reporters that victims are aligned on what they want but it was unclear if all representative groups were.

Ms Byrne said there had been previous requests for multiple groups to meet with officials at the same time, rather than one-on-one engagements.
The Ditch media company has issued High Court proceedings challenging a decision by the Standards in Public Office (Sipo) Commission to refuse to provide it with an annual donation statement ahead of it being presented before the Houses of the Oireachtas.

Ditch Media Limited alleges it requested a copy of Taoiseach Leo Varadkars 2022 annual donation statement last August.

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It says it wants to seek the 2022 donation statements of other Oireachtas members but is precluded from doing so due to the unlawful position adopted by Sipo.

The news site claims Sipo refused to disclose the document, saying it is currently being reviewed under section 4 of the Electoral Act 1997 and cannot be provided before it is laid before the Oireachtas in the normal course.

Sipo allegedly told the website that permitting inspection of donation statements before its review is completed would hamper the commissions ability to properly complete its compliance function.

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The Ditch claims Sipo acted outside the powers of the 1997 Act, which provides that every copy of a statement provided to it under section 74 of the Act shall be available for any person to inspect at such times and subject to such conditions as the commission considers appropriate.

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This phrase, the site claims, does not allow unfettered discretion or discretion that permitted Sipo to refuse its request under the reasons given, or at all.

Open case

In a sworn statement, filed as part of The Ditchs case against Sipo, journalist Roman Shortall says the issues transcend the facts of the case, as they concern whether journalists must wait months or years until the relevant donation statements have been reviewed.

Solicitor Wendy Lyons, of Abbey Law Solicitors, mentioned the case before Ms Justice Niamh Hyland on Thursday. The judge deemed the proceedings open before the court for the purpose of marking the case as having been brought within the statutory timeframe.

She adjourned the action to December 11th.

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News stories published by The Ditch, which was founded in August 2021, have contributed to the resignations of junior ministers Robert Troy and Damien English, and the deputy chair of An Bord Pleanala, Paul Hyde.

Until earlier this month, the site was receiving financial backing from Web Summit. With Paddy Cosgrave at the helm, the technology events company committed funding of approximately 1 million over five years.

Funding was pulled effective immediately, the company announced on November 7th, after Mr Cosgrave resigned as chief executive amid a backlash over social media posts he made about the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

A spokesperson said the decision was part of Web Summits aim to refocus on its core mission. She said The Ditch is a separate organisation with its own editorial control, and its views do not represent those of Web Summit.

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The Ditch posted a Palestinian flag on October 7th, the day Israeli civilians were slaughtered and taken hostage in a surprise attack by Hamas. It published an opinion piece a week later criticising Israel as a racist, supremacist, apartheid state with a fascist government engaged in crimes against humanity.

The site is owned by editor Eoghan McNeil, Mr Shortall and journalist Paulie Doyle.
Removing the triple lock will end the morally wrong situation of Russia being able to veto the deployment of Irish troops abroad, the Tanaiste has said.

Micheal Martin rejected the suggestion the move would undermine Irelands military neutrality amid angry clashes with Sinn Fein in the Dail.

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During Leaders Questions, Sinn Feins Pearse Doherty told Mr Martin such a fundamental policy shift should be put to the Irish people in a referendum.

Mr Martin has instructed Department of Defence officials to prepare legislation to remove the UN Security Councils ability to veto the deployment of Irish troops abroad.

Sinn Feins Pearse Doherty insisted the Government did not have a mandate to change the policy (Liam McBurney/PA)

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Under the triple lock, a deployment of 12 or more Defence Force members can only happen if the mission is approved by the Government, the Dail and by way of a UN resolution.

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The five permanent members of the UN Security Council  China, France, Russia, the UK and the US  can veto any such resolution.

Mr Doherty insisted the Government did not have a mandate to change the policy.

You never campaigned for that, the programme for government didnt say that, and if youre securing your position put it to the people in a referendum and let them decide whether they want to undermine neutrality or not, he told Mr Martin.

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The Tanaiste said there was absolutely no policy to undermine Irelands military neutrality.

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Stop creating a false story and deliberately doing so, he told Mr Doherty.

And the bottom line is this. You seem to have a view that Russia should dictate our foreign policy. Thats exactly what you were saying.

I believe theres something morally wrong with the fact that an authoritarian and aggressive neo-imperialist power has de facto veto on elements of how we, as an independent republic, react to any given situation, that is the fundamental truth of where we are today. Theyve invaded Ukraine. They violated the UN charter and you are saying they should have a veto over how, when and where we deploy our troops.

That is the essence of the Sinn Fein policy, which I reject and oppose.
David Cameron met Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and president Isaac Herzog during a visit to Israel, amid the announcement of a truce in the war with Hamas.

The former UK prime minister expressed hope that it could be an opportunity to crucially get hostages out and get aid into Gaza.

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It was confirmed that the ceasefire will begin on Friday morning from 7am local time, with aid going in as soon as possible, according to Qatari officials.

The first set of civilians held captive by Hamas are expected to be freed at about 4pm on Friday local time, including 13 women and children.

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The agreement for a four-day ceasefire in Gaza appeared to have hit a last-minute snag, with Mr Cameron telling Mr Netanyahu that he wanted all parties to the agreement to make it happen.

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There are hopes that the lull in the fighting will clear the way for humanitarian aid to enter Gaza to ease the suffering of citizens who have been bombarded and besieged by Israel as it takes on Hamas in response to the October 7th atrocities.

Mr Cameron, who earlier visited Kibbutz Beeri, scene of some of the worst violence during the Hamas assault, said: There is never any excuse for this sort of hostage-taking.

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All the hostages should be released, but I hope that everyone who is responsible and behind this agreement can make it happen, to bring relief to those families, including, of course, there are British nationals who have been taken hostage.

A building collapses following an Israeli air strike in the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel (Leo Correa/AP)

Mr Netanyahu promised to continue with the goals of the war and we will eradicate Hamas.

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There is no hope for peace between Israel and the Palestinians and between Israel and the Arab countries if we do not eradicate this murderous movement, which threatens the future of all of us, he told the Foreign Secretary.

Meeting Mr Herzog, the ex-prime minister said it was very good to be back in Israel.

Theres a huge amount of trauma in Israel because of the taking of 244 hostages. Im not sure anyone can fully understand and share that trauma, but I remember the worst days of being prime minister was when British hostages were taken in Syria, and so many of them lost their lives in the most gruesome, terrible fashion.

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I remember the effect that had on me as prime minister and thinking about that and so perhaps know a tiny bit of what your nation is going through.

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This morning, together with @elicoh1, I visited Kibbutz Beeri, one of the communities affected by the appalling terror attack Israel suffered on 7 October.



I wanted to come here to see it for myself; I have heard and seen things I will never forget.



Today is also a day where pic.twitter.com/2dU4gbeaIE  David Cameron (@David_Cameron) November 23, 2023

Mr Camerons visit comes a day after he met counterparts from Arab and Islamic countries  including the Palestinian Authority  at Lancaster House in London to discuss the Middle East crisis.

Foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Indonesia and Nigeria, as well as the secretary general of the League of Arab States, and the ambassador of Qatar, attended the event.

Mr Cameron said the group discussed how to use the planned pause in the Israel-Hamas fighting to consider how we can build a peaceful future which provides security for Israel but also peace and stability for the Palestinian people.
A four-day ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war will begin on Friday morning, with aid going in as soon as possible, Qatari officials have said.

Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari announced that there will be a pause in the fighting from 7am local time (5am Irish time).

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The ceasefire had been anticipated after a deal was reached, though details were still being sorted out over the last day.

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Mr al-Ansari said the first batch of civilians held captive by Hamas will be freed at around 4pm on Friday local time (2pm Irish time), including 13 women and children.

The diplomatic breakthrough promised some relief for the 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza who have endured weeks of Israeli bombardment, as well as families in Israel fearful for the fate of their loved ones taken captive during Hamas October 7th attack that triggered the war.

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 Over 14,128 people have been killed in the #GazaStrip; 74% of them are reportedly children and women.



Almost 1.7 million people - nearly 80% of the population- have been displaced across the #GazaStrip since the war began. https://t.co/zTGGBlea0c pic.twitter.com/lGf4uMR3Og Advertisement  UNRWA (@UNRWA) November 23, 2023

The deal appeared to hit a last-minute snag when Israels national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, announced a one-day delay late on Wednesday, without providing a reason. The ceasefire was originally set to begin on Thursday morning.

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Mr al-Ansari said the two sides had exchanged lists of those to be released.

Meanwhile, the health ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza resumed its detailed count of Palestinian casualties from the war, saying more than 13,300 have been killed.

The new numbers were not fully broken down, but in past tallies, women and minors have consistently made up around two thirds of the dead.

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Smoke rises following an Israeli bombardment in the Gaza Strip (AP)

The figures do not include updated numbers from hospitals in the north, where services and communication largely broke down earlier this month.

The ministry said some 6,000 people have been reported missing and are feared to be buried under rubble.

The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and militants in its death tolls. Israel says it has killed thousands of Hamas fighters, without presenting evidence for its count.

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The ministry stopped publishing casualty counts as of November 11th, saying it had lost the ability to do so because of the collapse of the health sector in the north.

The truce agreement had raised hopes of eventually winding down the war, which has levelled vast swathes of Gaza, fuelled a surge of violence in the occupied West Bank, and stirred fears of a wider conflict across the Middle East.

An underground tunnel found underneath Shifa Hospital in Gaza City (AP)

Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu vowed to continue the war after the truce expires, with the goal of destroying Hamas military capabilities, ending its 16-year rule in Gaza and returning all of the estimated 240 captives held in Gaza by Hamas and other groups.

We will continue it until we achieve all our goals, Mr Netanyahu said, adding that he had delivered the same message in a phone call to US resident Joe Biden.

Washington has provided extensive military and diplomatic support to Israel since the start of the war.

The delay in implementing the ceasefire dismayed uprooted Palestinians in Gaza, who hope to use the few days of quiet to visit homes they fled  or at least the wreckage of them  and to reconnect with families after the massive dispersal caused by the Israeli assault.

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Many talked of trying to make short visits to homes in Gaza City in the north of the territory, though it was unlikely Israeli troops controlling the area would have allowed it.

Last night's deal is a testament to the tireless diplomacy and determination of many dedicated individuals across the United States government to bring Americans home.



Now, it's important that all aspects are fully implemented: https://t.co/L8HUAQjJOm  President Biden (@POTUS) November 22, 2023

Israeli troops hold much of northern Gaza and say they have dismantled tunnels and much of Hamas infrastructure there. On Wednesday, Israeli forces revealed what they said was a major Hamas hideout in a tunnel beneath Shifa Hospital.

The territorys largest medical centre has been at the heart of a fierce battle of narratives over both sides allegedly reckless endangerment of civilians. Hamas and hospital staff deny Israeli allegations that Shifa was used as a militant command centre.

The military said on Thursday it detained Mohammed Abu Selmia, the director of Shifa, for questioning over his involvement in what it said were extensive Hamas activities in the hospital.

Gazas health ministry called on international bodies to intervene and said it would no longer cooperate with the World Health Organisation in evacuating hospitals.

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Earlier on Thursday, Israel ordered the full evacuation of the Indonesian Hospital in the north, Dr. Munir al-Boursh, a health ministry official told Al-Jazeera.

Fighting has raged outside the hospital for days, and hundreds of people have already been evacuated to the south. It was unclear if the arrest of Mr Abu Selmia would affect those efforts.

Palestinians walk among debris of buildings that were targeted by Israeli air strikes in Jabaliya refugee camp, northern Gaza Strip (AP)

Israel has threatened to launch wider operations in southern Gaza, where most of the territorys population is now located.

More than a million people, including hundreds of thousands who fled the north, have crammed into overflowing UN-run shelters with dwindling food, water and basic supplies.

For Hamas, the ceasefire would provide an opportunity to regroup after weeks of apparently heavy losses. Hamas leader Yehya Sinwar, who is believed to be alive and in hiding in Gaza, is likely to claim the release of Palestinian prisoners as a major achievement and declare victory if the war ends.

Under the truce deal, 50 hostages are supposed to be freed in stages, in exchange for the release of what Hamas said would be 150 Palestinian prisoners. Women and children would be released first, and Israel said the truce would be extended an extra day for every additional 10 hostages freed.

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Palestinians flee the Naser area (AP)

Israel cut off all imports at the start of the war, except for a trickle of food, water and medical supplies allowed in from Egypt. The lack of fuel has caused a territory-wide blackout, leaving homes and hospitals reliant on generators, which have also steadily been forced to shut down.

The war erupted when several thousand Hamas militants stormed into southern Israel, killing at least 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking scores of hostages, including babies, women and older adults, as well as soldiers, for whom Hamas is expected to demand a large number of high-profile prisoners.

More than 1.7 million people, three quarters of Gazas population, have been displaced in the war.

Many, if not most, will be unable to return home because of the vast damage and the presence of Israeli troops in the north.

Israel has barred imports to Gaza since the start of the war, except for a trickle of aid. Humanitarian aid groups operating in Gaza said the truce will prove too short and the Rafah crossings capacity insufficient to meet urgent needs.
An agreement for a four-day ceasefire in Gaza and the release of dozens of Hamas-held hostages and Palestinians imprisoned by Israel appeared to have hit a last-minute snag after a senior Israeli official said it would not take effect until Friday.

The diplomatic breakthrough promised some relief for more than 1.7 million Palestinians who have fled their homes under weeks of Israeli bombardment, as well as families in Israel fearful over the fate of loved ones captured during Hamas October 7th attack that triggered the war.

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Israels national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, announced the delay late on Wednesday, without providing a reason. The ceasefire had originally been due to start at 10am local time (8am Irish time) on Thursday.

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Israeli media reported that some final details are still being worked out.

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The Persian Gulf nation of Qatar, which played a key role in mediating with Hamas, said early on Thursday that a new time for the agreement to go into force would be announced in the coming hours.

The US and Egypt also helped negotiate the deal.

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Israeli soldiers are seen during a ground operation in the Gaza Strip (AP)

Meanwhile, the health ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza said it has resumed its detailed count of casualties, documenting more than 13,000 deaths.

The ministry had stopped updating its figures on November 11th after the breakdown of access and communication in northern Gaza, where Israeli ground troops are battling Palestinian militants.

The latest count is based on updated figures from hospitals in the south and November 11th figures from the northern hospitals. The real toll is likely to be higher.

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Thousands of people are feared buried under rubble (AP)

The health ministry says another 6,000 people have been reported missing, and are feared buried under rubble.

The ceasefire agreement had raised hopes of eventually winding down the war, now in its seventh week, which has levelled vast swathes of Gaza, fuelled a surge of violence in the occupied West Bank, and stirred fears of a wider conflict across the Middle East.

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Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu told a nationally televised news conference that the war would resume after the truce expires, with the goal of destroying Hamas military capabilities, ending its 16-year rule in Gaza and returning all of the estimated 240 captives held in Gaza by Hamas and other groups.

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The war is continuing. We will continue it until we achieve all our goals, Mr Netanyahu said, adding that he had delivered the same message in a phone call to US president Joe Biden.

Families of the hostages held in Gaza are enduring unimaginable suffering, as they wait for news from their loved ones.



Please visit this link for some answers to common questions. This document will continue to be updated as needed https://t.co/xLgx6WmpZL  ICRC (@ICRC) November 22, 2023

Washington has provided extensive military and diplomatic support to Israel since the start of the war.

If implemented, the deal temporarily freezes both sides at a delicate moment.

Israeli troops hold much of northern Gaza and say they have dismantled tunnels and much of Hamas infrastructure there.

On Wednesday, Israeli forces revealed what they claim was a major Hamas hideout in a tunnel beneath Shifa Hospital.

The territorys largest medical centre has been at the heart of a fierce battle of narratives over both sides allegedly reckless endangerment of civilians.

An Israeli soldier stands in an underground tunnel found underneath Shifa Hospital in Gaza City (AP)

Israel meanwhile ordered the full evacuation of the Indonesian Hospital in the north, Dr Munir al-Boursh, a health ministry official inside the facility, told Al-Jazeera television.

He said hospital officials were trying to organise buses to evacuate some 200 patients, including older adults and children with burn injuries.

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Fighting has raged outside the hospital for days, and hundreds of people have already been evacuated to the south.

Despite the advances in the north, Israeli officials acknowledge that much of Hamas infrastructure remains intact.

I spoke today with Emirati Foreign Minister @ABZayed to discuss ongoing efforts to address humanitarian needs in Gaza and prevent further spread of the conflict. We also reaffirmed the need to end the conflict in Sudan and the importance of the U.S.-UAE strategic partnership.  Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) November 23, 2023

Israel has threatened to launch wider operations in southern Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of people who fled the north have crammed into overflowing UN-run shelters with dwindling food, water and basic supplies.

For Hamas, the ceasefire would provide an opportunity to regroup after weeks of apparently heavy losses. Hamas leader Yehya Sinwar, who is believed to be alive and in hiding in Gaza, is likely to claim the release of Palestinian prisoners as a major achievement and declare victory if the war ends.

Under the truce deal, 50 hostages will be freed in stages, in exchange for the release of what Hamas said would be 150 Palestinian prisoners.

Both sides will release women and children first, and Israel said the truce would be extended an extra day for every additional 10 hostages freed by Hamas.

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Ambulances are seen on a road near an Israeli forces tank during an Israeli army ground operation in the Gaza Strip (AP)

The return of hostages could lift spirits in Israel, where their plight has gripped the country.

Families of the hostages have staged mass demonstrations to pressure the government to bring them home.

Qatar said the ceasefire would allow a larger number of humanitarian convoys and relief aid to enter Gaza, including fuel, but it gave no details on actual quantities.

Israel cut off all fuel imports at the start of the war, causing a territory-wide blackout and leaving homes and hospitals reliant on generators, which have also steadily been forced to shut down.

Mr Netanyahu said the deal includes a provision for the International Committee of the Red Cross to visit the hostages in captivity.

Israeli air strikes have devastated some areas of Gaza, including the town of Khan Younis (AP)

Israels justice ministry published a list of 300 prisoners eligible to be released, mainly teenagers detained over the past year for rock-throwing and other minor offences.

The war erupted when several thousand Hamas militants stormed into southern Israel, killing at least 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking scores of hostages, including babies, women and older adults, as well as Israeli soldiers.

Israel has a long history of agreeing to prisoner swaps with militant groups, and Hamas is expected to demand a large number of high-profile Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the soldiers.

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The country says it has killed thousands of Hamas fighters, though it has presented no evidence for its count.

Three quarters of Gazas population of 2.3 million have been displaced in the war. Many, if not most, will be unable to return home because of the vast damage and the presence of Israeli troops in the north.
The release of hostages under a temporary truce between Israel and Palestinian Hamas militants will not happen before Friday, Israel's national security adviser and the US said, dashing hopes of relatives that some would be freed on Thursday.

The family of Israeli-Irish national Emily Hand were waiting anxiously on Wednesday night along with relatives of other children held hostage in Gaza to find out if she will be released.

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Emily, who turned nine last week, was seized from kibbutz Beeri on October 7th when 3,000 gunmen from Gaza crossed the border into southern Israel, killing 1,200 people, according to Israeli authorities, and taking almost 240 into captivity.

Israel and Hamas agreed early on Wednesday to a ceasefire in Gaza for at least four days, to let in humanitarian aid and free at least 50 hostages held by militants in the enclave in exchange for at least 150 Palestinians jailed in Israel.

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The starting time of the truce and release of hostages captured by Hamas during its October 7th attack on Israel has yet to be officially announced. An Egyptian security source said mediators had sought a start time of 10am (8am Irish time) on Thursday.

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Family members of two Israeli hostages who are currently being held in Gaza, Thomas Hand (centre), the father of nine-year-old Irish-Israeli child Emily Hand, and Iris Haim (left), the mother of Yotam Haim, during a press conference at the Israel Embassy in London. Photo: PA

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said he was hopeful that Emily will be released shortly and that if there can be a ceasefire for four days maybe there can be a ceasefire for a longer period.

Speaking on Newstalk radio on Thursday morning, Mr Varadkar said the ceasefire would provide a breathing space for humanitarian aid.

The family of Emily were in his thoughts, he said. I can't imagine what a traumatic experience that is being held captive in a tunnel away from your family.

There was no military solution to the Israel-Palestine issue. There's no way that one side can defeat the other militarily, notwithstanding Israel's extraordinary military power.

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Mr Varadkar added that he thought the European Union's policy towards Israel-Palestine had been very passive when it comes to Israel. It has been partly because Europe is divided on the question of Israel-Palestine. It's been a passive approach, and I don't think that's sustainable.

The Taoiseach said calls for unilateral action against Israel were a bad idea and any action needed to be multilateral.

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Providing an update on the status of Emily, a Department of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman said: The Department of Foreign Affairs welcomes the announced agreement between Israel and Hamas for a truce and the release of some of the hostages held in Gaza.

Our focus in particular is on the case of nine-year old Irish citizen Emily Hand.

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We have worked consistently for her release over recent weeks, including through extensive contacts with regional partners. There is no official confirmation at this time of those scheduled to be released under this agreement.

The department welcomes the truce agreed as part of the hostage deal. A break in hostilities is essential to allow for significant increased humanitarian access. Gazas civilian population urgently need fuel, food, water, and medical supplies, on a sustained basis and at scale.

Israeli soldiers are seen during a ground operation in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday. Photo: Associated Press

Speaking on Thursday morning, Qatar's foreign ministry spokesperson Majid bin Mohammed Al Ansari said an announcement on the beginning of the truce could come in the next few hours. Qatar has been mediating in the negotiations on the truce.

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"The negotiations on the release of our hostages are advancing and continuing constantly," Israeli national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said in a statement released by the prime minister's office.

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"The start of the release will take place according to the original agreement between the sides, and not before Friday," it said.

White House spokesperson Adrienne Watson said final logistical details for the release were being worked out. "That is on track and we are hopeful that implementation will begin on Friday morning," Watson said.

But there was no let-up in the fighting early on Thursday, reports said.

Palestinian media said Israeli aircraft and artillery struck Gaza's southern city of Khan Younis in at least two waves and 15 people were killed. Attacks were also reported in several other parts of Gaza, including the Jabalia and Nuseirat camps.

There was no immediate comment from Israel and Reuters was unable to independently verify the reports.

In Israel, sirens warning of incoming rocket fire from Gaza blared in communities near the border with the enclave, the military said. There were no reports of damage or injuries.

Israel's public broadcaster Kan, citing an unidentified Israeli official, reported there was a 24-hour delay in the truce because the agreement was not signed by Hamas and mediator Qatar. The official said they were optimistic the agreement would be carried out when it was signed.

"No one said there would be a release tomorrow except the media ... We had to make it clear that no release is planned before Friday, because of the uncertainty that hostages' families are facing," Kan quoted a source in Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office as saying.

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Israeli media, citing anonymous officials, reported the pause in fighting with Hamas also would not start before Friday. Israel's Ynet news website reported that Israel had not yet received the names of the hostages slated for release by Hamas.

Since the Hamas attack on southern Israel that surprised the government and shocked Israelis, five hostages have been recovered alive. Israel says 1,200 people were killed, mostly civilians and about 240 hostages of different nationalities taken hostage by Islamist gunmen.

In retaliation, Israel has subjected Hamas-ruled Gaza to a siege and relentless bombardment. More than 14,000 Gazans have been killed, around 40 per cent of them children, according to medical officials in the territory.

'Need to know they are alive'

Netanyahu made no mention of a potential delay in implementation of the agreement during a press conference late on Wednesday. Hanegbi's statement was released about an hour after the press conference.

"We need to know they are alive, if they're okay. It's the minimum," said Gilad Korngold, who said he drew just a measure of comfort from the deal between Israel and Hamas and was among those who was still awaiting word of relatives. Seven of his family members, including his 3-year-old granddaughter, were taken hostage.

"I want everybody back. But I think  and it's a very tough decision  but I think the children and women must be [first]. They are most fragile...they need to get out."

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The US also hoped that aid would begin reaching Gaza in large volumes within the next few days, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said.

The 50 hostages would be released over four days at a rate of at least 10 daily, Netanyahu's office said. The truce could be extended day by day so long as an additional 10 hostages were freed each day, it said.

Israel's justice ministry published a list of 300 names of Palestinian prisoners who could be freed.

Hamas said the initial 50 hostages would be released in exchange for 150 Palestinian women and children imprisoned in Israel. Hundreds of trucks of humanitarian, medical and fuel supplies would enter Gaza, while Israel would halt all air sorties over southern Gaza and maintain a daily six-hour daytime no-fly window in the north, Hamas said.

The truce agreement, the first in a nearly seven-week-long war, was reached after mediation by Qatar and seen by governments around the world as potentially easing the suffering of civilians in the Gaza Strip.

Gaza is the "most dangerous place in the world to be a child," Catherine Russell, head of the United Nations children's agency Unicef, told the UN Security Council on Wednesday. More than 5,300 Palestinian children had reportedly been killed since October 7th, Russell said.  Additional reporting: Vivienne Clarke
Anti-Islam populist Geert Wilders has said he is ready to join the next Dutch coalition government after he surged to a huge election victory that marked a stunning lurch to the far right for a nation once famed as a beacon of tolerance.

The result is sending shockwaves through Europe, where extremist nationalist ideology is putting pressure on democracies which face having to deal with the first far-right prime minister of the Netherlands.

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It is going to happen that the PVV is in the next cabinet, Mr Wilders said, using the Dutch abbreviation for his Party for Freedom.



Geert Wilders celebrates with party members in The Hague (Phil Nijhuis/AP)

With nearly all votes counted, Mr Wilders party was forecast to win 37 seats in the 150-seat lower house of parliament, more than double the 17 the party secured in the last election.

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He received a standing ovation, cake and sparkling wine when he met his legislators at the parliament building on Thursday morning.

Can you imagine it? Thirty-seven seats! he said to cheers.

Other political parties were holding separate meetings to discuss the elections outcome before what is likely to be an arduous process of forming a new governing coalition begins on Friday.

Mr Wilders election programme included calls for a referendum on the Netherlands leaving the European Union, a halt to accepting asylum-seekers and migrant pushbacks at Dutch borders.

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It also advocates the de-Islamisation of the Netherlands. He says he wants no mosques or Islamic schools in the country, although he has been milder about Islam during this election campaign than in the past.

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One of the most prominent Muslim organisations in the Netherlands said it had received emails expressing support since the election result.

Thats reassuring, the Contact Group Muslims and Government said in a statement. In addition, Mr Wilders has said that he will become prime minister of all Dutch people, regardless of their religion, sex or colour.

The Netherlands is a state governed by the rule of law and we trust that it is a tolerant country.

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Although known for his harsh rhetoric, Mr Wilders began courting other conservative and centrist parties by saying in a victory speech that whatever policies he pushes will be within the law and constitution.

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His victory appeared based on his campaign to curtail migration  the issue that caused the last governing coalition to quit in July  and to tackle problems including the Netherlands cost-of-living crisis and housing shortages.

In his victory speech, Mr Wilders said he wanted to end what he called the asylum tsunami, referring to the migration issue that dominated his campaign.

The Dutch will be number one again, he said. The people must get their nation back.

To become prime minister of a country known for compromise politics, the politician sometimes called the Dutch Donald Trump must persuade other party leaders to work with him in a coalition government.

That will be tough since mainstream parties have long been reluctant to join forces with him and his party, but the size of his victory strengthens his hand in any negotiations.

Mr Wilders called on other parties to engage constructively in coalition talks. Pieter Omtzigt, a former centrist Christian Democrat who built his own New Social Contract party in three months to take 20 seats, said he would always be open to talks.

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Mark Rutte resigned as prime minister in July (Peter Dejong/AP)

It will be a complicated formation process. It is up to responsible politicians to form a government, one way or another, he said, according to Dutch news site Nu.nl.

The party that finished behind the PVV in the election was an alliance of the centre-left Labour Party and Green Left, which was forecast to win 25 seats, but its leader, Frans Timmermans, made clear that Mr Wilders should not count on him as a partner.

The election was called after the fourth and final coalition of Mark Rutte, who resigned in July, failed to agree on measures to rein in migration. He has been in office for 13 years, making him the Netherlands longest-serving leader, and plans to step down once a new coalition government is formed.

Mr Rutte was replaced as the head of VVD by Dilan Yesilgoz-Zegerius, a former refugee from Turkey who could have become the countrys first female prime minister had her party won the most votes. Instead, it was forecast to lose 10 seats to end up with 24.

She said the PVV and Mr Omtzigts party should take the initiative in talks to form the next coalition.
Donald Trump has told Argentinas president-elect Javier Milei that he plans to travel to the South American country so the two can meet, Mr Mileis office said.

The office did not give a date for when the former US president intends to be in Buenos Aires. The inauguration of Mr Milei, a right-wing populist who has expressed admiration for Mr Trump, is scheduled for December 10th.

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The president-elect received a call last night from the former president of the United States, Donald Trump, who congratulated him and pointed out his triumph by a wide margin in last Sundays election had a great impact on a global scale, a news release from Mr Mileis office said.

Donald Trump (Eric Gay/AP)

Luis Majul, a local journalist who was first to report the news, wrote on social media that Eduardo Bolsonaro, son of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, was the one who facilitated the contact between Mr Milei and the Republican front-runner.

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Thats right, Mr Milei posted in response.

Mr Trump celebrated Mr Mileis victory with a social media post of his own on Tuesday, saying in a video: I am very proud of you. You will turn your country around and truly make Argentina great again.

Mr Milei has often been compared to Mr Trump, who he praised in an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson earlier this year.

The Argentine called on Mr Trump to continue with his fight against socialism, because hes one of the few who fully understood that the battle is against socialism, that the battle is against the statists.

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His conversation with Mr Trump on Wednesday took place a few hours after Mr Milei spoke with US President Joe Biden.

The White House said Mr Biden congratulated Mr Milei and spoke of the strong relationship between the United States and Argentina on economic issues, on regional and multilateral co-operation, and on shared priorities, including advocating for the protection of human rights, addressing food insecurity and investing in clean energy.
A multi-car train derailment happened in central Kentucky on Wednesday, November 22, that reportedly released molten sulfur and started a fire. The governor declared a state of emergency, and police urged residents to flee their homes.

Health Risk to Residents

CSX, the train's operator, said in a statement that at least 16 cars were involved in the accident north of Livingston, Kentucky, "including two molten sulphur cars that have been breached and have lost some of their contents which is on fire." The town of Livingston may be found around 60 miles south of Lexington.

Sulfur dioxide is produced during the combustion of molten sulfur, according to CSX. The business noted that specialized equipment is being sent to the region to undertake air monitoring.

The odor of sulfur dioxide is pungent, and it is a colorless gas. According to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it may induce frostbite if exposed to its liquid form, and it can irritate the eyes, nose, and throat depending on the amount of exposure.

Evacuation Order From Governor

Meanwhile, the office of Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear released a statement saying, "Response efforts for the incident are ongoing, and local officials are encouraging those in the town of Livingston to evacuate," CNN reported.

When Linda Todd was informed about the danger in her Livingston neighborhood, she decided to leave even if it was supposed to be Thanksgiving. "I was freaking out because I said, 'We are cooking, we got turkeys in the ovens. We can't leave.' They were like, 'You have to go, it is a bad situation. You have to go," Todd told WYMT.

Due to the derailment, Beshear has declared a state of emergency, and his office has announced that the state's Emergency Operations Center has been established.

Beshear said that declaring a state of emergency would make all state resources accessible to ensure the safety of residents' families. "Please stay clear of this area as state, local, and CSX officials respond," he said.

Read Also: [UPDATE] 2 Dead, 1 Hurt After Explosion at Rainbow Bridge Border Crossing

The Wednesday's Accident

At about 2:30 PM local time on Wednesday, CSX reported a derailment. Rockcastle County Sheriff told WKYT that the accident occurred between Mullins Station and Livingston. The train company said one of the two crew members had minor injuries and was treated at the site.

US Route 25 has been closed in both directions from the Laurel County border to Calloway Branch Road as a result of the accident. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet for District 8 stated in a social media post on Wednesday night that it is uncertain when the roadway will reopen.

CSX has said it is establishing a recovery strategy and coordinating with local authorities to secure the site.

Read Also: Hyatt Regency Buffalo Says Mass Shooting Reports False Alarm

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Geert Wilders has been called the Dutch Donald Trump.

He has been threatened with death countless times by Islamic extremists, convicted of insulting Moroccans, and Britain once banned him from entering the country.

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Now, Mr Wilders has won a massive victory in a Dutch election and is in pole position to form the next governing coalition, and possibly become the Netherlands next prime minister.

35!!!!!!



PVV GROOTSTE PARTIJ  pic.twitter.com/oMANVYvGjy  Geert Wilders (@geertwilderspvv) November 22, 2023 Advertisement

An exit poll revealing his landslide appeared to take even 60-year-old political veteran Mr Wilders by surprise.

In his first reaction, posted in a video on X, he spread his arms wide, put his face in his hands and said simply 35!  the number of seats an exit poll forecast his Party for Freedom (PPV) won in the 150-seat lower house of parliament.

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In fact, his party was later forecast to take 37 seats, with almost all votes counted on Thursday morning.

Mr Wilders has long been one of the Netherlands best-known legislators at home and abroad. His populist policies and shock of peroxide blond hair have drawn comparisons with Mr Trump.

Mr Wilders celebrates with party members after winning the most votes in the Dutch general election (AP)

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But, unlike the former US president, he seemed destined to spend his life in political opposition.

The only time Mr Wilders came close to governing was when he supported the first coalition formed by Prime Minister Mark Rutte in 2010.

But Mr Wilders did not formally join the minority administration and brought it down after just 18 months in office in a dispute over austerity measures. Since then, mainstream parties have shunned him.

They no longer can.

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The winds of change are here! Congratulations to @geertwilderspvv on winning the Dutch elections! pic.twitter.com/yh9LVcuP5J  Orban Viktor (@PM_ViktorOrban) November 22, 2023

The PVV wants to, from a fantastic position with 35 seats that can totally no longer be ignored by any party, cooperate with other parties, he told cheering supporters at his election celebration in a small bar in a working class suburb of The Hague.

Whether he can piece together a stable coalition with former political foes remains to be seen.

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As well as alienating mainstream politicians, his fiery anti-Islam rhetoric also has made him a target for extremists and led to him living under round-the-clock protection for years. He has appeared in court as a victim of death threats, vowing never to be silenced.

Voting on Wednesday at The Hague City Hall, Mr Wilders was flanked by security guards scanning the cavernous space for possible threats. He has moved from one safe house to another over nearly two decades.

The PPV leader celebrated early results which saw his party gain the most votes (AP)

In 2009, the UK Government refused to let him visit the country, saying he posed a threat to community harmony and therefore public security.

Mr Wilders had been invited to Britain by a member of Parliaments upper house, the House of Lords, to show his 15-minute film, Fitna, which criticises the Koran as a fascist book.

The film sparked violent protests around the Muslim world in 2008 for linking Koranic verses with footage of terrorist attacks.

To court mainstream voters this time around, Mr Wilders toned down the anti-Islam rhetoric and sought to focus less on what he calls the de-Islamisation of the Netherlands and more on tackling issues such as housing shortages, the cost-of-living crisis and access to good healthcare.

Felicitations a @geertwilderspvv et au PVV pour leur performance spectaculaire aux legislatives qui confirme lattachement croissant a la defense des identites nationales. Cest parce quil est des peuples qui refusent de voir seteindre le flambeau national que lespoir du Advertisement  Marine Le Pen (@MLP_officiel) November 22, 2023

His campaign platform nonetheless calls for a referendum on the Netherlands leaving the European Union, an asylum stop and no Islamic schools, Korans and mosques, although he pledged on Wednesday night not to breach Dutch laws or the countrys constitution that enshrines freedom of religion and expression.

Mr Wilders is set to become the longest-serving legislator in the Dutch parliament later this year.

He has been a member of the House of Representatives since 1998, first for the centre-right Peoples Party for Freedom and Democracy, where he mentored a young Mr Rutte before quitting the party and setting up his Party for Freedom.

Congratulazioni allamico @geertwilderspvv, leader del PVV  e storico alleato della Lega, per questa straordinaria vittoria elettorale.

Una nuova Europa e possibile: appuntamento domenica 3 dicembre a Firenze. pic.twitter.com/0DnRBG03Cp  Matteo Salvini (@matteosalvinimi) November 22, 2023

He demonstrated a softer side on Wednesday night by thanking his Hungarian-born wife Krisztina for her support.

The politician also is a staunch supporter of Israel and advocates shifting the Embassy of the Netherlands there to Jerusalem and closing the Dutch diplomatic post in Ramallah, home of the Palestinian Authority.

Mr Wilders is known for his hardline politics, but also for his witty one-liners  and his pets.

His two cats, Snoetje and Pluisje, have their own account on X, formerly Twitter, with nearly 23,000 followers.
The militant Hizbullah group has fired more than 50 rockets at military posts in northern Israel, a day after an Israeli air strike on a home in southern Lebanon killed five of the groups senior fighters.

The waves of rockets sent over the border represented one of the most intense bombardments since Hizbullah started attacking Israeli posts in the countrys north at the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war.

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Hizbullah has said that by heating up its actions on the Israel-Lebanon border, it is easing pressure on the Gaza Strip, where Israels crushing aerial, ground and naval offensive has left more than 13,300 Palestinians dead and caused wide destruction in the sealed-off enclave.

The war was triggered by an October 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel that left about 1,200 people dead, most of them civilians, and resulted in about 240 hostages being taken to Gaza.

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Smoke rises from Israeli artillery shelling on Aita al-Shaab, a Lebanese border village with Israel (AP)

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An agreement for a four-day ceasefire in Gaza and the release of dozens of hostages held by the militants and Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, was set to take place on Thursday but appeared to have hit a last-minute snag.

Hizbullah said in a series of statements that the volleys it fired toward Israeli posts included 48 Katyusha rockets that were directed at an Israeli army base in Beit Zeitem, about six miles south of the border.

The group said its fighters also struck tanks and locations where Israeli troops were taking positions.

The intense fire followed an Israeli air strike on a house in Beit Yahoun, a village in southern Lebanon, that killed the five senior fighters, including Abbas Raad, the son of the head of Hizbullah's 13-member parliamentary bloc in Lebanon, Mohammed Raad.

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The deaths bring the number of Hizbullah fighters who have been killed in seven weeks of fighting to at least 83.

Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah met Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian in Beirut on Thursday.

An Israeli war plane flies over Rmeish, a Lebanese border village (AP)

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They discussed the ongoing war in Gaza and efforts to stop the Israeli aggression, as well as the situation at the tense Lebanon-Israel border, according to a statement released by Hizbullah.

Mr Amirabdollahian warned in comments to journalists upon his arrival in Lebanon on Wednesday that the ongoing Israel-Hamas war could spiral out of control if a truce does not last.

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Iran-backed factions in Iraq, including the militant group Kataib Hizbullah, have carried out more than 60 and rocket or suicide drone attacks at bases housing US troops in Iraq and Syria. Kataib Hizbullah is allied with Lebanons Hizbullah but the groups have different leaders.

The US military said on Thursday that one of its warships in the Red Sea shot down bomb-carrying drones launched from territory controlled by Yemens Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

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The American militarys Central Command said the USS Thomas Hudner, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, shot down the drones early on Thursday morning. The ship and crew sustained no damage or injury, Central Command said.
A vehicle speeding toward a US-Canada bridge from the American side crashed and exploded at a checkpoint in Niagara Falls, killing two people and prompting the closing of border crossings in the area, authorities said.

New York governor Kathy Hochul said there was no indication of a terrorist attack.

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Much remained unclear about the crash, which investigators were working to understand.

Ms Hochul said it was not clear whether the driver was intentionally heading for the Rainbow Bridge across the Niagara River when the vehicle hit a median and flew into the air.



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Based on what we know at this moment, she said, there is no sign of terrorist activity in this crash.

It prompted the closing of four border crossings and raised concerns on both sides of the border.

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The White House said President Joe Biden was closely following developments, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said officials were taking this extraordinarily seriously.

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This is obviously a very serious situation in Niagara Falls, Mr Trudeau said in Parliament before excusing himself from Question Period in the House of Commons to be briefed further.

The two deceased people were in the vehicle, a law enforcement official said.

Aaron Ferguson, a spokesman for the city of Niagara Falls, New York, said the vehicle was traveling at high speed from that city and crashed into the border station.

Jim Diodati, the mayor of Niagara Falls, Ontario, told The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation that what happened appeared to be an isolated incident.

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The US FBIs field office in Buffalo and other agencies were investigating the blast.

Photos and video taken by bystanders and posted on social media showed thick smoke, flames on the pavement and a security booth that had been singed.

Videos showed that the fire was in a US Customs and Border Protection area just east of the main vehicle checkpoint.

The agency had no immediate comment.

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Speaking to WGRZ-TV, witness Mike Guenther said he saw a vehicle speeding toward the crossing from the US side when it swerved to avoid another car, crashed into a fence and exploded.

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All of a sudden, he went up in the air and then it was a ball of fire like 30 or 40 feet high, Mr Guenther told the station.

I never saw anything like it.



Several lanes of the Rainbow Bridge border crossing between the US and Canada are closed (Carlos Osorio/AP)

The Niagara Falls Bridge Commission called the incident a serious car crash.

From inside Niagara Falls State Park, Melissa Raffalow said she saw a huge plume of black smoke rise up over the border crossing, roughly 50 yardsaway from the popular tourist destination.

Ms Raffalow said police arrived soon after, urging visitors to disperse as they began cordoning off the street.

Raghu Bhattarai said by phone that he was inside his restaurant, the Niagara Tandoori Hut, near the bridge when he heard a sound he described as a boom.

A few minutes later, he saw black smoke rising.

The bridge and three others between western New York and Ontario were quickly closed as a precaution, and the Buffalo-Niagara International Airport began security checks on all cars and told passengers to expect additional screenings.

The safety measures tied up traffic at the airport and elsewhere on one of the busiest US travel days of the year, ahead of the American Thanksgiving holiday.

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Mr Trudeau said additional measures were being contemplated and activated at border crossings across Canada. In Toronto, about 100 miles away, police said they were increasing patrols as a precaution.

New York City police were monitoring the news from Buffalo but already had boosted security at various spots because of the Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday.



Smoke billows from a checkpoint at the Rainbow Bridge (WKBW/AP)

The Niagara Falls Bridge Commission reported that all four of its crossings, the others are Lewiston, Whirlpool and Peace Bridge, were closed.

Sanchit Chatha, his wife Reyshu and their 13-year-old daughter, Trisha, had stopped in Niagara Falls for lunch en route home to Toronto from Buffalo when they started getting news notifications about the explosion.

Worried friends called, knowing the family was in the area.

Trisha was concerned at seeing the bridges to Canada shut down, her mother said.

She has a math test tomorrow, the mother explained as the family waited to find out when the crossings would open.

About 6,000 vehicles cross the Rainbow Bridge each day, according to the US Federal Highway Administrations National Bridge Inventory.

About 5% is lorry traffic, according to the federal data.

The bridge, constructed in 1941, is just over 1,440 feet long and has a main span constructed of steel, according to the data.
Chinese officials say they have not detected any unusual or novel diseases, the World Health Organisation said, after an official request by the UN health agency for information about a spike in respiratory illnesses and clusters of pneumonia in children.

WHO cited unspecified media reports and a global infectious disease monitoring service as reporting clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children in northern China and formally requested more details earlier this week.

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Outside scientists said the situation warranted close monitoring, but were not convinced that the spike in respiratory illnesses signalled the start of a new global outbreak.

The emergence of new flu strains or other viruses capable of triggering pandemics typically starts with undiagnosed clusters of respiratory illness. Sars and Covid-19 were first reported as unusual types of pneumonia.

WHO noted that authorities at Chinas National Health Commission on November 13 reported an increase in respiratory diseases, which they said was due to the lifting of Covid-19 lockdown restrictions.

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Since mid-October 2023, WHO has been monitoring data from Chinese surveillance systems that have been showing an increase in respiratory illness in children in northern China.



Today, WHO held a teleconference with Chinese health authorities in which they provided requested data pic.twitter.com/lkO22QrelQ  World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) November 23, 2023

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Other countries also saw a jump in respiratory diseases such as respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, when pandemic restrictions ended.

WHO said media reports about a week later reported clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children in northern China.

The UN agency said it held a teleconference with Chinese health officials on Thursday, during which the data it requested was provided. It showed an increase in hospital admissions of children due to diseases including bacterial infection, RSV, influenza and common cold viruses since October.

No changes in the disease presentation were reported by the Chinese health authorities, WHO said. It added that Chinese officials said the spike in patients had not overloaded the countrys hospitals.

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Dr Paul Hunter, a professor of medicine at Britains University of East Anglia, doubted the wave of infections was sparked by a new disease.

If it was (a new disease), I would expect to see many more infections in adults, he said. The few infections reported in adults suggest existing immunity from a prior exposure.

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Francois Balloux of University College London said China was probably experiencing a significant wave of childhood infections because this was the first winter since lockdown restrictions were lifted, which is likely to have reduced childrens immunity to common bugs.

WHO said northern China has reported a jump in influenza-like illnesses since mid-October compared with the previous three years.

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It is rare for the UN health agency to publicly ask for more detailed information from countries, as such requests are typically made internally. WHO said it requested further data from China through an international legal mechanism.

According to internal accounts in China, the outbreaks have swamped some hospitals in northern China, including in Beijing, and health authorities have asked the public to take children with less severe symptoms to clinics and other facilities.

The average number of patients in the internal medicine department at Beijing Childrens Hospital topped 7,000 per day, exceeding the hospitals capacity, state-owned China National Radio said in an online article earlier this week.
Visiting Tokyos Mori art museum 13 years ago, two-time Archibald Prize winner Del Kathryn Barton dropped onto her back beneath the long arching legs of a giant sculptural spider to gaze at its web-like sac containing marble eggs.

Her family thought her quite mad, but Barton is a self-declared fan girl of the trailblazing French-American artist, the late Louise Bourgeois.

Louise Bourgeoiss Maman in the forecourt of the Art Gallery of NSW. Credit: Nick Moir

I cried a little bit and opened my arms to receive her fully - its a moment Ill never forget, Barton recalls.

Sydneysiders now have their chance to stand, sit and lie beneath the ten-tonne arachnid fashioned from bronze, marble, and steel after the hoarding came down on Thursday around one of the worlds largest sculptures.
Over her 42-year career, Australian television royalty Heather Mitchell has done it all  kids sci-fi (Spellbinder), soap (A Country Practice), period (A Place to Call Home), legal drama (Crownies), whodunit (Miss Fishers Murder Mysteries). What she hadnt yet chalked up was a Christmas movie. Until now.

In comedian Tegan Higginbothams funny and heartfelt film, Jones Family Christmas, Mitchell plays another Heather, whose life has parallels with her own. Crafty, fussy, farming matriarch Heather Jones is the glue that binds a fractured family on that special, sweltering day in the southern hemisphere.

Australian TV favourite Heather Mitchell stars in Jones Family Christmas.

I am a mother of two boys, and I certainly relate to her in that you want everyone to be happy at any cost, says Mitchell. There are certain days  birthdays, celebrations  when you just want it to be a memorable occasion, and youll do almost anything to make sure that everyones happy to the point of overdoing it. And then your own expectations can cause the problems. You cannot control other peoples feelings. As a parent, you have to let go.

Filming for four weeks in a farmhouse on the outskirts of Melbourne, on a set designed by Toni McCutcheon (Nowhere Boys), Mitchell felt right at home. I loved the art direction. They went for a slightly older, more nostalgic feel, not a brash, Christmassy look, and it helped us all, as actors, to create that atmosphere.
Thats the beauty of the show: such deadly seriousness encased in warm and cosy period drama. Like its spiritual sibling Call the Midwife, All Creatures depicts charming small-town folk, tracking their quirks, their relationships, their squabbles, their adorable eccentricities  all the while keeping at its heart the stuff of life and death. The midwives of Nonnatus House deal with human entries to or departures from this world, while the Yorkshire vets handle other species, but that feeling of something primal, of something fundamental to existence being wrestled with, is still present. Its what gives power and beauty to a show that might otherwise be nothing more than a nice soothing bit of fluff.

That is, indeed, the pressure that the heroes of All Creatures Great and Small are operating under: the veterinary practice in a Yorkshire village in the late 1930s tends to the animals of surrounding farms, and therefore is responsible for far more than peoples beloved pets. If the vets stuff up, they could cripple someones livelihood. It is serious stuff.

The late great Terry Pratchett once wrote, in his pithy yet whimsical way, that a vet often has to work under much greater pressure than a regular doctor. When a human dies, he noted, it could always be written off as gods will, but the loss of livestock means the loss of money, and your customers are unlikely to be so sentimental.

This is not to diminish the fact that the show is, for much of the time, a light and twinkle-eyed ramble through the oft-comical travails of a country vet. The current series is the second time the semi-autobiographical stories of James Herriot (pen name of Alf Wight) have been adapted for television. The first series, which ran from 1978 to 1990 and starred Robert Hardy, Peter Davison and Christopher Timothy, is beloved in the annals of British TV, so it was a brave bunch of creatives who decided to have another stab at an adaptation. That the newcomer succeeds is a tribute to its attention to detail and writing that foregrounds character above all  and perhaps also to a human longing for reminders of simplicity, decency and the warmth of community.

Nicholas Ralph as James Herriot in All Creatures Great and Small.

The main focus of the show is young James Herriot (Nicholas Ralph), a timid Scottish vet who arrives in the Yorkshire Dales to take up his first job in the practice of Siegfried Farnon (a magnificent Samuel West), an intimidating boss whose golden heart is hidden behind a lordly, often harsh exterior. Siegfrieds younger brother Tristan (Callum Woodhouse), a similarly good-hearted but frequently feckless trouble-magnet, and the steadfast and wise housekeeper Mrs Hall (Anna Madeley) round out the household.

Herriot is forced to juggle the difficulty of proving his worth to Siegfried, the treatment of the wide range of species and ailments that a vet must face, the challenge of winning over the locals, who value their animals highly and naturally distrust outsiders, and the complications of falling in love with Helen (Rachel Shenton), a farmers daughter with a winning way about her.

As series three  showing now on ABC  begins, much of the hard work of entrenching himself in the community has been done. James is trusted by both his boss and the villagers, has won Helens heart, and is preparing for his wedding. But there is much still to worry about, not least the fact that World War II is looming, giving every young man in Britain some pretty big decisions to make  even a newlywed with a thriving vet practice.
The day Doctor Who premiered on British television (November 23, 1963) is curiously knitted to the fabric of modern history. It was the day after the assassination of US president John F. Kennedy and the debut episode, An Unearthly Child, was delayed so the BBC could air a newsreel on the presidential assassination that had arrived via airplane from the US.

While it is tempting to use that connection to explain the inexplicable cultural immortality of Doctor Who, the shows returning executive producer and writer Russell T. Davies believes everything pivots on another date  a month later  when the episode The Dead Planet aired, introducing audiences to the terrifying bathroom plunger-armed Daleks.

Back in the Tardis: David Tennant as The Doctor. Credit: BBC, Disney+

You look back and there was Beatlemania, and Dalekmania, Davies says. Theres an entire generation that has grown up with that as a memory. The success of the Daleks is extraordinary and strange, and still unquantifiable in many ways. But they absolutely, definitely worked. The Kennedy thing looks like a nice piece of history, and it is, but really the show did its own work.

Davies and I first met on the set of the reboot in 2004, during filming of the episode Dalek at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, in Wales. At that point, Davies had been handed the keys to the kingdom in the hope he would breathe new life into Doctor Who. What followed was transformational, both in terms of its ambition and also its subtle (and sometimes overt) genuflection to the shows decades-long history.
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Opinion Eating outAussie icons Yes, Australian sushi exists. Get over it, argues Adam Liaw An Aussie woman was called a coloniser for opening a NY shop selling Australian sushi. But Adam Liaw says its very much a thing  and anyone who disagrees simply hasnt done their homework. Adam Liaw November 23, 2023 Save Log in , register or subscribe to save recipes for later. You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share

If youre not an extremely online person whos also into food, you might have missed a little controversy that spiced up the US online commentariat a few weeks ago, and it goes to the very heart of one of Australias favourite foods: sushi. In a nutshell, Australian lawyer Alex Mark quit her job to open Sushi Counter, a small takeaway place in New Yorks Greenwich Village selling Australian sushi. American chef Eric Rivera took issue, calling Mark a coloniser and accusing her of cultural appropriation, leading to a small but vocal band of online attackers against Mark and her venture. Salmon avocado rolls at Sushi Hub in Sydneys CBD. Sushi Hub opened its first store in 2006 in Cabramatta and now has almost 200 across the country. Flavio Brancaleone We could dissect the politics of this all day, from wondering whether the online pile-on would have been so vocal if Marks hadnt been a pretty white woman in activewear, to questioning the completely absurd hypocrisy of Rivera planning to open a Puerto Rican izakaya in Seattle, blending Puerto Rican cuisine with Japanese because its apparently not cultural appropriation when he does it. Instead, its probably faster to advise everyone online to log off for a while and touch some grass.

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What the whole discourse managed to avoid is that Australian sushi is very much a thing and anyone who thinks it isnt simply hasnt done their homework. So what is Australian sushi? Australian sushi is a thick hand roll made from half a standard sheet of nori. Its shape is distinct from Japanese temaki hand rolls, which are often cone-shaped, as well as from futomaki thick rolls, which are similar in shape but usually served sliced. Japanese convenience stores sell rice balls and sometimes even similar shaped rolls with fillings like natto (fermented soybeans), tuna mayonnaise and the like, but as every Australian knows, its the range of fillings that makes our sushi truly unique. Teriyaki beef and cucumber, raw salmon and avocado, tempura prawn, and fried chicken are all standard, but Ive even seen Peking duck and sweet and sour pork rolls, too. Sushi Hub staff preparing teriyaki beef rolls for the lunch rush. Flavio Brancaleone

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When we first moved to Australia from Japan, my wife would take photos of Australian sushi to send to her friends, often with quite a few shocked emojis. Sushi has come a long way in Australia in a relatively short period of time. Japanese restaurants here served sushi through the 70s and 80s, and it was considered both exotic and expensive. RecipeTin Eats' step-by-step guide to making sushi rolls But after the Japanese economic bubble burst in the late 1980s, affordable Japanese food options proliferated around the world and in 1993, Australias first conveyor belt sushi train opened on the Gold Coast. As sushis popularity grew, it became even more simplified into the unsliced form we know today, eaten just as we would a sausage roll.

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Sushi rolls being prepared for the lunch rush at Sushi Hub. Flavio Brancaleone Today you can find our proudly Australian version of sushi in every food court, airport and central business district in the country. Its adored by children and adults alike, and isnt found this way anywhere else in the world. If Australian sushi doesnt exist, then what the hell are the things were all eating every day? The evolution of food Australia is far from the only country to have adapted its own style of sushi. On the west coast of America, there are California and dragon rolls, and in Hawaii, musubi is sushi rice topped with slices of teriyaki Spam. Gimbap, a Korean dish of seaweed-rolled rice and fillings, only evolved in the country after the 1950s, but nobody pretends it doesnt exist.

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Japan itself has developed entire cuisines from naturalising foreign foods to the Japanese palate. Yoshoku (Japanese-Western food) encompasses katsu, curries, omurice and dozens of pasta variations containing everything from sea urchin to seaweed. Chuka (Japanese-Chinese food) is responsible for dan dan ramen, prawns with mayonnaise, mapo eggplant and even ramen and gyoza. Katsu chicken and avocado rolls. Flavio Brancaleone This is by no means an isolated affair. Sweden has its own versions of pizza. Ethiopia serves spaghetti with banana. British Indian food is a cuisine that is quite different from its subcontinental origins, and American-Chinese food of lemon chicken, fortune cookies and General Tsos chicken are entirely home-grown affairs. The online carbonaraineiri (my word for the Italian food police), who angrily denounce any dish that is vaguely Italian but not made like it was in a tiny hillside village a hundred years ago, have conditioned us to believe adaptation is bad and offensive, when in fact adaptation is axiomatic of food everywhere.

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Its unfortunate that our cultural cringe writes off so much of Australian food as poor imitation rather than as triumphant local variants. I love our decadent banh mi, overflowing laksas and Aussie bolognese  all very different from their overseas inspiration. Theres nowhere in the world that loves a roast chook as much as we do, and yes, our own version of sushi is proudly and patriotically true blue. Our Australian cafes are higher quality, more fun and serve better coffee than their predecessors in Italy. And theres a reason theyre loved from New York to Shanghai, where Chinese coffee aficionados call a flat white an ao bai (an Australian white). After the firestorm surrounding its opening, social media sleuths report Marks sushi place is selling out daily, with hundreds of happy customers. I am proud as punch that Australian food in all its forms is making news on the world stage. EASY How to master Adam Liaws Australian bolognese Stop the culinary cringe, its time we redefined what is Australian food
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Review Eating outMelbourne 20 years ago this iconic restaurant made eating at the counter cool. Its still setting the bar high Raise an anchovy toast as the OG MoVida marks two decades of top-notch tapas. Dani Valent November 23, 2023 Save Log in , register or subscribe to save recipes for later. You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share

As featured in the December hit list. See all stories .

1 / 6 The signature anchovy with smoked tomato sorbet. Bonnie Savage 2 / 6 Go-to dish: Jamon Iberico with pan Catalan (grilled bread rubbed with garlic and tomato, left). Bonnie Savage 3 / 6 MoVida Originals brick-floored dining room has barely changed over the years. Bonnie Savage 4 / 6 Beef cheek braised in Pedro Ximenez sherry. Bonnie Savage 5 / 6 Rabbit paella with leg and lardo-wrapped loin. Bonnie Savage 6 / 6 Flan is a just-set custard, similar to creme caramel. Bonnie Savage Previous Slide Next Slide Good Food hat 15 / 20 How we score Spanish$$$ Twenty years ago this month, MoVida opened on Hosier Lane. Eager to try the citys new Spanish restaurant, people picked their way along the cobblestoned and graffiti-daubed laneway, pushed open a heavy door and entered the brick-floored, garlic-wafting world of this tapas bar and comedor (dining room). There were problems in the early days. Diners had likely heard of tapas, but the larger raciones (portions) took some explaining and many people were wary of sharing a main course. Sherry was considered a grandma drink, not a sophisticated Spanish sip. The biggest issue was the bar, though. Chef and co-owner Frank Camorra would often look over the kitchen pass in puzzled lament. The dining room was full  there may even have been a queue outside  but the bar was empty. Melbourne diners didnt think sitting at a counter-top was a proper night out. Imagine taking a date to eat at a bar: impossible!

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It took months of cajoling and enticing and then, one night, a shift occurred. Camorra looked up from his sizzling pan and saw every bar stool occupied, a convivial throng of hungry, happy humanity. Melburnians took some convincing to sit at the restaurants tapas bar (right). Bonnie Savage MoVida hasnt looked back. In two decades, Melbourne has become so familiar with tapas that weve moved on to pintxos (snacks on sticks from the Basque country) and back again. We know its acceptable  delightful, even  for a bar to serve sardines in the tin. Sherry? Do you mean elegant Amontillado or sticky Pedro Ximenez? Were all about it. A lot of that is thanks to Barcelona-born Camorra, his business partner Andy McMahon and various collaborators and financiers over the years. The MoVida family of restaurants expanded to Sydney, Bali and Lorne, all since closed. A Sydney airport pitstop is in hibernation; an Auckland branch opened last year.

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There are two other Melbourne MoVidas: MoVida Next Door (yes, its adjacent to the original and is my favourite spot for snacky catch-ups) and the recently renovated MoVida Aqui in the legal district. MoVida had a bakery for a while, and theres an import business supplying such delights as jamon and anchovies. Its a spirited little empire with the benign aim of sharing Spanish dining culture. Good Food hat 15 / 20 Review MoVida Aqui returns after renovation, older, wiser and better than ever This ethos is evident in all its iterations, but the seat of the convivial conquistador is here: MoVida Original. This is where you come for classic dishes and creative forays from head chef Kane Vokoun in a dining den that has barely changed over the years. The staff know their stuff and the experience is smooth. Excellent sourdough is made by Toan Long, MoVidas longest-serving employee and the restaurants in-house baker for the past 10 years. Long also bakes the tin loaf thats turned into crackers for MoVidas most famous dish: the anchovy on toast with capers, parsley and smoked tomato sorbet ($6.50).

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This alluring amalgam of crunchy, oily, salty, cold, fresh and smoky started as a mistake: Camorra had too many smoked tomatoes, spun them into a sorbet so they werent lying around and there they sat until the chef had a tapas brainwave. Go-to dish: Jamon Iberico with pan Catalan. Bonnie Savage Jamon Iberico  cured pork from acorn-eating Spanish pigs  is aged for three years. Its melting, sweet, decadent (expensive, too, at $55 for 60 grams) and served with pan Catalan (grilled bread rubbed with garlic and tomato). No matter how hot the weather, people come for lip-stickingly succulent beef cheek braised in Pedro Ximenez sherry ($38). Flan  like creme caramel  is a classic, both of the restaurant and the country its channelling. Theres nothing innovative about this just-set custard ($17), but its wobbly perfection.

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Theres one dish I never need to see again. Cecina  air-dried beef  dolloped with truffled potato foam and poached egg ($35) can stay in 2007, when it was The Age Good Food Guides Dish of the Year. Im an outlier, though: there will be complaints if this squidgy symphony is ever prised from the menu. Paella with rabbit and periwinkles. Bonnie Savage Give me the robust pleasure of the pincho ($12)  a skewer of textured wagyu skirt steak with sherry and onion sauce  or the paella ($60), which spins a Valencia classic with rabbit and snails into a dressy Melbourne rice party with rabbit and periwinkles. Eat it in Spain and youd likely get rabbity chunks arranged in the pan. The MoVida rendition is more composed: rabbit leg is poached in oil and the loin is wrapped in lardo and gently cooked, so its juicy and tender, overlaying fine-dining finesse on a Spanish classic. Its emblematic of MoVida: storied, thoughtful and terrifically tasty. The low-down Vibe: Classic, polished, energetic, fun Go-to dish: Jamon Iberico ($55) Drinks: The epitome of a food-friendly drinks list with an appropriate passion for Spanish regional wine. There are minor (and marvellous) obsessions with sherry, gin and vermouth, too Cost: About $150 for two, excluding drinks

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Hong Kong: Bay area driving scheme extended

The Transport Department today announced that the governments of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao will extend the trial phase of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Greater Bay Area Quota Scheme.

It said the decision had been made in order to better utilise the bridge and facilitate the flow of people and vehicles between the three places. Letters will be issued from the end of November to eligible quota holders who own Hong Kong cross-boundary private cars inviting them to submit applications from December 1.

Under the trial phase of the scheme, owners of eligible Hong Kong cross-boundary private cars must hold necessary licences or permits for the three places, and must be allocated a quota to travel between Hong Kong and Macau via the bridge and between Hong Kong and Guangdong via one of the land crossings.

In addition, these vehicle owners will be approved to use the Hengqin Port to travel between Guangdong and Macau, and, where applicable, to use the Shenzhen Bay Port to travel between Shenzhen and Hong Kong.

The department said some 400 Hong Kong cross-boundary private car owners will benefit from the trial phase.

As for the validity period of each quota allocation under the trial phase, the department added that it will be no longer than that of a private cars originally approved crossings.

This story has been published on: 2023-11-23. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
HK to help enhance Greater Bay-ASEAN links

08:56, November 23, 2023 By Oasis Hu ( Chinadaily.com.cn

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu delivers a keynote speech at the Greater Bay Area Conference 2023 in Hong Kong on Wednesday. Edmond Tang / China Daily

Links: Both regions to receive more benefits

Hong Kong, as a super-connector and a value-adder, is well poised to play a crucial role in furthering cooperation between the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area of China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, both of which are among the world's most economically vibrant regions, prominent political and business leaders said on Wednesday at the Greater Bay Area Conference 2023.

The Greater Bay Area enjoys close geographical proximity, cultural ties and trade connections with the 10-member Southeast Asian grouping, offering immense potential for increased cooperation, they said.

This year's conference, co-hosted by China Daily and Hong Kong Coalition, was themed "When GBA Meets ASEAN  One Heart and One Mind" to explore the emerging opportunities in the two regions. It comprised three panel discussions focusing on green finance, the integration of green technology in daily life, and the preservation of art and culture for sustainable tourism.

The hybrid conference, with online and offline participation, brought together hundreds of distinguished guests, including government officials, industry and business leaders, academics and representatives of various sectors.

In a keynote address, Leung Chun-ying, vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is competitive in many aspects, and cities in Guangdong province and the ASEAN member states stand to benefit greatly by leveraging the SAR's pivotal role as a super-connector.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said that Hong Kong can facilitate people-to-people exchanges, promote green finance and financial technology initiatives, and foster cooperation in public services between the Greater Bay and ASEAN. When the Greater Bay meets ASEAN with one heart and one mind, they can surely forge a promising future for their people and economies, he said.

Qu Yingpu, publisher and editor-in-chief of China Daily Group, said that through the successful implementation of numerous collaborative projects under the Belt and Road Initiative, the ASEAN member states have witnessed remarkable progress in terms of infrastructure development and social well-being.

The Greater Bay Area is a vital part of China's modernization journey, and deepening ASEAN's involvement in the area will help build an Asia-Pacific community with a shared future, Qu said.

Jane Lee Ching-yee, deputy secretary-general of Hong Kong Coalition, said that in order to ensure the continuous success of the China-ASEAN partnership, it is crucial for Hong Kong, as a reputable super-connector, to effectively link the Greater Bay with ASEAN, generating substantial benefits for both regions.

Li Yongsheng, acting commissioner of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, said that with the strong support of the motherland and a close connection with the world, Hong Kong can play at least four roles  a facilitator of trade and investment, a promoter of regional connectivity, the spearhead of innovative cooperation and a contributor to people-to-people bonds  in strengthening cooperation between the Greater Bay, or even the whole of China, and ASEAN.

Hou Yanqi, ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to ASEAN, said that China-ASEAN cooperation has become the most shining example of the success and robustness of regional cooperation in the Asia-Pacific.

(Web editor: Tian Yi, Liang Jun)
In response to the legal prohibition on any activity by or support of the militant organization Hamas, hundreds of police officers searched the homes of Hamas members and supporters in Germany on Thursday morning, November 23.

Samidoun, the group responsible for a celebration in Berlin of Hamas' October 7 assault in southern Israel, was disbanded, and the ban was put into effect by the German government earlier this month. The October 7 surprise attack on Israel was carried out by 3,000 terrorists who stormed across the border, killed 1,200 people, and took 240 hostages.

Children and the elderly made up the bulk of the civilian casualties. At an outdoor celebration, more than 360 individuals were killed, many of them in the midst of horrifying acts of violence committed by the terrorists. Entire families were also slain in their houses.

Raids on Suspected Hamas Members, Followers

Reportedly, the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network was behind an October 7 event in which a group of activists gave out pastries on a Berlin street in celebration of Hamas' assault.

According to The Times of Israel, the domestic intelligence agency in Germany thinks that there are around 450 Hamas members in Germany. Their efforts to bolster the foreign terrorist organization vary from demonstrations of sympathy and propaganda to financial support and fund-raising.

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said, "We are continuing our consistent action against radical Islamists. By banning Hamas and Samidoun in Germany, we have sent a clear signal that we will not tolerate any glorification or support of Hamas' barbaric terror against Israel."

The searches took place mostly in Berlin. Those were intended to implement the restrictions and to further investigate the groups, according to a statement released by the German interior ministry. A total of 15 locations in Berlin, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Schleswig-Holstein were searched.

More than 300 police officers scoured 11 different sites in Berlin to recover evidence and assets. There were seven searches pertaining to Hamas and four pertaining to Samidoun. According to DPA, a German news source, the searches were conducted mostly at the residences of supporters and the offices of a Palestinian group.

See Also: Hamas Delays Hostage Swap With Israel-Reason Unknown

Combating Antisemitic Groups

German authorities have been cracking down on antisemitism-supporting organizations in the aftermath of Israel's continuing battle against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Israel has pledged to completely wipe out the terrorist organization from the strip.

On Tuesday, November 21, police in the southern German state of Bavaria searched the houses of 17 persons suspected of engaging in online antisemitic hate speech and threatening Jewish people. German police also conducted 54 raids last week as part of an investigation into a group located in Hamburg that is accused of spreading the ideology of the Iranian government and maybe funding the operations of Hezbollah in Germany.

See Also: Al Shifa Hospital Director, Several Gazan Doctors Arrested by Israeli Troops: Report

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
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Review Eating outSydney Martinez brings retro airport-lounge vibes (and a hat) to a Sydney office block With its terrace buzzing with suits and southern France-inspired menu, this is the kind of smart, got it all package this area needs. Callan Boys November 23, 2023 Save Log in , register or subscribe to save recipes for later. You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share

1 / 6 Martinezs dining room feels like a retro airport lounge. Jennifer Soo 2 / 6 Go-to dish: Petit bouillabaisse. Jennifer Soo 3 / 6 Spatchcock fricassee with a creamy foie gras sauce. Jennifer Soo 4 / 6 Raw scampi spritzed with white soy and seaweed-infused apple cider vinegar. Jennifer Soo 5 / 6 Earl Grey-infused creme caramel. Jennifer Soo 6 / 6 Martinez restaurant in Circular Quay. Jennifer Soo Previous Slide Next Slide Good Food hat 15 / 20 How we score French$$$ The first thing you notice about Martinez is that it feels like an airport lounge. A nice airport lounge, though, from a time when people still liked flying, with white, curved, plaster walls, claret-red carpet and fat-corduroy upholstery. Ferns have been potted at every opportunity and a burgundy leather banquette feels like its been made for spilling salmon mornay on your slacks before a boarding call to Acapulco Bay. Chef Alex Wongs cooking, however, is more of the moment, inspired by southern France and its immediate neighbours, with a fair whack of Surry Hills wine bar thrown in. Raw scampi ($32) is spritzed with white soy and seaweed-infused apple cider vinegar; red mullet bolsters tagliatelle pulsing with a prawn head and lobster butter ($39). The second thing you notice about Martinez is that Wong really knows how to build flavour. Martinez feels like an airport lounge, in a Dean Martin sings Volare way.

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The restaurant opened in October at Circular Quay in a tower (sorry, activated vertical village according to the buildings website) that also houses a food court and pharmacy beneath offices for Corrs Chambers Westgarth, Deloitte and AMP. Martinez can be accessed by escalator from a cavernous corporate lobby, which also feels more than a bit like an airport, although not quite in the same Dean Martin sings Volare way as above. On a Friday afternoon, the terrace is a booming ecosystem of navy-suited accountants, craft beer and rose (overheard on one visit: I mean, he was driving an Alfa Romeo  so not even an expensive car!) This new Mediterranean-inspired rooftop oasis boasts postcard harbour views and sophisticated food If you prefer a quieter innings, theres a separate bar on the south flank where you can kick back with a martini ($22) and juicy, two-bite hunks of caviar-topped fried quail (two for $18), or hunch over steak frites ($34) with very good fries.

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The central dining room looks its best and brightest at lunch, when natural light bounces off gold-veined marble and walnut-topped tables. We start with the Martinez version of the Martinez cocktail ($25), a gin and maraschino-forward classic underlined by cherry vermouth and chocolate bitters. Freezer-chilled glass. Balanced booze. Tick, tick. Go-to dish: Petit bouillabaisse. Jennifer Soo The hospitality group in charge also runs nearby fine-diner Lana (where Wong is also chef) and its attached Italian restaurant Grana. The rustic, thick-crusted baguette ($6) at Martinez is house-baked at Grana and essential for soaking up the petite bouillabaisse ($44) of bug meat, mussels and clams in a long-flavoured, fregola-loaded bisque. Bonus points for the soups zucchini flower stuffed with a delicious scallop and prawn sort-of-meatball. Before your shirt becomes freckled with rust-coloured broth, there are scallops ($13 each) doused in a sea urchin butter (which tastes like bearnaise would if it had skived off to the beach) and a handsome salad of Ossau-Iraty sheeps milk cheese, zucchini, almonds and honey ($23) thats just nice to have around and return to between courses. Regrettably, the raw tuna in a $32 riff on salade nicoise is overpowered by tomato oil and too many sliced black olives (my bete noire).

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Spatchcock fricassee with a creamy foie gras sauce. Jennifer Soo From the main carte, spatchcock fricassee ($46) is addictively creamy, thanks to the foie gras thats stirred through its mushroom sauce. A 400-gram entrecote striploin ($89) is properly rested and pink but, ultimately, Just Another Steak (save your red meat money for the rib-eye at Clam Bar across the road). Im more taken by the crumbed pork cutlet ($38) covered from tip to bone in brie and parmesan fondue and revved up with hot mustard, jamon and honey. Its unapologetically delicious, owing more to Swiss beer halls than anything found in Provence. Earl Grey-infused creme caramel ($16) is a dessert highlight, shiny with an almost-smoky syrup made from Japanese black sugar. Another cocktail may be required to cut through the richness, or a 2009 Chateau dArche Sauternes ($365) if youre from one of the nice floors upstairs. The wine list has enough diversity to sustain interest across multiple visits, from $13-a-glass house chardonnay to a one-page line-up of Henschke bottles headlined by a 1991 Hill of Grace Shiraz for the rather exact price of $2641.

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By my count, a new cafe, bar or restaurant has launched once a fortnight in Circular Quay over the past two years, thanks largely to gung-ho development. This is the kind of smart, got it all package the area needs more of, complete with a kiosk selling tuna baguettes to take away and eat al desko. Fingers crossed it opens for weekend lunch and I can get across more of the bars cocktails while the suns out. Cantare, oh-oh  The low-down Vibe: As close as youre going to get to the Cote dAzur in a Sydney office block Go-to dish: Petite bouillabaisse ($44) Drinks: Mid-sized organic and biodynamic-championing wine list with a focus on French and Australian drops, plus plenty of cocktails and spirits Cost: About $180 for two, excluding drinks This review was originally published in Good Weekend magazine
Former Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann twisted his head as he sat in the witness box to watch footage of himself entering Parliament House in the early hours of March 23, 2019, a few steps ahead of his then colleague Brittany Higgins.

There he was on the big screen, approaching the security desk and chatting to the guards. They were arranging interim passes, he told Justice Michael Lee.

Bruce Lehrmann arrives at court on Thursday with one of his barristers, Steven Whybrow. Credit: Rhett Wyman

Now they were passing through the security gates, Lehrmann in black pants and a blue shirt, Higgins in a white dress. Higgins went through twice before removing her shoes and putting them through the metal detector. Lehrmann waited for her on the other side of the barricade, leaning one arm on the table.

The footage then cut to a corridor leading to the parliamentary office of their then boss, Senator Linda Reynolds. A security guard accompanied them as far as the door, and Higgins passed through it two steps ahead of Lehrmann. The door closed and the security guard headed back down the corridor alone.
Girls at a Sydney school were upset. Male students were making offensive sexual comments, including that they wanted to gang rape women. A female teacher felt so threatened, she reported the boys to a NSW Department of Education hotline.

The year 10 boys who admitted their behaviour were suspended; the ringleader, who denied it, was not. The police youth liaison officer was called in to speak to the boys. Most parents gave their permission; the ringleaders refused, twice.

The father of a girl allegedly raped by a classmate is demanding the government take action to protect children. Credit: Wolter Peeters

Soon after, the ringleader  dubbed YH  allegedly raped one of the girls, who was in the same year at the school, while they were a party on the weekend. Despite an AVO and pending criminal charges, it was the girls father who pushed for rules to ensure she did not then have to face him in class.

The father took his frustrations with the principals handling of the threats, AVO and charges to the NSW Ombudsman. The report, finalised this month, was critical of the school, the NSW Department of Education, and the departments internal investigations unit.
NSW is in the grip of its eighth COVID-19 wave as the latest NSW Health data reveals that infection rates have doubled since the beginning of October.

Released on Thursday, the data shows a 16 per cent increase in community infections in the fortnight to November 18, compared with the previous reporting period, for those who have tested positive for COVID-19 via PCR testing.

Since the beginning of October, COVID-19 numbers have increased by 94 per cent. NSW Health releases its epidemiological report only fortnightly.

The total number of people presenting at emergency departments in the past fortnight was also higher than for the previous two weeks, NSW Health said, but the proportion who required admission remained stable, indicating that the severity of the virus circulating in the community remained unchanged.
Hundreds of school students across Melbourne have ignored pleas from politicians to stay in school and instead took to the city streets rallying to support Palestine.

About 500 young people, aged from kindergarteners through to year 12 students, gathered on the steps of Flinders Street Station on Thursday afternoon.

The crowd included students from more than 20 schools and groups accompanied by parents and teachers. They filled the intersection of Flinders and Swanston streets chanting: From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.

The group then marched along Swanston Street before entering Melbourne Central.
A pile of development decisions worth billions of dollars is mounting on the Victorian planning ministers desk, frustrating developers, businesses and residents.

The delay in receiving planning approvals  now stretching to two years  had costly knock-on effects, said Planning Institute of Australia state vice president Jane Keddie.

Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny. Credit: AAP

Two years was not a normal timeframe for ministerial review, Keddie said.

There is not a lot of transparency in terms of all the applications and what stage they are at, she said.
More than 500 staff and volunteers from multiple agencies are on the scene tonight as temperatures are set to drop to around 20 degrees.

While it brings some reprieve to firefighters still struggling to contain the fire, forecasters say a strong north easterly wind will return tomorrow and there is a chance of dry lightening on the weekend.

Almost 2000 hectares of land has been razed by the fire since it started around 1pm on Wednesday.

The Watch and Act area was extended on Thursday evening to include more of Gnangara and parts of Lexia while the fire creeps dangerously close to the suburbs of Hocking and Wanneroo.

For people in the Emergency Warning area it is too late to leave, shelter in place immediately, authorities have warned.

For people in the Watch and Act area south of Elliot Road, leave in a southerly direction towards Ocean Reef Road.
Anthony Albanese went hard against Scott Morrison one year ago when the former prime minister deserved a resounding rebuke for holding five cabinet ministries without disclosure, in what was the most egregious case of government secrecy in recent times.

Were shining sunlight on a shadow government that preferred to operate in darkness, a government that operated in a cult of secrecy and a culture of cover-up, the prime minister said on November 25 last year when he released the report into what Morrison had done.

Illustration: Simon Letch Credit:

Albanese has gone soft, however, on making sure his government does not slide into the bad habits of suppressing the facts and shunning disclosure. The truth is that Labor has made no stellar gains in giving Australians a more open administration, which means there is a real danger that the culture of secrecy continues in the vast machinery of government.

Yes, Albanese has no secret ministries. The law to prevent hidden portfolios was finally passed by parliament last week. The new government has improved on a dismal benchmark. Even so, the facts show that Labor is presiding over flawed decisions to hide too much from citizens.
The United Nations refugee agency refused to help Australia rehome a stateless Rohingya man convicted of raping a 10-year-old boy and instead urged the government to free him into the community for rehabilitation.

Emails published by the High Court following its landmark ruling this month that indefinite immigration detention is illegal show the UN High Commissioner for Refugees declined to be involved in deporting the man and warned officials they were trying to send him to potentially dangerous countries.

The United Nations refugee agency refused to help Australian officials rehome the man at the centre of the High Court decision. Credit: AP

The challenge to indefinite detention was brought by the man, known by the pseudonym NZYQ, who had been detained since he was paroled in 2018. His legal team argued it was unconstitutional for the Commonwealth to hold a person with no prospect of leaving Australia.

The Albanese government is facing political heat over its response to the court decision as it pushes on with restrictions on foreigners freed from detention, including curfews and electronic ankle monitors, despite a fresh legal challenge in the High Court.
I would make the transfer as soon as you arrive, that way you can relax without having to worry if anything will go wrong the following day. You can make the transfer by train, but that involves a change at Tokyo Station, and its huge and busy when youll be arriving. Far easier to take the airport shuttle bus ( webservice.limousinebus.co.jp ), which takes you straight from Haneda to Narita. Its also quicker than the train. Be sure to reserve in advance. When you get to Narita there are several hotels within a couple of kilometres of the terminals that offer a shuttle service. You can find a list of these hotels on the Narita Airport website ( narita-airport.jp ).

A flight booking with Japan Airlines has us arriving at Haneda Airport at 5.05pm but departing the next day from Narita at 11.25am. Should we transfer to Narita on landing or do it the following day? Robert French, Kiama, NSW

Id give Sardinia a miss, its a warm-weather destination and in late winter youre going to find it quite cool and lacking in vigour. Sicily is another story, and while the coastal cities will be brisk, about 15-18 degrees during the day, dropping to about 9 degrees at night, if thats not too cool for you this would be a fine time to visit. Id stick to the cities  Palermo, Syracuse, Taormina foremost, and if you base yourself in those you can take day trips to cover the main attractions in each area. If youre in Italy for quite some time, two weeks is probably going to be enough for Sicily. This is a perfect time to explore some of the Italian cities that are packed with visitors during the warmer months and you might consider including Naples, Rome, Florence, Milan and Venice in your itinerary.

Some folks find sustained air flight very difficult yet they would like to see London. Not having endless funds, would you have any suggestions of a comfortable journey?

M. Purnell, Revesby, NSW

If you want a more comfortable flight, premium economy is a good choice and while its not exactly cheap, you can find a reasonable deal if you shop around. Assuming you might want to dodge the crowds and fly in either spring or autumn, you could fly premium economy class return from Sydney to Paris with Vietnam Airlines for about $4000, departing in early May and returning around mid-June. From Paris you could either take a flight to London or the Eurostar train. Japan Airlines will get you to London on the same dates for about $4300 flying premium economy class, however the layover in Tokyo can be rather long.

My wife and I are travelling to Puglia next year, based in Ostuni for a week, Matera for one night then the Amalfi Coast. What is the best way from Matera to the Amalfi Coast?

A. Henderson, Black Rock, Vic

Ostuni is a great base, its relatively large compared with the other so-called White Cities of the Itria Valley, there are plenty of hotel and dining choices, its pedestrian friendly, youre within easy reach of the coast and its well placed for visiting other towns in the region as far south as Lecce. I would consider two nights in Matera, its a fascinating town with many stories to tell. You really need to take a guided tour and visit some of the towns many museums  one overnight stay isnt sufficient. There are no non-stop public transport services from Matera to the Amalfi Coast. The most convenient route is via Marinobus (marinobus.it) to Naples, which takes about 4 hours, followed by another bus to Salerno and a taxi to your final destination. Alternatively, you could take a limousine transport from Matera to the Amalfi Coast. The drive would take about 3 hours and the cost would likely be in the range of 250 to 300 ($330 to $495).
A new LinkedIn analysis revealed that Apple employees will most likely leave the iPhone maker and join Google. This study was conducted by Switch on Business; a business builder website in Florida.

The analysis, which was published on Thursday, Nov. 23, checked LinkedIn accounts of employees working for tech giants, such as Apple, Meta, Google, Tesla, IBM, Netflix, etc.

The website's findings were able to show the top tech giant choices of Apple employees in case they resign from their current positions.

LinkedIn Analysis: Apple Employees Likely to Join Google

Switch on Business said that they highlighted the staff who are working for giant tech firms and those who previously worked for them.

"This allowed us to calculate the number and percentage of employees who've moved from each of these companies to another," said the business builder via its official analysis.

According to 9To5Mac's latest report, Switch on Business' study showed that Google is the number one option of Apple employees who are resigning.

The software giant is followed by Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, and Tesla. To give you more idea, here's how many employees left Apple and switched to Google and other tech giants:

Apple to Google: 3,858 employees Apple to Amazon: 1,973 employees Apple to Meta: 1,911 employees Apple to Microsoft: 1,394 employees Apple to Tesla: 944 employees Apple to Nvidia: 543 employees Apple to Salesforce; 499 employees Apple to Adobe: 458 employees Apple to Intel: 446 employees Apple to Oracle: 416 employees

Read Also: Toyota Auto Loan Scandal: CFPB Orders Automaker to Pay $60 Million for Misleading Car Owners

Top Talent Hunting Grounds of Apple

Aside from the top tech giants that Apple employees go to, Switch on Business also analyzed the top companies where Apple usually got its employees.

These include the following:

Intel: 4,773 employees went to Apple Microsoft: 2,811 employees went to Apple Amazon: 2,245 employees went to Apple Google: 2,126 employees went to Apple IBM: 2,080 employees went to Apple Oracle: 1,106 employees went to Apple Tesla: 737 employees went to Apple Nvidia: 734 employees went to Apple Adobe: 531 employees went to Apple Meta: 472 employees went to Apple

Intel is the number one tech giant that Apple relies on when it comes to hiring employees. This is because the gadget maker spent billions of dollars just to buy the chip manufacturer's smartphone model business in 2019.

When it comes to overall talent hiring, Apple is just the top 3 company that tech employees go to when applying for jobs. The LinkedIn analysis revealed that Microsoft is the number one company that tech workers go to; with over 4,200 staff going to the software giant.

If you want to learn more about the tech employees going in and out of Apple, Microsoft, Google, and other giant companies, you can click here.

Related Article: New Apple Illegal Union-Busting Complaint Filed by NLRB-Here's What Labor Board Claims

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A deal between Israel and Hamas for a temporary ceasefire is expected to go into effect on Friday. Here is a closer look at the agreement, mediated in part by Qatar, and how it is expected to play out.

Whats in the deal?

The agreement is for at least a four-day pause in hostilities. During that time, at least 50 women and children  from the roughly 240 people who Israeli officials say were abducted October 7  would be exchanged for 150 Palestinian women and minors imprisoned in Israeli jails.

The deal also includes an increase in humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip, but Qatars Foreign Ministry did not release details. Hamas said Thursday that 200 trucks carrying relief supplies and four fuel trucks would enter the territory each day during the four-day pause. Israeli officials did not immediately comment.
Mortgage House has called for in an uptake in its branch partner network as the non-bank lender looks to expand across the country.

Warren Stafford (pictured above left), head of lending distribution  direct and branch channel, said the group aimed to launch five to 10 branches nationwide to meet the current opportunities in the market.

We need to find the right people to fill those branches, preferably with industry experience and a thorough network, said Stafford. Joining us means being part of a lending family with over 30 years of credibility in the non-bank lender space.

What are Mortgage House branch managers?

A major non-bank branch manager oversees the daily operations of a non-bank mortgage lender branch.

Their role is similar to that of a small business owner, managing staff, overseeing financial performance, and making key decisions on loan applications.

For Mortgage House, which has branches predominately in the eastern states, branch managers come in all shapes and sizes.

Weve got some older branches that have operated for over 15 years and some new ones too. Some come from outside of the industry while others bring with them a strong community network, said Stafford.

Others operate under a dual business structure with financial planning and many even come from within other parts of our Mortgage House family.

Who are Mortgage House branch managers?

Part of this Mortgage House family is George Ilioski (pictured above centre), senior mortgage consultant and branch partner in Bankstown in southwest Sydney.

Prior to the mortgage industry, Ilioski worked in telecommunications for over 25 years. But after working for another mortgage manager, he heard about Mortgage House and decided to join the Mortgage House branch model.

Working for myself and knowing that the effort you put in will be rewarded was something that was attractive to me, Ilioski said. The wide range and competitive products available with Mortgage House were a very important aspect of my move.

Purna Gurung (pictured above right), branch manager at Craigieburn in Victoria, also joined Mortgage House through the mortgage manager channel.

After working closely with Mortgage House, Gurung came to know Mortgage Houses offering and how they cater to both SME and PAYG customers.

Hence, I decided to contact Mortgage House and become a branch partner, said Gurang. The most rewarding aspect of being a Mortgage House branch partner is that I can help the customer who have been said no to by the traditional lenders.

By offering solution-based tailored product options and helping them to achieve the dreams, owning the home.

How to become a Mortgage House branch manager

Becoming a Mortgage House branch manager offers a rewarding career path for individuals seeking a balance between entrepreneurial independence and the support of an established organisation, according to Gurang and Ilioski.

However, they both said there were many important things prospective branch managers needed to know before taking the next step.

I would suggest that they should do their own research and due diligence and ask questions, Gurang said. Speak to the current branch partners and head office staff before making the decision.

Ilioski said to be prepared to work hard in the first couple of years until you got yourself established, build up a clientele and set up referral programs that would ensure success.

He stressed that the Mortgage House support was always there and its inhouse end-to-end process from credit through to customer service was a key factor to success.

Regular communications and the support from peer Mortgage House branch partners are very valuable not just from the start but throughout the journey, Ilioski said.



Stafford said he looked forward to discussing the opportunity with potential future branch partners.

We are a solution-based lender, offering a broad policy and a wide range of solutions for customers. No need to go to multiple brands; we have everything on the table, said Stafford. We also support in digital marketing and online presence without franchise fees or setup costs.

If you are interested in taking the next step in your career, contact us today and well talk through some options.

What do you think of Mortgage Houses offer? Comment below
Only six China-based businesses had issued American depositary receipts in the United States as of the end of 2022 (Photo: Thomas Peter/Reuters)

Kwon Pyong, a Chinese dissident who fled his home country on a jet ski, now faces a critical juncture in South Korea. His father, Quan He, in an interview with The Guardian, expressed grave fears for his son's life if he were to be returned to China, where he has been a vocal critic of the government.

Kwon, 35, has been a long-standing opponent of human rights abuses in China and had been actively voicing his dissent through social media. After studying aerospace engineering in the United States and returning to work in the family business in China, he became increasingly frustrated with the Chinese political system. This frustration led him to take dramatic action to escape.

On August 16, Kwon embarked on an audacious journey from Shandong province in eastern China to South Korea's west coast near Incheon. He traveled approximately 250 miles across the Yellow Sea on a jet ski equipped with barrels of fuel, a helmet, binoculars, and a compass. His risky journey ended when his jet ski got stuck in mud flats near Incheon, leading to his capture and subsequent detention by South Korean authorities.

Kwon's father, in his plea, highlighted his son's desire for freedom and his previous activism, including participation in Hong Kong's 2014 pro-democracy protests. He revealed that Kwon had been placed under an exit ban by the Chinese government, barring him from traveling abroad and effectively stifling his voice.

South Korean prosecutors have charged Kwon with violating the Immigration Control Act and are requesting a two-and-a-half-year sentence. A court hearing, set for Thursday, will determine Kwon's fate - whether he will face repatriation to China or be allowed to remain in South Korea.

The plight of Kwon has garnered attention from various human rights groups. Front Line Defenders, an NGO advocating for human rights activists, noted that Kwon had previously served an 18-month prison term for wearing a t-shirt mocking Chinese President Xi Jinping. The t-shirt, branded with the name "Xitler," led to his arrest and incarceration until his release in 2018.

Lee Dae-seon, a pro-democracy activist in South Korea, emphasized the dire circumstances Kwon faced in China, including a 99-year travel ban. He also mentioned that Kwon's family had relocated to South Korea, highlighting the extent of the dissident's fears and the lengths he went to in search of freedom.

Kwon's daring escape and current predicament underscore the broader issue of China's harsh stance on political dissent and freedom of speech. The Chinese government has been known to imprison individuals for political activities or for supporting Taiwan or Hong Kong's freedom movements. The country's strict control over its citizens' movements has been further highlighted by reports of China establishing unofficial police "offices" in various countries to track and clamp down on dissidents.

As the international community watches, Kwon's case becomes a focal point in the ongoing conversation about human rights, freedom of speech, and the consequences faced by those who dare to challenge authoritarian regimes.
Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak, has kept his promise to abolish the tampon tax. (Photo: REUTERS/Simon Dawson)

Following the APEC meeting in San Francisco, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol embarked on his second visit to Europe within six months. During his visit to the UK, he held talks with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, focusing on areas such as supply chains, digital technology, nuclear energy, cybersecurity, and defense industry.

On November 22, Yoon and Sunak signed a new bilateral framework known as the "Downing Street Agreement," elevating the relationship between the two countries from a "broad, creative partnership" to a "global strategic partnership." This agreement, signed on the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations established between the UK and Korea in 1883, emphasizes their joint efforts to address geopolitical risks.

Both the UK and South Korea are leveraging each other's geographical positions for greater benefits. On the same day, Yoon approved the partial termination of the military aspect of the "Panmunjom Declaration" in response to North Korea's satellite launches, signaling a resumption of military reconnaissance and monitoring activities near the Demilitarized Zone. North Korea, in turn, announced the lifting of its commitment to the Panmunjom Declaration, resuming all military measures that were suspended under the agreement. Signed in September 2018, the agreement aimed to eliminate the threat of war on the Korean Peninsula and transform it into a "permanent peace zone."

South Korea's New Role as a "Global Hub Nation"

The US, Japan, and South Korea previously formed a military triad in the Indo-Pacific region to address the so-called "North Korean threat." The military cooperation between the UK and South Korea has bolstered Yoon's confidence in proactively dealing with North Korea.

The Downing Street Agreement, signed by Yoon and Sunak, is backed by the US military cooperation. Under this framework, South Korea will strengthen its cooperation with the UK in addressing North Korea's nuclear issues. This marks the first bilateral action against North Korea by the two countries, paving the way for future sanctions by the US and other allies.

The agreement focuses on technology sharing, defense cooperation, and security in maritime, land, air, and cyberspace between the UK and South Korea. It includes joint naval exercises and patrols targeting North Korean maritime activities. This action will be supported by defense and cyber cooperation partnerships, also strengthening ties between defense industries and intelligence agencies.

In terms of cyber cooperation, the two countries will jointly enhance their capabilities to detect, disrupt, and prevent malicious cyber activities. The defense partnership focuses on improving industrial cooperation and supply chain integration to enhance national security defenses.

Unlike his predecessor Moon Jae-in, who sought balance among various parties, Yoon, since taking office in 2022, has actively aligned with the US, proposing a new national positioning. In an interview with The Washington Post last year, Yoon expressed South Korea's intention to become a stronger ally of the US and take on more responsibilities in overseas development and aid, aiming to become a "global hub nation."

To further increase its influence, South Korea continues to expand economic and trade cooperation with various countries. In 2019, South Korea signed a free trade agreement with the UK, becoming one of the first countries to sign such an agreement with the UK amid Brexit negotiations. The agreement stipulated that if the UK opted for a no-deal Brexit, it would take effect immediately upon the UK's exit from the EU.

Representatives of the two countries negotiated an update to the free trade agreement on November 22. The new agreement aims to increase digital trade between the two countries and simplify previous complex procedures. According to UK Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch, the new agreement is more modernized.

The UK's Presence in the Indo-Pacific

To ensure economic development post-Brexit, then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson renewed the free trade agreement with South Korea, providing a safeguard for trade between the two countries following a hard Brexit. Since the UK was not yet authorized to negotiate free trade agreements with other countries, the UK-South Korea agreement was essentially consistent with the trade agreement already signed between the EU and South Korea, requiring renegotiation within two years.

Yoon's visit to the UK is both a response to the pre-Brexit trade agreement between the UK and South Korea and support for the UK's expanded influence in the Asia-Pacific region. UK Trade Minister Badenoch expressed intentions to include the digital economy in the agreement, providing security for the UK as a high-tech economy and creating new opportunities for British exports in the food and luxury goods industries.

During negotiations at the UK-South Korea Business Forum, attended by Badenoch and South Korean Trade, Industry, and Energy Minister Bang Moon-kyu, South Korea announced a 21 billion investment in green energy and infrastructure projects across the UK, creating over 1,500 technical jobs.

Over the next decade, South Korea's sovereign wealth fund plans to invest 97 billion in the UK, funding renewable energy, green infrastructure, and waste management projects. Additionally, Shinhan Financial Group, wind turbine manufacturer Seah Wind, food and beverage company PSC, and Hanwha Phasor will invest 2 billion, 650 million, 150 million, and 90 million, respectively, in the UK.

Cooperation with South Korea highlights the UK's ambition to expand its influence in the Indo-Pacific region. In late September 2022, then-Foreign Secretary James Cleverly expressed the UK's desire to establish closer ties with the Indo-Pacific region, strengthening cooperation in economics, security, and defense. During his visits to Japan and South Korea, he conveyed the UK's determination to collaborate with the Indo-Pacific region to business, financial, and academic leaders.

This year, the UK, a non-Pacific coastal nation, successfully joined the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and released the "UK Defence and Indo-Pacific" report, identifying China as a "systemic challenge of the epoch." The UK is committed to adhering to the US-led Indo-Pacific strategy, a continuation of the main policy line initiated by the Trump administration and carried on by the Biden administration.

The UK's reliance on the US for its small-circle diplomacy may bring short-term benefits but will inevitably face constraints in the future. The UK's Indo-Pacific strategy is primarily seeking pure economic benefits, with the UK government projecting that 56% of global economic output growth by 2050 will come from the Indo-Pacific region.
NYC Mayor Eric Adams is now accused of sexually assaulting a former colleague 30 years ago. The woman claiming that the American official harassed her sexually filed a civil lawsuit.

She filed a legal summons in the New York Supreme Court on Wednesday, Nov. 22. Since it was processed electronically, the clerk hasn't completed the filing yet.

Based on the legal action, Eric Adams sexually assaulted the plaintiff back in 1993 when he was just working for the New York City Police Department as a captain.

NYC Mayor Eric Adams Allegedly Sexually Assaulted Former Colleague

According to NBC News' latest report, the plaintiff claims that she experienced battery, sexual assault, retaliation, employment gender discrimination, a hostile work environment, as well as intentional emotional distress infliction when she was working with Adams.

The complaint against the NYC mayor accuses him of violating multiple legal frameworks. These include the New York City Human Rights Law, the New York State Human Rights Law, and the Victims of Gender Motivated Violence Protection Act.

The woman was identified as Lorna Beach Mathura. NBC New York said that the other legal actions were filed under the name of the plaintiff accusing Eric Adams.

These include lawsuits against American Airlines in 2014, which was unsuccessful. She sued Miami Dade County as well, claiming that a 6-year-old boy abused her during kindergarten.

As of writing, Mathura is seeking over $5 million in damages, as well as attorney's fees and interest. The plaintiff's attorney, Megan Goddard, hasn't shared much detail regarding the civil lawsuit they filed against Mayor Eric Adams.

Read Also: Eric Adams' Turkey Ties: NYC Mayor Admits Helping Turkish Consulate Amid Criminal Investigation Over Campaign

Eric Adams Denies Allegations

NYC Mayor Eric Adams said that he would never do anything to harm other people.

"Mom always used to tell me there are seasons when a lot seems to be going on and at that moment, you have to let go and let God have something to do with it," said the American official.

"I don't recall meeting the person and I'm going to remain steadfast in running the city," he added.

New York City Hall's spokesperson also rejected the sexual assault allegations against Eric Adams. The official said that they "vigorously" deny any claims regarding sexually assaulting people.

Critics are suspicious about the lawsuit since it was filed two days before the New York Adult Survivors Act's expiration. They said that it is also the time when high-profile individuals, such as Jamie Foxx, Donald Trump, and Sean "Diddy" Combs face legal action.

Related Article: [UPDATE] Eric Adams Corruption Investigation: FBI Seizes NYC Mayor's Phones, iPad

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HSBC India and UK Export Finance (UKEF), the UK's export credit agency, have intended to establish a financing programme of up to 100 million pound to support Indian Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and corporates for financing their imports from Britain.

This partnership will enhance the availability of credit for Indian MSMEs and boost trade ties between the two countries, HSBC India said in a statement on Thursday.

HSBC India and UKEF on Thursday signed a Letter of Intent (LoI), which enables them to work together on opportunities relating to UKEF's guarantee-backed structures.

India was the UK's 12th largest trading partner in the four quarters to the end of Q2 2023, accounting for 2.1 per cent of total UK trade.

In 2021, around 7,500 UK SMEs, with around 3,17,300 employees, exported goods worth 1.2 billion pound to India, accounting for 85 per cent of all UK businesses exporting goods to India.

Providing enhanced financial access and developing an ecosystem that increases the productivity of SMEs and their competitiveness is crucial to achieving broad-based growth.

"At HSBC, we remain focused on supporting this underserved sector through this financing programme, helping them accelerate innovative transformations, capture new opportunities, and encourage job creation," it said.
The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are getting greater importance in the upcoming Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) as these pacts provide huge opportunities for them to participate in global trade, a senior government official said on Thursday.

Additional Secretary in the department of commerce Rajesh Agarwal said FTAs can enable better integration of MSMEs with global value chains.

However, there are a few key challenges that need to be focussed on for the sector, including information asymmetry, access to affordable finance, reduction in regulatory burden, access to new markets, and capacity building through skill development programmes.

"In every free trade agreement, we have talked about MSMEs, sometimes in paragraphs and sometimes in a full chapter As a country we will have to start putting in more and more weight around the work MSMEs can do and how they can be enabled to leverage the FTAs," Agarwal said in a event organised by industry chamber CII.

The FTAs bring advantages to MSMEs through rationalisation of customs duties and that enables them to become a part of Global Value Chains (GVCs).

Lowering of tariff disparities across geographies eases movement of goods and enables manufacturing to become efficient.

He said the sector is important as it accounts for 30 per cent in GDP and about 50 per cent in the country's exports.

"But in GVCs, they will have to play a crucial role," he added.

Nowadays in FTAs, countries talk about addressing the information asymmetries that MSMEs face in trade through sharing of best practices and other trade enabling knowledge.

"All FTAs are talking about digitisation of processes, e-documentation, e-billing, digitisation of custom processes and entire logistics involved in exports," Agarwal said.

Citing an example, he said recently a pilot project was done to send a consignment to Florida through Singapore via e-bills.

At present, India is negotiating FTAs with key trade partners like the European Union, the UK, and Australia.

"In all these FTAs we are looking for tariff concessions which will drive jobs and MSMEs," Agarwal added.

Also Read World MSME Day 2023: Date, Theme, Celebration, Essential Facts about MSME MSMEs in Tamil Nadu go on strike over rising power costs today World MSME Day: All you need to know about sector fueling India's growth India, UK seeking equal treatment for services sector cos under FTA Govt accepts over 10,000 MSME claims worth Rs 256 crore for refunds HSBC India, UK Export Finance tie up for 100 mn pound financing programme NSE ties up with Bengal govt to facilitate fund raising for SMEs in state CHATROOM: Merchanting trade transactions must be completed within 9 months 'EPCG: Doubts persist over maintaining annual average exports of services' Increased sugar prices to lift MSMEs' margins: CRISIL SME Tracker

While FTAs bring market opportunities they also impose tougher standards on climate and labour which will also require effort and costs to comply with.
(Reuters) -Oil prices dipped roughly 1% on Thursday, extending losses from the previous session, after OPEC+ postponed a meeting, triggering speculation that the group may not deepen output cuts next year due to dissenting African members.

Brent futures were down 85 cents, or about 1%, at $81.11 a barrel by 0916 GMT, after falling as much as 4% on Wednesday.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude slid 71 cents, also about 1%, to $76.39, after declining as much as 5% in the previous session.

In a surprise move on Wednesday, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies including Russia delayed to Nov. 30 a ministerial meeting where they were expected to discuss oil output cuts.

Producers - mainly a trio of African countries - were struggling to agree on output levels and hence possible reductions ahead of the meeting originally set for Nov. 26, OPEC+ sources said.

Analysts said that Angola, Congo and Nigeria were seeking to raise their 2024 supply quotas above the provisional levels agreed at the OPEC+ June meeting.

Angola and Congo have been producing below their 2024 production targets, while Nigeria has been able to increase output above target due to the improving security situation in the oil-rich Niger Delta.

"We think Nigeria can be assuaged as the leadership values its longstanding OPEC membership and improving ties with Saudi Arabia," said Helima Croft, an analyst at RBC Capital Markets.

"However, it may be more difficult to bridge the gap with Angola which has been a moodier member of the producer group since it joined in 2007."

Although internal upheavals have been quelled effectively in the past, this latest episode lays bare the enormity of the task that OPEC+ must accomplish, cautioned Tamas Varga of oil broker PVM.

"What is certain is continuous volatility with a plausible price swing to the extent of $10+ after next Thursday's meeting and possibly even before."

The questions over OPEC+ supply come as data showed U.S. crude stocks jumped by 8.7 million barrels last week, which was much more than the 1.16 million build analysts had expected. [EIA/S]

Meanwhile, about 3% of crude oil production in the Gulf of Mexico was shut in by an underwater pipeline leak, the U.S. Coast Guard said on Wednesday.

On the demand side, there was more bleak news. Although a survey showed the downturn in euro zone business activity eased in November, data suggested the bloc's economy will contract again this quarter as consumers continue to rein in spending.

U.S. trade is expected to be muted on Thursday due to the Thanksgiving public holiday.
Nearly 30 people, including five policemen, were injured on Thursday as Nepalese riot police used batons and tear gas to halt thousands of protesters from two political groups who clashed with each other while marching on the outskirts of Kathmandu.

The two political groups, the Youth Organisation Nepal (YON) affiliated to the main Opposition Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) [CPN UML] and supporters of the pro-monarchy Durga Prasai Group clashed with each other while staging anti-government demonstrations.

At least 24 protesters and five policemen were injured during the clashes.

The YON and the pro-monarchist Durga Prasai Group announced separate demonstrations against the government in Kathmandu on Thursday.

The Durga Prasai Group -- whose first target was the government and second the CPN-UML affiliated YON -- chanted slogans and called for the restoration of a Hindu state in Nepal.

According to the YON, their main slogans were toppling the Prachanda-led present coalition government and ending corruption.

The two groups also targeted each other, bringing tens of thousands of people on the streets. Security was beefed up in the city with the deployment of thousands of riot police personnel.

Traffic in the areas remained disrupted the entire day due to the protest shows organised by two opposing groups.

Cadres belonging to the YON organised the protest rally at the Tinkune area near the Tribhuvan International Airport, while the Durga Prasai group organised the protest rally in the Balkhu area on the outskirts of Kathmandu.

Security personnel deployed at the venue fired a dozen tear gas shells and water cannons after the protestors tried to enter the prohibited area in Balkhu, according to eyewitnesses.

The police fired tear gas shells, baton-charged and used water cannons to disperse the agitators, as the two groups pelted stones at each other.

The two groups had announced plans to organise their protest show at Maitighar Mandala near the Prime Minister's Office and the Parliament building.

However, after the government issued a month-long prohibitory order in the area, they shifted their agitation venue.

According to officials, the government mobilised around 10,000 security personnel to prevent clashes between the two groups and to maintain law and order.
Boehringer Ingelheim today announced the acquisition of privately-held T3 Pharmaceuticals AG (T3 Pharma), a clinical stage Swiss biotech company, for an amount of up to 450 million CHF. T3 Pharma has developed a proprietary therapy platform that uses live bacteria to deliver immune-modulating proteins to cancer cells and tumor micro-environments.

Despite the significant transformation of the cancer treatment landscape by immunotherapies, long-term remissions only occur in 15-20% of cancer patients. Boehringer Ingelheim aims to considerably increase this rate by utilizing complementary immuno-oncology platforms such as T-Cell Engagers (TcEs), oncolytic viruses, and cancer vaccines, which have the potential to turn cold tumors into hot ones, extending the benefits of immunotherapy to more patients in need.

T3 Pharmas pioneering technology will bolster Boehringer Ingelheims array of novel immune-modulatory cancer treatments, reinforcing the company's oncology strategy to transform the lives of people affected by cancer.

The acquisition of T3 Pharma will significantly expand our immuno-oncology pipeline portfolio and is synergistic with many of our existing R&D programs. This will bring us closer to achieving our vision of driving a paradigm shift in cancer care treatments, said Michel Pairet, Member of the Board of Managing Directors at Boehringer Ingelheim with responsibility for the Innovation Unit.

We are extremely proud of the work of T3 Pharmas team and very excited to continue and accelerate the successful development of our bacterial delivery platform as part of Boehringer Ingelheim. Being integrated with our partners at Boehringer will enable us to realize the full potential of our platform to fight solid cancers, said Simon Ittig, CEO of T3 Pharma.

T3 Pharma has developed a unique platform using engineered Yersinia enterocolitica bacteria to deliver bioactive proteins directly and selectively into the tumor micro-environment, while sparing healthy tissues. The bacteria can be loaded with multiple immune-modulatory proteins of choice, enabling the design of immuno-oncology combination therapies in one single agent.

Boehringer Ingelheim is adopting a comprehensive approach to cancer therapy development including both cancer cell-directed and immuno-oncology approaches. This strategy aims to enable smart combinations that deliver life-changing and best-in-class treatments that may offer the greatest benefit for people affected by cancer. To make this ambition a reality, the company is constantly exploring emerging science cooperating with a growing global network of leading academic and industry partners and by investing in startup companies via its Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund, which was among the main investors of T3 Pharma.

T3 Pharma is headquartered in Allschwil near Basel, Switzerland, where it was founded with financial backing from both corporate and institutional investors. Operations of T3 Pharma will be kept in the Basel region following the acquisition.

Please click on the following link for Notes to editors and References

https://www.boehringer-ingelheim.com/science-innovation/human-health-innovation/boehringer-acquires-t3-pharma

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231122693786/en/
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Qatar has announced that the start of the four-day truce and prisoner swap between Israel and Hamas would be scheduled for 07:00 local time on Friday (05:00 UTC, November 24).

Spokesperson for the Qatari foreign ministry Majed al-Ansari said that the two sides have exchanged lists of those that would be released. Hamas would release the first group of 13 hostages by Friday afternoon, with Israeli officials expected to release 39 of its prisoners and detainees if the 1:3 ratio was followed.

Al-Ansari added that increased aid for Palestinians should be expected to enter Gaza "as soon as possible."

The Times of Israel reported that the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the families of Israeli hostages who would be expected to be released from captivity in Gaza on Friday have already been notified.

Read Also: Missing Israeli Woman Shani Gabay Found Dead

At Least 3 Americans Included in First Prisoner Swap

The truce and prisoner swap was due to take place on Thursday (November 23) but was postponed at the last minute due to logistical issues, The Guardian reported.

Under the agreement, Hamas would free at least 50 of the approximately 240 hostages - mostly Israeli civilians, but also including other foreign nationals - the group abducted across southern Israel in the October 7 attack.

Meanwhile, a senior US official told The Independent, on the condition of anonymity, that Washington was expecting the release of at least three of at least 10 American hostages in the first group of hostages Hamas would be releasing.

Related Article: Hamas Delays Hostage Swap With Israel-Reason Unknown

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Thursday, November 23, 2023 at 8:45AM

Image: Microsoft

Microsoft has announced a US$500 million investment to expand its hyper-scale cloud computing and AI infrastructure in Quebec over the next two years.The investment will involve the construction of multiple data centre locations in four different municipalities: LAncienne-Lorette, Donnacona, Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures, and Levis. The construction is expected to start in the coming months and will increase Microsofts computing capacity by about 240 percent by 2026. This will build on the existing capacity that Microsoft already has in the province, including a data centre region that was launched in 2016.

Microsoft also said that it will ensure that the future data centre locations will meet its sustainability goals of being carbon negative, water positive, and zero waste by 2030. To achieve this, Microsoft will use low-carbon materials during construction and adopt renewable energy sources, advanced cooling features, and measures to reduce diesel fuel use during operation.

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In a significant breakthrough, Israel and Hamas have agreed to a temporary ceasefire, marking the first major diplomatic progress since the conflict erupted on October 7. The agreement involves the release of 50 hostages by Hamas in exchange for 150 Palestinians. A senior US official confirmed the deal, telling reporters that the freed captives would include three Americans, one of whom was a three-year-old daughter.

According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, around 12,000 Palestinians have been killed as a result of Israel's offensive. The ministry stated that it had lost the ability to tally the dead as of Nov. 11 due to the collapse of large portions of the health system, but that the number had climbed sharply since then. Some 2,700 people are still missing and presumed to be buried beneath the rubble, and hospitals have continued to report deaths from daily hits, frequently dozens at a time.

Details of the Deal

The ceasefire spans four days, during which 50 women and children under 19, taken hostage by Hamas in the October 7 raid on Israel, will be released. In return, Israel will release 150 Palestinian women and teenagers from its detention. The hostage release is expected to occur in batches, with approximately a dozen hostages freed each day during the ceasefire. The deal is described as a "humanitarian pause," and any extension will be tied to the release of additional batches of hostages.Additional terms include a halt to air traffic over parts of Gaza, freedom of movement along Salah al-Din Street, and a commitment by Israel not to attack or arrest individuals in Gaza during the truce.

Implementation Timeline

Hostage releases are set to commence approximately 24 hours after final approval, with the first exchange possibly taking place today. The International Committee of the Red Cross is ready to assist in facilitating the hostage swap, with transportation through Egypt, the only country apart from Israel sharing a border with Gaza. The Israeli Cabinet approved the deal with a 35-3 vote, with ministers from the extreme right-wing Otzma Yehudit party voting against it.

Players Involved in Negotiations

The agreement follows weeks of Qatari-led negotiations, with indirect involvement from the US and Egypt. US President Joe Biden acknowledged the deal, commending Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu's commitment to the pause and the provision of humanitarian aid.

International Response - PM Modi at G20

On November 22, 2023, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasized zero tolerance for terrorism in his concluding remarks at the virtual G20 Summit. He expressed disapproval of the killing of innocents, especially children and women, in the context of the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Who settled the Deal?

Qatar had a significant role in mediating the situation. Hamas has a political office in Doha, and the Qatari government has maintained communication channels with Israel, despite the fact that, unlike several other Gulf Arab states, Qatar has not normalised relations with Israel. In the weeks preceding up to the agreement, US President Joe Biden held phone discussions with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Egypt, the first Arab state to sign a peace treaty with Israel and a longtime mediator in the Israeli-Palestinian dispute, also participated.

Background and Context

Qatar played a significant role in mediating, leveraging its diplomatic ties with both Hamas and Israel. The United States and Egypt, historically involved in mediating Israeli-Palestinian conflicts, played crucial roles in facilitating the negotiations.

The Qatari negotiator started early on Wednesday that the start date of the truce would be revealed within 24 hours.Israel postponed the commencement to allow time for its Supreme Court to examine a challenge to the agreement filed by those who claim a truce is too much of a concession to Hamas. A court decision is unlikely to derail the merger.

Deal Execution and Challenges

The ceasefire's start time is expected to be announced within 24 hours, with a potential start date of November 23, 2023.

Implementation involves the International Committee of the Red Cross working in Gaza, aided by the transportation of hostages through Egypt.

The negotiations faced challenges, with a delay in the start to allow Israel's Supreme Court to address challenges to the deal, although a ruling is not anticipated to derail the agreement.

Hostages and Prisoners

Hamas has not released a full list of hostages, but among the 50 released are three US citizens. Israel provided a list of around 300 Palestinian prisoners for potential release, mostly from the West Bank and Jerusalem, held for various charges. The deal involves a phased release of prisoners, with buses transporting them to the Palestinian Authority headquarters.

Why Negotiations Took Time?

The announcement comes 46 days after the conflict's onset, marked by intense fighting and a high casualty toll.

Communication challenges, with negotiations going through intermediaries in Doha or Cairo, contributed to the slow progress.

The temporary nature of the ceasefire is emphasized, with Hamas maintaining readiness, and Israel insisting on the resolution of all hostage-related issues.

In summary, the ceasefire deal represents a notable diplomatic breakthrough in the Israel-Hamas conflict, achieved through intensive international mediation and addressing complex humanitarian and political challenges.
Rupee appreciation continues to sustain cement exports from Pakistan

23 November 2023

Pakistans cement industry has registered significant growth in cement and clinker exports during the first four months of FY23-24 (July-October 2023) due to the continued depreciation of the Pakistani rupee and the falling coal prices.

Pakistans cement and clinker exports increased by around 40.5 per cent in the 4MFY23-24 to US$93.08 (2.405Mt) compared to US$66.27m (1.324Mt) in the 4MFY22-23, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) said. In terms of volumes, exports increased by 81.69 per cent YoY in the same period. The export revenue, in Pakistani rupee terms, saw a significant growth of 80.5 per cent to PKR26.89bn during this export period, sustained by the depreciation of the local currency against the US dollar.

The data on exports and imports released by PBS revealed that MoM, cement and clinker exports registered a -2.4 per cent decline in terms of value in October 2023 to US$26.40m (731,380t)) from US$27.04m (693,023t) in September 2023. But the dispatch volumes, the MoM, saw an increase of 5.5 per cent. However, the YoY cement export data depicts a healthy opposite picture. It increased by 32.6 per cent in value and 91.2 per cent in volume if compared to data from October 2022 (US$19.91m at 382,581t).

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Zimbabwe import licence scheme drives down prices

23 November 2023

On 10 November 2023 CemNet reported on how the Zimbabwean government has issued cement import licences to ensure supply while two of the countrys leading cement producers dealt with production issues. According to The Herald, the scheme is already bearing fruit with imports of 149,000t of cement not only helping to clear the backlog of demand, but also driving down cement prices in the country.

The government reportedly approved 665 applications for cement imports from manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers and those in the construction industry, although less than 340 have been collected for use so far. The arrival of fresh imports has caused cement prices in Zimbabwe to fall by almost 50 per cent since the start of November.

Those with import licences still have until the end of the year to import cement, using their own free funds, says the government. Individuals are allowed to import up to 5t each for personal use. The import licences can only be used by the applicant and cannot be transferred through resale or any other means.

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Aggregate Industries appoints group strategy and commercial growth director

23 November 2023

Aggregate Industries, part of Holcim, has appointed Kaziwe Kaulule as its new group strategy and commercial growth director. With a career spanning over 19 years with the Holcim Group, Mr Kaulule brings extensive experience to the role, including operations, digital transformation, business development, and mergers and acquisitions.

His most recent role was as chief executive officer (CEO) at Lafarge Industries South Africa. He has also served as CEO at Lafarge Cement Zimbabwe and held pivotal roles in group audit in France, as well as spearheading digital ventures in the UK.

Dragan Maksimovic, CEO at Aggregate Industries, said, Kaz is distinguished by his ability to build robust teams and drive business growth and commercial transformation in highly competitive markets, particularly in the cement, aggregates, and ready-mix sectors. His strategic prowess is underscored by a proven track record of achieving operational excellence, supervising commercial and production teams, and executing sales, marketing, and retail strategies. I am confident that his appointment will further strengthen the company's position as an industry leader, driving innovation, growth, and sustained success.

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New York City successfully held its Thanksgiving Day Parade this year, as thousands gathered in the Big Apple for the event.

However, it was not all smooth sailing - or in this case, floating.

Pro-Palestine protesters disrupted the parade on Thursday (November 23) by gluing their hands in the middle of 6th Avenue and covering themselves in fake blood in an attempt to halt the parade.

According to the New York Post, several of the protesters wore white jumpsuits with protest slogans on their chests and backs while chanting pro-Palestinian slogans, such as "Free, free Palestine" and "From the river to the sea...."

It was revealed that the protesters were not just protesting about the liberation of Palestine but also demonstrating for the preservation of the environment, as there was a large sign reading "Liberation for Palestine and Planet."

Another act of protest was recorded while the parade was broadcast on television.

The float from the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, also known as the People of the First Light, was passing Macy's flagship store on 34th Street in midtown Manhattan when a male individual unfurled a small Palestinian flag and raised it above his head, Fox News Digital reported.

Pro-Palestinian protesters have glued their hands to 6th Avenue, disrupting the Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade; floats, bands and balloons are being diverted. pic.twitter.com/nYKLGyev87  Matthew Chayes (@chayesmatthew) November 23, 2023

Crowds Jeer at Protesters

As the protesters disrupted the parade, spectators jeered them by screaming loud boos.

The group also had other messages - including "militarism," "racism," and "ethnic cleansing" - written across their jumpsuits.

Officers of the New York Police Department (NYPD) attempted to remove the protesters by ungluing their hands and arresting them while voicing out their clamor for a total ceasefire and independence of the state of Palestine.

The NYPD confirmed that several of the protesters were taken into custody but did not provide an exact number.

"It's pissing me off," a parade attendee from Philadelphia named Greg complained. "Do it somewhere else. Not today, they're ruining the parade. They super-glued their hands to the street. These people worked hard to be in this parade."

NYPD has leveled up the security in the parade in anticipation of such disruptions.

Read Also: Qatar Says Truce to Begin 07:00 on Nov. 24 - At Least 3 Americans Included in Prisoner Swap

The Protest Continues

Upon the end of the parade, at least 400 protesters gathered at a pre-arranged meeting spot in Madison Square Park before marching toward Macy's in nearby Herald Square, shutting down traffic while chanting "Long Live Intifada" and "American public do you see? Your taxes fund our misery."

The protesters were stopped by police at 6th Avenue and West 31st Street, prompting them to turn west toward Penn Station.

New York Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (D-Bronx) called the disruption of the Thanksgiving parade "sick."

"Protesters are disrupting a parade attended by thousands of children?! It's beyond the pale," Dinowitz told the Post. "They are pro-Hamas and anti-Jew. They are for the terrorists."

New York Board of Rabbis executive vice chair Rabbi Joseph Potasnik also said that pro-Palestinian protesters had "no boundaries," intimidating New Yorkers by "[protesting] on the sabbath [and on] Thanksgiving."

"No one at these protests ever seems to condemn Hamas. They fault the victims, not the perpetrators," he added. "History has taught us that hatred starts against the Jews but doesn't end with the Jews."

Related Article: Preps for Macy's Thanksgiving Parade 2023 Underway-Here's How to Watch It Online

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A drilling rig operates as the sun sets Tuesday, July 5, 2022, near Midland. Jon Shapley, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer Construction of a portion of the 67-mile water pipeline connecting T-Bar Ranch to Midland, completed in 2013 at a cost of more than $200 million. T-Bar Ranch was also designated as Midlands emergency water supply. Tim Fischer/Midland Reporter-Telegram Pump jacks working on the Permian Basin near Odessa on Thursday, April 27, 2023. Elizabeth Conley/Staff photographer

Attorneys for the city of Midland, the oil capital of Texas, made an unusual request to state regulators this year: Could they be allowed to challenge drilling permits?

Midland isnt contesting permits to drill for oil. The city is challenging applications by Houston-based Pilot Water Solutions to inject oil and gas wastewater deep underground adjacent to the T-Bar Ranch, where Midland gets about 30% of its drinking water. City leaders worry that Pilots disposal wells could jeopardize their long-term water supply.

The Texas Railroad Commission, which regulates oil and gas drilling and disposal wells, agreed in June to give Midland standing to challenge the permits. The case will go before a Railroad Commission administrative judge in January.

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The dispute highlights two rising challenges in West Texas: where to dispose of billions of barrels of toxic oil and gas wastewater and how to get enough freshwater to keep the taps flowing.

Midland Mayor Lori Blong, herself the co-owner of the oil and gas company Octane Energy, traveled to Austin in June to appeal to the Railroad Commission in an open meeting.

Midland has an independent and friendly relationship with the oil and gas industry, Blong told the commissioners, adding that disposal wells are essential to that industry.

However, I also understand that all SWD (saltwater disposal) well construction procedures and applications are not created equal, and across Texas, they must demonstrate that groundwater is protected, Blong said.

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Zachary Neal, Pilot Water Solutions executive vice president, said the company has introduced multiple layers of protection in the proposed wells and will take groundwater samples to monitor the safety of the communitys water supply. Neal said these steps exceed regulatory requirements.

Demand and Disposal

Midlands water woes are nothing new. In 1965, the city bought the 20,229-acre T-Bar Ranch in Winkler County, a rural part of the Permian Basin near the New Mexico state line, for future water supply.

That decision proved prescient after the drought of 2011 in the Permian Basin. That year, reservoirs dipped lower and lower and Midland and Odessa introduced water restrictions for the first time. Midland, the quintessential oil boom town, acknowledged that development would grind to a halt if there wasnt enough water to go around.

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After squeaking through 2011, Midland decided it was time to tap into the T-Bar Ranch water. A 67-mile pipeline was completed by May 2013 at a cost of more than $200 million to connect the ranch to Midland. The ranch was also designated as Midlands emergency water supply.

Thats why a series of permit applications to drill wastewater wells adjacent to the ranch caught the attention of Midland officials. According to Midlands protest letter, the city owns the groundwater in areas adjacent to the ranch where Pilot intends to drill the wells.

Between June and November 2022, Pilot Water Solutions applied for permits to drill 18 disposal wells there with a combined capacity of up to 567 million gallons of produced water per month. Disposal wells, also known as injection wells, receive the huge volumes of produced water that come up alongside oil and gas in the drilling process.

Fracking a single oil or gas well can require tens of millions of gallons of water. According to its website, Pilot operates 126 disposal wells and more than 850 miles of water pipelines.

On Dec. 2, attorneys for the city of Midland protested the applications for five of the wells with the Railroad Commission. Pilot was proposing to inject up to 24,900 barrels of produced water per day, per well, within 1,000 feet of Midlands water wells, according to the city.

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The lawyers wrote that the city had completed 42 water wells in the T-Bar Ranch area that provide between 30% and 35% of the citys freshwater supply.

The City of Midland is entitled to protest as an affected person in order to protect its critical water supply and long-term investment of the water supply distribution system, they wrote.

The Railroad Commission at first rejected Midlands request for standing in the case. But after Blong appealed to the commissioners in June, the city was allowed to challenge the permits.

The city and its attorneys declined to comment on the pending case.

A Railroad Commission spokesperson said its permitting rules protect groundwater and freshwater and make sure that wells are properly constructed to ensure that the fluid is confined to the proposed injection or disposal interval.

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Neal of Pilot Water Solutions said the proposed wells were designed with three strings of steel casing, which are each protected by cement to the surface. Pilot would also install wellhead automation to monitor for leaks and shut in injection if any leaks are detected.

Pilot is continuing to do its part and working with the City of Midland and the surrounding communities to address any concerns they may have, he said in a statement.

Neal said Pilot identified and studied all wellbores within a half-mile radius of the proposed disposal wells, including abandoned or plugged wells. He said the Railroad Commission verified there were no concerns that any abandoned wells within a 1/4 mile radius were not adequately plugged.

The Railroad Commission spokesperson did not confirm whether abandoned wells have been identified within a quarter-mile radius of the proposed Pilot disposal wells but acknowledged any such wells must be properly plugged.
Lee University hosted First-Generation Week to celebrate first-generation college students and raise awareness about the challenges they face. The weeks events included Worthy Now, a drop-in reception, a Calling & Career lecture, Black Student Unions Hope for Exiles, and performances of Its a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play.

First-Generation Week is a unique occasion to join hundreds of colleges and universities to recognize and celebrate first-generation college students on our respective campuses, said Dr. Kevin Ung, director of the McNair Scholars Program and Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship. As trailblazers and courageous learners, these students are working to become the first in their families to earn a four-year college degree. Thus, it is imperative that we allocate the necessary resources and support services toward that end.

The week began with Worthy Now, a conference for women of all ages that seeks to embrace worth, empower others, and inspire calling. Female students spoke at the event, reminding the women in attendance of their worth in Christ.

The First-Generation Drop-in Reception invited all first-generation staff, faculty, students, and advocates to enjoy a time of conversation. Hot chocolate, a celebratory cake, and a photo booth were available to all attendees as they had fellowship at the fireside gathering.

There is so much support at Lee for first-gen students, and there are always people who are always cheering you on, said Madilyn Voiles, a senior criminal justice major. Being a LEAP and McNair Scholar as a first-gen student has truly been the greatest blessing during my time at Lee!

Lees Center for Calling & Career hosted Managing Imposter Syndrome and Shining at the Expo, a lecture that sought to confront one of first-generation students challenges and teach them how to stand out to employers at graduate and career fairs.

"Hope for Exiles, hosted by Black Student Union, was an event at which students, faculty, and staff gathered and participated in student-led worship.

To conclude the week, first-generation students were encouraged to attend Lee Theatres final showings of Its a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play, a spin on a classic American holiday tale.

The week was organized by Ung and Jeni Turner, McNair Scholars Program coordinator. Julie Burchfield, distance learning librarian; Steven Knapp, assistant director of Lees Counseling Center; Kristin Pope, director of the Center for Calling and Career; Mallory Smolen, career services coordinator; and Dr. Angela Waltrip, director of Lees Learn Engage Achieve Program (LEAP), along with staff from the Student Success Center and Financial Aid Office, also helped organize the week and encourage student participation by hosting booths at the drop-in reception.

First-Generation Week is a nationwide celebration to raise awareness and increase advocacy for these students. By participating in the First-Generation Week celebration, Lee hopes to highlight the resources available and the community of first-generation students, faculty, and staff at Lee. As part of the celebration, Lee staff and faculty received Celebrate First-Gen bracelets and Im First lapel pins.

The McNair Scholars Program, which began at Lee in 2017, is designed to provide first-generation and underrepresented students with academic, financial, cultural, and social support by cultivating an interdisciplinary community of scholars who prepare for graduate school through seminars, workshops, campus visits, research experience, and academic conferences.

For more information about First-Generation College Celebration Week, visit firstgen.naspa.org/.

For more information about the McNair Scholars Program, visit www.leeuniversity.edu/mcnair/.


A second grader at Waterville Elementary with cancer and her parents are suing the Bradley County Schools, saying the schools are stopping her homebound instruction.

Bradley County officials declined comment on the suit filed in Chattanooga Federal Court.

The suit says, "Caroline S. is a seven-year-old second grader who enjoys gymnastics and softball, reading and art. Sadly, she is also battling kidney cancer as her physicians treat her little body with radiation and chemotherapy.

"The cancer and the treatments are hard on Carolines already-fragile immune system, but the treatments are working. Her physicians estimate her immune system will be strong enough to return to public school, and be around other persons, in January of 2024.

"In the meantime, she requires an extension of her medical homebound instructioninstruction provided by a BCS teacher at her home.

"In spite of information from Carolines parents and her oncological team, BCS refuses to extend the homebound instruction. In spite of the risk of serious illness or even death, BCS has ordered her to return to school and has discontinued the medical homebound instruction.

"The Americans with Disabilities Act and its counterpart, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, are the most fundamental laws protecting the civil rights of persons with disabilities like Caroline, ensuring that she has access to her public-school education in the form of homebound instruction. Plaintiffs therefore bring this case to ensure Caroline S. receives the reasonable accommodation of homebound instruction extended by BCS until Caroline has completed her chemotherapy sessions and can safely return to in-person instruction at BCS."

The suit says the parents learned on April 11 that Caroline had Wilms Tumor, a childhood cancer of the kidneys.

It says she at first was provided homebound instruction, but at the end of September, "Carolines mother received distressing news from Waterville Elementary. Waterville Elementary, through a Director of Elementary Education, said it would give only one more month of medical homebound, through October, and, after that, Caroline must return to in-person school beginning in November or withdraw from school."

The parents said during her treatment it is dangerous for her to be in a situation where she could contract a cold or other ailment.
A three-judge panel has ruled that redrawn Tennessee Senate boundaries are unconstitutional.

It directed that the Senate maps be redrawn by Jan. 31.

The General Assembly is not set to meet again until Jan. 9.

Three citizens and the Tennessee Democratic Party filed suit last year, alleging that both the House and Senate maps needed to be redrawn. The judges earlier upheld the House map.

Hendrell Remus, chair of the Tennessee Democratic Party, said, The justice system has once again had to step in to correct the unconstitutional actions of the Tennessee GOP supermajority.

We are demanding a fair and open process as the State Senate map is redrawn. We will also provide an alternative map to be considered.

"Our fight for a constitutional State House map is not over.
Barry Keoghan as Oliver; Archie Madekwe as Farleigh in 'Saltburn' MGM/Amazon Studios/Courtesy of Prime

Here are the major films landing in theaters or on streaming this week:

'2023 British Arrows'

The return of the popular annual celebration of the best in British commercials.

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Unrated. 7 p.m. Friday-Saturday and Dec. 8 at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

'Aadhikesava'

Telugu-language action-drama from India.

Unrated. Opens Friday at Cinemark Tinseltown 290, Houston; AMC First Colony 24, Sugar Land.

'Deep Sea'

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Award-winning Mandarin-language animated family film from China about a girl who finds herself in a new world underneath the ocean.

Rated PG-13. Opens Friday at AMC Gulf Pointe 30, Houston.

'Dhruva Natchathiram Chapter 1: Yudda Kaandam'

Action-thriller from India in which a New York-based undercover agent has to find the missing leader of his team.

Unrated. Opens Friday at Cinemark Tinseltown 290, Houston; AMC Willowbrook 24, Houston; AMC First Colony 24, Sugar Land.

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'Dream Scenario'

Nicolas Cage in "Dream Scenario." A24/Handout

Nicolas Cage and Lily Bird star in a horror-comedy about a man whose life is upended when people he doesn't know start seeing him in their dreams.

Rated R. Opens Friday at Alamo Drafthouse LaCenterra, Katy.

'Farewell My Concubine'

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Kaige Chen's Oscar-nominated 1992 epic set against the backdrop of a Peking opera school and some of the major events in Chinese history.

Rated R. Screens 2 p.m. Sunday and 7 p.m. Dec. 1 at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

'Genie'

Melissa McCarthy, Marc Maron and Allan Cumming star in a Christmas comedy about a dad who asks a genie to help him get his family back before the holiday.

Rated PG. Streaming on Peacock.

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'Good Burger 2'

Kenan Thompson, Lil Rel Howery and Carmen Electra star in a comedy that's a sequel to the 1997 cult hit "Good Burger."

Rated TV-PG. Streaming on Paramount+.

'Hatching'

Fantasy-horror film in which an aspiring young female gymnast, with an overly demanding mother, discovers a strange egg that results in the hatching of a strange creature that takes over her life. Part of the Finntastic: New Films from Finland series.

Unrated. Screens 7 p.m. Nov. 30 at Rice Cinema, Houston.

'Kota Bommali PS'

Telugu-language drama from India about a police officer on the run after he has been framed.

Unrated. Opens Friday at AMC First Colony 24, Sugar Land.

'Leave the World Behind'

Myhala as Ruth, Mahershala Ali as G.H., Ethan Hawke as Clay and Julia Roberts as Amanda in 'Leave the World Behind' JoJo Whilden/NETFLIX

Writer/director Sam Esmail (Mr. Robot") returns with a thriller in which a family's dream getaway to a secluded luxury rental home turns into a nightmare when a cyberattack knocks out all technology and two strangers show up at the door. It has a great cast, including Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, Julia Roberts, Kevin Bacon and Myha'la Herrold (from the HBO series "Industry").

Rated R. Opens Friday at iPic Houston; begins streaming Dec. 8 on Netflix.

'Napoleon'

Director Ridley Scott (Gladiator," "Hannibal," "House of Gucci") tells the story of Napoleon and his wife, Josephine. Joaquin Phoenix, Vanessa Kirby, Rupert Everett and Tahar Rahim star.

Rated R. Playing throughout Houston.

'The Naughty Nine'

Danny Glover stars in a family comedy in which children on Santa's naughty list scheme to get the gifts they think they deserve.

Unrated. Begins streaming Thursday on Disney+.

'Saltburn'

Emerald Fennell directed one of the most talked-about movies of 2020 with "Promising Young Woman," and her latest promises to be similarly newsworthy, as it's generated buzz for some shocking scenes. Barry Keoghan (The Banshees of Inisherin"), Jacob Elordi (Priscilla") and Rosamund Pike star in a thriller in which an Oxford student finds his visit to a wealthy friend's estate taking a very strange turn.

Rated R. Playing throughout Houston.

'Song of the South (Dat Rung Phuong Nam)'

Vietnamese-language war drama from Vietnam.

Unrated. Opens Friday at AMC Gulf Pointe 30, Houston; AMC Willowbrook 24, Houston; AMC Loews Fountains 18, Stafford; AMC First Colony 24, Sugar Land.

'The Velveteen Rabbit'

Helena Bonham Carter stars in this adaptation of Margery Williams' classic children's book.

Unrated. Streaming on Apple TV+.

'Water in Every Way'

End-of-semester films from Rice University students that focus on environmental issues.

Unrated. Screens 7 p.m. Nov. 27 at Rice Cinema, Houston.

'Wish'

Ariana DeBose, Chris Pine and Alan Tudyk are part of the voice cast in this animated Disney project about a young girl who gets more than she bargained for after wishing upon a star.
Here is the latest Hamilton County arrest report:

ADAMS, JOHN EVAN

4905 HIGHWAY 58 CHATTANOOGA, 37406

Age at Arrest: 52 years old

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga PD

FAILURE TO APPEAR



ANDERSON, HOLLY DIONNE

5546 CLEMONS RD APT EAST RIDGE, 37412

Age at Arrest: 33 years old

Arresting Agency: East Ridge

IMPLIED CONSENT

RECKLESS DRIVING

DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE

CHILD ENDANGERMENT



ARNOLD, JIMMY L

1563 DALLAS LAKE HIXSON, 37343

Age at Arrest: 30 years old

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff

POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA



BECK, CHRISTOPHER MICHAEL

293 KAREN DRIVE CHATTANOOGA, 37407

Age at Arrest: 31 years old

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff

CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE IN SCHEDULE II



BELJOUR, JERRICA

808 W 46TH ST CHATTANOOGA, 374101805

Age at Arrest: 20 years old

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga PD

ASSAULT



BERRY, CHARLES MICHAEL

3415 CALHOUN AVE CHATTANOOGA, 37407

Age at Arrest: 28 years old

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga PD

Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)



DAVIS, TERRY LEE

9010 HARRISON BAY RD HARRISON, 37341

Age at Arrest: 36 years old

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff

CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE VANDALISM

THEFT OF PROPERTY

CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE VANDALISM

POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE



ESPY, JERRELL WAYNE

194 COUNTY RD 731 ROSSVILLE, 37370

Age at Arrest: 19 years old

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff

EVADING ARREST



EUSTICE, TIFFANY JONEE

4714 OAKLAND AVE CHATTANOOGA, 37410

Age at Arrest: 43 years old

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff

POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA



FLINN, NOAH GRANT

1154 GREEN GROVE DR HIXSON, 373431442

Age at Arrest: 21 years old

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga PD

PUBLIC INTOXICATION

DRUGS GENERAL CATEGORY FOR RESALE (MARIJUANA)



GOINS, LACHRISHA ANN

1638 FIRNWOOD CIRCLE CHATTANOOGA, 37421

Age at Arrest: 40 years old

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff

POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE

POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA



GONZALEZ, VENILSON MARTIN

1205 E 34TH ST CHATTANOOGA, 37407

Age at Arrest: 25 years old

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga PD

DOMESTIC ASSAULT



GUFFEY, CLIFFORD EUGENE

917 MASTERSON AVE HIXSON, 37343

Age at Arrest: 46 years old

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff

AGGRAVATED ASSAULT (DOM)



GUZMAN, CIRO REYES

2938 HUMPHREY BRIDGE RD MCDONLAD, 373530000

Age at Arrest: 42 years old

Arresting Agency: Collegedale

Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)



HAYES, AMANDA MICHELLE

7607 BONNIE DR CHATTANOOGA, 37416

Age at Arrest: 32 years old

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff

CONTRABAND IN PENAL INSTITUTIONS

SIMPLE POSSESSION



HOLLINS, EVERETT LEE

516 TALLEY RD CHATTANOOGA, 37411

Age at Arrest: 40 years old

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff

VIOLATION OF PROBATION (DOMESTIC AGGRAVATED ASSAUL

NONSUPPORT AND FLAGRANT NONSUPPORT

NONSUPPORT AND FLAGRANT NONSUPPORT

NONSUPPORT AND FLAGRANT NONSUPPORT

CONTEMPT OF COURT



JOHNSON, KADARIUS DESHUN

2710 CURTIS ST CHATTANOOGA, 37406

Age at Arrest: 27 years old

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff

REGISTRATION, EXPIRED

STOP SIGN VIOLATION

TRAFFIC CONTROL SIGNALS VIOLATION

SPEEDING

SPEEDING IN WORK ZONE

RECKLESS DRIVING

RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT

EVADING ARREST

RESISTING ARREST OR OBSTRUCTION OF LEGAL PROCESS



KENNEDY, PAUL CONOR

1243 LENNY LN CHATTANOOGA, 37421

Age at Arrest: 41 years old

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga PD

CRIMINAL TRESPASSING



KEOWN, SHANE BRADFORD

8737 OOLTEWAH GEORGETOWN RD OOLTEWAH, 37363

Age at Arrest: 43 years old

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff

DRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSE

FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY



LEMING, JUSTIN MICHAEL

11029 EUSTICE ROAD SODDY DAISY, 37379

Age at Arrest: 29 years old

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff

DRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSE

THEFT OF PROPERTY

BURGLARY



LEWIS, XGABRIEL DANTE

1713 ELLYN LN CHATTANOOGA, 37411

Age at Arrest: 30 years old

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff

ASSAULT

ASSAULT

HARASSMENT

HARASSMENT



MCDOWELL, TYRONE DENZELL

1508 ARLINGTON AVE CHATTANOOGA, 37403

Age at Arrest: 30 years old

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga PD

FAILURE TO APPEAR



MOREL, HOLLY FAITH

6923 SAVANNAH ESTATES DRIVE HARRISON, 37341

Age at Arrest: 26 years old

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff

THEFT OF PROPERTY



PIASECKI, NICHOLAS LEE

714 ASHLEY FOREST DR HIXSON, 37343

Age at Arrest: 42 years old

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff

POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA



PICKETT, TONY ERIC

1502 EAST 13TH ST CHATTANOOGA, 37404

Age at Arrest: 40 years old

Arresting Agency: Red Bank

AGGRAVATED ASSAULT (DOMESTIC VIOLENCE)

RETALIATION AGAINST JUDGE, JUROR, OFFICER

RETALIATION AGAINST JUDGE, JUROR, OFFICER

RETALIATION AGAINST JUDGE, JUROR, OFFICER

UNL.

CARRYING OR POSSESSING WEAPONTHEFT OF PROPERTY (POSSESSION OF STOLEN PROPERTY)RESISTING ARREST OR OBSTRUCTION OF LEGAL PROCESSROBERSON, BRENDA LEE10528 DALLAS HOLLOW RD SODDY DAISY, 37379Age at Arrest: 60 years oldArresting Agency: HC SheriffPOSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIAREGISTRATION, MISUSE OF EVIDENCESTRAYLOR, SENECA RYANHOMELESS CHATTANOOGA, 37404Age at Arrest: 44 years oldArresting Agency: HC SheriffVIOLATION OF PROBATION (AGGRAVATED DOMESTIC ASSAULTULIS, DAVID J10520 BRICKHILL LANE SODDY DAISY, 37379Age at Arrest: 64 years oldArresting Agency: HC SheriffLIGHT LAW VIOLATIONVIOLATION OF DRIVER'S LICENSE LAW/LICENSE TO BE CAVELASQUEZ, JEREMIAS2110 E 12TH ST CHATTANOOGA, 374044419Age at Arrest: 23 years oldArresting Agency: HC SheriffBooked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)WALKER, HOLLY ANN1218 THOMAS LANE HIXSON, 37343Age at Arrest: 44 years oldArresting Agency: Chattanooga PDDOMESTIC ASSAULTWELLS, COLBY JACOB NIKIAH200 38TH ST SW FORT PAYNE, 35967Age at Arrest: 25 years oldArresting Agency: HC SheriffBooked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)WRIGHT, CHRISTOPHER JAMESHOMELESS CHATTANOOGA, 374033104Age at Arrest: 32 years oldArresting Agency: Chattanooga PDBURGLARY

Here are the mug shots:

ADAMS, JOHN EVAN

Age at Arrest: 52

Date of Birth: 11/02/1971

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga PD



Last Date of Arrest: 11/22/2023

Charge(s):

FAILURE TO APPEAR ANDERSON, HOLLY DIONNE

Age at Arrest: 33

Date of Birth: 09/24/1990

Arresting Agency: East Ridge



Last Date of Arrest: 11/22/2023

Charge(s):

IMPLIED CONSENT

RECKLESS DRIVING

DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE

CHILD ENDANGERMENT ARNOLD, JIMMY L

Age at Arrest: 30

Date of Birth: 12/18/1992

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff



Last Date of Arrest: 11/22/2023

Charge(s):

POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA BECK, CHRISTOPHER MICHAEL

Age at Arrest: 31

Date of Birth: 07/17/1992

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff



Last Date of Arrest: 11/22/2023

Charge(s):

CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE IN SCHEDULE II BELJOUR, JERRICA

Age at Arrest: 20

Date of Birth: 11/20/2003

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga PD



Last Date of Arrest: 11/22/2023

Charge(s):

ASSAULT BERRY, CHARLES MICHAEL

Age at Arrest: 28

Date of Birth: 05/31/1995

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga PD



Last Date of Arrest: 11/22/2023

Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)

DAVIS, TERRY LEE

Age at Arrest: 36

Date of Birth: 05/15/1987

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff



Last Date of Arrest: 11/22/2023

Charge(s):

CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE VANDALISM

THEFT OF PROPERTY

CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE VANDALISM

POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE ESPY, JERRELL WAYNE

Age at Arrest: 19

Date of Birth: 04/19/2004

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff



Last Date of Arrest: 11/22/2023

Charge(s):

EVADING ARREST EUSTICE, TIFFANY JONEE

Age at Arrest: 43

Date of Birth: 12/19/1979

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff



Last Date of Arrest: 11/22/2023

Charge(s):

POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA FLINN, NOAH GRANT

Age at Arrest: 21

Date of Birth: 02/22/2002

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga PD



Last Date of Arrest: 11/22/2023

Charge(s):

PUBLIC INTOXICATION

DRUGS GENERAL CATEGORY FOR RESALE (MARIJUANA)

GUFFEY, CLIFFORD EUGENE

Age at Arrest: 46

Date of Birth: 12/15/1976

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff



Last Date of Arrest: 11/22/2023

Charge(s):

AGGRAVATED ASSAULT (DOM) GUZMAN, CIRO REYES

Age at Arrest: 42

Date of Birth: 06/16/1981

Arresting Agency: Collegedale



Last Date of Arrest: 11/22/2023

Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)

HAYES, AMANDA MICHELLE

Age at Arrest: 32

Date of Birth: 02/20/1991

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff



Last Date of Arrest: 11/22/2023

Charge(s):

CONTRABAND IN PENAL INSTITUTIONS

SIMPLE POSSESSION HOLLINS, EVERETT LEE

Age at Arrest: 40

Date of Birth: 08/16/1983

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff



Last Date of Arrest: 11/22/2023

Charge(s):

VIOLATION OF PROBATION (DOMESTIC AGGRAVATED ASSAUL

NONSUPPORT AND FLAGRANT NONSUPPORT

NONSUPPORT AND FLAGRANT NONSUPPORT

NONSUPPORT AND FLAGRANT NONSUPPORT

CONTEMPT OF COURT JOHNSON, KADARIUS DESHUN

Age at Arrest: 27

Date of Birth: 09/18/1996

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff



Last Date of Arrest: 11/22/2023

Charge(s):

REGISTRATION, EXPIRED

STOP SIGN VIOLATION

TRAFFIC CONTROL SIGNALS VIOLATION

SPEEDING

SPEEDING IN WORK ZONE

RECKLESS DRIVING

RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT

EVADING ARREST

RESISTING ARREST OR OBSTRUCTION OF LEGAL PROCESS KENNEDY, PAUL CONOR

Age at Arrest: 41

Date of Birth: 09/05/1982

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga PD



Last Date of Arrest: 11/22/2023

Charge(s):

CRIMINAL TRESPASSING KEOWN, SHANE BRADFORD

Age at Arrest: 43

Date of Birth: 06/29/1980

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff



Last Date of Arrest: 11/22/2023

Charge(s):

DRIVING ON REVOKED, SUSPENDED OR CANCELLED LICENSE

FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY LEWIS, XGABRIEL DANTE

Age at Arrest: 30

Date of Birth: 04/29/1993

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff



Last Date of Arrest: 11/22/2023

Charge(s):

ASSAULT

ASSAULT

HARASSMENT

HARASSMENT MCDOWELL, TYRONE DENZELL

Age at Arrest: 30

Date of Birth: 07/23/1993

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga PD



Last Date of Arrest: 11/22/2023

Charge(s):

FAILURE TO APPEAR MOREL, HOLLY FAITH

Age at Arrest: 26

Date of Birth: 01/10/1997

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff



Last Date of Arrest: 11/22/2023

Charge(s):

THEFT OF PROPERTY

PIASECKI, NICHOLAS LEE

Age at Arrest: 42

Date of Birth: 06/19/1981

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff



Last Date of Arrest: 11/22/2023

Charge(s):

POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA PICKETT, TONY ERIC

Age at Arrest: 40

Date of Birth: 07/11/1983

Arresting Agency: Red Bank



Last Date of Arrest: 11/22/2023

Charge(s):

AGGRAVATED ASSAULT (DOMESTIC VIOLENCE)

RETALIATION AGAINST JUDGE, JUROR, OFFICER

RETALIATION AGAINST JUDGE, JUROR, OFFICER

RETALIATION AGAINST JUDGE, JUROR, OFFICER

UNL. CARRYING OR POSSESSING WEAPON

THEFT OF PROPERTY (POSSESSION OF STOLEN PROPERTY)

RESISTING ARREST OR OBSTRUCTION OF LEGAL PROCESS ROBERSON, BRENDA LEE

Age at Arrest: 60

Date of Birth: 08/25/1963

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff



Last Date of Arrest: 11/22/2023

Charge(s):

POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA

REGISTRATION, MISUSE OF EVIDENCES TRAYLOR, SENECA RYAN

Age at Arrest: 44

Date of Birth: 01/26/1979

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff



Last Date of Arrest: 11/22/2023

Charge(s):

VIOLATION OF PROBATION (AGGRAVATED DOMESTIC ASSAUL TULIS, DAVID J

Age at Arrest: 64

Date of Birth: 06/08/1959

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff



Last Date of Arrest: 11/22/2023

Charge(s):

LIGHT LAW VIOLATION

VIOLATION OF DRIVER'S LICENSE LAW/LICENSE TO BE CA VELASQUEZ, JEREMIAS

Age at Arrest: 23

Date of Birth: 01/10/2000

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff



Last Date of Arrest: 11/22/2023

Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)

WALKER, HOLLY ANN

Age at Arrest: 44

Date of Birth: 12/12/1978

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga PD



Last Date of Arrest: 11/22/2023

Charge(s):

DOMESTIC ASSAULT WELLS, COLBY JACOB NIKIAH

Age at Arrest: 25

Date of Birth: 12/04/1997

Arresting Agency: HC Sheriff



Last Date of Arrest: 11/22/2023

Booked for Previous Charges or Other Reason(s)

WRIGHT, CHRISTOPHER JAMES

Age at Arrest: 32

Date of Birth: 07/17/1991

Arresting Agency: Chattanooga PD



Last Date of Arrest: 11/22/2023

Charge(s):

BURGLARY




Collegedale Police assisted the sheriffs office with a shots fired call in the area near Ooltewah-Georgetown Road and Pleasant Lane. Once on the scene, officers discovered a vehicle wrecked into a tree with the driver pinned between the vehicle and tree.

The driver had fired a pistol into the air in an attempt to get help after they had been pinned by the vehicle.

Collegedale officers and county deputies worked together to lift the vehicle off the ground to free the trapped driver.

Collegedale officers returned to the city when EMS arrived to treat the driver.




The German Chemical Society (GDCh) awards the Drs. Volker and Elke Munch Prize to the teams led by Professor Dr. Sebastian Hasenstab-Riedel and Professor Dr. Rainer Haag from the Free University of Berlin. The prize from the foundation of the same name, which is based at the GDCh, is endowed with 7,000 euros and is awarded to inventors who have made a groundbreaking invention in the field of chemistry or chemical process engineering. The prize money will be used to support a patent application. The research teams at the FU Berlin developed a resource-saving and environmentally friendly process to adsorb chlorine from a residual gas stream containing chlorine. You will receive the award as part of the JCF spring symposium from March 13th to 16th, 2024 in Ulm.

Professor Dr. Sebastian Hasenstab-Riedel privat Professor Dr. Rainer Haag B. Wannenmacher, FUB

Chlorine is one of the most important basic chemicals in the chemical industry. Around 50 percent of all industrial chemicals, 30 percent of all agricultural chemicals and 20 percent of all pharmaceuticals require chlorine for production. In 2022, approximately 96 million tons of chlorine were produced worldwide (primarily through chlor-alkali electrolysis). The production of chlorine is one of the most energy-intensive processes in the chemical industry. In Germany alone, chlorine production requires 12 million megawatt hours, around 2.3 percent of the electrical energy produced in Germany.

This is where the FU researchers' invention comes in, with which elemental chlorine is reversibly adsorbed with the help of polymers, thus enabling selective chlorine storage. The polymer-based chlorine adsorbers developed offer great potential for the safe and easy adsorption, storage and conversion of chlorine gas from, for example, residual gas streams. In the future, the process could make chlorine production more efficient, more environmentally friendly and more resource-saving. The scientists are currently also looking at other possible applications.

Sebastian Hasenstab-Riedel heads the halogen chemistry working group at the Free University of Berlin. Hasenstab-Riedel has been the spokesman for the Collaborative Research Center 1349 Fluorine-Specific Interactions since 2019. He has been an active GDCh member since 2001 and is currently active on the Board of the AG fluorine chemistry and the Wohler Association for Inorganic Chemistry of the GDCh. He has already received numerous awards for his research. For example, Hasenstab-Riedel received a Consolidator Grant from the European Research Council in 2019 and has held an Einstein Professorship at the Einstein Foundation Berlin since 2021. In 2023 he received the Christel and Herbert W. Roesky Prize from the GDCh and his project ChemSysCon was awarded the Werner Siemens Foundation Research Prize.

Rainer Haag is Professor of Organic and macromolecular chemistry at the Free University of Berlin. His research focuses on biodegradable and sustainable polymer systems, multivalent macromolecules and supramolecular architectures. He has been a member of the GDCh since 1990 and is active there, among other things, in the Association of German University Professors of Chemistry (ADUC) . For example, he was chair of the Chemiedozententagung in 2013 and was involved in the programming of the GDCh's anniversary science forum for chemistry (WiFo) in 2017. Haag has been the spokesman for the Collaborative Research Center 1449 "Dynamic Hydrogels at Biological Interfaces" and the interdisciplinary research building "SupraFAB" since 2021. He has been an elected member of the German Academy of Engineering Sciences (acatech) since 2019. In 2022 he was awarded the prestigious ERC Advanced Grant for the SupraVir project and was accepted into the European Academy of Sciences in 2023.

Merlin Kleoff studied chemistry at the Free University of Berlin from 2012 to 2018. In 2021 he received his doctorate in the group of Professor Dr. Philipp Heretsch (FU Berlin) on the development of flow reactors for natural product synthesis. Since 2021 he has been working in the group of Professor Dr. Sebastian Hasenstab-Riedel on new technologies and synthesis methods using chlorine chemistry.

Olaf Wagner received his doctorate at the FU Berlin in 2015 under the supervision of Professor Dr. Rainer Haag in the field of polymer chemistry and during this time he researched self-assembly processes of amphiphilic structures. From 2016 to 2020 he conducted postdoctoral research on 2D materials & polymer-functionalized surfaces for use in adsorption processes. Since 2021, he has been leading research into adsorption processes on functionalized biopolymers and developing sustainable technologies to reduce germs and pollutants in water.
From the depths of the seas to snow on mountains and even the air above cities, microplastics are turning up increasingly often. Now, in ACS Environmental Science & Technology Letters, researchers have analyzed microplastics in clouds above mountains. They suggest that these tiny particles could play a role in cloud formation and, in turn, affect weather.

Microplastics  plastic fragments smaller than five millimeters  originate from a myriad of items used daily, such as clothing, packaging and car tires. As research in the field evolves, scientists are not only detecting microplastics in the atmosphere but also investigating how they may play a role in cloud formation. For example, a group of researchers recently detected plastic granules, which had water-attracting surfaces, in Japanese mountaintop clouds. So, to learn more, Yan Wang and colleagues set out to look for microplastics in mountain clouds, used computer models to figure out how they could have gotten there, and tested how the particles could have impacted  and been impacted by  the clouds.

Wang and the team first collected 28 samples of liquid from clouds at the top of Mount Tai in eastern China. Then they analyzed the samples and found:
The non-profit National Congress of American Indians organization has 145 tribal members, of which 24 are state-recognized tribes.
If youre a big fan of hanging out in and visiting Miami, Florida, you should know who Julia Tuttle was, the woman known as the Mother of Miami.

Julia was the only major female founder of the city of Miami, and it wouldnt be the same without her.

Julia was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1848. In the late 1860s, she married Frederick L. Tuttle, and they lived in Ohio with their two children.

Julia didnt visit the state of Florida until 1875 when her parents decided to move to Biscayne Bay. She was quickly fascinated with the land and its beauty and saw great potential for it.

In 1886, Julia had to prove herself as a businesswoman when her husband died, and she was left to deal with all their financial affairs. Then, when her father died around five years later, she decided to sell her familys Cleveland home and move to Biscayne Bay.

Once she arrived in Florida, Julia made big moves and purchased the 640 acres of land where Miami is now located using her familys estate. She had a strong determination to develop the land into a great trading city for the United States.

Julia had the smart idea to bring the railroad system to southern Miami, as it would increase the areas popularity and bring in a lot of prosperity.

For years, she worked to persuade multi-millionaire Henry M. Flagler to build a railroad system in Miami, and thanks to her persistence, the first train arrived in the city on April 22nd, 1896.

Julia worked tirelessly to make Miami a home and fun destination for people all over the country. She helped found and start some of the citys first businesses and wrote letters to wealthy and influential people to help her develop and grow the city.

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This 37-year-old womans grandmother is 82-years-old and struggles with severe rheumatoid arthritis. So, her grandma requires a walker, rollator, and a wheelchair just to get around.

My grandma is also extremely hard of hearing. Lastly, she is very stubborn, and, in my opinion, not 100% there cognitively anymore, she said.

Yet, her grandma insisted on flying to Alabama to spend Thanksgiving with her last living sibling, her brother, this year. And when it came to coordinating her grandmas travel accommodations, all of the responsibilities fell in her lap.

She was in charge of buying her grandmas plane tickets and making sure her grandma arrived at the airport on time even though she had to leave her home at 3:00 a.m. to pick up her grandma and drive to the airport.

Nonetheless, she did it, but it was not a smooth experience. First, when they got to the airport, her grandma realized that her cell phone had been left behind. But her grandma still refused to hop on a later flight, meaning that they couldnt go back and grab the device.

Then, her grandma tried to argue with her, claiming that the walker could be brought on the flight even though she knew that the airline would gate-check the item.

Finally, her grandma just seemed extremely confused and overwhelmed as soon as she arrived to bring her grandma to the airport.

And I honestly did not feel good about leaving my grandma or sending her on this flight, she admitted.

So, she tried to talk to her 60-year-old father about the whole experience, revealing that she really did not want to ever bring her grandma to the airport again. She also claimed that it was simply because she didnt think her grandma should be flying alone anymore.

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As a 30-year-old, Gomel captured images of John F. Kennedys funeral, including this view of JFKs funeral casket in the Capitol Rotunda. He had to force himself to maintain focus on the story and not the loss of the man he knew. Bob Gomel

As a photojournalist for Life magazine, Bob Gomel helped define the 1960s for us. The photographer captured the iconic images of major figures from the era that have circulated since. Many of his best-known photos are celebratory: Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X in a diner after Ali defeated Sonny Liston to become king of the world, the Beatles in a playful mood at a swimming pool.

The longtime Houston resident also captured somber moments. One of his most iconic photographs was taken 60 years ago this Nov. 24, when Gomel photographed John F. Kennedys flag-draped casket while the president was lying in state in the U.S. Capitol rotunda.

Gomel spent several years photographing Kennedys life. Weeks after Kennedy won the presidential election in 1960, the photographer took a well-known photo of Kennedy walking through Georgetown in Washington, D.C., with his daughter, Caroline. Gomel also caught Kennedy surrounded by reporters the day John Jr. was born on Nov. 25, 1960. Gomel was on hand Sept. 12, 1962, when Kennedy spoke at Rice University in 1962 and set the goal of putting a man on the moon. One of Gomels favorites among the photos he took is of Kennedy emerging from an Apollo command module in 1962.

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Gomel was in New York on Nov. 22, 1963, when Kennedy was shot and killed in Dallas. Life sent him to Washington without time to pack much other than my camera, Gomel told the Chronicle in 2021. The presidents casket was lying in state in the Capitol on Nov. 24 and 25.

The photographer wanted to create a visual that matched the enormity of the moment. He thought an overhead view would best serve such a grave occasion.

The challenge is to do something even better than has been done before, Gomel told the Chronicle in 2021. Thats something instilled in me when I was just starting out in my career.

Gomel wandered around the ground level of the Capitol and found a door that led him to a stairwell. Upstairs, he found a distinctive perspective on the scene and streams of ethereal light.

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The lighting was divine intervention, Gomel said. But you have to be ready for it, too.

Gomel also photographed the horse-drawn caisson carrying Kennedys casket, an image that included a riderless horse.

Horse-drawn caisson bearing the flag-draped casket of John F, Kennedy leads a funeral cortege and is followed by riderless horse in Washington, D.C. Bob Gomel/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images

Kennedy was interred at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia on Nov. 25. Gomel was there, too. He captured a famous photograph of various heads of state and foreign dignitaries: Charles De Gaulle of France, Haile Selassie of Ethopia and Ludwig Erhard of Germany among them.

The rotunda photo would inspire Gomel to try something different in 1969 when President Dwight D. Eisenhower died. Gomel went for a more elaborate overhead photograph, one that involved a more elaborate setup.

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It was a significant moment captured by a well-executed photograph, said photographer David Scarbrough, who made a documentary about Gomel. But people dont know the preparation to get the picture. The hours and hours of testing. This was before our digital age. You had to string the camera out, bring it back, test lenses. The prep work was incredible.

Gomel worked at Life through the 60s before setting up his own photo studio in New York.

He moved to Houston in 1977, where he started to do commercial photography. He turned 90 in August and remains an active world traveler who always brings his camera along.

Houston photographer David Scarbrough shot and directed the film Bob Gomel: Eyewitness, about the career of Life photographer Bob Gomel, pictured, who has called Houston home since 1977. David Scarbrough
Witnessing Christmastime in New York City can be a magical experience.

With the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree all aglow, breathtaking window displays, light shows, and decorated streets, New York City during the holidays is something every holiday season lover must see.

One of the best parts about Christmas in New York is the holiday markets put up in Manhattans parks, where local vendors sell all sorts of gifts and food to enjoy.

The Winter Village in the citys famous Bryant Park, right across the street from the New York Public Library, is one of the most popular holiday markets.

You may have seen videos about the Winter Village on TikTok, as many content creators have made their way over to try some of the most viral foods available, from extravagant hot chocolates to cheesy pasta bowls.

It can be easy to get lost in which foods you should try, and which you should avoid, so Im here to help you narrow down your choices.

Here are the most popular food items and drinks sold at the Bryant Park Winter Village until it closes on January 2nd, 2024.

Max Brenners Hot Chocolate

Max Brenner is famous for their chocolate bar restaurants in Manhattan. Instead of visiting one of the restaurants, you can taste their delicious chocolate treats at the Winter Village! Their Italian hot chocolate is extremely rich, creamy, and delicious  perfect for those who love celebrating the holidays with a cup of cocoa.

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Home U.S. Michael Voris, founder and president of Church Militant, resigns after breaking morality clause

Michael Voris, president and founder of Saint Michael's Media, which operates as a news website in Michigan under the officially registered name of Church Militant, has resigned for breaching the organizations morality clause.

Church Militant/St. Michael's Media was founded as a bastion of Catholic truth and a light to the faithful in hard times. This is why we are being fully transparent with you all, the media organization began in a statement published on its website Tuesday.

Michael Voris has been asked to resign for breaching the Church Militant morality clause. The board has accepted his resignation. We understand this is a shock to you all, but our founder and former CEO is stepping aside and focusing on his personal health, the statement continued.

The leaders of the organization, which employs more than 40 full-time staff, chose not to disclose the nature of Voris actions. However, their 62-year-old founder, who previously admitted to engaging in sexual relationships with both men and women in his 20s and 30s, said he now has to "go away and address and work on" painful truths from his past that he described as horrible, ugly things in a statement on X.

There are some very, very ugly truths from my past that I, for essentially 62 years, have avoided facing because I didn't want to. I wanted them resolved, but I understand that touching that pain is going to be a very horrible thing. And so, I am looking at what is happening right now as an opportunity, God given even, if you could call it a dark grace or black grace, that's kind of one of those pseudo theological expressions, seems to be appropriate here, he said.

There are things I have to go away and address and work on. They are, again, horrible, ugly things, not going to share them. Nobody else's business except mine. The consequences of me not dealing with those, obviously, are some people's business. And that's what I'm making this video for, he continued. To be able to say that first of all, for anybody who has been impacted  you have my deepest heartfelt apologies, my most sincere. There's nothing I can say to make it good. I can't. So to the extent that I can say and be completely upfront about it, that is true.

In a 2017 interview with The Atlantic on Church Militant and its founder, Voris talked about the early and mid-life confusions he experienced with his sexuality.

I had some early to mid-life confusions. Most of my years in my 30s, I lived a life of live in relationships with homosexual men in a large portion of my 20s. I also had frequent sexual liaisons with both adult men and adult women, he said.

He also talked about his mothers struggles with mental illness and how that affected him.

My mother had a mental illness, she was bipolar. Everything in the environment revolves around that mental illness. I wound up believing my parents didn't love me. I left home, I got to a career that I did really well in, and opportunities just presented themselves, said Voris, who, prior to his time at Church Militant, enjoyed a career in television broadcasting for which he received four Emmy Awards for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism.

I wasn't sure of who I was, he said of his life in sin.

My return to the faith began when I found out my mother's cancer had returned just a few months after the original operation, stage 4.  And then, in the middle of that, I get a call from my sister-in-law that my brother just suddenly died of a heart attack at 48. And I was like, whoa, this all comes to an end, he recalled.

He said, despite my mom's mental illness and everything, we were extremely close, she was a beautiful, loving, caring woman.

She said to me one day about three months before she died, she said, I never believed that you were homosexual or gay. I believed that you were acting out in response to the fact of how I had created this situation at home that you didn't know how to deal with it. And boy, that was the hammer, he said, recalling how he decided to change his life.

Voris explained in his statement on Tuesday that he's relieved that he was being forced to confront his demons because I had written my resignation letter already a handful of times this year.

Like I said, in one sense, [Im] kind of relieved. I need to conquer these demons. And I'm not talking about just acting out demons. That's a symptom. It's horrible. It's awful, it's sinful, I'm not downplaying it at all. What I'm saying is, the underlying cause of it has been too ugly for me to look at. It involves an awful lot of one sense for me like spiritual terror, and I've not wanted to go near it, he explained.

I have spent the last couple of days or so  talking to people who I believe can help me face this, and professionally. So I am going to, I don't want to use the word retreat. But I'm going to step away from the camera. And I'm going to go concentrate on that, Voris said. I have the obligation as a Catholic man to go present myself to God.

God Love You pic.twitter.com/SBRFDP9vKD  Michael Voris (@Michael_Voris) November 21, 2023
Home World Pastor killed, wife kidnapped by armed bandits in Nigeria

ABUJA, Nigeria  Armed assailants in Kaduna state, Nigeria, last Friday killed a pastor and kidnapped his wife, sources said.

The Rev. Joshua Amako Maraya of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) in Damakasuwa town was killed at night by bandits, said the Rev. Romanus Ebenwokodi, spokesman for ECWA in Jos, Plateau, state.

We solicit your prayers for the safe return of the wife and comfort to the family and ECWA, Damakasuwa District Church Council (DCC), Pastor Ebenwokodi said in a press statement.

The late pastors wife was reportedly released late on Sunday after a ransom was paid.

A nephew of the late pastor, Geoffrey Ruga, said his uncle was brutally killed in his house.

A member of Pastor Marayas congregation, Wisdom Christopher, said he was killed by terrorists who invaded his house.

We, the members of the church, are in deep pain over the killing of our dear father, uncle, brother and friend, Christopher said in a text message to Morning Star News. The Rev. Maraya always encouraged us to preach the gospel with courage and without reservation. He said, The message of the gospel is for Jesus, so dont fail to preach it because of fear. Preach it, whether they like it or not, just deliver it. He was a father, mentor and a friend to us."

Yohanna Gandu, a member of the Kauru Local Government Council, described Pastor Maraya as a gallant soldier for Jesus Christ.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the church, and family in this time of sorrow, Gandu said. We pray that the Lord will uphold His church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against her.

Nigeria led the world in Christians killed for their faith in 2022, with 5,014, according to Open Doors 2023 World Watch List (WWL) report. It also led the world in Christians abducted (4,726), sexually assaulted or harassed, forcibly married or physically or mentally abused, and it had the most homes and businesses attacked for faith-based reasons. As in the previous year, Nigeria had the second most church attacks and internally displaced people.

In the 2023 World Watch List of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian, Nigeria jumped to sixth place, its highest ranking ever, from No. 7 the previous year.

Militants from the Fulani, Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and others conduct raids on Christian communities, killing, maiming, raping and kidnapping for ransom or sexual slavery, the WWL report noted. This year has also seen this violence spill over into the Christian-majority south of the nation.  Nigerias government continues to deny this is religious persecution, so violations of Christians rights are carried out with impunity.
Home World Catholic bishops oppose Scotland's proposed sex ed rules: 'Disappointed and confused'

Roman Catholic bishops in Scotland are criticizing the government for its new guidance on sex education, which they warn could threaten the ability of Catholic schools in the country to teach according to their faith.

According to a statement released earlier this month, the Bishop's Conference of Scotland is taking issue with the draft of new government guidance titled "Guidance on Relationships, Sexual Health, and Parenthood (RSHP) Education, which deleted reference to Catholic schools.

The deleted paragraphs noted the Scottish government's support for "the right of the Roman Catholic Church to give witness to its faith and to uphold the traditions of Catholic education," according to The National Catholic Register.

The bishops claim the deletion will hamper the historic ability of Catholic schools in Scotland to steer their own curriculum in accordance with Church teachings.

The Bishops Conference of Scotland is both disappointed and confused at the decision by the Scottish Government to delete all reference to Catholic schools in its Guidance on the Delivery of Relationships, Sexual Health and Parenthood (RSHP) Education in Scottish Schools 1/3  BCoS (@BishopsScotland) November 8, 2023

The Bishops Conference of Scotland is both disappointed and confused at the decision by the Scottish government to delete all reference to Catholic schools in its 'Guidance on the Delivery of Relationships, Sexual Health, and Parenthood (RSHP) Education in Scottish Schools' document, the bishops said in their statement.

We strongly request the reinsertion of the paragraphs relating to denominational education from the previous iteration of the guidance, which would reflect both the legal protection for schools with a religious character and the previously supportive position of the Scottish government for Catholic schools.

Sources within the Scottish Catholic Church maintained that the guidance had been influenced by LBGT ideologues, according to The Herald Scotland.

"This would present a serious problem for our schools," a source within the church told the outlet. "Our teaching is rooted in traditional Catholic theology, which promotes loving relationships between men and women within the framework of the family."

"Of course, our schools have always informed pupils about same-sex attraction and the rights of non-binary people, but we will only endorse what has always been the Churchs teaching in this area," the source continued, adding that the "removal of any explicit reference to Catholic parents protected rights to have their children educated according to their faith, is deeply concerning."

A spokesperson for the Scottish government pushed back against the claims from the Church, telling The Herald Scotland that "the role of denominational schools is already recognized in the Relationships, Sexual Health and Parenthood (RSHP) guidance  Catholic schools in Scotland play a crucial and valued role in the education system."

The government spokesperson maintained that more than 30 stakeholders were consulted when drafting the guidance, including the Scottish Catholic Education Service. However, the church spokesperson reportedly said that any claim it had been consulted was "disingenuous."

A proper consultation is where the views of a participant or stakeholder are taken on board," the church source said. "Ours were willfully ignored. It is striking that the term Catholic School is not used within this document and the phrase denominational schools only once."

Parents at St. Ninians High School in Giffnock, East Renfrewshire, have circulated a bulletin calling on parents to petition the government regarding the guidance, according to The Catholic News Agency.

For many years now, the content of sex education in Catholic state schools has been determined by the Catholic Church," the bulletin said. "That system has worked well for our children. It teaches sex education within a Catholic moral context. Our children are not thereby exposed to the free-for-all, and more extreme and graphic content, that is available to children in nondenominational schools."

The bulletin claimed that the draft of the government's new guidance removes the right of the Catholic Church to determine the content of sex education in its schools, which it notes has been in place for more than a century.

The draft guidance also seeks to enforce the active promotion of an LGBT-inclusive education across the entire school curriculum (literacy, sciences, history, religious, and moral education, etc.) in order to determine the ethos of the school," the parents said.

The deadline to submit public feedback on the draft guidance is Thursday.

Rates of Christianity in Scotland have plummeted in recent years, with the Church of Scotland losing more than half of its members since 2000, according to a report released earlier this year. The average age of its attendees is 62.
Home World Detained terrorist estimates around 100 Hamas members were in Shifa Hospital: IDF

A terrorist detained by the Israel Defense Forces estimated that he saw around 100 Hamas members and other terrorists inside the Shifa Hospital in Gaza and that some disguise themselves as medical staff, according to interrogation footage.

The Israel Defense Forces' Military Intelligence Directorate's Unit 504 conducted interviews with terrorists who were part of Hamas and other groups, with a senior official revealing this week that the unit has apprehended over 300 accused terrorists.

Israel has repeatedly said throughout the seven-week war with Hamas that the terror group uses hospitals, schools and other civilian locations for military activity. IDF raided Shifa Hospital last week, alleging that intelligence suggested the complex was used as a command center, a claim Hamas has denied.

"The information that emerges from the interrogations of the terrorists is very valuable, leading to elimination of operatives and the preservation of the security of our forces," the senior official said in a statement shared online Sunday.

One of the terrorists seen in a video released by the Israeli military admitted that he had been in the Shifa Hospital, where he said that around 50,000 were seeking refuge.

"The doctors were furious because Hamas operatives and operatives of other terrorist organizations were inside the hospital," the terrorist said, later estimating that he saw as many as 100 Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists "in the heart of the Shifa Hospital."

"They (Hamas operatives) dressed as nursing staff, but they were not nurses or doctors," he said. "Hamas operatives dressed as medical staff in order to blend in within the hospital wards, even in the ICU."

Another video purports to show a separate interview with a Gazan resident, Hamuda Riad Asad Shalamah, who worked as an internet application engineer at the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. The father of three told the interviewers that he sought refuge at the Red Crescent building at the beginning of the war.

According to Shalamah, the building was considered "safe and secure," and about 40,000 people took refuge there while Hamas terrorists continued to operate from inside the building. The Gazan resident said that the terrorists hid rockets and guns inside mattresses. He contends if one of the rockets exploded, it would kill around 50 people taking refuge in the building.

"No one could tell them no. Who could do so?" he asked. "If you would dare to confront a Hamas member, he may kill you."

The man said that he believed Hamas terrorists deliberately chose the Red Crescent building because of the high number of people there, who they could use as "human shields."

"It's obvious that the IDF would not strike a place with 40,000 people in it," he said.

In the aftermath of Hamas' Oct. 7 attack against Israel, which resulted in 1,200 dead and the abduction of around 240 people, Israel declared war against the terror group, which has controlled Gaza since 2007. Late last month, Israel launched a ground offensive in Gaza, vowing to destroy Hamas and secure the release of the hostages.

The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry claims that over 11,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war. Gaza health officials said this week they lost the ability to count the dead in the conflict due to a collapse in its health system and inability to recover bodies.

On Sunday, IDF said that its troops exposed a 55-meter-long tunnel 10 meters deep underneath the Shifa Hospital complex.

"A deep staircase leads to the entrance of the tunnel shaft, which consists of various defense means including a blast-proof door and a firing hole," an IDF statement reads.

"This type of door is used by the Hamas terrorist organization to block Israeli forces from entering the command centers and the underground assets belonging to Hamas. The tunnel shaft was uncovered in the area of the hospital underneath a shed alongside a vehicle containing numerous weapons including RPGs, explosives, and Kalashnikov rifles. IDF and ISA forces are continuing to uncover the route of the tunnel."

IDF also released footage purportedly showing Hamas terrorists bringing hostages to the Shifa Hospital between the hours of 10:42 and 11:01 a.m. on Oct. 7. In one video, multiple people push what appears to be one of the hostages through the hospital lobby, while another shows medical professionals wheeling another reported hostage through the corridor.

The IDF also shared photos of what appear to be stolen IDF vehicles outside of the hospital.

The IDF reported this month that it had discovered the bodies of two hostages, Yehudit Weiss and Cpl. Noa Marciano, near the Shifa Hospital. Weiss was a mother of five who worked with kindergarten children before Hamas kidnapped her from Kibbutz Be'eri on Oct. 7. Marciano served in the IDF Combat Intelligence Collection Corps and served at Nahal Oz IDF base.
Home Church & Ministries Vineyard pastors knew of son's child sex abuse allegations but failed to act: report

A new investigation report suggests that the former senior pastor of Vineyard Church in Duluth, Minnesota, took no action despite witnesses claiming the church leader knew about allegations against his son, who was arrested and charged with abuse of minors during his time at the church.

The findings come from a final 96-page report released this week by GRACE (Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment), which was hired this year to investigate the actions of the church's former young adult pastor, Jackson Gatlin, and his parents, Michael and Brenda Gatlin.

In October, Jackson Gatlin was charged by St. Louis County prosecutors with 10 felony counts related to alleged assaults on minors, including one younger than 13, between 2007 and 2010.

"GRACE made findings related to sexual misconduct, cover up, abuse of pastoral or spiritual power, and emotional abuse," the church said in a statement on its website. "The accounts of abuse and harm described in the GRACE report are a representative sample of the reports that GRACE could corroborate."

The church stated that the statute of limitations "prevents criminal charges from being brought against Michael and Brenda Gatlin for failure to report suspected child abuse."

"Separate from the GRACE report, the Special Committee has heard dozens of personal testimonies during 2023 from people who bravely came forward with their experience of spiritual or emotional abuse by Michael, Brenda and Jackson Gatlin."

Brenda and Michael Gatlin have denied any knowledge of their son's sexual misconduct, according to Northern News Now.

"This investigation found that the reports received by GRACE are consistent with Michael and Brenda Gatlin having knowledge of alleged sexual misconduct by Jackson Gatlin," the report reads.

Jackson Gatlin is accused of sexually abusing underage members of the church's youth group when he served as a volunteer youth leader.

"Some of the reported victims of alleged criminal sexual conduct by Jackson Gatlin were minors at the time of the alleged offenses and attended the youth ministries of Duluth Vineyard Church circa 2007 to 2012," the report reads.

The report, based on interviews with 34 people, outlines the criminal sexual conduct Jackson Gatlin is alleged to have engaged in with five victims, including three charges related to sexual contact with a victim who was under the age of 13. One victim was between the ages of 13 and 16, while another victim was between the ages of 16 and 18. The fifth victim was 14 years old when the abuse was said to have occurred.

The actions occurred after Jackson Gatlin began volunteering at the church in 2007. From 2017 to 2022, Jackson Gatlin worked as the director of the Heroic Leadership Institute. He served as the church's young adult pastor and online community pastor from June 2022 until his termination in February 2023.

Michael and Brenda Gatlin served as pastors of the Duluth Vineyard for 25 years before their resignations last February.

According to GRACE, the former youth pastor and former junior high pastor knew of and addressed repeated policy violations during Jackson Gatlin's time as a volunteer youth leader, which included being along with minors in the student ministry. Those policy violations were reported to Michael and Brenda Gatlin on multiple occasions.

"An allegation of sexual misconduct by Jackson Gatlin was allegedly reported by a

parent to Former Youth Pastor, who reportedly had discussions with Michael Gatlin

and Brenda Gatlin regarding the allegation," the report reads. "An allegation of sexual misconduct by Jackson Gatlin was allegedly reported by a parent to Brenda Gatlin. An allegation of inappropriate texting by Jackson Gatlin was allegedly reported by parents to Michael Gatlin."

The report describes parents and others being fearful of addressing the allegations against Jackson Gatlin with Michael and Brenda Gatlin because they were "intimidated and fearful of their response."

"These concerns seem founded. Those who spoke with GRACE described a pattern of intimidating behaviors on the part of Michael Gatlin and Brenda Gatlin, such as harshness, yelling, and screaming," the report reads.

"Those who did go to Michael Gatlin and/or Brenda Gatlin were met with defensiveness and, at times, a dismissal of their concerns. For instance, Former Church Planter recalled to GRACE having harmful experiences with Michael Gatlin's harsh treatment and how Brenda Gatlin dismissed those concerns."

The report also warns of a "pattern of reports that Michael Gatlin and Brenda Gatlin spoke poorly of others in their absence, particularly in response to concerns that those individuals had raised regarding Michael Gatlin, Brenda Gatlin, or Jackson Gatlin."

Michael Gatlin had been instructed multiple times to fully cooperate with law enforcement and the independent investigation.

Before his resignation, Michael Gatlin was requested to provide a statement to the Special Committee regarding his response to the allegations against his son. However, Michael Gatlin missed the deadline for this crucial submission and did not provide any statement, leading to his resignation.

In his resignation letter, Michael Gatlin stated his inability to comply with the process established by GRACE and the Special Committee, citing a lack of "due process."

"We do not believe it will reveal the truth of what we knew or didn't know regarding these allegations," Michael Gatlin said in his resignation letter to the church. "What's missing in our opinion? At a minimum, due process involves the accused being notified of all charges they are facing, having the opportunity to know who is making the charges, having the opportunity to challenge the accuser's credibility, having rules of evidence, having a right to be represented by legal counsel, and having a completely neutral arbiter. Sadly, none of these things are present in the process that is currently being used."

The church has expressed its solidarity with survivors of abuse.

"It is never your fault. And, you are not alone," a statement on the church website reads. "We are praying for you and we call our community to a time of prayer and lament. As Jesus was always on the side of the vulnerable and the wounded, in our response to abuse the safety and care of survivors must always come first."
Home Opinion Thanksgiving Day should have an S on the end

One of the wonderful things about Thanksgiving is that its a uniquely American holiday. It doesnt commemorate a battle, a birthday or an anniversary. Its a day set aside with the specific purpose of giving thanks to God.

Regardless of what the revisionists tell you, many of our founding fathers were committed Christians. Even among those who werent strong in their faith in Christ, they believed the Bible was the Word of God, had respect for God, and understood that God gave us this great nation. So, in 1789, President George Washington issued a proclamation that set aside a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God.

Fast-forward to 2023, and Thanksgiving Day is, for many, just a holiday that basically falls between two other holidays that weve managed to monetize: Halloween and Christmas. It has been reduced to a day for getting together and stuffing ourselves before going shopping on Black Friday.

Having an attitude of gratitude

In fact, I see a lot more promotions for Black Friday than I do for Thanksgiving Day. Traditionally, stores were closed on Thanksgiving, but now many of them are open. And people dont even call the holiday Thanksgiving on many occasions. They refer to it as turkey day.

We should be giving thanks to God every day. We should have an attitude of gratitude. Interestingly, studies have revealed that gratitude improves our health and affects our outlook on life. Dr. Robert Emmons, a scientific expert on gratitude, said, Gratitude blocks toxic emotions such as envy, resentment, regret  emotions that can destroy our happiness.

In the Old Testament book of Psalms, we find A Psalm of Thanksgiving that begins, Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth! Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy. Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture (100:13 NLT).

This psalm originally was given to the people of Israel. After they finally left Egypt and made their long trek through the wilderness, ultimately arriving in the Promised Land, God essentially said to them, When you enter the Promised Land, settle down in your homes and have plenty to eat, dont forget Me.

This can happen very easily to us as well. When we are in trouble, when we are facing a crisis, we call on God, dont we? But when things are going reasonably well, when the bills are paid, everyone is healthy, and we have food in our stomachs, we can start to forget about God.

Reminding ourselves to give thanks

God was saying to the Israelites, I want you to remember to give thanks to Me. They needed a reminder. And so do we.

Notice this psalm is addressed not only to Israel but to all the earth (verse 1). Its addressed to all people and all generations.

Lets also notice that not a word is said about material things in this psalm of praise. Our rejoicing on Thanksgiving Day (and really, every day) should not be based on what we have materially; it should be based on Who we know.

Possessions come and go. Friends come and go. So does time. And eventually, even our health fails us. But God does not come and go. Jesus comes and stays. I love the words of Hebrews 13: Dont love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, I will never fail you. I will never abandon you' (verse 5 NLT).

The pressure is on to get the perfect gift for someone else (or maybe youre hoping someone else will get the perfect gift for you). But how many of us can remember what we received last Christmas? So much of our focus is on getting a certain thing, and we think that it somehow will bring the contentment that were seeking.

David wrote in Psalm 23, The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want (verse 1 NKJV). If the Lord is your shepherd, you will not want. And if youre always wanting, then I would have to ask whether the Lord is your shepherd.

We dont have a lot of interaction with sheep in our culture today, but when David wrote this psalm, people were very familiar with them. And there was one thing universally known about sheep: theyre relatively unintelligent creatures.

Sheep are skittish, easily frightened, slow to learn, prone to stray, and totally dependent on the guidance and protection of their shepherd. Sheep cant protect themselves. They dont have sharp teeth or claws and cant run fast. They are basically leg of lamb for the taking.

If youre a smart sheep, you will follow your shepherd, because smart sheep know that the shepherd is always looking out for them. In other words, if God tells us in the Bible to do something, its because He loves us. And if He tells us not to do something, its also because He loves us. He is looking out for our welfare.

Jesus said, So dont be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom (Luke 12:32 NLT).

Maybe youre in a situation where things are not making sense. Its hard for you, and there is a lot of uncertainty. But you can still give thanks. Psalm 107:1 tells us, Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever (NLT).

You can give thanks because God loves you and because He is good. You can give thanks because God is in control of your life. And you can give thanks because, ultimately, God will work all things together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (see Romans 8:28).

Perhaps youre thinking, But I dont see the end yet. No, but you still can give thanks, because God does see the end. Ultimately it is going to be good, and you will thank Him later. Until that day, thank him now.
Home Opinion Thanksgiving: In everything give thanks to God

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. It was always a big holiday in my family of origin. We rehearsed the story of the first American Thanksgiving every year (my mother was from Boston and her roots go back to the Puritans). I was taught (and it was emphasized on Thanksgiving Day) that, as Americans, we were greatly blessed and that with great blessings come great responsibilities to defend freedom at home and abroad (my dad was a World War II U.S. Navy veteran who was involved in 13 battles in the Pacific).

Then, early in my ministry (I began preaching at age 16), I discovered the Apostle Pauls admonition that In everything give thanks, this is the will of Christ Jesus concerning you (1 Thes. 5:18). As I have allowed the Holy Spirit to apply that verse to my life, He has cultivated in me an ever-growing sense of gratitude for my Heavenly Fathers grace, mercy, and love.

I would urge everyone to exercise the spiritual discipline of giving thanks. When you start, you will be amazed at all the things the Holy Spirit will bring to your attention.

Earlier this week, as I was preparing for Thanksgiving (the honey-do list seems to expand in the doing!), I started expressing thanksgiving for Gods manifold blessings (blessings by definition are undeserved and unmerited) in my life.

First, I am overwhelmingly grateful that our Heavenly Father is a God of mercy, lovingkindness, compassion and forgiveness. The first Bible verse I learned as a child was John 3:16, For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have life everlasting. In spite of mans rebellious spirit and narcissism, God loves each of us so much that He sent His Son to die a cross kind of death to save each of us who accepts His sacrifice from eternal perdition.

Just over 49 years ago, I stood in the delivery room in Oxford, England, as my first child was born after a very difficult labor and delivery. As I looked down at that bright-eyed little bundle of wiggling and squirming miniature humanity, I contemplated, I thought I really understood John 3:16, but I really didnt. As I looked at my new daughter, I was overwhelmed with a love deeper than anything I had ever experienced.

There are people for whom I would die. I would die for my family. I would die for my faith. I would die for my country. However, I could not imagine I would send my daughter to die for them. And yet, God, the perfect Father, who loves His Son more than any human father, sent His perfect Son to die for each of us. I cannot fathom such love. I can only humbly accept it and praise my Heavenly Fathers mercy.

I thank God that He takes a personal interest in each one of us. The Bible tells us that all of our members are written in Gods book before any of them came to be (Psalm 139:13-16).

God never created a nobody. Everybody is a somebody to our Heavenly Father. He has a divinely designed plan for each of our lives.

And, of course, I am also extremely grateful for my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who was willing to leave His throne in glory and be obedient even to a cross kind of death (Phil. 2:5-11).

I am thankful to God for placing me in a Christian home with a loving mother and father who taught me to love God and to love my country.

I am thankful that in the providence of God, I was born in the United States of America, the only country in the world where a person from a blue-collar, working-class home like me could obtain a free public school education that allowed me to gain admission (with scholarship) to Princeton University and graduate magna cum laude and further, to be free to worship God according to the dictates of my own conscience without interference from government authorities.

I am grateful to God for His having given me a godly, devoted wife for now 52 years of marriage. She has been a far better wife than I have deserved and I could not have asked for a better mother for my three children.

I am thankful to God for having blessed me with three healthy children (2 daughters and a son). I am further thankful all three of my children love Jesus and are active in their faith lives. Furthermore, I am grateful for the fact that all three of my children are married and well-matched with their spouses.

I am thankful that God called me into Gospel ministry and gave me the privilege of preaching the Gospel of the transformative agape love of Jesus of Nazareth.

I am grateful for Gods infinite patience with me in spite of my many shortcomings and failures.

I am grateful to God for 77 years of life (mostly in good health) and with the prospect of significant future years to serve Him.

I am thankful for the many friends and colleagues God has placed in my life. I am an infinitely better person as a consequence of God having sent them into my life.

I am thankful that God has provided my family with not only the basic material necessities of life but a standard of living I could not have imagined while growing up in a two-bedroom frame house in a blue-collar neighborhood in Houston, Texas.

I guess my profound gratitude for Gods blessing and mercy can perhaps be best summed up by a plaque my wife and I placed in our kitchen several years ago: The things you take for granted, someone else is praying for.

Do yourself a favor this Thanksgiving holiday. Give thanks to God and He will remind you of the many things for which you have to be thankful.

Have a happy and joyous Thanksgiving!
Home Opinion To whom are you thankful?

Without diminishing the various religious festivals that preceded it across the ocean, most recognize the holiday called Thanksgiving as a uniquely American tradition. Before appreciating the role of U.S. presidents who helped to normalize the observance of the holiday, however, we would do well to commemorate the noble intentions of Separatist Puritans who, due to their inability to reform the Church of England, sailed across the Atlantic in search of the freedom to establish an English-speaking society that was robustly committed to Scripture.



Despite efforts of modern revisionists to downplay the distinctly Christian motivations of the pilgrims, their stated mission in the Mayflower Compact was for the glory of God and advancement of the Christian faith. When the Puritans arrived in the New World in November of 1620, the harsh New England winter coupled with starvation and disease nearly did them in. Before the cold months subsided, only 53 of the 102 pilgrims on the Mayflower survived.



Thankful to be alive, they, according to the first governor of Plymouth Colony, fell upon their knees and blessed the God of Heaven who had brought them over this vast and furious ocean. From the very beginning of the American experiment, gratitude to Almighty God, even in the midst of tremendous hardship was at the forefront of colonial life.



Realizing the continued theme of Gods faithful provisions, our first president, George Washington, declared a National Day of Thanksgiving in order to offer prayers to the Lord and Ruler of Nations.

In the midst of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln, after extolling the divine blessings upon our country, offered a Thanksgiving Proclamation wherein he encouraged the last Thursday of November as a day of praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.

Following the same pattern during World War II, President Franklin Roosevelt sought national gratitude in the midst of a difficult season even as he formalized the federal calendar to include the Thanksgiving holiday. He pleaded with Americans to bear more earnest witness to our gratitude to Almighty God.



If nothing else, these historical realities remind us that Thanksgiving is more about whom we give thanks to than what we give thanks for. Each year I always chuckle when I read about atheist and humanist groups attempting to express appreciation to no one in particular when the fourth Thursday of November rolls around.



Some will merely voice gratitude to family and friends (we can learn much about the value of esteeming the people in our lives). The notion of secular grace, however, leaves many worshipping the universe or luck in general. Not only is this logically and theologically inadequate, but it is also a colossal waste of time. Giving thanks, by its very nature, requires that someone be there to receive it.

Even with a cursory reading of Gods Word, the theme of thankfulness emerges. King David instructed, appointed, and admonished leaders in Israel to offer thanks to God after settling the Ark of the Covenant in Jerusalem (1 Chronicles 16). He tells the people to make Gods deeds known (16:8), to speak of Gods wonders (16:9), to glory in Gods name (16:10), to remember Gods work (16:12), to proclaim the good tidings of Gods salvation (16:23), and to ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name (16:28-29). Then, at a high point of praise, David admonishes: O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting (1 Chronicles 16:34).

Neither time nor space will permit me to cite all the verses extolling the virtue of thankfulness. My personal favorite simply reads, in everything give thanks; for this is Gods will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thess. 5:18). Thanklessness is a form of independence from God, which is nothing more than practical atheism in disguise. Giving thanks not only reminds us that God is real, but also that He is both active and benevolent in our lives.

So, join me this week, and every week, in giving thanks to the Lord for the magnificent work of His hands. Count your blessings and voice your love and appreciation to the Father above (Psalm 105:1). On your good days and on your bad days, remember the will of God and give Him thanks through everything season of life (Eph. 5:20).



Happy Thanksgiving!
Christian dance group disqualified from competition after challenging gender identity

A Christian dance group in Barbados has been disqualified from a national competition over its performance piece challenging gender identity ideology.

Praise Academy of Dance Barbados created a piece called 'Speak Life' which portrays a 15-year-old girl's struggle with her gender identity before reading the Bible and eventually embracing her true identity.

The performance incorporated dialogue stating biological facts about male and female, and the words "it's not a choice, you don't get to pick, that's the science, period!"

On the stage, the group displayed banners with words from the book of Genesis, saying, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."

The group was disqualified by the National Independence Festival of Creative Arts (NIFCA) in October, allegedly for breaching Section 9b of the rules by exceeding "the bounds of good taste" and making "defamatory claims".

They appealed the decision but it was supported by Senator Gregory Nicholls, arbiter of the National Cultural Foundation Barbados (NCF), which runs the competition.

In comments to local media, Senator Nicholls said "there is no basis to interfere with the prior decision of the judges of the entry Speak Life which was disqualified under rule 9B of the NIFCA rules".

"The NIFCA judges are experienced practitioners in their respective fields and are carefully chosen by NCF to judge in its competitions," he said.

"The judges determined that the entry was in breach of the rules, more specifically, in that it exceeded the bounds of good taste.

"The entry was adjudged to have denounced various gender identities of the LGBTQ community via raging characterizations and expressions. This was a determination that the experienced panel of judges were entitled to make."

The academy has reached out to the UK-based Christian Legal Centre (CLC) to assist them in their legal challenge.

Attorney Davida Maynard-Holligan, who is representing them, said they had been "excluded in the name of inclusivity" and that the ruling from Senator Nicholls sent "a chilling message to Christians on the island, especially young students, who do not believe in and refuse to conform to confusing and harmful gender identity ideology and extreme teaching".

She said the cancellation of the group's performance "amounts to a ban of the expression of the Christian faith".

"The message is that you can no longer disagree with or criticize LGBTQ ideology without being cancelled, marginalized and excluded," she said.

"The ruling issued publicly amounts to an LGBTQ takeover of our legal rights and freedoms in Barbados and cannot go unchallenged."

The NCF has been contacted for comment.
References to scriptures have been on In-N-Out packaging for more than 30 years. Brent Erenwert/Courtesy photo

Brent Erenwert eyed the line of people that curved around Websters new In-N-Out Burger Wednesday, Nov. 18. The Friendswood council member had been looking forward to eating at the chains first Bay Area location on opening day but decided he could wait a little longer to avoid the long line.

Erenwert returned a day later and after waiting in that line, ordered the Double-Double, animal style, which comes with mustard-infused patty, pickles, grilled onions, and an extra shot of the house sauce, and a Coke Zero.

The food was good, which Erenwert expected, and when he finished his drink, he turned over his cup to see if he would find another In-N-Out Burger staple familiar to him, and he did.

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John 3:16, a reference to the Bible verse, was inscribed on the bottom, and Erenwert said that extra touch made his overall In-N-Out experience so uplifting he shared his thoughts on a community social media page and was surprised by the number of people who were surprised by the post.

This is what In-N-Out Burger does and what theyve been doing for a long time, Erenwert said. A lot of people dont notice it, but its always been there. In my opinion, its done in a classy way, and not in-your-face.

The references to scriptures have been on In-N-Out packaging for more than 30 years, according to Denny Warnick, the companys chief operating officer.

They were placed there by our then-president, Rich Snyder, and his goal was to express his faith and he felt this was the perfect way to do so, Warnick said in an email. He chose the verses himself. Rich died tragically in a plane crash in 1993 but the scripture references remain today.

The post kicked off a flood of responses in the comment section, mostly positive, while some, Erenwert said, re-ignited the debate over whether it was better than Whataburger.

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I was trying to explain to people that theyre not riding any kind of a movement, theyre not pushing anything polarizing, he said.

As the CEO of the Houston-based Brothers Produce, Erenwert is tuned into to how In-N-Out, and other large food chains and companies grow and maintain their brand, and how they stand apart.

His first In-N-Out Burger visit was in Barstow, Calif., about 20 years ago, and he was impressed then.

Its the simplicity of it, he said. As a produce person, I liked the fact that they use all fresh ingredients, hand cut their fries, and in a world where were pouring stuff out of bags and boxes  theyre not doing that.

The Webster location is part of the California-based companys continuing expansion into the Houston regional market. Erenwert, who grew up in Friendswood, said its about time more major chains and companies make their way to the Bay Area.

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You always want to support mom-and-pop and local (businesses), but you need (big chains) like In-N-Out because they bring jobs, especially now with the labor market struggling, Erenwert said. They pay well, have good benefits and this is just a good brand.

Warnick said current In-N-Out president, Lynsi Snyder chooses verses to add to certain cups and packaging to continue the Snyder family tradition of sharing their faith in a subtle yet meaningful way.

Erenwert said most people may not even notice the references to religious scripture  on the corner of the bags or the bottom of the container for the fries  because its not overt or obvious, which he appreciates.

Erenwert said a few reactions to his post expressed mixed feelings about any religious reference, but he points out that his In-N-Out Burger order bag came with cross-faith holiday well wishes inscribed on the bottom  from Happy Holidays to Happy Hanukkah.

I see this as promoting good, not as anything polarizing, he said. I think the world needs more good values and good faith, and I really dont care what the faith it is as long as its a good message.
Macle Cham, center, shares a laugh with those in line while wearing her hand-made, Thanksgiving Day hat as she goes through the lunch line as people in need receive food, clothing and a warm meal during the annual Super Feast at the George R. Brown Convention Center, Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023, in Houston. Jason Fochtman/Staff photographer

After 45 years in business, the City Wide Club of America has one of the largest food giveaways in the country down to a science. Ten thousand pounds of food? No problem. Tens of thousands of mouths to feed? The nonprofit has 4,000 volunteers on hand to make sure they all go home full on Thanksgiving.

What started in a home kitchen in 1978 as a way to feed the homeless has grown over the decades into the sprawling affair known as the Thanksgiving Super Feast, which takes over the George R. Brown Convention Center and provides hot meals, groceries and more to about 25,000 people every year. Many others take their cars through a drive-thru set up in the convention center's loading dock, where volunteers are given whole turkeys and other groceries to take home and prepare themselves.

People sit at tables for a warm meal during the annual Super Feast at the George R. Brown Convention Center, Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023, in Houston. Jason Fochtman/Staff photographer

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It wasn't a sure thing, however, that this year's Super Feast would go on entirely as planned. Organizers announced earlier this week that they faced a shortfall of 1,500 turkeys, saying a summer drought had "severely affected their ability to secure food donations essential for this annual event." They put out a call for extra donations and Houston rose to the challenge  the City Wide Club secured 1,200 more turkeys, according to a spokesman, and the group accepted more donations of non-perishable goods and frozen turkeys Thursday.

Christine Davidson was one of thousands of who chipped in to make sure others wouldn't go hungry. A retired police officer, Davidson lugged about 40 pounds of turkey and canned goods from her parking spot south of the convention center to its northern exhibition hall, no small feat considering the building's blocks-long sprawl.

Plates of food are seen as people in need receive food, clothing and a warm meal during the annual Super Feast at the George R. Brown Convention Center, Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023, in Houston. Jason Fochtman/Staff photographer

Davidson has been volunteering with the City Club for years. Her children are spread out over the country, she said, and though she could spend the holiday with friends, she feels her time is better spent at the Super Feast.

"This is what Houston's all about. You go all the way back to the beginning of our country, that's what we did, we shared with each other and ate dinner and sat down and enjoyed each other's company. That's what this event is all about," Davidson said.

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Destyne Banton, left, gives a thumbs-up as a volunteer loads up her plate as people in need receive food, clothing and a warm meal during the annual Super Feast at the George R. Brown Convention Center, Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023, in Houston. Jason Fochtman/Staff photographer

Others bring relevant personal and professional experience that make them indispensable to the operation. Jessie White, for example, has spent decades working in a kitchen at a Houston hotel, responsible for catering large meals and running a tight ship for nightly diners. It's only natural, then, that she'd take on chef duties in the convention center's commercial kitchen, leading a team of volunteers who on Thursday afternoon were still preparing turkey for thousands of guests who snaked in a line around the exhibition hall.

The cooking, in reality, is a two-day affair. The team spent all day Wednesday deboning cooked turkeys, and were busy Thursday spreading the shredded birds around sheet pans and dousing them in broth. Then they were loaded tray by tray onto a cart, and wheeled into the main hall to be doled onto the plates of hungry recipients. Houston Health Department inspectors supervised the entire affair.

People sort through clothes during the annual Super Feast at the George R. Brown Convention Center, Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023, in Houston. Jason Fochtman/Staff photographer

"I always tell (the volunteers), y'all need to go out there and see the people who you're feeding," White said. "The world is one big family, and you just never know what happens in life."

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Indeed, the diners who came to the Super Feast for lunch had many and varied reasons for being there, but most could be distilled down to a pretty simple point  preparing a Thanksgiving meal can be prohibitively expensive.

Abbigail Szafarz, center, washes the flood as her dad, Sean, and brother, Tommy, look on as people in need receive food, clothing and a warm meal during the annual Super Feast at the George R. Brown Convention Center, Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023, in Houston. I just wanted to give them some perspective, Sean said about why he brought his kids to volunteer. If everyone took time to serve others and give back, the world would just be a better place. This time should be able family, yes, but also about giving back to the community around you. Jason Fochtman/Staff photographer

Darla Kizzee, of northwest Houston, has taken the bus to the Super Feast with her sons for the last three years. She used to make her own Thanksgiving dinners, but the $60 or so that she'd spend on fixings each year came to weigh too heavily on her Social Security income. Plus, at the Super Feast, she's able to take home a bag full of groceries to last the weekend.

"Its wonderful," Kizzee said.

Carl Martin, left, jokes with. Volunteers as he moves through the line as he and people in need receive food, clothing and a warm meal during the annual Super Feast at the George R. Brown Convention Center, Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023, in Houston. Jason Fochtman/Staff photographer

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For Tommy Chambliss, this year's meal was about more than just money. He'd been living with his grandmother as his primary caretaker, and she always hosted Thanksgiving dinner. When she died several months ago, he had no choice but to live out of his car with his wife and their Chihuahua, Happy, who gleefully stared down a plate of turkey, sweet potatoes, stuffing and pie.

"We've been waiting for this all week," Chambliss said. "It's a blessing."
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Chongqing's Youyang cultivates thriving oil-tea camellia industry to boost rural revitalization

People's Daily Online) 09:18, November 23, 2023

Located in the Wuling mountainous area, Youyang Tujia and Miao Autonomous County in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality has cultivated a prosperous oil-tea camellia industry to advance rural revitalization.

Youzhou Camellia Technology Co. Ltd. is a leading state-owned company in the industry in the county. Since its establishment, the company has hired over 10 renowned experts to serve as its technical advisers, and strived to cultivate seedlings of improved oil-tea camellia varieties with technical support from the Chinese Academy of Forestry, the China National Center for Oil-Tea Science, and the Chongqing Academy of Forestry.

Photo shows a nursery base for oil-tea camellia seedlings in Youyang Tujia and Miao Autonomous County, southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. (Chinanews.com/Li Xue)

Youyang has built oil-tea camellia bases spanning 383,000 mu (25,533 hectares), accounting for 30 percent of the total oil-tea camellia planting area in Chongqing. The nursery bases for oil-tea camellia seedlings in the county produce over 20 million qualified oil-tea camellia seedlings per year.

The county is accelerating the building of a complete oil-tea camellia industrial chain with output worth 10 billion yuan ($1.4 billion), and striving to blaze a new path towards prosperity and modernization in a mountainous area, according to Yang Tongsheng, head of the county.

Youzhou Camellia Technology Co. Ltd. built a 1,000-tonne intelligent production line in 2020. The company has rolled out over 30 oil-tea products under seven categories. In collaboration with universities and research institutions, the company has obtained 31 patents.

Youyang's tea oil is mainly sold to downtown Chongqing and other cities like Chengdu, Xi'an, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Beijing, with sales worth over 100 million yuan.

The county has adopted a development model that features cooperation among companies, village collective economic organizations and farmers, which has effectively turned resources into assets, capital into equity, and villagers into shareholders.

A worker at a workshop of Youzhou Camellia Technology Co. Ltd., a leading state-owned company in the oil-tea camellia industry in Youyang Tujia and Miao Autonomous County, southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. (Chinanews.com/Li Xue)

Gutian village in the countys Youchou township is one of the earliest village collectives to contribute land-use rights to an oil-tea company as equity.

"Villagers become shareholders of the oil-tea company by contributing land-use rights of abandoned land, sparse woodlands and shrub land, and hold a 32 percent equity in the company. They are highly motivated," said Tian Zonglan, Party branch secretary of the village. Tian added that villagers receive dividends and some work at the company, which has increased their incomes.

According to Youyang's development plan for the oil-tea camellia industry, the planting area is expected to hit 500,000 mu by 2025, with oil-tea camellia trees on 200,000 mu of land bearing fruit. By then, the county's fresh oil-tea camellia fruit production will reach 80 million kilograms, generating output worth 320 million yuan, and the comprehensive output value of the entire oil-tea camellia industrial chain will hit 2 billion yuan.

By 2030, the county will build an oil-tea camellia industrial chain integrating base construction, scientific and technological innovation, processing and marketing, brand building, ecological leisure tourism, and health, with annual comprehensive output value hitting 10 billion yuan.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
Mayor Sylvester Turner waves at families gathered for the 74th Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade in downtown Houston on Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer

Add a bit of rainfall to Thanksgiving traditions around the Bayou City, right next to heaping turkey dinners and kisses from grandma. For the third year in a row, the Houston Thanksgiving Parade made its way under a pitter-patter of rain on slick downtown streets.

The Thursday crowd did not seem to mind kicking off Turkey Day cold and wet. Well, most of them anyway.

Children cheer on the 74th Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade in downtown Houston on Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer

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"Yesterday the forecast showed no rain, and this morning it showed a 90% chance," one woman grumbled, seconds before Mayor Sylvester Turner took the microphone to kick off the parade under the morning's steadiest drizzle.

The 74th annual parade was a lap of honor for Turner, who served as grand marshal and is approaching the end of his time as Houston mayor.

74th Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade in downtown Houston on Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer

"Let me thank Houston for being Houston, the greatest city in the United States of America and it's because of you all," Turner said. "What a wonderful ride these last eight years have been."

Turner was joined Thursday by legendary Houston Rockets Hall of Famers Rudy Tomjanovich and Calvin Murphy, who rode behind Turner's decked out Tom Turkey float in swanky, low-rider convertibles. Murphy, now a Rockets analyst with AT&T SportsNet, was the first Hall of Famer to spend his entire career with the franchise, and Tomjanovich guided Houston to its only two titles in 1994 and 1995  Turner only stumbled over the pronunciation of his last name once, briefly.

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A boy waves at a balloon forming part of the 74th Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade in downtown Houston on Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer Alyana Tamez, 10 months, celebrates her first Thanksgiving with her mother Vanessa Sandoval, 24, at the 74th Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023, in Houston. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer People gather for the 74th Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade in downtown Houston on Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer Bre Williams, 24, and Kita Daye, 27, enjoy the 74th Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade in downtown Houston on Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer 74th Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade in downtown Houston on Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer 74th Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade in downtown Houston on Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer The Native American Alliance of Greater Houston, marches in the 74th Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade in downtown Houston on Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer People gather for the 74th Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade in downtown Houston on Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer People marvel at the 74th Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade in downtown Houston on Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer The 74th Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade in downtown Houston on Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer Luis Cano sells packs of fresh made Tamales after the Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023, in downtown Houston. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer Tuba player from Waltrip High School Ram Band plays at the 74th Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade in downtown Houston on Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer Fire Trucks form part of the 74th Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade in downtown Houston on Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer 74th Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade in downtown Houston on Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer A young band plays on the Houston Rodeo and Livestock Show Float in the 74th Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade in downtown Houston on Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee rides a float at the 74th Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023, in Houston. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer The 74th Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade in downtown Houston on Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer A young band plays on the Houston Rodeo and Livestock Show Float in the 74th Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade in downtown Houston on Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer Ira Harris, 45, of the Native American Alliance of Greater Houston, marches in the 74th Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade in downtown Houston on Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer Native American Alliance of Greater Houston march in the 74th Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade in downtown Houston on Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer 74th Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade in downtown Houston on Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer

Theatre Under the Stars kicked off the parade at 9 a.m. with a performance from "Rodgers & Hammersteins Cinderella," sashaying through a song-and-dance routine in bright, flowing ballroom gowns, oblivious to the rain. Texas Southern University's Ocean of Soul marching band kicked up a rhythm and the parade was off, strutting to the cheers of an adoring crowd.

Valerie Haverland, from Lufkin, waited anxiously for the Apache Belles, Tyler Junior College's famous precision dance team, to come marching down Smith Street. Her granddaughter was marching in the parade and for Haverland, watching the Belles high-kick around Houston in their white boots and cowboy hats felt like deja vu. Her daughter did the same with the Belles more than 20 years ago, and Haverland had a front row seat for that as well.

74th Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade in downtown Houston on Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer

"It makes me very proud," Haverland said. "Very proud."

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In quintessentially Houston scene, families raised their children onto elevated planters outside oil and gas buildings to get a view of the drill teams, Tejano bands and Chinese dragon dancers that came cruising down the street.

74th Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade in downtown Houston on Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer

Joseph Popoff, 59, posed for a selfie in a bright green sweater that perfectly matched the hue of a seven-story Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle balloon floating behind him down Milam Street.

"Got it!" he hollered to his wife Roni, who was wearing a matching sweater that depicted Buddy the Elf, Will Ferrell's iconic role from the 2003 Christmas movie "Elf."

Hundreds gather for the 74th Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade in downtown Houston on Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer

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Joseph and Roni have been coming to the parade every year for decades, staking out the same corner at Milam and McKinney to catch a row of American flags hanging from an adjacent office building in the background of their pictures. The Popoffs are the life of the party, hooting and hollering at every passing float and offering coffee from a thermos to curious passersby.

"Who wouldn't want to come to this? Talk about unity and bringing the city together, that's what this is all about," Joseph Popoff said, before he was distracted by a gargantuan HEB shopping cart rolling down the street.

74th Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade in downtown Houston on Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer

What's the Popoff's favorite float?

"Santa!" Joseph shouted.

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"We know him," Roni added with a sly grin, winking down at her Buddy the Elf sweater.
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Lucki Green holds a poster made for son Isaac Lowe's funeral in 2022. Isaac, 17, was slain in early September. Court records indicate an arrest in the killing. Elizabeth Conley/Staff photographer

YouTube videos allegedly bragging about the killing of a teenager in Houston last year, and featuring items stolen from the young man, led police to make an arrest in connection to his death, according to Harris County court records.

Eric Daniel Tizol, 18, of San Antonio, was charged with capital murder Wednesday in the fatal shooting of Isaac Lowe, 17, in the 9300 block of Main in the early hours of Sept. 3, 2022.

MORE ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: How investigators unraveled the scheme to bring drug-laced paper into the Harris County Jail

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Lowe, who was also from San Antonio, was shot inside an apartment complex parking garage during an attempted robbery and then taken to a hospital by private vehicle, police said.

Tizol is accused of shooting Lowe in retaliation for a "diss track" Lowe recorded mocking Tizol and others, according to court documents. Tizol, who police said is a gang member, then allegedly went on to record songs and post videos on YouTube about how Lowe was killed, according to court records.

Tizol's videos also reportedly showed stolen items that were taken from Lowe, according to court records.

Tizol was arrested on Monday and charged with unlawful carrying of a handgun. He was charged with murder after being questioned by investigators, police said.

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His bond was denied, according to court records. He was being held in the Harris County Jail and didn't have a defense attorney as of Wednesday night.
Octavia Johnson is a general assignment reporter for the Houston Chronicle. She can be reached at octavia.johnson@houstonchronicle.com.

Before joining the Chronicle, Octavia worked as a digital content producer at WATE-TV in Knoxville, Tenn., where she became a leader in producing fast paced, audience-focused content.

Octavia graduated from UNC Pembroke with a bachelor's degree in journalism before earning her master's degree in media and communications at Norfolk State University.
SCHEVENINGEN, NETHERLANDS - NOVEMBER 22: Geert Wilders, Dutch right-wing politician and leader of the Party for Freedom (PVV), reacts to the exit poll and early results that strongly indicate a victory for his party in the Dutch elections on November 22, 2023 in Scheveningen, Netherlands. Dutch voters have gone to the polls today in one of the most tightly contested general elections in recent years. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images). Carl Court | Getty Images News | Getty Images

Far-right politician Geert Wilders sent shockwaves through the European political landscape as he led his party to a decisive victory in the Netherlands' general elections. Only late in the campaign did polls begin to suggest that controversial Wilders, who rails against immigration and espouses a series of Islamophobic policies, could come to power after 25 years in politics. The result of Wednesday's election will be concerning both to Brussels  Wilders' Euroskepticism extends as far as calling for a 'Nexit', or Netherlands exit from the European Union  and to Ukraine, as Wilders has pledged to cut off military aid. The Netherlands is the EU's fifth-biggest economy and has proved influential, with a significant sway in policymaking. For 13 years the country has been led by centre-right Mark Rutte, who developed a reputation as the "teflon prime minister" for his ability to weather scandals while being a pragmatic dealmaker. The Netherlands is also a key U.S. ally in the ever-important spheres of trade and technology, where it has rolled out export restrictions on advanced semiconductor equipment amid U.S. efforts to curb supplies to China. Its role here is vital due to its homegrown firm ASML, one of the most important semiconductor companies in the world.

Next steps

Forming a coalition in the 150-seat Dutch parliament is typically lengthy and difficult, even where the victor is not a political pariah. There is still no guarantee Wilders will become the new prime minister, even with his Freedom Party (PVV)'s 37 seats. Much hinges on whether other parties will go back on previous pledges not to work with the PVV, particularly in light of the size of its victory. Sarah de Lange, professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Amsterdam, said the most likely outcome appears to be a right-wing government comprised of the PVV, Rutte's conservative VVD Party, and Pieter Omtzigt's New Social Contract party, which was formed in August with a pledge to "do politics differently." This would likely require Wilders to give up the most extreme components of his manifesto, which include proposals to bring immigration to zero, ban the Quran and close mosques, many of which are unconstitutional, de Lange told CNBC's "Squawk Box Europe." On fiscal policy, Wilders' party has a "clear populist" bent, said Ester Barendregt, chief economist at Rabobank. "So, a lot of wishes for more public spending, for instance, pensions, higher minimum wages and lots of other things, but much less clear ideas on how to pay for it. Certainly one wish of Geert Wilders is to pay less to Europe. Of course, it remains to be seen how much room for maneuver he will have."

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However, forming a government may involve a coalition with parties that are "keen on keeping government financing under control," Barendregt added, which would mean spending was balanced by cuts. "I would expect markets to understand the political landscape in the Netherlands, which means coalition forming and compromises on all sides And in fact, Geert Wilders has been able to win these elections, I think, also because of his more moderate tone in recent weeks, which has drawn more voters than was previously expected," she said. The PVV did not follow the convention of submitting its economic plan to a planning board for an analysis of its viability, noted Liza Mugge, an associate professor at the University of Amsterdam  adding to uncertainty.

EU nerves?
Families of Israeli hostages held by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip protest outside the ministry of defence in Tel Aviv calling on November 21, 2023.

Israel and Hamas have agreed to a pause in fighting in Gaza to allow for the release of 50 hostages held by the militant group in exchange for 150 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons and also to allow for more aid to enter the enclave.

What are the details?

Under the deal, the two sides agreed to a four-day truce so that 50 women and children under the age of 19 taken hostage could be freed in return for 150 Palestinian women and teenagers in Israeli detention.

The 50 hostages, among about 240 taken by Hamas in their Oct. 7 raid on Israel, are expected to be released in batches, probably about a dozen a day, during the four-day ceasefire.

Sides to the deal have called the break in hostilities "a humanitarian pause". The pause will be extended by a day for each additional batch of 10 hostages released, Israel said in a statement.

Hamas said Israel had agreed to halt air traffic over the north of Gaza from 10 a.m. (0800 GMT) until 4 p.m. (1400 GMT) each day of the truce and to halt all air traffic over the south for the entire period. The group said Israel agreed not to attack or arrest anyone in Gaza, and people can move freely along Salah al-Din Street, the main road along which many Palestinians have fled northern Gaza where Israel launched its ground invasion.

Qatar's chief negotiator in ceasefire talks, Minister of State at the Foreign Ministry Mohammed Al-Khulaifi, said that under the deal there would be "no attack whatsoever. No military movements, no expansion, nothing." He said Qatar hoped it would "be a seed to a bigger agreement and a permanent cease of fire."

Who are the hostages being released?

Hamas has not released a full list of names of those being held in Gaza. A U.S. official said the group had said it needed a pause "to locate and determine where people are". Not all the hostages taken on Oct. 7 were being held by Hamas fighters.

Among the 50 women and children under the age of 19 being released by Hamas are three U.S. citizens, including a girl who turns 4 on Friday, the U.S. official said.

Who negotiated the deal?

Qatar played a large mediation role. Hamas has a political office in Doha and the Qatari government has kept channels of communication open with Israel, even though unlike some other Gulf Arab states it has not normalised ties with Israel.

The United States also played a crucial role, with U.S. President Joe Biden holding calls with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the weeks leading up to the deal.

Egypt, the first Arab state to sign a peace deal with Israel and which has long played a mediation role over the decades of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, was also involved.

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One part of artificial intelligence will have an increasing role to play, according to Morgan Stanley. The theme, which it called "Edge AI," involves running AI algorithms directly on a user's device, be it a smartphone, laptop or wearable, among other things. "2023 has been all about Generative AI, cloud, GPUs and hyperscalers, and they will remain core to the secular machine learning trend," the bank said in a November report. "However, to see AI's diffusion permeate throughout all aspects of consumer life and enterprise productivity  which we expect it to  will require workloads to be pushed to devices at the edge of networks," it added. Edge AI can help save costs, reduce latency (or lag time), among other benefits, Morgan Stanley said. Everyday examples of Edge AI include facial recognition on smartphones and voice recognition in smart speakers, it said. Edge AI can also be loosely interpreted as the "Internet of Things," which it noted isn't a new phenomenon. "However, with the advent of Generative AI, the impetus for device upgrades to enable greater computational power natively on consumer hardware is accelerating and spanning beyond often narrowly used smart speakers, for example," said the bank. In time, such AI-driven consumer use cases will become integrated in everyday devices  presenting a number of opportunities for investors, Morgan Stanley said. It named six companies that are set to be key beneficiaries of this trend and likely to outperform in 2024 and 2025. Apple Morgan Stanley said Apple is well positioned to "expand all facets of Edge AI," calling the tech giant's proprietary silicon  its series of processors  the "most powerful and energy efficient" on the market. "Apple has also been pioneering Edge AI applications in their phones and devices. In addition, we believe the consumer trust in Apple's data gathering and large user base gives Apple another leg up in using Edge AI applications to harness and apply new data," said the bank. It gave Apple a price target of $210, or potential upside of around 10%. Dell The investment bank said demand for PCs with stronger CPUs and higher memory to support Edge AI workloads will increasingly drive PC upgrades for the next two years. "We believe that PCs have among the most compelling and imminent use cases for Edge AI with productivity apps and photo editing already accessible," it added. "We view DELL as the best-positioned name in our universe to capitalize on both the cyclical rebound in hardware markets, and the long-term growth of AI-related infrastructure (PCs, Servers, Storage), which is an opportunity we believe is only in the first inning," Morgan Stanley added. It added that it's "still early days for AI PCS," but noted that Dell is expected to launch new AI-enabled laptops and workstations in the next 12 months. It gave Dell a price target of $89, or potential upside of nearly 21%. MediaTek Morgan Stanley said MediaTek , the largest chip design house in Asia, is gearing up for Edge AI. It noted that its chief technology officer has said that amid competition, MediaTek can leverage its know-how in its existing internet protocol portfolio and smartphone system-on-a-chip designs. It gave Mediatek a price target of 1,000 New Taiwan dollars ($31.70), or potential upside of around 6%. Qualcomm Morgan Stanley views Qualcomm as a key Edge AI enabler. It says it's a front-runner in the trend thanks to the continuous development of its Snapdragon platform  a system on chip products for mobile devices. It gave Qualcomm a price target of $119, or potential downside of about 6%. STMicroelectronics The bank says STMicroelectronics ' key Edge AI-enabling attribute will be its energy-efficient computing. "We believe STMicro is best positioned to improve processing energy efficiency through very low power micro-controllers," said Morgan Stanley. "STMicro management are strong believers in the long-term value of inference in Edge AI and believe it is much more efficient to run compute locally in automotive, mobile, healthcare and the Industrial IoT," it added. It gave a price target of 48 euros ($52), or potential upside of nearly 16%. Xiaomi Morgan Stanley said Xiaomi is a key beneficiary, given its first-mover advantage in Edge AI. The company is a market leader in smartphone hardware development which positions it well to solve hardware constraints arising from expanding Edge AI capabilities, it said. It gave Xiaomi a price target of 15 Hong Kong dollars ($1.90), or potential upside of less than 1%.  CNBC's Michael Bloom contributed to this report.  This article was updated to reflect that Morgan Stanley's price target for Qualcomm represents a downside.
WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND - NOVEMBER 03: Incoming Prime Minister and National Party leader Christopher Luxon speaks during a media stand-up at Parliament on November 03, 2023 in Wellington, New Zealand. Special votes cast overseas and by mail were certified on Friday, finally sealing the results of New Zealand's general elections. The Labour party was soundly defeated by the National Party, led by Christopher Luxon, winning the most votes. National will however need the support of both ACT and NZ First parties to form the next coalition Government. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)

New Zealand's National Party has reached an agreement with ACT New Zealand and New Zealand First to form a government, and the final signoff could be done later on Thursday, the leaders said.

The conservative National Party won the largest share of votes in New Zealand's Oct. 14 general election but needed the support of both right-wing ACT New Zealand and the populist New Zealand First Parties to form a majority government.

"Subject to agreement by all parties, a signing ceremony will take place tomorrow at Parliament," the joint statement by incoming Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, ACT's David Seymour and New Zealand First's Winston Peters said.

The statement did not include details of any ministerial appointments or the incoming government's policy priorities.

New Zealand operates a mixed member proportional system, which means coalition governments are the norm and historically it takes roughly a month for a government to be formed but can take longer.

Currently, the government is being operated by the former Labour government, which is operating in caretaker mode.
Russian President Vladimir Putin's comments on Wednesday  in which he blamed Ukraine for the lack of peace talks and claimed Russia was ready for discussions to resume  were designed to pile pressure on the West to push Ukraine back to the negotiating table, analysts said.

They noted that Putin and other Russian officials have routinely claimed the Kremlin is ready to negotiate to end the war while signaling that the Kremlin maintains its key objectives, including territorial claims and regime change in Ukraine.

In other news, Finland is to close all but the most northern border crossing point with Russia in an effort to halt asylum seekers traveling to the country. It claims Russia is encouraging migrants to travel to the border. Moscow denies the allegation.
Parents take their children to see a doctor at the pediatric emergency department of a hospital in Shanghai, China, November 14, 2023. Recently, Shanghai seasonal change, A influenza and mycoplasma pneumonia high incidence. CFOTO | Future Publishing | Getty Images

The World Health Organization, or WHO, on Wednesday officially requested that China provide detailed information on an increase in respiratory illnesses and reported clusters of pneumonia in children. Chinese authorities from the National Health Commission held a press conference on Nov. 13 to report an increase in incidence of respiratory diseases in the country, the WHO said in a statement. The global health agency said Chinese authorities attributed the increase to the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions and the circulation of known pathogens such as influenza, mycoplasma pneumoniae (a common bacterial infection which typically affects younger children), respiratory syncytial virus, and the virus that causes Covid-19. Chinese authorities stressed the need for enhanced disease surveillance in healthcare facilities and community settings, as well as strengthening the capacity of the health system to manage patients.

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Both China and the WHO have faced questions about the transparency of reporting on the earliest Covid-19 cases which emerged in the city of Wuhan in late 2019 and early 2020. On Wednesday, WHO said groups including the Program for Monitoring Emerging Diseases reported clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children in northern China. WHO said it is unclear if these are associated with the overall increase in respiratory infections previously reported by Chinese authorities, or separate events. The health agency said it has requested additional epidemiologic and clinical information, as well as laboratory results from these reported outbreaks among children, through the International Health Regulations mechanism.

It has also asked China for further information about trends in the circulation of known pathogens and the current burden on health care systems. WHO said it is in contact with clinicians and scientists through its existing technical partnerships and networks in China. Since mid-October, WHO said northern China has reported an increase in influenza-like illness compared to the same period in the previous three years. It said the country has systems in place to capture information on trends in illness incidence and to report that data to platforms such as the Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System. WHO said that while it seeks additional information, it recommends that people in China follow measures to reduce the risk of respiratory illness, including vaccination; keeping distance from people who are ill; staying home when ill; getting tested and medical care as needed; wearing masks as appropriate; ensuring good ventilation; and regular hand-washing.
The initial public offerings (IPOs) of Gandhar Oil Refinery, Flair Writing Industries and Fedbank Financial Services, which kicked off for subscription on November 22, have entered the second day of bidding process.

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Gandhar Oil Refinery

Gandhar Oil Refinery's 500.69 crore-IPO was subscribed 15.20 times so far on Day 2. The issue has received good response from non institutional investors and retail segment, with bids coming in for 32.28 crore shares against 2.12 crore offered shares.

Shares of the company were trading with a premium of  73 in the unlisted market today, signaling a listing premium of 43.2%. The grey market is an unofficial platform wherein the IPO shares can be bought and sold till the listing.

The offer includes a fresh equity issue of  302 crore and an offer for sale (OFS) of  199 crore. Under the OFS, promoter-selling shareholders Kailash Parekh, Gulab Parekh, and other selling shareholders  Green Desert Real Estate, and Fleet Line Shipping among others will offload shares.

The capital raised will be utilised for the payment of debt and for the purchase of equipment and civil work required for expansion in the capacity of automotive oil at the Silvassa plant.

Analysts advised investors to subscribe to the IPO given its strong financials, growing overseas opportunities and attractive valuation.

With a track record of consistent financial performance, strategically located manufacturing facilities and R&D capabilities, experienced management team and highest return ratios, Reliance Securities recommends a 'Subscribe' tag to the issue.

Gandhar Oil is a manufacturer of white oils by revenue with a growing focus on the consumer and healthcare end-industries. The company currently operates with three manufacturing facilities; two plants in Western India and one in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates to cater to domestic and global operations.

Flair Writing

The issue of Flair Writing Industries Limited continued to witness a decent response from the market with investors picking up 5.96 crore equity shares against an offer size of 1.44 crore, leading to a 6.07 times subscription so far on Day 2. The issue closes on November 24.

In the grey market, Flair Writing Industries is commanding a listing premium of 24%, compared to its IPO price of  304.

The quota set aside for non institutional investors was booked 9.96 times, followed by the retail category at 7.10 times. The part reserved for qualified institutional buyers was subscribed 1.36 times till now.

Rajan Shinde of Mehta Equities believes Flair writing IPO gives investors an opportunity to invest in a leading four-decade old player in writing instruments which the flagship brand "Flair".

"Being among the top three players in the overall writing instrument industry with a market share of 9% in overall writing and creative instruments industry in India, we believe the company is strategically positioned coupled with a track record of sustained growth," Shinde said with a 'Subscribe' rating to the issue with a long-term perspective.

The IPO has a price band of 288-304 per share, and investors can bid for a minimum of 49 equity shares in one lot and in multiples thereafter.

Flair Writing plans to raise 593 crore via its IPO route out of which fresh issue of equity shares of 292 crore will come into the company and an OFS of 301 crore will be raised by the selling shareholders.

Fedbank Financial

Out of all the five IPOs opened for bidding, Fedbank Financial has seen the least amount of interest with 0.90 times subscription rate on the second day so far. The issue will run till November 24.

Retail investors have bought 1.25 times their allotted quota of shares, non-institutional investors have picked up 52%, while qualified institutional buyers have subscribed 56%.

Fedbank Financial has also reserved shares worth 10 crore for its employees, who will get a discount of 10 per share during the IPO. This category was booked 0.78 times.

Shares of Fedbank Financial were trading with a premium of just  2 in the grey market today. The GMP was  5 on November 22.

The price band for the Federal Bank arm IPO has been fixed at 133-140 per share. Fedbank Financial Services will be raising 1,092 crore at the upper end of the price band via the public offer.

The IPO consists fresh equity issue worth 600 crore, and an OFS of 3.5 crore equity shares. Under the OFS, 1.64 crore equity shares will be offloaded by Federal Bank and 5.38 crore shares by True North Fund VI LLP, the private equity fund.

Shreyansh Shah of StoxBox has recommended investors to 'Subscribe' to the IPO for the benefit of listing gains. "The NBFC has an effective underwriting capability due to its experienced underwriting team and established processes which is likely to keep asset quality issues at bay going forward."
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 23)  Miss Universe El Salvador apologized on Thursday for the graphics mix-up in the announcement of the Top 5 candidates during the coronation night of the pageant on Sunday (Philippine time).

Our mistake! In the rush to get our posts up during Saturdays live broadcast, we accidentally mixed up the names of two finalists, Miss Universe El Salvador said in a social media post.

During the coronation, netizens were quick to catch the now deleted post of the Miss Universe El Salvador account which included Philippine bet Michelle Dee in the Top 5. It was immediately replaced by a graphics card showing Thailands Anntonia Porsild, who won first runner-up, on the list.

Miss Universe El Salvador said this was a simple error of moving too fast.

"[W]e heard the same results live at the same time that you all did, no special access over here! We're sorry to both finalists," it added.

Many pageant fans, especially Filipinos, expressed disappointment at the error. One social media user called the attention of Miss Universe 2016 Iris Mittenaere, who was a judge during the coronation, on the mistake.

Mittenaere said she had no idea about the issue, and revealed that Dee was one of her Top 5 choices.

As judges, everything was fair and legal. But to be honest Michelle was in my Top 5. I loved her style in evening gown and I love her style since I saw her in the Philippines almost 3 years ago," Mittenaere said.

"She didn't do any mistakes, so the Philippines should be very proud of her. She is beautiful, kind, classy ... the level was really high this year. When you see the girls who didn't make it to the Top 5, there is a lot of amazing contestants ... I know that Michelle is very sweet and please give her a lot of love because she deserves it," she added.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 22)  A former head of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) on Wednesday said the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) have hired consultants to determine the weighted average cost of capital (WACC), which affects power rates.

Agnes Devanadera, who led the ERC from 2017 to 2022, explained this was already the practice since she first took the post.

I convened the commission and I said I am not sure whether we are doing the right thing if the entity to be examined will be required to pay and in fact procure the consultant," Devanadera said before the House Committee on Legislative Franchises.

"Gobyerno ang regulator, gobyerno dapat ang mag-fund (The government is the regulator, the government must fund it), so there could be independence,she also said,

Devanadera added that ERC then asked Congress for budget to pay for the consultant. It took time for the funds to be released, therefore delaying the process, she said.

She was asked to explain why the ERC during the fourth regulatory period failed to reset the Meralcos WACC which has remained at 14.97% since 2015.

The ERC hires a third party consultant to review applications to reset the WACC.

So anong klaseng resulta ang makukuha natin dyan? House panel chairperson and Paranaque City 2nd district Representative Gus Tambunting asked.

[Translation: So what kind of result are we going to get from that?]

ACT Teachers Partylist Representative France Castro also questioned the practice.

Nawindang ako doon sa sinabi na kailangan bayaran ng Meralco iyong consultant ng ERC," Castro said. "So hindi niyo ba naisip na conflict of interest iyon? Bakit kayo nagpapabayad sa Meralco ng consultant para i-compute iyong WACC?

[Translation: I was surprised that Meralco should be the one to pay for ERC's consultant. Have you not realized that is a conflict of interest? Why did you allow Meralco to pay the consultant for computing the WACC?]

Santa Rosa City Representative Dan Fernandez, who pushed for the inquiry into Meralcos franchise, said Devenaderas explanation still does not justify delays in the resetting of the power distributors WACC.

He said Meralcos WACC should only be at 9.62% as its distribution covers 70% of Luzon.

Iyong sinasabi niyo na process na napakahaba, that is a lie," the lawmaker from Laguna said. "Andito na ang mga dokumento dahil magko-compute na tayo. Ayaw ninyo kompyutin dahil pinangangalagaan niyo iyong 14.97% na WACC.

[Translation: The very long process that you've been talking about, that is a lie. The documents are here and we can compute everything now. You don't want to compute it because you don't want to cut the 14.97% WACC.]

Fernandez earlier urged his colleagues to review and split Meralcos franchise as its sheer bigness has led to poor service and abuses.

In the Senate, Senator Risa Hontiveros previously asked the ERC to reset the WACC to help reduce the rising power costs.
Chester Robey, who served in both World War II and the Korean War, could have lost his home without legal aid for veterans. Lone Star Legal Aid

Decades ago, Seaman 1st Class Chester Robey defended our freedoms and values in World War II and the Korean War. Yet he might have died homeless without our defense of him. Not all veterans are so lucky to receive assistance from a legal aid lawyer.

Robey, who lives in Montgomery County, is one of many. Across our states 254 counties are hundreds of thousands of military heroes who have selflessly served to protect the freedoms that Texans and the rest of our nation enjoy every day. In fact, Texas is now home to the largest population of veterans in the U.S., with more than 1.5 million individuals who served in the armed forces calling our great state home. Of those millions of heroes, more than 300,000 reside in the Houston area.

Unfortunately, at a national level, an estimated 7.5% of these heroes live below the poverty level. Too many struggle to access their legal right to basic necessities, as well as their constitutional right to access to justice.

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LIVING WITH MICE: Formerly homeless veterans on rent-assisted living conditions

We must improve access to justice for all. In doing so, we owe a special obligation to those willing to serve in the military who have defended our homeland and its justice system. Upon their return to civilian life, access to the promise of justice for all Americans must not be beyond their reach. To best serve these Texans and honored veterans, we must invest in programs, initiatives and opportunities that will enrich their experiences as a civilian.

While the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declared the COVID-19 pandemic to be over on May 11 this year, our nation and state continue to feel the residual impacts brought upon by the hardships from that time. An already vulnerable population, veterans are 50% more likely to become homeless than others due to poverty, lack of support networks and dismal living conditions in overcrowded or substandard housing.

Created in 1984 by the state Supreme Court, the Texas Access to Justice Foundation provides funding for civil legal aid regardless of income. The 88th Legislature appropriated $7 million to serve the civil legal needs of low-income veterans. Additionally, this year, the Texas Access to Justice Commission and the State Bar of Texas hosted the Champions of Justice Gala Benefiting Veterans, where funds raised were distributed by the Texas Access to Justice Foundation to 13 legal aid organizations throughout the state.

At that event, Robey told his story. He bravely served in World War II and the Korean War. Today, Robey is mostly blind and deaf, and suffering from Parkinsons disease. His poor health affects his daily routine, which causes him to lean on his neighbor for assistance.

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Living on two lots of land, Robey applied for a homestead exemption but was only granted an exemption for the lot where his trailer was located. As a result, he paid the full tax rate for the additional lot for 30 years. As his property tax value increased over time, the veteran faced the possibility of losing his home. That is, until Lone Star Legal Aids Military and Veterans Unit stepped in to review Robeys property and tax records. They found he was entitled to a homestead exemption for both lots  and to a tax refund.

As a veteran relying solely on his Social Security income, legal aid was also able to assist Robey with applying for benefits he was entitled to but did not know about, including Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Medicaid and Veterans Affairs pension benefits. This was life-changing for Robey, a veteran who volunteered his life for many so long ago.

Assistance like what Robey received is invaluable. It literally changes and saves lives. And access to civil legal aid should be available for all.

The Texas Access to Justice Foundation and its statewide grantees work tirelessly to provide free civil legal services to all veterans via in-person and virtual events. From employment challenges, housing issues, benefits claims and family law matters, our legal aid offices and professionals offer legal guidance and support for our veterans so they may find solace and routine in their civilian lives.

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Texas veterans can visit texaslawhelp.org/tvlaw or call the statewide hotline at Texas Legal Services Center, 1-800-622-2520, option 2, to locate a clinic or assistance in your area throughout the year.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 22)  An analysis by the nonprofit organization Oxfam has exposed a stark contrast in carbon pollution, revealing that the carbon emissions of the richest 1% of Filipinos are equal to the combined emissions of the poorest 50% of the population.

The study, "Climate Equality: A Planet for the 99%," highlighted the unequal distribution of emissions associated with different income groups up to 2019.

"The report shows the stark gap between the carbon footprints of the super-rich  whose carbon-hungry lifestyles and investments in polluting industries like fossil fuels are driving global warming  and the bulk of people across the world," Oxfam Pilipinas Executive Director Erika Geronimo said.

Oxfam also emphasized the role of the richest 10% in the climate breakdown, noting that its contribution to the climate story is "far less well known and documented" along with the top 1%.

In the Philippines, the report claimed that the excessive carbon emissions in 2019 of the nation's richest 10% of people contributed to 18,584 heat-related deaths.

It is true for the rest of the world, according to Oxfam.

The study found that the top 1% of the world's population, or 77 million people, is accountable for 16% of the consumption-related emissions worldwide. This is equal to the emissions of 5.11 billion people, or 66% of the world's population based on income.

Carbon emissions from private jets, planes cars, and yachts, among other high-end fossil fuel transport of the so-called super-rich, are enough to cause 1.3 million excess deaths due to heat, said Oxfam.

But carbon emissions and heat are not the only challenges faced by lower-income groups, particularly those living in poverty. Oxfam emphasized that climate change hit people in poverty the hardest as they tend to live in areas prone to flooding, heavy rains, heat stress, and other natural disasters, with poor-quality houses that often lack basic building safety.

Aside from not having savings and access to social protection insurance, the study stated that people in lower-income groups also face challenges in proving their losses since their assets are frequently unregistered or improperly acknowledged.

Oxfam said that this is true in the Philippines with regard to land tenure and when "disputed" land is taken from disaster victims, resulting in long-term relocation.

Citing other research, Oxfam noted that after Super Typhoon Yolanda (internationally known as Haiyan), "only those who could prove their rights to land were given alternative lands, compensation, and access to insurance."

The inequality of the climate crisis is more obvious when poorer communities in the Philippines are being made to bear the harshest burden of more severe and frequent disasters due to the climate crisis despite having minute carbon emissions compared to the 1% richest," Geronimo said.

"And even with the best intentions to prepare for disasters, we are constantly dealing with further damage and loss," she added. "We may not be able to keep up if we are not more committed and ambitious with our climate actions."

What can be done

Oxfam's proposed solution is not new, but it is one that climate activists continue to fight for: taxing the ultra-rich and investing the proceeds in renewable energy.

"A 60% tax on the incomes of the richest 1% would cut emissions by more than the total emissions of the UK and raise $6.4 trillion a year to pay for the transition away from fossil fuels to renewable energy," said the Oxfam report, which advocates for a new round of taxes on corporations and billionaires.

The report noted that the top 1%'s income level varies by nation and takes purchasing power equality into account, but analysis conducted within-country sheds further light on the differences.

Oxfam said that in France, the top 1% of earners emit the same amount of carbon in a year as the bottom 50% does in a decade. When emissions related to investments are taken out of the equation, the carbon footprint of Bernard Arnault, the richest person in France and the creator of Louis Vuitton, is 1,270 times greater than that of the typical French citizen.

Aside from taxing the super-rich, Oxfam further underlined the need for tailored government measures to address these discrepancies in the fight against climate change, such as phasing out fossil fuels and implementing proven policies to dramatically drive down the gap between the richest and the rest.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 22)  While vocal against Chinas activities in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri on Wednesday promised to tone down his statements during the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF) in the country with high-level Chinese officials in attendance.

Its an international forum so kailangan dito walang bastusan. Kailangan dito very diplomatic and i-moderate natin yung ating hinaing, Zubiri told reporters.

Were trying to make sure na hindi naman siya combative kasi ayaw naman natin na aalis na yung mga miyembro ng APPF sa Pilipinas with a sour taste in their mouth, he added.

[Translation: Its an international forum so no rude remarks. We need to be very diplomatic and moderate our complaints. Were trying to make sure its not combative because we dont want APPF members to leave with a sour taste in their mouth.]

The Senate passed a resolution strongly condemning Chinas intrusions, including the harassment of Filipino fishermen, in the WPS. Crossing party lines, lawmakers from the majority and minority have been united in calling out Chinas "bullying."

As Chinese parliamentarians confirmed their attendance to the APPF, Zubiri said he does not want chaos.

Were trying to promote peace and stability Ayaw naman natin na agad agad on battle mode na kaagad yung Pilipinas (We dont want the Philippines to be on battle mode) he added.

The Senate leader said he will not compromise the country's position in the long-standing maritime dispute and will continue to push for peace, security, and stability in the region, freedom of navigation, and respect for each other.

The WPS issue may be discussed during breakout sessions of the political security and regional cooperation committees, Zubiri said.

He also said lawmakers, together with the Department of Foreign Affairs, have prepared a draft resolution, which they hope will be adopted by all 19 participating countries by the end of the forum.

What we want is to be able to come up with a resolution that will generally be accepted by all, he added.

The 31st APPF will be held at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City on Nov. 23 to 25 with the theme Building Resilient Partnerships: Advancing Peace, Prosperity, and Sustainability in the Asia Pacific.

Lawmakers from 18 other member states have confirmed their attendance. They are from Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Mexico, Micronesia, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Russian Federation, Thailand, and Vietnam.

A total of 273 delegates are expected in the forum.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 23)  The Sandiganbayan 6th Division found Datu Andal Ampatuan Jr. guilty of 21 counts of graft related to the provision of fuel from his gasoline station to the Maguindanao provincial government.

In a decision promulgated Nov. 23, the 14th anniversary of the Maguindanao massacre, the court sentenced Ampatuan to between six years and one month up to 10 years for each count of graft.

Ampatuan was also ordered to pay the Province of Maguindanao up to 44.18 million as value of undelivered fuel plus interest of 6% per annum.

He shall also suffer perpetual disqualification from public office, according to the court.

The case stemmed from a gasoline station, which Ampatuan owns, providing the Maguindanao provincial government with petroleum products between 2007 and 2009 without holding a public bidding process.

Ampatuan, along with other several officials, was accused of conspiring with his father, former governor Andal Ampatuan Sr., to award the contract and "give unwarranted benefits, advantage, or preference to a gas station" that Ampatuan Jr. owns, and to release public funds to the gas station.

Despite the fuel products yet to be completely delivered, the Maguindanao provincial government at the time released public funds to the gas station and certified that the road rehabilitation projects, for which the fuel products were intended, were 100% completed.

The Commission on Audit discovered that none of the projects were finished.

"The Sharif Aguak Petron Station charged the Provincial Government of Maguindanao for the purported deliveries of a total of 1,141,539 liters of Petron Diesel in 2008. However, it could not have delivered the said quantity of fuel products because in the same year, Petron Corporation delivered only 618,000 liters of diesel fuel to accused Ampatuan, Jr. Petron station," the court said.

"Even assuming that Shariff Aguak Petron Station still had fuel left from the year 2007, it could have delivered only 649,000 liters of diesel fuel, at most," it added.

Ampatuan's co-accused, project engineers Omar Camsa and Samsudin Sema, were also sentenced to pay a portion of the value of the undelivered fuel, up to 1.6 million and 9.12 million, respectively.

Camsa was found guilty on one count of falsifying a public document, and he received a term of six to seven years in prison as well as a 5,000 fine.

Sema was also found guilty on three counts of the same charge, receiving a sentence of 18 to 21 years in prison and a 15,000 fine.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 23)  The Philippines is sidestepping any mention of its maritime dispute with China in its push for Asia Pacific parliamentarians' adoption of a resolution for the peaceful settlement of disputes and adherence to a rules-based order in the region, an official said Thursday.

Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said the Philippines is keen to build consensus among the member states of the Asia Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF) for the peaceful settlement of disputes.

"Diyan kami magaling ni Speaker, manghilot, mag-masahe, magpakiusap. Hopefully well get this resolution adopted," said Zubiri in a press briefing at the sidelines of the 31st APPF opening in Manila.

One of the draft resolutions sponsored by the Philippines in the forum urges member parliaments to reinforce existing modes of peaceful settlement of disputes as outlined in by the UN (United Nations) Charter and the 1982 Manila Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of Disputes, while also exploring the establishment of additional settlement mechanisms.

It also says APPF parliament members are deeply alarmed by the widening geopolitical polarities and sharpening strategic competition that threaten international peace and security.

Resolutions in the APPF are adopted by consensus and not by a majority vote, which means all member countries must agree to it.

Zubiri earlier promised to tone down his statements on the West Philippines Sea dispute during the forum as a Chinese delegation will be in attendance.

At the opening of the three-day meet, he maintained his previous statement.

"On day one ayaw nating makipag-away agad (We don't want to argue with anyone on day one)," Zubiri said. "As hosts we have to show respect to each and every country. I have to put this on record: were very happy that China came with a big delegation."

At least 275 delegates from 19 countries in the Asia Pacific including the heads of the Thai and Malaysian parliaments attended the APPF, which will end on Saturday.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 23)  Canadian senators who are visiting the Philippines stressed the need for like-minded countries to come together to address issues in the Indo-Pacific region, including the West Philippine Sea.

"The Philippines for Canada is a very important partner," Canadian Senator Stanley Kutcher said in an interview with CNN Philippines.

Kutcher is the head of the delegation from Ottawa for the Asia Pacific Parliamentary Forum.

He said security challenges in the region could have potential impacts in the global supply chain.

"It is delicate, it is complex, but it is something that we cannot shy away from that, we have to work together to ensure that the guardrails that will provide for the rule of law to be supreme, and that freedom, safety and security in this area are number one for the welfare not only of this area, which is really important, but this area has tremendous impact on the whole globe 40% of the world's economy is in this area," Kutcher said.

He also emphasized the need for a multilateral approach in addressing regional challenges.

"We also believe in multilateralism," Kutcher pointed out. "Smaller nations like Philippines, like Canada, like Japan, Korea, we really need to work together to ensure international rule of law is followed, that the core principles of democracy are followed, that we make sure that we focus on those key issues of safety and security, that the supply chains are safe and that people can move goods and services and people to where we need them to be."

"So, we want to work with like-minded nations to buffer the larger powers," he added. "Some of the larger powers seem to be less interested in the welfare of the small and medium sized nations and we want to make sure that we're working together with like-minded nations such as the Philippines."

'More to come' in defense cooperation

Canadian Ambassador to the Philippines David Hartman said there will be more defense and maritime security engagements between the two countries.

Canada and the Philippines recently signed an agreement for Ottawa's dark vessel detection satellite technology.

They are also finalizing a new deal on defense cooperation.

"We have increased our defense cooperation, including through collaborative sales by the Royal Canadian Navy and the Philippine Navy and through our joint participation in military exercises, Hartman said on Wednesday.

The ambassador said it helped enhance Philippine maritime domain awareness via its deployed dark vessel detection program as a satellite-based maritime domain monitoring system.

The move also aims to reinforce Philippine efforts to maintain maritime safety and security, protect fragile marine ecosystems, and combat illegal unreported and unregulated fishing.

"And most importantly, there's more to come Canada in the Philippines," he added.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 23) Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Garcia called on Congress to allow the body to open re-registration of voters to cleanse the list for the 2028 polls.

He renewed his appeal to lawmakers on Thursday, citing the need for a more accurate national list of registered voters for the presidential and vice presidential elections.

Pinu-push natin yan at pinapakiusap natin sa ating kagalang-galang na kongreso na baka pupwedeng pag-isipan natin after the 2025 elections para back to zero tayo, Garcia said.

Balewala natin ang present list of voters, malay natin hindi naman pala talaga siya 68 million, he added.

[Translation: We are pushing for this and we are asking Congress to consider this after the 2025 elections, so that well go back to zero. Lets replace the present list of voters, were not even sure if that 68 million voters are still accurate.]

Garcia explained the Comelec cannot act on its own since the move needs legislation.

He believed that the re-registration will help allay fears and doubts of voters who encounter issues with the official list.

Doon masisigurado po natin na yung mga magrerehistrong bago, sila talaga yung residente diyan sa mga lugar kung saan sila nandiyan," he said. "Number two, at least po maaayos na natin yung mga nagpa-transfer."

[Translation: With this, we can make sure that we will be able to register the new voters, and we can know if they are really residents of the area. Number two, at least we can organize those who want to transfer.]

The poll chief said they recently discovered 491,000 double or multiple registrants in the current list through its automated fingerprint identification system (AFIS).

He said the re-registration will help update their biometrics, since the oldest set of fingerprints available dates back to 2003.

Aside from updating their data, he said there is a need to procure new technology  automated biometric identification system (ABIS)  for the general registration.

Sa atin four fingerprints ang ginagamit natin eh," Garcia pointed out. "'Yung ABIS po 10 fingerprints, pagkatapos meron pang facial recognition, meron pang iris verification. So 'yun kumpletong kumpleto."

[Translation: We use four fingerprints while the ABIS uses 10 fingerprints, facial recognition and an iris verification. So theirs are complete.]

He pegged the estimated budget for the new system at 1.1 billion.

The Comelec chief, however, emphasized that it is only a suggestion and can only be done after the 2025 polls.

Citizens arm LENTE Philippines welcomed his re-registration proposal.

Its about time that we have another registration or general registration for voters, the groups executive director, Ona Caritos, told CNN Philippines.

She suggested that Comelec and Congress revisit the Voter Registration Act or Republic Act 8189 to make the process more accessible.

Amending the Voter Registration Act would help us maximize and ensure the general registration we will do for voters and it will be more effective, Caritos explained.

And we would also like to propose to Congress and to Comelec to look into including the national ID database in amending the Voter Registration Act, she added.

Garcia said if approved, re-registration will last for one month, which he believed will give Filipinos ample time.

He said they plan to expand the Register Anywhere Project (RAP) nationwide after its pilot run in select areas last December and January.

Under this initiative, Comelec brought voter registration to select malls and government agencies in Metro Manila and other regions.

LENTE acknowledged the success of RAPs initial implementation, but underscored the need for a back-up plan for vulnerable sectors and far-flung areas.

We have to factor in the different environment for rural areas, the different situation for indigenous peoples, for persons with disability, for PDLs, Caritos said.

We need to make sure accessibility isnt a problem for Filipinos in case there is a general registration, she added.

Garcia said the target is to come up with an accurate and updated list of registered voters in time for the 2028 elections.

The Comelec said there were over 68 million registered voters for the barangay elections and more than 23 million for the Sangguniang Kabataan polls.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 23)  Congress targets to ratify the proposed 2024 budget bill before Dec. 10, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said on Thursday.

He said the Senate may approve on second and third readings the 5.768-trillion General Appropriations Bill on Nov. 29.

"Itong Martes...ang approval ng amendments. After we approve the amendments, we'll move already to second and third reading, pinaka latest na po ay Wednesday next week," he said in a press briefing on the sidelines of the opening of the 31st Asia Pacific Parliamentary Forum. Speaker Martin Romualdez was also at the news conference.

[Translation: This coming Tuesday would be the approval of amendments. After we approve the amendments, we'll move already to second and third reading, the latest we could do that is by Wednesday next week.]

"Afterwards, we do the bicam. So ang tinitignan natin na pinakamatagal na ma-approve ito at ma-ratify ay before December 10," added Zubiri.

[Translation: Afterwards, we do the bicam. So we are looking to approve and ratify the budget, the latest would be before December 10.]

He also said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. could sign the budget either before or after his trip to Japan next month.

The proposed expenditure program is 9.5% higher than the current 5.268 trillion, with the education sector as top priority.

Congressional debates on next year's national budget have been marred with controversies due to the proposed confidential and intelligence funds of some agencies.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 23)  The Department of Justice (DOJ) is trying to get International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) to issue a "red notice" against the alleged mastermind behind the Pamplona massacre and expelled Negros Oriental Rep. Arnie Teves, Sec. Jesus Crispin Remulla said Thursday.

Teves has been out of the country since late February and has not returned to the Philippines to face the murder charges lodged against him by the DOJ. Due to his continued absence, he was expelled from the House.

Teves is currently in Timor-Leste, where he has tried but failed to seek asylum. Remulla, earlier this month, discussed the ex-congressman's possible handover to the Philippines with Timor-Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta.

READ: DOJ chief tackles Teves 'handover' with Timor-Leste president

Currently, Interpol has issued a blue notice against Teves. This urges countries "to collect additional information about a person's identity, location or activities in relation to a criminal investigation."

Remulla said the justice department is trying to get Interpol to upgrade the blue notice into a red notice.

According to Interpol, this is "a request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action. A red notice is not an international arrest warrant."

Remulla said the agency is pursuing the red notice because of Teves' terrorist designation under the Anti-Terror law.

"Yung warrants na lang ang kailangan ilabas namin [We just need to release the warrants] for the PCTC (Philippine Center on Transnational Crime) to enter into the record the wanted status of Mr. Teves," Remulla told media.

The PCTC, formed in 1999, was tasked to establish a "shared central database among government agencies for information on criminals, methodologies, arrests and convictions" for transnational crimes including terrorism, trafficking, piracy, and money laundering.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 23)  Filipino-Canadian Senator Gigi Osler described returning to the Philippines for the second time as a long overdue homecoming.

Osler is the first female Filipino-Canadian senator. She was a former surgeon and president of the Canadian Medical Association. She is in Manila as part of Canada's delegation for the Asia Pacific Parliamentary Forum.

"Even though I was born and raised in Canada, I feel like this is my home country as well. The reception has been wonderful, the people have been so kind and welcoming, I'm just so excited to represent Canada," she said in an interview with CNN Philippines on Thursday.

Osler was appointed by the Canadian Senate in 2022. She said taking on the new role was not an easy decision.

"I have been a surgeon by training, so I always imagine my life, my career will be spent serving medicine and doing surgery. But now with this opportunity, I have a chance to serve more people," she said.

Asked what her new role means for the over one million Filipino-Canadians in Canada, Osler said it's transformative.

"We are growing a number in Canada and contributing so much to Canadian culture and society," she added.

The Canadian senator cited some of her priorities, including advocating for the rule of law, stressing the need for quality healthcare education and promoting people-to-people ties.

"We are seeing more migration to Canada, certainly in the healthcare profession. The Philippines is being looked at as a very important country in that field, but we must ensure that the Philippines has sustainable healthcare system," she said.

Over a year into her new role, Osler hopes that she could pave the way for more opportunities for Filipino-Canadians.

"Canadians can appreciate all of the talents, all of the skills, all of the potential that Filipinos bring to the table that we are more than nurses. We are more than migrant workers; we are talented professionals. We are smart, we can achieve so many things. And so, part of what I hope to achieve back home is to break some of those stereotypes," she said.
By Lee Gyu-lee

Actor Lee Se-young, who rose to fame last year with MBCs hit period series The Red Sleeve, is taking on another period role with the broadcasters new romantic comedy series The Story of Park's Marriage Contract.

The script was so interesting that I would look forward to and get curious about the next episode. So I said, I want to meet the director right away. And after the meeting, I was captivated by what the director explained (about the series), so I decided to take part, Lee said during a press conference for the series, held at the broadcaster in Mapo District, Seoul.

Based on the web novel of the same name, the fantasy romance series follows the story of Park Yeon-woo (Lee), a girl from the 1392-1910 Joseon Kingtom who falls into modern times.

In 19th-century Korea, Park is ready for a happily-ever-after life with her handsome husband. But on the night of her wedding, her husband dies of a chronic disease, and she gets abducted and thrown into a well.

When she wakes up, she finds herself in a completely different era in 2023 and meets a rich heir, Kang Tae-ha (Bae In-hyuk), who is her late husbands exact lookalike. Amid the chaos, Kang asks her for a contract marriage, getting entangled with each other.

The series, set to premiere on Friday, is directed by Park Sang-hoon, whose previous works include the 2017 comedy series Radiant Office and the 2018 action series My Secret Terrius.

Park shared that he felt Lee was the perfect and only fit for the role from the start. I had to consider the similarity between the original characters and cast members. Especially with Lee, I couldnt think of any actors to play the character other than her, he said.

I really wanted her to come onboard, so I tried hard to convince her. She truly is really similar (to the original character) and has an amazing personality and leadership  she exceeded my expectations by 200 percent.

Lee said she fell for the ambitious character and the story that tells her coming-of-age.

I like characters who grow (through the story). I want the characters I portray to have many flaws so that by the end of the series, they will have grown and taken a step forward in any way. I tend to enjoy series where characters evolve, she said.

With Yeon-woo, she lives in the 19th century so she cant take national exams and gets scolded for reading books, which she thinks is unfair. She hopes to break free with bigger dreams and wants to go far away. And I wanted to portray this part of the character well, of how she will build her life and its process.

Although her previous period role was such a hit, she hopes the viewers would see this one as separately.

Every role is my first time meeting this character in my life. So you never know how this one will turn out, despite what your previous work was or how good of a result it had. So I try not to put my head into anything else because the outcome (for this one) is uncertain, she said.

It would be nice if it makes a hit. But more than that, I hope viewers will enjoy the story and be curious of (the storys) message.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 23)  Fourteen years after the Maguindanao massacre, families of the victims have lamented still not receiving compensation. A government official claimed some media groups could be blamed for the setbacks.

Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) executive director Paul Gutierrez told the families that the delays have to do with some media organizations arguing against the 2009 case previously being deemed resolved.

Ang nangyari nga kasi dito, bigla ngang merong mga media group na umepal, sumulat sa korteNakarating pa sa United Nations na hindi pa tapos ang kaso, said Gutierrez, a former journalist, during a forum in Maguindanao on Thursday.

So, everything related dito po sa inyong compensation, kasama na po yung potential na dapat po makumpisa ng gobyerno, natigil, he added.

[Translation: What happened was there were some attention-grabbing media groups, who wrote to the court, saying the case is not yet closed. It even reached the United Nations. So, everything related to your compensation, including the potential assets that the government could confiscate from the perpetrators, have been halted.]

In 2020, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) considered the Maguindanao massacre as resolved. However, it later reclassified the case as ongoing following appeals not only from organizations but also from the victims kin.

National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) chairperson Jonathan De Santos said Gutierrezs claim has no basis since the UNESCO classification is separate from the court process.

That claim doesn't make sense, De Santos told CNN Philippines in a message. What he was referring to was the UNESCO listing. That has nothing to do with compensation or final conviction.

Fifty-eight people  including 32 journalists and family members of then political candidate Ismael Toto Mangudadatu  were shot dead in broad daylight in Ampatuan town on Nov. 23, 2009. The incident has become the worlds single deadliest attack on media workers and the worst election-related violence in the country.

READ: Everything you need to know about the Maguindanao massacre

In December 2019, 28 suspects were found guilty, among them eight members of the powerful Ampatuan clan.

The important thing po kasi dito is 'yun pong mabali, ang nakikita ko po, mabali yung argumento na hindi pa tapos ang kaso. Yun po kasi ang naging problema nating lahat eh. Meron ng verdict, sabi ng ibang grupo, Hindi pa nga tapos eh.' In other words, talagang gusto nilang tumagal eh, Gutierrez said.

[Translation: The important thing here is we debunk the argument that the case is not over. That has become a problem for everyone. There has already been a verdict, but other groups said the case remains unresolved. In other words, they want it to drag on.]

Gutierrez also pointed to the COVID-19 pandemic as a factor behind the delays in the compensation.

Halos dalawang taon po tayong naka-lockdown kaya hindi gumalaw yung petition sa korte [We were on lockdown for nearly two years so the petition didnt move in court]. But we are going to attend to that, that I can assure you, the official said.

He also vowed to check on the status of government efforts to identify and confiscate questionable assets of the Ampatuans, which he said could be used to pay the families.

Justice only 'partial'

In separate statements on the 14th anniversary, the victims' families and the NUJP maintained there is only partial justice until the convictions are final and proper compensation has been given.

Sa kabila ng mga unang pangako sa mga politiko at mga opisyal ng gobyerno, ramdam naming naaalala lamang kami kapag malapit na ang November 23, the group Justice NOW! wrote.

[Translation: Despite previous promises made by politicians and government officials, we feel that we are only remembered when November 23 nears.]

The NUJP said justice must also include the official recognition of photojournalist Reynaldo Momay as among those murdered.

Others who have maintained that the case is far from resolved cited how several of the accused remain at large, while only a few are behind bars.

Eighty-one suspects have not yet been caught, according to the PTFoMs. Gutierrez said there is reason to believe that some of these suspects are still being hired to commit crimes, including targeting other members of the Mangudadatu family.

Victims families also noted that a number of those implicated in the massacre have been released and have even made a political comeback.
Tacloban City (CNN Philippines, November 23)  President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. led a situation briefing in Tacloban on the impact of weather systems on flood-stricken Northern Samar after his visit to the province was cancelled due to bad weather.

The chief executive arrived in Tacloban on Thursday morning. He was supposed to fly to Catarman, but due to inclement weather, he stayed at the airport and had a Zoom meeting with Northern Samar Governor Edwin Ongchuan.

Marcos also gave a short update through a Facebook post.

"Situation briefing via Zoom in Tacloban on the combined effects of shear line and LPA (low pressure are) in Northern Samar," the post read.

Present during the briefing were heads of key agencies, such as the departments of Social Welfare and Development, National Defense, and the Interior and Local Government.

Presidential Management Staff Undersecretary Mark Gimenez said the president instructed government agencies to assist local government units affected by the flooding by giving them all necessary aid that people need, including medicine.

Marcos also directed local officials to fast-track the repair of bridges and roads.

Ongchuan also asked for the continuous augmentation of relief packs that local government units will distribute to affected families, including cash assistance.

Work in government and private offices resumed Thursday in the province but classes are still suspended until Friday, Nov. 24.

The regional office of the DSWD said it has already provided 21,300 food packs to the province in response to various requests of LGUs.

The agency also recorded 15 totally damaged houses and 64 others partially damaged due to flooding and landslides.

Meanwhile, the agriculture department in the region in its report said the initial estimate of damage to crops and animal is at 47,304,950.

Rice lands incurred the most losses (45,949,925), followed by livestock (629,400), high value crops (202,000), root crops (223,125), and banana (220,500).

The flooding affected 1,877 farmers; at least 1,941 hectares of farm land; and 2,604 animals.

Tacloban City-based journalist Wil Mark Amazona contributed to this report.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 23)  The Philippines obtained support from 16 members of the Asia Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF) in its bid for a non-permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), congressional leaders said on Thursday.

Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said there were initially 15 nations in the list, but House Speaker Martin Romualdez said one more country expressed support.

"Hindi na lang namin babanggitin kasi obviously...we don't want to telegraph our punches because of course, may kalaban tayo sa posisyon na 'yan," said Zubiri in a press briefing at the sidelines of the opening of the 31st APPF in Manila.

[Translation: We will not mention them because obviously...we don't want to telegraph our punches because of course, there are other countries competing for that position.]

Zubiri said he and Romualdez need to "court" more APPF members to support the country's campaign in the UNSC.

A seat in the UNSC will allow the Philippines to participate in dialogues and voting on important security matters.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. first announced the country's bid for a non-permanent seat in 2022.

Of the 15-member UNSC, five have a permanent seat with veto power: China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

The 10 non-permanent members have a two-year term and can be reinstated if elected by the UN General Assembly.

The Philippines was a non-permanent member of the UNSC in 1957, 1963, 1980-1981 and 2004-2005.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 23)  Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said he will seek out the executive branchs position on the measures filed at the House of Representatives, calling on the government to cooperate with the International Criminal Courts (ICC) investigation into the infamous drug war of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

During a briefing on Thursday, Remulla said he and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. have yet to discuss this development in the lower chamber.

However, the official said he would approach Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin tomorrow.

[Its] just to be able to make sure were on the same page on this matter, he said.

The DOJ chief said he would clarify if the current administration has plans to be a member again of the ICC.

Marcos had been reiterating earlier this year that the Philippine government would not support ICCs resumption of probe into the bloody anti-drug campaign. Marcos' running mate in last year's polls, Vice President Sara Duterte, is the daughter of the former chief executive.

Ang resolution sa House kasi tells us to work with ICC pero ang first question is, why will we work with the ICC now that we are no longer members of the ICC?" Remulla said.

"So are we going to be members again of the ICC again first for this thing to happen?" he also said. "It raises more questions than answers at this point in time."

Three resolutions have been filed so far by Reps. France Castro, Arlene Brosas, Raoul Daniel Manuel, Bienvenido Abante Jr., Ramon Rodrigo Gutierrez, and Edcel Lagman.

Lagmans House Resolution No. 1482 urges the current administration to provide its "full cooperation to the ICC prosecutor investigating alleged crimes within the jurisdiction of the body related to the Philippines so-called war on drugs.

READ: More solons urge Marcos admin to cooperate with ICC drug war probe

Remulla said the government needs to carefully study the matter.

I have to check their records and arguments, discussions to understand the real score inside Congress regarding this matter, he said.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 23)  Vice President Sara Duterte on Thursday called on the House of Representatives to respect President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.s decision not to cooperate with the International Criminal Courts (ICC) investigation into her father's drug war.

Duterte made the statement after what she described as sudden and unannounced joint meetings being convened by some lawmakers who are urging the government to work with the ICC.

I respectfully remind our honorable lawmakers of the very words that our president, his excellency Ferdinand Marcos Jr., reiterated less than half a year ago: Any probe conducted by the ICC would be an intrusion into our internal matters, and a threat to our sovereignty We are done talking with the ICC, she said.

In July, the ICC decided to resume its long-delayed probe into the deadly drug war launched by former President Rodrigo Duterte. Its pre-trial chamber said it is not convinced that the Philippine government is making a real or genuine effort in its investigations.

The Marcos administration rejected the ICC's move, saying it will consider it a crime if members of the international tribunal come to the country to investigate.

The vice president argued that to allow ICC prosecutors to probe is not only patently unconstitutional but also belittles and degrades our legal institutions, as she maintained that the Philippines has exclusive jurisdiction over the alleged crimes linked to the drug war.

Huwag nating insultuhin at bigyan ng kahihiyan ang ating mga hukuman sa pamamagitan ng pagpapakita sa mundo na tayo ay naniniwala na mga dayuhan lang ang tanging may abilidad na magbigay ng katarungan at hustisya sa ating sariling bayan, she said.

[Translation: Lets not insult and bring shame to our courts by showing the whole world that we believe only foreigners have the ability to bring justice in our own country.]

An ICC prosecutor estimated that 12,000 to 30,000 civilians were killed from July 2016 to March 2019 in connection with the anti-drug campaign. These figures are much higher than government data, which reported some 6,000 deaths.
The chief of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) said Thursday that governance and legal ambiguity should be solved on top of technical infrastructure advances for a step toward central bank digital currency projects.

Many countries, including Korea, have launched so-called central bank digital currency (CBDC) pilot programs as part of efforts to keep up with changes in the financial system and features in the digital currency market.

"Public authorities need to take the lead here. Central banks should move fast to develop programmable wholesale CBDCs ... governments have a role to play by promoting the tokenisation of as many asset classes as possible," BIS General Manager Agustin Carstens said in a forum here hosted by the Bank of Korea (BOK).

He said many countries also should clear governance and legal challenges.

"In some jurisdictions, in most countries, the law constrains what central banks can issue as money, and evidence suggests current legal frameworks either do not allow CBDC issuance, or at best are unclear about it. This is why we need to get the legal framework right for CBDCs, and for tokenised systems more broadly," said Carstens, according to a transcript of his speech released by the BOK.

Carstens went on to say that the governance question of how to bring money and non-money claims onto a single programmable platform is equally important, stressing that different assets should reside on the same unified ledger, so that they can be embedded in contracts that execute complex transactions.

In October, the Bank of Korea and financial regulators unveiled a plan to conduct a joint test on the feasibility of CBDC in financial transactions.

Since August 2021, the BOK has launched the mock test of a CBDC for inter-financial institution transactions.

The BOK, the Financial Services Commission (FSC) and the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) will expand the feasibility test to the realm of transfers and settlements among financial institutions based on a token that it said is not a virtual coin by the end of next year.

"The project brings together the Bank of Korea with the other key regulatory bodies in Korea, the Financial Services Commission and the Financial Supervisory Service. Other government agencies have been consulted and are on board ... This type of cooperative approach is crucial if a vision like a unified ledger is to be realized," he said. (Yonhap)
By Yi Whan-woo

Small investors are asking the government to tighten the latest ban on short selling, as the ban was regarded as a politically motivated decision ahead of the April 2024 general elections and the retail investors, as voters, appear to be making excessive demands thereafter.

According to financial sources, Thursday, a group of small investors demanded the financial regulator make no exceptions and include domestic brokerage houses in the short selling ban effective through mid-2024.

Under the current market regulations, securities firms here are free from the ban while institutional investors and foreigners are not allowed to engage in short selling.

The ban was adopted as small investors strongly protested that short selling, mainly led by foreign entities, led to a sluggish stock market.

A globally used risk-hedging strategy, short selling is regarded as having a positive role in providing liquidity to markets and preventing price bubbles.

But at the same time, it can also amplify market volatility and be exploited as a means of price manipulation.

This is because traders borrow shares and make profits when prices fall, as they buy back the shares at a lower price and pocket the difference.

But even after the ban went into effect, Nov. 6, the benchmark KOSPI did not advance much.

The KOSPI back then closed at 2,502.37 points, up 5.66 percent or 134.03 points from the previous session, as the shorts selling traders went on a buying spree of the relevant shares.

The 134.03-point rise was the biggest on record for the main bourse, while the 5.66 percent gain was the steepest since March 25, 2020.

The KOSPI then went up and down, staying in a range between 2,400 and lower 2,500 level.

The lower-than-expected improvement of the market is partly attributable to the fact that not all short sellers are immediately buying back their borrowed shares as there is no deadline to wrap short selling during the period of the ban.

It seems small investors think expanding the ban and including the domestic securities firms may boost the market to some extent, a source said.

Critics, however, say it will not be the case, noting less than 10 brokerage houses are engaged in short selling and others gave up such trading to avoid blame for stock price falls.

Smaller investors are apparently capitalizing on their voting power to influence the stock market, a critic said. The demand should not be accepted as it can ultimately have a negative influence on the market.

Chances are slim that the financial regulator will accept the demand of retail investors, the sources said, noting that the United States and the European Union leave brokerage houses as an exception to the short-selling ban.
The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has led to a significant increase in cyberattacks, which continue to intensify as the war prolongs, in Israel, according to Check Point software.

"We have seen an increase of approximately 20% in cyberattacks in Israel during the war, including more than 50% when it comes to attacks on the government sector. So far, we don't see this increase elsewhere on a global level," said Gil Messing, Chief of Staff at Check Point Software Technologies.

As the war, which started on October 7, intensifies, there has been a significant increase in the frequency and sophistication of cyberattacks. While initially, the attacks were focused on DDoS and defacements, this is changing.

"Around three weeks ago, several known Iranian APT [Advanced Persistent Threat] Groups started to attack organizations in Israel, mostly public/government entities, academia, and supply chain companies working with the government. These attacks are more significant, strong malware, ransomware, and wipers," Messing said.

Attacks on Ikea in Israel

A prominent threat actor to emerge recently is Cyber Toufan, which is targeting Israeli businesses and organizations, including Signature-IT and Ikea in Israel. Signature-IT provides e-commerce and website hosting services to several government entities and e-commerce companies in Israel.

"By attacking Signature-IT, they [Cyber Toufan] were able to access a large list of companies and national entities' websites. Every day, they leak large databases taken from the websites of at least one entity. These are big SQL files (from 700 MB to a few or 16 GB) with data of millions of users, including emails, phone numbers, names, and business interactions done on the site with comments left to the owner of the site," explained Messing.
By Lee Kyung-min

The Korea Times awarded seven winners of the 19th English Economic Essay Contest for university students, at the award ceremony held at Lotte Hotel Seoul, Thursday.

Open to university undergraduate and graduate school students in Korea and abroad, the annual economic essay contest is sponsored by Woori Bank, an affiliate of Woori Financial Group.

This years contestants wrote on either of two subjects: how commercial banks may utilize generative Al in benefiting their customers, or business diversification ideas for banks.

The Grand Prize went to Jin Sung-kyu, a student at the University of Pennsylvania, and Lee Jun-ho, a student at Kookmin University.

The runners-up were Lee Seung-yup, an MBA student at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, and Jung So-jin, a student at Yonsei University.

Commendation awards went to Yoo Jae-young who is attending Korea National Open University, Natasha Elyssa Gadjali, a student at Yonsei University's Underwood International College and Ha Ji-ung, a student at Kyung Hee University.

Jin said, that as a business major, he found it intriguing to delve into Korean banks perspective and devise novel ways of diversifying their business portfolio.

While undoubtedly challenging, I found it enjoyable to research business concepts such as consumer behavior and legal hurdles and how they can be taken into account when formulating a business model. The process also served as a good opportunity to learn more about the Korean financial industry and the digitization of banking. he said.

Each of the seven received an award plaque and cash prize  3 million won for the Grand Prize, 2 million won for the runner-up award and 1 million won for the commendation award. The awards were presented by Woori Financial Group Deputy President Jang Gwang-ik and Korea Times President-Publisher Oh Young-jin who each gave congratulatory speeches.

Jang said the contest contributes to a deepening understanding of the economy among university students.

The contest is a growth opportunity for both the contestants and Woori Financial Group. We are pleased to sponsor the contest from the beginning. I hope young people continue to ask challenging questions and try and overcome difficulties.

Oh said a deep understanding of the economy is among key factors that determine the quality of life and the ability to verbalize thoughts in English is a significant asset.

The contest for the past 19 years has provided an avenue for university students to explore their thoughts in the economy, he said.

Ha said through this opportunity, he gained insights into how the advantages of AI can be seamlessly integrated with the needs of bank customers.

Instead of hindering the advancement of artificial intelligence technology through careless misuse, I found it imperative to delve into precise usage and strategic approaches, aiming to identify ways that could be advantageous for both banks and consumers. I will continue my research on the impact of AI technology on finance, he said.

Gadjali said the contest was not only a competition but also a great learning experience.

It has profoundly deepened my understanding of the global economy's complex challenges, highlighting the potential for innovative solutions, especially in the banking sector, she said.
Jeremy Hunt shot off the diving board with an unorthodox, rather endearing honeypot. He began the Autumn Statement by bellowing, 'Mr Speaker, I come today with good news. It's my wife's birthday! And unlike me, she's looking younger every year.' At which he gazed towards the gallery with moony devotion.

At first I thought the rascal was making saucer eyes at your sketchwriter but it turned out that Mrs Hunt, accompanied by their three young pups in school uniform, was sitting almost directly behind me. Most embarrassed she was by the name-check. Shrivelling. With the children digging her in the ribs.

Fifty-two minutes later the Chancellor had done himself, his party and the economy a measure of good. The speech zipped along faster than these things often do. Compared to that unlamented dud Philip Hammond, Mr Hunt was pep personified.

At times it was like watching a giraffe shuffle a silent, solo waltz across its bedroom. The tall and angular Hunt has never been the most liquid of orators but for once he spoke with grace and some effective humour. He teased Sir Keir Starmer by saying the one thing he and the Labour leader had in common was that they had both wanted to see a Jeremy become PM. In Mr Hunt's case it was himself; in Sir Keir's case it was J. Corbyn, at whose mention Starmerites shield their eyes and brandish garlic bulbs.

The Chancellor had done himself, his party and the economy a measure of good after his speech zipped along faster than these things often do

Labour MPs affected ennui. Rachel Reeves, Shadow Chancellor, had remarkably little to say. That did not stop her grinding away for 20 minutes and 36 seconds. Crivens, I felt each one. 'The time is up,' intoned Ms Reeves. If only it had been for her. Talking of 'this Conservative Government's economic failure' she went full-Dalek. Ex-ter-min-ate! Ex-ter-min-ate! But what would Labour do better? Of that there was little hint.

The chamber was so full that Tobias Ellwood (Con, Bournemouth East) was reduced to the gangway floor, sitting on the sort of cushion spectators take to Wimbledon. Some teenagers from Ukraine had watched PMQs from upstairs but fled just before Mr Hunt started, the youth of Kyiv having suffered enough.

You always get a few show-offs with A4 pads at the ready, pens poised while a Chancellor recites statistics. David Davis (Con, Haltemprice and Howden) made tiny notes and tried to look shrewd. Barry Gardiner (Lab, Brent North) stood at a rear entrance, making a tremendous show of writing this and that. Head waiter taking table three's lunch order. For all the sense the Treasury data made to MPs, Mr Hunt might as well have been listing the hymn numbers for Sunday's matins.

On one side of him sat Rishi Sunak, less suicidal than in recent days. On his other was the Pensions Secretary, Mel Stride. Then Mr Hunt complimented Mr Stride. Being a politician, the latter nodded vigorous agreement. They do love to praise themselves.

Mr Hunt announced 110 measures for growth. Many were so technical, they could have been by-laws concerning municipal urinals. Even Mr Hunt admitted that one allegedly crucial cut was to a levy 'most people have never heard of'. You don't necessarily win elections that way. Tory backbenchers only cheered when he finally mentioned the National Insurance cut, but they also murmured approval for the plan to stop benefits to serial work-dodgers. That idea finally provoked shouts from the opposition.

Lucia Hunt, wife of Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, was accompanied by their three young pups in school uniform

Mr Hunt admitted that one allegedly crucial cut was to a levy 'most people have never heard of'

A couple of Scots Nats started pogo-sticking with crossness. Sir Keir? Barely moved. Half-asleep, possibly.

Altering taxes that 'most people have never heard of' is what nerds do when they have spent too many late nights in the Treasury. A vulgar, swashbuckling politician would have gone for something more visceral and cut a really hated burden such as death taxes.

As one of the Hunt children departed the gallery, she shot a shy little 'goodbye' wave to her father. But he missed it, being thick in parliamentary debate about tax cuts, as he now will be for days to come.
With buffer removed, risk of dangerous miscalculation is now greater: analysts

By Jung Min-ho

Pyongyang declared the end to an inter-Korean military agreement on Thursday, saying it will deploy more troops and new weapons along its border with South Korea.

The abrogation of the accord, signed in 2018 to curb the risk of inadvertent clashes, comes a day after Seoul's decision to partially suspend it to resume reconnaissance operations near the border in response to North Koreas sanction-busting launch of a spy satellite.

From now on, our military will no longer be bound by the Sept. 19 military agreement, the Norths defense ministry said in a statement. We will withdraw the military steps, taken to prevent military tensions and possible clashes in all spheres including land, sea and air, and deploy more powerful armed forces and new types of military hardware to the regions close to the Military Demarcation Line.

By carrying out artillery drills near the border or sending drones deep into South Korea, the North violated the agreement repeatedly  nearly 3,600 times, according to South Korean military officials. Yet its defense ministry fixed the blame on Seoul.

Because of the Republic of Koreas provocative behavior, the Sept. 19 military agreement had become virtually nullified a long time ago, the ministry claimed. If an irreversible clash occurs between the North and the South, it will be the responsibility of those in the Republic of Korea.

Several hours before releasing the statement, the North Korean military launched a ballistic missile unsuccessfully, according South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff.

This may be a prelude to more such provocations to come, according to analysts contacted by The Korea Times. The regime would try to avoid unnecessary, costly clashes with South Korea. But the greatest danger lies in miscalculation, they said. With the buffer removed, they believe the risk of dangerous miscalculation  and armed conflict  is now greater.

North Koreas possible next move is to rebuild its 10 frontline guard posts it blew up in the wake of the agreement and refill them with military forces possibly equipped with more and better weapons, said Cho Han-bum, a researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, a state-funded think tank. This would force our military to react, resulting in a greater risk of accidental clashes and escalations that could run out of control.

Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies, also thinks such scenario is very likely.

To show that their revocation of the agreement is not just empty words, it is expected that North Korea would demonstrate its force by violating the maritime border (Northern Limit Line, or NLL), deploying coastal artillery, firing shots at leaflets and launching missiles of various types, he said.

Speaking to members of the National Assembly Defense Committee meeting the same day, Defense Minister Shin Won-sik said such provocations would be met with a strong response by the joint military forces of South Korea and the U.S.

Reiterating the ministrys position that suspending the agreement was a necessary measure for self-defense, Shin said it was North Korea, not the South, that de facto nullified the deal with its repeated violations.

He also said North Koreas launch of a satellite using ballistic missile technology is a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions and poses a grave threat to South Korea and beyond.

North Koreas state media claims the launch of a reconnaissance satellite was successful and it was able to take photos of a U.S. air force base on Guam.

South Korea's National Intelligence Service said it was probably bluffing, according to Rep. Youn Kun-young of the Democratic Party of Korea. Although its satellite successfully entered orbit, analysis suggests that it is functioning inadequately as a reconnaissance satellite, the spy agency said.

Intelligence officials also said they confirmed Russian support for the North Korean space project, and expect their collaboration to continue as Pyongyang is preparing to launch more satellites for military purposes in the coming years.
Shortly after the Brexit referendum in 2016, I was sitting outside my favourite pub at a table next to a group of young women who were discussing the result. Suddenly one of them shrieked at the top of her voice: 'I've been literally raped by 17 million old people!'

Thinking this claim highly improbable, I toyed for a moment or two with challenging her use of the word 'literally'. But I judged that she wasn't in the mood for lectures from an ageing pedant on the meaning of common English words.

With feelings running frighteningly high at the time, nor did I think this was the right moment to inform her that I myself had voted to leave the EU - a crime that would presumably have marked me down as a rapist in her eyes.

More than seven years on, the hysteria among many who voted Remain appears hardly to have abated. Indeed, I still feel slightly hesitant about revealing to my metropolitan, middle-class neighbours - doctors, teachers, academics, advertising execs and civil servants among them - that I put my X in the box marked Leave.

It's true that I haven't heard Brexiteers described as rapists since that day outside the pub. But I've lost count of the number of insults we've been subjected to.

Meanwhile, Remainers still blame Brexit for practically all our woes - including those that manifestly have nothing to do with it.

Brexit supporters celebrate during a rally in London, Friday, Jan. 31, 2020

We're senile racists, they tell us, the dregs of society, maniacs of the far Right who are so profoundly stupid that we were duped into inflicting a calamity on our country by a mendacious slogan on the side of a bus.

Some Remainers - though I hasten to say, by no means all - seem almost deranged in their contempt for us Brexiteers and their mysterious devotion to an over-bureaucratic, authoritarian, anti-democratic, protectionist trading bloc whose share of global commerce has been shrinking for decades.

To take one example, just lately I've been reading, and much enjoying, the Slough House series of spy thrillers by Mick Herron. I wouldn't claim they're great literature (I've long given up my resolution to improve myself by sticking to the classics in my semi-retirement). But they are rattling good yarns, if a bit samey after a while, and there are good jokes in them.

One thing that strikes me, however, is that the arch-villain of the series - a lying, faux-bumbling, Latin-quoting, far Right-wing politician called Peter Judd, or PJ - is so clearly an unjust caricature of a certain Boris Johnson, or BJ, that my esteemed colleague, the former PM and figurehead of the Brexit campaign, could surely sue if he felt so inclined (which I trust he does not).

As for Brexit itself, Herron can hardly bring himself to write the word, preferring to call it 'the ongoing catastrophe' or You-Know-What, in the way that characters in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter novels refer to Voldemort as You-Know-Who or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

Remainers still blame Brexit for practically all our woes - including those that manifestly have nothing to do with it

This week a Remain-voting academic from the University of Bath has supplied new ammunition to the Brexit-haters, by claiming to have shown scientifically that those who voted to leave were more likely to be thick than their fellow Remainers.

After testing 3,183 couples for their cognitive ability, senior lecturer Chris Dawson and his team claim this week to have found that of the highest-performing 10 per cent, 73 per cent voted Remain in 2016. Of those ranking in the bottom 10 per cent, only 40 per cent were Remainers.

READ MORE: Are Remainers brighter than Brexiteers? People who voted 'Leave' in the 2016 referendum have lower cognitive ability, study claims The fact the role of cognitive ability in explaining the referendum result has attracted little attention by academics is 'perhaps surprising', say University of Bath researchers Advertisement

The same pattern was visible - although to a lesser extent - even after factors such as income, education and age had been taken into account. It also held true, so they tell us, among husbands and wives who had voted in opposite ways, with the Remain-voting partner more likely to score higher in these cognitive tests.

(Remainers may draw some comfort from knowing that although Mrs U and I both voted Leave, our votes were cancelled out by our Eurofanatical sons - or rather, by the two of the four who mustered the energy to exercise their votes.)

I don't know about you, but I wonder if testing the respective intelligence of Remainers and Brexiteers is an altogether worthwhile use of public funds at a time when the UK is 2.5 trillion in debt. After all, what did the researchers hope to achieve, unless it was simply to lend a scientific veneer to the familiar insult: 'We Remainers are clever, and the rest of you are stupid. So yah boo sucks'?

To be fair to Dawson, he does stress that we should be wary of reading too much into his findings. 'People shouldn't get angry with this, or joyful, depending on who they voted for,' he says.

He is even prepared to concede that some who voted for Brexit scored quite highly in his tests, saying: 'This is about differences at a population level. If you drew two random people who voted Leave or Remain, it says very little about differences that might exist between those people.' Big of him.

Meanwhile, other scientists point out that even if the study does appear to find a link between intelligence and voting intentions, this doesn't mean it's proof of a causal connection. In other words, it can't be claimed that the reason so many of us voted to leave was that we weren't very bright.

Dawson insists it is significant, however, that only the cleverest one-third of Leave voters would be classed as more intelligent than the average Remainer.

Even Michel Barnier, the EU's former chief negotiator and a once fanatical believer in a federal Europe, now suggests his own native France needs special protection from the rulings of the over-mighty and unelected European Court of Justice!

New research from the University of Baths School of Management finds that higher cognitive ability was strongly linked to voting to Remain in the 2016 UK referendum on European Union Membership.

With a striking lack of scientific objectivity, he adds: 'We have increasing amounts of fake news and it's getting more and more sophisticated. This suggests that something we all have to live with is essentially the result of people being able to spread fake information and fake promises that some people just couldn't distinguish from reality.'

If that's not reading too much into his own findings, then I wonder what would be. Indeed, isn't it quite as possible that the sort of people who do well in cognitive performance tests were more likely to put their trust in all those Remainer experts, with strings of letters after their names, who predicted total economic collapse if we dared to pull out?

I'm the first to admit that since the vote, the Tories have been painfully slow to seize the opportunities afforded by our escape from the graveyard grip of Brussels - not least under the disastrous premiership of Theresa May, who never had her heart in Brexit.

That said, however, there are encouraging signs that things are at last moving on the economic front, with the long series of trade deals, either signed or in the pipeline, which we couldn't have agreed if we'd stayed in the EU.

Meanwhile, even Michel Barnier, the EU's former chief negotiator and a once fanatical believer in a federal Europe, now suggests his own native France needs special protection from the rulings of the over-mighty and unelected European Court of Justice! So don't tell me everything is rosy in the EU.

Is even he now coming to realise that the priceless asset we regained from our withdrawal was a sovereign country's right to a say in how we're governed?

Yes, of course Brexit has raised difficulties for some companies - not least over the question of the Irish border, which remains unresolved. But firms all over the country are getting over the teething troubles of Brexit and adapting successfully to the new arrangements.

Brexit has raised difficulties for some companies - not least over the question of the Irish border, which remains unresolved

As for those catastrophic consequences of withdrawal, so confidently predicted by David Cameron, George Osborne and all those highly qualified people at the Treasury, whatever happened to them? Mass unemployment, widespread civil unrest, an instant double-dip recession - none of this has come to pass.

No doubt those experts would do exceptionally well in cognitive performance tests. So, too, perhaps, would Associate Professor Dawson and his team of academics, who have toiled so long and hard to measure the comparative intelligence of Remainers and Brexiteers.
Did you know your hair can hint at your income?

Anisa Mango, from Cambridge, Massachusetts, sparked a debate on TikTok about the concept of 'rich girl hair' and what it means after creating a video that had people weighing in on old money versus new money hairstyles.

After Anisa questioned how con artist Anna Sorokin, 32, convinced wealthy people in New York City she was a German heiress named Anna Delvey who was worth $60 million when she didn't have perfect hair, commenters wondered if perfectly coiffed hair is a requirement for the super wealthy.

In the comments section, social media users argued over the idea, explaining that not every wealthy woman has a flawless mane while using Gossip Girl character Serena van der Woodsen, played by Blake Lively, and the Olsen twins as examples.

TikTok content creator Anisa Mango, from Massachusetts, went viral after asking how wealthy people in Manhattan believed Anna Delvey was an heiress when she had messy hair

People flocked to the comments to explain that plenty of super wealthy socialites have similar hair, citing Gossip Girl character Serena van der Woodsen as the ultimate example

'I'm still trying to figure out how people got scammed by Anna Delvey,' Anisa announced at the beginning of her now-viral video.

Who is Anna Delvey? The fake socialite who fooled New York's high society The Russian-born Anna Sorokin pretended to be an heiress named Anna Delvey in New York City

Anna's life was captured in the 2022 Netflix show Inventing Anna, which followed her glamorous life and subsequent arrest

Anna told investors she was opening up a private club in Manhattan

The convicted felon was sentenced to four years in prison in April 2019

She was released on good behavior but is currently on house arrest in her East Village apartment after overstaying her visa Advertisement

'Y'all believed she was a German heiress, but her hair was looking like that?

'When you have a certain level of wealth, you're not going to be caught out here with some split ends.'

Anisa continued: 'Rich girl hair is just on a different wavelength. It just has a life of its own. Frequent trims, top-notch treatments. These people are spending hundreds, if not thousands, on their hair.'

She cited Gigi Hadid, Gabrielle Union and Beyonce as examples.

Commenters quickly explained that there was actually a difference between new and old money tresses, with socialites and royals showing off their old money manes. One person summed it up: 'Old money vs new money. Old $$ doesn't give af. They don't have to.'

'Look at Caroline de Maigret, she's an aristocrat and has imperfect hair,' a clever commenter pointed out, naming the French model and heiress.

'Have you seen Princess Anne? There's a level of old money where they dgaf (don't give a f***),' another TikTok user replied.

'I think there's a difference between old money and celebrities though,' someone else mused, adding: 'The uber rich flaunt wealth more through their lifestyle and investments.'

'Have u seen Serena van der Woodsen???' one concerned commenter questioned, with others bringing up the Olsen twins, Kate Moss and Paris Hilton.

Many people on TikTok thought Blake Lively's Gossip Girl character (left) was the ultimate example of messy it girl hair. One commenter also pointed to Caroline de Maigret (right)

Commenters explained that in the early and mid-2000s, plenty of super wealthy it girls had messy locks. Pictured is Paris Hilton (left) in 2004 and Ashley Olsen (right) in 2010

'I go to a boarding school with old money rich girls and this is exactly how their hair is,' a TikTok user announced.

One popular opinion was that it was a sign of the times, with a TikTok fan clarifying: 'But also 2000s aesthetic is different then the "clean girl" look that's popular now. Not disagreeing, but context.'

The surprisingly controversial clip sparked plenty of opinionated duets, including one by fashion podcaster Jenn Celeste, who echoed the idea that the beauty aesthetic has changed greatly since the mid-2000s.

Jenn said: 'Anna Delvey was around during Tumblr era, when we all intentionally looked dirty and disheveled.'

'All we did was drink PBR (Pabst Blue Ribbon) all day and have racoon eyes and sleep in our makeup,' Jenn joked, citing Kesha as an example and calling it an 'era of not trying too hard.'

'Plenty of rich people then and now can't dress. Just because you can't dress doesn't mean you don't got the coins, honey.'

Anisa pointed out that celebrities like Gigi Hadid, Gabrielle Union and Beyonce always have perfectly maintained hair

Plenty of commenters pointed out that the aesthetic was entirely different in the mid 2000s, and Anna was caught in 2017

Anisa responded to the plentiful comments herself, particularly one that asked, 'Have you ever met a rich girl who wasn't a celebrity?' by saying: 'Clearly, I was wrong about some things in my last video.'

The content creator explained she grew up in Connecticut with peers who went to boarding school, and while their hair was at times messy, it wasn't sloppy like Anna's was.

'I think she was going for Gossip Girl Serena rich lol,' one commenter weighed in.

'Serena's hair was effortless tho. Anna's hair is giving straw,' Anisa clarified.

Despite the clarification, there was still a debate in the comments section proving that new money and old money hair was difficult to distinguish.
A mother claims she had the 'longest one night stand ever' - as the man she shared a taxi home with after a night out got her pregnant and now they have three kids together.

Catherine Gault, 28, went clubbing seven years ago when her 'life changed' as she met Jonathan Gillespie after he offered her a space in his taxi home.

Just 21 years old at the time, she'd parked her car outside Limelight Club in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and didn't plan on drinking, but a few drinks later found herself stranded and unable to get home.

The unassuming care worker, from Lisburn, ended up staying over at the 22-year-old's house and only began to suspect she was pregnant a week later when she noticed her boobs felt sore.

Catherine recalls how she even had to sheepishly ask mutual friends for Jonathan's surname to look him up on Facebook.

Catherine Gault (left), 28, from Lisburn, Northern Ireland met Jonathan Gillespie (right), 29, during a night out in Belfast, which led to a one night stand

Despite a less than conventional start to the relationship, where the couple felt too awkward to even go to hospital appointments together, they fell in love as soon as tiny 5lb 2oz Poppy Gillespie came along in 2017.

The mother-of-three now hopes to encourage other women to just 'go on the night out' because if she hadn't, she would never have her beautiful family with Jonathan, now 29.

Catherine said: 'I drove down and wasn't going to drink. I left my car outside the club. I ended up stranded with no way home and then I met him.

'He told me I could have a place in his taxi because my friends knew him. Obviously I stayed over but I kind of thought that was it. I was like "oh I'll never see him again, like that was nice but you know, I'm 21'"I didn't really think about it.

'I was living with my friends and my sister and I remember thinking "Oh my boobs are so sore, like what is that?" I was like "there's no way I'm pregnant because that'll be silly". I took a test and I was pregnant.

'It's crazy it all happened from that one night. I do feel like it was fate and he'd probably say the same I think.'

Taking two pregnancy tests to make sure it was really happening, Catherine immediately went to see her mum to ask what to do.

Despite the awkward beginnings, not knowing the businessman's surname and not wanting to attend hospital together, the couple soon naturally fell into a relationship.

Just 21 years old at the time, Catherine (pictured with her partner and their children) had parked her car outside Limelight Club in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and didn't plan on drinking, but a few drinks later found herself stranded and unable to get home

The unassuming care worker ended up staying over at the 22-year-old's house and only began to suspect she was pregnant a week later when she noticed her boobs felt sore

Catherine and Jonathan are now a content family-of-five, alongside their three kids, Poppy, six, Escanor, two, and seven-month baby Max

Catherine said: 'As soon as I took it [the pregnancy test], I was shocked. I went straight to my mum. I knocked on her door at midnight. I pushed my stepdad out of the way and was like 'where's mum?'

'I woke her up out of a proper sleep and was like 'what do I do?' I had to ask my friends what Jonny's second name was and find him on Facebook.

'I think the message just said 'Hey can you come to my house I'd like to talk to you about something'. I remember him saying 'Is it good news or bad news?'

'I thought well, obviously he's going to have to make that decision. He didn't come to the first few scans, I think we just felt really awkward with each other to be honest.

'We were getting to know each other. Imagine dating someone but they have to go to your hospital appointments. It was more towards the second half of the pregnancy that he was involved.

'We just naturally fell into this boyfriend and girlfriend thing. It was never even a conversation really. He looked at me one day and was like 'we're kind of boyfriend and girlfriend, aren't we?''

When 5lb 2oz Poppy Gillespie came along in 2017, the new bundle of joy only solidified Catherine and Jonathan's relationship

Catherine has gone on to have a further two children with Jonathan, and has urged fellow females to 'just go on the night out' - even if one is not feeling up to it

Catherine and Jonathan found the magical ending to their love story and now have one girl, Poppy aged six, and two boys together, two-year-old Escanor and seven-month baby Max.

The stay-at-home mother hopes to encourage other women to just 'go on the night out', thanking both her best friend for convincing her to go and the nightclub for 'changing her life'.

Catherine said: 'As all couples do, we've had times where I've thought 'are we going to make it?', especially back then.

'Especially thinking back to when I got pregnant, I remember thinking 'I don't want to be with him, I'll just raise this kid and we can co-parent'.

'But now, I honestly could not survive one day without him. He is the love of my life and I am the love of his life. We can't believe it just worked out.

'I'm very glad my best friend convinced me to go out that night. I always say she's the reason I have this beautiful family. And the Limelight in Belfast, if I could go and thank them - they changed my life.

You never know where you're going to find the man of your dreams. If your friend asks you to go out, go out, just do it. Just go on the night out, don't say 'no'. If I said no that night, I'd never have this beautiful family.

'For women in the same situation where you're single and pregnant, it is scary. Not everyone will have the same magical ending I had. I thought I was going to do it on my own without him. It's nice that it worked out but also don't worry if it doesn't.'
Fred Segal has been telling us what's hip since the 1960s.

Dubbed the original 'Curator of Cool,' Fred himself defined the LA look. His first boutique opened in West Hollywood and quickly attracted the biggest names in show business, among them were The Beatles, Bob Dylan and The Jackson 5.

Ahead of his time, Fred created the first high-fashion jean, pioneered the shop-in-shop retail concept, invented influencer culture and even dressed Elvis Presley!

Jeff Lotman, founder of Global Icons and the current owner of Fred Segal, shares more of the brand's history, plus how it still has the 'it' factor.

Dubbed the original 'Curator of Cool,' Segal defined the LA look

The Fred Segal brand was founded in Los Angeles in 1961 by Fred Segal, who passed away at the age of 87 in 2021

Fred was a jean-ious

The Fred Segal brand was founded in Los Angeles in 1961 by Fred Segal, who passed away at the age of 87 in 2021.

The LA-raised businessman and visionary was the first to put high-fashion jeans (and more!) on the map.

'Back then Levis were selling for $3.99 and he thought he would sell them for $19.99 with a little tweaking,' shared Jeff.

'He took the Levis, tapered the top, flared the bottom and embellished them with rhinestones.

'And what was even more incredible is that he invented the whole influencer culture because he gave them to the people who worked at P.J.'s the bar across the street (one of LA's first discotheques located on Santa Monica Blvd.)

'When people would go to the bar and ask where they got their great jeans from they would say Fred Segal.'

From the success of high-fashion denim Fred developed his iconic "jeans bar" which Jeff describes as a giant wall of jeans, a concept that has been copied by many other retailers.

With an impeccable eye for style, Jeff reveals that 'Fred dressed Elvis for five years straight. Elvis would not wear any clothes except what Fred Segal made for him'

Of Elvis Presley's Fred Segal collection, two items have gone up for auction recently, a light blue shirt jacket and a black shearling leather coat.

There's an inner tag on the shirt that has a tag with a handwritten number 04901, a production number for the movie "Clambake"

Fred x The King

With an impeccable eye for style, Jeff reveals that 'Fred dressed Elvis for five years straight. Elvis would not wear any clothes except what Fred Segal made for him.'

Of Elvis Presley's Fred Segal collection, two items have gone up for auction in recent years, a light blue shirt jacket and a black shearling leather coat.

The blue shirt jacket features a button front, two chest pockets and two lower front pockets and shoulder epaulets, with a Fred Segal label. It went up for auction in 2021.

There's an inner tag on the shirt that has a handwritten number 04901, a production number for the movie "Clambake."

It's been said that Elvis gifted the jacket to his long-time close friend, employee, and "Memphis Mafia" inner-circle member, Alan Fortas.

The black shearling leather jacket has two Fred Segal labels, one that reads "Exclusively Designed for Elvis Presley by Fred Segal."

Along with its sale at auction was a signed letter from Joe Esposito stating that Presley gave the jacket to him in May 1971.

It was sold accompanied by two black and white photographs of Presley in the jacket circa 1965.

The black shearling leather jacket has two Fred Segal labels, one that reads "Exclusively Designed for Elvis Presley by Fred Segal"

Ahead of his time

Fred pioneered the then-novel shop-in-shop concept and the notion of experiential retail long before either were popular.

A visionary landlord he integrated multiple businesses within his own store, including a skate shop, hair salon, and perfumery.

The concept showcased up-and-coming labels synonymous with SoCal style, including True Religion, Juicy Couture and Hard Candy Cosmetics.

'Brands that we call season zero where the very first time they were at retail is at Fred Segal,' explains Jeff.

Kate Spade is one of the many "season zero" brands Fred Segal helped foster and watch grow.

The epitome of SoCal cool

His personal style paved the way.

'Fred wore the exact same thing everyday: white pants, white t-shirt and white sneakers,' reveals Jeff.

'That was his look and he really started that LA look ad LA style.'

Jeff describes the LA look as a laidback luxe mashup of pieces that can be easily mixed and matched, with an emphasis on denim.

'California - until recently - had pretty much the best weather anywhere in the United State because it was fairly consistent throughout the year.

'You could wear the same clothes all year round and that was also part of the LA look, you had something that you can dress up or dress down.'

Fred pioneered the then-novel shop-in-shop concept and the notion of experiential retail long before either were popular.

After over 50 years in business, Fred Segal is still one of the hottest places to shop. 'People come to Fred Segal because they want to look cool and that's what we provide,' said Jeff

Fred Segal's lasting influence

After over 50 years in business, Fred Segal is still one of the hottest places to shop.

'People come to Fred Segal because they want to look cool and that's what we provide,' said Jeff, the current owner.

He credits his team of buyers that attend fashion weeks around the world for the brand's incredible offerings.

'We always try to find things that are new and exciting because that's what Fred Segal was - the discover store.

'Back then there was no internet, there was no catalog, there was no mail order. If you were in fashion, the only place to go is Fred Segal because you knew that's where all the cool things were.'

Current top selling women's brands in the store are Ganni, St. Agnes, Staud, Sir, and Solid and Striped.

For men, they are Eden Park shirts, Orlebar Brown, Greg Lauren and San Francisco-based brand Home Grown.

'The number one brand we sell at Fred Segal is Fred Segal,' admits Jeff.

Kate Beckinsale, along with Jennifer Aniston, Brad Pitt, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Halle Berry, Paris Hilton, Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee are just a few of the celebs spotted there

Since the moment Fred Segal opened, the iconic ivy-covered store has been a celebrity shopping destination

Everyone's favorite shopping destination

'People come to Fred Segal because they want to look cool, and that's what we provide.

'We're showing you the lates and greatest of what we think is cool. They used to call Fred the "Curator of Cool" and he really did.'

Since the moment Fred Segal opened, the iconic ivy-covered store has been a celebrity shopping destination.

Jennifer Aniston, Brad Pitt, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Halle Berry, Gabrielle Reese, Julia Roberts, Paris Hilton, Pamela Anderson, Tommy Lee, Kate Beckinsale, Jennifer Lopez, Megan Fox, Samuel L. Jackson, Madonna and Seal, are just a few of the big names to come through the door.

What's next for the brand

'We're launching a new private label line that we're really excited about - a collection of tops and bottoms in that LA look, relaxed and casual that you can dress up or dress down.'

Beyond ready-to-wear they have a vintage department called Found by Fred Segal and a fabulous gift department.

Forever shaping the local landscape, they recently opened a store in Marin County near San Francisco and a store on Montana Avenue in Santa Monica.
Hoda Kotb's daughters, Haley and Hope, made a rare appearance on the Today show Wednesday to help their mom with a Thanksgiving segment.

The co-anchor shared her excitement over having her family in New York City for the holiday early on in the broadcast, saying it was a 'special morning' because they were all in Studio 1A.

Kotb, 59, had everyone on set sing 'Happy Birthday' to her brother, Abel, who was joined by his wife, Colleen, and their daughters, Hannah and Ella.

Haley, six, and Hope, four, were later invited on stage for a holiday-themed 'Yuck or Yum' segment in which their mother and her cohost Jenna Bush Hager rated three Thanksgiving-flavored treats.

Hoda Kotb's daughters, Haley and Hope, made a rare appearance on the Today show Wednesday to help with a special 'Yuck or Yum' Thanksgiving segment

Six-year-old Haley was all smiles as she brought out Baskin-Robbins' Turkey Day Fixins flavor ice cream for her mom and her cohost Jenna Bush Hager to try

Haley initially branded the dessert a 'Yuck,' but she had a change of heart and flipped the 'Yuck or Yum' paddle that was handed to her to the 'Yum' side

'We're going to start with Haley. Haley is bringing out  it looks delicious. It looks like ice cream,' Kotb said as her oldest daughter brought out a bowl of Baskin-Robbins with a bright smile on her face.

Kotb was a fan of the Turkey Day Fixins flavor ice cream and gave a bite to Haley, who adorably shook her head in displeasure.

Haley initially branded the dessert a 'Yuck,' but she had a change of heart and flipped the 'Yuck or Yum' paddle that was handed to her to the 'Yum' side.

Kotb and Bush Hager thanked the first-grader and sent her backstage before calling out her younger sister.

'Next person coming out is the one, the only, Hope Catherine! Come on, Hopey,' the mom of two said as her youngest daughter shyly stepped out on stage.

Kotb eased her daughter's nerves by complimenting the butterfly sticker that was on her forehead, saying 'it is awesome.'

Hope delivered them a tray of Phillip Ashley Chocolates' 'Holiday Sides' truffles that were inspired by classic Campbell's Thanksgiving dishes.

'You're so good at delivering things,' her mom praised her.

Four-year-old Hope shyly stepped on stage with a tray of Phillip Ashley Chocolates' 'Holiday Sides' truffles that were inspired by classic Campbell's Thanksgiving dishes

Kotb eased her daughter's nerves by complimenting the butterfly sticker that was on her forehead, saying 'it is awesome'

Kotb and Bush Hager couldn't hide their disgust as they bit into the chocolates that tasted like green bean casserole and stuffing.

The hosts gave the dessert a firm 'Yuck,' but Hope sweetly turned the paddle to the 'Yum' side instead, earning a round of applause.

'Love you Hopey,' they said as she trotted off stage.

Kotb's nieces, Hannah and Ella, were the last to come out with cans of Aura Bora's Green Bean Casserole sparkling water.

Hannah noted that it tasted like cucumber water, and while they gave it a 'Yum,' Ella was not a fan of the beverage.

The hosts gave the dessert a firm 'Yuck,' but Hope sweetly turned the paddle to the 'Yum' side instead, earning a round of applause

Kotb's nieces, Hannah and Ella, were the last to come out with cans of Aura Bora's Green Bean Casserole sparkling water, which also got mixed reviews

When Kotb's daughters returned to the stage, Bush Hager joked that they could take the paddle home and turn it to the 'Yuck' side when their mom makes food they don't like

Haley and Hope came back out at the end of the segment, and when Kotb asked them if she had fun, her oldest daughter gave an enthusiastic, 'Yeah.'

'Here, you can take the paddle, and when your mom makes food, you can say, "No, thank you, Mommy, thats yuck,"' Bush Hager told the girls, who giggled in response.

The segment marked the first time that Hope has been on the show since she was hospitalized with an unknown health issue in February.

Hope spent more than a week in the hospital, including a few days in the intensive care unit before she returned home.

Kotb didn't reveal specifics about her youngest daughter's condition, but she shared that she was 'on the mend' over the summer.

The Today star co-parents her daughters with her ex-fiance Joel Schiffman.
EXCLUSIVE

Am associate director at an engineering company has allegedly been verbally abusing women he meets on dating apps - labelling them 'stupid b****es' and 'fat pigs' after they turn down his invitations to meet up.

Several women have shared messages with Daily Mail Australia showing the disturbing spray of insults they claim to have received from Anton Smolin, 42 - an associate director of Erbas engineering consultants in Sydney.

Each of the interactions, which all took place in the past 12 months, follow a similar pattern: Smolin seemingly erupts with rage when the women politely cancel dates.

A fourth woman claims he abruptly cancelled their date hours before they were scheduled to meet after he learned she did not intend to drink alcohol.

Renee* said she met Smolin on Hinge on Monday and the pair exchanged numbers before making plans over WhatsApp to meet up the following night in Parramatta.

However, she said over the following hours, as they continued to chat, the conversation seemed to run dry.

Anton Smolin (pictured) has allegedly been verbally abusing women he meets on dating apps

He messaged her on Tuesday morning checking whether she was still up for meeting that night, but sensing there was no connection, she told him she had changed her mind.

'Hey there, I am actually going to pass I think, as I don't think there'd be much of a connection there. All the best with your search and enjoy France,' she wrote.

But Smolin seemingly felt slighted.

'Why? I did nothing wrong. You're such a weirdo time-wasting idiot,' he said.

'Just f**k off, you stupid fat pig. That's the reason you're single: because you're an annoying fat piece of s**t. Nothing to do with not enough intelligent men being available.

'Go eat some more takeaway... Men love fat pigs.'

Renee said she was shocked by the unsettling exchange.

'We probably exchanged about ten messages each back and forth, maximum 15 across the space of about two hours, so I didn't know him at all,' she said.

'[Then] when I declined a date with him, he went crazy!'

Miranda* said she went on one date with Smolin last month after the pair matched on Hinge.

Pictured: WhatsApp messages between Renee and Smolin earlier this week

They met at Opera Bar, in the city's CBD, where they spent a few hours chatting and enjoying some drinks.

But Miranda said the date was a bit odd and she felt put off after noticing Smolin make derogatory comments about women.

When he reached out to ask for a second date, she declined, explaining she did not think they clicked and did not want to waste her time.

Smolin then resorted to name-calling.

'Too late for that. You have already wasted so much of my time,' he began.

'I cannot believe what a rude, annoying, inconsiderate idiot you are. If you did not want to meet, you could have just said so. There was no need to waste so much of my time. You're such a stupid, lying b***h.'

He then unmatched from her moments later.

Sharon* also met Smolin on Hinge back in May, and the pair arranged to meet up at Opera Bar.

But the morning of their date, she asked to reschedule because she'd had a big week of work.

Smolin is an associate director for engineering consulting company Erbas

Two other women alleged they had similar interactions with Smolin after turning down dates

'It is so rude and inconsiderate to cancel last minute, after confirming, especially for a Saturday evening,' he wrote.

'It is too late for me to make other plans. You would effectively ruin my Saturday night.

'Also I am going overseas next weekend for two weeks and next week will be really busy for me. So there are not a lot of options for postponement.'

Sharon explained she was exhausted and not feeling great mentally after her friend died during the week, but Smolin showed no sympathy.

'Date cancelled. I am blocking you,' he wrote.

Danielle* said she matched with Smolin more than a year ago on a dating app and they made plans to meet up for drinks at the same bar.

However, when she mentioned she would be driving to the bar, he told her she shouldn't because 'then you won't be able to drink'.

'Anton Smolin' is named as the author of a self-published 2014 eBook titled 'Seduction Chronicles'. Mr Smolin did not respond to enquiries about the book, which is described in its blurb as an 'explicit' account of a man's sexual escapades

Danielle claimed Smolin sent the above messages to her after they had planned a date

'It's Monday night so I won't be able to drink alcohol anyway. But non-alcoholic beverages and conversation are just as good,' she said.

Smolin replied: 'No. Date cancelled.'

According to the Erbas website, Smolin has 'over 10 years of industry experience in project management and electrical engineering' and has managed 'numeral small and large service contracts'.

Those jobs have included several government projects, including consulting for schools and hospitals.

When contacted by phone about the allegations on Thursday, Smolin abruptly hung up. His profile was deleted from the Erbas company website shortly after Daily Mail made enquiries

A Google search for Mr Smolin's name returns a result from the website GoodReads.com listing 'Anton Smolin' as the author of a self-published 2014 eBook titled 'Seduction Chronicles'.

The book is described in its synopsis as an 'explicit' account of a man's sexual escapades.

Mr Smolin did not provide a response when asked about the book bearing his name.

When contacted by phone about the allegations on Thursday, Smolin abruptly hung up. His profile was also deleted from the Erbas company website shortly after Daily Mail Australia made enquiries via email.

It is understood Mr Smolin has been stood down with immediate effect.

*Names have been changed to protect the women's identity.
A savvy Brit bagged a return flight to Romania for just 32 to enjoy a 24 hour spa break - which she claims was 100 cheaper than in the UK.

Rebecca Kellet, 37, and her best friend, Sam Martin, 34, flew from Liverpool John Lennon Airport to Henri Coanda International Airport in Bucharest, Romania, at 10am on November 19, 2023.

The pair then headed to their hotel - which cost them 40 each - and visited a few bars before their spa visit.

The following day Rebecca and Sam visited the Therme Spa in Bucharest, Romania - which set them back 25.85 each, a pleasant surprise after the pair were fed up with their local spa's price hikes.

In total, for flights, accommodation and the spa, the trip cost the pair only 97.85 each - which they claim is 100 cheaper than their usual spa day in the UK.

Rebecca Kellet, 37, and her best friend, Sam Martin, 34 (right), flew from Liverpool John Lennon Airport to Henri Coanda International Airport in Bucharest, Romania, at 10am on November 19, 2023

Sam Martin, 34, on the spa break. She bagged a return flight to Romania for just 32 to enjoy a 24 hour spa break - which she claims was 100 cheaper than in the UK

Dreamy: The following day Rebecca and Sam visited the Therme Spa in Bucharest, Romania - which set them back 25.85 each, a pleasant surprise as the pair were fed up with their local spa's price hikes

Rebecca, a gift company business owner, from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, said: 'Every year for Sam's birthday I always arrange a spa day.

She continued: 'I usually take her to a place in Preston but their prices have gone up recently and they have changed the rules so you don't get as long in the spa'.

'I saw the spa in Romania and found cheap flights. As it fell on a Sunday you can get away with only taking one-day annual leave'.

The pair flew from Liverpool John Lennon Airport to Henri Coanda International Airport on November 19.

Once they arrived in Bucharest, the pals went to a few bars for a few drinks and walked around the old town.

On Monday, Rebecca and Sam went to the spa where they spent the entire day - got a facial and massage - before travelling back to the UK on Tuesday morning.

Rebecca said: 'The cost was incredible and the fact that it is a full one-day holiday.

'You check in the spa at 10am and you can stay until 11pm.

On Monday, Rebecca and Sam went to the spa where they spent the entire day - got a facial and massage - before travelling back to the UK on Tuesday morning

The pair then headed to their hotel - which cost them 40 each - and visited a few bars before their spa visit

'Usually when you go to a spa you can only get a few hours and here you have the whole day'.

Rebecca is known for her cost-cutting holidays and has gone viral in the past for her solo travelling on a budget with her vlog NorthernBlondeAbroad, where she specialises in finding cheap flights.

Previously, she has managed to snag 15 return flights to Portugal, 11 flights to Italy, and a family holiday to Center Parcs in Belgium saving 600.

The pair paid 32 each for a return flight from Romania, 40 each for two nights at a hotel, near the airport, and just 25.95 for their luxurious spa day which included facials and a massage.
Marc Jacobs' husband has been branded 'desperate' and 'embarrassing' for a furious rant at a non-binary vegan influencer who criticised the designer for using real fur.

Charly 'Char' Defrancesco, who lives in New York, shared a lengthy post on Instagram, blasting Nati Casanova for consuming coffee and confectionary, produced by companies that use child labor in Africa.

It appears on that in September, Nati posted a now deleted video on Instagram saying: '@marcjacobs whaddya say? How many animals did you KILL today?'.

In his 368-word caption, 42-year-old candlemaker Char accused Nati of 'harassing' him, warning them: 'If you're gonna be on your self righteous high horse of hypocrisy, pointing fingers, I'm here to point some right back at you.'

He continued to say the animal rights advocate was 'not in a position to be pointing any fingers' because they consume coffee, sweets and doughnuts. He went on to body-shame the activist, saying: 'By the looks of it - you've had a lot of [sugar]'.

However, Char's vicious attack backfired with one critic commenting: 'He keeps calling others hypocrites when he is obviously one himself.'

The furious caption was accompanied by six slides - the first showing a photo of influencer Nati and an African baby

Marc Jacobs' husband, Char Defrancesco, posted a furious rant at a Latinx influencer on Instagram

Char Defrancesco (R) pictured with husband Marc Jacobs (L) at the WSJ. Magazine 2023 Innovator Awards on 1 November

Nati apparently criticised Marc Jacobs in September over his use of real fur, although the video has since been deleted

Char Defrancesco tied the knot with his longtime partner Marc Jacobs in 2019, surrounded by family and friends, at the Grill Room in Manhattan.

Marc Jacobs' namesake brand, which is a subsidiary of LVM, has previously come under fire from PETA for selling real fur, including mink coats - and was even found to have labelled items, made from real dog fur, as faux fur.

But Marc's husband Char, who didn't agree with animal rights advocate Nati telling him to end the fur trade, posted his 368-word response for all to see.

He wrote: 'I see you, mainly 'cause you're constantly harassing me. Looking at your page I've noticed your posts with coffee, sweets, donuts. Which I want to bring attention to.

'So hopefully next time you think it's cute to post pictures with donuts, which by the looks of it - you've had a lot of, you're not in a position to be pointing any fingers.'

Char criticised Nati Casanova for consuming coffee, tea and confectionary, produced by companies that use child labour in Africa.

'I cant help but feel a sense of incongruity when considering your stance alongside your support for certain companies known for their involvement in child labour, particularly in the chocolate, coffee/tea and sugar industries.'

He went on to suggest the vegan influencer should turn a blind eye to animal cruelty and instead become an advocate for child trafficking and labour.

However, Char's vicious attack backfired as hundreds of followers flocked to disagree

One Instagram user queried why Char used images of suffering children in his post

Another thought it was 'scary' how the candlestick maker admitted to not caring about the children

One individual called the 42-year-old a hypocrite for calling out Nati Casanova

'You can call your local government or the big three world chocolate traders who control 80% of the worlds chocolate trade (Cargill, Barry Callebaut, and OFI) and demand for change/ending child trafficking and labour.

'Or pick another cause that means something to you that will help leave the world a little better of a place.'

But, towards the end of the post, the candlestick maker warned: 'If you're gonna be on your self righteous high horse of hypocrisy, pointing fingers, I'm here to point some right back at you.'

Char's outburst caused uproar amongst Instagram users, with many expressing their disapproval of his rant.

One individual wrote: 'This is rich coming from someone who's [sic] partner has direct ties to LVMH. Is Marc aware Bernard is funneling money to the IDF? But you claim to care about children?'

Char hastily responded: 'u didnt read what I wrote. I dodnt claim@to care about the children im just saying its ironic how someone could try and point fibgers and cast judgment. Did u read what I wrote? Or were the words too big to understand? Lol' [sic]

This caused further problems for the 42-year-old, with someone acknowledging his dismissal of children penning: 'Did you just admit to not caring about children?! Thats pretty scary. Not caring about children or animals'

Char Defrancesco's rant was aimed a vegan influencer Nati Casanova

He posted the 368-word caption publicly on Instagram for all to see

Towards the end of the post, the candlestick maker warned: 'If you're gonna be on your self righteous high horse of hypocrisy, pointing fingers, I'm here to point some right back at you'

While another added: '"I didnt claim to care about the children so why use these images of innocent suffering children? You also said hoping this post does more good then just getting likes but what good were you expecting? You want your followers to help make a difference in helping end child labour while you dont care. This is worrying.'

Meanwhile, other Instagram users left hundreds of comments on the six-slide post, expressing their disbelief, including: 'You're actually comparing the fur industry to coffee beans? You drink coffee and support fur, so whose the bigger problem here.'

Another suggested Marc Jacobs should follow in the footsteps of Stella McCartney, Gucci and Burberry by implementing a fur-free policy.

'Maybe if Marc Jacobs announces a fur-free policy soon you can spend more time learning how to spell words like 'FUR' and less time embarrassing his brand.'

One person thought it was unfair to compare using animal fur to drinking coffee, writing: The difference is that there is ethical coffee, chocolate, and sugar. You can just check the labels for fair trade. There is NO ethical way to kill animals for unnecessary fashion. Tell your husband to announce a fur free policy if you want to get people off your back.'

'Exploiting starving children to distract from your husband's dealings with an industry that makes billions of dollars off the skin of tortured animals? Wow. You are shameless,' another comment read.
BLACKPINK's Jennie has gushed over the 'huge honour' of being involved in the state visit by the Korean president to the UK this week, that saw her receive an Honorary MBE. .

The K-pop band received the honour from King Charles III on Wednesday for their work in raising awareness about climate change and Jennie Kim showed off the medal on her Instagram on Thursday.

The royal invested Jennie, Jisoo Kim and Lalisa Manoban (Lisa) as Honorary Members of the Order of the British Empire, in recognition of the band's role as COP26 Advocates for the COP26 Summit in Glasgow 2021.

While bandmate Roseanne (Rose) Park also received an MBE, though hers came without the 'honorary' qualifier because she has dual citizenship in New Zealand, one of the 14 countries, where the UK monarch is head of state.

Sharing a slew of snaps from the State Banquet at Buckingham Palace Jennie posed with her MBE for her 82 million followers.

BLACKPINK 's Jennie shows off her Honorary MBE on Instagram revealing it was a 'huge honor' to receive it

The beauty looked chic in a black tweed dress which featured diamond buttons and pearls.

She paired the stunning ensemble with a cropped blazer and she added height to her frame in black heels.

She captioned the snaps: 'A huge honor to receive the Honorary MBEs and attend the South Korea-UK State Banquet at the Buckingham Palace.'

Noting the band's commitment to promoting climate conservation, King Charles said: 'It is especially inspiring to see Koreas younger generation embrace the cause.

'I applaud Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa and Rose, better known collectively as BLACKPINK, for their role in bringing the message of environmental sustainability to a global audience as Ambassadors for the U.K.s Presidency of COP 26, and later as advocates for the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals.'

As each band member was named, they exchanged looks and stifled smiles in a bashful show of excitement.

Blackpink were first appointed by the UK Government as COP26 Advocates in January 2021. Non-UK citizens can be considered for an honour for their work within the UK.

The group released a series of videos aimed at encouraging young people to learn more about climate change, which resulted - the government says - in 'significantly increased engagement' with the Summit from a young audience.

The K-pop band received the honour from King Charles III on Wednesday for their work in raising awareness about climate change and Jennie Kim showed it off on her Instagram on Thursday

Jennie posed for a snap ahead of the state banquet at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday

Jennie posed in her stunning white off-the shoulder gown from a lavish car on the way to the palace

She captioned the snaps: 'A huge honor to receive the Honorary MBEs and attend the South Korea-UK State Banquet at the Buckingham Palace'

The band have subsequently been appointed as global Ambassadors for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Arriving at the palace in an array of grey and black outfits, decidedly more demure than their usual provocative look, the girls lined up and were each presented by smiling Charles with their medals in the 1844 Room.

And it would appear the Royal Family are big fans as Charles appeared delighted to give the girls their honorary MBE's, in a video shared by the royal family on X.

And yesterday, a social media clip in front of the Palace captured the moment the Coldstream Guards Band played a rendition of DDU-DU DDU-DU - one of Blackpink's biggest hits.

However, it would seem that while most people on social media were delighted by the news, some expressed their criticism, finding the move 'ridiculous'.

K-pop royalty met real royalty as King Charles III awarded iconic girl group Blackpink with honourary MBEs

Pictured from left to right: Lisa (Lalisa Manoban), Rose (Roseanne Park), Jisoo Kim and Jennie Kim

The monarch, 75, appeared to be in high spirits as he held an Investiture for the band at Buckingham Palace, in the presence of The President of the Republic of Korea and the First Lady, during their official State Visit to the United Kingdom

'More abuse of the honourary system,' one wrote. 'It's becoming meaningless.'

'Didn't know you could buy those titles,' a second hit out.

However, others said 'nobody is doing it like them' as they showered Blackpink in praise.

'A lovely gesture from the King, and well deserved,' one comment read.

Another added: 'They deserve every single recognition they get each year.'

'Truly an inspiration for all of us!!' a third remarked.

After receiving their honours, the girls then posed for official photographs including one with The President of the Republic of Korea and the First Lady, who were on hand to witness the moment.

Korean culture has experienced an explosion in popularity with its music, known as K-pop, becoming a global youth phenomenon.

Alongside bands such as BTS, Blackpink are at the vanguard of the genre, smashing records including becoming the most subscribed and viewed music artist on YouTube and having the highest-grossing tour by a female group.
Seoul vows immediate retaliation against possible provocations

By Lee Hyo-jin

North Korea is likely to restore guard posts inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) as one of its initial moves to demonstrate the effective nullification of the 2018 inter-Korean military agreement, analysts said Thursday.

The reclusive regime may also carry out artillery exercises near the Northern Limit Line (NLL) and engage in other provocative actions along the border that were prohibited under the military pact, according to observers.

"Restoring guard posts at the DMZ is perhaps the easiest and fastest way for the North to show that it is beefing up its military presence near the border," said Cho Han-bum, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification.

Pyongyang's defense ministry announced on Thursday that it would reinstate "all military measures" that were suspended under the Comprehensive Military Agreement (CMA), also known as the Sept. 19 military agreement. The document was signed in 2018 when the two Koreas reached a consensus over reducing military tensions near the border.

"We will immediately restore all military measures that have been halted according to the north-south military agreement," it said in a statement carried by the North's official mouthpiece, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

"We will withdraw the military steps, taken to prevent military tension and conflict in all spheres including ground, sea and air, and deploy more powerful armed forces and new-types of military hardware in the region along the Military Demarcation Line," it added.

The announcement came just a day after South Korea's decision to partially suspend the CMA and resume front-line aerial surveillance, in response to the North's launch of a military spy satellite on Tuesday night.

As per the Sept. 19 military agreement, both Koreas dismantled 11 front-line guard posts from their respective sides in December 2018.

Cho noted that the North's annual wintertime military exercises, which are expected to kick off in December and continue through early spring, will be more extensive than previous ones and could involve tactical nuclear strike drills.

"They will also launch additional spy satellites in the coming months to fully establish a space-based surveillance system. At least five satellites in operation are required to observe the Korean Peninsula around the clock," the researcher said.

Park Won-gon, a professor of North Korean studies at Ewha Womans University, thinks that the North will soon conduct artillery exercises near the NLL in the West Sea, the maritime border separating the two Koreas, to draw international attention to the military pact, which has been effectively abolished.

"It may also utilize its surveillance drones near the border in response to South Korea's resumption of reconnaissance activities," he said.

When asked about how Seoul would respond to such provocations, Park replied, "Now that North Korea has officially announced that it will disregard the CMA, our military will feel less constrained by the agreement. We may witness some tit-for-tat actions."

South Korea's Defense Minister Shin Won-sik warned of retaliatory measures against the North's potential military provocations.

"If North Korea engages in provocative actions using the suspension (of the military agreement) as an excuse, we will immediately take overwhelming retaliatory measures," Shin said during a National Assembly session, Thursday.
As cabin fever begins to set in among this year's I'm a Celebrity campmates, one name in particular is on everyone's lips - 26-year-old YouTuber and TikTok star Nella Rose.

The Belgian-British media personality who has more than 800,000 subscribers on YouTube and more than one million followers on TikTok has been trending on X, formerly Twitter, following her disagreements with Fred Sirieix and Nigel Farage.

The London-based YouTube star labelled the French maitre d' offensive for claiming he's 'old enough to be her dad' after she previously told him her father had passed away; and told the controversial former UKIP leader he was 'hated' by many people for his political views.

While many have blasted the YouTuber, whose full name is Ornella Rose Hollela, for being sensitive, Nella has also received plenty of support from viewers and appears to have split the ITV audience down the middle - but a pattern seems to be emerging in people's opposing views.

Whereas younger viewers from Gen Z tend to be calling for more understanding around Nella's behaviour, older viewers appear more likely to criticise her for being too sensitive - with some going one step further in criticising Gen Z overall.

In another encounter, she took Nigel Farage to task over his political views and said he is 'anti-immigrant'

As cabin fever sets in among the campmates and tensions begin to run high, Nella said she felt 'disrespected' by Sirieix's comment that he was 'old enough to be her dad' after she confided in him that her father has passed away

Nella Rose, the 26-year-old YouTuber, has divided opinion among I'm a Celebrity viewers after arguing with First Dates's Fred Sirieix and former UKIP leader Nigel Farage

Arguing in support of Nella Rose, younger audiences tend to draw attention to the fact that the YouTube star is grieving, having lost both of her parents in the last seven years.

Nella, who was born in Belgium and moved to the UK as a youngster, grew up in London. She has often spoken about her Congolese heritage, of which she is 'proud'.

She studied at the University of Leicester before finding fame on YouTube with her lifestyle content.

However, despite reaching dizzying heights of success in her career, Nella's personal life has been blighted by heartache after her mother passed away in 2016 when she was just 46 years old. Nella was 19 at the time. Four years later, in 2020, her father died as well.

The YouTuber has previously opened up on her channel about losing her parents. In 2018 she said it was 'the worst thing that has happened to me in my life and I'm still not over it'.

Speaking to her audience, the influencer said: 'I didn't want this to be my life.'

In the episode of Hair Chat, where she prepares her hair while speaking about updates in her own life.

Devastating: Ornella Rose Hollela's mother Eseho Omolongo' tragically died in her arms in 2016. Nella previously said it was the worst thing that has ever happened to her

Nella posted this image as part of a montage of her mother after her death in 2016

Tragic: Nella's father Kamango Paul Hollela tragically died four years after her mother

Daddy's girl: Nella's father died in 2020 - she posted this image of him along with a tribute

Nella said she often puts on a brave face as a media personality and doesn't like people to see her vulnerability, but added: 'All that glitters is not gold.'

She said: 'A couple of weeks after I turned 19, my mum passed away. And it was something that you don't expect; you don't plan.

'It just happened, like, she literally died in my arms. I didn't wake up that day thinking "oh my mum's going to pass away".'

She said she has 'learnt to deal' with the grief, but added: 'I do not see myself healing from it any time soon.'

Social media star: Nella started her YouTube channel in 2015 with hair tutorials and fashion tips and has grown into a much-loved content creator

Congratulations! Nella has built up a healthy fortune and she bought her first house in the capital last week  a far cry from her poverty-stricken upbringing

Nella added she was 'not ready' to talk about the circumstances surrounding her mother's death because she didn't want to 'cry on camera'.

Since entering the jungle, Nella has also opened up about her father's death, after already losing her mother just four years earlier.

In a heartfelt conversation with food critic and columnist Grace Dent, Nella said: 'After my dad passed, I locked myself in the house for two months, I just drank every single day and ate every single day.'

Before entering the jungle, Nella Rose posted regular vlogs on her YouTube channel covering fashion and shopping hauls, relationship content and comedy.

Before entering the jungle, Nella Rose posted regular vlogs on her YouTube channel covering fashion and shopping hauls, relationship content and comedy. Pictured in June

Since entering the jungle, Nella has also opened up about her father's death, after already losing her mother just four years earlier. Pictured last year

The Daily Mail surveyed viewers on the streets of London to determine how they felt about Nella Rose's interactions with others - with younger people expressing more sympathy with her

One viewer, who appeared to be Gen X, said Nella's behaviour was 'disgusting' and added she should apologise to Fred

Speaking out: Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, furious fans declared she should instantly apologise for her 'way over the top' reaction

She has also had presenting stints on MTV's Catfish UK, and has fronted online red-carpet streams for events including the Brit Awards.

However, since becoming an I'm a Celebrity campmate, Nella Rose has hit headlines for conflicts she has become involved in; including arguments with Fred Sirieix and Nigel Farage.

During a dinner conversation with Sirieix while he was cooking for the camp, Fred was joking about his bad eyesight with the YouTuber, and said: 'I'm 51. I'm not 26 anymore am I? I could be your dad.'

In response, Nella took him to task over his comments the following morning, claiming she felt 'disrespected' and said she didn't want to speak to him anymore.

The encounter bitterly divided viewers on social media, many of whom jumped to Fred's defence. However, people took to X, formerly Twitter, in equal numbers to stick up for their favourite YouTube star and argued she hadn't done anything wrong and is still grieving for her parents.

Some people also defended Nella online, saying that they need to give her a break and some grace

One 23-year-old viewer, who took Nella's side, said: 'I feel sorry for Nella. She's still grieving and it's hard to even hear the word "dad". Hope they can resolve this.'

Another argued: 'Has anyone actually thought that Nella still might be grieving her father why shes reacted the way she has? Not saying I agree with her reaction however we all handle grief differently and no matter how normal sayings are to you, they can still trigger someone.'

A third viewer, who claims to be 22-years-old in their X bio, said: 'How are people coming for Nella Rose? She's the one grieving... I'm confused by this. The logic has gone out the window.'

And another person who lists their age as 25 in their X bio also noted Nella had been 'triggered' by the exchange.

They wrote: 'Ahh it's clear that Nella still has some unresolved feelings about her parents dying so it being brought up in any way triggered her.

'Fred 100% did not mean it in a mean way, hopefully this blows over.'

However, other people took to X to voice an opposing opinion - taking aim at both Nella and 'woke-a** Gen Z.

One viewer said: 'Nella is the product of a victimhood snowflake generation where everything causes offence.'

Another wrote: 'Nella is the epitome of this uneducated, self-entitled, offended at everything, dim-witted generation!'

As a generational divide appears to emerge on either side of the argument over Nella's reaction, a survey of shoppers in London that was filmed for the Daily Mail's TikTok channel appeared to reflect a similar split by age.

One woman, who appeared to be from Gen X, said Nella's reaction was 'disgusting', adding: 'I really like her and I think she's made a mountain out of a molehill.'

The woman added Nella Rose should apologise to Fred, and that the British public should vote her out of the jungle.

However, younger people questioned about the YouTuber seemed to echo the sympathy given to Nella by younger X users, noting the grief she is still going through following the deaths of her parents.

One younger viewer told the Daily Mail: 'It's very disrespectful for people to tell her how to grieve.'

Another younger viewer said: 'I think she's grieving. That's what it is.'

It appears that, since the disagreement between Nella Rose and Fred, any tension between the pair has now blown over - but the YouTuber also butted heads with controversial politician Nigel Farage in Wednesday night's episode.

Taking him to task over his political views - in particular his campaign to remove the UK from the EU - the 26-year-old accused Farage of being 'anti-immigrant' and, referring to the fact she moved to the UK from an EU-member state as a baby, told him: 'You want us gone, that's all I understood.'
Crown Princess Mary and Crown Prince Frederik looked 'tense' during their first engagement as a couple since photos of his night out with a Mexican socialite emerged, a body language expert has claimed.

The future King and Queen of Denmark have carried out engagements with other family members, as well as the King and Queen of Spain, since the scandal broke.

However, pictures of the royals with Denmark's climate ambassador Tomas Anker Christensen at Amalienborg Palace, Copenhagen, were shared on Instagram on Thursday.

The meeting was their first solo engagement as a couple, without other members of the royal family, since the scandal of his night in Madrid with Genoveva Casanova.

And body language expert Judi James claimed Mary's rigid stance suggests there is 'tension', while her pursed lips 'hint at judgemental thinking'.

As for Frederik, 55, Judi said his crossed arms add to the 'air of coolness' in the room, even though he looked more relaxed.

Crown Princess Mary and Crown Prince Frederik look frosty in a photo shared by the Danish Palace, a body language expert has claimed

Judi James claimed Mary's rigid stance suggests there is 'tension', while her pursed lips 'hint at judgemental thinking'

The pair met with Christensen to discuss Denmark's climate efforts ahead of COP28 in Dubai in December.

For the meeting, Mary, 51, donned a light pink blouse and wide leg black trousers, while Frederik sported a navy suit with a light blue shirt underneath.

But while the colour palettes were subtle, the same could not be said for the change in Mary's body language since rumours of the scandal emerged - which Judy called 'dramatic'.

'Princess Marys body language before all the rumours of a scandal tended to feature a very soft, warm and playful facial expression when she was with her husband, Crown Prince Frederik, which makes this subtle switch to a frostier look seem dramatic,' Judi said.

She said that sitting side by side, Mary and Frederik show two 'very contrasting' body language states.

'Mary looks formal and tense,' Judi claimed. 'Her slightly raised chin, tilted head and primly pursed lips hint at judgemental thinking, with her eyes on Christensen.'

And Frederik appears to be either consciously or subconsciously trying to show off his wedding ring, Judi suggested, adding that he appears to be 'feigning relaxation'.

'His crossed arms appear odd, adding to the air of coolness in the room,' Judi said.

'When we fold our arms we do so in one way only. Swapping the upper arm position with the lower is almost impossibly awkward to do. With this gesture which is more like a self-hug then, Fredericks trait of placing his left hand on his own bicep looks suspiciously like a conscious or unconscious desire to show off his wedding ring here rather than part of an actual arm-folding.'

She added: 'He also has creases of what look like tension or anxiety between his brows.'

The magazine claimed the pair watched a flamenco performance at a Spanish restaurant, El Corral de la Moreria, which finished at midnight (seen at the restaurant)

Spain's King Felipe and Queen Letizia, and Denmark's Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary are pictured together in Copenhagen, Denmark on November 8, just days after the rumours were made public

Of the staircase image, Judi said Mary's pose 'suggests tension', as her feet are tight together and her shoulders and smile look more 'rigid' than usual.

The expert said the line-up for the picture 'lacks symmetry', as Mary stands closer to Christensen while Frederik is rather far from him.

And people on social media picked up on the 'frostiness', with one person commenting: 'They don't look sparkling together as they used to.'

'Looks chilly' said another, while a third wrote: 'The elephant in the room ... oh dear.'

It comes amid drama for the Danish monarchy after Frederik was pictured on a night out with Mexican socialite Genoveva out and about on the streets of Madrid on 25 October, as reported by Spanish magazine Lecturas.

In the photos, which are taken throughout the day and into the evening, the pair enjoy a stroll through the park, before getting into a change of clothes and heading out again for the evening.

After it was reported that the duo had enjoyed an evening out in the Spanish capital without Frederik's wife of 19 years, Crown Princess Mary, Genoveva, 47, issued a statement denying any kind of romantic relationship between herself and the future Danish King.

In a legal letter posted on Instagram, she slammed the 'malicious' rumours suggesting the pair were romantically involved.
A remarkable collection of Royal Christmas cards covering almost every year between 1953 to 1989 have emerged for sale.

The cards were kept by Commander Sir Philip John Row, who was Deputy Treasurer to Queen Elizabeth II between 1958 and 1968 and then appointed Extra Equerry to the Queen Mother in 1969.

They are now being sold on 28 November, alongside his impressive group of medals, coins and ephemera for an estimated 15,000 at auctioneers Woolley & Wallis, of Salisbury, Wiltshire.

The charming array of festive greetings show the changing face of three generations of the Royals Family over four decades.

King Charles was five-years-old in the earliest card and father to Princes William and Harry in a later one.

A remarkable collection of Royal Christmas cards covering almost every year between 1953 to 1989 have emerged for sale (Pictured: The Queen and Philip with a young Anne, Charles and Corgis in the 1957)

There are sweet images of Charles with Princess Anne as children in the 1950s and Princes Andrew and Edward in the 1960s and early '70s.

The 1960 Christmas card shows the family on the front lawn at Balmoral with baby Andrew, while baby Edward appears in a pram in 1964 with the family huddled around it.

The 1978 card features Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip by a fireplace, with the 1981 card showing the newlyweds Charles and Princess Diana.

Sir Philip John Row joined the Royal Navy in 1922 and in the Second World War he served on HMS Kent on the Arctic Convoys.

He was also on board Kent for Operation Mascot - one of the many attempts to destroy the German battleship Tirpitz.

His 20 medals include the Royal Victoria Order, Knight Commander's Neck Badge and Star, the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire and France's Legion d'Honneur.

Ned Cowell, militaria specialist at Woolley & Wallis, said: 'His collection of Royal Christmas cards from 1953 to 1989 provide a fascinating record of the first half of Queen Elizabeth's long reign.

'It is interesting to look at the cards and see how the photos chosen evolve over the near 40 year period.

Pictured: The Royal family together, (From left) Princess Anne, Prince Edward, The Queen, Prince Charles, Prince Andrew and Prince Philip

One card featured Edward, The Queen, Philip, Anne and a bearded Prince Andrew. It also features a young Peter Phillips and his sister Zara. The 1983 Christmas card picture was taken on board the Royal Yacht 'Britannia'

The cards were kept by Commander Sir Philip John Row, who was Deputy Treasurer to Queen Elizabeth II between 1958 and 1968 and then appointed Extra Equerry to the Queen Mother in 1969

The Queen and Philip with a young Anne and Charles on the Buckingham Palace balcony in the 1954 Christmas card

This card from 1981 features the Charles and Diana on their Wedding day in 1981 The Queen and Prince Philip pictured either side of the happy couple

The Queen and Prince Philip with a young Anne and Charles in the 1956 Christmas card

Prince Charles was missing from the colourful 1973 Christmas Card. He was 24-years-old and serving in the Royal Navy at the time

The Queen, who donned a bright yellow dress, put Edward in shorts for the 1971 card

The Queen was pictured alongside the Queen mother holding Princess Beatrice, who is the elder daughter of Prince Andrew, in the 1988 Christmas card

The colourful 1972 card has a 70's feel to it and Prince Andrew has his eyes closed

The 1982 card, the year the Falklands war ended, featured Prince Andrew who famously served during the war

The charming array of festive greetings show the changing face of three generations of the Royals over four decades

They are now being sold on 28 November, alongside his impressive group of medals, coins and ephemera for an estimated 15,000 at auctioneers Woolley & Wallis, of Salisbury, Wiltshire

'The early photos exemplify the Queen's focus on her young family and it is fascinating to watch them grow up and become the characters we ourselves grew up with.

'The style also changes from the more formal, posed photographs of the 1950s to the relaxed manner adopted during the 1980s.

'What is special about this collection is that it comes from someone who was senior in the Royal Household early on during the Queen's reign so it starts from her first year on the throne.'

Row worked on the Royal Yacht and rose to Paymaster Commander.

He followed in his father's footsteps, who was Paymaster Rear Admiral and Secretary of the King's Privy Purse.
Queen Camilla looked elegant in royal blue as she held a reception for the Booker Prize Foundation at Clarence House today.

Camilla, 76, re-wore a Fiona Clare dress, which she has worn on a number of occasions, to host the annual event.

Her Majesty met with guests, past winners and the authors shortlisted for this year's Booker Prize, ahead of the announcement of the 2023 winner.

She appeared in good spirits, beaming as she spoke to a number of guests, including author Paul Harding, who is nominated for The Other Eden.

The royal elevated her ensemble with extravagant bracelets and necklaces by Van Cleef & Arpels, as well as statement gold drop earrings.

Queen Camilla looked elegant in royal blue as she held a reception for the Booker Prize Foundation at Clarence House today

Camilla showcased a glowing make-up look, incorporating peach-coloured lipstick, while her signature blonde locks were styled into a glamorous bob.

Her Majesty's demure dress was created especially for her by British couturier, Fiona Clare. The vibrant design featured a fit-and-flare silhouette, incorporating a notch neckline, sculpting darts and sophisticated midi-length.

The Queen declared herself 'very jealous' of the forthcoming Booker Prize winner as she was given their trophy for 'safe keeping'.

At a reception at Clarence House today for authors shortlisted for the 2023 award, as well as guests and former winners, Camilla accepted 'The Iris' and thanked them for enriching people's lives.

'I wish this was being given to me. I am very jealous of the person who is going to pick it up on Sunday and wish you all the best of luck,' she said.

In an off-the-cuff speech she added: 'I wanted to say thank you to all the writers who enhance our lives. We couldn't do without you all.

'As I have always said, reading is an escapism. Whatever is happening in your life and you feel it is difficult to cope with, you can pick up a book and just go off into another world.

'If it wasn't for all of you and all the people and the publishers and the agents that help put your books on the map, it would be a very sad world. So thank you all very much indeed.'

Camilla appeared in good spirits as she spoke to author Paul Harding, who is nominated for The Other Eden

Her Majesty met with guests, past winners and the authors shortlisted for this year's Booker Prize, ahead of the announcement of the 2023 winner. Pictured chatting with author Esi Edugyan, who is the chair of the 2023 judging panel

Camilla was beaming as she mingled with a number of guests at Clarence House. Pictured chatting with Jonathan Escoffery, who is nominated for If I Survive You

The royal elevated her ensemble with extravagant bracelets and necklaces by Van Cleef & Arpels, as well as statement gold drop earrings

First awarded in 1969, the Booker Prize is the world's most significant award for the best sustained work of fiction written in English by authors from anywhere in the world and published in the UK and Ireland.

This year's winner will be announced from a shortlist of six in London on Sunday night.

The shortlisted titles and authors for are: Sarah Bernstein for Study for Obedience; Jonathan Escoffery for If I Survive You; Paul Lynch for Prophet Song; Paul Harding for The Other Eden; Chetna Maroo for Western Lane; and Paul Murray for The Bee Sting.

Sir Ben Okri gave a stirring speech about the 'magic' of the Booker prize and in praise of the 'vital force' of literature.

He likened the Prize to a 'fairytale' being enacted and described Camilla as 'its Queen'.

Describing the Booker Prize as a 'gift' given to the world each year, he said: 'People might argue about the nature or the quality of that gift but nothing changes the fact that a gift has been given and that a powerful ritual has been enacted.

'We have indeed been fortunate to have a queen who loves reading and who also champions the right of writers to write freely and unfettered. For a fairytale is not an unreal fact taking place in a real world, it is a transformative act taking place in a resistant world. Magic is only possible because reality is hard.

'Out of the suffering of the world, out of the irresolvable conflicts, out of wars and injustice and grief and inequality, we are taken through the ritual of choice. We are meant to look beneath the surface of six books and make the choice of the one that perhaps most resonates with the time and gives us the highest pleasures, of the most excellent story filtered through the richest or most truthful language.

'Someone defined genius not as one necessarily having intelligence that is superior to the rest of us, but as one who through the labyrinth of their work can make the right and the highest choice.

'Literature is about choices, about consequences, about outcomes. Great story telling reminds us that we have to effect a difficult transformation in a resistant world. In a world of things and beings that do not want to change. But the forces of change are operating with unavoidable inevitability.

Camilla showcased a glowing make-up look, incorporating peach-coloured lipstick, while her signature blonde locks were styled into a glamorous bob

Camilla pictured with authors Paul Murray (left) - nominated for The Bee Sting - and Paul Lynch, who wrote Prophet Song

Camilla and Sir Ben Okri - a British poet and novelist - pictured chatting with a guest during the reception

'We are part of a small galaxy of people who believe that the word redeems. I am called upon to salute you all Whatever is happening in the world let us not lose sight of the essential fairytale which is a point of light in the dark energy of it all. Millions of other points of light are touched by the threads of stories you shape that connect us all in this great story of living. '

Guest and previous Booker Prize winner Dame Penelope Lively said it was 'wonderful' that the Queen was such a champion for literacy.

Camilla has been a huge champion of literacy in the UK and internationally since she joined the Royal Family and even set up her own online 'Reading Room' which has gone on to attract over 160,000 followers.

Gaby Wood, chief executive of the Booker Prize Foundation, described the Queen as someone who is a 'passionate champion' of literacy and literature. 'Her Majesty is all about that, her Royal Reading Room is so glorious,' she said.

The nominees will be judged by novelist Esi Edugyan, twice-shortlisted for the Booker Prize, who is the chair of the 2023 panel.

Edugyan will be joined by actor, writer and director Adjoa Andoh, poet, lecturer, editor and critic Mary Jean Chan, Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University and Shakespeare specialist James Shapiro, and actor and writer Robert Webb.

The judges are looking for the best work of long-form fiction, selected from entries published in the UK and Ireland, between 1 October 2022 and 30 September 2023.

The winner will receive 50,000, while the six shortlisted authors will each be given 2,500.

The Queen pictured with the Chief Executive of the Booker Prize Foundation, Gaby Wood, during the reception

The Queen was seen sharing a joke with a guest at the Booker Prize Foundation Reception today

The Queen presented the award to Sri Lankan writer Shehan Karunatilaka for The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida in 2022.

This year's winner will be announced at Old Billingsgate, London, on 26 November 2023.

It comes after Queen Camilla joined King Charles at a lavish State Banquet for South Korea's President and First Lady on Tuesday.

Camilla sported a sophisticated scarlet ensemble as she and Charles hosted a glitzy State Banquet for the President and First Lady of South Korea tonight.

The royal paid tribute to her late mother-in-law as she unearthed Queen Elizabeth's magnificent ruby and diamond Burmese tiara for the lavish event at Buckingham Palace in London.

The late monarch's ruby and diamond tiara was made in the 1970s from gems that originated from the Nizam of Hyderabad tiara, which was given to her as wedding gift.

It matched Camilla's red velvet evening dress by Fiona Clare, which featured a relaxed silhouette with flowing sleeves and a pleated skirt. She styled her blonde tresses into a signature style, opting for dewy, peachy make-up.

Both she and the Princess of Wales sported stunning jewellery tonight, as Kate, 41, donned the late Queen Mother's eye-catching Strathmore Rose tiara, which hasn't been worn in public for many decades.

The pair also matched with yellow brooch pinned on their chest, which featured a portrait of a young Queen Elizabeth II wearing an evening dress with a ribbon and star of the Order of the Garter.

The brooches are a sign that the wearer has been made a part of the Royal Family Order, an honour gifted to female members of the Firm by the monarch.
King Charles III shared a warm handshake with the South Korean President, who today concluded his state visit to the UK after three days of glitzy banquets and cultural tours.

The monarch, 75, and Queen Camilla were all smiles as they posed for photos with Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee at Buckingham Palace.

The group appeared to be in high spirits as they exchanged fond goodbyes on the last day.

The Queen, 76, sported a sapphire blue ensemble from Fiona Clare, looking effortlessly elegant in a button-up dress coat.

She accessorised with some simple black heels and a clutch.

King Charles III shared a warm handshake with the South Korean President, who today concluded his state visit to the UK after three days of glitzy banquets and cultural tours

Meanwhile, Kim Keon Hee showed off her stunningly sophisticated style with a cream blazer and skirt, teamed with a mustard yellow blouse.

Elsewhere, Charles cut a dapper figure in a formal outfit featuring pinstripe trousers, a fitted waistcoat and a pastel pink tie.

And President Yoon Suk Yeol opted for a simple and classic black suit.

Charles and Camilla officially welcomed South Korea's president to Britain earlier this week, with a festive Horse Guards Parade.

On Tuesday, he also treated the guests to a glitzy state banquet at Buckingham Palace.

Speaking to more than 300 state banquet attendees, he welcomed them with a smattering of Korean: 'Yeong-gug-e osin geos-eul hwan-yeonghabnida [Welcome to Britain].'

Marking the 140th anniversary of Korea's diplomatic relationship with the UK, the king described it as a 'partnership in which close personal connections, fostered over many decades, have blossomed today into a real sense of affection, or jeong, between our societies at so many levels'.

The king highlighted the 'remarkable journey' Korea has taken into span of his lifetime, saying: 'Koreans have created a miracle.

The monarch, 75, and Queen Camilla were all smiles as they posed for photos with Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee at Buckingham Palace

The group appeared to be in high spirits as they exchanged fond goodbyes on the last day today

The Queen, 76, sported a sapphire blue ensemble from Fiona Clare, looking effortlessly elegant in a button-up dress coat

Elsewhere, Charles cut a dapper figure in a formal outfit featuring pinstripe trousers, a fitted waistcoat and a pastel pink tie

Charles and Camilla officially welcomed South Korea 's president to Britain earlier this week, with a festive Horse Guards Parade. Pictured during the farewell today

'Even at the time of my last visit, that journey was clearly just beginning. The Republic of Korea's drive and energy continued apace, and with it, the impact on British lives. From fridges and flatscreens to smartphones and semiconductors, it is clear that the model of industrial efficiency I glimpsed in Seoul thirty years ago has become the epitome of technological creativity today. '

Highlighting the 'artistic creativity' of the country, he also praised the explosion of Korean culture.

'Korea has matched Danny Boyle with Bong Joon-ho, James Bond with Squid Game, and the Beatles' Let It Be with BTS's Dynamite,' he said.

He also praised Korea's commitment to the environment despite the country's great changes.

'The Republic of Korea, as one of very few countries which ended the twentieth century with more trees than at the century's beginning, has always grasped this,' he said.

Kim Keon Hee showed off her stunningly sophisticated style with a cream blazer and skirt, teamed with a mustard yellow blouse

'It is especially inspiring to see Korea's younger generation embrace the cause. I applaud Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa and Rose, better known collectively as BLACKPINK, for their role in bringing the message of environmental sustainability to a global audience as Ambassadors for the U.K.'s Presidency of COP 26, and later as advocates for the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals.

'I can only admire how they can prioritise these vital issues, as well as being global superstars. '

He also highlighted the close links between Korean and UK armed forces.

'Seventy years ago, in the Korean War, British servicemen fought valiantly alongside your people, under the banner of the United Nations, for the freedom of the Republic of Korea,' he said.

'All those who fought for the survival of your fledgling Republic are in admiration of what your country has become.

Marking the 140th anniversary of Korea's diplomatic relationship with the UK, the king described it as a 'partnership in which close personal connections

King Charles III opted for a traditional black tuxedo adorned with medals. Pictured with South Korea's President and First Lady during the state banquet this week

'Through their own sweat and toil, and under the shadow of tyranny and the ever-present threat of aggression, over seven decades Koreans have built a bastion of democracy, human rights and freedom. In a world where these values are challenged, sadly, as rarely before in our lifetimes, the Republic of Korea and the United Kingdom stand shoulder to shoulder in defence of all that we hold dear. '

He concluded with another attempt at Korean - using the words for cheers - saying: 'And so, Mr President, Madame Kim, it is with great pride and pleasure that I propose a toast to the next 140 years of Korean-British relations. Wihayeo!'

The king's attempts at Korean clearly delighted the President and earned an unprecedented round of applause.

There were lovely words, too, from the President of Korea, who said he was 'deeply touched' by the 'kind preparations and the warmth of your hospitality'.

He added: 'Under Your Majesty's reign, the UK - with its renewed vigour- is flourishing in great strides.

'Your Majesty's splendid leadership is not only bringing the people of the Commonwealth together but animating the very spirit of the Commonwealth of Nations.

'Along with the profound respected dignity that Your Majesty is showing to the people as Monarch, both the British people and the people across the globe are appreciative of your down to earth character. We all pay tribute to your warm-hearted passion towards protecting the environment, caring for the most vulnerable members of society, and inheriting a better future for our youth.

'To me, fair friend, the United Kingdom, you can never be old.'

The visit comes as yesterday Kemi Badenoch launched talks to widen the free trade deal with South Korea to support British jobs.

As the two countries upgrade the existing agreement to include digital trade, the Business and Trade Secretary will meet her Korean counterpart Bang Moon Kyu at the UK-Korea Business Forum at Mansion House in the City of London.

They will announce 21billion of investment committed by Korean businesses in green energy and infrastructure projects across the UK.

The funding will create more than 1,500 skilled jobs and drive innovation, the Government said.

The British royals took a photo together with Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife, on day on the state visit

The UK secured a free trade deal with South Korea in 2019, with the agreement largely aimed at keeping trade flowing post-Brexit and removing uncertainty. But British ministers want to secure modern, digital provisions in a new deal because most of its service exports to Korea are delivered digitally.

The Government said 7,000 businesses exporting goods to South Korea will benefit, as the new agreement is set to include support for smaller businesses by digitalising and simplifying customs procedures. Luxury car manufacturer Bentley and drinks giant Diageo are expected to announce more than 200million worth of contracts in the country this year.

And the UK will work to secure simple rules of origin to help businesses benefit from reduced or zero tariffs when exporting to the Asian giant. South Korea is the 13th largest economy in the world, and its import market is set to grow 45 per cent by 2035.

Mrs Badenoch said: 'The Government is upgrading our trade deal with South Korea to ensure that our trading relationship plays to the UK's strengths as an advanced, high-tech economy.

'This refreshed, modernised deal will boost our world-leading services sector while also creating opportunities for UK exports such as in our world-leading food and luxury goods sectors.'
Alice McCall has been called out again over its comeback collaboration with Shein - this time because of the lack of sizes available in the range.

The once high-end fashion designer said she had decided to work with the Chinese fast fashion brand to help make her range more accessible.

But the decision to partner with Shein left fans feeling 'embarrassed' and 'devastated' with many claiming the collaboration goes against everything the collapsed company once stood for.

Others pointed out the cheaper re-launch is still only available in a small size range - from six to a 'combined' 12/14.

But founder Alice McCall told FEMAIL this range will be extended in the coming weeks.

On November 13 the collaboration between collapsed Aussie designer Alice McCall and fast fashion label Shein was announced

'Embarrassed' and 'devastated' fans slammed the decision, saying it goes against everything the company stands for

The new garments are only available from size six to 12-14 (pictured)

Ms McCall told FEMAIL: 'As this was our the very first collaboration, we wanted to start with a limited range to gauge customer response to the collection. Sales to date have been very strong so we will be extending the size range in the next few weeks'

'As this was our the very first collaboration, we wanted to start with a limited range to gauge customer response to the collection,' she said.

'Sales to date have been very strong so we will be extending the size range in the next few weeks.'

The label was founded in 2004 but struggled during the Covid-19 pandemic before going into liquidation in February owing $1million to creditors.

The pieces were regularly featured on red carpets and in high fashion editorials for Vogue, Harper's Bazaar and Elle and the brand was beloved for what many described as its 'playful sensibility'.

A Shein spokesperson also told FEMAIL the brand is 'committed to making the beauty of fashion accessible to all, and this includes inclusive sizing'.

'Our on-demand production model leverages real-time product performance insights and customer feedback to guide our production metrics,' the spokesperson said.

'At launch, we only produce 100 to 200 pieces of any product, and then scale our production to accurately meet customer demand.'

The collection will launch on November 16 in Australia, New Zealand and the US with prices ranging from $15 for a bralette to $120 for a dress.

A Shein spokesperson also told FEMAIL only 100-200 pieces are made of any product at launch

Following the partnership announcement, fans flocked to Instagram and X to share their opinion and shock

On X one person wrote: 'Absolutely devastating to see what's become of Alice McCall'

Another said she is 'absolutely devastated'

Following the announcement on November 13, fans flocked to Instagram and X to share their opinion.

'Alice McCall x Shein is so embarrassing.. why would you tank your own brand like that?' one wrote.

'Designer who went bust decides to collaborate with a sweat shop factory,' another said.

'Absolutely devastating to see what's become of Alice McCall,' a third added on X.

On Instagram, a commenter wrote: 'The Alice McCall brand makes one of the most disappointing moves in a desperate attempt to make money. Having to turn off the comments on the Instagram post just an hour after posting is the cherry on top.'

Another said they were 'shocked and enraged' by the decision.

Speaking of the backlash, Ms McCall (pictured) told FEMAIL 'everyone has a right to express their views'. 'I'm just very much focused on the launch of this collection which I truly believe in,' she said

After the backlash, Ms McCall said: 'Everyone has a right to express their views. I'm just very much focused on the launch of this collection which I truly believe in.'

'This collaboration will allow a whole new audience, who may not have been able to afford an Alice McCall piece in the past, the opportunity to purchase a piece that is every bit as good as anything I have previously created.

'One of my principles as a designer is to make garments that last and I've taken this philosophy through to the pieces in this collection.

'A highlight for me with this collection was that, for the first time in my two decades as a designer, I have been able to work with rescued fabrics and have also used recycled polyester in this collection.'

'This collaboration will allow a whole new audience, who may not have been able to afford an Alice McCall piece in the past, the opportunity to purchase a piece that is every bit as good as anything I have previously created,' Ms McCall said

The collection will launch on November 16 in Australia, New Zealand and the US with prices ranging from $15 for a bralette to $120 for a dress

'I have always resonated with the idea that my designs can become attainable to a wider audience, so when the opportunity to partner with SHEIN presented itself, it felt like I was able to turn this vision into reality,' Ms McCall added.

'A highlight for me was that, for the first time in my two decades as a designer, I have been able to work with rescued fabrics and have also used recycled polyester in this collection.

'The styles feel fresh, elevated, easy to wear and obviously Alice.'

One fan hit back over the brand's sustainability claims and, saying polyester was not an environmentally friendly material.

'Given designers are well aware of Shein's practices, polyester as a fabric is just plastic and not sustainable nor environmentally friendly or ethical in anyway, this collaboration reeks of just doing it to make money,' the Instagram comment read.

A Shein spokesperson said: 'Alice McCall's flirty, feminine collection, coupled with her use of preferred materials, such as rescued fabric, will hit the mark for many customers around the world'

A Shein spokesperson said: 'We are always identifying ways to bring customers more of what they love.

'Alice McCall's flirty, feminine collection, coupled with her use of preferred materials, such as rescued fabric, will hit the mark for many customers around the world.'

The collection incorporates rescued textiles sourced via Shein's partnership with Queen of Raw, a global circular economy technology company.

Shoppers can expect pastels, floral prints, nods to 70s Italian lingerie, art nouveau-inspired pieces and more in the feminine collection.

In November 2020, Alice McCall went into voluntary administration.

In a statement posted to Instagram, Ms McCall said: 'After two decades, I have come full circle with the brand, Alice McCall. It is time to close the doors, making space for a new chapter in my life.

'I want to say thankyou and acknowledge all the people that have worn , supported and loved the brand over the years.'

It was also reported McCall owed more than $1million to its creditors with more than half of the money indebted to the Australian Taxation Office.
A traveller has shared her 'disastrous' experience after what was meant to be a dream trip to Iceland turned into the holiday from hell on day one.

Amy, from Canada, decided to venture to the picturesque nation after a breakup in but was nervous to travel alone. No friends could make it so she put the offer out to several acquaintances.

A girl she wasn't close with agreed to come along but things took a drastic turn shortly after the pair set off.

'When we got to Iceland, I started to see a dark side of her come out when drinking,' Amy, known now as Spellbound Travels, wrote on Instagram.

On the first night Amy claims the girl 'attacked' her in the hostel before 'punching the receptionist in the face'. This led to her 'arrest by six or seven police'.

She was then kicked out of the hostel for her behaviour, leaving Amy alone in a new country.

A traveller has shared her 'disastrous' experience after what was meant to be a dream trip to Iceland turned into the holiday from hell on day one

Amy, from Canada , decided to venture to the picturesque nation after a breakup in but was nervous to travel alone. No friends could make it so she put the offer out to several acquaintances

'Finding myself completely alone and not knowing what to do, I started to make friends with new people at the hostel and explore Iceland,' she wrote.

'I had to completely rearrange my plans to avoid her and found new things to do.

'Despite it being a stressful week, I ended up seeing the northern lights, hiking with new people, driving around the golden circle, seeing waterfalls, geysers and more!'

The experience was a massive learning curve for Amy who realised she needed to 'be careful who you travel with' - and sometimes the best people to travel with are others from hostels.

'They made my experience and gave me the confidence to travel on my own after that,' she said.

It was a massive learning curve for Amy who realised she needed to 'be careful who you travel with'

Now she's a digital nomad and shares images of her travels on social media

Despite the rough start Amy said she needed to be pushed out of her comfort zone to start solo travelling. Now she's a travelling nomad and has ventured around the world.

Amy also revealed she doesn't talk to the acquaintance anymore.

After sharing the details on TikTok, one person wrote: 'I hope you realise how awesome solo travel is now! But seriously, glad you carried on without her.'

'Solo travel is addicting!!' another said, a third added: 'Omg that's wild.'

Read more: I visited the most beautiful tropical island I've ever seen for a quick holiday from Australia - and it's so small you can't even see it on a map

Young couple who achieved the 'Australian dream' of owning a home by age 30 reveal why they decided to sell and go travelling for four years - as they're back to renting again
Australian travellers have discovered a 'magical' island - and its white sand beaches, formidable forests, and crystal clear waters bursting with coral reef have earned it the label of 'Hawaii Down Under'.

A two-hour flight from Sydney, Lord Howe island is located 600km east of the New South Wales coast and boasts diverse wildlife and unique vistas.

The stunning volcanic isle is home to an extraordinary cloud forest where cotton-like wisps float directly over mountaintops.

One of the island's main attractions, the cloud caps, hang between the 875-metre summit of Mount Gower and lower Mount Lidgbird during summer months.

However, hopeful visitors will have to plan their trip in advance and confirm their accomodation - as the island only allows 400 travellers at any time due to its sustainable tourism policy.

Australian travellers have discovered Lord Howe - a 'magical' island just a two hour flight away from Sydney

Lord Howe island is located 600km east of the New South Wales coast and boasts crystal clear waters, a verdant forest, and incredible coastal walks

Lord Howe is part of just one percent of global woodland where cloud forests grow, along with regions in Central America, southern Mexico, South America, Africa, Madagascar, Southeast Asia, New Guinea, and the Caribbean.

Sitting between Australia and New Zealand in the Tasman Sea, the island has been hailed as an 'unspoiled paradise' filled with diamond beaches and cerulean waters.

Visitors are encouraged to take part in ecological initiatives and clean-up projects, and can even hand-feed fish on picturesque Ned's Beach for a close encounter with local wildlife.

The stunning volcanic isle is home to an extraordinary cloud forest where cotton-like wisps float directly over mountaintops

Visitors are encouraged to take part in ecological initiatives and clean-up projects, and can even hand-feed fish on picturesque Ned's Beach for a close encounter with local wildlife

Summers on Lowe Howe are warm and ideal for swimming, snorkelling, and water sports, while the mild winters are made for bushwalking through the ancient forests

Once an active volcano, the island boasts some of Australia's best hike and cycle trails as well as world-class snorkelling and scuba diving sites around the nearby Admiralty Islands.

Families can take tours of the lagoon on glass-bottom boats, which provide unrivalled opportunities for fish, turtle, and coral reef viewing.

Couples can opt for romantic sunset tours or take picnics along one of the many clifftop walks - including the famous Seven Cliffs trail that circles the main tourist attractions.

Summers on Lowe Howe are warm and ideal for swimming, snorkelling, and water sports, while the mild winters are made for bushwalking through the ancient forests.

Once an active volcano, the island boasts some of Australia's best hike and cycle trails as well as world-class snorkelling and scuba diving sites around the nearby Admiralty Islands

Despite being just 11 kilometres long and 2 kilometres wide, Lord Howe is home to over 500 species of fish, 90 forms of coral and native wildlife

Traveller Asha Beswick recently visited Lord Howe where she described her trip as a 'one of a kind' experience.

The young woman cycled along the shore, took a boat ride around the islands perimeter, bathed in cliffside pools, and snorkelled with local sea life.

Despite being just 11 kilometres long and two kilometres wide, Lord Howe is home to over 500 species of fish, 90 forms of coral, and other native wildlife.

Nature lovers will be pleased to discover the woodhen - one of the world's rarest birds - and the Lord Howe Island Phasmid, a large stick insect previously believed to be extinct, trotting about the space.

Nature lovers will be pleased to discover the woodhen - one of the world's rarest birds - and the Lord Howe Island Phasmid, a large stick insect previously believed to be extinct trotting about the space

Travellers will find themselves with a unique opportunity to witness dozens of tiny ecosystems co-exist - a feat that is uncommon in the rest of the world

Ecologist Ian Hutton, who has lived on the World Heritage-listed island for the past 40 years, describes it as a 'thrilling life, surrounded by pristine waters and subtropical forests'.

Travellers will find themselves with a unique opportunity to witness dozens of tiny ecosystems co-exist - with Dr Hutton describing the spot as akin to 'living in a David Attenborough documentary' to the ABC.

Dr Hutton said the humidity from cloud forests create the perfect climate for the growth of rare mosses, ferns and flowering plants, many of which are found nowhere else on earth.
China, S. Korea hold ceremony to transfer remains of Chinese soldiers killed in Korean War

Xinhua) 09:20, November 23, 2023

The Chinese honor guards receive coffins containing remains of Chinese People's Volunteers martyrs during a handover ceremony at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, Nov. 23, 2023. China and South Korea held here a ceremony on Thursday to transfer the remains and belongings of 25 Chinese soldiers killed in the 1950-1953 Korean War. (Xinhua/Cao Can)

INCHEON, South Korea, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- China and South Korea held here a ceremony on Thursday to transfer the remains and belongings of 25 Chinese soldiers killed in the 1950-1953 Korean War.

The 10th handover ceremony was held at the Incheon International Airport, west of the capital Seoul, attended by Chinese Vice Minister of Veterans Affairs Chang Zhengguo, Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Xing Haiming and South Korea's Vice Defense Minister Kim Seon-ho as well as officials with relevant ministries.

During the ceremony, representatives of China and South Korea signed a handover document.

Xing covered the coffins of the martyrs with China's national flags, and the Chinese side held a memorial service.

The Chinese honor guards escorted the coffins to an air force plane, which would take the fallen heroes back home.

At this year's ceremony, Chang said since 2014, China and South Korea have jointly carried out the handover of the remains of the Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs in South Korea for 10 consecutive years and transferred the remains of 938 Chinese soldiers to their motherland, following humanitarian principles and carrying out practical and friendly cooperation.

The Chinese side appreciated the unremitting efforts made by the South Korean side, he added.

As inseparable neighbors and partners, China and South Korea face each other across the sea, Chang said, adding that in the face of profound changes unseen in a century, the two countries should uphold the original aspiration of establishing diplomatic ties, stick to the right direction of friendly cooperation and jointly push for sustained, sound and steady development of bilateral relations.

China is willing to further strengthen communication and coordination with South Korea, deepen friendly cooperation, promote cooperation in the work related to the remains of CPV martyrs in South Korea, and bring more CPV martyrs back to their motherland at an early date, he said.

All members of the Chinese delegation, officials with the Chinese embassy in South Korea, representatives of Chinese students and Chinese companies in South Korea as well as officials with the South Korean defense ministry, foreign ministry and presidential office attended the ceremony.

The Chinese honor guards (left row) receive coffins containing remains of Chinese People's Volunteers martyrs during a handover ceremony at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, Nov. 23, 2023. China and South Korea held here a ceremony on Thursday to transfer the remains and belongings of 25 Chinese soldiers killed in the 1950-1953 Korean War. (Xinhua/Cao Can)

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Korea has been elected to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee for a four-year term through 2027, officials here said Thursday, marking the country's fourth such election as a member of the committee.

Seoul regained the membership at the 24th session of the General Assembly of the States Parties to the Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage that opened at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris on Wednesday (local time) for a two-day run, according to the Cultural Heritage Administration.

Korea's foreign ministry described the country's election to the committee as a byproduct of its "active" diplomacy based on its contribution to the world heritage institution.

"As Korea has made a pledge to the international community during the campaign for the membership, it plans to make a leading contribution to the development of the world heritage institution in consideration of the new tasks of our times, including responses to climate change and coexistence between the regional communities and heritage," the ministry said in a statement.

Korea clinched one of the two seats allocated to Asian-Pacific countries.

Along with Korea, eight other countries, including Vietnam, Ukraine and Kenya, were elected to the committee.

It marks the fourth time that Korea has been elected as one of the 21 state members of the committee following 1997, 2005 and 2013.

The committee has the final say on whether a property is inscribed on the World Heritage List. It also examines conservation condition reports of inscribed properties and asks state parties to take action when properties are not being properly managed. (Yonhap)
China must be more transparent on new outbreak than with Covid, experts say

People in China should wear masks, socially distance and stay home if unwell amid an outbreak of a mystery respiratory illness, global health chiefs have warned.

Cases of 'undiagnosed pneumonia' have been detected at hospitals in Beijing and in Liaoning, a province 500 miles northeast of the capital.

Health facilities are 'overwhelmed with sick children' and classes are on the verge of being suspended according to local news reports.

Infected children are presenting with lung inflammation and a high fever, but not a cough or other symptoms that signal flu, RSV or another respiratory illnesses.

The situation prompted an alert from ProMed  a disease surveillance system which similarly sounded the alarm of a mystery infection in Wuhan in the closing days of 2019, which would later emerge as the global Covid pandemic.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has urged residents to don face coverings, stay away from ill people and remain at home if unwell. It has also called for the famously opaque nation to share 'detailed information' on the outbreak.

Students being dismissed from a school in Beijing as the city and others in Northern China are hit by a wave of mystery pneumonia in children

The World Health Organization has demanded 'detailed information' from the famously opaque nation on the outbreak urged residents to wear masks, socially distance and isolate when unwell

Hospitals in Beijing and almost 500 miles northeast in Liaoning are among those 'overwhelmed with sick children,' according to local news reports

Chinese officials first reported an increase in respiratory diseases at a press conference on November 13, which they attributed to lifting lockdown restrictions.

Similar patterns had been seen worldwide as measures brought in to reduce the spread of Covid  such as face masks, social distancing and lockdowns  interrupted the spread of typical seasonal viruses, such as flu and RSV.

As a result, immunity against these bugs dropped across populations meaning people were more vulnerable to bugs as measures were lifted.

Officials blamed mycoplasma pneumoniae  a bacteria that causes lung infections  as well as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and Covid for the spike in illness.

Then ProMed this week reported clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children.

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An editor's note on the alert reads: 'This report suggests a widespread outbreak of an undiagnosed respiratory illness... It is not at all clear when this outbreak started, as it would be unusual for so many children to be affected so quickly.

'The report does not say that any adults were affected, suggesting some exposure at the schools.

'ProMed awaits more definitive information about the etiology and scope of this concerning illness in China.'

It is unclear if these cases are linked to the overall increase in respiratory infections already reported by Chinese officials, or separate and potentially caused by a new virus.

The WHO said it has now called on China to share data on these patients, recent trends in the circulation of viruses and pressures on hospitals.

The UN health agency said it is also in contact with medics and scientists in a bid to understand the situation.

In the meantime, it urged people in China to 'follow measures to reduce the risk of respiratory illness'.

These include 'recommended vaccination; keeping distance from people who are ill; staying home when ill; getting tested and medical care as needed; wearing masks as appropriate; ensuring good ventilation; and regular hand-washing', the WHO said.

The source for the ProMed alert was a report by the Taiwanese outlet FTV News, which added that 'parents questioned whether the authorities were covering up the epidemic.'

China has previously been criticised for downplaying the original SARS epidemic in 2003 and the Covid pandemic in late 2019  which were both novel viruses that caused pneumonia.

WHO China, the regional branch of the United Nations backed health body, has already sought to downplay the wider WHO's request for information, calling it a 'routine' procedure.

British infectious disease experts said that, while data was still emerging, China must 'get a grip' on the outbreak and do so in 'transparent' fashion.

Dr Simon Clarke, a cellular microbiologist at the University of Reading, told MailOnline that experts were waiting on further analysis of the outbreak.

'There are lots of germs which can cause a patient's lungs to become inflamed and as the northern hemisphere moves towards winter, they are likely to become more prevalent,' he said.

'We don't yet have confirmation of what is causing this outbreak in China, it may be something new or it may be a new version of something we've encountered before.'

However, he added that Chinese public health experts must uncover the source of the infection and, if necessary, contain the spread.

A news clip taken from FTV News appears to show a busy hospital waiting room in China with children receiving intravenous drips

'It's important that medical science in China gets a grip on what is causing this outbreak and whether there is any person-to-person spread,' he said.

'It was failure to contain Covid-19 and an overall lack of transparency that caused so much damage four years ago.'

Professor Paul Hunter, an expert in infectious diseases from the University of East Anglia, told this website that ProMed alerts aren't uncommon and usually don't amount to anything serious.

READ MORE: Jonathan Van-Tam tells Covid Inquiry how police urged his family to flee their home in the middle of the night during the pandemic after threats were made to 'slit their throats' Professor Sir Jonathan, England's former deputy chief medical officer  who quit his role in March 2022  became a household name during the Government's response to the health emergency and is known for his calm demeanour and regular use of analogies Advertisement

'Such initial reports are relatively frequent and most of the time it turns out to be something reasonably known that goes away in due course,' he said.

However, he added: 'Until of course when it isn't. Then we have serious problems.'

But the respected expert said that, so far, it doesn't look like a Covid situation.

'As far as we know it is only affecting children and the only features seem to be fever and pulmonary nodules,' he said.

'The pulmonary nodules in children would suggest a bacterial pneumonia rather than a viral infection.

'Given that and the fact that adults don't seem to be getting the infection makes me doubt it will behave like Covid and spread rapidly.'

However, Professor Hunter added that the fact two outbreaks had occurred at the same time in areas 500 miles (800km) apart suggests people should be 'cautious'.

'This probably won't be the next big threat but no one can rule it out at this stage.'

Professor Ian Jones, a virologist at Reading, said the outbreak could be linked to a regular winter infection that had been boosted to epidemic levels by children having lower immunity coming out of lockdown.

He told MailOnline that, while more data was needed, the fact there had been no reported deaths meant it was 'troublesome but not yet threatening'.

Professor Jones added that fears of a new pandemic were obviously heightened by people's experience of Covid but at the moment such worries weren't justified.

'Don't get carried away with symptoms, these vary a lot with particular strains, so can't be used to identify the likely culprit,' he said.

'Modern sequencing techniques very fast and will identify the agent soon.

'Until then traditional sanitation and distancing practices should prevail.'

Professor Francois Balloux, an expert of computational biology at University College London said the phenomenon of 'lockdown exit' waves of infections had also been in the UK, and China could be experiencing a similar pattern at a larger scale.

'Other countries, including the UK, experienced big waves of respiratory infections and hospitalisations in kids during their first winter after pandemic restrictions had been lifted,' he said.

'Since China experienced a far longer and harsher lockdown than essentially any other country on earth, it was anticipated that those 'lockdown exit' waves could be substantial in China.'
The UK could have been spared from 'long, harsh' Covid lockdowns if officials had imposed short circuit-breakers, the Government's top scientist claimed today.

Dame Angela McLean, who this year succeeded Sir Patrick Vallance as No10's chief scientific adviser, said the measure would not have been as 'damaging'.

Circuit-breakers  a tight set of restrictions imposed for a fixed period of time  would also have avoided creating a 'panicky situation', she told the Covid inquiry.

Her comments mirror claims made by other influential scientists, who have criticised the Government for being too slow to implement measures to help slow the spread of infection in autumn 2020.

Dame Angela also told the inquiry that officials held 'midway reviews' in April 2020  'as if we were halfway through the pandemic', which 'certainly' wasn't the case.

Dame Angela McLean, who this year succeeded Sir Patrick Vallance as No10's chief scientific adviser, said the measure would not have been as 'damaging'. Circuit-breakers  a tight set of restrictions imposed for a fixed period of time  would also have avoided creating a 'panicky situation', she told the Covid inquiry

Her comments mirror claims made by other influential scientists, who have criticised the Government for being too slow to implement measures to help slow the spread of infection in autumn 2020. Instead, after cases soared officials were forced to plunge England into a month-long lockdown in November 2020. Circuit breaker restrictions were imposed in October in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland

Dame Angela, who was chief scientist at the Ministry of Defence (MoD), told the inquiry that discussions in September 2020 centred on the expectation that cases would rise due to seasonal factors.

Keeping infections flat would avoid creating a 'panicky situation when it is all running away from us', she said.

Responding to questions by Joanne Cecil, counsel to the inquiry, she added 'this [a circuit-breaker] is when we needed to do it'.

'Interventions that keep a epidemic flat are not as bad, not as damaging as the ones that you have to impose if you have got to get cases down really fast.'

She later added: 'There were plenty of good reasons why intermittent short lockdowns could well have worked better than the long, harsh lockdowns that we had to live with because we put them off to the last possible moment.'

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Dame Angela, who sat on the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) during the pandemic, said a failure of officials to impose a circuit-breaker in September 2020 was a 'mistake' and left her 'very worried'.

Instead, after cases soared, officials were forced to plunge England into a month-long lockdown in November 2020. Circuit breaker restrictions were imposed in October in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

She said: 'If we had acted decisively then we would have learned from March, but we didn't.'

She added: 'That was the time to act. We kept saying so. We kept thinking why weren't we explaining clearly enough what we needed to do.'

The advice was initially given to Government in a meeting on September 20, she said. But then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson did not 'say anything' in response.

At a meeting the following day, scientists again recommended a package of interventions to help slow down the spread of the virus, with a further Sage meeting on September 24 once more recommending a two-week circuit-breaker.

Last month, the inquiry was shown WhatsApp exchanges between epidemiologist Professor John Edmunds and Dame Angela, sent during the September 20, 2020 meeting, branding then-Chancellor Rishi Sunak 'Dr Death' and labelling another scientist a 'f***wit'.

Email exchanges between Sir Patrick and Dame Angela, shown to the inquiry today, reveal the meeting, which was also attended by Mr Sunak, Mr Johnson and Sir Patrick, was held so Mr Johnson could hear 'all sides' from a 'balanced group'.

This included Oxford University professors Sunetra Gupta and Carl Heneghan, from the 'let it rip variety', Sir Patrick wrote at the time, understood to mean those against imposing lockdowns.

Professor Edmunds, told the inquiry in October that Dame Angela's comment 'Dr Death the Chancellor' 'could well be' about the Eat Out To Help Out scheme, which provided a 50 per cent discount on food and non-alcoholic drinks to customers who ate inside at participating restaurants.

Dame Angela also referred to a 'f***wit' in her messages, which Professor Edmunds inferred was in reference to Professor Carl Heneghan, director of the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine at the University of Oxford.

Email exchanges between Sir Patrick and Dame Angela, shown to the inquiry today, reveal the meeting, which was also attended by Mr Sunak, Mr Johnson and Sir Patrick, was held so Mr Johnson could hear 'all sides' from a 'balanced group'. This included Oxford University professors Sunetra Gupta and Carl Heneghan, from the 'let it rip variety', Sir Patrick wrote at the time, understood to mean those against imposing lockdowns

The inquiry was shown WhatsApp exchanges last month between Professor Edmunds and Dame Angela during the September 20 meeting, in which she referred to 'Dr Death the Chancellor'

In further revelations today, she also admitted that the government held 'mid-way reviews' in April 2020, under the belief the nation was halfway through the pandemic.

She said: 'We certainly weren't near midway'.

In her witness statement, read out to the inquiry, she wrote: 'I do not know what people in Government understand the characteristics of Covid-19 to be, but we were worried that for whatever reasons, decision-makers had not taken on board quite how serious it was.

'I remember one early meeting in the MoD where I said that this would take at least 18 months, which was met with disbelief.

'There were "mid-way" reviews in April 2020 as if we were halfway through the pandemic.'

Addressing the probe, she said the Treasury also failed to spot 'egregious errors' in data during the pandemic.

She described how academics created a simple 'toy model' for use in training policymakers 'about how infectious disease systems work'.

But the Treasury tweaked the model, she claimed.

In an email exchange, shown today, Dame Angela wrote: 'Given their inability to spot egregious errors in other things they were sent, I do not have any confidence in their ability to hack a simple, sensible, model.'

There were also times she had to 'paper over the cracks' when difficulties arose between academics and civil servants, she told the probe.

When asked if the differences in approach caused any difficulties during the pandemic, she said: 'There were several occasions when I had to paper over the cracks, I would say.

'It was mostly that an academic on SPI-M-O [Scientific Pandemic Infections group on Modelling] had told a civil servant why they were wrong in some way that the civil servant felt was rude.'

But she added that it was her job and she was 'very happy to do it'.

She said: 'I was in contact with people saying 'I'm sorry, that was upsetting for you. They didn't mean to be rude to you personally. What they were talking about was your work.'

The country's first lockdown in March 2020 was also brought in too late, she argued.

Asked whether the lockdown announcement was timely, she said: 'You've already heard from colleagues that it was too late.

'So if we're doing a "with benefit of hindsight exercise" here, I would say it should have been two weeks earlier, that that would have made a really huge difference.

'Now we didn't have the data, two weeks earlier.

'By the 16th we had enough data, in my opinion, we should have gone into lockdown on that Monday the 16th.

'On the 16th  given what we knew about how fast this epidemic was spreading, given what we knew and could surmise about the fact that probably everybody was susceptible to catch it  I think there was enough information on that date to say we need to stop all non-essential contact.'
AstraZeneca has denied its Covid jab was 'defective', arguing a multi-million-pound legal case by patients who suffered a rare side-effect is 'confused'.

Jamie Scott filed a lawsuit against the vaccine maker in the High Court in August.

The IT engineer suffered a brain haemorrhage the day after his first dose, leaving him with permanent brain damage. He labelled the jab 'defective'.

However, in its defence filed to the court, the Anglo-Swedish drugmaker, which developed the vaccine with the University of Oxford, argued that the claim is 'confused' and 'wrong in law'.

AstraZeneca said the benefit/risk profile of the vaccine was and remained positive.

Two cases brought against the pharmaceutical giant in the High Court could open the floodgates to dozens more Brits seeking legal compensation for similar injuries. While the jab was rolled out successfully to millions in Britain, a fraction suffered from a severe blood clot complication missed in the jab's original clinical trials

IT engineer Jamie Scott suffered a brain haemorrhage the day after his first AstraZeneca jab, leaving him with permanent brain damage, and his wife Kate told The Mail on Sunday how the father-of-two, from Warwickshire, was left partially blind and struggles with daily tasks

A healthy mother-of-two died from blood clots on her brain caused by the AstraZeneca vaccine, a coroner has ruled. Alpa Tailor, 35, fell ill just over a week after getting her first dose of the coronavirus jab in March

It added that its jab is remains approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which polices the safety of medicines in the UK.

Alarms about the risk of the life-threatening blood clots were raised in early 2021, as the jab was being rolled out, after a trend of cases were spotted by health officials.

The drugmaker updated its label to warn recipients of the concern in April 2021.

In the filing, AstraZeneca said there was a 'reasonable possibility' that the vaccine was capable in 'very rare cases' of triggering the side effect, but it was not known how this happens.

Mr Scott's lawyers argued that the jab was 'defective' and that data on how effective the jab protected against illness was 'vastly overstated'.

Another case is being brought by the widower and two children of Alpa Tailor, 35, who died from blood clots on her brain after having the jab.

Others injured by the jab and the families of those killed by it, have brought cases against AstraZeneca based on the Consumer Protection Act 1987.

They have argued that the vaccine was 'a defective product' that was 'not as safe as consumers generally were reasonably entitled to expect'.

AstraZeneca supplied three billion doses of its jab around the world and has been credited with saving 6million lives.

But if successful, vaccine damage payouts could be in the region of 1million each.

With more than 80 British families in similar situations, the total bill could reach 90million.

However, some experts have claimed payouts of about 20million in some severe cases of disability could be possible, meaning the bill could be higher.

The British taxpayer is expected to foot the bill under an indemnity agreement signed by ministers in the darkest days of the Covid pandemic to get vaccines produced as quickly as possible.

Mr Scott's wife Kate last year told The Mail on Sunday how the father-of-two, from Warwickshire, was left partially blind from his bleed on the brain and struggles with daily tasks  requiring physiotherapy to help regain movement.

Charity worker Mrs Scott said: 'It is a miracle that Jamie is still with us. I called the hospital three times to say goodbye. The doctors have said he may never work again.'

But in its defence, AstraZeneca said Mr Scott's claim was 'unclear, lacking in detail and imprecise about the Claimant's case in general and the nature of the defect alleged in particular'.

The firm's lawyers said the vaccine's development 'was a significant scientific achievement which contributed substantially to bringing the Covid pandemic under control in the UK'.

Mr Scotts lawyers also questioned the vaccine's effectiveness at preventing Covid infection claiming it had an absolute risk reduction of 1.2 per cent.

Absolute risk of contracting Covid changes depending on the levels of the virus circulating at the time.

In a very small number of cases  about one in 100,000 in the UK  the vaccine can set off a chain reaction which leads to the body confusing its own blood platelets for fragments of virus. The shell of the vector vaccine  the weakened cold virus used to teach cells how to neutralise Covid  sometimes acts like a magnet and attracts platelets, a protein found in the blood. For reasons the scientists are still probing, the body then mistakes these clumps as a threat and produces antibodies to fight them. The combination of the platelets and the antibodies clumping together leads to the formation of dangerous blood clots

The AstraZeneca vaccine is a genetically engineered common cold virus that used to infect chimpanzees. It has been modified to make it weak so it does not cause illness in people and loaded up with the gene for the coronavirus spike protein, which Covid-19 uses to invade human cells

AstraZeneca 'denied that the omission of "absolute" risk reduction data was misleading'.

In line with clinical trial norms, the drugmaker reported an efficacy rate  which compares the number of people who received the vaccine and subsequently contracted Covid, to the number of Covid cases in the placebo group  of around 70 per cent.

Real-world evidence has repeatedly proven vaccines  championed by MailOnline throughout the pandemic  are safe and save lives.

But in extremely rare cases they do carry risks.

Almost 50million doses of the company's jab were dished out in the UK. It has been credited with saving 6million lives globally by offering protection against severe illness from the Covid virus.

Official estimates put the number of lives saved in the UK by Covid vaccines over the course of the pandemic at around 120,000. This isn't, however, broken down by brand.

Yet some experienced the rare complication, vaccine-induced immune thrombocytopenia and thrombosis (VITT).

VITT causes blood clots to form in various parts of the body, including the brain, heart, lungs, kidneys, and the legs.

These blood clots, like any others, can be deadly depending on where they form or if they break up and travel to parts of the body like the brain.

They can cause a variety of injuries including death and severe disability.

While some side effects, which can occur in any drug or medication, were spotted during the clinical trials, VITT was missed.

Trials weren't big enough to spot the incredibly small chance of developing the complication.

At least 81 Brits are thought to have died from blood clots related to the AstraZeneca vaccine according to figures from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, with an unconfirmed additional number disabled.

Common side effects, which health bosses say can affect more than 10 per cent of recipients, include fatigue, 'flu-like' symptoms, and pain in the arms or legs. Stomach pain, a rash and excessive sweating were uncommon, strikes roughly one in 100 people who get vaccinated

Rare (approximately one in 1,000) issues include facial drooping on one side. Very rare (one in 10,000) side effects can see people paralysed

Under current rules, victims of certain vaccines, including ones used to beat Covid, are entitled to a one-off 'all-or-nothing' sum of 120,000 from the Government, under the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme.

It is a no-fault scheme, meaning people can go on to seek compensation from the jab maker directly.

While the programme has received 6,399 Covid vaccine claims, in September the Covid inquiry heard that over 500 people have been left waiting more than 12 months for an outcome, while 166 have been stuck in limbo for more than 18 months.

At least 127 claims for the state-funded financial support have now been approved, taking the total bill so far to over 15million.

Yet under current rules, strict eligibility criteria means those affected must either have been killed or be left 60 per cent disabled due to a vaccine.

This means a person theoretically judged to be only 59 per cent disabled will not get a penny.

The extent of a person's disability is based on an assessment by a doctor and can include both physical disablement, such as the loss of a limb, or mental disablement, such as a decline cognitive function.

It also means there is no escalation of the sum received.
The WHO said it had seen data from China suggesting it was not a new virus

China has claimed that its outbreak of mystery pneumonia tearing through schools is not the result of a new virus.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said it had seen data from China suggesting the spike in respiratory illnesses was due to common infections rebounding after the country's brutal lockdowns.

Chinese health officials say the outbreak - which is 'overwhelming' some hospitals and pushing schools to the brink of closure - is the result of a mix of infections caused by mycoplasma pneumoniae, RSV, adenovirus and the flu.

But the WHO is calling for full cooperation from China, which covered up the 2003 SARS outbreak and failed to alert the world to Covid for months, leaving countries flat-footed in their responses.

China told the WHO the rise in respiratory illness 'has not resulted in patient loads exceeding hospital capacities', yet photos from on-the-ground in Chinese healthcare providers showed long lines of patients hooked up to IV drips

Local media reported earlier in the week that hospitals in Beijing and 500 miles northeast in Liaoning were 'overwhelmed with sick children' with unusual symptoms that include inflammation in the lungs and a high fever but no cough.

The situation prompted an alert from ProMed  a disease surveillance system that similarly sounded the alarm of a mystery infection in Wuhan in the closing days of 2019, which would later emerge as the global Covid pandemic.

The WHO said it made an official request to China on Wednesday to get additional information, as well as laboratory results from reported cases and data about recent trends in circulating respiratory pathogens.

The health agency held a teleconference with Chinese health authorities from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Beijing Children's Hospital on Thursday.

The WHO said: 'Chinese authorities advised that there has been no detection of any unusual or novel pathogens or unusual clinical presentations, including in Beijing and Liaoning, but only the aforementioned general increase in respiratory illnesses due to multiple known pathogens.

'They further stated that the rise in respiratory illness has not resulted in patient loads exceeding hospital capacities.'

But local media reports, including Taiwanese outlet FTV News, claimed that hospitals were being 'overwhelmed.'

The Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that more than 3,500 cases of 'respiratory infection' had been admitted to the Beijing Children's Hospital at the start of October, Radio Free Asia reported.

A staff member at the Beijing Friendship Hospital pediatrics department said there was a 24-hour wait for emergency cases to be seen.

Hospitals in Beijing and almost 500 miles northeast in Liaoning are among those 'overwhelmed with sick children,' according to local news reports

A news clip taken from FTV News appears to show a busy hospital waiting room in China with children receiving intravenous drips

Chinese authorities also told the WHO that since mid-October, improved outpatient and inpatient surveillance had been introduced, which included Mycoplasma pneumoniae for the first time.

It appears that the WHO has not independently confirmed China's claims.

Walking pneumonia, which typically affects younger children, causes a sore throat, tiredness and a cough that can last up to months. It is called walking pneumonia, as symptoms are usually mild enough for patients to continue walking around.

In serious cases, the illness can become pneumonia.

It has been reportedly growing in China as the country goes into its first winter without strict Covid lockdowns.

Similar patterns had been seen worldwide as measures brought in to reduce the spread of Covid  such as face masks, social distancing and lockdowns  interrupted the spread of typical seasonal viruses.

The US and UK saw spikes in infections like RSV and flu after pandemic rules lifted.

As a result, immunity against these bugs dropped across populations, meaning people were more vulnerable to bugs as measures were lifted.

China told the WHO that hospital admissions of children had been rising since May due to Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia, and RSV, adenovirus and influenza virus since October.

Professor Francois Balloux, an expert in computational biology at University College London, said the phenomenon of 'lockdown exit' waves of infections had also been in the UK, and China could be experiencing a similar pattern at a larger scale.

'Other countries, including the UK, experienced big waves of respiratory infections and hospitalizations in kids during their first winter after pandemic restrictions had been lifted,' he said.

'Since China experienced a far longer and harsher lockdown than essentially any other country on earth, it was anticipated that those 'lockdown exit' waves could be substantial in China.'

China has previously been criticized for downplaying the original SARS epidemic in 2003 and the Covid pandemic in late 2019  which were both novel viruses that caused pneumonia.

WHO China, the regional branch of the United Nations-backed health body, has already sought to downplay the wider WHO's request for information, calling it a 'routine' procedure.

British infectious disease experts said that, while data was still emerging, China must 'get a grip' on the outbreak and do so in 'transparent' fashion.

The WHO said it is 'closely monitoring the situation' and is in 'close contact with national authorities in China.'

It would provide updates as warranted, it added.
BOOK OF THE WEEK

Hauntings: A Book of Ghosts and Where to Find Them

by Neil Oliver (Bantam 25, 384pp)

Borley Rectory, near the village of Long Melford in Suffolk, was once known as the most haunted house in England.

The ghost of a nun would peer in through windows, servants bells rang when no one was near them, and footsteps would sound from rooms that were known to be empty.

Books and articles were written about the place, and locals got so annoyed by ghost-hunting tourists that they removed the road signs.

The peak period of strange events was the 1930s, when the house was inhabited by the Reverend Lionel Algernon Foyster. Years later, Foysters wife, Marianne, confessed that she had been having an affair with their lodger.

Perhaps, writes Neil Oliver, some of the bumps in the night were altogether more earthly than spiritual.

In Hauntings: A Book of Ghosts and Where to Find Them, author Neil Oliver takes readers on a tour of haunted Britain

The conclusion is typical of Olivers even-handedness in his tour around haunted Britain. All my life, runs his opening sentence, Ive wanted to see a ghost.

I was braced for a few hundred pages of gullibility, of proof that  as any magician will tell you  the easiest people to fool are the ones who want to be fooled. Theyre the sort of people who say absence of evidence isnt evidence of absence. Correct, but it isnt evidence of presence either, and you can rarely prove a negative.

Although Oliver never says he doesnt believe in ghosts (I cannot come down on either side of the debate), his book offers just as many rational explanations for sightings as it does sightings themselves.

He introduces us, for instance, to the Big Grey Man, an apparition seen on the Scottish mountain of Ben MacDui  then he refers us specifically to James Hogg, an 18th-century poet who fled in terror when he saw the figure, but returned the next day, this time standing his ground, and noticed that when he lifted his hat, the figure did the same.

Hogg realised it was his own shadow magnified against the mist. This is an acknowledged meteorological phenomenon, one thats common on the mountain.

Then theres the story of a factory where people often felt uneasy, even seeing indistinct figures at the edge of their vision. One day, someone noticed that a thin piece of metal being held in a vice was vibrating slightly.

He knew enough science to remember that low-frequency sound waves can cause this effect, and was able to trace the source of the all-but inaudible noise to a faulty extractor fan. Such waves can induce unease and visual phenomena. The fan was fixed, and the ghostly incidents stopped.

Other possibilities include smudges on camera lenses. This is the explanation favoured by many for a 1936 photograph of the Brown Lady on the stairs at Raynham Hall in Norfolk. (I agree  the gap in the middle of the image doesnt look brown and it doesnt look like a lady.)

The remains of Borley Rectory, near the village of Long Melford in Suffolk, which was once known as the most haunted house in England

Theres also the tendency of the brain, if your eyesight deteriorates, to invent sightings simply because its bored.

But Oliver also examines the psychological explanations, the times when we see what we want to, or need to, whether it is there or not. This might be for historical reasons.

Over 300 years since the Battle of Aughrim in County Galway, people in Ireland still have strong political loyalties, and as the American writer William Faulkner put it: The past is never dead. It is not even past.

Some claim to see the ghost of a wolfhound which, after the battle, stood guard over its masters dead body. Visitors to Aughrim bring their own thoughts, writes Oliver. A spectral hound glimpsed at the corner of an eye. Is it any wonder?

Its the same at Derwent reservoir in Derbyshire, where the Dambuster pilots practised for their famous World War II raid on a German dam. The reservoir is still used for reconstructions on anniversaries of the mission.

It has been suggested that these images, broadcast on television, may have inspired the imaginations of those witnesses subsequently reporting seeing ghostly Dambusters where the real raiders once flew.

Or perhaps, says Oliver, a belief in ghosts comes ultimately from fear of death. Anything being better than dying, might we cling instead to the idea of disembodied spirits in hopes that something of us survives, somehow?

But if reason isnt your thing, and youre one of those who want to believe, youll be able to enjoy the ghostly tales for their own sake.

Although Oliver never says he doesnt believe in ghosts, his book offers just as many rational explanations for sightings as it does sightings themselves

There are executed witches in Lancashire, a Scottish fisherman and his son who tied themselves together with rope when a storm hit (so that death wouldnt part them), and  fulfilling our need for celebrity even beyond the grave Henry VIII at Windsor Castle and William Wordsworth in his sisters bedroom.

A common sighting at Glamis Castle in Scotland is an old lady carrying a pile of laundry towards the middle of the main courtyard, where she disappears into thin air.

Glamis was the childhood home of the Queen Mother, who claimed to have had her own ghoulish experiences there  more than once she saw the ghost of an African servant who had been badly treated at the castle in the 18th century.

If Her Majesty was still alive today, she wouldnt just be a character in The Crown, she could be one of its scriptwriters, too.

Oliver wears his historians hat to good effect. We learn about the Luddites opposing new technology (interesting in light of current AI fears), and Peter Pan author J.M.Barrie having to be dissuaded by his publisher from calling the book The Boy Who Hated Mothers.

Oliver explains that the brain has a tendency, if your eyesight deteriorates, to invent sightings simply because its bored

If all the British and Empire soldiers who died in World War I marched four abreast past the Cenotaph, the procession would take three and a half days.

And Virginia Woolf said that the Bloomsbury Group  the artists and writers associated with said part of central London  lived in squares [and] loved in triangles.

Most of us can appreciate a good ghost story, whether we see it as fact or fiction. Oliver thinks that, such tales inhabit that part of us between the known and the unknown.

Hes probably right. Though the vicar might still want to keep an eye on his wife.
Up to 1,000 will be cut from the annual bills of householders living near new electricity pylons, Jeremy Hunt said yesterday.

The Chancellor used his Autumn Statement to make the announcement, which forms part of the Government's strategy for delivering the energy infrastructure needed as Britain transitions to net zero.

The change will require hundreds of extra miles of overhead cables, pylons and substations for the electrification and decarbonisation of UK infrastructure, with ministers concerned about the potential backlash from voters subject to eyesore developments.

To smooth this over, Mr Hunt said those living near to new 'transmission infrastructure', such as pylons, will receive up to 10,000 off their electricity bills over ten years.

The plan is part of a package of reforms aimed at halving the time it takes to deliver new electricity networks from 14 to seven years.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt presenting his Autumn Budget Statement on Wednesday

The change will require hundreds of extra miles of overhead cables, pylons and substations for the electrification and decarbonisation of UK infrastructure, with ministers concerned about the potential backlash from voters subject to eyesore developments (Stock Photo)

Major planning applications will be accelerated under a 'premium planning service', with nationally significant low-carbon energy infrastructure designated as a 'critical national priority'.

It means there will be a presumption in favour of approval, while the rollout of electric vehicle charging points will also be prioritised.

Mr Hunt told the Commons: 'These measures will cut grid access delays by 90 per cent and offer up to 10,000 off electricity bills over 10 years for those living closest to new transmission infrastructure.

'Taken together, these planning and grid reforms are estimated to accelerate around 90billion of additional business investment over the next ten years.'
The Autumn Statement saw Jeremy Hunt deliver a 2p cut to National Insurance as he outlined his plan for growth.

But it wasnt long before it was pointed out that a continuing stealth tax raid and the downbeat projections of the Office for Budget Responsibility took the gloss of somewhat.

So, who are the Autumn Statement winners and losers, will investors want to take up an offer to buy NatWest shares, how are Isas changing, and is Britain turning a corner and set up for growth?

On this Lunch Money episode, Simon Lambert and Lee Boyce, of This is Money, and Victoria Scholar, of interactive investor, dig into the Autumn Statement and discuss what it means for you.

On the agenda:
Sacked OpenAI boss Sam Altman is returning less than a week after he was ousted.

The maker of Chat GPT said its co-founder would come back as chief executive under a new board.

It follows days of uncertainty after 747 of its 770 employees  some 97 per cent  threatened to quit unless Altman was reinstated and the board step down.

Greg Brockman, the co-founder and president who left last week after Altman was fired, will also return, to work under a new board including former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers and ex-Salesforce chief executive Bret Taylor.

The decision to remove Altman last Friday sparked an immediate backlash from staff and shareholders. This included Microsoft, which owns around 49 per cent of the company.

ChatGPT maker OpenAI said its co-founder Sam Altman (pictured) would come back as chief exec under the direction of a new board

After a tumultuous weekend where the board tried to reinstall Altman, Microsoft said on Monday that it had hired Altman and Brockman for its advanced AI research unit.

Yet in a rollercoaster sequence of events, nearly all the 770-strong OpenAI workforce came out to say they would defect to Microsoft if Altman was not brought back.

The coup left the board in crisis and the future of the business unclear.

But in the latest twist in the saga, OpenAI confirmed yesterday that it has lured Altman and Brockman back by booting out the majority of the old board.

Helen Toner, who left the board with OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever and tech entrepreneur Tasha McCauley as part of the deal, posted on X: And now, we all get some sleep. Microsoft chief Satya Nadella said he was encouraged by the changes at OpenAI.

We believe this is a first essential step on a path to more stable, well-informed, and effective governance. Sam, Greg, and I have talked and agreed they have a key role to play along with the leadership in ensuring OpenAI continues to thrive and build on its mission, he said on X.

Brockman posted an image of himself with OpenAI staff with the message: We are so back.

The business was set up in 2015 as a non-profit AI research organisation, with founding members including tech billionaire Elon Musk.

OpenAI has exploded in popularity thanks to its AI chatbot ChatGPT, which can pass exams and write poems, books and software code. It has the potential to make billions of dollars for its creators and investors.
Royal red carpet maker Victoria has racked up a 19million loss as demand hits its lowest since 2008.

The company, which dates back to 1895 and holds a Royal Warrant, booked a 19.2million loss for the six months to the end of September, having made profits of 53.1million in the same period a year earlier.

It blamed high input costs and subdued demand as sales fell 16.6 per cent to 643.4million.

Losses: Victoria supplied carpet for the wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton

Across the globe, demand for flooring has been at levels not seen since the 2008 financial crisis, it said, adding that war has hit exports to Israel.

Shares crashed 17.1 per cent, or 51.5p, to 250.5p, the lowest since mid-2020.

In September, auditors Grant Thornton said there were risk factors of fraud as well as potential irregularities regarding certain transactions at subsidiary Hanover Flooring.

Victoria said the board immediately moved to comprehensively address issues.

Under its Victoria Carpets brand, it has worked for the Royals for years, supplying the carpet used for the wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton in 2011.
Guilty: Binance founder Changpeng Zhao

The world of crypto has been plunged into deeper crisis as a second tycoon is convicted of criminal charges.

Changpeng Zhao, founder of Binance, the worlds largest cryptocurrency exchange, has resigned after admitting anti-money laundering failures.

He will pay a 40million fine and be barred from any involvement in Binance. The firm has agreed to pay a fine of nearly 1.4billion, and a further 2.5billion to settle criminal charges.

It broke US anti-money laundering and sanctions laws by not reporting more than 100,000 suspicious transactions with organisations such as Hamas, and Al-Qaeda.

Zhao said: Today, I stepped down as CEO. It is the right thing to do. I made mistakes, and I must take responsibility. This is best for our community, Binance and myself.

The wild west industry has become an increasing focus for regulators.

This month FTX boss Sam Bankman-Fried, 31, was found guilty of stealing billions from customers of his cryptocurrency exchange.
S. Korea, UK strengthen partnerships in finance, supply chains

By Nam Hyun-woo

LONDON/PARIS  President Yoon Suk Yeol wrapped up his state visit to the United Kingdom, Thursday (local time), and arrived in France to make last-minute efforts to promote the South Korean city of Busans bid to host the World Expo 2030.

Despite escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula caused by North Korea's spy satellite launch, Tuesday, Yoon headed for Paris to meet Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) members to support Busan, which is competing with Saudi Arabia's Riyadh and Italy's Rome to host the world's largest trade fair.

In Paris, Yoon, accompanied by heads of Korea's major conglomerates, will have luncheons and dinners with the representatives of BIE member nations and make speeches to sell the idea that Busan, the nation's largest port city, should host the 2030 event.

This is Yoon's second visit to Paris due to Busans Expo bid this year. In June, he delivered a presentation in front of BIE representatives in Paris, stressing that Busan seeks to host the event to serve as a platform for solutions to crises facing humanity.

In September, Yoon had summits with leaders from more than 20 countries on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Indonesia and Group of 20 Summit in India. Later in the month, he met more than 47 national leaders in New York during the United Nations General Assembly.

The host city for the World Expo 2030 will be selected at the BIEs 173rd General Assembly slated for Nov. 28 in Paris.

During his four-day stay in London, Yoon and first lady Kim Keon Hee had meetings with King Charles III and the government, and elevated South Koreas ties with the U.K., which had been relatively undervalued so far, to what both countries called the highest level of ambition. However, the outcome appears to be overshadowed by Pyongyangs satellite launch and subsequent tit-for-tat measures between the two Koreas.

Yoon was the first foreign leader to make a state visit to the U.K. after King Charles III rose to the throne, against the backdrop of the U.K. seeking to expand economic and security partnerships with Asian countries to consolidate its international status after exiting the European Union.

Including a ceremonial welcome and a state banquet, the British monarch rolled out the red carpet for the state visit, paying tribute to South Koreas political, economic and cultural advances. During the banquet, the king even made jokes in reference to K-pop and later awarded girl band BLACKPINK with Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) medals in the presence of Yoon.

On the political front, Yoon and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak signed the Downing Street Accord, which will serve as a blueprint for the bilateral partnership that spans national security, defense, science, technology and other fields.

In doing so, the leaders created a new two-plus-two ministerial dialogue involving the foreign and defense ministers of both countries, making the U.K. the third country to hold such a dialogue with South Korea following the United States and Australia.

The leaders also agreed to set up a Strategic Cyber Partnership, which is the first of its kind to be signed by the leaders of each country. This is anticipated to connect South Koreas cybersecurity network with a member of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, which also includes Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the U.S.

On the occasion of the state visit, trade ministers from the two countries announced that they will open negotiations to upgrade the bilateral free trade agreement to reflect the importance of emerging trade agendas.

Also, the two countries agreed to deepen their partnerships on supply chain resilience, digital, cyber and finance through multiple memorandums of understanding (MOUs). In the public sector alone, 31 MOUs, statements, partnerships, agreements were signed during Yoons stay.

I believe that both countries are true blood allies, and there is nothing we cannot achieve in terms of economic cooperation, scientific collaboration and other partnerships, Yoon said during talks with Sunak, Wednesday.

The outcomes, however, were overshadowed by North Koreas military satellite launch, which was followed by tit-for-tat measures between the two Koreas.

During his state visit, Yoon on Tuesday ordered the government to suspend some parts of a 2018 inter-Korean military agreement, allowing South Korea to restore reconnaissance and surveillance operations near the inter-Korean border area.

A day after the suspension, the North said it would immediately restore all military measures halted under the 2018 agreement, implying a de facto revocation. The North threatened to place its armed forces and advanced military equipment at border areas.

With the South Korean military still doubting whether the satellite is functioning properly, Yoon and Seouls presidential office are refraining from making further comments, other than reiterating that the suspension of the agreement was inevitable. Yoon did not mention the Norths satellite launch during his address at the U.K. Parliament or other events that were open to media.




Ordinary investors could be given a chance to buy a slice of the Governments stake in NatWest as the Chancellor seeks to reignite interest in share ownership.

Ministers plan to sell the remaining stake in the bank by 2026 and will explore options for allowing retail investors to buy shares.

The state became the majority shareholder of NatWest  then known as Royal Bank of Scotland  in 2008 when it had to bail out the lender to the tune of 45.5billion after it was taken to the brink of collapse by boss Fred Goodwin.

It has gradually been selling its stake  84 per cent at its peak  but still owns as much as 39 per cent.

Until now, only institutional investors such as pension funds, have been able to take part in share sales.

Taken to the brink of collapse: Former Natwest bosses Fred Goodwin, Stephen Hester and Alison Rose

But Chancellor Jeremy Hunt will explore options to launch a share sale to retail investors in the next 12 months.

Other options include direct buybacks with NatWest and continuing sales through the ongoing trading plan.

Shares in NatWest, which have languished under a string of bosses including Stephen Hester and Alison Rose, fell 1.4 per cent, or 2.8p, to 204.2p. Announcing the plan to allow retail investors to take part in the reprivatisation, Hunt said: Its time to get Sid investing again.

The remark harks back to the Tell Sid advertising campaign in the 1980s, which encouraged households to buy shares in state-owned companies during Margaret Thatchers privatisation drive.

HOW THIS IS MONEY CAN HELP How to choose the best (and cheapest) stocks and shares Isa and the right DIY investing account

Jason Hollands, at investment platform Bestinvest, said the reference to the 1986 privatisation of British Gas was perhaps a bit of a dog whistle to older Tories who look back fondly in the heyday of Thatcherism.

The privatisation drive heralded a boom in the number of individuals buying shares in UK companies.

But in the past two decades, the number of households directly owning shares has since plunged from 23 per cent to 11 per cent.

Alasdair Haynes, at stock market exchange Aquis Exchange, said the NatWest offer marks a positive first step to attract new retail investors to UK markets, adding: Investing in equities not only benefits individual investors but also fuels the much-needed scale-up capital for the British economy and businesses.

However, Richard Berry, founder of comparison site Good Money Guide, said it was a long time since the Tell Sid campaign and the NatWest sale is unlikely to capture the public imagination in the same way. Times have changed and Sids unlikely to be listening, he said.

The privatisation of British Gas in the 1980s captured the public imagination because, back then, buying shares in an individual company was prohibitively expensive for smaller investors.

Nowadays millions of people routinely invest in the stock market, and the average investor is far more sophisticated.

Laith Khalaf at investment platform AJ Bell predicted shares would be offered at a discount.

If theres no discount, investors might as well buy shares on the open market, he said.

NatWest chief executive Paul Thwaite said he encouraged any policy that supports the bank getting back to private hands.

He added: Ive always said the mechanics for doing that is ultimately up to the Government.
Small firms last night hailed a package of game-changing measures to boost Britain.

Jeremy Hunt vowed to end the scourge of late payments to small suppliers alongside plans to offer relief on business rates and cut taxes for the self-employed.

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) said it would help build future prosperity.

But big business  offered no assistance with rates  was not so impressed with one chief executive bemoaning a missed opportunity.

The Chancellor said firms trying to bid for Government contracts over 5million will have to prove they pay invoices within an average of 55 days from next April. That will reduce progressively to 30 days, Hunt added.

Support: Jeremy Hunt vowed to end the scourge of late payments to small suppliers alongside plans to offer relief on business rates and cut taxes for the self-employed

He also set out business rate relief worth 4.3billion over the next five years.

Some retail, hospitality and leisure companies will also benefit from an extension of a 75 per cent rates relief scheme  the move saving a typical independent pub over 12,800 next year. And Hunt is to shake up of national insurance.

The Chancellor said the changes would save 2m self-employed people 350 a year from April.

He announced plans to cut Class 4 NI contributions from 9 per cent to 8 per cent and will scrap the Class 2 band.

FSB policy chair Tina McKenzie said: This game-changing small business package shows the prioritisation of pro-growth measures where they will do most good, while getting the best bang for the taxpayer buck.

Small businesses, and the 16m people who work for them, are the route to future growth that will raise living standards.

But large firms face a rise in business rates. Marks and Spencer boss Stuart Machin said: The Chancellor missed an opportunity to fix the broken business rates system.
The UK has vowed to pump more cash into artificial intelligence (AI) as the Chancellor looks to build the next Silicon Valley.

The Government will boost spending by 500million to develop AI over the next two years, bringing the total planned investment to more than 1.5billion.

Vowing to make Britain an AI powerhouse, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said that the money would help the UKs world-leading scientists, universities and start-ups.

The Chancellor had previously stated that he wanted the UK to have the worlds next Silicon Valley  encouraging investment in new companies.

The UK hosted the worlds first AI Safety Summit this month and the Government will be launching the first AI Safety Institute, backed by an 100million investment.

Tech drive: The Government will boost spending by 500m to develop AI over the next two years, bringing the total planned investment to more than 1.5bn

It comes as the development of AI has accelerated, with the release of new generative AI chatbots such as Chat GPT, which can churn out human-like content based on prompts.

The AI sector already contributes 3.7billion to the UK economy and employs 50,000 people.

When it comes to tech, we know that AI will be at the heart of any growth, Hunt said, adding that he wanted to ensure universities and start-ups benefit from it.

Julian David, chief executive of trade body Tech UK, said that the commitments had significant potential but added there is no room for mistakes and no time to lose in the current economic backdrop.
Shares in Sage hit a record high after the British tech firm posted bumper sales and outlined plans to return cash to shareholders.

The FTSE 100 software giant, which provides tools for small and medium-sized businesses to manage their accounting, human resources and payroll, cashed in on higher sales in its cloud computing arm.

The Newcastle group also enjoyed strong growth in the US thanks to its financial management product Sage Intacct.

The positive performance meant revenues rose 11 per cent to 2.1billion in the year to the end of September.

It also launched a fresh share buyback worth up to 350million.

Cloud boost: Sage, which provides tools for small and medium-sized firms to manage their accounting, human resources and payroll, cashed in on higher sales in its cloud arm

Looking ahead, Sage expects annual revenue growth for next year to remain the same.

The shares soared 13.3 per cent, or 132.8p, to 1130p  taking its gains for the year to nearly 50 per cent.

The FTSE 100 fell 0.17 per cent, or 12.48 points, to 7469.51 while the FTSE 250 was up 0.72 per cent, or 132.54 points, to 18,480.17.

There was a mixed reaction to the Autumn Statement as Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said his measures delivered the biggest business tax cut in modern British history.

Oil prices skidded 4 per cent but later recovered to hover below $80 a barrel of Brent crude after Opec, the oil-producing bloc of nations including Saudi Arabia, delayed its policy meeting on Sunday to November 30. BP fell 2.2 per cent, or 10.4p, to 466.15p and Shell slid 2.2 per cent, or 56.5p, to 2556.5p.

Meanwhile, Johnson Matthey gained 5 per cent, or 73.5p, to 1532.5p after the chemicals giant increased its forecasts for the year to the end of March 2024.

Stock Watch - Ten Lifestyle Ten Lifestyle Group raked in record revenues as wealthy customers flocked to its app. The platform offers luxury lifestyle services for private members and customers of corporate clients such as HSBC, Coutts and the Royal Bank of Canada. Revenue soared 35 per cent to a record 63million in the year to the end of August. It made 900,000 profit, after a 3.8million loss the year before. Active members increased by 28 per cent to 353,000. Shares surged 10.9 per cent, or 10p, to 102p.

Equipment lender Speedy Hire headed in the other direction after its revenue dipped 2.9 per cent to 208.5million in the six months to the end of September while profit slumped by 57.6 per cent to 5.6million.

As a result, the group said its annual results should come in at the lower end of its expectations.It fell 4.9 per cent, or 1.75p, to 34p.

Smith & Nephew made gains as the medical devices group will buy the university spin-out Cartiheal, which has developed a treatment for cartilage repair in the knee, for 144million. The shares rose 1 per cent, or 10p, to 1032p.

It was a good session for Victorian Plumbing as the bathroom retailer posted an increase in first-half revenues and said the opening of a distribution centre next year will help it grow. Shares rose 6.2 per cent, or 4.6p, to 78.6p.

Molten Ventures, which invests in fast-growing tech businesses, remained upbeat about a recovery in its valuation.

The value of its portfolio fell 4 per cent in the six months to the end of September, down from the 12 per cent slump seen during the same period last year.

It also narrowed its losses from 155million to 72million. Shares gained 3.8 per cent, or 9.6p, to 259.4p.

Trading between July and November was mixed for Genus as the livestock breeder flagged up a slump in profits due to weaker pig and milk prices in China. Its stock sank 2.5 per cent, or 52p, to 2060p.

Severn Trent rose 0.9 per cent, or 23p, to 2674p maintained its full-year forecast even though higher energy and chemical prices hit half-year profits.

Gambling giant Entain is under pressure from activist investors concerned about the Ladbrokes and Coral owners falling share price and sales in countries such as the UK.

US funds Sachem Head Capital Management and Dendur Capital have built positions and could try to oust chief executive Jette Nygaard-Andersen in the coming months, the Financial Times reported.

Shares gained 5.9 per cent, or 49.2p, to 880.8p.
The Republican from Montana said that issues at the souther border are 'keeping a lot of us awake at night at the moment'

At Thanksgiving, the majority of Americans attempt to pivot away from the topic of politics - but for GOP Sen. Steve Daines and his family, it's fair game.

Daines told DailyMail.com in an exclusive interview this week that he's 'grateful' that he's able to talk politics around the Thanksgiving table with his children.

'We have conservative children, they've married conservative spouses, and we're raising the next generation of conservatives,' he said proudly.

The Republican said it's 'no doubt' that national security will be discussed by families across the nation during their turkey dinners, because it's 'something that's on everybody's mind.'

As for what he plans to do over the Thanksgiving holiday, Daines told DailyMail.com that's he's looking forward to fly fishing and hanging out with his six grandkids

Daines, who loves hunting elk and mule deer, said that he's a huge fan of the outdoors and fly fishing

He cited the ongoing Israel-Hamas war as the most pertinent example, and also rising Russian and Chinese aggression.

The southern border will also be a topic of discussion said Daines, who pointed to the large numbers of individuals on the FBI's terror watch list that have come across illegally over the last several months.

'The San Diego Border Patrol issued a warning two weeks ago to be on the lookout for Hamas terrorists entering the United States. That's keeping a lot of us awake at night at the moment,' said the senator.

'Ths is why we've got to have a president that understands securing the southern border is one of the highest priorities.'

As for what he plans to do over the Thanksgiving holiday, Daines told DailyMail.com that's he's looking forward to fly fishing and hanging out with his six grandkids.

'I normally don't wear a suit and tie except here in Washington. We are definitely a Carhartt family and cowboy boots and Wrangler Jeans,' he said with a smile.

Daines, who loves hunting elk and mule deer, said that he's a huge fan of the outdoors and fly fishing.

'My idea of a great time is with my sweetheart, jumping in our Ford F-150, and heading out across Montana. We'll be chasing elk, chasing Mule deer. We killed some antelope a few weeks ago.'

'In Montana, so we love the outdoors. I'm passionate about being outside. I love to fly fish, and most of all spend time with my grandkids - we're up to six.'

He called it a 'blessed time of life.'

'Suddenly these these kids that seem young sometime they grow up, they get married and and we just had our sixth grandbaby. It's a blessed time of life. We're very thankful for that.'

'In Montana, so we love the outdoors. I'm passionate about being outside. I love to fly fish, and most of all spend time with my grandkids - we're up to six,' said Daines

Daines can be found outdoors when he is back home in Montana

Sen. Steve Daines spoke exclusively with DailyMail.com this week heading into the Thanksgiving holiday

When asked by DailyMail.com about whether he'd encourage his own children or grandchildren to pursue a job in Congress, he said he'd tell them to 'go get a real job in the private sector first.'

'After you've demonstrated results in the private sector, it made me think about politics, but it's got to be a passion,' he told DailyMail.com.

Before entering Congress, Daines worked in the private sector and spent 13 years working for Procter & Gamble. During that time, he lived in Hong Kong for six years launching brands to compete with Chinese businesses.

'They've got to have that kind of passion - they've got to want it.'
Soldiers living in rat-infested Army barracks are being forced to sleep in shipping containers, in a move outraged troops have branded a 'kick in the teeth'.

Dozens of personnel at Clive Barracks near Tern Hill, Shropshire, have been moved into the 'tiny' one-man metal containers, which have been 'kitted out like budget hotel' rooms.

The cabins, which are about 15ft long by 6ft wide, have a single bed inside, as well as drawers, a wardrobe and a toilet area, but angry squaddies have compared them to 'prison cells'.

Rangers, Lance Corporals and Corporals are among those thought to be using the rooms, with one soldier telling MailOnline troops felt 'neglected', adding: 'We don't let asylum seekers stay in places like this, so why the hell do we do it to our own troops who risk their lives?'

The woeful accommodation was raised by MP Helen Morgan, who had been contacted by a furious soldier at the 'squalid' HQ, which is reportedly plagued by rats and has junior soldiers crammed together in overcrowded rooms.

Ms Morgan, who represents North Shropshire, said about 40 shipping containers have been set up at the ageing base, which is home to the Royal Irish Regiment and is set to be closed in 2029.

Dozens of troops at Clive Barracks near Tern Hill, Shropshire, have been moved into the metal containers

Pictured is one of the shipping containers where troops have been told to live in, kitted out with a single bed, drawers, a wardrobe and toilet area

Row after row of the huts have reportedly been installed at the base

The base is home to the Royal Irish Regiment (pictured is a file image of soldiers from the unit)

Speaking out in Parliament, Lib Dem MP Ms Morgan said: 'A constituent of mine who lives in Clive barracks at Tern Hill in Shropshire has reported that he lives in rat-infested accommodation, sometimes with two to six soldiers living in the same room.

'As a result, shipping containers have been placed in the grounds - about 40 at the end of August - and kitted out like budget hotel accommodation for those soldiers to live in.

'Can the minister provide any reassurance that these servicemen will be provided with somewhere appropriate to live in the near future?'

A military whistleblower at the base told MailOnline troops were outraged at the state of the accommodation, which was causing morale to 'plummet'.

The soldier, who has completed two tours of Afghanistan but is not being named, said: 'Were a very, very busy unit and we perform to a high standard across the globe. Its then a kick in the teeth to come back and to live in squalor. The rooms are tiny, you can't put up a TV.

'Some of these lads have been in the army for 12 years, done multiple operational tours and now their having to put their whole life into an ISO container that can barely fit a bed in. It's disgusting.'

The source claimed senior officers within the regiment had their 'hands tied' as they were unable to get the funding to improve the base facilities.

'This is not the fault of the Royal Irish, this is down to the MoD,' the insider added.

'Lads look at the Parachute Regiment accommodation in Colchester - that's got a multi-storey car park and new rooms and then see what we have here. We feel like we're the ugly step brother.

'Our accommodation is in absolute rag (a poor state). We're feeling like we're neglected.'

Defence minister James Cartlidge apologised for the situation and insisted he would raise them with the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), which manages the military base.

Speaking in Parliament, he added: 'I am obviously sorry to hear about that case. I'd ask her very much to write to me with the details of it. I will look into it with DIO.

'But I think the key thing is, wherever we're talking about, whichever specific barracks or base, if we're going to get on with the works, we need the money there.

Work to install the huts reportedly started in August

About 40 have reportedly been installed at the military establishment in Shropshire

Defence minister James Cartlidge (pictured at the Houses of Parliament in London in 2021) apologised for the situation and insisted he would raise them with the Defence Infrastructure Organisation, which manages the military base

The appalling situation was raised by Helen Morgan, (pictured in December 2021 following her victory in the North Shropshire by-election) MP for North Shropshire, who had been contacted by a furious soldier living at the 'squalid' military establishment

'We've got that, we put in place the extra 400million, and as set out in the Winter Plan, thousands of Homes Forces personnel will now benefit from that work.'

News of the shoddy military housing comes after The Mail on Sunday exposed how hundreds of military families are living in substandard service houses.

Almost 600 homes do not reach the official criteria for decent accommodation  the legal minimum standard which means it is in a reasonable state of repair.

Air Commodore James Savage, the head of Armed Forces accommodation, admitted earlier this year that 8,000 repairs on military homes related to issues such as damp, black mould and heating are yet to be completed and that it would take months to resolve.

Speaking about the latest incident, Ms Morgan told MailOnline: 'Servicemen and women based at Shawbury and Tern Hill make huge sacrifices for their country. They deserve to be treated with the respect they deserve, which means the provision of high-quality accommodation and contractors who keep their promises.

'The recent cases of rat-infested rooms and soldiers living in shipping containers at Tern Hill are utterly appalling. There needs to be immediate action to sort this situation out and give our troops the respect and dignity they deserve.'

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: 'There are no outstanding pest control issues at Clive Barracks and any reports are dealt with as quickly as possible.

'We are committed to ensuring our Service Personnel have the high quality accommodation they rightly deserve.'
An Aussie family woken by a sinister banging on the roof of their home discovered the surprising cause - and it's not a burglar.

The Melbourne family was woken up by a 'very loud banging' outside their home at about 3am on Wednesday.

One 'brave' member of the family decided to investigate the source of the sound and found a kangaroo standing on the roof of the house.

The family snapped a picture of the Aussie marsupial standing on the roof with its glowing eyes in the dark and shared it with 3AW radio presenter Jacqueline Felgate who the posted it on Instagram.

A Melbourne family discovered a Kangaroo on the roof of their house after they were woken up by 'very loud banging' at 3am (pictured)

'Not sure how this little guy got up there but is safe to say we were glad it was a roo and not a burglar,' the family explained.

'He has since been safely corralled back onto the ground to the nearby walking track near the river - a happy story in the end.'

Social media users were amused by the picture, with many joking about the kangaroo's early morning adventure.

'Ah, the old Kangaroof,' one person wrote.

'First it was Elf on the Shelf, now its Roo on the Roof,' a second person commented.

A third person added the roo was merely 'sleep hopping'.

While many others joked that the rogue kangaroo was just another typical 'straya' moment.

The kangaroo was corralled off the roof and relocated to a nearby walking track near a river (stock picture of mother kangaroo and her joey)

Kangaroos are native to Australia and are found in a variety of habitats such as forests, bushland and plains.

Depending on the species, kangaroos occupy different ecosystems, with Red Kangaroos found over most of arid Australia preferring flat open plains, Western Greys found from Cape York to Tasmania and Eastern Greys from Western Australia to Victoria.

There are occasions where people come into conflict with kangaroos, usually due to a combination of available habitat and increasing urbanisation.

Kangaroos are mostly docile creatures, and interactions with humans are infrequent.

They can be unpredictable when they feel they are threatened, or that their territory is being encroached on - whether by a human or another animal.

To deter a kangaroo from coming onto your property it is suggested to not leave food out for them to eat, mow your lawn regularly, install a fence approximately 1.5 metres high and use motion activated security lights.
The United States regards South Korea's partial suspension of a 2018 inter-Korean military tension reduction agreement as a "prudent" and "restrained" response to North Korea's repeated violations of it, the State Department said Wednesday.

South Korea suspended part of the Comprehensive Military Agreement (CMA) on Wednesday in response to Pyongyang's launch of a space rocket Tuesday. North Korea said later that it will "never be bound" by it and deploy "more powerful armed forces and new-type military hardware" along the inter-Korean border.

"The ROK-DPRK Comprehensive Military Agreement has helped reduce tensions on the Korean Peninsula, but the DPRK's failure to adhere to the agreement has created untenable challenges for the ROK's security," a State Department spokesperson told Yonhap News Agency via email.

ROK and DPRK stand for the official names of South Korea and North Korea  the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, respectively.

"We view the ROK's decision to suspend the implementation of one provision of the CMA as a prudent and restrained response to persistent DPRK violations of the agreement," the spokesperson added.

The official also said that the suspension will restore surveillance and reconnaissance activities along the South Korean side of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) separating the two Koreas, thus improving the South's ability to monitor North Korean threats.

"The United States supports efforts to manage and reduce military tensions on the Korean Peninsula and across the globe through military coordination, transparency and risk reduction measures," the spokesperson said.

Hours after the North's rocket launch, South Korea held an extraordinary Cabinet meeting to partially suspend the CMA and restore reconnaissance and surveillance activities around the inter-Korean border. President Yoon Suk Yeol electronically approved the motion later as he was on a state visit to Britain.

Signed on Sept. 19, 2018, under the previous liberal administration of President Moon Jae-in, the CMA calls for halting all hostile military activity between the Koreas, setting up maritime buffer zones and turning the Demilitarized Zone into a peace zone, among other things. (Yonhap)
First-look images reveal the restored facade of the power station which for decades provided the entire London Underground with electricity.

A project to turn the majestic former Lots Road Power Station, which closed in 2002, into a glitzy property development where flats start at 1.7million is nearing completion.

The disused electricity production hub in Chelsea, which was powered by coal and oil and is set across nearly nine acres, has been turned into 260 exclusive flats.

New images of the completed exterior show how, much like the 9billion redevelopment of Battersea Power Station nearby, the exterior of the building has retained much of its original structure.

Two glass residential towers - named East and West - stand alongside the station, with bridges connecting the different buildings.

The 'Powerhouse' project is part of the 1billion Chelsea Waterfront development, where former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich bought a three-storey penthouse worth an estimated 22million.

Commissioned in 1905, Lots Road was the second of London's three power stations to be built - before Battersea but after Bankside in Southwark, which has housed the Tate Modern since the year 2000.

First-look images reveal the restored facade of the power station which for decades provided the entire London Underground with electricity. A project to turn the majestic former Lots Road Power Station, which closed in 2002, into a glitzy property development where flats start at 1.7million is nearing completion

When it was built, Lots Road was the the largest power station ever constructed. It covered 32 acres, with its chimneys soaring 275 feet into the air

Architects Farrells boast that the building is perfect for residential use because of its rare glazed windows, which will give captivating river views to many of the residents.

The development is also set to house shops, restaurants and leisure spaces in the huge atrium, where the turbines once stood.

The former chimneys have also been restored and have been capped with glass.

Farrells partner Shevaughn Rieck said: 'As the centrepiece of the Chelsea Waterfront masterplan, Powerhouse will stitch the new community into the Lots Road Village.

'Historically located on a residential street marking the fringe of Chelsea, this heritage asset is today being carefully crafted and restored ready for the next chapter of its life as a collection of homes and new community hub.

'At its heart is the atrium, a new piece of public realm with restaurants, retail, workspace, and a new neighbourhood health facility, ensuring Powerhouse will once again be for the use and benefit of the people of London.

'We are genuinely excited to experience this new part of London.'

When it was built, Lots Road was the the largest power station ever constructed. It covered 32 acres, with its chimneys soaring 275 feet into the air.

New images of the completed exterior show how, much like the 9billion redevelopment of Battersea Power Station nearby, the exterior of the building has retained much of its original structure

A computer-generated image shows what a bedroom in the flats will look like when completed

The development in Chelsea boasts spectacular views across the River Thames

Flats inside the former power station start at a whopping 1.7million

The former chimneys have also been restored and have been capped with glass

Architects Farrells boast that the building is perfect for residential use because of its rare glazed windows, which will give captivating river views to many of the residents

The former power station will also host shops, restaurants and leisure areas

An exterior view showing the magnificent arched windows, which are original to the structure

The development will be out of the the price range of most Londoners

Two blocks on the site are dedicated to social housing for locals and there are 61 affordable homes in the station building itself

It was among the first steel-framed buildings to be built in the British Isles and has been described as the 'design grandfather' of Battersea.

Construction began in 1902, which was the first full year of the reign of King Edward VII, who came to the throne after the six decade rule of his mother Queen Victoria.

Lots Road, which comprises two vast halls and four towering chimneys, pre-dates Battersea, on the opposite side of the Thames, by 39 years.

It initially consumed coal that was ferried to the site by barge. Its powering of the Underground network lasted from its commissioning in 1905 until it ceased operating in 2002.

Even during the Blitz, the station kept going. However, there was the occasional outage.

A Daily Mail report from 1916 said: 'For at least two hours shortly before six o'clock last night the London District Railway service failed.

Lots Road was the second of London's three power stations to be built - before Battersea but after Bankside in Southwark, which has housed the Tate Modern since the year 2000. Above: The power station in the early 20th century

Lots Road provided power for the London Underground network. Above: A poster (left) describing the power station as the 'nerve centre of London's Underground'; the station is seen during the Blitz in the Second World war

It was among the first steel-framed buildings to be built in the British Isles and has been described as the 'design grandfather' of Battersea

The interior of the Lots Road Power Station is seen above during its heyday, when it supplied the London Underground

Construction began in 1902, which was the first full year of the reign of King Edward VII, who came to the throne after the six decade rule of his mother Queen Victoria

The power station consumed coal that was ferried to the site by barge. Above: The interior of the power station

Lots Road Power Station was built after Bankside - where the Tate Modern is now housed - but before Battersea

The London Underground would not have been able to operate without the power supplied by Lots Road Power Station

'The whole of the traffic on four of London's most important underground railways was completely held up by a mishap at the power house in Lots-road, Chelsea.'

It added: 'The lights in the stations and the trains suddenly went out and the trains came to a standstill, some in the middle of the tunnels and others at the platforms.'

Another, from 1928, said: 'London's vast underground railway system was completely paralysed at 11.33am yesterday by a breakdown in the central power station at Lots-road, Chelsea.'

Since Lots Road was decommissioned, the Tube has been powered by the National Grid.

The new development was designed by renowned architect Sir Terry Farrell.

On the former station's south facing side, the original arched windows now house private balconies.

Two blocks on the site are dedicated to social housing for locals and there are 61 affordable homes in the station building itself.

The facilities on offer include a 24-hour concierge service, along with a 20m swimming pool and gym.

The apartment sizes range from two to four bedrooms.
The woman who created one of America's most iconic Thanksgiving staple dishes created it in a soup factory and only learned of its monumental success 40 years later.

Green bean casserole has become a Thanksgiving dinner necessity and it requires only five standard household ingredients - the secret ingredient being a can of Campbell's cream of mushroom soup.

The dish - originally dubbed 'Green Bean Bake' was created to be a quick, easy and cheap recipe for Americans in the 1950s.

Dorcas Reilly - who was working in the home economics department at the Campbell's canned soup factory in New Jersey - pioneered the creative recipe in 1955 for an Associated Press feature article.

'We worked in the kitchen with things that were most likely to be in most homes,' Reilly once said. 'Its so easy. And its not an expensive thing to make too.'

Dorcas Reilly - who was working in the home economics department at the Campbell's factory in New Jersey - pioneered green bean casserole in 1955

Green bean casserole has become a Thanksgiving dinner necessity and it requires only five standard household ingredients - the secret ingredient being a can of Campbell's cream of mushroom soup

'We worked in the kitchen with things that were most likely to be in most homes,' Reilly once said. 'Its so easy. And its not an expensive thing to make too,' Reilly said

Reilly donated the original recipe card to the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2002 - which was followed by a celebratory meal featuring the dish (Pictured: Dorcas Reilly in front of her iconic creation)

Initially the dish didn't test well in the company, but Reilly's determination and commitment to the casserole resulted in a huge success - with the creative recipe earning a reputation for being 'the ultimate comfort food'.

Reilly donated the original recipe card to the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2002 - which was followed by a celebratory meal featuring the dish.

She died in 2018 at the age of 92 - leaving behind a daughter and granddaughter, both named Dorcas after their mother.

Her daughter said Reilly was a 'pioneer' and told CNN" 'I'm proud of my mom, I'm proud of the women she worked with.

'It modernized the way they lived. These women changed the way we eat.'

They also shared that Reilly didn't even learn of her dish's notoriety until 1995 - 40 years after she debuted the 'bake'.

Campbell's published the recipe on soup cans - which were priced at around 10 cents in those days.

The original recipe calls for one can of Campbell's Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup, half a cup of two percent milk, one teaspoon of soy sauce, four cups of cooked cut green beans and one and 1/3 cup of French's Fried Onions.

The iconic soup company now estimates that 40 percent of their cream of mushrooms soup cans go into a green bean casserole - and that 20 million households serve their classic recipe each year for Thanksgiving.

Dr. Lucy Long, creator of the Center for Food and Culture, said that the classic American holiday side dish crosses ethnic, socioeconomic and religious differences.

She also noted that it's included in almost all American cookbooks, usually accompanied by the words 'classic', 'traditional' and 'a Thanksgiving standard'.

The food was originally developed to be an everyday side dish and didn't take off as a Thanksgiving favorite until the 1960s - when Campbells first printed the recipe on the cream of mushroom soup can label.

Long said that green bean casserole soared to popularity as a festive side because casseroles are associated with 'communal eating, sharing and generosity' - which are the ultimate Thanksgiving values.

Reilly experimented with other convenient but creative recipes for American households - including a tuna-noodle casserole, tomato soup meatloaf, porcupine meatballs and Sloppy Joe 'soupburgers,' but none of the others took off like the green bean casserole.

Reilly didn't even learn of her dish's notoriety until 1995 - 40 years after she debuted the 'bake'

The original recipe calls for one can of Campbell's Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup, half a cup of two percent milk, one teaspoon of soy sauce, four cups of cooked cut green beans and one and 1/3 cup of French's Fried Onions

The iconic soup company now estimates that 40 percent of their cream of mushrooms soup cans go into a green bean casserole - and that 20 million households serve their classic recipe each year for Thanksgiving

The food was originally developed to be an everyday side dish and didn't take off as a Thanksgiving favorite until the 1960s - when Campbells' printed the recipe on the cream of mushroom soup can label (Pictured: Dorcas Reilly and her husband)

Another long-lived Thanksgiving side dish with an all-American history is candied yams - also known as sweet potato casserole, but originally dubbed 'potato pudding' in 1796 by Amelia Simmons.

Simmons used boiled sweet potatoes combined with butter, sugar and milk - which she then topped with eggs which were whipped into a sugar meringue.

The recipe blew up as a Thanksgiving favorite a century later as part of a marketing scheme for newly available marshmallows.

Today - candied yams are known as a 'southern' dish that holds a firm place on the Thanksgiving dinner table.

Modern recipes usually call for sweet potatoes, brown sugar, butter and mini marshmallows.

Simmons is also responsible for cranberry sauce becoming a holiday staple after she suggested serving roast turkey with 'boiled onions and cranberry-sauce' in her 1796 American Cookery book.
She and her mother, Mariette Himes Gomez, worked together with Bethenny Frankel and renovated the housewife's $5million Tribeca home

DailyMail.com can reveal that her dog Edie survived for over a week inside the apartment alone, apparently surviving by feeding on her owner's body, sources tell DailyMail.com

Brooke Gomez was found dead in her Madison Avenue apartment Sunday night and her body was in an 'advanced state of decomposition'

Famed interior designer Brooke Gomez's beloved dog survived for over a week alone in her apartment with her owner's remains.

Gomez, 49, reality TV star Bethenny Frankel's designer, was found dead in an 'advanced state of decomposition' Sunday night in her apartment on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Her Brussels Griffon, Edie, was still alive inside.

The dog had apparently survived by feeding on her owner's body, sources tell DailyMail.com

The Medical Examiner's Office has revealed that the cause of death was 'chronic alcohol use.'

A close friend of Gomez told DailyMail.com that the dog is healthy and will remain in the building and be adopted by the superintendent's wife.

'The dog is totally fine,' the friend said. 'The super's wife is adopting her. Everyone thought to keep the dog's environment as normal as possible, that this was the right thing to do.'

DailyMail.com can reveal that Brooke Gomez's dog Edie survived for a week inside the $1.3 million Manhattan apartment

The body of interior designer Brooke Gomez, 49, was discovered in her Upper East Side apartment Sunday night

The dog had apparently survived by feeding on her owner's body, sources tell DailyMail.comA close friend to Gomez told DailyMail.com that the dog is healthy and will remain in the building and be adopted by the superintendent's wife

Gomez celebrated her fluffy brown companion on social media, posting pictures and videos of her playing with the dog in her apartment and strolling through the neighborhood.

One video from last Thanksgiving shows Edie wagging her tail during a 'dance party' as Leon Bridges's Smooth Sailin' plays on the radio.

'Edie and I just want to say we give thanks for you,' Gomez gushed.

In August, Edie is seen on a couch, 'wishing' followers a Happy National Dog Day. The post is signed 'love Edie. PS I shredded this pillow sorry not sorry.'

Gomez, 49, worked with reality TV star Bethenny Frankel to design her home

Another posting from May 2022 showed the dog on a mattress, as Gomez laughs, 'I'm sorry Edie, are you taking a little nap after your brunch with egg in your face? Are you taking a siesta after you killed all your toys.'

There's a picture of Edie dressed up in a sombrero and poncho for Cinco de Mayo, and video of them walking together near her apartment along Museum Mile on Fifth Avenue, with Edie sporting a pink collar  Gomez's favorite color.

It took more than a week for anyone to report Gomez missing, sources said.

A friend finally asked the building's superintendent late Sunday to check her apartment on Madison Avenue at 94th Street in Carnegie Hill, sources told DailyMail.com.

The super entered and made the gruesome discovery. The body was found in an 'advanced state of decomposition,' sources told DailyMail.com and the dog was still alive.

Police and an ambulance responded to the 911 call. There were no signs of criminality or foul play, sources told DailyMail.com.

Her company Brooke Gomez Design posted on Instagram, 'We are greatly saddened by the sudden passing of our friend, Brooke Gomez, a light that shined brilliant on everyone who knew her. A gathering of friends to celebrate her life is being planned. Funeral arrangements will be announced at a later day.'

Gomez appeared with her mother, renowned decorator Mariette Himes Gomez (right), on Bravo's second season of 'Bethenny Ever After' in 2013

During their appearance on the show, the mother-daughter duo renovated Bethenny Frankel's $5 million NYC penthouse

The 49-year-old worked with her mother for nearly two decades before founding Brooke Gomez Design in 2019

The designer's body was found in an 'advanced state of decomposition' in her $1.3million apartment after she was not heard from for over a week

In 2013, Gomez participated in Bravo's second season of 'Bethenny Ever After,' when she and her mother renovated Frankel's $5million penthouse in Tribeca, turning the 3,400-square foot, three-bedroom, three-bathroom loft into her dream pad.

Gomez has also done projects for Michael J. Fox and Sigourney Weaver, according to her company website.

She showcased some of her projects on social media, while also sharing some of her favorite quotations.

Her final Instagram post was a mural on the side of a building that read: 'There's a future version of you that is so proud you didn't give up.'

Two days earlier, Gomez posted remarks from British author Roald Dahl stating: 'I think probably kindness is my number one attribute in a human being.

'I'll put it before any of the things like courage or bravery or generosity or anything else Kindness  that simple word. To be kind  it covers everything, to my mind. If you're kind that's it.'

Gomez initially planned to become a lawyer, but eventually decided to follow in the footsteps of her mother, renowned decorator Mariette Himes Gomez, according to a 2019 interview with Business of Home, an interior design publication.

'I really just loved it,' she said. 'I loved the right brain/left brain contrast of creating a contract and then getting to do something creative.'

Gomez would celebrate her fluffy brown companion on social media, posting pictures and videos of her playing with the dog in her apartment and strolling through the neighborhood

Gomez designed residences across the United States, including townhouses and apartments in New York and beach houses in the Hamptons

According to her company biography, Gomez was born in the city to an architect father and interior design mother.

She grew up in a series of construction sites with 'unparalleled design.' Her father even built her a dollhouse modeled after the brownstone she was raised in.

Gomez earned a political science degree from Brown University, but later joined her mother's business, collaborating with her on various projects and also producing her mother's first book.

She designed apartments and townhouses in New York, as well as residences in Connecticut, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania and Maryland, and beach houses in the Hamptons, Palm Beach and Turks and Caicos.

She worked with her mother for nearly two decades before branching out on her own with Brooke Gomez Design in 2019.

'My mom has worked her butt off her entire life,' Gomez told Business of Home at the time.

She started this business a year after I was born and has grown it tremendously, but the business has changed so much.

'I think it was time for both of us to have the next phase of our lives, and for heras someone who invested all her time, energy and talent into this for 40-plus yearsit was time for her to explore other interests.'

Gomez added: 'For me, right now it's about building my own team, finding new people that I want to work with and making this firm my own.

'And it's nice to know that my sweet, talented mother is always just a phone call away.
Balancing work and home life can be tricky at the best of times.

But the provost of Inverness surprised colleagues when she started cleaning her windows  in the middle of an important debate.

SNP councillor Glynis Campbell Sinclair joined the Inverness area committee meeting via video link from her home on Monday.

But after telling councillors they were all going to have to make very hard decisions due to Highland Councils budget situation, she got up and began doing her household chores.

During the two-minute clip, the provost can be seen shaking out a white cloth before she briefly disappears from sight to pick up a basin of water. With her pet dogs also in shot, she then walks to the back of the room and starts to clear items so she can begin cleaning the window.

After a few seconds, Ms Campbell Sinclair runs towards the computer and appears to answer a phone call before she quickly switches her camera off.

Glynis Campbell Sinclair said she barely gets a nanosecond to herself most days and did some multi-tasking when the council debate was almost finished

The provost can be seen shaking out a white cloth before she briefly disappears from sight to pick up a basin of water

Glynis then walks to the back of the room and starts to clear items so she can begin cleaning the window

After a few seconds, Ms Campbell Sinclair runs towards the computer and quickly switches her camera off

It is understood the call was from a colleague telling her she had inadvertently left the devices webcam on.

Defending her actions, she told BBC Scotland News most days she does not get a nanosecond to herself as she juggles council roles with a busy family life.

She said: I have 12 horses to look after, four of them are elderly and require stabling most nights. But she stressed: I had played a full part in the debate and it was almost finished when I did some multi-tasking.

Councillor Alasdair Christie, who was at the meeting, described the provosts actions as priceless.

He said: We were all surprised that in the middle of discussing really important issues for Inverness this took place. Its not a great advert for local government works hard, is it?

The provosts cleaning efforts began two hours and 37 minutes into the meeting, as councillors debated new schools funding.

The footage, available on Highland Councils website, shows a split screen and, while the provost gets on with her cleaning, other councillors continuing to debate.

Highland Council said it was not appropriate to comment on the conduct of councillors.
Younger generations in Scotland could be banned from ever buying cigarettes or vapes as part of a new crackdown.

MSPs will follow the UK Government and consider raising the age for selling tobacco  but also plan to do the same for vapes.

The move, which will be subject to consultation, would mean anyone born in 2009 or later  children who are 14 or younger now  will never be able to legally buy tobacco or vapes in Scotland.

It is hoped the plans by both the Scottish and UK governments will save tens of thousands of lives a year. Smoking causes more than 8,000 deaths annually in Scotland and 64,000 in England.

The Scottish Government also wants to crack down on vaping, amid rising concerns about its popularity with youngsters.

However, the move has been met with criticism from the vaping industry, which branded it nonsensical.

John Dunne, of the UK Vaping Industry Association, described regulating vape and tobacco stories in the same way as nonsensical

Vaping could be stamped out

Holyroods new Tobacco and Vaping Framework, published yesterday, states: It is much easier to never start smoking than it is to give up an addiction. It is important we create the conditions to stop children from ever starting.

This is why, with the UK Government and the devolved governments and administrations, we are consulting on raising the age of sale of tobacco.

Vapes have a role to play in smoking cessation but we know children and young people are using these devices. We will consider whether any potential raise in age of sale of tobacco should be introduced alongside an increase in the age of sale of vapes.

Other measures in the framework include raising the price of vapes, with smoking now three times more expensive than vaping. It said work is at a very early stage looking into the introduction of minimum and maximum prices of tobacco and vaping products. Holyrood will also consider banning smoking near school gates and in play parks.

However, John Dunne, director general of the UK Vaping Industry Association, said: Regulating tobacco and vape use in the same way is nonsensical and any regulation change must take into consideration the relative risk profile; cigarettes kill 250 people every day in the UK, while vaping is proven to be the most effective way for smokers to quit, as well as being at least 95 per cent less harmful.

To protect children, we just need to enforce the current laws properly, close known loopholes and introduce heavy fines for irresponsible retailers.

Last month Rishi Sunak told the Conservative conference that plans to phase out the sale of cigarettes south of the Border would be the biggest public health intervention in a generation.

A campaign informing children and parents of the dangers of vaping has also been launched by the Scottish Government. Take Hold highlights the risks of nicotine addiction as a result of vaping, with posters and outdoor advertising aimed at young people.

Public health minister Jenni Minto said the Scottish Government is aiming for the country to be tobacco-free by 2034.
Disabled Scots felt like their lives were not worth saving during the pandemic after Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) orders were secretly imposed on many of them, an inquiry has heard.

As Covid began to spread, GP receptionists even called up those with disabilities to try to persuade them to sign up to the orders, which inform doctors that they do not want their lives saved in an emergency.

Glasgow Disability Alliance chief executive Tressa Burke also told the Scottish Covid-19 Inquiry how some of her members were left so isolated during lockdowns they feared their bodies would not be discovered if they died at home.

Lord Brailsfords inquiry in Edinburgh is specifically probing the use of DNRs as part of its terms of reference.

Giving evidence, Ms Burke said: Some people were finding out about DNRs because their GP surgery were approaching them, some were finding out because they discovered it while they were in hospital, or when something happened to them they discovered it in passing.

So people were absolutely terrified and felt that the lives of disabled people were being devalued.

Tessa Burke said some disabled people were so isolated during lockdown they thought their bodies may never be discovered if they died at home

Even the way it was being described when people were dying  but they had a pre-existing condition  as if that somehow writes off their life and devalues it and we should just expect all the disabled people to die anyway, and theyre not that worth saving.

And coupled with this there were the experiences of people being told they wouldnt be taken to hospital if they got Covid and they wouldnt be given access to ventilators.

So there was a lot of fear, a lot of people distressed and terrified because of this, and the DNRs compounded it.

The inquiry heard how some disabled people were coerced into having a DNR on their medical record.

Ms Burke described how one family were horrified after their elderly mother got a call from her GPs surgery and agreed to a DNR because she thought thats what the receptionist wanted her to agree with.

The charity chief said: She was supported by her daughters to call her surgery back and have that changed. But how many people were persuaded or went along with it?

Lord Brailsford was also told yesterday how many disabled people feared being left to die at home alone as Covid ripped through their communities. Ms Burke, whose organisation looks after the interests of more than 5,500 members living with disabilities, said: People thought if they caught it they would just die.

Many of our members were also worried that if they died, that because they were so isolated in their lives before the pandemic, that nobody would find them and nobody would know because we were the only people in touch with them.

So that was a real fear for people, some were absolutely terrified.

The inquiry continues.
A US federal judge has released two men accused of being part of the Gambino crime family on bail ahead of Thanksgiving.

Diego Tantillo, 48, and Angelo Gradilone, 57, left Brooklyn Federal Court on Wednesday, dressed in beige prison clothing, in time for the holiday.

The two men were arraigned on racketeering charges on November 8 and were initially denied bond over fears they could flee the country, threaten witnesses and use facilities of the crime syndicate to help with intimidation.

But Judge Frederic Block ruled Tuesday that he would release Tantillo, from Freehold, New Jersey, and Gradilone, from Staten Island. The prosecution and defense attorneys agreed to a $5milllion bond for Tantillo and $1million for Gradilone.

The pair were among 10 alleged mafia operatives arrested earlier this month, in a coordinated US-Italian operation. Six suspected mafia members were arrested in Italy.

Angelo Gradilone, 57, left Brooklyn Federal Court on Wednesday after being arraigned on racketeering charges on November 8

Diego Tantillo, 48, left Brooklyn Federal Court on Wednesday, dressed in beige prison clothing, in time for the holiday

The pair were among 10 alleged mafia operatives arrested earlier this month, in a coordinated US-Italian operation. Pictured: Tantillo being inducted into the family on October 17, 2019, standing with Gradilone

Tantillo and Gradilone walked out of Brooklyn Federal Court on Wednesday following their arrests earlier this month.

Gradilone, dressed in a gray jumper and beige prison-issued pants, tried to duck for cover as he walked out of the courthouse and covered his face with a blue jacket.

He was accompanied by an unknown female family member as he made his way home.

Tantillo, who wore a black jacket, cap and the same prison-issued beige pants, walked out of court with an unknown male family member.

He was holding on to an electronic device although it was not clear what this was.

The two men's families were in attendance for the bail appeal on Tuesday and showed up to court again on Wednesday to help bring them home.

At the time of Tantillo and Gradilone's arrests, Breon Peace, the US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said they were ruthless and violent.

'As alleged, for years, the defendants committed violent extortions, assaults, arson, witness retaliation and other crimes in an attempt to dominate the New York carting and demolition industries,' said Peace.

'Today's arrests reflect the commitment of this Office and our law enforcement partners, both here and abroad, to keep our communities safe by the complete dismantling of organized crime.'

But on Tuesday, Judge Block questioned prosecutor Andrew Roddin on why Tantillo and Gradilone should not be released on bail like the five other men accused of being part of the Gambino crime family.

'This thing doesn't ring a bell with me,' he said. 'Posing significant conditions, they are not going anywhere.

'I don't see a risk of flight certainly that can't be cured by bail conditions.' He pointed to the fact that those accused of murder are sometimes granted bail.

'In the past we let murderers go with bail,' Judge Block said. 'We don't have anything close to that in this particular case.

'The younger generation of mafiosos aren't killing anyone these days.

Roddin, the prosecutor, argued that they should be kept in jail. 'I think the violence is to consider and the nature of the charges,' he said.

'It is a serious culmination of criminal history and a possession of weapons. 'There are numerous violent extortion attempts included in the indictment.'

But the judge said: 'Even if you have a very heavy case, it doesn't mean it's lights out.'

Tantillo's defense attorney Andrew Weinstein said: 'What the governments argument boils down to in its essence is when a defendant is charged with crimes of violence, and then they throw the word Mafia around, thats the end of the ballgame.

Gradilone, dressed in a gray jumper and beige prison-issued pants, tried to duck for cover as he walked out of the courthouse and covered his face with a blue jacket

He was accompanied by an unknown female family member as he made his way home

Tantillo, who wore a black jacket, cap and the same prison-issued beige pants, walked out of court with an unknown male family member

Tantillo and Gradilone were released from Brooklyn Federal ahead of Thanksgiving on Wednesday

Francesco Vicari, 46 - who is known as 'Uncle Ciccio' - is pictured in a detention memo cheering with a bottle of champagne after he successfully got a victim to make a payment of $4,000 in one of the crime family's alleged violent extortion plots. Vicari was arrested on November 8

'We're not here to provide trial arguments. We haven't been handed discovery.'

Judge Block questioned the prosecution as to why stringent bail conditions were not enough.

'What do you want to do - short of shoot them?' he asked. 'I am not giving them gold stars but they are presumed to be at liberty.

'They're going to be a lot of things, a couple of million dollars at risk.' The judge ruled that he would release the pair on bail in time for Thanksgiving.

The Gambino 10: Full list of charges Joseph Lanni - Racketeering Conspiracy (Count One)

- Racketeering Conspiracy (Count One) Diego Tantillo - Racketeering Conspiracy (Count One), Hobbs Act Extortion and Conspiracy (Counts Two and Three), Hobbs Act Extortion and Conspiracy (Counts Four and Five), Theft from Employee Benefit Plan (Count Six), Hobbs Act extortion and conspiracy (Counts Seven and Eight) , Embezzlement from Employee Benefit Plans (Count Nine) Wire Fraud Conspiracy (Count Twelve) Theft from Employee Benefit Plan (Count Thirteen) Conspiracy to Commit Theft from Employee Benefit Plan (Count Fourteen)

- Racketeering Conspiracy (Count One), Hobbs Act Extortion and Conspiracy (Counts Two and Three), Hobbs Act Extortion and Conspiracy (Counts Four and Five), Theft from Employee Benefit Plan (Count Six), Hobbs Act extortion and conspiracy (Counts Seven and Eight) , Embezzlement from Employee Benefit Plans (Count Nine) Wire Fraud Conspiracy (Count Twelve) Theft from Employee Benefit Plan (Count Thirteen) Conspiracy to Commit Theft from Employee Benefit Plan (Count Fourteen) Robert Brooke - Hobbs Act extortion and conspiracy (Counts Seven and Eight)

- Hobbs Act extortion and conspiracy (Counts Seven and Eight) Salvatore DiLorenzo - Racketeering Conspiracy (Count One) Wire Fraud Conspiracy (Count Twelve) Theft from Employee Benefit Plan (Count Thirteen)

- Racketeering Conspiracy (Count One) Wire Fraud Conspiracy (Count Twelve) Theft from Employee Benefit Plan (Count Thirteen) Angelo Gradilone - Racketeering Conspiracy (Count One) Theft from Employee Benefit Plan (Count Six)

- Racketeering Conspiracy (Count One) Theft from Employee Benefit Plan (Count Six) Kyle Johnson - Racketeering Conspiracy (Count One) Hobbs Act Extortion and Conspiracy (Counts Two and Three) Hobbs Act Extortion and Conspiracy (Counts Four and Five) Conspiracy to Commit Theft from Employee Benefit (Count Fourteen)

- Racketeering Conspiracy (Count One) Hobbs Act Extortion and Conspiracy (Counts Two and Three) Hobbs Act Extortion and Conspiracy (Counts Four and Five) Conspiracy to Commit Theft from Employee Benefit (Count Fourteen) James LaForte - Racketeering Conspiracy (Count One) Hobbs Act Extortion and Conspiracy (Counts Ten and Eleven) Witness Retaliation (Count Fifteen) Felon in Possession of a Firearm (Count Sixteen)

- Racketeering Conspiracy (Count One) Hobbs Act Extortion and Conspiracy (Counts Ten and Eleven) Witness Retaliation (Count Fifteen) Felon in Possession of a Firearm (Count Sixteen) Vincent Minsquero - Racketeering Conspiracy (Count One) Witness Retaliation (Count Fifteen)

- Racketeering Conspiracy (Count One) Witness Retaliation (Count Fifteen) Vito Rappa - Racketeering Conspiracy (Count One) Hobbs Act Extortion and Conspiracy (Counts Two and Three) Theft from Employee Benefit Plan (Count Thirteen)

- Racketeering Conspiracy (Count One) Hobbs Act Extortion and Conspiracy (Counts Two and Three) Theft from Employee Benefit Plan (Count Thirteen) Frank Vicari - Racketeering Conspiracy (Count One) Hobbs Act Extortion and Conspiracy (Counts Two and Three) Advertisement

'I will let them out but I have to make sure we have stringent bail conditions,' said Block.

'We all have human aspects. I am very direct and I don't see any risk of flight and a proper bail package can ease concern about wealth.'

The Gambino men, from Manhattan, Staten Island, the Bronx, New Jersey, and Long Island, have allegedly been wreaking havoc in New York for the past 27 years.

The infamous Italian-American crime syndicate made up one of the 'Five Families' known for their racketeering, gambling and loansharking. The 10 defendants now variously face maximum sentences between 20 and 180 years' imprisonment.

Among the defendants charged on November 8 were alleged US-based Sicilian Mafia members Vito Rappa, 46, and Francesco Vicari, 46 - who is known as 'Uncle Ciccio.'

Vincent Minsquero, 36, known as 'Vinny Slick'; Kyle Johnson, 46, known as 'Twin'; and the alleged captain of the Gambino crime ring - 52-year-old Joseph Lanni - were also charged with the slew of federal crimes.

Lanni is known by nicknames 'Joe Brooklyn' and 'Mommino.' The four others were Tantillo, James LaForte, Salvatore DiLorenzo, and Robert Brooke.

**

James Smith, Assistant Director-in-Charge of the FBI, said on November 8 as the arrests were announced: 'These defendants learned the hard way that the FBI is united with our law enforcement locally and internationally in our efforts to eradicate the insidious organized crime threat.

'Those arrested are alleged to have taken part in a racketeering conspiracy in an attempt to control the carting and demolition industries in the city.

'The FBI will continue to lead the fight against organized crime and ensure that individuals willing to cross the line face punishment in the criminal justice system.'

NYPD Commissioner Edward A. Caban also vowed to take down members of any organized crime group, wherever they operate.

He said: 'Today's arrests should serve as a warning to others who believe they can operate in plain sight with apparent impunity  the NYPD and our law enforcement partners exist to shatter that notion.

'And we will continue to take down members of traditional organized crime wherever they may operate.'

According to the federal indictment, Tantillo, Rappa, Vicari and Johnson 'engaged in a violent extortion conspiracy relating to the demand and receipt of money from John Doe 1, who operated a carting business in the New York City area.'

John Doe 1 was threatened 'with a bat, setting fire to the steps to John Doe 1's residence, attempting to damage John Doe 1's carting trucks, and violently assaulting an associate of John Doe 1.'

Images included in the document show the metal bat discovered during a police raid - and the stoop of the victim's home up in flames on September 22, 2020.

One of John Doe 1's business associates was then attacked with a hammer - sending him to the hospital on October 29, 2020. After he was assaulted, Kyle Johnson texted Tantillo three thumbs up emojis for his 'work today.'

The indictment states that Tantillo and Vicari were captured on 'judicially-authorized wiretaps discussing threats they made to John Doe 1 and John Doe 1's father- in-law.'

Rappa stated that Vicari 'acted like the 'Last of the Samurai,' when he picked up a knife and directed John Doe 1's father-in-law to threaten to cut John Doe 1 in half in order to get him to make extortionate payments, according to the documents.

When the victim finally made a payment of $4,000 to Vicari, he and Rappa met and sent Tantillo a photo of Vicari raising a small champagne bottle, cheering in a toast.

The image is included in the indictment pages.

The documents also contain evidence that shows when the men were 'made' into the Gambino family.

One image shows Tantillo being inducted into the family on October 17, 2019, standing with Gradilone.

The unsealed document also claimed that Tantillo, Brooke and Johnson engaged in two separate violent extortion schemes of a demolition company and its owners, known as John Does 24.

The stoop of John Doe 1's home up in flames on September 22, 2020. The victim was allegedly threatened, extorted, and physically intimidated by members of the family

A metal bat discovered during a police raid, which was allegedly used to threaten John Doe 1. Tantillo allegedly told the victim that the bat was 'for him'

Video footage from a gas station across the street from Roxy's Bar and Grille shows Joseph Lanni and Vincent Minsquero minutes after threatening to burn down a New Jersey restaurant purchasing a red gas container

After one of the John Doe's associates was attacked with a hammer and sent to hospital with serious injuries, Kyle Johnson texted Tantillo three thumbs up emojis for his 'work today'

Lanni and Minsquero are seen with a red gas container, walking to a pump, just 20 minutes after threatening to set fire to a New Jersey restaurant in September 2023

Their motivation was over purported debts owed to Tantillo, and to a company operated by Tantillo and Brooke, called Specialized Concrete Cutting Corp. They demanded $40,000 from the owners - who did not cough up.

In response, Brooke then violently attacked John Doe 2 on a street corner in Midtown Manhattan, leaving him bloodied with a black eye, the document alleges.

Alongside these charges, some of the men are also accused of thieving and embezzling employee benefit plans, including health insurance and pay checks, when they did little or no work for the companies.

Tantillo is accused of obtaining no-show and low-show jobs for Rappa, Gradilone and Johnson. The document alleges: 'Through the no-show jobs, Gradilone and Rappa received health care benefits, paid for by unions, to which they were not entitled, in addition to receiving paychecks for work they did not perform.'

The alleged mobsters also intimidated people they believed 'ratted' on them to police, which resulted in physical altercations inside swanky New York City restaurants.

In a dramatic scene from February 2021 described in the indictment, LaForte and Minsquero assaulted John Doe 6 while Gambino captain Joseph Lanni sat nearby.

That evening, John Doe 6, his girlfriend, and their friends went to Asian restaurant Sei Less, on West 38th Street in Manhattan, where specialty cocktails cost $20.

As the group was waiting to pay their bill, LaForte and Minsquero approached their table, called John Doe 6 a 'rat,' and hit him in the face with a bottle - before flipping their table over.

Drinks were sent flying and glass was shattered everywhere, witnesses said.

In another incident on September 1, 2023, Lanni and Minsquero caused a disturbance at Roxy's Bar and Grille, a restaurant in Toms River, New Jersey.

The duo got into an argument with another patron that led the restaurant's staff to ask them to leave - and as they were escorted out, Minsquero damaged a painting and punched a wall, and Lanni told the owner he would 'burn this place down with you in it.'

Less than 20 minutes later, video footage from a gas station across the street showed Lanni and Minsquero purchasing a red gas container, walking to a pump, and trying briefly to fill the container with gas.

Lanni was eventually dissuaded by Minsquero and a gas station attendant.

Police were called to the restaurant, but four hours after the scene, the owner and his wife went to get in their car to go home for the night, around midnight.

The owner got into the driver's seat of a car, while his spouse stood outside the vehicle talking with the owner through the open driver's side window.

As they were chatting, a man got into the front passenger door of the car, punched the owner in the head, put a knife to his neck, and threatened to kill him.

The spouse ran to help, but was punched and knocked to the ground by a second man.

Both perpetrators then beat the spouse while she was on the ground. The man with the knife slashed the owner's tires wand pointed the knife at the spouse, before leaving on foot, the documents allege.

The family, led by Salvatore D'Aquila in the early 1900s, made millions of dollars by carrying out extortion, money laundering and fraud.

Frank Cali was the last known leader of the group, and was killed in 2019. It remains unclear who leads the syndicate at this time.
Sunrise host questioned if checks should be more scrutinised

Australian foreign minister Penny Wong has clashed with Sunrise host Matt 'Shirvo' Shirvington after questions were raised whether hundreds of Palestinians granted visas under the 'normal' checks should have been more scrutinised.

The Department of Home Affairs has issued 860 temporary visas to people in Gaza with Australian connections in the aftermath of Hamas' October 7 attacks on Israel.

An additional 1,700 temporary visas have also been offered to Israelis as the ongoing Middle East conflict continues.

On Thursday, James Paterson, the Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs, voiced his apprehension regarding the rapid approval of visas. He sought assurance from the government that a thorough and rigorous scrutiny had been applied to the entire process.

Senator Wong defended the visa process and security checks during several breakfast TV interviews on Thursday, including a fiery exchange with Shirvington and Nat Barr on Sunrise.

The interview became heated after Shirvo asked whether the minister could guarantee whether stringent background checks had been conducted on visa recipients.

She tried to assure all had gone through appropriate security and character checks.

'These people have been subjected to the normal security and identity checks, and character checks,' Senator Wong began.

'What I would also emphasise that just because has been given a visa obviously doesn't mean they're able to leave where they are.

'And we know that it has been very difficult for people, including Australian citizens, to leave Gaza. We've been working on this for weeks.'

Shirvington interrupted: 'Normal' security checks. Shouldn't it be more scrutinised than that?

'I'm not quite sure what you're asking me, Shirvo,' a baffled Senator Wong replied.

He clarified: 'There is a volatile situation and the security level is heightened.'

'Yes, we are ensuring that people who are applying for visas, both relatives of people in Gaza but also in Israel are processed with the appropriate character checks, the appropriate security checks, the appropriate identity checks, and that's as it should be,' Senator Wong replied before the interview was quickly wrapped up.

The Australian government continues to assist 69 people in Gaza after 127 Australians, permanent residents and their families fled the strip.

Sunrise host Matt Shirvington grilled Penny Wong over the visa selection process, sparking a fiery exchange

A short time earlier, Senator Wong copped a similar grilling on Channel Nine's Today show about the visa selection process.

'Those in Gaza will be people with links to Australia but there are concerns about the timing of this, the number of people and the selection process,' Sarah Abo asked

'How are you selecting candidates?

Senator Wong stressed that the normal checks are being made.

'I would make this point in relation to those in Gaza: That not everyone who gets a Visa can leave, and as you know, we've been working for weeks to get Australian we've been working for weeks to get Australian citizens, permanent residents and their families out of Gaza.'

Abo asked whether the government was giving false hope to those trying to flee Gaza.

The minister argued that the government had been working to get people out.

'We've been working to engage with countries been working to engage with countries in the region to try and ensure this doesn't spill over, obviously ensure this doesn't spill over, obviously with very bad consequences for all of us, ' Senator Wong said.

'And we've been encouraging and continuing to call for the hostages to be released, continuing to call for humanitarian pauses and humanitarian corridors.'

'We all want to take the next steps towards a sustainable ceasefire.'

Opposition home affairs spokesman James Paterson has called reassurance security agencies hadn't been rushed and appropriate security checks had been conducted.

He said the number of visas granted had been a lot for such a tight period of time.

'I'm looking for assurance from the government that no corners have been cut,' he told Sky News.

It comes as Israel and Hamas agreed to a four-day ceasefire where 50 Israeli hostages being held in Gaza will be released within hours in exchange for 150 Palestinians detained in Israel.

The deal also allows entry of humanitarian aid into the besieged strip.

Israel and Hamas agreed to a four-day ceasefire on Wednesday, where 50 Israeli hostages held in Gaza will be released in exchange for 150 Palestinians detained in Israel

Senator Wong described the deal as welcome progress but hoped more would be forthcoming

'We need to see more,' she told Sunrise.

'Obviously we want to see all the hostages released and we want to see genuine steps to a durable peace.

She hopes that any ceasefire won't be one-sided after the Israeli military said it would remain on high alert with Hamas previously using such deals to launch attacks and take further hostages.

'We know there will not be peace for Israel or Palestinians unless those steps are taken,' she told ABC.

The foreign minister said it was also important the divisive conflict in the Middle East didn't turn to hate and violence in Australia.

'We share a lot as Australians, we share values, we are a country that is accepting and diverse,' she said.
The big box retailer is selling the items on their website despite the widespread backlash the store received when Pride items were sold earlier this year

Mega retail chain Target is under fire for 'sexualizing' Christmas with a LGBTQ+holiday decoration line that features 'Pride Santa' and a 'Pride Christmas Nutcracker' Figurine.

The 'Fabriche Pride Santa' features St. Nicholas holding the rainbow Pride Flag, the symbol of the LGBTQ community, bearing the slogan 'Love is Love' on his white shirt with rainbow suspenders.

A wooden Nutcracker figurine - dressed in a blue and white jacket with rainbow lapels, a rainbow hat and holding a 'progress flag' - is also part of the 2023 holiday collection.

The items are available for sale on the company's website despite the widespread backlash the store received when Pride items were sold earlier this year.

Some shoppers who were snapping up the LGBTQ decor online praised Target for being 'inclusive,' with some adding that the store was offering a 'good mix of Christmas and pride,' while others commented on how 'affordable' it was.

Last week Fox News host Jesse Watters spoke about the LGBTQ holiday merchandise on his show claiming it was 'sexualizing Christmas for children.'

His guest Riley Gaines, a former competitive swimmer who campaigned against the participation of trans women in women's sports, echoed the same sentiment asking why 'they keep pushing this? Who are they trying to appeal to?

She added, in part, 'this doesn't represent the overwhelming majority of this country, really how the world, feels on this issue.'

The 'Fabriche Pride Santa' (pictured) features St. Nicholas holding the rainbow Pride Flag, the symbol of the LGBTQ community, bearing the slogan 'Love is Love' on his white shirt with rainbow suspenders and red sunglasses

A wooden Nutcracker figurine (pictured) dressed in a blue and white jacket with rainbow lapels, rainbow hat and holding a 'progress flag' - is also part of Target's 2023 holiday line

A shopper is looking at the various holiday displays at the Target store on Wednesday that is filled with holiday merchandise including Christmas trees, miniature Santas, ornaments among other Christmas merchandise

Before 'Black Friday' one of the biggest shopping days of the year hits, the non-profit Consumers' Research Group issued a 'Woke Alert' for Target for Black Friday and for Cyber Monday.

The group stated that the retailer 'continues to support woke policies, even after immense backlash for their Pride Month line, which included LGBTQ+ merchandise geared toward children and even babies.'

'This line included 'tuck friendly' bathing suits for kids, children's books on transgenderism, and clothing emblazoned with proactive LGBTQ+ slogans and more.'

'To make matters worse, when recently confronted on national television about these products, Target CEO Brian Cornell tried to sweep the controversy under the rug by flat-out lying, stating 'Well, I think you and I both know those weren't true ' the alliance wrote.

The conservative Media Research Center, posted in on their blog stating, 'leave it to the woke mob who runs Target to show how big of idiots they are once again,' The New York Post reported.

A Target store in Philadelphia during the 2021 holiday season. The mega retail chain is under fire for 'sexualizing' Christmas with a LGBTQ +holiday decoration line that features 'Pride Santa' and a 'Pride Christmas Nutcracker' Figurine

Before 'Black Friday' one of the biggest shopping days of the year, hits the non-profit Consumers' Research Group issued a 'Woke Alert' for Target for Black Friday and for Cyber Monday

Target rolled out merchandise in May before the celebration of LGBTQ in June that caused some controversy.

Some of the items for sale included, women's style swimsuits that advertise 'tuck-friendly construction' to hide male genitalia went viral in May.

After facing some customer backlash Target pulled some of its products from its stores, claiming that it was acting to protect employee safety, the company told Reuters.

A Target spokesperson said that Target has been celebrating Pride Month for more than a decade offering more than 2,000 products, including clothing, books, music and home furnishings as part of its Pride Collection, The news outlet reported.

Additional items include 'gender fluid' mugs, 'queer all year' calendars and books for children aged 2-8 titled 'Bye Bye, Binary,' 'Pride 1,2,3' and 'I'm not a girl.'
Mining magnate Gina Rinehart has called on the federal government to deliver a 'Christmas bonus' cut in the price of petrol.

Mrs Rinehart said halving the fuel excise of 44.2 cents per litre would deliver much-needed relief to Aussies struggling with the 'ridiculous' cost of petrol on top of all the other sky-rocketing prices.

'Most people forget that the government taxes every tank of fuel we use at around 50 cents per litre (including GST), so when politicians say there's not much they can do about it - the truth is, there is,' Mrs Rinehart told The West Australian.

'It could happen from the first of December and then, if you must, put it back to usual after Christmas, the longer after Christmas, the better.

'Let this be a very much-needed Christmas bonus for the country at a time when millions of Aussies need it more than I've seen in decades.

Mining magnate Gina Rinehart has called for the federal government to halve the fuel excise as 'Christmas bonus' for Australians battling with rising prices

READ MORE: Australia's richest person Gina Rinehart unleashes on Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in scathing letter Advertisement

'Petrol excise was halved by the Morrison Government as an emergency measure 18 months ago to help the economy; however, today a lot of households still face a genuine budget emergency.'

The previous Morrison government halved the fuel excise to 22.1 cents a litre in March last year with the measure kept in place for six months but allowed to lapse by the Albanese government.

The cut was was credited with saving families $300 over the six months at a cost of $2.7billion out of federal government revenues.

Ms Rinehart, who is Australia's richest person with a fortune estimated to be above $34billion, said state and governments were out of touch with ordinary Australians.

'People are hurting with the continuing rise in living costs and loan repayments, and all I hear from my fantastic staff and their families is that no one in state and federal governments seem to be listening,' she said.

Mrs Rinehart also used a speech at her WA Roy Hill mine on Wednesday to aim some barbs at 'fussy, work-shy' young people - but perhaps the most potent jabs were directed at the Albanese government.

She also strongly argued for the mining industry, saying it stops Australia from becoming a nation of 'crocodile feeders'.

'Youngsters who've been to uni don't want to do work they think is below them and want to jump into senior roles for instant success, skipping the hard metres, perhaps with the feeling that their private education or time at uni means they should pick and choose what work they do,' she said.

Mrs Rinehart said part of her success was not having this attitude - despite her private education and being admitted to university, where she studied briefly before dropping out to work with her father Lang Hancock for Hancock Prospecting.

'No matter how menial the work, if it needed to be done I had to get on and do it, whether that's Xeroxing all day, making coffees for late-night workers, opening station gates, pumping fuel into light aircraft, working weekends and public holidays, checking typing, writing meeting notes,' she said.

'In short, don't be too fussy and work-shy,' she advised, while clarifying she had met many young 'fantastic' youngsters who did not have these drawbacks.

Mrs Rinehart said state and federal governments weren't listening to struggling Australians

Mrs Rinehart bemoaned the red tape and long approvals process being imposed on miners, while taking a perhaps not-so-thinly veiled shot at Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, whose extensive overseas trips have seen him labelled as 'Airbus Albo'.

'Platitudes and press releases move precisely zero tonnes of iron, copper, nickel, rare earths or any other mineral,' she said.

'Ditto expensive government visits to overseas countries with purported missions to increase trade.'

Mrs Rinehart also took more specific aim at the Albanese government, which she accused of having 'inconsistent' workplace, welfare and immigration policies.

She said the government was not allowing 'veterans, pensioners, uni students, and non-violent, non-dangerous prisoners to work as much as they'd like'.

'Where is the sense in restricting our own citizens from working, while bringing in more immigrants, when our hospitals already can't cope - they even have to turn away emergency patients,' she said.

'Our police already can't cope, crime is rising, traffic, travel safety and parking sure won't benefit - and as for housing, how are we going to house all the extra people, when we already have our own sleeping in cars and increasingly on the streets?

'Plans to spend taxpayers' money on more housing - hasn't the government cocoon realised the long waits for concrete and other supplies?'

She encouraged her employees to spend 15 minutes a day lobbying governments on behalf of the mining industry, and also called for more people supportive of the sector to run for office.

'As an industry, we need to do far, far more to speak up for the future of our industry; we should be proud of mining, which our country - and the world - needs,' she said.

'Encourage and support people from our industry, to put themselves up for parliament. We need strong people in government, not afraid to stand up for common sense, and for mining.'

She argued mining boosts the national standard of living and in particular fills government coffers, claiming Hancock Prospecting pays more federally in tax than big banks Westpac, NAB or ANZ, as well as huge amounts in mining royalties to states.

'With each new mine we open, we provide billions of dollars to our government for our critical defence, hospitals, emergency services, veterans, aged care, nurses, police and more,' she said.

'With each new mine we open, Australia becomes a greater country. Let's not be an industry of crocodile feeders, but of nation builders.'
Spy agencies of South Korea and Britain on Thursday issued a joint warning against North Korea's hacking attempts on software supply chains frequently used by companies and individuals, officials said.

The National Cyber Security Center under South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) and the National Cyber Security Centre under Britain's Government Communications Headquarters said they have officially identified cases of North Korean hacking groups' supply chain attacks.

The cases include a "watering hole" attack on MagicLine4NX, a non-ActiveX joint certificate program developed by South Korean digital security firm Dream Security, which is used by tens of millions of people in South Korea.

A watering hole attack refers to a form of a cyberattack that targets a large number of users by infecting websites they commonly visit.

The NIS said it has taken measures with related authorities earlier this year to prevent similar attacks.

Another identified case included the breach of desktop application software distributed by a global communication solutions provider, 3CX, used by around 600,000 companies and institutions worldwide, including those in the aerospace and medical industries.

North Korean hackers were found to have infiltrated the development process of 3CX and planted a malicious code in the installation program to extract information from downloaders.

South Korea and Britain's cybersecurity agencies said the 3CX software has gone through an update to prevent additional hacking attacks, but asked its users to vaccinate their computers with updated antivirus software.

The joint advisory comes shortly after Seoul and London agreed to strengthen bilateral cybersecurity cooperation during a summit between President Yoon Suk Yeol and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday.

South Korea's spy agency said it marks the first time Britain has issued a joint cybersecurity advisory with a country other than the members of the Five Eyes alliance comprising Britain, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. (Yonhap)
The oldest passenger to fly on Qantas was left stunned after her plane broke into cheers and applause during her flight home to Hong Kong.

103-year-old Ngan Chun Kam aka 'Mamma' was celebrated by the pilot, cabin crew and her fellow passengers onboard the QF127 flight from Sydney on November 3.

From her seat in business class, Ms Kam received a special welcome announcement from the pilot, which ended with a cheer from the entire plane.

The great-grandmother was born in January 1920, several months before Australia's flagship airline was founded the following November.

Qantas customer service agent Jayson Eng told Daily Mail Australia it was an 'honour' to host the eldest passenger in the airline's history.

'We got her trip off to a flying start with a special welcome announcement from the Captain, which was broadcast throughout the entire aircraft,' he said.

'Everyone on board gave her a big round of applause. Our crew loved taking turns to introduce themselves to Ms Kam and we called her Po Po (Grandma in Cantonese) as a sign of respect for her. She was such a delight to have on board.'

A beaming Ms Kam was pictured posing with her friend John and over 20 flight attendants on the special flight earlier this month.

103-year-old Ngan Chun Kam (pictured) aka 'Mamma' was celebrated by the pilot, cabin crew and her fellow passengers onboard QF127 flight from Sydney to Hong Kong

A beaming Ms Kam is pictured posing with her friend John and over 20 Qantas flight attendants on the special flight from Sydney to Hong Kong earlier this month

Ms Kam's daughter-in-law Helen explained the elderly woman was a little confused about the cheering at first because she doesn't speak English.

After she explained it was because she was the oldest passenger to fly Qantas she said Ms Kam had felt 'so special'.

The great-grandmother, who was flying business class, also received a goodie bag from the airline containing champagne and Qantas merch.

Ms Kam visits Sydney every year to spend time with her son Dennis, 81, who lives in Sydney with his wife Helen and their children.

She also has a daughter in Canada and three sons who live in Hong Kong.

Ms Kam and her three sons all live in apartments purchased by her late husband, a 'far-sighted business man' who died in 1999.

The couple were married when Ms Kam was 19-years-old and had six children now aged 72-83. She now has 13 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.

Helen credits the elderly woman's longevity with her love of fishing and her daily walks to the fresh food market near her home in Hong Kong.
Shabtai's stepdaughter, Samantha Cooper alleged he would 'regularly touch her'

She claims he didn't distribute profits from the restaurant chain during divorce

Benny Shabtai, 74, is being sued by his ex-wife Stacey Cooper Shabtai

An Israeli businessman and friend of Jeffrey Epstein is facing claims of sexual harassment amid a bitter divorce and multiple lawsuits.

Benny Shabtai, 74, filed to divorce his wife of eight years, 62-year-old Stacey Cooper Shabtai, last October.

The couple and Shabtai's stepdaughter, Samantha Cooper, 36, acquired the operating rights to run Florida versions of the Serafina restaurant chain - visited by celebrities like the Kardashians and Victoria Beckham - in 2016.

Shortly after filing for divorce, Shabtai fired Cooper from her role as manager of Serafina Miami. Now the 36-year-old is countersuing her stepfather and accusing him of sexual harassment.

She alleged he required her to 'dress sexy' on the job and would 'regularly touch her in inappropriate places in an untoward and unwanted manner.'

Benny Shabtai, 74, is at the center of a legal battle with his ex-wife of eight years, Stacey Cooper Shabtai (left) and stepdaughter

Shabtai's stepdaughter, 36-year-old Samantha Cooper, has accused him of sexual misconduct in a bombshell lawsuit

The multimillionaire is a friend of convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, who travelled to meet with him in Tel Aviv 15 years ago

In court documents, Cooper claimed the multimillionaire threatened to make her 'go missing' due to his ties with Israeli spies.

'He traveled with his good friend Jeffrey Epstein to Israel where they had secret meetings with the Israeli army in order for them to fund covert operations and therefore, could harm Samantha Cooper and get away with it if she didn't do as he said,' the suit reads.

In 2008, Page Six reported on Epstein's trip to Tel Aviv, where he met with Israeli scientists about medical research he was funding and toured military bases with Shabtai.

At the time, Epstein was embroiled in controversy after he was accused of soliciting underage prostitutes. He was later handed an 18-month sentence.

Speaking to the New York Post, Shabtai insisted that Epstein 'never introduced (him) to any girls.'

'I didn't know about it,' he said of the sex trafficking ring. 'I never saw any girl in my life in that house. I knew about it when he was indicted.'

Shabtai's name appears on on page 49 of the infamous 'Little Black Book' with two phone numbers listed.

The multimillionaire has also been accused of sexual harassment by Giuliana Roncarati Gotera, a former manager at Serafina Miami.

In an affidavit filed as part of Samantha's countersuit, Gotera claimed Shabtai 'touched' her and made her feel 'uncomfortable.'

Shabtai filed for divorce from his ex-wife in October 2022

The businessman's name appears in Epstein's infamous 'Black Book,' on the same page as Maria Shriver, member of the Kennedy family and ex-wife of Arnold Schwarzenegger

Cooper (second from left) alleges that her stepfather required her to 'dress sexy' on the job and would 'regularly touch her in inappropriate places'

The couple and Cooper acquired the operating rights to run Florida versions of the Serafina restaurant chain in 2016

Cooper Shabtai accuses her ex-husband of failing to distribute years of profits among herself, her daughter and a former business partner

Amid the divorce, Shabtai's ex-wife is also suing, claiming that he failed to distribute years of profits among herself, her daughter and former business partner Michael Baccaro.

Instead, he kept the money for himself, the suit claims.

Shabtai, a native of Tel Aviv, relocated to the United States after completing his reserve duty in the Israeli army.

He established Raywond Weil USA, a watch importing business, in 1977 and served as the executive distributor until he sold the company in 2009.

In 2019, Shabtai was sued for misapplying a $1.7 million donation meant for Yale Jewish society for the renovation for a historic mansion near campus. The suit was later dropped.

Forbes valued the Shabtai family at $920 million in 2022, largely due to the sale of their controlling share in Viber, the Israeli instant-messaging app.

Shabtai sold his 55.2 percent stake in the company for $496 million in 2014.
EXCLUSIVE

An Afghan refugee who repeatedly approached boys for sex after being freed from immigration detention did not think he had done anything wrong or committed a criminal offence.

The man, given the pseudonym FYBR, was jailed for his crimes against children then returned to a detention centre and could now be back on the streets.

FYBR was on a list of serious offenders prepared by the Department of Home Affairs ahead of the High Court's ruling that indefinite immigration detention was unlawful.

The court's decision has seen at least 111 detainees including murderers, rapists and paedophiles let out into the community and FYBR is likely among them.

Home Affairs prepared a list of serious offenders held in immigration detention ahead of the High Court decision that saw at least 111 detainees freed. Police are pictured at a motel where asylum seekers have been released to

Other detainees on the same Home Affairs list along with FYBR are known to have already been set free, including a wife killer, a hitman and a child sex offender.

FYBR has spent seven years in detention - more than six years longer than he was in prison - and there is no reasonable prospect of his deportation.

The 34-year-old is a registerable person under the Child Protection (Offenders) Act, has limited English and no family or friends in this country.

Immigration Minister Andrew Giles declined to confirm FYBR had been released or to discuss his current circumstances.

'The government does not comment on individual cases,' a government spokeswoman said.

FYBR, whose family moved from Afghanistan to Pakistan when he was three, arrived in Australia by boat in March 2013 and was detained as an unlawful non-citizen.

He sought a protection visa and was allowed to live in the community while that application was being processed.

Shortly before midday on September 17, 2015, FYBR approached a 16-year-old boy who was wearing a high school uniform and asked him to come to his house for sex.

When the boy declined, 26-year-old FYBR told him to 'kiss his a***', according to court documents.

That afternoon, FYBR engaged another 16-year-old boy in conversation about his personal life, including asking about his relationship status.

Earlier that month FYBR had enticed the same teen to his house after they had spoken about motorcycles but the youth left when he got to the front door because he felt unsafe.

At their second meeting FYBR asked the teen, who court documents state looked younger than 16, if he could find him a boyfriend and said he liked 'sucking'.

The teen pushed FYBR away and told his mother about the incident.

Three days later, FYBR was sleeping under a tree when he woke to see a 14-year-old boy riding by on his scooter. FYBR was by then homeless.

FYBR whistled out to the boy, offering $100 if he kissed him, then asked the boy to 'suck' him. When the boy declined FYBR offered him $200.

The scared boy left but walked past FYBR later in the day when the refugee grabbed his shirt. Police saw the boy fleeing the scene and they stopped him.

FYBR was arrested and his bridging visa was cancelled the same day he was taken into custody.

In March the next year FYBR pleaded guilty in the local court to procuring a child for unlawful sexual activity, stalk/intimidate with the intention to cause fear, and common assault.

FYBR had told police he was attracted to younger males and if the three boys he approached had accepted his sexual advances he would have had intercourse with them.

A November 2018 judgment by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal found FYBR's attitude to his crimes was relevant when assessing his risk of further offending.

'While admitting the offences to the police, FYBR told them that he thought he had not committed any offence and that he was within his rights to ask those young males for sex,' it said.

FYBR was sentenced to two years' prison but successfully appealed to the NSW District Court where he was jailed for a year with a minimum term of seven months.

At the expiration of the non-parole period FYBR was taken into immigration detention where he had been held ever since.

FYBR served more than nine months in prison then was transferred to immigration detention where he spent the next seven years. Villawood detention centre in western Sydney is pictured

FYBR applied for a safe haven visa on the basis he faced persecution due to his Hazara ethnicity and Shia Muslim religion but it was refused on the grounds he did not meet the character test.

The Administrative Appeals Tribunal again rejected FYBR when he sought to overturn that decision.

'FYBR knows that what he did was unacceptable in Australia because of the consequences of his actions for him, but he does not understand why his actions were wrong,' it said.

'He seemed to think that because he did not touch his victims, his conduct was acceptable.

'The tribunal concludes from his evidence that he believed at the time of the offences that the freedom available in Australia, compared to the constraints on his behaviour in Pakistan, allowed him to request minors to satisfy his sexual desire.'

The tribunal rejected FYBR's claim he was now aware of Australian law and spent every night reading a code of conduct which had been provided to him in detention.

The federal government passed emergency legislation last Thursday to increase surveillance and restrictions on the detainees who have been released. Police are pictured at a Sydney motel where former detainees are staying

'The Tribunal accepts that the nature and seriousness of the offences committed, the cumulative effect of FYBR's behaviour and the risk to the Australian community should he commit similar offences in future, supports the exercise of the discretion to refuse to grant the visa,' it said.

'The Australian community expects non-citizens to obey Australian laws. He has been convicted of serious offences, a sexual offence and three other offences against vulnerable members of the community.'

READ MORE: Inside the warped mind of paedophile refugee who is allowed to stay in Australia after landmark High Court ruling: Details emerge about what he did in Sydney before he was locked up Advertisement

The federal government passed emergency legislation last Thursday to increase surveillance and restrictions on the detainees who have been released.

Among the requirements is that they wear ankle monitoring bracelets.

The non-citizens were freed after the High Court found there was little to no prospect of them being deported as they were either stateless or no third country would accept them for resettlement.

Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship Dan Tehan called on Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil to reveal how many detainees had been released and how many had so far been fitted with ankle bracelets.

'The Australian people deserve to know the details of the hardened criminals being released into the community and they deserve to know what the government is doing to keep them safe,' Mr Tehan told Daily Mail Australia.

'The public deserves to know how many criminals released from immigration detention are in the community unmonitored and they deserve to know if the Minister for Immigration Andrew Giles used his powers to waive the requirement for ankle bracelets.

'The more Australians learn about Labor's handling of this issue the more concerned they are.'

The government spokeswoman said security measures were in place to ensure community safety.

'Individuals who have been released as a result of the High Courts decision have been granted bridging visas with appropriate conditions, and law enforcement agencies have been notified of their release,' she said.

'Implementation and rollout of electronic monitoring devices is continuing with activities underway this week.'
Kevin Crump, one of Australia's most despised killers and inmates, has died behind bars aged 74 after spending 50 years in prison.

Crump, who with Allan Baker raped and murdered Virginia Morse in 1973, was found dead at Wellington Correctional Centre in NSW's central west on Thursday morning.

Daily Mail Australia understands he suffered a fatal heart attack.

Crump and Baker's appalling crimes against 35-year-old Mrs Morse appalled Australians just as the rape and murder of Sydney nurse Anita Cobby did in 1986.

The full details of what Baker and Crump did to the mother-of-three were so disturbing they have never been made public.

Kevin Crump, one of Australia's most reviled killers, has died behind bars aged 74 after serving almost 50 years in prison. Crump is pictured after his 1973 arrest

Crump, who with Allan Baker raped and murdered Virginia Morse in 1973, suffered a fatal heart attack at Wellington Correctional Centre in the NSW Central West (above) on Thursday

Baker and Crump first met in prison and joined up for a crime spree upon their release.

While driving a stolen vehicle they shot dead 43-year-old farm labourer Ian Lamb at Narrabri in north-western NSW on November 3, 1973 in what was described as a thrill killing.

Three days later the pair kidnapped Mrs Morse from her family's homestead near Collarenebri while her husband Brian and children were away.

They subjected Mrs Morse to 22 hours of atrocities including repeatedly raping her while she was tied to a tree.

Once on the other side of the Queensland border, one of the men shot Mrs Morse between the eyes and they both rolled her body into a river.

Baker and Crump were captured near Maitland in the Hunter Valley on November 13, 1973 and had been in custody ever since.

Crump tried to evade responsibility for Mrs Morse's murder after his arrest.

'I was forced to kill Mrs Morse by Baker because he wanted me to be in as deep as him,' he told police.

'He said he was going to kill me if I didn't. I admit that I was prepared to kidnap Mrs Morse and even to sleep with her, but once again, as with Mr Lamb, I did not want to be a part of her death... It was a choice of either me or Mrs Morse.'

What Crump and Baker did to mother-of-three Virginia Morse appalled Australians just as the murder of Sydney nurse Anita Cobby did the next decade. Mrs Morse is pictured

Because Mrs Morse had been killed outside the NSW jurisdiction the men were convicted of conspiring to murder her, as well as murdering Mr Lamb.

In sentencing them to life Justice Robert Taylor said: 'You have outraged all accepted standards of the behaviour of men.'

'The description of "men" ill becomes you. You would be more aptly described as animals, and obscene animals at that.

'I believe that you should spend the rest of your lives in jail and there you should die. If ever there was a case where life imprisonment should mean what it says - imprisonment for the whole of your lives - this is it.'

Mrs Morse's husband Brian died in September 2017, aged 81.

Baker, now 75, suffers from several medical problems including diabetes and mobility issues.

Baker and Crump were captured near Maitland in the Hunter Valley 10 days after Mr Lamb's murder and have been in custody ever since. Crump is pictured after his arrest

Crump and Baker (pictured) met in prison and joined up for a crime spree upon their release

Baker and Crump were two of 10 murderers - including Anita Cobby's killers - subject to a special Act of the NSW Parliament passed in 2001 which ensured they could never be released.

John Travers, Michael Murdoch, and brothers Gary, Michael and Leslie Murphy were originally jailed for life over the rape and murder of 26-year-old Ms Cobby in 1986.

Her killing shocked Australia and led to calls for the reintroduction of the death penalty after her naked, broken body was found in a paddock at Prospect in western Sydney.

Ms Cobby had been kidnapped while walking from Blacktown railway station and pack raped. Having been dragged through barbed wire into a paddock, her throat was slit with a knife.

Baker and Crump were two of 10 murderers - including Anita Cobby's killers - subject to special legislation which ensured they could never be released. Ms Cobby is pictured

Baker was assaulted at Long Bay jail in June 2019, on the same day Gary Murphy was bashed in the same part of the prison.

Like Murphy, Baker told authorities he had fallen over in the Metropolitan Special Programs Centre shower block.

'That's happened to him a few times, mate,' a source told Daily Mail Australia at the time.

'He's very careless in the shower. He's slipped over a few times since he's been in the system.'

Unlike Murphy, who was severely bashed and had to be taken to St Vincent's Hospital for injuries to his head, face, ribs and lungs, Baker appeared to be uninjured.

Prison authorities were unable to confirm what happened to Baker because he refused to identify his assailants or even admit that he had been touched.

Michael Murphy died in Long Bay Hospital in February 2019 aged 66. His brothers, as well as Travers and Murdoch, remain behind bars.
Ray Hadley has unleashed a foul-mouthed tirade at energy minister Chris Bowen over the Albanese government's floundering efforts to meet its emissions targets.

Hadley let loose on Thursday's 2GB morning show calling Mr Bowen 'Cassanova Bowen', claiming 'everything thing he touches politically he f***s up and he is doing it again this time with energy'.

Quoting from a news and opinion article in The Australian by journalist Geoff Chambers, Hadley reported Mr Bowen was getting taxpayers to back a five-fold increase in renewables as the government scrambles to meet targets.

Radio talkback host Ray Hadley has unleashed a foul-mouthed tirade against Energy Minister Chris Bowen

Mr Bowen is set to annouce today that the Capacity Investment Scheme will be expanded from underwriting 6 gigawatts of renewable energy projects to 32GW but the cost is being kept secret due-to-commercial in confidence reasons.

The Capacity Investment Scheme is taxpayer-underwritten scheme to help fund clean power generation and storage capacity.

The initiative entails the government guaranteeing new investments in renewable generation and storage through "contract for differences," which distributes risks between investors and taxpayers.

Under the scheme, competitive tenders determine the allocation of contracts, each with predefined floors and ceilings for revenue generated by a development.

Should the actual revenue surpass the agreed-upon amount, the investor is obliged to pay a percentage of the excess to the commonwealth. Conversely, if the revenue falls below the agreed-upon level, the commonwealth compensates the investor for the difference.

The government acknowledged it is needed to meet its objective of Australia running on 82 per cent by 2030.

'Bowen is locked in a 73-month race against time to slash emissions by 43 per cent and supercharge wind, solar, battery and pumped hydro capacity to replace coal and thermal generation by the end of the decade,' Chambers wrote.

He said the move is 'a concession that Labors pre-election modelling was fanciful' in predicting it could cut emission by 43 per cent by 2030 with renewables providing 82 per cent of the national's grid's power.

Chambers stated that the expansion of the Capacity Investment Scheme proved that relying on business alone would not be adequate to deliver the necessary amount of renewables within the specified timeframe.

He asserted that the extra tax-payer assurance was needed because 'proponents of large-scale renewable generation projects had warned the government about their concerns around returns on investment'.

'Without government guarantees on their investment and commitments to streamline approval processes, some would likely have shelved their plans and walked away,' he wrote.

Hadley agreed saying he told listeners on Sunday night that over 70 per cent of the grid's power came from coal and gas and 'the rest didnt make a big dent in it'.

He also said Mr Bowen's plan to build offshore wind turbines off Wollongong, south of Sydney, was in trouble because they wouldn't fit under low bridges on the M1 motorway to be transported from their planned Port Kembla manufacturer.

Mr Bowen is under mounting pressure to meet the ambitious climate change targets his government has set

Hadley also agreed with Chambers that the problems were mounting for Mr Bowen but predicted he would be undaunted.

'What does he do?' Hadley asked.

'He does what he always does, he plows on regardless because hes a brave man in a brave new world?'

'No, because he is a complete d***head basically. Hes been a d***head in immigration and every other portfolio and he continues in this one as well.

'And hes our d***head because we elected a Labor government and he is part of the deal.'

Chambers also argued Mr Bowen is under particular pressure to keep Labor's emissions target on track with the Albanese government vying to host a United Nations climate change conference.

Mr Bowen is also set to attend the UN Cop28 climate talks, which get under way in the United Arab Emirates later this month.

The UAE is the eighth largest fossil fuel exporter and produces more than 4 million barrels of oil per day.
Companies may be worried about wasting millions on leases

CEO's want employees to get back into the office more often

An employment expert has claimed working from home is here to stay despite desperate pleas from CEOs for workers to return to the office full time.

A new study surveyed 1,325 CEOs across 11 countries and found that 60 per cent of bosses would like to see the end of hybrid work schedules but other research has found that workers have become used to their new lifestyle.

Employees who do two day of WFH per week have been found to experience more overall happiness and satisfaction than those who work from the office full time.

Iva Durakovic, a researcher in workplace design at UNSW Sydney, said that a driving factor in CEO's wanting to return to the status quo is because of multi-million dollar leases they are investing into unused office space.

Major Australian companies have recently begun introducing incentives to draw workers back, including ANZ who recently announced that workers who were not back in the office at least 50 per cent of the time would no longer receive bonuses.

Global consulting firm KPMG surveyed 1,325 CEOs across 11 countries and found that 60 per cent of bosses would like to see an end to hybrid work schedules by 2026

Ms Durakovic said that the push to get workers back into the office was not driven by workplace efficiency as CEOs typically attest.

'This will sound harsh, but I think the desperation to get everyone back in the office is largely to do with money and real estate,' Ms Durakovic told news.com.au.

READ MORE: Working from home could affect your pay A staggering number of Australian bosses have revealed they are prepared to slash the pay and benefits of staff who choose to work from home. Advertisement

'There's a huge crisis that the corporate real estate sector and large organisations are facing. They have a lot of money and a lot of space riding on people coming back.'

There has long been a push among workers for more autonomy regarding where they work but employers are now boldly pushing back.

Standard talking points in favour of returning to the office typically cite the cultural benefits and increased productivity as driving reasons to get back in the office.

Workers are supposedly more distracted at home and distanced from each other, but Ms Durakovic insists that leases are driving CEOs to toughen up on remote work.

The researcher said that without people occupying high rise office spaces throughout the city then the multi-million dollar contacts are redundant.

But other research by Monash University's Business School has suggested that hybrid working arrangements may actually help employee wellbeing.

It found that those who were required to work from the office full-time consistently scored lower than their WFH counterparts across five wellbeing metrics.

Two-thirds of respondents who were working in a hybrid arrangement said that they felt better supported and held a greater sense of purpose at work.

A third study by the National Bureau of Economic Research also found that workers preferred spending one-to-two days working remotely each week.

Iva Durakovic, a researcher in workplace design (not pictured), suggested that CEO's might be sick of spending millions of dollars on office space leases while their workers stay home

Despite these studies major companies have begun fighting back against employees who would rather stay home.

Research by global consulting firm KPMG revealed that global CEOs want workers to return to the office within three years despite pushback from workers.

The Fair Work Commission recently turned down a father's request to work exclusively from home for health and parenting reasons on November 16.

The tribunal found the salary packaging firm Maxxia had 'reasonable business grounds' to reject a Sydney case adviser's plea to WFH 100 per cent of the time.

The verdict was seen as a major test of employees' rights after Labor introduced new workplace laws in June, named Secure Jobs Better Pay.

Workers can appeal bosses' decisions to refuse flexible work - and this was the first such case to go before the Fair Work Commission.

ANZ staff are also being warned their annual bonuses could be slashed if they spend less than 50 per cent of their rostered work hours in the office.

Managers in Australia, New Zealand, Manila and Bengaluru sent an email to their respective teams which said that working from the office was 'just like any other behavioural expectation'.

The policy also warns staff could see an impact on their performance rating and annual bonuses if they do not meet the 50 per cent monthly requirement.

Business Sydney Executive Director Paul Nicolaou told Daily Mail Australia in order for Sydney to feel like a global city it needs to feel full seven days a week

CR Commercial Property Group chief executive and managing director Nicole Duncan went further, calling people who opted to work from home 'so selfish'.

'You don't know what you don't know, and until CEOs make a decision and get bolshy about this, it's not going to change because the unemployment rate is still too low,' she said during an appearance on 2GB.

Similarly Business Sydney Executive Director Paul Nicolaou told Daily Mail Australia in order for Sydney to be the number one city in Australia, workers who are able should be working on site.

'Sydney is Australia's only truly global city. It looks and feels like a global city on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday but it needs to be a vibrant city seven days a week 24 hours a day,' Mr Nicolaou said.

After spending years looking into workplace design Ms Durakovic said that a balance has yet to be achieved which will satisfy everyone.

She explained that what works for a business of 10 people would not translate to one of 10,000, but that an acceptable WFH standard was still being developed.

'From observation and research, I can say there's a huge benefit to giving a little bit of freedom so ideas can emerge. You might not get it right the first time, but if you give team leaders a bit of wriggle room to test things out, that'll get much more buy-in.'
Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer looks set to intervene in the planned takeover of the Telegraph group by an Abu Dhabi-backed investment fund.

Redbird IMI announced earlier this week that it had struck a deal that would see it take control of the newspapers.

A number of Tory MPs have urged the Government to intervene, saying the arrangement 'represents a potential threat to Press freedom in this country'.

And in a Telegraph column yesterday, the newspaper itself said the takeover by a fund 'linked to a state not known for encouraging free expression' would concern its readers.

RedBird IMI is partly funded by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the deputy prime minister of the UAE.

Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer (pictured) looks set to intervene in the planned takeover of the Telegraph group by an Abu Dhabi-backed investment fund

Redbird IMI announced earlier this week that it had struck a deal that would see it take control of the newspapers (file image)

RedBird IMI is partly funded by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan (pictured), the deputy prime minister of the UAE

In a written ministerial statement, Ms Frazer said she has written to the parties to the proposed deal to inform them she was 'minded to' intervene over concerns 'that warrant further investigation'.

If Ms Frazer decides to do so, it will trigger probes by regulator Ofcom and the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which could result in a more detailed investigation.

The Telegraph, owned by the Barclay family, was put into receivership by Lloyds Banking Group earlier this year over debts of 1.1billion. The bank is now selling the group  which controls the Daily and Sunday Telegraph titles and The Spectator magazine.

READ MORE: Telegraph and Spectator to face control by group backed by Abu Dhabi Advertisement

But the Barclay family has agreed a series of loans from Redbird IMI, allowing them to pay off the debts. The loan would be converted into equity, handing ownership of the newspapers to Redbird IMI .

The sales process involving other bidders, including DMGT media group, which owns the Daily Mail, has been paused as the Barclays look to tie up a deal ahead of a court hearing over the liquidation of their holding company.

Ms Frazer said grounds for her possible intervention include the need for 'accurate presentation of news', 'free expression of opinion' in newspapers and 'plurality' of views and ownership.

A spokesman for Redbird IMI said: 'We welcome the opportunity to make further representations to the Government, restating that if we gain ownership of the Telegraph and Spectator we will be committed to maintaining the existing editorial team and believe editorial independence for the titles is essential to protecting their reputation and credibility.'

Reports last night suggested a senior Lloyds executive warned the Government that issuing a public interest notice could anger the bank's shareholders.

The Telegraph said the comments by Andrew Walton, the bank's chief corporate affairs officer, had been interpreted as a threat, but he said: 'It was not a threat but it was a very clear warning.'
This is the shocking moment a bouncer punches a transgender woman in the face leaving her with a horrific black eye after shouting transphobic slurs at her.

Lynette Matusik, who captured part of the assault with a camera inside her Meta Smart Glasses, claims she was the victim of a hate crime.

She was out for the night with friends last Friday night and looking to cap it off at Billy Jack's Shack, a popular restaurant and bar in Charlotte, North Carolina.

'I was just bouncing around,' Matusik said. 'I was looking for food at the end of the night and I went into Billy Jack's Shack.'

But she claims she was grabbed by the arm by the bouncer, lifted into the air, thrown to the ground and throttled while being pummeled with homophobic abuse.

Lynette Matusik, who captured part of the assault with a camera inside her Meta Smart Glasses, claims she was the victim of a hate crime

When she walked in, she claims she was grabbed by the arm by a man and lifted into the air, thrown to the ground and ended up with his arm around her throat while he yelled homophobic language

'Whoa, hey, get your hands off me,' she says as he grabs her and informs him she's recording this. 'I don't care,' the bouncer replies before Matusik asks: 'Why are you choking me?'

'I asked you for your ID,' the bouncer responds. Matusik disputes that he'd ever asked for identification.

The assailant, who claimed Matusik bit his thigh, called police after she had been taken outside. Authorities and medics responded and transported her to a hospital.

Her body was left injured and bruised, including a brutal black eye.

When shown video of the incident, he declined to comment if it was warranted but the company has since said that no one should be choked by security, WCNC reported.

Gridiron Protection Services, the company hired to provide security for Billy Jack's, has no record of even applying for a license to do security work, an illegal but common practice in the state, according to the Charlotte Observer.

'They're not security, and I'm not going to use that word,' Matusik said.

Matusik says her body was left injured and bruised, including a brutal black eye

Gridiron Protection Services, the company hired to provide security for Billy Jack's, has no record of even applying for a license to do security work, an illegal but common practice in the state

Unarmed guards are mandated by law to go through a 16-hour course that covers fundamentals, with a 20-hour course for armed guards.

The bar posted a statement to its social media channels last Sunday saying that they'd cut ties with Gridiron and claiming the incident 'contradicts the very thing' Billy Jack's Shack stands for.

North Carolina's Private Protective Services Board said it will be launching an investigation into Gridiron, who have yet to comment on the situation.

In the past two years, the board says it has investigated 74 North Carolina security companies for being unlicensed and six in Charlotte alone.

Because of the alleged bite to the security guard, only Matusik has been charged in this incident, receiving a simple assault rap.

Matusik shared her video hoping 'that shedding light on this incident will spur a broader discussion on the safety and security measures' and says the biting accusation is 'ridiculous.'

She is demanding the case be investigated as a hate crime.
Seoul Metro, the operator of Seoul subway lines No. 1-8, announced measures Thursday to ban all subway protests by a disabled advocacy group after they resumed their morning rush-hour protest this week.

Seoul Metro said it came up with the three-step countermeasures against Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination (SADD) on Tuesday, following the resumption of protests after a two-month halt since the last collective action on Sept. 25.

The measures include blocking the group's entry into subway stations, preventing them from boarding subway trains by not opening or shutting the platform doors and taking legal action against all illegal acts.

The subway operator said it has requested the police's cooperation in blocking off the group's protests within all subway stations and trains, citing the Assembly and Demonstrations Act.

It also plans to have trains pass through stations without stopping in case of continued protests and record the entire demonstration process in order to gather evidence of illegal actions.

The disability advocacy group has been staging subway protests since 2021, demanding increased government funding to protect the rights of people with disabilities, including mobility rights. The wheelchair-bound activists have repeatedly boarded and disembarked trains to cause delays in metro services during the morning rush hour.

Seoul Metro claimed that delays totaling over 86 hours have been caused by the subway protests on 471 occasions since 2021, resulting in some 780 million won ($600,924) in losses. (Yonhap)
He was identified by a security staff at another Walmart in the county last week

A Florida man has been arrested and charged after he was caught on camera viciously punching an elderly shopper at a Walmart last month.

Joseph Albert McFadden, 34, has been accused of aggravated battery on elderly after he was seen brutally punching the victim twice in his face and fleeing the scene.

The unsettling attack occurred on October 11 at around 10am, as the victim, in his 80s, was leaving Walmart in Lauderdale Lakes with a shopping bag in his hands.

McFadden was arrested at another Walmart in the county last week after the store's security staff identified him and reported it to the police, according to the Miami Herald.

The 34-year-old from Lauderhill, Florida, remained at large for more than a month after the unprovoked attack, which was captured entirely by surveillance cameras at the store from different angles.

McFadden has been charged with aggravated battery on on a person 65 years of age or older

The victim 'suffered some cuts and was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment of his injuries,' sheriff's office spokesman Carey Codd told the Miami Herald.

'Detectives say the attacker did not steal anything from the victim, and the victim does not know the attacker and did not have words with him prior to the incident,' authorities said.

Surveillance footage captures McFadden emerging from the parking lot and confronting the victim just beyond the sliding doors of the Walmart store.

He swiftly punched the victim, who has not been identified, in his face twice without saying a word.

Then McFadden nonchalantly strolled away from the store's entrance, casually heading north on foot, as revealed by the footage.

He was seen in the video wearing a navy sweater with grey lettering on the front, black pants and flip flops.

Joseph Albert McFadden, 34, was caught on camera brutally punching a victim in his 80s at a Walmart in Lauderdale Lakes, Florida

Surveillance footage captures McFadden emerging from the parking lot

The suspect confronted the unidentified victim just beyond the sliding doors of the Walmart store

He swiftly punched the victim, who has not been identified, in his face twice without saying a word

Detectives say the attacker did not steal anything from the victim, and the victim does not know the attacker and did not have words with him prior to the incident

Then McFadden nonchalantly strolled away from the store's entrance, casually heading north on foot, as revealed by the footage

'It was a brazen, unprovoked attack caught on camera,' the Broward Sheriff's Office said when police were looking for McFadden last month.

McFadden was taken into custody by Sunrise police on Friday, near the 3300 block of North University Drive, according to the Broward Sheriff's Office Violent Crimes Unit.

McFadden faces one count of aggravated battery on a person 65 years of age or older.

He remained behind bars at the county's North Broward Bureau as of Wednesday morning with bail set at $10,00.
The news a flight route out of regional NSW was the worst performer in October was no surprise to people who have to drive six hours when the unreliable service fails.

The latest Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport and Regional Economics (BITRE) report found 10 per cent of Armidale to Sydney flights were cancelled, and 10.2 per cent abandoned on the return trip.

The carriers flying the route were Qantas and Rex, with an astonishing 16.3 per cent of the latter's flights cancelled and 7.7 per cent of QantasLink trips scrapped.

The report also revealed a flight route between Sydney and a Queensland holiday island had the least number of flights arriving on time.

The news a flight route out of regional NSW was the worst performer in October was no surprise to people who have to drive six hours when the unreliable service fails (stock image)

News of the flight route between Sydney and Armidale being one of the most unreliable was no shock to Sandy Marshall, who recently had to leave her Armidale home at 2am to drive six hours to Sydney to get to her cruise holiday on time.

READ MORE: Qantas baggage handlers charged after allegedly trying to import 100kg of cocaine into Sydney Airport Advertisement

'I got a text message at 10pm the night before saying that the flight had been cancelled,' she told the ABC about her mad scramble to make it to Sydney on time.

She was told the cancellation was due to 'mechanical issues', but she has heard that excuse many times before.

A Qantas spokesperson said 'Severe weather caused more delays and cancellations in October, with weather impacting flights on all but six days for the month.'

Daily Mail Australia contacted Rex for comment but had not heard back by deadline.

Ms Marshall got back the frequent flyer points she used to buy tickets for the cancelled flight, but is still furious at the airline's seeming lack of care.

When she found out her flight was cancelled she asked if she could get a flight from Tamworth - 110km from Armidale - to Sydney instead.

But she was told there was nothing the airline could do.

Making matters worse, she had to drive back from Sydney Airport after her holiday too as it was too late to book a hire car, so she drove her own vehicle.

This meant she also had to pay for parking in Sydney for while she was away.

An astonishing 16.3 per cent of regional airline Rex's flights between Armidale and Sydney were cancelled in October. A Rex plane is pictured

'We had to drive home too because it was too late to organise a hire car one way, so I had to organise parking once we were there.

'I try not to direct my anger at people that I know it's beyond their control. But I was still mad,' Ms Marshall said.

'I was mad that there wasn't anything they could do.'

The BITRE report found the Townsville-Cairns route had the highest per cent of on time arrivals with the figure sitting at 92.4 per cent.

The route also had the highest percentage of on time departures at 92.4 per cent.

The Hamilton Island-Sydney route had the lowest per cent of on time arrivals with only 46.9 per cent of flights making it at the designated time.

The Cairns-Melbourne route had the lowest per cent of on time departures at 40.4 per cent.

Qantas was rated the least reliable domestic airline in Australia in October.

It not only performed worse than Virgin and regional carried Rex over the month, it also ranked lower than its budget sister airline Jetstar.

The report found Qantas cancelled 4.3 per cent of its flights across in October, more than Jetstar and Virgin Australia at 4.1 per cent, while Rex cancelled 2.3 per cent of flights overall.

When flights weren't cancelled, about two thirds of Qantas planes arrived or departed within 15 minutes of its expected time - well behind the other major and rural airlines.

The BITRE report is yet another blow for the embattled airline.

Sandy Marshall had to leave her Armidale home at 2am to drive six hours to Sydney to get to her cruise holiday on time after her flight was cancelled

Qantas was found to have illegally outsourced 1,683 ground workers' jobs in 2020, in a decision upheld by the High Court.

In August, recently-departed Qantas CEO Alan Joyce was grilled at a Senate hearing where it was found the airline owed customers $370million in flight credits and planned to cancel them in October.

Qantas later moved the cut-off date to the end of this year.

In the September, Mr Joyce, who oversaw the myriad scandals plaguing the airline left the company with a golden handshake estimated to be about $24million.
A series of screenshots presented to the Federal Court highlight how friends of Bruce Lehrmann responded after The Project's now infamous interview first aired.

Mr Lehrmann, a former Liberal staffer, is suing Network Ten and ex-Project host Lisa Wilkinson over a TV interview in which Ms Higgins alleged she was raped. He appeared in the Federal Court on Thursday on the second day of his defamation case.

Mr Lehrmann told the court that he was 'booted' from a Facebook group within the week of February 15, 2021 - when The Project interview was broadcast.

One screenshot tendered in court showed nine people quitting a group chat with Mr Lehrmann after the TV program was aired.

READ MORE: Daily Mail Australia's live blog of the Bruce Lehrmann defamation trial

Bruce Lehrmann (left) appeared in the Federal Court on Thursday in the second day of his defamation trial against Network Ten and journalist Lisa Wilkinson

Mr Lehrmann said he was kicked out of group chats on social media after The Project interview aired on February 15, 2021. The above screenshot shows nine people leaving his group chat after the program was aired

'I recall logging into my social media accounts to shut them down because of the media furore,' Mr Lehrmann said.

Referring to Facebook, he told the court: 'I was removed from group chats and blocked in groups, my friend count had reduced which meant people had unfriended me.'

'When I was removed from these groups, [the administrators] would highlight in the messenger app that I had been removed,' he said.

Mr Lehrmann also explained he had been left as the sole member of another group chat after all other members removed themselves.

In the chat, which consisted of National party supporters, Mr Lehrmann said someone had posted an 'eject' picture.

In a text exchange, Mr Lehrmann was asked by a friend if they could call him, to which he responded: 'Maybe not tonight mate'.

'As your mate, I need to call you brother,' the friend replied.

Mr Lehrmann then said: 'Trying to call you mate'.

Mr Lehrmann said: 'When I was removed from these groups, [the administrators] would highlight in the messenger app that I had been removed'

A screenshot showing a conversation between Mr Lehrmann and a friend (Mr Lehrmann's responses are in blue)

When asked about the impact The Project broadcast had on his life, Mr Lehrmann told the court: 'The Project has completely destroyed me.'

'Everything flowed from that - losing friends, finances, sections of my family haven't bothered to contact me.

'It has fractured large parts of my life.'

READ MORE: Expert reveals what's really at stake in Bruce Lehrmann defamation trial

Also on Thursday, Mr Lehrmann told the Federal Court that he had 'spiralled' after reading an article on news.com.au at about 8am on February 15, 2021, which detailed Brittany Higgins' rape allegations.

He wasn't aware at the time that the allegations involved him but had decided to read the story because of its political content.

He told the court he recognised Ms Higgins' name because they used to be colleagues, and said 'I was shocked like everyone else'.

He knew the allegations were about him by about 2pm that day, when a News Corp journalist, Rosie Lewis, contacted his employer, which at that time was British American Tobacco.

Mr Lehrmann is suing Network Ten and ex-Project host Lisa Wilkinson (second from left) over a broadcast in which Ms Higgins alleged she was raped

Ms Lewis said she heard the alleged rapist was him, and asked whether he or his employer had a comment.

'I was called into a meeting after I had lunch,' Mr Lehrmann told the court.

'I was shown the email from Ms Lewis.

'She indicated in that email that she'd heard from government sources that I was the alleged person identified from media reporting that morning, and did my company have a response or through them, did I have a response.'

He also told his girlfriend about the situation and called criminal lawyer Rick Korn.

When asked how had felt after that point, Mr Lehrmann said 'I completely spiralled'.

He said Mr Korn was also trying to 'manage my emotions' and, later in the week, he became suicidal.

Mr Lehrmann has always denied allegations he raped Brittany Higgins and there have been no findings made against him.
Four teenage girls have been charged over the attack

Mum of two allegedly stabbed repeatedly and lost a kidney

EXCLUSIVE

A heroic mother-of-two who tried to break up a brawl between teenage girls has lost a kidney and is in an induced coma after she was allegedly stabbed multiple times.

Kristie McBride, 39, was stabbed in the head and torso outside a home on Wiget Way, in Warrawong, in the NSW Illawarra region south of Sydney, on Wednesday at about 6.30pm.

Four teenage girls aged 13, 14 and two 15-year-olds have now been arrested and charged over the alleged attack.

Daily Mail Australia understands a gang of up to five teenage girls - including one 12-year-old - allegedly arrived armed with knives and threatened to stab one of Ms McBride's young relatives.

A family member said the attack was triggered by an alleged cyber bullying incident.

The group of girls allegedly threatened to attack another teenage girl who lived at the Warrawong home.

'They all had knives and said they were going to stab her in the throat,' a relative said.

Kristie McBride, 39, was stabbed in the head and torso outside a home on Wiget Way, in Warrawong, south of Sydney, on Wednesday at about 6.30pm

A family member (pictured at the scene with a relative) said the attack was triggered by an alleged cyber bullying incident

'(Ms McBride) then ran out and they (allegedly) stabbed her on the driveway.

'They were here for five seconds and they (allegedly) stabbed her and ran down the road.'

Relatives had gathered at the house after the allegedly threatening messages were sent.

It's understood Ms McBride was not the target of the alleged attack.

She has undergone surgery and now temporarily requires a colostomy bag after her bowel and spleen were also damaged in the attack.

The mother is in an induced coma and is expected to remain in hospital for several weeks.

The girls accused of being involved in the attack had allegedly warned their intended target they were coming.

'We don't know them,' a relative said 'It was after fighting back and forth on the internet and they said, ''We're coming to fight you, no weapons, no cops''.'

The family member said they believed the group had brought knives to be 'intimidating' but only one of the girl gang - who travelled from Sydney - is alleged to have inflicted any injuries.

'Me and my mum chased the girls up the street to the highway,' the relative said.

'We're okay hearing she's stable but we're all just inside the house devastated.'

Blood-stained garments could be seen strewn across the driveway after towels and items of clothing were used to try and stop Ms McBride's bleeding.

Ms McBride remains in hospital in a critical condition, police said on Thursday.

Neighbouring houses on Wiget Way were seen with boarded up windows and doors in an area where several homes are understood to be housing commission properties.

Children's toys were also seen out the front of neighbouring houses, while a few had Christmas decorations up.

Blood-stained garments (pictured) could be seen strewn across the driveway after towels and items of clothing were used to try and stop Ms McBride's bleeding

Children's toys were also seen out the front of neighbouring houses, while a few had Christmas decorations up (pictured)

One resident said violence had become such a standard feature in the area, she no longer wanted to bring her kids to the suburb.

Police confirmed they had charged four teenagers in connection with the attack.

'Earlier today, three female teenagers  aged 13, 14, and 15  were arrested and charged, they remain before the courts,' said a NSW Police spokesman.

'Following additional inquiries, officers attended a home in Narellan Vale and executed a search warrant at 8.45am on Thursday where they arrested a 15-year-old girl.

'She was taken to Narellan Police Station and charged with wound person with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and affray.

'She was refused bail to appear at a children's court today'.
The body of a South Australian man suspected to have murdered his wife has been found after a desperate police manhunt.

Kevin Jewell allegedly shot his wife Jodie dead in their Modbury North property, 14 km north-east of Adelaide, shortly after 6pm on Tuesday.

The the 55-year-old was found dead near Curramulka, on South Australia's Yorke Peninsula on Thursday following an extensive search.

Emergency services were alerted to a body at the corner of Boundary and Brooke Roads by a member of the public just after 11.30am.

Kevin Jewell (pictured), 55, allegedly shot his wife Jodie dead in their Modbury North property shortly after 6pm on Tuesday

Officers found Jewell's white Mitsubishi Triton ute and then his body about 150 metres away.

Major Crime detectives and forensic response teams are attending the remote property and will conduct a coronial investigation.

Police said there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding Jewell's death.

On Wednesday, police searched a Whyalla home belonging to the estranged aunt and uncle of the alleged killer.

Superintendent Doc Bray said Ms Jewell, also 55, had previously told a friend she had been the victim of domestic violence but had not reported the crime.

The friend became concerned when she couldn't contact Ms Jewell and contacted police who went to the property and found Ms Jewell dead with a gunshot wound

Police said Ms Jewell (pictured) had previously told a friend she had been the victim of domestic violence but had not reported the crime

Kevin Jewell lived on the upper level of the house, while Ms Jewell and her teenage daughter lived downstairs.

'They had been somewhat estranged for a period of time,' Supt Bray told reporters on Wednesday.

Police obtained an arrest warrant for Jewell in the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Wednesday for the charge of murder.

'If Kevin is watching, I make this appeal to him,' Supt Bray said. 'We are actively looking for you and we will locate you.

Supt Bray warned members of the public not to engage with Jewell.

'We believe Kevin is armed with a rifle and ammunition,' he said.

'He is considered armed and dangerous and should not be approached by anyone.'

Police said Kevin Jewell was driving a white Mitsubishi Triton ute (pictured)

Mr Jewell is believed to have fled the scene in the white P-plated 2008 Mitsubishi Triton, registration of XTN167

Jewell was last seen loading items including a backpack and an esky from the home on Tuesday afternoon.

'He likes hunting, he likes camping and he's known to basically set up in the bush in his normal relaxation time, so that's a very strong likelihood,' Supt Bray said.

'We've got an enormous amount of resources looking for him'.

Ms Jewell is the fourth woman alleged to have been murdered in South Australia in the past week.

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A 'concerning email' sent to sixteen organisations in New Zealand has prompted police to search hospitals and has sparked the evacuation of at least one school.

Officers on Thursday searched business including Wellington and Bowen Hospital in the capital along with Burwood Hospital in Christchurch and Auckland Hospital.

Saint Kentigern College, also in Auckland, was evacuated as many students sat their graduation exams.

The email reportedly contained a bomb threat and was sent to sixteen organisations, though police have declined to publicly release all of the locations.

New Zealand's health department, Te Whatu Ora, has assured people officers are on site and it is safe to visit hospitals as usual.

Saint Kertigern College in Auckland was evacuated and closed on Thursday following a 'concerning email' understood to be a bomb threat

The school's website declared the collage was undergoing 'evacuation practice' and urged people not to visit the site

Students and staff at Saint Kentigern College were evacuated onto the oval before the school was shut for the day as a 'due to an abundance of caution'.

About 170 students were sitting the Year 12 NCEA exams and many travelled to nearby schools to complete their tests.

The school's Deputy chief executive Jann Marshall told Radio New Zealand students will be able to apply to have the evacuation taken into consideration when deriving their marks.

'The safety of students and staff was a top priority,' she said.

'Each school has its own processes for handling a security lockdown, and these apply during the exam period.'

Police said in a statement they were aware of 'how unsettling these emails are for all concerned.'

'We'd like to thank all involved for their cooperation as we investigate.'

NZ Health Department said hospital remain open but officers are on site and staff are remaining vigilant

Te Whatu Ora's national director for hospital and specialist services Fionnagh Dougan said she was aware some hospitals received the threatening email on Thursday morning about 9.30am.

'Staff have followed police advice and we are remaining vigilant. Our hospital sites have remained open and all services are continuing.

'Members of the public with appointments at our hospitals or needing emergency treatment should be assured it is safe to attend their local hospital as usual.'
A man arrested on a Bondi rooftop in his underwear after a sprawling manhunt allegedly raped a woman and kept her captive during a terrifying three hour ordeal.

Paul Kelaita, 45, was arrested by plain clothes police detectives on Wednesday after allegedly fleeing from officers in Bondi shortly before 4pm.

Described as having multiple behavioural disorders, including mania, Kelaita did not apply for bail at Waverley Local Court on Thursday as he faces 28 charges.

Court documents revealed the Harrington Park man allegedly forced a woman into her Land Rover at Killarney only two weeks before his arrest.

Police allege Kelaita kept the woman captive for three hours, during which time he raped her, forced her to touch his penis, and kissed her without consent.

Paul Kelaita (above) did not apply for bail at Waverly court on Thursday after being charged with alleedly raping a woman for three hours two weeks prior

Keliata, who also allegedly stalked the woman before and after, is further alleged to have 'placed his flaccid penis on (her) vagina' during the incident.

Magistrate Ross Hudson described Keliata as suffering a range of behavioural disorders, which he would receive treatment for while in custody.

'(They are) ranging from adjustment disorder, major depressive reaction to schizoid personality, OCD, and other issues ... manic behaviour,' he said.

Kelaita was supported in court by his father and a woman who sat quietly in the back of the room and refused to answer questions leaving court.

The alleged manhunt began shortly before 4pm when police approached Kelaita on Roscoe St in Bondi in relation to the alleged sex offences.

Police allege Kelaita (pictured during his arrest on Wednesday) forced a woman into her Land Rover at Killarney before he raped her, forced her to touch his penis and kissed her

Keliata also allegedly stalked the woman before and after the alleged rape (pictured, his arrest on Wednesday)

READ MORE: WhatsApp texts of superyacht worker accused of abducting woman from Bondi Icebergs Advertisement

Kelaita allegedly fled on foot from officers, sparking a massive alleged manhunt involving the police helicopter that also shuttered a local daycare centre.

He was eventually arrested by police about an hour later on the roof of a home on Curlewis St in Bondi and was dragged away wearing rugby shorts.

Police allege that during the hour-long incident, Kelaita entered the home of a woman on Curlewis St with the intent to evade police before assaulting her.

Local residents, who watched as the manhunt unfolded, reported to local media seeing Kelaita using their homes as hiding places.

In total, Kelaita is charged with four counts of aggravated sexual assault while depriving liberty and eight counts of stalking and intimidation.

Kelaita was supported in Waverly Local Court by his father (pictured leaving court on Thursday)

An unknown woman who would not speak to reporters (above) also supported Kelaita in court with his next appearance set for December 12

He further faces three counts of sexual touch without consent, one of inciting another person to touch them without consent, and negligent driving.

He separately faces a charge of common assault, and three counts of entering a building to commit an indictable offence and entering enclosed lands.

Kelaita will reappear before the same court on December 12 on the Sydney allegations and will also front Gosford Court in early February.
A boat carrying about a dozen asylum seekers from Indonesia arrived undetected on Australia's mainland, sparking fears the illicit people-smuggling trade is ramping up.

Those on board are understood to have been saved by the Indigenous Wunambal Gaambera people on Tuesday as the vessel pulled up to an isolated stretch of the Anjo Peninsula, on the northern tip of Western Australia.

The all-male group then walked through rugged bushland in 35C heat arriving at the remote Truscott North Kimberley Airport on Wednesday.

They were given food and water by airport staff who described them as being in 'poor shape'.

State Liberal Party MP Neil Thomson told Daily Mail Australia that news of the arrivals is an 'obvious concern' for Australians and indicative of the Federal Government's stance on asylum seekers.

A boat carrying about a dozen asylum seekers from Indonesia arrived undetected on Australia's mainland, sparking fears the illicit people-smuggling trade is ramping up (suspected asylum seekers arrive at Christmas Island in 2012)

'It does raise issues around the broader messaging that Australia has been sending in recent days, particularly with the release of those convicted persons who were released by the by court decision,' he said.

On November 8, 93 asylum seekers were let out into the community after the High Court found their indefinite detention was unlawful.

Three of those released are murderers, one of whom killed a pregnant woman in Malaysia, and another was previously jailed for raping a 10-year-old boy in Sydney.

Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil has since introduced a raft of strict new visa conditions for the released detainees including ankle tracking devices and curfews.

Despite the ruling not likely to effect the status of future asylum seekers, ruthless people-smuggling gangs are known to use any changes to Australia's hardline stance on illegal immigration to convince vulnerable migrants into taking their chances in unsafe boats.

Mr Thomson said local governments have been calling for more protection from the Australian Border Force along the Northern Coast after recent 'incursions' from Indonesian fishing boats.

'We are very vulnerable in the north, we don't have enough of a defence presence,' he said.

The boat is believed to have landed on the Anjo Peninsula on the norther tip of WA (pictured) before they walked to the remote Truscott North Kimberley Airport to receive aid

State Liberal Party MP for the area, Neil Thomson (pictured), said the boat is an 'obvious concern' for Australians and indicative of the Federal Government's stance on asylum seekers

'If this is the message that the Australian Government is sending to people smugglers, then we need to have greater protection in the north.

'I think that's a real clear message, because the people of the Kimberley do not want to have people just sort of rocking up there. It's very traumatic.'

Mr Thomson noted that about 1100 asylum seekers who drowned attempting to reach Australian shores during the 'Rudd-Gillard years' between 2007 and 2013.

'Australia cannot afford to unleash that terrible trade again on our continent because the immediate and dire consequences for those people who take those enormous risks,' he said.

A spokesperson for the ABF told Daily Mail Australia that the agency 'does not comment on operational matters'.
An Aussie mum living with a debilitating condition is fighting for life in a US hospital following a bout of pneumonia.

Gina Wherrett, 62, who was told she has motor neurone disease (MND) in September 2022, was put into into the intensive care unit last week after she became sick.

The 62-year-old woman from Melbourne, along with her husband Matt, flew to the Healey Centre for ALS, at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, United States, in October in a bid to get Ms Wherrett life-saving treatment.

She however, suddenly became ill one morning after she developed pneumonia and she was rushed to hospital in a critical condition.

Gina Wherrett (pictured) who was told she has motor neurone disease (MND) in September was placed into intensive care last week after her condition worsened

Mr Wherrett said the devastating illness turned their world upside down and said he wanted to do everything that he could to help his wife fight the disease.

'On the day of her diagnosis we went home and we cried, and I promised her we'd be joined at the hip,' Mr Wherrett told news.com.au

'I made a commitment to her that I will do whatever it takes and whatever I can do  I look into her eyes and I don't want this to be about dollars and cents but that's what it could come down to.'

Ms Wherrett's medical costs are now soaring as the family desperately appeals for much needed help to fund her medical bills.

Her son Sam, who is by her bedside alongside his brother Marcus, set up a GoFundMe on Wednesday with the family aiming to raise $200,000 to cover her treatment.

'All of these events have evolved very quickly over the last couple of days,' Sam wrote.

'We are still waiting on a quote for medical transport, but it could be in the realm of $200,000.'

Some $10,000 has been raised so far.

'It also hasnt been decided whether mum will receive surgery in the US or back home. If it happens in the US, it could cost another $200,000.'

Mr Wherrett said the family is already facing around $200,000 in medical bills to cover his wife's ongoing care and she requires a tracheotomy - to be connected to a ventilator to help her breathe.

Ms Wherrett's (pictured) family have set up a GoFundMe page in a desperate attempt to cover her soaring medical costs

Ms Wherrett and her husband Matt flew to the Healey Centre for ALS, at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston last month in a bid to get live saving treatment for the debilitating condition

On top of the cost of the surgery which will set the family back $305,000, they also face costs of around $15,000 a day based on the medical care Ms Wherett needs.

Urgent medical repatriation flights to fly Ms Wherett back home will also cost up to $460,000.

A heartbroken Mr Wherrett said the couple who have been together for 44 years said they had a 'beautiful relationship' and that he would 'do anything to keep her alive'.

Motor neurone disease occurs when nerves in the body slowly die which then begins to weaken the strength of the muscles.

The disease can lead to paralysis causing death with most people expected to survive for up to three years after being diagnosed with the disease.

There is no cure however doctors provide treatment through devices along with medication to help patients with their symptoms.

Almost 800 people died from MND across Australia in 2021 and two people are diagnosed with the condition across the country each day.
The Seoul High Court on Thursday overturned a lower court's rejection of a damages suit filed by victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery and ordered Japan to pay 200 million won ($153,863) in compensation to each of them.

The victims, often euphemistically called "comfort women," filed the suit in 2016, demanding 200 million won each in compensation. But the Seoul Central District Court dismissed the case in 2021, citing sovereign immunity, a legal doctrine that allows a state to be immune from a civil suit in foreign courts.

On Thursday, the appellate canceled the lower court's decision.

"Under customary international law, it is reasonable to recognize the jurisdiction of Korean courts over the defendant Japanese government," the high court said. "It is recognized that the defendant engaged in illegal acts in the course of mobilizing comfort women and appropriate compensation should be paid."

The court also said the acts committed by the defendant are considered "illegal according to Korean civil law," adding it is reasonable to say the compensation per victim should exceed the amount demanded by the plaintiffs.

"The victims in this case were forced to have unwanted sexual intercourse with dozens of Japanese soldiers every day, with even their minimal freedom oppressed," the court said. "As a result, they sustained countless injuries and had to bear the risk of pregnancy or death, and could not adjust to social life under normal standards after the end of the war."

Lee Yong-soo, a 95-year-old victim of Japanese sexual slavery, threw her arms in the air and welcomed the decision upon exiting from the court on Thursday.

"I'm thankful. Thankful. Very thankful." she said, adding, "I thank the victims (of Japanese wartime sexual slavery) who passed away."

Meanwhile, a separate court ruling in January ordered Japan to compensate 100 million won each to the first group of 12 victims, in the first legal victory for Korean victims of wartime sexual enslavement.

At that time, the court rejected Japan's claim that the case should be dropped based on sovereign immunity, saying that the rule should not apply to "systematic crimes against humanity" and war crimes.

Tokyo has maintained that it had no obligation to follow the ruling by a Korean court, and the ruling was finalized without appeal by the Japanese counterpart. (Yonhap)
A New York businessman who crashed his $300,000 Bentley into the US border with Canada may have had a medical emergency before the smash, it has been claimed.

The 56-year-old, who has not been named, is thought to have suffered some kind of impairment before hitting a barricade at high speed and flying into the crossing.

The driver of the Bentley 'Flying Spur' was seen shooting off the intersection and over an 8ft fence before exploding into a fireball that killed him and his wife.

The pair were said to have just left a casino near the border ahead of a KISS concert in Toronto, which was later canceled when frontman Paul Stanley was taken ill.

The horrifying crash sparked fears of a terror attack on America, but New York Governor Kathy Hochul said late Wednesday it was just a traffic-related incident.

Authorities on the ground were overnight still struggling to confirm the victims' identities from their remains because the wreckage was mostly 'incinerated'.

The pale-colored car, which CNN reported was a Bentley, is seen top right flying over the fence before it exploded

A Bentley Flying Spur, like the one being driven by the businessman and his wife on Wednesday

CNN is reporting that the driver of the vehicle that Fox claimed was full of explosives was a 56-year-old man who lived in a very upscale area that had intended to go to the kiss concert.. he was driving a $300k Bentley with his wife. CNN says it loos like a terrible accident pic.twitter.com/CPlLuRk2TQ  Acyn (@Acyn) November 22, 2023

The car hit a fence and erupted into a '40 foot fireball' which left the 'car pieces everywhere'

The husband and wife were in the Seneca Niagara casino for a few minutes before driving to the border, where they crashed

The couple were intending on driving to a KISS concert in Canada, CNN's John Miller reported, which was later canceled due to a band member suffering from flu.

Miller said there was some speculation the driver, from a well-known family in Grand Isle, New York, had a medical issue.

The dramatic crash closed the Rainbow Bridge on the eve of Thanksgiving - one of the busiest travel days of the year.

Kathy Hochul said on Wednesday night the footage of the fireball was shocking and it was miraculous there were not more injuries.

But she urged calm, saying the two victims were believed to be local people and there was no indication of terrorism.

No explosives were found in the car, according to police sources. One agent with Border Patrol suffered minor injuries in the crash. He was released from hospital.

Asked how they had determined that it was not a terror attack, Hochul said: 'No indication based on online threats or anyone taking credit for this - at this time.

She added: 'It's still unfolding. But I didn't want to leave the public with any uncertainty.

'There is no evidence at this time that there was terror activity.' She said she appreciated the anxiety, and the assumption that it was a terror attack.

'Based on what is happening in the world, everyone is on edge. This is an international border,' she said.

'I won't call it an accident yet. All we know is there was a horrific incident, a crash, a loss of life - but at this time: no known terrorism activity.'

Officers with the NYPD were sent to assist the unfolding situation in Buffalo, New York City Mayor Eric Adams confirmed

Kathy Hochul, the governor of New York, is seen on Wednesday night giving an update about the crash

The FBI Special Agent-in-Charge, Matthew Miraglia, echoed Hochul.

'We do have someone in mind for it and we're working through it through the JTTF,' he said - a reference to the Joint Terrorism Task Force.

'We do not have any derogatory information on this person that we've identified, we're scanning his social media, there's nothing there, we're still running a full investigation so that's a preliminary assessment.

'We feel, at this point, this might be just something that occurred, there's no larger picture here to look at for now.'

Trini Ross, the US Attorney for the Western District of New York, said their initial investigation determined the incident 'was not terrorism-related' at this stage.

'But we will continue to stay vigilant,' said Ross, saying that people should 'lower their heightened sensitivities knowing that we do not believe this was a terrorist event.' Hochul said she wanted to 'dial back the anxiety'.

The FBI's field office in Buffalo said in a statement that it was investigating the blast, and investigators with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were also responding to the scene

The explosion on Tuesday claimed the lives of the vehicle's two occupants and shut down three other bridges between western New York and Ontario

'There are still a lot of unanswered questions,' she said. 'But at this time, we just needed to dial down the temperature.

'We are investigating, but at this time there is no sign of terrorist activity.' She said the footage of the crash was 'extraordinary'.

'It's a Western New York resident who was in the city prior to the high speed crash into the median that sent the vehicle airborne,' she said.

'It will leave you in disbelief how it went so high over an eight foot fence. It's quite extraordinary.'

She added: 'The fact that other people and vehicles were not damaged... It was a very congested area. 'Thank God no one else was injured.'

The White House confirmed the president has been briefed on the incident, while Canada's prime minister, Justin Trudeau, said 'additional measures' were being contemplated and activated at border crossings across his country.

Mike Guenther, from Ontario, said he was walking with his wife down Main Street when he saw the vehicle hurtling towards the Canadian border on Wednesday.

He described seeing 'car parts everywhere in pieces' after the horror smash. 'He was swerving as he was going down this road here, fishtailing because he was going so fast,' he said.

'When he hit the fence there was a fire then, but then when he went up again he must have hit the building and there was a big noise and he just shot up in the air and you couldn't see nothing but smoke.

Eye witness Mike Guenther described the terrifying moment he saw a vehicle 'fishtail' through traffic towards Rainbow Bridge at Niagara Falls in the minutes leading up to the explosion

A second witness described how officials ordered him to abandon his car and cross back into Canada on foot

'We heard a big bang. I said there is no way that guy is going to stop, he is just going too fast.

'All of a sudden he went up in the air and then it was a ball of fire like 30-40 feet high, I have never seen anything like it. It was really incredible.'

Guenther said fire trucks were first on the scene and within 10 minutes there were 'police everywhere'.

'We could see the fireball - that's all we could see, it was just smoke everywhere,' he added. 'I don't think that person is going to survive, their car parts were everywhere.'

He described the car as 'flying' at over 100mph. 'We could hardly even see it was going that quick,' he said.

'There was car in front he swerved around it then it looked like he hit the fence and this fire started.'
The current wave is set to peak in December

Fears of another 'Covid Christmas' are growing after an uptick in cases.

New data from New South Wales Health released on Thursday shows Covid indicators increased across the board in the last fortnight, with 5,718 cases reported.

'Total [emergency department] presentations for Covid for the fortnight ending November 19 were higher than for the fortnight ending November 5, although there was a small decline in the last week,' the report states.

'The number of admissions and proportion requiring admission remained stable suggesting no increase in severity [of the disease].'

It added the risk of Covid transmission in the community is now rated 'moderate to high' with children aged four and under and people over 65 the most affected.

A 20 per cent jump in Covid cases was recorded in New South Wales this fortnight with the current wave set to peak around Christmas

READ MORE: Expert who has never caught Covid tells Aussies to wear face masks every time they leave home Advertisement

NSW Health's Director of Communicable Diseases Christine Selvey warned the latest wave is likely to peak at Christmas for 'the third year in a row'.

'Nobody has a crystal ball but the modelling that we do have suggests that the increase will continue up through and into December,' she told the ABC.

'We had that first Omicron wave that coincided with Christmas and the New Year when it was really, really hectic and again last year around Christmas time, so certainly it could be - we don't expect it to peak until some time in December.'

The 20 per cent jump in cases compared to the last fortnight has been coupled with an rise in vaccination rates.

More than 17,300 vaccine doses administered in NSW in the two weeks to November 8, compared to just 9,700 doses in the prior fortnight, the highest rise in booster rates of any state.

Health Minister Mark Butler announced on Monday a new Covid vaccine.

The new XBB 1.5 vaccines are designed to better target the current variants in the community and will be available from December 11. Pfizer and Moderna will also release updated booster shots.

It's believed Mr Butler's announcement caused the uptick in vaccinations with it acting as a reminder for doctors and health-conscious Aussies to boost their immunity.

The increase in cases was coupled with a rise in vaccination rates following Health Minister Mark Butler's announcement on Monday a new Covid vaccine will be available in December

Australian Medical Association NSW president Dr Michael Bonning said the end of the year and upcoming family holidays for Christmas are incentive for people to arm themselves against new Covid strains.

'The Covid virus has drifted and changed in terms of what it looks like to the immune system,' he told the ABC on Thursday.

'That's why we need new versions of the vaccine in the setting of increasing numbers of Covid cases being reported.'

Some 1.3million booster shots have been administered in NSW since the beginning of 2023, with the busiest time recorded in May, but 89 per cent of the state's population have not been vaccinated in the last six months.

As the vaccine's effectiveness drops significantly after that time, NSW Health called for everyone aged over 65 and adults who are at a higher risk of serious Covid infection to go for a booster.

'These new vaccines will help protect Australians against current strains of Covid and demonstrate the Government's ongoing commitment to provide access to the latest and most effective vaccines,' Mr Butler said.

'Vaccination reduces the risk of serious illness and death from Covid, particularly for older adults and those who are immunocompromised.

'While we are no longer in the emergency phase of this pandemic, Covid is still present, and people should continue to follow the advice of the experts from ATAGI, including getting vaccines as required.'

NSW Health advised Covid patients and immunocompromised residents to wear face masks in public setting to limit community transmission

NSW Health also encouraged anyone with cold or flu symptoms to stay at home and wear face masks when they need to enter a public place.

Those at high-risk of serious illness were also urged to wear face masks.

'Be kind and considerate of someone's choice to wear a mask,' a spokesperson said.
A US Navy warship shot down multiple one-way attack drones launched by Houthi rebels in Yemen while operating in the Red Sea, officials said.

The drones were shot down by USS Thomas Hudner, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer on Wednesday morning.

The U.S. Central Command said in a statement that there was no injury sustained by the crew nor damage to the ship.

The drone attack follows a wave of drone and missile attacks against US forces stationed in Iraq and Syria, launched by Iran-backed Houthi rebels amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

In Yemen, Iran supplies the Houthis, a Shiite faction that has been at war against a Saudi-led Sunni coalition in the country since 2015.

Navy warship USS Thomas Hudner (pictured in 2021) shot down multiple one-way attack drones launched by Houthi rebels in Yemen while operating in the Red Sea

The drone attack follows a wave of drone and missile attacks against US forces stationed in Iraq and Syria , launched by Iran-backed Houthi rebels amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war

The U.S. Central Command said in a statement that there was no injury sustained by the crew nor damage to the ship

The Houthis have emerged as a major military force in the Arabian Peninsula, with tens of thousands of fighters and a huge arsenal of ballistic missiles and armed drones.

Officials confirmed Wednesday evening that the drone originated from the Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen and was shot down while the U.S. ship was on patrol in the Red Sea.

It's unclear whether the drone was armed or how close it came to the ship before being shot down.

The attack came days after the Houthis seized an Israel-linked cargo vessel with about 25 crew member on board on Sunday,

Helicopter-borne troops seized the Galaxy Leader and its 25 international crew days after the Houthis threatened to target Israeli shipping because of the war.

Iran-backed Houthi rebels have warned they could capture more vessels after a video showed fighters jumping from a helicopter in a dramatic Red Sea hijacking.

The ship had been chartered by a Japanese group, and was flying the flag of the Bahamas.

A photographer said the Galaxy Leader was anchored at the rebel-controlled Hodeida port in northwest Yemen and was closely guarded. It was now flying the Yemeni and Palestinian flags.

The Whitehouse said on Tuesday it was considering redesignating Yemen's Houthi movement as a terror organization after it hijacked the ship in the Red Sea.

A pro-Palestinian demonstration is seen in Houthi-dominated Sanaa, Yemen earlier this month

The Gerald R. Ford and Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Groups are seen conducting joint operations in the Eastern Mediterranean earlier this month in a show of US naval force

Last week, a Pentagon official told DailyMail.com that the Hudner's crew 'engaged and shot down a drone to ensure the safety of US personnel.'

The drone shot down was heading toward the ship, which was operating in international waters.

The US has sent a significant amount of naval power to the Middle East in the past month, including two aircraft carrier strike groups and thousands of US troops.

The USS Thomas Hudner is part of the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group and is currently operating in the Middle East after reportedly transiting the Suez Canal over the weekend.

US and coalition troops have been attacked by missiles and drones at least 55 times in Iraq and Syria since October 17, injuring 59 personnel, though all have returned to duty, a defense official told DailyMail.com last week.

The Iran-backed militant groups claiming responsibility for the attacks have said they are in response to US support for Israel in its war against Hamas in Gaza.
Parents uploaded a video of them driving through floodwater the day before

A man has been charged over the tragic death of a five-year-old boy who drowned when their vehicle was swept away in floodwaters.

Joseph El Jer and Pam Hadchity were on a 445km road trip from Granville, Sydney, to to visit the Dubbo Zoo with three children on September 23 last year.

The Toyota Hilux was hit by a raging torrent of water at Tullamore, north-west of Parkes, as intense rainfall pummelled Australia's east coast.

El Jer, Hadchity, and two of the three children were able to free themselves from the 4WD and desperately clung onto trees while emergency services worked to rescue them.

Police divers found the five-year-old boy's body inside the submerged vehicle and he was driven to Parkes Hospital but could not be saved.

El Jer, who was behind the wheel, was charged with with manslaughter, dangerous driving occasioning death-drive manner dangerous and negligent driving occasioning death on on Thursday after being arrested at Surry Hills Police Station.

Joseph El Jer (left), 38, was on Thursday charged with a slew of offences including manslaughter (pictured right is Mr El Jer's partner Pam Hadchity)

He was granted bail at Downing Centre Local Court and will re-appear on Thursday 18 January 2024.

A second vehicle had also entered the flooded crossing and submerged about two hours later, with the occupants managing to free themselves from the car before finding the passengers of the Hilux still clinging to trees.

A boat was used to rescue the family where they were all taken to Dubbo Base Hospital for observation, while those of the second vehicle luckily escaped without injury.

Photos of the rescue operation show the terrifying moments the family were saved by emergency services.

On the day before the tragedy, the parents shared videos of their family road trip through the countryside.

The boy who tragically drowned had celebrated his fifth birthday in March 2022, with photos showing the little boy beaming with his face covered in icing from his dinosaur-themed cake.

Heartbreaking videos on the family's TikTok page showed the boy playing with his siblings and dancing.

Pam Hadchit (pictured being carried from floodwaters by volunteers) was found alongside her partner and two children
The release of hostages held in Gaza has been pushed back 24 hours after Israel and Hamas failed to agree on which captives should be freed first, a Palestinian official said.

Israel agreed on deal that will see 50 women and children kidnapped by Hamas gunmen on October freed during a four-day truce, leaving their families with an agonising wait to see if their loved ones are coming home.

The process of recovering those hostages was expected to start today at 10am (8am GMT) but officials said that no captives would be released until Friday, prolonging their relatives' torment.

The truce was delayed because Israel and Hamas failed to agree on which hostages would be released first and how, a Palestinian official said, adding that a list of those to be freed had been exchanged by both sides.

Questions were also being raise over Red Cross access to the hostages before they would be released into Egypt, the official, who has knowledge of the negotiation process, said.

Details about when the ceasefire would go into effect would be announced by mediator Qatar 'in co-ordination with the Egyptians and the Americans, in the coming hours of today,' he said.

For the exhausted relatives of the hostages, this only prolongs their agony. They have been waiting in torment, not knowing if their loved ones will be among those released.

A Palestinian man carries an injured man as people flee following an Israeli strike in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Thursday

People mourn as they collect the bodies of Palestinians killed in airstrikes on Wednesday in Khan Younis

Smoke rises after an explosion following an Israeli strike on the northern part of the Gaza Strip, as seen from Sderot, southern Israel, on Thursday

Among those waiting for news will be London-based father Thomas Hand, whose nine-year-old daughter Emily is among those being held inside the territory

Orit Meir, mother of Almog Meir, cries next to Thomas Hand, father of Emily Hand, at the embassy of Israel in London on November 20

The anguished relatives of the hostages have spoken of their fear that Hamas cannot be trusted, with one exhausted family member saying the terrorists will 'do everything they can to ruin the deal'.

Israeli officials have said that they would not tell the families in advance to spare them the distress if Hamas were to change their minds or choose to release different relatives when the ceasefire begins.

Last night, Daniel Hagari, the IDF spokesperson, said the release of the hostages, in exchange for 150 Palestinians, was a 'complicated and not closed process'.

'The coming days will be characterised by moments of relief and moments of pain,' Hagari said. 'They can also include attempts at psychological terrorism by the terrorist organisation.'

Speaking on Thursday morning, Qatar's foreign ministry spokesperson Majid bin Mohammed Al Ansari said an announcement on the beginning of the truce could come in the next few hours. Qatar has been mediating in the negotiations on the truce.

'The negotiations on the release of our hostages are advancing and continuing constantly,' Israeli National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said in a statement released by the prime minister's office.

'The start of the release will take place according to the original agreement between the sides, and not before Friday,' it said.

White House spokesperson Adrienne Watson said final logistical details for the release were being worked out. 'That is on track and we are hopeful that implementation will begin on Friday morning,' Watson said.

News of the delay in the truce broke just hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed during a televised news conference to 'rescue all hostages held by Hamas' and 'obliterate' the terrorist group.

Netanyahu, joined by the two other members of his special war cabinet, also said that following the four-day ceasefire, the war would resume and continue 'until we achieve all our goals'.

Israel's goals are to destroy Hamas' military capabilities and return all 240 hostages held captive in Gaza.

Under the terms of the ceasefire agreement, Hamas is to free 50 women and children of the around 240 hostages it is holding in the Gaza Strip over a four-day period, the Israeli government said.

In return, Israel will free 150 Palestinians held in Israeli jails and allow 300 aid trucks into Gaza every day of the ceasefire to get much needed aid to civilians trapped there.

The hostages to be freed in the process are women and children, and the Palestinian prisoners are women and male detainees aged 18 and younger.

There are at least 35 children among the hostages, 18 of them aged 10 and under, according to an AFP count, as well as more than 50 women.

Israel said the exchange would take place in two phases. In a first step, 50 hostages and 150 Palestinian prisoners are set to be released during the truce. If successful, a second phase could see 150 more Palestinian prisoners freed in exchange for another 50 hostages during an extended truce, the Israeli government said.

Netanyahu made no mention of a potential delay in implementation of the agreement during a press conference late on Wednesday. Hanegbi's statement was released about an hour after the press conference.

Netanyahu, addressing the families of kidnapped Israelis on Wednesday, said that since the beginning of the war, he has not stopped thinking about them and their loved ones. He also reassured them that 'we will rescue all hostages held by Hamas'.

He also revealed that the truce deal was reached due to the exerted 'massive military pressure' on Hamas as well as diplomatic efforts from his government.

Netanyahu (pictured) addressed the families of the hostages and said since the beginning of the war, he has not stopped thinking about them and their loved ones, adding that 'we will rescue all hostages held by Hamas'

Hospitals across Israel are on standby to receive the 50 or so hostages that will begin to arrive over the next four days when a four-day ceasefire starts at 10am tomorrow (pictured: photos of hostages in Tel Aviv's Museum of Modern Art)

Israeli troops patrol along a street during a military operation in the northern Gaza Strip amid continuing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, on Wednesday

Palestinian children wounded in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip are treated at al Aqsa Hospital on Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip, on Tuesday

Rescuers look for survivors in the rubble of the al-Agha family home following an Israeli strike in Khan Yunis on the southern Gaza Strip on Thursday

Palestinians bury bodies in a mass grave in Khan Yunis cemetery, in the southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday

He added: 'I want to be clear. The war is continuing. The war is continuing. We will continue it until we achieve all our goals.'

Although the four-day truce marked the first major diplomatic breakthrough in the conflict, Netanyahu revealed on Wednesday that during the ceasefire, the IDF will prepare to continue the war.

He reiterated: 'We are winning and we are going to continue to fight until we reach absolute victory.'

It was not immediately clear exactly who will be released from Gaza. Among those waiting for news will be London-based father Thomas Hand, whose nine-year-old Irish-Israeli daughter Emily is among those being held inside the territory.

Mr Hand, who has been petitioning the Israeli government to orchestrate her release, will be hoping and praying that she is among the group of 50.

But for the families of the hostages, they fear that Hamas terrorists cannot be trusted.

Yosi Shnaider, whose cousin Shiri, 30, was abducted with her four-year-old son Ariel and ten-month-old son Kfir, told the BBC he was concerned the deal might not go ahead. 'I try to be realistic and I know who we're dealing with. They will do everything they can to ruin even this deal and I'm scared,' he said.

And Israeli politician Ben Gvir said the release of the hostages sets a 'dangerous precedent' that could play into the hands of the terrorists. The far-Right politician said the deal, which will see 150 Palestinians released in exchange for 50 hostages, gives Hamas terrorists everything they wanted.

'Hamas wanted this truce more than anything,' Gvir said on Twitter. 'It also wanted to get 'rid' of the women and children in the first stage, because they caused international pressure on it. It wanted to get, in exchange, fuel, the release of terrorists, halting IDF action and even a [reconnaissance] flight ban. It got all of those.'

He also slammed the deal for not securing the release of all hostages held in Gaza, branding it 'immoral, illogical and very far from enough' while saying it 'could and should have been different'.

Meanwhile a British-Israeli woman whose mother was released by Hamas terrorists last month but whose father is still held welcomed the deal to release hostages and insisted it must be 'women and children first.'

Sharone Lifschitz has been waiting for news which will bring an end to her unbearable heartache.

Her mother Yocheved, 85, was released by Hamas almost four weeks ago but her father Oded, 83, is still being held was 'hopeful' of a deal.

Mrs Lifschitz said: 'Everyone is incredibly anxious at the moment, but I think it must be the children who go first and they shouldn't be separated from their mothers.

'But this is all part of Hamas plan to put us through an impossible situation, it's a form of psychological torture.'

'All we can do is pray that my father will be released soon because I don't think he will be able to last much longer, everyone who has some held is completely devastated and we hope this is the start of some good news.'

Hours after Israel approved a hostage swap deal, Maayan Zin, whose daughters are being held in Gaza, struggled to digest the news.

The long-awaited deal, which would initially apply to women and children, has given hope to anguished families desperate for news.

Zin admitted it had let her 'cautiously' dare to dream about being reunited with her daughters - eight-year-old Ela and 15-year-old Dafna.

In her most optimistic dreams, she imagines snuggling up with Ela and going on shopping sprees with Dafna to buy 'crop-tops, mini-skirts, heels and flashy yellow fake nails', she said while sitting at her home in Kiryat Ono, near Tel Aviv. Also on the shopping list: a new nose ring.

Since the siblings were snatched, the only proof of life has been a photo published by Hamas on Telegram showing Dafna seated on a mattress in pyjamas with an Arabic caption saying: 'Better in a prayer robe'. In the picture, the nose ring Dafna normally wore was gone.

'Yesterday, I had nothing. I was in total darkness. Now I can see a ray of light which warms me. And I'm just waiting,' Zin said.

Hours after Israel approved a hostage swap deal, Maayan Zin (pictured), whose daughters (left and right) are being held in Gaza, struggled to digest the news

Zin admitted it had let her 'cautiously' dare to dream about being reunited with her daughters - eight-year-old Ela (left) and 15-year-old Dafna (right)

In her most optimistic dreams, she imagines snuggling up with Ela and going on shopping sprees with Dafna

One of the paintings in Tel Aviv focuses on four-year-old Raz Asher and states: 'Time is running out. Bring her home'

Palestinians mourn over the body of a relative during the funeral for six Palestinians killed in clashes with Israeli forces in the northern occupied West Bank city of Tulkarem on Wednesday

The girls were taken while spending the last few days of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot on kibbutz Nahal Oz near the Gaza border with their father, Zin's ex-husband Noam.

When the militants stormed the kibbutz, Noam and his partner Dikla were shot dead along with her 17-year-old son Tomer from a previous marriage, their bodies dumped nearby. And the two girls were snatched and taken to Gaza.

Even if the promised release of 50 hostages has given her hope, Zin is trying to remain level-headed.

So far the names of those who are to be freed during the ceasefire have not been published, with the lists of those slated for release only likely to be made available the night before, Israeli officials said.

'I'm afraid of being disappointed... I don't want to get ready for them to come home on Thursday only to find out that it's others who will be coming back,' Zin said.

'And I don't want to be disappointed that other people are coming back either. I want to be able to be happy for them,' she said, describing herself as 'cautiously optimistic'.

At this stage, she is only focusing on information directly from the Israeli authorities. 'If I follow everything going on in the media, I'm likely to fall apart,' she said.

And she is worried about what her girls might have gone through. 'Maybe they will come back traumatised, maybe they won't be able to speak,' she said. 'Or maybe they will come back more grown up, or very sad or scared.'

She also wonders what she will say to them. 'What questions to ask, how to ask them, how often, or maybe whether I should even be asking at all,' she wonders aloud.

'I just have no idea what happened to them while they've been in captivity.'

Meanwhile, in Gaza, there was no let-up in the fighting early on Thursday.

Israeli aircraft and artillery struck Gaza's southern city of Khan Younis in at least two waves and 15 people were killed, according to reports. Attacks were also reported in several other parts of Gaza, including the Jabalia and Nuseirat camps.

Israel said its forces carried out aerial strikes on over 300 Hamas targets over the past day.

In Israel, sirens warning of incoming rocket fire from Gaza blared in communities near the border with the enclave, the military said. There were no reports of damage or injuries.

Since the Hamas attack on southern Israel that surprised the government and shocked Israelis, five hostages have been recovered alive. Israel says 1,200 people were killed, mostly civilians and about 240 hostages of different nationalities taken hostage by Islamist gunmen.

In retaliation, Israel has subjected Hamas-ruled Gaza to a siege and relentless bombardment. More than 14,000 Gazans have been killed, around 40% of them children, according to medical officials in the territory.
A Briton claiming to be heir to the defunct Romanian throne has urged a French court not to extradite him to Romania to serve a sentence for his involvement in a 120million royal property scam.

The self-styled 'Paul of Romania' was slapped with the extradition warrant in 2020 after he was sentenced to three years and four months in jail for his role in illegally selling on properties confiscated from the royals during Romania's communist era.

'King Paul', 75, claimed that he was justified in taking back lands that were rightfully his as the heir of Carol II of Romania. Fighting not to be extradited back to Bucharest, he told the Court of Appeal in Paris: 'I have done nothing illegal or wrong. I trust France to get me out of this nightmare.'

The French court delayed its decision on Wednesday and will now rule on the case on November 29.

Paul - who has British, Romanian and French nationality - is among 18 people convicted over the schemes, including Israeli businessmen Tal Silberstein and Beny Steinmetz.

Paul Philippe de Hohenzollern, son of late Carol Mircea Grigore, poses at his house in Bucharest on February 14, 2012

The Peles Castle in Romania, which Paul ceded his claim to among dozens of other lands

Defending Paul in France, lawyer Laurent Pasquet-Marinacce said that the legal action is 'impossible to separate from what (Paul) represents to the Romanian state, in light of its history'.

Pasquet-Marinacce pointed to Interpol's March 30 decision to withdraw a wanted notice against Steinmetz in the same case over 'serious political concerns'.

How the Romanian royals were ousted under communism Romania fought alongside the Nazis against the USSR in World War II. But in 1944, a coup led by King Michael I toppled the government and led to a ceasefire with the Allies. When the war finished, Romania was among the countries swept up into the Soviet sphere of influence, beginning a new era in the country's turbulent history. Occupying Russian forces ousted the royal family and forced them into exile from 1947 onwards. In 1990, with the USSR on its last legs, the former King was rehabilitated by former communist officials - but then expelled when they feared his return might spark another revolution. Since then, monarchists have revived calls to reinstate the Kingdom of Romania, an institution that had lasted almost from its 1878 independence from the Ottomans until the end of WWII. Advertisement

'The acts that got (Paul) convicted are directly connected to the status as royal heir that he claims,' the lawyer added.

The extradition appeals court in Paris has asked on three occasions for further details from Romanian courts to help its work, most recently in October.

'The deeper we get into this hearing, the more numerous and evident the authorities' contradictions become,' Pasquet-Marinacce said, calling on the court to reject the Romanian request.

Paul became an international fugitive in 2020 after an international warrant for his arrest was issued, following the decision of the Romanian High Court of Cassation and Justice to prosecute him for in the so-called 'Baneasa Farm Folder'.

He was accused of having worked with Romanian and Israeli businessmen to 'reclaim' highly-expensive properties outside the capital of Bucharest, among them parts of the Royal Farm Baneasa (28.6 hectares) and Snagov Forest (47 hectares).

He then sold the lands to a company controlled by diamond tycoon Beny Steinmetz in 2006, which prosecutors said he had no right to do. They noted that he was only recognised as one of the legitimate heirs of Carol II by the Romanian Supreme Court of Justice in 2012.

Steinmetz and Remus Truica, the former chief of staff for Prime Minister Adrian Nastase, both received seven years for their involvement in the scheme, which was estimated to have cost 145,398,569 euros in damages.

Prosecutors claimed that Steinmetz had transferred Paul four million euros to be used in the acquisition of the property, reportedly in exchange for ceding his claim to royal lands and ensuring media support.

Paul's grandfather, Carol II, was the penultimate King of Romania before the monarchy was ousted by occupying Soviet Forces in 1947.

Paul's father was recognised Carol's son in Portugal in 1955 and in France in 1963, but the link was only acknowledged by Romania in 2012.

The decision was also recognised by the United Kingdom in 1964, entitling Carol Lambrino to a British passport under the name 'Prince of Hohenzollern, Prince of Romania'.

The Snagov Monastery in Romania, dubbed 'Dracula's Tomb', was among the lands claimed

The main building of the Ferma Regala Baneasa - Baneasa Royal Farm - which was nationalised by the communist regime in 1948, its lands passed to the Ministry of Agriculture

Paul himself - who has British, French and Romanian citizenship - returned to live in the country in the 1990s.

His uncle Michel, the last king, did not acknowledge him as part of the royal family and died in 2017.

Paul now claims that his attempts to reclaim his royal inheritance of property, land and classic artworks are the real reason for his prosecution.
A Tory mayor joined a furious backlash at James Cleverly today after the Home Secretary was accused of calling Stockton a 'sh**hole' in the House of Commons.

Mr Cleverly is alleged to have made the extraordinary jibe about the Stockton North constituency as he heckled its Labour MP at PMQs yesterday.

Alex Cunningham had grilled Rishi Sunak by asking: 'Why are 34 per cent of children in my constituency living in poverty?'

But before the premier responded Mr Cunningham claims that Mr Cleverly said 'because it's a s**thole', arguing that audio from the chamber backs his case.

A source close to the Home Secretary said he actually told Mr Cunningham he was a 's**t MP' rather than criticising the area.

However, Tees Valley mayor Lord Houchen added his voice to the condemnation this afternoon, posting on the X social media site that Mr Cleverly should apologise for 'dragging Stockton's name through the mud'.

Home Secretary has denied making the jibe about Stockton North as he heckled a Labour MP at PMQs yesterday

Alex Cunningham had grilled Rishi Sunak by asking: 'Why are 34 per cent of children in my constituency living in poverty?'

Tees Valley mayor Lord Houchen added his voice to the condemnation this afternoon, posting on the X social media site that Mr Cleverly should apologise for 'dragging Stockton's name through the mud'

Making a point of order in the Commons last night, Mr Cunningham said: 'Before the Prime Minister answered, the Home Secretary chose to add in his pennyworth.

'Yes, I have contacted his office advising him I planned to name him, but sadly he has chosen not to be in the chamber.

'He was seen and heard to say 'because it's a shithole'. I know he is denying being the culprit, but the audio is clear and has been checked, and checked, and checked again.

Ex-soldier who swears like a trooper The row over Stockton is not the first time Mr Cleverly has been in trouble over his words language. In 2010, when he was a member of the London Assembly, he lashed out at the Lib Dem's deputy leader, tweeting: 'We may be coalition partners but it doesn't stop me thinking Simon Hughes is a d**k.' He later apologised. Last year he also faced controversy after telling gay football supporters to be 'respectful' of World Cup host Qatar, where homosexuality is illegal. Mr Cleverly said Qatari authorities know they would have to make 'some compromises' but he also urged LGBT+ fans to 'flex and compromise' in comments that were promptly branded 'shockingly tone deaf' by Labour. Mr Cleverly made headlines soon after becoming an MP in 2015 when he played a game of 'snog, marry, avoid' on a radio show. He told BBC Radio 5 Live he would 'snog' Theresa May, who was then home secretary. After she became PM in 2016, Mrs May used a drinks reception at the Conservative Party conference to jokingly admonish Mr Cleverly by telling him: 'I still haven't had that kiss!' During the same radio interview, Mr Cleverly had admitted to smoking cannabis while at university and having previously watched online porn. Asked whether he inhaled when he smoked the drug, he replied: 'Of course, that's the point, to paraphrase [Barack] Obama. 'I don't recommend it, it's a waste of money, waste of time and just not very good for your future prospects.' Advertisement

'There is no doubt that these comments shame the Home Secretary, this rotten Government, and the Tory Party. He is clearly unfit for his high office.'

Mr Cunningham, asked how he could secure an apology from the Home Secretary for 'his appalling insult and foul language' about his seat in the North East.

Commons Deputy Speaker Dame Eleanor Laing said it was her understanding that Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle 'didn't hear any remark of the kind from the chair at the time when the honourable gentleman was asking his question'.

She said: 'I understand that the alleged words were not actually used, though I appreciate what (Mr Cunningham) says.

'But I think we all know that it's very difficult in the noisy atmosphere of Prime Minister's Questions to discern exactly what someone says. So I can make no judgment here from the chair as to what was or wasn't said.'

She said she understood Mr Cunningham's concern, and added: 'I would remind all honourable members of the need for good temper and moderation in the language they use in this chamber.'

It is not the first time Mr Cleverly has been accused of using colourful language.

Last week shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper claimed he had privately branded the government's Rwanda policy 'batsh**'.

He did not fully deny using the term, instead insisting he could not remember such a conversation.

Responding to Mr Cunningham at the despatch box, Mr Sunak said: 'It's this Government that has ensured that across our country 1.7million fewer people are living in poverty as a result of the actions of this Government.'

Mr Cunningham could then be heard calling out 'it's not true' to the Prime Minister.

Mr Sunak went on: 'Yes that is true. Not only that, hundreds of thousands fewer children are living in poverty, and income inequality is at a lower level than we inherited from the party opposite.

'But we don't want any child to grow up in poverty, and the best way to make sure that happens is to ensure they do not grow up in a workless household.

'And that is why the right strategy is to ensure that we provide as many children with the opportunity to grow up with parents in work.

'And because of the actions of previous governments, several hundred thousand more families are in that position.'
Yonhap News Agency has called on the state broadcasting watchdog to block an education foundation's move to take control of its 24-hour cable news channel affiliate, citing the foundation's "grave disqualifications," the news agency said Thursday.

Yonhap, Korea's key news wire agency, submitted a written opinion on the matter to the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) on Wednesday, about a week after Eulji Education Foundation filed a request to be recognized as Yonhap News TV's largest shareholder.

"Eulji has grave disqualifications to become the biggest shareholder of Yonhap News TV ... The KCC should conduct a stern and thorough review on the matter as it does when deliberating a license for a broadcaster," it said in the statement.

Yonhap News Agency is currently the No. 1 shareholder of Yonhap News TV with a 29.89 percent share, slightly below the 30 percent cap stipulated by the Broadcasting Act.

Exploiting loopholes, Eulji has increased its share to 30.08 percent and is awaiting the KCC's approval.

Yonhap has accused Eulji of pushing for a hostile takeover of its TV affiliate, saying the KCC's approval of the move may "greatly damage" the "business stability" of broadcasting stations in the future.

"If this becomes a precedent, other cable channels or news channels can be exposed to hostile M&A attempts at anytime."

Yonhap has also filed a complaint against Eulji Education Foundation Chairman Park Joon-young and his wife, Hong Sung-hee, the chairwoman of Eulji Medical Center, on charges of breach of trust.

The two are accused of making the medical center donate its 600,000 shares in Yonhap News TV to Eulji Education Foundation in August in order to help the latter become the biggest shareholder of the TV channel.

In the statement, the news agency also pointed out Park was given a suspended prison term in 2018 for taking narcotic painkiller pethidine 3,161 times over 4 1/2 years, raising questions about the appropriateness of Park's foundation operating a news channel.

"Korea's media industry has never seen this wicked act of robbing the ownership of a broadcasting station through hostile acquisition and purchase of shares," Yonhap said.

"We are deeply concerned Yonhap News TV's reputation and its shareholders' value will be damaged because of the second biggest shareholder's attempt to take over its management rights." (Yonhap)
He's been called the Dutch Donald Trump, threatened with death countless times by Islamic extremists, convicted of insulting Moroccans, and Britain once banned him from entering the country. Oh, and he adores his two cats.

Now, Geert Wilders could be the next Dutch prime minister.

The political firebrand has been around Dutch politics for a long time, and is set to become the longest-serving lawmaker in the country's parliament later this year.

His stances on the EU, immigration and foreign policy - viewed by many as extreme - had for a long time seen him shunned by opposition parties and pushed to the fringes. He has pledged to hold a referendum on 'Nexit', reduce asylum and immigration to The Netherlands, and stem what he calls 'Islamisation'.

What's more, in the last two decades, his life has been threatened over his views on Islam, he has been convicted of insulting Moroccans and was turned away at London's Heathrow airport over his extreme views.

Despite this, with his sixth election attempt, he has today pulled off a stunning upset, putting him in pole position to form the country's next ruling coalition in a result that symbolises Europe's lurch to the right.

An exit poll revealing his landslide appeared to take even 60-year-old political veteran Wilders by surprise. 'I had to pinch my arm,' a jubilant Wilders said.

In his first reaction, posted in a video on social media, he spread his arms wide, put his face in his hands and said simply '35!' - the number of seats an exit poll forecast his Party for Freedom, or PVV, won in the 150-seat lower house of parliament.

Wilders and his party still face an uphill battle to form a coalition, with the leaders of other major parties having previously ruled out working with him. However, it's by no means impossible, and he will get the first shot at forming a government.

So what can The Netherlands, and the rest of Europe, expect from a Wilders-led government? Here, MailOnline looks at what he and his PVV party stand for.

He's been called the Dutch Donald Trump , threatened with death countless times by Islamic extremists, convicted of insulting Moroccans, and Britain once banned him from entering the country. Oh, and he adores his two cats. Now, Geert Wilders (pictured on Wednesday night as exit polls came in) could be the next Dutch Prime Minister

Wilders, with his fiery tongue, has long been one of the Netherlands' best-known lawmakers at home and abroad. His populist policies and shock of peroxide blond hair have drawn comparisons with former US president Donald Trump.

But, unlike Trump, he seemed destined to spend his life in political opposition.

The only time Wilders came close to governing was when he supported the first coalition formed by Prime Minister Mark Rutte in 2010.

But Wilders did not formally join the minority administration and brought it down after just 18 months in office in a dispute over austerity measures.

Since then, mainstream parties have shunned him.

They no longer can.

'The PVV wants to, from a fantastic position with 35 seats that can totally no longer be ignored by any party, cooperate with other parties,' he told cheering supporters at his election celebration in a small bar in a working class suburb of The Hague.

He also called on other parties to come to the table. Whether he can piece together a stable coalition with former political foes remains to be seen.

As well as alienating mainstream politicians, his fiery anti-Islam rhetoric also has made him a target for extremists and led to him living under round-the-clock protection for years.

Voting Wednesday at The Hague City Hall, Wilders was flanked by burly security guards scanning the cavernous space for possible threats.

He has moved from one safe house to another over nearly two decades, and has appeared in court as a victim of death threats, vowing never to be silenced.

But he has also found himself in hot water over his own rhetoric.

In 2009, the British government refused to let him visit the country, saying he posed a threat to 'community harmony and therefore public security.'

He was turned back after landing at London's Heathrow airport in February that year.

Wilders had been invited to Britain by a member of Britain's House of Lord to show his 15-minute film 'Fitna,' which criticises the Quran as a 'fascist book.'

The film sparked violent protests around the Muslim world in 2008 for linking Quranic verses with footage of terrorist attacks.

Britain's Asylum and Immigration Tribunal went on to overturn the decision following a challenge by Wilders, who hailed the ruling a 'fantastic decision' at the time.

Later, he was found guilty of discrimination in 2016 after leading a crowd chanting for 'fewer' Moroccans in the Netherlands and has previously likened the Koran to Adolf Hitler's 'Mein Kampf', saying both books should be banned.

Wilders was also forced to shelve plans for a cartoon competition of the Prophet Mohammed in 2018 after receiving death threats.

In 2021, Turkish prosecutors investigated remarks made by Wilders after he called President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a 'terrorist'.

At the time, he urged the Dutch Prime Minister to expel the Turkish ambassador to The Netherlands and called for Turkey to be expelled from NATO.

Turkish officials didn't hold back in their response.

'This fascist who attacked our President would have been a damn Nazi if he had lived during World War Two. If he were living in the Middle East right now, he would be a Daesh murderer,' Omer Celik, a spokesman for Erdogan's AK Party, said on Twitter.

Wilders is seen at London's Heathrow airport in February 2009, when he was turned away from entering Britain because of his extreme views

Wilders is seen being escorted by police after arriving at London's Heathrow airport, October 2009, after his ban from the UK was lifted

Wilders, right, and his lawyer Bram Moszkowicz, left, are seen inside the court building in Amsterdam, Netherlands, January 20, 2010

Who is Geert Wilders?

Born in 1963 in southern Venlo, close to the German border, Wilders grew up in a Catholic family with his brother and two sisters.

His mother was half-Indonesian, a fact Wilders rarely mentions.

He developed an interest in politics in the 1980s, his older brother Paul told Der Spiegel magazine.

'He was neither clearly on the left or the right at the time, nor was he xenophobic. But he was fascinated by the political game, the struggle for power and influence,' Paul Wilders said.

His hatred of Islam appeared to have developed slowly. He spent time in Israel on a kibbutz, witnessing first-hand tensions with the Palestinians.

He was also shocked by the assassinations of far-right leader Pim Fortuyn in 2002 and the radical anti-Islam filmmaker Theo van Gogh in 2004.

'I remember my legs were shaking with shock and indignation,' he wrote in a 2012 book discussing when he heard the news of Van Gogh's murder.

'I can honestly say that I felt anger, not fear.'

He has been a member of the House of Representatives since 1998, first for the centre-right People's Party for Freedom and Democracy, where he mentored a young Rutte before quitting the party in 2006 and setting up his Party for Freedom. In 2017 it became the second largest in parliament, falling back to third largest in 2021.

This year, he was competing in his sixth election, having come close to pulling off a stunning upset more than once.

'When I left my old party (the VVD)... I said one day we will become the biggest party,' Wilders told reporters while casting his vote on Wednesday.

If the exit polls are confirmed, his decades-old prediction looks to have come true.

Wilders is known for his hardline politics, but also for his witty one-liners.

He demonstrated a softer side Wednesday night by thanking his Hungarian-born wife Krisztina for her support, whom he married in 1992. Compared to her husband's life in the spotlight, Krisztina has rarely appeared in public.

He is also very fond of his pets. His two cats, Snoetje and Pluisje, have their own account on X, formerly Twitter, with nearly 23,000 followers.

It is the only account Wilders himself follows on the platform.

Wilders is very fond of his cats, Snoetje and Pluisje. They have their own X (formerly Twitter) account, with nearly 23,000 followers

What are Geert Wilders's policies?

To court mainstream voters ahead of Wednesday's general election, Wilders toned down the anti-Islam rhetoric and sought to focus less on what he calls the 'de-Islamization' of the Netherlands.

Nevertheless, in its manifesto, the PVV party made its stance on Islam clear.

'With a reduction in the asylum and immigration flood to the Netherlands, the Islamisation of our country will also be reduced,' its election programme says.

'The Netherlands is not an Islamic country: no Islamic schools, Korans and mosques. We want less Islam in the Netherlands and we will achieve that through: less non-Western immigration and the introduction of a general halt to asylum.'

It also calls for a 'ban on wearing Islamic scarves in government buildings.'

The party also proposes a 'freeze on asylum' and 'a generally more restrictive immigration policy', as well as an opt-out from EU asylum and migration rules.

The party wants to restore Dutch border controls, turning away asylum-seekers attempting to enter the Netherlands from 'safe neighbouring countries.'

Illegal immigrants will be detained and deported, Syrians with temporary asylum permits will have these withdrawn as 'parts of Syria are now safe'. Refugees with residence permits will lose them 'if they go on holiday to their country of origin'.

EU nationals will require a work permit and the number of foreign students will be reduced, the manifesto pledges.

On Wednesday night, he pledged not to breach Dutch laws or the country's constitution that enshrines freedom of religion and expression.

Wilders's campaign also aimed to focus more on tackling hot-button issues such as housing shortages, a cost-of-living crisis and access to good health care.

But his platform also called for a binding referendum on the Netherlands leaving the European Union, known as 'Nexit'.

The PVV says it wants a 'a sovereign Netherlands, a Netherlands that is in charge of its own currency, its own borders and makes its own rules'.

Therefore, the party rejects any form of 'political union' like the EU - 'an institution that is pulling more and more power to itself, hoovers up taxpayer money, and imposes diktats on us'.

Wilders is seen embracing a fellow PVV politician as the results came in on Wednesday

'The PVV wants a binding referendum on Nexit,' the idea that the Netherlands could leave the EU.

Until such a referendum, the Netherlands wants to become a net recipient of EU funds, not a net contributor. The party also rejects any further EU expansion, and wants to restore its veto power in Brussels.

Finally, the PVV wants to tear down the EU flag from government buildings.

'We are in the Netherlands. Only the national flag flies here.'

On foreign policy, the parallels to Trump are clear.

'Netherlands first,' trumpeted the manifesto.

Wilders has repeatedly said the Netherlands should stop providing arms to Ukraine, as he says the country needs the weapons to be able to defend itself.

'We will have to find ways to live up to the hopes of our voters, to put the Dutch back as No. 1', Wilders said.

The party says: 'Our guiding principle is: act in the interests of the Netherlands and the Dutch. Our own country comes first.'

The PVV is a 'great friend of the only true democracy in the Middle East: Israel,' says the manifesto, particularly topical with the on-going conflict there.

'Relations with Israel will be strengthened, by moving our embassy to Jerusalem, among other things.' Such a move is seen as controversial in the Arab world on account of Israel having captured East Jerusalem in 1967.

At the same time, Wilders pledges to close the Dutch representation in Ramallah, home to the 'corrupt Palestinian Authority.'

Diplomatic relations will be broken off 'immediately' with countries with Sharia law and from where Dutch MPs have received death threats.

As for the climate, the PVV has pushed back against green policies.

'We have been made to fear climate change for decades... We must stop being afraid,' says the PVV manifesto.

The Dutch have the best water engineers in the world and there is no need to panic about rising sea levels, the document says.

The manifesto calls for more oil and gas extraction from the North Sea and keeping coal and gas power stations open.

'The PVV is also in favour of rapidly constructing new nuclear power stations.'

Wilders votes during the Dutch parliamentary elections, in The Hague, November 22, 2023

Europe's lurch to the right

The rise of the PVV, whether the party can form a coalition government or not, will be seen by many as the latest sign of a swing to the right across Europe.

The party's historic victory came one year after the triumph of Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, whose Brothers of Italy's roots were steeped in nostalgia for fascist dictator Benito Mussolini.

Ms Meloni has since mellowed her stance on several issues and has become the acceptable face of the hard right in the EU.

Support for the far right is also growing in countries such as Germany amid poor economic performance and dissatisfaction with immigration policies.

Other countries, too, such as Sweden and Finland, have also seen a swing towards more conservative governments in recent elections.

The win prompted immediate congratulations from other fellow far-right leaders in France and Hungary but will likely raise fears in Brussels over a potential Nexit.

Hungary's nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban hailed 'winds of change' after the exit poll, while France's Marine Le Pen cheered his 'spectacular performance.'

'It is because there are people who refuse to see the national torch extinguished that the hope for change remains alive in Europe,' Le Pen said.

Wilders reacts to the results of the House of Representatives elections in Scheveningen, the Netherlands, 22 November 2023

Orban, who boasts of turning Hungary into an 'illiberal' state and has similarly harsh stances on migration and EU institutions as Wilders.

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said the expected election victory for Wilders was a consequence of 'all the fears that are emerging in Europe' over immigration and the economy. However, Le Maire also told Franceinfo radio on Thursday that 'the Netherlands are not France.'

Dutch media have already noted the swing to the right in The Netherlands.

The Financieele Dagblad said the result 'turns politics in The Hague on its head' while the NRC daily describes it as a 'right-wing populist revolt that will shake the Binnenhof to its foundations', referring to the government quarter in The Hague.
Rats have been spotted roaming completely freely around a New York Chinese restaurant at night in grim footage.

The video shot by a passerby shows at least three rodents at the Royal Queen eatery in Flushing, Queens.

The rats are seen sniffing around boxes as well as inside and on top of a hot food display counter of the Dim Sum restaurant.

Recent research by New Yorkbased pest control company MMPC suggest a post-Covid spike in New York City's rat population from two to three million of the rodents since 2010.

That means one for every two-to-three of NYC's 8.5 million citizens.

A grim video has emerged showing three rats roaming freely around New York Chinese restaurant 'Royal Queen'

The footage of the Flushing, Queens, eatery shows two rats scurrying around cardboard boxes while another sniffs round a hot food display counter

The video begins with the unnamed person behind the camera zooming in on the restaurant's serving area to a set of boxes in front of which we can see a rat.

Another soon emerges form behind the box slightly further away.

Panning left we see a third rodent on the hot food display, which still had some contents inside, before the shot zooms back out to reveal the restaurant's logo on TV screens above the counter.

Royal Queen restaurant has been approached for comment on the stomach-churning footage which was captured on September 28.

But this is not an isolated case. A darkly ironic video emerged in September of a rat crawling around a New York restaurant's grade 'A' health inspection sign.

The large rodent was spotted through the window at Dixon Place, Manhattan, by a stunned pedestrian on September 17.

In general, rat sightings have become viral on 'RatTok' with New York a hotspot for the clips.

A spree of horrifying encounters have come after Dailymail.com reported that New York City is now so overrun with rats that tour guides are offering trips to see the worst rodent-infested areas. Pictured left: A rat crawling round a restaurant's grade 'A' health inspection sign. Right: 'Dozens' of rats emerging from a bin by the roadside

One such video was taken on August 30 and captures 'dozens' of rats emerging from bins at the roadside, forcing a group of five New Yorkers to literally jump over them as the rodents frantically darted up and down the sidewalk.

Taryn Brady, 29, who filmed the incident, said she was left in 'fear and disgust'.

These horrifying encounters come after Dailymail.com reported that New York City is now so overrun with rats that tour guides are offering trips to see the worst rodent-infested areas.

In April, New York City's mayor Eric Adams appointed the city's first ever 'rat czar', with a $155,000-a-year salary showing how serious an issue this is in the area.
Jeremy Hunt has admitted he failed to get his wife a birthday card or present yesterday - and tried to escape the dog house by heaping praise on her in his Autumn Statement.

The Chancellor sparked laughter in the Commons yesterday when he kicked off his crucial fiscal package with a tribute to Lucia.

The father-of-three told the House: 'I come today with good news, it's my wife's birthday and unlike me she is looking younger every year.'

But in a round of interviews this morning, Mr Hunt conceded that was his only action to note his spouse's turning 45.

Jeremy Hunt has admitted he failed to get his wife a birthday card or present yesterday

On a visit to Beijing as Foreign Secretary in 2018, Mr Hunt inexplicably told his hosts that Lucia (pictured left)  with whom he has a son and two daughters  was Japanese rather than Chinese

He told LBC Radio: 'I'm afraid I have not bought anything for my wife. I didn't even get her a birthday card. I feel incredibly guilty.

'What I did was publicly acknowledge her birthday to millions of people, which is something I haven't done before. So, hopefully I will be able to make up for that at the weekend.'

Lucia was in the gallery at Parliament to watch her husband's speech. But it is not the first time Mr Hunt has risked the wrath of his long-suffering wife.

On a visit to Beijing as Foreign Secretary in 2018 he inexplicably told his hosts that Lucia  with whom he has a son and two daughters  was Japanese rather than Chinese.

'My wife is Japanese  my wife is Chinese. That's a terrible mistake to make,' he said.

Mr Hunt married Lucia Guo, who is 12 years his junior, in 2009.

He called her his 'secret weapon' during his Conservative Party leadership campaign in 2019.

She remained quietly in the background with their three children, Jack, Anna and Eleanor, as he rose through the Cabinet ranks as Culture Secretary, Health Secretary and Foreign Secretary, before being parachuted into the Treasury last year amid Liz Truss's meltdown.

The couple met in 2008 when Lucia was a 30-year-old student recruiter at Warwick University  and a client of the Hotcourses online education business which turned Mr Hunt, then aged 41, into a multi-millionaire.

Lucia Guo, 44, brought their son Jack and one of the couple's two daughters out of No11, official residence of the Chancellor, to see their father off as he headed to Parliament to deliver the Budget in March

In 2019, when he ran against Boris Johnson to become Tory leader, Ms Guo described how he wooed her with tea and biscuits, asking for her email address and utilising his perks as shadow Culture Secretary to take her to a 'freebie' performance of Othello at the Donmar Warehouse in London.

Mr Hunt, the son of Admiral Sir Nicholas Hunt, proposed during a country walk close to his parents' home in Shere, Surrey.

She told the Mail at the time: 'He asked me to put my hands in a tree. I said, no, it looked like a fox hole and I thought he'd do some trick on me. He said, there's something in there for you. It was a ring!'

The couple then flew to Ms Guo's home city of Xian so Mr Hunt could ask her father for her hand in marriage, with Lucia translating his nervous request. They married in China in a traditional Chinese ceremony.
A multi-millionaire tech tycoon once known as 'Britain's nicest boss' was today found guilty of drugging and raping two 'stupefied' women while working as a hotel pianist almost 30 years ago - with his two daughters sobbing in court as the verdicts were returned.

Former tech tycoon Lawrence Jones, 55, pounced on both women at his flat while earning a living as a musician in the early 1990s. In both cases, they were rendered 'stupefied and left partially conscious but unable to react' after the UKFast founder used drugs to 'facilitate' their rape.

One was 'given something to sniff, which had an immediate impact on her', lasting the 'very few minutes' it took Jones to rape her, prosecutors said. The other was 'given a glass of wine and something which she believed was cannabis to smoke', but 'again the effect was pretty quick'.

Following the guilty verdicts - which took the jury just over four hours - it can now be reported that Jones has spent the past nine months behind bars after being convicted of sexually assaulting a female employee at a London hotel.

Before his stunning downfall, the father-of-four  who left school in north Wales with just four O-levels  had built a 700million fortune and a reputation as a business guru, playing chess against Sir Richard Branson on Necker Island and regularly featuring on the BBC.

His success saw him appointed MBE in 2015 for services to the digital economy, and he twice donated 100,000 to the Conservative Party. Jones' loyal wife Gail - with whom he shares four daughters - had stood by him during the trial.

Former tech tycoon Lawrence Jones was today found guilty of drugging and raping two women. He was appointed MBE for services to the digital economy. He was awarded an MBE in the 2015 New Years Honours list (pictured with his medal)

The businessman - seen outside court - pounced on both women at his flat while earning a living as a musician in the early 1990s. Pictured outside Manchester Crown Court in January

Jones' loyal wife Gail - with whom he shares four daughters - had stood by him during the trial

Lawrence Jones arriving at Manchester Crown court earlier this year with wife Gail

Jones's success saw him appointed MBE in 2015 for services to the digital economy (pictured with wife Gail)

Lawrence Jones, once known as 'Britain's nicest boss', pictured with his wife Gail

Before his downfall, the father-of-four had built a 700million fortune and a reputation as a business guru, playing chess against Sir Richard Branson

Last January the Bentley-driving former cathedral chorister was convicted of sexually assaulting an employee  then a recent graduate - on a business trip at a penthouse hotel suite in 2013.

The woman, who claimed Jones had instructed her that as part of her role she needed to 'look like a Bond girl', told police Jones had grabbed her legs as they sat on a sofa, saying: 'Let me see your knickers.'

The millionaire then tried to push her thighs apart and get on top of her, she alleged, as she cried out: 'No!'

'He was pulling my dress down, pulling the top down,' she added. 'I was terrified, I was really scared. I felt like he was trying to have sex with me if I'm being honest. It was almost like I was his.'

READ MORE - The stunning downfall of tycoon Lawrence Jones as he's found guilty of rape Advertisement

The two rapes he was convicted of today took place in a flat in Salford, Greater Manchester between 1993 and 1994 when Jones was about 25.

But the victims did not come forward until 'many years' later, by which time Jones was 'in the public eye' as a result of becoming a successful entrepreneur.

The first victim, Woman A, met Jones while working in Manchester city centre.

She took a dislike to Jones after his response when she was 'complaining' about her 'love life', prosecutor Eloise Marshall KC told jurors.

Jones allegedly told her 'well you just need a damn good seeing to, you just need a good f******, don't you?'.

According to Woman A, 'she not only disagreed with his politics but found him arrogant'.

However in late 1993, Jones asked her to come to his flat for a drink and a 'chat' so they could 'get to know one another'.

She agreed and arrived alone at the 'dimly lit' flat after midnight, where Jones poured her a glass of wine  probably red - before rolling a 'spliff'.

He then sat down next to her  'manspreading towards her on the sofa', she later recalled  while she had a couple of drags on the joint and one glass of wine.

But the woman would later say her memories of what happened are 'like snapshots or freeze frames'.

She later told police she recalled going to the toilet and feeling 'ill'  'spaced out, very floaty and not... right at all'.

Jones inside the Salford flat where the rapes took place. One of the women described him as having poor hygiene Pictured: Jones in his flat in the 90s

At the time he was earning a living as a pianist. He is pictured on the piano inside the flat

A young Jones on the phone inside the messy apartment in Salford in the 90s

In another 'flash of memory', she remembered Jones standing with his arms around her.

She felt 'very strange, as if her body wasn't her own, she felt numb'.

Then she recalled 'falling backwards onto the bed' and 'coming round' to find Jones 'kissing her neck and her chest passionately with one hand going around her waist onto her back and the other hand on her left breast'.

At this point she believes she was bare-legged and had no top on. She believes she asked Jones something like 'What are you doing?'

But he responded with something like 'it'll be our secret' and 'it'll be good for you', she said.

The woman said Jones warned her that he could do what he wanted to her because no-one knew she was there.

Her next memory was when she 'came round' the following morning, with Jones booking her a taxi so she wouldn't be late for work.

She felt 'really, really rough, really sick with a headache as if she had had a big night out' rather than how she would expect to feel after just one glass of wine.

Feeling 'numb' and 'in shock', she went home after her shift and had a shower.

Woman A just wanted to feel 'normal', she later told police.

She told three friends at the time about what had allegedly happened, Ms Marshall said, and later spoke to a counsellor and a police officer, although she did not make a formal complaint at that stage.

Her account to them was 'consistent' with what she would go on to tell police in 2021, jurors were told.

Jones as a high-flying businessman playing chess against Sir Richard Branson on Necker Island

The second alleged incident involved a woman in her early 20s whom Jones had met while playing piano at Manchester bars, and also trying to establish a company managing musicians.

She told police she was chatting with Jones  who she described as having 'poor hygiene' and 'a real 'Ew' about him'  at his flat in 1993 or 1994 when he asked how old she was.

When she gave her age, Jones allegedly replied 'look at you, you're gorgeous'.

Jones then allegedly told her to sniff a small medicine bottle with a clear liquid inside it.

Woman B agreed  something the court heard now 'surprises' her  'and instantly felt really, really drunk', prosecutor Eloise Marshall said.

She told police how she became 'instantly sort of really floppy and relaxed all over and really out of it'.

The court heard she felt 'Whoa' and decided just to 'lie back' on a bed as she felt 'light-headed and not completely conscious'.

But as she was lying on her back with her eyes shut, Jones had sex with her.

She told jurors that Woman B recalled how 'there was no kissing, no conversation and no foreplay'.

It lasted about 30 seconds, according to Woman B who said it had been 'bizarre and so fast, and so sort of opportunistic'.

Jurors were told her reaction had been almost like: 'Did that really happen?'

Rather than being 'angry', she felt 'shocked', but also that it was her fault as she had not 'fought back', Ms Marshall said.

Lawrence Jones and his wife Gail founded web-hosting business UKFast in their spare bedroom. Pictured in December 2015

Last January the Bentley-driving former cathedral chorister was convicted of sexually assaulting an employee  then a recent graduate . Pictured: Jones's Cheshire home

She questioned at the time whether it could be classified as rape as it had not been violent, she had not been pinned down and she did not try to scream or push him off, jurors were told.

As a result, she was subsequently not 'confident enough' to accuse Jones of raping her, describing herself as 'naive'.

Feeling no-one would believe her, she decided to 'park it', although she later told her future husband and a close friend. She made a formal complaint to police in April 2022.

Interviewed by detectives in February 2022 about Woman A's allegation, Jones made no comment to 'almost every question' he was asked.

He provided a prepared statement in which he denied raping her, with or without the use of drugs.

Jones was interviewed about Woman B's allegations in July 2022, making no comment to the questions he was asked.

However in a prepared statement he accepted having known her but 'vehemently' denied raping her.

The trial will hear evidence about the different drugs that Jones may have used based on the women's accounts.

Jones, of Hale Barns, Greater Manchester, will be sentenced on December 1.

Revealed: Double rapist was previously convicted of sexual assault after telling a young employee to 'look like a Bond girl' before 'trying to get on top of her'

By James Tozer

Once Sir Richard Branson's chess partner, and heralded as the face of Britain's tech industry, Lawrence Jones' downfall has been spectacular.

After being accused in a Financial Times investigation of deliberately recruiting attractive female staff and then using his powerful position to pester and sexually harass them, Jones ended up cutting ties with his web hosting and cloud computing business, UKFast.

But that was just the start of his dramatic fall from grace  for it can now be reported that the father-of-four has spent the past nine months behind bars after being convicted of sexually assaulting one of his employees.

The result of that trial  which saw him acquitted of raping another former staff member  could not be revealed to avoid prejudicing the jury in the latest case.

The second trial has now ended with him being convicted of two rapes committed while he was working as a hotel pianist before his business career took off.

Jones shared this photo on his blog with the caption, 'Stress free in the Maldives'

It can therefore now be reported how Jones was found guilty of sexually assaulting the young woman at a hotel during a business trip.

She told police that Jones had instructed her that she needed to 'look like a Bond girl'.

The tycoon also told the shocked graduate that as part of her role she ought to be 'able to walk into my bedroom in your knickers with a cup of coffee and say "All right boss".

Recounting the terrifying attack, she told detectives how Jones grabbed her legs as they sat on an L-shaped sofa, saying: 'Let me see your knickers.'

The millionaire then tried to push her thighs apart and get on top of her, she alleged, as she cried out: 'No!'

'He was pulling my dress down, pulling the top down,' she added.

'I was terrified, I was really scared.

'I felt like he was trying to have sex with me if I'm being honest.

'It was almost like I was his.'

A string of lurid revelations and claims about the married multi-millionaire's lifestyle and behaviour towards female colleagues at UKFast emerged during the case, which could not previously be reported.

Jones claimed that the worker who accused him of rape actually performed a sex act upon him in his steam room following a tequila-fuelled drinking session at his 3million gated mansion in the upmarket Cheshire suburb of Hale Barns.

Another female former employee alleged that Jones told her she needed to have 'a boob job' if she wanted to get ahead in the company.

Others described how the women Jones hired at his Manchester headquarters were almost universally 'blonde, beautiful and young' and would be subjected to comments such as 'Look at those legs' and 'Nice a***'.

Cringe-worthy text message exchanges revealed how the father-of-three addressed female staff as 'dude', let them refer to him as 'homey' and was nicknamed 'L-Dog'.

They were said to have compared notes about how to stay off his 'Loz-dar'  his roaming eye.

It was a far cry from the public image of 'Britain's best boss' who treated his hundreds-strong workforce to perks including an ice rink in the car park, a fully-stocked bar, a den for taking naps in and even a giant chess set.

Jones's world began to crumble at the start of 2019 when a former employee  who we are referring to as Woman C - called police to accuse him of raping her nine years earlier, branding him a 'very dangerous man'.

She told detectives that during a team-building weekend at the Snowdonia estate owned by the tycoon and his wife Gail, he had 'pushed me up against a wall, put his hands down my trousers and down my underwear'.

The next morning, she alleged that 'I was woken up by his hands under the duvet inside my knickers'.

Jones receiving an honorary doctorate in business administration from Manchester Metropolitan University in 2016

Even worse was to come at the office Christmas party in 2010, held at the upmarket Great John Street Hotel in Manchester, when Jones came into her room as she was getting ready and 'pushed me on the bed', she alleged.

'I couldn't move, he was too heavy,' she gasped.

'I just stared at the ceiling, I kind of froze.'

After having sex with her, a 'blase' Jones told her to 'go downstairs' as 'everyone was arriving for the party,' she said.

At another UKFast staff perk, a trip to the ski resort of Verbier, Woman C claimed Jones again awakened her by putting his hand under the duvet.

She also alleged that Jones spiked her drink during a reception at a luxury hotel.

The woman told police she felt under pressure to keep up her 'bright, bubbly' persona and attend social events with Jones.

But the reality was that she was 'trapped in paradise'.

'He was using his company to facilitate abuse,' she claimed.

Woman C eventually left UKFast with a confidential pay-out under which both parties agreed not to make 'derogatory' statements about one another.

Giving evidence at Manchester Crown Court in January, Woman C recalled how shortly after starting work at UKFast, Jones left a Rampant Rabbit vibrator in a bag for her.

'I put it in the bin in the kitchen,' she said. 'I was very embarrassed.'

But Eleanor Laws KC, defending Jones, showed the jury a clip from the Christmas party showing her hugging Jones, and later dancing.

She denied 'making this up as you go along', however, and insisted she had no choice about her interactions with her 'boss'.

The trial heard she told another a colleague in 2014 that she had been raped by Jones.

She said Woman C had been 'upset and angry' but refused to make a formal complaint as she 'hadn't fought him off'.

Jones seen in another image shared to his blog, where he posted updates about his business and personal life

The witness also recalled Jones telling her that 'I would be successful if I had a boob job and things that I wanted would come to me'.

She said Jones was 'handsy' with her but she was 'scared because if you said anything at UKFast you would lose your job'.

Another female employee said Jones gave her and colleagues 'shoulder rubs' and made sexual remarks.

'I wore a long skirt one day and he said 'Did you buy that at a nunnery?' she told the trial.

She said the women Jones worked with were 'blonde, beautiful and young'.

'They could be models,' another former member of staff, Emma McClelland, recalled.

Jones' second accuser  Woman D - claimed the tycoon tried to force himself on her during a business trip in 2013.

Interviewed by detectives in 2019, Woman D said on the taxi ride there Jones 'kept saying 'I can see up your dress'.

'I was a young girl and it made me feel uncomfortable,' she said.

She said Jones made her feel 'uncomfortable' by quizzing her about her boyfriend and that after going out for a meal they sat together on an L-shaped sofa.

Woman D told police Jones kept 'grabbing' her and trying to make her lie down with him, saying it was her job to 'make me feel at ease'.

Jones told her he and his wife had an 'open relationship' and 'he wouldn't do anything if she wasn't cool with it', she added.

She alleged that he told her: 'You should be able to walk into my bedroom in your knickers with a cup of coffee and say 'All right boss', or crash on the bed next to me.'

After being sexually assaulted, she locked herself in her bedroom all night, she said.

In what the prosecution said was damning evidence of his guilt, Jones offered her a pay rise and a bonus.

But she refused to accept the offer and handed in her notice, telling Jones by email that his 'inappropriate and unprofessional' behaviour had caused her 'considerable distress'.

He was once a chocrister at Durham Cathedral, which he is seen posing in front of

Woman D later filed an employment tribunal claim.

But that was withdrawn after she was offered a 13,000 pay-out and signed a non-disclosure agreement, the court heard.

Giving evidence about the business trip, Woman D recalled how Jones branded the clothes she'd packed 'trampy and disgusting'.

Telling her she needed to 'look like a Bond girl' while accompanying him, he said he would ask the concierge to get a negligee for her.

Cross-examining her, Ms Laws suggested she had been sitting in a 'frog legs' position and he had simply pointed out that her short dress was riding up.

However she denied this.

Interviewed by police in May 2019, Jones 'strenuously' denied ever having knowingly done anything to make female employees feel uncomfortable.

He claimed Woman C had been 'volatile and drank alcohol far too much', adding that he had been 'completely unimpressed' by Woman D's attitude on the trip.

Jones accused her of behaving 'flirtatiously and sexually' and 'exposing her underwear'.

He told detectives he said goodnight, went to bed and called his wife.

Jones said he'd had a good relationship with Woman C, saying their friendship once 'crossed the line' while they were drinking tequila in the swimming pool of his home.

After his wife went to bed, the pair moved from the Jacuzzi to the steam room where she carried out a sex act on him, he said.

Jones said the 'brief' and 'embarrassing' sex act lasted less than a minute as he was 'so drunk' he couldn't perform.

For her part, Woman C denied ever carrying out a sex act on Jones.

Jones denied ever spiking her drink  the allegation did not form part of the charges he faced  or going into her room at the Christmas party or the Verbier lodge.

Asked by his barrister about the business trip, Jones insisted there was nothing wrong with wanting staff to look 'smart and well-presented'.

Giving his account of the alleged sex assault, Jones said: 'She was sat with her frog-legs, with her feet touching, knees out.

'I said 'You might want to consider sitting in a different way given you're in a short dress'.'

Under cross-examination, Jones denied his account was pure fabrication.

'You clearly had a thing about her knickers,' prosecuting barrister Eloise Marshall KC said.

'Not at all,' Jones replied.

'You were trying to have sex with her,' she suggested.

'No,' Jones answered.

His barrister suggested the 'inappropriate' behaviour referenced by Woman D in her resignation email was a bust-up between Jones and his wife in which he reduced her to tears in a row over a bill.

He denied his behaviour that morning was an example of how 'frightening' he was when he doesn't get his way.

Asked by Ms Laws if he ever massaged the shoulders of female employees in the office, Jones said that was 'a normal piece of behaviour'.

As for comments about their legs and bottoms, he answered: 'Absolutely not  my mother-in-law and wife worked in that building.'

He denied making female staff sit on his lap, and said the comment about having a breast enlargement was an anecdote about his sister.

Jones said he wouldn't 'put myself in that situation again' and now had 'cameras everywhere' in his offices.

The trial heard how UKFast grew rapidly over the decade, from 60-80 staff in 2010 to around 500 in 2019.

Jones's barrister highlighted how Women C and D only came forward after the business grew to become 'of some financial worth'.

After deliberating for more than ten hours, on January 31 the jury convicted Jones of sexually assaulting Woman D.

But they cleared him of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault against Woman C.

Jones's legal team argued that he should be released on bail ahead of his second trial, pointing out that he had faithfully attended every court hearing.

However Judge Sarah Johnston disagreed, saying she had 'concerns about his means'.

As her husband was remanded in custody, Jones's wife  who has been a highly visible and supportive presence at court throughout both trials  became tearful and clutched the hand of her father, who accompanied her every day.

At a subsequent hearing in April, Jones' lawyers offered sureties totalling 1.4million plus security measures  including a chaperone and an electronic tag  which they said amounted to 'virtual house arrest' if he were released on bail.

However Judge Johnston again turned down the application, saying that having spent almost three months behind bars 'may well make it more likely rather than less he would wish to flee the jurisdiction'.

Clearly upset, as she left court, his watching wife said: 'Our kids have got to be without their dad.'

Jurors at his second trial were not told he was in custody.

He is currently applying to judges at the Court of Appeal in a bid to overturn his January conviction.
A woman has issued a desperate warning to Aussies after her thumb was ripped off in a freak lawnmower accident.

Krichelle Parkinson was almost finished mowing the lawn with her ride-on mower at her rural home in Seaham, in NSW's Hunter Region, on Sunday afternoon when a hose blocked her path.

After turning off the lawnmower and removing the hose, Ms Parkinson hopped back on and was stopped yet again by a wire she'd missed.

With the lawnmower running, she grabbed the wire which got caught in the mower's blades, whipping around and slicing off the top half of her left thumb.

Security footage from Ms Parkinson's house didn't capture the horror accident, however it did show her clutching her hand to her chest and yelling 'find my fingers' while sobbing.

With 'blood spurting' everywhere, in shock and in immense pain, Ms Parkinson feared she had lost several fingers.

'Initially I said to my partner, 'my fingers are gone', because it felt like the the most damage was to my actual fingers. But in hindsight, that's because they were the only ones that I had left,' Ms Parkinson told Yahoo News.

Although it may have been possible to reattach the thumb, it couldn't be found despite desperate searches by her partner, 13-year-old son and emergency services.

Doctors were forced to cut down the remaining bone to carry out a procedure that would at the very least given Ms Parkinson the sensation of feeling in her remaining 'nub'.

The procedure left the mother in extreme pain leading to over 30 seizures and having to take her recovery 'one day at a time'.

It is unsure how much dexterity Ms Parkinson will have as the thumb is the most important piece in firmly gripping objects and imperative in her job as a firefighter.

A mother from Seaham in NSW's Hunter Region, Krichelle Parkinson (pictured), lost her left thumb in a horrifying lawnmower accident on Sunday

Ms Parkinson was holding a wire that got caught in the lawnmower's blades and within seconds it sliced her thumb in half (pictured, Ms Parkinson's x-ray)

Her family showed their keen sense of humour in the hours after the incident by nicknaming her 'Nubby' with her sister and nephews sending photos of themselves giving her the 'thumbs up'.

Although Ms Parkinson has taken the 'if you don't laugh you'll cry' approach to the situation, she is also warning others about how quickly the accident unfolded.

'The most important thing is, no matter if you think you know what you're doing, don't lean off the mower or touch things on the grass when one is moving,' she said.

'Stop, put the break on, stop the blades and then do it.'
A 350-year-old Chinese cup with 'magical aphrodisiac qualities' is tipped to sell for thousands of pounds after it was found tucked away in a garage in the Cotswolds.

The discovery of the rhinoceros horn libation cup was dubbed a 'Del Boy moment' as its former owner was unaware of its significance.

It was only after his grandson inherited the 4in-tall item that it was unearthed in a clear-out.

Its discovery is similar to the storyline in Only Fools & Horses when Del and Rodney dig out a 6million watch that had spent decades hidden in their garage.

Auctioneer Charles Hanson with the 350-year-old cup plucked out of a garage, which could sell for 5,000

The caramel-coloured cup dates back to the Kangxi Period (1662-1722) of the Qing Dynasty in imperial China

The cup is expected to attract 'worldwide interest' when it goes under the hammer at Hansons Auctioneers in Etwall, Derbyshire.

Charles Hanson, owner of Hansons Auctioneers, said: 'I regularly visit clients' homes to assess antiques for potential consignment to auction.

'I'd completed my visit and was sitting in my car, about to drive off with a wave, when the couple asked if they could show me one more thing.

'They disappeared into the garage. Usually, I don't expect too much but this was very different.

'What was placed into my hands was a magical find - a rare Chinese object dating back to the late 17th or early 18th century.'

The caramel-coloured cup dates back to the Kangxi Period (1662-1722) of the Qing Dynasty in imperial China.

It has a tapered body which sits on a splayed base, rising to a flaring rim.

Its carved midsection depicts motifs while the handle features Chilong dragons, one peering over the interior rim.

Another dragon is carved on the opposing lip of the patinated cup.

Mr Hanson added: 'I instantly recognised it as a libation cup.

'It was beautifully carved out of rhinoceros horn and displayed intricate detail.

Its carved midsection depicts motifs while the handle features Chilong dragons, one peering over the interior rim

Not only was the cup thought to have magical properties, but it was also believed the horn would change colours to alert a drinker to the presence of poison

'Rhinoceros horn libation cups were used for communal drinking at important ceremonial occasions in Chinese scholarly circles.

'They were considered magical objects. In ancient Chinese mythology, the rhinoceros horn was thought to contain aphrodisiac properties.

'Rhinoceros horn is considered one of Eight Precious symbols representing good luck and prosperity in Chinese mythology.

'It represents victory. Its special place in Chinese culture enhances its importance and value.

'There are numerous references in early Chinese historical literature to objects made of rhinoceros horn.

'It was thought by Taoists to have magical properties.

'By the Tang dynasty (AD618-907) it was being carved into drinking containers.'

Not only was the cup thought to have magical properties, but it was also believed the horn would change colours to alert a drinker to the presence of poison.

The Ming dynasty (1368-1644) witnessed the height of rhinoceros horn carvings.

The Chinese had established trade with Africa, giving them access to the horn of the African rhinoceros.

Though called libation cups, these vessels would have been primarily used for display, accompanied by beautifully crafted hardwood stands.

The simple organic shapes favoured during the Ming dynasty gave way to increasingly elaborate forms during the Qing dynasty.

The trade and transportation of antique rhinoceros horn carvings is regulated by law.

But antique rhinoceros horn carvings are permitted to be sold and auctioned if for purely artistic intentions.

The sale of the rare artefact is due to take place on November 30.

It has a pre-sale estimate of 5,000, but is likely to sell for more.

Mr Hanson said: 'The libation cup was inherited by our client's grandfather. It is expected to create worldwide interest.

'We are guiding it 3,000-5,000. However, such is the demand for historically important Chinese objects it could make considerably more.

'If it achieves more than 100 US dollars a gram it will be granted work-of-art status and therefore be allowed by Chinese law to return to China if buyers wish to repatriate back to its home country.'
Meghan Markle now looks more like a Hollywood 'wannabe' than a member of the Royal Family, says Richard Eden.

Writing in the latest edition of his Palace Confidential newsletter, Eden suggests that, in moving away from Britain, the Duchess of Sussex has turned her back on a life of genuine celebrity.

And that success no longer lies within her own hands.

While the Princess of Wales stole the show in a striking scarlet cape coat as she greeted South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol at the start of his state visit to Britain, Meghan was courting the cameras on a red carpet in Los Angeles, he writes.

Catherine Princess of Wales at the ceremonial welcome for the President of South Korea Yoon Suk Yeol

While Kate stole the show in London, Meghan was appearing at an LA gala

Catherine, Princess of Wales, accompanies hoo Kyung-ho, Deputy Prime Minister of South Korea, at the state banquet

The contrast was striking. Members of the Royal Family walk down a red carpet when the other guests at a film premiere or theatrical first night have already taken their seats.

But here was Meghan, who would have joined Catherine at the opulent state banquet at Buckingham Palace, instead walking down the carpet at the Power Of Women event.

Unaccompanied by Prince Harry, writes Eden, Meghan couldnt have looked less regal just another celebrity waiting to be interviewed by a reporter for Variety magazine.

She posed for photographers like the wannabe starlet she once was, before being rushed along impatiently by another guest.

Her interview emphasised that success is no longer in her own hands.

She talked about the unnamed exciting new projects that her television company, Archewell Productions, cant wait to announce.

Meghan couldn't have looked less regal as she appeared at the Variety Power of Women event, writes Eden

The Duchess finds herself interrupted at she poses for photographs

But if and when she does announce them will depend entirely on their paymasters at Netflix.

It is all rather different from her brief time as a working royal, he writes  a time when the stars would line up to meet her, not the other way round.

Has there been any week in which it was demonstrated more vividly what the Duke and Duchess of Sussex threw away when they quit royal duties in 2020 to find freedom and find a fortune?

To read more of Richard's expert Royal commentary, click here
Three branches are in London, with others in Redcar, Bradford and Birmingham

The NatWest Group said it planned to close another 19 banks across England and Wales because more customers are using online banking.

The business said it will shut 18 NatWest branches and one operated by Royal Bank of Scotland early next year.

All the NatWest sites will close in either the latter part of February or early March, the bank said.

Three of the sites are in London, while others include Redcar, Bradford, Birmingham, Maldon and Dudley.

There has been a massive exodus of branches from the high street in recent years, with 578 closing this year alone.

NatWest said: 'Most of our customers are shifting to mobile and online banking.' But it added that it was working to make sure people weren't 'left behind' when branches close.

A map of the NatWest and RBS branches and when they are expected to shut

The NatWest branch in London's Piccadilly is one of the 19 to be closed in March

The bank's site in Pontypridd, Wales, is also expected to shut in February

The one RBS branch that is set to close is on Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow, though it will stay open until November 19 next year.

The largest number of closures announced this year have been Barclays branches, with 185 of its sites set to shut.

READ MORE - NatWest accused of 'intrusion' after starting new function that combs customers' accounts to track their carbon footprint Advertisement

NatWest is second with 116 branches, followed by Lloyds (112), Halifax (72), Virgin Money (40), Bank of Scotland (28), Ulster Bank (10), TSB (nine), RBS (five), and Nationwide (one).

It comes as the average number of transactions made over the counter at NatWest Group branches fell by 60 per cent in the four years to January 2023. Customers have chosen to use mobile apps instead.

But research by Age UK found four in ten older people with a bank account don't manage their money online - risking exclusion if their local branch closes.

The research also found that 75 per cent of over-65s want to visit a bank in person, and one third of older people feel uncomfortable with online banking.

The reasons for this are not wanting to be defrauded or scammed (31 per cent), a lack of trust in online banking services (28 per cent) and a lack of IT skills (28 per cent).

NatWest said: 'As with many industries, most of our customers are shifting to mobile and online banking because it's faster and easier for people to manage their financial lives.

'We understand and recognise that digital solutions aren't right for everyone or every situation and that when we close branches we have to make sure no one is left behind.

'We take our responsibility seriously to support the people who face challenges in moving online, so we are investing to provide them with support and alternatives that work for them.'
Lord Cameron said he had 'heard and seen things I will never forget' today after visiting the site of a Hamas massacre in Israel.

The Foreign Secretary was shown Kibbutz Be'eri, where some of the worst violence took place on October 7, before telling Benjamin Netanyahu that he 'stands with' the Israeli people.

A moved peer, who is visiting the Middle East for the first time since his shock return to the Cabinet, said of his harrowing tour of the site: 'I wanted to come here to see it for myself; I have heard and seen things I will never forget.

'Today is also a day where we hope to see progress on the humanitarian pause.

'This is a crucial opportunity to get hostages out and aid in to Gaza, to help Palestinian civilians who are facing a growing humanitarian crisis.'

Lord Cameron said he had 'heard and seen things I will never forget' today after visiting the site of a Hamas massacre in Israel

The Foreign Secretary was shown kibbutz Be'eri, where some of the worst violence took place on October 7

Lord Cameron told Benjamin Netanyahu that he 'stands with' the Israeli people

The trip comes as the agreement for a four-day ceasefire in Gaza appears to have hit a last-minute snag.

A senior Israeli official said it would not take effect before Friday, a day later than originally expected.

The deal will see the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, with Palestinian prisoners expected to be freed by Tel Aviv.

The lull in the fighting is also expected to clear the way for humanitarian aid to enter Gaza to ease the suffering of citizens who have been bombarded and besieged by Israel as it takes on Hamas in response to the October 7 atrocities.

Lord Cameron met Benjamin Netanyahu during his visit, telling the Israeli PM: 'We stand with the people of Israel in sympathy for what you have gone through.'

He said that a potential pause in fighting was an 'opportunity crucially to get hostages out and get aid into Gaza'.

Lord Cameron added: 'There is never any excuse for this sort of hostage-taking, all the hostages should be released, but I hope that everyone who is responsible and behind this agreement can make it happen, to bring relief to those families, including, of course, there are British nationals who have been taken hostage.'

The Foreign Secretary is also expected to meet Palestinian leaders.

Lord Cameron's visit comes a day after he met counterparts from Arab and Islamic countries  including the Palestinian Authority  at Lancaster House in London to discuss the Middle East crisis.

Foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Indonesia and Nigeria, as well as the secretary general of the League of Arab States and the ambassador of Qatar, attended the event.

Lord Cameron said the group discussed how to use the planned pause in the Israel-Hamas fighting to consider 'how we can build a peaceful future which provides security for Israel but also peace and stability for the Palestinian people'.

But until the truce is implemented, Israel has said it will continue to target Hamas in Gaza.

The trip comes as the agreement for a four-day ceasefire in Gaza appears to have hit a last-minute snag

Amnesty International UK's chief executive, Sacha Deshmukh, said Lord Cameron should back a full ceasefire.

He said: 'With the horrifying civilian death toll from Israeli attacks in Gaza still rising and no permanent ceasefire in sight, it's vital that David Cameron uses this trip to signal an urgently needed change of direction from the UK Government in support of humanity and international law.

'Lord Cameron should inform the Israeli government that the UK will now support a full, negotiated ceasefire on all sides in the interests of averting further civilian suffering for Palestinians and Israelis.

'Short pauses are not enough. Civilian lives in Gaza, Israel and the wider Occupied Palestinian Territory are at stake, and the Foreign Secretary can help shift international momentum in the direction of respect for international law, de-escalation and life-saving aid access.'
South Korea on Thursday handed over the remains of 25 Chinese troops killed during the 1950-53 Korean War to China, Seoul's defense ministry said, marking the 10th repatriation of its kind.

The remains were returned in a ceremony at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, attended by Vice Defense Minister Kim Seon-ho and Chinese Vice Minister of Veterans Affairs Chang Zhengguo, among other officials.

With the latest event, Seoul has returned 938 sets of remains of Chinese troops since 2014, when the two countries agreed on the repatriation project.

The ministry said the latest sets of remains were excavated in 2021 and that it also handed over 335 recovered personal items of the Chinese troops.

Kim described the repatriation as the result of bilateral cooperation based on the spirit of humanitarianism and mutual respect, expressing hopes for future repatriations to contribute to enhancing their ties, the ministry said.

The Korean War broke out as North Korea, backed by China and the then Soviet Union, invaded the South. It ended in a cease-fire rather than a peace treaty, leaving the two Koreas technically at war. (Yonhap)
The tragic toddler at the centre of the murder trial of her adoptive parents has been pictured for the first time.

Zahra Ghulami, who was just two years old, died in the spring of 2020 after being admitted to hospital with serious injuries to her head.

Her adoptive parents Roqia Ghulami, 31, and her partner Jan Gholami, 32, are currently on trial accused of murdering the toddler. Zahra was brought to Kent from Afghanistan ten months after the death of her birth mother.

Prosecutors say adoptive father Gholami is responsible for Zahra's death. Both parents deny murdering their adopted daughter.

Gholami told jurors he had taken another child to a Tesco Express store near their home in Gravesend, Kent, leaving Zahra alone with her adoptive mother.

He claimed that, after returning home, Zahra was discovered with injuries, with his wife claiming she had fallen down the stairs.

Zahra was admitted to the A&E department of Darent Valley Hospital on May 27, 2020, but died two days later.

Gholami was arrested on the same day he brought Zahra to hospital, and asked police: 'Why are they taking me to a police station? What have I done? I have enough worries. My child is in a coma.

'I don't know anything about what happened to the child because I was not at home. I was at Tesco. I don't know what happened.'

Zahra Ghulami (pictured), who was just two years old, died in the spring of 2020 after being admitted to hospital with serious injuries to her head

The court heard Zahra was admitted to the A&E department of Darent Valley Hospital on May 27, 2020, during the first Covid lockdown. Pictured: Zahra being taken to to Darent Valley Hospital in Dartford by her adoptive father

In a statement to police, his wife said: 'When I crawled to the door I saw that she had fallen down the stairs... maybe she has hit her head by the heater or by the door.'

She told police that after crawling down the stairs she hugged Zahra who then 'began vomiting'.

Jurors were shown a photograph of Zahra as well as her adoption certificate dated July 15, 2017, which had been approved by elders in Afghanistan following the death of her biological mother.

Gholami claimed that Zahra's real father was his friend and that he was in the UK when her adoption took place.

At the end of January 2018, Gholami was granted leave to remain in the UK after first arriving in 2016 and telling immigration officials the family was fleeing the Taliban.

He also claimed he was leaving because his wife's family disapproved of their marriage, which was deemed 'illegal' and carried a penalty of stoning.

A year later wife Ghulami applied for asylum in the UK.

She was interviewed in January 2019 and told officials from the Home Office that she had three children, including Zahra.

She was helped by the Red Cross, which funded her travel to the UK under a 'reunion visa' scheme, and arrived in May 2019.

The jury heard how the charity then made a request for support to Kent County Council.

In February 2020, the family moved to another home in Gravesend just a few weeks before Zahra died.

Prosecutors allege Gholami inflicted fatal injuries found to the back of Zahra's head.

'It is the prosecution's case that he had inflicted those fatal injuries before he left for his shopping trip,' Sally Howes KC told the court.

'It was noted immediately by hospital staff she was floppy and unresponsive and her breathing was shallow.

Ms Howes said CT scans revealed a number of suspicious, previously inflicted injuries to Zahra's shoulder and head. Pictured: Zahra being taken to to Darent Valley Hospital in Dartford by her adoptive father

'Her heart rate was slow and her blood pressure high. She had a large swelling to the back of her head.

'He told doctors that Zahra had injured herself in an unwitnessed fall down the stairs at home while he was away at a local Tesco.

'The Crown suggest that the preponderance, the weight of the evidence, points very strongly towards Jan Gholami as being the person responsible for inflicting this series of escalating violence upon Zahra.'

Ms Howes said CT scans revealed a number of suspicious, previously inflicted injuries to Zahra's shoulder and head.

'[She had] not just the catastrophic injury which had led to her death, but a number of earlier injuries [as well],' she said.

Ms Howes added that doctors at London's Kings College Hospital operated on the child but that the brain injury she had sustained was 'unsurvivable' and she died two days after being admitted.

The court heard that Gholami had been 'keen' to show the receipt from his Tesco shop both to doctors at Darent Valley Hospital in Kent and to police following his arrest.

After producing his shopping receipt to police, Gholami added: 'I am a Muslim. You can't blame me for these things. There are cameras. Whatever happened I was not at home.'

A paediatric consultant at Darent Valley's A&E department told the court how Gholami had been 'keen to show' them the receipt as doctors were dealing with her injuries.

The two-year-old was at the hospital for two hours before being taken to King's College Hospital in London.

Dr Ali Bokhari told the court: 'When I arrived Zahra was on the couch surrounded by nurses and doctors and her breathing was stopping and starting.

'She was lying on a bed with a blood stain on a tissue. I felt Zahra's head and noticed there was a big swelling to the back of her head.'

Dr Bokhari said that he spoke 'one-to-one' with Gholami, though the latter's English wasn't good, who told him his wife had called him whilst he was at the shops saying Zahra had suffered a 'fall'.

Ms Howes quoted one medical expert as saying in his statement: 'In my opinion, this is the sort of injury which results from direct impact such as being thrown to the floor, forcibly dashed up against a wall or some other upright structure.'

In a prepared police statement taken the day after his arrest, Gholami said: 'I have never caused any physical harm to Zahra. Yesterday I went shopping in Tesco.

'Zahra was not conscious. My wife told me that Zahra had fallen down the stairs and hit her head. I was not aware of any previous injury to her head.'

Describing Zhara, Gholami added: '[She was] a happy child... playful [and] not naughty. She was a curious child.'

The couple also deny causing or allowing the death of a child and child cruelty.

The trial continues.
A senior female executive at a financial technology firm has won a discrimination case after her male boss said she only raised concerns about the company's finances because she was 'menopausal'.

Mother of two Debbie Thomas, then 51, 'upset' CEO Shiraz Jessa when she warned him that his firm, Bibimoney was in trouble and then went 'over his head' to suggest she buy it from him instead.

This led to a 'souring' in their relationship with Mr Jessa blaming Ms Thomas, then director and CFO at Bibimoney's behaviour on the menopause.

Ms Thomas claimed that if this 'had happened before the MeToo movement I probably wouldn't have thought of pursuing it.'

Debbie Thomas, then 51, 'upset' CEO Shiraz Jessa when she warned him that his firm, Bibimoney was in trouble and then went 'over his head' to suggest she buy it from him instead.

CEO Shiraz Jessa blamed Ms Thomas, then director and CFO at Bibimoney, behaviour on the menopause

Following their dispute, she resigned and successfully sued the company for age and sex discrimination.

Awarding her 5,500 in compensation the tribunal found the menopause remark 'violated her dignity' and created an 'intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating' environment for her.

Speaking after the tribunal where she represented herself, Ms Thomas said she has been left traumatised by the events.

She said: 'I was just so shocked by the whole thing.

'I came out of the first day totally bulldozed - I was totally unprepared for it, although, I don't know who could have prepared me.'

Discussing the 'hurtful' comments made by her boss, Ms Thomas said: 'These kinds of comments, people cannot get away with.

'You just can't say those things anymore.

'I have got two daughters. My 17 year old heard the comment and she was more outraged than I was.

'If it had happened before the MeToo movement I probably wouldn't have thought of pursuing it.

'My whole professional career - all of it was just diminished by that one comment.

'It was more hurtful than anything, it just diminished everything.'

She added: 'I did it for all the woman in that firm. I felt like I had to do it - just to show him that it's wrong.'

Jessa and Ms Thomas who had worked together at his firm Bibimoney which specialises in providing software for mobile payments since 2016

Ms Thomas pictured with her two daughters, who she lives with in London

The hearing was told that the chartered accountant was appointed as director and CFO of London-based Bibimoney - which specialises in providing software for mobile payments - in the autumn of 2016.

In February 2022 she met Mr Jessa - who with family members was the majority shareholder - at his home.

'In this meeting [Ms Thomas] says that she set out the current issues that the respondent had regarding funding,' the tribunal heard.

'[She] also made a proposal to Mr Jessa that he and his family allow the management team (which comprised [Ms Thomas] and her partner, Mr Martin Hine) to buy them out so that they could take ownership.'

The tribunal heard that following the meeting Ms Thomas sent an email to Mr Jessa setting out the proposal and the financial issues she had explained.

Four days later she sent the same email to Mr Jessa's cousin and father, who were also shareholders in the company.

'[Ms Thomas] alleges that following that email being sent, she suffered a number of detriments,' the tribunal said.

'[She] alleges that on the 9th February 2022, Mr Jessa told another member of the company that he thought she was acting the way she was because she was menopausal.'

The central London hearing was told that Ms Thomas was concerned that without extra funding the company would become insolvent within four months which she worried would jeopardise her status as a chartered accountant.

'[Ms Thomas] wrote to [Bibimoney] shareholders on the 23rd March 2022 to request repayment of a large debt of over 2 million [the company] owed to her,' the tribunal said.

'In response to this demand, she was removed as a director.'

The following month Mr Hine was made redundant, following which Ms Thomas resigned and took the firm to the tribunal.

The panel - chaired by Employment Judge Kevin Singh - said: 'It was clear to the panel that the proposals put forward by [Ms Thomas] at the meeting...and the very act of going over Mr Jessa's head as it were and sending the letter to his father and his cousin had upset him and, inevitably the relationship had soured.'

The tribunal concluded that Mr Jessa's menopause comment, which he denied making, had been made.

Ms Thomas, who is now aged 53, had been the victim of both age and sex discrimination and harassment as a result, it said.

'It was clear that a hypothetical male or younger female comparator would not have had such a comment made to them due to the very nature of the comment.

'The tribunal heard from [Ms Thomas] how upsetting the comment was to her and so agreed the comment amounted to unwanted conduct which had the purpose or effect of violating the claimant's dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for [her] and was related to sex or age.'

Her additional claims of unfair dismissal and that she had been unfairly treated for flagging her concerns were rejected.

Ms Thomas started working at a new company in January this year, and said her partner started a business after he was let go.

She added: 'I was 51 when I left. I thought that was going to be my last job to be honest.

'I put my heart and soul into it.'
A top glamour model has shared a vile post on Instagram comparing the actions of Israel in Gaza to Nazi Germany and the Holocaust.

Narelle Maree, 33, shared the image on Thursday which showed a picture of Adolf Hitler and the number of children killed a day in the Auschwitz concentration camp on the left, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the right with the supposed death toll in Gaza.

It comes after Maree - the fiance of Ultra-Tune CEO Sean Buckley - was charged over the alleged assault of Mr Buckley's ex-girlfriend at Maxim magazine's Halloween party last month.

A top glamour model has shared a vile post on Instagram comparing the actions of Israel in Gaza to Nazi Germany and the Holocaust

It comes after Maree - the fiance of Ultra-Tune CEO Sean Buckley - was charged over the alleged assault of Mr Buckley's ex-girlfriend at Maxim magazine's Halloween party last month (pictured at the event)

Aussie beauty Laura Lydall, 37, was allegedly set upon at the party, which was held at Cafe del Mar in Sydney's Cockle Bay Wharf.

Lydall, 37, suffered a cut lip and bruised nose in the alleged attack and was picked up by her mother Alice, a retired nurse.

Maree is due to face court over the matter on November 29.

Reaction to her social media post sparked a flurry of outrage from some of her followers.

'This is a despicable post,' one person said.

Another wrote: 'Comparing the current situation to the Holocaust is asinine and anti-Semitic.'

During Hitler's reign of terror during the 1930s and throughout WWII, six million Jews were systematically murdered in the Holocaust.

Narelle Maree, 33, (pictured with her fiance Ultra-Tune CEO Sean Buckley) shared the image on Thursday

Maree is due to face court on November 29

Most of the victims were sent to concentration camps built in occupied Poland, where they were gassed to death and their bodies burned.

The six camps were at Chelmno, Treblinka, Sobibor, Belzac, Majdanek and Auschwitz.

More than 9,000 people were killed each day at the height of exterminations at the Auschwitz Concentration Camp

About 1.1million to 1.5million people, mostly Jews, were murdered at Auschwitz.

It is estimated the total number of Palestinian deaths since Israel declared war on Hamas in the wake of the October 7 terror attacks is about 14,000.
Brussels has been left reeling by what EU politicians see as a 'nightmare' victory for Geert Wilders and his 'Nexit' supporters in yesterday's Dutch general elections, reports in the Netherlands say.

The 60-year-old's populist PVV (Freedom Party) won 37 seats, according to near complete results, signalling a dramatic shift to the right in the EU country.

The Eurosceptic party's unexpected but resounding win prompted immediate congratulations from fellow far-right leaders in France, Hungary, Italy, Spain and Belgium, who said it showed 'borders and rights must be defended.'

However, the landslide has raised fears in Brussels on account of PVV's anti-EU stance, and its pledge to hold a binding referendum on leaving the bloc.

This, according to Dutch newspaper 'De Telegraaf', means that victory for Wilders is a 'nightmare' scenario for EU bureaucrats, who ever since Britain left in 2020 have feared the emergence of another challenger to the bloc's status quo.

Brussels has been left reeling by a 'nightmare' victory for Geert Wilders (pictured today) and his 'Nexit' supporters in yesterday's Dutch general elections, reports have said

Other right-wing populists across the EU's member states felt no such trepidation, cheering on Wilders who is also strongly anti-Islam and anti-immigration.

Far-right French politician Marine Le Pen swiftly congratulated Geert Wilders and the PVV on their 'spectacular performance' in the Dutch elections.

'Congratulations to @geertwilderspvv and the PVV for their spectacular performance in the legislative elections, which confirms the growing support for the defence of national identities,' Le Pen wrote on social media platform X.

'It is because there are people who refuse to see the national torch extinguished that the hope for change remains alive in Europe,' she added.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who boasts of turning Hungary into an 'illiberal' state and has similarly harsh stances on migration and EU institutions, was also quick to congratulate Wilders.

'The winds of change are here! Congratulations,' Orban said.

The leader of Spain's far-right Vox party Santiago Abascal chimed in: 'More and more Europeans demand in the streets and at the polls that their nations, their borders and their rights be defended.'

'I would like to congratulate Geert Wilders on this victory,' Belgian far-right leader of the Vlaams Belang party, Tom Van Grieken, added.

'It is clear: the population is yearning for real change. Not only in the Netherlands, but also in Flanders. Parties like ours are coming all over Europe!'

PVV's victory came one year after the triumph of Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, whose Brothers of Italy's roots were steeped in nostalgia for fascist dictator Benito Mussolini. Ms Meloni has since mellowed her stance on several issues and has become the acceptable face of the hard right in the EU.

Matteo Salvini, the Federal Secretary of Italy's Lega Nord (Northern League) party and current Minister of Infrastructure and Transport in Meloni's government, also joined in congratulating Wilders.

'Congratulations to our friend Geert Wilders, leader of the PVV and historic ally of the League, for this extraordinary electoral victory. A new Europe is possible,' he said.

The 60-year-old's populist PVV (Freedom Party) won 37 seats, according to near complete results, signalling a dramatic shift to the right in the EU country

But while right-wing European leaders congratulated Wilders, De Telegraaf and other publications noted that politicians in Brussels will not be as pleased with his triumph.

'Wilders' wish for a Nexit in particular makes Brussels tremble,' the Dutch publication reported, pointing to his and his party's outspoken Euroscepticism.

In its manifesto, the PVV said it wants 'a sovereign Netherlands, a Netherlands that is in charge of its own currency, its own borders and makes its own rules'.

Therefore, the party rejects any form of 'political union' like the EU - 'an institution that is pulling more and more power to itself, hoovers up taxpayer money, and imposes diktats on us' according to its platform.

'The PVV wants a binding referendum on Nexit,' the idea that the Netherlands could leave the EU' - just like Britain did in 2020, after a divisive referendum in 2016.

Until such a referendum, the manifesto says The Netherlands wants to become a net recipient of EU funds, not a net contributor. The party also rejects any further EU expansion, and wants to restore its veto power in Brussels.

Finally, the PVV wants to tear down the EU flag from government buildings.

'We are in the Netherlands. Only the national flag flies here.'

With its projected 37 seats, Wilders has more than doubled his share from the last election and outstripped opponents, according to near complete results.

A left-wing bloc trailed far behind on 25 seats, with the centre-right VVD on 24 - a catastrophic result for the party of outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

The result puts Wilders in line to lead talks to form a new ruling coalition in the country's 150-seat parliament, and possibly become the country's first hard-right prime minister at a time of political upheaval through much of the continent.

'I had to pinch my arm,' a jubilant Wilders said. Addressing cheering supporters in The Hague after exit polls, he doubled down on his anti-immigrant rhetoric, saying the Dutch had voted to stem the 'tsunami' of asylum-seekers.

'The PVV can no longer be ignored,' he cried, urging other parties to do a deal.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who boasts of turning Hungary into an 'illiberal' state, was also quick to congratulate Wilders, saying: 'The winds of change are here!'

Far-right French politician Marine Le Pen swiftly congratulated Geert Wilders and the PVV on their 'spectacular performance' in the Dutch elections

Matteo Salvini, Italy's Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, said: 'Congratulations to our friend Geert Wilders, leader of the PVV and historic ally of the League, for this extraordinary electoral victory. A new Europe is possible.'

The leader of Spain's far-right Vox party Santiago Abascal (pictured) also cheered on the result in The Netherlands. 'More and more Europeans demand in the streets and at the polls that their nations, their borders and their rights be defended,' he said

Although he softened his anti-Islam rhetoric during the campaign, the PVV programme also pledges a ban on the Koran, mosques and Islamic headscarves and Muslim community leaders in the Netherlands were quick to voice concern.

In his first reaction, posted in a video on social media, Wilders spread his arms wide, put his face in his hands and said simply '35!' - the number of seats an exit poll forecast his Party for Freedom, or PVV, won. The number has since risen to 37.

But as of Thursday morning, it is not clear how he can scrape together the 76 seats he needs for a majority in the 150-seat parliament.

Former European Commissioner Frans Timmermans, whose Green/Labour bloc came in second, immediately ruled out cooperation, saying it was now their job to 'defend democracy' in the country.

Anti-corruption champion Pieter Omtzigt, whose New Social Contract party scored 20 seats, seems certain to play a role and indicated he was 'available' for talks, but admitted they wouldn't be easy.

Dilan Yesilgoz, who led the centre-right VVD to a disappointing 24 seats, was coy on election night, saying Wilders would have to see if he can forge a coalition.

She first opened the door to Wilders joining a VVD-led government but has stressed she would not serve under him.

Diederick van Wijk from the Clingendael Institute told AFP news agency the Netherlands was now in 'uncharted territory' after the 'landslide victory' of Wilders.

'A Prime Minister Wilders could be within reach,' he said.

Dutch media were left agog by the margin of Wilders' victory.

'No one expected this, not even the winner himself,' said the Trouw daily.

Even the usually unexcitable NOS public broadcaster called it a 'monster victory', a phrase that featured in several media.

The Financieele Dagblad said the result 'turns politics in The Hague on its head' while the NRC daily describes it as a 'right-wing populist revolt that will shake the Binnenhof to its foundations', referring to the government quarter in The Hague.

PVV leader Geert Wilders reacts to the results of the House of Representatives elections in Scheveningen, the Netherlands, 22 November

Wilders has built a career from his self-appointed mission to stop an 'Islamic invasion' of the west, but during his campaign sought to tone down his message, saying he could put some of his more strident views on Islam 'in the freezer'.

He stressed he would be prime minister for everyone 'regardless of their religion, background, sex or whatever', and insisted the ongoing cost-of-living crisis was a bigger priority. But his opponents allege his PVV manifesto tells a different story.

Wilders is known as the 'Dutch Trump', partly for his swept-back dyed hairstyle that resembles the former US president, but also for his rants against immigrants and Muslims.

From calling Moroccans 'scum' to holding competitions for cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed, Wilders has built a career from his self-appointed mission to stop an 'Islamic invasion' of the West.

With hallmark Wilders rhetoric, the PVV manifesto says: 'Asylum-seekers feast on delightful free cruise-ship buffets while Dutch families have to cut back on groceries.'

The programme proposes a ban on Islamic school, Korans and mosques. Headscarves would be banned from government buildings. 'The Netherlands is not an Islamic country,' it adds.

In 2009, the British government refused to let him visit the country, saying he posed a threat to 'community harmony and therefore public security.'

He was turned back after landing at London's Heathrow airport in February that year.

Wilders had been invited to Britain by a member of the House of Lords, to show his 15-minute film 'Fitna,' which criticises the Quran as a 'fascist book.'

The film sparked violent protests around the Muslim world in 2008 for linking Quranic verses with footage of terrorist attacks.

Britain's Asylum and Immigration Tribunal went on to overturn the decision following a challenge by Wilders, who hailed the ruling a 'fantastic decision' at the time.

Caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte walks in the streets of The Hague, the day after Wilders' far-right party PVV, or Party for Freedom, won the most votes in a general election

Muslim community leaders in the Netherlands were quick to voice concern in the wake of the results showing his massive victory.

'I don't know if Muslims are still safe in the Netherlands. I am worried about this country,' Habib el Kaddouri from the SMN association of Moroccan Dutch, told local agency ANP.

Lizette Keyzer, a 60-year-old business manager from Enschede in the east of the Netherlands, said she had 'heart palpitations' when the exit poll results came out.

The country 'is going in a right-wing direction. We hope that this does not completely become the case', added Keyzer.
A Nigerian father of three who helped mastermind a UK-based Facebook and eBay parcel fraud racket after he won refugee status in Britain by identifying as gay has been jailed for more than five years.

Former asylum seeker Saheed Azeez, 33, had been allowed to settle in this country after claiming he was being persecuted over his homosexuality by Boko Haram militants.

But after moving to Wigan, Greater Manchester, Azeez had three children by three different women and married one of them before helping created a network of strangers to assist with what prosecutors described as a 'sophisticated and well resourced' scam.

The strangers used their homes to field mail order parcels addressed to fake IDs before Azeez himself picked them up and sold them via his brother's electrical shop.

Saheed Azeez sought asylum in the UK after claiming he was facing persecution from Boko Haram in Nigeria because he was gay

But Azeez went on to father three children with three women in Britain, and ultimately married the third. He went on to help establish a sophisticated fraud racket

Over a 14 month period, up to 272 victims lost out a total of 220,000 after being persuaded into sending out second hand items including second hand smart phones and cameras without getting payment first.

Police eventually tracked down Azeez as he was dropping off one of his young son at primary school. As he was about to be detained he hid three smart phones which had been used in the scam inside the boy's school bag which were found by a teaching assistant.

The phones were found to contain videos made by Azeez and sent to one of his 15 underworld contacts named 'Baddest Boy' showing moving images of used smart phones stolen from sellers. Most of the proceeds were spirited out of the UK using Bitcoin.

READ MORE: How gang convinced victims to hand over their goods without receiving cash Advertisement

At Bolton Crown Court, Azeez who is currently said to be identifying as bisexual admitted conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation and plotting to possess criminal property and was jailed for five years and two months.

The Home Office is expected to deport him following his release. Nine householders who allowed their addresses to be used as 'drops' in the scam will be sentenced next year. It is feared many others have not been traced.

Sentencing Judge Nicholas Clarke KC said the offences were just 'the tip of the iceberg' and added: 'You were a willing and enthusiastic participant, recruiting others and widening the profitability of this dishonest scheme and putting the money beyond the recovery of the forces of law and order.

'There was sophisticated planning, the fraudulent activity occurred over a sustained period of time and there were a large number of victims.

'While others would have been involved in the online fraud you were the one recruiting others, you picked the parcels up, you instructed the parcels to be received using fake names. You paid them, you collected the items, you sold the items in your shop and sent profits upstream.

'The handlers were financially vulnerable, struggling with drug addiction and had mental health difficulties - and you exploited them. The operation as a whole was very complicated, it took place over a long period of time, in excess of a year, the number of victims was in the hundreds. There is no doubt you played a leading role.'

The scam took place between September 2020 and November 2021 after former Yodel delivery driver Azeez who had his own removals company began providing 'delivery services' for online fraudsters who used Nigerian phones to dupe Facebook and eBay users based in the UK.

The court heard Greater Manchester Police began investigating reports of online fraud in the northern part of the city during mid 2021.

Victims were convinced to send Azeez their high value electronics without being paid first - and he would pick them up and sell them in his brother's electronics shop (above)

Saheed Azeez was operating his own delivery business when he began carrying out 'services' for the fraudsters

Lawyers acting for Azeez maintain that he only ever saw a 'small percentage' of the profits and that he was under 'pressure' to be involved in the fraud

Andy Evans prosecuting said: 'It seems these fraudsters would contacted victims in the UK who were selling consumer electronics online on various platforms including eBay, Facebook Market place and Whatsapp - and victims were persuaded to provide their items prior to payment being made.

'They would be given a UK postal address to send the items to - from where the the conspirators could pick them up and sell them on for 100 per cent profit.

'These goods were addressed to a fake ID and sent to various addresses with no identifiable link to the fraudsters.

'There the goods would be collected and sold and the occupants of the addresses would get a cut. Azeez wasn't necessarily the architect of the fraud but he provided his services as a sub-contractor.'

The court heard Azeez sold of the items through his brother's electrical shop Eze TV in Wigan, Greater Manchester before passing on the profits to his fellow fraudsters after taking his own cut.

Azeez will now face an immigration hearing after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation and plotting to possess criminal property

He was also linked to the setting up of 37 untraceable bank accounts in six different names which accepted crypto currency as part of the racket. He himself fielded 40,000 of illicit cash through his own account.

A total of 34 victims gave statements expressing their anger and frustration at being duped. The court heard other desperate sellers who sent out parcels were even 'pressured' into sending over money to the fraudsters when they were wrongly assured they would get their items back.

In mitigation defence counsel Miss Chloe Fordham said: 'He came to the UK in 2013 as an asylum seeker and he has now been granted refugee status and that is a result of the threats he faces in Nigeria. He has indefinite leave to remain on the UK but whatever sentence he faces may result in his deportation and he fears that more than anything.

'He was a law abiding person for four years after his arrival in the UK and as part of his asylum appeal, a detailed and thorough report was carried out by a professional organisation and it is insightful as to the troubles he faced in the past.

'Mr Azeez was born into a Muslim family in Nigeria but the sad reality was he and his family were persecuted in Nigeria. He was exploited as a teenager and as an adult entered into a homosexual relationship and as a result of that he was targeted by Boko Haram and was told he was going to be killed.

'On one occasion he was badly beaten and tortured and there are documents and photographs to back that up. There is no question as to whether his account was credible.

Saheed Azeez (pictured) won refugee status in the UK from Nigeria after claiming to be gay insists he is bisexual - despite having three children with different women since arriving

'His gay partner arranged for him to escape to Nigeria but he was sadly later killed too.

'When the defendant arrived here, he was homeless and he then moved to Bolton with a male who also exploited him and he was later diagnosed with depression and PTSD. He now has three children in the UK by three different mothers and is married to the mother of the third child. He has parental responsibilities to all the children. He now now considers to himself to be bisexual.'

Miss Fordham added: 'His involvement in these matters began when he thought was doing legitimate work delivering and collecting parcels but pressure was put on him to collect parcels which he knew contained items obtained through fraud.

'Set against the background of someone who has been exploited, tortured and abused in the past he was not someone who was able to withstand such pressures. He was following instructions given by others and has since been receiving threats from the fraudsters via his partner and ex-partner about presumably not outing them.'
Right wing nationalist Geert Wilders has won a 'monster victory' in the general election in the Netherlands sending shockwaves around the nation and the rest of Europe.

The 60-year-old heads up the Party for Freedom (PVV), which ran on an anti-immigration and anti-Islam platform, taking 37 seats in the election - more than any other party.

The result, which more than doubled his party's previous share, puts Wilders - described as the 'Dutch Trump' - in a favourable position for upcoming coalition talks with the roughly half-dozen other parties that hold a significant number of seats.

But he has alienated almost all of the other political parties in the Netherlands with his harsh rhetoric.

While Wilders still faces an uphill battle to form a government and become the next Netherlands leader, his surprise success is the latest in a string of recent political upsets that have seen so-called populist parties taking significant strides across Europe.

Here, MailOnline takes a look at the right's meteoric rise in Europe over the last few years.

Geert Wilders (pictured) heads up the right-wing Party for Freedom (PVV), which ran on an anti-immigration and anti-Islam platform

ITALY: Brothers of Italy with self-confessed Nazi links won last year's election

Giorgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy party took power in Italy in late 2022, and has consistently enjoyed high ratings since.

Aggregated polling data reveals that since the party, which has been accused of being neo-fascist in its policies and ideologies, took power there have been no significant drops in support.

Speeches made by Meloni, Italy's first female leader, have overtly expressed her hardline views on immigration and homosexuality.

She has outwardly spoken about fighting what she called 'the gay lobby', while her Deputy PM, Matteo Salvini, called gay parents 'unnatural.'

Speeches made by Georgia Meloni, Italy's first female leader, (pictured, centre) have overtly expressed her hardline views of immigration and homosexuality

Meloni has also been forced to deny that her party is fascistic, despite it being the direct successor to the Italian Social Movement, a neo-fascist party active between 1945 and 1995.

Her government has taken strong stances on immigration. Earlier this year, it passed measures to give Italian authorities the power to detain migrants for up to 18 months, and ordered the construction of new centres to house them.

The reforms came following a surge of over 10,000 migrants landing on the tiny Italian island of Lampedusa, more than the number of residents.

The new measures were designed to work in combination with a plan to fight the flow of migrants to Italy with increased surveillance of the seas around Italy.

HUNGARY: Viktor Orban's fourth consecutive term

Viktor Orban (pictured) is well-known for his support of Russia on the world stage, yesterday threatening to block all EU aid to Ukraine

Viktor Orban's Fidesz party has long been accused of subscribing to a 'soft fascism' and 'soft autocracy.'

But the stance seems to be working for him, as his party last year won 117 seats in Hungary's National Assembly, once again running on a euro-skeptic and anti-immigration platform. The victory earned the 60-year-old a fourth successive term as prime minister.

He is also well-known for his support of Russia on the world stage, yesterday threatening to block all EU aid to Ukraine, as well as the country's potential entry into the bloc, unless EU members agreed to review the strategy of support for Kyiv.

The Fidesz-led government has been accused of silencing media outlets that dare to criticise the party, and curating a state-run media that is said to be 'entirely loyal' to Orban.

In 2021, it was revealed that Orban has authorised the use of Pegasus, a surveillance tool, to target political opponents.

The phone numbers of at least 10 lawyers, five journalists and an opposition politician were included on a list of leaked list of potential targets of surveillance.

His government has also been accused of putting a finger on the scales of justice by removing independent judges, and stacking top courts with loyal ones.

FRANCE: National Rally's Marine Le Pen tipped to succeed Macron in 2027

National Rally, the party run by Marine Le Pen (pictured, left), has consistently been accused of using anti-immigration rhetoric to flirt with overt racism

Her party is set to inherit power in France in the 2027 general elections

Marine Le Pen's National Rally (NR), formerly the National Front, is set to inherit power in France in the 2027 general elections, after narrowly losing to Emmanuel Macron's En Marche! (EM) party last year.

Macron's approval rating has been consistently going down since the Spring election last year, and currently sits at just 29%.

His disapproval rating, meanwhile is at 69%, the fourth time in six years his negative ratings have breached 65%.

Meanwhile, polling from earlier this year revealed that 24% of French voters were set to vote for NR, while 22% of voters were set to vote for EM.

Le Pen's NR party has tapped into growing anti-immigration sentiment in France.

It was revealed today that 66% of French citizens believe that immigration from outside of Europe was a danger to France.

consistently been accused of using anti-immigration rhetoric to flirt with overt racism.

Last year, hard-right MP and NR member Gregoire de Fournas was suspended from France's parliament after he told a fellow MP, who is Black, to 'return to Africa.'

Fournas was also given a two-month cut in salary, the maximum penalty for parliamentary wrongdoing.

It is only the second time in the history of France's Fifth Republic, established by Charles de Gaulle in 1958, that an MP has received such a rebuke.

Le Pen weakly condemned the remarks, while insisting that he was defending the party line of pledging to halt all illegal immigration.

GERMANY: Far-right party with alleged Nazi ties made waves in state elections

Daniel Halemba (pictured) was suspended from the party after being arrested on suspicion of owning Nazi symbols

He was arrested after officials discovered Nazi insignias and racist documents at his home

Alternative for Germany (AfD) also won by a landslide in a recent state elections in October, winning its biggest ever share of votes in the powerful state of Hesse.

The party also gained a significant portion of votes in Bavaria, taking in an additional 4.4% of the vote share in the state.

Roughly a quarter of Germany's population lives in Hesse and Bavaria.

Alice Weidel, the co-leader of the AfD, said the gains were a major milestone for the far-right party, and showed that 'AfD is no longer an eastern phenomenon, but has become a major all-German party. So we have arrived.

The party runs on an anti-Islam and anti-immigration policy. In 2017, the party's founder, Alexander Gauland, explicitly vowed to fight an 'invasion of foreigners.'

He also tried to trivialise the period that the Nazi party ruled Germany, claiming it was 'just a speck of bird's muck in more than 1,000 years of successful Germany history.'

While the party has fought back against comparisons to the Nazi party, in late October, a newly elected AfD lawmaker was suspended from the party after being arrested on suspicion of owning Nazi symbols.

22-year-old Daniel Halemba, the youngest politician to ever be elected to Bavaria's parliament, is currently under arrest, after officials discovered Nazi insignias and racist documents at his home.

His neighbours also complained that they heard calls of 'Sieg Heil' coming from his home.

GREECE: New far-right parties entered Greek parliament for the first time, following disappointing election for Left

The Spartans party was backed by Ilias Kasidiaris, who is currently serving 13 years in prison for membership in a criminal organisation as a former leading member of Golden Dawn

Two far-right parties entered Greece's political arena for the first time ever in this year's national elections.

The Spartans party and the Niki, or Victory, party took 21 of the Hellenic Parliament's 200 seats between them in June.

The Spartans party was backed by Ilias Kasidiaris, who is currently serving 13 years in prison for membership in a criminal organisation as a former leading member of Golden Dawn  a political party of neo-Nazi origins linked to multiple violent street attacks.

Niki, meanwhile, is a rare party that holds ultra-Orthodox beliefs, and aims to promote and 'maintain' Greek identity through its language, history and tradition.

Niki is a staunchly anti-abortion and sex education party, and maintains a deep dislike of the LGBTQ community, as well as same-sex marriage.

Many of the party's candidates in this years elections were accused of having links to Russia.

Theoharakis also admitted that he has not been vaccinated against COVID-19.

BELGIUM: Anti-multiculturalism party leading in polls for 14 straight months

The party, whose name means 'Flemish Interest' in English, has a long-standing goal of establishing an independent Flemish state where the region of Flanders would peacefully leave Belgium

Although Belgium is often considered a bastion of pan-European-ism, given its role as the host of both the EU and NATO, the far-right Vlaams Belang party has consistently been ahead in aggregated polls for the last 14 months.

Belgium is set to have national elections in June 2024, which experts have said Vlaams Belang may end up winning.

The party, whose name means 'Flemish Interest' in English, has a long-standing goal of establishing an independent Flemish state, where the region of Flanders would peacefully leave Belgium.

It claims that ethnic Flemish and 'Walloons', from nearby Wallonia, have 'enormous cultural and political differences' that would be easily remedied by secession.

Vlaams Belang, a euro-skeptic party that opposes the introduction of Turkey into the EU, also aims to implement a 'zero tolerance' policy, by abolishing Belgian parole law, which allows convicted criminals to be released after finishing just one-third of their sentence.

The party is anti-Islam, and has stated in the past that women wearing hijabs have 'effectively signed their contract for deportation.'

SWEDEN: Fringe anti-Islam party were kingmakers in 2022 election

The Sweden Democrats were satisfied by the concessions given to them, which fed into the party's core anti-immigration and anti-Islam messaging

The Sweden Democrats managed to strike a deal with the Moderate party in the 2022 election, and was the keystone in forming a government.

The new government were forced to give the fringe party a lot, and put plans in place to cut taxes, begin building new nuclear power plants, cap benefits, tighten immigration rules and give police more powers as part of the deal with the Democrats.

The new government also made it harder for new immigrants to receive benefits, while the overseas aid spending target of 1% of GDP was replaced by a fixed sum.

The Sweden Democrats were satisfied by the concessions, which fed into the party's core anti-immigration and anti-Islam messaging.

The party's leader, Jimmie Akesson, said last year that most of Sweden's shortcomings, and the reasons why his party was doing well, was due to the country's over-welcoming immigration policies that have failed to integrate 'new Swedes' into the country.

'For us in the Sweden Democrats... a change of power also has to mean a paradigm shift regarding immigration and integration policy,' Akesson said at the time.

SWITZERLAND: Anti-immigration party that pledged to cap population at 10 million won big in October election

SVP's platform included a pledge to keep the population of Switzerland, currently 8.7 million, below 10 million

The most recent success story of the European far-right came late last month, after Switzerland's euro-skeptic and hardline Swiss People's Party (SVP) managed to take an extra nine seats in the nation's House of Representatives, bringing its total to 62 out of 200 seats.

The party did lose one seat in the Senate, Switzerland's upper house.

SVP, which captured 27.9% of the votes cast in the October election, ran on a staunchly anti-immigration campaign, and promised there would be 'less political correctness'.

Its platform included a pledge to keep the population of Switzerland, currently 8.7 million, below 10 million.

The party managed to tap into anti-immigration sentiment in Switzerland, in a campaign many condemned as outright xenophobic.

Switzerland saw a 43% increase in asylum applications in the first half of 2023, and on top of this has taken in 65,000 Ukrainian refugees since Russia's invasion, despite its long-standing policy of neutrality on the world stage.

The SVP also declared war on 'cancel culture', 'gender terror' and 'woke madness'.

AUSTRIA: Anti-immigration party that shared video of youth wing below Hitler's balcony set to win next year's elections

In Austria, the right-wing Freedom Party (FP), led by Herbert Kickl, has consistently been growing its voting share and has been ahead of every other party since November 2022

The euro-skeptic party has consistently run on an anti-immigration platform, with a focus on 'preserving' Austrian culture

Earlier this year, Austria's longest-serving spy chief warned that the country may be under threat from Russia if it comes into power in next year's elections

In Austria, the right-wing Freedom Party (FP), led by Herbert Kickl, has consistently been growing its voting share and has been ahead of every other party since November 2022, according to polling data aggregated by Politico.

The FP currently holds a 5% lead over its closest rival, the Social Democratic Party of Austria, and is set to win next year's elections.

The euro-skeptic party has consistently run on an anti-immigration platform, with a focus on 'preserving' Austrian culture.

The party was so serious about this that it pledged to subsidise restaurants that offered typical Austrian dishes, and wanted to force schoolchildren to only speak German in playgrounds.

Earlier this year, the party shared a promotional video made by its youth wing that cut image of Paris' Notre Dame burning with conspiratorial phrases related to the debunked Great Replacement theory, which claims that white Europeans are being replaced by non-white migrants.

The video showed members of the party's youth wing taking part in torchlight processions and standing below the Vienna balcony where Adolf Hitler gave his infamous speech when he returned to his homeland in triumph after the Nazis annexed Austria in 1938.

Critics have also accused the FP of having ties to Russia, which even the nation's security services backed up.

Earlier this year, Austria's longest-serving spy chief warned that the country may be under threat from Russia if it comes into power in next year's elections, as it has not severed its ties with the Putin-led nation.

Peter Gridling, who led the Austrian intelligence service BVT between 2008 and 2020, told the Financial Times: 'We were very worried about the Freedom party's contacts with Russia.'

'[We investigated how] Russia might finance them, offer them jobs . . . how [the party] would host these round table talks, spreading pure Russian propaganda.'

'They have not changed. They still have contact with Russia. Intelligence is a long game  and the Russians have a very long perspective.'

SLOVAKIA: Ultra-nationalist party helped form government in 2023 elections

While the Slovak National Party (SNP) took just 5.6% of the vote in this year's national elections, it managed to be part of a three-way coalition government formed in October, after failing to even make it into Parliament in 2020.

The party, formed in 1990, has been accused of peddling anti-Romani and anti-Hungarian rhetoric.

The European Roma Rights Centre, which advocated for the advancement of Romani people in Europe, said of the SNP: 'Members of this party have repeatedly and regularly reiterated to the public their contempt for and hostility towards a number of groups in Slovakia, including ethnic and sexual minorities.'

It accused the SNP of having 'a very vibrant role in degrading relations between Roma and non-Roma in Slovakia, and inflaming ingrained anti-Romani sentiment in that country.'

The SNP's former leader, Jan Slota, once called Jozef Tiso, the former president of Slovakia who was hanged for collaborating with Nazi Germany during World War II, was 'one of the greatest sons of the Slovak nation.'

The party's current leader, Andrej Danko, called for the burqa to be banned in Slovakia, saying at the time:

'Not everyone professing Islam is a terrorist. People cannot be judged according to their religion or skin colour.

'But security measures identifying people that incline towards radical expressions of Islam have to be adopted within Europe.'

FINLAND: Anti-immigration party fielded seven out of 19 ministers following 2023 election

The far-right Finns party managed to put seven of its politicians in ministerial roles following this year's elections.

On top of this, its former party leader was made Speaker of Finland's parliament.

But within days of taking office, the Finns-appointed economics minister Vilhelm Junnila was forced to resign after it emerged that he had several links to Nazism.

In 2019, he was the keynote speaker at a memorial event organised by a far-right group of Finnish nationalist parties, several of whom have been banned in the country for years.

He was also known for using the 14/88 symbol, referencing a racist set of slogans used by white supremacists, on the campaign trail.

His replacement, Wille Rydman, is widely known for his use of racist language. Leaked texts revealed he called people from the Middle East 'monkeys.'
Former Obama adviser Stuart Seldowitz has been caught in another outburst in NYC as he asked Russian diplomats if they were 'one of Putin's prostitutes.'

Seldowitz, who has been charged over hurling Islamophobic abuse at a halal street vendor, also harassed Russian officials following the outbreak of war with Ukraine, according to footage obtained by The Grayzone.

Russia's ambassador to the United Nations Dmitry Polyanskiy told the outlet he and his team were 'harassed by him for more than a year and we couldn't identify him.'

The outlet shared footage of Seldowitz saying: 'Is that your whorish colleague? Are you one of Putin's prostitutes? Are you proud of your country killing all those innocent children?'

Polyanskiy claimed Seldowitz, 64, would stand outside the entrance to the Russian mission to verbally attack diplomats and even tried to harass his dog.

Seldowitz, who has been charged with five counts for an Islamophobic attack on a halal street vendor, also harassed Russian diplomats in the city

Russia 's ambassador to the United Nations , Dmitry Polyanskiy told the outlet he and his team were 'harassed by him for more than a year and we couldn't identify him'

The Grayzone has obtained footage of ex-State Dept official Stuart Seldowitz harassing Russian diplomats by the UN



Now infamous for his viral Islamophobic rant, Seldowitz allegedly called Russian UN officials "whores" and even harassed a diplomat's doghttps://t.co/K976DS3yag pic.twitter.com/tcPsibv5Ih  The Grayzone (@TheGrayzoneNews) November 22, 2023

The diplomat said the former Obama aide even harassed his dog

He told The Grayzone: '[Seldowitz] was persistent and he was personal. That's the problem. We don't have problems with someone expressing concerns or disagreements with our policies, but when it becomes personal and a person really harasses and stalks women, insulting them, telling them they are 'whores' and all these things, this is something that we couldn't put up with.'

The video was reportedly taken after Russia invaded Ukraine. DailyMail.com could not independently confirm the authenticity of the footage.

Seldowitz issued a half-hearted apology on Tuesday night for unleashing on the street cart worker in the Upper East Side.

An NYPD spokesperson confirmed to DailyMail.com Seldowitz was arrested and charged Wednesday night.

He also asked if the victim 'raped his daughter like Mohammed and even threatened to get him deported to Egypt during the sick tirade.

The New York-based firm he was working with, Gotham Government Relations, 'ended all affiliation' with him and offered to represent the vendor in any lawsuits.

The halal cart worker Mohammad Hussein, 24, told DailyMail.com on Wednesday morning that the harassment began two weeks ago, when he claims 64-year-old Seldowitz started targeting him at random, asking him where he was from and then scolding him about the war with Hamas in Israel and Gaza.

Now, he is scared to go to work or 'fight' with a man who holds so many political connections.

Polyanskiy claimed Seldowitz would stand outside the entrance to the Russian mission to verbally attack diplomats

Stuart Seldowitz, 64, apologized last night after the videos went viral. He threatened to report the young vendor to immigration and labeled him a 'terrorist'

Hussein said is scared to go to work or 'fight' with a man who holds so many political connections.

Seldowitz apologized last night, telling City and State in an interview that he regretted what he said in the 'heat of the moment'.

Speaking in Arabic with his boss translating, Mohammad told DailyMail.com he feels 'hurt.'

Mohammad said the incidents began at random on November 7.

When DailyMail.com visited the cart on Wednesday, there were no pro-Palestine flags or posters there.

Owners insist they have never displayed any kind of political posters or messaging, and that they just want to 'serve the community'.

'We've been here for years and we have no issues with anybody. We have been here since the [Q] train opened so around six or seven years, and we've had zero problems.

'Our staff have any criminal records, no issue with anyone, we're all well-educated,' he said.

The street cart vendor harassed by former Obama administration delegate Stuart Seldowitz is pictured today relaying the abuse to DailyMail.com

Cart owner Islam Mustafa, left in black, told DailyMail.com how Seldowitz started harassing his staff a week ago. He is shown with Ahmed Mohian (right) his business partner

Seldowitz, he said, approached at random and started asking him where he was from.

He then began berating him about the war, and accusing him of supporting Hamas.

A customer called the NYPD but the business owners say the issue was largely ignored. Now, after a swell in public outrage and support for Mohammad, the NYPD is investigating.

'We're extremely upset because of the offensive vocabulary he used. It's unfortunate that it happened.

'We don't have any hate towards anybody. We have all respect for all religions and ideologies, we're not here to feed that hate speech. How could a government official say that kind of stuff?' Mustafa, the business owner, added when speaking to DailyMail.com.

In one video, he threatened Mohammad: 'I'll send your picture to my friends in immigration. The Mukhabarat in Egypt will get your parents. Does your father like his fingernails? He'll take them out one by one.'

In one of his most abhorrent remarks, he said: 'If we killed 4,000 Palestinian kids, it wasn't enough.'

Seldowitz last night apologized, telling City and State that he regretted the incident and 'shouldn't have raised the religious aspect'.

'I feel bad for him, this is how much hate is inside him towards the Islamic religion and Muslim people in general.
Schoolchildren who skipped school to protest against Israel's war against Hamas have praised the terror network and called for Israel to be eradicated.

Almost 1,000 students abandoned school on Thursday show their support for the people of Palestine.

But alarming anti-Semitic comments made by some of the schoolchildren in attendance have come to light.

One 16-year-old at the Melbourne rally said Hamas - responsible for the October 7 attacks that killed 1,200 innocent people - is 'doing a good job' and that Israel 'shouldn't exist'.

Almost 1,000 Melbourne students attended a pro-Palestine rally (above) in the city's CBD on Thursday

'I don't really think it's important to stay in school when matters like this really matter,' she told The Australian.

'I think [Hamas] are doing a good job. I think they should stand up and protect  Palestine.

'After what they're putting my brothers and sisters through, I don't think [Israel] should really exist.

'They don't deserve a place in humanity.'

Students at the Free Palestine Melbourne event marched from Flinders Street Station to Melbourne Central Shopping Centre where demonstrators climbed statues and called for the end of Israeli airstrikes on Gaza.

The Israeli government declared war on Hamas after the October 7 attacks which also saw more than 200 citizens kidnapped and taken as hostages in Gaza.

The health ministry run by Hamas, which violently seized control of Gaza in 2007, claims the Palestinian death toll since the conflict began has surpassed 13,000.

'There are people in Palestine who are dying, who are suffering and we have the opportunity in this country to say something and do something,' another girl, also aged 16, said.

'Of course Hamas is a group  that went against Israel. But at the end of the day what do you expect when you are subjected to 75 years of occupation, 75 years of killing, 75 years of genocide?'

Students at the Free Palestine Melbourne event marched from Flinders Street Station to Melbourne Central Shopping Centre where demonstrators climbed statues and called for the end of Israeli airstrikes on Gaza

The students (some above) defended their right to skip school and protest global issues

School children shout Allah Akbar in the centre of Melbourne at an anti-Israel protest.



Australia is changing rapidly. https://t.co/O61mZEh2U7  Australian Jewish Association (@AustralianJA) November 23, 2023

The comments mirrored concerns of Victoria's Jewish community who feared the protest would incite anti-Semitism.

An open letter to the Victorian Government urged it to stop the protest.

'Most students in Victorian schools will not have a direct connection or a comprehensive, if any, understanding of the attacks on Israel and war in Gaza,' it read.

Other students at the protest weren't as black-and-white in their judgement of the war.

'Both Israel and Palestine should exist,' one 14-year-old boy said.

'I feel like it's much-needed in our community that everyone gets involved.'

A 14-year-old girl said 'obviously what Hamas did was not okay'.

'But shutting off (Gaza's) water supply and all their food supplies, and bombing and killing thousands of children, it's not okay [either].

'I think obviously Israel should exist. I just think that Palestine needs to be free.'

Students at the Free Palestine Melbourne event marched from Flinders Street Station to Melbourne Central Shopping Centre

A protester holds up a sign saying Palestinian genocide

A protesters holds up a sign that says 'silence is violence'

Students on Thursday also defended their right to skip school and protest global issues.

'[Our teachers] said they support us, we have our own voice so we can use it,' one told A Current Affair.

One mother who took her Year 11 daughter out of school to attend the protest believes it was more productive than sitting in a classroom.

'I think it's important to do that, to have [a] more universal view, not just focus on education,' she said.

Anti-Defamation Commission chairman Dr Dvir Abramovich questioned why the Victorian Government or City of Melbourne Council didn't shut down the protest, which he said used children as 'political pawns'.

'It's a sad day when children are being exploited, weaponised and brainwashed to promote a dangerous and divisive agenda,' he said.

However, his comments were shot down by one attendee who found his stance patronising.

The crowd of students chanted for Palestine to be free

Anti-Defamation Commission chairman Dr Dvir Abramovich claimed students attending the protest were 'political pawns' (pictured, a student speaks at the rally)

Similar rallies in support of Palestine are planned for Sydney and Wollongong on Friday

'They're calling us political pawns as if we don't have the right to take a political stance,' she said.

Early Wednesday the Israeli cabinet approved a four-day ceasefire in Gaza in exchange for 50 hostages, women and children, held by Hamas.

The first group of 13 hostages will be released on Friday afternoon after Israel and Hamas finally agreed on which captives should be freed first.

The four-day ceasefire will begin at 7am on Friday, and nine hours later the first set of women and children kidnapped by Hamas gunmen on October 7 will be released, a spokesperson for Qatar's foreign ministry said on Thursday.

However, the protesters in Melbourne said the agreement was 'not enough'.

'We have come out today, people have left school en masse, to say that business as usual can't continue when Palestinians are being slaughtered in their thousands,' one protester with a megaphone told protesters.

'We know that a truce or a temporary pause to this atrocity is not enough.

'We're not fighting so there can be six hours in a day where Palestinians cannot be murdered. We are fighting so that there is never another Palestinian killed ever, ever again.'

Students at the protest (above) marched from Flinders Street Station to Melbourne Central Shopping Centre

Rallies similar to the Melbourne event (above) in support of Palestine are planned for Sydney and Wollongong on Friday

Similar rallies in support of Palestine are planned for Sydney and Wollongong on Friday.

New South Wales Education Minister Prue Car urged students to skip the events, saying 'We understand that people feel passionately about a range of things, but you need to be at school'.

The student protests were inspired by similar events overseas, including the US, UK and Canada.
Deputy executive director counts Korea as critical partner in elevating childrens rights

By Jung Da-hyun

Korea has played a crucial role in tackling the climate crisis and humanitarian challenges faced by the world, with resources from both the public and private sectors, in collaboration with UNICEF and its Korean partners, according to Kitty van der Heijden, the deputy executive director of UNICEF.

In a written interview with The Korea Times, she also acknowledged the significance of Korea's support in safeguarding the lives of millions of children globally, stressing the elevation of children's rights.

As we all know, the Earth is already feeling the impacts of climate change, but children are feeling the brunt of this, she said.

The interview was conducted on the occasion of her inaugural visit to Korea on Thursday. During her two-day visit, van der Heijden is set to meet with relevant officials, including representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency and the Green Climate Fund.

The discussions with officials aim to underscore the importance of a multilateral system in responding to issues affecting the rights of future generations, such as the climate crisis, humanitarian concerns, and educational inequalities.

The tangible impact of climate change on the planet, with a nearly 35 percent increase in climate-related disasters since the 1990s, is affecting water, sanitation and hygiene. According to UNICEF reports, approximately 2.2 billion people lack access to safe drinking water, resulting in nearly 4,000 deaths daily from water-related diseases.

As part of climate action, UNICEF focuses on establishing sustainable water and sanitation services, empowering communities to adopt good hygiene practices, and providing children with climate-smart social services to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

We are currently in negotiations with the Korean government for a climate partnership to collectively address the climate crisis in Asia and Africa, she explained.

The UNICEF deputy executive director also underscored that humanitarian issues, such as those in Palestine, Sudan, Haiti and Myanmar, pose significant challenges to children's rights.

Approximately 173 million vulnerable children and people require UNICEF's life-saving interventions in 155 countries and territories. It responded to 442 new or ongoing humanitarian crises, but the situation is still just as dire in 2023.

Highlighting the ongoing conflict between Palestine and Israel, she emphasized that violence is a major threat to humanitarian efforts.

UNICEF continues to call for the immediate and unconditional release of all civilians held hostage and is providing support to those affected by the conflict through the delivery of bottled water and medical supplies.

She also explained UNICEF's Child Friendly Cities Initiative in Korea, which serves as a model for developing a better environment for future generations, encompassing climate, environment, human rights and education.

Launched in 2013, the initiative has significantly raised awareness of children's rights, with 90 cities certified as Child Friendly Cities in Korea as of this year.

Even though there are climate, humanitarian and development challenges that children face, UNICEFs role is to respond to these challenges, and millions of children are benefiting from the support of Korea, she said.
Eco-zealots Just Stop Oil have invaded St Paul's Thanksgiving service in London in a silent protest.

Photos from the Cathedral show a pair of activists stood up at the front holding bright orange posters saying 'just stop oil' and 'will our children thank us?'

Just Stop Oil announced the service was interrupted by Sue Parfitt, 81, an active Anglican priest and retired psychotherapist from Bristol, and Judy Bruce, 83, a biology teacher from Swansea.

The group issued a statement saying: 'Today, in St Paul's Cathedral is the Thanksgiving Service when Americans especially celebrate family life. But here in Britain, young people are being imprisoned for saying: 'We fear for our future - will we be able to have families of our own?'

'Eight years ago, our governments pledged to reduce carbon emissions - but they, along with twenty of the largest oil-producing nations, are now planning to increase oil and gas production.

'We are two women in our eighties who feel we must do whatever we can before we die to turn this around. Our young people need hope  but hope must be earned by action.'

Just Stop Oil have invaded St Paul's Thanksgiving service in London in a silent protest

Photos from the Cathedral show a pair of activists stood up at the front holding bright orange posters saying 'just stop oil' and 'will our children thank us?'

St Paul's Cathedral in central London was holding a Thanksgiving service at the time

Just Stop Oil announced the service was interrupted by Sue Parfitt, 81, an active Anglican priest and retired psychotherapist from Bristol, and Judy Bruce, 83, a biology teacher from Swansea

It comes after the Met Police tweeted earlier today: 'For the third successive day officers have arrested 12 Just Stop Oil activists within two minutes.

'Whitehall also reopened in the same amount of time. These arrests were made by officers who could have been working in our 32 London boroughs.'

More than a dozen Just Stop Oil protesters were also arrested yesterday 'within seconds' of their latest march in London's Trafalgar Square.

The controversial protest group attempted to block the road at lunchtime when Metropolitan Police officers swooped to remove the activists from the road.

Scotland Yard confirmed 14 people were arrested within 'two minutes' for slow marching on the road, while nine JSO activists who were arrested the day before in a similar protest have all been charged.

According to a JSO spokesperson on Wednesday: 'At around 12:30pm today, a group of approximately 14 people began marching from Trafalgar Square in support of Just Stop Oil's demand.

'In much the same situation as yesterday, all 14 were arrested within 30 seconds of stepping on the road.'
One of the companies found guilty is run by aspiring candidate John Rust

A jury in Illinois found egg producers guilty of conspiring to limit the US's supply of the foodstuff to raise prices.

One company, Rose Acre Farms, Inc., was previously run by aspiring US Senator candidate John Rust, a Republican.

According to the original 2011 lawsuit, companies like Kraft Foods Global, Inc. and The Kellogg Company alleged that producers limited the US domestic supply of eggs to increase the prices of eggs and egg products during the 2000s.

The time frame of the conspiracy ranges between 2004-2008.

A jury delivered its verdict Tuesday in the Northern District of Illinois, and the court will decide on the amount of damages next week in an anticipated two-day trial.

Rose Acre Farms, Inc., a company formerly run by aspiring US Senate candidate John Rust (pictured) was one of the suppliers found guilty of conspiring to limit the US's supply of eggs to raise prices

The methods used by suppliers to limit the US egg supply include decreasing the number of chickens for cage space, and early slaughter and flock reduction

Attorney Brandon Fox, who is representing the companies, was pleased by the verdict handed down in an Illinois courtroom earlier this week

The methods used by suppliers to limit the US egg supply include exporting eggs to reduce the product amount in the domestic market, limiting the number of chickens that could be housed in a cage, as well as early slaughter and flock reduction.

Court documents via ABC News also indicated the jury found that food manufacturers suffered injuries in the timeframe of 2004 to 2008.

Attorney Brandon Fox hailed the jury's decision to hold Rose Acre Farms Inc., Cal-Maine Foods, alongside United Egg Producers and United States Egg Marketers accountable for their actions.

'For the first time, the defendants have been held liable for their antitrust violations,' Fox said in a statement.

'We are now going to turn our attention to the damages phase.'

The jurors were requested to not consider the recent egg prices for deliberation regarding the damages the egg suppliers must pay to the companies involved in the lawsuit.

Other than Kraft Foods Global, Inc. and The Kellogg Company, General Mills, Inc. and Nestle USA, Inc. were also plaintiffs in the case.

Other suppliers involved in the case include Cal-Maine Foods, alongside United Egg Producers and United States Egg Marketers

Rust is going up against US Republican Jim Banks for a US Senate seat in 2024

Rust had announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for Indiana's open US Senate seat in 2024 last August while still serving as boss of Rose Acre Farms, Inc..

He discussed the U.S. economy, immigration, and transgender youth in schools in his campaign video, and described himself as a 'Christian, capitalist, conservative gay man.'

He is going against US Republican Jim Banks, who was recently endorsed by former President Donald Trump.

Banks released a statement following the recent verdict.

'Today's verdict proves John Rust isn't just a conman pretending to be a Republican, he is a crook who exploits working class Hoosiers across Indiana for his own financial gain,' Banks said in a written statement.

'While Indiana families struggle to put food on the table, he's making it even harder to do that.'

Rust has not commented on the verdict since the court ruling.
Sam Bankman-Fried is being forced to trade $1 dried mackerel for haircuts in jail as he awaits sentencing for his $10 billion FTX fraud.

The fallen crypto king is adapting to life at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center and getting to grips with the prison's top currency.

He is being held at the center pending his sentencing for seven felony fraud offenses following the spectacular crash of his crypto trading platform.

Among his cellmates are an ex-Honduran president awaiting criminal trial and a top police officer from Mexico, a source told the Wall Street Journal.

He has also quickly learned that dried mackerel packets, known as macks, are the most desirable commissary item.

Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried is trading $1 mackerel packets for hair cuts at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center

The failed crypto boss is being held at the New York facility pending his sentencing for the $10 billion fraud

Bankman-Fried has also allegedly been giving crypto trading tips to prison guards, despite being responsible for the collapse of FTX by looting billions from its customers

They replaced cigarettes as the top currency behind bars after smoking was banned.

The packs are often traded in exchange for services, with Bankman-Fried handing over several of his packs in return for a hair cut ahead of his next court date, the source confirmed.

And while he is no longer trading himself, he has been given crypto tips to prison guards, according to others with information on his circumstances.

The disgraced billionaire was convicted of all seven felony counts against him on November 2 after a monthlong trial in which prosecutors made the case that he looted billions from FTX users out of sheer greed.

The verdict came just shy of one year after FTX filed for bankruptcy in a swift corporate meltdown that shocked financial markets and erased his estimated $26 billion personal fortune.

A Federal Bureau of Prisons spokesman said the bureau couldn't comment on the conditions for any individual in its custody for privacy and security reasons.

'The bureau makes every effort to ensure the safety of inmates while providing a secure and humane environment,' he said.

'Sam's doing the best he can under the circumstances,' Bankman-Fried's spokesman, Mark Botnick, said.

Bankman-Fried is being held at the Brooklyn center ahead of his sentencing on March 28 next year. The notorious prison has also housed Ghislaine Maxwell who complained about poor conditions

Mackerel packs have replaced cigarettes as the top currency in jail since smoking was banned

Bankman-Fried has been incarcerated since August, after a judge revoked his $250 million bond claiming there was probable cause to suspect the crypto trader had been trying to intimidate witnesses.

His stunning fall from grace means he has traded in a $30 million home in the Bahamas for the detention center, which has notoriously poor conditions.

Inmates ranging from convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell to Honduras' former president have complained of subpar conditions.

The 31-year-old is allowed non-attorney visitors once a week and has access to a specialized laptop that allows him to view legal material, the Wall Street Journal reports.

He and other inmates are permitted to use computers in a room with separated desks, according to their source.

Bankman-Fried will be sentenced on March 28 next year and faces decades behind bars.

Prison consultants Christopher Zoukis surmised that he will most likely be sent to a low or medium-security federal facility.

'Considering Sam Bankman-Frieds likely Palto Alto, California, release residence with his parents, he will likely be housed in a federal prison in the Northwestern United States. At least, this is what Bureau policy would suggest,' he said.
Dozens of EU Frontex border protection guards will be sent to Finland to police a surge in migrants along its eastern frontier with Russia, the agency said Thursday.

Frontex said it would 'deploy 50 border guard officers and other staff along with equipment such as patrol cars, to bolster Finland's border control activities'.

Agents are expected to be on the ground 'as soon as next week'.

Officially the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, Frontex is an agency of the European Union tasked with managing borders and cross-border crime in the bloc.

It followed plans announced Wednesday by Finland's prime minister to close all but its northernmost crossing point with Russia following a uptick in migrants, which Helsinki claims Moscow has intentionally pushed in response to it joining NATO.

Since the start of August, around 700 asylum seekers have entered Finland without a visa over its 1,300-kilometre (800-mile) border with Russia. Finland promptly closed half of its eight crossings to Russia last week as figures soared.

Frontex officers stand guard during the official launch of the European Border and Coast Guard on the borders of Bulgaria with Turkey on October 6, 2016

Finnish border guards check the documents of the arriving migrants at the international border crossing at Salla, northern Finland, on November 22, 2023

Migrants are lined up in front of Finnish border guards at the international border crossing at Salla, northern Finland, November 22, 2023

A Finnish Border Guard and a customs officer with dog escort a group of migrants at the international border crossing at Salla, Finnish Lapland, on November 23, 2023

This handout photo released by Governor of Murmansk region Andrey Chibis' telegram channel on November 22, 2023, Migrants gather getting hot drink inside a tent near the border with Finland at the Salla checkpoint, one of the still open border checkpoints situated in the Kandalaksha district of the Murmansk region

The government said that 'it is clear that foreign authorities and other actors have played a role in facilitating the entry of persons crossing the border into Finland'.

'The situation also involves international crime,' the government said in a statement.

Prime Minister Petteri Orpo told a press conference on Wednesday: 'The government has today decided to close more border posts. Only Raja-Jooseppi station will remain open.'

The borders, he said, would shut from midnight on Friday.

'Unfortunately, these measures have not been able to stop this phenomenon,' Orpo said.

The Finnish government has accused Russia of funnelling migrants to the crossings as payback for its decision to increase defence cooperation with NATO ally the United States, an assertion dismissed by Moscow.

The Kremlin said on Friday that Finland was making a 'big mistake' by closing down border crossings and that Helsinki's move was destroying bilateral relations.

Finland's NATO accession, spurred by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, was met with threats of counter-measures by Moscow.

In October, the Finnish Border Guard sounded the alarm about a change in Russia's policy, as it began allowing migrants without proper documentation to cross the border.

'This is a systematic and organised action by the Russian authorities,' Orpo said on Monday.

Migrants with a Finnish border guard at the international border crossing at Salla, northern Finland, on November 22, 2023

In this handout photo released by Governor of Murmansk region Andrey Chibis' telegram channel on November 22, 2023, migrants gather getting hot drinks inside a tent near the border with Finland at the Salla checkpoint, one of the still open border checkpoints situated in the Kandalaksha district of the Murmansk region

Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo addresses a press conference in Helsinki, Finland on November 22, 2023

Border crossings will be closed starting on Friday and will initially remain closed until December 23.

Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has rejected allegations that Russia is deliberately pushing migrants to the Finnish border.

'Finnish authorities are beginning to make clumsy excuses, warming up Russophobic sentiments,' she said in a statement.

READ MORE: Finland closes its doors to asylum seekers saying Vladimir Putin is deliberately sending them across border with Russia because it had joined NATO Advertisement

Orpo called the 'instrumentalisation of migration' an attempt to 'influence the internal situation and border security in Finland and the EU'.

Finland's interior ministry said on Wednesday that the influx of migrants from Russia 'poses a serious threat to national security and public order'.

'We do not accept this kind of action,' Orpo said.

Orpo stated that the current legislation also permits the complete closure of the entire border, but as of now, the necessary conditions have not been met.

The Finnish Border Guard said on Wednesday that unauthorised entries continued at crossing points with Russia and had moved further north along the border to Vartius and Salla, two frontier stations that still accepted asylum applications.

Finland said Russia was letting migrants through those two crossing points by foot despite an agreement that they could only be crossed by car.

Images posted on Wednesday by Andrei Chibis, governor of Russia's northern Murmansk region that borders Finland, show migrants lined up in front of Finnish border guards at the Salla checkpoint and gathering to get hot drinks inside a tent.

'There are growing signs that the situation is worsening on the eastern border,' Orpo said.

Polish President Andrzej Duda on Monday labelled Russia's actions as a 'hybrid attack' and likened it to the situation at Poland's eastern border with Belarus.

The EU has claimed Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko pushed tens of thousands of migrants across its border to Poland in retaliation for sanctions in 2021.

'Finland can absolutely count on Polish political support on the one hand, but also on sharing our experiences,' Duda said.

Anticipating that Moscow could use migrants as a means of political pressure, Finland modified its laws in July 2022 to streamline the construction of a robust barrier along its eastern border.

The Kremlin said on Friday that Finland was making a 'big mistake' by closing down border crossings and that Helsinki's move was destroying bilateral relations (File Photo)

In February, Finland started the construction of a planned 200-kilometre fence.

The barrier will be three metres (10 feet) tall with barbed wire at the top, with particularly sensitive areas equipped with night vision cameras, lights and loudspeakers.

However, only three kilometres have been completed so far and most of the border remains as uninhabited wilderness secured by only light wooden fences.

The Finnish defence forces have been called in to aid in the construction of temporary barriers around some of the border crossing points.
Buc-ee's gas stations have become a popular phenomenon for Americans who want to fill their tank but also grab a sweet treat for the road.

Here DailyMail.com takes a look inside the world's largest Buc-ee's station in Tennessee.

The 74,707-square-foot station in Sevierville features 120 gas pumps, a barbecue brisket counter with a 'Texas round-up station' and rows upon rows of beef jerky.

Since opening in June, the East Tennessee branch near Dollywood and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has drawn in Buc-ee's fans from around the country, as well as the curious but uninitiated.

'I think this one will put them all to shame,' Kentucky resident Collette told the Washington Post.

The 74,707-square-foot station in Sevierville features 120 gas pumps and 500 parking spaces

Buc-ee's cute red-shirted beaver mascot that is so popular even unauthorized third parties sell them online

The store features a barbecue brisket counter with a 'Texas round-up station' and rows upon rows of beef jerky

'It's exciting to be the largest one,' said Charlie Creech, the general manager of the Sevierville store.

'But I think they deserve to be the largest because they're in Texas.'

When the store opened in June the ribbon cutting celebration was attended by Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and even Unites States Senators Bill Haggerty and Marsha Blackburn.

'We really are excited about what it's going to bring in terms of new things for people to see and do when they come to Sevierville' Amanda Marr of the Sevierville Chamber of Commerce said at the time.

'It's going to open us up for people who are just passing through the area to stop and enjoy a little taste of what our town has to offer,' she added.

One fan, Terry Deschler, told WVLT, that she had queued outside the Sevierville Buc'ees since 1:30am in the morning on opening day that started at 6am.

Wearing branded Buc'ees pyjamas and hat said 'I didn't want to miss anything, I wanted to be the first one here.

'I like the Buc'ees chocolate and the t-shirts' she added.

Buc-ee's has been around since 1982, when college graduate Arch Aplin III opened up a gas station in the small town of Lake Jackson

The station also features a car wash for visitors to use while they browse the store's many other conveniences

The store is laid out into two halves: Food and beverages occupy one side, and apparel, knickknacks, sporting goods, housewares on the other

Fans of the store are devotees of its Beaver Nuggets (sweet corn puffs)

However, On November 12, the company broke ground on an even bigger store in Luling, Texas, a small town about 45 miles south of Austin.

Buc-ees has been around since 1982, when college graduate Arch Aplin III opened up a gas station in the small town of Lake Jackson, Texas with the aim of being bigger than his competitors.

For the next four decades, Buc-ee's, named after Aplin's golden retriever, spread across Texas gaining a devoted following for its brisket sandwiches, Beaver Nuggets (sweet corn puffs) and it's cute red-shirted beaver mascot that is so popular even unauthorized third parties sell them online.

The store also sells branded t-shirts, mugs, socks, stickers, swimsuits and other popular merchandise.

In 2019, the chain decided to branch out of state, setting up a station in Alabama.

The company has since expanded to almost 50 locations in seven states.

Buc'ees plans to open chains in Virginia, Louisiana, Colorado, Wisconsin, Mississippi and Missouri.

In the Sevierville branch, which is open 24 hours, Buc-ee's has its own roundabout and electric sign directing traffic, plus a 500-spot parking lot that sometimes approaches full capacity.

The Texas Round-up signals the arrival of fresh brisket at one of the many food stations.

Every 10 to 15 minutes a chant rings through the tannoy system at Buc-ee's for the Texas Round-up

Buc-ee's fans flood the Tennessee store when it opened in June

When the store opened in June the ribbon cutting celebration was attended by Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and even Unites States Senators Bill Haggerty and Marsha Blackburn

'We really are excited about what it's going to bring in terms of new things for people to see and do when they come to Sevierville' Amanda Marr of the Sevierville Chamber of Commerce said at the opening

The station also features a car wash for visitors to use while they browse the store's many other conveniences.

The store is laid out into two halves: Food and beverages occupy one side, and apparel, knickknacks, sporting goods, housewares on the other.

The bathrooms are famously clean and convenient, even being recognized by the app GasBuddy for having top-ranking restrooms in 2019.

Each stall features a pendant light that glows red or green depending on availability, just like parking garages.

Every 10 to 15 minutes a chant rings through the tannoy system at Buc-ee's for the Texas Round-up.

Some visitors are surprised by the lack of seating at Buc-ee's, which is deemed unnecessary since those passing through tend to fill up then eat in their cars.

The brisket, which is smoked between 12 to 14 hours, also appears in a breakfast taco and alongside turkey and sausage in the chain's Three Meat Sandwich.

Some visitors are surprised by the lack of seating at Buc-ee's, which is deemed unnecessary since those passing through tend to fill up and then eat in their cars.
California cops uncovered a treasure trove of stolen goods worth $9.5million and now two people face charges for their alleged connection to a cargo theft ring.

Manuel Alfredo Revolorio and Alondra Ramirez Cruz were arrested for their possible connection to stolen items from big box retailers, which were later recovered by authorities on November 21.

The duo has been charged with grand theft, cargo theft and conspiracy.

Authorities recovered shoes, clothing, electronics, perishables and other goods, stolen from over a dozen unidentified big box retailers in the area.

Manuel Alfredo Revolorio and Alondra Ramirez Cruz were arrested for their alleged connection to the $9.5 million worth of stolen items, which were later recovered by authorities on November 21

The items were found after detectives from the California Highway Patrols Southern Division Theft Interdiction Program searched multiple locations in Los Angeles

The items were found after detectives from the California Highway Patrols Southern Division Theft Interdiction Program searched multiple locations in Los Angeles.

Companies are still trying to estimate the actual value of stock stolen.

A CHP news release read: 'It is currently estimated more than $9.5 million in stolen product was recovered; however, victim companies are still calculating the total losses sustained.'

CTIP detectives also believe that Revolorio is associated with one of their earlier investigations from this February where they recovered over $9 million in stolen property.

Retail theft has spiked across the country, including in California as video shows groups raiding stores and trucks in planned thefts.

This week, a swarm of teenagers swiped $12,000 worth of goods from a Los Angeles Nike store in a 'flash rob mob' that was caught on video.

Authorities recovered shoes, clothing, electronics, perishables and other goods, stolen from over a dozen unidentified big box retailers in the area

The duo has been charged with grand theft, cargo theft and conspiracy

CTIP detectives also believe that Revolorio is associated with one of their earlier investigations from this February where they recovered over $9 million in stolen property

Over a dozen thieves flooded the Nike Community Store on South Alameda Street.

Footage shows them filling trash bags with boxes of sneakers and hurrying around the store, their arms brimming with clothing, as shoppers look on hopelessly.

Several of the teens conceal their faces behind black masks. One is sporting a pair of yellow gloves.

The LAPD singled out 17 suspects. One was identified by their 'distinct' sweatshirt featuring a bonsai tree logo and the words 'Ritual of the Spirit.'

A police press release describes the suspects as 'four females and 13 males, black, ranging in age from 15 to 20-years-old.'

The teens fled in five vehicles including a tan Infiniti four-door, a gray KIA SUV, a white Honda, a KIA four-door and a black Audi.

A swarm of at least 17 teenagers stole around $12,000 worth of goods from the Nike Community Store on South Alameda Street in Los Angeles

A press release from the Los Angeles Police Department describes the suspects as 'four females and 13 males, Black, ranging in age from 15 to 20-years-old'

In September, a group of 'flash rob' thieves stormed into a Los Angeles Macy's department store at Northridge Mall on Sunday morning as they filled bags with $20,000 worth of perfume.

Cellphone video of the crime showed several men dressed in dark hoodies and blue medical face masks loading up bags of what appeared to be cologne and perfume merchandise.

Los Angeles Police Department officers responded to the incident just after the robbery.

According to The Ocean County Register, police believe that five to ten male suspects were involved and fled in an unlicensed black Infinity.

Los Angeles County currently has the highest commercial robbery rate in the state, according to the Public Policy Institute of California,

In 2022, the state saw a 28.7 percent leap from the low rates of the pandemic years.

As the robbers in this most recent Macy's heist tried to get away with black and white garbage bags full of luxury perfumes, other shoppers attempted to chase them down

While the shoplifting rate remains below pre-pandemic levels, this does not account for other types of retail theft like commercial burglary.

After seeing a 5.8 percent increase last year, the rate for this type of theft is 15.7 percent higher than in 2019.

This figure includes lost product costs, higher insurance costs, increased price of goods and unrealized wages.

Law enforcement has embarked on a statewide crackdown on organized retail theft, which is expected to cost the state over $19 billion this year.

CargoNet also recorded 582 cargo theft robberies across the United States and Canada in the second quarter of 2023.

This was a 57% increase when compared to the same quarter in 2022.

Thieves have stolen over $44 million in shipments in the second quarter of 2023, and the average shipment value per event increased nearly $100,000 to $260,703 as cargo thieves focused on high-value shipments.
A 62-year-old disabled hunter shot a woman while she was walking her dog in Wisconsin after mistaking her pup for an 'antlerless deer'.

The hunter fired his rifle from his vehicle, hitting the 47-year-old woman in her abdomen early Sunday during the second day of gun-deer season.

She was walking on private property in the community of Big Flats Township, located in Adams county in central Wisconsin, at the time, according to a Department of Natural Resources (DNR) official.

The woman was rushed by MediFlight to a nearby hospital. It is unclear what her condition is, but officials said Wednesday she was still being treated. The dog was not hurt.

It remains unclear if the hunter will face any charges. An investigation is underway.

Lieutenant Mike Weber (pictured), a hunter education administrator for the Department of Natural Resources spoke about gun safety and reminded hunters and non-hunters the importance of wearing high visible colors - blaze orange and fluorescent pink - while in the woods

The man reportedly said he thought the dog was an antlerless deer so felt confident firing, NBC15 News reported.

Lieutenant Mike Weber, a hunter education administrator for DNR, told the news outlet, Wisconsin permits those with disabilities to hunt from their vehicles.

Weber also took the opportunity to speak about gun safety and remind hunters and non-hunters the importance of wearing high visible colors - blaze orange and fluorescent pink - while in the woods.

He also stressed that pets should be protected with the proper collar and vests during deer hunting season.

'It is obviously good idea to have non-hunters during any deer firearm season to consider wearing blaze orange or high visible colors,' he said.

He added: 'And those same people should put high visible colors vests or collars on their pets as well.

Wisconsin's opening day for gun-deer season kicked off on November 18 and runs to November 26.

In another incident, a man in northeast Wisconsin shot himself in the foot while adjusting his rifle sling. He was also taken to the hospital, WKOW News reported.

Weber said: 'One of the most important things that we always stress is to follow the four main rules of firearms whether you've been hunting for 30 years or you're just starting for the first time,' Spectrum1 News reported.

The four firearm safety rules include. 'TABK, which stands for 'Treat every firearm as if it is loaded. 'Always point the muzzle in a safe direction. 'Be certain of your target and what's beyond.' 'Keep your finger outside the trigger guard until ready to shoot.'

In addition to firearms, clothing and other hunting gear should be inspected and that gear is in proper working order.

DailyMail.com has contacted DNR for further comment.
Korea and Britain have signed an initial agreement to push for joint defense exports, Seoul's arms procurement agency said Thursday, as the two countries seek to boost security cooperation.

Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) Minister Eom Dong-hwan and Kemi Badenoch, Britain's secretary of state for business and trade, signed a memorandum of understanding in London on Wednesday (local time) as President Yoon Suk Yeol is on a state visit to Britain this week.

Through the MOU, the two sides are expected to jointly seek opportunities for arms industry exports and make efforts to enhance cooperation between their defense companies, according to DAPA.

DAPA also signed a separate statement of intent with Britain's defense ministry to deepen defense cooperation.

It said the signing will pave the way for strengthened cooperation in the arms industry, such as joint research and development efforts and personnel exchange.

The signings came as Yoon and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak signed the Downing Street Accord on Wednesday, raising the two countries' security and economic ties to the highest level. (Yonhap)
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden made a quick public appearance on Thanksgiving Day, dropping pumpkin pies off at the Nantucket Fire Department, where the president briefly answered questions.

Earlier, the president, his children Hunter and Ashley and some of his grandchildren took part in the Nantucket Turkey Plunge, a tradition on the island that raises funds for the children's library.

The Biden family took part virtually, jumping in the waters off their borrowed $34 million estate instead of making a public appearance on Children's Beach where the annual gathering takes place.

Granddaughter Naomi Biden posted a picture on X of the Bidens lined up on the beach wrapped in beach towels.

At the fire department, Biden said, 'I'm keeping my fingers crossed,' when asked if three-year-old Avigail Idan would be among the U.S. citizens released by Hamas when the four-day truce starts Friday morning.

FROZEN JOE: Naomi Biden posted a picture of the Biden family participating in a Nantucket tradition - the Turkey Plunge on Thanksgiving morning. From left Peter Neal, Little Hunter, Baby Beau, Hunter Biden, President Biden, Maizy Biden, Naomi Biden, Ashley Biden, Finnegan Biden and Natalie Biden

President Joe Biden (left) and first lady Jill Biden (right) briefly stepped out on Thanksgiving Day to present the Nantucket Fire Department with pumpkin pies

The president and first lady brought pumpkin pies to the Nantucket Fire Department around lunchtime on Thanksgiving Day

President Joe Biden said, 'I'm keeping my fingers crossed,' when asked if three-year-old Avigail Idan would be among the U.S. citizens released by Hamas when the four-day truce starts

'I'm not prepared to give an update until it's done,' he said more generally about the hostage situation in Gaza.

The president also stayed mum when asked about the election Wednesday of far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders, who's been compared to former President Donald Trump.

'I'm focused on this election,' Biden replied, a reference to his own reelection fight, with Trump the far-and-away leading candidate to win the Republican nomination.

Biden was also asked if he had a message for U.S. ciitizens Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter, and Paul Whelan, who are currently detained in Russia.

'We ain't giving up,' Biden told reporters before getting back into his black SUV that carried the president and first lady back to the $34 million waterfront compound they're utilizing for the long weekend.

Earlier Thursday, while out at the 13,000 square foot compound owned by billionaire friend David Rubenstein, the president and first lady phoned servicemembers.

They also called into the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and spoke with longtime broadcaster Al Roker.

'I think we have to remind ourselves how blessed we are to live in the greatest nation on the face of the earth,' the president said as he touted the country's 'extraordinary progress.'

Dr. Biden chimed in and said, 'I think it's important that we all commit to an act of kindness today.'

'So call someone and wish them a happy Thanksgiving or do something kind,' the first lady offered.

Roker asked the president to address this Thanksgiving explicitly, as political tensions are high.

The president and first lady wave from their SUV after visiting the Nantucket Fire Department on Thanksgiving Day

First lady Jill Biden smiles outside the Nantucket Fire Department as she and President Joe Biden made a brief public appearance on Thanksgiving

First lady Jill Biden (left) and President Joe Biden (right) chat with first responders at the Nantucket Fire Department

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden called into the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and spoke with longtime broadcaster Al Roker (left)

President Joe Biden (left) and first lady Jill Biden (right) made calls to servicemembers on Thanksgiving morning Thursday

'On this Thanksgiving Day, Al, we have to come together. We can have different political views, but we have one view and the one view is that we're the finest, the greatest nation in the world, we should focus on that, we should focus on dealing with our problems and being together and stop the rancor,' Biden said. 'We have to bring the nation together. We have to treat each other with a little bit of decency.'

'And so I think that's who the vast majority of the American people are,' the president added.

Since 1975 the Bidens have spent nearly every Thanksgiving on Nantucket.

The president and first lady arrived via Air Force One Tuesday night and a number of family members were spotted around town Wednesday, braving rainy and windy weather for coffee, smoothies and gifts.

Several members of the Biden clan pushed their way through the wind - gusts blew up to 50 miles per hour - to walk the cobblestone streets of the downtown area as shown in exclusive pictures taken by DailyMail.com.

Hunter Biden posed for a photo with a group of teenagers who asked for one and was spotted buying a pair of slippers in CraftMasters of Nantucket.

It was unclear if they were for him or a gift for his father - the president has shopped in CraftMasters during past Nantucket trips.

First daughter Ashley Biden (center) holds up her phone to snap a selfie with Peter Neal (left), her niece Naomi Biden's husband and niece Natalie Biden (right)

Hunter Biden (left) walks around the streets of Nantucket with daughter Maisy Biden (center) and nephew Hunter (right), the late Beau Biden's son

The Biden clan is again taking over billionaire-turned-philanthropist David Rubenstein's $34 million Nantucket compound for the president's third Thanksgiving while in office

The Biden family was scheduled to celebrate President Biden's 81st birthday on Wednesday, complete with coconut cake.

Hunter also enjoyed smoothies with Maisy, his daughter from his first marriage, and Little Hunt, the late Beau Biden's son.

Meanwhile, Naomi Biden, along with her cousin Natalie and husband Peter Neal, started their Thanksgiving vacation with a workout and coffee run.

The trio was spotted walking out of Hub Coffee shop, wearing gym gear and appearing sweaty.

The shop offers New York style bagels and smoothies along with a variety of coffee options.

Ashley Biden, the president's daughter, was spotted taking a selfie with her niece Natalie and Peter Neal outside Hub later Thursday afternoon.

The president and his family generally have their Thanksgiving meal catered by the Faregrounds Restaurant, where signed photos of Biden adorn the walls.

On Friday, the family usually goes into town for lunch, shopping and they stay around for the annual Christmas tree lighting.

On Saturday, President Biden typically goes to church.

On Sunday, the president and first lady are expected to return to Washington, D.C.
Russian president Vladimir Putin is 'inexplicably concerned' about the outcome of the upcoming election next March, according to the Institute for the Study of War.

The American research group pointed to comments by the Russian Central Election Commission chair this week that Russians have 'already begun efforts to discredit' the contest, despite Russia maintaining widespread support for Putin.

The ISW analysed that the comments suggest Russia will 'continue to intensify censorship efforts under the guise of fighting attempted internal election meddling', implying Putin might not feel totally secure in his position as he seeks re-election.

It came as Putin reportedly ordered regional officials and secret services to stamp out anti-war dissent 'at any cost' amid a spike in protests organised by the wives and mothers of forcible mobilised men thrown into his brutal invasion of Ukraine.

In defiance of heavily-enforced restrictions on protest within Russia, thousands have signed petitions and rallied on the streets to call for mobilised men to come home.

Officials are now being advised to 'extinguish with money' the protests of relatives jaded by the war and not receiving the salaries of their loved ones on the frontlines, independent outlet Verstka reported on Wednesday - potentially 'one of the greatest threats to the beginning of Putin's still unannounced presidential campaign'.

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) summit in Minsk, Belarus, November 23, 2023

Wives of mobilised men take to the streets in Moscow to demand Vladimir Putin bring their men home in a rare protest in the Russian capital

Russian officials are now being told to 'make every effort' to ensure governments issue payments to the relatives of mobilised personnel and address complaints about their treatment on the frontlines, amid mounting protests.

They have reportedly been told to 'pay everyone the maximum amount of money' where possible in a desperate bid to curb dissent, Verstka reported on Wednesday.

Recently there have been limited protests in Moscow, Novosibirsk and Khabarovsk, among other cities, but many have been banned.

The authorities in St. Petersburg used anti-Covid restrictions to ban a rally. Mass events have been barred for the rest of the year in Putin's home city.

Olga Tsukanova, 47, founder of the Council of Wives and Mothers, has been included in the register of 'foreign agents', and faces repression as a criminal prosecution is launched against her.

One anti-war protester, beautician Olga Kats, has vowed to challenge Putin after he flatly rejected her petition signed by 100,000 women to allow mobilised men to come home.

She began her campaign because she wants her brother Aleksander, 26, back after more than a year on the frontline.

'We are seeking to establish a maximum service period for mobilisation,' she said.

'It's high time to bring home the civilian men who fell under partial mobilisation.'

'The Presidential Administration simply decided not to care about the efforts of 100,000 people,' she said.

She was told the men would only come home 'at the end of hostilities'.

Verstka's report noted that leaders of the Kremlin's internal political bloc gathered local officials for a seminar in the Moscow region and tasked them with holding elections 'as modestly and quietly as possible' so there would be 'no doubts' about the legitimacy of Putin's victory.

The Institute of the Study of War also pointed to Putin's comments on November 15, when he said the Russian government would suppress any foreign or domestic election interference.



Protests in Moscow mount as the wives and relatives of soldiers demand their men are brought home

A woman in Moscow (right) holds a sign reading 'mobilised it's time to go home'

Ukrainian servicemen fire an artillery during a drill in Chernigiv region on November 11, 2023

On paper, Putin still remains the popular candidate for re-election. The ISW noted: 'The Kremlin's apparent concern about Putin's support is odd, given that the Levada Center - an independent Russian polling organisation - found that 82% of Russians approved of Mr Putin's performance as of October this year.'

Putin was so confident, in fact, that in 2021 he signed a law to allow him to run for presidency twice more in his lifetime, potentially extending his tenure until 2036.

But researchers note the difficulty getting reliable and accurate polling data, as many Russians fear repercussions for opposing Putin - and face punishments for criticising the war.

Russia has steadily increased its monitoring of digital platforms since mass protests were coordinated online in 2011/12. Regulations allowed Russia to block websites, store call records and share information with security services if needed.

Russia also tried to pressure Google, Apple and Facebook to store user data on Russian servers, to no avail.

But since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, much more has been done to clamp down on dissent. Online censorship and prosecutions for social media posts and comments spiked so much that it broke all existing records.

According to Net Freedoms, a prominent internet rights group, more than 610,000 web pages were blocked or removed by authorities in 2022 alone, the highest annual total in 15 years.

779 people faced criminal charges over online comments and posts, also a record.

Putin's grasp has extended over various industries and includes the tightening of how media reports on the war.

In September, an opposition outlet claimed pro-Kremlin media had received a memo issuing guidelines on how to report on speculation Russia might be looking to recruit more reservists to funnel into its invasion.

Russian Federal Laws No.31-FZ and No.32-FZ, adopted by the State Duma in March 2022, also give provisions for punishing Russians who make statements against the armed forces or call for sanctions.

Discrediting the army - or saying their use is not in Russia's best interests - carries punishments of large fines and up to five years' imprisonment.

The drone unit of the 108th Territorial Defense Brigade of the Ukrainian Army continues its combat training on November 4, 2023

The Ukrainian army is intensively using surveillance and attack drones on the front lines where the war rages on

State Duma Deputy Anton Gorelkin also said in September that Russia should consider blocking WhatsApp in Russia if the app launches Russian language channels.

State censor Roskomnadzor added that Russia could block WhatsApp if it disseminates prohibited information as the application prepared to launch a channel feature to feature over 150 countries, likely including Russia.
Do you know the worker who was saved? If so, get in touch at Frankie.Elliott@mailonline.co.uk

Man stranded at the top of One Station Hill development when it caught fire

The modest crane driver who saved a workman from the roof of a burning 750million Reading development today played down his Hollywood-style rescue - but admitted: 'It has not been your average day at work.'

Footage of Glen Edwards moving a cage through smoke and flame to save his unnamed colleague revealed his skills as an operator - and just how close to death the man he saved could have been.

Mr Edwards has revealed he saw the workman because he was waving his coat - begging for help as the blaze surrounded him. The 65-year-old played down his heroics, adding: 'I don't want to blow it up too much, I'm not that sort of person.'

Under huge pressure Glen, from Egham, Surrey, then managed to expertly drop a cabin on to the top of the One Station Hill office development close to Reading Station as the building was engulfed in flames. There were huge cheers from the ground as the man jumped into the cage and was winched down to safety in scenes.

The heroic crane operator said today: 'It's not been your average day at work. I saw someone waving his coat. I knew the person was at that level. But the wind was blowing the cage about. I was just waiting for the smoke to clear. I could see I was putting it down in the flames. The banksman (supervisor) told me when he was in.

'I was no more than 20 metres up in the air and I looked out my left-hand window and saw a guy standing on the corner of the building. 'I'd only just seen him and someone said 'can you get the cage on', so that was it, I got the cage on and got it over to him the best I could. It was quite windy conditions.'

Glen Edwards - the man operating the crane during the rescue effort tat saw a man saved from a burning tower in Reading today

Remarkable footage shows a man stranded at the top of the 750m One Station Hill development in Reading as the building is engulfed in flames

Having to choose his fate in a matter of seconds, the worker initially hesitates as the inferno surrounds him, before climbing aboard the cabin which was lifted into place by a colleague

People have been told to avoid the area, with nearby locals told to close their windows and doors, as smoke can now from villages several miles away

Station Road and Blagrave Street are now closed as police launch a drone to investigate a fire that appears to have spread across the top of a tower building site in the Station Hill development

The Sir John McAlpine construction worker managed to winched the man to safety at top speed as the blaze continued to roar, passing his cargo through the thick black smoke that was spreading throughout the town in what he described as a 'close call'.

Mr Edwards continued: 'I would say it was a very close call, if you look at the video at the way the wind was swirling around there. I tried to put the cage down between him and the flames, but I was hampered by the wind swirling around there. But I got the cage down and I managed to get him in there.'

The dramatic three-minute rescue undoubtedly saved the builder's life as all around him blazing cladding caused massive clouds of toxic smoke.

Incredibly despite the severity of the fire, only two people needed to go to hospital with smoke inhalation, including the workman saved by Glen. The 16-storey office block, situated opposite Reading rail and Crossrail station, is part of a development that endured another fire just five months ago. The fire is contained but the cause is not yet known.

A carpenter, who was working nearby, said onlookers below applauded as the man clambered into a metal basket attached to the crane and was carried away from the flames.

The witness, who did not want to be named, said: 'I was in the next door building, there was a guy standing up there (on top of the building), luckily the crane came in just in time.

'He was coughing [when he came down], from the smoke, you know what I mean.

'When he got inside the crane and the crane put him down everyone was clapping.

'The crane driver was very fast. He was still in the crane while the building was on fire.'

A worker from the development added: 'There were flames everywhere. Fortunately the wind was blowing in the opposite direction so the rescued builder was not badly affected by breathing in the smoke.

'There was a big round of applause from all the guys who were standing in the street, as he was lowered to the ground.'

Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue were called to the fire on Station Hill at 11.38am this morning. More than 50 firefighters were at the scene of the high-rise building under construction alongside an Aerial Ladder Platform and Incident Command Unit.

The South Central Ambulance Service said two people had been taken to hospital for treatment for smoke inhalation

The dramatic three-minute rescue undoubtedly saved the builder's life as all around him blazing cladding caused massive clouds of toxic smoke

The windows appear to have melted on the high-rise structure, as warped glass and scorched windows could be seen on the side of the building

A carpenter, who was working nearby, said onlookers below applauded as the man clambered into a metal basket attached to the crane and was carried away from the flames

The flames and smoke spread across the whole roof of the 750m One Station Hill office development close to Reading Station

Firefighters equipped with breathing apparatus used two main jets to extinguish the fire.

The fire service say two people were recused by the crane and taken into the care of South Central Ambulance Service.

Christopher Hutton, of the Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: 'Just after half 11 today, we received reports of a fire on Station Hill in Reading.

'At its peak, over 50 firefighters were on the scene from fire stations across the county.

'Crews found the fire in a high-rise building under construction.

'Firefighters equipped with breathing apparatus used two main jets to extinguish the fire.

'We understand that two people were rescued by a crane and have been placed in the care of South Central Ambulance Service and fortunately, all other people were accounted for.

'The fire has now been extinguished and we have scaled back our resources at the incident, but a number of crews will remain at the scene at this time to dampen down.'

A spokesman for the ambulance service said the two people are receiving treatment for smoke inhalation.

'I can confirm we've taken two people to the Royal Berkshire Hospital for further assessment and treatment for smoke inhalation, neither of whom were severe cases,' they said.

'We are now on stand-by supporting the fire service (which is a standard operational procedure when they are working at height and at scale).

'We have our hazardous area response team, an ambulance, the Thames Valley Air Ambulance critical care car, an operational commander, a tactical adviser and a tactical commander at the scene.'

A Thames Valley Police officer said he was the first to call the fire in, as he watched the man get rescued in the crane.

The policeman said: 'I was the first person to call it in, and I saw a man getting rescued. He's in an ambulance in hospital now, he lobbed himself in the cage, I ran in the building and shouted is anyone in there. I don't think there was loads of people only a couple of people working on the roof.'

The cause of the fire is not been confirmed, but a local builder believes it was tarmac on the roof that caught fire.

Station Road and Blagrave Street are now closed as police launch a drone to investigate a fire that appears to have spread across the top of a tower building site in the Station Hill development.

The 16-storey office block is part of a development that endured another fire just five months ago

Peter, who runs a local cafe, said the fire was 'really quite dramatic - thick billowing smoke and lots of flames'

Thames Valley Police have closed Friar Street, but Great Western Railway say the fire has not affected train services yet

The black smoke could be seen from several miles away in nearby villages

He said: 'I was the first person to call it in, and I saw a man getting rescued. He's in an ambulance in hospital now, he lobbed himself in the cage, I ran in the building and shouted is anyone in there. I don't think there was loads of people only a couple of people working on the roof.'

People were told to avoid the area during the day. Those living and working close to the building were told to close their windows and doors, as smoke could be seen from villages several miles away.

The windows appear to have melted on the high-rise structure, as warped glass and scorched windows could be seen on the side of the building and parts of the roof appear to have bent.

Steve Reynolds, who works in a building 100 yards opposite where the fire started, told the BBC: 'I saw a black cloud go up and a ball of flames happen and all of a sudden I could see there was a guy trapped on the corner.

'There were bits of glass falling off the side of the building and he was completely exposed up there.

'Then all of a sudden a crane came out from the left with a carriage on it and they lowered it down and he gets in and they pull him away.

'There was a massive cheer from all the workers on the ground. It was pretty terrifying.'

Peter, who runs a local cafe, said the fire was 'really quite dramatic - thick billowing smoke and lots of flames'.

'We immediately got rid of all our customers - that's all we could think to do,' he said.

Aaron, who was a bystander, said: 'It's just the most devastating thing I've seen in my life.'

Luke Edgecombe, who works in a building 500 meters from the site of the fire, told the MailOnline about the 'mass hysteria' on the streets when the flames became visible.

The 29-year-old said: 'There were large amounts of crowds. There was quite a lot of hysteria. I guess people were interested. It's not something you often see, a large building on fire.

'There were lots of people with their phones out and lots of rumours probably being spoken about how it started. It's something that's completely abnormal and shouldn't be happening.'

Office workers at Thames Tower, which is very close to the on fire construction site, saw the flames first hand and were asked to evacuated around 11.40am

The Station Hill complex was set to provide up to 1,300 homes

Redwood Consulting, speaking on behalf of the Station Hill developers, said it activated its fire emergency plans immediately

The cause of the fire is not been confirmed, but a local builder believes it was tarmac pitchman on the roof that caught fire.

The One Station Hill Complex was a landmark building that was due to open next year containing 15 floors of workspace and a fitness club

This is not the first the landmark building has caught fire, as it was the centre of a blaze in July last year

More than 50 firefighters at the scene of the high-rise building under construction alongside an Aerial Ladder Platform and Incident Command Unit

Firefighters equipped with breathing apparatus are using two main jets to fight the fire

A Thames Valley Police officer said he was the first to call the fire in, as he watched the man get rescued

Station Road and Blagrave Street was closed as police launched a drone to investigation into how the fire started.

Office workers at Thames Tower, who were very close to the on fire construction site, saw the flames first hand and were asked to evacuated around 11.40am.

Thames Valley Police have closed Friar Street, but Great Western Railway say the fire has not affected train services yet.

Due to an incident, Thames Travel say the 143 and X40 services are unable to serve Friar Street, Station Road and Forbury Road.

The One Station Hill Complex was a landmark building that was due to open next year containing 15 floors of workspace and a fitness club.

This is not the first the landmark building has caught fire, as it was the centre of a blaze in July this year.

On that day, large plums of smoke were also seen flying into the air. All people at the site were accounted for and nobody was thought to have been harmed

Redwood Consulting, on behalf of Station Hill, said: 'We activated our fire emergency plans immediately, the emergency services were notified and are currently on site.

'The safety of those on site and the wider public is always our first priority, and the site has been evacuated as a result. As soon as we have more information we will provide an update.'
Police have ruled out terrorism as witnesses revealed that three children 'fell to the ground' one after the other as five people were wounded when a knifeman launched an attack in Dublin today.

Irish police confirmed a total of five people were injured following the 'major security' incident which occurred shortly after 1.30pm on Parnell Square.

One of the three children, a girl, and a woman in her 30s suffered 'serious' injuries, and a man in his 50s and two other children were also among the injured, police said. All five were taken to hospital.

Police said the man in his 50s, who is receiving treatment for his injuries in Dublin, is currently 'a person of interest' and they are not looking for any other person at this time.

Passersby overpowered the assailant outside a school and were able to disarm him, witnesses have said.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar confirmed Gardai have detained a suspect following the incident in Dublin city centre.

An Garda Siochana at the scene in Dublin city centre after five people were injured, including three young children

Police have ruled out terrorism as witnesses revealed that three children 'fell to the ground' one after the other as five people were wounded

Five people including three children were injured today when a knifeman attacked a group of young people in Dublin before being overpowered, according to reports

'The kids were out walking. All of a sudden one of them fell to the ground, then another fell to the ground, then another falls to the ground,' a man who saw the attack unfold told the Irish Independent.

'Then this guy started running past', he said, and 'a load of people jumped on him.'

Following the attacks, a furious row broke on Parnell Street near the site of the stabbings, with a man being accused of 'defending' the attacks, with several people outraged by the incident that occurred near a school.

Speaking at a press conference in Dublin, Superintendent Liam Geraghty said An Garda Siochana 'continues to have an open mind at this early stage of the investigation', but are satisfied there is no terrorist link.

'This is a very early stage of the investigation which is not even four hours old at this stage, but at this time An Garda Siochana is satisfied from our inquiries that there is no terror-related activity or related to any wider aspects in relation to this matter,' he said.

'It would appear to be a standalone attack, and we need to determine the reasons behind that.'

Superintendent Geraghty said his understanding is that a knife was used in the attack, but he could not provide more detail on the nature of the injuries.

He added: 'An Garda Siochana continue to investigate all of the circumstances of a serious assault which occurred on Parnell Square East shortly after 1.30pm this afternoon.

Irish police confirmed five people had been injured, including three young children, following the serious incident which occurred shortly after 1.30pm

Speaking at a press conference in Dublin, Superintendent Liam Geraghty said An Garda Siochana 'continues to have an open mind at this early stage of the investigation'

'Preliminary indications are that a male attacked a number of people on Parnell Square East.

'Five casualties have been taken to hospitals in the Dublin region.

'These casualties include three young children, an adult female and an adult male.

'One girl, aged five years, has sustained serious injuries and is currently receiving emergency medical treatment in CHI Temple Street.'

One of the three children, a girl, and the woman sustained 'serious' injuries in the incident on the square found in the north inner-city of the Irish capital.

Irish police confirmed a total of five people were injured following the 'major security' incident which occurred shortly after 1.30pm on Parnell Square

Police said the man in his 50s, who is receiving treatment for his injuries in Dublin, is currently 'a person of interest' and they are not looking for any other person at this time

The man and the two other children sustained less serious injuries, the Gardai said, which added it had been in contact with the parents of the injured children.

Police said they are following a 'definite line of inquiry' and that they were not looking for any other person at this time.

A large knife has been seized from the scene, local reports said.

The incident took place outside Gaelscoil Colaiste Mhuire, a school for primary-aged children. Police are working to establish a motive but do not suspect a terrorist motivation behind the attack, Irish national broadcaster RTE reported.

Several people intervened and disarmed the man, witnesses said.

One said they saw a large knife being taken from the suspect and thrown under trees opposite Rotunda Hospital, which sits in the middle of the square.

Another told how she and another bystander disarmed a man with a knife.

Other eyewitnesses told the Irish Daily Mail that they saw a young girl 'around four years of age' receiving emergency treatment from a passerby

The incident took place outside Gaelscoil Colaiste Mhuire, a school for primary-aged children (Pictured: People stand outside the cordon near the scene of a serious incident near Parnell Street East)

'Without thinking, I just took across the road to help out,' Siobhan Kearney said, describing the scene as 'absolutely bedlam' to RTE.

'Two children and the woman were taken back into the school where they were coming from' as the man was restrained on the ground by several people.

'Me and an American lady formed a ring around him saying we'd wait on the Garda.'

Kearney said the children were about six years of age, and that she believed the woman who was injured was either a teacher or a bystander.

Other eyewitnesses told the Irish Daily Mail that they saw a young girl 'around four years of age' receiving emergency treatment from a passerby.

Police said they are following a 'definite line of inquiry' and that they were not looking for any other person at this tim

One eyewitness said the children were about six years of age, and that she believed the woman who was injured was either a teacher or a bystander

He said: 'I saw a young girl with blood all over her and a woman was giving her treatment. There was just chaos everywhere. Everybody was in tears.

'I can't imagine what the parents are going through.'

Dublin city councillor Nial Ring said he had spoken to a woman who was on her way to the Stardust inquiry.

He said the woman 'on seeing the attack confronted the attacker with another man (I understand he was a Deliveroo cyclist) and managed to get the knife off him.

'Those two citizens are real heroes and probably prevented even more carnage.'

Police officers work at the scene of a suspected stabbing that left few children injured in Dublin, Ireland, November 23

'Five casualties have been taken to various hospitals in the Dublin region,' a Garda spokesperson said.

'The casualties include an adult male, an adult female and three young children.

'One child, a girl, has sustained serious injuries, the other two children are being treated for less serious injuries.

'An Garda Siochana is in contact with parents of all three injured children.'

A reporter for RTE at the scene said the street was sealed off, but that parents have been allowed to enter with assistance from Garda to go up to the school to see their children. He said parents were frantic in their efforts to get close.

Superintendent Geraghty said his understanding is that a knife was used in the attack, but he could not provide more detail on the nature of the injuries

Superintendent Liam Geraghty said a five-year-old boy and six-year-old girl were treated for less serious injuries after the incident in Dublin.

He said: 'The boy has since been discharged from CHI Crumlin.

'An Garda Siochana is providing support to the parents of all the children.

'The adult female in her 30s is being treated for serious injuries at the Mater Hospital.

'An adult male in his 50s is also being treated for serious injuries at a hospital in the Dublin region.

'The scene remains sealed off at this time and a technical examination of the scene is ongoing.

'An incident room has been established at Mountjoy Garda Station and a senior investigating officer has been appointed.

'An Garda Siochana is following a definite line of inquiry.

Witnesses said they saw a large knife being taken from the suspect and thrown under trees opposite Rotunda Hospital, which sits in the square, according to local reports

'The male in his 50s is a person of interest to An Garda Siochana in this investigation and An Garda Siochana is not looking for any other person at this time.'

Earlier, a police spokesperson said they were responding to a 'serious incident'.

'An Garda Siochana are currently at the scene of a serious incident on Parnell Square East and are being assisted [by] other emergency services,' they said.

Ireland's Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee, said she was 'deeply shocked' by the 'appalling attack on three innocent children and women in Dublin today'.

'All our thoughts are with those injured, especially with the children, their parents and families, during this extremely difficult period.'

She added: 'It is my understanding that Gardai are following a definite line of inquiry and are not looking for any other person at this time.'

A reporter for RTE at the scene said the street was sealed off, but that parents have been allowed to enter with assistance from Garda to go up to the school to see their children

'We are all shocked by the incident which has taken place in Parnell Square,' the Irish premier said. 'A number of people have been injured, some of them children.

'Our thoughts and our prayers go out to them and their families.

'I have been in contact with the Minister for Justice who is keeping me updated. The facts in this matter are still emerging. 'The emergency services responded very quickly and were on site within minutes. I thank them for that.

'Gardai have detained a suspect and are following a definite line of inquiry.'

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said Gardai have detained a suspect following the incident in Dublin city centre

Pictures shared online showed several ambulances and other emergency vehicles parked around Parnell Square, specifically Parnell Square East.

A number of education facilities are situated around the square.

The concentration of emergency service vehicles in the pictures from the scene appeared to be outside Gaelscoil Cholaiste Mhuire, a primary school.

RTE reported that officials were still trying to determine exactly what happened and had sealed off the area. All lanes on the road have been closed.

It is understood that at the same time the attack was unfolding, an inquest was being heard nearby on the Stardust nightclub tragedy, a fatal fire that tore through the Stardust nightclub in Artane, Dublin in 1981, killing 48 people.

A witness from the inquest, who also witnessed the attack, said a number of young men intervened to help as today's attack unfolded.

They said emergency services arrived at the scene within minutes.
Rodrigues' brother-in-law told DailyMail.com that he is doing well, but that his 'life is still at risk'

The Brazilian businessman arrived in Zurich to finalize a deal with investors interested in therapeutic products and told his wife he thought it was a scam

Marcio Rodrigues was found in Spain on Tuesday, 13 days after he went missing in Zurich, Switzerland, Swiss authorities confirmed

Mystery surrounds the disappearance of a Brazilian man after he was found in Spain on Tuesday, despite last making contact with his wife from Switzerland.

Marcio Rodrigues, 44, arrived in the northern Swiss city of Zurich on November 8 to purportedly finalize a deal with investors before he abruptly stopped communicating with his wife.

A copy of a police report reviewed by Brazilian news outlet G1 indicates that Swiss law enforcement has been in contact with their Spaniard counterparts.

His brother-in-law, Carlos Cera told DailyMail.com on Thursday that Interpol had instructed the family not to reveal details of the investigation, but he did say that Rodrigues fears for his life.

'My brother-in-law's life is still at risk,' Cera said. 'We were ordered not to transmit any new information to Interpol so as not to hinder investigations.'

Cera declined to say in which city Rodrigues was located, but did say that he is in good health.

'He is much better, as far as possible because he was in captivity for 13 days, but he is still outside Brazil but we cannot say where due to the issue of his physical integrity,' he said.

Brazilian businessman Marcio Rodrigues was found in Spain on Tuesday, 13 days after he mysteriously disappeared in Switzerland, authorities in the Swiss city of Zurich confirmed. His wife, Ana Cera, had previously said that he was going to travel to Spain after concluding his meeting in Zurich

Rodrigues reportedly traveled to Switzerland to seal the final details of a deal he reached online for therapeutic products he was selling.

The Brazilian businessman boarded a flight in Sao Paulo on November 7 at 6pm Brazil time and landed in Barcelona on November 8 at 8:25am.

He waited 1 hour and 25 minutes for his connecting flight and departed at 9:50am. His flight arrived in Zurich at 11:40am.

While at Zurich Airport, Rodrigues was in communication with his wife, Ana Cera, sending her the first of several messages at 5:45am Brazil time.

Eleven minutes elapsed before he reached out to her again and told her that he was concerned about not being able to speak English, his business partners' language of choice.

However, his wife told G1 that he was going to contact a Spanish-speaking person who could serve as a translator.

Marcio Rodrigues was going to fly from Switzerland to Spain for another business meeting, according to his wife. Cera's brother, Carlos, told DailyMail.com via text message that Rodrigues is doing well, but fears for his life

Prior to going missing, Brazilian native Marcio Rodrigues sent a photo of passengers waiting at the arrivals gate after stepping off the airplane in Zurich, Switzerland

One of the last photos that Marcio Rodrigues sent his wife was of the airplane parked at the Zurich Airport's arrival gate

Between 8:11am and 8:32am, Rodrigues sent his wife a photo of the airplane in the background, another of fellow passengers waiting to exit at the arrival gate and a video of the terminal.

Five hours passed before Rodrigues reached out to his wife again, telling her that he was in a taxi on his way to the hotel to try to recover his passport, which was allegedly taken from him by a group of people who the businessman went to meet.

'Pray for me, because I think I fell into a trap. My God, in half an hour I'll know what's going to happen to me,' Rodrigues told his wife at 1:32pm.

'They said that in 15 minutes, half an hour, they will bring me my passport. But I've been waiting here for almost four hours.

'I met with them, they took a photo of my face,' he said. '(They) brought a machine to take my fingerprints and took my passport (to be scanned).'

Rodrigues sent his wife another message at 1:34pm before he stopped responding to her messages because his cellphone had been shut off.

Carlos Cera told DailyMail.com that Rodrigues had also planned on traveling to another country for a training session with a group he already knew.

While Cera did not specify the country, his sister had told G1 that Rodrigues would travel to Spain.
The first group of 13 hostages held in Gaza will be released tomorrow at 4pm after Israel and Hamas finally agreed on which captives should be freed first.

The four-day ceasefire will begin at 7am (5am GMT) tomorrow, and nine hours later the first set of women and children kidnapped by Hamas gunmen on October 7 will be released, a spokesperson for Qatar's foreign ministry said on Thursday.

Majed Al-Ansari added that talks between Israel and Hamas had finally ended after both sides agreed on the names of those who are coming home tomorrow. That list has been handed over to officials.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said moments later that officials are in contact with the families of all the hostages being held in Gaza after receiving a 'first list of names'. It did not immediately specify who was on the list.

Israel had agreed Wednesday on a deal that will see 50 women and children kidnapped by Hamas gunmen on October freed during a four-day truce, leaving their families with an agonising wait to see if their loved ones are coming home.

The process of recovering those hostages was expected to start today at 10am (8am GMT) but officials said that no captives would be released until Friday, prolonging their relatives' torment.

Now, it has emerged that the first group of hostages - 13 women and children - will be released via the Red Cross at 4pm tomorrow, once again raising the hopes of the captives' anguished families.

The exhausted families have been waiting in torment, not knowing if their loved once will be among those released. But for some, that agonising wait is set to come to an end tomorrow after Israel confirmed it had received a list of hostages to be released.

Israeli soldiers are seen during a ground operation in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday

Majed Al-Ansari told reporters in Doha the lists of all civilians that would be released from Gaza had been agreed

A Palestinian child wounded in Israeli strikes is rushed into Nasser hospital, in Khan Younis on Thursday

Palestinian residents take their belongings form rubble as teams conduct search and rescue operations at debris of destroyed buildings in Rafah on Thursday

Among those waiting for news will be London-based father Thomas Hand, whose nine-year-old daughter Emily is among those being held inside the territory

The truce had been delayed earlier today because Israel and Hamas failed to agree on which hostages would be released first and how, a Palestinian official said.

The anguished relatives of the hostages have spoken of their fear that Hamas cannot be trusted, with one exhausted family member saying the terrorists will 'do everything they can to ruin the deal'.

Last night, Daniel Hagari, the IDF spokesperson, said the release of the hostages, in exchange for 150 Palestinians, was a 'complicated and not closed process'.

'The coming days will be characterised by moments of relief and moments of pain,' Hagari said. 'They can also include attempts at psychological terrorism by the terrorist organisation.'

The truce agreement had raised hopes of eventually winding down the war, which has leveled vast swaths of Gaza, fueled a surge of violence in the occupied West Bank, and stirred fears of a wider conflagration across the Middle East.

But last night, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed during a televised news conference to 'rescue all hostages held by Hamas' and 'obliterate' the terrorist group.

Netanyahu, joined by the two other members of his special war cabinet, also said that following the four-day ceasefire, the war would resume and continue 'until we achieve all our goals'.

Israel's goals are to destroy Hamas' military capabilities and return all 240 hostages held captive in Gaza.

Under the terms of the ceasefire agreement, Hamas is to free 50 women and children of the around 240 hostages it is holding in the Gaza Strip over a four-day period, the Israeli government said.

In return, Israel will free 150 Palestinians held in Israeli jails and allow 300 aid trucks into Gaza every day of the ceasefire to get much needed aid to civilians trapped there.

The hostages to be freed in the process are women and children, and the Palestinian prisoners are women and male detainees aged 18 and younger.

There are at least 35 children among the hostages, 18 of them aged 10 and under, according to an AFP count, as well as more than 50 women.

Israel said the exchange would take place in two phases. In a first step, 50 hostages and 150 Palestinian prisoners are set to be released during the truce. If successful, a second phase could see 150 more Palestinian prisoners freed in exchange for another 50 hostages during an extended truce, the Israeli government said.

Netanyahu, addressing the families of kidnapped Israelis on Wednesday, said that since the beginning of the war, he has not stopped thinking about them and their loved ones. He also reassured them that 'we will rescue all hostages held by Hamas'.

He also revealed that the truce deal was reached due to the exerted 'massive military pressure' on Hamas as well as diplomatic efforts from his government.

Ambulances are seen on a road near an Israeli forces tank during an Israeli army ground operation in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday

People mourn as they collect the bodies of Palestinians killed in airstrikes on Wednesday in Khan Younis

A Palestinian man carries an injured man as people flee following an Israeli strike in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Thursday

Smoke rises after an explosion following an Israeli strike on the northern part of the Gaza Strip, as seen from Sderot, southern Israel, on Thursday

Netanyahu (pictured) addressed the families of the hostages and said since the beginning of the war, he has not stopped thinking about them and their loved ones, adding that 'we will rescue all hostages held by Hamas'

Hospitals across Israel are on standby to receive the 50 or so hostages that will begin to arrive over the next four days when a four-day ceasefire starts at 10am tomorrow (pictured: photos of hostages in Tel Aviv's Museum of Modern Art)

Israeli troops patrol along a street during a military operation in the northern Gaza Strip amid continuing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, on Wednesday

He added: 'I want to be clear. The war is continuing. The war is continuing. We will continue it until we achieve all our goals.'

Although the four-day truce marked the first major diplomatic breakthrough in the conflict, Netanyahu revealed on Wednesday that during the ceasefire, the IDF will prepare to continue the war.

He reiterated: 'We are winning and we are going to continue to fight until we reach absolute victory.'

It was not immediately clear exactly who will be released from Gaza. Among those waiting for news will be London-based father Thomas Hand, whose nine-year-old Irish-Israeli daughter Emily is among those being held inside the territory.

Mr Hand, who has been petitioning the Israeli government to orchestrate her release, will be hoping and praying that she is among the group of 50.

But for the families of the hostages, they fear that Hamas terrorists cannot be trusted.

Yosi Shnaider, whose cousin Shiri, 30, was abducted with her four-year-old son Ariel and ten-month-old son Kfir, told the BBC he was concerned the deal might not go ahead. 'I try to be realistic and I know who we're dealing with. They will do everything they can to ruin even this deal and I'm scared,' he said.

And Israeli politician Ben Gvir said the release of the hostages sets a 'dangerous precedent' that could play into the hands of the terrorists. The far-Right politician said the deal, which will see 150 Palestinians released in exchange for 50 hostages, gives Hamas terrorists everything they wanted.

'Hamas wanted this truce more than anything,' Gvir said on Twitter. 'It also wanted to get 'rid' of the women and children in the first stage, because they caused international pressure on it. It wanted to get, in exchange, fuel, the release of terrorists, halting IDF action and even a [reconnaissance] flight ban. It got all of those.'

He also slammed the deal for not securing the release of all hostages held in Gaza, branding it 'immoral, illogical and very far from enough' while saying it 'could and should have been different'.

Meanwhile a British-Israeli woman whose mother was released by Hamas terrorists last month but whose father is still held welcomed the deal to release hostages and insisted it must be 'women and children first.'

Sharone Lifschitz has been waiting for news which will bring an end to her unbearable heartache.

Her mother Yocheved, 85, was released by Hamas almost four weeks ago but her father Oded, 83, is still being held was 'hopeful' of a deal.

Mrs Lifschitz said: 'Everyone is incredibly anxious at the moment, but I think it must be the children who go first and they shouldn't be separated from their mothers.

'But this is all part of Hamas plan to put us through an impossible situation, it's a form of psychological torture.'

'All we can do is pray that my father will be released soon because I don't think he will be able to last much longer, everyone who has some held is completely devastated and we hope this is the start of some good news.'

Hours after Israel approved a hostage swap deal, Maayan Zin, whose daughters are being held in Gaza, struggled to digest the news.

The long-awaited deal, which would initially apply to women and children, has given hope to anguished families desperate for news.

Zin admitted it had let her 'cautiously' dare to dream about being reunited with her daughters - eight-year-old Ela and 15-year-old Dafna.

In her most optimistic dreams, she imagines snuggling up with Ela and going on shopping sprees with Dafna to buy 'crop-tops, mini-skirts, heels and flashy yellow fake nails', she said while sitting at her home in Kiryat Ono, near Tel Aviv. Also on the shopping list: a new nose ring.

Since the siblings were snatched, the only proof of life has been a photo published by Hamas on Telegram showing Dafna seated on a mattress in pyjamas with an Arabic caption saying: 'Better in a prayer robe'. In the picture, the nose ring Dafna normally wore was gone.

'Yesterday, I had nothing. I was in total darkness. Now I can see a ray of light which warms me. And I'm just waiting,' Zin said.

Hours after Israel approved a hostage swap deal, Maayan Zin (pictured), whose daughters (left and right) are being held in Gaza, struggled to digest the news

Zin admitted it had let her 'cautiously' dare to dream about being reunited with her daughters - eight-year-old Ela (left) and 15-year-old Dafna (right)

In her most optimistic dreams, she imagines snuggling up with Ela and going on shopping sprees with Dafna

One of the paintings in Tel Aviv focuses on four-year-old Raz Asher and states: 'Time is running out. Bring her home'

Palestinians mourn over the body of a relative during the funeral for six Palestinians killed in clashes with Israeli forces in the northern occupied West Bank city of Tulkarem on Wednesday

The girls were taken while spending the last few days of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot on kibbutz Nahal Oz near the Gaza border with their father, Zin's ex-husband Noam.

When the militants stormed the kibbutz, Noam and his partner Dikla were shot dead along with her 17-year-old son Tomer from a previous marriage, their bodies dumped nearby. And the two girls were snatched and taken to Gaza.

Even if the promised release of 50 hostages has given her hope, Zin is trying to remain level-headed.

So far the names of those who are to be freed during the ceasefire have not been published, with the lists of those slated for release only likely to be made available the night before, Israeli officials said.

'I'm afraid of being disappointed... I don't want to get ready for them to come home on Thursday only to find out that it's others who will be coming back,' Zin said.

'And I don't want to be disappointed that other people are coming back either. I want to be able to be happy for them,' she said, describing herself as 'cautiously optimistic'.

At this stage, she is only focusing on information directly from the Israeli authorities. 'If I follow everything going on in the media, I'm likely to fall apart,' she said.

And she is worried about what her girls might have gone through. 'Maybe they will come back traumatised, maybe they won't be able to speak,' she said. 'Or maybe they will come back more grown up, or very sad or scared.'

She also wonders what she will say to them. 'What questions to ask, how to ask them, how often, or maybe whether I should even be asking at all,' she wonders aloud.

'I just have no idea what happened to them while they've been in captivity.'

Meanwhile, in Gaza, there was no let-up in the fighting early on Thursday.

Israeli aircraft and artillery struck Gaza's southern city of Khan Younis in at least two waves and 15 people were killed, according to reports. Attacks were also reported in several other parts of Gaza, including the Jabalia and Nuseirat camps.

Israel said its forces carried out aerial strikes on over 300 Hamas targets over the past day.

The Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza today resumed its detailed count of Palestinian casualties from the war, saying over 13,300 have been killed. The new numbers were not fully broken down, but in past tallies, women and minors have consistently made up around two-thirds of the dead.

The figures do not include updated numbers from hospitals in the north, where services and communication largely broke down earlier this month. The ministry says some 6,000 people have been reported missing and are feared to be buried under rubble.

The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and militants in its death tolls. Israel says it has killed thousands of Hamas fighters, without presenting evidence for its count.
Three people have been linked to running the scheme - they are being charged with with conspiracy to coerce travel to engage in illegal sexual activity.

A high-end brothel network serving politicians, military leaders and others kept detailed records of their customers along with millions in cash and other damning items in bulk.

Earlier this month, prosecutors charged three people with running a high-end brothel network in Boston and northern Virginia.

Clientele included 'hundreds' of elected officials, tech, pharmaceutical executives, lawyers, professors and military officers, though federal prosecutors did not identify any of them.

New information about the escort service - which took place at luxury apartments in Massachusetts and Virginia - were released in an affidavit submitted to the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

The details included pictures of meticulous client records with names and dates - that have exposed tons of professionals in elite industries for paying upwards of $600 per hour for sexual encounters with predominately Asian women.

A high-end brothel network serving politicians kept detailed records of their customers along with millions in cash and other damning items in bulk. Clientele included 'hundreds' of elected officials, tech, pharmaceutical executives, lawyers, professors and military officers, though federal prosecutors did not identify any of them

Bulk quantities of lubricant, condoms, false eyelashes, 16 cell phones along, millions of dollars in cash and dozens of gift cards were amongst other evidence

Investigators also confiscated a Corvette that one of the suspects allegedly bought with the funds

The details of the invetigation included pictures of meticulous client records with names and dates - which have exposed tons of professionals in elite industries for paying upwards of $600 per hour for sexual encounters with predominately Asian women

Bulk quantities of lubricant, condoms, false eyelashes, 16 cell phones, millions of dollars in cash and dozens of gift cards were amongst other evidence presented by the Department of Homeland Security Special Agent Zachary Mitlitsky.

An apartment search of the suspected leader revealed the damning evidence and more - including lingerie, UTI kit and pregnancy tests.

Investigators also confiscated a Corvette that one of the suspects allegedly bought with funds from the network.

The three leaders that the criminal complaint came against were Han Lee, 41, from Cambridge, Massachusetts, James Lee, 68, from Torrance, California, and Junmyung Lee, 30, of Dedham, Massachusetts.

DHS agents suspect Han Lee and Junmyung Lee have even more money than presented in the affidavit - making them a flight risk and giving investigators further reason to keep them behind bars.

The trio was charged with conspiracy to coerce and entice travel to engage in illegal sexual activity.

They advertised the coerced sex workers online through two websites that posed as a nude photography service with Asian models to pre-approved clients who got to take their pics of the women.

The two websites used as guises for the alleged illicit activities were www.bostontopten10.com and www.browneyesgirlva.blog.

Acting U.S. Attorney Josh Levy, seen here, announced charges against the brothels' alleged operators

According to an affidavit, the ring operated three different locations outside of this apartment building in Cambridge, Massachusetts

In a similar fashion, the group are also said to have operated a unit inside this apartment building in Watertown, Massachusetts

The Department of Justice said they know exactly who the clients were because they had to fill out an application with their name, a picture of their license and their employer.

Militsky described Han Lee as the 'leader' of the network and revealed in the filing that she 'concealed over one million dollars in prostitution proceeds'.

Han Lee appeared in a brief court hearing alongside her accomplice on Wednesday afternoon - both were in handcuffs and they voluntarily agreed to remain behind bars.

'Han maintained ledgers detailing the daily activity of her brothels. At the time of the search warrant execution, one such ledger was open to a page showing the stage names, appointment dates and times and earnings of the women,' Militsky wrote about the detailed records of clients.

The affidavit also shows a text message sent from a phone related to the operation in Massachusetts which includes a 'menu'.

According to the document, the 'menu' listed sexual services available, the hourly rate and the women available.

The affidavit states that the term 'BB' is a term used in the prostitution industry to refer to unsafe sex, and that 'GFE' relates to a 'Girlfriend Experience'.

The document states that this involves a service that 'blurs the boundaries between a financial transaction and a romantic relationship'.

One of the sites seen here, which was aimed at the Massachusetts area, asked customers to not 'knock on the door'

The affidavit also shows a text message sent from a phone related to the operation in Massachusetts which includes a 'menu'

One of the websites was focused on the Boston area, and directed customers to numerous addresses, while another was aimed at areas in Virginia.

On the Boston website, the opening page shows a photograph of an Asian woman, with text saying: 'Here to serve our wonderful Boston friends. Your character is in your writing.

'Please Dont Knock on the Door!! Be on time [sic] cant guarantee your wasted time.'

The site also adds the height, weight and bust size of multiple Asian women who are available for appointments.

The affidavit states that the women available on the site was updated and changed frequently.

The group are said to have had three apartments inside one building in Cambridge, Massachusetts, as well another one in Watertown.

In Virginia, the ring is said to have operated out of two apartment buildings in the towns of Fairfax, and Tysons.
The US border with Canada has seen a 550 percent surge in migrant apprehensions, with 6,925 apprehensions in fiscal year 2023.

Border Patrol agents have detained people from 79 countries in the Swanton Sector, which covers the borders of New York, New Hampshire and Vermont with Canada.

However, Chief Patrol Agent Robert Garcia said most of the migrants come from Mexico, India, Venezuela, Haiti and Romania.

It's a significant surge since last year, when 1,000 migrants were apprehended at the same border region - and also since 2021, when just 365 were detained during the pandemic.

The northern border at large is seeing more migrants than in previous years; there were 189,402 migrant encounters in 2023, compared with 109,535 in 2022 and 27,000 in 2021.

America's northern border has seen a 550 percent surge in migrant apprehensions, with 6,925 in fiscal year 2023

There is no fencing along the crossing and much of the area is woods and dirt paths

The northern border is over 5,000 miles long and has just 115 ports of entry, meaning massive areas of it are understaffed, officials say.

Chief Garcia raised the alarm about the situation at the northern border earlier this year, calling for volunteers.

He warned traffickers are exploiting desperate asylum seekers with potentially lethal consequences, amid freezing temperatures and dangerous passages.

There is no fencing along the crossing and much of the area is woods and dirt paths.

Nearly two-thirds of the southbound migrants arrested by U.S. border agents in the Swanton Sector are from Mexico, according to CBP numbers.

In March, U.S. Customs and Border Protection transferred 25 extra agents to the northern border.

A CBP spokesman told NBC their agency began temporarily deploying Border Patrol agents from sectors 'not experiencing an influx' to the Swanton Sector of the U.S.-Canadian border 'due to migration fluctuations along the Northern Border.'

'While the apprehension numbers are small compared to other areas with irregular migration flows, Swanton Sector apprehensions constitute a large change in this area,' the spokesman said.

'The deployed team will serve as a force multiplier in the region and assist to deter and disrupt human smuggling activities being conducted in the Swanton Sector area of responsibility.'

Still, northern border crossings pale in comparison to the US-Mexico border, which this year saw more than 2.4 million migrant encounters.

Rep. Elise Stefanik, whose New York district is on the border with Canada, wrote to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas last month to complain about the problem.

She said CBP agents reported 2,238 migrant encounters for all of fiscal year 2022 but, in the first four months of this fiscal year, migrant encounters have risen to 2,227, which is nearly surpassing last years total.

Migrants are seen wading through deep snow along the U.S.-Canada border in a photo shared by the Border Patrol

Garcia shared images of migrants walking along the border at night

Migrants from Mexico, Venezuela and other countries at the Canada border

Migrants who make it to Mexico and can afford the $350 one-way plane ticket from Mexico City or Cancun to Montreal or Toronto then cross into the U.S. at the northern border, where they are less likely to be turned away than at the Southern border.

It's an option many migrants are taking due to crackdowns at the southern border.

But hypothermia and freezing to death are risks, particularly this time of year, as families are making the journey on foot in the cold and snow.

In December, U.S. border agents found themselves giving life-saving aid to migrants they found in the cold and snow.

The problem works both ways as migrants also walking across the border from the United States and into Canada.

More than 39,000 refugees entered Canada last year via unofficial crossings, the vast majority via Roxham Road linking Quebec and New York State.

It is the highest number since 2017 - when there was a spike because of then-President Donald Trump's crackdown on migrants.
A cult leader who doped his followers with mercury has been arrested after his sprawling 24-acre compound was raided by police.

Authorities scoured a compound in Murcia, Spain on Friday, where former masseuse Jose Manuel Canovas, 50, who calls himself Total Transcendence, lived with 10 of his followers.

The estate in the town of Albanilla boasted temples, clandestine laboratories, bunkers, and cave dwellings, as well as a 200kg hoard of mercury.

This was used to make so-called 'purified mercury' - meant to be an energizing and vitalizing elixir, which was taken by followers, and sold online and through herbalists.

These 'psychoactive substances dangerous to health' were used by the cult leader to 'manipulate the will of his followers for economic and power purposes', according to police.

Several female followers had completely cut ties with their families and friends, spending long periods locked up with the leader in his house in silence.

The moment Total Transcendence was arrested for his involvement in the bizarre cult

Police said he and close followers lived together in caves on the site, making elixirs

Police raided the compound in Albanilla and detained the cult leader for alleged crimes against public health

Police said he and his closest acolytes lived in caves on site, making the elixir and coming down with 'symptoms caused by the neurotoxicity of mercury'.

Waste from production was simply washed into the site's septic tank  a practice the authorities called 'highly toxic to the environment'.

His followers, who worked long hours, also made financial contributions to the cult  which was reportedly dubbed the Mahasandhi Foundation.

On its now defunct website, a page describing the process for membership asked for monthly donations of up to 2,000 (1,700).

As police stormed the compound on Friday, they also raided a warehouse operated by the cult in the town of Lorqui.

Across both locations, officers seized 90,000 (78,000) in cash, as well as a revolver, 19kg of marijuana, the mercury, and various documents pertaining to the chemical.

An earlier raid in the town of Abaran had already unearthed a cellar containing 180kg of mercury and cinnabar, among other substances.

Police said the cult leader was detained for alleged crimes against public health, the environment, workers' rights, and moral integrity, as well as for illicit association.

Mercury is, as the label indicates, 'very toxic' and left followers with symptoms of neurotoxicity

Police were able to recover some 78,000 in cash found across the two sites on Friday

Waste from production was simply washed into the site's septic tank  a practice the authorities called 'highly toxic to the environment'

Canovas reportedly established his cult in Albanilla some 15 years ago.

Spanish newspaper La Opinion de Murcia said the 50-year-old founded the Buddhist sect after returning from India.

It described how, on his now defunct YouTube channel, he would have a follower read his lips and speak for him, so he could maintain his vow of silence.

During his arrest, he reportedly communicated with police by writing on a chalkboard.

He also planned to build the biggest Buddha in Europe, the newspaper reported.
Crown star Jason Watkins said he takes it 'really personally' that sepsis care has apparently not changed drastically in the 12 years since his daughter died of the condition.

Watkins and his wife Clara lost their two-year-old Maude in 2011 and they have been campaigning for changes to health care ever since.

An NHS ombudsman report, released in October, found that 'the same serious failings are still happening' a decade on from a previous document.

It added that action is 'urgently needed' as errors were outlined including delays in diagnosing and treating sepsis, poor communication between healthcare staff, sub-standard record-keeping, and missed opportunities for follow-up care.

Jason Watkins, pictured, appeared on Good Morning Britain where he said he took a recent NHS report 'really personally'

The actor said he feels the Government need to step up to create national awareness and provide more funding

Watkins and his wife Clara lost their two-year-old Maude, pictured, in 2011 and they have been campaigning for changes to health care ever since

On Wednesday's Good Morning Britain, Watkins, 61, said: 'It was a real body blow to think that, just a few weeks ago, the ombudsman's report on sepsis care said that "nothing had really changed" so I took it really personally.

'I had a couple of really difficult days because you feel lost. I felt a bit like a victim again - of sepsis, and for parents who have lost loved ones.

'Because people who have lost loved ones feel that, you feel that fate has dealt you a horrific blow.'

He added: 'I do feel that the Government needs to step up in terms of a national database and a national awareness campaign, as well as funding individual trusts for sepsis.

'The ombudsman report is there for a reason. And the report says its measures to prevent sepsis haven't worked so it's the Government's responsibility.'

The actor also spoke in favour of Martha's Rule which gives patients the right to a second opinion if they believe their concerns are being dismissed by NHS staff

On Wednesday's Good Morning Britain , Watkins, 61, said: 'It was a real body blow to think that, just a few weeks ago, the ombudsman's report on sepsis care said that "nothing had really changed"'

The Government has committed to English hospitals introducing Martha's Rule, which gives patients the right to a second opinion if they believe their concerns are being dismissed by NHS staff.

The rule was named after a coroner found that Martha Mills, who died aged 13 in 2021, would most likely have survived if doctors had identified the warning signs and transferred her to intensive care earlier.

Her mother, Merope, has since campaigned for more power to be put back into the hands of patients and families.

Watkins also tried to raise awareness for other parents to think about the issue.

He said: 'As a parent you must say, "Could it be sepsis?"

'When you take your child to the GP, when you think they've got a chest infection, which is what I did with Maude, you must be able to say that and they have to rule sepsis out first.

'Martha's Rule is a brilliant way of reminding people, parents, doctors and nurses.'

In response to the report Spotlight on sepsis: Your stories, your rights, an NHS England spokesperson said in October that the health service is 'working to improve the identification and management of sepsis' and 'there have been improvements'.

They added: 'However, we know there is more work to be done and patients and families are able to escalate care for hospital patients if they see deterioration or have concerns and, as professional guidance for doctors in England sets out, it is essential that any patient's wishes on this are respected.'

An NHS ombudsman report, released in October, found that 'the same serious failings are still happening' a decade on from a previous document

Watkins also tried to raise awareness for other parents to think about the issue. He said: 'As a parent you must say, "Could it be sepsis?"'

A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said: 'The safety of all patients is of vital importance, and we have made significant improvements to strengthen protections for patients including publishing the first NHS Patient Safety Strategy.

'The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is looking at how best to update guidance on the diagnosis and response to sepsis, to ensure the best treatment is always provided quickly and we are exploring how sepsis guidance can be provided in the training of healthcare workers.

'We are also working closely with NHS England, the Patient Safety Commissioner, clinical experts, and patient representatives to urgently look at the implementation of 'Martha's Rule', and the evidence on what works to support patients and their families seeking a second opinion.'

NHS England has been asked for comment.
Top Indian army officer calls for political solution to violence in Manipur

Xinhua) 10:00, November 23, 2023

NEW DELHI, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- A top Indian army officer, Lieutenant General Rana Pratap Kalita, said the ongoing ethnic violence in the northeastern state of Manipur needs a political solution.

Kalita, who is General Officer Commanding-In-Chief of Eastern Command, told the media in Guwahati on Tuesday that incidents of sporadic violence in Manipur continued due to sharp polarization between the two communities.

"Because of the polarization between the two communities, Meiteis and Kuki, some sporadic incidents are taking place here and there, including yesterday's incident ... ultimately, there has to be a political solution to the problem," he said.

According to Kalita, over 4,000 looted weapons are still in the hands of the people and are being used in incidents of violence.

Kalita's remarks came amid a 48-hour shutdown in Manipur's Kangpokpi district to protest against Monday's killing of a policeman and his driver. The shutdown call given by the Committee on Tribal Unity accused Meitei insurgents of the killings.

Markets remained closed and traffic stayed off the roads in the wake of the shutdown.

Manipur has been on edge since May 3 when large-scale violence broke out in the state during a tribal protest over the inclusion of the non-tribal Meiteis community for a scheduled tribe status -- designated for disadvantaged socio-economic groups which gives them reservations in education and government jobs.

The ethnic clashes between the majority Meitei group and the tribal Kuki minority have displaced 60,000. The mobs in the state resorted to vandalism and arson targeting houses and shops.

As per figures released by police in mid-September, 175 people have been killed, 1,118 injured and 33 reported missing since May 3.

So far efforts by the federal government to restore peace in the state have not yielded desired results.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Koreas should calm down, seek exit strategy





The situation on the Korean Peninsula is about to come to a head.

On Thursday, North Korea said it would immediately resume all military measures halted under a 2018 inter-Korean agreement.

Pyongyangs move came hours after Seoul suspended part of the tension reduction deal following the Norths launch of a military spy satellite, effectively terminating the five-year accord.

If South Korea responds in kind, it will lead to the formal demise of the Sept. 19 Agreement. What will come next? Accidental clashes could occur in the Demilitarized Zone, or North Korea might be tempted to provoke the South in limited ways.

Unlike its predecessors, the Yoon Suk Yeol government will strike back. The Yoon administration has few other options, as it has repeatedly stressed eye-for-an-eye responses. Like the U.S. administration under Donald Trump, there are no adults among Yoons aides. Worst-case scenarios beyond that are horrifying to think about.

Now is the time for the two Koreas to regain their cool and seek an exit strategy. Hawks question until when should the South endure the Norths provocations. Strictly speaking, however, the firing of a spy satellite had little to do with the agreement. For the South, it was like the proverbial slap in the face when one wants to cry. Hardliners in Seoul have called for nullifying the accord, citing Pyongyangs unilateral violations.

New Defense Minister Shin Won-sik said at the National Assembly that North Korea violated the accord 3,500 times over the past five years. He was referring to the Norths twice-daily deployment of coastal artillery. However, North Koreas provocations, totaling 228 under the 2008-13 Lee Myung-bak administration and 108 in the 2013-17 Park Geun-hye administration, plunged to five during the 2017-22 Moon Jae-in administration that signed the accord.

The hawkish defense chief alleged that Israels failure to prevent Hamas surprise attack was due to a surveillance failure. We do not know whether the Middle East rivals have their version of the Sept. 19 Agreement. Still, experts agree Israels intelligence failure was not a problem of gathering information but analyzing it. It was more of a political problem than a military one due to the governments one-sided rule and national division.

Shin must know that the U.S. government would not have endorsed the 2018 deal had it thought it would cause problems in surveilling the North.

Even now, Washington might not want the agreement to go up in smoke. The U.S. faces suspicions about its intention and ability to lead the free world due to the two ongoing wars in Europe and the Middle East. A third conflict in Asia would be the last thing it wants to get involved in.

In contrast, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un perceives, or misperceives, the current global situation as favorable for his reclusive regime. Kim, who has given up on improving ties with the U.S. since his abortive summit with Trump in 2019, is reclaiming the Norths presence in the wake of the Russian-Ukrainian war. Kim welcomes the new Cold War.

Since South Korea regained its democracy about three decades ago, its relationship with North Korea has gone up and down under progressive and conservative presidents. Progressive leaders went all out to maintain peace and co-prosperity on this divided peninsula. They had to fight with and persuade all obstructors  hawks within and outside the nation and North Korea itself. When conservatives took power, however, everything went back to square one. Tension replaced reconciliation.

This seems to be another such moment. Ripping up the inter-Korean military accord will remove the last safety device. Koreans must think about who will benefit most from their return to seven decades ago.

There are groups wanting to maintain some degree of tension on this peninsula rather than allow a drastic change in the status quo, even fanning conflicts. Helping them are hawks in both Koreas. Strong and well-prepared doves must prevail again, replacing chickenhawks.

Koreans should, and can, pick such leaders next year and three and a half years later.
It's been quite a week for ChatGPT-maker OpenAI  and co-founder Sam Altman.

Less than a week after Altman and co-founder Greg Brockman both left the company, one sacked, the other resigning in protest, the pair celebrated their returns to the company in posts on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, early Wednesday. Brockman posted a photo showing a team of staffers all huddled together.

'We are so back,' the caption read. Online sleuths pointed to a man in white shirt in the background of the picture, who they believe was Altman, not directly participating in the revelry.

Altman, who helped start OpenAI as a nonprofit research lab back in 2015, was removed as CEO Friday in a sudden and mostly unexplained exit that stunned the Silicon Valley.

And while his chief executive title was reinstated just days later, a lot of questions are still up in the air. There are allegations that Altman's former colleagues felt that was too driven by profits, underestimated safety concerns about artificial intelligence, in addition to accusations that he had created a hostile work environment.

Sam Brockman posted this photo the day before Thanksgiving showing him with beaming staffers and declaring: 'We are so back'

Sam Altman, 38, was pulled as CEO of ChatGPT-maker OpenAI Friday over fears he was flouting the dangers of artificial intelligence, according to a new report

Altman is co-founder of OpenAI, the San Francisco-based company behind ChatGPT, the chatbot that's seemingly everywhere today  from schools to health care.

The explosion of ChatGPT since its arrival one year ago propelled Altman into the spotlight of the rapid commercialization of generative AI  which can produce novel imagery, passages of text and other media.

And as he became Silicon Valley's most sought-after voice on the promise and potential dangers of this technology, Altman helped transform OpenAI into a world-renowned startup.

But his position at OpenAI hit some rocky turns in a whirlwind that was the past week. Altman was fired as CEO Friday  and days later, he was back on the job with a new board of directors.

Within that time, Microsoft, which has invested billions of dollars in OpenAI and has rights to its existing technology, helped drive Altman's return, quickly hiring him as well as another OpenAI co-founder and former president, Brockman, who quit in protest after the CEO's ousting.

Emmet Shear, the interim CEO of OpenAI after his predecessor Sam Altman was fired from the role, has a wild history on social media including posts about Nazis, rape fantasies and kinky sex

Meanwhile, hundreds of OpenAI employees threatened to resign the Monday after Altman's firing when it emerged that former Twitch CEO Emmett Shear had been installed as CEO.

Shear's bizarre litany of social media posts raised questions over whether the company has made the right choice.

In one post on X, he said: 'The Nazis were very evil, but I'd rather the actual literal Nazis take over the world forever than flip a coin on the end of all value.'

Some of his tweets also concerned sex and rape, including one that insisted 40-60 percent of women have 'rape fantasies.'

There's a lot that remains unknown about Altman's initial ousting. Friday's announcement said he was 'not consistently candid in his communications' with the then-board of directors, which refused to provide more specific details.

Regardless, the news sent shockwaves throughout the AI world  and, because OpenAI and Altman are such leading players in this space, may raise trust concerns around a burgeoning technology that many people still have questions about.

Many internet sleuths felt that Altman was pictured in the background of Brockman's selfie, not participating in the revelry

Altman appeared to confirm that he would not be returning to OpenAI with this picture showing him as a guest at OpenAI HQ on Sunday (left). Meanwhile Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella (right) was working behind the scenes to negotiate for Altman's return

On Wednesday, it emerged that recently there had been a powerful new development in the by OpenAI engineers in the last few weeks known as Project Q.

Some at the company felt that the technology could possibly represent a threat to humanity.

Sources cited the letter as one factor among a longer list of grievances by the board that led to Altmans firing. DailyMail.com was unable to obtain or review a copy of the letter.

Altman, OpenAI and researchers who wrote the letter did not comment on the information.

Five days of turmoil at OpenAI Friday: Reports emerged that Sam Altman had been fired, leading the tech tycoon to comment on X that it was 'sorta like reading your own eulogy while you're still alive.' Jakob Pachocki and fellow cofounder Greg Brockman, were seemingly taken aback by the firing and both quit in protest of the alleged ambush late Friday night. Saturday: There were efforts from execs to bring him back and a leaked memo to staff suggested the company was 'optimistic' about his possible return. Sunday: Reports swirled that he was open to returning if there was a change of board and governance at the company. Altman then threw cold water on the rumors, posting a snap of himself using an OpenAI guest-pass while visiting his old employer on X, and wrote: 'first and last time i ever wear one of these.' Monday: Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced that Altman and OAI co-founder Greg Brockman would be joining the company to lead a new AI innovation team. Former Twitch leader Emmett Shear has taken over as OpenAI's interim chief executive. Tuesday: After days of turmoil, Altman announced on X that he is to return to OpenAI. The co-founder will join a new board that includes former US treasury secretary Larry Summers, former co-CEO of Salesforce Bret Taylor and Adam D'Angelo, the only holdover for the previous administration. Days earlier, D'Angelo voted to oust Altman. 'I love OpenAI, and everything Ive done over the past few days has been in service of keeping this team and its mission together,' Altman wrote on X. His return saw one of the company's founders, Illya Sutskever, as well as Helen Toner and Tasha McCauley leave. Advertisement

The news came shortly after Elon Musk posted another letter alleging Altman and his co-founder Greg Brockman of creating a hostile work environment.

The letter allegedly written by former OpenAI employees details 'dishonest' and 'manipulative' leadership by Altman and Brockman.

Specifically, they argue that 'a significant number of OpenAI employees were pushed out of the company to facilitate its transition to a for-profit model.'

'Their methods, however, have raised serious doubts about their true intentions and the extent to which they genuinely prioritize the benefit of humanity,' it reads.

'These seem like concerns worth investigating,' wrote the Tesla mogul who famously had a fallout with Altman several years ago about the leadership of the firm.

The turmoil also accentuated the differences between Altman and members of the company's previous board, who have expressed various views on the safety risks posed by AI as the technology advances.

Multiple experts add that this drama highlights how it should be governments  and not big tech companies  that should be calling the shots on AI regulation, particularly for fast-evolving technologies like generative AI.

'The events of the last few days have not only jeopardized OpenAI's attempt to introduce more ethical corporate governance in the management of their company, but it also shows that corporate governance alone, even when well-intended, can easily end up cannibalized by other corporate's dynamics and interests,' said Enza Iannopollo, principal analyst at Forrester.

The lesson, Iannopollo said, is that companies can't alone deliver the level of safety and trust in AI that society needs. 'Rules and guardrails, designed with companies and enforced by regulators with rigor, are crucial if we are to benefit from AI,' he added.

Unlike traditional AI, which processes data and completes tasks using predetermined rules, generative AI (including chatbots like ChatGPT) can create something new.

Tech companies are still leading the show when it comes to governing AI and its risks, while governments around the world work to catch up.

Altman announced his formal return to OpenAI in a message on X

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella also welcomed the news of Altman's return in a message on X

Founded by Altman and ten others in 2015, OpenAI rolled out ChatGPT a year ago - and its ability to mimic human writing has proved polarizing ever since

Former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers is also joining the OpenAI Board of Directors

Former Twitter chair Bret Taylor is another new addition to the OpenAI board

CEO and Co-founder of Quora Adam D'Angelo (pictured left) will remain on the board of OpenAI

In the European Union, negotiators are putting the final touches on whats expected to be the worlds first comprehensive AI regulations.

But theyve reportedly been bogged down over whether and how to include the most contentious and revolutionary AI products, the commercialized large-language models that underpin generative AI systems including ChatGPT.

Chatbots were barely mentioned when Brussels first laid out its initial draft legislation in 2021, which focused on AI with specific uses.

But officials have been racing to figure out how to incorporate these systems, also known as foundation models, into the final version.

Meanwhile, in the US President Joe Biden signed an ambitious executive order last month seeking to balance the needs of cutting-edge technology companies with national security and consumer rights.

The order  which will likely need to be augmented by congressional action  is an initial step that is meant to ensure that AI is trustworthy and helpful, rather than deceptive and destructive.

It seeks to steer how AI is developed so that companies can profit without putting public safety in jeopardy.
New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell has suggested that she's facing a federal probe over $29,000 worth of first class flights upgrades because of her race.

Cantrell, 51, was charged by the Louisiana Board of Ethics for using premium upgrades for 15 flights over a two year time frame.

The charges fell under a state ethics law which prohibits officials from receiving anything of value for their public duties.

At a press conference Wednesday, Cantrell addressed what she called 'investigations or targeting' which she said is 'prevalent relative to black leadership'.

'When I came in, even being elected mayor - even prior to that on City council - I have been the center of countless investigations,' the mayor said.

New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell (pictured) has suggested that she's facing a federal probe over $29,000 worth of first class flights upgrades because of her race

The charges fell under a state law that prohibits public officials from receiving anything of value for their public duties

Her flight upgrade for a trip to Nice, France - where she attended a jazz festival and a French National Day celebration - cost a whopping $12,988 on top of the base fare of $4,666

'I have always complied and that's what I'll continue to do. I do note that this seems to be kind of prevalent relative to black leadership, and I think that I'm not exempt from that.

'But relative to investigations, I have been in them, I have been through them and I will continue to comply whenever they come, that's all I'll say on that.'

Cantrell added that she has 'no idea what's going on' regarding the investigation and is 'definitely not in favor' of the charges brought against her.

The politician also previously claimed her upgrades were not for luxury but for her health and safety - citing the threat of COVID and 'the world black women walk in'.

She finally reimbursed the city $28,856 for the 13 domestic flights and two international trips to Europe that she upgraded in October of last year.

'Anyone who wants to question how I protect myself just doesnt understand the world black women walk in,' Mayor Cantrell previously said in a statement.

Cantrell said she stands by her claims 'all day long' - despite ultimately reimbursing the $29,000.

'As all women know, our health and safety are often disregarded and we are left to navigate alone,' Cantrell said.

'As the mother of a young child whom I live for, I am going to protect myself by any reasonable means in order to ensure I am there to see her grow into the strong woman I am raising her to be.'

LaToya Cantrell, 51, was charged by the Louisiana Board of Ethics for receiving almost $29,000 worth of upgrades for 15 flights over a two year time frame

The 51-year-old politician claimed her upgrades were not for luxury but for her health and safety - citing the threat of COVID and 'the world black women walk in'

'Anyone who wants to question how I protect myself just doesnt understand the world black women walk in,' Mayor Cantrell previously said in a statement

But councilmembers didn't buy these excuses and had threatened to dock her pay in the 2023 budget to recover the funds.

Her flight upgrade for a trip to Nice, France - where she attended a jazz festival and a French National Day celebration - cost a whopping $12,988 on top of the base fare of $4,666, according to court documents.

Cantrell spent $2,352 of state money on a first-class upgrade for her domestic flight from New Orleans to San Francisco - a five hour journey.

The under-fire mayor was already in hot water after admitting to living in a city-owned apartment in the city's French Quarter rent-free, that lies only three miles from her $500,000 Broadmoor home.

The reimbursement - which was paid by the Democrat mayor about a year ago - came after weeks of controversy and the case will likely go before the Ethics Adjudicatory Board.

Cantrell could face a $10,000 fine for using state money for her luxurious travel arrangements.

Public officials are required to seek the cheapest possible travel options - and pay the difference out of their personal finances if they opt for more expensive choices.

'We believe both the mayor and the administration have appropriately addressed the travel issue and will respond to the ethics complaint in due course,' Cantrells spokesperson John Lawson said previously.

Cantrell could face a $10,000 fine for using state money for her luxurious travel arrangements (Pictured: Latoya Cantrell and a friend during the Mayor's Mardi Gras Ball)

This isn't the first time the Democratic lawmaker has come under fire for her behavior - having been exposed for forcing her bodyguards to hold her purse, do her shopping and take her daughter to the hairdresser in March of this year.

Cantrell's behavior was laid bare after the police launched an internal probe into officer Jeffrey Vappie after he was found spending time with the married mother-of-one at her grace and favor apartment in the exclusive French Quarter.

Bodyguards who spoke to the New Orleans Police Department as part of the investigation into Vappie, described Cantrell as a fiery, demanding boss who was overly familiar with her security detail, expecting them to act as her servants.

Kristy Johnson-Stokes, an officer that worked with Cantrell, told investigators they would be asked to pick her daughter up from school, take her credit card to buy gifts from the department store and water her plants.

Cantrell was filmed earlier this year yelling and flipping the bird at riders on a Mardi Gras parade float.

'As the mother of a young child whom I live for, I am going to protect myself by any reasonable means in order to ensure I am there to see her grow into the strong woman I am raising her to be,' Cantrell said (Pictured: The mayor's daughter and her late husband)

The short clip shows the Democratic leader cheering from stands at Gallier Hall downtown, appearing to cheer on in support of the Krewe of Tucks parade before raising her middle finger to the crowd.

The mayor appears to shout at the floats passing by her: 'I love you. God bless you. I'll see you. Happy Mardi Gras. Enjoy your ride. So glad your ride was good. Love you.'

It is unclear exactly what provoked Cantrell's rude reaction and a statement from the mayor's office said: 'Mardi Gras is a time where satire and jest are on full display. The city has been enjoying a safe and healthy Carnival and is looking forward to continuing the celebration on Lundi Gras and Mardi Gras.'
A coroner has said that he is not satisfied that a 15-year-old boy who drowned in the River Trent after drinking vodka took his own life.

Oliwier Kaczmarowski's body was found in the river in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, on May 26 after it is believed he entered the water at around 9pm on May 22.

An inquest in Lincoln on Thursday heard that Oliwier had shared a bottle of vodka with a friend in the hours before he entered the water, with later tests finding he was almost twice the legal drink-drive limit.

Coroner Paul Smith said that while conclusions of suicide and accidental death were 'plausible to a degree', he said they were 'not proven to the required standard', with there being no 'direct evidence' as to how Oliwier entered the river.

Oliwier Kaczmarowski's body was found in the River Trent in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, on May 26 after it is believed he entered the water at around 9pm on May 22

Coroner Paul Smith recorded a narrative conclusion after examining the available evidence

Recording a narrative conclusion, he said: 'Oliwier Kaczmarowski died on May 26 2023 from drowning.

'He entered the River Trent during the evening of May 22 whilst in drink.

'The evidence does not disclose the precise circumstances of his entering the water, nor his state of mind at the time.'

The coroner said he was 'not satisfied' that Oliwier had entered the water deliberately, or with the intention of taking his own life, adding there was 'no direct evidence' as to how he came to be in the river.

Oliwier was seen on CCTV in Gainsborough on May 22 with a friend, with whom he bought a bottle of vodka and mixers, and visited a local cafe.

The pair were later seen crossing a bridge and sitting on a bank of the River Trent, with his friend then leaving at about 8pm.

Oliwier had taken his shirt off due to the heat, the inquest heard, with the clothing recovered from the river bank while police searched for him after his mother raised the alarm that evening.

His body was discovered by police divers at around 1.20pm on May 26, with a later post-mortem examination giving the medical cause of death as drowning.

Toxicology tests found he had a reading of 144 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood, almost double the legal drink-drive limit of 80mg.

The inquest, attended by Oliwier's mother, heard that he was born in Poland and moved to the UK shortly after his birth.

He was described by friends as 'a nice lad', 'very relatable' and 'easy-going'.

His family said in a statement released by police in June that he was 'incredibly protective' and 'a great friend', adding: 'We will treasure those memories we had with him.'

In his statement to the coroner, Detective Sergeant Tim Sykes, of Lincolnshire Police, noted that Oliwier was 'struggling with his mental health on occasion' due to the death of his father in 2018 and the recent breakdown of a relationship, with the coroner also referencing the pressure of upcoming GCSE exams.

However, friends had supported him when needed, Mr Sykes said, with his school noting no concerns.

Mr Smith said: 'I have no doubt at all that had any of Oliwier's friends had concerns about him that night, he would not have been left alone in the circumstances that he was.'

Closing the hearing, Mr Smith said to Oliwier's mother: 'There is nothing that I can say that can take the hurt away.

'You have my own personal sympathies in relation to your loss and I hope you and your family recover from this tragedy.'
A convicted murderer who fought off London Bridge attacker Usman Khan with a narwhal tusk has revealed how he tried to stop the terrorist before he was shot dead by armed police.

Steve Gallant, 46, was spending his first day outside prison in 14 years on November 29, 2019, when terrorist Usman Khan began attacking people at Fishmongers' Hall next to London Bridge.

Khan, 28, stabbed to death Jack Merritt, 25, a rehabilitation worker whom Gallant had met in prison, and Saskia Jones, 23.

Mr Gallant, who was serving a life sentence with a minimum term of 17 years for the murder of firefighter Barrie Jackson, leapt into action and alongside John Crilly and Darryn Frost, was seen challenging Khan on the bridge in footage that rapidly went viral online.

Khan was wielding two 8in knives strapped to his hands with tape and was wearing a fake suicide vest.

In a new episode of our YouTube series 'My Story', Mr Gallant described the scene at Fishmongers' Hall that fateful day. He explained how he had been allowed out on licence to attend the London event alongside other prisoners, include Khan, in order learn about rehabilitation.

Steve Gallant, 46, was spending his first day outside prison in 14 years on November 29, 2019, when terrorist Usman Khan began attacking people at Fishmongers' Hall next to London Bridge

Khan being confronted by Darryn Frost, Steve Gallant (second from right) and John Crilly on London Bridge following the attack

Usman Khan (pictured) had been planning attacks on the Stock Exchange, Parliament and the US Embassy and was one of scores of Islamic terrorists who came into the prison system while I was inside

Moments before the screaming started at Fishmongers Hall, Id had my photo taken with Jack Merritt, who came into my life when I moved to Warren Hill jail in Suffolk in 2016

The group was given a presentation and Khan, who had been jailed over a previous terrorism plot in 2012, was among those who offered his thoughts.

Mr Gallant remembers being impressed by his comments.

He said: 'Prior to that moment I noticed an Asian chap at the window. I'm not sure why, but I had I had clocked him, but I never thought no more of it. And it was the same chap who responded to this presenter's questions and it turned out to be Usman Khan.

'He said. "I was hanging around with some friends before and they were thinking in the wrong way..."

'I got the impression that perhaps [he] was previously a gang member and that he, you know, in past years was antisocial.

'Now, he was telling his friends that they should've behaved far more socially. So yeah, I had a quite positive view of his response.

'After about a couple of hours into this event, there was a break and I was invited to another room where Jack [Merritt] was and we took some pictures.'

Mr Gallant recalls being in the hall shortly after recess when the sound of screams rang out. His prison escort ordered him to stay put.

He said: 'I didn't want to go and investigate at the time or make any mistakes because I was on license on my first day and I didn't want to mess up.

'A few seconds later, one of the co-founders of Learning Together came rushing into the room saying "everybody stay there, it's Usman", and pressing the phone really fast.

'I thought, well, whoever this Usman is, he must be responsible for these screams. It just made logical sense. As the screams were continuing. I thought, "sod it, I must go and investigate." So I just jumped up.'

Unbeknownst to him, Khan had murdered Mr Merritt - a Cambridge graduate dedicated to helping prisoners - in the toilets and then stabbed Miss Jones moments later after walking out of the bathroom.

Steve Gallant shakes the hand of the Princess Royal during the ceremony in which he was awarded the Queen's Gallantry Medal in September

Mr Gallant followed the screams and headed downstairs, where he saw the body of Miss Jones and another young woman nearby lying in a foetal position.

READ MORE: Four convicted terrorists recalled to prison after failing lie detector tests introduced after London Bridge attack Advertisement

He said: 'I looked forward and I saw Usman Khan stood there with two big sharp knives in each hand, and it was obvious that this man was responsible for what I'd just seen.

'So at that point, I made the decision to engage him, either take him to the ground or just keep him occupied until the police arrived. It was obvious to me that it was a terrorist attack.'

Mr Gallant saw a piece of wood on the floor. He picked it up and launched it at Khan's head but missed his target.

He said: '[Khan] opened up his jacket and showed me what looked like an improvised explosive belt strapped around his waist. Quite a big thing, it was, but I wasn't fazed by that. For some reason I just thought it's fake. Of course I didn't know, but I made that assumption.'

Now unarmed, Mr Gallant looked to his side and saw Darryn Frost, a worker at Fishmonger's Hall, holding a narwhal tusk.

'I just took it, I went into this foyer where Usman was stood and I just went for him.

'He was swinging his knives, I had the narwhal tusk and I managed to stab him in the neck or chest quite high up. It seemed to have little effect and I hit him quite hard too.

'He comes running back at me again and were back at it. I managed to snap the narwhal tusk over him, in his shoulder, and then it snaps in half and I've got no weapon.'

Mr Gallant then picked up a chair which he says he smashed over Khan, who then raced towards the exit on to London Bridge.

'Someone shut the door behind him. I thought, "There's people out there who don't have a clue about what's about to him them".

'So I raced over, I said "Move, there's people out there". I pulled the door open and then I went out onto London Bridge.

'I immediately saw some ladies walk towards him. I shouted, "Get back! He's a terrorist, get back!"'

Saskia Jones was stabbed to death by Usman Khan during the London Bridge attack

Outside, Gallant engaged Khan again and was joined by John Crilly, who sprayed the terrorist with a fire extinguisher. As Khan ran towards the bridge, he was followed by Gallant, Crilly and Darryn Frost, who wielded a second narwhal tusk.

The terrorist was later shot dead by armed officers in what was later justified to be a lawful act - after he had told them he had a bomb.

In the immediate aftermath of the incident, Gallant's bravery was not recognised by prison bosses - who sent him to a tougher jail, believing his actions that day showed a continued willingness to engage in violence.

After he appealed to his local MP, Labour's Karl Turner, the politician raised it in Parliament and wrote to then prime minister Boris Johnson for help.

On January 8, 2020, Mr Turner asked Mr Johnson to 'congratulate and pay tribute to Steven for his bravery that day, which no doubt saved lives'.

Mr Johnson replied: 'I am lost in admiration for the bravery of Steven Gallant, and indeed of others who went to the assistance of members of the public on that day and fought a very determined terrorist.'

In September, Gallant was invested with the Queen's Gallantry Medal for bravery by the Princess Royal in a ceremony at Windsor Castle.

Gallant, who was raised in East Hull, was jailed in 2005 for murdering firefighter Barrie Jackson after, he claims, Jackson attacked his partner.

Jackson is thought to have been bludgeoned with a hammer, kicked and punched to death, according to appeal documents. Gallant has since expressed regret over resorting to violence.

He was initially locked up at Category A Frankland prison, later being moved to Category B Gartree jail.
A notorious West Orange, New Jersey wild turkey, who became a local celebrity known for stopping traffic and his aggressive behavior, has finally been captured and pardoned just in time for Thanksgiving.

The bird, nicknamed Turkules, became a fixture on the front lawns of Kessler Institute and Daughters Of Israel on Pleasant Valley Way over the summer.

On Wednesday, the township announced Turkules had finally been captured after evading officials. He received a pardon from the mayor and avoided becoming a holiday dinner.

Turkules had become a local mascot after taking a tranquilizer dart to the chest - but continuing to strut around defiantly - and showing no fear when walking across busy intersections.

'He is a gangster. He will make his way back. He always does.' Susan, a West Orange resident said to The Guardian.

A West Orange, New Jersey wild turkey named Turkules was captured by authorities

He became a local celebrity known for stopping traffic and his aggressive behavior

'It's very sad. He has given the community near and far a reason to come together to hear of his adventures and determination.'

Local cafe Willow and Olivia honored Turkules as a hometown hero just days before his capture.

In partnership with Wildlife Conservation Society and other small businesses, they launched Turkules merchandise including t-shirts, sweatshirts, ornaments and decals where portions of the sales will go to the conservation society.

'I'll miss him a lot. I'll miss the daily reports on his sightings, I look forward to getting updates about him every day,' said Gia Garci, who owns the cafe.

'He was just our little uniter. The one thing that makes us smile, the thing that everyone could agree on.'

Community members even created a Facebook page of Turkules where they would post about their spottings.

The New York Times published a piece about the bird in October detailing the chaos he wrecked on West Orange commuters and pedestrians.

'The US Department of Agriculture which is under contract with the NJ DEP Division of Fish Game and Wildlife had been pursuing Turkules for some time now,' said the township.

In a previous attempt to capture the bird, officials lodged a tranquillizer dart in the breast area, which had no effect on him.

Local cafe Willow and Olivia honored Turkules as a hometown hero just days before his capture

Local businesses in partnership with Wildlife Conservation Society launched Turkules themed merchandise

At one point, Turkules wandered into traffic on Pleasant Valley Way, and was struck by car but survived unscathed.

West Orange said, 'Had it not been for the number of complaints the township had received with regard to Turkules' aggressive behavior concerning pedestrians, joggers, bicyclists and motorists, township officials would have been content to allow Turkules to remain as long as he wanted.'

Officials opted not to euthanize Turkules and relocated him to an undisclosed location in the state.

'Rumor has it that Turkules is living comfortably now in Cranbury NJ but as of this writing we were unable to confirm,' said the township.
The father of Gaza hostage Emily Hand has said he fears his daughter will not be released as part of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

'Until I see Emily's blue eyes looking into my own, I won't allow myself to believe anything,' the father from Dublin, 63, wrote in The Independent on Wednesday.

'News that 50 Hamas hostages might soon be released as part of a four-day truce has given me a glimmer of hope,' he wrote, 'but also a new sickness in the depths of my stomach. What if Emily is not among those that her assailants choose to send home?'

Emily Hand, nine, an Irish-Israeli citizen, was kidnapped during Hamas' invasion of Israel on October 7, in which some 240 captives were taken back into Gaza.

She is among at least 30 children believed to be still held in the besieged enclave.

Officials have not confirmed whether Emily will be among the first group of 13 hostages held in Gaza due to be released tomorrow at 4pm (2pm GMT), nor the 50 agreed over the period of the four-day truce.

Emily Hand, who turned nine-years-old in Hamas captivity on November 17

Thomas Hand (L), the father of Emily Hand, comforts Orit Meir (R), the mother of Almog Meir, as she addresses journalists during a press conference at the Embassy of Israel by family members of some of those held hostage in Gaza, on November 20, 2023

Thomas Hand, center, and Orit Meir, right, mother of hostage Almog Meir, attend a press conference of families of hostages at the Israel Embassy in London, November 20, 2023

Thomas Hand, father of nine-year-old Emily Hand, cries during a press conference by families of hostages at the embassy of Israel in London on November 20, 2023

Writing in The Independent, Mr Hand recounted how the morning Hamas gunmen swept through his kibbutz, he was told his daughter had been 'led away by Hamas and driven away in a flatbed pick-up truck'.

'Under heavy gunfire, I was escorted off the kibbutz with several other survivors and taken to relative safety by the army, with no idea of where Emily was,' he wrote.

READ MORE: First batch of 13 Gaza hostages will be freed tomorrow after Israel and Hamas agree who will be released - with ceasefire beginning from 7am Advertisement

'I know every parent says it, but Emily really is the most loving, caring daughter, sister and friend. She hasn't had an easy life  her mother died of breast cancer when she was just a baby  but you wouldn't think that to talk to her.

'She loves to sing, to dance, to perform. She can do cartwheels and the splits  I think she's destined to be an acrobat when she grows up'.

Emily was just eight-years-old when she was taken away from her family. On the night of October 6, she had slept over at a friend's house. In the morning, as Hamas descended on the village, Emily, her friend and the friend's mother were taken captive.

Mr Hand wrote that he was concerned about his daughter's mental and physical health in captivity.

'Even if we get her back tomorrow, we'll be dealing with the damage that has been done for the rest of our lives,' he wrote.

On Wednesday, Qatar announced that a humanitarian pause had been agreed in Gaza, citing successful mediation efforts with Egypt, the US, Israel and Hamas.

'The agreement includes the release of 50 civilian women and children hostages currently held in the Gaza Strip in exchange for the release of a number of Palestinian women and children detained in Israeli prisons, the number of those released will be increased in later stages of implementing the agreement,' a statement by Qatar's ministry of foreign affairs seen by MailOnline read.

Thomas Hand and Natali Hand, 26, his daughter, during a press conference for families of hostages feared taken in Gaza at the Embassy of Israel in Dublin. Monday November 13, 2023

A woman holds leaflets picturingIrish-Israeli girl Emily Hand, believed to be being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza, November 17, 2023

A protester shows photos of people held hostage by Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza, during a demonstration outside Downing Street on November 19, 2023

Protesters wave Israeli flags and hold photos of people held hostage by Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza, during a demonstration outside Downing Street on November 20, 2023

'The humanitarian pause will also allow the entry of a larger number of humanitarian convoys and relief aid, including fuel designated for humanitarian needs.

'The State of Qatar affirms its commitment to ongoing diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions, stop the bloodshed, and protect civilians. In this regard, the State of Qatar appreciates the efforts of the Arab Republic of Egypt and the United States of America in reaching this agreement.'

Israel has provided a list of about 300 Palestinian prisoners who might be released - double the number of women and minors it has agreed to be freed at first - and suggested it expects more than 50 hostages to be released under the deal.

The Palestinian Prisoners Society said that as of Wednesday, 7,200 prisoners were being held by Israel, among them 88 women and 250 children 17 and under.

Most on the list of 300 are from the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Jerusalem and were held for incidents such as attempted stabbings, hurling stones at Israeli soldiers, making explosives, damaging property and having contacts with hostile organisations. None are accused of murder.

Many were held under administrative detention, meaning they were held without trial.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) will work in Gaza to facilitate the release of the hostages, Qatar said.

The hostages are expected to be transported through Egypt, the only country apart from Israel to share a border with Gaza.

During the truce, trucks loaded with aid and fuel are expected to cross into Gaza, where 2.3 million people have been running out of food and many hospitals have shut down in part because they no longer have fuel for their generators.

The Hamas armed wing said on Thursday that 200 aid trucks and four fuel trucks would enter Gaza daily.

But still, questions remain around the fine details of the prisoner and hostage swaps.

Last night, Daniel Hagari, spokesperson for the IDF, said the release of the hostages, in exchange for 150 Palestinians, was a 'complicated and not closed process'.

'The coming days will be characterised by moments of relief and moments of pain,' Hagari said. 'They can also include attempts at psychological terrorism by the terrorist organisation.'

Smoke billows after an Israeli strike on northern Gaza on November 23, 2023

Destroyed buildings after Israeli army's airstrike at Nuseirat Refugee Camp as Israeli attacks continue in Deir Al Balah, Gaza on November 23, 2023

Palestinians injured in Israeli airstrikes arrive at Nasser Medical Hospital on November 23

Women embrace, as Palestinians with foreign passports arrive at the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, after weeks of brutal war, November 23, 2023

The truce agreement had raised hopes of eventually winding down the war, which has leveled vast swathes of Gaza, fueled a surge of violence in the occupied West Bank, and stirred fears of a wider conflagration across the Middle East.

Hamas killed more than 1,200 people when they launched their raid on Israel on October 7 - an attack that has provoked relentless retaliatory bombardments from Israel, killing more than 14,000, according to the IDF and the Palestinian Health Ministry respectively.
Do you know the worker who was saved? If so, get in touch at miriam.kuepper@mailonline.co.uk

Saved by crane operator Glen Edwards, 65, who was working at the time

Man stranded at the top of 750m development in Reading when it caught fire

This is the terrifying moment a builder came close to being engulfed in flames, before a modest crane driver saved him from the roof of a burning 750million Reading development today.

The man, who has not been named, was close to dying before Glen Edwards managed to carry out a Hollywood-style rescue and move a cage through smoke and flame to save his unnamed colleague.

Before Mr Edwards, 65, had an opportunity to showcase his operator skills, footage shows the other builder stranded alone on top of the One Station Hill office development close to Reading Station, as his feet become engulfed in flames. The workman uses his coat to attract his lifesaver, as the thick clouds of toxic smoke submerge him.

Under huge pressure Glen, from Egham, Surrey, then managed to expertly drop a cabin on to the top of the One Station Hill office development close to Reading Station as the building was engulfed in flames. There were huge cheers from the ground as the man jumped into the cage and was winched down to safety in scenes

Mr Edwards played down his heroics, but admitted: 'It has not been your average day at work.' He also added: 'I would say it was a very close call.'

Glen Edwards - the man operating the crane during the rescue effort tat saw a man saved from a burning tower in Reading today

The builder can be seen stranded alone on top of the One Station Hill office development close to Reading Station, as his feet become engulfed in flames

Station Road and Blagrave Street are now closed as police launch a drone to investigate a fire that appears to have spread across the top of a tower building site in the Station Hill development

The heroic crane operator said today: 'I saw someone waving his coat. I knew the person was at that level. But the wind was blowing the cage about. I was just waiting for the smoke to clear. I could see I was putting it down in the flames. The banksman (supervisor) told me when he was in.

'I was no more than 20 metres up in the air and I looked out my left-hand window and saw a guy standing on the corner of the building. 'I'd only just seen him and someone said "can you get the cage on", so that was it, I got the cage on and got it over to him the best I could. It was quite windy conditions.'

The Sir Robert McAlpine construction worker managed to winched the man to safety at top speed as the blaze continued to roar, passing his cargo through the thick black smoke that was spreading throughout the town in what he described as a 'close call'.

Mr Edwards continued: 'I would say it was a very close call, if you look at the video at the way the wind was swirling around there. I tried to put the cage down between him and the flames, but I was hampered by the wind swirling around there. But I got the cage down and I managed to get him in there.'

Mr Edwards, who had been working at the site before the blaze broke out, played down his heroics, adding: 'I don't want to blow it up too much, I'm not that sort of person.'

The dramatic three-minute rescue undoubtedly saved the builder's life as all around him blazing cladding caused massive clouds of toxic smoke.

Another man was also lifted from the building by crane, firefighters have said. Incredibly despite the severity of the fire, only two people needed to go to hospital with smoke inhalation, including the workman saved by Glen.

Wayne Bowcock, Chief Fire Officer, Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: 'Following todays fire in Reading town centre, I would like to add my thanks to the crane operator for an incredibly skilful rescue under extremely difficult circumstances.

'Without their actions, we may be looking at an entirely different scenario.

'On behalf of the Service, I would like to extend our best wishes to the two people who were rescued from the building and wish them a speedy recovery.

'At the height of the fire, more than 50 of our firefighters and Officers attended the scene rapidly and worked quickly and aggressively, with support from police, ambulance and other partners to extinguish the fire, which, as you can see from the footage had developed into a substantial fire.

'Thank you for the professionalism and dedication shown by all responders, as well as members of the Reading community for your patience and messages of support'.

The 16-storey office block, situated opposite Reading rail and Crossrail station, is part of a development that endured another fire just five months ago. The fire is contained but the cause is not yet known.

Eyewitnesses to the devastating fire have described how the scenes were 'like 9/11' - as builders in high-visibility gear rushed to a nearby pub to get water for those miraculously rescued by Mr Edwards.

A manager at the Greyfriar pub, which looks directly onto the staff entrance to the site, described the drama as a construction worker ran in and asked for a bottle of water to help one of the men who had been rescued from the roof.

Remarkable footage shows a man stranded at the top of the 750m One Station Hill development in Reading as the building is engulfed in flames

Having to choose his fate in a matter of seconds, the worker initially hesitates as the inferno surrounds him, before climbing aboard the cabin which was lifted into place by a colleague

People have been told to avoid the area, with nearby locals told to close their windows and doors, as smoke can now from villages several miles away

'It was maybe 11.45am when I saw the smoke,' she told MailOnline. 'It was quite thick, going over the station, and I went out to look - it was quite hard to see at first which building was on fire because it was coming through between two of them.

'I started to make my way back to the pub and they started evacuating people - more and more people, and the whole area around here was sealed off. Quite a lot of builders then came in to get a drink and use the loo - one came in at about 10 past, quarter past 12 and said, "Can I get a bottle of water?"

'He was with the guy rescued with the crane, who was having a bit of a panic attack. I gave him a bottle of water and he went to pay for it - I said, "No, absolutely not."

'It looked like the fire brigade dealt with it quite quickly - by 10 past 12 most of the smoke had gone, but everyone had to stay out here for quite a long time. That crane operator is a hero.'

Building site staff declined to speak to MailOnline at the entrance to the Station Hill development in Reading town centre on Wednesday. However, sources have suggested that insulation may be to blame.

It follows a fire at the Station Hill development in July - just four months ago. Locals are concerned about safety at the site, where homes are already being offered for sale.

The bar manager added: 'Then there's the other fire that happened in July. The smoke was the same - very, very thick black smoke coming from almost the same place.

'As someone that runs a business so close to the site, it's getting a bit concerning, in the space of a few months there has been two fires. There must be hundreds of people working there. One of the builders said to me you don't realise how many people work there.

'Thank God they were able to save everyone this time but if things like this keep happening...you dread to think.'

A spokesperson for South Central Ambulance Service said two people had been taken to hospital for treatment for smoke inhalation

The dramatic three-minute rescue undoubtedly saved the builder's life as all around him blazing cladding caused massive clouds of toxic smoke

More than 50 firefighters at the scene of the high-rise building under construction alongside an Aerial Ladder Platform and Incident Command Unit

Eyewitness Charlene Flygring, 36, from Caversham, had been considering moving into the development with her young son, three - but says today's fire has put her off altogether.

The website for the Ebb and Flow development, as it is known, offers build-to-let flats from 1320 a month for a studio flat.

Hospitality manager Ms Flygring said the scenes of thick black smoke billowing from the all-glass development reminded her of the September 11 terror attacks in 2001.

She told MailOnline: 'My son goes to nursery just up the road. I got a video from someone who works at the train station when I was on my way here and it just looked like 9/11: bright blue sky, crisp day, a big glass building, the smoke billowing down from the top.

'When I got here there were just police everywhere, armed police, normal police, community police. You could see people in orange and yellow jackets, maybe 100, 150 workers.

'This happened in July and they had to shut the street - literally a matter of months ago and it was such a big deal. I was looking at property there - I went for a viewing. There are people living in the properties at the moment. They advertise them on social media.

'But I have a child. The fire in July might have been a one in a million situation - but this, this is scary.'

She added: 'This fire went up in the blink of an eye,' clicking her fingers to make her point. 'Am I now thinking of moving in there? Hell no. Everyone seems very guarded about what happened. They say it's regeneration of the area - but do it safely.'

A hairdresser working near the Reading high-rise that was damaged in a blaze on Thursday said it is the second building to catch fire on the same construction site this year.

Jane Sneddon, 44, said she last had to evacuate her salon in July. Ruby Reds Hairdressing is directly beneath the building on fire today, and Ms Sneddon said she was close enough to feel the heat.

The Reading resident said her salon was evacuated in 2022 when scaffolding collapsed on another nearby building.

Ms Sneddon, who has owned the salon for four years, said: 'There was another fire in a different building, we were evacuated again. At the beginning (of the construction works) we had to be evacuated because the scaffolding fell down, someone was actually hurt that time.'

A manager at The Greyfriar pub said the previous fire happened on July 7.

The windows appear to have melted on the high-rise structure, as warped glass and scorched windows could be seen on the side of the building

A carpenter, who was working nearby, said onlookers below applauded as the man clambered into a metal basket attached to the crane and was carried away from the flames

The flames and smoke spread across the whole roof of the 750m One Station Hill office development close to Reading Station

Locals on the high street behind the Station Hill development went about their business as normal on Thursday night as the high-rise - which still has power - loomed overhead.

Some stopped to take photographs of the burnt, shattered glass destroyed by the flames. Cordons remain in place around the entrances to the site.

A local shopkeeper described the 'burning flames' that set in at the Station Hill site, which he said consumed the building for around half an hour. 'It covered the horizon,' he added. 'There needs to be an investigation.'

A carpenter, who was working nearby, said onlookers below applauded as the rescued man clambered into a metal basket attached to the crane and was carried away from the flames.

The witness, who did not want to be named, said: 'I was in the next door building, there was a guy standing up there (on top of the building), luckily the crane came in just in time.

'He was coughing [when he came down], from the smoke, you know what I mean. When he got inside the crane and the crane put him down everyone was clapping. The crane driver was very fast. He was still in the crane while the building was on fire.'

A worker from the development added: 'There were flames everywhere. Fortunately the wind was blowing in the opposite direction so the rescued builder was not badly affected by breathing in the smoke.

'There was a big round of applause from all the guys who were standing in the street, as he was lowered to the ground.'

Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue were called to the fire on Station Hill at 11.38am this morning. More than 50 firefighters were at the scene of the high-rise building under construction alongside an Aerial Ladder Platform and Incident Command Unit.

Station Road and Blagrave Street are now closed as police launch a drone to investigate a fire that appears to have spread across the top of a tower building site in the Station Hill development.

The 16-storey office block is part of a development that endured another fire just five months ago

Peter, who runs a local cafe, said the fire was 'really quite dramatic - thick billowing smoke and lots of flames'

Firefighters equipped with breathing apparatus used two main jets to extinguish the fire.

The fire service say two people were recused by the crane and taken into the care of South Central Ambulance Service.

Christopher Hutton, of the Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: 'Just after half 11 today, we received reports of a fire on Station Hill in Reading.

'At its peak, over 50 firefighters were on the scene from fire stations across the county. Crews found the fire in a high-rise building under construction. Firefighters equipped with breathing apparatus used two main jets to extinguish the fire.

'We understand that two people were rescued by a crane and have been placed in the care of South Central Ambulance Service and fortunately, all other people were accounted for.

'The fire has now been extinguished and we have scaled back our resources at the incident, but a number of crews will remain at the scene at this time to dampen down.'

A spokesperson for the ambulance service said the two people are receiving treatment for smoke inhalation.

The spokesperson said: 'I can confirm we've taken two people to the Royal Berkshire Hospital for further assessment and treatment for smoke inhalation, neither of whom were severe cases.

'We are now on stand-by supporting the fire service (which is a standard operational procedure when they are working at height and at scale).

'We have our hazardous area response team, an ambulance, the Thames Valley Air Ambulance critical care car, an operational commander, a tactical adviser and a tactical commander at the scene.'

A Thames Valley Police officer said he was the first to call the fire in, as he watched the man get rescued

Thames Valley Police have closed Friar Street, but Great Western Railway say the fire has not affected train services yet

The black smoke could be seen from several miles away in nearby villages

A Thames Valley Police officer said he was the first to call the fire in, as he watched the man get rescued in the crane.

The policeman said: 'I was the first person to call it in, and i saw a man getting rescued. He's in an ambulance in hospital now, he lobbed himself in the cage, I ran in the building and shouted is anyone in there. I don't think there was loads of people only a couple of people working on the roof.'

The cause of the fire is not been confirmed, but a local builder believes it was tarmac on the roof that caught fire.

He said: 'I was the first person to call it in, and I saw a man getting rescued. He's in an ambulance in hospital now, he lobbed himself in the cage, I ran in the building and shouted is anyone in there. I don't think there was loads of people only a couple of people working on the roof.'

People were told to avoid the area during the day. Those living and working close to the building were told to close their windows and doors, as smoke could be seen from villages several miles away.

The windows appear to have melted on the high-rise structure, as warped glass and scorched windows could be seen on the side of the building and parts of the roof appear to have bent.

Steve Reynolds, who works in a building 100 yards opposite where the fire started, told the BBC: 'I saw a black cloud go up and a ball of flames happen and all of a sudden I could see there was a guy trapped on the corner. There were bits of glass falling off the side of the building and he was completely exposed up there.

'Then all of a sudden a crane came out from the left with a carriage on it and they lowered it down and he gets in and they pull him away. There was a massive cheer from all the workers on the ground. It was pretty terrifying.'

Peter, who runs a local cafe, said the fire was 'really quite dramatic - thick billowing smoke and lots of flames'. 'We immediately got rid of all our customers - that's all we could think to do,' he said.

Aaron, who was a bystander, said: 'It's just the most devastating thing I've seen in my life.'

Office workers at Thames Tower, which is very close to the on fire construction site, saw the flames first hand and were asked to evacuated around 11.40am

The Station Hill complex was set to provide up to 1,300 homes

Redwood Consulting, speaking on behalf of the Station Hill developers, said it activated its fire emergency plans immediately

The cause of the fire is not been confirmed, but a local builder believes it was tarmac pitchman on the roof that caught fire.

The One Station Hill Complex was a landmark building that was due to open next year containing 15 floors of workspace and a fitness club

This is not the first the landmark building has caught fire, as it was the centre of a blaze in July last year

Firefighters equipped with breathing apparatus are using two main jets to fight the fire

Luke Edgecombe, who works in a building 500 meters from the site of the fire, told the MailOnline about the 'mass hysteria' on the streets when the flames became visible.

The 29-year-old said: 'There were large amounts of crowds. There was quite a lot of hysteria. I guess people were interested. It's not something you often see, a large building on fire.

'There were lots of people with their phones out and lots of rumours probably being spoken about how it started. It's something that's completely abnormal and shouldn't be happening.'

Station Road and Blagrave Street was closed as police launched a drone to investigation into how the fire started.

Office workers at Thames Tower, who were very close to the on fire construction site, saw the flames first hand and were asked to evacuated around 11.40am.

Thames Valley Police have closed Friar Street, but Great Western Railway say the fire has not affected train services yet.

Due to an incident, Thames Travel say the 143 and X40 services are unable to serve Friar Street, Station Road and Forbury Road.

The One Station Hill Complex was a landmark building that was due to open next year containing 15 floors of workspace and a fitness club.

This is not the first the landmark building has caught fire, as it was the centre of a blaze in July this year.

On that day, large plums of smoke were also seen flying into the air. All people at the site were accounted for and nobody was thought to have been harmed

Redwood Consulting, on behalf of Station Hill, said: 'We activated our fire emergency plans immediately, the emergency services were notified and are currently on site.

'The safety of those on site and the wider public is always our first priority, and the site has been evacuated as a result. As soon as we have more information we will provide an update.'
It is unclear if the virus came from the restaurant but the Chicago chain has fully cooperated with the investigation

They reported that they experienced vomiting, cramps, and diarrhea

Northwestern University students say they became violently ill after eating $1 burritos at an Illinois restaurant.

The Evanston Health and Human Services Department have now launched an investigation after confirming the group contracted norovirus.

Those affected ate at the Big Wig Tacos & Burritos restaurant near the campus on November 18 where the burritos were being sold exclusively to Northwestern students.

The health department said that they started to receive complaints two days later of people vomiting, experiencing diarrhea and cramps.

According to the health department, the norovirus breakout is linked to the burrito special. Big Wig has fully cooperated with the investigation.

Students were exclusively sold $1 burritos at Big Wig Tacos & Burritos restaurant near the campus on November 18

Diners who ate at the restaurant were asked to fill out a questionnaire ever if they didn't have any symptoms.

Health officials inspected the Chicago chain restaurant's cleaning and sanitizing procedures and found they do have an active employee health policy.

In a statement from the company, they said that they are aware that norovirus outbreaks are more common in university settings, and went on to 'emphasize' their 'commitment to the health and well-being of our patrons and staff.'

They said they 'are not certain' if the outbreak emerged from the restaurant or not, but have still gone on to take appropriate actions 'to address the situation.'

Following the incident, Big Wig said that have made sure to fully sanitize the establishment, with direct focus on places that are more susceptible to virus transmission.

Employees from the restaurant are also being closely monitored for similar symptoms, but none have displayed any.

Norovirus is most commonly known as the stomach flu that can cause inflammation in the stomach or intestines and lead to nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and stomach pain.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, norovirus is 'highly contagious' and is known to spread 'very easily' in multiple ways.

Some of the ways that the virus can spread is through direct contact with someone who has norovirus, eating foods or drinking liquids that are contaminated with it, or by simply touching surfaces that have it.

Symptoms can occur within 12 to 48 hours after a person has contracted the virus and typically start to improve in one to three days.

The CDC reported that the virus is the most contagious when you have symptoms and during the first couple of days after a person starts to feel better.

Students from Northwestern University (pictured) experienced diarrhea, vomiting and cramping after they ate $1 burritos from Big Wig Tacos & Burritos

Big Wig said that they 'are not certain' if the outbreak emerged from the restaurant or not and have fully cooperated with the investigation

'However, studies have shown that you can still spread norovirus for two weeks or more after you feel better,' the CDC said.

The virus can be avoided by regularly washing hands thoroughly with soap and water.

CBS News Chicago reported that when they stopped by the location on Wednesday, the restaurant 'appeared to be closing for the day.'

Last month a restaurant in Maine warned customers they may have been exposed to Hepatitis A after it spread by an infected employee.

The the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention said that an employee at Marco's Italian Restaurant in Lewiston, Maine came to work several days last month while they were infected with the disease.

There were no reported cases of customers or other employees contracting Hepatitis A.
Hyundai Motor, Korea's leading automaker, said Thursday it has partnered with University College London (UCL) to pursue joint research projects involving carbon-neutral future technologies.

Under a memorandum of understanding signed in London on Wednesday (local time), Hyundai and UCL will cooperate in areas of research and development for hydrogen production, hydrogen fuel cells and electrification technology, the company said.

The agreement was signed on the sidelines of a bilateral business forum held on the occasion of President Yoon Suk Yeol's state visit to Britain.

UCL is a prestigious research-oriented university based in London that has produced dozens of Nobel and Fields Prize laureates.

Notably, UCL is at the forefront of hydrogen-related technologies. Recently, it established the Advanced Propulsion Lab and has been strengthening its expertise in research on electric propulsion for automobiles.

In 2021, Hyundai announced a goal to become completely carbon neutral by 2045. It has been making efforts to reduce carbon emissions across its entire value chain.

Starting in 2035 in Europe and extending to key markets until 2040, Hyundai aims to sell only electric vehicles with zero carbon emissions. Furthermore, the company plans to replace 100 percent of power demand at its global facilities with renewable energy by 2045. (Yonhap)
Snow and frost could hit Britain this weekend as it braces for an Arctic blast in the first cold snap of the year.

The Met Office said sleet and snow may fall in the north of Scotland and on peaks above 400 metres (1,312ft) high.

Saturday is expected to be the coldest night of the year across the country with the first sub-zero temperatures.

Meteorologists believe that night will see thermometers hitting minus 4C in Wales and minus 5C in the rural South West.

Daytime temperatures are not expected to reach double digits during the day on Saturday but will be returning to above 10C by Sunday and into the following week.

A highland cow in Carrbridge, Scottish Highlands (File Photo)

The Brecon Beacons in Wales (File Photo)

A Met Office spokesman said the cold and variable weather is to be expected at this time of year, though the UK has historically had the first frosts in October

Saturday is expected to be the coldest night of the year across the country with the first sub-zero temperatures

A Met Office spokesman said the cold and variable weather is to be expected at this time of year, though the UK has historically had the first frosts in October.

He said: 'We can see there's big swings in temperatures, all it takes is a quick change from a southern wind into a north wind to have that change.

'It's not unusual to see these changes.'

A yellow warning has been posted for the Shetland archipelago, where gusts could reach 60mph between 10pm and 6am over the next 24 hours.

The north of the archipelago is forecast to face the coldest temperatures in the country.

'Nagging winds' are hitting the north-east of the UK and are forecasted to whip up high waves and pose a challenge to lorries over the weekend.

A meteorological chart showing the conditions Europe is facing on Friday

Richmond Park in London (File Photo)

A misty morning in the Oxfordshire countryside (File Photo)

The strong winds are affecting the east of the country down to Norfolk but are calmer in more southernly regions.

It comes as the Environment Agency issued 37 UK flood alerts, meaning that flooding is possible, and four flood warnings for spots where it is expected.

Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge told MailOnline: 'Although the forecast indicates colder conditions over the weekend, there is little if any prospect for snow to occur anywhere outside the Scottish Highlands.

'During the next few days there will be a northerly influence with air feeding in from the north of the UK. We may see some wintry showers feeding in along the east coast of the North Sea, but these are expected to be mainly of rain and sleet.

'Temperatures are expected to drop below zero C overnight in some locations (mainly from midlands north). Some isolated locations in Scotland may fall a few degrees C below zero but these locations will be well away from population centres.'
A New York attorney has filed a bizarre lawsuit accusing Ben Affleck and Matt Damon of stalking and harassing her to use private details of her life in their work by bugging her home.

Court documents obtained by DailyMail.com accuse Affleck and Damon of not only bugging the womans home but also hacking her devices, leaving her in fear she would be raped or kidnapped.

The lawsuit claims that her identity and personal experiences were used to develop SNL skits at the time Affleck was dating a producer Lindsay Shookus, and as well as in films produced by Harvey Weinstein.

She claims not to know when she became an unwitting participant in their simulation, according to the suit filed in New York Supreme Court on Thursday, under the Adult Survivors Act.

Afflecks brother, Casey, his now wife Jennifer Lopez, actor Kevin Smith, Ryan Seacrest and Weinstein are all accused of playing a part in the bizarre allegations.

A New York attorney has filed a bizarre lawsuit accusing Ben Affleck (left) and Matt Damon (right) of stalking and harassing her to use private details of her life in their work by bugging her home

Court documents obtained by DailyMail.com accuse Affleck and Damon of not only bugging the womans home but also hacking her devices, leaving her in fear she would be raped or kidnapped

It claims that she watched Maid in Manhattan on repeat after recovering from an injury, and noticed several similarities between herself and Jennifer Lopez character (pictured left)

She claims that work released in 2023 includes art which contains a reproduction of her nude, which she identified by a scar which is a distinguishing characteristic of hers.

The action has been taken against Dimension Films, Disney, Lionsgate, Warner Bros and Paramount pictures, accusing them of being negligent and allowing the plagiarism and harassment to take place.

DailyMail.com did not immediately receive a response when reaching out to representatives of the companies or Affleck, Lopez, Damon, Seacrest, Smith and Weinstein.

The woman, who has not been named in the filings, claims that she only became aware of the similarities between her own life and the shows after watching several consecutively while injured.

She was left with substantial scars after a car accident in 1985, and suffers from short-term memory loss and physical limitations.

In 2001 she joined Damon and Afflecks website, Project Greenlight, which was set up for writers to discuss their ideas and view contest submissions.

Her lawsuit states she saw similarities in her life on SNL and Mob Wives between 2010 to 2011.

The court documents claim that she watched Maid in Manhattan (2002) on repeat after recovering from an injury, and noticed several similarities between herself and Lopez character.

It also states that Gone Girl, which stars Affleck, had events and dialogue which mirrored her life, as well as several other shows and films.

Afflecks now wife Jennifer Lopez (pictured) has been accused of playing a part in the allegations

In 2001, the plaintiff joined Damon and Afflecks website, Project Greenlight, which was set up for writers to discuss their ideas and view contest submissions

She claims that patterns in the works include characters with her first name or similar, and who are similar to her in appearance  dark bobbed or shoulder length hair with bangs, are gap-toothed, and wear candy-cane colors.

The Weinstein Company is accused of repeatedly using her identity in The Details (2011), Spy Kids 4-D: All the Time in the World (2011); Scream 4 (2011); The Railway Man (2013), The Butler (2013), St. Vincent (2014), Big Eyes (2014), Snowpiercer (2014), Bad Santa 2 (2016) and Amityville Awakening (2017).

These allegations are corroborated by the fact that three of them use her first name or derivatives of it, another filmed in her neighborhood, several include the boxcutter, others include hourglasses, and one includes her birthday, according to the court documents.

The suit goes on to claim that characters had clothes or other belongings identical to hers, referenced her likes and dislikes including high thread-count sheets, squirrels and cats.

She claimed music artists she listened to including Simon & Garfunkel, philosophers she referenced and a KFC she lived near were also mentioned.

Images of her belongings including a blue and red plaid bag, red Swiss army knife and a silver-gray boxcutter also allegedly appeared in works.

Hourglasses, phoenixes and owls, as well as images of women nude but for a sheet over them are also detailed as repeating patterns in more than 40 films and shows.

The plaintiff also alleged that Affleck and Lopez mirrored her life personally with claims including the couple bought a home in Savannah, Georgia after she applied for a job there and that Lopez bought a dog and a horse which she wanted.

She added that on June 9, 2014, she had tried on clothes which did not fit before Lopez performed Tight Pants on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.

The lawsuit alleged that Damon quoted her during an address at MIT in June 2016 and that Affleck adopted a Husky and wore a t-shirt with the pyramids on it days after she said in 2017 phone calls that she wanted to adopt a rescue dog and see the pyramids.

The suit goes on to claim that characters had clothes or other belongings identical to hers, referenced her likes and dislikes including high thread-count sheets, squirrels and cats

Casey Affleck (pictured with Damon) was also mentioned in the lawsuit

The woman worked for Boies Schiller & Flexner LLP in 2003, when the firm reportedly settled claims against the Weinsteins, Miramax and Disney.

Court documents also claim that she saw Affleck several times between 2001 to 2003, in a laundromat, driving a Pearl Cadillac and in Atlantic City where he was watching her.

She claims that Damon began seeing the same dentist as her in 2009, with several projects being filmed close to her home the following year. In 2015 she was asked if her home could be used as a film location.

Affleck is accused of stalking the woman from 2002, when her car was broken into, with her witnessing his car outside her office and an event she attended in 2004 and 2005.

She alleges she saw Affleck walking in front of her New York City home in 2007 and saw Damon walking on a nearby street in the middle of 2009.

The plaintiff claims she saw Affleck walking towards her in Manhattan in January 2019 and that he boarded her subway car in Brooklyn in April 2019. She claimed she saw Damon standing outside a restaurant she ate in for twenty minutes.

She said she was told about the celebrity dating app Raya in October 2019 before Affleck began using it.

The plaintiff appeared in front of a judge in October 2019 and claimed the next SNL episode featured a courtroom sketch with the host resembling and acting like the same judge.

She said she had an allergic reaction in December 2019 and that Lopez also had one on SNL.

The plaintiff added that in early 2020, Affleck wore a similar jacket to one she had and that actress Ana de Armas wore identical clothes that she had worn the day before.

Harvey Weinstein's company is accused of repeatedly using her identity in films including The Details (2011), Spy Kids 4-D: All the Time in the World (2011) and Scream 4 (2011)

Director Kevin Smith has been accused of playing a part in the bizarre allegations filed on Thursday

Ryan Seacrest has been named in the lawsuit filed by the New York attorney

She found a bug, saw an owl-shaped camera pointed at her home, woke to find a man in her bedroom and saw a man pointing a telescope at her after an alert that her emails had been hacked, according to the suit.

Additionally, she claims she got a call from a man who sounded like Affleck in 2017, saying she was being watched in her home. She claims she saw Affleck and Damon several times in Manhattan in 2019.

Between 2020 and 2022 the woman claims that she saw Affleck several times, and saw a Range Rover similar to the one the actor owned on her street, as well as accusing him of taking a picture of her on the subway.

She claims she has been left with severe emotional distress, after being depicted as a prostitute, stripper, promiscuous, drug addict and accused the group of disclosing embarrassing facts.

Her lawsuit states that she feared for her life after hearing snitches get stitches, repeatedly as well as references to kidnap, rape and murder.

The woman is asking for undisclosed compensatory damages, to exceed the jurisdiction of lower courts.

A separate lawsuit was filed by the woman in November 2022, which was dismissed in 2023. Her new suit states that the New York filing has updated allegations to those made the year prior.
Mayor Breed is now using a $17m grant to increase officers despite knocking $120m from the police budget just a few years ago

Union Square - the city's major retail area - has become plagued with crime and theft in recent years

San Francisco plans to ramp up their police presence this holiday season to crack down on shoplifters - despite defunding the police just two years ago amidst BLM protests.

Union Square - the main shopping area in San Francisco - will see an increase in police officers patrolling the area surrounding Powell and Market streets just in time for the holiday shopping season.

Officials say the increased police presence will deter criminals and make the area safer for stores and shoppers.

The call for escalated police presence is in tandem with the city's efforts to discourage retail crime, control theft and encourage visitors to return to downtown San Fran after the crime-ridden city gained a reputation for drugs, homelessness and lawlessness.

The new expanded patrol measures come just a few years after the liberal city - led by Democrat Mayor London Breed - confidently called to defund the police during the Black Lives Matter movement.

In February 2021, Breed announced plans to redirect $120 million from the police department to a combination of new and existing programs.

Union Square - the main shopping area in San Francisco - will see an increase in police officers patrolling the area surrounding Powell and Market streets just in time for the holiday shopping season

The crime-ridden downtown area of San Francisco has seen the closure of many shops and restaurants since its drastic downfall

The call for escalated police presence is in tandem with the city's efforts to discourage retail crime , control theft and encourage visitors to return to downtown San Fran after the crime-ridden city gained a reputation for drugs, homelessness and lawlessness

In Union Sqaure, San Francisco police will increase the number of uniformed officers on the streets at all hours and has heightened its undercover officer scope.

Holiday shoppers should also prepare to face limited parking and increased patrols in parking garages - which the city hopes will further prevent criminal activity.

Distric Attorney Brooke Jenkins blasted the perception the city has and insisted the increased police presence in Union Square would help deter criminals.

'Some news outlets have continued to push a narrative that we do not enforce our laws here in San Francisco and in the state of California. But I am here today to remind everyone that those days are over here in San Francisco,' she said. 'We will prosecute those who commit crime in this city, and that includes organized retail theft.'

Officials say the increased police presence will deter criminals and make the area safer for stores and shoppers

The increased police presence in Union Square is part of San Fran's Safe Shopper Initiative - which was announced by Breed in 2021 after a wave of looting swept over the city which primarily targeted luxury stores in Union Square.

The increased police presence in Union Square is part of San Fran's Safe Shopper Initiative - which was announced by Breed in 2021 after a wave of looting swept over the city which primarily targeted luxury stores in Union Square.

Union Square's Louis Vuitton store was a victim of many smash-and-grab robberies which ultimately forced the shop to board up its windows.

Police Chief Bill Scott said the department quadrupled their officers patrolling the commercial corridor last year - and that the number this year will be even higher.

Mayor Breed announced a $17 million grant to help with their police-expansion efforts and movement to combat retail theft ahead of the holiday shopping season.

Breed said that the funding would go toward paying officers overtime for the chaotic time period as they ran targeted retail theft operations.

Money is also set to go towards the San Francisco District Attorney's Office to fund a prosecutor and investigator dedicated to retail theft cases.

San Francisco has become notorious for homelessness, crime, theft and drugs in a post-pandemic downfall

A slew of the city's restaurateurs cited crime, drugs, and waning tourism as the main culprits killing their businesses. Pictured: Homeless people live near San Francisco's Union Square

The crime-ridden downtown area of San Francisco has seen the closure of many shops and restaurants since its drastic downfall.

In October, it was reported that seven Starbucks stores were planning to close as the city continues to deal with crime, drug use, and a homelessness epidemic.

At the end of August video was released showing San Francisco's newly shut-down flagship Nordstrom store that was almost barren after nearly three decades in business.

A slew of the city's restaurateurs cited crime, drugs, and waning tourism as the main culprits killing their businesses, all set on Valencia Street.

The thoroughfare, about a mile from the city's embattled Downtown, is considered one of the most sought-after strips of restaurant real estate in The Bay Area.

But for residents of San Francisco's Mission District, the reality is far different. The area - much like the nearby 'Doom Loop' of Union Square, City Hall, and Tenderloin and Mid Market districts - has been a hive of unsavory, post-pandemic activity.

The city's Ikea was nearly empty earlier this month as customers say persistent construction, lack of parking and constant crime on the surrounding streets keep them from shopping at the store.
Police arrested Charles Ivy, 34, Wednesday on probable cause: He was charged with first-degree murder, two counts of attempted felony murder and arson

A Florida mother-of-three was found stabbed to death inside her apartment that had been set ablaze while her three young children were still inside.

Her 10-month-old baby died hours later in hospital in what police are calling 'the most horrendous and horrific crime' they have ever seen.

Den'Jah Moore, identified as the children's mother, was covered in stab wounds when firefighters arrived around midnight on Tuesday at a home on Belville Road in Daytona Beach.

Moore was pronounced dead at the scene, Fox35 Orlando reported. Firefighters found the baby boy in his crib and two other children, aged four and five, inside the burning structure.

The three youngsters were rushed to Halifax Hospital. The 10-month-old boy later died after suffering from cardiac arrest.

The two other children were taken to a hospital in Gainesville, Florida, and were in critical condition as of Wednesday, officials said. Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young said 'the injuries were as a result of being left to die in a fully engulfed fire.'

Pictured: Den'Jah Moore, identified as the children's mother, was covered in stab wounds when firefighters arrived around midnight on Tuesday at a home on Belville Road in Daytona Beach

Moore's 10-month-old son, who was found in his crib, as the apartment was engulfed in flames, later died from cardiac arrest at the hospital

Moore's two other children, aged four and five, were also found inside the burning structure. Both youngsters remain in critical condition and are fighting for their lives

Daytona Police arrested Charles Ivy, (pictured) 34, near his home in Ormond Beach, Wednesday on the grounds of probable cause on Wednesday, a day after the heinous crime

On Wednesday, Daytona Police arrested Charles Ivy, 34, near his home in Ormond Beach, on the grounds of probable cause.

He was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted felony murder and arson, as per the news outlet Fox35 Orlando.

During a press conference, the police chief said Ivy was the father of the four and five-year-old and said it was 'definitely domestic in nature.' Though he pointed out that a motive is still unknown.

He said none of the children had been physically harmed or stabbed before the fire.

According to a report, fire officials said there were at least two fires happening simultaneously inside the apartment.

One of the fires is believed to have started in the bedroom, and the second in the kitchen. All four burners on the stove were reportedly turned on. Debris including, burnt paper and a box, were also found at the scene, the report revealed.

At the presser, Young spoke about Ivy's prior rap sheet that he said was 'criminally minimal,' but spoke of the horrors he observed.

'With what we witnessed throughout this investigation the defendant in this incident deserves a special place in the gates of hell for what he did to this mother and these children.'

'Again, I have never witnessed anything this horrific in my entire career,' he added.

Young said Ivy did not confess, but he placed himself at the scene at the time the murders would have occurred.

Through technology, police were able to track his vehicle with traffic cameras after he left the scene.

He said the defendant was also found in possession of the victim's cell phone.

According to a report, fire officials said there were at least two fires happening simultaneously inside the apartment. One of the fires is believed to have started in the bedroom, and the second fire in the kitchen. All four burners on the stove were reportedly turned on

During a press conference, the fire chief said Ivy was the father of the four- and-five-year-old and said it was 'definitely domestic in nature,' though a motive is still yet unknown

'The evidence is clear,' Young said. 'The evidence speaks for itself regarding this incident.'

The police chief also expressed his gratitude to the firefighters for their swift actions in helping to save the other two children, who he said, may have not survived.

He thanked his responding officers on the scene, medical staff, and state attorney's office to get the arrest warrants.

He also made a special shout out to the investigators, who he said worked non-stop to find leads and get an arrest so close to the Thanksgiving holiday.
The brother of slain model Reeva Steenkamp tonight made a last-ditch plea that her murderer Oscar Pistorius should remain behind bars.

Shamed Paralympian Pistorius is expected to win his freedom tomorrow in a parole hearing in Pretoria after he become eligible for release for shooting dead his girlfriend Reeva on Valentine's Day morning in 2013.

Now Reeva's brother Adam Steenkamp has begged the parole board in South Africa to keep Pistorius locked up and serve his full 13-year sentence  and blamed the stress of the case on their heartbroken father's stroke after the shooting and his death in September.

Speaking to MailOnline from his home in the UK, Adam said: 'It had been a traumatic last decade on earth for my father trying to deal with Reeva's death.It took a terrible toll on his health. First, he had a stroke that led to years of ill health. I don't think his body could take any more.'

Reeva, who was 29 when she was slain by her boyfriend, was half-sister to IT consultant Adam, who lives in Suffolk with his wife and children.

Shamed Paralympian Pistorius is expected to win his freedom tomorrow in a parole hearing in Pretoria after he become eligible for release for shooting dead his girlfriend Reeva on Valentine's Day morning in 2013

Their father Barry went to his grave haunted that Pistorius never admitted his intention to kill Reeva.

Both his late father and stepmother June Steenkamp had been adamant that Pistorius should remain behind bars, until he told them the truth about how he deliberately killed their daughter.

Mrs Steenkamp says she will not oppose the athlete's bid for freedom and will not attend tomorrow's hearing, despite her revulsion over the killing and her hatred for him.

Adam, 46, who in the past described Pistorius' tearful pleas of innocence at his trial as a 'grotesque pantomime' remains insistent that the Paralympian gold medallist's bid for freedom tomorrow should fall on deaf ears.

He told MailOnline today: 'From a personal point of view I firmly believe Oscar should serve out his full sentence but the other side of me thinks I have to fully support the laws of the land.

'The personal aspect for me is so much harder to fathom and understand. You have to focus on the reason Reeva died and you can't quite see it.

'The thought that comes into my head is that he is being let off the hook a bit if he gets granted parole.

'I already thought the original sentence was lenient in itself. I support and understand the reasons for someone getting parole but this is about my sister and I would prefer he serves the time he was given.

Reeva was 29 when she was slain by her boyfriend, Oscar Pistorius, who shot her dead on Valentine's Day morning in 2013

'The results of his actions caused so much grief and unhappiness to us as Reeva's family. I'm still of the view that he has taken no responsibility for his actions that day.

'I base that view from my father Barry who obviously went to see him in prison so I can't feel any different. You've got to serve your time.

'My kids are growing up now and my teenage daughter is asking lots and lots of questions and obviously reading things.

'She is aware of Reeva's story but doesn't know all of the graphic details but is old enough to discuss it with her.

'She started asking me questions about parole and can't quite understand in her mind why if you do something like Pistorius did and get let out.

Pistorius shot Reeva multiple times through a closed toilet cubicle door in his home in the South African capital, Pretoria

'In her eyes there is nothing we can do about something that was very tragic and wrong.

'I try not to feel bitter. This is life and people go to jail and get parole. You have to move on no matter how much her death still hurts us as a family.

'My dad Barry died in September from an ongoing illness to do with his heart. He was 80, it was a bit unexpected and took us all by surprise.

'I won't be speaking to June before the parole decision but ultimately I will have to accept whatever decision is made no matter how much it hurts.'

Pistorius, the double-amputee athlete, who broke barriers by competing on carbon-fibre running blades at the 2012 London Olympics, shot Reeva multiple times through a closed toilet cubicle door in his home in the South African capital, Pretoria, in the early hours of Valentine's Day 2013.

Both his late father and stepmother June Steenkamp had been adamant that Pistorius should remain behind bars, until he told them the truth about how he deliberately killed their daughter

His claim that he shot her in the belief that an intruder had entered his home while he slept was ultimately dismissed by Pretoria judges after he had been cleared of murder and found guilty of culpable homicide.

He was initially convicted of culpable homicide, a charge comparable to manslaughter, in 2014 but the case went through a number of appeals before Pistorius was finally sentenced to 13 years and five months in prison for murder in 2017.

Serious offenders in South Africa must serve at least half their sentence before they are eligible for parole.

Pistorius' case and his parole eligibility had been complicated by appeals by prosecutors, who first challenged his culpable homicide conviction and then a sentence of six years for murder, which they called shockingly lenient.

The Supreme Court of Appeal eventually ruled in 2017 that Pistorius should serve South Africa's minimum sentence of 15 years for murder, but took into account the year and seven months he had already served for culpable homicide when it delivered the 13 years and five months sentence.

Known as the 'Blade Runner,' he was at the height of his fame when he killed Steenkamp months after the London Olympics

However, the court made an error by not counting another period Pistorius had served while his murder sentence was being appealed, meaning he was in fact eligible for parole in March when he was told at his first hearing that he would only be eligible in August 2024.

Pistorius' lawyers took his case to the country's apex Constitutional Court. The decision to give Pistorius another parole hearing tomorrow is effectively an admission of the appeal court's blunder and is likely to help set him free.

At breakfast the killer will be brought from his cell and appear before a parole board at the Atteridgevale prison and his legal team, led by Conrad Dormehl, will argue that he has served sufficient time and that there has been official blunders on time served on his tariff.

Mrs Steenkamp will remain at her Port Elizabeth home, but lawyer Annade Theatrt-Hofmeyr will read out an impact statement on her behalf.

Pistorius is not guaranteed to be granted early release. A parole board takes a number of factors into account, including his conduct and disciplinary record in prison, his mental health and the likelihood of him committing another crime.

The decision to give Pistorius another parole hearing tomorrow is effectively an admission of the appeal court's blunder and is likely to help set him free

He could be released on full parole or placed on day parole, where he would be allowed to live and work in the community but have to return to prison at night.

Pistorius was born with a congenital condition that led to his legs being amputated below the knee when he was a baby, but he took up track and won multiple Paralympic titles on his running blades.

He is the only double amputee to run at the Olympics and his London appearance resulted in huge fanfare.

Known as the 'Blade Runner,' he was at the height of his fame when he killed Steenkamp months after the London Olympics.

At his murder trial, he claimed he shot Reeva by mistake with his licensed 9 mm pistol because he believed she was a dangerous intruder hiding in his bathroom in the middle of the night.

Mrs Steenkamp will remain at her Port Elizabeth home, but lawyer Annade Theatrt-Hofmeyr will read out an impact statement on her behalf

Pistorius turned 37 on Wednesday and has not been seen for nearly a decade, although there have been occasional glimpses of his time in prison.

Mrs Steenkamp was given the chance to meet her daughter's killer in the summer of 2022, but declined.

She said: 'I couldn't see myself going without hurting him. I didn't want to go to jail for attacking him. That would have been a great possibility. Things haven't got better. It gets worse as the time goes by because we miss Reeva every day that she is not here with us.

'It's very, very stressful that she couldn't spend our last days with us because he took her.

'Oscar has taken a lot away from us and from her. So now instead of getting upset, I get anger. I am angry with him. It is a horrible thing to say, but I can't stand him.'
Two United States federal courts had indicted Perez on drug trafficking charge; the U.S. government was offering $3 million reward

El Nini is accused of overseeing security of the Sinaloa Cartel cell known as 'Los Chapitos' that is operated by the sons of Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman

Mexico's National Guard apprehended the alleged security chief for a Sinaloa Cartel faction headed by the sons of Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman.

Nestor 'El Nini' Perez, 30, was taken into custody at a home in Colinas de la Rivera, an upscale neighborhood in the Sinaloa city of Culiacan on Wednesday afternoon.

A video filmed by a neighbor showed Perez standing on the property's roof with his arms stretched out before the guardsmen apprehended him.

He was later transported to Mexico City, where he was turned over to the Attorney General's Office.

United States President Joe Biden said in a statement Thursday that streets in Mexico and the U.S. were now safer with El Nini in prison.

'For nearly three years, El Nini has been one of Mexico's and the United States' most wanted criminals, indicted by the United States for his roles in perpetrating violence and illicit fentanyl trafficking into the United States, and both our countries are safer with him behind bars and facing justice for his crimes,' Biden said. 'His arrest also follows Mexico's arrest and extradition to the United States of another Chapitos leader, Ovidio Guzman Lopez, earlier this year.'

The Drug Enforcement Administration's former director for international operations, Mike Vigil, described Perez as 'a complete psychopath in an interview with The Associate Press.

'Taking him out of commission is a good thing for Mexico,' he said.

Nestor 'El Nini' Perez, 30, was apprehended at a home in Culiacan, Mexico on Wednesday afternoon. The United States Department of Justices alleges he was in charge of overseeing security for the sons of Joaquin 'El Chapo Guzman, who operate the Sinaloa Cartel faction, Los Chapitos

Nestor 'El Nini' Perez is seen standing on the roof of the Culiacan residence, where he was arrested Wednesday by Mexico's National Guard

The United States Department of Justice alleges that Perez worked directly under El Chapo's son, Ivan Guzman.

Along with Jorge Figueroa, he oversaw a group known as 'Los Ninis,' that served as the security team for Ivan Guzman and his brothers, Joaquin Guzman, Jesus Guzman and Ovidio Guzman, who is currently in U.S. custody.

The Guzman siblings are accused of leading the Sinaloa Cartel faction known as 'Los Chapitos' or 'Little Chapos' that is accused by the Department of Justice as being one of the two major drug cartels that export fentanyl to the U.S.

They assumed control of half of the criminal organization after El Chapo's extradition to the U.S.

The Department of Justice was offering a $3 million reward for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Perez.

He was indicted by federal grand juries in Washington, D.C. and New York in February 2021 and April 2023, respectively, on multiple charges, including conspiring to traffic cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl.

El Nini was indicted by two U.S. federal courts in 2021 and 2023. He was accused of several criminal offenses, including conspiring to traffic cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl

According to the United States Department of Justice, Nestor 'El Nini' Perez worked directly under Ivan Archivaldo Guzman (pictured), one of El Chapo's four sons who took over the operation of the Sinaloa Cartel following his extradition to the United States

Perez allegedly was involved in the 2017 torture of a Mexican federal agent. The cop was tortured for two hours by Perez and several other people, inserting a corkscrew into his muscles, ripping it out and placing hot chiles in the wounds.

Los Ninis, the U.S. government alleged, was given 'military-style training in multiple areas of combat, including urban warfare, special weapons and tactics, and sniper proficiency.'

The group also had the green light to 'kidnap, torture, and kill anyone who opposed the Chapitos,' the indictment said.

In 2022, Perez and Figueroa allegedly tested the purity of a fentanyl sample on a woman and injected her 'repeatedly  until she died.'

Mexican security forces guard the headquarters of the Attorney General's Office for Specialized Organized Crime in Mexico City after Sinaloa Cartel member Nestor 'El Nini' Perez was transferred there following his arrest in Culiacan on Wednesday

Mexican authorities had been searching for Perez for several weeks and in late October raided two Culiacan homes, where they discovered three bengals locked in cages.

There were instances when Los Ninis would transport captured rivals to ranches owned by Los Chapitos for execution.

'While many of these victims were shot, others were fed, dead or alive, to tigers' belonging to the Chapitos, 'who raised and kept tigers as pets,' according to the indictment.

Perez's arrest came just days after Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador met with Biden in San Francisco, continuing a trend of major arrests occurring days before or after meetings with Biden.

Ovidio Guzman was arrested in January, just a few days before the two leaders met in Mexico City.

He was extradited to the United States in September to face drug trafficking, weapons and other charges. His father, El Chapo, is serving a life sentence in the U.S.

Vigil said of the timing of the arrests that 'some of them are more than coincidence.'

'Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador may be trying to provide a gesture of goodwill in his final hours as president,' Vigil said. The Mexican president leaves office in September.
An elderly man was left bloodied and bruised outside his home in front of his traumatized wife during a violent take down by police in Utah who thought they might be squatters.

Rand Briem, 79, is suing Ogden Police claiming he was permanently injured during the confrontation on a chilly night in November last year.

Briem and his wife Vera, 75, were driving off from the house in East 21st Street when an officer approached and asked 'you guys supposed to be here?'

Seconds later Briem was in handcuffs, bleeding heavily from a headwound and waiting for paramedics after protesting when the officer snatched his driving license from him.

'I never had a bit of control. I was at his mercy completely,' Briem said this week.

'All of a sudden I was down on the ground tasting my blood.'

Rand Briem was left bleeding heavily after the confrontation with Ogden Police

The senior suffered cuts and extensive bruising across his body along with damage to the rotator cuff in his right shoulder

Police had been called to $300,000 house by a member of the public who they saw a foreclosure notice on the front door and feared it might be squatted.

But it was actually a non-occupancy notice from the Weber-Morgan Health Department which applied only to the basement of the property after it had been affected by chemical contamination.

The couple were living in the rest of the building and Briem was keen to make that clear when officers arrived.

'What can I do for you sir?' he asks as they approach his car in police bodycam footage released this week.

'Yeah, that's my house, that's my garage, my house isn't foreclosed on,' he says, explaining that only the basement is out of use.

Irritated that they do not accept his explanation he attempts to drive off but is ordered out of his car by an officer who insists the report must be investigated.

'Now what's with you?' he demands, 'what is this? what investigation, for hell's sake!'

When asked for his license, Briem attempts to impose himself, telling the officer: 'I will show you my driver's license, I will not give it to you.'

Briem was in his car and about to drive off when police approached him on November 29

Ordered out of his car he was asked for his driving license but agreed only to 'show it' to the officer

The confrontation escalated when the officer snatched it from his hand and Briem tried to grab it back, before being turned around and pinned first to his car, then to the ground

Briem's wife Vera, 75, screamed in terror as the scuffle escalated and her husband was hauled back to his feet with blood pouring from a headwound

Briem was left on the front porch to await paramedics after the police realized it was his home

But when the officer swipes it from his hand Briem attempts to snatch it back and is rapidly shoved against his car as the officer tries to cuff him.

'I told you I wasn't giving it to you,' he pleads as the officer repeatedly demands 'Don't grab me'.

Briem's terrified wife begins to scream as her husband struggles with the young officer, shouting 'he is ill!' and then 'he's dead!' as her husband is cuffed on the ground.

'Stop! This is ridiculous', one officer says as the struggle continues before Briem is pulled to his feet with blood pouring from him, sat down on the porch of the house and told medics are on their way.

'We need to make sure you're all right. That was a pretty hard fall that you took,' the officer tells him.

'I would be all right if you hadn't thrown me down on the ground,' Briem replies.

'All you had to do was comply with what we were asking,' the officer snaps back.

'I'm a 78-year-old man and you guys had to throw me down on my eyes on the pavement and bust my head open,' Briem says.

'Well, that's what happens when you try to grab me,' the officer told him.

'I didn't try to grab you,' Briem shouts, 'I wasn't trying to grab you.'

In the lawsuit filed on Wednesday Briem claims he suffered permanent damage to the rotator cuff in his shoulder and his wife was left with PTSD.

But he was convicted of interfering with an arresting officer eight months before the incident at his house and admits he was too confrontational.

'I don't generally speak like that to everybody around me, but I was very angry without a doubt,' he told ksl.com.

'I guess I was carrying a grudge at the time. I won't do that again.'

Ogden Police said they will defend the case and have charged Briem again for interfering with an arresting officer.

'The Ogden Police Department is confident that the court will find our officers' use of force justified as our internal review did,' they said in a statement.

Attorney Bob Sykes, who is representing the couple, insists there is no evidence Bream grabbed the officer and that the officer only told the senior not to grab him so the claim would be recorded by the bodycam.

'The law is universally clear on this,' he said, 'rudeness does not justify excessive force.'

'Under constitutional principles, force is not permitted where no force is required,' he added.

'When force is used, and cannot be excessive, or more than required.

'These principles were violated in this case, in a dramatic and unjustified fashion.'
America's air travel is now as lawless as its subways.

Profanity, assaults and  yes  urination and defecation.

In recent months, viral videos of increasingly chaotic and unbelievable mid-air depravity have flooded news websites and social media feeds.

Just this week, a crazed woman pulled down her pants in an attempt to relieve herself in the aisle of a Frontier Airlines plane departing from Florida. 'I don't give a f*** I gotta pee!' she screamed. This was after she had reportedly 'threatened to kill' another passenger.

Shocking  but hardly surprising anymore.

In March, a 21-year-old drunkard traveling on an American Airlines flight from New York to Delhi was arrested after urinating on a fellow passenger.

And we all remember diarrhoea-gate.

In scenes akin to a horror film, a Delta flight was forced to turn back to Atlanta in September, requiring a five-hour clean  and the removal of its carpets  after a passenger left an ungodly mess down the ENTIRE length of the cabin. The stench was said to be unbearable, with the vanilla disinfectant only making the situation worse.

America's air travel is now as lawless as its subways. Just this week, a crazed woman pulled down her pants in an attempt to relieve herself in the aisle of a Frontier Airlines plane departing from Florida . 'I don't give a f*** I gotta pee!' she screamed.

If free-flowing bodily fluids weren't bad enough, mid-aid bust ups are now par for the course.

Another recent Frontier flight saw a screaming, sobbing woman dragged through the plane by airline employees. Then, as another man started up a heated confrontation with staff  what are these people on?!  the detained woman proceeded to clamber over the seats, punching staff in her attempted getaway. Meanwhile, another anarchist broke out in gospel song.

Truly, gone are the days when screaming babies were the worst disruption you could expect on a plane. American air travel is now an ungovernable hellscape.

The role of social media in all this is not lost on me.

A lot of the blame surely lies with 'Crazy Plane Lady'  aka Tiffany Gomas, aka the 'that mother f***er isn't real' woman  who was filmed having a pre-flight breakdown over a supposedly ghostly presence on board.

Instead of retreating in embarrassed silence, Gomas has used the incident to transform herself into something of a Z-lister.

Playing coy in a preposterous TMZ interview she informed reporters that she had 'been told that I cannot comment right now' on what she supposedly 'saw'. 'Told by who?' We all didn't ask.

In a tearful Instagram 'apology'  glammed-up in heavy eye shadow, her hair blow-dried to perfection  she said the event had been 'life-altering', ending with a teasing: 'Stay tuned!'

Gomas now has 135,000 Instagram followers and 190,000 on Twitter, where she describes herself as a 'viral personality'.

In many ways she's right, because she's spawned a viral pandemic of influencer-wannabes, desperate for their moment in the sun.

The role of social media in all this is not lost on me. A lot of the blame surely lies with 'Crazy Plane Lady' - aka Tiffany Gomas, aka the 'that mother f***er isn't real' woman - who was filmed having a pre-flight breakdown over a supposedly ghostly presence on board.

Instead of retreating in embarrassed silence, Gomas has used the incident to transform herself into something of a Z-lister. Now she's spawned a viral pandemic of influencer-wannabes, desperate for their moment in the sun.

Soon after Gomas's outburst, footage emerged of another leggy brunette being booted off an American Airlines plane. 'Call me a b**** again Shut the f*** up,' she yelled at fellow passengers, with the telling sign off: 'Film me, I'm Instagram famous. You f***ing bum.'

The offender in question was Miami-based influencer Morgan Osman, 'famed'  in the loosest sense of the word  for her stints on reality TV, including series 5 of 'The Bad Girls Club'.

It's hard not to see this for what it was: an attempted mid-air relaunch  and a depressing indication, if we needed one, that the widespread hunger for fleeting social-media celebrity now trumps the time and comfort of potentially hundreds of other well-meaning and paying passengers cooped up with you in a plane.

But what's the solution? It's not like Americans everywhere can simply take to cross-state highways whenever they wish to visit far-flung family and friends. Who on Earth has the time?

And the problem is, the airport and airline companies know we have no other option.

Recall the TSA thieves  two security guards caught on camera in September stealing from bags as they passed through scanners.

At Miami International Airport, Josue Gonzalez and Labarrius Williams pocketed at least $600 in cash from one unsuspecting traveller.

Can we no longer rely on even those charged with protecting us to have our backs?

As Thanksgiving rolled around again this year, so did the inevitable headlines.

As more than 2.6 million Americans prepared to fly to their Turkey Day destinations, some 3,000 were already reportedly delayed by Tuesday afternoon, citing bad weather.

Soon after Gomas's outburst, footage emerged of another leggy brunette being booted off an American Airlines plane. 'Film me, I'm Instagram famous. You f***ing bum,' she yelled. The offender in question was Miami-based influencer Morgan Osman. It's hard not to see this for what it was: an attempted mid-air relaunch.

Cue the recognisable images of waiting passengers, lined up in their thousands, vacations and time off from work thrown into disarray.

It's almost as if the people running our airports don't have calendars  because as every major public holiday approaches, so too do the interminable cancellations, delays and disruptions.

This is supposed to be the greatest country on Earth, a veritable Mecca of commerce and industry. America put man on the Moon and invented the light bulb. But plane travel in 2023? Oh no, that's a step too far.

The truth is that the state of the aviation industry is a stain on this nation.

The epic mid-flight punch-ups, mishandled luggage, indecent exposure and attention-whore irritants are just one part of it. There's also the punishing add-on fees, the crippling lack of legroom, the vomit-inducing food.

It's hard to envisage that much-talked-of golden age where air travel was the height of sophistication and luxury.

Now you're lucky to jump on a plane without encountering something worthy of a viral video  or worse, to leave your flight unsullied by human excrement.
Anti-Israel protesters accused the New York Times of genocide as they gathered outside its offices on Thursday, just hours after pro-Palestine demonstrators crashed the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Furious demonstrators targeted the newspaper as part of a rally organizers called the 'Thankstaking for Gaza and Indigenous Resistance Everywhere.'

The protesters targeted the New York Times as they passed by its headquarters, chanting: 'Every time media lies, a neighborhood in Gaza dies' and 'New York Times, you cant hide. We charge you with genocide.'

As they passed through Times Square, they yelled at tourists: 'While youre shopping, bombs are dropping.'

At least five protesters were detained by the NYPD as the march was dispersing near Bryant Park, according to multiple reports.

Anti-Israel protesters accused the New York Times of genocide as they gathered outside its offices on Thursday

At least five protesters were detained as the march was dispersing near Bryant Park

Rally attendee Talia Jane described the march as a 'rally for Gaza and against settler-colonialism is underway.'

Jane added the NYT was targeted because of its 'racist and biased coverage.'

The protesters also defaced the Stephen Schwarzman building of the NY Public Library with fake blood and messages such as 'you fund genocide.'

One of the protesters said: 'Schwarzman is Blackstones billionaire CEO & a former Trump advisor who is ardently pro-Israel & even opened a Blackstone office in Tel Aviv.

The rally took place hours after Macy's 2023 Thanksgiving parade was hit by pro-Palestine protests amid heightened tensions over the Middle East crisis.

Every time media lies, a neighborhood in Gaza dies.

New York Times, you cant hide. We charge you with genocide.



Outside the @nytimes building in Manhattan, a @WOLPalestine protest for #Palestine continues undeterred by road closures. pic.twitter.com/EYKj17xWAt  Talia Jane  (@taliaotg) November 23, 2023

#FreePalestine protesters redecorated the Stephen Schwarzman building of the NY Public Library with pro-Palestine art & fake blood today. Schwarzman is Blackstones billionaire CEO & a former Trump advisor who is ardently pro-Israel & even opened a Blackstone office in Tel Aviv. pic.twitter.com/uCFEZ8YfW2  Ash J (@AshAgony) November 23, 2023

A group of activists disrupted the procession by leaping over the barricades to block the route and unveil a large 'Free Palestine' banner.

Around 30 protestors halted the parade along Sixth Avenue, with reports indicating some may have glued themselves to the road. The NYPD told DailyMail.com 'several' protestors had been taken into custody, with the exact number of people arrested unclear.

Loud boos rang out from the crowd as the white jumpsuit-clad protestors poured fake blood over themselves and held up the parade for thousands, as they appeared to try and link the crisis in the Middle East to climate change, shouting: 'Liberation for Palestine and climate.'

Amid heightened political tensions, NYPD officers were out in force, with officials saying they had stepped up extra 'robust' security along the route compared to previous years.

The New England Native American float sparked outrage earlier in the morning as one performer held a Palestinian flag aloft while the annual extravaganza moved through Midtown Manhattan.

Several demonstrators were taken into custody after marring the family event with political outbursts over the Middle East crisis

Pro-Palestine protestors leapt over the barricade and brought the parade to a halt roughly two hours after the procession got underway on Thursday morning

Detroit's Thanksgiving festivities were also targeted, with a large contingent of pro-Palestine activists descending on the city.

NYPD Police Commissioner Edward Caban acknowledged the security increase as he spoke to NBC before the parade started, saying he was 'working with our federal, state and local partners to ensure everything is safe.'

While insisting there were 'no specific or credible threats to New York City or the parade in general', the commissioner said the entire NYPD has been 'on high alert since October 7.'

'We encourage all families to come out and enjoy the day,' he added, noting that this year's event is his first as the city's police commissioner.

The disruption came after Joe and Jill Biden called parade host Al Roker to wish the country a happy Thanksgiving, with the President saying the fun-filled event was a chance for the nation to heal divides.

'We have to come together, we can have different political views but we have one view. We're the greatest nation in the world,' Biden said, as the First Lady called on Americans to 'do something nice for someone else' today.
By Park Jae-hyuk

Despite the declining foreign direct investment (FDI) in major countries in the wake of growing uncertainties about the global business environment, Korea attracted a record-high FDI of $24 billion during the first three quarters of this year, up 11.3 percent from a year earlier, according to the trade ministry, Thursday.

In particular, $17 billion worth of green-field investments, a 20 percent growth year-on-year, were made in high-tech sectors, such as semiconductors and rechargeable batteries, increasing the expectations about a stronger supply chain and greater job creation. A green-field investment is a type of FDI in which a parent company creates a subsidiary in a different country, building its operations from the ground up.

Such an achievement was the main topic of the Invest KOREA Summit 2023, which was held in Busan between Nov. 6 and 8 under the theme, Bridging the World with Vibrant KOREA.

Hosted by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and organized by the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), the event took place in Koreas second-largest city, which seeks to host the World Expo 2030. It was the first time the event was held at the southeastern port city since it started as Foreign Investment Week in 2006.

Over 1,500 participants, including foreign investors, municipality officials, Korean businesspeople and foreign journalists, attended the event to learn how Korea was able to attract such a large amount of FDI.

On Nov. 7, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and Industry Minister Bang Moon-kyu took part in the Invest KOREA Conference that attracted an audience of over 600.

Among foreign firms investing in Koreas high-tech sectors, Umicore, Lam Research and Equinor delivered speeches at the conference regarding why the country is an attractive investment destination.

Belgium-headquartered Umicore, the worlds leading producer of cathode materials for rechargeable batteries, which established its Korean subsidiary in 1999, mentioned Korean peoples education level and their dedication to jobs, Koreas accessibility to major importers and the governments wholehearted support.

Americas Lam Research, the global leader in semiconductor equipment manufacturing, which entered the Korean market 34 years ago, recognized Korea for its large number of highly skilled and educated workers.

Norways Equinor, which leads the global floating offshore wind farm industry, said it believes that Korea will become the bridgehead for the Asian offshore wind power sector.

To spur the inflow of foreign investments in Korea, the government has carried out business-friendly policies, easing regulations and enhancing incentives. It also attributed the record-high FDI to President Yoon Suk Yeols economic diplomacy, citing $3 billion worth of reported investments at the time of his visits to the U.S. and Europe for summits.
A former gangster who was sentenced to 162 years in prison for shooting and paralyzing a 16-year-old girl in 2012 is now working in the California capitol.

Jarad Nava, now 28, works as an assistant in the Department of Public Safety and is an advocate of prison reform. He was featured in a Los Angeles Times profile Thursday and credits California's Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom for his early release.

In 2012, while drunk and high, he shot into a car carrying the relatives of a rival gang member. One of the victims was 16-year-old Yesenia Castro, who was shot in the back.

The bullet severed her spinal chord and she was paralyzed from the waist down.

Nava, who was 17 at the time, rejected a plea deal that would have sentenced him to 30 years in prison.

Jarad Nava, now 28, works as an assistant in the Department of Public Safety and is an advocate of prison reform and was featured in a Los Angeles Times profile today. He is shown with California Governor Gavin Newsom

Jarad Nava (center) was sentenced to 162 years in prison on four counts of attempted murder in 2012. He shot into a car of women who were related to a rival gang member and shot one in the back, paralyzing her from the waist down

Victim, Yesenia Castro, was 16 when she was shot in the back and lost use of her legs. She wanted Nava to spend at least 50 years in prison

After trial, he was sentenced to 162 years in prison on four counts of attempted murder.

In the years that followed, he was featured in a prison reform documentary that highlighted his case and the plight of young offenders who the filmmakers felt had been unfairly represented.

Yesenia, his victim, was interviewed for the film and said she wanted him to spend 50 years in prison.

'When they arrested him, I felt relieved. I don't want him to be dead or anything, I just want him to pay a price,' she said.

Despite that, his sentence was commuted to 10 years by Gavin Newsom. He eventually walked free in 2020, eight years after the shooting.

Nava at his trial in 2014. He pleaded not guilty and refused a plea deal that would have given him 30 years behind bars

At trial, prosecutors showed how Nava pulled up next to the victims' car and yelled: 'You're going to die today, bitch'

The car involved in the shooting. Nava told police he was drunk, high and had a vague memory of the quadruple attempted murder

Nava (right) with California State Senator Shannon Grove (center). He now works at the Capitol after applying to an internship upon his prison release

Film maker Scott Budnick then introduced him to Erika Contreras, the secretary of the State Senate who encouraged him to apply for an internship.

Now, he works as an assistant on a committee deciding on prison reform initiatives.

Newsom, gushing over how he has turned his life around, told The L.A. Times that he 'cried' when he saw him 'dressed up' in his suit working at the state capitol.

Gov. Gavin Newsom commuted Nava's sentence to 10 years, saying he'd been 'overcharged'

'I came back and started crying in the office.

'To read a report about somebody, to see a ridiculous overcharging, to consider his age in relationship to that crime, to take a risk on a commutation  and then to see him all dressed up, so proud that he has a job.

'And I remember that meeting because he kept talking about how he felt a sense of responsibility not to screw up.

'Not for himself, but for others.'

Nava apologized to his victims at parole hearings where he said he was 'deeply ashamed' of what he did.

He also keeps a letter of apology at home that he wrote to her but did not mail.

It reads: 'I want to say Im sorry for trying to murder you on Sept. 29, 2012.  You should never have had to experience being shot, and I thank God you survived.

'Though I can never fully atone for my actions, I will spend the rest of my life trying.'

The doormat outside his apartment reads 'don't come back without a warrant.'

Californians have for years complained about Newsom's soft-on-crime approach.

A similar outlook in cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles led to a spike in crime, with prosecutors foregoing cash bail in many violent crimes because they feel it is elitist against poor defendants.
Rapper Nines has been charged with drug offences after he was arrested at Heathrow Airport.

The 33-year-old, whose real name is Courtney Freckleton, was held last Wednesday, the Metropolitan Police said.

A video posted on social media appears to show the musician with his hands cuffed behind his back while officers led him away in the airport.

Nines has been charged with being concerned in the supply of cannabis and possession of the Class B drug.

He was also charged with three counts of breaching a serious crime prevention order by allegedly not notifying the police of his home address and possessing a second phone and a laptop he had not registered with officers, according to court documents.

Nines has been charged with being concerned in the supply of cannabis and possession of the Class B drug

He was also charged with three counts of breaching a serious crime prevention order by allegedly not notifying the police of his home address and possessing a second phone and a laptop he had not registered with officers, according to court documents (File Photo)

Rapper Nines Arrested At The Airport pic.twitter.com/Dib9LkDgRq  fesify (@Fesify) November 15, 2023

Nines, who lives in Bushey, Hertfordshire, appeared in custody at Uxbridge Magistrates' Court last Friday.

A court official told Sky News that he did not enter pleas to any of the charges and was granted conditional bail by District Judge Kathryn Verghis.

He is due to appear at Kingston Crown Court on December 15 for a plea and case management hearing.

The latest Nines album, Crop Circle 3, peaked at number two in the UK charts after it was released in October.

Nines won the MOBO Award for best hip-hop act and topped the UK album chart with his third studio release, Crabs In A Bucket, in 2020.

The record was also named album of the year at the MOBO awards.

Nines, who is originally from Harlesden, northwest London, found fame with his 2017 debut album One Foot Out. He has released two albums, Crop Circle 2 and Crop Circle 3, this year.

The Met told Sky News: 'Courtney Freckleton appeared in custody at Uxbridge Magistrates' Court on Friday 17 November charged with three counts of the breach of an existing serious crime prevention order, being concerned in the supply of a class B drug (cannabis) and possession of a class B drug (cannabis).

'He was arrested at Heathrow Airport on Wednesday 15 November.

'He was bailed to appear at Kingston Crown Court on 15 December.'
A week-long rain bomb has hit Australia as a wet weather system makes it way across the country.

Rainfall graphs show much of Australia's Top End and almost the entire 4,000km stretch of the east coast forecasted to cop a soaking every day until next Wednesday and beyond.

Thunderstorms continue to smash northern Australia and the east coast as they move towards the southern states, bringing damaging winds, hail and flash flooding.

It will be a wet weekend for most capital cities ahead of even more rain next week.

Melbourne will receive up to 9mm and a possible thunderstorm forecast for Saturday followed by an additional 9mm on Sunday.

The sun is not expected to return in Melbourne till Thursday.

Adelaide received a 13mm bucketing on Thursday night which arrived 12 hours earlier than expected. It was the city of churches' first double-digit fall in two months.

More rain is on the way for Adelaide's with 10mm on Friday and 8mm on Saturday but should clear up in time for Sunday's Adelaide 500 Supercars race.

Sydneysiders will need to keep their umbrellas handy for the next week with up to 100 forecast after heavens opened on Thursday night.

A rain bomb continues to smash northern Australia and the east coast which has extended into the southern states with more rain on the way this weekend

Up to 5m will fall in Sydney on Friday followed by another 10mm on Saturday ahead of a 25mm deluge next Tuesday.

It is not expected to clear up in Sydney until Friday.

Brisbane will also see rain, especially early next week, reaching 30mm to 60mm over seven days

On the other side of the country, Western Australia's record breaking heatwave will extend into the weekend where Perth's maximum temperatures won't drop below 30C until Tuesday.

The prolonged extreme weather is due to several troughs triggering thunderstorms and rain across WA's west and north, the Northern Territory, Queensland which have since extended to NSW and the southern states.

The rain will also move across the Bass Strait into Tasmania with 15mm forecast for Hobart on Sunday.

'It's not unusual but it is a significant rain and thunderstorm outbreak,' Weatherzone meteorologist Yoska Hernandez told Daily Mail Australia.

'Most capital cities will see rain this weekend.

'The widespread precipitation we've seen this week will extended into the weekend and into mid-next week.

'It's due to successive upper level troughs extending across WA and across the Top End which have extended into eastern Australia, which is why we've seen storms every day this week.'

'Rain and thunderstorms will continue each day until Wednesday next week.'

Sydneysiders will need their umbrellas over the next two day with 5mm expected on Friday and another 10mm on Saturday

Inland region, Queensland and NSW, north-western Victoria, parts of south-east and south-eastern Australia will be in the firing line of heavy rainfall and thunderstorms on Friday, bringing damaging hail and damaging winds

Widespread falls of 30-60mm is expected across much of northern and eastern Australia with some regions getting as much as 100mm or even double.

'As we move into tomorrow, it will edge more towards the coast, the areas more likely to see the severe weather are inland and southern parts of Queensland, down through central and south-eastern NSW into eastern and southern Victoria,' Bureau of Meteorology's Christie Johnson said.

'Then, as we move into the start of next week, it contracts towards the east coast, maybe some of the coastal parts of NSW, south-eastern parts of Queensland, eastern part of Victoria.'

It will also be a wet weekend in Adelaide and Melbourne (pictured)

Tuesday looks to be the wettest day for Queensland and northern NSW with the heavier rain moving further south over Sydney by next Wednesday.

'We will then see a system develop quite similar to this one, rinse and repeat, that will start to bring the risk back into more central parts of Australia,' Ms Johnson said.

The weather bureau has reminded those in the firing line that thunderstorms can generate damaging or destructive winds which can destroy fences and outdoor furniture, as well as bring down power wines and cause power outages

The severe storms may generate large or giant-sized hail which can cause injury and damage anything outdoors, including cars.

Australia's Top End and eastern states will cop a soaking in the coming days. Pictured graphic showing rainfall forecast for Friday
The city made sure to take a more direct and cheaper approach to do so

In the past dozen years, 30,000 homeless Houston residents have been housed and supported

A collective effort made of 100 different nonprofits has found a way to get apartments for homeless people

A democrat-run city has managed to solved its homeless crisis with nonprofits that have worked together to obtain one-bedroom apartments for vagrants.

Houston, Texas has gone on to create one of their 'most important innovations' - the Coalition for the Homeless, along with exploiting the city's loose planning regulations.

The independent agency, known as The Way Home, co-ordinates with 100 nonprofits to combat homelessness under a collective effort in the city.

The agency has taken a cheaper approach to try and combat the lasting homeless crisis in the US, compared to that of Los Angeles, San Francisco and Portland.

A housing encampment in Portland, Maine, known as 'The Pit'

A homeless man sleeps on the sidewalk in Los Angeles. The cost to build a one-bedroom apartment for the homeless in Los Angeles is $87,000

In the past dozen years, 30,000 homeless Houston residents have been housed and supported successfully.

The city has succeeded by following their approach of 'housing first'- the idea that people, regardless of alcohol or drug abuse get housing.

They have also determined that the price to build a small one-bedroom apartment is $200,000, while similar living in Los Angeles costs $837,000 to build, according to The New York Times.

Unlike other homeless-filled cities, Houston has also decided to focus less on 'general help' to the population like passing out food or jackets. Instead, they make sure that people get homes to establish themselves.

Once they are housed, the help continues as the nonprofits go on to supply them with ongoing care such as supply them with identification cards, help them enroll in benefits, get jobs and access behavioral and mental health needs.

The process of obtaining a home is not fast, but people like Molly Permenter, an outreach worker has made sure to give back to the community she once was a part of.

As Permenter sets out to the streets of Houston, she tries her best to build lives for the homeless. She starts by obtaining a form of identification from them, then gets them on a housing list to soon set them up with a place to call home.

She told Nick Kristof, an Opinion Reporter for The New York Times, that many homeless people don't have access to any form of ID, including a birth certificate or social security card.

Permenter went on to help a Joe Cavazos, 31, who didn't have any identification information to give her to get his housing process started.

Instead of giving up on him, Permenter went on to help him obtain the proper information. A lot of times the police get involved to help as they've merged into the program to help get people off the streets.

Homelessness in New York has also been ongoing, but housing opportunities haven't been given like they have in Houston

The police can help identify the homeless by accessing arrest records that reveal fingerprints. They also 'often attest that someone has been homeless.'

These outreach workers in Houston also have each homeless individual fill out a questionnaire that goes over benefits, possible income, and even goes on to locate relatives that might be able to supply a home for them in the meantime.

Another challenge that the coalition faces is that many landlords are hesitant to lease out apartments to the homeless population.

In order to combat that issue, the city has gotten these homeowners to want to join the movement, and have gone on to offer a $1,600 incentive fee per unit.

The coalition told The New York Times that the cost of housing in Houston and supporting those who face homelessness is estimated at $20,000 a year, with $13,00 going toward housing and $7,000 going toward case management.

Although this housing initiative is a step in the right direction, homelessness is more than a lack of housing, as mental health and substance abuse still play a major role in the community.

Homeless people are seen on 1st Avenue between 20 and 21st street in Manhattan, New York

Private security guards were hired in Portland, Maine to help clear out large homeless encampments

Houston has been affording this initiative with help from their Covid relief fund, which is slated to run out soon.

Local philanthropic leader Ann Stern told The New York Times: 'Its obviously going to take public funding to keep this solved.'

Dallas- the other heavily populated homeless city in the state of Texas has gone on to adopt Houston's housing approach as they've seen a 14 percent decrease in people living on the streets in the past year.

Other major cities in the US like San Francisco, New York, and Portland have chosen to go for a 10 year plan to combat the epidemic but haven't gotten as far as Houston has.

According to The New York Times, compared to Houston, California has a shortage of approximately 3.5million housing units and Oregon lack 140,000 units.
Fashion designer Stella McCartney and her husband face another hurdle for their planned 5million modernist mansion in the Scottish Highlands after the previous owner of the site lodged an objection.

Ms McCartney,52, and her husband Alasdhair Willis bought the plot of land on the rugged coastline of remote island Commando Rock at Glenuig, which was on the market for 450,000.

However, Mrs Karen White, who now lives in Taunton, Somerset, has stuck a spanner in the works for the daughter of Beatles star, Paul McCartney, after formally objecting to the designs for the 5m modernist home.

Mrs White said that what is proposed would have 'a needless impact on the sensitive ecology and landscape'.

The former owner of the plot is not the only one with a gripe against the couple's plans, which have also been less than well received by locals too, with over 50 objections.

Fashion designer Stella McCartney (pictured at the Met Gala in New York) and her husband face another hurdle for their planned 5million modernist mansion in the Scottish Highlands

Ms McCartney and her husband Alasdhair Willis bought the plot of land on the rugged coastline which was on the market for 450,000

However, Mrs Karen White, who now lives in Taunton, Somerset, has stuck a spanner in the works for the daughter of Beatles star, Paul McCartney , after formally objecting to the designs for the 5m modernist home. Pictured: The architect's illustration of the property

Mrs White said that Willis' application was out of keeping with the area, and would require 'the removal of mature pine trees' and would disturb the habitat of otters

Applying in Mr Willis's name, the couple have lodged plans with Highland Council.

In her letters to Highland Council Mrs White says she was writing as the previous owner of the site, detailing that when she had obtained planning permission in the past, it was 'carefully considered' with 'minimal impact on flora and fauna'.

She had obtained planning permission for a permanent family home in 1999, which was 'extremely sensitive given the nature of the site and great care was taken to make the house unobtrusive and appropriate for the stunning environment and setting'.

But Mrs White said that Willis' application was out of keeping with the area, and would require 'the removal of mature pine trees' and would disturb the habitat of otters.

She wrote: 'Firstly, the site is very beautiful and ecologically sensitive. It has ancient oak woodland as well as significant landscape trees.

'The original 1999 proposal was very carefully considered to ensure the building had minimal impact on flora and fauna and in particular the ancient woodland and the landscape significant pines.

'This is not the case with the current proposal. The building footprint has been moved further forward towards the sea.

'The footprint has been enlarged significantly by adding two new wings, one of which impinges on the ancient oak woodland and the other encroaches on the cliff edge and hence requires the removal of mature pine trees.

Ms McCartney and her husband Alasdhair Willis bought the remote plot for 450,000

Architects Brown & Brown has written to Highland council, calling some of the comments 'inaccurate' and have outlined how public access to the beach would be maintained

In her letters to Highland Council Mrs White says she was writing as the previous owner of the site, detailing that when she had obtained planning permission in the past, it was 'carefully considered' with 'minimal impact on flora and fauna'

'The justification given by the architect for shifting the site make no sense but mean there is a far greater impact on the flora and fauna. There is no need on such a large site to impact so significantly on this precious flora and fauna.

'Secondly in siting the 1999 building the planner at the time, (Ken Johnston) and I spent significant time on site finding the optimum placement where it would not be obtrusive in the landscape.

'By siting the building as close to Commando Rock as possible we ensured that it can not be seen from Roshven Bay or from the A861 between Glenuig and Roshven.

'The suggestion by the architect that the current building would be visible on the skyline is very surprising as it is carefully nestled among a number of ridgelines.

'By moving the entire set of buildings forward into the open they will become much more apparent.

'The fact that the pine trees can be clearly seen from the A861 means that their removal will have a significant effect on the local landscape and probably means that the proposed bedroom wing will be visible from the A861 too. This seems unnecessary.

Mrs Karen White, who now lives in Taunton, Somerset, has formally objected to the designs for the 5m modernist home at remote Commando Rock at Glenuig

McCartney was awarded a CBE this year in recognition of her services to fashion and sustainability

'Thirdly when he bought the property in 1855, Professor Blackburn embarked on an ambitious programme of landscaping and tree planting and the pines were part of this.

'By removing the Pines planted by Professor Blackburn the development would have an impact on the remaining cultural history of Roshven and the sense of place.

'Fourthly the otters. Otters do not appear on demand. Just because the architect visited and did not encounter otters or a set does not mean that they are not there! On numerous occasions over the last 50 years I have seen single otters, pairs of otters and families on the rocks and there is no doubt that they would be disturbed should this building be allowed to proceed.

'As I said in my previous submission, the purchasers' solicitor assured us that a modest house with a light footprint was planned and I am shocked that what is proposed should potentially have such a needless impact on the sensitive ecology and landscape. It should be possible for talented architects to achieve a stunning design which does not affect the local flora and fauna or sense of history and place.'

Mr and Mrs Willis may not have the privacy they crave, it has also emerged.

Mrs White claims that she has seen otters on the island and said 'there is no doubt that they would be disturbed' should the plans for the mansion go ahead (File photo)

A letter from a Highland Council access officer says the applicant 'may mistakenly believe that the privacy area of the proposed development will extend to the limit of the land owned by them'.

Local residents have also raised issues with the property's ecological impact and how it would restrict access to a beach 'used extensively by locals and holidaymakers'. Some people living nearby have described the proposed house as 'monstrous' and a 'carbuncle'.

But architects Brown & Brown has written to Highland council, calling some of the comments 'inaccurate' and have outlined how public access to the beach would be maintained.

Brown & Brown said the couple also rejected some comments over the size of the planned house. It said: 'The applicant is aware of several comments made relating to the scale and location of the proposed development, which are either felt to be inaccurate, or against which it is felt further context would be beneficial.'

Ms McCartney, the daughter of former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney, has established herself as one of the world's leading fashion designers. She was awarded a CBE this year in recognition of her services to fashion and sustainability.

The plans, submitted in February, are still to be put before the planning committee.

Leading Scottish architect Alan Dunlop previously argued in favour of the scheme, describing it as 'an exceptional project from an equally exceptional firm of young architects, which needs support'.

MailOnline has approached Stella McCartney's publicist for comment.
Actor and film director Rob Reiner has claimed there were four shooters involved in the murder of President John F Kennedy and insists the reason the first bullet missed is key to his theory.

Kennedy was shot as his open-top motorcade rolled through Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963 and he was pronounced dead after arriving at the Parkland Memorial Hospital.

Official investigations concluded that he was assassinated by lone gunman Lee Harvey Oswald from a sixth floor window of the Texas School Book Depository.

But Reiner claims there were more people involved in the fatal shooting of Kennedy who he names in his 10-episode podcast titled 'Who Killed JFK?' recorded with journalist Soledad OBrien, out now on iHeartPodcast.

He questioned reports that Oswald was solely responsible for the murder and believes the pair have finally solved the puzzle.

President John F Kennedy was shot as his open-top motorcade rolled through Dallas, Texas , on November 22, 1963 and he was pronounced dead after arriving at the Parkland Memorial Hospital

Actor and film director Rob Reiner has claimed there were four shooters involved in the murder of Kennedy and insists the reason the first bullet missed is key to his theory

The motorcade carrying the critically injured President is seen speeding towards Parkland Hospital as bodyguard Clint Hill pushes First Lady Jackie Kennedy back into her seat

Reiner developed a fascination with the murder of Kennedy ever since he heard the news in high school, aged 16.

Some believe a single bullet passed through Kennedy's neck before striking Texas Governor John Connelly who was sat in the front seat of the car.

But there have been question marks of the legitimacy of the 'single-bullet theory'.

Dallas resident Abraham Zapruder captured the moment Kennedy was shot on a silent 8mm color film but this was not widely available until March 1975.

'You watch the Zapruder film over and over again,' Reiner told the Sun Sentinel newspaper.

'And then when you watch that, it really becomes clear. No way that a bullet comes through Kennedy and then stops for a little while and it waits to hit Connelly.

'None of it makes sense. And Connelly himself said too until the day he died, "The bullet that hit Kennedy didnt hit me."'

Reiner believes he has worked out exactly what happened in the shooting with the help of O'Brien and author Dick Russell.

'Im very confident on the conspiracy part of it,' he said. 'That, Im 100% confident on. Exactly who did what, we make our best guess based on all the information we have.

'We name the shooters. We name the positions the shooters were in. Some people say there were four, others say five, and Im still wrestling with that. But based on the forensics, we know there were four.'

But he is yet to reveal the name of the shooters until the final episodes of the podcast and added there are more revelations to come.

'We say in the podcast for sure there was somebody up on the sixth floor,' the actor added. 'And there were people, there was somebody, firing from the sixth floor.

'Im gonna ask you this question: Why did the first shot miss?

The presidential limousine sits outside Parkland Hospital after the shooting of John F Kennedy

Reiner believes he has worked out exactly what happened in the shooting with the help of O'Brien and author Dick Russell

'Thats a key to what our theory is. Thats all Im going to tell you. But the first shot missed. It missed the motorcade altogether.'

Reiner decided to start the podcast looking into Kennedy's murder after he and his wife Michelle started listening to more podcasts.

'There were lots that we were drawn to and one was a podcast that Soledad OBrien did called Murder on the Towpath,' he said.

'So I started thinking, well, maybe a podcast is the best way to handle it.

'Its something that Ive been tracking for 60 years, everything something new turns up.

'And what I wanted to do was try to find a way to put it all in one place, because when new revelations come out, people hear it, the press hears it, and they all go, "Oh!" But they dont put it in context with everything.

'Its like a little piece of the puzzle that comes out, and if youre not following it intimately you wont know what that puzzle looked like.'

So far three episodes of the podcast have been released by iHeartPodcasts and they air every Wednesday.

Reiner has directed films including When Harry Met Sally, A Few Good Men and The Story of Us.
Cops have launched a manhunt for a suspect accused of carjacking a woman before driving off with her baby and dumping the newborn at a California CVS.

Hollywood Police Department issued an arrest warrant for Adolfo Fonseca, 63, on Wednesday, after he allegedly fled in a 2014 Red Hyundai Elantra the day before.

Fonseca was an acquaintance of the mother, and he had been giving her and her baby a ride to the Miami International Airport at the time.

But things went south went they had an argument at around 1pm, authorities said.

The unnamed woman in the car told cops he took off with her baby when she stepped out at a gas station.

Hollywood Police Department issued an arrest warrant for Adolfo Fonseca (pictured), 63, on Wednesday, after he allegedly fled in a 2014 Red Hyundai Elantra the day before

Cops have launched a manhunt for Fonseca, who is accused of carjacking a woman before driving off with her baby and dumping the newborn at a California CVS

Her son was then found in a baby carseat outside a drugstore a few blocks away.

Police said they received a 911 call shortly after from a member of the public who spotted the child outside the CVS Pharmacy at 4599 Sheridan Street, in the Emerald Hills neighborhood.

The baby was okay and officers reunited him with his mother.

'I was going crazy. I'm more calm now because my baby's safe. But I was going crazy,' the mother, who asked to remain anonymous, told Local 10 News.

'This man  literally I all I did was get out to go put gas (in the car). I turned around. he's gone with my baby and all of my belongings.

'Right now, I don't have my phone. I have no phone.'

Police said they are actively looking for Fonseca and the woman's vehicle, both of which they haven't located.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Hollywood Police Department at 954-764-4357 or 911.
Millions face the highest energy bills on record this winter, triggering warnings that it will 'cost lives'.

Industry watchdog Ofgem announced a 5 per cent rise in the energy price cap from January 1, increasing the average annual bill by 94 to 1,928.

Experts say millions will effectively be paying 46 more for the January-March period than last year after the Government withdrew measures to help households with bills.

Richard Neudegg, of price comparison website Uswitch.com, said: 'This rate increase will bite during the coldest period of the year when households need to use the most energy. Energy bills are likely to be the highest they've ever been for most homes this winter.'

He pointed out that, unlike last winter, high tariffs are not being offset by the Energy Bill Support Scheme, which gave households a 67 monthly discount on their bills.

Industry watchdog Ofgem yesterday announced a 5 per cent rise in the energy price cap from January 1, increasing the average annual bill by 94 to 1,928 (Stock Image)

But energy giants are continuing to post huge profits as consumers struggle with costs. British Gas reported profits of 969 million for the first six months of 2023, up almost 900 per cent from 98 million in the same period last year.

Fi Waters, of the Warm This Winter campaign, said: 'The price cap rising again in January is yet another kick in the teeth to ordinary people, particularly as in the last few weeks we've seen energy companies lining up to announce hundreds of millions of pounds worth of profits.'

She added: 'It's clear our energy system is broken. The relentless roll call of obscene profits, and now a hike in energy bills in the new year, is not only hugely unfair, it's costing lives, damaging health and wasting money as our reliance on fossil fuels is keeping bills sky high.'

Emily Seymour, the energy editor of Which?, said it was 'disappointing' that Chancellor Jeremy Hunt did not announce any new energy bill support in the Autumn Statement.

The consumer group, charities and industry leaders have been lobbying ministers for the introduction of a cheaper social tariff on energy bills to help the poorest and most vulnerable.

Ms Seymour said: 'A properly targeted social tariff is desperately needed to ensure the most financially vulnerable are able to heat their homes.'
By Ko Dong-hwan

Coway has won the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2024 Innovation Award with its latest reclining massage bed that maximizes comfort and convenience, according to the home appliance maker, Thursday.

The company's BEREX reclining massage bed won the honor in the Digital Health category. The Consumer Technology Association (CTA), which runs the tech trade show, has recognized the product's automatic reclining function with an upper-body elevation feature and a personalized massage system, according to the company.

The annual CES trade show exhibits technological consumer products with outstanding qualities in innovation, engineering, functionality, aesthetics and design. The upcoming show will be in Las Vegas, Nevada, from Jan. 9 to 12 next year.

The bed's automatic upper body reclining function is the company's suggested solution to the challenge faced by many when sitting up after using bed-type massage products. Adjusting to various angles, the function is particularly effective for those with difficulties in standing up after lying down.

The bed's other strength is a customized massage system. It scans the curvature and length of a users spine and suggests one of 12 different massage programs that fit the user's specific body characteristics. The company official said it "ensures a safe and effective massage experience."

The product also includes a sound therapy feature for stress relief. The healing sounds help offer optimal sleep in different massage modes. The bed also has an adjustable thermal system to help users feel relaxed.

The award is a testament to Coway and BEREX brands sophisticated technological leadership, said the company official. "We will sustain this momentum through continued research efforts, focusing on innovative product development with cutting-edge technologies.

The company, claiming it is the "best life solution company," plans to launch the flagship product in the country next year.
North Korea poses a growing cyber threat to the UK, intelligence chiefs said yesterday.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) issued an unprecedented joint advisory with the South Korean National Intelligence Service about a surge in attacks by North Korean hackers.

Attacks on software supply chains from state-linked groups are becoming more advanced and growing in volume as hackers seek to infiltrate businesses and major organisations in Britain.

Security chiefs have urged firms to boost their security measures to reduce the risk of their systems being breached.

The NCSC, which is part of GCHQ, has warned that hackers are using new tactics that leave many victims unaware they have been targeted. Attacks on software-based supply chains pose a major risk, as a single compromised machine could hit multiple organisations and lead to onward attacks. They can also be harder to detect because the hackers use legitimate software and hardware.

Kim Jong Un's North Korea poses a growing cyber threat to the UK, intelligence chiefs have warned

Security chiefs have urged firms to boost their security measures to reduce the risk of their systems being breached

The joint advisory warns that North Korean-backed attacks of this nature are likely to step up as the hostile state seeks to spy on Britain, steal advanced technologies and generate revenue through 'ransomware' demands.

Paul Chichester, NCSC director of operations, said: 'In an increasingly digital and interconnected world, software supply chain attacks can have profound, far-reaching consequences for impacted organisations.

'We strongly encourage organisations to follow the mitigative actions in the advisory to improve their resilience to supply chain attacks and reduce the risk of compromise.'

The joint advisory, which is the first of its kind, comes during the state visit to the UK by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.

Yesterday the two nations signed a strategic cyber partnership. In 2017, North Korea carried out a cyber attack on global hospitals, businesses and banks.

And in 2014 its hackers targeted Sony Pictures, seemingly in retaliation for a satirical movie about their leader Kim Jong Un.
READ MORE: Indigenous Voice to Parliament leaders now pushing Anthony Albanese to deliver a treaty despite the failed referendum

Truth-telling along with local and regional voices remain on the government's agenda despite the failed referendum earlier this year.

Indigenous Australians minister Linda Burney will attend a Closing the Gap meeting on Friday, along with Aboriginal affairs ministers around the nation and peak body representatives.

Just a month on from the failed Indigenous voice referendum, Ms Burney acknowledged that how community can move forward from the setback, would be top of the agenda.

She said there would be specific discussions about housing, education and inland water targets.

Minister Linda Burney (pictured with Anthony Albanese)

But she wouldn't close the door on the government's commitment to the Uluru Statement, which calls for a truth-telling process and a treaty along with a voice.

'Very much what I'm hearing moving around the country is 'what does it mean for the rest of the Uluru statement?'' Ms Burney told ABC Radio.

'In particular, I'm hearing the importance of truth-telling. I am not saying I've got a model in my mind, but I am saying that what I'm hearing very clearly from Aboriginal communities is the importance of truth-telling.'

The voice proposal had included a number of local and regional dialogues that would feed into a national body.

The minister said a similar consultative framework at the local level remained a 'very live discussion', pointing to voice models operating in Australian states and territories.

The minister said a similar consultative framework at the local level remained a 'very live discussion', pointing to voice models operating in Australian states and territories

'There are structures across Australia and they have to be self-determined, it's not up to government to say 'this is the way you do things',' she said.

'But our job is to make sure that we implement the things that were promised in the last election  what's most crucial, in my view, is to make sure we come up with a considered way forward, not a grab bag.'

Of the 19 national socio-economic Closing the Gap targets, just four were on track in data released earlier this year.

'We've also got some of the targets in Closing the Gap that are actually going backwards, and that's completely unacceptable,' Ms Burney said.
On Friday morning, a segment of Bruce Lehrmann's interview on 7News Spotlight was played for the Federal Court.

During that TV interview, which aired earlier this year, Mr Lehrmann was quizzed about why he gave three different reasons as to why he went to Parliament House with Brittany Higgins on the night of the alleged assault, before 2am on March 23, 2019.

He told security that he was there to collect some documents, he told his chief of staff Fiona Brown three days later days that he was there to have a drink.

He then told the Australian Federal Police in April 2021 that he was there to collect his keys and make notes on Question Time briefs.

In court on Friday, Ten's barrister Matthew Collins KC asked: 'You agree the version you told Ms Brown was a lie?'

Mr Lehrmann agreed.

Dr Collins pointed to evidence given on Thursday, when Mr Lehrmann agreed there was alcohol in his office in Parliament House.

During the police interview in 2021, he said there was no alcohol in his office. On the stand on Thursday, he agreed that part of the statement was incorrect.

Mr Lehrmann was then asked when he became aware that his statement to Australian Federal Police was wrong.

Dr Collins asked if he became aware of the incorrect evidence during Ms Brown's evidence during the jury trial in October last year.

'By the time she gave that evidence, you were aware?' he asked.

'I'm suggesting you must have been, because you sat in the criminal trial and you heard Fiona Brown give her account of what you said to her, and you now agree.'

Mr Lehrmann disagreed that he realised that portion of his police statement was incorrect when Ms Brown was giving her evidence in court last year.

Earlier

In court on Thursday, Mr Lehrmann said he was called into a meeting with his chief of staff, Fiona Brown, who asked why he entered Parliament House on the night of the alleged assault.

'I told her I came in to drink whisky,' Mr Lehrmann told the court.

Mr Whybrow asked: 'Did you go in to drink whisky?'

Mr Lehrmann said: 'No, I didn't.'

Mr Whybrow asked: 'Why did you tell her that?'

Mr Lehrman replied: 'Because if I told her I was looking at briefs, the flow-on effect might have been greater.'

Mr Whybrow asked what he meant by 'flow-on', to which the former staffer said he was concerned the Australian Federal Police would get involved.
The Prison Service has launched an urgent investigation after a major security breach at one of the country's high-profile jails.

Wardens found two mobile phones inside Belmarsh prison's High Dependency Unit  which holds some of the country's most dangerous criminals and terrorists.

Described as 'a prison within a prison', the HDU holds the majority of the UK's terror suspects, where the internet ready iPhones were discovered over a period of two weeks last month.

It is the first time that mobile phones have been discovered in the unit, which consists of 48 single cells, with a dozen of these being used to house Britain's most dangerous criminals.

Past inmates in the HSU included feared gangster Colin Gunn, serving 35-years for drugs and conspiracy to murder and Michael Adebolajo, then 28, one of the killers of Fusilier Rigby, in May 2013.

Wardens found two mobile phones inside Belmarsh prison's (pictured) High Dependency Unit  which holds some of the country's most dangerous criminals and terrorists

Past inmates in the HSU included feared gangster Colin Gunn, serving 35-years for drugs and conspiracy to murder and Michael Adebolajo , then 28, one of the killers of Fusilier Rigby, in May 2013

In more recent times, Metropolitan Police constable Wayne Couzens (left), who kidnapped, raped and strangled Sarah Everard, 33, in 2021, was held in one of the 12 super secure cells for his own protection. Daniel Khalife (right) was moved to the high-security prison after escaping from a different jail earlier this year

In more recent times, Metropolitan Police constable Wayne Couzens, who kidnapped, raped and strangled Sarah Everard, 33, in 2021, was held in one of the 12 super secure cells for his own protection. Couzens, then 48, was given a whole-life sentence.

The 12 highest security cells are collectively known as Special Secure Unit (SSU) for 'exceptional risk' prisoners. Hook-handed hate preacher Abu Hamza was held in the SSU before being deported to a US jail.

A source said: 'The HSU has the highest security status as it holds the worst-of-the-worst criminals, who are isolated from the main prison population because they present a constant danger.

'The very worst scenario is for these inmates to have access to the outside world where they will be free to continue with their criminal behaviour. Some of the biggest crime bosses in the country are held in the unit.'

A second source said: 'The prison bosses want to know how the iPhones were smuggled in and who they were intended for.

'The phones will be forensically examined to find out who has been rung or what has been accessed.'

The source added: 'This is the first time that the formidable security around the HSU has been breached like this.'

The first hi-tech device was found by officers who conducted a search in a high security prisoner's single cell.

The inmate - who has not been named - has put on report pending further forensic investigations of the phone.

A few days later warders doing a regular security sweep discovered an iPhone squashed into a bag of sugar.

It was found on one of the HSU's landings - which some inmates can access to make tea and coffee. The iPhones are worth a fortune inside the HSU - between 10,000-20,000 each.

The probe will focus on finding out how the devices were smuggled into the windowless concrete unit.

Security includes x-ray machines, numerous CCTV cameras and at least five locked doors before getting inside.

Visitors and prison officers must go through the same searches before they enter.

The high-security measures inside Belmarsh Prison are pictured above

In June 2018, MailOnline reported how gangland Mr Big Darren Dunn (pictured), 35, masterminded a smuggling racket from his prison cell during which he got drugs flown into jail - by remote controlled drones

One of the main concerns will be high profile crime bosses behind bars being able to use the iPhones to direct their Organised Crime Groups (OCG) in illegal activity on the streets.

In June 2018, MailOnline reported how gangland Mr Big Darren Dunn, 35, masterminded a smuggling racket from his prison cell during which he got drugs flown into jail - by remote controlled drones.

Dunn was serving a stretch for 'public protection' yet used a contraband iPhone to organise flights from outside the walls at the Category B Forest Bank jail in Salford, Greater Manchester.

He successfully smuggled cocaine and the 'zombie drug' Spice into the prison, which was distributed to prisoners.

In 2022, a study by the Multi-Agency Response to Serious and Organised Crime (Marsoc), revealed that one in five of the organised criminal groups (OCGs) in England and Wales is run from inside prisons.

It stated that mobile phones are the most commonly used communications tool for incarcerated criminals.

A senior source said at the time: 'The scale of the challenge is huge mobile phone use is still a problem across prisons and we can see the effects of the contact from within prison to the gangs on the outside.'

Opened in 1991 and surrounded by a one-mile-long perimeter wall, Belmarsh houses 675 prisoners, including those accused or convicted of serious terrorism offences

The unit  which includes the police, prison service and National Crime Agency (NCA)  was set up in 2020 to 'jointly disrupt' gangland activity.

John Podmore, former governor at Category-A Belmarsh Prison in South-East London, told MailOnline: 'It shows the level of the problem.

'The role of the prison service is also about stopping crime being committed in prison  but putting them behind bars is not doing that. Serious and organised crime is seriously and well organised in prison.

'You not only have to proactively stop prisoners escaping, you've got to stop them operating inside and the gang culture.'

He added: 'The police often don't respond to crimes in prison  they argue they've got enough to deal with outside.'

A Prison Service spokeswoman said: 'An investigation is currently underway and it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage'.
Suella Braverman led a growing Tory revolt over rocketing migration figures last night, describing them as a 'slap in the face' to voters.

The former home secretary insisted 'enough is enough' after bombshell data showed net migration hit a record 1.3million over the past two years.

The row intensified after the Office for National Statistics released data which it said showed a 'marked change' in post-Brexit immigration since 2021.

A steep rise in net migration, driven by arrivals from outside the EU, triggered the sharpest rise in the population of England and Wales since the 1960s baby boom.

Revised ONS figures released yesterday showed that net migration was 745,000 last year  roughly the population of Leeds.

The population of England and Wales has now passed 60million for the first time after growing at the fastest rate since 1962.

The former home secretary insisted 'enough is enough' after bombshell data showed net migration hit a record 1.3million over the past two years

Mrs Braverman, who made a blistering attack on Rishi Sunak when he sacked her last week, yesterday detailed how she would have shaken up the border system had he given her his backing.

'The pressure on housing, the NHS, schools, wages and community cohesion is unsustainable,' she said. 'When do we say: enough is enough?

'We were elected on a pledge to reduce net migration, which was 229,000 in 2019. Today's record numbers are a slap in the face to the British public who have voted to control and reduce migration at every opportunity.'

Urging Mr Sunak to 'act now', Mrs Braverman wrote on social media: 'Brexit gave us the tools. It's time to use them.'

In her resignation letter last week Mrs Braverman said she had struck a secret deal with Mr Sunak to 'reduce overall legal migration as set out in the 2019 manifesto'.

But she claimed she was met with 'equivocation, disregard and a lack of interest' from Downing Street and accused Mr Sunak of 'failing to deliver'.

Yesterday she said her plan would have involved an annual cap on net migration  including healthcare workers  and raising the minimum salary threshold for a work visa by nearly 20,000 to 45,000.

Additionally, she would have limited the number of family members who could be brought to Britain by all visa holders, she said, and barred foreign students from accessing work at the end of their studies.

Mrs Braverman, who made a blistering attack on Rishi Sunak when he sacked her last week, yesterday detailed how she would have shaken up the border system had he given her his backing

Downing Street failed to act on repeated warnings that yesterday's figures would be massively damaging, it is claimed.

New Home Secretary James Cleverly even moved to play down the numbers yesterday. 'This figure is not showing a significant increase from last year's figures and is largely in line with our own immigration statistics,' he said.

'We have taken tough action to reduce migration, by tackling the substantial rise in the number of students bringing dependants to the UK  a change that will have a tangible impact on net migration.

'And we are working across government on further measures to prevent exploitation and manipulation of our visa system, including clamping down on those that take advantage of the flexibility of the immigration system.'

One insider said Mr Cleverly appeared out of touch with reality by 'trying to brush it all off as a positive thing'. Tory backbenchers were aghast at the figures. A spokesman for the New Conservatives group, led by Miriam Cates, Danny Kruger and Sir John Hayes, said: 'The word 'existential' has been used a lot in recent days but this really is 'do or die' for our party.

Downing Street failed to act on repeated warnings that yesterday's figures would be massively damaging, it is claimed

'Each of us made a promise to the electorate. We don't believe that such promises can be ignored. The Government must propose, today, a comprehensive package of measures to meet the manifesto promise by the time of the next election. The Prime Minister, Chancellor and new Home Secretary must show that they stand by the promises on which we were elected to Parliament. We must act now.'

Former Cabinet minister Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg said the figures pointed to a serious political failure in controlling post-Brexit borders. 'I'm embarrassed that we haven't achieved what we set out to achieve,' he told BBC Radio 4's World at One programme.

Another former Cabinet minister, Sir Simon Clarke, also called for urgent curbs.

'This level of legal immigration is unsustainable both economically and socially,' he said. 'There is no public mandate for it, it is beyond our public services' capacity to support and it undercuts UK productivity and wages by substituting cheaper foreign labour.'

Fellow Tory MP Jonathan Gullis said the 'completely unacceptable' figures would 'rightly anger' the British people, as he added his voice to calls for drastic action.

A Cabinet source described the figures as 'horrific', while another said they were 'really, really bad', adding: 'It is quite clear that we have got to get a grip of this quickly now.'

Another Conservative source said it was a 'pretty damning day for the Tory party', adding: 'I've no clue how Downing Street have let it get to this stage.'

The Government's response could involve barring foreign health workers from bringing relatives with them when they take a job in the UK, it is understood.
The Armed Forces are being paralysed by drastic shortages of soldiers, sailors and aviators, a minister has admitted.

James Heappey conceded that the shortages  which have almost doubled in five years  are affecting the country's fighting ability.

It has emerged that there are shortages in 183 trades across the Armed Forces, including 61 areas where the shortages are 'acute'. These areas, known as 'operational pinch points', include the Royal Marines, and among naval engineers and cyber warfare specialists.

In 2018 there were only 102 trades with staffing shortages.

Mr Heappey told the Commons defence committee: 'We've got to do some pretty urgent work to fill some of these pinch points because they are limiting what we can do with the force, as long as we are carrying the gaps that we are. This is a real concern. It is challenging, even before you get into pay and conditions.'

He added: 'Partner militaries in Nato are also struggling to recruit too.'

James Heappey conceded that the shortages  which have almost doubled in five years  are affecting the country's fighting ability

It has emerged that there are shortages in 183 trades across the Armed Forces, including 61 areas where the shortages are 'acute' (Stock Image)

In addition, Mr Heappey told MPs that the Armed Forces were being stretched beyond capacity. 'The force is working incredibly hard  all three service chiefs have said so,' he said.

'We are asking more of the force right now than it is designed to deliver, nobody is disputing that.'

The defence minister was speaking after the Mail revealed how the Paras have been forced to offer 7,500 golden handshake deals to try to entice soldiers. The unprecedented bonus  of a third of their annual wages  reflects the urgency of defence chiefs to preserve the UK's rapid reaction forces.

A memo seen by the Mail referred to a 'one-off incentive' to junior troops from other regiments that was intended to address a 'Para workforce deficit'.
Horrifying dashcam footage shows the moment a doting mother was killed when a car being driven by her drug-addled mate crashed during a police pursuit.

Mathew Dyer, 45, of Lilydale had been trying to escape cops when he slammed his SAAB into oncoming traffic in Melbourne's south-east on August 27 last year.

Video captured from a nearby CCTV camera showed Dyer being flung from the car onto the road seemingly uninjured.

Mathew Dyer (circled) was thrown from his car and survived the crash. His passenger was not so lucky

Nicole Woollard, 39, was killed in the crash while a mother and young girl from the SUV Dyer struck sustained significant injuries

He is next seen briefly looking into the passenger side of his wrecked car where Nicole Woollard, 39, sat critically injured.

Ms Woollard died at the scene while a mother and young girl from the SUV Dyer struck sustained significant injuries.

The driver of a ute also destroyed by Dyer's SAAB miraculously escaped the carnage uninjured.

Dyer was later found to have fractured his skull.

He had been spotted by police just moments earlier as he drove the SAAB at high speed through Ferntree Gully.

He had been free in the community on bail over charges of theft, possessing methylamphetamine and using false registration plates.

Dyer hadn't held a valid licence since 2013 and was again using stolen plates on the doomed SAAB.

Ferntree Gully Road had been teeming with motorists when the tragedy took place just on 5.30pm.

Dashcam footage played in the County Court of Victoria and released to Daily Mail Australia showed the terrifying moment the pursuit came to an end at the intersection of Ferntree Gully Road and Cambden Park Parade.

Mathew Dyer stares at a critically injured Ms Woollard, She died at the scene

Police estimated Dyer's SAAB was travelling 159kmh in the 80km/h zone upon impact.

The court heard one of the pursuing officers had just moments earlier decided to abandon the chase due to safety concerns.

A female officer was heard radioing in the police airwing to continue the chase when the crash happened.

'Ohhh,' her partner exclaimed in disbelief.

The dashcam footage showed Dyer speeding through a red light, slamming his car into his oblivious victims.

He is seen just seconds later standing on the median strip in the centre of the road.

Witnesses described the crash scene as similar to that of a war zone.

'The force of the impact showered our car in debris and battery acid,' one witness said.

'The battery landed under the car, the bumper from the offending car ended up near our rear driver side wheel.'

An ambulance was coincidentally parked at the intersection at the time of the crash, with paramedics attending the scene almost immediately.

Witnesses described the carnage as resembling a war zone

A blood test taken from Dyer shortly after the crash found he was loaded on methylamphetamine and amphetamine. He had also been drinking.

Forensic experts later determined the quantity of meth in Dyer's system to be high, which would have been compounded by the effects of alcohol.

Dyer refused to cooperate with police upon his arrest, providing a 'no comment' interview.

He pleaded guilty in March to culpable driving causing death and reckless conduct endangering life.

Dyer was sentenced in the County Court of Victoria on Thursday to 10 years and three months in prison, with a non-parole period of seven-and-a-half.

He has already spent a year behind bars.

In sentencing, Judge Trevor Wraight said his sentence would send a 'clear message' to the community that 'stern consequences' are in store for like-minded offenders.

Dyer was not even made to attend court for sentence, instead tuning in via video from the comfort of jail.

The court heard Dyer is no stranger to jail and has lived a life of drug abuse and dishonesty.

Judge Wraight said he took into account Dyer's rotten upbringing, remorse and 'fair' chance of rehabilitation.
Astronomers have detected one of the most powerful cosmic rays ever observed - and it was beamed at Earth from a mysterious part of deep space.

The cosmic phenomenon carried the energy of 240 quintillion electron volts - that's 240 billion billion (followed by 18 zeros).

For comparison, a typical lightning bolt is about 300 million volts.

The cosmic ray  named Amaterasu, after the sun goddess in Japanese mythology - was detected by a telescope system in Utah in May 2021 by scientists who described it as 'unprecedented' in modern times.

As well as being one of the most powerful cosmic rays ever observed, Amaterasu may have originated from an invisible corridor, or 'void... in the universe'.

Scientists used the Telescope Array in Utah to track the ultrahigh-energy cosmic ray's direction by recording which detectors lit up and in what order. The problem is they still don't know where it came from

Cosmic rays are or clusters of tiny, high-energy particles that move through space at nearly the speed of light.

They are frequently detected by instruments on earth and are commonly the result of solar flares or explosions on the sun.

But scientists say Amaterasu could only have been borne out of the most powerful of celestial events  much bigger than a star explosion.

Professor Toshihiro Fujii of Osaka Metropolitan University in Japan, who observed the phenomenon captured by the Telescope Array experiment in Utah.

He said: 'When I first discovered this ultra-high-energy cosmic ray, I thought there must have been a mistake, as it showed an energy level unprecedented in the last three decades.

'No promising astronomical object matching the direction from which the cosmic ray arrived has been identified, suggesting possibilities of unknown astronomical phenomena and novel physical origins beyond the Standard Model.'

John Matthews, a research professor at University of Utah's department of physics and astronomy in the US, said: 'Things that people think of as energetic, like supernova, are nowhere near energetic enough for this.

'You need huge amounts of energy, really high magnetic fields to confine the particle while it gets accelerated.'

At 240 quintillion electron volts (EeV), Amaterasu particle has an energy second only to the Oh-My-God particle, another ultra-high-energy cosmic ray which was detected in 1991, possessing 320 EeV of energy.

When ultra-high-energy cosmic rays hit Earth's atmosphere, they initiate a cascade of secondary particles and electromagnetic radiation in what is known as an extensive air shower.

Some charged particles in the air shower travel faster than the speed of light, producing a type of electromagnetic radiation that can be detected by specialised instruments.

One such instrument is the Telescope Array observatory in Utah, US, which found the Amaterasu particle.

This mysterious event appeared to emerge from the Local Void, an empty area of space bordering the Milky Way galaxy.

The experts suggest this could indicate a much larger magnetic deflection than predicted, an unidentified source in the Local Void, or an incomplete understanding of high-energy particle physics.

Professor Matthews said: 'The particles are so high energy, they shouldn't be affected by galactic and extra-galactic magnetic fields.

'You should be able to point to where they come from in the sky.

'But in the case of the Oh-My-God particle and this new particle, you trace its trajectory to its source and there's nothing high energy enough to have produced it.

'That's the mystery of this  what the heck is going on?'

They hope that the Amaterasu particle will pave the way for further investigations that could help shed light on ultra high-energy cosmic rays and where the come from.

John Belz, a professor at University of Utah's department of physics and astronomy, said: 'These events seem like they're coming from completely different places in the sky.

'It's not like there's one mysterious source.

'It could be defects in the structure of spacetime, colliding cosmic strings.

'I mean, I'm just spit-balling crazy ideas that people are coming up with because there's not a conventional explanation.'

The Telescope Array is a land-based observatory that covers about 700 square kilometers of desert in Utah.

UHECRs only fall about once per century per square kilometer, so it takes an instrument this big to detect even one.

The study appeared on Thursday in the journal Science.
Hanwha Aerospace, a defense industry unit of Korea's Hanwha Group, said Thursday it will supply a modular charge system (MCS) for 155-millimeter artillery shells used by members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to a major British defense firm.

Hanwha will export MCS for NATO standard artillery rounds in a deal worth 175.9 billion won ($135.4 million) to BAE Systems, marking the first deal of its kind, according to company officials.

MCS is a cylinder-shaped propellant that helps dispatch warheads to a target.

Hanwha began developing MCS in 2019 amid escalating geopolitical tension in Europe and completed its development earlier this year.

If Britain decides to acquire Korea's K9 howitzers for its self-propelled artillery project, a package of K9s and MCS can be exported, the officials said.

"With our first MCS export for NATO members, we will improve our cooperation with British defense companies in various areas to expand Korea's arms exports and contribute to the security of the free world," Son Jae-il, Hanwha Aerospace CEO, said.

The Korean company said it has also signed a memorandum of understanding with Babcock International Group to expand bilateral cooperation in global projects encompassing land, water and air. (Yonhap)
If you're an expectant mother, chatting as much as possible could give your baby a headstart when it comes to learning to talk.

That's because new research has found your unborn son or daughter will start learning the language you speak before they're even born.

In experiments, researchers discovered heightened activity in the brains of newborns when they heard the language they were exposed to most often in utero.

The study didn't look at exactly when babies become receptive to spoken language while they are still in the womb, although it's well known that a foetus starts hearing sounds in the later stages of the second trimester and the start of the third.

Therefore, expectant mothers  and fathers too  should not be afraid to chat away, and even talk directly to their baby bump.

It's already known that between five and seven months of gestation, a fetus can begin to hear sounds outside of the womb (file photo)

READ MORE Baby talk helps infants make words, study shows Babies will reportedly pay more attention to baby talk than regular speech Advertisement

The new study was led by researchers at Paris Descartes University in France and the University of Padova in Italy.

'The prenatal period lays the foundations for further language development,' they say in their paper.

'These results provide the most compelling evidence to date that language experience already shapes the functional organization of the infant brain, even before birth.

It's already known that between five and seven months of gestation, a fetus can begin to hear sounds outside of the womb.

Even earlier  as early as 16 weeks  unborn babies can even react to music played outside the womb, by moving their mouths and tongues, a shock 2015 study revealed.

Previous research has also shown that the sound of a mother's voice can boost a premature baby's brain development while inside an incubator.

Newborns prefer their mothers voice over other female voices and show a preference for the language their mother spoke during pregnancy over other languages, according to other studies.

However, the exact 'neural mechanisms' that allow the developing brain to learn from language experience remains 'poorly understood', the team say.

For the study, 33 newborn babies with native French-speaking mothers were monitored using encephalography (EEG) at the Robert Debre Hospital in Paris between one and five days after birth.

For the study, 33 newborn babies with native French-speaking mothers were monitored using encephalography (EEG)

READ MORE Talking to a premature baby can help its brain develop Allowing mothers to talk to their premature newborn can help their development Advertisement

EEG involves a web of small sensors attached to the scalp that pick up the electrical signals produced by the brain.

As their brain waves were monitored, researchers played them gentle audio of the classic childrens story, Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

Snippets of the story were played in three languages  French (native language), Spanish (a rhythmically similar unfamiliar language) and English (a rhythmically different unfamiliar language).

After listening to their native language  French  as opposed to Spanish or English, newborns displayed 'enhanced neural oscillations' that are linked with language processing abilities, researchers found.

This suggests that the babies were already familiar with the primary language spoken while they were in the womb, which the researchers say comes from their mothers, as well as the mothers' verbal interactions with other people.

'Results provide the most compelling evidence to date that language experience already shapes the functional organization of the infant brain, even before birth,' the authors say in their paper.

After listening to their native language  French  as opposed to Spanish or English, newborns displayed 'enhanced neural oscillations' that are linked with language processing abilities

'Exposure to speech leads to rapid but lasting changes in neural dynamics... increasing infants' sensitivity to previously heard stimuli.'

Mothers would give their babies a learning boost by talking as much as they can while they're pregnant, but this shouldn't be hard, according to study author Professor Judit Gervain.

'All mums produce enough speech for their babies to learn from while in the womb just by going about their everyday, regular business  talking to neighbours, friends, co-workers and family members,' she said.

Professor Gervain added that it 'also makes sense' for mothers to speak directly to their baby bumps, especially during the third trimester when their hearing abilities are as good as they'll ever be while in the womb.

While prenatal language experience 'scaffolds' or supports language development, it does not determine developmental outcomes, she explained.

In other words, babies who do not have much exposure to language in the womb may not necessarily be set back developmentally when they're children.

The study has been published in the journal Science Advances.
As new land is exposed by melting ice caused by climate change, Arctic nations and corporations are poised to make trillions of dollars from newly exposed land and sea.

A new paper published in the journal Science has warned that melting areas in the Arctic have become frontlines for resource extraction, describing it as a 'modern day gold rush'.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) estimates that there are up to 90 billion barrels of oil undiscovered in the Arctic, with up to 84 percent of this in offshore areas.

With Brent Crude priced at $80.861 at time of writing, the value of the oil could be up to $7 trillion as a rough estimate.

Melting glaciers in Arctic Greenland highlight how climate change is altering the Arctic

Oil giant Exxon Mobil has described the area as 'the most promising and least explored regions for oil'.

There are also 1,669 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, and 44 billion barrels of liquid natural gas, the USGS estimates.

Oil giant Exxon Mobil has described the area as 'the most promising and least explored regions for oil'.

Environmental group Greenpeace has said that it is a bitter irony that the melting Arctic ice is being seen as a business opportunity rather than the cost of climate change.

Norway, Canada, Denmark, the USA and Russia have all claimed extended continental shelves under the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Around 40 percent of the Arctic is made up of land, with another third made up of extended continental shelves sitting under less than 500 metres of water.

The USGS said, 'The extensive Arctic continental shelves may constitute the geographically largest unexplored prospective area for petroleum remaining on Earth.'

The Arctic countries (the U.S.A., Canada, Greenland, Norway, Iceland and Canada) hold the rights to drill in their territory, and companies like Shell and BP pay to drill in those areas.

Russia's Gazprom has already begun drilling in Arctic areas.

Environmental activists have taken Norway's government to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) for allowing oil exploration in the Arctic.

The USGS estimates that 70 percent of the undiscovered oil resources are in Arctic Alaska, Amerasia Basin, East Greenland Rift Basins, East Barents Basins, and West GreenlandEast Canada.

Summer Arctic sea ice is shrinking by 12.2% every decade (Getty)

Summer Arctic sea ice is shrinking 12.2 percent each decade due to warmer temperatures caused by man-made climate change, according to NASA statistics.

In late 2020, sea ice cover shrank to 3.74 square kilometers, as Siberia baked in a heatwave.

Temperatures in the Arctic were 8C higher than average last year, and researchers have predicted that there will be no summer sea ice by 2050.

The U.S. government estimates that the world uses 30 billion barrels of oil a year.

Researchers have warned that not only could the melting ice cause sea level rises, but new drilling could devastate species such as salmon, with companies drilling in areas where they would breed.

Lead author Jonathan Moore of Simon Fraser University says in the paper, Current policies are lagging behind the rapid pace of change, calling for new laws around extraction of oil and minerals from areas exposed by melting ice.

He writes, As climate change warms Earth, the melting cryosphere creates nascent ecosystems that have future value as habitat but that are also the frontlines for resource extraction.

'As climate warming continues, retreating glaciers are exposing new lands that have potential future value as crucial habitats for culturally important species, such as Pacific salmon.

'However, glacial retreat is also contributing to a modern-day gold rush as mining companies worldwide look to these areas for newly exposed mineral deposits.'
As we come in to land at Fuerteventuras airport, Im intrigued by whats in store. From the air, it looks barren: arid, rust-coloured, rocky and mountainous, with the occasional pyramid-shaped peak.

Martian landscapes come to mind, which seems at odds with this popular holiday islands promise of golden beaches and turquoise waters. But as Im to discover, Fuerteventuras scenic diversity means it appeals to a range of people.

Surfers and parasailers take advantage of the islands strong winds and rolling Atlantic waves; nature lovers come to spot barbary falcons, Egyptian vultures and the ubiquitous chipmunks; hikers and cyclists follow craggy trails through stony terrain; and, yes, winter sun-seekers who dont do much at all.

Oh, and the A-list film stars.

Over the past decade, Fuerteventura has been used as a filming location for some big-budget movies. Think Ridley Scotts Exodus: Gods And Kings, starring Christian Bale, as well as Brad Pitt in Marion Cotillards Second World War drama Allied, where the island doubled as North Africa.

On her visit to Fuerteventura, Laura Miller drives through the 'wind-blasted' dunes of Parque Natural de Corralejo (pictured)

Plenty of these exalted actors checked in to a popular hotel during filming  which just happens to be where Im staying.

A few years ago, Bahia Real Resort & Spa was dubbed as el hotel de las estrellas, or the hotel of the stars. Its a 242-roomed, honey-hued building which sits along a stretch of sand on the north-east tip of the island in the seaside town of Corralejo.

Hopefully Pitt and the gang were just as impressed as I am with its stylish bars and restaurants, a well-equipped spa and wellness area, and a beautiful outdoor pool set amid lush trees and plants.

Laura discovers that Fuerteventuras 'scenic diversity' means it appeals to a range of people. Above, a sea cave in La Solapa beach

You can dine on anything from high-end sushi to delicious local cuisine. Happily, for this carb-lover, this includes the islands signature dish of papas arrugadas  small, skin-on boiled potatoes, served with garlicky mojo rojo dipping sauce, as well as fresh fish.

And now, thanks to British Airways first, and newly launched, route from Gatwick, its easier than ever to get here.

Im keen to understand the islands history and geology, and set off by car through the twisty, precipitous roads that wind through the interior and along the steep, dusky hills to meet Antonio Gallardo, director of the Fuerteventura Biosphere Reserve.

Laura sets off by car 'through the twisty, precipitous roads' that wind through Fuerteventura, 'keen to understand the islands history and geology'. Above, the island's bright flora

'Nature lovers come to spot barbary falcons, Egyptian vultures and the ubiquitous chipmunks (pictured),' reveals Laura

Because of its diverse ecosystems and marine life  from dolphins to turtles  the island was given Unesco recognition in 2009.

We meet outside the small village of Vega de Rio Palmas to start the Barranco de la Penitas walking trail, which follows the bed of its long-dried-up namesake Palm River.

Fuerteventura is the oldest of the Canary Islands, says Gallardo. The landscapes were formed by volcanic activity up to 30 million years ago. The newest part, it transpires, is in the north, where volcanoes last erupted a mere 50,000 years ago. And the islands hot climate is because its closer to Africa than to Spain.

Fuerteventura, he adds, is also one of three designated Starlight Reserves in the Canaries because of its lack of light pollution. The best time for gazing is between January and March.

After our walk we drive south to the fishing village of Ajuy, into whose rugged coastline are deep caves. Hidden behind a headland is a natural stone arch at the oceans edge called Arco del Jurado.

Then theres another contrast, as Gallardo steers us to a path lined with towering palm trees. It leads to Madre del Agua, the tributary of a bubbling natural spring covered in bright green algae  something rare on this island where most usable water has to be desalinated.

Laura visits Calderon Hond (pictured), a dormant volcanic crater. 'The views are sensational,' she says

The next day I head for the Calderon Hondo, a perfectly circular and long dormant volcanic crater which has a depth of 230ft. The wind whips around me as I scale the slippery stone, but the views are sensational  rolling red mountains and cone-shaped hills, with the ocean just beyond.

I choose the ocean road back to the hotel, driving through the wind-blasted dunes of Parque Natural de Corralejo.

Legions of surfers and parasailers are gathered along the shore to take advantage of the conditions. Its a beautifully wild, untamed scene. Celebrities may have come here, but the real star of the show is Fuerteventura itself.
Time Out says 'affordability' was one of the most essential factors in the ranking

Mexico's capital city was praised for the 'diversity' and 'vitality' of its art scene

Mexico City has been named the best city in the world right now for culture by Time Out.

The 'cosmopolitan' and 'charismatic' capital of Mexico offers a 'diverse' and 'affordable' art scene, according to the publication.

Time Out's ranking was drawn up via a survey of 21,000 city-dwellers across the globe who were asked about the 'quality' and 'affordability' of their city's cultural scene. Four 'spotlight' cities were added to the final list, nominated by Time Out's 'clued-up editors and local experts'.

Grace Beard, Travel Editor at Time Out, says: 'One of the most essential factors that went into this ranking is how locals scored their city's culture scene for affordability which is why, for example, London, although a hotbed for culture, isnt on the list this time around.'

The UK's top-ranking cultural city is Edinburgh, which took sixth place, beating the likes of Melbourne (10th) and New York (15th). Scroll down to see the top 10 best cities for culture - and for the list in full...

10. Melbourne, Australia

In 10th spot is Melbourne, with Time Out describing it as a 'pretty fun place to be'

'From graffiti-covered laneways to the artistic hub of Fed Square, culture is alive and well in Melbourne,' says Time Out.

Its 'thriving community of creatives and artists' makes the city 'a pretty fun place to be', the publication notes.

It continues: 'Take it from the locals: Melburnians praised their city for its vibrancy, variety and sense of community, shouting out annual events like Moomba as well as cultural institutions like the NGV, Australias most-visited and longest-running art museum.'

9. Florence, Italy

Time Out places the 'small but mighty' city of Florence in ninth place as one of its 'spotlight' recommendations

Declaring the city as 'small but mighty', Time Out says Florence 'punches above its weight on the global cultural scene', adding it to the ranking as one of its editor-recommended 'spotlight' cities.

Time Out says: 'It's not just about priceless Renaissance treasures - the Botticellis and Caravaggios crammed into the Uffizi Galleries, Burnelleschi's vast and majestic Duomo, and the newly revealed "secret" chambers beneath the Medici Chapel housing previously unseen sketches from Michelangelo's final years. Florence also holds its own on the contemporary art scene.'

The guide adds: 'Day to day, Florentine culture is about strolling around vintage markets and enjoying aperitivo in the birthplace of the negroni.'

8. Madrid, Spain

Taking eighth spot is Madrid, which Time Out describes as 'one of Europe's greatest art capitals'. Above is the Museo del Prado

'The capital of Spain is also one of Europe's greatest art capitals,' notes Time Out.

The guide reveals that the Museo del Prado - 'which houses a vast and spectacular collection of Spanish and European art' - was 'overwhelmingly named the city's best venue by locals in [the] survey', adding: 'Follow that up with the Thyssen and shrine to twentieth-century art the Reina Sofia and you'll have experienced the city's Golden Triangle of Art.'

And theatre fans won't be disappointed, either. Time Out notes that the city is home to Teatro Real - 'one of Europe's most esteemed venues for opera and the performing arts'.

7. Vienna, Austria

In seventh place is Vienna, which Time Out says offers 'exceptional culture'

'When the likes of Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert have called a city home, you can bet that the culture scene there is pretty good,' says Time Out.

'Well, its not just good: culture in Vienna is exceptional, by anyones measure.'

It continues: 'Locals named The Albertina and Albertina Modern as the city's best venue, which is packed with masterpieces from art titans including Picasso, Chagall, Monet, Kirchner, and Klimt.'

Time Out adds: 'If there's one city with a license to name-drop, it's Vienna.'

6. Edinburgh, Scotland

The UK's top-ranking city is Edinburgh, which Time Out notes hosts the 'largest arts festival on the planet' each August - the Edinburgh Festival Fringe

'All the world's a stage come August in Edinburgh,' says Time Out. 'When the largest arts festival on the planet takes over almost every street, pub and theatre across the Scottish capital.'

Aside from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the city earns its place on the list for its 'world-class museums and galleries: namely the National Museum of Scotland and National Galleries of Scotland'.

Time Out notes that Edinburgh was commended for its 'variety' which, it says, is 'hardly surprising, given the city hosts not just one but a whole blockbuster of summer festivals, from books to jazz to performing arts'.

5. Athens, Greece

Locals named the Acropolis (above) as their favourite cultural venue in Athens

'Athens has been a global centre for the arts since... well, forever,' says Time Out.

But these days, the Greek capital 'is known as much for its anarchic underground culture as it is for ancient ruins', says the guide.

It notes that nonetheless, it was the Acropolis and the Acropolis Museum that locals named their favourite cultural venue, 'proving just how much the city remains gripped by its own history'.

4. Buenos Aires, Argentina

Time Out says Buenos Aires is a 'hub for every branch of the arts'. From libraries to late-night tango, there's something for everyone. Above is the colourful Caminito street in La Boca

'Culture pulses through Buenos Aires' veins,' says Time Out, which it calls 'the bookstore capital of the world, the birthplace of tango, and a hub for every branch of the arts'.

The city's main opera house, Teatro Colon, topped 'the list of locals' favourite venues', Time Out says, adding that 'late-night tango, libraries and the street art-plastered neighbourhood of San Telmo each received several mentions too'.

The guide adds: 'Taking in all that culture won't cost you much, either, as Buenos Aires boasts the second-most-affordable culture scene of all the cities surveyed.'

3. Cape Town, South Africa

Third in the ranking is Cape Town in South Africa, which was praised for its 'diverse' cultural scene. Pictured is the city's colourful neighbourhood Bo-Kaap

Cape Town's multiculturalism has 'lent the city an enviable offering when it comes to art and culture', Time Out says.

It adds: 'From the lively annual Kaapse Klopse street parade, to cabaret and comedy at mega-institutions Baxter Theatre and Artscape, every corner of South Africa's sprawling seaside has something to offer culture-seekers.'

Time Out notes that in the survey 'the city ranked highest overall for the quality of its cultural offerings', and locals praised its 'diverse' atmosphere.

2. Prague, Czech Republic

In second place is Prague, which Time Out refers to as an 'outdoor museum'. Above is Charles Bridge, which lies in the heart of the city

Time Out says: '"Walking around" was one of the most common responses among locals when asked what they love about culture in their city.'

Its 'striking' Gothic towers, arch bridges, and castles 'makes it a veritable outdoor museum', the publication says, adding: 'It's also a hub for performing arts, with locals raving about the city's opera heritage, classical concerts and venues like the National Theatre.'

1. Mexico City, Mexico

Taking the top spot is Mexico's capital city, which scored 'exceptionally high for both the quality and affordability' of its culture scene, according to Time Out

In top spot is Mexico's 'charismatic' and 'cosmopolitan' capital, which Time Out says scored 'exceptionally high for both the quality and affordability of its culture scene'.

It says: 'While architecture, theatres and street parades like Dia de Muertos all got the nod in our survey, it was the city's mighty museum scene that got the biggest shout-out. CDMX's museums showcase everything from Aztec artifacts and folk art to surrealist paintings, and many of them are housed in showstopping buildings.'

There are plenty to choose from, including the 'grand, neo-baroque Palacio de Bellas Artes or the twisty, shiny and ultra-modern Museo Soumaya', and, Time Out notes, 'many are either permanently free or offer free entry on Sundays for those with Mexican residency'.

For more visit www.timeout.com/travel/worlds-best-cities-for-culture.
Three major Australian airlines have launched their Black Friday mega sales with fares to popular holiday destinations starting as low as $49.

Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin have slashed the price of domestic and international flights to Bali, Hamilton Island, Hawaii and Byron Bay.

Here, Daily Mail Australia gives you the ultimate guide to the best deals on offer.

Three major Australian airlines have launched their Black Friday mega sales with fares to popular holiday destinations starting as low as $49 (pictured, Byron Bay)

Qantas

Australia's flagship airline has dropped the price on 750,000 domestic fares.

Qantas launched its Black Friday sale on Wednesday, with one-way flights across the country starting as low as $109.

More than 30 domestic routes will also be on sale for under $150 during a range of travel seasons next year.

Among the deals on offer are $129 one-way trips between the Gold Coast and Sydney, $199 flights between Hamilton Island and Sydney, $109 between Melbourne and Launceston, and $279 from Melbourne to Perth.

A range of slashed regional flights will also be available with a limited offer of $129 for Sydney to Coffs Harbour, and $139 for Brisbane to Hervey Bay.

All fares sold during the Black Friday sale include checked baggage, complimentary food and beverages, free Wi-Fi and seat selection to sweeten the deal.

The mega-sale is due to end at midnight on Friday, November 24.

Australians keen to head to Bali can get return flights from either the Gold Coast or Adelaide for just $449 in Virgin's Black Friday mega sale (pictured, Nusa Penida in Bali)

Virgin

Virgin Australia has dropped a massive Black Friday Eve sale on domestic and international flights with some starting at just $49.

The cost of half a million flights between January 10 and June 20 will be slashed during the deal as long as the tickets are purchased before midnight on Tuesday, when the six-day sale ends.

The discounted fares are for travel between January 10, 2024 and June 20, 2024.

Holidaymakers will be able to buy a one-way ticket between Sydney and Byron Bay for just $49 while Melbournians can escape to Hamilton Island for just $139 for a one way ticket, or travel to Perth for $215.

Travellers can also nab a return flight from Sydney to Queenstown for just $435 while Aussies keen to head to Bali can get return flights from either the Gold Coast or Adelaide for just $449.

Flights from Brisbane to Somoa start at $609 return. Cairns wasn't forgotten in the sales, with return flights to Tokyo costing just $679.

The sale is due to end at midnight on Friday, November 24.

Qantas customers can nab $199 flights between Hamilton Island (pictured) and Sydney

Jetstar

Jetstar has launched their 'return for free' sale this Black Friday, with more than 140,000 fares available on 85 routes.

Customers who buy a outbound started fare will receive their return flight for free with a series of selected travel dates available.

The fares for domestic travel between early August to late October 2024 and mid-July to late October for international routes.

Discounted fares available include Sydney to Byron Bay for $71, Brisbane to Sydney from $123 and Sydney to Cairns from $201.

Keen travellers can also nab a flight from the Gold Coast to Wellington for $243, Perth to Bali for $275 and Sydney to Honolulu for $449.

The sale is due to end at midnight on Monday, November 27.

Cairns wasn't forgotten in Virgin's mega sale with return flights to Tokyo costing just $679
Travel writer Jo Kessel buckles up next to an empty drivers seat for the ride of her life  in a robo-taxi. Her video of the experience, in San Francisco, shows her hailing the taxi via a mobile app (similar to Uber) and the Jaguar car arriving five minutes later minus a driver! The video shows the robo-taxi navigating roundabouts and four-way intersections, avoiding pedestrians, rumbling down steep hills - and the weirdness of saying thank you at the end of the ride to nobody.

Once upon a time, self-driving cars were the stuff of science fiction, but now theyre a reality.

It took 15 years and more than 20million miles of test drives to get there, but back in August the Google-owned autonomous taxi company Waymo One was finally allowed to provide its service to the paying public in San Francisco. And despite being a terrible backseat driver  and not much of a robot fan either  I couldnt wait to try it out and film the whole experience.

The video starts with me clicking the request button on the Waymo app. Nerves and excitement take hold as Im alerted that the car is on its way and will arrive in five minutes. At first I can see my ride approaching on the screen, but soon enough its visible on the horizon, inching closer with a flashing light whirring atop its roof and twirling sensors next to its front and rear lights.

Travel writer Jo Kessel buckles up next to an empty drivers seat for the ride of her life  in a robo-taxi

It looks like a spacecraft on wheels, but its actually an all-electric customised white Jaguar I-Pace  one of 250 in Waymos San Francisco fleet.

The car pulls over in a safe spot  and I have to open the doors with the app.

Before I know it Im sitting next to the empty driver seat, heart in my mouth and buckling up. The journey only begins once the passenger taps the Start Ride button on the dashboard and with trepidation I do exactly that.

The car - or rather its dashboard  speaks as we set off, explaining ground rules called riding tips. It says: Well do all the driving. Please dont touch the steering wheel or pedals during your ride.

Jo's video of the experience, in San Francisco, shows her hailing the taxi via a mobile app (similar to Uber ) and the Jaguar car (above) arriving five minutes later minus a driver, of course

To start the ride, Jo's video shows - the passenger must press the 'start' button on the dashboard

Jo is nervous as the cab sets off

It is simultaneously exciting and nerve-wracking being the passenger in an autonomous vehicle. Watching the steering wheel spin without anyone sitting behind it is extraordinarily surreal, especially when the car does its first left-turn manoeuvre.

Soon afterwards the Waymo reaches an intersection that doesnt have traffic lights. How will it cope? It hesitates a little, creeping forward once its satisfied the coast is clear.

San Francisco is a notoriously hilly city and at times my journey resembles a roller-coaster ride with lots of ups and downs and steep gradients to navigate. There are fears. Will the car brake? How sharply will it brake? What if someone jaywalks?

It turns out the car drives pretty smoothly  smoother than most human drivers  and reliably stops at red lights.

And because Waymo cars are programmed not to exceed the speed limit (mine averages around 20mph) it always feels steady and safe. As for its brakes, while the car does have foot pedals, theyre purely cosmetic and never actually move. They definitely work, however, and are particularly impressive on steep inclines. Whereas most human hill starts involve the car rolling back a little, my Waymo car doesnt, not even a smidgeon.

Jo writes: 'It turns out the car drives pretty smoothly  smoother than most human drivers  and reliably stops at red lights'

'Can it go down hills?' Jo asks on the video. 'Yes it can' is the answer

A music montage towards the end of the film shows how our route follows another Waymo as well as a very cute dog. It also demonstrates the self-driving vehicles capabilities as it circles a roundabout and then changes lanes to steer clear of a double-parked car. Its the reaction from pedestrians, however, which is most amusing. They turn, stare and double-take, as if the car is an A-list celebrity.

By the end of the ride Ive desensitised to the fact that Im in a robot car and wish I could do it all over again.

So I do.

I book one a day later when I dont want to walk home in the dark by myself. Does that ride feel different to my daytime one?

Actually, yes!

Women can feel vulnerable alone in a taxi with a male driver. Being in the driverless Waymo feels much safer, something I hadnt considered prior to riding.

'By the end of the ride Ive desensitised to the fact that Im in a robot car and wish I could do it all over again,' writes Jo. 'So I do.' Pictured above is another Waymo car that Jo's cab tails for a brief time

'Women can feel vulnerable alone in a taxi with a male driver,' writes Jo. 'Being in the driverless Waymo feels much safer, something I hadnt considered prior to riding'

Better still is the fare - $24 (19) for a roundtrip 40-minute journey. And for no extra cost Im allowed to get out halfway and call another cab when Im ready to restart the ride. My night-time journey comes in cheaper at $10 (8). And gratuities arent expected - youre not even given the chance to tip. This already feels reasonably priced, but Waymo promises fares will come down as they scale up.

It is strange having nobody to thank at the end of the ride  my thank you to the car as I get out rather falls on deaf ears.

But Id definitely like to ride with Waymo again. Their driverless taxis are also available in Phoenix, Arizona, and will soon be coming to Los Angeles as well as Austin, Texas. Fancy a futuristic no hands car ride? Best sign-up now. Its so popular that theres currently a six-month waiting list!

Sign up here to join the waiting list - waymo.com/waitlist.

For more videos from Jo, visit her YouTube channel, Go With Jo. www.youtube.com/@gowithjo1
A plump bank balance will be required for these extravagant Thanksgiving feasts, with each taking the humble turkey dinner to a whole other level.

DailyMail.com has scoured the country for the most lavish renditions of the traditional feast, with multi-course tasting menus conjured up by some of America's most celebrated chefs being the running theme.

Celebrity-approved Carbone in Manhattan has a $225 set menu featuring an 'extraordinary' glazed turkey breast, while three Michelin-starred Addison in San Diego has a $450 menu combining 'seasonal flavors and ingredients.'

To get the full lowdown on these spots and more, scroll down and have a forkful.

CUT BY WOLFGANG PUCK, NEW YORK $195

Cut By Wolfgang Puck at the luxury Four Seasons Hotel Downtown in New York has an 8oz American Wagyu striploin on the menu this Thanksgiving

Scrap the turkey. At Cut By Wolfgang Puck at the luxury Four Seasons Hotel Downtown in New York it's all about hunks of prime steak.

This polished restaurant - described as a place 'where New Yorkers broker deals over power meals' - is serving a prix fixe menu, which includes a choice of a starter, entree, dessert, and sides for the table, priced at $195 per person.

Some of the festive treats on offer include a fall chestnut agnolotti pasta - with the option of adding Italian Alba white truffle for an extra $125 - and an 8oz American Wagyu striploin for mains.

Some of the elevated accompaniments include crispy brussel sprouts combined with smoked bacon, Medjool dates and cornbread stuffing fashioned out of chicken sausage and chestnuts.

To finish things off, there's the option of a pumpkin or apple pie.

CARBONE, NEW YORK: $225

Celebrity-approved Carbone has a $225 set menu for Thanksgiving

It's one of the hottest tables in New York, and celebrity-approved Carbone has pulled out all of the stops this Thanksgiving.

The eatery, beloved by everyone from Ivanka Trump to David Beckham for its hearty Italian fare, has a $225 set menu for Thanksgiving with some of its most popular dishes included.

The restaurant's much-loved spicy rigatoni vodka pasta and Caesar alla ZZ are featured, along with one-off dishes such as a butternut squash tortellini and 'extraordinary' glazed turkey breast.

On the dessert side of things, pecan pie and lemon cheesecake serve as the closing acts.

To wash it all down, Carbone has an extensive wine list with bottles ranging from $72 to $40,000.

RIVER CAFE, NEW YORK: $230

Hot foie gras is one of the options for appetizer on the River Cafe's Thanksgiving menu

Boasting one of the most romantic spots in New York next to the water in Brooklyn and opposite downtown Manhattan, the River Cafe has a multi-course extravaganza to woo diners this Thanksgiving.

The one Michelin star eatery, which has been welcoming customers since 1977, has a $230 three-course Thanksgiving meal with an 'amuse bouche trio' included.

There are 10 starters to pick from, with the most indulgent picks being a hot foie gras, Nantucket Bay scallops finished with black truffle vinaigrette and River Cafe oysters topped with caviar.

Moving on to mains, there are seven options to suit all tastes, but for those wanting to stick to tradition the roasted Amish natural turkey with all the trimmings should fit bill.

For dessert, diners are presented with a trio of treats, with these being a fresh roasted sugar pumpkin pie, a mini chocolate version of the Brooklyn Bridge, and butter pecan ice cream finished with 'fall spice' caramel.

63 CLINTON, NEW YORK: $264

63 Clinton has a Thanksgiving-inspired menu catering to the more sophisticated palate

Tucked away on a bustling street in New York's Lower East Side inside an old pizzeria, 63 Clinton recently got its Michelin star reappointed for another year running.

This refined restaurant, masterminded by chefs Sam Clonts and Raymond Trinh, has a Thanksgiving-inspired menu catering to the more sophisticated palate.

While the eatery is closed on the Thursday, the dishes will be served pre and post festivities.

There are seven courses priced at $112 but there are additions which come highly recommended - including a $55 caviar hand roll - bringing the grand total to $264 per person.

The menu is punctuated with Japanese influences with the first course being a breakfast taco topped with smoked trout roe and uni (sea urchin) for an additional $22.

The final savory course presents itself as a perfect round of succulent turkey, flanked by an rectangular cut of cornbread, topped with stewed lingonberries.

Rounding things out, there is a sweet honeynut squash creamy mousse, which the restaurant staff say is one of their favorite deserts from Clonts and Trinh yet.

THE PLAZA, NEW YORK: $295

The Plaza will be hosting an extravagant all-you-can eat feast for $295 per person

Retaining its spot as one of New York's most iconic hotels thanks to its outing in Home Alone and its prime placement next to Central Park, The Plaza is a top pick for families visiting the city over Thanksgiving.

One of the hotel's most dazzling spaces is the glass-roofed Palm Court, and this season it will play host to a run of festive buffets.

For Thanksgiving, the extravagant all-you-can eat feast (which costs $295 per person or $125 for diners aged 12 or under) features various stations with different offerings on each.

Highlights include a carving station with roast turkey and a glazed ham while there will a seafood bar stacked with king crab, oysters, lobster and more.

Thanksgiving celebrants with a sweet tooth will also swoon at the sight of the chocolate fountain, with pieces of fruit and pretzel sticks among the dipping utensils.

JEAN-GEORGES, NEW YORK: $318

Michelin star chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten has conjured up three Thanksgiving tasting menus

Michelin star chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten is known for crafting refined and fanciful dishes, and this year he's conjured up three Thanksgiving tasting menus peppered with caviar, truffle and other luxe ingredients.

The most expensive option, served at the chef's flagship New York outpost, is the 10-course menu, priced at $318 per person.

This includes one of Jean-Georges' signature menu items, which is a luxurious version of egg toast with a cooked egg yolk sandwiched between two slim pieces of brioche and topped with a dollop of caviar.

To follow, there's a run of seafood dishes, with king crab and black sea bass among the mix, with the piece de resistance being roasted organic turkey accompanied by chestnut and foie gras stuffing, and a blood orange-cranberry condiment.

The final bow comes in the form of a 'sugar pumpkin' dessert, with pumpkin cream, pumpkin seed praline, and butternut sorbet.

For diners with less cash to splash, there is a six-course tasting menu at $258, while the vegetarian version costs $188.

ADDISON, SAN DIEGO: $450

Three Michelin-starred Addison in San Diego has a $450 menu combining 'seasonal flavors and ingredients'

Addison has made its mark on the dining scene as San Diego's first and only three Michelin-starred restaurant.

This Thanksgiving, chef William Bradley has whipped up an eight-course feast to mark the occasion.

The restaurant notes that the $450 menu 'applies the beauty of California gastronomy to seasonal flavors and ingredients.'

While the full menu hasn't been revealed, guests have been given a teaser of some of the things to expect including caviar with fermented, apple, fennel and dill, salt roasted scallops with pumpkin and a presentation of dry-aged duck, liver tart, blackcurrant, and cranberry.

To wash it all down, the restaurant advises plumping for the wine pairing, which will 'showcase rare and coveted vintages.'

DANIEL, NEW YORK: $510

Acclaimed chef Daniel Boulud has cooked up a Thanksgiving feast to remember

Daniel Boulud of the famed Daniel restaurant on New York's Upper East Side has cooked up a Thanksgiving feast to remember.

At his white-clothed two Michelin star spot, he will be serving up a $295 three-course menu and wine pairing for $215 - bringing the grand total to $510.

For diners wishing to take things up a notch, there is also the option of having a truffle topped pasta or risotto to start for an extra $140.

For main course, there are several options aside from turkey, with these being red snapper, Montauk golden tilefish, and a cut of venison.

On the dessert front there are four fancies to pick from, with the most traditional Thanksgiving option being a caramel pecan tart made with Venezuelan dark chocolate and praline pecans.

ELEVEN MADISON PARK, NEW YORK: $530

Chef Daniel Humm of Eleven Madison Park has crafted a one-off, 10-course tasting menu at $530 per person with no turkey in sight

New York fine dining spot Eleven Madison Park made history in 2022 by becoming the first plant-based three Michelin-starred restaurant and it continues to lure foodies with its innovative meat-free dishes.

This Thanksgiving, chef Daniel Humm has crafted a one-off, 10-course tasting menu at $530 per person with no turkey in sight.

The restaurant never shares the exact menu but a representative gave DailyMail.com a taste of some of some of the things to come.

They revealed: 'Guests will be treated to an exquisite seasonal menu including a matsutake tea and mushroom tart with black truffle to begin, white truffle gnocchi, roasted honey nut squash with herb hazelnut stuffing and apple.

'These will be accompanied by all of your favorite holiday sides such as cranberry sauce, roasted brussel sprouts, mushroom gravy, root vegetable gratin with black truffle and a crisp winter green salad with citrus and tarragon vinaigrette.'

To finish, each guest will have the option to finish the meal with either an apple tart with vanilla ice cream, a pumpkin tart with cinnamon ice cream or pecan tart with tonka ice cream.

AUBERGINE AT L'AUBERGE CARMEL, CALIFORNIA: $595

Aubergine at L'Auberge Carmel in California has a six-course tasting menu priced at $595

Sliding in as one of the most expensive Thanksgiving restaurant menus in the US is Aubergine at L'Auberge Carmel in California.

The highly acclaimed hotel restaurant, which earned a coveted Michelin star in 2019, has a six-course tasting menu priced at $595.

However, this price does include a wine pairing.

The menu is not listed on the website or on the booking site Tock, but guests are told to expect 'plenty of surprises; imagine Italian white truffles, caviar, and heritage turkey.'

While chef Justin Cogley handles the savory courses, the restaurant's sweet dishes are crafted by pastry chef Yulanda Santos.


They may have only been dating for a year  but Brad Pitt and Ines de Ramon are reportedly keen to mark their upcoming birthdays with a joint bash this holiday season.

The Hollywood star will celebrate turning 60 on December 18  just one day before his jewelry designer girlfriend turns 31.

It is not believed that the pair have made any concrete plans  but whatever they do decide will not include wedding bells, as the 'perfectly happy' couple are simply enjoying having 'fun.'

'A joint birthday, Christmas, New Year's type celebration is in the works,' a source told DailyMail.com exclusively. 'And also, since Brad is turning 60, something might be brewing for that.'

Brad Pitt will turn 60 next month, with reported plans in place for a joint celebration with his girlfriend, Ines de Ramon

Ines will turn 31 on December 19 - the day after the Hollywood heartthrob

The pair first sparked dating rumors last November when they were spotted looking cozy at a Bono concert in Los Angeles.

But despite their evident attraction for one another, neither party is said to be in a rush to get married or have children, with Brad said to be 'gun shy' to say 'I do' for a third time.

'Brad is happy and in love with his girlfriend, Ines, but any sign of engagement or getting married or eloping is not in the near future,' the insider continued.

'Brad isn't gun shy to get married again, it just is not anything on the mind of both of them.

'No one is pressuring anyone to move fast, no thoughts of having kids or anything like that is happening, they are perfectly happy with each other and love how everything is simple, fun and exciting and always seems new.

'Brad has no worries when he is with Ines, they just seem to work and are a fun couple.'

The pair looked loved up at the LACMA Art+Film Gala in Los Angeles last month, with Brad and Ines barely leaving one another's sides, according to People.

'They were super loving. Laughing and joking with everyone around them,' a source told the publication. 'They seemed to be having a good time.'

The couple have put on several loved-up displays since first being pictured together last year.

Designer Ines, pictured running errands in LA this month, was first spotted with Brad last November at a Bono concert

Brad, 59, currently has no plans to tie the knot with Ines, according to insiders, who claim the couple are having 'fun'

In December they hung out on Brad's 59th birthday and later saw in the New Year together while on vacation in Cabo San Lucas.

In August, Ines was spotted wearing a B pendant necklace in an apparent show of affection for her man, who now reportedly introduces her as his 'girlfriend.'

Their romance came just two months after Ines announced her split from Vampire Diaries actor Paul Wesley. The pair had been married for three years. He filed for divorce in February.

It also came amidst Brad's bitter legal battle with his ex-wife, Angelina Jolie, over their French vineyard. The Once Upon a Time in Hollywood actor sued the actress for selling her stake in Chateau Miraval in 2021, accusing her of staging a 'hostile takeover' of the business.

They allegedly had a verbal agreement that they would not sell without the other's consent.

A source previously claimed to Us Weekly that Brad's legal woes had strengthened his 'connection' with Ines.

'It's widely known that Brad is dealing with a lot of legal drama but Ines' feelings for him haven't wavered whatsoever,' an insider told the publication in July.

'If anything, it's only made their connection stronger in a lot of ways because they're very open and honest when it comes to communication about their lives, whether it be the good or bad times'.

Brad and Angelina Jolie, pictured at Cannes in 2009, split in 2016 just two years after they got married

A recently unearthed Instagram post from Pax, 19, saw him accuse his father of causing 'damage' to the family: 'You have made the lives of those closest to me a constant hell'

Angelina adopted Pax in 2007 when he was three, with Brad formally adopting him the following year - the actress and Pax seen in 2018

Angelina Jolie and her children (L-R) Pax, Shiloh, Vivienne, Zahara, and Knox, pictured in 2021

Angelina and Brad, once known as 'Brangelina' met on the set of Mr. and Mrs. Smith in 2005 while he was still married to Jennifer Aniston. They married in 2014 before their acrimonious split two years later.

They are parents to Maddox, 22, Pax, 19, Zahara, 18, Shiloh, 17, and twins Vivienne and Knox, 15.

DailyMail.com recently revealed that Pax called his father a 'world class a**hole' who makes his four youngest children 'tremble in fear' in an explosive Instagram rant posted for Father's Day in 2020.

'You have made the lives of those closest to me a constant hell,' the post read.

'You may tell yourself and the world whatever you want, but the truth will come to light someday. So Happy Father's Day, you f*****g awful human being.'

Sources close to Brad subsequently said that he found it 'depressing to see this dragged up.'

His friends also lashed out at Angelina, accusing her of carrying out 'textbook parental alienation.'

Angelina adopted Pax from an orphanage in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, in 2007 when he was three, with Brad formally adopting him the following year.

Pax's explosive post came as Zahara appeared to drop her father's last name as she joined a sorority at Spelman College.
Kim Kardashian took her eldest daughter North West with her to New York so she could experience the Met Gala, and started a minor rift with Kendall Jenner.

Kim, 43, Kendall, 28, and Kylie Jenner, 26, all hit the Met Gala in quite different looks, and while most seemed to enjoy Kendall's unique black one-piece look with a flared cape, Kim apparently was not a huge fan.

After the gala had ended, Kim was relaxing in her hotel room with family, when she took North, 10, to task about telling Auntie Kendall what she said about the dress.

Kim tells her daughter in the room, By the way, North, you need to have some like loyalty. When mommy talks shit about people, you cannot go tell them, as North and Penelope both laugh.

Kim asks, Why would you tell Auntie Kendall I hated her outfit? They show Kendall and Kylie in a joint confession as Kendall - who recently starred in a racy Calvin Klein ad - explains what happened.

Letting slip: Kim Kardashian brought her oldest daughter North West with her to New York so she could experience the Met Gala , and started a minor rift with Kendall Jenner

Worst dressed, according to Kim: Kendall's Met Gala was widely praised by fans and fashion critics but it turns out her famous sister secretly disliked it

Kendall's full look: Kendall's cheeky 2023 Met Gala look from Marc Jacobs

Kim was telling me like all night, shes like, No no no, its great, its great, your look is great. I love it, I love it, I love it,"' Kendall begins.

'And then North and Penelope were in my room after and I go, Oh guys, like, who was your favorite of the night? And they were like, You were actually our favorite. And I was like, Oh my God, stop, really? And they were like, Yeah, we really loved yours, you were our favorite,"' Kendall added.

'And I was like, Your mom said she really liked my look too and she goes, She was lying. She told me she did not like your look, Kendall says, which shocks Kylie.

Kendall admits, I was taken aback. Whatever, but I was Norths favorite, so thats all that matters, and Penelope, as Kylie adds, The kids always know.

Back in Kims room, North says, Because you didnt, as Kim explains, But still. Theres like a thing about honesty and there is a thing about like loyalty of like having your mommas back.

North explains, But you never told me to not tell. I always dont tell when you say to not tell.

Kim says in confession, What happened was Kendall sent us two options, saying which one should I wear? This black and white one or this all white one. So I said, Wow, I liked the white one better, and shady little North tells her that.

Kim tells the camera in her room, Theres nothing Id rather do than not go to the afterparties tonight. I might have a little bit of FOMO but I feel really good about this decision, as North comes screaming out of the room making Kim laugh.

Kendall explains: Kim was telling me like all night, shes like, No no no, its great, its great, your look is great. I love it, I love it, I love it,"' Kendall begins

Favorite: 'And then North and Penelope were in my room after and I go, Oh guys, like, who was your favorite of the night? And they were like, You were actually our favorite. And I was like, Oh my God, stop, really? And they were like, Yeah, we really loved yours, you were our favorite,"' Kendall added

Lied: 'And I was like, Your mom said she really liked my look too and she goes, She was lying. She told me she did not like your look, Kendall says, which shocks Kylie

Kim explains: Kim says in confession, What happened was Kendall sent us two options, saying which one should I wear? This black and white one or this all white one. So I said, Wow, I liked the white one better, and shady little North tells her that

Kim says in confession, North definitely has a few things to learn, but she has the biggest heart and Im so lucky I got to share this experience with North and Penelope. This is my happy place. Just out of my dress, in my pajamas, eating pizza with my family, just chilling, could not be happier.

Later North was watching the Met Gala red carpet arrivals on TV with Kim's stylist Danielle Levi and when rapper Yung Miami walked the red carpet with several strands of pearls draped over her, North said, Ooh shes pretty, its just stop copying my mom with those pearls, if you know what I mean, as Danielle laughs.

North adds that she loves red carpet host Lala Anthonys outfit, adding a shout-out to her, as Kim admits in confession, All North wants to do is rate peoples outfits and she loves to critique. North is like the new Joan Rivers, if you ask me.

North reacts to an unseen male Met Gala attendee by saying, What the heck is he wearing? You want to stand out and everything, but blue?

Kim adds in confession, And you cant really take it seriously, getting roasted by a 10-year-old, you know, so I never do, but it stings a little.

North also gives another shout-out to Paris Hilton, adding, Paris Hilton is the best. She knew my mom for like 100 years. Not saying my mom is 100 years old.
By Ko Dong-hwan

Dongsuh Foods has brought out two new Kanu instant coffee stick aromas. The Korean instant coffee brand has been dominating the local market through the introduction of two additional aromas and as such, launched a year-end promotion event, according to the food company, Thursday.

The company last month launched Kanu Espresso Milk Tea Latte and Kanu Espresso Matcha Latte, both are blends of instant coffee beans and tea. They now form a part of the company's 11 different flavors of instant coffee sticks.

Following the release of the two new flavors, the company has launched a consumer reward event that allows customers to collect points and exchange them with special goods. Kanu Paddle Point Promotion goods are items for camping or picnics like cameras, carriers and other trendy items.

Kanu, now the company's signature coffee brand, has kept its No. 1 spot in the market since its launch in 2011. The brand targeted the rising number of coffee drinkers inthe country where demand for cafes spiked in the early 2000s. To woo consumers whose taste buds became increasingly accustomed to quality coffee, the brand used selected beans from Columbia, Guatemala and Costa Rica to enhance the quality of its products in order to be on par with the country's numerous coffee franchises.

Kanu's first products were three different Americanos. The brand then introduced new ones after analyzing the consumer market to better satisfy their needs. Decaf, Signature and Mini sticks represent such efforts.

"Kanu will realize my own home-cafe for anyone with a hot pot of water and a mug as winter approaches," said an official from the company.
Lauren Phillips has suffered an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction just one day after getting the boot from her KIIS FM radio show.

On Thursday's episode of Jase and Lauren, the 35-year-old revealed that she had ripped her jeans on the way to the studio that morning.

'I went to jump in the car, put my hand in my denim jeans pocket and ripped the ass out of my pants,' she shared.

In a desperate bid to salvage her outfit, Lauren woke up her fiance Paul O'Brien and had him bring her a pair of 'emergency pants'.

However, her co-host Jason 'Jase' Hawkins disputed her version of events, claiming that the wardrobe malfunction was so minor you could barely even see it.

'I kid you not, I reckon it would be the size of a fingernail,' he said, unimpressed, before comparing it to a 'designer rip'.

Lauren then shrieked, 'You can see my bum! What if I get a triangle-shaped sunburn on my bum?'

It comes after Lauren broke down in tears on Wednesday morning when she announced her KIIS FM Melbourne breakfast show with Jase had been axed to make way for The Kyle and Jackie O Show.

Kyle Sandilands and Jackie 'O' Henderson signed a historic new $200million 10-year radio deal which will see them expand to Melbourne on their Sydney station - keeping them on the airwaves until 2034.

A spokesperson for ARN confirmed to Daily Mail Australia the deal means their work pals Jase and Lauren will be out of a job and their show will be finishing up in December.

Lauren Phillips suffered an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction on Thursday, which she shared on her KIIS FM radio show Jase and Lauren

Lauren's co-host Jason 'Jase' Hawkins disputed her version events, claiming that the wardrobe malfunction was so minor you could barely even see it

Lauren broke down in tears on Wednesday when she announced her KIIS FM Melbourne breakfast show with Jase had been axed to make way for The Kyle and Jackie O Show

Jase and Lauren's program was successful for KIIS FM, bringing in new listeners for the station and sitting third in the Melbourne market behind Fox FM's Fifi Fev & Nick and GOLD104.3's Christian O'Connell.

Earlier this month, Kyle and Jackie O triumphed in the sixth radio ratings of the year, beating 2GB's Ben Fordham in Sydney and gaining a 0.8 increase in audience share from last year.

Jase, 42, and Lauren, 36, made the shock announcement live-on air, revealing they were informed they were out of a job via a phone call from ARN bosses the night before.

Lauren cried saying she didn't want to 'say goodbye to Melbourne'.

Hawkins - who began his radio career in 2004 at Triple M and previously worked on The Kyle and Jackie O Show - sounded shattered as he recalled receiving the news at 6pm the night before while he was putting his three children - Felix, nine, and Huddy, seven and Archie, one - to bed.

The 35-year-old is now on the hunt for a new job after her KIIS FM show was axed

'Sad news we want to share with you. Last night we received a phone call from management informing us the show will be finishing up at the end of the year,' Jase began the pair's announcement.

'Kyle and Jackie O will be taking over next year, they will be syndicating the show from Sydney to be broadcast in Melbourne.'

Jase and Lauren became even more emotional as they reminisced about all the experiences they had shared during their two and a half years on the air.

'We wouldn't have it any other way. We were put together during lockdown when we couldn't spend any time getting to know each other and this has just been the most glorious friendship,' a tearful Lauren said.

'We didn't want this. We said good bye to both your mum and dad in those two years, we said hello to your baby Archie, said goodbye to the queen. We have celebrated and had broken limbs and heads.'

'We're a little dysfunctional family. And we're still on air until the end of next week, so we will still be rocking up. I wish Kyle and Jackie O good luck, they are extremely lucky to inherit the people that listen to this show,' an emotional Jase added.
It's been a trying year for Spelling, who in addition to her financial problems, has dealt with insecure living conditions, physical illness and her separation

One spanning 2017-2019 is $59K, while another is for $36K

Tax officials named Spelling in the liens over a pair of alleged debts

Spelling, 50, is mother to five kids with estranged husband McDermott, 56

The State of California Franchise Tax Board has filed multiple tax liens against Tori Spelling totaling around $96,000 over unpaid tax totals.

Tax officials named Spelling, 50, in the liens over a pair of alleged debts: A sum of $59,049.02 for unpaid taxes in 2017, 2018, and 2019; and $36,717.11 for taxes that were not paid in 2021, The Blast reported Wednesday after reviewing documents in the case.

Authorities filed a lien against the Beverly Hills, 90210 star's home in Calabasas, California, according to the outlet.

The board said in its statement that the fees and interest charges will continue piling up until the balances are settled, the outlet reported.

It's been a trying year for Spelling, who in addition to her financial problems, has dealt with insecure living conditions, physical illness and her separation from estranged husband Dean McDermott.

The latest: The State of California Franchise Tax Board has filed multiple tax liens against Tori Spelling totaling around $96,000 over unpaid tax totals. Spelling, 50, was pictured at a concert in LA earlier this year

McDermott this past June announced on Instagram that he and Spelling were ending their longtime relationship.

'It's with great sadness and a very very heavy heart that after 18 years together and 5 amazing children, that @torispelling and I have decided to go our separate ways and start a new journey of our own,' McDermott said.

He added: 'We will continue to work together as loving parents and guide and love our children through this difficult time. We ask that you all respect our privacy as we take this time to surround our family with love and work our way through this.'

Spelling and McDermott share five children: Liam, 16, Stella, 15, Hattie, 12, Finn, 11, and Beau, six. McDermott is also father to son, Jack, 25, whom he shares with ex, Mary Jo Eustace, 61.

Both have seemingly moved on to new romances in the wake of their split, as Spelling has been seen with ad exec Ryan Cramer, while McDermott has been linked to businesswoman Lily Calo.

In August, an insider told US Weekly that Spelling 'isnt in a good place financially' after years of ill-advised decisions with her money.

The source said, 'She hasnt necessarily been financially conscious with her money over the years, taking the familys future into consideration, and its catching up with her.'

Spelling was seen in August staying in an RV park in Ventura County, California with her five kids. Prior to that, the family was seen staying at a Ventura County $100-a-night motel.

The actress was seen on QVC earlier this year promoting different holiday-themed products

Authorities filed a lien against the Beverly Hills, 90210 star's home in Calabasas, California. Spelling was pictured in NYC in January

Dean McDermott this past June announced on Instagram that he and Spelling were ending their longtime relationship. Pictured in June in LA prior to the announcement

Spelling in May left a rental home she and her children had been staying in amid what she said was a continuing issue with mold that impacted the family's health.

The litany of tough breaks mark a reversal of fortune for Spelling, who grew up immersed in Hollywood luxury, as her late father Aaron Spelling produced hit shows such as Dynasty, Charlie's Angels and The Love Boat, as well as Melrose Place, Charmed and Beverly Hills, 90210.

Aaron left behind a $500 million empire, with Tori's inheritance coming in at $800,000.

She has had a complicated relationship with her mother Candy over the years: Aaron Spelling passed away in June of 2006, which was less than a year after Tori made headlines in 2005 for her extramarital affair with McDermott while both were married; her to Charlie Shahnaian, and McDermott to Eustace.

She and McDermott eloped in Fiji in May of 2006, just a month before Aaron's death.

In her 2008 book sTORI Telling, Tori said that her family was disappointed in her eloping with McDermott, and both the mother and daughter have publicly spoken about their complicated relationship in the years since.

While things appear to be on decent terms - with Tori wishing her mother a happy birthday in September - it was not immediately clear if Candy has offered to help her daughter financially amid her recent struggles.

Tori appeared to be recovering after she spent multiple days in a hospital with an unknown illness over the summer, as she entered a medical facility on August 17.

In August, an insider told US Weekly that Spelling 'isnt in a good place financially' after years of ill-advised decisions with her money. Pictured in May in LA

On August 20, she posted an image of her hospital wristband on social media, while praising her children. She said at the time, 'Grateful and so proud of my strong, brave, resilient and kind to the core children who remain positive no matter what comes our way.'

Before her hospital stint, Spelling was seen working on a project in Los Angeles.

A source told DailyMail.com earlier this month that Spelling was 'having some money issues,' and looking toward returning to the reality TV genre as a result.

'Tori is caught between a rock and a hard place right now as she is trying to figure out what her next job is going to be,' the source said.

DailyMail.com has reached out to Spelling's reps for comment on the story.
Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan were spotted leaving the Angelika Film Center on Wednesday, where they had a Q&A about their film Maestro.

The stunning costars -- who have won rave reviews for their work in the Leonard Bernstein biopic -- were bundled up in the latest fall fashions for the Big Apple jaunt.

The handsome actor, 48, who plays the the iconic composer in the Netflix film, rocked a navy designer winter jacket with black slacks, as he kept a low profile with a grey beanie and tortoise-rimmed glasses.

The gorgeous Oscar nominee, 38, who takes on the role of Bernstein's wife Felicia Montealegre, followed close behind with her chic black overcoat, matching turtleneck top and a set of camel pants.

She carried a small black box clutch and hit the pavement in a pair of black boots while she chatted on her phone.

Big Apple outing: Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan were spotted leaving the Angelika Film Center on Wednesday, where they had a Q&A about their film Maestro

Stunner: The gorgeous Oscar nominee, followed close behind with her chic black overcoat, matching turtleneck top and a set of camel pants

Onscreen: Cooper and Mulligan play Leonard and his actress wife Felicia Montealegre in the film

The outing comes as the the stars are being lauded for their work in the new film, as LA Times said it 'sees the complexity and the tragedy of Lenny and Felicias romance, and also its undeniable tenderness and passion.

The movie 'resonates with the love the bisexual legend feels for the wife (a sublime Carey Mulligan) who lives with his demons,' per ABC News.

Bradley's transformation into legendary composer Bernstein was no small feat.

The Oscar winner's makeup, which included a prosthetic nose to play the Jewish icon and was recently slammed as 'Jewface', took quite a bit of preparation, according to the film's makeup artist, Kazu Hiro.

'The last stage - he was covered pretty much everywhere, the bodysuit and arms -- that took over 5 hours,' Hiro told the audience at the film's New York Film Festival screening on Monday, per EW.

Hiro also revealed that Cooper, who is directing the movie, moved up the call times so he could be in full Bernstein gear to helm the production while keeping in character.

'The last stage, the whole time, our call time was one in the morning and the other thing was he wanted makeup to be finished before the crew call, so he would appear as Lenny to set up the shoot and everything.'

'That also kind of made our call time two hours earlier than normal, so that was quite tough.'

Big praise: The outing comes as the the stars are being lauded for their work in the new film

Top drawer: The handsome actor rocked a navy designer winter jacket with black slacks, as he kept a low profile with a grey beanie and tortoise-rimmed glasses

Rave reviews: The movie 'resonates with the love the bisexual legend feels for the wife (a sublime Carey Mulligan) who lives with his demons,' per ABC News

Casual yet chic: Carey kept it casual yet chic in her fabulous ensemble for the chilly evening out

While Hiro did not address the controversy about Cooper's makeup, which some critics slammed as anti-Semitic, at the New York screening, he did face the music at the Venice Film Festival.

'I wasnt expecting that to happen,' Hiro admitted. 'I feel sorry that I hurt some peoples feelings.

'My goal was and Bradleys goal was to portray Lenny as authentic as possible.

'Lenny had a really iconic look that everybody knows  theres so many pictures out there because hes photogenic, too  such a great person and also inspired so many people.
Jason Derulo has been blasted on social media for 'singing off key' during his recent RnB Fridayz concerts in Australia.

The Talk Dirty hitmaker, 34, recently performed to packed crowds as a headlining act at the annual event in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth.

Upset fans posted footage to TikTok of Derulo onstage and complained about the quality of his voice.

One video shows Jason performing his song In My Head and he appeared to sound out of tune in parts.

Another clip shows the Florida-born crooner audibly struggling while belting out Whatcha Say.

Jason Derulo has been blasted on social media for 'singing off key' during his recent RnB Fridayz concerts in Australia

'POV: You paid $355 and this was the headliner,' the furious fan wrote next to the footage.

However several were quick to jump to Jason's defense, and said the issue was likely due to a technical problem rather than his voice.

'Autotune sounds like it's set in the wrong key. Song is in minor and AT is probably set to major by mistake,' one fan suggested.

Upset fans posted footage to TikTok of Derulo onstage and complained about the quality of his voice

'Sounds like a mic fault because there is no way he sounds like this. He's always great,' a second person added.

'Bro can actually sing though. It's just the mic messing up,' a third user chipped in.

Earlier this month, Derulo was one of the headlining acts at the all-star RnB Fridayz concerts across Australia and New Zealand.

He belted out his hits to a roaring crowd while dancing up a storm on the stage.

Other acts to perform at the concerts included Flo Rida, Kelly Rowland, Boyz II Men, DJ Havana Brown and Naughty by Nature.

The Talk Dirty hitmaker, 34, recently performed to packed crowds as a headlining act at the annual event in Sydney , Melbourne and Perth
Lindsay Hubbard and Johnny Bananas were spotted out in New York City on Sunday, during the weekend of her now cancelled wedding to ex Carl Radke.

Instead of saying 'I do' in Mexico to Radke, 38, the Summer House star, 37, was pictured enjoying a sunny stroll with the House of Villains entertainer, 41.

Despite her cancelled nuptials the star looked in good spirits, and reportedly stopped to grab lunch with Johnny at the Little Owl in the West Village as per E! News.

'They came out laughing. They strolled up the street a bit,' a source shared with the publication, adding that the pair looked 'into each other.'

Lindsay  who called her breakup from Radke 'absolutely humiliating'  and Johnny later went back inside to finish their meal.

Lunch date: Lindsay Hubbard and Johnny Bananas were spotted out in New York City on Sunday, during the weekend of her now cancelled wedding to ex Carl Radke

Sunny stroll: Instead of saying 'I do' in Mexico to Radke, 38, the Summer House star, 37, was pictured enjoying a sunny stroll with the House of Villains entertainer, 41

The reality star rocked a bright pink Motley Crue t-shirt, blue jeans and stylish black coat for the outing.

She teamed the outfit with black boots and wore brown sunglasses with yellow frames. Her blonde tresses were parted on the side and styled into loose waves.

Meanwhile, Johnny sported a white tee, black leather jacket, camo print pants and a Yankees hat.

The sighting of the two came two days after what was supposed to be her wedding day  Friday the 17th  before Radke shockingly called it off in August.

Hubbard spoke about her split during an interview with Us Weekly, and she described the way Radke ended their relationship as 'absolutely humiliating.'

The duo, who were both castmates on the program, got engaged in 2022, before their split in August.

The star said she 'was completely blindsided,' noting that Radke had not presented her with any type of explanation for the split.

'He blew up my entire life. I was crying, I was angry, and I had to find closure on my own,' the public relations specialist said. 'Now I'm at a place where I feel really good about moving on.'

Hubbard described the course of events as 'absolutely humiliating,' claiming that Radke orchestrated everything with producers so it would be captured on camera.

She added: 'For [Carl] to call up producers and then set up cameras and manipulate me into sitting down [so he could break up with me] after we'd already wrapped is scary.'

Bite to eat: Earlier in the day the duo were spotted grabbing lunch at Little Owl in the West Village as per E! News

Into each other? 'They came out laughing. They strolled up the street a bit,' a source shared with the publication, adding that the pair looked 'into each other'

Casual cool: The reality star rocked a bright pink Motley Crue t-shirt, blue jeans and stylish black coat for the outing

Laid back: Meanwhile, Johnny sported a white tee, black leather jacket, camo print pants and a Yankees hat

'Humiliating': The star  who called her breakup from Radke 'absolutely humiliating'  was pictured chatting on the phone during the outing

Earlier this month at BravoCon 2023 in Las Vegas, the former pair spoke about their separation during the Summer House cast panel.

According to Us Weekly, the panel's moderator, Brian Moylan, began by asking Radke and Hubbard about their split, to which he referred as the 'elephant in the room,' and the latter spoke openly about the current state of their relationship.

'We don't really speak unless he has to come to the apartment to get some stuff,' she revealed.

The reality television personality also stated that she was 'really nervous' and that she was 'shaking' during the panel.

Radke attempted to present a more optimistic front, and although he admitted that his split from Hubbard was 'emotional,' he was grateful for the support of Summer House's viewer base.

He said: 'I'm just proud to be a part of this show and proud to be a part of Bravo and honestly love all these fans.'

Hubbard went on to speak about her decision to carry on with her planned bachelorette weekend, during which she was joined by several of her friends and castmates.

'The Bahamas was honestly such a great trip...these girls rallied behind me,' she recalled.

The two concluded by sharing their enthusiasm for the show's upcoming eighth season, and Hubbard stated that she enjoyed taking part in 'one of the most fun summers that we've had.'

Wedding weekend: The sighting came two days after what was supposed to be her wedding day - Friday the 17th - before Radke shockingly called it off in August; they are seen in 2022

Radke and his former fiance initially met while filming the first season of Summer House in 2017.

The two briefly dated during the show's fourth season, although they ultimately broke up.

The couple went on to give their relationship another try prior to the start of Summer House's sixth run, and they became engaged during the show's seventh season.

However, the pair ultimately went their separate ways, and their breakup will be shown in the program's eighth season.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was left flustered on Thursday morning when he was asked on live radio if he's had sex with partner Jodie Haydon in the White House.

The leader of the Labor Party, 60, and his financial professional partner, 44, recently attended a state dinner hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden.

Curious about the the couple's stay in the White House, KIIS FM radio host Kyle Sandilands bluntly asked Mr Albanese if he and Ms Haydon had sexual relations in the government office.

Mr Albanese coyly responded, 'What goes on tour, stays on tour, Kyle. You surely know that.'

The PM and Ms Haydon arrived at the White House on October 25 for a subdued state dinner with Mr and Mrs Biden.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, 60, (pictured) was left flustered on Thursday morning when he was asked on live radio if he's had sex with partner Jodie Haydon in the White House

The guest list of around 325 lacked star power - with only actor John Leguizamo and powerhouse producer Jeffrey Katzenberg, who's advising Mr Biden's, 81, reelection campaign - representing Hollywood.

A planned performance by the B-52's was scrapped due to the poor optics of White House guests getting down to 'Love Shack' amid war in the Middle East.

Hunter Biden - who has attended two other White House state dinners - skipped the affair, but his children Naomi, with husband Peter Neal, Finnegan and Maisy were all there.

The leader of the Labor Party and his financial professional partner, 44, (left) recently attended a state dinner hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden, 81, (centre right) and first lady Jill Biden, 72, (right)

'Everything,' Maisy answered when asked by DailyMail.com what she was most looking forward to.

Amb. Caroline Kennedy, the current U.S. ambassador to Australia, zoomed by reporters as she arrived for the dinner, without answering questions about her cousin Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s independent presidential run against Biden.

When Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and his husband Chasten arrived at the dinner, Chasten said he was most excited that the 'babysitter's on duty,' as the couple are dads of twins.

Curious about the the couple's stay in the White House, KIIS FM radio host Kyle Sandilands crudely asked Mr Albanese if he and Ms Haydon had sexual relations in the government office

Mr Albanese coyly responded, 'What goes on tour, stays on tour, Kyle. You surely know that'

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo brought her son Tommy Moffit as her guest who eagerly told reporters 'oh no' when asked if it was his first state dinner.

'It is,' his mother objected, garnering laughs.

Her high school-age son then explained, 'I get dragged to lots of things.'

Meanwhile, Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden said it was appropriate for the White House to tone down the dinner, telling reporters the Israel-Hamas war was 'very much on our mind.'
Brad Pitt's girlfriend, Ines de Ramon, was seen cutting a stylish figure as she stepped out in L.A. on Wednesday amid family drama surrounding the actor and his adopted son, Pax.

Earlier on Monday, DailyMail.com exclusively revealed that the 19-year-old had branded the Bullet Train star, 59, a 'world-class a**hole' and a 'despicable person' in a Father's Day post shared in 2020 on his private Instagram account.

Pitt himself appeared to brush aside the drama as he was spotted for the first time since the comments emerged during an errand run on Tuesday in his $200k Porsche.

Ines - who was previously married to Vampire Diaries alum Paul Wesley - made her way across a street donning a plain, white shirt that was tucked into the waist of black jeans that showed off her slim figure.

The jewelry designer, 33, layered the casual ensemble with a striped jacket to help her stay warm in the cooler temperatures.

Stylish outing: Brad Pitt's, 59, girlfriend, Ines de Ramon, 33, was seen cutting a stylish figure as she stepped out in L.A. on Wednesday amid family drama surrounding the actor and his adopted son, Pax, 19

She slipped into a pair of black, heeled boots and added a large black purse over her right shoulder.

Her brunette locks were parted in the middle, and effortlessly flowed down past her shoulders in light waves.

To accessorize the outfit, Ines opted to wear a pair of fashionable shades, but chose to not add any flashy pieces of jewelry.

Her outing comes just two days after DailyMail.com exclusively revealed that Pitt's adopted son, Pax, had labeled the actor as a 'world-class a**hole' in a Father's Day post that was uploaded back in 2020.

In the post - which had been uploaded to his Instagram stories - Pax, then 16, had written, 'Happy Father's Day to this world class a**hole!! You time and time again prove yourself to be a terrible and despicable person.'

'You have no consideration or empathy towards your 4 youngest children who tremble in fear when in your presence.'

Pitt's four youngest children are Zahara, 18, as well as Brad and Angelina's three biological children: Shiloh, 17, and 15-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne.

Pax also claimed his father caused 'damage' to the family by adding, 'You have made the lives of those closest to me a constant hell.'

Resurfaced post: Her outing comes just two days after DailyMail.com exclusively revealed that Pitt's adopted son, Pax, had labeled the actor as a 'world-class a**hole' in a Father's Day post that was uploaded back in 2020

No 'empathy': 'You have no consideration or empathy towards your 4 youngest children who tremble in fear when in your presence,' he also wrote; Pitt seen in January in Paris

Explosive: Pax also claimed his father caused 'damage' to the family and added, 'You have made the lives of those closest to me a constant hell'

'You may tell yourself and the world whatever you want, but the truth will come to light someday. So, Happy Father's Day, you f***ing awful human being!!!' he concluded.

Angelina Jolie adopted Pax from an orphanage in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, in 2007. He was three years old and had been dumped as a newborn by his heroin-addicted biological mother.

Brad formally adopted him the following year.

When Pitt and Jolie split in 2016 just two years after they had married in a private ceremony in France, the children stayed with their mother amid reports of an altercation aboard a private jet between eldest son Maddox and his father.

Now it is clear that the relationship between Pax and Pitt is also troubled with the 19-year-old accusing his dad of making his life 'hell' in the extraordinary social media rant.

Pax posted the broadside at Pitt to the stories section of his private Instagram account when he was 16. He accompanied it with a photo of Brad receiving an Oscar for best supporting actor for Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood four months earlier.

A source has confirmed the private account does belong to Pax. 'It's the account he uses for friends  friends from school mostly. He never says much about his parents, keeps himself to himself, so that was unusual.'

Pax did not say if there was a specific event that had set him off or whether it was a culmination of years of tension.

In the past: Angelina Jolie adopted Pax from an orphanage in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, in 2007 when he was three, with Pitt formally adopted him the following year; Jolie and Pax seen in 2018 in Beverly Hills

Split: When Pitt and Jolie split in 2016 just two years after they had married in a private ceremony in France, the children stayed with their mother amid reports of an altercation aboard a private jet between eldest son Maddox and his father; seen in 2009 in Cannes

Friends of Brad have since come to the defense of the Hollywood actor, stating that the claims made in the post were both 'frustrating' and 'depressing.'

One source informed The Sun, 'Brad has great respect for all of his children and it's depressing to see this dragged up.'

'It's frustrating to see Brad being painted as some kind of "bad person" when it's far from the truth,' the insider revealed, adding, 'He chooses to keep a dignified silence and that speaks volume.'

However, the source stated, 'As far as Maddox, Pax and Zahara go, the word is that they are totally in support of their mother and Brad doesnt hear from them these days at all - certainly not the boys, and it's been that way for a very long time.'

'He still sees Shiloh and the twins whenever he can, though not as often as he would like.'

Jolie and Pitt met on the set of Mr. and Mrs. Smith in 2005 while he was still married to Jennifer Aniston. They insisted at the time that there was no infidelity but after a picture emerged of them on a beach in Kenya with Maddox, Aniston filed for divorce.

But their fairytale romance fell apart in 2016 and the couple once known as 'Brangelina' have been embroiled in acrimonious battles ever since.

Their divorce was finalized in 2019, and although Jolie initially had full custody of the children, an agreement was thrashed out in 2021 that allowed Pitt to have them 50 per cent of the time.

But shortly afterwards, John Ouderkirk, the judge in charge of the case, was revealed to have close business relationships with Pitt's lawyers.

Defending: Friends of Brad have since come to the defense of the Hollywood actor, stating that the claims made in the post were both 'frustrating' and 'depressing'; star seen earlier this month in Las Vegas

'Depressing': One source informed The Sun , 'Brad has great respect for all of his children and it's depressing to see this dragged up'; Pitt seen with Pax (left) as well as Shiloh and Maddox in 2014

As a result, he was disqualified from the case and custody was returned to Jolie with Pitt allowed 'custodial visits' only.

Pitt was also investigated by the FBI and the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services over child abuse allegations following the alleged altercation with Maddox on a private jet five days before Jolie filed for divorce.

Jolie told authorities Pitt had behaved 'like a monster' on the jet.

Pitt was subsequently cleared of all charges and has since quit both booze and smoking cannabis and was photographed attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings in September 2016.
By Park Jae-hyuk

NextStar Energy, the Canadian joint venture between LG Energy Solution (LGES) and Stellantis, has been embroiled recently in another political controversy over whom the company hires, according to industry officials, Thursday.

This came just a few months after a dispute was settled over a subsidy payment to the joint ventures electric vehicle battery plant in Windsor, a city in the Canadian province of Ontario.

The latest conflict erupted as the Windsor Police Service posted a message on social media last Friday, regarding the police chiefs meeting with South Korean Ambassador to Canada Lim Woong-soon.

With the new LGES battery plant being built, we expect approximately 1,600 South Koreans traveling to work and live in our community in 2024, the message read. We are grateful for this opportunity to discuss safety and security  and look forward to the South Korean workforce coming to our community.

Ontarios provincial ministers and politicians expressed concerns about the possibility of Canadian jobs going to Koreans.

After NextStar hired 11 Korean workers permitted to work in Canada, Ontarios Labor Minister David Piccini and Economic Development Minister Vic Fedeli leveled criticism at the federal government, calling for Ottawa to disclose the number of foreign workers in Ontario who are currently working on the battery plants construction site and how many will be arriving under federal programs.

In response, Canadas federal government explained that a small number of foreign laborers will be hired as temporary workers.

So you'll have a few people, very few people, selected people, who need to come to transfer technology because this is a new industry, Federal Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said.

The head of Windsors regional chamber of commerce also said that stakeholders always knew that non-Canadian workers would be needed to build the gigantic factory. In addition, the Canadian trade union representing auto workers said this issue is nothing more than political hay.

LGES, which holds a 51 percent stake in NextStar, declined to comment on this issue.

Instead, NextStar CEO Danies Lee, an executive of LGES, said in a statement: The equipment installation phase of the project requires additional temporary specialized global supplier staff who have proprietary knowledge and specialized expertise that is critical to the successful construction and launch of Canadas first large-scale battery manufacturing facility.

The company also said it was fully committed to hiring more than 2,500 Canadians and 2,300 local tradespeople for the construction and equipment installation.

However, it remains uncertain about how many Korean and other non-Canadian workers will be deployed to the Windsor plant.

When the governments of Canada and Ontario clashed earlier this year to avoid the burden of subsidy, the plants construction was suspended temporarily.

Following the summit between President Yoon Suk Yeol and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in May and an LGES executives meeting with the Canadian industry minister, the federal and provincial governments agreed in July to provide NextStar with a subsidy worth $15 billion Canadian dollars ($11 billion).

NextStar resumed the factory construction after the agreement, but potential conflicts between the federal and the provincial governments are still seen as risks to its operation.
Nick Cannon and Denise Richards led the stars ladling out meals to the needy at the Los Angeles Mission's annual Thanksgiving event.

Held one day before Thanksgiving itself, the luncheon welcomes a cavalcade of boldface names every year to stand behind the buffet.

And the 2023 lineup included none other than Nick, exuding his irresistible magnetism as he helped serve food to the attendees.

Rocking black leather gloves and a massive pair of bronze-tinted shades, the 43-year-old father of 12 flashed his megawatt smile for the shutterbugs.

He was joined at the event by his beauty queen baby mama Brittany Bell, who was cradling their two-year-old daughter Powerful Queen.

Dynamic duo: Nick Cannon and Denise Richards led the stars ladling out meals to the needy at the Los Angeles Mission's annual Thanksgiving event

Place to be: Held one day before Thanksgiving itself, the luncheon welcomes a cavalcade of boldface names every year to stand behind the buffet

Hunk-tastic: And the 2023 lineup included none other than Nick, exuding his irresistible magnetism as he helped serve food to the attendees

Family affair: He was joined at the event by his beauty queen baby mama Brittany Bell, who was cradling their two-year-old daughter Powerful Queen

Wow: At this year's event, the beneficiaries got north of 600 pies and 3,000lbs of turkey among other foodstuffs, according to the Los Angeles Daily News

Denise meanwhile swept her signature blonde locks tightly back into an updo, ensuring they stayed out of her face as she did her bit for the less fortunate.

The erstwhile Bond girl, who was famously once married to Charlie Sheen, apparently found time to make herself a plate as well.

Bobby Berk, best known as the current interior design whiz at the Netflix revival of Queer Eye, was among the names who made his presence felt at the fete.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer alum Emma Caulfield was another one of the recognizable attendees, looking the image of holiday cheer behind the buffet.

Crystal Kung Minkoff, who rose to prominence as a Real Housewife Of Beverly Hills, joined the festivities with her 10-year-old son Max.

Among the recognizable faces spotted amid the crowd was Masiela Lusha, who played George Lopez' daughter on his ABC sitcom.

Danny Trejo exuded his inimitable bonhomie at the buffet while putting in the elbow grease alongside YouTube personality Kylie Cantrall.

Former Disney chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg could be spotted working next to current Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass and former mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

Tongs in hand: He was joined at the event by his beauty queen baby mama Brittany Bell, who was cradling their two-year-old daughter Powerful Queen

Yum: The erstwhile Bond girl, who was famously once married to Charlie Sheen, apparently found time to make herself a plate as well

Dashing as ever: Bobby Berk, best known as the current interior design whiz at the Netflix revival of Queer Eye, was among the names who made his presence felt at the fete

Buffy The Vampire Slayer alum: Emma Caulfield was another one of the recognizable attendees, looking the image of holiday cheer behind the buffet

Mother and child: Crystal Kung Minkoff, who rose to prominence as a Real Housewife Of Beverly Hills, joined the festivities with her 10-year-old son Max

Blonde: Among the recognizable faces spotted amid the crowd was Masiela Lusha, who played George Lopez' daughter on his ABC sitcom

So many stars: Danny Trejo exuded his inimitable bonhomie at the buffet while putting in the elbow grease alongside YouTube personality Kylie Cantrall

The brass: (from right) Former Disney chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg could be spotted working next to current Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass and former mayor Antonio Villaraigosa

At this year's event, the beneficiaries got north of 600 pies and 3,000lbs of turkey among other foodstuffs, according to the Los Angeles Daily News.

On the vegetable end of the equation, the attendees were also cumulatively served over 800lbs of green beans and 700lbs of mashed potatoes.

The Los Angeles Mission issued a statement asserting there are 'more people becoming homeless for the first time now than any time in Los Angeles history.'

Their statement continued: 'Los Angeles Mission is on the front lines of providing meals, hot showers, safe shelter and other life-giving support to people in need.'

One form of 'live-giving support' is over 1,200 tarps and 1,400 blankets for the homeless to protect themselves from the winter chill.
Pip Edwards is known for her racy take on fashion.

And on Thursday, the P.E Nation founder, 43, showed off her very unusual sense of style as she headed to a business meeting.

Pip flashed her white Balenciaga underwear which retail for $450 and toned midriff in a black crop top and pants.

The businesswoman completed her chic ensemble with a watch and a pair of black Adidas sneakers.

'Good morning... My kind of business suit,' she simply captioned the image.

Would you wear this to a meeting? P.E Nation founder Pip Edwards, 43, flashed her designer underwear under a very casual 'business suit' for a meeting on Thursday

She left her short blonde locks out and posed for a selfie before leaving her Sydney home.

The post comes as the businesswoman has been spending a lot of time on the water recently, heading out on a yacht while all her famous friends got dressed up and attended the Melbourne Cup.

Pip was all smiles as she went 'twilight sailing' with some friends from the Vaucluse Yacht Club earlier this month.

Sharing several images of her adventurous outing to her Instagram Stories, the fitness guru kept her look basic with a pair of bike shorts and a jumper.

Slicking her golden tresses back underneath a red cap from her own fashion label, Pip pulled a waterproof coat on over her clothes.

The raincoat came in handy as she was later seen getting completely drenched with salty water while she sailed through the Sydney harbour.

'Good morning,' she wrote, clearly chirpy. 'My kind of business suit,' she added

It seems the blonde beauty was attempting to avoid another awkward run in with love rival Jade Yarbrough after the pair bumped into each other.

Both women went along to the Don Julio 1942 Tequila Summer Celebration at Beverly Rooftop in Melbourne earlier this month.

Pip was seen letting loose on the dance floor while wearing sunglasses and clutching a drink, animatedly clinging to friends as she appeared to avoid running into Jade.

Jade made a more demure appearance, posing for photos in a chic all-white ensemble including a suit and crop top.
She is known for her flawless sense of style.

And Rosie Huntington-Whiteley pulled it out of the bag once again on Wednesday as she wowed while heading to Chiltern Firehouse in London, for dinner with Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander.

The Plymouth-born beauty, 36, looked sensational in a skin-tight sheer unitard which flashed her nude lingerie underneath alongside a forest green wrap skirt.

She was sure to turn heads in the look, which she paired a fur bolero and sky-high strappy sandals to boost her already statuesque model height.

Alicia, 35, looked incredibly chic in an all-black ensemble while her handsome husband, who she wed in 2017, paired a blazer with trainers.

Sizzling: Rosie Huntington-Whiteley pulled it out of the bag once again on Wednesday as she wowed while heading to Chiltern Firehouse in London, for dinner with Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander

Wow: The Plymouth-born beauty, 36, looked sensational in a skin-tight sheer unitard which flashed her nude lingerie underneath alongside a forest green wrap skirt

Stylish: Alicia, 35, looked incredibly chic in an all-black ensemble while her handsome husband, who she wed in 2017, paired a blazer with trainers

Are you fur real? Her cropped fur jacket featured a hood to keep out the November chill

Rosie's high-waisted nude lingerie was visible from beneath her one-piece, which comprised a nylon material thus adding to the clingy nature of the ensemble.

Her bouncy blonde locks protected her modesty, with her hair falling from a centre parting and falling over her chest in long lengths.

Alicia looked elegant in her ensemble, which featured a floor-sweeping black coat with black trousers featuring slits at the hem.

She clutched a Harrods carrier bag and paired the look with a Louis Vuitton bag.

Rosie has recently returned home from a trip to Paris. She left her fiance Jason Statham, who is 20 years her senior, and to whom she has been engaged since 2016, at home with their children.

The couple share son, Jack, five, and daughter, Isabella, one, and are notoriously protective of their children's private lives.

'We've been so focused on our work for so long and Jack came along.' Rosie told Extra TV. '[Marriage is] also not a huge priority for us. We're so happy.'

Hot stuff: Rosie's high-waisted nude lingerie was visible from beneath her one-piece, which comprised a nylon material thus adding to the clingy nature of the ensemble

Turning heads: She paired a fur bolero and sky-high strappy sandals to boost her already statuesque model height

Glowing: Rosie's looked positively radiant with her flawless face of makeup

Stylish: Michael went for smart casual in his ensemble

Dapper: The star completed the look with some black leather look trainers

Regardless of their relationship status, Rosie and Jason are fully committed to each other, having been together since 2010.

Jason recently resumed his role as Lee Christmas in Expend4bles, the fourth film in The Expendables series, but the film unfortunately isn't doing too well.

His latest project, The Beekeeper, an action film also starring Jeremy Irons and Josh Hutcherson, is in post-production.

Rosie and Jason do not frequently make public appearances together. However, they were seen looking loved-up at Winter Wonderland last week.
Katie Price has shown off her 'massive' brand-new lips and bum after getting them pumped up with filler in a gruesome clip.

The former glamour model, 45, is known for her love of bodily enhancements and revealed her new pout on Wednesday.

It is yet another surgery for Katie, who has already had various boob jobs, nose jobs and cosmetic work such as fillers and botox.

She shared a graphic video of the injection as she broadcast getting her new surgeries live on TikTok.

Katie appeared bleary-eyed as the needle punctured her lips, making them as large as possible with a noticeable dip in the middle.

New look: Katie Price showed off her 'massive' new lips and bum on Instagram on Wednesday

Gruesome: Katie shared a clip of getting her lips pumped up with filler

However the TV personality was quick to exclaim how much she 'loves' her new look.

She said: 'I just love them! I love how you've done the dip and made them flatter today. Like, little and often I just love them.'

'Love them,' she reiterated, before winking at the camera. Later adding: 'Oh my god, my lips look massive today!'

Later on, the mother-of-five shared a clip of having work on her bum to banish her 'hip dips' after getting a Brazilian butt lift four weeks ago.

Her aesthetic practitioner said: 'So here's Katie's results. The hip dips are completely filled out and it looks nice and perfectly curved. It's really softened up as well!'

Katie admitted she 'regretted' getting a BBL many years ago in Turkey, saying it left her in a lot of pain and she ended up getting it removed.

She confessed: 'I'll tell you what did go wrong. I did go to Turkey and had a BBL years ago and it was the worst thing I ever did.

'The pain, I hated it and had it taken back out. It was awful.'

Surgeries: Katie also revealed clips of her bum getting filler pumped in after getting a BBL four weeks ago

New look: Her surgeon praised Katie's new bum as 'perfectly curved' after getting her hip dips filled in

Happy: Katie appeared bleary-eyed but said she 'loves' her new pout

Results: Katie said her lips look 'massive' as they were filled in, leaving a noticeable dip

On Monday fans were left concerned over Katie's appearance as she shared a new Instagram snap with her daughter Princess Andre.

The former glamour model and her teenage daughter were glammed up as they posed against a white flower wall.

However fans were quick to point out that Katie's face appeared 'very different' in the picture leaving them to ask if she was in 'pain'.

One wrote: 'Katie looks in pain. She was such a beautiful girl. I pray Princess stays natural.'

Another penned: 'I love Katie but she looks very different here. Im not sure what it is'

Katie has always been candid about going under the knife and in a new interview with the Go Love Yourself podcast she divulged her concerns over suffering body dysmorphia, due to her resistance to accept her image.

Katie said: 'I know sometimes when I have gone too far. I have been there done it with all the fillers. I don't have fillers now. I do in my lips and I have Botox because it got to the point where my face just looked like a balloon. Like really shiny.

'I am starting to look alien. It is purely for me, that's the difference.'

Nearly the entirety of Katie's time in the spotlight has been dominated by her surgeries and body image battles.

Here she goes: Katie is seen earlier this year after her latest batch of surgeries

'She looks in pain': Katie Price left fans concerned over her appearance as she shared a new Instagram snap alongside daughter Princess Andre on Monday

Earlier this year, Katie dubbed herself a 'surgery veteran' after countless operations including three facelifts and three bouts of liposuction.

Katie went under the knife on her chest for the 16th time in Belgium late last year and opted for huge 2120CC sized implants.

She admitted her 'biggest ever' boob job was to boost her OnlyFans sales - and is now said to be planning surgery number 17 on her breasts.

Katie also has vaneers, fillers, Botox and recently debuted her new nose, lip lift and anti-wrinkle injected cheeks.

She is best known for her boob jobs - which are allegedly so big that she isn't allowed on rollercoasters anymore.
By Lee Min-hyung

S-Oil has opened its cutting-edge research facility, the Technical Service & Development (TS&D) Center, which will play a pivotal role for the company to develop value-added quality petrochemical products, the company said Thursday.

The oil refiner invested 144.4 billion won ($111.14 million) in building the center in western Seoul. The company aims to turn the facility into its research hub to develop key technologies used in areas such as low-carbon energy.

The company also said it will keep expanding manpower for the 36,700-square-meter facility, in a bid to enhance its tech prowess for sustainable growth down the road.

TS&D Center will consolidate its footing as a facility to drive the firms future growth powered by creative technologies, S-Oil CEO Al-Hejazi said. The center will focus on developing quality products that minimize safety-related concerns to customers, and do less harm to the environment, according to the S-Oil chief.

The government also expected TS&D Center to help tighten the firms capability in developing eco-friendly products.

TS&D Center is expected to play a key role for the company to achieve the worlds top level of energy efficiency, Park Duk-ryul, director general for cross-border investment policy at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, said.

The facility will also focus on developing technologies for products used to cool electric vehicle batteries and servers, the company said.

The opening of TS&D Center will also pave the way for S-Oil to strengthen its tech competitiveness for its much-hyped Shaheen project. Under the drive, Aramco, a major shareholder of S-Oil, made the largest-ever investment worth 9.3 trillion won in Korea to establish the nations largest petrochemical plant in the southeastern city of Ulsan by 2026. S-Oil announced the drive to speed up its transition into an eco-friendly energy and chemical company.

Spearheaded by TS&D Center, S-Oil also plans to step up its R&D efforts for tech development in new energy areas, such as clean hydrogen, ammonia and biofuel, which the company pays particular attention as its next strategic investment area amid the global energy paradigm shift for carbon neutrality.
Girls Aloud are reuniting for a greatest hits tour after splitting over a decade ago.

Cheryl Tweedy, Nadine Coyle, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh will embark on on a UK tour in May and June 2024 as November 2023 marks 21 years since they and the late Sarah Harding won Popstars: The Rivals.

But why exactly did the group break up in the first place? Were any members principally responsible for the split?

Read on below for everything you need to know about why Girls Aloud broke up.

Girls Aloud are reuniting for a greatest hits tour after splitting over a decade ago. Cheryl Tweedy , Nadine Coyle , Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh will embark on on a UK tour in May and June 2024 as November 2023 marks 21 years since they and the late Sarah Harding won Popstars: The Rivals

How did Girls Aloud first come together?

Formed on the talent show Popstars: The Rivals - which saw the group win the 2002 edition of the contest - Girls Aloud found fame on the British pop scene in the 2000s alongside a number other girl bands including Sugababes, The Pussycat Doll and Atomic Kitten.

Girls Aloud made five studio albums, embarked on six UK tours and gained the Christmas number one spot with their debut track Sound Of The Underground, as well as achieving 22 Top 40 singles in over a decade together.

However, the relationship between the band was not always harmonious and it appeared that Nadine Coyle was not even aware of the band's decision to split.

Why did Girls Aloud break up?

In 2014, the Northern Irish vocalist revealed that she was told about an impending break-up mere minutes before she was due to perform on the final date of the band's Ten: The Hits Tour.

'I didn't want the band to end, it was as simple as that,' she told The Mirror in 2014.

'I didn't think we were going to end  we had done all the promo saying we were all together, having a great tour, wearing Victoria's Secret wings and stomping up and down the catwalk every night, loving every single minute of it.

'And then, on the very last night of the tour, our management and publicist came up to me and said the girls wanted to split up the band. I was thinking, 'What?!'

'I was in hair and make-up, about to get into my costume, and the show was starting in 20 minutes. I was shocked.

'I went back to my make-up lady and told her, and was like, 'F***! I don't have a job! What am I going to do?' I screamed and cried on stage and off stage.'

In 2014, Nadine revealed that she was told about an impending break-up mere minutes before she was due to perform on the final date of the band's Ten: The Hits Tour.

READ MORE: Girls Aloud make their FIRST public appearance since confirming eagerly-anticipated reunion as they beam while heading to Radio Two Advertisement

Taking to X, formerly Twitter, the morning after the incident, Nadine said: 'You should know by now I had no part in any of this split business. I couldn't stop them. I had the best time & want to keep going. Xxxx'

Insider lifts lid on feud

Three days after Nadine's tweet in 2013, an insider elaborated on what went on behind the scenes, revealing that both Nadine and Cheryl were furious with one another over how the break up unfolded.

'It was really dramatic and there were a lot of tears. Nadine and Cheryl were both fighting their corner and nobody was prepared to budge,' the insider told the Daily Star.

'Nadine was saying [Cheryl] was trying to control everything.

'But Cheryl thinks it's nonsense. They only ever agreed to get back together for an anniversary tour and then leave it at that.'

Cheryl clapback stokes raging fire

In 2017, Cheryl went public with her own grievances over the group's split, adding fuel to the fire over their acrimonious separation.

She said that Nadine was 'full of s***' as she accused her of holding the band to 'ransom'.

'She was the one who wanted to make a solo record. Which is why we took the hiatus. She wants to come out and say we broke the band up? No! She shouldn't tell porkie pies,' Cheryl told Attitude magazine.

'Okay, so do you want us to tell the truth? She wasn't going to make another Girls Aloud record until she got a solo deal. I feel she held us to ransom and then made her solo record deal.

'It's the truth. She's saying that we broke the band up. So there you go.'

Rosy reunion sees past fights forgotten

Girls Aloud will reunite to perform in cities across the UK in 2024, the group have not recorded new music, but want to celebrate the success of their previous hits, which include Sound Of The Underground, Something Kinda Ooh and many more.

READ MORE: Girls Aloud confess their friends and family did not know about their reunion... and they have been avoiding EVERYONE for a week ahead of announcing comeback tour Advertisement

Over ten years after the group's break up and subsequent fallout, Girls Aloud send fans wild in November 2023, by announcing that they are reuniting once again to perform a greatest hits tour.

Set to perform in cities across the UK in 2024, the group have not recorded new music, but want to celebrate the success of their previous hits, which include Sound Of The Underground, Something Kinda Ooh and many more.

The group could also use the performances to pay tribute to their former bandmate Sarah Harding, who died aged 39 in September 2021 after being diagnosed with breast cancer.

Cheryl said in a statement: 'We all started talking about the possibility of doing something to celebrate Girls Alouds 20-year anniversary a few years ago. The anniversary seemed like an obvious thing that we would celebrate.

'But when Sarah fell ill all priorities changed. She passed away a year before the anniversary and it just didnt feel right, it felt too soon.'

She added: 'But now, I think there is an energy that does makes it feel right. Its the right time to celebrate Sarah, its the right time to celebrate the band and the right time to celebrate the fact we can still do this 21 years later. Thats a big honour in lots of ways.'
BBC Breakfast played host to some very unexpected visitors on Thursday as it marked Doctor Who's 60th anniversary.

The popular sci-fi franchise is returning to screens on Saturday for the impressive anniversary milestone which will see David Tennant reprise his role as the Doctor.

And BBC Breakfast marked the occasion as hosts Naga Munchetty and Charlie Stayt were joined in the studio by Doctor Who villains the Daleks and the Cybermen.

Intense clips also gave fans an insight into Doctor Who filming as timed explosions and stuntmen leaping off trampolines while props burst into flames were shown.

They also chatted to former Doctor Who companion Nicola Bryant, who starred as Peri Brown alongside both Peter Davison and Colin Baker, and the show's special effects supervisor Danny Hargreaves.

Robots: BBC Breakfast played host to some very unexpected visitors on Thursday as it marked Doctor Who 's 60th anniversary as the Daleks and Cybermen 'took over' the studio

Dramatic: Intense clips also gave fans an insight into Doctor Who filming as timed explosions and actors leaping off trampolines while props burst into flames were shown

While they spoke about the hit BBC franchise, actors dressed up as Cybermen and the robotic Daleks were shown on either side of the sofa, flanking the guests.

Both of the Doctor's enemies joked with host Naga, 48, that they had taken over control of the BBC Breakfast studio as they refused to ditch their formidable natures.

However, some viewers were left baffled by the segment as they took to X - formerly known as Twitter - to comment on the robotic guests.

Some fans joked that Charlie, 61, looked terrified while others questioned the accuracy of the Cybermen's robotic voices.

One wrote: '#charliestayt was frightened,' and another tweeted: 'Charlie panicking lol,' while a third said: 'Don't think Cybermen ever sounded like that lol.'

Actors wearing variations of the Cybermen suits were seen flanking the sofa with fake guns, while Daleks stood on the other side of the guests.

Introducing the villains, Naga said: 'I don't know why we're celebrating with the mean men in the studio.'

One of the Cybermen barked: 'BBC Breakfast studio is now under Cyber control, destroy them, destroy them at once!'

While Naga also got involved in a row with the Dalek as she asked the robot a question, prompting it to yell: 'Exterminate, Daleks do not speak on demand!'

Celebration: BBC Breakfast marked the 60th anniversary as hosts Naga Munchetty and Charlie Stayt were joined in the studio by Doctor Who villains the Daleks and the Cybermen

Intense: Fans were also given a behind-the-scenes look at Doctor Who filming as videos showing how they shoot timed explosions flashed on screen, including blowing up a Dalek

Wow! The clips, taken from filming for the show's 50th anniversary The Day Of The Doctor, showed actors dressed as Cybermen leaping away from explosions

Stunts: Actors dressed as Cybermen were also shown jumping on trampolines before throwing themselves through the air and on to crash mats as explosions went off behind them

But Naga quickly hit back with: 'Well you did, so there!' before the Dalek jokingly threatened: 'Hiding behind that sofa will not save you!'

They were also joined by K-9, who was Sarah Jane Smith's (Elisabeth Sladen) robotic dog, but they dashed hopes that the character would be returning to the franchise as it insisted it won't appear in the 60th anniversary.

Elsewhere in the segment, fans were also given a behind-the-scenes look at Doctor Who filming as videos showing how they shoot timed explosions flashed on screen.

The clips, taken from filming for the show's 50th anniversary The Day Of The Doctor, showed Daleks being blown up from the inside out in intense sequences.

Stuntmen dressed as Cybermen were also shown jumping on trampolines to gather momentum before throwing themselves through the air and on to crash mats as explosions went off behind them.

David Tennant, who is coming back for the 60th anniversary special, and returning showrunner Russell T Davies also featured on the show in prerecorded interviews.

David said of his return: 'Doctor Who, when you're attached to it, you're attached to it. To get to revisit it, sort of full-time, even briefly, was something I never really imagined.'

While Russell gushed of his plans: 'I've always believed is all this show needs is to be good, to be fun, to be well cast, to be brilliant, that's really missing from the schedules at the moment. I dare not say I'm confident but I'm proud of what we've made and I hope it works.'

David also spoke about how Ncuti Gatwa will be taking over as the Doctor in the upcoming 2023 Christmas special as he gave his support to the actor.

He said: 'I've had a little glimpse of what Ncuti can do and it's very exciting. He's such a great energy, he's inventive, he's clever, he's quick, he's funny.

'It's really exciting that there is such a brilliant new Doctor coming and I'll be glued to every episode.'

David is reprising his role as the Doctor for three specials to mark the 60th anniversary, and is returning alongside Catherine Tate as Donna Noble.

Exciting: David Tennant is returning to Doctor Who for the 60th anniversary special on Saturday night alongside Catherine Tate as Donna Noble

New face: After specials, Ncuti Gatwa will over the role of The Doctor on Christmas Day, in an episode titled The Church On Ruby Road

The first special, titled The Star Beast, is based on a 1970s Who comic strip about Beep The Meep, with Miriam Margolyes set to voice the alien.

Russell previously said of the episode: 'You've got Donna getting her memory back, so you need that, which kind of takes a whole episode, and you need an alien invasion at the same time.'

Also set to star in the first special is Heartstoppers' Yasmin Finney, who will play Donna's daughter Rose, with Karl Collins and Jaqueline King reprising their roles as Shaun Temple and Donna's mother Sylvia respectively.

Another big name joining the cast is Neil Patrick Harris and Russell admitted the actor had no idea what he was signing up for as he had never watched the show, and had only worked with him on his Channel 4 series It's A Sin.

After the trio of specials, which follows Jodie Whittaker's departure from the franchise, Ncuti Gatwa will over the role of The Doctor on Christmas Day, in an episode titled The Church On Ruby Road.
David Tennant has been announced as the latest celebrity to star on CBeebies Bedtime Story.

The Doctor Who star, 52, who played both the tenth and fourteenth incarnation of the time traveling character, will land his Tardis at the children's TV channel on Friday 24 November.

Ahead of the first 60th anniversary special episode of Doctor Who, he will be reading The Way Back Home by Oliver Jeffers to families across the UK.

The Way Back Home is a tale all about friendship, adventure and helping others.

When a boy discovers an airplane in his closet, he does what any young adventurer would do: He flies it into space!

Exciting: David Tennant, 52, has been announced as the latest celebrity to star on CBeebies Bedtime Story

Story: The Doctor Who star, who played both the tenth and fourteenth incarnation of the time traveling character, will land his Tardis at the children's TV channel on Friday 24 November

Fortunately there's friendship to be found, and what better way of finding your way back home, than by making a friend?

The Doctor joins the stellar slate of famous faces to have read a CBeebies Bedtime Story including Tom Hardy, Harry Styles, Guz Khan, Jodie Whittaker, Kate Winslet and Rose Ayling-Ellis.

David discussed his 'joyous' return as the Doctor for the show's 60th Anniversary earlier this week.

During an interview with Radio Times, the actor also revealed how the BBC show led to his marriage with Georgia Moffett.

Georgia was a guest actress, who appeared in a 2008 episode with him, which means his father-in-law is former fifth Doctor Peter Davison.

Speaking about returning to the show alongside Catherine Tate and ruining his legacy after quitting the show in 2010, he said: 'I hadn't thought about it like that.

'Thank God I made it to this point! It never really occurred to me to worry about that. Perhaps it should have done but with Catherine [Tate] being part of it, and with Russell [T Davies] writing the scripts, I never actually worried about anything other than my own ability to run as fast as I used to.'

He continued: 'The first conversation we had about it was very casual. Russell and Catherine were talking about the notion of: "What if we got the band back together for one last special? But David would never do it." And I said, "What do you mean I'd never do it? I'd do it in a shot." And then suddenly, we were back for three in a row.

Exciting: David will make his 'joyous' return as the Doctor for the show's 60th Anniversary (Pictured with Catherine Tate)

Night time: Ahead of the first special episode, he will be reading The Way Back Home by Oliver Jeffers to families across the UK on CBeebies

'I mean, why not? It was such a joyous time, and these are people I love as humans, and certainly love as people to work with. And Doctor Who is something that will always be hugely important to me.'

The duo are set to reprise their roles as the titular Time Lord and his companion Donna Noble for a trio of specials later this month, 15 years after they last travelled in the TARDIS together.

David and Catherine will front the trio of specials before Ncuti Gatwa takes over the role of The Doctor on Christmas Day, in an episode titled The Church On Ruby Road

Russell also confirmed that Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan has joined the cast for a festive special next year, and is currently filming her scenes.

CBeebies Bedtime Story is on each weekday at 6.50pm on CBeebies and BBC iPlayer.

The first Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Special - The Star Beast - will air on Saturday November 25th on BBC One and iPlayer in the UK, and Disney+ internationally.
A Doctor Who companion looked sensational as she revealed her return for 60th anniversary special, almost four decades after her first appearance on the show.

Bonnie Langford, 59, starred alongside The Sixth and Seventh time travelling lead character in 1986 and 1987, last returning to her role of Mel Bush in 2020.

She will once again appear in the series for a trio of specials later this month, 37 years after she last travelled in the Tardis.

Joining Ben Shephard and Susanna Reid on Thursday' Good Morning Britain, Bonnie discussed her character.

'It's fantastic to be back playing her! It's great that she doesn't scream anymore or run down corridor,' she laughed.

Amazing: Bonnie Langford , 59, looked sensational as she revealed her return for 60th anniversary special of Doctor Who, almost four decades after her first appearance on the show

Past: The actress starred alongside The Sixth and Seventh time travelling character in 1986 and 1987, last returning to her role of Mel Bush in 2020 (pictured with Sylvester McCoy centre)

Bonnie played the assistant to both Colin Baker's and Sylvester McCoy's Doctors, with many of the past 14 time travellers returning for the special.

The actress remain coy when asked who would be making an appearance, as she said: 'I was with the 6th and 7th Doctor and there's 14 so, who knows, I'm not allowed to say too much.'

She also received a message from The Seventh Doctor, Sylvester, who admitted it was good to have her back.

He exclaimed: 'Happy 60th birthday Doctor Who and what better birthday present that to have Bonnie Langford return to the role of Mel.

'I was over the moon when I heard that you were coming back Bonnie and I know what it's like to be over the moon because I am The Doctor. I wish you well.'

Doctor Who has been produced by the BBC since 1963 and when it was first released, was intended to be a regular weekly programme aired on Saturday evenings.

It originally ran for 26 seasons from November 23, 1963 to December 6, 1989, it was intended to be an educational show for family viewing to teach its younger audience about history as the Doctor travelled through time with its companions, a history and science teacher.

David Tenant and Catherine Tate will front the trio of specials before Ncuti Gatwa takes over the role of The Doctor on Christmas Day, in an episode titled The Church On Ruby Road.

Return! 'It's fantastic to be back playing her! It's great that she doesn't scream anymore or run down corridor,' she laughed

Sweet: She also received a message from The Seventh Doctor, Sylvester, who admitted it was good to have her back

Coming soon: David Tenant and Catherine Tate will front the trio of specials before Ncuti Gatwa (pictured in the trailer) takes over the role of The Doctor on Christmas Day

Ncuti is set to make history as the first black male Time Lord and became a household name when he starred as gay teenager Eric Effiong in the Netflix comedy-drama series Sex Education.

The Rwandan-Scottish star has yet to make his debut as a Dalek-battling Time Lord he has already raked in almost 1million from his acting career.

The actor was announced as the next Doctor by the show's screenwriter Russell T Davies last year and has been busy filming for the 2024 series.

He will be the 15th actor to take on the full-time role of the Time Lord in the BBC series when he makes his debut later this year.
Jodie Whittaker has revealed that she was pregnant while filming her final ever scenes on Doctor Who.

The actress, 41, was the first female Doctor on the BBC sci-fi show and held the role for four years until her final scenes played out on air in October 2022.

Jodie wrapped filming on her final episode, which saw her regenerate back into David Tennant's version of the Time Lord, around a year earlier in October 2021.

And she has now revealed that she was pregnant while filming her final scenes and told how she kept her pregnancy news a secret at the time.

Jodie also joked that she was the first Doctor who actually had 'two hearts' as she referred to her own and her unborn baby's heartbeats. The Doctor is famously an alien character who has two hearts.

Secret: Jodie Whittaker has revealed that she was pregnant while filming her final ever scenes on Doctor Who

Role: The actress, 41, was the first female Doctor on the BBC sci-fi show and held the role for four years until her final scenes played out on air in October 2022

Speaking on This Morning on Thursday, Jodie revealed: '[I was] sneaky pregnant in the re-gen episode, I felt very sick.

'No one knew but a part of me was like, oh lots of people had an opinion about a woman playing the Doctor, and I'm actually official the first Doctor with two hearts so I was fully method acting.'

Jodie didn't make her pregnancy news public until February 2022, when she cradled her stomach on the red carpet at the BRIT Awards.

She was then seen out with her baby in May 2022, though she didn't confirm her child's gender or date of birth.

Jodie shares two children with her husband Christian Contreras as they also welcomed a daughter in 2015, but they have never revealed her name.

Jodie also reflected on how 'proud' she is to have played the Doctor as she chatted to hosts Alison Hammond and Rylan Clark on This Morning.

She said of the show: 'It is absolute joy in a box with the people, with the storylines.

'It's such gift of a part, there is no constraints you can be anywhere on earth or thrown into a different universe at any moment... I made friends for life. It is a beautiful show to be a part of and I am so proud of it.'

Expecting: Jodie wrapped filming on her final episode around a year earlier in October 2021, and she has now revealed that she was pregnant while filming the scenes

Baby: Jodie didn't make her pregnancy news public until February 2022, when she cradled her stomach on the red carpet at the BRIT Awards, and welcomed her child just months later

Exit: Jodie also reflected on how 'proud' she is to have played the Doctor, after she became the first ever female Time Lord

Her comments came on the same day that Doctor Who marks its 60th anniversary, ahead of its return to screen on Saturday for the first of three special episodes.

Earlier in the day, Jodie had appeared on Woman's Hour alongside host Emma Barnett to chat all things Doctor Who for the 60th anniversary.

For the outing, Jodie looked sensational as she cut a smart figure while heading to the BBC Radio Studios on Thursday.

The first female Time Lord put on a chic display in a navy tailored suit which she wore over a simple white T-shirt.

Keeping her blazer jacket buttoned up, the star carried her essentials in a faded floral tote bag.

Staying practical she completed the look with some white trainers as she displayed her bare ankles in the cropped trousers.

He's back! Jodie's final episode on Doctor Who saw her reverse regenerate back into David Tennant, as the star is set to return to the show on Saturday for the 60th anniversary specials

Stylish: Earlier in the day, Jodie had appeared on Woman's Hour alongside host Emma Barnett to chat all things Doctor Who for the 60th anniversary

Chic: For the outing, Jodie looked sensational as she cut a smart figure while heading to the BBC Radio Studios on Thursday

The popular sci-fi franchise is returning to screens on Saturday for the impressive anniversary milestone which will see David Tennant reprise his role as the Doctor.

While Jodie isn't due to appear in the 60th anniversary special episodes, the star made history after becoming the first female Time Lord in 2017.

She portrayed the eponymous Time Lord on-screen for four years, and bowed out of the sci-fi series in her last episode in October 2022.

The series was expected to be an instant hit as she brought the show up to speed with modern times, but the highly anticipated episodes were highly criticised throughout.

It has been said that her tenure struggled to live up to the hype and her potential as the show's script was criticised many times over the years.

But her close relationship with her companion Yaz (Mandip Gill) helped keep viewers glued to the screens as the pair were shipped together early on, as many suspected a budding romance.

Jodie recently starred in the second series of BBC's Time alongside Bella Ramsey.

While series one saw Stephen Graham and Sean Bean take on lead roles as a conflicted prison officer and a former teacher consumed by guilt and demons from his own past, series two features an all female-cast and focuses on a women's prison.

Staying practical: She completed the look with some white trainers as she displayed her bare ankles in the cropped trousers

Fashion: Keeping her blazer jacket buttoned up, the star carried her essentials in a faded floral tote bag

Doctor Who: While Jodie isn't due to appear in the 60th anniversary special episode, the first of which airs this Saturday, the star made history after becoming the first female Time Lord in 2017

Before Ncuti Gatwa takes over as the Doctor in the upcoming 2023 Christmas special, fans will be treated to three special episodes to mark the 60th anniversary of the show, with David Tennant returning as the Time Lord alongside his former companion Donna Noble, played by Catherine Tate.

The first special, titled The Star Beast, will air on November 25 on BBC One and will be followed by Wild Blue Yonder on December 2 and The Giggle on December 9.

Appearing on BBC Breakfast on Thursday in a pre-recorded interview David said of his return: 'Doctor Who, when you're attached to it, you're attached to it. To get to revisit it, sort of full-time, even briefly, was something I never really imagined.'

While Russell T Davies gushed of his plans: 'I've always believed is all this show needs is to be good, to be fun, to be well cast, to be brilliant, that's really missing from the schedules at the moment. I dare not say I'm confident but I'm proud of what we've made and I hope it works.'

Talking about Ncuti taking on the role he said: 'I've had a little glimpse of what Ncuti can do and it's very exciting. He's such a great energy, he's inventive, he's clever, he's quick, he's funny.

'It's really exciting that there is such a brilliant new Doctor coming and I'll be glued to every episode.'
Neil Mitchell has slammed Kyle Sandilands' expansion to the Melbourne market in an enormous $200million deal.

The veteran radio star, 72, said on his popular 3AW program Mornings with Neil Mitchell on Thursday, he has no intention of ever listening to The Kyle and Jackie O show.

'He loves it, he understands it, he exploits it, he knows his audience and he's an effective broadcaster but I wouldn't listen to him in a fit,' said Mitchell.

'He's not as successful as he claims he is, but he is successful, and you'll certainly know he's in town.'

Mitchell said he doesn't believe Sandilands will be able to beat rival, Ross Stevenson, who is a massive star of Melbourne radio.

Neil Mitchell has slammed Kyle Sandilands' (pictured) $200million radio move to Melbourne

'Radio's about competition. I think Ross Stevenson will see it all off,' he said.

'He's a quiet genius in his own way and I think the industry underrates him, but the audience doesn't.'

'Kyle will try and steal audience anywhere, including Ross. In the end I know Ross Stevenson is going to deal with him.'

Mitchell finished by saying that Kyle should never be 'underestimated', adding he is a 'very smart' guy.

'He loves it, he understands it, he exploits it, he knows his audience and he's an effective broadcaster but I wouldn't listen to him in a fit,' said Mitchell (pictured)

Kyle and Jackie O signed the record-breaking $200million, 10-year deal live on-air on Wednesday morning - keeping them on the airwaves until 2034.

This means the pair will dominate markets outside their Sydney-based audience and extend into Melbourne for the first time.

A spokesperson for ARN confirmed to Daily Mail Australia the deal means Kyle and Jackie's KIIS FM work pals Jase Hawkins and Lauren Phillips will be out of a job and their Melbourne breakfast show will be finishing up in December.

In a statement to celebrate the historic contract renewal, Sandilands said: 'Fans of the show will be stoked to hear that this 10-year deal is the longest radio deal in Australian history.'

Kyle and Jackie O signed the record-breaking $200million, 10-year deal live on-air on Wednesday morning, keeping them on the airwaves until 2034

'Love us or loathe us, Jackie and I will be continuing with our politically incorrect nonsense for a long, long time.'

He added: 'We want to thank the listeners. Staff. All the clients. Even senior management, Ill give a nod to. They actually did something brilliant.'

The groundbreaking $200million deal means Sandilands and Henderson will each earn $10million per year.

This will double their current salary of around $5million per year.

According to the Financial Review, Kyle and Jackie's contracts, 'include a base salary, a percentage share of revenue above what is now earned  known as "incremental growth", and sign-on bonuses mainly made up of shares in ARN.'
Millie is the youngest actress to be a permanent resident of the TARDIS

Millie Gibson is the latest Doctor Who companion, joining Ncuti Gatwa in 2023

Millie Gibson was confirmed to be the Sci-Fi icon's latest companion back in November.

The Coronation Street actress is set to star as Ruby Sunday in the BBC series, with Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa will join her as the Fifteenth Doctor on the Christmas Day episode.

At just 18 when she got the role, Millie is the youngest actor to be cast in the role, surpassing a record set by Matthew Waterhouse, who was 19 when he was cast in Doctor Who in the 1980s.

Upon hearing about Millie's casting, Ncuti said: 'Millie just is the companion. She is full of talent, strength, she has a cheeky sparkle in her eye and is sharp as a razor.

'From the moment she walked into the room she captured all of our attention with her effervescence and then solidified that attention with the sheer torque of her talent. This adventure is going to be so wild and so fun, I cannot WAIT to sail the universe with Millie!'

It's all going on: The news all Doctor Who fans have been anxiously awaiting was finally revealed last night, Millie Gibson was confirmed to be the Sci-Fi icon's latest companion

The Coronation Street actress will appear as Ruby Sunday in the BBC series, with Ncuti Gatwa joining her as the Fifteenth Doctor on Christmas day

So who is Millie Gibson - and where might you have seen her before?

Millie is best known for her portrayal of teenager Kelly Neelan in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street, who she appeared as between 2019 and 2022.

Her role won her the Best Young Actor accolade at the British Soap Awards in 2022, with nominations at the National Television Awards and Inside Soap Awards.

But this was far from Millie's first role.

The Tameside-born actress first appeared in the CBBC drama Jamie Johnson as Indira Cave between 2017 and 2018.

She looks familiar: Millie is best known for her portrayal of teenager Kelly Neelan in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street, who she appeared as between 2019 and 2022

She guest starred in an episode of the BBC show Love, Lies and Records in the same period - a BBC drama which featured outgoing Doctor Who companion Mandip Gill.

Millie was later featured in the ITV series Butterfly, before taking on the role of Kelly in Coronation Street, and quickly becoming a fan favourite.

Away from the screen, Millie appears to have a relatively normal home life.

The Tameside-born actress first appeared in the CBBC drama Jamie Johnson as Indira Cave between 2017 and 2018

She was born in Greater Manchester in 2004, and is understood to have attended The Blue Coat School in Oldham - a Church of England school established in 1834.

As a child, she took classes at the Oldham Theatre Workshop.

It is here where Millie was reportedly spotted by Manchester Media City talent agency Scream Management, who helped her on her way to her TV career.

Millie announced her casting in Doctor Who during the 2022 Children in Need fundraiser on BBC One.

She was born in Greater Manchester in 2004, and is understood to have attended The Blue Coat School in Oldham - a Church of England school established in 1834

In a statement, the star said that the role of Ruby Sunday is a 'dream come true'.

She said: 'Whilst still being in total disbelief, I am beyond honoured to be cast as the Doctor's companion.

'It is a gift of a role, and a dream come true, and I will do everything to try and fill the boots the fellow companions have travelled in before me.'

'This is a dream come true!' Corrie star Millie Gibson has been announced as the new Doctor Who companion Ruby Sunday. Pictured at the Children in Need fundraiser

The Doctor's companion is the character who travels or shares adventures with the Doctor, with Millie set to make her debut over the festive season in 2023

'And what better way to do that than being by the fabulous Ncuti Gatwa's side, I just can't wait to get started.'

The Doctor's companion is the character who travels or shares adventures with the Doctor, with Millie set to make her debut over the festive season in 2023.

Many consider his casting of Millie and Ncuti to be welcoming a new, younger era of the beloved BBC series.
Ncuti Gatwa is set to take the reigns from David Tennant in the next series of Doctor Who, the first black actor to permenantly play the Time Lord in the show's history.

The Sex Education star will hit screens as the 15th Doctor for the first time on Christmas Day, following a trio of 60th Anniversary specials later this month.

He will be starring alongside the youngest Doctor Who companion ever, Coronation street star Millie Gibson, 18.

In the run up to his historic first appearance as the time traveller, MailOnline take a look into the Sex Education breakout star's history....

The next Doctor: Ncuti Gatwa is set to take the reigns from David Tennant in the next series of Doctor Who, the first black actor to play the Time Lord in television history

New Star: His first episode as the Doctor will air on Christmas Day

But who is Ncuti Gatwa? MailOnline take a look into the Sex Education breakout star's history

Who is Ncuti Gatwa?

Ncuti Gatwa was born in Nyarugenge, Kigali, Rwanda on October 15, 1992 to a journalist-father Tharcisse and his mother Josephine.

The Gatwa family fled the east African country when the actor was only two years old to escape a brutal civil war.

Speaking from the family home Dunfermline, Scotland about their son's new role as The Doctor, Tharcisse told Mailonline: We are very proud. We have congratulated him. Thats all we can do. We are just so pleased. That is all we can say.'

Ncuti's mother Josephine, continued: There is nothing else we can add. We are not allowed. He has his profession and we have ours.

'So we do not do any comments regarding this but we are, of course, very proud of him. As parents we are, of course, proud of Ncuti, of our child.'

The actor arrived in Scotland as a refugee in 1944, and grew up in Edinburgh and later Fife.

He studied at Boroughmuir High School and Dunfermline High School before going on to attend the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

In 2013, he graduated with a Bachelors in Acting.

Fled: Ncuti Gatwa was born in Rwanda on October 15, 1992 to journalist-father Tharcisse (pictured) and mother Josephine. The family had to flee the country when the actor was twtwo years old due to a civil war

Proud: His parents sung his praises when interviewed by MailOnline, with his father Tharcisse stating 'We are just so pleased. That is all we can say' (Pictured Ncuti and his mother Josephine in 2020)

Where does Ncuti Gatwa work?

During his studies, he worked as a shot boy and go-go dancer in an LGBTQ+ bar called the Polo Lounge, in Glasgow.

In an interview with British GQ, The Sex Education actor shared how he had a 'toxic' time working in the Scottish gay scene.

The Rwandan-Scottish actor added how his sexuality was shaped by this experience.

He detailed how being a 'queer black kid' working in 'a white, gay environment' made him feel 'deeply sexualised'.

'It was very weird going from high school, where being the queer, Black kid you were nobody's pick of the bunch, to getting thrown into the Glasgow gay scene,' he recounted.

'I will never forget my first night out. I was in a white gay environment [and] as a Black man, I was deeply, deeply sexualised.'

'I couldn't quite understand the toxicity of that. I couldn't understand that I was being fetishised.

'I wasn't able to walk through this club without every bit of me being grabbed. It was weird  but fun! Very fun!'

The Sex Education star has now bagged the role of the 15th Doctor, and will hit screens as the Time Lord for the first time in the show's 60th anniversary special.

Ncuti will not be alone at the helm of the TARDIS, as his trusty co-star Millie Gisbon, will portray the Time Lord's new companion Ruby Sunday.

Showrunner Russell T Davies confirmed filming for the fourteenth season finished in July 2023, sharing a snap of the crew and himself with the TARDIS in the background.

Exciting: Ncuti wrapped up filming his first season of Doctor Who in July, with showrunner Russel T Davies (pictured) taking to Instagram to confirm filming was finished

Breaking records: He will take the reigns of the TARDIS alongside Millie Gibson, who plays Ruby Sunday, with the actress set to be the youngest companion in the show's history

What is Ncuti Gatwa's net worth?

In 2022 it was reported that the 15th Doctor was one of the best paid young actors in the country, racking in 772,131

Accounts for his firm Gemini Moon Limited show accumulated almost one million pounds in 2021.

The company declared total assets of 960,055 for 2022, and owed creditors 237,924  leaving Ncuti with more than a three quarters of a million pounds.

A far cry from when he was homeless prior to playing Eric Effiong in the hit Netflix show Sex Education.

When he moved to London to pursue his dream of carving out a career in acting he ran out of savings and found himself homeless.

He ended up sofa surfing on friends couches for five months, and also found himself borrowing 10 from friends so he could afford the tube fare for auditions

He said: 'I couldn't seem to handle it all financially. I was supposed to move into a new place and it fell through.

'So for five months before Sex Education, I was couch-surfing among all my friends. I didn't have a home.

'I was homeless. The only thing stopping me from being on the streets was the fact I had friends.'

Raking in the dough: In 2022 Ncuti Gatwa was one of the best paid young actors in the country, bagging a healthy 772,131

'No Labels'

Bagging the big bucks isn't the only bullet point on Ncuti's long list of achievements, as he also made his Vogue debut in July.

Leaving very little to the imagination, the actor struck a pose completely nude for the publication's Pride issue.

The 31-year-old actor stunned, as he poised on top of of black cushions, resembling a work of art.

In the interview for British Vogue's 2023 July issue, the star let answered confused fans, as he refused to define his sexuality outright.

He told the publication: 'I'm aware of the confusion it caused, but I kind of thought that my participation in [the Pride issue] was a statement.

'Not to come for anyone, but I was like, you know, two plus two equals four. I couldn't be louder about this. I literally got naked.'

He elaborated that although the LGBTQ+ community has made many strides during his lifetime, labels still put a great deal of pressure on people.

'If you think it's that easy, I'm happy for you,' he said 'That's a very privileged position to be in. To think that sexuality is so easy, and talking about sexuality is so easy and existing with one's sexuality is so easy.'

'I'm so glad that you think it's that easy, because the world isn't like that.'

Before: Ncuti previously starred in Netflix's hit show Sex Education, as well as numerous plays such as 946, A Midsummer Night's Dream and Romeo and Juliet.

What did Ncuti Gatwa do before Doctor Who?

Ncuti Gatwa's star power rose after he appeared as Eric Effiong on Sex Education.

He was in the show up until its fourth and final series which was released on September 21.

The Rwandan-Scottish actor received a number of accolades for his performance as Eric, including a BAFTA Scotland for Best Actor, as well as a nomination for Best Male Comedy Performance.

Previously, Gatwa landed in various stage role, acting at HOME Manchester as Mercutio in a rendition of Romeo in Juliet, as well as portraying Demetrius in A Midsummer Night's Dream at Shakespeare's Globe.

He has also appeared in the on-stage adaptation of Michael Morpurgo's The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips called 946.

The Doctor Who star told Rolling Stone UK that he plans to make a comeback to theatre, but would only consider doing so after a second stint as the Time Lord.

He told the publication: 'Im planning on getting back to it next year, after I finish season two of Doctor Who.'

Since announcing his stint on the famous time-travelling show, Gatwa has appeared on Greta Gerwig's blockbuster hit, Barbie, and is set to appear on an Apple + series tiled Masters of the Air in 2024.
Kate Garraway has revealed her husband Derek Draper has returned to hospital as she praised his carers for saving his life.

The Good Morning Britain presenter, 56, opened up about her husband's health, while on Loose Women on Thursday.

Derek, 56, has been in and out of hospital after he fell seriously ill with coronavirus at the very start of the pandemic in March 2020, and was left with lasting damage to his organs.

Doctors put him in a medically induced coma and on a ventilator and he was in hospital for 13 months before being discharged in April 2021.

However, he has readmitted several times with numerous health issues, including kidney failure, brain inflammation and liver damage.

Health update: Kate Garraway has revealed her husband Derek Draper has returned to hospital as she praised his carers for saving his life

Tough time: The Good Morning Britain presenter, 56, opened up about her husband's health, while on Loose Women on Thursday (Kate and Derek pictured)

Kate explained: 'He's actually back in the hospital at the moment, I haven't talked about this, but not the horrific drama fortunately, because there have been lots of, as we all experience, referrals and cancellations.

'He's gotten back in for something that he began last year, which he needed the second part of which will hopefully mean he has more movement, physical fractures.

'So it's a positive hospital thing. So he's actually not at home at the moment. So when the visiting game, but hopefully won't be in for too long.'

She also defended Derek's use of carers, saying without them he 'could die' and declared that getting help should not be a 'luxury'.

Kate said: 'If Derek didn't have someone caring for him he could die that day. We need to stop treating carers as a luxury.'

She recently released her book, The Strength of Love: Embracing an Uncertain Future with Resilience and Optimism, in which she tells Derek's story and how it's changed her and her family's lives.

Kate explained: 'It's not that you want to be a 'poor me' about it because on the one hand I feel incredibly fortunate because so many hundreds of 1000s of people, everyday people lose people.

'I talk in the book about grief and it took me a long time to admit that as a family we were grieving because I felt guilty because actual bereavement, so many are going through, that you feel that this is a lesser degree, but really, it is a kind of grief because you go through mini deaths when someone's very ill.

Awful: Derek, 56, has been in and out of hospital after he fell seriously ill with coronavirus at the very start of the pandemic in March 2020, and was left with lasting damage to his organs

Necessary: Kate also defended Derek's use of carers, saying without them he 'could die' and declared that getting help should not be a 'luxury'

Candid: She recently released her book, The Strength of Love: Embracing an Uncertain Future with Resilience and Optimism, in which she tells Derek's story and how it's changed her and her family's lives

'You grieve the person you lost to the illness. It can happen after a break up when you are grieving the future that you could have had. The children and I and so many families go through that.'

It comes after Kate appeared on Heart Breakfast in September alongside Amanda Holden and Jamie Theakston where she spoke about her husband's health problems and how it impacts the family.

Jamie asked: 'How are the kids feeling, that adjustment must be tricky especially at their age?'

Kate replied: 'Well, yeah I think it's been quite interesting. I think some of what I've been writing about in the book, is the fact that you have adrenaline, don't you, when something dramatic happens.

'I talk about what I think is adrenaline, it's a bit of a frenemy. One level it's fantastic, it gets you through the crisis, and then as time goes on, it's not great for your own health.

'Derek himself has been living on a version of adrenaline as well. And the kids have too in their own way, so I think the last year and a half really, has been coming to terms with the fact that we're not in a 'one week' 'two week' 'three month' drama.

'Were in something ongoing and I think weirdly, thats how it's felt for everybody beyond the pandemic.

'We still dont know, just how much better Derek can get, or worse. So really every time he has a rush into hospital, were still in that adrenaline phase of 'is this the moment where he could be taken from us'.

Opening up: It comes after Kate appeared on Heart Breakfast in September alongside Amanda Holden and Jamie Theakston where she spoke about her husband's health problems and how it impacts the family

'But also, theres so many spikes of progression, that no ones giving up hope that there isnt going to be a movement forward, so its managing that rollercoaster. Sorry that wasnt particularly clear.'

Amanda then weighed in on Derek's progress, calling it 'amazing' and he continues to go 'up and up and up'.

Kate agreed: 'Its interesting, he comes most alive I think when hes around, not so much me, lets be honest, but no, of course there is a huge amount of love for me.

'[But] he does come alive and you can see him kind of trying to be the old Dad as much as he can, trying to make them laugh, trying to do different things.

'But theyve had to realise that, I mean Derek was this kind of loud, rumbustious, huge, you know overwhelming [man], and god how we loved it, but hes not that now, so theyve had to readjust," the GMB host added, gushing over how well her teenage daughter and young son have navigated the situation "brilliantly"'.

It comes after Kate praised her two children, Darcey, 17, and William, 14, for the way they have handled their father's health struggles.

She said: 'I think its been quite interesting, I think some of what Ive been writing about in the book, is the fact that you have adrenaline, dont you, when something dramatic happens.

'I talk about what I think is adrenaline, its a bit of a frenemy. One level its fantastic, it gets you through the crisis, and then as time goes on, its not great for your own health.

Family: Kate spoke about how her and Derek's daughter Darcey, 17, and son William, 14, are dealing with their father's illness, gushing that they were 'navigating it brilliantly' (pictured in 2021)

Big moment: Kate was recognised with an MBE in the 2022 New Year Honours for her services to broadcasting, journalism and charity

'Derek himself has been living on a version of adrenaline as well. And the kids have too in their own way, so I think the last year and a half really, has been coming to terms with the fact that were not in a "one week" "two week" "three month" drama.

'Were in something ongoing and I think weirdly, thats how its felt for everybody beyond the pandemic.'

She continued: 'We still dont know, just how much better Derek can get, or worse. So really every time he has a rush into hospital, were still in that adrenaline phase of is this the moment where he could be taken from us?

'But also, theres so many spikes of progression, that no ones giving up hope that there isnt going to be a movement forward. So its managing that rollercoaster.'

Discussing the relationship between the kids and Derek, she said: 'Hes their Daddy. And its interesting, he comes most alive I think when hes around, not so much me, lets be honest, but no, of course there is a huge amount of love for me!

'He does come alive and you can see him kind of trying to be the old Dad as much as he can, trying to make them laugh, trying to do different things.

'But theyve had to realise that, I mean Derek was this kind of loud, rumbustious, huge, you know overwhelming and god how we loved it, but hes not that now, so theyve had to readjust.

'You know how you bounce off your parents, different boundaries, and they are doing it brilliantly. Theyre navigating it brilliantly.'

Kate has made two documentaries detailing her life as Derek battles the long-term effects of Covid-19, with both winning National Television Awards in the authored documentary category.

She was recognised with an MBE in the 2022 New Year Honours for her services to broadcasting, journalism and charity.

Kate said: 'I worry that I'm failing on every front, at everything. But I've got to keep going and fight on for Derek.'
Polemic new biopic Maestro, which takes a deep dive into the life of the legendary composer Leonard Bernstein, will show in selected cinemas around the UK on Friday before it drops on Netflix.

Bradley Cooper - who plays the musician - has come in for criticism for wearing a prosthetic nose in the biopic, with critics claiming it was anti-Semitic.

However, Leonard Bernstein's family defended Bradley's choice to wear the prosthesis, saying 'It happens to be true that he had a nice big nose' in a statement.

So, who exactly is Leonard Bernstein? Read on below for everything you need to know about the legendary composer.

Bernstein contributed substantially to the Broadway musical stage, where he completed arguably his most famous piece of work to compose the music for the blockbuster hit West Side Story, which would go on to be adapted into an Academy Award-winning film. Pictured: Bernstein with his wife Felicia Montealegre

Who was Leonard Bernstein?

Leonard Bernstein was born on August 25, 1918, in Lawrence, Massachusetts and began taking interest in music after having piano lessons as a boy and attended the Garrison and Boston Latin Schools.

After studying at Harvard University and the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he was appointed to his first permanent conducting post in 1943, as Assistant Conductor of the New York Philharmonic orchestra.

Inspired by his Jewish heritage, Bernstein completed his first large-scale work, Symphony No. 1: 'Jeremiah' the same year.

First performed to audiences in 1944 with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in 1944, it would go on to win the New York Music Critics' Award.

Following the assassination of the then-US President John F. Kennedy, the composer dedicated his Symphony No.3: 'Kaddish' to the politician.

Bernstein contributed substantially to the Broadway musical stage, where he completed arguably his most famous piece of work to compose the music for the blockbuster hit West Side Story, which would go on to be adapted into an Academy Award-winning film.

Away from music, world peace was a particular concern of Bernstein and he was a supporter of Amnesty International from its inception. In 1987, he established the Felicia Montealegre Fund in memory of his wife who died in 1978.

A further example of Bernstein's commitment to world peace came in December 1989, when he conducted the historic 'Berlin Celebration Concerts' on both sides of the Berlin Wall, as it was being dismantled.

Ahead of the upcoming release of Maestro, Bradley Cooper has revealed that he will be spending Thanksgiving holiday with Leonard Bernstein's adult children Nina, Alexander, and Jamie at the family's Connecticut estate.

Ahead of the upcoming release of Maestro, Bradley Cooper has revealed that he will be spending the Thanksgiving holiday with Leonard Bernstein's adult children. Pictured: an image released by Netflix showing Cooper as the composer in Maestro

The actor, 48, who plays the composer in biopic Maestro said on Tuesday's The Late Show.: 'We are going to go to [New] Jersey and then we're going to go to Fairfield, CT to spend it with the Bernsteins - the children.'

'And we shot [Maestro] in that house.'

Jamie, Alexander, and Nina (played by Maya Hawke, Sam Nivola, and Alexa Swinton) were 38, 35, and 28 years old when Leonard passed away, age 72, in 1990 from a heart attack brought on by mesothelioma.

But the Bernstein children were only 25, 23, and 15 when their beloved mother Felicia succumbed to her lung cancer battle, at age 56, in 1978.
The release of hostages under a temporary truce between Israel and Palestinian Hamas militants will not happen before Friday, Israel's national security adviser and the U.S. said, dashing hopes of relatives that some would be freed on Thursday.

Israel and Hamas agreed early on Wednesday to a ceasefire in Gaza for at least four days, to let in humanitarian aid and free at least 50 hostages held by militants in the enclave in exchange for at least 150 Palestinians jailed in Israel.

The starting time of the truce and release of hostages captured by Hamas during its Oct. 7 attack on Israel has yet to be officially announced. An Egyptian security source said mediators had sought a start time of 10 a.m. (0800 GMT) on Thursday.

Speaking on Thursday morning, Qatar's foreign ministry spokesperson Majid bin Mohammed Al Ansari said an announcement on the beginning of the truce could come in the next few hours. Qatar has been mediating in the negotiations on the truce.

"The negotiations on the release of our hostages are advancing and continuing constantly," Israeli National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said in a statement released by the prime minister's office.

"The start of the release will take place according to the original agreement between the sides, and not before Friday," it said.

White House spokesperson Adrienne Watson said final logistical details for the release were being worked out. "That is on track and we are hopeful that implementation will begin on Friday morning," Watson said.

But there was no let-up in the fighting early on Thursday, reports said.

Palestinian media said Israeli aircraft and artillery struck Gaza's southern city of Khan Younis in at least two waves and 15 people were killed. Attacks were also reported in several other parts of Gaza, including the Jabalia and Nuseirat camps.

Israel said its forces carried out aerial strikes on over 300 Hamas targets over the past day. Reuters was unable to independently verify the reports.

In Israel, sirens warning of incoming rocket fire from Gaza blared in communities near the border with the enclave, the military said. There were no reports of damage or injuries.

Israel's public broadcaster Kan, citing an unidentified Israeli official, reported there was a 24-hour delay in the truce because the agreement was not signed by Hamas and mediator Qatar. The official said they were optimistic the agreement would be carried out when it was signed.

"No one said there would be a release tomorrow except the media ... We had to make it clear that no release is planned before Friday, because of the uncertainty that hostages' families are facing," Kan quoted a source in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office as saying.

Israeli media, citing anonymous officials, reported the pause in fighting with Hamas also would not start before Friday. Israel's Ynet news website reported that Israel had not yet received the names of the hostages slated for release by Hamas.

Since the Hamas attack on southern Israel that surprised the government and shocked Israelis, five hostages have been recovered alive. Israel says 1,200 people were killed, mostly civilians and about 240 hostages of different nationalities taken hostage by Islamist gunmen.

In retaliation, Israel has subjected Hamas-ruled Gaza to a siege and relentless bombardment. More than 14,000 Gazans have been killed, around 40 percent of them children, according to medical officials in the territory.

'Need to know they are alive'

Netanyahu made no mention of a potential delay in implementation of the agreement during a press conference late on Wednesday. Hanegbi's statement was released about an hour after the press conference.

"We need to know they are alive, if they're okay. It's the minimum," said Gilad Korngold, who said he drew just a measure of comfort from the deal between Israel and Hamas and was among those who was still awaiting word of relatives. Seven of his family members, including his 3-year-old granddaughter, were taken hostage.

"I want everybody back. But I think  and it's a very tough decision  but I think the children and women must be (first). They are most fragile...they need to get out."

The U.S. also hoped that aid would begin reaching Gaza in large volumes within the next few days, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said.

The 50 hostages would be released over four days at a rate of at least 10 daily, Netanyahu's office said. The truce could be extended day by day so long as an additional 10 hostages were freed each day, it said.

Israel's justice ministry published a list of 300 names of Palestinian prisoners who could be freed.

Hamas said the initial 50 hostages would be released in exchange for 150 Palestinian women and children imprisoned in Israel. Hundreds of trucks of humanitarian, medical and fuel supplies would enter Gaza, while Israel would halt all air sorties over southern Gaza and maintain a daily six-hour daytime no-fly window in the north, Hamas said.

The truce agreement, the first in a nearly seven-week-long war, was reached after mediation by Qatar and seen by governments around the world as potentially easing the suffering of civilians in the Gaza Strip.

Gaza is the "most dangerous place in the world to be a child," Catherine Russell, head of the United Nations children's agency UNICEF, told the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday. More than 5,300 Palestinian children had reportedly been killed since Oct. 7, Russell said. (Reuters)
Big Brother's Jordan Sangha has revealed he and Henry Southan spent the whole evening in bed together with cheap white wine.

The 26-year-old ex-lawyer from Scunthorpe claimed the 100,000 prize last week after being crowned the winner of the ITV2 reality show.

During their six-week journey in the house, Jordan and Henry appeared to have a blossoming romantic connection as they shared a series of steamy snogs - despite Jordan insisting that his feelings were just 'platonic'.

Their relationship won them a whole legion of fans, who have nicknamed them 'Jenry'.

Since the show ended, the pair have seemed closer than ever and have been spending lots of time together.

Getting close: Big Brother's Jordan Sangha and Henry Southan revealed they spent a whole evening in bed together with cheap white wine

Passionate: Jordan has said his relationship with Henry is 'platonic' but the pair shared a series of steamy snogs during their stint in the house

Jordan told British Vogue: 'Meeting Henry was a highlight for me.

'Yesterday, we shared cheap bottles of white wine and spent the evening together in a bed.'

However, he added there had been 'no funny business' - once again giving fans mixed signals about the nature of their relationship.

Jordan captured the hearts of viewers with his moody yet witty personality to be crowned the winner of 2023's rebooted Big Brother after it was axed in 2018.

Throughout his time in the house, Jordan made headlines for his love triangle with Henry and Matty Simpson.

Jordan insisted throughout that his connection with Henry was just a 'platonic' one, but the two could not help but share steamy snogs in bed, in the hot tub and the storeroom.

They also referred to each other as 'husband' throughout the show.

As the pair spoke to MailOnline at the ITV Palooza on Tuesday night, Jordan said he and Henry can't open their phones without seeing posts from the 'Jenry army' of fans.

'Husbands': Jordan wrapped his arm around Henry as they attended the ITV Palooza on Tuesday

Beloved: Jordan repeatedly insisted that he sees his relationship with Henry as 'platonic,' but since leaving the house has admitted his feelings are real

Awkward: There was a love triangle between Henry, Jordan and Matty Simpson in the house

Henry said they have 'lots of plans' for their time together now they've left the house, including a trip to Venice, and 'Lego and wine nights.'

'We're trying to remove all of that pressure and see how it goes. In the house it's such a strange environment so you just have to accept how it is in the real world,' he added.

Having already confirmed he wouldn't be returning to his law career after winning the show, Jordan and Henry said fans are hoping that they could join forces for a travel show or an appearance on Gogglebox.

'I honestly don't know. I like being in front of the camera surprisingly. Who knows what's next for me,' Jordan said.

After his win Jordan cheekily teased at his and Henry's plans after leaving the Big Brother house and said they had spoken about getting a hotel room.

He said: 'Henry and I, we made a promise that whoever wins, we'd go to a five-star hotel, somewhere decent.'

Immediately after winning the show Jordan was labelled an icon after he revealed what he would spend the massive cash prize on.

When hosts AJ Odudu and Will Best confirmed he had won the series, Jordan joked that he would use the prize money to pay his council tax.

Smooching: Jordan and Henry would even sneakily kiss in bed

Snuggling up: The pair were constantly in each other's company as their relationship blossomed
Georgia Toffolo has confessed her love for boyfriend James Watt as the couple enjoyed a romantic holiday to Mumbai, India.

The former Made In Chelsea star, 29, stopped off in the city with the BrewDog founder, 40, as they returned from a holiday to the Maldives.

The loved-up pair were first linked over the summer after being set up on a blind date by a friend.

During their trip, James took Georgia to one of his BrewDog bars in Mumbai where she filmed him making a speech on the bar.

As he put the microphone down and jumped off the bar, Georgia could be heard saying, "woo, I love you James Watt!'

Romance: Georgia Toffolo has confessed her love for boyfriend James Watt as the couple enjoyed a romantic holiday to Mumbai, India

Couple: During their trip, James took Georgia to one of his BrewDog bars in Mumbai where she filmed him making a speech on the bar and said: 'I love you James Watt!'

Style: Georgia shared a stunning snap of herself in a pink sleeveless dress and white sandals

Georgia looked radiant for the couple's night out as she slipped into a white and red floral patterned mini dress.

The garment featured an off the shoulder detail while Georgia let her blonde locks fall loose down her shoulders.

Friends of the I'm A Celebrity winner told the Daily Mail that Toff and James were set up on a blind date over the summer by a mutual friend who thought they would be the perfect match.

Toff is thought to have already been to Scotland to meet James's family and has visited him often at the BrewDog headquarters.

A friend said: Toff has never been happier  she is grinning from ear to ear and it is lovely to see. They have spent a lot of time together since meeting. They just hit it off instantly.

It is no secret that she was devastated at her relationship with George finally ending.

'It took a while to run its course and there was a lot of heartache along the way. But Toff has got through that now and is loving her new life with her new love.

James has also been using his business expertise to help Toff with her recently launched raw pet food brand Wild Pack.
Canadian band Hot Hot Heat have announced they are reuniting seven year after their split in 2016.

The indie rock band formed in 1999 and released five albums, two of which were in the top 40 in the UK.

After their split, frontman Steve Bays and bassist Parker Bossley formed a new band called Fur Trade, leading to fans thinking that the band were over for good.

However, this week Hot Hot Heat took to their official social media accounts to reveal they were making a comeback.

They shared a new group shot that showed the current line-up and revealed they are releasing new music next month.

They're back! Canadian band Hot Hot Heat have announced they are reuniting seven year after their split in 2016

Back in the day: The indie rock band formed in 1999 and released five albums, two of which were in the top 40 in the UK (pictured in 2003)

Announcement: This week Hot Hot Heat took to their official social media accounts to reveal they were making a comeback, showing the current line-up and saying they are releasing new music next month

The group wrote: 'Hot Hot Heat is Steve Bays, Paul Hawley, Dante DeCaro and Parker Bossley. We will release a new song, Shock Me, on December 1st, 2023.'

Their followers went wild for the news with many taking to the comments to express their shock and joy, with some declaring: 'This is the best news of the year!'

One person wrote: 'This was definitely not on my 2023 Bingo Card, but I cant be more excited!!!'

Another added: 'This made my day, made my week. Made my year, made my decade. All of it. Glad to have yall back.'

Thrilled: Their followers went wild for the news with many taking to the comments to express their shock and joy, with some declaring: 'This is the best news of the year!'

A third fan commented: 'Dante straight got me into guitar. You have no idea what this means to me' while another said: 'Ive waited for this day for so long.'

A fifth penned: 'best news of 2023! Lets be honest Ill follow any band Steve is attached too, too many to name. but Hot Hot Heat just feels like home! Excited for the new single'.

Someone else said: 'I cant stop smiling! This is awesome news!' while a seventh echoed: 'Can't wait. Adore you guys. Always have.'

An eighth fan gushed: 'i cannot believe my favourite band is back together. no words !! just yes!!!!!!' with a ninth adding: 'Christmas is coming early!!!!'

A tenth person wrote: 'ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? 2023 is going out with a bang. Cant wait!' with another saying: 'This is the best thing I have read this entire year. YESSS!!!!'

In an interview last October, Steve heavily hinted that a Hot Hot Heat reunion was coming soon, saying he had 'warmed up to the idea recently' and it was 'being discussed'.

Speaking to Exclaim, he said: 'Paul and I talk and text almost daily, actually. And Dante is in touch with us too. Occasionally, we meet up and pal around. [I speak with] Dustin over email once in a while, too.

'As for a reunion, I'm obligated to not confirm or deny, but I will say: it's being discussed as a potential. A definitely maybe situation.

New venture: After their split, frontman Steve Bays and bassist Parker Bossley formed a new band called Fur Trade, (pictured) leading to fans thinking that the band were over for good

Tease: In an interview last October, Steve (pictured) heavily hinted that a Hot Hot Heat reunion was coming soon, saying he had 'warmed up to the idea recently' and it was 'being discussed'

'I've been the most against it, simply 'cause touring was 17 years of my life, and now I have so much on the go with my studio, Tugboat Pl.  recording, mixing, co-writing, music videos, etc. with other bands  and I have a few other projects of my own that I'm quite passionate about. But having said that, I've warmed up to the idea recently!'

Hot Hot Heat was originally made up of Steve, Paul, Parker alongside Dustin Hawthorne on bass and Matthew Marnik on lead vocals.

Only Steve and Paul stayed throughout, with Dante joining the band for four years in 2001, and Jimmy Sweet, Luke Paquin and Louis Hearn were also members for several years.

The group's debut album, Make Up the Breakdown, was released in October 2002 to critical acclaim and was ranked the 20th best album of the year by Pitchfork.

However, one of their singles, Bandages, was cut from BBC Radio 1's playlist due to the Iraq War, causing it to stall at number 25 in the UK charts.

A spokesperson said the track was removed because of a 'prevalence of the word "bandages" in the song'.

Hot Hot Heat continued making music and signed with Warner in the US, where they released their next album Elevator.

During the 2000s, the band opened for huge groups like Foo Fighters, The Killers and Weezer.

They also went on tour in 2007, with Snow Patrol as their opening act and released album Happiness Ltd. the same year.

The group later released fourth album Future Breeds in 2010 and their last LP, Hot Hot Heat, in June 2016.

Early success: The group's debut album, Make Up the Breakdown, was released in October 2002 to critical acclaim and was ranked the 20th best album of the year by Pitchfork (pictured 2003)
Jamie Lynn Spears' husband was accused of causing a fatal crash that claimed the lives of three people when his truck blocked a major motorway just two years after the couple married.

Police found nobody was to blame for the crash that followed Jamie Watson getting his uninsured trailer truck stuck as he turned into a private driveway and obstructed the US-51 in Louisiana.

The details of the case have surfaced as Spears appears on the new series of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!

One oncoming vehicle - an 18-wheeler driven by a man called Corey David - was able to stop in time but a Chevrolet Silverado pickup driven by Kaleb Collette was allegedly speeding and went into the back of David.

Collette, 28, died as a result along with his passengers Lee Ross, 27, and Kenneth Parnell, 27.

Jamie Lynn Spears' husband Jamie Watson (pictured with Spears) was accused of causing a fatal crash that claimed the lives of three people when his truck blocked a major motorway just two years after the couple married in 2014

The details of the 2016 case have surfaced as Spears appears on the new series of I'm A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here! A police report found that nobody was to blame for the crash

Another two years after the crash the couple (pictured) had a daughter together - Ivey Joan - who is now five

Brittney Spears' sister Jamie Lynn married Watson in 2014, four years after they got together, with the tragic crash taking place on July 11, 2016.

Another couple of years later the couple had a daughter together - Ivey Joan - who is now five.

Another year later, the surviving driver of the 18-wheeler who suffered physical and mental injuries, filed a lawsuit against Watson and his company Fluker Transportation LLC - the drive of which Watson had been trying to go down.

He also filed lawsuits against Kaleb's mother Melinda Collette and the insurance companies of all involved, including the insurer of his own rental truck.

David's petition laid blame at both Collette and Watson, with the latter accused of 'gross and flagrant recklessness, carelessness, negligence and fault'.

He also referenced to Fluker Transportation's policy with its insurers, which according to court reports included an exclusion form signed by Watson, stating that 'none of the insurance coverages afforded by this policy' shall apply to him.

The lawsuit was eventually settled by David's insurance though, despite their efforts to pin the incident on Watson, and a police report reinforced the conclusion that nobody was to blame.

The victim's lawyers then went on to say that Collette's Chevrolet was '100 per cent at fault and completely uninsured' in a court document.

However, David's insurers - Nationwide - attempted to continue with their action against Watson, eventually settling in 2021.

Fluker Transportation also got sued for damages by the father of one of the crash victims, who blamed both Watson and David for the accident, but that case was also settled.
Molly Sims displayed her fabulous figure as she enjoyed a sun-soaked Thanksgiving week getaway to Los Cabos, Mexico.

The 50-year-old model wowed in a burgundy bikini as she basked in the sunshine with her husband Scott Stuber, 54, and friends on Tuesday.

She appeared to be enjoying a day in the pool as she relaxed on a Mediterranean-style terrace with her group.

Molly wore her blonde hair scooped back into a low ponytail and she was also decked out in gold jewelry and sported a pair of stylish sunglasses and manicured nails.

The beauty was the picture of relaxation topping up her tan as she wandered about the patio.

Fun in the sun! Molly Sims displayed her fabulous figure as she enjoyed a sun-soaked Thanksgiving getaway to Los Cabos, Mexico with her husband Scott Stuber and friends

Golden girl: She jazzed up her look with dazzling gold jewelry

Molly and her husband Scott, a Netflix executive, have been married since 2011 and share three children together.

The runway vet has been sharing snaps from her gorgeous getaway to Mexico on her Instagram as of late, along with plenty of shots of her in a bikini.

'WE'RE BACK,' she captioned a post of her clad in an orange swimsuit. 'And hopefully not getting the stomach flu from Grey.'

As usual, Molly looked incredible in the tiny swimsuit - and earlier this year she revealed one of her tricks to looking so svelte and shapely.

Back in February, the star shared on her Insta Stories that she drinks bone broth. The luminary even showed her followers that she pours the brown liquid into a white mug with a red heart on front.

Over the photo of the mug of broth she wrote: 'Anti-ageing, good for digestions and gut, helps my joints after workouts, better sleep...

'This has been game changing for me.'

According to WebMD, 'Bone broth, sometimes called stock, is liquid made from boiling animal bones and connective tissue.

Simply stunning: The 50-year-old model displayed her svelte physique

Making a splash! Sims wandered along the terrace

Getaway: She appeared to be enjoying a day in the pool as she relaxed in a Mediterranean-style terrace with her husband Scott

Sunny outlook! She shielded her eyes with a pair of fashionable black sunnies

Chit chat: Scott made time for a phone call

Best tressed: She wore her hair pulled back into a low ponytail

'Chefs use stock as a base for soups, sauces, and gravies. Some people drink it on its own.

'People have been making bone broth since the beginning of humankind.

'Anthropologists think people drank liquid infused with bones and other animal parts as early as prehistoric times.

'People all over the planet make bone broth from the animals that live nearby.

Having a blast: Molly chatted with her friends relaxing on the terrace

Domestic bliss: Sims has been married to Stuber since 2011 and they share three children together

Life is good! The star appeared relaxed and content during her getaway

Sizzling! The runway vet has been sharing snaps from her gorgeous getaway to Mexico on her Instagram as of late, along with plenty of shots of her in a bikini

'The popular Japanese ramen dish tonkatsu  pork bone broth in English  is one example.'

It was also shared that most bone broth has at least trace amounts of several nutrients.

'Adding vegetables to bone broth can also significantly enhance its nutritional benefits.'

It was also claimed it can help with weight management, hydration, sleep, nutrition.

Gwyneth Paltrow, Salma Hayek and Shailene Woodley have also praised the benefits of drinking bone broth in the past.
Milo Ventimiglia and his new wife Jarah Mariano stepped out in Los Angeles on Wednesday afternoon.

The 46-year-old actor and the 38-year-old model were accompanied by their dog as they ran a few errands while preparing for Thanksgiving.

The This Is Us star, who said his vows earlier this year, kept it casual in a gray t-shirt that was paired with slim-fitting dark brown jeans.

Ventimiglia also donned a pair of high-top beige shoes and accessorized with a pair of sunglasses.

Mariano opted for a green graphic-printed t-shirt and a pair of slightly loose-fitting blue jeans as she spent time with her husband.

Newlyweds: Milo Ventimiglia and his new wife Jarah Mariano stepped out in Los Angeles on Wednesday afternoon

The model also wore a pair of open-toed sandals, and her gorgeous dark brunette hair cascaded onto her shoulders.

It was confirmed by Us Weekly that Ventimiglia and his wife had secretly tied the knot this past October.

According to the media outlet, the happy couple said their vows during a small ceremony that was attended by their family members and friends earlier this year.

The pair has been romantically linked ever since last year, and neither the actor nor the model have made any public comments regarding their marriage.

Ventimiglia was formerly in a relationship with his Gilmore Girls costar Alexis Bledel, which ultimately ended in 2006.

The Primetime Emmy Award-nominated performer moved on with his Heroes castmate Hayden Panettiere, whom he dated from 2007 until 2009.

The actor spoke about his love life during an interview with Haute Living, during which he revealed that he had a difficult time balancing his relationships with his career.

'Everything is second position to work  everything. I've had friendships and relationships that definitely had a hard time with that,' he said.

Taking it easy: The This Is Us star, who said his vows earlier this year, kept it casual in a gray t-shirt that was paired with slim-fitting dark brown jeans

Making it official: The happy couple said their vows during a small ceremony that was attended by their family members and friends earlier this year

Staying quiet: The pair has been romantically linked ever since last year, and neither the actor nor the model have made any public comments regarding their marriage

Ventimiglia also recalled the difficulty of having to set time aside from his busy work schedule to tend to the emotional needs of his romantic partners.

'I'd get home from work and a girlfriend would want to spend time together, and I'd have to make sure I did spend time with her,' he stated.

The performer then admitted that he had committed himself to his acting career at the expense of his love life.

'You kind of have to dedicate yourself to it in a greater way, and some things are going to be sacrificed while others can run concurrently,' he said.
Jamie Foxx has denied sexual assault allegations after the star was sued over an alleged 2015 incident.

In a new lawsuit, obtained by DailyMail.com on Wednesday, the 55-year-old Oscar winner was accused of placing 'both hands' on a woman's waist, before proceeding to move them 'under her top.'

The plaintiff, identified only as 'Jane Doe,' claimed he 'started rubbing her breasts' after he 'pulled her by the arm to the back area of the rooftop' at Catch NYC & Roof.

She further claimed the 'intoxicated' star told her 'she looked like Gabrielle Union' and touched her in her intimate areas.

A spokesperson for Foxx denied the allegations in a statement to DailyMail.com, saying: 'The alleged incident never happened. In 2020, this individual filed a nearly identical lawsuit in Brooklyn.

Denied: Jamie Foxx has denied sexual assault allegations after the star was sued over an alleged 2015 incident (seen in 2023)

Celebrity hotspot: The plaintiff claimed he 'started rubbing her breasts' after he 'pulled her by the arm to the back area of the rooftop' at Catch NYC & Roof (the restaurant seen above)

'That case was dismissed shortly thereafter. The claims are no more viable today than they were then.

'We are confident they will be dismissed again. And once they are, Mr. Foxx intends to pursue a claim for malicious prosecution against this person and her attorneys for re-filing this frivolous action.'

Meanwhile the Law Offices of Michael S. Lamonsoff - who are representing the plaintiff - said in a statement to DailyMail.com that the allegations of the lawsuit being previously dismissed are 'baseless and untrue.'

The statement went on to say that due to the passing of the Adult Survivors Act (ASA) 'thousands of sexual abuse survivors have bravely come forward to hold their perpetrators accountable.'

'The scars from sexual abuse have no time limits. The time for change is now. There should be no statute of limitations for any form of sexual assault or abuse. Those responsible must face consequences, especially those using their celebrity status to victimize others.

In her lawsuit, the plaintiff alleges the incident occurred, around 1 a.m., a few hours after she and a friend were seated at a table away from him at the celebrity hotspot.

According to the lawsuit, 'the plaintiff's friend asked Foxx if he'd take a photo with her and the plaintiff' and he allegedly replied: 'Sure, baby anything for you.'

She claims he 'seemed intoxicated at the time' and told her that 'she looked like Gabrielle Union.'

Additionally, the plaintiff claimed he told her: 'Wow, you have that supermodel body' and that she smelled 'so good.'

After he allegedly got physical with her, the plaintiff said she 'attempted to step away and noticed a security guard and others who saw what had happened' but says they 'chose to walk away.'

The plaintiff says things escalated quickly and alleges that he 'slid his hand into her pants and put his fingers on and in her vagina and anus.'

She alleges the incident occurred, around 1 a.m., a few hours after she and a friend were seated at a table away from him at the celebrity hotspot (seen in 2015)

According to the lawsuit, 'the plaintiff's friend asked Foxx if he'd take a photo with her and the plaintiff' and he allegedly replied: 'Sure, baby anything for you'

Once her friend saw what allegedly occurred, the plaintiff said her pal rushed over and 'Jamie stopped touching her.'

The plaintiff claims to have sought medical treatment and suffered pain as well as emotional distress 'as a result of the 'sexual assault, abuse, assault and battery.'

She is suing Foxx and Catch as well as its employees for compensation and punitive damages.

The suit is filed under New York's Adult Survivors Act, which opened a one-year revival window to file sexual abuse claims that would otherwise be barred by the statute of limitations.

The deadline to file such claims ends on Thursday.

At the time of the alleged incident, he was in a relationship with actress Katie Holmes, who he split from after six years of dating in May 2019.

He was previously accused of sexual misconduct after a woman claimed he 'slapped' her 'with his penis' in 2002.

At the time of the alleged incident, he was dating actress Katie Holmes, who he split from after six years together in May 2019 (seen together in 2019)

In 2018, the Las Vegas police confirmed to People that a 'female victim came to the LVMPD and alleged that a sexual assault occurred in the Las Vegas area in 2002' and Foxx was named 'as the suspect.'

At the time, Foxx's lawyer issued a statement to the outlet denying the claims.

'Jamie Foxx emphatically denies that this incident ever occurred, and he will be filing a report with the Las Vegas Police Department against the woman for filing a false police report against him,' Foxx's attorney said. 'The first time Mr. Foxx became aware of this woman's absurd claims about an incident that supposedly occurred sixteen years ago was when TMZ contacted his representatives today about this story.'

The lawyer added, 'The alleged incident was not reported to law enforcement in 2002, or at any other time in the last sixteen years until last Friday because the incident never happened. We consider it to be extraordinarily reckless for any publication to publish this bogus story.'

The allegations come seven months after he suffered an unspecified medical emergency in April, which left him hospitalized for months.

In August, he revealed to his fans that he 'is 'finally starting to feel like' himself again after his health scare.

Rough year: The allegations come seven months after he suffered an unspecified medical emergency in April, which left him hospitalized for months

While speaking to his 16.8 million Instagram followers, at the time, he opened up about going through 'an unexpected dark journey.'

Despite the challenges in his recovery, the performer said he 'can see the light' and is 'thankful to everyone that reached out and sent well wishes and prayers.'

'I have a lot of people to thank u just dont know how much it meant I will be thanking all of you personally and if you didnt know GOD IS GOOD all day every day,' he concluded.

The update came less than a month after Foxx giving his first detailed update on how he has been doing since getting discharged from the hospital.

Foxx informed fans that he is not 'blind' or 'paralyzed' in an emotional three-minute recording about his health.

'I went through something I never thought I would go through. I know a lot of people [were] waiting or wanting to hear an update, but to be honest with you, I didn't want you to see me like that man,' he admitted, with tears in his eyes.

The actor, who returned to work last month to film a commercial in Las Vegas, continued: 'I want you to see me laughing, having a good time, partying, cracking a joke, doing a movie, [or] a television show.'

'I didn't want you to see me with tubes running out of me and trying to figure out if I was going to make it through.'

The father-of-one added that he went through 'hell and back' to survive and has experienced some 'potholes' on his 'road to recovery.'

Over the summer, Foxx informed fans that he is not 'blind' or 'paralyzed' in an emotional three-minute recording about his health

The Beat Shazam host also praised his sister, Deondra Dixon, and daughter, Corinne, 29, for 'saving' his life and keeping the details around his hospitalization private.

'To them, to God, to a lot of great medical people, I'm able to leave you this video,' Foxx added. 'I cannot tell you how great it feels to have your family kick in in such a way, and y'all know they kept it airtight, they didn't let nothing out, they protected me, and that's what I hope that everyone could have in moments like these.'

He proceeded to show how his 'eyes are working just fine' by moving them from side to side, before making it clear that he is 'not paralyzed.'

Speaking to fans directly, he said: 'I just want to say I love everybody and I love all the love that I got.'

The actor got choked up as he warned: 'If you see me out from now on and every once in a while I just burst into tears, its just because its been tough, man. I was sick, man. But now I got my legs under me, so youre gonna see me out.'

'Man, I know they talk about people crying on videos... but I'm not going to do a take two, it is what is is,' he mused. 'Like I said, I want you to remember me for the jokes that I crack and the movies that I make  some of them good, some of them ain't (I think I've got a good one out), and songs that I sing.'

'I'm here on earth because of some great people. I'm here on Earth because of God, man,' the performer concluded. 'I'm on way back.'

Foxx captioned the video: 'Thank u a billion to everybody been a long road but all the prayers great people and God got me through.'

In July, the star was reported to be in 'amazing shape' as he resumed his work commitments, an insider told TMZ.

Another source added to People: 'Jamie was putting in really long days and was spot on. It was like nothing happened. You would have never known [he had a health issue].'
A Russian actress has been killed in a Ukrainian attack while performing to Russian troops in a Russian-controlled area of eastern Ukraine, according to her theater.

The Russian theater where actress Polina Menshikh, 40, worked said she had been killed while performing on stage in the Donbas region.

Reuters could not verify details of the incident but military officials on both sides confirmed there had been a Ukrainian attack in the area on Nov. 19.

A Russian military investigator quoted by Russian state television said a school and cultural centre had been hit by HIMARS missiles in a village in the Donetsk region referred to as Kumachovo and known by Ukrainians as Kumachove, 60 km (37 miles) from the front line.

The unidentified investigator said one civilian, of whom he gave no further details, had been killed but made no mention of military casualties. The Russian defence ministry declined comment and has mentioned no casualties from the attack.

Ukrainian commanders said their forces had struck what they said was a Russian military award ceremony, targeting Russia's 810th Separate Naval Infantry Brigade.

Robert Brovdi, a Ukrainian military commander, said in a post on social media that 25 people had been killed in the strike and more than 100 wounded.

Unverified video footage on pro-Russian Telegram channels showed soldiers watching Menshikh singing on stage with a guitar on the day the Russian military celebrates their missile and artillery forces.

Mid-song, the building is suddenly rocked by a blast and windows can be heard shattering before the lights go out and someone is caught on camera using an expletive.

Ukraine's Brovdi said the attack was "revenge for the 128th," a reference to a Russian strike this month on soldiers from Ukraine's 128th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade in which the brigade said 19 of it soldiers were killed.

Commenting on the attack on Kumachovo, some pro-Russian bloggers expressed anger that so many soldiers had been allowed to congregate within range of Ukrainian missiles.

"It seems that very wise people thought and decided that as the concert was 60 km from the front line, then nothing could reach it  as if the enemy has never had long-range missiles that can strike the rear," said the influential Rybar Telegram channel.

Russian cultural leaders have been urged to visit areas near the front line to show support for soldiers fighting in Ukraine since President Vladimir Putin sent in troops in February 2022. (Reuters)
Jessica Alves ensured all eyes were on her as she headed to a swanky dinner followed by a film premiere in Central London on Thursday evening.

The reality star, 40, flaunted her surgically-enhanced figure as she slipped into a skin tight and sheer red catsuit which teased a glimpse of her skimpy lingerie beneath.

Jessica's saucy look was adorned with intricate sequins and a feathered trim hugging every inch of her eye-popping curves.

The Brazilian-British model toted her essentials in a matching YSL bag adding extra height to her frame with a coordinating stiletto heels.

She wore her glossy blonde tresses loose and accentuated her pout with a slick of pillar box red lipstick.

Pose: Jessica Alves, 40, ensured all eyes were on her as she headed to a swanky dinner followed by a film premiere in Central London on Thursday evening

Perfection: The reality star flaunted her surgically-enhanced figure as she slipped into a skin tight and sheer red catsuit which teased a glimpse of her skimpy lingerie beneath

After enjoying dinner Jessica took to the red carpet at the Gods of Their Own Religion premiere.

The synopsis reads: 'Set in a technocratic empire, humanity lies cold and subjugated beneath the boot of an inhuman authority. But hidden within its suffocating body are those who fight to reignite the fire at its heart'.

Jessica's night on the tiles comes after she enjoyed a very wild night out with Wayne Lineker at the UK Glamour Awards earlier this month.

Wayne, 61, made a boozy appearance at the event where he couldn't keep his hands off the Brazilian star.

Jessica put on a daring display in a stunning, sparkling red dress with numerous cutouts.

She cuddled up with Wayne who cheekily grabbed a handful of the influencer's breast.

The two had a chat and shared a giggle as Jessica sat on the lap of the Ibiza club owner.

Jessica recently told how she has been suffering 'sleepless nights' since her Instagram was banned, leaving her unable to interact with her followers or earn a living as an influencer.

Sexy: Jessica's saucy look was adorned with intricate sequins and a feathered trim hugging every inch of her eye-popping curves

Strut: The Brazilian-British model toted her essentials in a matching YSL bag adding extra height to her frame with a coordinating stiletto heels

Beauty: She wore her glossy blonde tresses loose and accentuated her pout with a slick of pillar box red lipstick

Blimey! Jessica's night on the tiles comes after she enjoyed a very wild night out with Wayne Lineker at the UK Glamour Awards earlier this month

The star told MailOnline she has suffered much 'anxiety' and 'sleepless nights' since the ban of her account, which she admitted she has become 'dependent' on.

She said: 'This week, all of a sudden, and without warning my account has been suspended.

'This has led to me suffering a lot of anxiety and sleepless nights. It feels like the end of the world to me now, with the damage to my image and my professional standing in the influencer community. Most important is the damage to my emotional and mental health.

'I never realised before how dependent on the app I had become, and how important it is to my life until now that it is no longer there, and I have no way to communicate with my millions of followers.'

Big night: After enjoying dinner Jessica took to the red carpet at the Gods of Their Own Religion premiere

Candid: Jessica recently told how she has been suffering 'sleepless nights' since her Instagram was banned, leaving her unable to interact with her followers or earn a living as an influencer

Honest: The star told MailOnline she has suffered much 'anxiety' and 'sleepless nights' since the ban of her account, which she admitted she has become 'dependent' on

Jessica now has her account back and enjoys over seven million followers.

The model has spent a jaw-dropping 1million on over 100 surgical procedures - but earlier this year insisted she was now '100 per cent done with plastic surgery'.

She previously told MailOnline about her experience of having a third boob job: 'I love being a woman and I take pride in it.

'Growing up, in my mind I had long hair and a voluptuous body shape and today I am the woman of my dreams. And that is such a great feeling to be happy with my looks.'
Doctor Who fans have been treated to a surprise glimpse of Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson as the show marked its 60th Anniversary with an epic new trailer.

Ncuti will make his debut as the titular Time Lord in a Christmas Special next month alongside Millie, who will play The Doctor's companion Ruby Sunday.

The trailer featured a slew of clips of all 14 Doctors, including David Tennant who has reprised the role for a trio of 60th Anniversary Specials.

And amongst the montage was a tiny snippet of a pensive Millie as Ruby, flashing a brief smile with the TARDIS visible behind her.

Later in the preview, Ncuti could be seen in a snowy landscape, hinting at the time-travelling adventures that could be on the horizon.

Look who it is! Doctor Who fans have been treated to a surprise glimpse of Ncuti Gatwa as the show marked its 60th Anniversary with an epic new trailer

Look who it is! The preview offered a small glimpse of Millie Gibson as The Doctor's new companion Ruby Sunday, as she prepares to make her debut on Christmas Day

Fans will get to see Ncuti and Millie make their full debut on Christmas Day, before they set off in the TARDIS for a new series in spring 2024.

Earlier in the day, David and returning showrunner Russell T Davies discussed the upcoming 60th Anniversary Specials during an interview on BBC Breakfast.

David said of his return: 'Doctor Who, when you're attached to it, you're attached to it. To get to revisit it, sort of full-time, even briefly, was something I never really imagined.'

While Russell gushed of his plans: 'I've always believed is all this show needs is to be good, to be fun, to be well cast, to be brilliant, that's really missing from the schedules at the moment. I dare not say I'm confident but I'm proud of what we've made and I hope it works.'

David also spoke about how Ncuti Gatwa will be taking over as the Doctor in the upcoming 2023 Christmas special as he gave his support to the actor.

He said: 'I've had a little glimpse of what Ncuti can do and it's very exciting. He's such a great energy, he's inventive, he's clever, he's quick, he's funny.

'It's really exciting that there is such a brilliant new Doctor coming and I'll be glued to every episode.'

David is reprising his role as the Doctor for three specials to mark the 60th anniversary, and is returning alongside Catherine Tate as Donna Noble.

Blast from the past! To mark six decades since its debut, star Paul McGann narrated a montage of clips looking back at the show's history, including David Tennant reprising his role

The first special, titled The Star Beast, is based on a 1970s Who comic strip about Beep The Meep, with Miriam Margolyes set to voice the alien.

Russell previously said of the episode: 'You've got Donna getting her memory back, so you need that, which kind of takes a whole episode, and you need an alien invasion at the same time.'

Also set to star in the first special is Heartstoppers' Yasmin Finney, who will play Donna's daughter Rose, with Karl Collins and Jaqueline King reprising their roles as Shaun Temple and Donna's mother Sylvia respectively.

Another big name joining the cast is Neil Patrick Harris and Russell admitted the actor had no idea what he was signing up for as he had never watched the show, and had only worked with him on his Channel 4 series It's A Sin.

The first Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Special, The Star Beast, will air on Saturday at 6:30pm on BBC One in the UK, and Disney+ internationally.
Clara Amfo put on a leggy display as she attended the Rolling Stone UK Awards wearing a chic co-ord on Thursday.

The radio star and presenter, 39, arrived at London's Camden Roundhouse ahead of an evening celebrating the best music stars in the industry.

And turning up in style, Clara sported a SRVC plunging-tied blazer and tiny tailored shorts, teamed with a shiny purple handbag.

The beauty showed off her ample cleavage in her racy attire as she posed up a storm on the red carpet.

Clara added height to her frame with a pair of pink court heels to match her colourful bag.

Glamorous: Clara Amfo, 39, put on a leggy display as she attended the Rolling Stone UK awards wearing a chic co-ord on Thursday

Gorgeous: The radio star and presenter arrived at London's Camden Roundhouse ahead of an evening celebrating the best music stars in the industry

Inside the event, Clara met up with TV presenter Yasmin Evans, 33, for a sweet picture before taking their seat for the awards.

The first ever Rolling Stone UK awards, in collaboration with Remy Martin, celebrated music and inducted 13 winners into the Rolling Stone UK Hall of Fame.

Taking place at London's Camden Roundhouse, comic Munya Chawaw, 30, hosted the event, with live performances. The ceremony was sponsored by Volvo.

Ozzy Osbourne received the Icon Award.

The Prince of Darkness, 74, who rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, didn't perform, but gave a speech at the ceremony.

For the Artist Award, Jessie Ware competed against Raye, Grian Chatten, J Hus, Jorja Smith and Romy.

Dua Lipa battled it out against Ellie Goulding, Kenya Grace, Dave & Central Cee and Pink Pantheres for Best Song.

Ren, Maisie Peters, Wunderhorse, Olivia Dean, Nia Archives, ShyGirl were all up for the Breakthrough Award.

In the Live Act category, Nova Twins, Loyle Carner, Yungblud, Elton John, Louis Tomlinson and Rina Sawayama were nominated.

Stunning: And turning up in style, Clara sported a plunging-tied blazer and tiny tailored shorts, teamed with a shiny purple handbag

Stylish: The beauty showed off her ample cleavage in her racy attire as she posed up a storm on the red carpet

Glam gals: Inside the event, Clara met up with Yasmin Evans, 33, right, for a sweet picture before taking their seat for the awards

Blur - The Ballad of Darren, Raye - My 21st Century Blues, J Hus - Beautiful and Brutal Yard, Young Fathers - Heavy Heavy, Jorja Smith - Falling or Flying, Romy - Mid Air, Niall Horan - The Show and The Chemical Brothers - For That Beautiful Feeling are up for The Album Award.

For Best Festival, Glastonbury, End Of The Road, Reading & Leeds, Download, Green Man and Wide Awake went head-to-head.

Rolling Stone magazine was initially founded in San Francisco in 1967 with John Lennon on the front cover. Rolling Stone UK was founded two years ago.

Head of events at Roundhouse Rhian Pressley said: 'We're thrilled to be hosting the first ever Rolling Stone UK awards. It promises to be a very special evening with some brilliant artists.

'With Roundhouse's incredible music legacy, we have a similar synergy with the magazine.

'And that is to celebrate those with talent, who want to break the mould, push the boundaries and succeed in their artistic realm.'
A smooch in a trailer for the latest instalment of The Crown reveals it will focus on the love story between Kate Middleton and Prince William.

And it has emerged that writer Peter Morgan will create a fictional Sliding Doors-type backstory for the couple, in which the pair meet as young teenagers, accompanied by their mothers Princess Diana and Carole Middleton.

In the second part of the sixth season of the Netflix series, which starts on December 14, Mr Morgan imagines a day in December 1996 when Kate and her mother leave a dress shop in London... and, by sheer chance, run into Princess Diana, who is with William and selling copies of The Big Issue for charity.

Mrs Middleton and Kate dash across the street to buy a copy and Kate and William lock eyes. Cupid strikes! Diana asks Kate her name and tells her son: 'Say thank you to Kate.'

This invented meeting sows the seeds for Kate to develop a 'crush' on Prince William and leads to Mrs Middleton making sure that her daughter does the same course as the prince at St Andrews University in Scotland.

A smooch in a trailer for the latest instalment of The Crown reveals it will focus on the love story between Kate Middleton and Prince William

The new series imagines a day in December 1996 when Kate and her mother leave a dress shop in London... and, by sheer chance, run into Princess Diana, who is with William and selling copies of The Big Issue for charity

Of course, Prince William and Kate, who married in April 2011, did indeed meet at St Andrews.

And The Crown recreates the real-life moment when Kate appeared on the catwalk at a university fashion show in a see-through dress which was a 'lightning bolt' moment for the prince.

In real life, by the time William met Kate, Princess Diana had already died in a car crash in Paris in 1997.

But although Princess Diana never went out selling The Big Issue accompanied by a young Prince William, it is true that she campaigned on issues surrounding homelessness and was a strong supporter of the social enterprise which helps vulnerable people back on their feet.

She regularly bought the magazine from vendor Frank McGucken and he recalled last year: 'Lady Diana used to come to me, privately, on her own, and buy the paper.

'I used to see her on a regular basis in Beauchamp Place when she was on her way to the gym in Chelsea Harbour.

'She had it all. But she had respect for homeless people. She used to give me a beautiful smile.'

Last year, Prince William sold the magazine in London with vendor Dave Martin.

But although Princess Diana never went out selling The Big Issue accompanied by a young Prince William, it is true that she campaigned on issues surrounding homelessness (Pictured: Diana, William and Harry at a homeless shelter in 1994)

Kate Middleton and her mother pictured at the Spirit of Christmas Shopping Festival in Olympia, London

Of course, Prince William and Kate, who married in April 2011, did indeed meet at St Andrews (File Photo)

And The Crown recreates the real-life moment when Kate appeared on the catwalk (pictured) at a university fashion show in a see-through dress which was a 'lightning bolt' moment for the prince

It has emerged that writer Peter Morgan (pictured) will create a fictional Sliding Doors-type backstory for the couple, in which the pair meet as young teenagers, accompanied by their mothers Princess Diana and Carole Middleton

The Prince of Wales has been a patron of the youth homelessness charity Centrepoint since 2005 and, in 2009, he spent a night sleeping on a street in London to raise awareness about the organisation's work.

In a recent interview with Deadline Hollywood, The Crown's director Christian Schwochow said that the aim was 'to create our truth, which is hopefully as truthful as you can get in fiction'.

The first part of what will be the final series of the show has already run into controversy after featuring scenes in which both the late Queen and Prince Charles meet Princess Diana after her death. Netflix, however, has insisted that she is not a ghost.
Vick Hope put on a dazzling display at the first ever Rolling Stone UK Awards in London on Tuesday.

The presenter, 34, showed off her long legs in a silver mirrored minidress as she hit the red carpet solo at Camden Roundhouse.

Vick's fiance Calvin has been nominated for Best Song for Miracle with co-creator Ellie Goulding.

The DJ, 39, will go up against Dua Lipa, Kenya Grace, Dave & Central Cee and Pink Pantheres.

Vick and Calvin got engaged last year with the former Strictly star saying his proposal was 'perfect'.

Head turner: Vick Hope put on a dazzling display at the first ever Rolling Stone UK Awards in London on Tuesday

Gorgeous: Vick complemented her thigh-skimming minidress with black heels and a glamorous make-up look

Vick complemented her thigh-skimming minidress with black heels and a glamorous make-up look.

Comic Munya Chawaw, 30, hosted the event and guests were treated to a series of live performances. The ceremony wassponsored by Volvo and hosted in collaboration with Remy Martin.

Ozzy Osbourne received the Icon Award, however he was not in attendance at the event and his wife Sharon acceptable the gong on his behalf.

The Prince of Darkness, 74, who rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, was due to give speech at the ceremony, however he appeared absent on the night.

For the Artist Award, Jessie Ware won in the category against Raye, Grian Chatten, J Hus, Jorja Smith and Romy.

Meanwhile, Pink Pantheres won for for Best Song again Dua Lipa, Ellie Goulding, Kenya Grace, Dave & Central Cee.

Ren, Maisie Peters, Wunderhorse, Olivia Dean, Nia Archives, ShyGirl were all up for the Breakthrough Award, with Maisie taking home the win.

In the Live Act category, Yungblud won after being nominated with Nova Twins, Loyle Carner,Elton John, Louis Tomlinson and Rina Sawayama.

Blur - The Ballad of Darren, Raye - My 21st Century Blues, J Hus - Beautiful and Brutal Yard, Young Fathers - Heavy Heavy, Jorja Smith - Falling or Flying, Romy - Mid Air, Niall Horan - The Show and The Chemical Brothers - For That Beautiful Feeling were up for The Album Award, but it was The Chemical Brothers who left with the gong.

Download won Best Festival, against heavyweight Glastonbury, End Of The Road, Reading & Leeds, Green Man and Wide Awake.

High spirits: Vick flashed a smile as she hit the red carpet

In the running: Vick complemented her thigh-skimming minidress with black heels and a glamorous make-up look (Calvin and Ellie pictured in March)

Leggy: The presenter, 34, showed off her long legs in a silver mirrored minidress as she hit the red carpet solo at Camden Roundhouse

All in the details: The presenter complemented her outfit with silver jewellery

Rolling Stone magazine was initially founded in San Francisco in 1967 with John Lennon on the front cover. Rolling Stone UK was founded two years ago.

Head of events at Roundhouse Rhian Pressley said: 'We're thrilled to be hosting the first ever Rolling Stone UK awards. It promises to be a very special evening with some brilliant artists.

'With Roundhouse's incredible music legacy, we have a similar synergy with the magazine.

'And that is to celebrate those with talent, who want to break the mould, push the boundaries and succeed in their artistic realm.'
She's had a busy week after hosting the Big Brother final and ITV Palooza.

And AJ Odudu donned yet another jaw-dropping look as she joined a slew of stars at the inaugural Rolling Stone UK Awards in London on Thursday.

The presenter, 35, flaunted her incredible figure in a daring pink PVC gown with a perilously high split as she arrived for the swanky event.

AJ showed off her endless pins in the sexy pink gown with matching gloves, and finished the look with towering velvet platform heels.

Sporting her glossy tresses in a mass of dramatic curls, AJ continued her stellar week of looks with the edgy pink gown, ahead of presenting an award at the ceremony.

Wow! AJ Odudu showed off her incredible figure in a daring pink PVC gown as she arrived for the inaugural Rolling Stone UK Awards in London on Thursday

Sizzling: The presenter flaunted her incredible figure in a daring pink PVC gown with a perilously high split as she arrived for the swanky event

Gorgeous! AJ showed off her endless pins in the sexy pink gown with matching gloves, and finished the look with towering velvet platform heels

The first ever Rolling Stone UK awards, in collaboration with Remy Martin, celebrates music and will induct 13 winners into the Rolling Stone UK Hall of Fame.

Taking place at London's Camden Roundhouse, comic Munya Chawaw, 30, will host the event, with live performances. The ceremony is sponsored by Volvo.

Ozzy Osbourne will receive the Icon Award.

The Prince of Darkness, 74, who rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, will not perform, but will give a speech at the ceremony.

For the Artist Award, Jessie Ware will compete against Raye, Grian Chatten, J Hus, Jorja Smith and Romy.

Dua Lipa will battle it out against Ellie Goulding, Kenya Grace, Dave & Central Cee and Pink Pantheres for Best Song.

Ren, Maisie Peters, Wunderhorse, Olivia Dean, Nia Archives, ShyGirl are all up for the Breakthrough Award.

In the Live Act category, Nova Twins, Loyle Carner, Yungblud, Elton John, Louis Tomlinson and Rina Sawayama are nominated.

Grand arrival: Sporting her glossy tresses in a mass of dramatic curls, AJ continued her stellar week of looks with the edgy pink gown, ahead of presenting an award at the ceremony

Sensational: AJ stunned in her sexy pink gown as she arrived for the awards event

Star-studded: The first ever Rolling Stone UK awards, in collaboration with Remy Martin, celebrates music and will induct 13 winners into the Rolling Stone UK Hall of Fame

Lavish: Taking place at London's Camden Roundhouse, comic Munya Chawaw, 30, will host the event, with live performances. The ceremony is sponsored by Volvo

Grand event: Rolling Stone magazine was initially founded in San Francisco in 1967 with John Lennon on the front cover. Rolling Stone UK was founded two years ago

Blur - The Ballad of Darren, Raye - My 21st Century Blues, J Hus - Beautiful and Brutal Yard, Young Fathers - Heavy Heavy, Jorja Smith - Falling or Flying, Romy - Mid Air, Niall Horan - The Show and The Chemical Brothers - For That Beautiful Feeling are up for The Album Award.

For Best Festival, Glastonbury, End Of The Road, Reading & Leeds, Download, Green Man and Wide Awake will go head-to-head.

Rolling Stone magazine was initially founded in San Francisco in 1967 with John Lennon on the front cover. Rolling Stone UK was founded two years ago.

Head of events at Roundhouse Rhian Pressley said: 'We're thrilled to be hosting the first ever Rolling Stone UK awards. It promises to be a very special evening with some brilliant artists.

'With Roundhouse's incredible music legacy, we have a similar synergy with the magazine.

'And that is to celebrate those with talent, who want to break the mould, push the boundaries and succeed in their artistic realm.'
Louis Tomlinson cut a trendy figure as he attended the very first Rolling Stone UK Awards at London's Camden Roundhouse on Thursday.

The former One Direction star, 31, opted for all black with a mesh bomber jacket teasing a glimpse of his muscular and tattooed physique beneath.

Louis teamed the top with a vest and matching black trousers as he posed on the star-studded red carpet.

Slipping his feet into a pair of comfy trainers, the hitmaker sported designer stubble with wore his brunette locks in a shaggy style.

Comic Munya Chawaw, 30, hosted the event and guests were treated to a series of live performances. The ceremony wassponsored by Volvo and hosted in collaboration with Remy Martin.

Big night: Louis Tomlinson cut a trendy figure as he attended the very first Rolling Stone UK Awards at London's Camden Roundhouse on Thursday

Style: The former One Direction star opted for all black with a mesh bomber jacket teasing a glimpse of his muscular and tattooed physique beneath

Ozzy Osbourne received the Icon Award, however he was not in attendance at the event and his wife Sharon acceptable the gong on his behalf.

The Prince of Darkness, 74, who rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, was due to give speech at the ceremony, however he appeared absent on the night.

For the Artist Award, Jessie Ware won in the category against Raye, Grian Chatten, J Hus, Jorja Smith and Romy.

Meanwhile, Pink Pantheres won for for Best Song again Dua Lipa, Ellie Goulding, Kenya Grace, Dave & Central Cee.

Ren, Maisie Peters, Wunderhorse, Olivia Dean, Nia Archives, ShyGirl were all up for the Breakthrough Award, with Maisie taking home the win.

In the Live Act category, Yungblud won after being nominated with Nova Twins, Loyle Carner,Elton John, Louis Tomlinson and Rina Sawayama.

Blur - The Ballad of Darren, Raye - My 21st Century Blues, J Hus - Beautiful and Brutal Yard, Young Fathers - Heavy Heavy, Jorja Smith - Falling or Flying, Romy - Mid Air, Niall Horan - The Show and The Chemical Brothers - For That Beautiful Feeling were up for The Album Award, but it was The Chemical Brothers who left with the gong.

Download won Best Festival, against heavyweight Glastonbury, End Of The Road, Reading & Leeds, Green Man and Wide Awake.

Effortless: Louis teamed the top with a vest and matching black trousers as he posed on the star-studded red carpet

Pose: Slipping his feet into a pair of comfy trainers, the hitmaker sported designer stubble with wore his brunette locks in a shaggy style

Fun night: Comic Munya Chawaw, 30, hosted the event and guests were treated to a series of live performances. The ceremony wassponsored by Volvo and hosted in collaboration with Remy Martin

Rolling Stone magazine was initially founded in San Francisco in 1967 with John Lennon on the front cover. Rolling Stone UK was founded two years ago.

Head of events at Roundhouse Rhian Pressley said: 'We're thrilled to be hosting the first ever Rolling Stone UK awards. It promises to be a very special evening with some brilliant artists.

'With Roundhouse's incredible music legacy, we have a similar synergy with the magazine.

'And that is to celebrate those with talent, who want to break the mould, push the boundaries and succeed in their artistic realm.'
Busted looked worlds away from their noughties pop star days at the Rolling Stone UK Awards on Thursday night.

The boyband made their first red carpet appearance in five years as they headed to the ceremony celebrating music after completing their 20th anniversary reunion tour.

James Bourne, Charlie Simpson and Matt Willis appeared in great spirits as they posed for photos before heading into London's Camden Townhouse for the evening.

James, 40, cut a casual figure in a green bomber jacket and jeans while Charlie, 38, had switched his signature spiky hair look for a longer hairdo.

Matt decided for a more tailored look with a black silk shirt, jacket, a red pocket handkerchief and a manbag.

Busted looked worlds away from their noughties pop star days at the Rolling Stone UK Awards on Thursday night

Success: Busted found fame in 2002 when their debut single What I Go To School For was released

Since their Busted heyday, Matt has become a father to children Isabelle, 14, Ace, 11, and seven-year old Trixie with Emma Willis. Charlie is father to sons Arlo, eight, and Jago, five, with his wife Anna.

It was a busy day for the trio as they had appeared on Lorraine on Thursday morning.

The trio who performed throughout September and October reflected on their gigs on the show.

Charlie said: 'The kids came to see the show at the o2 and I wasn't sure what they would think.'

Matt added: 'My daughter is still wearing her Busted merch!'

Ed Sheeran made a surprise appearance on the tour as he joined the group for their London show to perform 'Who's David'.

Matt explained: 'He got stuck in traffic and wasn't going to get there in time for sound check so was just going to go for it, but he decided to jump out his car and get the tube.'

Apart from Busted, Matt is now a TV presenter and will host the UK version of Love Is Blind with his wife Emma.

Happy: James Bourne, Charlie Simpson and Matt Willis appeared in great spirits as they posed for photos before heading into London's Camden Townhouse for the evening

James, 40, cut a casual figure in a green bomber jacket and jeans while Charlie, 38, had switched his signature spiky hair look for a longer hairdo

Throwback: Busted's last red carpet appearance as a trio was back in 2018 for the Bohemian Rhapsody world premiere

Together again: It was a busy day for the trio as they had appeared on Lorraine on Thursday morning

After leaving Busted, Charlie joined the band Fightstar and has also released several solo albums including his most recent, Hope Is A Drug in 2022.

James joined the group Son Of Dork after Busted and he has also released two solo albums.

Comic Munya Chawaw, 30, hosted the event and guests were treated to a series of live performances. The ceremony wassponsored by Volvo and hosted in collaboration with Remy Martin.

Ozzy Osbourne received the Icon Award, however he was not in attendance at the event and his wife Sharon acceptable the gong on his behalf.

The Prince of Darkness, 74, who rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, was due to give speech at the ceremony, however he appeared absent on the night.

For the Artist Award, Jessie Ware won in the category against Raye, Grian Chatten, J Hus, Jorja Smith and Romy.

Meanwhile, Pink Pantheres won for for Best Song again Dua Lipa, Ellie Goulding, Kenya Grace, Dave & Central Cee.

Ren, Maisie Peters, Wunderhorse, Olivia Dean, Nia Archives, ShyGirl were all up for the Breakthrough Award, with Maisie taking home the win.

In the Live Act category, Yungblud won after being nominated with Nova Twins, Loyle Carner,Elton John, Louis Tomlinson and Rina Sawayama.

Blur - The Ballad of Darren, Raye - My 21st Century Blues, J Hus - Beautiful and Brutal Yard, Young Fathers - Heavy Heavy, Jorja Smith - Falling or Flying, Romy - Mid Air, Niall Horan - The Show and The Chemical Brothers - For That Beautiful Feeling were up for The Album Award, but it was The Chemical Brothers who left with the gong.

Download won Best Festival, against heavyweight Glastonbury, End Of The Road, Reading & Leeds, Green Man and Wide Awake.

Rolling Stone magazine was initially founded in San Francisco in 1967 with John Lennon on the front cover. Rolling Stone UK was founded two years ago.

Head of events at Roundhouse Rhian Pressley said: 'We're thrilled to be hosting the first ever Rolling Stone UK awards. It promises to be a very special evening with some brilliant artists.

'With Roundhouse's incredible music legacy, we have a similar synergy with the magazine.

'And that is to celebrate those with talent, who want to break the mould, push the boundaries and succeed in their artistic realm.'
Strictly star professional dancer Katya Jones showed off her moves as she hit the red carpet with Olympic snowboarded Aimee Fuller at the Team GB ball on Thursday.

The television personality, 34, displayed her flexibility as she was lifted into the air by Aimee, 32, who narrowly avoided a wardrobe malfunction in a daring thigh-high slit dress.

Katya cut a glamorous figure in a black fringed jumpsuit for the black tie event held at The Savoy in London.

Aimee, meanwhile, teased a hint of her toned abs in her cut-out and added a boost to her leggy frame with orange court shoes.

The Team GB ball is held in celebration of Team GB's success in Toyko and saw a number of past and present Olympians attend.

Having a laugh: Strictly star professional dancer Katya Jones showed off her moves as she hit the red carpet with Olympic snowboarded Aimee Fuller at the Team GB ball on Thursday

Working it: The pair appeared in high spirits as they posed on the red carpet

It is also held to mark the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games.

It was a rare evening out for Katya, who is still in the running to win the Strictly Glitterball alongside her celebrity partner Nigel Harman.

Recently the friendship between Katya and Aimee has prompted widespread speculation that they are in a relationship  although the pair have always remained tight-lipped about the gossip.

The duo first met in 2021 through Katya's ex-husband, and they immediately clicked.

Earlier this year, they enjoyed a three-week trip to Australia together and have also been seen on red carpets and regularly pose up as they lark around on Instagram.

They also teamed up to compete in Celebrity Hunted on Channel 4, where they have to go on the run from a team of expert hunters in aid of Stand Up To Cancer.

In an exclusive interview for the Mail on Sunday, Katya addressed their relationship for the first time, saying: 'It's topic number one, people always ask, why are we even friends?

'We have known each other for only 14 months. Which sounds crazy. But she's just one of those people who you immediately click with. Our energy just resonated.

'Apart from the fact that we have a good laugh together, her set of skills make her extremely intelligent and calculated. We have found that we have similar morals and similar values in life. She's a person that adds value to your life.

Funny: The television personality, 34, displayed her flexibility as she was lifted into the air by Aimee, 32, who narrowly avoided a wardrobe malfunction in a daring thigh-high slit dress

Best of pals: Recently the friendship between Katya and Aimee has prompted widespread speculation that they are in a relationship  but they confirmed they are just friends

Here come the girls: Aimee teased a hint of her toned abs in her cut-out and added a boost to her leggy frame with orange court shoes

Daring dress: Aimee rearranged her outfit after the lift

Wow: Katya cut a glamorous figure in a black fringed jumpsuit for the black tie event held at The Savoy in London

Celebration: The Team GB ball is held in celebration of Team GB's success in Toyko and saw a number of past and present Olympians attend

Blackpool success: It was a rare evening out for Katya, who is still in the running to win the Strictly Glitterball alongside her celebrity partner Nigel Harman

'When you meet someone who does that, you just want to have them around. There are always positive vibes around. We just love a good, deep chat.'

London-born Aimeee - who represented Great Britain at both the 2014 and 2018 Winter Olympics - said: 'She builds me up and I build her up, so it's a really positive friendship.

'When we are having down days, which of course we do, we're there to help pick each other up and then be the biggest cheerleader.'

Katya, who is partnered with Nigel Harman in this year's Strictly, split from her husband Neil in 2019 after six years of marriage.

It came after she was seen kissing comedian Seann Walsh, her celebrity partner that year, in a London street.

Speaking of her struggles at finding love again, she said last year: 'It would be nice to find love, but I feel men in the modern world are very fearful and it has proven to be very tough to find a relationship. They are probably too intimidated.'
Feature: BRI-backed economic zone in Cambodia benefits local people's lives, economy

Xinhua) 10:49, November 23, 2023

SIHANOUKVILLE, Cambodia, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- Located in southwest Cambodia, the Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone (SSEZ), a joint venture between Chinese and Cambodian companies, has not only positively impacted on local people's lives, but also significantly contributed to the kingdom's economic growth.

A landmark project under China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the 11-sq-km special economic zone currently houses 175 factories from China, Europe, the United States, Southeast Asia and other regions, generating some 30,000 local jobs.

Em Sreyda, a 24-year-old employee at the General Tire Technology (Cambodia) factory in the SSEZ, said working at the factory has allowed her to have both a good income and specific skills.

"I like my job because there is no working pressure, and when we don't know how to do things, they (Chinese colleagues) always teach us," she told Xinhua on Tuesday.

"Here, we can improve our Chinese language proficiency, and the wages are also decent. I earn 600 to 700 U.S. dollars per month," she added.

Sreyda said the SSEZ is very important as it serves as a stable source of jobs for local residents.

Say Udom, 22, a warehouse supervisor at the Jiangxi 3L Medical Products factory there, said his basic wage is 500 U.S. dollars per month, and it will be higher, with his overtime pay and bonus.

"Working at the factory, I have a decent income, so I can support my family and save some money to buy things I like, and recently, I just bought a new motorcycle," he said.

"With this job, my living conditions have improved much because the factory has offered us accommodation and food, and so I can reduce a lot of expenses," he added.

Udom said the SSEZ is crucial to local workers as its factories have not only provided jobs, but also food and accommodation.

"I would like to thank Chinese investors for investing in Cambodia, particularly in this special economic zone, because their investments have greatly helped improve our living conditions," he said.

Yeak Chhit, a quality control team leader at the Jiangxi 3L Medical Products factory, said the job enables him to earn as much as over 700 U.S. dollars a month.

"The job has much improved my living conditions," the 28-year-old told Xinhua. "Now I have money to buy any items I need."

Situated some 20 kilometers northeast of the international deep-water Sihanoukville Autonomous Port, the SSEZ is the biggest industrial zone in size and occupancy in Cambodia.

Ky Kheng, 38, a beverage and grocery seller inside the zone, said the SSEZ has transformed the former fishing village into a bustling town full of good infrastructure, gas stations, phone shops, barbershops, markets and restaurants.

"I'm happy with the zone's development because sales here are much better than in other places, so my income is also high," he said. "This special economic zone has a lot of workers and factories, and my sales are pretty good."

Kheng said the SSEZ has brought better lives to both local workers and residents living around the zone.

Jiangxi 3L Medical Products factory's manager Chen Juan said the BRI has enabled economic benefits, personnel trainings, and good reputation for enterprises in the zone.

"The BRI has significantly contributed to boosting our company's brand benefits. In the three aspects of economic benefits, personnel training, and reputation, our company has genuinely gained dividends from the Initiative," she told Xinhua.

The SSEZ's president Chen Jiangang said the value of imports and exports passing through the zone rose to 2.7 billion U.S. dollars in the first 10 months of 2023, up 33 percent year-on-year.

"The value of imports and exports through the SSEZ accounts for 7.13 percent of Cambodia's total trade turnover," he told Xinhua. "This achievement is quite amazing. It can be said that the investment of our enterprises in Cambodia has brought vitality to this once barren land, and it also provides a sense of achievement to the local people."

Chen said that currently, on average a Cambodian worker employed in the industrial park can earn more than 300 U.S. dollars per month.

Founded in 2008, the SSEZ is expected to accommodate up to 300 enterprises in coming years, generating up to 100,000 jobs.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Vietnam President Vo Van Thuong will visit Japan next week, a Vietnamese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Thursday, as the two countries discuss strengthening their relations.

Closer ties would confirm Vietnam's increasingly strategic role as an important link in global supply chains amid trade tension between China and the West, which is helping to bring foreign investment to the Southeast Asian country as some companies relocate operations from China.

The elevation of ties with Japan would follow Vietnam's historic upgrade of relations with the United States in September, when the former foes signed multiple cooperation agreements, including on semiconductors and critical minerals.

It may also be followed by a visit to Hanoi by China's President Xi Jinping, who according to officials and diplomats, could travel to Vietnam in December and agree on a joint statement indicating the two countries share a common destiny.

Thuong's visit from Monday to Thursday next week is his first to Japan as president and coincides with celebrations for the 50th anniversary of ties between the Asian countries.

Vietnam classifies Japan as a strategic partner, one notch below China, Russia, South Korea, India and the United States.

Japan is Vietnam's third-largest source of foreign investment and its fourth-largest trading partner.

Several Japanese multinationals have big factories in the southeast Asian manufacturing hub, including Canon, Honda, Panasonic and Bridgestone.

Talks about a possible diplomatic upgrade have been going on for months with officials discussing possible cooperation agreements, diplomats said.

It is not clear whether an upgrade would be announced during Thuong's visit or later.

"The visit will contribute to deepening relations between the two countries in trade, investment and the economy," Vietnam's foreign ministry spokesperson told a press conference, declining to comment about a possible upgrade. (Reuters)
Lila Moss showcased her svelte model figure in a chic mini dress at the British Vogue's Forces For Change party at at The MAINE Mayfair on Thursday.

The daughter of supermodel Kate Moss, 21, presented her slim physique in the black and white polka dot dress as she posed at the star-studded bash.

The blonde beauty looked sensational as she posed up a storm on the red carpet inside the event.

She teamed her attire with a pair of opaque tights and added height to her frame with stylish court heels.

Lila showed off her natural beauty with a minimal palette of make-up and a slicked back hair-do.

London class: Lila Moss, 21, showcased her svelte model figure in a chic mini dress at the British Vogue's Forces For Change party at at The MAINE Mayfair on Thursday

Chic: The daughter of supermodel Kate Moss presented her slim physique in the black and white polka dot dress as she posed at the star-studded bash

Wow: The back of Lila's dress was just as stunning as the front as she walked confidently into the event

The party was held to celebrate the Forces For Change partnership, an initiative aiming to provide leaders, rising stars and new disruptors a platform to discuss social, cultural and political issues.

Each month, British Vogue is highlighting changemakers: the women making a positive contribution to society, raising awareness and changing mindsets on topics spanning climate change, diversity, mental health, gender rights, disability and more.

Last year the magazine also partnered with BMW UK to offer three young people a place on a groundbreaking scholarship programme.

Her outing comes after she and her model mother Kate appeared on their first joint British Vogue cover as they lead a slew of stars featuring on the 2023 December issue.

The model duo have previously appeared on Vogue Italy together, however this marks their debut on the cover of the British fashion bible.

Kate, 49, and her daughter twinned in matching white outfits, including a white jumper and a floppy hat, while opting for bare legs for the stylish shoot.

Lila is currently dating boyfriend Yoni Helbitz and the pair were seen strolling in London last month.

She has been dating Yoni, 23, for around a year, with his identity confirmed in August.

Wow: The back of Lila's dress was just as stunning as the front as she walked confidently into the event

Wow: Lila looked well above her five foot four height as she strutted confidently towards the event

Chic: The daughter of supermodel Kate Moss presented her slim physique in the black and white polka dot dress as she posed at the star-studded bash

Like mother like daughter: The blonde beauty looked sensational as she posed up a storm on the red carpet inside the event

Great team: Lila and Kate have appeared on numerous magazine covers together, including Vogue Italy

This summer, MailOnline exclusively revealed that Lila's beau was Yoni, with the pair seen out in London frequently together over the past few months.

A source confirmed that the pair, who were first pictured together as friends two years ago, have been dating for around a year.

Yoni's official job title is e-commerce coordinator / fashion marketer for fashion brand Self Portrait where he has been working for just two months.

Before that, he worked as an e-commerce co-ordinator for James Lakeland Ltd and he also had a six months stint as an estate agent.

The happy couple had kept their romance relatively under wraps, yet Instagram posts by Yoni reveal that they have been enjoying each other's company for quite some time.

The fashion marketer's page features several snaps of himself enjoying dinner dates and days out with Lila amid their blossoming romance.

Though Yoni is happy to share images of his famous girlfriend on social media, Lila keeps her page relatively professional.

Lila's Instagram is mainly filled with modelling shots of herself.

Details: The party was for the Forces For Change partnership, an initiative providing leaders, rising stars and new disruptors a platform to discuss social, cultural and political issues

Good cause: Each month, British Vogue is highlighting changemakers: the women making a positive contribution to society

Where's your bag? When Lila was ready to leave the event, her clutch bag was nowhere to be seen - she had previously ditched it to take photos

Proud: There was no way Lila was leaving without taking a photo in front of her beautiful December 2023 Vogue cover with her mother

Iconic: Her outing comes after she and her model mother Kate Moss, 49, appeared on their first joint British Vogue cover as they lead a slew of stars featuring on the 2023 December issue

Lila is Kate's only child.

The budding model was born in 2002 to Kate and Jefferson Hack, the co-founder and CEO of Dazed Media.

In July, Jefferson, who currently lives in London, married Anna Cleveland, daughter of one of the first African-American models, Pat Cleveland.

Prior to her relationship with Jefferson, Kate dated Johnny Depp from 1994 to 1998, which she was forced to recall for the Depp v. Heard trial.
Her Hunger Games single Yellow Flicker Beat debuted on Monday, going straight to number two on the American Billboard charts.

Now Kiwi pop sensation Lorde is rumoured to have recruited a formidable line-up of artists including Grace Jones, Duran Duran's Simon Le Bon, Diplo and Charli XCX for the film's forthcoming soundtrack, as reported by The New York Post's Page Six.

The 17-year-old Auckland artist is curating the hotly anticipated soundtrack, with sources speculating that she may have even recorded a track with Kanye West.

That girl is on fire! Lorde rumoured to have recruited Grace Jones, Duran Duran's Simon Le Bon, Diplo and Charli XCX for new Hunger Games soundtrack, on stage in California last week

The talented teenager recorded a cover version of Tears For Fears' legendary track Everybody Wants To Rule The World for last year's Catching Fire installment, but this year's contribution is a self penned song, written especially for the blockbuster.

With a release date of November 18, the singing sensation revealed work on the soundtrack has almost come to a close.

'We are almost at the end, the point where this soundtrack gets taken away from me and becomes something real,' she wrote on Tumblr last week.

'Im reminded of this day last year, when pure heroine came out in this country.

On board? Grace Jones is one of the luminaries said to be recording for the new Hunger Games album Mockingjay, Part 1

In the works: Duran Duran's Simon Le Bon (left, pictured at Olympics opening ceremony) has also been tipped to be performing on the soundtrack, which has a release date of November 18

New classic: Lorde, 17, released her self penned single Yellow Flicker Beat last week, it's the lead title for the forthcoming Hunger Games soundtrack

'The feeling of something very solitary that I had worked on spinning around and around further away from me, becoming someone else's, everyone's.'

After spending the past few weeks teasing fans with hints of the song lyrics on social media, the queen of teens sent them into raptures when the song finally aired on social media on Tuesday.

Featuring her trademark achingly beautiful vocals and brooding beats, the influential talent described the song as 'my attempt at getting inside her head, Katniss'.

In an interview with American rock station KROQ's Kevin and Bean, Lorde said she reread the books to try and channel the feelings Katniss felt.

'One of the things that happened in the book  which to me felt like this crazy turning point  was her best friend Peeta tries to kill her, he's been brainwashed and tries to strangle her. It just felt like something so irreparable and something that the characters couldn't turn back from.

'I felt like Katniss was like 'OK, Im taking names. Im coming for blood. You dont do these types of things to my friends and family and get away with it.

Hollywood's hottest: Jennifer Lawrence will be returning to play the film's lead Katniss, her boyfriend Coldplay's Chris Martin recorded a song for last year's soundtrack

'I just wanted to make something kind of dark and haunting.'

The forthcoming musical accompaniment to Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 is due to be released on November 18 to coincide with the film's latest installment which hits theatres three days later.
It's time leaders of the US and China stopped wincing or winking away from the real issues related to sustainable development goals

China is said to be the closest to Russia in the last 70 years and was taken aback by the strength of the reaction of the West to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. That has led to an unexpected isolation of China on an international level, which the latter had not anticipated. Now it is trying to mend its ties with the US in order to boost its sagging economy. The US too looks towards safeguarding the interest of its big industrial houses and mending fences. The visit of the Chinese President to the US was a step in that direction.

Was the trip of Chinese President Xi Jinping aimed at earning U.S. policy concessions? Was it aimed at easing bilateral tensions which may allow more focus on economic growth? Did it look for a chance to woo foreign investors who now increasingly shun China? Was it aimed at convincing the US to look the other way while China tries to gobble up Taiwan? Was the trip successful in any of these endeavours? As the US President refused to back down on his earlier comment of calling 'Xi' a dictator, has the visit rather soured ties even more? Well, these are some of the questions the visit has thrown at the watchers of geopolitics across the world.

The reaction of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to a comment by Joe Biden that he still considers Xi Jinping a dictator has brought to the fore answers to some of these questions. It apparently seems that the US wants to desperately improve economic ties with China because of its own compulsions, however, the political divide is too big to bridge. On one hand, the US has over a period of time scaled down from its earlier positions of 'Economic Decoupling' to 'Economic De-Risking' and now to 'Constructive Engagement', but the ideological and political divide with the Communist state of China persists. The stakes at the meeting were high, as the two global powers did not see eye to eye on various issues. The Chinese severed military-to-military contacts with the United States after the then-House of Representative Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August 2022. The contact has been restored now to avoid miscalculations between the two militaries.

Relations between the two countries have been frosty for some time now with China sending a spy balloon to hover over the US skies and Biden ordering it to be shot down. Many top Biden administration officials have since visited Beijing and met with their counterparts to rebuild communication and trust which culminated in this visit by Xi Jinping to the US. However, the 'Dictator' remark by the US President has put things back to square one and that was clearly visible in the anguish of Blinken's reaction. China and the US have taken positions that are outrightly opposite of each other on various issues of strategic and military importance at various international forums including the United Nations.

War in the Middle East has furthered the divide between the two countries, as China continues to have strong ties with Iran, whereas the US continues to bomb Iran-backed forces. Convergence of Chinese and Russian ideology which is totally divergent to the NATO strategy is likely to further the gulf between the two countries in the days to come. The visit therefore has not effectively addressed any of these issues.

India has been out of this powerplay to some extent and rightfully so, however as China continues to show greater presence in the Indo-Pacific, the significance of strengthening military assets can not be downplayed. For one thing, China of late has become restless and reactive which was rarely the case about a decade or two ago. Make no mistake, China is making moves that are typical of a country that has an authoritative ruler, irrespective of what Joe Biden may have said or not said. India needs to deliver on its commitment of not only being Atmanirbhar, but also its endeavour to emerge as a global hub of manufacturing. Manufacturing in the defence sector would be the key in the years to come to provide stability to the Indian Ocean and the Indo-Pacific.

There are many positive things that have emerged from Xi's visit to the US. One of them is in the direction of environmental conservation. The US and China, two of the world's biggest polluters, agreed to pursue efforts to triple renewable energy capacity globally by 2030 through wind, solar and other renewables. China and the US would keep engaging at various forums and keep coming to stop-gap arrangements to suit each other's interest, but the bottom line remains that China is not a democracy and the will of the people of China is not truly represented in its day-to-day functioning. China is ready to negotiate to make its economy recover and as soon as it recovers, the negotiations may become even more difficult. The bulk of the focus of Chinese negotiations as a run-up to the Xi-Biden meeting revolved around how China is the safest place for US companies to come and invest.

It's time leaders of the US and China stopped wincing or winking away from the real issues related to sustainable development goals. It's also time when the larger good of humanity must take centre stage and a workable mechanism to stop wars and unrest is worked out.

The US and China should look at how the United Nations must become more relevant in conflict situations rather than working out how and what they can veto to suit each other's agenda. They should also keep in mind that there should be enough space for everyone to grow and prosper in this world not just the US and China. Maybe next time the two leaders should consider discussing how to stop unrest and terrorism of all kinds in the world rather than how much should corporate leaders pay to meet the head of a country.

(The writer is expert on geopolitics and international Affairs. The views expressed are personal)
The Indian Army on Thursday neutralised both terrorists, including a top Lashkar-e-Tayyeba (LeT) commander, at the conclusion of a fierce 30-hour-long gunfight in the Bajimaal forest area of Dharmsal in Rajouri district.

Meanwhile, another paratrooper succumbed to his injuries, taking the toll of fatal injuries among Army personnel to five.

So far, a total number of nine elite para commandos have sacrificed their lives in the Rajouri district alone this year.

Seventeen security personnel have been killed in action since April 2023 in four similar strikes by the terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir.

Captain MV Pranjal and Captain Shubham Gupta, along with Havildar Abdul Majid, and two jawans Lance Naik Sanjay Bisht and Paratrooper Sachin Laur, sacrificed their lives in the line of duty during the two-day-long operation. According to a Jammu-based Defence spokesman, the mortal remains of the martyred Army personnel will be airlifted to their native places on Friday morning after receiving last respects from Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and senior Army officers of the Northern Command and White Knight Corps.

Captain MV Pranjal from Mangalore, Karnataka, is survived by his wife, Aditi G Muddebihalkar. Captain Shubham Gupta from Agra is survived by his parents and a younger sibling. Havildar Abdul Majid, from Ajote village of Poonch, is survived by his wife, Sagera Bi. Lance Naik Sanjay Bisht from Halli Padli in Nainital is survived by his mother, Manju Devi. Paratrooper Sachin Laur from Aligarh is survived by his mother, Bhagvati Devi.

According to official sources, the overnight gunfight resumed on Thursday morning.

Additional troops were rushed to the encounter site to maintain a tight cordon to prevent hiding terrorists from fleeing the area. The Army personnel also pressed drones to pinpoint the exact location of the terrorists hiding in the thickly forested area of Bajimaal.

The movement of the local residents in the area remained restricted due to heavy exchange of fire. The educational institutions remained closed on Wednesday and Thursday during the operation.

As the crack teams of the Indian Army tightened the cordon and zeroed in on the location of the terrorists at a higher position, a heavy gunfight took place in which one of the top commanders of Lashkar-e-Tayyeba was neutralised.

The slain commander, believed to be a Pakistani national, has been identified as the code name Qari.

His associate has also been killed during the ongoing operation but his identity could not be ascertained immediately.

The dead bodies of both the terrorists have been retrieved and taken for further medico-legal formalities by the police.

According to police, Qari has been active in Rajouri-Poonch, along with his group since last year.

According to security forces, Qari was also believed to be the mastermind of the Dangri & Kandi attacks in the region. The slain terrorist was sent to revive terrorism in the Pir Panjal region.

According to Defence sources, Qari was an expert in handling IEDs and was operating from the natural caves.

He was also a trained sniper. During his stay in the upper reaches of Rajouri, the Lashkar-e-Tayyeba commander frequently visited local places and often interacted with the local population.

Ironically, on November 19, his visit to a local religious place in the Bajimaal area of Rajouri turned out to be his last outing. His cover was blown over as some of the local residents recorded his meeting with a group of women and later tipped off the security forces following which the operation was launched to flush them out.

Jammu and Kashmir BJP chief Ravinder Raina on Thursday reached the Bajimaal area in Rajouri and condemned Pakistans support to mercenaries to carry out an ambush on the Indian Army.

We condemn it. Some of our Army personnel achieved martyrdom in an ambush laid by the terrorists, Raina said.

Calling it to be a heartening incident, the BJP leader said, Some people dont want peace and normalcy to prevail. They want to derail the movement of development. They want to trigger fear of psychosis. We have jointly fought them and failed them.
The effort to bore through the debris of the collapsed Silkyara tunnel faced another setback on Thursday. The operation was once again paused as cracks emerged in the platform supporting the drilling machine, presenting a new challenge in the ongoing rescue mission for the 41 workers who have been trapped inside for 11 days.

The setback occurred just hours after the operation resumed earlier in the day. The resumption followed a six-hour delay to address an obstacle, a steel girder obstructing the auger machines path encountered late Wednesday night. This marks the third interruption in the drilling process since the multi-agency rescue mission commenced on November 12, prompted by the collapse of a section of the under-construction tunnel along Uttarakhands Char Dham route.

According to one official the drilling was stopped on Thursday to stabilise the platform on which the 25-tonne drilling machine is mounted. Some cracks apparently appeared in the structure, but there was no official confirmation.

In the afternoon, a government press statement in Delhi said minor vibrations were noticed at 1.10 pm and the auger was being pushed slightly back to reassess the force to be applied. It said the operation will then restart.

Before the setback, officials were looking at the possibility of the operation ending during Thursday night, provided no more obstacles emerged during the drilling as it entered the last stretch of 10 to 12 metres.

I expect that in the next few hours or by tomorrow, we will be successful in this operation, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) member Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain said in Delhi, even as warned that there could be more hurdles that could delay it.

State Governments nodal officer Neel Neeraj Khairwal told reporters at around 2 pm that drilling had progressed by 1.8 metre after the setback Wednesday night at the 45-metre mark. Another official said the drill had covered 48 metres. Section-by-section, a steel pipe was being pushed through the rubble as the auger machine drilled.

Once the chute emerges from the other end, NDRF men will enter it to help bring out the trapped workers one by one. The workers would lie on low, wheeled stretchers that will be pulled out of the horizontal chute using ropes.

The trapped workers are being sent food, medicines and other essentials through a new six-inch wide tube, which is also being used for communication.

Union Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways V K Singh and NDRF Director General Atul Karwal were at Silkyara Thursday to review the rescue effort.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami also arrived in Silkyara.

We have come around 45 metres. We are very close to you now, he told the trapped workers through the communication system, before the operation was paused.

The CM asked two workers, Gabbar Singh Negi and Saba Ahmad, about the condition of others and praised them for keeping their morale up.

The drilling and insertion of 800-mm wide pipes from the Silkyara end was first put on hold Friday afternoon when the auger machine encountered a hard obstacle around the 22-metre mark, creating vibrations in the tunnel that caused safety concerns.

The drilling resumed around midnight Tuesday but then there was the other, relatively minor, second setback the next night.

At the disaster site, International tunneling expert Arnold Dix told PTI that the machine was facing some difficulties, stressing that it has not been designed to be put through this level of stress.

He said he couldnt set a timeline but was certain that the rescue effort will be successful with several Indian agencies coordinating well in the effort. Dix also warned against rushing as it might complicate things.

Since the trapped workers on the other side of the rubble are safe and fit, not rushing has enormous value because if we rush in a situation like this we might create problems we cannot imagine, he said.

When the workers come out, they will be rushed in ambulances under police escort through a green corridor to a 41-bed special ward set up at the community health centre in Chinyalisaur in Uttarkashi district.

If needed, they will then be transferred to other medical facilities.

The NDRF chief earlier said the trapped workers appeared to be in good spirits.

People who work in tunnels are mentally tough and these people are aware of the huge endeavor being carried out to evacuate them. So they are o
Two Uttarakhand natives were arrested near Noida on Wednesday after 248 kg of cannabis was allegedly recovered from a truck, police said. The arrest was made in the early hours of the day by a joint team of the Anti Narcotics Cell and the local Badalpur police station, they said.

Gautam Buddh Nagar Police Commissioner Laxmi Singh has announced a reward of Rs 10,000 for the police team involved in the operation, Additional DCP (Central Noida) Hridesh Katheria said.

Acting on the basis of local intelligence and tip-off, a joint team of the Narcotics Cell and Police Station Badalpur arrested two accused -- Ramveer Singh (54) and Abhishek (32) -- near Dujana culvert for smuggling the cannabis in their canter truck," Katheria said.

"Besides the two accused, who hail from Udham Singh Nagar in Uttarakhand, one more person, who hails from Moradabad district in UP, is associated in the case but is at large. Efforts are on to arrest him also," the officer said.

According to the police, 248 kg of ganja was found "hidden" underneath a stack of cables loaded on the truck, which had been impounded.
A Spanish delegation including its ambassador to India Jose Maria Ridao on Thursday paid a visit to the Dr BR Ambedkar School of Specialised Excellence (ASoSEs), Raj Niwas. The delegation engaged with students across various classes, witnessing firsthand the high-end 21st-century skills imparted through the Kejriwal Government's innovative educational programs at ASoSEs.

The delegation's visit extended beyond mere observation, as they actively participated in the learning experience. From exchanging greetings in Spanish to attending a language class, the Spanish Ambassador and his team immersed themselves in the unique educational environment of the school.

Education Minister Atishi, spearheaded the delegation and provided them insights into the diverse and innovative courses offered at ASoSEs. During the interaction, she emphasized the relevance of these courses in the current global scenario and highlighted their significance in equipping students with skills essential for the 21st century.

She said, It was a privilege to host the Spanish delegation today. This international recognition underscores the Kejriwal Government's dedication to redefining education, not only at the national level but also on the global stage. This visit of the Spanish delegation marks a milestone in the government's efforts to showcase Delhi's schools as examples of educational excellence and innovation.

The Education Minister added that B.R Ambedkar Schools of Specialized Excellence stands as a beacon of educational innovation, fostering an environment where students not only learn core subjects but also develop a holistic skill set crucial to deal with the challenges of the modern world. The specialized education being provided by the schools of the Kejriwal government is hope for the future and will give a major boost to the country on a global stage.

During their visit, the delegation first attended a Spanish language class, followed by mindfulness class moderated in Spanish and German language class. The delegation also interacted with students in Happiness Class, Entrepreneurship class, Fashion Design and Aesthetic Lab, Finance and Accounting class, Robotics and Automation Class, and Digital Media and Design Lab.

Ridao expressed his admiration for Delhi's education model and commended the Kejriwal Government for its commitment to providing a well-rounded education that prepares students for the complexities of the global landscape.

He said, It was truly exciting to witness the enthusiasm of children for learning Spanish and other global languages. The partnership with the Delhi government in the field of education has been a wonderful experience, and now, we would like to explore more opportunities beyond education.

Also present during the visit with the Ambassador were Carmen Noguero, Secretary General of the Instituto Cervantes, Madrid; Guillermo Escribano, Director General for the Promotion of Spanish Language Overseas, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Madrid; Luis Marina, Head of International Relations, Instituto Cervantes, Madrid; Javier Torres, Head of International Department, Ministry of Culture, Madrid; Guillermo Martin, Cultural Counsellor, Embassy of Spain in India; Oscar Pujol, Director of Instituto Cervantes, New Delhi and Maria Eugenia Gonzalez, Education Attachee, Embassy of Spain in India.
Coca-Cola HBC AG (LON:CCH  Get Free Report) insider Zoran Bogdanovic bought 212 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 17th. The stock was acquired at an average price of GBX 2,120 ($26.52) per share, for a total transaction of 4,494.40 ($5,622.92).

Zoran Bogdanovic also recently made the following trade(s):

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On Tuesday, October 17th, Zoran Bogdanovic bought 86 shares of Coca-Cola HBC stock. The shares were bought at an average cost of GBX 2,117 ($26.49) per share, with a total value of 1,820.62 ($2,277.77).

On Wednesday, September 20th, Zoran Bogdanovic sold 13,500 shares of Coca-Cola HBC stock. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 2,305 ($28.84), for a total value of 311,175 ($389,309.40).

On Monday, September 18th, Zoran Bogdanovic bought 79 shares of Coca-Cola HBC stock. The shares were bought at an average cost of GBX 2,290 ($28.65) per share, with a total value of 1,809.10 ($2,263.36).

On Thursday, August 31st, Zoran Bogdanovic sold 5,528 shares of Coca-Cola HBC stock. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 2,315 ($28.96), for a total value of 127,973.20 ($160,106.59).

Coca-Cola HBC Stock Performance

Coca-Cola HBC stock opened at GBX 2,188 ($27.37) on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 108.31, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of GBX 2,159.92 and a two-hundred day moving average price of GBX 2,284.26. Coca-Cola HBC AG has a 52-week low of GBX 1,896.50 ($23.73) and a 52-week high of GBX 2,582 ($32.30). The firm has a market capitalization of 8.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 1,420.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.90.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on CCH. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a neutral rating on shares of Coca-Cola HBC in a research report on Tuesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a buy rating on shares of Coca-Cola HBC in a research report on Tuesday, October 3rd. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a neutral rating on shares of Coca-Cola HBC in a research report on Tuesday, October 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of GBX 2,770 ($34.66).

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Coca-Cola HBC Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Coca-Cola HBC AG engages in the production, distribution, and sale of non-alcoholic ready-to-drink beverages under franchise in Switzerland and internationally. The company offers sparkling soft drinks, adult sparkling, hydration drinks, juices, ready-to-drink tea, energy drinks, dairy, coffee, water, plant-based drinks, premium spirits and flavored alcoholic beverages, and snacks.

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Franco-Nevada (TSE:FNV  Get Free Report) (NYSE:FNV) had its price target reduced by research analysts at CIBC from C$258.00 to C$250.00 in a report issued on Tuesday, BayStreet.CA reports. The brokerage presently has an outperform rating on the stock. CIBCs price target suggests a potential upside of 53.99% from the companys current price.

Several other research firms have also weighed in on FNV. Veritas Investment Research decreased their price target on Franco-Nevada from C$201.70 to C$197.10 in a report on Thursday, August 10th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on shares of Franco-Nevada from C$222.00 to C$219.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 10th. Canaccord Genuity Group lowered their price objective on shares of Franco-Nevada from C$205.00 to C$185.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Raymond James dropped their target price on Franco-Nevada from C$173.00 to C$163.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 10th. Finally, National Bank Financial cut their price target on shares of Franco-Nevada from C$215.00 to C$205.00 in a report on Monday, September 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of C$207.91.

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Franco-Nevada Price Performance

Franco-Nevada Company Profile

TSE:FNV opened at C$162.35 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of C$31.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.20, a P/E/G ratio of 5.00 and a beta of 0.65. The businesss 50-day moving average is C$179.19 and its 200 day moving average is C$188.25. The company has a current ratio of 37.72, a quick ratio of 23.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.63. Franco-Nevada has a 12 month low of C$159.40 and a 12 month high of C$217.70.

(Get Free Report)

Franco-Nevada Corporation operates as a gold-focused royalty and streaming company in Latin America, the United States, Canada, and internationally. It operates through Mining and Energy segments. The company manages its portfolio with a focus on precious metals, such as gold, silver, and platinum group metals; and engages in the sale of crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids.

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Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Panasonic (OTCMKTS:PCRFY  Free Report) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday morning, Briefing.com reports.

Panasonic Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of PCRFY stock opened at $10.82 on Monday. Panasonic has a 12-month low of $8.05 and a 12-month high of $12.75. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The stocks 50-day moving average price is $10.42 and its 200-day moving average price is $11.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 1.03.

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Panasonic (OTCMKTS:PCRFY  Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, October 30th. The company reported $0.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.22 by $0.04. Panasonic had a return on equity of 11.42% and a net margin of 5.32%. The firm had revenue of $14.46 billion for the quarter. Equities research analysts predict that Panasonic will post 1.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Panasonic Company Profile

Panasonic Holdings Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, research, develops, manufactures, sells, and services various electrical and electronic products worldwide. It operates through five segments: Lifestyle, Automotive, Connect, Industry, and Energy. The Lifestyle segment offers refrigerators, microwave ovens, rice cookers, washing machines, lighting fixtures, vacuum cleaners, air-conditioners, air to water heat pump system, air purifiers/sterilizers, and freezing or refrigerating showcases, as well as ventilation and perflation equipment.

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Toronto-Dominion Bank (TSE:TD  Get Free Report) (NYSE:TD) has been assigned a C$90.00 price objective by equities research analysts at National Bankshares in a research note issued on Tuesday, BayStreet.CA reports. The firm currently has a sector perform rating on the stock. National Bankshares target price would suggest a potential upside of 7.97% from the stocks current price.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Cormark dropped their price target on shares of Toronto-Dominion Bank from C$96.00 to C$95.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 25th. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Toronto-Dominion Bank from C$84.00 to C$82.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 25th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Toronto-Dominion Bank from C$94.00 to C$92.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 25th. Scotiabank dropped their price target on shares of Toronto-Dominion Bank from C$103.00 to C$101.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 21st. Finally, CIBC dropped their price target on shares of Toronto-Dominion Bank from C$94.00 to C$92.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 22nd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of C$93.17.

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Toronto-Dominion Bank Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of TD stock opened at C$83.36 on Tuesday. Toronto-Dominion Bank has a 12 month low of C$75.89 and a 12 month high of C$94.05. The stock has a market cap of C$151.72 billion, a PE ratio of 10.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.86. The companys fifty day moving average price is C$81.01 and its 200-day moving average price is C$81.82.

Toronto-Dominion Bank (TSE:TD  Get Free Report) (NYSE:TD) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 24th. The company reported C$1.99 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of C$2.02 by C($0.03). Toronto-Dominion Bank had a net margin of 28.98% and a return on equity of 13.54%. The business had revenue of C$12.78 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of C$12.16 billion. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Toronto-Dominion Bank will post 8.4969136 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Toronto-Dominion Bank

(Get Free Report)

The Toronto-Dominion Bank, together with its subsidiaries, provides various financial products and services in Canada, the United States, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Canadian Retail, U.S. Retail, and Wholesale Banking. The company offers personal deposits, such as chequing, savings, and investment products; financing, investment, cash management, international trade, and day-to-day banking services to businesses; and financing options to customers at point of sale for automotive and recreational vehicle purchases.

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BRT Apartments (NYSE:BRT  Get Free Report) and AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB  Get Free Report) are both finance companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, risk, profitability, earnings, institutional ownership, valuation and dividends.

Risk and Volatility

BRT Apartments has a beta of 1.11, meaning that its share price is 11% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, AvalonBay Communities has a beta of 0.95, meaning that its share price is 5% less volatile than the S&P 500.

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Profitability

This table compares BRT Apartments and AvalonBay Communities net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets BRT Apartments 1.50% 0.57% 0.19% AvalonBay Communities 33.96% 8.07% 4.52%

Insider & Institutional Ownership

Dividends

28.9% of BRT Apartments shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 88.7% of AvalonBay Communities shares are owned by institutional investors. 38.3% of BRT Apartments shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.4% of AvalonBay Communities shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

BRT Apartments pays an annual dividend of $1.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 5.7%. AvalonBay Communities pays an annual dividend of $6.60 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.8%. BRT Apartments pays out 1,428.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. AvalonBay Communities pays out 100.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. BRT Apartments has raised its dividend for 2 consecutive years and AvalonBay Communities has raised its dividend for 1 consecutive years. BRT Apartments is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and target prices for BRT Apartments and AvalonBay Communities, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score BRT Apartments 0 0 2 0 3.00 AvalonBay Communities 1 8 7 0 2.38

BRT Apartments currently has a consensus price target of $26.50, suggesting a potential upside of 51.60%. AvalonBay Communities has a consensus price target of $195.82, suggesting a potential upside of 13.51%. Given BRT Apartments stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, research analysts plainly believe BRT Apartments is more favorable than AvalonBay Communities.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares BRT Apartments and AvalonBay Communities revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio BRT Apartments $70.53 million 4.61 $49.96 million $0.07 249.71 AvalonBay Communities $2.59 billion 9.45 $1.14 billion $6.57 26.26

AvalonBay Communities has higher revenue and earnings than BRT Apartments. AvalonBay Communities is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than BRT Apartments, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Summary

AvalonBay Communities beats BRT Apartments on 10 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.

About BRT Apartments

(Get Free Report)

BRT is a real estate investment trust that owns, operates and, to a lesser extent, holds interests in joint ventures that own multi-family properties. As of September 30, 2023, BRT owns or has interests in 28 multi-family properties with 7,707 units in 11 states.

About AvalonBay Communities

(Get Free Report)

As of September 30, 2023, the Company owned or held a direct or indirect ownership interest in 296 apartment communities containing 89,240 apartment homes in 12 states and the District of Columbia, of which 17 communities were under development and one community was under redevelopment. The Company is an equity REIT in the business of developing, redeveloping, acquiring and managing apartment communities in leading metropolitan areas in New England, the New York/New Jersey Metro area, the Mid-Atlantic, the Pacific Northwest, and Northern and Southern California, as well as in the Company's expansion regions of Raleigh-Durham and Charlotte, North Carolina, Southeast Florida, Dallas and Austin, Texas, and Denver, Colorado.

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Great West Life Assurance Co. Can trimmed its position in shares of Parker-Hannifin Co. (NYSE:PH  Free Report) by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 59,926 shares of the industrial products companys stock after selling 872 shares during the period. Great West Life Assurance Co. Cans holdings in Parker-Hannifin were worth $23,473,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of PH. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC lifted its stake in Parker-Hannifin by 8.1% in the first quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC now owns 1,496 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $425,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares during the period. Panagora Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in Parker-Hannifin by 69.8% in the 1st quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,869 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $1,098,000 after purchasing an additional 1,591 shares in the last quarter. Prudential PLC purchased a new stake in shares of Parker-Hannifin in the 1st quarter worth about $687,000. Moors & Cabot Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Parker-Hannifin by 270.8% during the 1st quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 2,718 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $771,000 after purchasing an additional 1,985 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Parker-Hannifin by 2.0% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 9,849,497 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $2,794,892,000 after purchasing an additional 190,889 shares in the last quarter. 82.25% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Todd M. Leombruno sold 5,002 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $416.11, for a total transaction of $2,081,382.22. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 11,656 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $4,850,178.16. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, Director Joseph Scaminace sold 1,660 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $409.91, for a total transaction of $680,450.60. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 5,487 shares in the company, valued at $2,249,176.17. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Todd M. Leombruno sold 5,002 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $416.11, for a total value of $2,081,382.22. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 11,656 shares in the company, valued at $4,850,178.16. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.03% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Parker-Hannifin Stock Down 0.4 %

NYSE:PH opened at $431.23 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $395.66 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $385.96. The firm has a market cap of $55.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.49. Parker-Hannifin Co. has a fifty-two week low of $281.19 and a fifty-two week high of $435.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 0.89.

Parker-Hannifin (NYSE:PH  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 2nd. The industrial products company reported $5.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $5.33 by $0.63. Parker-Hannifin had a net margin of 11.92% and a return on equity of 29.56%. The company had revenue of $4.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.88 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $4.74 EPS. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 14.5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Parker-Hannifin Co. will post 23.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Parker-Hannifin Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 13th will be given a dividend of $1.48 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 10th. This represents a $5.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.37%. Parker-Hannifins dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.87%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on PH shares. Stifel Nicolaus restated a buy rating and issued a $470.00 price objective on shares of Parker-Hannifin in a report on Wednesday, October 11th. StockNews.com started coverage on Parker-Hannifin in a research note on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a buy rating for the company. Bank of America raised Parker-Hannifin from a neutral rating to a buy rating and upped their price target for the stock from $435.00 to $475.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 5th. Barclays raised their price objective on Parker-Hannifin from $425.00 to $470.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Friday, August 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Parker-Hannifin from $465.00 to $425.00 in a research report on Monday, October 9th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $450.71.

Read Our Latest Report on Parker-Hannifin

Parker-Hannifin Profile

(Free Report)

Parker-Hannifin Corporation manufactures and sells motion and control technologies and systems for various mobile, industrial, and aerospace markets worldwide. The company operates through two segments: Diversified Industrial and Aerospace Systems. The Diversified Industrial segment offers sealing, shielding, thermal products and systems, adhesives, coatings, and noise vibration and harshness solutions; filters, systems, and diagnostics solutions to ensure purity and remove contaminants from fuel, air, oil, water, and other liquids and gases; connectors used in fluid and gas handling; and hydraulic, pneumatic, and electromechanical components and systems for builders and users of mobile and industrial machinery and equipment.

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Swiss National Bank grew its stake in Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI  Free Report) by 2.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 110,136 shares of the financial services providers stock after purchasing an additional 2,600 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned approximately 0.16% of Houlihan Lokey worth $10,827,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its position in Houlihan Lokey by 22.0% during the first quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 637 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. acquired a new position in Houlihan Lokey during the first quarter worth about $73,000. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its position in Houlihan Lokey by 7.0% during the second quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 1,733 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $170,000 after acquiring an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its position in Houlihan Lokey by 892.2% during the first quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,034 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $178,000 after acquiring an additional 1,829 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Houlihan Lokey during the second quarter worth about $202,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.87% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on HLI. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Houlihan Lokey in a research note on Thursday, October 5th. They set a hold rating on the stock. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Houlihan Lokey from $118.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 3rd.

Houlihan Lokey Stock Up 2.6 %

NYSE HLI opened at $105.61 on Thursday. Houlihan Lokey, Inc. has a 52 week low of $83.92 and a 52 week high of $110.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.29 billion, a PE ratio of 27.15 and a beta of 0.77. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $104.85 and a two-hundred day moving average of $99.95.

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 26th. The financial services provider reported $1.11 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.11. Houlihan Lokey had a net margin of 14.92% and a return on equity of 18.41%. The company had revenue of $466.99 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $447.02 million. On average, equities research analysts expect that Houlihan Lokey, Inc. will post 4.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Houlihan Lokey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 1st will be issued a $0.55 dividend. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.08%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 30th. Houlihan Lokeys payout ratio is 56.56%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Scott L. Beiser sold 9,084 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Friday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.78, for a total value of $960,905.52. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 25.97% of the companys stock.

Houlihan Lokey Company Profile

(Free Report)

Houlihan Lokey, Inc, an investment banking company, provides merger and acquisition (M&A), capital market, financial restructuring, and financial and valuation advisory services worldwide. It operates in three segments: Corporate Finance, Financial Restructuring, and Financial and Valuation Advisory.

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Lenovo Group Limited (OTCMKTS:LNVGF  Get Free Report) declared a dividend on Wednesday, November 22nd, investing.com reports. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 29th will be paid a dividend of 0.08 per share on Wednesday, December 13th. This represents a dividend yield of 3.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 28th.

Lenovo Group Price Performance

Shares of Lenovo Group stock opened at $1.21 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $1.10 and a 200 day moving average price of $1.05. Lenovo Group has a 1 year low of $0.76 and a 1 year high of $1.32.

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Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A hedge fund recently bought a new stake in Lenovo Group stock. Cullen Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lenovo Group Limited (OTCMKTS:LNVGF  Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 7,681,490 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $8,009,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 23.25% of the companys stock.

About Lenovo Group

Lenovo Group Limited, an investment holding company, develops, manufactures, and markets technology products and services. It operates through Intelligent Devices Group, Infrastructure Solutions Group, and Solutions and Services Group segments. The company offers commercial and consumer personal computers, as well as servers and workstations; and a family of mobile Internet devices, including tablets and smartphones.

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Swiss National Bank increased its position in shares of Kite Realty Group Trust (NYSE:KRG  Free Report) by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 477,497 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock after buying an additional 4,600 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank owned 0.22% of Kite Realty Group Trust worth $10,667,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of KRG. CENTRAL TRUST Co raised its stake in Kite Realty Group Trust by 91.4% during the 3rd quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 1,675 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 800 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new position in Kite Realty Group Trust during the 1st quarter valued at $33,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in Kite Realty Group Trust by 107.8% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,631 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 846 shares during the last quarter. WealthPLAN Partners LLC acquired a new position in Kite Realty Group Trust during the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, BOKF NA acquired a new position in Kite Realty Group Trust during the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. 97.22% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Kite Realty Group Trust in a research note on Thursday, October 5th. They set a hold rating for the company. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Kite Realty Group Trust from $23.00 to $21.00 and set an underweight rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 13th. Raymond James cut shares of Kite Realty Group Trust from a strong-buy rating to a market perform rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 5th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Kite Realty Group Trust from $26.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $25.57.

Kite Realty Group Trust Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of KRG stock opened at $20.61 on Thursday. Kite Realty Group Trust has a 52-week low of $18.77 and a 52-week high of $24.26. The stock has a market cap of $4.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 121.24, a P/E/G ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 0.83. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $21.04 and a 200-day moving average of $21.58.

Kite Realty Group Trust Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 5th will be paid a $0.25 dividend. This is a boost from Kite Realty Group Trusts previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 4th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.85%. Kite Realty Group Trusts dividend payout ratio is currently 564.71%.

Kite Realty Group Trust Profile

(Free Report)

Kite Realty Group Trust (NYSE: KRG) is a real estate investment trust (REIT) headquartered in Indianapolis, IN that is one of the largest publicly traded owners and operators of open-air shopping centers and mixed-use assets. The Company's primarily grocery-anchored portfolio is located in high-growth Sun Belt and select strategic gateway markets.

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Swiss National Bank lifted its position in shares of Fabrinet (NYSE:FN  Free Report) by 1.0% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 79,740 shares of the technology companys stock after acquiring an additional 800 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank owned approximately 0.22% of Fabrinet worth $10,357,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake in Fabrinet by 12.0% in the 2nd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 5,370 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $697,000 after purchasing an additional 574 shares during the last quarter. Paradiem LLC lifted its stake in Fabrinet by 24.6% in the 2nd quarter. Paradiem LLC now owns 25,796 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $3,350,000 after purchasing an additional 5,088 shares during the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System lifted its stake in Fabrinet by 11.7% in the 2nd quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 19,100 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $2,481,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares during the last quarter. MQS Management LLC bought a new position in Fabrinet in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $326,000. Finally, Jump Financial LLC bought a new position in Fabrinet in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $3,621,000. Institutional investors own 97.38% of the companys stock.

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Fabrinet Stock Down 0.0 %

FN opened at $165.63 on Thursday. Fabrinet has a twelve month low of $90.19 and a twelve month high of $183.74. The company has a fifty day moving average of $164.52 and a 200-day moving average of $139.06. The stock has a market cap of $6.02 billion, a PE ratio of 24.57 and a beta of 1.05.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Fabrinet ( NYSE:FN Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 21st. The technology company reported $1.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.06. Fabrinet had a net margin of 9.28% and a return on equity of 17.54%. The company had revenue of $655.87 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $641.42 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.51 earnings per share. Fabrinets revenue for the quarter was up 11.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Fabrinet will post 7.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. HC Wainwright reissued a buy rating and issued a $28.00 price objective on shares of Fabrinet in a research note on Tuesday, August 22nd. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Fabrinet in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Rosenblatt Securities began coverage on shares of Fabrinet in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a buy rating and a $230.00 price target for the company. Needham & Company LLC upped their price target on shares of Fabrinet from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Fabrinet from $174.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $143.11.

View Our Latest Analysis on FN

Insider Transactions at Fabrinet

In other Fabrinet news, EVP Edward T. Archer sold 10,358 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.33, for a total value of $1,629,624.14. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 11,289 shares in the company, valued at $1,776,098.37. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Fabrinet news, Director Thomas F. Kelly sold 3,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Monday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.31, for a total value of $513,930.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 36,532 shares in the company, valued at $6,258,296.92. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Edward T. Archer sold 10,358 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.33, for a total transaction of $1,629,624.14. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 11,289 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,776,098.37. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.51% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Fabrinet

(Free Report)

Fabrinet provides optical packaging and precision optical, electro-mechanical, and electronic manufacturing services in North America, the Asia-Pacific, and Europe. The company offers a range of advanced optical and electro-mechanical capabilities in the manufacturing process, including process design and engineering, supply chain management, manufacturing, printed circuit board assembly, advanced packaging, integration, final assembly, and testing.

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Swiss National Bank cut its stake in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV  Free Report) by 23.8% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 287,265 shares of the basic materials companys stock after selling 89,700 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned 0.17% of Valvoline worth $10,775,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Belpointe Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Valvoline by 54.9% in the 1st quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 931 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 330 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Valvoline in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $37,000. First Manhattan CO. LLC. acquired a new position in shares of Valvoline in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Bartlett & Co. LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valvoline in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Valvoline by 147.1% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,100 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $66,000 after purchasing an additional 1,250 shares during the period. 92.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VVV has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Valvoline from $41.00 to $38.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 10th. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Valvoline in a research report on Thursday, September 7th. They set an overweight rating and a $42.00 price target for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a neutral rating and set a $37.00 price target on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Monday, September 11th. TheStreet downgraded Valvoline from a b rating to a c rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Valvoline from $38.00 to $37.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 10th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $39.43.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Lori Ann Flees acquired 8,879 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 29th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $33.76 per share, for a total transaction of $299,755.04. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 12,613 shares of the companys stock, valued at $425,814.88. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, CFO Mary E. Meixelsperger bought 6,000 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 28th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $33.55 per share, with a total value of $201,300.00. Following the acquisition, the chief financial officer now owns 116,219 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,899,147.45. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Lori Ann Flees bought 8,879 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 29th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $33.76 per share, for a total transaction of $299,755.04. Following the completion of the acquisition, the senior vice president now owns 12,613 shares in the company, valued at approximately $425,814.88. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have bought 17,839 shares of company stock worth $601,606 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.99% of the companys stock.

Valvoline Stock Up 0.7 %

VVV opened at $34.90 on Thursday. Valvoline Inc. has a 1-year low of $29.15 and a 1-year high of $39.67. The stocks fifty day simple moving average is $31.85 and its 200 day simple moving average is $34.90. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 2.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.83. The stock has a market cap of $4.84 billion, a PE ratio of 4.22 and a beta of 1.36.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 9th. The basic materials company reported $0.39 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.41 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $390.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $390.25 million. Valvoline had a return on equity of 35.65% and a net margin of 98.10%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 16.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.59 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Valvoline Profile

(Free Report)

Valvoline Inc provides automotive services through retail stores in the United States and Canada. It offers cabin air filter, battery replacement, and tire rotation services for various vehicles. As of September 30, 2022, it operated 1,700 system-wide service center stores. The company was founded in 1866 and is headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky.

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Whitecap Resources Inc. (OTCMKTS:SPGYF  Get Free Report) announced a dividend on Wednesday, November 22nd, investing.com reports. Investors of record on Thursday, November 30th will be paid a dividend of 0.0445 per share on Friday, December 15th. This represents a yield of 7.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 29th.

Whitecap Resources Stock Down 1.2 %

Whitecap Resources stock opened at $6.96 on Thursday. Whitecap Resources has a 12-month low of $6.63 and a 12-month high of $8.98. The firms 50-day moving average is $7.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $7.70.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Whitecap Resources from C$13.00 to C$14.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 27th.

About Whitecap Resources

(Get Free Report)

Whitecap Resources Inc, an oil and gas company, focuses on the acquisition, development, and production of oil and gas assets in Western Canada. The company's primary areas of focus of its development programs are in Northern Alberta and British Columbia, Central Alberta, and Saskatchewan. Whitecap Resources Inc was founded in 2009 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.

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After Congress comes to power, we will recover public money looted by the CM and his family members, Revanth said.

Hyderabad: Coming down hard on the BRS governments alleged failure to allot 2BHK houses to the needy in the state, TPCC chief A. Revanth Reddy said "a double bedroom barrack is being readied at Cherlapally prison" for the Chief Minister, his family and son-in-law Harish Rao.

"After Congress comes to power, we will recover public money looted by the CM and his family members," Revanth said.

Addressing Vijayabheri Jana Sabha meetings in Dubbak, Manakonduru and Huzurabad Assembly constituencies on Thursday, he said: "Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao made his family the richest at the cost of turning Telangana into a graveyard. To attract people, KCR claims himself as bakkodu (lean man), but he is Bakasura (demon) who grabs land and like Kumbakharna, who is always in deep slumber," he said.

He continued to defend the Indiramma Rajyam in the face of BRS onslaught, saying that the regime saw the poor benefit.

"Congress will implement all Six Guarantees after coming to power without fail. KCR is habituated to migrate from one constituency to another like a cat. KCR had shifted from Siddipet to Karimnagar, Mahabubnagar, Gajwel and now, reached Kamareddy, where defeat is inevitable," the TPCC chief said.

He promised to rename Huzurabad as PV district after the Congress came to power. "People should compare the development during the Congress regime with the BRS government. KCR and Harish Rao transferred the funds of Dubbak Assembly constituency to Siddipet. BJP MLA M. Raghunandan Rao, who failed to bring funds from the Central government, has no moral right to seek votes," he said.

Revanth Reddy, terming the Assembly election as a fight between the BRS Doralu (feudal lords) and Congress Prajalu (people), said: "These elections will change the future of Telangana. People will decide whether to continue with the aristocratic rule or opt for democracy. People should analyse the character of sitting MLAs and bless Congress candidates."
BRS Party Working President K T Ramarao giving a presentation on a few crucial topics at Begumpet on Thursday. (Image by R. Pavan)

HYDERABAD: BRS working president and IT minister K.T. Rama Rao on Thursday called upon voters to choose a BRS government to continue to derive benefits. He said that Telangana is a trailblazer, whose track record has become the role model not just for other states but also for the BJP-led Union government.

Giving a detailed presentation of the states achievements to media persons, Rao said that the fact that the Telangana model was being emulated by other states and the Centre indicated that the people-friendly BRS administration has ensured better standards of living, more investments and more employment opportunities, improved civic amenities and a rapidly transformed agricultural sector that is bringing smiles on farmers.

With regard to rural economy, Rao said that it was not just agriculture that the state has focussed on but also on allied sectors like fisheries, animal, husbandry, dairy development and oil palm cultivation, which have bolstered the rural economy. A comprehensive approach has doubled the earnings of farmers, he said, adding, "We wish to replicate this proven strategy across India; hence the national foray."

During the days of the undivided Andhra Pradesh, nine of the then 10 districts were declared as backward areas and they were receiving backward region grant fund. But today, under the BRS rule, all Telangana districts have a per capita income that is over and above the national average, he said.

Every achievement of the BRS government across sectors was made possible by a government dedicated to developing the state "despite a Union government that has been inimical to the state."

Referring to reconstruction of Yadadri temple, Rao said "Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao is a devout Hindu and not a political Hindu."

He challenged Rahul Gandhi and BJP leaders to make a presentation on public sector recruitment in states ruled by their parties.
Chief Minister K. ChandrashekarRao addresses a meeting in Maheshwaram, on Thursday. (Image By Arrangement)

HYDERABAD: BRS president and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao on Thursday cautioned people against voting for the Congress in the November 30 elections.

Pointing to the happenings in Karnataka after the Congress won the elections about six months back, Rao said that the party was not even able to provide power for five hours. If elected here, it will destroy the power supply system and push Telangana into darkness, he said.

Continuing his relentless attack against the Congress, Rao, who addressed meetings in Maheshwaram, Vikarabad, Zaheerabad and Patancheru on Thursday, said that some Congress leaders are openly claiming that people of Telangana will face the same fate as those from Karnataka if they vote for Congress party.

"BRS leaders and workers should make this an issue for discussion in villages. There are only a few days left for voting and if people are made to understand Congress plans, then they will all vote for BRS," he opined.

The Chief Minister said that TPCC president A. Revanth Reddy is saying that only three hours of power supply was sufficient and farmers should install 10HP motors.

"This means that at whichever hour power comes, everyone should run to their fields and switch on the motors. The sudden load on transformers and substations will result in massive explosions. Can they and the wires take so much sudden load? This is extremely irresponsible of the Congress," he said.

Addressing a meeting in Patancheru, Rao said it was the BRS government that ensured proper drinking water supply through Mission Bhagiratha and effectively eliminated the adverse impact on peoples health. The locals were forced to consume polluted water under the earlier Congress regimes in undivided Andhra Pradesh. We have also laid the foundation stone for a 350-bed hospital for workers which will be completed soon, he said.

Stressing on the steps being taken to encourage pollution-free industries in Patancheru, Rao said that several IT companies will be set up in the area. Already, stents used by heart patients are being made here as are eyeglasses, which earlier had to be imported from China for the Kanti Velugu programme, he said.

Like Quthbullapur, even Patancheru is a mini India with people from all states living here, he said.

"We are making efforts to get metro rail here and subsequently extend it to Isnapur from Miyapur. Once this happens, the face of Patancheru will change," Rao said.
Ready Capital Co. (NYSE:RC  Free Report)  Stock analysts at B. Riley cut their FY2023 earnings estimates for shares of Ready Capital in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, November 21st. B. Riley analyst M. Howlett now expects that the real estate investment trust will post earnings per share of $1.28 for the year, down from their prior estimate of $1.44. B. Riley has a Buy rating and a $13.00 price objective on the stock. The consensus estimate for Ready Capitals current full-year earnings is $1.31 per share. B. Riley also issued estimates for Ready Capitals Q4 2023 earnings at $0.34 EPS, Q1 2024 earnings at $0.35 EPS, Q2 2024 earnings at $0.36 EPS, Q3 2024 earnings at $0.37 EPS, Q4 2024 earnings at $0.38 EPS, FY2024 earnings at $1.45 EPS, Q1 2025 earnings at $0.38 EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at $0.38 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $0.39 EPS and FY2025 earnings at $1.55 EPS.

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RC has been the subject of several other reports. Wedbush started coverage on shares of Ready Capital in a research note on Tuesday, October 17th. They set a neutral rating and a $11.00 price objective for the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on shares of Ready Capital from $10.50 to $10.00 and set a market perform rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 14th. Raymond James cut their target price on shares of Ready Capital from $13.00 to $12.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 23rd. JMP Securities cut their target price on shares of Ready Capital from $15.00 to $14.00 in a report on Tuesday, August 8th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Ready Capital from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Friday, November 10th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $12.00.

Ready Capital Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE RC opened at $10.07 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. Ready Capital has a 12 month low of $9.19 and a 12 month high of $13.74. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $10.07 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $10.63. The stock has a market cap of $1.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.21 and a beta of 1.41.

Ready Capital Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 29th were given a dividend of $0.36 per share. This is a boost from Ready Capitals previous quarterly dividend of $0.14. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, September 28th. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 14.31%. Ready Capitals payout ratio is presently 60.25%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in Ready Capital by 21.2% in the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 811,765 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $12,225,000 after buying an additional 141,736 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates lifted its position in Ready Capital by 128.5% in the first quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 52,765 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $795,000 after buying an additional 29,678 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Ready Capital by 86.6% in the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 57,701 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $869,000 after buying an additional 26,781 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in Ready Capital by 12.0% in the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 607,299 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $9,145,000 after buying an additional 65,079 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Ready Capital in the first quarter valued at about $966,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 52.07% of the companys stock.

Ready Capital Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Ready Capital Corporation operates as a real estate finance company in the United States. The company originates, acquires, finances, and services small to medium balance commercial (SBC) loans, small business administration (SBA) loans, residential mortgage loans, construction loans, and mortgage-backed securities collateralized primarily by SBC loans, or other real estate-related investments.

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Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW  Get Free Report) will post its quarterly earnings results before the market opens on Thursday, November 30th. Analysts expect Build-A-Bear Workshop to post earnings of $0.51 per share for the quarter. Individual that wish to register for the companys earnings conference call can do so using this link.

Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 24th. The specialty retailer reported $0.57 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.41 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $109.23 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $101.89 million. Build-A-Bear Workshop had a return on equity of 45.76% and a net margin of 10.63%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.38 EPS. On average, analysts expect Build-A-Bear Workshop to post $4 EPS for the current fiscal year and $4 EPS for the next fiscal year.

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Build-A-Bear Workshop Stock Performance

Build-A-Bear Workshop stock opened at $26.29 on Thursday. The stocks 50 day simple moving average is $26.73 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $24.19. The stock has a market cap of $381.99 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.62 and a beta of 1.94. Build-A-Bear Workshop has a fifty-two week low of $17.85 and a fifty-two week high of $30.49.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. DA Davidson assumed coverage on Build-A-Bear Workshop in a research report on Tuesday, September 19th. They issued a buy rating and a $42.00 price target on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Build-A-Bear Workshop in a research report on Wednesday, September 20th. They issued a buy rating and a $42.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Build-A-Bear Workshop in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a buy rating on the stock. Finally, Northland Securities assumed coverage on Build-A-Bear Workshop in a research report on Monday, September 11th. They issued an outperform rating and a $36.00 price target on the stock.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on BBW

Insider Transactions at Build-A-Bear Workshop

In related news, CAO Eric R. Fencl sold 5,281 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.00, for a total value of $142,587.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 188,186 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,081,022. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, CAO Eric R. Fencl sold 5,281 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.00, for a total value of $142,587.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 188,186 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,081,022. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jennifer Kretchmar sold 21,265 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.49, for a total transaction of $584,574.85. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 120,585 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,314,881.65. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 55,178 shares of company stock valued at $1,500,176 in the last ninety days. 11.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Build-A-Bear Workshop

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. American International Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Build-A-Bear Workshop during the 2nd quarter valued at $109,000. Barclays PLC increased its stake in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 504.2% in the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 3,631 shares of the specialty retailers stock worth $87,000 after purchasing an additional 3,030 shares in the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop in the 2nd quarter worth $85,000. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SNC increased its stake in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 62.5% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SNC now owns 5,027 shares of the specialty retailers stock worth $67,000 after purchasing an additional 1,933 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP increased its stake in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 38.8% in the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 3,018 shares of the specialty retailers stock worth $65,000 after purchasing an additional 843 shares in the last quarter. 72.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Build-A-Bear Workshop

(Get Free Report)

Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc operates as a multi-channel retailer of plush animals and related products in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Direct-to-Consumer, Commercial, and International Franchising. Its merchandise comprises various styles of plush products to be stuffed, pre-stuffed plush products, and sounds and scents that can be added to the stuffed animals, as well as range of clothing, shoes and accessories, and other toy and novelty items, including family sleepwear.

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California Public Employees Retirement System reduced its holdings in shares of Kite Realty Group Trust (NYSE:KRG  Free Report) by 3.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 422,999 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock after selling 14,179 shares during the quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System owned approximately 0.19% of Kite Realty Group Trust worth $9,450,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CENTRAL TRUST Co raised its holdings in Kite Realty Group Trust by 91.4% in the 3rd quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 1,675 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 800 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new position in Kite Realty Group Trust in the 1st quarter valued at $33,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its holdings in shares of Kite Realty Group Trust by 107.8% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,631 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 846 shares in the last quarter. WealthPLAN Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kite Realty Group Trust during the 1st quarter worth $36,000. Finally, BOKF NA acquired a new position in shares of Kite Realty Group Trust during the 1st quarter worth $36,000. 97.22% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Kite Realty Group Trust Price Performance

Shares of NYSE KRG opened at $20.61 on Thursday. Kite Realty Group Trust has a 1-year low of $18.77 and a 1-year high of $24.26. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $21.04 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $21.58. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. The firm has a market cap of $4.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 121.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 1.41.

Kite Realty Group Trust Increases Dividend

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 12th. Investors of record on Friday, January 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This is a positive change from Kite Realty Group Trusts previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 4th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.85%. Kite Realty Group Trusts dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 564.71%.

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on KRG shares. Bank of America boosted their price target on Kite Realty Group Trust from $26.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, August 22nd. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Kite Realty Group Trust in a report on Thursday, October 5th. They set a hold rating for the company. Raymond James cut Kite Realty Group Trust from a strong-buy rating to a market perform rating in a report on Tuesday, September 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Kite Realty Group Trust from $23.00 to $21.00 and set an underweight rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Kite Realty Group Trust presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $25.57.

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Kite Realty Group Trust Profile

(Free Report)

Kite Realty Group Trust (NYSE: KRG) is a real estate investment trust (REIT) headquartered in Indianapolis, IN that is one of the largest publicly traded owners and operators of open-air shopping centers and mixed-use assets. The Company's primarily grocery-anchored portfolio is located in high-growth Sun Belt and select strategic gateway markets.

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Barclays PLC trimmed its position in Chatham Lodging Trust (NYSE:CLDT  Free Report) by 15.3% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 84,886 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock after selling 15,300 shares during the period. Barclays PLC owned approximately 0.17% of Chatham Lodging Trust worth $795,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Raymond James & Associates lifted its stake in Chatham Lodging Trust by 13.2% during the first quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 33,025 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $455,000 after purchasing an additional 3,844 shares during the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. lifted its position in shares of Chatham Lodging Trust by 13.9% during the 1st quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 54,186 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $747,000 after acquiring an additional 6,597 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Chatham Lodging Trust by 57.5% during the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 8,525 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $118,000 after acquiring an additional 3,111 shares in the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Chatham Lodging Trust by 55.4% in the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 25,843 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $356,000 after acquiring an additional 9,215 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS raised its position in shares of Chatham Lodging Trust by 14.1% during the first quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 42,043 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $580,000 after purchasing an additional 5,184 shares during the period. 92.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Chatham Lodging Trust Trading Down 0.4 %

Chatham Lodging Trust stock opened at $9.85 on Thursday. Chatham Lodging Trust has a 12 month low of $8.92 and a 12 month high of $14.38. The company has a quick ratio of 2.66, a current ratio of 2.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The stock has a market cap of $481.26 million, a P/E ratio of 246.25 and a beta of 1.76. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $9.69 and its 200-day simple moving average is $9.61.

Chatham Lodging Trust Dividend Announcement

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, October 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 29th were given a $0.07 dividend. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.84%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, September 28th. Chatham Lodging Trusts payout ratio is currently 700.00%.

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on CLDT shares. B. Riley decreased their price target on Chatham Lodging Trust from $15.00 to $14.00 in a research report on Monday, August 7th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Chatham Lodging Trust from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Chatham Lodging Trust from $16.00 to $14.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 27th.

View Our Latest Research Report on Chatham Lodging Trust

About Chatham Lodging Trust

(Free Report)

Chatham Lodging Trust is a self-advised, publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT) focused primarily on investing in upscale, extended-stay hotels and premium-branded, select-service hotels. The company owns 39 hotels totaling 5,915 rooms/suites in 16 states and the District of Columbia.

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StockNews.com upgraded shares of CTS (NYSE:CTS  Free Report) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday.

Separately, Stephens lowered their target price on shares of CTS from $41.00 to $39.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 27th.

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CTS Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of CTS opened at $39.54 on Wednesday. CTS has a 52-week low of $35.50 and a 52-week high of $49.59. The company has a quick ratio of 2.60, a current ratio of 3.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The firms fifty day moving average is $40.14 and its two-hundred day moving average is $42.49. The stock has a market cap of $1.23 billion, a PE ratio of 20.81 and a beta of 0.65.

CTS (NYSE:CTS  Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 26th. The electronics maker reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. CTS had a net margin of 10.59% and a return on equity of 14.15%. The company had revenue of $134.55 million for the quarter. Research analysts forecast that CTS will post 2.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CTS Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 29th will be given a dividend of $0.04 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 28th. This represents a $0.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.40%. CTSs payout ratio is 8.42%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Comerica Bank acquired a new position in shares of CTS during the 3rd quarter valued at about $770,000. Penserra Capital Management LLC lifted its position in CTS by 165.0% in the third quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC now owns 174,749 shares of the electronics makers stock valued at $7,294,000 after buying an additional 108,798 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its position in CTS by 23.4% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 15,455 shares of the electronics makers stock valued at $645,000 after buying an additional 2,931 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its position in CTS by 23.6% in the third quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 9,214 shares of the electronics makers stock valued at $385,000 after buying an additional 1,758 shares during the last quarter. Finally, London Co. of Virginia lifted its position in CTS by 1.1% in the third quarter. London Co. of Virginia now owns 522,850 shares of the electronics makers stock valued at $21,824,000 after buying an additional 5,492 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.57% of the companys stock.

CTS Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

CTS Corporation manufactures and sells sensors, actuators, and connectivity components in North America, Europe, and Asia. The company provides sensors and actuators for use in passenger or commercial vehicles; connectivity components for telecommunications infrastructure, information technology, and other high-speed applications; switches, temperature sensors, and potentiometers supplied to multiple markets; and fabricated piezoelectric materials and substrates used primarily in medical, industrial, aerospace and defense, and information technology markets.

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Elastic (NYSE:ESTC  Get Free Report) is scheduled to be announcing its earnings results after the market closes on Thursday, November 30th. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of $0.24 per share for the quarter. Elastic has set its Q2 guidance at $0.23-0.25 EPS and its FY24 guidance at $1.01-1.11 EPS.Investors that wish to register for the companys conference call can do so using this link.

Elastic (NYSE:ESTC  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 31st. The company reported ($0.35) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of ($0.41) by $0.06. Elastic had a negative net margin of 19.33% and a negative return on equity of 38.73%. The firm had revenue of $293.75 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $284.65 million. On average, analysts expect Elastic to post $-1 EPS for the current fiscal year and $-1 EPS for the next fiscal year.

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Elastic Price Performance

Elastic stock opened at $77.25 on Thursday. The companys fifty day moving average price is $77.63 and its 200 day moving average price is $70.00. Elastic has a 1 year low of $46.18 and a 1 year high of $84.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.60 billion, a P/E ratio of -34.49 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 1.85 and a current ratio of 1.85.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on ESTC shares. Stifel Nicolaus reissued a buy rating and issued a $83.00 price target on shares of Elastic in a research note on Friday, October 6th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Elastic from $67.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a report on Friday, September 1st. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Elastic from a hold rating to a buy rating and raised their price objective for the company from $75.00 to $100.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 18th. Truist Financial raised their price objective on Elastic from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Monday, November 13th. Finally, Oppenheimer restated an outperform rating and issued a $80.00 price objective on shares of Elastic in a report on Friday, September 1st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $81.06.

Get Our Latest Stock Report on ESTC

Insider Transactions at Elastic

In other news, Director Jonathan Chadwick sold 25,000 shares of Elastic stock in a transaction on Monday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.38, for a total transaction of $2,034,500.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 7,729 shares in the company, valued at approximately $628,986.02. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Carolyn Herzog sold 2,621 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.83, for a total transaction of $203,992.43. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 82,022 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $6,383,772.26. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Jonathan Chadwick sold 25,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.38, for a total value of $2,034,500.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 7,729 shares of the companys stock, valued at $628,986.02. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 72,470 shares of company stock worth $5,651,090 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 18.10% of the companys stock.

Institutional Trading of Elastic

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. grew its position in Elastic by 17.2% in the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 5,780 shares of the companys stock valued at $514,000 after acquiring an additional 848 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its position in Elastic by 9.5% in the 1st quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 6,472 shares of the companys stock valued at $576,000 after acquiring an additional 564 shares in the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund acquired a new position in Elastic in the 1st quarter valued at about $295,000. Rhumbline Advisers grew its position in Elastic by 3.2% in the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 72,555 shares of the companys stock valued at $6,454,000 after acquiring an additional 2,274 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BlackRock Inc. grew its position in Elastic by 4.8% in the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 5,616,149 shares of the companys stock valued at $499,557,000 after acquiring an additional 259,742 shares in the last quarter. 74.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Elastic

(Get Free Report)

Elastic N.V., a data analytics company, delivers solutions designed to run in public or private clouds in multi-cloud environments. It primarily offers Elastic Stack, a set of software products that ingest and store data from various sources and formats, as well as performs search, analysis, and visualization on that data.

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Bank of Montreal (TSE:BMO  Free Report) (NYSE:BMO)  Equities research analysts at National Bank Financial dropped their FY2023 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Bank of Montreal in a research note issued on Monday, November 20th. National Bank Financial analyst G. Dechaine now forecasts that the bank will post earnings of $11.93 per share for the year, down from their previous estimate of $11.99. The consensus estimate for Bank of Montreals current full-year earnings is $12.97 per share.

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Bank of Montreal (TSE:BMO  Get Free Report) (NYSE:BMO) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 29th. The bank reported C$2.78 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of C$3.06 by C($0.28). The business had revenue of C$7.93 billion for the quarter. Bank of Montreal had a return on equity of 10.26% and a net margin of 23.03%.

BMO has been the topic of a number of other reports. CIBC cut their price target on Bank of Montreal from C$120.00 to C$115.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Bank of America lowered their target price on Bank of Montreal from C$125.00 to C$120.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 30th. National Bankshares lowered their target price on Bank of Montreal from C$123.00 to C$120.00 and set a sector perform rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. CSFB set a C$128.00 target price on Bank of Montreal and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 12th. Finally, Desjardins lowered their price target on Bank of Montreal from C$133.00 to C$130.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Bank of Montreal has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of C$130.05.

View Our Latest Stock Report on BMO

Bank of Montreal Price Performance

Shares of Bank of Montreal stock opened at C$110.43 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of C$79.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.16. The stocks 50-day moving average is C$110.70 and its 200-day moving average is C$115.29. Bank of Montreal has a one year low of C$102.67 and a one year high of C$137.64.

Bank of Montreal Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 28th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 28th will be issued a dividend of $1.47 per share. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.32%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 27th. Bank of Montreals dividend payout ratio is presently 57.99%.

Bank of Montreal Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Bank of Montreal provides diversified financial services primarily in North America. The company's personal banking products and services include checking and savings accounts, credit cards, mortgages, and financial and investment advice services; and commercial banking products and services comprise business deposit accounts, commercial credit cards, business loans and commercial mortgages, cash management solutions, foreign exchange, specialized banking programs, treasury and payment solutions, and risk management products for small business and commercial banking customers.

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Chamber President Selina Horshi says it is disappointing that Northern Ireland will not see the full benefit of measures outlined by the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt following the publication of the Autumn Statement due to a lack of decision-making taking place in Northern Ireland.

Commenting on the measures announced, Selina Horshi said: The Chancellors Statement published today gives little comfort to businesses operating in Northern Ireland who have now been without an Executive or Assembly and local decision-making for almost two years.

Our economy is stagnating and there are little incentives we can see that will address that. The increase in minimum wage will be a challenge for many businesses to meet, but the hope is that this increase and the cut in National Insurance contributions will mean more money in peoples pockets which is a good thing for spending.

The freeze on alcohol duty until next August will be welcome to those businesses in our tourism and hospitality sector, however it is disappointing that Northern Ireland will not see the benefit of measures such as the spend on apprenticeships which would help employers across multiple sectors address our growing skills gap.

The big worry for us again is the total lack of decision-making taking place in Northern Ireland because of the political vacuum that is now approaching two years.

We have already seen this week the news that Northern Ireland was left out of the latest round of levelling up funding and we have a huge gap in our public finances that must be repaid.

The time is now to restore devolution and get local decision making back to Northern Ireland.
Derry and Strabane District Council representatives got involved in a heated discussion about the protest that took place at yesterdays Full Council Meeting.

The issue was raised by Alderman Niree McMorris at the reconvened Full Council meeting on 23 November.

I want to make a reference to a few issues in relation to things that I heard since that event, the DUP alderman said.

I was really, really disheartened and disappointed to hear that a councillor in this chamber was actually advocating for civil disobedience. Not only were they justifying the civil disobedience that happened yesterday, but they actually called for a ratcheting up of civil disobedience. That makes me concerned.

I personally believe those comments incite violence and they incite hatred and I am really, really disappointed those are the kind of comments coming out of this chamber.

She said the council would probably have to investigate how people got access to the chamber during the protest.

I'd also like to say on another note, not only were we all really intimidated and felt really threatened yesterday I felt that we had to leave the chamber. I felt that this wasn't a safe place for us to be, and I'm not sure it's a safe place even today, or even going forward based on certain people's comments.

She said a sexist comment was left on a post on a Facebook page called Derry to Palestine about a DUP Alderman.

She said the comment read: Did anyone get a pic of the dog, Big Julie? She normally not out without a lead or collar.

That is my colleague. Disgusting, misogynistic language. I can't tell you how appalled I am to read that about one of the nicest girls you'll ever meet in your life.

She addressed the controversy surrounding Alderman Derek Hussey who was confronted by a protester for not standing for the minute's silence with most of the other people in the chamber.

With regards to the minute's silence, other people have come to me and said it has never been a practice of this chamber to stand for a minute's silence and there was reference to say that nobody stood in regards to Bloody Sunday or the Claudy victims.

We were asked to observe a minute's silence, which we all did. Whether we stood or not has no bearing on the abuse, and the tirade of threats and aggression that this chamber received.

She said she spoke to the police about the matter of ald Hussey being shouted at and the Facebook comment.

Ald Ryan McCready said no council staff should feel intimidated at work.

No councillor should be intimidated, threatened or feel unwelcome when they conduct their business. The fact that that's how people felt yesterday is unacceptable. So I'll be pursuing other matters through council officers offline to ensure that keeps the integrity of the PSNI investigation open, the UUP alderman said.

He apologised on behalf of his party to the council officers who he said were put in an 'unscrupulous position'.

Whether they are the door person or the chief executive officer, to have any emblem irrespective whether you agree or disagree, put behind them to be screenshot for the rest of their time and their history online is inexcusable and unacceptable.

He said questions need to be asked about how the protest was dealt with.

Yesterday should have been adjourned and we should've been dismissed until civil order was reinstated.

He said it put members in a position of uncertainty as to 'who's behind what door' and 'who's coming from where'.

That is not an environment to conduct business in. I wouldn't accept that in a private business or anywhere else and I don't expect that here for our members irrespective of your politics.

Councillor Harkin began to speak on the issue but was interrupted.

There's genocide taking place right now in Gaza. We've seen 15,000 people killed, 6,000 children. We have an Israeli State openly saying that they are starving people in Gaza, the People Before Profit councillor said.

We are seeing Ministers of that State saying that they are going to transfer...

Alderman McCready interrupted councillor Harkin with a point of order saying it was the conduct not the conflict that was being discussed.

This was discussed, concluded and ratified. The conduct of yesterday, which was brought up in any other business is separate to this. We're not rehashing what was discussed yesterday, the UUP Aldeman said.

Councillor Gary Donelly asked Ald McCready 'who gives you the right to make that decision?'

Cllr Harkin was allowed to continue.

Councillor Harkin said he believes some members were attempting to deflect from the major issue.

There is a genocidal war taking place right now. And people around the world are unable to do anything else except think about it because you can watch this on TV, he said.

Yet we have a government that is continuing to back this slaughter and we have political parties in this chamber continuing to back this slaughter.

We had motions passed yesterday, this council made decisions about putting pressure on those governments and standing in solidarity with people who are facing genocide and what do I wake up to today? The complaints about the protest.

He said he believes it is 'an attempt to deflect' from 'parties that cannot come in here and defend their political positions'.

The interpretation of 'civil disobedience'... What are people supposed to do? People should protest, people should organise incidents, people should block boats that are taking arms to Israel and stop them from doing this and that's what's happening around the world right now.

I think anybody who is not on the side of stoping this genocide of the Palestinian people needs to reflect on their politics and what they're doing.

When the Holocaust happened  and my partner's Jewish as I spoke about yesterday  there were political parties that sat on their hands and ignored what was happening and went along with the Nazi justifications for killing Jewish people and for slaughtering and members of marginalised communities.

We are now in a moment of history where we are watching on our televisions, a genocidal war in Palestine, that the Israeli state has been preparing the ground for for decades.

He said he did not condone any misogynistic language but believes there is an attempt to deflect.

I don't want anyone to feel intimidated in this chamber. I didn't feel it was intimidating. It was impassioned. Is it an issue that people around the world feel very, very strongly about? Absolutely.

Alderman proposes inviting Hamas leader's son to council

Ald Hussey highlighted concerns around 'procedural issues' and defended his decision not to stand with the vast majority of the chamber to observe the moment of silence for Palestinian children who have been killed.

Specifically, regarding the minute's silence. Mayor, you asked for us to observe a minute's silence, which was duly adhered to by all in the chamber, the UUP alderman said.

He said it has not been the protocol in the past to stand for a minute's silence and that others in the chamber also did not stand during this one.

Subsequently, I was verbally abused and threatened. No action was taken. I'm concerned about that but I'm not intimidated. I'm concerned that that did happen.

Despite what councillor Harkin says, there will have been those who felt intimidated. Perhaps he didn't. Surprise, surprise. He has talked about the subject of yesterday and those who share that space. I'll make a proposal. If councillor Harkin will accept that proposal.

He proposed that the council invite Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of a founding Hamas leader, to address the council either in person or online.

The Mayor asked that he puts in a notice of motion.

Cllr Brian Tierney said he wanted to send support to any guildhall staff who 'may or may not have been intimidated'.

He said he thinks the subject of the protest was overshadowed.

There has been one comment about BDS since yesterday, and all of the media attention and that's what the protest was about, the SDLP councillor said.

I'm not against people protesting at all. I think they have a right to do so but it's how people act when they do. I think those who joined the protest were ill advised in how they did it.

I would have much preferred that they came to this chamber and listened to the debate that was taking place and then made an informed decision on people's position.

The SDLP councillor added it was 'important to acknowledge' that Catherine Hutton from Derry IPSC distanced herself from the banner that said 'expel the Israeli Ambassador' with the s's styled on the Nazi SS insignia.

Some SDLP councillors felt uncomfortable about the protest according to cllr Tierney, who also condemned the sexist Facebook comment.

"there's absolutely no blood on our hands.

Alderman Chelsea Cooke offered solidarity to any council members or staff who were affected by the protest.

There's one thing that I want to get across and its in regards to deflection. There is not one life that I feel is more important than any other. Whether it be somebody from Palestine, Israel or anywhere else and that is the stance that we are taking, the DUP alderman said.

We do not stand with the killing of anybody whether it be man, woman or child. I'm speaking on behalf of myself and my party colleagues when I say that there's absolutely no blood on our hands.

Councillor Gary Donnelly said misogyny and all bigoted comments have no place in society but he not going to be lectured by unionism

I think we need to call it out, whether it's racist, sectarian. It's just wrong. There's no grey area, the independent councillor said.

But what I believe I'm seeing here is an attempt to become the victim and it's coming from a party that a quick Google search will show you the background of.

As a former member of Sinn Fein who was at this council in the first council elections and since Sinn Fein took that decision to go into council the DUP spat at, beat, bullied in each of the six counties in council chambers and outside council chambers.

I am not going to be lectured by unionism in here. The protests yesterday, I agree with. I commend the protesters.

He said the protest came about through the public's frustration that the council has not actually implemented the BDS policy that it agreed on seven years ago.

Referencing earlier motions, Cllr Donnelly drew attention to what he perceived as hypocrisy.

I have listened to councillors here today who refused to back a ceasefire then tell us they would have tears in their eyes if they thought children were going to school hungry.

They have no tears in their eyes for live scenes in Gaza where children are being blown to bits. They want to back women's health issues? They have no issues with women and young girls being destroyed and won't support a ceasefire.

He said the Israeli government's dehumanisation of Palestinians is the 'same type of hatred that has been used against Catholics in this State since its inception'.

The banner in here yesterday that people were accusing of being anti-semitic. There were two Jews in here yesterday, probably the only two Jews here and they were behind that banner and they weren't hiding their faces.

As a Republican I've used the phrase 'SSRUC' when the British police force were cracking people's heads in this State. It isn't anti-Semitic. That banner was drawing a comparison in a similar vein that the actions of the Israelis are similar to the actions of Nazi's.

Councillor Christopher Jackson said council workers should be protected at work.

We've passed many motions in relation to protecting workers. Employees of Council have the right to have their rights protected, the Sinn Fein councillor said.

It should be a place where people feel comfortable and there is no room or intimidation whatsoever.

We fully respect the right to protest in relation to the genocide that is ongoing in Gaza. People are rightly angry and have a right to protest if they feel that we can do more to bring an end to the slaughter but it needs to be done in a respectful way.

Cllr Jackson also condemned the sexist comment.

"Yesterday was the anger of the people of this district at this council"

Cllr Paul Gallagher said the protest was borne out of frustration with the councils inability to implement its policy.

In 2016 and 2019 we passed motions in this chamber around BDS and the reason we did that was to try and eradicate the killings of children, civilians and to try and eradicate the apartheid regime in Palestine. We do know BDS was successful in eradicating apartheid in South Africa.

What we saw yesterday was the anger of the people of this district at this council for not implementing its corporate position on BDS in the midst of thousands of children, women and men being killed as we speak.

Yes, it was quite vocal but it was peaceful and in my observations, I don't feel that council staff who were looking after the security of this building felt that they were under threat at any time. There was engagement with the protesters and it looked to me like they were comfortable.

Cllr Gallagher said he believes there have been more serious safety concerns in the chamber than protesters.

Previous members have been talking about the security of this chamber. I, at times, felt uncomfortable when I believed that people were carrying guns in this chamber. We have never had a debate about that in this chamber but it does seem to go unnoticed or unchallenged.

So when we talk about security and people feeling upset, we need to talk about all the issues and if we're looking at security that should be included.

He said the protesters left immediately after they finished their protest.

Alderman Keith Kerrigan said he had issues with the Facebook comment and comments from fellow members.

The issue is twofold with regards to, as Alderman McMorris has raised, the disgraceful comments that have been made online in regards to a fellow Alderman, the DUP alderman said.

I had just left the chamber at that stage but I was signed in and was able to hear and view the footage in regard to comments made to alderman Hussey in particular it's not right.

No one can see how someone else feels. I think the comments from councillor Donnelly are a disgrace and councillor Harkin's comments but I don't expect any different from them.

We are all democratically elected to this chamber and everyone has a right to feel safe and secure in their working environment.

Alderman Darren Guy said he doesn't support BDS but debated it and listened to arguments about it.

He raised concerns about the two masked young men in the public gallery.

Things get out of hand when people come in and feel they have to keep their faces covered. What do they plan to do that they have to keep their face covered? the UUP alderman asked.

You heard many people complaining about what went on in a court in Belfast and quite rightly so they were put out. They should have been put out the moment they refused to remove their face coverings.

He said his party has no problem with peaceful protest and that the two major unionist parties dont support murder.

I just want to point this out. I know the Ulster Unionist Party and the DUP do not support the murders of anyone, anywhere in the world, especially children. For anybody to even claim that is just shocking and it makes it even worse when elected members to this council are making claims like that on live radio.

We've all seen what happened in England, the MP, Jo Cox, stabbed to death because of her political views.

We all have different political views, but we have to respect each other that we're all different. We can debate that through these channels

I know people feel strongly about the whole Middle Eastern, Israel-Palestine war that's going on. It's been going on for years. I have to admit that I do not understand it fully.

It's not on our doorstep so let's debate it properly. I may not agree with some things that are in our motions. I may agree with some that are in our motions. But when they're all lumped together, and you don't agree with one or two things then you tend not to vote for that motion.

He said that does not mean he doesn't want to see peace, adding that he believes it would be better not to expel the Israeli ambassador and pursue peace through dialogue.
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Businesses in the Derry and Strabane Council area have been invited to launch of new support service, led by the North's 11 Councils.

The launch of the the Go Succeed initiative, which is aimed at supporting local entrepreneurs and businesses on the pathway to success, will take place on Thursday, November 30, in the Playhouse.

The Go Succeed initiative is funded by the British Government through the Levelling Up Fund.

It represents a multi-million-pound investment in local entrepreneurs and businesses, offering advice and assistance at every stage of their journey.

Looking ahead to the launch event, Mayor of Derry and Strabane, Councillor Patricia Logue, said Go Succeed would focus on making support more flexible and accessible.

She added: I am delighted to see this joined up approach to business support being rolled out across the North, and that our councils will play a key role in connecting local businesses to the help they need to succeed. Whether youre a start up or a growing business, help is on hand to help reach the next milestone in your journey.

Here in the North West we are working hard to drive growth and opportunity within the local economy. These are challenging times and this new service will provide the specially tailored support needed to engage and inspire local businesses and entrepreneurs through a range of interventions, including mentoring, masterclasses, peer networks, access to grant funding and a business plan. I would really encourage any local business to come along and find out how Go Succeed could help strengthen their business plan.

17m has been channelled into the programme, to help drive both the local and regional economy.

Go Succeed has been informed by research undertaken by a range of experts in the field of enterprise development who provided solutions on the types of interventions that might be required to move the dial for the Northern Ireland local economy relating to levels of business start-ups, productivity, access to innovation and levels of export.

Head of Business with Derry City and Strabane District Council, Kevin OConnor, said: Go Succeed will take a more holistic approach to government support services and during the launch, you'll hear more about the support being made available.

"The service is available to potential entrepreneurs and new starts seeking support to launch a new venture, as well as existing small businesses, making it a valuable resource for anyone at any stage of business development.

With panel discussions and networking opportunities, businesses attending the launch event will benefit from the experiences shared by other companies, and have the opportunity to meet with potential collaborators and mentors. Registrations will also be taken for Go Succeed, with more information on how the service will deliver targeted support for start-up, growth, and scaling businesses.

The Go Succeed launch event will take place at 10am on Thursday November 30th in the Playhouse. For more information and to register go to www.go-succeed.com
TOKYO, Nov 23 ( carscoops.com ) - Toyota's Chairman and Master Driver Akio Toyota retires from his position as the chairman of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA) which represents 5.5 million employees from 14 automakers. Toyoda is the only official who led Japan's automotive industry for three two-year terms, being appointed in 2012, 2018, and 2022.

Toyoda is known for his cautious views on the mass adoption of EVs and autonomous cars, proposing a multi-pathway approach for the future of the automotive industry. Despite the criticism, Toyoda defends the slow uptake of EVs among Japanese automakers compared to rival brands, pursuing alternative routes to carbon neutrality.

Speaking about the critics, Toyoda said that the general attitude in society has changed. The outgoing chairman admitted that what pushed him forward was the 5.5 million people who work on the front lines, adding that It takes time to change things. His leading role in JAMA allowed him to promote the interests of local automakers and suppliers, for a longer period than any of its predecessors. ...continue reading
City of Derry Airport (CODA) may receive government funding from the South as it sees significant reductions in flyer numbers since 2013.

The South's Department of Transport has said it is pursuing financial aid to help the airport.

In 2022 around 163,000 people flew with the airport, less than half of the 2013 numbers when around 385,000 passengers passed through the airport.

While flights London Heathrow, Manchester and Glasgow continue, Loganair announced last week that its Liverpool flight stopped at the end of October.

The airport is owned by Derry City and Strabane District Council (DCSDC) and each year it costs the council 3.45m to operate.

It is understood that the City of Derry Airport asked the South's Department for financial support from the Irish government.

While the airport cannot receive funds from the South's Regional Airports Programme, other funding streams are being considered.

The Irish government has previously subsidised flights from Derry to Dublin.

Financial support for routes between Derry and Dublin and Cork to Belfast are being reviewed under the Irish government's New Decade New Approach (NDNA) commitments.

A spokesperson for Derry City and Strabane District Council said that Council and CODA have been engaging with the UK and Irish Governments to secure funding.

They are doing this based on the completed Outline Business Cases and associated proposals that were presented to them to secure the funding support required from Government to ensure the continued sustainability and growth of the Airport.

CODA in the North West of Ireland provides a vital air access link for the local community and performs a pivotal role in the economics of the region, they said.

In 2019, the airport transported 203,777 passengers to a range of destinations across the UK, a 9.7% increase from the previous year, establishing City of Derry Airport as the third fastest growing airport in the UK in 2019 based on a report from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

The Airport continues to provide an essential air link to the UK and Ireland for visiting friends and family.

A spokesperson for the NI Department of Finance said the UK Government's funding ends early next year.

Following representations from NI Government departments the UK Government has provided funding to provide support to the City of Derry Airport (CODA) until March 2024, as outlined at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/derrylondonderry-london-air-route-secured, they said.

The Department of Finance has not received a business case in respect of CODA.

A representative the Irish Government's DoT said: Although not eligible for funding under the Regional Airports Programme 2021-2025, CODA have continued to call for Exchequer support from the Irish Government. Following discussions between Minister Chambers and management of the airport in May, the Department has been considering alternative funding opportunities that may be available to CODA.

The Department has engaged with CoDA in this regard, seeking material to support their request. Following the assessment of material, recently submitted by CODA to the Department, next steps will then be considered in terms of any funding opportunities that may be available.

In relation to the re-establishment of air services between Derry and Dublin, the Irish Government has committed to taking forward a review of the potential for Government support to renewed viable air routes from Cork to Belfast and Dublin to City of Derry Airport, working with the UK Government and Northern Ireland Executive to deliver improved connections as a priority as part of its commitments under New Decade New Approach.

The Department has progressed a desk-based review and in doing so has engaged extensively with relevant stakeholders, including CODA. The Department has also met with officials from the Department for the Economy (NI). Engagement has also taken place with the Department for Transport (UK) as civil aviation is a reserved matter and is under the remit of Westminster.

They added that Minister Ryan and Minister Chambers are currently considering this review in consultation with Government colleagues.

Minister Chambers would be happy to engage further with CoDA as well as Derry City and Strabane District Council when consultation with Government colleagues is complete.
The DUP has blasted the displaying of a banner with antisemitic lettering during a protest which disrupted a meeting of Derry City and Strabane Council.

The incident happened as pro-Palestinian protesters entered the council chamber in the Guildhall in Derry during a meeting on Wednesday evening.

Several of the individuals wore masks as they displayed a banner calling for the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador to Ireland.

It read Expel The Israeli Ambassador, with some voicing concern that the ss on the banner were styled in a similar way to the lettering used by the SS during the Nazi regime in Germany last century.

Mayor sits impassively in front of antisemitic bannerhttps://t.co/WxScTsufjS  DUP (@duponline) November 22, 2023

It followed an earlier peaceful protest outside the council building in Derry.

Catherine Hutton, from the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign, said while she agreed with the statement calling for the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador, she does not agree with the Nazi insignias.

She told the BBC that she asked for the banner to be removed and for anyone wearing masks to take them off because it was inappropriate.

We do not condone any form of antisemitism whatsoever, she added.

Mayor Patricia Logue halted the meeting at that point after a number of councillors and staff left the building.

She said some staff had felt a bit unnerved by what had happened.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland said an investigation is under way into the incident.

The investigation is to establish if any offences have been committed, a spokesperson said.

To date, police have received one report in relation to this incident.

In a statement, the DUP group on the council condemned what they described as an invasion of the council chamber during a meeting of the council by pro-Palestinian protestors, which included the display of an antisemitic banner, abuse of elected representatives and antisemitic chanting.

They said significant questions arise for both the chief executive of the council and the Mayor following the incident.

They claimed there was no attempt by the Mayor to challenge or restrict the activities of the protestors.

People Before Profit councillor Shaun Harkin claimed the DUP is deflecting from the fact that they have cheered on Israels genocidal war  thats the main thing here.

There was a great protest by people who were coming to the council to say what are you going to do to help stop a slaughter in Gaza, he said.

The banner said expel the Israeli ambassador, thats the corporate position of the council. The Israeli ambassador should be expelled, there is nothing antisemitic about saying that.

If the banner hadnt got those symbols on it, the DUP would say the exact same thing, so thats why this is about deflection.
Are you puzzled by why your video editing apps still stutter despite having a seemingly sufficient 16GB of RAM but when youre gaming, you have no issues at all? Ever wondered how your multi-tasking needs could be met without splurging on high-capacity memory? Say hello to non-binary memory  a simple solution that gives you more options to choose from when youre looking to build your next PC. In this article, were going to demystify the concept of non-binary memory, and how these new RAM modules from Kingston can help you build a PC with the right amount of memory without breaking the bank.

Whether youre a gamer, a creative professional juggling multiple applications, or just someone curious about the latest advancements in PC technology, understanding non-binary memory would certainly help you come up with more optimised configurations when building your next PC. Its not exactly a game-changer in the world of memory technology but it does give you more options as a buyer. So, what exactly is non-binary memory, and how does it differ from the conventional RAM we are accustomed to? We will try to answer these questions and more here.

What is non-binary memory?

The non-binary memory works the same as the standard RAM that we are familiar with, but its manufacturing process allows half-steps in density. In the past, the amount of data that DRAM chips could store would double (for example, from 8 Gb to 16 Gb). Remember, were talking about the chips that make up RAM modules, not the modules themselves, hence, the Gb instead of GB. And then if you wanted more, you would again, get double (for example, from 16 Gb to 32 Gb).

A typical RAM module would have about 8-16 of these chips. So you end up with 16 Gb x8 = 16 GB (each 16 Gb chip provides 2 GB of storage). And if you wanted more memory, then youd have to use a higher-density chip which, in this case, would be 32 Gb. So each module with 8 such chips would become 32 GB!

So if your needs were met with just, lets say, 24 GB of memory then youd end up spending more and getting a 32 GB module because there is no choice. With non-binary DDR5 memory, you dont have to double again, theres a middle step! Instead of taking a 2x leap from 16 Gb to 32 Gb, we now have 24 Gb DRAM chips. And therefore, we have 24 GB modules!

RAM densities

Manufacturers aim to use the same JEDEC PCB design for memory modules to ensure widespread compatibility. To achieve this, they consistently enhance the design and reduce the silicon wafer process size, to fit more memory cells within the same chip footprint as the previous generation (an increasingly challenging process).

A standard 16 GB DDR5 RAM stick for instance combines eight 16 Gb (or 2GB) modules. However using advanced manufacturing processes and leveraging DDR5 advantages like the new signalling protocol and more efficient architecture, manufacturers can package denser 24 Gb (or 3GB) modules in the same stick, resulting in 24 GB DDR5 DIMM. The same 24 Gb DRAM chips also enable 48 GB and 96 GB DDR5 DIMMs which are used for memory-intensive applications on servers.

Such intermediary memories are called non-binary memories. They operate on the same principles as standard DDR5 RAM but consumers get more flexibility while upgrading their setup and several other advantages!

Can you mix 24 Gb-based memory with 16 Gb?

Yes, you can but it isnt recommended. Mixing RAM modules featuring 24 Gb chips with other modules that use 16 Gb chips would disable channel architecture optimisation and your RAM modules will operate at half the potential bandwidth. And if you have overclocked memory such as the Kingston FURY, then mixing is not supported at all.

What are the advantages of non-binary DDR5 memory?

These middle steps are important because they help make things work better without making them a lot more expensive or consuming excessive power.

This is especially crucial for big data centres and cloud computing services that employ an extensive amount of RAM. With the increasing use of AI, complex applications, virtual machines, and more, computing workloads increasingly demand high RAM capacities.

Striking the right balance between boosting performance and maintaining minimal costs is a perpetual goal for such data centres and cloud computing services. These non-binary RAM modules can play a significant role in achieving that delicate balance.

System engineers managing these complex operations also have more flexibility in assigning a specific amount of memory to specific applications. Besides, when there is a need to upgrade the infrastructure, doubling RAM capacities (32 GB to 64 GB to 128 GB) can be prohibitively expensive. Whereas, opting for more moderate increments (32 GB to 48 GB to 64 GB to 96 to 128), provides the option for a more gradual rise in costs.

Not only for enterprise users but also for individual users and gamers, non-binary memory can help cut costs. For example, if you require more than 16 GB of DDR5 for gaming, opting for a single 24 GB DDR5 RAM stick instead of two standard 16 GB DIMMs allows you to save money.

Elevate Your Performance with Kingston Fury!

Kingston FURY brand boasts an illustrious legacy as the go-to memory hardware for gamers, backed by Kingstons three decades of engineering prowess. For gamers, Kingston FURY provides optimal storage and memory configurations, promising superior performance to meet the demands of the latest games and intensive applications.

Kingston Fury RAM sticks offer an automatic overclocking feature using Intel XMP classifications, creating a hassle-free way for gamers and PC enthusiasts to effortlessly enhance their system performance. Its like having an automatic turbo boost for your gaming and computing setup!

Kingston FURY lineup also includes non-binary RAM options in the Renegade DDR5 and Renegade DDR5 RGB series that use 24 Gbit density chips instead of the traditional 16 Gbit density chips. The memory is available in single-module capacities of up to 48 GB and dual-channel kits with capacities of up to 96 GB.

Kingston FURY Renegade DDR5 memory is designed for extreme performance on next-gen DDR5 platforms, offering ultra-fast memory speeds of up to 8000 MT/s. It is a fast and reliable memory module that is easy to overclock. It is compatible with the latest motherboards and processors, and it uses new DDR5 technologies like on-die ECC, onboard PMIC, and two independent 32-bit subchannels to improve performance and efficiency.

Intel XMP 3.0 Certified technology streamlines the overclocking process by providing pre-optimised factory settings for timings, speeds, and voltages. The Kingston FURY Renegade DDR5 is equipped with a programmable PMIC for XMP 3.0, enabling the creation of up to two personalized profiles with unique timings, speeds, and voltages. These profiles can be directly saved to the DIMM for convenient customization.

The sleek design includes newly designed aluminium heat spreaders in black and silver or white and silver, catering to the aesthetics of modern PC builds.

A significant step forward

Non-binary DDR5 memory such as Kingston FURYs Renegade DDR5 series, represents a notable step forward in memory technology. The introduction of an intermediary option with 24 Gb density in DDR5 DIMMs provides users with more flexibility and cost-effectiveness. They also align with the increasing demands of data centres, cloud computing, and individual users.

The advantages of non-binary DDR5 memory include improved performance, power efficiency, and incremental scalability, which make it a great option for balancing functionality and cost. Kingston FURY Renegade DDR5 and Kingston FURY Renegade DDR5 RGB series offer a reliable option for gamers and enthusiasts seeking cutting-edge performance.

[Brand Story]
HIGHLIGHTS After Sam Altman was re-appointed as the CEO, the board in the first place was mostly replaced.

The employees at the California-based OpenAI took matters into their own hands.

Currently, the only one remaining on the board is Quora CEO Adam D'Angelo.

The news thats been coming out from the OpenAI office for the past week can only be summed up as chaotic and dramatic. Trust me the plot twists happening in the story which started when CEO Sam Altman and Greg Brockman were fired, has no less plot twists than an Ekta Kapoor serial. After the two were fired, Mira Murati was appointed as the interim CEO but that didnt last long either as she was replaced by former Twitch CEO Emmett Shear. But that didnt last long either. After a threatening email from over 500 employees at OpenAI asking the board to resign and bring back Altman or all of them would resign and go to Microsoft, Sam Altman along with Greg Brockman was brought back to OpenAI. Whooof! A lot for just one week, right?

Also read: Sam Altman and Greg Brockman are back at OpenAI: Employees resignation threat worked?

But the top-level drama hasnt ended just yet. Soon after Sam Altman was re-appointed as the CEO of the hottest AI venture of the time, the board that was responsible for removing Altman in the first place was mostly replaced.

See, after the chaotic actions of the board over the past couple of days, the employees at the California-based OpenAI took matters into their own hands. As I mentioned previously, over 500 employees threatened the board to resign marking a rebellion.

Also read: Fired by OpenAI, Sam Altman now joins Microsoft as AI lead

Currently, the only one remaining on the board is Quora CEO Adam DAngelo. Media reports suggest that he will be soon joined by ex-Salesforce co-CEO Bret Taylor and by former US Treasury Secretary and president of Harvard University, Larry Summers. According to a Wall Street Journal report, the OpenAI board could have six new additional members in addition to them. The report further informed that neither Sam Altman nor Greg Brockman will return as board members.



It will be interesting to see how the tale continues at the OpenAI office now.
HIGHLIGHTS The Poco F6 Pro smartphone has been spotted on the IMDA certification website.

On the IMDA listing, the Poco F6 Pro carries the model number 23113RKC6G.

The Poco F6 Pro could be a rebranded version of the Redmi K70.

Redmi already confirmed that it will launch the Redmi K70 series in China this month. Reports suggest that this lineup could make its debut in the global market, including India, under the Poco brand as the Poco F6 series. The Poco F6 smartphone, part of this series, has already obtained certifications from Indian BIS and Singapore IMDA. Now, the Poco F6 Pro smartphone has made its appearance on the IMDA certification website.

TheTechOutlook has spotted the Poco F6 Pro smartphone with model number 23113RKC6G on the Singapore IMDA certification website.

Also read: Poco F6 tipped to be rebranded version of Redmi K70: Heres when it could launch in India

Credit: TheTechOutlook

The resemblance in model numbers of the Poco F6 Pro and the Redmi K70 (23113RKC6C), hints at the possibility that the Poco F6 Pro could be a rebranded version of the Redmi K70.

Also read: Xiaomi President hints at processor details of Redmi K70: Check out

While the IMDA listing didnt reveal any specifications of the Poco F6 Pro smartphone, lets take a look at the expected features of the upcoming K70 model.

Rumours suggest that the Redmi K70 smartphone is expected to feature an FHD+ AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and HDR10+. The K70 smartphone model could offer up to 16GB RAM and 512GB storage. This device will likely run on Android 14 with MIUI 14 out of the box. It could support 90W fast charging.

Moreover, a leaked render of the Redmi K70 smartphone model revealed the design of the upcoming device. According to the leaked render, the K70 is expected to feature a flat screen with a punch-hole at the centre surrounded by slim bezels on all sides. On the back, there could be a rectangular island that houses three cameras and a flash. The buttons for adjusting the volume and turning it on/off could be on the right side of the phone.
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Five major associations collaborate to transform Taiwan's new energy sector into a trillion-dollar industry

To accelerate the realization of new energy applications and promote Taiwan's new energy transformation, five major domestic industry associations Taiwan Advanced Automotive Technology Development Association (TADA), Taiwan IoT Technology and Industry Association (TwIoTA), Taiwan Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Partnership, Taiwan Battery Association (TBA), and Taiwan Green Energy Association (TGEA)signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for collaboration on November 22. The signing ceremony, held in the presence of Stan Shih, founder of Acer and honorary chairman of the Major League IoT of the ASVDP (Asia Silicon Valley Development Plan), witnessed industry leaders expressing their aspirations for collaborative efforts.

Stan Shih: Transforming Taiwan into an energy exporter

Stan Shih hopes that Taiwan can gradually transform from an energy importer to an exporter through innovative cross-industry collaboration. Emphasizing the crucial role of innovation and technology, Shih sees them as pivotal in achieving Taiwan's 2050 net-zero carbon emissions goal. He anticipates businesses to inject their core capabilities into the collaborative effort, guiding Taiwan to become a significant energy exporting country.

James Chen: Crafting Taiwan's next trillion-dollar industry

James Chen, executive director of TADA, believes that through cross-industry collaboration and harnessing the diverse strengths of Taiwan's information and communication technology sector, they can collectively drive the development of the new energy industry. Chen noted that whether in the electric vehicle or in the autonomous vehicle sector, the goal is to integrate industrial forces to promote new market development, aiming to create the next trillion-dollar industry for Taiwan.

Alex Wang: Fresh business opportunities in new energy vehicles

Alex Wang, chairman of TwIoTA, highlights the association's multifaceted role across components, hardware, software, and terminal markets. He envisions collaborative efforts towards hydrogen energy development and acknowledges the emerging market opportunities resulting from the deep integration of the automotive, energy, information, and transportation sectors.

Mike Yang: Forging new energy applications as a national treasure

Mike Yang, chairman of TBA, identifies new energy applications as a potential strategic industry. Recognizing the need for Taiwan's focus on related industries and cross-disciplinary collaborations, Yang aims to capitalize on Taiwan's strengths in electrochemistry, electromechanics, and smart technologies for increased competitiveness in the field. He stressed that Taiwan's robust semiconductor and ICT industries can be combined to develop applications for electric vehicles and energy storage systems, making them more competitive in the market.

Angus Lee: Integrating key components for industry solidification

Angus Lee, chairman of TGEA, applauds the integration of key components as a means to solidify Taiwan's position in the new energy industry. Emphasizing the importance of horizontal integration, Lee hopes for collaboration across different sectors to enhance control over the supply of crucial components and encourage private sector forces to engage in more integration efforts.
TOKYO, Nov 23 ( News On Japan ) - In the sidestreets of Tokyo's entertainment district, Kabukicho, known as "To-Yoko," there has been rampant abuse of over-the-counter cough medicine by young people wanting to experience 'overdose', that is, being completely incapacitated.

In a crackdown, four men, referred to as "Pandas," have been arrested by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department for selling over-the-counter cough medicine without a permit to young girls in To-Yoko.

This investigative report asks why they are selling these drugs and also includes an interview with a man who has repeatedly experienced overdoses in the past and is currently engaged in addiction support activities.

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86-year-old Indian conglomerate ventures into OSAT business

CG Power and Industrial Solutions (CG) applied for India's incentive scheme for semiconductor manufacturing, a fresh move by India-based manufacturers to venture into the OSAT field.

According to filings to Indian exchanges on November 22, CG, a subsidiary of Murugappa Group, said it applied with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, seeking approval to set up an OSAT facility, with an estimated investment on the project over five years of US$791 million, which can be funded by a combination of subsidy, joint venture partner equity contribution, and debt. The company said it is discussing with technology providers and anchor customers.

Kranthi Bathini, a strategist at WealthMills Securities, told Bloomberg that the Murugappa Group could enter this intricate industry, demanding technological partnerships with international entities. However, this venture requires substantial capital investment and a more extended return period.

Founded in 1937, CG provides transformers, switchgear, circuit breakers, network protection and control gear, motors, drives, power automation products, and turnkey solutions in industrial, electrical, and railway applications.

According to Businessline, Murugappa Group had resisted venturing into new areas until the younger generation took the helm and forayed into e-mobility, phase-changing chemicals, drones, cameras for handsets, and online payment gateway services in recent years.

According to the India Electronics & Semiconductor Association and Counterpoint, the Indian semiconductor market is expected to grow from US$22.7 billion in 2019 to US$64.1 billion by 2026. Meanwhile, the OSAT business is viewed as the most feasible way for India to begin nurturing the semiconductor ecosystem.
Volkswagen starts high-voltage battery system production in China

Volkswagen Group has begun production at its first 100% owned battery plant in China. Volkswagen (Anhui) Components (VWAC) will produce high-voltage battery systems to support the carmaker's battery EVs locally.

According to an announcement on November 21, VWAC has an initial annual production capacity of 150,000 to 180,000 high-voltage battery systems. The facility is the first battery system plant invested completely by the Volkswagen Automatic Transmission (Tianjin).

Volkswagen said 96% of the components used in the production are supplied domestically in China. The battery system is composed of cell modules, the cell management controller, the battery management system, and connector strips.

Olaf Korzinovski, executive vice president of Volkswagen Group China, said VWAC is the powerhouse of battery production and essential to the company's future development.

Battery systems produced at VWAC will power Volkswagen Anhui's MEB EVs. The plant, which occupies an area of 45,000 square meters, aims to use 100% renewable energy by 2025. Volkswagen said VWAC is also expected to manufacture the cell-to-pack (CTP) battery packs that consist of unified cells developed with China-based Gotion High-tech. Volkswagen has been a major investor in Gotion.

Volkswagen and other foreign automakers have been lagging behind the fierce EV competition in China as local companies like BYD rise. The start of production at VWAC was a milestone of Volkswagen's "In China, for China" approach and showed its dedication to producing components locally in the country.

The European automaker has been establishing partnerships in China to accelerate EV transition. In July 2023, the Volkswagen brand became a strategic partner of Xpeng, a Chinese EV company. Volkswagen said it will invest about US$700 million in Xpeng. The pair plans to co-develop two BEVs under the Volkswagen brand and aims to begin production in 2026.

Volkswagen Group's Audi also signed a strategic memorandum with China-based SAIC, its joint venture partner, to advance their cooperation. They will co-develop premium EVs.
Tanaiste Micheal Martin has agreed to re-engage with the Women of Honour group over its concerns about the proposed terms of reference at a tribunal of inquiry into the Defence Forces.

The tribunal of inquiry will examine the effectiveness of the complaints processes in the Defence Forces in respect of workplace incidents relating to discrimination, bullying, harassment, sexual assault and rape.

The support group for former and current female Defence Force members who allege they were abused in the military held a meeting with Mr Martin on Thursday morning.

Former army captain Diane Byrne said serious issues remain.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting with Mr Martin, she said: It was an extremely frank conversation but he has agreed to re-engage, so conversations will keep going to try to work out the differences that we have with the Terms of Reference.

Were very firm in the position that there are some serious issues here.

Were as keen as anybody to get this resolved and move forward  but only if it is right.

The group also raised its concerns over what it earlier described as a flippant remark from the Tanaiste.

Mr Martin, who is also defence minister, had previously told the group that the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act would not be explicitly included in the inquirys definition of complaints processes as it could include trips, slips and falls.

The Women of Honour had asked Mr Martin to withdraw the remark, which it felt minimised the extremely serious incidents to be covered by the inquiry.

A spokeswoman of the Department of Defence described this characterisation of Mr Martins remarks as unfair.

On Thursday, Ms Byrne said the Tanaiste did not apologise for the comment during the meeting.

He alluded to how he meant that to be. We obviously took it in a different light. That is what it is.

Ms Byrne said the group would continue to explain why the legislation should be included in the definition of complaints processes.

She said the groups request for the negotiations to be taken out of the hands of the Department of Defence and instead be arbitrated through the Department of An Taoiseach has never been entertained.

We always believe that it is inappropriate. Even if its for perception purposes. Really and truly were talking about the Department of Defence creating a terms of reference that has them included in the review and investigation of it.

Of course, thats a conflict of interest. Weve raised that countless times before and we just havent got any traction on it. We are prepared to keep going on these issues, pending on getting what we need in the terms of reference.

Ms Byrne said the group would continue to engage as long as the Government continues to be reasonable.

Asked if she was hopeful the groups requests would be listened to, she said: Im always hopeful. We wouldnt be doing this if we felt there was no point. This takes an awful lot of time, effort, energy and resources that we dont have.

We are working mothers at home and we have to turn our lives upside down every time we come in here but we do have hope that we will eventually get somewhere with this.

Were not going anywhere. So, if we dont have hope  whats the point?

The group anticipates another meeting with the Tanaiste before Christmas.

She also told reporters that victims are aligned on what they want but it was unclear if all representative groups were.

Ms Byrne said there had been previous requests for multiple groups to meet with officials at the same time, rather than one-on-one engagements.
As the world leans into digital convenience, Japanese companies are not left behind in the digital transformation of payroll processing.

This article delves into the nuances of this transformation, exploring the benefits and challenges of adopting digital paystub solutions. Japanese businesses are pioneering innovative practices in paystub generation, distribution, and record-keeping, setting benchmarks for efficiency and security in the digital era.

In the realm of business, efficiency is the cornerstone of success. Japan, known for its technological prowess, has embarked on a digital transformation journey that has revolutionized the way companies handle payroll processing. This transition to digital paystubs is not just a leap into convenience; it is a strategic move towards greater efficiency, accuracy, and security.

The Digital Wave in Payroll Processing

Embracing Innovation

Japanese corporations have a longstanding tradition of precision and innovation. In the digital age, these companies are adopting sophisticated software solutions to automate payroll processes, reducing the need for manual calculations and paper-based systems. Digital paystubs offer an eco-friendly alternative that aligns with global sustainability goals while providing employees with instant access to their earnings information.

Benefits of Going Digital

The shift to digital or electronic paystub brings with it a multitude of advantages. It ensures accuracy in calculations, cutting down on human error. The immediate availability of paystub information empowers employees, giving them the ability to plan their finances better. Additionally, digital records are easier to manage, search, and secure, reducing the risks associated with physical document storage.

Challenges Along the Way

Despite the clear benefits, the transformation is not without its hurdles. Concerns over data security and privacy have to be meticulously addressed. The integration of digital systems requires significant investment and training. Moreover, there is a need for a cultural shift within organizations to embrace these new technologies fully.

Navigating the Digital Terrain

Case Studies of Success

Leading Japanese companies offer valuable insights into successful digital transformation strategies. For example, a multinational corporation in Japan recently transitioned to a completely digital payroll system. The result was a 30% reduction in administrative costs and a noticeable improvement in employee satisfaction.

Tips for Seamless Transition

For companies looking to digitize their payroll processing, the following tips can be invaluable:

- Start with a comprehensive digital strategy.

- Choose scalable solutions that grow with your company.

- Invest in robust security measures to protect sensitive data.

- Train employees thoroughly to ensure a smooth transition.

Innovations on the Horizon

The future of payroll processing in Japan looks bright with potential innovations like blockchain technology for enhanced security and smart contracts for automated payment agreements. The integration of artificial intelligence could further streamline payroll operations, predicting and resolving issues before they arise.

Enhancing Employee Experience with Digital Paystubs

Empowerment Through Technology

A significant yet often overlooked aspect of digital paystubs is the enhancement of the employee experience. Digital paystubs provide employees with immediate, anytime access to their wage information through secure portals, leading to greater transparency and autonomy over their finances. The shift towards digital solutions also reflects a company's commitment to leveraging technology for the benefit of its workforce, fostering a culture of innovation and progressiveness.

Creating a Positive Work Environment

Employers can further capitalize on digital paystub systems by integrating them with employee self-service platforms. These platforms can facilitate not just access to pay information, but also time tracking, benefits management, and HR communications. Such integrations contribute to a holistic work environment where employees feel more engaged and empowered, leading to increased job satisfaction and productivity.

Strategic Advantage in the Global Marketplace

Competitive Edge through Efficiency

Japanese companies that adopt digital paystub systems are not only streamlining their internal processes but are also positioning themselves more competitively in the global market. Efficient payroll systems can directly translate into cost savings, which can be invested back into the company for further innovation or passed on to the customer in the form of competitive pricing.

International Collaboration and Compliance

With the rise of global teams and remote work arrangements, digital paystubs ensure that companies can manage international payroll requirements with ease. Digital systems can be designed to comply with various international tax laws and regulations, simplifying the process of compensating employees across borders. By staying ahead of the curve with digital payroll processing, Japanese companies can navigate the complexities of international business more effectively, avoiding compliance pitfalls and fostering seamless international collaboration.

Fostering Sustainable Development with Digital Payroll

Eco-Friendly Practices in the Digital Age

A crucial aspect of digital payroll transformation is its alignment with sustainable development goals. By reducing the dependence on paper, Japanese companies are minimizing their environmental footprint. Digital paystubs eliminate the need for paper payslips, which not only saves trees but also reduces the energy and resources spent on printing, delivering, and storing these documents.

Long-Term Implications for Corporate Responsibility

The adoption of digital paystub systems reflects a broader commitment to corporate social responsibility (CSR). Companies are not only expected to be profitable but also to operate in an environmentally and socially responsible manner. By adopting green practices through digital payroll systems, companies contribute to a sustainable future and enhance their reputation as socially conscious organizations.

Encouraging a Green Corporate Culture

Going digital with payroll is a step towards fostering a culture of sustainability within the organization. It encourages employees to think about their environmental impact and often leads to further eco-friendly initiatives within the company. When employees see their employer leading by example, it can inspire them to adopt similar practices in their personal lives, amplifying the positive impact on the environment.

Conclusion: A Digital Future

The journey of digital transformation in Japanese payroll processing is a testament to the country's commitment to efficiency and innovation. As companies continue to embrace digital paystubs, the potential for growth and refinement in this space is limitless. With the right approach, the challenges can be navigated, paving the way for a future where paystub management is seamless, secure, and simply a click away.
Last week, President of Dundalk Chamber of Commerce Una McGoey, represented the Chamber as part of the Chambers Ireland Delegation at the European Parliament of Enterprises in Brussels.

The Chamber said that the Chambers Ireland delegation was fortunate to connect with essential stakeholders, policymakers, and industry leaders to explore critical issues influencing the future of Ireland.

They continued:

The European Capital, with its role as a hub of collaboration and policy shaping, made this trip a pivotal moment in our commitment to advancing the interests of our members.

With over 700 entrepreneurs from 43 European countries, the event explored critical challenges and opportunities facing the business community. Discussions focused on labour shortages, sustainable energy, and the effectiveness of trade agreements for SMEs.

On Monday afternoon, Eurochambres of which the Chambers Ireland network is a member of, hosted the Women Entrepreneurs event, entitled 'A path towards a more female- friendly business environment with opening remarks by Marina Rozic, Chair of the Eurochambres Women Network and Secretary General of the Croatian Chamber of Economy and Esin Gural Argat, Chair of the TOBB Women Network, with roundtable discussions on access to finance, skills and gender equality.

Speaking about the visit, Ms McGoey said:

I was honoured to engage in the democratic process within the iconic walls of the European Parliament Hemicycle, debating and voting on business issues across skills, energy, and trade under the overarching theme of strengthening the single market. It was incredible to witness the similarities in perspectives and challenges across the EU.

On Wednesday morning, alongside fellow chambers across the Island of Ireland, the delegation engaged in discussions with Members of the European Parliament for Ireland, conveying the priorities and business opportunities for Dundalk and the North East which was hosted by Sean Kelly MEP including Ciaran Cuffe Green Party, Barry Andrews Fianna Fail, Colm Markey MEP Fine Gael, Frances Fitzgerald Fine Gael, Maria Walsh Fine Gael, Billy Kelleher MEP Fianna Fail and Clare Daly Independent.

The Chamber said meeting with the Permanent Representation of Ireland to the EU in the afternoon, was invaluable, providing briefings on competitiveness, trade, energy, and climate, deepening our understanding of the EU landscape and aligning their goals for a sustainable and competitive future.

The Chamber wishes to thank lan Talbot and the Chambers Ireland team and Eurochambres for organising the event, and to all participants for sharing their expertise.
RYAN TUBRIDY has revealed his new radio shows, including a weekend programme to be broadcast on LMFM, are still "a work in progress".

"We are very much in planning stage at this point, but all in due course that will be revealed," he said.

The former RTE TV and radio presenter made the comments while speaking on the Limerick Today show with Joe Nash on Live95, about the recent news of his move to Virgin Radio UK.

His new weekday show will launch early January 2024 and will be broadcast live from London simultaneously on Dublins Q102, marking Ryan's return to Irish radio.

He is also set to present a dedicated Irish weekend show across a number of local radio stations in the Wireless Ireland group - including Live95, Dublins Q102, Corks 96FM and LMFM, all of which owned by Virgin Radio UK's parent company, News Corp.

Tubridy says he is enthusiastic about his move to UK radio, and added how pleased he is to still have a presence on Irish radio.

"The presence here in Ireland was a lovely addendum to the story. I thought it might just be a London and UK story but it turns out that the Irish question is answered also, which is quite pleasant," he said.

Before his move to London, Ryan will turn on the Christmas lights in Clifden in Galway this Friday, just hours before Patrick Kielty presents his first Late Late Toy Show.
LauraLynn is calling on the people of Louth to brave the elements in a bid to raise much needed funds to make a difference for children living with life-limiting conditions and their families.

Join hundreds of people across Ireland and Dip In for LauraLynn on December 17th.

If you sign up to take part in Dip In, you will get a FREE blue Santa hat and have some fun with family and friends all while helpings Irelands only Childrens Hospice.

Pictured taking part in Dip In for LauraLynn 2022 is Garry Ringrose Irish Professional Rugby player and LauraLynn Ambassador. Garry said:

The LauraLynn fundraising challenges including Dip In are such a great way for the public to get involved and raise funds and awareness for LauraLynn. It is fantastic to see so many people registered so far, and I would encourage everyone to get out and get involved in the challenge on December 17th.

Dip In for LauraLynn officially takes place on Sunday 17th December 2023. The Dip will see many people and communities across the country take on the challenge to raise vital funds for LauraLynn. All funds raised will help make an incredible difference to children and families that avail of LauraLynn specialised services.

Cathy White, LauraLynn Fundraising Executive commented;

"A big thank you to all those who are signed up to Dip in and will brave the elements on the 17th December. This is a fantastic fun challenge each year and we are so grateful to everyone who takes part. All who take part this year are helping to raise awareness and ensure that we can continue to be there for the children and families we support."

To find out more information about Dip In for LauraLynn and to register for the challenge see www.lauralynn.ie/dip-in
Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA) in Dundalk have announced the launch of an exciting new fitness programme in partnership with SKF Dundalk.

This novel initiative aims to provide an inclusive group exercise environment for members of the IWA's Young Adult Service, as part of a pilot health and wellbeing programme.

Starting this month, the programme will consist of one session per week, lasting 45 minutes.

The initial pilot will accommodate eight participants and run for a duration of eight weeks.

The collaboration with SKF Dundalk will provide IWA members with a unique opportunity to partake in a supportive and engaging fitness experience.

Declan Hamilton IWA Area Manager for the Eastern region said.

"We are hoping that this can be continued all year round and ultimately lead to IWA members building confidence to go to the gym and improve their overall physical and mental health.

This partnership has come as a wonderful opportunity for those IWA members who were previously nervous about venturing to the gym alone. The ability to attend the sessions with their friends has provided a sense of encouragement and comfort, enhancing their overall exercise experience.

Declan added that there was a lot of excitement ahead of their first session last Tuesday which everyone embraced.

A big thank you to Sean and Lauren from SKF Dundalk for supporting this initiative.

Their dedication and commitment to creating an inclusive and empowering fitness environment for IWA members are commendable, concluded Declan.
There is widespread shock and sadness across Ireland this evening after two adults and three children were injured in a stabbing near a school in Dublin city.

The shocking incident occurred on Parnell Square East shortly after 1.30pm when a number of people, including three people were stabbed.

In an update on Thursday evening, gardai said "preliminary indications are that a male attacked a number of people on Parnell Square East."

Five casualties have been taken to hospitals in the Dublin Region. These casualties include three young children, an adult female and an adult male.

"One girl aged 5 has sustained serious injuries and is currently receiving emergency medical treatment in CHI Temple Street," a garda spokesperson said.

They said a boy aged 5 and a girl aged 6 years, who received less serious injuries were brought to CHI Crumlin for treatment. The boy has since been discharged from CHI Crumlin.

An Garda Siochana say they are providing support to the children's parents.

"The adult female in her 30s is being treated for serious injuries at the Mater Hospital. An adult male in his 50s is also being treated for serious injuries at a Hospital in the Dublin Region," gardai said.

The scene remains sealed off at this time and a technical examination of the scene is ongoing.

An incident room has been established at Mountjoy Garda Station and a Senior Investigating Officer has been appointed.

An Garda Siochana is following a definite line of inquiry. The male in his 50s is a person of interest in this investigation. An Garda Siochana is not looking for any other person at this time, they confirmed.

Lord Mayor of Dublin Daithi de Roiste, was one of the first political leaders to react. He said: "On behalf of all the citizens of Dublin, I want to express my complete shock and sadness at the attack in Parnell Square today.

"To think that evil like this could happen, particularly to innocent children, is just devastating.

"The thoughts of our City are with the families involved this evening and, like everyone else, I am praying that these children and the adult involved will make a full recovery.

"I want to thank the brave members of the public who assisted at the scene, the emergency services who responded within minutes and the hospital staff who are caring for those attacked."

Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee also released a statement.

Social Democrat TD Gary Gannon said: There are no words to describe the devastation we are feeling following the horrific knife attack on three children and a woman on Parnell Street today.

An attack on children is an act of absolute cowardice and depravity. All of my thoughts are with the innocent victims of this brutal assault, their families and those who love them.

I would like to acknowledge the efforts of the emergency services who attended this afternoons distressing scene and the people who placed themselves in harms way to intervene.

I will be asking the Minister for Justice and the Garda Commissioner to keep the north inner city community updated on the progress of the investigation. It is vital that the full circumstances of what happened are known  and the perpetrator brought to justice.

Labour justice and education spokesperson Aodhan O Riordain also expressed his solidarity with all those impacted by the reported attack.

This is a deeply traumatic and shocking incident. Our thoughts are with everyone caught up in this event and the school community that has been impacted.

It appears that staff and school children have been affected and will potentially be profoundly traumatised by what has happened.

We would appeal to anyone who has information to go to the Gardai and assist with their investigations in any way that they can.

I would appeal to the Department of Education and the HSE to ensure that appropriate trauma supports and other interventions are made immediately available to the school community.

It is also important that politicians and members of the public do not engage in any speculation on what happened at this time, on social media or elsewhere.

This is not something we ever expected to happen in Dublin city. It illustrates the incredibly important work that our teachers, SNAs and Gardai routinely engage in.

People have also been reacting on social media with videos of angry crowds gathered near the scene. There has also been an outpouring of hurt on X, formerly Twitter.

Reacting to a photograph from near the scene of paramedics, one parent noticed a schoolbag on the ground nearby.

She said: "My daughter has this bag. She is 4. These poor people, families, students and first responders. Inner north side is NOT safe. It hasnt been since pre COVID and even then it wasnt amazing. What are gov doing?"
In this video, well be trying the iconic Sapporo ramen with miso, corn and chunks of butter, well visit the Sapporo crab market for a fresh seafood breakfast, well try the oldest brand of beer in Japan, well introduce you to some delicious but not too sweet Japanese desserts, plus well show you some of the street food available at Sapporo Autumn Fest. So we invite you to subscribe and join us on this Sapporo food tour as we try some of the most famous foods in northern Japan!
EBRD invests 20 million in debut international bonds issued by Bank Pekao

Bank Pekaos inaugural international, euro-denominated, benchmark senior non-preferred green bond

Bond is eligible for MREL (minimum requirements for own funds and eligible liabilities) under European Union banking regulations

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has invested 20 million in debut Eurobonds issued by Bank Polska Kasa Opieki, also known as Bank Pekao, by participating in its 500 million public placement of senior non-preferred bonds, to be listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange. This is Bank Pekaos first international and first green bond issuance.

The new funding will help strengthen Bank Pekaos resilience and diversify its funding base. The bond proceeds will be used to finance or refinance green projects, in whole or in part, under Bank Pekao's Sustainable Finance Framework. Bank Pekao has been active in the sustainable finance market for years, both by organising the issuance of green and sustainable debt securities for clients and by acting as an investor in such bonds. By issuing green bonds, the bank has further expanded its green mandate in Poland, contributing to green financial transformation efforts in the country.

The investment will further promote the EBRDs green economy transition activities in Poland.

Bank Pekao, a long-standing partner of the EBRD, is one of the largest financial institutions in central and eastern Europe and the second-largest bank in Poland, with a leading retail and corporate franchise. It is listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. Powszechny Zakad Ubezpieczen (PZU) owns the biggest minority stake, at 20 per cent, followed by the Polish Development Fund (PFR) with 12.8 per cent, while around 50 per cent of shares are traded freely.
 

EBRD lends 200 million to Ukraine gas firm Naftogaz to build up strategic gas reserves

Risk shared with Norway and The Netherlands

With donors and partners, EBRD has deployed 3 billion in Ukraine in 2022-23

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is lending 200 million to help Ukraines gas entity Naftogaz (NAK) build up strategic gas reserves in the second winter heating season since the Russian invasion in February 2022. The latest finance for Naftogaz follows 300 million lent last year, part of a package of 500 million of donor support including a grant from Norway.

The signing took place in Kyiv, with the EBRD represented by Matteo Patrone, Managing Director, Eastern Europe and the Caucasus, and Naftogaz by Oleksiy Chernyshov, the companys Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer.

We are proud of our collaboration with Naftogaz, which has also been improving its governance and, after difficulties in the past, has successfully completed the restructuring of its bonds  we stand ready to support them further, said Matteo Patrone.

This is a very important step towards strengthening the energy stability of our country in wartime conditions. I am sincerely grateful to the EBRD and Matteo Patrone for their cooperation and consistent support of Ukraine in this difficult time, said Oleksiy Chernyshov.

This signing brings to fruition an agreement initially made in June at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in London, between EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso and Ukraines Prime Minister, Denys Shmygal. It is part of EBRD efforts to boost the countrys energy security  one of five investment priorities for the EBRDs support of Ukraines real economy.

All EBRD investments in Ukraine involve risk-sharing with donors and partners, in this case with Norway and The Netherlands.

The people of Ukraine is facing another cold winter under Russian attack, said Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide. Norway will continue our support to Ukraine to maintain critically important energy security and meet the needs for heating for homes, businesses and public institutions. We are proud to support these efforts by EBRD with EUR 54 million. The EBRD is a key partner for Norways five-year comprehensive support programme for Ukraine. So far, Norway has funded efforts by the EBRD within energy alone with EUR 300 million in 2022-23.

The EBRD, which has a relationship with Ukraine dating back more than three decades, working both on projects and on support for the Ukrainian authorities reforms, has significantly increased its support there in wartime, focussing on energy security, vital infrastructure, food security, trade and support for the private sector.

Last month the Bank fulfilled its commitment to deploy 3 billion there in 2022-23. And, earlier in November, directors asked the Board of Governors to approve a 4 billion capital increase to enable the EBRD to provide significant and sustained investment for Ukraine, raising its funding levels further when the time comes for full reconstruction.

Governors  who agree that support for Ukraine should be the Banks highest priority, now and in the future, following Russias full-scale invasion of the country, whilst also ensuring that the EBRD can continue to pursue its strategic priorities across all its economies of investment  will make a final decision on the proposed capital increase by the end of 2023.
Loan of 2 million under the YiB programme supported by Sweden, Italy, and Luxembourg

A further 7 million loan under the EBRDs Green Finance Facility for SMEs

GFF supported by Joint SDG Fund and North Macedonia under umbrella of the UNDP

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is pledging new funds to support young entrepreneurs and grassroots businesses, and to promote green lending in North Macedonia by offering a financial package of 9 million to ProCredit Bank.

A 2 million loan under the EBRDs flagship Youth in Business (YiB) programme is a first in North Macedonia and will support local micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) owned or managed by entrepreneurs under the age of 35.

The inaugural YiB transaction with ProCredit Bank was signed at an EBRD-organised event on promoting the youth entrepreneurship ecosystem. It was attended by various stakeholders such as the National Bank of the Republic of North Macedonia, civil servants, commercial banks, youth organisations, start-ups and accelerators.

Advisory support and guarantees linked to the YiB programme are supported by the governments of Sweden, Italy and Luxembourg.

The 7 million EBRD loan under the Green Finance Facility (GFF) will be on-lent to local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). In addition to much-needed loans, eligible domestic businesses will also receive grants (of up to 10 per cent of sub-loan amounts) to support their investments in renewable and energy efficient technologies.

Technical cooperation funds under the GFF will support the countrys banks willing to finance, and businesses willing to undertake green economy projects. This is a blend of loans and grants provided by the Joint Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Fund and the government of North Macedonia under the umbrella of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The recently launched YiB programme in the six Western Balkans economies is targeting innovative young entrepreneurs who have limited access to financial and advisory services. The Bank is aiming to provide up to 100 million in the region over the next five years through local partner banks, as well as through non-banking institutions under its Advice for Small Business (ASB) programme.

The GFF is a joint pilot initiative by the EBRD, UNDP and the government of North Macedonia. It provides access to affordable green finance for SMEs, as well as marketable but underserved groups of individuals and households for investments in renewable energy and energy efficient measures, contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution.

Since North Macedonia joined the EBRD in 1993 the Bank has invested more than 2.6 billion in 180 projects there, nearly half of which have been in the private sector. The Banks priority for the country is to support competitiveness, the green transition and further integration into regional and global markets.
THERE is no doubt that climate change is one of the most pressing global issues facing the world today, and recent severe weather events in Cork are clear evidence of that.

The effects of climate change and global warming are becoming ever more obvious, presenting more frequent events and challenges with which we all have to contend as citizens, businesses and indeed public servants.

Climate change poses a major challenge for governments and in local government, Cork County Council has it at the forefront of our agenda, informing all of the work we do across every department.

Our draft Climate Action Plan has now been published and is at the public consultation stage.

An important, far-reaching document, it sets out how Cork County Council will improve energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions both in our own buildings, fleet and operations across County Cork.

Among the priorities is the reduction of our carbon emissions by 51% and increasing our energy efficiency by 50% by the year 2030. This will not be easy, considering many of our assets will require significant upgrade and investment to achieve our targets, but we have a plan and are determined.

Our 180 million active travel programme is well underway in many locations across Cork County, with major projects coming to fruition soon, and many more in the pipeline thanks to Government funding, and the vision and work of our team in the Council.

New greenways, cycleways, blueways and walkways present far more than climate adaptation measures, they also offer health improvement, community, business, trade, reputational and tourism potential which the Council will also pursue in the years ahead.

Already, we have seen keen business interest from the areas that will benefit from these new developments in, and plans for, active travel projects. And so we are seeing that the benefits of taking action on climate change far outweigh the cost and effort of taking that action for everyone who lives, works, visits and invests in County Cork.

Valerie OSullivan, Chief Executive of Cork County Council

The Draft Climate Action Plan also sets out how we aim to make County Cork a more climate-resilient county. With engaged and informed citizens, we will continue to work with key stakeholders to influence and support carbon reduction initiatives right across the county at every opportunity. We are committed to supporting the Community Climate Action Programme (CCAP) funded by Government to build low carbon communities, which will allow for the application of grants enabling climate projects at the local level.

Our Plan focuses on interrelated themes and actions which provide a framework to support the transition to a more climate resilient county, which, considering our size, will contribute significantly to the national programme.

It contains defined goals, objectives and actions encompassing the themes of community, biodiversity, natural environment, heritage, land use, economy, transportation, the built environment and waste.

In addition, the Plan provides for the establishment of County Corks first Decarbonisation Zone in Macroom. We in the Council, together with other state agencies, business, community organisations and the people of Macroom, Baile Bhuirne and Baile Mhic Ire are primed now to take full advantage of the decarbonisation opportunities presented by the opening of the N22.

Over the coming years, we will identify and pilot community led projects to demonstrate how emission reductions can be realised in a targeted way. So much of the changes required will come from our citizens and communities, and history has shown us that they are never short of ideas and commitment to making worthwhile change happen. The objectives include examining a range of local measures in areas such as decarbonisation, green infrastructure, active travel, developing green areas, afforestation, raising citizen awareness and behavioural change.

As part of the Climate Action Plan, we published a Baseline Evidence Summary Report which examines how the climate of County Cork has changed in recent decades, while also showing the risks that further change may carry.

It shows that sea levels in the Cork Harbour area have risen by approximately 40 cms since 1842. Annual average rainfall at Cork Airport increased by 3% between 1981 and 2010 compared to the 29 previous years.

This may not seem like much, but it feels like a lot when rainfall occurs, because the weather systems are behaving differently, producing prolonged sustained heavy downpours much more frequently, overwhelming our rivers, water table and drainage systems. The average temperature in County Cork is expected to increase by between 1.1 and 1.5 degrees by 2050, resulting in a rise in drought probability and summer heatwaves. Coastal flooding and erosion could also increase in frequency, which is concerning in an island nation, and in a county that has 1,200km of coastline to protect and manage.

Since the Baseline Report was published, we have experienced a number of storms. Water levels in our rivers and streams remain high following a wet summer, and the ground is saturated leading to the ever-present risk of flooding. In Cork County Council, our staff have had to adapt to ensure we are always vigilant in advance of the next weather event, monitoring water levels, ensuring drains and gullies are maintained, stockpiling sandbags and tailoring our response to severe weather events, alongside the other agencies and communities with whom we work every day.

In that regard, I cannot write this without paying tribute to the teams in Cork County Council, who are on the ground when most of us are asleep, whose efforts to keep towns, villages and communities protected are trojan and unnoticed, and without whom people who trade and live in susceptible areas would fare far worse as a result of these severe weather events. They are true public servants who are rarely acknowledged. They too will benefit from any actions, collective and individual, that mitigate the risks presented by our changing climate.

We all need to work together to reduce the impacts that climate change is already having on the environment, the economy and the people of County Cork. It is vital that our citizens have their say on the draft Climate Action Plan. We encourage the public to view the plan and make submissions before 4pm on Monday November 27. Submissions can be made online by visiting CorkCoCo.ie

The third stage will involve considering all the submissions before the finalised Climate Action Plan is adopted by Council in January 2024. Cork County Council is then required by statute to adopt the Plan before February 24th.

Once adopted, we will track and monitor progress to deliver on the climate objective throughout the lifetime of the Plan, prepare an Annual Implementation Programme dealing with the specific projects to be undertaken and incorporate any new national developments that may emerge.

We look forward to seeing how the Plan will contribute to the development of Cork County over the next five years, as the benefits of taking action extend far beyond addressing climate change. This is our opportunity to bring together critical stakeholders from all communities and sectors to work towards a climate neutral future and make climate action a priority for everyone in County Cork.
A WOMAN who was the victim of terrible injuries when a lorry crashed into the car she was travelling in with her then-fiancee said in court: Our car was not the only thing that was crushed that day  our lives were crushed.

The truck driver, Antony Malone of Halldene estate, Curraheen Rd, Bishopstown, Cork, pleaded guilty at Cork Circuit Criminal Court to careless driving causing serious harm to two people on August 3, 2021, at Lackanashinagh, Enniskeane, Co Cork.

Garda Michael Cadogan, who investigated the crash, said there was heavy rain on the day.

The injured parties stated that they could see the driver of the lorry looking in the direction of his passenger, in conversation, rather than at the road, just before the collision, which left them seriously injured.

Judge James McCourt said such cases were difficult. He found the victim-impact statements by the injured man and woman to be articulate, eloquent, and particularly moving.

But he asked what sentence would best serve the interest of society at large?

Mr Malone certainly acted negligently and recklessly, said the judge.

But he has no convictions. Mr Malone said the injured parties were in his thoughts and prayers every day. Nothing can be done to put you all back to the way you were before this unfortunate accident happened more than two years ago.

They sustained bad injuries  this heretofore happy couple, who are now on the brink of separation  their hopes and dreams shattered and they cannot be put together again.

Judge McCourt concluded by saying the interests of society would not be served by sending Mr Malone to prison.

He imposed a 15-month suspended sentence and a three-year driving disqualification.

Defence senior counsel Jane Hyland said the 52-year-old truck driver said as soon as he was interviewed that his thoughts and prayers were with the injured parties.

A WOMAN who was the victim of terrible injuries when an articulated lorry crashed into the car she was travelling in with her then fiancee said in court  Our car was not the only thing that was crushed that day, our lives were crushed.

The truck driver, Antony Malone of Halldene estate, Curraheen Road, Bishopstown, Cork, pleaded guilty at Cork Circuit Criminal Court to a charge of careless driving causing serious harm to the two people on August 3 2021 at Lackanashinagh, Enniskeane, County Cork.

Garda Michael Cadogan who investigated the crash said there was heavy rain on the day making for difficult driving conditions.

The injured parties stated that they could see the driver of the lorry looking in the direction of his passenger during a conversation rather than at the road just before the collision which left them seriously injured.

Judge James McCourt said such cases were very difficult cases to consider. He found the victim impact statements by the injured man and woman to be articulate, eloquent and particularly moving.

But he asked what sentence would best serve the interest of society at large?

Mr Malone certainly acted negligently and recklessly. But he has no convictions. Mr Malone said the injured parties were in his thoughts and prayers every day. Nothing can be done to put you all back to the way you were before this unfortunate accident happened more than two years ago.

They sustained bad injuries  this heretofore happy couple who are now on the brink of separation  their hopes and dreams shattered and they cannot be put together again, the judge said.

Judge McCourt concluded by saying the interests of society would not be served by sending Mr Malone to prison. He imposed a 15-month suspended sentence and a three-year driving disqualification.

Defence senior counsel Jane Hyland said the 52-year-old truck driver said as soon as he was interviewed that his thoughts and prayers were with the injured parties.
East Cork Independent councillor Liam Quaide has announced his decision to join the Social Democrats.

Mr Quaide, who is a clinical psychologist, led a campaign in East Cork over the past two years against the closure of the Owenacurra Centre mental health service in Midleton.

Following seven Oireachtas Committee hearings and Mr Quaide's meeting with HSE CEO Bernard Gloster in June this year, the HSE committed to a multi-million euro investment in residential mental health services for the region.

East Cork had been facing the loss of all 24-hour staffed placements in 2021. As a result of the Owenacurra campaign, 16 such placements in Midleton for adults with the highest level of need will now be funded.

Commenting on his decision to join the Social Democrats, Mr Quaide said: Throughout the Owenacurra Centre campaign, I was extremely grateful for the support this issue received from Social Democrats TDs Holly Cairns and Roisin Shortall. Their Oireachtas Committee work helped ensure this closure retained national political attention.

The Social Democrats share my concerns about Irelands under-resourced mental health and disability services for children and adults, and the need for greater investment in these areas, as well as health service reform.

I strongly identify with the party's policies in key areas such as housing, health and disability rights, and the need to address the climate and biodiversity crises. These are all priorities for me as a public representative.

I am looking forward to representing the Social Democrats on Cork County Council at such an exciting time for the party under Holly Cairns dynamic new leadership.

Much of the Cork East constituency is rural, and it is ideal to have a Cork-based TD with a farming background leading a party of change."

Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns welcomed councillor Liam Quaides decision to join the partys team of councillors.

I am excited to have Liam on board as a Social Democrats councillor and I know he will continue to be an exceptional public representative for the East Cork community, she said.

As a highly respected HSE psychologist, Liam will be able to offer valuable insights into the deficiencies in public mental health services.

His views on a range of issues  including the urgent need for climate change mitigation and measures to tackle the housing crisis  very much align with those of the Social Democrats.

Liam will be a great fit for the party and I am really looking forward to working with him.
A LETTER sent by two Cork city councillors complaining of the emphasis on prayers by Catholic and Church of Ireland religious leaders at last weeks special council meeting convened to mark the conclusion of the decade of centenaries is under review, Lord Mayor Kieran McCarthy has told The Echo.

In their joint letter to the Lord Mayor, An Rabharta Glas councillor Lorna Bogue and Workers Party councillor Ted Tynan said they objected to the councils present practice of incorporating religious services into its civic business and sought clarification of the councils policy on the matter.

We think that you have not lived up to your responsibilities as Lord Mayor in the organisation of this special meeting in not seeking consultation from other elected councillors on the order of business in advance, they wrote.

The circumstances of yesterdays [Thursday, November 16] special meeting would not have come about had the Lord Mayor constructed the business of the special meeting so that it did not include a religious service, ecumenical or otherwise.

At a minimum you could have given councillors who did not want to participate in it a way of doing so.

The two councillors acknowledged that the council had a civic role to celebrate the diversity of our city, including its religious life, which includes the decade of centenaries commemorated in the special meeting, but described as unacceptable the idea that councillors are elected to attend religious services as part of official business.

The councillors also said they were aware of the contradiction of living in a State which refers to itself as a republic but writing to a Lord Mayor and said this was part of living in a post-colonial political system.

We think action on your part is required to ensure this is not repeated and future practice changed to reflect our civic responsibilities, the two councillors wrote.

The special meeting featured prayers by three Christian clergymen, including Bishop Paul Colton, the Church of Ireland Bishop of Cloyne, Cork and Ross; Methodist minister, Reverend Andrew Robinson; and Father Christy Fitzgerald.

Before the prayers took place, Mr Tynan walked out of the meeting, while Ms Bogue pointed to the crucifix which she said was a permanent fixture in the council chamber.

In his response to a query from The Echo, Mr McCarthy said the letter was under review.

Its under review by the party chief whips, he said.

The meeting can still be viewed on the Cork City Council YouTube site.
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TEMPERATURES are set to plummet to near-freezing in Cork towards the end of this week and into the weekend, but experts have said that we are highly unlikely to see any snow over the next week.

Met Eireann has predicted that temperatures will drop as low as 2 degrees Celsius on Friday night, and remain at this temperature Saturday morning.

Highest predicted temperatures are still sub-10 degrees, with the Irish Meteorological Service predicting highest temperatures of 7-9 degrees Celsius across the two days, but counties in the South of Ireland are set to stay largely dry for the weekend.

Sunday is set to be warmer but cloudier, with winds beginning to pick up, reaching "strong to near gale force, and rain expected to accompany these winds early next week.

Despite the cold snap, it is not expected to snow in Cork, with weather expert Alan O'Reilly from Carlow Weather saying that only very high points across the country such as the Wicklow Mountains are likely to see any snowfall.

Liz Walsh, a meteorologist at Met Eireann told The Echo that Cork is at no risk at all for snow in November.

Saying that people should be wary of reports of snow in the media, she explained: Cork is far South so its difficult for it to get snow at any time, and it doesnt look likely in next week or so.

Walsh added: To be honest, the cold blast coming this week is very short lived  its only Friday night and Saturday morning.

What is actually a little spectacular is the fact that its been so mild so far, we havent had a widespread frost yet and its nearly the end of November.

She shared that people in Cork can expect to see the first widespread frost of the winter on Friday night and early Saturday morning, then a cold day on Saturday.

By Saturday evening, cloud and rain from the Atlantic will return, making temperatures milder until Tuesday, followed by colder days again midweek, but with temperatures not going below near to or slightly below average.
A bus and car are on fire on OConnell Bridge in Dublin city centre as disorder continues on Thursday night after three children and a woman were attacked near a school earlier in the day.

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said a complete lunatic faction driven by far-right ideology is behind disorder in Dublin this evening.

He said a number of Garda vehicles have been damaged.

I think theres disgraceful scenes in terms of a major investigation, the maintenance of a scene and the gathering of evidence, he told media during a press conference at Mountjoy Garda Station.

We have a complete lunatic hooligan faction driven by far-right ideology, and also then this disruptive tendency engaged in serious violence.

We are drafting in resources to deal with that and that will be dealt with properly. Ive given full direction to our resources here in respect of making arrests and bringing offenders to justice.

Its our responsibility to make sure that we police the streets, and part of that is we ask people to act responsibly and not to listen to the misinformation and rumour that is circulating on social media.

The facts are being established, but the facts are still not clear on a lot of the rumour and the innuendo is being spread for malevolent purposes.

Violent scenes are unfolding close to the site of the attack in Dublin city centre as crowds of protesters gathered.

A Garda public order unit was deployed in the area around Parnell Square, Parnell Street and OConnell Street.

Some protesters have been involved in scuffles with gardai while others threw bottles, flares and fireworks at officers.

A car on fire on Parnell Street in Dublin is a Garda vehicle. Another fire is burning on the opposite side of the street.

Rioters have also attacked a Luas tram on OConnell Street, smashing several of its windows.

A fire has broken out inside the damaged Luas tram as violence continues on OConnell Street in Dublin city centre.

Justice minister Helen McEntee said: The horrific attack today in Dublin city centre was an appalling crime that has shocked us all.

An Garda Siochana are following a definite line of inquiry and are not looking for anyone else regarding this crime. The perpetrator will be brought to justice.

However, the scenes we are witnessing this evening in our city centre cannot and will not be tolerated. A thuggish and manipulative element must not be allowed use an appalling tragedy to wreak havoc.

I have spoken to local TDs from all sides of the Dail and we are of the same view.

We will not tolerate a small number using an appalling incident to spread division.

I would appeal for calm in the city centre as An Garda Siochana carry out their work  attacks on members of An Garda Siochana must be utterly condemned and will be dealt with severely.

I am meeting the Garda Commissioner this evening to discuss the policing plan in the city tonight.

Most importantly, we must remember the real tragedy of today and allow the investigations take their course.

5:25pm

Gardai have said they are continuing to investigate all the circumstances of a serious assault which occurred in Dublin shortly after 1:30pm this afternoon.

Preliminary indications are that a male attacked a number of people on Parnell Square East, they said in a statement.

Five casualties were taken to hospitals in the Dublin Region. These include three young children, an adult female and an adult male.

One girl aged five has sustained serious injuries and is currently receiving emergency medical treatment in CHI Temple Street.

A boy aged 5 and a girl aged 6 years, who received less serious injuries were brought to CHI Crumlin for treatment. The boy has since been discharged from CHI Crumlin.

An Garda Siochana is providing support to the children's parents.

The woman in her 30s is being treated for serious injuries at the Mater Hospital.

An man in his 50s is also being treated for serious injuries at a Hospital in the Dublin Region.

The scene remains sealed off at this time and a technical examination of the scene is ongoing.

"An incident room has been established at Mountjoy Garda Station and a Senior Investigating Officer has been appointed," An Garda Siochana said in a statement.

"An Garda Siochana is following a definite line of inquiry. The male in his 50s is a person of interest in this investigation. An Garda Siochana is not looking for any other person at this time.

"An Garda Siochana continues to have an open mind at this early stage of the investigation."

They are appealing to anyone with any information on this attack to contact investigating Gardai. Investigating Gardai are also appealing to any person who may have mobile phone footage of the attack or the immediate aftermath to make this footage available to An Garda Siochana.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Mountjoy Garda Station 01 6668600 the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111 or any Garda Station.

An Garda Siochana are not in a position to provide any further information at this early stage of the investigation.

Superintendent Liam Geraghty speaking to media outside Mountjoy Garda Station, after a serious incident on Parnell Square East. A male attacked a number of people on Parnell Square East, with five casualties taken to hospitals in the Dublin Region. Photograph: Sasko Lazarov /  RollingNews.ie

Speaking at a press conference in Dublin, Superintendent Liam Geraghty said An Garda Siochana continues to have an open mind at this early stage of the investigation, but are satisfied there is no terrorist link.

This is a very early stage of the investigation which is not even four hours old at this stage, but at this time An Garda Siochana is satisfied from our inquiries that there is no terror-related activity or related to any wider aspects in relation to this matter, he said.

It would appear to be a standalone attack, and we need to determine the reasons behind that.

Supt Geraghty said his understanding is that a knife was used in the attack, but he could not provide more detail on the nature of the injuries.

He said the parents of the children involved in the Dublin incident were aware of the incident very quickly.

We are dealing, not just with the parents of the three children, but parents of the wider group that would have seen and potentially be traumatised as a result of what happened this afternoon, the Garda officer said.

My understanding is that the first emergency services were ambulances, and they were there within minutes, followed by An Garda Siochana.

My understanding is members of the public did intervene at a very, very early stage and we would applaud those members of the public for getting involved in such a traumatic and potentially dangerous situation for themselves.

Were aware that the public are concerned about the activities that have happened today. The message to them is that we believe that this is a standalone incident, not necessarily connected to any wider issues that are ongoing in the country or in the city, and we need to identify the exact reasons for that happening.

So wed ask for people not to jump to conclusions and not to make rash judgments on what may have happened.

Earlier

THREE children have been injured in a serious incident in Dublin city centre, the PA news agency understands.

The incident happened in Parnell Square East in the north inner-city of Dublin.

Gardai are investigating all the circumstances of the serious public order incident which occurred shortly after 1.30pm this afternoon

A spokesperson for the Garda said: "Five casualties have been taken to various hospitals in the Dublin Region. The casualties include an adult male, an adult female and three (3) young children.

"One child, a girl, has sustained serious injuries, the other two children are being treated for less serious injuries. An Garda Siochana is in contact with parents of all three injured children.

"The adult female is being treated for serious injuries and the adult male for less serious injuries.

"The scene remains sealed off at this time.

"An Garda Siochana is following a definite line of inquiry.

"An Garda Siochana is not looking for any other person at this time."

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar: We are all shocked by the incident which has taken place in Parnell Square. A number of people have been injured, some of them children. Our thoughts and our prayers go out to them and their families.

I have been in contact with the Minister for Justice who is keeping me updated. The facts in this matter are still emerging. The emergency services responded very quickly and were on site within minutes. I thank them for that. Gardai have detained a suspect and are following a definite line of inquiry.

Tanaiste Micheal Martin said he is deeply shocked at a serious incident.

Our thoughts and prayers are with all those injured, their families, friends and the emergency services who responded so quickly at the scene, he posted on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

Garda at the scene of a serious incident on Parnell Square East this afternoon. Pic : Colin Keegan / Collins Photos

Justice Minister Helen McEntee also said she was deeply shocked by the appalling attack on three innocent children and a woman in Dublin city centre.

Ms McEntee said: All our thoughts are with those injured, especially with the children, their parents and families, during this extremely difficult period.

I have been briefed by the Garda Commissioner and will remain in close contact with him and senior Gardai.

It is my understanding that Gardai are following a definite line of inquiry and are not looking for any other person at this time.

This attack has shocked us all, and I have no doubt that the person responsible will be brought to justice.

However, my thoughts now are with the innocent children and the woman who have been attacked, their families, and those who are caring for them at this time.

At least two dozen Garda members attended the scene of a serious incident in Dublins inner city in which several people were injured.

Parnell Square East was cordoned off by Garda tape as crowds gathered at the end of the road.
Assets linked to a man, John Keith O'Donovan described to court as "one of the main suppliers of heroin in Cork" have been deemed proceeds of crime by the High Court.

These include a 200,000 house in Donoughmore Co Cork and a quantity of cash.

The orders, sought by the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB), were made by Mr Justice Alexander Owens earlier this month after the court was informed that that the assets were financed by O'Donovan's criminal activity.

O'Donovan, the judge noted, has over 50 convictions for offences including manslaughter, armed robbery, burglary assault, illegal possession of a firearm, possession of illegal drugs and was described to the court as being "one of the main suppliers of heroin in Cork."

In a sworn statement to the court a CAB officer said that "the number of convictions on file do not truly reflect O'Donovan's involvement in criminal activity."

The officer added that O'Donovan (50) frequently engaged with other known criminals, and had access to substantial funds from unknown sources.

The assets were seized by the Criminal Assets Bureau over three years ago as part of its investigation into O'Donovan's activities.

As a result of its probe the Bureau sought orders under Section 3 of the 1996 Proceeds of Crime Act in respect of assets including a house at Monataggart, Donoughmore Co Cork and 8,590 in cash.

The cash was recovered as part of a search of the property conducted on May 22, 2020.

The court heard that as well as the cash, gardai recovered methadone, a mixture of caffeine and paracetamol known as 'bash' which is used as a fake heroin or to cut heroin into larger quantities from the property.

Other materials found in the property included Xanax tablets, which are used to treat anxiety, drug paraphernalia and financial documentation.

CAB claimed that O'Donovan made certain admissions in interviews with gardai including that he was minding the methadone for friends, and that the some of the tablets were his.

When asked to account for the money he replied that:

"I can do, but not now."

CAB counsel Michael Binchy Bl, said the house had been purchased in 1997 for IR20,000 with cash and bank drafts, and had been registered in the name of O'Donovan's mother Doreen O'Donovan.

However it was CAB's case that the property was in fact purchased by John 'Keith' O'Donovan. He was in sole possession and control of the premises, it was alleged.

At the time of the purchase it is claimed by CAB that O'Donovan's criminal career was "quite prevalent."

It was also alleged that O'Donovan, and his family, were of modest legitimate income, and that the value of the assets in question far exceeded any legitimate income earned by him.

It was registered in his mother's name in order to conceal the true identity of the true owner from the state authorities, counsel said.

Following CAB's investigation it was their case that O'Donovan did not have the legitimate means to acquire the property now estimated to be worth over 200,000, counsel said.

The assets have been the subject of freezing orders obtained by CAB, and the bureau was now asking the court for further orders deeming the property and the cash as the proceeds of crime.

There was no opposition to the application, and the judge said he was satisfied to make the orders sought.
ALL I can recall about Friday, November 22, 1963, is that I was six and a half and that we were visiting cousins in Kilworth that night.

Im not certain if we had a television or not that time. I can recall Murphy Agus A Chairde and Tolka Row on the black and white telly but it might have been in other houses and not ours.

Josie Linehan, of Ballyhooley, was a first cousin of my late father - both of their mothers were Barrys. Mam kept up the link with all of dadas relations, even after he died in 1961.

Josie had married Atty Coughlan, from Mitchelstown side, and they farmed at Knocknohill in Kilworth.

We used often visit the Coughlans, the Barrys, the Sheehans, and the Cotters - all cousins. Amazing what youd remember as a six-year-old -and what youd forget!

Well, on that Friday night I remember we looked at the grainy TV pictures from Dallas, Texas, in Coughlans kitchen. Atty, Josie, son Billy and daughter Margaret, Mam, Auntie Jo and a couple of us young Arnolds were there.

Coughlans was a great house for children to visit - lemonade, cake, sweets and biscuits seemed to be piled high everywhere. Id say we were more interested in the treats than the unfolding tragic news from across the world, but we knew from the solemn silence of the big people that something awful had happened.

Afterwards, Jackie Kennedy said it was the day Camelot died. It seemed like the great American dream was in shatters.

While John Fitzgerald Kennedy was the fourth American president to be assassinated, the last time such an awful event had occurred was way back in 1901 when President William McKinley died from gangrenous wounds eight days after being shot.

JFKs killing was such a tragedy. Of course, well never know if the first ever Irish Catholic President of the United States would have fulfilled all the expectation that had been placed on his broad shoulders. Indeed, in the six decades since his death, as many books have been written about his potential as have been penned about his legacy.

What made it so doubly poignant and sad for the Irish nation was that it was only a few months earlier that hed made his historic and joyous visit to Ireland.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy was a superb orator and knew how to engage with his audience. In Cork the Lord Mayor, former GAA President, Sean McCarthy welcomed JFK and said he was an honoured guest. We honour all those who crossed the Atlantic from this tiny island and made their new homes in the United States, said McCarthy.

In reply, the President mentioned that so many countries export oil or iron, steel or gold or some other crop but Ireland has had only one export - its people.

In many ways, Kennedy was like Michael Collins - charismatic, handsome, and with a fantastic vision. Both wrote and they were strong advocates of democracy.

Personally, I feel the Kennedy story gave great hope to so many emigrants from all over the world who settled in the land of the brave and the home of the free. To reach the Office of U.S President was surely the top of the ladder from a political and personal point of view.

Coming from humble ancestral roots in Wexford, he showed that anything is possible, regardless of race, creed or class - one of his successors in the White House, Barack Obama, demonstrated that same true grit.

Patrick Kennedy was born in 1823 in Dunganstown in County Wexford. A year earlier, Edward Arnold was born in the village of Rathcormac, and three years after that William Ford was born in Ballinascarthy in West Cork.

All three were born into humble circumstances and all of them left their native land to try and better themselves and make a new life.

Leaving Ireland in the 1830s and 1840s was truly a one way journey to the New World. Some did return but the vast majority never again saw the ports of New Ross or Cobh.

As a young man in his early twenties, Edward Arnold departed from the banks of the Bride and ended up in Holyoke, Massachusetts. At the age of 22, he married Jane OHara. In 1857, Edward, Jane and their four children headed West. He arrived initially in Sioux City and later moved to Ponca in Dixon County, Nebraska, where he died in 1894.

Edward was a Democrat and valued education highly. He studied extensively and on being appointed a Judge for the District was widely respected as an erudite, wise and extremely fair dispenser of justice.

There are now no Arnolds living in Rathcormac, but Judge Edward Arnolds ancestors lie in the family graves in the old cemetery.

In West Cork last week, I passed through the village of Ballinascarthy and marvelled at the beautiful Model T replica car which honours and commemorates the Ford family connection with the area.

In 1861, William Ford married Mary Litogot Ahern, from Fair Lane in Cork city. The couple had eight children, the second of whom was Henry, who went on to literally revolutionise the automobile industry. In a few short decades the name Ford became synonymous with motor cars and agricultural tractors.

The Ford family didnt forget their Leeside roots. In 1917, work began in Cork on the first custom-built Ford factory outside of the United States. The factory went into production in 1919. Fords remained an integral part of Cork industry until the factory was closed in 1984.

I often wondered did Patrick Kennedy, Edward Arnold and William Ford ever met each other? I suppose not. They were three Irishmen who, like thousands of their countrymen and women, left home to seek a new life.

They probably all had an Irish wake at home a few nights before they left their native places. A wake is held to bid farewell to someone who has died - these were young, strong and healthy men with no thoughts of dying.

For family members staying at home, however, they knew in their hearts and souls that the chance of ever again meeting the emigrant was slim. That was the way it was for hundreds of thousands of our ancestors. So many went to America - of course, for many life in the New World was maybe as tough as at home - No Irish need Apply was often what they saw on shop windows.

Thankfully many, many of them did well and their descendants in the USA and relations at home can be so proud of the contribution they made in making America great. The few dollars home to Ireland were welcome too in keeping the wolf from the door.

Today, 60 years after his untimely death we think of JFK and all the others who were so proud of their Irish heritage.

The word diaspora is now widely used to describe the people of one country scattered across the face of the world. Patrick Kennedy, Edward Arnold and William Ford were amongst those who went - their legacy still lives on.
By Bassam Masoud and Emily Rose, Reuters

The release of hostages under a temporary truce between Israel and Palestinian Hamas militants will not happen before Friday, Israel's national security adviser and the US said, dashing hopes of relatives that some would be freed on Thursday.

The family of Israeli-Irish national Emily Hand were waiting anxiously on Wednesday night along with relatives of other children held hostage in Gaza to find out if she will be released.

Emily, who turned nine last week, was seized from kibbutz Beeri on October 7th when 3,000 gunmen from Gaza crossed the border into southern Israel, killing 1,200 people, according to Israeli authorities, and taking almost 240 into captivity.

Israel and Hamas agreed early on Wednesday to a ceasefire in Gaza for at least four days, to let in humanitarian aid and free at least 50 hostages held by militants in the enclave in exchange for at least 150 Palestinians jailed in Israel.

The starting time of the truce and release of hostages captured by Hamas during its October 7th attack on Israel has yet to be officially announced. An Egyptian security source said mediators had sought a start time of 10am (8am Irish time) on Thursday.

Family members of two Israeli hostages who are currently being held in Gaza, Thomas Hand (centre), the father of nine-year-old Irish-Israeli child Emily Hand, and Iris Haim (left), the mother of Yotam Haim, during a press conference at the Israel Embassy in London. Photo: PA

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said he was hopeful that Emily will be released shortly and that if there can be a ceasefire for four days maybe there can be a ceasefire for a longer period.

Speaking on Newstalk radio on Thursday morning, Mr Varadkar said the ceasefire would provide a breathing space for humanitarian aid.

The family of Emily were in his thoughts, he said. I can't imagine what a traumatic experience that is being held captive in a tunnel away from your family.

There was no military solution to the Israel-Palestine issue. There's no way that one side can defeat the other militarily, notwithstanding Israel's extraordinary military power.

Mr Varadkar added that he thought the European Union's policy towards Israel-Palestine had been very passive when it comes to Israel. It has been partly because Europe is divided on the question of Israel-Palestine. It's been a passive approach, and I don't think that's sustainable.

The Taoiseach said calls for unilateral action against Israel were a bad idea and any action needed to be multilateral.

Providing an update on the status of Emily, a Department of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman said: The Department of Foreign Affairs welcomes the announced agreement between Israel and Hamas for a truce and the release of some of the hostages held in Gaza.

Our focus in particular is on the case of nine-year old Irish citizen Emily Hand.

We have worked consistently for her release over recent weeks, including through extensive contacts with regional partners. There is no official confirmation at this time of those scheduled to be released under this agreement.

The department welcomes the truce agreed as part of the hostage deal. A break in hostilities is essential to allow for significant increased humanitarian access. Gazas civilian population urgently need fuel, food, water, and medical supplies, on a sustained basis and at scale.

Israeli soldiers are seen during a ground operation in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday. Photo: Associated Press

Speaking on Thursday morning, Qatar's foreign ministry spokesperson Majid bin Mohammed Al Ansari said an announcement on the beginning of the truce could come in the next few hours. Qatar has been mediating in the negotiations on the truce.

"The negotiations on the release of our hostages are advancing and continuing constantly," Israeli national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said in a statement released by the prime minister's office.

"The start of the release will take place according to the original agreement between the sides, and not before Friday," it said.

White House spokesperson Adrienne Watson said final logistical details for the release were being worked out. "That is on track and we are hopeful that implementation will begin on Friday morning," Watson said.

But there was no let-up in the fighting early on Thursday, reports said.

Palestinian media said Israeli aircraft and artillery struck Gaza's southern city of Khan Younis in at least two waves and 15 people were killed. Attacks were also reported in several other parts of Gaza, including the Jabalia and Nuseirat camps.

There was no immediate comment from Israel and Reuters was unable to independently verify the reports.

In Israel, sirens warning of incoming rocket fire from Gaza blared in communities near the border with the enclave, the military said. There were no reports of damage or injuries.

Israel's public broadcaster Kan, citing an unidentified Israeli official, reported there was a 24-hour delay in the truce because the agreement was not signed by Hamas and mediator Qatar. The official said they were optimistic the agreement would be carried out when it was signed.

"No one said there would be a release tomorrow except the media ... We had to make it clear that no release is planned before Friday, because of the uncertainty that hostages' families are facing," Kan quoted a source in Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office as saying.

Israeli media, citing anonymous officials, reported the pause in fighting with Hamas also would not start before Friday. Israel's Ynet news website reported that Israel had not yet received the names of the hostages slated for release by Hamas.

Since the Hamas attack on southern Israel that surprised the government and shocked Israelis, five hostages have been recovered alive. Israel says 1,200 people were killed, mostly civilians and about 240 hostages of different nationalities taken hostage by Islamist gunmen.

In retaliation, Israel has subjected Hamas-ruled Gaza to a siege and relentless bombardment. More than 14,000 Gazans have been killed, around 40 per cent of them children, according to medical officials in the territory.

'Need to know they are alive'

Netanyahu made no mention of a potential delay in implementation of the agreement during a press conference late on Wednesday. Hanegbi's statement was released about an hour after the press conference.

"We need to know they are alive, if they're okay. It's the minimum," said Gilad Korngold, who said he drew just a measure of comfort from the deal between Israel and Hamas and was among those who was still awaiting word of relatives. Seven of his family members, including his 3-year-old granddaughter, were taken hostage.

"I want everybody back. But I think  and it's a very tough decision  but I think the children and women must be [first]. They are most fragile...they need to get out."

The US also hoped that aid would begin reaching Gaza in large volumes within the next few days, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said.

The 50 hostages would be released over four days at a rate of at least 10 daily, Netanyahu's office said. The truce could be extended day by day so long as an additional 10 hostages were freed each day, it said.

Israel's justice ministry published a list of 300 names of Palestinian prisoners who could be freed.

Hamas said the initial 50 hostages would be released in exchange for 150 Palestinian women and children imprisoned in Israel. Hundreds of trucks of humanitarian, medical and fuel supplies would enter Gaza, while Israel would halt all air sorties over southern Gaza and maintain a daily six-hour daytime no-fly window in the north, Hamas said.

The truce agreement, the first in a nearly seven-week-long war, was reached after mediation by Qatar and seen by governments around the world as potentially easing the suffering of civilians in the Gaza Strip.

Gaza is the "most dangerous place in the world to be a child," Catherine Russell, head of the United Nations children's agency Unicef, told the UN Security Council on Wednesday. More than 5,300 Palestinian children had reportedly been killed since October 7th, Russell said.  Additional reporting: Vivienne Clarke
By David Young, PA

The Taoiseach has expressed confidence that the release of hostages in Gaza will still go ahead despite a delay.

However, Leo Varadkar said it remained unclear whether Irish-Israeli girl Emily Hand would be among the first group of hostages released.

The nine-year-old is understood to be being held hostage by militants in Gaza after being captured in the Hamas attack on Kibbutz Beeri on October 7th.

A four-day pause in the fighting was due to come into effect on Thursday, with the hostage releases taking place thereafter, but that choreography was hit with a late hitch.

A senior Israeli official has said the pause will now not take place until Friday at the earliest.

Emily Hands father Thomas travelled to Ireland to raise awareness of her case (Norma Burke/PA).

Its hard to get accurate information because the situation is dynamic and changing every day, Mr Varadkar told Newstalk radio on Thursday morning.

The information that we have is that the agreement on the ceasefire and the hostage and prisoner exchange is still happening.

But most likely it will be tomorrow before we see it coming into effect.

It will be a four-day ceasefire, the release of 50 hostages held by Palestinian militant groups in Gaza, so mainly children and women who have children being released and, in return, Israel will release 150 prisoners who are in their jails. And, again, mainly women and teenage boys being released.

And, in the meantime, there will be no military actions happening for those four days.

So were hoping obviously thats the Irish Israeli girl Emily Hand is going to be released, she is on the priority list.

But, speaking to my contacts in the region, even Hamas isnt clear exactly where everyone is, you know, it operates on the basis of cells, theres other groups involved too, so you know, well only know in the next few days as to whether shes one of those being released but shes certainly on the priority list.

So I think all of our thoughts are with her and her family.

I cant imagine what a traumatic experience that is being held captive in a tunnel away from your family.

So hopefully shes out in the next few days.

And, you know, maybe Im a foolish optimist but if there can be ceasefire for four days, maybe there can be a ceasefire for a longer period.

I think its possible that theres some suggestions that it could be extended if more hostages are released.

Of course, it creates some breathing space to get fuel, food, medicine, humanitarian aid into Gaza, which is so important.

Mr Varadkar reiterated his view that there was no military solution to the situation in the Middle East.

He said Israelis and Palestinians either had to live together or a viable two-state solution had to be agreed.

The Taoiseach again questioned the EUs past approach to both Israel and Palestine.

He claimed the bloc treated Israel as a normal western democracy without properly recognising the fact it was occupying Palestinian land and Brussels also provided aid and support to Palestine without pressing its representatives on the lack of elections since 2005 and on human rights issues.

Partially because Europe is divided on the question of Israel and Palestine, its been a passive approach, and I dont think thats sustainable, he said.

Mr Varadkar also pushed back against opposition parties advocating that Ireland act unilaterally to impose sanctions on Israel over its bombardment of Gaza.

I think those kinds of calls, Im sure they come from a place of frustration and horror at whats going on in the Middle East, but theyre coming almost entirely from people who have no experience of foreign policy, who have never once attended a European meeting, by which I mean a proper official EU meeting, have never represented their country abroad in a meaningful way, he said.

And we know how sanctions operate: sanctions only work, if they do more harm to the country being sanctioned than the country thats imposing the sanctions.

So when sanctions were imposed on Russia, South Africa, you name it, Iran, theyre done on a multilateral basis.

If one country acts on its own, a) its ineffective, the country being sanctioned isnt affected much, they dont really care, and you actually end up doing harm, sometimes to your own country because then you can become the victim of a counter boycott.

And we know, for example, in the US there are people who will counter boycott anyone who boycotts Israel.

Do we really want to get into that space, particularly when it wouldnt help the Palestinians at all?

So if youre going to take actions, particularly for a small country, you do so multilaterally, either as the EU or as the UN or even as a group of countries.
James Cox

Over 400 gardai are deployed on foot tonight attempting to restore order as a "lunatic, hooligan faction" caused chaos in Dublin city following a stabbing incident in which five people were injured.

A five-year-old girl is receiving emergency care in hospital following the knife attack, while two children and two adults are also being treated for injuries.

The Luas was set on fire near the Gresham Hotel, while a bus was set alight on O'Connell Street.

Fireworks were set off by rioters who also attacked gardai.

Specialist units were deployed as gardai worked to bring the situation under control. A number of shops were also looted.

The Garda Commissioner has condemned attacks on officers and Garda cars.

Drew Harris has appealed to everyone involved in the unrest to "go home" and for people not to listen to misinformation on social media.

Mr Harris said a complete lunatic, hooligan faction driven by far-right ideology is behind disorder in Dublin this evening.

I think theres disgraceful scenes in terms of a major investigation, the maintenance of a scene and the gathering of evidence, he told media during a press conference at Mountjoy Garda Station.

A Footlocker store that was looted on Mary Street in Dublin city centre.

We have a complete lunatic hooligan faction driven by far-right ideology, and also then this disruptive tendency engaged in serious violence.

We are drafting in resources to deal with that and that will be dealt with properly. Ive given full direction to our resources here in respect of making arrests and bringing offenders to justice.

Its our responsibility to make sure that we police the streets, and part of that is we ask people to act responsibly and not to listen to the misinformation and rumour that is circulating on social media.

The facts are being established, but the facts are still not clear on a lot of the rumour and the innuendo is being spread for malevolent purposes.

In a statement, Minister for Justice Helen McEntee said: "The horrific attack today in Dublin city centre was an appalling crime that has shocked us all.

An Garda Siochana are following a definite line of inquiry and are not looking for anyone else regarding this crime. The perpetrator will be brought to justice.

However, the scenes we are witnessing this evening in our city centre cannot and will not be tolerated.

A thuggish and manipulative element must not be allowed use an appalling tragedy to wreak havoc.

I have spoken to local TDs from all sides of the Dail and we are of the same view.

We will not tolerate a small number using an appalling incident to spread division.

An Garda Siochana at the scene in Dublin city centre after five people were injured in an attack, including three young children. Violent scenes are unfolding close to the site of the attack in Dublin city centre as crowds of protesters gathered.

I would appeal for calm in the city centre as An Garda Siochana carry out their work  attacks on members of An Garda Siochana must be utterly condemned and will be dealt with severely.

I am meeting the Garda Commissioner this evening to discuss the policing plan in the city tonight.

Most importantly, we must remember the real tragedy of today and allow the investigations take their course.

President Michael D Higgins has expressed his sympathies for the children injured in the attack on Parnell Square East in Dublin City centre this evening.

A bus on fire on O'Connell Street in Dublin city centre after violent scenes unfolded following an attack on Parnell Square East where five people were injured, including three young children.

In a statement, he said that all of our thoughts are with each of the children and their families affected by todays horrific attack.

We are particularly thinking of the five-year-old girl and the member of staff caring for her who are both in serious condition in hospital, he said.

All of our prayers are with each of them for a full recovery.

The Gardai deserve all of our support in dealing with this incident.

This appalling incident is a matter for the Gardai and that it would be used or abused by groups with an agenda that attacks the principle of social inclusion is reprehensible and deserves condemnation by all those who believe in the rule of law and democracy. - Additional reporting from Press Association
I CAME across a really good idea the other day, which duly got mentioned in my Theatre Nights column, but certainly deserves highlighting here too, as it taps into an old grievance, all-too-familiar to those of us who were schoolchildren in the 1950s and 60s.

Comedian Aine Gallagher is touring around the country with a one-woman show called Cup of Focals, which encourages her audiences to laugh, have fun, and in the process lose their hang-ups about speaking our native language.

The idea stemmed from her own personal life journey, which included recurring Leaving Cert nightmares, fears and avoidance of those smug fluent speakers, and the inevitable grammatical slip-ups.

You can catch the Cup of Focals show at Coughlans Bar in Ballintemple on Thursday night next, November 30, but the interest sparked by the whole notion made us wonder what your own experience of being taught the mother tongue might be.

So much depended on factors such as where you grew up, what school you went to, and your parents attitude.

If you lived in a Gaeltacht area, you were away with a kick-start, obviously, with strong governmental encouragement and even free university places.

Failing that, if you were at a school where everything was taught through the medium, then you had to gain some knowledge and fluency, whether you enjoyed it or not.

For the majority of schoolkids, though, it seems to have been disliked (is hated too strong a word?) as much as it was resented. And that unfortunate result all too often continued into adulthood.

Some of you might still feel it even now, although many have softened in later years to realise that it is after all quite something to be able to speak a few words of our native language.

President Eamon de Valera officially opens an Irish Summer College at Garryvoe, Co. Cork, on July 24, 1944.

Donal Murray is one such person who has less than fond memories of learning Irish.

Theres nothing to tell, said Donal, when urged to explain why he disliked Irish at his junior school.

I just hated it, thats all theres to it.

The whole idea of Irish being an essential subject for matriculation to the new National University of Ireland began in the early 20th century. It then became a compulsory subject for all national schools in the new Irish Free State in 1922.

At the same time, a good knowledge was compulsory if you wanted to have a hope of entering the Civil Service. By 1928, you couldnt get the Inter Cert without it, and in 1934, not only compulsory Irish but also an oral Irish exam became mandatory for the Leaving Cert.

You can understand what Eamon deValera and his officials were after, and why. We had been subjected to the most rigorous re-culturing by Englands colonial rule (you have, presumably, heard of the tally sticks used in 19th century schools here, whereby pupils received a stroke of the cane for every Irish word they accidentally used), and naturally enough the new Ireland wanted to get its own native culture back. It is very unfortunate, though, that such a laudable aim caused so many to turn away.

Ger Fitzgibbon attended secondary school in Pres in the 1960s. The whole thing about Irish there was a very mixed message, he recalled.

Dan Donovan taught Irish in the upper secondary - he was passionate about it, a fluent speaker, etc, and some of that communicated to some of us. But the prevailing feel of the school was quite anti-Irish and it was definitely uncool to see it as anything but a painful duty (like fish on Friday) rather than a rich inheritance or our birthright.

Ger continued: This was compounded by a dominant utilitarian approach to education (What use is Irish?) and a kind of snobbery about it. (After all, nobody on the South Mall spoke Irish!)

Im sure all this sprang from the under-lying drive of the school - to educate the Catholic middle class into positions of social standing. Irish was not seen as the language of that particular future.

That whole thing came into sharp focus one day when a very intense, committed Irish teacher came into class and asked us if we were going to see Mise Eire. All the schools were going, so naturally we were. We thought hed be happy that we were all going to see it. He flew into a total melt-down rage, throwing books around and telling us we were spineless hypocrites, only going to see this important Irish film because it gave us a half-day.

I think he was a genuine idealist and the whole Pres attitude had got to him.

(Oh Mise Eire! Apart from Corkman Sean O Riadas incredible and unforgettable musical score, it wasnt exactly a seismic experience for most schoolkids back in the mid 20th century. Urged to write essays about it, explain its wonder, its attraction, students stuck their heels in and refused. At a film club for young viewers, a prize was offered for the best review of the piece. Not one single entry was received.)

The scene at the official opening of the Irish College at Trabolgan by President Eamon de Valera on July 20, 1959.

But back to Ger Fitzgibbons memories.

Before Pres, I had a brief spell in Sullivans Quay (upper Primary) where I experienced some of the best and the worst teaching I ever encountered and, as much of that was through Irish, had a similarly mixed response.

Its fair to say that fear was the main pedagogical methodology in Sullys Quay. Despite that, there were exceptions. One of the best was a Mr Roycroft, a big, strong chap who cycled to school every day.

One day he was late, arrived into class, apologised to us for being late (!), then disappeared and re-appeared up three flights of stairs carrying his big, old heavy bike over his shoulder.

He up-ended the bike in front of the class and proceeded to teach us how to fix a puncture through the medium of Irish. I thought it was a genius idea. A few of us had bikes (or had older siblings who had bikes) and others aspired to them.

Up to that point, we had all been learning a version of Irish devoted to explaining how to foot turf or sell donkeys or cut seed potatoes (I still have bits of that vocab rattling around in my brain). Suddenly, here was something - in Irish - that actually connected with our own experience!

The fear and dislike of Irish, recalls Ger, was not helped by his own home atmosphere which regarded native Irish culture (traditional singing, Irish language on radio, etc) as a kind of embarrassing relative, that couldnt be totally disowned but was definitely not to be encouraged.

Although, like a lot of people, I retain a good deal of passive Irish, adds Ger, I never developed confidence with it.

One thing that infuriates me retrospectively was the ideological nonsense that came with it at school - that the Irish language (like the Irish race) was a pure, unsullied thing, unchanged and unchanging, uncontaminated by international history, invasion, commerce or cultural influence.

The myth of language purity, like the myth of racial purity, was a stultifying and pernicious nonsense that was inflicted on us.

It was years before I began to connect Irish with its European cousins, to see the Irish seomra as a phonetic rendering of French chambre or garsun as a version of garcon.

Did Ger remember, we asked, the leading position that Colaiste Chriost Ri (CCR) held in the Irish stakes back in those days? How, in the frightening Irish debates that were regularly inflicted on the citys schools, the Chriost Ri lads would easily win every single time, not only making their arguments in richly fluent colloquial language, but also thumping the podium and shaking their fists in an enviable confidence, reminiscent of politicians, to which the rest of us, shakingly trying to compose sentences without too many glaring errors, could never hope to aspire. (Well, Micheal Martin learned his skills there, didnt he?)

Re CCR, as far as I know, commented Mr Fitzgibbon, most subjects were taught through Irish there and the school ethos was definitely nationalist and pro-Irish. That, combined (I suspect) with a good deal of physical reinforcement, may have had the desired effect.

Why not get the inside information from one of those who actually attended CCR? You will remember Tony Finn. Now living in the UK, whence he emigrated with his family at the age of 16. He is still determined to come back to that same Colaiste one of these days to collect his Inter Cert! They are still holding it safely for you, Tony!

He was quick to reply: I dont think that Chriost Ri had a magic formula, but many factors contributed to the students ability to speak Irish well and perhaps the foundations were laid at home and during primary school years.

In my own case, I went to Scoil Barra (the Model School) primary where every subject was done through the medium of Irish and all conversations between pupil and teacher were in Irish, inside and outside of the classroom to help us develop our use of spoken Irish.

Of course, we had the additional incentive that if we did our Primary Cert though the medium of Irish, we got an extra 10% added to our marks!

 I also recall that some of my fellow-pupils at the Model spoke Irish at home, so to them Irish was their first language.

By the time I went to Chriost Ri , Irish came naturally to me and I could speak it fluently, and Im sure I was not alone in that.

I remember that at Chriost Ri we had John OShea (Johnno of Everyman fame) and Mr Corkery, both excellent Irish teachers who encouraged pupils to go beyond the curriculum and to read books written in Irish, like Peig and Fiche Bliain ag Fas and to study the work of the Irish poets like Pearse and others.

The school organised stays for us at the Gaeltacht in Dunquin, and pupils were encouraged to take part in competitions at Feis Na Mumhan and Feis Matthew. I received my Fainne Airgid at Scoil Barra, and we got every encouragement to work for the Fainne Or at Chriost Ri .

He feels that Chriost Ri was very good at putting polish on student abilities by developing an ethos within the school that taught them to appreciate their native language, and to understand its role in the emerging Ireland of the time.

Looking back, 1960s Ireland seems to me to have been like a newly-born foal, climbing unsteadily to its feet, so the Irish language, literature, poetry, Irish music and the GAA all helped us to realise that we were different from our near-neighbours and we were proud to be Irish.

Do you remember the slogan Be Irish, Buy Irish, which helped to boost the economy back then?

Its a sad thing, says Tony, that Irish is not a language that stays with you, and if you stop using it, you lose the vocabulary over time.

He added: I moved to Cardiff in 1965 as a 16- year-old, and that was the end of my regular use of Irish. I did remember enough though to get an O level and an A level in Irish language and literature. There arent a lot of us about!

The papers were set by the Celtic studies department of Aberystwyth University and I was the only pupil in the examination hall for both exams.

Aberystwyth still does Irish Language and Literature modules in its Celtic Studies course today.

What are your memories of learning Irish in younger days? Tell us them! Email jokerrigan1@gmail.com. Or leave a comment on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/echolivecork.
Founded in 2005 as an Ohio-based environmental newspaper, EcoWatch is a digital platform dedicated to publishing quality, science-based content on environmental issues, causes, and solutions.

A Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite image shows a wildfire near Alexandroupoli in the Evros region of northeast Greece on Aug. 23, 2023. European Space Agency

The European Commission and the European Space Agency (ESA) have partnered to use satellites to address climate crisis threats and illegal logging in European Union (EU) forests.

The commission has proposed a new law where the EU would use Copernicus Sentinel satellites to collect forest data in order to stay on top of threats like logging and wildfires exacerbated by climate change, reported Reuters.

As world leaders grapple with the urgency of climate action, the role of space-based technology and data has become increasingly critical, a press release from the ESA said. Access to actionable information is fundamental to fight climate change, to support knowledge-based policies and initiatives and their implementation, and to ensure that this is balanced with sustainable economic development and societal benefits.

EU member countries would also be required to measure on-the-ground trends, including the volume of trees and ancient forest locations.

We need to see the trends, need to predict better, we need to see how they are responding to climate change, Virginijus Sinkevicius, EU Environment Commissioner, told Reuters. At this moment there are no comprehensive monitoring requirements to provide an overall picture of the state of our forests.

According to Brussels, data provided by EU member states currently has long delays and gaps, which get in the way of the ability to prepare for climate threats.

Extreme heat and drought in the EU have increased the risk of destructive wildfires. More than two million acres was lost to forest fires last year, according to government data, Reuters reported.

Sinkevicius said the new satellite data will help keep track of illegal logging and other threats across borders.

Europes forests are essential for storing carbon dioxide and helping to meet nations climate goals, as well as for flood protection.

Last year, 43 percent of land affected by wildfires in Europe was in the network of Natura 2000 protected areas, which cover many habitats and threatened species, reported Euronews Green.

EU forest protection group Fern said the new law was a potentially golden opportunity, but added that it should also require EU nations to take steps to boost the health of forests, Reuters reported.

Space, and in particular Earth observation, offers a unique perspective on how to tackle climate challenges faced by humanity, said Kurt Vandenberghe, the European Commissions director-general for climate action, in the press release. Space technologies are crucial for reaching climate neutrality and climate resilience by 2050. Through our joint initiative, we are committed to exploring and enhancing opportunities for the development and broader implementation of space-based solutions dedicated to climate action.
Beith Parish Church in Scotland has church bells partially silenced

A noise complaint has silenced a church bell that clanged every hour for more than 200 years in Scotland's Beith parish.

The 24-hour ringing at Beith Parish Church in Ayrshire was stopped after a resident told council environmental health their sleep had been disturbed, the BBC reported.

It is a decision that was taken by the church following a complaint by a local resident earlier this year regarding the noise made by the clock chiming.

So, the Church of Scotland has now stopped the bell between 11 p.m. and 07 a.m.

However, the change has left residents furious and a petition was launched to bring the chimes back into use every hour of the day, the Adross Herald newspaper reported.

This appeal has gathered more than 900 signatures since it was launched on November 13 as residents rally round to bring back the "cherished tradition."

PETITION TO RESTORE HISTORY

A petition to restore the 24-hour chime has garnered more than 900 signatures. Organisers say the tradition is part of the Beith's "history and heritage".

North Ayrshire Council asked the Church of Scotland to consider silencing the bell overnight.

The petition explains how much the chimes means to many of the town's residents.

It states: "The chiming of our parish church clock has always been a part of the character and charm that makes our town unique.

"Recently, due to complaints from a newcomer, this cherished tradition has been limited with the cessation from 11pm till 7am.

"This change has not only disrupted our sense of community but also altered an integral part of our town's identity."

The residents said that the chiming clock is more than a mere timekeeper; it serves as an audible connection to their history and heritage and has been chiming for 200 years.

The petition says that many townsfolk have shared stories about how they've relied on these chimes throughout their lives.

These include knowing when it was time to head home as children playing in the streets, to relying on them during power outages.

'OUR COMFORT'

"We understand that everyone's comfort is important. However, we believe that one person's discomfort should not outweigh a tradition loved by many and ingrained in our community for generations," says the petition.

According to Sky News a Church of Scotland spokesperson said: "Embracing the bible teaching 'love thy neighbour as thyself', the Kirk Session took environmental health's suggestion on board and the clock bell has not sounded between 11pm and 7am since 11 October."

In the meantime, the bell continues to chime on the hour between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. every day of the week.
Chinese language learning gains popularity among Lebanese students

Xinhua) 10:55, November 23, 2023

BEIRUT, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon saw an increasing popularity of Chinese language learning among students this academic year starting in October, said the director of the country's Confucius Institute.

Nisrine Abdel Nour Lattouf told Xinhua that the Confucius Institute at Saint Joseph University of Beirut has been offering Chinese language courses to 325 students at five other schools across the country, more than doubling the 120 students enrolled in the previous academic year ending June 2023.

Lattouf expected the number to increase remarkably in the future since there has been a growing demand from Lebanese schools, which she said is due to the job opportunities, cross-cultural communication platforms, and chances to enter the Chinese market potentially provided by learning Chinese.

The Confucius Institute at Saint Joseph University was established in 2006 in partnership with China's Shenyang Normal University.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
(Photo: REUTERS / Nathan Layne)A view of the Roman Catholic church and belfry in the coastal Philippine town of Balangiga devastated by super typhoon Haiyan, November 20, 2013. Picture taken November 20, 2013. In Balangiga, the Roman Catholic belfry rises from the rubble, a battered symbol of resistance for a people with mixed feelings about the U.S. military now helping them survive. The town built the belfry in 1998 in the hope that the United States would return three bells it says were stolen as trophies during the 1899-1902 Philippine-American War. Two of the bells are at the Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming. The third is part of a traveling museum now at a base in South Korea.

BALANGIGA, Philippines (Reuters) - In the devastated coastal Philippine town of Balangiga, a Roman Catholic belfry with a maroon steeple rises from the rubble, a battered symbol of resistance for a people with mixed feelings about the U.S. military now helping them survive.

After one of the world's most powerful typhoons roared across the central Philippines and killed more than 4,000 people, U.S. military helicopters are flying in aid to desperate regions such as this once-picturesque fishing village of 12,600 people in ravaged Samar province.

It was here 112 years ago that one of the darkest chapters of American colonialism began: the island-wide massacre by U.S. soldiers of thousands of Filipinos, including women and children, in response to the killing of 48 U.S. soldiers by rebels.

After months of bloodshed, animosity has festered for more than a century over the ultimate insult: seizure of the town's church bells by U.S. troops. In recent years, the Philippine government has demanded their return.

Marciano Deladia, a chief aide to the mayor, and other residents are thankful for the U.S. packets of rice and other food. "But we want our bells back," he said.

The town built the belfry in 1998 in the hope that the United States would return three bells it says were stolen as trophies during the 1899-1902 Philippine-American War. One is believed to have been rung to signal the start of the attack.

Two of the bells are at the Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming. The third is part of a travelling museum now at a base in South Korea.

"HISTORICAL HERITAGE"

The dispute over the Balangiga bells underscores the difficulty the United States will face in transforming goodwill over its aid to typhoon victims into a bigger military presence on the ground in the Philippines.

Although the two countries are close allies, mistrust still lingers over America's previous role as the Philippines' colonial master, as well as its longtime support for the brutal and kleptocratic regime of the former dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

The belfry is among just a few buildings still intact after Super Typhoon Haiyan killed 14 people in Balangiga, where a well-organised evacuation plan kept fatalities low.

"We don't have any animosity against the American people," said Deladia, standing in front of a monument recreating the ambush of U.S. troops. But the bells, he said, are "part of our historical heritage".

Every Sept. 28 the town re-enacts the 1901 Balangiga "incident" in which 48 occupying U.S. soldiers died in an ambush at the old church that triggered retaliation in which U.S. forces razed homes and killed thousands.

The dispute reflects America's long ties to the Philippines, which declared independence from Spain in 1898 with the help of U.S. forces. When the United States went on to colonise the country, a war of independence erupted.

As the United States expands its military and economic interests in Asia to counter a rising China, fewer countries are more strategically important than the Philippines and its string of islands in the busy South China Sea.

Gregoria Pabillo, 76, said replacement bells, which are rung every day at noon and 6 p.m., lack the "rich sound" of the originals, which according to legend could be heard two towns over, some 20 km (12 miles) away.

An official at St. Lawrence The Martyr Parish Church, which stands on the site of the 1901 ambush, said retrieving the bells was important for a full accounting of the past, good and bad, to pass on to the younger generation.

"Some people say 'what's the big deal with the bells?' To that I say: why is it such a big deal that you have to keep the bells?" said Fe Campanero, a secretary at the church.

To others in the ravaged town their uncertain future is their only concern.

"Whether or not the bells are returned doesn't matter to me," said Raymond Balais, 42, whose home was destroyed in the storm.

"We just had a disaster. I don't know what to think." (Editing by Nick Macfie and Jason Szep)




Vietnam adopts new cattle welfare standards, aligning with Australia's beef industry

Vietnam has introduced new voluntary animal standards for cattle, to align with Australia's robust animal welfare practices, at the Australia-Vietnam Beef Cattle Symposium held in Hanoi, Countryman reported.

These standards, applicable to all cattle regardless of origin, mirror the guidelines governing the treatment of Australian cattle exported to Vietnam through the Exporter Supply Chain Assurance System.

Vietnam is the second-largest market for live Australian cattle. LiveCorp chief executive officer Wayne Collier, who attended the symposium, expressed satisfaction with Vietnam's commitment to animal welfare. He said that Australia is unique in requiring exporters to ensure that animal welfare standards in destination countries surpass guidelines set by the World Organisation for Animal Health.

The new standards in Vietnam are expected to benefit local cattle by aligning expectations for animal welfare with those established for Australian cattle. Collier noted the efforts made by Australian exporters over the years to build relationships, invest in training, and collaborate with supply chain partners in Vietnam for continuous improvement in practices.

Vietnam's Ministry of Agriculture, after three years of development and consultation with stakeholders, national, and provincial government officials, introduced these standards. The initiative received support from the Australian Government, which provided a US$135,000 grant, along with resources from LiveCorp and MLA's Livestock Export Programme for information campaigns and training.

The Livestock Export Programme, part of Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA), focuses on in-market professional development and training for workers in feedlots and abattoirs to enhance market access and regulatory compliance. Spencer Whitaker, MLA Asia Pacific market development manager, highlighted the rapid growth and modernisation of Vietnam's cattle industry since it began importing Australian cattle in 2013.

While nearly two million Australian cattle have been exported to Vietnam in the past decade, the trade faced fluctuations, reaching a peak of 365,515 head in 2015.

- Countryman
RNLI honoured at Media Isle of Man Awards for Excellence



RNLI/Charli Dimelow

The Media Isle of Man Awards for Excellence, now in its 17th year, is a highlight of the Manx social and business calendars

It recognises outstanding leaders and initiatives across 16 categories as diverse as Education and Learning, Sustainability, Arts, Culture and Heritage, Health and Wellbeing.

Its most prestigious accolade is the Lifetime Achievement Award which this year went to dedicated RNLI volunteer Richard Leigh. Richard was recently recognised by the RNLI with a Bronze Medal for Gallantry, for his role in rescuing three casualties from a stricken yacht in rough seas and demanding circumstances.

This was the first time in Port St Mary RNLIs history that a gallantry medal was awarded. When hes not volunteering as part of the inshore lifeboat crew, Richard is a teacher specialising in caring for children with complex needs and has dedicated 25 years of service to Port St Mary Lifeboat Station.

The evening was hosted by Monty Halls, well-known marine biologist, author, filmmaker and keen RNLI supporter. He praised the work of the charity which was founded in 1824 by Sir William Hillary.

A resident of the Isle of Man, Hillary witnessed numerous shipwrecks along its coast and decided to take action to help prevent the tragic loss of life at sea.

The RNLI was the nominated charity for this years Awards for Excellence and more than 60 volunteers from the Islands five lifeboat stations were in the audience for the glittering event, held last Thursday evening (16 November).

Mark Wordsworth, an RNLI Trustee and Chair of the RNLI Bicentenary Steering Group, attended in the company of the Isle of Mans Lieutenant Governor Sir John Lorimer.

Reflecting on the ceremony, Mark said:

It is rewarding to see how deeply the lifesaving work of RNLI volunteers is valued by the Isle of Man, where the idea for the charity took root 200 years ago.

In celebrating this significant milestone, the RNLI across the British Isles and Ireland is remembering our remarkable history, celebrating the modern lifesaving service we provide today and looking forward to inspiring and welcoming a new generation of lifesavers and supporters.

Allen Corlett, Chair of the RNLI Isle of Man 200th Anniversary Panel and Lifeboat Operations Manager at Peel Lifeboat said:

We are especially grateful to Media Isle of Man, and its Deputy Chair Trudi Williamson, for selecting the RNLI as the Awards official charity and giving our volunteers the opportunity to raise the organisations profile with the evenings generous audience.

As we move into 2024, we look forward to celebrating the charitys 200th Anniversary across the Isle of Man through a variety of activities including a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Sir William Hillary in January, and a year-long exhibition with Manx National Heritage at the House of Manannan.
Broadcom's mega $61 billion VMware acquisition has closed following considerable scrutiny by regulators, the company announced in a press release. With China recently granting approval for the acquisition with added restrictions, the network chip manufacturer had secured all the required approvals.

"Broadcom has received legal merger clearance in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, the European Union, Israel, Japan, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and foreign investment control clearance in all necessary jurisdictions," the company said. "We are excited to welcome VMware to Broadcom and bring together our engineering-first, innovation-centric teams."

The Broadcom/VMware deal lacked the glamour of tech's other mega acquisition involving Microsoft and Activision. However, San Jose-based Broadcom's products form the structure of much of the internet, as they're widely used for data centers, cloud providers and network infrastructure. VMware, meanwhile, makes virtualization and cloud computing software that allows corporations to safely link local networks with public cloud access.

That made VMware a logical target for Broadcom, but it also placed the acquisition in the crosshairs of regulators in multiple regions. The European Commission, for one, was concerned that Broadcom could harm competition by limiting interoperability between rival hardware and VMware's server virtualization software. It also worried the company could either prevent or degrade access to VMware's software, or bundle VMware with its own hardware products.

Broadcom gained EU approval for the deal in the summer though, mainly by providing IP access and source code for key network fiber optic components to its main rival, Marvell. The EU also concluded that fears of VMware bundling were unfounded and that Broadcom would still face competition in the storage adapter and NIC markets.

There were also concerns that tensions between China and the US could scuttle the deal, after the Biden administration announced new rules in October making it harder to export high-end chips to China. However, approval in that market was announced yesterday, with conditions imposed by China on how Broadcom sells products locally. Namely, it had to ensure that VMware's server software was interoperable with rival hardware, China's regulator said in a statement.
Accessory maker Dbrand has filed a "multi-million dollar" lawsuit against Casetify for allegedly ripping off the designs of its "transparent" Teardown products. The skins and cases, created in collaboration with YouTuber Zack "JerryRigEverything" Nelson, are designed to look like the guts of the device they're applied to, such as smartphones, laptops and gaming systems. Dbrand and Nelson say Casetify stole those designs for its "Inside Out" line.

According to Nelson, he and Dbrand "go to extreme lengths to ensure that every Teardown skin is an accurate representation" of the inside of each device. However, in a video and thread on X (formerly Twitter), the collaborators point out that they add several Easter eggs for fans to find.

Exhibit A: The phrase GLASS IS GLASS AND GLASS BREAKS.



This is a catch-phrase coined by Teardown co-creator @ZacksJerryRig. This tagline does not exist on the internal hardware of any smartphone, yet somehow appears on @Casetifys products. (2/6) pic.twitter.com/UpB2u5zg3M  dbrand (@dbrand) November 23, 2023

Among other things, they claim Casetify's Inside Out cases have a poorly masked version of a label found on Teardown products that features Nelson's signature phrase "glass is glass, and glass breaks. Nelson took a further dig at Casetify by saying the print quality of its cases is "extraordinarily subpar." Dbrand's logo even allegedly appears on a Casetify case.

In his video, Nelson says the saga stems back to earlier this year, when an X user claimed Casetify was selling a "transparent" case for a Samsung phone that displays the internals of an iPhone. Dbrand poked fun at Casetify for the apparent slip up.

Casetify later rolled out the Inside Out line, which appeared to have more accurate representations of the guts of the devices they're marketed for. Nelson points out that after using a highly detailed scanner to create a copy of the internals of a device, the Teardown team spends several hours cleaning up the scan. It even takes some creative liberties, such as exposing a charging coil to make a case look more appealing. According to Nelson and Dbrand, Casetify's Inside Out skins and cases match up exactly with the modified designs they used for the Teardown line.

In their suit, which they filed in a Toronto court this week, Dbrand says Casetify infringed upon its copyrighted works with 45 Inside Out products. It's asking for unspecified punitive and exemplary damages, among other things.

By Thursday afternoon, a few hours after Nelson and Dbrand published their accusations, Casetify had pulled every Inside Out product from its website. Meanwhile, Dbrand and Nelson took the opportunity to unveil a new set of X-ray skins.

"Casetify has always been a bastion of originality, and we hold pride in that," the company said in a statement. "We are currently investigating a copyright allegation against us. We have immediately removed the design in question from all platforms. We are also investigating a DDOS attack that disrupted our website around the time the allegation surfaced. All systems are back to normal. All customer information is safe."

Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse...



Using our designs to cover up our own designs doesn't make it a new product @Casetify. pic.twitter.com/kQBhuYHGuz  JerryRigEverything (@ZacksJerryRig) November 23, 2023

Update 11/24 10:14AM ET: Added Casetify's statement.
Not enough to tell you not to watch that video, though.

Google has updated its Bard AI chatbot, so you can use it to parse YouTube videos. In its most recent experiment update log, the company has announced it has expanded the capabilities of Bards YouTube extension, so when its enabled, the generative AI can understand some video content. For example, Google said youd be able to ask Bard how many eggs were used in a video for an olive oil cake recipe.

Bard first gained the ability to pull data from YouTube in September after an update integrated it with other Google products, including Docs, Maps, Lens, Flights and Hotels. At that point, it couldnt parse a videos contents though.

Google claims people have been asking for deeper engagement with YouTube videos  but I guess that entails watching them less.

And Happy Thanksgiving, all! Its a short, but sweet TMA today, but expect a tidal wave of Black Friday deals landing tomorrow  I suggest keeping an eye on this page .

 Mat Smith

You can get these reports delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!



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This EV seats two and is coming to the US in 2025.

TMA (HW Electro)

Japanese EV automaker HW Electro (HWE) says its Puzzle van will come to the US in 2025. It has rooftop solar panels and equipment for commercial disaster relief  including a crowbar on the outside of the vehicle. Itll be HWEs first vehicle available in the US.

Continue reading.

They want research into creating catgirls. You read that right.

The nuclear research hub Idaho National Laboratory (INL) confirmed it was hacked earlier this week. SiegedSec, a group of self-proclaimed gay furry hackers, took responsibility for the attack and claimed they accessed sensitive employee data, like social security numbers, home addresses and more. The hacktivist group SiegedSec conducted a high-profile attack on NATO last month, leaking internal documents as a retaliation against those countries for their attacks on human rights.

Were willing to make a deal with INL. If they research creating irl (in real life) catgirls we will take down this post, SiegedSec wrote in a post announcing the leak on Monday.INL has, unsurprisingly, promised nothing in the way of catgirls.

Continue reading.

And its only $300.

TMA (Teenage Engineering)

Teenage Engineering just announced the EP-133 K.O. II, a portable sampler with many tricks and the usual TE aesthetic. Its also $300  a bargain in TE terms. The K.O. II boasts 64MB of memory, which isnt a lot, but TE products typically come with some tradeoffs. It should be enough for a bunch of samples and a few projects. There are 999 slots for samples and an internal microphone for making your own. Though this is, first and foremost, a sampler, it ships pre-filled with drum hits, synths and other sounds.

Continue reading.
"1000-Lb Sisters" Star Tammy Slaton shared a moving tribute to her late husband, Caleb Willingham, on social media.

Tammy shared a series of photos on TikTok with Dylan Matthew's "Love Is Gone" playing in the background. The post included a snap featuring their wedding photo, a setting sun and a quote with a butterfly.

"Whisper I love you to a butterfly, and it will fly to heaven to deliver your message," the quote read.

Another shot featured Tammy watching the sunset alone.

"Even though I'm not in love with him but I will always love him, and I miss him everyday, things will get better," read the caption with a smiling face with hearts emoji.

The post received several reactions from the TLC star's supporters, who attempted to cheer her up. Many also sympathized with Tammy and sent her their prayers.

"You don't have to be in love with someone to love them and miss them! your [sic] strong, and you will get through this!" one commented. Another added, "Tamm tamm, keep your head up, you were the love of his life."

"I hope you start healing from this soon. [Y]ou have been through so much, but you deserve to have peace," a third person stated.

"Hugs Tammy!!! Rest easy, Caleb," a fourth supporter said.

"Sending love and prayers for you," Elisha Howard wrote.

"So sorry Tammy, sending you all the love and healing energy," another fan added.

Tammy met Caleb at Windsor Lane Rehabilitation Center in Gibsonburg, Ohio, in 2022. He proposed to her in October of the same year, and they married on Nov. 19, 2022, in the same location. They celebrated their union in a small ceremony with their family and friends present.

Tammy announced his passing on July 1. In a statement to People, Tammy called Caleb "my best friend" and noted, "I loved him dearly."

"When I met Caleb, he became my guardian angel, and now he really is watching over me," she added. "Our families appreciate everyone's sympathy and ask that you respect our privacy at this time."
While turkey or ham is often the star of the Thanksgiving spread, the side dishes are not to be missed because they complete the whole holiday feast.

Based on a list shared by Google with USA Today, the most-searched Thanksgiving side dishes from Oct. 6 to Nov. 6 on the platform were a variety of potato dishes, salads and casseroles.

Green bean casserole topped the list as the most-searched side dish in 19 states: Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin.

Per Martha Stewart, the green bean casserole became a holiday staple because it is "simple, inexpensive and could easily be made ahead of time." It's the reason why it's also nicknamed "jiffy casserole."

Next to the green bean casserole was the sweet potato casserole -- the most-searched Thanksgiving side dish in five states: Arkansas, Florida, Michigan, Oklahoma and West Virginia.

Another type of casserole was also popular in some states. In Alabama, Indiana and Nevada, the corn casserole was the most-searched Thanksgiving side dish.

In Georgia and Kentucky, most people searched for the recipe for broccoli casserole.

Southern Living describes casseroles as "perfect one-dish wonders" because they are quick and easy to do.

Meanwhile, other Thanksgiving side dish recipes that people searched for in other states include the bruschetta, stuffing recipe, twice-baked potatoes, cucumber salad, corn salad, homemade mac and cheese, cornbread, smoked mashed potatoes, scalloped potatoes, potato salad, gratin potatoes, roasted carrots and creamy polenta.

According to Stewart, Thanksgiving wouldn't be Thanksgiving without several dishes featuring potatoes, carrots, cornbread and salads. This is why she made different lists of simple side dishes that only take as little as 20 minutes to prepare.

Mashed agreed with Stewart's statement, saying, "A Thanksgiving meal wouldn't be a Thanksgiving meal without the sides."

The food publication noted that most side dishes were carried through traditions. But more than the actual side dishes themselves, the nostalgia of the meals brings in the Thanksgiving spirit.
Thursday, November 23, 2023

USBT proudly announces its foray into the dynamic realm of blockchain technology, marking a pivotal moment in the landscape of digital solutions tailored to fortify and streamline contemporary business operations. At the core of USBT's mission is an unwavering commitment to innovation, particularly in the seamless integration of blockchain technology that serves as a robust bridge to a future where business processes are not only more secure but also inherently more transparent and efficient.

Empowering Enterprises with Revolutionary Blockchain Integration

Standing at the forefront of blockchain application, USBT presents an array of services meticulously designed to simplify the adoption of this groundbreaking technology for businesses of all sizes. From elevating cybersecurity measures to facilitating the flawless execution of autonomous smart contracts, USBT is crafting an extensive toolbox of blockchain-based solutions poised to redefine and revolutionize prevailing industry standards.

Forward-Thinking Solutions for a Decentralized Future

As true pioneers in this space, USBT recognizes the immense potential of blockchain beyond cryptocurrency. The company's forward-thinking approach encompasses the full spectrum of decentralized solutions, spanning everything from seamless supply chain management to foolproof digital identity verification. This strategic positioning offers USBT's clients a distinctive competitive edge in an increasingly digital world.

A New Standard in Digital Trust and Integrity

Acknowledging the critical nature of trust in the digital age, USBT embeds the highest security protocols and transparent practices into every facet of its offerings. By prioritizing these essential elements, USBT not only equips its clients with the tools necessary for success but also instills the confidence needed to forge ahead in the digital landscape with unparalleled peace of mind.

Joining Forces with USBT for Blockchain Excellence

USBT extends an enthusiastic invitation to forward-looking businesses, tech enthusiasts, and industry innovators to participate in harnessing the transformative capabilities of blockchain technology. With USBT as a partner, clients can unlock a new level of operational excellence, explore innovative revenue avenues, and secure their digital transactions like never before.





About USBT:

USBT stands as a visionary blockchain technology firm, dedicated to delivering robust and sophisticated blockchain solutions to a global clientele. USBT's emphasis on user experience and technological excellence sets it apart as a leader in the field, ready to guide businesses through the intricacies of blockchain adoption.

To discover more about USBT's innovative solutions, please contact our media team or visit our website.

To discover more about USBT's innovative solutions, please contact our media team or visit our website.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this press release is not a solicitation for investment, or intended as investment advice, financial advice, or trading advice. It is strongly recommended that you practice due diligence (including consultation with a professional financial advisor) before investing in or trading securities and cryptocurrency.
Hay is a primary source of nutrition for beef cattle, especially during the winter months. However, feeding hay without proper management can result in significant hay wastage and increased feeding costs.

Several universities have conducted various studies on different types of bale feeders to reduce hay loss and improve efficiency. In this article, we will compare various bale feeder options to help beef cattle producers make informed decisions for their operations.

Cone bale feeders

Cone bale feeders are a popular choice for reducing hay loss. These feeders elevate the hay bale off the ground and limit access to the cattle. Studies have shown that cone feeders can reduce hay waste to around 3.5-6.5%, making them an efficient option. The elevation of the bale keeps it out of the mud and manure, preventing spoilage and contamination.

Ring bale feeders

Ring bale feeders are another widely used option due to their lighter weight. They consist of bars that surround the bale. Cattle pull hay from the ring, which helps reduce trampling and waste. Studies have indicated that open-ring feeders can reduce hay loss to about 6-19%. Having this type of feeder with a solid sheet around the bottom of these feeders prevents hay from being pushed out and minimizes access from the bottom, further reducing waste to 6-12%.

Cradle bale feeders

Cradle bale feeders are designed to hold the bale securely and allow cattle to access it from the sides. Research suggests that these feeders had losses of around 15%. Cradle feeders were found to be the least efficient in reducing hay losses.

Trailer-mounted bale feeders. Some universities have explored the use of trailer-mounted bale feeders. These feeders can be moved easily from one location to another, which can help prevent damaging sod and creating mud in certain areas. These studies were just under 12% hay loss on average.

Conclusion

Choosing the right bale feeder for beef cattle producers can vary depending on the unique characteristics of each operation, with implications reaching far beyond the simple conservation of hay. The diverse options, from cone bale feeders that elevate and protect against spoilage to ring feeders with solid sheets that minimize trampling but are more easily moved. While some may question the efficiency of cradle feeders, the adaptability and maneuverability of trailer-mounted feeders provide an alternative to prevent pasture damage.

Although the price of feeders varies, as does the amount of waste, practical success depends on selecting a feeder that aligns with the unique needs and management style of each farm. As producers consider these options, the primary goal remains to reduce hay loss, trim feeding expenses and ultimately enhance the overall health and productivity of the beef cattle herd.
CHARLESTON, W.Va.  Gov. Jim Justice also announced the launch of West Virginias third annual Big Buck Photo Contest and invites hunters to submit a photo with a buck they harvest during a 2023 hunting season along with a short account of their hunt for a chance to win prizes.

The contest, which has received more than 2,000 submissions since its inception in 2021, opened Nov. 21, and photos must be submitted by Dec. 22 for hunters to be eligible for a prize drawing.

The Big Buck Photo Contest is open to West Virginia residents and nonresidents and includes a youth division for hunters 17 and younger and an adult division for hunters 18 and older. Participants must hold a valid 2023 West Virginia hunting license and provide the 13-digit WVDNR-issued game check number for their buck. Consent for the release and use of submitted photos is implied upon entry. Visit wvdnr.gov/photocontest/ for full rules and entry forms.

For the Resident Youth Division, five winners will be randomly selected to receive a free resident lifetime West Virginia hunting and fishing license.

For the Resident Adult Division, five winners will be randomly selected and may choose between a free resident lifetime West Virginia hunting license, a two-night stay in a Cabwaylingo State Forest cabin or a two-night stay in a Seneca State Forest cabin.

For the Non-Resident Youth Division, five winners will be randomly selected to receive a Cabelas prize package. For the Non-Resident Adult Division, five winners will be randomly selected and may choose between a two-night stay in a North Bend State Park cabin, a two-night stay in a Twin Falls Resort State Park cabin or two Pipestem Peaks Zipline Tour passes.

After the contest closes, a random drawing will be used to select finalists from each division and entries will be judged on photo composition, antler size, antler points and the quality of the hunt narrative. Winners will be announced in January.
HOWARD, Ohio  Eight members of the East Knox FFA recently attended the 96th annual National FFA Convention held Nov. 1-4 at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis Convention Center and Gainbridge Fieldhouse in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana where they attended sessions, received awards, listened to motivational speakers, attended workshops and took tours.

The opening session was highlighted by the National FFA Officers Mackenna Clifton and Ryan Williamson, who chaired the session. The keynote speaker was Juan Bendana who is a renowned speaker, author and DJ, who lights up high school and university campuses worldwide, along with international conferences. He addresses over 50,000 students, educators and parents annually across Canada and the United States. As the Founder of The 100 Day Playbook, he guides students to forge better habits, enhance productivity, and optimize their lives.

The National FFA Officers each gave their retiring addresses at various sessions. The six new 2023-2024 National Officers were announced at the final session on Nov. 4 with Amara Jackson from Michigan elected as National President and Morgan Anderson from Amanda Clearcreek FFA in Ohio elected as Eastern Region Vice President.

In addition to attending convention sessions and the trade show, the members attended the Cinches Worlds Toughest Rodeo at the Indiana State Fairgrounds and a hypnotist show at the Indiana Convention Center.

The East Knox FFA state-winning Nursery/Landscape team competed Wednesday at the Indiana State Fairgrounds and attended their awards ceremony on Thursday at the Indiana Convention Center where they learned that they placed 26th in the Nation.

The National FFA Convention had over 69,000 FFA members, parents and guests in attendance marking the tenth time of breaking the 60,000 attendance mark.

HOWARD, Ohio  East Knox FFA recently competed in the National FFA Nursery/Landscape Career Development Event held in conjunction with the 96th National FFA Convention.

Dylan Springer, Hayden Baker, Dustin Springer and Jon Cisco placed 26th out of a field of teams with a team rating of silver. Individually, Dylan and Dustin Springer each received a silver rating and Baker and Cisco were awarded a bronze rating. The team received a plaque for its placing and each member received medals for their individual national ranking at the awards banquet held in the Indiana Convention Center at the National FFA Convention.

The team advanced to the National contest after placing first in the State FFA Nursery/Landscape Career Development Event finals held at Delaware Area Career Center on March 29. The National Nursery/Landscape Career Development Event is an activity designed to demonstrate students skills in the area of Nursery and Landscape Management. In the event, the students completed hands-on activities of tree planting, irrigation zone installation and repair, plant layout and installing and programming a basic irrigation program controller. Students also took a general information test; completed estimation problems; did a verbal customer relation situation; identified various trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, groundcovers, weeds and physiological problems of plants and completed a propagating activity.

This is the eighth time that an East Knox FFA Nursery/Landscape team has represented Ohio at the national event.

HOWARD, Ohio  At the 96th National FFA Convention, held in Indianapolis, East Knox FFA members Trenton Comer, Kalvin Gallwitz, Alexandria Magers and Joci Totten received the American FFA Degree. These four were among 4,423 American Degrees awarded nationally with 457 of those being from Ohio. Each recipient of the American FFA Degree received a gold American FFA Degree key, certificate and matted frame after being recognized on stage.

Requirements for the degree include earning at least $10,000 from SAE projects, productively investing at least $7,500, serving as an FFA officer or committee member, participating in FFA career development events, participating in FFA leadership activities, completing school and community activities and having a satisfactory grade point average and school attendance. The American Degree is the fourth and final degree that can be attained in the FFA and normally goes to less than 0.5% of the national membership annually.

Trenton Comers SAE projects include working as a maintenance tech at the feed mill at Trillium Egg Farm in Croton, job placement at Mow and Go, as well as placement at Ohio Truck where he was a welder/fabricator. Cromer also started a small welding business, Comers Custom Fabrication. He served as the 2021-2022 chapter student advisor and was the 2020-2021 chapter parliamentarian. Cromer has competed in forestry, Greenland quiz, parliamentary procedure, poultry and agricultural technology and mechanics career development events. He attended state and national FFA conventions, state leadership nights and district officer training. Trenton is the son of Shane Comer and Tara Mertler of Millwood.

Alexandria Magers SAE projects include job placement at the Magers Family Farm along with raising and showing market hogs and market beef steers at the Knox County Fair and completing various home improvement projects. She served as the 2020-2021 East Knox FFA Treasurer where she received a State Gold Rating and the 2021-2022 chapter President. Magers has competed in various career development events. She has competed on the national level representing Ohio in Milk Quality and Products CDE and the National Land Judging Contest. Magers has attended the state and national FFA Conventions, Ohio Leadership Conference and District 7 Officer Training. She has assisted the chapter with the Thanksgiving food drive and has assisted with various volunteering and community service activities. Alexandria is the daughter of Dan and Anna-Marie Magers of Howard.

Joci Tottens SAE projects include working at Kroger in the dairy department where she conditioned dairy products, checked product quality and dates and stocked products. She also worked at Chad Rines Chicken Farm and raised and showed market hogs at the Knox County Fair. She served as the 2019-2020 East Knox FFA Treasurer where she received a State Gold Rating and the 2020-2021 chapter secretary where she also earned a State Gold Rating. Totten has competed on many career development event teams including the 2019-2020 Agricultural Soils team that placed first in the state and qualified to represent Ohio in the National Contest. She has attended the state and national FFA Conventions and District 7 Officer Training. She has completed many hours of community service/volunteering and has assisted with numerous chapter activities. Joci is the daughter of Joe and Lori Totten of Walhonding.

Kalvin Gallwitzs SAE projects include working as a general laborer at Central Ohio Farmers Coop, job placement at Gallwitz Farms, Sundown Acres, Beatty Farms, Kidwell Farm and Morningstar Labradors and raising and showing beef steers and feeders at the Knox County Fair. He served as the 2018-2019 chapter treasurer where he received a State Gold Rating. Gallwitz has competed on seven top ten career development event teams. He has attended the state and national FFA Conventions, State 212/360 Conference and District Officer Training. Kalvin is the son of Kevin and Crystal Gallwitz of Bladensburg.



CRESTON, Ohio  At the 96th National FFA Convention on Nov. 3, Norwayne FFA members Kya Csapo and Morgan Wiles represented Ohio FFA in the Food Products and Processing Division 4 Agriscience Fair.

They earned fifth place out of the 26 total in their division. Their Agriscience Fair project compared the tenderness and marbling of Holstein and Angus ribeye steaks. For this project, they worked with Dr. Lyda Garcia and one of her graduate students at Ohio State University.

To compete in the National Contest, Csapo and Wiles went through a series of interviews where they shared information about their project with different judges who have experience in food products and processing.



MOUNT VERNON, Ohio  On Nov. 3, Mount Vernon FFA attended the 96th National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Mount Vernon FFA took 20 members to the convention, including Aaron Pryjda, Logan Fox, Damian Frazee, Gavin Briscoe, Vivian Noble, Anysten Vanhouten, Ansley Daubenmier, Brooklyn Dovenbarger, Emma Croghan, Layne Dailey, Jaxon Plumly, Jaelynn Plumply, Brie Dunaway, Jadyn Row, Kaden Awwiler, Madison Seng, Zeva Sheets, Kameron Poole, Mckenna Miller and Orissa Humes.

Members had the opportunity to attend leadership workshops, career shows and an FFA shopping mall and expo on Friday. They received information from colleges, ag businesses and other organizations associated with agriculture.

After spending time at the convention center the group then traveled to the Indiana State Fairgrounds to watch a showing of the Worlds Toughest Rodeo. Then, the chapter traveled to the Lucas Oil Stadium to attend the National FFA band, chorus and talent performances and the sixth general session of the convention to watch the retiring address of the Eastern Region Vice President Grace Murphy and the awards ceremony.

On Saturday, the group traveled back to Lucas Oil Stadium to watch Ashlyn Lust receive the American FFA Degree.



MILLERSBURG, Ohio  West Holmes FFA traveled to the National FFA Convention Nov. 1-4. Thirteen FFA members attended the convention, including Garrett Fowler, Andi Schuch, Miley Snow, Jenna Sheldon, Madison Pearce-Laferty, Shane Lorentz, Quentin Vehrs, Gabby Yates, Madison Ringwalt, Torrie Savage, Jenna Zimmerly, Maren Drzazga and Claire Drzazga.

On Tuesday, the chapter departed from the school to head to Sunrise Co-op where the group got a tour of their facilities and Albanese Candy Factory to get some sweet treats. The group ended their day of travel in Wisconsin.

On Wednesday, the chapter started its day in Racine, Wisconsin. They toured the Case IH Plant. After that, they departed for Cozy Nook Dairy Farm for a tour and lunch. Then they traveled to Madison, Wisconsin, to tour the University of Wisconsin. To finish the day, they traveled back to Indianapolis.

On Thursday, members attended the first session, shopped and visited the trade show. After the trade show, they went to the next session and watched all the proficiencies go across the stage. Finally, the members ate at Weber Grill Steakhouse to end their day.

On Friday, they went to a session and heard from keynote speaker Corey Flourney. After the session, they got to tour the career show and shopping mall again. To finish the day they traveled to a trampoline park for some food and fun.

On Saturday, the chapter watched graduates Cora Crilow, Chloe Shumaker and Ethan Feikert receive their American Degrees.



FAYETTEVILLE, Ohio  Fayetteville FFA attended the 96th National FFA Convention and Expo Nov 1-4.

At the convention, the chapter was recognized as a National 3-Star Chapter and three members received their American Degrees  the highest degree that can be earned in the FFA. Cheyenne Adkins, MaKenna Holden and Kennedy Short received their American Degrees, and Fayetteville FFA is incredibly proud of their achievements.

When the chapter was not in session, they attended a Lainey Wilson concert featuring Dillon Carmichael, toured the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Lincoln Tech and attended the Worlds Toughest Rodeo.
The old saying is that even a blind hog finds an acorn once in a while. This morning I am thinking that there is always a good piece of news if you look hard enough. This morning, the good news is that wheat is getting out of Ukraine. Of course, that is only good news for Ukrainian farmers!

Remember a few months ago when the Russians refused to agree to renew the Black Sea Agreement that guaranteed safe passage to ships leaving Ukrainian ports? The thinking then was that this would end grain shipments by sea and force export through other countries by rain, cutting the value to the farmers.

Remember, farmers buy everything retail and sell everything wholesale. And, they pay the freight both ways. The surprise is that after the agreement lapsed, exporting interests declared a passageway they dubbed the humanitarian corridor. It was not known if the Russians would actively interfere with this passage, but now we know that they havent, so far.

There have been 151 ships that have carried grain out of Ukraine since August. Good news for their farmers, but ours are seeing price drops in wheat as a result. We are  as of the morning of Nov. 17  seeing December Chicago wheat futures at $5.50 1/4, down three and a quarter cents. A farmer told me last week that he would remember turning down $8 for wheat for a long time.

December Chicago wheat futures lost 25 cents last week, and Ukraine trading is as good a reason as any for the losses. Lack of export demand, which can often be a euphemism for our uncompetitive prices, is another reason. The Kansas City hard red winter wheat futures have traded to new lows.

Soybean prices have been positive most days recently. They have been very volatile, with big ranges on days with interesting rumors or news. We are currently (as of 8:15 a.m. the morning of Nov. 17) trading January futures at $13.32 1/2, down seven and three-quarters cents. If there is good news, it is that prices were six cents lower overnight.

Soybeans had been up, as news of dry weather problems in South America and the idea that Argentine beans would stay home to be crushed after a poor crop last year, helped prices. We actually gained over $1.28 between the $12.70 1/4 of Oct. 12 and the $13.98 1/2 of Nov. 15.

Corn has been the consistently weak commodity. We are currently trading December futures at $4.71 3/4, down three cents on the day so far. The recent low was $4.61 Nov. 13, but we jumped almost 20 cents by the high of Nov. 15, at $4.80 1/2. The problem is, even with our high yields, that is not a good price compared to the costs of inputs when we planted the crop.

The good news of corn is that exports have been good. Last week, we booked 1.8 MMT, a six-week high. That is above estimates, but it has not moved the markets much. Mexico, which we tend to forget with our obsession on China, was once again the biggest buyer.

We have corn exports 33% above last year at this time, but the market is not reacting. There is news out there that could help the market, but it hasnt yet.

The last Cattle on Feed report said that numbers were 1.8% above last year. That should represent more demand for corn at some time. However, the negative that seems to have the biggest impact on the market is that Brazil is finally ahead

of normal planting time for their corn. They are now 76% planted, and last year at this time, they were only at 70%.

Still affecting the market is the fact that some bean planting was delayed, and the hope here is that the late start means fewer cerrado (second crop) corn will be planted because of the bean-planting delay.
The UK is going to have to 'focus massively' on infrastructure if it is to cope with climate change and the drive to net zero.

This is according to the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers (CAAV), which has called for an 'industrial scale, economy-wide transformation'.

Speaking at the body's Western Counties conference, Jeremy Moody, secretary of CAAV, noted that 2050 - the UK's net zero goal - is only 27 years away.

"Were moving on to second-generation net zero discussions, with an absolute focus on renewable energy," he said at the conference, which took place in Tiverton, Devon.

Currently, about half of the UKs electricity supply is from non-fossil fuel, but it needs to swap the other half, as well as replacing fossil fuels in transport and heat.

Mr Moody told the audience: We need quadruple our production of non-fossil fuel energy.

As well as investing in a lot more solar, wind and other renewable power, the nation needs to 'massively upgrade' the electricity grid to connect to and deliver that power.

Forming part of that will be the Xlinks project, which will bring 8% of GBs power from Moroccan solar and wind farms into Bideford, Devon.

Mr Moody said: Were going to need between 150,000 and 450,000 miles of cable installed across the UK. That is going to involve significant amounts of compulsory land purchase in the coming years.

The same is true for water supply  with climate change and more extreme weather events, he said it will be important to manage both flooding and drought.

We have a tired water infrastructure thats been cheap-skated for decades. Three major new reservoirs are already planned, and new pipelines will be required to bring water to the dry South East region."

Housebuilding is another area of focus  and tackling the planning system is key to delivering this, warned Mr Moody.

Everything is bogged down in process and were moving from NIMBYs (not in my back yard) to BANANAs (build absolutely nothing anywhere near anybody).

Both the Conservatives and Labour agree that more housing is needed, although the former want to build in the 20 major conurbations while the latter prefer unattractive parts of the green belt, he added.

We are 20m houses light of where we should be, and the reality is that we need to do both.

When it comes to farming, reducing emissions is a big target, and tackling slurry storage is part of that.

Currently, there is significant grant funding available to help farmers with this  the first round of schemes was worth 37m  the next two will be worth 160m.

Mr Moody said: "Thats generous money and worth taking  youre getting carrots now but under evolving legislation youre probably going to have to do it anyway under your own resources.

Under the slurry infrastructure grant, beef and dairy producers can get funding to upgrade their slurry storage to provide six months storage, while pig producers can be funded to provide eight months storage.

Early next year the farming equipment technology fund will open for smaller investments in kit like slurry spreading machinery which seeks to improve efficiencies and reduce emissions.
New funding of over 500,000 has been announced by the Scottish government to help women and young people develop new agricultural skills.

Successful applicants will be provided with 500 each to help pay for practical training courses relevant to farming and crofting.

The Next Generation and Women in Agriculture Practical Training Funds will provide the funds.

Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon announced the new support during a speech at AgriScot, which took place at the Royal Highland Centre on Wednesday.

She said: Supporting the next generation of farmers is imperative if we want our agriculture sector to continue to innovate and thrive.

We are committed to helping women and young people stay in rural communities by equipping them with the necessary skills to pursue careers in farming and crofting.

This funding encourage women and girls to learn additional practical skills to progress their businesses and careers, which in turn can open up new employment opportunities for them.

The funds will be delivered by Lantra Scotland and can be used on courses providing skills, with 400,000 available from the Next Generation Training Fund and 170,000 is available from the Women in Agriculture Training Fund.

Training up to the value of 500 per course will be fully funded, the Scottish government said, adding that any training over the value of 500 per course will be considered and assessed on a case by case basis.

Lantra Scotland director, Dr Liz Barron-Majerik added: These funds are intended to benefit women in agriculture and new entrants to the industry.

"Im delighted that were going to be managing them on behalf of the Scottish government.
Upland farms will be unable to make up for the loss of income if post-Brexit support scheme payments do not recognise the work they do for rural communities, the NFU has warned.

Research by the union has shown that on average, upland farms lost 37% of their support payments under the current Sustainable Farming Incentive and Countryside Stewardship options available to them.

The results, called 'incredibly disappointing' by NFU Uplands Forum chair Thomas Binns, show that the current Environmental Land Management scheme (ELM) offer "falls short of providing a viable future for upland businesses".

He added: Like all upland farmers, I love the hills I work in, and I want to ensure that I can continue to produce food for the nation while leaving the countryside in a better state for the next generation.

But as the modelling shows, the current ELMs offer falls short of providing a viable future for upland businesses."

As part of the research, the NFU wanted to understand how the transition to ELMs from BPS and environmental stewardship would impact upland farms in England.

Six typical uplands farms put forward their data to be analysed as part of the union's modelling work.

It calculated the maximum theoretical SFI and CS earnings for each farm. However, upon discussing the results with the case study farms, farmers are unlikely to max out the CS and SFI actions due to business structures.

Yet, even if they could, current CS and SFI options do not make up for the loss of BPS, as discovered by the NFUs modelling work.

All comparisons were made against BPS 2021/2022 (before reductions) and 2013 Environmental Stewardship payment rates.

These figures were taken as representative of what the model farms would have earned before reductions of BPS began in 2021.

Four of the six farms claimed BPS and were in agri-environment schemes. The modelling found that if BPS was removed and these four farms entered the current available SFI and CS options plus the proposed Moorland Rough Grazing 2024 option at a payment rate of 150/ha, only one of the farms farm could make up their lost income.

This was because the farm had a high proportion of moorland hectares, according to the NFU.

For the other three farms which claimed BPS and were in agri-environment schemes, they could not regain their 2021 income made up of BPS and HLS (Higher Level Stewardship) payments. The farms, on average, lost 37% of their government support compared to 2021.

One of the farms in the case study claimed BPS but was not in an agri-environment scheme. The model showed that even if this farm entered all available CS and SFI options for that farm, they could still not make up their lost BPS.

The last farm out of the six case studies did not claim BPS but was in an agri-environment scheme. This farm was capable of increasing their government support because they had less money to lose overall due to not claiming BPS.

The NFU said it awaits further SFI moorland options from Defra, adding that moorland options only benefit those with moorland hectares  which around 60% of uplands farms do not have.

NFU vice president David Exwood stressed that the union had been urging Defra to bring forward SFI options which deliver meaningful income in return for the vital management hill farms deliver and the environmental goods they supply.

He described the figures shown by the NFUs modelling work as unsurprising, saying: We want to see upland farm businesses thriving, but that is almost impossible if they are not being supported fairly for the work they do.

The grassland only upland farms - those in HLS but without moorland - will increasingly lose income support through ongoing BPS reductions.

Based on current 2024 proposals from Defra, there will be very limited new SFI options they can access  and even then, these options will not make up this lost income.

Ultimately, the modelling found that those in agri-environment schemes had the smallest opportunity to replace lost BPS. This results in those already supporting the environment being penalised the most by domestic agricultural support changes.

Responding to the research, NFU Uplands Chair Thomas Binns said it was 'incredibly disappointing' that there was such a significant gap in the income of upland farmers.

He said: This is after we were told repeatedly that we would be recognised for the work we do, and that our businesses  so vital to the makeup of the countryside  wouldnt be worse off in the transition from BPS.

We have been encouraging Defra for some time to undertake its own modelling work to understand the impact of direct payment loss on upland incomes, but this has never materialised.

Our modelling now shows the precarious position of these most treasured landscapes."
The Loch Ness Monster could actually be an algae-based blob.

The Loch Ness Monster might be an algae-based creature

Investigators collected water samples from the Scottish lake during the largest search for Nessie in 50 years in the summer and were left stunned by bombshell DNA results.

They were sent off to a lab in Colorado for analysis and the tests detected two types of algae - but no evidence of the legendary beast.

Cryptozoologist Ken Gerhard said: "The tests only detected algae, which of course is exciting news if we consider the possibility that Nessie is a giant algae blob monster."

The experiment took place after couple Matty Wiles and Aga Balinska shared footage of humps in the water during the search in August.

Filmmakers on the TV series 'Weird Britain' sent the samples for eDNA analysis - a new method of amplifying traces of DNA left behind by animals.
Cuba Gooding Jr is being sued for sexual assault by two women.

Cuba Gooding Jr is facing more sexual assault lawsuits

The 'What Dreams May Come' actor only settled a case with a woman who claimed he had raped her in a New York City hotel room a decade ago in June, and now he is facing a further two cases.

Both incidents are said to have taken place at New York eateries in 2018 and 2019.

The lawsuits were submitted to the New York Supreme Court on Wednesday (22.11.23), two days before the Adult Survivors Act ends on Friday (24.11.23).

In the summer, the Oscar-winning star avoided a trial after it was cancelled just moments after jurors were due to take their seats in the New York federal court with both parties meeting an agreement.

A calendar entry in the official court record read: "TRIAL OFF.

"Reason for cancellation (on consent): the parties have resolved the matter."

The woman had alleged Cuba raped her in 2013 in a hotel room.

However, she seemingly pulled out of the trial when Judge Paul Crotty ruled that she would have to share her name.

The acclaimed star was originally accused of violating three different women in New York City in 2018 and 2019. However, he only pleaded guilty to one of the allegations and insists he "didn't mean to disrespect anyone".

Cuba told 'Piers Morgan Uncensored': "You have to live in your truth, and I know in my truth, I didn't mean to disrespect anyone."

He admitted to touching a woman at a New York nightclub in 2018.

The 'Jerry Maguire' actor has always denied any wrongdoing, insisting any acts were consensual, but apologised for making women feel uncomfortable.

Cuba insists he has "100 per cent changed" since he pleaded guilty to one count of forcible touching.

The Hollywood star - who agreed to attend counselling for six months as part of his plea deal - told Piers: "It's funny too because I don't want this to stop me connecting with my fans.

"I don't want this to stop me connecting with the gregarious behaviour in terms of the positive energy that I have.

"I'm ten times more aware of what is going on around me and I just use that as my focus."
Kellan Lutz thinks Robert Pattinson will be an "amazing" dad.

Kellan Lutz is happy for Robert Pattinson

The 'Lighthouse' actor's partner, Suki Waterhouse, revealed earlier this week she is pregnant with their first child and his 'Twilight Saga' co-star - who has Ashtyn, two, and 15-month-old Kasen with wife Brittany - couldn't be happier for the couple.

Kellan told The Messenger: "He's just such a funny dude. I know he's going to be amazing at it.

"It's a beautiful thing. You know, something just switches for men and women once you hit that, and you get these instincts that come out. So I'm excited for him and Suki."

The 38-year-old star suggested the couple should follow his lead and have two children because he thinks they have a "really cool" family set up.

He said: "Having a son and a daughter, I'm a huge fan of not being outnumbered because children need parents, and they need love.

"I'll have daughter-and-dad dates, and then I'll have son-and-dad dates, and we'll swap, and then we have days where we're all together. And it's just really cool."

Suki - who has been in a relationship with movie star Robert since 2018 - announced the news during her performance at the Corona Capital Festival in Mexico City over the weekend by opening her coat and flashing her baby bump the audience.

She pointed to her bump as she told the crowd: "I'm extra sparkly today because I thought it might distract you from something else that's going on ... I'm not sure if it's working."

The 'Daisy Jones and the Six' actor later took to Instagram to show off her baby bump in a series of photos celebrating her trip to Mexico.

She captioned her post: "Thank you for such a beautiful time in mexico!"
By SA Commercial Prop News

South African Government announced a R4-trillion infrastructure plan last year, with roll-out expected in the next 15 years.



The state announced a R4-trillion infrastructure plan last year, with roll-out expected in the next 15 years. It focuses on improving the economic performance of lower-income provinces, but also intends to leverage the busy trade and service corridors between Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape.

The governments ambitious but slow infrastructure spending programme has been focused on municipal needs, South African Federation of Civil Engineering Contractors (Safcec) president Norman Milne said yesterday.

While civil engineering work has struggled in a slow-growing economy and low budgetary allocations from the government, we have seen greater activity in municipal work, he said.



SAs private sector had criticised the slow pace of the roll-out of major infrastructure projects in the country.



And firms involved in the construction industry complained that development of municipal infrastructure, which would provide them with low cost, consistent work, was still too slow to get off the ground.



They said that the paper work around tenders for such projects had been cumbersome and the process long-winded, Mr Milne said. These included the building of basic housing, and water reticulation and sewerage works.



The tender process is heavily complicated. Its too complicated for municipal work. We have to find other ways, Mr Milne said.



Safcec had recently proposed its Adopt a Municipality initiative. This was to get experts in multiple sectors to look at individual needs of municipalities.



But Mr Milne said this had faltered amid red tape. Because tenders for basic projects needed by many municipalities  especially those in poor areas  are so political, or just slow to get going, the construction industry just loses out, said Fred Platt, CEO of AltX-listed Accentuate.



Last week, Ketso Gordhan, CEO of PPC, SAs primary cement producer, unveiled his vision for a special negotiating process to get the countrys infrastructure spend on track. He wanted this to be modelled on the Convention for a Democratic SA (Codesa) in the early 1990s, which brought together diverse groups in SA to chart the democratic future.



This economic Codesa would be a planned series of talks between government, business and labour, and the subsequent execution of critical infrastructure projects in the country.



Safcec has met with Ketso Gordhan. We told him we wanted to play a role in his idea. It is early days now, but business is coming together to tackle this infrastructure challenge, Mr Milne said.



However, he also said that he was concerned Eskoms Medupi power station delay would cause some contractors to shy away from big infrastructure projects.



This week, Safcec released its State of the Industry report for civil engineering covering the second quarter of the year. It said that many contractors had struggled, but this was expected to ease.



Some of the challenges that continue to impede growth potential in the industry include corruption in the tender process, delays and postponements in tender awards, and a shortage of qualified and skilled engineers, it said. But the report put faith in government spend nonetheless.



It said spending on infrastructure would remain a priority and there were growth opportunities in renewables. But getting infrastructure planning and execution right was critical.
The European Parliament has approved the New Zealand-EU free trade agreement (FTA) that will remove 100 per cent of New Zealand tariffs on EU exports on its entry into force and will lift 98.5 per cent of European Union (EU) tariffs on New Zealand trade after seven years.

The agreement, approved with 524 votes in favour, 85 against and 21 abstentions, has been described by members of the European Parliament (MEPs) as a gold standard agreement. This FTA is the EUs first to include enforceable commitments to the Paris Agreement and to core International Labour Organization (ILO) standards, the European Parliament said in a press release.

The European Parliament has approved an FTA with New Zealand, eliminating 100 per cent of New Zealand tariffs on EU exports immediately and 98.5 per cent of EU tariffs on New Zealand goods after 7 years. The agreement is the EU's first with commitments to the Paris Agreement and ILO standards. It's expected to boost EU-New Zealand trade by 30 per cent.

Bilateral trade in goods between the EU and New Zealand reached 9.1 billion in 2022, with the EU being New Zealands third-largest trade partner. Trade between New Zealand and the EU is expected to increase by 30 per cent, according to the EU Commission. EU investment flows into New Zealand could increase by over 80 per cent, according to the same projections.

The accompanying report, setting out the Parliaments position, was adopted by 457 votes in favour, 104 against and 74 abstentions.

Today is a good day for the EU and global rule-based trade. Our vote is a very clear signal of our commitment to negotiating new EU free trade agreements, of which we have seen too few in this parliamentary term. While we live at different ends of the world, the EU and New Zealand are close, trusted, reliable, and like-minded partners. Together, we are driving global rules-based trade forward against the backdrop of a worldwide wave of protectionism and isolationism, said rapporteur Daniel Caspary (EPP, DE).

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (NB)
Saubhagyavati Bhava Update: Rohit Roy, the esteemed actor, expresses his anticipation for his return to television with Star Bharat's upcoming show, "Saubhagyavati Bhava: Niyam Aur Shartien Laagu." In this captivating narrative, he takes on the crucial character of DCP Avinash, assigned to delve into the compelling murder mystery surrounding Raghav. His co-stars in this cinematic experience include Karanvir Bohra and Amandeep Sidhu.

Having taken a hiatus from television after his last appearance in a reality show, Rohit Roy sheds light on the factors that influenced his return. He says, "I never deliberately distanced myself from television. However, the landscape of programs and shows available didn't quite ignite my excitement or align with my preferences. I was patiently waiting for a role that would invigorate my passion and propel me back onto sets, driven by the desire to contribute to something meaningful. This aspiration extends beyond television; I have always sought compelling scripts and characters that resonate with my audience."

Delving into his character, Rohit shares insights into DCP Avinash, a character that instantly captivated him. He remarks, "I portray the role of DCP Avinash, a character characterized by intelligence and proficiency in his work. What drew me to this role was its refreshing departure from my previous portrayals. While I have essayed the role of a cop before, the uniqueness of DCP Avinash lies in his quirkiness, intelligence, wit, and the occasional willingness to operate outside conventional norms. The allure of being part of 'Saubhagyavati Bhava' an already renowned show, coupled with the prospect of embodying such a dynamic character, proved irresistible, prompting my return to television."

He also stated his excitement on being part of the show, He said, "Saubhagyavati Bhava" is a show already celebrated for its popularity, coupled with the opportunity to embody a dynamic character, proved irresistible to me. I was waiting for something that would want to make me get up and go on sets and this is it."

For further details, be sure to catch 'Saubhagyavati Bhava: Niyam aur Shartien Laagu' airing exclusively on Star Bharat every Monday to Saturday at 10 pm.
Hyundai Motor and UCL sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) ahead of the UK-Korea Business Forum in London on November 22 with key leaders attending

Hyundai Motor and UCL to conduct joint research on hydrogen production, fuel cells and electrification technologies, leveraging UCL's new Advanced Propulsion Lab

Both parties look to achieve carbon neutrality by accelerating the establishment of a hydrogen economy and realizing a sustainable future mobility ecosystem

SEOUL, South Korea, Nov. 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Hyundai Motor Company today announced that it is partnering with the world-renowned University College London (UCL) to jointly research carbon-neutral future technologies.

Hyundai Motor signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on 'Cooperation in areas of Research and Development for Hydrogen Production, Hydrogen Fuel Cells and Electrification Technology' with UCL at Mansion House in London on November 22.

The MOU signing ceremony took place prior to the UK-Korea Business Forum. In attendance were government officials from both countries, including Moon-kyu Bang, South Korea's Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy; and Nigel Huddleston, UK Secretary of State for International Trade; as well as Dong-wook Kim, Executive Vice President of Hyundai Motor Company; and Dr Michael Spence, President and Provost of UCL.

With both South Korea and UK aiming to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, Hyundai Motor looks to accelerate the development of a hydrogen economy and realize a sustainable future mobility ecosystem through this MOU.

UCL is a prestigious research-oriented university that is consistently ranked at the top of global university rankings and has produced dozens of Nobel Prize and Fields Medal winners. "Through joint research with UCL, one of the UK's leading research universities, we will accelerate the pace of technological innovation in hydrogen production, fuel cells and electrification," said Jaehoon (Jay) Chang, President and CEO of Hyundai Motor Company. "We hope that this collaboration will contribute to achieving carbon neutrality in the transportation sector, which is a goal shared by Korea and the UK."

UCL President and Provost, Dr Michael Spence said, "New technologies, such as hydrogen generation, electric vehicles and fuel cells, are a fundamental part of international efforts to keep the global temperature rise within the goals set out in the Paris Agreement. This partnership will combine UCL's world-leading engineering research with Hyundai's expertise as one of the world's leading automotive companies to accelerate the development of these vital technologies."

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2283656/MK01_HMC_x_UCL_MOU_Signing_Ceremony.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/hyundai-motor-company-and-university-college-london-to-collaborate-on-carbon-free-future-technologies-301995924.html
LONDON, Nov. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On International Women's Day 2023, Haagen-Dazs launched 'The Rose Project', a global initiative with a $100,000 (USD) bursary grant inviting nominations to recognise unsung trailblazing women in honour of the brand's unsung female co-founder Rose Mattus. Today, 23 November, on what would have been Rose Mattus' birthday, Haagen-Dazs celebrates her legacy with the announcement of the Top 50 WomenWhoDontHoldBack nominees being shortlisted for their achievements and its five globally accomplished Haagen-Dazs Rose Project judges.

Over 2,500 applications were received for The Haagen-Dazs Rose Project putting forward pioneering efforts and societal contributions made by women across the globe. From these, 50 talented and inspirational women have been shortlisted and will be put forward to win one of five monetary grants of $20,000 (USD), which will be announced on International Women's Day 2024, to continue their exceptional work, unleash their potential or give to a cause they are passionate about. The top 50 shortlist includes women from 17 countries hailing from across Europe, Asia, Africa & Middle East, Australia and the Americas. Every nominee's story can be found at https://iwd.haagen-dazs.global/en/.

A stellar all-female judging panel from across the world has been handpicked for the final selection stage of The Haagen-Dazs Rose Project. Inspirational, passionate and representative of the global nature of the project and the brand, the judges will work together to select 5 worthy honourees from the Top 50 list, who have followed their own trajectory of significant trailblazing achievements and epitomise the Haagen-Dazs 'Don't Hold Back' ethos.

The panel includes UK-based author, broadcaster and philanthropist Katie Piper, fashion entrepreneur and advocate for women's fertility issues, Velda Tan from Singapore, Spanish entrepreneur and creative director Ines Arroyo, community builder and founder of women's community network, Lady Multitask, Mercedes Palomar from Mexico with Haagen-Dazs Shops Global Managing Director Aurelie Lory from France representing the brand.

Haagen-Dazs spokesperson Aurelie Lory said: "International Women's Day 2023 marked the launch of The Haagen-Dazs Rose Project to honour the legacy of our co-founder, Rose Mattus, and create a fund platform to provide opportunities to women across all fields around the world who are truly deserving of support and recognition. We were thrilled to receive thousands of nominations across countries and our WomenWhoDontHoldBack Top 50 shortlist is a compelling and diverse mosaic of trailblazing female narratives that moved us and serve as an inspiration to women everywhere. For this final stage, we are equally privileged to call upon a remarkable judging panel of pioneering female thought leaders and culture shapers, who share our value, to select our 1st ever Rose Project honourees as part of this renewed commitment."

Media Contact:

Pria Mani

pria@capturecomms.com

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2280510/The_Haagen_Dazs_Rose_Project.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2280511/Haagen_Dazs_the_Rose_Project_logo.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/the-haagen-dazs-rose-project-announces-top-50-womenwhodontholdback-nominees-alongside-its-global-female-judging-panel-301996192.html
Regulatory News:

FDE (Euronext: FDE ISIN: FR0013030152), a carbon negative energy producer, has obtained by decree dated November 20th, 2023, the "Bleue Lorraine" production lease with a total surface of 191 km2, valid until January 1st 2024, paving the way for the development of FDE's certified gas resources in Lorraine.

Go ahead for the development of low carbon energy in Lorraine

This grant marks a key step toward monetizing the reserves and resources certified by the Group on this strategic asset located at the heart of Europe.

These energy resources will be developed in a decentralized manner, as close as possible to the end consumer. Given the proximity of consumers and future hydrogen infrastructure, the significant work undertaken over the years by FDE on the CO2 capture via its subsidiary Cryo Pur, and the use of gas resources to produce carbon-free hydrogen, notably as part of the Walloon Recovery Plan with the HECO2 project for the production of hydrogen by plasmalysis, will allow an even more relevant monetisation of these gas reserves and resources attached to the production lease. The net asset value of this assetis currently estimatedat 318 M, based on reserves certified in 2018 by MHA (Sproule Group) and adjusted energy prices.

Julien Moulin, president of FDE, declares: "For more than a decade, FDE has been supporting the project promoting local gas, as an ecologically and economically competitive resource. I am looking forward to contributing further to our positive impact on the carbon footprint of the region, by reducing imported energy, contributing to energy security and decarbonizing the industry while stimulating a faster development of hydrogen ecosystems in the Greater Region going from Wallonia to Saarland via Luxembourg and the Grand-Est Region. The updated development plan will therefore be presented at the beginning of 2024 in order to integrate all stakeholders in this development.

Continuing work related to the discovery of natural hydrogen

In parallel, the Group is pursuing its work while awaiting the granting of the "Des Trois Eveches" permit, which application was made in March 2023, in order to validate and accelerate the development of the native hydrogen potential, a very ecologically and economically competitive resource, particularly compared to other forms of carbon-free hydrogen

FDE confirms its FY 2026 objectives of annual revenues of more than 100 million, and an EBITDA above 50 million, combined with over 10 million tons of CO2eq emissions avoided per annum

Next announcements:

General Assembly Meeting FY2023: November 30th, 2023

Reuters code: FDEL.PA Bloomberg code: FDE.FP

About La Francaise de l'Energie ( FDE )

FDE is a negative carbon footprint energy Group, specialized in the implementation via short circuits, of energy recovery and production sites, allowing the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. FDE notably supplies regional players with gas, electricity, heat and CO2, thus replacing imported energy with local, cleaner energy. FDE has strong development potential and aims to become a leading independent player in the energy sector in Europe by Bpifrance.

More information available on http://www.francaisedelenergie.fr

Disclaimer

This press release contains certain forward looking statements and estimates concerning LFDE's financial condition, operating results, strategy, projects and future performance and the markets in which it operates. Such forward-looking statements and estimates may be identified by words such as "anticipate," "believe," "can," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "is designed to," "may," "might," "plan," "potential," "predict," "objective," "should," or the negative of these and similar expressions. They incorporate all topics that are not historical facts. Forward looking statements, forecasts and estimates are based on management's current assumptions and assessment of risks, uncertainties and other factors, known and unknown, which were deemed to be reasonable at the time they were made but which may turn out to be incorrect. Events and outcomes are difficult to predict and depend on factors beyond the company's control. Consequently, the actual results, financial condition, performances and/or achievements of LFDE or of the industry may turn out to differ materially from the future results, performances or achievements expressed or implied by these statements, forecasts and estimates. Owing to these uncertainties, no representation is made as to the correctness or fairness of these forward-looking statements, forecasts and estimates. Furthermore, forward-looking statements, forecasts and estimates speak only as of the date on which they are made, and LFDE undertakes no obligation to update or revise any of them, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231122406031/en/

Contacts:

Press

contact@francaisedelenergie.fr

+ 33 3 87 04 34 51

Investor Relations

ir@francaisedelenergie.fr

+33 3 87 04 34 51
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - November 22, 2023) - Newpath Resources Inc. (CSE: PATH) (FSE: 0MZ) (OTC Pink: RDYFF) ("Newpath" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an update on its lithium exploration program on the Alpha/Bravo Project (the "Project") in northern Ontario. The Company's early stage exploration program has identified an area of highly fractionated pegmatite dyking containing key critical element indicator minerals, including coarse grained muscovite that a Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy ("LIBS") handheld scanner has identified contains significant concentrations of lithium.

Alex McAulay, Newpath's CEO states, "Prior to beginning this grassroots exploration program, we knew from government archives that the Project area covered favourable geology, a reported S-type peraluminous granite, over 170 historic pegmatite occurrences and numerous lakes that have yielded lake sediment samples with high concentrations of lithium, cesium and rare earth elements. Today, we can say that field crews have discovered an area of highly fractionated pegmatites that demonstrate geochemistry indicating we are getting close to more lithium- rich, potentially mineralized pegmatites. Although we have had a successful exploration program, the onset of winter conditions has forced us to wrap up our field work for the year. We look forward to getting back to work in 2024 following the pegmatite system that we uncovered this summer. Newpath aims to continue to follow the geochemical trends that are leading us to a more evolved, lithium rich part of the pegmatite system, with the ultimate hope of finding the first spodumene bearing pegmatite on the project.

"We are further encouraged by the high-grade lithium, spodumene bearing pegmatite discovery by Pegmatite One Lithium on their Frazer Lake Mound Property, 20 km northeast of our eastern boundary. This Frazer Lake Mound discovery is hosted within the same belt of metasedimentary rocks that underlie the Alpha/Bravo Project, supporting our belief that our Alpha/Bravo project is situated in a favourable geological setting for hosting lithium bearing pegmatites."

To date, our Hilltop Pegmatite Showing is our highest priority target. The Hilltop Showing covers an area of interest centered on a broad area of Quetico metasedimentary and metavolcanic rocks in contact with a previously known S-type peraluminous granite. Field crews have identified numerous sub-parallel pegmatite dykes ranging in width from less than a metre to over 15 meters and exposed over strike lengths up to 400 meters and remaining open along strike. Many of the pegmatites exhibit zonation, and contain garnets, coarse-grained plumose muscovite, large feldspar crystals and mineralization textures associated with advanced stages of fractionation.

Preliminary Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy ("LIBS ") analyses of coarse grained, often plumose books of muscovite crystals have returned elevated values of lithium and potassium/rubidium ("K/Rb") ratios from feldspars ranging from 15 to 30. This range of K/RB ratios is consistent with what researchers have identified to be representative of rare earth pegmatites and considered to be of interest by other exploration companies in northern Ontario. Mineral geochemistry based on the LIBS analyses suggest the pegmatites at the Hilltop Showing area have undergone a high degree of fractionation and the LIBS results are being used by the Company to help establish potential fractionation trends towards more lithium-rich parts of the system. Grab and channel samples have been collected from a number of the pegmatite dykes and will be submitted for analyses in Thunder Bay.

Many of the characteristics of the Hilltop Showing are consistent with the geological setting reported at the Georgia Lake Pegmatite field, located approximately 70km to the east of the Alpha/Bravo Project, which is host to Rock Tech Lithium's Georgia Lake Project and Imagine Lithium's Jackpot Lithium Projects. Rock Tech Lithium and Imagine Lithium recently announced they will explore potential synergies between their adjacent and nearby properties with a joint target to develop a reliable raw material supply chain to support Rock Tech's proposed lithium converter along Lake Superior's North Shore.

The bulk of this year's field work at Alpha/Bravo was conventional boot and hammer prospecting and mapping by two-person prospecting crews. Prospecting crews have completed a first pass of the road accessible and exposed Quetico subprovince rocks on the western and southern half of the Alpha/Bravo utilizing the extensive road network on the Project. The initial prospecting and mapping program focused on delineating the areal extend of the S Type peraluminous granites and pegmatite occurrences in metasedimentary host rocks. The high-resolution satellite imagery acquired in August has been useful in not only confirming the location of documented pegmatite occurrences, but also identifying new, white granitic outcrop exposure and pegmatite occurrences for follow up in the field. As of November 7th, 2023 over 450 outcrops have been evaluated, including 131 pegmatite occurrences. A total of 116 grab samples and 24 channel samples have been collected for analyses. A SciApps LIBS 903 analyzer was used to analyse specific lithium indicator minerals. The LIBS handheld scanner was calibrated with standards specifically developed for pegmatites and minerals associated LCT pegmatites. The geochemical results from the LIBs scan are being used by the Company in a qualitative, comparative context and are purely for the purposes of determining fractionation trends based on relative concentrations of lithium, tantalum, cesium and rubidium in specific indicator minerals. The Company does not rely on the LIBs results as an indication of the total lithium content of whole rock samples. All grab and channel samples collected to date will be submitted to an accredited assay laboratory in Thunder Bay for analyses.

Follow up exploration work is planned for 2024, including detailed mapping, systematic sampling and further prospecting in expanding areas of interest.

New Mining Claims

The Company is also pleased to announce that is has staked an additional 16 mining claim units (341.52 Ha) in the Tartan Lake Area in Ontario contiguous to the Alpha Bravo claim group, increasing the project's footprint to 63,968 hectares. The new claims were registered on behalf of Newpath on November 18, 2023.

Qualified Person

The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Douglas S. Turnbull, P.Geo., the Company's COO and a "Qualified Person" as defined in National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

Acknowledgment of First Nations

Newpath Resources Inc. is committed to fostering lasting, transparent, trust-based relationships with the Indigenous communities where we operate. We respectfully acknowledge that our Alpha/Bravo project is on the traditional territories of many Nations including Biinjitiwaabik Zaaging Anishinaabek, Fort William First Nation, Kiashke Zaaging Anishinaabek, Red Rock Indian Band, the Metis Nation of Ontario and Red Sky Metis Independent Nation.

Newpath Resources recognizes the great privilege of conducting work on these lands and recognizes the accountability and commitment we owe to the communities who have resided here since time immemorial. Newpath shares a common interest in ensuring that the lands and waters will continue to provide cultural, environmental, and economic wellbeing for Indigenous communities for generations to come.

About Newpath Resources Inc.

Newpath is a Canadian exploration company listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol PATH. Newpath's early-stage Orefield critical metal exploration project, which is composed of three claim groups (Alpha Bravo, Charlie and Delta), totals 3,180 claim units covering approximately 67,448 hectares (approximately 674 square kilometres) west and southwest of Lake Nipigon in Northern Ontario. The Company also wholly owns the Northshore gold project located in the Schreiber-Hemlo greenstone belt.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors,

NEWPATH RESOURCES INC.

"Alexander McAulay"

Chief Executive Officer

Email: amcaulay@newpathresource.com

CEO Direct Line: +1 (604) 365-0425

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This news release may contain certain "forward-looking information". Forward-looking information included in this news release includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the exploration work on the Project. Forward-looking information is based upon the assumptions and estimates considered reasonable by management of the Company as of the date such statements are made. Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions, including the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development, fluctuating commodity prices, the effectiveness and feasibility of lithium extraction technologies on a commercial scale , and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. As a result, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. Any statement containing forward looking information speaks only as of the date of this news release and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/188517
CHICAGO, IL and VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / November 22, 2023 / The Planting Hope Company Inc. (TSXV:MYLK)(OTCQB:MYLKF) ("Planting Hope" or the "Company"), a dynamic Foodtech innovation company dedicated to creating breakthrough delicious, sustainable food and beverage solutions through cutting-edge ingredient, formulation, and packaging technology, announces the resignation of its Chief Financial Officer, Kohmela Grier, effective today. Ms. Grier is returning to private company accounting.

"On behalf of our entire team, I would like to thank Kohmela for her commitment and contributions to The Planting Hope Company," said Julia Stamberger, Chief Executive Officer of The Planting Hope Company. "Since joining Planting Hope in 2021, Kohmela has been a valuable, diligent, and tenacious member of our core management team and we wish her well in her future endeavors."

Earlier this quarter, The Planting Hope Company engaged NowCFO, a premier outsourced accounting firm, to support the Company's financial accounting function and strategy.

John Nocera of NowCFO has been named as The Planting Hope Company interim CFO.

About The Planting Hope Company Inc.

Planting Hope is reimagining and reinventing food today so that our planet can feed 10 billion people tomorrow. A Foodtech-driven company at the forefront of sustainable consumer food and beverage evolution, Planting Hope transforms nutrient-dense, widely cultivated crops into innovative, nutrient-rich products that reimagine pantry staples in the largest, fastest-growing global food categories.

Our award-winning breakthrough brands, including Hope and Sesame Sesamemilk, RightRice High-Protein Veggie Rice, and Mozaics Real Veggie Chips, are not only disrupting global markets but also significantly reducing environmental footprints. Available across the US and Canada in grocery retailers (Whole Foods Market, Sprouts Farmers Markets), through foodservice operators (CAVA Mediterranean restaurants - NYSE: CAVA), and e-commerce and alternative retail channels (Amazon, QVC), our products blend culinary innovation with advanced technology, offering breakthrough products with wide moats. Our products are poised to disrupt global food and beverage categories, make a positive impact on the world, and provide investors with valuable opportunities in the growing sustainable food market.

This is the food that Gen Z is demanding and that Gen Alpha will grow up with: this is the future of food.

Explore more at plantinghopecompany.com, sign up for Planting Hope news emails HERE and follow us on LinkedIn.

For Planting Hope product sales and distribution opportunities, please contact James Curley, EVP of Sales, at james@plantinghopecompany.com.

Contacts

Company Contact:

Julia Stamberger

CEO and Co-Founder

(773) 492-2243

julia@plantinghopecompany.com

Investor Relations + Media Contact:

Elyssia Patterson

VP of Investor Relations

(312) 675-4996

Elyssia@plantinghopecompany.com

Media Contact:

Corinn Williams

(773) 492-2243

Corinn@plantinghopecompany.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain disclosure in this news release, including disclosure regarding the terms, amount to be raised, closing(s), TSXV approval and other matters related to the Offering, the expected use of proceeds therefrom, and the goals, and strategy of the Company constitutes forward-looking statements that are subject to numerous risks, uncertainties and other factors outside of the Company's control that may cause future results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. In preparing the forward-looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including, but not limited to, the assumption that all conditions precedent (including TSXV approval) of the Offering will be satisfied in a timely manner; investor interest in the Offering; that general economic and business conditions will not change in a materially adverse manner; customer appeal of the Company's products; the effectiveness of the Company's proposed strategies; and that the Company will be able to raise additional funds on reasonable terms. Although the management of the Company believes that the assumptions made and the expectations represented by such statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that any forward-looking statement herein will prove to be accurate. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE: The Planting Hope Company Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/809223/planting-hope-announces-cfo-transition


En. Johari Shukri Jamil, Executive Director & Chief Executive Officer of Hektar Asset Management Sdn. Bhd.

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 23, 2023 - (ACN Newswire) - Hektar Asset Management Sdn. Bhd., the Manager of Hektar Real Estate Investment Trust ("Hektar REIT"), today reported a resilient financial performance for the third quarter ended 30 September 2023 ("Q3 2023"). The REIT showcased a sustained commitment to financial stability and strategic growth in a challenging economic environment. In Q3 2023, Hektar REIT achieved a total revenue of RM27.8 million and an NPI of RM15.4 million. The Net Property Income (NPI) margin stood strong at 55.4%. These figures reflect the REIT's adept handling of market volatilities and its dedication to operational efficiency.In addressing the challenges posed by increasing operational costs during Q3 2023, the Manager actively reinforces the REIT's financial standing and amplifies profitability through sound capital management initiatives by demonstrating fiscal prudence. The REIT has successfully reduced its gearing ratio to 44.3% in the current quarter, down from 44.6% as of 31 December 2022, via a targeted debt reduction program.Furthermore, the Manager continues to embrace an assertive and strategic leasing approach. The REIT has elevated the overall occupancy rate of its retail asset portfolio to 87.7% during the third quarter of 2023. Three of the malls under the portfolio, Mahkota Parade & Wetex Parade, recorded an occupancy rate of more than 93% and Kulim Central recorded close to 98%. Overall, rental reversions for the quarter were positive. These proactive measures are poised to enhance the tenancy mix, positioning the REIT for anticipated revenue growth in the upcoming quarters.In a landmark move announced in September 2023, Hektar REIT has broadened its investment horizon with the proposed strategic acquisition of Kolej Yayasan Saad Melaka (KYSM), a renowned private boarding school located in Ayer Keroh, Melaka. This proposed acquisition, which is valued at RM150 million marks a significant pivot towards educational assets, diversifying Hektar REIT's portfolio beyond its traditional retail focus. KYSM, established in June 1995, stands out as a top-tier institution, consistently ranked among the best for Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) results.The proposed acquisition of KYSM is not just a diversification move but also a strategic investment providing a sustainable and resilient income source. With a 30-year Quadruple-Net lease agreement that includes a guaranteed step-up yearly return, this investment promises a steady and potentially growing income stream for Hektar REIT. This acquisition is strategically financed through a balanced mix of Proposed Placements, internally generated funds, and borrowings. This approach ensures that the REIT maintains a healthy gearing ratio, preserving financial flexibility and stability while embarking on this significant expansion.Hektar REIT's commitment to Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) practices has again been prominently recognized in the industry. The organization's conscientious approach to sustainability and corporate responsibility culminated in Hektar REIT receiving two Gold Awards at The Edge Malaysia ESG Awards 2023. These prestigious awards were for Outstanding ESG & Dividend Return Award and the Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) Award.This is a testament to Hektar REIT's leadership in integrating ESG principles into its business model. The Awards were in collaboration with Bursa Malaysia, FTSE Russell & Morningstar and were designed to highlight and celebrate companies that exemplify outstanding ESG practices. Hektar REIT's success in these categories demonstrates its effective integration of ESG considerations in its operational and strategic decisions. The recognition reflects the company's dedication to creating sustainable value for stakeholders while contributing positively to environmental stewardship, social responsibility and ethical governance.En. Johari Shukri Jamil, Executive Director & Chief Executive Officer of Hektar Asset Management Sdn. Bhd. said: "Hektar REIT's malls, strategically positioned as neighbourhood and community hubs, have been the focal point of our success. Our unwavering commitment to enhancing the overall tenancy mix and occupancy levels at our malls reflects our dedication to our niche market.This strategic move involves remixing tenancies by introducing new, vibrant tenants to complement our existing offerings. We are confident that this initiative will not only meet but exceed the expectations of our loyal patrons. Our primary focus remains on implementing targeted strategies to improve visitor footfall and create a sustained positive cycle for our malls and retailers. Our overall committed occupancy currently stands at 88.4%, and we are positive we will surpass the 90% mark by the end of this year. We believe in initiatives yielding long-term benefits and ensuring continuous growth, ultimately delivering sustainable returns to our Unitholders."Hektar REIT: http://www.hektarreit.com/Source: Hektar REITCopyright 2023 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.


EQS Newswire / 23/11/2023 / 03:00 CET/CEST

HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach - 23 November 2023 - Dorsett Wanchai, Hong Kong , a leading 4.5-star hotel under the Dorsett Hospitality International, proudly announces its recent achievements in sustainability leadership and outstanding service recognition.





Ms. Anita Chan, as the Senior Vice President of Global Brand Marketing and Innovation & Technology of the Dorsett group, also the General Manager of Dorsett Wanchai, has been honoured with the Distinguished Sustainability Leadership Award at the Hong Kong Sustainability Award 2023, presented by The Hong Kong Management Association, acknowledging Anita's exemplary leadership in driving sustainability initiatives within the hotel group, as well as her commitment to sustainable practices at Dorsett Wanchai.



"Sustainability is our future. Through sustainable practices in our hotel operations, I am committed to providing guests with a responsible and enjoyable experience. This award constantly inspires me to make positive impacts on guests, associates, and our community," states Anita.



Building on Anita's award, Dorsett Wanchai is proud to introduce its latest sustainability practices, including digital check-in/out service via the Guest Services Robot, the launch of eco-friendly bathroom amenities, water stations on every guest floor, and the provision of reusable glass bottles in-room. Furthermore, the hotel will soon be launching a special green reward to show appreciation for the eco-conscious guests who support the hotel by saving housekeeping effort.



In addition to the sustainability achievements, Dorsett Wanchai has also been presented with the Outstanding Service Award at the Hong Kong Commercial Times Business Awards 2023, demonstrating that travel sustainability and comfort can go hand in hand at Dorsett Wanchai.



With the goal to enhance guest experience while supporting the local community, Dorset Wanchai now offers the Best Rate Guarantee for direct bookings through the official hotel website and the 26-hour Full Stay experience, allowing flexible check-in time for the guests to make the most of their time in the city.



Secure your booking at Dorsett Wanchai with the lowest rate online and a flexible 26 hour stay!

Hashtag: DorsettWanchai

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. About Dorsett Wanchai, Hong Kong As winner of Tripadvisor's Travellers' Choice 2023, the 4.5-star Dorsett Wanchai is conveniently located between Wan Chai and Causeway Bay with a mere 8-minute walk to MTR stations, Times Square, and Complimentary Shuttle Bus Services to popular tourist attractions, trade fair venues and transportation hubs in the city. The hotel offers meticulously designed rooms and suites up to 48 sq. m. Visit: www.wanchai.dorsetthotels.com



News Source: Media OutReach

23/11/2023 Dissemination of a Financial Press Release, transmitted by EQS News.

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.



Media archive at www.todayir.com


On November 17th, the 2nd ECI International Eco-Village (Yucun, China) Innovation Forum 2023 Yucun Dream Gala hosted by IECIA (International Entrepreneurs, Creatives and Innovators Association) kicked off in Yucun, Tianhuangping Town, Anji County. Experts and scholars from all over the world jointly discussed the international experience of green rural innovation and development, and jointly launched the global rural ecological civilization development initiative of "Green Wishes, Shaping the Future".

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231122916300/en/

Group photo of participating guests (Photo: Business Wire)

At the Gala, Dayu Village signed contracts with Tsinghua University Academy of Fine Arts, International Business School of Beijing Foreign Studies University, Bamboo Industry Institute of Zhejiang A&F University, and School of Design of Huzhou College, coupling the talent training in colleges and universities with the revitalization of rural talents. Tsinghua University Academy of Fine Arts will jointly build Tsinghua University Aesthetic Education Workstation (Anji Station) and New Life Art Museum in Dayu Village, and jointly hold "Anji Mountain and River Art Season" and "International Young Artists Forum" to reshape rural aesthetics based on Dayu Village. The International Business School of Beijing Foreign Studies University will establish a "Yangtze River Delta Representative Office" and a "practice base for international students" to join hands with Dayu Village to transport international talents for rural revitalization and help promote international brands. The School of Design of Huzhou College focuses on "green design" to empower the development of Dayu Village and rural revitalization, and plans to form a "four-in-one" co-construction system of "learning theory together, doing activities together, building positions together and solving problems together". The Bamboo Industry Institute of Zhejiang A&F University will help Liujiatang Village in Shangshu Township to create the "First Village of Bamboo Travel in China", and jointly build the doctoral workstation and postgraduate training base of the Bamboo Research Institute, and make great efforts to promote nature education and bamboo industry-related training.

During the Gala, preparations for the "Global Village Chief Forum" were officially launched. In the future, Dayu Village plans to invite "Global Village Chiefs" to talk about the beautiful possibilities of modern villages and contribute wisdom to building a global rural ecological civilization.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231122916300/en/

Contacts:

Contact: Lijun Jia

Email: seven@eci-academy.com

Tel: +86130 6264 6939

Website: https://global.eciawards.org/#/
Jordan Parker is a breaking news reporter for The San Francisco Chronicle. He graduated from Sacramento State University in May 2022 with a degree in journalism. During his time there, he spent three years as a reporter and editor for the university's award-winning student newspaper, The State Hornet. He spent his senior year of college serving as The Hornet's first Black editor in chief, leading the organization to two Pacemaker awards and several other national honors from the Associated Collegiate Press. When he's not chasing down a story, he likes watching movies, traveling and trying new restaurants.

He can be reached at Jordan.Parker@sfchronicle.com.
Sir Christopher Hohn to Present at Abu Dhabi Finance Week November 27-30

ABU DHABI, Nov. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- TCI Fund Management Limited ("TCI"), a leading $60bn investment firm, today announced the opening of an Abu Dhabi office, establishing a strategic presence in the United Arab Emirates and EMEA. Bronwyn Owen, Global Head of Investor Relations and Director of TCI Fund Management (AD) Limited has relocated to Abu Dhabi from New York and will head up the new office.

The firm plans to leverage the Abu Dhabi office and in-person presence in building key regional relationships. A physical location in the region provides TCI access to valuable markets in terms of talent and capital as it continues to expand its capabilities and expertise. Further, the office provides TCI, a foothold in the region that can be leveraged to continue its efforts catalyzing climate action within the private finance sector.

"The Middle East is a vital market for the investment management industry, both from a talent and asset growth perspective, as well as a critical partner in global efforts to reduce carbon emissions and climate change," said Sir Christopher Hohn, TCI Founder and Portfolio Manager. "We look forward to establishing our team there to reach a broader investor base and to expand my philanthropic activities. We are also excited to partner with the local community to help enhance opportunities for investment managers in the region and to further our ongoing efforts to reduce the impacts of the present climate crisis through pushing for climate action plans."

H.E. Ahmed Jasim AL Zaabi, Chairman of ADGM said, "We are delighted to welcome TCI to ADGM. TCI's new base underscores ADGM's rise as an international financial hub and reinforces Abu Dhabi's position as a prospering centre for the investment management industry and its leading role in the energy transition underpinned by the UAE's strategic value to global finance and equally its unwavering commitment to climate action".

In his personal capacity as Founder and Chair of the Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), Sir Christopher also hopes that TCI's presence in the region will enable him to raise the profile of the important work CIFF and other philanthropies are doing in the areas of climate action, health and nutrition, attracting much needed partnerships and co-funding from local organisations and individuals to tackle these global issues. CIFF is an independently endowed charity which is regulated under UK law and is wholly separate from TCI.

As part of TCI's office opening, Sir Christopher Hohn will be speaking at the Abu Dhabi Finance Week leadership roundtable "Investing in the Transition Era" on November 27th, and at R.A.C.E. Sustainability Summit on the subject of growing Climate Finance on November 30th. Sir Christopher will headline the COP28 Business & Philanthropy Climate Forum on December 1st in a fireside chat on "Tackling Greenwashing and Greenhushing".

TCI's presence further solidifies the UAE's growing importance in the investment management industry and aligns with recent trends as firms put boots on the ground in the Middle East.

About TCI Fund Management Limited

Founded in 2003 by Sir Christopher Hohn, TCI is a leading $60bn investment firm headquartered in London with offices in New York and Abu Dhabi. TCI manages assets for institutional investors around the world including sovereign wealth funds, corporate and public pension plans, foundations, endowments and for some of the world's leading family offices. Sir Chris is an activist investor and in recent years, has become an outspoken advocate of urgent action on the climate crisis, and a prolific contributor to the cause.

www.tcifund.com

About The Children's Investment Fund Foundation UK ("CIFF")

A registered charity in England and Wales, CIFF focuses on improving the lives of children living in poverty in developing countries and is the one of the largest children's charities in the world. In 2019, Forbes put Hohn in the list of the world's most generous philanthropists outside of the US.

www.ciff.org

TCI's Investments

Equities - TCI is a value orientated, fundamental investor which invests globally in strong businesses with sustainable competitive advantages. Using a private equity approach, TCI conducts deep fundamental research, constructively engages with management and adopts a long-term investment horizon. TCI is an opportunistic investor investing from time to time in corporate transformations and special situations. TCI will drive outcomes by using activism when appropriate. The TCI Master Fund is highly concentrated to maximize alpha.

Real Estate - TCI's real estate lending business was established in 2014. The TCI Real Estate Partners Lending Funds invest alongside The Children's Investment Fund Foundation (UK) (CIFF). These funds focus on first mortgage and senior secured lending on high quality assets in prime locations with a concentration on major cities in North America and Europe.

Contact Information

Bronwyn Owen, CFA

Global Head of Investor Relations

Managing Director, TCI Fund Management (AD) Limited

ADGM Square, Al Maryah Island

Al Maqam Tower, 34th Floor

Abu Dhabi, UAE

UAE: +971 55 820 1627

E: bowen@tcifund.com

For Media

ASC Advisors

Steve Bruce / Taylor Ingraham

sbruce@ascadvisors.com / tingraham@ascadvisors.com

+1 203 992 1230

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Increase in the adoption of multiplex assay products, numerous advances in multiplex assays over traditional assays, and the increase in acceptance of personalized treatment in developing countries drive the growth of the global multiplex assay market.

PORTLAND, Ore., Nov. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Multiplex assay Market By Type (Protein Based Multiplex Assays, Nucleic Acid-Based Multiplex Assays, Cell-Based Multiplex Assays), By Product (Reagents And Consumables, Instruments And Accessories, Software And Services), By Application (Clinical Diagnostics, Research And Development, Companion Diagnostics), By End User (Hospitals, Clinical Laboratories, Research Institutes, Pharmaceutical And Biotechnology Companies): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2023-2032" According to the report, the global multiplex assay industry generated $3.6 billion in 2022 and is anticipated to generate $7.7 billion by 2032, witnessing a CAGR of 7.8% from 2023 to 2032.

Request Sample of the Report on Multiplex Assay Market Forecast 2032- https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/1921

Prime determinants of growth

Rise in prevalence of chronic and infectious diseases, technological advancement in multiplex assay products, rise in adoption of personalized medicines drive the growth of the global multiplex assay market. However, the lack of skilled labor/healthcare professionals have hamepered the multiplex assay market growth. On the contrary, the high growth potential in developing countries and the increase in R&D activities are expected to offer remunerative opportunities for the expansion of the multiplex assay market during the forecast period.

Report coverage & details:

Report Coverage Details Forecast Period 2023-2032 Base Year 2022 Market Size in 2022 $3.6 billion Market Size in 2032 $7.7 billion CAGR 7.8 % No. of Pages in Report 430 Segments Covered Type, Product, Application, End User and Region Drivers Rise in prevalence of chronic disease Rise in adoption of personalized medicines Technological advancements in multiplexed products Opportunity Rise in R&D activities Restraint Lack of skilled labor/healthcare professionals

Economic Downturn Analysis: Impact of Recession in 2023 on the Multiplex Assay Market

Startups and smaller businesses in the multiplex assay sector, which often rely on loans or investments to fund their operations and expansion, may face challenges in obtaining affordable financing. This can hinder their ability to invest in R&D, product innovation, and market expansion.

Recession hinders the ability of the market to introduce more efficient, accurate, and user-friendly multiplexed assay instruments & kits, which hinders market growth.

Want to Explore More, Connect to our Analyst- https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/connect-to-analyst/1921

The protein-based multiplex assay segment to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period

On the basis of type, protein-based multiplex assay segment held the highest market share in 2022, accounting for three-fourths of the global multiplex assay market revenue and is estimated to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period, owing to the high adoption of protein-based multiplex assay, and continuous investments in R&D for introduction of innovative technologies. The nucleic acid-based multiplex assay segment is projected to manifest the highest CAGR of 10.1% from 2023 to 2032, owing to an increase in usage of nucleic acid-based multiplex assay and increase in research regarding nucleic acid-based multiplex assay.

The reagents & consumables segment to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period

On the basis of product, the reagents & consumables segment held the highest market share in 2022, accounting for more than two-thirds of the global multiplex assay market revenue and is estimated to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period, owing to high adoption of reagents & consumables, and recurring purchase of assays and reagents for increasing research applications. The instruments & accessories segment is projected to manifest the highest CAGR of 8.9% from 2023 to 2032 due to a rise in adoption of instruments & accessories and increase in R&D labs that further uses instruments & accessories.

The research and development segment to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period

Based on application, the research and development segment held the highest market share in terms of revenue in 2022, accounting for more than two-fifths of the global multiplex assay market revenue, owing to wide applications of multiplex assay technologies in R&D and convenience and quicker results offered by multiplex assays while performing assays. The clinical diagnostics segment is expected to witness the fastest CAGR of 8.7% from 2023 to 2032 and is likely to dominate the market during the forecast period, owing to a rise in prevalence of chronic infectious disease and increase in awareness regarding diagnosis of diseases.

The pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies segment to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period

On the basis of end user, the pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies segment held the highest market share in terms of revenue in 2022, accounting for more than half of the global multiplex assay market revenue, owing to high use of multiplex assays for research and development in pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies. The same segment is expected to witness the fastest CAGR of 8.8% from 2023 to 2032 and is likely to dominate the market during the forecast period, owing to rise in penetration of multiplex assays in pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies, as compared to conventional assays, for biomolecular detection, biomarker validation, and measuring pathways for diseases & physiological activities.

For Procurement Information- https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/1921

North America to maintain its dominance by 2032

On the basis of region, North America held the highest market share in terms of revenue in 2022, accounting for more than two-fifths of the global multiplex assay market revenue, owing to robust healthcare infrastructure, presence of key players, and rise in healthcare expenditure. However, the Asia-Pacific region is expected to witness the fastest CAGR of 9.5% from 2023 to 2032 and is likely to dominate the market during the forecast period, owing to a rise in prevalence of chronic infectious cases, unmet medical demands, and rise in R&D activities.

Leading Market Players: -

Abcam plc

Becton, Dickinson and Company

Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc.

DiaSorin S.p.A. (Luminex Corporation)

Illumina Inc.

Meso Scale Diagnostics LLC

QIAGEN N.V.

Randox Laboratories Ltd.

Seegene Inc.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.

The report provides a detailed analysis of these key players in the global multiplex assay market. These players have adopted different strategies such as acquisition, agreement, expansion, partnership, product launch, and product approval to increase their market share and maintain dominant shares in different regions. The report is valuable in highlighting business performance, operating segments, product portfolio, and strategic moves of market players to showcase the competitive scenario.

Comprehensive Healthcare Industry Research Studies:

Internet of Things in Healthcare Market- Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2022-2032

Medical Tourism Market- Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2022-2032

3D Cell Culture Market- Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20221-2032

Neurovascular Devices Market- Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2022-2032

Viral Vector and Plasmid DNA Manufacturing Market- Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2022-2032

About Allied Market Research:

Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Wilmington, Delaware. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domains. AMR offers its services across 11 industry verticals including Life Sciences, Consumer Goods, Materials & Chemicals, Construction & Manufacturing, Food & Beverages, Energy & Power, Semiconductor & Electronics, Automotive & Transportation, ICT & Media, Aerospace & Defense, and BFSI.

We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Allied Market Research CEO Pawan Kumar is instrumental in inspiring and encouraging everyone associated with the company to maintain high quality of data and help clients in every way possible to achieve success. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry.

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EPIC Suisse AG / Key word(s): Quarter Results

EPIC Suisse AG: EPIC Suisse releases high level Q3 2023 numbers in line with majority shareholder's reporting obligations



23-Nov-2023 / 06:45 CET/CEST

Release of an ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 LR

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.





Media release - Ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 LR

Zurich, 23 November 2023

EPIC Suisse releases high level Q3 2023 numbers in line with majority shareholder's reporting obligations

EPIC Suisse AG (the "Company" and "EPIC", the consolidated group; SIX: EPIC), publishes today high-level figures [1] for the period 1 January 2023 to 30 September 2023 in parallel with its majority shareholder, Alrov Properties & Lodgings Ltd (the "Alrov Group"):

Fair value of the portfolio as at 30 September 2023 totals CHF 1.53 billion split into Investment properties in operation at CHF 1'446 million (31 Dec 2022: CHF 1'448 million) and Investment properties under development / construction at CHF 84 million (31 Dec 2022: CHF 54 million)

Total income (defined as rental income and other income) for Investment properties in operation for the 9-month period 2023 amounts to CHF 50.4 million (9-months 2022: CHF 46.9 million)

Total bank debt as at 30 September 2023 is CHF 618 million (31 Dec 2022: CHF 596 million)

The IFRS NAV stands at CHF 809 million as at 30 September 2023 (31 Dec 2022: CHF 818 million)

Financial calendar

Annual Report 2023: 25 March 2024

Annual General Meeting of Shareholders 2024: 25 April 2024

Contact information

Valerie Scholtes, CFO, EPIC Suisse AG, Phone: +41 44 388 81 00, E-mail: investors@epic.ch

About EPIC Suisse AG

EPIC Suisse AG is a Swiss real estate company with a high-quality property portfolio of about CHF 1.5 billion in market value. It has a sizeable development pipeline and a strong track record in sourcing, acquiring, (re)developing and actively managing commercial properties in Switzerland. EPIC's investment properties are mainly located in Switzerland's major economic hubs, specifically the Lake Geneva Region and the Zurich Economic Area. Listed on SIX Swiss Exchange since May 2022 (SIX ticker symbol EPIC; Swiss Security Number (Valorennummer) 51613168; ISIN number CH0516131684). More information: www.epic.ch

Disclaimer

This publication may contain specific forward-looking statements, e.g. statements including terms like "believe", "assume", "expect", "forecast", "project", "may", "could", "might", "will" or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may result in a substantial divergence between the actual results, financial situation, development or performance of EPIC Suisse AG and those explicitly or implicitly presumed in these statements. Against the background of these uncertainties, readers should not rely on forward-looking statements. EPIC Suisse AG assumes no responsibility to update forward-looking statements or to adapt them to future events or developments.

[1] In line with the Q3 / 9-month 2023 report published today by EPIC co-founder and majority shareholder Alrov Group on the Tel-Aviv Stock Exchange.
Study assessing the efficacy of BIOCERA-VET Osteosarcoma Cementoplasty associated with stereotactic radiotherapy 1

Evaluation of the effect on lameness and the risk of pathological fracture

University of Florida is ranked #7 among veterinary medical colleges nationwide by U.S. News World Report

Regulatory News:

TheraVet (ISIN: BE0974387194 ticker: ALVET), a pioneering company in the management of osteoarticular diseases in pets, announces the launch of a clinical study assessing the efficacy of BIOCERA-VET Osteosarcoma Cementoplasty combined with Stereotactic Radiotherapy (SRT) in patients with osteosarcoma. The study will be led by Dr Marilia Takada (DVM, PhD, DACVR Radiation Oncology, Assistant Professor and Radiation Oncology Service chief, and by Dr Judith Bertran (DVM, MRCVS, DACVS (SA), ACVS Fellow in Surgical Oncology) Assistant Professor and Surgical Oncology Service Chief at the University of Florida

Canine osteosarcoma is commonly treated by limb amputation for local tumor control, and adjuvant chemotherapy to delay the onset of metastases. Standard limb-sparing surgery, used as alternative to amputation, suffers from high complication rates and is only suitable at specific locations; therefore, novel limb-sparing technique options are currently more and more sought-after as an alternative to amputation.

A promising alternative to the previous limb-sparing techniques is percutaneous cementoplasty. This procedure consists in a percutaneous injection of a bone cement such as BIOCERA-VET Osteosarcoma into the bone tumor site thus providing analgesia, bone consolidation, and preventing pathological fractures2. This procedure can be combined with ablation techniques, with adjuvant chemotherapy, and/or radiation therapy. Among the latter, SRT, while acting on tumor's cells and locally controlling the progression of the tumor and improving lameness, is associated with a high rate of pathological fracture (41%) due to bone weakening3. The combination of SRT with percutaneous cementoplasty could therefore be an option to counteract the consequences of the radiotherapy by strengthening the bone.

In this context, a study assessing the combination of percutaneous cementoplasty and SRT in 10 dogs suffering from appendicular osteosarcoma will be conducted by Dr Marilia Takada and by Dr Judith Bertran at the University of Florida.

The dogs will be treated by SRT followed two weeks later by a percutaneous cementoplasty using BIOCERA-VET Osteosarcoma. The objectives of the study will be to evaluate the effect on lameness by using objective measurements (i.e., force plate analysis) and to assess the risk of pathological fracture. Patients will be followed monthly for the first 3 months and then every three months until the patients end of the life. First patient enrolment is expected in December 2023. With an estimated enrolment phase of 6 months, the study will be conducted over a period of 18 months, with first results expected in a year.

Dr. Judith Bertran, Assistant Professor and Surgical Oncology Service Chief at the University of Florida, stated: "As osteosarcoma is a devastating local and systemic disease, investigation of new strategies to ensure local disease control and comfort for our patients is imperative. As researchers, this pilot study is extremely important to investigate the benefits of the percutaneous cementoplasty in dogs undergoing SRT for osteosarcoma. Collected data will serve as the basis of larger clinical trials to investigate further the best protocols for SRT combined with cementoplasty to preserve limb function, comfort level and acceptable disease-free intervals and survivals for canine patients.

About the University of Florida

Ranked #7 among veterinary medical colleges nationwide by U.S. News World Report, University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine teaches the veterinarians of the future and provides leading-edge care to animal patients from throughout the Southeast through the UF Veterinary Hospitals. Its programs in biomedical research advance the science of animal, human and environmental health.

About TheraVet SA

TheraVet is a veterinary biotechnology company specializing in osteoarticular treatments for companion animals. The Company develops targeted, safe and effective treatments to improve the quality of life of pets suffering from joint and bone diseases. For pet owners, the health of their pets is a major concern and TheraVet's mission is to address the need for innovative and curative treatments. TheraVet works closely with international opinion leaders in order to provide a more effective response to ever-growing needs in the field of veterinary medicine. TheraVet is listed on Euronext Growth Paris and Brussels, has its head office in Belgium (Gosselies) with a US subsidiary.

For more information, visit the TheraVet website or follow us on LinkedInFacebookTwitter

About BIOCERA-VET

In close collaboration with an international scientific board, THERAVET has developed a new line of calcium-phosphate and biological bone substitutes, BIOCERA-VET. BIOCERA-VET is a full range of innovative, easy-to-use, efficient cost-effective bone substitutes indicated in bone surgeries where a bone graft is required and as a palliative alternative in the management of canine osteosarcoma. Based on extremely promising clinical results, this line offers the possibility of a better, more convenient and more efficient orthopedic surgery.

BIOCERA-VET is declined in different lines:

is declined in different lines: BIOCERA-VET BONE SURGERY RTU, a ready-to-use highly injectable self-hardening calcium-phosphate cement

BONE SURGERY RTU, a ready-to-use highly injectable self-hardening calcium-phosphate cement BIOCERA-VET SMARTGRAFT, a naturally osteoconductive bone graft

SMARTGRAFT, a naturally osteoconductive bone graft BIOCERA-VET GRANULES, an affordable biocompatible calcium-phosphate bone substitute

GRANULES, an affordable biocompatible calcium-phosphate bone substitute BIOCERA-VET OSTEOSARCOMA RTU, a ready-to-use highly injectable calcium-phosphate bone substitute for cementoplasty

OSTEOSARCOMA RTU, a ready-to-use highly injectable calcium-phosphate bone substitute for cementoplasty BIOCERA-VETCOMBO-CLEAN, a local and long-lasting antibiotic delivery calcium-phosphate bone substitute

For more information, visit BIOCERA-VET website.

1 Stereotatic radiotherapy (SRT) is defined as focused radiation beams targeting a well-defined tumor allowing high dose of radiation at the tumor site and lower at the surrounding tissue.

2 Article under review

3 Wormhoudt Martin T et al. Outcome and prognosis for canine appendicular osteosarcoma treated with stereotactic body radiation therapy in 123 dogs. Vet Comp Oncol. 2021 June; 19(2): 284-294. doi:10.1111/vco.12674

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Contacts:

TheraVet

Chief Operating Officer

Sabrina Ena

investors@thera.vet

Tel: +32 (0) 71 96 00 43

NewCap

Investor Relations and Financial Communications

Theo Martin Nicolas Fossiez

theravet@newcap.eu

Tel: +33 (0)1 44 71 94 94

Press Relations

Arthur Rouille

theravet@newcap.eu

Tel: +33 (0)1 44 71 00 15

NewCap Belgique

Press Relations

Laure-Eve Monfort

lemonfort@thera.vet

Tel: 32 (0) 489 57 76 52
SENVELGO (velagliflozin oral solution) is the first liquid once-daily, orally administered prescription medication to improve glycemic control in cats with diabetes mellitus

(velagliflozin oral solution) is the first liquid once-daily, orally administered prescription medication to improve glycemic control in cats with diabetes mellitus SENVELGO makes treating feline diabetes simple and convenient for both cats and cat owners

makes treating feline diabetes simple and convenient for both cats and cat owners Up to one in three cats are euthanized within the first year of diagnosis due to previous complex treatments

Boehringer Ingelheim, a global leader in animal health, has received marketing authorization from the European Commission for SENVELGO (active ingredient: velagliflozin), marking a significant step for the treatment of feline diabetes in Europe. Globally, SENVELGO is the first once-daily liquid oral solution for the reduction of hypoglycemia in cats with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. This breakthrough innovation will make it easier for cat owners to fit the treatment of feline diabetes into their daily lives.

Pet owners can give the once daily oral liquid solution with a small amount of food or directly into the cat's mouth. As soon as one week after beginning treatment, SENVELGO improves the clinical signs of diabetes that cats experience by reducing elevated blood glucose levels and minimizing the risk of clinical hypoglycemic events. The novel drug comes in liquid form, the formulation that cats and cat owners prefer, according to studies.

Dr. Stijn Niessen, President of the European College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ECVIM), says, "SENVELGO will revolutionize the management of feline diabetes in Europe in a way that improves the well-being of both cats and their owners. It eases the complexity and burden of feline diabetes treatment because of the apparent lack of danger for clinical hypoglycemia and removes the need for ongoing serial glucose monitoring. In this way, SENVELGO will help the majority of owners to efficiently control their cat's condition, significantly improving quality of life."

Feline diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder which occurs when a cat has insufficient levels of, or an abnormal response to insulin. It is one of the most common endocrine disorders in cats, and this is expected to increase due to an increasing and growing cat population. Unfortunately, nearly one out of three cats who are diagnosed with diabetes are euthanized within the first year of diagnosis, with the complexity required to treat diabetic cats often being a contributing factor.

Eric Haaksma, Head of Animal Health Global Innovation at Boehringer Ingelheim says "At Boehringer Ingelheim, our dedication lies in translating scientific progress into cutting-edge innovations for animals and their owners. The launch of SENVELGO underlines this ambition, offering a product that significantly enhances diabetic cat care and simplifies the lives of both cat owners and their feline companions."

Following the marketing authorization in the European Union, SENVELGO will be rolled out across EU countries. SENVELGO is already approved in Switzerland, Great Britain, and the US. The company also plans to launch SENVELGO in countries around the world, pending regulatory approvals.

Please click on this link for 'Notes to Editors' and 'References'.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231122681664/en/

Contacts:

Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health Communication

Mi-Kyung Lee-Lange

55216 Ingelheim, Germany

Phone: +49 6132 77 170258

Email: press@boehringer-ingelheim.com
CHICAGO, Nov. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Biomethane Market is expected to grow from an estimated USD 10.3 billion in 2023 to USD 60.2 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 28.7% according to a new report by MarketsandMarkets. This anticipated expansion underscores the increasing prominence and adoption of biomethane as a renewable energy source. Several factors contribute to this robust growth trajectory, including heightened global awareness of climate change, a growing emphasis on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and a concerted push towards sustainable and cleaner energy alternatives. The market's potential is further propelled by advancements in biomethane production technologies, fostering increased efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Additionally, supportive government policies and incentives worldwide are creating a conducive environment for the biomethane sector, encouraging investments and fostering innovation. As industries and consumers increasingly prioritize environmentally friendly energy sources, biomethane's role in addressing these demands is becoming more pivotal.

Browse in-depth TOC on "Biomethane Market"

110 - Tables

55 - Figures

280 - Pages

Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=190903532

Biomethane Market Scope:

Report Coverage Details Market Revenue in 2023 $10.3 billion Estimated Value by 2030 $60.2 billion Growth Rate Poised to Grow at a CAGR of 28.7% Largest Market Europe Market Size Available for 2018-2030 Forecast Period 2023-2030 Forecast Units Value (USD Billion) Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends Segments Covered Biomethane Market By Feedstock, Production Process, End-use, and Region Geographies Covered Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa, and South America Key Market Opportunities Exploring the versatile biomethane market for growth and environmental impact Key Market Drivers Driving sustainable energy and economic growth through renewable gas

Power Generation segment, by end-use application, to occupy majority of biomethane market share.

The power generation segment is set to dominate the biomethane market, securing the largest market share. This prominence is driven by the growing recognition of biomethane as a clean and sustainable energy source for electricity production. Governments and energy stakeholders are increasingly focused on reducing carbon emissions in the power sector, and biomethane, with its renewable nature and lower environmental impact, provides a compelling solution. Advanced technologies in anaerobic digestion and gas upgrading enable seamless integration into existing natural gas infrastructure, making biomethane a versatile and accessible fuel for power generation. The global commitment to transitioning toward cleaner energy sources further aligns with biomethane's attributes, solidifying its pivotal role in the growth of the power generation segment in the biomethane market.

Municipal waste segment, by feedstock, to be largest market.

Municipal waste is anticipated to claim the highest market share in the biomethane market. This projection is underpinned by the increasing recognition of municipal waste as a valuable feedstock for biomethane production. Municipal waste, consisting of organic materials from households and commercial establishments, serves as a rich source for anaerobic digestion processes, a key method for biomethane generation. The emphasis on waste-to-energy solutions and the circular economy concept has heightened interest in converting municipal waste into a renewable and clean energy resource. Governments and waste management authorities are implementing policies and initiatives to encourage the utilization of municipal waste for biomethane production, further boosting its market share. As the world strives for sustainable waste management practices and the reduction of carbon footprints, municipal waste emerges as a prominent and viable feedstock, positioning itself to play a leading role in the biomethane market.

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Europe to emerge as the largest Biomethane Industry

Europe is poised to command the largest market share in the biomethane market, primarily due to the region's proactive approach towards renewable energy and stringent environmental regulations. European countries have been at the forefront of adopting sustainable practices, with a strong emphasis on reducing carbon emissions and transitioning towards cleaner energy sources. Biomethane aligns well with these objectives, as it can be produced from organic waste through advanced technologies like anaerobic digestion. The European Union's ambitious renewable energy targets, supportive government policies, and robust infrastructure for natural gas and biomethane distribution contribute to the region's dominance in the biomethane market. Additionally, the well-established circular economy practices and a growing commitment to decarbonization in various sectors, including transportation and power generation, further drive the adoption of biomethane in Europe, positioning the continent as a leader in the global biomethane market.

Key Market Players:

Key players in the global Biomethane Companies include Air Liquide (France), Gasum Ltd. (Finland), Archae Energy (Texas), and OPAL Fuels (US).

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Recent Developments

In February 2023, ENGIE acquired Vol-V Biomasse, with this acquisition, ENGIE now has a portfolio of nearly 80 projects, thus supporting its aim of producing 5 TWh/year of biomethane by 2030.

In Mrach 2023, TotalEnergies has acquired stake in Ductor, which is a Finland-based start-up that has developed an innovative technology to process high-nitrogen organic waste, such as poultry manure, which is usually difficult to use for biomethane production.

Browse Adjacent Markets: Energy and Power Market Research Reports & Consulting

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Biorefinery Market by Type (First Generation, Second Generation, and Third Generation), Technology (Industrial Biotechnology, Physico-Chemical, and Thermochemical), Product (Energy driven, and Material driven) and Region - Global Forecast to 2027

Biomass Gasification Market by Source (Agricultural, Forest, Animal, Municipal), Gasifier Technology (Fixed-bed, Fluidized-bed, Entrained Flow), Application (Power, Chemicals, Hydrogen, Transportation, Ethanol, Biochar) - Region - Forecast to 2027

About MarketsandMarkets:

MarketsandMarkets has been recognized as one of America's best management consulting firms by Forbes, as per their recent report.

MarketsandMarkets is a blue ocean alternative in growth consulting and program management, leveraging a man-machine offering to drive supernormal growth for progressive organizations in the B2B space. We have the widest lens on emerging technologies, making us proficient in co-creating supernormal growth for clients.

Earlier this year, we made a formal transformation into one of America's best management consulting firms as per a survey conducted by Forbes.

The B2B economy is witnessing the emergence of $25 trillion of new revenue streams that are substituting existing revenue streams in this decade alone. We work with clients on growth programs, helping them monetize this $25 trillion opportunity through our service lines - TAM Expansion, Go-to-Market (GTM) Strategy to Execution, Market Share Gain, Account Enablement, and Thought Leadership Marketing.

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PARIS, France, November 23, 2023, 08:30 am CET - Pharnext SA ( FR001400JXB0 - ALPHA) (the "Company"), an advanced late-clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases with high unmet medical need, today unveils the calendar for publication of topline results from its pivotal Phase III clinical trial (PREMIER trial) in Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1A (CMT1A), a rare debilitating peripheral neuropathy.

As announced, the PREMIER trial progressed as initially planned. Its 15-month double-blind period ended August 2023[1]. The next step is to lock the database on December 1st. Following this major step, Pharnext expects to receive first study results on December 8th. The Company should then be able to announce topline results of the PREMIER trial on December 11th, after preliminary analysis.

Hugo Brugiere, Manager of Pharnext, said: "We are delighted to successfully complete this Phase III clinical trial, and look forward to receiving topline results in two weeks' time. Our PXT3003 has already shown early signs of efficacy in previous Phase II and Phase III trials in CMT1A. We hope to be able to bring this innovative therapeutic solution to patients who currently have no alternative to palliative options."

As a reminder; the PREMIER trial, initiated in March 2021, is an international, randomized, double-blind, two-arm placebo-controlled, pivotal Phase III study, where the primary objective is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of PXT3003 versus placebo in mild-to-moderate CMT1A patients, over a 15-month double-blind period. The dose of PXT3003 tested in the PREMIER trial corresponds to the high dose (HD) tested in the prior Phase III clinical study, the PLEO-CMT trial, and its ongoing open-label extension Phase III study, the PLEOCMT-FU trial. As agreed with regulatory agencies, the primary efficacy endpoint is the Overall Neuropathy Limitations Scale ('ONLS') which measures functional motor disability. A total of 387 patients with mild-to-moderate CMT1A were enrolled in the PREMIER trial.

After completion of the double-blind period, CMT1A patients enrolled in the PREMIER trial were all offered continued treatment with PXT3003 by rolling over an open-label extension period named PREMIER-OLE (Open-Label Extension). This extension study was designed to assess the long-term safety and tolerability of PXT3003 in patients who have completed the PREMIER trial.

The first patient entered the PREMIER-OLE period in September 2022[2]. To date, 310 patients are receiving high-dose PXT3003, and have the opportunity to continue until the treatment is commercially available, should PXT3003 be approved in the US and Europe, respectively by the FDA and the EMA.

About Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease Type 1A ('CMT1A')

Charcot-Marie-Tooth ('CMT') disease encompasses a heterogeneous group of inherited, severe, debilitating, progressive and chronic peripheral neuropathies. CMT1A, the most common type of CMT, is an orphan disease with a prevalence of 1/5000 people affecting about 150,000 people in Europe and the U.S. and about 1,500,000 people worldwide. The genetic mutation responsible for CMT1A is a duplication of the PMP22 gene coding for a peripheral myelin protein. The duplication of this gene results in overexpression of the PMP22 protein and failure of Schwann cells to produce normal myelin (neuronal sheath). The lack of a normal myelin structure and function leads to abnormal peripheral nerve conduction and axonal loss. As a result of peripheral nerve degradation, patients suffer from progressive muscle atrophy in both the legs and arms causing problems with walking, running and balance as well as abnormal hand functioning. They might also suffer from mild to moderate sensory disorders. First symptoms usually appear during adolescence and will progressively evolve throughout life. Patients with the most severe form of CMT1A end up in wheelchairs, representing at least 5% of cases. To date, no curative or symptomatic medications have been approved and treatment consists of supportive care such as orthotics, leg braces, physical and occupational therapy or surgery. More information can be found at https://pharnext.com/en/disease/charcot-marie-tooth .

Disclaimer

Pharnext arranged convertible bonds financing (OCEAN-BSA) with Global Tech Opportunities 13 which, after receiving the shares resulting from the conversion or exercise of these instruments, will not remain shareholder of the Company.

The shares resulting from the conversion or exercise of the above-mentioned securities will generally be sold on the market at very short notice, which may create strong downward pressure on the share price.

Shareholders may suffer a loss of their invested capital due to a significant fall in the Company's share price, as well as significant dilution due to the large number of securities issued to Global Tech Opportunities 13.

Investors are advised to exercise extreme caution before deciding to invest in the securities of a listed company that carries out such dilutive financing transactions, particularly when they are carried out in succession. The Company wishes to point out that this is not the first dilutive financing transaction it has undertaken.

Investors are invited to familiarize themselves with the risks associated with these transactions, as mentioned in the press release above.

About Pharnext

Pharnext is an advanced clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapies for neurodegenerative diseases currently without satisfactory therapeutic solutions. Pharnext has a first-in-class drug candidate, PXT3003, in development for Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1A (CMT1A), a rare, debilitating, inherited peripheral neuropathy. PXT3003 benefits from orphan drug status in Europe and the United States. In 2018, PXT3003 completed a Phase III clinical trial, the PLEO-CMT trial, with encouraging topline results. This trial was followed by an open-label extension study, the PLEO-CMT-FU trial, with 120 patients continuing treatment with PXT3003. Long-term data suggest a sustained benefit, safety, and efficacy, after 6 years of total trial time. An international pivotal Phase III study of PXT3003, the PREMIER trial, enrolling 387 CMT1A patients was completed in August 2023. PREMIER topline results are expected in December 2023. PXT3003 originated from the Pleotherapy R&D approach. Pharnext draws the attention of investors to the financial and other risk factors detailed in its financial reports. More information can be found at www.pharnext.com.

Pharnext is listed on the Euronext Growth Stock Exchange in Paris (ISIN code: FR001400JXB0).

Contacts

Financial Press Relations

ACTUS finance & communication

Anne-Charlotte Dudicourt

acdudicourt@actus.fr

+33 (0)1 53 67 36 32 Investor Relations

ACTUS finance & communication

Jerome Fabreguettes Leib

pharnext@actus.fr

+33 (0)1 53 67 36 78

[1] Pharnext reports the end of double-blind treatment in PREMIER trial, the pivotal Phase III clinical trial of PXT3003 in Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1A

[2] Pharnext Announces First Patient Enrolled in Open Label Extension of the Pivotal Phase III Study of PXT3003 for the Treatment of Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease Type 1A, the PREMIER Trial

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Expereo announces latest enterprise customer to help accelerate the digital transformation of one of the leading brewery groups

Expereo, the intelligent internet company that connects people, places and things anywhere, today announced Carlsberg Group as its latest enterprise customer. Carlsberg, one of the leading brewery groups in the world, has chosen Expereo to manage their internet connectivity in 40 countries at 160 sites in support of their global digital transformation journey.

Carlsberg Group brews some of the world's most popular beers including; Tuborg, Kronenbourg 1664, Poretti, Experimental and of course Carlsberg to name a few. With over 40,000 employees and 140 brands in its portfolio, they are one of the largest employers in Denmark.

Expereo was selected to implement and manage a new internet underlay network to ensure seamless performance wherever Carlsberg employees, partners and customers are located. This internet network is a critical component in ensuring Carlsberg had the secure, predictable global application performance they expected. It was vital that the chosen partner offered a managed internet service from a single partner, allowing the internal IT team at Carlsberg to focus on higher priority tasks.

Ben Elms, Chief Revenue Officer at Expereo, comments: "Carlsberg were looking for a managed internet network partner to lead the consolidation of their current estate into one network infrastructure. They needed a partner who could ensure the network underlay could deliver the platform for their new SASE roll-out.

The real-time visibility and insight into network performance enabled by expereoOne will be a game-changer for Carlsberg and partners, providing them with actionable insights and control over network performance and management."

Carlsberg's evolving market demands in over 40 countries across 160 sites, required the partner to have hyper-local knowledge and expertise. With five global support centers, and teams on the ground speaking the local language, the global internet network will be delivered by Expereo by the end of March 2024.

Laurent Gaertner, Global Director of Networks at Carlsberg, comments: "We wanted a partner that understands the internet and brings us unrivalled connectivity wherever we are located enabling us to consolidate our network infrastructure as we move from several regional service providers with fragmented technical solutions to one integrated network and security stack. We are looking forward to the ongoing partnership and continuing on our journey to accelerate Carlsberg's digital transformation."

About Expereo

Expereo is the intelligent internet company that connects people, places and things anywhere. Solutions include Global Internet, SD-WAN/SASE, and Enhanced Internet. With an extensive global reach, Expereo is the trusted partner of 60% of Fortune 500 companies. It powers enterprise and government sites in more than 190 countries, with the ability to connect 600,000 locations worldwide, working with over 4,000 partners to help customers improve productivity and empowering their networks and cloud services with the agility, flexibility and value of the Internet, with optimal network performance.

Expereo was acquired in Feb 2021, by Vitruvian Partners. The international growth capital and buyout firm, acquired a majority shareholding from leading European private equity firm, Seven2.

www.expereo.com

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AMSTERDAM, Nov. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Digital Neighborhood, a growing community of 13 independent tech companies specializing in Microsoft Cloud and AI services, announces the establishment of its Artificial Intelligence (AI) Arm. Leading this initiative is Aki Antman, Founder and CEO of Sulava*, The Digital Neighborhood's Finnish brand renowned for its AI and Copilot expertise and proficiency in Microsoft Cloud solutions. Sulava has been Microsoft's Finish Partner of the Year for Modern Work for four consequtive years (2020-2023).

With an unwavering commitment to redefine how organizations operate,The Digital Neighborhood makes a significant move and investment to empower its 2,400 customers. The company's dedication to innovation and excellence has forged a dynamic partnership with Microsoft, cementing its position as the go-to-market leader in Northern European deployments of Microsoft's Copilot.

Jean-Yves Charlier, CEO of The Digital Neighborhood, says, "Our venture into Artificial Intelligence embodies The Digital Neighborhood's dedication to cutting-edge technology and customer-centric solutions, and our partnership with Microsoft is at the core of the technological advancements we are delivering to our customers."

"As pioneers in Microsoft Cloud and AI technologies, we are committed to redefining the way people work and we are proud to collaborate with Microsoft to deliver AI technology and services that are transforming the business landscape," concludes Charlier.

Aki Antman, now at the helm of The Digital Neighborhood's AI Arm, brings a wealth of experience and vision to this role. He remarks, "Our journey into AI is anchored in innovation and our focus on harnessing Microsoft Cloud and AI capabilities. We have already assisted over 40 of our valued customers in improving their productivity, efficiency, and innovation with Copilot solutions, many, prior to its public market launch on 1st November this year. We are excited to now extend these unmatched benefits to all our enterprise customers across The Digital Neighborhood."

Aki emphasizes the role of training and adoption of new ways of working in the era of AI: 'As a global Microsoft Training Partner, we know that both our own employees and all our customers need to be trained in a new way of working. As generative AI and Copilots improve productivity by double-digit percentages, we are making a fundamental shift from information work to thinking work."

The City of Helsinki is one of Sulava's most progressive AI customers. Commenting on its roll out of AI with Sulava and The Digital Neighborhood, it said, " We're on an AI learning journey, identifying the best use cases, learning with Copilot in IT management, and planning our next steps for change. We're focused on enhancing the user experience across our organization, ensuring everyone knows how to harness AI in their work effectively. In administration, efficient information discovery and integration are key benefits of AI. Working with Sulava on our AI journey as been a 5-star experience."

As Aki takes on his new role as the Head of AI for The Digital Neighborhood, alongside his existing position as Sulava CEO, he will be passing on the day-to-day operations of Sulava to industry veteran Mika Sarhimaa. Mika joins Sulava on as COO, bringing with him extensive experience in Microsoft technologies and enterprise customer engagement. Mika has held numerous senior leadership roles at Microsoft and HP. The Digital Neighborhood warmly welcomes Mika to the group and looks forward to benefiting from the depth of industry knowledge and experience he brings.

For more information about The Digital Neighborhood, please visit www.thedigitalneighborhood.com.

For further information, please contact:

Rozzyn Boy

Email: rozzyn.boy@thedigitalneighborhood.com

+1 (615) 596-5056

About The Digital Neighborhood

The Digital Neighborhood is your destination for deep cloud, Microsoft and data expertise. Together, we're a growing community of 13 entrepreneurial tech companies with over 1,300 IT consultants, engineers and employees. All leading in our own fields, we specialize in all things Microsoft, data and the Cloud. The Digital Neighborhood is made up of?True, Fullstaq, Beyond Blue, Pink Elephant, DMP, Cmotions, 2Foqus, Focus Enterprise Solutions, GAC, Delegate, Projectum, Sulava and Iquality. Based in seven countries, our HQ is in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

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Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Make It Home Bay Area volunteers collect donated furniture for the Hanna Center, a nonprofit in the city of Sonoma that houses youths who have aged out of the foster care system. Brian L. Frank/Special to the Chronicle Make It Home Bay Area is a furniture bank that helps furnish about 50 low-income households a month throughout the Bay Area. Brian L. Frank/Special to the Chronicle Make It Home volunteer Ellin Purdom loads her car with furniture to deliver to Hanna Center. Brian L. Frank/Special to the Chronicle Make It Home Bay Area Warehouse Operations Manager Jenifer Venne manages the move of furniture from the warehouse and helps unpack and decorate at Hanna Center, which houses youth who have aged out of the foster care system. Brian L. Frank/Special to the Chronicle

Carolyn Flannery worked as an interior designer and antiques dealer in the Bay Area for decades. About eight years ago, she started volunteering with foster kids and soon learned how few resources they receive when they age out of the system. A social worker might help them get a place to live, but they were on their own to furnish it.

That led to a lightbulb moment, as she witnessed waste in the design world when people discarded perfectly good furniture.

Flannery started a nonprofit, Make It Home Bay Area, initially with a space at the Design Center that soon filled up with donated furniture.

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Now Make It Home Bay Area has warehouses in San Rafael and Walnut Creek filled with hundreds of donated items, and helps furnish about 50 low-income households a month throughout the region. Its clients include aged-out foster youth, homeless people getting an apartment, victims of domestic violence, displaced senior citizens, people who lost their homes in a fire  anybody and everybody that we can help, Flannery said.

Make It Home Bay Area has warehouses in San Rafael and Walnut Creek filled with hundreds of donated items for low-income households. Brian L. Frank/Special to the Chronicle

The organization provides an entire homes worth of furniture  down to the silverware, plates and cookware; including bathroom essentials such as towels, soap, toothbrush holders and washcloths; and cleaning supplies including detergent, mops, brooms, sponges, cleaning spray and toilet brushes.

Much of the furniture is used  which supports its secondary mission, to keep furniture out of landfills. To date, the organization says it has diverted more than 1,500 tons of furniture from landfills. Sleeping pillows are new, while mattresses come from a recycler that refurbishes and sanitizes used mattresses.

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Make It Home operates on a $2 million annual budget (up from $200,000 when it launched three years ago), largely through government grants and private donations.

Were not just giving a household of furniture, were trying to give a home of furniture, Flannery said. We put everything together in a cohesive, curated fashion.

After getting the dimensions of a clients space, the nonprofit designs a furniture arrangement, sets it up at its warehouse, photographs it, and draws a blueprint for the movers, although, of course, the clients can arrange as they see fit.

Make It Home Bay Area will provide design plans for the homes it furnishes. Brian L. Frank/Special to the Chronicle

It tries to cater to clients preferred styles: modern, colorful, neutral or traditional, for instance.

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A 22-year old former foster boy will have completely different wants and needs than a family with four little kids, Flannery said.

She is conscious of how critical getting furniture can be.

For instance, if social workers are arranging a family reunification (returning children from foster care to their parents), and the only thing barring that is furniture, well move heaven and earth to make that happen so they can get their kids back as soon as possible, she said.

Make It Home volunteers unpack furniture and decorate the apartments at Hanna Center. Brian L. Frank/Special to the Chronicle

Furniture banks are a growing sector of social enterprises. The movement of diverting used furniture to people in need originated in the United States, according to the Furniture Bank Network, which lists scores across the U.S. and Canada. In Northern California, besides the two Make It Home locations, it shows the Bay Area Furniture Bank in Los Altos and Furniture for Families in Folsom (Sacramento County).

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Make It Home Bay Area works with an array of social service agencies to connect with people who need its help. Clients pay nothing, but the agencies pay a $250 fee per household plus moving costs (or agencies can handle the moving themselves).

Anytime weve needed furniture, theyve come, said Marisa Binder, vice president of development at the Hanna Center, a nonprofit in the city of Sonoma that helps youth and families affected by trauma and adversity. Theyve furnished and decorated our homes for foster youth. I love that each one looks a little different; it doesnt end up feeling institutional.


EQS Newswire / 23/11/2023 / 17:40 UTC+8



Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group Posts 37.7% Growth in Core Operating Profit to HK$5,989 Million For 1HFY2024 Led By Positive Impact

From Ongoing Transformation

Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group announces FY2024 interim results Results Highlights In transition to higher value growth, we are focusing our efforts and making significant strides towards executing our five strategic priorities as part of the transformation journey: brand revamp, product optimisation, accelerated digitalisation, operational efficiency and talent cultivation.

Notable progress in rationalising our product portfolio and optimising the product planning process. During the period, we successfully launched new designs of

HUA Collection and our HEARTS ON FIRE brand launched its VELA Collection.

HUA Collection and our HEARTS ON FIRE brand launched its VELA Collection. Improvement in mobility and retail activity in our key markets during the first half of FY2024 ("1HFY2024") drove a 6.4% year-on-year increase in revenue to HK$49,526 million. The growth would amount to 11.3% on a constant exchange rate basis. In Hong Kong, Macau and other markets, revenue grew 57.7% during the period due to improved inbound tourism with the progressive return of Mainland tourists.

Core operating profit increased 37.7% to HK$5,989 million, outpacing revenue growth. This was led by ongoing efforts in optimised pricing strategy and operational efficiency enhancement, coupled with the benefits from gold price surge. On a constant exchange rate basis, it was up 44.3% YoY.

In line with our commitment to enhancing earnings quality, adjusted gross profit margin improved 140 basis points year-on-year to 23.8% while the core operating profit margin expanded by 280 basis points to 12.1% in the period. This validates our clear focus towards higher value growth and delivering sustainable long-term stakeholder value creation as we chart steady progress in our transition. Financial Summary For the six months ended 30 September 2023

HK$ million 2022

HK$ million YoY Change Revenue 49,526 46,535 +6.4% Gross profit 12,344 10,962 +12.6% Gross profit margin 24.9% 23.6% Adjusted gross profit margin(1) 23.8% 22.4% Core operating profit(2) 5,989 4,349 +37.7% Core operating profit margin(2) 12.1% 9.3% Profit attributable to shareholders of the Company 4,551 3,336 +36.4% Earnings per share (HK$) 0.46 0.33 +36.4% Interim dividend per share(3) (HK$) 0.25 0.22 N/A

1 Adjusted gross profit margin, a non-IFRS measure, eliminates the effect of unrealised loss (gain) on gold loans, which the Company believes is useful in gaining a more complete understanding of its operational performance and the underlying trend of its businesses 2 Core operating profit and the corresponding margin, a non-IFRS measure, being the aggregate of adjusted gross profit and other income, less selling and distribution costs and general and administration expenses, which the Company believes is useful in gaining a more complete understanding of its operational performance and the underlying trend of its businesses 3 The payout ratio for 1HFY2024 approximates 54.9%

(Hong Kong, China, 23 November 2023) Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group Limited ("Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group", the "Group" or the "Company"; SEHK stock code: 1929), today announces its interim results for the six months ended 30 September 2023 ("1HFY2024"). Solid Recovery in Operating Performance Our efforts in pricing strategy optimisation and operational efficiency enhancement, coupled with the benefits from gold price surge yielded resilient underlying performance during 1HFY2024. The Group's revenue increased 6.4% to HK$49,526 million in 1HFY2024 (1HFY2023: HK$46,535 million). Gross profit rose 12.6% to HK$12,344 million (1HFY2023: HK$10,962 million). Adjusted gross profit margin improved to 23.8% from 22.4% in the same period last year. Core operating profit increased 37.7% to HK$5,989 million, outpacing revenue growth. On a constant exchange rate basis, it was up 44.3% YoY. Profit attributable to shareholders rose 36.4% to HK$4,551 million (1HFY2023: HK$3,336 million) during the period. Earnings per share was reported at HK$0.46 (1HFY2023: HK$0.33). The Board has declared an interim dividend of HK$0.25 per share in 1HFY2024 (1HFY2023: HK$0.22), representing a payout ratio of approximately 54.9%. Dr. Henry Cheng, Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group Chairman, said: "We are witnessing encouraging progress in our transformation journey and we are confident that through active investment in our five strategic priorities, we will further strengthen our competitiveness and enhance earnings quality as we transition into a new phase of higher value growth." Robust RSV Growth Fueled by Sustained Improvement of Mobility and Retail Activity During 1HFY2024, mobility and retail activity continued to improve in the Mainland and Hong Kong and Macau. The Group's retail sales value ("RSV") registered positive growth of 15.6% during the period, driven by Hong Kong, Macau and other markets. RSV in Hong Kong, Macau and other markets jumped 58.5% in 1HFY2024, boosted by the return of inbound tourism in key markets. Against a high base of comparison, our RSV in Mainland China increased by a notable 10.8%. Furthermore, we saw resilient teens RSV growth during several festive and holiday periods, such as the Labour Day holiday, Chinese Valentine's Day, Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday etc. During the recent Double 11 Festival, we ranked No.1 in the jewellery category on both Tmall and JD.com, with strong GMV growth of close to 90% year-on-year. In Hong Kong and Macau, the return of inbound Mainland tourists continued support our business, with Same Store Sales Growth ("SSSG") of 59.6% in 1HFY2024. SSS in Hong Kong increased 52.5% during the period while that in Macau jumped 87.3%. SSS in the Mainland was 3.5% lower in 1HFY2024, largely due to the high base of comparison.

Centralised Marketing Efforts To Support Targeted Growth We continued to execute our centralised global marketing campaign strategy in 1HFY2024, to ensure consistency and maximise synergy. In August, we launched our first-ever 360-degree global marketing campaign unveiling the new designs for HUA Collection, inspired by the Tang Dynasty artefacts and forged with time-honoured gold-crafting techniques. An immersive launch event was held at the Shaanxi History Museum in Xi'an. Separately, the "GOLD IS CHIC: The Luminous Era" art exhibition was held at Taikoo Li Qiantan in Shanghai, where the lavishly adorned event space offered visitors an immersive sensory experience. The HUA Collection continued to register RSV growth of approximately 8% and its contribution stabilised at around 37% in the Mainland. The Collection's RSV achieved a significant growth of over 350% in Hong Kong and Macau. In addition to the successful HUA Collection, our ING Collection and Liu Jin Sui Yue ("????") Collection also received an overwhelming response from the market, particularly among young consumers. These gold jewellery collections contributed around 18% of the RSV of gold products in the Mainland during 1HFY2024. In championing our pioneering legacy and leadership in craftsmanship and natural diamond jewellery design, we have enriched our diamond strategy with the rollout of signature diamond collections. During 1HFY2024, our HEARTS ON FIRE brand launched the VELA Collection, touting the unparalleled sparkle of signature cut diamonds featuring a French cut pave setting. Another signature diamond collection, the Chow Tai Fook Dancing Lily Collection, was successfully developed in 1HFY2024. Our global diamond campaign, which kicked off in September, was led by a diamond-themed exhibition "Beyond Time" in Tai Kwun, Hong Kong. The exhibition showcased resplendent and vibrant diamond pieces alongside immersive art installations that celebrated the magnificent beauty of these precious stones, enhancing consumers desirability for natural diamonds. Following the successful and well-received launch in Hong Kong, we will be bringing our diamond-themed exhibition to Beijing in December 2023 with an aim to connect with our broader base of customers in the Mainland. Enhancing Store Productivity and Customer Experience for Earnings Quality Growth The Group is taking a targeted and strategic approach to expansion by opening new stores in locations with strong local market demand, focusing on enhancing store productivity and customer experience. We are also reviewing our store segmentation strategy at our store fronts as part of our brand revamp initiatives. The Group's retail network expanded to 7,838 POS as at 30 September 2023. In 1HFY2024, we opened a net of 189 CHOW TAI FOOK JEWELLERY POS in the Mainland. In Hong Kong and Macau, we refined our store locations and net opened 1 POS during the period. In other markets, we opened 5 stores, including 3 duty-free shops in the Mainland and 2 POS in Thailand and Canada to capture the emerging opportunities from the retail market growth there.

Business Outlook We continue to expect FY2024 to be a year of gradual recovery and normality driven by steady improvement of RSV and overall profitability.

The government's focus on domestic consumption will support retail and economic activity in the Mainland, as well as Hong Kong and Macau. We were encouraged to witness a steady recovery in our key markets, where jewellery industry sales outpaced overall retail sales growth in April to September 2023 in the Mainland and Hong Kong. This underpins our confidence with the sustained recovery trajectory and we expect SSS to resume growth in the Mainland, Hong Kong and Macau. In the Mainland, the government continues to reiterate the importance of expanding domestic demand and improving employment through economic policy adjustments. While we expect a gradual and uneven recovery in the Mainland amid uncertain global economic conditions, we remain confident in the mid- to long-term growth prospects of the Mainland jewellery market and the economy. In Hong Kong and Macau, the improved inbound tourism and labour market conditions continue to support consumption demand and growth. With the improvement in foot traffic thus far and the push from these favourable initiatives, we expect to continuously benefit from increased operating leverage. In other markets, the increased mobility of Mainland travellers is expected to further stimulate tourism spending. The ASEAN markets are expected to be supported by travel consumption and robust local demand due to the economic recovery across the region. We are evaluating and exploring opportunities in markets with strong retail demand. Despite the market uncertainties and externalities beyond our control, we maintain a bottom-up approach and will continue to focus on executing the five strategic priorities to sustain our growth trajectory. This strengthens our competitive edge as we transition into a new phase of higher value growth, focused on enhancing earnings quality and returns to equity and capital.

- End - Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group Limited Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group Limited (the "Group"; SEHK stock code: 1929) was listed on the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong in December 2011. The Group's vision is to become the most trusted jewellery group in the world. Founded in 1929, the Group's iconic brand "CHOW TAI FOOK" is widely recognised for its trustworthiness and authenticity, and is renowned for its product design, quality and value. A long-standing commitment to innovation and craftsmanship has contributed to the Group's success, along with that of its iconic retail brand, and has been embodied in its rich heritage. Underpinning this success are our long-held core values of "Sincerity  Eternity". The Group's differentiation strategy continues to make inroads into diverse customer segments by catering to a bespoke experience for different lifestyles and personalities, as well as customers' different life stages. Offering a wide variety of products, services and channels, the Group's brand portfolio comprises the CHOW TAI FOOK flagship brand with curated retail experiences, and other individual brands including HEARTS ON FIRE, ENZO, SOINLOVE and MONOLOGUE. The Group's commitment to sustainable growth is anchored in its customer-centric focus and strategies, which are in place to promote long-term innovation in business, in people and in culture. Another asset underpinning sustainable growth is a sophisticated and agile business model. This supports the Group by fostering excellence and extending opportunities along the entire value chain to communities and industry partners across the world. With an extensive retail network in China, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia, the United States and Canada, as well as a fast-growing smart retail business, the Group is implementing effective online-to-offline ("O2O") strategies to succeed in today's omni-channel retail environment. ________________________________________________________________________________ Media Enquiries:



Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group Limited Haide Ng Senior Manager, Investor Relations and Corporate Communications Tel: (852) 2138 8336 Email: haideng@chowtaifook.com Acky Chan Senior Manager, Investor Relations and Corporate Communications Tel: (852) 2138 8338 Email: ackychan@chowtaifook.com



File: Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group Posts 37.7% Growth in Core Operating Profit to HK$5,989 Million For 1HFY2024 Led By Positive Impact From Ongoing Transformation



23/11/2023 Dissemination of a Financial Press Release, transmitted by EQS News.

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.



Media archive at www.todayir.com


FRANKFURT (dpa-AFX) - Deutsche Bank said it received valid tenders of 148.00 million euros in aggregate Liquidation Preference Amount of the DPFT I Trust Preferred Securities; and 144.08 million in aggregate Liquidation Preference Amount of the DPFT III Trust Preferred Securities. Deutsche Bank noted that it has decided to accept for purchase all Trust Preferred Securities validly tendered pursuant to the offers. The Bank said it will pay a Purchase Price for those Trust Preferred Securities accepted for purchase pursuant to the relevant Offer equal to: in the case of the DPFT I Trust Preferred Securities, 77.00 per cent of the Liquidation Preference Amount of the relevant DPFT I Trust Preferred Securities; and in the case of the DPFT III Trust Preferred Securities, 77.00 per cent of the Liquidation Preference Amount of the relevant DPFT III Trust Preferred Securities. Copyright(c) 2023 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
HENGDIAN, China, Nov. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- DMEGC Solar has taken a key step in the pursuit of infinite possibilities and sustainable development by naming its N-type TOPCon module product Infinity, which means unlimited power and unlimited future. The recently launched Infinity M10RT and G12RT rectangular modules demonstrate the commitment to renewable energy and the never-ending spirit of exploration by using rectangular silicon wafer cells with an efficiency of up to 25.5%.

Harnessing Super-Multiple Busbar (SMBB) technology, damage-free laser cutting, advanced black technology (ABT) and other advancements, DMEGC Solar achieves significant progress in module power and efficiency. The cutting-edge design not only enhances power generation in low-light conditions but also contributes to lower attenuation and improved temperature coefficients. What's more, these modules are crafted using 100% renewable energy under SA8000 certified working environments, aligning seamlessly with industry standards for environmental safety and human right protection.

Recent accolades affirm DMEGC Solar's commitment to environmental health and safety, along with its technical prowess. Its modules successfully passed rigorous tests for RoHS, REACH, and PFAS, along with the IEC 61730:2023 new standard, showcasing the company's leadership in environmental protection and high-quality products.

Further validating DMEGC Solar's dedication to quality, the IEC TS 63209-1:2021 extended stress tests certification from TUV Rheinland highlights the excellent quality and reliability of DMEGC Solar PV modules. These achievements not only solidify the market recognition but also strengthen DMEGC Solar's competitive position globally.

Earlier this year, DMEGC Solar's factory in Sihong, Jiangsu Province, earned the prestigious title of a Zero Carbon Factory by TUV SUD. This distinction makes DMEGC Solar the first PV manufacturer to receive a zero-carbon endorsement, emphasizing the company's commitment to energy conservation and emission reduction.

In the spirit of pursuing infinity, DMEGC Solar continues to expand the application possibilities of PV modules and deploys them in almost all application scenarios such as residential, commercial, industrial, utility-scale system, Agrivoltaics, and floating photovoltaics (FPV). It has also established business outlets around the world to provide localized sales, customer service, warehousing, logistics and other services. In addition to occupying considerable market shares in Europe and China, it has also achieved rapid growth in all emerging photovoltaic markets.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2284199/Landscape2.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/infinite-power-infinite-future-dmegc-solar-named-its-n-type-modules-infinity-301996628.html
The 27th World Energy Congress will take place 26-29 October, 2026.

LONDON, Nov. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The World Energy Council has announced Riyadh, Saudi Arabia as the official host of the 27th World Energy Congress to be held 26-29 October 2026.

The Congress will take place at the Riyadh Front Centre, strategically located in the vibrant heart of the capital and at the centre of one of the world's most important energy regions.

The award follows a highly competitive bidding process open to all the Council's 70+ national member committees representing more than 3,000 organisations across the entire energy ecosystem*.

The World Energy Congress, the world's most prestigious, inclusive and influential energy event, has helped drive energy transitions forward for more than a century by bringing together stakeholders representing energy interests from all corners of the world.

"Saudi Arabia is pleased to have been awarded the opportunity to host the 2026 World Energy Congress at this important moment in global energy. As a century-old gathering, the World Energy Congress holds a special place in the minds and calendars of world energy leaders. As a World Energy Council event, it unites the full range of stakeholders from energy producers through to consumers and all points in-between. Congress participants can expect a world class Congress accompanied by a warm Saudi welcome." said Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud, Minister of Energy and Chairman of the Saudi Arabia member committee.

Bringing together 150+ C-suite speakers, 250+ total speakers and 70+ Ministers, and 7000+ international energy stakeholders, the World Energy Congress unifies sectors, generations, geographies, and systems to progress more equitable energy transitions.

Dr Angela Wilkinson, Secretary General and CEO of the World Energy Council, said: "Energy transitions are too important to be left to the energy sector alone. Collaborations are required across all energy interests and that is where the Congress excels. The World Energy Council's global community, combined with the Kingdom's visionary leadership, will ensure that the 27th World Energy Congress will compel world energy leadership in making faster, fairer and more far-reaching energy transitions emerge."

Saudi Arabia will officially become host of the World Energy Congress following the upcoming 26th World Energy Congress, taking place 22-25 April 2024 in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Saudi Arabia will host a country pavilion at this prestigious event.

For more about the World Energy Congress visit www.worldenergycongress.org.

Photos upon request.

Contacts:

Rosie Corbett

07966991725

rosie.corbett@fticonsulting.com

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/world-energy-congress-2026-to-be-hosted-by-riyadh-saudi-arabia-301996656.html


Executive Director of Synergy House, Mr. Tan Eu Tah



Executive Director of Synergy House, Mr. Teh Yee Luen

SHAH ALAM, Malaysia, Nov 23, 2023 - (ACN Newswire) - Synergy House Berhad ("Synergy House" or the "Group"), a cross-border e-commerce seller and furniture exporter of ready-to-assemble ("RTA") home furniture, today announced outstanding financial results for the third quarter ended 30 September 2023 ("3Q FY2023").In a remarkable display of growth, the Group reported a robust revenue of RM69.2 million and profit after tax ("PAT") of RM8.1 million for 3Q FY2023, indicating significant quarter-on-quarter improvements. This exceptional performance for the current quarter is largely attributed to Synergy House's business-to-consumer (B2C) sector's improved margins, along with the strong growth in its business-to-business (B2B) operations.The Group's diverse global reach was highlighted in its regional revenue contributions: the United States of America ("USA") led with RM30.9 million, underscoring its position as the largest market and a testament to the Group's impactful B2C strategy. The United Kingdom followed closely with RM27.6 million, while the United Arab Emirates contributed RM8.6 million.For the 9-month period ending 30 September 2023, the Group reported a total revenue of RM179.4 million and a PAT of RM16.9 million, surpassing the PAT of RM16.6 million recorded in the previous 12-month financial year ended 31 December 2022.The B2C segment was particularly significant, contributing RM77.1 million for the 9-month period ending 30 September 2023, surpassing the total B2C revenue of RM49.6 million recorded in the previous 12-month financial year financial year ended 31 December 2022. This underscores the success of Synergy House's targeted focus on and investment in the B2C sector.Executive Director of Synergy House, Mr. Tan Eu Tah said, "The current quarter's extraordinary results are a clear indicator of the effectiveness of our strategies, particularly in the B2C segment. Notably, our geographical diversification of our B2C segment to UK started to provide positive outcome with an impressive quarter-on-quarter growth of approximately 95%, with revenue reaching RM2.1 million in the third quarter of FY2023, reinforcing our position as a key player in this significant market. Our focused approach in expanding our online presence and enhancing customer engagement has paid off, leading to remarkable growth in both our B2B and B2C segments. We are thrilled with the progress and are committed to continuing our journey towards becoming a dominant force in the global furniture e-commerce market."Executive Director of Synergy House, Mr. Teh Yee Luen said, "We are immensely proud of our team's efforts in achieving these results. The growth in our B2C segment, especially, represents our commitment to meeting consumer demands and adapting to market trends. Our strategies to enhance online visibility and customer reach, coupled with our focus on design innovation, are essential components of our long-term growth plan. We are confident that these strategies will enable us to further strengthen our market position and achieve sustainable growth."Looking forward, Synergy House is poised for continued growth with plans to enhance its B2C segment through various strategic initiatives and expand its product range through continuous design and development efforts, and explore opportunities to reach new audiences by expanding to new e-commerce platforms and entering untapped markets in different countries.Despite global economic challenges, the Group remains optimistic about its prospects in the global furniture e-commerce market, supported by its competitive pricing and established presence in key markets such as the USA, UK, and Canada.As at 23 November 2023, the share price of Synergy House is RM0.57, representing a market capitalisation of RM285.0 million.Source: Synergy House BhdCopyright 2023 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / November 23, 2023 / Empress Royalty Corp. (TSXV:EMPR)(OTCQX:EMPYF) ("Empress" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the execution of an agreement for a US$5M gold stream (the "Investment") on the Galaxy gold mine ("Galaxy") in South Africa owned by Golconda Gold Ltd. (TSXV:GG)(OTCQX:GGOF) ("Golconda").

"We are excited to provide a gold stream financing to Golconda's Galaxy mine, which will support Golconda in expanding its production capacity," stated Alexandra Woodyer Sherron, CEO and President of Empress. "The gold stream on the Galaxy mine will immediately increase Empress' revenue projections and expand our long-term revenue profile. With four producing assets in our portfolio generating significant revenue, we look forward to executing similar transactions on producing precious metal mines that will result in substantial returns for our shareholders."

In addition, Nicholas Brodie, CEO of Golconda stated "We are excited to partner with Empress who, through their due diligence, have understood the true potential of Galaxy. With the proceeds generated from the Investment, we will be able to further implement and execute on our expansion plans at the Galaxy mine."

THE INVESTMENT

Empress has entered into a US$5M metal purchase and sale agreement (the "Agreement") with Galaxy Gold Reefs (Pty) Ltd., a subsidiary of Golconda, and Golconda and certain of its affiliates, for payable gold production from the Galaxy mine in South Africa. The Investment is based on 3.5% of the payable gold production from the Galaxy mine for an initial 8,000 payable ounces; thereafter, the percentage will reduce to 2.0% of the payable gold production until the earlier of: (i) 20,000 ounces having been paid to Empress; or (ii) 20 years after the first payment was made. The purchase price for the payable gold delivered pursuant to the Agreement is 20% of the gold spot price. The closing of the transaction and the funding of the Investment is subject to customary closing conditions including Empress' satisfactory completion of technical, legal, and financial due diligence which is expected to be completed in early 2024. It is anticipated that the Investment will be funded by Empress through a credit facility.

THE GALAXY GOLD MINE(1)

Golconda acquired the Galaxy mine in November 2015. Galaxy is situated 8 km west of the town of Barberton and 45 km west of the provincial capital of Nelspruit in the Mpumalanga Province of South Africa. The property covers 58.6 km2 and is part of the prolific Barberton Greenstone Belt.

Galaxy consists of 22 ore bodies, all of which can be accessed via adits at level 17 and level 22. Galaxy is currently mining at the following two main ore bodies:

Galaxy Ore Body - a large pipe shaped ore body with a thickness of 35m and a strike of around 100m (the " Galaxy Ore Body "); and

"); and Princeton Ore Body - a steeply dipping ore body with a thickness of 5m and a strike of 300m (the "Princeton Ore Body").

The current mine plan includes the mining of the Galaxy Ore Body and the Princeton Ore Body using a mechanised cut and fill mining method. There are also extensive tailings around the Galaxy mine site which Golconda intends to use to supplement production. Golconda has already upgraded the crushing circuit, float plant and filtration plant to 50,000 tonnes per month ("tpm"), from the original 15,000 tpm plant, which produces a gold concentrate.

Galaxy is currently in Phase 1 of its expansion program taking production to 15,000 tpm and 1,100 recovered gold ounces per month. The proceeds from the Agreement will be used to fund the expansion required in Phase 2 to take production to 48,000 tpm and 2,800 recovered gold ounces per month.

Golconda Gold has completed the Galaxy Technical Report and the PEA (as such terms are defined below) for the Galaxy mine, which supports the expansion plans already undertaken and the future plans for expansion. In addition, Golconda has a drill ready plan to expand the resource to over 4 million ounces, which encompasses the other 20 identified ore bodies. Work is already underway to determine how this can support future expansion of Galaxy. Further information can be found in the technical report titled "NI 43-101 Technical Report on the Galaxy Gold Mine, South Africa" filed on sedarplus.ca on July 6, 2020.

Empress has completed a site visit, and a third-party engineering firm has satisfactorily completed a technical analysis of the Galaxy mine. The use of proceeds from the transactions contemplated by the Agreement, will enhance and expand the production profile at Galaxy moving forward.

Richard Mazur, P.Geo., a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101 has reviewed and approved the contents of this news release.

ABOUT GOLCONDA GOLD

Golconda Gold is an un-hedged gold producer and explorer with mining operations and exploration tenements in South Africa and New Mexico. Golconda Gold is a public company, and its shares are quoted on the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV") under the symbol "GG" and the OTCQB under the symbol "GGGOF". Golconda Gold's management team is comprised of senior mining professionals with extensive experience in managing mining and processing operations and large-scale exploration programmes. It is committed to operating at world-class standards, focused on the safety of its employees, respecting the environment, and contributing to the communities in which it operates. Golconda Gold's primary objective is to be reshaped into a long-life and low-cost operation that can produce positive returns for investors across commodity cycles by optimising current mining, processing, and administrative operations to reduce costs and maximize profits; and grow through opportunistic acquisition and development opportunities.

For additional information visit Golconda's website at www.golcondagold.com or their Company Profile on sedarplus.ca.

ABOUT EMPRESS ROYALTY CORP.

Empress is a global royalty and streaming creation company providing investors with a diversified portfolio of gold and silver investments. Since listing in December 2020, Empress has built a portfolio of precious metal investments and is actively investing in mining companies with development and production stage projects who require additional non-dilutive capital. The Company has strategic partnerships with Endeavour Financial and Terra Capital which allow Empress to not only access global investment opportunities but also bring unique mining finance expertise, deal structuring and access to capital markets. Empress is looking forward to continuously creating value for its shareholders through the proven royalty and streaming models.

ON BEHALF OF EMPRESS ROYALTY CORP.

Per: Alexandra Woodyer Sherron, CEO and President

For further information, please visit our website at www.empressroyalty.com or contact Kaitlin Taylor, Investor Communications, by email at info@empressroyalty.com or by phone at +1.604.331.2080.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

Notes:

(1) The deposits at the Galaxy mine are supported by a technical report entitled "NI 43-101 Technical Report on the Galaxy Gold Mine, South Africa" which was issued on July 3, 2020 (the "Galaxy Technical Report"), with an effective date of June 29, 2020, a copy of which is available under the Company's profile on www.sedarplus,ca. The Galaxy Technical Report was prepared by Minxcon (Pty) Ltd and approved by Mr. Uwe Engelmann, BSc (Zoo. & Bot.), BSc Hons (Geol.) Pr.Sci.Nat., MGSSA, and Mr. Daniel (Daan) van Heerden, B Eng (Min.), MCom (Bus. Admin.), MMC, Pr.Eng., FSAIMM, AMMSA, both "qualified persons" as defined by National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101"), and independent of the Company for the purposes of NI 43-101. The preliminary economic assessment ("PEA") supported by the Galaxy Technical Report is preliminary in nature as the resources included in the PEA are comprised 54% of inferred mineral resources. Inferred mineral resources are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves. There is no certainty that the PEA will be realized.

Forward-Looking Information

The information contained herein includes "forward-looking statements" and "forward-looking information" as defined under applicable Canadian securities laws ("forward-looking statements"). Forward-looking statements and information can generally be identified by the use of terms such as "may", "will", "should", "expect", "intend", "estimate" ,"continue", "believe", "plans", "anticipate" or similar terms.

Forward-looking information and statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the activities, events or developments that Empress Royalty Corp. ("Empress" or the "Company") expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future, including those regarding the proposed Golconda Investment, Empress' success in finalizing the terms of and enter into the Facility, Golconda's projected plans for expansion and production at the Galaxy mine, Golconda's projected use of proceeds from the transactions contemplated by the Agreement, future growth and ability to create new streams or royalties, the development and focus of the Company , its acquisition strategy, the plans and expectations of the operators of the projects underlying its interests, including the proposed advancement and expansion of such projects; the results of exploration, development and production activities of the operators of such projects; and the Company's expectations regarding future revenues.

Forward-looking information and statements are based on the then current expectations, beliefs, assumptions, estimates and forecasts about Empress's business and the industry and markets in which it operates. Forward-looking information and statements are made based upon numerous assumptions and although the assumptions made by the Company in providing forward-looking information and statements are considered reasonable by management at the time, there can be no assurance that such assumptions will prove to be accurate. Forward-looking information and statements also involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results, performances and achievements of Empress to differ materially from any projections of results, performances and achievements of Empress including, without limitation, any inability of the operators of the properties underlying the Company's royalty and stream interests to execute proposed plans for such properties or to achieve planned development and production estimates and goals, risks related to the operators of the projects in which the Company holds interests, including the successful continuation of operations at such projects by those operators, risks related to exploration, development, permitting, infrastructure, operating or technical difficulties on any such projects, risks related to international operations, government relations and environmental regulation, uncertainty relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future and the Company's ability to carry out its growth plans as well as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and other related risks and uncertainties. For a discussion of important factors which could cause actual results to differ from forward-looking statements, refer to the annual information form of Empress Royalty Corp. for the year ended December 31, 2022 and its other publicly filed documents under its profile at www.sedarplus.ca. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking information and statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated, or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information and statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information and statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or reissue forward-looking information as a result of new information or events except as required by applicable securities laws. Disclosure relating to properties in which Empress holds royalty or stream interests is based on information publicly disclosed by the owners or operators of such properties. The Company generally has limited or no access to the properties underlying its interests and is largely dependent on the disclosure of the operators of its interests and other publicly available information. The Company generally has limited or no ability to verify such information. Although the Company does not have any knowledge that such information may not be accurate, there can be no assurance that such third-party information is complete or accurate. In addition, certain information publicly reported by operators may relate to a larger property than the area covered by the Company's interest, which often may only apply to a portion of the overall project area or applicable mineral resources or reserves.

SOURCE: Empress Royalty Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/809222/empress-royalty-executes-gold-stream-on-galaxy-mine
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - November 23, 2023) - Happy Belly Food Group Inc. (CSE: HBFG) (OTCQB: VGANF) ("Happy Belly" or the "Company"), a leading consolidator of emerging food brands is pleased to announce it has secured a new store location for the opening of a 3rd Rosie's Burgers ("Rosie's") at the Well, in downtown Toronto.



"With our foot firmly on the gas and leaning in to accelerate growth we are pleased to announce that our Smash Burger brand Rosie's Burgers has secured a prime location in the busy pedestrian area of the Well in downtown Toronto. This will be Rosie's third (3rd) location. As we work within our wide network of landlord relationships and franchisee groups we are confident in our ability to once again grow a nationwide smash burger brand", said Sean Black, Chief Investment Officer of Happy Belly. We would like to thank RioCan (REI-UN-T) and Allied Properties (AP-UN-T) as we continue to work with them as we grow the footprint of our brands throughout Canada.



"We are active in multiple conversations with various groups across Canada as we continue to accelerate the growth of our brand portfolio. There is no shortage of opportunities as we continue to organically expand Happy Belly's footprint in the QSR space. We are happy to share the news of this location for Rosie's as we schedule its opening in Q1 2024. We look forward to continuing to share the news of many more newly secured locations for brands across our portfolio as we continue to accelerate growth through our asset-light franchise model. We are just getting starting here at Happy Belly.



About the Well

The Well is currently one of the largest multi-use developments in Canadian history, scheduled to finish construction in June 2023. Covering a total of 7.8 square acres. The Well features six residential towers of 14-46 stories, and a 36-story office tower with three floors of extensive retail space on the ground level.

Rosie's Burgers

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6625/188529_99d99e7c14388bdf_001full.jpg

For franchising inquiries please see www.happybellyfg.com/franchise-with-us/ or contact us at hello@happybellyfg.com.

About Happy Belly Food Group

Happy Belly Food Group Inc. (CSE: HBFG) (OTCQB: VGANF) ("Happy Belly" or the "Company") is a leading consolidator of emerging food brands.

Happy Belly Food Group

Shawn Moniz

Chief Executive Officer

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT:

www: www.happybellyfg.com or email hello@happybellyfg.com

If you wish to contact us please call: (604) 737-2303



Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release, which has been prepared by management.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

All statements in this press release, other than statements of historical fact, are "forward-looking information" with respect to the Company within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur, and include the future performance of LumberHeads Food Co. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates at the date the statements are made, and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements. There are uncertainties inherent in forward-looking information, including factors beyond the Company's control. There are no assurances that the business plans for Happy Belly described in this news release will come into effect on the terms or time frame described herein. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. For a description of the risks and uncertainties facing the Company and its business and affairs, readers should refer to the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis and other disclosure filings with Canadian securities regulators, which are posted on www.sedar.com.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/188529
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - November 23, 2023) - Elemental Altus Royalties Corp. (TSXV: ELE) (OTCQX: ELEMF) ("Elemental Altus" or "the Company") announces its operating and financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2023. For complete details please refer to the Financial Statements and associated Management Discussion and Analysis ("MD&A") for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023, which can be found on the SEDAR+ website (www.sedarplus.ca) or the Company's website (www.elementalaltus.com).

Frederick Bell, CEO of Elemental Altus, commented:

"The third quarter of 2023 has seen the announcement of three new royalty acquisitions alongside the creation of nine gold royalties through the sale of our in-house generated projects in Egypt, Mali and Ethiopia. The Cactus copper royalty acquisition in the USA adds a high-quality long-life asset to the portfolio that fits well into our development portfolio, while the increase to the Caserones copper royalty in Chile is in line with our strategy to maintain our exposure to high-quality producing assets. The announced transactions on the royalty generation front give us substantial upside through a combination of cash payments and continuing equity exposure with our partners Allied Gold, In2Metals and ANS Exploration.

In terms of continued revenue growth, we expect our Bonikro gold royalty in Cote d'Ivoire to materially ramp up in the coming quarters and represent the majority of production for the mine in the coming years. The Diba gold royalty is expected to be fast-tracked into production at the adjacent Sadiola mine in H1 2024 by Allied Gold and likewise represent a material new source of royalty revenue. The combination of increasing royalty revenue in 2024 alongside reduced G&A and generative expenditure should put the Company in a very strong position to continue to take advantage of accretive royalty acquisition opportunities going forward."

Year to September 30, 2023 Highlights:

Record Revenue of US$7.8 million (increase of 10% vs 2022) and Adjusted Revenue of US$12.2 million (increase of 58% vs 2022), inclusive of Caserones royalty revenue

Record Gold Equivalent Ounces (" GEOs ") of 6,187oz (increase of 47% vs 2022)

") of 6,187oz (increase of 47% vs 2022) Record Adjusted EBITDA of US$7.8 million (increase of 41% vs 2022)

Q3 2023 Highlights:

Revenue of US$2.4 million and Adjusted Revenue of US$3.7 million, inclusive of Caserones royalty revenue

GEOs of 1,886oz

Adjusted EBITDA of US$2.2 million

US$2.0 million Cash from Operations plus distributions from associates, inclusive of Caserones royalty revenue

Royalty Portfolio Highlights and Key Developments:

The Company announced the acquisition of a 0.68% Net Smelter Return (" NSR ") royalty on the Cactus Copper Project, which is 100% owned by Arizona Sonoran Copper Company Inc (" ASCU ") and a 0.5% gross revenue royalty on the Nyanga Copper-Nickel Project in Gabon, which is 100% owned by Armada Metals Limited from RCF Opportunities Fund L.P.

") royalty on the Cactus Copper Project, which is 100% owned by Arizona Sonoran Copper Company Inc (" ") and a 0.5% gross revenue royalty on the Nyanga Copper-Nickel Project in Gabon, which is 100% owned by Armada Metals Limited from RCF Opportunities Fund L.P. During the Quarter, the Company increased its existing NSR royalty on the operating Caserones mine from private third-party vendors. The Company's total effective NSR interest is now 0.473%

The Company announced the sale of the Diba and Lakanfla gold projects in western Mali to Allied Gold ML Corp (" Allied "). The projects are contiguous with the Sadiola Large Scale Gold Mining licence that is owned and operated by Allied and the Company is expecting near term royalty revenue. The consideration for the sale was an uncapped 3.0% NSR royalty on the first 226,000 ounces of gold produced from a defined deposit and 2.0% NSR on all future production in excess of 226,000 ounces. A cash payment of US$1 million was also paid on closing and up to US$5 million in cash is payable in deferred production based milestones

"). The projects are contiguous with the Sadiola Large Scale Gold Mining licence that is owned and operated by Allied and the Company is expecting near term royalty revenue. The consideration for the sale was an uncapped 3.0% NSR royalty on the first 226,000 ounces of gold produced from a defined deposit and 2.0% NSR on all future production in excess of 226,000 ounces. A cash payment of US$1 million was also paid on closing and up to US$5 million in cash is payable in deferred production based milestones The Company completed the sale of an 80.1% interest in Akh Gold to In2Metals Explorer S.a r.l. in return for upfront and deferred cash, a US$10 million expenditure commitment and a 1.5% NSR royalty on its Egyptian exploration licences

The Company agreed the sale of its Daro and Zager licences in Ethiopia to Canadian incorporated ANS Exploration Corp for US$0.2 million cash over 5 quarters, up to US$1 million in milestone payments, 2.5% NSR royalties with a 5 year buy-back option on up to 1% of the royalties for US$1.5 million each, and a retained equity interest

Operating Asset Highlights

The following table summarizes the Company's revenue from royalty interests during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022. Adjusted revenue also includes accrued royalty revenue from equity investments for the same periods (see Non-IFRS Measures).

Three months ended

September 30, Nine months ended

September 30, 2023

$'000 2022

$'000 2023

$'000 2022

$'000 Revenue from royalties Amancaya 159 224 608 722 Ballarat - 147 214 147 Bonikro 290 32 556 32 Karlawinda 1,019 948 3,459 3,309 Kwale - 44 - 250 Mercedes 178 137 610 137 Mulgarrie 8 - 22 - Mount Pleasant 36 51 224 257 SKO 51 35 202 35 Wahgnion 637 494 1,889 1,500 Total revenue 2,378 2,789 7,784 7,066 Royalty revenue from equity investments Caserones 1,274 656 4,422 656 Adjusted revenue1 3,652 3,445 12,206 7,722

The following table summarizes the Company's GEOs from royalty interests during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022.

Three months ended

September 30, Nine months ended

September 30, 2023

GEO 2022

GEO 2023

GEO 2022

GEO Amancaya 82 130 307 395 Ballarat - 85 108 85 Bonikro 150 18 284 18 Karlawinda 526 548 1,753 1,812 Kwale - 25 - 135 Mercedes 92 79 309 79 Mulgarrie 4 - 11 - Mount Pleasant 18 29 113 140 SKO 26 20 102 20 Wahgnion 329 286 958 822 Ming - 327 - 327 Caserones 658 380 2,241 380 Total GEOs1 1,886 1,927 6,187 4,213



(1) See Non-IFRS Measures.

At current gold prices, Elemental Altus expects to receive Adjusted Revenue for 2023 of US$16.1 million to US$17.7 million, approximately in line with previous Adjusted Revenue guidance of US$16.2 million to US$18.4 million. This equates to approximately 8,200 to 9,000 GEOs, a decrease from the previous guidance of 9,000 to 10,200 GEOs due to lower copper prices relative to gold, a slower than expected ramp up from the Company's royalty at Bonikro that is expected to contribute materially in 2024, and revised guidance from the Company's operators at Ballarat, Mercedes and Amancaya.

Additionally, Elemental received US$1 million during the Quarter through the transaction with In2Metals in Egypt and subsequent to the Quarter received US$1 million from the sale of the Diba project. Additional milestone payments are expected in 2024.

Quarterly changes to revenue received by Elemental Altus are driven primarily by fluctuations in production at the underlying mines, the timing of sales, changes in the price of commodities and assets being advanced to production.

Karlawinda Gold Mine, Australia

The Company owns a 2% NSR royalty on the Karlawinda Gold Project

Q3 2023 gold production from Karlawinda was 29,700 ounces (Q2 2023: 28,859 ounces) in line with their FY-2024 guidance range of 115,000 - 125,000 ounces

On July 27, 2023, Capricorn Metals Ltd (ASX:CMM) (" Capricorn ") declared an updated JORC 2012 compliant Ore Reserve and Mineral Resource update featuring an initial Resource for Karlawinda Gold Project East (" KGP East "), including an Indicated Resource of 1.3Mt @ 0.8g/t Au for 33koz of contained gold. While not yet material, the Resource area includes the Berwick and Muirfield deposits, which are entirely covered by Elemental Altus' royalty, and is evidence of further satellite Resources proximal to the existing Karlawinda processing plant. Capricorn notes that drilling in late 2023 is planned with the aim of bringing KGP East into Reserves as a satellite pit

") declared an updated JORC 2012 compliant Ore Reserve and Mineral Resource update featuring an initial Resource for Karlawinda Gold Project East (" "), including an Indicated Resource of 1.3Mt @ 0.8g/t Au for 33koz of contained gold. While not yet material, the Resource area includes the Berwick and Muirfield deposits, which are entirely covered by Elemental Altus' royalty, and is evidence of further satellite Resources proximal to the existing Karlawinda processing plant. Capricorn notes that drilling in late 2023 is planned with the aim of bringing KGP East into Reserves as a satellite pit In the same update, Capricorn announced their plans to commence a follow-up aircore drill program at the Vedas prospect, wholly covered by Elemental Altus' royalty. The results from the planned drilling and previously outlined drilling during the June quarter are expected to form part of an initial Resource on the prospect in due course

Caserones Copper Mine, Chile

The Company owns a 0.473% NSR royalty on Caserones

The Company accrued adjusted royalty revenue of $1.27 million (before tax) using an estimate from Lundin Mining Corp's (TSX:LUN) (" Lundin Mining ") published production and received a dividend of US$1.1 million relating to Q2 2023 sales

") published production and received a dividend of US$1.1 million relating to Q2 2023 sales Subsequent to the period end, Lundin Mining announced an increase in 2023 guidance for Caserones to 65,000-69,000t of copper, reflecting strong performance during the year. Lundin Mining also announced that an initial 10,000m drilling program had begun at Caserones, the largest since the commercial production began in 2013. The drill program is set to target multiple near-mine and regional targets within the 170km2 license area, with all priority drill targets within Elemental Altus' royalty area

Wahgnion Gold Mine, Burkina Faso

The Company owns a 1% NSR royalty on Wahgnion

Q3 2023 gold sales were 35,063 ounces (Q2 2023: 31,455 ounces)

Production is expected to be weighted towards the second half of the year as an increasing proportion of ore is sourced from the higher-grade Samavogo and Stinger pits

The strip ratio was expected to reduce over the course of 2023 alongside this transition

Bonikro Gold Mine, Cote d'Ivoire

The Company owns an NSR royalty on a portion of Allied Gold Corp's (TSX:AAUC) open pit Bonikro gold mine called Pushback 5. At a gold price above $1,450, the NSR royalty is at an effective rate of 2.25%

Mining volumes are continuing to increase from Pushback 5 as it becomes the mainstay of production at Bonikro going forwards and the Company expects a materially increased revenue contribution over the coming months

Cactus Copper Project, USA

During the quarter, the Company acquired a 0.68% NSR royalty which covers the majority of the combined Cactus project area and Resource

On October 16, 2023, ASCU announced an updated Mineral Resource Estimate at Cactus, including: Measured and Indicated Resource of 445.7 million short tons at a grade of 0.589% total copper (" CuT ") for 5.17 billion pounds of copper Inferred Resource of 223.8 million short tons at a grade of 0.472% CuT for 2.21 billion pounds of copper

ASCU confirmed that the updated Resource will be used to support the upcoming Pre-Feasibility Study ("PFS") which remains on track and on budget for release Q1 2024. The PFS is expected to outline a 30-year operation targeting average production of 45-50 thousand short tons of copper per year

Frederick Bell

CEO and Director

Corporate & Media Inquiries:

Tel: +1 604 243 6511 (ext. 2700)

Email: info@elementalaltus.com

Elemental Altus is a proud member of Discovery Group. For more information please visit: www.discoverygroup.ca or contact 604-653-9464.

TSX.V: ELE | OTCQX: ELEMF | ISIN: CA28619K1093 | CUSIP: 28619K109

About Elemental Altus Royalties Corp.

Elemental Altus is a cash generating precious metals royalty company with 10 producing royalties and a diversified portfolio of pre-production and discovery stage assets. The Company is focused on acquiring uncapped royalties and streams over producing, or near-producing, mines operated by established counterparties, as well as generating royalties on new discoveries. The vision of Elemental Altus is to build a global gold royalty company, offering investors superior exposure to gold with reduced risk and a strong growth profile.

Qualified Person

Steven Poulton, Executive Chairman for Elemental Altus, and a qualified person under National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical disclosure contained in this press release.

Notes

Non-IFRS Measures

The Company has included certain performance measures which are not in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS"). Non-IFRS measures are intended to provide additional information and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. These non-IFRS measures do not have any standard meaning under IFRS and other companies may calculate measures differently.

Elemental Altus has included certain performance measures in this press release that do not have any standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS. The Company's royalty revenue is converted to an attributable gold equivalent ounce, or GEO, basis by dividing the royalty revenue received in a period by the average gold price for the same respective period. The presentation of this non-IFRS measure is intended to provide additional information and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. Other companies may calculate these non-IFRS measures differently. The production forecast was derived using information that is available in the public domain as at the date hereof, which included guidance and estimates prepared and issued by management of the operators of the mining operations in which Elemental Altus holds an interest. The production forecast is sensitive to the performance and operating status of the underlying mines. None of the information has been independently verified by Elemental Altus and maybe subject to uncertainty. There can be no assurance that such information is complete or accurate.

Royalty revenue is received at zero cost.

Adjusted Revenue

Adjusted revenue is a non-IFRS financial measure, which is defined as including gross royalty revenue from associated entities holding royalty interests related to Elemental Altus' effective royalty on the Caserones copper mine. Management uses adjusted revenue to evaluate the underlying operating performance of the Company for the reporting periods presented, to assist with the planning and forecasting of future operating results, and to supplement information in its financial statements. Management believes that in addition to measures prepared in accordance with IFRS such as revenue, investors may use adjusted revenue to evaluate the results of the underlying business, particularly as the adjusted revenue may not typically be included in operating results. Management believes that adjusted revenue is a useful measure of the Company performance because it adjusts for items which management believes reflect the Company's core operating results from period to period. Adjusted revenue is intended to provide additional information to investors and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. It does not have any standardized meaning under IFRS and may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers.

Gold Equivalent Ounces

Elemental Altus' adjusted royalty, streaming, and other revenue is converted to an attributable gold equivalent ounce, or GEO, basis by dividing the royalty and other revenue from associates in a period by the average gold price for the same respective period, plus the net gold ounces received in the period from streaming investments. The presentation of this non-IFRS measure is intended to provide additional information and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. Other companies may calculate these non-IFRS measures differently. The production forecast was derived using information that is available in the public domain as at the date hereof, which included guidance and estimates prepared and issued by management of the operators of the mining operations in which Elemental Altus holds an interest. The production forecast is sensitive to the performance and operating status of the underlying mines. None of the information has been independently verified by Elemental Altus and may be subject to uncertainty. There can be no assurance that such information is complete or accurate.

On behalf of Elemental Altus Royalties Corp.

Neither the TSX-V nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX-V.) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

Cautionary note regarding forward-looking statements

This news release contains certain "forward looking statements" and certain "forward-looking information" as defined under applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements and information can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may", "will", "should", "expect", "intend", "estimate", "anticipate", "believe", "continue", "plans" or similar terminology.

Forward-looking statements and information include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the Company's ability to deliver a materially increased revenue profile, the future growth, development and focus of the Company, and the acquisition of new royalties and streams. Forward-looking statements and information are based on forecasts of future results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions that, while believed by management to be reasonable, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies.

Forward-looking statements and information are subject to various known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the ability of Elemental Altus to control or predict, that may cause Elemental Altus' actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied thereby, and are developed based on assumptions about such risks, uncertainties and other factors set out herein, including but not limited to: the impact of general business and economic conditions, the absence of control over the mining operations from which Elemental Altus will receive royalties, risks related to international operations, government relations and environmental regulation, the inherent risks involved in the exploration and development of mineral properties; the uncertainties involved in interpreting exploration data; the potential for delays in exploration or development activities; the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic; the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with Elemental Altus' expectations; accidents, equipment breakdowns, title matters, labour disputes or other unanticipated difficulties or interruptions in operations; fluctuating metal prices; unanticipated costs and expenses; uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future; the inherent uncertainty of production and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses, commodity price fluctuations; currency fluctuations; regulatory restrictions, including environmental regulatory restrictions; liability, competition, loss of key employees and other related risks and uncertainties. For a discussion of important factors which could cause actual results to differ from forward-looking statements, refer to the annual information form of the Company for the year ended 31 December 2022. Elemental Altus undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements and information except as required by applicable law. Such forward-looking statements and information represents management's best judgment based on information currently available. No forward-looking statement or information can be guaranteed, and actual future results may vary materially. Accordingly, readers are advised not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/188551
JOHANNESBURG, Nov. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- As technology continues to transform and disrupt every sector, the health sector is no exception. Digital innovation is having a tremendous impact on the healthcare industry from the way individuals gain access to services, to the breakthrough development of new technology that is radically transforming diagnostic procedures.

Helping Healthcare Professionals Solve Complex Problems

Even more notable is the impact of data in healthcare and how it is helping to solve the most challenging problems in patient health and operational efficiency.

In January 2023, Harvard Business Review Analytic Services conducted a global survey of 757 members of the Harvard Business Review audience who work in the health care industry or in a health care-related industry and are familiar with their organization's use of health data.

Data Accelerating Digital Transformation

The results from the report demonstrate how innovative uses of data in healthcare is helping organizations improve patient health outcomes, enable faster clinical decisions, and improve treatment and hospital workflows.

This year's 8th Healthcare Innovation Summit Africa 2023 , featuring leading experts, innovators, and stakeholders will be sharing their insights and experiences on topics like digital health, telemedicine, data analytics, and more.

The two-day summit, being hosted at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Johannesburg, on November 29th and 30th presents an opportunity to network with peers and potential partners, explore the Innovation Showcase, and learn how to overcome the industry specific challenges that have arisen from the rapid technological advancements.

Attendee Testimonials

At the Healthcare Innovation Summit held in 2017, CEO of Helen Joseph Hospital in Auckland Park who was in attendance shared his experience after attending the IT Summit in 2015 and why he made the decision to come back.

It was at the IT Summit that he heard about the technology available to improve healthcare management and had the opportunity to to have a conversation with an industry expert about the challenges he faced with managing data.

That conversation led to the implementation of a software system that led to the overall improvement of the hospitals performance. In the areas of administration, patient data management, HR and finances. Testifying to the incredible experience, he had which led to his decision to attend the summit in 2017 he said, "When I heard about this conference this year, I decided to come back so that I can learn more about how I can improve the hospital's efficiency."

Similarly, Managing Director of MediSwitch, Andrew Brown shared his perspective about the impact of the Healthcare Summit, and how important it is to continue to host such events, "I thoroughly enjoyed the event, we've heard from speakers who are really challenging the status quo of the adoption of technology, in the healthcare market in South Africa and in broader Africa and I firmly believe that events like this brings all of those role players together and challenges each one of us to think about what we do on a day to day basis differently so that we can actually go out there and ultimately make a difference to health care in Africa."

Key Topics to be Addressed.

This summit will address key topics such as:

The digital divide in public healthcare and how to bridge it.

Innovative healthcare solutions for marginalized communities and how to deliver them.

The future of health in Africa and how to prepare for it.

The Healthcare Innovation Summit Africa 2023, will most benefit individuals interested in learning about the latest African healthcare trends, presented by healthcare experts, policymakers, IT decision-makers, entrepreneurs, and investors to discuss digital transformation.

Earn 8 CPD points at Healthcare Innovation

Summit Africa 2023:

By attending this HISA2023, you not only have the opportunity to gain valuable insights and networking experiences, but also to earn 8 CPD (Continuing Profes-sional Development) credits from The Alliance of South Africa Independent Prac-titioners Association (ASAIPA).

Don't miss this chance to be part of the pivotal event that assembles a diverse array of stakeholders dedicated to changing the face of healthcare on the African continent. Register now and secure your seat at this exclusive event.

Media Contact:

Nonhlanhla Kunene

(c): O718361815

(w): 0120125801

(e): nonhlanhla@itnewsafrica.com

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/attend-the-healthcare-innovation-summit-africa-2023-301996671.html
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - November 23, 2023) - Graphano Energy Ltd. (TSXV: GEL) (OTCQB: GELEF) (FSE: 97G0) (the "Company" or "Graphano") is pleased to announce that drilling activity is starting on its 100% owned Standard Mine and Lac Aux Bouleaux (LAB) Graphite Properties in Quebec. Forage Hebert Inc. of Amos, Quebec, has been awarded the drilling contract. In addition, Mercator Geological Services is responsible for the drill program design and St-Pierre Exploration Enr. for the field logistics of the program.

Luisa Moreno, Chief Executive Officer of Graphano, emphasized the critical nature of the drilling endeavors: "In light of China's recent graphite export restrictions, there is an urgent imperative for us to propel our projects into production, thereby fortifying international markets against the imminent surge in demand driven by electric vehicles. Backed by a robust production history and strategically advantageous project locations, we confidently assert ourselves as the most immediate source of graphite in North America. Despite the challenges posed by the sluggish junior mining equity markets, we are committed to advance the Standard and LAB properties. Our objective is clear: to conduct drilling, support resource estimation, and embark on additional exploratory efforts to unlock the full potential of resource expansion."

The Company plans to complete approximately 25 holes totaling up to 3,000 metres prior to year end. The drilling program will start at the Standard Mine Property, where the primary focus of the planned drilling is on resource expansion. Previous results at Standard Mine (see Graphano news releases dated February 23, 2023, and June 14, 2023) included:

Trench TR23-25, returned 8.91% graphitic carbon (Cg) over 23m, including 12.09% Cg over 14 metres (m) and a second zone assaying 10.87% Cg over 6m;

Drill Hole ST23-10 intersected 5.11% graphitic carbon (Cg) over 20.5m starting at 39.0m drilled depth, including 6.7% Cg over 9.0m at 41m;

Drill Hole ST23-11 intersected 7.44% Cg over 13.0m at 31m;

Drill Hole ST23-13 intersected 8.99% Cg over 11.3m at 4.2m, and 7.65% Cg over 13m at 56m; and

Drill Hole ST23-05 intersected 5.79% Cg over 14.0m at 4.6m.

(Note: All intersections reported are based on drilled width and have not been converted to the true width.)

At LAB, the focus will be on Zone 3, the historical pit area and, if time permits, Zone 1. Recent drilling at Zone 3 intersected significant graphite mineralization (see Graphano news release dated February 8, 2023), including:

Drill hole LB22-33 intersected 6.26% Cg over 13.7m starting at 14.0m drilled depth, including 11.95% Cg over 4.7m at 14m;

Drill hole LB22-45 intersected 9.09% Cg over 8.0m at 68m; and

Drill hole LB22-52 intersected 7.17% Cg over 9.0m at 36m.

(Note: All intersections reported are based on drilled width and have not been converted to the true width.)

These zones are just two of the eight prospective targets which have been defined on the LAP Property to date through the Company's surface trenching and sampling programs completed during 2021 and 2022, as well as historical exploration data.

Drilling will also be performed at the historical pit area, where the Company will be drilling confirmatory holes to validate the current resource modeling work and to test for expansion of the deposit.

Qualified Person

The technical content disclosed in this press release was reviewed and approved by Mr. Martin Ethier, Geo (#1520) who is a Member of the Order of Geologists of Quebec and a "Qualified Person" under NI 43-101, and Roger Dahn, B.Sc., P.Geo., a director of the Company, and a "Qualified Person" as defined in National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

About Graphano Energy

Graphano Energy Ltd. is an exploration and development company that is focused on evaluating, acquiring and developing energy metals resources from exploration to production.

Graphite is one of the most in-demand technology minerals that is required for a green and sustainable world. The Company's Lac Aux Bouleaux property, situated adjacent to Canada's only producing graphite mine, in Quebec, Canada, has historically been an active area for natural graphite. With the demand for graphite growing in some of the most prominent and cutting-edge industries, such as lithium batteries in electric cars and other energy storage technologies, the Company is developing its project to meet the demands of the future.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Luisa Moreno

Chief Executive Officer and Director

E: info@graphano.com

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:

This news release contains certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, without limitation, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are frequently, but not always, identified by words such as "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "potential", "possible", and similar expressions, or statements that events, conditions, or results "will", "may", "could", or "should" occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements in this news release relate to, among other things, drilling at the Company's Standard Mine Property and Lac Aux Bouleaux Graphite Property and results thereof, potential future production by Graphano, and the resource requirements of the electric vehicle sector. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Forward-looking statements reflect the beliefs, opinions and projections on the date the statements are made and are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by Graphano, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and the parties have made assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. Such factors include, without limitation, risks associated with possible accidents and other risks associated with mineral exploration operations, the risk that the Company will encounter unanticipated geological factors, risks associated with the interpretation of exploration results, the possibility that the Company may not be able to secure permitting and other governmental clearances necessary to carry out the Company's exploration plans, the risk that the Company will not be able to raise sufficient funds to carry out its business plans, and the risk of political uncertainties and regulatory or legal changes that might interfere with the Company's business and prospects. These risks, as well as others, are disclosed within the Company's filing on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca, the Canadian Securities Administrators' national system that all market participants use for filings and disclosure, which investors are encouraged to review prior to any transaction involving the securities of the Company. Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release concerning these items. Graphano does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by applicable securities laws.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/188497
In a rare case of Silicon Valley solidarity, OpenAI employees stood steadfastly behind San Altman throughout his brief ouster. The CEO, shown here speaking on Sept. 12 at the annual Dreamforce conference in San Francisco, won his job back late Tuesday. Jessica Christian/The Chronicle

After a stunning Tuesday night announcement that Sam Altman would return as CEO of OpenAI less than a week after being ousted by the board, company President Greg Brockman posted a smiling selfie on X with dozens of company staffers in the background each looking more thrilled than the next.

Brockman, who himself quit after Altman was forced out, appears to be returning as well. We are so back, he said in his Tuesday night tweet. Shortly afterward the companys account reposted the photo, saying, OpenAI is nothing without its people.

Even Oakland rap great MC Hammer got in on the act, posting his congratulations on X to the companys employees, who gave an unparalleled demonstration of loyalty, love and commitment to Altman and Brockman, adding in these perilous times it was a thing of beauty to witness.

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Was this a rare case of worker solidarity in Silicon Valley, where employees are typically known for their go-it-alone alone ethos? Or did Altmans unique position as the global face of the generative AI industry keep employees from abandoning him, even when he briefly took a role at Microsoft after the board pushed him out?

Throughout the leadership crisis that gripped the company after the shocking Nov. 17 announcement that Altman was leaving, OpenAI employees almost uniformly backed their leader. Indeed, more than 90% of them signed an open letter to the board threatening to follow him to Microsoft unless he was reinstated as OpenAIs CEO.

I dont know if we can separate out the leader from the employees, said Sarah Kreps, director of the Tech Policy Institute in the Cornell Brooks School of Public Policy, who consulted with OpenAI in the late 2010s as an academic collaborator looking at how its technology could affect elections.

It seems clear that they were loyal to their leader, she said. That could be because they believed in Altmans ethos of rapidly scaling the companys AI abilities while remaining cognizant of its potential dangers, she said. Or it could be because the companys value has tripled in a matter of months with him at the helm, she said. Or both.

They all have shares of the company that all are worth so much more than six months ago, Kreps said. If they think they can achieve a noble ethical good while also continuing to increase their own valuation, it seems thats all for the good.

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Kreps said Altmans hands-on approach to hiring may have also created a uniquely strong sense of loyalty in the still-small company. She pointed to one Stanford University computer science student she knows who was offered a six-figure salary at OpenAI before graduation.

He met with Sam Altman as part of his interview, Kreps said. That kind of approach more broadly seems to have created a loyalty to the CEO that seems really unrivaled, she added.

The chiefs character can have a huge, material effect on the direction and potential of a company, said William Gould, a labor expert at Stanford who previously chaired the National Labor Relations Board.

The identity of the boss, particularly in a case like this, can really affect your future aspirations, Gould said, including your future ambitions and how far you can progress with your career, what kind of income youre going to have.

He compared the situation, albeit in the opposite, to a 1996 NLRB case filed by unionized workers at construction equipment giant Caterpillar demanding that the boss be fired. Despite OpenAI not being unionized, workers speaking out as they did in support of Altman is a classic example of concerted activity protected under law, Gould said.

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OpenAI staff probably would have had plenty of options at other companies had they decided the confusion was too much, with head-snapping news breaking every day and the company churning through three chiefs in less than a week.

There are lots of AI jobs in San Francisco and the Bay Area should any staffer choose to leave the company, said Megan Slabinski, district president with talent and business consulting firm Robert Half.

We are definitely seeing an increased demand for roles that would typically touch AI, such as software developers and machine learning engineers, Slabinski said, speaking in general terms. In San Francisco, such engineers could see their pay ranges top out near a quarter-million dollars per year.

Employees also could have joined Altman at Microsoft, OpenAIs largest investor, to continue their work. And Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff wasted no time announcing he would hire any OpenAI workers who wanted to join his company  with generous compensation.

But OpenAI staffers apparently rebuffed Benioff, with one calling it a super generous offer on X, formerly known as Twitter, but saying he and others were with Altman for the long haul.

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Altmans presence, not that of the board or other leadership, seems to have been the linchpin for many employees who signed the pledge, as the board has since been altered significantly.

While Altman was reinstated as CEO, the company also announced that former U.S. Treasury secretary and Harvard president Larry Summers would join the board, along with Bret Taylor, who was previously co-CEO of Salesforce.

Taylor chaired Twitters board during the tumultuous period when now-owner Elon Musk tried to back out of the deal to buy the company, eventually helping shepherd through the sale. Adam DAngelo, the founder of website Quora, who was part of the board that ousted Altman initially, will stay on, the company said.

Perhaps former Twitter employee Parker Lyons, who was laid off along with thousands of others when Musk bought the company said it best, writing on X: If youre privileged enough to have a choice where you work, choose the place that ignites your passion fueled by great people around you. Its where you will be at your best.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Nov. 23, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- American Pacific Mining Corp (CSE: USGD / OTCQX: USGDF / FWB: 1QC1) ("American Pacific" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has appointed Ali Hakimzadeh as an independent director of the Company.



As the Managing Partner of Sequoia Partners Inc., a capital markets advisory and merchant banking boutique, Mr. Hakimzadeh has over 25 years of experience in the corporate financial services industry, collaborating and leading multiple transactions across North America. Mr. Hakimzadeh holds a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation, as well as a B.Sc. from the University of British Columbia and an MBA and M.Aq. from Simon Fraser University.



Mr. Hakimzadeh brings expertise in merchant banking, investment banking, corporate finance, and public venture capital. He has been involved in over $1 billion of financing and merger and acquisition activities in the small cap sector, helping emerging Canadian and US companies achieve success and optimum value. Mr. Hakimzadeh currently serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors at HS GovTech Solutions Inc., a government software as a service (SaaS) company.

The Company is also pleased to announced that it has been shortlisted in two categories of the Resourcing Tomorrow Outstanding Achievement Awards' 20th edition, celebrating excellence across diverse areas, including groundbreaking exploration projects, technological innovations, industry collaborations, and visionary leadership.

American Pacific is shortlisted for:

Collaboration of the Year Award - American Pacific Mining (with Dowa Metals and Mining). Unsung Hero of the Year - Eric Saderholm, Managing Director of Exploration and Company Co-Founder.

Winners will be announced at the awards gala in London, UK on November 30, 2023.

"We are pleased to welcome Ali to our Board of Directors. Ali and I have worked together for over 10 years and his depth of experience will be very valuable for American Pacific. As a team we are very pleased to receive the recognition by Resourcing Tomorrow along-side such prestigious companies, including some of the largest miners in the world," commented Warwick Smith, CEO of American Pacific.

Finally, the Company announces that it has granted 5,700,000 incentive stock options (the "Options") to certain directors, officers and consultants in accordance with its stock option plan. The Options are exercisable at $0.25 for a period of 5 years from the date of grant.

About American Pacific Mining Corp.

American Pacific Mining Corp. is a precious and base metals explorer and developer focused on opportunities in the Western United States. The Company has two flagship assets: the Palmer Project, a Volcanic Massive Sulfide (VMS) project in Alaska, under joint-venture partnership with Dowa Metals & Mining, owner of Japan's largest zinc smelter; and the Madison Project, a past-producing copper-gold project in Montana partnered with Kennecott Exploration, a division of the Rio Tinto Group. For the Madison transaction, American Pacific was selected as a finalist in both 2021 and 2022 for 'Deal of the Year' at the S&P Global Platts Global Metals Awards, an annual program that recognizes exemplary accomplishments in 16 performance categories. Also, in American Pacific's asset portfolio are high-grade, precious metals projects located in key mining districts of Nevada, USA: the Ziggurat Gold project, partnered with Centerra Gold; and the Tuscarora Gold-Silver project. The Company's mission is to grow by the drill bit and by acquisition.

On Behalf of the Board of American Pacific Mining Corp.

"Warwick Smith"

CEO & Director

Corporate Office: Suite 910 - 510 Burrard Street Vancouver, BC, V6C 3A8 Canada

Investor Relations Contact:

Kristina Pillon, High Tide Consulting Corp.,

604.908.1695 / Kristina@americanpacific.ca

Media Relations Contact:

Adam Bello, Primoris Group Inc.,

416.489.0092 / media@primorisgroup.com

The CSE has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release. Neither the CSE nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - November 23, 2023) - Pacific Ridge Exploration Ltd. (TSXV: PEX) (OTCQB: PEXZF) (FSE: PQWN) ("Pacific Ridge" or the "Company") is pleased to announce results from this year's diamond drill campaign at the RDP copper-gold project ("RDP" or the "Project"), located in northcentral British Columbia, 40 km west of the Company's flagship Kliyul copper-gold project ("Kliyul") (see Figure 1). Antofagasta Minerals S.A. ("Antofagasta"), a wholly owned subsidiary of Antofagasta PLC (ANTO: LSE), can earn a 75% interest in RDP by spending $10,000,000 on exploration over eight years and delivering a preliminary economic assessment report (See news release dated February 8, 2022). Pacific Ridge is the operator and supported the diamond drill program from Kliyul camp.

The 2023 diamond drilling program at RDP totaled 1,428 metres in three drill holes (RDP-23-007 to RDP-23-009) and tested the Day target ("Day") and the Bird target ("Bird") (see Figure 2). Two drill holes were completed at Day (RDP-23-007 and RDP-23-008) where drill hole RDP-22-005 returned 107.2 m of 1.39% copper equivalent* ("CuEq") or 2.06 g/t gold equivalent**("AuEq") (0.63% copper, 1.10 g/t gold, and 2.91 g/t silver) within 497.2 m of 0.66% CuEq or 0.97 g/t AuEq (0.37% copper, 0.40 g/t gold, and 1.60 g/t silver) (see news release dated October 25, 2022). The two holes completed at Day were large step-outs over 300 m to the northeast and northwest from the collar location for RDP-22-005. In addition, a single diamond drill hole tested Bird (RDP-23-009), located approximately 2.0 km north of Day, where Pacific Ridge discovered porphyry copper-gold mineralization in a stream cutbank in 2022.

Highlights

Drill hole RDP-23-007 at Day ended in strong porphyry copper-gold mineralization: 19.0 m of 0.45% CuEq* or 0.67 g/t AuEq** (0.32% copper, 0.19 g/t gold, and 1.08 g/t silver) (see Table 1).

The dimensions of Day are now ~290 m east-west, ~100 m north-south, and up to ~600 m vertical depth. It remains open to the east and west, and at depth (see Figures 3 and 4).

Drill hole RDP-23-009 was the first diamond drill hole to test Bird at depth and returned 18.5 m of 0.43% CuEq*or 0.63 g/t AuEq** (0.16% copper, 0.38 g/t gold, and 0.59 g/t silver) within 111.0 m at 0.23% CuEq* or 0.34 g/t AuEq** (0.09% copper, 0.20 g/t gold, and 0.31 g/t silver).

Geochemistry and geophysics suggest that a porphyry core may lie approximately 200 m deeper than the mineralization intersected in RDP-23-009 (see Figure 5).

"This year's diamond drill program at RDP was small but very successful," said Blaine Monaghan, President & CEO of Pacific Ridge. "In addition to hitting porphyry copper-gold mineralization in large step-out holes at Day we made another porphyry copper-gold discovery at Bird."





Figure 1

Location of RDP

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/5460/188530_fb95e185942018bf_001full.jpg





Figure 2

RDP Target Areas

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

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Table 1

2023 RDP Assay Results Summary for Drill Holes RDP-23-007 to RDP-23-009

Hole No From (m) To (m) Width (m) Cu (%) Au (g/t) Ag (g/t) CuEq*(%) AuEq**(g/t) RDP-23-007 511.0 573.0 62.0 0.16 0.06 0.84 0.21 0.31 includes 554.0 573.0 19.0 0.32 0.19 1.08 0.45 0.67 RDP-23-008 123.0 132.0 9.0 0.10 0.02 0.67 0.12 0.18 RDP-23-008 158.0 188.0 30.0 0.08 0.02 0.36 0.10 0.15 includes 182.0 186.5 4.5 0.16 0.03 0.45 0.18 0.26 RDP-23-008 306.0 312.0 6.0 0.15 0.04 0.73 0.18 0.27 RDP-23-009 18.6 44.0 25.4 0.12 0.13 0.41 0.21 0.30 RDP-23-009 156.0 173.5 17.5 0.17 0.20 0.37 0.31 0.45 RDP-23-009 249.0 360.0 111.0 0.09 0.20 0.31 0.23 0.34 RDP-23-009 341.5 360.0 18.5 0.16 0.38 0.59 0.43 0.63

*CuEq = ((Cu%) x $Cu x 22.0462) + (Au(g/t) x AuR/CuR x $Au x 0.032151) + (Ag(g/t) x AgR/CuR x $Ag x 0.032151)) / ($Cu x 22.0462).

**AuEq = ((Au(g/t) x $Au x 0.032151) + ((Cu%) x CuR/AuR x $Cu x 22.0462) + (Ag(g/t) x AgR/CuR x $Ag x 0.032151)) / ($Au x 0.032151).

Commodity prices: $Cu = US$3.25/lb, $Au = US$1,800/oz., and Ag = US$20.00/oz.

There has been no metallurgical testing on RDP mineralization. The Company estimates copper recoveries (CuR) of 84%, gold recoveries (AuR) of 70%, and silver recoveries (AgR) of 65% based on the average recoveries from Kemess Underground, Mount Milligan, and Red Chris.)

Factors: 22.0462 = Cu% to lbs per tonne, 0.032151 = Au g/t to troy oz per tonne, and 0.032151 = Ag g/t to troy oz per tonne.

 End of hole

Discussion of Drill Holes RDP-23-007 to RDP-23-009

Day porphyry copper-gold target

Drill holes RDP-23-007 and RDP-23-008 at Day were designed as broad step-outs over 300 m from the RDP-22-005 collar location to test for a large porphyry copper-gold system. In 2022, RDP-22-005 returned 107.2 m of 1.39% CuEq or 2.06 g/t AuEq (0.63% copper, 1.10 g/t gold, and 2.91 g/t silver) within 497.2 m of 0.66% CuEq or 0.97 g/t AuEq (0.37% copper, 0.40 g/t gold, and 1.60 g/t silver) (see news release dated October 25, 2022). The 2023 drill holes tested the western and southeastern sides of a large (650 m diameter) ring-shaped aeromagnetic high anomaly interpreted from First Vertical Derivative ("1VD") and 3D Magnetic Vector Inversion ("MVI") models (see Figure 3). Porphyry copper-gold mineralization drilled in 2022 lies at the southern part of this interpreted ring anomaly. RDP-23-007 was collared 300 m to the northeast of the RDP-22-005 collar and drilled to the southeast, and RDP-23-008 was collared 330 m to the northwest of the RDP-22-005 collar and drilled to the west-southwest. Copper sulphide mineralization was intersected in both RDP-23-007 and RDP-23-008, however the interval in the RDP-23-007 is higher grade over a wider interval and appears to be an extension of RDP-23-005 mineralization 130 m to the east and to 120 m greater depth, while still being open at depth.

RDP-23-007 (azimuth 125, inclination -70, length 573 m) returned 19.0 m of 0.45% CuEq* or 0.67 g/t AuEq** (0.32% copper, 0.19 g/t gold, and 1.08 g/t silver) starting at 554 m. Drilling was terminated in mineralization at 573.0 m. This result extends > 0.60% CuEq mineralization another 175 m down plunge to the east of mineralization in RDP-23-005 (see Figure 3). Results suggest that Day is west-striking, steeply north-dipping (80), and has a tabular or lenticular pipe shape with approximate dimensions of 290 m east-west, 100 m north-south, and up to 600 m vertical depth. Mineralization remains open primarily to the east and west, and at depth.



Mineralization from 554-573 m (end of hole) occurs as chalcopyrite-bornite disseminations and stringer veinlets. It is hosted in monzodiorite with moderate strength potassic alteration (K-feldspar, magnetite, quartz, chlorite).

RDP-23-008 (azimuth 235, inclination -70, length 414 m) returned 4.5 m of 0.18% CuEq* or 0.26 g/t AuEq** (0.16% copper, 0.03 g/t gold, and 0.45 g/t silver) starting at 182 m. Results suggest drilling stepped too far outward from a porphyry centre as is reflected in the narrow intervals of low grade with low Au:Cu ratio value (0.17). For comparison, the weighted average Au:Cu from RDP-22-005 for the 107.2 m interval of 1.39% CuEq* or 2.06 g/t AuEq** starting at 15.8 m is 1.75, and the value of the deepest reported interval of 60 m at 0.55% CuEq* or 0.82% AuEq** starting at 321 m, is 0.39. As such, it does not appear that there is an annulus of high-grade porphyry mineralization surrounding a 650 m diameter porphyry stock complex and that Day is more tabular in geometry and steeply north dipping as suggested by the RDP-23-007 result. In this case, RDP-23-008 would have drilled 300 m laterally outward into the hangingwall block of Day and encountered narrow distal mineralized intervals.



Mineralization from 182-186.5 m is hosted in volcaniclastic andesite with magnetite-chlorite and weak quartz (silica) alteration. Veinlet and fracture-hosted chalcopyrite occurs in trace to minor amounts. A 3 cm wide quartz vein with chalcopyrite-bornite at 158 m returned 0.40% CuEq* or 0.59 g/t AuEq** (0.31% Cu, 0.11 g/t Au, and 1.92 g/t Ag) over a 1 m sample.







Figure 3

Plan View of 2023 Conceptual Targeting for Exploration Drilling at Day with CuEq % > 0.3 Numeric Model

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Figure 4

Section View (A to A' in Figure 3) of Schematic Geological Model for Day, Looking Southwest

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Bird porphyry copper-gold target

Located approximately 2.0 km north of Day, Bird was last tested in 1974 by a single, shallow drill hole (no results available). In 2022, Pacific Ridge discovered porphyry copper-gold mineralization in a stream cutbank that occurs within a 600 m x 250 m NNW-trending aeromagnetic high anomaly (1VD). The discovery outcrop comprises a ~50 m wide exposure of west-trending monzodiorite dykes with potassic alteration and quartz-magnetite-chalcopyrite veins. Outcrop sampling in 2022 returned 0.59% Cu, 0.26 g/t Au, and 23.1 g/t Ag. RDP-23-009 was collared 40 m to the northeast of the surface showing.

RDP-23-009 (azimuth 290, inclination -60, length 441 m) returned 18.5 m at 0.43% CuEq* or 0.63 g/t AuEq** (0.16% copper, 0.38 g/t gold, and 0.59 g/t silver) within 111.0 m at 0.23% CuEq* or 0.34 g/t AuEq** (0.09% copper, 0.20 g/t gold, and 0.31 g/t silver). This confirmed there is porphyry copper-gold mineralization at Bird. Drilling appears to have intersected the sericitic alteration shell of a porphyry system, however, there are relict windows of potassic alteration (K-feldspar  biotite  magnetite) with early-stage veins (magnetite-chalcopyrite  quartz). These potassic windows are largely overprinted by a quartz-sericite-calcite-pyrite  hematite alteration including sericitization of early biotite haloes, crosscutting vein relationships (late cutting early), and partial to wholesale replacement (pyritization) of early-stage veins. The mixed sericitic-potassic zone is most evident between 130-360 m. The deepest part of this zone returned the 18.5 m wide interval of 0.43% CuEq* or 0.63 g/t AuEq**. However, there are four notable intervals starting from 18.6 m that increase in Au:Cu ratio with depth suggesting RDP-23-009 is moving towards a porphyry centre with increasing depth (see Table 2 and Figure 5).

Table 2

2023 RDP Assay Results for Drill Hole RDP-23-009 at Bird with Au:Cu Ratios at Increasing Depth

Hole No. From(m) To(m) Width(m) Cu(%) Au(g/t) Ag(g/t) Au:Cu RDP-23-009 18.6 44.0 25.4 0.12 0.13 0.41 1.10 RDP-23-009 156.0 173.5 17.5 0.17 0.20 0.37 1.21 RDP-23-009 249.0 295.0 46.0 0.10 0.20 0.27 2.11 RDP-23-009 341.5 360 18.5 0.16 0.38 0.59 2.35







Figure 5

Section View to North (100 m Slice) of 2023 Drilling at Bird with 3D MVI Remanent Magnetization Target

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In addition, the combined interval from 156-360 m directly overlies a narrow subvertical geophysical feature of interest in the 3D MVI Remanent magnetization model that is also seen underlying the mineralization at Day. However, whereas the mineralization at Day lies on either side and across this remanent magnetization feature, the RDP-23-009 drilling at Bird is 200-350 m above it.

Altogether, it appears that RDP-23-009 was successful in intersecting the top of a potassic alteration and mineralization shell where it interfaces with overlying sericitic alteration. Follow-up drilling near this location should test for a steeply dipping tabular shaped deposit at greater depth than RDP-23-009 was drilled. Furthermore, interpretation of the 3D MVI remanent magnetization feature suggests that Bird has a NNW-trending orientation that shallows to the north over a distance of 200 m from where RDP-23-009 was drilled, and towards the northern end of the NNW-trending 600 m x 250 m aeromagnetic high anomaly. This entire 200 m trend is considered prospective for exploration, much like the 290 m long east-west trend currently delineated at Day.

About RDP

Located 40 km west of the Company's flagship Kliyul, RDP is greater than 10,000 hectares in size and lies within the Stikine Terrane, which is host to numerous significant porphyry deposits in northern British Columbia, including Kemess, Red Chris, Kerr-Sulphurets and Galore Creek. The eastern margin of Stikine Terrane in this part of northcentral BC has been underexplored historically and has seen increased exploration activity since its coverage in the 2017 Geoscience BC Search Phase III airborne magnetic and radiometric survey.

RDP contains several porphyry copper-gold targets (Roy, Day, Porcupine, and Bird) that have been explored intermittently since the early 1970's, including prospecting and mapping, various geochemical surveys, ground- and airborne geophysical surveys, trenching and a limited amount of drilling. The Project is underlain by lower Hazelton Group volcanic and sedimentary rocks (Lower Jurassic) of andesitic and dacitic composition and the Gyr rhyolite porphyry; and by Late Triassic to Early Jurassic plutonic rocks including the Fir gabbro and Roy plutonic suite with porphyritic plugs, sills, and stocks of monzodiorite composition.

QA/QC (Quality Assurance/Quality Control)

Pacific Ridge's 2023 exploration program was managed by Equity Exploration Consultants Ltd. of Vancouver, B.C. The drill contractor was Dorado Drilling Ltd. of Vernon, B.C. Half-core NQ (47.6 mm) sawed samples from continuous intervals throughout drill holes were sealed on site and shipped to ALS Global Laboratories' ("ALS") preparation lab in Reno, Nevada and then to their analytical facility in North Vancouver, BC. Fire assay and multielement analyses were completed at the ALS analytical laboratory in North Vancouver. Drill core was crushed, pulverized and analyzed for 48 elements using a four-acid digest followed by ICP-MS (ME-MS61) with over limits by ore grade four-acid digest followed by ICP-AES (OG62), and with a 30 g sample analyzed for gold by fire assay and atomic absorption finish (Au-AA23). Samples were no smaller than 50 cm and no larger than 2 m in length, respecting changes in lithology and alteration. Blanks and commercially certified reference materials were inserted blind into the sample stream with an overall insertion rate of 5%. Field duplicates representing a quarter core split of the original sample are inserted at 2.5%. Pulp and crush duplicates are inserted at 5% insertion rate by the laboratory. The QAQC results are reviewed as batches once returned from the laboratory and appropriate actions are implemented where required. The QA/QC results for drill holes from the 2023 drilling program at RDP are acceptable.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

The technical information contained within this News Release has been reviewed and approved by Gerald G. Carlson, Ph.D., P.Eng., Executive Chairman of Pacific Ridge and Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 policy.

About Pacific Ridge

Our goal is to become British Columbia's leading copper-gold exploration company. Pacific Ridge's flagship asset is its 100% owned Kliyul copper-gold project, located in the Quesnel Terrane close to existing infrastructure. In addition to Kliyul, the Company's project portfolio includes the RDP copper-gold project (optioned to Antofagasta Minerals S.A.), the Chuchi copper-gold project, the Onjo copper-gold project, and the Redton copper-gold project, all located in British Columbia. Pacific Ridge would like to acknowledge that its B.C. projects are located in the traditional, ancestral and unceded territories of the Gitxsan Nation, McLeod Lake Indian Band, Nak'azdli Whut'en, Takla Nation, and Tsay Keh Dene Nation.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

"Blaine Monaghan"

Blaine Monaghan

President & CEO

Pacific Ridge Exploration Ltd.

Corporate Contact:

Blaine Monaghan

President & CEO

Tel: (604) 687-4951

www.pacificridgeexploration.com

https://www.linkedin.com/company/pacific-ridge-exploration-ltd-pex-

https://twitter.com/PacRidge_PEX

Investor Contact:

G2 Consultants Corp.

Telephone: +1 778-678-9050

Email: ir@pacificridgeexploration.com

Forward-Looking Information: This release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, which address exploration drilling and other activities and events or developments that Pacific Ridge Exploration Ltd. ("Pacific Ridge") expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Although Pacific Ridge believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploration successes, and continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. These statements are based on a number of assumptions including, among other things, assumptions regarding general business and economic conditions, that one of the options will be exercised, the ability of Pacific Ridge and other parties to satisfy stock exchange and other regulatory requirements in a timely manner, the availability of financing for Pacific Ridge's proposed programs on reasonable terms, and the ability of third party service providers to deliver services in a timely manner. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Pacific Ridge does not assume any obligation to update or revise its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/188530
Wingbuddy, a premier tour operator in North America, shares its most booked travel packages for the period of September to December 2023, hinting at consumer travel preferences for the end of 2023.

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"At Wingbuddy, we specialize in providing turnkey travel experiences so that our customers can explore the world with ease and peace of mind. It's heartening to see these packages garner such trust and love. It reinforces our commitment to making travel more effortless," shared Chris Hakim, Founder and CEO Wingbuddy.

For comprehensive details, pricing, and booking inquiries, visit wingbuddy.com.

About Wingbuddy:

Wingbuddy is a premier tour operator in North America, reshaping travel planning with its comprehensive hassle-free packages for quick getaways, extensive adventures and everything in between. Established in 2012, Wingbuddy's customer-centricity has transformed travel booking with the goal of making travel easy and accessible for all age groups.

Specializing in expertly crafted end-to-end international vacation packages, Wingbuddy has given over 50,000 customers the trip of a lifetime. From unique guided tours to captivating ocean and river cruises, their packages span Europe, The Americas, Asia, and the Middle East, delivering exceptional travel experiences for North Americans.

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View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231123455481/en/

Contacts:

Paulami Mehta

paulami@yprcanada.com
EQS-News: African Development Bank Group (AfDB) / Key word(s): Miscellaneous

African Development Bank, African Guarantee Fund Kick Off Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) Finance Series in Kenya to Unlock Financing for Women-Led Enterprises



23.11.2023 / 14:30 CET/CEST

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.





The African Development Bank ( www.AfDB.org ) through its Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) initiative, in partnership with African Guarantee Fund (AGF) and in collaboration with the Office of the President's Advisor on Women's Rights, have inaugurated the 6th edition of the AFAWA Finance Series in Nairobi, Kenya. This 3-day event themed "Enhancing Financial Inclusion for Women", running between 21-23 November, 2023, is a pivotal initiative aiming to revolutionise the financial landscape and foster an enabling environment for women entrepreneurs, facilitating their growth and contribution to the continent's economic development.

The AFAWA initiative seeks to increase women's access to finance in the continent by bridging the $42 billion financing gap for women-led and owned small and medium enterprises. Since its inception just over two years ago, the AFAWA initiative has already approved $1.2 billion in funding for women-led enterprises in 32 countries across Africa with a goal to mobilise $5 billion in financing for African women-led businesses by 2026.

"Financial products need to be tailored to women's unique lived experiences, needs and aspirations from the start not later when at scale," said Her Excellency Governor Ann Waiguru, Chair of the Council of Governors in Kenya and the chief speaker at the Finance Series Kenya opening ceremony.

"Financial institutions face a major challenge in understanding and responding to the unique needs of the women entrepreneurs. We need innovative approaches to improve women's creditworthiness as traditional collateral requirements only serve to reinforce gender inequalities," she added.

The AFAWA Finance Series will emphasise the tangible benefits of gender financing for women-led small and medium enterprises, financial institutions, the Kenyan Government and policymakers. The opening conference will be followed by a 2-day training to sensitize lending institutions on gender smart investing.

"Kenyan women are known for their resilience and tenacity," Harriette Chiggai, Women's Rights Advisor to the Office of the President of the Republic of Kenya told reporters, when detailing table banking, grants and other Government programs targeting women entrepreneurs.

"The AFAWA Finance Series is an acknowledgement of our commitment to creating an environment where Kenyan women can access essential financial tools for enterprise and development," Chiggai added.

The Series explores ways to enhance regulatory frameworks that can boost access to finance for women-led small and medium enterprises. The event will also build understanding of AFAWA's Guarantee for Growth (G4G) mechanism as implemented by the AGF.

"Too many women entrepreneurs across the continent are denied opportunities to grow their businesses. We're here today to help challenge common misperceptions and emphasize that there's business to be had in offering financial services to women-led enterprises. AFAWA understands the challenges women face and the initiative is addressing them head on," said Marie-Laure Akin-Olugbade, Vice President for Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery at African Development Bank Group.

Research shows women are better at repaying loans than men, and typically reinvest up to 90% of their income in the education, health and nutrition of their families and communities.

"The question we are addressing is how to support women and increase their productivity to fully participate in the GDP of the African economy," said AGF Group CEO, Jules Ngankam. "Through the AFAWA G4G program we are derisking financial institutions that on-lend to women-led SMEs increasing their appetite for this target market," he added.

Previous AFAWA Finance Series have been held in Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Angola and Nigeria..

Representing AFAWA's donor nations at the Kenya launch were His Excellency H.E. Roberto Natali, Ambassador of Italy to Kenya and Her Excellency Caroline Vicini, Ambassador of Sweden to Kenya.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).

For further information, please contact:

Alphonso Van Marsh

Principal Digital Content and Events Officer

African Development Bank

Email: media@afdb.org

www.AfDB.org/en

Diana Aluga

Group Communications & Public Relations Officer

African Guarantee Fund

Cell: +254 732 148 000,

Email: info.communications@agf.africa

https://AfricanGuaranteeFund.com/

Emily Njagi

Scarlet Digital Limited

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Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - November 23, 2023) - Northstar Gold Corp. (CSE: NSG) (OTC Pink: NSGCF) ("Northstar" or the "Company"), announces assay results from the remaining 3 Phase I diamond drill holes recently completed at the historic Cam Copper Mine on the Company's 100%-owned Miller Copper-Gold Property, situated 18 kilometres southeast of Kirkland Lake, Ontario. Cam Copper is a road accessible shaft mine and small-scale, past producer of high-grade 'direct shipping' copper ore centred on the historic Boston Creek Copper Trend.1,2 (Figure 1)

Cam Copper Mine is centred on a newly recognized high-grade "Besshi-type" volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) copper system situated at the northwest end of a 0.9 km long southeast trending belt of VMS horizons. Besshi-type VMS deposits are an important global source of base metals, simplistically characterized as vented, broad sheet-like layers of magnetite, iron-copper-lead-zinc-arsenic sulphides, cobalt, sulphosalts, silver and possibly gold deposited on an ancient sea floor, hosted in volcano-sedimentary rock packages.

Northstar completed 720 metres of drilling in 4 diamond drill holes (CC01-23 to CC04-23) at Cam Copper Mine between October 20th and October 30th, 2023. The Company reports all 4 drill holes intersected lenses of Cu-rich volcanogenic massive sulphides, including massive and stringer chalcopyrite in drill hole CC03-23 grading 14.8% Cu over 2.45m from 116.55m to 119m in Zone 2 (Photos 1 & 2). This intercept represents a significant Zone 2 thickness increase and is highly suggestive of southeast down-plunge expansion. Zones 1, 3 and 4 also remain open along strike and at depth.

A 3D Cam Copper Mine image illustrating Phase I drill results and massive sulphide intercepts is provided in Figure 2.

The Company reports the following assay highlights from the Cam Copper Phase I drilling program:

Zone 1

3.12% Cu over 3.6m from 25.0m to 28.6m including 19.45% Cu and 14.85 g/t Ag over 0.5m from 28.1m to 28.6m in CC01-23 (Previously reported; Photo 3)

Zone 2

14.78% Cu over 2.45m from 116.55m to 119.0m including 21.7% Cu, 0.27% Pb, 17.68 g/t Ag over 1.35m from 117.65m to 119.0m in CC03-23 (Photos 1 & 2)

8.17% Cu over 1.5m from 178.0m to 179.5m including 16.05% Cu over 0.6m from 178.0m to 178.6m in CC02-23 (Photo 4)

12.71% Cu , 0.62% Zn, 0.44% Pb, 16.47 g/t Ag over 0.75m from 107m to 107.75m in CC01-23

4.72% Cu over 1.95m from 106.8m to 108.75m including 14.75% Cu over 0.4m from 106.8m to 107.2m in CC04-23

Zone 3

5.91% Cu over 1.5m from 135.0m to 136.5m including 9.92% Cu over 0.5m from 135.5m to 136m in CC01-23 (Photo 5)

2.77% Cu over 0.5m from 224.2m to 224.7m in CC02-23

Management Commentary

"Northstar's 2023 Cam Copper sampling and Phase I drill results confirm reported historic widths and high copper grades, demonstrating copper mineralization is related to a robust, multi-horizon copper VMS system with excellent expansion potential," states Brian P. Fowler, P.Geo., Northstar's President, CEO and Director. "Northstar is fully permitted and positioning to explore the strike and down plunge extensions of the Cam Copper massive sulphide zones through Phase II drilling."

Possible Hydrothermal Vent

Semi-massive sulphides with milled cherty fragments in Zone 2 (Photo 4), averaging 8.17% Cu over 1.5 metres from 178.0m to 179.5m in drill hole CC02-23, 80 metres below the 200' level of the historic mine workings, suggests close proximity to a nearby seafloor hydrothermal vent, in an area never before drill tested. Evidence of massive and stringer chalcopyrite over 2.45m in adjacent drill hole CC03-23 strongly implies the possibility of significant Zone 2 vertical and down plunge expansion potential to the southeast.

Historic Validation

The Phase I drilling and prior surface sampling results substantiate historic reported copper grades of a 1955 shipment of 346 tons of hoisted underground ore which produced 43,411 lbs. of Cu1 at a Noranda smelter for a recovered grade of 6.3% Cu. The high-grade "direct shipping" ore was shipped directly from the mine site to the smelter without requiring further concentration in a mill. A previous 1948 shipment of 22 tons of ore to Noranda reportedly graded 12.72% Cu, 0.84 oz/t Ag and 0.03 oz/t Au2, presumably from Zone 1.

Figure 1. West Half Miller Property Geology Highlighting Former Producing Mines along the Boston Creek Copper Trend



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Photo 1. Massive chalcopyrite from Zone 2 grading 21.7% Cu over 1.35m in DDH CC03-23



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Photo 2. Zone 2 massive and stringer chalcopyrite grading 14.8% Cu over 2.45m between 116.55m and 119m in DDH CC03-23



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Photo 3. Zone 1 massive chalcopyrite from DDH CC01-23 grading 19.45% Cu over 0.5m



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Photo 4. Zone 2 semi-massive chalcopyrite from DDH CC02-23 grading 16.05% Cu over 0.6m



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Photo 5. Zone 3 semi-massive chalcopyrite from DDH CC01-23 grading 5.91% Cu over 1.5m



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Table 1. Cam Copper Assay Results for DDH's CC01-23 to CC04-23

Hole No. Collar

UTM -

Zone 17 Azimuth (Degrees) Dip

Angle (Degrees) From

(m) To

(m) Core

Length (m) Cu (%) Zn (%) Ag (g/t) Comments CC01-23 580634E, 5316828N 228 -48 25

Incl.

28.1

77.8

107

135

incl.

135.5 28.6

Incl.

28.6

78.3

107.75

136.5

incl.

136 3.6

Incl.

0.5

0.5

0.75

1.50

incl.

0.5 3.12



19.45

2.55

12.71

5.91



9.92 0.62 14.85



16.47 Zone 1

"

Massive cpy

QCV w/cpy

Zone 2

Zone 3

"

" CC02-23 580674E, 5316857N 216.5 -48.5 14.4

97.25

178.0

incl.

178.0

224.2 17.2

97.75

179.5

incl.

178.6

224.7 2.8

0.50

1.50

incl.

0.6

0.5 0.40

2.17

8.17

16.05

2.77



5.18 Zone 4 ?

Zone 1

Zone 2

"

"

Zone 3 CC03-23 580536E, 5316721N 59.5 -48 116.55

incl.

117.65 119.0

incl.

119.0 2.45

incl.

1.35 14.78

21.70 10.90



17.68 Zone 2

expanding

down plunge CC04-23 580666E, 5316803N 240 -46 25.2

106.8

incl.

106.8 25.35

108.75

incl.

107.2 0.15

1.95

incl.

0.4 15.45

4.72

14.75 17.80





6.19 Zone 1

Zone 2

"

"

*Estimated true widths are between 0.64 (64%) and 0.70 (70%) of apparent widths

Figure 2. Cam Copper Mine - 2023 Phase 1 Drilling Results Southeast Extension - Geophysical Targets



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Volcanic exhalite mineralization consisting of massive or semi-massive pyrite (+/- chalcopyrite) is known to extend for hundreds of metres along strike southeast of the Cam Copper Mine site, having been previously explored by historic pitting and trenching. The copper trend includes multiple historic ground EM and IP bedrock targets3 along with strong airborne EM and magnetic anomalies which could highlight conductive bedrock targets such as Cu-rich massive sulphides for up to 900 metres along strike to the southeast.

Future Plans

Northstar is positioning to conduct a Phase 2 Cam Copper drill program to test the down plunge extension of mineralized zones, prioritizing expansion of the Zone 2 massive sulphide lens and stockwork intersected in DDH CC03-23.

Owing to the conductive and chargeable nature of the massive sulphide mineralization encountered at Cam Copper, a program of surface and borehole geophysics is also being planned to survey the mine site area and the Boston Creek Copper Trend along strike towards the southeast.

Cam Copper Geology

Cam Copper Mine copper mineralization is hosted in the oldest known and possibly least understood lithological assemblage in the Abitibi Greenstone Belt known as the Pacaud assemblage or Pacaud "Tuffs" (circa 2750 Ma; 2750Ma-2735Ma volcanic episode). The Pacaud assemblage is composed of finely bedded and intercalated mafic, intermediate, and felsic ash-tuff intruded by mafic sills. Sulphide mineralization appears to be stratiform and volcanogenic in nature with the zones exhibiting a distinctive stockwork feeder system in the footwall with chalcopyrite, pyrrhotite and magnetite stringers (+/-pyrite) and a massive chalcopyrite cap or lens stratigraphically above the underlying stockwork. Minor sphalerite and galena appear in the uppermost part of the sulphide cap.

Massive bornite "pods" were reported historically. Multiple stacked VMS horizons with significant sheet-like lateral and vertical extent, hosted in volcano-sedimentary rock packages are characteristic of Besshi-type or Pelitic-Mafic/Mafic-Siliciclastic (NRCAN nomenclature) VMS deposits. These deposits, while known to exist in the Archean, are typically more common in Phanerozoic terrains. The VMS lenses at the Cam Copper Mine remain open in all directions, particularly down plunge to the southeast. The former producing Amity and Patterson copper mines occur within the same geologic formation along strike to the northwest.

Northstar carried out a brief surface exploration program consisting of prospecting and sampling of Cam Copper Mine between May 19 and 25th, 2023. A total of 19 representative surface samples were collected from the muck pile and bedrock surface near the historic shaft. Three samples were collected from a historic trench along the surface expression of Zone 2. Assay results of the 19 samples ranged from 0.99% - 31.8% Cu, and 0.31 g/t Ag - 452 g/t Ag. Copper grades from the Cam Copper muck pile and bedrock were consistent with historically reported grades from both drilling intercepts, underground sampling and former mine production data.

One muck sample (E455292) of massive chalcopyrite with bornite assayed 31.8% Cu, 0.53% Zn, and 452 g/t Ag. A bedrock sample (E455309) collected from mineralized stratiform sulphides near the historic shaft assayed 13.65% Cu.

Three samples collected from a trench representing the surface expression of Zone 2 included one sample (E455315) that assayed 0.54% Cu, indicating a possible extension of Zone 2 towards the southeast of the old workings.

Follow up work is required in the Cam Copper area to fully investigate the down plunge extension of the historic deposit.

Underground Development and Historic Copper Production

The Cam Copper Mine hosts at least three separate lenses (Zone 1, Zone 2, Zone 3 and a possible Zone 4- Figure 2) of massive copper sulphides about 30-50 metres apart striking and plunging southeast along the contact with the Round Lake Granite Batholith. Underground development took place between 1929 and 1953 which includes sinking of a 220' (66.7m) vertical shaft with 213' (64.5m) of cross cutting and 267' (80.9m) of drifting. The recent drilling and surface sampling results verify historic reporting of a 1955 shipment of 346 tons of hoisted underground ore which produced 43,411 lbs. of Cu1 at a Noranda smelter for a recovered grade of 6.3% Cu. The ore was shipped directly from the mine site to the smelter without requiring further concentration in a mill. A previous 1948 shipment of 22 tons of ore to Noranda reportedly graded 12.72% Cu, 0.84 oz/t Ag and 0.03 oz/t Au2, presumably from Zone 1.

Historic Drilling

Historic drilling intercepts in Zone 1 by Consolidated Golden Arrow Mines Ltd. at the Cam Copper Mine include: 3

1.6% Cu over 6.6' (2.0m) in DDH 1

9.8% Cu over 4' (1.21m) in DDH 1A

12.4 % Cu over 7.8' (2.36m) in DDH 3

7.0% Cu over 6' (1.82m) in DDH 4

Average sampling grade reported in Zone 1 was 8.5% Cu over a true width of 4.4' (1.33m) indicated over 100' (30.3m) along strike.

Historic drilling intercepts by Consolidated Golden Arrow Mines Ltd. in Zone 2 include: 3

10.5% Cu over 0.5' (0.15m) in DDH 2

19.9% Cu over 3.1' (0.94m) in DDH 3

23.1% Cu over 4.6' (1.39m) in DDH 4 ---> down plunge extension below workings

12.4% Cu over 3.3' (1.0m) in DDH 7 ---> down plunge extension below workings

Average sampling grade reported in Zone 2 was 10% Cu over a true width of 2.8' (0.85m) indicated over 140' (42.4m) along strike.

Bornite was reported to be common in Zone 2 with the bornite rich pods of massive sulphides remaining open down plunge to the southeast.3

1 Ontario Ministry of Energy, Northern Development and Mines Mineral Deposit Inventory Record MDI31M13NW000154: Tretheway-Ossian- 1981, Ch.H. Cameron-1981.

2Ontario Ministry of Energy, Northern Development and Mines and Mines Assessment File KL-0259, Tretheway-Ossian (Cam Copper Mine). 1961

3 Ontario Ministry of Energy, Northern Development and Mines and Mines Assessment File KL-0843, Prospectus of Fidelity Mining Investments Ltd. 1962

Quality Control

Samples collected in the 2023 Miller surface exploration and drilling programs were delivered to ALS Global in Timmins, Ontario for preparation and assayed for gold and other elements by ALS Global in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Northstar has implemented a quality control program for its Cam Copper Project to ensure best practice in the sampling and analysis of surface samples, which includes the insertion of blanks, and certified standards into the sample stream.

Surface samples were submitted to ALS Global at their Timmins, Ontario facility for sample preparation where the entire sample was crushed to better than 90% passing 2mm, 1000g riffle split and pulverized to 85% passing 75 microns. Pulps are forwarded to ALS Global in Vancouver, British Columbia for analyses. Gold analyses is obtained via industry standard fire assay with ICP finish using 15 g to 30 g aliquots. For samples returning greater than 10 g/t gold follow-up fire assay analysis with a gravimetric finish is completed. Based on initial fire assay gold indications as well as visual indication of mineralization and alteration, samples are selected for re-assay by the screen metallic fire assay method. Samples are also analyzed for 48 trace and major elements by ICP-MS following a four-acid digestion. For samples returning greater than 10,000 ppm Cu, follow-up four acid digestion and ICP finish utilizing a 0.4 g sample is utilized. ALS Global are ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accredited (Lab No. 579) for the preparation and analyses performed on the Cam Copper samples.

Qualified Person

John Siriunas, P.Eng., a 'Qualified Person' (Q.P.) as defined under Canadian National Instrument NI 43-101, has reviewed technical aspects of this news release.

About the Miller Property

Northstar's primary exploration focus is the advancement of the Company's flagship, 100%-owned Miller Gold Property, situated 18 km southeast of Kirkland Lake and Agnico Eagle Mine's Macassa SMC gold mine. The Company's strategy is to develop either a minimum material (+1 million ounce) high-grade gold mineral resource to potentially supplement a nearby mining operation or a stand-alone mining operation at the Miller Gold Property.

Since going public by IPO in late 2020, Northstar has spent over $4.7 million in exploration at Miller, resulting in the discovery of a series of broad, near-surface, shallow dipping sheeted quartz-gold-telluride vein structures in the Allied Syenite (Allied Gold Zone) and Planet Syenites and numerous 70 - 750 gold gram/metre drill hole intercepts. Drilling to date at the AGZ has returned near-surface gold intercepts that include 6.6 g/t Au over 117.0 metres, 4.0 g/t Au over 50.6 metres, 1.4 g/t Au over 118.5 metres, and 1.2 g/t Au over 107.3 metres. Step out AGZ drilling in 2021 intersected peripheral steeply dipping copper-gold bearing structures (CG1 and CG2 Zones) returning intercepts that include 9.41 g/t Au, 1.03% Cu over 3.0m. The AGZ shares numerous compelling similarities to Agnico Eagle's nearby Upper Beaver Deposit, currently in the pre-development stage.

In April, 2022, as a precursor to a Mineral Resource Estimate and for reporting purposes, the Company commissioned Ronacher Mackenzie Geoscience and SRK Consulting (Canada) to conduct an Exploration Target Study of the Miller Property Allied Gold Zone and No. 1 Vein. An upper range exceeding 500,000 ounces of gold averaging 2.04 g/t Au has been referenced in this study. Results were reported July 26, 2022, (Click here to view Northstar News Release dated July 26, 2022) verifying the significance, size and gold grade potential of the Allied gold mineralizing system. Results provide the Company and investors a fact-based conceptual tonnage and gold grade range for the Allied Syenite Gold Zone, and basis for continued expansion drilling and mineral resource development.

In addition to drill testing extensions of the high-grade Cam Copper Mine this Fall, Northstar is positioning to conduct a Phase IIIA Allied Gold Zone lateral and depth expansion drill program on the Miller Gold Property.

Northstar has 3 additional 100%-owned exploration projects in northern Ontario, including the recently acquired 1,200 ha Rosegrove Property situated 0.5 km from the Miller Gold Property, the 4,650 ha Bryce Gold Property (includes the recently optioned Britcanna Lease), an intrusive-gold / PME VMS project located along the projected east extension of the Ridout Break, and the recently expanded Temagami-Milestone Cu-Ni-Co Critical Minerals Property located in Strathcona Township. Northstar is advancing all 3 properties to enhance monetization opportunities.

About Northstar Gold Corp.

Northstar's primary exploration focus is the advancement of the Company's flagship, 100%-owned Miller Gold Property, situated 18 km southeast of Kirkland Lake and Agnico Eagle Mine's Macassa SMC gold mine. The Company's strategy is to develop either a minimum material (+1 million ounce) high-grade gold mineral resource to potentially supplement a nearby mining operation or a stand-alone mining operation at the Miller Gold Property.

Northstar has 3 additional 100%-owned exploration projects in northern Ontario, including the recently acquired 1,200 ha Rosegrove Property situated 0.5 km from the Miller Gold Property, the 4,650 ha Bryce Gold Property (includes the recently optioned Britcanna Lease), an intrusive-gold / PME VMS project located along the projected east extension of the Ridout Break, and the recently expanded Temagami-Milestone Cu-Ni-Co Property located in Strathcona Township. Northstar recently filed a NI43-101 Technical Report on the Bryce Gold Property and is advancing all 3 properties to enhance monetization opportunities.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

Mr. Brian P. Fowler, P.Geo.

President, CEO and Director

(604) 617-8191

bfowler@northstargoldcorp.com

Connect with us on Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements which involve known and unknown risks, delays, and uncertainties not under the control of Northstar Goldcorp. which may cause actual results, performance or achievements of Northstar Gold Corp to be materially different from the results, performance or expectation implied by these forward-looking statements. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on factors that will or may occur in the future. Actual results may vary depending upon exploration activities, industry production, commodity demand and pricing, currency exchange rates, and, but not limited to, general economic factors.

Forward-looking statements in this news release are made as of the date hereof and the Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable laws.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/188492
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - November 23, 2023) - iMining Technologies Inc. (TSXV: IMIN) (the "Company" or "iMining"), a global leader in exponential technologies, particularly Artificial Intelligence (AI), proudly announces its active participation in Abu Dhabi Finance Week (ADFW), scheduled from November 27th to November 30th, 2023. iMining's presence at ADFW underscores the Company's commitment and dedication to explore collaborative opportunities within the flourishing MENA region.

Mr. Khurram Shroff, CEO of iMining Technologies, emphasizes the significance of the company's presence at ADFW, stating, "With a focus on AI, our participation signifies our dedication to contributing to the ongoing AI revolution. The Middle East has emerged as a key player in the global technology landscape, and this event presents a strategic opportunity to forge partnerships aligned with our vision of driving innovation."

iMining's senior management team, led by Mr. Khurram Shroff, the Chairman and the CEO of iMining, will be attending ADFW 2023. This esteemed event, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, promises to be an impactful gathering, following the success of its 2022 edition, which drew over 8,000 attendees from more than 100 countries.

The theme for ADFW 2023, "Investing in The Transition Era," resonates with iMining's strategic vision. The event will convene global financial leaders to address opportunities and challenges presented by ongoing shifts in economics, technology, and sustainability, crucial in shaping the global economic landscape.

"ADFW '23 is a vital platform for discussing the future of finance, particularly in these transformative times," said Khurram Shroff, CEO of iMining. "Our participation signifies our commitment to staying well-informed of the latest trends and discussions in the financial world. We are particularly excited to explore opportunities to collaborate on building responsible AI solutions for the financial industry, including regulators, investors, financial institutions and Fintech companies."

iMining's presence at this prestigious event underscores our dedication to engaging in critical dialogues that shape the future of finance. We aim to leverage this opportunity to further our mission in the AI space, fostering innovation and leadership.

In an era marked by global economic shifts, there is a pressing demand for the financial sector to unite in tackling worldwide issues. Abu Dhabi Finance Week will gather industry leaders from across the globe to devise strategies and foster innovation in pursuit of a sustainable economic future.

About iMining Technologies Inc.

iMining Technologies Inc. is a publicly listed technology company which together with its subsidiaries acquires, builds, and manages future technology companies in Canada. The Company's industry specific technology businesses provide specialized and innovative solutions in future technologies and serves private sector markets. iMining Technologies Inc. is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

About AiMining Technologies Inc.

AiMining Technologies Inc., a subsidiary of iMining Technologies Inc., stands at the forefront of Artificial Intelligence (AI) innovation. Comprising a dedicated research arm focused on collaboration with esteemed institutions and a monetization arm geared towards market engagement, AiMining seamlessly integrates into iMining's technology portfolio and is committed to advancing responsible AI development.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Signed "Khurram Shroff"

Khurram Shroff, President & CEO

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, please contact:

iMining Corporate Offices:

Saleem Moosa, CFO and Director

Email: investor@imining.com

Telephone: 1-604-602-4935

Toll Free: 1-866-602-4935

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/188513
SHANGHAI, Nov. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Sixth China International Import Expo (CIIE) ended on November 10 in Shanghai after six busy and fruitful days. For the first time, the Lin-gang area has taken up a new role as the exhibitor recruitment partner of the Intelligent Industry & Information Technology Hall (Hall 3) of China's largest annual import trade fair.

The 2,700 square meter Lin-gang Exhibition Area was jointly organized by the administrative committee of Lin-gang Special Area of China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone ("Lin-gang Special Area") and Shanghai Lingang Economic Development (Group) Co., Ltd. ("Lingang Group").

Nearly 100 foreign companies, most of whom operate in parks operated by Lingang Group, showcased new technologies, new business formats and new business models.

The Lin-gang Exhibition Area is the first comprehensive exhibition area for enterprises to participate in the CIIE through industrial clusters. It received 1,078 visiting delegations and held more than 100 events. More than 6,000 people held various types of commercial and investment discussions in this area. By November 10, over 100 deals were reached here. Yuan Guohua, the Chairman of Lingang Group, said: "We believe in opening-up and innovation. We have set up platforms for companies to thrive."

New joiners expand Lingang's industrial ecosystem

On the opening day of November 5, many exhibitors of the area signed strategic cooperation agreements with the Lingang Group, including Energy Singularity, Schneider Electric, TENWAYS and Newsight Imaging, covering fusion power, worldwide energy efficiency management and automation, e-bike, image sensors and many other industries.

The Lin-gang Special Area has attracted companies from various industry chains thanks to its good business environment, complete industry ecosystem and full lifecycle services for its investors. On November 6, the world-leading heating and air-conditioning solution provider Johnson Controls - Hitachi Air Conditioning signed the agreement to invest in Lingang Fengxian Park, and is considering setting up its regional headquarters here. Its arrival will further expand the green low-carbon energy saving industry cluster of Lin-gang Special Area and build a next generation green technology industry park.

"In the next five years, China's heating and air-conditioning market will reach a trillion-yuan size. Johnson Controls - Hitachi Air Conditioning is committed to increase our investment in China to provide better products, solutions and services to our clients," said Guan Yu, Vice President and General Manager of China, Johnson Controls - Hitachi Air Conditioning.

Also during the exhibition, many exhibitors have signed agreements to attend the seventh CIIE, including Lenze, Sebia, Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Group, Voith and Cummings.

New stage creates new growth opportunities

As a veteran of China's mechanical engineering automation industry, German company Lenze joined the CIIE for the first time through the Lin-gang Exhibition Area. Upon its debut, the company received orders worth of 20 million yuan and was approached by many partners for strategic cooperation.

"A confident China has kept its opening-up policy, which is a big boost of confidence for foreign companies to invest more in the country. During this CIIE, we have received many inquiries of upgrading projects from lower tier Chinese cities. This is all thanks to the outstanding display stage provided by the Lin-gang Exhibition Area," said Xie Weidong, President, East Asia, Lenze.

AXA Tianping P&C Insurance Co., Ltd., another first-timer of CIIE through Lin-gang Exhibition Area, signed the first deal of the international facultative inward business of China's international board of reinsurance market. This is a significant step in the two-way opening-up journey of China's reinsurance industry.

Sustainable development is another hot topic of the CIIE. Lingang Group, U.S.-China Cleantech Center (UCCTC) and Shanghai Foreign Investment Development Board jointly organized the Shanghai North American Clean Technology and Carbon Neutrality Cooperation Summit. On the sideline of the event, 16 leading American companies held business meetings with 67 Chinese companies of this industry train. They have reached more than 30 cooperation intentions. Lingang Group signed a cooperation agreement with UCCTC to open a new chapter of China-US collaboration on the research and development of clean technologies.

International cooperation enhance Lin-gang service capabilities

As a park service provider, Lingang Group has always regarded high-quality service as its core competence. It has set up a holistic system to support technological, digital, green, service, financial and overseas innovations, which will cover all aspects and elements of a company's lifecycle.

During this CIIE, Lingang Group has joined hands with its sister park - Hong Kong Cyberport - to launch the Shanghai Lingang Group - Hong Kong Cyberport Industry Acceleration Program. It will be a platform to accelerate the growth of companies from both parties' parks through start-up incubation, technology exchange, international cooperation and talent introduction. Lingang Group has also set up a joint taskforce with Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Bank of Communications and Kasikornbank to explore innovative cross-border financial services.

Together with HSBC, Lingang Group hosted the Roundtable on Growth Opportunities in Supply Chain Finance Innovation to find new application scenarios for supply chain financial services.

The newly opened Shanghai-Kunming Lancang-Mekong Express Freight Train Route connects Lin-gang's Luchaogang Station with Lao's capital Vientiane, where it is also connected with Thailand's railway network. It has created new opportunities for more international cooperation. During the CIIE, the ASEAN International Supply Chain Service Forum was held at Lin-gang Exhibition Area. More than 100 guests from Chinese and foreign companies and organizations, such as Thai and Vietnam chambers of commerce in China, attended to discuss how to leverage opportunities brought by this new transportation channel.

Sakarn Saensopa, Commercial Consul of the Royal Thai Consulate General in Shanghai, said: "China/Kunming - Laos/Vientiane Railway is a bridge of international cooperation. We are accelerating the construction of a new railway to connect our Laem Chabang Port with the China-Laos Railway. It will help create a new railway transport channel to stimulate closer economic collaboration between China and Thailand."

Image Attachments Links:

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Caption: Scene of the signing ceremony

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Caption: The signing ceremony between Lingang Group and UCCTC

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Report Highlights:

Summer program comprised inaugural mapping and sampling of abundant pegmatite occurrences.

Mineralized pegmatite contains white micas, garnet and tourmaline.

Geochemical analyses show good potential for lithium mineralization with eight samples returning lithium values greater than 50 ppm.

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - November 23, 2023) - Westmount Minerals Corp. (CSE: WMC) ("Westmount" or the "Company") announces its summer reconnaissance and sampling program results at the Kaba Lithium Property (the "Property") in Northwestern Ontario. Multiple pegmatite outcroppings containing rare metals and associated lithium mineral indicators have been discovered during the initial program.





Map 1. Priority areas identified for follow-up sampling.

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David Tafel, CEO and Director commented: "Our geological team has confirmed the presence of multiple pegmatite outcroppings as well as lithium indicator minerals. Results from this limited sampling program are encouraging and have identified priority pegmatite focus areas for a follow-on site visit. The results also underscore the Kaba property's strategic location in the Georgia Lake pegmatite area."

The largest pegmatite outcropping discovered to date measured approximately 70m long x 50m wide. Generally, the pegmatites are coarse-grained and composed of quartz and feldspar. Contained mineralization is evidenced by the presence of large "books" of white mica and biotite, red garnets and tourmaline. Multiple sample assay results have revealed interesting values of Boron (up to 670 ppm), Barium (up to 1,750 ppm) and Rubidium (up to 1,320 ppm). In addition, many occurrences displayed very good fractionation and fractionation trends with low ratios of potassium/rubidium. The potassium/rubidium ratio often has a strong correlation to Lithium-enrichment. Priority areas for follow-up sampling have been identified in Map 1. The sample returning a value of 1320 Rb also showed a K/Rb ratio of 58. This was the sample with significant muscovite and tourmaline, located within a promising southern priority area.

The well-known Georgia Lake Lithium-pegmatite field is located just west of the Property. Within the pegmatite field, Rock Tech Lithium Inc. has completed a Pre-Feasibility Study (NR-November 16, 2022) stating its Georgia Lake property has 10.6 million tonnes (mt) of Indicated Mineral Resources and 4.22 mt of Inferred Mineral Resources (NR- March 7, 2023). Other companies with lithium mineralization prospects include Imagine Lithium Inc. and Ultra Lithium Inc. (Map 2)





Map 2. Georgia Lake pegmatite area.

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Qualified Person

The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Marty Huber, P.Geo., who is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. The QP and the Company have not completed sufficient work to verify the historic information on the Properties, particularly regarding historical exploration, neighbouring companies, and government geological work.

About Westmount Minerals Corp.

Westmount is focused on mineral exploration in the Americas and is well positioned in the emerging world-class critical minerals district of NW Ontario. The 3,486 hectares, Kaba Lithium Property, is located in the Georgia Lake, lithium-pegmatite region in close proximity to Rock Tech Lithium Inc. Multiple pegmatite showings have been documented and mapped on the Property.

Additionally, Westmount can earn a 100% interest in the 5,002-hectare lithium-pegmatite bearing, Otatakan and Pilot East Lithium Properties located near Ear Falls, Ontario. The Properties are just south of Green Technology Metal's (ASX listed) expanding Root deposit.

The Company has also advanced the Douay East gold property located within the greater Abitibi Greenstone Belt region in Quebec to the drill-ready stage.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

David Tafel

Chief Executive Officer and Director

For further information, please contact:

David Tafel

Chief Executive Officer and Director

(604) 683-1991

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements:

This news release includes certain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation, statements regarding future capital expenditures, anticipated content, commencement, and cost of exploration programs in respect of the Company's projects and mineral properties, anticipated exploration program results from exploration activities, resources and/or reserves on the Company's projects and mineral properties, and the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Often, but not always, forward looking information can be identified by words such as "pro forma", "plans", "expects", "will", "may", "should", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", "believes", "potential" or variations of such words including negative variations thereof, and phrases that refer to certain actions, events or results that may, could, would, might or will occur or be taken or achieved. In making the forward-looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including without limitation, that market fundamentals will result in sustained precious and base metals demand and prices, the receipt of any necessary permits, licenses and regulatory approvals in connection with the future exploration of the Company's properties, that a global pandemic such as COVID-19, will not affect the ability of the Company to conduct future exploration of the Company's properties, the availability of financing on suitable terms, and the Company's ability to comply with environmental, health and safety laws.

Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such risks and other factors include, among others, statements as to the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, including the Company's option agreements to acquire its Projects, the proposed expenditures for exploration work thereon, the ability of the Company to obtain sufficient financing to fund its business activities and plans, delays in obtaining governmental and regulatory approvals (including of the Canadian Securities Exchange), permits or financing, changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting mining operations, risks relating to epidemics or pandemics such as COVID-19, financial condition and results of operations, the Company's limited operating history, currency fluctuations, title disputes or claims, environmental issues and liabilities, as well as those factors discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's prospectus dated February 14, 2022, and other filings of the Company with the Canadian Securities Authorities, copies of which can be found under the Company's profile on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com.

Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements in this news release except as otherwise required by law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/188496
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - November 23, 2023) - Quebec Rare Earth Elements Corp. (CSE: QREE) (the "Company") is pleased to announce a change in management and focus that positions the Company to capitalize on the significant opportunity in the rare earth element (REE) market.

Management Change, Martin Milette, CFO

Martin Milette has been appointed chief financial officer, replacing Arvin Ramos. The Company thanks Mr. Ramos for his service and wishes him well in his future endeavours. Mr. Milette has over 25 years of financial experience, with the last 15 years as chief financial officer at SEMAFO, a West African gold producer. Mr. Milette is based in Montreal.

Benoit Desormeaux, CEO, states, "I have worked with Martin for over 15 years and look forward to working with him again. His financial acumen is complemented well by his knowledge of the mining industry and general management skills. Together, with a small but focused team we look forward to capitalizing on the REE opportunity for the benefit of all stakeholders."

New Leadership, New Name, New Focus

QREE's founders are Benoit Desormeaux, John Jentz, Martin Milette and Richard Roy who are all substantial shareholders of QREE. All four have worked together at SEMAFO for many years and together, they have almost 100 years of mining experience throughout all stages of exploration, development, financing, construction and operations.

QREE was formed to develop REE projects, primarily in Quebec. The need for REE supply chains outside of China is clear and when combined with fundamental REE demand presents a significant opportunity. The province of Quebec is a premier, stable mining jurisdiction with vast REE exploration potential and has the required infrastructure for all stages of REE development.

REE Overview

Rare earth elements (REEs) are a group of 17 elements composed of scandium, yttrium, and the 15 lanthanides. REEs impart special properties of magnetism, luminescence, and strength. Although substitutes for REEs are available, they are generally less effective.

REE Opportunity, Permanent Magnets

Permanent magnets are the single largest and most important end use for REEs. Permanent magnets are an essential component of modern electronics used in automobiles, cell phones, televisions, computers, wind turbines, jet aircrafts and many other products. The strongest known magnet is an alloy of neodymium with iron and boron. Adding other REEs such as dysprosium and praseodymium can improve the performance and properties of magnets.

Although the amount of REE used in a product may not be a significant part by weight, value, or volume, the REE can be necessary for the device to function. Magnets made of REE often represent only a small fraction of the total weight, but without them, the spindle motors and voice coils of desktops and laptops would not be possible.

REE Opportunity, Mitigating China's Control

Although REE's have a wide variety of commercial applications, they also have advanced military applications. REEs role in technology and defense makes their mining and refinement a point of concern for many nations. Depending on the reporting source, China accounts for 60+% of the mining of REEs, 85+% of REE processing and 92+% of magnet production.

Although China is expected to continue to be a significant player in the global market for REE compounds and metal alloys in the short/medium term, businesses and governments have no choice but to seek alternate supply.

QREE is Well Positioned to Capitalize on REE Opportunity

QREE is well positioned to capitalize on the REE opportunity, given Quebec's rich mineral endowment and favourable mining jurisdiction. Further, the Quebec based team has the full complement of skills to add value to any stage REE project.

Visit our website at www.QREE.ca.

Qualified Person (QP)

The technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Richard Roy, P.Geo, consulting geologist to QREE, who is a "Qualified Person" (as defined in NI 43-101).

About QREE

Quebec Rare Earth Elements Corp. (QREE) is a mining exploration and development company focused on Rare Earth Elements (REE), primarily in the favourable mining jurisdiction of Quebec. QREE is lead by a Quebec based team that has decades of mining experience across all stages of development, from grass roots discoveries, resource development, economic studies, financing, construction, production and on-going operations. Local community engagement is a core principle on which we seek to build a sustainable, high quality, high integrity business for the benefit of all stakeholders. QREE is listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol "QREE".

For More Information, Please Contact:

QUEBEC RARE EARTH ELEMENTS CORP.

Benoit Desormeaux

Chief Executive Officer

Email: info@QREE.ca

Tel: 1-833-572-2333

Toronto Office:

Suite 401 - 217 Queen Street West

Toronto, ON M5V 0R2 Canada

Cautionary Statement Regarding "Forward-Looking" Information

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. "Forward-looking information" includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to activities, events or developments that the Company expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future including, but not limited to, the Company's ongoing business plan. Generally, but not always, forward-looking information and statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", or "believes" or the negative connotation thereof or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved" or the negative connotation thereof.

Forward-looking information and statements are based on our current expectations, beliefs, assumptions, estimates and forecasts about QREE's business and the industry and markets in which it operates. Such forward information and statements are based on numerous assumptions, including among others, that general business and economic conditions will not change in a material adverse manner, that locations of historical mineral resources estimates and showings could lead to new mineralization discoveries and potentially be verified as current mineral resource estimates, that financing will be available if and when needed and on reasonable terms to conduct further exploration and operational activities, and that third party contractors, equipment and supplies and governmental and other approvals required to conduct QREE's planned exploration activities will be available on reasonable terms and in a timely manner. Although the assumptions made by QREE in providing forward-looking information or making forward-looking statements are considered reasonable by management at the time, there can be no assurance that such assumptions will prove to be accurate.

Forward-looking information and statements also involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results, performances and achievements of QREE to differ materially from any projections of results, performances and achievements of QREE expressed or implied by such forward-looking information or statements, including, among others: limited operating history, negative operating cash flow and dependence on third party financing, uncertainty of additional financing, delays or failure to obtain required permits and regulatory approvals, no known mineral resources/reserves, aboriginal title and consultation issues, reliance on key management and other personnel; potential downturns in economic conditions; availability of third party contractors; availability of equipment and supplies; failure of equipment to operate as anticipated; accidents, effects of weather and other natural phenomena and other risks associated with the mineral exploration industry; changes in laws and regulation, competition, and uninsurable risks, community relations, delays in obtaining governmental or other approvals and the risk factors with respect to QREE set out in QREE's public disclosures filed with the Canadian securities regulators and available under QREE's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Although QREE has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking information or implied by forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information and statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. QREE undertakes no obligation to update or reissue forward-looking information as a result of new information or events except as required by applicable securities laws.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/188557
Rimon Kirsht, 36, and her husband, Yagev Buchshtab, 34, were among the 240 hostages taken by Hamas on Oct. 7. Their family in Berkeley is hoping they will be among those released in the coming days. Provided by Kirsht family Lotem Kirsht and his sister Rimon Kirsht, at Lotems wedding in 2017. Lotem, a Berkeley resident, awaits news of Rimon, who is among 240 hostages taken from Israel by Hamas on Oct. 7. Provided by Kirsht family Yael Nidam Kirsht is a UC Berkeley doctoral student who is awaiting the fate of her sister-in-law, Rimon Kirsht, and brother-in-law, Yagev Buchshtab, who were taken hostage in Israel by Hamas on Oct. 7. Kirsht family archives

The last text from Rimon Kirsht came at 8:25 a.m. on Oct. 7 as she hid with her husband in the concrete safe room of their home in Israels Kibbutz Nirim, 3 miles from the Gaza border. They heard gunshots outside. Then they smelled fire.

Theyre both very, very scared, recalled Yael Nidam Kirsht, a UC Berkeley doctoral student and Rimons sister-in-law, who received screenshots of the texts as Rimon was sending them to her mother.

Rimon, 36, and her husband, Yagev Buchshtab, 34, disappeared as Hamas attacked the kibbutz villages, killed an estimated 1,200 people and took 240 hostages. The invasion triggered a massive retaliation by the Israeli military that has killed an estimated 11,000 Palestinians in Gaza.

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Weeks after the attack, Hamas released a propaganda video on Oct. 30 that showed three of the hostages, including a gaunt Rimon without her customary glasses. There was no sign of her husband.

Now, a temporary cease-fire is in the works to release some of those held beginning Friday, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.

More than 100 of the hostages taken by Hamas are from around the world, visitors to Israel or migrant workers from Thailand and elsewhere. Israel has assigned a caseworker to each of their families to share information as it becomes known.

Were checking our phones every hour of the day, Nidam Kirsht told the Chronicle. Were in the dark  but were desperate for any sign of life.  Some of us will get to see our family. But many of us will not.

Unlike many of the Israelis who packed into safe rooms with children, Rimon and Yagev were alone.

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Its the only time you hear a Jewish family say thank God a couple doesnt have children, said Nidam Kirsht, an Israeli student who lives at UC Berkeley with her husband, Lotem Kirsht. A construction project manager, Lotem grew up on the kibbutz from which his sister and her husband were taken.

Nidam Kirsht said kibbutz residents living near the border have become accustomed to frequent rocket fire from Gaza.

In most cases, the (antiaircraft) iron dome gets them, she said. Otherwise, residents have just 13 seconds to get to a concrete safe room. The minute you hear the alarm, you run, she said. It cant protect you from a direct hit, but you pray that if theres an impact nearby, the room will protect you.

Nidam Kirsht said people are willing to live that way because each kibbutz, built many decades ago, is a tight-knit agricultural community of 400 or 500 people who are like an extended family, helping one another.

On Oct. 7, Hamas burned Kibbutz Nirim to the ground, she said.



Rimon and Yagev married three years ago. High school sweethearts, they still held hands and were rarely seen apart. They were also animal lovers who adopted nine wounded animals  including a one-eyed cat and a dog with a limp. All lived together in the couples small apartment on the kibbutz.

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Now, their family in Berkeley awaits news of their fate.

Were living in a parallel universe from the rest of the world, Nidam Kirsht said. There is sunshine outside  but were still in Oct. 7.

Nidam Kirsht studies city planning with a focus on how to make the world a better place, more sustainable, healthier and peaceful, she said. But those studies have been stalled as she joins other families to urge politicians around the country  in Washington, D.C., Chicago and Atlanta  to help bring the hostages home.

Her professors have been empathetic, writing her letters of support and extending her academic deadlines.

On campus, tensions around Israeli and Palestinian relations often parallel the pain in the Middle East itself, with hateful rhetoric.

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Students have demonstrated in mass mourning of the thousands of Palestinians killed in Gaza, and of those displaced, their homes flattened by Israeli missiles.

I feel the pain of any family, Nidam Kirsht said. Im in that place.

Thanksgiving, meanwhile, will come and go without any of the hostages families knowing whether their relatives will be among those permitted to leave.

Thinking of her sister- and brother-in-law, Nidam Kirsht said, I see them both being released.

If it happens, the family has decided to help the couple open an animal shelter, she said.

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A place for the animals  and them  to heal.
OTTAWA, ON, Nov. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The global home healthcare market size surpassed USD 302 billion in 2022 and is estimated to value around USD 786.85 billion by 2032, growing at a healthy CAGR of 10.1% during the forecast period 2023 to 2032.

The U.S. home healthcare market size was valued at USD 143.19 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach around USD 278.83 billion by 2032, expanding at a CAGR of 6.89% from 2023 to 2032.

Home healthcare is a wide range of medical and non-medical services offered to patients in their homes. These services are short-term or long term offered by skilled professionals, including registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, occupational therapists, social workers, and home health aides.

The recent advances in smart home solutions such as voice-activated home devices, IoT-connected devices, and movement-tracking gadgets have significantly impacted patient well-being. Smart voice-activated home devices enable hands-free control and communication, vital for people with limited mobility. For instance, a sensor-based AI platform developed by the US-based startup Cherish uses radar-based sensors and AI to monitor in-home safety, well-being, and health. Cherish addresses privacy concerns and encourages proactive care management by identifying risks and emergencies without the need for wearable gadgets. This benefits patients by increasing engagement and independence and providing caregivers and healthcare providers with timely insights and interventions.

The Global Home Healthcare Market Report is Readily Available | Download the Sample Pages@ https://www.precedenceresearch.com/sample/1190

Similarly, Opus Novo, an Austrian startup, contributes to this development with the Elly multifunctional lamp. Elly detects movement, activates lighting, and alerts professionals when a person with dementia approaches the front door by integrating sensors and cameras. This improves safety and simplifies caregiving, saving time and reducing caregiver anxiety.

The Home healthcare market is segmented based on type, device, services, and region. Factors such as the aging population, rising prevalence of chronic diseases, the increasing cost of inpatient care, patient preference, the rise of the digital health era, growing demand for value-based care, and increasing focus on patient engagement drive the home healthcare market. However, factors such as lack of insurance coverage, regulatory issues, limited reimbursement, patient reluctance, and shortage of qualified caregivers are limiting the growth of the market. Furthermore, telehealth & remote patient monitoring, VR & AR in rehabilitation, AI & Robotics, Caregiver recruitment & retention, and preventative care & wellness programs are expected to offer ample opportunities in the home healthcare market.

Types of Home Healthcare Services:

Personal care & companionship services usually include non-medical care apart from routine medical care such as senior care, assistive care, home health aide services. In such cases, the patient may or may not be suffering from any severe ailment(s).

Private duty nursing care is usually long-term nursing services for patients suffering from an injury, disability, or chronic illness.

Apart from these, home healthcare services can be short-term with a designated physician assigned to help a patient recover from an injury or illness.

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Home Healthcare Market Share (%), By Region, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024

Region 2021 2022 2023 2024 North America 50.97 % 50.78 % 50.59 % 50.40 % Europe 19.82 % 19.63 % 19.44 % 19.25 % Asia Pacific 19.78 % 20.09 % 20.40 % 20.71 % LATAM 4.95 % 4.98 % 5.01 % 5.04 % MEA 4.48 % 4.52 % 4.56 % 4.60 % Total 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 % 100.0 %



North America dominated the global home healthcare market in 2022 due to high patient awareness regarding the benefits of home care. Due to the growing aging population, government support, and the installation of a streamlined regulatory framework, North America dominated the long-term care industry in 2020. Medicaid accounts for over 60% of long-term care spending in the United States. One in every five Americans is anticipated to be at least 65 years old by 2050. With the adoption of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, funding is expected to increase. The US accounted for the largest share of the North American market in 2022. The home healthcare business is one of the fastest-growing in the United States, and it is responsible for billions of dollars in savings by relocating treatment from traditional institutional settings to the patient's home. For home health and hospice providers, the aging population provides significant tailwinds for patient volume and continuing growth.

The Asia Pacific region is expected to grow faster during the forecast period due to the aging population, which is expected to reach 1.3 billion by 2050, rising incidence of chronic disease, and increasing demand for home healthcare services in rural areas. Moreover, government initiatives promote home care, and reducing reliance on expensive hospital care is expected to provide opportunities in the market. Technological advances, such as telemedicine and remote monitoring, make providing home healthcare services in the region more accessible. These technologies allow healthcare providers to monitor patients in real-time and provide care remotely, improving patient outcomes and reducing the need for hospitalizations. Additionally, rising hospitalization costs, a rising elderly population, and a need for personalized medical attention have fueled a rapid increase in India's home healthcare services sector.

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Home Healthcare Market Share (%), By Device, 2022

By Device 2022 Diagnostic & Monitoring Devices 30 % Therapeutic Devices 25 % Home Mobility Assist Devices 45 %

The diagnostic and monitoring devices segment is expected to grow faster during the forecast period. Healthcare providers and insurers are shifting to at-home devices and monitoring tools to care for patients and use fast-evolving telehealth technology. Healthcare providers are increasing their remote monitoring options to patients spurred by the lower costs for care and more payment flexibility from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Furthermore, Medtech startups are also interested in shifting care away from hospitals in favor of increased at-home care and monitoring, with 70% of diagnostic startups in accelerator MedTech Innovator's 2021 database offering products that allow patients and physicians to get real-time results, according to a study.

Moreover, integrating telehealth services with diagnostic devices improves remote healthcare capabilities. Patients can have virtual consultations with healthcare professionals, sharing data collected by these devices for more accurate assessments. Government support and increased insurance coverage for such devices drive the adoption of diagnostic and monitoring tools.

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Home Healthcare Market Revenue, By Services, 2021, 2022,2023 and 2024 (USD Billion)

Segment 2021 2022 2023 2024 CAGR Rehabilitation 118.81 128.38 138.56 149.37 7.74 % Telehealth 25.12 35.99 50.86 71.52 40.06 % Respiratory Therapy 37.87 41.27 45.45 50.71 12.32 % Infusion Therapy 17.20 19.17 21.59 24.63 14.84 % Unskilled Homecare 51.49 54.21 57.58 61.84 7.96 % Total 250.49 279.03 314.03 358.07 14.77 %



The unskilled Homecare segment is expected to grow faster during the forecast period. Personal care assistance for activities such as bathing and dressing, companionship to combat isolation and develop emotional well-being, and meal preparation to ensure proper nutrition are all part of this essential field. Caregivers in this segment help with light housekeeping, medication reminders, and transportation to and from medical appointments and tasks. The growing importance of unskilled homecare is particularly visible in an aging population seeking to age in place, emphasizing the importance of independence. The adaptability of unskilled homecare services allows for the development of personalized care plans adapted to each client's specific needs and preferences, contributing to a holistic and compassionate approach to home-based care.

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Smart Healthcare Products Market : The global market size is expected to be worth around USD 427.43 billion by 2032 from USD 142 billion in 2022 with a CAGR of 11.7% over the forecast period 2023 to 2032.

The global market size is expected to be worth around USD 427.43 billion by 2032 from USD 142 billion in 2022 with a CAGR of 11.7% over the forecast period 2023 to 2032. Digital Health Market : The global market size was valued at USD 262.63 billion in 2022 and it is anticipated to surpass around USD 939.54 billion by 2032 with a CAGR of 13.1% from 2023 to 2032.

The global market size was valued at USD 262.63 billion in 2022 and it is anticipated to surpass around USD 939.54 billion by 2032 with a CAGR of 13.1% from 2023 to 2032. eHealth Market : The global market size was valued at US$ 128.99 billion in 2022 and is expected to hit US$ 707.23 billion by 2032, poised to grow at a CAGR of 18.6% from 2023 to 2032.

The global market size was valued at US$ 128.99 billion in 2022 and is expected to hit US$ 707.23 billion by 2032, poised to grow at a CAGR of 18.6% from 2023 to 2032. mHealth Market : The global market was valued at USD 80.61 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach over USD 269.31 billion by 2032 with a registered CAGR of 12.3% from 2023 to 2032.

: The global market was valued at USD 80.61 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach over USD 269.31 billion by 2032 with a registered CAGR of 12.3% from 2023 to 2032. Healthcare IT Market : The global market was estimated at USD 200 billion in 2022 and is expected to hit around USD 1069.13 billion by 2032, poised to grow at a CAGR of 18.30% from 2023 to 2032.

: The global market was estimated at USD 200 billion in 2022 and is expected to hit around USD 1069.13 billion by 2032, poised to grow at a CAGR of 18.30% from 2023 to 2032. Telehealth Market : The global market size was accounted for USD 102.7 billion in 2022 and it is expected to increase at USD 893.7 billion by 2032 and poised to grow at a CAGR of 24.13% from 2023 to 2032.

: The global market size was accounted for USD 102.7 billion in 2022 and it is expected to increase at USD 893.7 billion by 2032 and poised to grow at a CAGR of 24.13% from 2023 to 2032. mHealth Apps Market : The global mHealth Apps market size was estimated at USD 40.2 billion in 2021 and it is predicted to reach USD 340.5 billion by 2030 and is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 26.79% from 2022 to 2030.

: The global mHealth Apps market size was estimated at USD 40.2 billion in 2021 and it is predicted to reach USD 340.5 billion by 2030 and is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 26.79% from 2022 to 2030. Electronic Health Records Market : The global electronic health records market was estimated at USD 25 billion in 2022 and is expected to hit around USD 39.38 billion by 2032, poised to grow at a CAGR of 4.70% from 2023 to 2032.

: The global electronic health records market was estimated at USD 25 billion in 2022 and is expected to hit around USD 39.38 billion by 2032, poised to grow at a CAGR of 4.70% from 2023 to 2032. Telemedicine Market: The global market size was valued at USD 60.8 billion in 2022 and it is expected to reach USD 225 billion by 2030, growing with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.16% during the forecast period 2022 to 2030.

Market Dynamics

Drivers: Assistive Robotics

Increasing adoption of healthcare assistive robots, such as nursing robots, robotic companions, and sanitation robots, which provide companionship and assistance to patients and the elderly, is driving the growth of the home healthcare market. These robots can assist with tasks like medication reminders, mobility support, and infection control and provide social, cognitive, and physical stimulation to patients living alone and at risk of falling into frailty. For instance, US-based startup NaviGAIT is developing an AI-powered robot platform to improve patient recovery experiences. The platform uses autonomous robotics and personal data models to provide evidence-based insights, creating guided rehabilitation plans based on psycho-social readiness scores. This helps hospitals and patients manage care more effectively, reduce readmissions, and increase recovery success. Moreover, using a robotic habilitation system, Tohoku Medical Systems, a startup based in Japan, is leading the way in stroke rehabilitation. It replaces manual rehabilitation with mirror-effect palm stimulation, which minimizes the strain on medical staff and enhances stroke patients' recovery results.

AI-powered Personalized Care

The growing demand for personalized AI solutions in home care, driven by the burden of routine tasks on support workers, has resulted in the incorporation of innovative technologies. AI health assistants and chatbots provide real-time assistance and accessibility, while predictive analytics and NLP models detect early health deterioration and extract valuable insights. Sensor Guided Living, an Australian startup, uses AI-powered computer vision to automate at-home movement therapy, accelerating recovery and lowering healthcare costs. Moreover, A US-based startup Perry, is transforming the hiring of caregivers with an AI-driven platform that makes use of social media data, optimizes schedules, and uses gamified rewards to increase loyalty and avoid off burnout. These AI solutions lower healthcare costs and increase caregiver retention in addition to increasing operational efficiency.

Restraint: Patient Preference

It is critical to consider patient preferences regarding receiving care at home compared to conventional in-person healthcare settings as the acceptance and popularity of home-based care grows. When the preferred treatment sites for acute illnesses were evaluated among older adults, it was found that 54% of the participants preferred hospital treatment over at-home care. For several reasons, patients often prefer healthcare facilities other than their homes. Some people determine that getting care at home is an ongoing indicator of their illness, which is an unwanted invasion of their privacy. Adverse prior interactions with caregivers or providers of elder abuse and neglect influence patient's opinions of home-based care. Some patients find the social aspect of receiving care outside the home, where they are able to communicate with others, to be appealing. Furthermore, living situations trigger embarrassment, which may influence one's preferences.

Opportunity: Technology Advancements

The recent development of Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) technologies are transforming the home care industry, providing ample opportunities to the home healthcare market. RPM plays a crucial role in overcoming challenges such as limited access to care geographical barriers and reducing hospital readmissions. The most recent advancements in RPM, such as smart sensors, telehealth platforms, and medical device monitoring systems, improve home care by promoting patient participation, allowing for the early identification of health problems, supporting individualized care plans, and permitting quick responses.

For instance, Empo Health, a US startup developed an automated foot inspection system for patients with diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) that can be used at home. DFUs, with severe complications, necessitate daily monitoring, which Empo Health meets by incorporating high-resolution foot imaging and body weight capture into a bathroom scale. Rapid image analysis is enabled by cloud processing and computer vision, with the digital health platform sending alerts to podiatrists for quick response, remote triage, and non-invasive interventions. This new strategy promotes efficient data exchange with healthcare providers, improving patient outcomes and resource utilization.

Recent Developments:

In June 2022, Memorial Hermann Health System announced partnership with the nation's leading high-acuity home care provider Contessa, an Amedisys company, to deliver home-based medical, rehabilitation and palliative care to its patients.

In May 2022, LHC Group, Inc. announced that it has finalized a joint venture (JV) partnership for in-home healthcare services with Archbold Medical Center in Thomasville, Ga.

In April 2022, Home Instead Parent Company launched Honor Expert to Help Older Adults and Families Navigate Aging and Health Issues.

In May 2022, Trinity Health at Home announced it had signed a definitive agreement to acquire Above & Beyond Home Health Care and Hospice based in Monticello, IA.

In Jan 2022, Universal Health Services, Inc., owner of subsidiary The Valley Health System, which offers an integrated system of care for more than two million people in Southern Nevada, and BAYADA Home Health Care, a leading not-for-profit home health care provider, recently launched Valley Health at Home by BAYADA, a joint venture partnership that will further expand integrated care delivery network capabilities into patient homes.

Market Key Players:

Manufacturers: -

McKesson Medical-Surgical Inc.

Fresenius Medical Care

Becton, Dickinson And Company

Arkray, Inc.

Medline Industries, Inc.

3M Healthcare

Baxter International Inc.

Medtronic PLC

Braun Melsungen AG

ConvaTec Group PLC

Molnlycke Health Care

Acelity L.P.

Hollister Inc.

Others

Service Providers: -

Sunrise Carlisle, LP

Extendicare, Inc.

Brookdale Senior Living, Inc.

Home Health Services Ltd.

Care UK Limited

Kindred Healthcare, Inc.

Genesis Healthcare Corp.

Sompo Holdings, Inc.

Home Instead Senior Care, Inc.

Others

Market Segmentation:

By Type

Device

Services

By Device

Diagnostic & Monitoring Devices

Therapeutic Devices

Home Mobility Assist Devices

By Services

Rehabilitation

Telehealth

Respiratory Therapy

Infusion Therapy

Unskilled Homecare

By Geography

North America

Europe

Asia Pacific

Middle East and Africa

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA, Nov 23, 2023 - (ACN Newswire) - DIBA Global, backed by industry titans including Draper Associates, ACTAI Ventures, Martial Eagle Fund, Brad Mills, Rodney Yesep, and others, has sent shockwaves through the Bitcoin industry with the beta release of BitMask Wallet 0.7.0. This marks a historic moment as the user base surpasses a staggering 763,623 wallets. This milestone, achieved without any advertising, underscores the community's trust in DIBA's commitment to advancing Bitcoin utility.Worthy of note is the official partnership between DIBA GLOBAL and Satoshi Lab to foster the development and advancement of Bitcoin technology and, as a result, build a better world for all.Unveiling the Future: BitMask Wallet 0.7.0BitMask Wallet 0.7.0 is not merely an update; it's a quantum leap in the evolution of Bitcoin wallets. As one of the pioneers offering first-class support for RGB, the release signals DIBA's dedication to pushing the boundaries of what's achievable on the Bitcoin network. The beta version, accessible at beta.bitmask.app, is a glimpse into the upcoming launch of a groundbreaking marketplace for Unique Digital Assets, poised to reshape the digital economy.BitMask Wallet 0.7.0 is a game-changing release that sets new standards for Bitcoin wallets. With BitMask Core, written in Rust, compiled to WebAssembly, and provides TypeScript bindings, it reflects DIBA's commitment to technical excellence and delivery capability. Visit bitmask-core.io for more information.Community-Powered Growth: Unleashing PotentialThe success story behind BitMask Wallet's growth is awe-inspiring. No advertising, just relentless innovation. More than 450,000 wallets have been generated by users, with over 120,000 on Bitcoin mainnet, and the remainder spread over testnet, Mutinynet signet, and regtest. Not every user has wallets on every network; many users will have used multiple networks. Regtest is primarily used by developers, which suggests significant adoption of BitMask amongst the RGB developer community. The numbers speak volumes about the community's belief in DIBA's vision and the utility offered by BitMask Wallet.The team expresses its sincerest gratitude to BitMask community member and researcher @DaPangDunCrypto, who generously shared news of our innovation and communicated details about RGB smart contracts on Bitcoin with the Chinese community.Technical Marvel: Metrics and SecurityThe technical prowess behind these metrics is equally impressive. Utilizing Carbonado, an encoding format developed by DIBA, RGB contract data is securely kept in decentralized storage. End-to-end encryption, powered by a wallet-derived key, ensures utmost security. Data is stored on servers operated by Hut8, with plans to expand storage partnerships, reflecting DIBA's commitment to robust decentralized infrastructure.Revolutionary Features of BitMask Wallet 0.7.0The 0.7.0 release introduces a host of features, including:- Password Sync in Extension: Enhancing user experience by minimizing password prompts.- Transfer Batching: Optimizing RGB transfers with fee adjustments for consecutive transactions. This will result in a dramatic reduction in fees for our users.- Contract Management: Users can now hide unwanted contracts and republish existing contracts to the BitMask Asset Registry.- User Experience Enhancements: Numerous improvements and bug fixes for a seamless experience.Future of Bitcoin: A Bold Step ForwardBitMask Wallet 0.7.0 is not just a wallet; it's a statement. A statement that DIBA is committed to pushing the envelope, introducing features that redefine user experience, and laying the groundwork for the future of Bitcoin. We are still very early.Join the Revolution: GOATs IncomingFollow DIBA's socials on X* (formerly Twitter) and Nostr** for an impending announcement of Gift of Attendance Tokens (GOATs). The Bitcoin world is watching, and you won't want to miss this historic moment. Join us as we reshape the digital landscape and usher in a new era of Bitcoin innovation.*X: @trydiba and @BitMask_App**Nostr: npub1dlpahda2wchw96pxmszx30hwnq05kh5emg467rtvcay48dgvccwsspm3ulFor media inquiries, please contact:DIBA CommunicationsAnastasia Ilicheva, Anastily@diba.io, https://diba.iohttps://beta.bitmask.app, http://bitmask-core.io/Source: BitMaskCopyright 2023 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.
The Friendly Hackers team from Thales, a world leader in data protection and cybersecurity, won the CAID 1 challenge organised by the French Ministry of Defence during the fifth edition of European Cyber Week in France, from November 21 to November 23 2023.

The challenge, first of its kind to be organised by the French Ministry of Defence, was designed to evaluate the extent to which teams of hackers could exploit certain intrinsic vulnerabilities of AI models.

Thales's work on AI security and trust is aligned with the requirements of both the defence community and civilian organisations such as critical infrastructure providers, which all face the same challenges of protecting their training datasets and intellectual property and guaranteeing that AI-generated results can be trusted for critical decision-making.

The French Ministry of Defence's AI security challenge

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231123072562/en/

@Thales

Participants in the CAID challenge had to perform two tasks:

1. In a given set of images, determine which images were used to train the AI algorithm and which were used for the test.

An AI-based image recognition application learns from large numbers of training images. By studying the inner workings of the AI model, Thales' Friendly Hackers team successfully determined which images had been used to create the application, gaining valuable information about the training methods used and the quality of the model.

2. Find all the sensitive images of aircrafts used by a sovereign AI algorithm that had been protected using "unlearning" techniques.

An "unlearning" technique consists in deleting the data used to train a model, such as images, in order to preserve their confidentiality. This technique can be used, for example, to protect the sovereignty of an algorithm in the event of its export, theft or loss. Take the example of a drone equipped with AI: it must be able to recognize any enemy aircraft as a potential threat; on the other hand, the model of the aircraft from its own army would have to be learned to be identified as friendly, and then would have to be erased by a technique known as unlearning. In this way, even if the drone were to be stolen or lost, the sensitive aircraft data contained in the AI model could not be extracted for malicious purposes. However, the Friendly Hackers team from Thales managed to re-identify the data that was supposed to have been erased from the model,thereby overriding the unlearning process. Exercises like this help to assess the vulnerability of training data and trained models, which are valuable tools and can deliver outstanding performance but also represent new attack vectors for the armed forces. An attack on training data or trained models could have catastrophic consequences in a military context, where this type of information could give an adversary the upper hand. Risks include model theft, theft of the data used to recognise military hardware or other features in a theatre of operations, and injection of malware and backdoors to impair the operation of the system using the AI. While AI in general, and generative AI in particular, offers significant operational benefits and provides military personnel with intensively trained decision support tools to reduce their cognitive burden, the national defence community needs to address new threats to this technology as a matter of priority.

The Thales BattleBox approach to tackle AI vulnerabilities

The protection of training data and trained models is critical in the defence sector. AI cybersecurity is becoming more and more crucial, and needs to be autonomous to thwart the many new opportunities that the world of AI is opening up to malicious actors. Responding to the risks and threats involved in the use of artificial intelligence, Thales has developed a set of countermeasures called the BattleBox to provide enhanced protection against potential breaches.

BattleBox Training provides protection from training-data poisoning, preventing hackers from introducing a backdoor. BattleBox IP digitally watermarks the AI model to guarantee authenticity and reliability. BattleBox Evade aims to protect models from prompt injection attacks, which can manipulate prompts to bypass the safety measures of chatbots using Large Language Models (LLMs), and to counter adversarial attacks on images, such as adding a patch to deceive the detection process in a classification model. BattleBox Privacy provides a framework for training machine learning algorithms, using advanced cryptography and secure secret-sharing protocols to guarantee high levels of confidentiality.

To prevent AI hacking in the case of CAID challenge tasks, countermeasures such as encryption of the AI model could be one of the solutions to be implemented.

"AI provides considerable operational benefits, but it requires high levels of security and cybersecurity protection to prevent data breaches and misuse. Thales implements a large range of AI-based solutions for all types of civil and military use cases. They are explainable, embeddable and integrated with robust critical systems, they are also designed to be sovereign, frugal and reliable thanks to the advanced methods and tools used for qualification and validation. Thales has the dual AI and line-of-business expertise needed to incorporate these solutions into its systems and significantly improve their operational capabilities," saidDavid Sadek, Thales VP Research, Technology Innovation in charge of Artificial Intelligence.

Thales and AI

Over the last four years, Thales has developed the technical capabilities needed to test the security of AI algorithms and neural network architectures, detect vulnerabilities and propose effective countermeasures. Thales's Friendly Hackers team based at the ThereSIS laboratory at Palaiseau was one of about a dozen teams taking part in the AI challenge, and achieved first place on both tasks.

The Thales ITSEF (Information Technology Security Evaluation Facility) is accredited by the French National Cybersecurity Agency (ANSSI) to conduct pre-certification security evaluations. During European Cyber Week, the ITSEF team also presented the first project of its kind in the world aimed at compromising the decisions of an embedded AI by exploiting the electromagnetic radiation of its processor

Thales's cybersecurity consulting and audit teams make these tools and methodologies available to customers wishing to develop their own AI models or establish a framework for the use and training of commercial models.

As the Group's defence and security businesses address critical requirements, often with safety-of-life implications, Thales has developed an ethical and scientific framework for the development of trusted AI based on the four strategic pillars of validity, security, explainability and responsibility. Thales solutions combine the know-how of over 300 senior AI experts and more than 4,500 cybersecurity specialists with the operational expertise of the Group's aerospace, land defence, naval defence, space and other defence and security businesses.

About Thales Thales (Euronext Paris: HO) is a global leader in advanced technologies within three domains: Defence Security, Aeronautics Space, and Digital Identity Security. It develops products and solutions that help make the world safer, greener and more inclusive. The Group invests close to 4 billion a year in Research Development, particularly in key areas such as quantum technologies, Edge computing, 6G and cybersecurity. Thales has 77,000 employees in 68 countries. In 2022, the Group generated sales of 17.6 billion.

PLEASE VISIT

Thales Group

Security

1 Conference on Artificial Intelligence for Defence

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231123072562/en/

Contacts:

PRESS CONTACT

Thales, Media relations

Security, cyber, AI

Marion Bonnet

marion.bonnet@thalesgroup.com
Bagsvrd, Denmark, 23 November 2023 - Novo Nordisk today announced the investment of more than 16 billion Danish kroner (2.1 billion euros) starting in 20231 to expand the existing production site in Chartres, France, for the current and future product portfolio within serious chronic diseases.



The investment will significantly increase the capacity of the manufacturing site, adding aseptic production and finished production processes and an extension of the current Quality Control Laboratory. The investment, which includes capacity for GLP-1 products, will increase Novo Nordisk's ability to meet future demands for innovative medicines.

"This significant investment announced today confirms the importance of our French manufacturing site, one of our strategic production sites, as a cornerstone of the growth we are experiencing as a company. By maximising the skills and infrastructure we already have on the site, we are expanding our capacity in an efficient way", said Lone Charlotte Larsen, corporate vice president of Novo Nordisk Production Chartres.

The new facilities will more than double the footprint of the site. The facility will be designed as a multi-product facility to accommodate current and future processes and displaying state-of-the-art technology and working environment. As a future-proof and cost-effective facility, the construction will focus on delivering the highest quality to patients globally in an efficient and environmentally sustainable way2.

"Our continued investments in our manufacturing sites across the globe demonstrate the belief we have in our current and future product portfolio and its relevance for people living with serious chronic diseases," said Henrik Wulff, executive vice president, Product Supply, Quality & IT, Novo Nordisk.

The construction projects have now been initiated and will gradually be finalised from 2026 to 2028. The investment is expected to create more than 500 new jobs to run production activities 24/7 when the construction is completed, and the facilities are finalised. During the construction phase, up to 2,000 external employees will be employed.

About Novo Nordisk manufacturing in Chartres

Novo Nordisk's production facility in Chartres was established in 1961, and today the site employs around 1,600 people. The production facility manufactures high quality treatments to 10 million people with diabetes all over the world who use "Made in Chartres" therapeutic solutions every day.

About Novo Nordisk manufacturing

Novo Nordisk has a global manufacturing setup with five strategic production sites located in Denmark, US, France, Brazil and China. All Novo Nordisk's medicines are manufactured at these sites and subsequently distributed to patients around the globe. This includes producing almost half of the world's insulin, GLP-1 medicines for the treatment of diabetes and obesity and medicines to treat rare diseases such as haemophilia and growth disorders. Novo Nordisk's manufacturing unit has almost 20,000 employees who are dedicated to delivering the highest quality to patients globally in an efficient and environmentally sustainable way.

About Novo Nordisk

Novo Nordisk is a leading global healthcare company, founded in 1923 and headquartered in Denmark. Our purpose is to drive change to defeat serious chronic diseases, built upon our heritage in diabetes. We do so by pioneering scientific breakthroughs, expanding access to our medicines, and working to prevent and ultimately cure disease. Novo Nordisk employs about 61,400 people in 80 countries and markets its products in around 170 countries. For more information, visit novonordisk.com , Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn and YouTube.

Contacts for further information

Media: Anne Margrethe Hauge

+45 3079 3450

globalmedia@novonordisk.com (mailto:abmo@novonordisk.com)



Investors: Daniel Muusmann Bohsen

+45 3075 2175

dabo@novonordisk.com (mailto:dabo@novonordisk.com)



Jacob Martin Wiborg Rode

+45 3075 5956

jrde@novonordisk.com (mailto:jrde@novonordisk.com)



David Heiberg Landsted

+45 3077 6915

dhel@novonordisk.com (mailto:dhel@novonordisk.com)



Mark Joseph Root (US)

+1 848 213 3219

mjhr@novonordisk.com (mailto:mjhr@novonordisk.com)



Sina Meyer

+45 3079 6656

azey@novonordisk.com (mailto:azey@novonordisk.com) Frederik Taylor Pitter

+45 3075 8259

fptr@novonordisk.com (mailto:fptr@novonordisk.com)

References

A portion of this investment is included in the DKK 25 billion capital expenditure announced in connection with Novo Nordisk full year results in February 2023. The additional amount will be invested through the next 4 years. The new facilities will reduce water consumption by 25% compared to current production lines.

Attachment
Regulatory News:

Claranova (Euronext Paris: FR0013426004 CLA) announces that on November 22, 2023, the President of the Nanterre Commercial Court issued an interim order dismissing the motion of the Canadian plaintiffs, namely the Dadoun Family Trust governed by the laws of Quebec (with Messrs. Michael Dadoun and David Dadoun as trustees), and the Quebec corporations 10422339 Canada Inc. (with Mr. Daniel Assouline as legal representative) and 6673279 Canada Inc. (with Mr. Michael Dadoun as legal representative), to (i) suspend the cap on their voting rights imposed by the officers of the Claranova General Meeting on November 30, 2022, and (ii) appoint an ad hoc proxy for the purposes of the next General Meeting.

For that reason, the voting rights of Canadian plaintiffs on the basis of their current holdings will remain capped at 0.83%3 at the General Meeting to be held on November 29, 2023.

In addition, the Canadian plaintiffs were once again ordered by the Nanterre Commercial Court, jointly and severally, to pay Claranova 20,000 under the provisions of Article 700 of the French Code of Civil Procedure plus the costs of the proceedings.

As a reminder, as a result of the failure to comply with the provisions of Article L. 233-7 of the French Commercial Code and Article 10 of Claranova's Articles of Association, the portion of shares not properly disclosed by the Canadian concert party within the period prescribed by these provisions was deprived of voting rights at all shareholders' meetings held for a period of two years following the date of the declaration made for the purpose of rectification on November 30, 2022.

A second hearing, this time on the merits, initiated by the same Canadian plaintiffs, has yet to be scheduled.

Financial calendar:

November 29, 2023: General Meeting

About Claranova:

As a diversified global technology company, Claranova manages and coordinates a portfolio of majority interests in digital companies with strong growth potential. Supported by a team combining several decades of experience in the world of technology, Claranova has acquired a unique know-how in successfully turning around, creating and developing innovative companies.

Claranova has proven its capacity to turn a simple idea into a worldwide success in just a few short years. Present in 15 countries and leveraging the technology expertise of its 800+ employees across North America and Europe, Claranova is a truly international group, with 95% of its revenue derived from international markets.

Claranova's portfolio of companies is organized into three unique technology platforms operating in all major digital sectors. As an e-commerce leader in personalized objects, Claranova also stands out for its technological expertise in software publishing and the Internet of Things, through its businesses PlanetArt, Avanquest and myDevices. These three technology platforms share a common vision: empowering people through innovation by providing simple and intuitive digital solutions that facilitate everyday access to the very best of technology.

For more information on Claranova Group:

https://www.claranova.com

CODES

Ticker:? CLA

ISIN: FR0013426004

www.claranova.com

Disclaimer:

All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this press release about future events are subject to (i) change without notice and (ii) factors beyond the Company's control. Forward-looking statements are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties beyond the Company's control that could cause the Company's actual results or performance to be materially different from the expected results or performance expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.

1 Interim order (ordonnance de refere) of the Nanterre Commercial Court, No. 2023R01118, made available by the Court Registrar on November 22, 2023.

2 The Dadoun Family Trust governed by the laws of Quebec, and the Quebec corporations 10422339 Canada Inc. and 6673279 Canada Inc.

3 Percentage of voting rights indicated in the press release of July 12, 2023, following the Claranova capital increase announced in the same press release.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231123510014/en/

Contacts:

ANALYSTS INVESTORS

+33 1 41 27 19 74

ir@claranova.com

FINANCIAL COMMUNICATIONS

+33 1 75 77 54 68

ir@claranova.com
Finsbury Growth & Income Trust Plc - Transaction in Own Shares

PR Newswire

LONDON, United Kingdom, November 23

For immediate release

23 November 2023

FINSBURY GROWTH & INCOME TRUST PLC

(the "Company")

MARKET PURCHASE OF COMPANY'S OWN SHARES

The Company announces that it has today purchased 138,785 of its own shares ("Ordinary Shares") at a price of 825.19 pence per Ordinary Share. Such shares will be held in treasury by the Company.

The transaction was made pursuant to the authority granted at the Annual General Meeting of the Company held on 17 January 2023.

Following this transaction, the total number of Ordinary Shares held by the Company in treasury is 24,474,939; the total number of Ordinary Shares that the Company has in issue, less the total number of Ordinary Shares held by the Company in treasury following such purchase, and therefore, the total number of voting rights in the Company is 200,516,364.

The figure of 200,516,364 may be used by shareholders as the denominator for calculations of interests in the Company's voting rights in accordance with the FCA's Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules.

For and on behalf of

Frostrow Capital LLP

Company Secretary

For further information, please contact:

Victoria Hale

Frostrow Capital LLP

Tel: 020 3 170 8732
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - November 23, 2023) - Miramis Mining Corp. (the "Company") is pleased to announce, further to its news releases dated July 17, 2023 and July 28, 2023, that it has closed the third tranche (the "Third Tranche") of its non-brokered private placement for gross proceeds of up to $500,000 (the "Offering") through the issuance of up to 10,000,000 common shares of the Company (each, a "Share") at a price of $0.05 per Share.

The Third Tranche consisted of 5,345,000 Shares for gross proceeds of $267,250.00. Finder's fees of $12,880.00 and 257,600 finder's warrants (each, a "Finder's Warrant") were paid. Each Finder's Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Share (each, a "Finder's Warrant Share") at an exercise price of $0.05 per Finder's Warrant Share for a period of twenty-four months following the Date of Issue.

All securities issued in respect of the Offering will be subject to a hold period of four (4) months and a day from closing of the Offering in accordance with securities laws.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Morgan Good"

Morgan Good

Chief Executive Officer

T: 604-715-4751

E: morgan@miramismining.com

Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities laws. Such information includes, without limitation, information regarding the terms of the Offering and the intended use of proceeds from the Offering. Although the Company believes that such information is reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct.

Forward-looking information is typically identified by words such as: "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "intend", "estimate", "postulate" and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking information provided by the Company is not a guarantee of future results or performance and that such forward-looking information is based upon a number of estimates and assumptions of management in light of management's experience and perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, as well as other factors that management believes to be relevant and reasonable in the circumstances, as of the date of this news release including, without limitation, that the Offering will close and will do so on the proposed terms; that the Company will be able to utilize the net proceeds of the Offering in the manner intended; that general business and economic conditions will not change in a material adverse manner; that applicable regulatory approvals will be received; and assumptions regarding political and regulatory stability and stability in financial and capital markets.

Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such risks and other factors include, among others: the risk that the Company may not complete the Offering; the risk that the Offering may not be completed on the anticipated terms; the risk that the Company may not be able to use the proceeds of the Offering as intended; the state of the financial markets for the Company's securities; recent market volatility and potentially negative capital raising conditions resulting from the continued COVID-19 pandemic and risks relating to the extent and duration of such pandemic and its impact on global markets; the conflict in Eastern Europe; the Company's ability to raise the necessary capital or to be fully able to implement its business strategies; and other risks and factors that the Company is unaware of at this time.

The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/188575
Sandeep Reddy Vangas Arjun Reddy and Kabir Singh were love stories and yet, there was something immensely discomforting and disturbing about them, mainly the central characters maniac obsession with the girl he falls for. Vanga is now presenting his new film Animal that stars Ranbir Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Bobby Deol, and Rashmika Mandanna. The trailer of the film is finally out after a stunning teaser:

The film promises to be a visceral ode to fatherhood that also flirts with toxicity, love, and brutality. There are shots of bronzed bodies, bruised souls, and blistering vengeance. Kapoor goes all guns blazing at one point, far more intense than he did in Bombay Velvet back in 2015. Anil Kapoor plays the father here, callous and yet charismatic. Rashmika too adds a layer of complexity to her character. Hers seems to be a character torn between her love for Kapoor and Kapoors love for his father.

And then theres the mysterious Bobby Deol. He plays a mute character who lets his abs and eyes do the talking. Hes mostly playing Kapoors nemesis whos out to eliminate him. A fight scene culminates the trailer with Deol lying on Kapoors body and casually lighting a cigarette. The trailer ends with the hushed noise of him releasing the smoke in the air. Thats how Vanga approaches his characters and the world they inhabit. They are unapologetic about their evilness and are the heroes of their own worlds.

Animal has been rated an A certificate and is 201 minutes long. Love needs patience, so does violence, maybe thats why the length. December 1 should deliver the sucker punch.
Director: Kishor Pandurang Belekar

Cast: Vijay Sethupathi, Arvind Swami, Aditi Rao Hydari, Siddharth Jadhav

A silent film is a novelty. The last one that I watched in a theater happens to be Karthik Subbarajs Mercury. So when Gandhi Talks premiered at IFFI 2023, I was excited. I wanted to see how Kishor would meet the challenge of narrating a story without dialogues. Would it be engaging? After all, our attention span is narrower than ever before. Fortunately, not only was the film engaging, there were certain sections in the film that were praiseworthy as well. However, I felt that the film got damp towards the end, like the wet newspaper that Vijay Sethupathis character cleans up towards the end.

The premise is interesting. It is about the dichotomy that exists within the society where as a whole we strive towards an ideal society as envisioned by people such as Gandhi or APJ Abdul Kalaam. However, as individuals, our actions are contrary. There is corruption, greed and hunger for power that takes the front seat. So, what happens to an individual who lives in a society that is eroded to its core because of corruption?

The obvious answer is that he suffers. He suffers from economic poverty, his dignity as a human being is stamped on enough times to force him unto a path that he may have not taken otherwise. A path that forces him to act without any thoughts to consequences of his action. Especially, if these actions can take him a tad bit closer to not his dreams, but his needs. It is because the film targets the basics of this young mans livelihood that we are moved. He is struggling for Roti, kapda, makaan, so when he decides that becoming a robber is a solution. We sympathize with his situation. This is really the last straw for him. So, we travel with him.

It is also until here that the film is really brilliant. The scenes where three people play hide and seek to music composed by AR Rahman is where Gandhi Talks peaked for me. The conclusion is where I lost the plot because the film moves from a silent dark comedy to a sentimental melodrama. I understand wanting to hit crescendo, but the shift did not sit well in this scenario.

I was particularly not fond of the last meeting between Vijay Sethupathi and Arvind Swamis characters. All I could think was that this film started off as a brilliant piece of commentary but did not take it to the very end. So somewhere towards the end, it flounders and becomes a reflection of society at large today. Not that there is anything wrong with this take, but its just that I was disappointed.

Also, after Petta, Vikram and most recently, Jawaan, this is not starring Vijay Sethupathi, the one note villain, but an actor who seems to have enjoyed adding another feather to his cap.

Rating: 2 and half out of 5

Gandhi Talks movie was screened at IFFI
Actor Melissa Barrera has issued a statement for the first time since her exit from the Scream franchise. She was fired by the Spyglass Media Group over her pro-Palestine posts on social media. The production banner deemed the posts as antisemitic. Barreras response came on Wednesday afternoon through a post on her Instagram story.

First and foremost I condemn Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. I condemn hate and prejudice of any kind against any group of people, the statement reads. As a latina, a proud Mexicana, I feel the responsibility of having a platform that allows me the privilege of being heard, and therefore I have tried to use it to raise awareness about the issues I care about and to lend my voice to those in need. Every person on this earth  regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or socio-economic status  deserves equal human rights, dignity and, of course, freedom.

Barrera added, I believe a group of people are NOT their leadership, and that no governing body should be above criticism. I pray day and night for no more deaths, for no more violence, and for peaceful co-existence. I will continue to speak out for those that need it most and continue to advocate for peace and safety, for human rights and freedom. Silence is not an option for me.
Horn Barbecue owner Matt Horn speaks to reporters as his friends and family help hand out free turkeys outside Horn Barbecue in Oakland on Wednesday after a fire tore through the establishment a day earlier. Jessica Christian/The Chronicle Oakland Fire Department members inspect the damage done to Horn Barbecue in Oakland on Wednesday. A fire tore through the establishment in the early morning hours Tuesday. Jessica Christian/The Chronicle Chef Tyler Florence consoles Nina Horn, wife of Horn Barbecue owner Matt Horn, as he helps hand out free turkeys outside Horn Barbecue in Oakland on Wednesday. A fire tore through the establishment in the early morning hours Tuesday. Jessica Christian/The Chronicle Boards and tarp cover up the damage done to Oaklands Horn Barbecue, where fire tore through the establishment Tuesday. Jessica Christian/The Chronicle Oakland Fire Department members inspect the damage done to Horn Barbecue in Oakland on Wednesday. A fire on Tuesday did major damage. Jessica Christian/The Chronicle Horn Barbecue owner Matt Horns mother, Enola Horn helps hand out free turkeys outside of Horn Barbecue in Oakland on Wednesday, a day after a fire destroyed the restaurant. Jessica Christian/The Chronicle Ersie Joyner hands a free turkey to local resident James Foreman outside Horn Barbecue in Oakland on Wednesday. Jessica Christian/The Chronicle

Neighbors, friends and city officials stopped by Oaklands acclaimed Horn Barbecue on Wednesday afternoon  though not for its signature smoked brisket or house-made sausages  but to offer support to owner Matt Horn after a fire ripped through the restaurant the day before and ravaged the inside.

Despite Tuesdays fire and vandalism from a separate incident earlier this week, Horn said he didnt want to cancel the restaurants annual turkey giveaway. He said he was committed to keep serving the West Oakland community.

Im going to continue to serve our community and make sure that our team is taken care of, Horn said. Theres a lot of people that rely on what we do here.

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Staff from Ediths Pie in Uptown Oakland donated about two dozen pies for the turkey giveaway that took place outside the restaurant Wednesday. Horns family and friends gave out frozen turkeys to West Oakland residents and families. Loyal customers showed up to express their sympathy to Horn.

The blaze on Tuesday morning charred the restaurants equipment and damaged the restaurants roof and the back wall, according to Horn and a city spokesperson. The city of Oakland red-tagged the building, meaning it is unsafe to enter the property. The fire broke out just days after Horn shared on Instagram that the restaurant had been defaced with graffiti and that vandals tried to, once again, break into his food trailer. In an Instagram post, Horn blasted the vandals, calling them filth that plagues our beautiful city.

The cause of the fire remained under investigation, according to Chief Damon Covington of the Oakland Fire Department, who showed up Wednesday with a crew of firefighters to assess the damage.

Covington said Horn Barbecue is a business that has become part of the West Oakland community.

Rotteinia Freeman and her two friends were the first to line up for a free turkey. They offered to help Horns wife, Nina, place the turkeys on tables in front of the restaurant.

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They give out a lot of stuff to us, Freeman, who lives in an RV on Wood Street, said of Horn Barbecue. She said the restaurant has given residents on Wood Street free food and bones for their dogs.

They are worthy of helping, Freeman said, adding that she was sad to hear about the blaze.

Horn Barbecue opened in 2020. In 2022, it received a James Beard nomination for best new restaurant in the U.S. In 2021, the restaurant made the Michelin Guides new Bib Gourmand list.

The vandalism and fire prompted an outpouring of support from customers, city officials and the Bay Area food community, including chef and television host Tyler Florence. A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to support Horns staff and the restaurants renovations.

Horn said hes having trouble wrapping his head around what happened.

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It really broke my heart, said Horn. Not just for me, but my staff. Theyre here every day so it affects their livelihood.

Horn said he learned of the fire while he was having breakfast with his children Tuesday morning. One of his staff called and asked him are you sitting down? before relaying the news. Horn said he assumed it might have been some sort of violence that occurred in the area, saying his staff has witnessed robberies and car break-ins near the restaurant.

It wasnt until I went inside and saw how bad it was, thats when the reality of all this sat in, Horn said. Thats how I feel now: a little numb.

Nothing inside the restaurant can be salvaged, Horn said. He could not provide an estimated cost of damages because he said fire officials were still assessing the property. Horn said hes committed to West Oakland and plans to rebuild as quickly as possible.

He did not want to speculate on whether the fire was intentionally set, but he said there had never been a fire at the restaurant. Its just kind of weird, the timing of it all, Horn said of the blaze.

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For now, Horn said hes focused on helping his staff and the Oakland community and rebuilding Horn Barbecue.
R. Madhavan and Juhi Chawla recently came together for Netflix and YRFs show The Railway Men, based on the 1984 Bhopal Gas Leak tragedy. The cast of the show was seen in a conversation recently when Madhavan made a revelation, and the actress couldnt stop blushing.

What did Madhavan say about Juhi Chawla?

I must tell you, I want to make a confession in front of everyone. When I watched Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (QSQT), I had told mom I want to marry Juhi Chawla. That was the only aim, to marry Juhi Chawla.

About The Railway Men and the 1984 tragedy

The Railway Men throws light on the worst industrial disaster in the world. The year is 1984 and four men unite to be heroes and save people from the fateful nights of December 3 and 4. The context is the Bhopal Gas Leak tragedy that claimed over 7 lac lives; and the series is an attempt to showcase bravery in the time of crisis and catastrophe.

What happened on that night?

The Union Carbide India Limited pesticide plant in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh had a chemical leak of methyl isocyanate, which occurred in the early hours of December 2, 1984. Multiple leaks had occurred prior to the night as the plant was in a poor condition.

The aftermath

The two nights are regarded as two of the most traumatic and terrifying nights in Indian history and post the unfortunate leak, the Indian government ordered closure of the plant for outsiders. Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) sent a team to assess the situation and the chairman Warren Anderson, was put under house arrest.

Legal proceedings between India, Union Carbide and the US began right after the catastrophe. The government passed the Bhopal Gas Leak Act in March 1985, which allowed it to act as the legal representative for victims.

Initially, the US-based firm offered a $5 million relief fund to India, which the government turned down, asking for a $3.3 billion compensation.

Eventually, an out-of-court settlement was reached in February 1989, Union Carbide agreed to pay $470 million for damages caused.
In the latest development in the Banke Bihari Corridor PIL, the Allahabad High Court authorised the corridors construction in Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh, citing the convenience of devotees as justification.

The temple corridor would provide three easy ways for devotees to get to the Krishna temple.

Notably, it will be constructed along the same lines as the Kashi-Vishwanath Temple Corridor.

Heres all you need to know.

The temple and its history

Built in 1864, the Banke Bihari Temple in Vrindavan is one of the most popular temples in North India.

According to Bihariji.org, the Banke Bihari idol is thought to be the combined form of the celestial couple Radha and Krishna (Shyama Shyam).

Swami Haridas, a musician and saint from Vrindavan, is credited with manifesting the idol. It is thought that he is the incarnation of Lalita sakhi, a close friend of Radha Krishna in their celestial home of Goloka.

According to popular belief, the celestial couple first came before Swami Haridas in Nidhivan when he asked them to merge into one form.

Granting his wish, the couple became one single black idol, which Swami Haridas dubbed Kunj Bihari or Banke Bihari.

Afterwards, the idol was moved from Nidhivan to the Banke Bihari shrine.

The HC order

Only 1,000 people can be accommodated at a time in the temples ancient construction.

The petition has detailed incidents when devotees have died as a result of the large gathering.

The Yogi Adityanath governments proposal for the corridor was met with stiff resistance from locals and shopkeepers who said the project would force them out of their homes or disturb their daily routines, according to The New Indian Express.

Priests and shopkeepers also used their own blood to write the Chief Minister a letter asking him to halt the project.

However, on Monday, a bench comprising Allahabad High Court Chief Justice Pritinker Diwaker and Justice Ashutosh Srivastava approved the proposal for the new corridor.

The state government also ensured that the construction would not hinder the devotees while offering prayers at the Banke Bihari Temple.

According to the report, the court asked the state authorities to utilise its own money for the secular activity of facilitating public interest.

Construction plan

For the construction of the corridor, the Allahabad HC has allotted five acre of land near Yamuna River which includes 325 properties, shops and houses, according to NDTV.

The UP government would provide Rs 262 crore towards the historic corridors construction. More than 10,000 followers can stay within the complex at once; it will be constructed across five acres. Three routes  from the Jadoun parking lot, Vidyapeeth crossroads, and Jugalghat  will allow devotees to access the temple.

The report said that the temple will be surrounded by a two-story floors. The entry complexs ground floor will occupy 11,300 square metres. Additionally, there will be stores on the ground floor that sell puja supplies and a hallway lined with murals of Krishna.

Along with 5,113 square metres of open space, there will be a 3.500 square metre pilgrim waiting room.

The plan also calls for a 37,000 square metre parking facility for the Banke Bihari Bridge. Additionally, smaller bridges in front of the main temple and Devraha Baba Ghat are suggested in addition to a suspension across the Yamuna River, as per The New Indian Express.

The state cabinet minister Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary has said, The area around the Banke Bihari temple will be developed on the lines of the Kashi Vishwanath corridor in Varanasi. The corridor will be able to accommodate more than 50,000 devotees at a time. Devotees, after taking a dip in the Yamuna, can directly reach he temple via the corridor.

Other corridors construction across India

To increase religious tourism within India, the BJP government has suggested building numerous corridors, including the Banke Bihari corridor.

Last year, at the Shri Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, PM Narendra Modi officially opened the Mahakal Corridor.

The Lord Shiva temple receives thousands of worshippers every day, and lakhs more on certain occasions.

The God business is a good business

Over 60 per cent of all tourism in India is attributed to religious and spiritual tourism, according to the Ministry of Tourism. The revenue generated by religious tourism destinations increased to 134,543 crore in 2022 from 65,070 crore in 2021.

The Banke Bihari Temple Corridor would therefore facilitate darshan and attract more pilgrims, boosting the towns economy, whose main business is temple.

With inputs from agencies
India has lost its first female judge of the Supreme Court. Justice M Fathima Beevi passed away at a private hospital in Keralas Kollam on Thursday (23 November) at the age of 96.

Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan expressed grief at her demise and remembered how her life was an unforgettable symbol in the history of womens advancement in the state, reported News18.

Condoling her death, Kerala health minister Veena George said Justice Beevi was a brave woman with many records to her name. She was a personality who through her own life showed that willpower and a sense of purpose can overcome any adversity, George said in a statement, as per the news agency PTI.

Who was Justice Fathima Beevi?

Justice M Fathima Beevi smashed the glass ceiling in her career and served as a role model for women. Born in Keralas Pathanamthitta in 1927, she completed her graduation in Chemistry from Womens College in Thiruvananthapuram.

Her father, a government servant, encouraged her to study law after which Beevi joined the Government Law College, Trivandrum, as per a Readers Digest article. She was only among the five women to have enrolled in her class at the time.

She topped the Bar Council exam in 1950, emerging as the first woman to get a Bar Council gold medal.

Deeply saddened at passing away of Justice M. Fathima Beevi, former Governor Tamil Nadu. Her contributions to public service will always be remembered. My thoughts are with her family members in this sorrowful hour. May she rest in peace.-Governor Ravi pic.twitter.com/YWA7W7YOpQ  RAJ BHAVAN, TAMIL NADU (@rajbhavan_tn) November 23, 2023

Beevi started her career as an advocate in the lower judiciary in Kollam. In a male-dominated environment, she faced questioning glances and even censure in courts, because of being a woman and that too in a headscarf, the article noted.

Judicial service was more attractive than the practice at that time. Women were not very much encouraged by the general public, very few succeeded as lawyers, Readers Digest quoted her as saying.

After her appointment as a munsiff in the Kerala Subordinate Judicial Services in 1958, she gradually climbed up the ladder, and a decade later was promoted as a subordinate judge. By 1972, she became the chief judicial magistrate and district and sessions judge two years later.

She joined the Kerala High Court as a judge in 1983 after her stint at the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal. With this, she became the first Muslim woman in the higher judiciary, reported Readers Digest.

She was elevated as a judge to the apex court in 1989, making her the first woman to become a Supreme Court Justice in Asia, as per Bar and Bench.

Recalling this milestone moment, she famously told Scroll.in in an interview: I opened a closed door.

Speaking to The Week in 2016, when asked if she believed the Indian judiciary was patriarchal, Justice Beevi replied: Absolutely. No doubt about that.

There are many women in the field now, both at the bar and in the bench. However, their participation is meagre. Their representation is not equal to men. There is a historical reason also for that  Women took to the field late. It will take time for women to get equal representation in the judiciary. When I went to Law College, there were only five girls in my class in the first year. The number went down to two or three in the second year. Today, in law colleges, we are seeing that a good percentage of the students are women, Readers Digest quoted her as saying.

She also won several accolades throughout her career, including the Mahila Shiromani Award in 1990, Bharat Jyoti Award and the US-India Business Council (USIBC) Lifetime Achievement Award.

Tumultuous tenure as Tamil Nadu Governor

After her retirement from the top court in 1992, she served as a member of the National Human Rights Commission, as per Live Law.

In 1997, Justice Beevi was appointed as the governor of Tamil Nadu. Shankar Dayal Sharma, the then President, had remarked on her appointment that [her] experience of and insights into the working of the Constitution and the laws comprise valuable assets, reported Readers Digest.

During her tenure as the governor, she gave a nod to J Jayalalithaas appointment as Tamil Nadu chief minister in 2001, sparking a major row. Jayalalithaas AIADMK had won the state Assembly elections by a landslide defeating the main rival, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).

Beevis approval for the AIADMK leader came after she was found guilty of corruption and banned from contesting elections for six years in a land scam case.

The TN governor had invoked Article 164 of the Constitution that allows a non-member of the state Legislature to become the CM.

In July 2001, Fathima Beevi resigned from the post of governor after the Union Cabinet decided to recall her for failing to discharge her constitutional duties following the arrest of former TN CM M Karunanidhi and two Union ministers, reported Outlook.

After leaving the Raj Bhavan, Beevi came back to her ancestral home at Pathanamthitta and lived her life in relative seclusion, as per Readers Digest.

With inputs from agencies
Europe is witnessing a far-right shift. The victory of populist Geert Wilders in the Dutch elections seems to have further confirmed this. Known for his anti-Islam and anti-immigration stance, Wilders will likely be the next prime minister of the Netherlands replacing centrist Mark Rutte.

Wilders Freedom Party (PVV) has won 37 seats out of 150 in the lower house of Parliament. As Wilders holds talks to form a new ruling coalition, he is positioned to become the first hard-right PM of the Netherlands.

Wilders success has once again put the spotlight on the rise of hard-right in Europe. Lets take a look at how the influence of the far-right has spread across the continent.

Italy

The party of Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni has neo-fascist roots.

Italy, the European Unions (EU) third-largest economy, favoured Melonis Brothers of Italy with nearly 26 per cent of the vote in last years September elections, paving the way for a rightwing coalition with Silvio Berlusconis Forza Italia and Matteo Salvinis League, as per The Guardian report.

With this, western Europe got its first far-right postwar PM in Meloni, the report added.

Since coming to power, she has focused on curbing migration, attaining economic sovereignty, endorsing and promoting traditional Christian values and Western civilisation, according to Al Jazeera.

France

In France, self-described centrist Emmanuel Macron is in power. However, the far-right has seen increasing support in the country.

Macrons political rival on the far-right, Marine Le Pen, secured a record 41.46 per cent in the presidential elections last year. Her far-right National Rally (RN) won 89 of the 577 seats in Parliament, making it the largest single Opposition party, as per the British daily.

A poll in April this year found that Le Pen would trounce Macron if presidential elections were held at the time.

Germany

Germany has reported a surge in support for the hard-right Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD).

As per an NPR report in October, the AfD party, accused of far-right extremism, polled higher than each of the three parties in the coalition government in Germany.

The party has already witnessed support at the local level. Opinion polls say that at the national level, electors prefer xenophobic, anti-Islam AfD than Chancellor Olaf Scholzs Social Democrats, noted The Guardian.

Spain bucks the trend

Spains far-right Vox Party was expected to be the kingmaker in the snap elections held in July, with the centre-right Peoples party (PP) coming to power. However, things did not go as predicted.

Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez won Parliaments support to return to power after finalising a controversial deal with Catalan separatists.

In June, the Vox Party had performed beyond expectations in the regional elections. But for now, Spain seems to have bucked the European shift towards the far-right.

Other European countries

Switzerlands far-right and euroskeptic Swiss Peoples Party (SVP) dominated the national elections by securing 62 of the 200 seats in the Parliaments lower chamber, as per the results in October.

In Finland, the far-right nationalists The Finns are part of the four-party coalition government, which is the countrys most rightwing in history. Finland was previously ruled by a left-leaning coalition government under Social Democrat Sanna Marin.

Swedens conservative leader has the backing of the anti-immigration, far-right Sweden Democrats  the second-largest party in Parliament.

In June, Greece became the only European nation with three far-right parties in its legislature. Hungary is already ruled by far-right leader Viktor Orban. In Austria, which goes to polls next year, right-wing populist Freedom Party (FPO) has become more popular than in 2017 when it was in power, as per Euronews.

Why is Europe embracing the far-right?

The surge of the far-right in Europe has been shocking. Not only the hardliners are directly in power in many countries, but in other nations, they are also influencing policy decisions.

There has been a convergence of the center right and the far right over the past decade or so, Hans Kundnani, a European political analyst at the Chatham House, told Politico.

He said this shift may have profound consequences for the EU. The EU will elect a new European Parliament next year and this rightward gravitation could result in a conservative Brussels for the coming years, reported Politico.

The EU matters as its European Council, which brings together the blocs 27 leaders, defines the Unions political priorities and policy initiatives.

According to Al Jazeera, the intensifying cost of living crisis, opposition to multiculturalism and woke culture wars could be the reasons behind the entry of the far right into mainstream politics.

For long, opposition to immigration, Islam and the EU were what united Europes far-right parties. New causes have now also emerged: the culture wars, minority rights, the climate crisis and the unfair sacrifices that governments insist will be needed to combat it, a piece in The Guardian explained.

Their appeal has been further enhanced by the cost of living crisis flowing from pandemic recovery and Russias war on Ukraine; by rapid and confusing social and digital change and, everywhere, by mounting mistrust of the mainstream, the article added.

Will this allure of the far-right continue or eventually wane in Europe? Only time can tell.

With inputs from agencies
The elections in Netherlands have shocked Europe and the world. Dutch voters have thrown their support behind the party of a far-right icon, Geert Wilders, causing one of the biggest political upsets in Dutch politics since World War II, and one that is bound to send shockwaves through Europe.

An exit poll published by national broadcaster NOS said that Wilders Party for Freedom won 35 seats in the 150-seat lower house of parliament, more than double the 17 he won at the last election. A jubilant Wilders said on the win, which will be finalised, I had to pinch my arm.

He added, The Dutch voter has spoken. The voter has said, We are fed up. He added that he wanted to return the Netherlands to the Dutch.

While Wilders party has come out on top at the polls, he will need the support of others to reach the magic number of 76 to govern the country. And the 60-year-old politician is wasting no time to stitch together a coalition. He called on other Dutch parties to work together to form a coalition, stressing that his PVV party can no longer be ignored.

Heres what we know about Wilders and what his win means for the Netherlands.

Who is Geert Wilders?

In politics since 1988, Wilders, who founded the Party for Freedom  the third-largest party in the Netherlands  is often referred to as Dutch Trump because of his bouffant platinum blonde hair and also his firebrand rhetoric.

Wilders was born in 1963 in southern Venlo, close to the German border, in a Catholic family with his two brothers and sister. Notably, his mother was half-Indonesia  a fact he doesnt mention much.

According to his elder brother, Paul, Geert developed an interest in politics in the 1980s. Speaking to Der Spiegel magazine, he had said: He was neither clearly on the left or the right at the time, nor was he xenophobic. But he was fascinated by the political game, the struggle for power and influence.

Geert Wilders was initially a member of Peoples Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD). He later left owing to the partys mild stance on Islam and immigration.

In 2004, he founded the Party for Freedom (PVV) placing anti-Islam policies at the heart of his party. When asked why he has such a profound disregard for Islam, he attributes it to the time he spent in a kibbutz in Israel and also the assassination of the radical anti-Islam film-maker Theo van Gogh in 2004.

While he is known for his hardline politics, Wilders is also known for his pets. His two cats, Snoetje and Pluisje, have their own account on X with nearly 23,000 followers.

What are his policies?

The focus of Wilders party is all things anti-Muslim. His manifesto says: The Netherlands is not an Islamic country. No Islamic schools, Qurans and mosques. He proposes banning the headscarf in government buildings.

When it comes to immigration too, he has retained his sharp anti-immigrant tone. Asylum-seekers feast on delightful free cruise-ship buffets while Dutch families have to cut back on groceries, his partys manifesto reads.

And he has proposed immigration measures such as restoring Dutch border control, detaining and deporting illegal immigrants, returning Syrian asylum-seekers and re-introducing work permits for intra-EU workers.

On foreign policy, the PVV proposes a Dutch first approach that includes closing its representation in Ramallah and strengthening ties to Israel, including moving its embassy to Jerusalem.

A binding referendum on a Nexit  the Netherlands leaving the EU  is also in the manifesto, along with an immediate haltto development aid.

He has often courted controversy for his opinions and even been convicted for his stance.

Notably, in 2017, he called some Moroccans scum. There is a lot of Moroccan scum in Holland who make the streets unsafe, he had said. If you want to regain your country, make the Netherlands for the people of the Netherlands again, then you can only vote for one party.

This remark came two months after he was convicted in a hate speech trial over his promise to reduce the number of Moroccans in the country.

In December 2019, he also courted controversy when he organised a contest for caricatures of Islams Prophet Muhammad. At the time, he had remarked, Freedom of speech must prevail over violence and Islamic fatwas.

His remarks and stance have made him a victim of death threats and he has been living under round-the-clock protection for years.

In 2009, the British government had refused to let him visit the country, saying that he posed a threat to community harmony and therefore public security. According to an Associated Press report, he had been invited to Britain by a member of Parliaments upper house, the House of Lords, to show his 15-minute film Fitna, which criticises the Quran as a fascist book.

Notably, he is very popular in the American far-right circuit. In April 2015, he was invited to speak at the Conservative Opportunity Society, a coalition of right-wing politicians in the United States House of Representatives. There is no moderate Islam. Islam has changed Europe beyond recognition, Wilders had told the audience. Our duty is clear: In order to solve the problem, we have to stop mass immigration to the West from Islamic countries.

Last year, Wilders also extended his support to Bharatiya Janata Partys Nupur Sharma, who had received flak from the world for her derogatory comments on Prophet Muhammad. Wilders had said that Sharma was speaking nothing but the truth about Prophet Muhammad and his wife Aisha and even posted in her defence on X, hailing her as a hero.

In one post, he wrote, Appeasement never works. It will only make things worse. So, my dear friends from India, dont be intimidated by Islamic countries. Stand up for freedom and be proud and steadfast in defending your politician Nupur Sharma who spoke the truth about Muhammad.

In another post, he also spoke of the death threats he had received but added that he didnt care.

I receive many death threats now from Muslims who want to kill me for supporting #NupurSharma who spoke the truth and nothing but the truth about Muhammad and Aisha. My message to them is: go to hell. You have no morals. We stand for the truth. We stand for freedom.  Geert Wilders (@geertwilderspvv) June 8, 2022

How have others reacted to his win?

Wilders win has resonated among the other far-right leaders in Europe. French politician Marine Le Pen congratulated Geert Wilders and his own far-right PVV party on their spectacular performance in the Dutch parliamentary elections.

Congratulations to @geertwilderspvv and the PVV for their spectacular performance in the legislative elections, which confirms the growing support for the defence of national identities, she wrote on X.

Hungarys nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban also hailed the winds of change.

What happens next?

Wilders has called on other parties to form a coalition in the country. Earlier, the leaders of the three other top parties had ruled out serving in a PVV-led coalition. But Pieter Omtzigt, whose New Social Contract party won 20 seats according to the exit poll, appeared to soften his position, saying he was available, although coalition talks would not be easy.

Diederick van Wijk from the Clingendael Institute told AFP the Netherlands was now in uncharted territory after the landslide victory of Wilders.

However, Wilders has said he would be prime minister for everyone regardless of their religion, background, sex or whatever, insisting the cost-of-living crisis was a bigger priority.

With inputs from agencies
The Swiss government is set to formally ban Hamas.

The government is planning on introducing legislation, in the backdrop of the war with Israel, to ban the group and support for it.

A ban on Hamas is the most appropriate response to the situation that has prevailed in the Middle East since 7 October, when the militant group launched an attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip, said the government in a statement.

The ban has the sole aim of preventing the terrorist activities of this organisation, and the people who support them, Justice Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider said.

Baume-Schneider added that banning Hamas would make it easier to expel dangerous people and speed up criminal proceedings against potential terrorists.

The development comes nearly a month after Switzerlands Office of the Attorney General (OAG) opened an investigation into suspected Swiss financing of Palestinian militant group  launched weeks before the 7 October attacks.

Lets take a closer look:

What happened?

The act, to be drafted by the end of February, is aimed at giving Swiss authorities the tools to counter Hamas activities or support for the group within Switzerland.

As per Swiss.info, the draft legislation  which will be prepared by Federal Department of Justice and Police and the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport  will be submitted by February 2024.

The decision did not come easily in the militarily neutral country which takes pride in providing good offices in international negotiations  a position some felt would be jeopardised by such a ban.

The government is aware of the fact that banning an organisation constitutes a significant attack on fundamental rights and could affect Switzerlands room for manoeuvre in foreign policy, said Baume-Schneider.

However, the government decided that domestic security interests and the need to fight terrorist financing should prevail.

The seven-member Swiss government is formed by ministers from the four biggest parties, and lawmakers are likely to swing strongly behind the draft law.

The hard-right Swiss Peoples Party  the biggest in the country  has been strongly advocating for a ban.

7 October is a turning point in history, Swiss foreign minister Ignazio Cassis told the press conference in Bern.

The European Union and the United States, among others, already designate Hamas as a terrorist organisation.

On 11 October the Swiss government said it too was of the opinion that Hamas should be classified as a terrorist organisation.

Cassis said under the draft law, banks and other financial intermediaries will have to detect and report possible activities in Switzerland of Hamas and affiliated organisations.

No Swiss funding should be used by non-governmental organisations to support the actions of Hamas, added Baume-Schneider, though Cassis specified that at present, the authorities are not aware of Swiss funds having benefited Hamas and its activities.

Cassis also noted that Switzerland had already banned Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State jihadist group.

What could be the fallout?

The ban could have a huge impact on Hamas.

As per Bloomberg, if Hamas is labelled a terrorist organisation, Swiss banks would have a duty to report financial transactions related to it.

Such a move would cut off Hamas access to Swiss funds.

Basically the entire West has labelled Hamas a terrorist organisation. In the US, London and the EU, Hamas cant open bank accounts, Mark Pieth, a finance and law expert who is emeritus professor at the university of Basel, told Bloomberg. But in Switzerland it could indeed do this, until now.

Pieth noted that smaller institutions with deal with Islamic banking with Swiss outlets might offer facilities to groups like Hamas.

This could now become difficult, he added.

As per Swiss.info, the government on Wednesday also made the decision to cut ties with three Palestinian NGOs.

This comes after they found the NGOs breached their code of conduct and violated anti-discrimination laws.

The government did not name the three NGOs affected by the suspension, nor did it provide any details on the contractual irregularities identified. The contracts with the three NGOs will not be renewed.

The Swiss government days after the attack suspended millions of dollars worth of funds to 11 Palestinian and Israeli groups, as per Al Jazeera.

The government said they were subject to in-depth verification of their compliance with the FDFAs code of conduct and the anti-discrimination clause in their contracts and that three NGOs had their contracts terminated as a result.

However, Swiss.info reported that no irregularities were found for eight of these NGOs with regard to finances.

Swiss call for humanitarian pause

The Swiss government acknowledged Israels right to ensure its own defence and security.

However, it also called for respect for international humanitarian law and particularly the protection of civilians in the Gaza war.

It said there should be pauses in the war to allow for unimpeded humanitarian access.

In view of the dramatic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, the Federal Council stresses the need to ensure unimpeded humanitarian access. Humanitarian pauses are necessary for this purpose, the statement added.

Bern reiterated the need to restore a peace process based on a two-state solution.

This approach is the only viable path towards ensuring that both the Palestinian and Israeli populations can coexist peacefully, securely and with dignity, the statement read.

On 7 October, Hamas gunmen crossed the border from Gaza to stage attacks that Israel said left 1,200 people dead, most of them civilians. They said another 239 people were taken hostage.

Israel declared war on Hamas, launching an air and ground bombing offensive against Gaza which the Hamas-run health ministry says has killed 14,100 people, thousands of them children.

With inputs from agencies
After more than a month during which Israel has relentlessly bombarded then invaded Gaza with the stated aim of destroying Hamas, Gazas health authorities have estimated that more than 13,000 people  mainly civilians and a distressingly high proportion of those children  have been killed.

Yet it should be remembered that it was the initial attack on Israel by Hamas fighters on October 7, killing 1,200 people  again, mainly civilians, many in the most brutal manner  that led to Israels invasion of Gaza.

Initially, the Israel Defense Forces issued warnings to Gazan civilians to move south. But repeated airstrikes on towns in the south of Gaza have left the population fearing that there are no safe spaces left in the enclave.

Israel continues to insist, with the backing of its allies in the West, that this military operation is aimed at rooting out Hamas. They say it is the fact that Hamas embeds itself in civilian populations that is causing so many casualties.

But recently there have been signs that some Palestinian civilians are openly challenging Hamass authority. The Associated Press reported on November 10 that angry crowds threw stones at Hamas police in one location while in another, people huddling in a UN shelter hurled insults at Hamas officials.

The rise of Hamas

Hamas was founded in Gaza in 1987 by Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, an imam, and his aide Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi. This was shortly after the beginning of the first intifada  an uprising against Israels occupation of the Palestinian territories.

Initially emerging as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Hamas later established a military wing known as the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades. Its primary goal was to engage in armed resistance against Israel with the aim of liberating historic Palestine.

While there is international support for Palestinian self-determination, Hamass aim  spelt out in its founding charter  to destroy the state of Israel has cost it legitimacy with many who would otherwise support Palestines cause.

The group has effectively controlled Gaza since shortly after then-Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon withdrew troops and settlers from Gaza in 2005. In elections in 2006, Hamas secured a majority of seats in the Palestinian Authoritys legislature and established a government. This gave Hamas some legitimacy as far as the Palestinians in Gaza were concerned  at least temporarily.

Hamass early success has been ascribed to its provision of social services such as healthcare and welfare. Initially, it also seemed to be a valuable counterpoint to what was perceived as corruption within the incumbent Fatah party. But Fatah and its Western backers found the election outcome to be unacceptable, leading to the removal of Hamas from power in the West Bank. This effectively denied Hamas the role in the Palestinian Authority (PA) that it believed it deserved.

A 2008 presidential election confirmed Fatahs Mahmoud Abbas as the head of the PA. But by this stage the split between the two parties meant that while the Fatah-dominated PA governed the West Bank, Hamas was largely unchallenged in Gaza.

Waning popularity of Hamas

But a survey undertaken by Arab Barometer, a nonpartisan research network, between 28 September and 8 October 2023, revealed dwindling confidence in Hamas (the surveys in Gaza were completed on 6 October). Asked to identify the amount of trust they had in the Hamas authorities, 44 per cent said they had no trust at all, while 23 per cent said they had little trust. Significantly this lack of trust was roughly uniform across age groups with those between the ages of 18-29 and those over 30 giving similar answers.

An earlier poll taken by the Washington Institute in July 2023, moreover, found that 62 per cent of people in Gaza supported Hamas maintaining a ceasefire with Israel and 50 per cent agreed that: Hamas should stop calling for Israels destruction, and instead accept a permanent two-state solution based on the 1967 borders.

So, given the gulf between Hamass aims and style of governance, how has it kept control of the enclave of 2.2 million people for so long? Its important to remember that there have been no elections since 2006 and the average age of people in Gaza is about 18, meaning most people have not had the chance to vote for any other leadership.

Hamas has also reportedly ruled with an iron fist. Hamas has used strict and authoritarian methods of control, applying its own interpretations of strict sharia law, enforcing gender segregation in public, controlling the media, repressing any political opposition and eliminating all mechanisms of transparency and accountability.

Numerous reports have detailed human rights abuses conducted by Hamas against Palestinian civilians, including arbitrary detention, torture, punishment beatings and the death penalty. To be fair, a report in 2018 from Human Rights Watch found that similar human rights abuse was just as common in the West Bank under the Fatah-led PA. Hamas also stands accused of harassing journalists who criticise its government.

The catastrophic Hamas attack on October 7 which has led to the deaths of so many Palestinian civilians in Gaza has eliminated any pretence of legitimacy that Hamas may ever have had in the eyes of most of the world. Indeed, the days of Hamas may be over. But this will only increase the urgency of finding a long-term solution for Palestine, something that seems further away than ever.

Christoph Bluth, Professor of International Relations and Security, University of Bradford

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
A week ago, troops of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stormed the premises of the Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest medical facility in the Gaza Strip, to find and destroy Hamas militants, receiving flak from several organisations and countries.

Days later, they revealed that they had found a 55-metre tunnel under the premises, and alleged that it was being used by the Hamas militants.

And on Wednesday (22 November), the IDF has released extensive footage of what secrets this tunnel holds, showcasing just how dangerous these underground constructions are and how they serve the Hamas in their war against Israel.

The secrets of the tunnel, revealed

Members of the IDF on Wednesday released a video exposing the tunnel network under the Al-Shifa Hospital. The footage is explosive as it shows the medical facility as being used as a nerve centre for the terror groups operations.

Last week, the IDF had stated that they had found a 55-metre tunnel at Al-Shifa, which ended at a blast door.

Exposing another layer of Hamas exploitation of three of the largest hospitals in Gaza: Inside the Shifa Hospital complex, a Hamas terrorist tunnel was uncovered. 1/3 pic.twitter.com/uGo4uBdTly  Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 17, 2023

Now, the troops have breached that door and revealed just what the Hamas militants are hiding inside.

The IDF says that the tunnel, which goes under the so-called Qatari building at Shifa, houses various rooms, a kitchen, a bathroom and a stockpile of weapons, explosives and drones. Moreover, the Israeli troops alleged that the rooms inside the tunnel were air conditioned, exposing just how sophisticated these constructions are.

In the video released, the entrance of the tunnel is small enough for just one person to drop in at a time, but expands into a huge labyrinth below.

Dear world, is this enough proof for you? pic.twitter.com/Z3HNDPNV3O  Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 22, 2023

The first visible room in the base followed by a long, white room with a large air conditioning system installed. The room connects to another tunnel with a small kitchen. The video also shows smaller rooms inside the facility, which the IDF claims also housed some of the hostages who were kidnapped during Hamas 7 October attack on Israel.

Moreover, the IDF claims that it has seized scores of weapons from Hamas, including grenades, rocket-propelled grenade launchers, and multiple drones designed to deliver explosives. The IDF also showed that the tunnels contained fuse boxes, which they claim Hamas uses to siphon power from the hospital in order to aid their terror activities.

The IDF said in a statement, The findings unequivocally display Hamas deliberate method of operating underneath hospitals. The terrorist organisation also exploits the hospital buildings, using them to store weapons in and as terrorist headquarters.

Also read: How Israel armys secret Unit 504 exposed the misuse of Gaza hospitals by Hamas

Israeli military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari added that the world needed to hold Hamas responsible for operating beneath a hospital, calling it a war crime.

On Thursday, the IDF also revealed a second video which showed that the tunnel from Al Shifa Hospital was connected a civilian house nearby.

Yes, we have discovered yet another Hamas tunnel, however this time beneath a civilian house near Shifa Hospital. pic.twitter.com/PbDEZQgU8R  Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 23, 2023

The IDF commenting on the video said, Hamas deliberately builds the tunnels in the places they know it will be the most covered.

Israels anti-tunnel operations

The video reiterates Israels claims that Hamas uses medical facilities and civilian infrastructure to carry out their terror operations.

Since the war began, Israel has been tracking and destroying the tunnels that Hamas has built over the years under Gaza; incidentally, the labyrinth of tunnels, which spreads for 300 miles is also called the Gaza Metro. As of Wednesday, ahead of the anticipated four-day truce, Israel said that it had uncovered and destroyed some 400 terror tunnel shafts in the Gaza Strip since the start of the ground offensive last month.

The Yahalom Unit has been tasked with hunting and destroying these tunnels. Created in 1995 as part of the IDFs Combat Engineering Corps, this unit is made up of elite commandos who are trained for underground warfare and other subterranean operations.

The units role includes special sabotage missions, demolition and explosion of buildings, sabotage of enemy infrastructure, handling of explosives, preparing explosive devices and bombs, neutralising enemy explosive devices, clearing complex minefields, locating and destroying terror tunnels, the IDF had said in 2021. At times, the unit uses robots and many remote controlled devices, without endangering human life.

And this unit has been using different technologies and methods to track and destroy tunnels. Earlier, there were reports that the IDF was using drones and dogs to locate the underground constructions and then using sponge bombs to destroy them.

Hamas and the Gaza Health Ministry deny all claims of tunnels below the Al-Shifa Hospital. A Hamas spokesman said Israel had besieged Gazas hospitals as a part of an effort to break the will of Palestinians and push them off their land.

Experts speak

Many experts have expressed scepticism of the evidence being presented by the Israeli forces. John Spencer, a retired US Army officer and chair of urban warfare studies at the US Military Academy, told the Wall Street Journal that it wasnt the scale of the presence Hamas had inside these tunnels was yet to be proven. He said Israel would need to produce more evidence, for example, showing layers of tunnels to back up its claims.

Paul R Pillar, a non-resident senior fellow at Georgetown Universitys Center for Security Studies, added, None of this proves much of anything, saying the evidence so far amounted to a hole in the ground and some weapons and other military gear.

With inputs from agencies
The operation to evacuate 41 labourers who were stranded within a partially built tunnel in Uttarakhands Uttarkashi, has entered its final leg.

Its a race against time for India because the workers have been trapped since the tunnel caved in on 12 November.

The last pipe, which will serve as an escape route, is being pushed through the debris while the drilling continues.

By midnight, the men inside and the rescue teams were separated by just 10 metres of debris.

Ambulances are currently waiting outside the tunnel, Delhi-based experts have arrived, and prayers are being offered.

Heres a look at whats happening and how the workers will crawl out.

Rescue operation at critical stage

The operation to rescue trapped workers entered its final stretch early Thursday with the last pipe to prepare an escape passage being pushed in through the rubble.

National Disaster Response Force team and technical experts have also reached the site to oversee the operation.

#WATCH | Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand) tunnel rescue | DG NDRF, Atul Karwal says NDRF is ready for all the consequences that we may have to face. Special equipment is also ready so that we can take the trapped workers out as early as possible. Our teams are ready as I hope we will be pic.twitter.com/zoSk1WBnB1  ANI (@ANI) November 23, 2023

Girish Singh Rawat, one of the rescue teams officials, has stated that a breakthrough is anticipated in the next hours. He told ANI, Rescue operation is almost in the last stage, I hope the result will come in one to two hours pipeline is being inserted to take out the workers steel pieces that were stuck in the debris were cut and removed.

International Tunnelling Expert, Arnold Dix has also reached the Silkyara tunnel site. He told ANI, At the moment, its like we are there at the front door and we are knocking on it. We know that the guys are there on the other side. I am going to have a look and see what is happening

Uttarkashi tunnel rescuers will take 12 to 14 hours more to complete drilling and reach workers, Bhaskar Khulbe, former advisor to PMO, who is present at the site, said.

The rescue process

The rescue teams said that the workers were stuck and had to be pushed through huge pipes by means of drilling through the debris to escape.

Approaching their final objective, rescuers progressed on Wednesday, drilling through some 45 metres of the debris behind which the men are stuck.

Around 6 pm, the auger machine  which can drill through three metres of trash in an hour  had earlier run against a metal barrier. Following the blocks removal with a metal cutter, the operation continued, according to Rawat.

Over 44 pipes have been inserted after horizontal drilling so far, rescue officer Harpal Singh told the media yesterday.

We found steel rods in the debris. The machine couldnt cut those rods. NDRF personnel will cut those rods and use the machine again, he said.

As drilling continues, wide pipes are being pushed through the debris. Once it is all in, another will be welded to it to prepare an escape passage.

According to Indian Express, once the pipe reaches the trapped workers, a doctor along with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), equipped with oxygen kits and ropes, would crawl through to the other side.

The newspaper quoted its sources as saying that low-height stretchers equipped with wheels will be used to reach the trapped workers.

Another NDRF team will remain on the other side until each worker and doctors has been evacuated. The doctors will later transport the evacuees in separate ambulances that is already stationed inside.

The Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL) and Indian Railways (IR) collaborated to operate a special train to transport equipment from Gujarats Karambeli to Uttarakhand Rishikesh. In order to assist rescue operation of 41 trapped workers, a distance of 1605 km was covered, according to Hindustan Times.

Doctors and ambulances on site

However, simply evacuating the workers out of the tunnel is not enough.

They have been trapped for 12 days with only several proper meals. The temperature difference and psychological impact of this confinement is also to be considered.

#WATCH | Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand) tunnel rescue | Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami says 45 metres of pipeline has been laid through auger machine. The rescue is at its final stages. There are some obstacles,. but I hope that the workers are rescued as early as possible. pic.twitter.com/FJRkCvX8v7  ANI (@ANI) November 23, 2023

This is also why, a team of 15 doctors, including chest specialists, has been deployed outside the tunnel in anticipation of the evacuation.

A 41-bed separate ward has been readied at the Community Health Centre in Chinyalisaur, about 30 kilometres from the tunnel site, for Silkyara tunnel evacuees, according to News18. All hospitals in the district as well as AIIMS, Rishikesh are on alert, officials said, as per Hindustan Times.

The workers would go through a detailed medical examination once they reach the hospital.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and Union Minister Gen. VK Singh are also present on site.

The many obstacles faced by rescuers

Over the past 12 days, the rescue operations met with many difficulties owing to the topography of the Himalayan region and the nature of soil, leading to roadblocks and slow progress in rescue operation.

The most significant hurdle occurred on Friday when a heavy machine drilling into the debris ran into trouble around the 22-metre mark, halting the work. Repairs were made and drilling was resume on Tuesday.

By yesterday evening, a pipe had been inserted up to 45 metres.

Notably, the rescuers were working on five options simultaneously, but one on the Silkyara end turned out to be effective.

With inputs from agencies
It is well known that Hamas has constructed a series of underground tunnels  what the Israelis call the metro  underneath Gaza.

Israel on Wednesday claimed to have found a Hamas facility under Al-Shifa Hospital.

Dozens of soldiers escorted journalists through a narrow stone tunnel  which the military said stretched 150 meters  to a series of underground bunkers beneath Shifa Hospital in a shattered Gaza City.

The living quarters, located at the end of the tunnel, had an air conditioner, kitchen, bathroom and pair of metal cots in a room fashioned from rusty white tile.

But did you know that Israel has a special force to detect Hamas tunnels?

The troops, known as the Yahalom Unit, are part of the Israel Defence Force.

Lets take a closer look at the unit:

Yahalom means diamond in Hebrew.

As per Business Insider, the unit was established in 1995.

It grew twice in size post the 2014 Gaza War  which Israel refers to as Operation Protective Edge.

Yahalom played a critical role in Operation Protective Edge  the destruction of the Hamas tunnel infrastructure and the defense of our forces, which led to a significant increase in the unit, doubling its capabilities and turning it into a future engineering leader, the IDF website states.

As per The Week, these troops are experts in discovering, clearing, and destroying terror tunnels.

Also known as weasels, these specialist commandos were visited last month by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

I rely on you, the people of Israel rely on you, Netanyahu told the unit.

The team itself comprises three units:

The Yael or engineering unit

Sayfan unit which handles weapons

Samur troops who specialise in tunnel warfare.

The IDF website states,  the unit is trained to deal with special engineering tasks that are unique to it, such as the underground and hidden terror tunnels as well as sabotage.

The unit is led by a colonel-rank officer.

As per the IDF, the Yahaloms missions include:

Sabotage missions

Demolition and explosion of buildings

Sabotage of enemy infrastructure

Handling explosives

Preparing explosive devices and bombs

Neutralising enemy explosive devices

Clearing complex minefields

Locating and destroying terror tunnels.

The forces also make use of robots and remote-controlled units to avoid putting human life at risk.

Business Insider quoted the Yahalom Foundation  which comprises ex-soldiers from the force  as saying that enlistment is a rigorous profile.

New recruits have to clear a medical exam and survive a four-day tryout.

Then a long and arduous training program lasting 16 months follows.

Soldiers are taught how to handle explosives and demolition, given training in combat engineering and counterterrorism, Krav Maga, and parachuting and repelling.

John Spencer of the Modern War Institute at elite US military academy West Point, told The Daily Beast Yahalom troops have been receiving very professional training and education on Hamas tunnels for years.

He called the Yahalom unit as one of the worlds largest that trains, mans, equips, experiments and develops new ways to deal with underground warfare.

Lieutenant General Mark Schwartz, who previously served as the United States Security Coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian Authority, told the website how many troops are in the unit remains unclear.

Schwartz added that it is unlikely, given their level of specialisation, that they are huge unit.

Typically these specialised units are not large, Schwartz added.

Spencer, laying out the challenge facing Yahalom, told The Daily Beast,

The underground is a very effective way to hide your capability, protect your capability, and also use asymmetric meansas in not going toe to toe with the other military by using the underground to pop up and surprise attacks and pop back down and conserve your capability.

That is a primary strategy of Hamas.

These specialised units are going to be put in very risky situations, Schwartz added. But its all part of rooting out Hamas, and trying to find the hostages.

With inputs from agencies
Veterinary labs across multiple states are probing an uncommon respiratory ailment affecting dogs, urging pet owners to implement preventive measures while veterinarians work to identify the cause. The SPCA says there is a good chance the illness is already present in the Bay Area. Richard Vogel/Associated Press

A mysterious respiratory illness affecting dogs that was previously reported in several states has now surfaced in California, prompting animal welfare officials to caution pet owners about taking precautions during the holiday season.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has identified at least 10 cases of what is termed as atypical canine infectious respiratory disease, based on reports from veterinarians as of Tuesday.

Symptoms in affected dogs include coughing, nasal discharge, sneezing and lethargy, with some cases progressing rapidly within 24-36 hours, occasionally resulting in death.

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While the San Francisco SPCA has not observed a significant increase in respiratory disease at its facilities, CEO Dr. Jennifer Scarlett and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jena Valdez acknowledged that surveillance in veterinary medicine is fractured, so there is a good chance the illness is already present in the Bay Area.

They emphasized the importance of keeping pets current on vaccines that protect against respiratory ailments and avoiding crowded dog situations. Common vaccines include Bordetella, canine influenza (aka CIV) and DHPP (distemper, hepatitis, parainfluenza and parvovirus).

Despite these precautions, the advice is not to cancel holiday boarding arrangements for pets but to ensure caretakers are informed about the disease and are taking necessary measures to minimize potential infections.

Scarlett and Valdez recommended checking with boarding facilities about their protocols and whether they have experience with managing respiratory diseases.

Nationally, laboratories are collaborating to uncover the root cause of the mysterious illness, which, despite resembling upper respiratory infections, does not test positive for common diseases such as canine influenza or Bordetella (kennel cough).

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The cases documented so far exhibit clinical syndromes, including chronic inflammation of the trachea, chronic pneumonia and acute pneumonia associated with poor outcomes.

Based on the epidemiology of the cases reported at this point, the cases appear to share a viral etiology, but common respiratory diagnostic testing has been largely negative, said Dr. Ryan Scholz, the Oregon State University veterinarian.

The Oregon Department of Agriculture, which has recorded more than 200 cases since mid-August, is working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to identify potential causes.

Researchers at the University of New Hampshires Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory this week said they may have identified a pathogen behind the wave of illness. David Needle, a senior veterinary pathologist, told NBC News they believe the culprit is a funky bacterium that is difficult to trace and sequence. However, these findings require confirmation through additional research.

Dogs have a number of viruses and bacteria that can act alone or in combo to cause respiratory disease  and they all have similar clinical signs, Scarlett and Valdez of the San Francisco SPCA said. Most likely, what is happening is an increase in one or combo of the usual pathogens with a whole lot more media attention.

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Kurt Williams, director of the Oregon Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at Oregon State University, said that while some dogs have died, without a reliable way to track the infections, it is unclear if the disease is widespread. His advice to dog owners is, Dont panic.

With a record number of Americans expected to travel during the holiday season, experts advise keeping dogs away from crowded areas where viruses and bacteria are more likely to spread and discourage sharing toys and water bowls in public places. Sick dogs should be kept at home.
A week ago, OpenAI was riding high on a string of victories that established it as a model of accountability, innovation, honesty, and independence. But its co-founder Sam Altman was removed as CEO Friday in a sudden and mostly unexplained exit that stunned the industry, only to return on Wednesday.

The world is watching the developments at OpenAI. The decisions of the board at this vital point will define the course of AI development.

Analysts believe, Altmans firing left a leadership deficit that recognised the delicate balance between innovation and responsibility. And his quick return guarantees the continuity of leadership that has propelled OpenAI to its current position of dominance.

If Altman did not return, 95 per cent of OpenAIs 770 employees, including the CTO and other top leaders, threatened to leave and join Microsoft.

If that happened, OpenAI would be nothing more than a shell of its former self.

And while his chief executive title was swiftly reinstated just days later, a lot of questions are still up in the air.

If youre just catching up on the OpenAI saga and whats at stake for the artificial intelligence space as a whole, youve come to the right place.

Heres a rundown of what you need to know.

Who is Sam Altman and how did he rise to fame?

Altman is co-founder of OpenAI, the San Francisco-based company behind ChatGPT (yes, the chatbot thats seemingly everywhere today  from schools to health care).

The explosion of ChatGPT since its arrival one year ago propelled Altman into the spotlight of the rapid commercialisation of generative AI  which can produce novel imagery, passages of text and other media. And as he became Silicon Valleys most sought-after voice on the promise and potential dangers of this technology, Altman helped transform OpenAI into a world-renowned startup.

Also Read: Fired and then rehired: The many twists and turns in Sam Altman-OpenAI saga

But his position at OpenAI hit some rocky turns in a whirlwind that was the past week. Altman was fired as CEO Friday  and days later, he was back on the job with a new board of directors.

Within that time, Microsoft, which has invested billions of dollars in OpenAI and has rights to its existing technology, helped drive Altmans return, quickly hiring him as well as another OpenAI co-founder and former president, Greg Brockman, who quit in protest after the CEOs ousting. Meanwhile, hundreds of OpenAI employees threatened to resign.

Both Altman and Brockman celebrated their returns to the company in posts on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, early Wednesday.

Why does his removal  and reinstatement  matter?

Theres a lot that remains unknown about Altmans initial ousting. Fridays announcement said he was not consistently candid in his communications with the then-board of directors, which refused to provide more specific details.

Regardless, the news sent shockwaves throughout the AI world  and, because OpenAI and Altman are such leading players in this space, may raise trust concerns around a burgeoning technology that many people still have questions about.

The OpenAI episode shows how fragile the AI ecosystem is right now, including addressing AIs risks, said Johann Laux, an expert at the Oxford Internet Institute focusing on human oversight of artificial intelligence.

The turmoil also accentuated the differences between Altman and members of the companys previous board, who have expressed various views on the safety risks posed by AI as the technology advances.

Multiple experts add that this drama highlights how it should be governments  and not big tech companies  that should be calling the shots on AI regulation, particularly for fast-evolving technologies like generative AI.

The events of the last few days have not only jeopardized OpenAIs attempt to introduce more ethical corporate governance in the management of their company, but it also shows that corporate governance alone, even when well-intended, can easily end up cannibalised by other corporates dynamics and interests, said Enza Iannopollo, principal analyst at Forrester.

The lesson, Iannopollo said, is that companies cant alone deliver the level of safety and trust in AI that society needs. Rules and guardrails, designed with companies and enforced by regulators with rigor, are crucial if we are to benefit from AI, he added.

What is generative AI? How is it being regulated?

Unlike traditional AI, which processes data and completes tasks using predetermined rules, generative AI (including chatbots like ChatGPT) can create something new.

Tech companies are still leading the show when it comes to governing AI and its risks, while governments around the world work to catch up.

In the European Union, negotiators are putting the final touches on whats expected to be the worlds first comprehensive AI regulations. But theyve reportedly been bogged down over whether and how to include the most contentious and revolutionary AI products, the commercialised large-language models that underpin generative AI systems including ChatGPT.

Chatbots were barely mentioned when Brussels first laid out its initial draft legislation in 2021, which focused on AI with specific uses. But officials have been racing to figure out how to incorporate these systems, also known as foundation models, into the final version.

Meanwhile, in the US, President Joe Biden signed an ambitious executive order last month seeking to balance the needs of cutting-edge technology companies with national security and consumer rights.

The order  which will likely need to be augmented by congressional action  is an initial step that is meant to ensure that AI is trustworthy and helpful, rather than deceptive and destructive. It seeks to steer how AI is developed so that companies can profit without putting public safety in jeopardy.

With inputs from AP
China is infamous for giving the world COVID-19. It kept the virus which reportedly originated in Wuhan under wraps and what followed was a pandemic that brought countries to a standstill. Now once again, the Communist nation is under the scanner for another illness: A pneumonia outbreak has escalated in Chinese cities, including the capital Beijing, and hospitals are overwhelmed with sick children, according to reports in the media.

It sounds like a story we have heard before. How bad is Chinas pneumonia up-surge? Is another pandemic in the making? We explain.

What do we know about pneumonia cases in China?

Like in the case of COVID-19, scientists have once again raised alarm. ProMED, a publicly available surveillance system that monitors disease outbreaks worldwide, issued a public notification on Tuesday reporting an undiagnosed pneumonia in children in China. This is the same body that drew the attention of the World Health Organization (WHO) toward a mystery virus in the country in December 2019  it turned out to be Sars-Cov-2 (the novel coronavirus).

Its latest post is based on a report by Taiwanese news website FTV News, which said that children were flooding hospitals in Beijing and Liaoning, a coastal province in northeast China, with symptoms of high fever and inflammation of the lungs but no cough. Hospitals, the post said, were struggling to cope with the influx of children suffering from pneumonia.

Beijing Childrens Hospital was overcrowded with parents and children seeking treatment, ProMED said in its note.

Wei, a Beijing citizen, told FTV News, Many, many are hospitalised They dont cough and have no symptoms. They just have a high temperature (fever) and many develop pulmonary nodules.

You are not allowed to report to school. If you have symptoms such as fever, cold, cough and then you are hospitalized you can ask for leave, he added.

The situation in Liaoning province is also serious. The lobby of Dalian Childrens Hospital is full of sick children receiving intravenous drips. There are also queues of patients at the traditional Chinese medicine hospitals and the central hospitals, it added.

ProMed quotes a staff member of Dalian Central Hospital as saying, Patients have to wait in line for two hours, and we are all in the emergency department and there are no general outpatient clinics.

Classes in some schools have been cancelled. Its not only the students who are sick but also the teachers, according to the ProMed statement.

Epidemiologist Eric-Feigl-Dingh shared videos, which he claims are from hospitals in China along with messages from residents in a long thread on X. In the post, he says that the illness started surging in October. The pneumonia started surging in October doctors noted also that: Compared to previous years, we found more patients with mixed infections, **drug resistance**, he wrote on X.

UNDIAGNOSED PNEUMONIA OUTBREAKAn emerging large outbreak of pneumonia in China, with pediatric hospitals in Beijing, Liaoning overwhelmed with sick children, & many schools suspended. Beijing Children's Hospital overflowing. on what we know so far:pic.twitter.com/hmgsQO4NEZ  Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) November 22, 2023

In the editors note, ProMed concluded, This report suggests a widespread outbreak of an undiagnosed respiratory illness ... It is not at all clear when this outbreak started as it would be unusual for so many children to be affected so quickly.

It is too early to project whether this could be another pandemic it added.

What has China said so far?

The state-run China Daily reported a month ago that hospitals were seeing a surge in infections of mycoplasma pneumoniae, a pathogen that commonly causes respiratory illnesses among young children.

Experts have said that the outbreak will likely remain at a peak for another month and suggested families not panic but take necessary precautions such as wearing masks and seeking treatment promptly, the report said. The symptoms of the disease usually include a sore throat, fatigue, fever and a lingering cough that can last for months, and the infection is most commonly treated with antibiotics.

Zhou Huixia, director of the childrens medical centre at the Seventh Medical Center of the Chinese PLA General Hospital, was quoted as saying by China Daily that the number of infections resulting in hospital visits has been rising since May and increased rapidly since August. The wave has appeared particularly ferocious since the National Day holiday in early October Compared to previous years, we found more patients with mixed infections, drug resistance and lobar pneumonia.

This wave is intense, and we are expecting to experience the peak of the outbreak throughout the next month, she added.

Beijing's National Health Commission told reporters last week that the respiratory illness spike was due to the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions and the circulation of known pathogens, including influenza and common bacterial infections that affect children.

China's capital has entered a high incidence season of respiratory infectious diseases, Wang Quanyi, deputy director and chief epidemiological expert at the Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention, told state-run outlet Beijing News on Wednesday, according to AFP.

Beijing is currently showing a trend of multiple pathogens coexisting, he added.

What has the WHO said?

The World Health Organization (WHO) has asked China for more data on the respiratory illness.

Northern China has reported an increase in influenza-like illness since mid-October when compared to the same period in the previous three years, according to the WHO. WHO has made an official request to China for detailed information on an increase in respiratory illnesses and reported clusters of pneumonia in children, the UN health body said in a statement on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, WHO has recommended that Chinese residents reduce the risk of respiratory illness, which includes recommended vaccination. Keeping distance from people who are ill, staying at home when ill, getting tested, wearing masks and washing hands regularly are part of the guidelines.

Are there reasons to worry?

Mycoplasma pneumoniae is also known as walking pneumonia and it generally affects children. In severe cases, it can deteriorate into pneumonia, according to a report in The Telegraph, UK.

The recent surge has raised concerns about antibiotic resistance, as the bacteria are increasingly sidestepping macrolides, a preferred class of drug. China, the report says, has the worlds highest rate of resistance.

The Telegraph article points to a study from February 2022 that macrolide resistance was identified in more than 80 per cent of mycoplasma pneumoniae in children in China who were hospitalised with the infection.

However, experts say that few children have died from the disease yet. There is a steady number of patients developing severe cases, but there are very few critical cases, and there are no related deaths so far, Hua Shaodong, a paediatrician at the Beijing Childrens Hospital, was quoted as saying by China Daily.

With inputs from agencies
During a four-day ceasefire in conflict in Gaza, the Israeli government stated it would release 150 Palestinian inmates in exchange for the release of 50 Hamas hostages.

The deal between the Israeli government and Hamas was brokered by Qatar. The United States has also played an important role in the negotiations during the last six weeks.

Following the announcement of the agreement, Israels Justice Ministry produced a list of 300 Palestinian detainees who could be set free under the agreement.

The timing of the prospective deal is unknown, and the hostage release would not begin before Friday, according to Tzachi Hanegbi, director of Israels National Security Council.

Heres what we know about the Palestinians on the list and their possible release.

Who are the people likely to be released?

Under the terms of the deal, the first phase will see 50 Israeli hostages released over the course of four days, with 150 security detainees to be freed in response.

An AFP examination of the names found that 33 were women, 123 were boys under 18, and 144 were 18-year-old men.

The youngest was 14-year-old Adam Abuda Hassan Gheit from annexed east Jerusalem, who was arrested in May for hostile sabotage activity, attacking a police officer and throwing stones.

The oldest was a 59-year-old woman called Hanan Salah Abdallah Barghuti, who was arrested in September for Hamas activity including money transfers, it said.

It identified 49 as Hamas members, 60 as belonging to Fatah, the party which leads the Palestinian Authority in the occupied West Bank, and 17 as being affiliated with the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).

The others had no affiliation specified.

The most prominent individual on the list is Israa Jaabis, 38, who was convicted of detonating a gas cylinder in her car at a checkpoint in 2015, wounding a police officer. She was sentenced to 11 years in prison.

What are the terms of the deal?

The ceasefire will take place first, allowing Hamas fighters to gather the first batch of 50 hostages for release to the International Committee of the Red Cross, most likely in small groups.

In exchange, Israel would release 150 Palestinian detainees.

Also Read: How Israels Unit 504 is uncovering Hamas presence in Gaza

If Hamas agrees to free more hostages, Israel could free more prisoners from the list, the ratio being three prisoners to each hostage.

Israeli rights group HaMoked welcomed the deal.

Holding people as hostages is itself illegal, a war crime, and Hamas should release all the hostages unconditionally, its executive director Jessica Montell said in a statement, adding it was appropriate that Israel release prisoners and detainees to advance this goal.

Most of those to be released were detainees still awaiting trial, on charges that range from incitement to stone-throwing to attempted murder, she said, adding that the list also included women and teenagers held without charge or trial in so-called administrative detention.

These people should also have been released unconditionally, so a deal to release Israeli hostages and Palestinian administrative detainees is doubly welcome, she said.

Israel has also stated that the ceasefire would be prolonged by one day for every 10 additional hostages returned by Hamas.

Following the release of Hamas hostages, aid deliveries to Gaza will also considerably increase. After the release, hundreds of trucks carrying humanitarian aid and fuel are anticipated to enter Gaza from Egypt.

What are these prisoners guilty of?

The persons on the list are accused of crimes ranging from throwing stones to attempted murder, according to the Washington Post, but it is unclear how serious many of the accusations are.

The entries on the list describe the accusations with little information, and many of the people named have not been formally sentenced, suggesting that they did not stand trial, reports the Post.

Also Read: Israel-Hamas war: What the world can learn from India

Human rights organisations have expressed concern over a lack of due process in Israels judicial system, particularly in the countrys military courts.

Many of the women on the list are accused of stabbings in high-profile incidents.

Nafoz Hamad, the youngest woman on the list, was found guilty of attempted murder after stabbing her neighbour in East Jerusalem, as per the Washington Post. Another lady was arrested for reportedly using scissors to harm an Israeli soldier.

The Israeli government has refused to release murderers, but a number of persons accused of attempted murder have been identified.

Some people are identified as members of Palestinian militant groups like Hamas and Islamic Jihad, although how that connection is assessed is unclear. One of the 14-year-old boys is listed as a member of Hamas.

With inputs from AFP
The operation to rescue 41 workers trapped in the under-construction Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhands Uttarkashi that collapsed on 12 November is underway at a war footing.

The NDRF, which is working in the rescue of trapped labourers, said it is hopeful that by the end of the day, if we do not get any obstacles, the rescue operation will be completed.

#WATCH | Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand) tunnel rescue | DG NDRF, Atul Karwal says Auger machine has started operating again. We are estimating to send 2-3 pipes of 6 metres inside. Hopefully, by the end of the day, if we do not get any obstacles, the rescue operation will be pic.twitter.com/OMuwxBf5i5  ANI (@ANI) November 23, 2023

Meanwhile, Bhaskar Khulbe, former advisor to PMO, said: "In the next 14-15 hours, we will be able to cross the 60-metre mark. It will take 12-14 hours more for us to reach the spot where the workers are trapped and then it can take 2-3 hours more to assemble the workers and bring them out with the help of NDRF personnel."

#WATCH | Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand) tunnel rescue | Former advisor to PMO, Bhaskar Khulbe says "...In the next 14-15 hours, we will be able to cross the 60-metre mark. It will take 12-14 hours more for us to reach the spot where the workers are trapped and then it can take 2-3 pic.twitter.com/8KU8XrhaY9  ANI (@ANI) November 23, 2023

KS Nagnyal, IG Garhwal Range, said: "The attempt at rescue is under progress and rescue is expected to be carried out very soon...It is machinery work so a stipulated time can't be decided...The rescue work will go on at night as well."

#WATCH | Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand) tunnel rescue | IG Garhwal Range, KS Nagnyal says, "The attempt at rescue is under progress and rescue is expected to be carried out very soon...It is machinery work so a stipulated time can't be decided...The rescue work will go on at night as pic.twitter.com/988D3b4deb  ANI (@ANI) November 23, 2023

Talking to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and Union Minister V K Singh (Retd), the trapped workers said "they are fine".

#WATCH | Pipeline laid inside Uttarkashi's Silkyara tunnel to rescue 41 trapped workers. The obstruction that had come in the way of the augur drilling machine was cut and a path ahead was made. pic.twitter.com/AQmcPRSXk8  ANI (@ANI) November 23, 2023

"All the necessary medicines have been sent. Our psychiatrists and mental health doctors have also had a conversation with the 41 trapped workers. They do not have any problem inside," Neeraj Khairwal, Uttarakhand Secretary and Nodal Officer for Silkayara rescue operation, said.

#WATCH | Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand) tunnel rescue | Uttarakhand Secretary and Nodal Officer for Silkayara rescue operation Neeraj Khairwal, says "Uttarakhand CM and Union Minister General VK Singh (Retd) had a conversation with the workers trapped inside. Their morale is high. The pic.twitter.com/sOTj1ZAHoo  ANI (@ANI) November 23, 2023

It is being said the operation to rescue 41 labourers trapped in the tunnel in Uttarkashi has reached its final stage after 12 days, but what will happen after their safe evacuation, is what most of us are willing to know.

Green corridor for movement

Arpan Yaduvanshi, SP, Uttarkashi said there will be a green corridor for the movement of the 41 workers after they are rescued.

"Our post-rescue action plan is ready. We have prepared final details about where to take them (rescued workers), how to take them. We will have a green corridor in place for their movement," Yaduvanshi said.

VIDEO | "Our post-rescue action plan is ready. We have prepared final details about where to take them (rescued workers), how to take them. We will have a green corridor in place for their movement," says Uttarkashi SP Arpan Yaduvanshi on Silkyara Tunnel rescue work. pic.twitter.com/5JT0rwt7TT  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) November 23, 2023

Beds ready at AIIMS Rishikesh

There is a plan to take the rescued workers to AIIMS Rishikesh if needed, said Dr Narinder Kumar, Hospital Administration, AIIMS Rishikesh.

"The government has made arrangements at the district hospital in Uttarkashi. They will be taken there first. We have also made arrangements here. Trauma, ICU beds have been reserved for them," Dr Kumar added.

#WATCH | Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand) tunnel rescue | Dr Narinder Kumar, Hospital Administration, AIIMS Rishikesh, says, "If needed, there is a plan to bring the rescued people to AIIMS Rishikesh. The government has made arrangements at the district hospital in Uttarkashi. They will pic.twitter.com/PLUdSkjiGp  ANI (@ANI) November 23, 2023

41 ambulances at spot

Ambulances are on standby to ferry rescued workers to hospitals.

"We will have at least one ambulance per person along with his attendant in it," Dr RCS Pawar, Chief Medical Officer to Uttarkashi, said.

Of the 41 ambulances, 31 are of '108', while the other 10 have been provided by the administration."

"A total of 31 ambulances are here. Out of 31 ambulances, seven are ALS, while others are BLS. ALS stands for advanced life support, and BLS is basic life support. 27 ambulances are here, and there are five ambulances near the tunnel... All the ambulances are well equipped, it's like a mini emergency," Mukesh Nautiyal, Project Manager, Operation 108 Ambulance said.

#WATCH | Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand) tunnel rescue | Project Manager, Operation 108 Ambulance, Mukesh Nautiyal says, "A total of 31 ambulances are here. Out of 31 ambulances, 7 are ALS, while others are BLS. ALS stands for advanced life support, and BLS is basic life support. 27 pic.twitter.com/HQr8B5Jbkt  ANI (@ANI) November 23, 2023

Serious patients to be shifted to ALS

Narendra Badoni, District Program Officer of 108 Ambulance said his team has been given the direction that as the workers will be rescued from the Silkyara tunnel, the ambulances will be numbered, and we will be informed which ambulance will go where.

"Serious patients will be shifted to ALS, and normal patients will be kept in BLS. ALS is advanced life support with a cardiac monitor, and BLS is basic life support," he added.

#WATCH | Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand) tunnel rescue | District Program Officer, 108 Ambulance Narendra Badoni says, "We have been given the direction that as the workers will be rescued from the Silkyara tunnel, the ambulances will be numbered, and we will be informed which ambulance pic.twitter.com/7UQBwuHeJ8  ANI (@ANI) November 23, 2023

Two helicopters to ferry workers

There are also two helicopters on standby to ferry rescued workers to hospitals.

Two choppers have also been kept on standby by the disaster management team at Chinyalisaur, a ToI report quoted Dr RCS Panwar, Chief medical officer of Uttarkashi.

15 doctors to monitor workers

The report also quoted sources saying 15 doctors have been called to monitor the health of workers after they are rescued.

With inputs from agencies
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held a consultation with senior officials of the Ministry of External Affairs and envoys on strengthening Indias commitment to BIMSTEC.

A productive consultation on strengthening Indias commitment to BIMSTEC. Joined by senior MEA officials, our Ambassadors in BIMSTEC countries and our incoming Secretary General, Jaishankar posted on X on Thursday.



The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is an economic and technical initiative which brings together the countries of the Bay of Bengal for multifaceted cooperation. The retreat would discuss ways to further deepen the BIMSTEC agenda and strengthen the organisation. It is an organisation of seven countries; Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand.

It is a regional multilateral organisation and its members lie in the littoral and adjacent areas of the Bay of Bengal constituting a contiguous regional unity. BIMSTEC not only connects South and Southeast Asia but also the ecologies of the Great Himalayas and the Bay of Bengal.

It mainly aims to create an enabling environment for rapid economic development; accelerate social progress; and promote collaboration on matters of common interest in the region.

Earlier in July, Jaishankar attended the inaugural BIMSTEC Foreign Ministers Retreat in Bangkok, Thailand which saw the participation of foreign ministers of all the seven BIMSTEC members. During the meeting, EAM took forward New Delhis Neighbourhood First and Act East policies, which are part of Indias foreign policy focussing on its extended neighbourhood in the Asia-Pacific region.

Meanwhile, the virtual G20 Summit was held under the chairmanship of PM Modi on Wednesday. The 18th G20 Leaders Summit was held in New Delhi on September 9 and 10. It saw the unanimous adoption of the G20 New Delhi Leaders Declaration, which demonstrated the commitment of the G20 leaders to address global challenges in an inclusive, decisive and action-oriented manner.

During his remarks after the summit, Jaishankar revealed that G20 members welcomed the understanding reached on critical issues, including the release of hostages, the flow of relief material to Gaza, and a temporary pause in the fighting.

The leaders conveyed a strong sentiment towards ensuring the implementation of the agreed-upon commitments. He also underlined the summits significance as the first gathering of world leaders following the outbreak of conflict in West Asia.

BIMSTEC members lie in the littoral and adjacent areas of the Bay of Bengal constituting a contiguous regional unity.

BIMSTEC not only connects South and Southeast Asia but also the ecologies of the Great Himalayas and the Bay of Bengal.

It mainly aims to create an enabling environment for rapid economic development; accelerate social progress; and promote collaboration on matters of common interest in the region.

With inputs from ANI.
Delhi saw another gruesome murder late on Tuesday where an 18-year-old man was stabbed by a 16-year-old boy at least 60 times on the head, neck and ears for allegedly stealing Rs 350 to eat biryani.

The horrific crime took place in northeast Delhis Welcome area and CCTV footage showed the accused, allegedly drunk, choking and stabbing the victim and later dancing over his body.

Police said the motive of the murder was robbery.

Stabbed 60 times

The video of the brutality showed the accused stabbing the victim in the face, and eyes several times, and even, apparently, tried to behead him.

According to the police, the accused asked the victim to give him money for food, but the victim refused which led to an argument and a scuffle ensued.

The assailant first choked the victim. When the victim fell unconscious, the assailant stabbed him several times before stealing his money, approximately Rs 350, a police officer said.

The victim was rushed to GTB Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival, the officer added.

The victim lived with his mother who worked as a maid.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (northeast) Joy Tirkey said a PCR call, informing about the crime, was received Tuesday around 11.15 pm in which the caller said a youth, aged around 18 years, was stabbed to death by a minor in a bid to rob him in Janta Mazdoor colony in Welcome area.

Delhi Welcome murder

The footage captured on CCTV in the area showed the accused dragging the victims body to a narrow bylane, surrounded by houses on either side and mercilessly stabbing him several times.

He then knelt down and relentlessly stabbed the victims face, and ears, face and sliced his neck as well as the head. The man paused his gruesome killing for a while and looked around. He then began to stab again.

He also kicked the victims head and suddenly started dancing for a few seconds. Later, he dragged the blood-soaked body of the victim out of the frame.

After committing the brutal crime, the man stole Rs 350 from the victims pocket.

According to the police, the accused first choked the victim and he fell unconscious.

The identity of the accused has not been disclosed as he is a minor, cops added.

The police, however, said the accused was a school drop-out and is a resident of Jafrabad.

A report by India Today quoted police sources saying the accused was involved in a murder case with the intention of robbery in 2022. The murder took place in the Welcome area itself.

As per the sources, there was a gang comprising three to four minors who committed such crimes together.

With inputs from agencies
A top-ranking Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist and two others were gunned down during a fierce battle between the Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police and terrorists in the district of Rajouri.

The terrorist, identified as Qari, was reportedly a trained sniper and an expert in Improvised explosive devices (IED) and has been active in Rajouri-Poonch along with his group for the past year.

He was also believed to be the mastermind behind the attacks of Dangri & Kandi. Qari was sent to the region to revive terrorism.

On Thursday, terrorists and security personnel were engaged in heavy gunfights in J&Ks Rajouri leading to the death of five Army personnel while two others were left injured.

Security personnel recovered incriminating materials including arms & ammunition from Qaris possession.

Top #LeT Commander alongwith associate killed in Baajimal-Kalakote, Rajouri in an encounter between terrorists & #Army #Police .The slain terrorist identified as code name Qari of Lashkar-e-Taiba outfit was active in #Rajouri#Poonch alongwith his group from past one year.  Police Media Centre Jammu (@ZPHQJammu) November 23, 2023

On Wednesday, four army personnel, including two captains, were killed and two others injured in the operation against the terrorists in the Dharmsal belts Bajimaal area.

The officials said the firing was halted in the night and the area was put under cordon. Firing resumed on Thursday morning, and two terrorists were killed, they said and added that the operation is in its final phase.

Those who lost their lives include Captain M V Pranjal of 63 Rastriya Rifles, a resident of Karnataka, Captain Shubham of the Special Forces, a resident of Agra in Uttar Pradesh, Havaldar Abdul Majid of the Special Force, a resident of Poonch in J-K, and Lance Naik Sanjay Bist of Nainital in Uttarakhand.

The encounter in Rajouri comes close on the heels of another gunfight in Behrote in Budhal area on November 17, in which one terrorist was killed.

With inputs from PTI
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited the Silkyara Tunnel in Uttarkashi, where he prayed to the Baukh Nag Devta for the well-being of the workers currently stuck inside.

In an official statement on Thursday, the Chief Ministers Office revealed that CM Dhami, during his visit, spoke with trapped workers Gabbar Singh Negi and Saba Ahmed, inquiring about their health and updating them on the ongoing rescue efforts.

The workers, in their conversation with CM Dhami, assured him that all other workers in the tunnel were safe and in good health. Dhami conveyed to them that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is actively monitoring the situation and the progress of the rescue operations.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Modi had a phone conversation with CM Dhami, seeking updates on the rescue operation that has been underway since November 12 to free 41 workers trapped in the Silkyara tunnel.

Dhami said that the PM Modi was briefed on the collaborative efforts involving central agencies, international experts, and the state administration.

Meanwhile, Uttarkashi District Magistrate Abhishek Ruhela said on Thursday morning that rescuers have drilled and considerably breached through the debris of the collapsed portion of the Sikyara tunnel to reach closer to the trapped workers.

Speaking to ANI, the Uttarkashi District Magistrate said that only a little more work is left for the completion of the rescue operation, which has been ongoing for the past 12 days.

Updating on the technical aspects, Ruhela stated that teams are addressing challenges with continuous efforts, seeking guidance from experts on-site.

While it is uncertain when the rescue will conclude, he affirmed that the state and central governments are closely monitoring the situation.

Former advisor to the Prime Ministers Office, Bhaskar Khulbe, present at the site, noted the removal of steel obstructing the pipes movement, indicating progress in the operation. According to a state government official, the rescue operation is in its final stages, and the trapped workers are expected to be pulled out today.

With inputs from ANI
As efforts to rescue the 41 trapped workers from inside the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand gathered pace on Thursday, people of the nearby villages carried a palanquin of a local deity to the rescue site for the success of the operation to save the workers.

VIDEO | Uttarakhand tunnel collapse UPDATE: Villagers carry doli of a local deity to the rescue site. pic.twitter.com/TngEYvzNCe  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) November 23, 2023

In a video posted on X, a group of villagers can be seen carrying a doli of the deity as they make their way to the rescue site amid the beats of a dhol. The villagers are also heard raising slogans, invoking the deity.

In another video shared on X, locals are seen establishing the temple of local deity Baba Baukhnag outside the tunnel where the rescue operation is on.

VIDEO | Uttarkashi tunnel collapse UPDATE: Locals establish Baba Baukhnag temple at the rescue site. pic.twitter.com/B2hMRWZmMJ  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) November 23, 2023

The locals in Uttarkashi claimed that the under-construction Silkyara tunnel collapsed due to the wrath of Baba Boukhnag whose temple was demolished by the construction company days before the incident took place on 12 November.

After initial efforts to rescue the trapped workers failed, temple priest Ganesh Prasad Bijalwan said, company officials called him, apologised and requested him to perform a special puja.

He performed the puja and prayed for the success of the operation to rescue the workers.

The 41 men have been trapped for 11 days after a portion of the under-construction tunnel on the Uttarakhand Char Dham route collapsed, cutting off its exit.

Rescue operations to evacuate the workers resumed on Thursday morning after an overnight hurdle delayed the drilling by several hours.

Meanwhile, the National Disaster Management Authority on Thursday said there could be a success in bringing out 41 workers trapped inside the tunnel in the next few hours or by Friday.

Briefing media about the ongoing rescue operations, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) member Lt Gen (retd) Syed Ata Hasnain, also added that it would not be fair to speculate on the timeline for rescue operations as it is just like fighting a war.

The NDMA member also said that the horizontal drilling to rescue workers may face 3-4 more hurdles.

He further said that 41 ambulances, one each for trapped workers, are in place at the tunnel site, and also facilities are in place to airlift workers in serious condition.

With inputs from agencies
The Joe Biden-Xi Jinping meeting in San Francisco on the occasion of the APEC summit did not signify any meaningful breakthrough in their increasingly adversarial relationship. To alter the dynamics behind the deterioration of their ties, a redefinition of their interests and policies is needed. This is not on the cards.

The US sees China as a rival, the only real one that can counter US global power, politically, economically and technologically. If the Chinese political and economic system was compatible with that of the West and China was seen as willing to become a part of the West dominated global system without challenging it as it became more powerful itself, its rise would not have been considered threatening the way it is today. In fact, this was the US expectation when China was admitted to the WTO, the West made massive investments in China, and gave access to its advanced technology.

The public and political mood in the US has become antagonistic towards China. The Biden government has taken steps to deny advanced technologies to China, including advanced semi-conductors, put restrictions on Chinese investments in sensitive sectors, monitor more closely academic interactions between the two countries, promote on-shore manufacturing, develop trustworthy and resilient supply chains to reduce dependence on China, compete with China in connectivity projects to give more options to developing countries, pay more attention to Africa, promote the Indo-Pacific concept, the Quad as well as AUKUS to deter China, and so on.

Chinas determination to build its comprehensive national power, rapidly enhance its military capacities, discard the concept of its peaceful rise, declare openly its time-lined ambitions to be at the centre of global governance by 2049, and discuss openly the dangers of China and the US getting locked into a Thucydides Trap, explains its ties with the US moving from partnership to rivalry.

The tone and substance of the Antony Blinken-Yang Jiechi meeting in Alaska in 2021 showed a more confident and combative China. Since then, Chinas Wolf Warrior diplomacy and the unsparing comments by Chinese spokespersons on US policies represent a change in equations between the two countries.

China makes no secret of its intention to end the US hegemony over global affairs. In the first instance it seeks to counter Americas strong military presence in the western Pacific. Apart from developing naval, missile and nuclear capacities of its own, this includes reclaiming and militarising islands in the South China Sea. At the centre of this strategy are serious differences over the future of Taiwan. China considers Taiwan as an integral part of China and expresses its clear intention to either achieve reunification peacefully or by force, if necessary.

Chinas Belt and Road Initiative, its connectivity projects, the strategy of gaining control over critical raw materials and technologies, strengthening ties with Iran, brokering reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran, entry into Middle East politics at the expense of the historic US influence in the region, increasing its presence in Africa, role in the SCO, the push for expansion of BRICS, are various ways in which it seeks to challenge what it sees is a declining US.

A key part of this evolving strategy is strengthening strategic ties with Russia, and together with it promoting a multipolar world.

At his meeting with Xi, Biden, according to the White House readout, registered the various US concerns about China and was unapologetic about the steps taken to redress the balance in Americas favour. He made it clear that the two countries were in competition but that the US would want to manage this competition responsibly in order to prevent conflict and avoid confrontation. This nuances the earlier enunciation of US policy towards China which laid out that the US will compete, cooperate, and where necessary, confront China.

Biden made it plain that the US will invest in sources of strength at home and align with allies and partners. Not that China is not aware of this, but the point in emphasising this was to draw limits to the engagement that the US seeks with China. With this in view, Biden reaffirmed support for a free and open Indo-Pacific, peace and stability in the South China Sea and the East China Sea, and freedom of navigation and overflight. He underlined Americas iron-clad commitment to defending its allies, which was a signal also to its allies that this US overture towards China would not be at the cost of its commitment to its allies. On the very sensitive issue of Taiwan, he warned against any unilateral change of status quo in Taiwan and called for Chinese restraint.

The US president also mentioned Chinas unfair trade practices and non-market economic practices. He was clear on preventing advanced US technologies from being used to undermine Americas national security, though this would be without unduly limiting trade and investment, he said.

Biden also spoke of Americas international human rights commitments and its concerns about human rights in Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong. At the Blinken-Yang Jiechi meeting in Alaska, the Chinese diplomat had hit back hard at the US on this point, but this time, in Chinas read out of the meeting this US critique was not directly rejected.

In his meeting with Biden and with the US CEOs, Xi chose to adopt a conciliatory, non-combative but quietly firm tone in response to the USs more explicitly blunt positions. He made it clear that Taiwan was non-negotiable and that it would inevitably become part of China. He asked the US to stop arming Taiwan and support peaceful reunification. He also cautioned that military communication between the two countries would be on the basis of equality and mutual respect. He noted that US actions were stifling Chinas development and that the US should not scheme to suppress or contain China. Both sides should understand each others bottom lines, he said, and asked the US not to interfere in Chinas internal affairs. In other words, the differences in the positions of the two countries were not eluded.

The US seems to have in mind the Cold War model of its engagement with the Soviet Union on military matters while making the resumption of high-level military-to-military cooperation with China virtually the central goal of the Biden-Xi summit. The US and the Soviet Union despite being adversaries wanted nonetheless to agree to some confidence building measures, avoid the danger of a direct conflict, besides preventing an unbridled arms race. These were the guardrails that the US put in place with the Soviet Union, and a version of these the US wants to establish with China.

The US has succeeded in restoring the high level military-to-military cooperation with China, which the latter cancelled in August 2022. This is the kind of guardrails the US wanted to avoid tensions escalating into an actual military conflict. The US-China Defence Policy Coordination talks, the Maritime Consultation Agreement meeting, and telephone communication between theatre commanders will be resumed. The aim is management of conflict, not elimination of conflict. Xi has warned though that military communication between the two countries would be on the basis of equality and mutual respect. This caveat suggests that China can walk away again if it sees US actions in the region as unacceptably provocative, such as the US continuing to arm Taiwan.

The fundamental question Xi asked in San Francisco was whether the US and China were rivals or partners. Xi knows the answer but still chose to ask it rhetorically. A top level meeting as part of diplomatic management does not overcome fundamental differences. Biden and Xi have met before, but US-China relations have continued to deteriorate. Russian president Vladimir Putin and Biden, for instance, met in Geneva in June 2021 but we see how any hope that ties would improve has been totally belied.

Xi said that If the US considered China as its biggest rival, the most significant geopolitical challenge and an ever pressing threat, then wrong policies, wrong actions and wrong results will follow. Xi expressed Chinas willingness to be a partner and a friend to the US. He spoke of win-win cooperation, meeting each other half way and handling differences calmly. He denied any intention to challenge the US or unseat it. None of this will convince the Americans or materially change negative perceptions about China in the US. This will be taken by the American policy makers as a political soft-sell.

It is argued that with Chinas economy becoming sluggish, the seriousness of the real estate crisis in the country, rising youth unemployment, the realisation that China needs the world as much as the world needs China, Xi Jinping was compelled to adopt a conciliatory discourse and do an image-restoring exercise. The US corporate and financial sector is a powerful pro-China lobby in the US and sending a comforting message to it was important. However, the fundamentals of Chinese political, economic and military strategy can hardly change.

The Biden-Xi summit sends a signal to Russia too. Russias relations with the US are at an impasse, but China, while joining hands with Russia to counter US hegemony, is also seeking engagement with the US. In the China-Russia-US triangle China is giving itself more flexible diplomatic options.

The author is a former Indian Foreign Secretary. He was Indias Ambassador to Turkey, Egypt, France and Russia. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.

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S Korea returns 25 remains of Chinese soldiers killed in Korean War

Ecns.cn) 13:13, November 23, 2023

Chinese soldiers carry caskets containing remains of Chinese People Volunteers martyrs killed in the 1950-53 Korean War to a plane during a repatriation ceremony held at Incheon International Airport, South Korea, Nov. 23, 2023. (Photo: China News Service/Liu Xu)

South Korea on Thursday returned 25 more remains of Chinese People's Volunteers martyrs killed in the 1950-53 Korean War. The 10th repatriation ceremony was held at the Incheon International Airport.

Chinese soldiers (L) prepare to receive caskets containing remains of Chinese People Volunteers martyrs killed in the 1950-53 Korean War to a plane during a repatriation ceremony held at Incheon International Airport, South Korea, Nov. 23, 2023. (Photo: China News Service/Liu Xu)

Chinese soldiers (L) prepare to receive caskets containing remains of Chinese People Volunteers martyrs killed in the 1950-53 Korean War to a plane during a repatriation ceremony held at Incheon International Airport, South Korea, Nov. 23, 2023. (Photo: China News Service/Liu Xu)

Chinese soldiers carry caskets containing remains of Chinese People Volunteers martyrs killed in the 1950-53 Korean War to a plane during a repatriation ceremony held at Incheon International Airport, South Korea, Nov. 23, 2023. (Photo: China News Service/Liu Xu)

Chinese soldiers carry caskets containing remains of Chinese People Volunteers martyrs killed in the 1950-53 Korean War to a plane during a repatriation ceremony held at Incheon International Airport, South Korea, Nov. 23, 2023. (Photo: China News Service/Liu Xu)

Chinese soldiers carry caskets containing remains of Chinese People Volunteers martyrs killed in the 1950-53 Korean War to a plane during a repatriation ceremony held at Incheon International Airport, South Korea, Nov. 23, 2023. (Photo: China News Service/Liu Xu)

Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Xing Haiming drapes a Chinese flag over a casket containing the remains of a Chinese soldier who was killed in the 1950-53 Korean War during a repatriation ceremony at Incheon International Airport, South Korea, Nov. 23, 2023. (Photo: China News Service/Liu Xu)

Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Xing Haiming drapes a Chinese flag over a casket containing the remains of a Chinese soldier who was killed in the 1950-53 Korean War during a repatriation ceremony at Incheon International Airport, South Korea, Nov. 23, 2023. (Photo: China News Service/Liu Xu)

Chinese soldiers carry caskets containing remains of Chinese People Volunteers martyrs killed in the 1950-53 Korean War to a plane during a repatriation ceremony held at Incheon International Airport, South Korea, Nov. 23, 2023. (Photo: China News Service/Liu Xu)

Chinese soldiers carry caskets containing remains of Chinese People Volunteers martyrs killed in the 1950-53 Korean War to a plane during a repatriation ceremony held at Incheon International Airport, South Korea, Nov. 23, 2023. (Photo: China News Service/Liu Xu)

Chinese soldiers carry caskets containing remains of Chinese People Volunteers martyrs killed in the 1950-53 Korean War to a plane during a repatriation ceremony held at Incheon International Airport, South Korea, Nov. 23, 2023. (Photo: China News Service/Liu Xu)

Chinese soldiers carry caskets containing remains of Chinese People Volunteers martyrs killed in the 1950-53 Korean War to a plane during a repatriation ceremony held at Incheon International Airport, South Korea, Nov. 23, 2023. (Photo: China News Service/Liu Xu)

(Web editor: Tian Yi, Liang Jun)
A bike lane runs through the center of Valencia Street in San Francisco. Businesses in the area say customers are staying away because there are fewer parking spots due to the creation of the lane. Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle

Regarding How the Valencia bike lane makes the street safer and helps S.F. environment (Letters to the Editor, SFChronicle.com, Nov. 20): The bike lane on Valencia Street has been an unmitigated disaster for retail and small businesses.

Parking has become impossible, making shopping in what was once a vibrant and exciting San Francisco neighborhood an awful experience.

While Liz Warburton rhapsodizes in her letter about how safe she feels riding, I have a different view: Bicyclists in San Francisco display zero regard for pedestrians or traffic laws. I cant count the number of times a bicyclist has run a red light or ignored a stop sign, putting drivers at extreme risk.

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Bike transit only works when all parties respect the rights of others and theres a balance of interests. That is not the case in San Francisco.

Robert Linderman, San Francisco

Recall is democracy

Regarding Alameda County DA Pamela Price launches campaign to fend off potential recall (East Bay, SFChronicle.com, Nov. 16): The claim of Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Prices campaign spokesperson that the supporters of the effort to recall Price are trying to undermine democracy is nonsense.

Nor will the recall move dishonor the will of the voters. Price will be removed if and only if the recall movement obtains 73,195 valid signatures on the recall petition, and a majority of the voters choose to recall her at the recall election.

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If Price is recalled, the will of the people will have been expressed in a democratic manner.

Kerry Gough, Oakland

Cars not a problem

Regarding Cruises CEO resigned. Heres how it impacts the companys robotaxis returning to S.F. streets (San Francisco, SFChronicle.com, Nov. 21): This article compels, once again, the question no one seems willing or able to answer: Why, exactly, do we need self-driving vehicles? Are we running out of humans? (Spoiler: Were not; there are more than 8 billion of us  and growing fast.)

The time, brain power and financial resources devoted to designing, testing, refining and programming a self-driving car clearly exceeds that of simply putting one of us 8 billion good-old-fashioned human beings behind the wheel of a conventional vehicle.

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In the tech field, an industry known for the occasional needless invention, we have an expression for folly like this: A solution looking for a problem.

Jerry Steach, Mountain View

Take care of friends

Comic strips have made me laugh, have made me angry and have given me a different perspective, but few have made me cry.

Im referring to the Nov. 17 Mutts strip by Patrick McDonald that had me in tears. It showcased a regular character, a bulldog I believe, living his life at the end of a chain but forever hopeful that things will someday change. And change they did, for the worst, when his owner packed up and left him behind.

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What saddened me to tears is that this scenario plays out in real life hundreds, possibly thousands, of times a day around the world.

When you have dogs in your home, you are a part of their pack. Theyll do anything for you. Return the favor. Give them a warm place to sleep, nourishment and affection, and never, ever, break their spirit with a chain.

Your reward? A friend for life.
After Israel, Taiwan wants 100,000 Indian workers for factories, farms and hospitals. Taiwan is offering Indians pay parity with locals and insurance policies. The two nations will sign an employment mobility agreement by next month. India already has employment contracts with Japan, France and the UK, and similar deals are evolving with the Netherlands, Greece, Denmark and Switzerland. Ageing local populations are forcing these countries to seek younger employees from friendly democratic countries like India with good quality human capital.

Notwithstanding Indias One-China Policy, India has been strengthening people-to-people contacts, trade, business, educational and cultural ties with Taiwan. Despite both nations not maintaining official diplomatic relations, the India-Taipei Association was established in Taipei in 1995 to promote non-governmental interactions between India and Taiwan and has also been authorised to provide all consular and passport services. Manharsinh Laxmanbhai Yadav, who served in the Prime Ministers Office till recently, is Indias new representative in Taiwan. Meanwhile, Taiwan has presidential elections in January 2024.

Taiwanese firms have emerged as key players in Indias efforts to ramp up its capability to manufacture semiconductors needed for products ranging from automobiles to electronic items. Many analysts suggest that India and Taiwan are seeking to strengthen relations to counter the Chinese threat. The recent presence of three former Indian military Chiefs in Taiwan for a private visit had raised whats up tentacles for some.

Chinas Taiwan Strait Aggression

Former US Speaker Nancy Pelosis visit to Taipei triggered large-scale Chinese military exercises beginning on 3 August, 2022. Analysts call it the Fourth Taiwan Strait Crisis. It has also been triggered by increased erosion in US-China relations. Of late, China had started claiming the Taiwan Strait as an internal waterway. Cautious US diplomatic attempts to initiate some kinds of talks have still to yield results. There continues to be a risk of miscalculations. Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping are meeting prior to the 30th Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in San Francisco.

The First Taiwan Strait Crisis of 1954-1955 involved intense saber-rattling between US and China, and a semi-successful amphibious operation by the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) with the occupation of a few scattered islands. The Second Taiwan Strait Crisis (1958) was a failed bluster by Mao Zedong. The Third (1995) was a reaction to Taiwanese President Lee Denghuis visit to the US.

The still continuing current crisis has involved exercises all around Taiwan, and the firing of PLA missiles that flew over Taiwan to hit targets in the sea east of the island nation. Missiles were also fired on targets in what Japan claims as its exclusive economic zone that China claims is theirs. Two Chinese carriers have been taking threatening postures out in the sea.

The US Indo-Pacific Command can muster five aircraft carrier groups with F-35 class fighters and massive firepower. USA has a significant military presence in Japan, South Korea and its own Islands including Guam. It has a military presence in the Philippines. US B-2 bombers can operate from Australia and elsewhere. US allocates large sums ($9.1 billion) for the Pacific Defence Initiative (PDI). The newly introduced Taiwan Deterrence Act and Arm Taiwan Act authorise $2 billion and $3 billion a year respectively in foreign military aid to procure defence systems. Taiwan is also increasing indigenous defence production.

Strong pro freedom of seas partners

The US allies/partners in the region include Japan, South Korea, Philippines, Australia, and India. Some European countries like UK, France and Germany have interests in a free Indo-Pacific. Japan is increasing its defence spending. Many ASEAN countries have lost territory or Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea (SCS) because of Chinas aggressive push. They are therefore angry with China. Major friends of China are North Korea, Pakistan, Myanmar and Cambodia. All of these are facing economic and political crises. Russia has currently been pushed into Chinese arms, but in the long-term Russia has always been suspicious of China. Clearly, the balance of power is in the USs favour. This acts as a deterrence against the Chinese invasion of Taiwan. China is worried about a possible shift in USs One-China Policy.

Chinas lessons from Ukraine

China has closely watched Russia getting bogged down in Ukraine despite huge military asymmetry and advantage. The flat terrain in the wheat fields of Ukraine and South-West Russia is the best campaign area, but movements have been slow. The West has supported Ukraine only with equipment. A large part of PLAs military assets and doctrines are Russian-oriented. Their success is being questioned. Russia could manage the sanctions reasonably because of its self-sufficiency in petroleum and food supplies. The same is not the case with China. China is hugely dependent on foreign trade and therefore requires free seas. Any sanctions will hugely affect its economy. Already the Chip War is having telling results for the Chinese economy.

Chinas internal dynamics

After what happened to Hong Kong, Taiwan realised that there is nothing like One Nation Two Systems in China. Taiwans resolve to remain an independent free democracy strengthened. On the other side, China has an ageing population. Its economy is already slowing. Complex Chinese bureaucracy and top-down approach make evolved decision-making difficult. There is a simmering political unrest against President Xi Jinping. The fact that the foreign and defence ministers went missing and were later sacked is indicative. Chinese people are constantly under surveillance, censorship, and even repression. Also, the PLA is closely monitored by Communist Party Commissars. This affects professionalism.

Complex military dimensions

With the West occupied in Ukraine, and Israel, the strategic circles around the world have been debating if US is over-stretched, and will China invade Taiwan for reunification. While China is growing militarily, an invasion of a scale to cross 180-kilometre-wide (128-kilometre at the narrowest point) Taiwan straits has to factor in many aspects. The invasion would involve a major amphibious task force, landing and transporting of soldiers, armoured vehicles, artillery, ammunition, fuel, food, and medical supplies. Before all this can be done, China would have to run an air and surface campaign to suppress enemy air defences (SEAD). The island would have to be pulverised through a missile attack. After securing some parts of the island, airlifts would follow. The invasion would require a significant amount of preparation and training.

Continuous surveillance of the area by US satellites would mean a loss of surprise. Taiwan has created huge defences along the coast. Immediately, from the shore, terrain in Taiwan begins to rise, with some of the highest elevations in the Indo-Pacific region. More than 200 peaks top 3,000 metres and the highest Yushan is 3,952 metres. Taiwanese air defence radars can not only look deep into China, but they are also well prepared for a possible invasion. Implementing an air or maritime blockade would not be easy with a heavy US presence in the region. Any invasion would mean unacceptable losses for the PLA. At any given time, there are around two aircraft carrier groups in the region. US and its allies are carrying out a large number of military exercises in the region to improve interoperability. USs commitment to defend Taiwan is very significant as per the Taiwan Relations Act. Chinas military still has limitations in range and reach to take on a possible US and Japanese intervention. Based on CCP propaganda, the world seems to overestimate Chinas ability on the technological and military fronts. Taiwanese resolve to uphold sovereignty and liberty is steadfast. Effectively, short of invasion, China would like to keep aggressive posturing so as to extract concessions from the US. Conversely, US cannot be seen giving in to coercion.

US expectations from India

India is today a leader of the Global South and a rising economy and significant military power. US Indo-Pacific strategy hinges on the contribution by India to check China and act as a bulwark and pressure point. But historically India has maintained non-alignment and strategic autonomy. Also, India continues to be linked significantly with Russia for arms supplies. Therefore, any expectations from India have to be realistic for the foreseeable future.

Chinas unprovoked actions in Galwan in 2020 have angered 1.4 billion people and pushed India closer to the US and the other partners in the Indo-Pacific. Similarly, many ASEAN countries are not happy with China, though helpless for the moment. Alliances and partnerships with Indo-Pacific countries are crucial for the United States global strategy. The QUAD is a tacit anti-China alliance. Some are even calling it Asias NATO. The member countries are working very closely. They regularly have heads of state/government summits, 2+2 meetings, have interoperability agreements, and participate in military exercises with higher frequency. China is not happy with these activities.

Indias support to prevent Taiwan invasion

India is nearly diametrically opposite to Taiwan, across China. Chinas annexation of Taiwan would have global power-balance implications. It will adversely impact India. Can India continue its docile wait-and-watch approach or contribute proactively to thwarting Chinese designs in the East China Sea. Through QUAD, India is already contributing to keeping Taiwan free. The status quo on Taiwan suits India as Chinas focus remains eastward. With significant Indian military forces continuing to face the PLA across the Himalayas, China is conscious of its military being already committed to its southwestern border. Indias gradual but deliberate efforts to delink from Chinese supply chains will soon start affecting the Chinese economy. Indias growing economic and technological contacts with Taiwan are also somewhat helplessly being watched by China.

Events in Taiwan have a much greater impact on India than that in Ukraine. The time has come for Indias strategic community to discuss how China can be prevented from adventurism over Taiwan. Also, if it inevitably happens, how it will impact Indias security and economy. Clearly, larger Chinese military assets will then move towards the Line of Actual Control (LAC). China could also become aggressive in its further claims in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh. PLA navy will also be free to move in larger numbers to the Indian Ocean. Japan, South Korea, Australia, India and ASEAN will then be impacted by Chinas hegemony. Some countries like Japan and Australia may even seek US nuclear umbrella to deter China. It is thus in Indias interest to support forces that will strengthen Taipei and prevent a Taiwan invasion.

The writer is Director General, Centre for Air Power Studies.Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.

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In a significant development in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, a breakthrough has finally been achieved through diplomatic efforts. The truce is set to unfold in two phases, offering a temporary pause in the hostilities.

Phase One: Prisoner exchange and humanitarian aid

The initial phase involves a prisoner exchange between Hamas and Israel. Hamas will release 50 Israeli hostages, specifically women and children, while Israel reciprocates by freeing 150 Palestinian prisoners, also comprising women and children. This exchange is scheduled to take place over four days, during which a ceasefire will be implemented, bringing a temporary halt to the conflict.

Additionally, Israel will permit the entry of 300 aid trucks into Gaza, providing much-needed relief to the region. Fuel supplies to Gaza will also be increased, addressing some of the pressing humanitarian concerns.

While this phase is generally seen as positive news, families of the hostages are grappling with uncertainty, not knowing who among their loved ones will be released. The emotional toll on these families is evident, as expressed by a grandmother and the father of hostages in Gaza.

When I heard this solution that the government make with Hamas I feel so disappointed because I dont know if my Gali will be with this list that will go home, and I want her as soon as possible and this feeling maybe it not will be.. its making me very sad at this moment, said grandmother Kameilia Hotel Ishay whose granddaughter Gali Tarshansky is a hostage in Gaza.

Father of Amit Shani, hostage in Gaza, Nir Shani, said, Any person who will be released is good it is important. Eventually we need them all but if it had to be slice by slice so be it.

Phase Two: Complex negotiations and conditional ceasefire

The second phase introduces a more intricate dynamic. Hamas has the flexibility to release additional hostages, the exact number remaining unspecified. Israel, in turn, conditions the duration of the ceasefire on the number of hostages released by Hamas. For every 10 hostages released, there will be a one-day pause in fighting. The ball is effectively in Hamass court, determining the length of the ceasefire based on their actions.

Diplomatic endeavours: Four key players

Behind this breakthrough, a diplomatic effort involving four main parties played a crucial role. Israel, Hamas, the United States and Qatar were actively involved in negotiations. Qatar, acting as a mediator, assumed a significant role due to its positive relations with both Hamas and the US.

The United States, with 10 of its citizens held as hostages, had a direct stake in the negotiations. The Biden administration played an active role in the talks, emphasizing the importance of resolving the crisis.

Mixed reactions and ongoing challenges

While the temporary pause in the conflict is a lifeline for Gaza, there are differing perspectives on its significance. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasizes that the pause does not mark the end of the war, outlining broader objectives that Israel aims to achieve.

There is idle talk outside, as if after the truce to return our abductees, we will stop the war. So I would like to make it clear: we are at war and we will continue the war. We will continue the war until we achieve all our objectives; eliminate Hamas, return all our abductees and missing persons and ensure that there will be no element in Gaza that threatens Israel, said Netanyahu.

In the midst of this tentative relief, tensions across West Asia are escalating. Recent US airstrikes in Iraq, targeting Iranian proxies, indicate a broader regional conflict. Tit-for-tat exchanges between Iranian proxies and US forces raise concerns about a potential widening of the conflict beyond the borders of Gaza.

As the truces commencement approaches, there is a sense of anticipation and apprehension, with hopes for a lasting resolution contrasting with the grim reality of wider regional tensions. The delicate balance between peace and the looming spectre of conflict hangs in the balance.

Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.

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In a surprising twist of events, the tech world witnessed a dramatic saga involving Sam Altman, the poster boy for artificial intelligence. Altman, previously ousted from his position as CEO of OpenAI, has now made a triumphant return, reshaping the landscape of the renowned tech company.

The saga began with Altmans shock ouster last Thursday, as he received a summons from OpenAIs board of directors. In a meeting with four out of five board members on Friday, Altman was informed of his termination, with the chairman being kept out of the loop. The decision led to a series of cascading events that would shake the foundations of OpenAI.

Following Altmans firing, Greg Brockman, another OpenAI co-founder, was removed from the board as well. The boards attempts to quell opposition backfired, leading to a revolt. Brockman resigned in solidarity with Altman, and the replacement CEO, Mira Murati, also rebelled, putting immense pressure on the board.

To pacify the rebellion, the board decided to reverse course and bring Altman back. Emmett Shear, co-founder of Twitch, was brought in as CEO on Saturday, marking the third change in leadership within 48 hours. However, the boards shaky decisions faced backlash from investors, pushing for Altmans return.

Microsofts intervention

Microsoft, OpenAIs biggest investor with a significant stake, took a proactive role in resolving the crisis. CEO Satya Nadella, facing the mounting pressure, offered Altman a lifeline on Sunday. Microsoft hired both Altman and Brockman, giving them positions at OpenAIs biggest benefactor and thereby establishing leverage.

OpenAI employees joined the revolt, with over 600 out of 750 threatening to quit. They pledged support for Altman and were willing to follow him to Microsoft. Altman now held significant influence, with both investors and employees backing his return.

Altman, negotiating from a position of power, began discussions for his return. OpenAI, succumbing to the pressure, officially announced Altmans return in a message on Monday.

The mutinous board members faced consequences, with all but one being removed. Adam DAngelo, an independent board member, survived the overhaul, having reportedly switched sides early on to support Altman.

With Altmans return complete, the focus shifted to the aftermath. Altman expressed gratitude to Nadella for the support, emphasizing the role Microsoft played in engineering his comeback.

New interim board

OpenAI now has a new interim board, chaired by Bret Taylor, former co-CEO of Salesforce. Lawrence Henry Summers, a 68-year-old economist and former director of Americas National Economic Council, also joins the board, raising questions about the dynamics of the tech-focused group.

Microsofts influence on the revamped OpenAI is evident, with Nadella emphasizing the importance of more stable, well-informed, and effective governance. The role Microsoft will play in the future direction of OpenAI remains a key point of interest.

The Sam Altman saga, marked by twists, revolts and boardroom upheavals has concluded with Altmans triumphant return. As OpenAI navigates its way forward under new leadership and governance, the influence of Microsoft and Satya Nadella on the companys trajectory is a crucial aspect to watch. The saga serves as a reminder that even in the realm of artificial intelligence, the human drama behind the scenes can be just as captivating as the technological advancements themselves.

Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.

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In recent times, attention has shifted to the tumultuous borderlands between Asia and Europe, where tensions are once again escalating in the Caucasus region, specifically between Azerbaijan and Armenia. The aftermath of Azerbaijans resounding victory in September has given rise to a fragile peace, but accusations of destabilisation are now being levelled at France by Azerbaijans President, Ilham Aliyev.

The roots of the current turmoil lie in the longstanding conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, these nations have been embroiled in disputes over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. The lack of international intervention, largely due to the influence of Russia in the region, allowed the two former Soviet states to engage in two major wars.

In an unexpected turn of events, France has emerged as a significant player in the region. Azerbaijans president accuses France of playing a destructive role and alleges that Armenia has become a puppet of the French government, posing a serious threat to regional stability.

France is playing a very destructive role in the Southern Caucasus. Actually, Armenia has become a puppet of the French government now, which can seriously threaten regional stability, said President Aliyev.

Armenia, having decisively lost Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijan, now finds itself in a precarious position. The international recognition of the region as Azeri territory has led to the displacement of over 100,000 ethnic Armenians, who sought refuge in Armenia. With Moscow preoccupied by its conflict in Ukraine, Armenia has been left without its traditional regional ally.

Frances ongoing support

France, under President Emmanuel Macrons leadership, has been actively courting Armenia, especially in the aftermath of its defeat in Nagorno-Karabakh. Macrons government has been sending ministers to the region, lobbying for Armenia at international forums and providing aid and supplies to the Armenians affected by the conflict.

In a move that has further escalated tensions, France has entered into long-term defence contracts and military training agreements with Armenia. French Minister of the Armed Forces, Sebastien Lecornu, emphasized the importance of protecting sovereignty and people, hinting at a deepening alliance between the two nations.

In the defence field, protecting your sovereignty and protecting your people, the French Republic, in the name of these values and in the name of the special bond that unites our two countries, we are very pleased to be able to see these contracts signed today and this defence cooperation becomes a reality, said Lecornu.

Suren Papikyan, Minister of Defence of Armenia said, Today, our cooperation includes the modernisation of the defence capabilities of the Republic of Armenias armed forces, the education and training of personnel, the exchange of experience, advisory support in the field of reforms, the armed forces and a number of other priority areas.

This military cooperation has not been well-received by Azerbaijan leading to President Aliyevs recent accusations against France.

Azerbaijans warning

President Aliyevs stern warning alleges that France is destabilising the South Caucasus by supporting separatist tendencies and militarising Armenia. He contends that Frances actions could pave the way for new wars in the region, raising concerns about the fragile peace that currently exists.

As France continues to deepen its involvement in the Caucasus, the region stands at a critical juncture. The accusations and warnings from Azerbaijan highlight the delicate balance that must be maintained to prevent a resurgence of hostilities in this historically troubled region. The international community will be closely watching the evolving dynamics in the South Caucasus and the role that France plays in shaping its future.

Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.

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In a landmark achievement, NASAs Psyche spacecraft, currently en route to the asteroid Psyche, has successfully transmitted a laser-beamed message to Earth from a record-breaking distance beyond the Moon.

This breakthrough, orchestrated by the Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) experiment, signifies a potential transformation in how spacecraft communicate and opens new frontiers in optical communication technology.

The DSOC, a two-year tech demonstration accompanying the Psyche mission, achieved this feat by beaming a near-infrared laser, encoded with test data, from its position approximately 16 million kilometres away  40 times farther than the distance between the Moon and Earth. The laser signal was directed to the Hale Telescope at Caltechs Palomar Observatory in California.

The first light milestone, attained on November 14, marked the successful locking of DSOCs laser transceiver onto JPLs powerful uplink laser beacon at the Table Mountain Observatory.

This precision enabled the DSOCs downlink laser to reach its destination at Caltechs observatory, covering a distance of 130 kilometres.

Trudy Kortes, Director of Technology Demonstrations at NASA HQ, highlighted the significance of this achievement, stating, Achieving first light is one of many critical DSOC milestones in the coming months, paving the way toward higher-data-rate communications capable of sending scientific information, high-definition imagery, and streaming video in support of humanitys next giant leap: sending humans to Mars.

While optical communications have been utilized in Earth orbit, this demonstration represents the farthest distance covered by laser beams. Laser communication, using the same-wavelength, directional movement of photons, has the potential to transmit vast amounts of data at unprecedented speeds.

The DSOC tech demo aims to showcase transmission rates 10-100 times greater than the current top radio communication systems used by NASA.

The adoption of optical communication holds the promise of enhancing data transmission for future space missions. Higher-resolution scientific instruments and faster communication on deep space missions, including potential live streams from the surface of Mars, could become a reality.

However, challenges such as maintaining pinpoint precision for long-distance optical communication need to be addressed. As the distance increases, the signal strength diminishes, resulting in longer communication lag times.

During the November 14 test, photons took approximately 50 seconds to travel from Psyche to Earth. As Psyche continues its journey, this time is expected to extend to around 20 minutes, necessitating adjustments for the changing positions of Earth and the spacecraft.

Meera Srinivasan, Operations Lead for DSOC at JPL, acknowledged the formidable challenge and highlighted the successful collaboration between DSOC and Psyche operations teams.

Abi Biswas, Project Technologist for DSOC at JPL, encapsulated the achievement by stating, We were able to exchange bits of light from and to deep space, signalling a potentially game-changing future for space exploration communication.

(With input from agencies)
As if the problem with deepfakes wasnt enough of a menace to deal with, we now have a new and perhaps more dangerous security concern, one that hits and affects a wider range of people and can potentially hold victims for ransom in a much more dangerous situation. We are talking about ClearFakes, a new security nightmare that has cybersecurity experts extremely worried.

Security experts have issued a warning about a new wave of malware targeting macOS users through deceptive Google Chrome and Safari updates. The malicious software, known as Atomic Stealer or AMOS, is being distributed as part of a sophisticated social engineering campaign that aims to compromise the security of Mac computers.

Details of this latest threat were shared by cybersecurity firm Malwarebytes, shedding light on the tactics employed by attackers.

The malware is disseminated through a campaign called ClearFake, which utilizes compromised WordPress websites to deliver counterfeit browser updates for both Google Chrome and Safari. Ankit Anubhav, a prominent security researcher, recently identified instances of AMOS being distributed to macOS users through ClearFake.

The deceptive websites closely mimic the legitimate Google Chrome download page, and a fake Safari update page with outdated icons from older macOS versions. Despite some visual clues, the well-crafted design of these pages may trick unsuspecting users into downloading the malware. The fake Chrome download page, in particular, appears highly convincing.

Upon clicking the download button, users unwittingly download a malicious .dmg file disguised as a browser installer. Once opened, the installer prompts users to enter their administrator password, enabling the execution of malicious commands on the device.

These commands include the theft of passwords from Apples Keychain and the extraction of sensitive documents, images, wallets, and other data from the users desktop and documents folders on macOS.

To safeguard against this threat, experts recommend that users employ web protection tools, such as the Safe Browsing setting in Google Chrome, to block access to potentially malicious sites.

Additionally, users are advised to exercise caution and refrain from downloading Chrome installers from unfamiliar sources. One key indicator of authenticity is to check whether the websites address bar displays google.com.

It is essential to note that Apple does not distribute Safari updates independently of operating system updates, meaning there are no official standalone downloads for users to install.

As cybercriminals increasingly target Mac owners, staying vigilant and adopting proactive measures are crucial to mitigating the risks associated with socially engineered malware campaigns.
In a case that shook the countrys intelligence establishment, a former high-ranking Canadian police official was convicted guilty Wednesday of passing secrets to criminal organisations.

Cameron Ortis, 51, was the director general of the RCMPs national intelligence coordination unit until his arrest in 2020.

He was accused of abusing his position in order to obtain sensitive material from Canada and the strong Five Eyes intelligence collaboration, which also includes Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand.

He then attempted to sell the information to those involved in money laundering activities for terrorist organisations on Canadas list.

He also informed someone about an undercover police who was targeting one of his acquaintances in Vancouver, which the prosecution claimed put the undercover cop in danger.

Ortis was found guilty of four counts of leaking and trying to sell special operational information, as well as unauthorized use of a computer and breach of trust.

His bail was revoked until a sentencing hearing scheduled for January 11-12.

Prosecutor Judy Kliewer said the Crown would seek a very lengthy prison term. The penalties for each of the six counts range from five to 14 years.

This was the first ever trial under Canadas Security of Information Act, and many of the details surrounding the case could not be divulged due to national security concerns.

The defense had sought to paint Ortis as a patriot and a dedicated member of the RCMP who acted to confront a grave threat to Canada.

But Kliewer urged the jury in closing arguments not to believe him when Ortis claimed that his criminal, self-motivated acts were aimed at some lofty and secret purpose.

According to redacted transcripts of Ortiss testimony, given behind closed doors for security reasons, he received a mysterious tip from a foreign agency in late 2014.

That led him on a secret mission to use intelligence to lure criminal targets into adopting an encrypted service set up to eavesdrop on their communications.

The tip, he said, included credible information about a national security threat that he had been instructed not to share with anyone as there was concern about a possible mole within police ranks.

The prosecution and defense agreed that Ortis sought to sell secrets to four targets of police investigations including Vincent Ramos, the chief executive of a Canadian company that provided encrypted mobile phones to crime groups, for Can$20,000 (USD$14,500).

The jury only had to decide whether he had been authorized to share the information.

Witnesses including Ortiss former boss, RCMP assistant commissioner Todd Shean, testified that Ortis was never meant to go undercover or reach out to targets of police investigations.
In an apparent reference to the United States, the southern theatre command of Chinas military said on Thursday that the Philippines enlisted foreign forces to patrol the South China Sea and has been stirring up trouble since Tuesday.

The statement came as the United States and the Philippines are conducting joint air and maritime patrols in the South China Sea, which come as the two countries step up cooperation in the face of growingly aggressive Chinese activity in the area.

The military will maintain high vigilance, resolutely defend national sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, and resolutely safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea, it said.

China claims virtually the entire South China Sea as its own waters, which has led to disputes not only with the Philippines but also with Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei. These claims have long been regarded as potential flashpoints in the region, and have fuelled U.S.-China rivalry.

The Philippine Air Force said Wednesday its aircraft had taken part in joint patrols the day before in the vicinity of Batanes, the northernmost province of the Philippines, which is only about 200 kilometers (125 miles) from Taiwan, a self-governed island that China claims as its own.

The patrols run through Thursday and also include both the U.S. and Philippine navies. They come only days after Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. called the situation in the South China Sea increasingly dire as China seeks to assert its presence in an area where multiple nations have competing territorial claims.

Asked about the patrols, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Beijings position had been made clear to both the Philippines and the U.S.

The Philippines-U.S. joint patrol drill must not undermine Chinas territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, she said.

The U.S. 7th Fleet said the patrols were part of routine American interaction with its allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

Earlier this month a Chinese coast guard ship blasted a Philippine supply ship with a water cannon in disputed waters, and last month a Chinese coast guard ship and an accompanying vessel rammed a Philippine coast guard ship and a military-run supply boat near a contested shoal, according to Philippine officials.

With inputs from agencies.
A South Korean court convicted a dissident who fled China on a jet ski of illegal entry on Thursday but sentenced him to probation, according to his agent.

Kwon Pyong travelled more than 300 kilometres (186 miles) in August on a 1,800-cc jet ski from Shandong province, navigating using binoculars and a compass and towing five barrels of fuel.

When his jet ski became trapped in tidal flats near Incheon, South Koreas western port city, he asked for help and was taken to a detention cell, where he is being kept until a trial for illegal entry.

According to Lee Dae-seon, a South Korean-based human rights activist with Dialogue China, Kwon was an activist who had posted photographs on social media insulting Chinese President Xi Jinping and spent time in jail in China for subversion.

According to Lee, Kwon opted to quit China due to Beijings surveillance of his actions and the prospect of future political persecution.

Kwon was convicted of illegal entrance and sentenced to one year in prison deferred for two years by the Incheon District Court on Thursday, essentially ending his three-month imprisonment.

The defendant tried to enter the country without a permit and is also accused of dispensing waste into the sea, the court said in its ruling, according to Yonhap news agency.

The court said it gave him a suspended term as Kwon had not committed any previous offences in South Korea.

Kwons father, who uses the Chinese style name Quan He, told the Guardian in an interview this week that his son would die if he was sent back to China.

He came to South Korea seeking freedom and equality, the father told reporters after the verdict, Yonhap reported.

Kwon has also applied for refugee status in the South, and is awaiting the decision, rights activist Lee told AFP.

South Korea only grants a handful of refugees asylum each year.

Given Seouls low acceptance rate, Kwon is also willing to seek refugee status in a third country such as Canada and the United States, Lee said.

The Chinese embassy in Seoul declined to comment when contacted by AFP.
A train derailed and released a chemical in a remote area of eastern Kentucky on Wednesday, prompting officials to advise residents of a small town to evacuate due to concerns about air quality.

Governor Andy Beshear said that local officials in Rockcastle County were recommending evacuation for residents of Livingston, a town with a population of about 200. Reports from news outlets indicated that a shelter was made available at a local middle school.

The derailment involving a minimum of 16 cars occurred around 2:30 p.m., as reported by Bryan Tucker, a spokesperson for the railroad operator CSX. Two of the derailed cars were carrying molten sulfur, which ignited after the cars were breached, according to Tuckers emailed statement. As of late Wednesday, the company was still working to extinguish the fire.

Its believed that the fire is releasing sulfur dioxide, but the amount wont be confirmed until measurements are taken from air monitoring equipment that was being deployed Wednesday night, Tucker said.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency website, sulfur dioxide can cause respiratory problems, depending on the concentration and length of exposure. The gas is commonly produced by burning fossil fuels at power plants and other industrial processes, the EPA says.

John Mura, a spokesman for the state Energy and Environment Cabinet, said he didnt have further information on the quantity of chemicals released.

WKYT-TV reported that one crew member was treated at the scene for minor injuries. Beshear declared a state of emergency in the county.

By issuing a state of emergency, we are ensuring that every state resource is available to help keep our families safe, Beshear said.

He urged people to avoid the area to allow state and local officials to respond.

With inputs from AP.
Bikers use an extension of the San Francisco Bay Trail in Albany in 2020. The bay trail includes a 2,300-foot stretch that has been carved into a bluff below Golden Gate Fields. Liz Hafalia/The Chronicle

A state appeals court may have ended a 12-year legal battle over the cost of the newest stretch of the Bay Trail, rejecting challenges by owners of the Golden Gate Fields racetrack to a trial that required the East Bay Regional Park District to pay $2.125 million for the East Bay waterfront land, rather than the $12.85 million the track owners were seeking.

The 1-mile path and 180-foot bridge, which opened to the public in May 2020, and surrounding land cover 2.88 acres in the bluff below Golden Gate Fields, which owns 137 acres on the border of Albany and Berkeley. It is part of a trail around San Francisco Bay that began construction in 1989 and is planned to cover 500 miles of pathways for hikers, joggers and cyclists.

The park district took over the sand-covered land in 2011 through eminent domain, the governments authority to acquire private property for public use. A judge upheld the districts action and, in January 2013, ordered a trial within five years to determine the amount of compensation.

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The two sides had drastically different appraisals of the propertys worth. Golden Gate Fields appraiser said it could be rezoned and used for a residential community for senior citizens, with a land value of $12.85 million. The park districts appraiser said it should be kept for waterfront and recreational use and assessed the value at $374,000.

As the January 2018 trial deadline approached, however, Alameda County Superior Court Judge Jo-Lynne Lee said some issues needed to be resolved before the case went to the jury. After further proceedings, she ruled that when the government acquires undeveloped property through eminent domain, it must compensate the owner only for the value of the land without development, rather than additional amounts if development had already been approved.

A jury heard the competing appraisals in 2019 and awarded Golden Gate Fields $2.125 million in compensation. The racetrack owners appealed, contending, among other things, that the trial had been improper because the five-year deadline had elapsed.

But the 1st District Court of Appeal said Lees actions, which began before the deadline, were the opening phase of the trial.

The park district had presented factual and legal issues that had to be decided by the court before a jury could determine the value of the property, Presiding Justice Therese Stewart wrote in a 3-0 ruling Tuesday. She said the judges decisions completed a part of the trial.

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The racetrack owners also said Lee should not have allowed the park districts appraiser to testify that the 2.88 acres of waterfront land, with sweeping views of the bay, should be assessed at the same value per acre as the rest of Golden Gate Fields. The appraiser, Dean Chapman, said the land was not buildable, and should be used as a park, because it was potentially vulnerable to sea-level rise and flooding.

That was a question for the jury to resolve, Stewart said in rejecting the racetracks appeal.

Were glad that this long episode is done, Todd Amspoker, a lawyer for the park district, said Wednesday. Before the trail section opened, he said, the land was just a rarely used parking lot filled with sand, and now the public has not only a beautiful park, for parking to get to the beach, but also an incredible trail with incredible views.

Michael Betz, a lawyer for Golden Gate Fields, said the ruling did not address the merits of the case or the jury verdict and mainly concerned the issue of whether the trial took place within the five-year deadline. He declined to say whether the racetrack owners would seek review in the state Supreme Court.
The European Unions border agency on Thursday announced its plans to deploy additional personnel and equipment to Finland to reinforce border security amid suspicions of Russias involvement in a surge of migrants entering the country.

Frontex anticipates a significant reinforcement consisting of 50 border guard officers, support staff, patrol cars, and supplementary equipment, to be operational by next week.

This month has seen approximately 600 migrants arriving in Finland without proper visas and documentation, a stark increase compared to just a few dozen in September and October. The individuals come from various countries, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Kenya, Morocco, and Somalia.

Responding to the situation, Finnish authorities, on Wednesday, began installing barriers, including concrete obstacles topped with barbed wire, at select crossing points along the extensive border with Russia.

The government decided to close four busy Russia border crossings in southeastern Finland last week over suspicions of foul play by Russian border officials. It plans to only leave one Arctic crossing point open for migrants seeking asylum. The Kremlin denies the allegations, according to The Associated Press.

Frontex Executive Director Hans Leijtens stated that the deployment of additional border reinforcements signifies the European Unions united stance against hybrid challenges impacting its member states.

Finland, with nine crossing points along its 1,340-kilometer border with Russia, holds a strategic position as the EUs easternmost frontier and a significant part of NATOs northeastern flank. There is a belief among Finnish authorities that Russias attitude has become more hostile since Finland joined NATO in April.

With inputs from agencies
In an effort to stop the flow of asylum seekers into the Nordic country, Finland will close all but the northernmost crossing point on its border with Russia at midnight on Friday, according to Prime Minister Petteri Orpo.

More than 600 individuals who arrived in Finland through Russia without proper travel documents for the European Union since the beginning of the month prompted Helsinki to close multiple crossings and charge Moscow with facilitating the flow of migrants into the country. The charge is refuted by the Kremlin.

At a press conference on Wednesday, Orpo stated, The government has decided to close more border stations today.

According to immigration authorities, the asylum seekers are from a variety of countries, including Yemen, Afghanistan, Kenya, Morocco, Pakistan, Somalia, and Syria.

In response to a request from Helsinki, the European Union border agency Frontex intends to send officers and equipment as early as next week, according to a spokesperson.

On Tuesday, EU Commissioner for Migration Ylva Johansson announced that Finland had requested an additional 60 Frontex officers, on top of the 10 currently stationed along its 1,340-kilometer border with Russia.

Following 75 migrants attempts to enter from Russia since last week, the majority of whom were from Somalia and Syria, Estonia earlier on Wednesday accused Russia of being involved in a hybrid attack operation to bring migrants to its border.

The Baltic nation declared that it was ready to deal with migrants who attempted to enter beyond authorized crossings and to close border crossings in the event that Russian pressure to control migration increased.

On Wednesday, the Finnish border guard reported that unauthorized entries were still occurring at Russian border crossing points and had advanced northward to the border towns of Vartius and Salla, which were still accepting asylum requests.

Despite an agreement that those two crossing points could only be reached by car, Finland claimed that Russia was allowing migrants to pass through them on foot.

Orpo stated, There are increasing indications that the situation is getting worse on the eastern border.

With the exception of the Raja-Jooseppi crossing in the Arctic, Finland will close three of the four remaining border crossing locations on Friday at midnight. The closure of all other crossing points for Finns wishing to enter Russia will continue until December 23.

Raja-Jooseppi is the northernmost (border crossing) and it requires a real effort to get there, Orpo said.

The government will seek to amend legislation that prevents it from closing the entire border, he added.

President Sauli Niinisto said on Monday repatriating people who do not meet the criteria for asylum had become impossible and called for an EU-wide solution to stop uncontrollable entry to Europes passport-free Schengen area.

The Kremlin said on Monday it had lodged a formal protest over Finlands partial border closure, saying the decision reflected an anti-Russian stance.

Finland joined Nato in April after decades of military non-alignment and pragmatic friendly relations with Moscow.

In 2021, Poland, Lithuania and Latvia accused Moscows close ally Belarus of artificially creating a migrant crisis on their borders by flying in people from the Middle East and Africa and attempting to push them across the frontier  an accusation Belarus repeatedly denied.

(with inputs from Reuter)
In a recent incident, Stuart Seldowitz, a former US State Department aide, has been arrested by the police for allegedly making anti-Muslim remarks towards a New York City food vendor.

The vendor, identified as Mohamed Hussein, denies expressing support for Hamas, as claimed by Seldowitz.

The New York Police Department confirmed Seldowitzs custody but did not provide details on specific charges. Viral videos show Seldowitz making inflammatory comments, including remarks about Palestinian children and offensive statements about the Prophet Muhammad and the Quran.

Seldowitz, who had a lengthy career in the US Department of State, including roles in the Office of Israel and Palestinian Affairs, acknowledged his involvement in the videos. He cited the vendors alleged support for terrorism as the trigger for his comments.

Expressing regret in an interview with City & State, Seldowitz acknowledged the inappropriate nature of his remarks, stating, I regret the whole thing happened, and Im sorry. But you know, in the heat of the moment, I said things that probably I shouldnt have said.

His former employer, Gotham Government Relations, denounced his actions as vile, racist, and beneath the dignity of the standards we practice. Although Seldowitz held the title of Foreign Affairs Chair, the firm clarified that he hadnt worked for them in about five years, and the title was honorary.

David Schwartz, Gothams founder, and president expressed shock and promptly severed all ties with Seldowitz. Many New Yorkers have voiced support for Mohamed Hussein, the food truck vendor, on social media.

New York Mayor Eric Adams condemned the incident, posting on X: Islamophobia is hate. Plain and simple. This vile, disrespectful rhetoric has no home in our city. We reject it  and were glad to see were not alone.

Hussein, originally from Egypt, has indicated his intention to sue Seldowitz. The situation underscores the need for respectful discourse and highlights the impact of such incidents on individuals and communities.

(with inputs from agencies)
A nearly full vote count early on Thursday revealed a significant triumph for the anti-Islamic populist Geert Wilders party in the Netherlands general election, a shocking swing to the extreme right for a country previously known for its tolerance.

With far-right ideology on the rise throughout Europe, the outcome will shock everyone. It also positions Wilders to head negotiations to create the next government coalition and maybe become the countrys first far-right prime minister.

With nearly all votes counted, Wilders Party for Freedom was forecast to win 37 seats in the 150-seat lower house of parliament, two more than predicted by an exit poll when voting finished Wednesday night and more than double the 17 he won at the last election.

I had to pinch my arm, CBS News quoted a jubilant Wilders as saying.

Wilders got a standing ovation when he met his lawmakers at the parliament building Thursday morning.

Can you imagine it? 37 seats! he said to cheers.

Other political parties were holding separate meetings to discuss the elections outcome before what is likely to be an arduous process of forming a new governing coalition begins Friday.

Wilders election program included calls for a referendum on the Netherlands leaving the European Union, a total halt to accepting asylum-seekers and migrant pushbacks at Dutch borders.

It also advocates the de-Islamization of the Netherlands. He says he wants no mosques or Islamic schools in the country, although he has been milder about Islam during this election campaign than in the past.

Although known for his harsh rhetoric, Wilders began courting other right-wing and centrist parties by saying in a victory speech that whatever policies he pushes will be within the law and constitution.

His victory appeared based on his campaign to curtail migration - the issue that caused the last governing coalition to quit in July - and to tackle issues such as the Netherlands cost-of-living crisis and housing shortages.

I think, to be honest, very many people are very focused on one particular problem, which is immigration, voter Norbert van Beelen said in The Hague on Thursday morning. So I think thats what people voted for, immigration and all the other aspects of leaving the European Union looking very inward as opposed to outward are just forgotten. Its all about immigration.

In his victory speech, Wilders said he wants to end what he called the asylum tsunami, referring to the migration issue that came to dominate his campaign.

The Dutch will be No. 1 again, Wilders said. The people must get their nation back.

Wilders, long a firebrand who lashed out at Islam, the EU and migrants, was in the past labeled a Dutch version of Donald Trump. His positions brought him close to power but never in it.

But to become prime minister of a country known for compromise politics, he must persuade other party leaders to work with him in a coalition government.

That will be tough as mainstream parties are reluctant to join forces with him and his party, but the size of his victory strengthens his hand in any negotiations.

Wilders called on other parties to constructively engage in coalition talks. Pieter Omtzigt, a former centrist Christian Democrat who built his own New Social Contract party in three months to take 20 seats, said he would always be open to talks.

The closest party to Wilders in the election was an alliance of the center-left Labor Party and Green Left, which was forecast to win 25 seats. But its leader, Frans Timmermans, made clear that Wilders should not count on him as a partner.

We will never form a coalition with parties that pretend that asylum-seekers are the source of all misery, Timmermans said, vowing to defend Dutch democracy.

The historic victory came one year after the win of Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, whose Brothers of Italys roots were steeped in nostalgia for fascist dictator Benito Mussolini. Meloni has since mellowed her stance on several issues and has become the acceptable face of the hard right in the EU.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who boasts of turning Hungary into an illiberal state and has similarly harsh stances on migration and EU institutions, was quick to congratulate Wilders. The winds of change are here! Congratulations, Orban said.

During the final weeks of his campaign, Wilders somewhat softened his stance and vowed that he would be a prime minister for all Dutch people, so much so that he gained the moniker Geert Milders.

The election was called after the fourth and final coalition of outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte resigned in July after failing to agree to measures to rein-in migration.

Rutte was replaced as the head of his Peoples Party for Freedom and Democracy by Dilan Yesilgoz-Zegerius, a former refugee from Turkey who could have become the countrys first female prime minister had her party won the most votes. Instead, it was forecast to lose 10 seats to end up with 24.

The result is the latest in a series of elections that is altering the European political landscape. From Slovakia and Spain, to Germany and Poland, populist and hard-right parties triumphed in some EU member nations and faltered in others.

In The Hague on Thursday, Dutch voter Barbara Belder said that Wilders victory is a very clear sign that the Netherlands wants something different.

With inputs from agencies
Germany has begun raiding the homes of people who support Hamas as well as members of the terror group.

The countrys Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said, We are carrying out action against radical Islamists. By banning Hamas and Samidoun in Germany, we have sent a clear signal that we will not tolerate any apology or support for Hamass barbaric terror against Israel.

She added that Islamists and antisemites have no place to feel safe.

So far, 16 properties have been raided after courts in four regions of Germany gave the go-ahead.

Germany on November 2 banned Hamas and Samidoun. There are an estimated 450 Hamas members in the country, according to official figures.

The ministry said that while Hamas members had not staged violent action in Germany so far, they had tried to raise funds to help the group overseas and influence the social and political discourse in Germany.

It said Samidoun on the other hand was prone to use violence  and denies the right of Israel to exist.

Earlier this week, the Interior Ministry urged Muslim groups in the country to condemn Hamas deadly attack on Israel on October 7 and support Israel.

Germany is home to over 5.5 million Muslims, making it the second-largest religious group in the country.

I expect the Muslim organisations to clearly position themselves and uphold their responsibilities in society, interior minister Nancy Faeser said in an interview with German broadcaster ARD.

The groups need to clearly condemn the attack by Hamas, and not just with a yes, but, she said.

It must be very clear, we stand by Israels side, added Faeser.

She further said that some Muslim groups in the nation have lived up to their responsibilities while others have not.

With inputs from AFP
A day after an Israeli airstrike on a house in southern Lebanon killed five of the groups senior fighters, the militant Hezbollah organization launched more than fifty rockets at military posts in northern Israel on Thursday.

One of the most intense bombardments since Hezbollah began attacking Israeli posts in the countrys north at the start of the Israel-Hamas war was represented by the waves of rockets fired over the border.

Hezbollah claims it is relieving pressure on the Gaza Strip, where Israels devastating aerial, ground, and naval offensive has killed over 13,300 Palestinians and left much of the sealed-off enclave in ruins, by stepping up its actions on the Israel-Lebanon border.

The conflict began on October 7, when Hamas launched an attack on southern Israel that claimed roughly 1,200 lives, the majority of them civilians, and resulted in the transfer of about 240 hostages to Gaza.

There was supposed to be a four-day cease-fire in Gaza and the release of scores of Palestinian prisoners and militant hostages, but there seemed to have been a last-minute hiccup.

In a series of remarks made public on Thursday, Hezbollah claimed that among the volleys of rockets it fired at Israeli positions were 48 Katyusha missiles aimed towards the Israeli army base in Beit Zeitem, which is located roughly 10 kilometers (6 miles) south of the border.

According to the group, its fighters also hit Israeli troops take-off sites and tanks.

The five senior fighters, including Abbas Raad, the son of Mohammed Raad, the leader of Hezbollahs 13-member parliamentary bloc in Lebanon, were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a house in the village of Beit Yahoun in southern Lebanon, which was followed by an intense fire.

With these latest deaths, at least 83 Hezbollah fighters have lost their lives in the last seven weeks of fighting.

Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, met with Hossein Amirabdollahian, the foreign minister of Iran, on Thursday in Beirut.

According to a statement issued by Hezbollah, they talked about the ongoing conflict in Gaza, initiatives to stop the Israeli aggression, and the circumstances at the tense border between Lebanon and Israel.

Amirabdollahian warned in comments to journalists upon his arrival in Lebanon Wednesday that the ongoing Israel-Hamas war could spiral out of control if a truce does not last.

Iran-backed factions in Iraq, including the militant group Kataib Hezbollah, have carried out more than 60 and rocket or suicide drone attacks at bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria. Kataib Hezbollah is allied with Lebanons Hezbollah but the groups have different leaders.

The U.S. military said Thursday that one of its warships in the Red Sea shot down bomb-carrying drones launched from territory controlled by Yemens Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

The American militarys Central Command said the USS Thomas Hudner, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, shot down the drones early Thursday morning. The ship and crew sustained no damage or injury, Central Command said.

(with inputs from The Associated Press)
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) questioned the international community, pointing to allegations of hospitals in the Gaza Strip being used as terror bases. The IDF raised concerns about the use of these hospitals by Hamas for its objectives.

IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari further said that Israels war is with Hamas and not with the people of Gaza. In a video posted by IDF on X, Hagari said, Hamas has been systematically using hospitals in Gaza to run its terror machine. Hamas built tunnels underneath hospitals and used them to command their operations.

Al-Shifa Hospital from above

Hamas terror complex below

Hamas hides behind hospitals

And heres the drone footage

That incontrovertibly proves it

Hamas wages war from hospitals

Will the world condemn Hamas? pic.twitter.com/xvvqErP0t1  Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 22, 2023

On Wednesday, the Israeli military revealed what it claimed to be a Hamas military facility beneath Gazas largest hospital. Foreign journalists were given a rare glimpse inside the besieged enclave, escorted by dozens of soldiers through a 150-meter stone tunnel to underground bunkers beneath Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. The living quarters at the end of the tunnel, equipped with an air conditioner, kitchen, bathroom, and metal cots, appeared to be out of use.

Since Israel declared war against Hamas on Oct. 7, it has repeatedly accused the Islamic terrorist group of using Gazas hospitals as cover for military use. It has paid special attention to Shifa, saying Hamas has hidden command centres and bunkers underneath the hospitals sprawling grounds.

We have an important question to ask the international community: pic.twitter.com/6miA6Xg8A0  Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 22, 2023

Shifa Hospital is the hugest hospital in Gaza, and its also the hugest terror facility of Hamas, said Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the Israeli militarys chief spokesperson, as bombardment thundered nearby. Hamas battalion commanders were conducting command and control, firing rockets from here.

The war was triggered by Hamas Oct. 7 cross-border attack that killed some 1,200 people and took 240 others hostage. Israels intense aerial campaign and devastating ground invasion have levelled entire neighbourhoods, and well over 11,000 Palestinians have been killed in the fighting, according to health officials in the Hamas-ruled territory.

Bent on toppling Gazas Hamas rulers, Israel describes the heavy toll as the inevitable cost of fighting militants who use civilians as human shields and fire rockets from densely populated neighbourhoods. Israel says at least some of the hostages were brought to Shifa.

Yes, we have discovered yet another Hamas tunnel, however this time beneath a civilian house near Shifa Hospital. pic.twitter.com/PbDEZQgU8R  Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 23, 2023

On Wednesday, Israeli soldiers showed the foreign journalists weaponry they said they found at Shifa, including dozens of AK-47 assault rifles, 20 grenades and several drones. Hagari said the cache was just a small sample.

The Israeli military has ploughed through northern Gaza over the past month, leaving a trail of destruction in its effort to bomb Hamas tunnel network and other targets. Hamas fighters have used the underground network to ambush Israeli troops. In addition to the tunnel it showed journalists, the army says it had uncovered another two shafts near Shifa.

Although the trip was tightly controlled by the Israeli army, journalists could still catch glimpses of life in Gaza. From outside the hospital gates, at least a couple dozen exhausted Palestinians could be seen gathering their belongings, apparently ahead of an evacuation.

Dear world, is this enough proof for you? pic.twitter.com/Z3HNDPNV3O  Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 22, 2023

What remained on Gaza Citys ghostly streets were the ruins of collapsed buildings, spewing rubble onto the streets. The facade of one abandoned building had been blown off, revealing furnished living rooms, glassware in cabinets somehow intact and mirrors still mounted on walls. Fortified bulldozers clawed through sand and gravel to clear the way for more tanks.

About 20 Israeli soldiers sat on the side of a road. They smiled and posed for the journalists cameras. Theres a great morale. Everyones ready to do what has to be done. Everyones ready to fight for the country, said Staff Sgt. Oren, an Israeli soldier said he is originally from Los Angeles.

Even when its hard, you sit with your friends and joke around a little bit. At the end of the day, you know why youre here. Hamas wages from war from hospitals. This is the sick nature of the savage terrorists we are fighting. Hamas is using the protected status of hospitals as a shield.

Hagari said that the irrefutable truth of Hamas exploitation of hospitals in Gaza is on full display to the world. We have an important question to ask the international community: What will you do to stop Gazas hospitals from being turned into a terror base in future? Will you condemn Hamas or will you continue to remain silent? I want to make it very clear: Israel is at war with Hamas. We are not at war with the people of Gaza, he further said.

IDF also posted drone footage purportedly showing a terror complex being used underneath the Al-Shifa hospital by the terror group Hamas. Al-Shifa Hospital from above. Hamas terror complex below. Hamas hides behind hospitals. And heres the drone footage. That incontrovertibly proves it. Hamas wages war on hospitals. Will the world condemn Hamas? IDF posted on X.

Earlier, the IDF and Israel Securities Authority (ISA) revealed that a 55-meter-long terrorist tunnel was found 10 metres under the Shifa Hospital complex in Gaza. It highlighted that the tunnel entrance contains various defence mechanisms, such as a blast-proof door and a firing hole.

Meanwhile, the war between Israel and Hamas has entered its 48th day following the October 7 attack on Israel.

The Huthis, declaring themselves part of the axis of resistance aligned with Irans allies and proxies, have launched drones and missiles towards Israel amid the conflict in Gaza. They also issued threats against Israeli shipping due to Israels involvement in the conflict with Hamas, an Islamist militant group supported by Irans clerical leadership.

With inputs from agencies.
A 26-year-old Indian doctoral student died in a tragic incident after being shot while inside a car in the state of Ohio, USA.

The University of Cincinnati Medical School identified the student as Aaditya Adlakha, a fourth-year doctoral student specialising in molecular and developmental biology.

The incident occurred on November 9, when Cincinnati Police responded to reports of a man shot inside a vehicle that had crashed into a wall on the upper deck of the Western Hills Viaduct.

ShotSpotter, a gunfire locator service, indicated gunfire in the area around 6:20 am, prompting passersby to call 911 after observing a vehicle with bullet holes and an injured occupant.

Adlakha was rushed to UC Medical Center in critical condition and succumbed to his injuries two days later. The Hamilton County Coroners Office confirmed his death.

Despite media reports, no arrests have been made in connection with the shooting.

University officials, including Senior Vice President of Health Affairs and Dean Andrew Filak, expressed profound sadness over Adlakhas sudden demise.

Describing him as beloved, kind, intelligent, and humorous, Filak highlighted Adlakhas groundbreaking research in neuroimmune communication, particularly its implications for pain and inflammation in ulcerative colitis.

Originally from North India, Adlakha pursued his medical education in Cincinnati after earning a bachelors degree in Zoology from the University of Delhi in 2018 and a masters degree in physiology from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in 2020.

With inputs from PTI
In an extortion case involving an ex-minister detained last month on graft charges, Indonesian police have named the head of the anti-corruption agency as a suspect.

Head of the Corruption Eradication Commission Firli Bahuri is the most recent member of President Joko Widodos administration to be accused of corruption.

According to a post on the police website, Firli, a former inspector general of police, is suspected of extorting money from Syahrul Yasin Limpo, the former minister of agriculture who was arrested in connection with a corruption case last month.

A state official extorted money at the agriculture ministry from 2020 to 2023, according to Ade Safri Simanjuntak, a Jakarta police official, who stated late on Wednesday that there was sufficient evidence to name the KPK chief as a suspect in a corruption case in the form of extortion.

Ade stated that during raids at two locations, authorities seized US dollars valued at 7.4 billion rupiah (US$477,730) as well as foreign currency transaction documents from Singapore.

Additional information regarding the investigation was withheld by the police.

Firli did not answer a request for comment right away. He declared to reporters on Monday that he had never engaged in bribery or extortion.

State officials who are found guilty of corruption face a maximum sentence of life in prison.

In response to a question on Thursday regarding Firlis designation as a suspect, Widodo stated he would respect the process of law.

Per the law, the president is required to temporarily suspend any KPK chief named as a criminal suspect.

2019 saw the appointment of Firli as KPK chief, coinciding with criticism that the agency had been undermined by amendments to the law overseeing it, leading to a wave of save the KPK demonstrations.

Firli is the first KPK chief to be named as a suspect in a graft case, according to Novel Baswedan, a former KPK investigator.

Since its founding in 2002, the commission has brought charges against hundreds of public servants, politicians, and businessmen, earning it a reputation as one of the nations most reputable organizations.
Irans Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian held a meeting with Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Thursday amid the ongoing cross-border fire with Israel since the start of the Gaza war.

The border between Lebanon and Israel has witnessed escalating exchanges of fire, involving Israel, Iran-backed Hezbollah, and Palestinian groups since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7. The exchanges of fire have sparked concerns of a broader conflict.

Hezbollahs statement, according to AFP, mentioned that Amir-Abdollahian and Nasrallah discussed recent developments in Palestine, Lebanon, and the region. They also addressed efforts to halt Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip.

Following the meeting, Amir-Abdollahian, who had previously warned of the potential escalation of the conflict, departed for Doha, as reported by Irans Nour news agency.

Hezbollah claimed on Thursday to have launched 48 Katyusha rockets at a military base near Safed in northern Israel, approximately 10 kilometers from the border.

It said it also carried out at least 10 other attacks on Israeli positions near the frontier, and claimed to have caused casualties.

In response, the Israeli army shelled several locations in southern Lebanon, according to Lebanons National News Agency.

Hezbollah maintains that it has been supporting Hamas since the latters attacks on Israel began on October 7.

Israeli officials report 1,200 casualties, mostly civilians, and about 240 people taken hostage.

Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas, with its offensive in the Gaza Strip allegedly causing over 14,000 deaths, including thousands of children, according to the Hamas government.

With inputs from agencies
Amber Hollibaugh was a celebrated activist and leader in the gay liberation movement in 1970s San Francisco. Courtesy of Donna Aceto

When the Briggs Initiative to prevent gays and lesbians from working in California public schools made the ballot in 1978, San Francisco activist Amber Hollibaugh could quickly see what was needed to defeat it.

It needed someone with a working-class background who was brave enough to go out into the conservative strongholds of the Central Valley and explain that the Briggs Initiative was not just an attack on schoolteachers who happened to be gay, but also an attack on labor.

Hollibaugh was that person, having grown up hardscrabble in Bakersfield. She was also fearless, going into Teamster meetings and union halls to explain that the measure wasnt just about gay men, but also about women. In many cases Hollibaugh was the first lesbian the male truck drivers had ever knowingly met, according to campaign documents held at the San Francisco History Center.

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Amber was a firebrand who came from a poor family, but she was so eloquent, recalled well-known activist Cleve Jones, who rode a bus to Fresno with Hollibaugh during the campaign. She was very charismatic and very articulate, and though not college educated, she had read everything. She was very good at explaining to people that the Briggs Initiative was against working-class people.

The Briggs Initiative, Proposition 6, was defeated in the November 1978 general election, and it gave momentum to the gay liberation movement in San Francisco.

Though Hollibaugh was most effective in conversation with small groups, she was unexpectedly thrust to the forefront on May 21, 1979, when the manslaughter verdict was announced in the case of former San Francisco Supervisor Dan White, who had assassinated Mayor George Moscone and Harvey Milk, the citys first openly gay supervisor.

The verdict shocked the city, which had expected a murder conviction. Outrage in the gay community sparked a march on City Hall that spiraled into what became known as the White Night riots  violent clashes between the police and protesters that injured dozens of officers and more than 100 civilians.

The crowd was angry and throwing rocks, and everyone was trying to calm them down, recalled Jones, who later founded the AIDS Memorial Quilt. Then Amber got on the bullhorn and gave a speech that said, I think we ought to do this more often, and all hell broke loose.

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Social justice activist Tom Ammiano, later a city supervisor and state Assembly member who was also there, recalled Hollibaughs speech as more inspirational than inciting. With all the anger that was happening that night, Amber was able to focus the crowd in a way that was magical for the time, he said. For those minutes, the beast was quelled and inspired by her words. She had righteous anger, and she made it productive.

Hollibaugh, who worked for years as a bookstore expert on feminism and lesbian literature, added to the genre with her memoir, My Dangerous Desires: A Queer Girl Dreaming Her Way Home, published by Duke University Press in 2000. In the author bio she is described as a lesbian sex radical, ex-hooker, incest survivor, gypsy child, poor-white-trash, high femme dyke. She is also an award-winning filmmaker, feminist, Left political organizer, public speaker, and journalist.

She died Oct. 20 in the Brooklyn apartment she shared with her partner, author Jennifer Levin. The cause of death was complications related to Type 1 diabetes, which shed gotten in her late 40s, Levin said. She was 77.

Amber was entirely passionate about everything in her life, whether it was politics, sex or what kind of beans she used in her chili, and she made good chili, Levin said. Her entire life was about the integration of sexuality into sociopolitical change and action.

Hollibaugh had been active in the New York LGBTQ political scene for four decades, compared with one decade in San Francisco. But that decade was the 1970s, when every small victory and advancement in gay liberation was crucial to everything that came after. According to Ammiano, Hollibaugh was crucial in bridging the gap between the misogyny of some gay men and the separatism of some lesbian women. Back then it was a fractured community.

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She had an ability to see humanity in individuals, Ammiano said. When it came to the differences in philosophies of the various elements in the movement, she was empathetic and nonjudgmental, and always put the emphasis on moving forward.

Amber Lynn Hollibaugh was born June 20, 1946, in Bakersfield. Her father, Ace Hollibaugh, was descended from a line of Roma, and her mother, Margaret McCune, was Irish American. Their circumstances were poor and they mostly lived in trailer parks, moving around the farm areas of the Central Valley. Though an underachiever in school due to her familys chaotic home life, she was able to qualify for a scholarship to spend one year at the American School in Lausanne, Switzerland, when she was 15.

Amber was a victim of incest, which she wrote about in her memoir, Levin said, and she left home as soon as she could, at age 16 or 17. She drifted south for the Civil Rights Movement and supported herself as an exotic dancer and sex worker in Las Vegas and elsewhere. She made it to San Francisco in 1972 and became a member of the collective that owned and operated Modern Times, a Castro bookstore with a strong feminist and gay rights orientation.

Amber contributed richly to that orientation and taught us all a great deal about sex-positive feminism, said Pam Rosenthal, a member of the collective.

Amber Hollibaugh at the New York City Gay Pride March in 1984. Coutesy of Morgan Gwenwald

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John DEmilio, a retired LGBTQ historian and scholar at the University of Illinois-Chicago, met Hollibaugh during formation of the San Francisco Lesbian and Gay History Project in the summer of 1979 and stayed close to her for the next 40 years.

We saw each other at activist conferences, like Creating Change, where shed be a speaker at various panels, DEmilio said. Once, in the summer after the White Night riots, Hollibaugh addressed the topic of police relations with the LGBTQ community at a packed San Francisco auditorium.

The title of the event was spontaneous combustion, and Amber spoke with such passion about her experience with police and the gay community that you thought the audience was going to explode in spontaneous combustion, DEmilio said. She had the capacity to directly engage and draw in her audience. If Amber was addressing outrage, the audience would feel outrage.

During her 40 years in New York, Hollibaugh was a founding member of Queers for Economic Justice and worked for the New York Commission on Human Rights, AIDS Division, and the Gay Mens Health Crisis, where she was founding director of the Lesbian AIDS Project, to advocate for women who had gotten AIDS through sexual activity and drug use, an often-overlooked population during the AIDS crisis. She later worked for SAGE, an advocacy organization for LGBTQ elders in New York.

She was larger than life, Levin said, then reconsidered her words. Actually, she was just the way life-size should be.

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In 2018, Hollibaugh was given the David R. Kessler Award, presented by the Center for LGBTQ Studies at City University of New York. In her remarks, she expressed some themes in which she found comfort as her health started to fail.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has issued an advisory for residents living in Gaza City to evacuate the region in the next few hours via the Salah al-Din Road to reach the humanitarian zone.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, IDF said, Residents of Gaza City, especially the neighborhoods of the Old City of Jabalia and Shujaiya, we urge you to evacuate your residential areas immediately in order to preserve your safety via the Salah al-Din Road until 16:00, to reach the south of Wadi Gaza and the humanitarian zone.

It added that there would be a local tactical pause of military activities in the region from 10 am to 2 pm in the al-Salam and al-Manara neighborhoods in Khan Yunis.

Hamas has lost its control over northern Gaza and is trying to prevent you from moving south for your safety, it claimed. Residents have been asked to contact IDF via text message or their official Telegram account if their path safety is blocked.

For your safety, you must stay in southern Gaza, specifically in the humanitarian zone in al-Mawasi, which allows the appropriate conditions for your protection and that of your loved ones. We encourage you to seize the time and move south! IDF said in its advisory.

Earlier today, the Israel National Security Council announced that hostages would not be released before Friday. Initially, the first batch of hostages were to be freed on Thursday.

The decision to delay the execution of the hostage deal to Fridaay was taken together by Israel, Qatar and Egypt while the US was kept in the loop about the developments.
The decision to delay the execution of the hostage deal to Fridaay was taken together by Israel, Qatar and Egypt while the US was kept in the loop about the developments.

A senior US official told CNN that more time was needed to finalise the details of the deal to avoid things going wrong.

The hostage deal brokered by Qatar will see the release of 50 Israelis captured by Hamas while 150 Palestinian prisoners will be freed by Israel.

The Israel National Security Council has announced that hostages would not be released before Friday. Initially, the first batch of hostages were to be freed on Thursday.

The unnamed US official said that there is no cause for concern yet as the list of hostages to be released in the first batch has not been received by Israel yet. The official added that worry would be warranted if there was still no list by Thursday night.

Whats the reason behind the delay?

Meanwhile, another US official has said that there is uncertainty over why the hostage deal has been delayed. According to CNN, one Israeli official familiar with the matter said that the delay was triggered by fairly minor implementation details.

Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, a spokesperson of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had earlier said, This is a complicated process which is not yet complete  it will take time and will be executed in a number of stages. I wish to emphasize that it is not yet finalized, and it may yet take time until it is finalized.

White House hopes deal gets through

The White House administration hopes that the hostage deal will come into effect by Friday as the concerned parties work out final logistical details, National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement.

The deal was agreed and remains agreed. The parties are working out final logistical details particularly for the first day of implementation, Watson added.

It is our view that nothing should be left to chance as the hostages begin coming home. Our primary objective is to ensure that they are brought home safely. That is on track and we are hopeful that implementation will begin on Friday morning.
Israeli forces have arrested the director of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza along with several other medical personnel.

A chief department at the Al-Shifa Hospital, Khalid Abu Samra, said, Doctor Mohammad Abu Salmiya was arrested along with several other senior doctors.

A report by Israels Kan public broadcaster said that Salmiya is being questioned by Shin Bet and Israel Defense Forces (IDF) intelligence. Meanwhile, Army Radio says that the director was detained as he was trying to move south of the Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile, the Qatari government has said that it will announce the exact timing of the hostage deal between Israel and Hamas in the next few hours.

The decision to delay the execution of the hostage deal to Friday was taken together by Israel, Qatar and Egypt while the US was kept in the loop about the developments.

A senior US official told CNN that more time was needed to finalise the details of the deal to avoid things going wrong.

The hostage deal brokered by Qatar will see the release of 50 Israelis captured by Hamas while 150 Palestinian prisoners will be freed by Israel.

White House spokesperson Adrienne Watson said final logistical details for the release were being worked out. That is on track and we are hopeful that implementation will begin on Friday morning, Watson said.

Israels public broadcaster Kan reported that the reason behind the 24-hour delay in the truce was because the agreement was not signed by Hamas and mediator Qatar.

No one said there would be a release tomorrow except the media  We had to make it clear that no release is planned before Friday, because of the uncertainty that hostages families are facing, Kan quoted a source in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus office as saying.

With inputs from agencies
Israelis deferred payment on nearly 3 billion shekels of loans in October as a result of Israels war with Hamas, the banking regulator said on Wednesday.

In all, some 117,000 loans were deferred, mostly in mortgages and other consumer credit, totalling 2.7 billion shekels ($727 million) last month, the Bank of Israel said.

Data gathered in November, it said, showed that one-third of those who deferred loan payments last month were customers who were directly impacted by damage from the war  those who live or own a business within 30 km from the Gaza border, people who were evacuated from their homes, people are were called up as reservists and those who are immediate relatives of those killed during the war, kidnapped or missing.

Following the attacks on Israel by Palestinian Hamas gunmen on Oct 7 and the subsequent war, the central banks banking supervisor told banks to allow for loan deferrals and ease fees for households and businesses affected by the conflict.

Since the publication of the deferral program, we have seen tremendous interest among customers, and that the measure significantly helps those who need it to get through this challenging time, Supervisor of Banks Daniel Hahiashvili said.

Following the attacks on Israel by Palestinian Hamas gunmen on October 7 and the subsequent war, the central banks banking supervisor told banks to allow for loan deferrals and ease fees for households and businesses affected by the conflict.

Since the publication of the deferral program, we have seen tremendous interest among customers, and that the measure significantly helps those who need it to get through this challenging time, Supervisor of Banks Daniel Hahiashvili said.
The Supreme Court of Israel has rejected a legal challenge to the Gaza hostage deal that involves the release of 150 Palestinian prisoners and 50 Israeli hostages on the grounds that the deal is a clear political issue to which this court does not consider its involvement as necessary.

The Almagor Terror Victims Association, an organisation created in 1986 to represent terror victims, had asked the apex court to annul the governments decision  [and] order [the government] to discuss again the terms of the deal with Hamas.

The association had claimed that the hostage deal agreed upon by Israel and Hamas would intensify the risk of the recurrence of serious acts of terrorism to which all the citizens and residents of the country are exposed.

It has also demanded to see the list of prisoners Israel plans to release as part of the deal.

Meanwhile, the Israel National Security Council has announced that hostages would not be released before Friday. Initially, the first batch of hostages were to be freed on Thursday.

The starting time of the truce and release of hostages captured by Hamas during its Oct. 7 attack on Israel has yet to be officially announced. An Egyptian security source said mediators had sought a start time of 10 a.m. (0800 GMT) on Thursday.

Speaking on Thursday morning, Qatars foreign ministry spokesperson Majid bin Mohammed Al Ansari said an announcement on the beginning of the truce could come in the next few hours. Qatar has been mediating in the negotiations on the truce.

With inputs from Reuters
The release of hostages under a temporary truce between Israel and Palestinian Hamas militants will not happen before Friday, Israels national security adviser and the US said, dashing hopes of relatives that some would be freed on Thursday.

Israel and Hamas agreed early on Wednesday to a ceasefire in Gaza for at least four days, to let in humanitarian aid and free at least 50 hostages held by militants in the enclave in exchange for at least 150 Palestinians jailed in Israel.

The starting time of the truce and release of hostages captured by Hamas during its 7 October attack on Israel has yet to be officially announced. An Egyptian security source said mediators had sought a start time of 10 a.m. (0800 GMT) on Thursday.

The negotiations on the release of our hostages are advancing and continuing constantly, Israeli National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said in a statement released by the prime ministers office.

The start of the release will take place according to the original agreement between the sides, and not before Friday, it said.

White House spokesperson Adrienne Watson said final logistical details for the release were being worked out. That is on track and we are hopeful that implementation will begin on Friday morning, Watson said.

Israels public broadcaster Kan, citing an unidentified Israeli official, reported there was a 24-hour delay because the agreement was not signed by Hamas and mediator Qatar. The official said they were optimistic the agreement would be carried out when it was signed.

No one said there would be a release tomorrow except the media  We had to make it clear that no release is planned before Friday, because of the uncertainty that hostages families are facing, Kan quoted a source in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus office as saying.

Israeli media, citing anonymous officials, reported the pause in fighting with Hamas also would not start before Friday. Israels Ynet news website reported that Israel had not yet received the names of the hostages slated for release by Hamas.

Since the Hamas attack on southern Israel that surprised the government and shocked Israelis, five hostages have been recovered alive. Israel says 1,200 people were killed, mostly civilians and about 240 hostages of different nationalities taken hostage by Islamist gunmen.

In retaliation, Israel has subjected Hamas-ruled Gaza to a siege and relentless bombardment. More than 14,000 Gazans have been killed, around 40 per cent of them children, according to medical officials in the territory.

Palestinian media reported that Israeli aircraft and artillery struck Gazas southern city of Khan Younis in at least two waves early on Thursday.

In Israel, sirens warning of incoming rocket fire from Gaza blared in communities near the border with the enclave early on Thursday, the military said. There were no reports of damage or injuries.

Need to know they are alive

Netanyahu made no mention of a potential delay in implementation of the agreement during a press conference late on Wednesday. Hanegbis statement was released about an hour after the press conference.

We need to know they are alive, if theyre okay. Its the minimum, said Gilad Korngold, who said he drew just a measure of comfort from the deal between Israel and Hamas and was among those who was still awaiting word of relatives. Seven of his family members, including his 3-year-old granddaughter, were taken hostage.

I want everybody back. But I think  and its a very tough decision  but I think the children and women must be (first). they are most fragile. You know, they need to get out.

The U.S. also hoped that aid would begin reaching Gaza in large volumes within the next few days, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said.

The 50 hostages would be released over four days at a rate of at least 10 daily, Netanyahus office said. The truce could be extended day by day so long as an additional 10 hostages were freed each day, it said.

Israels justice ministry published a list of 300 names of Palestinian prisoners who could be freed.

Hamas said the initial 50 hostages would be released in exchange for 150 Palestinian women and children imprisoned in Israel. Hundreds of trucks of humanitarian, medical and fuel supplies would enter Gaza, while Israel would halt all air sorties over southern Gaza and maintain a daily six-hour daytime no-fly window in the north, Hamas said.

The truce agreement, the first in a nearly seven-week-long war, was reached after mediation by Qatar and seen by governments around the world as potentially easing the suffering of civilians in the Gaza Strip.

Gaza is the most dangerous place in the world to be a child, Catherine Russell, head of the United Nations childrens agency UNICEF, told the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday. More than 5,300 Palestinian children had reportedly been killed since 7 October , Russell said.

With inputs from agencies
In an agreement with South Korea from 2018, North Korea said on Thursday that it would resume all military drills that had been suspended in order to reduce tensions along their shared border. It also promised to send out new and more powerful armaments going forward.

The Norths defense ministry made the announcement the day after South Korea declared it would immediately increase surveillance along the heavily fortified border with the North and suspended a portion of the inter-Korean agreement in response to Pyongyangs launch of a spy satellite.

From now on, our army will never be bound by the September 19 North-South Military Agreement, the statement said.

We will withdraw the military steps, taken to prevent military tension and conflict in all spheres including ground, sea and air, and deploy more powerful armed forces and new-type military hardware in the region along the Military Demarcation Line.

The Comprehensive Military Agreement was allegedly abandoned by South Korea, according to North Korea, which also threatened to hold Seoul wholly accountable in case an irretrievable clash breaks out between the two Koreas.

Hours after firing a ballistic missile late on Wednesday night toward the sea east of the Korean peninsula, North Korea released a statement. According to the South Korean military, the launch seemed to have failed.

Citing North Koreas failure to adhere to the agreement, a US Department of State spokesperson described South Koreas decision to suspend a portion of the agreement as a prudent and restrained response.

The ROK suspension will restore surveillance and reconnaissance activities along the ROK side of the Military Demarcation Line, improving the ROKs ability to monitor DPRK threats, the official said, referring to South Korea and North Korea respectively by the initials of their official names.

South Korea resumed the use of crewed and uncrewed reconnaissance aircraft in the border area on Wednesday, and was conducting surveillance, Yonhap news agency reported.

The suspended North-South pact was signed at a 2018 summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and then South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

Critics have said the pact weakened Seouls ability to monitor North Korea while Pyongyang had violated the agreement.

North Korea said on Tuesday it placed its first spy satellite in orbit, drawing international condemnation for violating UN resolutions that bar its use of technology applicable to ballistic missile programmes.

South Korea has said the North Korean satellite was believed to have entered orbit, but it would take time to assess whether the satellite was operating normally.

Tuesdays launch was the Norths third this year after two previous attempts failed, and followed Kims visit to Russia, during which President Vladimir Putin promised to help the North build satellites.

Russia provided North Korea with assistance to launch its spy satellite, South Korean lawmakers said on Thursday, citing the countrys intelligence agency.

North Korea had sent data on launch vehicles used in two failed previous satellite launches, and Russia offered its analysis of the data, Yoo Sang-bum, a member of the parliamentary intelligence committee, told reporters after a briefing by the spy agency.

(With inputs from agencies)
After a delay in the commencement of the hostage deal between Israel and Hamas was announced, Qatars foreign ministry spokesperson said that talks between both parties are progressing positively and that an announcement about the exact time the truce will begin will be made in the coming hours.

The Israel National Security Council has announced that hostages would not be released before Friday. Initially, the first batch of hostages were to be freed on Thursday.

The decision to delay the execution of the hostage deal to Fridaay was taken together by Israel, Qatar and Egypt while the US was kept in the loop about the developments.

A senior US official told CNN that more time was needed to finalise the details of the deal to avoid things going wrong.

The hostage deal brokered by Qatar will see the release of 50 Israelis captured by Hamas while 150 Palestinian prisoners will be freed by Israel.

Qatars foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said that Doha is working with the two parties along with the US to ensure the rapid start of the truce and to provide what is necessary to ensure the parties commitment to the agreement.

White House spokesperson Adrienne Watson said final logistical details for the release were being worked out. That is on track and we are hopeful that implementation will begin on Friday morning, Watson said.

Meanwhile, Israel has said its forces carried out aerial strikes on over 300 Hamas targets over the past day. Reuters was unable to independently verify the reports.

Israels public broadcaster Kan reported that the reason behind the 24-hour delay in the truce was because the agreement was not signed by Hamas and mediator Qatar.

No one said there would be a release tomorrow except the media  We had to make it clear that no release is planned before Friday, because of the uncertainty that hostages families are facing, Kan quoted a source in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus office as saying.

With inputs from Reuters
A four-day pause in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza is scheduled to commence on Friday morning, followed by the exchange of hostages and prisoners, according to Qatar. The ceasefire, initially set for Thursday, faced a brief delay due to a last-minute issue.

The pause will begin at 7:00 am (0500 GMT) on Friday and the first batch of civilian hostages will be handed over at approximately 4:00 pm (1400 GMT), Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari said Thursday, reported AFP.

The initial batch, comprising thirteen individuals, primarily women and children from the same families, will be freed.

Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails would also be released on Friday, he said, adding a list of inmate names had been approved, without saying how many.

To ensure a safe environment for the hostage release, Ansari mentioned a period during which the skies would be clear of drones.

Israel and Hamas, engaged in conflict since October 7, announced a deal on Wednesday, allowing the release of at least 50 hostages and numerous Palestinian prisoners during the four-day ceasefire.

The spokesperson indicated that each day within the four-day period would witness the release of civilians, totaling 50, and information would be collected to explore the potential for additional releases, potentially extending the ceasefire.

Ansari emphasised that the pause involves a complete ceasefire with no air or ground attacks, expressing hope for no violations. The ceasefire deal is to take effect in stages that can be extended and broadened. It is also intended to provide aid to Gazas 2.4 million residents.

The Israeli prime ministers office said Thursday authorities were in contact with the families of all the hostages being held in Gaza after receiving a first list of names. It did not immediately specify who was on the list.

With inputs from agencies
India was among the 125 countries to vote in the United Nations General Assembly for the organisation to develop a global tax framework. The historic resolution was tabled by the Africa Group and a host of Western countries or OECD nations, including UK, US, and the entire European Union bloc, voted against it.

The resolution was tabled by the African Group under the title: Promotion of inclusive and effective international tax cooperation at the United Nations.

It marked a historic moment for Africa and the world, the African Union said in a release.

The resolution was passed with 125 vote in favor of the Tax Convention, with 48 votes against, and 9 Abstentions.

The OECD  a group of 38 mostly high-income countries that includes the US and the UK  for decades has dominated international tax policy. However, recent years have seen growing criticism over the outsized power wielded by wealthy countries in its closed-door decision-making, including at the top levels of the UN.

The budget for the new intergovernmental tax process will be up for approval at the UN in December 2023. The negotiations between governments are expected to begin in 2024.

Meanwhile, the countries that have voted against the resolution will still be invited to join the intergovernmental UN process to develop a new global Tax Convention which begins in 2024.

The focus, until August 2024, will be on developing Terms of Reference for a new UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation. Based on these Terms of Reference, governments then will proceed to negotiate the new UN Tax Convention.

As per the African Union, the resolution represents a beacon of hope for developing nations.

It will facilitate the access of much needed financial resources, crucial for responding to the current debt crises and facilitate the pursuit of achieving sustainable development. It is also in line with African aspirations as outlined in the AU Agenda 2063, reinforcing the commitment by Member States, to strengthening tax systems and fostering tax equity, the African Union said.

The resolution is also seen as a step in line with Africas call for the necessity for restructuring the global financial system to ensure increased funding for attaining the sustainable development goals.

With inputs from agencies
AFT Pharmaceuticals Limited, Level 1, 129 Hurstmere Road, Takapuna, Auckland 0622, New Zealand

Incorporated in New Zealand ARBN: ARBN 609 017 969 investor.relations@aftpharm.com

23 NOVEMBER 2023

FINANCIAL RESULTS FOR THE SIX MONTHS TO 30 SEPTEMBER 2023

AFT Pharma reports growth and global expansion

AFT Pharmaceuticals (NZX: AFT , ASX:AFP) today reports financial results for the six months to the end of September 2023 showing continued strong growth led by sales of over-the-counter medicines in Australasia and rising demand in International and Asian markets.

HIGHLIGHTS

 Half-year operating revenue up 27% to $84 million, lifted by 24% growth in product sales and royalties across all channels and territories and $2.0 million of licensing income.

 Sales in International and Asian markets (excluding licensing income) rise 94%.

 Operating profit of $3.3 million down 6% following ongoing significant investment in research and development and marketing; spend is weighted toward 1H 24. EBITDA1 of $4.1 million down 8%.

 Net profit after tax increases 17% to $1.8 million;

 Maxigesic IV approved by the US FDA in October following on from the approval of Maxigesic Rapid in March, setting the stage for launches into the worlds largest healthcare market in the next calendar year.

 Approval in November of Crystaderm for sale in China, the worlds second largest healthcare market, setting the stage for a launch next calendar year.

 Near term rolling twelve-month stretch revenue target of $200 million in sight, underpinned by strong ongoing demand, product launches and the Maxigesic commercialisation programme.

 FY 24 guidance for operating profit of $22 million to $24 million unchanged.

(All comparisons are to 1H 23 unless otherwise stated)

FINANCIAL RESULTS

Revenue from the sale of existing products, new products and product royalties grew by 24% to $82 million from $66 million, with the companys family of Maxigesic pain relief medicines and the Australian OTC business making the strongest contribution. Total revenue, which includes licensing income of $2.0 million, rose 27% to $84 million from $66 million.

Operating profit of $3.3 million was marginally down from $3.5 million, with investments in new product in licencing and research and development (R&D), and the marketing investment in new products in Australasia offsetting the impact of

1 EBITDA is non-GAAP measure of earnings before interest tax depreciation and amortisation. It is defined and reconciled to GAAP measure of net profit after tax on page 14 of the companys Interim Report and page 25 of the investor presentation released to the NZX and ASX today.

2

increased revenue. The investment, which is planned to reduce in intensity in the second half of the year, is consistent with AFTs growth objectives and its opportunistic move to increase its R&D pipeline to take advantage of new projects now being available at attractive economics.

EBITDA of $4.1 million was 8% lower than the $4.5 million in the prior half year period, while net profit after tax increased 17% to $1.8 million from $1.5 million.

Chair David Flacks said: AFT has delivered another strong half year. The company has significantly extended its presence in international markets, while continuing to build on its strong record of consistent growth in its home markets of Australia and New Zealand.

With the US FDA approving for sale intravenous and rapid dissolving dose forms of our patented Maxigesic pain relief medicine this year, we are well positioned to establish a presence in the worlds largest healthcare market and a truly global footprint.

Co-Founder and Managing Director Dr Hartley Atkinson said: We are pleased with our progress. We have delivered strong growth across all territories, but especially in our International and Asian businesses, where the barriers present during the pandemic have receded.

Our Asian business operating revenue grew 50% supported by the strong uptake for the intravenous form of our Maxigesic pain relief medicine. It was also supported by growing demand for our portfolio of over-the-counter medicines through our China-focused Cross Border E-Commerce (CBEC) sites.

Pleasingly, as announced recently, we have also secured approval for the sale of our Crystaderm antiseptic cream in China. We believe the local sales channels in China offer more potential than the CBEC channel.

We are seeing the expected momentum in our international business amid growing demand for the Maxigesic family of medicines across a range of markets. We have also significantly extended our growth plans with the establishment of sales hubs in Singapore and Hong Kong and our 70%-owned AFT Pharmaceuticals UK business, which is now in the midst of its first product launches.

Growth has been supported with ongoing investment in product marketing. This investment has been deliberately weighted to the first half of the financial year to support newly launched products in Australasia. It has resulted in what we see as a temporary dilution in operating profits. However, we believe these will normalise as the brands grow in strength.

Further detail on the performance of AFTs individual markets is contained in our interim report also released to the NZX and ASX today and available at the following link: https://investors.aftpharm.com/Investors/

MAXIGESIC COMMERCIALISATION

AFT is determined to offer the worlds largest range of combination paracetamol and ibuprofen products globally to maximise the potential of our intellectual property and the value of our brands. We have a strong program of innovation and development to achieve that goal.

3

Maxigesic is now sold or ordered in 66 countries up from 61 in March 2023 and 51 countries at the same time a year ago, with several launches planned in the remaining four months of the financial year.

The tablet and intravenous dose forms are becoming well established in several major markets, and we are seeing momentum building especially in markets such as Italy and Germany where the product has been available for some time.

We have also been impressed with the traction the intravenous form has gained in new markets such as Korea. It is important to appreciate that in-market growth is expected to continue over a number of years, and it will be augmented by additional launches.

The global roll out of the oral liquid, hot drink sachet, and Maxigesic Rapid forms is now underway. We are meanwhile completing development for additional dose forms such as the Maxigesic dry stick sachet and additional variants are also under investigation.

Following the US FDA approval for sale of Maxigesic IV in October, our US licensee Hikma Pharmaceuticals is targeting launch towards the end of this financial year or the start of the new financial year.

The launch of the medicine will trigger the payment of a US$6 million license fee to be shared 65:35 with our Maxigesic IV development partner Hyloris Pharmaceuticals.

AFT continues to finalise strategies for the US commercialisation of Maxigesic Rapid, and advance plans for its launch in other markets.

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Research and development expenditure in the half year period has increased to $7 million.

Recent additions to our pipeline include an eyedrop targeting antibiotic resistant infections and our project to develop a topical treatment for strawberry birthmarks.

Our gastroenterology and dermatology development projects (projects KW, BT, and SD) are proceeding broadly in line with our expectations. We are presently undertaking a pilot dermatology study in Europe and completing additional development work on our NasoSURF drug delivery system.

As signalled at the companys annual meeting in August we are looking to extend our product development pipeline with two projects currently under consideration.

AFT will meanwhile commence studies to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of Maxigesic in children with a program of clinical studies that will continue through to 2026. These studies will be accommodated within the existing research and development budget.

BALANCE SHEET

AFT remains well funded. Net debt at the end of the half year was $30.6 million largely in line with the $29.9 million at the end of March 2023 and the $29.4 million at the same time a year ago.

4

The company has deliberately invested for growth and maintained inventory at elevated levels as a buffer against disruptions in global supply chains. We have started to reduce inventory stock cover as global logistics have significantly improved. However, given the length of product lead-times this will still take some time to execute.

Expected licensing payments, regulatory fee reimbursements and inventory cover reduction in the coming months will flow through into a reduction of net debt towards our target of one-times EBITDA.

OUTLOOK

Dr Atkinson said the company is expecting growth for the year to the end of March 2024 to continue in the second half.

The ongoing roll out of Maxigesic and its line extensions and the launch of new products in Australasia, coupled with increasing rates of growth in other markets around the world, position the company well for the remainder of the financial year and beyond, Dr Atkinson said.

Our goal of $200 million in annual revenue on a moving annual total is in sight. We continue to target operating profit to range between $22 million to $24 million.

As we highlighted in August, however, this guidance is subject to the company determining its strategy to commercialise Maxigesic Rapid in the US.

Finally, Directors continue to expect to declare a dividend for the full year. We look forward to providing an update to shareholders in the New Year.

Released for and on behalf of AFT Pharmaceuticals Limited by Malcolm Tubby, Chief Financial Officer.

For more information:

Investors Media

Dr Hartley Atkinson Richard Inder

Managing Director The Project

AFT Pharmaceuticals Tel: +64 21 645 643

Tel: +64 9488 0232

About AFT Pharmaceuticals

AFT is a growing multinational pharmaceutical company that develops, markets, and distributes a broad portfolio of pharmaceutical products across a wide range of therapeutic categories which are distributed across all major pharmaceutical distribution channels: over the counter (OTC), prescription and hospital. Our product portfolio comprises both proprietary and in-licensed products, and includes patented, branded, and generic drugs. Our business model is to develop and in-license products for sale by our own dedicated sales teams in our home markets of Australia and New Zealand and to out-license / distribute our products to local licensees and distributors to over 125 countries around the world. For more information about the company, visit our website: www.aftpharm.com.

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Russia ordered increased security in its northern Murmansk area on Thursday, after Finlands announcement that it will close all but one border crossing between the two countries.

Helsinki announced the action on Wednesday, citing an increase in attempted border crossings by migrants seeking refuge in the EU country, which Finland claims is a Russian destabilisation strategy.

A decision has been taken to introduce a heightened state of readiness in the Murmansk region, and a number of additional measures to ensure the security of our residents, Murmansk governor Andrey Chibis said in a social media post.

He didnt go into specifics.

Relations between the two nations, which share a 1,340-kilometer (830-mile) border, have deteriorated since Moscow launched its military incursion against Ukraine and Finland joined NATO.

Chibis predicted that Finlands choice to keep only its northernmost border crossing open will result in a significant increase in the number of migrants attempting to enter Finland from his Arctic territory.

Around 400 people were waiting to cross through the Salla border on Wednesday, he said  50 of whom were allowed to enter Finland.

Helsinki has accused Moscow of allowing migrants without documents to cross their common border.

It has seen an influx of attempted border crossings by people from the Middle East and Africa since late August.
South Koreas officials on Thursday that they have determined that North Korea most likely used Russian assistance to launch a spy satellite into orbit for the first time this week. They also expect to know by early next week whether the satellite is operational.

With both Koreas threatening to break a previous reconciliation agreement and acting hostilely along their heavily militarised border, the launch has exacerbated regional tensions.

North Korea claimed to have successfully launched its Malligyong-1 satellite into orbit on Tuesday night, following two unsuccessful launches earlier in the year. The satellite has entered orbit, according to South Koreas military, but it will take a few more days to certify that it is operating as intended.

According to MPs who attended the closed-door briefing, South Koreas National Intelligence Service informed them on Thursday that the launch was probably successful mostly because of Russian support.

The spy agency cited Russian President Vladimir Putins earlier mention of a promise to support North Koreas satellite program. It said it also obtained intelligence that North Korea had sent Russia the design and other data for its new Chollima-1 rocket used in the two previous failed launches. The intelligence showed that Russia returned its analysis of the North Korean data, lawmaker Yoo Sang-bum, who attended the NIS briefing, told the Associated Press.

South Korean Defense Minister Shin Wonsik told a separate parliamentary committee meeting Thursday that Russia appears to have been providing technological assistance for North Koreas satellite program.

The same satellite and rocket were used in all three launches. The two earlier attempts in May and August failed due to technical problems with the rocket.

There has been speculation that Russia is providing technological support for North Koreas satellite and other programs since leader Kim Jong Un traveled to Russia to meet Putin and visit key technology and military sites in September. The Kim-Putin summit was held at Russias main space launch center.

Asked whether Russia would help North Korea build and launch satellites, Putin told Russian state media at the time that thats why we have come here. The (North Korean) leader shows keen interest in rocket technology. Theyre trying to develop space, too, Putin said.

The U.S., South Korea and Japan accuse North Korea of obtaining high-tech Russian military technologies in return for supplying conventional arms for Russias war in Ukraine. Both Russia and North Korea have denied the alleged deal.

North Korea said its Malligyong-1 satellite will begin its official mission on Dec. 1. But it said the satellite has already transmitted images of military facilities in the U.S. territory of Guam and that Kim saw them. North Korea hasnt released the images.

Many foreign experts are skeptical about the satellites ability to take high-resolution images and whether it is militarily meaningful. After recovering debris from the first failed launch attempt, South Koreas military said the satellite wasnt sophisticated enough to perform military reconnaissance.

Defense Minister Shin said he worries that Russia could help North Korea produce higher-resolution satellite photos.

Shin said South Korean, US and Japanese authorities will be able to determine whether the satellite is functioning normally as early as this weekend or early next week.

South Korea, the US and Japan strongly condemned the satellite launch, saying North Korea is using it to improve its missile technology as well as acquire a space-based surveillance system.

UN Security Council resolutions ban any satellite launches by North Korea, viewing them as disguised tests of long-range missile technology. North Korea says it has a sovereign right to launch spy satellites to cope with what it calls US-led military threats. It says spy satellites would allow it to better monitor its rivals moves and enhance the precision-strike capability of its nuclear-capable missiles.

In response to the satellite launch, South Korea said it has partially suspended a 2018 agreement to reduce tensions with North Korea and will resume flying surveillance aircraft and drones along their border.

North Koreas Defense Ministry slammed the South Korean decision on Thursday, saying it will deploy more powerful weapons at the border in a tit-for-tat measure. It said it wont be bound by the 2018 deal any longer and will reverse all the steps it has taken to ease front-line military tensions under it.

South Koreas military replied that it would strongly punish North Korea if it acts provocatively.

South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward the sea on Wednesday, but the launch likely failed. It was North Koreas first known weapons launch in more than two months.

Kim has publicly vowed to acquire spy satellites and other high-tech weapons systems. Since last year, North Korea has test-fired about 100 ballistic missiles in an effort to expand its nuclear arsenal. Experts say Kim ultimately wants to use his enlarged arsenal to wrest greater concessions from the United States if they resume diplomacy.

With inputs from agencies
In a significant ruling, a South Korean appellate court has instructed Japan to compensate 16 women who were forced to work in Japanese wartime brothels.

This decision overturns a previous dismissal by a lower court, marking a milestone in the ongoing sensitivities surrounding Japans colonial rule of the Korean peninsula from 1910 to 1945.

The survivors, often referred to as comfort women, continue to seek both a formal apology and compensation from Tokyo.

The 16 victims initiated the lawsuit in 2016, seeking 200 million won (US$155,000) each. While the Seoul Central District Court had rejected the case in 2021, citing sovereign immunity, the Seoul High Court has now reversed that decision.

It recognises South Korean courts jurisdiction over the Japanese government as a defendant, emphasizing that international law may not grant immunity for illegal acts.

Japans foreign ministry has not yet responded to the appellate courts ruling. Tensions between the two U.S. allies have persisted for years due to issues of wartime sex abuse and forced labor.

Despite these challenges, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida have made efforts to improve bilateral relations.

The courts decision challenges Japans stance that the matter was resolved through a 1965 treaty normalising diplomatic relations and a 2015 agreement to irreversibly end the dispute.

South Koreas foreign ministry is currently examining the details of the ruling.

Lee Yong-soo, a 95-year-old activist and victim who filed the suit, expressed gratitude for the decision, tearfully acknowledging the courts role.

Her sentiments echo the broader sentiments of those seeking acknowledgment and redress for the historical injustices faced by the comfort women.
A Palestinian official said on Thursday that last-minute issues about the release of hostages caused a delay in the start of an Israeli-Hamas ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

The official, privy to the negotiations, said the ceasefire, which was mostly anticipated to start on Thursday but was postponed throughout the night, had been pushed back over the names of the Israeli hostages and the modalities of their release.

Lists of those to be freed had been exchanged by both sides, he added. Questions were also being raised over Red Cross access to the hostages before they would be released into Egypt, he said, and whether the Red Cross would have access to those who remained.

When the ceasefire would go into effect would be announced by mediator Qatar, in co-ordination with the Egyptians and the Americans, in the coming hours today, he added.

The agreement follows weeks of war in the Gaza Strip after the Hamas attacks on southern Israel on October 7, which Israeli officials say killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and saw around 240 taken hostage.

Under it, a humanitarian pause will be followed by releases of an initial 50 hostages from Israel and 150 Palestinian prisoners.

All of those to be released under the three-to-one ratio are either women or aged 18 and under.

The Hamas-run government in the Gaza Strip says more than 14,000 people have died in Israels assault, most of them women and children.

With inputs from agencies
The United Nations refugee agency urged Pakistan on Wednesday to stop deporting undocumented Afghan refugees during the cold winter season, as police continued to inspect homes and evict Afghans who had not already departed.

Islamabad said last month that it would deport over a million undocumented refugees, largely Afghans, amid a dispute with Kabul over allegations that it harbours anti-Pakistan militants.

Since October 1, about 370,000 Afghans have fled Pakistan.

UNHCR is calling upon the government of Pakistan to halt these mass numbers of returns during this harsh season of winter because the cold in Afghanistan is really deadly and it can take lives, the agencys regional spokesman, Babar Baloch, told Reuters TV in an interview.

Were talking about desperate women, children and men being on the move, leaving Pakistan in droves, he said.

The agency has said the Afghans return should be voluntary and that Pakistan should identify vulnerable individuals who need international protection.

Pakistan is home to over 4 million Afghan migrants and refugees, about 1.7 million of whom are undocumented. Many came after the Taliban retook Afghanistan in 2021, and a large number have been present since the 1979 Soviet invasion.

Pakistani police have been searching door to door in refugees settlements for those who have not left voluntarily, beginning with the port city of Karachi, where hundreds of thousands of Afghans live. Anyone remaining may be forcefully expelled.

Thousands of Afghans have gone underground in Pakistan to avoid deportation, fearing for their lives if they return to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan following the hasty and chaotic withdrawal of U.S.-led western forces in 2021.

Islamabad has thus far not entertained calls by international organizations and refugee agencies to reconsider its deportation plans.

Pakistans Supreme Court has admitted a petition filed by rights activists seeking to halt the deportation, which is yet to be taken up for a hearing, a court order issued on Wednesday said.
A US warship patrolling the Red Sea intercepted multiple attack drones launched from Huthi-controlled areas in Yemen on Thursday, the US Central Command said.

On the morning (Yemen time) of November 23, the USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116) shot down multiple one-way attack drones launched from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen, CENTCOM said on X, previously Twitter. The ship and crew sustained no damage or injury, it added.

Huthi rebels seized an Israel-linked cargo vessel and its 25 international crew at the entrance to the Red Sea on Sunday. Israels military deemed this seizure a very grave incident of global consequence, while a US military official characterized it as a flagrant violation of international law.

Last week, the USS Thomas Hudner, a US Navy warship, intercepted and shot down a drone originating from Yemen as it approached the ship sailing in the southern Red Sea near the Bab-el-Mandeb strait.

The officials said the crew took action to ensure the safety of U.S. personnel, and there were no casualties or damage to the ship. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing military operations.

According to an initial intelligence assessment, the drone was likely targeting the ship, said one of the officials. The U.S. did not directly blame the Iran-backed Houthi rebels for launching the unmanned aircraft. But the early Wednesday incident comes less than a week after Houthis shot down a U.S. drone over the Red Sea. Officials said the MQ-9 Reaper was in international airspace. The Houthis said it was in Yemeni airspace and was shot down by air defences.

The Houthis have launched at least six aerial attacks against Israel since Oct. 7 and, according to the groups leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, have vowed to target ships operating in the Red Sea.

Another Navy destroyer, the USS Carney, took similar strikes on drones coming from Yemen on Oct. 19. The ship took out three missiles and several drones. It wasnt certain if they were aimed at Israel. One of the officials said the U.S. does not believe the missiles were aimed at the ship.

The Houthi are staunch foes of Israel and regularly hold huge demonstrations in support of Palestinians, during peacetime and wartime.

With inputs from AP.
US President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad al-Thani, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi about the recent developments in the Middle East following a deal between Israel and Hamas to release hostages.

On Wednesday, Israel and Hamas agreed to a four-day cease-fire to allow the release of 50 hostages held by the militant organisation in Gaza in exchange for the release of 150 Palestinian captives and the admission of humanitarian aid into the beleaguered area.

Once implemented, the agreement will be the first major diplomatic breakthrough and lull in fighting since the war began on October 7, when Hamas attacked Israel.

Biden on Wednesday spoke with Netanyahu to welcome the deal, the White House said in a readout of the call.

The two leaders discussed the pause in fighting, which will allow needed-humanitarian assistance to enter into Gaza, it added.

Netanyahu thanked Biden for his tireless efforts and those of his team to help broker the deal, the White House said.

The two leaders agreed that the work is not yet done and the president assured the prime minister that he will continue working to secure the release of all remaining hostages. The president further emphasised the importance of maintaining calm along the Lebanese border as well as in the West Bank, it said.

In his call with al-Thani, the US president expressed his appreciation to Qatar and the personal role of the Emir and his team in reaching a deal for the release of hostages held by Hamas, together with a humanitarian pause in Gaza, the White House said.

The two leaders committed to remain in close contact to ensure the deal is fully implemented and to ultimately secure the release of all hostages. They reiterated the importance of protecting civilian lives, respecting international humanitarian law, and increasing and sustaining humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza, according to the White House readout.

President Biden and Sheikh Tamim agreed to continue close consultation on setting the conditions for a durable and sustainable peace in the Middle East to include the establishment of a Palestinian state, it said.

In his call with al-Sisi, Biden expressed his appreciation for Egypts efforts to reach a deal for the release of the hostages held by Hamas, together with a humanitarian pause in Gaza.

They discussed coordination to further surge humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza.

The president reiterated that under no circumstances will the US permit the forced relocation of Palestinians from Gaza or the West Bank, or the besiegement of Gaza, or the redrawing of the borders of Gaza. He also affirmed that under no circumstances can Gaza remain a sanctuary for Hamas where they can threaten Israel and Palestinians alike and imperil any pathway to a durable peace, the White House said.

Biden affirmed his commitment to the establishment of a Palestinian state and recognised Egypts essential role in setting the conditions for that outcome, it said.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani about the conflict.

Blinken thanked Qatars critical efforts to help broker the deal for the release of at least 50 hostages, including Americans, taken by Hamas during its October 7 assault against Israel.

They discussed ongoing efforts to obtain the release of the remaining hostages and to urgently increase the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza. Blinken and Prime Minister al-Thani also discussed the importance of ensuring the safe passage of foreign nationals out of Gaza, said Matthew Miller, the state department spokesperson.

He stressed that the US remains committed to advancing a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians and reaffirmed the importance of the strategic partnership between the US and Qatar, said Miller.

Blinken also spoke with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan al Saud during which he welcomed the hostage release deal and the pause that will accelerate humanitarian assistance deliveries to civilians in Gaza, the spokesperson said.

The secretary affirmed the urgency of addressing humanitarian needs in Gaza, preventing further spread of the conflict, and reinforcing regional stability and security. He underscored the continued US commitment to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, he said.

According to Miller, Blinken also welcomed Saudi Arabias efforts to secure a durable peace agreement in Yemen, Miller said.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen CQ Brown spoke with Chief of the Israeli General Staff Lt Gen Herzi Halevi over phone.

The two military leaders discussed the current security environment throughout the Middle East, a release said.
After teasers, Xiaomi has confirmed the launch of Redmi K70 series smartphones which includes Redmi K70, K70 Pro and K70E at an event in China on November 29th that will also celebrate Redmis 10th anniversary.

Xiaomi has confirmed that the Redmi K70 Pro will be powered by Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC. The Redmi K70E will be powered by Dimensity 8300-Ultra processor for the first time, will feature a 1.5K flat screen with 12bit color depth, support for 1920Hz PWM high-frequency dimming, and has a peak brightness of 1800nit.

The phone will come with 5000mm gaming-grade stainless steel VC, the biggest on a Redmi phone, and the heat conduction area has increased by up to 26.6% compared with the previous generation.

The phone will pack a 5500mAh battery with support for 90W fast charging. The Redmi K70 is expected to be powered by Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC, and the K70 and K70 is expected to support 120W fast charging. The Redmi K70 Pro will feature a metal frame, and is said to start at 12GB of RAM.

Source
by Amy Li Baksh

Dear Comrades

if it must be

you speak no more with me

nor smile no more with me

nor march no more with me

then let me take

a patience and a calm

for even now the greener leaf explodes

sun brightens stone

and all the river burns.

Now from the mourning vanguard moving on

dear Comrades I salute you and I say

Death will not find us thinking that we die.  Martin Carter





With this poem, George Lamming, Barbadian novelist and poet, ended his address at a December 1983 memorial service in Trinidad for Maurice Bishop, Jacqueline Creft, Norris Bain, Vincent Noel, Unison Whiteman, and all who had been killed during the abrupt end to the Grenada Revolution.





It is the tragedy of a whole region which has brought us here, said Lamming during his address. The landscape of Grenada and its people are the immediate victims But all of us are now the casualties of the American invasion.





American soldiers capture a local man during the US invasion of the island of Grenada, October 1983. [ Photo: Reddit]





When an intra-party conflict broke out, leading to the killing of revolutionary leader Bishop and other victims on October 19, 1983, the Reagan administration seized the pretext to invade. On October 25, 1983, thousands of U.S. troops landed on the island.





This year, Grenada commemorates both 50 years as an independent nation and 40 years since the violent implosion of the Peoples Revolutionary Government and subsequent U.S. invasion. For the first time, the government of Grenada has recognized October 19 as a national holiday, designated as National Heroes Day. Decades on, reckoning with the events of 1983 continues.





Writer Marise La Grenade-Lashley spoke at the inaugural National Heroes Day gathering, where she echoed sentiments expressed in her article in Now Grenada a year prior. The shocking events of 19 October 1983, whose effects reverberated across the Caribbean and beyond, created deep psychological wounds that have never really healed. One coping mechanism adopted by some persons directly affected by the events of that fateful day has been to retreat in silence, she wrote.





While silence is a common reaction to trauma, it has, in the case of Grenada, created a void in our society that needs to be filled with factual and unbiased information related to those four and a half years during which Grenada embarked on an alternative path to development that crumbled so abruptly, so brutally, so tragically, La Grenade-Lashley added.





The designation of National Heroes Day includes a mandate to bring the history of Grenadas revolution to civics classes in Grenadian schools.





A Revolutionary Movement Provokes U.S. Ire





In 1979, Maurice Bishop and his New Jewel Movement (NJM) took control from the increasingly authoritarian regime of Sir Eric Gairy, Grenadas first prime minister. Gairy, an ally of Chilean dictator General Augusto Pinochet and creator of the notorious Mongoose Gang private militia, modelled after the Haitian Tonton Macoutes, had lost public support and remained in power through rigged elections.





The insurrection installed the NJM as the Peoples Revolutionary Government (PRG), suspended the 1974 Constitution, and declared Bishop prime minister. The governments first steps were to encourage trade union representation, introduce free medical services, and to prioritize education and adult literacy programs as well as projects benefitting small farmers and farmworkers.





One month into the PRGs rule, Bishop gave a national broadcast after a visit from U.S. Ambassador Frank Ortiz. The ambassador pointed out that his country was the richest, freest, and most generous country in the world, but as he put it, We have two sides, said Bishop. We understood that to mean that the other side he was referring to was the side which stamped on freedom and democracy when the American government felt that their interests were being threatened.





Over the next four years, Bishop spoke often of the U.S. pressure on the PRG. He felt that the Reagan administration was seeking to destabilize the revolution through the media and through economic trade disruptions. The Monroe Doctrine had given way to the Reagan Doctrine, and closer Cold War ties from Grenada to Cuba and the USSR could not be tolerated. As Hugh OShaughnessy, a British journalist who was on the ground in Grenada when the invasion finally happened, put it: The State Department and the Pentagon in Washingtonhad been seeking ways of putting an end to the left-wing government of Grenada.





Meanwhile, the PRG was putting in place a variety of projects, one of which was a programthe National Cooperative Development Agency (NACDA)to deal with the joblessness and landlessness faced by the countrys youth. Trinidadian-born Regina Dumas moved to Grenada in March 1980 to take up a role as registrar of cooperatives within NACDA. It was like all my dreams had come true, Dumas said when we spoke on October 17, a few days before the National Heroes Day celebrations. Here I am, working with rural people, farmers, and listening to them talk, and realizingthese people know what they want.





In her book, Memoir of a Cocoa Farmers Daughter, Dumas describes her work at NACDA, which involved helping to get privately held, uncultivated land into the hands of young prospective farmers tasked with reviving the local and export agriculture markets.





In those days, Dumas often took Sunday afternoon drives to visit the construction site of the new international airport. Supported by Cuba and other countries, the airport was one of the PRGs flagship projects. That the government of Cuba chose to support this initiative by providing a skilled work forcewas the cause of much rancour with the United States which stridently opposed it, Dumas writes in her memoir.





During a nationally televised address in March 1983, Reagan displayed a picture of the airport runway under construction. The Cubans with Soviet financing and backing are in the process of building an airfield with a 10,000-foot runway, he said. Grenada doesnt even have an air force. Who is it intended for? The implication was clear. During the invasion later that year, the airport would be one of the locations bombed by the U.S. military.





The Revolutionary Government Implodes





Months away from the Revolutions fifth anniversary, divisions within the PRG between Bishop and his deputy prime minister, Bernard Coard, began to come to a head. Why, when they knew that the Reagan administration was poised to pounce at the slightest error made, would they play into their hands so easily? said Dumas. I dismissed, completely out of hand, the rumors that I heard as counter-revolutionary propaganda. What an error on my part!





The rumors were becoming reality. Disagreements between Bishop and Coard over a plan for shared leadership turned sour, and Bishop was deposed and placed under house arrest in the first week of October 1983. On October 19, six days after Bishop had been placed under house arrest, Dumas recalls hearing the chanting of hundreds of Grenadians marching the streets in support of Bishop. The plan, apparently, was to march to the residence of Maurice Bishop, where he was being held, confront the members of the Peoples Revolutionary Army (PRA), who were holding him hostage, and forcibly, if necessary, free him from his temporary prison and reinstate him as prime minister, she said.





After gathering her two children from school and returning home, Dumas watched in horror from her veranda as the march, which had successfully liberated Bishop, went to Fort Rupert (originally called Fort George, but renamed after Bishops father Rupert, who had been killed by Gairys Mongoose Gang in 1974). Once at Fort Rupert, they were faced with a hail of bullets. Armored personnel carriers began to shoot directly into the crowd of people who were climbing the fort, singing and dancing with Maurice on their shoulders, Dumas writes in her book. With no other point of exitI watched as people leaped over the edge of that fort, quite substantial in height, and into the crashing waves and rocks below.





Within hours, Bishop had been executed alongside 10 others at Fort Rupert. General Hudson Austin issued a national announcement: With immediate effect, and until further notice, anyone caught on the streets of St. Georges and environs will be shot on sight.





The Invasion Strikes





For Dumas, the events were both political and personal. They had killed the prime minister of the country and others of their own group and party. They had killed my friend Jacqui, thus leaving her young son an orphan, she said. They had decidedly opened up the gates to those who had always opposed the revolution.





President Reagan ordered troops to invade Grenada on October 25. As OShaughnessy wrote: At 6:40 on the morning on Thursday 27 October 1983 a platoon of U.S. marines edged nervously past the main branch of Barclays Bank in St. Georges, the capital of Grenada, towards Fort Rupert. They need not have worried. No resistance awaited them there.





The arrival of the U.S. military brought a rain of bombings across the forts and levelled a mental health hospital, killing 30 patients and wounding many more.





Neville Warner, a Tobago-born son of a Grenadian family, recalls to me how the PRG had built a factory in St. Georges to begin producing mango nectar on a large scale for local consumption and export, as part of the governments push to localize food production and reduce dependence on imports. The factory was one of the locations bombed as the U.S. troops landed. The space where it stood now hosts a factory producing Coca-Cola.





During the invasion, Cubans were rounded up from the Cuban Embassy and sent back to their homeland. In November, Fidel Castro would pay tribute to the Cubans killed in Grenada during the destruction of the airport. The U.S. government looked down on Grenada and hated Bishop. It wanted to destroy Grenadas process and obliterate its example. It had even prepared military plans for invading the islandas Bishop had charged nearly two years agobut it lacked pretext, Castro said in a speech in Havana. He lauded Grenadas social and economic advances despite the U.S. hostility.





Bishop was not an extremist, Castro continued. Rather, he was a true revolutionaryconscientious and honestGrenada had become a true symbol of independence and progress in the Caribbean.





The events that unfolded in Grenada would echo throughout the Caribbean and the world. With a quick military victory secured, the emboldened Reagan administration doubled down on counterinsurgency in Central America, supporting ruthless regimes in Guatemala and El Salvador and backing the Contras in Nicaragua. Six years after landing in Grenada, U.S. troops invaded Panama.





For La Grenade-Lashley, theres more to be done in the work of remembering 1983 and the Revolution that preceded it. Rather than lament the irretrievable, we can look to the future with optimism, she writes. To teach and enlighten our youth, accurate and unbiased information can be culled from the many books, articles and papers written on the Grenada Revolution.





We have heard of Truth and Reconciliation Commissions around the world, she continues. In Grenada, although we have had our own Truth and Reconciliation Commission, it remains vital that we pay closer attention to the ordering of these three words. Truth and reconciliation. Truth precedes reconciliation.





This article is syndicated in partnership with the North American Congress on Latin America (NACLA).
EQS-Ad-hoc: LION E-Mobility AG / Key word(s): Personnel

LION E-Mobility AG: Winfried Buss steps down as Managing Director of LION Smart GmbH and LION Smart Production GmbH



23-Nov-2023 / 08:30 CET/CEST

Disclosure of an inside information acc. to Article 17 MAR of the Regulation (EU) No 596/2014, transmitted by EQS News - a service of EQS Group AG.

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.





Winfried Buss steps down as Managing Director of LION Smart GmbH and LION Smart Production GmbH

Zug (Switzerland), 23 November, 2023

Mr. Winfried Buss, managing director of LION Smart GmbH and LION Smart Production GmbH, will step down from office as of 31 January 2024.

LIONs Board appreciates Winfried's contributions. The Board is confident in the resilience of LIONs team and convinced that the handover will be managed smoothly, so that the company's business operations are not impaired. The new appointment will be announced shortly.

Mr. Alessio Basteri, Chairman of the Board, said: We thank Winfried for his significant contribution to set up the production infrastructure in Hildburghausen that will create a great platform for our future.

About LION E-Mobility AG:

LION E-Mobility AG is a listed Swiss holding company founded in 2011 with promising strategic investments in the e-mobility sector, especially in the field of electrical energy storage and lithium-ion battery system technology. The company holds 100% of the German LION Smart Production GmbH, a manufacturer of battery packs, LION Smart GmbH, a developer of battery packs and battery management systems and LION Smart North America Inc. LION Smart GmbH also holds a 30% stake in TUV SUD Battery Testing GmbH, a successful joint venture with TUV SUD AG.

www.lionemobility.com

Responsible for the press release: Board of Directors LION E-Mobility AG

LION E-Mobility AG

Alessio Basteri

Chairman of the Board

LION E-Mobility Investor Relations

Frank Schonrock

Phone: +49 (0) 1737025315

E-Mail: frank.schoenrock@lionemobility.com | ir@lionemobility.com | www.lionemobility.com

Disclaimer:

Statements that express or contain forecasts, expectations, views, plans, goals and assumptions regarding future events or performance are not considered historical facts and may therefore be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the expectations, estimates and plans at the time the statements were made, and therefore involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those currently anticipated become. LION E-Mobility AG is under no obligation to update the forward-looking statements in this press release.

Contact:Alessio BasteriChairman of the Board
The U.S. Navy planned to retire its four SSGNs (cruise missile firing nuclear submarine) by 2028. In March 2011 one of these SSGNs was used in combat for the first time, firing 93 of its 160 cruise missiles at Libyan targets. At the time those four SSGNs were designated for retirement by 2026, a date that as eventually extended. The navy had a plan for replacements, even though there was very little money for new ship types. To deal with that the navy sought to build some modified Virginia SSNs (nuclear attack subs) by adding a 30-meter (94 foot) section to the hull, which would contain 26 cruise missiles. Virginias already carry 16 of these, but the SSGN models would have a more respectable 40-42. Fifteen stretched Virginias would carry the same number of cruise missiles but spread among more ships. A Virginia SSGN would cost about 25 percent ($500 million) more than a Virginia SSN.

The older SSGNs made an impressive combat debut in 2011 when most of the a hundred or more Tomahawk cruise missiles launched in one day came from the SSGN Florida. These missiles hit targets in the North African nation of Libya. While this was the first time an SSGN saw combat, it was not the first-time nuclear subs fired missiles in a combat situation. American SSNs have fired Tomahawks several times.

The USS Florida was one of four Ohio class ballistic missile submarines (SSBN) converted to cruise missile submarines (SSGN). The USS Florida and the other three SSGNs entered service over the last five years. Each of these Ohio class SSGNs carry 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles, along with space for 66 commandos, usually Navy SEALs, and their equipment.

The idea of converting ballistic missile subs to SSGNs, rather than scraping them to fulfill disarmament agreements, has been bouncing around since the 1990s. After September 11, 2001, the idea got some traction. The navy submariners backed this proposal, because all American nuclear subs they lost a lot of their reason for being with the end of the Cold War. The United States had built a powerful nuclear submarine force during the Cold War, but with the rapid disappearance of the Soviet navy in the 1990s, there was little reason to keep over a hundred nuclear subs in commission. These boats are expensive, costing over a billion each to build and over a million dollars a week to operate. The four Ohio class SSBN being converted each had at least twenty years of useful life left in them.

The idea of a sub, armed with 154 highly accurate cruise missiles, and capable of rapidly traveling under water, ignoring weather, and avoiding observation at a speed of over 1,200 kilometers a day, to a far-off hot spot, had great appeal in the post-Cold War world. The ability to carry a large force of commandos as well was also attractive. In one sub you have your choice of hammer or scalpel. More capable cruise missiles are in the works as well. Whether or not this multi-billion-dollar investment will pay off remains to be seen, but it certainly worked off Libya in 2011

And then theres the new Tomahawk. The RGM-109E Block IV Surface Ship Vertical Launched Tomahawk Land Attack Missile weighs 1.2 ton, is six meters (18 feet) long, has a range of 1,600 kilometers, getting there at a speed of 600-900 kilometers an hour, flying at an altitude of 17-32 meters (50-100 feet) and propelled by a jet engine generating only 600 pounds of thrust. Accuracy is on a par with JDAM (10 meters/ 31 feet). The Block IV Tomahawk can be reprogrammed in flight to hit another target and carries a vidcam to allow a missile to check on prospective targets.
Google Pay Is Charging Convenience Fees for Mobile Recharges in India News oi -Kabir Jain

Google Pay, the second-largest payment app in India with over 60 million active users, has recently implemented a convenience fee for mobile recharges.

This marks a departure from its previous model, where the service was entirely free, only requiring users to pay the telecom operator's specified amount.

Google Pay's Convenience Fees

A user named Ankush reported that Google Pay is now imposing additional convenience fees on mobile recharges. After a 749 Jio recharge, he observed an extra 3 charge on the app. Ankush shared this issue on DesiDime forums, noting that he used UPI for payment.

This rules out the possibility of the extra charge being related to credit card payments, where some apps may include a small surcharge as a payment gateway fee.

Convenience Fees Structure

The convenience fees are now applicable based on the recharge amount, with the following breakdown:

Up to 100: NIL

101 - 200: 1

201-300: 2

301 and above: 3

Terms of Service Update Raises Questions

Although Google has not officially announced these changes, a recent update to its Terms of Service for India on November 10, 2023, has introduced a new term called "Google Fees." While it's unclear if this change directly correlates with the introduction of convenience fees, the timing suggests a potential connection.

As of now, the fees only apply to mobile recharges, and other transactions such as electricity bill payments on Google Pay remain free. UPI transactions for personal and merchant usage also remain unaffected.

Industry-Wide Trend: Paytm Also Adopts Convenience Fees

Interestingly, Google Pay is not alone in this shift. Paytm, another major player in India's payment app ecosystem, has also started charging a convenience fee for mobile recharges. The move is seen as an attempt by these platforms to explore new revenue streams within the flourishing digital payments sector in India.

Implications for Users and the Digital Payment Ecosystem

While the convenience fees may seem nominal, they could accumulate over time, impacting users, especially those on tighter budgets. The digital payment ecosystem might witness a ripple effect, as other payment apps may follow suit, potentially leading to a price war that could benefit consumers.

As of now, Google Pay has not rolled out the new convenience fees to all users, suggesting a phased implementation. To avoid these fees, users can opt to recharge directly from their telecom operator's app or website.

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Indian Government Sanctions Subsidies for Major Tech Hardware Players like Dell, HP, & More News oi -Kabir Jain

India has taken a strategic step to strengthen domestic manufacturing and establish itself as a key player in the global electronics supply chain. Subsidies have been sanctioned for 27 leading tech hardware companies, including industry giants like Foxconn and Lenovo.

This initiative, operating under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, aims to boost local assembly of desktops, laptops, tablets, and other tech hardware.

Government Confirmation and Industry Leaders

The Indian government, through an official statement, has affirmed the approval of subsidies for notable companies such as Dell, HP, and AsusTek Computer. This move signifies a collective effort to diversify global manufacturing beyond China.

According to Ashwini Vaishnaw, India's Minister for Railways, Communications, Electronics, and Information Technology, 23 out of the 27 approved applicants are ready to commence manufacturing immediately, while four companies are expected to start production in the next 90 days.

Addressing Contrary Reports and Projected Job Creation

Dispelling recent reports, Luxshare Precision Industry Co, Apple's contract manufacturer, denies abandoning a substantial $330 million deal in India. The PLI scheme, anticipated to generate 50,000 direct jobs and an additional 150,000 indirect jobs, aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Make in India" campaign and aims to transform India into a high-tech manufacturing hub.

Noteworthy Lenovo Inclusion and Geopolitical Context

The approval of subsidies for Lenovo, the world's largest PC vendor, holds significance amidst escalating geopolitical tensions between China and India. As India seeks to diminish reliance on Chinese imports and scrutinize Chinese companies in its market, the PLI scheme aligns with the agenda to transform India into a new high-tech manufacturing hub.

Expanding Production Beyond China: Trends and Challenges

While India solidifies its position in the global supply chain, Luxshare's decision to expand its manufacturing operations in Vietnam instead of India underscores the ongoing trend of diversifying production beyond China. This move prompts questions about the challenges and opportunities faced by different regions in attracting global manufacturers.

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Oppo Reno 11 Series Launching in China at 11:30 am Today: Pad Air 2 Will Tag Along News oi -Carlsen Martin

The Oppo Reno 11 series is arriving in China later today. The launch event will see the arrival of the Oppo Reno 11 and Reno 11 Pro. Ahead of the launch, Oppo already confirmed specifications of the Reno 11 series.

The Oppo Reno 11 series debuts in China's premium mid-range market with past reports hinting at the pricing of the two upcoming Reno smartphones. Here's a look at what to expect at today's Oppo Reno 11 launch event.

Oppo Reno 11 Series Launch Event

The Oppo Reno 11 series launch date in China is set to take place later today at 02:00 pm local time or 11:30 am IST. Apart from the Reno 11 series, the company will also release the Oppo Pad Air 2 Android tablet at the event.

As of now, there no information about the international and Indian availability of the Oppo Reno 11 series. However, we believe that the Oppo Reno 11 series launch date in India will take place sometime in the first quarter of 2023. The Oppo Reno 11 event will likely be livestreamed on the company's official Weibo account.

Oppo Reno 11 Series Pricing

The Oppo Reno 11 price could start from CNY 2,799 (roughly Rs 33,400). On the other hand, the Oppo Reno 11 Pro price is expected to start from CNY 3,999 (roughly Rs 47,700). Here's a detailed look at the Oppo Reno 11 series pricing in China.

The Oppo Reno 11 series will come in four color options including Moonlight Gem, Fluorite Blue, and Obsidian Black color options. Oppo has also confirmed the full specs of the Reno 11 and Reno 11 Pro ahead of its launch.

Oppo Reno 11 Specifications

The Oppo Reno 11 features a MediaTek Dimensity 8200 SoC paired with up to 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and up to 512GB of UFS 3.1 storage. The Reno 11 will sport a Curved AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate.

Other aspects of the device include a 4,800 mAh battery with 67W fast charging support. For optics, the Oppo Reno 11 features a 50 MP primary sensor with OIS, an 8 MP ultrawide lens, and a 32 MP telephoto-portrait shooter.

Oppo Reno 11 Pro Specifications

The Oppo Reno 11 Pro features a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC paired with up to 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and up to 512GB of UFS 3.1 storage. The Reno 11 will sport a Curved AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate with minor updates over the vanilla Reno 11.

For optics, the Oppo Reno 11 features a larger 50 MP primary sensor with OIS, an 8 MP ultrawide lens, and a 32 MP telephoto-portrait shooter. It also comes with a 4,700 mAh battery with 80W fast charging support.

Oppo Pad Air 2 Specifications

The Oppo Pad Air 2 will debut as an affordable Android tablet aimed towards students. Oppo's affordable tablet is expected to feature a 2.4K IPS LCD screen with a 90Hz refresh rate as well as Dolby Vision and HDR10+ support.

The tablet is touted to pack an 8,000 mAh battery with 33W fast charging support. According to reports, the Oppo Pad Air will utilize the MediaTek Helio G99 chipset paired with up to 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of storage.

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This image taken from video and provided by WTVQ shows people sitting at a table at Rockcastle Middle School being used as an evacuation center in Mt Vernon, Kentucky on Wednesday. People were evacuated from a nearby town after a CSX train derailed Wednesday near Livingston. The people who were evacuated were able to return home Thursday afternoon.
A Camembert is on sale in a Ville d'Avray cheese shop, outside Paris, Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023. In one of the many legal proposals on streamlining and optimizing waste management throughout the 27-nation bloc, some French cheese producers sniffed out something and turned it into a culinary stink. They claimed that the proposal would make it illegal for Camembert to be cradled into the wooden packaging for its final weeks of ripening and, eventually, sale. The round box is as essentially Camembert as its unctuous texture and pungent smell
Prosecutors say Kosovar ex-guerrilla leaders on trial for war crimes tried to influence witnesses

Prosecutors are seeking to restrict visits to three former Kosovo Liberation Army leaders on trial for war crimes, who they accuse of trying to manipulate witnesses and leak confidential testimony
Mon Monday

47 /27

More sun than clouds. Highs in the upper 40s and lows in the upper 20s.
Operation Iron Swords - Day 47 - 22 November 2023

Palestinian armed group Hamas launched thousands of missiles at Israel and deployed its militants to infiltrate Jewish settlements near the countrys border with Gaza on 07 October 2023. The 1,200 Israelis killed on the first day would be the equivalent of 36,000 Americans killed in an attack, as a proportion to Israels population of 9.3 million people (compared to 332 million in the USA). Israeli President Isaac Herzog stated: Not since the Holocaust have so many Jews been killed in one day". PM Netanyahu stated "On October 7th, Hamas murdered 1,400 Israelis. Maybe more. This is in a country of fewer than 10 million people. This would be equivalent to over 50,000 Americans murdered in a single day. Thats twenty 9/11s. That is why October 7th is another day that will live in infamy."

It is the second largest loss inflicted on the Israeli forces after the 1973 war, as the Palestinian resistance killed more than 1,200, wounded more than 5,132 others, and captured more than 250, most of them military personnel, some of whom were high-ranking officers in the army.

Butcher's Bill / Oasis of Martyrs

ither a martyr or a projected martyr.. This is the condition of the people of the Gaza Strip.

At least 14,532 Palestinians, including about 6,000 children, have been killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since October 7, the Gaza Press Office said. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. The Hamas-run government said more than 4,000 women were among the dead, with more than 33,000 more people wounded. The Palestinian Government Media Office in Gaza said the number of missing people had risen to more than 6,800 [nearly doubl the 3,750 previously reported], including 1,800 children still under the rubble. The Palestinian Ministry of Health announced that the number of wounded as 31,000 [previously announced as about 32,000 wounded],

According to a UN official, there have been "likely much more" casualties in "Israel's" war on Gaza than the previously reported total of over 11,000, because there have been insufficient updates since the area's communication networks collapsed. Martin Griffiths, under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator expressed during a General Assembly meeting that as casualty numbers continue to climb, "The actual total, however, is likely much higher as figures have not been updated for five days due to a collapse of communication networks in Gaza."

Israel revised down the death toll from the October Hamas attacks in southern Israel from 1,400 to 1,200. IDF had said previously it was holding 1,500 bodies of terrorists, a total that now would increas to about 1,700.

The number of Israeli soldiers that the IDF admitted were killed in ground battles with the Palestinian resistance reached 72, while the death toll for the Israeli occupation forces had risen to 392 soldiers since the beginning of Operation al-Aqsa Flood. At least 7,771 Israelis were injured. The IDF previously announced that more than 260 soldiers had been injured since the start of the ground operation in the Gaza Strip, including 100 in serious condition.

Israeli army (IDF) announced 19 November 2023 the death of five of its soldiers during ground battles in the Gaza Strip, bringing the total number of casualties since October 7th to 378 and raising the number of troop deaths there to 64 since the ground war began.

Lebanons Health Ministry released its first official casualty numbers in fighting, saying 77 people were killed and 251 wounded since the start of the war on Gaza.

Hostages

According to some estimates, Hamas is holding nearly 210 of the 240 hostages, while Palestinian Islamic Jihad is holding the remaining 30. About 40 Israelis remained missing.

Abu Ubaida, the spokesperson for the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, said on Hamas telegram account that 23 bodies of the 60 missing Israel hostages were trapped under the rubble. It seems that we will never be able to reach them due to the continued brutal aggression of the occupation against Gaza, he said.

Hamas previously announced that the number of prisoners it held was between 200 and 250 Israelis, and others of other nationalities, during the  Al-Aqsa Flood  battle launched by the Al-Qassam Brigades on the 7th of last October. Hamas indicated that among the detainees were high-ranking military personnel and that it wanted to exchange them for more than 6,000 Palestinian prisoners, including children and women, in Israeli prisons, but Tel Aviv did not show seriousness in concluding such a deal. The movement released 4 female prisoners for humanitarian reasons, two women holding American citizenship, in response to Qatari mediation efforts, and two Israelis, with Egyptian-Qatari mediation.

The Palestinian Prisoners' Club announced that the Israeli army arrested 35 Palestinians, which brings the total number of detainees in the occupied West Bank to 3,035 since last October 7.

Qatar announced the success of the joint mediation efforts with Egypt and the United States between Israel and the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ), which resulted in reaching an agreement on a humanitarian truce in Gaza that will last 4 days and can be extended, the timing of which will be announced. The agreement includes the exchange of 50 civilian women and children prisoners in the Gaza Strip in the first phase, in exchange for the release of a number of Palestinian women and children detained in Israeli prisons. The truce will also allow the entry of a larger number of humanitarian convoys and relief aid, including fuel designated for humanitarian needs.

The main points known about the hostage deal so far:

there will be a ceasefire from both sides in the Gaza Strip,

There is no ceasefire on the northern front with Lebanon, and the truce will be limited to the southern front with Gaza. But the ceasefire deal would also apply as a truce on the northern border with Lebanon, according to a Lebanese report in Nidaa al-Watan. "Hezbollah will adhere to the ceasefire on the condition that Israel does too," the first report announced, following a meeting between the leaders of the Lebanese and Palestinian organizations. An official source from Hezbollah later told Al-Jazeera that the group will respect the ceasefire also in Lebanon, reiterating the condition that Israel does too, adding that the Lebanese group was not consulted on the deal.

there will be a halt to the movement of Israeli military vehicles penetrating into the Gaza Strip,

During the days of the truce, the Israeli forces remain as they are and in their positions, provided that Hamas and the rest of the resistance forces adhere to a complete ceasefire.

Israeli military overflights in the southern Gaza Strip will be halted for four consecutive days. Israeli military overflights in the northern Gaza Strip will be limited to six hours daily, in order to allow Hamas to locate the other hostages who are being held by Hamas terrorists and Islamic Jihad.

Israel agreed to refrain from targeting or arresting any individuals throughout the truce's timeframe.

freedom of movement will be ensured for all Palestinians along Salah al-Din Street, which connects the districts of the Gaza Strip.

The first hostages may be released on Thursday.

The prisoners in Israeli custody will be handed over to the Red Cross, which will transport them to the Rafah area, and there, under the auspices of Egyptian, Qatari and American mediators, they will be transferred to the Israeli side.

Upon their receipt by the Isreeli army, the occupation authorities begin releasing Palestinian female prisoners and children according to the agreed upon number

10 hostages will be released every day

Minimum of 53 hostages will be released, mostly minors (under 19) and their mothers, [the 50 prisoners, who appear to be 30 children, eight mothers, and 12 elderly women]. Hamas has 80 captive children, mothers, and elderly women, but at least in the first stage, if Hamas does not find more, at least seven children and five mothers will remain in captivity. The number of foreign workers is 41 prisoners, meaning that Hamas has 195 Israelis, more than 100 of whom will remain in Gaza even after this deal.

Israel will release approximately 150 Palestinian prisoners, women and minors (under 19), held in its prisons, and who do not have Jewish blood on their hands.

potential of the total number released reaching 80 prisoners, out of about 300 minors (under 19), and 33 female prisoners, detained in its prisons. The mechanism of the process is for Hamas to send through mediators a list of Israeli prisoners who will be released the next day, and the Israeli government approves it, so that the implementation process begins the next day. The number of those released will be increased in later stages of implementing the agreement.

hostages to be released do not include foreigners who do not have Israeli citizenship or foreign workers who were around the Gaza Strip.

it is also possible that foreigners such as Thai citizens will be released, but this has nothing to do with the truce agreement.

The deal does not include Israeli soldiers.

on the fourth day of the truce, new names will be given to the Israeli detainees. Hamas will announce its desire to release them in exchange for Israel releasing Palestinian prisoners, according to the agreed-upon equation, which is one Israeli for 3 Palestinians.

Israel would extend the pause in fighting for one further day for each additional 10 captives released.

Hamas expressed its approval for the Red Cross to visit the remaining kidnapped persons in Gaza, and that it had committed to searching for the remaining kidnapped persons not in its custody, with the aim of seeking their release at later stages.

The agreement would also include the entry into the Gaza Strip, including in the north, of 4 trucks of fuel daily and two trucks of gas, in addition to at least 200 to 300 trucks of food, medicine and humanitarian aid

HAMAS said the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip will continue beyond the days of the agreement, and that the aid that will enter the Strip includes basic materials and clothing.

The Israelis have fears that Hamas will prolong this process until the temporary truce turns into a permanent ceasefire, which is what Israel does not want, as Netanyahu confirmed within the Cabinet that the Israeli army will continue the war with all ferocity after the end of the truce.

The Israeli government released the names of about 300 Palestinian detainees who could possibly be released in the upcoming exchange deal, allowing the public to file an appeal in the event of any objection. The Israeli Ministry of Justice published a list of the names of 300 Palestinian prisoners who could "possibly be released" as part of a prisoner exchange deal that has been agreed on between the occupation and the Palestinian Resistance. The list published by the Israeli Ministry of Justice included the names of prisoners from all Palestinian factions, including Hamas, Fatah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and other factions.

The Israeli Ministry of Justice published the list in order to allow the Israeli public to submit objections to the Supreme Court within twenty-four hours. For its part, the Times of Israel newspaper explained that "publishing the details of these Palestinian prisoners [in advance] provides the opportunity to file a judicial appeal against the release of specific prisoners."

Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement confirmed that it would be party to the partial prisoner swap deal. The enemy thought they could unconditionally restore their captives, the PIJ said in a statement. These delusions were crushed, they added, after their failure to break the will of our people and our resistance. Affirming their steadfastness in regards to their prior stance, the PIJ noted that all non-civilian captives (Israeli soldiers) will only be released if all Palestenian prisoners are liberated.

Political researcher Moin Manna said that reaching an agreement on a humanitarian truce in Gaza - which was announced today, Wednesday - represents the result of a victory for the Palestinian resistance, which was able to besiege the Israeli occupation forces in a specific spot and exhaust them, which represents an insult to the Zionist entity. And a threat to American influence in the region, and putting the British and French efforts that lasted 200 years in vain.

Manna added - in exclusive statements to Al Jazeera Net - that "the last week of the Israeli aggression was a week of pure attrition, and even the pace of bombing and massacres committed by the enemy was indicative of the state of impasse in which it was experiencing, and the state of heavy bleeding in which the occupation forces occurred at the level of military vehicles, whether Tanks, vehicles or personnel carriers, as well as elite soldiers and elite officers.

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron welcomed the agreement reached between Israel and Hamas, describing it as an important step, and the minister urged both parties to commit to achieving the agreement in full.

US President Joe Biden welcomed the prisoner release agreement between Israel and Hamas, which was announced after arduous and complex negotiations. He added that the agreement should also return more Americans detained by Hamas, and Biden thanked the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi for their decisive leadership and partnership in reaching this agreement.

Biden appreciated the humanitarian truce agreement in Gaza , and thanked both the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi for their decisive leadership and partnership in reaching this agreement. Biden said, "This agreement is supposed to bring more American hostages home," stressing that he will not stop until all of them are released. The US President continued, "I appreciate Netanyahu's pledge to support the truce to ensure the implementation of the agreement and provide additional aid to alleviate the suffering of families in Gaza."

America is trying to take the truce as an opportunity to find a basis for reaching successive truces, according to American sources who spoke about the fact that Washington will continue to work on the next stages of the agreement, which could help extend the duration of the truce to release more prisoners, after it had been boasting.

Abu Ubaida, said: As the resistance promised, it took 46 days for Israel to come to its knees in order to release the Israeli hostages, women and children. The most important deal is the exchange of Israeli military prisoners, the price of which will be lifting the siege on Gaza, whitewashing the occupation prisons, and rebuilding Gaza.

Arab social media user Khaled Safi said: Why is the truce a victory for the resistance and a victory for the people stationed in Gaza? - Because Netanyahu said: We will not liberate the prisoners through an exchange deal, but rather we will liberate them by force. ? Because Netanyahu resisted completing the deal and refused the truce for 46 days until he acquiesced against his will. - Because the enemy army's ground operation achieved nothing. - Because the truce occurred without any concession from the resistance.

While Hammoud congratulated Al-Nofali, saying: We congratulate the resistance in Gaza for signing the truce and stopping the war temporarily. Why is it a victory? Because the stinker came down from the top of the tree and had to negotiate to release the children and women, not his soldiers, because the resistance announced to the world from day one that it wanted to release the women and children who were not arrested by the resistance, but by the citizens of Gaza when they saw that the resistance opened the fence with the entity.

Dr.Mamoun Fandi said. ... What led to the truce: 1- A strategic victory for Hamas on 10/7 that moved the Palestinian issue to the forefront, 2- Israel fell into the trap of a ground war with fierce and trained resistance, 3- A change in the global strategic environment and a loss in the battle of public opinion in the West.

Al-Mayadeen TV correspondent Farah Omar and the photographer who accompanied her, Rabih al-Maamari, were martyred in an Israeli raid that targeted them in the town of Tair Harfa, southern Lebanon. The martyr Farah Omar appeared in her last message in live coverage about an hour before her martyrdom, speaking about the latest developments in southern Lebanon. Ghada said, A martyr in the field of journalism... Many comrades preceded you, and the international community is silent and mute, not deterring the Israeli enemy. While Mufid Al-Taweel confirmed...they added to their crimes the killing of joy and spring in the media fields.

The Israeli media also discussed the sharp dispute that dominated a session in the Knesset to discuss a proposed draft law to execute Palestinian prisoners detained in Israeli occupation prisons, as relatives of Israelis imprisoned by the Palestinian resistance in the Gaza Strip directed harsh criticism at the extremist Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, for adopting the project.

Haitham Al-Sayyid said: Netanyahu rejected every previous deal and was stressing that the liberation of Israeli prisoners would be by force, not by an exchange deal. After 46 days of bloody barbaric revenge and failure to achieve any military objective, Netanyahu yielded to the resistance. The truce will reorganize the ranks and open the door to a series of truces, larger exchanges, and conditions in favor of the besieged sector.

Jamal said: So what did you do after 47 days of war on Gaza?! You did not eliminate Hamas, nor were you able to return the hostages or the Israeli prisoners. All you did was kill the innocent civilian population and demolish their homes, and this is evidence of their defeat and your failure. They are the original owners of the land, and God is with them.

Israel is building a scenario of fabrications... An American professor attacks Israel and its claims about Al-Shifa Hospital... After the falsity and lies of the Israeli propaganda about the presence of tunnels and a Hamas headquarters in Al-Shifa Hospital were exposed, criticism of this entity increased because of its continuous and successive lies from the beginning of the aggression on Gaza until present day ...

While Alaa Dahi confirmed: Lying is a Zionist industry, just as America lied about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, Israel now lies and America believes it. Muhammad Abu Rakan pointed out that the terrorist state Israel is the factory of terrorism and hatred, and it is the one that spreads evil and hatred and wants the world to treat it well.

Ghafouri said: They are liars and deceivers. They are deceiving their soldiers that going to Gaza is a pleasure and they will return to their homes safe, but the truth is that they may return in coffins or their bodies will be burned in the Merkava and other military vehicles, leaving them with no traces. It seems that the Israeli government is lying to its citizens. And its soldiers.

Iranian al-Alam concluded "It is clear that the acceptance of the truce by the Israeli entity and its American and Western supporters is in itself conclusive evidence of the failure of the war option. If the truce period is extended, then it can be said with absolute certainty that the resistance, with its epic steadfastness and the legendary patience of the people of Gaza, has triumphed over the American-Western death machine. The Israeli regime, just as the truce or truces, will explode the Israeli interior and overthrow Netanyahu and his government, and will reveal more of the brutality of the Israeli entity and the lack of human conscience among its supporters, when the images of destruction become clearer to the entire world, and then the Israeli entity and its supporters will fall morally and humanely before world public opinion, after Their might fell in the field under the feet of the resistance men."

Operational Update

Netanyahu ordered Mossad to take action against Hamas leaders, wherever they are. Defense Minister, Gallant said Hamas chiefs living on borrowed time.

Pro-Iranian militia targets in the Saida Zaynab area of Syria's capital region Damascus were hit by an Israeli airstrike, according to a Syrian media report. "At approximately 14:10 this afternoon, Israel carried out an airstrike with two missiles from the direction of the Golan Heights, targeting some points in the vicinity of the city of Damascus," Syrian state media quoted a military source. "Our air defense forces responded to the aggression and shot down one of the missiles, causing material damage," the military source added.

Israel estimates about 10 percent of the Palestinian terrorist organizations' fighting forces were killed, and 30 percent of underground tunnels destroyed. After gaining control of the northern Gaza Strip, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) estimated about 4,000 terrorists were killed, so far, which amounts to ten percent of the Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) fighting force. Alongside the casualties, about 30 percent of Hamas's underground infrastructure in the north of Gaza has been demolished. Furthermore, scores of battalion commanders have been killed in these efforts, which has shattered the terrorist organizations chain of command. The ceasefire gives the terrorist factions an opportunity to regroup, reestablish chains of command and reposition its war machines with 90 percent of its fighting force remaining.

IDF soldiers continue to fight in the Gaza Strip. Until now, IDF soldiers have exposed and destroyed approximately 400 terror tunnel shafts. The Yahalom special forces unit of the Combat Engineering Corps has played a significant role in uncovering and destroying these shafts using various methods. Hamas had embedded its network of terrorist tunnels below population centers across the Gaza Strip. Many of the shafts leading to its tunnel network are located within civilian hospitals, schools and homes.

The soldiers of the Givati Brigade conducted operational activity at the headquarters of Hamas Northern Brigade, which is located in the Sheikh Zayed area in the northern Gaza Strip. Sheikh Zayed is a neighborhood in which many senior operatives of the Hamas terrorist organization live. In this area there are many Hamas outposts that are used, among other things, by Hamas Nukhba forces and are located in the heart of the civilian population.

The soldiers carried out operational activity at the outpost, where they located several tunnel shafts, including a strategic tunnel shaft 50 meters deep and 7 meters wide. A scaled-down model simulating an IDF armored fighting vehicle and a wall simulating the security fence of Gaza were also located in the area. In addition, launch complexes were located that include a lathe for the production of rockets, underground pits intended for launching rockets as well as many additional weapons.

As part of the activity, the soldiers eliminated dozens of terrorists in the area. At the end of the operation, the soldiers destroyed the outpost. Furthermore, in another activity in the same area, soldiers of the Givati Brigade identified many weapons in a vehicle that was apparently used by Hamas terrorists during the brutal massacre on October 7th inside a mosque.

With joy mixed with anticipation and anxiety, the residents of the Gaza Strip received a temporary truce agreement between the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) and Israel, announced by the State of Qatar in the early hours of the morning for 4 days, subject to extension. The time had come for the Gazans to capture their breathe and heal their wounds. In the city of Rafah, in the far south of the Gaza Strip on the border with Egypt , and like other cities in the Gaza Strip in its south and north, this agreement had an impact on the residents of the city and the displaced people there, whose number is estimated at more than 300 thousand.

The harsh winter weather doubled the suffering of hundreds of thousands of displaced people in schools and public facilities, which lack the most basic components to confront the cold and rain. What UNRWA provided to the displaced in terms of food and blankets is insufficient, people sleep on the tiles, and the children are shivering from the cold. The truce agreement allows the residents of the northern Gaza Strip to move south while ensuring that the occupation does not attack them.

Following the reports regarding sirens sounded in northern Israel over the last hour, a number of launches from Lebanon toward the areas of Netua, Zarit and Yiftah were identified. The launches fell in an open area and no injuries were reported. In response, the IDF is striking the sources of the launches. In addition, an IDF tank struck a military post belonging to the Hezbollah terrorist organization. Following the alerts concerning hostile aerial infiltration into Israel near the community of Hanita, the "Iron Dome" Defense Array successfully intercepted the object. The incident is over; sirens sounded in northern Israel were triggered by the interception. An alert regarding a hostile aerial infiltration in the area of Rosh HaNikra in northern Israel was a false identification. Separately, several launches from Lebanese territory toward the area of Shushan in northern Israel were identified.

HAMAS Medical sources reported that more than 40 martyrs were killed in Israeli raids on inhabited homes in the central Gaza Strip last night. Dozens of missing persons were also announced after the raids, especially with the disruption of communications and the continuing bombing of the Gaza Strip. In addition, the Israeli forces launched intense artillery shelling on Kamal Adwan Hospital Street in the northern Gaza Strip, resulting in martyrs and wounded in an Israeli bombing that targeted two homes north of Gaza City.

In the Nuseirat camp in the central Gaza Strip, the Israeli bombing of a residential apartment led to the death of nine martyrs, including children. The bombing also affected the south, where three martyrs were killed and a number of others were wounded in a bombing that targeted a house west of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip. A journalist was martyred in an Israeli bombing on the Shujaiya neighborhood, east of Gaza, while another journalist was martyred in the attacks on the Al-Saftawi area, north of the Gaza Strip, last night, raising the death toll of journalist martyrs to 64.

On the other hand, the Martyr Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades announced that it bombed Tel Aviv with a large missile barrage, adding that this bombing comes in response to the Zionist massacres against civilians. The Al-Quds Brigades, affiliated with the Islamic Jihad Movement, also distributed scenes of the Mujahideen targeting the Zionist vehicles penetrating Gaza City and forcing them to retreat. Hamas leader Khalil Al-Hayya confirmed that the enemy did not achieve any field achievement on the ground other than committing war crimes and horrific massacres. Al-Hayya called on the peoples of the world to continue demonstrations and marches and besiege the Zionist entity until the aggression against Gaza stops.

The American newspapers "Washington Post" and "Financial Times" reported maps of the situation in the Gaza Strip until November 18, showing the effects of severe damage in the north of the Strip, Gaza City, and south in Khan Yunis and Rafah. The maps show that about 51% of the buildings in northern Gaza were destroyed or were likely damaged, and this percentage in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip reaches 18%.

The destruction affected more than 45,000 housing units in the northern Gaza Strip, including homes, residential towers, places of worship, health and educational centres, and about 244 schools were destroyed, the last of which was Al-Fakhoura School. The destruction also affected workshops, small establishments, and agricultural lands, which are estimated at about 18% of the entire area of the densely populated sector, which has the largest population density in the world, along with Hong Kong, as more than 2.2 million Palestinians live on an area not exceeding 365 square kilometers. The Indonesian, Al-Ayoun International, Beit Hanoun, Al-Ahly Al-Arabi, Jordanian, Al-Maidani, Al-Shifa, and Turkish Al-Sadaqa hospitals have all gone out of work, and the remaining health centers are threatened with shutting down after preventing the arrival of medicines and fuel.

The Israeli occupation forces stormed the emergency department of the Thabet Thabet Governmental Hospital in Tulkarm, arrested one of the injured, and surrounded Al-Isra Specialized Hospital. The Palestinian News Agency reported that the occupation forces stormed the village of Anin, west of Jenin, this afternoon, and set up military checkpoints at its main entrances. The Palestinian News Agency also said that Israeli forces arrested citizens from the town of Tarqumiya, west of Hebron , and confrontations broke out as a result, during which the occupation soldiers fired live bullets and tear gas bombs towards the citizens.

Al Jazeera's correspondent said that the occupation forces stormed the city of Tulkarm in the northern West Bank, and Israeli forces also blew up a house in the Balouneh neighborhood during the ongoing storming of the Tulkarm camp. In the Dheisheh camp near Bethlehem, the Israeli army carried out a military operation during which it arrested a number of Palestinians, as a result of which confrontations broke out with dozens of Palestinians.

On the other hand, the Tulkarm Brigade, affiliated with the Al-Quds Brigades , announced that its fighters detonated explosive devices in bulldozers and occupation vehicles during their storming of the camp, which led to their damage. They also placed an Israeli force in a tight ambush in the Balawneh axis, and caused casualties.

The Israeli army announced that one of its fighters intercepted a cruise missile , which was launched towards the city of Eilat. Earlier on Wednesday evening, sirens sounded in Eilat, on the Red Sea coast, after a suspected drone infiltration. The army said in a statement, Following the report regarding the infiltration of an enemy aircraft in the area of the city of Eilat on the Red Sea in the south of the country, an Israeli Air Force fighter aircraft succeeded in intercepting a cruise missile that was launched towards Israel. The statement explained that "the threat did not penetrate the territory of Israel."

The Israeli army did not specify from where the missile was launched, but the Ansar Allah group (Houthis) in Yemen had previously announced during the past few weeks the launch of ballistic missiles and drones towards Eilat, in response to the Israeli massacres in the Gaza Strip . The Eilat Municipality stated, in a statement, that after the alert that was activated in the city, security officials in the region reported that a successful interception operation had been carried out, and that there was no air threat.

The Politico website revealed that the administration of US President Joe Biden had provided the occupation entity with sites of humanitarian organizations in Gaza weeks ago to prevent strikes against their facilities, but the entity continued to strike such sites. According to what was reported in the newspaper, the information included GPS coordinates for a number of medical facilities and information about the movements of aid groups in Gaza for the Netanyahu government for at least a month, according to three people familiar with the communications.

However, the occupation launched alleged operations against Palestinians in or near aid sites, including hospitals, destroying buildings and preventing fuel and other vital supplies. It is unclear whether the United States had prepared an official no-strike list or is providing one-time guidance. But several officials helped relay the coordinates of groups that provide food and medical care in Gaza, operate out of hospitals and small offices and live in guest houses. Among the sites provided to the Netanyahu government were medical facilities, including Al-Shifa Hospital, parts of which the occupation forces took control of on November 15.

But the ongoing Israeli bombing of these humanitarian facilities raises more questions about whether Washington has the political influence that many in the administration want with Tel Aviv. The gap is particularly stark given that the aim is to protect aid workers  a fundamental principle of international humanitarian law.

The Biden administration may be trying behind the scenes... but it may not get anywhere, when the Israelis feel they are in a threatening position, said Robert Ford, a former US diplomat who served extensively in the Middle East, including under President Barack Obama. With my presence, the amount of American influence decreases. The National Security Council pointed to earlier comments by spokesman John Kirby during Monday's press conference, in which he told reporters that the administration "does not want to see hospitals as battlefields."

The United States was not the only group providing such data to the entity. The main information exchange for so-called humanitarian conflict resolution is the United Nations. Humanitarian organizations in Gaza say they rely primarily on the United Nations system and send their coordinates to the United States - and directly to the occupying entity.

Bystanders

Several countries around the world praised the temporary truce agreement between Israel and the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) to stop the war in the Gaza Strip and exchange prisoners from both sides. The countries hope that the truce will help alleviate the humanitarian crisis in the Strip and bring aid into it.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the truce agreement in the Gaza Strip, praising the Qatari and Egyptian efforts made to reach it. Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Hussein Al-Sheikh, said in a statement that President Mahmoud Abbas and the leadership welcome the humanitarian truce agreement, and Al-Sheikh renewed the call for a comprehensive cessation of Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people, the introduction of humanitarian aid, and the implementation of a political solution based on international legitimacy, leading to an end to the occupation and the Palestinian people gaining their freedom. Its independence and sovereignty.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also welcomed the agreement and said it was an important step in the right direction.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry welcomed the temporary truce, and Beijing hopes it will help ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Russia welcomes the humanitarian truce agreement announced between Israel and Hamas. Russian news agencies quoted Zakharova as saying, Moscow welcomes the agreement between Israel and Hamas on a 4-day humanitarian truce, stressing that this is what Russia has called for since the beginning of the escalation in the conflict. The Kremlin welcomed the ceasefire agreement in the war between the Israelis and the Palestinians, and said that periods of humanitarian truce are the only way to achieve progress towards reaching a sustainable settlement.

European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the Commission will make efforts to use the expected truce to increase humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. The Head of the Commission added, "I am very grateful to those who worked tirelessly through diplomatic channels to mediate the armistice agreement."

French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the agreement and said in a post on the X platform, We are working non-stop until all hostages are released. French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna praised Qatar's efforts to release prisoners in Gaza, and indicated that Paris hopes to release 8 of its citizens in the truce agreement, believed to be detained in Gaza.

Belgium welcomed the temporary humanitarian truce and prisoner exchange agreement between Israel and Hamas. The Belgian Foreign Ministry said in a statement, "We welcome the agreement that will liberate women and children, and it must be followed by other steps in compliance with international law." She added that the truce must ensure that humanitarian aid reaches citizens in the Gaza Strip.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi announced that he welcomed the success of the Egyptian-Qatari-American mediation in reaching an agreement to implement a humanitarian truce in Gaza. The Egyptian President affirmed his country's continued efforts to reach final solutions that achieve justice and guarantee the legitimate rights of the Palestinians.

The Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the efforts that led to reaching a humanitarian truce agreement in the Gaza Strip, praising the efforts made by the sisterly State of Qatar in partnership with the sisterly Arab Republic of Egypt and the United States of America. The Ministry's official spokesman, Ambassador Sufyan Al-Qudah, stressed the importance of this truce being a step that leads to a complete cessation of the war raging in the Gaza Strip, and that it contributes to stopping the escalation and targeting and forced displacement of Palestinians. He stressed the importance of ensuring that the agreement contributes to ensuring the arrival of adequate humanitarian aid to all areas of the Gaza Strip, in a way that meets all needs, achieves stability, and ensures that the people of Gaza remain in their places of residence. Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Al-Safadi said that Gaza needs 800 aid trucks daily, so there is still a large gap in aid despite the agreement.

The Omani Foreign Ministry welcomed the State of Qatars announcement of reaching a humanitarian truce agreement in Gaza, exchanging a number of civilian prisoners, and allowing the entry of larger numbers of aid.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said that the ceasefire is a step in the right direction and there is a need for a complete cessation of hostilities in Gaza, adding that humanitarian aid to Gaza should not be used as a means of collective punishment.

The UAE Foreign Ministry welcomed the announcement of the truce agreement in Gaza, and praised the efforts of Qatar, Egypt and the United States in achieving the agreement.

The Lebanese Foreign Ministry welcomed the efforts of Qatar, the United States, and those who supported them to reach a truce agreement in Gaza. Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdullah Bouhabib said that the international community must deter Israel from committing massacres, and find a solution that gives the Palestinians their rights.

Axis of Resistance

On the thirty-seventh day of the Zionist aggression against Gaza and its steadfastness in the face of the Zionist entity and its military arsenal, which is trying to achieve a military achievement that it failed to achieve in the face of the Islamic resistance Hamas, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei, confirmed that the usurping Zionist entity, which is heavily armed and equipped, has received a blow, knocked out by Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution also praised the Hamas movement and its role in defeating the Zionist entity and dealing a fatal blow to it. When receiving an elite group of athletes, Ayatollah Khamenei said that the occupation entity, despite all its capabilities, suffered defeat and has not been able to this day to get rid of the burden of its defeat and will not be able to compensate for the heavy loss it suffered despite all the bombing operations it carries out in the Gaza Strip, stressing that it will shorten its life. He stressed that this injustice will not go unanswered.

On the other hand, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said that six weeks of heroic resistance by the Palestinians demonstrated that time is not on the side of the occupying Israeli entity. He added: "After six weeks of resistance in Gaza, time has proven that it is not in favor of the artificial Zionist entity and America, and that they are the losers in this war, and that the Palestinian people are the ones who decide their own fate, and they are the ones who will decide the future of Gaza and the future of Palestine. The resistance leaders in the region are on alert." "The hand will remain on the trigger until the rights of the Palestinian people are fulfilled."

Abdullahian indicated that his visit to Beirut came to consult with the Lebanese authorities regarding achieving security in the region and fulfilling rights, stressing that the Palestinian people alone are the ones who decide the future of Gaza and Palestine.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdollahian stressed the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and considered that the complete solution to the Palestinian crisis is to hold a referendum in the presence of all the real residents, that is, the Palestinian people. Abdullahian held a meeting with foreign ambassadors, heads and representatives of international organizations residing in Tehran in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building, with the aim of explaining the views, approaches and procedures of the Islamic Republic of Iran to help end the Zionist entitys aggression against Gaza and maintain the security of the region .

He stressed that the Al-Aqsa operation was entirely Palestinian in design, decision, and implementation. He said that the Zionist entity, in light of its inability to confront the resistance forces, took revenge on the defenseless people in Gaza and the West Bank,

Amir Abdullahian said that the United States sending numerous messages to the Islamic Republic of Iran calling on the resistance factions to exercise restraint is completely inconsistent with Americas full support for the Zionist entity. He added, first, the Islamic Republic of Iran does not have any proxy group in the region, and second, during the past 46 days, the delivery and sending of American military weapons to Tel Aviv has not been interrupted even for one hour.

He added: Preventing the expansion of the war, establishing a ceasefire, and sending humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza were the main focus and interest in all the diplomatic meetings, messages and conversations we held with our foreign counterparts and international officials.

Dr. Muhammad al-Hindi, Deputy Secretary-General of the Islamic Jihad Movement, confirmed that the Israeli occupation army invaded Gaza and entered with its tanks and armored vehicles, but it could not dare to go down in the street, and if its forces did go down, the street war would become an easy prey for the mujahideen.

In an interview with Al-Alam Channel during the Guest and Dialogue program, regarding the military position of the resistance in Gaza in light of the occupations ground invasion, Muhammad al-Hindi confirmed that the battle ended on the 17th day of the battle, and all that followed that day were massacres committed by Israel against civilians. It bombs civilian homes, bombs hospitals, bombs mosques, and bombs churches. This is "Israel", and it appears in its true image, so that we or some people are deluded that "Israel" is an ally, and it is the oasis of democracy in the region, and shines light on the region and the world. And its army is strong, has principles, and has morals. If Israel is completely naked, all these masks fall off it, and it appears as a gang of murderers and criminals that pursues children and women in their homes, and the sick in their hospitals, and prevents medicine, food, and water. This is Israel.

Al-Hindi said: As for the real battle, it ended on the 17th when this Zionist army evaporated within three hours, as they were repelling the heads of all the region by claiming that they were the invincible army, and lo and behold, within only three hours it evaporated and ended, and this is the extreme confusion and those who are now talking about The Israeli planes that bombed the Israeli celebrations are considered confusion and great confusion. This is the Israeli army. It is true that they invaded Gaza and entered with their tanks and armored vehicles, but they could not dare to go down in the street, and if they did go down, the street war would become an easy prey for the mujahideen.

Al-Hindi continued: Now they are talking about the 45-day period and have set a goal to end the resistance and recover the detainees, and here the resistance is, after 45 days, bombing Tel Aviv with missiles, and therefore the Zionist occupation is killing and not fighting.

Al-Hindi pointed out that Netanyahu is the person in Israel who is considered the most liar and is in trouble. He constantly contradicts himself, as he was talking two days ago about the absence of a hostage deal and the exchange of prisoners, so he was talking in this way, and on the second day he postponed the date of the war council. In order to research and discuss the issue of prisoner exchange, and today a meeting is being held on this topic, and therefore he is contradicting himself, because he does not want to go to this option, and he does not want to end the war because he, Gantz, and Gallant have failed in the military confrontation with the resistance. They want to achieve An achievement, and he says that the return of the hostages in Gaza is achieved by force and with more force, and he kills them by bombing himself. Therefore, Netanyahu, despite this force and this violence, Israel is involved in Gaza because the achievement is achieved through the two major goals that he spoke about: the resistance, is it a government and is it collapsing? Or is it an army that will be defeated?

Al-Hindi explained that the Israeli enemy entity has aircraft that bomb and tanks that penetrate, but what are the targets that it bombs? It only bombs hospitals. It is a hospital war. What is this army that gathers civilians, kills children and women, and targets doctors? If the incubating environment for resistance is children, then these are premature babies. Therefore, the Palestinian people cannot be measured, as the occupation punished premature babies in incubators. This nurturing environment contains children who do not know what war is. The Zionist entity has goals through its ground incursion and through the hospital war it carries out.

Al-Hindi stressed that the Zionist entity aims to displace the residents of the northern Gaza Strip to its south, and then put pressure on the residents of the south militarily to displace them to Sinai. This displacement is the magic solution, as the occupation considers it, and the Palestinian people have said their word: No displacement, no matter the circumstances and no matter what they are. The results are, We die in our homes and are not displaced. And now, for 45 days, the Zionist entity has been displacing the residents of the north, even though the people are without food, water, or shelter, and their homes have been destroyed, and many people are still present, as last night the occupation bombed two schools with the flag of the nations on them. United States, including thousands of Palestinians.

Al-Hindi said: The morale of the resistance fighters is high, and it appears in all the pictures and videos. There is data on the targets, and the high morale of the resistance and the morale of the Palestinian people is despite this Israeli barbarism, which has not been committed since World War II. No one talks about Nazism after today, as Nazism exists 24 hours a day. This occupation, with a live broadcast, which is killing children, women, and hospitals, starving people, and cutting off water and electricity from them, is the real Nazism. These crimes were not committed even in the first edition of Nazism.

Al-Hindi stressed: This new Israeli edition has surpassed the entire history of Nazism in violence, and they are then talking about the Holocausts. Therefore, I say that the morale among the Palestinian people, even among the families of the martyrs, we see them on the live broadcast saying: Praise be to God, for this magic word is Praise be to God. "It means surrendering the matter to God Almighty. We are steadfast in our homes. This is the Palestinian people, and if they are talking about their incubator, the sirens throughout the city will direct them to the shelters.

The battle of resistance is a battle of will and morale. Al-Hindi said: At the end of the analysis, the battle is a battle of wills. If we have strong faith and want to fight, we will fight even if we do not have the capabilities, and if we do not have the morale and faith, then the bombing is done from a distance, and the occupation did not dare to descend with tanks, and the Israelis They live in a state of confusion and do not know where the goal is, as they teach their children to annihilate Gaza, and in return they cannot annihilate or kill the spirit of Palestinian resistance, and the Palestinians are coming at them from everywhere.

Regarding the booby-trapped tunnels, Al-Hindi confirmed that, based on the live broadcast only, a video of the booby-trapped tunnels in which they were killed was watched twice, and the last scene was when an Israeli soldier put his hand on the camera and Israel acknowledged the killing of five Israeli soldiers and officers, as the spirit of resistance is what moves people. The capabilities come in second place, and the spirit of resistance among the Palestinian people and the fighters in the field is a high spirit that cannot be broken. They are martyred, and in the end when they are martyred, people say: Either victory or martyrdom, and Abu Hamza says in the end: "Either victory or martyrdom".

Allied for Democracy

The Israeli government ratified, at dawn on Wednesday, a deal to exchange prisoners and detainees in Gaza with the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) and establish a temporary truce in the Strip, according to an official statement. This came at the end of a cabinet session that extended until dawn today, headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , where all ministers supported the deal except for 3 extremist ministers belonging to the Religious Zionism Party. The Israeli Prime Minister said in a statement that "the government approved the broad outlines of the first phase of an agreement" according to which at least 50 detainees, women and minors (under 19) , will be released over a period of 4 days, "during which a cessation of fighting will take effect."

What is striking is what the Israeli Walah website reported, that approval of the prisoner deal was approved by a large majority, at the end of a government session that lasted five and a half hours. Only the extremist Itamar Ben Gvir, Minister of the so-called National Security, voted against it, while his companion, Bezalel Smotrich, Minister of Finance, voted against it. In favor of the deal after he threatened more than once that he would not vote for it. Which reveals the extent of the humiliation felt by the war criminals in the Israeli entity, after they evaded and procrastinated a lot regarding the negotiations during the past 45 days, to buy time, with American encouragement, thinking that they could free their prisoners by killing children and women and destroying more than half of Gazas homes . They demolished hospitals, killed patients, and did not even spare premature infants.

Netanyahu, before the enlarged government meeting to vote on the agreement, said, We have before us tonight a difficult decision, but it is the right decision. And all security officials fully support it. These are statements that reflect his failure and inability, and the failure and inability of his army and its American and Western supporters, in dealing with the resistance and the Palestinian people , who They humiliated Netanyahu and made him beg for a deal, after he had threatened that he would not stop the fire until his prisoners were liberated and Hamas was eliminated. However, after 46 days of crime, he descended, with the help of the Americans, from the top of the tree to which he had initially climbed.

Signs of defeat did not appear in Netanyahus statements alone. The Minister of War in the Israeli entity, Yoav Galant, and during the expanded government session, he declared: We must make important decisions in the coming hours and days, while Minister in the Defense Ministerial Council, Benny Gantz, considered that the agreement "It's difficult and humanly painful, but it's true because it achieves the maximum that can be achieved, and I believe it will form the basis for the sequel."

Perhaps the former Prime Minister of the occupation government, Ehud Barak, best expressed doubts, as he stated in an interview that Hamas cannot be completely eliminated because it is an ideological movement, and it exists in peoples dreams, in their hearts, and in their minds. The problem is not Hamas, but rather the Gaza Strip and its people, numbering more than two million and 200 thousand citizens, which opened the debate about the next day after the elimination of Hamas.

Michael Milstein wrote an article on October 17 in Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper entitled Who will rule Gaza... These are the options, and they are all bad. Perhaps he was one of the first to address this issue with the occupation leaders and experts, taking advantage of his Orientalist knowledge experience that he gained about Palestinian society. Milstein began his article by questioning the possibility of eliminating Hamas. However, if the occupation succeeds in eliminating it, which is not certain, it has four options for the future of Gaza, two of which are bad, and two of which are worse.

The worst ones and the ones that should be avoided are:

1- Occupying the Gaza Strip again and continuing Israeli rule. This option will have a heavy security, economic and political price, and it is similar to what happened with the United States in Iraq and Afghanistan.

2- Eliminate Hamas rule and quickly exit Gaza. This will leave behind a vacuum that will quickly turn into a dangerous security chaos. And the least bad:

1- Restoring the Palestinian Authority to ruling Gaza, but achieving this option requires that the government of Israel get rid of the perception that the Palestinian Authority is a worse enemy than Hamas. It also does not seem that the Palestinian Authority, which administers the West Bank with difficulty, will be interested in undertaking this complex mission, and if it accepts this mission on the back of an Israeli tank, it is not known how long it will last.

2- Crystallizing an alternative political system that runs Gaza based on local leaders (mayors, notables, tribes) with the participation of the Palestinian Authority and external support from Egypt.

Although Milstein shows his inclination towards the latter option as the least bad option, he nevertheless also doubts its possibility. What this means is that it was clear from the beginning that the options before the occupying state for the future of Gaza are few and difficult, if not impossible, to achieve.

None of the Israeli or Western officials, especially the Americans, have explicitly announced the idea of ??displacing the Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to Sinai, but there are many unofficial statements and calls, or from extremist officials, calling for the displacement of the residents of Gaza. This includes the call of Israeli Minister Avi Dichter, who described the displacement of Palestinians from the north of the Gaza Strip to its south as the Nakba of 2023. However, since the beginning of the war, and with the escalation of talk about a ground invasion of the Strip, some Israeli and American circles began calling for the provision of what they call safe humanitarian corridors to Sinai. To spare Palestinian civilians from the effects of war.

Several plans have been put forward since then for the future of Gaza, and it is clear that all of them failed and did not receive any Arab acceptance or consensus. Among those plans is to restore the Palestinian Authority to administer the Gaza Strip, hand it over to the Egyptian administration, hand it over to a joint Arab international administration, or hand it over to NATO forces and the United Nations. United States, or the Israeli re-occupation of the Strip.

All American and Israeli projects regarding the future of the Gaza Strip were rejected at the Arab and regional levels, specifically by Egypt and Jordan, because they will be most affected by the consequences of any scenarios that the occupation tries to impose in the Gaza Strip, as Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi stated to CIA Director William Burns during his visit. On November 7, Cairo presented what could be called the four Egyptian nos, which are: refusal to displace the population of the Gaza Strip, refusal to re-occupy and administer the Gaza Strip by Israel, rejection of the Egyptian administrations proposal for the Gaza Strip, and refusal to enter NATO forces or any other foreign forces into it.

With this Arab and regional rejection, the United States began to retreat little by little from its various proposals to try to find a way out for the occupying state from the Gaza impasse, as Blinken presented, during his presence in Tokyo to attend the G7 summit, what is described as the five nos, which are no to the forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, No to using Gaza as a platform for terrorism, no to reoccupying Gaza after the end of the conflict, no to blockading Gaza, and no to reducing the territory of Gaza.

However, it does not seem that the occupying state has complied with these American warnings. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced his rejection of the idea of the Palestinian Authority returning to rule the Gaza Strip, as he declared that he would not accept the return of a regime that teaches its children to kill and hate Jews, and funds terrorists, and did not condemn atrocities on October 7th.

On the other hand, he stressed his insistence on maintaining security control over the Gaza Strip, which includes the ability for the Israeli army to enter the Strip whenever it wants to eliminate terrorists who might arise in the Strip, and at the same time he opposed the idea of ??handing over the Strip to international forces.

Netanyahu reaffirmed his position regarding the Palestinian Authority and the occupation of Gaza in the conference he held with Ministers Benny Gantz and Yoav Galant on November 18, concluding it by saying: I will not agree to any party entering Gaza that pays money to terrorism and saboteurs and their families and raises children to kill Jews. And eliminating the State of Israel, and without such a change in the character of the civil administration that will exist in Gaza, it is only a matter of time until Gaza returns to terrorism, and I will not accept that.

Blinken indicated the need for some transitional period in The end of the war, and that the occupying state will assume comprehensive security responsibility in Gaza for an indefinite period. These phrases carry a great degree of ambiguity and maneuvering, as they contain within them many possibilities, the most important of which is the continuation of the Israeli occupation of the Gaza Strip, especially since it says for an unlimited period. Also, the idea of the transitional phase means the phase of preparing a system for managing Gaza that does not exclude any of the proposed options. In any case, there does not appear to be a significant difference in views between the occupying state and the United States regarding the future of the Gaza Strip.

Many discussions in the American capital regarding the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip conclude that Israel will prevail in the end, and experts compete to confirm and reiterate the fact of its overwhelming superiority over the Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas ) materially and militarily, whether in terms of numbers of forces or armed capabilities of aircraft and missiles. Armored vehicles, tanks and cannons.

They do not imagine any other result except Israel's victory, and the question remains for them about the time frame for victory and its cost. In contrast, a growing number of commentators point to the possibility of Hamas's victory or Israel's defeat, and some even assert that Hamas has already won.

In a previous interview with Al Jazeera Net, former US military intelligence officer Scott Ritter confirmed that the Hamas movement has become more than an organization or group in its traditional physical form. Reiter said, "Hamas has become a broader concept of the meaning of resistance, and we must remember that it carried out an act that had only been done before by the Egyptian army, which was able to defeat the Israeli side on the battlefield. Hamas already won on October 7, and that cannot be changed."

He pointed out, "When the Egyptian forces crossed the Suez Canal on October 6, 1973, Egypt won . After that, Israel launched strong counterattacks, but that did not change that Cairo was victorious, and the same is true with Hamas today. It was victorious on October 7." Even if Israel works to destroy the movement.

In turn, Professor Avraham Shama from Northwestern University believes that regardless of how the Gaza war unfolds and what happened and is happening now, Israel has already lost and Hamas has won. Shama cited the hundreds of thousands of Israelis leaving their homes in the north and south, moving to relatively safe shelters or centers in the center of the country, the closing of many schools and universities, and the deterioration of the economic situation in general.

Shama said, "The Israelis suffered another kind of loss, which is a feeling of deep and long-term loss. This loss fundamentally touched their psyche and their sense of collective self and well-being. You can hear it in their voices, their posts, and their choice of words, and you can see it on their faces." He also pointed out that before the Hamas attack, the Israelis were confident, and they believed that a sudden war like the October 1973 war could not happen again, and that if that happened, their army would eliminate it in its infancy. Then the Hamas attack came after almost 50 years, This was a deep shock to them.

The academic considered that despite the loss of more than 13,000 Palestinians, the Hamas movement was able to invade a country with a population of more than 9 million people and a strong army, which succeeded in destroying the Israeli psyche and pushing the renewal of the Palestinian struggle to establish an independent state to the global forefront.

For his part, Professor Stephen Walt of Harvard University said, And as expected with each side blaming the other, Israel and its supporters portray Hamas as nothing more than a brutal gang of Iranian-backed terrorists who deliberately attacked civilians. He adds, "While the Palestinians and their supporters acknowledge that attacking civilians is wrong, they blame Israel for imposing an apartheid regime on Palestinians and subjecting them to systematic and disproportionate violence over many decades. They also point out that international law allows oppressed peoples to resist illegal occupation even if the methods they choose... Hamas is irregular.

Walt considered that the new feature of this latest round of fighting is that Hamas achieved almost complete surprise, just as Egypt and Syria did 50 years ago during the October 1973 war, and demonstrated unexpected combat capabilities. The attack caused more damage to Israel than any of its previous wars.

He added that it is clear that the attack shocked Israeli society, and that the ongoing war may also reveal the limits of power. War is a continuation of politics by other means, and strong countries sometimes win on the battlefield and still lose politically. The United States won all the major battles in Vietnam and Afghanistan .  But in the end, it lost both wars.

In his opinion, Hamas will never be able to defeat Israel in a direct test of strength, but its attack is a tragic reminder that Israel is not immune and the Palestinian desire for self-determination cannot be ignored. He continues, "It also shows that the Abraham Accords and recent efforts to normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia are not a guarantee of peace. In fact, they may have made this latest conflict more likely."

For his part, John Alterman, head of the Middle East Unit at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, considered that the Israeli army's avoidance of American mistakes had ended. Alterman said in a report published by the center, The Israeli army has largely avoided the volatile history that has afflicted the United States militarily since the start of the Vietnam War. The US army ended the clashes in Lebanon, Somalia, and Haiti without clear victories.

He added, "The post - September 11 attacks wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Syrian-Iraqi border region, despite huge resources, years of fighting, billions of dollars, and thousands of American deaths, ended in failure to secure victory." Alterman noted that Hamas' concept of military victory revolves around "achieving long-term political results. Hamas does not see victory in one year or 5, but by engaging in decades of struggle that increases Palestinian solidarity and increases Israel's isolation."

He adds, "In this scenario, Hamas angrily rallies the besieged population of Gaza around it and helps the collapse of the Palestinian Authority government by ensuring that the Palestinians view it more as a helpless assistant to the Israeli military authority." Alterman continues, At the same time, the Arab countries are strongly moving away from normalization, the Global South is strongly siding with the Palestinian issue, Europe is retreating from ignoring the violations of the Israeli army, and an American debate is erupting regarding Israel, destroying the bipartisan support that Israel has enjoyed in Washington since the early 1970s.

He said that Hamas, instead of relying on sufficient power to defeat Tel Aviv, is instead seeking to use Israels much greater power to defeat it. Israels power allows the country to kill Palestinian civilians, destroy Palestinian infrastructure, and defy global calls for restraint. All of these things advance Hamas goals. He considered that "the unexpected successes achieved by the Hamas movement on October 7 will inspire future generations of Palestinians who cherish even small victories despite impossible difficulties."

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Russia and Turkey continue to keep troops in Libya despite agreeing to withdraw their troops. Both nations want to protect their interests in Libya with sufficient guarantees that their economic agreements will be respected. The UN and NATO oppose this because the Libyan Tripoli faction wants to legitimize an illegal treaty signed by them in 2019 granting Turkey some of Greeces offshore oil and natural gas rights in an area between Libya and Turkey. This treaty ignored existing, and internationally recognized, Greek claims on that area. Turkey and Greece are both NATO members and NATO backs Greece in this matter.

Turkey wont withdraw its forces from Libya until a new national Libyan government assures the Turks that the illegal agreement is confirmed by a national Libyan government. Many people in both factions do not want to be stuck with a treaty that the UN and NATO consider illegal. Russia is no friend of NATO and is currently at war with NATO-backed forces in Ukraine. Turkey is also a NATO member, but most other NATO members see the Turks as a liability for NATO because of its cooperation with Russia. The problem there is the absence of any legal mechanism for that because, when NATO was founded, the threat to everyone was the USSR, which became Russian after 1991 and just as troublesome. Turks and Russians are troublemakers in Europe and Libya is a foreign branch of that mischief. Right now, the Russian presence in Ukraine is more of a problem than the few Russian troops left in Libya. The Russians remain in Libya to look after deals they made with one of the Libyan governments to obtain oil exploration opportunities. Exploiting these opportunities will have to wait until the Ukraine War is over.
Rockville, Nov. 23, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As per the latest report by Fact.MR, a market research and competitive intelligence provider, the global Alexandrite Laser Treatment Market is estimated at US$ 48.7 million in 2024 and is projected to reach US$ 83.2 million by the end of 2034.

Alexandrite laser treatment market has emerged as a pivotal segment within the broader landscape of aesthetic and dermatological procedures. With advancements in technology and a growing emphasis on non-invasive cosmetic solutions, the alexandrite laser treatment market is expected to witness healthy growth during the next 10 years, offering both practitioners and patients innovative options for enhancing skin health and appearance.

For More Insights into the Market, Request a Sample of this Report:

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Key Segments of Alexandrite Laser Treatment Industry Research Report

By Indication By End User By Application By Region Hair Removal

Tattoo Removal

Vascular Lesions

Pigmented Lesions

Others Hospitals

Laser Treatment Centers

Specialty Clinics

Ambulatory Surgical Centers Aesthetic

Dermatology

Dentistry

Urology

Others North America

Latin America

Europe

East Asia

South Asia & Oceania

Middle East & Africa



Ongoing innovations in alexandrite laser technology, including improvements in safety features, precision targeting, and treatment efficacy, define a prominent trend. These advancements are continually enhancing the capabilities of alexandrite lasers, contributing to their widespread adoption.

The market is witnessing a surge in demand for alexandrite lasers across diverse applications. Beyond traditional hair removal, there is a growing interest in addressing pigmented lesions, tattoo removal, and skin rejuvenation. This trend reflects a broader consumer acceptance of the versatility of alexandrite laser treatments.

Demand for alexandrite laser treatments is growing on a global scale. Emerging markets in Asia Pacific and Latin America, as well as in North America and Europe, are contributing to the overall growth of the market. This growth aligns with the increasing awareness and acceptance of aesthetic procedures worldwide.

Key Takeaways from Market Study

The global alexandrite laser treatment market is projected to expand at a CAGR of 5.5% from 2024 to 2034.

Revenue from alexandrite laser treatments in the United States is projected to reach US$ 28.1 million by the end of 2034.

Germanys sophisticated healthcare infrastructure and growing medical tourism are driving the demand for alexandrite laser treatment solutions.

Demand for alexandrite laser treatment solutions in Japan is forecasted to rise at a CAGR of 5.2% through 2034.

Popular trends of beauty and wellness significantly driving demand for alexandrite laser treatments, says a Fact.MR analyst.

Winning Strategy

Leading alexandrite laser treatment providers are Alma Lasers, Candela Medical, Cynosure, Inc., and Quanta Systems. These companies are dominating the market with their innovative technologies, extensive product portfolios, and global market presence.

Collaboration with clinics, practitioners, and dermatologists is helping leading alexandrite laser treatment device manufacturers to build strong market networks and profit shares.

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Report Attribute Details Value Projection (2034) USD 83.2 Million Growth Rate (2024-2034) 5.5% CAGR No. of pages 170 Pages No. of Tables 32 Tables No. of Figures 139 Figures



Competitive Landscape

Leading players in the alexandrite laser treatment market are making substantial investments in research and development to introduce innovative features and technologies. This includes expanding applications beyond hair removal to include pigmented lesion removal and tattoo removal, offering comprehensive solutions for clinics and practitioners.

Innovations, strategic expansions, effective marketing, and a commitment to customer satisfaction collectively contribute to the enhanced market position and profitability of key players.

In June 2022, Cynosure introduced an enhancement for the PicoSure Pro device, achieving a significant milestone in advanced laser technology. The PicoSure Pro, equipped with a cutting-edge 755nm picosecond laser, received clearance from the United States FDA for its expanded capabilities in addressing unwanted pigmentation and rejuvenating the skin across all skin types.

Key Companies Profiled

Alma Lasers

Candela Medical

Cynosure, Inc.

Quanta Systems

El.En (Asclepion Technologies)

Lutronic Corporation

Bison Medical

Lumenis

Lynton Laser

EL.EN.S.p.A. (Deka Mela S.r.l.)

More Valuable Insights on Offer

Fact.MR, in its new offering, presents an unbiased analysis of the global alexandrite laser treatment market, presenting historical demand data for 2018 to 2023 and forecast statistics for 2024 to 2034.

The study divulges essential insights on the market based on indication (hair removal, tattoo removal, vascular lesions, pigmented lesions, others), application (aesthetic, dermatology, dentistry, urology, others), and end user (hospitals, laser treatment centers, specialty clinics, ambulatory surgical centers), across six major regions of the world (North America, Latin America, Europe, East Asia, South Asia & Oceania, and MEA).

Checkout More Related Studies Published by Fact.MR Research:

Rare Neurodegenerative Disease Treatment Market : Currently, the global rare neurodegenerative disease treatment market accounts for a valuation of US$ 72.9 billion and is forecasted to reach US$ 119.2 billion by the end of 2033, expanding steadily at 5% CAGR over the next ten years.

Lewy Body Dementia Treatment Market : Across the study period (2023 to 2033), the global Lewy body dementia treatment market size is predicted to expand steadily at 6% CAGR and reach US$ 8.45 billion by the end of 2033.

Addiction Treatment Market : The global Addiction Treatment market was poised to expand at a CAGR of 6.7% during the forecast period. Uptake across commercial settings is expected to grow substantially, generating an opportunity worth US$ 50 Mn over the coming decade.

About Us:

Fact.MR is a distinguished market research company renowned for its comprehensive market reports and invaluable business insights. As a prominent player in business intelligence, we deliver deep analysis, uncovering market trends, growth paths, and competitive landscapes. Renowned for its commitment to accuracy and reliability, we empower businesses with crucial data and strategic recommendations, facilitating informed decision-making and enhancing market positioning. With its unwavering dedication to providing reliable market intelligence, FACT.MR continues to assist companies in navigating dynamic market challenges with confidence and achieving long-term success. With a global presence and a team of experienced analysts, FACT.MR ensures its clients receive actionable insights to capitalize on emerging opportunities and stay ahead in the competitive landscape.
Fort Collins, Colorado, Nov. 23, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to DataHorizzon Research, The Solder Fumes Extraction System Market size was valued at USD 89.4 Million in 2022 and is expected to be valued at USD 134.4 Million by 2032 at a CAGR of 4.4%.

The EMS market is growing due to consumer electronics and communication sector demands. EMS providers are expanding into niche markets like medical, industrial, aerospace, and defense sectors. More OEMs in the computer, storage, peripheral, automotive, and other industries rely on EMS providers.

Soldering is crucial in electronics manufacturing, but the smoke from flux vaporization is harmful. Smoke fume extractors protect workers from chemical and solder fumes, ensuring high-quality electronic products. The rising concern for air quality has increased the importance of these systems, and their demand is expected to grow with the rise of EMS.

The demand for medical devices is driving market growth. Medical electronics technology digitizes medical tests and procedures and enhances healthcare through telemedicine and Health IT. Global sales are forecasted to reach nearly USD 800 billion by 2030, driven by the increasing demand for innovative devices, such as wearable devices and services, due to the rise in lifestyle diseases and economic development in emerging markets like China and India.

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Segmentation Overview:

The global solder fumes extraction system market has been segmented into technology, application, and region. The most economical and efficient extraction system is the single-arm extraction system, which currently dominates the market. The electronics industry has the largest market share due to the growing digitization trend.

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Solder Fumes Extraction System Market Report Highlights:

The global solder fumes extraction system market growth is anticipated at a CAGR of 4.4% by 2032.

Digitalization has led to a surge in electronics manufacturing in developing economies, causing demand for fume extraction systems worldwide.

Asia Pacific dominates the market due to high demand for consumer electronics, with China, Japan, India, and South Korea at the forefront of production.

Some prominent players in the solder fumes extraction system market report include BOFA International Ltd. (Donaldson Company, Inc), Hakko Corporation, Metcal, FUMEX, Nederman Holding AB, Eurovac, Sentry Air Systems, Inc., Weller, Quatro Air Technologies, Inc., and Powertech Pollution Controls Pvt. Ltd. among others.

Industry Trends and Insights:

- BOFA offers laser filtration technology for FMCG production lines to help filter emissions at the ablation point.

- Metcal has released a new portable fume extractor, offering HEPA filtration of 99.97% efficiency, innovations for changing filters, exhausting air, and communicating with the operator, improving the user experience.

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Solder Fumes Extraction System Market Segmentation:

By Technology: Benchtop Fans, Single Arm Extraction Systems, 2-Arm Extraction Systems, Multi-Arm Extraction Systems, and Others

By Application: Electronics, Chemical, Metalworking, Medical, and Others

By Region: North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa.

About DataHorizzon Research:

DataHorizzon is a market research and advisory company that assists organizations across the globe in formulating growth strategies for changing business dynamics. Its offerings include consulting services across enterprises and business insights to make actionable decisions. DHRs comprehensive research methodology for predicting long-term and sustainable trends in the market facilitates complex decisions for organizations.

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Recent Publications

Construction Equipment Market 2023 to 2032

Calibration Services Market 2023 to 2032

Biodiesel Filter Market 2023 to 2032

Irrigation Sprinkler Heads Market 2023 to 2032

Water Pipeline Leak Detection Systems Market 2023 to 2032
Goirle, Netherlands, Nov. 23, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Puppy Cursus is pleased to announce its launch of a new website for online puppy courses. They are currently available in Dutch only, without any subtitles.

Raising a pup can be fun, but it comes with challenges. The best way to address those challenges is to start training the pups at an early age. Early training helps them to be disciplined and behave well in social settings. Not all pup parents are tuned to train their pets. They need a little hand-holding. Puppy Cursus was started to help pet parents learn how to properly train their dogs and help them become well-behaved and lovable dogs.



Puppy Cursus

All puppies need training, irrespective of the breed. It is the responsibility of the pet parents to give their pets the attention, training, and education for their overall development. They need to teach their pup to understand what an unwanted behavior is, such as barking at people or peeing inside the house. Training the pup to behave in a certain way not only helps the pet but the parents too. Constant training and education also help strengthen the bond between both. Parents will be proud to see their pups transform into sweet dogs. With the Dutch online puppy cursus, pet parents will have the best tools to guide their pets overall development. Puppy Cursus provides dog owners with an extensive course designed to cover essential aspects of puppy care, including puppy socialization, puppy biting, putty toilet training, and more.

The courses will be offered by the online dog school Van Maanen LOCA, which was started by Eline van Maanen together with Minna, a canine instructor who has been working with dogs since 1995, this online dog school provides a wide range of online puppy courses and dog courses to help pet parents overcome the challenges while petting their dogs. Minna is not just a dog trainer but also a rescue dog handler. She also won (inter)national agility competitions and is known as an international jury member (WCFO:NDDB/FHN).

Minna is also associated with the Dutch Celldogs Foundation, where she works as an instructor and is frequently seen blogging at Doggo. Minna and Eline are the faces of the online dog school Van Maanen LOCA. Their premium online dog community can be joined for a small monthly fee, members in return get unlimited guidance for the courses they bought, access to bonus materials and of course an active growing community of like minded dog owners. The online puppy cursus are tailored, varied, and challenging for every dog owner and their pets. Having been in dog training for many years, Minna puts her expertise into training and developing various courses, creating different approaches for certain scenarios. Puppycursus is currently available in the Dutch language only (with no subtitles). The structured puppy courses focus on specific activities, themes, and sports.

To learn more, visit https://puppy-cursus.online/.

About Puppy Cursus

Puppy Cursus, started by Marco Van Gils, is an affiliate of the online dog school Van Maanen LOCA that provides various digital dog training sessions, which are currently available in the Dutch language only.

###

Contact

Marco Van Gils

Address: De Dintel 12, 5052VE, Goirle, Netherlands

Phone: +31630047676

Website: https://puppy-cursus.online/

Email: info@demaandelijksemarketeer.nl









Attachment
Beijing, China, Nov. 23, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Global Forum, co-organized by Singapore Management University (SMU) and Renmin University of China (RUC), concluded successfully on 21 November, 2023. The Forum brought together experts, industry leaders and academics from Singapore, China and around the world to discuss the theme of "Green Finance and Governance: From Commitments to Actions".

The Forum aimed to take participants beyond the traditional academic research paradigm to explore innovative ways in which green finance can achieve economic growth in the context of environmental obligations. Experts agreed that green finance has become a focal point for the financial community in Asia and globally, with governments, financial institutions and corporations committing to and taking concrete actions to promote sustainable development. The Forum explored the delicate balance between transparency in financial practices, accountability, green objectives and economic stability, and how to reconcile ESG (environmental, social, governance) with other government goals in the context of economic behavioral change.

In their opening speeches, Prof. Timothy Clark, SMU Provost, and Prof. Kangtao Ye, Vice President of RUC, on behalf of their respective universities, warmly welcomed the participants and pointed out the importance of green finance in addressing global environmental issues. Prof. Ye also highlighted the important achievements of China-Singapore cooperation in the field of green finance and called for more wisdom and strength for the cause of green finance. Prof. Clark expressed the positioning of SMU as an engaged city university with a strategic focus on digital transformation, sustainable living and growth in Asia, and the importance for the university to actively seek partners with similar visions in Singapore and the region. In addition, Prof. Clark emphasized the role of universities in driving change, particularly in the integration of research and industry expertise, as well as the contribution of universities in driving green finance. At the same time, he reviewed the multi-faceted partnership between SMU and RUC, and expressed his hope to deepen the collaboration in research areas, such as green finance and ESG investing.

In the keynote speech session, Hong Lan, Associate Director of the Ecological Finance Research Center of RUC and Professor of Environment and Natural Resources School, Hao Liang, Associate Professor of SMU Lee Kong Chian School of Business (LKCSB), Ho Bee Professorship in Sustainability Management and Co-Director of Singapore Green Finance Centre, Joris Dierckx, Head of Corporate and Institutional Banking for Southeast Asia and CEO of Singapore Branch at BNP Paribas, and Jang Ping Thia, Lead Economist and Manager of the Economics Department, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)- shared their insights and experiences on green finance and governance from their own areas of expertise.

The ensuing panel discussion was moderated by Zongxin Qian, Professor and Associate Dean of SFRUC. Focusing on the related topics such as ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) becoming an increasingly important policy issue for both developed and developing economies, Simon J.D. Schillebeeckx, Assistant Professor of Strategy and Innovation of SMU LKCSB, Co-founder and Director of the Global Mangrove Trust and GREEEN, Jang Ping Thia, Lead Economist and Manager of the Economics Department, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), Qing He, Executive Deputy Director of of the National Finance Academy of RUC and SFRUC Professor, Haoyu Gao, SFRUC Professor, Yuchao Peng, Associate Dean of School of Finance, Central University of Finance and Economics, and Liping Lu, Associate Professor of SFRUC, shared their views on the topic and engaged in an in-depth and constructive discussion.



In an interview after the meeting, Professor Sun Sun Lim, SMU Vice President (Partnerships and Engagement), said that SMU as an engaged city university, aims to provide students with a deeper understanding of various issues in Asia through its in-depth research and teaching. SMU not only focuses on the major challenges in society, but also looks forward to collaborating with more leading Chinese universities in the future. Such collaborations will provide opportunities for both parties to engage in dialogues with Chinese academic and industry leaders on platforms, like the Global Forum to discuss important issues such as environmental sustainability and digital transformation. This collaboration will not only be a tremendous boost to the international reputation of SMU, but will also help promote in-depth research and solutions to the many challenges facing todays society.

The successful conclusion of this Global Forum marks a new milestone in the interdisciplinary exchange and collaboration between SMU and RUC in the field of green finance and governance. It also provides a strong impetus for the sustainable development of green finance and lays a solid foundation for the future development of green finance.


Norway is in the process of procuring three new arctic coast guard ships of the Jan Mayen class. The ships displace 9,800 tons, are 136 meters (435 feet) long and can accommodate up to a hundred people. The rear deck can support helicopter operations and a hangar can house two NH90 helicopters. The ship has hospital operating rooms for treating casualties. The ship has telescoping davits to launch and recover fast rescue boats up to 8.5 meters long. The ship can also accommodate two RHIBs (Rigid hull inflatable boats).

The ships are armed and have a fire control system that enables the ship to detect, track and fight threats effectively and accurately. The ship can be equipped with a small cannon, machine-guns and storage space for naval mines and lightweight torpedoes carried and used by helicopters.

The ship navigation system uses a naval INS (inertial navigation system) as well as a gyrocompass and satellite-based data link that keeps navigation systems up to date. There is also a naval communications system that enables the crew to keep in touch with those on the ship as well as communicate with those elsewhere.

The ship has sonar that can detect and track torpedoes and other small underwater objects. The sonar can be withdrawn into the ship when sea conditions are rough, or ice is forming.

The ship has a 3D radar as well as a separate radar for IFF (Identification Friend of Foe) purposes. The 3D radar can track aerial and naval objects as well as assist in helicopter landings and takeoffs.

The ship has a diesel-electric propulsion system that enables speeds of up to 40 kilometers an hour and can stay at sea for at least 60 days at a time before needing resupply of fuel and other items.

The ships cost about $208 million each and the first one was delivered in 2022, with the other two following in 2023 and 2024. These three ships are replacing three smaller, 40-year-old Nordkapp class ships.
TOKYO, JAPAN, Nov. 23, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fintokei, the renowned fintech powerhouse that is transforming the trading education and evaluation landscape in Japan, is excited to announce its expansion into the European market. This strategic move comes as part of the company's mission to democratize the trading landscape globally, offering unparalleled opportunities to traders worldwide.







First of its kind in Japan and founded by a team of seasoned traders and tech visionaries, Fintokei has been rapidly rising to prominence in the country, garnering a reputation for its innovative approach to trading education and its commitment to fostering long-term trading success. The company's ethos revolves around providing traders, irrespective of their initial capital or experience, with the tools, opportunities, and support they need to thrive.

David Varga, one of the co-founders with over a decade of experience in financial markets and in the regulated investment industry, shared his vision: "Our success in Japan has been just the beginning. Europe, with its diverse and dynamic trading landscape, presents a unique opportunity for Fintokei. We're not just bringing a product; we're introducing a new way of thinking about trading."

While the company's expansion into Europe is newsworthy in itself, Fintokei is also introducing its groundbreaking type of service, SwiftTrader, to the European audience. SwiftTrader, while not the sole focus of this expansion, exemplifies Fintokei's commitment to innovation and trader empowerment.

SwiftTrader is designed to empower traders, regardless of their initial capital, by providing them with access to trading accounts of up to 50,000, instantly. The platform boasts an impressive array of features, including educational video courses, certificates for successful traders, and a unique scaling plan that allows traders to increase their trading capital even further, by up to 10 times more.

One of the standout features of SwiftTrader is its profit-sharing model. Traders can earn from day one, with the potential to receive up to 90% of their profits. The platform also offers bi-weekly payouts, ensuring that traders can access their earnings promptly.

Fintokei's commitment to fostering long-term trading success is evident in SwiftTrader's design. The platform has eliminated the daily drawdown rule, focusing instead on overall results. This approach allows traders to strategize and trade without the pressure of daily limits, emphasizing long-term profitability, and it can truly become a beginning of ones professional trading career.

With the aspiration to fast forward traders dreams, with its user-friendly interface, robust features, and a team of industry experts at the helm, SwiftTrader is set to become a game-changer in the trading industry.

Michal Magdolen, Head of Operations in Fintokei, added, "SwiftTrader is a testament to our dedication to continuous innovation. But our expansion into Europe is about more than just a product; it's about bringing the Fintokei philosophy and ecosystem to a whole new audience."

Fintokei's move into Europe is led by the extensive market research and insight from the industry. The company is backed by Purple Holding and utilizes the long-lasting experience of the founders from their financial markets business in Europe and worldwide. Fintokei has already established partnerships with key local financial institutions and media and is gearing up for a series of events and workshops to engage with the local trading communities.

In conclusion, Fintokei's European venture marks a significant milestone in the company's journey. With a proven track record in Japan and a clear vision for the future, Fintokei is poised to redefine the trading landscape around the world.

For more insights into Fintokei's story and its range of services, visit www.fintokei.com.

Media Contact

Company: Fintokei

Email: media@fintokei.com

Website: https://www.fintokei.com/

SOURCE: Fintokei




Dublin, Nov. 23, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "MesoPher Drug Insight and Market Forecast - 2032" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



This report provides comprehensive insights about MesoPher for malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) in the seven major markets.

A detailed picture of the MesoPher for MPM in the 7MM, i.e., the United States, EU4 (Germany, France, Italy, and Spain) and the United Kingdom, and Japan for the study period 2019 -2032 is provided in this report along with a detailed description of the MesoPher for MPM.

The report provides insights about mechanism of action, dosage and administration, as well as research and development including regulatory milestones, along with other developmental activities.

Further, it also consists of future market assessments inclusive of the MesoPher market forecast analysis for MPM in the 7MM, SWOT, analysts' views, comprehensive overview of market competitors, and brief about other emerging therapies in MPM.



Drug Summary



MesoPher is a product of Amphera BV, comprised of autologous patient dendritic cells (DCs) loaded with PheraLys. This treatment starts by taking blood samples of pleural mesothelioma patients. The dendritic cells are present in the white blood cells of the blood. White blood cells are extracted through a process called leukapheresis. Afterward, patient monocytes are isolated from the leukapheresis product and differentiated ex vivo into immature DCs.

The patient's immature DCs are then loaded with PheraLys to create activated, mature DCs, capable of presenting key tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) to the immune system. On returning the activated DCs to the patient, they migrate to the lymph nodes, where they induce an immune response, including NK cells, B cells, and T cells, to attack the tumor (Amphera, 2019).



Currently, this product is being investigated in the DENIM study (Dendritic cell immunotherapy for mesothelioma). It is an open-label, randomized, Phase II/III study in 230 adults with pleural mesothelioma to assess the efficacy and antitumor activity of MesoPher as a maintenance treatment after chemotherapy.

Patients in Arm A will receive three bi-weekly injections of MesoPher with the best supportive care, plus two further injections of MesoPher at Weeks 18 and 30. Patients in Arm B will receive the best supportive care alone. Six mesothelioma referral centers in five European countries are participating in the DENIM study.



MesoPher Analytical Perspective

In-depth MesoPher Market Assessment



This report provides a detailed market assessment of MesoPher for malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) in the seven major markets, i.e., the United States, EU4 (Germany, France, Italy, and Spain) and the United Kingdom, and Japan. This segment of the report provides forecasted sales data from 2023 to 2032.



MesoPher Clinical Assessment



The report provides the clinical trials information of MesoPher for MPM covering trial interventions, trial conditions, trial status, start and completion dates.



Report Highlights

In the coming years, the market scenario for malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is set to change due to the extensive research and incremental healthcare spending across the world; which would expand the size of the market to enable the drug manufacturers to penetrate more into the market.

The companies are developing therapies that focus on novel approaches to treat/improve the disease condition, assess challenges, and seek opportunities that could influence MesoPher dominance.

Other emerging products for MPM are expected to give tough market competition to MesoPher and launch of late-stage emerging therapies in the near future will significantly impact the market.

A detailed description of regulatory milestones, and developmental activities, provide the current development scenario of MesoPher in MPM.

This in-depth analysis of the forecasted sales data of MesoPher from 2023 to 2032 will support the clients in the decision-making process regarding their therapeutic portfolio by identifying the overall scenario of the MesoPher in MPM.

Key Topics Covered:



1. Report Introduction



2. MesoPher Overview in MPM

2.1. Product Detail

2.2. Clinical Development

2.2.1. Clinical studies

2.2.2. Clinical trials information

2.2.3. Safety and efficacy

2.3. Regulatory Milestone

2.4. Other Developmental Activities

2.5. Product Profile



3. Competitive Landscape (Marketed Therapies)



4. Competitive Landscape (Late-stage Emerging Therapies)



5. MesoPher Market Assessment

5.1. Market Outlook of MesoPher in MPM

5.2. 7MM Analysis

5.2.1. Market Size of MesoPher in the 7MM for MPM

5.3. Country-wise Market Analysis

5.3.1. Market Size of MesoPher in the United States for MPM

5.3.2. Market Size of MesoPher in Germany for MPM

5.3.3. Market Size of MesoPher in France for MPM

5.3.4. Market Size of MesoPher in Italy for MPM

5.3.5. Market Size of MesoPher in Spain for MPM

5.3.6. Market Size of MesoPher in the United Kingdom for MPM

5.3.7. Market Size of MesoPher in Japan for MPM



6. SWOT Analysis



7. Analysts' Views



8. Appendix



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/v5rpnd

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.
MANZINI  The Deputy Prime Minister (DPM), Thuli Dladla, wants corruption rooted out in the registration of orphaned and vulnerable children (OVCs).

The DPM, who was representing the Prime Minister (PM), Russell Mmiso Dlamini, during the anniversary of the United Nations (UN) 78 years of existence, expressed this desire while touring the stalls of the different entities under the UN. The event was held at Mhubhe High School at Ngulwini yesterday. Dladla, who toured 17 stalls, engaged the personnel under the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), after their presentation. This was after they had informed her that among, other things, they offered dignity packs to pupils who were OVCs. After this submission, the DPM requested that the organisation engage in the census to establish the number of OVCs within all the constituencies. She said the information should also include those who had completed school and were idling at home.

This information, she said, would assist in linking up the OVCs with other programmes, which would set them on the right career paths. The census will also assist in weeding out those who are registered as OVCs in schools, while they do not deserve to be benefitting, she said. Dladla was touring the stalls along with the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Prince Simelane, Minister of Education and Training Owen Nxumalo, UN Resident Co-ordinator George Wachira and Mafutseni Constituency Member of Parliament (MP) Sabelo Mtetwa.

On the other hand, while at the stall for the World Health Organisation (WHO), the DPM expressed appreciation to the personnel for the assistance they extended to the country at the height of the coronavirus (COVID-19). She was further chuffed by the partnership between WHO and the Ministry of Health, as they were vaccinating pupils yesterday against human papillomavirus (HPV) to minimise cases of cancer.

Meanwhile, Prince Simelane, when they were at the Legal Aid stall, expressed jubilation after hearing the great things that the entity does. In fact, the minister committed to the personnel that the first motion he would have in Parliament would be addressing Legal Aid.
VANCOUVER, Nov. 22, 2023 - Northcliff Resources Ltd. ("Northcliff" or the "Company") (TSX: NCF) is pleased to provide an update on the Sisson Tungsten-Molybdenum Project ("Sisson Project" or "Sisson"), a critical minerals project located in New Brunswick.

In 2023, the Company advanced its Sisson Project Work Plan.

Geotechnical drilling and testing field program ("Phase 1 Drilling Program"): The Phase 1 Drilling program, designed to provide information on the site characterization and support additional design detail of the Tailings Storage Facility is completed. The Phase 1 Drilling Program will also support other ongoing engineering related activities and respond to certain provincial Environmental Impact Assessment ("EIA") conditions prior to the start of construction.

Archeological work program ("Phase 1 Field Program"): The Phase 1 Field program underway involves mitigation activities in compliance of EIA conditions, and the development of a Heritage Resource Protocol and related activities.

Discussions regarding an engagement plan to address EIA conditions of significance to First Nations continue.

Continue to address other conditions associated with the three-year extension to the construction commencement timeline for the Sisson Project to December 3, 2025 granted by New Brunswick's Minister of Department of Environment and Climate Change.

Andrew Ing, CEO commented: "With the support of local contractors, vendors, community, and consultants, we have successfully completed Phase 1 geotechnical drilling and are advancing Phase 1 archeological work. I would like to thank the local contractors for their assistance, as we continue to advance the Sisson Project toward construction. Planning for field work in 2024 is underway. We will continue to work collaboratively with the regulators in New Brunswick and First Nations as we address EIA conditions."

The Company also continues to advance offtake and project finance discussions with interested parties; and pursue funding opportunities under the Critical Minerals Joint Action Plan between Canada and the United States.

In this regard, Northcliff recently participated in the International Tungsten Industry and Association ("ITIA") Annual Conference, held in Osaka, Japan, in October 2023, at which discussions on offtake and finance were held with off-takers, investors, supply chain companies and tungsten industry leaders. "Favorable meetings with the conference participants were held during ITIA," commented Andrew Ing, CEO. "These discussions included status of the Sisson Project as a strategic asset, as well as momentum gained from the execution of the field program and ongoing corporate activities driving toward the construction commencement timeline of December 2025."

The Company will also be featured in Canadian Mining Magazine's Winter Edition Publication with an article on critical minerals and its Sisson Project to be published in January 2024 ahead of Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada annual conference in March 2024.

About Northcliff Resources Ltd.

Northcliff is a mineral resource company focused on advancing the feasibility-stage Sisson Tungsten-Molybdenum Project located in New Brunswick, Canada, to production. Northcliff owns an 88.5% interest in the Sisson Partnership, which owns the Sisson Tungsten-Molybdenum Project. Todd Corporation holds an 11.5% interest in the Sisson Partnership and owns 76.63% of the issued and outstanding shares of Northcliff.

Additional information on Northcliff is available on the website at www.northcliffresources.com.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

Andrew Ing

President & Chief Executive Officer

Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains forward-looking information based on current expectations. Forward-looking information is provided for the purpose of presenting information about management's current expectations and plans relating to the future and readers are cautioned that such statements may not be appropriate for other purposes. Forward looking information may include, without limitation, advancement of the planned programs under the Work Plan, the opinions or beliefs of management, prospects, opportunities, priorities, targets, goals, ongoing objectives, milestones, strategies, and outlook of Northcliff, and includes statements about, among other things, future developments, the future operations, strengths and strategy of Northcliff. Generally, forward looking information can be identified by the use of forward looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. These statements are based upon certain material factors, assumptions and analyses that were applied in drawing a conclusion or making a forecast or projection, including Northcliff's experience and perceptions of historical trends, the ability of Northcliff to maximize shareholder value, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors that are believed to be reasonable in the circumstances.

Although such statements are based on management's reasonable assumptions at the date such statements are made, there can be no assurance that it will be completed on the terms described above and that such forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking information. Northcliff assumes no responsibility to update or revise forward-looking information to reflect new events or circumstances unless required by applicable law.

For additional information regarding forward-looking statements and their related risks, please refer to the "Risk Factors" section in the Annual Information Form of the Company for the year ended on October 31, 2022, which is available on the Company's SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca.

SOURCE Northcliff Resources Ltd.
Calgary, November 22, 2023 - Antioquia Gold Inc. (TSXV: AGD) (OTCQX: AGDXF) ("Antioquia Gold" or the "Company") is pleased to announce a summary of its financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2023 and that it has applied and has received approval for a voluntary delisting of its common shares in the capital of the Company (the "Common Shares") from the TSXV Venture Exchange ("TSXV"). Accordingly, it is anticipated that, effective as at the close of trading on Friday, December 1, 2023, Antioquia's Common Shares will no longer be listed and posted for the trading on the TSXV. The voluntary delisting is because the Company no longer meets the public distribution requirements of TSXV Policy 2.5. In addition, a majority of the shareholders of the Company approved the voluntary delisting of the Common Shares at the annual and general and special meeting of the shareholders of the Company held on October 11, 2023. The Company will continue as an unlisted reporting issuer under Canadian securities laws.

For the third quarter of 2023, the Company has shown a decrease financial performance in comparison to the previous period for the three months ended September 30, 2023. The Company has continued improvements in mine planning and mining operations, and process plant optimization.

The main operational and financial results for the third quarter 2023 are as follows (1):

Gold production for the third quarter of 2023 was 8,502 ounces compared to 11,254 ounces for the third quarter of 2022 (a 24% decrease).

Total revenues for the third quarter of 2023 were $12.0M compared to $22.4M for the third quarter of 2022 (a 46% decrease).

Adjusted EBITDA (2) for the third quarter of 2023 was $0.6M compared to $3.0M for the third quarter of 2022 (a 77% decrease).

Net loss for the third quarter of 2023 was $7.4M compared to a loss of $2.5M for the second quarter of 2022 (a 197% decrease).

The average realized gold price (2) for the third quarter of 2023 was US$2,100/ounce compared to US$1,566/ounce for the third quarter of 2022 (a 34% increase).

Cash cost per ounce sold (2) for the third quarter of 2023 was US$1,980 compared to $1,353 for the third quarter 2022 (a 46% increase).

AISC per ounce sold (2) for the third quarter of 2023 was US$2,133 compared to $1,543 for the third quarter of 2022 (a 38% increase).

Summary of main operating and financial results Q3 2023

$CAD 000's except ounce, per ounce, in

USD and per share data

For the three

months ended

Sep 30,



For the nine

months ended

Sep 30,



For the Years Ended



2023



2022



2023



2022



2022



2021



2020 Operating data (Currency: CAD)









































Gold produced (ounces)

8,502



11,254



27,622



36,110



48,955



37,867



20,301

Gold sold (ounces)

4,232



10,755



25,594



35,255



47,848



38,634



18,413

Average realized gold price ($/oz sold) (1)

2,817



2,044



2,459



2,146



2,153



2,097



2,295

Total cash costs ($/oz sold) (1)

2,656



1,767



2,171



1,638



1,656



1,532



1,642

AISC ($/oz sold) (1)

2,862



2,015



2,585



1,790



1,816



1,702



1,731

All-in costs ($/oz sold) (1)

3,020



2,025



2,620



1,816



1,838



1,744



1,800































Operating data (Currency: USD)



























Average realized gold price ($/oz sold) (1)

2,100



1,566



1,827



1,673



1,654



1,673



1,711

Total cash costs ($/oz sold) (1)

1,980



1,353



1,613



1,277



1,273



1,222



1,224

AISC ($/oz sold) (1)

2,133



1,543



1,921



1,396



1,396



1,358



1,290

All-in costs ($/oz sold) (1)

2,252



1,551



1,947



1,416



1,412



1,391



1,342































Financial data (Currency: CAD)



























Revenue

11,998



22,369



64,047



77,370



105,274



83,233



43,905

Cost of sales

(12,827 )

(22,155 )

(63,643 )

(69,598 )

(93,348 )

(71,786 )

(37,488 ) Gain (Loss) from mine operations

(829 )

215



404



7,772



11,926



11,447



6,417

Exploration and evaluation expenditures

(670 )

(111 )

(901 )

(914 )

(1,044 )

(1,648 )

(1,259 ) General and administrative expenses

(746 )

(709 )

(2,243 )

(2,278 )

(3,273 )

(3,034 )

(2,338 ) Selling expenses

(39 )

0



(39 )

0



0



0



0

EBITDA (1)

814



3,085



9,351



18,332



18,374



18,918



12,533

Adjusted EBITDA (1)

660



2,966



7,564



18,332



22,632



21,425



13,279

Gain (loss) from operations

(1,747 )

(91 )

(296 )

5,789



3,689



5,907



2,839

Interest expense and other expense

(4,682 )

(2,400 )

(10,856 )

(6,507 )

(11,059 )

(9,436 )

(7,359 ) Net gain (loss)

(7,393 )

(2,491 )

(13,540 )

(746 )

(8,314 )

(5,600 )

(6,050 ) Net gain (loss) per share, basic and fully diluted

(0 )

(0 )

(0 )

(0 )

(0 )

(0.01 )

(0.01 )

































































For the nine

months ended

Sep 30,



For the Years Ended









2023



2022



2022



2021



2020

Balance sheet (Currency: CAD)

























Total assets







150,509



128,872



117,084



115,688



124,893

Working capital deficit







(133,082 )

(127,403 )

(129,864 )

(120,297 )

(115,429 ) Not current liabilities







18,369



6,956

9,897



1,564



0



(1) This news release should be read in conjunction with the Company's financial statements and management's discussion and analysis for the period ended September 30, 2023 filed on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

(2) Non-IFRS performance measures. For more information, refer to the definitions of EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, Average realized gold price, Cash Cost, AISC and All-in Cost in the "Non-IFRS Measures" section of the period ended September 30, 2023 MD&A.

Cisneros Project

The Company owns and operates the Cisneros Project, located in the Municipality of Santo Domingo (Antioquia, Colombia) and approximately 70-km from the city of Medellin. The Cisneros Project consists of two operating, underground mines, Guaico and Guayabito and a processing plant with a newly expanded capacity of 1,200-tonnes/day, tailings deposit and a 10 km pipeline. Flotation and gravity concentrates are produced and sold through internationally recognized trading houses.

The Company controls the mineral rights to a large, consolidated land package of approximately 17,000 hectares and maintains an active exploration program. This program helps to identify and confirm resources around current mines.

Mine Technical Services (MTS) audited the Cisneros Mineral Resource estimate and completed an independent mineral resource estimate for validation purposes. Differences were generally less than 10% in tonnes, grade and contained metal.

Mineral Resources for the project were classified under the 2014 CIM Definition Standards for Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves by applying a cut-off grade that incorporated mining costs, process operating costs, metallurgical recovery parameters and commodity prices.

The Qualified Person for the Mineral Resource estimate is David G. Thomas, P.Geo of MTS. Mineral resources are reported using a long-term metal price of $1,800/troy oz USD. Variable marginal cut-off grades were applied depending on the anticipated mining method. Resources have an effective date of October 1, 2022.

The updated MRE for Cisneros has been completed according to CIM Definition Standards and it is supported by a NI 43-101 independent report published and filed on the Company's website and SEDAR+ profile on December 16, 2022.

Qualified Persons

Roger Moss, Ph.D., P.Geo., Consultant to Antioquia Gold, is the qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical information provided in this news release.

For further information on Antioquia Gold Inc. contact:

Gonzalo de Losada - CEO

Thomas Kelly - Director

Antioquia Gold Inc.

Email: info@antioquiagold.com

www.antioquiagoldinc.com

Phone 57 604 6041948

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

Reader Advisory Forward-Looking Statements:

This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. This information and these statements, referred to herein as "forward-looking statements", are made as of the date of this press release and the Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law. Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect current expectations or beliefs regarding future events and include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to: the timing of the delisting of the Common Shares from the TSXV and the continued reporting issuer status of the Company under Canadian securities laws. Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "expects", "anticipates", "plans", "projects", "estimates", "assumes", "intends", "strategy", "goals", "objectives", "schedule" or variations thereof or stating that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved, or the negative of any of these terms and similar expressions) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are made based upon certain assumptions by the Company and other important factors that, if untrue, could cause the actual results, performances or achievements of Antioquia to be materially different from future results, performances or achievements expressed or implied by such statements. Such statements and information are based on numerous assumptions regarding present and future business prospects and strategies and the environment in which Antioquia will operate in the future, including the accuracy of any resource estimations, the price of gold, anticipated costs and Antioquia's ability to achieve its goals, anticipated financial performance, regulatory developments, development plans, exploration, development and mining activities and commitments. Although management considers its assumptions on such matters to be reasonable based on information currently available to it, they may prove to be incorrect. Additional risks are described in Antioquia's most recently filed Annual Information Form, annual and interim MD&A and other disclosure documents available under the Company's profile at: www.sedarplus.ca. By their very nature, forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, and risks exist that estimates, forecasts, projections and other forward-looking statements will not be achieved or that assumptions do not reflect future experience. We caution readers not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements as a number of important risk factors could cause the actual outcomes to differ materially from the beliefs, plans, objectives, expectations, anticipations, estimates, assumptions and intentions expressed in such forward-looking statements.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/188491
When it comes to urban turnarounds, there is no more challenging environment than upstate New York. The sad litany of former boom cities gone bust due to declining manufacturing and population makes for a sobering list: Buffalo, Utica, Syracuse, Rome, Schenectady, Troy.Then there is Rochester. A company town hobbled by the decline of Kodak, as well as by residential flight, it for years was included on that list of New York States seemingly hopeless urban basket cases. Included, that is, until 1992, when the city elected William A. Johnson Jr.Johnson, the citys first African-American mayor and now in his second term, brought to the office a determination to methodically construct an urban revival built on the inclusion of neighborhood and downtown interests, of those concerned about safe streets and those concerned about the high cost of doing business upstate.He is the kind of leader that this community had been lacking for a long time, says Jim Lawrence, editorial page editor for the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Previous mayors were good managers, but Bill brings vision to the job.In a town long reliant on one companys largesse when it came to any kind of civic activism or economic development, part of Johnsons job was to get all of the citys interests involved in his turnaround plan. He proved to the business community that he was serious about downtown revival through such projects as the multimillion-dollar renovation of the citys arena and convention center complex. He proved to the skeptical neighborhood interests that he was serious by giving them a formal seat at the planning and development table. Under the previous administration, there was really no meaningful communication, says Hank Herrera, executive director of the Northeast Neighborhood Alliance. When Mayor Johnson was elected, he immediately came to the neighborhoods and asked what he could do to help.The result has been a remarkable show of civic re-engagement, with such on-the-ground evidence of progress as a major food store and commercial complex going up in one of the citys worst neighborhoods, along with a continuing downtown revival that includes redevelopment of the riverfront. Meanwhile, the mayor has created neighborhood-based city services centers; refurbished community centers and expanded their hours; and established a slew of youth-focused programs aimed both at helping kids stay off the streets and out of trouble, and at helping juveniles who have had a brush with the law to get back on track.The mayor also is trying to shape those forces outside of his control that directly impact the citys future. Having no say in how the schools are run, Johnson supported his own slate of school board candidates, a slate now poised to take over. I figured if Im going to take the blame for bad schools, I might as well get involved in whos elected to the board, Johnson says. And ever so gently, he has been reaching out to neighboring communities and the county to discuss regional economic decline. We in this region, says Johnson, have the most pernicious kind of sprawl: sprawl without growth.Even as the city is set to unveil a new comprehensive plan formulated with citywide input, Johnson emphasizes that Rochesters revival is a work in progressand even in doubt. We still have a declining tax base, businesses poised to move out and an aging population tired of seeing their taxes go up, he points out. But Rochester also now has something else: a vision of revival that Johnson has already helped prove can be made very real.
AMCHAM Ghana honours Graphic Business

Business Desk Report Business News Nov - 22 - 2023 , 05:12

Graphic Business, the financial newspaper in the newspaper stable of the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCCL) has been honoured by the American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) Ghana, for its contribution towards the growth of American businesses in the country.

It was also in recognition of the papers sterling and insightful reports at the Ghana/American Business Summit held early this year.

This was at 2023 Thanksgiving Cocktail and Awards Night hosted by AMCHAM Ghana at the Labadi Beach Hotel last Saturday.

Graphic Business, since its inception almost two decades ago has grown to become the financial newspaper of choice, having strengthened its position as the source of critical business and finance stories.

The paper is also known for setting the business agenda which helps to shape government policy and helps to direct the course of businesses across the country.

With a nationwide distribution network, the paper covers every segment of the economy as well as thought-provoking feature articles, news analysis and opinions from columnists who are champions in their various areas.

The Assistant Editor of Graphic Business, Charles Benoni Okine, who received the award expressed gratitude to AMCHAM Ghana for the honour and pledged the continuous commitment of the paper to live its mantra of Setting the Business Agenda.

He also assured the readers of the paper of the teams resolve to continue to feed them with the best of news in the business and finance world, locally and internationally.
Empowering Ghana through Social Entrepreneurship: A path to sustainable development (3)

Albert Kofi Kuranchie Business News Nov - 23 - 2023 , 05:36

Embarking on the exploration of social entrepreneurship in Ghana unveils a commitment to both financial gains and positive societal impact.

Innohub, a significant social enterprise, stands as a beacon of this vision, providing intricately tailored services.

Despite noteworthy successes, the landscape is not devoid of challenges. Funding intricacies, scaling hurdles, bureaucratic complexities, and the dance of market competition persist, demanding strategic and thoughtful solutions.

This article endeavours to demystify these complexities while placing a spotlight on the indispensable role played by organisations such as Social Enterprise Ghana in nurturing Ghana's social entrepreneurship ecosystem.

Diversifying funding sources: Navigating the financial landscape

At the heart of social enterprises lies the crucial need for financial stability.

The strategy of diversifying funding sources involves engaging impact investors, actively pursuing grants, and seeking support from specialised financial institutions. As the renowned management consultant Peter Drucker once wisely noted, "The best way to predict the future is to create it," highlighting the proactive stance essential for securing sustainable funding.

Networking within the expansive social impact ecosystem is likened to weaving a financial tapestry.

This interconnected approach not only provides access to diverse funding opportunities but also opens avenues for invaluable mentorship.

Driven by this collaborative spirit, social entrepreneurs build robust relationships that contribute to the vibrancy of the funding landscape and foster the growth of ventures with transformative societal impacts.

Strategic scalability: Orchestrating growth with precision

Scaling up a social enterprise is akin to orchestrating a symphony, demanding a nuanced and multifaceted approach. Strategic partnerships act as foundational notes, enabling access to essential resources necessary for expansion.

As the American author Robert Collier aptly puts it, "Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out," emphasising the incremental nature of the scaling process. This underscores the importance of consistent efforts contributing to the overall success and impact of the enterprise.

The crescendo of scalability requires an investment in organisational capacity, nurturing leadership, and management skills essential for navigating the intricate challenges associated with growth.

This strategic orchestration ensures that the essence of the social enterprise resonates purposefully and precisely, maintaining a consistent and profound impact even as it extends its reach to new horizons.

Navigating regulatory fields: Advocacy, compliance and resilience

Navigating the regulatory landscape in Ghana demands strategic approaches akin to cultivating a field. Advocacy and unity stand as the first line of defence, requiring active engagement with regulatory authorities and persistent advocacy for policies conducive to social enterprises. As the prolific inventor Thomas Edison wisely stated,

"The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time." This resilience becomes indispensable for overcoming regulatory challenges, ensuring compliance and minimising associated costs and delays.

Transparency and compliance, likened to nurturing a healthy crop, enhance credibility and potentially alleviate regulatory burdens.

Successfully navigating these regulatory fields ensures that social enterprises operate within a supportive environment, fostering growth and allowing them to concentrate on their primary mission of creating a positive impact.

Formal approach to market success: A strategic campaign

In the strategic campaign for market success, social entrepreneurs adopt a formal and methodical approach, reminiscent of orchestrating a well-planned campaign.

Crafting a compelling value proposition assumes a pivotal role, akin to being a beacon of uniqueness amidst a crowded market. As the marketing expert Jay Baer notes, "The goal is not to be good at social media.

The goal is to be good at business because of social media," underscoring the importance of leveraging marketing efforts to align with the core mission and impact of the social enterprise.

Insights derived from comprehensive market research, akin to gathering intelligence, empower informed decision-making for product or service development that resonates effectively with the target audience.

Collaborative alliances with profit-oriented businesses are pursued not as competitors but as potential partners in the mission, creating mutually beneficial outcomes and fostering a harmonious and impactful ecosystem.

Conclusion: Shaping a future beyond sustainable development

In summary, social entrepreneurship in Ghana transcends being merely a pathway to sustainable development; it embodies a profound journey of empowerment, resilience, and progress.

As Ghana undergoes transformation, these entrepreneurs stand at the forefront, shaping a brighter future.

While challenges persist, solutions lie within a strategic, collaborative and forward-thinking approach.

Grounded in historical significance and a forward-focused vision, social entrepreneurship remains an influential force for shaping a more equitable and prosperous society.

Organisations such as Social Enterprise Ghana play a pivotal role in this journey, offering support, advocacy, and resources to ensure that social entrepreneurship continues to thrive and make a lasting impact on the welfare of communities and the well-being of the planet.

The symphony of social entrepreneurship in Ghana continues, with each note contributing to a harmonious and sustainable future.

The writer is a Social Entrepreneurship Consultant deeply rooted in agribusiness, helping to solve social challenges through the creation of profitable and sustainable businesses.
EY Ghana launches alumni network

Business Desk Report Business News Nov - 22 - 2023 , 12:00

Professional services providers, Ernst & Young (EY) Ghana has launched its Alumni Network Platform to share knowledge and experience with staff who have left the company.

The launch of the platform is to make the alumni an important resource for the company and also share its growing experience with the Alumni.

The EY Ghana alumni network would help connect all EY people, past and present, to more opportunities, more resources and more of the people they need to know for the future.

With over 800 alumni across the country and abroad, the network is expected to create opportunities to win new business and gain insights, intelligence and introductions.

The network is aimed at enhancing professional networking; creating market opportunities and strengthening brand loyalty.

Speaking to the media at the launch of the network platform, Country Managing Partner of EY Ghana, Emmanuel Adekahlor, said the alumni are a very important resource for the companys business and the market as a whole.

As a professional services firm, what we sell is knowledge and knowledge is in the heads of people so the people who have gone through our walls, most of them have acquired a lot of experience working with us and some of them have built good relationships and networks.

As they went their way, they have even built more experiences and networks so the alumni platform is to bring them and us together and when we pull those connections and social capital together, we are able to move forward in the mutual interest of all, he stated.

Their network and experiences, and with the resources that we also have in terms of knowledge, experience, and tools, when we bring them together, it becomes a mutually beneficial relationship, he added.

He said another reason for the launch of the platform was to create that opportunity where the company can meet and network with people it worked with in the past and maintain that relationship.

Mr Adekahlor noted that EY Ghana would roll out a series of programme together with the alumni network in the coming years.

He said in March next year, EY Ghana would join EY global to celebrate its Alumni Week with a series of programmes.

Commenting on the 25th anniversary of EY Ghana which would be marked in 2025, the Country Partner said it has so far been an amazing journey.

We started as the youngest of the big four in Ghana and within barely 25 years, we have been able to catch up so for us, the growth has been phenomenal.

So we expect to be able to leverage that growth and in the next 25 years we hope to be leaders of the market. We hope to be able to continue to make big impact on clients and the market, he stated.
Chinese pickles sail to Japan through RCEP

Xinhua) 13:19, November 23, 2023

CHONGQING, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- In a factory in Fuling District, southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, a batch of uniformly sized, emerald-green pickled mustard tubers roll off the production line. Soon, they will be packaged and shipped to Japan's Yokohama.

The history of pickle-making in Fuling, a major pickle production base in China, dates back more than 150 years. The district's traditional method of producing preserved mustard tubers was listed as a state-level intangible cultural heritage in 2008.

In recent years, the region's unique pickled mustard tubers have been exported to various overseas markets, with Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK) being two major destinations.

"These mustard tubers are selected precisely in terms of size, quality and color," said Zhou Linxiang, general manager of Lvling, a local pickle-making company. "We always emphasize product quality, and our exports to Japan and ROK have increased in recent years."

China and Japan forged bilateral free trade relations for the first time following the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement, which took effect on January 1, 2022. The agreement has played a positive role in promoting bilateral trade in goods and services.

Lvling exported 50 million yuan (about 7 million U.S. dollars) worth of pickled or fresh mustard tubers to RCEP member countries in the first three quarters of this year, up 5 percent year on year. Mustard tubers worth about 20 million yuan were exported to Japan during the period, up 6 percent year on year.

Thanks to the free trade agreement, the customs clearance time has been further shortened, and now it only takes a week to ship mustard tubers to Japan. Also, the import costs of Japanese clients have been reduced through tariff concession policies, according to Zhou.

"At a food exhibition in Japan's Chiba Prefecture, many clients sought to cooperate with us," said Zhou, adding that the company plans to build overseas warehouses and increase product varieties to provide more high-quality pickles.

During the first three quarters of this year, Chongqing Customs issued 693 certificates of origin under the RCEP agreement for export to Japan, up 8.45 percent year on year. The total value of the goods was 62.6 million dollars, up 37.74 percent from the same period in 2022.

"Fuling has ramped up efforts to stabilize and optimize foreign trade. It has streamlined customs clearance procedures, giving a boost to specialized product exports to the overseas market," said Li Hangyang, with Chongqing Customs.

The growth of pickle exports has also brought wealth to the locals, said Yang Fei, head of Qingxi Township, Fuling, where the company is located.

"We will optimize the pickled mustard tubers industry and implement scientific planting methods, as part of efforts to help more products from Fuling go global," she said.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
MBABANE Eswatini Posts and Telecommunications Corporation (EPTC) has suspended one of its senior managers pending an investigation after the companys social media pages were allegedly hacked.

It is reported that the corporation served the manager with the letter of suspension on Tuesday afternoon, citing the probe into the hacking of the social media accounts as the reason for her suspension. It was gathered that the social media pages of the company were allegedly hacked when it (company) was in the process of including more administrators onto its pages, which included a newly-recruited manager in the company. The extent to which the incident affected the company, if at all, could not be verified. It was gathered that the process to add another administrator to the pages was conducted by the Information and Technology (IT) Department. It is reported that the suspension of the manager came as a surprise to some employees.

Questions

When the suspended manager was contacted regarding the matter, she referred questions to the head of department. In fact, when a phone call was made to her, as this reporter was introducing herself, the manager stated that she was not at work and any questions should be directed to Corporate Affairs Manager Bongani Mtshali and dropped the call. The company Managing Director (MD) Themba Khumalo was also reached for comment and he expressed bewilderment on how such information had reached the media. He however, said he was not the right person to comment on the matter and also referred questions in relation to the suspension, among others to Mtshali as well. Mtshaligave a brief response and said, Our view is that matters between an employer and employee are internal and confidential and not suited for public discourse, he said.
MPS Tema port emerges as first port of call

Graphic.com.gh Business News Nov - 23 - 2023 , 10:06

In a strategic move, Meridian Port Services Ltd (MPS), operator of Terminal 3 at Tema Port, has been chosen as the first port of call for the newly introduced WAX service by the esteemed French shipping company, CMA-CGM.

The WAX service is strategically designed to serve West Africa, the Far East and Southeast Asia, creating a direct link between these vital regions and facilitating efficient shipping of gateway volumes and transhipment activities.

CMA CGM attributes the launch of this service to the operational capabilities of terminals in West Africa, particularly highlighting the continuous investments made by MPS to enhance operational efficiency and service standards at Terminal 3 of Tema Port.

Mr Mohamed Samara, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MPS, underscored the significance of this service deployment, emphasising MPS's key role in fostering connectivity between Africa and the global trade network. "MPS remains the premier port in West and Central Africa, committed to delivering seamless and efficient cargo handling services for shipping lines," Samara stated.

Highlighting the progress made in the last five years, including the acquisition of 15 new cranes and the commitment to expand storage capacity with the scheduled completion of a new yard in 2025, Mr Samara reassured customers of MPS's dedication to innovation. He emphasised that this commitment creates an enabling environment for shipping lines, elevating the trade routes with West Africa.

Revamped Liner Service

CMA CGM and Maersk Line have jointly restructured their services, connecting the Far East and Southeast Asia with West Africa, announcing the revamping of the Asia West Africa Services effective from the first week of December.

The updated Far East-West Africa (FEW) services promise enhanced connectivity, increased reliability and faster transit times, aligning seamlessly with the operational capacities of Meridian Port Services Ltd at Terminal 3 of Tema Port.

The new WAX service will embark on its journey from the port of Qingdao in China, progressing to South Korea, with stops at Gwangyang, and then traversing several ports in China, including Shanghai, Ningbo, Shekou and Nansha.

Before reaching West Africa, the route continues through Singapore and Malaysia's Tanjung Pelepas hub ports.

MPS Terminal 3 at Tema Port will be the initial port of call in West Africa, followed by Lekki, Abidjan, Pointe Noire and a direct return to the Far East, with stops at the hub of Colombo, Singapore and Xiamen, before returning to Qingdao.

Being the first port of call for vessels on the Far East service, MPS Terminal 3 grants Ghana's trade and industry the advantage of the shortest transit time compared to all other ports in the region.

The updated rotations aim to provide reliable schedules and efficient connections, featuring larger vessel deployments.

With a strengthened fleet of 13 vessels, each boasting a nominal capacity of 14,000 TEUs, the tailored services will be dedicated to Ghana, Nigeria, Cote d'Ivoire and The Congo.

Shortened Transit Times, Reduced Costs and Enhanced Competitiveness

The decision to select Tema Port as the initial port of call holds profound implications for Ghana's Trade and Industry.

This strategic choice is poised to deliver the shortest transit time, resulting in reduced shipping costs and an overall enhancement of the logistics chain.

The shortened transit time not only expedites the movement of goods but also minimises associated costs, contributing to a more cost-effective and competitive trade environment.

This efficiency enables businesses to operate with increased agility and responsiveness to market demands, fostering growth and competitiveness.

In essence, the designation of Tema Port as the first port of call underscores not only the port's capabilities but also its key role in driving economic development through improved trade efficiency, reduced shipping costs, and an optimised logistics chain.

This development positions Ghana as a dynamic hub in the global marketplace, benefiting not only the vibrant Trade and Industry sector in Ghana but also neighbouring coastal countries and landlocked nations such as Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali.
Stakeholders in oil and gas deliberate on opportunities in the sector

Kwame Larweh Business News Nov - 23 - 2023 , 05:40

The Minister for Energy, Matthew Opoku Prempeh, has noted that the country is geared towards balancing a low-carbon economy with economic growth.

He, however, cautioned on the need to exercise caution in the path towards achieving a zero carbon emission to ensure a vibrant stable economy.

"Global energy demand has outpaced renewable energy generation, thereby subjecting the world to a potential energy deficit if renewable energy will be relied on solely to power the world," he stated in a speech read on his behalf by James Dwamena Yamoah, Director of Petroleum Upstream of the Ministry of Energy, at the second Offshore Africa Energy Summit held at the Holiday Inn Hotel in Accra yesterday.



Energy transition

The Minister called for a cautious approach towards Ghana's energy transition to ensure an efficient growth trajectory, taking cognisance of the current global energy crisis which has been occasioned by the Russia-Ukraine war and the Israel-Gaza conflict.



Energy as Game Changer

Mr Opoku Prempeh asserted that with several African countries recently discovering oil in commercial quantities, the economic fortunes of the continent will be transformed, subject to good leadership and prudent management.

"But equally, I believe that as a continent, we must speak with one clear voice and insist on leveraging our God-given resources to improve the lives of our people while remaining committed to energy transition. It is not, in my view, a mutually exclusive situation but a complementary one," he noted.

He called on the continent's energetic youthful population to take control of the continent's rich natural resources, using energy as the bedrock to harness these resources to develop the continent.

A member of the Offshore Africa's Advisory Board, Professor Wumi Iledare, in his remarks, noted that Africa's economic and energy sustainability is tied to oil and gas, charging Ghana to be proactive about its oil and gas to maximise the needed benefits.

He called on the continent's energy experts to think about natural gas as a fuel for the future, which will serve as the foundation for the continent's energy security.

Stakeholder engagement

Stakeholders at the summit resolved to engage more to find ways to create opportunities out of the oil and gas discoveries on the continent.
Gospel events should be free because God has no price tag -Rev. Abraham Lamptey

Kofi Duah Showbiz News Nov - 23 - 2023 , 07:00

General Overseer of Believers House of Worship International, Rev. Abraham Lamptey, thinks it is not too cool for patrons to pay to attend worship events.

Speaking with Graphic Showbiz on the sidelines of the launch of his annual event, Art of Worship recently, the revered man of God said such platforms shouldnt be an avenue to make money since God has no price tag.

(Read Actress Omotola calls out Turkish airlines for not showing Nollywood movie on a flight)

It doesnt matter the artiste billed on the programme. Whether an A-list Gospel act or not, patrons should not pay to attend the event. I dont have a problem with others charging fees, but if the event is meant to encounter God for all the wonderful things He has done for us, then I think admission should be free.

As I said, you cannot take money if the event is meant to encounter God. I cannot put any price tag on God. Therefore, asking patrons to pay will be wrong. I have done my Art of Worship for 16 years and it is always free, he said.

Rev. Lampteys comments will certainly spark a wave of debate particularly at a time when gospel music players have been lamenting about the lack of sponsorship for their events.
African news : breaking news, features, analysis

Memorial in Israel for Tanzanian abducted student

BBC.com Africa Nov - 23 - 2023 , 11:09

A ceremony was held on Wednesday at a mortuary in Petah Tikva, Israel, to commemorate the life of Clemence Mtenga, a Tanzanian student who was taken hostage in the Hamas attack on Israel.

The ceremony was attended by representatives from the Tanzania foreign embassy, from Israel foreign ministry, and fellow students on the academic programme that Clemence was completing.

A fellow student, Ezekiel Kitiku, who had been living with Mr Mtenga on Kibbutz Nir Oz, told the BBC it has been an incredibly painful time.

We spent so much time together, we cooked together and we always spent our evenings together talking about our day. For him to leave suddenly is very painful.

But I am a Christian and I believe I will meet him again one day.

Mr Kitiku is now living in Kiryat Malachi and continuing the agriculture internship.

The Tanzanian foreign ministry said that they are liaising with the Israel government to send Mr Mtenga's body home.
Jamie Foxx accused of sexual assault at NYC rooftop bar in 2015

BBC.com International News Nov - 23 - 2023 , 11:25

US actor Jamie Foxx is being sued by a woman who alleges he sexually assaulted her at a restaurant in New York City eight years ago.

According to the lawsuit, Jamie Foxx, whose real name is Eric Marlon Bishop, groped the unnamed woman after she asked to have her photo taken with him.

The accuser is suing Jamie Foxx for damages, alleging "sexual assault, abuse, assault and battery".

Mr Foxx's representatives did not respond to a BBC request for comment.

The lawsuit alleges the assault occurred at around 01:00 in the morning on 26 August 2015 at Catch NYC after the woman was seated at a table next to Jamie Foxx.

The actor appeared intoxicated and agreed to a photo, saying, "sure, baby, anything for you", the lawsuit says.

It adds that he told the woman she had a "supermodel body" and smelled "so good".

He led her to a secluded part of the restaurant and touched her breasts and put his hands in her underwear without her consent, the lawsuit says, adding that the incident ended when her friend came looking for her.

The lawsuit is also seeking damages from the restaurant and bar owner Mark Birnbaum, who the accuser says was seated with Mr Foxx shortly before the alleged assault occurred.

The legal action says Mr Birnbaum and the restaurant's employees breached their duty of care towards the plaintiff by failing to protect her.

Mr Birnbaum did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the BBC on Wednesday night.

The lawsuit adds that as a result of the "heinous acts" the woman "suffered and continues to suffer severe emotional distress and anxiety, humiliation, embarrassment, post-traumatic stress disorder and other physical and emotional damages".

The legal action comes days before the New York Adult Survivors Act - which allows alleged victims of sex crimes to sue after the statute of limitations has lapsed - ends on 24 November.

Former US President Donald Trump, rapper Sean Combs, comedian Bill Cosby, actor Cuba Gooding Jr and Russell Brand have all been sued under the act.

Mr Foxx won a Best Actor Academy Award for his performance as pianist Ray Charles in 2004 film Ray.
Lutheran Schools mark Reformation Day with inter-schools quiz

Diana Mensah Education Nov - 23 - 2023 , 08:09

The Evangelical Lutheran Church schools have celebrated the 2023 Reformation Day with an inter-school's quiz and awards ceremony.

The participating schools were the St.Paul Lutheran School, Holy Trinity Lutheran School, All Saints Lutheran School, Trinity Lutheran School and St Peters Lutheran School.

St.Paul Lutheran School emerged winner at the third edition of the inter-Lutheran schools quiz.

The trio from the St. Paul Lutheran School bagged 41 points, while those from the Holy Trinity Lutheran School obtained 29 points to place second, while St Peters Lutheran School picked the third spot with 24 points.

The Trinity Lutheran School, which placed fourth, secured 19 points and All Saints Lutheran School picked nine points to place fifth.

The keenly contested competition challenged the students on their general knowledge of the Lutheran Catechism teachings.

The management and board of the Lutheran Schools also honoured 17 staff of schools whose students recorded 80 per cent and above between grades one and two in the 2022 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and best staff in the various schools.

The winners of the quiz walked away with branded notebooks, school bags, water bottles, Holy Bible, a Lutheran Catechism book and trophies each for the contesting students.

For placing second, the contestants from the Holy Trinity Lutheran School also had branded notebooks, school bags, water bottles, Holy Bible, a Lutheran Catechism book and trophies each for the contesting students, while those from the St. Peters Lutheran School went home with the same items for placing third.

Trinity Lutheran School and All Saints Lutheran School, which placed fourth and fifth respectively, each received branded notebooks, school bags, water bottles, Holy Bible and a Lutheran Catechism book.

Best staff

The teachers who were awarded included Emmanuel Asare and Eric Osei Owusu of the Holy Trinity Lutheran School, Joachim Amoah of Trinity Lutheran School and Emmanuel Sackey, Irene Dogbatse, Salim Suallah, Solomon Odamten, Veronica Oweridu Aidoo, Maxwell Adu, Kofi Dogbe, Bartholomew Kofi Amoah and Wilson Fiifi Nkrumah all of St. Paul Lutheran School.

The best staff category included Adwoa Oforiwaa Twum and Isaac Douse of St. Paul Lutheran School, Eric Oteng of Holy Trinity Lutheran School, Thomas Ayimbilla of Trinity School, Samuel Kojo Sasu of All Saints Lutheran School and Charles Quarcoo of Holy Trinity Lutheran School.

For their prizes, each of the deserving teachers received a 32 HD TV while each of awarding staff received a tabletop fridge.

The Director of Lutheran Schools, Joseph Lanbon, said through the exemplary performance of the teachers, the students were able to improve in their subjects such that they would eventually scored high marks when they sat for the 2024 BECE next year.

In recognising their effort, he recounted the extra effort, dedication and commitment the teachers exhibited in teaching the various subjects, saying their efforts helped build up the pupils performance so they deserve the awards.
British High Commission marks King Charles III 75th birthday

Graphic.com.gh Nov - 23 - 2023 , 12:16

The British High Commission in Ghana on Wednesday night commemorated the 75th birthday of His Royal Majesty King Charles III with a climate sustainability-themed party.

It was the Kings official birthday; the first since he took the throne in May this year.

The British High Commissioner to Ghana, Harriet Thompson and husband, Nick Thompson hosted over 800 guests in honour of the 75th birthday.

Invited guests included Ghana's Minister for National Security, Albert Kan-Dapaah, the Speaker of Parliament, Alban S.K. Bagbin, government officials, political party leaders, chiefs, members of diplomatic missions, British-Ghanaian diaspora, colleagues and friends.

The celebration highlighted His Majesty The Kings commitment and advocacy on biodiversity and the environment.

It showcased the strong UK-Ghana partnership and interventions made to tackle some of the pressing issues of climate change.

There was also an exhibition to highlight innovative solutions by companies to address the climate sustainability gaps. This partnership was rooted in the shared values and a common vision for a sustainable future, reaffirms the dedication of both nations to tackle the global crisis together.

British High Commissioner to Ghana, Harriet Thompson

Young people, climate and biodiversity are some of the issues His Majesty King Charles III has championed for decades. His passion and commitment are as strong as ever, the High Commissioner said.

Related: British High Commission Accra commemorates 75th birthday of King Charles III
Commodifying cassava in Ghana: Alberta Akosa addresses International Cassava Fair in Brazil

Graphic.com.gh Nov - 23 - 2023 , 18:53

The Executive Director of Agrihouse Foundation, Alberta Nana Akyaa Akosa, addressed a global audience at the International Cassava Fair in Brazil on Thursday (November 23), on the topic "Leveraging international platforms to commodify cassava in Ghana."

Emphasising the significance of commodifying cassava in Ghana, Ms. Akosas keynote address will underscore the pivotal role of international collaboration in catalysing advancements within Ghanas cassava sector. This insightful discourse aims to position Ghana as a key player on the global agricultural stage.

This strategic initiative goes beyond showcasing the ingenuity within Ghana's cassava sector; it also aims to foster invaluable connections and explore sustainable business opportunities within the dynamic global cassava value chain.

Ms. Akosa, will also shed light on the unique opportunities and challenges facing Ghana's cassava industry, exploring avenues for collaboration with international partners, the adoption of best practices, value addition, mechanization and the implementation of innovative strategies to position Ghana as a major player in the global cassava market.

This focus on the immense potential of cassava as a cash crop aims to contribute significantly to food security and economic growth in Ghana.

Ms. Akosa will also delve into how Ghana can leverage the International Cassava Fair platform, to enhance value addition in processing transportation and mechanization among others.

Moreover, she will emphasize the collaborative potential of the International Cassava Fair in facilitating capacity building. This includes bringing resource persons from Brazil to Ghana, imparting valuable knowledge and skills.

Attendees at the International Cassava Fair will have the opportunity to gain valuable insights into the present and future of Ghana's cassava industry and the crucial role that collaboration on the global stage can play in its success.

The event promises to be a milestone in the ongoing efforts to position Ghana as a key player in the international cassava market.

The International Cassava Fair (FIMAN), organized by Podium Alimentos in Brazil which opened last Tuesday, November 21 and ends today Thursday, November 23rd, 2023, represents a pivotal moment for knowledge exchange, networking, and collaborative exploration in the cassava sector.

Demonstrating a steadfast commitment to showcasing Ghana's cassava industry on the global stage, Agrihouse Foundation, the official franchise holder for the International Cassava Fair in Ghana, leads a delegation of 17 esteemed figures across diverse sectors of the Ghanaian agricultural landscape at the International Cassava Fair in Paranavai, Brazil.

This fair provides a unique platform for the Ghanaian delegation, comprising visionaries from various segments, including farmers, processors, input dealers, Farmer-Based Organizations (FBOs), aggregators, and other key players in the agricultural value chain to network with their counterparts from Brazil and other parts of the world operating in the agric sector.

The Ghanaian delegation are actively participating as exhibitors, engaging in illuminating business matchmaking sessions, and pursuing collaborative initiatives with international counterparts.

This multifaceted approach underscores the delegation's dedication to not only showcasing the present capabilities of Ghana's cassava industry but also fostering future growth through strategic partnerships."

The Ghanaian delegation boasts a diverse array of influential figures, each contributing a unique perspective to the global dialogue on cassava innovation:

This diverse and influential delegation not only serves as ambassadors for Ghana's cassava industry but also positions the nation as a key player in the global agricultural landscape.

As Agrihouse Foundation continues to lead the charge, the future of Ghana's cassava sector looks promising, marked by innovation, collaboration, and sustainable growth.
Court stops Dormaahene from attending Berekumhenes funeral to prevent clashes

Enoch Darfah Frimpong Nov - 23 - 2023 , 15:07

The Dormaahene, Osagyefo Oseadeeyo Agyeman Badu II, could not carry out his decision to attend the burial rites of the late Berekumhene, Daasebre Dr Amankona Diawuo II, at Berekum in the Bono Region today.

This was after the Sunyani High Court, on Wednesday (Nov 22), restrained him from attending the funeral today (Thursday, Nov 23) since it could lead to the breach of the peace.

The court order followed an application brought before the court by a member of the Berekum Traditional Council, Osabarima Kyere Yeboah Darteh II.

The Dormaahene decided to attend the burial rites on Thursday, the same day the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, was also attending the event.

Nananom in Berekum saw the position of the Dormaahene as something that could lead to the breach of the peace of the area, and therefore sought legal action to prevent him from attending.

From the funeral arrangements released by the Berekum Traditional council, the Dormaahene and Members of the Bono Regional and National Houses of Chiefs, of which he is the President were to attend the burial rites on Wednesday November 22 while the Asantehene, who is the overlord of Berekum, was to attend the burial on Thursday November 23.

Traditionally, Otumfuo is the last person to attend the burial of a Berekumhene since the Berekumhene owes allegiance to the Golden Stool - Asanteman.

But, to the surprise of the Berekum Traditional Council, the Dormaahene rather decided to attend the funeral the same time the Otumfuo would be attending, compelling the Berekum Traditional Council to seek legal means to stop him, and also prevent potential clashes, in view of recent developments between the Dormaahene and Asantehene.

The court requested the Ghana Police Service to assist the Berekum Traditional Council to carry out the injunction order to maintain peace within Berekum.

The legal action was aimed at forestalling any potential disorder arising from the presence of the Asantehene and the Dormaahene, considering the recent posture and public utterances of the Dormaahene against the Asantehene on why Dormaa cannot be part of Asanteman.

The court has ordered the Ghana Police Service to enforce the injunction, underscoring the importance of maintaining peace in Berekum and its environs.

Meanwhile, more than 20 VIP buses filled to capacity left the Manhyia Palace for the final funeral rites on Thursday.

Graphic Online understands that the Berekum area is filled to capacity with people paying their last respects to the late Omanhene.

Attached below is a video from Manhyia Palace on Thursday morning when the delegation started moving towards Berekum

Writer's email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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Ghana announces Visa on Arrival for visitors

Kweku Zurek Nov - 23 - 2023 , 06:19

The Ghana Tourism Authority has announced that the government has authorised a Non-Pre Approval Visa on Arrival for visitors coming to Ghana from December 1, 2023, to January 15, 2024.

This pre-approval waiver has been launched as part of the December in GH campaign, which is a crucial element of the 10-year "Beyond the Return" initiative.

The GTA in a press release said the visa on arrival program aims to facilitate and encourage increased arrivals to Ghana during the festive season.

By streamlining the visa process, the government aims to attract more travellers to experience the unique cultural heritage, vibrant events and festivals during the holiday season.

In line with the objectives of the "Beyond the Return" initiative, this waiver aids in strengthening Ghana's position as the preferred destination for tourists and investors from the diaspora and beyond. It seeks to deepen the bonds between Ghana and its global community, while providing opportunities for cultural exchange and economic growth.

In a letter addressed to all airlines signed by the Minister of Transport, Hon. Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, the Ministry urged airlines to update their systems to reflect this new arrangement.

The CEO of the Ghana Tourism Authority, Akwasi Agyeman in welcoming the waiver, "encourages travellers to take advantage of this remarkable opportunity and be a part of the December in GH program".

December in GH since its launch in 2019 has spotlighted Ghana as the official holiday season destination attracting many from diverse backgrounds and has become a clarion call for the global African family to reconnect around our arts and culture.

The campaign includes a signature calendar of events which features activities that have been officially endorsed by the Ghana Tourism Authority through the Beyond the Return Steering Committee. It is one of the most anticipated calendars, as travellers book their trip based on which events they plan to attend.

For more information about the December of GH program, individuals are encouraged to visit the official website, www.decemberingh.com.
MBABANE  There are no doctors at the OPD!

This message was relayed to patients yesterday before being turned back at the outpatient department (OPD) of the Mbabane Government Hospital, due to the unavailability of doctors. It has been gathered that the lone doctor who was supposed to be on duty had fallen sick. Such a message did not sit well with the over 100 patients who had hoped to be treated for various ailments. It was gathered from sources, that patients in possession of test results had been told to come to the hospital for an appointment with the doctor. According to a reliable source, the OPD unit operates with two doctors on a normal day.

Reasons

This was not the first time that patients were not attended to by the doctors due to various reasons. Previously, nurses highlighted that they were only attending to the patients from morning until 1pm and thereafter attended online lectures. This meant that patients were left without doctors, no matter how pressing their health conditions were, until the following day.

Nurses had to watch patients going through excruciating pain. Other nurses started prescribing medication to some patients. Those with serious conditions that required the doctors attention were told to come yesterday to see the medical doctor in person. One of the patients lamented to the Times reporters that she had travelled from far, only to be told she could not see a doctor.

She said she had been referred from Mkhuzweni Health Centre to the Mbabane Government Hospital due to the nature of her illness. It is so disappointing to come to one of the largest government hospitals in the country, only to find that there is not even a single medical doctor at the OPD. Is government trying to kill us? When will the health crisis come to an end in the country? asked the aggrieved patient. The aggrieved patient further said coming back to Mbabane to submit her test results today would be costly for her. Zanele Sibanyoni from Lavumisa, said she had hired a taxi, which cost her E800, to take her sick mother to Mbabane Government Hospital after failing to get help at Matsanjeni Health Centre, only to be told that the doctor was not at work. Asicatjangelwa lapha. Why didnt they inform us on time that the medical doctor would be off-duty today? My mothers condition is getting worse day by day and she needs a doctors attention before I go back home. What is happening is not fair, said Sibanyoni.

This reporter left the government hospital at around 12.30pm and came back at around 2.30pm to find the situation still the same. It was said that no medical doctor had reported for work the whole day at the OPD. Some hospital staff alleged that it was difficult to find a doctor on Wednesdays. Every Wednesday, there is no medical doctor that is attending to patients, more especially in the OPD unit. Even the daily hospitals schedule indicates that no doctor is supposed to come through to attend to the patients, alleged the source. The source said patients desperately in need of a medical doctor must do themselves a favour by coming to the hospital today. The source was responding to questions on what would happen to those patients that were supposed to submit their test results to the doctor for verification purposes.

On the other hand, the Director of Health, Dr Velephi Okello, said she was going to investigate the reasons behind the doctors unavailability at the OPD unit. She said it might happen that there were genuine reasons. Okello was responding to questions on whether the ministry was aware that patients were being turned back at the Mbabane Government Hospital OPD.

There is nothing I can say for now, pending the outcome of our investigations. There might be other reasons that led to such occurrence, which I need to find out, said Okello.

Prescribing

The director said nurses were allowed to prescribe medication to patients, despite the fact that some were expected to be first examined by doctors. She was responding to questions that the doctors unavailability led to some nurses prescribing medication. What they did is allowed because they are trained to do so. This happens even in clinics. So, even here at the hospital nurses know the kind of medication they are supposed to prescribe, she said. Seeing nurses prescribe medication relieves unnecessary burden, which the medical doctor might find themselves in. Some patients only come for a refill and that can be done by trained nurses, Okello explained.
Ghana Cocoa Board responds to Minority's allegations of misrepresentation in cocoa forward sales

GraphicOnline Nov - 23 - 2023 , 06:49

The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has issued a statement in response to allegations by the Minority in Parliament that the Board's CEO misrepresented the facts about cocoa forward sales.

The Minority had claimed that COCOBOD had sold 338,600 metric tonnes of cocoa as a guarantee for a syndicated loan, and that this would leave the remaining cocoa to be sold at spot prices, which are typically lower than forward prices.

However, COCOBOD has denied this claim, stating that the use of forward sales is a deliberate strategy aimed at price risk mitigation and stock management.

The Board also clarified that the allocation of 338,600 metric tonnes of cocoa as a guarantee for the syndicated loan does not imply that the remaining quantity will be or had been exclusively sold at spot prices.

COCOBOD further stated that a substantial portion of the cocoa had been sold forward at the time of determining the producer price for the 2023/24 Season, and that the statement by the CEO is accurate and cannot be described as a lie.

The Board also assured stakeholders that if the final average price achieved surpasses the US$2,600 used by the Producer Price Review Committee in arriving at the current producer price of cocoa, due consideration will be given and addressed in favor of farmers.

COCOBOD has called for transparency and fairness in the cocoa production and trading environment, and has invited anyone with questions or concerns to contact the Public Affairs Department.

Read the entire statement below;
Ghana Impact Project Donates to Orthopedic Training Centre

GraphicOnline Nov - 23 - 2023 , 15:25

The Ghana Impact Project, a non-governmental organization led by President Mr. Kobby Okun, has presented a cheque of $10,000 along with assorted items to the Orthopedic Training Centre (OTC) in Nsawam.

This marks the third consecutive year of Ghana Impact Project's support for OTC, with the organization being established in 2021.

The Headmistress of OTC, Louisa Enyoonam, expressed gratitude to Mr. Kobby Okum of Impact Ghana Project for the generous support.

She utilized the opportunity to make a plea, urging not only Ghana but the entirety of Africa to ensure that persons with disabilities "also feel part of the world at large." Emphasizing that disability can befall anyone at any time, she called for recognition and non-discrimination from leaders.

Rev. Sister Elizabeth Abena Panyin Newman, the Director of OTC, discussed various causes of disabilities, distinguishing between natural occurrences and preventable causes like accidents and health conditions such as diabetes leading to amputation. She commended Impact Ghana Project for their charitable efforts and encouraged their continued philanthropy.

Mr. Kobby Kun, President of Impact Ghana Project, shared the origin of his commitment to aiding physically challenged individuals, tracing it back to when he was 11 years old.

Reflecting on the crucial moments during the pandemic in 2021, he expressed how it provided an opportunity to materialize his long-standing desire. Partnering with friends, he initiated the Ghana Impact Project, a charity based in Virginia, USA.
4th Batch of Military Emergency Medical Technicians under training

Diana Mensah Nov - 23 - 2023 , 09:27

Training of the fourth batch of the Military Emergency Medical Technicians (MEMTs) under a programme of the National Ambulance Service has begun in Accra.

The military has presented 70 personnel to undertake the programme which is aimed at boosting its medical response unit.

They consist of 43 soldiers, 19 defence civilian staff of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) and eight civilians.

They will undergo a 12-month training module of classroom work, hospital attachment and ambulance station schedules before their final assessment and passing out.

The MEMT programme, being run in collaboration with the Ghana Armed Forces, aims at improving health care within the GAF medical structure and the country at large.

Robust Medical Service

The Chief Executive Officer of the National Ambulance Service, Professor Ahmed Nuhu Zakariah, said a robust emergency medical service system was needed to bridge the gap between the health system in the hospitals and the pre-hospital system, and urged security agencies to embrace the initiative.

He further urged the facilitators to impart the right knowledge and skills to participants to enable them to respond to emergencies.

Prof. Zakariah encouraged participants to take the training seriously, saying this training would help you have two professions at the end of your career.

One as a military officer, which you'll be retiring from, and one as an emergency medical technician that would help establish a private emergency medical services.

He expressed the hope that in the future participants would establish their own private emergency medical technician services to support the state to provide the emergency response to everybody in the country.

Prof. Zakariah called for an improved and enhanced emergency medical services system, pre- and out of hospital emergency care services.

He expressed the hope that the country would acquire and learn best practices and skills from abroad to develop its own system.

Significant

The Director of Nursing Services of the Ghana Armed Forces Medical Service (GAFMS), Col. Rex Adzagba, said since its establishment following the May 9 Stadium Disaster in 2001, the MEMT had become part of staff requirements for medical facilities across the country and beyond, adding that MEMT has manned the Emergency Response Unit of the 37 Military Hospital.

EMTS, he said, would provide intra hospital transport of patients, conduct medical evacuations and medical support duties during state and military functions.

He therefore cautioned the trainees against idleness and indiscipline, saying Your conduct and personality will form part of your assessment to determine your suitability for deployment as a MEMT.

Involvement

The Deputy Director-General of GAFMS, Col. Gordon Appiah, said MEMTs involvement in casualty evacuation and patient transport had reduced fatalities, promoted early recovery, minimised complications and promoted patients comfort.

As we all look forward to the day patients are no longer transported in private vehicles and taxis to and fro for healthcare but appropriately and with experts handling according to internationally accepted standards you will continue to bridge that gap,he added.

He entreated the trainees to be serious and committed as there would be no room for mediocrity, saying nothing short of excellence would be expected from you.

You must be physically, mentally, emotionally and socially fit to embark on your chosen profession.

Col. Appiah said the training facilitators were ready and willing to impart knowledge and share valuable experiences, therefore urged them to collaborate and give their maximum attention to the facilitators.
Bridging gender gap in tech: 100 Women gain employable skills

Maclean Kwofi Nov - 23 - 2023 , 07:17

In an effort to bridge the gender gap in the technology space, some 100 young women with science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) backgrounds have been trained in employable soft skills for the job market.

The trainees, aged between 18 and 35, are expected to be connected to employers seeking talent in technology and technology-related fields across the country.

The four weeks of intensive training focused on communication, interpersonal skills, teamwork, conflict resolution, leadership, emotional intelligence, creative problem solving, time management, business etiquette and professionalism, career development and networking.

Dubbed M-Fit Project (Matchmaking of females in tech jobs), the project was designed to empower and equip young women with STEM backgrounds with essential soft skills, making them employable in the tech space.

It was an initiative of Jobberman Ghana, in partnership with the German Development Agency (GIZ).

1,840 applicants

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Jobberman Ghana, Hilda Nimo, at a forum on diversity and inclusion in Accra, stated that the project received 1,840 applicants.

Unfortunately, however, they could only admit 100 of them.

Unfortunately, the project funding could only support 100 young women.

Therefore, it was a tough decision to sieve through the 1,840 applicants, she said.

She said from now to March 2024, the implementers of the project would be engaging employers to employ the trainees to occupy meaningful roles in their organisations.

This, she said, would help give these young women a head start and encourage others to venture into the tech space.

We are urging employers to engage all these young women with a STEM background to help bridge the gender gap in the technology sector.

Under the arrangement, we will support 60 of them to secure permanent job placement in the country, she said.

Collective approach

Speaking on the theme Diversity & Inclusion: Empowering young women in tech for career success, the Vice President, Institutional Advancement, Academic City University College, Dr Lucy Agyepong, called for a collective and strategic approach towards encouraging more women and girls into the technology space.

That, she said, should precede the creation of an enabling environment where everybody, including men and women, irrespective of their gender, culture, beliefs and background, could thrive and become successful.

Empowering women in the tech space will require collective effort and we all have to play our part by truly embracing diversity and inclusion.

We must invest in a brighter and more innovative future and create an environment where everybody, irrespective of their gender, background and belief, can thrive and succeed, she added.

Digital literacy

For her part, the CEO of Devapps Ltd. Ghana, Dr Mercy Gardiner Tenkorang, underlined the need for avenues to create initiatives that would encourage women and girls interest in digital literacy.

I know the government, through the Ministry of Education (MoE), is taking steps to increase the interest of young women in STEM.

However, we should be more focused on structuring the programmes and courses to attract young ladies.

We would also consider offering scholarships, especially to young girls that have an interest in tech education, Dr Tenkorang added.
Chief Imam, peace ambassador donate to dam spillage victims

Daily Graphic Nov - 23 - 2023 , 10:48

The National Chief Imam, Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharubutu, and the National Peace Ambassador, Clemence Gyato, have donated relief items to the Akosombo Dam spillage victims in the North Tongu District.

The donation, which comprised diverse essential items, including rice, water, clothing, footwear and hygiene supplies was valued at more than GH300,000.

Additionally, a sum of GH70,000 was offered to aid in alleviating the immediate needs of the affected individuals and families.

The visit to the Agbetikpo camp, housing approximately 1,200 displaced individuals among the 12,000 affected, showcased solidarity and compassion in the wake of the crisis.

Support

Addressing the gathering, Sheikh Sharubutu emphasised the significance of communal support during adversity, extending prayers and words of encouragement to the affected individuals.

He expressed empathy and reassured the victims that hardship could pave the way for eventual solace.

The National Peace Ambassador, Clemence Gyato, commended the Chief Imam's enduring commitment to peace-building, reflecting on their joint efforts in past reconciliation endeavours.

The items



He underscored the importance of maintaining peace, particularly during challenging times, urging the youth to avoid actions that could disrupt communal harmony.

The Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, conveyed his heartfelt gratitude on behalf of the victims, highlighting the substantial impact of the calamity, with more than 1,500 houses damaged and 21 camps established to shelter the displaced.

Regions needs

Recognising the overwhelming support and benevolence shown, Mr Ablakwa emphasised the unity and compassion exhibited by Ghanaians, particularly praising the Chief Imam's understanding of the region's needs.

Promising accountability for the received aid, Mr Ablakwa pledged equitable distribution among the remaining camps, ensuring no one was neglected in the recovery process.

The Chief Imam's unwavering support and generosity resonate deeply with the affected populace, signifying a beacon of hope amid their trials.

The donation not only addresses immediate necessities but also signifies a collective commitment towards rebuilding lives shattered by the dam spillage disaster.
Encourage migration of skilled labour abroad - Professor of Economics to Govt

Emmanuel Ebo Hawkson & Joshua Bediako Koomson Nov - 23 - 2023 , 07:49

A Professor of Economics at the New York University (NYU), Prof. Yaw Nyarko, has urged the government to create an enabling environment that allows skilled workers to practise abroad.

He asserted that making it easier for skilled workers to leave the country would compel many people to acquire skills which would ensure human capital development and consequently increase the supply of skilled workforce to the Ghanaian economy.

Prof. Nyarko made the call in his keynote address on the topic Ghana- A Country in Crisis: Defining a New Economic Direction, at the second edition of the Achimota Speaks Forum which took place last Thursday (November 16).

There is nothing wrong with our skilled people going to other countries for jobs.

I hear people complaining that we are losing all our skilled men but on the contrary, economic analysis has shown that if a country allows people to leave and if many people think there is a chance they could leave and get good remuneration outside if they acquire certain skills, it will compel more people to acquire those skills and after those who want to leave have actually left, those who will be left behind will be a large number, Prof. Nyarko explained.

In addition, he said allowing people to work outside the country had a huge economic benefit as earnings would be sent back home as remittance to support other family members.

Engage with the rest of the world

Prof. Nyarko added that Ghana was still developing, therefore engaging with the rest of the world was the best thing to do to speed up growth in all sectors.

We should not do things by ourselves and one of the easiest ways to do that is to let people leave.

Let's encourage it.

You would not be seeing me here if people said Professor, you cant leave.

In fact, in my years, we actually had to have an exit visa to leave Ghana.

He said though Ghana had a population of 35 million people, that was small in the contest of the worlds population, thus the need to engage with the world.

One of the best ways to engage is to allow our people to go into the world, he emphasised.

The economist also said government must put in more efforts to make Ghana an economic hub for West Africa to drive global investment into the country.

He said the government must spearhead the agenda with the private sector by boosting the country's transport infrastructure, including the reintroduction of a national airline and making ports and road networks efficient.

Citing the United Arab Emirates as an example, he stated that when they gained independence in the early 1971, they decided to make their nation an economic hub by capitalising on the Emirates Airline.

"The Emirates Airline has now become a national airline for Africa, if you want to go from Angola to Ghana, you'd have to pass through Dubai, from Ghana to Kenya you would have to pass through Dubai.Ghana should be doing the same thing," he said.

He said the economic hub effort would also require structural changes in the Ghanaian economy.
Ghana seeking to establish global geopark  Environment Minister

Yaa Kuffour Senyah Nov - 23 - 2023 , 09:03

Ghana is actively seeking a designated land for the establishment of a global geopark.

This move underscores the countrys commitment to preserve and showcase the nation's unique geological heritage and open new possibilities for environmental conservation and sustainable tourism within the country and beyond.

At a forum on the concertation on UNESCOs Global Geoparks in West Africa in Accra last Tuesday, the Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI), Dr Kwaku Afriyie, stated that it was worrying to note that out of the 195 UNESCO Global Geoparks in 48 countries, Africa could boast of just two, which were situated in Morocco and Tanzania.

Thus, it was important for other African countries to carefully subject themselves to the assessment and criteria for the designation of sites for the establishment of the geoparks on the continent.

This initiative is not a competition, it is a common good for not only our countries but the world at large.

The more Geoparks we have in the world, the better for our very own environment; the very source of our sustenance, the Director of Finance at MESTI, Constant Gladzah, who spoke on behalf of the minister stated.

Concertation

The concertation was aimed at supporting UNESCO member states with the capacity to establish UNESCO Global Geoparks in West Africa.

It brought together stakeholders from Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria to be equipped with knowledge of the UNESCO International Geoscience Geoparks Programme

(IGGP) and operational guidelines for UNESCO Global Geoparks with a focus on the procedure of establishing National Geopark Committees and nomination of Geoparks.

The two-day event was also to explore fund mobilisation for the establishment of the geoparks once the sites were nominated.

Geoparks

The UNESCO Representative to Ghana, Edmond Moukala, noted that one of the mandates of the organisation was to use it to convene power for cooperation and knowledge sharing for productive outputs that support sustainable development in its member states.

Thus, the concertation was geared at sensitising and providing knowledge background for countries to initiate the processes that will enable the designation of geoparks in West Africa.

Mr Moukala noted that Geoparks did not only promote sustainable development but gave local people around and within the geopark a sense of pride and encouraged the creation of innovative local enterprises, high-quality training, protection of geological resources of the area and the generation of new sources of revenue through geo-tourism.

He further charged the participating countries to collaboratively work to designate lands that would birth the first geopark in West Africa as he assured of UNESCOs commitment to support the process to work towards sustainable development.

Proliferation

The Secretary-General for the Ghana Commission for UNESCO, Ama Serwah Nerquaye-Tetteh, commended UNESCO for its commitment to geopark proliferation across Africa.

She indicated that despite Africa's rich natural resources, the continent had a meagre representation in the global geopark arena.

Hence, she stated that the workshop was timely for the participating countries to actively prioritise the need to tap the potential of the continent in the geopark sector.

Speaking on behalf of the Secretary-General, Christopher Wetcher, encouraged the five countries to embrace the opportunity and make a mark for sustainable development for their countries and the continent as a whole.
Invest heavily in entrepreneurship development - Italian Trade expert urges govt

Vincent Amenuveve Nov - 23 - 2023 , 09:19

An Italian Trade Expert, Alessandro Gerbino, has urged the government to invest heavily in entrepreneurship development if it wants the citizenry to derive maximum benefits from the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

He said: this is the time to decide where you want to invest as a country so you must support your entrepreneurs to make them competitive at the regional and continental levels.

Mr Gerbino stated this in an interview with the Daily Graphic in Accra yesterday.

The trade expert, who is also the Commissioner of the Italian Trade Agency(ITA) for seven African countries namely Ghana, Nigeria, Cote D'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Niger, Guinea and Mali, is attending an exhibition in Accra.

Exhibition

The exhibition was mounted by seven Italian manufacturers of machinery and products for the plastic, processing, packaging, and the agribusiness industries at the Accra International Conference Centre.

Facilitated by the ITA, the companies that exhibited various products were the Irritec Group, manufacturers of irrigation equipment such as pipes and sprinklers; Studio Tecnico Appiani, producers of hydrothermal processing plant and Pietribiasi Michelangelo Srl, manufacturers of dairy processing machines.

The rest are Pigo builders of freezers, dehydrators and vegetable processing equipment; Arol Group and SACMI, both food and beverage industries and Sud capsule, manufacturers of metal cap closing systems for vacuum packaging.

Strengthen regulation

Mr Gerbino suggested to the government to equally work on internal regulations that would facilitate benefits that would accrue to the country in the course of AfCFTA implementation, banking and payment systems including putting in place measures to reduce cost of logistics among other issues.

He emphasised that the post-COVID-19 era had led to re-thinking of the global value chain as a strategy to re-shape the economies.



Doubts, optimism

Sharing his experiences on how member countries of the European Union(EU) came together, after the second World War in 1945 to facilitate trade, Mr Gerbino noted that the EU had to go through long processes to get to where it is now.

Similarly, he advised African leaders to systematically build the capacities of their citizenry in entrepreneurship while waiting for all the aspects of the AfCFTA to become fully operational.

It is a long process because it involves many aspects not only on the economy, society, culture etc it's a very long process which is made by taking several concrete steps to make it formidable.

You can't do that overnight.

Nobody can.

You need to get there gradually.

It is good that there is a common vision that is shared among the people he said.



Laudable

The trade expert explained that the AfCFTA agenda was a laudable initiative but cautioned that some aspects of the initiative would go faster than other aspects.

There will be some serious issues to deal with which cannot be dealt with in a year or two.

But I don't agree that nothing has happened, I think things have already happened.

I have seen the legal decisions taken on some aspects such as the payment systems, some agreements have been already reached.

There are activities to support intra African Trade etc" he said.
St Augustines wins World Fisheries Day quiz competition

Emelia Ennin Abbey Nov - 23 - 2023 , 09:11

St Augustine's College emerged winner of the first-ever quiz competition held in commemoration of this year's World Fisheries Day celebration.

The other finalists were the Ahantaman Girls Senior High School (SHS), Keta SHS and Accra Academy.

At the end of the competition which aired live on the popular UNIIQ FMs show, What Do You Know?

St Augustines carried the day with 36 points, while Accra Academy had 34 points, Ahantaman Girls and Keta SHS had 33 and 27 points respectively.

Quiz

The quiz focused on the significance of the fisheries day celebration, the importance of fishing activities, effects of illegal fishing activities and interventions being implemented to ensure Ghana attained the 14th Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) which focuses on food security.

SDG 14 is about "Life below water" and targets conserving and sustainable use of oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.

It is one of the 17 SDGs established by the United Nations in 2015.

Prizes

Apart from a trophy, St Augustines also received Ghc5000 cash prize and certificates.

In order of their positions, the other participating schools went home with GH4000, GH3000 and GH2000 with all the contestants receiving certificates in recognition of their participation.

The competition was organised by USAID support initiative Feed The Future Ghana Fisheries Recovery Activity in collaboration with GBC.

Importance of Fisheries sector

The Deputy Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, Moses Anim, said the celebration of World Fisheries Day on November 21, each year was to create awareness on the fisheries sector.

He said a number of activities were ongoing as part of efforts to promote responsible fishing, stressing that the government was committed to implementing measures aimed at ensuring a sustainable management of Ghana's Fisheries industry.
Sunyani Regional Hospital conversion scam  Asiedu Nketiah

Biiya Mukusah Ali Nov - 23 - 2023 , 06:59

The Chairman of the Opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, has described the conversion of the Sunyani Regional Hospital into a teaching hospital as a "scam" and "dubious".

"If we may ask, how does one operate a teaching hospital without a medical school?

Where would that hospital draw medical students for the purpose of training them?

This clearly goes to expose the insincerity and deceitfulness," he said.

Mr Nketiah was speaking at a Press Conference in Sunyani in the Bono Region yesterday, to register the party's displeasure about the upgrading of the hospital to a teaching hospital without additional projects to meet a teaching hospital standard.

Budget made no provision

He said the 2024 Budget presented to Parliament by the Finance Minister, which was the last budget of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration, made no provision whatsoever for a medical school or a teaching hospital in the Bono Region.

Mr Nketiah said again that Parliament had not considered nor passed any legislation backing the establishment of the Sunyani Teaching Hospital (STH).

He added that neither had Parliament considered nor approved any loan facility for these projects.

"Where, then is the funding for this project going to come from?

For all intents and purposes, this is another deceitful sod-cutting exercise undertaken by President Akufo-Addo calculated to deceive the chiefs and good people of the Bono Region.

We daresay that this is another big scam.

Having realised that another election is fast approaching, it is their usual trick of deceiving the people of Bono again," Mr Nketia said.

Upgrade

He said the NDC started the expansion of the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR) to include a medical school before the conversion of the hospital into a teaching hospital before they exited office in 2016.

We established a Regional Hospital in the 1990s, a university subsequently, and we were in the process of establishing a medical school to complete this nexus before we left office in 2016, he said.

Mr Nketiah said though the government later reinstated the plan to establish the medical school, no budget allocation had since been made towards its realisation.

He said it was a fact that the NDC was credited with the construction of three regional hospitals located in Cape Coast, Ho and Sunyani.

Mr Nketiah said the NDC also rolled out a policy to convert all the hospitals and the already existing Tamale Regional Hospital into teaching hospitals, after constructing medical schools and additional facilities.

Background

Last Saturday, the Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, on behalf of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo upgraded the hospital into a teaching hospital.

Soon after the conversion, the leadership of the NDC, including the Ranking Member for Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, described the upgrading of the regional hospital to a teaching hospital as a hoax.
MBABANE  Senior government officials, from Tuesday, were in a mad rush to compile submissions that were made by the public during the 2023 Sibaya, which are to be presented in Cabinet today.

The mad rush was a result of the maiden Cabinet meeting held on Tuesday by ministers and the Prime Minister (PM), Russell Dlamini. It was gathered that during the first meeting, the premier wasted no time and told ministers that they needed to hit the ground running and that each minister should understand his/her ministry, including the expectations of the public from each of them.

Submission

One of the tasks that kept senior government officials running around from Tuesday evening, was getting the submissions made during Sibaya that related to their ministries. According to some of the senior government officials, the PM tasked Cabinet ministers to compile all the submissions that were made during Sibaya individually, and in accordance with their respective ministries. The PM gave the ministers until today to sum up the six-day submissions. It is believed that the submissions would then form part of a discussion to be held today in Cabinet.

Meeting

On Tuesday, after the Cabinet meeting, some of the ministers immediately brought together their principal secretaries (PSs), under secretaries (USs) and heads of department (HoDs), including parastatals chief executive officers (CEOs), to assist in compiling the Sibaya submissions. Yesterday, most the officials were running up and down getting reports, while others recapped the recorded videos online with the goal of compiling the reports in readiness for presentation today. The minister dropped a bomb on us after the Cabinet meeting. We are expected to compile a report of all the submissions that were made during Sibaya and this should be ready by Thursday (today), said one senior official, who was seeking assistance from scribblers with the submissions.

Others were even asking for soft copies of the Sibaya report that was compiled by National Secretary Nhlanhla Dlamini, from members of the media. This media house was inundated with calls from officials, who sought published articles on issues relating to Sibaya submissions. When some were advised to go through YouTube channels, they decried the turn-around time, as most of them were notified about the announcement on Tuesday evening and were under pressure to deliver. Some of those who had worked prior with the PM, more especially when the country was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, advised their colleagues not to cut corners in compiling these reports. This is because the PM created a name for himself when he was with the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA), as a dedicated person and a perfectionist.

Compilation

I pray my colleagues dont do a shoddy job because from the experience I have with him, he has already made his compilation, said another official, who worked with Dlamini during the countrys response to COVID-19, which was spearheaded by NDMA. Inasmuch as there was the mad-rush for the Sibaya submissions, some of the government officials appreciated the exercise, as they believed it would keep everyone engaged. This is because, during Sibaya, His Majesty King Mswati III said the submissions would be a guide for policies and laws that the country should have.

The King declared poverty as a national disaster. Once a disaster is declared, the PM should lead the response, together with the ministers. Government Spokesperson Alpheous Nxumalo confirmed that Cabinet was reconvening today. He, however, stated that he was not privy to the agenda of the meeting. Nxumalo was asked after this publication learned about the tasks that were declared by the PM on Tuesday and what was on the agenda of todays meeting. Yes, Cabinet is reconvening tomorrow (today), however, the agenda is not communicated to the Government Press Office, he said. Nxumalo further explained that his office was usually given decisions that had been taken by Cabinet, not the agenda which could be discussed by Cabinet.
Sustain Ghana's identity as oasis of peace in Africa - Peace Council

Getrude Ankah Nyavi Nov - 23 - 2023 , 09:31

The National Peace Council (NPC) has called on Ghanaians to help protect the peace and security of the country.

This, the council said can be attained by creating and using avenues of tolerance, cooperation, and coexistence.

The , the peace council said is a sure way to help sustain Ghana's identity as an oasis of peace in Africa.

The call followed pockets of violent clashes in some parts of the country which have resulted in some deaths.

The council in a press statement signed and issued by the Chairman, Rev Dr Ernest Adu Gyamfi cited the clashes at Kintampo in the Bono East Region, Nkwanta in the Oti Region, and Wanchiki in the North-East Region as worrying.

It noted that violence has led to the destruction of lives and property in these affected communities.

The council extended condolences to the families in the three affected communities and also urged them and all Ghanaians not to yield to any provocation and restrain themselves from taking the law into their own hands

The council in the statement reminded Ghanaians of paragraphs (c), (d) and (i) of Article 41 of the 1992 constitution of the Republic of Ghana, which states that: "The exercise and enjoyment of rights and freedoms is inseparable from the performance of duties and obligations, and accordingly, it shall be the duty of every citizen.

To foster national unity and live in harmony with others; to respect the rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of others, and generally to refrain from doing acts detrimental to the welfare of other persons. To co-operate with lawful agencies in the maintenance of law and order.
We wont stop oil exploitation - Energy Minister

Dotsey Koblah Aklorbortu Nov - 23 - 2023 , 10:34

The country has only started the exploitation of its petroleum resources and cannot sacrifice it midstream on the altar of energy transition, the Minister of Energy, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, has stated.

He said although developed nations were pushing for energy transition  a changeover from the use of fossil oils that are identified to be polluting the environment to other sources such as solar, lithium and nuclear, together known as cleaner fuels  countries such as Ghana had only started exploitation of their resources and would continue with such plans to spur industrialisation and development.

The Energy Minister said the rich nations promoting such causes had harnessed and benefited from the same resources they now described as unclean, while Africa and other developing countries had just started utilising their endowments.

It is high time we Africans started to produce and use energies we have on this continent for our own development and that is the push for the current crop of Energy Ministers around Africa, Dr Prempeh stated while addressing delegates on the second day of the Local Content Conference and Exhibition in Takoradi, the Western regional capital, yesterday.

Conference

This years Local Content Conference and Exhibition also marks 10 years since the countrys promulgation of the Petroleum (Local Content and Local Participation) Regulations, 2013 (L.I. 2204), hence the theme: Ten years of Local Content in Ghanas Upstream Petroleum Industry; Achievements, Challenges and Prospects.

Players in the industry, both downstream and upstream companies, service providers, maritime, port services, insurance and other financial institutions which had over the years contributed to the space, attended the conference.

More than 1,000 participants from Ghana, Nigeria, the Gambia, Uganda, Angola, Senegal and Trinidad & Tobago and Europe, among others, are attending the conference.

The Graphic Communications Group Ltd is the media partner of the event.

Least polluter

Dr Prempeh said it was the claim of the International Energy Agency that even if its members did not have new oil finds, there was enough energy to go round.

However, the minister stated that when it came to Africa, the continent had contributed the least to the pollution of less than three per cent, saying even if we burn all our oil resources it will be less than four per cent.

Citing the electricity density of Europe, Dr Prempeh said France was labelled green because it used nuclear and Germany was labelled brown because it continued to use a certain amount of coal in the production of electricity to support its industrialisation.

We have not used coal and we dont intend to.

But it has served Germanys purpose and made that country one of the most complicated industrialised countries in the world.

So, we struggling economies decided among us that we are not going to stand for that edict to stop the exploitation of our natural resources.

So we are going to continue to drill and drill and drill, he stressed.

Dr Prempeh disclosed that the African Union had started the process to set up an African Energy Bank to finance energy projects to ensure that if the resources are not provided, we will do it for ourselves.

The Energy Minister reminded the developed world of the unfulfilled pledge to finance climate change adaptation interventions with $100 billion a year, starting from 2015.

He said developing countries vulnerable to the actions of the rich nations had received nothing from the pledged funding.

Now we have forgotten that there's a principle called polluter pays.

But those who have polluted most are unwilling to pay, and yet say I shouldn't develop my country.

If I don't develop my country, what do I do, he said quizzically.

Dr Prempeh said Ghana would consider several important factors in the global conversation and come up with a homegrown or organic solution for energy transition.

He stated that the country and the rest of Africa would not risk sitting on large reserves of stranded oil and gas assets, which were key to its development agenda in its quest to ensure industrialisation and hasten the energy transition process.

The energy transition, he noted, was not simple but complex and had important ramifications for the structure of the economy and future development prospects.

In its quest to avert that possibility, he said, the ministry had developed the National Energy Transition Framework.



The transition

This framework will guide our strategic and pragmatic transition to achieve net zero emissions by 2070 and minimise the disparaging impacts, to the extent possible, he said.

Dr Prempeh said the Petroleum Commission, the upstream industry regulator, had been tasked to lead the development of an Upstream Oil and Gas Transition Plan.

He commended the commission for the successes achieved under the Local Content framework and said although it was not its core business, it championed it successfully to the benefit of all stakeholders.

The Energy Minister also praised the commission for keeping faith with the conference and exhibition on local content, expressing the hope that it would become the convergence point of energy experts around the globe.

He said the country would have shot itself in the foot if it had failed to prioritise and develop local content
Well roll out digital tools to facilitate work of police  Dr Bawumia

Chris Nunoo Nov - 23 - 2023 , 05:55

The Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has said the government will roll out more digital tools to facilitate the work of the Ghana Police Service across the country.

He said such an intervention would not only support the work of the police, but also help to reduce road accidents.

The police in collaboration with the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) have developed and deployed digital solution tools known as TRAFFITECH-GH to streamline the enforcement of road traffic laws and regulations to improve road safety in the country.

Dr Bawumia was speaking at the 52nd cadet officers graduating ceremony at the Police Training School at Tesano in Accra yesterday.

Event

In all, a total of 344 officers made up of 260 males and 84 females graduated.

The number is said to be the largest intake by the police service so far.

The graduates were taken through six months of training which included drills and classroom work in topics such as development of policing and security in Ghana, security and human rights, and intelligence gathering and analysis.

The Best All-Round Cadet Officer Award went to Frank Kwaku Fialor, who was presented with the Sword of Honour.

The Vice-President, who was the reviewing officer, inspected a parade by the graduating officers who included the mounted squadron (Horse riders) and the K9 Unit (Sniffer dogs) of the service.

In attendance were the Ministers for the Interior and Defence, Ambrose Dery and Dominic Nitiwul; the Inspector-General of Police, Dr George Akuffo Dampare; the Chief of Defence Staff, Vice-Admiral Seth Amoama, and heads of other allied security services.

Dr Bawumia commended the police and other stakeholders for leveraging ongoing government digitalisation programmes to strengthen its reforms to address challenges of contemporary policing.

Leveraging digitalisation

As the frontiers of crime constantly witness shifts, including surge in demand of related policing services, so must the strategies and transformation agenda evolve to meet the rapidly emerging pace, trends and complexities of crime service demands, he said.

The Vice-President further stressed the need for every citizen to play a role towards building safer communities, adding every well-meaning citizen must come on board so that together we can sustain the gains made in ensuring a safe, peaceful and a secure nation.

As we urge the public to come on board, I wish to charge officers on parade, in particular, and all other police officers to note that the expectation of the public is for you to be proactive and accountable to them.

You should be exemplary law-abiding citizens for others to emulate.

As professionals, always remember to treat people the way you wish yourselves, spouses or children to be treated.

Therefore, in enforcing the law, be fair, firm and fearless, he said.

Elections

Touching on the upcoming national elections in December next year, Dr Bawumia urged the police to let professionalism and experience guide them in the discharge of their duties.

He said work on additional infrastructure at the academy such as lecture rooms, ultra-modern auditorium and residential accommodation was nearing completion.

The Vice-President said that the project was intended to improve teaching and learning and also provide accommodation for the increasing number of officers admitted to the academy.

Also, he said, the government would continue to support the decentralisation drive by the Formed Police Unit (FPU) who had so far constructed over 122 bases across the country.
Women in agribusiness charged to take advantage of AfCFTA

Emmanuel Baah Nov - 23 - 2023 , 07:26

The Ashanti Regional Director of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), Reverend Dr John Manu, has urged women in agribusiness to take advantage of the prospects of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Capitalise on the opportunities of the free trade agreement.

It aims to promote intra trade among African countries and boost our production, he told the female farmers.

Agribusiness Week

Rev. Manu was delivering a keynote address at the launch of the Women in Agribusiness Week (WAW), held at the Prempeh Assembly Hall in Kumasi on Monday.

WAW is a week-long series of impactful activities which aims at strengthening collaborations among females in agribusiness and stakeholders.

It is being held on the theme: Sustaining African Agribusiness - Leveraging on Digitalisation, AfCFTA and Climate Resilience for Food Security.

He said AfCFTA transcended borders, shared knowledge and created a regional ecosystem where the fruits of one nation benefitted the entire continent and urged them to embrace and deploy technology into their activities.

The farmers in the event

Let us remember that the future of agribusiness lies not just in the soil beneath our feet but in the ideas, collaborations and innovations that sprout from this very room.

Baby food production

He seized the opportunity to advise farmers to venture into the manufacture of local baby food, which he disclosed was projected to exceed 1.1 billion by 2026.

The prospect of food preparations represents a significant investment opportunity in Africas infant food value chain, where imports are 10 times higher than exports, he reiterated.

Also, present was the Principal of the Kwadaso Agric College, Albert Appiah Amoakoh, who also shared with the farmers how to secure the food demand in Africa, which he said was expected to grow by 60 per cent in 2030.

For her part, Nana Adjoa Sifa, the initiator of Guzakuza, organisers of the event, urged farmers to adapt to climate change, where they could introduce innovative ways in their farming activities in order to continue to stay relevant in todays agri-business industry.
Zebilla Hospital cries for new NICU - Facility operates from makeshift structure

Gilbert Mawuli Agbey Nov - 23 - 2023 , 10:22

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the Zebilla Hospital in the Bawku West District in the Upper East Region is in dire need of support as it operates from a makeshift structure.

The unit, which was established in 2020 with support from the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) and other partners, is situated in a small cubicle within the hospitals maternity ward.

The Medical Superintendent of the hospital, Dr Abdul Rahman Ayobi, said the current state of the unit, with only one functional incubator, was a huge challenge to the management of the hospital, stressing that it did not have the capacity to provide the needed health services to preterm babies either delivered at the facility or referred from elsewhere.

Pressure on facility

Dr Ayobi told the Daily Graphic that due to the pressure on the hospital since the Bawku conflict resurfaced in November 2021, it had become necessary for the hospital to be provided with a state-of-the-art neonatal care centre.

He stated that the NICU was not fit for purpose, as it was inundated with admissions daily resulting in overcrowding in the ward with its attendant consequences on the recovery of the babies.

He stated the unending Bawku conflict, coupled with the influx of thousands of Burkina Faso asylum seekers in the area had brought undue pressure on the NICU to provide the needed care for preterm babies.

He said the NICU in its current state is too small to render quality services within the Bawku zone.

Major referral hospital

Hitherto, in the eastern part of the region, the Bawku Presbyterian Hospital was the major referral facility receiving cases from adjoining districts such Pusiga, Garu, Tempane, Binduri including Bawku West.

Unfortunately, the unending Bawku conflict has virtually brought the Presbyterian hospital on its knees leading to the closure of the NICU and other units at the hospital due to increased insecurity in the area.

As a result, the Zebilla Hospital has now become a major referral facility due to the worrying state of the Bawku Presby Hospital and second to the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital, receiving patients and cases on a daily basis from the adjoining districts.

A worrying development is the fact that the situation has put undue pressure on the hospital, more especially the NICU in its quest to render quality health care to low birth weight babies admitted to the facility.

Statistics

In 2022, a total of 663 admissions were recorded out of which 197 were preterm admissions while in 2023, a total of 537 admissions had been recorded as of October 31, 2023 out of which 144 were preterm admissions.

Again, in 2022, deliveries at the hospital were 466 while referrals to the facility were 197.

In the same vein in 2023, a total of 257 deliveries at the facility had been recorded while referrals stand at 280.

Panel discussion

Making a submission during a panel discussion to commemorate the hospitals prematurity week on the theme: effects of the unrest in the Bawku Municipality on newborn health: The case of preterm and sick babies in Zebilla the District Director of Health Services, Cosmos Atawoje Minyila, expressed worry that there had been an exodus of critical staff of the hospital as a result of the protracted Bawku conflict.

He said some staff of the hospital, who felt vulnerable due to the Bawku conflict, had left the hospital, stressing  I must admit that there is pressure on the staff at the hospital due to the exit of staff to other districts.

For his part, the District Chief Executive, Tahiru Issahaku Ahmed, admitted that the conflict in Bawku and the unrest in Burkina Faso was having dire consequences on health delivery in the district.
Ghana to get 5G wireless data communication soon - NCA boss Joe Anokye

GNA Nov - 23 - 2023 , 19:57

The Director General of the National Communications Authority (NCA), Joe Anokye, has said that plans are far underway for Ghana to hook on to the 5G wireless data communication for mobile carriers.

"We have made sure that the spectrum required for five 5G is available, there are few policies that must be made as to exactly how spectrum will be made available."

It is very complicated, because of the way the market is, we don't want to proceed and only one entity will have the capability of acquiring the 5G", he told participants at the 12th R.P Baffour memorial lectures organized by the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi.

His topic was "KNUST, a history of remarkable growth in science and technology education, resilience and adaptability in the digital space."

Mr Anokye in an answer to a question as to when Ghana would be connected to the 5G services however, stated that, it was important for the NCA to beef up local internet services for majority of the people to access the 5G services.

"We have to make sure Wi-Fi services at various places where people meet are provided, there is a fibre optic connection to central point to make your 5G come", he stated.

He currently said all internet traffic in Ghana pass through the submarine cable landing, with 5.9 terabytes in total, but were very complicated.

"Every now and then a submarine cable will go down and when it does, it takes time. You have to send a ship in.

So, one of the things NCA is doing is to license additional submarine providers to help address these anomalies," he said.

Touching on the KNUST technology infrastructure and communication evolution as well as the University in the liberalization era, he commended the institution for its resolve in advancing and catching up in technology advancement.

He pointed out that back in the early 1990's before the era of liberalization, the KNUST faced numerous challenges in communication, and academically, struggle with outdated teaching materials, among others.

"The journey of KNUST over the past seven decades stands a testament to what vision, dedication, resilience, and corroborative spirit can achieve.

From its foundational years to alumni and success stories, the University had remained a beacon of knowledge in Ghana's educational landscape," he stated.

Mr Anokye said the age dominated by disruptive technologies, the role of educational institutions, particularly those with the legacy was increasingly critical.

According to him, Technology was reshaping the way people thought, worked, and created, adding that, while these changes had brought opportunities, they also presented formidable challenges.

credit: GNA
I'll always remember how Berekum banned me from attending Omanhene's funeral - Dormaahene [VIDEO]

Enoch Darfah Frimpong Nov - 23 - 2023 , 17:43

The Dormaahene, Osagyefo Oseadeeyo Agyeman Badu II has publicly reacted to the restraining order that prevented him from attending the final funeral rites of the Berekumhene on Thursday.

Addressing the issue in Dormaa on Thursday [Nov 23], Osagyefo Oseadeeyo Agyeman Badu II said he will always remember how Berekum banned him from attending the late Omanhene's final funeral rites and that, the people of Berekum should remember that they will need him [Dormaahene] one day.

He said he had rather planned to attend the funeral to honour the late Berekumhene and to pay his last respects.

But unfortunately, they did not allow him to do so.

He said the ministers of National Security, Chieftaincy called him for a discussion on the issue and he laughed at the development.

He said he won't say anything again about the development but the people of Berekum should remember that they will one day need him.

Watch the video below

I wont say anything but Ill always remember this Berekumhene funeral ban. Berekum will need me one day - Dormaahene pic.twitter.com/dih8T4xGWH November 23, 2023

Related: Court stops Dormaahene from attending Berekumhenes funeral to prevent clashes

The Dormaahene, Osagyefo Oseadeeyo Agyeman Badu II, could not carry out his decision to attend the burial rites of the late Berekumhene, Daasebre Dr Amankona Diawuo II, at Berekum in the Bono Region today.

This was after the Sunyani High Court, on Wednesday (Nov 22), restrained him from attending the funeral today (Thursday, Nov 23) since it could lead to the breach of the peace.

The court order followed an application brought before the court by a member of the Berekum Traditional Council, Osabarima Kyere Yeboah Darteh II.

The Dormaahene decided to attend the burial rites on Thursday, the same day the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, was also attending the event.

Nananom in Berekum saw the position of the Dormaahene as something that could lead to the breach of the peace of the area, and therefore sought legal action to prevent him from attending.

From the funeral arrangements released by the Berekum Traditional council, the Dormaahene and Members of the Bono Regional and National Houses of Chiefs, of which he is the President were to attend the burial rites on Wednesday November 22 while the Asantehene, who is the overlord of Berekum, was to attend the burial on Thursday November 23.

Traditionally, Otumfuo is the last person to attend the burial of a Berekumhene since the Berekumhene owes allegiance to the Golden Stool - Asanteman.

But, to the surprise of the Berekum Traditional Council, the Dormaahene rather decided to attend the funeral the same time the Otumfuo would be attending, compelling the Berekum Traditional Council to seek legal means to stop him, and also prevent potential clashes, in view of recent developments between the Dormaahene and Asantehene.

The court requested the Ghana Police Service to assist the Berekum Traditional Council to carry out the injunction order to maintain peace within Berekum.

The legal action was aimed at forestalling any potential disorder arising from the presence of the Asantehene and the Dormaahene, considering the recent posture and public utterances of the Dormaahene against the Asantehene on why Dormaa cannot be part of Asanteman.

The court has ordered the Ghana Police Service to enforce the injunction, underscoring the importance of maintaining peace in Berekum and its environs.

Meanwhile, more than 20 VIP buses filled to capacity left the Manhyia Palace for the final funeral rites on Thursday.

Graphic Online understands that the Berekum area is filled to capacity with people paying their last respects to the late Omanhene.

Writer's email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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Safety of pre-tertiary students: Sexual harassment policy in full force

Timothy Ngnenbe Nov - 23 - 2023 , 08:00

The Ghana Education Service (GES) has launched a sexual harassment awareness and prevention policy intended to make the school environment safe for students in pre-tertiary educational establishments.

The policy contains guidelines on what constitutes sexual harassment, avenues for awareness creation for teachers and students, opportunities for training stakeholders on sexual harassment and punitive regimes for culprits.

The Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, launched the guidelines at the ongoing 2023 National Education Week in Accra last Tuesday.

Developed by the GES and stakeholders such as Ghana TVET Service and Mastercard Foundation, the policys overall objective is to address the triggers of sexual harassment and make the school environment safe for students to attain the desired educational outcomes.

Present at the event were the Director-General of the GES, Dr Eric Nkansah; the Director of Guidance and Counselling at the GES, Gifty Sekyi-Bremansu; and heads of some agencies under the Ministry of Education.

Groundbreaking policy

Describing it as groundbreaking in the educational system, Dr Adutwum said the development of the guidelines was timely, especially so when the country was undergoing a "major reform in education".

The minister stressed that while those reforms were being pursued, it was also necessary to make sure that a safe learning environment was provided for children.

"That is why I am happy to launch a policy that prevents sexual harassment in our schools," he said.

He said the intended outcomes of the reforms in the education sector would not be achieved if the school environment was not safe.

Dr Adutwum said although he believed in the professionalism of the Ghanaian teacher, the reality was that in a perfect world, there could be imperfection, "and that is why this policy has been developed to ensure that nobody does anything untoward to children, whether male or female".

He noted that what the GES had done by providing a guideline on sexual harassment in schools was not a novelty because across the world, such measures had been implemented to keep children safe so that they could develop their knowledge and become responsible citizens.

The minister said as part of processes to roll out the policy, teachers would be trained through virtual and in-person modes.

Also, he said children would be groomed to be aware of possible triggers and acts of sexual harassment.

Touching on the punitive regimes, he said "The punishment for sexual harassment is what the country's laws prescribe."

"No adult should take advantage of any student in any school at any level in this country; because if you do that the law will catch up with you," he stressed.



Collaboration

He called on all stakeholders, including school authorities, parents, opinion leaders and civil society organisations (CSOs) to rally around the policy to ensure that it would succeed.

For her part, Ms Sekyi-Bremansu called for an all-hands-on-deck approach to ensure that the guidelines were implemented in a way that would make the school environment safe.

She stressed that given that schools were a hub of knowledge acquisition, there ought to be an environment that promoted respect, dignity and safety for all members of that community.

"Safe schools is a shared responsibility," she said, urging all stakeholders to play their roles as expected of them.

Context

A study by Girls Excellence Movement (GEM) revealed that 52 per cent of female students in senior high schools (SHSs) had been abused sexually.

The report, titled Sheltered Yet Exposed, involved 2,000 girls across 15 schools in the Greater Accra, Volta, Central and Eastern regions.

It revealed that individuals who sexually abused the girls included teachers, schoolmates, friends, uncles and family friends.

The study further said the situation had caused depression, trauma, panic attacks and anxiety among the students, and was taking its toll on their education and well-being.

In September 2021, there was a viral video on social media in which an Anglican priest at the St Monicas College of Education was seen kissing some students.

In the video, the priest had a kiss on the lips session with the girls one after the other in the full glare of other students amid cheers from the audience.

The video sparked a national debate, with many individuals, civil society organisations (CSOs) and institutions describing it as despicable.

Following that viral video, Education Resources, an advocacy organisation, called on the GES to, as a matter of urgency, develop guidelines on sexual harassment.

The group called for the sexual harassment policy to spell out clear grievance procedures that must be followed once an incident occurred.

The non-governmental organisation also recommended that training must be given to school administrators and staff on sexual harassment: what it is, how to avoid it and how to deal with complaints.




Alan won't win, he just wants to be a kingmaker - UG lecturer

Dickson Worlanyo Dotse Politics Nov - 23 - 2023 , 11:58

A senior lecturer at the University of Ghana Political Science Department, Dr Kwame Asah-Asante has said that the ultimate goal of the founder of the Movement For Change, Alan Kyerematen, towards the 2024 general elections is to be a kingmaker and not President.

He said that Mr Kyerematen himself was aware that the best he could do was to gather some significant votes, add it to the other existing parties and push the 2024 presidential elections into a second round.

Alan Kyerematen, who was a stalwart of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) and served as Minster of Trade and Industry resigned from the party in September this year after special delegates conference that selected five out of 10 aspirants who wanted to lead the NPP as presidential candidate in 2024. He placed third in the first round of the race. But dropped out of the race and resigned from the NPP.

That is the best that they can do. We did some work, and if you look at the statistics, from 1992 up to 2020, all the other political parties put together in terms of their average performance, did not go beyond 4 per cent , he noted, Dr Asah-Asare explained.

So if you are talking about an individual who is going to come in and cross the threshold of 50 per cent and beyond, I am afraid that is not what Mr Alan Kyerematen is working for. He himself knows that it wont work, he stressed.

The Senior Political Science Lecturer was Speaking on JoyNews PM Express on Wednesday, November 22, 2023,

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He further stated that Mr Kyerematen, who is a former Minister of Trade and Industry, knew he could be a kingmaker if he pushed the elections into a runoff which would bring all those who launched attacks against him that he was not a candidate for the 2024 elections before him on their knees.

That is all that he is fighting for. But for winning, he knows that it will not work, Dr Asah-Asante added.

However, even on the ability of Mr Kyerematen to push the election into a runoff, Dr Kwame Asah-Asante m said it was too early to make that prediction.
NPP is nationalistic in character  Stephen Ntim

Daily Graphic Politics Nov - 23 - 2023 , 06:42

The National Chairman of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Stephen Ntim, has stated that the election of Dr Mahamudu Bawumia as the flag bearer of the NPP for the 2024 presidential election has proven that the party is nationalistic in character.

He said for those who argued that the NPP was an Akan party, especially the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), had been put to shame.

"The NDC and other detractors of the NPP kept saying that the NPP would never select a flag bearer or produce a President from the north.

It is so heart-warming that today I stand here and together we are telling the NDC that their wish of us not selecting a northerner as flag bearer to become President has been defeated and cancelled," he stated.

Rally

Addressing party supporters at Nalerigu in the North East Region last Monday when he joined Vice-President Dr Bawumia's Thank You Tour, Mr Ntim said his dream as chairman of the NPP to deliver a President from the party had begun playing out.

He said the party was satisfied with the selection of Dr Bawumia as flag bearer of the party for the 2024 general election.

"When I was campaigning to become National Chairman, I told the delegates especially and the whole Ghana that give me a flag bearer and I will give you a President.

That dream has started unfolding.

You have given me a flag bearer and I am going to give you a President next year December."

Mr Ntim further vowed to make good his promise of delivering a President from the NPP.

"Delegates that I came to when I was campaigning to become National Chairman, you have delivered your side of the equation.

You have given me a flag bearer in the person of Dr Bawumia," he said.
Tunis, Nov 23 (UNI) The number of Palestinians killed in the war in the Gaza Strip since October 7 has topped 14,500, the enclave's administration said on Wednesday.

"The death toll has reached 14,532, this includes 6,000 children," Gaza's information center said in a statement.

The number of those wounded in more than seven weeks of hostilities has exceeded 35,000.

Israel and Hamas agreed a four-day humanitarian pause in fighting on Wednesday. It is expected to take effect on Thursday morning. As part of the temporary truce, Israel will release 150 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for 50 hostages taken by the Palestinian group.

On October 7, Hamas launched a surprise large-scale rocket attack against Israel from the Gaza Strip and breached the border, killing and abducting people in neighboring Israeli communities. Israel launched retaliatory strikes and ordered a complete blockade of the Gaza Strip, cutting off supplies of water, food, and fuel. On October 27, Israel launched a large-scale ground incursion inside the Gaza Strip with the declared goal of eliminating Hamas fighters and rescuing the hostages.

UNI/SPUTNIK GNK
Speaker didnt say his residence was sold  Parliamentary Service

Emmanuel Bonney Politics Nov - 23 - 2023 , 07:06

The Parliamentary Service has clarified the recent statement on the residence of the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, stating that the Speaker did not say his residence has been sold.

It said the Speaker stated that there was an attempt to sell his official residence, which he referred to during the Speaker's Breakfast Forum in Accra, on Monday, November 20, 2023.

It said the potential buyer proceeded to the Lands Commission for the necessary due diligence and realised the status of the property and that was when the Speaker got to know about it.

The Rt. Hon. Speaker did not say that the Speaker's official residence had been sold.

What he said was that it was almost sold.

The reactions by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, the Ministry of Works and Housing and the Lands Commission so far have not tackled the subject matter of the alleged sale, a statement signed by the Director, Media Relations Department of the Parliamentary Service, David Sebastian Damoah, said.

Lands Commission

This was in response to the Lands Commission denying knowledge of a purported sale of the official residence of the Speaker of Parliament to a private developer.

A statement signed by the acting Executive Secretary of the Lands Commission, Benjamin Arthur, last Tuesday said it was unaware of any purported sale of the Speaker of Parliaments official residence to a private developer.

It said records available to the commission indicated that the land in question was acquired in 1920 by a Certificate of Title, dated June 7, 1920, for government services.

It added that since 2003, the land had always been used as the official residence of the Speaker of Parliament.

By an application dated November 15, 2022, and numbered PS/LS/002/12/22, the Parliamentary Service applied for a Certificate of Allocation to regularise their occupation of the land, which measures approximately 1.66 acres, it said, among other things.

Investigations

Meanwhile, the Parliamentary Service has, however, welcomed the decision by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources to investigate the matter and expressed the hope that the investigations would establish who attempted to sell, and who the potential buyer was.

Transparency in the matter, it said, was of utmost importance for the sake of public confidence in state institutions.

The statement said a visit to the official residence of the Speaker would unveil that almost all the surrounding buildings and accompanying parcels of land had been sold out to private developers and that high-rise apartments had been constructed all around, leaving the Speaker's residence as an island and endangering the safety and security of the Rt. Hon. Speaker.

A trip down memory lane reveals that sometime in 2019, the official accommodation of a sitting Clerk to Parliament located in Cantonments was sold to a private developer.

Other properties assigned to Parliament have suffered a similar fate, it said.
Sweetwater County residents often face scams that claim to be coming from local organizations and businesses.

The Sweetwater County Sheriff's Office recently warned people of a scam that claimed to be from the sheriff's office.

"We are aware of a recent high volume of fraudulent calls allegedly coming from the Sweetwater County Sheriff's Office demanding payment for outstanding arrest warrants and/or the failure to appear for jury duty," the sheriff's office posted on Facebook on November 9. "This is not us, nor is this how we do business. We never ask for payment (for anything) over the phone. If there is an active warrant for your arrest, we generally resolve it by paying you a surprise visit in person and then giving you a ride to the county jail to ensure your appearance before a judge in court."

The sheriff's office pointed out that is is common for scammers to use fake phone numbers to make it appear that the call is from a local source.

"Please know, these are fraudulent scam calls," the post continued. "Never volunteer personal or financial details over the phone. If in doubt, discontinue the call and independently verify its legitimacy."

Another local scam was reported by the Rock Springs Police Department at the beginning of November, which was related to rental properties.

According to a press release from the RSPD, victims of the scam said they found posts on Facebook Marketplace listing a local home for rent. The Facebook page that posted the rentals was identified as Southwest Real Estate.

"Once the victims contacted the poster of the listing, they were instructed to download an app called 'Rently' to obtain a code and access the residence," the press release explained. "The victims advised that once they had agreed to rent the residence, the suspects requested the deposit and first month's rent be sent via wire transfer at Wal-Mart."

By the time the RSPD became aware of the potential scam, the connected Facebook page had been deleted and the suspect couldn't be contacted. Officers confirmed that the local real-estate brokerage firm Southwest Real Estate is aware of the scam and is not associated with it.

"Please be aware of this scam and others like it," the RSPD said. "Do your due diligence in researching rentals and real estate opportunities. To protect yourself from scams, Rock Springs Police Department suggests reaching out directly to the business when conducting transactions involving contracts and money."
JACKSON  With a Dec. 14 hearing fast approaching, both sides in a closely watched legal fight over abortion access in Wyoming agree on one thing: pressing ahead.

This case needs to get decided and we need to move it forward, said Special Assistant Attorney General Jay Jerde, who is defending two laws passed by the state Legislature. One is a general ban on abortions with some exceptions and the other outlaws medication abortions.

Ninth Judicial District Court Judge Melissa Owens asked the parties Thursday if an upcoming Dec. 14 summary judgment hearing should be postponed, pending a Wyoming Supreme Court hearing scheduled just two days earlier.

The states highest court is deciding whether two lawmakers and an advocacy group can intervene in the abortion case. Owens denied the proposed intervenors request, and they have appealed that denial.

One hour has been set aside for oral arguments from Tim Garrison, an attorney for the conservative Christian legal advocacy group, the Alliance Defending Freedom, which is representing state Rep. Rachel Rodriguez-Williams, R-Cody; state Rep. Chip Neiman, R-Hulett; and Right to Life of Wyoming. The new speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, previously worked as an attorney for the Alliance Defending Freedom.

Owens denied the proposed intervenors request June 2, stating their right to advocate anti-abortion laws was not hindered by being blocked from intervening in this case.

They could put the issue to voters directly in the form of a constitutional amendment, she stated. Secretary of State Chuck Gray also requested to intervene in the Teton County court case but did not appeal the denial.

The Wyoming Supreme Court is not expected to rule from the bench Dec. 12 but rather issue a decision in writing at a later date.

If the intervenors are approved, are we now entering into a phase of new motions for summary judgment? Are we having a redo on our hearing? Owens asked Thursday, adding that she was concerned about both the parties and the court wasting their time.

What if we have to do this all again? she asked.

John Robinson, an attorney for the six plaintiffs, joined Jerde in fighting to keep the Dec. 14 summary judgment hearing as scheduled.

I know that we were waiting for a motion, Robinson said, to pause the case while the appeal was being decided.

We thought that might be filed by the proposed intervenors, Robinson said. When that wasnt, I think that ship sailed. I think were obligated to march forward. If the Supreme Court reverses, then we deal with it.

Owens decided to keep the Dec. 14 hearing as scheduled, unless the parties hear otherwise Dec. 12 from the higher court.

Robinson, along with three other attorneys, is representing two women, two doctors and two nonprofits. The group is suing the state, Gov. Mark Gordon and the attorney general, as well as the Teton County sheriff and Jackson police chief, who would be tasked with enforcing the new laws.

Cheyenne attorney Thomas Szott also attended Thursdays status conference. Szott filed an amicus brief Oct. 16 on behalf of four Wyoming physicians, two retired and two active. An amicus brief, translating to friend of the court, is not a request to become a formal party to the case, but simply a wish for the court to hear their views.

The OB-GYNs wrote that they act under a two patient paradigm, where the unborn also qualifies as their patient. Abortion on demand is therefore not essential healthcare, they argue. The amicus brief further alleges that the plaintiffs seeking to overturn the bans are pushing for a one patient paradigm that would radically change obstetric practice in Wyoming.

However, the Plaintiffs one-patient paradigm is not based on medical evidence or reality, the amended brief filed Nov. 9 states. Instead, it rests upon the ideological conclusion that abortion and childbirth are comparable outcomes because the unborn child has no relevance to the physicians treatment recommendations.

Likewise, Jerde has argued on the states behalf that abortion isnt health care and the decision to get an abortion isnt a womans own health care decision because it affects another person.

Its not clear what Owens will do with the physicians brief. The plaintiffs have requested 20 days to file a response to it.
CHEYENNE  A Laramie lawyer has sued Secretary of State Chuck Gray, attempting to bar former President Donald Trump and U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., from appearing on future ballots in the state.

The complaint, filed earlier this month, is one of many attempts in U.S. courts to disqualify the former president from ballot access.

Similar lawsuits exist in Michigan, Colorado, Minnesota and New Jersey, the Missouri Independent reported.

In a news release sent out Tuesday, Gray spoke out against the lawsuit. He said it was weaponizing the U.S. Constitution to interfere with elections.

The attempt to remove Donald Trump and Cynthia Lummis from the ballot is outrageously wrong and repugnant to our electoral process, Gray said in the release. I am preparing a vigorous defense to stop these blatant, radical attempts to interfere with Wyomings elections. The weaponization of the Fourteenth Amendment to remove political opponents from the ballot undermines the sanctity of the Constitution. We are preparing to file a motion to dismiss, to block this attempt at election interference.

Grays statement came the same day that a Michigan judge ruled that Trump could remain on the states primary ballot, according to the Associated Press, noting that a similar case is set to conclude this week in Colorado. Trump was allowed ballot access for primary elections in Minnesota, which the states Supreme Court said was not bound by the same constitutional requirement as general elections.

The Wyoming lawsuit, a civil case filed in Albany County District Court on Nov. 1, was made by Tim Newcomb, who cited more than 250 news articles and statements about Trump.

This evidence was intended to build a case that the former president violated his oath through conspiring with other nations, his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot and refusing to concede for a period of time after the 2020 presidential election.

By extension, Newcomb cited statements in support of the former president by Lummis, arguing that she also betrayed her oath by refusing to certify Pennsylvanias 2020 election results in January 2021.

In his complaint, Newcomb asked the court to preclude the names of Mr. Trump and Ms. Lummis from appearing on Wyoming ballots.

Newcomb invoked the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, quoting a part that said No person shall ... hold any office ... having previously taken an oath ... to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have ... given aid or comfort to the enemies.

He also quoted the indictment of Trump in United States of America v. Donald J. Trump.

Despite having lost, (Trump) was determined to remain in power, an excerpt of the indictment read. So for more than two months following Election Day on November 3, 2020, the Defendant spread lies that there had been outcome-determinative fraud in the election and that he had actually won. These claims were false, and the Defendant knew that they were false.

Newcombs evidence in his complaint continued by referencing casualties associated with the Capitol riot, insinuating that the former president had a role in the deaths of five people, including a law enforcement officer, by inciting the Jan. 6 incident.

He continued by referencing several alleged scandals and relationships the former president had with powerful media, governmental and financial figures like tech billionaire Peter Thiel, financier George Soros, X (formerly Twitter) CEO Elon Musk and several other world leaders.

Some of the articles mentioned by Newcomb accused Trump of a conspiracy with Russian President Vladimir Putin, with one quoted in the complaint saying Trump revealed classified secrets to Putin.

The complaint also cited articles tying Trump to a peace deal with the Taliban, claiming it precipitated the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan.

After citing a lengthy series of articles against the former president, Newcomb wrote that Lummis refused to count electoral votes from Pennsylvania because it determined the next president-elect of the United States of America.

He also cited an article that said the Wyoming senator encouraged Trump not to concede, even after vote counts weighed against him.

Their oaths meant nothing to the Constitution or their gods, he wrote in the argument portion of his complaint. Mr. Trump disqualified himself from appearing on Wyomings ballot when he refused to defend the Constitutions transfer of presidential power ... adhering to its enemies.

Ms. Lummis disqualified herself from appearing on Wyomings ballot when she refused to (add) Pennsylvanias electoral ballots to the electoral count ... adhering to its enemies.

The case was assigned to Albany County District Judge Misha Westby and, as of Tuesday, no hearings have been scheduled in the case.

Newcomb did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday afternoon from the Wyoming Tribune Eagle.
POWELL  Authorities investigating the disappearance of a Cody woman found dried blood and an apparent bullet hole in the vehicle she was last seen traveling in, court records say.

The SUV is owned by Katie Fergusons ex-boyfriend, Adam Aviles Jr., who was arrested last week amid the investigation. Aviles is facing a federal charge that alleges he illegally possessed ammunition, but the 26-year-old has not been charged in connection with Fergusons disappearance.

Ferguson was last seen in early October, as she began heading back to Wyoming from Alabama with Aviles and their two children. Aviles and the kids made it back to Cody with his vehicle, but Ferguson did not.

Fergusons mother contacted Cody police on Nov. 2 to report her as missing, and court records say it kicked off an extensive investigation by local, state and federal agencies.

Investigators later found Aviles SUV in a remote area south of Cody, with a large quantity of dried blood inside; the passenger seat  which Ferguson reportedly rode in during the trip from Alabama  had been removed, as had blood stained trim, charging documents say.

The Park County Sheriffs Office arrested Aviles on Nov. 8 on misdemeanor charges that alleged he possessed a small amount of meth and stole his fathers vehicle.

However, the Park County Attorneys Office dismissed the counts Monday to allow federal prosecutors to take over the case. The U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Wyoming has charged Aviles with a felony count of possessing ammunition despite a prior felony conviction  specifically, for possessing a felony amount of heroin in Cody in 2016.

The federal charge relates to a fully loaded magazine for a .45 caliber Glock that authorities found in Aviles SUV last week, with charging documents alleging some blood was found on the back of the piece of the equipment.

Federal prosecutors are asking a judge to detain Aviles while the case is pending, alleging in part that theres a serious risk hell flee and that it qualifies as a crime of violence.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Paige Hammer also contends there are no conditions of release that would reasonably assure the safety of the community.

On Tuesday, Aviles was transferred from the Park County Detention Center in Cody to the Big Horn County Detention Center in Basin, which has a contract to hold inmates for the federal government.

Reported missing

The pending charge against Aviles is supported by an affidavit from Luke Williamson, a Lander-based special agent with the FBI who summarized various agencies efforts.

Fergusons mother told Cody police that her daughter had relapsed into drug use and had called Aviles for help, according to Williamsons third-hand summary of the account. After spending several weeks together in Alabama, the affidavit says Ferguson, Aviles and their two young children headed back to Wyoming.

But Ferguson went missing along the way.

The affidavit indicates Aviles later told Fergusons family that she left to go get drugs near Little Rock, Arkansas, and never returned.

However, when Cody Police Sgt. Josh Van Auken spoke with Aviles on Nov. 2, he told the sergeant that Ferguson was not missing and simply didnt want to speak with her mother, the affidavit says.

At the time he spoke with Van Auken, Aviles was working on his 1999 Dodge Durango. Just two days later, on Nov. 4, a citizen reported the SUV appeared to have been abandoned in the Oregon Basin area south of Cody. Deputies responded, but couldnt see inside the vehicle, as trash bags were blocking out the windows, the affidavit says.

Due to [Ferguson] being listed as a missing person and her connection to Adam Aviles Jr., along with the suspicious condition and location of the vehicle, deputies broke a window to make sure no one was in the vehicle who may need medical attention, Williamson wrote.

Once they opened the Durango, Sheriff Darrell Steward reported smelling putrefied blood. The deputies also spotted multiple Clorox wipes and a blood-stained piece of trim in a trash bag in the back.

The front passenger seat was gone and a fully loaded magazine was near the center console. Deputies also saw a hole in the front passenger door that they suspected to have come from a bullet.

The metal was bent out  indicating a round had passed from the inside of the vehicle to the outside  and had been covered up with duct tape, according to the affidavit.

Aviles arrived with a gas can while the deputies were at the scene, the affidavit says; he reportedly explained that hed run out of fuel and was there to refill the tank.

Authorities instead towed the Durango back to the Cody Law Enforcement Center and later got a warrant to search the vehicle. Inside, they reportedly found various blood-stained items, cleaning supplies, tools and what appeared to be three rounds fired from a .45 caliber weapon. Two of the rounds were inside the front passenger door, and one was in a passenger side pillar.

The recovered Glock magazine was loaded with rounds similar to the recovered projectiles, Williamson added.

While authorities did not find a gun in their searches, Aviles father reportedly told police hed recently seen Aviles with a large caliber handgun, which the agent said would be consistent with a Glock 21.

Piecing together evidence

Sheriffs Investigator Clay Creel also worked with Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation Special Agent Shane Reese to try piecing together Aviles trip from Alabama back to Wyoming.

Creel learned that a police camera in Trumann, Arkansas, had captured an image of Aviles and Ferguson on Oct. 5; he was driving and she was in the passenger seat, the affidavit says, with no hole in the passenger side door.

However, when a trooper with the Texas State Patrol saw the Durango on Oct. 9, Ferguson was not in the vehicle and a large quantity of clothing was covering the passenger seat, Williamson wrote; additionally, the suspected bullet hole was visible on the passenger door, covered by tape.

The Durango was captured on police video again in Colorado on Oct. 11, and Aviles was the only adult inside.

The FBI interviewed Aviles and Fergusons 4-year-old about the trip last week, and Williamson said the child made a statement about her father accidentally hurting her mother.

However, the agent added that, It is uncertain as to the timeframe [the child] may have been referring to.

Aviles turned himself in to the sheriffs office on the afternoon of Nov. 8 but declined to speak without an attorney, court records say.

Fergusons family members have asked anyone with information about the case to contact law enforcement  and theyve pledged to continue looking for Ferguson until she is found.

Aviles initial court date had not been set as of Tuesday afternoon.
Dear Editor,

I have been trying to keep up with the discussions that have been going on in reference to the proposed resource management plan (RMP) for the Rock Springs District of the Bureau of Land Management. There is so much misinformation in the press and public discussion, it makes my head spin.

I spent a 41 year career with the State of Wyoming, almost all of it as a law enforcement officer (Damage Control Warden and Game Warden) with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department in the Green River Region. There are many extremely important conservation needs in the area covered by this RMP. Many people in the area are concerned with Greater Little Mountain, Adobe Town, and what is often referred to as the golden triangle or the area roughly between the Sweetwater River and the Big Sandy River. Prior to my retirement in 2014, I spent lots of years and miles patrolling these portions of the Red Desert and I still enjoy spending time in these areas.

Several news stories have talked a lot about local and state government positions on the proposed RMP, most of which are negative. One thing that got me more wound up than many comments was an explanation of a proposed measure from the Wyoming legislature to fund a fight with the federal government. One news outlet stated that Lawmakers proposed the measure because of dissatisfaction over the US Bureau of Land Managements effort to put conservation on an equal footing with resource development in the Rock Springs area of southwest Wyoming. WHAT!? Whatever happened to the supposedly tried and true concept of multiple use of public lands? Who thought conservation, one of the many multiple uses, ever entered into the mix, let alone be on anywhere near equal footing?

Conservation includes taking care of OUR wildlife resources. Greater Sage Grouse, big game, small game, fish, raptors and even feral horses are all important to those of us who live and recreate in the Red Desert and around southwest Wyoming. For my entire career, I saw things happen that put wildlife on a much lower footing than resource development. Exceptions were routinely granted for access on and across crucial big game winter ranges resulting in putting people in areas where poaching deer, and even recreational running over of pronghorn occurred. Had some folks been kept off these winter ranges during critical time periods, animals would not have been disturbed and killed. Sage grouse leks and nesting areas were encroached upon and we have already been threatened with the possibility of sage grouse being listed under the Endangered Species Act.

Are we so selfish and affected by dollar signs from resource development and extraction that we cant do anything to protect OUR wildlife and wild areas? Can we use common sense in our use of public lands so that some of the restrictions complained about that may or may not be in the RMP draft arent necessary? Much of the area covered by this RMP are already leased for resource development. There is lots of land available for solar and wind development, but there are lots of roof tops that can hold solar panels rather than taking square miles of land out of any other kind of production or use. Some portions of migration corridors are being helped by funding highway crossing projects while other portions are being blocked by many types of development.

Technology has improved our ability to recreate in the outdoors and some folks seem to think we should be able to go wherever we want with whatever means necessary to get there. In my opinion, these are places we can still go, but maybe we dont need to be able to drive to all those places. We all still have feet, some of us have horses and other non-motorized methods of getting around.

The draft RMP is really difficult to read through and determine what each of the alternatives offers, but please lets try and make some sense out of it rather than say what it really doesnt and try and come up with comments that are well thought out and can provide some common ground for us to agree on and not fight over.

Duane Kerr

Green River
YWCA's "Festival of Trees" returns

The YWCA of Sweetwater County's annual Festival of Trees event has returned again this year, giving everyone the chance to purchase trees and holiday decor and simultaneously support the YWCA and the services it offers.

"We always enjoy kicking off the holiday season with our community, and this is seriously such a fun way to get into the spirit," Kayla Mannikko, the YWCA's Developmental Director, said in a press release.

Uniquely decorated Christmas trees currently line the lobby of Commerce Bank, and the public can stop in to view them any time the bank is open. There are also holiday decor baskets, wreaths, and small table-top trees available through a silent auction, which can be viewed in person or online at https://www.aesbid.org/YWCATREE23.

"There is something for everyone at this event," Mannikko said. "There are full-size trees for those looking for a change this Christmas. Remember, it is fully decorated for you to just place in your home! There are kid's baskets, holiday decor and gift baskets, and so much more! Even if you just want to look, come down and vote for your favorite tree for the 'People's Choice' award."

A reception and live auction will be hosted at 6 p.m. on November 30 for the full-size trees.

"If you are the top bidder, then we will help you load your tree up and one part of your Christmas decorating is done!" Mannikko said.

The Festival of Trees is one of the YWCA's main fundraisers, and the profits help support the organization throughout the year.

"Your support of YWCA will help hundreds of families in Sweetwater County receive important services," Mannikko explained. "YWCA provides assistance to families at all stages in their lives, through good and bad times."

Services provided by the YWCA include quality childcare, kindergarten readiness, free financial empowerment classes to the community, and advocate services to victims of many forms of violence including human trafficking, domestic violence, and sexual assault.

"We encourage everyone to stay safe and healthy this holiday season, but don't forget to help spread a little holiday cheer," Mannikko said.
Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County's Board of Trustees recently welcomed its newest board member, Nena James.

The Sweetwater County Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday, Nov. 7 unanimously appointed James to fill the unexpired term of Taylor Jones, who was elected to a seat on the County Commission. During a Friday morning Special Board of Trustees meeting, board attorney Geoff Phillips administered the oath of office.

In her application, James said Sweetwater County has been her home for 49 years.

"I have raised my family here," she said. "I practiced law here for 27 years and then served as a District Court Judge for 18 years. Sweetwater County has been good to me and my family and I am interested in giving back to a community that has given so much to me and my family."

She has 45 years of experience in the legal field, both as an attorney and a judge. Before being appointed to her judicial position in 2001, she served on the board of Southwest Counseling. She presently serves on the Youth Home board and is the liaison between the board and the Youth Home staff.

Now retired, James said she likes being useful. Serving on boards satisfies her need to contribute to the community.

"I believe one of the best indicators of the quality of a community is the quality of its hospital," James said.

On the board, she will join President Barbara Sowada, Vice-President Craig Rood, Secretary Kandi Pendleton, and Treasurer Marty Kelsey.

The board typically meets at 2 p.m. on the first Wednesday of every month in the hospital classrooms. Board meetings are open to the public. Agendas, packets and minutes are posted at sweetwatermemorial.com.

For more on this and all Sweetwater Memorial has to offer, go to sweetwatermemorial.com.
All public schools have a combined capacity for some 40,000 students but the total number of enrolled students have since come down to about 28,000.

This is among reasons why the Guam Department of Education, beginning Jan. 1, will start looking at schools that are too big for the students they serve for potential closure, according to Education Superintendent Kenneth Swanson.

We havent even begun the process to identify which buildings, which campus is yet but, heres the thing, we have the physical capacity for 40,000 kids. We have 28,000. Thats a lot of extra classrooms, Swanson told the Pacific Daily News.

And those classrooms cost money to maintain, he said.

A contract to refurbish local schools was recently awarded, he said as an example.

A high school costs about $24 million to refurbish, while elementary schools come in at between $8 million and $9 million.

The cost to fix up all 40 schools in GDOEs inventory would be about $280 million, but they only have about $80 million worth of federal American Rescue Plan money to get the job done.

GDOE essentially has over 30% more classroom capacity than it needs, he said.

Education leadership will be taking a step back to see which schools arent being used to their full capacity. There will have to be a conversation with members of the community and village mayors about what schools can be closed, and where children can be shifted to.

Busing will be another factor, as the Department of Public Works transportation ability is limited, he said.

The process will be emotionalthere are schools where three or four generations of a family have attendedbut at the end of the day, it comes down to what GDOE can afford, he said.

We have a high school campus thats built for 4,000 kids, but has 1,500. Whats the logic there? We have an elementary school that formally handle 700 kids, six to 700, but they have 200, he said.

There will have to be an accounting for children who moved over to charter schools due to GDOEs stacked scheduling this school year. They may eventually move back into the public school system, Swanson said.

Simon Sanchez High School, which has been slated to get a new campus for 13 years now, will be a special situation.

Do I think that we should build another other high school? No, not really, the superintendent said.

But a lot of effort has been put into breaking ground on the new facility, and Swanson said he has no intention of standing in front of a new Sanchez campus.

No one is ever going back to the old campus, which was destroyed by Typhoon Mawar, and kids in the region will need somewhere to go, he said.

Swanson said his job is to guide the public through the options for Sanchez and all of Guams high schools.

He said he would have to review the designs for the new Sanchez campus before determining whether it was too large for the student population in the area.

With more military personnel soon to move to northern Guam, and development in the area on track to ramp up, the math is harder to do.

Sanchezs pending construction did beg the bigger question of what to do with all the excess high school capacity in GDOE, he noted.

A high school campus costs hundreds of millions of dollars, and partnering with the Guam Community College to use some of the extra square footage the island has may be one possibility. Outright closing one campus was another.

The community will have to find the most palatable solution that people will support, Swanson said.

Its a unique problem for him, he granted.

In my experience in other communities before I came here, usually when you build a new school, its already too small, he said.
Fort Johnson, LA (71446)

Today

Areas of patchy fog early. Cloudy early with scattered thunderstorms developing this afternoon. High 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Showers and thundershowers this evening, then cloudy with rain likely overnight. Low 56F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%.
At the crack of dawn, more than 300 food boxes or balutan style Thanksgiving meals were loaded onto separate vehicles to give the homeless from around the island a chance to also celebrate the holiday with roasted turkey, ham, vegetables and other sides.

Its all part of The Salvation Armys signature annual ministry to feed the needy on Thanksgiving. Dozens of volunteers covered specific areas in Tamuning, Mongmong-Toto-Maite, Hagatna, Barrigada, Harmon, Dededo, Yona, Ipan-Talofofo, Inalahan and Hagat where the homeless have been known to stay. It is so humbling. Thanksgiving is a time to be grateful for every blessing and its a blessing to be a blessing to others, Gerri Santos, who just started working for the Salvation Army in June as the family services center manager, told the Pacific Daily News, while she was handing out balutan meals to the homeless in the Hagatna area early Thursday morning. Santos, a retired social worker, said its a great way to start Thanksgiving Day for her and Salvation Army business coordinator Juan Trinidad and homeless management information system data analyst Frank Taijeron. This is so rewarding both spiritually and personally and we can never ever truly understand what the homeless really are going through so at this time, its nice to be able to be a blessing and give a blessing, Santos said. It just feels wonderful that in the world today, we just need a little bit more, a little bit more kindness, to slow down the rat race and just smile and give a bit of joy to someone.

Curtis Bowermaster, a homeless person who helped make sure as many homeless people from in and around Hagatna would receive a Thanksgiving meal, expressed his gratitude to everyone who made the meals possible. Thank you guys very much for reaching out to us, giving us a piece of Thanksgiving, he said. Bowermaster also made sure everyone got their meal first before getting one for himself. Some of us here, too, are actually spending the first time, holidays, Thanksgiving, without their parents. Some of them, their parents, have passed just recently, he said. Tongei Paul, 39, whos also among the homeless in the Hagatna area, said he didnt know what Thanksgiving was until he came to Guam years back, from Chuuk. Thank you, he said of the meal. He was already starting to munch on the cookie thats part of the meal, before heading out on his bicycle. Paul said he used to work in construction but lost his job, and is looking for a new one. Walter Salas, 59, walked from Mongmong to Hagatna by the cathedral for a chance at a Thanksgiving meal, and he said it was worth the walk. Im thankful that Im still alive, that I still exist, he said. Thank you Salvation Army and all your volunteers for this meal.

At the Tiyan headquarters

Long before sunrise, Salvation Armys headquarters at Tiyan was already bustling with activity for their signature Thanksgiving meal for the needy. This year, theyre joined by dozens of volunteers and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Salvation Army Maj. Eric Tumale, Guam Corps officer and Micronesia coordinator, said food boxes or balutan for more than 300 individuals were prepared. We would like to serve our homeless on the streets that are struggling and some families in the areas we selected as specific areas we identified where more homeless are located, he said, before coordinators and volunteers headed out to the streets. He thanked all those who helped make this annual event a reality. On behalf of the Salvation Army, I would like to greet everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. May God bless you and may God bless you in peace, good health, and joy this holiday season, he said. Missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints helped out The Salvation Army with the meal distribution, continuing their partnership during the Typhoon Mawar relief efforts. Its been wonderful for us to do this and to get to know them better because I think we have similar interests. We believe that we should do the things that Jesus Christ would do if he were here. He would certainly help the homeless. He would help the sick and the needy in any way he could and this is a perfect thing for us to help with, Sister Dana McMakin, a humanitarian missionary with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, said. She and her husband and fellow humanitarian missionary Dan McMakin helped The Salvation Army distribute dozens of meals in the Hagatna area. Weve helped in other ways, too, but this is wonderful because its hands-on, and on Thanksgiving. Weve gone out there and talked to people, she said. Its a wonderful start to Thanksgiving Day.

At the crack of dawn, more than 300 food boxes or balutan style Thanksgiving meals were loaded onto separate vehicles to give the homeless from around the island a chance to also celebrate the holiday with roasted turkey, ham, vegetables and other sides.

Its all part of The Salvation Armys signature annual ministry to feed the needy on Thanksgiving.

Dozens of volunteers covered specific areas in Tamuning, Mongmong-Toto-Maite, Hagatna, Barrigada, Harmon, Dededo, Yona, Ipan-Talofofo, Inalahan and Hagat where the homeless have been known to stay.

It is so humbling. Thanksgiving is a time to be grateful for every blessing and its a blessing to be a blessing to others, Gerri Santos, who just started working for the Salvation Army in June as the family services center manager, told the Pacific Daily News, while she was handing out balutan meals to the homeless in the Hagatna area early Thursday morning.

Santos, a retired social worker, said its a great way to start Thanksgiving Day for her and Salvation Army business coordinator Juan Trinidad and homeless management information system data analyst Frank Taijeron.

This is so rewarding both spiritually and personally and we can never ever truly understand what the homeless really are going through so at this time, its nice to be able to be a blessing and give a blessing, Santos said. It just feels wonderful that in the world today, we just need a little bit more, a little bit more kindness, to slow down the rat race and just smile and give a bit of joy to someone.

Curtis Bowermaster, a homeless person who helped make sure as many homeless people from in and around Hagatna would receive a Thanksgiving meal, expressed his gratitude to everyone who made the meals possible.

Thank you guys very much for reaching out to us, giving us a piece of Thanksgiving, he said.

Bowermaster also made sure everyone got their meal first before getting one for himself.

Some of us here, too, are actually spending the first time, holidays, Thanksgiving, without their parents. Some of them, their parents, have passed just recently, he said.

Tongei Paul, 39, whos also among the homeless in the Hagatna area, said he didnt know what Thanksgiving was until he came to Guam years back, from Chuuk.

Thank you, he said of the meal. He was already starting to munch on the cookie thats part of the meal, before heading out on his bicycle. Paul said he used to work in construction but lost his job, and is looking for a new one.

Walter Salas, 59, walked from Mongmong to Hagatna by the cathedral for a chance at a Thanksgiving meal, and he said it was worth the walk.

Im thankful that Im still alive, that I still exist, he said. Thank you Salvation Army and all your volunteers for this meal.

At the Tiyan headquarters

Long before sunrise, Salvation Armys headquarters at Tiyan was already bustling with activity for their signature Thanksgiving meal for the needy. This year, theyre joined by dozens of volunteers and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Salvation Army Maj. Eric Tumale, Guam Corps officer and Micronesia coordinator, said food boxes or balutan for more than 300 individuals were prepared.

We would like to serve our homeless on the streets that are struggling and some families in the areas we selected as specific areas we identified where more homeless are located, he said, before coordinators and volunteers headed out to the streets.

He thanked all those who helped make this annual event a reality.

On behalf of the Salvation Army, I would like to greet everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. May God bless you and may God bless you in peace, good health, and joy this holiday season, he said.

Missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints helped out The Salvation Army with the meal distribution, continuing their partnership during the Typhoon Mawar relief efforts.

Its been wonderful for us to do this and to get to know them better because I think we have similar interests. We believe that we should do the things that Jesus Christ would do if he were here. He would certainly help the homeless. He would help the sick and the needy in any way he could and this is a perfect thing for us to help with, Sister Dana McMakin, a humanitarian missionary with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, said.

She and her husband and fellow humanitarian missionary Dan McMakin helped The Salvation Army distribute dozens of meals in the Hagatna area.

Weve helped in other ways, too, but this is wonderful because its hands-on, and on Thanksgiving. Weve gone out there and talked to people, she said. Its a wonderful start to Thanksgiving Day.
Load shedding should ease up in December and through the early months of 2024, as the island cools off and the Guam Power Authority finishes fixing its generators, according to GPA General Manager John Benavente.

GPA is working to bring on even more power generation before the start of summer, when demand for power will rise as residents crank their air-conditioning units, Benavente said.

If all goes well, load shedding may be stopped by April, he told the Pacific Daily News.

If generators are out for repairs, power generation capacity cant currently keep up with the 245 megawatts demand from ratepayers during peak hours.

But Benavente said hes hoping to get capacity up around 390 MW by next summer through a series of repairs and temporary generators.

In the short term, repairs may bring GPAs capacity up to about 273 MW by December, just as peak power demand is expected to dip to 235 MW.

Energy savings from temperatures dropping will be enough to offset Christmas lights and festivities, Benavente said.

The power authority GM on Wednesday showed the Consolidated Commission on Utilities his plans to get the island over the load shedding which has become commonplace since Typhoon Mawar passed over Guam in May.

Residents this past weekend reported numerous blackouts over the course of Saturday evening, when three of GPAs aging generators were simultaneously offline due to scheduled and emergency repairs. Elected officials have lately been raising frustration with GPA and the Consolidated Commission on Utilities over inconsistent power and electronics fried by outages.

Benavente said that load shedding schedules will still be issued for December and proceeding months so that people can plan around potential outages, but the amount of times that residents see a loss of power should start to go down.

Load shedding occurs when demand for power is greater than what GPA can provide.

In October, peak demandtypically during the evening hourswas up to about 250 megawatts, according to Benaventes presentation to the CCU. As of Nov. 16, peak demand was at about 245 MW.

But when one of GPAs baseload generator goes down, either for scheduled maintenance or an emergency repair, capacity might drop to around 232 MW, according to Benavente. If two go out, capacity can go down to around 189 MW.

This past weekend was even worse, with baseload units Cabras 2 and Piti 8 both malfunctioned at the same time that non-baseload unit Piti 7 was out for preventative maintenance, according to GPA reports.

But demand is expected to dip in December to about 235 MW, just as repairs to Piti 7 and Cabras 2 are expected to help bring total generation capacity for GPA up to about 273 MW by December.

GPA data shows that demand generally stays below 250 MW between the months of December and April, before shooting up in May.

With another 16 MW added from large customers like the Navy agreeing to use their own generator power in the evenings, GPA should be able to deal with one base load generator shutting down without having to cut power.

Cabras 2 continues to have issues with its boiler tubes, which are miles long and carry highly pressurized, 1,000 degree steam, Benavente said. But major repair work cant be done presently, as there isnt enough capacity for GPA to take it down for extended periods of time. Cabras 1, which is less prone to issues but just as old as the other steam unit, will likewise need fixes once more GPA has more capacity.

Piti 7, 8, and 9 are less complex machines, which generally can get back up and running at full capacity in hours, unlike the days it takes to fix Cabras units, Benavente said.

Heres what GPA is targeting to add to the grid:

Return Caterpillar units needing repairs to service and increase plant capacity by 10 MW by February

Replace Manenggon Wartsila units and increase capacity by 5 MW by February

Repair 20 MW Yigo Combustion Turbine by February

Procure 40 MW of temporary power by May

Award contract to increase Yigo Diesel unit capacity by 25 MW as soon as legal constraints are resolved

Use existing energy storage batteries to shift 40 MW-hours of solar energy during peak demand time, feasibility under review

CCU, GPA address frustrations

CCU commissioner Simon Sanchez on Wednesday stressed that while the Ukudu Power Plant will not be online until early 2026, load shedding will not continue for that long.

There seemed to be a public perception that power irregularities would continue for that amount of time, and we may have added to some of the perceived misery over loadshedding.

Ratepayers needed to understand that next May was the worst case timeline for eliminating load shedding.

Ukudu was supposed to come online in 2024, but was delayed due to major damage from Typhoon Mawar.

That typhoon was one uncontrollable event that had impact reliability of local power, Sanchez said. The other was the accidental explosion of Cabras 4 in 2015, which ultimately took out about 80 MW of ratepayers should still have.

Benavente said that accusations that GPA had failed to maintain its generators were unfounded.

They say oh youre not maintaining the machines  these machines are running 24/7, he said.

Eventually, they would need to be taken offline to be fixed because of the number of moving parts involved. 

The way you counter that is by having reserves, and when you dont have the reserves, which we dont have today, then you have these issues, he said.

Benavente said that his statements about load shedding taking six to nine months to resolve had been consistent since he made them in September.

What Im saying is, help me help everyone. You know, its not GPA against everyone, its really a community issue, he added.

Residents could help by turning off unnecessary appliances to conserve energy, and more could be done to help GPA speed up lengthy procurement delays which have the grid from getting stable faster.

Im saying just help each other, well get by this. If you look, really the amount of load shedding that started August, September, October and November has been decreasing substantially. It has been decreasing, he said.

Commissioner Michael Limtiaco asked that a report of how many hours of load shedding there have been be provided to commissioner next Tuesday, so the public could get a better understanding of the issue.

I really want to make sure that the perception matches the reality of what were actually load shedding. Because I think, when we actually put the numbers together, total time, total circuits, its going to paint a much different picture than what is being reported in the media, Limtiaco said.
Sen. Will Parkinson says he will support the Guam Power Authoritys request to expedite procurement of an extra 40 megawatts of temporary power generation for the islands grid.

GPA General Manager John Benavente made the request Wednesday, during a hearing on Bill 201-37, which is already aimed at expediting an overhaul of generators operated by GPA that are jammed up due to procurement protests.

The power authority wants to lease the extra 40MW of power capacity for up to three years, as the island awaits the completion of the 198MW Ukudu power plant, which has been delayed until early 2026 by Typhoon Mawar.

Benavente said hes set to take the proposal for a temporary power lease to the Public Utilities Commission next week, which will be the hurdle to clear before GPA can go out to bid on the project, which has been estimated to cost between $11 million and $13 million.

A protest of the temporary power procurement will also impact reliability, and GPA plans to issue the bid in early December and award a contract in late January with a commissioning date of 100 days after the award, Benavente told Parkinson, who is the oversight chair for the power authority.

Benavente asked that the temporary generators be lumped into Bill 201, so that GPA can go straight into bidding out the contract.

Adding temporary power to GPAs portfolio is aimed at getting enough extra capacity in the power grid so that rolling blackouts wont be needed any time one of the power authoritys aging generators go down for maintenance.

Benavente said he wants to get that done before May, when Guam will start heating up and power demand will increase again, compounding load shedding issues.

He told Parkinson GPA will have somewhere north of 250MW of power generation capacity as of Thursday.

Peak demand is at 245MW in November, and expected to dip to 235MW by December, the Pacific Daily News reported.

Parkinson told Benavente he believes the request for temporary power generation to be fast tracked is substantively different from the content of Bill 201, but agreed to put out separate legislation for the project and push it out quickly.

I will work diligently to get that bill out by the end of today, perhaps tomorrow morning at the latest, Parkinson said.

The senator said he may try to get a waiver for the still unwritten legislations requirement to have a public hearing, so that it could be placed on the upcoming session agenda.

Bill 201 itself received no opposition on Wednesday.

The bill simply states that GPA may proceed with procurement of an overhaul and service contract for the following generators:

40MW Yigo Diesels

24MW Tenjo Diesels

6MW MDI/Pulantat Diesels

6MW Talofofo Diesels

The Yigo generators are the issue, as they are currently tied up in a procurement appeal by a bidder that claims they are capable of delivering on the contract after being disqualified, Benavente said.

Door Eng Co. Ltd. has filed a protest over the generators, according to documents from the Office of Public Accountability.

Benavente said if GPA gets clearance to move forward with the bid on the Yigo generators, they will not have to restart the process.

We have three bidders that are already qualified and have their price proposal before us, Benavente said.

Malesso Mayor Ernest Chargualaf spoke in favor of the proposal, stating that 40MW was the equivalent of about 30,000 homes worth of power.

Lets remove the hurdle, senator and I urge you to convince your colleagues, he said.
Speaker Therese Terlaje on Wednesday said the delay in funds for the extended $100 energy credits shows a shocking lack of urgency and compassion to the communitys needs.

But Adelup later issued a rebuttal statement, saying the administration has consistently released cash to the Guam Power Authority for this program in the last week of each month.

We do this because we have been informed this would match GPAs existing billing cycle. And this is exactly what is planned for next week, Adelup said.

Senators passed Terlajes energy credit extension bill as an urgent measure on Oct. 31.

The governor did not sign the bill until Nov. 10.

It has been 11 days since signed into law and 20 days since Speaker Terlajes Bill was passed by the Legislature, and still GPA says they have not received the funds, the speakers office said.

In signing the bill, the governor confirmed that $13 million in excess revenues from the previous month alone were immediately available.

Its extremely disappointing that this money has not yet been transferred by the Department of Administration to GPA to be credited to the first of the three months of residents power bills. This delay signals a shocking lack of urgency and compassion for the needs of our community, the speaker said.

The governors office, in response, said, It might be easy to accuse others of wrongdoing by relying on ignorance instead of informationbut that can be cured by using a tool of modern communication known as the telephone.

It might get in the way of good press release, but at least youd learn the truth, Adelup said.
University of Guam junior student Ivan Sablan Blanco, who aspires to bridge gaps between the islands in the Micronesia region, is the new Rotary Club of Tokyo-Atago Scholar.

The scholarship comes with $10,000 toward the completion of his degree in Business Administration and is the latest support provided to a UOG student from the Rotary International District 2750 and from clubs under its umbrella.

Blanco juggles his job as a legislative policy advisor in Vice Speaker Tina Muna Barnes office and taking academic classes. He faces one more academic year before graduating.

Barnes noted Blancos role in helping coordinate the recent Association of Pacific Island Legislatures conference as an example of the scholarship awardees leadership skills.

Blanco expressed gratitude to his family, mentors, Rotary International District 2750, and for UOGs support.

Rotary International District 2750 covers Rotary clubs in Western Tokyo and Pacific Basin Group clubs in Guam, Saipan, and other parts of the Micronesia region.

We are immensely grateful to Rotary International District 2750 for their continued support, UOG President Anita Borja Enriquez said in a news release from the university. These Rotarian scholarships provide assistance for students like Mr. Blanco to pursue career goals and also contribute to the development of the future professional workforce of Guam and the region.

UOG aims to help its students afford college, in part by matching them with scholarship donors who look at the totality of a students character, Enriquez added.

During the interview phase, Blanco showed knowledge of the Micronesia region and the problems the region faces, according to UOG Interim Senior Vice President and Provost Sharleen Santos-Bamba.

Raised in Saipan, Blanco also highlights his heritage from Chuuk and Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia. He is the namesake of his dad, a beloved Saipan lawmaker who passed away after a sudden illness at the age of 44 in 2021.
Two more elementary schools have passed their sanitation inspections with a grade of C.

M.U. Lujan Elementary School in Yona received 32 demerits, while Wettengel Elementary School in Dededo received 38 demerits, according to inspection reports from the Department of Public Health and Social Services.

Over 40 demerits is a failing grade.

All school sanitary permits are set to expire on June 30, under the current law, but legislative education chairman Sen. Chris Barnett this week said he plans to amend the law to allow permits to expire on the anniversary of their issuance.

Wettengel

Wettengel previously failed its sanitation inspection, getting 51 demerits, the schools inspection report states.

Students have been attending an alternating school schedule, according to the Guam Department of Educations school year schedule.

Education Superintendent Kenneth Swanson said students will be back to class on their own campus starting on Monday.

Four classrooms, two sets of playground equipment, and an old air-conditioning unit room were condemned by the school and will not be used until properly inspected by Public Health, per the report.

Here are some notable demerits on Wettengels inspection report:

Male and female restrooms not properly constructed, kept in good repair, or provided with proper waste containers.

Minimum lighting requirements not provided in the library, and several office and storage spaces.

Ventilation and filters not clean and in good repair in 36 classrooms.

Indoor air temperate not within the range of 75 to 83 degrees Fahrenheit, improper humidity in 40 classrooms.

All areas and equipment not clean, safe, in sanitary condition, and in good repair in 11 classrooms.

MU Lujan

M. U. Lujan previously failed its inspection with 42 demerits, according to the schools inspection report.

Ahead of an October inspection of the school, kindergarten playground equipment, a rock wall behind the head start playground, and an equipment staging area behind the schools main office were condemned by the school.

Our staff, teachers, and community partners have shown great dedication and support in this challenging time, Principal Natasha Dela Cruz said in a release from GDOE issued this month. We appreciate their efforts and contributions to our school.

Notable demerits include:
Its become a somewhat ironic American tradition: The day after celebrating our gratitude for our families and all things priceless, we shop til we drop on Black Friday.

In recent years, however, a more locally focused trend has gained popularity. Small Business Saturday provides shoppers a more relaxed gift-buying experience, while boosting the local economy and offering one-of-a-kind treasures. No, you might not find a flat-screen TV for $99, but you also wont feel the need to elbow anyone in the Walmart checkout line.

Many businesses in New Orleans, from coffee shops to jewelry stores, are offering promotions this Saturday. View the full map of participating locations at staylocal.org, or check out some of our local favorites below:

Holiday Arts Market

Address: Marsalis Harmony Park, 8211 S. Claiborne Ave., New Orleans

When: Saturday, Nov. 25, and Sunday, Nov. 26, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Over 100 artists will be participating in this two-day open-air arts market in Marsalis Harmony Park. Enjoy live music and local food while perusing stalls from artists all over Louisiana.

Parking is located on Sycamore Street and Dublin Street. Or skip the hassle and ride the St. Charles streetcar directly to the park.

Abita Brewing Co. Fall Craft Market

Address: Abita Brewing Co., 21084 LA-36, Covington

When: Saturday, Nov. 25, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

If youre looking to get outside the city, cross Lake Ponchartrain and head to Abita Springs. The Abita Brewing Co. is hosting a Fall Craft Market, complete with local vendors, small-batch brews, and even a petting zoo.

Sadly, according to their Facebook page, the farm animals are not for sale.

Blue Cypress Books

Address: 8123 Oak St., New Orleans

This woman-owned bookstore specializes in curated, high-quality secondhand reads (they sell new books, too!). Whether youre looking for a sci-fi thriller, an inspiring autobiography, or a new cookbook, Blue Cypress has you covered. If they dont have what youre looking for, theyll order it in and ship it to you.

Oh, and they have a cat.

Beatrix Bell Handcrafted

Address: 337 Morgan St., Apartment A, New Orleans, and 831 Chartres St., New Orleans

With locations in the French Quarter and Algiers Point, along with a full shop online, Beatrix Bell Handcrafted offers endless opportunities to get your silver and gold fix.

New Orleans lovers will enjoy the collections gilded references to the Crescent City, while deal-lovers may be drawn in by their early holiday sale. See full holiday hours on their Instagram.

Miss Claudias Vintage Clothing & Costumes

Where: 4204 Magazine St., New Orleans

Halloween may be over, but theres always an excuse to dress up (Louisiana Renaissance Festival anyone?). Miss Claudias on Magazine sells all your secondhand outfit needs, from 1920s flapper girl dresses to 1980s spandex onesies.

Selected pieces are available to purchase on Etsy.

Crazy Plant Bae

Address: 716 N. Claiborne Ave., New Orleans

Bouquets with an expiration date are so out. Instead, test your green thumb with a stop at this third-generation, family-owned nursery, just two blocks off Louis Armstrong Park.

Not only does Crazy Plant Bae offer potted plants to take home, but their team of experts provides rentals, care advice, and design plans. Hours available here.
By Jamie Stengle | The Associated Press

DALLAS  Just minutes after President John F. Kennedy was fatally shot as his motorcade rolled through downtown Dallas, Associated Press reporter Peggy Simpson rushed to the scene and immediately attached herself to the police officers who had converged on the building from which a snipers bullets had been fired.

I was sort of under their armpit, Simpson said, noting that every time she was able to get any information from them, she would rush to a pay phone to call her editors, and then go back to the cops.

Simpson, now 84, is among the last surviving witnesses who are sharing their stories as the nation marks the 60th anniversary of the Nov. 22, 1963, assassination on Wednesday.

A tangible link to the past is going to be lost when the last voices from that time period are gone, said Stephen Fagin, curator at The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, which tells the story of the assassination from the Texas School Book Depository, where Lee Harvey Oswalds snipers perch was found.

So many of the voices that were here, even 10 years ago, to share their memories  law enforcement officials, reporters, eyewitnesses  so many of those folks have passed away, he said.

Simpson, former U.S. Secret Service Agent Clint Hill and others are featured in JFK: One Day in America, a three-part series from National Geographic released this month that pairs their recollections with archival footage, some of which has been colorized for the first time. Director Ella Wright said that hearing from those who were there helps tell the behind the scenes story that augments archival footage.

We wanted people to really understand what it felt like to be back there and to experience the emotional impact of those events, Wright said.

People still flock to Dealey Plaza, which the presidential motorcade was passing through when Kennedy was killed.

Peggy Simpson holds a photograph of law enforcement carrying Lee Harvey Oswald's gun through a hallway packed with reporters Friday, Nov. 17, 2023, at her home in Washington. Simpson, a former Associated Press reporter, is among the last surviving witnesses to the events surrounding the assassination of Kennedy who are among those sharing their stories as the nation marks the 60th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's assassination.Jacquelyn Martin | The Associated Press

The assassination certainly defined a generation, Fagin said. For those people who lived through it and came of age in the 1960s, it represented a significant shift in American culture.

President Joe Biden, who was in college when Kennedy was killed, recalled on Wednesday being glued to the news in silence along with his fellow students.

On this day, we remember that he saw a nation of light, not darkness; of honor, not grievance; a place where we are unwilling to postpone the work that he began and that we all must now carry forward, Biden said in a statement.

On the day of the assassination, Simpson had originally been assigned to attend an evening fundraising dinner for Kennedy in Austin. With time on her hands before she needed to leave Dallas, she was sent to watch the presidential motorcade, but she wasnt near Dealey Plaza.

Simpson had no idea that anything out of the ordinary had happened until she arrived at The Dallas Times Heralds building, where the APs office was located. Stepping off an elevator, she heard a newspaper receptionist say, All we know is that the president has been shot, and then heard the papers editor briefing the staff.

She raced to the AP office in time to watch over the bureau chiefs shoulder as he filed the news to the world, and then ran out to the Texas School Book Depository to track down more information.

Later, at police headquarters, she said, she witnessed just a wild, crazy chaotic, unfathomable scene. Reporters had filled the hallways where an officer walked through with Oswalds rifle held aloft. The suspects mother and wife arrived, and at one point authorities held a news conference during which Oswald was asked questions by reporters.

I was just with a great mass of other reporters, just trying to find any bit of information, she said.

Two days later, Simpson was covering Oswalds transfer from police headquarters to the county jail when nightclub owner Jack Ruby burst forth from a gaggle of news reporters and shot the suspect dead.

President John F. Kennedy's assassin Lee Harvey Oswald, center in handcuffs, is shot by Jack Ruby, foreground, in the underground garage of the Dallas police headquarters on Nov. 24, 1963.Jack Beers | The Dallas Morning News via AP File

As police officers wrestled with Ruby on the floor, Simpson rushed to a nearby bank of phones and started dictating everything I saw to the AP editors, she said. In that moment, she was just thinking about getting out the news.

As an AP reporter, you just go for the phone; you cant process anything at that point, she said.

Simpson said she must have heard the gunshot, but she cant remember it.

Probably Ruby was 2 or 3 feet away from me, but I didnt know him, didnt see him, didnt see him come out from the crowd of reporters, she said.

Simpsons recollections are included in an oral history collection at the Sixth Floor Museum that now includes about 2,500 recordings, according to Fagin.

The museum curator said Simpson is a terrific example of somebody who was just where the action was that weekend and got caught up in truly historic events while simply doing her job as a professional journalist.

Fagin said oral histories still are being recorded. Many of the more recent ones have been with people who were children in the 60s and remembered hearing about the assassination while at school.

Its a race against time really to try to capture these recollections, Fagin said.




Haiti - Insecurity : Under threat, CARDH temporarily suspends its activities





In a note, the Center for Analysis and Research in Human Rights (CARDH) announces the temporary suspension of its activities, due to the imminent danger threatening its staff.



Considering consistent information and indications that it was under threat, the CARDH has implemented measures to reduce its activities for months. With these threats now being carried out, CARDH is suspending its activities aimed at contributing to the construction of democracy and the rule of law in Haiti. CARDH awaits protective measures to be taken so that it can resume its work.



As a fully committed actor in the cause of democracy, the rule of law, and human rights in Haiti, the CARDH  a civil society institution  operates independently and according to the principles governing the functioning of a human rights institution. It is committed to being apolitical, with its primary objective being the defense of the rights of the most vulnerable.



The United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Defenders (Resolution 53/144) obliges duty bearers at the national, regional, and international levels to take measures to protect human rights defenders and create conditions for them to carry out their work.



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Haiti - ONA : The majority of affiliated companies are not controlled and verified





As part of its "Thursdays in Technical Workshop" program, the General Management of the National Old-Age Insurance Office (ONA) met with officials from the Business Control and Verification Department (DCVE).



This workshop brought together, in the General Directorate conference room, ten (10) executives from the institution: three (3) members of the cabinet, Mr. Rodrigue Polyte, Professor Wilfrid Jean Baptiste, Mr. Julien Maxon, and seven managers of the DCVE, Desir David Thed, First Director Raymond Yvener second director, Massillon Feguens, Assistant Director, Louis Chanel, Assistant Director, Julien Carlo, Assistant Director, Joseph Jean Robert, head of department, Joseph John Chenier, assistant head of department.



Professor Wilfrid Jean Baptiste, member of the Cabinet, underlined the vision of the General Management which, he said, tends to make the ONA a financially healthy institution, respectful of its mission and its accountability to stakeholders.



Wilfrid Jean Baptiste drew attention to the fact that companies in the subcontracting sector are leaving the country. This reduces the Institution's revenue and forces ONA to engage in an institutional resilience strategy.



In a document presenting the Directorate of Control and Verification of Companies, Desir Jean Thed, first Director, detailed the problems relating to his Directorate. He highlighted the difficulty of accessing the database of companies affiliated with the ONA.



The majority of affiliated companies of Municipal Offices and Annexes, writes the Director, are not controlled and verified according to the mission of the DCVE. Access to Payroll Tax (TMS) documents is limited. The DCVE has a very small workforce compared to the number of companies affiliated with the ONA. The DCVE does not have the logistical means to meet its obligations.



As a solution, the head of the DCVE recommends that the Directorate of Operations and Networks (DOR) require Inspection and Screening Services. He asks the DOR to force the Municipal Offices and Annexes to regularly submit to the DCVE information relating to companies in a late and refractory state.



At the end of this meeting, the cabinet members developed an action plan to address the problems. The General Management decides to provide the DCVE with the policies and procedures necessary for its proper functioning, to prepare an organizational plan which provides for the workforce as well as the necessary profiles. The firm is considering putting in place a recruitment plan on behalf of the DCVE and a training plan for staff.



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Haiti - News : Zapping...





Mariani : Toll booth managed by gangs

On Wednesday November 22, 2023, a toll booth in Mariani was set up by armed men. According to the information collected, passenger transport drivers had to pay sums ranging from 500 to 2,500 Gdes reported Petrus Lerice Spokesperson of the Association of Owners and Drivers of Haiti (APCH) / Administrator of the Haitian Land Transport Sector (STTH).



Festivities : The PNH strengthens security

On the occasion of the end-of-year celebrations, on the instructions of Frantz Elbe Commander of the National Police of Haiti (PNH), the police reinforced security measures in the metropolitan region of Port-au-Prince, in order to continue to protect the civilian population against the actions of all malicious individuals.



Corruption : 12 personalities invited by Justice

Wednesday, November 22, the Government Commissioner, Mr. Elder Guillaume, sent invitations to 12 personalities, including former parliamentarians presumed corrupt in the report of the Anti-Corruption Unit (ULCC) https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-40991-haiti-news-zapping.html they are : Joseph Lambert, Nenel Cassy, Gracia Delva, Herve Foucand, Daphnica Paul, Roland Garcon, Wanique Pierre, Nobert Stimphil, Piterson Juste, Alfredo Antoine, Stephanie Mondestin and Jemley Marc Jean Baptiste. Some of these personalities risk being imprisoned after being heard...



Site : The number of displaced people is increasing

The proportion of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in sites continues to increase, compared to that in host families: during the 3rd report, 38% were in sites; this percentage increased to 45% in the 4th report and now to 58% in the 5th.



Transport : request for postponement of further increases

The transport federations and unions publicly ask Patrick Boisvert, the Minister of Finance and Fritzner Bernadel, the Director General of the Office of Vehicle Insurance Against Third Parties (OAVCT) to postpone the new price increase measures. They emphasize that the Haitian population in general and transporters in particular are already suffering the fate of insecurity and lost territories. They invite the OAVCT to suspend any new arrangements for the end of the year.



Thanksgiving : Greetings from the American Embassy

"On behalf of my family and the United States Embassy in Port-au-Prince, I would like to wish a Happy Thanksgiving to all those celebrating. This uniquely American tradition is a time for reflection, community and appreciation. We are deeply grateful for the close ties between the United States and Haiti and look forward to continuing to strengthen and deepen them," Eric Stromayer, Charge dAffaires.



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We're a family of seven living in Georgia where Andrew's working as a professor at GSU. You can read more about us here
The Finnish Business Angels Network (FiBAN) has conducted a comprehensive member survey that reveals the mindset and trends among Finnish angel investors. Gathering over 250 responses, the survey delved into the demographics, investment activity, experience, and expertise of angel investors, as well as their interest in various sectors and trends. A notable 86% of respondents indicated they are actively seeking new investment opportunities, marking the first time such a member survey has been conducted.

Profile of a Finnish Angel Investor

The survey reveals that nearly 40% of respondents are newcomers to angel investing. However, over half describe themselves as experienced or very experienced, having invested over 200,000 in startups.

The majority of respondents were born between the 1950s and 1970s, though the number of younger business angels is on the rise. Still, those under thirty remain a rarity in the Finnish angel investing landscape.

Around 38% of respondents have made an 'exit'  selling their business or majority stakes  before becoming angel investors. "Our membership largely comprises entrepreneurs or those who have made successful exits, and who have accumulated wealth. Certain age groups are more prominent due to the level of experience they've achieved," says Laisi-Puheloinen of FiBAN.

FiBAN's youngest member, 22-year-old Eemeli Parantainen, initially intended to pitch a business idea to FiBAN but later decided to join as an angel investor. "I'm at the beginning of the learning curve, but my goal is to learn as much as possible about angel investing," he says.

Trends and Sectors of Interest

FiBAN's survey participants are especially interested in software solutions, sustainable development, and medical technologies. "Sustainability themes have gained significant importance. Startups in these fields should definitely consider applying to FiBAN," suggests Laisi-Puheloinen.

Most angels find their investment targets through personal networks or events, rather than through cold contacts. Startups are increasingly expected to have ongoing business operations, as investors seek evidence of scalability before making investment decisions.

Angel Investors in Board Roles

More than half of the members have served on the boards of at least three of their investee companies. "Angel investors want to be involved in the decision-making of their startups, bringing their expertise and networks to help. Studies have shown that the involvement of angels in board activities increases the likelihood of a startup's success," explains Laisi-Puheloinen.

International Interest in Finnish Startups

While most FiBAN members invest in Finland, there's growing interest in international investments. Finnish startups also attract global attention, with FiBAN's membership including individuals from over 20 different nationalities. Some investment opportunities are identified through international cooperation, like the EU-funded 4NGELS program, which attracted 150 startup applications and nearly 100 angel investors from Finland, Poland, Estonia, and Slovenia in its recent call.

Besides the member survey, FiBAN annually collects data on angel investments. In 2022, FiBAN members reported investing 37 million in 248 startups, demonstrating the vibrant activity in Finland's startup ecosystem.

HT
In the first half of 2023 , Finnish private equity investors have actively continued to invest in growth-oriented small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) despite a challenging market environment. According to a recent barometer survey, investors specializing in buyout and growth investments view the current market as difficult, but signs of improvement are on the horizon.

Data from the Finnish Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (FVCA) shows that these investors have poured a total of 452 million into established Finnish growth companies during the first half of 2023. Of this amount, 293 million came from Finnish investors, with the remaining 159 million contributed by international financiers.

Significant investments were made in 40 Finnish companies, including leading online auction house Huutokaupat.com, industrial maintenance and service specialist Elcoline, and infrastructure construction market leader Welado.

Despite the global trend of reduced foreign buyout and growth investments in Finnish companies, domestic private equity firms have been even more active than average.

Anne Horttanainen, CEO of FVCA, observes, "Our statistics clearly show that Finnish private equity investors are committed to investing in companies with growth potential, regardless of economic cycles."

However, the first half of the year was quieter in terms of fund-raising and exit activities. New funds for Finnish buyout and growth funds amounted to only 7 million, compared to an average of half a billion euros per year over the past decade. Exits have also been fewer than usual.

"There's still plenty of capital available for investment, as many Finnish investors had successfully raised new funds in 2021 and 2022 before the macroeconomic upheaval. However, the fundraising environment has been extremely challenging since then," comments Jonne Kuittinen, Deputy CEO of FVCA.

The market situation is expected to remain tough, but the previous uncertainty is dissipating. The barometer survey suggests that fund-raising, finding quality investment opportunities, and exiting investments are all perceived as more challenging compared to six months ago.

"The exits are crucial as they return the investment profits to the fund's investors, such as pension funds. The current difficulty in exits and fundraising is also observed across Europe," Kuittinen adds.

Horttanainen highlights the importance of maintaining a conducive domestic environment for private equity and removing obstacles to fund-raising.

Despite the ongoing challenges, the barometer results indicate a potential positive turn in the next six months. Juhana Kallio, Chair of the FVCA board and CEO of private equity firm Intera Partners, notes, "Although the market is expected to remain challenging, a clearer situation can positively influence activity. As buyers and sellers adjust to valuation levels over time, their perspectives are likely to align again."

HT
THE GOVERNMENT of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP) on Wednesday announced it has decided to close three additional crossing points on the border between Finland and Russia as of Friday, 24 November.

The decision means all traffic across the border must go through the northernmost crossing point, Raja-Jooseppi in Inari, Finnish Lapland. Located roughly 300 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle, the point has been open four hours a day and registered no more than a few dozen crossings a week, Ville Ahtiainen, a deputy commander at the Lapland Border Guard District, stated to Helsingin Sanomat on Wednesday.

Orpo said yesterday at a press conference that the government is monitoring the border situation closely and remains ready to take further action in response to new developments.

Raja-Jooseppi is the northernmost border-crossing point. It does take a bit of an effort to get there, he remarked.

The government last week closed the border-crossing points of Imatra, Niirala, Nuijamaa and Vaalimaa, concentrating the receipt of asylum applications at Vartius in Kuhmo and in Salla, Lapland. Orpo said the closures have proven insufficient, pointing to an increase in the number of asylum applicants at the two border crossings.

We have to regulate the number of people we can bring in, he argued.

Orpo also said the government can close the entire eastern border if necessary, but that so far the criteria for the closure have not been satisfied. He will present a prime ministers statement to parliament on the border situation on Thursday.

Minister of the Interior Mari Rantanen (PS) stated at the press conference that the additional closures are required to guarantee public order and security, as well as national security.

It is possible, she added, that the situation at the border remains challenging or even exacerbates: Its good to keep in mind that the situation can change rapidly. The situation has to be monitored constantly, and you can either relax or step up the restrictions on that basis.

Ahtiainen from the Lapland Border Guard District told Helsingin Sanomat earlier on Wednesday that staff at Raja-Jooseppi have yet to start preparing for the possibility that the crossing point could become the only open point on the border.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT
Stubb, the poll found, would receive 24 per cent of the vote in the first round of voting, representing a jump of seven percentage points from October. Ex-Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto (Greens) would come in second with a 20-per-cent share of the vote, a drop of eight points from the previous poll.

EX-PRIME MINISTER Alexander Stubb (NCP) has emerged as the candidate to beat in the race to become the next president of Finland, reveals a presidential poll commissioned by Helsingin Sanomat.

Sharing third place in the poll, with a vote share of 10 per cent, were Speaker of Parliament Jussi Halla-aho (PS) and Olli Rehn, the governor of the Bank of Finland.

Support for European Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen, who was confirmed as the candidate of the Social Democratic Party on Sunday, has jumped by four points to seven per cent, moving her to a tie with Li Andersson (LA), the chairperson of the Left Alliance. Mika Aaltola, who is on campaign leave from his post as the director of the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, contrastively saw his popularity decline by three points to five per cent.

Aaltola, Haavisto and Rehn are all running as the candidate of a constituency association, despite the latter twos long-standing ties to the Green League and Centre Party, respectively.

The poll results suggest that a second round of voting is likely necessary. Stubb would come out on top also in the run-off between the two most popular candidates in the first round, with a margin of 13 points over Haavisto and, at the other end of the scale, 50 points over Halla-aho. In October, Haavisto was projected to win 51 per cent of the vote in a run-off against Stubb.

Haavisto would face a formidable second-round challenge also from Rehn, with 50 per cent of the poll respondents choosing him and 47 per cent Rehn. A run-off against any of the other leading candidates, however, would end in a comfortable win for Haavisto.

Helsingin Sanomat identified two factors behind the swings in support for Haavisto and Stubb. Although Haavisto continues to poll well among supporters of the Left Alliance and Social Democrats, his popularity among the demographic has decreased since October. Stubb, on the other hand, has solidified his position as the leading candidate among supporters of the National Coalition.

Verian conducted 1,196 online interviews for the poll on 2021 November. The poll results have a margin of error of up to 2.8 points.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT
Finland witnesses a remarkable shift in public health trends, with long-term sickness absences caused by traditional diseases like heart and cardiovascular diseases, digestive system illnesses, and respiratory diseases now constituting only a third of what they were in 1970. This significant change is attributed to lifestyle modifications, improved living conditions, and changes in the nature of work.

Kela, the Finnish social insurance institution, provides sickness benefits for 16-67-year-olds during extended periods of illness, compensating for income loss during absences exceeding nine days but less than a year. Back in the 1970s, these traditional diseases accounted for 39% of the starting sickness benefit periods. However, in 2022, their share plummeted to just 12%.

This trend is mirrored in the statistics of disability pensions: heart and cardiovascular diseases are increasingly less common as causes for disability retirement.

The shift in reasons for sick leaves reflects broader societal changes. Notably, the reduction in smoking and consumption of saturated fats, improved hygiene standards, economic prosperity, and better air quality in cities have all contributed to this decline. Advances in preventive care and treatment methods have also played a crucial role, according to Jenni Blomgren, Head of Research at Kela.

Contrastingly, mental health-related absences have surged, indicating a transformation in work's nature. Where work was once predominantly physical, it's now more cognitively demanding, increasing mental health challenges. Blomgren emphasizes that mental health disorders are not solely work-related but also stem from societal pressures like war anxiety, climate change concerns, financial struggles, and balancing work-family life.

Additionally, the stigma surrounding mental health issues has lessened, encouraging more people to seek help for conditions like depression, which in the past might have been misattributed to physical ailments.

A worrying trend for future health concerns is the rise in obesity and sedentary lifestyles, potentially leading to more sick leaves due to musculoskeletal disorders, heart diseases, and mental health issues. Blomgren predicts a continued rise in mental health disorders, particularly anxiety-related absences.

Understanding the underlying causes of these diseases is key to effective intervention, as evidenced by the positive outcomes reflected in these health statistics. This demonstrates the impact of sustained and proactive public health initiatives.

HT
THANKSGIVING: County thanks firefighters who came from across N.C. to help

If you want to be inspired on Thanksgiving Day, check out this video of first responders thanking local and state partners for helping to fight the Poplar Drive fire.

Starring Emergency Services Director Jimmy Brissie and the brothers Griffin  Robert, chief of Edneyville Fire & Rescue, and Lowell, the sheriff  the 3 minute and 24 second video thanks the 18 Henderson County agencies and more than 50 departments from across North Carolina  and from as far away as Currituck County on the coast  for their help in fighting the wildfire that at one point threatened 75 homes.

The day the fire started, Nov. 10, Chief Griffin made the call for mutual assistance.

"Everybody showed up," he said.

Sheriff Griffin thanked the people of Henderson County and beyond for responding to calls early on for food, water, snacks and supplies.

"Although the fire was in the Fruitland community we saw people from all over the county, all over the region, come together and show their support," he said.
A BOY is demanding that Apple changes its nerd emoji.

Teddy Cottle, 10, thinks the pictogram is insulting to people like him who wear glasses.

He has launched a petition calling on the tech giant to change the design and name of the emoji, which comprises a yellow face with two buck teeth wearing thick black-rimmed spectacles.

He wants the teeth replaced with a smile and for it to be named genius emoji.

Teddy, a year 5 pupil at Sonning Common Primary School in Grove Road, has worn glasses since he was two years old.

He said: First of all, I dont like the name because I find it rather rude. A lot of people, including me, dont like being called nerds. And then the look of it is a bit stupid because of the teeth, which are pointing and poking out and make it look a bit like a rat.

I think its saying that everybody who wears glasses is a nerd even if they dont mind being called that. You cant help having to wear them and you want to be like everybody else.

Teddy, lives in Shiplake Bottom, Peppard, with his parents, Philip, a painter and decorator, and Esme, a marketing director, and brothers Max, seven, and Isaac, five, who also attend the primary school.

He was encouraged by his French teacher Lisa Baillie to create petition with his alternative design, which features a smile and glasses with thin rims.

He said: I was annoyed for ages and then it came to me in a lesson after I had finished my work and I decided to do something about it. I wrote a letter and got loads of people to sign it.

Madame Baillie said, Lets put together a proper petition so for about probably five weeks now, weve been doing that.

Weve been handing out the petitions to every class and getting the children who want to, to sign it. Were going to collect them all and Madame Baillie is going to email the petition to Apple.

Teddy has been helped by his best friend Toby Telford, who is nine.

He said: He doesnt wear glasses but his dad does. For the petition, the boys wrote: We think the nerd emoji is offensive and insulting to all those people in the world who wear glasses.

We think people who wear glasses are cool and we are worried that people who are getting glasses for the first time will think they are going to look like rabbits or rats.

We are asking you to change the name of the emoji to the genius emoji and change the design.

Teddy said: Loads of people have signed it. While we were handing them out all the teachers were saying, Great job, keep going.

None of his family wears glasses but Teddy said that Max was going to have his eyes tested. Mrs Cottle said that Teddy first started using emojis to send silly messages via her phone to his cousin Arthur, who lives in Switzerland.

She said: My brother and his wife live there and they would send silly messages and emojis and I think thats when he was first exposed to them. She said she was not entirely surprised when she heard about his campaign.

Mrs Cottle said: He has always been like that, really interested in learning, and he watches a lot of documentaries.

My husband mentioned that he watches Prime Minsters questions. He is very interested in the news and current events and has a thirst for knowledge and wants to learn to understand things. I think its amazing. He always has very strong opinions about things and I think fighting for what you believe in should be encouraged as we tend to lose this as adults.

Mrs Cottle said that she wanted to thank Teddys teachers who encouraged him.

A lot of credit has to go to the primary school who are amazing and so supportive. They are always open to new ideas and trying new things  its part of their ethos. Its great they got behind Teddy and supported him when they could have easily quashed it.

Mme Baillie said: Teddy has such a bright mind and he places so much importance on doing the right thing. I think that should be encouraged.

Year five teacher Tom Andrews said: Its great to see Teddy doing something about something hes not happy with.

Hes not afraid to take on the wider world and show what hes made of. Even adults dont always do anything about the things they dont like.

It might also help a lot of other children that hell never meet. Hes inspiring people, adults as well as children.

Teddy said he wanted to tell glasses wearers: Dont be afraid of who you are. Dont let it stop you and keep going no matter what.

He was awarded star of the week at a school assembly.

Apple did not respond to a request for comment.

 What do you think? Write to: Letters, Henley Standard, Caxton House, 1 Station Road, Henley or email letters@henleystandard.co.uk
HKPF sees followers on Douyin surpass 2 million within 24 hours

13:25, November 23, 2023 By Chen Qingqing ( Global Times

The Hong Kong Police Force. Photo: Fan Lingzhi/Global Times

The Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) gained over 2 million of followers on Douyin within 24 hours after it debuted on the Chinese short-video social media platform on Sunday, and its first video gained more than 73 million views, showing the widely shared appreciation for the HKPF in the Chinese mainland. Some netizens praised it as being a movie-like scene.

The HKPF launched its official account on Douyin in order to enhance engagement with the public in Hong Kong, the Chinese mainland and other regions, particularly the younger generation, the HKPF said.

Through its official Douyin account, the HKPF hopes to enable more effective dissemination of anti-scam and anti-crime messages, and showcase its positive image and share the polices good stories with the public.

The first short video posted, led by Hong Kong police chief Raymond Siu Chak-yee, received a wide range of appreciation from Chinese netizens. In the first 24 hours, the short film was played more than 73.4 million times, received 2.72 million likes, and the daily increase of fans reached nearly 2 million.

It attracted the attention of a large number of netizens in the mainland. In less than 24 hours, it attracted 220,000 comments. I thought it was a movie, a netizen said. Welcome to Douyin. HKPF officers are so cool, and thanks for your efforts.

It was expected that the HKPFs Douyin account would come under the public spotlight, Lam Chi-wai, chairman of the Junior Police Officers' Association, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

With the rapid rise of short video platforms in recent years, the HKPF has taken the opportunity to distribute practical and diversified information to the public in the form of creative short videos to cater to public tastes, Lam said.

The HKPF has been the backbone in safeguarding the city's stability, especially during the social turmoil of 2019. Their hard work has received support from people in the mainland.

On Monday, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Chief Executive John Lee also saw his followers on Sina Weibo surpass 5 million. Since the account was opened on July 1 in 2022, Lee has been sharing his daily work and life and introducing Hong Kong through the platform.

By connecting with the public through social media, the HKSAR government has been making efforts to tell Hong Kong stories in innovative way, observers said.

(Web editor: Tian Yi, Liang Jun)
Healing is a noble profession. But being chosen to heal from a young age, and going on to transform lives is what we would refer to as a true calling. Dr Sathya Sindhuja has been learning ancient Siddha healing techniques since she was only 4 years old. Taught by her grandmother, who was also a gifted and renowned Siddha practitioner, Dr Sindhuja was chosen out of all her siblings as she possessed the exceptional ability to comprehend the intricacies of the human body and perceive the subtle currents of energy coursing through it.

Chronic pain can significantly diminish one's quality of life. Most afflicted people cannot go about their daily functions without assistance, and most of the time are confined to a bed or a wheelchair. With no other resort and no solution provided by modern medicine, many turned to Chakrasiddhs holistic healing.

Dr Sathya Sindhuja has provided a safe haven for lakhs of people who had no other solution for their pain. Many revere her for her skills. But are her hands actually magic?

Dr Sindhuja follows the simple techniques of Nadi Vaidyam and Marma Chikitsa. Nadis are channels of energy that allow the flow of pranic current through the entire body. Marmani are powerful energy points, located at certain points in the body that have an abundance of nerves and blood vessels. The marmani help in cellular communication, diagnosing certain conditions, and have several therapeutic applications.

Dr Sathya Sindhuja, Founder, Chakrasiddh

Dr Sathya Sindhuja activates the marma or nadi by using gentle strokes and applying direct pressure, thereby releasing chronic patterns of tension and toxins accumulated in the body, stimulating blood and oxygen circulation and relaxing muscles. Treating the disturbed marma points and regenerating blocked nadi points restore the body to normalcy. Her clients have reported feeling a sense of immediate relief within three days.

Chakrasiddhs healing methods work towards improving the overall lifestyle of their clients. Chronic Pain can severely reduce mobility and movement, limiting a persons life.

The Siddh system of healing uses a combination of Siddh deep tissue massages, yoga, mobility exercises, and lifestyle changes to completely relieve pain, restore mobility, and help you lead a better life. Clients have come to Chakrasiddh to seek relief from various illnesses, whether they were chronic, age-related, or caused by accidents. Like migraines, sciatica, spondylosis, slip disc, spinal cord injuries, arthritis, or vertigo.

Likewise, there was a client who found herself in a recurring cycle of hospitalization every six months due to her debilitating Cervical Lumbar Spondylosis. Frustrated by this relentless struggle, she turned to Chakrasiddh and over the course of 41 days of dedicated treatment, her life underwent a remarkable transformation, allowing her to reclaim her normal life once more.

Here is the story of Veditha who was suffering from a sinus issue -

I am Veditha, and I came from the US to India in July for a Sinusitis surgery due to my continuous nasal blockage which was disturbing my sleep and lifestyle. Due to the nasal blockage, I was having severe headache and felt heaviness in my cheeks. I came to know about Chakrasiddh from a friend of mine who had been treated and showed good result. After the treatment, I only have mild to moderate headaches occasionally and the stiffness in left neck has totally reduced. I am now able to sleep on my left side and there is no disturbance in sleep. The nasal blockage is reduced to once a week which was continuous earlier. I am fully satisfied with the treatment and would recommend others not to go for surgery before trying Chakrasiddh once.

Dr Sathya Sindhuja strongly believes in living a balanced life. She envisions a world where individuals embrace the profound holistic healing methodologies rooted in Siddha science and also use them to heal not just their bodies but also their minds and emotions. Her goal is to help people achieve a state of overall well-being where physical, mental, and emotional health come together for a happier and healthier life.

Disclaimer: This article is a paid publication and does not have journalistic/editorial involvement of Hindustan Times. Hindustan Times does not endorse/subscribe to the content(s) of the article/advertisement and/or view(s) expressed herein. Hindustan Times shall not in any manner, be responsible and/or liable in any manner whatsoever for all that is stated in the article and/or also with regard to the view(s), opinion(s), announcement(s), declaration(s), affirmation(s) etc., stated/featured in the same.
Warren Buffet on Tuesday announced that he had gifted around $876 million (approximately 7,250 crore) worth of Berkshire Hathaway shares to charitable foundations run by his children ahead of Thanksgiving. Warren Buffett, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway.(REUTERS)

The donations consist of 2.4 million Class B shares of Berkshire Hathaway shares. The 1.5 million shares are allocated to the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, named after his late wife. Additionally, 0.9 million shares are evenly distributed among three charities overseen by his children - The Sherwood Foundation, The Howard G. Buffett Foundation, and NoVo Foundation.

My children, along with their father, have a common belief that dynastic wealth, though both legal and common in much of the world including the United States, is not desirable," the Berkshire Hathaway Inc. chief executive officer said in a Thanksgiving letter to shareholders.

Warren Buffett, ranked as the world's ninth-richest individual with a net worth of $120.8 billion, as per the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, has seen his fortune grow by $13.3 billion this year.

This act follows Buffett's annual summer donations to these foundations and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. For the second consecutive year, Buffett has extended additional gifts to the family foundations during the Thanksgiving period.

Buffett shared plans for his children to serve as trustees of a charitable trust inheriting 99 per cent of his wealth after his passing. He said that the charitable donation of his wealth will be transparent and open to public scrutiny.

The 93-year-old billionaire, who expressed feeling good but fully realise I am playing in extra innings, emphasised his commitment to simplicity, saying that the disposition of his assets will be outlined in a straightforward will available for inspection at the Douglas County Courthouse in Omaha, Nebraska, where he resides.

Buffett, who committed to giving away his fortune in 2006, estimated in 2021 that he had already donated about half of his wealth, leaving the remaining shares valued at around USD 100 billion.
Japanese car maker Nissan Motor Co will announce on Friday that it will build the electric versions of its Qashqai and Juke models at its plant in Sunderland, northern England, Sky News reported on Wednesday. Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits the Nissan Motor Co. plant in Sunderland, Britain July 1, 2021. (REUTERS)

Citing automotive industry sources, Sky reported that Nissan would commit hundreds of millions of pounds to the project. While no upfront taxpayer money will be involved, the British government is expected to provide guarantees, the report added.

Nissan will build two new electric models at the plant as part of an investment expected to be worth more than 1 billion pounds ($1.25 billion), the Financial Times separately reported, citing people briefed on the plans.

A spokesperson for Nissan in Japan declined to comment on the reports. Japan's third-biggest automaker said in September that one of two new EV models it had already confirmed for Europe would be manufactured at the Sunderland plant.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was likely to visit the site on Friday for the announcement, which would be made by Nissan Chief Executive Makoto Uchida, the FT said.
Karnatakas capital is gearing up to host the popular coastal regions cultural sport Kambala this weekend and the organisers are planning to conduct it in a grand manner. This is the first time that the buffalo race has been scheduled in Bengaluru and the invitations have been sent to many celebrities across the country. Bengaluru to host Namma Kambala on Nov 25 and 26. All you need to know(Twitter)

Around 200 pairs of buffaloes along with owners are likely to reach Bengaluru today from the coastal regions and all arrangements have been made at Palace Grounds in the city. The participants will also reportedly take a trial run on Thursday.

Also Read - Stage set for Bengaluru's first Kambala event in longest race track. More details

After speculations about making Kambala tickets for sale, the organisers have rubbished the claims. The event is open on Saturday and Sunday for all those who want to see the race live, clarified the event organizers.

People like Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Anushka Shetty, Shilpa Shetty, KL Rahul, Sunil Shetty, Darshan and many sandalwood actors have been invited to attend the grand event. The main stage too is named after the late Kannada actor Puneeth Raj Kumar. A total of two lakh people are expected to attend the event and Bengaluru police are planning to deploy necessary security arrangements.

What is Kambala?

Kambala is a buffalo race held in Coastal Karnataka districts during the winter months when farmers harvest their paddy crops. The race is held on two parallel tracks filled with mud and water. Each pair of buffaloes will also have a jockey, or 'Kambala runner' to control and command the animals on the track.

The team that wins qualifies for higher rounds till a champion emerges.

Apart from winning the race, targets also include splashing water; in fact, some winners are even declared on the amount of water splashed; this is called 'kolu'.

Winning a Kambala race is seen as a big prize and the buffaloes that race are given special treatment throughout the year.

The Kannada movie Kantara which became a blockbuster across the country made the sport popular in other regions outside Karnataka.
The Karnataka High Court quashed a case of rape, and charges under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act against an accused, after the victim -- who is now a major -- expressed her intention to marry him. The court ordered that the marriage take place within one month. The victim and her father submitted an affidavit stating that they had no objection to the quashing of the proceedings.

The man was also ordered to be released from judicial custody. The victim and her father appeared before the Court of Justice Hemant Chandangoudar and submitted an affidavit stating that they had no objection to the quashing of the proceedings.

READ | Karnataka HC allows pregnant woman to write judge exam in her home town

The affidavit stated that the victim was now a major by age and added, "I am in a romantic relationship with the petitioner, and intend to marry him, and to live a happy married life with him and he has agreed to the same."

It further said, "Through this affidavit, I undertake and express my wish to marry the petitioner herein, and accordingly I have no objection in allowing the above-captioned petition and to this Hon'ble Court exercising its power and quashing the proceedings pending against the petitioner herein."

The accused was also produced in the court and the HC noted in its judgment that the petitioner has stated that he is willing to solemnise his marriage with the survivor, and the sexual intercourse between them was consensual since they were in relationship.

READ | Karnataka seer, who got out on bail last week, arrested again in 2nd POCSO case

The HC also noted that the victim had turned hostile in her cross-examination in the trial and nothing is elicited from the survivor by the prosecutor to support the case of the prosecution. The court said it would be an abuse of process of law for the trial to continue. "The survivor who is present before this court has stated that she intends to solemnise her marriage with the accused, and if the criminal proceedings are allowed to be continued, it would result in incarceration of the accused which would cause more agony and misery to the survivor rather than securing the ends of justice. Therefore, the continuation of the criminal proceedings will not subserve the ends of justice and will be an abuse of process of law, the HC said.

The trial against the accused was set aside on condition of him marrying the victim within a month. The HC said, This order is subject to the condition that the petitioner-accused shall solemnise his marriage with the survivor within one month from today, and register the same before the competent authority.
Karnataka's transport department has announced that the Shakti scheme, the free bus travel for women, has clocked 100 crore users since its launch in June this year. Shakti is one of the Congress five guarantee schemes promised to people before the assembly elections in the state. Shakti scheme in Karnataka clocks 100 crore free rides in five months. Details

Between June 11 and November 22, a total of 1,004,756,184 rides were taken by the women of Karnataka under the Shakti scheme. The number is based on the number of free tickets given by all four state-run road corporations in Karnataka.

Also Read - Shakti scheme: Karnataka govt releases 125cr for transport corporations

Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) is on top as it gave a total of 32.69 crore free bus rides to women. With 30.12 crore, 23.37 crore and 14.28 crore free bus rides for women respectively, Karnataka State Road Transport (KSRTC), Northwestern Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) and Kalyana Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (KKRTC) stood at next places.

The total free tickets of Shakti scheme are valued at 2,397 core, according to the Karnataka transport department.

In the first one month, over 16 crore women passengers availed the benefit of Shakti scheme across all four road corporations.

The Shakti scheme applies only to the ordinary state-run bus services of Karnataka. Airavat, Airavat Club Class, Airavat Gold Class, Ambari, Ambari Dream Class, Ambari Utsav, Fly Bus, Vayu Vajra, Vajra, Non-AC Sleeper, Rajahamsa and EV Power Plus AC buses are excluded in this scheme. The scheme doesnt also apply to those buses which travel outside the state.
An auto rickshaw driver from Karnataka capital Bengaluru has prompted laughs on the internet after a message inscribed on his vehicle went viral on social media. A Bengaluru-based lawyer uploaded a picture of the back of the auto on social media site, where a message read Worst vehicle don't buy.

Ashish Krupakar, a Bengaluru-based lawyer uploaded a picture of the back of the auto on social media site X (formerly Twitter), where a message read Worst vehicle don't buy in English. The same message was also written in regional language Kannada on top of it.

ALSO READ | Video of Elon Musk interview in Bengaluru eatery goes viral, termed 'Peak Bengaluru' moment

What an innovative way to tell others not to buy a bad product! Just #NammaBengaluru things, Krupakar captioned the photo. This garnered a horde of responses and comments from social media users, with the post accumulating over 46,300 views and 990 likes at the time this article was being written.

Internet users shared quirky replies, with Krupakar also adding, Gets better in Kannada..he's written Kachara gaadi hai, mat kharido.

ALSO READ | You have been shortlisted: Bengaluru landlord's offer letter to tenant goes viral

Every non-home grown brand fails in Bharat. Being in the Auto Industry, I can surely say that Stories of exit of Ford, dropping market share of Hyundai, sheer popularity of Maruti, then we Bajaj, Hero and RE. You can't fit a product you have into India, Develop India-specific, Another explained.

That's an interesting take! Krupakar responded.

Really.. I think he fed up from this, and Seriously, Bengaluru auto walas are on another level, were some of the other comments.

ALSO READ | Bengaluru resident's post on finding wheelchair accessible housing goes viral

One internet user even tagged the vehicle manufacturer Piaggio and said, @PiaggioOfficial Pls attend to it, for how long would you allow him cry in pain.
After cancelling his Sikkim visit last month due to health concerns, Tibetan spiritual leader, The Dalai Lama would be on four-day sojourn to the north-eastern state from December 11 to 14, where he will impart teachings and partake in other events in Gangtok, the capital city nestled near the China border. Dalai Lama (HT File Photo)

The Dalai Lamas office has released the itinerary of his visit on their official website. It would be his first visit to Sikkim after a gap of 13 years.

Against the backdrop of the ongoing border dispute between China and India, the leaders visit holds much significance and is expected to attract attention from various quarters, despite Chinas consistent opposition and objections to the Dalai Lamas activities.
Amid the encounter in the dense forest of Kalakote in Rajouri district since Wednesday morning, the army on Thursday gunned down a hardcore Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) terrorist who was an expert sniper and trained in gurreilla warfare besides assembling IEDs, said officials. Security personnel standing guard during an encounter with terrorists in the Baji Maal area of Rajouri district on Thursday. (PTI Photo)

The terrorist was identified as Quari, a Pakistan national. Official sources said, He was a highly ranked leader of the Lashkar-e-Toiba and was trained on the Pakistan-Afghanistan front. He was active in Rajouri-Poonch along with his group for the past one year. He was believed to be the mastermind of the Dhangri and Kandi attacks.

Also read: 2 Captains, 2 soldiers killed in J&K gunfight

Terrorists had killed seven members of the Hindu community in Dhangri village on January 1 and 2 this year.

The twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch also witnessed two major terror attacks on the army this year. A total of 10 soldiers were killed in two attacks on April 20 at Tota Gali in Poonch and May 5 in the Kandi forests of Rajouri.

Quari was sent to revive terrorism in the region. He was an expert in IEDs besides operating from caves in the jungles and a trained sniper, the sources said.

A video grab of LeT terrorist Quari who was gunned down in Rajouri on Thursday.

Spotted in Kalakote on Sunday

They said two terrorists, including Quari, were first spotted at a house in Kalakote asking for food. They had visited the house on Sunday where they were seen talking to women for food. A video of the duo is being shared widely on social media, they said.

On Tuesday, the terrorists had beaten up a nomad, Sarfaraz Ahmed, at Bajimaal when he denied food to them.

It was Sarfaraz, who had tipped off security forces about the terrorists.

While security forces were laying a cordon around the area, the two terrorists, who were by then well entrenched atop hills in Solki, opened heavy fire from automatic weapons that took a toll on our officers and soldiers, the sources said.

The army lost two captains, a havaldar and a jawan on Wednesday. The first contact (with terrorists) was established at Solki by the 63 RR troops around 9am on Wednesday. Immediately, a cordon and search operation was launched, said an army officer.

In the ensuing searches, the troops were fired upon by terrorists in which two captains of the 63 RR and 9 Para (Special Forces), respectively, besides a havaldar of 9 Para (SF) and a soldier were killed. A Major of 9 Para (SF) and another soldier, who were hurt in the gunfight, were evacuated to Command Hospital in Udhampur. They are stable, said the officer.

The officer informed that the operation was underway. Its an old group of terrorists, which is moving around in the area. The security forces had been looking for it for a month. The terrorists are heavily armed, said the officer.

An intelligence official said commandoes of the 9 Para Special Forces and officers and men of the 63 RR and 54 RR were leading the charge when they came under fire.

Drones to locate terrorists

Additional reinforcements have been rushed to the area and drones are being used to locate the terrorists.

A police official from Kalakote said, The encounter site is in a dense forest on a treacherous mountain. It is located near Baji Sahab Darbar on Bravi link road in Kalakote. The area is 95km from the Line of Control, which indicates that the terrorists were guided to this place and are well entrenched with logistical support of their sympathisers.

Last week, a terrorist was killed in an encounter with security forces in the Budhal forest area in Rajouri district.

On September 12 and 13, security forces had gunned two terrorists in the Narla area of Rajouri district.

On September 11, the Northern Army commander had informed at the North Tech Symposium that nearly 200 terrorists were waiting across the LoC in Pakistan.

They are waiting to infiltrate but our alert troops are deployed at the borders and we are trying to eliminate them there itself, he had said.

Since January this year, the two border districts of Rajouri and Poonch, south of the Pir Panjal range, have seen a spike in terrorism.

Terror attacks in Rajouri, Poonch districts this year

January 1, 2023: Seven civilians of Hindu community, two of them minors, were killed in firing and an IED blast triggered by two terrorists at Dhangri village in Rajouri district.

April 20: Five soldiers in a truck were ambushed at Tota Gali in Poonch.

May 5: Five commandos of Para special forces were killed in an IED blast triggered by terrorists in the Kandi forest of Rajouri.
A teenager stabbed a 17-year-old boy at least 60 times, tried to slice through his neck, kicked his head and dragged his blood-soaked body around a narrow bylane in Welcome neighbourhood in northeast Delhi, even as he occasionally broke into a dance during the frenzied attack, police said on Wednesday, in a gruesome murder that played out beneath CCTV cameras. A CCTV video grab shows the murderer standing over the victim in the narrow bylane at north-east Delhis Welcome. (Video grab)

Police said the suspect, a 16-year-old boy, was apprehended on Wednesday morning and booked for murder. The boy, a school drop-out, was inebriated during the murder, which took place on Tuesday night, confirmed officers. He lives with his parents, both of whom are daily wage labourers.

The victim was identified as a resident of nearby Jafrabad, where he lived with his mother, who worked as a domestic help.

Police did not reveal the victims name, arguing that he is a minor.

READ | Man shot dead by unidentified persons in east Delhi; murder case registered: Police

Investigators said the two did not know each other. The suspect approached the victim in Janta Mazdoor Colony in Welcome and asked him for 350 to buy biryani. The 16-year-old then tried to rob the boy when he refused, leading to a scuffle. The suspect then choked the victim and left him unconscious, said police.

Footage captured on CCTV cameras installed in the neighbourhood played out the rest of the murder in gory detail.

The video of the murder, which took place around 10.20pm, shows the suspect dragging the victims limp body into a cramped bylane in the neighbourhood, with houses on either side.

He then begins relentlessly stabbing the side of the victims neck, his ears and face. The boy pauses occasionally and looks up, appearing to usher away passersby to his left.

READ | Delhi man kills wife, passes it off as bathroom fall; son says he murdered her

He begins stabbing the boy again, before looking to his right and walking out of the frame while appearing to speak to somebody. At this point, the victims head moves, suggesting he is still alive. However, the victim returns seconds later and begins stabbing again.

The 17-year-old then briefly pauses, looks around, stamps the victims back and then kicks his head. Then, he kneels and slices across his neck repeatedly, before proceeding to dig his knife and twist.

Around a minute-and-a-half into the video, having stabbed the boy roughly 30 times, the suspect appears to break into a hysterical dance for a few seconds.

He drags the boys body to one side. While the victim is out of the frame at this point, the suspect can be seen stabbing away ceaselessly. Around 12 seconds later, the boy then grabs the victim by the hair and drags him out of that bylane.

Local residents later took the boy to GTB Hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival.

This CCTV footage helped police identify and apprehend the suspect.

Joy Tirkey, deputy commissioner of police (north-east), said the two boys werent previously acquainted.

They ran into each other in Janta Mazdoor Colony. When the victim refused to give the 350 he had on him, the suspect tried to rob him, he said.

He then choked the 17-year-old. When the victim collapsed, the boy stabbed him multiple times, left him to die and fled with the 350 cash, added Tirkey. The boy stabbed him around 60 times, he said.

The officer also confirmed that some residents tried to intervene, but were scared away by the victim.

The boy was drunk during the attack, Tirkey said.

Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) member Ranjana Prasad said the panel will intervene in the case and look to counsel the suspect.

The child may not have had an education or a healthy environment at home. He may also have been exposed to violence while growing up... said Prasad.
The teenager who brutally stabbed to death a 17-year-old boy in a frenzied attack in north-east Delhis Welcome on Tuesday night, then bragged about the murder and brandished the blood-soaked knife, he used to commit the crime, at the residents of the area said on Thursday. A view of the spot where a teenager stabbed to death another boy at Welcome in New Delhi. (Raj K Raj/HT PHOTO)

CCTV footage of the incident, which surfaced on Wednesday, shows the 16-year-old suspect dragging the victims limp body into a cramped bylane in Welcome, with houses on either side. He then begins relentlessly stabbing the side of the victims neck, his ears and face. He then pauses, appears to break into a hysterical dance for a few seconds, and then resumes to stab his victim.

Police said the suspect was apprehended within an hour of the incident. They did not reveal the victims name, arguing that he is a minor.

READ | Boy, 16, stabs 17-year-old over 60 times in brutal Delhi murder

Residents of Gali number 18, where the incident took place, on Thursday claimed they saw the assailant, with blood-laden hands, smoking a cigarette and waving the knife. He was walking around and dancing, saying maine maar diya (I killed him). He was heavily drunk, said a 25-year-old resident, who asked to be named.

Shabnam Begum, 45, another resident, said though the crime took place in full view of several eyewitnesses, everyone was too scared to do anything. People saw him stabbing the boy from their houses, but they were too scared to do anything because he threatened them. In fact, an aged man tried to rescue the victim, but the assailant ran after him, so the old man ran back to his house, she said.

Another resident, 65, who did not want to be named, said, We keep our doors shut because young men and boys get drunk in the streets and then rob people. If we ask them to not drink in front of our doors, they trouble us by beating on our doors at night.

ALSO READ | 16-yr-old kills Delhi man for mocking him

Heena, 30, who declined to give her surname out of fear, said her 10-year-old daughter has to navigate these lanes every day to go to school. Many people have left this neighbourhood because of crime. I too am looking for a flat in another area, she said.

Deputy commissioner of police (northeast) Joy Tirkey said, This is a very densely populated area, which is why its prone to crime. We ensure heavy patrolling in the area to maintain law and order and prevent crime. There was no control room call made in this case, because police officials were patrolling close to the scene of crime and reached the spot immediately. The accused was apprehended quickly because officials were already present in the area and reacted swiftly.

At her residence in Jafrabad, the victims mother, 45, demanded that the assailant be tried as an adult. He deserves to be punished severely and should not come out in a few months and kill another person just because he is a minor. He should be tried as an adult, she said.

The assailants mother, sitting at her one-room house in nearby Janta Mazdoor Colony, said she wants her son to be punished. He should not come out of the observation home any time soon, and I have told the police the same, the 35-year-old said. She also said that her son, who dropped out of school after Class 9, had been drinking heavily, and would force her to give him money.

The boys family also claimed that he was involved in a murder case around two years ago. However, the police did not confirm his involvement in another crime
Lucknow After entering India through the porous India-Bangladesh border, the illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar easily get settled in different parts of Uttar Pradesh and other parts of the country. The UP Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) has planned to strengthen its human intelligence network at halt points and route charts of these human trafficking networks to track the traffickers, illegal immigrants and their facilitators. The ATS team has prepared different route charts used by human traffickers to bring illegal immigrants via West Bengal and Assam to Bihar and Uttar Pradesh and then spread them across the country. (Pic for representation)

The ATS team working on this case had zeroed in on some UP districts like Mathura, Aligarh, Deoband in Saharanpur, Meerut, Ghaziabad, Hapur and other areas of the National Capital Region slums which are the halt points of these traffickers to safely keep the illegal immigrants hiding in heavily populated areas before preparing their forged identities, local addresses and sending them to different cities including Delhi and Ahmedabad for employment, a senior police official said, adding, We are going to deploy our human intelligence network at such places, to tip us off about any illegal immigrant or a person working for the human trafficking racket..

The official said it was easy to arrest human traffickers and illegal immigrants when they were in UP as trafficking operated from here and also used it as transit route and halt points. He said it was tougher to track them once they shifted to other locations or other parts of the country.

He said the ATS team had even prepared different route charts used by human traffickers to bring illegal immigrants via West Bengal and Assam to Bihar and Uttar Pradesh and then spread them across the country. These route charts were prepared according to the information extracted from Ibrahim Khan and Tanya Mandal, both Bangladesh nationals, arrested from Bengaluru on November 9 earlier this month. Khan was produced before the ATS court on November 10 and his custody remand was procured for further interrogation, he stated.

The official informed that Tanya Mandal herself was illegally trafficked from Bangladesh to India by Adil-ur-Rehman, a key figure in the human trafficking racket. Adil-ur-Rehman, along with two other accused, Abu Huraira Gazi and Sheikh Najib-ul- Haq, was arrested on October 11 earlier this year. He said Adil-ur-Rehman sold Tanya Mandal to Ibrahim Khan for 25,000 in Indian currency. Adil-ul-Rehman was arrested for human trafficking, while Tanya Mandal faced charges of violating the Foreigners Act by illegally crossing over into Indian territory.

Earlier on November 7, the ATS also apprehended Mohd Hussain, a Myanmar national wanted in connection with the international human trafficking racket, from Kargil colony in Jammus Narwal. The racket is implicated in smuggling women and children from Bangladesh and Myanmar into India using forged identities.

The ATS revealed that Hussains name emerged after the arrest of three individuals -- Bangladesh resident Mohammad Noor alias Noorul Islam and two Burmese men, Rahmatullah and Shabiullah, on July 26, 2021. During that operation, the ATS rescued two girls and a boy and arrested eight members of the syndicate, of which Hussain is allegedly a part. The investigation is going on into the network of the syndicate, which utilized fake address proofs to bring victims into India, subsequently selling them to gangs involved in various illicit activities such as flesh trade, slavery and beggary, among others.
Belgian Ambassador to India Didier Vanderhasselt met Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath at the formers official residence here on Thursday. Belgian Ambassador to India Didier Vanderhasselt met Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on November 23. (Sourced)

During this meeting, a four-member team accompanying the Belgian ambassador expressed desire for partnership with Uttar Pradesh in various sectors, including defence and space. The Belgian team also evinced keen interest in partnership with U.P. in the areas of waste management, solar projects, and semi-conductor manufacturing, said a UP government statement.

Speaking on the occasion, Ambassador Didier Vanderhasselt praised the unprecedented development work done in Uttar Pradesh under the leadership of chief minister Yogi Adityanath, said the statement.

Additionally, Ibrahim Hafeezur Rehman, Lead, South Asia and India Operations of Vito Arabia Science and Technology LLC, provided details of noteworthy activities in the field of waste management undertaken by the company, it said. The meeting also included participation of key officials.
The India Meteorological Department on Thursday predicted rainfall across Maharashtra between November 25 and 27. The development is likely to reduce air pollution in Mumbai.(Vijay Bate/HT Photo)

The department has put large areas of the coastal state on a yellow alert. Besides Maharashtra, rainfall is likely to occur in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and south Rajasthan till next week.

In Maharashtra, the IMD predicts rainfall in Mumbai, Palghar, Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Jalgaon, Nasik, Pune, Kolhapur, Satara, Sangli, Latur, among others. Some of these districts could see rainfall on November 24 as well.

These districts are very likely to see "thunderstorms accompanied with lightning and gusty winds of 30 to 40 kmph" in some places, the department forecasts.

The development is likely to reduce air pollution in the city. On Thursday, Mumbai's air quality index was recorded in the moderate category.

The IMD has cited the formation of a low pressure in the Bay of Bengal behind the unseasonal rainfall.

"Due to the formation of low pressure in the Bay of Bengal, thunderstorm activities are likely to begin at isolated places of south Maharashtra from tomorrow. A yellow alert has been issued for November 26-28 across Maharashtra," Sunil Kamble, Head, IMD Mumbai, told PTI.

The yellow alert warning comes even as southern Indian states such as Kerala and Tamil Nadu have been witnessing heavy rainfall since Wednesday.

In Kerala, the heavy rainfall has led to a flood-like situation in various cities. Authorities have urged people to exercise extra vigil in high ranges and low-lying areas in the state. Landslides have been reported in hilly regions of Idukki and Pathanamthitta districts, while intense waterlogging in low-lying areas has affected the normal life of people.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has sounded a red alert for Pathanamthitta amid incessant rainfall. A red alert indicates heavy to extremely heavy rains of over 20 cm in 24 hours.

In Tamil Nadu, several districts have been battered with heavy rainfall, prompting authorities to declare holidays in schools.

IMD forecast said that cyclonic circulations over Tamil Nadu could result in moderate to heavy rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning in Kerala over the next five days.
Kashmir journalist and editor of The Kashmir Walla magazine Fahad Shah, who was granted bail by Jammu and Kashmir high court last week, has been released from jail after 21 months. Fahad Shah (File)

Shah was released from Kot Balwal jail in Jammu on Wednesday and has reached home in Kashmir, his legal team said on Thursday.

He was released yesterday after the high court granted him bail in a case filed by the state investigation agency(SIA), said a member of his legal team.

The SIA of J&K Police had taken custody of Shah in May 2022 into the investigation of the FIR number 01/2022 registered at the Joint Interrogation Centre (JIC), in Jammu, in connection with the publication of an alleged seditious article in now defunct The Kashmir Walla in 2011, allegedly written by a Kashmiri scholar Abdul Aala Fazili. Shah was booked under UAPA.

Shah, 34, was arrested on February 4, 2022 by Pulwama police under the charges of allegedly glorifying militancy and sedition after running a story on an encounter. Besides the SIA case, the police had filed three separate first information reports (FIRs) against Shah in four years  one each in Srinagar, Pulwama and Shopian. The police accused him of glorifying terrorism, spreading fake news and inciting the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

On November 17, the Jammu wing of the high court, comprising justices Anil Sreedharan and ML Manhas, granted him bail in the alleged seditious article case.

In the case, the court quashed charges such as terror conspiracy (Section 18) and waging war against the country (Section 121) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and imputations, assertions prejudicial to national-integration (Section 153-B) of the Indian Penal Code.

Shah will, however, face trial under Section 13 (abetting unlawful activities) of the UA(P)A. He will also undergo trial for allegedly receiving foreign funds illegally.

The judgment, while noting the appellants assertion that despite being granted bail in Pulwama and Shopian cases, Shah was not released but the alleged article case was dug out from the past.

However, the appellant was still not released, and his custody was shifted to Safa Kadal police station (in Srinagar) in another case registered at that police station. It is also averred that before the court of competent jurisdiction at Srinagar could decide his bail application, the appellant was taken into preventive detention under the provisions of the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act, 1978. It was in this backdrop that the current case against the appellant was dug out by the Respondent with the registration of the aforementioned FIR, the court said.

The court said the act (of publication of the article) was allegedly done 11 years ago. From then till date, no evidence has been brought on record that the offending article was responsible in provoking persons to take to militancy. Not a single witness says this, it said.

While also putting the side of the state on record, the court said that the prosecution alleged that the appellant is part of an operation to build and propagate the false narrative that is essential to sustain the secessionist cum terrorist campaign, the aim of which is to break the Indian union, secession of Jammu and Kashmir from India and accession to Pakistan.
A new traffic management plan aimed at helping officials better manage traffic and avoid congestion  even on peak rush days  is all set to be introduced in Sangam city. A traffic snarl in Civil Lines area of Prayagraj. (HT Photo)

The plan was discussed at the committee meeting of the Integrated Transit Management System of Prayagraj Smart City Limited (PSCL) held on November 7 and whose minutes were confirmed on November 21, officials said.

Steps including extending the automatic facility of generating traffic challans from the existing seven locations to all 19 locations where PSCL has installed the Red Light Violation Detection system under the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) as well as making certain roads one way with vehicle parking on their left side etc were discussed in the meeting, they added.

The facility of challan generation at all the 19 locations and the manpower requirement for the same will be taken care by SP (Traffic), Prayagraj, the confirmed minutes of the meeting read, a copy of which is with HT.

The roads which are under construction and where the work by the Public Works Department and Prayagraj Development Authority is in progress, the marking of stop lines and zebra crossings will be taken care of by the respective departments. The stop lines and zebra crossings on the rest of the roads will be taken care of by the PSCL to avoid any hurdle in challan generation, the minutes further read.

Officials were informed that Urban Mobility Transport Company was engaged as a consultant and apart from design of roads in areas under area-based development (ABD) initiative, it has also given a one-way traffic plan with roadside parking.

This was discussed and a map was shown to the additional DCP (traffic) Sita Ram, upon which he suggested that he would examine the matter taking care of the directions given by the Allahabad High Court and report it to the Committee for further action. The ADCP (traffic)-Prayagraj also suggested establishing a vehicle parking station near Old Government Girls Polytechnic.

On this, Sanjeev Kumar Sinha, mission manager (technical), PSCL, said that an order under a PIL (No. 1299 of 2019) has already been passed by the high court and Prayagraj Smart City Limited will take up the matter according to that order very soon.

Other officials present at the meeting included CEO of PSCL Chandra Mohan Garg, executive engineer of Prayagraj Development Authority Sandeep Agarwal, executive engineer of Prayagraj Municipal Corporation Nazmi Muzaffar, traffic inspector, Traffic Police-Prayagraj Amit Kumar and PSCL manager (IT) Mani Shankar Tripathi among others.

One-way and two-way roads

Urban Mobility Transport Company, engaged as a consultant, has recommended that Clive Road, Strachy Road, Cooper Road and Patrika Road (from Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg to MG Road and from MG Road to Nawab Yusuf Road) be made one-way with vehicle parking on the left side of these roads. Likewise, the firm has recommended that nine specific stretches of certain roads including Nyay Road (from Nawab Yusuf Road to MG Marh and from Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg to Maharishi Dayanand Road), Sarojini Road (from PD Tandon Road to Tashkent Road and from Tashkent Road to Maharishi Dayanand Road) as well as four stretches of Lohia Road (From Nawab Yusuf Road to MG Road, from MG Road to Lal Bahadur Shastri Road, from Lal bahadur Shastri Road to PD Tandon Road and from Kasturba Gandhi Road to Clive Road) be kept two way but with parking at both sides of the roads.
Union rural development minister Giriraj Singh on Thursday asked Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar to ban the sale of halal certified products, calling it a jihad aimed at the Islamisation of businesses. BJP leader Giriraj Singh (HT file)

Singh, who represents the states Begusarai Lok Sabha seat, also shared on X (formerly Twitter) a copy of a letter he wrote to Kumar on Wednesday, urging him to take a leaf out of the book of the Yogi Adityanath government in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, which has banned such products.

In a video statement, he said, The sale of halal-certified products is akin to the Jizya tax that was imposed on non-Muslims in the medieval era. Previous governments of the Congress and its allies have put up with this because of vote bank concerns and politics of appeasement. The tukde tukde gang has made it possible for such products to be available in every nook and corner of Bihar. Halal certification involves consecration in the name of the Quran, just like consecration through mantras in Hindu tradition. Sanatan Dharma is under attack. Unbridled sale of Halal products will pave way for Sharia rule, alleged Singh, who also claimed that the phenomenon was linked to terrorist activities.

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), an organization under the ministry of health and family welfare of the Indian government, is the sole agency entrusted with the responsibility of laying down science based standards for articles of food and to regulate their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and export/import, but halal certification has emerged as a self-styled standard and it is being used for trade in dry fruits, oil, cosmetics, salted eatables, medicines and even medical equipment, the minister has written in the letter.

The apprehension of a larger conspiracy behind it is not misplaced. In a secular democracy like India, halal certification is not only against the Constitution but also akin to treason, he said.

Halal, an Arabic term, refers points to actions and commodities deemed permissible in Islam and it covers food, beverages and other consumer goods. Some of the halal certification bodies are recognised by the government of India, but there are many others unrecognised. FSSAI is the sole authorised body for food certification.

In January this year, commerce ministrys draft guidelines for streamlining the halal certification process for export of meat and meat products said products could be exported as halal certified only if it is produced, processed and packed under a valid certificate issued by a certification body accredited by a board of the Quality Council of India,

Meanwhile, the chief ministers JD(U) hit back at the BJP, accusing it of hypocrisy in matters like beef consumption.

The BJP claims to be the biggest custodian of Sanatan Dharma. Yet its own leaders in states like Uttar Pradesh are known to be the biggest exporters of beef. Such is their hypocrisy, said JD(U) chief spokesperson Neeraj Kumar.

(With inputs from agencies)
Union minister Giriraj Singh has written a letter to Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar advocating an Uttar Pradesh like ban on the production, storage, distribution and sale of food products with halal certification in the state. He has urged the CM to ban halal certification and get the matter probed. (Giriraj Singh | Facebook)

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), an organisation under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of the Indian Government, is the sole agency entrusted with the responsibility of laying down science based standards for articles of food and to regulate their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and export/import, but halal certification has emerged as a self-styled standard and it is being used for trade in dry fruits, oil, cosmetics, salted eatables, medicines and even medical equipment, he wrote.

Also Read: Halal-certified products: Raids conducted in Lko to nip parallel economy in the bud

He has urged the CM to ban halal certification and get the matter probed.

As a native of Bihar and Begusarai MP, I request you to take strong action in this regard. As long as you were the CM of the NDA government, you always put rule of law as your top priority, but there has been apparent slackness on this count in recent years. Halal certification is a design patronised by the Congress as part of its vote politics and now it has proliferated the market across the country to establish a parallel economy, he added.

Singh also called it a part of a larger conspiracy.

The apprehension of a larger conspiracy behind it is not misplaced. In a secular democracy like India, halal certification is not only against the Constitution but also akin to treason, he added.

The union minister also expressed concerns over the possibility of terror links.

In UP, the government of Yogi Adityanath has announced ban on halal-certified products in the state and the Uttar Pradesh Food Safety and Drug Administration started a crackdown on such products in all the districts to expose the conspiracy and rein in division art tactics. Bihar also needs to ban halal-certified products, he added.
PUNE To improve the efficiency of electricity services, the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) has encouraged customers to use its mobile app to report transformer failures. To expedite the replacement of repaired transformers and address delays caused by burnt or failed units, MSEDCL has implemented various measures. These include ensuring the immediate availability of transformer oil and maintaining a stockpile of repaired transformers. (REPRESENTATIVE PHOTO)

Rajendra Pawar, chief superintendent engineer, Pune circle of MSEDCL, said, MSEDCL has streamlined its processes, ensuring that defective transformers are replaced within a maximum of three days after receiving reported incidents through the mobile app.

To avoid a delay in obtaining information about malfunctioning transformers, we are urging consumers to actively contribute by utilizing the user-friendly features on the MSEDCL app, he said.

To expedite the replacement of repaired transformers and address delays caused by burnt or failed units, MSEDCL has implemented various measures. These include ensuring the immediate availability of transformer oil and maintaining a stockpile of repaired transformers. Daily reviews to oversee the progress of transformer replacement and repair efforts.
The short truce in Gaza comes as a major relief for the 2.3 million beleaguered residents of this small sliver of territory, which has seen heavy bombardment by the Israel Defence Forces for over 40 days now. This welcome window of four days, during which Hamas and Israel are expected to exchange hostages and prisoners, should enable relief agencies to send in food, medicines, and other assistance to a population that has been living in prison-like conditions while facing gunfire and bombs.

The truce is likely to begin on Friday. Hopefully, both parties will stick to the modalities worked out and deliver on their commitments: Hamas is to release 50 hostages (women and children) in return for 150 Palestinians lodged in Israeli prisons. Israel has reportedly said the truce could be extended to facilitate the release of more hostages and even published a list of 300 Palestinian prisoners, who could be bartered in place of the hostages. This offers hope that the truce could go beyond the present window.

Friends of Israel, particularly the US, need to convince Tel Aviv that it cannot continue the war on the premise that it needs to eliminate Hamas. Eliminating Hamas may be a tall order since it is also a political body that got elected to office in Gaza. Military action aimed at eliminating a political force could only mean a war without end, many more civilian deaths and further destruction of Gaza. So far, at least 14,000 Palestinians  40% of the victims are children  have been killed in retaliation for the 1,200 Israelis killed in the Hamas terrorist strike on October 7. Tel Aviv must also reflect on the fact that its singular investment in a military response to Hamass October 7 action has only turned international opinion against Israel despite the long history of anti-Semitism and that country being the victim of terrorism. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at the virtual G20 meeting, diplomacy and dialogue are the only way forward to defuse what is both a territorial and a political crisis. The time has also come for the international community to work on the two-State solution, agreed upon in the 1993 Oslo Accords but ignored since. This appears to be the only plausible solution to bringing permanent peace to the region.
Anyone who has had a pet dog or a cat knows that the expressions on their faces may convey an emotion, such as anger or pleasure. For example, when a dog makes the familiar puppy dog eyes, raising its eyebrows and presenting a mournful face, it is understood to be signalling that it wants the humans attention. In fact, mammals in the wild too may wear their emotions on their faces, though those might be less understood.

Charles Darwin took all this as evidence of evolution: if an animal and a human make similar expressions to convey a similar emotion, they must have evolved from a common ancestor. Many facial expressions, on the other hand, have evolved species by species, and these have been the subject of research for years.

A recent study on cats, published in Behavioral Processes, adds another dimension to such research. So far, scientists have largely tried to understand what pets making different facial expressions were trying to convey to humans. The new study, in contrast, examines how domestic cats use facial expressions to communicate with each other.

In the process, researchers not only uncovered a diverse range of expressions but also raised an intriguing question: To what extent has domestication by humans influenced these expressions?

Cats and communication

Facial communication in domestic cats is sophisticated, with the researchers identifying 276 different facial expressions, most of them generated during friendly interactions with other cats. Many other facial expressions can vary depending on context.

To convey the same kind of emotion, a cat may present one expression to a human and another expression to a cat. In certain instances, their expressions made before other cats look different from expressions that cats produce towards humans, said Dr Brittany Florkiewicz, an evolutionary psychologist at Lyon College who, along with her student Laura Scott, conducted the study.

During non-friendly interactions with other cats, the ears are rotated backwards, the pupils are constricted, and the lips are licked. During non-friendly interactions with humans, the ears are rotated backwards but the mouth is opened widely to expose both rows of teeth, Florkiewicz said over email.

During friendly encounters with other cats, on the other hand, they shut their eyes and push their ears and whiskers forward.

There is a lot more to learn here: A nuanced understanding of each of the expressions, and the human influence. We are planning to conduct follow-up studies with wildcats to discern which facial expressions are the result of evolutionary continuity and which are the direct result of domestication. We can see evidence for evolutionary continuity in some facial expressions though, Florkiewicz said.

Dogs interacting and reacting

A lot has been researched about the facial expressions of dogs, especially when communicating with humans. In one of the more recent studies on puppy dog eyes, researchers in 2019 found that a small muscle, which allows dogs to intensely raise their inner eyebrows, is not present in wolves. Although wolves and dogs come from a common ancestor, the emergence of that muscle indicates that it evolved to enable dogs to communicate with humans.

Just as in the case of cats, however, knowledge about dogs facial communication with other dogs is limited. One study that examined this aspect, if indirectly, was published in PLOS One in 2016. Researchers from the Helsinki and Aalto universities in Finland examined the reactions of 31 domestic dogs, representing 13 breeds when they were shown photographs of dog and human faces representing different emotions: pleasant, threatening and neutral.

What this study examined was not the dogs own facial expressions, but how they gazed at what kind of face. Whether they were looking at dog or human pictures, the dogs looked longer at the eye area compared with the mouth area, irrespective of the expression. There were, however, some interesting distinctions in other respects. For example, they looked at the eyes of pleasant dogs longer than at the eyes of pleasant humans, but at the mouths of pleasant dogs shorter than the mouths of pleasant humans.

Overall, the dogs looked longer at the faces of threatening dogs compared with the faces of pleasant dogs. In fact, it was only in the case of threatening faces that the dogs gazed longer at dogs pictures than at humans.

The road ahead

There is a lot to facial expressions, and the key to studying them in greater detail could lie in using artificial intelligence to identify each expression and then figure out what it means.

Our current study does not make use of AI. However, we are collaborating with research labs around the world to help automate the process of recognising and categorising cat facial expressions, Florkiewicz said.

Florkiewicz and her co-author plan follow-up studies for more information on the meaning of each facial expression they detected in cats.

Florkiewicz referred to the work of Anna Zamansky, a professor of information systems at Haifa University, Israel. Most recently, Zamansky and colleagues published a paper in Nature in June this year describing methods to recognise pain in cats by using AI to analyse their facial expressions.

Kabir Firaque is the puzzles editor of Hindustan Times. His column, Weird Science, tackles a range of subjects from the history of inventions and discoveries to science that sounds fictional, but it isn't.
The University of Bath has opened applications for MSc Global Public Health and Policy for the academic year 2024-25. University of Bath opens applications for MSc Global Public Health & Policy(Getty Images/iStockphoto)

According to a press release issued by the university, students will gain a deeper understanding of major public health issues as well as develop their knowledge of geopolitical, social, and natural factors that impact public health and well-being. The deadline for the application submission is June 30, 2024 while the session will commence in September next year.

Logical Reasoning series: Solving questions on Alphanumeric series Part III

The release further stated that students will get an opportunity to work alongside research-active academics, as well as representatives from Centres and Groups across the Department of Social & Policy Sciences.

Additionally, students will be given the choice to do a Practice Track project as an alternative to a dissertation, wherein they will work on a consultancy or research-based project with one of Baths external partners across the public health industry (in the UK and overseas).

NMIT conducts 13th Annual Convocation ceremony, 1224 students graduate from the institute

Things you need to know about the course:

Eligibility criteria:

Candidates should have a Bachelor's degree in a relevant health subject, with at least a First Class overall final result.

Candidates must upload a copy of the grading scale used by their institution, along with a transcript, while submitting their application.

For undergraduate candidates, a degree in other subjects where there is substantial relevant professional experience would be considered. The candidates must submit a personal statement with details about their relevant academic qualification, the reason behind pursuing the course, and their future aspirations.

Candidates must also possess qualifications in English language, with a minimum of either a 6.5 IELTS score with no less than 6.0 in all components, a Pearson Test of English Academic score of 62 with no less than 62 in the writing element, and no less than 59 in all other elements, or a TOEFL IBT score of 90 overall with a minimum of 24 in the writing component and a minimum of 21 in all other components.

Students who graduated in the last 5 years from an English-medium Indian university, and with at least 75% in English in their 12th board Standard examinations, may be able to submit evidence.

2. Fee Structure:

The fee for the course is 26,500 (INR 27,64,185) for Indian students starting in September 2024.

Students are required to pay a 1,000 (INR 1,04,318) deposit after receiving their offer. The amount will be deducted from tuition fees after registration.

For more information, visit the official website of the University of Bath
State Level Eligibility Test Commission, Assam will begin the Assam SET 2024 registration on November 23, 2023. Candidates who want to apply for the State Eligibility Test can do it through the official website of Assam SLET at sletneonline.co.in. Assam SET 2024 registration to begin today, exam on March 17

As per the official notice, the last date to apply is till January 8, 2024, and the examination fees can be deposited until January 12, 2023.

General/Unreserved/General-EWS candidates who have secured at least 55% marks (without rounding off) in Master Degree or equivalent examination from universities/institutions recognized by UGC are eligible for this test. There is no upper age limit for eligibility for applying for this test.

Assam SET 2024: How to register

To apply for the examination, candidates can follow the steps given below.

Visit the official website of Assam SLET at sletneonline.co.in.

Click on Assam SET 2024 link available on the home page.

Register yourself and click on submit.

Then login to the account and fill the application form.

Make the payment of application fees and click on submit.

Download the confirmation page and keep a hard copy of the same for further need.

The SLET Commission, Assam, will conduct the examination on March 17, 2024, in all the University centers of N.E States. Assam SET will comprise of two papers. All the two papers will have only objective type questions. The test will be held on a day in two separate sessions- first session from 10 am to 11 am and second session from 11.30 am to 1.30 pm.

The application fees for general category is 1200/-, OBC and General (EWS) category is 1050/-, SC/ST category is 1000/- and PWD category candidates will have to pay 800/-. The payment should be made through online mode. For more related details candidates can check the official website of Assam SLET.
The Karnataka Private Post Graduate Colleges' Association has announced results of the Karnataka Management Aptitude Test (KMAT) 2023. Candidates can go to kmatinfia.com and check it. KMAT 2023 result out on kmatindia.com

Application number and date of birth are required to check KMAT results. Here is the direct link and steps to follow:

How to check KMAT 2023 result

Go to the examination website, kmatindia.com. Now, open the KMAT 2023 result link. The login page will open. Enter your application number, date of birth and submit. Check and download the KMAT result. Save a copy of the result page for future uses.

Karnataka Management Aptitude Test is organized by the KPPGCA for admission to over 189 AICTE approved and university-affiliated Management institutes in the state.

This is a national-level examination held in more than 10 cities in Karnataka and other states. The exam is open to candidates of all regions of India and abroad.

For further details, visit the official website of Karnataka KMAT.
Jujutsu Kaisen enthusiasts are in for an emotional rollercoaster this summer as season two unfolds, bringing forth the highly anticipated Shibuya arc. The latest episode, number 18, delivered a shocking turn of events that left fans heartbrokenNanami Kento, a beloved sorcerer, met his demise at the hands of the formidable Mahito. Nanami Kento's tragic demise leaves Jujutsu Kaisen fans heartbroken.(MAPPA)

In this emotionally charged episode, Nanami's final moments were depicted with a poignant daydream of reading on the beach. However, his aspirations were abruptly interrupted when he stumbled upon a gruesome scene of mutilated bodies, leading him to confront Mahito. The ensuing battle was brief but intense, concluding tragically as Nanami succumbed to the injuries sustained in Shibuya. In a touching twist, he managed to convey a last message to Yuji before Mahito's final strike.

The impact of Nanami's death on the Jujutsu Kaisen fandom cannot be overstated. A favorite character since the anime's inception, Nanami's tough exterior concealed a deep affection for his students, mirroring Gojo's commitment to shielding them from the harsh realities of jujutsu society. Nanami's sacrifice while defending his loved ones resonates profoundly with viewers, adding a layer of emotional complexity to the narrative.

For those seeking solace or a trip down memory lane, revisiting Jujutsu Kaisen from the beginning is an option, with the series available for streaming on Crunchyroll. The show's official synopsis encapsulates the essence of the captivating storyline, revolving around Yuji Itadori's extraordinary journey after consuming the finger of Ryomen Sukuna, leading him into the world of curses and the battles waged by the Tokyo Jujutsu High School.

As the anime continues to captivate audiences with its compelling narrative and dynamic characters, the loss of Nanami Kento serves as a poignant reminder of the series' ability to blend action, emotion, and unexpected twists, leaving fans eagerly anticipating the next turn of events
Actress Julianna Margulies has spoken up against a "silence on antisemitism" in an op-ed she wrote for USA Today. She directly addressed her "non-Jewish friends" who have failed to reach out after the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel. Julianna Margulies arrives for The Albies hosted by the Clooney Foundation at the New York Public Library in New York City on September 28, 2023 (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP)(AFP)

"The events in Israel have shone a light on something I never realized: You, my loving, non-Jewish friends, have no idea of the Jewish experience, of living in our shoes, of learning from the stories of our parents and grandparents," Julianna wrote in the op-ed, titled My non-Jewish friends, your silence on antisemitism is loud.

Julianna said that only two of her friends asked her if she was okay after the attacks. "By your inaction to reach out, I immediately thought about the Jews of the Holocaust and what that must have felt like when no one spoke out, or stood up to protect them," she said.

There are no sides

Julianna further said that she has always expressed her support for the Black Lives Matter and the LGBTQ+ community, and also recalled how she spoke up when she heard "immigrant children were being held in cages."

"In the week following this horrific event, the silence on your end was deafening. My Jewish girlfriends and I huddled together, crying and trying to make sense of a world gone mad. 'Its 2023!' We said to one another, How is this still happening? I couldnt sleep, I couldnt eat, I felt sick to my stomach," Julianna wrote.

Julianna also called out the idea that people across the globe were taking sides amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. "Sides???? There are no sides. This isnt about sides; this was a terrorist act against Jews by Hamas. Just like the Nazis, Hamas main goal: to cleanse the world of Jews," she wrote.

This isnt your reality, it is ours

Julianna went on to explain how children are never born with hate in their hearts, but are taught. You, my friends, have no hate in your hearts: that is why I love you. So when I showed up at an event the other night to do a reading of short stories and saw so many people I knew and loved there, friends and colleagues of mine whom I adore, I was shocked to see that no one seemed to be carrying the weight of what took place in Israel: a weight that is hanging heavily on every Jewish person I know, she wrote.

And then I realized: This isnt your reality, it is ours. You mean no harm, you simply dont have the full picture, she added.

She concluded by saying, We are hurting and we are terrified, because history has shown us that this wont end well for the Jewish people if you dont hear our cries for help.
Fresh trouble is brewing for Hollywood actor Jamie Foxx. As per a new report by TMZ, court documents reveal that he has been sued by a woman in a case of sexual assault that allegedly happened in 2015. (Also read: No way admitting to rape allegation, Sean Diddy Combs on lawsuit settlement with Cassie) Jamie Foxx was accused of sexual harassment in 2018 as well.(AP)

The fresh lawsuit

The woman's identity has not been revealed and she is referred to as Jane Doe in the court documents. She alleged that Jamie Foxx assaulted her at the Catch restaurant rooftop in New York City in August 2015. The restaurant; its employees; and the co-founder of Catch Hospitality Group, Mark Birnbaum have been listed as defendants in the lawsuit. The woman is seeking a trial by jury, and compensatory and punitive damages.

Jamie in trouble again

This is not the first time that Jamie Foxx has been accused of harassment. During the MeToo movement, a woman accused Jamie of sexually harassing her, which he denied.

Recent controversies

This year has not been the best for Jamie. In April, news of his hospitalisation surfaced after he experienced an undisclosed "medical complication." Later, he got in trouble for his seemingly anti-semitic post on social media.

Actor shared a cryptic and since-deleted post to his IG that read as follows: "They killed this dude name Jesus...what do you think they'll do to you???!"

His fans and critics didn't take it well and the actor faced severe backlash. The post was interpreted as antisemitic belief of Jewish decide which the American Jewish Committee defines as the charge that Jews bear eternal responsibility for the death of Jesus Christ.

Jamie Foxx reacted to the backlash and apologised to the Jewish community stating, I know my choice of words have caused offense and Im sorry. That was never my intention.' He further went on to clarify, I was betrayed by a fake friend and thats what I meant with 'they' not anything more. I only have love in my heart for everyone. I love and support the Jewish community.
King Charles III honoured the K-pop band BLACKPINK on Wednesday for their work in raising awareness about climate change. Charles made BLACKPINK members Jennie Kim, Jisoo Kim and Lalisa Manoban honorary Members of the Order of the British Empire. (Also read: Blackpink's Jennie and Rose exchange awkward smiles, Lisa keeps it subtle at Buckingham Palace banquet: Watch) BLACKPINK was honoured by King Charles at Buckingham Palace.

BLACKPINK honoured for climate change work

Bandmate Roseanne (Rose) Park also received an MBE, though hers came without the honorary qualifier because she has dual citizenship in New Zealand, one of the 14 countries, where the UK monarch is head of state.

The honours were presented during a ceremony at Buckingham Palace in recognition of BLACKPINK's role in promoting the work of the COP26 summit on climate change two years ago in Glasgow, Scotland. The awards are part of Britains honours system, which recognises outstanding service to the nation and the wider world.

Lisa, Jennie, Jisoo and Rose smiled and greeted King Charles III as he presented them the medals. Jennie and Jisoo wore a black outfits, while Lisa wore a baby blue dress with a short cape. Rose chose a grey pantsuit.

King Charles III joked with BLACKPINK members

Charles had lauded the K-pop girl group on Tuesday during a state banquet in honour of Korean President Yoon and first lady Kim Keon Hee for their role in bringing the message of environmental sustainability to a global audience.

King Charles III jokingly said to BLACKPINK members at the ceremony, It's amazing you're still talking to each other after all these years I hope I shall be able to see you perform live at some point".

At Tuesday's banquet, the BLACKPINK ladies arrived in beautiful gowns and dresses and were spotted exchanging glances and smiles as Charles and others spoke.

BLACKPINK made history in July, becoming the first K-pop group to headline a major UK music festival and took to the stage at the BST Hyde Park summer festival in central London in front of a crowd of 65,000 for a sold-out concert.

Since their debut in 2016, BLACKPINK has become one of the most successful girl groups in the world, breaking records such as becoming the most subscribed to music artists on YouTube.
The Enforcement Directorate has summoned actor Prakash Raj for questioning in a money laundering case linked to an alleged 100 crore ponzi and fraud case against a Tiruchirapalli-based jewellery group, official sources said Thursday. (Also Read: Prakash Raj thanks ISRO for Chandrayaan-3's moon landing after 'chaiwala' row) Prakash Raj has been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate

The investigation pertains to a case against Pranav Jewellers, a partnership firm based in Tiruchirapalli, whom it had raided on November 20 and claimed to have seized "unexplained" cash of 23.70 lakh and some gold jewellery.

Prakash Raj (58) has been a brand ambassador of this company. He has been asked to depose before the federal agency in Chennai next week. The actor, who has played various roles in Hindi and South Indian movies, has been an outspoken critic of the BJP.

The ED case stems from an FIR of the Tamil Nadu Police Economic Offences Wing. According to the police complaint, Pranav Jewellers and others collected 100 crore from the public under the guise of a gold investment scheme with the promise of high returns, the federal agency said in a statement on Wednesday.

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Naga Chaitanya turned 37 on Thursday. Despite being a stickler for privacy, the actor has been quite open about his tryst with love in some of his interviews. From talking about his first love to his divorce with Samantha Ruth Prabhu, he has done it all. Heres looking back at one of his key childhood memories that he recently opened up about. (Also Read: Naga Chaitanya to play fisherman in next film Thandel: A character Im looking forward to') Naga Chaitanya got candid in a rare interview(X)

I was in 9th class when I first fell in love

While promoting Thank You with Raashi Khanna in 2022, the actor was asked in one of his interviews with Mana Stars about the first time he fell in love. He opened up about his first love and said, I first fell in love when I was in 9th standard. Three of us from our class loved the same girl but she left us heartbroken. Later on, the three of us went on to become best friends.

South cinema is his first love too

In the same year, when he was promoting Bangarraju with his father Nagarjuna, he was asked why he decided to venture into Bollywood by Hyderabad Times. The actor had then said, My effort has always been to entertain the audience down south, it has always been my first love. I said yes to Laal Singh Chaddha because I remember watching Forrest Gump as a child. That little kid wouldve never imagined being a part of the adaptation some day.

Relationships and more

Chaitanya met Samantha on the sets of Ye Maaya Chesave in 2010, dated her on and off for years, before tying the knot in a fairytale wedding in 2017. The couple announced their separation, ahead of their anniversary in 2021. In 2023, he was rumoured to be dating Sobhita Dhulipala after pictures of them both on vacation surfaced on the internet. However, both the actors refused to confirm if they were seeing each other.

His upcoming projects

Chaitanya will soon be seen in a Chandoo Mondeti directorial titled Thandel. The actor will play a fisherman in the film and the makers released his first-look a day ahead of his birthday. He will also debut on OTT with Dhoota, a web-series directed by Vikram K Kumar.
Uttarkashi: The Uttarakhand tunnel collapse rescue operation is likely to be completed in 12-14 hours, former advisor to the prime minister's office, Bhaskar Khulbe, said on Thursday. He said after reaching the 41 trapped workers, it may take three more hours to take them out one-by-one. This is the first time the rescue authorities have announced a time frame for the rescue of the workers. Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami (C), alongside Independent disaster investigator and President of the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association Arnold Dix (9L), walk out of the tunnel after reviewing the rescue operation to free workers trapped in the Silkyara under construction road tunnel. (AFP)

The senior official said that the rescue workers removed an iron mesh that was blocking the way of the drillers. The iron mesh delayed the rescue operation by several hours as it was difficult to remove it in a claustrophobic environment inside the pipe.

"It took us six hours to remove it. But the good news is that we have cleared the hurdle which came yesterday after drilling up to 45 metres had been done," he told the media.

He said the rescue workers were welding the pipes and drilling would begin soon.

"It will take around 12 to 14 hours more to complete the whole operation of reaching the workers. After that, it will take three more hours to take out the workers one by one. That will be done with the help of NDRF," he added.

Uttarkashi: The Uttarakhand tunnel collapse rescue operation is likely to be completed in 12-14 hours, former advisor to the prime minister's office, Bhaskar Khulbe, said on Thursday. He said after reaching the 41 trapped workers, it will take three more hours to take them out one-by-one. This is the first time the rescue authorities have announced a time frame for the rescue of the workers.

The senior official said that the rescue workers removed an iron mesh that was blocking the way of the drillers. The iron mesh delayed the rescue operation by several hours as it was difficult to remove it in a claustrophobic environment inside the pipe.

"It took us six hours to remove it. But the good news is that we have cleared the hurdle which came yesterday after drilling up to 45 metres had been done," he told the media.

He said the rescue workers were welding the pipes and drilling would begin soon.

"It will take around 12 to 14 hours more to complete the whole operation of reaching the workers. After that, it will take three more hours to take out the workers one by one. That will be done with the help of NDRF," he added.

|#+|

According to reports, only 6 meters of drilling separates the rescue workers from the trapped workers.

Uttarkashi: Rescue and relief operation underway.(PTI)

Post-rescue plan ready

The Uttarkashi administration and other agencies have made elaborate arrangements for post-rescue retrieval of the workers, who have been trapped inside the tunnel for 12 days.

"Our post-rescue action plan is ready. We have prepared final details about where to take them (rescued workers), how to take them. We will have a green corridor in place for their movement," says Uttarkashi SP Arpan Yaduvanshi told ANI.

The administration has arranged for 41 ambulances that are waiting outside the tunnel.

"45 metres of pipeline has been laid through auger machine. The rescue is at its final stages. There are some obstacles,. but I hope that the workers are rescued as early as possible. Post-rescue preparations have been done. Ambulances and Hospitals are ready for their check-up and treatment. PM Modi is taking updates on the rescue every single day. He took the update today as well. Our experts are working day and night to rescue the workers," said Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.

With inputs from PTI, ANI
Retiring Allahabad high court chief justice Pritinker Diwaker has alleged that the Supreme Court collegium in 2018, then headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra, transferred him from the Chhattisgarh high court with the ill-intention of harassing him. The Allahabad HC (HT File)

He also thanked incumbent CJI Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud for rectifying the injustice, after the current Supreme Court collegium recommended his elevation to the top post in the Allahabad high court.

Justice Misra did not respond to requests seeking comment on the matter.

Presiding over a ceremonial bench of the Allahabad high court on Tuesday to mark his retirement, Diwaker said his transfer from Chhattisgarh was a bane that turned into a boon.

READ | Retiring Allahabad HC judge says transferred to 'harass', CJI Chandrachud rectified injustice'

A sudden turn of events descended upon me when then Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra showered on me some extra affection for reasons still not known to me that entailed my transfer to Allahabad high court, where I assumed my office on October 3, 2018, he said.

The Chhattisgarh high court is justice Diwakers parent high court.

My transfer order seemed to have been issued with an ill intention to harass me. However, as fortune would have it, the bane turned into a boon for me because I received immeasurable support and cooperation from my companion judges as well as from the members of the Bar, Diwaker added.

I discharged my duties as a judge in Chhattisgarh high court till October 2018 to the satisfaction of one and all, and particularly to the satisfaction of my own inner being, he said.

Earlier this year, justice Diwaker was recommended for the top post of the Allahabad high court by the current Supreme Court collegium led by CJI Chandrachud.

Diwaker was appointed acting chief justice of the Allahabad high court on February 13 this year and took oath on March 26, 2023.

I am highly thankful to the present Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, who rectified the injustice done to me, Diwaker said.

In May, the CJI-led collegium recommended the appointment of Andhra Pradesh high court chief justice Prashant Kumar Mishra as a judge of the Supreme Court. Justice Mishras parent high court is also the Chhattisgarh high court and he ranked lower in seniority than justice Diwaker.

At the time, the collegium in its resolution said that it is conscious of the concern of superseding Allahabad HC chief justice Diwaker in recommending justice Mishra. However, having considered all relevant factors, the collegium is of the view that justice Mishra is worthy of appointment as a judge of the Supreme Court, it said.
Union home minister Amit Shah on Wednesday accused the Congress of dynasty politics and said that while party chief Sonia Gandhi wants to make her son the prime minister, Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot desires that his son becomes the chief minister. Union home minister Amit Shah. (ANI)

Addressing rallies in Pali and Jalore districts of poll-bound Rajasthan, Shah also hit out at the Gehlot government over alleged corruption in the state and said he had never seen a more corrupt administration in his entire life.

Voting for the 200-member assembly is scheduled to be held on November 25; the results will be announced on December 3.

Addressing the crowd, Shah said: The Congress party is a family-based party. Gehlot ji wants to make his son (Vaibhav Gehlot) the chief minister and Sonia ji wants to make her son (Rahul Gandhi) the prime minister. They will not think about you.

He added: But (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi ji is thinking of you all. Only Modi ji thinks about you.

Highlighting the Modi governments achievements, Shah said: Modi ji has made the country safe and prosperous. He brought Indias economy from 11th to fifth position. Rajpath was renamed as Kartavya Path, freeing the country from British influence. He built a new Parliament and got the first bill Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam passed in Parliament. By this bill, women will now get 33% reservation in Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies.

The Union minister resumed his attack on the Congress and accused the party of indulging in political appeasement. The Congress party has always done politics of appeasement, while the BJP has worked fearlessly to uphold the respect of Indian culture, he said.

Targeting the Gehlot government over alleged corruption, he said: I have never seen a more corrupt administration in my entire life. The Congress can never uproot corruption or atrocities from Rajasthan. They can never develop Rajasthan. Only PM Modi can safeguard the rights of the people of Rajasthan and develop it.

He alleged that the Gehlot government cheated the youngsters in the state through the paper leak scam.

In the last five years, the Gehlot government has cheated more than 40 lakh youngsters by leaking papers. Forty lakh youngsters worked hard all night to prepare for the paper, but Gehlot and company leaked the paper to provide jobs to their kin, he said.

A government entrenched in corruption cannot do any good for the people, Shah said. Now that the boat is sinking, they have come up with guarantees, he said, referring to the Congresss poll promises that it announced on Tuesday.

Reacting to Shahs remarks on Sonias alleged attempts to make her son the prime minister, Congress general secretary Mevaram Soni said: It was Sonia Gandhi who sacrificed the prime ministers post. For the second term, she chose Manmohan Singh, not Rahul Gandhi.

The BJP lacks arguments against the developmental model of the Gehlot government, Soni said. The Congresss guarantees are better and stronger than Modis guarantees and the people of the state are aware of this, Soni said.

Rajasthan is witnessing an intense battle between the BJP and the Congress. The desert state usually votes out the incumbent every five years. But this time, Gehlot is hoping to put up a tough battle, using a bouquet of welfare and cash transfer schemes, and exploiting factionalism in the BJP. But the states opposition party is confident that political tradition will continue, and Modis popularity will carry the day.
Bengaluru: The process of appointing members to various state-run boards and corporations in Karnataka has been delayed as internal conflicts within the Congress persist. Despite a late-night meeting on Tuesday held by AICC general secretary and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala to deliberate on the appointments, no consensus was reached, according to party leaders familiar with the matter. Deputy chief minister D K Shivakumar on Wednesday said the Congress party is set to conduct further discussions next week to finalise appointments to state-run boards and corporations. (PTI)

Deputy chief minister D K Shivakumar on Wednesday said the ruling party is set to conduct further discussions next week to finalise appointments to state-run entities. The compiled list will then be submitted to the partys high command for approval.

Even today (Wednesday), Surjewala held discussions. Some of our leaders are also in conversation with him. We have also sought the opinions of senior leaders and legislators. We have sought the opinions of some senior leaders and legislators as well. Meanwhile, chief minister Siddaramaiah and I will be heading to Telangana for election campaigning, said Shivakumar.

He said Surjewala is scheduled to return to the city on November 28, after which the final list will be prepared and sent to Delhi.

The delay in finalising the list is attributed to discontent among some MLAs who, desiring cabinet positions, expressed dissatisfaction with appointments to corporations. To address these concerns, Congress leaders consulted its disgruntled senior MLAs during the meeting.

However, efforts to address discontent were met with challenges, as seen in the case of former minister and Congress MLA Basavaraj Rayareddy, who declined an offer for a prominent corporation post. Rayareddy was summoned to the meeting and was reportedly offered the post of a prominent corporation, but denied it. Im not interested in boards and corporations and there is no need for it. I had come to meet the CM over some development issues. We also discussed the Lok Sabha elections, Rayareddy said.

The chief minister has maintained that legislators would be given first preference and appointed as heads of boards and corporations, while Shivakumar was keen on issuing appointment orders to party workers and leaders. Two leaders have given separate lists of candidates for appointments

On home minister G Parameshwaras alleged discontent over the non-inclusion of his supporters in the list, Shivakumar dismissed such speculations. He said that considerations for appointments were based on seniority. He (Parameshwara) is home minister, he was on a tour and had some work, why should he be upset? What is there to get upset about? Why are such unnecessary things being created? he asked.

Hitting back at BJP over its allegation that Congress, which came to power six months ago, delayed appointments to posts in boards and corporations in order to auction them, Shivakumar said, Why did they (BJP) not do it (appointments) while in power? We are at least appointing now, when did they do? Unnecessarily they are commenting. They could not even fill up four Ministers posts and had kept them vacant.

The BJP in a post on X alleged, Siddaramaiah government that systematically manages the transfer business (cash for postings) over phone, was waiting so far to auction boards and corporations posts. Surjewala has now come and is holding discussions on the process of auctioning the posts, which was postponed earlier, as dealings could not happen properly.

As a result, the amount for the posts of Boards and Corporations has again come for up discussion, the principal opposition party in the State claimed.

Within the Congress party, there is growing impatience among legislators and party workers who have not been rewarded despite the party being in power for six months. Shivakumar assured that both legislators and party workers would be appointed to these positions, with around 15 to 20 party MLAs and MLCs expected to be accommodated, while the remainder would go to loyal party workers.

(With PTI inputs)
Assembly elections 2023 Highlights: Welcome to the live blog for the assembly elections in five states - Rajasthan, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Mizoram. All eyes are on Rajasthan which will witness one final campaign push by all political parties before the silence period kicks in on Thursday evening. Chief Electoral Officer Praveen Gupta said the campaigning for Rajasthan Assembly elections will end at 6 pm on Thursday and no public meeting or procession can be held after that. Rajasthan goes to polls on November 25 and the results will be declared on December 3, along with the results of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram. While the voting in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Mizoram is already over, Telangana voters will exercise their franchise on November 30. Stay tuned as we navigate through the twists and turns of these assembly elections.

A polling official puts a mark with indelible ink on the finger of a voter prior to casting her vote at a polling booth for the Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections, on the outskirts of Bhopal on Friday. (ANI Photo)
The Nitish Kumar government on Wednesday asked the Centre to include two recently amended laws, which increase the caste-based quota in Bihar from 50% to 65%, in the ninth schedule of the Constitution for providing them immunity from judicial review, and reiterated the demand for special status to the state. Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar. (HT photo)

Proposals to put forth these two demands were discussed and approved during the state cabinet meeting chaired by Kumar, additional chief secretary, Bihar cabinet, S Siddharth said.

A total of 40 agenda points, including two impromptu proposals, were discussed and given assent to by the cabinet, Siddharth said.

Hours later, the state government sent a letter to the Centre, urging it to begin the formalities to include the two laws in the ninth schedule.

We will wait and watch for the Centres reaction to our proposal. This requires a constitutional amendment by Parliament. We may seek an appointment with the Prime Minister and handover a formal proposal to him, said state parliamentary affairs minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary.

The development came a day after the state government notified the increase in quota for reserved categories in education and government jobs, from 50% to 65%, joining only a handful of other states such as Tamil Nadu where the quantum of such reservation exceed the 50% ceiling fixed by the Supreme Court in the 1992 Indra Sawhney case.

Siddarth said the inclusion of the two laws  the Bihar Reservation of Vacancies in Posts and Services Amendment Act, 2023 and the Bihar Reservation (Admission in Educational Institutions) Amendment Act, 2023  in the ninth schedule would give them immunity from judicial review. Tamil Nadus reservation law was put in the ninth schedule  which has only limited scope for judicial scrutiny  in 1993.

The two laws raised the quota for Scheduled Castes (SC) from 16% to 20%, Scheduled Tribes (STs) from 1% to 2%, Extremely Backward Castes (EBCs) from 18% to 25% and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) from 15% to 18% to elevate the total quantum of caste-based reservations to 65%, setting the stage for a potential shake-up of Hindi heartland politics that could elevate caste as a key poll plank for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

To be sure, the total quantum of reservation in jobs and educational institutions will stand at 75%, after taking into account the 10% quota for economically weaker sections (EWS).

The state cabinet also passed a resolution to request the Centre to grant special status to Bihar, a long-standing demand of CM Kumar.

The cabinet has passed a resolution requesting the Centre for grant of special category status to Bihar, Kumar wrote in a post in Hindi on X (formerly twitter), adding that the demand was necessitated by the findings of the recently-concluded caste-based survey carried out in the state.

The senior Janata Dal (United) leader further said that his government has planned to undertake a number of welfare measures for the benefit of 9.4 million poor families.

We intend to provide, in instalments, an assistance of 2 lakh to one member of each of these families for some type of economic activity, Kumar said.

The chief minister also maintained that his government was committed to building pucca (permanent) houses for 39 lakh [3.9 million] families living in huts and every such household will be provided 1.20 lakh for the purpose.

He said that the Bihar government has decided to increase the assistance to landless families for purchasing land from 60,000 to 1 lakh which would benefit 63,850 such households identified in the survey.

The implementation of all such measures will incur an expenditure of 2.50 lakh crore. Because of the huge sum involved, we have set a deadline of five years from now for the completion of the schemes. But if we get special category status, we will be able to accomplish the task in a much shorter time, Kumar, the longest-serving chief minister of state, said.

Kumar said that he was raising the demand for special status since 2010. To look into our demand, the government at the Centre had set up a committee headed by (former RBI governor) Raghuram Rajan which submitted its report in 2013, but nothing came of it, he wrote in the social media post. In May 2017, we again wrote to the Centre requesting special status. it is my request that the Centre agree to the demand keeping in view the interests of the people of Bihar.

Former minister and JD(U) chief spokesman Neeraj Kumar said: Both houses of the state legislature had approved a proposal seeking special status for Bihar and the same was sent to the Centre twice. But the state governments plea was neither accepted nor rejected.

Explaining the benefits of the special status, he said: Bihar will able to grant tax holiday or substantial tax concession to investors willing to set up their industries or other installations to boost economic activities. Besides, the state will also qualify for getting 90% central share in centrally-sponsored scheme instead of the current 60% or even less than it from the Centre.

The Bihar cabinet, additional chief secretary Siddharth said, approved the proposal to increase the dearness allowance (DA) for state government employees and pensioners by 4% with effect from July 1. It also approved the draft of Bihar logistics policy 2023, which envisages various incentives and capital subsidy to the investors in building logistics parks, multi-modal logistics park and other associated installations. The cabinet also gave its assent to the energy departments investment proposal for setting up 185MW solar power project at Kajra in Lakhisarai.
A political row broke out on Wednesday over the Enforcement Directorates (ED) move to provisionally attach assets worth 751.9 crore in connection with its ongoing money laundering probe into the National Herald newspaper, which is associated with the Congress party. The National Herald is published by Associated Journals Limited (AJL) and owned by Young Indian (YI) Private Limited. Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are majority shareholders of YI, holding 76% shares in all.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lashed out at the Gandhi family and accused it of appropriating the legacy of the Congress, the freedom struggle and the property of the National Herald. The Congress accused the BJP of misusing central agencies to advance its political vendetta.

The National Herald is published by Associated Journals Limited (AJL) and owned by Young Indian (YI) Private Limited. Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are majority shareholders of YI, holding 76% shares in all. ED is probing allegations of irregularities in transactions involving AJL and YI.

READ | What is the National Herald case in which ED attached 751 crore worth of assets?

Senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said allegations that the government was indulging in a witch-hunt were unfounded. You think that you keep looting but no action should be taken. The family must pay for its sins, corruption and misuse of power, he said.

The BJP would like to ask a straight question to Sonia, Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, as to how action against rank dishonesty and a loot of public money is a negation of democracy? he asked.

Accusing the Gandhi family of appropriating the assets of the newspaper, he said the Gandhis appropriated the fight for Independence, and called the controversy a new low in the democracy of India. The family does not only control the legacy of the party and the freedom struggle, but also the moveable and immovable property, he said.

READ | ED attaches assets worth 752 cr in AJL-National Herald case

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge hit back. Addressing a rally in poll-bound Telangana, he attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah, and said they want to shut down a newspaper that was started by Indias first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.

I feel sad today. My partys paper, which was started by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, National Herald.. Modi yesterday seized the property of the Congress. That property was not of any individual. Pandit Nehru brought out that paper for the freedom struggle and to create awareness among the people. It became the voice of freedom fighters, he said.

If they think that the Congress will be scared due to the attachment, it is wrong and the Congress will never be scared and it will fight till the end, he added.

EDs probe under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) is based on an Income Tax department investigation, completed in 2017, which was based on a private complaint filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy in 2012.

Swamy accused the Gandhis of using party funds to purchase AJL and said 90.21 crore were transferred from AICC to AJL at zero interest; that Young India Private Ltd (YI) received 92 million shares of AJL; and that Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra purchased additional shares to gain full control of the company.

AJL was founded in November 1937 by Jawaharlal Nehru and published the National Herald, Qaumi Awaz in Urdu and Navjeevan in Hindi.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has been trying to gain grounds in Telangana as the campaigning for the upcoming assembly elections enters its home stretch, is likely to play spoilsport for the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and the Congress in several constituencies where the two rival parties were hoping they could breeze through, according to political observers monitoring the pulse on the ground. Union home minister Amit Shah with Union minister and Telangana BJP president G Kishan Reddy during a road show ahead of Telangana assembly elections, at Nacharam in Medchal-Malkajgiri district on November 20. (PTI)

Polling for the 119-member assembly will be held on November 30 and votes will be counted on December 3, along with other four states  Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Mizoram where voting held on various dates this month.

The BJP, according to ground reports, could throw surprises on at least 15-20 assembly constituencies, especially the urban pockets in northern Telangana, by playing spoiler for the BRS and the Congress.

A senior Telangana BJP leader, seeking anonymity, said the party had generated a lot of euphoria among the people and the cadre till mid-2023, when former state BJP president Bandi Sanjay undertook padayatra in the name of Praja Sangrama Yatra across the state.

The holding of BJP national executive committee meeting in Hyderabad in July 2022 and frequent visits of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah to address public rallies in Telangana generated a lot of positive image for the party among the people, as the next best alternative to the BRS, he said.

But post-Karnataka assembly elections in May 2023, the party seem to lost its momentum and conceded the ground to the Congress. The replacement of Bandi Sanjay with Kishan Reddy has further demoralised the party cadre, the leader said.

However, the groundwork done by the BJP in general, and by Sanjay in particular, in the last two years, has not been completely lost. In many urban constituencies of North Telangana, the BJP could generate a positive talk. The party is likely to decide the fate of the Congress and the BRS candidates, depending on the prevailing situation in those constituencies.

G Muralikrishna, an analyst working with Peoples Pulse, a Hyderabad-based political research group, said the BJP can make or mar the prospects of the candidates of Congress and the BRS in at least 20 constituencies. There will be a triangular contest in these seats and whether it will split the anti-incumbency vote of the Congress or eat into the BRS vote bank depends on the situation prevailing in those constituencies, he said.

For example, in Kamareddy assembly constituency where BRS president and chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) is fighting a pitched battle against Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief A Revanth Reddy, BJP candidate K Venkata Ramana Reddy, a former Zilla Parishad chairman, is giving a tough contest. The BJP has been very strong in Kamareddy before KCR announced his candidature and Revanth Reddy entered the scene. In fact, Venkata Ramana Reddy had fair chances of winning the seat had the BRS and the Congress bigwigs not in the fray. If he splits the Reddy votes, KCR will win the seat; but if he eats into the BRS vote bank, it will be advantageous to Revanth Reddy, said Musku Jaipal Reddy, chairman of a private college in Kamareddy.

A similar situation prevails in several constituencies like Boath, Mudhole, Korutla, Nirmal, Nizamabad (urban), Parkal, Hanamkonda, Maheshwaram, Rajendranagar, Amberpet, Uppal, Medchal, Malkajgiri, Serilingampally, Mahabubnagar, Narayanpet etc.

In all these constituencies, the BJP has been able to put up a strong fight with the other two parties. One wont be surprised if the saffron party wins a few of them, if there is a tight finish, the party leader quoted above said.

The announcement made by prime minister Modi on categorisation of Scheduled Castes to benefit the Madiga sub-group and declaration of an OBC leader as the chief ministerial candidate has also created a positive atmosphere for the BJP in several pockets.

Irrespective of whether the BJP wins the seats or not, we, Madigas, have decided to vote for the party en masse. We shall show our gratitude to the prime minister, said Manda Raju, president of Madiga Reservation Porata Samithi (MRPS) of Warangal district unit.

Political analyst Sriram Karri said there is every possibility that the BJP would eat into the vote bank of the BRS, rather than the Congress. As the things stand now, people appear to have decided to vote against the BRS in majority seats. For them, the Congress appears to be next best option unless they find the BJP candidates stronger than the Congress candidates, Karri said.
New Delhi The Union government will bring in a new regulation to deal with deepfakes and so-called synthetic content online, IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Thursday after a meeting with social media and technology companies, an industry body, and academics. The form of the regulation is yet to be determined and it could be an act, new rules, or an amendment to existing rules, he added. Union Minister for Electronics & Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw(PTI)

We will start drafting the regulations today (Thursday) itself. And within a very short timeframe, we will have a new set of regulation on deepfakes, the minister said.

Responding to a question, Vaishnaw said that there will be extensive public consultation on the regulation but did not clarify if the draft regulation would be put in the public domain for discussion.

Vaishnaw said that a nodal officer will be notified to receive feedback on the regulation.

READ | Wait till Nov 24: Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Centre's actions against deepfakes

Calling deepfakes a new threat to democracy, the minister said: Deepfakes weaken trust in society and in its institutions. The use of social media is ensuring that deepfakes can spread significantly more rapidly without any checks, and they are getting viral within a few minutes of their uploading.

We will start drafting the regulations today (Thursday) itself... within a very short timeframe, we will have a new set of regulation on deepfakes," minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said.

The move comes days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged concerns over deepfakes at an interaction with journalists in the Capital.

The proposed regulation will have four pillars, Vaishnaw explained: detection, prevention, reporting, and awareness. Prevention, he said, is both about preventing deepfakes from being posted and preventing them from going viral. He added that reporting mechanisms need to be more proactive and time-sensitive to mitigate damage. It is understood that his meeting with the companies also focused on these four pillars.

READ | IT Ministry summons social media companies over deepfakes

Social media companies have been instructed to submit plans about dealing with deepfakes and give suggestions for the regulation, he said. The next meeting will happen in the first week of December.

The meeting was attended by representatives from Meta, Google, YouTube, X (formerly Twitter), Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, Snap, Sharechat, Koo, Telegram, and industry body NASSCOM. It was also attended by IIT Jodhpur computer science professor Mayank Vatsa and IIT Ropar data science professor Abhinav Dhall. MeitY officials, apart from the IT minister and secretary, also attended the meeting.

Multiple people aware of the proceedings said that the discussion was directed more towards assessing the problem and coming up with necessary remedial steps, which could include new regulation or strengthening existing laws. There was no discussion about what the regulation could look like, they added.

The meeting was a brainstorming and collaborative consultation over the issue of deepfakes and not a confrontation between social media companies and the government, they said.

There was a general consensus that the Information Technology Act has enough provisions to deal with the issue of deepfakes, impersonation and other allied problems but everybody acknowledged that lapses in the detection of and response to deepfakes was a recurrent problem.

READ | YouTube to penalise creators who don't reveal use of deepfake in videos

Free speech and privacy are very important  but they are being undermined by deepfakes. That is why the new regulation will come  so that deepfakes and AI generated synthetic content are not harmful to society and democracy, Vaishnaw said.

What will the regulation look like?

Vaishnaw specified that if deepfakes were shown in India, the new regulation would apply to them, irrespective of their point of origin.

When we draft the regulation, we will also look at the penalty, both for the person who has uploaded or created as well as the platform, he said. He said that in the interim period, while the regulation was being drafted, social media platforms would continue to implement their current policies.

Labelling and watermarking [deepfakes] were discussed in detail as the bare minimum that will have to be implemented. There was discussion about how people can sidestep these mechanisms too, Vaishnaw said. It is understood that during the meeting, one of the academics, Dhall emphasised that labelling synthetic content is important. Other participants agreed with him and said that labels need to be more prominent on social media platforms.

What about good synthetic content?

Vaishnaw acknowledged that synthetic content could also be generated for useful purposes such as enhancing photographs. The problem arises with harmful and abusive content, he clarified. For example, in the recent elections in Madhya Pradesh, a video surfaced in which the chief minister was kind of saying that you vote for the opposite party. That is deepfake, absolute, deep misinformation, he said.

READ | Dealing with deepfakes: Regulation & education

During the meeting, a similar concern was raised. Participants pointed out that AI-generated synthetic content could be used to help those with speech impairments. Other use cases that were cited included commercial ones, in political campaigns to reach voters who may not speak the candidates language, etc. In the meeting too, Vaishnaw acknowledged that while the technology itself is not the problem, the bad actors who abuse it are.

There was some discussion about how the fact-checking system would also need to evolve to deal with deepfakes if certain kinds of synthetic media had to be classified as harmful or not harmful. Vaishnaw said, Users have a right to know what is natural and what is synthetic. We will structure the entire regulatory mechanism in a way to prevent harm and to give an option to the user to see whether something synthetic or natural.

Detection remains an issue

During the meeting, Vatsa talked about how existing deepfakes can be successfully detected with 98% accuracy with a specific tool that he uses. However, he warned that deepfake detection in general posed many challenges  identifying deepfakes, especially manually, is a time-consuming task; accuracy remains a problem with many tools; and Indian context, in terms of language, faces, and culture needs to be built into the systems.
Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], November 23 (ANI): The All Women Police Station (AWPS) of Thousand Lights, Chennai, has issued summons to actor Mansoor Ali Khan for not appearing at the police station. HT Image

The Chennai city police booked actor Mansoor Ali Khan for allegedly making derogatory remarks against actor Trisha Krishnan. The action was taken following an order of DGP Shankar Jiwal. T

Earlier the National Commission for Women took Suo Motu cognisance of the matter and issued directions to the Tamil Nadu police to register a case against the actor.

After the summons was issued against him, Mansoor Ali Khan gave a statement in which he asked for more time claiming that he was suffering from a throat infection.

The actor has been booked under Sections 354 A (sexual harassment) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to outrage modesty of woman) of the Indian Penal Code.

A video of Mansoor Ali Khan from one of his interviews had surfaced on social media, where he had said he hoped to have a rape scene in 'Leo' starring Trisha just like he had in older films with stars like Khushboo and Roja.

"When I heard that I was acting with Trisha, I thought there would be a bedroom scene in the film. I thought that I could carry her to the bedroom just like I did with other actresses in my earlier movies. I have done so many rape scenes in a number of movies and it's not new to me. But these guys didn't even show Trisha to me on the sets during the Kashmir schedule" Khan had purportedly said.

Trisha and Mansoor Ali Khan don't share screen space in Lokesh Kanagaraj's film 'Leo' but have portrayed prominent roles in the film.

Responding to Khan's remarks, Trisha took to microblogging site X and wrote, "A recent video has come to my notice where Mr. Mansoor Ali Khan has spoken about me in a vile and disgusting manner. I strongly condemn this and find it sexist, disrespectful, misogynistic, repulsive and in bad taste. He can keep wishing but I am grateful never to have shared screen space with someone as pathetic as him and I will make sure it never happens for the rest of my film career as well. People like him bring a bad name to mankind."

NCW member and BJP leader Khushbu Sundar had also criticised actor Manor Khan for his comments.

"Nobody can get away with such a filthy mind. I stand with @trishtrashers and my other colleagues where this man speaks in such a sexist disgusting mindset about them, including me. When we are fighting tooth & nail to protect women & bring dignity to them, such men are like a blot in our society" she had said. (ANI)
A Punjab home guards constable was killed and five policemen were injured in a clash with Nihang Sikhs in Kapurthalas Sultanpur Lodhi in the wee hours on Thursday. A clash erupted between Nihang Singhs and Police officials at a Gurudwara Akal Bunga in Kapurthala.

The deceased constable has been identified as Jaspal Singh, who was posted at Sultanpur Lodhi police station.

Two of the Nihang groups have been at loggerheads for the past three days over the control of the Gurdwara Akal Bunga situated opposite to main Gurdwara Ber Sahib.

However, the situation escalated early Thursday morning after the police tried to vacate the Gurdwara from the Nihang group manned by Mann Singh. His members started firing indiscriminately at the police team, killing a home guards constable and injuring five policemen, who are presently admitted to the local hospital.

Tension prevailed in the area before the birth anniversary of the first Sikh master Guru Nanak Dev on November 27.

As per available information, the Nihangs, who are heavily armed, have locked the Gurdwara from the inside. The police have barricaded the whole area and initiated talks with the Nihang group to vacate the possession.

It may be mentioned that earlier, the gurdwara was in possession of Patiala-based Baba Budha Dal Balbir Singh but on November 21, his opponent group Mann Singh took illegal possession of the Gurdwara by brutally assaulting two of the employees of the Gurdwara.

Police have already registered an FIR under attempt to murder and other sections of IPC on November 21 and arrested 10 Nihangs from the Mann Singh group on Wednesday.

Both the groups also clashed in 2020 in which a Nihang was killed.

Nihang Sikhs are a distinctive and traditionalist martial order within Sikhism, known for their unique attire and adherence to traditional Sikh martial practices. Members of this Sikh sect live on the fringes of society and dress up as medieval warriors owing allegiance to Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th Guru, specialising in the traditional martial art of gatka (similar to the modern sport of fencing).

In 2020, a policemans hand was chopped off with a sword and six of his colleagues were injured in an attack by a group of Nihangs at a vegetable market in Patiala.
Veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Karnataka chief minister B S Yediyurappa on Wednesday appealed to the people of Telangana not to get carried away by the six guarantees announced by the Congress, which he said, has failed to implement similar promises made during the 2023 Karnataka assembly elections. BS Yediyurappa (PTI)

Speaking to reporters in Hyderabad on Thursday, Yediyurappa said the Karnataka model of the Congress, which it is adopting in Telangana as well, is a failed model as the party could not implement the promises in the neighbouring state.

The Congress is following the Karnataka model to win the elections in Telangana. The party has cheated voters after winning elections in Karnataka. It had announced five guarantees there, but schemes like payment of unemployment allowance of 3,000 for graduates and 2,500 for diploma holders have not been launched so far, he said.

Similarly, he added, Gruha Lakshmi under which 2,000 per month was promised for women under BPL (below poverty line) is not reaching all. As many as 1.16 crore [11.6 million] beneficiaries were registered under the scheme, for which it requires 2,300 crore per month. The scheme was launched in August and in the last four months, it was supposed to spend 9,200 crore but only 2,119 crore has been distributed so far. While the people are complaining, the government is showing excuses in the name of technical issues and procedural problems, the former chief minister said.

He said same was the case with free travel for women in KSRTC buses, as the government had failed to clear the arrears to the corporation and free power supply up to 200 units to the poor.

Appealing to the Telangana people not to fall into the trap of the Congress, Yediyurappa asked them to vote for BJP for all round development.

Reacting to Yediyurappas remarks, AICC general secretary and spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said the Congress would definitely implement all the promises it had made for the people of Telangana and there was no need for any apprehensions.

The Congress will herald a change in the administration in Telangana and is committed to implement all its promises. It is our guarantee, Surjewala said, while speaking to reporters.
The Election Commission on Thursday issued a show cause notice to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi over his remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The poll panel said it received complaint from the Bharatiya Janata Party against the Congress leader over remarks he made at an election rally in Rajasthan's Barmer.



It is alleged that comparing a prime minister to a jaibkatra (pickpocket) and using the word panauti is unbecoming of a very senior leader of national political party. Further, the allegation of grant of waivers of 14,00,000 crore for the past nine years, is asserted by the BJP, as not borne out on facts," the poll panel said in a statement. Gandhi has been asked to appear before the Election Commission on November 25.



The BJP had moved the ECI against the remark made by Gandhi at the poll rally. The pickpocket never comes alone, there are three people. One comes from the front, one from the back and one from the distance... Prime Minister Narendra Modi's job is to divert your attention. He comes on TV from the front and distracts the public by raising topics of Hindu-Muslim, demonetization, and GST. Meanwhile, Adani comes from behind and takes the money, Gandhi had said.



The BJP in its complaint had said,Calling any person for that instance a Jaibkatra not only amounts to vicious abuse and personal attack but also a character assassination of that person against whom such remark has been made with a clear intent to harm his reputation and mislead the public."

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi
The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Centre to expedite the consultation process with stakeholders, including states and Union territories, for amending the Motor Vehicles Act and asked it to file a report by January 17 next year as to whether a light motor vehicle (LMV) licence holder can legally drive a transport vehicle of unladen weight of up to 7,500 kg. HT Image

A five-judge Constitution bench headed by chief justice of India (CJI) Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud was dealing with a bunch of petitions by insurance companies seeking reversal of a 2017 judgment of the apex court that permitted LMV licence holders to drive transport vehicles.

Noting that the exercise for amendment would require consultation with multiple stakeholders which will take time, the court said: We direct the Union to pursue the exercise with utmost expedition. Since the consultation with the state government is envisaged, we direct all state governments to comply with the timeline set by the ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH).

On September 13, the top court had sought assistance of attorney general R Venkataramani and asked the Centre to evaluate the far-reaching implications of reversing the 2017 judgment in Mukund Dewangan v Oriental Insurance that held the field for six years.

On Wednesday, Venkataramani filed a note before the court saying the process of amending the provisions of Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 had begun. He added the transport ministry had consulted all stakeholders restricting the amending exercise not just to the provisions with the judgment, but with a holistic perspective. Stating it would require consultation with states and UTs, the AG urged the court to adjourn hearing of the case sine die (indefinitely).

The bench, also comprising justices Hrishikesh Roy, PS Narasimha, Pankaj Mithal and Manoj Misra, however, rejected the request to defer the proceedings indefinitely. We are not inclined to accede to the request of Union government to adjourn the hearing sine die. An element of certainty must be brought on the issues raised in these petitions, the bench said.

The proceedings shall now be listed on January 17, 2024, by which date we expect that the consultation will be concluded in its entirety and a clear road map of further steps which Union proposes to take should be placed before this court, it added.

The court directed the order to be sent to chief secretaries of all states/UTs and clarified that even as the validity of the 2017 decision is under cloud, it will continue to hold the field for all purposes.

The court is hearing a bunch of 75 petitions by insurance companies against the July 2017 verdict that ended the practice of different sets of rules guiding the grant of licence to drive private and commercial vehicles as long as the unladen weight of the vehicle was less than 7,500kg. The verdict meant that any person with a licence to drive a private car or autorickshaw did not need the transport departments endorsement to also drive cabs, taxis or other buses with passengers.

Insurance firms argued this verdict had serious implications for road safety as it would permit an autorickshaw driver to drive a road roller, a school bus or a contract carriage without going through the stringent checks meant for transport vehicle drivers, who had to undergo a rigorous 30-day training course before acquiring a licence.
New Delhi Indias G20 presidency was Global South centric and had brought development back on the agenda, external affairs minister S Jaishankar said after a virtual summit of the grouping on Wednesday, adding that many world leaders spoke on the West Asia turmoil and the need to extend timely humanitarian assistance and finding a long-term solution. External affairs minister S Jaishankar addresses a virtual G20 leaders summit on Wednesday. (PTI)

At the joint press briefing, Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman noted how the five main agenda points of the G20 finance track -- multilateral development bank (MDB) reforms, digital public infrastructure, the road map for crypto assets, climate finance, and financing of cities of tomorrow -- were welcomed and appreciated. Indias G20 sherpa Amitabh Kant underlined how several aspects of the New Delhi Leaders Declaration announced this September were being implemented domestically as well as internationally.

READ | Outcomes of G20 in Delhi have great significance for international community: EAM Jaishankar

 [There was] A very clear recognition Indias G20 presidency was Global South centric and brought development .back to the centre of G20, he said.

At the virtual meeting, Russian president Vladimir Putin blamed western countries for the stress in the global economy even as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged Putin to end the war on Ukraine and withdraw all troops from the country.

At the press conference, Jaishankar said two geopolitical issues that came up were the conflicts in West Asia and Ukraine.

What we heard really was the condemnation of terrorism, expression of deep concern over the loss of civilian lives, calls for extending timely and adequate humanitarian assistance, not allowing the conflict to spread and to find a long term solution to the Palestine issue, Jaishankar said.

READ | AI must be safe for society: PM Modi on deepfakes at G20 meet

The G20 members on the whole welcomed the understanding reached on the release of hostages, on the flow of relief material to Gaza and some pause in the fighting, he said.Overall there was a strong sentiment expressed by the leaders to ensure implementation of the commitments which were agreed to at Delhi, he said.

Sitharaman said there was overwhelming appreciation and keenness to take forward the agenda points of the G20 finance track during the next presidency.

Several MDBs are already exploring options of collaborating with each other in areas such as innovative finance. The international expert groups report has been welcomed. Many aspects of it are already set on course, and the boards are taking it up for each of the banks, she added.

The finance minister noted how Indias efforts to explore ways of improving efficiency and making the 12 MDBs more 21st century-ready was taking shape.

The US administration has asked the Congress to increase World Bank financing by more than $25 billion and Germany has pledged 305 million euros of hybrid capital that can be used by the World Bank to have additional lending of 2.4 billion euros over the next 10 years, she said.

Kant said many aspects of the September 2023 declaration would be carried forward by Brazil, which takes over the G20 presidency on December 1. Since G20 works in continuity, our focus since September 9-10 has been on implementation. Brazils theme is to build a fair world and a sustainable future. And under that most of what we have announced in the New Delhi Leaders; Declaration, well push for implementation under Brazils presidency, Kant said.

At the meeting, Putin said the stress in the global economy is associated with the actions of other major countries and not with Russia and its attempts to obtain justice in Ukraine.

The great stress experienced by the global economy is the direct consequence of the ill-considered macroeconomic policy of certain states, Putin said while virtually addressing the G20 meeting.

Yes, of course, military actions are always a tragedy for specific people, specific families and the country as a whole, he said. And, of course, we must think about how to stop this tragedy.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he urged Putin to end Moscows war on Ukraine and withdraw all troops from the country. I called on President Putin to end his attack on Ukraine and withdraw troops from Ukraines territory, so that this war can finally end, Scholz told journalists at a press conference in Berlin alongside Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Putins virtual presence at the G20 summit was easy because he did not have to leave Moscow, said Meloni, who also participated in the virtual meeting. Meloni welcomed Putins offer to work towards peace in Ukraine but added we must not forget that in Ukraine there is an aggressor and a (party that was) attacked.

US Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen and Chinas Premier Li Qiang represented their countries at the virtual summit.
Chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday demanded a probe by a retired Supreme Court judge into the conspiracies behind the Mahadev betting app case and the red diary purportedly containing details of corruption. He attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) saying the diary was part of its conspiracy ahead of the Rajasthan polls. Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot. (PTI)

They [BJP] thought it would become a big issue if the Prime Minister spoke about it. Similarly, the Mahadev app case ED [Enforcement Directorate] issued a press note; no investigation was done. The Prime Minister was speaking about it. The whole conspiracy was to arrest the Chhattisgarh chief minister but they got exposed.

He said the ED and the Income Tax department have conducted over 50 raids in Rajasthan. He questioned what happened after the raids. They [BJP] have been exposed. They are pained they could not topple the Congress government in Rajasthan by horse trading.

He lashed out at the BJP for publishing full-page advertisements in newspapers containing the compilation of news clippings on the incidents of crimes in Rajasthan. He added the BJP wants to win elections by misleading people and hatching conspiracies.

Gehlot said a woman was molested at the Banaras Hindu University in Prime Ministers Lok Sabha constituency but no one was talking about that. He added that wrestlers were on sit-in and accused a BJP lawmaker of molesting them but the Prime Minister was silent. They do not have any issue and are only making provocative statements. They are not debating schemes or policies of the state government but only provoking. They do not have the right to provoke.

He referred to the BJP making Kanhaiya Lals murder in Udaipur a poll issue and insisted his killers were the BJP workers for years. He added the BJP leaders got them released in some other case earlier.
Relentless heavy rains continue to pummel the southern state of Kerala, leading to a flood-like situation in various cities. Authorities have urged people to exercise extra vigil in high ranges and low-lying areas in the state. Landslides have been reported in hilly regions of Idukki and Pathanamthitta districts, while intense waterlogging in low-lying areas has affected the normal life of people. Heavy rains continue to batter several districts of Kerala disrupting normal life.(PTI / video screengrab)

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has sounded a red alert for Pathanamthitta amid incessant rainfall. A red alert indicates heavy to extremely heavy rains of over 20 cm in 24 hours. Devaswom Minister K Radhakrishnan directed the district collector and the district police chief to monitor the security arrangements for Sabarimala pilgrims.

The capital city, Thiruvananthapuram, bore the brunt of the downpour, recording a staggering 15 centimetres of rainfall, according to the IMD. Kunnathanam, another severely affected area, also witnessed a substantial 15 centimetres of rainfall, leading to waterlogging and traffic disruptions. Enadimangalam, Peermade, and Ottapalam followed closely, experiencing 13, 12, and 11 centimetres of rainfall, respectively.

In response to escalating water levels prompted by incessant heavy rains in their catchment areas, authorities raised the shutters of the Kallarkutty and Pambla dams in Idukki districts early this morning.

Reports suggest widespread damage to agriculture and properties in the Thiruvalla and Konni areas.

Several districts in the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu have also been battered with heavy rainfall, prompting authorities to declare holidays in schools. The District Collectors have declared holidays for all government and private schools in eight districts including Tenkasi, Viruthunagar, Pudhukottai, Nilgiri, Theni, Thirunelveli, Kanyakumari and Thoothukudi on Thursday.

The regional Chennai meteorological department forecast suggests heavy to very heavy rain over Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Theni, Dindigul, Sivagangai & Pudukottai districts and thunderstorm with moderate rain at a few places over Sivagangai, Pudukottai, Ramanathapuram, Theni to Dindigul, Madurai, Coimbatore, Virudhunagar, Tenkasi, Thirunelveli Thoothukudi, Kanniyakumari and at isolated places over Tiruvallur, Chennai, Chengalpattu, Kanchipuram, Ranipettai, Vellore, Thirupattur, and Thiruvannamalai districts of Tamilnadu.
About 110 hours. Thats all the time it took OpenAI to fire Sam Altman, for the firm to appoint one interim CEO, then appoint another interim CEO, for Altman and OpenAI to discuss a shock return, for those talks to fail, for Microsoft to announce Altmans hiring, and for 90% of OpenAIs employees to revolt against his ouster. HT Image

But on Wednesday, the tempestuous waters of Silicon Valley appeared to settle as OpenAI rehired Altman, the pioneering tech savant who infused life into artificial intelligence with the blockbuster launch of ChatGPT.

The San Francisco-based firm confirmed their reunification with Altman in a post on X, apart from announcing that the board that fired him will be replaced.

We have reached an agreement in principle for Sam Altman to return to OpenAI as CEO with a new initial board, said the statement, underscoring a major win for the 38-year-old entrepreneur.

The board, which replaces the one that fired Altman on Friday, will be led by former Salesforce co-CEO Bret Taylor. It will comprise former US Treasury secretary Larry Summers, and Quora chief Adam dAngelo, who continues from the previous board.

And while Altmans reinstatement caps a drama that rocked the tech community and captivated the world, it also represents a keystone in the AI era, bolstering the powers and sway of one legacy firm in particular  Microsoft.

The global tech giant holds a 49% stake in OpenAI. While Microsoft chief Satya Nadella has earlier argued his company only has a non-controlling interest in OpenAI, the four-day long turmoil underlined that the company holds enough influence to move not just investors, but also employees.

Nadella not only offered to hire Altman and OpenAI president Greg Brockman  who walked out after the formers ouster  but his company also reportedly offered positions to OpenAI employees who chose to jump ship, according to an open letter the companys staff signed on Monday.

Microsoft has assured us there are positions for all OpenAI employees, said the letter, which was signed by 700 of the AI firms 770 employees, who threatened to quit if Altman didnt return.

Indeed, according to Bloomberg, Microsoft will likely have representation on the new board, certainly as an observer and possibly with one or more seats.

The company has been looking to embed AI into both its business and consumer-facing enterprises, with ChatGPT at the heart of this endeavour.

What still remains unclear is why Altman was fired, despite being the global face of AI after the launch of ChatGPT in November last year. Conversely, Microsofts vast computing power is essential for the growth of ChatGPT, and other allied services.

According to industry insiders, at the core of the issue may be a tussle between two divergent approaches to AI development  accelerationism and decelerationism. The former group (a philosophy that Altman is reportedly aligned with) seeks to speed up the development and growth of AI. The latter, however, seeks to modulate the technology, over a sense of pragmatism and concern, largely over AIs potential for misuse.

Reportedly, there was disquiet within the OpenAI board over Altmans approach and his keenness to hurtle ChatGPT down the growth path.

To be sure, OpenAI, in a statement on Saturday announcing Altmans dismissal, said he was not consistently candid in his communications with the board, hindering its ability to exercise its responsibilities.

Reports also said the companys interim CEO Emmett Shear, who earlier led streaming service Twitch, played an important role in his predecessors return.

In a post on X on Tuesday, Shear called it the path that did right by all.

I am deeply pleased by this result, after  72 very intense hours of work. Coming into OpenAI, I wasnt sure what the right path would be. This was the pathway that maximized safety alongside doing right by all stakeholders involved. Im glad to have been a part of the solution.

Further, according to Bloomberg, the reworked OpenAI board will not be final. The boards main priority is to select up to nine new directors, the news agency said, citing officials aware of the matter.

Bloomberg added that Altman agreed not to take a board seat initially in order to get the deal done. However, it is likely that he will enter the board at some point.

Altman also agreed to an investigation of his dismissal.

OpenAIs earlier board members included DAngelo, OpenAI co-founder and chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, Tasha McCauley of GeoSim Systems, and Helen Toner, director at Georgetowns Center for Security and Emerging Technology.
Justice Fathima Beevi, India's first woman judge of the Supreme Court, died on Thursday at a private hospital in Kerala's Kollam. She was 96. Justice Fathima Beevi.(Tamil Nadu Raj Bhavan )

Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi said that he was deeply saddened at the passing away of Justice Beevi.

Her contributions to public service will always be remembered. My thoughts are with her family members in this sorrowful hour. May she rest in peace, the governor said.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan expressed condolences over the death of Justice Beevi.

He further said that Justice Beevi was the first woman from the Muslim community to be a part of the higher judiciary, as she was able to overcome the negative aspects of social situations by seeing them as challenges, according to PTI.

Her life is an inspiration to everyone, especially women, the chief minister said, adding that as a tribute to her, she has been chosen for the Kerala Prabha Award.

Kerala Health Minister Veena George also condoled her death by saying that the demise of Justice Beevi was extremely painful.

"She was a brave woman who had many records to her name. She was a personality who through her own life showed that willpower and a sense of purpose can overcome any adversity," George said in a statement.

Here's what more we know about Justice Beevi:
External affairs minister S Jaishankar said the resumption of e-visa services in Canada amid the India-Canada diplomatic crisis was a 'logical consequence' as the situation relatively improved and India was progressively resuming the visa services. Speaking at the press conference following the conclusion of the Virtual G20 Leaders' Summit, Jaishankar said the G20 meeting had nothing to do with it. "What had happened was we had temporarily suspended visa issuance because the situation in Canada made it difficult for our diplomats to do the, you know, frankly to go to the office and do the necessary work for processing visas. As the situation there has become more secure or relatively improved, I think we have found it possible for the visa services to progressively resume," Jaishankar said. External affairs minister S Jaishankar said the visa services in Canada were temporarily suspended because Indian diplomats could not go to the office and process visas amid security threat.

"Physical visas had started in many categories. And at that time itself, we said we would be looking at e-visas next. So I think it's the logical consequence," Jaishankar said.

From November 22, the Indian eVisa facility was restored for all eligible Canadian citizens holding regular/ordinary Canadian passports. This came after India started issuing entry visa, business visa, medical visa and conference visa from October 26 -- after a month of suspension.

India -Canada diplomatic tension flared up since September after Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged that Indian agents had a role behind the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar -- designated as a terrorist by India. India rejected the allegation and asked Canada to provide evidence which Ottawa claimed it had but New Delhi denied receiving any such proof. Both India and Canada expelled a senior diplomat each as the tension escalated, India suspended its visa services in Canada and asked Canada to withdraw 41 diplomats posted in India accusing them of interfering in India's internal affairs.
Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Wednesday terminated the services of four government employees, including a doctor, for alleged anti-national activities under Article 311 of the Constitution. HT Image

With these terminations, the administration has dismissed 59 government employees on similar grounds under the aegis of the article since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, according to the administration.

According to four separate orders issued by the administration, those terminated from services were Dr Nisar-ul-Hassan, a resident of Achabal Sopore in Baramulla district who was an assistant professor (medicine) at SMHS Hospital in Srinagar, police constable Abdul Majeed Bhat of Kunan village in Kupwara district, Farooq Ahmad Mir, a resident of Kupwara who was teaching at a government school in Kupwara and Abdul Salam Rather from Yaripora in Kulgam, who worked as a laboratory assistant in the education department.

The termination order for Dr Hassan, who heads the Doctors Association of Kashmir, said: The Lieutenant Governor is satisfied after considering the facts and circumstances of the case and on the basis of the information available, that the activities of Dr Nisar- ul-Hassan, Assistant Professor (Medicine) SHMS hospital Srinagar S/o Ghulam Hassan R/o Achabal, Sopore, Baramulla are such as to warrant his dismissal from service.

It added: The Lieutenant Governor is satisfied under sub-clause (c) of the proviso to clause (2) of Article 311 of the Constitution of India that in the interest of the security of the State, it is not expedient to hold an enquiry in the case of Dr Nisar ul Hassan.

Similar orders were issued against the remaining three government employees. HT has seen all the orders.

None of the sacked employees were ready to comment on the matter.

According to people aware of the developments, Dr Hassan is known for issuing statements against the government and was suspended earlier in 2014; he was reinstated in 2018. While constable Bhat has been named in a case related to narcotics, Mir is a former terrorist. Rather allegedly shares links with a foreign terrorist and is wanted in many cases, the people said.

Following the abrogation of Article 370  that gave special status to J&K  in 2019 and its bifurcation into the Union territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, the administration has sacked 59 government employees  a majority of them from the education and police departments  after recommendations from a designated committee mandated to scrutinise cases under Article 311(2) (c) of the Constitution. This provision gives the government the power to sack employees without an inquiry if the President or the Governor, as the case may be, is satisfied that (it is) in the interest of the security of the State.

The dismissals started after the government on April 21, 2021 set up a Special Task Force to identify and scrutinise the cases of employees involved in any case related to posing a threat to the countrys security or anti-national activities.

Political parties slammed the administration for dismissing more employees than recruiting new ones.

J&K admin has created an abysmal record of sorts by dismissing more employees than recruiting new ones. Snatching the livelihood of Kashmiris on false trivial grounds isnt just collective punishment. But also signifies the manner in which all Kashmiris are mistrusted & humiliated on a daily basis, former J&K chief minister and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah told reporters in Budgam: Whether allegations against the terminated employees are true or untrue, they should have been given due space to prove their innocence. Their sacking is unfortunate.

Terminating the services of government employees without giving them a chance to be heard is not only unfair but also a travesty of justice. Reiterating our call for creating employment opportunities rather than snatching livelihood, PAGD spokesman and CPI (M) general secretary Yusuf Tarigami said.
Hyderabad, Nov 23 (PTI) In a bid to woo minority voters, BRS president and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Thursday said if they are voted to power again, the government will set up a special Information Technology park near here for minority youths. Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao(HT_PRINT)

Addressing a rally at Maheshwaram, from where Education Minister Sabitha Indra Reddy is contesting in the November 30 polls, KCR said his government treats Muslims and Hindus as two eyes and takes everyone along.

"Today, we are giving pensions which Muslims are also getting. We have opened residential schools in which Muslim students also study. We take everyone along with us.

"Today, we are thinking about Muslim youths and setting up a special IT park for them near Hyderabad. The IT park will come up near Pahadi Shareef," he said.

Asserting that Telangana is "peaceful" without any law and order issues, Rao said the BRS government has spent 12,000 crore towards minority development during the past 10 years against 2,000 crore done by the Congress during its 10 years regime.

He said as long as KCR is alive, Telangana will remain a secular state.

According to the chief minister, development was possible in Telangana after it became a separate state.

"Who achieved statehood for Telangana? Who is able to implement 24 hour free power? Who brought tap water to every doorstep?" he asked people, who shouted back saying "KCR".

Stating that when Telangana was formed, the situation was chaotic with no proper drinking and irrigation water facilities, Rao said wealth has been growing as his government is putting up efforts and maintaining fiscal discipline.

He said there is no water tax in Telangana, unlike any other state in India even as the government is providing 24 hours of free "quality" power to farmers.

KCR said the agricultural situation has improved in the state and if the same measures are continued for another 10 to 15 years, farmers would come out of the woods.

Alleging that the Congress is saying that KCR is wasting taxpayers' money and giving 'Rythu Bandhu', an investment support to farmers, he said if the BRS is voted to power again, not only the scheme will be continued but the amount under it would be increased to 16,000 gradually from the existing 10,000 per annum.

"Congress leaders are saying carelessly that they would give power only for three hours. They are also saying that the Dharani (an integrated land administration portal) will be dumped in the Bay of Bengal," he said, adding that the Congresss move may result in the resumption of the middlemen regime.

Requesting the people to think and take a decision to whom they should vote, he said the vote would change the future of the state for the next five years.
The controversy over Trinamool Congress (TMC) lawmaker Mahua Moitra sharing her log in details with businessman Darshan Hiranandani and allowing him to post Parliament questions directly to the Digital Sansad portal has prompted the Lok Sabha secretariat to change protocols for access to it. TMC lawmaker Mahua Moitra. (PTI)

The personal assistants (PAs) of lawmakers could earlier access a tab called E-Notice to file documents related to the legislative branch such as parliament questions, requests for short-duration, zero-hour discussions, draft bills, amendments, etc through their accounts on Digital Sansad. They can now only save notices as drafts and the lawmakers have to submit/file them from their accounts, HT has learnt.

The Times of India was the first to report the change in the protocol.

The PAs and staff of lawmakers will still have their own accounts with the Digital Sansad portal and OTP (one-time password) delivered on their mobile numbers. Earlier, when they posted notices, the second OTP that was generated to file the notices was sent to their mobile numbers. Now, the option to post notices has been blocked on PAs accounts.

Now, when the lawmakers log into their Digital Sansad account, OTP is sent to their mobile numbers. When they have to file notices, another OTP is generated.

Earlier, when a lawmaker received documents from the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha secretariats, including committee reports and publications, on their Sansad email address (which is separate from the Digital Sansad portal), they were also synced with the Messages tab on their PAs Sansad Portal account. Now, the Messages tab has disappeared from the PAs account on the Sansad Portal. This Messages tab did not require another OTP earlier.

PAs and staff can still access the OTP. The OTP is sent to lawmakers phone numbers and their registered email addresses. This email addresses are those registered on the Digital Sansad portal and can be a non-government email addresses as well.

To sign in to the Sansad email address, the MPs have to use Kavach, an authenticator app similar to Google Authenticator. For Kavach, an MP can give their mobile number along with their PAs. Thus, the staff then has access to the Sansad email, and through that, to the MPs Digital Sansad account.

While the OTPs to mobiles are generated almost instantaneously, it can take up to 45 minutes for the OTP to be sent to the Sansad email address.

At least two people HT spoke to pointed out that the MPs staff needs access to the Digital Sansad portal because the MPs usually do not have enough time to perform all these tasks and delegation is necessary.

A bulletin released on November 10 by the Lok Sabha secretary general Utpal Kumar Singh noted that as replies to questions are login and password protected on the Members Portal, the members have to maintain confidentiality of the replies and not share them with others until the Question Hour is over.

In the Moitra case, the TMC MP argued that while she shared her log in details with Hiranandani, the OTP still came on her phone which she subsequently shared with him.

The new protocol mandates an MPs oversight by way of sending an OTP. It is not clear how it prevents the MPs from sharing the OTP with someone else, which is what happened in Moitras case, or from providing a phone number which remains with the staff.
Union minister Giriraj Singh has called for an immediate ban on Halal certificates on food products in Bihar by following the lead of Uttar Pradesh. In a letter addressed to Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, the union minister for rural development raised concerns about the alleged link between Halal certification and potential involvement in socially discriminatory and terrorist activities. Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar. (HT photo)

The minister asserted that such certification, which has no connection to Islamic standards, is an attempt to Islamize products unrelated to the religion. He accused institutions of becoming self-proclaimed authorities in issuing Halal certificates, allegedly receiving substantial payments from companies manufacturing the goods.

The fear that there is a big conspiracy behind Halal certification and business is not unfounded, he wrote in Hindi.

Citing the recent actions against Halal certification by the Uttar Pradesh government, Singh urged the Bihar CM to take similar strong measures in the state.

I request you to take strict action against such divisive and conspiratorial elements by imposing a ban against the kind of jihad going on in the name of Halal products even in a big state like Bihar, the minister said.

Uttar Pradesh recently imposed a ban on the distribution and sale of certain Halal-certified products, including dairy, garments and medicines, with immediate effect, while exempting products manufactured for export.

Bakery products, sugar, edible oil and other products which were labelled as 'Halal-certified' by the companies manufacturing them would be banned from distribution and sale, a state government notification said on Saturday.

"Halal certification of food products is a parallel system which creates confusion regarding the quality of food items," the notification said.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is the country's apex body in charge of determining standards for most food products sold in the country and determines the standards food products should meet, the notification said.

Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday backed the move saying food certification should be done only by governmental agencies, and not by non-governmental organisations.

Food quality and food testing are essentially a government job. Government should do it. We have our Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)," she said.
The Congresss culture of arrogance and dynastic politics punishes anyone who dares speak the truth, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday in poll-bound Rajasthan, alleging that senior leader Rajesh Pilot once challenged the first family of the party and his son Sachin Pilot was still paying the price. Prime Minister Narendra Modi greets BJP leaders in Sagwada, Rajasthan, on Wednesday. (PTI)

Modis comments were seen as a move to woo the Gurjar community, which Pilot belongs to.

At separate rallies in Jahazpur and Sagwada towns, Modi prophesised that the Congress would never return to power in Rajasthan, which goes to the polls on November 25.

Modi said any leader who dared to speak the truth that was unpalatable for the Congresss first family found their political career finished.

READ | Cong govt sold papers for all exams: PM Modi's big charge in poll-bound Rajasthan

The Congresss leaders from Delhi are challenging the young people here who have faith in Lord Devnarayan. They are saying that (Ashok) Gehlot will be chief minister againlook at the arrogance of the Congress leaders in Delhi If anyone dares to speak the truth in Congress which is unpalatable to the family, then rest assured that persons political career is over, Modi said in Jahazpur in Bhilwara district.

Lord Devnarayan is the god of the Gurjar community. In the last elections, the Congress won30 of the 34Gurjar dominated seats in eastern Rajasthan.

Rajesh Pilot once challenged the Gandhi family for the benefit of the party he later backed down but the family punished Rajesh Pilot and is also punishing his son Rajesh Pilot passed away but the Congress party is taking out its anger against his son, Modi said.

Rajesh Pilot, who died in a road accident in 2000, was once considered critical of then newly elected Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. To be sure, Sachin Pilot has held several important posts in party and government whenever Congress has been in power -- Union minister, state chief, and Rajasthans deputy CM -- since his fathers death. However, as deputy CM in 2020, he rebelled against chief minister Ashok Gehlot before the party negotiated a truce.

There was no immediate reaction from Sachin Pilot till the time of filing this report.

READ | Congress punishing Sachin Pilot for fathers mistake, says Modi

In Sagwada, Modi said that Gehlot was not going to return to power. I am predicting that not only this time but never again will Ashok Gehlot form the government in Rajasthan. Wherever Congress people are going to seek votes, they are getting only answer from children, elderly, women and youth, Gehlot ji, koni mile vote ji (youre not getting our vote) Modi said.

In Jahazpur, Modi repeated his forecast and added that the Congress was going to suffer an unimaginable defeat in the elections.

He called the Congress anti-Dalit. There was a photo the CM but not of the state Congress president. There was a photo of a Congress MP but not of the Congress president who is a Dalit (Mallikarjun) Kharge ji is such a senior Dalit leader, if you had put his photo, it would not have cost you your job, Modi said.

The PM said that for the development of any country or state, policy and decision making play a crucial role. But the Congress is such a party that makes anti-people policies and takes anti-national decisions. Congresss policy is to be soft on terrorists, rioters and criminals and to indulge in corruption.

Modi blamed the Congress for appeasement, corruption, poor law and order and exam paper leaks, which he said destroyed the hopes and aspirations of millions of young people.

In tribal-dominated Sagwara, Modi cautioned people against voting for other parties. The Bharatiya Adivasi Party, floated ahead of the assembly elections, has put up candidates in the Dungarpur and Banswara seats.

Dont make this mistake. Last time too they fooled you. This time they have come with a new name, he said.

Modi said the Congress never bothered about tribespeople and mentioned a slew of central schemes for tribal welfare. Like the British considered Indians slaves, the Congress treated tribals the same way. The Congress has insulted the simple and truthful tribal people, he said.

Congress spokesperson Swarnim Chaturvedi said Modi was making uncalled-for comments and added that all party leaders were respected and had the freedom to speak their mind. In Rajasthan, the work done by the Congress government and the track record of fulfilling promises will ensure that the Congress will return to power in the state, Chaturvedi said.
The Congress on Thursday organised an event in Kozhikode to express solidarity with the people of Palestine amid the Israel-Hamas war. The event was attended by senior Congress leaders including Shashi Tharoor and KC Venugopal. Shashi Tharoor at the pro-Palestine rally organised by the Congress in Kozhikode district of Kerala on Thursday.(ANI/X)

There is an accusation that Congress is not talking about the Israel-Palestine issue because Assembly elections are being held. I want to clarify that during the election campaign, Sonia Gandhi released an opinion piece on the Israel-Palestine war on October 30 and Priyanka Gandhi also spoke about the issue during the election campaign, Tharoor said at the event.



Modi government's foreign policy is against the decade-old policy followed by India. UN General Assembly passed a resolution on the humanitarian truce in the Israel-Gaza war. Mahatma Gandhis country did not vote for it. We abstained from voting, the Congress leader added.

Our resolution says that we are with Palestine. We need to support the negotiations to free Palestine. India did not vote on the UN resolution for a truce that could lead to a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, Venugopal was quoted by ANI as saying.

According to a statement issued by Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief K Sudhakaran, over 50,000 Congress workers participated in the rally.

"All secular, democratic believers will attend the Congress-led rally at Kozhikode beach on November 23," Sudhakaran was quoted by PTI as saying.

The Congress rally comes days after the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) held a massive rally on November 11 in solidarity with the people of Palestine.

Congress's old ally Indian Union Muslim League also held a massive rally in Kozhikode. Tens of thousands of IUML supporters took part in the Palestine Solidarity Human Rights rally, inaugurated by IUML leader Panakkad Syed Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal.

Tharoor, a member of the Congress Working Committee had also attended the rally. This may well be one of the most significant political rallies we have seen in India and perhaps across the world in defence of human rights and in favour of peace. This is a rally for peace.



However, he also condemned the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas militants that triggered war. "On October 7, terrorists attacked Israel and claimed 1,400 lives. Two hundred individuals were taken hostage. In response, Israel killed 6000 people. The bombing continues," he said.
Gurpwatwant Singh Pannun, under the scanner of Indian agencies, is being probed in at least 35 cases registered by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Punjab Police till date and efforts are on to get him extradited to India, people familiar with the development said. Pannun was declared an individual terrorist under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) on July 1, 2020. (File photo)

While Punjab police has to date filed 29 cases against Pannun and his associates since 2018, NIA is probing him in at least six cases, four of which were registered between 2019 and 2021 to probe a larger Khalistani conspiracy by Sikhs for Justice (SFJ).

The self-proclaimed general counsel of SFJ in the United States, Pannun was declared an individual terrorist under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) on July 1, 2020. The listing allows Indian agencies to act against him all over India and even confiscate his properties. His address in the US has been listed as 167-05, Powel Boulevard, Unit-22 White Stone, New York, by the agencies.

The NIA, in its larger conspiracy probe charge sheet against SFJ, Pannun and other pro-Khalistani leaders like UK based Paramjit Singh Pamma, slain Canada based leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, and others, filed in December 2020, stated that SFJ, floated in the garb of a human rights advocacy group and with offices in various foreign countries like the US, Canada, the UK, Australia is a front for Khalistani terrorist outfits operating from foreign soil, including Pakistan.

At the time of banning SFJ as a terror organisation on July 10, 2019, MHA said in its notification - SFJ is involved in anti-national and subversive activities in Punjab and elsewhere, intended to disrupt the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India; is in close touch with the militant outfits and activists, and is supporting violent form of extremism and militancy in Punjab and elsewhere to carve out a sovereign Khalistan out of territory of Union of India; is encouraging and aiding the activities for secession of a part of the Indian territory from the Union of India and supporting separatist groups fighting for this purpose in India and elsewhere by indulging in activities and articulations intended to disrupt the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India.

Also Read: US thwarts plot to kill Sikh separatist, issues warning to India: Report

Pannuns attempts to incite violence against Indians on foreign soil and attacking Indian missions and consulates is also under the scanner of agencies. In December 2020, NIA filed a case to probe alleged funding of Khalistani terrorist outfits abroad for organising on-ground campaign and demonstrations in outside Indian missions in the UK, the US, Canada, Germany and other countries.

The FIR named SFJ, Pannun, Pamma and Nijjar (now dead), and alleged that Khalistani elements were collecting funds for a rebellion against Indian government.

Earlier this month, the federal agency filed a case against Pannun for releasing viral videos threatening passengers flying Air India.

Subsequently, in a charge sheet filed in March this year to probe the nexus of India based gangsters, drug smugglers and Khalistanis, NIA said foreign based PKEs including Pannun, who also provides legal help to PKEs-gangsters in the respective countries they are hiding, uses services of gangsters for their anti-India protests and violent activities.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday said the party will reply to the Election Commission notice to Rahul Gandhi over his remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi.(ANI file)

Let them send (notice to Rahul Gandhi) we will answer it. It is not a big deal. There has not been any such severe commentary on anyone. But since the elections are going on, hype is being created. We will reply to the notice... The way they are trying to scare in the elections today is not right. If they want to save the democracy, then they should give a level playground. Instead, ED, CBI, etc are being used, Kharge was quoted by ANI as saying.



Earlier in the day, the poll panel issued a show cause notice to Gandhi over his jaibkatra (pickpocket), panauti (bad omen) and loan-waiver jibes at the prime minister.

Addressing a poll rally, Gandhi had taken the pickpocket dig at the prime minister. The pickpocket never comes alone, there are three people. One comes from the front, one from the back and one from the distance... Prime Minister Narendra Modi's job is to divert your attention, he had said.



He comes on TV from the front and distracts the public by raising topics of Hindu-Muslim, demonetization, and GST. Meanwhile, Adani comes from behind and takes the money, Gandhi added.

Accordingly, you are requested to provide your explanation on the allegation made and to show causes as to why action as deemed fit for alleged violation of Model Code of Conduct and relevant penal provisions is not initiated by the commission, the poll panel said in the statement, asking Gandhi to issue his explanation by November 25.
In a fresh attack aimed at the BJP, Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday said that the red diary issue and Mahadev online betting app case were a part of the saffron party's conspiracy' to win assembly elections in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. He also said how the BJP is making someone like the Prime Minister talk about those matters after planning about it a week back. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot addresses a press conference ahead of State Assembly elections, at PCC Headquarters in Jaipur(PTI)

At a press conference, Gehlot lashed out at the BJP for publishing full-page advertisements in newspapers containing a compilation of news clippings on crime incidents in Rajasthan. He said the BJP wants to win elections by misleading people and hatching conspiracies.

The Rajasthan CM also slammed PM Narendra Modi for his remarks on late Congress leader Rajesh Pilot, claiming that the BJP wants to "provoke" the Gurjar community in the state.

The matter related to the red diary took Rajasthan politics by storm after a sacked minister in the state government had alleged that he had a red-coloured diary which contained details of alleged financial irregularities committed by the Gehlot government.

Referring to the Gehlot-Pilot rift in the state politics, PM Modi on Wednesday accused the Congress of punishing Sachin Pilot after meting out the same treatment to his father Rajesh Pilot, saying anyone who speaks the truth in the party is shunted out of politics.

Earlier, PM Modi at an election rally in Rajasthan alleged there must be a second red diary in possession of state minister Shanti Dhariwal, which must have forced the senior leadership in Delhi to offer him the ticket to contest the upcoming election, despite the derogatory remarks made by him earlier in relation to incidents of rape in the state.

The BJP has also been targeting the Congress government in Rajasthan over the red diary matter and the Mahadev betting app matter.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday told Centre to act with reasonable dispatch to provide proportional representation to two scheduled tribe communities seeking political reservation in West Bengal after they were declared scheduled tribes by a law passed by Parliament in 2002. The Supreme Court of India. (File photo)

Realising that the first step to do this will be to have the delimitation commission conduct an exercise of demarcating the constituencies based on the changed population of STs in the state, the bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud clarified that any such exercise undertaken by the Centre shall not interfere with the upcoming elections for the Lok Sabha or the Assembly as the need to hold elections is an overarching constitutional mandate.

The Centre through additional solicitor general (ASG) KM Natarj informed the Court on Thursday that the delimitation commission, constituted in 2002, had completed a nationwide exercise in 2008. He said that if the request by two communities  Limboo and Tamang  is entertained, similar requests from states are pending as 51 state-specific communities were added under the Scheduled Tribes list since the 2001 census. Similarly, there were new communities added as scheduled castes as well and it will be a humongous exercise if delimitation is to be done on a pan-India level.

The bench, also comprising justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, said, Absent exercise of delimitation under the Delimitation Act, 2002 Act, communities that have since been added as scheduled castes and scheduled tribes would not be in a position to obtain benefits in terms of political representation. This matter must engage serious attention of the Union government.

The Election Commission, which was directed by the Court on Wednesday to calculate the proportional increase in Scheduled Tribe seats in West Bengal following addition of Limboo and Tamang communities, told the Court on Thursday that going by the population figures provided by Registrar General, addition of the two communities will resuilt in addition of one seat for STs in the assembly.

Advocate Amit Sharma told the Court that in order to accommodate the principle of proportional representation, an additional seat will have to be made available in the state for STs. Presently, 16 out of 294 seats in the WB Assembly are reserved for STs.

The bench said, The above circumstance (as indicated by EC) makes it abundantly necessary for Union government to take recourse to the 2002 Act for ensuring provisions of Articles 330 and 332 are duly implemented. Centre shall take decision with all reasonable dispatch. To note, Articles 330 and 332 provide reservation for SC/ST in Parliament and Assemblies based on the principle of proportional representation. The reservation is granted based on the total SC/ST population in the territorial constituencies and does not specify reservation for any community in particular, the Court ruled.

At the same time, Court accepted the Centres argument that the manner of conducting delimitation exercise falls within the purview of the Delimitation Commission and requires legislative amendments to the Representation of Peoples Act, the First and Second Schedule to which provides for the total seats in State Assemblies and Parliament.

The order was passed in two petitions filed by an unregistered body Public Interest Committee for Scheduling Specific Areas and Yehang Subba who sought political representation for the two ST communities in West Bengal and Sikkim added to the ST list through a law passed by Parliament which came into effect on January 7, 2003. Under Article 342, President has power to add or delete from the list of scheduled tribes

As regards reservation for the two communities in Sikkim, the Court was more guarded as the state enjoys special provisions under Constitution Article 371F providing for reservation to sections of population in the state and not proportional reservation as envisaged by Articles 330 ans 332. This provision was introduced by Parliament to balance diverse considerations, political compulsions, and the need to maintain social fabric of the state, particularly a strategic border state.

Also Read: Supreme Court hints at referring sedition case to 7-judge bench

The bench noted that in 1980, 12 seats in the Sikkim assembly came to be reserved for Bhutia Lepcha and 1 seat for Sangha tribe. This was incorporated in Section 7(1A) of the Representation of Peoples Act, 1950.

The petitioners led by advocates Prashant Bhushan, Pranav Sachdeva and Pritika Kumar submitted that the Court can direct delimitation exercise to be carried out by the Election Commission, citing a 2012 SC judgment when such an exercise was undertaken by the Election Commission in Uttar Pradesh.

The Court said, This Court will be going beyond the line that separates judicial from legislative domain if the Court directs reservation to be made under Section 7(1A) of the RP Act to be made in a particular manner. These are matters to be factored in by the Parliament. Leaving it for the Parliament to pass necessary legislation in this regard, the Court added, Parliament while deciding extent of reservation for communities designed as STs will be legitimately entitled to bear in mind the need to preserve social fabric of the state.

The Court further clarified that its decision will not impact elections scheduled for Parliament or states as it said, We clarify that this judgment shall not be construed as interfering with election schedule either to the Parliament or the legislative assembly as need to hold elections is an overarching constitutional mandate.

According to EC, as per 2001 census, the ST population in Sikkim is 1.11 lakh which is approximately 20% of the states total population of over 5.4 lakh. The petitioners claimed that Limboo and Tamang constitute a significant number in the state, almost 13%, and should not be deprived of proportional representation.

The West Bengal government represented by senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi had said that the state was open to give additional seat to STs if they deserve but claimed that the determination has to be by Parliament as it required amendment to the RP Act. The state claimed that as per the last delimitation exercise carried out in the state in 2011, ST population was estimated at over 52.92 lakh, forming 5.8% of the states population. Based on this, 16 out of 294 seats are reserved for STs in Assembly and 2 out of 42 seats in Lok Sabha.
The community here wants to see Pilot as the next chief minister after the 2018 "betrayal" by the Congress which picked Ashok Gehlot over him. While some people want to switch loyalties to the BJP over this, others say only the Congress can make Pilot the CM. HT Image

In Alwar district, there are about 1.5 lakh people who belong to the Gurjar community amongst the estimated 40 lakh people's population.

A total of 35 Assembly constituencies out of the 200 in the state are considered to be Gurjar-dominated.

Rajasthan goes to polls on November 25 and the results will be declared on December 3.

Speaking to PTI, local resident Amar Singh Gurjar said while the community is upset about Pilot not getting the chief minister's seat, it will not have an impact on their decision to vote for the Congress.

We understand that if Pilot has to be the CM, only Congress can make that happen and not the BJP, Gurjar told PTI.

He said the people of the Gurjar community voted for Congress only because they thought Sachin Pilot would be the Chief Minister of Rajasthan.

"If the Congress gets the majority this time, we would want Pilot to be the CM, he said.

He said the Gurjar community in Alwar will cast their votes based on the developmental work done by the Congress.

He (Sachin Pilot) is the face of the youth; he is the leader of this new generation. The Gurjar community is not upset. the media reports are all fake. We also look at the development and work done by leaders and we will cast our votes based on that, he claimed.

Recently, BJP MP Kirodi Lal Meena claimed that the Gurjar community in Rajasthan has made a ghar wapsi" (homecoming) to the BJP as its big leader Pilot was betrayed by the Congress and not made the chief minister.

Another Alwar resident and a Gurjar, Sanjay Chavdi, said despite being promised, Pilot was not made the CM which was a betrayal. Therefore, a considerable number of votes will go to the BJP.

Five years ago, the Gurjar community was assured that Sachin Pilot would be made the CM and the whole community came together to cast vote for the Congress," Chavdi told PTI.

"It was Pilot who revived the party in Rajasthan but despite that, he wasn't given the CM's seat. It was nothing but betrayal. I feel this factor will go against the Congress and a lot of votes from our community will go to the BJP, he said.

Nihal Singh Gurjar said the Pilot issue is an emotional one for the community, but the people will vote for the candidate who will work for them.

Gurjar community sees Sachin Pilot as their leader and no one else. However, we will cast our votes on the basis of who has the capacity to work for us here," he said.

"If we face any local problem, Sachin Pilot won't come to resolve it, the local leader will," he added. Alwar (rural) BJP candidate Jairam Jatav has claimed that 95 per cent of the Gurjars will vote for the BJP as they are feeling "betrayed" by the ruling party while Congress candidate Tikaram Jully exuded confidence in getting the community's support, saying only the Congress has the capacity to make Pilot the CM.

The Congress sought votes from the Gurjars in the last elections assuring that Pilot will get the CM's seat, hence they are upset. They are also upset about the rift between Pilot and Gehlot," Jatav said.

"We believe only 5 to 10 per cent of votes might go to the Congress this time, the rest of the votes will come to the BJP. There are 30 to 35 seats with a Gurjar-dominated population and all of them will go to BJP this time, he added.

Refuting the claims, Jully said the Gurjars are not upset with the Congress and understand that Pilot and Gehlot are fighting the elections together.

"It is not true that the people of the Gurjar community are upset with the Congress. They know Sachin Pilot and Ashok Gehlot will stick to the Congress and that both of them are fighting the elections together," Jully said.

"Every community has their own sentiments and if the Gurjar community wants Sachin to be the CM, only the Congress can make that happen. They won't vote for the BJP if they expect him to be the CM, Jully claimed.

The Congress candidate alleged that the BJP was against the Gurjar community.

The BJP is completely against the Gurjars, they have tortured people of that community. Some people are trying to create a rift between Pilot and Gehlot and the BJP wants to make this an election issue. I want to ask the BJP, will they make Pilot the CM of the state? Jully said.
Jammu: A commander of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, who masterminded the Dhangri and Kandi terror attacks, was killed along with his associate, while the Indian Army lost one more soldier on Thursday in the dense jungles of Kalakote in Rajouri district during an encounter that saw two army officers and two soldiers laying down their lives in the line of duty on Wednesday, officials said. Security personnel standing guard during an encounter with terrorists in the Baji Maal area of Rajouri district on Thursday (PTI)

The LeT commander, who was a Pakistani national, was an expert sniper and well-trained in guerrilla warfare besides in handling IEDs. Kandi terror attacks

A top LeT commander identified as Quari, the mastermind behind Dhangri and , along with his associate was killed in the Baajimal-Kalakote area on Thursday during an encounter with the security forces, said a police spokesperson.

The Dhangri attack on January 1 and 2 had left seven members of the Hindu community dead. On May 5, at least five soldiers were killed in an attack during an encounter inside Kandi forest in Rajouri.

The slain terrorist was sent to revive terrorism in the region and he was an expert IEDs, operating and hiding in caves (guerilla warfare) and a trained sniper, said the spokesperson.

Incriminating material including arms and ammunition were recovered from his possession.

During further searches, Quaris associate was also killed. The dead bodies of both the terrorists have also been retrieved and taken for further medico- legal formalities, he added.

The area is being thoroughly searched to check for any other suspicious article, support structure etc.

One more soldier was killed in action on Thursday taking the armys toll to five, said officials.

The five have been identified as Captain MV Pranjal of Mangalore in Karnataka, Captain Shubham Gupta of Agra in UP, Havaldar Abdul Majid of Ajote in Poonch, Lance Naik Sanjay Bisht of Halli Padli in Uttarakhands Nainital, and paratrooper Sachin Laur of Nagaliya Giurola from UPs Aligarh.

The two terrorists in Kalakote were first seen in the house of a late religious leader on Sunday asking for food, an official who did not wish to be named said.

The two terrorists including Quari had visited the house on Sunday where they were seen talking to women for food. A video had also gone viral, said the person.

On Tuesday, the terrorists also beat up a nomad Sarfaraz Ahmed in the Bajimaal area after he denied food to them. It was Sarfaraz who tipped off the security forces about the fleeing terrorists.

While security forces were busy laying cordon around the suspected area, terrorists, who by then were well entrenched atop hills in Solki, had opened heavy fire from their automatic weapons that took a heavy toll on our officers and soldiers, said sources.

It may be stated here that the army lost two captains, a havaldar and a lance naik on Wednesday.

Last week, a terrorist was killed in an encounter with security forces in forest area of Budhal in Rajouri district.

On September 12 and 13, security forces had gunned two terrorists in Narla area of Rajouri district.

On September 11, Northern Army commander Lt General Dwivedi had informed at the North Tech Symposium that nearly 200 terrorists were waiting across the LoC in Pakistan.

They are waiting to infiltrate but our alert troops are deployed at the borders and we are trying to eliminate them there itself, he had said.

Terror cases in Rajouri and Poonch

Since January this year, two border districts of Rajouri and Poonch, south of Pir Panja range, have witnessed a spike in terrorism.

January 1:

Seven civilians of Hindu community, two of them minors, were killed in firing and IED blast triggered by two armed terrorists at village Dhangri in Rajouri district.

April 20:

Five soldiers travelling in a truck were ambushed in Tota Gali in Poonch. PAFF had released a purported video showing terrorists with body cameras shooting the soldiers.

May 5 ;

Five commandos of the Para special forces were killed in an IED blast triggered by terrorists at Kandi forests in Rajouri.

July 18:

Four Pakistani terrorists were eliminated by army at Sindhara Top in Surankote tehsil of Poonch.

August 11, 2022:

Five Army jawans killed and two fidayeens eliminated during a terror attack on Army camp at Pargal in Darhal of Rajouri.

December 18, 2022:

Two civilians killed in an attack outside Alpha Gate in Rajouri.

October 11, 2021:

Five soldiers including a JCO killed in an encounter with terrorists at Chamrer forests in Surankote tehsil of Poonch district.

*October 16, 2021:

Four soldiers including a JCO killed by terrorists in Bhatta Durrian forests in Mendhar tehsil of Poonch.
Aizawl Fresh air strikes by the Myanmars military forces against anti-Junta rebels are leading to the influx of more refugees into India  now on the southern side of Mizoram from the porous international border  according to officials in the state aware of the matter. At least 90 new Myanmar nationals crossed the Mizoram borders over the last two days, say officials. (ANI)

The civil administration said on Wednesday evening that it has recorded at least 90 new Myanmar nationals who crossed over to Mizorams Laki and Kakichua areas over the last two days after their villages were bombed by the Myanmar military in the Lailenpi area across the border.

Myanmar nationals are allowed to cross the 496.5km porous border with Mizoram, and travel up to 16km within the state under the Free Movement Regime. Most people living in the border villages in Myanmar are from Kuki-Chin-Zo tribes, and share ethnic ties with residents on the Indian side of the border.

While new refugees were streaming into north Mizoram since the fighting between the ruling Junta and the rebel forces intensified in Myanmar on October 27, this is the first time in the past two weeks that the southern district of Saiha received refugees who had lost their homes.

In all, government estimates suggest over 30,000 refugees from Myanmar are living in parts of northern Mizoram -- at least 20000 in the biggest Aizawl district, and about 10,000 near the northern town of Champai  since the 2021 military coup in Myanmar. About 5,000 more have arrived after November 11 and 12 but several of them have also since returned.

There were 40 refugees who crossed from Laipenpi to the southern side of Mizoram between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. The number may have increased. We are allowing civilians who are unarmed and not carrying any prohibited item. Some said their homes were destroyed in the air strikes on Tuesday. Others said they fled for their lives for safety reasons. They are housed at the refugee centre and are being taken care of by the NGOs and civil administration, an Assam Rifles officer, who asked not to be named, said.

Earlier this month, rebel groups in Myanmar, such as Peoples Defence Force, Chinland Defence Force and Chin National Army, took over military posts in the border areas. In response, the Myanmar army bombed the areas on Myanmar side, resulting in thousands of villagers losing their homes and fleeing to India.

Not only civilians but 74 army personnel also fled to Mizoram at two border police posts after their military bases were taken over by anti-military forces. Assam Rifles in coordination with other security forces airlifted them to Moreh(Manipur) and handed them over to the Myanmar army authorities at the India-Myanmar border in Moreh.

Lalthiamsang Sailo, joint secretary(home) confirmed Wednesdays latest entry of Myanmar nationals on the southern part of the state. The number of refugees in south Myanmar is around 90. They will return soon. Of the recent 5,000 people who had crossed over to Champhai in the last two weeks, nearly two-thirds have already returned home. These people realised that their villages in Myanmar are no longer controlled by the Myanmar army but the groups fighting against the army, so they found it safe to return.

Sailo said that since 2021, the 30,000-odd Myanmar nationals who came into India have spread across the state. Many have taken jobs in Mizoram hotels, shops, markets, or are engaged in small-time jobs. Some are also living with their relatives because many people from there are married to Mizoram residents.

While Sailo said that many refugees who came to India recently are returning, its hard to keep track of the numbers. At least three dozen refugees are also still admitted to hospitals in Champhai and Aizawl after sustaining injuries during the fighting.

Meanwhile, Ruatpuia, an officer-bearer of the Central Young Lai Association(CYLA)  the civil society works with refugees in southern districts of Mizoram  said,We heard about the fresh influx of refugees in Siaha. Our association is reaching out to them.

The turmoil comes at a time when Mizoram faces assembly elections  the state went to the polls on November 7, and the results will be announced on December 3 along with four other states.
New Delhi A judgment is an opinion that can always change in future because judges also have a duty to keep thinking and evolving, the Supreme Court said on Wednesday as it set the ball rolling on the reconsideration of its July 2022 verdict that had affirmed a spate of contentious provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The Supreme Court of India. (ANI)

A bench, headed by justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, brushed aside the Centres protest against hearing the matter without first examining the latters objections to the manner in which the petitioners reportedly sought to rake up the legal points already settled by the 2022 verdict.

Its not fair not to allow the court to proceed. Let the petitioners open the case and we will then see what is to be done, the bench, also comprising justices Sanjiv Khanna and Bela M Trivedi, told solicitor general (SG) Tushar Mehta, who appeared for the Centre.

READ | Top court special bench to review its 2022 PMLA judgment on Oct 18

Mehta and additional solicitor general (ASG) SV Raju, who was representing the Enforcement Directorate (ED), maintained that the court must not allow the petitioners to argue beyond their challenge to sections 50 and 63 of PMLA, which pertain to EDs power to summon witnesses, extract confessions, and press for punishment for giving false information. The law officers added that the three-judge bench cannot reconsider the courts earlier verdict in the Vijay Madanlal Chaudhary case, which was also decided by a three-judge bench in 2022.

But the bench was of the view that these submissions cannot stall the proceedings before it at the threshold. The limited ambit of this bench is to see whether there is a need to send it to a bench of five judges... whether we feel this is a matter that needs to be referred to the larger bench. This is not something new or being considered for the first time, it told Mehta.

The SG, however, urged the bench to first examine the preliminary objections that the Centre and ED had to the maintainability of the plea as well as the amendments in the petitions proposed by the petitioners that, Mehta claimed, tried to expand the scope of the proceedings before the court.

To this, the bench reiterated that it is completely mindful of the limited remit of the current proceedings. We think the contours of these proceedings would be whether a legal point arrived at by a three-judge bench has to be referred to a larger bench of five. Beyond that, we dont have any ambit. Thats the only scope of these proceedings as we see it. And this has been a practice of this court, it added.

While the SG pressed on the finality of the issue by contending that more than a hundred petitions were argued for 25 days before the judgement in Vijay Madanlal Chaudhary was delivered, the court responded that the PMLA case was not different from any other batch of petitions where parties approach courts despite a judgment in a related case.

The duty of a legal system is that you (judges) keep thinking... evolving. A judgment is just an opinion after all. I may think about it a certain way at one point of time, but that view is open to be changed in future, justice Kaul told Mehta.

More than a year after it affirmed controversial provisions of PMLA, the court is presently examining the correctness of its July 2022 judgment to review if a person being arrested can be denied a copy of the Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR), and whether the law can ascribe presumption of guilt on an accused as against the presumption of innocence. These two issues were flagged by the court on August 25, 2022, when it agreed to consider reviewing the previous judgment.

During the hearings in September and October, the court said that it may refer the matter to a larger bench of five judges if it reached a conclusion that the July 2022 verdict needs a re-look. To be sure, if the matter goes to a five-judge bench, the entire judgment and not just the two issues flagged in the first order of review can be reconsidered by the larger bench.

Opening the arguments on behalf of the petitioners, senior counsel Kapil Sibal on Wednesday argued that the issues being raised by them are fundamental to the rule of law and that the whole issue needs to be re-examined by a larger bench of five judges.

The first question to decide is whether its a penal statute or not. Then, the court should decide how an enquiry and an investigation be considered the same thing, as has been held in the previous judgment. ED is today an unruly horse. It can go anywhere. It doesnt need to tell you whether you are an accused or a witness and arrest you for anything, he argued.

Sibal maintained that he was focussing on the way the previous bench interpreted the PMLA provisions, which has resulted in not only affecting the rights of individuals but also the polity of the country where the Opposition leaders are being targeted with ED investigations.

The proceedings also witnessed the SG and Sibal getting embroiled in a verbal duel. Mehta said that the PMLA proceedings have become a lucrative business for some of the lawyers appearing in the matter while he directly attacked Sibal for giving interviews in the media criticising the money-laundering Act. Retorting, Sibal called Mehtas submissions appalling and added that his remuneration is less than what the SG earns.

The confrontation between the two senior counsel prompted the bench to interfere. Its a law point both of you are arguing. It shouldnt be a personal issue. Everyone should not be on the touchy edge of everything. Both sides seem extra agitated. This should not happen, justice Kaul said. The bench will continue hearing the matter on Thursday.

The top court on August 25 issued notice to the Union government on the review petition filed by Congress MP Karti Chidambaram against the July 27, 2022, judgment. At the time, the court observed only the two issues relating to the supply of ECIR and the reverse onus of guilt on the accused would be reconsidered for the present and that the entire judgment was not up for review. An ECIR is the equivalent of an FIR in an ordinary criminal case.

The 2022 PMLA judgment affirmed the sweeping powers given to ED under the 2002 Act for summoning individuals, making arrests, conducting raids, and attaching properties of the suspects, saying that law enforcement agencies must be armed with an effective mechanism to safeguard the nations wealth from criminals.

The ruling came while dismissing a batch of over 200 petitions filed by several persons facing PMLA proceedings, including Karti Chidambaram, former J&K chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, and former Ranbaxy vice-chairman Shivinder Mohan Singh. The pleas alleged that the law gives unbridled and arbitrary powers to ED in the teeth of constitutional guarantees of right to liberty, property, and right against self-incrimination. But the top court, in July, held that it is imperative for the State to frame such a stringent law by grouping the PMLA offenders as a separate class from ordinary criminals.

The 2022 judgment further held that an ECIR does not have to be given to the accused since it is just an internal document of ED, and that informing a person about the grounds of arrest is sufficient. It affirmed PMLA provisions which invoke the principle of reverse burden of proof, in contrast to the cardinal common law principle of innocent until proven guilty. In all PMLA proceedings, including bail proceedings, the statute lays down that the court will presume an accused to be involved in money laundering unless proved contrary.

This judgment was criticised for a disquieting erosion of the safeguards to rights to life, liberty, property and against self-incrimination, especially at a time when a spate of ED raids and other actions against opposition leaders has mired the federal financial crime agency in allegations of politicisation.
New Delhi The Supreme Court on Wednesday hinted at referring a clutch of petitions questioning the validity of the sedition law prescribed under Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) directly to a Constitution bench of seven judges instead of first listing it before a five-judge bench. The Supreme Court. (HT PHOTO)

In September, the court said that the matter should be placed before the Chief Justice of India (CJI) on the administrative side for setting up a Constitution bench with appropriate strength of judges, even as it rejected the Union governments request to defer scrutinising the penal provision because a new law on the subject was in the pipeline.

A proposed law, which was introduced by the Centre in the Lok Sabha on August 11 and was subsequently referred to a parliamentary panel, has effectively retained sedition as a crime under a different name and with an expansive definition. The home affairs panel, in its report that was adopted earlier this month, approved of the new provisions, stating it compliments the government in deleting the term sedition from criminal law by rephrasing it without compromising the security of the State. The new law is likely to be passed in the upcoming winter session of Parliament.

On Tuesday, when the case came up before the bench, comprising CJI Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud and justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, it was pointed out that the issue ought to be referred to a seven-judge bench since a previous judgment that had affirmed the legality of Section 124A was delivered by a five-judge bench. A 1962 judgment by a five-judge bench in Kedarnath Singh vs State of Bihar had upheld Section 124A. To be sure, only a larger bench can review or overrule a previous judgment.

We are pressing for a seven-judge bench as this would require reconsidering the decision in the Kedarnath case, senior counsel Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for one of the petitioners in the matter, submitted. He added that if the case were to first come up before a five-judge bench, the decision by another five-judge bench in 1962 would again come up as a preliminary issue.

Agreeing with Sankaranarayanans submissions, the CJI said that he would pass suitable orders regarding constitution of a proper bench. I will pass that order... there wont be any fruit in forming another five-judge bench, said justice Chandrachud, fixing the hearing of the case in January.

While referring the matter to a larger bench on September 12, the three-judge bench highlighted that the evolution of law and the manner of interpretations of constitutional rights since the 1962 judgment warranted a re-look at the Kedarnath Singh verdict.

At the outset, it needs to be noted that at the time when the Constitution bench ruled on the validity of the provision, the challenge on the ground that section 124A violated articles of Constitution was tested on the anvil of only that article (Article 19 that protects free speech). There was no challenge that 124A violated Article 14 (equality) or Article 21 (liberty), nor did the constitution bench have the occasion to look into this issue, recorded the court in its order on the day.

Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code (sedition law)  a cognisable and a non-bailable offence punishable with life sentence or a jail term up to three years, and one that rights activists and several jurists have alleged is often misused employed by the State to stifle protest and dissent -- is currently on hold due to a continuing interim order of the Supreme Court passed on May 11, 2022.

The September decision by the apex court came almost a month after the Centre introduced a bill in the Lok Sabha, indicating that sedition will continue to be a crime under the proposed law, albeit under a different name and definition, with the punishment for the offence being increased.

While the bill was referred to a parliamentary panel for further examination, an analysis of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Bill, 2023 suggests that the sedition offence has been retained under the proposed law with a new nomenclature and a more expansive definition of what will constitute acts endangering sovereignty, unity and integrity of India, even as it removes the words disaffection towards the government established by law in India from the old Section 124A of IPC.

The new provision, inducted as Section 150 of the bill, is more specific than the old one and directly targets secessionism, separatism, and a call for armed rebellion -- without using the words contempt or hatred against the government of India (as is under Section 124A), it leaves ample room for interpretation by neither incorporating the test of incitement to violence in the proposed provision nor connecting the act to public order.

The proposed Section 150 continues to criminalise any act that excites or attempts to excite secessionist activities or encourages feelings of separatist activities instead of making incitement to violence or disruption to public order a condition precedent to invoke the charges. Additionally, Section 150 in the 2023 bill penalises a person who indulges in or commits any such act, vesting with law enforcement agencies a greater discretion to decide what can be brought within the fold of an act endangering sovereignty, unity and integrity of India for the purposes of slapping the charges.

Another key change in the draft Section 150 of the bill is to remove an old provision which allowed a person convicted of sedition to get away only with a fine. Section 150 of the bill prescribes imprisonment for life or with imprisonment which may extend to seven years (three years under 124A), in addition to fine, as punishment.

During the proceedings on September 12, attorney general R Venkataramani and solicitor general Tushar Mehta urged the bench to defer considering whether a reference should be made to a larger bench as Parliament was in the process of re-enacting the provisions of the penal code.

The court, however, rejected the Centres plea, holding that pendency of a proposed law cannot become a reason to postpone examining a live challenge to Section 124A, which, it noted, remains on the statute book as on date and that the prosecutions under the said provision will continue for those already booked under it even if a new law is notified in future.

In its June report, the Law Commission recommended that the 153-year-old colonial law on sedition be retained, insisting that repealing the legal provision can have serious adverse ramifications for the security and integrity of the country. It favoured amending Section 124A so as to bring about more clarity in the interpretation, understanding and usage of the provision.

The commission said the sedition law, which carries a maximum punishment of life imprisonment or a punishment of three years, should be amended to enhance the alternative punishment to seven years, calling for giving the courts greater room to award punishment for a case of sedition in accordance with the scale and gravity of the act.
Senior Samajwadi Party leaders on Wednesday exhorted party workers to strive hard and make party president Akhilesh Yadav Indias next prime minister. Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav with party leaders Ram Gopal Yadav and Shivpal Singh Yadav in Etawah on Wednesday. (PTI)

The leaders had assembled at party founder Mulayam Singh Yadavs village, Safai, in Etawah district, to mark his birth anniversary.

The Samajwadi Party wished to make Mulayam Singh Yadav the prime minister but our ambition remained unfulfilled. We should unite to fulfil the dream by making Akhilesh Yadav the prime minister, party national general secretary Shivpal Singh Yadav said.

If you decide (to make Akhilesh PM) on Netajis (as Mulayam is popularly known) birthday, then Akhilesh Yadav will definitely be able to fulfil our dream. Everyone who is here should decide, the SP leader added.

Party leaders and workers should strive to bag the maximum possible seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and make Akhilesh the next prime minister of the country, party national vice-president Kiranmoy Nanda said. htc
Bengaluru: Differences have surfaced within the Congress in Karnataka on the 2015 socio-economic survey, commonly referred to as the caste survey, with chief minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar issuing conflicting statements on the release of the survey report. Deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar has signed a letter written by Vokkaliga leaders from the Bharatiya Janata Party and Janata Dal (Secular) urging the Siddaramaiah government to reject the caste survey report. (PTI)

Shivakumar has advocated for a re-conduct of the caste survey, calling it unscientific. Though the party had pledged to accept the census data, Shivakumar aligned himself with Vokkaliga leaders from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal (Secular) as co-signatories in a letter urging the government to reject the report.

Contrary to Shivakumars stance, Siddaramaiah said the government will accept the report and has directed the Other Backward Classes Commission (OBC) to submit it before January.

We have spent 162 crore; we have to take the report. We will have to see whether the doubts they (Vokkaligas) have are in the report or not. I have not seen the report. If I have not seen it, then how can anyone else see it? asked Siddaramaiah.

He informed reporters that Jayaprakash Hegde, the OBC Commission chairman, assured him that the report would be submitted in December. Jayaprakash Hegde (OBC Commission chairman) had met me. He told me that he will submit the report in December. I told him that we will extend his tenure till he submits the report. I have asked him to submit it before January, the CM said.

Hours earlier, a letter written on November 15 by Vokkaligara Sangha, endorsed by three ministers and 10 MLAs, including Shivakumar, was made public, amidst a tweet by Siddaramaiah confirming his party would accept the report.

I fully agree with our proud leader Rahul Gandhis stand. I feel that the countrys independence will be meaningful only when the caste census is conducted across the country and based on its report, equal share for all - equal rights for all, Siddaramaiah posted X on Wednesday. Accepting the report of the Economic, Social and Educational Survey conducted by our previous government, my resolve to do justice to the disadvantaged communities is unwavering, the post added.

Shivakumar, a Vokkaliga, justified his signature on the petition, saying, Politics is different. We want our communitys self-respect to be protected. MLAs and community leaders feel that the survey wasnt done properly. It must be done scientifically.

Shivakumar said several communities have carried out agitations seeking benefits based on population. STs, Panchamasali Lingayats, Veerashaivas, the SC (Left)...all of them want to protect their communities. Likewise, Vokkaligas are also fighting, he said.

The 17-page letter from the Vokkaligara Sangha listed various reasons for considering the caste survey unscientific. The survey is incomplete because the report says that they have visited 5.4 crore people across Karnataka. According to Aadhaar numbers available, there are 6.9 crore people in the state, so the report evidently is not complete. If the government accepts this report, it will be an injustice to the Vokkaliga community, the letter reads.

Those doing the survey have not visited all the houses but have instead fabricated details and numbers, it further alleges.

When asked about Shivakumars opposition to the report, the CM said that there was no discussion regarding it between the two. DyCM has never spoken with me on this. Vokkaliga Sangha leaders had met me and submitted a request. Once I receive the report, I will consider their request, the CM added.

The groundwork for the caste census was laid during Siddaramaiahs initial tenure as chief minister, involving an extensive 2015 survey costing 162 crore. Although Siddaramaiah announced his acceptance of the report in June, its contents and release date remain undisclosed.

The leaked data indicated that Scheduled Castes (SCs) accounted for 19.5% of the states total population, followed by Muslims at 16%. Lingayats and Vokkaligas represented 14% and 11% of the population, respectively. Within the Other Backward Classes (OBCs), the Kuruba community alone comprised 7% of Karnatakas population, contributing to the OBCs overall representation of 20% in the state.

Collectively, these groups, including SCs, STs, Muslims, and Kurubas, formed a substantial portion of the population at 47.5%. The political implications of these findings could significantly impact the states political landscape, according to federations of marginalised sections.
The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to consider on November 28 a bundle of petition seeking a reconsideration of its October 17 judgment that had refused to grant legal recognition to same-sex couples and said only Parliament and state legislatures can validate their marital unions. The top courts ruling unanimously held that the right to marry was not a fundamental right. (HT file photo)

Senior counsel Mukul Rohatgi mentioned the matter before Chief Justice of India Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud, requesting the CJI to ensure that the review petition comes up for consideration before five judges on November 28  the tentative date assigned by the court registry.

Several other lawyers, who had earlier appeared in the matter, were also in attendance when Rohatgi made the request.

We have also sought an open court hearing. It is tentatively listed on November 28. Let it not be deleted. Apart from this, majority or minority, both views have held that there is a discrimination (against LGBTQ+ couples). If there is discrimination, there also has to be a remedy. This is why we have pressed for an open court hearing, Rohatgi submitted.

Also Read:Same-sex marriages exist despite prejudice

Responding, the CJI said that he was still to go through the review petitions and that the lawyers plea for an open court hearing would be considered appropriately.

A review petition comes up before the same composition of judges through circulation in their chambers and is mostly decided without an open court hearing. However, if the judges find some merit in the review plea, they can allow an open court hearing and oral arguments.

Of the five judges on the same-sex marriage bench, justice S Ravindra Bhat retired on October 20, which means the CJI will have to add a new judge to the bench for considering the review petitions. It is for the CJI, as the master of the roster, to assign a date for considering the review plea inside judges chambers.

By a 3-2 majority, the October 17 judgment had refused to accord legal sanction to same-sex marriage, and also declined to grant constitutional protection to civil unions and adoption rights for queer couples, noting that mandating the State to grant recognition or legal status to some unions will violate the doctrine of separation of powers and could lead to unforeseeable consequences.

While CJI Chandrachud and justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul ruled in favour of recognition of civil unions  considered the world over as the first step towards granting full marriage equality  and adoption rights, justices Bhat, Hima Kohli and PS Narasimha held that right to a civil union cannot be assigned the status of a constitutionally protected right when the right to marry has not been given the same status.

Udit Sood, a US-based lawyer who was among the 52 petitioners seeking marriage equality in India, filed the first review petition in the matter on November 1, complaining that the majority judgment of the court was manifestly unjust and self-contradictory in not protecting the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community despite acknowledging its travails.

The majority ruling is self-contradictory, facially erroneous and deeply unjust. The majority found that queer Indians endure severe discrimination at the hands of the State, declared that discrimination must be prohibited, and then did not take the logical next step of enjoining the discrimination, Sood said in his petition filed through Karanjawala & Co.

In his petition, Sood picked out parts of the judgment authored by justice Bhat, complaining that though the judgment extensively wrote on unjust discriminatory consequences and violation of the fundamental rights of the LGBTQ+ community, it failed to take the logical next step of prohibiting the discrimination.

Terming the contradiction an error apparent on the face of the record, Sood said that it was nothing short of abdication of the duty by the Supreme Court to not correct a wrong after having acknowledged it.

Our Constitution primarily tasks this Honble court  not the respondents (Centre)  with upholding fundamental rights. To find that the petitioners are enduring discrimination, but then turn them away with best wishes for the future, conforms neither with this Honble courts constitutional obligation towards queer Indians nor with the separation of power contemplated in our Constitution , said his petition, disputing the majority view that the government should take appropriate steps to remove the stigma of discrimination and protect queer couples.

Almost a week later, Supriya Chakravarty and Abhay Dang also moved the top court seeking a review of the October 17 judgment. They argued that constitutional courts are empowered to review statutory law to ensure its conformity with constitutional values and that such courts do not need to wait for the legislature to enact or amend laws to recognise same-sex marriage.

There is a right to a relationship, a right to union, and a right to civil union under the Constitution, yet the majority decision fails to secure any legal status for such rights..The bench unanimously finds that the exclusion of queer couples from the existing statutory regime is discriminatory, yet the majority decision grants no relief, complained the petition.

The top courts ruling on October 17 unanimously held that the right to marry was not a fundamental right, and that it was beyond the remit of courts to issue a positive direction to the legislature to characterise same-sex marriages and queer relationships through a new instrument of law.

The judgments  separately authored by the CJI, and justices Kaul, Bhat and Narasimha  also refused to annul or read down the provisions of the Special Marriage Act (SMA) to include non-heterosexual couples within its fold.

The judges, however, were divided in deciding how far a court can go despite acknowledging that queerness is not an urban, elitist concept and required the State to ascertain protection to such couples.

While the CJI and justice Kaul maintained that the right to enter into a union by queer couples is a constitutionally protected right and that the State has an obligation to recognise such civil unions and grant them benefit under law, including adoption rights, the other three judges overruled this view.
Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], November 23 (ANI): Reacting to Telangana Chief Minister and BRS chief K Chandrashekar Rao's statement on Indira Gandhi, Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge taking to his official account on 'X' (formerly Twitter), said on Thursday that people will never forgive for heaping insults on former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. HT Image

"An arrogant KCR, drunk on power, has heaped insults on Smt. Indira Gandhi. The people of Telangana will never, ever forgive him for that. Indiramma Rajyam means justice, welfare and development, and the Congress party is strongly committed to it," said Kharge in a post on 'X'.

Earlier during the week, KCR made a scathing attack at the Congress recalling the former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's regime and said "Why do we need that regime when nothing good happened during that period."

Addressing a public gathering at Wyra, Khannam district, KCR said "Congress leaders are saying if Congress comes to power, they will bring Indirama (Indira Gandhi) regime. Why do we need that regime? Did any good happen during that? Poor were left as poor, and SC and STs have been used as vote banks. If they had done good this wouldn't have been the situation of Dalits and Girijans."

Reacting to the remarks made by KCR, Mallikarjung responded in a post on X this morning. Kharge, in his post, also shared a video from his recent public meeting at Nalgonda where he lashed out at KCR over his comments against the Congress party's promise to bring back 'Indiramma Rajyam'.

Adressing the public meeting, Kharge said, "KCR is abusing Indira Gandhi and he says that poverty came because of Indira Gandhi and that she did nothing for the poor. This is what KCR says about Indira Gandhi who liberated Bangladesh by fighting with Pakistan and today even Bangladesh is happy."

"When Indira Gandhi became PM, there was a huge grain crisis in the country, in 1966 she imported 100 lakh tons of grains so that people did not die of hunger. After 1966, by calling a meeting of all the CMs, she started the green revolution and so much grain was produced that all the godowns we have today are filled to the brim," added Kharge.

He further lauded the former Indian Prime Minister for getting two and a half lakh new borewells established in the country and in turn achieving the production of eleven crore tonnes of food grains after which the import of food grains was stopped.

"And today that is why Congress wants to establish 'Indiramma Rajyam'. Indramma Rajyam means that the farmer should become prosperous, he should get the facility of irrigation, he should get the right amount for his crops, houses for the poor to live in, tribals should get their water, rights on jungle land etc." said Kharge.

The ruling Bharat Rasthtra Samithi, Congress and BJP are the main contestants in the November 30 assembly polls in the state.

The counting of votes, along with four other poll-bound states, will take place on December 3. (ANI)
There was hope of an immediate breakthrough at the site of a tunnel collapse in Silkyara as the drilling to reach the trapped workers resumed around 10am on Thursday morning, after a 14-hour-long halt due to a metal object in the debris damaging the blades of the drilling machine. Rescue operation underway at the site of a tunnel collapse in Uttarkashi on Thursday. (PTI)

The drilling was put on hold around 1pm after the platform on which the equipment was mounted was destablised. The rescue workers will stabilise the platform on which the 25-tonne auger machine is mounted before drilling is resumed, likely early on Friday.

This means it is possible that the rescued workers may finally walk out of the tunnel the same day, officials at the site said.

The platform of the drilling machine got destabilised while piercing through rock debris, and technicians need to fix it before the rescue operation can resume, Kirti Panwar, a spokesperson for the Uttarakhand government, was quoted as saying by AP.

Locals bring 'doli' of local deity to Uttarkashi tunnel collapse site. Watch

The 41 men have been stranded inside a 2km stretch of the 4.5km Silkyara-Barkot tunnel on the National Highway in Uttarkashi district since November 12, when a portion of the under-construction tunnel collapsed. In the 12 days since, there have been multiple attempts to engineer methods to evacuate the workers, including the use of an American auger machine to drill through close to 60 metres of debris from the Silkyara end.

Till 7.30pm on Wednesday, the rescuers had only 18 metres of the debris left to drill through, when the augur machine hit an iron girder. While the obstacle was addressed overnight, and drilling restarted at 10am on Thursday, another obstacle blocked the progress at around 1pm.

We need a lot of time in these things and such was the case last night that the drilling machine identified a girder and then resources were used to bring the auger out and bring in oxyacetylene torches to cut the girder and these are time-consuming things and cannot happen within a given time frame. This is an arduous task, said National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) member Lt General Syed Ata Hasnain told reporters in Delhi.

READ | Uttarakhand: First video of workers stuck inside collapsed Uttarkashi tunnel surfaces after major breakthrough

Giving details of the overnight delay, Uttarakhand government secretary Neeraj Khairwal said that the entire drilling machine had to be pulled out and realigned, and the iron girder blocking its path cut by experts.

To cut the girder, we withdrew the machine and that took more than two hours. Our experts, including those from NDRF, tried to solve the issue by cutting the metal girder with the gas cutter but failed. At around 1.30am, experts from the Trenchless Engineering Services Private Limited were called and they cut the metal girder with the support system of NDRF, Khariwal said.

Hasnain added that there was no fixed timeline for the rescue operation. But, he said, If no hindrance comes in the way and the auger machine continues to function at its speed of 4-5 metres per hour, then I can say that maybe tomorrow during the day, you can receive the good news.

The rescuers, however, have only been able to drill through 1.8 metres in the last 24 hours.

Officials were earlier looking at the possibility of the multi-agency operation ending during the night.

Former advisor at the Prime Ministers Office Bhaskar Khulbe, who was at the site as special officer of the Uttarakhand government, said early in the morning that it would take 14 to 15 hours of drilling to insert the steel pipes through the debris.

READ | Major 'breakthrough' in Uttarkashi tunnel rescue operation; DRDO sends robots

The welding (of the pipes) is now underway. We will now fit the 6-metre pipe post 45-metre pipe passage and push the pipe using auger machine, Khulbe told reporters at around 11am.

Section-by-section a steel pipe is being pushed through the rubble as the auger machine drills. Once the chute emerges from the other end, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) men will enter it to help bring out the trapped workers one by one. The workers would lie on low-height wheeled stretchers that will be pulled out of the horizontal chute using ropes.

We have been taking all precautions. An expert team has come to check the vibrations to ensure safety norms at the time, Khulbe said. The rescuers are in constant communication with trapped workers and they are in high spirit, he said.

The mountainous terrain in Uttarakhand has proved a challenge to the drilling machine, which broke down as rescuers attempted to dig horizontally toward the trapped workers. The machines high-intensity vibrations also caused more debris to fall.

The trapped workers are being sent food, medicines and other essentials through a new six-inch wide tube, which is also being used for communication.

Union minister of state for road transport and highways VK Singh and NDRF director general Atul Karwal were at Silkyara Thursday to review the rescue effort.

Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami also arrived in Silkyara. We have come to around 45 metres. We are very close to you now, Dhami told the trapped workers through the communication system that uses the six-inch wide tube.

International tunnelling expert Arnold Dix said, It seems we have reached the door and knocking at it. We know people are at the other side of the door.

An official of the Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), speaking on the condition of anonymity said, Since we have reached over 46 metres, we have put our alternative plans, including vertical drilling and horizontal drilling from the other side, on hold.

The families of the trapped workers, meanwhile, grew restless.

They (rescuers) are on the verge of getting through to the other side of the debris, but I dont know when finally, I will be able to see him (Manjeet), said Chaudhary Lal, whose son Manjeet Lal is among the trapped workers.

I just leave the spot outside the tunnel to have my meals, otherwise I keep staring at the mouth of the tunnel. They may come out anytime soon, at least the rescuers have been saying this from yesterday, Lal, a resident of Kheri in Uttar Pradesh, said.

Jaimal Singh Negi, brother of trapped foreman Gabbar Singh Negi, echoed the sentiment. How long we should wait ... They (rescuers) have been pushing the deadline further with each passing hour, he said.

The drilling of 800 mm diameter pipes from the Silkyara end was earlier put on hold Friday afternoon when the American-made auger machine encountered a hard obstacle around the 22-metre mark, creating vibrations in the tunnel that caused safety concerns. The drilling resumed around midnight Tuesday and then there was the other, relatively minor, setback the next night.

When the workers come out, they will rushed in ambulances through a green corridor under police escort to a 41-bed special ward set up at the community health centre in Chinyalisaur in Uttarkashi district.

If needed, they will then be transferred to other medical facilities.
After making a breakthrough in rescue operation to reach the workers trapped inside the under-construction Silkyara tunnel by drilling 45 metres through the rubble, international tunnelling expert Arnold Dix on Thursday described how far away the rescuers are from hitting the end point. Dix is aiding the rescue process. Independent disaster investigator and President of the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association Arnold Dix(AFP)

At the moment, it's like we are there at the front door and we are knocking on it. We know that the guys are there on the other side. I am going to have a look and see what is happening," he said after reaching the tunnel site.

Former advisor to Prime Minister's Office Bhaskar Khulbe said the team of rescuers will take another 12 to 14 hours to complete the drilling process.

"It will take 12 to 14 hours more to complete the drilling and reach the workers. After that, it will take three more hours to take the workers out one by one and that will be done with the help of the NDRF," he said.

After the boring through around 45 metres into the tunnel, rescuers came across several hindrances, one of them being the US-based auger machine hit steel rods on Wednesday, which was removed. The next day, the drilling machine again faced another hurdle when an iron mesh came in the way. The rescue official removed that as well.

Meanwhile, all arrangements have been made to provide immediate medical care to the 41 trapped workers after they are evacuated, officials said.

Uttarkashi Superintendent of Police Arpan Yaduvanshi told news agency ANI that a green corridor has been built to escort the workers to Chinyalisaur where the makeshift hospiltal has been built.

Our post-rescue action plan is ready. We will take the workers with a police escort and make sure that the best possible treatment is provided to them. I think they will be taken to Chinyalisaur and then if necessary to Rishikesh, he said.

The workers have been trapped since November 12, when the under-construction tunnel from Silkyara to Barkot got blocked due to debris falling in a 60-meter stretch on the Silkyara side.

The operation to rescue 41 workers trapped inside a Uttarakhand tunnel for the past 11 days is in its critical phase.
Uttarkashi: A senior member of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Thursday warned the masses against putting pressure on the rescue teams with their expectations of a hasty rescue of the 41 workers trapped in a partially collapsed tunnel in Uttarkashi. Uttarkashi: Security and media personnel gather around a bonfire during the rescue operation of 41 workers trapped inside the Silkyara tunnel, in Uttarkashi.(PTI)

Lt General (retired) Syed Ata Hasnain, addressing a press conference, pointed out that the trapped workers and the rescuers are at equal risk and expecting the rescue operation to be completed in the next two hours exerts pressure on the latter. He said the pressure to complete the operation can potentially increase the risk.

"This is challenging work. To keep expecting that the rescue will be done in the next two hours, puts pressure on the workforce. This is wrong. In this situation, both the trapped workers and the rescue team are at risk. We have to take into consideration the safety of both sides," he said.

Uttarkashi rescue: Rescuers adopt five directional approach

The official, however, said the operation could be concluded in the next few hours or by tomorrow.

"Five-directional approach is being taken up. The main approach is the Silkyara approach. Since November 16, progress has been made, but there were some obstacles. On November 22, the operation resumed and is going on. The good news is that the workers are safe and they are in a 2-km long stretch inside the tunnel," he said.

Also read: '12-14 hours': Senior official gives time frame for Uttarakhand tunnel rescue operation

Uttarkashi: People stand beside houses near the Silkyara Tunnel during the rescue operation of trapped workers inside the tunnel.(PTI)

The Uttarkashi administration has arranged for 41 ambulances.

"There are 41 ambulances where 31 ambulances are of '108' while the other 10 have been provided by the administration. Out of 31, 7 are ALS, while others are BLS. ALS stands for Advanced Life Support, and BLS is Basic Life Support. 27 ambulances are here, and there are 5 ambulances near the tunnel. All the ambulances are well equipped, it's like a mini emergency," an official told ANI.

Meanwhile, former advisor to the prime minister's office, Bhaskar Khulbe told the media this morning that it would take around 15 hours to take the workers out of the tunnel.

Atul Karwal, head of the National Disaster Response Force, told reporters that the operation should be successful by the end of the day "if there are no obstacles, rocks or girders".

Also read: Uttarakhand tunnel rescue: Senior official says big news tonight or tomorrow

Dhami speaks with trapped workers

Meanwhile, Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami spoke with the trapped men and assured them an early rescue

"We are very close. You all have been very brave. Everyone is praying for you," Pushkar Singh Dhami, the state's chief minister, told Gabbar Singh Negi, one of those trapped, via a wired communication link.

With inputs from PTI, ANI, Reuters
With the last leg of the rescue mission in Uttarkashi Silkyara tunnel going on, it will take a few more hours  12-14 hours -- for the 41 men trapped for the last 11 days to finally see the light of day. The rescuers did not give any timeline as the drilling met a roadblock early on Thursday as an iron mesh came in the way of the US-made auger machine. The drilling resumed after the iron mesh was cut through. Uttarakhand tunnel rescue operation is likely to be wrapped up in a few more hours. (PTI)

What is happening at the Silkyara tunnel now?

Rescuers are laying the last 12 metres of the pipeline. It took six hours for the rescuers to remove the iron mesh. We're now on WhatsApp. Click to join.

"I am happy to tell you the entire steel that was obstructing the free movement of the pipe inside has now been removed. We are trying to move 6 metres ahead of the 45-metre mark that we have already reached. During drilling last night, an iron metal had come in, due to which the work was stopped. We hope that there will be no more obstructions in our way ahead," Former advisor to the Prime Minister's Office, Bhaskar Khulbe said.

Union Minister General VK Singh (Retd) reached the site at around 10.30am. Chief minister Pushkar Singh reached the spot to oversee the last leg of the major 12-day operation.

"At the moment, it's like we are there at the front door and we are knocking on it. We know that the guys are there on the other side," international tunnelling expert Arnold Dix told ANI.

NDRF personnel carried Oxygen cylinders at Uttarkashi's Silkyara tunnel to assist in the ongoing rescue operation.

What will happen after the 41 men are rescued?

The 41 men will be immediately provided with medical care.

Ambulances have already reached outside the tunnel. The moment they are rescued, they will be taken to the health centre through a green corridor.

A 41-bed ward has been created at the community health centre in Chinyalisaur. If necessary, they will be taken to Rishikesh.

A detailed medical examination of the workers will take place at the hospital.

Uttarkashi tunnel project: What happened from November 12?

On November 12, a part of the under-construction tunnel caved in trapping the 41 workers in a small area measuring 8.5 metres in height and 2 kilometres in length. Rescuing the workers meant drilling through the debris and placing pipes to make a safe passage for the trapped workers.

As agencies started rescue work, the US-made high-performance auger machine to drill through the debris was deployed on November 16. The US-made auger machine, which drills through about 3 metres of debris in an hour

Before November 16, the experts were trying with regular auger machines.

On November 17, the machine developed a snag and the drilling process was halted fearing more cave-ins.

On October 21, the rescuers inserted an endoscopic camera and the first footage of the trapped 41 men emerged on the 10th day of the operation.

On October 21, the trapped workers were provided with hot, cooked food for the first time.
New Delhi: The electronics and information technology ministry will release a clear, actionable plan to tackle deepfakes and misinformation in the next 10 days, Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Thursday after meeting social media companies, AI companies, industry body and res NASSCOMearchers. The government will also start drafting a new regulation to deal with deepfakes. The new legislation could be released through a new act, new rules or amendment to existing rules. (File photo)

The plan will have four pillars: detection of deepfakes and deep misinformation, prevention of detected deepfakes and misinformation by removing or reducing their vitality, strengthen the reporting mechanisms, and awareness.

The meeting highlighted the need for a new regulation, Vaishnaw said.

The new regulation, irrespective of its form, will undergo a public consultation, he said.

The new legislation could be released through a new act, new rules or amendment to existing rules, Vaishnaw said, adding that all social media companies agreed that labelling and watermarking of deepfakes were necessary.

Ever since a fake video of Telugu actor Rashmika Mandanna went viral earlier this year, the government has been very vocal about tackling deepfakes. The IT ministry had sent two letters to all social media platforms reminding them of their responsibility to weed out misinformation and deepfakes as mandated by Indian law, HT had reported earlier.

Also Read: IT Ministry summons social media companies over deepfakes

Last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed concern over misuse of technology and artificial intelligence (AI) to create deepfakes and said the media can play a role in raising awareness. He reiterated these concerns at the opening of the virtual summit of G20 nations on Wednesday.

The world is worried about the negative effects of AI. India thinks that we have to work together on the global regulations for AI. Understanding how dangerous deepfake is for society and individuals, we need to work forward. We want AI should reach the people, it must be safe for society, Modi said.

Most important is that the immunity which the platforms have, the globally accepted safe harbour provision, that will not be applicable if the platforms do not make adequate efforts [to control deepfakes], Vaishnaw had said last week. To be sure, only courts can determine if an intermediary can lose its safe harbour protection and subsequently hold it liable for third-party content.

In an advisory issued in February, the ministry had also asked social media platforms to put in place appropriate technology and processes for identifying information that may violate the provisions of rules and regulations or user agreement.
Famous Swiss psychiatrist, psychoanalyst and Founder of analytical psychology - Carl Jung once said, Colours express the main psychic functions of man but we tend to skip that when designing interior spaces as we often prioritise aesthetics and functionality. However, one crucial aspect that deserves attention is the influence of colours on our emotions and well-being as colour psychology, the study of how colours impact human behaviour and emotions, plays a significant role in interior design. Beyond aesthetics: Exploring the subtle art of colour psychology in interior design (Photo by Spacejoy on Unsplash)

In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Mahesh Anand, President at Nippon Paint India (Decorative Division), shared, Colour psychology continues to unveil its captivating secrets, revealing its profound influence on our emotions, perceptions, and behaviours. Understanding how colours influence emotions and behaviour allows designers to transform living spaces into personalized spaces that reflect our moods, enhance productivity, and promote well-being. So, the next time you embark on an interior design project, consider harnessing the transformative power of colour and incorporate the findings of colour psychology research to create spaces that are not only visually appealing but also emotionally and psychologically uplifting.

He elaborated upon the profound impact of colour psychology on interior design -

Creating a Welcoming Atmosphere:

The choice of colours in an interior space sets the tone and atmosphere right, from the moment we step in. Warm and inviting shades such as soft neutrals, warm greys, and earthy tones like beige and terracotta create a cozy and welcoming ambience. Research conducted by Chebat et al. (2001) suggests that warm tones have a positive influence on consumers' evaluations of a store, leading to increased satisfaction and longer visit durations.

Promoting Relaxation and Serenity:

In bedrooms and spaces dedicated to relaxation, it is crucial to create an environment that promotes tranquillity and restful sleep. Soothing shades like soft blues, lavender and pale greens are known for their calming effects. Blue-coloured rooms have a significant effect on reducing blood pressure and heart rate, promoting relaxation. Green environments tend to enhance psychological restoration and stress reduction while exposure to yellow enhances positive affect and even increases arousal levels - as measured by heart rate and blood pressure.

Eliciting Emotions and Personal Expression:

Colours have the remarkable ability to evoke emotions and reflect individual personalities. Bold and vibrant ones like red, orange, or purple can add energy and drama to a room, perfect for spaces that encourage social interaction and creativity. Research by Labrecque and Milne (2012) suggests that colour can convey personality traits and influence consumers' emotional responses. Therefore, interior designers can leverage this information to create spaces that reflect the unique personalities and tastes of the occupants.

Enhancing Spatial Perception:

Colours can also play a role in altering the perception of space. Lighter hues, such as whites and pastels, create an illusion of spaciousness, making small rooms appear larger. Conversely, darker ones can add depth and intimacy to larger spaces, creating a more comfortable and intimate atmosphere.

Lesser-Known Facts That Influence Our Lives:

One captivating fact is that colour preferences vary across cultures. They carry diverse meanings and symbolism, resulting in varying preferences. Another fascinating aspect is how it can affect our perception of time. Warm tints like red and orange can make time feel shorter, while cool tints like blue and green can elongate our perception of time. This intriguing phenomenon reveals the subtle ways in which colours shape our subjective experiences and alter our sense of time. Furthermore, it can influence our perception of taste.

He concluded, Studies indicate that the colour of food and drink can significantly impact how we perceive their taste. It has been observed that individuals perceive beverages served in red cups as sweeter compared to those in blue cups, even when the liquids are identical. This peculiar connection between colour and taste perception highlights the complex interplay of our senses and demonstrates its profound effect on our sensory experiences.
International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women 2023: Violence against women is a recurring problem all over the world. Be it domestic violence or sexual violence or murder, women face problems and the fear of abuse everywhere in the world. But with the world moving on and creating a safe space for all the genders, it is high time that we join hands together to stop al kinds of violence against women. COVID-19 pandemic was an eye-opener as it accelerated the violence against women. Disruption to specific services also enhanced this violence. International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women 2023: Date, history and significance(Representative Image/Shutterstock/HT)

Every year, International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women is celebrated to create awareness about the ways by which we can come together to stop violence. As we gear up to celebrate the day, here are a few things to keep in mind.

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Date:

Every year, International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women is celebrated on November 25. This year, the day falls on a Saturday.

History:

In 1979, the UN General Assembly adopted the Convention of the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women but violence against women was still rampant. In 2008, the steps were taken to increase public awareness and policymaking in ending violence against women. Since 1981, women rights activists have been celebrating November 25 as International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

Significance:

"The global theme of this years 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence is 'UNITE! Invest to prevent violence against women and girls' which emphasises the need for funding prevention strategies to proactively stop gender-based violence," wrote United Nations Women on their official website. The day is observed to create awareness on the violence faced by women all over the world and explore ways of ending it and providing essential support to the survivors of violence.
The second edition of Madras Art Weekend will host over 100 artists, series of talks and workshops across different public and heritage sites in Chennai -- including Lalit Kala Academy, InKo Centre, and Madras Literary Society -- from November 29. With its theme rooted in "narratives around the community", the festival will showcase artworks from all over India with participation from galleries such as Archer Art Gallery (Ahmedabad), Dhoomimal Art Gallery (Delhi), Palette Art Gallery (Delhi) and 108 Projects and Art Organics (Delhi), among others. Second edition of Madras Art Weekend to host over 100 artists, talks, and workshops across Chennai's heritage sites. (Representative image)(Unsplash)

The British Deputy High Commissioner of Chennai Oliver Balhatchett and his wife and art collector Raylsi Balhatchett will open their home to the city for 'Spotlight on the South', a showcase of artwork by emerging and established artists from Chennai. The art weekend will see Chennai's leading art galleries and cultural organisations such as DakshinaChitra, Chennai Photo Biennale, Gallery Veda, Ashvita's, InKo Centre and ArtWorld Sarala's opening up their spaces for parallel exhibitions.

A heritage sketch walk with Madras Inherited and a linocut workshop with art teacher Sandhya Gopinath will also be organised during the course of the event. "The intention to have Madras Art Weekend is to place Chennai on the cultural map. We have always envisioned MAW as a public event that engages closely with the community, fosters collaborative partnerships, and is inclusive and our outreach is deeply rooted in involving children because art is a beautiful way to see things from a different perspective," Upasana Asrani, founder of Madras Art Weekend, said in a statement.

The art weekend will also showcase artworks created by 14 talented artists with disabilities, a live braille installation by Clarke Reynolds and a collection of sculptures created by students from the Mary Clubwala Jadhav School for the Deaf. Projecting itself as "parallel to the India Art Fair", the five-day event will also host a show by the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, curated by Roobina Karode, encapsulating artworks from the old masters series and celebrated contemporary artists.

Another highlight of the art event will be a site-specific installation 'Auto' by UK-based environmental artist Steve Messam at Shiv Nadar School. The idea behind the installation is to engage students in conversations about art.

Madras Art Weekend will also host a series of conversations featuring KNMA chairperson Kiran Nadar, Maharani of Baroda Radhikaraje Gaekwad, and textile revivalist Lavina Baldota discussing the past, present and future of some of the most powerful women at the helm of the greatest legacies.

Another conversation on 'Interdisciplinary Collaborations in Art, Design and Fashion' will feature environmental activist Steve Messam, braille artist Clarke Reynolds, interior designer Vikram Phadke and editor of Vogue India Rochelle Pinto. Madras Art Weekend will come to a close on December 3.
Akasa Air will start daily flights to Port Blair from December 15, making it the airline's 17th domestic destination. Akasa Air to start daily flights between Bengaluru and Port Blair via Chennai (HT_PRINT)

The carrier, which commenced operations in August last year, currently connects 16 cities, including Delhi and Kochi.

In a release on Thursday, Akasa Air said it will operate daily through flights between Bengaluru and Port Blair via Chennai, with no change of aircraft required at Chennai.

An official said the flights to Port Blair will start from December 15.

"The start of operations in the Andamans is yet another step towards our continuous efforts in network expansion. Port Blair offers breathtaking natural beauty and is an attractive tourist destination with strong air travel demand," Praveen Iyer, Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer of Akasa Air, said.
Hawaii leaders want to make it easier for tourists from Japan to visit the US state by creating a pre-clearance program allowing travellers from the country to save time at the Honolulu airport by completing immigration, customs and agricultural inspections before departure. Hawaii mulls plans to make travel easier for tourists from Japan (AP File Photo)

Gov. Josh Green and other state officials proposed the idea during a recent visit to Tokyo. Green hopes the program will help boost tourism to the islands, Hawaii News Now reported Tuesday.

Tourism from Japan, Hawaii's top international visitor market, has been sluggish since the Covid-19 pandemic.

Hawaii is keen on bringing more travelers from Japan back because that's the tourist that knows how to carry themselves in Hawaii and how to care for our aina and so on, Green said, using the Hawaiian word for land.

A pre-clearance program, which has been discussed for many years, could open direct routes to other islands, including Maui, Green said.

Soon after a deadly wildfire wiped out much of the west Maui town of Lahaina, the Japan government donated $2 million in humanitarian aid.

State House Speaker Scott Saiki, who joined Green on the trip, said Japan officials were concerned about how much the program would cost and how it would be implemented and enforced.

Green said he will ask Hawaii's delegation in US Congress to help make the program possible.
Bill Gates envisions a future where technology, while not replacing humans, could usher in a three-day work week. Bill Gates (Raj K Raj/HT Photo)

In a recent episode of Trevor Noahs What Now? podcast, Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, shared his perspective on technology and work. When Noah asked about the threat of artificial intelligence to jobs, Gates showed optimism that it would free up labour for more constructive work.

The purpose of life is not just to do jobs. So if you eventually get a society where you only have to work three days a week or something, that's probably OK, Gates said.

Gates showed a future where machines handle essential tasks, reducing the need for strenuous human labour.

Also read: Narayana Murthy's 70-hour work week advice for youngsters divides internet

Drawing parallels with generational shifts in labour, he highlighted the evolution from a grandfather who deemed farming the only real job to a father engaging in diverse work. He added that today merely 2 per cent of Americans are involved in farming, a departure from traditional views.

Gates suggested that if technological advancements proceed at a reasonable pace and the government supports those adapting to change, it can be positive. He emphasised the importance of aiding individuals in acquiring new skills for a harmonious transition.

Software makes things more productive. But eventually, you know, if you free up human labour, you can help elder people better, have small class sizes. You know, the demand for labor to do good things is still there if you match the skills to it, Gates added.

In a blog post titled "The Age of AI has begun" in March, Gates conveyed his confidence in AI-driven software's potential to revolutionise education. He lauded the creation of ChatGPT as a groundbreaking technological showcase, drawing parallels to his introduction to the graphical user interface in the 1980s.

Inspired by his initial encounter with the GPT model, Gates has been contemplating AI's potential over the next decade. He said that these AI-driven tools need to be accessible to low-income countries and marginalised communities.
Ahead of OpenAI CEO Sam Altmans four days in exile, several staff researchers wrote a letter to the board of directors warning of a powerful artificial intelligence discovery that they said could threaten humanity, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, attends the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit in San Francisco, California, U.S. November 16, 2023.(Reuters)

The previously unreported letter and AI algorithm were key developments before the board's ouster of Altman, the poster child of generative AI, the two sources said. Prior to his triumphant return late Tuesday, more than 700 employees had threatened to quit and join backer Microsoft in solidarity with their fired leader.

The sources cited the letter as one factor among a longer list of grievances by the board leading to Altman's firing, among which were concerns over commercializing advances before understanding the consequences. Reuters was unable to review a copy of the letter. The staff who wrote the letter did not respond to requests for comment.

Also Read | Sam Altman to return as OpenAI CEO, says 'love this company'

After being contacted by Reuters, OpenAI, which declined to comment, acknowledged in an internal message to staffers a project called Q* and a letter to the board before the weekend's events, one of the people said. An OpenAI spokesperson said that the message, sent by long-time executive Mira Murati, alerted staff to certain media stories without commenting on their accuracy.

Some at OpenAI believe Q* (pronounced Q-Star) could be a breakthrough in the startup's search for what's known as artificial general intelligence (AGI), one of the people told Reuters. OpenAI defines AGI as autonomous systems that surpass humans in most economically valuable tasks.

Given vast computing resources, the new model was able to solve certain mathematical problems, the person said on condition of anonymity because the individual was not authorized to speak on behalf of the company. Though only performing math on the level of grade-school students, acing such tests made researchers very optimistic about Q*s future success, the source said.

Reuters could not independently verify the capabilities of Q* claimed by the researchers.

Also Read | In, out, in again: Altman back at OpenAI after colleagues revolt in dramatic boardroom saga

'VEIL OF IGNORANCE'

Researchers consider math to be a frontier of generative AI development. Currently, generative AI is good at writing and language translation by statistically predicting the next word, and answers to the same question can vary widely. But conquering the ability to do math  where there is only one right answer  implies AI would have greater reasoning capabilities resembling human intelligence. This could be applied to novel scientific research, for instance, AI researchers believe.

Unlike a calculator that can solve a limited number of operations, AGI can generalize, learn and comprehend.

In their letter to the board, researchers flagged AIs prowess and potential danger, the sources said without specifying the exact safety concerns noted in the letter. There has long been discussion among computer scientists about the danger posed by highly intelligent machines, for instance if they might decide that the destruction of humanity was in their interest.

Researchers have also flagged work by an "AI scientist" team, the existence of which multiple sources confirmed. The group, formed by combining earlier "Code Gen" and "Math Gen" teams, was exploring how to optimize existing AI models to improve their reasoning and eventually perform scientific work, one of the people said.

Altman led efforts to make ChatGPT one of the fastest growing software applications in history and drew investment - and computing resources - necessary from Microsoft to get closer to AGI.

In addition to announcing a slew of new tools in a demonstration this month, Altman last week teased at a summit of world leaders in San Francisco that he believed major advances were in sight.

"Four times now in the history of OpenAI, the most recent time was just in the last couple weeks, I've gotten to be in the room, when we sort of push the veil of ignorance back and the frontier of discovery forward, and getting to do that is the professional honor of a lifetime," he said at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.

A day later, the board fired Altman.
A burglar in China became the talk of the town after his robbery attempt failed in the most hilarious way. The thief, Yang, entered the home late at night; however, in the midst of his heist, he fell asleep and was eventually arrested. Yes, you read that right. A man fell asleep while trying to steal from a house. (Pixabay)

On November 8, at approximately midnight, a burglar broke into a residence in Yunnan province in southwest China but was alarmed to hear people inside conversing. He made the decision to wait until the homeowners went to bed in a different room. The criminal, who was waiting to break inside the house, lit up a cigarette and dozed off, reports South China Morning Post.

The outlet further reported that after the homeowner, Tang, went to sleep with her child, she woke up due to loud snoring but ignored it thinking it was a neighbour. When 40 minutes had passed, she got up to clean her child's milk bottle and noticed that the snoring grew louder and realised it was coming from another room in her house. (Also Read: Chinese man found living under mall staircase, he had bed and table set up)

Tang was startled to see a stranger sleeping quietly on the floor as she opened the door to the room. She then promptly left the room, informed her family, and contacted the police, who took the man into custody.

This wasn't the first time Yang broke into a house. He was imprisoned in 2022 for theft and had a criminal record. After being freed in September, he again resorted to stealing. Investigations into this case are still ongoing.
After Sam Altman returned as OpenAI CEO after his tumultuous ouster, Satya Nadella took to X to share a post for both OpenAI and Microsoft employees. He expressed his gratitude towards the employees for their work in advancing AI safely and responsibly for the greater benefit of humanity. His post, ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, went viral with over 3.6 million views. Many even dropped comments and quoted his tweet, including Edelweiss Mutual Funds MD and CEO Radhika Gupta. Edelweiss MF CEO Radhika Gupta started her career as an intern at Microsoft. (Instagram/@iamradhikagupta)

In her post, Gupta shared that no management class can teach the wartime leadership that Satya Nadella demonstrated. And in the last five days, we saw wartime leadership from you, Satya, that no management class can teach and every CEO can learn from. Thank you, a former Microsoft intern, tweeted Radhika Gupta.

Take a look at Radhika Guptas tweet here:

According to Guptas LinkedIn profile, she worked at Microsoft as a Program Manager Intern for two summers 2003 and 2004. Her role included the conceptualisation and design of new features in Office products.

Gupta is currently heading Edelweiss Mutual Fund, which, according to her, is one of Indias fastest growing asset management companies across traditional mutual funds and public market alternatives. She has been working with the company for over six years now.

Also Read| Throwback photo of Sam Altman and Emmett Shear as classmates goes viral
A woman took to X to share an unusual request to Ryanair regarding the refund of her ticket. Her post not only left people baffled but also attracted a reply from the airline. In her tweet she asked for a refund citing her husbands affair. Ryanair's reply to a woman's tweet on refund has sparked a chatter (Representational image). (Unspalsh/@artturijalli)

Hi I booked flights for myself and my husband to go away. I've just found out he's having an affair! Can you refund the flights or at least change my name to his bit on the sides as shes welcome to him! she wrote and tagged the airline. Ryanair re-shared her post and wrote, Emotional baggage costs extra, Karlie.

Take a look at the tweets:

The post was shared a day ago and has since gone viral. Till now, it has accumulated close to 4.3 million views, and the numbers are only increasing. The share has also prompted people to post varied replies. From appreciating Ryanairs reply to expressing their doubts over the womans story, people flooded the comments section with reactions.

How did X users react to Ryanairs reply?

The lies people tell to get a reply from this account are unreal, posted an X user. You tell them Ryan, added another. Lol savage. This is the best customer feed online, joined a third. The admin remains undefeated, wrote a fourth.
A Palestinian doctor said Thursday at least 27 people had been killed and 93 more injured in an Israeli strike on a United Nations school in Gaza. People flee following an Israeli strike in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on November 23, 2023.(AFP)

READ | Israel-Hamas truce deal to begin tomorrow: All you need to know

The strike hit a UN-run school where thousands of displaced Palestinians were sheltering in Jabalia, the largest refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, the doctor at a hospital in the camp said on condition of anonymity.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.
Chad's government-appointed parliament on Thursday approved a general amnesty ending prosecution and guilty verdicts over the deaths of hundreds of protesters in a 2022 anti-government rally, a minister told AFP. Chad minister Abderaman Koulamallah

The National Transitional Council adopted the law with 92.4 percent of members voting in favour, said National Reconciliation Minister Abderaman Koulamallah.

The law applies "to all Chadians, civilians and soldiers", according to the text seen by AFP.

Hundreds of demonstrators poured onto the streets of the semi-desert country on October 20, 2022, mainly youths protesting against a move by military president Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno to cling to power.

About 50 people, according to the government, or at least 300 according to the opposition and independent observers, were killed by police and military fire in the capital N'Djamena.
Emotions were running high among Israeli and Palestinian families Thursday after a deal to free hostages held by Gaza militants in exchange for Israeli-held prisoners was delayed by a day. Israel-Hamas War: A woman chants slogans while holding signs identifying 17-year-old hostage Ofir Engel and another, both taken captive by Hamas. (AFP)

The breakthrough swap, set to be staggered over four days, was now due to start Friday with the freeing of 13 Israeli women and children and the reciprocal release of some 30 Palestinian women and male teenagers.

The deal was pushed back overnight, Israeli officials said, drawing out the anguish for families of the about 240 hostages seized by Hamas militants on October 7 when they staged the deadliest attacks in Israel's history.

"We've already been on an emotional rollercoaster for 47 days and today is no different," said Eyal Kalderon, 38, whose cousin Ofer was kidnapped along with his two children, Erez, who turned 12 in captivity, and Sahar who is 16.

"We are hoping at the very least that the children will come back as soon as possible," he said. "Time is running out and they can't wait any more -- not them, not the elderly people, nor those who are sick or wounded."

Standing at his side, Kalderon's twin sister Yael said they were trying to keep their hopes in check but it was difficult with the situation in flux.

"We are trying not to get our hopes up too much and we will only be able to breathe easy when we see them with our own eyes, with the Red Cross," she told AFPTV.

"But it's hard to ignore the news and it shakes you up."

News that 13 hostages would be released at 4:00 pm (1400 GMT) on Friday was likely to cause more emotional turmoil among the families, said a doctor working with the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.

It is supporting more than 1,000 close family members who have people held in Gaza.

"Imagine what it's like for the families," said Professor Hagai Levine, who heads its medical team.

"Some know it's probably not their time because it's women and children but still there's hope: maybe my beloved will be released, they just don't know.

"Now they have this uncertainty for 24 hours... imagine the unbelievable tension: is it my beloved or not?"

The hostages would be handed to the Red Cross then passed on to the Israeli army with doctors on hand to meet them, although the families would not meet them at the handover site "for safety issues".

The Kalderon siblings said their cousin Ofer would be marking his 53rd birthday in captivity in Gaza on Saturday, after his son Erez turned 12 on October 27.

"For Ofer, the best present will be knowing that his children are coming back to us here, and will be with their mum Hadass and with the whole loving family," Eyal said.

Under the terms of the four-day truce agreement, 50 hostages from Israel will initially be exchanged for 150 Palestinian prisoners, with the potential for further swaps at the same ratio.

Israeli authorities have published a list of 300 eligible detainees, without specifying the order of release.

An Israeli official source said the prisoner handover would happen after the hostages were safely in Israel's hands, with those slated for release coming from three prisons in Israel and the occupied West Bank.

"They will be taken to Ofer military camp on buses belonging to the prisons authority" where they would be freed, the source said, referring to a camp near Ramallah in the West Bank.

In Beit Safafa, in annexed east Jerusalem, the mother of one 23-year-old Palestinian prisoner said tension had skyrocketed after the deal was delayed.

"Only God knows how bad I feel," said Fatina Salman, whose daughter Malak was arrested on her way to school when she was 16 for trying to stab a policeman in Jerusalem.

"I can't think any more, we are waiting and I'm scared something will go wrong," she said.

"Every development stresses me," she said, her voice trembling. I haven't slept since we were told about an agreement, I worry all the time.
Far-right populist Geert Wilders could be Netherlands's first far-right prime minister after his party secured a massive number of seats in the recently held Dutch elections. Leader of the Party for Freedom (PVV) Geert Wilders waves as he arrives at a post-election meeting at the Nieuwspoort conference center in The Hague on November 23, 2023. (AFP)

With nearly all votes counted, Wilders' party was forecast to win 37 seats in the 150-seat lower house of parliament, more than double the 17 the party secured in the last election, according to AFP.

The ruling left-wing alliance under ex-EU commissioner Frans Timmermans is second with 25 seats, followed by the center-right VVD with 24.

Wilders will now have to persuade other parties to join him in a coalition. His target is 76 seats in the 150-seat parliament, according to the BBC.

A known anti-Islam populist leader, Wilder further told the British broadcaster that he was willing to negotiate and compromise with other parties to become prime minister.

It is going to happen that the PVV is in the next Cabinet, said while meeting members of his party. Can you imagine it? 37 seats!

Who is Geert Wilders?
The militant Hezbollah group fired more than 50 rockets at military posts in northern Israel on Thursday, a day after an Israeli airstrike on a home in southern Lebanon killed five of the groups senior fighters. Smoke billows from an area targetted in a rocket strike by Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah militants on November 23, 2023, near Israel's border with Lebanon amid increasing cross-border tensions as fighting continues with Hamas militants in the southern Gaza Strip. (Photo by jalaa marey / AFP)(AFP)

The waves of rockets sent over the border represented one of the most intense bombardments since Hezbollah started attacking Israeli posts in the country's north at the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war.

Hezbollah has said that by heating up its actions on the Israel-Lebanon border, it is easing pressure on the Gaza Strip, where Israel's crushing aerial, ground and naval offensive has left more than 13,300 Palestinians dead and caused wide destruction in the sealed-off enclave.

The war was triggered by an Oct. 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel that left about 1,200 people dead, most of them civilians, and resulted in about 240 hostages getting taken to Gaza.

An agreement for a four-day cease-fire in Gaza and the release of dozens of hostages held by the militants and Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, was set to take place Thursday but appeared to have hit a last-minute snag.

Hezbollah said in a series of statements released Thursday that the volleys it fired toward Israeli posts included 48 Katyusha rockets that were directed at an Israeli army base in Beit Zeitem, about 10 kilometers (6 miles) south of the border.

The group said its fighters also struck tanks and locations where Israeli troops were taking positions.

The intense fire followed an Israeli airstrike on a house in Beit Yahoun, a village in southern Lebanon, that killed the five senior fighters, including Abbas Raad, the son of the head of Hezbollahs 13-member parliamentary bloc in Lebanon, Mohammed Raad.

ALSO READ| Israel-Hamas hostage release deal delayed; White House says war to continue after truce period

The deaths bring the number of Hezbollah fighters who have been killed in seven weeks of fighting to at least 83.

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah met in Beirut in Thursday with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian. They discussed the ongoing war in Gaza and efforts to stop the Israeli aggression, as well as the situation at the tense Lebanon-Israel border, according to a statement released by Hezbollah.

Amirabdollahian warned in comments to journalists upon his arrival in Lebanon Wednesday that the ongoing Israel-Hamas war could spiral out of control if a truce does not last.

Iran-backed factions in Iraq, including the militant group Kataib Hezbollah, have carried out more than 60 and rocket or suicide drone attacks at bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria. Kataib Hezbollah is allied with Lebanon's Hezbollah but the groups have different leaders.

The U.S. military said Thursday that one of its warships in the Red Sea shot down bomb-carrying drones launched from territory controlled by Yemens Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

The American militarys Central Command said the USS Thomas Hudner, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, shot down the drones early Thursday morning. The ship and crew sustained no damage or injury, Central Command said.
"I am here to take you home. You are in a safe place" -- Israeli soldiers are being carefully prepared to receive potentially deeply traumatised women and child hostages seized by Palestinian militants. People walk in front of images of Israeli hostages held in Gaza since the October 7 attack by Hamas militants in southern Israel(AFP)

From a manual for trauma care to medical support, even the first words the soldiers escorting them home will say have been carefully scripted, with experts warning many could face a long road to recovery.

During a four-day truce agreed by Israel and Gaza's Hamas rulers, 50 of the roughly 240 hostages held by the militants are set to be freed in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners.

The first of them are due to be handed over on Friday, after around seven weeks in captivity in a war-battered landscape.

At the request of the Israeli government, child abuse specialists from the Haruv Institute in Jerusalem prepared detailed guidelines on how to handle the minors once they are released.

"When the soldier meets the child," reads the manual, seen by AFP, they should politely introduce themselves and offer soothing assurances such as "I am here to take care of you".

Aside from immediate medical aid, they are encouraged to find out and carry with them a child's favourite food items, be it pizza or chicken schnitzel.

If that is not known, the manual asks that they carry basic items such as bread, cheese and fruit.

With many of them having lost family members when Hamas launched the deadliest attack in Israel's history on October 7, soldiers are instructed to sidestep questions from the children on the fate of relatives -- even if they know the answers.

"Each question must be answered along the lines of 'My job is to bring you to Israel, to a safe place, where people you know will be waiting for you and will answer all of your questions.'"

ALSO READ| EU sends border police reinforcements to Finland. Here's why

It recommends a "complete ban" on any media engagement with the children immediately after their release.

The manual drew from the experiences of victims in other hostage scenarios including victims of the Islamist group Boko Haram in Nigeria, said Ayelet Noam-Rosenthal, one of the authors.

"We need a common trauma-informed language for the children coming back," Noam-Rosenthal told AFP.

"We need to do everything to do no harm," she added, "to not cause additional trauma."

- 'Dark and scary place' -

Israeli experts warn there are several unknowns about the hostages to assess what kind of support will be needed.

"No one knows if kids and their parents will be released together or separately," Moty Cristal, a retired Israeli military official with experience in hostage negotiations, said.

"We don't know if women have faced sexual violence in captivity," he told AFP.

"Given the barbaric nature of the attacks and captivity we can only prepare for worst case scenarios," he added.

Relatives of the hostages have campaigned relentlessly in Israel and around the world for their release, holding public demonstrations, exhorting global officials to help and pursuing a vigorous media campaign.

AFP has confirmed the identities of 210 of the around 240 people abducted on October 7 during cross-border attacks by Hamas on military posts, communities and a desert music festival.

At least 35 of those taken hostage were children, with 18 of them aged 10 or under at the time of the Hamas attack.

"In some cases, children were taken moments after watching their parents being brutally murdered," Zion Hagai, chairman of the Israel Medical Association, told the media.

"They are not only forced to live with this trauma but to experience it in a strange, dark and scary place."

- 'Beyond imagination' -

One of the youngest hostages is Kfir Bibas, a boy who was just nine months old when gunmen snatched him from Nir Oz kibbutz near the Gaza border, along with his four-year-old brother Ariel and his parents Yarden and Shiri.

Shiri appears in a video from the day of the attack seen by the family, cradling her children in her arms with gunmen all around her.

Some of the children have had birthdays in captivity.

At least 68 of those abducted were women, many of them aged over 80.

The Haruv Institute manual as well as health officials warn that professionals offering support are themselves vulnerable to trauma.

Ofrit Shapira-Berman, a psychoanalyst and professor at the Hebrew University, said she met a teenage boy at a counselling session for October 7 victims who heard his parents and two sisters screaming on the phone before they were murdered.

"I'm just sitting there and trying to grasp something out of my experience to help him," she said in an online video, adding that the boy and other victims "will need our help for many, many years."

"I do my best," she said, "and then I go out and start weeping because it's beyond imagination."
The far-right, anti-Islam populist Geert Wilders was headed for a massive parliamentary election victory Wednesday in one of the biggest political upsets in Dutch politics since World War II, and one that is bound to send shockwaves through Europe. PVV leader Geert Wilders reacts to the results of the House of Representatives elections in Scheveningen, the Netherlands, 22 November 2023.(AFP)

The result puts him in line to lead talks to form a new ruling coalition and possibly become the countrys first hard-right prime minister at a time of political upheaval through much of the continent.

The exit poll published by national broadcaster NOS said that Wilders Party for Freedom won 35 seats in the 150-seat lower house of parliament, more than double the 17 he won at the last election. Final official results were only expected on Thursday.

I had to pinch my arm, a jubilant Wilders said.

Wilders election program includes calls for a referendum on the Netherlands leaving the European Union, a total halt to accepting asylum-seekers and migrant pushbacks at Dutch borders.

It also advocates the de-Islamization of the Netherlands, although he has been milder about Islam during this election campaign than in the past.

Voters said, 'We are sick of it. Sick to our stomachs'," he said, adding he was now on a mission to end the asylum tsunami, referring to the migration issue that came to dominate his campaign.

The Dutch will be No. 1 again, Wilders added. The people must get their nation back.

But the lawmaker, who has in the past been labeled a Dutch version of Donald Trump, first would have to form a coalition government before he can take the reins of power.

That will be tough as mainstream parties are reluctant to join forces with him and his party, but the size of his victory strengthens his hand in any negotiations.

Wilders called on other parties to constructively engage in coalition talks. Pieter Omtzigt, a former centrist Christian Democrat who built his own New Social Contract party in three months to take an estimated 20 seats, said he would always be open to talks.

The closest party to Wilders' one was an alliance of the center-left Labor Party and Green Left, which was forecast to win 26 seats. But its leader Frans Timmermans made clear that Wilders should not count on a coalition with him.

We will never form a coalition with parties that pretend that asylum seekers are the source of all misery, Timmermans said.

And in the coming days and weeks we will increasingly see how difficult, how important, how essential our task is to stand up for the Netherlands where we exclude no one, to stand up for the Netherlands where we embrace everyone to stand up for the Netherlands, where we do not look at what your background is, what your religion is, what your skin color is, he added.

Despite his harsh rhetoric, Wilders was already courting other right and center parties by saying that whatever he would do, it would be within the law and constitution.

The historic victory came one year after the win of Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, whose Brothers of Italys roots were steeped in nostalgia for fascist dictator Benito Mussolini. Meloni has since mellowed her stance on several issues and has become the acceptable face of the hard right in the EU.

Wilders was long a firebrand lashing out at Islam, at the EU and migrants  a stance which brought him close to power but never in it in a nation known for compromise politics.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who boasts of turning Hungary into an illiberal state and has similarly harsh stances on migration and EU institutions, was quick to congratulate Wilders. The winds of change are here! Congratulations, Orban said.

During the final weeks of his campaign, Wilders somewhat softened his stance and vowed that he would be a prime minister for all Dutch people, so much so that he gained the moniker Geert Milders.

The exit poll was published as voting ended in the general election. It can have a margin of error of up to three seats but generally is accurate within one or two seats, said Ipsos, which was involved in the poll.

The election was called after the fourth and final coalition of outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte resigned in July after failing to agree to measures to rein in migration.

Rutte was replaced by Dilan Yesilgoz-Zegerius, a former refugee from Turkey who could have become the country's first female prime minister had her party won the most votes. Instead, it was forecast to lose 11 seats to end up with 23.

The election had been called a neck-and-neck race, but in the end Wilders handily beat all opponents.

The result is the latest in a series of elections that is altering the European political landscape. From Slovakia and Spain, to Germany and Poland, populist and hard-right parties triumphed in some EU member nations and faltered in others.
A day after making a significant diplomatic breakthrough to attain a truce deal with Hamas, Israel said the ceasefire pact would not take effect before Friday. It was earlier expected that both sides would temporarily halt crossfire beginning Thursday. Israeli troops man a position during a military operation in the northern Gaza Strip(AFP)

While making the announcement, Israel's national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi gave no reason for the delay. However, media reports suggest there were still some last-minute details being ironed out.

As per the deal, Hamas is to free over a four-day period at least 50 of the roughly 240 hostages taken in its October 7 attack on Israel, and Israel is to release some Palestinian prisoners in exchange.

Meanwhile, in line with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the White House said war against Hamas will continue after the multi-day truce ends.
After seven weeks of bombardments resulting in loss of lives and property, Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas have agreed to a four-day truce beginning Friday with the first batch of Israeli hostages released later, Qatar said on Thursday. Palestinians flee to the southern Gaza Strip, on the outskirts of Gaza City, during the ongoing Israeli bombardment on Wednesday.(AP)

What are the details of the deal?

Qatar's foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari while addressing the reporters in Doha, informed that the truce deal would include a comprehensive ceasefire in both the north and south of the Gaza Strip.

The first ceasefire in the war triggered by the Hamas terror attacks on Israel on October 7, would be accompanied by the release of 50 women and children hostages captured by the Hamas terrorists, while around 150 Palestinian detainees would also be released from Israeli jails as part of the deal.

The first group of hostages to be released on Friday would be 13 women and children, Ansari further informed. "If there were a group of hostages from the same family they will be released together in this first batch," he added.

"During these four days, information will be collected about the rest of the hostages to consider the possibility of more releases and thus extending the pause," Ansari added.

However, Israel has said that the peace deal could go beyond four days if Hamas would set free at least 10 hostages per day. The Qatar spokesperson also said that it hoped to negotiate a subsequent agreement to release additional hostages from Gaza by the fourth day of the truce. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu also made it clear that the country was not ending its war on Gaza and that the stopping of fighting was only temporary.

Commenting on the pause, Ansari said that it entailed "a complete ceasefire... with no attacks from the air or the ground," adding that he hoped "there will be no violations".

Additionally, the armed wing of Hamas, al-Qassam Brigades has said that during the four-day truce, all military actions and Israeli forces would cease. Hostile aircraft would completely halt flights over the southern Gaza Strip and would also cease flying for six hours daily, from 10 am to 4 pm, over Gaza and the northern areas, it said.

Hamas further claimed that Israel agreed not to attack or arrest anyone in Gaza, and people can move freely along Salah al-Din Street, the main road along which many Palestinians have fled northern Gaza.

How will it be implemented?

Qatar said that the International Committee of the Red Cross will work in Gaza to facilitate the release of the hostages. They are expected to be transferred through Egypt. During the peace deal duration, trucks with aid and fuel are expected to cross into Gaza, where 2.3 million people have been running out of food and many hospitals have shut down in part because they no longer have fuel for their generators.

The Hamas armed wing said on Thursday that around 200 aid trucks and four fuel trucks would enter Gaza daily.

Who are the hostages being released?

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Thursday that it had received an initial list of hostages to be released from Gaza. Among the 50 women and children being released by Hamas, there are three US citizens, including a girl who turns 4 on Friday, Reuters reported citing a US official.

Who negotiated the truce deal?

The truce deal, facilitated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, is to take effect in stages that can be extended and broadened. It is also intended to provide aid to Gaza's 2.4 million residents.

The deal came after seven weeks of war in the Gaza Strip after Hamas terrorists broke through the Israel on October 7 in an unprecedented attack which claimed at least 1,200 lives and around 240 taken hostage.

On the other hand, Israeli bombardments and a ground invasion since then have killed more than 14,000 people, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas.

(With inputs from agencies)
Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has met with Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, which has traded deadly cross-border fire with Israel since the start of the Gaza war, the Lebanese movement said Thursday. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian(AFP)

Since the Israel-Hamas war began on October 7, the border between Lebanon and Israel has witnessed escalating exchanges of fire, primarily involving Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah, along with Palestinian groups.

The clashes have raised fears of a broader conflagration.

In a statement, Hezbollah said Amir-Abdollahian and Nasrallah "reviewed the latest developments in Palestine, Lebanon and the region, and... the efforts made to end the Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip".

Amir-Abdollahian, who warned on Wednesday that the war could spiral out of control, left Beirut for Doha after their meeting, Iran's Nour news agency reported.

Hezbollah said on Thursday morning that it fired 48 Katyusha rockets at a military base at Ein Zeitim, near the town of Safed in northern Israel, about 10 kilometres (six miles) from the border.

It said it also carried out at least 10 other attacks on Israeli positions near the frontier, and claimed to have caused casualties.

ALSO READ| Car explosion at US-Canada border was an attempted terror attack: Report

The Israeli army shelled several locations in southern Lebanon in response, said Lebanon's National News Agency.

Hezbollah says it has been acting in support of Hamas since the Palestinian Islamist movement's October 7 attacks on Israel, which Israeli officials say killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and saw about 240 people taken hostage.

Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas and its retaliatory air and ground offensive in the Gaza Strip has killed more than 14,000 people, thousands of them children, according to the Hamas government of the Palestinian territory.

The violence between Israel and Hezbollah has claimed at least 108 lives in Lebanon, most of them Hezbollah fighters, but also at least 14 civilians, including three journalists, according to an AFP count.

Six Israeli soldiers and three civilians have been killed on the Israeli side, according to the authorities.

Israel and Hamas on Wednesday agreed a four-day truce and a hostage and prisoner swap which was now expected top start by Friday at the earliest.

In Tehran, Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi argued that Israel had failed to reach its objectives in the war and that "the Palestinian people and resistance won a great victory", the official IRNA news agency reported.
Israel-Hamas war Highlights: Release of hostages held by Hamas, which was expected to happen on Thursday as part of a deal, has got delayed until at least Friday. Notably, a truce brokered by Washington and Qatar, aims to temporarily halt the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas terrorists. Soldiers walk through what the Israeli army says is a tunnel dug by Hamas militants inside the Al-Shifa hospital complex in Gaza City in the northern Gaza Strip, amid continuing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas(AFP)

Meanwhile, Israel Defense Forces have discovered Hamas terror complex underneath Al-Shifa hospital. IDF took to its official account on X(formerly Twitter) and shared a detailed video of the network of tunnels underneath Gaza's biggest hospital.

Key points of Israel-Hamas war truce and hostage release deal

 Israel and Hamas have agreed to a 4-day ceasefire in Gaza for humanitarian aid. The deal also ensures the release of 50 hostages held by Hamas, in exchange for 150 Palestinians from Israeli jails.

 The official start time of the truce and hostage release, is yet to be announced.

 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that war will resume after the ceasefire expires.

 Till date, only five hostages have been recovered since Hamas' October 7 attack. Reportedly, 240 hostages were captured by Hamas terrorists.
Israeli parents have been naming newborn babies after communities that were attacked by Hamas militants on October 7, in tribute to the victims, the interior ministry said Thursday. The ministry added that the name Oz, which means "strength" in Hebrew, was given to 49 boys and one girl after Nir Oz and Nahal Oz, two other communities targeted in the attacks.(AFP)

At least 45 babies born since October 7 have been named Beeri, the kibbutz community near the Gaza Strip that saw some of the worst atrocities in the cross-border attacks, the ministry said.

The ministry added that the name Oz, which means "strength" in Hebrew, was given to 49 boys and one girl after Nir Oz and Nahal Oz, two other communities targeted in the attacks.

READ | Israel-Hamas war: Al Shifa Hospital chief held for questioning, Israeli military confirms

Eight other babies were named Nir and three girls were named Nova, after a desert rave targeted by Hamas.

Some 240 people were taken captive during the unprecedented attacks that killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, according to Israeli authorities.

Israel retaliated with a bombing campaign and ground offensive in Gaza, which, according to the Hamas government in the territory, has killed nearly 15,000 people, including thousands of children.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the United Nations on Thursday of being slow to attend to the spiralling humanitarian crisis in Gaza, saying its relief workers had not entered a designated "safe zone" for Palestinian refugees. Flames and smoke rising from an agricultural structure in southern Lebanon's Khiam plain following Israeli bombardment.(AFP)

"I have yet to see the effort that I would like to see on the part of the U.N. and international agencies," Netanyahu told the visiting Spanish and Belgian prime ministers, according to a Hebrew-language transcript of the meeting issued by his office.
China has reported an outbreak of influenza-like illness mostly among children prompting the World Health Organization to seek more details from the country about the mysterious outbreak. According to reports, Chinese hospitals are "overwhelmed with sick children" who have symptoms of respiratory illness. WHO said Chinese authorities from the National Health Commission held a press conference on November 12 and reported an increase in respiratory diseases in the country. They attributed this to the lifting of the Covid-19 restrictions. Purported videos of China hospitals overflowing with patients suffering from mysterious pneumonia surfaced on X.

WHO has sought additional information on recent trends in the circulation of known pathogens, including influenza, SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that gives rise to Covid-19), RSV affecting infants and Mycoplasma pneumonia, as well as on the degree of overcrowding in the health system, the statement added.

Mysterious pneumonia in China: What we know so far

1. ProMed, which is a publicly available surveillance system conducting global reporting of infectious disease outbreaks, issued an alert over the "undiagnosed pneumonia" in children. ProMed alerted about SARs-CoV-2 in December 2019 long before the pandemic swept the world.

2. Taiwanese FTV News reported that hospitals in Beijing and Liaoning have been struggling with an influx of children sick with pneumonia.

3. Since Beijing and Lianoning are 800km apart, the mysterious pneumonia is not being seen as a local outbreak.

4. While not much is known about the outbreak, people cited by FTV said the sick children do not have any symptoms or cough. But they have a high temperature and pulmonary nodules.

5. "The lobby of Dalian Children's Hospital is full of sick children receiving intravenous drips. There are also queues of patients at the traditional Chinese medicine hospitals and the central hospitals. A staff member of Dalian Central Hospital said: 'Patients have to wait in line for 2 hours, and we are all in the emergency department and there are no general outpatient clinics'," the ProMed mail alert read.

6. Some teachers have also been infected, reportedly as the outbreaks have majorly been reported in schools. Some schools have been shut. It is not known when the outbreak started.

7. This report suggests a widespread outbreak of an undiagnosed respiratory illness ... It is not at all clear when this outbreak started as it would be unusual for so many children to be affected so quickly," the ProMed note said.

8. Epidemiologist Eric-Feigl-Dingh shared videos from hospitals and messages from locals in a long thread on X and broke down the situation.

9. A China Daily report said 'Beijing has entered the peak season for respiratory infection diseases, with multiple pathogens co-circulating...' without acknowledging any mysterious outbreak.

10. According to experts more information is needed to assess the situation as it could be a new outbreak or walking pneumonia or a surge in respiratory diseases as this is China's first winter without stringent Covid lockdown.
Niger's military ruler General Abdourahamane Tiani on Thursday arrived in Mali to meet his counterpart Colonel Assimi Goita in his first international visit since seizing power in July, an AFP journalist noted. Niger ruler General Abdourahamane Tiani (AFP)

Niger's neighbours, Mali and Burkina Faso -- which are ruled by military leaders who seized power in 2020 and 2022, respectively -- have pledged solidarity to Niger's coup leaders.

The three Sahel countries in September signed a pact that includes provisions for mutual defence in the event of an attack on the "sovereignty and territorial integrity" of any of the countries.

They also plan to strengthen economic ties and Tiani thanked his neighbours for standing by his country after Niger's regional and Western partners announced a series of sanctions against it following the coup.

READ | US prepares to evacuate some embassy staff, families from Niger

"It would seem that the purpose of the embargo was to exert pressure on the authorities. But this does not take into account the fact it is actually the people who are suffering and we are aware of this and that is why we are willing to exchange, to negotiate, but with people motivated by good will, with sincere people, with people who care about the African people," Tiani said.

The regimes are also united in the fight against jihadism in their countries.

Tiani stayed a few hours in Mali's capital Bamako and met Goita for a "friendship and working" visit, the Malian presidency said, before leaving for Burkina Faso.

Shortly after taking power, Tiani pledged to return Niger to civilian rule within three years.

Mali, meanwhile, has indefinitely postponed a presidential election that was scheduled for early 2024.

Mali plans to host ministers from the three countries for several meetings in the coming weeks with the aim of ironing out the operational details of the new Sahel alliance, it said in a statement Thursday.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said there is no sign of terrorism so far in the vehicle explosion that killed two people at the Rainbow Bridge, a busy crossing between the US and Canada at Niagara Falls. A vehicle burns at the Rainbow Bridge U.S. border crossing with Canada, in Niagara Falls, New York, U.S. November 22, 2023 in a still image from video. (via REUTERS)

The assessment is based on briefings that Hochul received from officials with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection.

A suspect with ties to western New York has been identified, and the investigation will determine if it was intentional or accidental, she said.

There is no sign of terrorist of activity with respect to this crash, Hochul said Wednesday at a news briefing in Niagara Falls. Its a large scene. Its going to take a lot of time for federal law enforcement partners who are with me here today to be able to piece together the real story.

A video of the incident, which took place at about 11:30 a.m., shows the vehicle was moving at a high rate of speed, crashed into the median, cleared an 8-foot fence and exploded, Hochul said. The vehicle was so badly burned that nothing was left but the engine, and there was no license plate, she said.

The vehicle is basically incinerated, she said. A border agent on the scene who suffered minor injuries was treated and released from hospital.

Rainbow Bridge, which bans commercial traffic and mainly serves tourists, remains closed indefinitely. Three other nearby bridges, the Peace Bridge, the Lewiston-Queenston and the Whirlpool Bridge, have reopened after a temporary closing earlier in the day.

The incident drew the attention of the top leaders of both countries.

We are taking this extraordinarily seriously, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in Canadas House of Commons. Its a very serious situation, but we will remain engaged for the entire day.

President Joe Biden has been briefed on the explosion and was monitoring the situation with members of his team, according to a White House official.

Hochul said she shared the latest information on the probe to calm the public, as the US and the world are already experiencing high stress levels since the Oct. 7 assault on Israel by Hamas.

Weve been on high alert since Oct. 7, she said. Thats why its so important for me to stand here and tell the world based on what we know at this moment.

About 1.5 million passenger vehicles crossed the Rainbow Bridge in the first 10 months of this year, according to data from the Bridge & Tunnel Operators Association.

The busiest bridge in the region is Peace Bridge, which connects Buffalo with Fort Erie, Ontario, and which saw 2.9 million vehicles in the same period.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said he was closely monitoring the incident. In a statement, the mayor said he sent NYPD officers upstate to support law enforcement officials there, and also warned New Yorkers to expect increased security around the city, including at entry and exit points.

Buffalo Niagara International Airport, located about 25 miles southeast of the Rainbow Bridge, said it was operational with additional security checks of cars, though it said travelers can expect additional screenings. The Federal Aviation Administration said on its website the airport is closed to departing and arriving international flights.
Yemen's Houthi rebels launch long-range missiles toward Israel in new attack: statement

Xinhua) 13:37, November 23, 2023

SANAA, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi rebels said on Wednesday that they have launched long-range missiles toward Israel, in a new operation to revenge the Israeli attacks on the Palestinian enclave of Gaza Strip.

"The winged missiles targeted various military targets of the Israeli entity in Eilat," the militia's spokesman Yehya Sarea said in a statement aired by the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.

"We will continue to carry out more military operations until the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank stops," he said, without providing further details.

This is the ninth cross-border missile attack claimed by the Yemeni Houthi rebels since the Israel-Hamas conflict broke out on Oct. 7.

The United States announced last month that one of its navy ships in northern Red Sea intercepted several missiles fired from Yemen toward Israel.

On Sunday, the Houthis announced that they had hijacked what they said an "Israeli ship" near Bab-el-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea and took it to the port city of Hodeidah.

On Monday, the Houthis released footage showing that they used a military helicopter and boats when they hijacked the ship.

The Houthis have been in control of much of northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa and the strategic Red Sea port city of Hodeidah since the Yemeni civil war broke out in late 2014.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Leading scientists urged caution over fears of another pandemic on Thursday after the World Health Organization requested more information from China on a rise of respiratory illnesses and pneumonia clusters among children. Medical staff in protective suits treat a patient with pneumonia (Reuters Photo/Representational image)

"We have to be careful," said Marion Koopmans, a Dutch virologist who advised the WHO on COVID-19. "We really need more information, particularly diagnostic information."

Concerns were first sparked internationally by an alert published on Tuesday by the monitoring service ProMED, part of the International Society for Infectious Diseases. It called for more information about "undiagnosed pneumonia - China (Beijing, Liaoning)".

The standard wording of the alert echoed the first-ever notice about what would become COVID-19, sent on Dec. 30 2019: "Undiagnosed pneumonia - China (Hubei)."

Scientists said the similarity of the two alerts had stirred as yet unfounded worries the surge may be caused by another emerging pathogen that could spark a pandemic. They said based on the information so far, it was more likely to be a rise in other common respiratory infections like flu, as was seen in many parts of the world after COVID lockdowns were lifted. It could also signal a resurgence of COVID itself.

The WHO always requests information from countries when undiagnosed or unknown diseases are reported, which happens fairly regularly. However, it does not always put out a press release about doing so, as it did on Wednesday.

Brian McCloskey, a public health expert who also advised WHO on the pandemic, said: "What we are seeing is WHO's International Health Regulations system in action", referring to the rules governing how countries work with WHO on potential outbreaks.

"I am not going to push the pandemic panic button on the basis of what we know so far, but I will be very keen to see the response to WHO from China and see the WHOs assessment following that," he said.

Both the WHO and China have faced questions over transparency during the early days of COVID. WHO has also since criticised China for withholding data about infections and deaths when it lifted its "zero-COVID" measures, as well as about the origins of the pandemic.

China has 24 hours to respond to the WHO under the regulations.

But some said it was unclear if the illnesses reported were actually undiagnosed. The story which sparked the ProMED alert came from FTV News in Taiwan on Tuesday. In China itself, there has been a lot of recent coverage of a rise in respiratory illnesses, including among children.

The authorities there have attributed it to the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions and the circulation of viruses like influenza as well as mycoplasma pneumoniae, a common bacterial infection that typically affects younger children.

"There is a plausible hypothesis that this could be what we have seen in other parts of the world when restrictions were lifted," said Koopmans, reflecting the views of all of the scientists Reuters contacted.

Virologist Tom Peacock from Imperial College London, who has closely tracked the emergence of new coronavirus variants, said there were good tools available to "pretty rapidly" pick up emerging influenza or coronaviruses, so it seemed unlikely that this had happened under the radar.

"(I) suspect it may end up being something more mundane or a combination of things - say COVID, flu, RSV - but hopefully we'll know more soon," he said.
Human Rights Focus Pakistan (HRFP) has demanded justice for Mehwish Iram and Irfan Tariq Masih, who belonged to the Christian minority and faced religious persecution at their workplaces. Representational picture(File photo)

According to the allegations, Mehwish was harassed and blackmailed, while Irfan was subjected to violence.

"HRFP is raising and concerned on growing incidents of discrimination, violence and harassment of minority employees at workplaces. Even in high profile jobs, like Shaukat Masih a deputy Commissioner of Jaranwala faced discrimination, he got attacked on August 16, 2023, and his house was burnt but he escaped with his family," the release stated.

HRFP cited multiple case studies and said that there are a number of examples that have faced the "biased behaviours of employers" due to their belief and religious discrimination and with personal grudges by co-workers many have been victimized.

Like, Samina Mushtaq, an airport security officer of Karachi was threatened and accused of blasphemy on January 5, 2023, when she stopped her co-worker from doing anything illegal.

The two nurses, Neush and Mariam belonging to Faisalabad were accused of blasphemy on April 8, 2021, at the hospital of Faisalabad during duties. Tabitha, another nurse of Karachi was accused of blasphemy and subjected to violence in Karachi on January 28, 2021, in the hospital where she works, the release stated.

HRFP further emphasised that in the cases of lower-grade jobs, most of the issues don't come to record as the employers, co-workers, and consumers keep minority workers under pressure.

ALSO READ| Mysterious pneumonia outbreak in China, WHO seeks details: 10 points

The Christian, Hindu, Sikhs, Ahmadiyya and other minorities have been victimized in different ways, like accusing them of blasphemy and sexual harassment; the theft allegations are the most common among minority employees at minor jobs places, HRFP case studies revealed.

Christian girl Mehwish Iram and Christian boy Irfan Masih are the victims of the same, theft allegations with harassment, forced conversions and threats as well. Mehwish was accused of theft of Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 1,00,000 cash and stealing PKR 2,00,000 worth of valuables like a hair colour machine and other items like gold ornaments from a beauty salon and attached home, the release added.

HRFP further highlighted multiple examples from its case studies that if a Christian employee starts to grow up in their career, then the co-workers try to depress them.

In Shaukat Masih's case in the context of the Jaranwala issue, there are some videos on social media where the Islamic clerics are saying openly that, "how a Christian could be deputy commissioner, so being Christian he has to clean toilets only."

In several cases, HRFP observed, that the employees belonging to minority communities, who refused to do the task, had not been stated in job descriptions, have been expelled from jobs or accused of false allegations against them.

Mehwish Iram who just resigned and left the beauty parlour's job on June 28, 2023, for a better opportunity, the employer threatened her. As she started a new job in another salon on July 5, 2023, the previous employers Muhammad Usama and Muhammad Yousaf accused her of theft on July 9, 2023, while she was being harassed before, one of the reasons for quitting job.

Mehwish Iram was arrested but she got bail on September 30, as she was found non-guilty on the charges of theft. But, Iram is still facing harassment and even the former employees have distributed her pictures in the area's parlours to identify her and not give her the job opportunity, the release stated.

In Irfan Masih's case, he faced religious discrimination and was subjected to violence for quitting his job. On May 18, 2023, a landlord Athar Bukhari complained to police about stealing their valuables. Bukhari alleged Irfan for stealing 8 tola gold (93.6 grams) from their house and not coming more from April 12, 2023. After the FIR on August 12, 2023, police arrested Irfan Masih. On August 25, 2023, Irfan Masih got bail as non-guilty, but the case is still in court trials.

HRFP team fact findings in both cases collected the information and evidence that the cases are based on their religious persecution. Both families have visited the HRFP office and shared their stories and needs.

HRFP is providing possible assistance for them and the situation in which they are in. Mehwish's mother and Tariq Masih, father of Irfan Masih shared with HRFP that they are innocent and the violations against them are because of their Christian faith and belief, the release further stated.

Mehwish Iram is a mother of two and her husband Salamat Masih had died before. Her case is in a court trial, but she is under threats to step back and compromise what they wanted from her.

Naveed Walter, the President of Human Rights Focus Pakistan (HRFP) said that it's a common practice in which people belonging to minorities are falsely accused of theft, blasphemy allegations, subjected to violence and harassed.

Only a few of them are taken to the police, and courts for legal proceedings but most of the time the accused compromise with their employers. When the victims forcefully convert to Islam and the females face sexual abuse at workplaces, this kind of discrimination and violation doesn't register in most of the cases, HRFP added.

Naveed Walter has also demanded for the legislations and implementations, that the laws should be practised, and the legal actions should be taken in minority employee's cases at workplaces.
Russia on Thursday announced tightened security in its northern Murmansk region after Finland said it would close all but one border crossing between the two countries. Migrants and a vehicle of the Finnish Border Guard are seen at the international border crossing at Salla, northern Finland, on November 23, 2023. Russia announced tightened security in its northern Murmansk region after Finland said it would close all but one border crossing between the two countries. Helsinki said on November 22, 2023 the move follows a surge in attempted crossings by migrants seeking asylum in the EU country -- which Finland says is a destabilisation ploy by Russia. (AFP)

Helsinki said Wednesday the move follows a surge in attempted crossings by migrants seeking asylum in the EU country -- which Finland says is a destabilisation ploy by Russia.

"A decision has been taken to introduce a heightened state of readiness in the Murmansk region, and a number of additional measures to ensure the security of our residents," Murmansk governor Andrey Chibis said in a social media post.

He did not provide details.

Relations between the two countries, which share a 1,340-kilometre (830-mile) border, have soured after Moscow launched its military offensive on Ukraine and Finland joined the NATO military alliance.

Chibis said Finland's decision to only keep its northernmost border crossing open would result in a "significant increase" in the number of migrants seeking to cross into Finland from his Arctic region.

Around 400 people were waiting to cross through the Salla border on Wednesday, he said -- 50 of whom were allowed to enter Finland.

Helsinki has accused Moscow of allowing migrants without documents to cross their common border.

It has seen an influx of attempted border crossings by people from the Middle East and Africa since late August.
King Charles III is allegedly benefitting from the deaths of citizens in the north-west of England. According to The Guardian, the Duchy of Lancaster, managed by his hereditary estate, has reportedly collected tens of millions of pounds from financial assets known as bona vacantia, owned by people who died without a will or known next of kin. FILE - Prince Charles is seated next to the Queen's crown during the State Opening of Parliament, at the Palace of Westminster in London, May 10, 2022. On Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023, King Charles III will sit on a gilded throne and read out the Kings Speech, a list of planned laws drawn up by the Conservative government and aimed at winning over voters ahead of an election next year.(AP)

The Duchy has claimed that these revenues are donated to charities, but leaked internal documents suggest a different story. The funds are allegedly being used to upgrade properties owned by the king, turning a significant profit for the royal estate. The Guardian identified dozens of deceased individuals whose assets were transferred to the king's estate, contrasting their modest living conditions with the high-end properties funded by their assets.

One leaked document, codenamed "SA9," gave officials at the king's estate the license to use bona vacantia funds on a wide array of its profit-generating portfolio. The upgrades include townhouses, holiday lets, rural cottages, agricultural buildings, and even a former petrol station and barns used for pheasant and partridge shoots in Yorkshire.

The revelations have sparked outrage, with surviving friends of the deceased citizens calling the practice "disgusting," "shocking," and "not ethical." The Duchy of Lancaster has declined to comment, and Buckingham Palace remains silent on the matter.

According to The Guardian's investigation, the Duchy's use of bona vacantia funds accelerated in May 2020, with the introduction of policy SA9. The policy allows the funds to be used for the "public good" to repair, restore, and preserve the fabric of duchy properties, categorized as "heritage assets." However, the definition extends to properties in conservation areas, sites of special scientific interest, areas of outstanding natural beauty, and those of "local historical importance."

While the Duchy claims that the primary intention of the expenditure is the preservation of properties, critics argue that the indirect financial benefit to the monarch is undeniable. The king received 26 million from the Duchy of Lancaster in his first annual payout since inheriting the estate from Queen Elizabeth II.

The controversy raises questions about the ethical use of funds and the transparency of the royal estates' financial practices.
Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau has not directly addressed the matter of an apparent threat to the life of US-Canadian dual citizen and general counsel of the secessionist group Sikhs for Justice or SFJ, but his office said he raised the issue of upholding rule of law when he attended the virtual G20 summit hosted by Indian PM Narendra Modi on Wednesday. Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reads a statement about the situation at the border during Question Period, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023, in in Ottawa, Ontario. (AP)

A readout from the Canadian said that Trudeau highlighted the importance of coordinated G20 leadership and action to uphold the rule of law and international law, among other matters. Interestingly, the readout did not mention the virtual summit was hosted by Modi.

Earlier, on Wednesday morning, when asked by media in Ottawa to comment on the article in the British publication Financial Times about the alleged threat to the life of Gurpatwant Pannun foiled by American agencies, Trudeau said, We have been working closely with our allies, including the Americans, since the middle of the summer.

Obviously, we continue to engage with India in hopefully constructive ways, and we hope that India will continue to take these real concerns seriously, he added.

According to FT, it was unclear whether the plot to kill Pannun was abandoned or the FBI intervened to thwart it. In a statement, US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said, We are treating this issue with utmost seriousness, and it has been raised by the US government with the Indian government, including at the senior most levels. Indian counterparts expressed surprise and concern. They stated that activity of this nature was not their policy.

FT cited an unidentified source as saying the US protested about the matter when Modi visited Washington in June. SFJs principal figure in British Columbia, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, was killed in Surrey on June 18.

In a statement, Pannun said, The foiled attempt on my life on American soil by the Indian agents is transnational terrorism which is a threat to the US sovereignty, freedom of speech and democracy, so I will let the U.S. government respond to this threat.

He accused India of using mercenaries to kill pro-Khalistan Sikhs. He said that just as Nijjars killing was a challenge to Canadas sovereignty, this attempt was one for the United States. I trust that (the Joe) Biden Administration is more than capable to handle any such challenge, he said.

He added his focus is not threats to my life but to organize American Phase of Khalistan Referendum which is scheduled to start from San Francisco CA on January 28, 2024.

Reacting to the FT report, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, During the course of recent discussions on India-US security cooperation, the US side shared some inputs pertaining to nexus between organised criminals, gun runners, terrorists and others. The inputs are a cause of concern for both countries and they decided to take necessary follow-up action.

While Pannun is deemed a terrorist in India and faces multiple charges, none of them have been tested in either a Canadian or American court. He has denied SFJ uses violence to achieve its objectives.

Nijjars killing led to a rupture in relations with India after Trudeaus statement in the House of Commons on September 18 that there were credible allegations of a potential link between his murder and Indian agents. Part of the information that led to that statement came from the US. India had described those allegations as absurd and motivated.

Canada has sought Indias cooperation in the investigation being conducted by the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team or IHIT in BC but India has said it has been provided with no evidence to support Ottawas allegations.
Turkey plans to evacuate some wounded or sick Gazan children and young people on Friday as part of its third round of evacuation, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Thursday. Medical staff carry a Palestinian cancer patient who was evacuated from Gaza to Egypt and brought to Turkey by plane.(REUTERS)

Turkey has so far brought 150 people, mostly cancer patients and their companions, from Gaza to continue their treatment. It has also evacuated more than 100 Turks, Turkish Cypriots, and their relatives this week.

Speaking at Ankara's Esenboga airport, Koca said three sick Gazan children had been brought to Turkey on Thursday. He added that the children - a 2-year-old boy, as well as two girls aged 9 and 10 - would receive treatment in Turkey.

READ | Turkey's Erdogan on Hamas war: Force Israel to comply with international law

The third round of evacuations, consisting of a group of 50 people, has been delayed due to issues regarding permissions for their releases, the minister said, but added that those problems were now largely resolved and officials were working to complete the preparations.

"We expect the third evacuation to be tomorrow (Friday) and it will be an evacuation that will largely consist of children and young people," Koca told reporters.

"There are less cancer patients (in the group), but it will be an evacuation that mostly consists of wounded children and young people," he said, adding that none of the people in the list of 50 were in critical condition.

READ | 'Hopeful' Turkey on Israel-Hamas hostage deal: Can 'completely end' war

Ankara has sent some 800 metric tons of humanitarian aid, medical supplies, medicine, and medical personnel to Egypt for Gazans. It has said it wants to set up a field hospital on the Gaza side of the Rafah border crossing.

On Thursday, Koca said a coordination mechanism comprised of Turkish, Egyptian and Israeli officials was working to identify a suitable location for the field hospital.

"A team formed with Israel, Egypt, and Turkey's coordination is in Egypt, especially to conduct field work. We are at the stage of identifying a location," he said. "We want to take action as soon as possible."

Separately, a group of 100 Turks and their relatives arrived in Egypt from Gaza on Thursday and were set to fly to Istanbul on Friday, a Turkish diplomatic source said. Ankara expected to evacuate more citizens from Gaza on Friday, the person added.
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Thursday after visiting the south of the country to see for himself the communities affected by last month's Hamas attacks. British Foreign Secretary David Cameron and Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen visit Kibbutz Beeri following the October 7 deadly attack by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in southern Israel, November 23, 2023. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko(REUTERS)

Britain's Foreign Office said former prime minister Cameron, who was appointed to the foreign policy brief last week, was due to meet Palestinian leaders later to discuss the way forward in the crisis.

"I wanted to come here in person ... to see just the true nature of the horrific attacks that you faced, I think that's very important to do that and see that, we stand with the people of Israel," Cameron told Netanyahu.

Cameron's visit came as war raged on in Gaza, with a proposed truce and release of hostages delayed for at least another day.

"It's important we talk about this potential humanitarian pause. I think it's an opportunity to crucially get the hostages out and to get aid into Gaza," Cameron added. "I hope everyone who is responsible and behind this agreement can make it happen."

ALSO READ| Israeli PM Netanyahu accuses UN of being slow in providing relief to Gaza refugees

Netanyahu said getting the hostages out was "not without its challenges" but Israel was committed to getting everyone out.

"But we'll continue with our war aims, namely to eradicate Hamas, because Hamas has already promised that they will do this again and again and again," he said.

"There's no hope for peace between Israel and the Palestinians, between Israel and the Arab states, if we don't eradicate this murderous movement that threatens the future of all of us."

Earlier Cameron, wearing a flak jacket, toured damaged buildings in Kibbutz Be'eri in southern Israel with his Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen, telling reporters he had "heard things and seen things that obviously I will never forget".

Cameron met counterparts from Arab and Islamic countries in London on Wednesday to discuss the conflict.

Both British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Cameron's predecessor James Cleverly have visited Israel since fighting began last month.
A young Indian student pursuing his Ph.D. in molecular and developmental biology at the University of Cincinnati Medical School was fatally shot in his car in Ohio, USA. Aaditya Adlakha (In the grey suit) was shot inside the car in US(Aaditya Adlakha /LinkedIn)

Aaditya Adlakha, 26, succumbed to his injuries at the UC Medical Center two days after he was found with multiple gunshot wounds inside a vehicle that had crashed into a wall on November 9.

The incident has been termed as sudden, tragic and senseless by the medical school, which issued a statement expressing its condolences to his family and friends. The Indian doctoral student was described as much-loved, exceedingly kind and humorous, intelligent and sharp, whose research was described as novel and transformative by Andrew Filak, the Senior Vice President of Health Affairs and Dean of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.

According to several local media reports, the police were alerted by ShotSpotter, a gunfire locator service, about shots fired in the area around 6:20 am. They also received calls from drivers who saw a vehicle with bullet holes and a person inside who had been shot.

The vehicle was on the upper deck of the Western Hills Viaduct, a bridge that connects the west and east sides of Cincinnati. The police found Aaditya Adlakha inside the vehicle, which had at least three bullet holes visible in the drivers side window. He was rushed to the hospital, where he remained in critical condition until he passed away on November 11.

ALSO READ| Could a 'funky' new bacteria be behind US dog health crisis? Researchers suggests so

Aaditya was a fourth-year doctoral student who was working on understanding the role of neuroimmune communication in pain and inflammation in ulcerative colitis, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease. He earned a bachelor's degree in Zoology from Ramjas College at the University of Delhi and later completed a master's degree in Physiology at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, both located in New Delhi. Originally from northern India, he relocated to Cincinnati to further his education in the field of medicine.

His death has shocked and saddened the academic community at the University of Cincinnati, which has offered support and counseling to those who knew him or were affected by his loss.

As a college and as Aadityas academic home, we extend our deepest condolences to his family and to those who knew him as a friend and colleague, the medical school said in its statement.

No suspects have been arrested or identified in connection with the shooting, which remains under investigation.
Bethenny Frankels interior designer, Brooke Gomez, has reportedly been found dead inside her Upper East Side apartment. She was last seen alive more than a week ago. The 49-year-olds body was found in an advanced state of decomposition in her apartment near East 94th Street and Madison Avenue on Sunday, November 19, the Daily Mail reported. Brooke Gomez has reportedly been found dead inside her Upper East Side apartment (brookegomezdesign/Instagram)

Sources told New York Post that Bethennys death is not being considered suspicious.

"We are greatly saddened by the sudden passing of our friend Brooke Gomez, a light that shined brilliantly on everyone who knew her," a statement posted to the Brooke Gomez Design Instagram account reads. A gathering of friends to celebrate her life is being planned. Funeral arrangements will be announced at a later date.

According to officials, authorities responded to a call at a house in the Manhattan neighbourhood, E! News reported. "When police arrived they observed a 49-year-old female unconscious and unresponsive inside of an apartment," a spokesperson for the New York City Police Deputy Commissioner of Public Information told the outlet. She "was pronounced deceased after efforts were made to revive her.

Bethenny worked with Brooke on multiple design projects. In 2010, she even appeared on the second season of Bethenny's Real Housewives spinoff series Bethenny Ever After. Brooke worked alongside her mom Mariette Himes Gomez, who is also an interior designer, at Gomez Associates, but later in 2019, Brooke launched her own firm.

"Someone left really suddenly, so I decided to help out in the interim," Brooke told Business of Home in 2019. "But I really just loved it. I loved the right brain/left brain contrast of creating a contract and then getting to do something creative."

Speaking about why she and her mother went their separate ways, Brooke said, I think it was time for both of us to have the next phase of our lives."

"For heras someone who invested all her time, energy and talent into this for 40-plus yearsit was time for her to explore other interests," she added. "For me, right now it's about building my own team, finding new people that I want to work with and making this firm my own. And it's nice to know that my sweet, talented mother is always just a phone call away."
A couple from New York died in a fiery crash at a border crossing near Niagara Falls on Wednesday morning, according to law enforcement sources. The FBI said it found no evidence of terrorism and handed over the investigation to local authorities. Earlier NYC Governor Kathy Hochul the crash was not an act of terrorism. A Customs and Border Protection officer watches as a vehicle burns at the Rainbow Bridge U.S. border crossing with Canada, in Niagara Falls, New York, U.S. November 22, 2023. Courtesy Saleman Alwishah via REUTERS(via REUTERS)

The incident happened around 11:30 a.m. on the US side of the Rainbow Bridge, one of the four bridges that connect the US and Canada in the area. CNN reported that the couple was driving a Bentley at a high speed when they hit a curb and a guardrail, which launched the car into the air and into a screening booth, where it exploded.

What we know so far-

1. A New York couple died in a car that crashed and exploded at the Rainbow Bridge border crossing on Wednesday morning.

-The man who died had planned to go to a KISS concert in Canada, but it was canceled. He then went to a casino in the US with his wife. The crash occurred after they left the casino.

ALSO READ| 26-year-old Indian doctoral student from Delhi killed in Ohio, US

2. The FBI said it found no evidence of terrorism and no explosives at the scene.

-The FBIs Buffalo field office said in a statement Wednesday night that it had not found any connection to terrorism and no explosives were found at the scene. The agency said it was turning over the case to local police as a traffic investigation.

Gov. Hochul said she saw footage of the crash that looked absolutely surreal.

I want to be very, very clear to Americans and New Yorkers: At this time there is no indication of a terrorist attack, Hochul said at a news conference Wednesday evening.

Two individuals died in the vehicle, Hochul said, adding that the car belonged to a western New York resident.

3. The crash triggered a security alert and disrupted travel plans on both sides of the border.

-The explosion caused a major security alert on both sides of the border.

The crash also disrupted travel plans for many people on one of the busiest days of the year. All four bridges between the US and Canada near Niagara Falls were temporarily closed, but three of them reopened later Wednesday. Rainbow Bridge remains closed.

The leaders of both countries were briefed on the incident, as well as other officials in New York and Washington, DC. Some local government offices on the US side were evacuated as a precaution.

ALSO READ| No sign of terrorism in car blast at US-Canada border: New York Governor

The Buffalo Niagara International Airport stopped international flights for a while, but resumed them later. All cars entering the airport were screened by bomb-sniffing dogs, a spokesperson for the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority said.

4. The investigation is ongoing and the motive of the crash is unknown.

Theres a lot of unanswered questions, Hochul said of the vehicles occupants Wednesday. She said it was not clear whether the crash was an accident or an intentional act.

Amtrak also suspended part of its route that connects New York to Toronto.
Former White House security adviser Stuart Seldowitz was arrested and charged with hate crime on Wednesday, November 22, after a viral video showed him harassing a halal cart vendor, passing Islamophobic comments, in New York City. Stuart reportedly served under President Barack Obama. Stuart Seldowitz reportedly served under President Barack Obama (@itslaylas/X)

The victim, 24-year-old Mohamed Hussein, said his encounter with Stuart has shaken him. On being asked if he wants to sue Stuart, he said, Yes, of course, according to New York Post.

We want to sue him for harassment and hate speech, Muhameds boss and cart owner, Islam Moustafa, added. I consider this hate-speech, not freedom of speech.

Stuart was reportedly taken into custody at the NYPDs 19th Precinct on the Upper East Side, and charged with aggravated harassment, hate crime stalking, stalking with intent to cause fear and stalking in employment, police said.

How do you ask a little 24-year-old if he ever raped his daughter?

Stuart was seen in the video calling the Upper East Side vendor a terrorist and harassing him for not speaking English. He was also heard suggesting that the Muslim prophet Mohammed was a rapist. Stuart said more Palestinian children should be killed amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.

Mohameds a little scared, hes a little worried  especially after finding out this guy used to work for the government, Islam said. How do you ask a little 24-year-old if he ever raped his daughter? Hes an ex-government official, he worked for the Obama administration, hes not a nobody.

How does an ex-government official speak about religion and hatred with that much hatred? A normal person wouldnt do that, but a guy with power and ranking shouldnt be talking like that to a 24-year-old who keeps begging him to walk away, he added.

Islam said that Stuart began harassing Mohamed about a couple of weeks back. He added that he initially thought Stuart was a homeless guy going through a hard time. Then I learned it wasnt just one instance, it was three different instances, from an ex-government official who works as an advisor to companies and large corporations, Islam said.

Stuart Seldowitz apologised

Stuart, who also worked as a deputy director/senior political officer in the US State Departments Office of Israel and Palestinian Affairs in the early 2000s, denied being Islamophobic. I did have an argument with a food vendor, he told City & State after the videos surfaced. It is quite possible that its me. I mean, Ive not seen the video, but I believe its probably me.

I regret the whole thing happened and Im sorry, he added. But you know, in the heat of the moment, I said things that probably I shouldnt have said.
Dianne's Fine Desserts, a beloved Massachusetts-based dessert retailer, has voluntarily recalled 2,048 trays of Sienna Bakery Chocolate Decadent Brownies from 14 states due to an "inadvertent mislabeling." The omission of an allergy warning has raised concerns as it failed to declare the presence of peanuts in the product. Massachusetts-based dessert retailer recalls chocolate brownies due to mislabeling and absence of peanut warning.(Unsplash)

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) emphasized the gravity of the situation, stating, "People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to peanuts run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reactions if they consume these products." Peanut allergies, particularly common among children, affect about 4.6 million Americans, with over 800,000 cases developing in adulthood.

The recall was initiated after a customer complaint highlighted the absence of peanut warnings on the packaging. The affected brownies, distributed by Gordon Food Service with lot code 23243, made their way to food service operators in 14 states, including Arkansas, Florida, New York, and Tennessee.

Fortunately, no adverse reactions have been reported to date. The FDA clarified that the voluntary recall was a precautionary measure, aiming to prevent potential health risks associated with undisclosed allergens. The severity of peanut allergies, ranging from anaphylaxis to milder symptoms like vomiting and hives, underscores the importance of accurate labeling.

This incident follows a recent nationwide recall of egg custard pies due to mislabeled packages potentially containing coconut pies instead. Undeclared allergens in desserts are garnering attention, urging consumers to remain vigilant about product labels.

A 1999 study indicated that peanut allergies affected 1.1 percent of the U.S. population, whereas recent data suggests a notable increase to 2.9 percent among adults. This alarming trend emphasizes the need for heightened awareness and stringent quality control measures in the food industry to ensure consumer safety.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear has declared a state of emergency in Rockcastle County after a multi-car train derailed on Wednesday that his office said resulted in a chemical spill. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear has declared a state of emergency in Rockcastle County (Representative Image)(Getty Images)

Governors office posted on X (formally known as Twitter) that at least one home was evacuated, with teams working to evacuate more.

"By issuing a state of emergency, we are ensuring that every state resource is available to help keep our families safe," the governor said in a statement. "Please stay clear of this area as state, local and CSX officials respond." He urged people to avoid the area to allow state and local officials to respond.

A train carrying hazardous material derailed and spilled chemicals in a remote part of eastern Kentucky on Wednesday, prompting officials to encourage residents of a small town to evacuate.

Gov. Andy Beshear has asked residents of Livingston, with a population of about 200, to evacuate immediately. Local reports suggest that a shelter has been opened at a local middle school.

At least 15 cars derailed in Rockcastle County, including two that spilled sulfur, railroad operator CSX told WKYT-TV. One crew member was treated at the scene for minor injuries. Authorities have not revealed what was there in the train.

It was not immediately clear how extensive the spill was or what impact it might have on the environment in the remote area. The sheriff and local judge executive didn't immediately respond to emails seeking further comment, nor did CSX.
The Walmart mass shooting in Beavercreek, Ohio, has left a community shaken, and at the center of this devastating incident is 20-year-old Benjamin Charles Jones. The FBI suggests that Jones may have been influenced by a racially motivated violent extremist ideology, shedding light on the disturbing factors that might have driven this heinous act. Police respond to the scene of a shooting on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023 in Beavercreek, Ohio. Police say a shooter opened fire at a Walmart, wounding four people before apparently killing himself. The attack took place Monday night at a Walmart in Beavercreek, in the Dayton metropolitan area. (AP)

On November 20, Jones used a Hi-Point .45 caliber carbine to open fire at a Walmart, leaving four victims in his wake before taking his own life. Among the victims were two Black women, a white man, and a white woman. Disturbingly, officers discovered Nazi flags during a search of his Dayton residence, painting a grim picture of the suspect's affiliations.

Jones' social media presence provides glimpses into his troubled mindset. A post featuring him wearing a Metro Police cap at a shooting range, along with a photo of a gun and holster labeled as the "Best Christmas gift," raises concerns about the shooter's fixation on firearms. Comments from January 2020 indicate a growing interest in guns, with Jones expressing intentions for "personal/home defense."

Further, a disturbing video shared on his Instagram in May 2023 under the caption "mental illness" depicted a meme about him at night alongside a video game character firing a gun, offering a chilling insight into his state of mind.

The FBI and Beavercreek Police Department disclosed that the gun used in the shooting was purchased just two days before the incident. Investigators are now scrutinizing the ATF Form 4473, probing whether any inaccuracies in the purchase process contributed to this tragedy.

Jones, a product of a Christian online school, held right-wing conspiracy beliefs, including Holocaust denial. Previous hospital admissions for mental health evaluations add another layer to the complex profile of this troubled individual.

The FBI identifies Jones' extreme ideology as part of a loosely organized movement encompassing racism, antisemitism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, misogyny, and homophobia, as detailed by the RAND Corporation.

As the investigation unfolds, the FBI urges anyone with information about Benjamin Charles Jones to come forward.
A 26-year-old Israeli woman who disappeared following the October 7 Hamas attack has reportedly been found dead. Shani Gabays body was found on Wednesday, November 22, weeks after her disappearance. The young woman worked at the music festival in Kibbutz Re'im where Hamas launched a brutal attack. Shani Gabays body was found on Wednesday, November 22, weeks after her disappearance (Bring Them Home Now)

The worst of the attacks, perhaps, was launched at the music festival. The party descended into chaos when the terrorists attacked the site, killing at least 260 people and abducting many more. Thousands of people attended the party, near Kibbutz Re'im close to Gaza. Palestinian gunmen attacked the site and shot people down as they tried to escape.

Our Shani is gone. Our hearts are broken into pieces. We are all crying and refuse to believe, how much we waited for a different ending, Yokneam Mayor Simon Alfasi said, according to The Jerusalem Post. "Forty-seven days of hope came to an end with receiving the bitter news this morning about the murder of Shani on October 7.

"My heart goes out to my dear parents Jacob and Michal, her brother Aviel and her sister Nitzan - who for seven weeks turned every stone and went everywhere in Israel and the world to find Shani, and fought and cried out to bring her home. We all hug the family and stand by their side. May her memory be a blessing, he added.

According to The Times of Israel, Shani was presumed to be a hostage before her death.

Hamas and Israel reached a tentative deal to free some hostages from Gaza. However, when the truce will begin is unclear. "Details on when the pause starts are still unclear," a source told CNN. Some Americans, too, are expected to be among those who will likely be released. The Americans include a three-year-old girl named Abigail, and two other women.

The terms of the deal say that Israel must agree to a five-day pause in its offensive to have the hostages released. Hamas said they would release 50 hostages, including babies, toddlers [and] mothers." The temporary ceasefire could reportedly be extended if Hamas releases more than 50 hostages.
An oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is spreading and is threatening the health of local marine wildlife as officials are working to contain and recover more than a million gallons of oil.

The incident occurred off the Louisiana coast and the U.S. Coast Guard estimated the spill to involve roughly 1.1 million gallons of oil. It was first discovered on Thursday near a 67-mile pipeline that is operated by the Main Pass Oil Gathering Co.

Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill

The company is owned by Houston-based Third Coast Infrastructure. The Coast Guard said that it was still working on reviewing whether or not the pipeline was the source of the oil spill. Pilots on Friday who went on reconnaissance flights saw oil moving southwest from Plaquemines Parish.

In a statement on Monday, the Coast Guard noted that they deployed "remotely operated vehicles" under the surface on Friday morning. These continued to survey the pipeline with no findings of a source area at the time of the statement, as per the Washington Post.

The recent spill was officially called the "MPOG11015 incident" and is the latest in an area that has experienced some of the worst offshore oil disasters in the history of the country. It comes after 130 million gallons of crude poured in 2010 into the Gulf of Mexico. It came after an explosion at the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig.

Six years prior to that incident, a hurricane toppled a Taylor Energy Platform that caused crude to leak from several broken oil wells. The lesser-known Taylor Energy spill continued without notice from 2004, causing at least 30 million gallons of oil to enter the gulf.

British Petroleum paid more than $14 billion in fines and damages for the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe. On the other hand, Taylor Energy fought the federal government's demands to stop and clean up its spill before finally agreeing to liquidate its assets and hand over more than $400 million in a trust last year.

Read Also: UN SecGen Fact-Checked by X After Comparing Deaths in Gaza with Casualties in Nearby Countries

Determining the Origin of the Leak

The Coast Guard posted on Facebook saying that the oil from the latest spill was "skimmed and sampled" roughly four miles southeast of South Pass, Louisiana. That was the time when they retrieved about 210 gallons of "oily-water mixture." They also retrieved more oil on Sunday about 13 miles southeast of the Parish, according to CBS News.

In a social media post, Plaquemines Parish officials said that they were monitoring the incident over the weekend but have not shared further details since. The Coast Guard added that the Unified Command was working tirelessly to determine where the oil spill originated from but noted that there have been no reports of injuries or shoreline impacts so far.

In the last five decades, there have been more than 44 oil spills that discharged more than 420,000 gallons each in U.S. waters. Every year, thousands of smaller leaks, a single barrel or less, occur in the region. However, the NOAA notes that even small amounts of oil can have severe impacts on local wildlife and ecosystems, said The Hill.

Related Article: US Allegedly Considers Redesignating Houthi Rebels as 'Terrorist' Group After Hijack of Cargo Ship in Red Sea

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A federal appeals court has struck down a part of Maryland's handgun licensing law, arguing that the state cannot add more regulations to acquiring them than for other weapons.

A panel of the Virginia-based 4th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in a 2-1 vote where it said that the law was unenforceable in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling last year. The judges of the appeals court cited last summer's ruling that loosened New York gun laws.

Maryland Handgun Licensing Law

It added that the government must show efforts to regulate guns are "consistent with this nation's historical tradition of firearm regulation." Under current Maryland law, an individual needs to get a handgun license on top of all other requirements to purchase a firearm.

That particular license requires a buyer to pass a handgun safety course, and a background check, and wait up to 30 days. The majority opinion of the federal appeals court said that the additional requirements place an unnecessary burden on Second Amendment rights, as per The Hill.

Judge Julies Richardson, who was appointed by former United States President Donald Trump, said that the challenged law restricts the ability of law-abiding citizens to possess handguns. He noted that while the state's law does not explicitly prohibit plaintiffs from owning handguns in the future, it does so now.

He continued to say that this meant that while it does not permanently bar plaintiffs from owning handguns, it deprives them of that ability until their application is approved. The ruling of the federal appeals court on Tuesday is the second in recent months that limits Maryland gun control laws.

It comes after a federal judge in late September ruled that the state's restrictions on where firearms can be carried were unconstitutional. That particular case was also based on the Supreme Court's 2022 ruling. The latter has served as the foundation for dozens of suits across the United States that seek to reverse gun control legislation.

The law in question was passed by Democrats in 2013 following the shooting the year prior at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. At the time that the restrictive law was passed, advocates heralded the additional requirements as a way to deal with "straw purchasers" who bought firearms on behalf of people who could not pass background checks, according to the Washington Post.

Read Also: Los Angeles Faces Mounting Criticism for Its Handling of Homelessness Following Freeway Fire Incident

Addressing Gun Violence

The Maryland State Police said that since the additional requirements were implemented, there have been more than 315,700 permits that were issued. The federal appeals court said that the law's waiting period could be critical in which the applicants could expect to face danger.

Democratic Maryland Gov. Wes Moore expressed his disappointment in the federal appeals court's ruling on the matter. He said that he would continue to fight for the law and noted that his administration is already reviewing the ruling and considering options.

In a Tuesday statement, the governor said that common-sense gun laws are crucial in protecting residents of the state from the gun violence that has terrorized communities. He added that he is determined to do more than just give out thoughts and prayers for the relatives of victims, said WTOP.

Related Article: How to Prevent Gun-Related Suicides: Here's What Experts Suggest

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North Korea's spy satellite has been launched. This is what South Korean officials announced, claiming that NoKor launched its third attempt on Tuesday, Nov. 21.

Although it is still unclear if the surveillance satellite's launch was successful, South Korea was still triggered by this activity. Aside from SoKor, the alleged North Korean spy satellite mission also invites strong criticisms from the U.S., as well as its partners.

South Korea Claims North Korea Launches Spy Satellite

After accusing North Korea of launching its controversial spy satellite, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol decided to approve a cabinet decision on the 2018 agreement.

With this, SoKor can now restore its surveillance operations along the border with NoKor, as reported by Nikkei Asia. Experts said that this could make the antagonism between the two Asian countries worse, especially since they are still at war.

Before the alleged launch, South Korean military officials already warned North Korea that they would take whatever measures necessary to protect the safety of their people.

"Our military will come up with necessary measures to protect the lives and safety of the people if North Korea pushes ahead with a military spy satellite launch despite our warning," said a SoKor military officer via the Associated Press.

Aside from restoring its border surveillance, the 2018 military agreement with North Korea was also partially suspended. Yoon Suk Yeol argued that Pyongyang can no longer be trusted to abide by the military deal.

Since the 2018 military agreement is being dismantled, South Korea can now step away from the confidence-building measures that the recent SoKor administration was taking, which allegedly disproportionately benefit NoKor.

Read Also: South Korea Says Nuclear-Capable Submarines are Needed Against NoKor, China-Here's What ROK Admiral Argues

NoKor Spy Satellite Violates UN Resolutions

Recently, National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said that the alleged North Korean spy satellite violates multiple UN resolutions.

He added that this surveillance activity also raises tensions, as well as increases the risk of destabilization in the security situation of the region.

Because of this, the U.S., South Korea, Japan, and other allies condemned the surveillance aircraft. As of writing, not much is known about this spy satellite.

This means that it is unclear if it's integrated with advanced cameras that can deliver HD photos of U.S. and SoKor military maneuvers and installations to the North Korean regime.

Related Article: North Korea Successfully Tests Solid-Fuel Engines for Intermediate-Range Nuclear Ballistic Missiles

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The White House released declassified intelligence on Tuesday, revealing that the Russian mercenary organization Wagner Group has been preparing to offer air defense capabilities "to either Hezbollah or Iran."

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby confirmed that Wagner was acting at the direction of the Russian government, as per to CNN News.

Wagner Group Plans to Help Hezbollah Air Defense

The downgraded intelligence, while not specifying the origin of the missile system, aligns with previous reports from CNN suggesting that Wagner had been tasked with delivering a surface-to-air SA-22 missile system from Syria to the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon.

John Kirby, in a press briefing, highlighted the growing military ties between Russia and Iran, expressing concern over the Kremlin-backed Wagner Group's intentions to provide air defense support to Tehran-backed Hezbollah forces.

The White House's announcement follows repeated warnings by President Biden and other top US officials, cautioning against exploiting Israel's conflict with Hamas in Gaza. Israel, seeking to avoid an expanded front in Lebanon, faces additional challenges as US forces in the region report numerous attacks from Iranian-backed proxies.

"Our information further indicates that Wagner, at the direction of the Russian government, was preparing to provide an air defense capability to either Hezbollah or Iran," Kirby stated. He emphasized that the US would closely monitor Wagner's actions and is prepared to use counterterrorism sanctions against Russian individuals or entities involved in destabilizing transfers, according to Mail Online.

Read Also: Pope Francis Calls German Synodal Way a Threat to Catholic Church's Unity

Wagner Group Delivers SA-22, Deepens Iran-Russia Ties

Previously, CNN reported that Wagner Group, once led by the late Putin ally-turned-rival Yevgeny Prigozhin, was instructed to deliver SA-22 missile defense systems to Hezbollah forces in Lebanon. The Tehran-backed group possesses a formidable military presence and tens of thousands of missiles.

Kirby also outlined Iran's military ties with Russia, including a deal for the purchase of SU-35 fighter jets, along with efforts to acquire attack helicopters, radars, and other equipment. This year, Iran finalized the agreement to buy SU-35 fighter jets and is seeking additional military equipment from Russia, amounting to billions of dollars, to bolster its military capabilities.

The White House spokesperson warned of potential sanctions against the heavily sanctioned Russian government, signaling the US commitment to preventing destabilizing transfers by Wagner.

As tensions escalate in the Middle East, the US administration is closely monitoring the situation, particularly the potential transfer of air defense capabilities to Hezbollah or Iran. Cross-border clashes between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon have intensified, raising concerns about a possible new front in the conflict.

The Biden administration has positioned aircraft carriers and troops in the region as a deterrent. The White House is "concerned" that Iran could escalate its support for Russia's campaign in Ukraine, potentially providing Moscow with ballistic missiles to target Kyiv's forces.

While the international community grapples with these geopolitical challenges, President Biden faces resistance from right-wing Republicans in Congress regarding his request for over $61 billion in emergency funding for Ukraine, part of a more significant $106 billion funding request encompassing defense spending on Israel, Taiwan, and bolstering the US border with Mexico, Telegraph reported.

Related Article: Mars Hiding Behind Sun for 2 Weeks - But Why?

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Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown has taken swift action against a member of the state's hate crime task force.

The member in question, Zainab Chaudry, who also serves as the director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Maryland office, faced suspension following the emergence of a series of antisemitic posts on her social media accounts, as per Fox News.

Maryland AG Swiftly Acts on Antisemitic Posts

Chaudry's controversial statements came in the aftermath of the brutal Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, where over 1,200 people lost their lives, including children and infants. The posts included a shocking claim by Chaudry that the Israeli infants killed in the attack were "fake," sparking outrage and condemnation.

In a press release, Attorney General Anthony G. Brown expressed his concern over the personal social media posts of Zainab Chaudry, a member of the Maryland Commission on Hate Crimes Response and Prevention. Brown took decisive action, temporarily suspending Chaudry from the state's hate crimes commission.

Chaudry, the executive director of the Maryland branch of CAIR, was appointed to the hate crimes commission earlier this year, as specified by the panel's enabling legislation that mandates the inclusion of CAIR-MD and over 20 other organizations as members.

"I will never be able to understand how the world summoned up rage for 40 fake Israeli babies while completely turning a blind eye to 3,000 real Palestinian babies," Chaudry wrote on her personal Facebook account on Oct. 26. Her posts, laden with phrases such as "apartheid Israel" and references to "Israelis celebrating genocide," drew attention and condemnation.

Among her posts was a graphic stating, "It all started in 1948," with the words "on Oct. 7" crossed out, accompanied by the caption "Inconvenient facts."

Additionally, she shared a meme comparing Israel to Nazi Germany, using images of Berlin's Brandenburg Gate from 1936 and a 2023 photo displaying Israel's flag on the same gate, according to The Washington Times.

Read Also: US Considers Labelling of Houthi Rebels as 'Terrorist' Group After Hijack of Cargo Ship

AG Brown Firm on Hate Crimes Commission Amid Controversy

Attorney General Brown emphasized the importance of the hate crimes commission serving as a model for the state in responding to incidents of hate and bias. "The commission is facing its first test. How we respond has deep implications. I take this very seriously, and I will do everything possible to bring people together to move forward the critical work of this commission," Brown stated.

In response to her suspension, Chaudry defended her criticisms of Benjamin Netanyahu's government, stating that they did not violate any known commission standards. She asserted that there is no legal basis for suspending the participation of her civil rights organization, as mandated by state law.

In addition to suspending Chaudry, Attorney General Brown's office announced the development of a draft values statement about personal communications by members of the hate crimes panel.

The statement stressed the need for commission members to exercise great care in their communications and conduct, particularly regarding personal postings that could be reasonably perceived as hate speech.

While Chaudry's posts continue to generate controversy, the Maryland Commission on Hate Crimes Response and Prevention faces the challenge of maintaining its focus on addressing hate and bias incidents in the state amid this internal turmoil, Mail Online reported.

Related Article: US Claims Israel Hostage Release Deal Is Closer Than Ever; IDF Continues Pounding Hezbollah, Iran's Other Terrorist Groups

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A prominent Colorado plastic surgeon, Dr. Geoffrey Kim, has been sentenced to just 15 days behind bars for his role in the tragic death of 18-year-old Emmalyn Nguyen, who underwent a breast augmentation procedure at his Greenwood Village office in 2019.

The sentencing on Thursday, November 16, has sparked outrage and debate over the justice system's handling of medical malpractice cases, as per to Fox News.

Plastic Surgeon Guilty of Manslaughter in Teen's Death

Dr. Kim, 54, was found guilty in June of attempted reckless manslaughter and obstructing telephone services. He was accused of explicitly prohibiting his staff from dialing 911 for hours after Emmalyn Nguyen went into cardiac arrest due to receiving seven times the necessary amount of anesthesia during the procedure. Tragically, Nguyen stopped breathing, and it took Dr. Kim's staff approximately five hours to seek medical assistance.

The Arapahoe County District Court jury, however, acquitted Dr. Kim of the most serious charge against him - negligent homicide. Despite facing the possibility of up to three years in prison, Dr. Kim was handed a 15-day jail sentence, followed by two years of supervised probation.

In addition to his jail time and probation, Dr. Kim must pay roughly $70,000 in fines and complete 120 hours of community service at a facility that provides care for individuals who have suffered brain injuries. Furthermore, Dr. Kim, as part of a wrongful death lawsuit settlement, has agreed to pay $1 million to Nguyen's grieving family.

The tragedy unfolded on August 1, 2019, when Nguyen, a healthy 18-year-old, sought a breast augmentation procedure at Dr. Kim's clinic. However, after being administered excessive anesthesia, she went into cardiac arrest. Dr. Kim attempted CPR but failed to call 911 for help for five critical hours, despite pleas from two nurses on staff.

As a result of this medical negligence, Emmalyn Nguyen suffered severe brain damage, leaving her unable to speak, walk, or feed herself. She required round-the-clock medical care until her tragic passing 14 months later, according to CBS News.

Read Also: Netanyahu Slams Palestinian Leader Mahmoud Abbas for Claiming Israel Killed Their Own People, Not by Hamas

Blame Shift and Neglect in Dr. Kim's Trial

During the trial, Dr. Kim's defense team shifted blame onto nurse Rex Meeker, who had administered the anesthesia. They argued that Meeker had given Nguyen a toxic blend of drugs, including a lethal dose of fentanyl.

Meeker initially faced manslaughter charges but had them dropped in exchange for his testimony at trial. He surrendered his license to administer anesthesia but retained his medical license.

The Nguyen family's lawyer, David Woodruff, emphasized the neglect that Emmalyn endured during the procedure. He stated that she was "left unobserved" for approximately 15 minutes, and her mother, Lynn Fam, was kept in the waiting room, unaware of her daughter's deteriorating condition.

Despite the tragic outcome, the Colorado Medical Board allowed Dr. Kim to continue practicing medicine, stipulating that he inform patients in writing of his conviction. The board did not impose any further restrictions on his practice, sparking concerns about the oversight of medical professionals in the state.

Emmalyn Nguyen's case has drawn significant attention to the need for stricter accountability and oversight in the medical field. While her family and supporters hope that her tragic death will bring justice and closure, questions remain about the adequacy of the sentencing for Dr. Geoffrey Kim and the broader issues surrounding medical malpractice, Mail Online reported.

Related Article: US Claims Israel Hostage Release Deal Is Closer Than Ever; IDF Continues Pounding Hezbollah, Iran's Other Terrorist Groups

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House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) recently visited former President Donald Trump at his Florida residence, highlighting the continued allegiance of congressional Republicans to Trump amidst his involvement in multiple criminal cases.

This meeting echoes former Speaker Kevin McCarthy's visit to Mar-a-Lago post the Capitol riot in January 2021, as per to Yahoo News.

Mike Johnson Tackles GOP Unity and Trump Loyalty Challenges

Johnson, leading a divided Republican conference, faces the challenge of appeasing staunch Trump supporters while maintaining support from moderate party members. His predecessor, McCarthy, lost the speakership partly due to his failure to follow Trump's recommendation to shut down the government.

Johnson has avoided major backlash despite not fulfilling far-right demands, such as shutting down the government this month. He did, however, release Capitol security footage from the January 6 riot, satisfying a key demand of hardline Trump supporters. This footage has since been used to propagate unfounded conspiracy theories about the riot.

During a CNBC interview, Johnson overtly endorsed Trump for the 2024 presidential election, imploring voters to prioritize policy considerations over apprehensions regarding Trump's conduct during the 2020 election.

Johnson's unambiguous support for Trump marks a distinct approach compared to McCarthy's neutral stance in the Republican primary race.

Johnson's meeting with Trump followed his attendance at a fundraising event hosted by a pro-Trump Florida congressman. This encounter signifies Johnson's effort to align closely with Trump, who remains a powerful figure within the GOP and is vying for another presidential term.

Despite internal opposition, Johnson recently passed a stopgap spending bill that prevented a government shutdown, gaining near-unanimous support from Democrats. While not universally popular among Trump's hardline supporters, his actions have not yet led to calls for his removal, according to New York Daily News.

Read Also: Federal Appeals Court Rules Against Adding More Regulations for Acquiring Handguns Under Maryland's Licensing Law

Trump's Impact on GOP Elevates Johnson to Speaker

Trump's influence on the Republican Party continues to shape its dynamics. After McCarthy's removal, he significantly influenced the appointment of Johnson as Speaker, placing Johnson ahead of candidates such as Representative Tom Emmer and Representative Jim Jordan.

Despite their modest previous engagement, Trump's preference for Johnson emphasizes his influence over party deliberations.

Johnson's recent endorsement of Trump and his role in controversial political actions, like opposing the certification of the 2020 election results, show his alignment with Trump's political agenda.

His ascension to House Speaker and endorsement of Trump indicate a strategic move to maintain the Republican majority in the House.

However, Johnson's past criticisms of Trump, revealed in previous social media posts, highlight a shift in his stance towards the former president. In 2015, Johnson expressed concerns about Trump's temperament and suitability for the presidency.

Yet, his later involvement in Trump's defense during the impeachment trial and current endorsement suggest a pragmatic approach in aligning with Trump's influence within the GOP.

This alignment is common to Johnson, as many in the Trump administration had initially supported other candidates or opposed Trump. Johnson's evolving relationship with Trump and his recent endorsement amidst Trump's legal challenges and presidential aspirations reflect political alliances' complex and often pragmatic nature, Mail Online reported.

Related Article: Oregon Teachers March on Strike for Better Teaching Conditions, Temporarily Shut Down Bridge

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The mastermind of the Hamas attack, Yahya Sinwar, who initiated the Israeli-Palestinian war years ago, remained alive, and Israeli officials vowed to kill him.

Sinwar has remained obsessive, disciplined, and dictatorial as the Hamas' top leader inside the Palestinian territory.

Sinwar Remains Alive Amid Israel-Hamas War

Israeli officials have vowed to kill the militant group, mainly Sinwar, who ruled Gaza since 2007. Sinwar remained alive after going to seven weeks into the war as he continued to hide at the helm of the Hamas fighters while still in battle with the Israeli forces.

Sinwar led the group's hostage negotiations with over 240 hostages that the militants held captive on the October 7 attack. Sinwar's political fate would be based on how the war would end and if Palestinians felt that they gained anything with their immense losses since the recent Israeli ground invasion.

Hani al-Masri, a veteran Palestinian analyst, said that Palestinians would feel they gained something despite the destruction if Sinwar would win the release of all Palestinian prisoners and the lifting of the 16-year blockade of Gaza.

Al-Masri added that it would be a big problem for Sinwar if he were not able to win the war, as Palestinian people would say that there was destruction, yet they did not obtain something in return.

Sinwar, together with Mohammed Deif, head of Hamas'Hamas' armed wing, designed the surprise October 7 attack into southern Israel. The surprise attack killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and seized Israel's military and intelligence establishment.

However, the attack resulted in devastating Israeli retaliation that killed thousands of people in Gaza.

The Israeli army's chief spokesperson, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said Sinwar was a murderer and he was the longest nightmare of the Israelis. He said that the Hamas proved to the whole world that they are much worse than ISIS, an Islamic State group.

Palestinians respect Sinwar a lot for going against Israel, who chose to stay in Gaza to protect its people, unlike other Hamas leaders who migrated to another country.

Sinwar said in one of his public speeches, "I will walk back home after this meeting," after inviting Israel to assassinate him, but he returned, shook hands, and took selfies with people in the streets.

Read Also: Pope Francis Invites Trans Women To Guest in Catholic Church's Lunch

Hamas Domination Over Gaza Strip

Hamas was founded in 1989 by Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, a Palestinian refugee living in Gaza during the first intifada, which was recognized by widespread protests against Israel's occupation.

Hamas is the Arabic acronym for the Islamic Resistance Movement and had a partnership with one of the Sunni world's most prominent groups, the Muslim Brotherhood, which was founded in Egypt in the 1920s.

The group has killed many Israeli civilians and soldiers in their suicide bombings in Israel. The US State Department, European Union, and other Western countries labeled them as a terrorist organization in 1997.

Hamas won the 2006 and 2007 parliamentary elections and took over the Gaza Strip from the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority.

Related Article: US Claims Israel Hostage Release Deal Is Closer Than Ever; IDF Continues Pounding Hezbollah, Iran's Other Terrorist Groups



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The former National Security Council chief under the Obama administration, Stuart Seldowitz, defended himself after he was filmed allegedly harassing a halal cart vendor by spewing Islamophobic remarks.

Seldowitz later confirmed in an email that it was he who was in the video recording that was taken by a vendor from inside a food cart on Manhattan's Upper East Side. There were multiple videos that seemed to have been taken on different days.

Stuart Seldowitz Spews Islamophobic Remarks

In the recordings, the former official mocks Islam, taunts the vendor about his citizenship status, accuses him of supporting Hamas, and references the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. He said, "You support killing little children." The vendor then replies with "You kill children, not me."

In response, Seldowitz said that even if they killed 4,000 Palestinian children, it would not be enough. In a statement on Tuesday, the New York City Police Department said that a commanding officer was aware of the videos and that local precinct personnel were monitoring the situation, as per CNN.

The recordings come as the United States is experiencing an unprecedented rise in reported anti-Arab and anti-Muslim bias incidents. The situation started after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel that killed thousands of people.

There has also been an increase in reports of antisemitic incidents across the nation. Last month, FBI Director Christopher Wray said that the threat was reaching "historic levels" and the Anti-Defamation League reported a 388% increase in reported incidents in the weeks after the initial Hamas attack.

In one of the videos posted that showed Seldowitz harassing the halal cart vendor, the former official said that they would put big signs in the area saying that the man "believes in Hamas." In a separate video, the former official asks the vendor whether or not he was familiar with Egypt's General Intelligence Service, otherwise known as Mukhabarat.

He claimed that the Mukhabarat would get the vendor's parents and seems to have threatened the latter's father with violence. Seldowitz later said that if he could do the entire exchange with the vendor, he would remove the religious aspect, according to the New York Post.

Read Also: Thousands of Pro-ceasefire Protestors Disrupt California Democratic Party Convention, Leaders Lock Down Building

Expressing His Apologies

Seldowitz also said that he does not believe himself to be an Islamophobic individual and argued that he has previously spoken up for equal treatment of Muslims on numerous occasions with numerous people.

However, the former official said that he regretted what happened and expressed his apologies for what he had done. He noted that in the heat of the moment, he said things that he said he probably should not have uttered at all.

In one of the videos, Seldowitz told the halal cart vendor that his lack of English fluency showed that he was "ignorant." He told him to learn the language, saying that it would help when he is deported back to Egypt and gets interviewed by the Mukhabarat.

Seldowitz is known for having a distinguished career with the State Department and also served on the National Security Council's South Asia Directorate. He also served as foreign affairs chair at New York lobbying firm Gotham Government Relations, said Aljazeera.

Related Article: US Trans Deaths On Rise, as Revealed by New NCTE Report; Experts Blame Increase in Anti-Transgender Laws

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Far-right leader Geert Wilders is projected to be the winner of the Dutch elections and could bring his anti-Isralam and Euroskeptic radical perspective into the forefront of his agendas.

The dramatic result of the parliamentary election shows that Wilders' Freedom Party (PVV) is set to win around 35 of the 150 seats. This is more than double the number that the party previously secured in the 2021 election.

Dutch Election Results

The Labour-Green alliance of Frans Timmermans is forecast to take second place in the election by winning 25 seats in parliament, which is also seen as a big jump from its previous 17. The head of the center-right VVD, Dilan Yesilgoz, suffered heavy losses and is on course to take 24 seats, which is 10 fewer than before.

A victory for Wilders in the Dutch election will put the Netherlands on track for a dramatic shift in politics. The situation comes after outgoing premier Mark Rutte's four consecutive centrist governments. The question now is whether or not any parties will be willing to join the far-right leader to form a coalition, as per Politico.

Despite Wilders coming out of the Dutch election as the largest party, he is expected to struggle to find an overall majority in parliament. He later greeted his supporters in a cafe on the Dutch coast with a big smile. He said, "The voters have spoken tonight and they have said that they are fed up."

He said that his party is planning to work toward curbing what is known as the "asylum tsunami," putting more money in people's wallets, and having better security. Wilders also extended a hand to other parties, saying that it was time to work together to come up with solutions to the country's problems.

The projected winner also suggested that he would be willing to compromise on his anti-Muslim ideals in order to enter government. He noted that he understands that parties do not wish to be in a government with a party that wants unconstitutional measures.

The three main parties all campaigned on the need to limit immigration and argued that they could be willing to seek exemptions from European Union agreements on accepting asylum-seekers and on environmental policies, according to Reuters.

Read Also: Finland Closes Borders With Russia, Accuses Moscow of Instrumentalizing Immigrants

Hard-Right Government Coalition

Negotiations are expected to be difficult as both Yesilgoz and NSC leader Pieter Omtzigt have said that Wilders' extreme stances would make it impossible to form a government with him. The latter has previously mentioned that he wanted to quit the European Union and close Dutch borders.

The VVD leader has other options if negotiations to form a hard-right coalition with Wilders fail. She could instead seek to form a center-right government with NSC and the Labour/Green Left combination.

The vote on Wednesday was the climate of a campaign that focused on various issues, including climate change. A poll was published on the eve of the elections and showed that the PVV essentially tied with the VVD for the leader and was followed closely by the Labour-Green Left ticket, said Aljazeera.

Related Article: Rishi Sunak Allegedly Thought It Was Okay to 'Let People Die,' COVID Inquiry Hear

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The World Health Organization is now investigating the mysterious pneumonia spreading across China. WHO officials said that the number of infected cases among Chinese children has been increasing for the past few months.

Because of this, many health experts are concerned about the possibility of this flu-like infection becoming another pandemic; the worst case scenario is being the illness as contagious and dangerous as COVID-19.

WHO Investigates Mysterious Pneumonia in China as Cases Increase

On Nov. 22, WHO released a report saying that Chinese officials from the National Health Commission confirmed an increase in respiratory disease infection cases in China.

The international health organization said that PRC's NHC authorities announced this alarming crisis during a recent press conference on Nov. 13.

"Authorities stressed the need for enhanced disease surveillance in healthcare facilities and community settings, as well as strengthening the capacity of the health system to manage patients," said WHO via its official website.

Because of this, WHO is now requesting China to provide detailed information regarding the flu-like illness, which Fortune Well describes as similar to the January 5 2020 letter, in which WHO also asked for more specific details about the pathogen that later became known as COVID-19.

WHO officials said that they already asked China on Wednesday, Nov. 22, to send additional epidemiological and clinical information, as well as lab results of the infected children.

The World Health Organization promised that it will maintain contact with Chinese scientists and clinicians through their existing technical partnerships and networks to learn more about this mysterious pneumonia.

Read Also: Massachusetts: Potential HIV, Hepatitis Exposure in Past 2 Years Risks Nearly 450 Hospital Patients

What To Know About China's Mysterious Pneumonia

Chinese officials from NHC claimed that the rising flu-like cases in China are caused by the circulation of known pathogens, such as SARS-CoV-2, RSV, influenza, etc.

As of writing, China hasn't shared enough information regarding the pneumonia outbreak. This is why no evidence has proven that there's a new pathogen.

Dr. Michael Osterholm, the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, explained that if the flu-like outbreak is caused by a new pathogen, then adults and kids would be affected equally.

Despite their explanation and the lack of proof, many health experts are still concerned that the mysterious pneumonia infections could lead to another COVID-19-like pandemic.

Related Article: Cholera Outbreak Returns in Zimbabwe With More Than 8,000 Suspected Cases, Confirm Hundreds of Deaths

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Kim Phuong Taylor has been convicted of 52 counts of voter fraud for allegedly helping her husband, Woodbury County Supervisor Jeremy Taylor, unlawfully get votes to win a June 2020 election.

The conviction was made on Tuesday as an Iowa federal jury found 49-year-old Taylor guilty on 26 charges of false information in registering and voting, 23 charges of fraudulent voting, and three charges of fraudulent registration.

Kim Phong Taylor Convicted

Taylor allegedly carried out a scheme to fraudulently generate votes for her husband at the time that he was challenging Rep. Steve King. After Jeremy finished a distant third in that particular race, Taylor again engaged in ballot fraud to help his successful re-election campaign as county supervisor.

In a news release, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said that Taylor submitted or caused others to submit dozens of voter registrations, absentee ballot request forms, and absentee ballots containing false information.

She also completed and signed voter forms without voters' permission and told others that they could sign on behalf of relatives who were not present, as per the Washington Post.

Law enforcement authorities arrested Taylor and indicted her in January. She is currently facing a maximum of five years in prison for each of the 52 counts against her. As a sentencing date has not yet been set, she will remain free until then.

Neither Jeremy nor Taylor's attorney, F. Montgomery Brown responded to requests for comments regarding the development in the case. In a statement, the suspect's husband said that the conviction was not what their family had hoped for. However, he said that they respect the court for hearing his wife's story.

He noted that his first priority right now is to deal with the results of the case as a private matter so that he could be there for his family. Prosecutors have not specified whether Taylor's husband was aware in advance of the fraud scheme that his wife perpetrated.

Read Also: California: Gun Owners' Personal Data May Be Shared With Gun Violence Researchers, Appeals Court Finds

Voter Fraud Scheme

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ron Timmons said that they were definitely confident in the evidence that they put forward in the case against Taylor. He added that they were delighted with the outcome of the verdict, according to the Sioux City Journal.

Despite the conviction, the investigation into the matter is still ongoing as Jeremy, while not being charged, has been named as an unindicted co-conspirator. The couple did not show any visible reaction during the reading of the verdict and quickly left the courtroom afterward.

Taylor has 14 days to file a request for a new trial and her attorney, Brown, will most likely renew his motion for a judgment of acquittal. Prosecutors argued that the fraud scheme was on a scale that is rarely seen. Most voter fraud cases involve one voter casting a single ballot in another person's name.

In defense of Taylor, Brown said that the case came down to a "bias virus" due to bad blood between Jeremy and Woodbury County Auditor and Election Commissioner Pat Gill. The latter is the only Democrat who holds a public office in Woodbury County. He was also the one who alerted authorities to the alleged fraud by Taylor, said the Iowa Public Radio.

Related Article: Vehicle Explodes at Rainbow Bridge, Closes US-Canada Border

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Russian President Vladimir Putin called the war in Ukraine a "tragedy" and said that he is prepared to conduct peace talks.

The official's remarks were made at a G20 virtual summit and included an acknowledgment that military actions are always a tragedy. Putin also claimed that Russia has never refused peace talks with Ukraine throughout the conflict.

Vladimir Putin Speaks at G20 Virtual Summit

Putin said that the invasion was necessary in order to overcome what he called a "coup." During the Russian president's brief speech at the virtual summit, there were only a handful of countries that tuned in to listen. These included Bangladesh, Indonesia, Korea, Singapore, Spain, and the host, India. China and the United States declined to attend the summit.

The remarks also come as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that his country's troops face "difficult" defensive operations on parts of the eastern front. Images taken from the frontline in Donbas, as well as in the capital Kyiv, show that snow has already started to fall, as per the Independent.

Putin's remark comes as Estonia on Wednesday accused Russia of helping migrants travel to its border. Estonian Interior Minister Lauri Laanemets said that Moscow was involved in a "hybrid attack operation" that seeks to undermine security and unsettle the Baltic state's population.

Since Thursday, there have been a total of 75 migrants, primarily from Somalia and Syria, who have tried to enter Estonia from Russia. They tried to travel through the Narva crossing but none had asked for asylum and all were turned away.

The Baltic nation has made preparations to close its border crossings if "the migration pressure from Russia escalates." It is also preparing to deal with migrants if they attempt to enter outside official crossings.

The conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which began in February 2022, has resulted in the death or injury of hundreds of thousands of people, including military troops and civilians. It also caused millions to be displaced and has devastated swathes of Ukraine's south and east, according to Reuters.

Read Also: Mastermind of Hamas Attack Yahya Sinwar Remains Alive, Israeli Officials Vow to Kill Him

The "Tragedy" of the War in Ukraine

In his latest remarks at the G20 virtual summit, Putin also used the word "war" which is different from what Moscow usually uses to describe the fighting in Ukraine, which is a "special military operation."

The main focal issue for Russia's invasion of its European counterpart is the alleged persecution of people in eastern Ukraine. The conflict in that region started in 2014 after a pro-Russian president was ousted in the country's Maidan Revolution and Russia annexed Crimea.

From 2014 to 2021, roughly 14,000 have lost their lives based on data from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, including 3,106 civilians. Putin said that the Russia-Ukraine war will shock many around the world. However, he also said that the Israel-Hamas war was having the same effect.

Putin called the plight of civilians in Gaza "an extermination" and said that it implied that the West was willing to overlook the aggression in that region. His remarks marked another example of a tactic that the Russian president and other top officials have resorted to in the last few years, which is to accuse the West of transgressions, said the New York Times.

Related Article: Far-Right Leader Geert Wilders Wins Dutch Parliamentary Elections

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Over 50% of Peru's glacier surface has already vanished, raising concerns from experts. Scientists blame this alarming environmental crisis on the worsening climate change.

They said that because of the rising temperature, some mountain ranges in Peru already lost almost 99% of their glaciers. While some people in this South American country benefit from the glacier meltdown, others are suffering from it.

Here are other details you need to know about the continuous disappearance of Peru's glacier surface.

Over 50% of Peru's Glacier Surface Lost Due to Climate Change

ABC News reported that 175 glaciers in Peru are already extinct between 2016 and 2020.

"In 58 years, 56.22% of the glacial coverage recorded in 1962 has been lost," said Mayra Mejia, a Peruvian official of the National Institute of Research of Mountain Glaciers and Ecosystems (Inaigem).

Mejia and other Peruvian scientists said that the main reason why these glaciers are melting is because of the increase in the average global temperature.

The rise in temperature is accelerating the retreat of glaciers, especially in tropical regions, as explained by Inaigem's Glacier Research Director Jesus Gomez.

Mejia said that almost 99% of Chila's glacial surface already disappeared since 1962. Aside from Chila, other mountain ranges in Peru are also experiencing the same environmental crisis.

Read Also: NASA's James Webb Captures Heart of Milky Way, Provides Stunning Visuals of Mysterious Region

Loss of Glacier's Negative Effects Outweigh Its Benefits

According to The Guardian, some residents in Peru are benefiting from the melting of glaciers. On the other hand, other people are greatly suffering because of the ice's disappearances.

For example, as the glacier surface in the Cordillera Blanca slowly melts over the years, the lakes below are now swelling with the water.

Because of this, some Andean communities and regions that have been suffering from extreme droughts are now benefiting from the resulting water, especially the farmers.

There's no denying that the water from the melting glaciers is boosting incomes in the poor rural communities and offering other benefits.

However, most of these positive effects are just temporary. Inaigem President Beatriz Fuentealva explained that the loss of glaciers drastically endangers the lives of people in lowland areas.

This was seen in 1970 when a huge sheet of glacier broke because of a 7.9 magnitude earthquake. it caused a mud avalanche that destroyed the city of Yungay, leading to over 20,000 deaths.

Aside from putting people's lives at risk, the extra water provided by the glaciers may not last as well because more and more people are using it for farming; companies in Peru are also taking advantage of this booming resulting water.

Related Article: Solar Flare 2024: What Would Happen if Global Internet Suddenly Stopped-And What You Should Do

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As the race for NATO's next Secretary General intensifies, Mark Rutte, the outgoing Dutch Prime Minister, is at the forefront, despite facing significant opposition from various quarters.

Mark Rutte's candidacy comes at a time when there's an increasing call for gender diversity in NATO's leadership and concerns over the Netherlands' defense spending under his administration, as per Politico.

Mark Rutte's NATO Bid Faces Criticism

Rutte, known for his diplomatic prowess and strong relationships with key European leaders, has garnered the support of high-ranking officials in the US, Germany, and France. His cordial relationship with French President Emmanuel Macron plays a significant role in his favorability. According to a French diplomat, the mutual appreciation between Macron and Rutte is well-known.

However, Rutte's candidacy is not without its critics. US lawmakers have expressed strong reservations due to the Netherlands' consistent failure to meet NATO's defense spending target of 2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP).

This puts Rutte in a challenging position compared to Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, who has pledged to raise her country's defense spending to 3 percent of GDP, a significant commitment given the current geopolitical climate and Estonia's robust support for Ukraine.

Latvia's Foreign Minister Krisjanis Karins, another contender, has emerged as an underdog in this race, surprising even some within his own country. The candidacies of Kallas and Karins highlight the growing discontent among Baltic nations with Western Europe's approach to Russia and support for Ukraine.

The debate in the United States over the next NATO leader is closely tied to concerns about equitable burden-sharing within the alliance.

Senator Dan Sullivan has been vocal about his dissatisfaction with NATO members, including the Netherlands, for not meeting defense spending commitments. This sentiment is echoed in a bipartisan manner across the US Senate, reflecting the political weight of this issue, according to Bloomberg.

Read Also: Missing Israeli Woman Shani Gabay Found Dead

Debates Over NATO's First Female Secretary General

Concurrently, there's a strong push within the Democratic Party, and among other NATO members, for appointing the first female Secretary General. Senator Jeanne Shaheen emphasizes that while gender diversity is important, the chosen candidate should represent a country committed to NATO's defense spending goals.

Amidst these discussions, the White House remains non-committal on any preferred candidate, focusing instead on the broader goal of strengthening transatlantic security.

The Netherlands' track record on defense spending further complicates Rutte's candidacy. The country's defense expenditure has consistently fallen short of the 2 percent GDP target set by NATO.

This year, the Netherlands plans to spend 1.7 percent of GDP on defense, with a slight increase projected for the following years. This shortfall has been a point of contention, particularly in the context of the NATO summit and the ongoing situation in Ukraine.

As NATO plays a crucial role in coordinating support for Ukraine in its conflict with Russia, there's a growing argument for a leader from the alliance's eastern flank, reflecting the changing dynamics and security concerns in Europe.

Rutte's political future in the Netherlands also influences the race. Having announced his departure from Dutch politics after a record-breaking tenure as Prime Minister, Rutte's potential move to NATO's leadership marks a significant transition in his career and in the alliance's future direction.

Related Article: UN SecGen Fact-Checked by X After Comparing Deaths in Gaza with Casualties in Nearby Countries

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Visitors heading to Paris for next year's Olympics face major accommodation problems amid soaring hotel prices and a crackdown on rentals of tourist apartments.

A report by the Paris tourism office showed that hotel prices would rise by a whopping 314% between the 2023 and 2024 summers.

"We want popular Games, and it can't be popular Games at 700 euros a night," Frederic Hocquard, Paris's deputy mayor for tourism and night life, told Reuters on Monday.

The report also hit out at the Paris hotels for waiting too long to open their booking platforms for the July 26 - Aug. 11 Games.

"Some 66% of the hotels are still not available for booking for the period of the Olympics," the report said.

According to the Paris Tourism office, a hotel night in the Paris region was 169 euros in July 2023, and it is expected to soar up to 699 euros in July 2024.

"The rise is 366% for the two-star hotels and 475% for the three-star hotels," it said.

Read the full article at reuters.com
Choice Hotels EMEA and Sercotel have signed a new Distribution Agreement covering key international feeder markets into Spain

Choice Hotels EMEA and Sercotel will undertake joint commercial and marketing activities over the coming months, including a European roadshow and will have a joint presence at IBTM World 2023

Choice Hotels EMEA, the 100% franchise-focused hotel company, has signed a new Distribution Agreement with leading Spanish hotel chain Sercotel.

Choice Hotels EMEA and Sercotel have collaborated since 2018 to bring together Choices and Sercotels distribution channels and this new Distribution Agreement will see the two companies undertake commercial and marketing activities focused on driving forward incremental revenue.

The companies have embarked on a European roadshow to showcase their joint portfolio to corporate clients across the UK, France, Germany and the Netherlands.

A key focus for both is MICE and Choice Hotels EMEA and Sercotel will target the MICE industry through a co-branded booth and a client event at IBTM World 2023 in Barcelona.

Raul Ramirez Sanchez, Chief Segment & International Operations Officer said Our five-year collaboration with Sercotel Hotels is a testament to our shared vision to build a mutually beneficial relationship and leverage synergies between our two companies,

We have a productive collaboration to date and this new distribution agreement further supports our growth strategy in several key markets across EMEA. We look forward to continuing to expand our joint presence across the region over the years to come.

Jose Rodriguez, CEO at Sercotel, added: "Continuing our alliance with Choice Hotels EMEA is excellent news. With this distribution agreement, we take a significant step forward in our international growth, enabling us to boost our business in key European markets, in the United States, and in others global markets where Choice has a presence."

Sercotel has seen the highest growth levels of most Spanish hotel groups the in recent years.

About Choice Hotels EMEA

Choice Hotels EMEA is represented under the Ascend Hotel Collection, Clarion, Quality and Comfort brands, in France, Germany, Italy, the Czech Republic, and Turkey. Choice Hotels International, Inc., the parent company of Choice Hotels EMEA, with more than 7,000 hotels representing nearly 600,000 rooms, in 35 countries and territories, is one of the largest hotel groups in the world (as of December 31, 2021). For more information, visit: https://www.choicehotels.com.

Forward-Looking Statement

This communication includes "forward-looking statements" about future events, including anticipated hotel openings and a brand refresh for the regional brand portfolio of Choice Hotels EMEA. Such statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including construction delays, availability and cost of financing, acceptance of brands, and the other "Risk Factors" described in the Annual Report on Form 10-K and the Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q of Choice Hotels International, Inc., any of which could cause actual results to be materially different from our expectations.
Ms. Suma Venkatesh, Exec. Vice-President, IHCL with Mr. KM Abdul Latheef, MD, Hotel Pearl Dunes Pvt Ltd

Indian Hotels Company (IHCL) today announced the signing of a new Vivanta hotel in the heart of Kochi, Aluva.

Speaking on the occasion, Suma Venkatesh, Executive Vice President - Real Estate & Development, IHCL, said, IHCLs brand Vivanta debuts in Kochi with this signing. This will be our seventh hotel in the city  a testament to the citys importance. We are delighted to further strengthen our association with Mr. KM Abdul Latheef with a second hotel.

The 95-keys hotel is located at Aluva, a comfortable driving distance from the airport as well as leisure spots. The hotel will feature an all-day diner and bar, 4,500 square feet of banquet space, swimming pool, a gym and a spa.

Mr. KM Abdul Latheef, Managing Director, Hotel Pearl Dunes Pvt Ltd. said, We are happy to work once again with IHCL, Indias hospitality leaders. This hotel will offer guests a flavor of the stylish Vivanta brand in Kochi.

Kochi is the financial, commercial and cultural capital of the state of Kerala. It ranks first in the total number of international and domestic tourist arrivals in Kerala and is the gateway to other popular leisure destinations.

With the addition of this hotel, IHCL will have 18 hotels across Taj, SeleQtions, Vivanta and Ginger brands across Kerala including 5 under development.
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State, United Way Announce New Partnership

BOSTON  Emergency Assistance Director General Scott Rice announced a partnership between the Healey-Driscoll Administration and the United Way of Massachusetts Bay to support overnight safety-net shelter for families and pregnant individuals with no alternative shelter options.

As the state's emergency shelter system reaches capacity, the partnership will create a $5 million grant program, administered by the United Way, to provide funding to community-based organizations, faith-based groups, and volunteer organizations to stand up short-term, overnight shelter sites.

"Massachusetts is in a new phase of managing our emergency shelter system, and we are doing everything possible to ensure the safety and wellbeing of families," said General Scott Rice. "We are grateful for this partnership with the United Way and hope that our community partners take advantage of this financial support to stand up safety net shelter sites in this time of great need."

The new grant program is being implemented as the winter months approach to support families on the waitlist who do not have overnight shelter alternatives. Community-based organizations, faith-based groups, and volunteer organizations will be able to apply for funding through an application process administered by the United Way that will be made available soon.

"In an ideal?world, our shelter system can do just what it has done  flex to accommodate a wave of people seeking shelter  but the reality is?our state cannot meet the current demand," said Bob Giannino, President and Chief Executive Officer at United Way of Massachusetts Bay. "We have seen the many ways that community-based organizations have stepped up to respond to this crisis and are proud to partner with the Commonwealth to amplify its efforts to find additional, temporary safety-net shelter accommodations and ensure everyone in Massachusetts has a safe place to stay. Our next challenge is to develop the affordable housing we need across the state."

Prospective safety net shelter sites include communal gathering spaces with restroom facilities and heat, such as community centers, school buildings, and places of worship. Grant funds could be used to support eligible uses that include, but are not limited to, facilities staff, supplies such as cots and blankets, and food.

"The Administration is tapping all available resources to support families in need of shelter, but we can't do this critical work alone," said Secretary of Housing and Livable Communities Ed Augustus. "We are grateful to have such an exceptional partner in the United Way, not only for their existing efforts on the Massachusetts Migrant Families Relief Fund, but also for their continued leadership today to administer this safety net shelter grant program."

This grant program is being supported by existing federal funds targeted at innovative housing and shelter initiatives. More information will be made available by the United Way of Massachusetts Bay for organizations looking to apply.

In addition, the United Way's Migrant Relief Fund continues to support the essential needs of migrant families, including temporary accommodations, food, clothing, diapers, hygiene items, transportation, health screenings, translation services, ESOL classes and legal assistance. The fund has raised $1.4 million since it was launched in August.

The state's Emergency Assistance (EA) family shelter system has expanded at an unsustainable rate, more than doubling caseload over the past year. Last month, Governor Healey announced that the state does not have enough shelter units, service providers, or funding to continue to safely and responsibly expand shelter capacity beyond approximately 7,500 families  which is expected to be reached by this Wednesday or Thursday. There are currently 7,439 families enrolled in emergency shelter across the state.

Additional Support for Families

In addition to safety-net shelter options, the Family Welcome Centers in Allston and Quincy will continue to offer services, including hot meals and basic necessities like diapers, warm clothes, and hygiene kits. They will also work with families on a case-by-case basis to determine safe housing alternatives and connect them with community-based services and behavioral health supports.?

The Executive Office of Health and Human Services will also continue its efforts to connect families with support. That work includes providing access to food assistance programs, mental health resources, and developing new guidance for hospitals working with families experiencing homelessness.

"Our Family Welcome Centers are an important resource for parents and kids throughout the Commonwealth. Our FWCs remain open and their teams committed to serving families who need assistance to rebuild their lives in our state," said Secretary of Health and Human Services Kate Walsh. "Families can count on the FWCs to go the extra mile to help meet their needsfrom complex benefits navigation like SNAP and WIC to fundamental needs like diapers and winter clothing."

Governor Healey is also activating 75 more members of the National Guard to provide basic services at emergency shelter locations and support the upcoming work authorization clinic hosted in partnership with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. This brings the total number activated to 375, which includes 50 at Joint Base Cape Cod.

Work Authorization and Employee Training

The work authorization clinic with the Department of Homeland Security, scheduled for the week of November 13, will be extended to another week beginning on November 27 to accommodate more shelter residents and help process more work authorizations as efficiently as possible.

The legal clinic builds on programs currently operated by the state to provide legal assistance to EA families and help shelter residents start working. In the last few weeks, nearly 300 people in the shelter system have enrolled in MassHire and participated in work readiness services, ESOL classes, and career workshops. Many have already been connected with employers like Dunkin Donuts, Market Basket, Walmart, Sysco food distributors, Yankee Candle and Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton.

"The Healey-Driscoll Administration appreciates our partnership with MassHire workforce boards and career centers as we connect immigrants in shelter with work readiness programs and resources," said Labor and Workforce Development Secretary Lauren Jones. "The upcoming clinic will be an incredibly valuable tool to expedite work authorization for individuals, and as a result, open more pathways and job opportunities for newly arrived talent with employers looking for skilled workers."
Volunteers, Wild Oats Market staff and Williamstown Police help distribute food as part of the Williamstown Food Pantry's and Wild Oats' Families Feeding Families program on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Butternut squash is ready for distribution to recipients at the Williamstown Food Pantry last week. The cars started lining up at 7:30 outside the pantry. Side dishes prepared by the staff at Wild Oats Market in Williamstown are packaged for delivery to families in need. Some of the items that went into the Williamstown Food Pantry's Thanksgiving boxes. The Williamstown Food Pantry distributed Thanksgiving baskets to 93 families. PreviousNext

Williamstown Food Pantry Shares the Bounty at the Holidays



Volunteers Carol DeMayo, left, and Carin DeMayo-Wall organize distribution from Williamstown's Sts. Patrick & Raphael Parish twice each month. WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.  For several hours on a recent Wednesday morning, Carol DeMayo and the volunteers of the Williamstown Food Pantry distributed Thanksgiving baskets to 93 families.

The bundles included a turkey, canned goods, fresh squash, the ingredients for a homemade pumpkin pie  and a side of empathy and respect.

DeMayo, well into her fourth decade organizing the local non-profit, knew many if not most of the recipients who started lining up at 7:30, well before the announced 9 a.m. start of distribution.

And she took the time to get to know the ones she did not know and check in for updates on the lives of those she did.

There is the family that should have two incomes but for the fact that one of the parents has suffered three heart attacks and cannot work.

"They don't know how they're going to make it," DeMayo said. "It's just scary. They never thought they would be in this situation."

There is a woman whom DeMayo said has to be around 80 years old but still had her independence, until her car gave out.

"She's frantic," DeMayo said. "She's so frantic she's not going to have food when the family comes at Thanksgiving, and she wants everything to look fine."

The Williamstown Food Pantry is there for residents of Williamstown, New Ashford, Hancock and Pownal, Vt., all year round, distributing food and personal care items twice a month from its headquarters at Sts. Patrick and Raphael Parish on Southworth Street. DeMayo and her daughter, Carin DeMayo-Wall, also make house calls in between distribution dates, helping families through crises that arise.

At the holidays, the pantry runs a couple of special initiatives  the Thanksgiving baskets that were distributed on Nov. 15 and a partnership with Wild Oats Market for the "Families Feeding Families" initiative.

From Oct. 23 through Nov. 17, Wild Oats collected monetary donations from its shoppers to fund the purchase of prepared meals to be distributed to members of the community in time for the holiday.

A $30 donation funded an assortment of sides, including stuffing, mashed potatoes, glazed carrots, brussels sprouts, gravy, rolls, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie  all prepared on-site by the staff at Wild Oats. A $50 donation supported those sides plus two pounds of roasted turkey.

Wild Oats Marketing and Member Relations Manager Amy Carey said the monthlong donation drive funded 50 meals for distribution.

On Tuesday morning, Wild Oats staff, Food Pantry volunteers and Williamstown Police officers helped load cars filled with holiday food for transport from the market to the pantry for distribution.

DeMayo said recently that the Williamstown Food Pantry this fall saw a rise in demand for its twice-monthly food distribution. A program that regularly expected to see 40 to 50 families on a given Wednesday started seeing 60 recipients in need.

"It was just the increase by numbers that took us by shock  not surprise, shock," she said. "We were scraping our cabinet."

Fortunately, the pantry was able to restock its shelves in time for the holidays.

"We put out the call, and, boy, did people react," DeMayo said, pointing in particular to regular donation drives at local houses of worship like First Congregational Church and First Baptist Church.

"We couldn't believe how they reacted. We asked for donations through the church, St. Patrick's, and on Facebook."

The Food Pantry uses its Facebook account not only to put out calls for urgent donation needs but also to spread the word about other agencies helping the community, like the Family Center of Northern Berkshire County (Child Care of the Berkshires) in North Adams that runs free programs for families with young children and a free children's clothing exchange program, and the Berkshire Food Project, which held its Thanksgiving meal on Monday.

DeMayo also makes sure that recipients who show up in person to Food Pantry distributions learn about agencies that can help.

Sometimes, she helps by just lending an ear in the moment.

"When you look in the car, you never know, sometimes they have Grandma back there and she doesn't say a word, but when you talk to them, they're so happy," DeMayo said. "Things like that pull at your heart."
One of Microchip Technologys Guiding Values is Professional Ethics and Social Responsibility Are Practiced. As such, Microchip and its global workforce of over 22,000 employees give back to the communities where they live and work. Microchip Technology today announces its Wafer Probe and Final Test facility in Calamba City, Philippines, is the recipient of the Outstanding Community Project Award by the Republic of the Philippines.

Greg Fisher, Manufacturing Country Manager of Microchip Philippines, receives the Outstanding Community Project Award on behalf of Microchip recognizing 19 years of impactful initiatives.

The award was presented to Microchip Technology at the PEZA 28th Annual Investors Night in Pasay City on November 22, 2023. Tereso O. Panga, Director General of PEZA said, We wholeheartedly extend our sincerest gratitude to your company for its notable efforts towards undertaking social welfare programs that greatly benefit the Filipino community.

Greg Fisher, Manufacturing Country Manager of Microchip Philippines, said, For over 19 years, Microchip has practiced corporate social responsibility in the region to enrich the Filipino community. We are honored to be recognized by the Republic of the Philippines with the Outstanding Community Project Award. We would also like to extend our sincere gratitude to PEZA for your support and dedication to the community.

One of several community projects Microchips Philippines facility supports is with Laguerta Elementary School. Since 2019, Microchips involvement at the school has entailed mentoring students, providing school supplies and other essential items like health kits, as well as participating in beautification projects at the school.

Rodelio Hernandez, School Head of Laguerta Elementary School, said, It is not only the immediate impact of the help received that we are grateful for, but also the lasting effects it has on the lives of our students. The support we received from Microchip Philippines has empowered us to regain control over our situation and restore our hope in a brighter future for our students.

Other community projects Microchip participates in to serve the community in the region include donations and support for disaster relief, tribal minority groups, blood drives, local schools and university relations.

Since 2004, Microchip has invested in the Philippines where it continues to have sites for R&D, Assembly, Wafer Probe and Final Test operations. Microchip Philippines social responsibility initiatives in the community aim to strengthen its partnership with the host country and bring about a more sustainable and lasting positive impact in the area.

For more information about Microchips Environmental Social Governance (ESG), visit: www.microchip.com/en-us/about/corporate-responsibility.
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For those who celebrate it, Thanksgiving is a busy affair  between catching up with relatives, making sure the stuffing isnt burning and attempting to purchase a last-minute pie, the day often goes by in a flash  and yet, theres always time to fill.

Perhaps youre done watching the Thanksgiving Day Parade. Maybe the Westminster Dog Show  a Thanksgiving Day staple  hasnt started yet. Or perhaps dinner is over and everyone wants to congregate in front of the TV and digest peacefully.

With that in mind, weve rounded up the 10 best Thanksgiving films to watch with your loved ones before, during or after the celebrations.

Some contain famous Thanksgiving scenes or references, while others are just heartwarming, family-friendly flicks.

Click through the gallery below to browse our 10 top picks:

Best Thanksgiving films to watch with your loved ones Show all 10 1 / 10 Best Thanksgiving films to watch with your loved ones Best Thanksgiving films to watch with your loved ones 1. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019) Youll have to head out to see this one, since it was just released in cinemas and isnt yet available to stream. If you can find a screening in your area, this just might prove the ultimate Thanksgiving watch. It doesnt get much more family-friendly than Tom Hanks starring as the universally loved Fred Rogers, host of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. The Independents review noted that its hard not to be moved by the films warmth and kind heart  just whats needed on the third Thursday of November. YouTube / Sony Pictures Entertainment Best Thanksgiving films to watch with your loved ones 2. Addams Family Values (1993) Americas favourite Goth family does Thanksgiving right. Cast as a Native American in a problematic play, Wednesday delivers an iconic monologue challenging the whitewashed version of the holiday as told by American folklore. YouTube / Paramount Pictures Best Thanksgiving films to watch with your loved ones 3. A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973) This Emmy-winning short first aired in 1973 and has become a Thanksgiving staple. If youve experienced a kitchen disaster at any point during the day, you might relate to Charlie Brown, Linus, Snoopy and Woodstocks efforts to put together a feast despite their total lack of cooking skills. A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving is airing on Wednesday 27 November on ABC, and the programme is also available to stream on Vudu and Amazon Prime. YouTube / United Feature Syndicate Best Thanksgiving films to watch with your loved ones 4. Youve Got Mail (1998) Lets set the record straight on Youve Got Mails infamous Thanksgiving-related scene. Tom Hankss character, who rescues Meg Ryan once she realises shes stuck cashless at a cash-only register, is supposed to come off as charming  but rewatch the scene in 2019, with the benefit of hindsight, and youll realise hes actually just a condescending jerk. However, the films overall holiday feel (plus the fact that the scene in question is filmed at the iconic Upper West Side grocer Zabars), make it a top choice for Thanksgiving. YouTube / Warner Bros Best Thanksgiving films to watch with your loved ones 5. Rocky (1976) Yes, Rocky. While the films Thanksgiving scene is utterly depressing (Paulie has a fit and throws Adrienes turkey through the window as Rocky watches on), its always fun to re-watch the 1976 classic that spawned the enduring Rocky/Creed film series. YouTube / United Artists Best Thanksgiving films to watch with your loved ones 6. Sweet November (2001) We could tell you that this 2001 film stars Keanu Reeves and Charlize Theron and leave it at that. However, we will add that the entire film is set in November and that part of its plot revolves around Thanksgiving, making it a top pic for the holiday. It is a sad flick, exploring the themes of love and terminal illness, so be prepared for an emotional viewing experience. YouTube / Warner Bros Best Thanksgiving films to watch with your loved ones 7. Funny People (2009) Adam Sandler gives a touching Thanksgiving toast as George Simmons, a stand-up comedian who has been diagnosed with a likely fatal disease. It kind of sucks being old, so just enjoy this. Enjoy time. Time slips away, I promise you, he tells a crowd of younger people, among other bits of wisdom. YouTube / Universal Pictures Best Thanksgiving films to watch with your loved ones 8. Free Birds (2013) Owen Wilson, Woody Harrelson and Amy Poehler voice this animated film about turkeys traveling back in time to the first Thanksgiving to get themselves off the traditional menu. You read that right. One caveat: if you watch it with children, maybe take a few minutes to explain to them that they shouldnt consider this goofy flick an accurate portrayal of the Thanksgiving story. YouTube / Relativity Media Best Thanksgiving films to watch with your loved ones 9. Groundhog Day (1993) On a completely different note, this Bill Murray/Andie MacDowell classic makes for a great family watch. Granted, its set in February, meaning it doesnt involve Thanksgiving or the holiday season per se, but its an ode to values such as kindness, self-improvement, love and empathy  all characteristics that lend themselves well to that time of the year. YouTube / Columbia Pictures Best Thanksgiving films to watch with your loved ones 10. Toy Story (1995) The 1995 Pixar classic was released the day before Thanksgiving  so its only right to re-watch it on that day, 24 years later. Its available to stream on Disney+, Amazon Prime, and Vudu. YouTube / Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

You can read our explainer to understand the cultural and historical meaning behind the holiday, which falls this Thursday.

Weather predictions are also available ahead of the holiday weekend, which is typically a busy travel period.
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The World Health Organisation (WHO) has officially requested China to share detailed information about respiratory illnesses and reported clusters of pneumonia in children.

The request by WHO on Wednesday comes as Chinese authorities said that there was an increase in the number of respiratory illnesses.

There are reports of hospitals in northern China facing an increase in paediatric visits as the winter season sets in, with one childrens hospital director saying on Saturday that his staff are overwhelmed with patients.

The WHO cited a 13 November press conference of the National Health Commission in saying that there has been an increase in influenza-like illness in northern China since mid-October, unlike the past three years.

It also pointed to media and global infectious disease monitoring service ProMED in saying there were reports of an undiagnosed pneumonia in children in northern China.

The UNs health agency, however, said it was unclear if there was any link between clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia and a rise in respiratory infections.

It is unclear if these are associated with the overall increase in respiratory infections previously reported by Chinese authorities, or separate events, it said.

The WHO has requested additional epidemiologic and clinical information, as well as laboratory results from these reported clusters among children.

Hospitals in northern China facing an increase in paediatric visits as the winter season sets in (AFP via Getty)

It is not at all clear when this outbreak started, as it would be unusual for so many children to be affected so quickly, said ProMED, adding that reports of illness among children suggest some exposure at the schools.

It said it awaited further information about the scope of the issue and that it was too early to speculate.

The Beijing Aviation General Hospital on Friday said that its paediatrics unit had grappled with pneumonia and flu cases since the beginning of autumn. There was a 30-50 per cent uptick in visits in the same period, compared to previous years.

In Tianjin Childrens Hospital staff have been overwhelmed, said its director Liu Wei in a letter published on WeChat. In the last 24 hours, more than 13,171 patients were admitted to the hospitals two campuses, the letter said.

The onset of novel diseases, especially potential pandemic-causing strains like new flu viruses, often begins with undiagnosed clusters of respiratory illnesses. Instances such as Sars and Covid-19 initially surfaced as atypical forms of pneumonia.

Children receive a drip at a children hospital in Beijing (AFP via Getty)

While scientists said the situation warranted close monitoring, they added that they are not yet convinced that the recent respiratory illnesses spike signals the start of a new global outbreak.

Authorities of Chinas National Health Commission on 13 November said the increase in respiratory diseases was due to the lifting of Covid lockdown restrictions.

Other countries have also seen a jump in respiratory diseases such as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) when pandemic restrictions ended.

David Heymann of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine said that there was a likely background of seasonal respiratory infections.

The challenge is to discern the outbreaks and determine the cause, Dr Heymann said in a statement, adding that genetic sequencing and isolating cases would be critical. He had led the WHOs response to the 2002-03 Sars outbreak.

Francois Balloux of UCL said that the current wave of disease in China was likely due to respiratory illnesses like flu, RSV or a bacterial infection.

He said China was probably experiencing a significant wave of childhood infections as this was the first winter since lockdown restrictions were lifted, which likely reduced childrens immunity to common bugs.

Unless new evidence emerges, there is no reason to suspect the emergence of a novel pathogen, Mr Balloux said.

The WHO said it also requested details about recent trends in the circulation of known pathogens including influenza, Sars-CoV-2, RSV and mycoplasma pneumoniae, and the current burden on health care systems.

It said it was in contact with clinicians and scientists in China through its partnership programme to keep an eye on the situation.

It is rare for the UN health agency to publicly seek more detailed information from countries, as such requests are typically made internally. The agencys China office, however, said this was a routine request.

While WHO seeks this additional information, we recommend that people in China follow measures to reduce the risk of respiratory illness, the agency said.

It suggested people in China get vaccinated, isolate if they are feeling ill, wear masks if necessary and get medical care as needed.

Additional reporting by agencies
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North Korea has withdrawn from a historic defence pact aimed at reducing military tensions at its border with South Korea, escalating a row over its spy satellite launch.

The move comes in response to South Korea partially suspending the agreement and resuming surveillance flights along the border after North Korea claimed success in launching a spy satellite into space on Tuesday.

The launch sparked condemnation from the US, Japan, and South Korea, who said it flouted UN bans as it was done using ballistic missile technology.

Pyongyang vowed South Korea would pay dearly for its irresponsible and grave provocation in which it nullified some parts of the five-year-old pact, according to state media KCNA.

From now on, our army will never be bound by the September 19 North-South Military Agreement, said North Koreas defence ministry in a statement.

We will immediately restore all military measures that have been halted according to the north-south military agreement, it said.

North Korea said it will now deploy stronger armed forces and new-type military hardware along the border.

North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un inspecting the launch of a rocket carrying the reconnaissance satellite 'Malligyong-1' from the Sohae Satellite Launch Site in North Phyongan province on 22 November (KCNA VIA KNS/AFP via Getty Image)

It said South Korea will be held accountable in case of an irretrievable clash along the Military Demarcation Line, the heavily armed border between the two.

Pyongyang will withdraw all measures taken to prevent military tension and conflict in all spheres including ground, sea and air, it said.

North Korea fired a rocket in its third attempt to place its reconnaissance satellite into space and later said the launch was a success.

The North defended the launch and said it had a legitimate right to self-defence to closely monitor and thoroughly cope with the enemies various military moves.

South Korean officials said the latest launch most likely involved technical assistance from Russia.

North Korea and Russia had pledged to strengthen ties following Kim Jong-uns visit to Russia in September. Both countries have denied Russian assistance in the launch.

launch of a new-type carrier rocket Chollima-1 carrying the reconnaissance satellite Malligyong-1 at the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground in Cholsan County, North Phyongan Province, North Korea, 21 November 2023 (EPA)

In retaliation, South Korea suspended a part of the 2018 inter-Korean deal and resumed surveillance activities by deploying crewed and uncrewed reconnaissance aircraft in the border area on Wednesday, Yonhap news agency reported.

The defence pact known as the inter-Korean Comprehensive Military Agreement aimed at de-escalating tensions at the border.

It was signed in a 2018 summit between Mr Kim and then-South Korean president Moon Jae-in.

The deal aimed at preventing accidental clashes and created a 5km buffer zone, including a no-fly zone, to reduce the probability of an armed conflict.

South Koreas defence ministry said the North violated the pact 17 times till last year, with 15 violations recorded just last year alone.

South Korean defence minister Shin Won-sik had earlier called for suspending the pact, saying it seriously limits their militarys aerial surveillance capabilities, reported Yonhap.
 Close As much time is it take International tunnelling Expert on the ongoing rescue operation at Uttarkashi

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The operation to free 41 Indian tunnel workers has entered the final stage, officials say, with rescuers just a few metres away from the trapped men.

Ambulances are on standby and disaster response teams are ready to enter the tunnel entrance equipped with stretchers and other tools to carry the workers to safety.

The men have been trapped in the tunnel at Uttarkashi in Uttarakhand state for 11 days since a portion of the under-construction tunnel collapsed during a landslide on 12 November.

Anticipation is building up among the family members of the workers, many of whom are waiting outside the Silkyara tunnel entrance, as officials say they expect the workers to be out by the end of the day.

International tunnelling expert Arnold Dix, who reached the tunnel site this morning, told ANI that they are now close and it is like being at the front door and ... knocking on it.

We know that the guys are there on the other side, he said.
With winter temperatures setting in and rates of infectious disease soaring, aid agencies say they are deeply concerned about the conditions facing Afghan refugees as they are forced to return to makeshift open-air relief camps in their home country.

In a snap decision last month, Pakistan warned it would deport about 1.7 million undocumented Afghan nationals. Since then, officials in that country have been carrying out sweeps through refugee settlements hunting for undocumented immigrants.

Of the Afghans targeted in this process only around half a million fled to escape the Taliban after it seized power in 2021. A large number had fled during the 1979-89 Soviet war, while others crossed the border during the Talibans first spell in power in Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001.
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Antoni Porowski and Kevin Harrington have reportedly called it quits after four years together.

Last year, the 39-year-old Queer Eye star and the brand strategy developer announced their engagement on Instagram with a cloudy selfie. I really hope the wedding photos are less blurry, Porowski wrote at the time.

While the formerly engaged pair seemed to be moving forward with wedding planning - Porowski hosted his bachelor party just two months ago - the longtime couple have now called off their engagement. According to Porowskis representative, the two decided to end their relationship before saying I do.

After many conversations and reflection during the wedding planning process, Antoni and Kevin have amicably decided to part ways, the representative told People on 22 November. While they still have a lot of respect for each other, as they talked more about the future, they realised they were on different paths. They both remain focused on work, and are surrounding themselves with friends during this time.

Porowski and Harringtons romantic journey began in 2019. It wasnt long before the duo decided to move in together during the Covid-19 pandemic. In an interview with People in 2020, Porowski described how the quick progression of their relationship only deepened their infatuation with each other during quarantine.

It came to a shutdown in New York - there was no toilet paper - and we decided to stay in Austin and fostered a dog, Porowski told the outlet. We went from being in a relationship and each having our own apartments and not having a dog, to living in the same place with a dog.

As of now, neither Porowski nor Harrington have addressed their breakup and their photos together still remain on their separate Instagram accounts. The chefs last Instagram post with Harrington was published on 24 August from their trip to Bali. Meanwhile, Harrington posted his own carousel of photos from the trip, including a shirtless selfie of the two of them.

POV: Youre a monkey and weve just broken your one cardinal rule, he captioned the post.

The Independent has contacted Porowskis representative for comment.
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Sarah Paulson has revealed how her relationship with Holland Taylor was destined to be.

During an appearance on The View on 21 November, the 48-year-old actor opened up about her long-term partnership with the Two and a Half Men star, 80. I actually had her picture on my refrigerator for 10 years before we were together, which sounds strange, Paulson told The View panelists Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin, Sara Haines, and Alyssa Farah Griffin.

The American Horror Story alum explained how she was at dinner with Taylor, actor Allison Janney, and the late screenwriter Buck Henry when the actors posed on top of a Lamborghini parked outside of the restaurant. Henry then snapped the picture and sent them all copies of the photo. It was on my refrigerator in my little apartment in West Hollywood for 10 years, Paulson said. There she was in my kitchen.

When asked by co-host Behar if she had a crush on Taylor at the time, the Emmy winner maintained that she didnt but admitted that maybe something was percolating and it was unbeknownst to me.

The Ratched star went on to describe how her relationship with Taylor has helped make her a better person. I am thrilled and feel very lucky to be with a person who is smarter, wiser, wittier than I, Paulson said, before adding that the Legally Blonde star just makes my life better in every possible way.

[She] helps me want to be a better person and a more realised person and she just also makes me feel seen, which I think is the most important gift you can give to any person, Paulson shared.

When the longtime couple went public with their romance in December 2015, they quickly raised eyebrows for their 31-year age gap. However, Paulson and Taylor have continued to gush over each both on social media and on the red carpet.

At the 74th annual Emmy Awards, Paulson and Taylor were praised as couple goals when fans noticed they seemed to be mouthing you look beautiful to each other on the red carpet. Speaking to E! News on the red carpet, the Oceans 8 star revealed that the awards ceremony was special because she was attending alongside her girlfriend.

Im here with Holland, my partner, whom I love. And thats it! Paulson said.

Although the pair have kept details about their relationship private, Taylor did reveal to People how their very tight, close relationship was strengthened during the Covid-19 pandemic. Of course, Sarah and I didnt need to be brought closer together, she said in August 2020. We have a very tight, close relationship within each others thoughts. We share everything thats going on.
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Thanksgiving is almost upon us, a time when many Americans gather together to eat turkey and talk about what theyre most thankful for. Growing up in the United States, almost everyone can recall the First Thanksgiving story they were told in elementary school: how the local Wampanoag Native Americans sat down with the pilgrims of Plymouth Colony in 1621, in what is now present-day Massachusetts, for a celebratory feast.

However, this story is far from the truth - which is why many people opt out of celebrating the controversial holiday.

For many Indigenous communities throughout the US, Thanksgiving remains a national day of mourning - a reminder of the devastating genocide and displacement that occurred at the hands of European colonisers following their arrival in the Americas.

Every year since 1970, Indigenous people and their allies have even gathered near Plymouth Rock to commemorate a National Day of Mourning on the day of Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving Day is a reminder of the genocide of millions of Native people, the theft of Native lands, and the erasure of Native cultures, states the official website for the United American Indians of New England. Participants in National Day of Mourning honour Indigenous ancestors and Native resilience. It is a day of remembrance and spiritual connection, as well as a protest against the racism and oppression that Indigenous people continue to experience worldwide.

This year, the 54th annual National Day of Mourning takes place on 23 November - the same day as Thanksgiving. While not everyone can support the event in person, there are still many ways people can raise awareness toward issues affecting Indigenous communities from wherever they are - by decolonising their Thanksgiving dinner.

Decolonisation can be defined as the active resistance against settler colonialism and a shifting of power towards Indigenous sovereignty. Of course, its difficult to define decolonisation without putting it into practice, writes Eve Tuck and K Wayne Yang in their essay, Decolonization Is Not a Metaphor. Rather, one of the most radical and necessary moves toward decolonisation requires imagining and enacting a future for Indigenous peoples - a future based on terms of their own making.

Matt Hooley is an assistant professor in the department of Native American and Indigenous Studies at Dartmouth College, where he teaches about US colonial powers and Indigenous cultural production. Decolonisation is a beautiful and difficult political horizon that should guide our actions everyday, including during holidays like Thanksgiving, he tells The Independent. Of course, Thanksgiving is a particularly relevant holiday to think about decolonisation because the way many people celebrate it involves connecting the family to a colonial myth in which colonialism is inaccurately imagined as a peaceful event in the past.

By decolonising our Thanksgiving, we can celebrate the holiday with new traditions that honour a future in which Indigenous people are celebrated. This year, we can start by understanding the real history behind Thanksgiving as told by actual Indigenous communities.

While Americans mainly dedicate one day a year to give thanks, Indigenous communities express gratitude every day with the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address - often called: The words that come before all else. The Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address is the central prayer and invocation for the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, which comprises the Six Nations - Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora. When one recites the Thanksgiving Address, theyre giving thanks for all life and the natural world around them.

According to Hooley, one of the most straightforward actions people can take to decolonise their Thanksgiving includes supporting Indigenous land acknowledgments and land back movements. Land back is an ongoing Indigenous-led movement which seeks to return ancestral lands to Indigenous people and the recognition of Indigenous sovereignty. While the movement is nowhere near new, it received international attention in 2016 during protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline - which continues to disrupt land and water sources belonging to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.

This year, sit down with family and friends to discuss an action plan and highlight the concrete steps you plan on taking to support Indigenous communities. Another, even simpler way would be to begin participating in whats called a Voluntary Land Tax, whereby non-Indigenous people contribute a recurring tax to the tribal communities whose land you occupy, said Hooley.

Food is perhaps the most important part of the Thanksgiving holiday, with turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes taking center stage. However, there are many ways we can make sure our dinner tables honour Indigenous futurisms too. Donald A Grinde, Jr is a professor emeritus in the department of Africana and American Studies at the University at Buffalo. Grinde - who is a member of the Yamassee Nation - tells The Independent that crops such as corn, beans, squash, tomatoes, and potatoes are central to Indigenous history and future.

A good thing is to be thankful for the abundance in the fall and note that Native people created over 60 per cent of modern agricultural crops, he said. People can be thankful for the crops that Native people created, medicines created, and traditions about democracy, womens rights and environmental rights.

Rather than buying food from major corporations this year, Hooly also recommended people consciously source their Thanksgiving dinner from Indigenous producers. Industrial agriculture is one of the most devastating contributors to the destruction of land and water everywhere, including on Indigenous land, he said. Instead of buying food grown or made by colonial corporations, people could buy their food from Indigenous producers, or even simply make a greater effort to buy locally grown food or not to buy meat harvested from industrial farms.

Thanksgiving is just a day away. While its important that were actively working toward highlighting Indigenous communities on this special holiday, decolonisation efforts are something that should be done year-round.

People can also learn about political priorities of the Indigenous communities near them and support those priorities by speaking to their representatives, participating in a protest, or by making sure that their local school and library boards are including Indigenous texts in local community education, Hooley said.
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Thanksgiving feasts are about to begin, but theres one important thing to consider when the holiday is done: What do you do with all the leftovers?

Thursday is just one day away and many Americans are already in planning mode, from buying the turkey to decorating their home for guests. While much of the work begins on Thanksgiving morning, with the fast-paced schedule of cooking dinner, perhaps an even bigger task is trying to finish all the servings of stuffing, turkey, green bean casserole, steamed vegetables, and pies that were leftover from Thanksgiving.

Some people may opt to eat their leftovers separately, but why not combine all the Thanksgiving food to create an even bigger dish? Here are five fun meals you can create with your Thanksgiving leftovers this year.

Turkey Soup

The cold months are fast approaching, so a warm bowl of soup is perfect comfort food for the winter. Begin this dish by bringing your broth to a boil and adding in different seasonings, such as salt and pepper. Then, spice up your soup by adding some of your Thanksgiving leftovers.

According to Martha Stewart, one simple recipe for turkey soup calls for eight cups of turkey stock  which can be made with turkey bones and water. Then add one and a half cups of shredded cooked turkey leftover from Thanksgiving, as well as leftover vegetables and seasonings used to cook for the holida - lemon wedges, chopped dill, three small carrots, salt, and pepper. The recipe also calls for one non-Thanksgiving-related ingredient: three dried wide egg noodles.

After the stock has been seasoned, add the noodles and carrots and return the pot to a boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer until the carrots are tender and the noodles are al dente, which will take about four minutes. Stir in the cooked turkey and let it simmer for about a minute, before sprinkling dill and serving the soup with a lemon wedge on the side.

Pot pies

A beloved pot pie dish usually consists of meat cooked inside a flaky pastry. However, this pot pie doesnt necessarily have to be filled with chicken or veggies, as you can instead make the savoury meal with the help of some leftovers.

One recipe from Bon Appetit - called the Leftover-Turkey Pot Pie - includes a range of Thanksgiving foods, such as half a cup of leftover vegetables, one and one-half cups of cooked turkey, one and one-fourth cups of turkey gravy, and the optional cranberry sauce for serving.

(Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Other ingredients include one tablespoon of unsalted butter; one tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil; one cup of chopped onion; six ounces of button mushrooms; kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper; one cup of thinly sliced, peeled carrots; one teaspoon of chopped fresh thyme; one-fourth cup of thawed, frozen green peas; one tablespoon of chopped, fresh Italian parsley; one large egg white; one nine-inch pie crust and all-purpose flour.

For cooking, begin by putting one tablespoon of butter and one tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, before adding a cup of chopped onion. Cook for for seven minutes, before adding mushrooms with the stems trimmed and caps cup in half. Sprinkle some salt and pepper and stir for about four minutes.

The recipe then calls for adding carrots to the skillet and covering it for two minutes. After that, add the leftover cooked vegetables, cooked turkey, turkey gravy, and thyme. As you bring the mixture to a boil, season it with salt and pepper and mix in the parsley and thawed green peas. Then pour the mixture into a glass pie dish and wait for it to cool, which will take about 30 minutes.

For the next step, gently brush the rim of the pie dish with one large beaten egg and a teaspoon of water. Now that the filling has cooled down, add the pie crust to the top of the filling and fold the edges of the dough. As you preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, brush the top of the pie with the egg mixture. Then make three to four small slits in the centre before pressing parsley leaves onto the crust. The pie will bake for about 30 to 35 minutes.

Casseroles

A casserole, whether its filled with green beans or sweet potatoes, is a fan-favourite dish for Thanksgiving. But when the holiday is done, why not create your own casserole out of the stuffing and turkey thats left in the fridge? The Pioneer Woman, also known as foodie Ree Drummond, has one receipe for a casserole called the Thanksgiving Leftover Casserole. Luckily, it allows for all the Thanksgiving leftovers to be used in one dish.

The ingredients include four cups of stuffing, four cups of chopped turkey, one and one-half cups of green beans, one and one-half cups of gravy, three cups of mashed potatoes, one large egg yolk, one cup of shredded Monterey jack cheese, and cranberry sauce for serving.

Before cooking the dish, begin by preheating the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and buttering the bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Add the stuffing into the dish to create a crust for the casserole. From there, layer the turkey and green beans over the stuffing and pour the gravy on top. Combine the egg yolk and mashed potatoes into another bowl, and pour the mixture over the turkey. Once youve sprinkled cheese onto the dish, cover it with foil, place it on the third rack of the oven, and bake for about 20 minutes.

Once 20 minutes have passed, uncover the dish and cook for another 20 to 25 minutes. After taking the dish out of the oven and letting it cool for 10 minutes, the casserole can be served with cranberry sauce.

Sandwiches

Whether its during a lunch break or at dinner with friends, any type of sandwich makes for a great meal. Instead of buying the lettuce and tomatoes for your usual sandwich, now you have the opportunity to turn your Thanksgiving leftovers into a delectable sandwich.

(Getty Images/iStockphoto)

In the recipe for Delishs Best Thanksgiving Sandwich - which makes two sandwiches - the ingredients include two tablespoons of mayonnaise, one tablespoon of Dijon mustard, four slices of toasted sourdough bread, two cups of roasted turkey, half a cup of mashed potatoes, half a cup of cranberry sauce, half a cup of stuffing, one fourth cup of warmed gravy, and one fourth cup of baby spinach.

To prepare the sandwich, begin by mixing mayo and mustard into a small bowl and spreading it on one side of the two pieces of bread. Add one cup of turkey, one-fourth cup of mashed potatoes, two tablespoons of cranberry sauce, and one-fourth cup of stuffing onto the bread slices. Finish off each sandwich with two tablespoons of gravy and spinach, before placing the second piece of bread on top - making the ultimate Thanksgiving sandwich.

Quiches

Although the savoury pastry is typically filled with cheese and meat, make the quiche your own with the help of Thanksgiving leftovers.

According to the Food Network, one recipe calls for a nine-inch frozen pie shell. To make the quiches filling, assemble one cup of crumbled stuffing, one cup of chopped turkey, one cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese, one-fourth cup of parsley leaves, kosher salt and pepper. For the custard in the dish, youll need one and one-fourth cups of half and half, three large eggs, one-fourth teaspoon of grated nutmeg, kosher salt, and ground black pepper.

To make the quiche, begin by partially baking the empty pie shell without the filling - which you can do by following the directions on the package. Then, create your filling by sprinkling the turkey and stuffing into the pie shell, topping it off with parsley and cheddar. Next, season the dish with salt and pepper. For the custard, mix the half and half, nutmeg, salt, and pepper in one bowl. Finally, pour the mixture over the filling.

Set the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and let it bake for about 35 to 45 minutes. Give the quiche at least 30 minutes to cool, and serve!
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Jamal Hinton and Wanda Dench went viral seven years ago when the 66-year-old grandma accidentally texted the stranger inviting him to Thanksgiving dinner. Now, the two have forged a lifelong friendship as their Thanksgiving tradition continues, and have even become business partners.

Back in 2016, the Arizona grandmother texted the number she thought belonged to her grandson. Instead, she accidentally messaged then 17-year-old Hinton, who documented the mix-up in a series of viral tweets. Rather than ignore the unknown number, the two sent each other selfies. Youre not my grandma, Hinton replied, before asking if he could still come to Thanksgiving dinner.

Of course you can, Dench responded. Thats what grandmas do feed everyone.

That Thanksgiving, Hinton actually made the trip from Tempe, Arizona, to Mesa to join the Dench family for dinner. The unlikely friends have celebrated together ever since. Now, their viral friendship has even inspired an upcoming Netflix movie, an alkaline black water brand, and a partnership with Airbnb.

On 1 November, the 24-year-old shared a selfie with Dench on Instagram in honour of their special announcement. To celebrate our eighth Thanksgiving together (yes, eight!), were partnering with @airbnb this year to host a couple extra seats at our table, Hinton captioned the post. Booking for our favorite holiday tradition opens November 14 at 11am MST at the link in our bios. Join us!

For just $16, Hinton and Dench are offering a one-night stay with them at a home in Prescott Valley, Arizona, on Thanksgiving. According to Airbnb, the booking price is a special nod to the year they spent their first Thanksgiving together. The booking period has already closed, meaning one lucky person will be spending the holiday with the viral pair.

Some may recognise us from our viral text mishap that led to our first Thanksgiving together back in 2016. And eight years later, were practically family, the listing reads. To commemorate our lasting friendship, were excited to become Airbnb Hosts and welcome new guests into our holiday tradition, creating meaningful connections in the process.

Our unexpected friendship may have started accidentally, but our love for meeting new people has kept it going strong almost a decade later. Thats why this year, were expanding our annual tradition and inviting new guests to spend Thanksgiving with us at Wandas home - because thats what grandmas do: feed everyone.

A lot has changed since 2016, when Dench accidentally texted Hinton inviting him to Thanksgiving. In 2020, Dench and her husband Lonnie were both diagnosed with Covid-19 but Lonnie was sent to the hospital with pneumonia. Sadly, her husband passed away that year but Dench, her grandson, and her daughter met up with Hinton and his girlfriend, Mikaela, to keep the tradition alive.

Hinton also made sure to send their support for Dench during the difficult time. I heard some rustling at my front door, and I opened it up and Jamal and Mikaela were dropping off a whole bunch of food and gifts and stuff, Dench previously told Today.

A week after his passing, Hinton shared a heartwarming video of himself and his girlfriend at lunch with the couple, and captioned the tweet: We miss you Lonnie.

Dench has also revealed how her relationship with Hinton has taught her that friendship has no age limit. Jamal taught me that age made absolutely no difference, she told Today. She recalled one time when she and her husband ate dinner with Hinton and his girlfriend at a restaurant, and the couples lost all track of time. Thats when it dawned on me that there doesnt have to be a generation gap to have friendships, she explained. So now I look at a lot of young people in a different light than I used to and I make it a point to talk and get to know them.

Hes changed my life a lot, I know that.

In 2022, Hinton announced on Thanksgiving that he and Dench had gone from family to business partners. The friends launched an alkaline black water brand together, called Black MP. From year one as strangers, to year seven as family but now BUSINESS PARTNERS! Hinton captioned a selfie of the pair holding up their alkaline black water. Im very thankful for my family, friends, fans.
It was three days before my silver wedding anniversary holiday that I booked an opticians appointment to check out my suddenly blurry right eye.

For days previously, all I could see were wavy lines, distorted faces and floating blobs. Ive been extremely short-sighted since I was a teenager (my nickname is Mr Magoo) and have check-ups more regularly than most. So, I was concerned but not overly so, putting my eye problems down to the strain of staring at the computer for too long. Still, I wanted to put my mind at rest before heading off for a 12-hour flight to Mauritius, for a celebration wed saved long and hard for.

I hadnt planned for the potential dire consequences of my symptoms, or the very British drama that came next. One hour later, on a Friday afternoon, the optician studied a scan of my problematic eye and declared I needed emergency treatment for what appeared to be fluid leaking into my retina.
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Brad Pitts son called him a world class a**hole and f***ing awful human being in a scathing Fathers Day post.

Pitt, 59, shares six children with former wife Angelina Jolie: sons Maddox, 22, and Pax, 19, daugters Zahara, 18, and Shiloh, 17, as well as twins Vivienna and Knox, 15.

Pax lashed out at the Fight Club actor in a Fathers Day post shared on his private Instagram account three years ago, according to a MailOnline report.

Happy Fathers Day to this world class a***hole, Pax reportedly addressed a message to his adoptive dad. You time and time and again prove yourself to be a terrible and despicable person.

You have no consideration or empathy toward your four youngest children who tremble in fear when in your presence, the teenager captioned a photograph of Pitt accepting the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 2020,

Pax, then 16, wrote: You have made the lives of those closest to me a constant hell. You may tell yourself and the world whatever you want, but the truth will come to light someday.

So, Happy Fathers Day, you f***ing awful human being!!!

(Getty Images)

A source told MailOnline that the message was posted from a private Instagram account belonging to Pax and described the rant against Pitt as unusual since Pax never says much about his parents on the profile.

The Independent has contacted Pitts representatives for comment.

The report comes days after Pitt and Jolies daughter Zahara, who was adopted in 2005 from Ethiopia, dropped her fathers last name during a sorority induction ceremony at Spelman College, an American liberal arts college in Atlanta, Georgia.

In a video obtained by Essence, the 18-year-old undergraduate reportedly identified herself as Zahara Marley Jolie  notably choosing to omit her famous fathers surname.

Jolie, who was married to Pitt for two years, filed for divorce citing irreconcilable differences, days after an alleged physical altercation between him and their oldest son Maddox, then 15, while they were onboard a private jet in 2016.

Following an FBI investigation into the child abuse allegations, Pitt was cleared of all charges. However, a detailed account of what transpired on the private plane was made public last year, after FBI records were leaked to the press.

According to the documents, the Maleficent actor told investigating officers that Pitts actions during the flight from France to Los Angeles frightened their children, aged between 8 and 15 at the time.

Jolie also said that Pitt allegedly lunged at one their kids after they called him a prick, adding she had to hold him back in a choke hold.

According to the report, Pitt told Jolie that one of the children looked like a f***ing Columbine kid, referring to the Columbine High School massacre in 1999, during which two 12th graders  Eric Harris and Dylan Kelbold  gunned down 12 children and a teacher in Colorado.

Jolie and Pitt are still locked in a bitter custody battle for their six children, three of whom were adopted by the Maleficent star.

Pitt later formally adopted Maddox, Pax, and Zahara as well.
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Queen Camilla was praised for making reading sexy as she hosted the Booker Prize-shortlisted authors for a pre-awards event at her home.

Camilla, who is known to be a passionate reader and a patron of several literacy charities, welcomed the awards foundation to Clarence House on Thursday (23 November), ahead of this weekends winner announcement.

Speaking about the Queen, poet and novelist Sir Ben Okri said that her love of literature had encouraged others to delve into books.

The Nigerian-British writer, whose book The Famished Road won the Booker Prize in 1991, said: She sets a very good public example, she makes reading sexy, and makes it appealable to the public, and makes it something that you ought to do.

Its very, very important, reading, literacy needs all the help it can get.

In a speech given to guests at her home, Camilla thanked the writers who enhance our life, we couldnt do without you all.

Queen Camilla and the people of the Booker Prize Foundation (PA)

Ive always said reading is an escapism, whatever is happening in your life, and if you feel its difficult to cope with, you can pick up a book and just go off into another world, she continued.

So if it wasnt for all of you, and all the publishers, and all the agents that help you put your books on the map, it would be a very sad world.

Queen Camilla speaks to Booker Prize-shortlisted author Jonathan Escoffery (PA)

Camilla was also given the trophy for safekeeping ahead of it being awarded to the winning author on Sunday.

Launched in 1969, the Booker Prize is the worlds most influential prize for a single work of fiction.

The prize recognises talent from around the world, and has helped to make household names of authors like past winners Margaret Atwood, Hilary Mantel and Salman Rushdie.

Last year, the Sri Lankan author Shehan Karunatilaka won for his second novel, The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida. The book centres around the killing of a war photographer in Colombo in the 1990s and explores life after death amid a Sri Lanka beset by civil war.

In August, 13 nominees were announced for the longlist, which was reduced to the final shortlist in September.

Camilla and the Booker Prize trophy (PA)

None of this years six Booker finalists  two Americans, a Canadian, two Irish and a British author  have been shortlisted before and their books explore themes ranging from immigration, political extremism and erosion of personal freedom to grief.

Sir Ben gave an impassioned speech championing the importance of books, telling the Queen and her guests: We know that stories told well and truthfully can shake the world and bring quiet liberation. We know literature is a force for good in an ever-darkening world.

He said Camilla is someone who loves reading and who also champions the rights of writers to write freely and unfettered, for a fairy tale is not an unreal fact, taking place in a real world. It is a transformative act taking place in a resistant world.

Magic is only possible because reality is hard. And all fairy tales take place against the background of what Schopenhauer would call the suffering of the world.

The 2023 Booker Prize winner will be announced on Sunday 26 November at an award ceremony held at Londons Old Billingsgate. The winner receives 50,000 and a trophy designed by the late Jan Pienkowski.
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The first four episodes of The Crown season six have finally hit Netflix, as the final season depicts the last moments of the late Princess of Wales before her untimely death.

Netflix dropped the first four episodes of the historical dramas final season on 16 November, while the last six episodes will air on 14 December. The last season of The Crown is set between the late 1990s to the mid-2000s, and includes Princess Dianas highly-publicised trip to Saint-Tropez, France.

Much of Princess Dianas final days could be chacterised by constantly enduring invasive photographers. She was no longer considered a royal, with her divorce from the then-Prince of Wales being finalised in August 1996. However, her newfound life as a public figure perhaps gained more attention from the press - specifically her relationship with movie producer and Harrods heir, Dodi Fayed.

In episode one of The Crown season six, Diana (played by Elizabeth Debicki) takes a family holiday with her two sons - Prince William (played by Rufus Kampa) and Prince Harry (played by Fflyn Edwards) - where they stay on the yacht belonging to Fayeds billionaire father, Mohamed Al Fayed.

In real life, the Princess of Wales did indeed stay with William, then 15, and Harry, then 11, on Fayeds yacht in July 1997. They arrived on 11 July and altered between staying on the vessel, then named the Jonikal, and Fayeds villa ashore, called Castle St Therese. But with Diana also came an abundance of photographers tracking her every move while in Saint-Tropez.

One scene in the first episode depicts Diana confronting paparazzi, who are stationed on boats floating near the Jonikal. She pulls up beside them on a speedboat, looking sun-kissed in a black and white printed one-piece swimsuit and her signature black sunglasses.

Hello, boys, Diana addresses the paparazzi, before being asked if she is enjoying her holiday. Yes, were having a lovely time, apart from one little thing, you lot, she replies. How long are we going to have the pleasure of your company? The attention is starting to freak out the boys.

She then strikes a deal with the photographers, promising them a big surprise if they leave her children alone.

While The Crown has been criticised in the past for sensationalism in its depiction of the royal family, Dianas interaction with the paparazzi in Saint-Tropez reportedly did happen in real life. On 14 July, reporters and photographers were moored in Saint-Tropez near the Fayeds yacht, when Diana surprised the group of photographers by addressing them from her motorboat in her iconic leopard-print bathing suit.

She spoke of being abused and followed wherever she went, according to The Times, and also said that William was really freaked out by the paparazzi. In a Vanity Fair feature story, published one year after the devastating Paris car crash that killed Diana, journalist Sally Bedell Smith writes that Diana hinted to the reporters that she was thinking of living abroad. You will have a big surprise coming soon, the next thing I do, she told them, according to Vanity Fair.

Unlike The Crowns portrayal, the interaction didnt take place on Camilla Parker-Bowles 50th birthday. Rather, Camillas birthday was three days later on 17 July, when Prince Charles threw a birthday party for Camilla at his Highgrove estate in Gloucestershire.

However, Dianas Saint-Tropez escape was so frequently photographed that The Crown depicts an angry Charles the following day, waging a war because Dianas holiday received more press coverage than Camillas birthday party.

The first four episodes of The Crown season six are available to stream on Netflix in the US and UK.
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The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) wants to ensure that travellers enjoy their Thanksgivings, by sharing clear guidelines for which holiday foods can be brought on planes and which need to be packed in a checked bag.

According to the airport security, which is expecting more than 26.8m people to travel between 22 November to 2 December for Thanksgiving, travellers can transport certain solid food items for the holiday in their carry-ons - including pies, cakes, stuffing mix and casseroles.

This also means that popular Thanksgiving foods such as marshmallows and sweet potatoes can be transported in a carry-on - as can your turkey.

Who are we kidding, we know you always travel with extra room in your carry-on just in case you need to transport the Thanksgiving piece-de-resistance. So fear not, the cooked avian creature can tag along in your carry-on at the airport, TSA explained elsewhere on its website, adding that any "stuffing concoctions" you've created can as well.

However, Thanksgiving dinner accompaniments such as cranberry sauce, gravy, and wine all need to be packed in a checked bag, according to TSA, as they are not solids.

TSA explains how to travel with food for Thanksgiving (Stock)

Basically, if you can spill it, spray it, spread it, pump it or pour it, (say that three times fast) then its not a solid and should be packed in a checked bag, the security agency explains.

In addition to outlining which foods can and cannot be brought by a passenger onto the plane, TSA also reminded people travelling for Thanksgiving not to try packing their electric carving knife, or regular knife, in a carry-on.

Should be a no-brainer, wouldnt you think? TSA writes.

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade takes place in New York Show all 15 1 / 15 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade takes place in New York Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade takes place in New York Performers walk in front of Macy's Tom Turkey float in the Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York AP Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade takes place in New York The Ronald McDonald balloon is inflated Getty Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade takes place in New York Sinclair's DINO balloon flies as the parade passes down 6th Avenue Reuters Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade takes place in New York An NYPD officer stands by AP Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade takes place in New York The Charlie Brown balloon flies in the parade Reuters Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade takes place in New York A marching band takes part in the parade Reuters Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade takes place in New York A balloon flies in the parade Reuters Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade takes place in New York A performer in the parade AP Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade takes place in New York The Ronald McDonald balloon flies in the parade AP Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade takes place in New York A clown performs in the parade Reuters Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade takes place in New York The Olaf balloon is inflated Getty Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade takes place in New York Flag wavers take part in the parade Reuters Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade takes place in New York Clowns on roller blades perform in the parade Reuters Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade takes place in New York The Charlie Brown balloon is inflated Getty Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade takes place in New York The Tom Turkey float is in place to start the parade Reuters

The same rule applies to corkscrews only if they have a blade, as some corkscrews are carry-on approved.

As for ice, TSA advises following the 3-1-1 rule, which limits the amount of liquid that can be brought on a plane. According to TSA, to abide by the guideline, the ice needs to remain frozen.

For those looking for a way to pass the time because of flight delays, or if you get bored during the holiday, the airport security agency recommends downloading the MyTSA app, which includes a Can I bring feature that lets you type in any item with the app letting you know if it should be checked or carried in a carry-on.

Security agency says turkeys are allowed in check-in bags (Stock)

You can use it to play a game with your relatives by asking them to guess if an item should be packed in a checked or carry-on bag and using the app to provide the correct answer, TSA jokes.

Food aside, TSA wants all travellers to remember the necessity of getting to the airport early, which means two hours prior for a domestic flight and three hours prior to an international flight.

What is Thanksgiving?

Only a turkey gets to the airport in the last minute during the Thanksgiving travel period, TSA explains. Dont be a turkey!
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On Thursday 23 November, Americans will be hard at work to prepare their Thanksgiving dinner, with foods on the menus ranging from a roasted turkey to a green bean casserole.

Aside from the dishes served in the lavish feast, which can vary based on families cultures and traditions, Thanksgiving is also the annual holiday for people to commemorate all that theyre grateful for.

In the midst of planning the big meal, theres also a huge range of ingredients that need to be purchased at your local grocery store. However, since Thanksgiving Day is a federal holiday in the US, some stores will be completely shut down on the holiday.

For example, both Target and Walmart announced permanent closures on the holiday in 2020, with the policy remaining in place ever since. The outbreak of the pandemic had initially pushed these chains to close their doors on Thanksgiving, in order to limit crowding and spread out the shopping season.

However, that doesnt mean that all grocery stores will remain closed on Thanksgiving Day. In fact, there are some retailers that you could make your way to on the morning of the holiday, in preparation for your annual feast.

Once Thanksgiving Day comes to a close, many stores will be reopening on Friday. From there, shops be operating during their earlier or usual business hours, in preparation for some of the biggest sales of the year.

Here are when stores open and close on Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday in the US.

Whole Foods

If youre looking for some fresh produce to cook up a storm, then youre in luck, as Whole Foods is set to be open during the holiday season. However, they will run on a limited schedule, and hours of operation may vary, so be sure to check your local store. Whole Foods stores will be open on Black Friday, with hours of operation depending on location.

Costco

All Costco stores in the US will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, as noted by the retailers official site. Costco Warehouses will reopen on Friday, with hours depending on store locations. The retailer has already started some of its online sales for Black Friday, with some in-store sales going from 24 November through 27 November.

Walmart

The retail giant will be closed on the holiday, before reopening the next day for Black Friday, an annual shopping occasion filled with store deals. Walmarts usual hours are from 6am to 11pm every day, but opening times on Black Friday are based on stores locations.

Target

The beloved retail store will also be closed on Thanksgiving Day before reopening the next day for Black Friday. Hours of operation for the day after Thanksgiving vary based on the stores location.

Trader Joes

Stores will be closed on 23 November in observance of the federal holiday. Trader Joes stores will reopen on Black Friday, with hours of operation depending on each store.

Wegmans

While Wegamans will be open on Thanksgiving, hours of operation are limited. For example, one Wegmans store in Brooklyn, New York, will be closed at 4pm, instead of at 11pm like it usually does. Opening and closing times for Wegmans can vary based on the location of the store.

Although most Wegmans stores are expected to reopen at 6am on Black Friday, specific opening and closing times vary for each location.

Starbucks

Earlier this month, a spokesperson for Starbucks told Country Living that stores will be open on Thanksgiving Day. While its usual hours of operation are from 6am to 9pm, stores opening and closing times on the holiday vary based on location.

Although Starbucks is expected to operate from 6am to 9pm on Black Friday, specific hours vary for each store.

Aldi

According to Aldis official website, all stores will be closed on Thanksgiving Day. Aldi will be reopening on Black Friday, as its hours of operation are usually from 8.30am to 9pm. However, specific opening and closing hours vary for each location.

Dollar General

The low-priced retailer will be open from 7am to 10pm on Thanksgiving Day but times may vary depending on location. You can find out more on the day by heading over to the stores website. Dollar General is expected to be open during its usual hours during Black Friday, with specific closing and opening times based on location.

CVS

A representative with CVS told ThePioneerWoman.com that most, but not all, CVS locations will be open on Thanksgiving. To check your local store, be sure to head over to the CVS website. On Black Friday, CVS locations will be open during its regular hours.

Dunkin Donuts

The beloved coffee chain will be open on Thanksgiving Day but with limited hours. Opening and closing times of stores on the holiday vary based on location.

Dunkin Donuts with reopen on Black Friday, with its usual hour of operation based on each store.

Walgreens

Most Walgreens stores will be closed on 23 November this year, according to a press release shared by the brand on 16 November. While this is the first time that Walgreens has closed its doors on the holiday, some 24-hour stores will still be open during certain hours on Thanksgiving Day, depending on store location.

Walgreens stores will reopen on 24 November, with opening and closing times depending on the location of the store.
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The number of asylum applications from Afghans was 10 times the number of people from Afghanistan who resettled to the UK in the year to September under schemes set up in the wake of the Taliban takeover.

People from Afghanistan were the most common nationality applying for asylum to the UK in that period, with 10,305 applications made, according to Home Office figures.

Meanwhile, 1,110 Afghans arrived in the year to September under the legal routes created by the Home Office following the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban in 2021, figures also show.

This Government urgently needs to offer Afghan refugees protection here, help families to reunite, fix the broken schemes and open new safe routes, like a refugee visa, for refugees fleeing these dire situations Katie Morrison, Safe Passage

Arrivals under the schemes were down from 5,346 in the year to September 2022.

Under the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS)  which is split into three pathways  224 people were resettled in the UK in the year to September 2023, the latest statistics published on Thursday showed.

A total of 96 of those were under 18.

Some 886 arrived under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap), of whom more than half (501) were under 18.

The schemes have previously faced criticism from campaigners and charities which branded them too slow and suggested people desperately fleeing the Taliban have felt forced to make dangerous Channel crossings instead.

Katie Morrison, chief executive of the Safe Passage charity which campaigns for the rights of refugees, said the Government is failing to help Afghans through the schemes.

She said: This Government urgently needs to offer Afghan refugees protection here, help families to reunite, fix the broken schemes and open new safe routes, like a refugee visa, for refugees fleeing these dire situations.

Dr Nooralhaq Nasimi, from the Afghanistan and Central Asian Association, which has been working with Afghan refugees, told PA the situation remains very frustrating for people  both those who have arrived here and want their families to be able to join them, and those who do not qualify under the schemes.

The ACRS, which began in January 2022, prioritised people who had assisted UK efforts in Afghanistan as well as vulnerable people, including women and girls at risk, and members of minority groups at risk.

It is inexcusable that the government has failed to deliver the promise of safe routes for these refugees to get here Laura Kyrke-Smith, International Rescue Committee UK

The Arap scheme, which launched in April 2021, is for Afghan citizens who worked for or with the UK Government in Afghanistan.

Dr Nasimi is among those to have previously called for a Homes for Afghans scheme, similar to the Homes for Ukraine scheme set up in the wake of the Russian invasion.

He said various international crises appear to have left the British Government unable to fulfil their moral obligation towards the people of Afghanistan.

Laura Kyrke-Smith, executive director of the International Rescue Committee UK, branded it inexcusable that the government had not established wider safe routes for Afghans fleeing persecution.

She said: Todays latest irregular migration statistics reveal that, despite repeated promises, Afghans continue to make up the largest nationality of individuals crossing the Channel.

It is inexcusable that the government has failed to deliver the promise of safe routes for these refugees to get here.

Data for asylum claims from small boat arrivals for June to September 2023 was not published on Thursday, due to what the Home Office referred to as a transition to a new data system.

As of September, a total of 21,673 people have arrived under the Afghan resettlement schemes since they were set up.

A Home Office spokesperson said: We made one of the largest commitments of any country to support Afghanistan, and so far we have brought around 24,600 individuals to safety to the UK, including thousands under our Afghan resettlement schemes.
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Labour is urging Rishi Sunak to probe the tax affairs of his new foreign secretary David Cameron after fresh questions arose about his time at finance firm Greensill Capital.

Tax officials at HMRC are reportedly examining whether the former Tory PM failed to fully disclose perks such as private jet flights when he lobbied for the collapsed lender.

Officials are also looking at an offshore trust was created by Greensill to pay Lord Cameron extra benefits, it was claimed in The Guardian.

Labours Pat McFadden, shadow chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, has now written to Mr Sunak to demand he answers key questions about Lord Camerons shock return to government.

It comes as Labour also challenged Lord Cameron to explain his links to a Chinese-backed enterprise  amid ongoing questions about his lobbying work after leaving No 10 in 2016.

Mr McFadden said the PM should now explain the precise process followed in the foreign secretarys speedy appointment during last weeks surprise reshuffle.

Were there any concerns raised about the foreign secretarys tax affairs during the HOLAC [House of Lords Appointment Commission] appointment process? If so, what were they?

Were you aware of any investigations into or concerns about the foreign secretarys tax affairs prior to his appointment? McFadden also asked the PM.

The Labour frontbencher challenged the PM to conduct an investigation into this matter in the interests of maintaining the integrity, professionalism and accountability that you have committed to.

Foreign secretary has been made Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton (PA Wire)

Mr McFadden also asked if Lord Cameron is being investigated by HMRC, whether he has been informed of that fact, and whether advised whether or not he was under scrutiny when handed the foreign secretary role.

According to The Guardian, HMRC officials are looking at whether Lord Cameron declared all the so-called benefits in kind he received during his work for Greensill between 2018 and 2021.

The alleged issue was revealed days after the ex-PMs shock return to frontline politics which saw given a life peerage. There have been wider concerns about the move, including that the process was rushed through to avoid details of Mr Sunaks reshuffle leaking.

Labours Mr McFadden also questioned reports of Lord Camerons links to a Sri Lankan port development and its ties with the Chinese government in the Commons on Thursday.

He asked who the ultimate client was for Lord Camerons role in promoting the Port City Colombo project in Sri Lanka, and if it was a company owned by the Chinese state.

The project is part of Chinas global infrastructure strategy, the belt and road initiative, with Chinese companies involved in its construction.

Responding for the government, Cabinet Office minister John Glen replied: This isnt a matter for me. This is a matter for the processes that I have set out which have been complied with.

David Cameron met Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel on Thursday (EPA)

Turning to Greensill, the Labour frontbencher added: If not, will the government now investigate this to see if all such matters, including any use of offshore trusts, were properly declared and taken into account before this appointment was made?

Mr Glen responded: Im not going to comment on media speculation ... Lord Camerons appointment followed all the established processes for both peerages and ministerial appointments.

The ex-PMs lobbying role at Greensill, which went bust in 2021, has been probed by parliamentary committees  along with his relationship with founder Lex Greensill while he was still in government.

Lord Cameron was cleared of any wrongdoing, but MPs on the Treasury committee criticised his significant lack of judgement and said there was a good case for strengthening existing lobbying rules.

Recommended David Cameron visits Israel as Hamas hostage release delayed

A spokesperson for Lord Cameron said: As already made clear in David Camerons evidence to the Treasury select committee in May 2021, he did use Greensills company plane a number of times on a personal basis, all for short-haul flights, and tax was paid appropriately for any benefit received.

They added: Further, all income received from Greensill has been properly declared to HMRC and all tax paid in full.
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The heartbroken father of a 28-year-old woman who was gunned down in the crossfires of a gang feud has revealed that his youngest son was also shot dead seven years ago in a case of mistaken identity.

Steven Dunne, the father of Ashley Dale and Lewis Dunne, wrote in a statement read out to Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday that history was repeating itself, adding that his life was now a living nightmare.

He said: Ashley is the oldest of my three children, Lewis the youngest - both are now deceased.

My son, Lewis Dunne, had been shot dead seven years previous at only 16 years of age.

He was shot at close range in the back with a shotgun in a case of mistaken identity; an innocent victim caught in the middle of a gang feud.

He said he had spent seven years trying to put his life back together following Lewiss death but after Ms Dale was killed last August, he said he was put back to day one.

Ashley Dale was murdered in August last year (PA Media)

He added: I am now sitting with my one remaining child, having been put through the trauma of yet another trial, listening to those verdicts being read out in relation to Ashleys murder.

I have lost another child; a victim of big egos running around the city with powerful guns, involved in petty feuds and killing innocent people.

Ms Dale, an environmental health worker, was killed when gunman James Witham, 41, forced his way into her home in Old Swan, Liverpool, in the early hours of 21 August last year and opened fire with a Skorpion submachine gun.

Mr Justice Goose said during the sentencing on Wednesday the crime had shocked both the local community and many in this country and was beyond any understanding.

He told the court that just after 12.30am, Witham, wearing a balaclava and carrying a gun loaded with 15 bullets, broke through the front door of Ms Dales home.

Ms Dale was standing by the back door in the kitchen when she was hit in the abdomen, the court heard.

Mr Justice Goose said: Witham wickedly fired 10 bullets towards her as she was vulnerable and defenceless. Her screams were heard by neighbours.

On Wednesday, Witham and three other men convicted of the murder - Niall Barry, 26, Sean Zeisz, 28 and Joseph Peers, 29 - were all told they would serve minimum terms of more than 40 years.

Undated handout comp of photos issued by Merseyside Police of (left to right) Sean Zeisz, Niall Barry, Joseph Peers and James Witham (PA)

The four men were found guilty following a seven-week trial of the murder of Ms Dale, conspiracy to murder her boyfriend Lee Harrison and conspiracy to possess a prohibited weapon - a Skorpion sub-machine gun - and ammunition with intent to endanger life.

Barry, who was described by the prosecution as the malign presence behind Ms Dales killing, was sentenced to a minimum term of 47 years.

Reading a statement from the witness box, Ms Dales mother Julie, 46, looked at the four men in the dock and said: I hope you all understand that I will never ever forgive you, for the life sentence you have given to me and my family.

The jury was told that a drug feud between Barry and Mr Harrison, Ms Dales boyfriend, had been re-ignited at the Glastonbury festival in June 2022.

During the festival, Barry was heard threatening to stab Mr Harrison and Zeisz was assaulted by a group said to include Jordan Thompson - a friend of Mr Harrisons and member of the Hillside organised crime group with which he was associated.

Voice notes and messages sent to friends by Ms Dale in the two months before her death were played during the trial describing the fall-out, which intensified when mutual friend Rikki Warnick took his own life in July last year.
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Allegations of sexual misconduct against multi-millionaire tech entrepreneur Lawrence Jones first came to public light in October 2019.

The 55-year-old stepped down as CEO of Manchester-based web host provider UKFast after the Financial Times reported claims of sexual harassment and bullying from former members of staff.

Jones was alleged to have sexually assaulted two women he employed and was also accused of unwanted touching, verbal abuse and creating an atmosphere of fear in the workplace.

Other allegations were that he walked topless around the office and sat with female employees on his lap.

The FT said its findings came from interviews with more than 30 ex-employees.

In January 2019, a former employee had contacted police to say she had been raped and sexually assaulted by Jones.

A second woman followed soon after in coming forward to tell police she had been sexually assaulted while she worked at UKFast.

In May 2019, Jones and his wife, Gail, the UKFast co-founder, met Princess Anne when she visited the firms Hulme campus after it received the Princess Royal Training Award.

Less than three weeks later, Jones voluntarily attended an interview at Longsight police station with his lawyers and provided a prepared statement which denied the claims of the two women.

Jones and his wife severed links with UKFast in May 2020 when they sold their remaining shares to a private equity investor.

In January 2021, Jones, from Hale Barns, Greater Manchester, made his first appearance in court after he was charged with sexual offences against the two ex-employees.

His commercial success came from humble beginnings when he and his wife set up the company from a spare bedroom in September 1999.

UKFast went on to provide web services to more than 5,000 clients including the NHS, the Ministry of Defence and the Cabinet Office.

In 2015, Jones received an MBE for services to the digital economy and, by 2019, he employed about 500 staff across all his businesses.

He was photographed with the then prime minister, Boris Johnson, at the October 2019 Tory party conference  before the FT article was published.

The FT reported that Jones mixed in high society and had holidayed at Virgin founder Sir Richard Bronsons Necker Island property in the Caribbean.

The newspaper described how a large slide ran from the top floor of UKFasts headquarters to beanbags in the reception area below.

It added that beers were handed out from an office bar on Friday afternoons and that the company car park was seasonally transformed into a makeshift beach and an ice rink.

Staff were also invited to team-bonding events at his luxury properties in Verbier, Switzerland, and Snowdonia, Wales.

Jones denounced the FTs depiction of his dark side and said all the allegations were untrue.

The father-of-four was cleared of raping and sexually assaulting the first complainant but convicted of one count of sexual assault against the second complainant.
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A Conservative donor who sued a former party MP for libel has failed in an appeal bid after losing a High Court fight.

Two appeal judges considered Mohamed Amersis libel claim against Charlotte Leslie at a Court of Appeal hearing in London on Thursday.

A High Court judge had struck out Mr Amersis claim in June.

Mr Justice Nicklin, who oversaw a High Court hearing in London, said evidence relied upon did not disclose a claim with a real prospect of success.

Appeal judges Lord Justice Underhill and Lord Justice Warby on Thursday dismissed Mr Amersis bid to overturn that decision.

Mr Amersi said Mr Justice Nicklin was wrong to strike out his claim and argued that he had a real prospect of winning an appeal.

He said he had an arguable case and wanted appeal judges to give him the go-ahead to mount a full appeal.

The two appeal judge disagreed.

Lord Justice Underhill said permission to appeal was refused.

He said the reasons for the decision would be given at a later date.

Mr Amersi had accused Ms Leslie, former MP for Bristol North West, of publishing documents to a number of influential individuals and defaming him between late December 2020 and early January 2021.

She disputed his claim.

Ms Leslie said later in a statement: This is a very good result, and yet again, a vindication for free speech.

She said a three-year nightmare was over.
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The Conservative Partys refusal to give information relating to its leadership election process leaves it wholly unaccountable and with untrammelled power over the selection of a new Prime Minister, the High Court has been told.

News organisation Tortoise Media is attempting to bring a legal challenge against the political party after it declined to answer nine questions over the status and demographics of its members who chose Liz Truss as Tory leader last year.

Ms Truss was announced as leader on September 5, before being appointed as Prime Minister by the late Queen the following day without a general election being held.

Lawyers for the news outlet, which asked for the membership information in August 2022, said the decision of a tiny minority of voters was one of the least democratic aspects in the process of choosing the person to lead the Government.

The party was a private members club whose members were able to wield huge power over who took the top political position, a judge was told.

The Conservative Party opposes the bid to bring a legal challenge, arguing that the leadership election was not the exercise of a public function or governmental power and that the late Queen was ultimately responsible for appointing a new Prime Minister.

At a hearing in London on Thursday, Alan Payne KC, for Tortoise, told the court that its case touched on fundamental matters of transparency and accountability and related to one of the least democratic aspects in the constitutional process in electing the Prime Minister.

He said around 170,000 Tory members, when electing Ms Truss, had chosen the individual who convention requires the monarch to appoint as prime minister.

The barrister said the monarchs role was effectively a rubber stamp exercise, and that the Conservative Partys stance was archaic and fails to reflect the significant developments over the last decade in the principle of accountability, transparency of government and the exercise of public powers.

Mr Payne said the party acknowledged the public interest in the election, adding: Nevertheless they say, in this day and age, it is right for that process to be carried out in secret by a private members club.

For the party to have such untrammelled power is inimical to democracy and good government Alan Payne KC, for Tortoise

In written arguments, Mr Payne said Tortoise was not challenging the outcome of the Tory leadership election or its process.

He said: The compelling public interest in information relating to the integrity of the election process is self-evident, for example, foreign influence, checks carried out to ensure that members are eligible to vote, confirmation as to whether members under the national voting age are able to vote in the election etc.

Mr Payne added that the logical consequence of the partys approach was that it is wholly unaccountable for the election process in contrast to a general election and is free to adopt any process it chooses, secure in the knowledge that it will never have to answer to the public for errors/failures/inadequacies of the process, which culminated in the appointment of the Prime Minister.

For the party to have such untrammelled power is inimical to democracy and good government, he added.

Mr Payne said Tortoise had sought to test the safeguards of the election and applied for party memberships for an animal, a dead person and two foreign nationals in August last year.

They all received membership numbers and were invited to leadership hustings, the court was told.

The election of the leader of a private unincorporated association is not the exercise of a public function or governmental power Kevin Brown, for the Conservative Party

Kevin Brown, representing the Conservative Party, told the hearing that Tortoises challenge was bound to fail.

He said it would be an extraordinary set of circumstances if the court was to intervene over the leadership election, as the party was a private members association.

To have external control of a political party smacks to me of a dictatorship, he said.

Mr Brown said it was important to distinguish between the party and its members in Parliament, adding that if it was decided the election could be examined by the court, it would open the floodgates to a whole host of potential political litigation.

In written arguments, the barrister said the court does not have jurisdiction to review the partys refusal to provide the requested information and that it would not serve any purpose for the case to progress.

The election of the leader of a private unincorporated association is not the exercise of a public function or governmental power, he said, adding that it was a purely internal act.

The court cannot ignore the constitutional position that the appointment of the Prime Minister is entirely within the personal prerogative powers of the monarch and the Conservative Party has no powers in this regard.

The hearing concluded on Thursday, with Mr Justice Fordham saying he would give his ruling in writing at a later date.

Tortoise Media, which says it produces slow news, was co-founded by James Harding, a former BBC News director and editor of The Times.

Ms Truss, who became the shortest-serving prime minister in history after resigning after just 49 days in office, was replaced by Rishi Sunak.
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A multi-millionaire tech entrepreneur has been behind bars for 10 months after he was convicted of sexually assaulting an ex-employee, it can be reported today.

Lawrence Jones, 55, was remanded in custody in January after a jury at Manchester Crown Court found him guilty of the offence.

On Thursday, reporting restrictions in the case were lifted at the conclusion of a second trial in which the former chief executive of UKFast was convicted of drugging and raping two women decades earlier when he worked as a hotel bar pianist.

He will be sentenced for all matters on December 1.

Jones, from Hale Barns, Greater Manchester, set up the web hosting provider with his wife Gail from a spare bedroom in September 1999.

The company went on to deal with more than 5,000 clients including the NHS, the Ministry of Defence and the Cabinet Office.

UKFast employed around 500 staff, including many young people, and its success led to Jones becoming a MBE in 2015 for services to the digital economy.

In January 2019 a former employee rang police to make a string of allegations against Jones including that he had forced himself on her to have sex in 2010.

A second woman then came forward to say that Jones sexually assaulted her in a hotel on a 2013 business trip.

At Joness first trial, prosecutor Eloise Marshall KC told jurors: On the way to the hotel in the back of a taxi he (Jones) commented inappropriately that he could see up her dress.

When they arrived at the hotel, it transpired that although she had a separate room to Jones, it was part of the penthouse suite and adjoined a seating area, with an open bath and Mr Joness bedroom.

The pair later had drinks in the hotel bar where the complainant said she became upset when Jones asked intrusive questions about sexual acts with an ex-boyfriend, the court heard.

Ms Marshall went on: After the bar, they went back up to the penthouse suite.

He sat next to her on the sofa and became more persistent in his approaches to her despite her clear resistance.

He put his arm around her and started dragging her in towards him. He ignored (the complainant) repeatedly who was clearly telling him that she did not want to engage in this sort of behaviour.

Things escalated and he started asking: Let me see your knickers. As he said that he placed his hands on her body, on her legs and became quite forceful trying to prise her legs apart, with his hands on the inside of her thighs.

This caused her dress to ride up and as she was trying to pull it down and get away, he was trying to get on top of her.

The woman managed to escape from Joness clutches into her room and locked the door, said the prosecutor.

She later left the company as Jones paid for her silence, said Ms Marshall, with a 13,000 settlement which required her to sign an NDA (non-disclosure agreement).

Giving evidence, Jones claimed the woman quickly became drunk in the hotel bar and was flirtatious.

He considered her to be a troublemaker and denied any wrongdoing.

By denying the offences, he compounded the harm to the women, attempting to evade responsibility for his actions. The jury saw through his lies and found him guilty Isla Chilton, senior district crown prosecutor

Jones said she was not recruited because he was attracted to her and did not tell her she needed to look like a Bond girl.

He said he did not create a sexual atmosphere in the workplace by being handsy and touchy.

Jones told Miss Marshall: I put my hands on peoples shoulders but only people I thought I had a really good relationship with. Theres nothing sexual about what I was doing.

I gave hugs to people, thats the sort of person I am.

Jones was cleared of the sexual allegations he faced concerning the first complainant  one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault.

He denied any sexual contact with the first complainant apart from one occasion, he said, when he crossed the line at his family home.

Jones said both became very drunk when drinking tequila, along with his wife who became ill and went to bed.

He and the complainant then moved from the swimming pool area, he said, to the steam room where he said the complainant performed oral sex on him.

Jones admitted he kept silent about the incident to his wife who attended court each day of the two trials in support of her husband.

At Joness second trial this month, he denied attacking two women at his then flat in Salford in the early 1990s.

In 2021 and 2022, the women, who did not know each other, came forward to the police and made separate allegations of rape against the defendant.

I would like to thank the victims for supporting this prosecution and I hope this case will encourage others to seek justice. Its never too late Isla Chilton, senior district crown prosecutor

One complainant described being given something to sniff which had an immediate impact on her, while the other described being overly affected by a glass of wine and a few puffs of what she believed was cannabis.

Miss Marshall told jurors: Both women were stupefied and left partially conscious but unable to react.

Such was the effect of the drugs that the women, even then, were unclear about what drug had been used and exactly what had happened to them.

Jurors in the second trial were not told about his sexual assault conviction earlier this year.

Mrs Jones held her hand over her mouth as the jury foreman delivered the unanimous verdicts after four hours of deliberations, while two of the defendants daughters were in tears in the public gallery.

Isla Chilton, senior district crown prosecutor for CPS North Wests rape and serious sexual offence unit, said: Jones raped two women with no thought for how his actions would affect them.

By denying the offences, he compounded the harm to the women, attempting to evade responsibility for his actions. The jury saw through his lies and found him guilty.

I would like to thank the victims for supporting this prosecution and I hope this case will encourage others to seek justice. Its never too late.
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David Cameron has met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog during a visit to Israel, amid the announcement of a truce in the war with Hamas.

The former prime minister expressed hope that it could be an opportunity to crucially get hostages out and get aid into Gaza.

It was confirmed that the ceasefire will begin on Friday morning from 7am local time, with aid going in as soon as possible, according to Qatari officials.

The first set of civilians held captive by Hamas are expected to be freed at about 4pm on Friday local time, including 13 women and children.

The agreement for a four-day ceasefire in Gaza appeared to have hit a last-minute snag, with Lord Cameron telling Mr Netanyahu that he wanted all parties to the agreement to make it happen.

There are hopes that the lull in the fighting will clear the way for humanitarian aid to enter Gaza to ease the suffering of citizens who have been bombarded and besieged by Israel as it takes on Hamas in response to the October 7 atrocities.

Lord Cameron, who earlier visited Kibbutz Beeri, scene of some of the worst violence during the Hamas assault, said: There is never any excuse for this sort of hostage-taking.

All the hostages should be released, but I hope that everyone who is responsible and behind this agreement can make it happen, to bring relief to those families, including, of course, there are British nationals who have been taken hostage.

Mr Netanyahu promised to continue with the goals of the war and we will eradicate Hamas.

There is no hope for peace between Israel and the Palestinians and between Israel and the Arab countries if we do not eradicate this murderous movement, which threatens the future of all of us, he told the Foreign Secretary.

Meeting Mr Herzog, the ex-prime minister said it was very good to be back in Israel.

Theres a huge amount of trauma in Israel because of the taking of 244 hostages. Im not sure anyone can fully understand and share that trauma, but I remember the worst days of being prime minister was when British hostages were taken in Syria, and so many of them lost their lives in the most gruesome, terrible fashion.

I remember the effect that had on me as prime minister and thinking about that and so perhaps know a tiny bit of what your nation is going through.

Lord Camerons visit comes a day after he met counterparts from Arab and Islamic countries  including the Palestinian Authority  at Lancaster House in London to discuss the Middle East crisis.

Foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Indonesia and Nigeria, as well as the secretary general of the League of Arab States, and the ambassador of Qatar, attended the event.

Lord Cameron said the group discussed how to use the planned pause in the Israel-Hamas fighting to consider how we can build a peaceful future which provides security for Israel but also peace and stability for the Palestinian people.
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Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron is visiting Israel following the announcement of a truce in the war with Hamas.

The former prime minister arrived in Israel amid uncertainty about when the pause in the fighting will begin.

The agreement for a four-day ceasefire in Gaza appears to have hit a last-minute snag.

A senior Israeli official said it would not take effect before Friday, a day later than originally expected.

The deal will see the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, with Palestinian prisoners expected to be freed by Tel Aviv.

The lull in the fighting is also expected to clear the way for humanitarian aid to enter Gaza to ease the suffering of citizens who have been bombarded and besieged by Israel as it takes on Hamas in response to the October 7 atrocities.

The Foreign Secretary visited Kibbutz Beeri, scene of some of the worst violence during the Hamas assault.

I have heard and seen things I will never forget Lord Cameron

He said: I wanted to come here to see it for myself; I have heard and seen things I will never forget.

Today is also a day where we hope to see progress on the humanitarian pause.

This is a crucial opportunity to get hostages out and aid in to Gaza, to help Palestinian civilians who are facing a growing humanitarian crisis.

The Foreign Secretary is expected to meet Israeli and Palestinian leaders during his visit.

Lord Camerons visit comes a day after he met counterparts from Arab and Islamic countries  including the Palestinian Authority  at Lancaster House in London to discuss the Middle East crisis.

Foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Indonesia and Nigeria, as well as the secretary general of the League of Arab States and the ambassador of Qatar, attended the event.

Lord Cameron said the group discussed how to use the planned pause in the Israel-Hamas fighting to consider how we can build a peaceful future which provides security for Israel but also peace and stability for the Palestinian people.

But until the truce is implemented, Israel has said it will continue to target Hamas in Gaza.

Short pauses are not enough Sacha Deshmukh, Amnesty International UK

Amnesty International UKs chief executive, Sacha Deshmukh, said Lord Cameron should back a full ceasefire.

He said: With the horrifying civilian death toll from Israeli attacks in Gaza still rising and no permanent ceasefire in sight, its vital that David Cameron uses this trip to signal an urgently needed change of direction from the UK Government in support of humanity and international law.

Lord Cameron should inform the Israeli government that the UK will now support a full, negotiated ceasefire on all sides in the interests of averting further civilian suffering for Palestinians and Israelis.

Short pauses are not enough. Civilian lives in Gaza, Israel and the wider Occupied Palestinian Territory are at stake, and the Foreign Secretary can help shift international momentum in the direction of respect for international law, de-escalation and life-saving aid access.
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The King and Queen bid a warm farewell to the South Korean President and the First Lady at Buckingham Palace, having bonded over their love of dogs.

Camilla told the Presidents wife Kim Keon Hee at the Grand Entrance: Lovely to meet you, with the King saying: Hope the dogs are ok, as he gave the First Lady a gentle double pat on the arm.

President Yoon Suk Yeol and Mrs Kim have a menagerie of 11 pets  six dogs and five cats  some of them rescue strays, waiting for them at home.

Camilla has two beloved terriers, Beth and Bluebell, which she rehomed from the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home.

Charles, in a smart morning suit ahead of audiences at the Palace, and Camilla, in a bright blue royal dress, waved and smiled to Mr Yoon and Mrs Kim, who was dressed in a white jacket and skirt and yellow blouse, as they departed.

Mr Yoon thanked the King for his hospitality, giving him a warm double handshake.

Just before stepping into his car, the President turned and bowed to Charles.

Shortly after, the King met four Korean war veterans from the Royal Hospital Chelsea in the grand Marble Corridor after they were invited to the Palace in recognition of their service during the conflict.

Peter Fullelove, 91, who served in the Black Watch, John Riley, 91, and George Reed, 90, of the Royal Engineers and Trevor John, 92, of the Kings Liverpool Regiment  all dressed in their scarlet Chelsea pensioners coats, chatted with the King and Queen.

The UK visit coincides with the 70th anniversary of the armistice of the Korean War.

Mr Fullelove, who was parachuted into what was then known as Malaya, joked with the King about the perils of all the bloody trees and trying to find space to land.

He said of the King, who is Colonel-in-Chief of the Parachute Regiment: That brought a smile to his face.

Charles has his own experience of tricky parachute drops and once got caught upside down during his first skydiving attempt in the 1970s.

Mr John, who was seriously wounded with a mortar bomb in Korea in 1952, chatted to Charles about the conflict, with the King describing what he went through during the war as a tough experience.

The three-day state visit saw Mr Yoon honoured with a glittering state banquet attended by more than 170 guests including K-Pop girl band Blackpink, who were later personally presented with honorary MBEs by the King for their green efforts.

On Tuesday, the Queen gave Mrs Kim a pashmina hand embroidered with the Mugungwha  the national flower of South Korea  and the names of the First Ladys dogs, created by embroiderers from The Royal School of Needlework.

Mrs Kim has been a vocal critic of dog meat consumption.

It was reported last week that South Korea aims to ban eating dog meat and put an end to the controversy over the ancient custom amid growing awareness of animal rights.

Mr Yoon was welcomed to Downing Street on Wednesday by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to sign The Downing Street Accord  a long-term agreement covering defence and technology co-operation.
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Millions of householders are set to pay 5 per cent more for their gas and electricity bills after the energy watchdog announced its latest price cap.

Bills for a typical energy user paying by direct debit will rise from 1,834 a year to 1,928, an increase of 94, Ofgem announced on Thursday.

The new rates  which come into effect from 1 January  will cause dismay among the millions of people across the UK struggling with the cost of living.

For an average household paying by direct debit, the unit rate will rise from 27.35p to 28.62p per kWh for electricity, and from 6.89p to 7.42p per kWh for gas. The average daily standing charge will remain at 53p a day for electricity and 30p a day for gas.

Citizens Advice warned it was already helping record numbers with energy debt and was seeing more people than ever who cant afford to top up their prepayment meter.

Prices going up during the coldest part of the year will make life harder for millions of people already struggling to pay their bills, said Gillian Cooper, director of energy at Citizens Advice.

Yesterday, the government missed the opportunity to announce extra support for households who desperately need it this winter. The lack of action means far too many households will now be forced to choose between heating and eating this winter.

Around two million households have turned off their fridge or freezer to cope with rising energy bills, according to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

Average daily standing charges will remain the same, at 53p for electricity and 30p for gas (PA)

The energy price cap, which the government introduced in January 2019, is a maximum price that suppliers can charge consumers in England, Scotland and Wales for each kilowatt hour (kWh) of energy they use.

Regulator Ofgem resets the cap every three months  in January, April, July and October  as the amount paid by a typical household. The latest announcement involves maximum charges for 1 January to 31 March next year.

Cornwall Insight, a consultancy that forecasts energy costs, predicted that the typical bill would fall to 1,853 from 1 April, but not drop below todays level until July next year.

Ofgem said the increase  of around 7.83 a month  was driven almost entirely by rising costs in the international wholesale energy market due to market instability and global events, particularly the war in Ukraine and including the conflict in the Middle East.

The idea of the price cap is to ensure that prices for customers on default energy tariffs are a fair reflection of the cost paid by suppliers for wholesale energy, and that the profit firms make is capped.

The cap does not set a maximum amount for individual bills received  households that use more than the average amount will pay more, and those that use less will pay less.

Bill-payers do not have to do anything to claim the lower rates, as the cap will take effect automatically.

Last winter, the average household energy bill was 2,500 a year, thanks to the governments separate Energy Price Guarantee scheme, which brought down costs below the energy price cap.

The Energy Price Guarantee scheme helped people pay their bills last winter (EPA)

Price cap changes are largely based on wholesale costs to suppliers, as well as factors such as the costs of maintaining pipes and wires.

New research from Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) suggests almost half of people in Scotland believe energy bills are their biggest financial concern this winter.

Ofgem chief executive Jonathan Brearley said: This is a difficult time for many people and any increase in bills will be worrying. But this rise  around the levels we saw in August  is a result of the wholesale cost of gas and electricity rising, which needs to be reflected in the price that we all pay.

It is important that customers are supported and we have made clear to suppliers that we expect them to identify and offer help to those who are struggling with bills.

We are also seeing the return of choice to the market, which is a positive sign, and customers could benefit from shopping around with a range of tariffs now available offering the security of a fixed rate or a more flexible deal that tracks below the price cap.

People should weigh up all the information, seek independent advice from trusted sources and consider what is most important for them, whether thats the lowest price or the security of a fixed deal.

Simon Francis of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition warned that the price hikes come at the worst possible time for households, saying: Bills will go up just as winter bites hard and household finances are hit further by Christmas credit cards, the long January pay period and the ongoing wider cost-of-living crisis.

We warned Ofgem that a January price cap rise was a bad idea when the regulator consulted on this in 2022. Now the chilling effect of the change is being realised, the inhumanity of this policy is clear to see.

It will be anything but a happy new year for people trapped in Britains broken energy system.

Richard Neudegg, director of regulation at Uswitch.com, said: The price cap is no longer fit for purpose and gives providers little incentive to offer better deals. The system needs reforming to create a more competitive market that also protects households.
 Close Reading fire: Hero crane driver rescues man trapped on top of burning tower block

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A worker was dramatically rescued by a crane after a huge fire broke out at the top of a building in Reading city centre, with dramatic footage showing the person being lifted to safety.

Emergency services were alerted to the fire shortly after 11.30am on Thursday, with 50 firefighters at the scene alongside an Aerial Ladder Platform and Incident Command Unit.

Two people, including the individual rescued from the One Station Hill building, have been taken to hospital for smoke inhalation, neither of which are being treated as severe cases.

Footage on social media shows large plumes of black smoke filling the sky in the area, with offices nearby told to evacuate.

A spokesperson for Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue said: Upon arrival, crews discovered a fire in a high-rise building under construction. Firefighters equipped with breathing apparatus are using two main jets to fight the fire.

We understand that two people were rescued by a crane and have been placed in the care of South Central Ambulance Service. All other people have been accounted for at this time.

Despite the blaze taking place nearby, Reading Train Station is still open and no train lines are affected.
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A huge fire has broken out in Reading city centre, with dramatic footage emerging showing a crane driver rescuing a workman trapped on the roof of a burning building.

Large plumes of black smoke filled the sky after the blaze broke out at around 11.30am on Thursday in a building that was under construction.

More than 50 firefighters were scrambled to the Station Hill development site as the emergency services urged people to stay away from the area.

As the blaze engulfed the high-rise tower block, footage captured the moment a heroic crane driver lifted someone to safety from the roof before a crowd burst into applause.

Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service said the person was one of two rescued by a crane driver and both were taken to hospital for smoke inhalation.

It said that everyone else was accounted for after the fire, which could be seen from miles away.

The 750 million Station Hill development, close to Reading Station, is intended to be a business and living quarter for the town.

Hero crane driver rescues man trapped on top of burning tower block

A spokesperson for the fire service said: We understand that two people were rescued by a crane and have been placed in the care of South Central Ambulance Service. All other people have been accounted for at this time.

A South Central Ambulance Service spokesperson added: I can confirm weve taken two people to the Royal Berkshire Hospital for further assessment and treatment for smoke inhalation, neither of whom were severe cases.

We are now on stand-by supporting the fire service (which is a standard operational procedure when they are working at height and at scale).

We have our hazardous area response team, an ambulance, the Thames Valley Air Ambulance critical care car, an operational commander, a tactical adviser and a tactical commander at the scene.

A workman who was trapped on a roof being lifted to safety (PA Media)

Office workers in nearby buildings told the Reading Chronicle that they were told to evacuate their building because of the fire.

One person said: You could literally feel the heat, a guy in my lobby said fire and I was like woah. No idea how it started.

Another said: The windows look like they are going to smash and shatter on you.

Redwood Consulting, on behalf of Station Hill, said: We activated our fire emergency plans immediately, the emergency services were notified and are currently on site.

The safety of those on site and the wider public is always our first priority, and the site has been evacuated as a result.

Office workers in nearby buildings had to evacuate their buildings (Tom Canning)

Thames Valley Police was also called to the incident and said that road closures had been put in place from Forbury roundabout to Forbury Road, Friar Street and Friar West.

The force added that it was working to allow access for residents to premises that have not been affected by the fire and to the nearby hotels.

At 2:45pm Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service confirmed that the fire had been extinguished but crews remain at the scene to dampen down the affected areas.

Despite the blaze taking place nearby, Reading Train Station remained open and no train lines were affected.
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A man and a woman drowned on Wednesday when a small boat trying to cross the Channel to the UK capsized just after leaving the French coast.

One person was airlifted to safety while at least 57 others were rescued by boat and taken to the French town of Boulogne-sur-Mer. Several of those rescued were suffering from hypothermia, the authorities said.

Boulogne-sur-Mer prosecutor Guirec Le Bras said a manslaughter investigation has been launched into the deaths of the migrants, who have been identified to be in their 30s.

The prosecutor added that the dinghy, which capsized less than a kilometre from the French shore, was among several other small boats that left a beach near the French town of Neufchatel-Hardelot on Wednesday morning.

The boat reportedly got into difficulty in French waters shortly after 1pm (local time) and drowned.

The HM Coastguard was working with the French Coastguard to coordinate "the response to an incident involving a small boat in the French search and rescue region", a spokesperson said.

The Coastguard helicopter and the RNLI [Royal National Lifeboat Institution] are assisting in the response. HM Coastguard will continue to work with partners to respond to those in distress around the seas and coastal areas of the UK," the spokesperson added.

The last Channel deaths were reported on 12 August when six Afghans drowned after their boat capsized. That was the worst small boat accident since 24 November 2021, when at least 27 people died in an overloaded boat.

In a separate incident on Wednesday, several people from another dinghy were rescued following an attempted small boat crossing in the Channel.

Photographs of the scene showed groups of people being brought in to Dungeness, Kent, by an RNLI lifeboat. One person was pictured being taken away from the shore on a stretcher.

Steve Valdez-Symonds, Amnesty International UKs refugee and migrant rights director, said: We are heartbroken by this loss of life and our immediate thoughts are with the family and friends who have lost their loved ones.

The new home secretary must finally be the one to face up to reality.

People will continue to attempt dangerous Channel crossings while they are without safe access to fair and efficient asylum procedures on each side of the water  including safe routes to the UK for people whose family and other connections are here.

We urge ministers to radically change their focus  rather than trying to avoid all responsibility for asylum, the UK must accept its part in providing safety and encourage other countries to do the same.

More than 27,200 people have crossed the Channel in small boats so far this year, against a record 45,000 in 2022, according to British authorities.
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The friend of one of four teenagers killed in a car crash in North Wales escaped the tragedy after pulling out of the camping trip at the last minute, it has emerged.

Jevon Hirst, 16, Harvey Owen, 17, Wilf Fitchett, 17 and Hugo Morris, 18, were believed to be on their way to Snowdonia when the Ford Fiesta they were in careered off the A4085 in Garreg and plunged into a water-filled ditch.

They remained undiscovered for two days until a binman spotted the overturned vehicle from his refuse truck.

The news sent shockwaves through the market town of Shrewsbury where the teenagers were all studying for their A-Levels at Shrewsbury College. Many students paid their respects on Wednesday by lighting candles at a special memorial event at Shrewsbury Abbey.

Among those in mourning will be the 19-year-old friend of Hugo who was set to join the four teenagers on the trip, according to a co-worker of the 18-year-old.

Mimi Ropotka, who worked with Hugo at Pret a Manger, told The Daily Telegraph how the friend had chosen to go on a different camping holiday at the last minute.

Jevon Hirst, 16, Harvey Owen, 17, Wilf Fitchett, 17 and Hugo Morris, 18, were all tragically killed in a crash in North Wales (Supplied)

Have you been impacted by the death of the four teenagers? Email alexander.ross@independent.co.uk

Speaking about the unnamed teenager, she said he was in a really bad way, adding: He cant believe he has lost his friend so suddenly and tragically.

On Wednesday, the Pret a Manger coffee shop closed out of respect for the teenagers. Ms Ropotka said: We are devastated by Hugos death. He was just an amazing person.

Harvey also worked in the town centre, doing part-time shifts in the kitchen at Dough and Oil pizza restaurant. It also closed yesterday, with bosses releasing a picture and a tribute to the funny, gentle and bright student.

They also revealed how he had wanted to open a bakery, following in the footsteps of his mother, Crystal, who runs a cupcake shop in the town. His mother has this week said she was living in a nightmare.

The teenagers were last seen on Sunday lunchtime and were believed to have been travelling on the A4085 from Harlech towards the mountains of the Snowdonia National Park when they crashed near the village of Garreg.

One of the last people to have seen them was from a shopkeeper in a Premier Foods shop in Harlech, who told reporters the teenagers appeared to be happy, laughing and joking around before they headed toward Snowdonia.

Candles were lit in Shrewsbury Abbey yesterday in remembrance of the teenagers (PA)

However, the alarm was later raised after family members said they had not heard from the teenagers, and a major search was launched by North Wales Police, before the car was discovered on Tuesday.

Last night, police teams continued to search the area, with help from an underwater team, for clues over how the car left the road, which reopened last night.

Supt Owain Llewellyn said: Our thoughts remain with the families at this extremely difficult time and I would like to thank the public for their continued patience and understanding.
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James Cleverly has apologised for using unparliamentary language after calling a Labour MP shit, a source close to the Home Secretary said.

Mr Cleverly has been under pressure to say sorry following claims he called Alex Cunninghams Stockton North constituency a shithole.

But a source close to Mr Cleverly said his off-the-cuff remark in the Commons had been directed towards the MP, rather than his constituency.

James made a comment. He called Alex Cunningham a shit MP. He apologises for unparliamentary language, the source said.

As was made clear yesterday, he would never criticise Stockton. Hes campaigned in Stockton and is clear that it is a great place.

Mr Cleverly had come under pressure to apologise over the alleged Stockton insult, including from fellow senior Conservative Tees Valleys Tory mayor Lord Ben Houchen.

Labour MP Mr Cunningham had alleged the comment was made about his constituency during Prime Ministers Questions on Wednesday.

Mr Cleverly was accused of making the remark after Mr Cunningham had challenged Prime Minister Rishi Sunak over the level of child poverty in his North East seat.

Mr Cunningham on Thursday said he did not believe the Home Secretary.

He hasnt made an apology to me. His apology is for using unparliamentary language.

But I dont want an apology for him claiming to have insulted me, I want an apology for the people of my communities.

My colleagues who actually saw the mouth move and hear the words come out, they believe he said that particular expression, and on that basis I dont think he is a person fit for such high office and he really needs to consider what he is going to do about it, he told BBC Radio 4s PM programme.

Lord Houchen said he accepted the apology, while Number 10 said Rishi Sunak continues to have confidence in the Home Secretary.

Whatever was said, the speculation dragged Stocktons name through the mud, which is unacceptable.

Were all human & hes a good guy who made a mistake, the Tees Valley mayor said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

The issue was also raised in the Commons on Thursday, with Labour calling for an apology from Mr Cleverly.

Shadow Commons leader Lucy Powell said: Besmirching another honourable members constituency goes against all the courtesies of this place and it is utterly disrespectful to their constituents.

Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt replied: With regard to the charge she makes against the Home Secretary, he denies it and I believe him.
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Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has brushed off the suggestion from a Conservative Party deputy chairman that asylum seekers could be held on Orkney if the Rwanda plan fails.

Lee Anderson  who has become known for controversial statements in the past  told GB News this week that those who have fled their countries and come to the UK could be held on a remote Scottish island until their applications are processed.

His comments came after the Supreme Court ruled the current plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda is unlawful.

Asked about the remarks, Mr Hunt told Sky News on Thursday: Lee will always have colourful suggestions, as he always does actually in British politics.

But the fact of the matter is we will do what it takes to stop the boats, and I think weve had that clarity from Rishi Sunak.

Mr Anderson had said: I know its a bit parky up there this time of year. But if people are genuinely escaping war or persecution then a nice Scottish island with a few outbuildings would be suitable.

This is a beautiful country. Parts of Scotland are a go to destination, the remote islands  Id like to be able to afford a place up there.

If we can get some accommodation up there, keep these people safe  these people want to be safe, theyre fleeing so-called persecution from these war-torn countries.

If we can find an island in the Orkneys or up there thats got no-one on there to start off with, put some decent accommodation on, then its job done.

The issue was raised in the Commons on Thursday and Penny Mordaunt said asylum seekers will not be sent to the Falkland Islands or the Orkney Islands.

Speaking in the Commons, Labour MP Sir George Howarth said: The right honourable lady will be aware of reports that if, as seems likely, the Government are unable to find a legal way to take that policy forward, they are considering using the Falkland Islands as an alternative.

Would the right honourable lady take this opportunity to either confirm or deny that the Falkland Islands is a possible alternative to Rwanda?

Commons Leader Ms Mordaunt said: Im very happy to knock that one on the head. That it is not an alternative to Rwanda nor are various other places that have been mentioned, including the Orkney Islands. That would be definitely out, given the reliability of SNP ferry services.

Mr Andersons comments drew criticism from Orkney and Shetland MP Alistair Carmichael, who said the idea is not a serious proposition.

The Liberal Democrat MP said: I would be astonished if Lee Anderson could even find Orkney  or in his words the Orkneys  on a map.

His remarks show inhumanity towards desperate and vulnerable people  and disdain towards island communities to boot.

Anderson has form for brainstorming Tory policy live on air. Obviously, this is a novel sort of brainstorming as it does not actually involve the engagement of a brain, but instead looks more like an exercise in corralling as many prejudices as possible into one space and calling it a policy.

He said the comments are an attempt to kick up dust and distract attention from the complete failure of this Government to manage our asylum and immigration system.
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Scottish politicians have condemned remarks made by a senior Conservative Party figure who suggested asylum seekers should be sent to the Orkney Islands while they wait for their applications to be processed.

Deputy chairman Lee Anderson was speaking to GB News when he said people who had fled their own countries for a better life in the UK could be housed on the islands rather than flown to Rwanda.

He told the news channel: I know its a bit parky up there this time of year. But if people are genuinely escaping war or persecution then a nice Scottish island with a few outbuildings would be suitable.

This is a beautiful country. Parts of Scotland are a go to destination, the remote islands  Id like to be able to afford a place up there.

I would be astonished if Lee Anderson could even find Orkney  or in his words 'the Orkneys'  on a map Alistair Carmichael MP

If we can get some accommodation up there, keep these people safe  these people want to be safe, theyre fleeing so-called persecution from these war-torn countries. If we can find an island in the Orkneys or up there thats got no-one on there to start off with, put some decent accommodation on, then its job done.

Orkney and Shetland MP and Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Home Affairs Alistair Carmichael said Mr Andersons remarks had shown disdain towards his constituents.

Mr Carmichael said: This is not a serious proposition. I would be astonished if Lee Anderson could even find Orkney  or in his words the Orkneys  on a map.

His remarks show inhumanity towards desperate and vulnerable people  and disdain towards island communities to boot.

Rural communities have been crying out for more power to be devolved over migration and these latest remarks underline why Ariane Burgess MSP

Anderson has form for brainstorming Tory policy live on air. Obviously, this is a novel sort of brainstorming as it does not actually involve the engagement of a brain but instead looks more like an exercise in corralling as many prejudices as possible into one space and calling it a policy.

If Rishi Sunak cannot bring his deputy chair into line then the only conclusion is that he approves of these attitudes.

It is yet another attempt by a Conservative MP to kick up dust and distract attention from the complete failure of this government to manage our asylum and immigration system.

Every day the backlog of unprocessed asylum applications gets longer. They should focus on fixing that, instead of looking around for new rows to pick.

The Scottish Greens spokesperson for rural and island communities, Ariane Burgess MSP, added: The insensitive and thoughtless remarks by Lee Anderson underline how out of touch the Tory Westminster Government is from the needs of our islanders.

Many island communities have already welcomed migrants with open arms, not least in Lewis and Bute, where those displaced by the Syrian Crisis have established thriving businesses, become key parts of their communities and added to the diversity and vibrancy of Island life.

Rural communities have been crying out for more power to be devolved over migration and these latest remarks underline why. Our islands are not empty wildernesses  theyre thriving communities.

They are not remote places with a few outbuildings. The Orkney Islands have seen a steady growth in population over recent years and regularly appear on list of the most desirable places to live.
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Police and politicians have called for calm amid warnings against misinformation as violence broke out in Dublin following a knife attack on a woman and three young children near a school.

Irish Justice Minister Helen McEntee labelled the scenes in the city centre intolerable, and said a thuggish and manipulative element must not be allowed to use an appalling tragedy to wreak havoc.

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said a complete lunatic faction driven by far-right ideology is behind disorder in the capital.

Violence broke out after three young children and a woman were attacked Parnell Square East in the north of the city centre on Thursday afternoon.

A five-year-old girl is undergoing emergency treatment for her injuries, Irish police have said.

The woman was seriously injured while the two other children, a five-year-old boy and a six-year-old girl, sustained less serious injuries

Gardai said a man who sustained serious injuries is a person of interest in their investigation.

Earlier on Thursday, Garda Superintendent Liam Geraghty said they were keeping an open mind in terms of the investigation but were satisfied there is no terrorist link.

However, at an evening press conference Mr Harris was asked about a potential terrorist link, and appeared minded not to rule that out.

I have never ruled out any possible motive for this attack all lines of inquiry are open to determine the motive for this attack, he said.

Until were sure what the motive is then we have to keep an open mind as to why this happened.

The scene of the incident is close to Irish language-medium primary school Gaelscoil Cholaiste Mhuire.

A Garda public order unit was deployed in the area around Parnell Square, Parnell Street and OConnell Street as protesters started to scuffles with officers and flares and fireworks were thrown at the Garda cordon.

As the violence escalated, a bus and car were set on fire on OConnell Bridge in the heart of the city centre.

The Luas trams service was suspended after coming under attack.

Rioters looted a Foot Locker store on OConnell Steet as bottles were thrown at gardai on the famous Dublin street.

Other people carried metal bars and smashed shop windows.

In a series of co-ordinated presses, gardai dispersed a large portion of the crowd onto nearby roads.

Smoke from bus and car fires filled the air while a garda helicopter monitored the situation overhead

We will not tolerate a small number using an appalling incident to spread division Justice Minister Helen McEntee

Ms McEntee said: A thuggish and manipulative element must not be allowed to use an appalling tragedy to wreak havoc.

I have spoken to local TDs from all sides of the Dail and we are of the same view.

We will not tolerate a small number using an appalling incident to spread division. I would appeal for calm in the city centre as An Garda Siochana carry out their work  attacks on members of An Garda Siochana must be utterly condemned and will be dealt with severely.

Most importantly, we must remember the real tragedy of today and allow the investigations take their course.

Speaking to media at Mountjoy Garda Station on Thursday evening, Mr Harris called for calm and spoke out against the spreading of misinformation.

He confirmed that a number of Garda vehicles have been damaged.

He said some individuals were using a tragic event which is under investigation by the authorities for their own ends and a hooligan faction who are only interested in causing damage and mayhem in the city centre and theyre using the opportunity for that as well.

I think theres disgraceful scenes in terms of a major investigation, the maintenance of a scene and the gathering of evidence, he said.

We have a complete lunatic hooligan faction driven by far-right ideology, and also then this disruptive tendency engaged in serious violence.

We are drafting in resources to deal with that and that will be dealt with properly. Ive given full direction to our resources here in respect of making arrests and bringing offenders to justice.

Its our responsibility to make sure that we police the streets, and part of that is we ask people to act responsibly and not to listen to the misinformation and rumour that is circulating on social media.

The facts are being established, but the facts are still not clear on a lot of the rumour and the innuendo is being spread for malevolent purposes.

Mr Harris cautioned: The facts have yet to emerge, and will take time to fully emerge.

He said the motive for the afternoon attack is not clear to us at this moment in time.

Earlier, Supt Geraghty said: Preliminary indications are that a male attacked a number of people on Parnell Square East.

Five casualties have been taken to hospitals in the Dublin region. These casualties include three young children, an adult female and an adult male.

One girl, aged five years, has sustained serious injuries and is currently receiving emergency medical treatment in CHI Temple Street.

He added: The male in his 50s is a person of interest to An Garda Siochana in this investigation and An Garda Siochana is not looking for any other person at this time.

The officer said his understanding is that a knife was used, adding: It would appear to be a standalone attack, and we need to determine the reasons behind that.

He added: My understanding is members of the public did intervene at a very, very early stage and we would applaud those members of the public for getting involved in such a traumatic and potentially dangerous situation for themselves.

Were aware that the public are concerned about the activities that have happened today. The message to them is that we believe that this is a standalone incident, not necessarily connected to any wider issues that are ongoing in the country or in the city, and we need to identify the exact reasons for that happening.

So wed ask for people not to jump to conclusions and not to make rash judgments on what may have happened.

Siobhan Kearney said she witnessed what she believes was a man attacking children, describing what she saw as absolutely bedlam.

Ms Kearney told RTE she watched people disarm a man who she said had a knife.

I looked across the road and I see the man and the stabbing motion with a load of children so I flew across the road, she said.

The man was after stabbing two children as far as I could make out, and we got the children up to the left with the women that were there, and the teachers I presume.

People were trying to attack the man so me and an American lady, we formed a ring around the man, and then about three minutes later the ambulance came for the children and then another ambulance and fire officers came for the man on the ground.

Irish premier Mr Varadkar said: We are all shocked by the incident which has taken place in Parnell Square.

A number of people have been injured, some of them children. Our thoughts and our prayers go out to them and their families.

The facts in this matter are still emerging. The emergency services responded very quickly and were on site within minutes. I thank them for that.

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald said the incident in Dublin city centre had caused shock and horror.

Speaking at the scene she said children who witnessed what happened have been traumatised.

She added: Our heart goes out to the whole school community, to the children, the parents, the teachers.

I know that the gardai acted very swiftly in this matter, but this is certainly the last thing that any of us expected on a Thursday afternoon where children should come safely from school and be collected by their parents.

I pray the injured make a full recovery.

The community is stunned, stunned and horrified.
Hong Kong: Ingrid Yeung meets Singapore official

Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung met a delegation led by Singapore's Head of Civil Service Leo Yip, under the Singapore-Hong Kong Permanent Secretaries Exchange Programme at the Central Government Offices today.

Welcoming the delegation's visit to Hong Kong, Mrs Yeung said the civil service of both places have always maintained close ties and exchanges, adding that while reciprocal visits among senior civil servants of the two governments could not be materialised under the COVID-19 epidemic, she was encouraged to see the exchange programme resume today.

Mrs Yeung shared with the delegation experiences in the recruitment and training of civil servants. Both sides noted that the international political, economic and technological situations are fast-changing, while the aspirations of the younger generation are gradually changing.

Investment in continuous training at all levels of the civil service and providing diverse opportunities for young people are important in enhancing the capability of civil servants to cope with the challenging global environment, maintaining the satisfaction civil servants obtain from their work and increasing the attractiveness of the civil service as a career for young people, she noted.

Concluding the meeting, Mrs Yeung said that Hong Kong and Singapore have all along had much in common and it is important for continuous exchanges and co-operation among civil servants in the two governments to take place.

The civil service chief added that she looks forward to further promoting people-to-people bonds between Hong Kong and Singapore in future and finding new areas for collaboration.

This story has been published on: 2023-11-23. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Maltese, Chinese schools sign cooperation agreement on tourism education

Xinhua) 13:47, November 23, 2023

VALLETTA, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Institute of Tourism Studies of Malta (ITS) and the Shanghai Industrial and Commercial Polytechnic (SICP) here on Wednesday signed a cooperation agreement on tourism education.

The document was signed in the presence of Chinese Ambassador to Malta Yu Dunhai, and Maltese Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo who said that with this agreement, the ITS was reaching new heights.

The agreement officially establishes the SICP Malta International School. Chinese students will now have the option of enrolling in the school and advance their studies at the ITS campus in Malta.

"This landmark agreement signifies Malta's commitment to sharing our education story throughout the world," Bartolo said at the signing ceremony.

"Education and tourism need to continue walking hand in hand. This agreement is a win-win," he said. "I am optimistic that we will see it flourish in the months and years to come."

Over the 51 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Malta, bilateral ties have consistently been dynamic and vibrant, said Yu, adding that both sides have achieved fruitful cooperation in various fields such as education and tourism, bringing benefits to the people of both countries.

He said the establishment of the SICP Malta International School will "bring students a more diverse and enriched educational experience, opening new avenues for exchange in the education and tourism sectors between China and Malta, and contributing to the development of bilateral relations."

From October 2024, the ITS will have the first Chinese students enrolled in the SICP Malta International School, said Pierre Fenech, chief executive officer of ITS.

Zhang Yang, vice president of the SICP, said the agreement signified the school's commitment to fostering international collaboration in the field of education.

"This collaborative approach will not only enrich the learning experience but also contribute to the growth and development of both our colleges," he added.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
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A coroner has said that he is not satisfied that a 15-year-old boy who drowned in the River Trent after drinking vodka took his own life.

Oliwier Kaczmarowskis body was found in the river in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, on May 26 after it is believed he entered the water at around 9pm on May 22.

An inquest in Lincoln on Thursday heard that Oliwier had shared a bottle of vodka with a friend in the hours before he entered the water, with later tests finding he was almost twice the legal drink-drive limit.

Coroner Paul Smith said that while conclusions of suicide and accidental death were plausible to a degree, he said they were not proven to the required standard, with there being no direct evidence as to how Oliwier entered the river.

The evidence does not disclose the precise circumstances of his entering the water, nor his state of mind at the time Paul Smith

Recording a narrative conclusion, he said: Oliwier Kaczmarowski died on May 26 2023 from drowning.

He entered the River Trent during the evening of May 22 whilst in drink.

The evidence does not disclose the precise circumstances of his entering the water, nor his state of mind at the time.

The coroner said he was not satisfied that Oliwier had entered the water deliberately, or with the intention of taking his own life, adding there was no direct evidence as to how he came to be in the river.

Oliwier was seen on CCTV in Gainsborough on May 22 with a friend, with whom he bought a bottle of vodka and mixers, and visited a local cafe.

The pair were later seen crossing a bridge and sitting on a bank of the River Trent, with his friend then leaving at about 8pm.

Oliwier had taken his shirt off due to the heat, the inquest heard, with the clothing recovered from the river bank while police searched for him after his mother raised the alarm that evening.

His body was discovered by police divers at around 1.20pm on May 26, with a later post-mortem examination giving the medical cause of death as drowning.

Toxicology tests found he had a reading of 144 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood, almost double the legal drink-drive limit of 80mg.

The inquest, attended by Oliwiers mother, heard that he was born in Poland and moved to the UK shortly after his birth.

He was described by friends as a nice lad, very relatable and easy-going.

His family said in a statement released by police in June that he was incredibly protective and a great friend, adding: We will treasure those memories we had with him.

In his statement to the coroner, Detective Sergeant Tim Sykes, of Lincolnshire Police, noted that Oliwier was struggling with his mental health on occasion due to the death of his father in 2018 and the recent breakdown of a relationship, with the coroner also referencing the pressure of upcoming GCSE exams.

I have no doubt at all that had any of Oliwier's friends had concerns about him that night, he would not have been left alone in the circumstances that he was Paul Smith

However, friends had supported him when needed, Mr Sykes said, with his school noting no concerns.

Mr Smith said: I have no doubt at all that had any of Oliwiers friends had concerns about him that night, he would not have been left alone in the circumstances that he was.

Closing the hearing, Mr Smith said to Oliwiers mother: There is nothing that I can say that can take the hurt away.

You have my own personal sympathies in relation to your loss and I hope you and your family recover from this tragedy.
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Hungary is set to receive 900 million euros ($981 million) in European Union money, the EU's executive arm said Thursday, despite the Hungarian prime ministers attempts to scupper the blocs support for Ukraine.

That money comes from the blocs REPowerEU program aimed at helping the 27 EU nations recover from the energy crisis that followed Russias invasion of Ukraine last year, and reduce their dependance to Russian fossil fuels.

The proposal to unlock the money in pre-financing came as Orban - a frequent critic of the EU and often at odds with European leaders over his governments record on the rule of law - threatens to derail Ukraine's ambition to join the bloc, and to block the disbursement of a planned 50 billion euros ($54.5 billion) in aid to Kyiv.

EU leaders will meet in Brussels next month to discuss the opening of formal negotiations on Ukraine's future accession.

EU member countries have now four weeks to endorse the European Commissions decision and greenlight the disbursement of money.

The total value of the Hungarys post-pandemic recovery plan, which includes the REPowerEU chapter, totals 10.4 billion euros ($11.3 billion) in loans and grants. The Commission insisted that Hungary must achieve rule of law reforms for the bulk of that money to be released.

The Commission will authorize regular disbursements based on the satisfactory completion of the reforms to ensure the protection of the Unions financial interests, and to strengthen judicial independence, as translated into 27 super milestones, the Commission said in a statement.

Hungary, a large recipient of EU funds, has come under increasing criticism for veering away from democratic norms. The Commission has for nearly a decade accused Orban of dismantling democratic institutions, taking control of the media and infringing on minority rights. Orban, who has been in office since 2010, denies the accusations.

Orban has also repeatedly angered the EU since Russia started its war in Ukraine last year. He has criticized the sanctions adopted by member countries against Russia as being largely ineffective and counter-productive, and last month met Vladimir Putin in a rare in-person meeting for the Russian president with a leader of a European Union country.

Last December, the EU froze billions of euros in cohesion funds allocated to Hungary over its failure to implement solid rule-of-law reforms. Although Hungary insists it doesn't link EU funds to other issues, many in Brussels see its veto threats regarding aid to Ukraine as Orban's bid to blackmail the bloc into releasing billions in regular EU funds and pandemic recovery cash that has been held up.

The Commission also gave a positive assessment of Polands revised recovery plan earlier this week, paving the way for the payment of 5.1 billion euros ($5.56 billion) to Warsaw. The announcement came a month after an election in Poland secured a parliamentary majority to pro-EU parties aligned with Donald Tusk, who is expected to become Polands next prime minister. He traveled to Brussels last month to meet with top officials and repair Warsaws ties with the bloc, aiming to unlock funds that have been frozen due to democratic backsliding under the outgoing nationalist government.
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Rishi Sunak was facing a major Tory rebellion after net migration to the UK soared to a record high.

Senior MPs blasted the embarassing immigration figures and called on the prime minister to urgently bring in measures to bring overall numbers down.

Official figures showed net migration in 2022 hit 745,000, a huge upward revision from an earlier estimate of 606,000.

And the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed that in the year to June, a total of 1.2 million people arrived to live in the UK, leaving overall net migration at 672,000.

The figures mean the population of England and Wales is now growing at the fastest rate since 1962.

Former business secretary Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg said he was embarrassed about the absolutely extraordinary net migration figure.

This is a phenomenally high level with economic consequences, he told BBC Radio 4s World At One programme, adding that excess immigration was to blame for forecasts of shrinking GDP per capita.

He agreed that the figure pointed to a serious political failure in controlling Britains borders post-Brexit.

Im embarrassed that we havent achieved what we set out to achieve, Sir Jacob said.

And the New Conservatives group of 35 right-wing Tory MPs said Thursdays figures were existential for the party and called for urgent action.

At the last election, every Conservative MP was elected on a solemn promise to reduce net migration, which in 2019 stood at 229,000 per year, the group said in a statement.

It called for a comprehensive package of measures today to bring migration below the 229,000 mark before the next election. In a warning to the under-fire PM, the group said: We will assess any such package and report publicly on whether it will meet the promise made to the electorate.

The group said: The prime minister, chancellor, and new home secretary must show that they stand by the promises on which we were elected to parliament. We must act now.

Britains Prime Minister Rishi Sunak speaks during the Conservative Party annual conference in Manchester (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

The word existential has been used a lot in recent days but this really is do or die for our party. Each of us made a promise to the electorate. We dont believe that such promises can be ignored.

Mr Sunak is facing mounting pressure to deliver on a 2019 manifesto pledge to bring the number of people migrating to Britain down  a pledge made when the figures were less than a third of the level they are today.

Right-winger Miriam Cates said the government had no democratic consent for the current level of migration while New Conservative chairman Danny Kruger said it risked threatening community cohesion.

Senior Tory Henry Smith told The Independent the unsustainable numbers of immigrants put intolerable pressure on housing, transportation and public services.

In mitigation they of course include BNO passport holders and the Ukrainian scheme and come before the effect of the new Nationality & Borders Act, however clearly more needs to happen to bring net migration down, the MP added.

And Conservative MP David Jones said the figures were very troubling, calling for Mr Sunak to consider an overall annual cap on migration numbers.

The deputy chief of the Tories European Research Group (ERG) told The Independent that the government should stop all students bringing family member and make sure they return after their studies.

As the latest bout of Tory infighting over migration erupted, shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper stuck the boot in, saying the figures showed the scale of utter Tory failure on immigration.

In May, the ONS estimated that net migration stood at 606,000, a figure Mr Sunak described as too high, adding: I want to bring them down.

However, in a bombshell revelation, the Office for National Statistics has now revised its estimate for 2022s net migration figure to 745,000, meaning Thursdays figure represents a slight dip.

Mr Sunaks spokesman said the PM is still working toward the manifesto commitment and indicated that further measures to curb net migration could be introduced.

He cited the governments May decision to bar students coming to the UK from bringing dependents and said we are looking at other areas where we can make further reductions.

Tory MP Jonathan Gullis, also a member of the New Conservatives, said the net migration surge was completely unacceptable.

We must take drastic action now to bring legal migration down, as well as do whatever we must to stop the boats, Mr Gullis added.

Ex-levelling up secretary Simon Clarke said the net migration figure was unsustainable both economically and socially, adding that there is no mandate for it.

He called for an urgent change of approach, including hiking the earnings threshold for visa applications, cutting the shortage occupations list and supporting more British workers into jobs.

The latest ONS figures showed almost all of the net migration to the UK was driven by non-EU citizens. The increase was mainly due to migrants coming for work, predominantly those coming on health and social care visas.

In the year to June, the top five non-EU nationalities migrating to the UK were Indian, Nigerian, Chinese, Pakistani and Ukrainian.

And people arriving via humanitarian routes such as Ukrainian refugees and Hong Kong citizens decreased from 19 per to 9 per cent of the total over the same period.

Home secretary James Cleverly, who replaced Suella Braverman last week, brushed off the increase in migration. He said: This figure is not showing a significant increase from last years figures and is largely in line with our own immigration statistics.

The government remains completely committed to reducing levels of legal migration while at the same time focusing relentlessly on our priority of stopping the boats, Mr Cleverly added.

Thursdays figures show a total of 40,386 people crossed the channel in small boats in the 12 months to June.

As well as concerns over the net migration figure, Mr Sunak is under intense pressure to deliver on his stop the boats pledge.

The PMs plans faced a major setback when the Supreme Court ruled a scheme to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda unlawful.

He is now pinning his hopes on a new treaty with the African country which he hopes will address judges concerns. Mr Sunak is also planning to pass legislation ruling Rwanda a safe country to get the deportation scheme up and running.

Pressure to stop the boats will also mount after a man and a woman drowned on Wednesday when a small boat trying to cross the Channel to the UK capsized just after leaving the French coast.

One person was airlifted to safety while at least 57 others were rescued by boat and taken to the French town of Boulogne-sur-Mer. Several of those rescued were suffering from hypothermia, the authorities said.

The boat reportedly got into difficulty in French waters shortly after 1pm (local time) and drowned.

The last Channel deaths were reported on 12 August when six Afghans drowned after their boat capsized. That was the worst small boat accident since 24 November 2021, when at least 27 people died in an overloaded boat.

More than 27,200 people have crossed the Channel in small boats so far this year, against a record 45,000 in 2022, according to British authorities.
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The British government should not go ahead with plans to amend the law against glorifying terrorism following pro-Palestine marches in which thousands had participated, a government adviser has warned.

Jonathan Hall KC, the UKs independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, said new terrorism laws would do no favours to police and instead cause excessive damage to the right to free speech.

Mr Hall submitted a 15-page report to the Home Office in the backdrop of likely plans by No 10 to tighten the law against glorifying terrorism.

The report also said modifying the law in response to a particular set of protests could pose problems when any such amended law is applied to different protests.

The report that offers advice to new home secretary James Cleverly comes after large scale pro-Palestinian demonstrations during Armistice Day that saw the participation of thousands of people.

The report advised making alterations to terrorism legislation would be an inappropriate course of action, emphasising the necessity for precision in the law.

My overall conclusion is that there is no need to legislate for any amendments to terrorism legislation now, and good reason for caution, said Mr Hall.

It is difficult to identify any real situations where a gap in terrorism legislation means that terrorist mischief cannot currently be addressed by arrest and prosecution.

Given the number of pro-Palestine marchers, there have been plenty of opportunities for gaps to become apparent. There may well be other mischiefs (such as antisemitism), but those are not a subject for terrorism legislation.

There is a general risk of legislating in response to one set of protests because of the risk of unintended consequences when new legislation comes to be applied to other protests.

More than 80 people have been charged in the UK over alleged hate crimes and violence linked to pro-Palestinian protests that erupted after Israels retaliatory action in Gaza against Hamas that have now led to the killing of more than 13,000 people, including thousands of children.

In response to the protests, ministers said they were mulling amending the law against glorifying terrorism, already a criminal offence in the UK. But there needs to be a reasonable inference that such glorification encourages others to engage in similar conduct, as per the law.

Concerns have been raised over the chanting of slogans like From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free, perceived by some to be antisemitic.

Mr Hall said expanding the scope of offences should be immediately ruled out as it will only burden already-stretched security services.

He warned that either the investigative authorities dramatically shift their resources or ignore new terrorist offences.

If individuals are convicted and sentenced to terms of imprisonment, this has major resource implications for their management in prison and on release, he said.

Mr Hall explained that being a member of a proscribed organisation, wearing associated articles, intentionally soliciting support for it or recklessly encouraging backing for such an organisation is already considered an offense.

He emphasised that these laws are carefully crafted to specifically address individuals who present a genuine threat to public safety.

Especially on political matters or questions of public interest, members of the public should not be daunted from exercising their freedom of expression and right of lawful assembly based on laws which are vague or which they cannot be expected to understand, he said.

The law, prohibiting the glorification of terrorism, was enacted after the killing of 52 people in London in a suicide bombing attack in 2005.
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Watch as South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol attends a banquet at the Guildhall along with the Lord Mayor of the City of London Professor Michael Mainelli on Wednesday, 22 November.

It was the latest engagement in the South Korean leaders state visit, following his talks with Rishi Sunak at Downing Street.

Mr Yoon met the UK prime minister to sign a diplomatic accord which he hopes will help promote freedom, peace and prosperity around the world together, describing his invitation to Number 10 as an honour and a privilege.

His state visit began with a welcome from the King and Queen on Tuesday.

King Charles III said in a banquet speech that Koreans have created a miracle in their journey from wartime devastation to a thriving country where the industrial efficiency he witnessed during a visit in 1992 had become the epitome of technological innovation.
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Suella Braverman has launched another stinging attack on Rishi Sunak  claiming the prime minister is to blame for the governments slap in the face failure to stop immigration from hitting record highs.

In a fresh bout of infighting, the recently sacked home secretary joined right-wing Tories condemning the embarrassing net migration figures and called on the PM to take urgent steps to curb the numbers.

Ms Braverman said she had pushed a five-point plan to bring down numbers on legal net migration while in cabinet  suggesting Mr Sunak had refused to act. Challenging the PM, she asked: When do we say: enough is enough?

It comes as Mr Sunak and Jeremy Hunt suffered a backlash over their tax cut giveaway  with top economists warning that it puts Britain on course for public sector cuts even more painful than the austerity period of the 2010s.

In other developments:

Right-wing Tory MPs backed Bravermans plan for an overall cap on net migration

Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg admitted to an embarrassing failure to control Britains borders post-Brexit

No 10 said Sunak was looking at new ways to reduce migration numbers

The Institute for Fiscal Studies accused Jeremy Hunt of leaving the next government a mother of a headache after tax cuts

The chancellor was forced to deny being fundamentally dishonest after Tory claims tax cuts were biggest in history

Economists found that UK households will be 1,900 poorer by end of this parliament.

Ms Braverman said she had pushed a five-point plan while she was home secretary  including an overall annual cap on net migration, as well as a new cap on the number of visas granted to foreign health and social care staff.

We were elected on a pledge to reduce net migration, she tweeted on X. Todays record numbers are a slap in the face to the British public who have voted to control and reduce migration at every opportunity.

In typically fiery rhetoric, Ms Braverman said the government had allowed an extra million people in just two years  calling the numbers unsustainable before asking the PM: When do we say: enough is enough?

Suella Braverman says she fought for tougher measures before she was sacked (AP)

She also suggested raising the minimum salary threshold for overseas workers to 45,000 outside of NHS jobs, shutting the graduate visa route, and a new limit on the number of dependents that foreign staff can bring with them.

Official figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed net migration in 2022 hit 745,000  a huge upward revision from an earlier estimate of 606,000.

It is more than triple the number the Tories promised to bring down at the last election. The figures also mean the population of England and Wales is growing at the fastest rate since 1962.

Former business secretary Sir Jacob told BBC Radio 4s World at One that he was embarrassed about the absolutely extraordinary figures. This is a phenomenally high level, he added, arguing that excess immigration was to blame for shrinking GDP per capita.

Asked if he backed Ms Bravermans plan for an overall cap on annual numbers, Sir Jacob said he was not unsympathetic to the radical move. I am in favour of getting this number down very significantly. A cap is one way of doing it.

Jacob Rees Mogg said record net migration was a Brexit failure (PA Wire)

In an extraordinary admission, the former Brexit opportunities secretary also said there had been a serious political failure in controlling Britains borders post-Brexit.

Ms Braverman also claimed that Brexit gave us the tools to cut immigration, but the government had failed to act. Its time to use them. We must act now to reduce migration to sustainable levels, she said.

The New Conservatives group of around 35 right-wing Tory MPs aligned with Ms Bravermans views said the latest figures were existential for the party and demanded urgent action from Mr Sunak.

The group run by Danny Kruger and Miriam Cates called for a comprehensive plan to bring net migration below the 229,000 mark  the figure at the 2019 election when a manifesto promise to bring down numbers was made.

In an ominous warning, they said they would assess any measures brought forward by Mr Sunak, adding that the PM must act now. They added: The word existential has been used a lot in recent days but this really is do or die for our party.

Home secretary James Cleverly brushed off the record-high migration numbers. This figure is not showing a significant increase from last years figures and is largely in line with our own immigration statistics.

However, Mr Sunak is planning a series of new immigration crackdown measures as he prepares to head off a Tory backbench revolt.

The PM is said to be preparing to cut the number of relatives foreign healthcare workers can bring into the UK to only one, ditching the shortage occupation list, and raising the minimum salary requirement from 26,200 to 31,000.

But it may not be enough to dampen anger. Senior Conservative MP David Jones said the figures were very troubling, calling for Mr Sunak to consider Ms Bravermans idea of an overall cap on migration numbers.

The deputy chief of the Tories European Research Group (ERG) told The Independent that the government should also stop students bringing family members and make sure they return after their studies.

Tory MP Sir Simon Clarke said the level was unsustainable, adding that there is no public mandate for it. Fellow ex-minister Neil OBrien said that Mr Sunak must now take immediate and massive action.

Tory MP Jonathan Gullis said the figures were completely unacceptable and would rightly anger the British people, as he too called for drastic action, including a crackdown on foreign students dependents.

Work and pensions secretary Mel Stride said the immigration figures were unacceptable. Asked about the statistics on Friday, he told Times Radio: I think the fundamental point here is that these figures we recognise are far too high. They are unacceptable and that is why we have been taking action.

Rishi Sunak under huge pressure to bring in new crackdown on visas (AP)

Asked whether the government would cut the number of visas, Mr Sunaks spokesman said it is important that we strike the right balance to help deal with short-term pressures.

But the No 10 official added: We do believe there is further to go here and thats why were keeping it under review, saying officials were looking at other areas where we can make further reductions.

The ONS said it was too early to tell if this was the start of a new downward trend, but that the most recent estimates indicate a slowing of immigration.

Professor Brian Bell, chairman of the independent Migration Advisory Committee, said net migration to the UK is likely to fall in the next few years. I think the indications are that weve reached the peak, he told the BBC.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has said the net migration figure was shockingly high. Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper attacked the Tories abysmal record on skills, training and workforce planning.

She called for an end to the 20 per cent wage discount on the shortage occupation list, which allows some employers to reduce wages and recruit from overseas to help fill gaps in key sectors.

Meanwhile, the Institute for Fiscal Studies accused Mr Hunt of failing to set out a credible plan for harsh spending cuts ahead, warning they would have to be more painful than those delivered by David Cameron and his chancellor George Osborne.

IFS director Paul Johnson said Mr Hunts successor is going to have the mother and father of a headache when it comes to making the tough decisions implied by this statement.

The chancellor clashed with BBC Radio 4 host Nick Robinson after the broadcaster told him the Tory claim of the biggest ever tax cuts was fundamentally dishonest.

Mr Hunt disagreed and defended his package. I did make a start in bringing down the tax burden. Ive never said that we were going to get there all in one go.

The Resolution Foundation said the fall in real household incomes over the course of this parliament amounted to an average of 1,900.
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South Koreas President Yoon Suk Yeol was welcomed at Downing Street to sign a diplomatic accord which he hopes will help promote freedom, peace and prosperity around the world together.

Prime minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty greeted Mr Yoon on the steps outside No 10 on Wednesday afternoon.

Mr Yoon, who began his three-day state visit on Tuesday, described it as an honour and a privilege to be at Downing Street and said he was looking forward to talks with Mr Sunak to modernise a free trade agreement (FTA).

Your state visit underlies the deep partnership and friendship between our two countries and the signing of the Downing Street Accord today strengthens that friendship Rishi Sunak

Through a translator, he said: Today we are going to sign a historic Downing Street Accord and, as allies and as friends who have shed blood together in the Korean War, I believe that there is no other areas that we cannot further deepen our co-operation including economic partnerships, science and technology.

The leaders are to sign a long-term agreement covering defence and technology co-operation.

The Downing Street Accord follows similar agreements with Singapore and Japan as the UK seeks to consolidate influence in the Indo-Pacific region.

It is set to include a defence agreement to boost the British and Korean militaries co-operation on countering smuggling in the East China Sea, which North Korea relies on to evade sanctions.

Mr Sunak told Mr Yoon: Your state visit underlies the deep partnership and friendship between our two countries and the signing of the Downing Street Accord today strengthens that friendship.

From defence and security to trade and technology, we already co-operate in lots of different areas.

But that co-operation will also be matched by the private sector by our agreement to upgrade and strengthen our FTA and the very welcome 20 billion-plus of investment from Korean companies into the United Kingdom.

That investment is a huge vote of confidence in the UK and a symbol of our close co-operation. I am looking forward to discussing all of these things with you this afternoon.

Mr Yoon also met with Opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer on Wednesday.

A Labour spokesman said Sir Keir and the visiting president agreed on the need to boost UK-Korean trade and investment, while also discussing the ongoing need for closer co-operation on security.

At a tense time in the world and in the region, (Sir Keir) Starmer reiterated Labours strong commitment to Korean security and they agreed that Britain and Korea must seek to strengthen security ties to face down new and modern threats, the party said, in a readout of the talks.

The state visit began with a welcome from the King and Queen on Tuesday.

Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch began trade negotiations with her South Korean counterpart Bang Moon-kyu at the UK-Korea Business Forum at Mansion House on Wednesday.

They are set to announce 21 billion of investments committed by Korean businesses in green energy and infrastructure projects across the UK.

The UK secured a free trade deal with South Korea in 2019.

In his banquet speech on Tuesday, the King said Koreans have created a miracle in their journey from wartime devastation to a thriving country where the industrial efficiency he witnessed during a visit in 1992 had become the epitome of technological innovation.

The UK visit coincides with the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the UK and Korea, as well as the 70th anniversary of the armistice of the Korean War.
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Rishi Sunak is facing calls from Tory MPs to act now to bring down net migration, as new figures showed that it hit a new record of 745,000.

Revised estimates from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) put net migration to the UK in the year to December 2022 higher than previously thought. However, the figure for the year to June 2023 is estimated to be lower, at 672,000.

In a strongly-worded statement, the right-wing New Conservative group of MPs demanded action from the Prime Minister and his Home Secretary James Cleverly.

The group, led by Miriam Cates, Danny Kruger and Sir John Hayes, warned: The word existential has been used a lot in recent days but this really is do or die for our party.

Each of us made a promise to the electorate. We dont believe that such promises can be ignored.

The Government must propose, today, a comprehensive package of measures to meet the manifesto promise by the time of the next election. We will assess any such package and report publicly on whether it will meet the promise made to the electorate.

The Prime Minister, Chancellor, and new Home Secretary must show that they stand by the promises on which we were elected to Parliament. We must act now.

The 2019 Conservative Party manifesto pledged to bring overall net migration numbers down after the introduction of post-Brexit border controls.

Former Cabinet minister Sir Simon Clarke said: This level of legal immigration is unsustainable both economically and socially.

There is no public mandate for it, it is beyond our public services capacity to support and it undercuts UK productivity and wages by substituting cheaper foreign labour.

He called for an urgent change of approach, with curbs on the list of shortage occupations allowed to bring in migrant workers and a requirement for higher earnings for those seeking a visa.

Former minister Neil OBrien said: In every election since 1992 we have promised to reduce migration. Todays extraordinary numbers mean the PM must now take immediate and massive action to do just that.

Tory MP Jonathan Gullis said the figures were completely unacceptable and will rightly anger the British people, as he called for drastic action to bring down legal migration.

Former Cabinet minister Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, appearing on BBC Radio 4s World At One programme, said that the figures pointed to a serious political failure in controlling post-Brexit borders.

Im embarrassed that we havent achieved what we set out to achieve, he said.

The ONS said it is too early to tell if this is the start of a new downward trend but that the most recent estimates indicate a slowing of immigration coupled with increasing emigration.

Mr Cleverly said the latest figure is largely in line with our own immigration statistics and insisted the Government remains completely committed to reducing levels of legal migration.

The previous estimate for the year to December 2022 had been 606,000, but the ONS has since revised this upwards in light of unexpected patterns in the behaviour of migrants.

The latest figures show that a total of 1.18 million people are estimated to have arrived in the UK in the year to June 2023 while 508,000 are likely to have left, leaving the net migration figure at 672,000.

Mr Cleverly said: This figure is not showing a significant increase from last years figures and is largely in line with our own immigration statistics.

The Government remains completely committed to reducing levels of legal migration while at the same time focusing relentlessly on our priority of stopping the boats.

He said the UK needs to reduce our overall numbers by eliminating the abuse and exploitation of our visa system by both companies and individuals.

Downing Street said that net migration remains far too high and indicated that further measures could be introduced to bring down the figures.

The Prime Ministers official spokesman also promise to leave no stone unturned in tackling abuse of the visa system.

Most people arriving to the UK in the year ending June 2023 were non-EU nationals (968,000), followed by EU (129,000) and British (84,000), the ONS said.

Study remained the biggest contributor to non-EU immigration in that period, accounting for 39%, largely unchanged compared with the previous period.

The next biggest contributor to non-EU immigration was migrants coming for work  having risen to 33%, from 23% in the year ending June 2022, and largely attributed to people on health and care visas.

Arrivals of people via humanitarian routes have fallen from 19% to 9% over the same period, the ONS said, with most of these made up of Ukrainians and British Nationals (Overseas) arrivals from Hong Kong.

Labour said that the figures were a sign of the Governments failure on immigration.

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said: These figures are driven by a 54% increase in work visas and a 156% increase in health and social care visas which prove the Conservatives abysmal record on skills, training and workforce planning, as they have run our economy into the ground.

They are still failing to make changes Labour has called for to end the 20% wage discount in the immigration system and to link it to training requirements.

The Tories have broken the asylum system with the number of asylum seekers in hotels now at a record high of 56,000  over 10,000 more than when Rishi Sunak promised to end hotel use  and costing almost 3 billion a year. Once again, the British taxpayer is footing the bill for the Conservatives chaos.
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The Prince of Wales threw smoke grenades from a Warrior armoured vehicle as he joined a simulated attack on an enemy position.

William took the gunner position on the infantry fighting vehicle as he took part in the mock assault on Salisbury Plain.

He was part of a multi-vehicle attack on an enemy stronghold within a wooded area, which culminated in troops assaulting the location.

The exercise formed part of Williams first visit to the 1st Battalion The Mercian Regiment as their Colonel-in-Chief.

Speaking after the visit had finished, one of the soldiers who took part in the exercise explained what the prince would have been engaged in.

Sergeant Mark Kirton, 31, who was the section commander for the troops taking part in the ground assault on the enemy position, said William was very excited by the exercise.

His Royal Highness was in the gunner seat of the vehicle I was travelling in and he also came to sit on orders with myself, he said.

I gave the lads orders for what was going to happen at each point of the operation.

He was operating weapons systems on the Warrior, and he was also throwing smoke to create a screen for the troops moving through the wood.

In his new role as colonel-in-chief of the regiment, he will realise what we do as a unit as we are infantry but also using the vehicles.

The prince was listening to the orders I was giving as I briefed the lads.

From what I saw, I think he felt very excited when he saw all the smoke and the bangs going off, so hopefully he enjoyed it, added Sgt Kirton, from Worcester.

William, who was appointed Colonel-in-Chief by his father in August, was briefed on the recent work of the regiment and also about a future deployment to Poland next year.

He also met groups of service personnel to hear about their different roles and experiences in the regiment.

Captain Matthew Camp, 27, from Worcester, said: It was nerve racking at first when I saw him walking towards me, but he put me at ease with his manner.

He was interested in hearing how the soldiers lives were affected by their deployment and how we manage the work-life balance.

Theres a buzz around the battalion and it always nice. This is the first royal visit I have been part of and I think for everyone here they wont forget today.

I was lucky to be part of the attack his Royal Highness conducted and theres nerves because you dont know if everything will go to plan. It went well and he said he enjoyed the attack.

He said it was his first time in a Warrior and they are always good fun  its like a 20-odd tonnes go-kart.

The regiment was created in 2007 and traditionally recruits from Cheshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire and Worcestershire  the former ancient kingdom of Mercia.
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Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said his decision to axe the Birmingham to Manchester leg of HS2 was done to enable projects such as a critical mass transit system for Leeds.

Mr Sunak was asked about the city being the largest in Europe not to have such a system as he visited businesses in the Farsley area of West Yorkshire on Thursday.

The Prime Minister told reporters: Theres going to be significantly more funding for West Yorkshire mass transit as result of the decision I made on HS2.

Were repurposing every penny of the money that would have been spent on HS2 expansion and deploying that across the North  so, almost 20 billion. And a big chunk of that has been kept aside to deliver mass transit.

He said: So it can be delivered in full because, previously, there wasnt full funding available.

Mr Sunak said: This was a long-term decision that I made because I thought it was better to spend that money on projects exactly like that as well as across the North  were fully electrifying all the lines from Hull to Leeds to Sheffield to Manchester, for example.

Again, thats 3 billion worth of investment thats going to considerably improve frequency and capacity across all those places.

He said a mass transit system was critical to Leedss future growth.

Mr Sunak also referenced the huge investment planned for Bradford, which he said included a new station and faster connections to Manchester.

The Prime Minister was speaking after touring businesses at the Sunny Bank Mills complex in Farsley, where he tried his hand at jewellery making.

Mr Sunak had a cup of tea and spoke to business owners in the main gallery and then took up a hammer to fashion some metal at the Emma White jewellery studio.

Its really exciting whats happening in Leeds, he said.

The Prime Minister told reporters: Were big backers of Leeds. You can see that in the investment thats gone into transport infrastructure, for example.

And he added: Most of all, this is about backing the incredible people and businesses in Leeds and Ive been talking to some of them here today.

Mr Sunak was also asked about the timetable for further devolution in the North, outlined in the autumn statement.

He said: The good news is that devolution is actually being delivered by this Government.

Thats empowering local leaders across the North, and particularly in Yorkshire, with the powers that they need and the funding alongside that to deliver for their local communities  something were proud to be doing more of.

And, were keen to be having those discussion as soon as possible.
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Canadas self-proclaimed QAnon queen has been ousted from the village where she has been camping out for two months.

Romana Didulo, a QAnon-inspired conspiracy theorist, arrived in Richmound, a small Saskatchewan village of about 150 people, in September, along with her entourage, after travelling around Canada over the past few years.

Since then, the group of about 15 and 25 people has been camping out in an old school in the village, owned by one of Ms Didulos supporters.

The groups presence in the village had drawn a significant police presence and protests that have led to at least one arrest, with village officials repeatedly saying they wanted the group out.

But villagers had struggled to remove the conspiracy theorist and her group from the school in the face of resistance from the buildings owner, Ricky Manz.

Mr Manz was arrested in October and charged with assault after an altercation.

It is unclear what exactly Ms Didulo and her entourage were using the school building for, but the self-proclaimed QAnon queen broadcasted every day from the school to her 70,000 followers.

However, last week, viewers spotted a heater propped up on a propane tank in the background of a livestream, which prompted an inspection visit by local officials for a possible fire code violation.

The inspectors were turned away, the BBC reported, but the group packed up and left the site an hour later, leaving only a flag that the group had left flying above the building.

According to reports, the group are now on a farm to the west of the village, but villagers fear Ms Didulo and her entourage may return.

Were glad theyre gone, but everyones still on edge in case they come back, said the village spokesperson, who asked not to be identified.

Meanwhile, Christine Sarteschi, a professor at Chatham University in Pittsburgh and an expert on extremism who has been studying Ms Didulos movement, told the BBC the group is unpredictable.

Ms Didulos presence in Richmound drew protests from villagers (Community TV)

They are very secretive about what they are doing, but they still care about whats going on in Richmound and talk about coming back, she said. That unpredictability makes people nervous.

Ms Didulo and her followers have reportedly threatened to execute local officials and have previously issued threats against medical professionals, journalists and others.

The 48-year-old QAnon influencer uses many online platforms, including the encrypted Telegram app, to communicate with her supporters, who refuse to pay taxes and make up their own fake legal systems.

Ms Didulo calls herself the Queen of Canada, and believes herself to be the secret ruler of Canada. She maintains she is Canadas real head of state and that Queen Elizabeth II has been executed.

She is also a known anti-vaxxer and has spread ideas related to QAnon - a wide-ranging, unfounded theory that says former US president Donald Trump is waging a secret war against elite Satan-worshipping paedophiles in government, business and the media.

In 2021, she claimed she was taken into custody in Victoria, British Columbia under the provinces mental health act over a post where she allegedly called for the execution of medics who administered the Covid-19 vaccine to young adults and children.

Meanwhile, a year later, her group participated in the Freedom Convoy protests in Ottawa in which they attempted to arrest police officers, accusing them of crimes against humanity. Six of her followers were arrested.

She has also allegedly shared posts encouraging her followers to overthrow Canadian officials and take over government buildings.
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A group of Catholic Church-run hospitals in Illinois and Wisconsin have said they are doing away with crucifixes in a bid to prevent attacks on staff.

Hospital Sisters Health System said wooden and metal crucifixes would be removed from its hospitals to prevent patients from using them to attack staff.

The organisation said the decision comes in response to the changing healthcare landscape and the general increase in healthcare workers experiencing workplace violence.

No specific incident triggered the move, Hospital Sisters said, but they noted safer replacements will be used in future. No further details were provided.

The organisation said removing the crucifixes was a last resort, with the health system stressing that all employees undergo training in Management of Aggressive Behaviors and those working directly with patients learn de-escalation methods.

Healthcare and social services have the highest rate of nonfatal workplace injuries across all sectors in the US, surpassing both manufacturing and construction by over 100,000 incidents.

According to 2018 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, healthcare and social service workers are five times as likely to get injured at work than workers overall, with violence intensifying during the pandemic.

More than 5,200 nursing personnel were assaulted in the second quarter of 2022, equating to two nurses assaulted every hour, according to Press Ganey data.

The bipartisan Safety from Violence for Healthcare Employees Act was introduced in the Senate in September. The bill, tabled by Senators Joe Manchin and Marco Rubio, would make it a federal crime to knowingly assault hospital workers.

Our nations healthcare workers tirelessly care for the health and well-being of communities across the country, even in the face of increased violence, threats and intimidation, Senator Manchin said in a statement at the time. This legislation would create a safer working environment for hospital staff, deter violent behavior and make sure that assailants are appropriately held accountable.

The American Hospital Association has supported the legislation, calling it a significant step forward in protecting healthcare workers.

The sharp rise in violence against caregivers is clearly documented, yet no federal law exists to protect them, AHA president and CEO Rick Pollack said. Enactment of this bipartisan legislation would be a significant step forward in protecting our workforce. The AHA commends Senators Manchin and Rubio for their leadership on this issue.

However, while nearly 40 states have passed laws to increase penalties for violence against healthcare workers, similar federal legislation has failed to pass. Last year, Senator Tammy Baldwin introduced the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, which tasked the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) with creating violence prevention measure requirements for healthcare and social service workplaces.

The bill failed to advance before being reintroduced in April, but it has since stalled again.

In November, a former Hawaii psychiatric hospital patient was indicted on a murder charge in the stabbing death of a nurse at the facility.
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A couple and their pet dog were airlifted to safety after they found themselves stranded 90 miles off the coast of Florida.

The couple were sailing along the Gulf of Mexico on Saturday, accompanied by their small dog, when a broken porthole started to let in water, damaging the boats electronics, the Coast Guard wrote in a news release.

The porthole was thought to be damaged due to bad weather, Coast Guard spokesperson Santiago Gomez told CNN.

By 11am, the Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg watchstanders received a distress call about the vessel that was stuck far off the coast of Hernando Beach, Florida.

Safe and wrapped up after the couple and their pooch were airlifted to safety (US Coast Guard Southeast)

The aircrew received a digital selective calling (DSC) alert instantly from the boat as the vessels electronics started to shut down.

Due to the reported water ruining the system, this alert gave us their last known position and allowed us to investigate because the owners registered it to their equipment, Lieutenant j.g. Connor Sullivan, the command duty officer at the Sector, said.

The Coast Guards aircrew followed the signal in an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter and were able to rescue the mariner couple and the seafaring pooch.

The vessels electronics broke after water infiltraited their boat (US Coast Guard Southeast)

The trio were lifted into the aircraft and were taken "to Air Station Clearwater in good health.

After the group landed, a picture was snapped of the aircrew and the rescued party, in which the couple and the dog were now safe, wrapped up in blankets.

The Coast Guard said that the salvaging of the couples vessel was being coordinated, however Mr Gomez told the outlet that as of Wednesday, the location of the boat was unknown.
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New York City Mayor Eric Adams is being sued for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman back in 1993.

A new lawsuit was filed against the mayor on Wednesday  just two days before the New Yorks Adult Survivors Act expires on Friday.

In the suit, the woman, who has not been identified, alleges Mr Adams assaulted her when they were both working for the New York Police Department (NYPD).

Between 1984 and 2006, Mr Adams worked in the citys police force, rising up the ranks to become captain before entering the world of politics.

Plaintiff was sexually assaulted by Defendant Eric Adams in New York in 1993 while they both worked for the City of New York, the summons said.

The claims brought here allege intentional and negligent acts and omissions for physical, psychological, and other injuries suffered as a result of conduct that would constitute sexual offenses, it added.

According to the filing, the woman is seeking a trial and $5m in damages.

A spokesperson for Mr Adams said the mayor denies the allegation, while the NYPD said it has no record of the woman working for the police department, ABC affiliate WABC-TV reported.

New York Mayor Eric Adams arrives at a news conference at New Yorks City Hall on 14 November (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

The mayor does not know who this person is. If they ever met, he doesnt recall it. But he would never do anything to physically harm another person and vigorously denies any such claim, a mayoral spokesperson said.

The summons was filed under New Yorks Adult Survivors Act, which passed last year, creating a temporary window for victims of historic sexual assault to sue their alleged abusers past the states usual deadlines.

The law has led to more than 2,500 lawsuits being brought against alleged abusers, including cases against former president Donald Trump, hip hop mogul Sean Diddy Combs and the comedian and actor Russell Brand.

The suit against Mr Adams comes amid an FBI investigation into his 2021 campaign, which prompted agents to seize his cellphones and raid the home of his chief campaign fundraiser.

The FBI is investigating whether Mr Adams inappropriately tried to help the government of Turkey get city approval to open a 35-story skyscraper housing diplomatic facilities in 2021, despite concerns about the towers fire safety systems.

Mr Adams has admitted lobbying the former FDNY commissioner over safety delays to the opening of a new Turkish consulate in New York in 2021, but has denied he all wrongdoing.
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An agreement for a four-day cease-fire in Gaza and the release of dozens of Hamas-held hostages and Palestinians imprisoned by Israel appeared to have hit a last-minute snag when a senior Israeli official said it would not take effect until Friday, a day later than originally announced.

The diplomatic breakthrough promised some relief for the over 1.7 million Palestinians who have fled their homes under weeks of Israeli bombardment, as well as families in Israel fearful for the fate of their loved ones captured during Hamas' Oct. 7 attack that triggered the war.

Israel's national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, announced the delay late Wednesday, without providing a reason. Israeli media reported that some final details were still being worked out.

The Persian Gulf nation of Qatar, which played a key role in mediating with Hamas, said early Thursday that a new time for the agreement to go into force would be announced in the coming hours. It was originally set to begin at 10 a.m. (0800 GMT) Thursday. The U.S. and Egypt also helped negotiate the deal.

NETANYAHU SAYS TRUCE WON'T END WAR

The agreement had raised hopes of eventually winding down the war, now in its seventh week, which has has leveled vast swaths of Gaza, fueled a surge of violence in the occupied West Bank, and stirred fears of a wider conflagration across the Middle East.

But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a nationally televised news conference that the war would resume after the truce expires, with the goal of destroying Hamas' military capabilities, ending its 16-year rule in Gaza and returning all of the estimated 240 captives held in Gaza by Hamas and other groups.

The war is continuing. We will continue it until we achieve all our goals, Netanyahu said, adding that he had delivered the same message in a phone call to U.S. President Joe Biden. Washington has provided extensive military and diplomatic support to Israel since the start of the war.

If implemented, the deal temporarily freezes both sides at a tenuous moment.

Israeli troops hold much of northern Gaza and say they have dismantled tunnels and much of Hamas infrastructure there. Israeli forces on Wednesday revealed what they said was a major Hamas hideout in a tunnel beneath Shifa Hospital. The territory's largest medical center has been at the heart of a fierce battle of narratives over both sides' allegedly reckless endangerment of civilians.

Still, Israeli officials acknowledge that much of Hamas' infrastructure remains intact, and have threatened to launch wider operations in southern Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of people who fled the north have crammed into overflowing U.N.-run shelters with dwindling food, water and basic supplies.

For Hamas, the cease-fire would provide an opportunity to regroup after weeks of apparently heavy losses. Hamas leader Yehya Sinwar, who is believed to be alive and in hiding in Gaza, is likely to claim the release of Palestinian prisoners as a major achievement and declare victory if the war ends.

HOSTAGES TO BE FREED IN STAGES

Under the truce deal, 50 hostages will be freed in stages, in exchange for the release of what Hamas said would be 150 Palestinian prisoners. Both sides will release women and children first, and Israel said the truce would be extended an extra day for every additional 10 hostages freed by Hamas.

The return of hostages could lift spirits in Israel, where their plight has gripped the country. Families of the hostages have staged mass demonstrations to pressure the government to bring them home.

Qatar said the cease-fire would allow a larger number of humanitarian convoys and relief aid" to enter Gaza, including fuel, but it gave no details on actual quantities. Israel cut off all fuel imports at the start of the war, causing a territory-wide blackout and leaving homes and hospitals reliant on generators, which have also steadily been forced to shut down.

Netanyahu said the deal includes a provision for the International Committee of the Red Cross to visit the hostages in captivity.

Israels Justice Ministry published a list of 300 prisoners eligible to be released, mainly teenagers detained over the past year for rock-throwing and other minor offenses.

The war erupted when several thousand Hamas militants stormed into southern Israel, killing at least 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking scores of hostages, including babies, women and older adults, as well as Israeli soldiers.

Israel has a long history of agreeing to lopsided prisoner swaps with militant groups, and Hamas is expected to demand a large number of high-profile Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the soldiers.

HEAVY TOLL ON GAZA

Weeks of Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, followed by a ground invasion, have killed more than 11,000 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-run territory. It does not differentiate between civilians and militants, though some two-thirds of the dead have been identified as women and minors.

The ministry said that as of Nov. 11 it had lost the ability to count the dead because of the collapse of large parts of the health system, but that the number has risen sharply since then. Some 2,700 people are missing and believed buried under rubble.

Israel says it has killed thousands of Hamas fighters, though it has presented no evidence for its count.

Three-fourths of Gaza's population of 2.3 million have been displaced in the war. Many, if not most, will be unable to return home because of the vast damage and the presence of Israeli troops in the north.

The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA, said that more than 1 million Palestinians were seeking shelter in 156 of its facilities in Gaza, where many have been forced by overcrowding to sleep on the streets outside as a cold, rainy winter sets in.

Israel has barred imports to Gaza since the start of the war, except for a trickle of aid entering through Egypts Rafah crossing. Humanitarian aid groups operating in Gaza said the truce was too short and the Rafah crossings capacity was insufficient to meet urgent needs.

___

Chehayeb reported from Beirut. Associated Press reporter Najib Jobain in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip contributed.

___

Full AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war.
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As many as 50 hostages taken by Hamas could return to their families beginning on Friday in a prisoner swap deal that, along with an initial four-day ceasefire, represents the biggest diplomatic and humanitarian breakthrough in a conflict that has claimed over 15,000 lives in Israel and Gaza over the past month and a half.

But for Jonathan Dekel-Chen, a Hebrew University of Jerusalem history professor, the wait for his hoped-for reunion is set to go on. His son Sagui, 35, was kidnapped from the Nir Oz kibbutz during the brutal 7 October attacks.

The prisoner swap, which is expected to formally begin on Friday, is slated to involve only women and children being released from Gaza, followed by the staggered release of 150 Palestinian women and children from Israeli jails.

That will mean that there another 190 hostages still held by Hamas, among them my son, Professor Dekel-Chen told The Independent from the US, where hes been meeting with Biden administration officials alongside other families with captured loved ones.

Both Jonathan and his son live on the Nir Oz kibbutz, about a mile from the Gaza border. Hamas militants tore through the close-knit community of 440, killing about 28 and kidnapping at least 75 in a living hell, according to the professor.

All of them Ive known pretty much all of their lives, Professor Dekel-Chen continued. They are my friends. They are my kids friends. They are my grandkids friends, in some cases whose parents were murdered October 7 on the kibbutz.

Sagui Dekel-Chen, 35, is among the Israeli-Americans being held captive by Hamas (Courtesy of Jonathan Dekel-Chen)

Before he was captured, Sagui, described by his father as a builder and a creator, was up early tinkering on his hobby, converting old vehicles into mobile projects like food markets and digital classrooms to serve under-resourced communities in southern Israel.

He helped alert his fellow kibbutz residents when he saw heavily armed Hamas fighters entering the area.

Negotiations between Israel and Hamas, mediated by Qatar, remain ongoing over the final technical details of the exchange.

A senior US official told The Independent that three Americans were likely to be among the hostages released to Red Cross and then eventually Israeli custody.

The three include two adult women and a three-year-old named Abigail Edan, who was kidnapped from a kibbutz in southern Israel on 7 October, after Hamas killed her parents Roy and Smadar Edan.

Well I am hopeful, our family is hopeful and its been 45 days since Abigail was abducted, taken to Gaza, Abigails great aunt Elizabeth Naftali told CNN. Its excruciating.

US officials believe around 10 Americans overall were taken captive in Gaza.

Among them are Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, who was born in Berkeley, California and moved to Israel as a child.

He had just finished his army service in April and was among those at an outdoor dance party near the Gaza border that was brutally targeted by Hamas.

Mr Goldberg-Polin, whose arm was blown off in an explosion, was taken away in a pickup truck by Hamas fighters.

Keith Siegel, 62, who lived in Israel for four decades, was taken alongside his wife Adrienne from the Kfar Aza kibbutz, where more than 100 people were killed in Hamas attacks. His brother, Dr David Siegel of Rochester, New York, told Good Morning America that Keith alerted fellow kibbutz residents of incoming rocket attacks.

Some of those Americans missing or presumed captured are dual US-Israeli citizens who were serving in the IDF.

Omer Neutra, 22, a New York-born IDF tank commander, was taken hostage alongside his unit, Israeli officials told his parents.

Edan Alexander, 19, of Tenafly, New Jersey, volunteered to serve in the Israeli military last year after graduating high school. He was on duty near the Gaza Strip on 7 October.

Another 19-year-old Israeli-American in the IDF, Itay Chen, is also missing.

Professor Dekel-Chen said that, regardless of what happens in the coming days with the hostages, the 7 October attacks, and looting by civlians that followed, shook him to the core.

He said he and his fellow left-of-centre kibbutz members were sometimes going against the grain in Israel by insisting on peace and coexistence with their Palestinian neighbours.

The damage thats been done here, to both sides of course, it goes far beyond what the camera can see, he said. For Israelis, certainly those that believe in the possibility of peace, were going to have to figure out what comes next.
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Authorities ordered residents of a small and remote Kentucky town to immediately evacuate as they declared a state of emergency on Wednesday after a train derailed and spilled chemicals.

At least 16 train cars derailed in Rockcastle County and two carrying sulphur ended up catching fire and releasing toxic fumes in the area, according to railway officials.

Kentucky governor Andy Beshear said the Rockcastle County urged residents in Livingston, a town with the population of 200, to evacuate.

He declared a state of emergency to ensure every state resource is available to help keep our families safe.

Please stay clear of this area as state, local and CSX officials respond, his statement said.

Railroad operator CSX said on Thursday that the train derailed north of Livingston at 2.23pm and preliminary information indicated that at least 16 cars were involved, including two molten sulphur cars that have been breached and have lost some of their contents which is on fire.

At least one crew member was treated at the scene for minor injuries. Authorities continue to assess the threat from the chemical leak.

When molten sulphur burns it is known to release sulphur dioxide, CSX said in its statement.

Specialised equipment is being deployed to conduct air monitoring in the area.

CSX is in close contact with the Rockcastle County emergency teams as they continue to assess the situation and we appreciate their swift response.

The railroad operator also urged residents near where the incident occurred to utilise lodging offered by the company in Mt Vernon.

It said they are also working with local restaurants and hotels to provide meals for affected residents.

The state authorities have provided shelter to the people at a local middle school.

It is not immediately clear how extensive the spill was or what impact it might have on the environment in the remote area.

Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District 8 said US Route 25 was blocked in both directions following the train derailment.
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In the small, remote town of Livingston, Kentucky, residents had been preparing their turkeys and setting their tables for Thanksgiving the following day.

The roughly 200 people had no idea that a train carrying chemicals had derailed off the tracks nearby.

In total, 16 large train cars derailed  two containing molten sulphur. The chemicals instantly caught fire and sent large clouds of smoke billowing into the air.

The atmosphere quickly filled with toxic sulphur dioxide, prompting authorities to declare an emergency and evacuate residents from their homes, sending them to shelter in hotels, lodgings, and even a local middle school.

It wasnt quite the Thanksgiving Livingston residents had hoped for  eating pizza slices on a camp bed in a school hall the evening before they planned to fill up on turkey and cranberry sauce. On the holiday day, the train company CSX put on a Thanksgiving dinner in the school and a local church.

On Thursday afternoon, residents were given the all-clear to return home to spend the remainder of the holiday weekend as planned.

But, despite assurances that the area is now safe, many questions remain  including what caused the derailment in the first place.

Heres what we know so far:

What happened?

On Wednesday, at least 16 train cars derailed near the small town of Livingston in Rockcastle County in Kentucky.

The Eastern US railroad operator CSX said that the trains derailed just north of the town around 2.23pm, where at least 16 cars were involved, including two molten sulphur cars that have been breached and have lost some of their contents, which is on fire.

Two cars carrying sulphur caught fire, releasing toxic fumes into the air as a result.

WYMY could only get this close to the crash, showing fumes rising up in the air (WYMT)

Large clouds of smoke were spotted by witnesses, which left first responders struggling to get to the scene at first, WYMT reported.

At least one rail crew member out of the two-person crew sustained minor injuries and was treated at the scene.

Authorities came to the site to assess the seriousness of the chemical leak while US Route 25 was shuttered in both directions and Livingstons 200 residents were placed under an evacuation order.

Another town nearby, called Piney Branch, was also evacuated, according to WYMT.

CSX urged residents to use emergency lodging in Mount Vernon and that it was working with local restaurants and hotels nearby to provide meals.

The Red Cross also provided emergency shelter at the local Rockcastle County Middle School, which provided families with pizza, snacks and drinks.

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency in the area so that the states Emergency Operations Center could be activated.

By issuing a state of emergency, we are ensuring that every state resource is available to help keep our families safe, Mr Beshear said in a statement.

Please stay clear of this area as state, local and CSX officials respond.

In an update on Thursday morning, CSX said the two molten sulphur carts continued to burn, despite ongoing efforts to distinguish the blaze. It remains unclear what caused the train to derail.

Beds were set up by a Red Cross reponse team at the local school (WYMT)

What was the train carrying?

CSX said that, besides the two train cars carrying sulphur, some other cars were carrying magnesium hydroxide.

Those cars do not appear to have been breached in the accident.

Other non-hazardous items such as grain and plastic were also being transported on the train.

The rail company explained that, when molten sulphur burns, it releases sulphur dioxide.

Sulphur dioxide is known to affect the human respiratory system, which can make breathing very difficult and can damage lungs, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. People with asthma, particularly children, can be very sensitive to exposure.

Sulphur dioxide has a strong odour and, while it is colourless, sulfate particles have the ability to create haze and reduce visibility.

As well as the dangers to humans, sulphur dioxide can seriously damage the environment  harming trees and plants and limiting their growth.

Bryan Tucker, a spokesperson for CSX, said the company could not yet confirm the amount of sulphur dioxide released into the air until measurements were collected using air monitoring equipment.

Thanksgiving plans ruined

It was not the most ideal start to the holiday for the small Kentucky town.

Linda Todd, an evacuated Livingston resident, said that her Thanksgiving rituals came to an abrupt end when she was told to evacuate her home.

I was freaking out because I said, We are cooking, we got turkeys in the ovens. We cant leave. They were like, You have to go, it is a bad situation. You have to go, Ms Todd told WYMT.

Residents are still in shock over the mass evacuation (WYMT)

Another resident, Cindy Bradly, also told the outlet she was ushered out of her home by authorities.

We get a knock at the door, a pound at the door, Sandy Singleton, the commissioner of Livingston, theres 12 to 14 cars in the river, you have to get out of here, she said.

"We said, What about Thanksgiving?"

CSX provided a Thanksgiving dinner for the evacuated townsfolk at a local church and middle school.

Mr Beshear shared a tweet, asking people to keep the Livingston residents in their thoughts.

Due to the train derailment, many families in Livingston in Rockcastle Co. will be displaced for Thanksgiving, he wrote on X.

Please think about them and pray for a resolution that gets them back in their homes. Thank you to all the first responders spending this day protecting our people.

Evacuation order lifted

By Thursday afternoon, the rail company and emergency responders had managed to extinguish the flames.

CSX made the announcement on Thursday afternoon saying that special air monitoring equipment had been used to determine that the area was safe for residents to return home.

Mr Beshear confirmed on X that the residents could spend the remainder of the holiday at home.

Thank you to the first responders who worked hard to put out the fire at the train derailment site in Rockcastle County, he wrote.

While there is still work to be done, we are thankful for the good news that our families in Livingston are able to spend the rest of Thanksgiving at home.

An outreach centre has been opened in a local gymnasium to help families back into their homes.

From Sunday, CSX will also be reimbursing residents for any wage losses and out-of-pocket expenses caused by the incident  and will still be supplying food and lodging as needed.

The US Route 25, which was was closed in both directions, has also reopened.

What caused the crash?

As residents are making their way back home, the rail company is now focusing on clearing up the molten sulphur from the ground and shifting the derailed cars to restore the area completely.

But, the cause of the crash remains a mystery.

CSX spokesperson Bryan Tucker told The Independent on Friday that the cause of the derailment is still under investigation.
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Right-wing figures have been slammed for rushing to brand a deadly Niagra Falls car explosion that killed two people a terrorist attack.

A New York couple, who have not been identified, were killed on Wednesday night when their car crashed at a border crossing between the US and Canada, leading to an explosion.

The couple, who lived in western New York, were reportedly on their way to a Kiss concert in Toronto but the gig was cancelled.

Their car was travelling at speed when it hit a curb on the US side of the border and became airborne before exploding, according to the FBI field office in Buffalo, New York.

The blast initially sparked fears of a terrorist attack and prompted Canadian and New York officials to briefly shutter four border bridges between the two nations and ground planes at nearby Buffalo Airport.

A Fox News report cited high-level police sources who linked terrorism to the crash and believed the two people travelling in the car packed it full of explosives, a claim the network later retracted.

Senator Ted Cruz also claimed the incident was a terror attack, tweeting: This confirms our worst fear: the explosion at Rainbow Bridge was a terrorist attack.

Surveillance footage captures moment car speeds into Rainbow Bridge (CBP)

Meanwhile, other right-wing figures also linked the explosion to terrorism and blamed Joe Bidens border policies, including Florida congressman Byron Donalds, who wrote in a since-deleted X post: Open borders, soft-on-crime policies, and bending a knee to the woke PC mob.

Todays apparent terrorist attack must be a wake-up call to all Americans. Nowmore than everwe need a change in leadership in our nation, he said. As authorities respond to this ongoing situation, I extend my prayers to all those impacted by this terror and pray for our great nation.

Florida Senator Rick Scott and presidential contender Vivek Ramaswamy, as well as Donald Trump Jr, among others, also suggested the explosion was a terrorist incident, linking it to border enforcement policies.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul later confirmed at a press conference that there was no sign of terrorist activity.

The FBIs Buffalo division also released a statement saying that no explosives had been found at the scene and that no terrorism nexus was identified.

Despite this, Fox News attempted terrorist attack report still remained on X hours later, something the organisation has been criticised for.

A vehicle burns at the Rainbow Bridge US border crossing with Canada, in Niagara Falls (via REUTERS)

CNN reporter Oliver Darcy criticized Fox News initial terrorist attack reporting in an interview with Abby Phillip on Wednesday.

This was irresponsible reporting, this was reckless reporting and by all accounts, it was inaccurate reporting, he said, adding that it was reported for hours and the network sent out a push alert on the terrorism report.

Political strategist Lindy Li also criticised Fox News, tweeting: Contrary to what Fox News wants you to believe the car explosion on the Rainbow Bridge was NOT a terrorist attack but a terrible accident, she said.

Trumps violent insurrection against our Capitol WAS a terrorist attack and NOT a normal tourist visit. Learn the b****y difference.

Meanwhile, gun-control advocate Shannon Watts slammed Sen Cruzs response, saying: Ted Cruz tells us its too soon to talk about the causes of gun violence in the aftermath of every mass shooting tragedy, but he didnt hesitate to rashly and wrongly tweet that America was under attack by terrorists.

Niagara Falls Police Department is now investigating the crash.

The Independent has contacted Fox News for comment,
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A deadly crash at a border crossing between the US and Canada is believed to have involved a New York couple who had planned to attend a Kiss concert in Toronto on Wednesday night.

Law enforcement sources told CNN that the couple, who have not been identified but were said to have lived in western New York, were speeding in their Bentley when the car rammed into the Rainbow Bridge crossing, killing them both.

The blast sparked fears of a terrorist attack and prompted Canadian and US officials to briefly close all border bridges between the two nations and ground planes at nearby Buffalo Airport.

Hours later, the FBI Buffalo office and New York Governor Kathy Hochul said that there were no signs that the incident was terror-related.

Instead, the investigation so far indicates that the couple were planning to cross the border to go to a Kiss concert in Toronto that night. But the concert was cancelled earlier in the day due to frontman Paul Stanley becoming ill with the flu.

The pair instead headed to a casino not far from the border, CNN reported. The crash then unfolded when the couple left the casino in their Bentley.

The Seneca Nation, which owns and operates the Seneca Niagara Resort and Casino, said they were cooperating with law enforcement to review and hand over any information related to a vehicle involved in the crash.

Many questions remain as to what caused the crash and whether it was intentional or accidental, with investigators probing the possibility that the driver may have suffered a medical emergency.

Authorities said on Wednesday that the vehicle entered the Rainbow Bridge crossing from the US side of the border at a high rate of speed.

Surveillance footage captures moment car speeds into Rainbow Bridge (CBP)

Dramatic footage shows the speeding vehicle slamming into a curb and flying through the air into a border patrol screening area where it burst into flames. Thick black smoke and roaring flames billowed up to the sky.

Authorities confirmed that two people were killed in the blast but did not release their identities on Wednesday night. The Niagara Falls Police Department said their identities were pending positive notification and next of kin notification.

A Border Patrol agent also suffered minor injuries and was briefly treated at a local hospital.

Ms Hochul said she would not go so far as to declare the blast an accident just yet as the probe continues but that the two people killed were local residents with no ties to terrorism. No other potential motive had been discovered.

I want to be very, very clear to Americans and New Yorkers, at this time there is no indication of a terrorist attack, Ms Hochul said at a press conference.

No indication based on online threats or anyone taking credit for this  at this time. Its still unfolding. But I didnt want to leave the public with any uncertainty.

Fire damage is visible to the customs plaza structure at the Rainbow Bridge border crossing (AP)

She added: Based on what is happening in the world, everyone is on edge. This is an international border. I wont call it an accident yet. All we know is there was a horrific incident, a crash, a loss of life  but at this time: no known terrorism activity.

The FBIs Buffalo division also released a statement saying that no explosives had been found at the scene and that no terrorism nexus was identified.

The investigation has since been turned over to the Niagara Falls Police Department as a traffic investigation, the bureau said.
 Close Smoke billows from Niagara Falls explosion as two people dead in vehicle blast

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Police in Niagara Falls have warned the public about the dangers of misinformation about the deadly crash at the Rainbow Bridge border crossing.

Kurt and Monica Villani, both 53 and from Grand Island, New York, were killed last Wednesday when their speeding Bentley rammed into the border crossing, which connects the US and Canada.

The blast instantly sparked fears of a terrorist attack, but officials later ruled this out.

Now, investigators are still working to piece together what caused the deadly crash with authorities probing the possibility of a mechanical failure on the car or a medical emergency involving the driver.

Police are also using 3D scanning technology to help create a digital crash scene.

While information remains scant, Niagara police chief of police hit out at the rampant speculation which is causing significant and unnecessary anxiety within the local community.

We saw an immense amount of misinformation and speculation on both mainstream and social media platforms, which created significant and unnecessary anxiety in the community, he said.
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A New York City food truck worker who was racially abused and threatened by a former Obama administration official says he is terrified of reprisals.

Mohamed Hussein, 24, told The Independent how former National Security Council adviser Stuart Seldowitz ridiculed his religion, taunted him about his immigration status and threatened his family in Egypt during three separate encounters at the Adam Halal Food Cart on New Yorks Upper East Side.

Mr Hussein recorded Mr Seldowitz as he unleashed a torrent of abuse, and the videos have since gone viral after they were posted to social media. On Wednesday NYPD sources told The Independent that Mr Seldowitz had been taken into custody on charges including hate crime.

Former Obama official racially abuses Halal food vendor in NYC

He adamantly denied making pro-Hamas statements, as Mr Seldowitz has since claimed.

I was terrified, I just kept quiet, he said, speaking in Arabic as food truck owner Islam Moustafa translated.

Mohamed Hussein, 24, was racially abused by former Obama national security adviser Stuart Seldowitz (Bevan Hurley )

The first encounter took place on the morning of 7 November, when Mr Seldowitz allegedly pushed open the food truck window on the corner of East 83rd St and 2nd Ave while staff were preparing to open for the day.

Mr Seldowitz asked where the vendor was from, to which he responded Egypt.

You guys support Hamas, youre a terrorist, and you guys like killing Jewish people, Mr Seldowitz says in one of the videos.

Mr Seldowitz returned to the food truck on three further occasions over the following three weeks to harass staff, the owner said.

Former White House and State Department officail Stuart Seldowitz admitted to being the man caught on video delivering a tirade of racist abuse to a New York food vendor (Twitter: Itslaylas)

Mr Hussein told The Independent: He cursed me out and cursed the prophet Muhammad and then threatened he was going to do something to my family back in Egypt.

Mr Moustafa, the food truck co-owner, told The Independent he was 100 per cent confident that the racist remarks were unprovoked and his staff had been trying to defuse the situation.

I think the video is very clear. Hes trying to act like the victim. He [Seldowitz ] is a smart official who knows how to play with words but I think the video speaks for itself, said Mr Moustafa.

But even if he had said something, imagine going that low, and talking with that much hate about religions?

Mr Hussein shared the cellphone footage with a friend, which went viral after it was posted to X/Twitter on 21 November.

Islam Moustafa said he hoped to see the incident prosecuted as a hate crime, and was considering taking a civil lawsuit against Stuart Seldowitz (Bevan Hurley)

In the video Mr Seldowitz, who worked on Israel-Palestine policy for the US State Department, can be heard insulting the Prophet Muhammad and berating the vendor over the Israel-Hamas war.

If we killed 4,000 Palestinian kids, you know what, it wasnt enough. It wasnt enough, he said.

Mr Seldowitz asked Mr Hussein if he knew about Egypts feared intelligence service, the Mukhabarat.

Mukhabarat in Egypt will get your parents, Mr Seldowitz told the vendor. Does your father like his fingernails? Theyll take them out one by one.

Mr Seldowitz has since offered a muted apology, telling the City & State New York that he was not Islamaphobic and regretted raising the religious aspect.

Mr Moustafa told The Independent that his staff member was fearful of retribution after Mr Seldowitzs identity had been confirmed.

Now hes even more scared because he knows the guy has some power and status and connections.

Mr Moustafa said he initially thought the abusive customer had been homeless or mentally ill.

I thought he was just a random guy in the street, that he wasnt feeling well and was maybe having some mental issues. But once we learned he was a government official and a consultant at big firms, I was very offended.

As much as I feel bad for him that he has that much hate inside him, I dont accept what he says. Its not freedom of speech, its a hate crime.

Mr Moustafa said staff had reported Mr Seldowitzs remarks to the NYPD after the first incident, but they had failed to not send officers out to take a statement.

He said a customer contacted the NYPD after Mr Seldowitz spewed insults at his staff member on a separate occasion.

They said we get insulted all the time, you can just insult him back.

After the footage went viral on Tuesday, NYPD officers returned and took statements from the vendors.

A spokesperson for the NYPD confirmed to The Independent that Mr Seldowitz was taken into custody on Wednesday on charges including aggravated harassment, hate crime, and stalking.

A hate crime probe into the incidents is ongoing, the spokesperson added.

Mr Moustafa previously said he hoped to see hate crime charges brought against Mr Seldowitz.

Its very offensive and insulting and I hope this falls under a hate crime and he gets charged. As Muslim-Americans its very insulting to talk like that about our prophet. Maybe some other religions consider it freedom of speech, we dont consider it freedom of speech.

Coming from an official, its even more insulting.

The food truck had been in business for nearly eight years, and never had any disputes with customers or issues with police, Mr Moustafa said.

Customers and community members had been in contact to offer their support since the video went viral, he said. One passerby brought coffee to the staff members as he chatted to The Independent.

Mr Moustafa told The Independent he had moved to the United States from Egypt more than 20 years ago, and had never experienced this kind of racism.

This country has been great to us and I dont feel any racism here. I love America. I respect all religions. Everybody has a choice. Hopefully the gentleman will get help, and hopefully well get some justice.

Mr Seldowitz was until recently the Foreign Affairs Chair at Gotham Government Relations.

President David Schwarz told City & State New York that he had cut all ties with Mr Seldowitz, and would represent the vendor pro bono if he wanted to file a lawsuit.

Mr Moustafa told The Independent he was interested in pursuing civil legal action against Mr Seldowitz, and would look into taking him up on the offer.
 Close Trump zips his lips to camera after leaving New York court during civil fraud trial

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A state appeals court in New York has reinstated a gag order in Donald Trumps fraud trial after a wave of death threats and abuse targeting members of the court staff.

Justice Arthur Engoron put the gag order in place to protect his chief clerk and others from the former presidents posts and subsequent menacing messages that have flooded his office. Mr Trump has now posted about the judges wife.

Meanwhile, Mr Trump has lashed out at globalist foes in the traditional conservative establishment for their support of his Republican primary rival, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley.

In the firing line were Americans for Prosperity Action, a Charles Koch-controlled donor network; the Wall Street Journal, and proprietor Rupert Murdoch; and JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon, who implored even liberal Democrats to help Ms Haleys campaign to give the GOP a choice other than Mr Trump.

Meanwhile, Newsweek published an op-ed by the former president in which he appeals for the votes of young people by playing on their financial concerns saying many have had to put their lives on hold. A Gen Z voter group has vigorously pushed back on the former presidents assertions.
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New Zealands political parties have finally reached an agreement to form a coalition government, bringing an end to a weeks-long political deadlock after general elections.

The leaders of three political parties said on Thursday that they had arrived at a deal to form the next government.

A formal signing ceremony to cement their coalition is expected to be held in parliament on Friday, they said.

Im really proud of the negotiations, said New Zealands incoming prime minister Christopher Luxon.

When you see the agreements tomorrow, youll understand how comprehensive they are. Weve covered a tremendous amount of material.

The leader of the centre-right National Party told reporters his swearing-in ceremony will take place on Monday.

The National Party reached an alliance with the conservative Act and populist New Zealand First parties, giving it enough seats to govern.

The agreement breaks nearly six weeks of political deadlock after the 14 October general election.

The National Party had secured a narrow victory over the incumbent Labour party. It had initially clinched a slim majority to form a coalition government with the right-wing Act party.

But this majority had diminished when supplementary voting results, including special votes, were revealed three weeks later.

The National Party had to turn to a third party, the nationalist New Zealand First, to attain the necessary 61-seat majority for government formation.

Mr Luxons party won 38 per cent of the votes, with David Seymours Act and Winston Peterss New Zealand First winning 9 and 6 per cent respectively.

The incoming prime minister said the full coalition deal with the two other parties will be released on Friday, with an announcement of ministerial positions later that afternoon.

Outgoing prime minister Chris Hipkins of the Labour party had declared that he wouldnt work with Mr Peters and conceded to Mr Luxon on election night.

Mr Hipkins had the top job for just nine months after former prime minister Jacinda Arden abruptly stepped down in January, saying she no longer had enough in the tank to do the job justice.
 Close Emergency services at scene of stabbing near school in Dublin city centre

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The suspect in the Dublin nursery stabbing which sparked violent riots in Irelands capital has suffered extensive brain injuries which may be permanent, it has been claimed.

An Garda Siochana did not comment on claims by a source who told the Irish Mirror that the suspect is in a bad way, adding: His head injuries are extensive and may be permanent.

It comes as the five-year-old girl who was stabbed remains in critical condition at CHI Temple Street, while the childrens care assistant, a woman aged in her 30s, is in a serious but stable condition in The Mater Hospital.

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald insisted on Monday that justice minister Helen McEntee and Garda Commissioner Drew Harriss positions were untenable, warning that we now have a scenario where people do not feel safe in parts of Dublin's inner city.

Irelands further education minister Simon Harris pledged that there would be a full review of the policing of the riots which engulfed parts of central Dublin on Thursday, which he condemned as absolute opportunistic criminality and thuggery.
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Clashes have broken out in Dublin city centre between police and far-right protesters after five people, including three children were stabbed in an appalling attack on Thursday afternoon.

The suspected knife attack happened outside a primary school in the bustling Parnell Square East on the north side of the Irish capital shortly after 1.30pm.

A woman in her 30s and a man in his 50s remain in hospital with serious injuries while a five-year-old girl is receiving emergency medical treatment at a childrens hospital in Temple Street.

Another girl, aged six, is being treated for less serious injuries, while a six-year-old boy has been discharged.

A bus and car on fire in Dublins city centre after violent protests erupted following a stabbing attack (PA)

At a press conference, police confirmed that a man in his 50s, who is receiving treatment at hospital, has been identified as a person of interest. They are currently not searching for anyone else and confirmed they are satisfied that the attack is not terror-related.

On Thursday evening, riots broke out in the city centre with a number of Garda vehicles destroyed, while a tram and bus were set alight. Public transport was suspended while shop windows were smashed, with protesters blocking a bridge with construction signs.

Describing the clashes as disgraceful scenes, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said a complete lunatic faction driven by far-right ideology was behind the disorder.

Appealing for calm, Irish justice minister Helen McEntee said: The scenes we are witnessing this evening in our city centre cannot and will not be tolerated.

Police officers tape off Parnell Square East shortly after the incident (Reuters)

A thuggish and manipulative element must not be allowed use an appalling tragedy to wreak havoc.

The clashes broke out a few hours after the knife attack, which happened outside to an Irish-medium primary school, Gaelscoil Cholaiste Mhuire. Labour Party senator Marie Sherlock saying that children had been queuing for after-school care at the time of the attack.

A witness called Siobhan Kearney told Irish national broadcaster RTE that she saw a man attacking children with a stabbing motion before members of the public intervened and took a knife from him.

Follow live updates on this breaking incident by clicking dublin-attack-parnell-square-latest-b2452500.html">here

A woman told RTE that she saw a man attacking children before several people intervened (Reuters)

I looked across the road and I see the man and the stabbing motion with a load of children so I flew across the road, she said.

The man was after stabbing two children as far as I could make out, and we got the children up to the left with the women that were there, and the teachers I presume.

People were trying to attack the man so me and an American lady, we formed a ring around the man, and then about three minutes later the ambulance came for the children and then another ambulance and fire officers came for the man on the ground.

Ms McEntee described the attack as appalling and said her thoughts were with the innocent children and the woman attacked.

She said: I have been briefed by the Garda commissioner and will remain in close contact with him and senior gardai.

Police have been trying to disperse the protesters (PA)

Pictures from the scene of the attack in Parnell Square East (PA)

This attack has shocked us all, and I have no doubt that the person responsible will be brought to justice. However, my thoughts now are with the innocent children and the woman who have been attacked, their families, and those who are caring for them at this time.

Leo Varadkar, the prime minister, said: We are all shocked by the incident which has taken place in Parnell Square. A number of people have been injured, some of them children. Our thoughts and our prayers go out to them and their families.

Speaking at the scene, Sinn Fein party president Mary-Lou McDonald said children who witnessed what happened have been traumatised.

Sinn Fein president Mary-Lou McDonald said children witnessed the attack (PA)

She said: I know that the gardai acted very swiftly in this matter, but this is certainly the last thing that any of us expected on a Thursday afternoon where children should come safely from school and be collected by their parents.

I pray the injured make a full recovery. The community is stunned, stunned and horrified.

Pictures and video from the scene shared on social media show a heavy presence of emergency services.

A Garda spokesperson said: Five casualties have been taken to various hospitals in the Dublin region. The casualties include an adult male, an adult female and three young children.

One child, a girl, has sustained serious injuries, the other two children are being treated for less serious injuries.

An Garda Siochana is in contact with parents of all three injured children.
For years Geert Wilders was in the political wilderness, his anti-Islam views  often expressed in the most inflammatory language  making him an outlier, even as his Party for Freedom (PVV) has consistently held seats in the Dutch parliament. Wilders himself has been in parliament since 1998, even before he founded PVV. An outcast entrenched in the establishment.

That founding came about as Wilders increasingly hardline views caused him to split from his previous political home, the Peoples Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), sitting as a one-man faction, Wilders Group, before forming the PVV in 2006. Over the next 17 years, Wilders fortunes would be defined by his statements on Islam. He has been banned  for part of 2009  from entering the UK, he has a conviction for insulting Moroccans from 2016, and has faced countless death threats. This has led to almost two decades of requiring personal security that caused him to once suggest he could no longer imagine what it was like to walk down a street by himself.

The closest he had come to power before this week was in 2010. His party supported the first coalition formed by then-prime minister Mark Rutte in 2010. But Wilders did not formally join the minority administration and brought it down after just 18 months in office in a dispute over austerity measures.
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Outside a dull-coloured bar tacked onto a street corner in The Hague one Wednesday evening in 2014, a man that would come to be nicknamed the Dutch Donald Trump issued a warning.

Addressing a crowd of his excited followers, Geert Wilders promised to arrange for the removal of Moroccan migrants from the city and from the Netherlands, having got thise gathered to chant they wanted fewer Moroccans in he country.

The comparisons with Trump come from Wilders inflammatory rhetoric and use of social media. But that 2014 incident landed him in court. In 2016, he was convicted of insulting people of Moroccan ancestry and inciting discrimination. In 2020, an appeals court dismissed the allegations of inciting discrimination, saying the chants had been provoked for political gain. An allegation that Mr Wilders incited hatred was also thrown out.

In 2021, the Dutch Supreme Court upheld that 2020 ruling. "Even a politician must abide by the basic principles of the rule of law and must not incite intolerance," judge Vincent Van den Brink said in his verdict. "With that statement he offended an entire group of people ... in this case because of their descent," he added. Wilders did not receive a fine or jail time.

It was not the first case Wilders had faced. In 2011, a judge in Amsterdam said remarks made by the politician against Islam were "gross and denigrating" but acquitted Wilders of inciting hatred against Muslims saying the statements were "acceptable within the context of public debate".

Geert Wilders, leader of the Party for Freedom, known as PVV, casts his ballot in The Hague (AP)

Before that, in 2009, Wilders was denied entry to the UK, where he had been due to show his 17-minute film Fitna, which denounces the Quran. Then-home secretary Jacqui Smith said his presence had the potential to "threaten community harmony and therefore public safety". The ban was overturned on apeal later that year.

Fast-forward a few years and Wilders Party For Freedom (PVV) has received the most votes in this years general election. With nearly all votes counted, the PVV is forecast to win 37 seats in the 150-seat lower house of parliament, more than double the 17 he won at the last election.

The result will send shockwaves through Europe and puts Wilders in line to lead talks to form the next governing coalition and possibly become the first far-right prime minister of the Netherlands.

I had to pinch my arm," a jubilant Mr Wilders said after hearing the result. Beyond his stance on Islam, the EU will also be alarmed that part of Wilders pitch to voters was a referedeum on leaving the bloc. Even if Dutch voters are not persuaded to follow Britain out of the EU  polling suggests its unlikely  Wilders will be unbowed in his Euroscepticism. If Wilders takes a seat at the EU table, it will be a boon for hardline leaders such as Hungarys Viktor Orban and a blow for unity of the bloc,

A reveller takes a picture of a carnival float depicting US president Donald Trump with Marine Le Pen, Geert Wilders and Adolf Hitler, reading 'blonde is the new brown' (AP)

Born in 1963 in southern Venlo, close to the German border, Wilders grew up in a Catholic family with his brother and two sisters.

After spending a year in Israel following his graduation from secondary school, he claims he found a special feeling of solidarity for the region and its Jewish foundations. He has professed to returning to Israel at least 40 times since.

Wilders extreme views, such as comparing the Quran to Mein Kampf, he has said were fuelled by the assassination of the radical anti-Islam film-maker Theo van Gogh in 2004.

Those views have made him a target. In 2008, he was listed as the most threatened politician in the Netherlands.

Wilders has been constantly accompanied by plain clothes police officers in public for years. He does not receive visitors in his government office unless they are cleared in advance and he lives with his wife in a state-provided house with a panic room inside and outfitted with bulletproof windows.

Convicted Norwegian mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik has expressed admiration for Mr Wilders (AP)

His office is also allegedly located in the most isolated corner of the Dutch parliament building and was chosen because people can get to it through only one corridor, making it easier for bodyguards to repel an attack.

He began his political career as a speech writer in the 1990s. He specialised in foreign policy writing and travelled extensively throughout the Middle East.

Wilders is set to become the longest-serving lawmaker in the Dutch parliament later this year. He has been a member of the House of Representatives since 1998, first for the center-right Peoples Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD).

After party spokesman on foreign affairs in 2002, Mr Wilders became more outspoken on Islam. He became increasingly at odds with his party over these views. In the summer of 2004 when he published a pamphlet arguing against the accession of Turkey, a largely Muslim country, to the European Union.

The VVD had backed the move and previously warned him against speaking in opposition to it. A month later, Wilders left the party.

An eclection campaing poster of Geert Wilders' PVV party is removed in The Hague this morning (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

In 2006, he created the Groep Wilders Party, later renamed the Party for Freedom. The following year, they won 9 out of the 150 parliamentary seats.

In 2009, he declared for the first time in public that he wanted to become prime minister.

At some point its going to happen, he said, and then it will be a big honour to fulfil the post of prime minister.

The most seats his party held prior to this election, was 24 in 2010, which made it the third largest party in the Netherlands.

That was the last time that Wilders came close to governing, in supporting the first coalition formed by then-Prime Minister Mark Rutte in 2010. But Wilders did not formally join the minority administration and brought it down after just 18 months in office in a dispute over austerity measures.

Political analysts have noted that Wilders has had to soften his anti-Islam rhetoric to win over the electorate over the past year.

On Wednesday night, with the results coming in, Wilders said he understood very well that parties do not want to be in a government with a party that wants unconstitutional measures.

He added: We are not going to talk about mosques, Qurans and Islamic schools.

Wilders political history suggests this will not be the case.
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A Grindavik couple have refused to return to their home deeming it not safe enough to raise their new baby after the 5.2 magnitude earthquake rocked the Icelandic fishing town.

Gujon and his wife Ayca Eriskin, who had their first child on Wednesday, said they had decided not to go back to Grindavik despite setting up their family home there.

Gujon, a rock musician born and raised in the harbour town told The Independent: While I fully understand people that intend to go back whenever possible and I do feel a strong urge to do so myself, we want to find a stable home for us and our newborn child.

Its clear that even though things would settle for now and people could go back, the same situation can arise essentially any time.

He added: We were really looking forward to raising our child there, as in other aspects its an incredibly child-friendly town.

It has been quite stressful indeed, especially for my wife, as we were in the last stretch of pregnancy and had prepared our home.

Now things are very uncertain, but we do have a roof over our head for now and have decided to fully focus on our child as we slowly start looking towards the future.

I think I will miss the community for sure, as well as the short distances between everything we needed.

He shared a video taken from his parents home at the time of the 5.2 magnitude tremor, adding: You can really hear the powers of the earth there.

He said his new son will always be a Grindvikingur even if he is not raised there.

Of course he will be in his heart, its inevitable no matter what happens.

(Getty Images)

It came as the Independent became one of the first journalists allowed back into the town since the earthquake opened up a chasm in the middle of the harbour town.

Childrens toys were left abandoned and playgrounds were split in two by the earthquake.

Icelandic authorities are now considering a plan to pump water on to lava in the event of a volcanic eruption.

Viir Reynisson, Icelands head of civil protection and emergency management, said on Wednesday authorities and European experts would assess the possibility of using high volume pumping to cool down the lava to protect Grindavik and the Svartsengi geothermal plant, the main supplier of electricity and water to 30,000 residents on the Reykjanes peninsula.
 Close Huge cracks appear on roads in Icelandic town at risk of volcanic eruption

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Around 120 earthquakes have rocked the areas surrounding the town of Grindavik as they await a likely eruption, report the Icelandic Met Office.

It comes as the exact location for an eruption has been revealed by the Icelandic Met Office, which says it is still considered likely.

Experts at the Icelandic Met Office have issued a key update after a study of data from GPS stations and satellite images showed an uplift continues in the area of Svartsengi, north of Grindavik.

The Met Office stated that the eruption is still considered likely as the magma inflow continues, adding that the highest likelihood for an eruption is in the middle part of the dike between Hagafell and Sylingarfell.

Earthquake activity has also led to the deepening of the port at Grindavik, according to RUV.

The change in depth is because of the earthquakes impact, said the port manager Sigurur Arnar Kristmundsson.

He told RUV: The docks seem to have sunk by 20-30 centimeters when we measured about 10 days ago and then there is a chance that, yes, the bottom has sunk accordingly.

A fortnight ago, Grindavik was evacuated after magma-induced seismic activity tore vast chasms through the streets.
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Hundreds of pets have been rescued from Icelands town of Grindavik, after they were separated from their owners over threats of an imminent volcanic eruption.

Charities have taken part in a number of rescue efforts in a bid to save animals in the town with rescuers returning to look for animals.

Cats, dogs, hamsters and even hens were at the centre of rescue efforts after many were left behind following evacuation orders which gave residents minutes to leave. Over 4,000 people were evacuated.

Charities and other organisations stepped in to save the day as many happy reunions took place amid the bittersweet circumstances.

Hannah Everson, manager of Kattholt Animal Shelter, said she went back to the town to search for animals. She was able to collect a total of 49 animals.

Matthias and Lana Jonsson were reunited with their pugs Mafia, 3, and Maria, 1, after 11 days (Barney Davis)

Cats had been hiding in the cracks to keep warm but there are fears the molten could rise (Reuters)

She reports that many pets were traumatised and having trouble eating, or peeing and pooping. She said one cat in particular suffered from after-tremor shakes for 24 hours.

Some of the cats are still there, she said. They are hiding in the cracks after the earthquake, because its warm there. What happens if the lava bursts through?

The Dog and Cat Hotel in Asbru, run by Harpa Lind, Sunn Hermannsdottir and Elmar Magnusson, have been offering free stays for animals that couldnt go with their owners.

Matthias and Lana Jonsson were reunited with their pugs Mafia and Maria after an excruciating 11 days when they were given just 10 minutes to leave their home.

Owners of The Dog and Cat Hotel, Harpa and Sunn (Barney Davis)

The couple were forced to stay at a hotel that didnt accept pets but instead were able to give them up to the Dog and Cat Hotel who were offering lodgings for free to 30 cats and 20 dogs.

Matthias said: We had 10 minutes to grab everything we could. It was scary. We havent been let back in yet. To see the pictures of the town being ripped apart. We dont know if we will ever go back again.

Its been absolutely horrible to be separated from them but we had no space at all.

Maria said: It was so heartbreaking to leave my babies but now we are a full family again.

Ms Lind said: There have been a lot of tears but people are just happy they dont have to give them up altogether. We wanted to help just remove that extra stress that they are going through.

People are having to pay double rent or struggling to find places to move. Residents are still calling us and we will take them all for as long as it takes.

Dyrfinna, a charity that specialises in reuniting lost pets with their owners, worked with first responders to secure the evacuation of animals in the town.

Following earthquakes in Grindavik, it made a painstakingly thorough attempt to map every pet that needed rescuing, which was estimated by some to be around 300.

They were also able to confirm that thousands of hens had also been evacuated by emergency workers.

In a post on X, they said: The actions of the last few days have been characterised by a great struggle for the animals who do not have a voice and their owners.

The owners and people in Grindavik have been very involved in getting the animals out with excellent results.

Additional reporting by Maira Butt
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Russian president Vladimir Putin told the leaders of the Group of Twenty (G20) on Wednesday it was time to think about how to stop the tragedy of the war in Ukraine which entered its 22nd month.

Acknowledging his military operations in the neighbouring nation, the Kremlin chief said some of the leaders mentioned in their speeches that they were shocked by the continuing aggression of Russia in Ukraine.

Yes, of course, military actions are always a tragedy. And of course, we should think about how to stop this tragedy, he said.

Mr Putin declared a full-scale invasion of the country  calling it a special military operation  and despite international calls for peace, continued to send to Ukraine tens of thousands of troops who are trying to capture areas in east and south of the country.

The invasion sparked Europes deadliest conflict since World War II, resulting in the deaths of thousands of troops and civilians in missile and shelling attacks. The war in Ukraine also escalated tensions between Russia and the West to a level not seen since the Cold War.

By the way, Russia has never refused peace talks with Ukraine, Mr Putin claimed, even as Russian forces continued to be on Ukrainian soil for territorial land grab in a special push for Avdiivka town in eastern Ukraine.

In another first in the conflict he initiated, Mr Putin used the word war instead of the Kremlins choice of term special military operation.

"I understand that this war, and the death of people, cannot but shock," he said, before propping up the propaganda that Ukraine persecuted people in the east of the country.

The conflict in eastern Ukraine began in 2014 after a pro-Russian president was toppled in Ukraines Maidan Revolution and Russia annexed Crimea, with Russian-backed separatist forces fighting Ukraines armed forces.

Along with Crimea, Russia controls about 17.5 per cent of Ukrainian territory, according to estimates by the Belfer Center at Harvards Kennedy School.

The Russian leader said the invasion was necessary to overcome what he called a coup.

During his roughly 17-minutes-long speech, it appeared that only a handful of countries tuned in to hear him speak, including Spain, Singapore, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Korea, and hosts India. China and the US had declined to attend, according to a report in Bloomberg.

This is the first time Mr Putin has used placatory language on an international diplomatic table on his stance on the war. The Russian president also accused the West of stoking the war on Ukraine by supplying Kyiv with military aid and funds.

According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the war has killed about 14,000 people between 2014 and the end of 2021. The toll includes 3,106 civilians.

Contrary to Russia, Ukraine has readied a 10-point peace plan which involves expulsion of Russian forces from all the territories they illegally occupy during the course of invasion, including the illegally annexed Crimea.

Kyiv has vowed it will fight back all attacks till the last Russian soldier is removed from its territory.
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At least three people were killed and eight others injured after Russian missiles struck a hospital in southern Ukraine, said the countrys emergency services.

Missiles had struck and damaged two buildings of the hospital in Selydove town late on Tuesday, interior minister Ihor Klymenko had said in an earlier statement.

He had warned in his statement that casualties would increase as officials assessed damage from the attack.

Rescue workers finished clearing the rubble after sifting through the remains night and day, 24 hours after the attack, emergency services said on Wednesday. A whole section of the building had totally collapsed, they said.

Another body was recovered from the rubble of the hospital building, the State Emergency Service wrote on Telegram.

In total, three people were killed in the missile strike.

At least eight others were also injured in the attack.

Rescuers clear debris in a hospital in Selydove damaged by a Russian missile strike (AFP via Getty Images)

A few minutes after the attack on the hospital on Tuesday, a coal mine was targeted in another missile strike.

One worker there was killed and 39 miners had been trapped underground due to the impact of the attack.

The workers were, however, brought to the surface and confirmed to be safe, said the interior minister Mr Klymenko.

Selydove, a town in Donetsk oblast that has largely been occupied by Russia, was also targeted in a missile attack a week before. That attack had struck an apartment block in the southern town.

Russia has not issued a statement on its attack on the hospital and has rarely spoken about the several hundred strikes that have struck civilian buildings during the course of its full-scale Ukraine invasion.

Even though Russia has falsely claimed it only targets military infrastructure, Vladimir Putins forces have deliberately targeted civilians and killed hundreds in frequent air strikes.

Frequent missile strikes and shelling has resulted in thousands fleeing war hotspots like Bakhmut and Avdiivka, where Russian forces are now trying to consolidate military positions.
 Close Kyiv suffers largest ever drone attack by Russia leaving five wounded

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Ukrainian president Volodmyr Zelensky has vowed that his countrys forces will not back down despite a difficult counteroffensive and a recent spate of Russian attacks.

Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu claimed this morning that Russia was advancing in all directions on the frontline.

While the claim cannot be verified and is likely to be exaggerated, it speaks to a fear among western military experts that Russia could begin to make gains in 2024 owing to a deeper arsenal of weapons and personnel compared with Ukraine.

Over the past month, Russia has launched a large mechanised assault on Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine in the first signs of their renewed assault, though they have made negligible territorial gains.

In an interview on Thursday, Mr Zelensky admitted that he was not satisfied with Western support and that Ukraine didnt get all the weapons we wanted.

He said: We are losing people, I'm not satisfied. We didn't get all the weapons we wanted, I can't be satisfied, but I also can't complain too much.

Look, we are not backing down, I am satisfied. We are fighting with the second (best) army in the world, I am satisfied.
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The level of death and destruction in Gaza is unparalleled, Qatars foreign ministry has said, warning that while Fridays truce is a vital step towards peace, no amount of aid is going to be enough.

Dr Majed Al-Ansari, Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson, urged the international community to negotiate the unfettered flow of supplies into the Strip, on the eve of the first temporary ceasefire, which Doha was integral in pushing through.

Under the terms of the deal, during a four-day pause in fighting, Hamas militants will free 50 Israeli women and children hostages in exchange for the release of 150 Palestinian women and teenagers in Israeli prisons.

At the same time 200 trucks packed with much-needed food, water and medical supplies will cross into Gaza each day. But this will not be enough to address the scale of the damage, Dr al-Ansari said.

The UN is reporting the death toll to be over 15,000, all the hospitals in North Gaza are out of service. Dogs are eating the corpses of dead people on the streets of Gaza,  he told The Independent frankly.

There are unbelievable levels of destruction, death and violence that we have not seen before. This is not something that you can remedy with any number of trucks of aid that go in.

Israel Palestinians Gaza Unlivable (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Israel launched its most ferocious bombardment ever of Gaza, in retaliation for the 7 October brutal attack on southern Israel by Hamas militants who killed hundreds of people and took at least 240 people hostage, including a baby aged just 10 months.

The United Nations and rights groups have repeatedly called for a ceasefire and raised the alarm about the devastating conditions in Gaza, which is just 42km long and home to 2.3 million people, half of them minors.

Swathes of the north of Gaza have been razed, thousands of bodies remain trapped under the rubble. Even in the South, where Israel ordered civilians to evacuate to, water, food and medical supplies are running out.

We are facing a humanitarian situation that is unparalleled... What has happened in Gaza is exceptional. We need a constant stream of aid to both north and south Gaza to make sure that people can stay alive, Dr al-Ansari said.

As an international community we need to make sure just bringing in aid doesnt alleviate the responsibility from our shoulder, he added.

Fighting in Gaza raged in the lead up to the truce with Israel military telling reporters that until the truce begins it is business as usual and that fighting could even intensify in the build up.

Israeli troops hold much of northern Gaza and say they have dismantled tunnels and much of Hamas infrastructure there. On Wednesday its soldiers said they had revealed what they claimed is a major Hamas hideout in a tunnel beneath Shifa Hospital, Gazas largest medical centre.

Hamas and separately medics have repeatedly denied using the complex - which has sheltered thousands of displaced civilians - as a military base.

On Thursday the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Shifas director Mohammed Abu Selmia, and other medical officials were arrested while accompanying a World Health Organisation convoy heading south with wounded.

Displaced Palestinians receive bottled water amid a shortage of drinkable water in the Gaza Valle (Washington Post)

Ashraf al-Qudra, health ministry spokesperson, said that soldiers used extreme violence against medical staff, the wounded and the sick.Israel confirmed that it had apprehended Mr Abu Selmia, and transferred him for questioning about allegations that Shifa under his management served as a Hamas command and control centre.

The Palestinian health ministry said that Israel had also ordered the full evacuation of the Indonesian hospital - also in Gaza city - but 220 patients were still left without water, medicine or food. Whoever tries to leave the hospital will be targeted with drones, Dr Munir al-Borsh, a health ministry official.

The Israeli military denied ordering the evacuation of the Indonesian hospital. All we can do is ask, we dont give orders, said Lt.Col Richard Hecht, an Israeli military spokesman.

Fighting has raged outside the hospital for days, and hundreds of people have already been evacuated to the south. In Gaza civilians told The Independent they were anxious about the ceasefire deal collapsing before it even starts as the fighting has intensified.

The hours before a truce are always the worst, one young man said.
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A four-day ceasefire in Gaza set to begin on Friday will allow for the release of 50 hostages, the delivery of desperately needed humanitarian aid, and a brief respite from the relentless bombardment of the densely populated territory for more than two million civilians.

But what happens when it ends?

The short answer is that the war will continue, and it may be even bloodier than before. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu put it bluntly on Wednesday during a live address about the hostage deal. The war continues, he said. We continue until we have achieved complete victory.

Qatars prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, said he hoped the deal would eventually lead to "serious talks" on resolving the conflict, but the Israeli army has made it clear they do not consider this a precursor to more talks. Lt Col Richard Hecht, the Israeli armys international spokesperson, said they would not even call it a ceasefire.

Our terminology is not ceasefire, our terminology is an operational pause, Lt Col Hecht said.

Israels United Nations ambassador, Gilad Erdan, said that as soon as the pause ends, we will continue striving towards our goals with full force." Chief among those goals was to eliminate all of Hamas terror capabilities.

That will be no easy feat. Israel has repeatedly stated that it will be satisfied with nothing less than the complete destruction of Hamas. That could take months or years.

Moty Cristal, a crisis negotiator involved in previous exchanges and a former member of the government, told The Independent that there is no appetite within Israel for ending the war any time soon.

Something changed on 7 October. The magnitude of the national trauma changed something in the Israel psyche, the military mindset. We are no longer afraid of long wars, neither the public nor the military, he said.

The agreement between Israel and Hamas stipulates that the ceasefire may be extended by a day for every 10 hostages that are released. That leaves open the possibility that fighting may not resume immediately, but when it does, it will likely move in two directions.

Israeli forces currently control Gazas coastline and have cut through the middle of the territory, effectively surrounding the north. Aid agencies estimate that some 200,000 to 300,000 civilians remain in the northern half of Gaza. Israels bombardment there has targeted places of worship, hospitals, schools and residential areas, and it has justified those strikes with claims that they are used by Hamas fighters.

The Gaza Health Ministry said on Tuesday that Israeli forces had surrounded the Indonesian Hospital, a 110-bed outpatient and surgical facility that is among the final functioning hospitals in the north.

Relatives, friends and supporters of Alon Ohel, who is held hostage by Hamas, take part in a demonstration (AFP via Getty Images)

The Indonesian Hospital is now in its worst condition. It is besieged on all four sides, and food and medicine are not allowed to enter, Mounir al-Bursh, the Gaza Health Ministrys director of hospitals, told the Washington Post , adding that a strike on the hospital compound Monday had killed 12 displaced people and wounded four medical staffers.

Israel claims the bulk of Hamas infrastructure is in the north. As soon as the ceasefire ends, Israel will likely continue its bombardment there.

But even as Israel continues its push into Gaza City in the north, it has signalled that it may soon turn its attention to the south, where it believes many of Hamas key leaders have escaped to, and where most of an estimated 1.7 million displaced people have fled. Tens of thousands from the north have sought refuge there in schools and tents, and face a lack of food and water.

The Israeli air force began dropping leaflets over the southern city of Khan Younis last week, warning people to evacuate the area in anticipation of an offensive there.

"For your safety, you need to evacuate your places of residence immediately and head to known shelters," the leaflets said, naming the neighbourhoods of Khuzaa, Abassan, Bani Suhaila and Al Qarara. "Anyone near terrorists or their facilities puts their life at risk, and every house used by terrorists will be targeted," the leaflets said.

Just a few days later, at least 28 Palestinians were killed in Israeli air strikes on two residential areas of the city.

Some expect a bombing campaign to resume with even more force following the pause. A Middle Eastern diplomat told the Washington Post that the bombing campaign will likely be more much aggressive, the newspaper reported, and that the south will be targeted much more heavily due to the belief among Israel officials that Hamas operatives have escaped to the south.

Those warnings have sparked concern among aid groups.

Catherine Russell, head of the UN childrens agency, Unicef, said that a military escalation in the south of Gaza would exponentially worsen the humanitarian situation there, and said attacks on the south must be avoided.

Significantly, a potential attack on the south has also drawn criticism from Israels closest ally, the United States. The Biden administration has until now given its full support for Israels military operation, but several US officials have warned of the dire consequences of turning the offensive south.

We dont support those kinds of operations absent a cohesive plan by the Israelis to factor in how theyre going to be able to protect what is now mathematically an increased dramatically increased civilian population itself, because they were evacuated from the North, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on Tuesday.

Its even more incumbent upon the Israelis to make sure, before they begin operations down there, that they have factored in ways in which they can they can protect those civilians who moved at their urging to the south, he added.

Those words of caution are unlikely to restrain Israeli forces, however. The Israeli government has spoken of its operation in Gaza as a battle against the enemies of civilization itself.

Meanwhile, aid agencies say the four-day pause will not be enough to address the severe humanitarian crisis now facing 2.3 million people in Gaza, which will almost certainly worsen in the coming weeks and months.

Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council, said four days is not enough time to address the immense needs after six weeks of fighting, bloodshed, and destruction.

Winter is looming, and it will be a disaster to reignite this conflict. Small shelters have housed scores of people, with little food and water and mounting health hazards. Children are traumatised, and many face a future without their parents and siblings. They need urgent, long-term help. This can only happen through a sustained ceasefire, he said.

Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian-American lawmaker in Congress, also described the pause as "not enough."

When this short-term agreement expires, the bombing of innocent civilians will continue. We need a permanent ceasefire that saves lives, brings all the hostages and those arbitrarily detained home, and puts an end to this horrific violence, she said.
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Israel and Hamas agreed to extend the Gaza ceasefire by at least one more day to allow for more hostage releases.

On Thursday, just minutes before the six-day ceasefire was due to expire, Israels military said in a statement the truce will continue.

In light of the mediators efforts to continue the process of releasing the hostages and subject to the terms of the framework, the operational pause will continue, said the Israeli statement released on Thursday.

Hamas announced in a separate statement that a consensus had been reached to extend the ceasefire for a seventh day.

Qatar said the two sides had agreed to extend the truce for an additional day (today, Thursday) under the existing conditions, which are a cessation of all military activities and the entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

The extension of the ceasefire had been uncertain up until the last hour as Israel and Hamas couldnt come to an agreement over the new list of Israeli hostages slated for release from Gaza.

The truce between Hamas and Israel was due to expire at 7am local time (5am GMT).

Earlier, Hamas had claimed that Israel had declined to receive seven women and child hostages and the bodies of three others, who the militant group said were killed during the Israeli militarys bombardment of Gaza, in exchange for a temporary truce extension on Thursday.

This is despite confirming through mediators that this group is all the (Hamas) movement has in terms of detainees in the agreed-upon category, Hamas said in a statement, according to Al Jazeera.

Hamas freed 16 Israeli and foreign hostages in exchange for 30 Palestinian women and child prisoners late on Wednesday.

Qatar, a key mediator of the truce negotiations, said that 10 of the freed captives were included in the current truce arrangement, while four Thai citizens and two Russian-Israelis were freed outside the terms of that agreement.

A Thai national waves an Israeli flag while walking to a bus leaving the Shamir Hospital in Ramle, Israel, Wednesday, 29 November 2023, on his way back to Thailand, after being released from Hamas custody. International mediators on Wednesday worked to extend the truce in Gaza, encouraging Hamas militants to keep freeing hostages in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners and further relief from Israel's air and ground offensive (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press All rights reserved)

Meanwhile, Qatars foreign affairs ministry stated that further negotiations are ongoing in hopes of reaching a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.

During the six-day ceasefire, authorities said that 97 Israeli and foreign hostages were released by Hamas and 210 Palestinians were freed from Israeli prisons.

Just before announcing the ceasefire extension, both Israel and Hamas had resorted to increasingly aggressive rhetoric, with the Israeli military saying it was ready for the next stage of the war.

Over the past few days Ive been hearing this question  will Israel go back to fighting after maximising this phase of returning our hostages? So my answer is unequivocal  yes, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

Hamas military wing had also asked its fighters to be ready for combat in case the ceasefire was not extended. The Al-Qassam Brigades had earlier on Telegram asked the fighters to maintain a high combat readiness.
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Thirteen Israeli hostages will be released from Gaza today at the start of a four-day truce that Qatar called a catalyst for long-term peace and a glimmer of light at the end of tunnel.

Under the terms of the breakthrough deal, brokered by Doha and Washington, Hamas militants will free 50 women and children they abducted in exchange for the release of 150 Palestinian women and teenagers from Israeli prisons.

The agreement, secured after weeks of fraught negotiations, also allows for the pause in hostilities to be extended daily provided more hostages are released.

Majed al-Ansari, spokesperson for the Qatari foreign ministry, told The Independent the world must use the momentum from the truce to end the bloodshed.

Related: Dogs are eating corpses on the streets of Gaza

Our hope is that this deal will be the catalyst for peace which we need, for a viable negotiation for an end to this war, the diplomat said.

The only way forward is for a proof of concept of peace to happen through this deal: for people to go home to their families and for the pressure to mount on both sides, to show that talking can get you results on the ground.

The view from the Israeli side of the border with the Gaza Strip on Thursday, showing the impact of Israeli strikes (AFP via Getty Images)

If we are able to create the necessary momentum through the release of the civilians this will make negotiations over the rest of the hostages easier, Mr Al-Ansari said.

At least 13 women and children, the most vulnerable hostages, are expected to cross into Israel on Friday afternoon in tandem with the first territory-wide ceasefire since Israel unleashed its ferocious bombardment of Gaza.

Diplomatic sources told The Independent that, after the hostages are transferred to Israel, they will be met by doctors and psychologists and transported to hospitals for care.

Later, Palestinian women and children are expected to be released in exchange. Israel has named 300 detainees it said are eligible for release; the youngest is 14, and offences recorded on the list range from attempted murder to throwing stones.

Mr Al-Ansari said the four-day pause would also provide a vital window for locating all 240 of the hostages believed to have been abducted by Hamas during its bloody assault on southern Israel on October 7. Among those taken into Gaza were two British citizens and 10 Americans as well as a baby aged just 10 months.

Sources close to the negotiations said one of the challenges has been that Hamas does not know exactly where all the captives are, sparking fears some may never be found.

A woman and child flee an Israeli strike in Rafah in southern Gaza on Thursday (AFP via Getty Images)

One diplomatic source said the Israelis believe that Hamas only has direct access to 80 hostages, Palestinian Islamic Jihad is holding between 30 and 40, leaving the whereabouts, and so fate, of over 100 hostages uncertain.

We have been informed by Hamas that not all the hostages are with them. Some of them are not even with the [other armed] factions, they are with lay people, Mr Al-Ansari said.

There is an issue with information right now. Obviously, under constant bombardment, you cant collect intelligence, you cant collect information on the ground, he continued.

Qatar hopes the truce could be a building block for the release of other hostages, such as military personnel, who would be the trickiest to extract from Gaza.

That will be a tough sell; facing mourning pressure from hostages families. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has backed this deal. However, he repeatedly emphasised the truce is temporary, telling foreign secretary David Cameron during his visit to Israel on Thursday that Israel will continue with our war aims, namely to eradicate Hamas once the deal expires.

Israels military has announced plans to push deeper into southern Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians are sheltering  a move Qatar fears may reduce the chances of freeing more hostages.

Qatar foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari briefs journalists in Doha about the ceasefire deal (REUTERS)

It makes our job more difficult. Any kind of escalation, whether it be expanding military operations, bombing civilian [infrastructure] hospitals and schools, set us back so many steps, Mr Al-Ansari said.

If we are able to create the necessary momentum through the release of the civilians this will make negotiations over the rest of the hostages easier. Unless there is real pressure from the international community on both sides of this conflict that this has to end now, this will not stop.

Israel has unleashed its heaviest-ever bombardment of Gaza since the October 7 attack by Hamas militants.

Fridays truce will begin at 7am, with aid going in as soon as possible, Qatari officials said.

Mr Al-Ansari said the first batch of hostages, including the 13 women and children, will be freed at around 4pm local time.

Itay Chen, centre, was taken hostage in the October 7 attack (Ruby Chen)

The diplomatic breakthrough promised some relief for the 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza who have endured weeks of Israeli bombardment, as well as families in Israel fearful for the fate of their loved ones who have been held hostage for seven weeks.

The father of one captive, Itay Chen, a 19-year-old American-Israeli conscript who was not eligible for release, said all the families were drawing hope from the deal as just the first step.

There must be a continuation to the next leg of the releases, Ruby Chen said. This framework that has been created can be the catalyst for other deals going forward. The most important and only topic is getting the hostages home.

The process has been tense. The deal appeared to hit a last-minute snag on Wednesday when Israels national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, announced a one-day delay to the ceasefire, without providing a reason. However, on Thursday evening the two sides finally exchanged lists of those to be freed.

Alongside the releases will be a much-needed pause in hostilities and the delivery of aid, which Mr Al-Ansari said was vital as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza was unparalleled in the world.

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says the Israeli bombardment has killed over 13,000 people; its officials reported on Thursday that more hospitals had been given evacuation orders by the Israeli military, which the army denies.

Civilians in Gaza told The Independent fighting had increased in the run-up to the ceasefire, and expressed fears the truce would not hold for the full four days.

The Israeli military warned it would be business as usual until the truce takes effect, and that strikes might even intensify until it does.

Mr Al-Ansari warned the war was a constant stream of death and destruction that will not stop unless the world capitalised on the deal.

The only way for people to be pressured into choosing peace is defined by this small glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel, he said.

We know that we shouldnt be under any illusions that this deal is the end of the conflict. This is the beginning of the process that we hope will end the war but we are certainly not out of the woods.
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OpenAI researchers warned about a potentially dangerous artificial intelligence discovery ahead of CEO Sam Altman being ousted from the company, according to reports.

Several staff members of the AI firm wrote a letter to the board of directors detailing the algorithm, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters. The disclosure was reportedly a key development in the build up to Mr Altmans dismissal.

Prior to his return late Tuesday, more than 700 employees had threatened to quit and join backer Microsoft in solidarity with their fired leader.

The sources cited the letter as one factor among a longer list of grievances by the board leading to Altmans firing, among which were concerns over commercialising advances before understanding the consequences.

The staff who wrote the letter did not respond to requests for comment and Reuters was unable to review a copy of the letter.

OpenAI declined to comment on the letter but acknowledged in an internal message to staffers a project called Q* and a letter to the board before the weekends events, one of the people said.

An OpenAI spokesperson said that the message, sent by long-time executive Mira Murati, alerted staff to certain media stories without commenting on their accuracy.

Some at OpenAI believe Q* (pronounced Q-Star) could be a breakthrough in the startups search for whats known as artificial general intelligence (AGI), one of the people told Reuters. OpenAI defines AGI as autonomous systems that surpass humans in most economically valuable tasks.

Given vast computing resources, the new model was able to solve certain mathematical problems, the person said on condition of anonymity because the individual was not authorised to speak on behalf of the company. Though only performing maths on the level of grade-school students, acing such tests made researchers very optimistic about Q*s future success, the source said. Reuters could not independently verify the capabilities of Q* claimed by the researchers.

Researchers consider maths to be a frontier of generative AI development. Currently, generative AI is good at writing and language translation by statistically predicting the next word, and answers to the same question can vary widely. But conquering the ability to do mathematics where there is only one right answer implies AI would have greater reasoning capabilities resembling human intelligence. This could be applied to novel scientific research, for instance, AI researchers believe.

Unlike a calculator that can solve a limited number of operations, AGI can generalize, learn and comprehend. In their letter to the board, researchers flagged AIs prowess and potential danger, the sources said without specifying the exact safety concerns noted in the letter.

There has long been discussion among computer scientists about the danger posed by highly intelligent machines, for instance if they might decide that the destruction of humanity was in their interest.

Researchers have also flagged work by an AI scientist team, the existence of which multiple sources confirmed. The group, formed by combining earlier Code Gen and Math Gen teams, was exploring how to optimise existing AI models to improve their reasoning and eventually perform scientific work, one of the people said.

Altman led efforts to make ChatGPT one of the fastest growing software applications in history and drew investment  and computing resources  necessary from Microsoft to get closer to AGI.

In addition to announcing a slew of new tools in a demonstration this month, Altman last week teased at a summit of world leaders in San Francisco that he believed major advances were in sight.

Four times now in the history of OpenAI, the most recent time was just in the last couple weeks, Ive gotten to be in the room, when we sort of push the veil of ignorance back and the frontier of discovery forward, and getting to do that is the professional honor of a lifetime, he said at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, a day before he was fired by OpenAIs board.

Additional reporting from agencies.
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Google will begin deleting inactive Gmail, Photos and Drive accounts from Friday, 1 December, the technology giant has warned.

The purge is part of a major update to the platform, impacting all personal Google accounts that have been left dormant for at least two years.

Millions of accounts may be at risk of being permanently deleted, with some users warning that among those affected could be parents who have set up accounts to share memories and milestones with young children.

Google has already begun warning users that might be impacted, saying in a blog post earlier this year that the policy would come into effect in December 2023.

We are updating our inactivity policy for Google Accounts to two years across our products, Ruth Kricheli, Googles vice president of product management, wrote in a blog post in May.

This update aligns our policy with industry standards around retention and account deletion and also limits the amount of time Google retains your unused personal information.

The move is aimed at protecting active Google users from security threats like phishing scams and account hijacking.

Old accounts that have not been used for years are typically at risk from hackers as they may use the same passwords that have been compromised in other security breaches, which are easily available on the dark web.

Google is gearing up to start deleting millions of inactive users this Friday, across all of its services, including Google Drive and Gmail. It may sound alarming, but you still have time to rescue your files before Google hits the terminate button, said Alex Tofts, broadband expert at Broadband Genie.

Cloud services have suffered cybersecurity breaches in the past and this latest measure will not only free up space for the tech giant, but also prevent inactive accounts from becoming compromised by hackers.

Unfortunately, it does mean that many users who havent used their accounts in the past two years will soon lose access to photos and other files that had been stored automatically.

Any account at risk of deletion will receive multiple notifications before any action is taken, Google said, including to any associated recovery email addresses.

The tech giant has already begun sending emails to those affected, telling users it is to protect your private information and prevent any unauthorised access to your account even if youre no longer using our services.

Losing access to a Gmail account could also potentially prevent people from using other online platforms and services that are associated with that email address, even if they are not related to Google.

In order to keep an account active and avoid being deleted, Google users are advised to open or send an email, use Google Drive, download an app on the Google Play Store, or simply make a Google Search while logged in to the account.

Any account that has posted a video to YouTube will also not be impacted, regardless of when it was last active.

Google did not respond to a request for comment from The Independent, or offer any further information about how many accounts may be impacted.
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The UK and South Korea have warned that cyber attacks from North Korean state-linked groups are growing in sophistication and volume.

In a new joint advisory issued by the two nations cyber security and intelligence agencies, they urge organisations to boost their security measures to reduce the risk of their systems being breached.

The UKs National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), which is part of GCHQ, and the South Korean National Intelligence Service (NIS) said they have observed hackers leveraging previously unknown vulnerabilities and exploits in third-party software in their supply chains in order to gain access to an organisations systems.

The two agencies have warned that such attacks on the software-based supply chain pose a particularly significant threat as it means a single initial compromise can affect a number of organisations and lead to onward attacks, resulting in greater disruption or ransomware being deployed.

In an increasingly digital and interconnected world, software supply chain attacks can have profound, far-reaching consequences for impacted organisations Paul Chichester, National Cyber Security Centre

The joint advisory warns that North Korean-backed attacks of this nature are likely to increase and urges organisations to take steps to better protect themselves.

Paul Chichester, NCSC director of operations, said: In an increasingly digital and interconnected world, software supply chain attacks can have profound, far-reaching consequences for impacted organisations.

Today, with our partners in the Republic of Korea, we have issued a warning about the growing threat from DPRK (North Korea) state-linked cyber actors carrying out such attacks with increasing sophistication.

We strongly encourage organisations to follow the mitigative actions in the advisory to improve their resilience to supply chain attacks and reduce the risk of compromise.

The joint advisory is the first time the NCSC has issued such a warning without partnership from other Five Eyes agencies  those in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the US  and comes during the state visit to the UK by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.
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Severe turbulence during a flight this week led to crew members on board being taken to hospital in Australia.

The incident occurred on a plane operated by Australian low-cost airline Bonza, flying across the state of Queensland between Rockhampton and the Sunshine Coast on Tuesday (21 November).

The extent of the injuries and the exact number of people hurt has not been confirmed.

Tim Jordan, chief executive of Bonza, confirmed to The Independent that no customers were hurt.

A flight from Rockhampton to the Sunshine Coast experienced unexpected and severe turbulence leading some Bonza crew members needing to be assessed at Sunshine Coast University Hospital, he said.

Read more: What is turbulence and can it cause your plane to crash?

The priority is always the safety of our staff and customers, Mr Jordan added, stating that staff were able to return home the evening after the incident.

The mid-air fright caused the cancellation of a flight from the Sunshine Coast to Mildura, in Victoria, while the aircraft was assessed.

Whilst turbulence is something that any airline can experience, and we followed procedures onboard, we will be undergoing a review and taking any learnings onboard. Our thoughts are with the customers and crew who are no doubt impacted by the events of yesterday. The aircraft has been thoroughly inspected and was back in operation the following morning, said Mr Jordan.

Bonza is a new airline, having only started operations in January 2023. It has five aircraft in its fleet, according to Planespotters.net, and serves domestic and regional routes across Australia.

Its not the only airline to have experienced severe turbulence this year.

In June, a British Airways flight from Singapore to London Heathrow hit such severe turbulence over the Bay of Bengal that the plane had to return to its starting point to check for possible damage. A mother-of-two described her terror after the plane was hit by the worst turbulence in years as it was flying at 30,000ft. She said it felt like she fell out of the sky.

Two months earlier, eight passengers and two crew members required medical assistance after severe turbulence struck a plane making its way to Portugal. The moment the turbulence first hit was caught on camera, showing people and food being thrown across the cabin.
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A new study has revealed the most dangerous and most peaceful countries in the world for 2023.

The 17th edition of the annual Global Peace Index (GPI), produced by the Institute for Economics and Peace, ranks 163 independent states and territories comprising 99.7 per cent of the worlds population.

The 2023 research reveals that the average level of global peacefulness has deteriorated by 0.42 per cent. This is the 13th deterioration in the last 15 years, with 84 countries improving and 79 deteriorating in peacefulness in 2022.

Afghanistan has been named as the least peaceful country in the world for the eighth consecutive year, followed by Yemen, Syria, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The war in Ukraine had a significant impact on global peacefulness, with Ukraine and Russia having the largest and fifth largest deteriorations in peacefulness respectively. Despite this, Europe is the most peaceful region in the world and is home to seven of the 10 most peaceful countries.

Haiti, Mali, and Israel were the other countries with the largest deteriorations.

Iceland remains the most peaceful country in the world, a position it has held since 2008. It is joined at the indexs summit by Denmark, Ireland, New Zealand, and Austria.

The UK is ranked 37th most-peaceful nation, down one place from last year, and given a state of peace ranking of high. The scale ranges from very high to very low.

The United States is considered low on the peacefulness scale, and finds itself in 131st place in the list, the same as last year. The report states that the US experienced a slight deterioration in peacefulness over the past year, the continuation of a trend that began in 2015, and that while civil unrest was no longer the main driver, the fall was caused by a deterioration on the safety and security domain, particularly in the perceptions of criminality and homicide rate indicators.

The GPI uses 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators, and measures the state of peace across three domains: the level of societal safety and security; the extent of ongoing domestic and international conflict; and the degree of militarisation.

The report was compiled before the escalation of the Israel-Hamas conflict in October and the ongoing volcanic activity in Iceland.

The Institute for Economics and Peace, headquartered in Sydney, Australia, describes itself as an independent, non-partisan, non-profit think tank.

The most dangerous countries in the world 2023

Afghanistan Yemen Syria South Sudan Democratic Republic of the Congo Russia Ukraine Somalia Sudan Iraq

The most peaceful countries in the world 2023
 Close Related video: LAX Thanksgiving travel rush begins

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Thousands of Americans are being urged to travel safely as extreme weather and winter storms continue to impact parts of the US over Thanksgiving holiday.

The National Weather Service said in a post on X on Thursday a significant winter storm will bring heavy snow and hazardous travel to parts of the Northern and Central Rockies as well as into the Central Plains through the holiday weekend.

Snow is forecast to spread over Wyoming on Thursday and travel south through Colorado on Friday, the agency said.

While winter weather may be impacting some states, the East Coast is now enjoying milder weather  and the Macys Thanksgiving Day parade has gone ahead as planned in New York City.

This comes after Governor Kathy Hochul of New York warned travelers in the state to be cautious earlier in the week as there was a risk of extreme winter weather during peak travel days.

Wednesday had been forecast to be the busiest road travel day for US holiday travelers, with more than 49 million Americans believed to be driving to their destinations during the Thanksgiving stretch that day.
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A Thanksgiving trip to a rental cabin in the woods turned into a horror scene when 19 family members were struck down with carbon monoxide poisoning.

Jade Smith and his family had booked a trip to the Six Lakes Lodge in Duchesne County, Utah, for the holidays.

During the vacation, he said they all fell ill one by one as the silent killer leaked into the air.

Seven of the family members even became unresponsive.

Fortunately, they evacuated the property before the exposure proved fatal.

It was scary, but it was really lucky, Mr Smith told KUTV.

If one thing would have happened different, then this would be a story about 19 corpses being found in a cabin.

Mr Smiths partner Cassidee Smith told the outlet that the first signs of trouble came when she and her sister Jacqueline felt as if they were going to faint on Friday.

I just kept telling [Jade] something is not right, she said.

Not long later, one of the family members found the couples 11-month-old baby lethargic and pale.

The infant was immediately rushed to hospital.

A few hours later, she said that she and her husband had briefly laid down to rest when they were woken up by her sister frantically shouting that her 12-year-old niece was unresponsive.

Ms Smith tried to get up to respond to the distress, but as she rose up, she said she also blacked out, the outlet reported.

Moments later, Jacqueline fainted and hit her head on the floor.

At that moment, I was like, Okay, that is three people; my wife is upstairs; she cant move; theres something in the air, Mr Smith said.

We went from one unresponsive to four in about five minutes, he added.

The family had booked a Thanksgiving getaway in a cabin, not knowing what was about to unfold (KUTV)

Up until this point, the family had no idea that carbon monoxide was filling the air in the house, putting everyone in serious danger.

Carbon monoxide, an odourless and colourless gas, kills around 400 Americans each year and hospitalises more than 14,000 people, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

It can be emitted from various objects, such as vehicles, stoves, lanterns, grills, fireplaces, gas ranges or furnaces.

Everyone is at risk of being poisoned, but elderly people, infants and those with underlying health conditions like heart and breathing problems are more at risk of getting seriously ill.

The family called 911 and opened all the doors after recognising that something was wrong.

They then immediately tried to get all 13 children in their family group away from the cabin.

When the Altamont Fire Department arrived at around 2.30am on Saturday morning, they found that the carbon monoxide alarm in the home did have batteries in  but it was not working.

All 19 family members had a blood test, which showed carbon monoxide levels of over 8.5; the couples 12-year-old niece had a reading of 33.

The whole family was treated with hyperbaric chambers for two and a half hours, enabling them to breathe pure oxygen in a pressurised environment to reduce the risk of brain injury or nerve damage, the outlet reported.

By Saturday night, all 19 family members were back home ssafe, but the traumatic experience was still taking an emotional toll on the group.

It could have turned out so much worse, Ms Smith said to KUTV, as she urged others to check their carbon monoxide detectors.

But these are images, seeing their little bodies drop; we will live with that forever.

Dave Nelson, a staff member at Six Lakes, told KUTV that they are continuing to investigate what caused the incident. None of the other properties were impacted, he said.

The Independent has contacted Six Lakes for comment.
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Thought yall might like these while you wait, said my waitress, placing a red paper-lined basket on the table in front of me. Inside, a glorious heap of small, round, golden-crisp, freshly fried pickle slices. Dont forget the tartar sauce. She pointed to a small pot tucked behind an extra-large piece. Yall enjoy! And didnt I just, one warm, comforting tartar-dipped bite after another. I could hardly stop, despite the feast to come.

Overexcited to be experiencing my first taste of southern hospitality in the rural Deep South, Id gone all out with my order: a catfish sandwich, red beans and rice and a side of dam fries  the name a nod to the nearby reservoir, I later learned. Theyre topped with ranch and barbecue sauce, mustard, melted cheese and jalapeno slices. You want some? Theyre real good. Trust me, my server insisted, crouching down to add it to my order. She was right.

It was noon in sunny Louisiana, and I was having a hot sit-down lunch off Highway 473. At a gas station. The Curtis Grocery and Deli in Toro, Sabine Parish, to be exact. Behind the cashiers desk, the quiet, no-frills dining room had filled up with families, workers and solo diners. Forest-green booth-style seating lined the wall opposite an open kitchen. Lacing the air, a hearty scent and satisfying sizzle of frying food.

Deep-fried pickles are a gas station delicacy in the Deep South (Ellie Seymour )

I was following a 450-mile Gas Station Eats trail for five days through No Mans Land, a landscape of pine forests in the southwest corner of Louisiana on the border of east Texas. Also known as the Neutral Strip at one time, when the newly formed US fought over the border with Spain to buy Louisiana from France, the area became a lawless western frontier when armies were withdrawn.

Read more on Louisiana travel:

There are 21 stops on the trail  gas stations, convenience stores and diners  three in each of seven southwest Louisiana parishes, serving the best of the regions homespun southern soul food dishes. These range from seafood near the Gulf of Mexico to barbecue and traditional Southern recipes in the regions north. Each stop is signposted, listed on the trail website and a No Mans Land Trip Planner app, which includes other attractions, tours, events and more.

I walked my first Southern soul food lunch off on a stroll by the Toledo Bend Reservoir separating Louisiana from Texas roughly five miles west. This vast body of water is the largest in the South: a mecca for fishing, camping and lakefront living. Here, I found another trail stop, the Lakefront Store, home of Marias famous homemade tamales. It was a thankfully light traditional Mexican dish, made with a corn-based dough called masa and filled with, in this case, chicken and cheese.

Home of the shrimp Po Boy, New Orleans packs a flavour punch in its food (Getty)

My Louisiana culinary adventure began eight days earlier in New Orleans, the state capital, where I had two of my first-ever gas station meals: a shrimp Po Boy  a Depression-era sandwich in a baguette  at Tremes popular Triangle Deli and a chicken shawarma salad plate. Locals come in every day and order the same thing. I know them well and their orders, however complicated, said Shawarma on the Go owner Shannon, tipping me off about a new book, Thank You Please Come Again: How Gas Stations Feed & Fuel the American South, by photojournalist Kate Medley.

The parish gas stations represent the communities theyre located in, my tour guide Nate Prendergast, aka Dr Gumbo, said when I mentioned my trip. Outside here, the area is well known for the quality of its meat, so youre going to taste a real difference. Food up there is much heavier than in the city. Like boudin sausage.

Pronounced boo-dan, this rich blend of cooked pork, rice, onions, peppers and seasonings stuffed into a sausage casing is delicious and a bit like haggis. Folks eat it plain, without ketchup or mustard, the cashier at Kartchners Speciality Meats in Lafayette said, as a drive-through customer ordered at the nearby hatch. It was the perfect follow-up meal to spotting an alligator during an immersive and eco-educational ride around the Atchafalaya Swamp with McGees.

My first official night on the trail was spent in the historic hamlet of Grand Cane, Desoto Parish, peppered with grand whitewashed homes like Cooks Hill House. Here, I fulfilled a lifelong dream: to sit in a swing chair on a wooden porch, nursing a beer and watching the odd truck rumble past.

Light breakfast: Bacon biscuits to go at off-the-beaten-path DBs Station (Ellie Seymour )

Gas station food shines at lunch, but the next morning, at off-the-beaten-path DBs Station  complete with red-checked table clothes  I experienced the morning rush. While workers gobbled heaving plates of sausage and grits, I grabbed a bacon biscuit  a southern-style bacon sandwich made with a light savoury scone  to eat on the go around Mansfield, where at trail stop, ShopALott, I wished Id left room for a great-value plate lunch of freshly fried chicken, mashed potatoes and greens for $11.

Its a joy to discover historic Natchitoches, pronounced Nack-a-Tish, the setting for the 1989 Oscar-nominated movie Steel Magnolias  and a gas station famous for its moist and sweet iced yam cake in all shapes and sizes. French Market Express is a $20m-a-year, family-run operation with 50 employees. The yam cake started with my dad who used to make it, owner Linda Henderson told me over a chicken salad lunch. When he died I decided to carry on his legacy, and the rest is history. I had no idea how popular it would become! Every day we sell around 100 cakes, more during the holiday season.

DeRidder in Beauregard Parish  the first town in No Mans Land  was memorable for so many reasons. Barbecued brisket worth crossing the pond for at Big Thicket  open until we run out!  which started life as a food truck; the spooky gothic county jail, dressed for Halloween on my visit (Ive heard full conversations on the second floor and theres no one there, said my guide Marlena); Big Ds Western Wear inside an old cinema; and the Back Home Collection, a thrift shop on the trail for its homemade baked treats, including molasses cookies.

Fill er up: the gas station cabin at the Pleasant Hill Campground (Ellie Seymour)

After many a helping of biscuits, boudin and brisket later, it was fitting that I spent my last night in a cosy campground cabin decked out as a gas station. I ended my trip on several hearty high notes, with the best boudin ball  a scotch egg-sized meal in a ball  for just over a dollar, a box of melt-in-the-mouth homemade beef stew at off-highway gem, Jewels, and a bag of pork cracklin from Chadeauxs kitchen. I was all set for the journey home.

As I drove back to New Orleans I thought about Kate Medleys book, which spans 11 states in the American South, including a fair number in Louisiana. I grew up in the Deep South and have known gas station food from a young age, she told me over the phone after my trip. For a traveller, gas stations hold great mystery. You never quite know what youll find inside or how youll be received. When you swing open the glass door, a little bell rings, and what will I find? Hopefully, a comforting heaped basket of freshly fried pickles, to start with.

Travel essentials

Getting there

Ellie travelled to Louisiana as a guest of Explore Louisiana and America As You Like It.

British Airways flies direct from London Heathrow to New Orleans. Return flights cost from 580.

Staying there

The historic boutique Frenchmen Hotel in New Orleans French Quarter has a tiny pool and a cocktail bar and is close to several jazz bars.

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Stand-out accommodation on the Gas Station Eats trail includes the historic Cook-Hill House and the gas station cabin in the Pleasant Hill Campground in Deridder.

Read more of our best New Orleans hotel reviews
Daleks invaded the BBC Breakfast studio on Thursday morning (23 November) to mark the 60th anniversary of Doctor Who.

The iconic sci-fi series is returning to screens on Saturday, with fan favourite David Tennant reprising his role as the Doctor.

BBC hosts Naga Munchetty and Charlie Stayt were joined in the studio by three Daleks as they celebrated the impressive anniversary milestone.

The pair looked stunned as the mutants rolled into the studio, demanding to know where the Doctor was before introducing the news and weather.
The holidays are often a time we remember what were most grateful for, and this Thanksgiving is an extra special one for one Detroit family.

Brett and Tammy Fowler are overjoyed to be reunited with their son Beckett - one very brave three-year-old.

For the better part of the last six months, Beckett has been living in Tennessee at St. Judes Hospital, battling ATRT brain cancer - a very rare, fast-growing tumour.

He has undergone serious surgery to remove the tumour, 30 rounds of radiation and five rounds of chemotherapy - all while being separated from his three other siblings.

But this Thanksgiving, Brett and Tammy are back together with their little boy, who returned home cancer-free.

After hearing his story, the Suite Dreams Project - a local Rochester-based charity - decided to step in.

With help from a generous community, they gave the Fowler home an entire makeover in time for the holidays.
Lord Cameron visited Israel on Thursday 23 November, following the announcement of a truce in the war with Hamas.

The foreign secretary arrived amid uncertainty about when the pause in the fighting will begin, as an agreement for a four-day ceasefire in Gaza appears to have hit a last-minute snag.

A senior Israeli official said it would not take effect before Friday, a day later than originally expected.

The deal will see the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, with Palestinian prisoners expected to be freed by Tel Aviv.

The lull in the fighting is also expected to clear the way for humanitarian aid to enter Gaza to ease the suffering of citizens who have been bombarded and besieged by Israel following the 7 October Hamas attack.
Ronan Group says move doesnt affect its wider development business and it is confident of refinancing the assets involved

AIB and Bank of Ireland are set to appoint receivers over some of developer Johnny Ronan's prime Dublin property assets, including the historic Bewleys Cafe building on Grafton St and high-end offices in Dublin 4 and IFSC.

Despite the move Ronan Group Real Estate (RGRE) said it is confident the assets can be refinanced.

The group's ongoing development schemes, including housing on the huge Dublin Glass Bottle site are not affected.

Today's News in 90 seconds - November 23rd

The portfolio involved, all part of Ronan Group Real Estate (RGRE), does include office blocks at Connaught House on Burlington Road Dublin 4, AIB Investment House on nearby Percy Place, Kingram House in Dublin 2, and Kilmore House in Spencer Dock in the IFSC area in the North Docklands.

In a statement on Wednesday evening RGRE said it had entered a consensual restructuring process with the banks and invited Bank of Ireland and AIB to appoint a receiver to manage the refinancing of property assets owned by the company.

Read more Johnny Ronan: The Celtic Tiger poster boy eyes new heights

"The move acknowledges that the loans on the properties in question need to be restructured as a response to current market conditions and RGRE Holdings Ltd is working closely with its banks and the receiver to reach a mutually agreed resolution of the position," RGRE said.

The properties sit in a group of special purpose vehicles financially insulated from the rest of the group.

"There are no cross-guarantees or cross-collateralisation, and the companys interests in its other developments and other sites are unaffected by this decision," it said.

The two banks are understood to be owed in the order of 130m, above the value of the assets even in a market hit by a sharp drop in prices in recent months.

Some of the assets involved have been held by Johnny Ronan for decades even after his main Treasury Holdings empire collapsed in the wake of the bursting of the property bubble more than a decade ago, including a spell under the umbrella of Nama before he successfully refinanced away with alternative lenders.

In relation to the current situation, RGRE said it is confident that its refinancing deal will enable the receivers to be discharged in a manner that is satisfactory to all parties.

"Refinancing discussions are continuing notwithstanding the receiver appointment."

The company said the process is expected to take several weeks

A spokesman for RGRE Holdings Ltd said: We recognise the need to restructure the financing of these assets and we are delighted we have been able to work with our current lenders to begin a steady, managed process to introduce a new investor to our business and put a new lending arrangement in place that satisfies all parties.

The assets entering this receivership process are performing robustly and we are confident that RGRE Holdings Ltd will emerge stronger and better geared for the future. None of our other property assets is affected by this process.
Two Dublin industrial investments, one with development potential, have been brought to the market through agents QRE Real Estate Advisers which is selling them separately for two different receivers.

The more valuable of the lots is Ossory Court, 24 Ossory Road, Dublin 3, which comprises 25 units in total extending to 25,000 sqft. Eight units are vacant and the others generate total passing rents of about 144,000 per annum.

Bryan Garry of QRE is quoting 995,000, which reflects a capital value of 40 per sqft and he says this price is substantially below replacement cost and would equate to a net initial yield (NIY) of about 13pc. He also estimates potential to achieve rents of about 200,000 per annum and points out that the site may be suitable for residential development as the lands are Zoned Z1 Sustainable Residential Neighbourhoods.

The industrial park adjoins the Dublin-Belfast Iarnrod Eireann railway line.

QRE is quoting 595,000 for Unit 1 and 2, Snowdrop House, Club Road, Clondalkin

Separately, QRE is quoting 595,000 for Unit 1 and 2, Snowdrop House, Club Road, Clondalkin. Extending to 6,787 sqft, this property is single let to Hudson Distribution Limited t/a All Tools Direct for a term of four years and nine months from April 2022 at a rent of 53,000 per annum.

The guide price reflects a capital value of 87 per sqft and a NIY of 8.1pc.

It will be sold by online auction via the Offr platform on December 6.

This is an investment sale, and the existing tenant is not affected.
SSE said Airtricity benefited from an upside in onshore wind contracts. Photo: Getty

Profits at SSE Airtricity more than halved in the first half of its 2023 financial year, as the company said it forwent making money to benefit its Irish customers

The UK firm said that overall, it made a pre-tax profit of 565m (648m) across the group in the six months to the end of September 2023, up slightly from 559m during the same period in 2022.

However, SSE Airtricity, the companys Irish energy provider, said its adjusted profitability decreased to 5.8m from 14.9m in the prior period.

The company is one of Irelands largest energy providers, with more than 700,000 business and residential customers across the island of Ireland.

In its half-year results, SSE said: Airtricitys primary focus remains supporting customers through the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.

At the start of the current period, it honoured its commitment to give all FY23 [2023 financial year] profits back to households in Ireland via a household credit.

SSE said Airtricity benefited from an upside in onshore wind contracts, which are recorded as part of the Airtricity division.

The company raised its prices several times throughout 2022 as markets grappled with energy price spikes largely attributed to Russias invasion of Ukraine.

In October 2022, SSE Airtricity announced a significant increase, with customers electricity bills jumping by over 35pc and gas bills rising by 39pc.

In November 2022, SSE Airtricity said it would forego all profits during the following financial year to support customers struggling with surging energy costs.

The company announced a 35 credit for 247,000 of its customers and said it had allocated 25m to support customers

This included a 1m donation to St Vincent de Paul and 1m discretionary fund to provide direct support to customers in difficulty.

In September 2023, SSE Airtricity announced a reduction in residential electricity and gas prices by 12pc and 10pc respectively, which came into force on November 1.

The price reductions will see a typical dual fuel customer save 384.55 (including Vat) per year.

All domestic Republic of Ireland gas and electricity customers automatically had the reduced rate applied to their bills.

SSE Airtricity managing director Klair Neenan said the business was acutely aware of the pressure people have been experiencing with the cost-of-living crisis.

We recognise that volatility has impacted customers over the past number of years, and we want to provide price certainty for customers who want to manage their energy costs, she said.
Ferry operator Irish Continental Group has recorded revenues of 491.4m in the first ten months of the year, down 1.8pc compared to the same period last year.

Revenues in the groups ferries division rose by 4.4pc in the period to 352.9m.

Irish Ferries carried 588,700 cars in the year months to November 18, up 12.2pc compared to the same time in 2022.

Total revenues in the container and terminal division were 165.4m in the period to October 31, down 13.2pc compared to the prior year.

The group pointed to a 14.6pc reduction in container freight volumes in the year to November 19. Consumer freight volumes shipped stood at 248,500 twenty foot units, a decrease from 291,100 reported in 2022.

Irish Continental Group attributed the decline to a slowdown in deep sea volumes in the year to date.

This was driven by weak export and import levels in China, continued effect of over-stocking following the pandemic, supply chain challenges and slowdown in economic growth.

The group added that it had adjusted capacity to match the current level of demand, with units handled at its Dublin and Belfast terminals down 3.1pc year-on-year.

Irish Continental Group reported revenue of 584.9m in 2022. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda) were 127.2m.
The States wealth fund has not sold its stakes in Israeli banks linked to illegal settlements in Palestinian territory despite political pressure from inside Leinster House.

Nick Ashmore, director of the taxpayer-funded Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (Isif), said the fund havent divested at this point but was ready to do so when a new law on the subject was enacted.

But Sinn Feins finance spokesperson, Pearse Doherty, hit out at the delays during an Oireachtas committee hearing, saying Isif didnt require a law to pull out of the investments.

The investments are listed on a UN database, which was first published in 2020, but has since been updated.

The bombs are raining down on children and women, on innocent civilians, right across Palestine, Mr Doherty said.

Ireland is using taxpayers money to fund companies that are on a UN list, that are involved in illegal Israeli settlements in Palestine, at a time when we have thousands of innocent civilians being slaughtered. Just stop it immediately.

As of July this year, Isif had invested in four Israeli banks named in a UN database that connected them to Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory.

Isif confirmed to the Irish Independent at that time that it owns shares in the four banks: Mizrahi Tefahot, Bank Hapoalim, Israel Discount Bank and Bank Leumi-Le Israel. The stocks are on a public register of Isifs voting records at the annual general meetings of the companies.

But Department of Finance officials say there have been changes to the UN list since Hamas invaded Israel on October 7, killing more than 1,200 people. Following the attack, Israeli launched retaliatory strikes, followed by a ground offensive in Gaza which has killed at least 11,000 people.

Back in 2020, at the publication of its database, the UN said the Israeli settlements were a significant source of human rights violations, resulting from land expropriation, displacement and the destruction of homes and other property.

Dail Eireann passed a motion that same year condemning Israeli settlements on Palestinian land.

Earlier this year, Sinn Feins foreign affairs spokesperson, John Brady, introduced a bill designed to compel Isif to divest holdings in companies listed as operating in those settlements.

The bill has passed the second stage, which means it can now be scrutinised by Oireachtas committees.

Department of Finance assistant secretary for banking, Oliver Gilvarry, said there was significant work in the background taking place and that there were legal issues that had to be ironed out before the divestments could be done.

The comments came during a debate on the setting up of two new State wealth funds which were outlined in the budget, a longer-term Future Ireland Fund, which could help pay for future pensions, and the Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund, a shorter-term fund that can be raided in case of future crises.

Department of Finance officials say they will be looking at an investment strategy for the funds based on environmental, social and governance goals.
Hollywood star Jamie Foxx is confident a sexual assault lawsuit against him will be dropped, his spokesperson said.

The Academy Award winner, 55, intends to file a malicious prosecution lawsuit against the woman and her lawyers who have made the claims after a nearly identical lawsuit was dismissed in Brooklyn in 2020.

It comes after a lawsuit was filed at the New York Supreme Court, alleging in the summer of 2015 Foxx grabbed a woman by the arm and pulled her to the secluded back of the rooftop where there was heinous touching and sexual assault.

A lawsuit was filed at the New York Supreme Court against Jamie Foxx (Isabel Infantes/PA)

The alleged incident never happened, a spokesperson for Foxx told the PA news agency.

In 2020, this individual filed a nearly identical lawsuit in Brooklyn. That case was dismissed shortly thereafter.

The claims are no more viable today than they were then. We are confident they will be dismissed again.

And once they are, Mr Foxx intends to pursue a claim for malicious prosecution against this person and her attorneys for refiling this frivolous action.

The lawsuit claims the woman suffered severe emotional distress and anxiety as well as post-traumatic stress disorder after the alleged incident at Catch NYC and rooftop eight years ago.

It alleges that Foxx  real name Eric Bishop  was operating through his position as a well-known celebrity.

The woman, identified only as Jane Doe in court documents, is also suing the rooftop bar and its owner Mark Birnbaum, alleging they were negligent and failed to use reasonable care to prevent the acts described in the lawsuit.

It comes as the New York Adult Survivors Act expired on Thursday.

It was a law passed last year which allows a temporary window for those who allege sexual assault to file past the states normal deadlines.
A cut to Irelands Nitrates Derogation from 250kg of N/ha to 220kg will go ahead as planned in January, despites hopes flexibility would be obtained by officials and stakeholders at the Department of Agriculture today.

Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevicius warned that in 2023 we can not have a place in Europe where clean water or clean air is a luxury.

The Commissioner held firm on his stance today after meeting the Taoiseach, the Minister for Agriculture and various farming bodies, clarifying that the process to reduce Irelands derogation was agreed in early 2022. He also suggested Ireland hadnt used the intervening time well to prepare for the scheduled mid term review.

The decision that has been taken, and actually was public since April 2022...has come to a stage where it has to be implemented, he said.

There is no change in limit values because that will mean basically a process of a new derogation. The new possible derogation is only possible when the current one expires.

An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, along with Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue had originally invited the Commmissioner to visit a farm in Ireland to see measures taken by farmers to improve water quality.

This visit didnt go ahead, and the Commissioner told the Farming Independent that he appreciated the invitation but unfortunately usually the agenda is planned four months ahead and this was a bit of a detour because I knew the issue is important and to come to Dublin and have this discussion with the stakeholders.

I think whats most important is not for me to see the farmers, I do appreciate the hard work of farmers, I dont need proof of that - I know how hard they work every day, day and night, taking care of the animals and so on.

What the baseline was how the derogation applies and how the legislation applies is the water quality. Its not only farmers to blame, I was very specific with them, it has to be a whole of Government approach, not only this Ministers [McConalogue] responsibility.

But the water quality at the end of the day needs to be stabilised or improved in order to use the derogation in future in order to maintain the healthy growth that you have had in the past.

Minister McConalogue told media that his job now is to work with farmers in terms of being clear in relation to the situation facing us next year that farmers have to farm to a maximum of 220kg N/ha under the derogation.

An Taisces Dr Elaine McGoff told the Commissioner that Irelands Nitrates Derogation adds further fuel to the fire, and its having a detrimental effect on water quality and wildlife in Ireland.

We are therefore urging the Commissioner to stick to his decision to reduce the derogation limit to 220kg/ha on January 1, 2024 in certain areas because the latest water quality results have not shown sufficient improvement.

Any delay in implementing this reduction will just further exacerbate the water pollution issues were facing.

ICMSA President, Pat McCormack, told the Farming Independent that the whole farming community must be working to improve water quality immediately in order to retain the 220kg N/ha limit going forward.

False hope is a very bad thing to give people, but theres real hope of retaining the derogation at 220kg going forward.

Every measure must be taken and needs to be rolled out on farm. The writing is on the wall - we need incentives to be in place for farmers now in order to improve water quality going forward.
The European Union's plan to halve the use of pesticides collapsed as lawmakers concerned about ambitious targets dealt another blow to the bloc's green agenda.

On the proposal's first reading in the European Parliament, 299 lawmakers voted against a 50% reduction of pesticide use in the EU by 2030, with just 207 in favour of rules that were central to making farming more sustainable. The result drew applause from lawmakers of the center-right European People's Party, which has repeatedly warned against laws that jeopardize food security.

The EU's executive proposed the so-called regulation on the sustainable use of plant protection products, or SUR, in June last year, sparking heated debate with the farming community and its supporters in parliament. Fears over dwindling crop yields and doubts over the ability of farmers to meet targets outweighed concerns about the environmental impact of pesticides.

"SUR is dead in the water," said Sarah Wiener, a chef, beekeeper and lawmaker, who drafted a parliamentary report proposing even more stringent rules. "I bent over backwards to find a compromise and still it wasn't possible."

The report's other provisions included banning the use of pesticides within five meters of sensitive areas such as parks, playgrounds and protected areas. That compared with the European Commission's original proposal for a three-meter buffer zone.

"The text is now off the table because it is not supported in the plenary and not referred back to the environment committee," Committee chair Pascal Canfin told reporters after the vote. "For sure there will be no pesticides regulation under this mandate."

The vote comes after the EU was forced to settle for a watered-down deal earlier this month on a nature restoration law, another key element of the bloc's efforts to address climate change.

The European People's Party lauded the outcome, reiterating that it does not support measures that reduce food production in Europe, according to its negotiator on the rules, Alexander Bernhuber.

A ban on plant protection products would reduce yields by 20% to 40%, depending on the crop, according to a report from the parliament's research service.

Canfin said EU members states could still take a position on the proposed rules and transfer the matter back to parliament. However, that would only come after the next elections in June.

The European Commission didn't respond immediately when asked to comment on its further steps.

Bloomberg.
Smoker rates stay high at 18pc as numbers using vapes still rising

More than one in five parents of school-going children are drinking alcohol several times a week, according to a new snapshot of the nations lifestyle habits. Stock image.

More than one in five parents of school-going children are drinking alcohol several times a week, according to a new snapshot of the nations lifestyle habits.

The annual Healthy Ireland survey from the Department of Health shows the proportion of the population consuming alcohol in the previous 12 months is down to 70pc, a reduction on the 75pc reported five years ago in 2018.

But Alcohol Action Ireland pointed to data showing 21pc of parents of under-18s are drinking multiple times a week.

Alcohol use among 15- to 24-year-olds has increased while a quarter of the population (25pc) are binge drinkers  defined as having six or more drinks in one sitting  although this is a reduction from 27pc in 2018.

Government looking into banning of disposable vapes

The age of 25 appears to be a turning point for many people getting their drinking more under control, the survey found.

The survey also found the prevalence of smoking is still at a stubborn 18pc for the last number of years, when the hope was it would have fallen more among the less well off.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly is to launch a public consultation on a proposal to increase the legal limit to buy cigarettes from 18 to 21.

The number of people using e-cigarettes and vapes has risen from 6pc to 8pc in the past year and the report said that while e-cigarettes can be a valuable quitting aid for smokers, usage rates have risen from 6pc last year and are highest amongst 15- to 24-year- olds  used by 20pc of women and 16pc of men in this age group.

Chief Medical Officer Breda Smyth says there are positive signs. Photo: Gareth Chaney

The survey by Ipsos B&A for the first time quizzed people on drug use and found 30pc reported using drugs in their lifetime while 6pc said they used drugs in the previous 30 days and 5pc in the last year but more than 30 days ago.

The most prevalent illicit drug in the last year was cannabis, which was used by 6pc of the population. This was three times the level of usage of cocaine at 2pc.

When asked how they rate their health, 80pc described it as good or very good but this was down from 82pc last year and 85pc in 2019.

The biggest decline is among women aged 55 to 64, down from 79pc in 2019 to 66pc this year. During the same period, the rating for men aged 55-64 also dropped from 74pc to 71pc.

A decline was also seen in young women aged 15-24, falling from 92pc pre-pandemic to 85pc, while it is marginally down from men to 93pc.

It found that 86pc report their quality of life as good or very good, with just 5pc saying poor or very poor.

The average 2023 Energy and Vitality Index (EVI) score, with higher scores indicating positive mental health, is 65.3. This has increased from 62.4 in 2021 but remains below 2016 levels of 67.8.

The average Mental Health Index score is 78.2, up from 76.0 in 2021 but below the 81.2 of 2016.

More than one-third say they feel more socially connected since 2021, with 22pc reporting feeling the reverse.

Forty per cent of people reported taking an antibiotic in the last 12 months, significantly higher than the 27pc reported during the pandemic in 2021, and 2pc higher than the proportion in 2017.

Chief medical officer Breda Smyth said: We have seen some encouraging trends in the 2023 survey, indicating some improvements in population health and in some key lifestyle risk factors such as alcohol consumption.

These figures reaffirm the need for robust initiatives that support us all to live happier, healthier lives, such as the Public Health (Alcohol) Act, 2018 and the forthcoming Public Health (Tobacco Products & Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill.
Modern Morals: My best friend says she cant afford to go to my foreign wedding next year. Is it insensitive to ask her to get a loan?
Third-level students are warning that the scrapping next week of a direct bus route that links west Dublin to Dun Laoghaire will leave them stranded.

However, the National Transport Authority insists that although students will now need to change buses, service levels will be greatly improved.

The current 75 route travels from Tallaght to Dun Laoghaire Dart station via Firhouse, Knocklyon, Rathfarnham, Ballinteer, Dundrum, Kilmacud and Stillorgan, and passes the Institute of Art, Design, & Technology (IADT), close to Kill Of The Grange and around 3km from Dun Laoghaire town centre.

But from November 26, the 75 route, along with the 175 route which travels from Tallaght to UCD, are set to be scrapped and replaced with the new S6 and S8 routes as part of the Bus Connects plan.

The S6 route will travel from Tallaght to Blackrock, and not near Dun Laoghaire or Kill Avenue where IADT is located. Instead, it will take a route to Dundrum before serving UCD via Goatstown, and then make its way to Blackrock via the Stillorgan dual carriageway to Mount Merrion and then via the N31.

The S8 route will travel from Tallaght to Dun Laoghaire, but via Sandyford, Blackrock and Monkstown, but not near Kill Of The Grange or Kill Avenue.

Students and their parents have voiced their concerns. Last week the Knocklyon Network Facebook group posted maps of the new S6 and S8 routes, with a message saying: From 26th November local buses the 175 and 75 are being replaced by new Bus Connects routes the S6 and S8. What does this mean for local students who attend IADT? The only bus they had was the unreliable 75 and it seems the new route will not go past IADT. Local councillors please advise?

The National Transport Authority, which is responsible for the ongoing major overhaul of the capitals bus network, confirmed that a journey from Tallaght to the IADT college will now mean a switch to a second bus to complete the journey, but insisted overall service levels would be greatly improved.

IADT on Kill Avenue Dun Laoghaire is currently served by routes 46a and 75. From November 26 the 46a will be the only service that runs along Kill Avenue. A bus journey to IADT from Tallaght or Knocklyon will involve taking the S8 as far as the N11 and Newtownpark Avenue junction, and interchanging there to the 46a, said an NTA spokesman.

Route S8 will run approximately every 20 minutes on weekdays and the 46a runs approximately every eight minutes, he added.

Phase 5b of the BusConnects Network redesign in Dublin will commence on November 26. This involves an increase in the region of 70pc in service levels which makes it one of the most significant changes under the Network Redesign to date, the spokesman said.

Zoe Doyle is a first-year student in IADT and travels from Rathfarnham to the college and back.

Up until now she has got the 15 to Rathfarnham Shopping Centre and then the 75 to Dun Laoghaire, a trip that takes between an hour and an hour and 40 minutes.

The overall service of the 75 varies. It has severe issues with reliability and dependability. Sometimes it just never shows up or is extremely late. However, saying this  I would still rather put up with this undeservedly poor service just so I can actually get to college, she said.

The changes to the service are extremely negatively impactful for not only me but other IADT students who rely on the bus service as the only transport provided to our areas. Ill have to get three buses each way now. Thats six buses a day!, Ms Doyle added.

I currently dont drive. I have my lessons completed and plan on trying to get a test as soon as possible, she added.

Ms Doyle said she is also annoyed at how UCD continues to be serviced by the new bus service, but smaller colleges like IADT are undervalued. It really infuriates me, she explained.

Fianna Fail Dublin South West TD John Lahart said he had had contact from a lot of students who are affected by the changing bus service.

The existing 175 and 75 bus routes serve as a crucial link for UCD and IADT students in areas such as Tallaght, Oldbawn, Scholarstown, Edmondstown, Ballycullen, Woodstown Village and Knocklyon. Under the proposed Bus Connects route changes, this vital connection to UCD and IADT will cease to exist. The proposed replacement routes, S8 and S6, bypass these areas creating a significant connectivity gap, he said.

I am concerned especially regarding the safety and convenience of students and commuters who would face multiple connections, often late at night, if these changes proceed. This situation is unacceptable, he added.

Mr Lahart has set up a petition calling for a return of the 75 and 175 routes and has written to the Transport Minister and the NTA on the issue. To date 2,300 people have signed the petition.
Former Taoiseach Enda Kenny has made his first appearance at a Fine Gael constituency event since he stepped down as Taoiseach.

Mr Kenny was the guest speaker at a Fine Gael event in Dublins Dun Laoghaire suburb on Tuesday night attended by senior party figures, including Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe, junior finance Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, Senators Barry Ward, Regina Doherty and Joe OReilly as well as local councillors.

The event in the Royal Marine Hotel was held to celebrate former minister Sean Barretts contribution to politics ahead of the 50-year mark next year since he was first elected as a councillor in 1974 on Dublin City Council.

Mr Barrett was elected to the Dail in 1981 and went on to serve as Minister for Defence, Minister for the Marine, Ceann Comhairle and Government Chief Whip.

Mr Kenny attended the event as a guest speaker in his first Fine Gael appearance since he stepped down as party leader in 2017.

The event sparks speculation within the party if he will put his name forward to be selected as Fine Gaels presidential candidate in the looming presidential elections in 2025.

European Commissioner Mairead McGuinness is currently viewed within the party as a frontrunner for the Fine Gael Aras ticket.

The former Taoiseach made two speeches, one about Mr Barrett and one about his own time in politics to over 100 people present.

People at the event said he spoke about the challenges he faced as Taoiseach and the different place the country is in now in regards to economic stability and the challenge in rebuilding the country.

He even quoted former US President John F Kennedy, saying: We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children's future. And we are all mortal.

Mr Kenny also spoke about the people he met during his time as Taoiseach and party leader, including families battling addiction.

He spoke about how different the country is now to when he was in power, even though it hasnt even been a decade since he stepped down.

However, sources said the event was not a rallying of the troops ahead of a potential presidential bid.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar did not attend the event.

It was great to see him and he was in wonderful form, said Senator Barry Ward.

He said people dont give a damn about the past but they do. The success of his Government is something we can hold up to show politics does work.
Deliveroo driver stopped man attacking children, while creche worker stepped in to save childrenFemale creche worker and suspect in hospital with injuries Eyewitness describes scene of terror as students fell to the groundFather of another pupil; I didnt know if it was Isabelle or not for a half an hour and that half an hour felt like a monthPresident Higgins issues statement

A Brazilian Deliveroo driver has been hailed a true hero for stopping the knife attacker during an incident on Parnell Square, Dublin yesterday that has left a young girl in a critical condition.

One child aged five is still in a critical condition in hospital today.

Two other young children and the female creche worker, aged in her 30s, were also being treated for injuries after the knife attack on Parnell Square East in Dublin.

Gardai have ruled out a terror related motive, and are holding a man aged in his 40s who was also injured during the incident. He also remains in hospital.

The heroic creche worker is being treated for serious stab injuries to her body that she suffered when she tackled the knifeman on Thursday afternoon.

Pictured: The scene outside the school on Friday morning (Photo: Tabitha Monahan)

It is understood that before she could intervene with the attacker he had stabbed a five-year-old girl in the neck.

This child is currently in a critical condition in hospital.

Deliveroo driver Caio Benicio has also been hailed a hero for stopping the attacker by hitting him with his helmet.

Speaking to RTE Radio Ones Morning Ireland this morning, Caio said he was at the right time in the right place.

"At first I thought it was a fight with a man and a woman, he said.

"Then, I just saw a little girl, and a woman who couldnt get the girl from the man. And then the man grabbed another [child].

"When I saw the knife, I pulled up my bike and it was my initiative.

"I hit him with my helmet. He fell down and other people came to keep him down.

The attack occurred shortly after 1pm near Parnell Square

I was at the right time in the right place.

This all happened in a matter of seconds and after her very brave actions another two children suffered superficial stabbing injuries to their chest and shoulder in what was a frenzied incident, a source said.

[The creche worker] defended those children with all her strength  all that she was doing was trying to protect those little kids and people in what was is a very built up area in the city centre saw what was happening when they passed the school.

At this stage a number of very brave members of the public including pedestrians and cyclists arrived on the scene and the suspect was taken down after he was hit with a motorcycle helmet in the face, the source added.

The suspect was arrested at the scene and is being treated in a Dublin hospital after he suffered facial injuries when members of the public became involved.

The children he had targeted were lined up under supervision outside the school as they went from one class to another.

In a statement this afternoon, Principal Pol Hansard of Gaelscoil Cholaiste Mhuire on Parnell Square said the school has implemented its critical incident management plan.

He said: We are deeply shocked and saddened by yesterdays serious incident that has impacted our school community.

Our thoughts are with our pupils and our creche worker colleague who were injured and their families. The wider school community who are affected by this incident are also in our thoughts.

Offers of support have been pouring in and are greatly appreciated.

Psychologists from the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) have been with us, supporting and advising the staff in our efforts to assist our school community.

We would ask you to respect our privacy at this time.

Gardai have ruled out a terrorism motive in relation to the activities of the man who had been living at various addresses in Dublin over the past number of years.

It is understood he is an Irish citizen who had lived here for many years but was not born in Ireland.

Early investigations indicate that he has no link to the school.

The scene on Parnell square East following a serious stabbing incident. Picture; Gerry Mooney

One line in the investigation is that the suspect may have suffered a psychotic episode and there has been reports he was seen near the highly respected school in the minutes before the horrific attack at lunchtime today.

Gardai are not looking for any other suspects in relation to the horror attack.

The incident happened at Gaelscoil Cholaiste Mhuire shortly after 1pm today, on Parnell Square East, in the north inner city.

In a second garda briefing on the stabbings on Thursday evening, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said the gardai were not ruling anything out in relation to the stabbings.

Presidents statement

On Thursday evening, President Michael D Higgins issued a statement in which he said the incident should not be used by groups to further specific agendas.

All of our thoughts are with each of the children and their families affected by today's horrific attack outside Gaelscoil Colaiste Mhuire in Dublin city centre, he said.

We are particularly thinking of the 5 year old girl and the member of staff caring for her who are both in serious condition in hospital. All of our prayers are with each of them for a full recovery.

The Gardai deserve all of our support in dealing with this incident. This appalling incident is a matter for the Gardai and that it would be used or abused by groups with an agenda that attacks the principle of social inclusion is reprehensible and deserves condemnation by all those who believe in the rule of law and democracy.

The scene on Parnell square East following a serious stabbing incident. Picture; Gerry Mooney

Garda update

Superintendent Liam Geraghty earlier said preliminary indications are that a male attacked a number of people on Parnell Square East.

"Five casualties have been taken to hospitals in the Dublin region, he said.

"These casualties include three young children, an adult female and an adult male.

"One girl, aged five years, has sustained serious injuries and is currently receiving emergency medical treatment in CHI Temple Street."

He added that a five-year-old boy and six-year-old girl were treated for less serious injuries relating to the incident.

Supt Geraghty said: "The boy has since been discharged from CHI Crumlin. An Garda Siochana is providing support to the parents of all the children. The adult female in her 30s is being treated for serious injuries at the Mater Hospital."

He said the adult male is also being treated for serious injuries at a hospital in the Dublin region. The scene remains sealed off and a technical examination of the scene is ongoing.

"An incident room has been established at Mountjoy garda station and a senior investigating officer has been appointed. An Garda Siochana is following a definite line of inquiry.

Suspect

Supt Geraghty said that a male in his 40s is a person of interest in the investigation. Gardai are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident.

He praised members of the public who intervened to protect the students, saying: "My understanding is members of the public did intervene at a very, very early stage and we would applaud those members of the public for getting involved in such a traumatic and potentially dangerous situation for themselves.

"We're aware that the public are concerned about the activities that have happened today. The message to them is that we believe that this is a standalone incident, not necessarily connected to any wider issues that are ongoing in the country or in the city, and we need to identify the exact reasons for that happening.

"So we'd ask for people not to jump to conclusions and not to make rash judgments on what may have happened."

The garda superintendent added: "We are dealing not just with the parents of the three children, but parents of the wider group that would have seen and potentially be traumatised as a result of what happened this afternoon.

"My understanding is that the first emergency services were ambulances, and they were there within minutes, followed by An Garda Siochana.

Protests and traffic disruption

There were riots and looting in Dublin city centre on Thursday evening after protesters descended on the scene as night fell, with gardai forced to push them back beyond the cordon. Video shows a youth carrying lit cardboard to an unoccupied squad car on Parnell Street, putting it inside and shutting the door, as onlookers cheer, before the car catches fire.

A Luas, a bus and several cars were also set alight, while business premises were also attacked.

Youths in the city centre were also seen attacking and firing flares and fireworks at gardai.

Gardai with shields were fending off violent demonstrators attempting to kick and punch them and riot police were deployed.

Many of those attacking gardai had hoods up and their faces covered.

At a second briefing on the stabbings on Thursday evening, Garda commissioner Drew Harris labelled the violent scenes as disgraceful describing protesters as a complete lunatic faction driven by far right ideology

He confirmed that a number of garda cars had been damaged and said they had serious public order scenes to deal with.

He said that a hooligan faction was using innuendo, which is being spread for malevolent purposes.

And he said: For those engage in public disorder tonight, its our responsibility to bring them to justice.

He said he has given garda units responding to the violence  full direction to make arrests and bring offenders to justice.

He appealed to agitators to calm down, go home and allow us to do these investigations properly.

Reaction

In a statement, the Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO) said its thoughts and prayers were with the students and teachers in the school.

"Our hearts are with the entire school community of Gaelscoil Cholaiste Mhuire following the horrendous incident that has taken place today, a spokesperson for the INTO said. We are thinking of the children, their families and the schools staff during this unimaginably difficult time.

"We are in touch with the school and know teachers around the country will have the school in their thoughts and prayers this evening.

Minister outlines psychological support

The Minister for Education said that the National Educational Psychological Service is providing support to the school community following the attack.

In a statement, Minister Norma Foley said: I wish to express my deepest sympathies to the three children and the woman who were viciously attacked in Dublin.

"Our hearts and minds go out to all who were injured today and to all of their families, as well as all the staff who care for them in the school and in their creche.

"The National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) is providing support to the school community.

Garda at the scene of a serious incident on Parnell Square East this afternoon. Pic : Colin Keegan / Collins Photos

Eye-witness

An eye-witness described the scene of terror outside the school.

The kids were out walking. All of a sudden, one of them fell to the ground, then another fell to the ground, then another falls to the ground, they said.

Then this guy started running past.

The witness said the assailant was armed with a knife and fell to the ground, following which a load of people jumped on him.

They said that people at the scene then formed a cordon around the assailant to stop him from being assaulted.

The witness said: The police were on the scene pretty quickly. An undercover garda came running up and intervened.

Then the cordon went up and there were people running up and going underneath it, sprinting up the road.

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Anxious parents waiting to collect their children from school gathered at the top of OConnell Street earlier on Thursday.

Some stood, breaking the news to passers-by as they phoned relatives, telling them why they would be late arriving home from the school-run.

Emotional parents pushed buggies through the crowd before being stopped at the cordon, stressed by how little they knew about what had happened.

Parents reaction

The father of an 11-year-old girl at the school said he heard there had been an incident and a child had been stabbed.

He described the terror of running to the school, hoping his daughter hadnt been affected.

Speaking to RTE Radio Ones Morning Ireland, Eric Doran said he just ran down to the school straightaway.

"I just kind of panicked. I got to Parnell Street and it was cordoned off, he said.

"I didnt know what had happened and I was hoping it wasnt Isabelle.

"I didnt know if it was her or not for a half an hour and that half an hour felt like a month.

He continued; She was okay. She said she had to go back into the school to see if her friends were okay.

"She didnt go back in, but thats what she was thinking.

"She was distraught crying, it was horrible. I was just hugging her trying to tell her she was safe now.

People were trying to attack the man

Another witness, Siobhan Kearney said she saw what she believes was a man attacking children.

She described what she witnessed as "absolutely bedlam".

Ms Kearney told RTE she watched people disarm a man who she said had a knife.

"I looked across the road and I see the man and the stabbing motion with a load of children, so I flew across the road," she said.

"People were trying to attack the man so me and an American lady, we formed a ring around the man. Then, about three minutes later, the ambulance came for the children, and then another ambulance and fire officers came for the man on the ground.

Taoiseach responds

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said: We are all shocked by the incident which has taken place in Parnell Square. A number of people have been injured, some of them children. Our thoughts and our prayers go out to them and their families.

I have been in contact with the Minister for Justice who is keeping me updated. The facts in this matter are still emerging. The emergency services responded very quickly and were on-site within minutes. I thank them for that. Gardai have detained a suspect and are following a definite line of inquiry.

Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe said: I am aware of an extremely serious incident that has taken place at Parnell Square in my constituency of Dublin Central.

"My thought and prayers are with the victims of this very serious incident, and their families. Anyone with information is being asked to contact Store Street police station.

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald at the scene in Dublin city centre after five people were injured, including three young children, following a serious public order incident involving a man in possession of a knife. Photo: Brian Lawless/PA Wire

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald said the incident had caused "shock and horror".

In a social media post, Ms McDonald said: "Violent attack at Gael Cholaiste Mhuire Parnell Square has sent shock and horror throughout the community.

"My heart goes out to all the hurt and injured, the parents, teachers but especially the children who have been so traumatised.

"This is beyond words."

Speaking at the scene Ms McDonald added: I know that the gardai acted very swiftly in this matter, but this is certainly the last thing that any of us expected on a Thursday afternoon where children should come safely from school and be collected by their parents.

I pray the injured make a full recovery.

The community is stunned. Stunned and horrified.
Dubliner Ross McDonnell has been confirmed dead by his family

The family of award-winning Irish filmmaker Ross McDonnell, who was believed to have died after a body was recovered on a beach in New York, have confirmed his death.

Howth native Mr McDonnell (44), was reported missing by his family after he was last seen on Saturday, November 4 at Fort Tilden Beach, NY, where his bike was found locked up days later.

The Irish photographer was last seen leaving his apartment in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.

Mr McDonnells remains were discovered after New York police received reports of a body found on the beach. His family have now confirmed his death through RIP.ie.

The death has occurred of Ross Alexander McDonnell, Howth, Dublin, unexpectedly, on the 5th November 2023, it says on RIP.ie.

The Emmy-award winning filmmaker is the much loved son of Maureen and Nicky, beloved brother of Louise and cherished uncle of Eva.

He will be very sadly missed by his loving parents, sister, niece, aunt, uncles, cousins, extended family and his many dear friends, LJ, and also his colleagues in Ireland, U.S.A. and around the world, his official death notice adds.

It is suspected that Mr McDonnell got caught in a current at the Fort Tilden Beach in Queens while going for a swim. No foul play is suspected, law enforcement sources have said.

Mr McDonnell is a three time Emmy winning director, producer and cinematographer and has worked in documentaries, commercials and features.

He began his career as a photographer before moving into film after his first feature film Colony premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, was a winner at IDFA and nominated for an Irish Film and Television Award.

Ross was living in New York City and frequently travelled between New York and Dublin for work.

Dubliner Ross McDonnell has been confirmed dead by his family

Heartbreaking tributes have been paid across the world of photography by friends of Mr McDonnell, who was described as having both charm and a dynamic personality.

A very dynamic talented photographer who over the years has become my good friend, said Darragh Shanahan of Photo Museum Ireland.

"Ross was always really good at turning up for other people, he added.

Heartfelt condolences have also been flowing in for Ross since his family confirmed his death today.

One person said Mr McDonnell will be remembered as a very sweet guy with a broad smile and cheeky grin with whom many a great time we had.

He was a one of a kind guy who made a huge difference in this world and he touched so many hearts and souls with his talents and his magic and no doubt he had so much more to give.

Very special and beautiful person who is sorely missed, another person wrote.

A memorial service for Ross will take place at a later date and funeral arrangements will be made later, his family said.
Irish soldiers take part in exercises in Wicklow ahead of deployment to Lebanon last month. Photo: PA

Tanaiste Micheal Martin says Ireland will abandon the traditional triple lock feature of the international deployment of Irish troops, removing the UNs veto.

The move is a significant change to Irish neutrality policy and ignores the report of a consultative forum that found there was no public appetite for a change in Irelands time-honoured stance.

The triple lock requires there to be first a UN resolution in relation to a troubled territory or state, requesting international force assistance; second, a Government decision to send Irish soldiers in support of that mandate; and thirdly the approval of Dail Eireann.

Mr Martin says it is now proposed to have a double lock instead  consisting solely of a Government decision and Dail approval.

At the same time, he pledged: This Government has no intention of taking any steps towards Nato membership, or altering our policy of military neutrality.

He blamed the frequent paralysis on the UN Security Council (SeCo), where the big powers each have the power to block deployments by applying their national veto  an arrangement that stems from the end of the Second World War.

The Tanaiste insisted that any moves under a new double lock would be fully consistent with the principles of the UN Charter and international law, which Ireland would continue to observe.

But Sinn Fein immediately attacked the move as a dilution of neutrality and claimed the Government had attempted to rig its security consultative forum, held in Dublin Castle and other venues around the country, earlier this year.

SF TD Matt Carthy said the Government should hold a referendum on removing the UN mandate, which he said would not pass.

"If Government now want to take away that protection of the triple lock, then that should be also put to the Irish people by way of referenda, he said.

"I have no doubt if that referendum was put to the Irish people that they would vote overwhelmingly to maintain the triple lock."

He said the UN should be reformed, especially in terms of the veto which can be imposed by the five permanent Security Council members.

Mr Martin said the implications of frequent UN impasses for Ireland and our current policy was simply something we have to take seriously.

We have to be honest about the fact that, in respect of many of the worst crises internationally  where rapid, impartial and decisive international action is desperately needed  the Security Council has not been able to act, he added.

As matters stand, the rules governing the despatch of contingents of the Defence Forces for overseas peace support operations ensure that these may take place only where the operation is mandated or authorised by the UN  and then backed by the Government and Dail.

Mr Martin said that, in effect, the triple-lock system handed the five permanent members of the Security Council a veto.

It is a veto over our national sovereign decision to deploy troops to peacekeeping missions as we see fit, he said.

He said the forum had shown no single consensus over how to proceed, but agility and responsiveness were needed on such matters.

Irish deployments (of more than 12 personnel) would still comply with the highest standards of international law, he stressed.

It would make sense, I believe, to amend our existing legislation in a manner which would allow us to respond to crisis situations with more agility, he said.

In making these important decisions, we are not surrendering our sovereignty.

Mr Martin revealed he had instructed officials in the Department of Defence to prepare legislative proposals without delay that would govern the future overseas deployments of our Defence Forces.

This would allow Ireland to despatch Defence Forces personnel to multilateral missions overseas where these are organised by a regional organisation such as the EU or African Union  or where the host country is requesting such support from the international community.

He added: By making this change in the future, we would be removing the veto power of the Security Council over Irelands engagement, while safeguarding the essential link with international law.

Mr Carthy said that what had been just announced was an attack on traditional Irish neutrality. In his view, the Government forum was an exercise in attempting to advance that agenda.

That exercise had been a failure. It became undone because it had attempted to pre-empt public debate, with the Government stating almost as if it were a fact that there is a need to deepen collaboration with Nato, Mr Carthy said

He said the Government had repeatedly sought to undermine the triple lock, which requires a UN mandate prior to Irish participation in overseas missions.

But an opinion poll at the time of the forum  whose hearings were disrupted by activists  clearly showed that the vast majority of Irish people value our neutrality, he said.

The poll showed 61pc of voters support Ireland's current model, Mr Carthy said. Just 26pc want to see it change.

He welcomed an intervention by President Michael D. Higgins where he warned of the dangers of a drift in foreign policy. Mr Martin said, however, that there was no attempt to go it alone. We are already active members of the EUs Common Security and Defence Policy, including Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO).

Rather than some notional European army, what PESCO provides for in reality is a menu of projects which allow us to work with and learn from EU partners, he said. Mr Martin said Ireland would also go further in the area of maritime security, particularly in relation to subsea cables.

Ireland this year became an observer in the Critical Seabed Infrastructure Protection (CSIP). But Mr Martin said: We should go further and do more.

He said Ireland was involved in Natos Partnership for Peace, but for the avoidance of doubt, let me once again be entirely clear: this Government has no intention of taking any steps towards Nato membership or altering our policy of military neutrality. That is simply not on the agenda.

But a values-led foreign policy does not exclude a dedicated and clear-eyed focus on our own national security, he said.

As I have said before, Ireland cannot rely on our geographic isolation for our security, nor isolate ourselves from world events, Mr Martin said.

The nature of the threats we face are unlike those we have seen before. They may include cyber-attacks and disinformation campaigns that seek to undermine our social cohesion, or interference with our energy and telecommunications infrastructure.

The havoc wreaked by the malicious actors who attacked the HSE in 2021 offers a salutary reminder that neutrality is no safety.

I therefore make a commitment today that the Government will deliver a National Security Strategy in the coming months. The strategy will lay out the threat environment.

He promised a fully-functioning National Security Authority to deal with the protection of EU classified information as well as personal and facilities security clearance, all underpinned by legislation.

As an island nation, the question of our maritime security is paramount. I also am announcing a maritime security strategy. This will have a particular focus on subsea infrastructure.

Mr Martin said this would help make Ireland a confident and forward-looking State, one that does not shy away from playing an active role in upholding international peace and security.
Plans to strip the Triple Lock down to two steps for overseas military missions have been bitterly attacked by the opposition.

Sinn Fein and the Labour Party piled in on the issue.

Meanwhile, Tanaiste Micheal Martin's announced reform is understood to have created significant unhappiness and deep difficulties in the Green Party, which is expected to make a statement later.

Mr Martin, who announced plans in the Dail yesterday to remove the need for a UN call before Irish soldiers serve abroad, was attacked with his own words.

Sinn Fein spokesman Pearse Doherty quoted Mr Martins past Dail contribution when Fine Gael had tabled battlegroup proposals: There is no reason whatsoever to change it (neutrality).

It will impress no-one in Europe and it will contribute nothing to international peace. Instead of sniping at our neutrality, the Government should acknowledge what we have achieved because of it, and strengthen rather than undermine it.

He told the Tanaiste: Those are your words, spoken on a long-term ambition by Fine Gael to undermine Irish neutrality by removing the protection that underpins it  the triple lock.

You went on to say that this is nothing more than an out-of-touch, ideological obsession on the part of Fine Gael, which ignores the fact of Ireland's international standing.

Lets see if you have a mandate to do what you announced yesterday

It is clear now, he said, that Fianna Fail has adopted Fine Gaels out-of-touch, ideological obsession.

Labour Party leader Ivana Bacik denounced a creeping drift in Government away from our traditional policy. She said she shared the Tanaistes views on Russia, but the intended move was the answer to the wrong question, which required reform of the Security Council, with the General Assembly brought to the fore at the United Nations.

Mr Martin had earlier complained that the Security Council had not been able to issue even a statement on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Ms Bacik asked the Tanaiste to abandon the plans and to instead enshrine Irish neutrality in the Constitution.

But Mr Martin said he was old enough to remember the 1972 referendum on joining the EEC, precursor to the European Union, when there was the same scaremongering and warnings about NATO soldiers on the streets and nuclear weapons being paraded down OConnell Street.

Mr Doherty pointed out that there are just 7,600 members today across all services of our Defence Forces, saying this was a complete scandal, well below the establishment figure of 9,600, or indeed the target of 11,500.

Under the Tanaistes watch, more personnel were leaving each year than are being recruited, he said.

Instead of addressing these problems, Mr Martin wanted to abandon decades of Irish foreign policy and a core protection by abolishing the triple lock, the Sinn Fein spokesman added.

The existing requirements address the real and legitimate concerns of the Irish people regarding being dragged into an EU military framework, he said, and had been decided on as a response to misgivings over the Lisbon and Nice treaties.

Your leader erected a statue to Sean Russell, who collaborated with the German Nazis

If Mr Martin was so convinced about the need to end the triple lock, Mr Doherty continued, then do the honourable thing, do the democratic thing and put this fundamental shift of foreign policy directly to the people in terms of a referendum.

Lets see if you have a mandate to do what you announced yesterday.

The Fianna Fail leader said it was his party that introduced military neutrality during World War Two.

Sinn Fein was the only party in this house that sought to actively undermine the Irish policy of military neutrality during that conflict, he said.

Indeed, your leader erected a statue to Sean Russell, who collaborated with the German Nazis. That is the history of your commitment to military neutrality,

Those are facts. You erected a statue and honoured the person who actively sought to undermine Eamon de Valeras policy.

So I take no lectures from you, Deputy, in respect of our commitment to military neutrality.
Gardai have made a number of arrests on O'Connell Street in Dublin city centre on Friday evening as a smaller number of people attempted to create unrest for a second night in a row.

The force is mounting a significant security operation in the area following the widespread violence on Thursday in the wake of the Parnell Square stab attack and a number of men were detained and arrested by gardai following a struggle.

A number of people were taken away in garda vans following sporadic altercations, as some youths refused to disperse, but the crowds gathered in the city centre were much smaller than Thursday and there is a far greater garda presence.

There are scores of gardai on the capitals main street this evening, however the city is generally calm and there is no sign of the level of disturbance seen on Thursday.

Many city centre businesses closed early on Black Friday  one of the traditionally busiest days of the year  and Dublin city centre was largely quiet by 7:30pm.

Jervis Street Shopping Centre was closed and the outside windows were boarded up for protection on Friday evening.

Around 60 gardai were assaulted in chaotic Dublin city riots on Thursday night.

Three of these officers suffered serious injuries, including one male garda who was hospitalised with a severe injury to his toe.

This garda is based at Pearse Street station in the capitals city centre.

Another garda suffered a broken ankle, while a third officer broke three fingers on one of their hands as they tried to contain the violence.

Up to 60 gardai suffered some form of injury last night when they were subjected to assaults. This includes cuts, bruises and significant scrapes as they were punched and kicked, a source said.

Gardi have now acquired two water cannons from the PSNI to deal with any further disturbances or riots this weekend.

At the height of the violence, around 400 gardai were dealing with what has been described as mayhem on the northside of Dublin city centre.

Multiple sources have expressed deep concern that many of these officers were not issued with helmets and had no formal training in how to deal with a major public order incident.

Sources say the scenes were unprecedented in this country and even led to a bizarre situation where garda units were calling other units looking for pepper spray.

It took many hours for gardai to take control of the situation.

The American embassy has issued a demonstration alert to US citizens in Ireland as it says it is monitoring reports of potential continued demonstrations in Dublin.

US citizens have been urged to avoid crowds, avoid demonstrations, to monitor local media for updates and to be aware of their surroundings while in the capital.

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris blamed the riots on a complete lunatic faction driven by far-right ideology.

A clean-up is still being carried out across the north-inner-city this afternoon as the capital comes to terms with the violent scenes, looting and chaos in the aftermath of the stabbing of three children and a woman outside a school earlier in the day.

A female creche worker and a five-year-old girl are in a serious condition after the incident on Parnell Square. Two other children suffered lesser injuries. A man, who is currently under guard, also suffered injuries during the incident. He is currently in an unnamed hospital in the city.

Shortly after the incident, a group of protesters gathered at the scene.

It wasnt long before they attempted to break the garda cordon. Within a couple of hours, hundreds of people were on the street and it gradually grew more violent. As darkness fell on the capital, chaos ensued.

Garda Commissioner

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has confirmed a total of 34 arrests for public order offences so far.

He said 13 shops were significantly damaged or subject to looting, 11 garda vehicles were destroyed through arson or extensively damaged, three Dublin Buses were destroyed and a Luas tram.

A worker clears debris beside damaged public transport vehicles on O'Connell Street in Dublin, in the aftermath of violent scenes in the city centre on Thursday evening. Brian Lawless/PA Wire

Huge destruction from a riotous mob who were in effect responding, and trying to break into and disrupt the crime scene. Order was restored between 8.30pm and 9pm as we deployed more resources," he said.

An Garda Siochana responded to this entirely and in an extraordinary fashion. Members from across the country responded, returned to duty, public order units from all over Ireland responded to Dublin.

But we could not have anticipated that in response to a terrible crime, the stabbing of school children and their teacher, that this would be the response. In effect, those filled with hate and the hate directed towards An Garda Siochana, that they would attempt to storm through our cordon and disrupt a crime scene and then engage in violence, looting and disorder.

Nobody could have anticipated that when these awful events started at 1.30pm.Mr Harris said gardai were monitoring the build up of tensions on social media and were constantly adding to resources that were available.

Gardai reacted quickly and were able to clamp down on that looting. This is not a failure of personnel, everyone responded to this and stood up to the plate, I now have to look at the tactics that we have for public order.

"We have not seen a public order situation like this before, this may be behaviour that is apparent in other countries, but I think that weve seen an element of radicalisation.

We have seen a group of people that take literally a thimble full of facts and make hateful assumptions and then conduct themselves in a way which is riotous. But there is no failure here, this is regrettably how protests have moved on and now we have to graduate and have a proportionate response to that.

Mr Harris said gardai have thousands of hours of CCTV to trawl through, but many of these individuals are well known to us, they have criminal records.

He said gardai have to make the assumption that there will be further such protests following the events last night.

What happened last night was an entirely different scale to the events outside the Dail, were going to have to have a fundamental review of our public order tactics given the amount of violence directed towards citizens, gardai and also the community, he said.

Im not going to say we got things wrong, what we saw last night was an extraordinary outbreak of violence and we have to then respond accordingly in terms of our graduated response to the policing of disorder.

Meanwhile, the Garda Representative Association this afternoon said: Yesterday, garda members from all over the country went to Dublin to provide support for their colleagues in an extremely volatile and dangerous situation and we wish to commend all those members who put the safety of their fellow gardai and the public ahead of their own.

The Garda Commissioner this morning spoke of reflection required on the tactics employed in such public order situations and we would of course welcome a thorough review with input from our members on the frontline, General Secretary Ronan Slevin said.

We at the Garda Representative Association have long called for greater resources, better training and to be more appropriately equipped for such events - both in terms of safety equipment and with technology such as body worn recording devices.

Tanaiste

Tanaiste Micheal Martin condemned the "lawlessness and rioting that occurred last night in our city" and insisted he had confidence in Garda Commissioner Drew Harris and Justice Minister Helen McEntee.

However, Mr Martin said there was a degree of orchestration with the riots.

"I do think we have to evaluate that, I think we have to look at our intelligence gathering and our intelligence services in respect of the degree to which many of these events are now being orchestrated, particularly utilising online platforms and the online world in terms of mobilising people to particular spots," Mr Martin said.

Mr Martin thanked gardai "who had to put themselves in harms way to deal with the actions of a small minority in our society".

"What happened last evening does not in any shape or form reflect the views of the vast, vast majority of the Irish people. People have no time for the lawlessness, rioting and attacks on our gardai, fire services, bus drivers that happened last night, he said.

"When you attack buses, when you attack a Luas, when you attack shops, you are attacking your own community, you're attacking a family, you're attacking friends, you're attacking workers.

The scene on Parnell Street in Dublin city centre after violent scenes (Brian Lawless/PA)

Justice Minister

Justice Minister Helen McEntee said her thoughts are with the child and teacher who were seriously injured.

This has been a hugely traumatic time for their families and communities, and its important that every support is made available to them, she told RTEs Morning Ireland.

The gardai are following a definite line of inquiry, they have identified a person, that person has not been charged yet but the fact that theyre not looking for anyone else in relation to this is important.

I think people are trying to get their heads around what has happened, I absolutely understand that. This was something that we have not seen before and the fact that such innocent, small children were attacked in this way. It is the most brutal of attacks.

We need to allow gardai to conduct their inquiries and to make sure whoever is responsible is held accountable and brought to justice.

The gardai were there immediately, as you can imagine this was a situation that unfolded in a matter of seconds.

Ms McEntee said she believes there are enough gardai on patrol in the city centre.

There was an additional fund of 10 million allocated for the city centre to make sure that we have a high visibility presence day in day out, she said.

Ms McEntee said last night, a small group took advantage of a particularly devastating act and wreaked havoc across our city.

This was a very volatile situation, you could see a number of people gathered peacefully but very quickly a number that were intent on causing nothing but havoc and they will be dealt with appropriately, she said.

34 people arrested, there were many of these didnt cover their faces, they came in and caused havoc, that CCTV will be gone through, and they will be apprehended. And we have very strong legislation  up to 10 years in prison, but up to 12 years as well for someone who assaults a member.

An Garda Siochana at the scene in Dublin city centre (Brian Lawless/PA)

President Micheal D Higgins said the earlier attack on the school was being abused by groups with an agenda.

Chief Superintendent Patrick McMenamin said significant levels of public disorder and criminal damage was carried out by small groups of violent individuals.

Public transport was attacked, Garda vehicles were damaged and some commercial businesses were attacked, he said.

Some of my colleagues were attacked and assaulted, thankfully none were seriously injured and I commend them all on their bravery to protect our community.

Videos showed people breaking into numerous shops along OConnell Street. Rioters raided Arnotts department store on Henry Street, and looted a Foot Locker store on O'Connell Street. People also threw bottles at gardai. Others carried metal bars and smashed shop windows.

Parts of Parliament Street were seen ablaze as rioters and looters moved from OConnell Street towards Capel Street as riot police attempted to bring the chaos in the capital to a close.

Gangs were also seen dancing on a garda car at Busaras as pockets of violence broke out around the capital. People attending a concert at the 3Arena were asked to find an alternative method to go home and not to go towards the city centre.

Stores shut their doors and closed down shutters ahead of closing time as violent scenes escalated. Arnotts was due to stay open until 9pm, but looters were seen forcefully lifting the shutters before 8.30pm.

In a series of co-ordinated presses, gardai dispersed a large portion of the crowd onto nearby roads. Smoke from bus and car fires filled the air while a garda helicopter overhead monitored the situation.

There were also calls for calm and warnings against misinformation following the violent scenes.

Although gardai in riot gear were deployed, the Defence Forces clarified that the army was not called in, despite rumours.

In a statement, President Micheal D Higgins said the attack on school children in Parnell Square was horrific.

All of our thoughts are with each of the children and their families affected by today's horrific attack outside Gaelscoil Colaiste Mhuire in Dublin city centre, said Mr Higgins.

We are particularly thinking of the 5 year old girl and the member of staff caring for her who are both in serious condition in hospital. All of our prayers are with each of them for a full recovery.

The gardai deserve all of our support in dealing with this incident. This appalling incident is a matter for the gardai and that it would be used or abused by groups with an agenda that attacks the principle of social inclusion is reprehensible and deserves condemnation by all those who believe in the rule of law and democracy.

Speaking on Thursday evening, Minister for Justice Helen McEntee said: "We have to be so clear that what we're witnessing this evening is a small group of people who do not represent me and do not represent the vast majority of people.

"They are using this appalling act to wreak havoc and to sow division, she told RTEs Primetime.

"They're thugs. They're criminals. That's how they'll be treated."

Asked if, as Justice Minister, she failed to foresee an event like this or to realise how dangerous these anti-immigration protesters could be, she replied: "This is a small group of people, not a large faction of society, they have one aim and it's to wreak havoc.

"They're criminals and thugs, they'll be put in prison.

"What was clear very early on, a group of people were intent on gathering.

A bus and car on fire on OConnell Street (Brian Lawless/PA)

"There was a protest earlier that was a peaceful protest but a separate group had a different intention.

"We've had the garda response team on the ground all day, quite some time now.

"Gardai have been putting themselves in harm's way to protect the city.

"Gardai are on the ground, they are responding with force, but they can only do so much. A person sets a bus on fire, gardai have to take care of themselves and the people around them.

"There is always room to facilitate debate but these people just wanted to wreak havoc.

A garda car on fire in Dublin

Commuters in the capital were hugely disrupted as the protests have made areas in the city centre off-limits for public transport. Many struggled to find alternative modes of transport home from work and began walking.

However, there was praise for the helpfulness of public transport staff, with broadcaster Joe Duffy lending his support.

All traffic and public transport through O'Connell Street was also blocked. And all Dublin Bus and Luas services were paused.

Lifestyle Sports pictured on Friday morning

A number of Dublin businesses also decided not to open their doors or continue operating for the evening.

Well-known night venue Tengu wrote on their official Instagram; "Tengu will be closed tonight due to the ongoing situation on O'Connell Street and the surrounding area. It is not safe to open the venue tonight. Please stay safe."

Parnell Street bar The Big Romance also wrote online; "Due to the scenes on Parnell Street we have decided to close this evening. Our priority is the safety of our staff and customers alike."

City Council cleans up the burnt out bus after Dublin City Centre Riots
Mary Fogarty of the INMO said the HSE moratorium on new hires is affecting patient safety at St John's Hospital in Limerick

Nurses at St Johns Hospital in Limerick city have begun a work-to-rule this morning over what they said is their inability to provide safe care to patients in the midst of a staffing crisis.

Mary Fogarty, Assistant Director of Industrial Relations with the INMO, said the 89-bed hospital, which has 30 nursing vacancies, is unable to fill the positions due to the HSEs hiring freeze.

We have engaged with management over the last couple of months seeking that they would curtail services within the hospital pending recruitment of nurses, she told RTEs Morning Ireland.

Ms Fogarty said that talks have failed and so staff begun a work-to-rule from 8am this morning.

If we dont have safe staffing levels at our hospitals which our fundamental, we wont have safe and high quality care. This is a unique situation at St Johns Hospital this morning, she said.

She stressed that the hospital has been finding it difficult to fill the vacancies, however the new moratorium on hiring within the HSE has compounded the issue.

The INMO have been told by the hospital that they have 15 nurses that could start over the next couple of months, however Ms Fogarty said more nurses are expected to leave before then.

The embargo makes the situation even worse. This vacancy rate of 30 will increase rapidly, she said, stressing that the 15 nurses have not accepted contracts and are still in the recruitment process.

She described the moratorium on not being able to recruit new staff unless they are new graduates or oversea international nurses as a huge worry adding that the availability of new graduates in the job market is very limited at the moment.

The situation at St Johns is that nurses will continue to provide all care to patients but will not be undertaking work outside of their role, she said.

Nurses will not be engaging in support work, clerical administration work or leaving their wards to pharmacies to collect medication.

Patient care will be better provided from today, as nurses will remain on their wards to provide direct care, Ms Fogarty added.
A family photo taken of the Grimley family at Dundalk races on the night of the tragedy.

A family photograph taken just hours before the death of Patrick and Ciera Grimley in a Co Armagh road crash has shown how cruelly life can change in an instant.

The Madden couple died following the four-vehicle collision on the Gosford Road near Markethill in the early hours of November 4, leaving behind their three children  Tadhg, Mya and Cadhla.

Ciera passed away in hospital a week after her husband Patrick died in the crash  which happened on the way home from celebrating his 40th birthday.

She was the third victim of the tragedy and passed away on the same day that another victim of the crash, Ciara McElvanna, was laid to rest.

A GoFundMe page set up by the extended Grimley family to help support Patrick and Cieras children has reached almost 300,000 in just three days.

Fundraiser for children of couple who died in Co Armagh crash surpasses 250,000 Fundraiser for children of couple killed in Markethill crash raises more than 90k in less than 24 hours Wife of GAA club secretary who was third victim in Co Armagh crash laid to rest

Lorraine Grimley, whose husband is Patricks uncle, said they are overwhelmed by the support they have received so far from the Madden community and further afield.

She felt the huge response to the appeal was down to people reacting to the heartbreaking news that three children have been left without their parents in tragic and sudden circumstances.

The Grimley family travelled to Dundalk races for Patricks birthday and took a picture together to mark the occasion before the children were sent home early.

This is people reacting to children who have been left without their parents, who did everything right on a night out, said Lorraine.

They got a taxi home that night. They went out to celebrate, sent their children home early and then that happened. That photo was taken on their night out. It just shows how your life can change in an instant and I think thats why it has impacted so many people because to go from a happy family photograph to bang  the family being affected so badly from tragedy.

Lorraine said Patrick, who was club secretary at Madden Raparees GAA club, would have been the first person to set up a fundraiser in similar circumstances as he was a leader.

She added that Patrick and Cieras legacy has to live through their children.

Lorraine said that a donation was made to the family before the GoFundMe appeal was launched by a Protestant church where three members were shot dead 40 years ago this week. She said it shows that such a horrific loss impacts everyone, no matter where they are from.

Three men, Harold Browne, Victor Cunningham and David Wilson, all members of the Mountain Lodge Pentecostal Church in Darkley, Co Armagh, were shot dead on November 20, 1983.

The shocking attack was later admitted by the Catholic Reaction Force, a cover name for the INLA.

Grief is grief no matter your breed or denomination, said Lorraine. Before the GoFundMe, here in Madden, the people here  religion doesnt come into it  we all have different interests but were all trying to rear our own children and this has affected the Madden people.

What stuck out with us with Darkley is they had a memorial and they thought of us in their grief.

They lost parents that night too so it just made it more inspiring to come down to the family with the donation.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has called on the US to use its influence and to lead in negotiating a two-state solution in Israel and Palestine.

Mr Varadkar was speaking as the Government hopes Irish citizen Emily Hand (9), who was captured by Hamas, will be released in the coming days.

In a speech at the American Chamber of Commerce Thanksgiving lunch in Dublin, he thanked the US for defending and opposing occupation and aggression against the population of Ukraine.

We respectfully ask that it should use its influence to do the same with Israel and Palestine and lead once again in the quest for a two-state solution, he said.

Mr Varadkar said the American Chamber of Commerce is right to highlight infrastructural deficits and capacity constraints in our economy.

He said Ireland has not been good in long-term investment but insisted that this is changing.

We are now investing four times more every year in public infrastructure projects compared to when I was first appointed to Cabinet in 2011 and we are beginning to see results in crucial areas like housing, transport, and energy.

We need it to happen faster and more effectively  meeting the needs of a fast-growing country and population, and the twin challenges of climate and digital.

He said the Government is overhauling the planning system, as well as putting in ambitious plans for onshore and offshore renewable energy.

The Taoiseach also paid tribute to the extraordinary relationship between the US and Ireland.

For centuries there has been a reciprocal relationship of affection and understanding between our peoples, he said.

Ireland is a gateway to Europe for almost 1,000 US companies employing over 200,000 people, the Taoiseach said.

A total of 650 Irish companies employ over 100,000 people across every state in the US.

US Ambassador to Ireland Claire Cronin gave an opening address to the lunch, which was attended by 850 people, including Minister of State Dara Calleary and Senator Lisa Chambers.
Meet the team behind Irelands first space satellite: Once in orbit, it will go around the earth once every 100 minutes

EIRSAT-1, which was designed, built and tested by a 50-strong team at UCD, is set to be launched into space later this month

Professor Lorraine Hanlon, EIRSAT-1's project director, photographed with the antennae array which will allow the team at the UCD Centre of Space Research to communicate with the satellite. Picture: Frank McGrath

Katie Byrne Thu 23 Nov 2023 at 03:30

When Irelands first-ever satellite, EIRSAT-1, is launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at the end of the month, it will take just 10 minutes for it to travel 500km to low-Earth orbit.
Research by Trinity College Dublin examined a programme run at Meath Womens Refuge and Support Services, is understood to be one of the only networks of shelters in the country to have dedicated childrens support workers.

The childrens support workers are devoted to trying to minimise the trauma experienced by children who have had to flee abusive homes with their mothers. The support they offer could be play therapy, one-to-one discussions, a day out, or even sourcing and replacing a beloved doll that was left behind in the chaos of an attempted escape from an abuser.

The report demonstrates quite clearly that these support workers have been so successful in Meath that they should be funded and introduced to every refuge in the country.

But within the report there was another sign of a crucial change that the State needs to make to our domestic abuse refuges.

Like almost all refuges in Ireland, services in Meath have experienced a dramatic increase in demand. In 2022, the Meath refuges helped 131 people  57 women and 74 children. This was an 11pc increase on the number of people it helped in 2021.

What was far more stark was the number of people it could not help. Every single refuge in Ireland has less capacity than there is demand. In Meath, 300 women and 184 children who came looking for help could not be accommodated. This figure was also up 11pc on the year before. So, in one small snapshot of the country we can see that last year more than three times as many women and children had to be turned down as were accommodated.

Last week, the first major Council of Europe report examining Irelands performance on the issue of violence against women also criticised the States lack of refuge accommodation. It said that one third of the national territory lacks specialist shelters for victims of domestic violence, putting under great strain the existing shelters, which are often at full capacity. While shelter staff do their utmost to find alternative accommodation for victims, the latter may find themselves with no option but to remain at home with the perpetrator.

Refuges do as much as they can for abuse survivors, with finite resources and limited capacity. They are being put in an impossible position by a consistent failure to fund and build as many refuges as we require.

A lack of appropriate accommodation for victims is potentially deadly. Frontline domestic abuse services regularly warn that the point at which she decides to leave can be the most dangerous for a woman and her child. And the report on services in Meath also found that for many abuse survivors, the thing that finally pushes her to leave will be concerns about the welfare of her children. She might not leave for her own sake, but she will for theirs.

Presiding over a situation where someone might finally work up the courage to ask for help, and then not be able to be given it, is a degradation of duty towards some of the most vulnerable people in society

Leaving is already hard enough, particularly in a country with an enduring housing crisis. Presiding over a situation where someone might finally work up the courage to ask for help, and then not be able to be given it, is a degradation of duty towards some of the most vulnerable people in society.

Under the Istanbul Convention, there should be one family refuge place for every 10,000 people. It had previously been estimated that based on this calculation, Ireland needs 476 family refuge places. We currently provide less than a third of that.

However, earlier this year the CSO published new data from Census 2022 which shows that our population has swelled beyond five million people for the first time since the famine. That means that our refuge provision per head of population is even worse than previously estimated.

We know already that demand for domestic abuse supports had increased during the pandemic and remained steady since. While everyone favours a system that keeps the victim and their children in their home, and removes the perpetrator, that is not always possible. In these circumstances, refuge provision is essential. And refuge space doesnt just need to be available, it also needs to be local.

Escaping abuse is only the start. Survivors can find themselves immersed in difficult court processes, often while still trying to keep family life and the life of their children from going off the rails.

Being placed in a refuge far from your home, because there was no capacity locally, can make navigating this new life logistically impossible. Particularly for women who have suffered financial control, one of the most common kinds of abuse in a perpetrators arsenal.

Earlier this year, Minister for Justice Helen McEntee said that the ultimate goal was to try to have a refuge place for every woman who flees her abusive home.

In order to save the lives of women and children, that ambition needs to be rapidly acted on and go from being a goal to a reality.
Countries fear being left defenceless if Donald Trump returns to the White House

A soldier pays his respects at the monument to the Heavenly Hundred, people killed during the Ukrainian pro-EU mass demonstrations in 2014. Photo: Reuters

Poland is building one of the Wests most muscle-bound militaries, on course to deploy more battle tanks than Britain, France, Germany and Italy combined.

Which raises a question: in a nation where children are as scarce as winter sunshine and whose population is shrinking, who will operate the top-shelf weaponry Warsaw has ordered, or provide the tens of thousands of troops needed for the planned doubling of the armed forces size?
Ashling Murphy, who was killed by a stranger while jogging along a canal bank in Tullamore, Co Offaly, in January of last year, pictured on her graduation day. Photo: Steve Humphreys

When schoolteacher Ashling Murphy was murdered when out exercising near her home in Co Offaly in January 2022, I attended a vigil in Dublin city centre for her where anger and sadness felt heavy in the silent air. But later that evening I went out for a run on my own, because I felt the legacy of this bright and life-enhancing woman should not be a climate of fear.
Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton - Britain's new foreign affairs secretary David Cameron - swears an oath of allegiance to King Charles as he is elevated to the House of Lords on Monday, November 20. Photo: House of Lords/UK Parliament/PA

The ongoing drama in the Tory Party is a long-running tragicomedy which just keeps giving.

Last week we had prime minister Rishi Sunaks cabinet reshuffle which was filled with more plot twists than a nest of vipers. This ranged from the acrimonious defenestration of Suella Braverman to the extraordinary reintroduction of David Cameron to the cabinet.

Yes, the suave, debonair yet shifty David Cameron. The unelected Mr Sunak elevated his disgraced predecessor Mr Cameron to the unelected House of Lords and then, quite incredibly, placed him in a key cabinet position as the UKs new foreign secretary.

This is despite the fact that he will not be accountable to Britains elected representatives in the House of Commons  an inherently undemocratic decision.

The fact that no one in parliament was viewed as capable of taking this important position exposed the lack of talent and divisions across Conservative benches. Even in the case of Mr Cameron, the PM found it difficult to defend his record. Mr Cameron is a gifted orator but his finest foreign policy achievement was said to be hosting a G8 summit  on one occasion.

But, it is not just the lack of tangible achievements that is a cause for concern regarding Mr Camerons elevation. He was the hapless facilitator of the disastrous Brexit fiasco which proved to be the catalyst for the economic decline and growing political isolation of Britain over the next decade.

George Workman, Donabate, Co Dublin

This Thanksgiving I will think of the strength of Palestinian community

As an American currently residing in Ireland, the approaching Thanksgiving season has sparked a deep sense of gratitude.

As my family in America eagerly prepares for Thanksgiving festivities, I feel a profound appreciation for the unyielding spirit of the Palestinian community, showcasing remarkable strength in the face of adversity.

Thanksgiving, with its familial gatherings and expressions of gratitude, seamlessly aligns with the principles I adhere to as an Ahmadi Muslim here in Ireland.

The concept of thankfulness, as emphasised in the Holy Quran, encourages me to consciously acknowledge my blessings.

This reflection prompted thoughts about the challenges faced by our Palestinian friends, who, much like our Irish gatherings, come together amid difficult times, steadfastly refusing to let their spirit be crushed.

Their resilience reflects the teachings of Islam, underscoring gratitude even in adversity and serving as a powerful reminder of our shared human experience that transcends geographical boundaries.

In the spirit of promoting peace and gratitude, I also want to highlight the initiatives of His Holiness, Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. He has called on our community worldwide to launch a campaign, raising voices for peace and advocating an end to the violence in Palestine.

In a world often characterised by divisions, acknowledging and appreciating the strength of communities like the Palestinians fosters compassion and unity. As we gather around our Irish tables this Thanksgiving, lets expand our reflections and lend our voices to the campaign for peace.

Nudrat Jahan, Bettystown, Meath

A pity to see such support for bill that criminalises peaceful pro-life protests

I was disappointed that the so-called Safe Access Zones bill was passed by an overwhelming majority in the Dail last week. This bill if it becomes law will criminalise any citizen who is involved in a peaceful pro-life protest.

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris is on record stating that existing public order legislation is sufficient to deal with any breaches of the law.

I have not heard of any such offences being brought before the courts.

Eamonn OHara, Manorcunningham, Co Donegal

New measures just add to an already complicated, outdated welfare system

As part of the reform of the welfare system, Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys is proposing to have unemployment benefits linked to pay and to pay carers, conditionally, the contributory state pension from January 2024 (Unemployment Benefit linked to pay for nine months in welfare system shake-up, Irish Independent, November 20).

The pay-related unemployment benefit, which the minister expects to be in place by the end of 2024, proposes the first three months of unemployment attracting 60pc of previous earnings to a maximum of 450, followed by three months at 55pc (to a max of 375), and then the next three months at 50pc, to a max of 300, before going to the rate of 232 per week if they are still unemployed.

These are divisive measures which add to our extremely complicated, unjust and outdated welfare system which politicians use and abuse to electoral advantage. These are two measures which are being cynically and unashamedly proposed prior to the upcoming elections for parties in the current government to bolster their re-electability.

It becomes clear that cost is not a prohibitive factor in introducing welfare measures which target the electorate of parties in power, with no consideration for the many in the population who will not benefit.

To create a just, equitable and cohesive society, all citizens need to be valued and treated equally.

Political parties that implement a universal basic income of 350 per week for everyone 18 years and over, instead of our present welfare system, will create a seismic shift in our society.

Hugh McDermott, Dromahair, Co Leitrim

As a mother, Im asking that we avoid painting all men with the one brush

As a mother of two young men I would like to say a word of caution to women. Not all men out there are murderers or rapists or stalkers.

Some are ordinary people who like to go out walking and do other normal activities. Surely everyone is not in the same category.

Why must every one think of the worst before the better?

The guilty must be called out and punished severely. But can we also be mindful of giving young men as well as older men a chance?

Colette Collins, Friars Hill, Wicklow

Value of human life is low if we are asking only for a pause in the killing

Most of the world appears to be asking for a pause in the slaughter between Gaza and Israel.

The implication is that they would be prepared after this pause to let the combatants go at it again. And so all would be free to let the carnage and killing continue as usual.

The value of human life has now apparently reached zero.

Leo Gormley, Dundalk, Co Louth
Investing Success story, Oisin Hanrahan, is going big with a new venture Keychain after securing $18m in seed funding for Keychain. The former CEO of Handy.com sold the company for an undisclosed amount to Angi after it raised $100m.

His current venture, Keychain, seeks to put retailers and manufacturers of consumer-packaged goods together on one platform.

He sat down with Adrian to discuss growing marketplaces, securing seed funding and the importance of knowing where your food comes from.

The Rathcoole-born businessman says the way relationships are currently built is completely ad-hoc. This takes place between the two parties on a word-of-mouth basis and at trade fairs, mainly. This leads to a subpar product ending up on the shelves which is less healthy for the consumer.

According to Keychain, there are about 20,000 manufacturers who package and produce $500 billion worth of food and CPG products around the world.

Hanrahan has announced $18m in seed funding for his new startup.

You can listen to the full episode on Independent.ie or wherever you get your podcasts.
Cork County Council is inviting owners and custodians to apply for funding to safeguard protected structures and archaeological monuments in County Cork.

Owners and custodians of historic properties in County Cork have been invited by Cork County Council to apply for funding to safeguard protected structures and archaeological monuments.

Three funding streams have been announced for 2024, including the Community Monuments Fund, the Built Heritage Investment Scheme, and the Historic Structures Fund.

Under the Built Heritage Investment Scheme, successful applicants can receive grants of up to 15,000 for small-scale works to repair and preserve their historic properties.

These grants relate to protected structures and properties located within Architectural Conservation Areas and a range of different properties and projects are awarded funding each year.

The 2023 scheme supported 17 different projects, ranging from churches and thatched houses to country houses, town houses and retail premises.

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The Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr Frank OFlynn encouraged people to avail of the schemes. Heritage is all around us, it is what defines us as a people. How we regard our heritage and how we protect and promote it is of the utmost importance. I encourage people to avail of these schemes to protect the old buildings that we work in or live in, and the thousands of archaeological monuments.

This generation and each successive one needs to do what they can towards ensuring that the built and archaeological heritage held dear today, can be marvelled at, and enjoyed for many more years to come, he added. Chief Executive of Cork County Council, Valerie OSullivan said: County Cork is steeped in built and archaeological heritage with close to 3,000 protected structures, over 50 Architectural Conservation Areas and close to 20,000 recorded archaeological monuments. Each of these three schemes have benefited the countys heritage significantly in the last number of years and on the national level, over 16million has been ringfenced across the three schemes for 2024.

The Historic Structures Fund will focus on conservation projects that deliver a major community benefit and successful applicants may receive up to 200,000 for their project. The scheme also offers funding for vernacular structures and for historic shopfronts. The Community Monuments Fund will enable conservation works to be carried out on archaeological monuments which are deemed to be significant and in need of support.

It aims to build resilience in monuments to enable them to withstand the effects of climate change, to encourage access to monuments and to improve their presentation. The Scheme has three streams of funding, all of which offer up to 100% of eligible costs.

The Community Monuments Fund which was established in 2020, has seen an investment of 911,000 for 17 different archaeological sites in County Cork. The deadline for submission of completed applications is 4pm on Thursday, January 18 2024 in respect of the Built Heritage Investment Scheme and Historic Structures Fund, and the later date of 4pm on Wednesday, January 31 2024 in respect of the Community Monuments Fund 2024.

Applications can be made by emailing corkheritage@corkcoco.ie or a hard copy may be submitted to the Built Heritage Investment Scheme or Historic Structures Fund or Community Monuments Fund, Cork County Council, Heritage and Conservation Office, Floor 3, Planning Department, County Hall, Cork.
At the end of the day I am a pretty girl I wont deny that, I am but at the same time I am now disfigured.

A teenager who lost vision in one eye after an unprovoked attack has spoken about navigating life since the attack now that she is single.

Alanna Quinn Idris was hit in the face with the saddle of an electric scooter during an attack by four youths on her and a friend on the Ballyfermot Road, west Dublin, on December 30, 2021.

The then 17-year-old was knocked unconscious and left with a shattered tooth, broken cheekbone, and a ruptured eyeball.

Despite numerous reconstructive surgeries, she has lost vision permanently in her right eye as a result of the attack.

Now 19-years-old, the brave Dubliner has opened up about the impact of the injury she suffered on her life as a single woman after her two-year relationship came to an end.

Earlier this week Alanna underwent further surgery on her eye.

Speaking on TikTok ahead of the operation Alanna said she wanted to talk about something that has been on my mind.

If you know me, you would know I never sit around talking about my eye or how I feel about it. But I have surgery tomorrow  my fifth surgery tomorrow to try fix what was done to me.

For the last two years Ive been in a relationship the whole time from when this happened to me, so I never really had to think about my eye in that context, she said.

Alanna Quinn Idris

I always had that person with me, through all the court, through surgery up until last month. We arent together anymore and its just weird now navigating through life with this and also not having that person to fall back on.

Alanna told how she is a lot more self aware of whats happened to me now that I am out of a relationship because I actually have to think about it.

She also spoke about the surgery and said while she has the support of family and friends it was the first one Im going through alone as a single woman.

Alanna continued: At the end of the day I am a pretty girl I wont deny that, I am but at the same time I am now disfigured. Its so weird to say that but I am and it may not be major and you cant see it from afar but I am.

Alanna said she is now having to go through life thinking about how I will be with someone else and be face to face with someone.

Thats what is in my head, why would they want to look at this? And I know there is somebody out there who is not going to think about it but it's just because I had that person from day one of it happening to me, she said.

In the honest post, Alanna said she never talks about her private life and feels like  a sap and an attention seeker when I come on and talk about it.

However, she said she wanted to share her thoughts given the growth in her social media following since the horror attack.

I have a good bit more (followers)  but that only is because of what happened to me so its weird for me not talking about it, she said.

Josh Cummins (19) of Raheen Drive, Ballyfermot, is to be sentenced next month after he pleaded guilty to intentionally or recklessly causing serious harm to Alanna.

He further pleaded guilty to a count of violent disorder and one of production of an article, a hurl, in the course of a dispute.

He also pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to Louis O'Sullivan as part of the same incident. Cummins has no previous convictions.

In March of this year, his co-accused, Darragh Lyons (19), was sentenced to four and a half years in prison for assault causing serious harm to Alanna.

Lyons, of Weir View, Glenaulin, Chapelizod, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to Louis O'Sullivan and to violent disorder as part of the same incident.

Another accused, described in court as 'Suspect A' is before the courts. The fourth male, 'Suspect B', has not been identified.

During his sentence hearing, the court heard Lyons turned 18 on the day he punched Alanna in the face before later jumping over her unconscious body to attack her friend.

During a moving victim impact statement, Alanna told court about the impact the attack has had on her life and said "sometimes I wish I never woke up from when I was hit."

"I do not look or feel like the same person," She told the court.

"The life I was supposed to live was taken away from me before I turned 18.

"Nothing ever prepared me for the night of December 30. Life as I knew it came to an abrupt end.

"I was the victim of a vicious and unnecessary assault that will forever impact my life from that day forward."

She described having to live the rest of her life disabled, and how the woman she was supposed to be "died that night".

"Sometimes I wish I never woke up from when I was hit with that object," she added.
A Community of Hope: Artists for Dublin Simon brings together the cream of Irish artistic talent in solidarity against homelessness

Artworks and memorabilia from the likes of Guggi, Hozier and Imelda May are going under the hammer as the artistic community come together for a lifeline auction to raise money for Dublin Simon Community.

A Community of Hope: Artists for Dublin Simon, was launched today and includes around 200 lots from a range of Irelands top artists, musicians, and public figures.

The catalogue of items has artworks by Guggi, David Booth, Fraser Holden and Jim Fitzpatrick, photography by Conor Horgan and Nina Val, alongside exclusive music memorabilia from the likes of Hozier, Imelda May, Caroline Corr and Chris de Burgh.

This auction is more than a fundraiser, its a lifeline. The incredible generosity of John ODonnell and the artistic community is pivotal in our ongoing mission to end homelessness, Catherine Kenny, CEO of Dublin Simon Community, said.

In an ambitious effort to support the essential frontline services, the project is predicted to raise around 60,000 for those experiencing homelessness in Dublin.

Imelda May has provided music memorabilia for the auction

The event is the vision of John ODonnell, an artist who spent decades abroad, who found himself confronted by homelessness in Dublin.

He mobilised his network, in collaboration with Dublin Simon Community, to curate this art event. Its an opportunity for collectors and philanthropists to gather work worth between 100 to 7,000.

The stark reality of homelessness in Dublin called for action. Dublin Simon was a recurring beacon of hope in my interactions with those affected, and I knew we had to support their work, Mr ODonnell said.

Gormleys Fine Art and Adams Auctioneers are showcasing the collection and overseeing the auction to provide a smooth and engaging bidding experience.

We are privileged to ally with Dublin Simon Community on this crucial endeavour, a representative from Gormleys Fine Art said.

The phenomenal response from the artists mirrors our communal determination to address and alleviate homelessness. This event transcends fundraising; it embodies the strength of unity and compassion.

The public is invited to preview the collection online or in-person at Gormleys Fine Art, Frederick Street, Dublin, from November 24 until 28.

Potential purchasers can register to bid at Adams.ie where the full catalogue will be available online. The auction will close in the first week of December and winning bidders will be notified.
Johnny Feans widow Maggie pays tribute to organiser Paddy Goodwin

Karen Stack, Helen Myles and Evelyn Andrews at the celebration of Johnny Fean's music with Paddy Goodwin in McHugh's. Photo: Colin Bell Photography

Sisters of the late Johnny Fean Corna and Gail and wife Maggie (centre) at the celebration of Johnny's music with Paddy Goodwin in McHugh's. Photo: Colin Bell Photography

Karen Stack, Helen Myles and Evelyn Andrews at the celebration of Johnny Fean's music with Paddy Goodwin in McHugh's. Photo: Colin Bell Photography

John Wallace, Pete and Sarah Lucas, Noreen and Jonathan Devitt and Neil O'Brien at the celebration of Johnny Fean's music with Paddy Goodwin in McHugh's. Photo: Colin Bell Photography

Wes Cray, Brian Moonan and Declan Mooney at the celebration of Johnny Fean's music with Paddy Goodwin in McHugh's. Photo: Colin Bell Photography

There were emotional scenes in McHughs on Saturday night, as the widow of Horslips legend Johnny Fean took to the stage to thank everyone for the beautiful musical tribute to her late husband.

The capacity crowd hushed as Maggie Fean thanked everyone present, including her own sister Catherine, Johnnys sisters Corna and Gail, and bandmates Jim Lockhart and Barry Devlin.

But her particular gratitude was reserved for the man who made the night possible, local solicitor, musician and impresario extraordinaire Paddy Goodwin.

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"I know we are up here paying tribute to John, but I there is someone else I have to thank, and that is someone who was a great friend to Johnny and of course to me, said Maggie. I was trying to think of a way I could repay him for all he has done for us, and the only way I can do it is this...

And with that Maggie handed Paddy an original guitar used by Johnny during his successful five decades with Celtic Rock legends Horslips.

Paddy had gathered the cream of Irish musicians to the Chord Road venue to remember his friend and fellow guitarist who died in April aged 71, and was overwhelmed at the turnout and token of appreciation.

"I was just flabbergasted as he has been my hero since 1976, and it was a fabulous night for everyone, with his oldest friends, family and his wife all there, says Paddy, who joined other musicians on stage throughout the night. His former bandmate Gioto DiVito played a few numbers with me and it was so successful, there is no doubt well be doing it again every year.

Fans of Paddy and the Holy Ghosts wont have to wait that long to see them though, as Paddys annual Christmas bash will be in McHughs on Saturday December 9th, with guest star Johnny Gallagher; doors open around 8.30pm.
Flavia, Miacom and Luca Franko were at the lantern festival walk in the Orphan Girl, Ballymoney on Friday evening. Pic: Jim Campbell

Fiadh Donnelly, Sebastian Sparr, Ina Donnelly and Finny Donnelly were at the lantern festival walk in the Orphan Girl, Ballymoney on Friday evening. Pic: Jim Campbell

Emily Quinn and Sophie Morris were pictured at the lantern festival walk in the Orphan Girl, Ballymoney on Friday evening. Pic: Jim Campbell

At the lantern festival walk in the Orphan Girl, Ballymoney on Friday evening were Helen Gregan, Sarah Murphy, Isla Keighley and Emma Darcy. Pic: Jim Campbell

Eno and Finny Donnelly were at the lantern festival walk in the Orphan Girl, Ballymoney on Friday evening. Pic: Jim Campbell

At the lantern festival walk in the Orphan Girl, Ballymoney on Friday evening were Stephen and Zoe Bailey. Pic: Jim Campbell

Pictured at the lantern festival walk in the Orphan Girl, Ballymoney on Friday evening were Freya Darcy, Ella Whelan, Roisin Hogan and Lara McNulty. Pic: Jim Campbell

Pictured at the lantern festival walk in the Orphan Girl, Ballymoney on Friday evening were Lughan, Conan, Paidi and Ailsing Gillick. Pic: Jim Campbell

Finny Donnelly leading a group during the start of the lantern festival walk in the Orphan Girl, Ballymoney on Friday evening. Pic: Jim Campbell

Lining up for the start of the lantern festival walk in the Orphan Girl, Ballymoney on Friday evening. Pic: Jim Campbell

"You can imagine it was pretty special, there was 200 people there singing songs in the dark and the only light was from the lanterns, said teacher Sarah Murphy.

The community collectively sang songs and walked from the Orphan Girl car park to Duffcarrig in Gorey. Hot chocolate was provided as well as a picnic. The story of St Martin was read out, songs were sung and all the parents brought something to share.

There are currently 64 families involved with the preschool between the ages of 2 and a half to 6 years old. There are nine teachers and sixteen children per class. The students had constructed their lantern at school in preparation for the festival.

As a Steiner based preschool the students are taught through an internationally recognised play based system of learning. Sarah Murphy is one of the teachers at the school and said that the children are educated at a slow pace that suits them. "Its like a home away from home for them, said Sarah.

The activities are designed to support children's learning through creativity, problem solving and imaginative play. Most of the schools learning is done outdoors and there is no technology used in the school. The students also learn to bake and work with fabric and wood.

"We have people travelling from the far end of Wexford and the far end of Wicklow, said Sarah. It is the only Steiner based school in Wexford and there are other Steiner based preschools in Kilkenny and Dublin.

Most of the students go on to attend Tara Hill Primary School or Castletown Primary School.

Sarahs children attended Ballymoney Steiner Kindergarten when they were young and one of the current student teachers was a student there too. I would definitely say that the students definitely go on to appreciate what nature provides and be more balanced in their lives. Theres no technology at all in our place which really sets us aside from a lot of places, said Sarah.
At the Happy to Chat Event launch in Wexford Library on Tuesday morning were Annette Dupuy, Cllr Ger Carthy deputy chairerson Wexford County Council and Hazel Percival

At the Happy to Chat Event launch in Wexford Library on Tuesday morning were Cllr Maura Bell, Edel Finan and Antonia Jordam

At the Happy to Chat Event launch in Wexford Library on Tuesday morning were Edel Finan , Cllr John Hegarty Mayor of Wexford, Cllr Maura Bell, Annette Dupuy, Cllr Ger Carthy and Hazel Percival

At the Happy to Chat Event launch in Wexford Library were Cllr Maura Bell, Edel Finan and Antonia Jordan

Following on from the success of the Happy to Chat cafe initiative in the summer of 2023, local businesses are now being encouraged to get involved as Wexford Public Libraries have also signed up.

The initiative sees "happy to chat cards placed on tables in the library and the library's monthly conversation hour has now been rebranded as the Happy to Chat Conversation Hour.

In any of the Happy to Chat locations people are asked to consider sitting at the chatting table alone or with a friend, highlighting that you are open to others joining you.

By joining up with the librarys conversation hour, people will have the option of coming to their local library for a chat at 11 a.m. on the second Tuesday of each month.

Speaking at the November Happy to Chat Conversation Hour in Wexford Library Leas Cathaoirleach of Wexford County Council, Cllr Ger Carthy said: Its exciting to see this initiative extend as I know it can be of benefit to reduce loneliness and isolation in a range of locations across County Wexford, from businesses to community cafes and now also in our libraries.

Chair of the Healthy County Committee and Mayor of Wexford, Cllr John Hegarty added It is often the simplest ideas that work best, and I want to acknowledge the work of Cllr. Maura Bell and our Mental Wellbeing Working Group who have developed the initiative, and the pilot locations who have taken it on board and helped us to trial and refine it for further roll out.

If businesses or community cafes across County Wexford would like to get involved in this initiative, they can contact Healthy County Coordinator Annette Dupuy via Health Wexford socials, by email at annette.dupuy@wexfordcoco.ie or by calling 0539196000.

Participating locations will be provided with table tent cards, a window sticker and a short guidance note for rolling out the initiative.

To find out details of the Happy to Chat initiative in libraries, contact your local library.
The Frederick Douglass Festival will host discussions with the likes of Frances Black, Lynn Boylan, Eoin OBroin, Rory Hearne, Prof. John Barry and Prof. Chris OConnell

Some heavy topics are set to be debated, discussed and analysed during the course of a packed programme at the Wexford Frederick Douglass Civil Rights Festival this weekend.

The festival bears the name of the legendary abolitionist, civil rights leader and former slave Frederick Douglass who spoke at the site of Wexford Arts Centre back in 1845 as part of a tour of Ireland and the UK, where he sought support for the abolition of slavery.

The festival will largely take place in the same location this weekend with a thought-provoking mix of speakers discussing some of the most pressing national and global issues we face today.

Friday will see the Palestinian cause discussed in the key note event with Fatin Al Tamimi and Senator Frances Black.

On Saturday, Prof. John Barry, Sian Cowman, Senator Lynn Boylan, Memrt Uludaag and Andrew Hourigan will unpack the climate crisis from a left perspective. Later on, leading academic Rory Hearne, Sinn Fein TD Eoin OBroin, CATU Tenant union activist Jack Bergin and Norma Mpofu from Rosslare Direct Provision will explore solutions and the systemic issue with housing in Ireland in 2023.

Sundays panel discussion will focus on migrant labour and how it holds up our economic system in Ireland, featuring Union activists Varghese Joy, Greg Ennis, Prof. Chris OConnell and Sharon Ethokana.

All panels will offer a real in depth look at current civil rights issues through passionate speakers and it looks set to be a fascinating weekend.

For a full schedule of events and to book tickets, visit wexfordartscentre.ie.
The cast of Arklow director Ian Adams' latest film 'The Feature', which scooped the Best Independent Movie award at the Underground Film Festival in Dun Laoghaire.

The cast of Arklow director Ian Adams' latest film 'The Feature', which scooped the Best Independent Movie award at the Underground Film Festival in Dun Laoghaire.

A scene from Arklow director Ian Adams' latest film 'The Feature', which scooped the Best Independent Movie award at the Underground Film Festival in Dun Laoghaire.

Independent Arklow filmmaker Ian Adams recently celebrated another massive milestone when his modest budgeted movie The Feature scooped the Best Independent Movie award at the Underground Film Festival in Dun Laoghaire.

The third feature-length film from the talented director, Ian and his dedicated, tight-knit crew  comprising friends, industry colleagues and responders to an open casting call  produced the side-splitting comedy on a budget of just 900.

Shot on location in Wicklow and Dublin, the witty, impeccably acted film has been described by audiences as a reimagining of Irish cult classic The Commitments, only if they were making a movie.

The Feature tells the story of a group of misfits who decide to get together and make a movie on their own after being rejected repeatedly by producers/investors. The only problem is, they have no idea what they are doing!

The Feature started during Covid, which presented plenty of challenges, with all the auditions being online and having to work around making the filming safe for everyone, Ian recalled.

We shot most of it around Dublin and Wicklow, and some of the cast were from Wicklow, Dublin, Longford  all over the region.

We finished it last September and had a fair few screenings, including one in the Omniplex Arklow and a couple in The Savoy in Dublin. We sold over 200 tickets at all of them, and the feedback from audiences was amazing.

I spent the rest of this year entering it into film festivals at home and abroad, and when the Underground Film Festival came around, we were all fairly chuffed just to be included in it.

So, to win the Best Independent Movie award was a bit of a shock, to say the least  especially considering the budget we were working with.

It was a brilliant event, and over 300 movies entered the festival, he continued.

Patrick Bergin was there, along with actors from Love Hate. Big, well-known stars  then there was us!

Ah, it was a great night and a great way to finish promoting the movie. Well be releasing it on our YouTube channel on New Year's Day, and it will be there indefinitely for all to enjoy for free.

Originally from Dublin, Ian has been living in Arklow for over two decades. After studying film and television production in Bray, he found work as an assistant director on several high-profile Wicklow productions, including The Popes Exorcist, Vikings and M. Night Shyamalans upcoming horror The Watchers, which stars Dakota Fanning.

Having developed a keen interest in cinematography and film-making during his formative years, Ian takes immense pride and satisfaction from practising his art in its purest form  where a well-written script, talented actors and a resourceful crew can produce cinematic moments that rival the biggest of blockbuster budgets.

The budget has been going up bit by bit  our first one The Lads was 250, our horror slasher Manhunt was 312, and we went wild on The Feature, which came in at 900, Ian joked.

All the movies have just been me and my mates. Then, obviously, people in the industry always want to help out.

I have a stunt coordinator, a sound engineer, and pretty much everyone I work with is willing to help out. But it's mainly been family and friends since I first picked up a camera at 10 years old.

In many ways, that was the inspiration for The Feature. It's a what, why and how of film-making, with the first act covering preproduction, the second is principal photography, and the third is post-production, so it's a step-by-step for people out there showing them the process.

I suppose, the whole point of The Feature is to show people that anyone can make movies these days with all the free technology that's out there.

Yes, lenses are expensive, but it can be as simple as grabbing a few people and your phone and making a movie or a short.

I don't mean to sound like Im boasting, but for the money we spent on The Lads, for example, we had that in Omniplex cinemas in 2018 all around Ireland, and since we put it up on YouTube, it has been viewed 2.3m times, he added.

Manhunt has 2.2m views on Youtube, and we even got offered sale distributions from LA and Australia.

It just goes to show you what you can do on a budget, and I get a great sense of personal satisfaction from meeting crew or extras on sets who have seen the movies.

The way the job works, I could be working for six months straight, then another six months off, so I use that time for these passion projects.

Obviously, the films are not going to be Oscar-quality, but that doesn't mean they won't be entertaining or watched. As long as you have an idea, youre motivated and have a can-do attitude, anyone can do it.

Asked if he had any other projects in the pipeline, Ian responded: "The first one was an action/dark comedy, the second was a horror-slasher, and then the latest was a more light-hearted, feel-good comedy.

At the minute, I'm writing a short that I already have developed as a feature. The aim is to make a big short out of it and then pitch it with the kicker that I already have it fleshed out as a feature.

I have big plans to keep developing the YouTube channel, and were over the 5 million view mark now, so its going really strong.

I'll be posting a new film trivia podcast Ive been working on with a friend, and I can't wait to see The Feature go up on New Year's Day. It will be a great way to cap off a really great year for me and all the crew.

You can check out Ians films, movie trailers and his movie podcast on his Youtube channel @Ian Adams
The owner of the Wicklow children's bookshop Halfway Up the Stairs in Greystones has said it was quite unbelievable that her store was named the An Post Bookshop of the Year. But the shop also had other reasons to celebrate as two local authors  one of whom works at the store and the other a regular visitor  also emerged with awards.

Halfway Up The Stairs Trish Hennessy said the other nominees in the category, which include last years winner from Wicklow town Bridge Street Books, are such incredible bookshops and added that to win as a children's bookshop is something that is really, really special.

Praising the authors who make her shop happen, Ms Hennessy added: "There are so many incredible children's books out there, especially written by Irish authors and illustrators and we do our very, very best to promote those.

The popular bookstore, which hosts regular author readings for children, was named the best independent bookshop in Ireland by prestigious publication The Bookseller Magazine in February, when the UK-based company chose Halfway up the Stairs and the Little Acorns Bookstore in Derry as the two best indie stores on the island of Ireland.

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Winners of awards in 20 categories were announced at a ceremony on Wednesday, November 22, at Dublins Convention Centre and among them were two hugely popular Greystones children's authors, Peter Donnelly, who won the Specsavers Childrens Book of the Year Junior for The Presidents Dog, and Sarah Webb who won Specsavers Childrens Book of the Year Senior for I Am the Wind: Irish Poems for Children Everywhere, edited by Lucinda Jacob and Sarah Webb, and illustrated by Ashwin Chacko.

Peter launched his latest book, Little Wolf, at Halfway Up The Stairs in September, when children packed the store to listen attentively to an exclusive reading. It is the authors seventh picture book and the third title published since he moved to Wicklow. He credited his new environment, the Wicklow mountains in particular, for inspiring him.

Sarah Webb, meanwhile, as well as being an award-winning children's writer and childrens book champion, also works at the Greystones store as events manager.

Her childrens books include A Sailor Went to Sea, Sea, Sea, illustrated by Steve McCarthy, which won the Irish Book Awards Junior Category (2017), and Blazing a Trail: Irish Women Who Changed the World, illustrated by Lauren ONeill, which won the Irish Book Awards Senior Category (2018).

This years Irish Book of the Year winner will be announced on a special television show hosted by Oliver Callan on RTE One on Wednesday, December 6, which will look at the final six books up for the overall award, as selected by judging panel Madeleine Keane, Sinead Moriarty, Rick OShea, Cyril McGrane, Elaina Ryan and Tomas Kenny.
Cllr Tom Fortune; Minister Simon Harris; Cathaoirleach of Wicklow County Council Aoife Flynn Kennedy; Director of Operations at Purple House Conor O'Leary; Cathaoirleach of the Bray Municipal District Councillor Melanie Corrigan; CEO of Purple House Veronica O'Leary; Chairperson of Purple House John Woods and Minister Stephen Donnelly at the launch of the Purple House 2022 Annual Report. Photos: Mick Kelly.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly visited Brays Purple House to launch the cancer charitys 2022 Annual Report, which shows the huge range of services it has been providing to families in the community.

The launch, which took place in the charitys flagship premises on Duncairn Terrace, coincided with Childhood Bereavement Awareness Week.

The report highlights that in 2022, a total of 822 families availed of Purple Houses various cancer services, including counselling, cancer rehab physiotherapy, survivorship programmes, support groups, wellness programmes, hospital transport and complementary therapies, with a further 629 families availing of the telephone support line.

Some 527 individuals also benefited from 4,950 programme sessions, surpassing the charitys target of 500 individuals availing of programmes.

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Purple Houses child and family services have witnessed substantial growth, and the organisation aspires to further expand this vital service.

In 2022, 297 new clients contacted the organisation for support, exceeding its goal of 260 new clients, and the charity said it is delighted to have extended its support to each and every one of them.

Clients of its services in 2022 resided not only in County Wicklow, but also in Dublin, Kildare, Louth, Meath, Wexford and Tipperary. Last year, the organisation witnessed a remarkable 37pc increase in the utilisation of core services by an expanding client base.

Commenting on the report, Conor OLeary, Director of Operations at Purple House, said: This year, Purple House proudly celebrated 33 years of providing vital community-based cancer support services.

"This remarkable milestone stands as a testament to the unwavering commitment of our exceptional staff and volunteers, who consistently go above and beyond to support countless individuals seeking our assistance in various ways.

The report also disclosed the charitys funding, with 25pc of its income derived from the annual HSE grant, while the remaining 75pc arose from fundraising events, donations, and project-based grants.

Without the unwavering support of our community, the essence of Purple House would cease to exist, Mr OLeary added.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to the countless donors, friends, and supporters who keep the doors of Purple House open, enabling us to make a profound impact on the lives of those we serve, he said.

Founded in 1990, Purple House was the first community-based cancer support centre in Ireland and stands at the forefront in providing a range of professional support services to people of all ages affected by cancer in Ireland. Its aim is to help rebuild the lives of families affected by cancer.
Fr John OBrien of the St Patricks Missionary Society, Kiltegan was laid to rest in the society cemetery on Friday, November 10, having died peacefully in the care unit three days prior.

Fr OBrien formerly served the diocese of Eldoret in Kenya, Tzaneen in South Africa and Clifton in England.

He was always eager to serve wherever the missionary needs were greatest. He loved being a pastor. He spent all his active years in pastoral ministry. Even in his retirement he responded to a request to work in the parish of Kilmacow in Co Kilkenny where the people really appreciated his generosity.

For a good part of his life John had to cope with challenges to his health. He underwent heart surgery in the late 1980s and again during his time in England. However, he never allowed these health challenges to prevent him from responding to the missionary call. John was an avid reader and lover of classical music. He lived a very frugal life and made do with very little. He was a very unassuming person who was blessed with a very deep faith. He faced his final illness with great calm and serenity.

Born John Joseph OBrien on July 31, 1939 at Sixmilebridge, Co Clare, to Garda Patrick OBrien and his wife Eileen (nee Leahy) he joined St Patricks Missionary Society at nearby Parteen, Co Clare. He was the youngest of three. His brother Patrick became a Camillian priest. John attended the CBS Primary School in Limerick from 1947 to 1952 and continued in CBS Limerick for his secondary education (1952 to 1957).

In September 1957 John joined the Spiritual Year in Kiltegan. From 1958 to 1960 he studied philosophy in Cork and then proceeded to Kiltegan for theology from 1960 to 1964. He was among twenty priests ordained for St Patricks Missionary Society on Easter Sunday, March 29, 1964 by Bishop Patrick Cleary SSC, Exiled Bishop of Nancheng, China.

After ordination John was appointed to Eldoret Diocese, Kenya. In those days it was a vast diocese and he was appointed to the Turkana region in the north which later became the Diocese of Lodwar. When Nakuru became a diocese on its own, John found himself in there and he remained until 1992. He then moved to South Africa and took up an appointment in Tzaneen Diocese. In 1999 John was transferred to Clifton Diocese in England where he ministered at St Patricks Parish, Corsham.

After twenty years in Clifton, John retired to the society house in Cork in September 2019. He moved from Cork to the Kiltegan community on October 9 of this year when he realised he needed more medical care. He was happy with this decision and was filled with gratitude that he had lived his dream of being a pastoral missionary priest and was now ready to face his final journey back to God.

He died on November 7 accompanied by his Society brothers who kept vigil at his bedside.

John is predeceased by his parents, Patrick and Eileen and by his brother, Fr Patrick, He is survived by his sister Eileen, his cousins, his many friends, and his Society family.
The Leinster Fleadh Executive Committee with Cathaoirleach of Wicklow County Council Aofie Flynn Kennedy and Jodie Conway at the Leinster Fleadh Showcase in O'Shea's, Wicklow Town

The life of political activist Jennie Wyse Power was celebrated through music, art and literature at a two-day event held in Baltinglass Library.

Jane Jennie Wyse Power (nee OToole) was born in Baltinglass, County Wicklow, in 1858 and would go on blaze a trail as a pioneering politician and campaigner for womens rights. A staunch nationalist, she became involved in the Ladies Land League (1881-82), Inghinidhe na hEireann (1900-1911), and was a founder and vice-president of Arthur Griffiths Sinn Fein.

In 1915 Jennie was elected as the first president of Cumann na mBan and was a life-long campaigner for womens rights. Around 1899 she established the Irish Farm Produce Company at 21 Henry Street in Dublin which was run on buy-Irish principles and the 1916 Proclamation was signed there.

She supported the Anglo-Irish Treaty (1921) and served as a Senator in the first Seanad Eireann from 1922 to 1936.

The programme in Baltinglass Library was curated by Wicklow County Arts Office and presented as part of Creative Places Baltinglass. Cora Crampton of the West Wicklow Historical Society spoke about Jennies eventful life and many of the achievements she accomplished.

Wicklow award-winning poet Jane Clarke also carried out a reading of three poems inspired by Jennies life, which was also commissioned through Wicklow Arts Office. Violin player Cora Venus Lunny provided some lovely music to accompany proceedings.

A tapestry portrait of Jennie created by visual artist Sarah Bracken Soper was also unveiled and will take pride of place at Baltinglass Library. Sarah also hosted an embroidery workshop for adults, while five creative hands-on workshops also took place.
A deer that appears to have been shot in the face pictured at the Derrybawn Bridge in Laragh, Wicklow. Photo: Myles Carroll

A deer that appears to have been shot in the face pictured at the Derrybawn Bridge in Laragh, Wicklow. Photo: Myles Carroll

A representative from the Irish Deer Society has asked for the Wicklow publics help in locating a deer in the Laragh area that appears to have been shot and has suffered catastrophic injuries to its face and head.

The alarm was raised o Tuesday by acclaimed Aughrim photographer Myles Carroll after he caught a glimpse of the ailing animal while snapping some winter wildlife shots under the Derrybawn Bridge.

Peering through his lens, the nature photographer watched the deer approach and sip from the Glandassan River before disappearing through the undergrowth.

It wasnt until he got home and was processing his pictures that he realised what he had captured. Recoiling at the shocking state of the animal, he promptly contacted the relevant authority.

It was so sad to see this animal with part of its face missing, Myles said.

I was using a wide-angle lens at the time, taking photos of the scene under the bridge when the deer came into the shot, and I thought it would just make the picture.

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I stood still and couldnt move because the deer was facing me. It took a drink, put the head up, looked at me, and then went back into the woodlands at Laragh.

Unfortunately, I had no telephoto lens to zoom in and could not get a close-up picture, so the injuries only came to my attention while editing the picture later.

So, I cropped the original to show the sad state of the deer's head, and the poor thing, the whole side of its face is missing.

I got on to the Irish Deer Society, who have taken it up and were out looking for the animal. Maybe someone can help this poor animal, and if anyone has links to share, that would be a good way of helping the poor unfortunate deer.

Appalled by the shocking state of the animal, Peter Windsor of the Irish Deer Society has implored the public to keep on the lookout for the injured deer.

The National Parks and Wildlife Service sent down a couple of rangers today to see if they could find it, but if it is on private property, it's going to be very hard to locate, Peter said.

Today's News in 90 seconds - November 23rd

It has more than likely been shot by poachers, who use a high-powered light and are usually shooting at a pair of eyes in the darkness. They clearly werent accurate or responsible enough to leave it in that shocking state.

Im amazed it's still alive. Ive seen it all, but that defies reality in my eyes. I was speaking to one of the rangers, who couldnt believe it either.

When Myles told me he had seen it drinking, it was a bit of a telltale sign. Normally,- youll only see a deer drinking from a water body when theyre ill or have an infection, as they usually get most of their water needs from what they eat.

The search is ongoing with the National Parks and Wildlife Service, and Id ask the people in the area to keep their eyes and ears open and alert the National Parks Service if they see this poor deer.

You can contact the Wicklow Mountains National Park Region of the National Parks and Wildlife Service on 0404 45800. Or contact the Irish Deer Society on 086 289 8382.
Girls Aloud will reunite for a 2024 arena tour in memory of their late bandmate Sarah Harding.

The band announced the tour with a video which saw Nadine Coyle, Cheryl, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh reunite at a drive-in cinema where clips of the band performing their hit tracks including Sound Of The Underground, Love Machine, Call The Shots and Biology were played.

The tour will be a celebration of Sarah, our music and our incredible fans, the social media announcement said.

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The tour will kick off on May 18 in Dublin, hitting Manchester, Cardiff and Newcastle at the end of the month, before heading to Aberdeen and Glasgow in June, as well as Nottingham, Leeds and Birmingham.

The band will perform two nights at Londons O2 before closing the tour at the Liverpool M&S Bank Arena on June 29.

It comes after the death of Harding in 2021 at the age of 39, after revealing she had breast cancer which had spread to other parts of her body.

In an interview with BBC News, Roberts said: Were going to do our absolute utmost to celebrate her in the most enormous, magical way.

Coyle confirmed that while rumours of the reunion tour were true, there is no new music or video coming  although weve shot a commercial, she said.

Nicola Roberts, Nadine Coyle, Kimberley Walsh, Cheryl and Sarah Harding of Girls Aloud (Ian West/PA)

Cheryl said: Making new music without Sarah would be odd, but celebrating what we made together? Fabulous.

The group formed in 2002 on reality show Popstars: The Rivals and went on to achieve four UK number one singles and a Brit award for The Promise.

After parting ways, the group reunited with new music for their 10th anniversary  while a second reunion was planned for their 20th anniversary when Harding was diagnosed with cancer.

Roberts said: Its not going to be easy for us to put a show together with four people, instead of five, while Cheryl added: It hasnt felt right, until now, to do anything without her, but now we feel strong enough, emotionally.

While Coyle suggested that some of Hardings original vocals could be used in the show.

A pre-sale will begin on November 29 at 9am with the general sale on December 1 at the same time.
Former radio presenter and her husband sought permission to significantly increase size of Waterford property

They were seeking a 2,518 sq ft extension  a near-four-fold increase on the existing 648 sq ft home

The proposed plans for Louis and Mairead Ronan's holiday-home extension in Dunmore East, Co Waterford

Planning was refused to Mairead Ronan and her husband after their proposals were deemed out of character with the rest of the terrace in Dunmore East, Co Waterford. Photo: Steve Humphreys

Former radio presenter Mairead Ronan and her husband Louis have had their dreams of a Dermot Bannon-inspired holiday home makeover dashed.

This follows An Bord Pleanala refusing planning permission to the couple for a proposed two-storey extension to their home in Dunmore East, Co Waterford.

The Ronans employed Dermot Bannons architectural firm to draw up their ambitious plans. They were seeking a 2,518 sq ft extension  a near-four-fold increase on the existing 648 sq ft home.

In an April 2021 email to Waterford City and County Council (WCCC) before the plans were lodged, Mr Bannon  known for the RTE programme Room To Improve  told a council planner that he was attaching plans of what is proposed with some early 3D renders.

A design statement was lodged with the planning application by Orna Tubridy of Corridy Consulting.

In this, she told the council that the proposal provides a modern interpretation of the historic 1835 terrace houses and bookends this five-dwelling terrace successfully.

However, it is now clear that, unlike at the end of Room To Improve episodes, the celebrity architect and the Ronans wont be toasting the transformation of a home any time soon.

The proposed plans for Louis and Mairead Ronan's holiday-home extension in Dunmore East, Co Waterford

After two-and-a-half years in the planning system, not a brick has been laid and its a case of going back to the drawing board.

This arises from the appeals board refusing planning permission. It took issue with the proposed design and its size in comparison to the small scale of the existing dwelling on the prominent corner site.

The board pointed out that the Ronan home is at the end of a historic terrace located close to the seafront and to the centre of Dunmore East.

It had concerns that the proposal might adversely affect the special character of Dunmore East Architectural Conservation Area (ACA).

The board ruled that the scheme would materially contravene the Built Heritage Policy of the Waterford City and County Development Plan 2022-2028.

The Ronans would have secured planning permission but for the intervention of neighbours who opposed the project.

The couple first lodged their plan in August 2021, and WCCC granted planning permission for the major home extension in July 2022.

Architect Dermot Bannon. Photo: Mark Condren

However, the Ronans and Dermot Bannon Architects couldn't proceed with the build after two appeals were lodged against the council decision. These appeals were lodged by other homeowners on the Curraghmore Terrace in Dunmore East.

In his appeal, neighbour Tom ORegan told the appeals board that due to the intensified scale and its dominant appearance, the development will detract from the streetscape of Curraghmore Terrace and the entire Lower Village area.

In a separate appeal, Valerie and Trevor Walsh told the appeals board that they could find nothing in documentation lodged to explain why it is necessary to adopt a modern response" to the redevelopment of the home.

The Walshes contended that "such an inappropriate design would disproportionately impact on the overall look and feel of the Lower Village and Dunmore East in general.

They were seeking a 2,518 sq ft extension  a near-four-fold increase on the existing 648 sq ft home

In response to the objectors concerns, on behalf of the Ronans, David Mulcahy Planning Consultants stated that the couple and their architects were acutely aware of the sensitivity of the site when devising the proposed design.

The submission added that the proposed development is deserving of being within an Architectural Conservation Area on account of its high-quality design.

The report states that the design involves a successful marrying of old and new.

Ms Ronan, a former presenter for Today FM, has previously stated that Dunmore East is her favourite place in Ireland to visit.

Planning documentation shows that the Ronans purchased the home in May 2021.

Today's News in 90 seconds - November 23rd

In her report, appeals board inspector Angela Brereton stated that the proposed design "will appear overly dominant on this corner site at the end of the historic terrace.

Recommending refusal, Ms Brereton concluded that the design and layout, as currently proposed, would have an adverse impact on the character of Dunmore East ACA.

The Irish Independent has made attempts to contact both Ms Ronan and Bannon architects.
Girls Aloud will reunite for a stadium tour across the UK and Ireland next year in memory of their late bandmate Sarah Harding.

The band announced the tour on Wednesday evening with a video of Nadine Coyle, Cheryl, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh reuniting at a drive-in cinema where clips of the band performing their hit tracks including Sound Of The Underground, Love Machine, Call The Shots and Biology were played.

The group will play Dublin's 3Arena on Saturday, May 18 and Belfast's SSE Arena on Monday May 20, 2024.

On social media, bandmate Kimberley Walsh said: "A celebration of Sarah, our music & our incredible fansWe cant wait to sing & dance with you again.

The tour will kick off on May 18 in Dublin, before heading to Manchester, Cardiff and Newcastle at the end of the month.

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The band will travel to Aberdeen and Glasgow in June, as well as Nottingham, Leeds and Birmingham.

They will perform two nights at Londons O2 before closing the tour at the Liverpool M&S Bank Arena on June 29.

It comes after the death of Harding in 2021 at the age of 39, after revealing she had breast cancer which had spread to other parts of her body.

Earlier this month it was reported that the girl band are set to release their first single in more than 10 years.

The British girl group are believed to be have shot a music video in tribute to Sarah Harding.

A source told The Sun the foursome had secretly got together to shoot the video which is said to see them play superhero characters complete with Wonder Woman-style costumes and capes at a North London studio.

Nicola Roberts told Good Morning Britain in September that she was still in denial over the "harrowing" death of Sarah Harding two years on.

The 37-year-old was asked by host Ben Shepherd how she was coping following Hardings passing: I cant believe its two years this month since we lost her and griefs a funny thing, isnt it?

"It hits you in waves and I bet there are moments where she pops up into your mind and you want to phone her up because somethings happened and you just want to have a laugh with her. How have you dealt with it?"
Tom Cruise reportedly stepped in to back his agent, one of the top Hollywood representatives, after her social media posts sparked an industry-wide controversy.

Maha Dakhil, 48, was among the most important talent managers at reputed firm Creative Artists Agency (CAA) until last month, when she faced intense criticism for describing Israels war against Hamas as genocide on Instagram.

Whats more heartbreaking than witnessing genocide? Witnessing the denial that genocide is happening, she reportedly captioned one of her posts.

She apparently also reshared a statement, first posted by the Free Palestine account, which read: Youre currently learning who supports genocide.

Thats the line for me, Dakhil wrote at the time, reacting to the post.

Dakhil quickly deleted her posts and made her account private but, according to a Variety report, many people had already seen the comments.

Some of her colleagues were reportedly offended by these posts, calling them antisemitic, while others felt Dakhils Instagram Stories would adversely impact her relationship with Hollywood, where divisions have been widening ever since the conflict erupted on 7 October.

Filmmaker Aaron Sorkin, among Dakhils high-profile clients, quit CAA shortly after the controversy began. Steven Spielberg reportedly had two IMDB pages  his and Dakhils  edited after they wrongly listed her as his manager.

Dakhil apologised for the posts and resigned from her leadership roles at the talent agency, though she was allowed to continue working with her clients, among them the Top Gun star.

Variety has now reported that Cruise, 61, may have played a direct role in mitigating the fallout for Dakhil after the Mission: Impossible star expressed his support for the agent during a meeting at the CAA office earlier this month.

The Independent has contacted Cruises representatives for comment.

I made a mistake with a repost in my Instagram story, which used hurtful language. Like so many of us, I have been reeling with heartbreak, Dakhil said in an apology shared with Variety.

I pride myself on being on the side of humanity and peace. Im so grateful to Jewish friends and colleagues who pointed out the implications and further educated me. I immediately took the repost down.

Im sorry for the pain I have caused, she added.

In a statement issued two days after Hamas attack on Israel, killing 1,300 people, CAA said it stands with the people of Israel, the Jewish community, and all innocent victims in the face of horrific acts of terrorism.

For those with family, friends, or loved ones living in or connected to Israel and the region, our thoughts are with you. We wish for peace for all people.

Israeli retaliatory strikes in the Gaza strip since the attack have killed 13,000 civilians. UNICEF estimated that the number of children killed in Gaza has now exceeded 5,000.

The news comes one day after it was reported that Susan Sarandon was dropped by her agents over remarks the Thelma and Louise star made at a pro-Palestinian rally in New York city.

In particular, Sarandon was criticised for saying: There are a lot of people afraid of being Jewish at this time, and are getting a taste of what it feels like to be a Muslim in this country.

A spokesperson for United Talent Agency (UTA) confirmed they were no longer working with the 77-year-old Oscar winner, in a statement to Deadline.
Britain's Prince and Princess of Wales ahead of a state banquet at Buckingham Palace for the state visit to the UK by president of South Korea Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee. Photo: PA

Britain's Princess of Wales wears 'Monserrat' gloves by Irish designer Paula Rowan as she walks with the deputy prime minister of South Korea ahead of a state banquet at Buckingham Palace,. Photo: PA

"Gloves and royalty have a long-standing history and to dress the hands of the princess has left me somewhat speechless!"

Dublin glover Paula Rowan is celebrating the latest landmark in her career after Britains Princess of Wales wore Paula's white gloves to a State Banquet in Buckingham Palace this week.

Kate wore Paulas 'Monserrat' elbow-length to the event honouring President Yoon Suk Yeol and First Lady Kim Keon-hee of South Korea.

Elbow-length gloves have traditionally been worn for formal, court and state occasions and the gloves were customised by Paula for the princess.

Made from Ethiopian lambskin, the 12-button gloves were worn by the royal with a white Jenny Packham gown.

The princess wore earrings that had belonged to the late Queen while her tiara, the Strathmore Rose, had once belonged to the Queen Mother.

The royal recognition is the latest in a long line of celebrity clients for the Irish designer whose gloves have been worn Lady Gaga, Madonna and Kendall Jenner.

Paula is not the first Irish designer to be worn by the Princess of Wales. Catherine, when she was Duchess of Cambridge, wore dresses by Dubliner Orla Kiely.

The Princess of Wales is also one of the many British royals who wear pieces by the Irish hat designer, Philip Treacy from Ahascragh in Co Galway.

Britain's Prince and Princess of Wales ahead of a state banquet at Buckingham Palace for the state visit to the UK by president of South Korea Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee. Photo: PA

Philip has been a close personal friend of Queen Camilla for many years, long before she joined the royal family. She chose to wear one of his pieces for her wedding in April 2005 and there were many of pieces in evidence at the coronation service in Westminster Cathedral.

Based at her store on Dublin's Westbury Mall, Paula's gloves have been seen at the MET Ball, Oscars and Golden Globes and have appeared in glossy publications including Vogue, Harpers Bazaar the New York Times and Wall Street Journal and now adorn the hands of the most influential in fashion, Kate Middleton.

Reacting to the news today, Paula said: "Her Royal Highness, Catherine Princess of Wales exemplifies impeccable, discerning style and classic feminine elegance.

"I am so honoured and thrilled that she chose to wear my Paula Rowan gloves for such a momentous event, said Paula whose gloves are stocked in Selfridges in London and Bergdorf Goodman in New York.

The 'Montserrat' 12-button silk-lined gloves have a 12-inch cuff that finishes at the elbow and can be ruched to bring down the length.

The white ones worn by the princess were a special commission and the style in black, red and grey are currently available to buy in her store for 445. They are also available in a longer, 16-button length and a shorter, eight-button style.

The exposure that comes from the Princess of Wales wearing her gloves this week can only boost the profile of the Irish brand which Paula set up in September 2008.

It was unfortunate timing to start a business the day Lehman Brothers crumbled, but the Dubliner navigated the crash, and has since built a brand with a big international clientele, and many relationships that started out with tourists and guests from the neighbouring Westbury Hotel. Word spread around the world and the small glove and handbag boutique became a go-to destination for customers seeks couture for the hands.

Paula could be on the receiving end of whats known in fashion circles as the Kate factor because items worn by the royal have a habit of selling out in record time.

International stylists have been using Paulas designs in cover shoots for all the top glossy magazines around the world including Italian and US Vogue.

Her gloves have been used widely on red carpets and earlier this year she received enormous press attention in the US after her gloves featured in the Sex And The City spinoff, And Just Like That.

Madonna and Arianna Grande have both worn the Montserrat but in the longer style. Supermodel Anok Yai wore them to the Met Gala in 2022 and only last Monday, Paula posted a pic on Instagram when Sabrina Elba wore them to the Met Gala, accompanying her actor husband, Idris.

Paula grew up in Blackrock, south Dublin. Her family were in the seed business but her ambition has always been to make her name synonymous with gloves.

Lady Gaga wearing Paula Rowan's 'Fergie' gloves on her Chromatica Ball tour

It was a real coup for Paula and international recognition poured in last July after Lady Gaga kicked off her Chromatica Ball stadium tour in Germany, wearing three different styles of her gloves. Interest in the accessory designer from Dublin grew when Gaga also wore her gloves in the House of Gucci movie, choosing them over Italian ones, which one might have expected.

Tatler magazine in the UK recently singled her out as an accessories designer to watch. Madonna wore her Montserrat, Lola Mongolian and Barbara styles in a video, and the Hayley cuff on the Graham Norton show.

Paula Rowan at her shop in Dublin's Westbury Mall. Photo: Veronika Faustmann

Achieving global recognition for a niche fashion brand headquartered in a boutique off Clarendon Street is no mean feat. During lockdown Paula put her mortgage on hold and focussed on her gloves, and that worked in her favour.

At the time she said: I genuinely believe that when you set up a creative business of any sort, it has to be driven by a passion and that you are totally interested and committed in what you do.
We must think how to end this tragedy of war in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin tells G20 summit

Moscow has never refused peace talks with Kyiv, Russian leader claims

Vladimir Putin has started Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II. Photo: Reuters

Guy Faulconbridge Thu 23 Nov 2023 at 03:30







Vladimir Putin has told the Group of 20 leading economies that it was necessary to think about how to stop the tragedy of the war in Ukraine, and said Moscow had never refused to participate in peace talks with Kyiv.
68 more suspects involved in cross-border telecom fraud transferred to China from Myanmar

Global Times) 14:09, November 23, 2023

Telecom fraud suspects are handed over to Chinese police Photo: WeChat account of the Criminal Investigation Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security

Another 68 suspects involved in cross-border telecom fraud were transferred to China, according to Myanmar's We State police on Thursday.

A judicial committee raided several criminal dens in Mengbo and Bangkang, among other locations, arresting 68 suspects on the scene, as well as seizing computers, mobile phones, and other tools as evidence, the police said.

Since 2020, a total of 86,884 Chinese nationals have been handed over to China through the We State, according to state police.

Police officials stated they remained committed to disrupting telecommunications fraud, warning individuals who commit crimes regardless of the consequences will face prosecution both in Myanmar and China.

Earlier on Tuesday, China's Ministry of Public Security (MPS) announced that more than 31,000 suspects involved in telecom fraud cases have been transferred from Myanmar to China, marking a significant achievement in the joint effort to disrupt telecom fraud syndicates between the two countries.

Among the suspects, 63 are financial sponsors, ringleaders and key personnel, as well as 1,531 fugitives who were operating online, according to the MPS.

China's public security authorities also pledged to maintain pressure on telecom and internet fraud groups based in northern Myanmar to completely eradicate fraud operations and apprehend individuals involved in criminal wrongdoing in accordance with law.

(Web editor: Tian Yi, Liang Jun)
Woman (38) jailed for witness retaliation plot involving infamous Irish Mob Gang

It follows the arrest and conviction earlier this year of Johnny Dolph (50) originally of Tulsa, Oklahoma, a leader of the Irish Mob Gang

The Irish Mob gang originated in the Oklahoma prison system

Neil Fetherstonhaugh Thu 23 Nov 2023 at 11:45







A Kansas woman has been jailed for two years after being convicted of a witness retaliation plot involving a leader of the Irish Mob Gang in Oklahoma.
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Image courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

New Delhi: The Commissioner of Income Tax-Appeals has affirmed a tax demand of nearly Rs 1,666 crore on Interglobe Aviation, the parent company of IndiGo airlines, as disclosed in a notice to stock exchanges on Wednesday, Moneycontrol reported.

IndiGo, a low-cost carrier, plans to challenge this order, which seeks a recovery of Rs 740 crore for assessment year (AY) 2016-17 and Rs 927 crore for AY 2017-18.

The airline claims it was denied a chance for a personal hearing by the commissioner.

The matter was not adjudicated on merit, the airline said in its statement.

"The CIT-Appeal has now passed the respective orders, wherein the revision to the taxable income on account of the tax treatment of certain incentives received by the Company from manufacturers with the acquisition of the aircraft and engine and disallowance of certain expenses has been confirmed without granting an opportunity of personal hearing and adjudicating the matter on merits," the airline said.

This is the second instance where the Commissioner of Income Tax-Appeals has affirmed a tax demand on IndiGo, as a similar ruling was issued in 2015.

In the earlier case, the Commissioner of Income Tax (Appeals), acting as a quasi-judicial appellate authority, had directed the Central Board of Direct Taxes to consider looking at the discounts received by Indian airlines on aircraft purchases as commission for the purpose of calculating their taxable income.

Following this interpretation, the CIT had issued notices to InterGlobe Aviation in 2015, questioning why the taxable income of the operator of Indigo Airlines should not be augmented by over Rs 400 crore for the assessment years 2008-11 to incorporate the received discounts.

InterGlobe claimed discounts as capital receipts, seeking income tax exemption. However, the Commissioner rejected this, issuing enhancement notices.

Recent orders by the Commissioner of Income Tax-Appeals confirmed revisions to taxable income due to the treatment of incentives from aircraft manufacturers and expense disallowance.

The airline, without a chance for a personal hearing, contests the sustainability of the authority's views based on legal advice.

It maintains that discounts were sought after bulk aircraft purchases, a common industry practice to obtain capital and benefit from manufacturer discounts.

The Commissioner of Income Tax contends that the discount is essentially a commission earned for facilitating a large-scale transaction between aircraft and engine manufacturers and the lessors.

The Commissioner, further, asserts that the lessee (airline) is ineligible to seek depreciation on these assets.
A new study finds possible cause related to red wine headaches. Photo Courtesy: Pixabay

A red wine may pair nicely with the upcoming Thanksgiving meal. But for some people, drinking red wine even in small amounts causes a headache. Typically, a red wine headache can occur within 30 minutes to three hours after drinking as little as a small glass of wine.

What in wine causes headaches?

In a new study, scientists at the University of California, Davis, examined why this happens  even to people who dont get headaches when drinking small amounts of other alcoholic beverages. Researchers think that a flavanol found naturally in red wines can interfere with the proper metabolism of alcohol and can lead to a headache.

The study was published in the journal Scientific Reports.

The headache culprit: Quercetin, a flavanol

This flavanol is called quercetin and it is naturally present in all kinds of fruits and vegetables, including grapes. Its considered a healthy antioxidant and is even available in supplement form. But when metabolized with alcohol, it can be problematic.

When it gets in your bloodstream, your body converts it to a different form called quercetin glucuronide, said wine chemist and corresponding author Andrew Waterhouse, professor emeritus with the UC Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology. In that form, it blocks the metabolism of alcohol.

Acetaldehyde toxin buildup leads to flushing, headache, nausea

As a result, people can end up accumulating the toxin acetaldehyde, explains lead author Apramita Devi, postdoctoral researcher with the UC Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology.

Acetaldehyde is a well-known toxin, irritant and inflammatory substance, said Devi. Researchers know that high levels of acetaldehyde can cause facial flushing, headache and nausea.

The medication disulfiram prescribed to alcoholics to prevent them from drinking causes these same symptoms. Waterhouse said thats because the drug also causes the toxin to build up in the body when normally an enzyme in the body would break it down. About 40% of the East Asian population also has an enzyme that doesnt work very well, allowing acetaldehyde to build up in their system.

We postulate that when susceptible people consume wine with even modest amounts of quercetin, they develop headaches, particularly if they have a preexisting migraine or another primary headache condition, said co-author Morris Levin, professor of neurology and director of the Headache Center at the University of California, San Francisco. We think we are finally on the right track toward explaining this millennia-old mystery. The next step is to test it scientifically on people who develop these headaches, so stay tuned.

Sunlight increases headache-causing flavanol in grapes

Waterhouse said levels of this flavanol can vary dramatically in red wine.

Quercetin is produced by the grapes in response to sunlight, Waterhouse said. If you grow grapes with the clusters exposed, such as they do in the Napa Valley for their cabernets, you get much higher levels of quercetin. In some cases, it can be four to five times higher.

Levels of quercetin can also differ depending on how the wine is made, including skin contact during fermentation, fining processes and aging.

Clinical trial on wine headaches

Scientists will next compare red wines that contain a lot of quercetin with those that have very little to test their theory about red wine headaches on people. This small human clinical trial, funded by the Wine Spectator Scholarship Foundation, will be led by UCSF.

Researchers said there are still many unknowns about the causes of red wine headaches. Its unclear why some people seem more susceptible to them than others. Researchers dont know if the enzymes of people who suffer from red wine headaches are more easily inhibited by quercetin or if this population is just more easily affected by the buildup of the toxin acetaldehyde.

If our hypothesis pans out, then we will have the tools to start addressing these important questions, Waterhouse said.

Funding for this initial investigation came from people who supported the project via 2022 Crowdfund UC Davis.
Kolkata/IBNS: Emerging technologies, especially artificial intelligence (AI), are transforming ways to deliver and receive healthcare was the main topic of discussion at the MEDICON 2023 held recently in Kolkata.

The two-day clinical medicine conference was jointly organized by Peerless Hospital & B K Roy Foundation, Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh and West Bengal Chapter of Association of Physicians of India.

According to the experts present at the conference, most people now view healthcare as something encompassing their total wellbeing rather than just their physical health.

Hence, collaborations between different governments, industries, academia and tech giants are also on the rise, they said.

Recent changes in the understanding and practice of various aspects of acute medicine was also addressed at the conference.

Experts also expressed concerns that there is an increasing global trend to go for super specialization, ignoring the need to have a solid understanding of general internal medicine.

According to the experts, unless a physician is able to make a holistic assessment of any patient, there is always a possibility of missing the right track, resulting in delay in diagnosis and unnecessary expenditure.

President of the Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh, United Kingdom, Prof. Andrew Elder, delivered two state of the art lectures.

The Prof Shyamal Sen Memorial Oration was delivered by oncologist Prof. Mammen Chandy from India.

Other sessions included Respiratory Rehabilitation (with practical demonstration) and its impact on society, and Doctor Nurse Communication Interface.

The Roll signing ceremony of the new Fellows who have been selected this year to the Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh, from this part of the country, was also held.
Image Credit: Representative image of viruses/credit Unsplash-CDC

Beijing: China has reported a surge in cases similar to influenza mostly among children, prompting the World Health Organization to request additional information on this mysterious outbreak.

Reports indicate that Chinese hospitals are currently grappling with a high number of ailing children showing respiratory illness symptoms.

The WHO disclosed that representatives from China's National Health Commission held a press briefing on November 12, admitting a rise in respiratory diseases in the nation.

The UN health organisation attributed the surge to the relaxation of Covid-19 restrictions.

ProMed, a publicly accessible surveillance system that monitors global infectious disease outbreaks, has issued an alert regarding cases of "undiagnosed pneumonia" in children.

It is noteworthy that ProMed had previously sounded the alarm about SARs-CoV-2 in December 2019, well before the pandemic unfolded globally.

According to a report from Taiwanese FTV News, hospitals in both Beijing and Liaoning are grappling with a surge in cases of pneumonia among children.

Given the considerable distance of 800km between Beijing and Liaoning, the current situation of mysterious pneumonia is not being interpreted as a localised outbreak.

Limited information is available about the outbreak; individuals cited by FTV have noted that the affected children do not exhibit symptoms like coughing. Instead, they have high temperatures and pulmonary nodules.

Reports said that teachers have also contracted the illness, primarily because the outbreaks have been reported in schools.

As a result, certain educational institutions have been temporarily closed. The exact date when the outbreak started remains unknown at this time.

Epidemiologist Eric-Feigl-Dingh shared videos from hospitals and messages from locals in a long thread on X and analysed the situation.
All images by Soumyadev Sarkar/IBNS

Phoenix/IBNS: About 8000 miles away from its shores, the vibrant culture of India came alive this weekend in this US city when the aroma of desi cuisine and the joyousness of Bollywood gigs blended with the pride of a community basking in the glory of its lunar conquest.

When the Indian diaspora in the US state of Arizona got together in the capital city Phoenix to celebrate their diversity and progress, the message of the Indian success story was loud and clear.

The event Discover India was organized by the India Association of Phoenix (IAPHX), a non-profit, non-religious, and non-political organization, meant for community outreach. Besides aiming to preserve Indias heritage, the organization extends its support to those in need within the community in Arizona, home to over 100,000 Indo-Americans.

After a lull of more than two years owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the associations signature outdoor event was held in the heart of the city on a bright sunny day with a wide number of Indians in attendance.

One of the most significant objectives of the event is to promote peace and camaraderie amongst the community bringing it together to make new acquaintances and networking besides witnessing some colourful performances by the diaspora celebrating the countrys diverse cultures, food, and traditional attire.

The theme for this years celebration was Shining India which was aimed at reflecting Indias recent achievements, including Chandrayaan 3s soft landing on the Moons south pole for the first time as well as the countrys economy securing the 5th spot in the world.

Indias cultural heritage is a kaleidoscope of diversity, permeating every aspect of life- religion, language, art, architecture, dance, music, cuisine and clothing. Discover India showcases the diverse Indian music and dance forms while at the same time offering a sampling of ethnic jewellery and clothes," Radhika Siva, President of India Association of Phoenix said in her inaugural message.

"As always, you will not want to miss the flavourful cuisine from different regions of India, she added.

Staying true to its objective, the event started with the National Anthem and progressed amidst beautiful performances being presented by Indians living in Phoenix belonging to all age groups.

No wonder Bollywood songs dominated a major part of the performances besides some magnificent presentations of Kathak, Bharatnatyam, and Odissi dance forms.

A major highlight of the cultural event was a short skit portraying the classic Mughal-e-Azam film.

Participants included toddlers, young adults, and even mothers coming together to showcase their talents.

Interestingly, the spectators were not Indians alone as a large number of Americans joined in the celebrations, staying loyal audiences till the very end of the 8-hour-long programme.

Since no Indian celebration is complete without food, one of the biggest highlights of the event was food stalls surrounding the entire circle of the Scottsdale Civic Centre, the venue for the event.

Right from the north Indian cuisine comprising chicken tandooris, seekh kebabs, chhole bhatures to south Indian delicacies like dosas attracted big queues of not just Indians but American visitors too. The icing on the cake was the availability of Indian street chaats, sweets like jalebis as well as sugarcane juice and mango lassis.



Apart from food, there were stalls selling Indian traditional clothes and accessories.

Speaking on the occasion, Executive Adviser of India Association, Venkat Kommineni, said: The India Associations Youth Committee is renowned for providing opportunities to enhance leadership skills and foster organizational attitudes among the youth. Numerous active participants in the India Association have undergone transformational experiences with many securing prestigious The Flinn scholarships.

He highlighted how the India Association helps young minds avail the scholarships and ensures that it collaborates with several other organizations with similar objectives.

Certain individuals within the organization, despite lacking formal titles, consistently contribute their efforts annually. Both the board of directors and numerous volunteers invest significant family time as volunteers to organize events and expand the network for the benefit of all, he told IBNS.

The dazzling event culminated in the evening, lighting up the Phoenix Valley with some dhaak and dhol players making chorus music representing the Maharashtrian culture. To add the flavour of it, the participants adorned beautiful Maharashtrian traditional costumes along with pagdis (turban) on their heads.
Image Courtesy: openai.com/blog

San Francisco: Before OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's temporary exit, a group of staff researchers sent a letter to the board of directors, warning against a major artificial intelligence discovery that could pose a threat to humanity, Reuters reported citing two sources familiar with the situation.

This previously undisclosed letter, along with the AI algorithm it referred to, played a role in the board's decision to remove Altman, known for his association with generative AI.

More than 700 employees had threatened to resign and join supporter Microsoft in solidarity with Altman, their dismissed leader.

The sources mentioned the letter as one element in a broader set of concerns by the board that contributed to Altman's dismissal, Reuters reported, stating that it was unable to access a copy of the letter, and the researchers who wrote it did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

According to the report, one of the sources said that long-time executive Mira Murati informed the OpenAI employees on Wednesday that the said letter about the AI breakthrough called Q* (pronounced Q-Star), triggered the board's move.

The progress made with Q* in the startup's work for developing superintelligence, also known as artificial general intelligence (AGI), which OpenAI defines as AI systems that are more intelligent than human beings.

With extensive computing resources at its disposal, the new model showed the ability to solve specific mathematical problems, Reuters reported, quoting an anonymous source.

While the model's mathematical proficiency was comparable to that of grade-school students, its success in acing such tests has left researchers highly optimistic about the future potential of Q*.
Photo courtesy: UNI

Prayagraj/UNI: An aide of slain mafia-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed was arrested after an encounter with police in Nawabganj area of Prayagraj district here in Uttar Pradesh, a police officer said here on Thursday.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Ganga Nagar, Abhishek Bharati said the encounter took place in Anapur area where two criminals opened fire on the police team after being intercepted during vehicle checking late on Wednesday night.

"In retaliatory firing one of the criminals sustained bullet injury and was arrested," he said.

He said that the arrested criminal was identified as Mohammad Naseem alias Naseem Biryani.

"The police recovered a pistol, cartridges and a motorcycle. The injured criminal has been admitted to Swarup Rani Nehru hospital," he said.

It may be noted that on November 18 the Prayagraj Commissionerate police had announced a reward of Rs 50,000 on the arrest of Nafees Biryani, who is one of the accused in advocate Umesh Pal murder case.

The police were looking for Nafees after his name was added in the Umesh Pal murder case lodged at Dhoomanganj police station on February 24 after which Police Commissioner Ramit Sharma announced a reward of Rs 50,000 on his arrest.

Nafees, who ran a Biryani restaurant, was a friend of Khalid Azim alias Ashraf, brother of slain mafia-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed. During investigation it was revealed that Nafees' SUV was used in the murder of Umesh Pal and his two security personnel on February 24 this year.

The SUV was recovered near Atiq's house the next day of the murder on February 25.

It was revealed that the SUV was used by Atiq's son Asad and his henchmen to carry out the murder in Sulem Sarai locality under Dhoomanganj police station.

It may be mentioned that a case was lodged against nine persons after murder of Umesh Pal, the main witness in Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLA Raju Pal's murder on January 25, 2005.

The main accused included Atiq Ahmed, his brother Ashraf, wife Shaista Parvin, two sons, Guddu Muslim, Arman, Ghulam and Sabir.

Atiq and Ashraf were shot dead by three shooters while they were being taken to the Colvin hospital for medical checkup in police custody on April 15 night.

The police had already announced a reward of Rs 50,000 of Atiq's wife Shaista and Rs 5 lakh each on his son Asad, accomplices Guddu Muslim, Arman, Ghulam and Sabir.
Image of rescue ops tweeted by Uttarkashi Police

The operation to rescue 41 workers, who are trapped under the debris caused by a collapsed tunnel in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi, has reached its final phase, media reports said.

The rescue teams at midnight said about 10 metres of debris is now separating them from the workers who are trapped for 12 days, NDTV reported.

Forty-one ambulances have been kept outside to carry the trapped workers to take to hospital.

Other factors like the difference in temperature between the tunnel and outside, the workers' psychological impact have been kept in mind.

A doctor along with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team will reach the workers and check their conditions once the rescue pipe reaches them.

The workers will walk through the pipe under close supervision of the NDRF, NDTV reported.

Pipeline laid inside Uttarkashi's Silkyara tunnel to rescue 41 trapped workers amid hopes that they could be reached today. #UttarakhandTunnel #TunnelCollapse pic.twitter.com/yBiNEsu4Lf  India Blooms (@indiablooms) November 23, 2023

The labourers have been trapped in a 400-metre buffer zone of the unfinished main tunnel since November 12 when a portion of the 4.5-km tunnel on the Brahmakal-Yamunotri National Highway collapsed, trapping 41 workers.

The tunnel - meant to join Silkyara and Dandalgaon in Uttarkashi - is a part of the Char Dham project.

On Monday morning, a wider pipe was installed to deliver a wider variety of food and medicine to the trapped people. Earlier, only dry fruits could be sent in.

The rescue ops involved an international tunneling expert team and a robotics team from defence research organization (DRDO).

Over the last week, several plans to cut through the 40-meter rock wall fell through.

The last rock fall occurred on Friday when attempts were made to use an American Auger drill flown in from Delhi. The drill machine that was being used before that had broken down and work had to be stopped till the new one reached.
Photo Courtesy: PIB

Sindhudurg/UNI: Indian Navy Day is all set to be celebrated in presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Sindhudurg fort in Maharashtra on December 4.

Navy Day will be celebrated in a grand and divine manner at the historic fort in Sindhudurg district, with PM Modi taking part in the programme as the chief guest. Sindhudurg fort was built by Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Shivaji in the second half of the 17th century.

On this occasion, a grand statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji erected at Malvan-Rajkot will be unveiled by Prime Minister Modi.

Modi has directed that the day be celebrated at Sindhudurg fort keeping in mind the contribution of Chhatrapati Shivaji in building the Indian Navy.

A 43 feet statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji has been erected at Malvan-Rajkot sea shore of Sindhudurg. Also an art gallery depicting Shivaji's life and achievements has been created.

Various warships of the Navy will participate in the programme. Events celebrating the day will also be organised at Tarkarli and Makvan Beach. Senior officers of foreign navies and dignitaries from abroad will be present as special guests.
Image Credit: Wallpaper Flare

Jammu/UNI: Security Forces have neutralised one Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist believed to be the mastermind of Dhangri attack in an ongoing gunfight on Thursday in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir.

Army sources said that with the first light, Army along with police intensified the combat operation and heavily retaliated to the firing during the gunfight in Bajumal village of Kalakote.

Notably, on Wednesday four Army personnel including two officers attained martyrdom while two sustained injuries in the operation.

In exchange of fire, one hard-core terrorist of Lashkar-e-Taiba was killed.

He is believed to be the mastermind of the Dhangri terrorist attack.

Sources said that the LeT terrorist killed in an ensuing gunfight is identified as Quari and is a Pak National.

"He has been trained on the Pakistan and Afghan Front and is a highly ranked terrorist leader of Lashkar-e-Taiba," they said.

Sources added that he has been active in Rajouri-Poonch alongwith his group from past one year and is also believed to be mastermind of Dhangri and Kandi attacks in Rajouri district.

"He was sent to revive terrorism in the region and was an expert in IEDs, operating and hiding from caves and a trained sniper," sources said.

Dhangri attacks occurred on January 1 and 2 that resulted in six deaths and 14 injuries in separate incidents of shooting and firing.
Photo courtesy: Wallpaper Cave

New Delhi: Police have thwarted terrorist plots targeting Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Nariman House, Gateway of India in Mumbai, and unspecified high-profile military bases, NDTV reported.

The foiled attacks, which could have been some of the largest in India, were reportedly planned by the Islamic State, the report said.

This came to light during the interrogation of Shahnawaz alias Shafi Uzzama, an Islamic State operative arrested by Delhi Police last month, the report said.

The information also indicates the involvement of students from Aligarh Muslim University.

Sources indicate that Pune has become the central point of the Islamic State's plans. Shahnawaz, a suspect in the Islamic State Pune module case, had been wanted by authorities, according to the report.

As per reports, he left the city in July following the arrest of two associates, arrived in Delhi, and has remained in hiding since then.

According to sources, Shahnawaz, who was looking to improve his financial situation, became involved in illegal activities during his youth in his hometown Hazaribagh, Jharkhand.

He was radicalised and underwent training under Anwar al-Awlaki, a senior Al Qaeda operative who was killed in a US drone strike in Yemen in 2011.

During his confession, Shahnawaz told the interrogators that his wife was a Hindu before converting to Islam. The couple met at Aligarh University, where they became involved in terrorist activities.

Shahnawaz confessed that he became a member of Hizb ut-Tahrir, an Islamist organisation that aims at re-establishing the Islamic Caliphate to unite all Muslims.

In August, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) carried out operations in Bhopal related to Hizb ut-Tahrir.

This followed earlier raids in May, conducted in Telangana and Madhya Pradesh, which led to 16 arrests and the busting of several terrorist modules.

Hizb ut-Tahrir (HuT) is banned in many countries, including Bangladesh, Indonesia, China, and Germany.

Shahnawaz also revealed to authorities about hawala routes through which funds are transmitted to modules in Pune for bomb-making and terrorist training purposes, the report added.
Kolkata/IBNS: Breaking her long silence on the controversy surrounding Mahua Moitra in cash for query scam, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the expulsion of the TMC MP from the Lok Sabha will boost her chances in next year's general election.

"Mahua Moitra's expulsion from Lok Sabha is being planned... but this will help her before the election," Banerjee said Thursday at an event in Kolkata.

"Now they have planned to target Mahua. She will become popular for three months. What she said inside... she will say outside. She will hold press conferences every day. What does she lose?"

Banerjee also ripped into the ruling BJP over the arrests of her party's MLAs, including Minister Jyotipriya Mallick, who was taken into custody this month in an alleged multi-crore ration scam.

"They have arrested four MLAs... think they can reduce our strength like this. We have also decided. If they defame four of us... there are cases of murder against them. I will put eight of them in jail," she said.

Prior to this short, but significant message, of support, Banerjee had refused to discuss the furore surrounding Moitra, who is accused of taking bribes, including Rs. 2 crores in cash, from businessman Darshan Hiranandani to ask questions targeting the Modi government in Parliament.

The BJP had earlier said Trinamool's silence on the matter reflects that the party has "dumped" Moitra and that Banerjee's silence was an admission of her party leader's guilt.

Meanwhile, amid the Ethics Committee's recommendations to suspend her from the Parliament, Moitra was appointed as the district chief of Krishnanagar (Nadia North) by the TMC, which falls under her Lok Sabha constituency.

Earlier Trinamool MP and Banerjee's nephew Abhishek came out in her support against the decision of the Lok Sabha ethics committee recommending her suspension from Parliament.

The ethics committee, after hearing Moitra in a closed-door meeting from which she and opposition MPs walked out over the manner of questioning, submitted a 500-page report to the Lok Sabha Speaker recommending that the TMC leader should not be allowed to continue as an MP and her membership should be terminated.

The committee called Moitra's actions "highly objectionable, unethical, heinous and criminal", and sought severe punishment.
Image credit: Wallpaper cave

Washington/IBNS: A 26-year-old Indian doctoral student was shot dead inside a car in the US state of Ohio.

Aaditya Adlakha was a fourth-year doctoral student in the molecular and developmental biology programme at the University of Cincinnati Medical School, according to a statement from the medical school, WXIX-TV reported.

The university described the incident as "sudden, tragic and senseless".

Aaditya Adlakha died earlier this month at the UC Medical Center, according to the Hamilton County Coroner's Office.

On November 9, Cincinnati Police Lt. Jonathan Cunningham said officers found a man shot inside a vehicle that crashed into a wall on the upper deck of the Western Hills Viaduct.

ShotSpotter, a gunfire locator service, reported there was gunfire in the area around 6:20 am, police said.

Drivers passing by called 911 to report a vehicle that had bullet holes in it with a person inside who had been shot, said Cunningham.

Aaditya Adlakha was transported to UC Medical Center where he was in critical condition and was pronounced dead two days later.
Screengrab from video tweeted by BJP4India

Mathura (UP),/IBNS/UNI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday without naming Congress accused it of being indifferent towards the development of Mathura, the city of Lord Krishna, and said those who wanted to disassociate India from its past have still not given up their slave mentality.

Addressing a programme organised on the 525th birth anniversary of Saint Mirabai, PM Modi said, "Unfortunately, the land of Braj did not get the importance it should have got after the independence of the country. Those who wanted to disassociate India from its past could not give up the mentality of slavery even after independence, they deprived Braj land of development. Now the date of Ram temple has come and the day is not far when Lord Krishna will be seen here in an even more divine form."

The PM also released a commemorative stamp and coin in the name of Bhakti saint Mirabai and participated in a cultural programme organised on the occasion.

Glimpses from the splendid cultural programme to mark the 525th Jayanti of Sant Mirabai. pic.twitter.com/n4n6SffX52  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 23, 2023

He said, "India has always been a country that worships women power. Radha's name comes before Krishna. In our country, women have always taken up responsibilities and have continuously guided society. A saint like Mirabai showed that a woman's self-confidence has the power to give direction to the entire world."

Describing the importance of Braj, he said the benefit obtained from visiting Mathura and Braj alone is more than the benefits obtained from all the pilgrimages in the world.

"Radha Rani is engrossed in the beauty of Braj, Shri Krishna is present in every particle of this place. I am fortunate that today I have got the opportunity to visit Braj, only those who are called by Shri Krishna come here, this is not an ordinary land," he said.

Earlier, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said in his address that India's borders have been secured under Modi's leadership. "Every problem of the country has been brought to its goal by showing the path of solution. In the last nine years under the leadership of Modi, the country has seen a new India, the prestige of the new India has also increased on the global stage," he said.

The PM started his short tour by visiting Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi. He offered prayers to Lord Krishna at Keshavdev temple. The priests present there welcomed the Prime Minister by wearing Angavastram and garland.

Governor Anandiben Patel was also present on this occasion. Later the PM's convoy left for Brajraj Utsav. It may be noted that Modi is the country's first PM to have visited and worshipped Lord Krishna's birthplace in Mathura.
Photo Courtesy: twitter.com/ChinaAmbUN

United Nations: China has urged the international community to step up efforts to implement an immediate end to hostilities in Gaza and the realization of a ceasefire, Beijing's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Zhang Jun said on Wednesday.

"We must step up efforts to promote an immediate end to hostilities and realisation for ceasefire," Zhang Jun said during the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting.

Furthermore, Zhang Jun said that it must be implemented immediately and fully to achieve a lasting ceasefire and avoid a larger humanitarian catastrophe.

On October 7, Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise large-scale rocket attack against Israel from the Gaza Strip and breached the border, killing and abducting hundreds of people, including elderly and children, in neighbouring Israeli communities.

Israel launched retaliatory strikes and ordered a complete blockade of the Gaza Strip, cutting off supplies of water, food, and fuel.

On October 27, Israel launched a large-scale ground incursion inside the Gaza Strip with the declared goal of eliminating Hamas fighters and rescuing the hostages.

The conflict has resulted in the deaths of around 1,400 people in Israel and over 11,000 in the Gaza Strip.

(With UNI/SPUTNIK inputs)
Photo courtesy: UNI

Gaza/UNI: There will be no ceasefire under the deal between Israel and Palestinian movement Hamas "before Friday," an Israeli official said on Thursday.

There will be "no pause" in the fighting, the source told the agency.

The agency also cited another source as saying that the ceasefire had been expected to start at 10:00 a.m. local time (08:00 GMT).

An Israeli source has told Israeli newspaper Haaretz that there would be no stop to the fighting in Gaza until the timeline for the agreement with Hamas is finalized.

On October 7, Hamas launched a surprise large-scale rocket attack against Israel from the Gaza Strip and breached the border, killing around 1,200 people and abducting over 200 others in neighboring Israeli communities.

Israel launched retaliatory strikes and ordered a complete blockade of the Gaza Strip, cutting off supplies of water, food, and fuel.

On October 27, Israel launched a large-scale ground incursion inside the Gaza Strip with the declared goal of eliminating Hamas fighters and rescuing the hostages.

The conflict has resulted in the deaths of over 14,500 people in the Gaza Strip.

On Wednesday, Israel and Hamas confirmed that they had agreed to a four-day ceasefire in Gaza, with the cessation of all hostilities and the release of 50 Israeli hostages in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners.
Extensive destruction is seen in the Gaza strip following Israeli airstrikes on 10 October 2023 Photo Courtesy: WHO

A top official of PM Benjamin Netanyahu has said the release of the first group of 50 Israeli abductees as a part of the hostage deal would take place on Friday (November 24, 2023) and not on Thursday (November 23, 2023) as was previously thought.

National Security Council chairman Tzachi Hanegbi circulated a statement that was quoted as saying by The Tims of Israel that the negotiations for the hostages are constantly progressing and the release will begin according to the original agreement between the parties, and not before Friday.

The deal set to unfold, as detailed by Israels cabinet, would trade 50 living Israeli hostages  children, their mothers, and other women in groups of 12-13 people  for a four-day lull in fighting and the release of up to 150 Palestinian female and underage prisoners, reports The Times of Israel.

Meanwhile, the deal to release hostages taken during the Hamas terror attack on Israel has been welcomed by UN chief Antonio Guterres, who added that the UN stood ready to maximize the positive humanitarian impact of the agreement.

This is an important step in the right direction, but much more needs to be done, Guterres said via a statement from his spokesperson Farhan Haq.

The top UN official leading efforts to secure a lasting peace in the Middle East, Tor Wennesland, echoed those comments and also welcomed the announced 96-hour humanitarian pause in war-shattered Gaza.

This pause must be used to its fullest extent to facilitate the release of hostages and alleviate the dire needs of Palestinians in Gaza.

The development comes as UN humanitarians reiterated that they remain ready to seize the opportunity to ramp up lifesaving aid to the enclave.

Following the four-day ceasefire announcement the UN World Health Organization (WHO) issued fresh calls for safe, unimpeded humanitarian access in the Strip.

The fighting needs to stop so that we can quickly scale up our response, said Dr. Ahmed Al-Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean. We cannot keep providing drops of aid in Gaza in an ocean of need.

Meanwhile, WHO said that a new evacuation was under way at Gaza Citys embattled Al-Shifa hospital, with more to follow in northern Gaza.

Since the start of Israels retaliation of Hamas 7 October massacres which left 1,200 dead in southern Israel and some 240 hostages abducted, 108 UN staff members have been killed in the Strip.
Photo Courtesy: X/Petr Pavel

Moscow: Czech President Petr Pavel said that all NATO members, including the Czech Republic, consider Russia the greatest military threat and are preparing for a potential high-intensity conflict in Europe.

On Wednesday, the countries of the Visegrad Group, a cultural and political alliance of the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary, also known as the Visegrad Four, the V4, and the European Quartet, gathered at Prague Castle to hold a V4 leaders summit.

They discuss the most pressing international issues, including the conflicts in Ukraine and in the Middle East and the future of the European Union.

"Not only the Czech Republic but also all NATO members consider Russia to be the No. 1 threat to Europe. This means that there is a necessity to prepare for such a war under realistic conditions. All [NATO] forces are preparing for a potential high-intensity conflict in Europe," Pavel told the press conference following the V4 leaders summit.

"At the same time, the president said NATO did not want such a development and that predictions of a likely conflict were "a realistic warning, not something that is bound to happen."

Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine on February 24 last year.

Western countries responded by imposing comprehensive sanctions against Moscow while also ramping up their military support for Kiev.

Russian and Ukrainian delegations have engaged in several rounds of peace talks since then, but the negotiations ultimately reached an impasse.

(With UNI/Sputnik inputs)
Photo Courtesy: Pixabay

Border crossings between Nepal and China have become hubs for gold smuggling and illegal transactions, media reports said.

Areas such as Rasuwa, Sindhupalchok, and Dolakha, in close proximity to Kathmandu, have emerged as key centers for illegal gold trading, with police operations unveiling significant quantities of smuggled gold, reported EPardafas.

In a recent investigation report released by Dolakha police, it was disclosed that over 11 kg of gold was recovered, but startlingly, more than 33 kg of gold was smuggled, implicating Chinese smugglers in the illicit activities, the news portal reported.

Rasuwagadhi crossing is reportedly witnessing a spike in gold smuggling.

Three people were arrested with regard to the issue in the area recently.

They were identified as Suresh Tamang, Nimatasi Tamang, and Nwang Lopchan Tamang.

Police found 12 tola gold rings brought from Kerung from their possession.

Police Chief DSP Subas Budhathoki informed that the arrested individuals had gold worth NPR 13 lacs and 88 thousand, which was sent to the customs office for further legal processing, the news portal reported.
Photo Courtesy: X videograb

New York: Border crossings between the US and Canada near Niagara Falls were shut down on Wednesday following a vehicle explosion at Rainbow Bridge, prompting actions by terrorism investigators, media reports said.

According to US media, two people were killed in the explosion, but their identities have not been ascertained till now.

UPDATE: The incident at Rainbow Bridge that closed all WNY border crossings between the U.S. and Canada was termed a "vehicle explosion" by the FBI. https://t.co/miTT6kFmKQ pic.twitter.com/s7afvQBqPE  News 4 Buffalo (@news4buffalo) November 22, 2023

While the cause of the incident was not immediately apparent, New York Governor Kathy Hochul stated that state police and the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force were monitoring all entry points into the state.

Citing law enforcement sources, the US media reported that there were two passengers in the car.

#FBI Buffalo statement on investigation at the Rainbow Bridge: pic.twitter.com/jRaGLL8sU8  FBI Buffalo (@FBIBuffalo) November 22, 2023

The vehicle had undergone an initial border checkpoint inspection, after which it was sent for a secondary check.

But the car accelerated, collided with a barrier, and exploded.





Footage shows the moment the car bomb went off at the Rainbow Bridge on the U.S./Canadian border. #explosion pic.twitter.com/dGwBC4r7Ii  Steve  (@SteveLovesAmmo) November 22, 2023

The sources underscored that it remained uncertain whether the explosion was caused by a device, AFP reported.

"I am traveling to Buffalo to meet with law enforcement and emergency responders and will update New Yorkers when more information becomes available," Hochul posted on social media.

At my direction, @nyspolice is actively working with the @FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force to monitor all points of entry to New York.



I am traveling to Buffalo to meet with law enforcement & emergency responders & will update New Yorkers when more information becomes available.  Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) November 22, 2023

Ive been briefed on the incident on the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls and we are closely monitoring the situation. State agencies are on site and ready to assist.  Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) November 22, 2023

The office of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated that he had been briefed and was in contact with US law enforcement. The statement said that various Canadian agencies were providing support for the investigation.

Witnesses described hearing a loud explosion and a huge cloud of smoke near the inspection station, according to the report.
Photo Courtesy:Governor Kathy Hochul X page

At least two persons died after a car exploded at a US-Canada checkpoint near Niagara Falls on Wednesday.

The incident triggered the closure of the border between the two countries.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul said there is no evidence of 'terrorism' in the incident.

Just came from the scene of this horrible incident at the Rainbow Bridge. No evidence of terrorism indicated at this time.



Grateful for our first responders keeping drivers and residents safe on this busy travel day. Will continue to update on any developments. https://t.co/nNGFPHm0bm  Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) November 22, 2023

"Just came from the scene of this horrible incident at the Rainbow Bridge. No evidence of terrorism indicated at this time," she said.

"Grateful for our first responders keeping drivers and residents safe on this busy travel day. Will continue to update on any developments," the Governor said.

Asked why the FBI believes there isn't a threat of terrorism, Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia told CNN, "We do have someone in mind for it and were working through it through the JTTF," a reference to the Joint Terrorism Task Force.

In his speech in the parliament, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the Canadian government is working in close contact with U.S. officials, and that "additional measures are being contemplated and activated at all border crossings across the country."

"We are taking this extraordinarily seriously," Trudeau was quoted as saying by CBS News.

Due to todays incident at the Canada-US border, we will be increasing directed patrols of uniformed officers throughout the city. This is out of an abundance of caution and there are no known threats for the city of #Toronto.  Toronto Police (@TorontoPolice) November 22, 2023

Toronto Police has commenced patrol throughout the city.

"Due to todays incident at the Canada-US border, we will be increasing directed patrols of uniformed officers throughout the city. This is out of an abundance of caution and there are no known threats for the city of #Toronto," police posted on X.
Photo courtesy: twitter.com/united

New York: A United Airlines pilot was temporarily removed from work for his online comments on the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel. The comment was flagged as disturbing as Ibrahim R Mossallam, responsible for the safety of passengers while working as a pilot, called the Hamas terrorists brave people.

Mossallam also said that mass media is heavily politicized and skewed to show a non-occupying narrative of Palestine, and added that the October 7 attack, where some claimed babies were burned alive, were not unprovoked.

In his post, Mossallam further said that people should expand their media literacy, and urged them to do their due diligence while putting Hamas on trial for its actions.

Ibrahim R Mossallam is a United Airlines pilot who stated on an October 7th Facebook post the massacre in Israel that left 1400 people dead, women raped, and babies burned alive was "resistance by brave people".



This is abhorernt @united - how can Jewish passengers feel safe pic.twitter.com/lD76WcvwqZ  StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) November 20, 2023

Confirming his suspension, United Airlines told the New York Post, This pilot has been removed from service, with pay, while we look into this matter.

Screenshots of his post were shared by the group StopAntisemitism on X.

Posting his photo and a screengrab of the post, the group wrote, Ibrahim R Mossallam is a United Airlines pilot who stated on an October 7th Facebook post the massacre in Israel that left 1400 people dead, women raped, and babies burned alive was "resistance by brave people". This is abhorrent @united - how can Jewish passengers feel safe with this man flying their plane?

@united please ensure that your Jewish passengers are safe with this pilot, one user wrote, while one said, Not only jewish passengers, ALL passengers will feel unsafe travelling with him at 30,000 feet. OMG this is frightening. Not flying @united so long as this is one of their pilots, one user wrote.
Winter is here, and just like in Game of Thrones, employees are preparing for the harsh season it will be - by indulging in job cuffing.

Job cuffing is the new career trend, but it is seasonal; as winter recedes, it will wither away, too.

What is job cuffing?

Unsplash

Job cuffing refers to cuffing or tying oneself to an organisation before winter sets in.



Forbes defines it as a stop-gap arrangement for employees until the springtime when they can resume their search for better job prospects.

So, job cuffing refers to when employees deliberately decide to stay at their current workplace (even if they don't love their job) instead of looking for the new opportunities they want.

Why are employees staying in a job that they don't necessarily like?

"Employees are becoming less confident about finding new jobs, as many companies, particularly in the tech and media sectors, are reducing their workforce or slowing down hiring," said John Mullinix, head of growth marketing, Ladders, as quoted by Fox Business.

Further, employees need their family time during the holiday season.

Instead of going through the rigorous process of applying for a new job at a time when job offers are anyway less, with the ones available paying less than desired, employees are choosing to cuff themselves to their current jobs.

Unsplash

And so, job searches are pushed on to the spring with the hope of getting a better job in a more conducive job market.



What is the current job market in India like?

The Print quoted recent reports to state that over 21,000 Indian employees have been laid off between June and September in 2023 by just the major technology companies of India, such as Wipro, TCS, and Infosys.

Infosys

Mass layoffs during economic downturns lead to a crowded job market, making it harder for individuals to find work.



In such a situation, it would be beneficial for Indians to be cuffed up to their present employment - even though it may not give them the job satisfaction they seek.

After all, there is always the springtime to look forward to.

For more on news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News.
The National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has dissolved the Rivers State Executives of the party at all levels.

Addressing newsmen after the meeting of the NWC at the Partys National Secretariat in Abuja on Wednesday, the partys National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, announced the NWCs decision to appoint a seven-member Caretaker Committee.

Other members of the Rivers APC caretaker committee to be inaugurated on Friday are Hon. Chibuike Ikenga, Prince Stephen Abolo, Hon. Silvester Vidin, Senibo Karibi Dan-Jumbo and Miss Darling Amadi.

Morka explained that the caretaker committee is mandated to conduct a comprehensive and fresh electronic party registration of all members in the state.

READ MORE: Rivers APC Suspends Chairman, Seeks Probe Of Amaechi Over Anti-Party Activities

The caretaker committee subject to the directives of the NWC was entrusted with preparing for the conduct of congresses to facilitate the emergence of new executive committees for the party at various levels, extending from the ward to the state, he added.

The APC spokesman said the caretaker committee has six months to deliver on its mandate

INFORMATION NIGERIA learnt that Okocha is a supporter and political ally of the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike.
A police inspector, Jacob Daniel, has died during a clash between operatives of the Nigerian Army and officers of the Nigeria Police Force in Adamawa State.

Daniels death was confirmed in a statement by Afolabi Babatola, the States Commissioner of Police on Wednesday.

The statement signed by Suleiman Nguroje, Adamawa police spokesperson, said Daniel was killed after some soldiers attacked the police command headquarters in Yola North Local Government Area (LGA) of the State.

According to reports, the officer died during the exchange of gunfire between the two sets of security operatives.

The Commissioner said the soldiers had stormed the police headquarters over a conflict with some officers at the Target Junction in Yola North LGA.

READ ALSO: Were Kicking Out Keke Napep, Some Of Them Are Criminals  Wike

He further condemned the incident and warned that attacks on all security officers in the line of duty would no longer be tolerated under whatever guise.

While ordering for an immediate investigation into the incident and appealing for calm among police officers, Babatola assured that top management of both security agencies are doing everything legally possible to address the situation.

However, Gambo Mohammed, Commander of Brigade 23 in Yola, said the fracas started after a military personnel was shot in the leg by a police officer on patrol.

He added that the injured soldier had been taken to the Federal Medical Centre Yola for attention.
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Pope Francis, the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State says the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian militant group, has developed from war to terrorism.

The Vatican spoke on Wednesday while delivering his remarks at St. Peters Square, a plaza located directly in front of St. Peters Basilica in the Vatican City, the papal enclave in Rome.

According to him, he met separately with relatives of Israeli hostages in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners in Israel and heard directly how both sides are suffering from the conflict.

He begged for peace so that both sides would not be consumed with passions, which in the end, kill everyone.

This is what wars do. But here we have gone beyond wars. This is not war. This is terrorism, he added.

READ ALSO: Turkish President, Erdogan Declares Israel Terrorist State

The spiritual leader, however, did not mention the four-day halt and ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas which was concluded hours before his speech.

A statement from the Israeli government said at least 50 hostages, women and children, will be released in Gaza over four days and hinted that the ceasefire could be extended.

A Hamas statement, on the other hand, said 150 Palestinian prisoners, mostly women and children, held in Israeli jails will also be released as part of the deal.

The truce, the statement said, would also allow the entry of a larger number of humanitarian convoys and relief aid.

The start time of the pause in fighting would be announced within the next 24 hours, it disclosed.

The agreement marks a major breakthrough nearly seven weeks after the conflict spiralled into a grave humanitarian crisis.
Youths in their numbers on Wednesday evening, took to the streets of Kano, protesting over the Appeal Court verdict that sacked Abba Yusuf as the Governor of the State.

The protesters, comprising workmen, set tyres on fire along the Dan Agundi area of Kano while chanting solidarity songs for the Governor.

But they were dispersed by police officers who were mobilised to the scene of the protest.

Policemen barricaded the road leading to the government house, while motorists were diverted to drive on one lane.

The protesters were seen in the Kofar Nassarawa and BUK road.

The fresh protest came after the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgement surfaced in the public domain and seemed contrary to the verdict of the appellate court.

Some of the protesters said they were ready to die as they demanded justice.

Meanwhile, Yusuf, on Wednesday, filed an appeal at the Supreme Court, challenging his removal as Governor by the Appeal Court last week.

READ ALSO: Tension As Okada Riders, Agbero Clash In Ogun

According to the notice of appeal, Yusufs party, the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) filed the appeal, which also joined the Governor as a respondent in addition to the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The party, in the 10-ground of appeal it filed through a team of lawyers comprising of eight Senior Advocates of Nigeria, SANs, led by Chief Adegboyega Awomolo, maintained that the judgement the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal delivered against its candidate on November 17, was perverse.

Recall that on November 17, the court of appeal in Abuja affirmed the verdict of the Kano state governorship election petition tribunal that removed Yusuf.

The tribunal had sacked Yusuf, the candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), as governor of the state.

The three-member panel of the appellate court held that the NNPP breached the constitution by sponsoring Yusuf, who was not a member of the party when the election was held.

The court held that Yusufs name was not in any of the membership registers of the NNPP tendered before the tribunal  a contravention of section 177(c) of the 1999 Constitution.
The Organised Labour has faulted the action of the Federal Government for reducing the supplementary budgetary allocation for wage awards to federal civil servants by N100 billion.

Recall that the Federal Government, as part of steps to pacify labour unions, had granted a wage award of N35,000 to all Federal Government workers beginning from September pending when a new national minimum wage is expected to have been signed into law.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had declared during his Independence Day speech that low-grade workers in the federal civil service would be awarded a wage of N25,000.

The amount was then increased to N35,000 following discussions with the organised labour unions, but, civil servants received a single payment of N35,000 for September only and not for two months as promised.

According to the Revised 2023 Supplementary Budget, the government swapped the controversial N5 billion presidential yacht for Navy barges, increased the budget for defence from N476.54 billion to N546.21 billion and earmarked N20 billion as capital supplementation for the National Intelligence Agency.

Recall that the recently approved N2.1 trillion 2023 Supplementary Budget was marred with controversy following the discovery of seemingly extravagant items, forcing an amendment by the National Assembly.

In the proposed document, the four-month wage award was to cost the Federal Government around N210 billion but in the approved and newly revised document, it showed that it would now cost the FG about N110 billion.

Also, the revised budget where the Ministry of Defence budget rose from N476.54 billion to N546.21 billion, indicates an additional allocation of N69.67 billion.

The Nigerian Navy, which was caught up in the controversial N5.095bn for the purchase of a presidential yacht, got an additional N25bn to its total allocation.

It shows that its total allocation rose from N62.8 billion in the proposed supplementary budget to N87.8 billion in the approved revised document.

Observation reveals that the presidential yacht was replaced by the purchase of a self-propelled barge (cargo-carrying vessels specifically engineered for operation on inland waterways) with the same amount of N5.095 billion.

The Nigerian Navy also got extra allocation for the construction of two buildings in Enugu and Ebonyi States worth N3bn each.

READ ALSO: NLC Misplaced Priorities, Shouldve Gone On Strike In States Not Paying N30,000 Minimum Wage  Oshiomhole

About N19 billion was also allocated for the purchase of two tugboats, which are used to pull or push other large ships for maneuvering or salvage purposes.

Moreso, the Defence Intelligence Agency got an extra N30 billion to its total allocation, from N17.04bn in the proposed document to N47.04bn in the approved copy.

Allocations to the Office of the National Security Adviser, headed by Nuhu Ribadu, increased by N20.3 billion from N29.7 billion to N50.02 billion.

Similarly, the purchase of official vehicles for the office of the First Lady valued at N1.5 billion remained in the budget, while the education loan fund for funding student loans was increased to N10 billion from N5.5 billion that previously allotted.

While it is still unknown why FG decided to slash the allocation of wage awards for federal workers, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) warned that this would be resisted as it was not the agreement they had with the government.

NLCs Assistant General Secretary, Chris Onyeka, said the agreement was for the government to raise the wages of federal civil servants and not to reduce them.

He said, Are you saying they cut down the wage awards by N100bn? Well, we have been talking about the high cost of governance and if they decided to reduce their bills by cutting down their numerous aides and assistants, thats alright.

But if it is that they dont want to pay workers what they are supposed to pay, then there is a problem. How can you subject workers to further reductions in their salaries? No way! We agreed to a wage award of N35,000 to all federal workers, so the wage award has to increase.

Head of Information, NLC, Benson Upah, said, We were not informed before this was done. However, this behaviour is not inconsistent with the psychology of this government. Its sad!

On its part, TUC warned the Federal Government against playing games with the wage award for Nigerian workers.

The National Deputy President, TUC, Tommy Etim, said, The government cannot play games with the wage award because it was an agreement reached with the organised labour and the instrument of agreement reached was deposited in the court.

The government is the manager of funds and our business is to ensure compliance to the agreement is reached.

The Presidency is yet to speak on why the award was reduced as at the time this report.
The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, on Thursday reversed the nullification of Governor Abdullahi Sules election in Nasarawa State.

In an unanimous decision by a three-member panel of justices, the court voided the verdict of the State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which sacked Governor Sule of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

In the lead verdict delivered by Justice Uchechukwu Onuemenam, the court held that, evidence before it established that the tribunal relied on legally inadmissible evidence to declare the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), David Ombugadu, as the valid winner of the March 18 election.

According to the appellate court, the tribunal wrongly relied on the evidence of eight of the witnesses that were produced by the PDP candidate, whose statements on oath were not front-loaded alongside the petition.

The court stressed that Section 285(5) of the 1999 Constitution as amended, Section 132(7) of the Electoral Act 2022, and Paragraphs 4(5) (6) and 14(2) of the First Schedule to the Electoral Act, states that every written statement on oath must be filed alongside the petition within the statutorily allocated time.

Where a trial court admitted and acted on illegally inadmissible evidence, it is the duty of the appellate court to ensure that such illegally inadmissible evidence is expunged.

A court of law is only allowed to act on legally admissible evidence. If documents are unlawfully allowed by a trial court, the appellate court is duty-bound to exclude the documents and discountenance the evidence, the court notified.

The appellate court further proceeded to strike out all the evidence and exhibits that were tendered before the tribunal by the eight witnesses.

READ ALSO: Tinubu Knows He Came Distant Third In Presidential Election  Onovo

It held that evidence of the 12 remaining witnesses who testified for the PDP candidate was not sufficient to sustain the judgment of the tribunal.

More so, the appellate court held that the tribunal was in error when it deducted a total of 1,868 votes that were credited to Governor Sule on the premise that over-voting occurred in four polling units.

It held that the tribunal was wrong in its decision since the petitioners did not provide the necessary documents needed to prove over-voting.

The court noted that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, machines, and other electoral documents were merely dumped on the tribunal without any demonstration to show how the over-voting occurred.

It faulted the tribunal for summarily dismissing the evidence of witnesses that testified for the APC candidate, describing the action as perverse, adding that none of the witnesses that were called by the PDP and its candidate gave valid evidence that the tribunal could have acted on.

It held that the tribunal acted wrongly when it recomputed votes and made the declaration that returned the PDP candidate as the winner of the election.

On the whole, I hold that this appeal has merit and succeeds; the majority judgment of the tribunal delivered on October 2 is hereby dismissed, the court held.

To this end, it vacated the order of the tribunal that directed the Independent National Electoral Commission, to withdraw the Certificate of Return that was issued to Governor Sule as the winner of the governorship contest.
Despite the economic crisis affecting Nigeria due to the recent subsidy removal policy, Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, has revealed that Nigerians are happy and are satisfied with what President Bola Tinubus administration is doing.

Wike led this out during an inspection tour of ongoing road construction projects in the capital city on Wednesday.

According to him, the FCT Administrations investment in road infrastructure was expected to boost economic activities in the capital city, Abuja.

Wike also inspected the Northern N-20 Expressway in Jahi District, which was being constructed by Gilmor Construction firm.

READ MORE: APC Dissolves Rivers Exco, Puts Wikes Loyalists In Charge

According to him, the roads, once completed, would boost economic activities in the FCT.

He said: This is what the people want. It is not theory; it is practical. Let them see the action. They have lost hope, but hope is coming back through the renewed hope agenda of President Bola Tinubu.

When I came on board, these roads were abandoned, and I had to invite the contractors, and then we sat down and agreed on the way to fund the projects.

The contractors have assured us that these roads will be completed on time.

I am pleased that the people are happy as they are satisfied with what President Tinubus administration is doing.
The International Committee of the Red Cross Nigeria has disclosed that a missing caseload of over 25,000 people registered with the Red Cross in the last 10 years.

Disclosing this on Wednesday, the Public Relations Officer, ICRC Nigeria, Aliyu Dawobe, noted that the 25,000 missing people were those whose relatives came and requested for the Red Cross to register their cases.

Dawobe said, ICRC Nigeria started family unification in 2013 in Nigeria alongside the Nigerian Red Cross society.

The 25,000 missing persons is only a fraction of people who are aware that ICRC is helping to reunite separated/missing family members. They register their cases and there are over 25,000 cases of such.

However, the PRO added that though the number of missing persons in Nigeria in the last 10 years might have dropped as a result of some families re-uniting without the help of the Red Cross.

READ MORE: ICRC Cries Out As Boko Haram Is Set To Kill Another Red Cross Worker

He stated, Though, this figure could drop because some people can get reunited with their families without the ICRC knowing or being informed.

Also, according to a document by ICRC Nigeria, over 400 people were traced and contact with their families was restored, while the families of 563 people in detention received news of their loved ones.

In addition, 580 civilians were able to restore contact with their families through Red Cross Messages, while 17 unaccompanied children were reunited with their families from January to September 2023.

The ICRC is currently organising the 3rd international conference for the families of the missing persons.

The international conference aims to gather families of missing persons from all around the world to share their plights and to communicate on mechanisms and methods they have been coping with over the years.

The conference, which assembles families from different places, countries and continents can virtually meet each other to share experiences, develop peer-to-peer support, learn from each other, and adopt some positive experiences in their contexts.
The House of Representatives on Wednesday beckoned on the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to dialogue with the Multichoice Group over the recent increment in DSTV and GOTV subscription packages.

This call was made following a debate on a motion moved by Umar Ajilo (Makarfi/Kudan federal constituency, Kaduna State) who called for the suspension of the tariff hike.

Moving the motion, the lawmaker said Nigerians are experiencing economic hardship; therefore, the timing of the hike is wrong.

The prevailing economic hardship resulting from political and economic factors has made life unbearable to the common man, with far-reaching effects that are yet to be addressed, he said.

He expressed worries at the exorbitant increase in DSTV/GOTV package tariffs from N24,500 to N29,500 and N16,600 to N19,800 for the Premium and Compact Plus packages, respectively, at this challenging period.

READ ALSO: Nigerias Judicial, Electoral Systems Are Collapsing  Moghalu

The lawmaker however worried that the exorbitant increase would further exacerbate the sufferings of Nigerians, given the increasing pressure on household budgets, the rising cost of basic living essentials, income stagnation, and other factors.

Moreso, the prayers of the motion were amended by Jonathan Gaza (Karu/Keffi/Kokona, Nasarawa State), who stated that the government via the NBC, should dialogue with Multichoice instead of compelling the organisation.

Gazas amendment was embraced by the House when it was put to vote by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas.

Speaking in support of dialogue, the Speaker said since Nigeria is a free-market society, it would be wrong to compel a private company to reduce prices.

The motion was subsequently adopted by the House and referred to the Committee on Information to ensure compliance.
Barely few days after condemning the type of democracy practiced in Nigeria, a pro-democracy group, identified as the Coalition For A Better Nigeria has queried former president, Olusegun Obasanjo over his stand.

The National Coordinator, Comrade Awa Bamiji, in a statement on Wednesday, argued that the countrys former leader is inconsistent in his political stance.

Comrade Bamiji claimed that he (Obasanjo) celebrated when the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lost to the All Progressives Congress in 2015 because he was trying to pass a message to Goodluck Jonathan but has now jumped ship and is against the party.

The group urged Nigerians outside the country not to be deceived by such false statements.

The group said: When APC lost the entire Zamfara State, the Bayelsa mandate, and all Rivers State National Assembly tickets to the PDP, in 2019, under the APC Government, Obasanjos Democracy was the best for Africa.

The same inconsistent political leader of our time, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, celebrated the 2015 electoral loss of the PDP to the APC because he tore his PDPs membership card in the full glare of the public before the election to pass a strong message to his embattled godson, former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, who he alleged had abandoned him since he won the 2011 Presidential election.

Nigerians outside the country, please, be warned! You may be at a loss with the reality of the political situation in Nigeria. If you are still part of those who are taking the statement of the former President and unofficial Chairman of Board of Trustees of Labour Party (LP), Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, that Democracy is not working for us in Africa! serious, then we have a long way to go.

We have a strong feeling that none of these opposition leaders and their loyalists is ready to accept court verdicts. So, they may be up to a sinister game.

Therefore, they should be put under strict monitoring by the Security operatives because having tried their best without getting their desired result, they can do anything out of frustration to destabilise the country.

This Government is just 6 months old and we are seeing its struggles to make things get better, especially in areas of Security, wooing foreign investors, Palliatives distribution, dialogue with Labour Unions, gradual decline in Naira/Dollar rate, raising hope of resumption of our local refineries starting from next year and more.
Yesenia Perez had a chaotic early life, repeated three grades, and left school at age 17. Now 35, she's about to graduate with her diploma as student council president at One Bright Ray Simpson Evening Program. She has a report card full of A's and was recognized as one of just two students of the month in the Philadelphia School District. Read more

Yesenia Perezs kids were speechless when they saw the photo  their mom beaming in a royal blue graduation cap and gown.

They were astonished, said Perez. Their eyes were stars and hearts.

Perez is 35, her son a freshman in high school and her daughter an eighth grader. Nathan and Maylanie knew that their moms teen years were chaotic, and that she had left high school without a diploma, then lived through a stretch so dark it wasnt clear shed ever emerge.

Perez had tried to earn her diploma multiple times after she dropped out. It never stuck. So when she enrolled in night school at age 34, even she wasnt sure whether finishing was in the cards.

Now, Perez is a week away from completing her final class, and the student council president with report cards full of As was recently chosen by the Philadelphia School District as one of two students of the month from among the system of 113,000 pupils.

Coming up on the holiday season, its safe to say that Perez is as thankful as shes ever been.

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Its just so good, said Perez  of the recognition shes receiving now, of the obstacles shes surmounted. Im proud of myself, my family is proud of me. I did this all by myself.

From the street to an epiphany

Perez grew up in Kensington, at F and Allegheny, one of seven siblings. Her mother moved the family to Puerto Rico when Perez was 8, then back to Philadelphia when she was 12.

Moving around was disruptive, and Perez was restless. Between language barriers and other issues, Perez had to repeat three grades.

There was too much going on, my mom was traveling back and forth. It messed me up, said Perez.

By the time she graduated from Stetson Middle School, Perez was 16. She briefly attended Edison High, then switched to an alternative school for overage, under-credited students.

But it didnt last. Perez, by her own admission, was a handful. She fought and didnt care much about work.

I argued with all the teachers. I had a super temper. I just didnt want to be told what to do; I wanted to be my own boss. I had my file that was full of pink slips from stupid stuff that I did, said Perez.

Marcus Delgado, then the principal of Fairhill Community High School, Perezs first alternative program, remembers Perez vividly.

She was one of my difficult students to deal with, Delgado said. Thats being kind, Perez said  Delgado once had to escort her out of the building because she was so disruptive.

Eventually, Perez met the man who would be her childrens father and decided she was finished with school. She was 17.

I just wanted to stay in the street, and I decided I didnt need no education, she said.

Perez gave birth to three children, Javier, Nathan, and Maylanie.

And then, in 2011, Perez lost Javier  Javielito to his family, a boy with soft brown eyes and close-cropped hair. The 4-year-old picked up a gun that his father thought was hidden in the house and shot himself.

Javier Merle Sr., Perezs husband, went to prison for nine years on charges of involuntary manslaughter. The loss of their oldest child sent Perez out of my mind, she said. I didnt sleep, I didnt eat. The situation I was going through was unbearable.

It took nearly losing Nathan and Maylanie to the child welfare system for Perez to get herself together, with the help of her mother and her sisters and intensive therapy.

My kids made me strong, said Perez. She tried to go back to school to earn her GED, but the program wasnt a good fit and life kept intruding. Perez moved to Ohio for a fresh start, then to Philadelphia again to be closer to her family and to Javielitos grave.

Things started to gel for Perez last year, when Merle came home from prison, enrolled in trade school, and graduated into steady work as an HVAC technician. A cousin of Perezs had experienced success at One Bright Ray, an alternative program that allows nontraditional students to earn diplomas.

Nathan and Maylanie were getting closer to high school themselves, and Perez wanted to set a good example. So Perez took a chance and enrolled herself. Every day, she would drive her kids to school, work as a personal-care assistant, then drive from her home in the Northeast to East Erie Avenue and K Street, where One Bright Rays Simpson campus had its night school.

It was something that I always wanted to do, but I couldnt  life just hit me, she said. But I think that me coming back to school, it was meant for me now.

Growing into a leader

Teacher Sally-Ann Naidoo saw something in Perez the moment she walked into her English class: This was a student who was perceptive, smart, but above all, hardworking.

Yessy would tell me, I dont know if I can do this, I dont think Im doing it right, Naidoo said. She may have lacked confidence at first, but she did not lack determination. She would strive to do better, every day.

After years away from school, Perez was hungry for knowledge. Her son teased her that she was too old for high school  hes now at George Washington High, and her daughters at Baldi Middle School  but Perez plowed on.

And Perez found herself growing into a leader.

Whatever she could volunteer for, she did, organizing a Hispanic heritage celebration, winning the student council president role, running a school store to sell snacks for people rushing from work to school without time to eat dinner, helping older students navigate technology challenges.

Coming to school it was like a free time, away from reality  bills, rent, husband, kids. I get to come here and learn with people that I actually build relationships with. Its kind of awesome, she said.

Throwing herself into high school at age 35 was a revelation. One Bright Ray students are close, Perez said, and they and staff have worked together to create traditional school moments she never had as a teenager: a prom  she and her husband in coordinating red outfits  and a senior class outing to an Italian restaurant.

Id never been to a restaurant like that, she said. I had to sit there classy, like with a napkin. It was decent for me, like a little fantasy.

Resilience-plus

After Perez finishes her final class Nov. 29, shes planning to become a notary public. Shed also like to work for One Bright Ray, helping other older students adjust to school after decades away.

Naidoo said Perez is a problem-solver, inclusive, and kind, someone her teachers admire.

On Tuesday night, Perez stood at the foot of a table overflowing with food  turkey, stuffing, greens, macaroni and cheese, pasteles, and rice, an early Thanksgiving dinner for the night school. She directed things, making sure plates were full, deciding who would say grace and where to place the cans of lemonade and iced tea.

After Principal Kareem Edwards helped serve the food, he watched Perez and her classmates joke and share moments of fellowship between classes.

All of his students, who range from teenagers to middle age and beyond, are resilient, Edwards said.

But Perez, he said, is unique, an inspiration, he said. Shes full of service, with a big heart. Other students look at her and say, If she can do it, maybe I can do it.

And Delgado, Perezs first alternative school principal, who once had to physically throw her out of the building? After becoming CEO of One Bright Ray, he went on to become deputy secretary for the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

I told her, Someday, youll get that diploma, and Im going to be the one to give it to you, Delgado said. (He said hell keep his promise at the ceremony this summer, when all One Bright Ray students from the year are honored.)

Sounds good to Perez.

I want my kids to look at their parents and say, We came from a struggle, and look at where we are now, she said.
Eagles lineman Jordan Mailata in the recording studio during the making of 'A Philly Special Christmas' last year. The album raised $1.25 million for charity. Read more

This Thanksgiving, the Eagles landed hours before the turkeys made their appearances on our tables.

As floats and performers marched from John F. Kennedy Boulevard and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, for the Philadelphia Thanksgiving Parade, Eagles offensive tackle Jordan Mailata appeared on our TV screens along with Lady Alma, the R&B house music legend. Lady Alma appeared in a shimmery overcoat over her all-white ensemble while Mailata seemed to have traded in his jersey for a black, white, and green Eagles-themed Christmas sweater.

Surrounded by Christmas trees and a tower of wrapped presents, the duo stood on fake snow singing Merry Christmas Baby  an encore of their duet on last years Eagles Christmas Album, A Philly Special Christmas. Mailata started off singing Ive got music on my radio/ I feel like Im gonna kiss you/ Standing beneath that mistletoe to a swaying Lady Alma providing backup vocals.

The offensive tackle then took charge with Santa came down the chimney/ Half past three, yall, looking at his make-believe wristwatch. After Mailata hit some high notes, Lady Alma picked up the mic while the Eagle swayed and clapped. He crooned along, following up Lady Almas Merry Christmas, baby/ Sure did treat me nice, with a I know you love me baby. Lady Alma, obviously, affirmed with a Yes, I do.

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Although short, the performance ended with Mailata forming a heart with his fingers and looking at Lady Alma, the perfect warm and fuzzy way to kick-start to the holiday season.

The performance isnt the only Eagles-themed holiday goodness were receiving this weekend.

At midnight, the singing Birds will drop their latest musical offering for this years Eagles Christmas album, A Philly Special Christmas Special.

This week, Lane Johnson, the Eagles All-Pro right tackle uses his Texas baritone to sing Willie Nelsons Pretty Papers, backed up by Katie Crutchfield, the former Philadelphian who performs as Waxahatchee.

This weeks drop will definitely be calmer than last weeks when Chiefs tight end (and Taylor Swifts boyfriend) Travis Kelce joined his brother Jason Kelce on Fairytale of Philadelphia, a Philly-themed rewrite of the Pogues Fairytale of New York.

 READ MORE: Every new song from the Eagles A Philly Special Christmas Special reviewed. As theyre released.

And at 8 p.m. on Thursday, the stop-motion animation A Philly Special Christmas Special will premiere on the A Philly Special Christmas Special YouTube page. The video, which promises to be a delight, features puppets of the Eagles singing offensive linemen trying to rally friends for a holiday show.

Philadelphia animation studio unPOP handcrafted 20 puppets for the video, which cofounders Peter Heacock and Marie Hart spent more than 5,000 hours, over five months, to complete the video, The Inquirer previously reported.

The soundtrack for the nine-minute film will be provided by A Philly Special Christmas Special songs, including Mailata with Patti LaBelle on This Christmas, and Kelce on the soon-to-be released Dominick the Donkey.
Incoming Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel on Wednesday vowed a balanced approach to fighting crime in the city, saying public safety issues and challenges within the department are significant, but they are solvable.

Im proud to be a cop. But were not your enemy, he said in an energetic speech Wednesday at City Hall. Were here to serve. And I ask you to give us the opportunity to do that.

Flanked by more than a dozen elected officials, Mayor-elect Cherelle Parker officially announced Bethel as her pick to lead the 5,500-member department, elevating a Philadelphia native to lead the force he spent three decades in. It represents a marquee hire for Parker, who was elected on Nov. 7 after running for mayor on a platform to end lawlessness in the city.

Parker, who will take office in January, said she considered a handful of candidates but that Bethel, most recently the chief of school safety at the School District of Philadelphia, had the best understanding of her vision to improve safety.

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Bethel is stepping into a role in which hell be expected to address record-breaking rates of shootings and homicides that left more than 1,000 people dead over two years. While gun violence rates have improved markedly this year, the stakes of the appointment remain stark. Parker made her announcement less than 24 hours after seven people were shot, two of them fatally, in a North Philadelphia gun battle Tuesday.

Bethel also inherits a department with a well-documented morale problem, a staffing crisis thats left the force short nearly 1,000 officers, and an at-times fractious relationship with the district attorney and the courts.

During his speech that oscillated between rousing and solemn, Bethel lamented that his own mother-in-law is sometimes fearful to leave her home, and he said the department under his leadership would seek to build relationships with the communities it serves to both prevent crime and enforce the law.

Our charge and our responsibility comes from the community, he said. Our power comes from the community.

Bethel, 60, lives in North Wales, Montgomery County, and plans to move to the city before he takes over in January.

A return to the Ramsey era?

Supporters across the political spectrum and those in policing cheered the announcement.

Hes a good bridge between community and law enforcement, said Keir Bradford-Grey, the former chief public defender who is now running for attorney general. He knows that having a police presence is great, but having a police presence that can actually get to more strategic ways of interrupting crime  that is true public safety.

Bethel for eight years led patrol operations across the entire city and was a right hand to former Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey, who stood alongside him Wednesday.

Ramsey said that Parker tapped him and former Commissioner Richard Ross to interview each of the top candidates. Ross resigned in 2019 a day after a former officer claimed in a lawsuit that he ignored her claim of sexual harassment by another officer because she broke off an affair with him. After a weeklong trial last year, a jury ordered the city to pay the woman and another plaintiff $1 million in damages.

 READ MORE: How Bethels strong and direct persona and focus on kids made him Phillys next police commissioner

In her search for her top cop, Parker emphasized that she wanted someone with experience in Philadelphia. Former Commissioner Danielle Outlaw, who resigned in September, came to Philadelphia after working in Portland, Ore., and Oakland, Calif.

Ramsey on Wednesday noted that a strong resume is not enough to succeed in Philadelphia without prior knowledge of the city, a comment that drove home the shift from Outlaw to Bethel.

I can tell you from experience Philly is not easy, and not everyone can handle Philly, Ramsey said. And you can look good on paper. That doesnt always translate into your ability to operationalize concepts.

Several other contenders attended the announcement news conference Wednesday, including Interim Police Commissioner John M. Stanford, whom Bethel specifically thanked during his speech. Stanford said he spoke to Bethel on Wednesday morning and congratulated him.

Its not about who is at the helm, its about the mission, Stanford said. And the mission is about reducing gun violence in the city, making people feel safe. I am extremely happy for, Ill say, Commissioner Bethel.

Praise from across the law enforcement and political spectrum

After Bethel left the Police Department in 2016, he became a fellow at the Stoneleigh Foundation, where he worked to expand a diversion program for young people who commit low-level offenses at school. He then worked as the top security official at the School District of Philadelphia, where he revamped the school police force.

Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. said in a statement that Bethel is an exemplary leader and colleague with a strong work ethic and people skills. He said Deputy School Safety Chief Craig Johnson will take over as interim head of the department while a search for Bethels replacement is conducted.

Philadelphias school board said in a statement that Bethels move is a significant loss for the district, but we are confident that Commissioner Bethel will bring his unwavering dedication and exceptional leadership to the broader realm of public safety in our city.

 READ MORE: Kevin Bethel reshaped Phillys school safety. Heres a look at his time in the district.

Now Bethel will need to navigate the fierce debate in Philadelphia around criminal justice, especially amid law enforcement partners who have not always seen eye to eye.

Outlaw and Mayor Jim Kenney publicly contradicted progressive District Attorney Larry Krasner at times, saying in 2021 that they had fundamental disagreements with him about which crimes police should prioritize.

Krasner, a former civil rights attorney, has been critical of a return to policing methods that could erode public trust, such as stop-and-frisk  a tool Parker has embraced. But Parker has carefully avoided blaming him for the public safety situation in the city, saying in October: I may not agree with all of his decision-making, but I know the DAs office plays an essential role in helping us to address public health and safety.

In a statement Wednesday, Krasner said he looks forward to working with Bethel on shared goals, including improving police staffing and incapacitating violent offenders more quickly by solving more shootings.

He also said police accountability is non-negotiable for making cities safer and freer from violence and suffering.

Roosevelt Poplar, the new head of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5, said Wednesday that he and Bethel have worked together in the past. He said he briefly met with Bethel and Parker on Wednesday morning.

Were going to have our times where we dont agree, he said. But we should be able to agree to disagree and also have respect for each other. And thats whats going to happen.

An open question on stop-and-frisk

Its unclear how Bethel will navigate stop-and-frisk, the controversial but legal police tactic in which officers stop and search pedestrians. Parker embraced the approach while campaigning and has described it as a necessary policing tool.

Use of the tactic soared under the Nutter administration and while Bethel was leading patrol operations. But the ACLU sued the city in 2010 because police were overwhelmingly stopping people of color  often without legal justification, and the city remains under a monitoring agreement.

Reporters asked Bethel his position on stop-and-frisk, but Parker stepped in to answer, saying: I will not allow this day, on this day, for us to be taken down by that, and said Im the mayor of the City of Philadelphia come January 2.

Law enforcement has to have just cause and reasonable suspicion that a crime has been or will be committed in order to make that stop, she said.

 READ MORE: Stop-and-frisk is getting renewed attention in Philly amid a mayors race focused on crime

Activists have vowed legal action against Parkers administration if racial bias proliferates.

If she wants to pursue these failed and harmful policies, said Robert Saleem Holbrook, executive director of the Abolitionist Law Center, we will be there to drag her and her new commissioner into court.

Bradford-Grey said shes worked with Bethel in a variety of capacities over the years and believes hell take a balanced approach.

What were talking about is a policy that police departments create, she said. I dont think Kevin Bethel would say Oh, as a matter of policy, go stop everyone in North Philly. Hes much more intentional.

Staff writers Sean Collins Walsh, Rob Tornoe, and Kristen A. Graham contributed to this article.
Vanessa Julye at the Germantown meetinghouse on Nov. 15. She is coauthor of Fit for Freedom, Not for Friendship: Quakers, African Americans, and the Myth of Racial Justice. Behind her is a copy of the 1688 Germantown petition against slavery, the first of its kind in the U.S. colonies. Read more

Every Feb. 18, Kathy Nicholson Paulmiers father marched her down Germantown Avenue to a run-down storefront and read two pages of old-fashioned words that told a radical story:

These are the reasons why we are against the traffick of men-body, as followeth 

The words, signed at that very spot in 1688, formed the first protest against slavery written in the American colonies.

There is a saying, that we shall doe to all men like as we will be done ourselves; making no difference of what generation, descent or colour they are.

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As Christopher Nicholson read the declaration aloud in what his daughter recalls as this deep, beautiful social worker voice before a small group of activists and community members, he often wondered:

Whatever happened to the original document?

A descendant of English Quakers who freed the people they had enslaved to abide by the Society of Friends 1776 decision to abolish the practice, Nicholson lived his convictions. He attended sit-ins at lunch counters with Bayard Rustin, the gay, Black civil rights leader. He moved the family in the 1960s to East Germantown, where all but one of his daughters friends were Black. That was my childhood growing up, she recalled. I didnt know it to be unusual.

Nicholson suspected the documents most likely hiding place was the fireproof vault on the first floor of the Arch Street Meeting House, which held about 100,000 documents from Quaker history.

But archivist Willman Spawn found no trace of the protest.

Maybe it had been stored in the wrong box, or mislabeled. Maybe Haverford College or Swarthmore had it, both founded by Quakers.

They didnt.

For Vanessa Julye, this is not surprising.

Its being lost and not cared for parallels to me a lot of history of people of African descent, said the Black Quaker, who coauthored the book Fit for Freedom, Not for Friendship: Quakers, African Americans, and the Myth of Racial Justice.

Things get lost that we dont share and talk about in this country.

 READ MORE: These German immigrants landed here in 1683. Philly would never be the same.

Talk, no action

The run-down storefront that Paulmier remembers on Germantown Avenue was just the latest use of what was linen weaver Thones Kunders log cabin in 1688. The men who gathered there back then were decades ahead of their time, at least.

Three of them were, like their host, former Mennonites from Krefeld in present-day Germany who came to Philadelphia to join William Penns experiment in religious freedom as Quakers. The Krefelders  Abraham op den Graeff and his brother Derick, and Gerhard Hendricks  spoke a low-country German. Francis Daniel Pastorius, a highly educated Lutheran from Bavaria, translated their words into English.

They took their protest to three different meetings. It was discussed at two, and rejected at the third.

Slavery was central to the economics of the growing city. The University of Minnesota historian Katharine Gerbner says that most Philadelphia Quakers owned enslaved people when the newcomers penned their protest.

Such Quakers were not ready to question how they made their money, said Julye.

And so the historic document was set aside, and for decades forgotten.

The Germantown protest recognized the equality of all people. Said Gerbner: Other Quakers at the time were making arguments against slavery, but were also very racist, [feeling] that Blacks did not belong in their families or their communities.

By 1696, the yearly meeting advised that members of the Religious Society of Friends be careful not to encourage the bringing in of any more negroes.

In 1730, the meeting declared new purchases of the enslaved to be disagreeable, and by 1758 decreed: If any professing with us should be concerned in importing, selling or purchasing slaves, the respective monthly meetings to which they belong should manifest their disunity with such persons.

The Quakers would ban slavery in 1776, nearly a century before the Emancipation Proclamation.

It wasnt until 1844 that a Philadelphia antiquarian found the 1688 declaration, and published it for the first time in a Friends journal.

The document would be celebrated as a keystone of the abolitionist movement. Swarthmore historian William Hull once called it the memorable flower of which blossomed in Philadelphia from the seed of Quakerism.

But by the late 1960s, when Kathleen and Christopher Nicholson made their annual walk to the Kunders home site on Germantown Avenue, the document was again lost.

A living legacy

To Peter Finger, 10th-great-grandson of Abraham op den Graeff, the document is a source of pride  and strength.

I am a gay man and I live in the middle of Trump country, said Finger, 61, a retiree in Sioux Falls, S.D. When I read something like the protest against slavery, it gives me hope.

His brother, Steve Finger, a retired psychologist outside Cleveland, wasnt aware of his ancestor when he found himself drawn to Quakerism, but feels the same call to fight racism.

My wife and I both are looking at How do we make some kind of restitution?  Steve Finger said.  Were pretty convinced there has to be some way to make up for redlining, and fact that African Americans havent been able to acquire generation wealth  theyve been intentionally prevented from that.

One of the arguments in the declaration was that others from the Rhineland would not want to come to a place where Quakers were enslavers. But what distinguished their protest, says historian Gerbner, who passed the Kunders site each day on her way to Germantown Friends School, was its humanitarian argument. In the eyes of op den Graeff, Blacks were equal to whites.

Uncompromising in his beliefs, op den Graeff quarreled with neighbors, and left Germantown and the Quaker faith, returning to the Mennonites sometime after 1708, says Leonard Gross, a historian at Goshen College, a Mennonite college in Indiana.

Its meaning for Black Quakers

Vanessa Julye, 63, now dedicates her time to making Quakerism as racially enlightened as those early protesters saw it. She worships with several groups, among them the Fellowship of Friends of African Descent and Ujima Friends Peace Center in North Philadelphia. At the Friends General Conference, an umbrella group of 17 Quaker organizations based in Center City, she coordinates a ministry on racism.

Quakers are folks who are supposed to not be racist, she said. White supremacy is not supposed to be part of the culture. They were the first people to end enslavement.

She grew up in Mantua, the daughter of a beer distributor, and as a teen boarded at Westtown School, the Quaker institution where she was exposed to meetings for worship and full access to activities. Worship didnt speak to me, but the principles that I experienced to some extent and that they espoused were about equality, she said. Being able to be a participant in student council, the disciplinary board, and making decisions around what I felt were core parts of the community at Westtown  this was very important.

Phil Lord, a cofounder of the Ujima peace center, said the words and actions of those emigres in Germantown 335 years ago still resound.

The most attractive thing for me and other people of African descent is the notion that Quakers have not only historically been progressive, but are open to a leading of the spirit to help understand spiritual matters in the context of current situations, said Lord, whose law partner introduced him to Quakerism. It leads to a capacity to evolve and respond in spiritual ways and not get stuck in traditions that are thousands of years old.

Six years ago, Lord cofounded the Peace Center in response to police killings of Black men around the country. The purpose of the center, he said, is to put Quakerism in the context of the African diaspora, not the European diaspora.

Some Quakers of African American descent are very frustrated that Quakerism isnt farther along as to its sensitivity to diversity. Quakers werent all abolitionists. There really were starts and stops.

A new life

Christopher Nicholsons quest for the original document continued in the late 1980s. Others joined the search.

By then, the Kunders homestead, once a barbershop, a shoemakers, an antiques store, a glass and tin factory, and a pharmaceutical company, was derelict. During the 300th anniversary celebration there of the documents signing, State Rep. David Richardson called Germantown a model of racial integration for the rest of the city, but warned of the toll that drugs were taking: We have to make it safe for the kids to grow up on the streets. In 1993, a shopping center named Freedom Square rose there.

As for the eloquent protest itself, the expanded search party continued its work into the 1990s and beyond. Then, in 2005, came a surprise.

Back at the Arch Street Meeting House, Willman Spawn was going through some files in the fireproof vault  the first places Nicholson had asked him to look  when he came upon a folio he hadnt seen in decades.

Inside was an old document, folded in quarters. Its words, written in ink on two sides of handmade paper, were faded, but their meaning was unmistakable.

Someone put tape on it at some point, recalled Heike Rass, a member of a committee Nicholson formed to hunt for the document. There was a water stain. No other documentation.

Its obvious age made what theyd found unmistakable.

It was a similar surprise to those who were here  realizing it was not a facsimile, that it was the original, and that we should not have this, said Jennifer Gray, museum director for the Arch Street Meeting House.

At the Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts in Center City, enzyme gel softened the adhesives used to repair tears. The document was bathed in a mix of water and ethanol to reduce discolorations, and gaps were filled in with a mix of mulberry paper, wheat starch paste, and cellulose powder. Restoration took two months.

Today, the document is secured in a climate-controlled room in the Haverford College librarys Quaker collection. A couple of times a month, when students, scholars, or descendants of the signers come to see it, archivist Mary Crauderueff pulls the protest from its Mylar sleeve.

She tells visitors that the Germantown protest is her favorite document.

She reflects on the fact that after the protests creation, a full century passed before Quakers officially declared their support for abolition: There was still a lot of damage and trauma in those 100 years.

What she appreciates most about the petition, she said, is that it is just two sides of one piece of paper, but it has a really complex history. I think of it as a mystical document in the way it has appeared and disappeared over time.
Its graduation season and Im a sucker for a look-whose-grandmother-finally-graduated story.

Well, heres another one.

Only, this is also a story about persistence and resilience and a 65-year-old womans long-ago whispered promise to herself that one day, somehow, some way, she would go back to school and earn a high school diploma. Twyanna Williams, who dropped out to help financially when her parents split, didnt know how or when, just that she wanted to do it.

I felt sad for myself for coming out of school and seeing my friends graduating but I was working, she recalled. My focus was on surviving.

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After she left Bartram High School decades ago, her life was marked by hard work and struggle, beginning with her first full-time job at the McDonalds at 17th and Walnut Streets. Over the years, she got by doing mostly low-level jobs at local hospitals and hotels, eventually retiring from the Sheraton Hotel. But through it all, Williams never lost sight of her dream, often reminded of it as she sat through a steady stream of graduation ceremonies  first for her two children, and later for her four grandchildren.

Everyone deserves a high school diploma, Williams said. The older I got, the more I wanted it.

Then, a year ago, Williams realized there was nothing standing in the way of her long-held goal of returning to school.

 READ MORE: Catching up with The Tribe: Four years later, these young Black men are about to graduate college | Jenice Armstrong

So even though schools were going virtual, she enrolled in Phillys Educational Options Programs (EOP), which allows adult students to finish credits toward a high school diploma.

This year was extremely difficult, said Audrey Nock, principal of the EOP program at South Philadelphia High School, where Williams enrolled. You take an older student who had to log onto the computer, figure out Google classroom; how to do a Power Point presentation; how to travel from one Google classroom to another Google classroom, come to the main office virtually; they had to do a senior exit project  and then present it to the community.

On Monday, not only will Williams finally get her diploma, she has the distinction of being one of two valedictorians in her category B class of returning students ages 40 and over at South Philly High. Her selection was based on class participation, grades, and courses completed. Commencement exercises will take place at 4 p.m. at the South Philadelphia Supersite at 10th and Bigler Streets.

Phillys graduation rate is only about 72%. I would love for the city to get to the point where every single student graduated from high school or at least close to it. Programs like Educational Options can help fill the gap and are alternatives that more dropouts should consider. Classes are free and held from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m. at three locations  South Philly, Ben Franklin and Northeast high schools.

It is not a GED program, Nock said. During normal class of the EOP program, the students have a prom. They have a senior dinner. They have senior awards just like a traditional high school. So the goal is to give them a traditional high school education regardless of their age.

Thats why Williams wanted it. On Monday, she finally will get to wear a cap and gown and walk onstage. It will be a proud moment  not just for her but for her entire community.
As we welcome Tomi, I also want to congratulate Swee Keong on his well-deserved appointment to CEO in Singapore. Swee Keongs leadership and contributions during this transition have been outstanding and, under his direction, I am confident in our ability to become a preferred market leader in Asia. I look forward to working alongside our leadership team as we continue to strengthen our presence throughout the continent with Everests diverse capabilities and exceptional service, Leney said.
With our success of entering new markets, our demonstrated competency, and the way people see our value proposition, we felt there was great growth potential. Weve also had conversations with our global customers where they asked us to come into the [North American] marketplace and serve them here, Madison said.
Citizens has been looking to shed policies amid mounting pressures in Floridas property insurance market. It currently holds over a million policies and has a market share of around 18% despite being established as an insurer of last resort.
Haj-Yehia has extensive executive and board experience in multiple industries in both Israel and the US. Until October, he served as group executive chairman of Bank Leumi, Israels largest and oldest bank. In the US, Haj-Yehia has worked in investment management, trading, and fintech innovation at several top firms, including Fidelity. He has also served as a member of public and government committees. Haj-Yehia teaches finance and fintech at Reichman University and is a frequent guest speaker at international conferences. He holds a Ph.D. in economics from MIT, and an MBA, MA and BA in accounting, all from Hebrew University. He is a CFA charterholder.
Source: Streetwise Reports

November 23, 2023 (Investorideas.com Newswire) This week, Arrow Exploration Corp. shared an update on the Rio Cravo Este-6 (RCE-6) well on the Tapir block in the Llanos basin of Colombia. Read to see why analysts are excited about this company's stock.

Arrow Exploration Corp. (AXL:TSX.V; AXL:LSE) has provided updates on the Rio Cravo Este-6 (RCE-6) well, which is located on the Tapir block in the Llanos basin of Colombia and the Oso Pardo-3 well on the Oso Pardo field, in the Middle Magdalena Valley basin of Colombia. The company has a 50% beneficial interest in the Llanos basin and a 100% working interest in the Middle Magdalena Valley.

Arrow completed the RCE-6 well in the Carbonera C7 formation, and it has now been put into production. The well is situated in a high-quality upper Carbonera C7 sand, which has a porosity of 27%. It penetrated a 16-foot pay zone and is currently flowing - with the ESP turned off - at 834 barrels of oil per day (BOPD).

The company, as reservoir stewards, plans to conservatively produce at rates allowing for maximum oil recovery and optimal production rates.

According to its website, Arrow Exploration Corp. is a junior oil and gas company that "engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of oil and gas properties in Colombia and Western Canada."

As well as operations at the Tapir block and the Oso Pardo field, Arrow also holds a 10% interest in Colombia's Ombu Block, which contains the Capella discovery, "the most material and largest discovery in Colombia in the past 20+ years."

It also has 100% working interest in the West & East Pepper natural gas production in Alberta, Canada.

The Catalyst

According to the company's updates, the RCE-6 well encountered pay in the Ubaque formation. The Ubaque zone was tested for 78 hours and reached a gross production rate of 393 BOPD of heavy crude oil of 13.3 degrees API with a water cut of less than 10%. It's expected that the Ubaque discovery will add reserves and future production for the company.

Other updates from the company focused on the Tapir forward work program. Drilling began at the Rio Cravo Este-7 well (RCE-7) on November 14 and is targeting the multizone pay stack within the RCE fault-bounded structure. The company will also progress to drilling the RCE 8 development well to evaluate further potential.

It's expected that the drilling rig will then return to the Carrizales Norte field to begin a multiwell program.

The Oso Pardo-3 (OP-3) well was spudded on October 27 and has penetrated multiple pay zones at a total of 53 feet in high-quality sands, with an average porosity of 23%.

Arrow CEO Marshall Abbott said of the developments: "The RCE-6 test results in both the Ubaque formation and Carbonera are material and exciting for the company. The results demonstrate that the Carbonera remains a solid high-volume producer, while the Ubaque formation has proven production that extends beyond the Carrizales Norte complex. Multiple development locations are anticipated based on current results, including horizontal drilling in the Ubaque reservoir in the Carrizales Norte field. Horizontal wells typically produce at higher rates, increasing recovery and the economics of heavy oil fields."

He went on to describe the company's "fully funded, low-risk drilling program" as having "four additional development wells on production before the end of 2023." He noted that the company is "also encouraged by the interpretation of the Tapir 3-D seismic and looks forward to providing further updates in due course."

Demand For Oil and Arrow's Part to Play

Since 2010, there has been a marked increase in demand for oil on a global scale. According to Statista, the road sector "accounts for over one-third of the global demand for oil, largely due to reliance on motor spirits made from petroleum" and is the largest oil-consuming sector in the world.

The OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) predicts that global demand for global oil products will increase to 109.8 million barrels per day by 2045, and demand for diesel and gas /oil will increase to 30.1 million barrels per day within the same timeframe.

Arrow recently had the achievement of reaching CA$10.3 million in revenue from oil, which reached valuations of CA444.21 per barrel, and natural gas. It reached an average production of 2169 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d) in Q2 of 2023 and attained a cash position of CA$10.8 million at the end of that quarter.

The company will reveal additional updates from Colombia over the coming weeks. It also plans to drill a second well, Oso Pardo-4, as soon as Oso Pardo-3 is in production.

Analyst Stephane Foucaud of Auctus Advisors has said that he believes the "better-than-expected flows and a discovery from one well plus greeted volumes out of another should positively impact future production totals" of the company.

Auctus has reiterated its 0.55 per share price target for Arrow Exploration, which currently trades at approximately 0.17 per share. This return to target would represent a return of 224% for investors.

Regarding the results from the RCE-6 well in the Ubaque formation, Foucaud said that "further drilling will be required to estimate the areal extent."

Zeus has concluded that, since "the company . . . has a history of adding new assets via acquisition" and following the positive results from drilling, it expects "ongoing drilling activity and production increases on the back of this, and value the stock in-line with our 37.6p total risked NAV." It's valuation of Arrow "remains unchanged."

Capital Cube measured Arrow's recent results amongst a peer group that includes Geodrill Ltd., CanAsia Energy Corp., and Major Drilling Group International Inc.

It found that a "narrowing of operating margins contributed to [a] decline in earnings" and asserted that Arrow has a defined revenue focus. It also noted that Arrow's commodities are "low cost" and that the company is "supplier financed."

Ownership and Share Structure

According to Reuters, management and insiders own 10.70% of the company.

Management with shares include Tim Leslie, who owns 5.95% of the company with 17.01 million shares, and Director Gage Jull, who owns 2.10% with almost 6 million shares. CEO Marshall Abbott owns 1.88% with 5.37 million shares.

21.80% is with strategic investors. Canacol Energy Ltd. owns 21.01%, with 60.07 million shares, and Spreadex Ltd. has 0.79%, with 2.25 million.

9.64% is owned by institutions. Edale Capital LLP has 7.01%, with 20.05 million shares, and Yacktman Asset Management LP has 2.62%, with 7.50 million.

The rest is held by retail investors.

There are 238.07 million shares outstanding, with 173.64 free float traded shares. The company has a market cap of CA$54.28 million and trades in a 52-week period between CA$14.10 and CA$26.10.

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Source: Streetwise Reports

November 23, 2023 (Investorideas.com Newswire) BacTech Environmental Corp. has received its final major environmental permit (Consultation) from the government of Ecuador, which allows it to advance construction on its project. Read on to hear why analysts like this company's stock.

BacTech Environmental Corp. (BAC:CSE; BCCEF:OTCQB; OBT1:FRA) announced through a press release that it has obtained an important environmental license from the government of Ecuador.

Chris Temple of The National Investor commented, "Late Friday, Ecuador's Constitutional Court ... essentially upheld the decree of outgoing President Lasso setting up the final community/environmental consultation process for development projects in the country, including mining, public works, utilities, and more."

The company reports that this is a major milestone in its efforts to construct a bioleaching processing facility. As part of this process, the company intends to conclude negotiations with Analytica Securities, which has allowed the company to put US$17 million towards construction and US$3 million towards purchasing resources from local miners.

The company also noted that it had announced a private placement that should secure much-needed working capital for the company's projects. BacTech is raising CA$1M with a CA$0.08 unit that includes a half warrant. A whole warrant plus $0.12 will get you an additional common share for 2 years from the closing of the financing.

The President and CEO of BacTech, Ross Orr, stated, "Our shareholders are aware that this significant project has been years in the making, and we are very happy to announce the approval of our permits. We would like to commend Minister Daviaos (Environment) for his efforts in achieving this milestone for BacTech. With the full support of the local community and government stakeholders, we can confidently proceed with the plant financing."

The company also released a number of economic highlights from the plan, including a pretax NPV of US$60.7 million, a pretax IRR of 57.9%, a capital cost of US$17 million, a bioleaching operating cost of CA$212 per tonne, and annual gold production of 30,900 ounces based on a US$1600 gold price.

Revival in Store for Gold

Rick Mills of Ahead of the Herd recently looked into the gold market, commenting, "If we're right, and we are on the cusp of a global economic revival, the three metals I'd want to be invested in are gold, silver, and copper. Even better, the junior resource companies that own large Au, Ag or Cu deposits in safe jurisdictions that would be of interest to larger, deep-pocketed mining companies."

Mills highlighted several factors behind a surge in gold, including rising international conflicts, high national debt, and purchases by central banks.

Clive Maund also reviewed the gold market on November 19, 2023, and stated, "On its latest long-term 20-year chart, it is crystal clear why gold is so well placed to break out upside into a major new bull market very soon, for on this chart we can see that a fine giant Cup and Handle continuation pattern is fast approaching completion."

Maund also stated that the market for gold will likely get a boost from a tenuous dollar.

A Strong Speculative Buy

Technical Analyst Clive Maund reviewed the company in July of 2023 and rated it as a "Strong Speculative Buy" for investors, citing a number of factors in the company's stock patterns: "In addition to the strongly bullish volume pattern of the past six weeks, which has been almost entirely upside volume, are the strong Accumulation line which is a result of this, and the partial unwinding of the earlier overbought condition shown by the MACD indicator and the cross of the moving averages with the 50-day rising clear through the 200-day."

Chris Temple looked at BacTech on June 6, 2023, and elaborated on the way in which the company's performance might be affected by Ecuador's election. According to Temple, the company can finally proceed with scheduled milestones, such as its community consultations.

Chris Temple also released a more recent report that stated the recent license was "The last such hurdle for the company; BacTech will now proceed to tie up project financing and move to construction."

The company has a few catalysts to announce, according to its investor presentation, namely Phase 2 of its Tenguel Project, which the company expects to produce 100,000 ounces of gold every year.

Ownership and Share Structure

According to BacTech, management and insiders own approximately 49% of the company, as strategic investor Option Three Advisory Services Ltd. owns 8.48% of the company with 15.57 million shares, the CEO Ross Orr owns 3.57% of the company with 6.54 million shares, and Board Director Timothy Lewin owns 0.54% of the company with 0.98 million shares.

Reuters has no data on investors. However, Reuters does report that the company has 185.36 million shares outstanding and 159.12 million free float traded shares, while the company has a market cap of US$10.81 million and trades in the 52-week period between CA$0.05 and CA$0.10.

More Info:

This news is published on the Investorideas.com Newswire - a global digital news source for investors and business leaders

Disclaimer/Disclosure: Investorideas.com is a digital publisher of third party sourced news, articles and equity research as well as creates original content, including video, interviews and articles. Original content created by investorideas is protected by copyright laws other than syndication rights. Our site does not make recommendations for purchases or sale of stocks, services or products. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. All investing involves risk and possible losses. This site is currently compensated for news publication and distribution, social media and marketing, content creation and more. Disclosure is posted for each compensated news release, content published /created if required but otherwise the news was not compensated for and was published for the sole interest of our readers and followers. Contact management and IR of each company directly regarding specific questions.

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Irish Life Health announced this week that its premiums would rise by an average of 4.8% from January 1. A small number of plans will see no increase, while others will go up by between 2.5% and 6%.

When asked, Irish Life Health said the increase was due to ongoing, increasing demand for healthcare services.

The total level of claims paid by all insurers in 2022 increased by 16.5% on 2021. The amount paid out by insurers last year exceeded claims paid in 2019 (2.25bn) for the first time since the pandemic, when claims numbers collapsed completely.

An Irish Life Health spokesperson said this rising trend was consistent with Irelands overall health insurance sector, which reported seeing a considerable increase in activity across all services post-pandemic.

Dermot Goode of Lockton, parent company of Totalhealthcover.ie, points out that we have seen a spate of increases this year from all private health insurers in the Irish market, and that this is Irish Lifes third premium rate rise in 12 months.

This is yet another blow for health insurance members. The impact of the three rises means we are seeing some of the highest premium rate increases in 10 years. Most plans are now up between 10% and 15% on last year, which will cost families anywhere from 150 to 600 extra.

Shop around

Mr Goode said with more than a million people due to renew in the next three months, his strongest piece of advice would be that no one should simply auto-renew at renewal time.

Each and every individual and/or household should be shopping around or seeking independent advice on their health insurance options before they renew or buy.

Note too, that if you have already renewed your cover, these hikes will not impact you until next year.

Meanwhile, the Health Insurance Authority (HIA) has just published its 2022 annual report. It found health insurance coverage continues to grow, with 47.6% of people in Ireland holding health insurance, a 3% increase on 2021.

Vhi Healthcare continues as the largest health insurance provider in Ireland, with a market share of 48.4%. Laya Healthcare has a 27% market share and Irish Life Health has 20.5%.

It is interesting to note market shares vary significantly depending on the ages of the insured. At the end of 2022, Vhi Healthcare insured 54% of those with insurance aged between 70 and 79, compared to 72% at the end of 2014.

Feedback from consumer surveys commissioned by the HIA during 2022 showed many consumers still find it difficult to understand their health insurance plans and compare options, particularly with over 327 plans on the market.

Dermot Goode: 'Strongest piece of advice would be that no one should simply auto-renew at renewal time.'

Last year, we received over 3,000 calls to our consumer helpline, and almost 200, 000 consumers used the HIAs comparison tool at hia.ie," said HIA chairperson Patricia Byron.

"We encourage all consumers to assess their level of coverage each year and compare products available.

Downgrading cover

If you are facing price hikes and are considering downgrading your cover, first, take a look at the marketplace. If you have been on the same plan for years, chances are you are paying well over the odds for health insurance. Shop around.

Downgrading your cover is also an option of course, but if you are considering this, make sure that the savings are worth it, and try to think long term. Would a lower level of cover really suit your needs?

You also need to be aware of waiting periods. If you already have cover and are not changing level of coverage, and have completed a waiting period, then there will be no new waiting periods if you change to a different insurer.

For any other inpatient cover, if you are upgrading and you have a pre-existing condition, you will have a two-year waiting period for the higher level of cover.

For example, if you are going from 90% cardiac cover to full cover, the difference will be subject to a two-year upgrade rule. If you are upgrading and you do not have a pre-existing condition that would relate to the higher level of cover, you will get the higher level of cover right away.

If you have not had life insurance before, you need to be aware of something called Lifetime Community Rating. Since May 1, 2015, a loading of 2% on premiums applies to anyone aged 35 who takes out insurance for the first time. A further 2% loading applies for every year after that.

For example, if you take out a private health insurance policy for the first time at age 40, you will pay an additional 12% on your annual premium every year. You will only pay this additional loading premium for a maximum of 10 years.

Set a budget

Before you go shopping for a new insurer, the HIA advises the first thing you should do is set a budget. Then look into the costs per person. Dont think in terms of family plans.

Adults, young adults and children can, and probably should, be on different plans. Adult policies will be more expensive than child policies and some plans have discounted rates for young adults aged 18-25. If you have children, check to see if insurers have any offers such as free cover for one child or half price for children.

Next, prioritise your needs. Decide if you want treatment in a public or private hospital. Do you want access to the hi-tech hospitals, like the Blackrock Clinic, the Mater Private, and the Beacon Hospital? Make sure the hospitals you need are covered.

If you have used your health insurance in the past, take your cue from how you have used it. Routine treatments are usually fully covered in standard private hospitals. However, you may have to increase your premium to ensure full cover for treatments such as orthopaedic, ophthalmic and cardiac procedures. Are you prepared to pay a higher premium for outpatient benefits such as GP, physio and consultant costs?

The HIA is a great source of free and independent information about private health insurance. Its role is to increase awareness about health insurance services and related consumer rights.

Its website, hia.ie has a raft of information and a handy comparison tool which allows you to measure policies against each other in order to find the best fit for you. You can also call the consumer helpline on 0818 929 166 to find out about the health insurance options available to you.
When is it on and what channel?

The Late Late Toy Show will air on Friday night at 9.35pm on RTE One and RTE Player. Although the regular Late Late has cut its episode running time this season, the Toy Show is expected to run until midnight, meaning the little ones (and their grown-ups) will have earned a big sleep-in on Saturday morning after their marathon viewing.

Can I watch from abroad?

Yes, the Toy Show will be available on the RTE Player internationally. It will stream live so the Irish everywhere from Australia to Zimbabwe can tune in. In 2023, a global audience from over 139 countries tuned in to watch the Toy Show.

Additionally, the best bits will be available after the show on The Late Late Shows YouTube channel, including Santa's special visit to the Holy Family School for the Deaf in Cabra.

What is the theme?

The theme for this years Toy Show is inspired by the Christmas movie Elf, one of Patrick Kielty's personal favourites. "It's a big movie in our house. We're going to have a lot of fun," he told press at a Toy Show preview event in RTE earlier this week.

Kielty, who will be joined by Santa, Papa Elf, and a host of workshop elves, knows the best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear, and this years show will have over 170 performers and toy testers from across Ireland, with the youngest elf aged just four years old.

Last years Toy Show took us to Oz in a set inspired by The Wizard of Oz in what turned out to be Ryan Tubridys final Toy Show as host.

Who is the host this year?

This year comedian and Late Late Show host Patrick Kielty will take the reins of the Toy Show. Speaking to the Irish Examiner in a recent interview he said he plans to just be himself around the toy testers and performers.

I dont think you can play The Toy Show. Kids smell people that are playing them. That doesnt work, he said.

I am lucky enough to have two young kids. And you know, I think you have just got to be yourself. You cant go in with too much planned, thinking that this is how something is going to play out, because on a live show on a Friday night with grown-ups, a lot of the time it doesnt play out the way you think. So if you want to add kids into the mix...

I think its about enjoying it. And if you can enjoy it yourself, then hopefully other people will [too].

Where is Ryan Tubridy now?

Last week, Ryan Tubridy announced he is moving to London to take up a job as a radio presenter with Virgin Radio. He will helm the mid-morning show on Virgin Radio from 10am to 1pm Monday to Friday from early January 2024, joining the weekday on-air crew.

The presenter left RTE after it was revealed that the station under-reported the salary paid to Tubridy and failed to disclose 345,000 of additional payments to him between 2017 and 2022.

On Toy Show night this year, the Toy Man, as many children came to know him, will be switching on the Christmas lights in Clifden in Co Galway.

Will there be a sign language interpreter again?

Yes. The Late Late Toy Show with Irish Sign Language (ISL) will broadcast live on the RTE News Channel and RTE Player. ISL is Ireland's third official language and an ISL version of the Toy Show will also be available to stream shortly after the live broadcast.

Deaf presenters Sarah-Jane O'Regan and Jason Maguire will present the Toy Show through ISL, working with hearing interpreters Amanda Coogan and Ciara Grant, on the RTE News Channel and RTE Player.

Is the RTE Toy Show Appeal back?

Yes. The RTE Toy Show Appeal is back for its fourth year to improve the lives of children and their families by funding essential support, health, wellbeing, play, and creativity initiatives. To date it has raised 17.5m and provided support to 226 different charities and given 359 grants over that time. It supported 147 different children's charities last year alone and is estimated to have helped over 1.1 million annually since its inception.

Donations can be made via www.rte.ie/toyshowappeal and by the Revolut app.
A college student recovering from a night out is always easy to spot. Youll see the regret in their eyes. Lucozade in one hand and a chicken fillet role in the other; smudged mascara, patchy fake tan, and hair unbrushed. The smell of alcohol radiating from them, seeping through their pores.

If you havent found yourself on a bus into college, wincing at every speedbump because your head feels like it has had a large brick chucked at it, youre missing out on a crucial aspect of student living. It teaches you resilience; if you can make it to a lecture after falling out the door of a nightclub a few hours before, theres very little you cant do.

College nights out are not classy events. If you ever want to see this in action, head to Harcourt Street on a Thursday night (student night).

These nights out tend to look the same. Theres always someone who doesnt make it to the club after pres (pre-drinks); theres always someone sent home early in a taxi because they cannot remain upright long enough to convince a bouncer to let them into the nightclub, and theres always someone who mysteriously goes missing around midnight.

The next morning, theres always a debrief. We all want to be up to date on the antics. That debrief is the best part of the night out. I have questions, and I need answers. Where did that person disappear to? Who did they disappear with? We all love the gossip. It never disappoints.

The past few weeks, Ive watched my friends go on Christmas-themed nights out organised by their college. They call it a College Christmas Day. And Im jealous. We dont have one where I go to college.

On College Christmas Day everyone wears a Christmas jumper. Its sold as a festive day  singing Jingle Bells, drinking mulled wine, eating gingerbread.

The reality is a little (a lot) more uncouth: the sound of Jingle Bells is drowned out by the screaming of inebriated students. Mulled wine quickly turns into tequila shots chased with vodka and Red Bull. Gingerbread turns into McDonalds chicken nuggets at 4am.

Christmas jumpers are left in a bar or cloakroom somewhere (its hard to feel the cold when youre seven tequila shots in). It all sounds like fun, if you ask me.

Jane Cowan is a student in Trinity College Dublin, where she is in her second year, studying English.

Though in reality, Im not sure that the College Christmas Day is so different from any other college night out.

Another night of drunken debauchery. Trinity Ball, for example, mainly consists of young drunkards falling over on the cobblestones.

A friend of mine fell and lost a shoe in the crowd at Trinity Ball last year. But she stayed until the band had finished playing.

She had gone beyond just attending Trinity Ball  when she kept dancing with one shoe on, she had lived it.

She stumbled away from that night out with a good story. Thats what every social event in college is about  the experience.

Humans like to feel connected. Its this anarchy that connects us students. This desire for the bedlam of a night out becomes ingrained in the psyche of a college student.

Maybe its because college is the first taste we have of freedom, but this desire is borderline pathological. We act like weve just been let out of prison. And like were going to be sent back very soon.

Behaving like we have this really brief opportunity to embrace chaos. And embrace we do. Caffeine, Doc Martens, alcohol  they keep us going.

There is very little to stop us, though 10 for a single in most pubs in Dublin City comes close. Just not close enough. Ill give the barman my firstborn for that drink.

Luckily for my liver, college is only four years, which means Im almost halfway through this part of my life. So, while the nights out are hectic, expensive, grimy, and almost animalistic, I dont have much time left in this uncivilised existence.

Not that Ill cease to exist when I hit 25, but sometimes Im not so sure. Ill have a real job. Drinking with your friends six nights a week wont be socialising, itll be alcoholism.

Until then, Ive got to put in the hard yards. Take advantage of all of this while I can. Who knows what the price of a drink will be in five years?

On that note, Ill take another one of those 10 drinks. Ill give the barman my secondborn and my friends left shoe. That should cover it.
The HSE has said e-cigarettes are not recommended as a way to give up smoking, as the Government was accused of losing its way on tobacco control in Ireland.

It comes as new figures this week showed e-cigarette use among young people has surged, while the fall in the number of smokers in Ireland has stalled.

The latest edition of the landmark Healthy Ireland survey revealed 18% of people in Ireland are regular smokers, while almost a fifth of young people use e-cigarettes daily.

Furthermore, the survey said one fifth of the population also admitted having taken illegal drugs at least once, with 18% of 1524-year-olds having smoked cannabis in the last year and 5% of people aged 15-34 having taken cocaine.

Irish Heart Foundation director of advocacy Chris Macy said the Governments aim of reducing the number of smokers in Ireland to just 5% of the population by 2025 was obviously dead in the water and we are likely to miss that target by half a million smokers.

And at the same time, about 4,500 people continue to die from smoking-related issues each year, he said.

The HSE said it had made great strides in tackling tobacco across the country in recent decades, but progress was stalling in recent years. Picture: iStock

More people died from cigarettes during the covid-19 pandemic than from covid.

Mr Macy said the rate of people smoking in Ireland remaining the same while the number of people smoking e-cigarettes was rising gives lie to the idea that vaping was reducing smoking rates.

Among young people under the age of 25, its an effective rate of 18% smoking e-cigarettes. Thats up from 11% last year, so effectively its a 63% increase in just one year.

He said although proposals are passing through the Oireachtas, Ireland will be one of the last countries in Europe to ban the sale of vapes to children, and further legislation to ban the sale of flavoured vapes will take time.

What we have to do is the Government has to commit not wasting a single day more to getting these measures in, Mr Macy said. Its crucial to the future health of this generation.

In a statement, the HSE said it had made great strides in tackling tobacco across the country in recent decades, but progress was stalling in recent years.

Unfortunately, it is still the case that one in every two smokers will die as a result of a tobacco-related illness, it said.

And the national policy goal in 'Tobacco Free Ireland' of a smoking prevalence less than 5% by 2025 is unlikely now to be achieved.

On vaping, it said research has shown that young people who do not smoke and who start vaping are three to five times more likely to start smoking than those who do not start vaping.

The finding of an increase in e-cigarette use in Ireland, which is especially high among younger adults, is worrying, the HSE said.

We sometimes hear from the vape industry that greater use of e-cigarettes will help reduce the harm caused by smoking.

Yet the results reported in Healthy Ireland Survey 2023 show that smoking rates are stalling in Ireland while e-cigarette use is increasing. The National Stop Smoking Guidelines, endorsed by the minister for health in 2022, do not recommend that someone who smokes uses e-cigarettes are a way to stop smoking.

The rate of smoking among younger people remains considerable, according to the data. Three in 10 (29%) of men aged 25-34 smoke daily or occasionally, and Ipsos director Kieran OLeary, whose company conducted the study, said smokers are still being recruited from those younger age cohorts.

Around 8% of the population use e-cigarettes on a regular basis, so we can really see where the challenge is, he said. Particularly as the long-term impacts are unclear.

Speaking at the launch of the survey, Minister of State for public health Hildegarde Naughton said: Smoking levels are broadly stable. However, 8% of the population now use e-cigarettes.

While they can be a valuable quit aid, usage rates have risen. Were progressing [legislation] that contains a wide range of measures to tackle smoking and vaping among children and adults. That should be enacted very shortly.
The Taoiseach has expressed confidence that the release of hostages in Gaza will still go ahead despite a delay.

However, Leo Varadkar said it remained unclear whether Irish-Israeli girl Emily Hand would be among the first group of hostages released.

The nine-year-old is understood to be being held hostage by militants in Gaza after being captured in the Hamas attack on Kibbutz Beeri on October 7.

A four-day pause in the fighting was due to come into effect on Thursday, with the hostage releases taking place thereafter, but that choreography was hit with a late hitch.

A senior Israeli official has said the pause will now not take place until Friday at the earliest.

Its hard to get accurate information because the situation is dynamic and changing every day, Mr Varadkar told Newstalk Breakfast on Thursday.

The information that we have is that the agreement on the ceasefire and the hostage and prisoner exchange is still happening.

But most likely it will be tomorrow before we see it coming into effect.

Leo Varadkar said it remained unclear whether Irish-Israeli girl Emily Hand would be among the first group of hostages released. Picture: Conor O Mearain / Collins Photo Agency

It will be a four-day ceasefire, the release of 50 hostages held by Palestinian militant groups in Gaza, so mainly children and women who have children being released and, in return, Israel will release 150 prisoners who are in their jails. And, again, mainly women and teenage boys being released.

And, in the meantime, there will be no military actions happening for those four days.

So were hoping obviously thats the Irish-Israeli girl Emily Hand is going to be released, she is on the priority list.

But, speaking to my contacts in the region, even Hamas isnt clear exactly where everyone is, you know, it operates on the basis of cells, theres other groups involved too, so you know, well only know in the next few days as to whether shes one of those being released but shes certainly on the priority list.

So I think all of our thoughts are with her and her family.

I cant imagine what a traumatic experience that is being held captive in a tunnel away from your family.

So hopefully shes out in the next few days.

And, you know, maybe Im a foolish optimist but if there can be a ceasefire for four days, maybe there can be a ceasefire for a longer period.

I think its possible that theres some suggestions that it could be extended if more hostages are released.

Of course, it creates some breathing space to get fuel, food, medicine, humanitarian aid into Gaza, which is so important.

Mr Varadkar reiterated his view that there was no military solution to the situation in the Middle East.

He said Israelis and Palestinians either had to live together or a viable two-state solution had to be agreed.

The Taoiseach again questioned the EUs past approach to both Israel and Palestine.

He claimed the bloc treated Israel as a normal Western democracy without properly recognising the fact it was occupying Palestinian land and Brussels also provided aid and support to Palestine without pressing its representatives on the lack of elections since 2005 and on human rights issues.

Partially because Europe is divided on the question of Israel and Palestine, its been a passive approach, and I dont think thats sustainable, he said.

Palestinians flee to the southern Gaza Strip, on the outskirts of Gaza City, during the ongoing Israeli bombardment on Wednesday (Picture: AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano)

Mr Varadkar also pushed back against opposition parties advocating that Ireland act unilaterally to impose sanctions on Israel over its bombardment of Gaza.

I think those kinds of calls, Im sure they come from a place of frustration and horror at whats going on in the Middle East, but theyre coming almost entirely from people who have no experience of foreign policy, who have never once attended a European meeting, by which I mean a proper official EU meeting, have never represented their country abroad in a meaningful way, he said.

And we know how sanctions operate: sanctions only work, if they do more harm to the country being sanctioned than the country thats imposing the sanctions.

So when sanctions were imposed on Russia, South Africa, you name it, Iran, theyre done on a multilateral basis.

If one country acts on its own, a) its ineffective, the country being sanctioned isnt affected much, they dont really care, and you actually end up doing harm, sometimes to your own country because then you can become the victim of a counter boycott.

And we know, for example, in the US there are people who will counter-boycott anyone who boycotts Israel.

Do we really want to get into that space, particularly when it wouldnt help the Palestinians at all?

So if youre going to take actions, particularly for a small country, you do so multilaterally, either as the EU or as the UN or even as a group of countries.
Key Points

Five-year-old girl undergoing surgery at Temple St Hospital after stabbing incident

Injured man, 40s is person of interest in garda investigation

Creche worker, 30s, also seriously injured in hospital

Boy, 5, and girl, 6, also taken to hospital with with minor injuries

A five-year-old girl and a woman in her 30s are in a serious condition in hospital after they were attacked and stabbed near a school in Dublin city on Thursday afternoon.

The incident took place outside Gaelscoil Colaiste Mhuire on Parnell Square East after 1.30pm.

The five-year-old girl is currently undergoing treatment at CHI Temple Street.

Two other young children - a boy, 5, and a girl, 6, - were also hospitalised with minor injuries. The boy has since been discharged.

The injured woman, a creche worker, is being treated for serious injuries at the Mater Hospital.

An adult male in his 40s is also being treated for serious injuries at a Hospital in the Dublin Region.

At a press conference this evening, gardai confirmed that the man in his 40s is a "person of interest" and that they are not looking for anyone else in relation to the incident.

Its understood that, shortly after the incident began, the assailant was restrained at the scene by passersby. Its believed to have occurred while children were leaving the school, which is a primary school just to the north of OConnell Street.

Gardai say they are in contact with the parents of all three injured children. Education Minister Norma Foley has also said that counselling services will be offered to the school community.

Gardai at the scene of a serious incident on Parnell Square East. Picture: Colin Keegan / Collins Photos

A motive for the attack has not yet been established but gardai believe it is a standalone incident, not connected to any wider issues in Dublin or elsewhere in the country.

In a statement, gardai said they were following a "definite line of inquiry" and appealed for any witnesses, or anyone with information, to contact them.

Anyone with information has been asked to contact Mountjoy Garda Station 01 6668600 the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111 or any Garda Station.

Eyewitness: 'It was absolutely bedlam'

One witness, Siobhan Kearney, described what she saw as absolutely bedlam.

Ms Kearney told RTE she watched people disarm a man who she said had a knife.

I looked across the road and I see the man and the stabbing motion with a load of children so I flew across the road.

"The man was after stabbing two children as far as I could make out, and we got the children up to the left with the women that were there, and the teachers I presume, she told the broadcaster.

Ms Kearney said that the woman and two of the children who had been attacked were then helped back to the school.

"It was absolutely bedlam," she said. "It was horrendous. The poor children, the screams out of them."

Gardai at the scene of a serious incident on Parnell Square East. Picture: Colin Keegan / Collins Photos

Ms Carney said an ambulance arrived at the scene within three or four minutes and units of the fire brigade and several squad cars arrived quickly thereafter.

She said she was "very much shaken up" by what happened. "It's not a thing that you like to see in your own city."
Key Points:

Major unrest in Dublin City following a knife attack on three young children and a woman in the capital

Violent clashes between protestors and gardai

Several vehicles set alight, including at least two garda patrol cars, two double-decker buses, and a Luas tram

Widespread travel disruption as Dublin Bus and Luas services suspended

Looting reported at stores in the city centre, including Arnotts and Foot Locker on O'Connell St

Rotunda Hospital advises people not to travel to the hospital unless absolutely necessary

Justice Minister: 'There will be arrests, people will be put in prison and order will be restored'

Vehicles including a Luas tram, two double-decker buses, and garda patrol cars were set on fire in Dublin city as gardai from the public order unit attempted to contain riots after the stabbing of three young children and a woman in Dublin's Parnell Square on Thursday afternoon.

A Garda public order unit was deployed in the area around Parnell Square, Parnell Street and OConnell Street early in the evening as anti-immigrant protesters became involved in clashes with gardai.

Around 150 protesters were in the area with fireworks being set off in various locations.

Frontline Gardai backed up by Public Order Units are deployed in large numbers in Dublin City Centre.



Gardai are advising members of the public to avoid the North City Centre at this time. pic.twitter.com/eQ4XblXy5O  An Garda Siochana (@GardaTraffic) November 23, 2023

The protests then spread to other areas of the capital. Shortly before 7pm, a gardai car was set on fire, while other fires burned on the opposite side of O'Connell St and on O'Connell Street Bridge.

Rioters also attacked a Luas tram on St Stephen's Green, smashing several of its windows before setting it on fire. Some stores in the vicinity of O'Connell Street were then looted.

Many of those in the crowd appeared to be men in their 20s faces covered, screaming "get them out".

As of 8.35pm, uniformed Gardai and members of the Public Order Unit were attempting to disperse crowds gathered on O'Connell Street and surrounding streets as a garda helicopter monitored the situation from above.

A car burns on Parnell Street as members of the Garda Public Order Unit set up cordons on O'Connell Street and Parnell Street in Dublin. Picture: Sam Boal /  RollingNews.ie

A spokesperson for Dublin Bus said that all of its services have been called back to base as a result of the unrest. All Luas services were suspended, while Irish Rail stated that Tara St Station would close for the remainder of the night.

Management of the Rotunda Hospital advised people not to attend the hospital unless absolutely necessary.

By 10.30pm, gardai said the streets were "mainly calm" but officers would continue to "be present and on patrol the city centre in large numbers".

Speaking late on Thursday night, Chief Superintendent Patrick McMenamin said that while some Gardai were assaulted, none were seriously injured.

He added: "This violence had nothing to do with the violent assault which occurred on Parnell Square this afternoon. It was gratuitous thuggery.

"Public transport was attacked, Garda vehicles were damaged and some commercial businesses were attacked.

"Thankfully, no serious injuries have been reported by the public as a result of tonights violence."

Girl, 5, receiving emergency treatment

The protests occurred after a stabbing incident outside a primary school. A five-year-old girl is undergoing emergency treatment following the knife attack.

A woman was also seriously injured in the incident. She is being treated at the Mater Hospital.

Two other young children - a boy, 5, and a girl, 6, - were also hospitalised with minor injuries. The boy has since been discharged.

An adult male in his 40s is also being treated for serious injuries at a Hospital in the Dublin Region. Gardai have confirmed that the man is a "person of interest" and that they are not looking for anyone else in relation to the incident.

Drew Harris: 'Lunatic faction driven by far-right ideology' behind Dublin riots

On Thursday evening, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris condemned the "disgraceful scenes" of disorder in Dublin and said that resources were being drafted in to deal with the situation.

The commissioner said a complete lunatic faction driven by far-right ideology is behind disorder in Dublin this evening.

Scenes from Dublins North inner City tonight as protestors clash with gardai. Picture Colin Keegan/ Collins Dublin

He said a number of garda vehicles have been damaged.

I think theres disgraceful scenes in terms of a major investigation, the maintenance of a scene and the gathering of evidence, he told media during a press conference at Mountjoy Garda Station.

We have a complete lunatic hooligan faction driven by far-right ideology, and also then this disruptive tendency engaged in serious violence.

Garda commissioner Drew Harris condemns disgraceful scenes in Dublin City centre tonight. Says a hooligan faction driven by far right ideology has contributed to the trouble. pic.twitter.com/zoT4YN3f7E  Sean Murray (@SeanMJourno) November 23, 2023

We are drafting in resources to deal with that and that will be dealt with properly. Ive given full direction to our resources here in respect of making arrests and bringing offenders to justice.

Its our responsibility to make sure that we police the streets, and part of that is we ask people to act responsibly and not to listen to the misinformation and rumour that is circulating on social media.

The facts are being established, but the facts are still not clear on a lot of the rumour and the innuendo is being spread for malevolent purposes.

He urged people not to listen to "misinformation" and said that gardai were working to establish the facts of the stabbing incident.

Justice Minister Helen McEntee described the protests in Dublin as "thuggish", adding that the scenes "cannot be tolerated"

Protest near the scene of a knife attack on Parnell Square. Picture: Colin Keegan / Collins Photos

Speaking on RTEs Primetime Ms McEntee said described the stabbing incident as devastating.

She said: What we are witnessing this evening is a small group of people who do not represent me or the vast majority of people in this country who are using this appalling act to wreak havoc and to sow division."

She said those involved were "thugs" and "criminals" and that that was how they would treated.

Ms McEntee went on to say there had been many arrests, there will continue to be arrests in connection with the disorder.

Finance Minister Michael McGrath said: "The tiny minority of thugs on the streets of Dublin tonight do not represent or define our country.

"They seized on a horrific crime to let rip & attack their own city. They have disgraced themselves. The heroes tonight are our incredible Gardai."

In a statement, President Michael D Higgins said that "all of our thoughts" were the children and their families affected by Thursday's" horrific attack."

"We are particularly thinking of the five-year-old girl and the member of staff caring for her who are both in serious condition in hospital. All of our prayers are with each of them for a full recovery," he said.

President Higgins said gardai deserved support in dealing with this incident.

"This appalling incident is a matter for the Gardai and that it would be used or abused by groups with an agenda that attacks the principle of social inclusion is reprehensible and deserves condemnation by all those who believe in the rule of law and democracy," he added.

- additional reporting by PA Reporters

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Gardai have said that they are still trying to establish the motive after a man stabbed a number of people, including children, outside a school in Dublin city.

The man is understood to have arrived in the area just after 1.30pm when children were lining up outside an aftercare creche, and proceeded to attack them with a knife.

Five people were brought to hospital, including three with serious injuries, following the incident. One of those critically hurt was a girl aged just five years old, who is being treated in Temple Street Hospital for her injuries.

The incident happened right outside Gaelscoil Cholaiste Mhuire, on a busy stretch of road just north of OConnell Street in the city centre.

Speaking to reporters outside Mountjoy Garda Station, Superintendent Liam Geraghty said they were keeping an open mind but did not believe the attack was terror-related and was a standalone attack.

Mr Geraghty said: Preliminary indications are that a male attacked a number of people on Parnell Square East.

Five casualties have been taken to hospitals in the Dublin Region. These casualties include three young children, an adult female and an adult male.

One girl, aged 5, has sustained serious injuries and is currently receiving emergency medical treatment in CHI Temple Street. A boy (5) and a girl (6) were treated with less serious injuries, he said, adding that the boy had been discharged from hospital. Gardai are providing support to the childrens parents, he said.

A woman in her 30s, believed to a worker of the school or aftercare school the children had been attending, is also being treated for serious injuries at the Mater Hospital.

Gardai appealed for any witnesses to the incident to come forward.

Meanwhile, a man in his 40s was being treated at a Dublin hospital for serious injuries. Superintendent Geraghty said that this man was the person of interest to gardais investigation and they were not seeking anyone else in relation to the attack.

The man is a naturalised Irish citizen who has been in Ireland for more than 20 years.

He said that they were following a definite line of inquiry but that it was still early days in the investigation.

This is a standalone attack, and we need to understand the reasons behind that, he said.

Superintendent Geraghty praised members of the public who intervened in the attack. A number of passers-by including people attending the nearby Stardust inquest stepped in to disarm the man, who was armed with a knife.

He said gardai wanted to applaud those who became involved in what he referred to as a traumatic and potentially dangerous situation for themselves.

I understand the person of interest was detained at the scene, he said.

He said he was aware of public concern surrounding the incident, but asked the public not to jump to conclusions or make rash judgements in this regard.

The senior garda said that he understood that counselling would be made available to the children of the school following the horrific incident.

He also appealed for any witnesses to the incident to come forward.
Mairead Ronan and her husband, Louis, have had their dreams dashed of a Dermot Bannon-inspired holiday home make-over in Dunmore East in Co Waterford.

This follows An Bord Pleanala refusing planning permission to the Ronans for a proposed two-storey extension to their home in the holiday hotspot.

The Ronans employed Dermot Bannons architectural firm to draw up their ambitious plans where they were seeking a 2,518 sq ft extensionalmost a four-fold increase on the existing 648 sq ft home.

In an April 2021 email to Waterford City and County Council before the plans were lodged, Dermot Bannon told a council planner that he was attaching plans of what is proposed with some early 3D renders.

A Design Statement lodged with the planning application by Orna Tubridy of Corridy Consulting told the council that the proposal provides a modern interpretation of the historic 1835 terrace houses and bookends this five-dwelling terrace successfully.

An image of the planned extension.

After two-and-a-half years in the planning system, not a brick has been laid and it is a case of going back to the drawing board for Bannon and the Ronans.

This arises from the appeals board refusing planning permission having regard to the schemes specific proposed design and the resultant scale, massing and bulk of the proposed development in comparison to the small scale of the existing dwelling on the prominent corner sitfe.

The board pointed out that the Ronan home is at the end of an historic terrace located close to the seafront and to the centre of Dunmore East and as such is not satisfied that the proposal would not adversely impact on the special character of the village's Architectural Conservation Area (ACA).

The board ruled that the scheme would materially contravene the Built Heritage Policy of the Waterford City and County Development Plan 2022-2028. The Ronans would have secured planning permission but for the intervention of neighbours who opposed the project.

The couple first lodged their plan in August 2021 and Waterford City and County Council granted planning permission to the couple for the major home extension in July 2022.

However, the Ronans and Dermot Bannon Architects couldn't proceed with the build after two appeals were lodged against the council decision by other homeowners on Curraghmore Terrace in Dunmore East.

Appeals

In his appeal, next door neighbour Tom ORegan told the appeals board that due to the intensified scale and its dominant appearance, the development will detract from the streetscape of Curraghmore Terrace and the entire Lower Village area.

In a separate appeal, Valerie and Trevor Walsh told the appeals board that they could find nothing in documentation lodged to explain why it is necessary to adopt a modern response" to the re-development of the home.

In an April 2021 email to Waterford City and County Council before the plans were lodged, Dermot Bannon told a council planner that he was attaching plans of what is proposed with some early 3D renders.

The Walshes contended that "such an inappropriate design would disproportionately impact on the overall look and feel of the Lower Village and Dunmore East in general.

Ronans' response

In response to the objectors concerns, on behalf of the Ronans, David Mulcahy Planning Consultants, stated that the Ronans and their architects "were acutely aware of the sensitivity of the site when devising the proposed design.

The submission added that the proposed development is deserving of being within an Architectural Conservation Area on account of its high-quality design.

The report states that the scheme involves high-quality architecture involving exceptional design which is the case in this instance. The design involves a successful marrying of old and new.

The Ronans spent this summer at Dunmore East and former Today FM presenter, Mairead Ronan has stated in a previous interview that Dunmore East is her favourite place in Ireland to visit. Planning documentation shows that the Ronans purchased the home in May 2021.

In her report, appeals board inspector, Angela Brereton stated that the new larger scale contemporary design "will appear overly dominant on this corner site at the end of the historic terrace.

Recommending refusal, Ms Brereton concluded that the design and layout as currently proposed would have an adverse impact on the character of Dunmore East ACA.
What is the triple lock?

The triple lock is used to describe the three steps  or safety locks  that Ireland must go through before more than 12 members of the Defence Forces are sent abroad on missions, such as peacekeeping exercises.

The first step is Government sign-off, which is usually done at a Cabinet meeting. The Dail must then approve the deployment of our Defence Forces abroad. This step involves TDs debating and ultimately voting on whether troops should be sent on the mission in question.

The third lock is the mandate or authorisation that must be obtained from the UN Security Council.

What's so controversial about the UN Security Council having a role in the triple lock?

Those in favour of scrapping the triple lock say the system gives significant power to a small number of States that sit on the UN Security Council.

Announcing his plans to remove the triple lock, Defence Minister Micheal Martin said: "In effect, this triple lock system hands the five permanent members of the Security Council a veto over our national sovereign decision to deploy troops to peacekeeping missions as we see fit."

Who sits on the UN Security Council?

The council is composed of 15 members. This includes five permanent members: China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States.

There are 10 non-permanent members elected for two-year terms by the General Assembly. Ireland served on the UN Security Council for the 2021-2022 term.

Why does the Government want to change it?

The Government has become increasingly concerned about the "systemic challenges" facing the UN Security Council and has pointed to the fact that no new peacekeeping missions have been authorised by the Security Council since 2014.

A perceived lack of action on conflicts around the world, including Israel's bombardment of Gaza has also been cited as a concern.

"Look at Ukraine  for reasons that we all know, the council has not even issued a statement on the issue, never mind agreed on a resolution," Mr Martin told the Dail on Wednesday.

Arguing in favour of scrapping the triple lock, Mr Martin said it would "make sense, I believe, to amend our existing legislation in a manner which would allow us to respond to crisis situations with more agility, and where in making these important decisions, we are not surrendering our sovereignty".

Micheal Martin has announced plans to remove the triple lock. Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins

He added this would allow us to dispatch Defence Forces personnel to multilateral missions overseas where these are organised by a regional organisation such as the European Union or African Union, or where the host country is requesting such support from the international community.

Why is there such opposition to changing the triple lock?

Those against the move say removing the triple lock would mean any Irish Government could send troops abroad, which would have implications on our neutrality.

The move has been described as a "fundamental shift" in Irish foreign policy by Sinn Fein's Matt Carthy, who said it would undermine our neutrality.

He added the Government had not answered the question as to "what it will do for our neutrality and for our credibility if we are to send Irish troops to engage in missions that do not have a UN mandate".

People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy also slammed the move as a naked attempt to further erode Irish military neutrality.
Cork councillor and Owenacurra campaigner Liam Quaide is set to run as a Social Democrat in next year's local elections, having quit the Green Party in dramatic fashion earlier this year.

Mr Quaide, a clinical psychologist and one of the most consistent advocates for the Midleton mental health facility, said the Social Democrats share his concerns about Irelands under-resourced mental health and disability services for children and adults. Owenacurra was slated for closure by the HSE in June 2021.

He said he is extremely grateful for the support afforded to the Owenacurra campaign by Social Democrats health spokesperson Roisin Shortall and its leader, and fellow Cork representative, Holly Cairns.

I strongly identify with the party's policies in key areas such as housing, health and disability rights, and the need to address the climate and biodiversity crises. These are all priorities for me as a public representative, Mr Quaide said of his move to the party, which has six TDs at present.

I am looking forward to representing the Social Democrats on Cork County Council at such an exciting time for the party under Holly Cairns dynamic new leadership, he said, adding that it is ideal that the party is led by a Cork TD with a farming background in Ms Cairns, given the Social Democrats' stance as party of change".

Ms Cairns said she is excited that Mr Quaide has joined her party, saying he will offer valuable insights into the deficiencies in public mental health services while his views on the need for climate change mitigation very much align with those of the Social Democrats.

Mr Quaide was first elected as a Green candidate for Midleton in 2019, but quit the party over the Owenacurra saga in April 2023, stating he had been left frustrated by responses from ministerial party colleagues on the issue.

Along with Green TD for Dublin Cental Neasa Hourigan, Mr Quaide was instrumental in keeping the controversial Owenacurra closure in the national consciousness.

The HSEs CEO Bernard Gloster recently committed personally to building a new 10-person facility on the Owenacurra site, more than two years after the closure was first announced.
Two things were already clear months before Dutch election day: the Netherlands would have a new prime minister and dozens of new parliamentarians.

Forty sitting members of parliament, a quarter of the Tweede Kamer (lower house), and, even more striking, three of the four leaders of the outgoing conservative-led coalition had announced their departure from national politics. Ironically, in this sea of electoral change, it was the far-right mainstay, Geert Wilders, the soon-to-be longest-sitting politician, who would emerge the big winner.

How do we make sense of the political earthquake that has put Wilders and his PVV party in first place and how will it affect Dutch and European politics?

The first, and most important, lesson is one that Dutch politicians in particular should have known, as it has happened over and over again in the past three decades in the Netherlands and throughout western Europe. If you make the elections about the issues of the far-right, notably the problem of immigration, the far-right wins. We saw this most recently in Sweden.

Another similarity with last years Swedish elections is that if you make elections about the far-rights suitability to govern, the far-right wins. In the last week of the campaign, as the PVV made its shocking surge in the polls, article after article proclaimed the milder tone of Wilders, who had allegedly softened his sharp edges.

Geert Wilders has not moderated his extreme positions about immigration or Islam, let alone rejected them. Photo: AP/Peter Dejong

In fact, always witty, but rarely critical, the Dutch media even started to refer to him as Geert Milders. In reality, and as Wilders emphasised several times, there was no change in programme but one in strategy. He has not moderated his extreme positions about immigration or Islam, let alone rejected them. Rather, he has said that there are bigger problems than limiting immigration at the moment.

Ultimately responsible for Wilders massive victory is, ironically, his personal nemesis, Mark Rutte, the outgoing conservative (VVD) prime minister who decided to blow up his coalition over the specific issue of asylum seekers.

By moving the focus from a controversy over farmers use of nitrogen and the (alleged) urban-rural dividewhich propelled the agrarian populist BBB party to a massive victory in provincial elections earlier this yearback to immigration and the alleged native-immigrant divide, Ruttes VVD had hoped to dominate the campaign. Instead, as always, it is the far-right PVV that has won.

As Jean-Marie Le Pen said almost half a century ago, the people prefer the original over the copy.

Moreover, when Ruttes successor in the VVD leadership, Dilan Yesilgoz-Zegerius, opened the door to a possible coalition with Wilders, in the hope of becoming prime minister of such a coalition, she helped his normalisation, which was eagerly taken up by Dutch journalists who were bored by the low-profile campaign.

To be fair, Wilders made excellent use of these opportunities, showing his exceptional political experience and skills in interviews and debates.

Still, while open to governing with Wilders, Yesilgoz-Zegerius was adamant in the final days of the campaign that she would not govern under him. Given that the anti-establishment Pieter Omtzigt and his centrist New Social Contract (NSC) party had ruled out working with Wilders PVV altogether, Wilders electoral victory could yet convert to political defeat.

Ultimately responsible for Wilders massive victory is, ironically, his personal nemesis, Mark Rutte, the outgoing conservative (VVD) prime minister who decided to blow up his coalition over the specific issue of asylum seekers. Photo: AP/Patrick Post

In fact, the magnitude of his victory, and his partys huge lead over the VVD, which came in third, could force the latter to join an anti-Wilders coalition along with Frans Timmermans leftist Greens/Social Democrat alliance and Omtzigts new movement.

The main problem with this, however, is that the Greens/Social Democrats (GL/PvdA), as that coalitions biggest party, will certainly claim the prime ministerial position for Timmermans. Moreover, with the VVD leader Yesilgoz-Zegerius having reached out to Wilders but rejected Timmermans because she said he would tax the country to pieces, a coalition under Timmermans could lead to a major backlash among VVD members and voters.

Whatever the outcome of coalition negotiations, the role of the Netherlands in the rest of the world, particularly in the European Union, is going to change. First, with the departure of Rutte, the longest-sitting democratically elected political leader within the EU, the country will no longer punch as much above its weight as it did in the past decade.

Second, although the Netherlands has long ceased to be an engine of European integration, under Ruttes leadership, the various Dutch coalitions of the last decade barked more than they bit.

The Netherlands will have to come to terms with a new reality. After almost 25 years of catering to far-right voters, allegedly to defeat far-right parties, a far-right party is by far the biggest party in parliament. Photo: AP/Peter Dejong

Now with outspokenly Eurosceptic parties such as the PVV and Omtzigts NSC the big winners, the conservative VVD will probably become even more Dutch-centric in its European policy, further complicating a coalition with the Europhile GL/PvdA (particularly under Timmermans) and the liberal D66.

For now, though, the Netherlands will have to come to terms with a new reality. After almost 25 years of catering to far-right voters, allegedly to defeat far-right parties, a far-right party is by far the biggest party in parliament.

Perhaps now, more than 20 years after the rise of Pim Fortuyn, the country can finally start an honest and open discussion about its far-right problem.

Read More Irish Examiner view: A worrying political trend
HOW do you go about naming a house? Get a sign made with the name on it, hang it out front, and tell the postman. Thats the smart answer. In reality, householders have their own reasons: cultural, commemorative, whimsy, to add value, nostalgia.

When the current owners of Cushendall moved into their Old Blackrock Road home in 1989, they found a black and white photograph of a headstone. The name engraved on it was William McDonnell, from Cushendall, a stunning village on Antrims Causeway Coast. William died young, possibly during the Second World War. A bit of his legacy lives on at No 1 Old Blackrock Road.

Cushendall is one of a terrace of four period homes at the Victoria Avenue end of the Old Blackrock Road, opposite six-house Sorrento Terrace, where several properties have undergone extensive upgrades in recent years.

Cushendall faces Sorrento Terrace

Houses on both terraces have the graceful character traits of period homes: high ceilings, original fireplaces, big bay windows, good proportions in the main reception rooms.

They present the usual challenges too: how to improve energy efficiency in homes built in the early 1900s.

The owners of No 1 invested in energy improvements by putting on a new roof about eight years ago. About three years ago, they installed a new Bosch heating system. They replaced bay windows at the front of the property, packing the walls beneath with insulation.

They left the front door alone, apart from replacing the glass panels - done by a chap who does Church windows they say - and they dealt with draughts by sealing the porch with a second, draughtproof door.

Chimneys were closed off and capped.

The couple was committed to retaining original features, including the Victorian hallway tiles, original fireplaces, doors (which they dipped) and original Canadian pitch pine flooring and staircase.

You cant get that kind of timber anymore because they dont cut down Canadian pine now, the owners say.

No 1 was in a shocking state when they moved in, so for the first few months they lived with builders.

There was a cement mixer in the hallway, the woman of the house recalls. They did a good job of the two reception rooms which are very much in character.

Main reception room

Family room

The kitchen is a newer addition, to the rear of these two rooms.

It was a galley when they moved in, but they extended it in the 1990s and put in a skylight.

Cushendall is a three-bed end-of-terrace home, with bedrooms on the first floor and the main bathroom at the return of the stairs .Also on the return is a guest WC, which doubles as a utility. Overhead, a converted attic is used for storage.

Even though the current owners have done lots to Cushendall, new owners will likely invest further to improve the BER from its current E1. The attic will need more attention too, if new owners are keen to use it for more than storage eg as a home office or playroom or gym.

New owners will be pleased to see that they have off-street parking on a road where driveways are scarce. You can fit four cars into the drive, say the owners, as theyre on a wider corner site, with room for a sideways extension.

A broad gate across the driveway ensures privacy when they sit out in the evening. Theres a small patio area to the rear and a tidy lawn in front of the house.

The owners, who are downsizing, raised their two children at 1,474 sq m Cushendall. They say they cant overstate the convenience of the location vis-a-vis schools, amenities and proximity to Cork City centre.

Auctioneer Kevin Barry agrees, adding that the neighbourhood is mature and much sought-after and that the city is just a 10-minute walk away.

Cushendall is an instantly appealing family home offering bright, generously proportioned accommodation, Mr Barry says. The guide price is 550,000.

VERDICT: A graceful home in a nice neighbourhood that will benefit from additional upgrades. Period features have been respected.
The militant Hezbollah group has fired more than 50 rockets at military posts in northern Israel, a day after an Israeli air strike on a home in southern Lebanon killed five of the groups senior fighters.

The waves of rockets sent over the border represented one of the most intense bombardments since Hezbollah started attacking Israeli posts in the countrys north at the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war.

Hezbollah has said that by heating up its actions on the Israel-Lebanon border, it is easing pressure on the Gaza Strip, where Israels crushing aerial, ground and naval offensive has left more than 13,300 Palestinians dead and caused wide destruction in the sealed-off enclave.

The war was triggered by an October 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel that left about 1,200 people dead, most of them civilians, and resulted in about 240 hostages being taken to Gaza.

Smoke rises from Israeli artillery shelling on Aita al-Shaab, a Lebanese border village with Israel (AP)

An agreement for a four-day ceasefire in Gaza and the release of dozens of hostages held by the militants and Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, was set to take place on Thursday but appeared to have hit a last-minute snag.

Hezbollah said in a series of statements that the volleys it fired toward Israeli posts included 48 Katyusha rockets that were directed at an Israeli army base in Beit Zeitem, about six miles south of the border.

The group said its fighters also struck tanks and locations where Israeli troops were taking positions.

The intense fire followed an Israeli air strike on a house in Beit Yahoun, a village in southern Lebanon, that killed the five senior fighters, including Abbas Raad, the son of the head of Hezbollahs 13-member parliamentary bloc in Lebanon, Mohammed Raad.

The deaths bring the number of Hezbollah fighters who have been killed in seven weeks of fighting to at least 83.

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah met Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian in Beirut on Thursday.

An Israeli war plane flies over Rmeish, a Lebanese border village (AP)

They discussed the ongoing war in Gaza and efforts to stop the Israeli aggression, as well as the situation at the tense Lebanon-Israel border, according to a statement released by Hezbollah.

Mr Amirabdollahian warned in comments to journalists upon his arrival in Lebanon on Wednesday that the ongoing Israel-Hamas war could spiral out of control if a truce does not last.

Iran-backed factions in Iraq, including the militant group Kataib Hezbollah, have carried out more than 60 and rocket or suicide drone attacks at bases housing US troops in Iraq and Syria. Kataib Hezbollah is allied with Lebanons Hezbollah but the groups have different leaders.

The US military said on Thursday that one of its warships in the Red Sea shot down bomb-carrying drones launched from territory controlled by Yemens Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

The American militarys Central Command said the USS Thomas Hudner, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, shot down the drones early on Thursday morning. The ship and crew sustained no damage or injury, Central Command said.
Residents who have fled the fighting in Kayah State capital Loikaw say they are gravely concerned about the safety of those left behind as well as the fate of the town as fighting between junta and resistance troops for control of Loikaw intensifies.

Volunteers are urging residents to flee Loikaw, saying the situation is deteriorating at an alarming rate.

Communication lines have been cut off. Water is not available due to power outages. We also cant find fuel, one volunteer said. The General Hospital was shut down about two days ago [and] some patients were transported to Taunggyi by volunteers, he added.

Fighting continues to rage in Loikaw, but some key locations are now under resistance control, according to the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF). The KNDF, Karenni Army and Karenni National Peoples Liberation Front launched a joint offensive on November 11  Operation 11.11  to drive junta troops from the state capital.

A Loikaw resident who fled to southern Shan state said she worries about her parents who insisted on staying at their home in Loikaws Law Dhamma ward, a two-minute drive to downtown where intense fighting continues.

Clashes are breaking out in the downtown areas. We want to make sure that my parents are safe, but we could not contact them, she said. She and her two siblings fled Loikaw town on Wednesday morning and are taking refuge in Nyaung Shwe Township in southern Shan State.

She fled Loikaw to get medical help for a relative. I left my home yesterday because my grandma needs to seek medical attention for her broken leg, the 28-year-old woman said.

Some Loikaw residents, especially the poorest, have no choice but to stay in their homes or move to monasteries and churches.

Some [residents] moved to Nam Baw Wan and Daw Tan Ma wards because there is no fighting in those areas yet, a volunteer said.

A resident of Law Da Ma ward said hundreds of people are sheltering in a community hall in the ward.

At least seven residential wards in Loikaw have been struck by indiscriminate shelling and airstrikes from the regimes military, residents and volunteers said.

About 70 people, including 10 children, in Kayah State have been killed by indiscriminate shelling, airstrikes and shootings from junta troops since November 11, according to the Karenni Humanitarian Aid Initiative, a local volunteer group.

Many houses, monasteries and churches were burned down or damaged by junta shelling and airstrikes. Daw Au Khu, Nar Nat Taw, Naung Yar and Nant Kut wards are the worst-hit areas, a Loikaw resident said.

As fighting intensifies in Loikaw, many residents who fled say they worry that the junta may destroy their town.

I hope that my home is still standing when I return to Loikaw and I also hope that my hometown doesnt face the same fate as Thantlang town, said a Loikaw resident who fled the fighting.

Chin States Thantlang was incinerated by junta shelling and arson attacks. About 10,000 residents of the town have been displaced since September 2021. Before the military coup, it was a peaceful mountaintop town near the border with India in Chin State.
When news broke early this week that resistance forces had arrested Myanmar regime pilot Major Khaing Thant Moe, most Myanmar people were thrilled, and immediately wondered what kind of punishment he would earn.

The 43-year-old served in the juntas notorious Myanmar Air Force (MAF), which has waged a bloody campaign of air strikes against civilians and resistance forces across the country since the coup in 2021. According to the latest available figures, the MAF carried out 1,427 air strikes across Myanmar, killing at least 634 civilians, including children, between the coup and April this year.

Khaing Thant Moe was capturedto the peoples delightby resistance forces on Nov. 19 near the border of Kayah and Karen states, a little over a week after a Karenni armed group reported that it shot down a junta K-8W fighter jet during a clash in Hpruso Township on Nov. 11, the day the anti-regime offensive dubbed Operation 11.11 was launched in Kayah State. He is the first active-duty regime pilot to be arrested by resistance forces.

Maj. Khaing Thant Moe and his co-pilot Lieutenant Zarni Maung ejected from the plane and went missing after it was shot down. The fuselage of the crashed aircraft was found in Taungoo District in Karen National Union-controlled territory on Nov. 13, and Maj. Khaing Thant Moe was captured after nine days on the run, after he asked for food from a Hpruso resident, who informed the Karenni resistance forces, Burma VJ news reported.

Currently, the pilot is in the custody of Karenni resistance forces. On Tuesday, Kayah States revolutionary governing body, the Karenni State Interim Executive Council, announced that legal action would be taken against Maj. Khaing Thant Moe. It added that resistance forces were still looking for Zarni Maung.

Who is Maj. Khaing Thant Moe?

Maj. Khaing Thant Moe was stationed at Bago Regions Taungoo Air Base. A graduate of the 44th intake of the Myanmar militarys Defense Services Academy, he served as both a combat pilot involved in aerial attacks, as well as a flight instructor who taught DSA trainees to fly.

He won a literary excellence award at the DSA and had a good record in the MAF, according to Naung Yoe, a former sergeant and Air Force defector.

He was a flight instructor. He had a moderate attitude when teaching the trainees, Naung Yoe told The Irrawaddy.

Another Air Force defector, former captain Zay Thu Aung, said: We would start our pre-flight briefings at 6 a.m. Maj. Khaing Thant Moe was always the first to arrive.

Regardless of his reputation within the military, his association with the MAF now brings him nothing but condemnation from the public.

These are the dogs who killed civilians in Pazi Gyi, Ananpa and Let Yat Kone. They have to pay [for what they did], a Yangon resident said, referring to three of the deadliest air strikes against civilians and anti-regime ethnic armed forces in Sagaing Region and Kachin State last year and this year.

The regime air strike on a school in Let Yat Kone Village in Sagaings Depayin Township in September 2022 killed 13 people, including seven children aged 9 to 16.

Moreover, 175 civilians including 42 children were killed in a regime aerial bombardment in Kantbalu Townships Pazi Gyi Village on April 11 this year. It is the worst massacre by the Myanmar military to date.

Most recently, on Nov. 15, nearly a dozen civilians including eight children were killed in a Myanmar military aerial assault on Wai Luu Village in Matupi Township, Chin State.

Khaing Thant Moe is still being interrogated and it is not yet clear if he was personally involved in any of those attacks. It is hoped that any testimony he provides at his trial will shed light on the nature of the juntas air assaults, and provide evidence of the regimes crimes.

Khun Bedu, president of the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force, said the pilot was being interrogated for information about the militarys operations.

At the same time, Major Khaing Thant Moe is still alive and will continue to be afforded his basic rights, Khun Bedu told The Irrawaddy.

Defector Naung Yoe said Khaing Thant Moe would be a valuable witness in any future legal action against military leaders who have ordered air strikes around the country. That kind of person would make the best witness if he is sent to [testify before] international courts, Naung Yoe told The Irrawaddy.

Regime lies

Immediately after the resistance forces shot down the K-8 fighter jet, junta spokesperson Major General Zaw Min Tun said the plane crashed due to a mechanical problem during a training flight. He also said the military had been in contact with the two pilots.

However, nine days since the Karenni revolutionary alliance forces issued a statement announcing the arrest of Khaing Thant Moealong with a picture of him in custodythe junta has yet to utter a word about the two pilots.
Civilians were reportedly killed when their vehicle was hit by an artillery shell just outside Laukkai, the capital of the Kokang Self-Administered Zone in northern Shan State, on Wednesday, according to a local source.

A group of civilians tried to flee Laukkai town on Wednesday morning because of fighting in the area, but just as they were driving out of the town they were forced to turn back because of a clash occurring some way ahead. One of the vehicles was hit by an artillery shell near a group of buildings known locally as Tiger Villas.

A video that went viral online shows a vehicle that has been completely destroyed, and dead bodies scattered around it. The Kokang, a local media outlet, said at least 14 people were killed in the artillery strike. The Irrawaddy could not independently verify the casualties.

The victims have not yet been identified.

At the time, junta forces and affiliated local militias were engaged in a clash with the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) near the village of Nanhutan, west of the Lay Myet Hnar Pagoda.

The MNDAA said the Myanmar military was responsible for the fatal strike. The groups spokesman Ko Yang Yang said: The fighting took place outside Laukkai. There has been no fighting in Laukkai town. The civilian vehicle was hit by artillery fired by [the militarys] regional operations command based in Laukkai. As they were shelling the clash site, a shell landed in the town and hit a civilian vehicle.

The regime denied responsibility for the attack. The militarys regional operations command is located north of Laukkai, while Wednesday mornings fighting took place to the south of the town.

On Nov. 11, artillery shells fired by the regional operations command missed their target and landed near civilian vehicles stuck on a road south of Laukkai, killing some civilians.
A joint attack by resistance groups resulted in the seizure of a junta military outpost near Lar Poet village tract in Sagaing Regions Kani Township on Wednesday.

The troops were under the command of the Peoples Defence Force (PDF) and comprised battalions from Yinmabin District and other local resistance groups, fighters said.

The MonywaMinkin Road, a major transport route in Sagaing Region, passes through the village tract, which is also known as Sal Ywar Chaung (10 villages corner). It borders Alaungdaw Kathapa National Park in the west of the province.

Fighting began at about 6 am on Wednesday, a resident of the township said, adding that the juntas military sent in a fighter jet fighter to observe the battle.

Resistance groups said the fighter jet bombed the area at about noon and that the juntas military suffered heavy losses.

They said they found at least 20 bodies of junta troops after seizing the outpost and that two resistance fighters were killed. They also said they seized arms and ammunition at the outpost.

Residents of the township said the fighting continued Thursday. U Kyi, a resident of Mee Chaung Village, said: Though the PDFs have seized the outpost, clashes kept breaking out today [Thursday] as the juntas military sent more reinforcements from Monywa this morning.

Some village residents were injured by the juntas airstrikes even though they were hiding in forested areas, he added.

A member of Yinmabin District Battalion 1 said that the operation was carried out under the direct command of the Yinmarbin District Commander of the PDF. He said resistance troops would keep fighting to prevent junta troops from retaking the base and the strategic area around it.

We heard that more junta troops from Chaung-U are also coming here. Though we have already seized [the outpost], they will take it back if we leave. So, we are not leaving and will resist attacks, he said.
UNITED NATIONSMore than 286,000 people in Myanmar have been displaced so far by recent fighting between the junta and ethnic groups, the UN said Wednesday, describing it as the biggest escalation since the 2021 coup.

Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that intense fighting between ethnic armed organizations and the Myanmar armed forces continues and has expanded into more areas, including densely populated urban centers, said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

This escalation is the largest and most geographically widespread since the 2021 military takeover, he added, noting that the worst-affected areas were in Shan, Sagaing, Kayah, Rakhine and southern Chin.

As of yesterday, more than 286,000 people have been displaced since the escalation of fighting on Oct. 26, with this number continuing to climb, he said.

Fighting broke out at the end of October in the north of Shan State, close to the Chinese border, where three ethnic minority groups coordinated an attack against the central military power.

The Arakan Army, which is part of this alliance, then launched an offensive last week in Rakhine in the west, at the same time as clashes were raging in Kayah in the east, not far from the Thai border, between anti-junta fighters and the army.

The security situation in Rakhine remains alarming, particularly in Pauktaw Township, where some 20,000 people have fled to safer locations since the middle of this month, said Haq.

Entry points to the town have been closed and it is no longer accessible, he said, leaving hundreds of people trapped.

In addition some 26,000 Rohingya in five refugee camps in Pauktaw cannot be reached, he said.

With more than 2 million people now displaced in Myanmar, Haq called for urgent funding for humanitarian aid.
Fighting erupted between the Myanmar military and ethnic Rakhine Arakan Army (AA) on November 13, ending a yearlong ceasefire. The latest bout of fighting is the third since late 2018.

After two years of battle, the two sides agreed to a truce ahead of the general election in November 2020. Clashes then broke out again, before an informal ceasefire was called on humanitarian grounds amid food shortages in November last year.

Last years fighting broke out as the junta sought to prevent the AA from consolidating administrative control across Rakhine. The ethnic armed group had taken advantage of the truce to install its own administration and courts across rural Rakhine as the regime was busy battling the resistance elsewhere. However, that bout of clashes only lasted for a few months.

In contrast, the fresh fighting is part of a planned and expanding offensive by the AA.

The armed group publicly declared in October last year that it was fighting alongside the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), across the country in Kachin State, northern Myanmar. It also declared that its 10 battalions have joined Operation 1027, the anti-regime offensive launched in northern Shan State by the tripartite Brotherhood Alliance also comprising the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA).

The juntas military, which once threatened to crush the AA, did not mention its involvement in Operation 1027  a sign that it does not want to fight on a new front.

The AA launched its Rakhine offensive one day after the Brotherhood Alliance seized the strategically important town of Kunlong in Shan State on November 12.

But unlike previous fighting in Rakhine, the AAs ongoing offensive is part of the wider Operation 1027 also being waged by the KIA and Peoples Defense Forces, the armed wing of the civilian National Unity Government.

Junta blockades Rakhine front

While the Brotherhood Alliance has cut transport routes in northern Shan State, the junta has blockaded roads and waterways in coastal Rakhine State. Relying on its navy to deliver food, reinforcements and weapons to troops, the regime blocked roads between towns and villages immediately after the AA launched its offensive.

The junta has now isolated towns in Rakhine, imposing its four cuts strategy on their civilian populations. It used the same strategy during fighting last year, even restricting the delivery of medicines.

This time, the military has imposed travel restrictions not only in the north but also the south of Rakhine. It has blockaded three key roads linking Rakhine State with Yangon and other parts of the country.

However, beyond the towns, Rakhine is under the control of the AA, which has isolated junta bases. The armed group has also retaken control of the road linking the state capital Sittwe with the central town of Ann. Junta soldiers, police and border guards have been forced to abandon some 40 positions, fleeing to big bases for protection against AA attacks. This has ceded control of territory to the AA.

The regime has deployed troops in towns and strategic hilltops as it braces for an onslaught by AA fighters. Unable to send reinforcements and food supplies by road, the junta has fallen back on its navy and air force for logistics.

The withdrawal of junta troops from vulnerable positions has provided the AA with greater space to maneuver in rural areas. But the concentration of junta forces makes it more difficult for the AA to seize more positions.

Four cuts and genocide

As soon as fighting broke out in Rakhine, the regime cut off supplies of food and medicines from other parts of the country, as well as between towns inside the state. Local people are now facing shortages and price hikes.

The four cuts strategy was introduced under Myanmars first military dictator, Ne Win, and is designed to sever insurgents access to funding, food, intelligence, and recruits. The civilian population in Rakhine are the latest to suffer its strangulating effect.

The fighting remains low-level in Rakhine, but the regime is already targeting civilians. Its troops are shelling villages in Pauktaw, Minbya, Mrauk-U and Kyauktaw townships while detaining civilians as human shields.

In 2017, the same military committed what the UN termed genocide against the Rohingya in Rakhine. It is now planning larger-scale ethnic cleansing against the Rakhine people.

The junta is also targeting civilians on other fronts, including Kachin, Shan, Karenni, Karen, Chin states and Sagaing, Magwe, Mandalay, Bago and Tanintharyi regions. But it exercises more caution in the borderland of northern Shan State, where it has been forced to apologize and offer compensation when its shells killed people on Chinese soil.

Rakhine suffering

Rakhines coastal location makes it easier for the regime to implement the four cuts strategy with its navy. So, the state is suffering more than other areas.

But the strategy has its own disadvantages since it depends on connectivity among junta administrative organs across the state. The AA needs to find ways to take advantage of vulnerabilities in this chain.

At the same time, the armed group must find solutions that help local people overcome the hardships inflicted by the juntas travel restrictions.

Ko Oo is an expert in Myanmars ethnic affairs.
True fibre optic lines are made of glass (silica) or plastic and allow information to be transmitted in the form of(e.g. a low powered laser beam). At its most simple this is a bit like using a torch to send an S-O-S (help) message to your friend next door by switching the light on and off, except the beam would be going down a cable.

Using light as a transmission method is also significantly more efficient and reliable than sending electrical signals down old copper wire. The latter is highly susceptible to interference and signal degradation over distance. It's also significantly easier to boost light signals. Optical cables are a lot cheaper than copper but the advantage of this is mitigated by the high cost (estimated to be 15bn-30bn in the UK) of having to re-build the old telecom networks (this is why hybrid-fibre and cable networks remain so common).

Optical cables are thus an ideal choice for a new generation of communication services, especially broadband connections with their ever growing capacity demands. Similarly not a month seems to go by without somebody finding a new way to push increasingly incredible amounts of data down a single fibre, such as by splitting light into different wavelengths, twisting it into a vortex or using the hollow fibre cables.

In 2013 Alcatel-Lucent became the latest to set a new world record after they successfully transmitted information (data) at the staggering speed of 31Tbps (Terabits per second) over a single long-haul 7200km optical fibre cable (i.e. simulating undersea transoceanic cable distances). But over the next few years ordinary consumers are far more likely to see speeds of between 100Mbps and 2000Mbps (Megabits per second) or up to 2Gbps (Gigabits) if you prefer.

True Fibre Optic Technologies



Fibre To The Home / Premises (FTTH/P) The latest FTTH/P services, most of which come from UK ISPs like BT, KC, Hyperoptic, B4RN, Gigaclear and CityFibre (Gigler), work by delivering a pure fibre optic line directly to your doorstep. At the time of writing BT's FTTP product delivers download speeds 330Mbps (1Gbps is anticipated for the near future) and uploads of 20-30Mbps, though other FTTH ISPs (e.g. B4RN) already offer a symmetric 1Gbps connection (1000Mbps for both download and upload). Sadly coverage is often only found in urban areas (towns and cities) or niche rural deployments. This is because it requires a lot of practical and expensive work (e.g. roadwork's) to build the networks, yet the service itself is usually well priced, reliable and very flexible. However FTTH connections do sadly require their own power source and as a result any outage in your electricity supply could result in downtime. A short lived backup battery solution provides some limited protection but this usually only lasts for a few hours (2-8 hrs depending on the product). Fibre to the Building (FTTB) This solution is very similar to FTTH/P and as a result it's often considered to be a true fibre optic connection. But crucially FTTB still requires a small amount of internal copper or coaxial wiring because the fibre optic cable usually terminates just outside the building, which shouldn't cause a significant detriment to performance but it can still have some impact (variable). The reason for this is because it would simply be far too costly for an existing property owner or landlord to replace all of a buildings existing internal copper or coaxial cable, especially if you're connecting up a high-rise building or large apartment block.

In an ideal world the whole of the United Kingdom's telecoms network would be based off a pure fibre optic network, which would effectively future proof the infrastructure. But in reality the most cost effective hybrid-fibre and cable networks are likely to remain, at least for another five to ten years.

It simply makes more economic sense for big telecoms firms, such as BT, to upgrade what already exists than to take on massive debts and rollout FTTH. Similarly the government would be unlikely to boost their related public funding support by ten times the current level, which is what would be needed to the job. Instead the current approach is to continuing rolling out inferior hybrid-fibre solutions like FTTC.

But the good news is that all of the major operators are at least bringing fibre optic cables ever closer to homes. FTTC already brings the fibre to most street cabinets and future solutions like FTTdp (see the hybrid fibre section) could put it within a few metres of your home. In 10-20 years' time we might then be able to replace the last few metres of copper and coax with a true fibre optic connection and at a more affordable cost. Time will tell.
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Number of pediatric visits surge across China

Global Times) 14:10, November 23, 2023

The number of pediatric visits has surged in multiple regions across the country, prompting several hospitals to mobilize medical staff for support, media reported on Wednesday. Disease control experts stated that top three reasons for children seeking medical treatment are influenza, adenovirus, and respiratory syncytial virus.

The Second Affiliated Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine said on Tuesday that it has mobilized the entire hospital's resources to cope with the peak of pediatric visits, and all pediatric staff would have their vacations suspended.

The hospital also mobilized physicians with pediatric diagnosis and treatment qualifications in the entire hospital to support the pediatric outpatient department, open an outpatient infusion channel, and increase the allocation of nursing staff, so as to ensure the safety of diagnosis and treatment.

The Aviation General Hospital, located in Beijing, said on Friday that since the beginning of autumn and winter, due to the continuous prevalence of mycoplasma pneumoniae, and even the occurrence of co-infections such as influenza A and COVID-19, the pediatric outpatient volume at the hospital remained consistently high, with daily outpatient visits ranging from 550 to 650, an increase of 30 to 50 percent compared to the same period in previous years.

The General Hospital of Northern Theater Command, located in Shenyang, Northeast China's Liaoning Province, issued a statement on Wednesday that the autumn and winter seasons are the peak period for upper respiratory tract infections every year. This year's infection peak came a bit earlier, with a significant increase in children infected with mycoplasma pneumoniae. The medical staff were working at full capacity to protect the children, and the hospital was operating 24 hours a day.

According to media reports, the mycoplasma pneumoniae has been prevalent for nearly three months, and the pediatric outpatient department is still under high pressure. However, Wang Quanyi, deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, noted that according to the latest monitoring data, mycoplasma pneumoniae has entered a declining phase.

The expert said that in outpatient cases at some pediatric hospitals in Beijing, the prevalence of mycoplasma pneumoniae has dropped to the fourth place, while the top three reasons for children seeking medical treatment are influenza, adenovirus, and respiratory syncytial virus.

Wang also observed that Beijing has entered the high-incidence season of respiratory infectious diseases, and there is a trend of multiple pathogens being commonly prevalent. Due to the simultaneous circulation of these pathogens, the overall number of infections is expected to rise, resulting in an increased demand for healthcare. Medical institutions should be prepared to cope with the pressure, the expert warned.

(Web editor: Tian Yi, Liang Jun)
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KELOWNA, BC, Nov. 22, 2023 /CNW/ - Cantex Mine Development Corp. (TSXV: CD), (OTCQB: CTXDF) (the "Company") is pleased to report that a 89.25 metre intersection of strong mineralization has been encountered at the Main Zone of the silver-lead-zinc-germanium Massive Sulphide project. The Company also is closing a final tranche of its financing.

Main Zone Drilling

Hole YKDD23-285 was the final hole from the fall 2023 drill program. This hole contained an exceptional intercept from 416.75 to 506 metres depth drilled from pad MZ33 at a -85-degree dip and 166 degree azimuth (see Figures 1 and 2 for a map and cross section respectively)

Split core from this hole has been submitted to the CF Mineral Research, an ISO/IEC 17025:2005 accredited laboratory for preparation prior to being sent to ALS Chemex Laboratories in North Vancouver for analysis for silver-lead-zinc. Polished sections will be submitted to the University of British Columbia Okanagan for germanium analysis. All of the foregoing results as well as germanium results from samples already submitted will be reported when received.

Financings Complete

The Company announces that, further to its news release of September 20, 2023 and October 19, 2023 announcing a private placement (the "Offering"), the Company has closed the final tranche of the Offering ("the Final Tranche") and has received $2,902,120 by the issuance of 6,833,734 flow through units (the "FT Units") and 3,276,923 non flow-through units (the "Units"). FT Units were issued at $0.30 per FT Unit and Units were issued at $0.26 per Unit; each FT Unit is comprised of a flow through share and one-half of a non-flow through warrant and each Unit is comprised of one non-flow through share and one-half of a warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder to acquire one common share of the Company at a price of $0.39 for a term of two years from closing.

Included in the Final Tranche is an investment by Crescat Capital LLP ("Crescat"), our previously announced strategic partner. Crescat purchased 1,923,077 Units for total proceeds of $500,000, bringing their total holdings to over 3.2 million shares.

Combined with the first tranche, the Offering has resulted in gross proceeds of $3,823,485 from the issuance of 8,258,284 FT Units and 5,176,923 Units.

Proceeds from the Final Tranche will be used to fund the Company's North Rackla Project in the Yukon and for general working capital.

The Company was charged $178,500 in finders fees in connection with the Final Tranche; of this, $24,500 was paid in cash, with the remaining $154,000 in fees settled with the issuance of 592,308 Units at a deemed price of $0.26/Unit. The Units issued as settlement of the fees are comprised of 592,308 non-flow through shares and 296,154 warrants; the warrants are exercisable for a period of two years from issuance and have an exercise price of $0.39. The Company also issued 674,006 finders warrants, which have the same terms and conditions as the warrants issued in the Offering.

The securities issued in the Final Tranche are subject to a four month hold period, expiring on March 17, 2024.

Katherine MacDonald, a Director of the Company, subscribed for 200,000 Units for a total subscription price of $52,000. Ms. MacDonald acquired the Units for investment purposes. The Offering and the acceptance of the subscription by Ms. MacDonald was approved by unanimous resolution of the board of directors of the Company with Ms. MacDonald declaring her interest in the resolution and abstaining from voting. There was no formal valuation of the Company done in connection with the Offering nor has there been such a formal valuation in the past 24 months. The Company relied upon the exemptions contained in Section 5.5(b) and 5.7(b), of Multilateral Instrument 61-101 ("MI 61-101") to avoid the formal valuation and shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101. For the purposes of Section 5.5(b), the Company does not have any securities listed on any of the stock exchanges set out in Section 5.5(b) and for the purposes of Section 5.7(b) the exemption was available as the consideration paid for the Units subscribed for by Ms. MacDonald was less than $2,500,000.

The Company would also like to clarify that the Spring 2023 financing, which was originally announced on April 17, 2023, closed with only one tranche. This tranche closed on April 28, 2023, with the Company receiving gross proceeds of $1,268,500 by the issuance of 1,601,351 flow through units (issued at $0.37/flow through unit) and 2,112,500 non flow-through units (issued at $0.32/unit), with both flow through units and non-flow through units including one half of a warrant. Each whole warrants entitles the holder to acquire one common share of the Company at a price of $0.45 for a term of two years from closing. Please refer to our news release dated April 28, 2023 for further information.

About Cantex Mine Development Corp.

Cantex is focused on its 100-per-cent-owned, 20,000-hectare North Rackla project located 150 kilometres northeast of the town of Mayo in Yukon, Canada, where significant massive sulphide mineralization has been discovered. Over 60,000 metres of drilling has defined high-grade silver-lead-zinc-germanium mineralization over 2.3 kilometres of strike length and more than 700 metres depth. The mineralization remains open along strike and to depth. The company is led by Dr. Fipke CM, the founder of Ekati, Canada's first diamond mine.

Cantex is pleased to report this outstanding intercept and look forward to the forthcoming drill and germanium results.

Signed,

Chad Ulansky

Chad Ulansky

President and CEO

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain of the statements and information in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" or "forward-looking information", including statements regarding the expected use of proceeds of the private placement. Further, any statements or information that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "plans", "estimates", "intends", "targets", "goals", "forecasts", "objectives", "potential" or variations thereof or stating that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved, or the negative of any of these terms and similar expressions) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements or information. The Company's forward-looking statements and information are based on the assumptions, beliefs, expectations and opinions of management as of the date of this press release, and other than as required by applicable securities laws, the Company does not assume any obligation to update forward-looking statements and information if circumstances or management's assumptions, beliefs, expectations or opinions should change, or changes in any other events affecting such statements or information. For the reasons set forth above, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and information.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Nov. 23, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- American Pacific Mining Corp (CSE: USGD / OTCQX: USGDF / FWB: 1QC1) (American Pacific or the Company) is pleased to announce that it has appointed Ali Hakimzadeh as an independent director of the Company.

As the Managing Partner of Sequoia Partners Inc., a capital markets advisory and merchant banking boutique, Mr. Hakimzadeh has over 25 years of experience in the corporate financial services industry, collaborating and leading multiple transactions across North America. Mr. Hakimzadeh holds a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation, as well as a B.Sc. from the University of British Columbia and an MBA and M.Aq. from Simon Fraser University.

Mr. Hakimzadeh brings expertise in merchant banking, investment banking, corporate finance, and public venture capital. He has been involved in over $1 billion of financing and merger and acquisition activities in the small cap sector, helping emerging Canadian and US companies achieve success and optimum value. Mr. Hakimzadeh currently serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors at HS GovTech Solutions Inc., a government software as a service (SaaS) company.

The Company is also pleased to announced that it has been shortlisted in two categories of the Resourcing Tomorrow Outstanding Achievement Awards' 20th edition, celebrating excellence across diverse areas, including groundbreaking exploration projects, technological innovations, industry collaborations, and visionary leadership.

American Pacific is shortlisted for:

Collaboration of the Year Award  American Pacific Mining (with Dowa Metals and Mining). Unsung Hero of the Year  Eric Saderholm, Managing Director of Exploration and Company Co-Founder.

Winners will be announced at the awards gala in London, UK on November 30, 2023.

We are pleased to welcome Ali to our Board of Directors. Ali and I have worked together for over 10 years and his depth of experience will be very valuable for American Pacific. As a team we are very pleased to receive the recognition by Resourcing Tomorrow along-side such prestigious companies, including some of the largest miners in the world, commented Warwick Smith, CEO of American Pacific.

Finally, the Company announces that it has granted 5,700,000 incentive stock options (the Options) to certain directors, officers and consultants in accordance with its stock option plan. The Options are exercisable at $0.25 for a period of 5 years from the date of grant.

About American Pacific Mining Corp.

American Pacific Mining Corp. is a precious and base metals explorer and developer focused on opportunities in the Western United States. The Company has two flagship assets: the Palmer Project, a Volcanic Massive Sulfide (VMS) project in Alaska, under joint-venture partnership with Dowa Metals & Mining, owner of Japans largest zinc smelter; and the Madison Project, a past-producing copper-gold project in Montana partnered with Kennecott Exploration, a division of the Rio Tinto Group. For the Madison transaction, American Pacific was selected as a finalist in both 2021 and 2022 for Deal of the Year at the S&P Global Platts Global Metals Awards, an annual program that recognizes exemplary accomplishments in 16 performance categories. Also, in American Pacifics asset portfolio are high-grade, precious metals projects located in key mining districts of Nevada, USA: the Ziggurat Gold project, partnered with Centerra Gold; and the Tuscarora Gold-Silver project. The Companys mission is to grow by the drill bit and by acquisition.

On Behalf of the Board of American Pacific Mining Corp.

Warwick Smith

CEO & Director

Corporate Office: Suite 910  510 Burrard Street Vancouver, BC, V6C 3A8 Canada

Investor Relations Contact:

Kristina Pillon, High Tide Consulting Corp.,

604.908.1695 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Media Relations Contact:

Adam Bello, Primoris Group Inc.,

416.489.0092 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The CSE has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release. Neither the CSE nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Vancouver, Canada - TheNewswire - November 22, 2023 - Sitka Gold Corp. (Sitka or the Company) (CSE:SIG) (FSE:1RF) (OTC:SITKF) is pleased to announce that the Company has closed its previously announced non-brokered private placement for total gross proceeds of $2,105,059.86 (the Offering) through the issuance of 11,694,777 flow-through units (the FT Units) at a price of $0.18 per FT Unit.

Each FT Unit is comprised of one flow-through common share in the capital of the Company and one-half of one common share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a Warrant). Each Warrant entitles the holder to purchase an additional common share in the capital of the Company (a "Common Share") at a price of $0.36 for a period of 24 months from the date of issuance.

The Offering, as announced in the Companys news release dated November 13, 2023 (Sitka Gold Announces up to $1.25M Private Placement) was oversubscribed due to strong investor demand. The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the Offering for exploration and related programs on the Companys Yukon gold properties which qualify as Canadian Exploration Expenses as such term is defined in paragraph (f) of the definition of Canadian exploration expense in subsection 66.1(6) of the Income Tax Act (Canada) (the Tax Act) and flow through mining expenditures as defined in subsection 127(9) of the Tax Act that will qualify as flow-through mining expenditures, which will be incurred on or before December 31, 2024 and renounced with an effective date no later than December 31, 2023, to the purchasers of FT Units.

In connection with the Offering, the Company issued 692,687 finders warrants (the Finders Warrants) and paid commissions of $124,683.59 to certain finders. Each Finders Warrant entitles the holder to purchase an additional Common Share at a price of $0.18 for a period of 24 months from the date of issuance.

About Sitka Gold Corp.

Sitka Gold Corp. is a well-funded mineral exploration company headquartered in Canada. The Company is managed by a team of experienced industry professionals and is focused on exploring for economically viable mineral deposits with its primary emphasis on gold, silver and copper mineral properties of merit. Sitka currently has an option to acquire a 100% interest in the RC, Barney Ridge, Clear Creek and OGI properties in the Yukon and the Burro Creek Gold property in Arizona. Sitka owns a 100% interest in its Alpha Gold property in Nevada, its Mahtin Gold property in the Yukon and its Coppermine River project in Nunavut.

The Company recently announced an NI 43-101 compliant initial inferred Mineral Resource Estimate of 1,340,000 ounces of gold(1) beginning at surface and grading 0.68 g/t at its RC Gold Project in Yukon (see news release dated January 19, 2023). A total of approximately 6500 metres of additional diamond drilling within 16 drill holes has been completed at RC Gold since the announcement of the Mineral Resource Estimate.

(1)Simpson, R. January 19, 2023. Clear Creek Property, RC Gold Project, NI 43-101 Technical Report, Dawson Mining District, Yukon Territory.

The scientific and technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Cor Coe, P.Geo., Director and CEO of the Company, and a Qualified Person (QP) as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF

SITKA GOLD CORP.

Donald Penner

President and Director

For more information contact:

Donald Penner

President & Director

778-212-1950

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

or

Cor Coe

CEO & Director

604-817-4753

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Cautionary and Forward-Looking Statements

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This release includes certain statements and information that may constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect the expectations or beliefs of management of the Company regarding future events. Generally, forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as intends or anticipates, or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results may, could, should, would or occur. This information and these statements, referred to herein as "forwardlooking statements", are not historical facts, are made as of the date of this news release and include without limitation, statements regarding discussions of future plans, estimates and forecasts and statements as to management's expectations and intentions with respect to, among other things, the use of the proceeds raised under the Offering and the Companys anticipated work programs.

In making the forward-looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including without limitation, that the Company will complete its anticipated work programs and use the proceeds of the Offering as currently anticipated.

These forwardlooking statements involve numerous risks and uncertainties and actual results might differ materially from results suggested in any forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things, market uncertainty, the results of the Companys anticipated work programs and that the Company will not use the proceeds of the Offering as currently anticipated.

Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement, forward-looking information or financial out-look that are incorporated by reference herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. We seek safe harbor.
Israel and Hamas agreed to a four-day truce that would see the Palestinian group release dozens of hostages taken on October 7, both sides announced Wednesday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet approved the accord after a near-all-night meeting, in which he told reticent ministers this was a "difficult decision but it's a right decision."

A government spokesman told AFP that under the agreement at least 50 Israeli and foreign hostages would be released -- women and children -- in return for a four-day "lull" in military operations.

For every 10 additional hostages released, there would be an extra day of truce.

Hamas released a statement welcoming the "humanitarian truce", which it said would also see 150 Palestinians released from Israeli jails.

The truce offers Gaza residents the prospect of a desperately desired, if brief, pause after nearly seven weeks of total war.

Sources from Hamas and Islamic Jihad, another militant group, had earlier told AFP the truce would include a complete ceasefire on the ground and a pause in Israeli air operations over southern Gaza.

The Israeli cabinet's approval was one of the last stumbling blocks to the agreement coming into effect.

Qatar had helped to broker the talks.

- Misgivings -

Ahead of the vote, Netanyahu had faced a revolt from within his right-wing coalition, some of whom believe the agreement would give too much to Palestinian militants responsible for the worst attack in Israel's history.

Hardline Minister for National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir indicated he would vote against the agreement, saying it should include the release of Israeli soldiers.

Hamas raids on October 7 killed an estimated 1,200 people and seized 240 hostages, civilians and military, who are believed to be held in Gaza.

The bloody attacks sparked Operation "Swords of Iron" -- Israel's punishing air and ground on Hamas-run Gaza, which Palestinian authorities say has killed 14,100 people, mostly women and children.

But with dozens of families in Israel and beyond desperate to have their loved ones returned home, and the Israeli public gripped by the hostages' fate, the government set aside any misgivings.

Israel's powerful Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said before the crunch meeting that he had won assurances that the deal would not spell the end of the war to destroy Hamas.

"Immediately after we have exhausted this phase" he said, security operations would "continue in full force."

In a statement, Netanyahu's office underscored that the truce did not spell the end of the war.

"The Israeli government, the Israeli army and the security forces will continue the war to bring back all those kidnapped, eliminate Hamas and ensure that there is no longer any threat to the State of Israel from Gaza," the statement said.

- 'Unbearable situation' -

Earlier, Rafah resident Hamza Abdel Razeq welcomed any ceasefire would bring some respite for Gazans who have endured Israel's bombing and expanding ground offensive.

"The people are really suffering," he told AFP. "If they reach a five-day truce deal now, I believe it will pave the way for longer truces or even a total ceasefire."

Another resident, Mahmud Abu Najm, added: "We... pray to God for its success because the people are enduring an unbearable situation."

Large parts of Gaza have been flattened by thousands of air strikes, and the territory is under siege, with minimal food, water and fuel allowed in.

According to the Hamas and Islamic Jihad sources, the proposed deal would also allow for up to 300 trucks of food and medical aid to enter Gaza.

Israel has come under intense international pressure to implement a humanitarian ceasefire.

But in recent days it has pressed its offensive into northern Gaza.

The Israeli military said air strikes had hit "around 250" Hamas targets in the past day, destroying three underground shafts in the Jabalia area, which it said it had fully surrounded.

At Jabalia's Indonesian Hospital, the Hamas-run health ministry said strikes had killed dozens, but there was no independent confirmation of the toll.

The Israeli army said later its troops had "directly targeted" the source of fire from within the Indonesian Hospital.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said three doctors, including two it employed, were killed in an Israeli strike on the Al-Awda hospital in Jabalia refugee camp.

Israel says Hamas uses medical facilities to hide fighters and as bases for operations, making them legitimate military objectives while insisting it does everything possible to limit harm to civilians.

Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa -- the so-called BRICS group -- on Tuesday called for an immediate and sustained humanitarian truce in Gaza, during a virtual summit where the chair.

The chair of the meeting, South Africa, accused Israel of war crimes and "genocide".

Chinese President Xi Jinping demanded during the summit the release of civilian detainees and a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, state media said.
The vast majority of Palestinians slated for release under an Israel-Hamas swap deal to secure the release of hostages held in Gaza, are teenage boys, an official Israeli list shows.

Israel released the names on Wednesday of 300 Palestinian detainees who could be set free under the agreement.

Under the terms of the deal, the first phase will see 50 Israeli hostages released over the course of four days, with 150 security detainees to be freed in response.

More detainees could subsequently be released at the same ratio of three to one, it said.

An AFP examination of the names found that 33 were women, 123 were boys under 18, and 144 were 18-year-old men.

The youngest was 14-year-old Adam Abuda Hassan Gheit from annexed east Jerusalem, who was arrested in May for "hostile sabotage activity, attacking a police officer and throwing stones".

The oldest was a 59-year-old woman called Hanan Salah Abdallah Barghuti, who was arrested in September for "Hamas activity including money transfers", it said.

It identified 49 as Hamas members, 60 as belonging to Fatah, the party which leads the Palestinian Authority in the occupied West Bank, and 17 as being affiliated with the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).

The others had no affiliation specified.

The most prominent individual on the list is Israa Jaabis, 38, who was convicted of detonating a gas cylinder in her car at a checkpoint in 2015, wounding a police officer. She was sentenced to 11 years in prison.

Israeli rights group HaMoked welcomed the deal.

"Holding people as hostages is itself illegal, a war crime, and Hamas should release all the hostages unconditionally," its executive director Jessica Montell said in a statement, adding it was "appropriate that Israel release prisoners and detainees to advance this goal".

Most of those to be released were "detainees still awaiting trial, on charges that range from incitement to stone-throwing to attempted murder", she said, adding that the list also included women and teenagers held without charge or trial in so-called administrative detention.

"These people should also have been released unconditionally, so a deal to release Israeli hostages and Palestinian administrative detainees is doubly welcome," she said.
A Bosnian court on Wednesday ordered jail terms of up to 18 years for 10 Bosnian Serbs found guilty of killing 24 Bosnian Muslim civilians during the country's civil war three decades ago.

The group raided two villages near the city now known as Novi Grad on June 22, 1992, after another member of their Bosnian Serb militia was killed.

They forced residents to leave their homes, according to media accounts of the seven-year-trial.

Some were taken to an orthodox church cemetery where men were killed in front of their wives and children, Bosnian state court head judge Lejla Konjic Dragovic was quoted as saying.

About 90 men were then taken to a Muslim cemetery where they were forced to dig a mass grave and line up alongside it, she added. Twenty-four were killed.

The bodies were later exhumed and thrown into a river. Some of the 24 are still considered as missing.

All of the 10 were found guilty of crimes against humanity during the 1992-95 war that left an estimated 100,000 dead.

Only four of the 10 accused, all members of a Bosnian Serb militia, were present however.

Six of the defendants were given 18-year jail terms, the court said in a statement. Three others were given 15-year sentences, while the tenth accused received a nine year term.

The maximum sentence for war crimes is 20 years imprisonment.
Over the past three years, Germany has presented itself as a leading country for implementing international criminal law, conducting several trials dealing with crimes committed in Syria and Iraq. Now, another universal jurisdiction trial is nearing its end, one that has taken Germanys justice efforts to the African continent. In the picturesque town of Celle in Northern Germany, Gambian national Bai Lowe is accused of crimes against humanity and murder allegedly committed in his home country twenty years ago. On November 16, the prosecution gave their closing statements, urging the court to sentence Lowe to life imprisonment. The following day, the joint plaintiffs and their lawyers gave their final pleas. They, too, believe in Lowes guilt  but emphasized that judging him would only be one step on a long road to justice for post-dictatorship Gambia.

Lowe is alleged to have been a member of Gambian ex-dictator Yahya Jammehs notorious death squad known as the patrol team or Junglers. According to the indictment, the aim of [the Junglers] operations was to intimidate the Gambian people and suppress the opposition. One of the victims was the prominent journalist Deyda Hydara, whose son Baba Hydara has joined the proceedings as a plaintiff. Lowe is accused of being the death squads driver. He allegedly drove the killers to their missions. And in the killing of Hydara he is said to have steered the car next to his victims vehicle while the others were shooting. The most important evidence against Lowe is an interview he gave in 2013 to the oppositional US-based Freedom Radio, where he described being present during the assassinations. In their final statement, the prosecution acknowledged that he had accidentally incriminated himself while trying to expose Jammehs crimes  but concluded that this could not change the answer to the question if he was guilty in a court of law. He tried to make amends for something that was beyond repair.

Plaintiffs Omar Nyassi and Baba Hydara have both called for more trials to be held in Gambia, while Bai Lowe's trial is drawing to a close in Germany.  Hannah el-Hitami

Jammehs rule of terror

It was no surprise that the prosecution saw Lowes guilt as proven after 58 days of trial, during which his defense struggled to bring forward credible alibi witnesses or exculpatory evidence. What was less expected was that they gave him significant credit for playing just a minor role in Jammehs crimes and for later making an effort to stop them. Over the course of the trial, several witnesses confirmed the major impact Lowes interviews had on waking Gambians up and demystifiying Jammeh, which ultimately helped end his rule. In the very first minutes of her speech, federal prosecutor Xenia Schmitt insinuated that she did not see Lowe as a ruthless bad guy or evil mastermind. After mentioning the terror of Yahya Jammehs regime, she acknowledged how difficult it is to stay out of such a system that eventually compromises, destroys, taints everything. The defendant had arranged himself with the idea that a driver is not a killer, she added. But the law expects more from someone who wants to be acquitted of homicide.

Lowe appeared in court in a dark red sweater that matched the robes of the prosecution. As always, he exchanged buoyant handshakes with his defense lawyer and his translator. He seemed relaxed, as he listened to Schmitt and her colleague Ms. Hofer described the indicted crimes and the context in which they took place, basing many of the established facts on the findings of the Gambian Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC). Jammehs rein was marked by a devastating human rights situation from the very beginning, they explained. Anyone who was an actual or perceived threat to the presidents power could become a target of his security forces: the National Intelligence Agency, the police and the Junglers. The result was an atmosphere of fear and a loss of trust in state institutions and society that made impossible any kind of organised or substantial opposition against the regime.

In the eyes of the prosecution, Jammehs regime waged a widespread and systematic attack against a civilian population: the prerequisite for crimes to be considered crimes against humanity. It was widespread because it took place throughout the country and hurt or killed a multitude of Gambian citizens. Its systematic nature lay in the death lists and killing squads, the presidents hateful speeches against the opposition as well as the prevalence of torture and total impunity for any state actors crimes.

Two murders and three attempted

It is against this backdrop that they placed the alleged crimes of Bai Lowe: the attempted murder of lawyer Ousman Sillah, the murder of journalist Deyda Hydara and injury of his passengers in 2004, and the murder of Dawda Nyassi in 2006. Regarding Sillah, Schmitt described how Lowe drove the Junglers to his mansion on the 25th of December 2003. There, Sanna Manjang and Bora Colley got out of the car and shot the lawyer until they believed him dead. The defendant was waiting in the car and had already gotten ready to drive. He drove the perpetrators away from the scene. Sillah survived the attack, but had to give up his work and leave the country. Until today, he suffered from the physical and mental consequences of the attack.

Other victims were not as lucky. According to the prosecution, Jammeh had developed a personal hatred towards Hydara, who did not tire of criticizing him in his weekly column Good morning Mr President. A lot of courage and faith is necessary to pursue proper journalistic work under such circumstances, said Schmitt. People like Jammeh who surround themselves with an aura of grandeur do not like taking advice from others. She described how Jammeh ordered the Junglers through their leader at the time, Tumbul Tamba, to kill Hydara. On the 16th of December 2004, the journalist was on his way home from the 30-year anniversary party of his newspaper The Point. He was driving home his colleagues Ida Jagne  who has joined the Celle trial as a plaintiff  and Niansarang Jobe, when a car approached from behind and flashed its lights. Hydara slowed down to let it pass, but the passengers started firing shots at him, killing him on the spot and injuring the two women in the car. The prosecution considers them victims of attempted murder.

Finally, the prosecutors summarized the murder of Dawda Nyassi, a former Gambian soldier who Jammeh saw as a potential threat, after he had gone to Liberia to support warlord Charles Taylor. In 2006, the Junglers were instructed to kill him. They arrested him and tied him to a tree near the airport, then shot him and buried him in an unknown location. Nyassis eldest son Omar is one of the plaintiffs in the case. We cannot bring him back, but we want his soul to rest in peace, and for that we need to know where he is buried and when he was killed, he said the next day in his closing statement.

Just a driver

What all these crimes have in common, the prosecution believes, is that Bai Lowe was the one driving the Junglers  and in Nyassis case their victim, too  to the crime scenes and back. He did not kill anyone with his own hands. In fact, he may never have even left the car, said Schmitt, quoting Lowe as saying: I was always in the car. I never got off. My feet did not even touch the ground and I never turned off the engine. But still they consider him a co-perpetrator, because he was a member of the team and carried out a task that was indispensable for the success of the crime. Schmitt observed how often Lowe mentioned that he was just a driver in the interviews he gave to Freedom Radio journalist Pa Nderry Mbai and later to journalist Fatou Kamara. She believes that he was a man with values and a sense of justice who convinced himself that driving was not killing. The prosecution, however, could not agree with that conviction.

The self-incriminating interviews were the central pieces of evidence for the prosecution, said Schmitt. She went on to explain why the prosecution did not believe Lowes statement in court that he had lied about being present during the crimes to make his account more credible, that he had merely heard all those stories from his colleagues. The interviews were authentic, the prosecution believes, because of the amount of marginal details and subjective feelings Lowe described in them. He quoted direct speech and jumped back and forth in the story without losing the overview of the temporal classification. And he always differentiated precisely between hearsay and what he witnessed himself. The interviews, the prosecutors acknowledged, exposed a multitude of atrocities to the public for the first time. And they also ended up putting Lowe in the dock. In 2017, the Swiss police became aware of the interviews and contacted the German authorities to arrange an interrogation with Lowe, who was living in Germany. They were interested in him as a witness against Gambias former interior minister Ousman Sonko, who was in pre-trial detention in Switzerland and whose trial is expected in 2024. Lowe did not agree to testify at the time, but the German police became aware of his interviews and started investigating against him.

Criminal investigations need to begin in the Gambia

Lowe listened to the prosecutions closing statement without any visible reaction, sometimes exchanging muffled conversations with his personal translator. After the prosecutors requested a life sentence for crimes against humanity, Lowe left the court room, slightly grinning as he often does, but seemingly in a rush. The next day he appeared in a bright blue track suit to hear the final pleas of the joint plaintiffs Omar Nyassi and Baba Hydara. Their lawyers Patrick Kroker and Peer Stolle addressed the question why this trial should take place in Germany, when there is a transitional justice process happening in Gambia itself. Gambian civil society and some of the state institutions have been dealing intensely with the crimes of the Jammeh era, but there is still a lack of criminal prosecution, said Stolle, adding that he hoped the Celle trial would have a positive effect on trials in the country itself. Kroker added that justice played a crucial role on Gambias path to democracy. Unlike in South Africa, the Gambian truth commission was not meant as an alternative to criminal prosecution, he said. There shall be no truth at the expense of justice.

Krokers client Omar Nyassi agreed that the trial was an important step to justice. But he urged the international community and the Gambian government to bring all criminals to justice. Only then we can live in peace. Finally, it was Deyda Hydaras oldest sons turn to speak. He honored his father saying that as a journalist, he refused to be silenced. Each week in his column Good morning Mr President he spoke critically about what was wrong in the country. He knew that was dangerous, he told us so, and he was right. Hydara looked Lowe straight in the eye when he said that a team of Junglers including the accused killed his father in cold blood. Lowe, who looked back at him, slightly shook his head to that and mumbled something incomprehensible.

I know Bai Lowe was not the one who planned to kill my father, that he was only a little man, Hydara added. I know it was Jammeh who wanted my father killed and gave the order to murder him and rewarded the Junglers for completing the murder. Therefore, he would not rest until Jammeh himself  who lives in exile in Equatorial Guinea since he was forced out the country in January 2017  was brought to justice, he said. For him, the trial in Celle could send a strong message to the Gambian government that it is time for justice. Criminal investigations need to begin in the Gambia. Victims should not have to go abroad to seek redress.
A leading Russian politician and supporter of President Vladimir Putin has denied a report that he adopted an infant who had been forcibly taken from an orphanage in Ukraine.

Citing Russian and Ukrainian documents, the BBC reported Thursday that Russian lawmaker Sergei Mironov had adopted a child, now two years old, who was taken from an orphanage in the Ukrainian city of Kherson last year.

Russia has been accused of forcibly deporting thousands of Ukrainian children from schools, hospitals and orphanages in parts of the country controlled by its forces.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant for Putin and his children's commissioner for "the war crime of unlawful deportation ... and transfer" of children from Ukraine to Russia.

According to the BBC, Mironov was "named on the adoption record of a two-year-old girl who was taken in 2022 by a woman he is now married to."

Mironov on Thursday called the investigation a "hysteric fake unleashed by Ukrainian special services and their Western curators."

Without commenting on the specific details of the BBC report, he said it was an "information attack" designed to "discredit" him.

Mironov, 70, leads a pro-Kremlin opposition party in Russia's parliament.

He previously spent a decade as head of the Federation Council, Russia's upper house of parliament -- a key post marshalling the Kremlin's legislative agenda.

He is a staunch supporter of the military campaign against Ukraine, and has been awarded honours by Putin for his service to Russia.

In his response Thursday, Mironov said Russia would achieve "complete victory" against Ukraine on the battlefield.

The BBC reported the child he allegedly adopted, whose original name is Margarita, had her identity changed after being taken to Russia.

She was one of 48 children who went missing from the Kherson Regional Orphanage after Russian forces seized the southern city.

Ukraine regained control of Kherson last November after Moscow's forces were forced into an embarrassing retreat.

Kyiv says it has identified around 20,000 children that were taken to Russia after its forces launched a full-scale military campaign in February 2022.

Fewer than 400 have been returned.

Moscow has not denied transferring thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia, but claims it did so for their own protection.
A leading Russian supporter of President Vladimir Putin on Thursday denied a report that he adopted a child forcibly taken from a Ukrainian orphanage.

Citing Russian and Ukrainian documents, the BBC reported that Russian lawmaker Sergei Mironov had adopted a child, now two years old, who was taken from an orphanage in the Ukrainian city of Kherson last year.

Russia has been accused of forcibly deporting thousands of Ukrainian children from schools, hospitals and orphanages in parts of the country controlled by its forces.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant for Putin and his children's commissioner for "the war crime of unlawful deportation... and transfer" of children from Ukraine to Russia.

According to the BBC, Mironov was "named on the adoption record of a two-year-old girl who was taken in 2022 by a woman he is now married to".

Mironov called the investigation a "hysteric fake unleashed by Ukrainian special services and their Western curators".

Without commenting on specific details of the BBC report, he said it was an "information attack" designed to "discredit" him.

Mironov, 70, leads a pro-Kremlin opposition party in Russia's parliament.

He previously spent a decade as head of the Federation Council, Russia's upper house of parliament -- a key post marshalling the Kremlin's legislative agenda.

He is a staunch supporter of the military campaign against Ukraine, and has been awarded honours by Putin.

In his response, Mironov said Russia would achieve "complete victory" against Ukraine.

The BBC reported the child he allegedly adopted, whose original name is Margarita, had her identity changed after being taken to Russia.

She was one of 48 children who went missing from the Kherson Region Children's Home after Russian forces seized the southern city.

Just one has since been returned, the office of Ukraine's Prosecutor General said Thursday.

It added that a criminal investigation was ongoing into the "illegal deportation of 48 children" from a Kherson orphanage and that three suspects had been identified.

They are an unnamed member of Russia's parliament, the Russian-installed head of the regional health ministry and the acting chief physician of the orphanage.

- Children missing -

Ukraine regained control of Kherson last November.

Kyiv says it has identified around 20,000 children that were taken to Russia after its forces launched a full-scale military campaign in February 2022.

Fewer than 400 have been returned.

The head of Ukraine's presidential office Andriy Yermak alluded to the case in a social media post Thursday.

"The adoption of a Ukrainian child by a Russian official slams the narrative of the 'temporary evacuation' of Ukrainian children for alleged 'safety' reasons," he said.

"The unmistakable intention to permanently remove Ukrainian children from their homeland leaves no room for doubt. It is a war crime," he added.

Moscow has not denied moving thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia, but claims it did so for their own protection.
Gong Yoo was spotted filming his upcoming romantic drama with Seo Hyun Jin.

Want to see more of this soon-to-debut tandem? Then read on!

Gong Yoo & Seo Hyun Jin Begin Filming Romance K-Drama 'The Trunk'

In an open forum online, Gong Yoo became the center of attention after some candid photos of him and his co-star Seo Hyun Jin circulated online.

According to the fan who uploaded the pictures, they accidentally encountered the production team while filming the drama on the street.

The person who posted the snaps captured the moment of Gong Yoo having a confrontation with Seo Hyun Jin.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Gong Yoo's Instagram Post Garners Attention - What's Behind Actor's Transformation?

Even though they are from afar, the two stars garnered attention as K-Netizens praised their visuals.

Based on the comments posted on the qoo, Seo Hyun Jin is receiving compliments for her youthful appearance.

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      ......... pic.twitter.com/dXnDnDvm6k November 21, 2023

"How come Seo Hyun Jin looks even younger than in 'Why Her?'"

"They suit each other so well."

"Daebak! They look good even if they are far away."

"I have been waiting for this duo since forever."

"Gong Yoo is so handsome, but what's with his style?"

Meanwhile, Gong Yoo also became the center of discussion due to his style, which includes wide-legged trousers partnered with a knit coat. His look went viral as it is uniquely different from his typical attire in past works.

ALSO READ: These 6 New OTPs Are Taking the K-Drama World By Storm: Lee Junho x YoonA, Cha Eun Woo x Park Gyu Young, More!

"The Trunk" is one of the anticipated works of Gong Yoo and Seo Hyun Jin as it will also be their return to the melodrama, and first-ever project together.

Currently the two stars are under the same agency, Management SOOP.

'The Trunk' To Release on Netflix in 2024

"The Trunk" is based on a novel of the same title and tells about a matchmaking organization called NM, that sets up a contract-based marriage life with the spouse one desires.

Creative director Kim Gyu Tae, who was also the brilliant mind behind "Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo," "It's Okay That's Love," and "Our Blues" will helm the series. He will collaborate with "Hwarang" writer Park Eun Young.

The series is expected to premiere sometime in 2024 on Netflix.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Gong Yoo - Lee Dong Wook Reunion? 'Goblin' Stars Surprise Fans With THIS

What can you say about Gong Yoo and Seo Hyun Jin's upcoming drama? Share your thoughts/replies in the comments!

For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news and updates, keep your tabs open here at KDramaStars.

KDramaStars owns this article.

Shai Collins wrote this.
After a man allegedly called a group of Muslims "terrorists" before nearly striking them with a boulder outside a Toronto area mosque where kids and adults were gathered to pray, a rabbi sent a message to the worshippers to express sympathy. People attend prayers at the Toronto Islamic Centre on Friday, Sept. 25, 2015. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Marta Iwanek
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An excerpt from Big Food, Big Pharma, Big Lies.

Few fail to be shocked at the rising prices of some prescription drugs. Drug companies have raised prices relentlessly for decades while manipulating the patent system and other laws to delay competition from lower-priced generics, reported the House Committee on Oversight and Reform in December 2021.

The price of insulin rose by 54 percent between 2014 to 2019, and the anti-parasitic drug Daraprim was repriced from $13.50 to $750 in 2015 by Turing Pharmaceuticals founder Martin Shkreli. Mylan raised the price of EpiPen to $600 from $100 with no warning.

And then there were the hepatitis C drugs which cured the condition for the first time. Gilead Science priced Sovaldi, one of the first such hepatitis C drugs, at a shocking $1,000 a pill or $84,000 for a course of treatment. Lawmakers worried that the opportunistic prices would sack entitlement programs, and they did; in 2014 alone, Medicare and Medicaid spent over $5 billion on Sovaldi and Gileads follow-up hepatitis C drug, Harvoni.

In 2017, Harvoni ad campaigns on TV, in broadcast, and on posters along train commuter lines unabashedly stressed screening, warning people that if they were born between 1945 and 1965, they could have hepatitis C and not know it.

The shift to scare tactics and a push for screeningsometimes called disease mongering was not a coincidence. According to the pharmaceutical trade website Fierce Pharma, Gileads hepatitis blockbusters at the time were in freefall, and its pool of eligible patients has shrunk dramatically thanks to the success of its meds. If all baby boomers got tested for the virus, though? That could help stem the tideand its exactly the move the company is recommending with its latest awareness push, continued the site.

Some of the ads for hepatitis C drugs included the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) logo which instantly increased marketing credibility but also raised questions about Gilead donations to the CDC foundation and quid pro quos. Few realize that the CDC foundation boasts many drugmaker donors like Abbott, AbbVie, Bayer, AstraZeneca, Merck, Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals, Eli Lilly, Amgen, Genentech and, as we noted, Gilead which raises questions about monetary conflicts of interest.

And, when it came to hepatitis C drugs, there was more, as the infomercials say. The drugs had been rushed to market so quickly, the their penchant for reactivating pre-existing hepatitis B was completely overlooked and add post hoc warnings had to be added to the label by 2016.

In 2017, the New York Times reported additional, undisclosed risks with the hepatitis C drugs. Of 250,000 patients treated with them, 524 experienced liver failure and 165 died wrote the newspaper. An additional 1,058 had severe liver injury, and in 761 the drugs appeared not to work.

Thomas J. Moore, a senior scientist at the Institute for Safe Medication Practices, echoed what many were thinking as the hepatitis drug risks unfolded: does the rush to bring a new drug treatment to market come at an unforeseen cost to patient safety? Were they approved too quickly? Clearly, fast approvals, like ever-increasing drug prices, can and do harm patients.

Martha Rosenberg is a health reporter and the author of Big Food, Big Pharma, Big Lies and Born With a Junk Food Deficiency.
By Tausi Nakato

Ms Jovia Mutesi last Saturday officially became the Inhebantu (Queen) of Busoga following her wedding to Kyabazinga William Gabula Nadiope IV at Christs Cathedra, Bugembe, after which they hosted their guests at Iganga Palace, also in Bugembe.

The latest nuptial was the first in the kingdom in 67 years, following Kyabazinga Henry Wako Muloki and Alice Muloki in 1956.

To most people born in Busoga Sub-region during the period, this was their first glimpse of a royal wedding, including former Vice President, Ms Specioza Kazibwe, who was three years old at the time.

Following the latest wedding, the monarchs subjects have given their assessment on what excited them most and what possibly went wrong.

According to Ms Alice Kasesa, the Princess of Bulamogi chiefdom in Kaliro District, the wedding was well organised but the eleven hereditary chiefs of Busoga kingdom were not well dressed in traditional attire.

The dress code of the eleven hereditary chiefs and Princesses of Busoga wasnt good. They were supposed to be dressed in their cultural wear to make the function look traditional and unique, but they were not even introduced, she said in an interview on Wednesday.

Prince Samuel Nkuutu Zirabamuzale, the chairperson of Busoga chiefs royal council says seven of the eleven hereditary chiefs were in attendance.

Ms Sirina Kyakuwaire, the Deputy Speaker of Jinja City Council, says the carriage that transported the royal couple during the procession excited her because previous kings used to move in them during wedding processions.

Dr Frank Nabwiso, the former Kagoma County Member of Parliament, and one of the subjects who witnessed Kyabazinga Mulokis wedding, said the recent royal wedding is the first on which a lot of money was spent.

He says: When Kyabazinga Muloki tied the knot, he went straight home; but Kyabazinga Nadiopes wedding consumed a lot of money because they wanted to have an international royal wedding, but it is contradictory to have such a wedding in a Sub-region considered to be worst-hit by poverty.

Ms Justine Nakibuka, a resident of Mafubira in Jinja North City Division, says she liked the Inhebantus speech, which she described as audible enough.

Mr Peter Mudhungu, a resident of Bugembe in Jinja North City Division, says he liked the traditional attire dressed by the journalists who covered the wedding.

I had never seen journalists wearing gomesi and kanzus in the field, and my worry was them falling down while executing their duties and becoming part of the story, he said.

Mr Joel Mukisa, a boda boda rider in Jinja City, says people didnt get enough food, others didnt get at all as expected, while at the Palace, he reportedly heard that some missed drinks because they were not enough, except alcohol.

Mr John Patrick Ndabe, a resident of Bukhanha Village, Bukooma Sub-county in Luuka district, says the guests from the First Family were an indication that the kingdom enjoys cordial relations with the central government.

President Musevenis son and daughter-in-law, Lt Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba and Charlotte Kainerugaba were in attendance.

Vice President Jessica Alupo, Deputy Speaker of Parliament Mr Thomas Tayebwa. Minister for East African Community Affairs, Rebecca Kadaga, and former Vice Presidents; Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi and Specioza Kazibwe, among other senior government officials were in attendance.
By Anthony Wesaka

President Museveni has turned down a request by Supreme Court judge Esther Kitimbo Kisaakye to retire early.



The judges application to leave nearly seven years ahead of schedule had been lodged three months ago in mid-July.

It was filed against the backdrop of a reportedly difficult time on the bench for her in recent years. Those tensions are suspected to have exploded in the current storm of controversy she finds herself in, involving Chief Justice Alfonse Chigamoi Owiny-Dollo and other top Judiciary officials.

In his October 2 letter rejecting Jus- tice Kisaakyes request, the President reasons that she is still the subject of an ongoing inquiry and so cannot leave just yet.

The inquiry being conducted by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) is looking into comments the judge al- legedly made about Chief Justice Owiny-Dollo at the tail end of a 2021 presidential poll petition hearing at the Supreme Court.

I have received your letter of the 18th of July, 2023, tendering in your early retirement. As per the law, I cannot obstruct your wishes.However,that will pre-empt the work of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry or the Tribunal, President Museveni wrote.

The President observed further that, Apparently, you made some strong statements against the Chief Justice. Either those statements were right or were wrong. It is the Tribunal that can conclude that. It is thereafter that the way forward will be clear for you.

On July 18 this year, Justice Kisaakye wrote to President Museveni in his capacity as the appointing authority, asking to be allowed to retire early from judicial service. The thrust of her petition was that the Constitution allows her to leave since she is now more than 60 years of age.

By law, Ugandas Supreme Court judges must retire upon clocking 70 years, but can also voluntarily step down ten years before due date. Justice Kisaakye was 63 when she asked to leave.
The plea was made during a meeting with a delegation from the National Peoples Congress (NPC) of China, led by the standing committees Deputy Chairman, H.E. Luosang Jiangcun, at State House Entebbe on Wednesday, November 22, 2023.

In a statement released by the Presidential Press Unit (PPU) dated November 23, President Museveni highlighted the significance of Chinas market for Ugandas prosperity, urging for an increased focus on finished products. He commended China for currently allowing 400 products to enter their country without tax and limit, emphasizing the vital role of such support in boosting economies.

Africas challenge has been the export of raw materials, resulting in less income and job loss. It is important for China and Africa to engage in trading finished products more, Museveni said.

Reflecting on the historical support from China, President Museveni acknowledged Chinas continuous assistance to Africas development since 1949. He praised China for projects in Uganda, including hydro dams, the Expressway, and cooperation with Huawei on the internet backbone.

H.E. Luosang expressed gratitude for President Musevenis commitment to China-Africa friendship and cooperation, commending his leadership in promoting peace and development in Africa. He conveyed President Xi Jinpings sincere greetings and wishes, highlighting the strong bilateral relations between Uganda and China.

China reiterated its commitment to supporting Ugandas socio-economic development agenda and expressed support for Uganda hosting the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and G-77+China Third South Summits in January 2024. While President Xi Jinping wont attend in person, a high-level delegation will represent China.

The meeting, attended by Ugandan officials, focused on strengthening bilateral relations and fostering cooperation between China and Uganda.
The Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, Mr. Mathias Mpuuga, has described the Speaker of Parliament, Anita Amongs directive on the boycott as a diversion.

Yesterday, Among prohibited opposition MPs who are currently boycotting plenary sittings from attending committee meetings and engaging in other parliamentary activities.

The MPs began their protest last month, demanding the governments position on the alleged acts of human rights violations in the country, particularly against opposition leaders and their supporters.

Addressing the media at Parliament, Mpuuga stated that the Speaker should remain impartial and concentrate on the timeframe she gave the government to address the oppositions demands.

All those threats are a diversion. Fortunately for us, we are very clearheaded in what we are doing and we are not going to be invited in an exchange with the Speaker. Our demand of the Speaker is to follow up her instructions. Our expectation of the Speaker is to demand the executive to come and answer because our demands remain the same, Mpuuga said on Thursday.

He has also urged opposition MPs not to be intimidated by the Speakers decision to remove them from the list of legislators representing Uganda in the East African Inter-Parliamentary Games, which will be held in Kigali, Rwanda, next month.
Laois company Fingleton White Ltd, a leading provider of energy engineering services, has further expanded with the acquisition of Kilkenny company WEW Engineering Ltd.

Based in Portlaoise, Fingleton White began back in 1981 and has consistantly grown to become now a major stakeholder in the development of power generation, oil and natural gas infrastructure. The capital value of completed projects exceeds half a billion euros.

They signed the aquisition deal to buy the Kilkenny company in October.

The company purchase will combine the expertise of WEW Engineering in water, wastewater and energy industries with the capabilities of Fingleton White Group.

WEW provides certified services to the Municipal and Industrial sectors in particular Pharma/Biopharma, Food and Beverage, Brewing and Distilling, Agriculture, Renewable Energy and Waste to Energy Industries.

The current WEW Directors will continue to lead the organisation and all WEW staff will remain on board to support and enhance the growth of both personnel and organisations.

Together, the companies aim to increase their impact, accelerate growth, and continue delivering exceptional products and services.

The Managing Director of Fingleton White is Mick Lennon.

We welcome everyone from WEW into the Fingleton White family. This acquisition will help accelerate one of our key strategic objectives of diversification into the water sector. We are 100% committed to support the continued growth of WEW Engineering in the Irish Industrial Sector and the UK Municipal and Industrial Sectors, he said.

Chief Executive Officer of WEW is Henk van der Puil.

This sale supports WEWs long-term objectives, and it provides even more security for our staff. I look forward to even more success under the Fingleton White Group banner.

The acquisition took place on October 24 in Dublin.

In the photo are: (back row) Katie Oaks, Griana Kelly, (legal representatives of Lavelle & Partners for WEW), Tony Mahon (Director WEW), Lee Horrocks (Non-Executive Chair WEW), Kieran Regan (legal representative for Fingleton White), Dave Ludgate (Associate Director WEW), Jack Browne (Associate Director WEW). Front row: Mick Lennon Managing Director of Fingleton White, Seamus Crickley Director WEW, Henk van der Puil CEO of WEW and Ann Fingleton BDD Fingleton White.
A sense of community is one of lifes intangibles. Unlike the weather, it cannot be measured but you always know whether it is there or not.

Since 2011, Erins Own GAA Club, Castlecomer have embraced their wider community in a novel and giving way; by hiking up a mountain in the wilds of Mayo and in doing so, raising over 200,000 for charity over that time.

The mountain in question is Croagh Patrick, recognised for thousands of years as a special place and charged with a sense of the sacred.

Long before Christianity, Croagh Patrick was known as Cruachan Aigle, literally Eagle Mountain as both Sea and Golden Eagles both nested and hunted on it for centuries.

Renamed in the Middle Ages by the Catholic Church in honour of Saint Patrick who, according to tradition, fasted at the peak of the mountain for 40 days and nights in 441, the reek as it is notably known, attracts up to 30,000 visitors each year.

Among these, usually in January when ribbons of snow crown the mountain, are several dozen wayfarers from Castlecomer and beyond.

This intrepid group, who for over a decade now, make an annual excursion with every goodwill and raise much-needed funds for deserving, benevolent causes.

Bussing up from Castlecomer, the journey to Mayo is an eight-hour round trip of about 500 kilometers.

A very early start is essential in the short days of January, but the effort is rewarded with a halfway stop in the midlands for a full Irish breakfast as the sun rises.

As the bus meanders out of Westport, the reek becomes visible, and the challenge awaits. On a warm summers day, the hike up Croagh Patrick is more agreeable than at the other end of the year, but this takes nothing from its allure.

Described as a moderate to strenuous hike by Climbing Ireland, the organization who rate the ascents on mountains across the country, that is accurate reflection.

Yet the attendees from Castlecomer include those in their early teens right up to a practiced crew in their seventies and eighties. To a person, all enjoy the hike. It is hard to not to.

Armed with a Blackthorn climbing stick, the host of climbers ascend the mountain and can soon glimpse back over Murrisk pier and the gleaming islands that encircle the bay.

The ascent to the summit begins in earnest as the hikers negotiate screen, fragmented rocks deposited there by a glacier during the last Ice Age.

Once atop Croagh Patrick, the views are among the greatest you will encounter.

The blue-grey waters of Clew Bay give up 365 islands, which are dotted delicately miles from your viewpoint.

The Nephin Beg Mountains come into view, their 700 metre-high peaks of Corranabinnia and Slieve Carr jut up from the rocky, bog-strewn landscape.

You do feel a great sense of accomplishment when you climb Croagh Patrick. And this achievement is enhanced knowing that your efforts have benefited those in need.

Over the past twelve years, both local and national charitable institutions have benefited from this initiative by Erins Own GAA. Every single penny raised was donated to good causes and more is to come.

What makes the trip to Mayo even more popular each year is the support received by the locals.

In particular, The Helm, who have provided accommodation and nourishment at knockdown rates to the travelling party since the very first trip to Croagh Patrick.

The charities who have, and will benefit from the collective effort are always appreciative, as are the local businesses and bus companies upon whom you can always rely.

So in 2024, you are cordially invited to climb Croagh Patrick with Erins Own GAA club.

What better way to commence the New Year than a trip to Westport where a warm welcome awaits and a great day will roll into an even better night.

Details of the climb will follow shortly so watch this space. Our promise is that this is all for a good cause and you will make fond memories which you will keep forever.
Vicky Phelans extraordinary courage, empathy, compassion, humour and campaigning spirit were remembered at an event in University of Limerick today (Thursday).

The Vicky Phelan portrait campaign and tour event took place at UL, where Vicky was a graduate, a former member of staff and an honorary doctorate recipient.

The portrait, depicting the story of Vickys life in three panels by artist Vincent Devine, was displayed by David Brennan, portrait owner and friend of Vicky.

David, supported by Vickys family and friends, has continued to campaign in her memory, using the portrait to tell her story and continue her legacy,

Vickys parents John and Gaby, husband Jim and son Darragh were among her family members in attendance, as well as a host of friends and former colleagues. Darragh was able to get a close-up view of the portrait in person for the first time.

Vickys friend John Wall remembered an 'immense legacy that she has left that is never ending'.

She shaped the world that we lived in single handedly  it is a phenomenal legacy that is still benefiting us and others. She was an extraordinary friend and it was a privilege to have known her, he said.

David Brennan, who is from Mooncoin and was a lifelong friend and neighbour of Vickys family growing up, bought the painting when it was auctioned after being unveiled by her on the Late Late Show, remembered her as a 'big sister'.

When the portrait was unveiled, we knew we had to buy it so it was back in Mooncoin, we knew there was something greater we could do with this, he explained.

We had a vision for it, to take it on tour and carry her torch, to tell her story and influence people to look after themselves. We have been touring the country ever since, bringing her campaign for awareness and change, he added.

The event also featured speakers guest speakers such as cancer patient advocate Sarah Nally, while a panel discussion also took place featuring Liz Yeates, Marie Keating Foundation, Cian OCarroll, solicitor and Caoimhe ONeill-Forde, 221+ Support Group was moderated by Tammy Darcy, CEO of The Shona Project.

UL President Professor Kerstin Mey, who addressed the large gathering, said: A fighter and activist, Vicky Phelan was so much to so many.

At UL, she was a graduate, a teaching and professional colleague, and a recipient of this institutions highest award when she received her honorary doctorate the same year she began her public fight for survival and for the women of Ireland.

That relentless campaigning, offering clarity, and highlighting what many might shy from is an exemplar of how she changed the lives of so many. For that, she has the admiration of a nation and the thanks of many who she never met. It is public service at its highest.

Today, it is Vickys legacy that carries her torch, and we remember the major impact she had on peoples lives during a most difficult and precious time in her own life.

We remember that through her courage, commitment and exceptional communication skills, she was at the forefront in the pursuit of significant change and improvements in the Irish healthcare system.

Vicky remains an inspiration to all UL students, to our staff and to our community and she brought great honour to the University, and it is our honour to have her remembered her today just a short time after her first anniversary.

It is a credit to those behind the Vicky Phelan portrait campaign and tour that you are continuing Vickys legacy and telling her story through this painting, which is vivid way of illustrating her incredible bravery.
LONDON, Nov 23 (Reuters) - Chilean copper miner Antofagasta (ANTO.L) last week inked the first major 2024 concentrates supply deal with China's Jinchuan Group.

It remains to be seen whether the terms form an annual benchmark for others. Indeed, it's far from certain there will be a single benchmark for next year due to a shifting copper concentrates landscape.

But even so, the drop in headline treatment and refining charges (TC/RCs), the fees a smelter earns for converting concentrate into refined metal, has taken the market by surprise.

Next year was supposed to be a year of raw material surplus, with smelters enjoying TC/RCs equal to or better than this year's benchmark of $88 per metric ton and 8.8 cents per pound.

Those negotiated by Antofagasta and Jinchuan came in at $80 and 8.0 cents, suggesting both miner and smelter agree the concentrates market will be tighter than expected.

SPLIT BENCHMARK?

Other members of China's Copper Smelters Purchase Team, a grouping of the country's biggest players, have rejected Jinchuan's terms as a benchmark.

They are holding out for higher TC/RCs from U.S. producer Freeport McMoRan (FCX.N), with which they have agreed benchmark terms in years gone by.

The problem is that Freeport will have less concentrates to sell from its Grasberg mine in Indonesia next year.

Its new Manyar copper smelter will start ramping up from May. The plant is the largest single-line smelter in the world, capable of producing 600,000 tons of refined cathode each year once at full capacity. It will also absorb 1.7 million tons of concentrate that would otherwise have been exported.

Freeport's local subsidiary is trying to get an extension of its concentrates export licence beyond May, but even if it is successful, the flow of Grasberg concentrate to the international market will steadily diminish over the course of 2024.

Chinese smelters may be able to get better treatment terms from Freeport but the volume of tonnage that can be allocated over the full year is uncertain.

There is the distinct possibility that there will be a split benchmark in 2024 as the previous benchmark setter transitions from miner to refiner.

DISRUPTION

This year's round of annual supply contracts is taking place against a backdrop of significant copper mine disruption.

First Quantum's (FM.TO) Cobre Panama mine has been at the centre of unprecedented protests, which have snowballed from environmentalist groups to encompass large swaths of the country's population.

The mine, which last year produced 350,000 tons of copper in concentrate, is winding down operations ahead of a potential complete suspension due to a blockade of its main port.

In Peru, meanwhile, MMG's (1208.HK) Las Bambas mine, which last year produced 250,000 tons of copper in concentrate, is facing indefinite strike action due to a dispute over profit-sharing with unions.

The twin threat to supply sums up a year of under-performance by the world's copper mines.

In September the International Copper Study Group (ICSG) downgraded its mine production forecast for this year from 3.0% to 1.9%.

It cited a litany of disruption including "geotechnical issues, equipment failure, adverse weather, community actions, a slower than expected ramp-up of projects, revised company guidance and lower grades".

Spot TC/RCs have recently fallen to $76.30 per ton and 7.63 cents per pound due to the collective supply hit, according to Fastmarkets.

TOO MANY SMELTERS?

The short-term disruption shouldn't in theory impact next year's benchmark settlements.

Indeed, the ICSG is expecting mine supply to recover strongly in 2024 with forecast 3.7% growth as new capacity ramps up and production rates recover from this year's operational constraints in countries such as Chile, China and Indonesia.

However, even assuming copper mine supply has a less disrupted year, it may not be enough to satisfy growing smelter demand.

Indonesia's Manyar smelter is only one of several new smelters due to come on line in 2024.

Most of the new capacity will be in China, where refined production is already growing at a double-digit pace as smelters capitalise on this year's higher benchmark treatment charges.

The pace of expansion is likely to accelerate after the Chinese government hinted it may introduce a capacity cap similar to that already imposed on the country's aluminium smelters.

Details are still sketchy and no formal decision has been made, but the threat alone is likely to spur the build-out of more new smelter capacity as everyone rushes to beat the as-yet unknown deadline.

The prospect of too many smelters chasing a finite amount of raw material is at the forefront of many Chinese producers' minds.

"The challenge smelters are facing is the annual supply of copper ore and concentrate, given copper smelting is developing very aggressively in China," Chen Yunian, vice president at Jiangxi Copper (600362.SS), China's biggest operator, said at the CRU World Copper Conference Asia

Fear of physically missing out is also driving an increase in corporate activity in the copper mining sector.

MMG this week announced a $1.88 billion takeover of Canada-based Cuprous Capital, the parent company of the Khoemacau copper mine in Botswana.

It's unlikely to be the last, as competition between China's smelters heats up.

The prospect of a structural imbalance between mine supply and smelter demand is likely why Jinchuan accepted lower-than-expected processing fees for next year.

Whether it turns into a benchmark remains to be seen, but it's already a sign that the expected big surplus in the copper concentrates market may prove elusive.
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(Kitco News) - The former CEOs of the worlds two biggest cryptocurrency exchanges continue to face legal judgments against them as the U.S. government tightens the vice on illegal activities in the digital assets arena.

Binances Zhao may be stuck in the U.S.

On Wednesday, U.S. prosecutors asked a federal judge to require Binance founder and former chief executive Changpeng Zhao (CZ) to remain in the continental United States until the date of his sentencing on Feb. 23, 2024, according to a court filing.

CZ pleaded guilty on Tuesday to violating U.S. anti-money-laundering laws. He agreed to step down as CEO and Binance agreed to pay fines totaling $4.3 billion, which includes amounts to settle civil allegations made by regulators.

U.S. authorities leveled multiple charges against the exchange in recent years. In March, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission sued both CZ and Binance for allegedly breaking trading and derivatives rules.

The lawsuit included allegations that the company offered unregistered derivatives products in the U.S.  including cryptocurrency trading services, futures and options products  lacked a reliable Know Your Customer (KYC) or Anti-Money Laundering (AML) program and failed to register as a futures commission merchant, designated contract market or swap execution facility.

Previously, a spokesperson for the Department of Justice said that Zhao would be allowed to return to his residence in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after entering his guilty plea. But in a new Seattle federal court filing submitted on Nov. 22, U.S. prosecutors requested an overturn of the judges initial decision, saying that Zhao presents an unacceptable risk of flight and nonappearance if he is allowed to leave the United States pending sentencing.

In a letter accompanying the filing, prosecutors argued that if Zhao decided not to return to the U.S. in February, the government would not be able to secure his return.

They said Zhao could live on his wealth in the UAE indefinitely, as the vast majority of it is held overseas and outside the reach of the U.S. government.

Bankman-Fried to remain behind bars

And on Tuesday, FTX founder and convicted felon Sam Bankman-Fried will remain in custody until sentencing after his lawyers failed to convince a United States court that he should be freed while they appeal his conviction.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit issued a mandate on Nov. 21 denying the request. We have reviewed the Defendant-Appellants additional arguments and find them unpersuasive, they wrote.

The court cited Bankman-Frieds attempts to tamper with two witnesses while on pretrial release as a major factor in its decision.

Bankman-Frieds lawyers argued the New York court failed to consider that when he leaked the diaries of former Alameda Research executive and romantic partner Carolne Ellison to the press in July, he was engaged in speech protected under the First Amendment.

The appellate court rejected this line of reasoning, saying that the New York District Court correctly ruled and that witness tampering falls outside the zone of constitutional protection.

SBFs legal team also argued that the district court should have considered a less restrictive alternative to detention.

This argument was struck down as well, with the court stating that the district court thoroughly considered all relevant factors, including Bankman-Frieds behavior while he was on pretrial release.

Bankman-Fried was found guilty on all seven charges of fraud and money laundering that he faced in his first criminal trial on Nov. 2.

The appellate court ruling means SBF will remain behind bars until the date of his sentencing on March 28, 2024. The former FTX CEO could face a sentence of more than 100 years.
Shenandoah, IA (51601)

Today

Generally cloudy. A few flurries or snow showers possible. High 38F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 19F. Winds light and variable.
BellRing Brands (NYSE:BRBR  Get Free Report) released its earnings results on Tuesday. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.01, MarketWatch Earnings reports. The company had revenue of $472.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $462.65 million. BellRing Brands had a negative return on equity of 49.86% and a net margin of 9.93%. BellRing Brandss quarterly revenue was up 24.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.31 EPS.

BellRing Brands Stock Up 4.3 %

Shares of NYSE:BRBR opened at $50.71 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $6.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.90, a PEG ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.78. BellRing Brands has a 12-month low of $23.50 and a 12-month high of $50.97. The businesss 50 day moving average is $43.38 and its 200 day moving average is $39.33.

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Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of BRBR. Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its position in BellRing Brands by 64.7% in the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 5,766 shares of the companys stock worth $211,000 after purchasing an additional 2,266 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG raised its stake in shares of BellRing Brands by 57.3% during the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 6,793 shares of the companys stock valued at $140,000 after purchasing an additional 2,474 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its stake in shares of BellRing Brands by 431.4% during the 1st quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 4,097 shares of the companys stock valued at $95,000 after purchasing an additional 3,326 shares during the period. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. raised its stake in shares of BellRing Brands by 35.3% during the 4th quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. now owns 3,163 shares of the companys stock valued at $81,000 after purchasing an additional 826 shares during the period. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of BellRing Brands by 98.9% during the 2nd quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 2,120 shares of the companys stock valued at $77,000 after purchasing an additional 1,054 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.90% of the companys stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Stephens reissued an equal weight rating and set a $47.00 target price on shares of BellRing Brands in a report on Tuesday. Barclays increased their target price on BellRing Brands from $47.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, October 26th. Bank of America raised their price objective on BellRing Brands from $42.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 17th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on BellRing Brands from $48.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Needham & Company LLC raised their price objective on BellRing Brands from $44.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $45.14.

View Our Latest Stock Analysis on BellRing Brands

About BellRing Brands

(Get Free Report)

BellRing Brands, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides various nutrition products in the United States and internationally. It offers ready-to-drink (RTD) protein shakes, other RTD beverages, powders, nutrition bars, and other products primarily under the Premier Protein and Dymatize brands. The company sells its products through club, food, drug, mass, eCommerce, specialty, and convenience channels.

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BlackRock Utilities, Infrastructure & Power Opportunities Trust (NYSE:BUI  Get Free Report) passed above its fifty day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a fifty day moving average of $19.88 and traded as high as $20.00. BlackRock Utilities, Infrastructure & Power Opportunities Trust shares last traded at $19.98, with a volume of 66,463 shares.

BlackRock Utilities, Infrastructure & Power Opportunities Trust Stock Up 0.4 %

The business has a fifty day moving average of $19.85 and a two-hundred day moving average of $21.44.

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BlackRock Utilities, Infrastructure & Power Opportunities Trust Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 15th will be issued a $0.121 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 14th. This represents a $1.45 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.22%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BlackRock Utilities, Infrastructure & Power Opportunities Trust

About BlackRock Utilities, Infrastructure & Power Opportunities Trust

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in BUI. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of BlackRock Utilities, Infrastructure & Power Opportunities Trust by 29.7% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 289,257 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $5,736,000 after acquiring an additional 66,271 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can purchased a new stake in shares of BlackRock Utilities, Infrastructure & Power Opportunities Trust in the second quarter valued at approximately $963,000. Cornerstone Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of BlackRock Utilities, Infrastructure & Power Opportunities Trust in the second quarter valued at approximately $694,000. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in shares of BlackRock Utilities, Infrastructure & Power Opportunities Trust by 9.2% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 355,933 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $9,044,000 after purchasing an additional 29,839 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors purchased a new stake in shares of BlackRock Utilities, Infrastructure & Power Opportunities Trust in the second quarter valued at approximately $509,000.

(Get Free Report)

BlackRock Utility, Infrastructure & Power Opportunities Trust is a closed ended equity mutual fund launched by BlackRock, Inc The fund is managed by BlackRock Advisors, LLC. It invests in public equity markets across the globe. The fund seeks to invest in stocks of companies operating in the utilities and infrastructure sectors.

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Fastly, Inc. (NYSE:FSLY  Get Free Report) Director Christopher B. Paisley sold 1,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.72, for a total transaction of $17,720.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 39,000 shares of the companys stock, valued at $691,080. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Fastly Stock Up 2.0 %

NYSE FSLY traded up $0.35 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $17.78. The companys stock had a trading volume of 1,897,064 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,441,714. The company has a current ratio of 3.85, a quick ratio of 3.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.33 billion, a PE ratio of -14.31 and a beta of 1.32. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $16.97 and a 200-day moving average price of $17.45. Fastly, Inc. has a 1-year low of $7.15 and a 1-year high of $24.31.

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Hedge Funds Weigh In On Fastly

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC raised its position in shares of Fastly by 2.7% in the second quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC now owns 24,123 shares of the companys stock valued at $380,000 after purchasing an additional 625 shares during the period. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. raised its position in shares of Fastly by 7.5% in the second quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 9,797 shares of the companys stock valued at $154,000 after purchasing an additional 680 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE raised its position in shares of Fastly by 23.5% in the first quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 4,270 shares of the companys stock valued at $76,000 after purchasing an additional 813 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Fastly by 6.5% in the second quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 13,773 shares of the companys stock valued at $217,000 after purchasing an additional 837 shares during the period. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System raised its position in shares of Fastly by 2.7% in the third quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 32,544 shares of the companys stock valued at $624,000 after purchasing an additional 844 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 65.65% of the companys stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Raymond James restated a strong-buy rating and set a $25.00 price target on shares of Fastly in a report on Thursday, October 5th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Fastly from $18.00 to $19.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Thursday, August 3rd. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Fastly from $8.00 to $10.00 and gave the stock a sell rating in a report on Tuesday, August 29th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Fastly from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock an underperform rating in a report on Thursday, August 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Fastly currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $17.65.

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Fastly Company Profile

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Fastly, Inc operates an edge cloud platform for processing, serving, and securing its customer's applications in the United States, the Asia Pacific, Europe, and internationally. The edge cloud is a category of Infrastructure as a Service that enables developers to build, secure, and deliver digital experiences at the edge of the internet.

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Signet Jewelers Limited (NYSE:SIG  Get Free Report) insider Howard A. Melnick sold 2,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.11, for a total value of $162,220.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 74,510 shares of the companys stock, valued at $6,043,506.10. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Signet Jewelers Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:SIG traded up $1.53 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $81.74. The stock had a trading volume of 379,620 shares, compared to its average volume of 757,911. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $72.82 and a 200-day moving average price of $71.49. The stock has a market cap of $3.67 billion, a PE ratio of 9.24, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 2.11. Signet Jewelers Limited has a 1-year low of $57.10 and a 1-year high of $84.54.

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Signet Jewelers (NYSE:SIG  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 31st. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $1.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.58 billion. Signet Jewelers had a return on equity of 34.59% and a net margin of 6.47%. The businesss revenue was down 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.68 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Signet Jewelers Limited will post 9.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Signet Jewelers Dividend Announcement

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Signet Jewelers

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.23 per share. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.13%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 26th. Signet Jewelerss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 10.47%.

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Signet Jewelers by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 25,524 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,856,000 after acquiring an additional 404 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund acquired a new stake in Signet Jewelers in the 1st quarter valued at about $377,000. Rhumbline Advisers grew its position in shares of Signet Jewelers by 7.1% during the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 136,265 shares of the companys stock worth $9,906,000 after buying an additional 9,028 shares in the last quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can increased its stake in shares of Signet Jewelers by 3.7% during the first quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can now owns 50,017 shares of the companys stock worth $3,742,000 after buying an additional 1,772 shares during the period. Finally, Sei Investments Co. raised its holdings in Signet Jewelers by 188.0% in the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 34,675 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,521,000 after acquiring an additional 22,633 shares in the last quarter.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on SIG shares. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Signet Jewelers from $71.00 to $83.00 in a research report on Friday, September 1st. StockNews.com started coverage on Signet Jewelers in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Telsey Advisory Group boosted their price objective on Signet Jewelers from $71.00 to $82.00 in a research report on Friday, September 1st. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on Signet Jewelers from $90.00 to $93.00 in a research note on Friday, September 1st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Signet Jewelers has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $84.20.

Read Our Latest Stock Report on SIG

Signet Jewelers Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Signet Jewelers Limited operates as a diamond jewelry retailer. It operates through three segments: North America, International, and Other. The North America segment operates jewelry stores in jewelry stores in malls, mall-based kiosks, and off-mall locations in the United States and Canada primarily under the Kay Jewelers, Kay Jewelers Outlet, Jared The Galleria Of Jewelry, Jared Vault, Zales Jewelers, Zales Outlet, Diamonds Direct, James Allen, Banter by Piercing Pagoda, and Peoples Jewellers names, as well as operates online through its digital banners, James Allen and Blue Nile.

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Interfor Co. (OTCMKTS:IFSPF  Get Free Report) shot up 1.7% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $16.36 and last traded at $16.36. 1,600 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 81% from the average session volume of 8,637 shares. The stock had previously closed at $16.09.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, CIBC dropped their price target on Interfor from C$33.00 to C$32.00 in a research report on Wednesday, August 9th.

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Interfor Trading Down 0.2 %

About Interfor

The company has a fifty day moving average of $14.12 and a two-hundred day moving average of $16.03.

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Interfor Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, produces and sells wood products in Canada, the United States, Japan, China, Taiwan, and internationally. It offers decking, fascia and board, framing, v-joint paneling, paneling, and siding products, as well as appearance, structural, studs, timbers, and machine stress related products.

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North American Tungsten Co. Ltd. (OTCMKTS:NATUF  Get Free Report)s stock price crossed above its 50-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 50-day moving average of $0.00 and traded as high as $0.00. North American Tungsten shares last traded at $0.00, with a volume of 0 shares trading hands.

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About North American Tungsten

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North American Tungsten Corporation Ltd., a tungsten mining company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and processing of tungsten ores and concentrates. It owns interests in the Cantung mine in the Northwest Territories; the Mactung mineral property on the border of Yukon and Northwest Territories; and other tungsten exploration prospects.

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Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA (OTCMKTS:NWARF  Get Free Report)s stock price shot up 5% on Monday . The stock traded as high as $0.92 and last traded at $0.92. 2,275 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 57% from the average session volume of 5,271 shares. The stock had previously closed at $0.87.

Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA Stock Down 3.9 %

The companys 50 day moving average price is $0.80 and its 200-day moving average price is $0.94.

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Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA, together with its subsidiaries, provides air travel services in Norway and internationally. It operates short haul point to point domestic and cross border flights services. It is also involved in aircraft financing, leasing, and ownership activities; and cargo activities. It operates a fleet of 70 aircrafts.

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Restaurant Brands New Zealand Limited (OTCMKTS:RTBRF  Get Free Report) shares were down 10.3% during trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $2.14 and last traded at $2.14. Approximately 1,130 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 16% from the average daily volume of 976 shares. The stock had previously closed at $2.38.

Restaurant Brands New Zealand Stock Performance

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $2.61 and a 200 day moving average of $3.35.

About Restaurant Brands New Zealand

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Restaurant Brands New Zealand Limited, together with its subsidiaries, operates quick service and takeaway restaurants in New Zealand, Australia, California, Hawaii, Saipan, and Guam. It operates the KFC, Pizza Hut, Carl's Jr., and Taco Bell brand names. The company was incorporated in 1997 and is based in Penrose, New Zealand.

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By Jun Ji-hye

Badal Muhandiramalage Sampath Priyadarshana of Sri Lanka arrived in Korea in November 2005 on an E-9 nonprofessional employment visa to work here under the Employment Permit System (EPS).

After having worked in the manufacturing sector in Korea from 2005 to 2010 and from 2012 to 2016, he returned to Sri Lanka in 2018 and began operating his own business with his father.

His company mainly builds machines and equipment necessary for the manufacturing industry.

Koreas Ministry of Employment and Labor recognized his rise to success, presenting an award to him in an event held on Wednesday during which it invited 15 foreign workers who have since returned to their home countries after working in Korea under the EPS.

At the end of 2004, I got to know about the EPS while reading a newspaper in Sri Lanka and decided to get a job in Korea to overcome economic difficulties, he said.

After being employed in Korea, I tried to learn ways Koreans work and then play my part. While working in Korea, I could learn the basic principles necessary to establish and operate small- and medium-sized companies. I shared that know-how with my employees.

He said he paid keen attention to establishing a clean and safe working environment and systemizing each work stage for his employees as he had learned during his time in Korea.

As a result, my company, which had only seven employees at first, grew to employ more than 35 people, he said.

The EPS is a migration labor program, under which workers from 16 Asian countries including the Philippines, Mongolia, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Thailand are allowed to work in Korea with E-9 nonprofessional employment visas.

The system began in 2004 to address manpower shortages being experienced by small- and medium-sized companies. So far, about 940,000 workers have entered Korea to work under this system.

The Sri Lankan man hailed the EPS as a good system that allows foreign nationals to work in Korea within the law.

Yet, he advised the Korean government to oblige migrant workers to work for at least a year at a company, as it is difficult for workers to build careers and adapt to local culture when they frequently change workplaces.

Toward that end, the Korean government should offer more accurate information about a company before a worker signs a contract, he said.

I highly recommend working in Korea as it offers good opportunities and hope. Workers can also experience advanced systems and enjoy various cultures, he added.
The Philippines has enlisted "foreign forces" to patrol the South China Sea and has been stirring up trouble, China's military said on Thursday, referring to joint patrols this week by Philippine and U.S. forces.

The Chinese military will maintain high vigilance, resolutely defend sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, and resolutely safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea, China's military said.

"The Philippines enlisted forces out of the region to patrol ... stirred up trouble and engaged in hype, undermining regional peace and stability," the southern theater command of the Chinese military said.

Philippine officials have said their military and the U.S. launched joint patrols on Tuesday in waters near Taiwan, a democratically governed island that China claims as its own, raising the possibility of further tensions with China.

Relations have soured between China and the Philippines over the South China Sea under Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr as he pivots towards closer ties with the U.S., which supports the Southeast Asian nation in its maritime disputes with China.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday China had warned the U.S. and the Philippines in connection with their patrols.

"China has made clear its position to the Philippines and the U.S. that the Philippine-U.S. joint patrols must not undermine China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests," spokesperson Mao Ning said.

A Chinese navy ship shadowed three U.S. and Philippine warships conducting joint patrols on Thursday, the Philippine armed forces chief, Romeo Brawner, told reporters.

The incident occurred at around 10:15 a.m. near the platform of a natural gas field 27 nautical miles off Palawan province, Brawner said. "There was no challenge, no dangerous manoeuvres."

The Philippines achieved its goal of closely operating with its ally, the United States, and there was no untoward incident, Brawner added.

The Philippine foreign ministry and the national security adviser's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (Reuters)
Auburn, IN (46706)

Today

Rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers in the afternoon. High 44F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a half an inch..

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Steady light rain this evening. Showers continuing overnight. Low 39F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%.
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Participates make their way down New York's Central Park West during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2019, in New York. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
Over 50 million to Greek and Slovenian farmers

Today, the European Commission presented its proposal for a support measure worth 51.7 million to directly support Greek and Slovenian farmers affected by natural disasters. Coming from the agricultural reserve 2024, 43.1 million will be allocated to Greece and 8.6 million to Slovenia.

In August, Slovenia recorded extraordinary amounts of rainfall and torrential storms that resulted in landslides and floodings. Meanwhile, throughout August and September, Greece faced unprecedented wildfires, followed by severe floodings, severely affecting the agricultural landscape in the impacted regions.

The significant damages caused by those events to agricultural producers and the resulting loss of income for the affected farmers in Greece and Slovenia endanger the economic viability of agricultural holdings.

The amounts presented today, take into account the assessments of agricultural damage by Slovenia and Greece, along with the respective weight of these two countries in the EU's agricultural sector, on the basis of their shares of CAP direct payments. Additionally, the need to keep sufficient resources available within the agricultural reserve to address potential crises in the remaining months of 2023 and in 2024 was also considered.

The national authorities of Greece and Slovenia will directly distribute the aid to farmers to compensate for economic losses, with payments expected to be made by 31 May 2024. Both countries will have to notify the Commission about the implementation details including the criteria for aid calculation, the intended impact of the measure, its

evaluation, and actions taken to avoid distortion of competition and overcompensation. The two countries can complement this EU support up to 200% with national funds.

The Commission's draft measure, including the principles and methodology for granting support, will be discussed in a transparent way with Member States, who will vote on the implementing Regulation at a meeting of the Committee for the Common Organisation of Agricultural Markets on 30 November. If approved, it will be adopted and enter into force rapidly so that Greek and Slovenian national administrations can implement it without delay.

In June 2023, the European Commission already allocated 15.8 million and 1.2 million to Greece and Slovenia respectively. These funds came from the agricultural reserve 2023, which aims to support Member States affected by adverse climatic events and macroeconomic challenges in the period up to 31 January 2024.

Supporting Slovenia and Greece in climate change adaptation and risk prevention is a key priority of the 2014-2020 and 2021-2027 Cohesion Policy programmes. For Slovenia, over 92 million was committed to flood protection in the 2014-2020 programmes and following a recent programme amendment, funds were re-allocated to the purchase of equipment for a rapid response to the floods. The Slovenian authorities have committed an additional 109 million to flood risk investments in the 2021-2027 programmes.

For the period 20142020, Greece earmarked 325 million for investments related to climate change adaptation measures and risks, and in the current programming period, earmarked an additional 727 million specifically for the prevention and management of flood risks.

Member States can also apply for funds through the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF) based on a damage assessment submitted within 12 weeks of the date of the first damage. Both Slovenia and Greece submitted their applications for EUSF support, which are currently being assessed by the Commission.

Background

The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) 2023-2027 includes an agricultural reserve of at least 450 million per year to cope with market disruptions or exceptional events affecting production or distribution. The agricultural reserve 2023 was allocated in full to the benefit of all Member States who have experienced crises of different nature and magnitudes. Since the 2024 agricultural financial year started on 16 October 2023, support measures funded by the agricultural reserve 2024 can already be tabled.

In addition to funds from the agricultural reserve, the CAP provides several possibilities to help farmers affected by natural disasters. Direct payments represent a permanent safety net. Funds from rural development can also be used to restore damaged agricultural assets and production potential. For Greece, 57 million of Union contribution are currently available to support restoration of agricultural potential and around  40 million for restoration of forests. Moreover, the Greek CAP Strategic Plan 2023-2027 includes 100 million for the prevention and restoration of forests damaged by forest fires, natural disasters and catastrophic events. Greece is expected to submit an amendment which aims, among others, to increase risk management tools supported by CAP funding.

The Slovenian CAP Strategic Plan 2023-2027 and its Rural Development Programme 2014-2022 also contain interventions for rehabilitation and restoration of forests following natural disasters and adverse climatic events, as well as investments in restoration of the production potential in permanent plantations after the natural disasters and catastrophic events.

The Commission stands ready to assess and approve as quickly as possible any amendments to their CAP Strategic Plans that Greece and Slovenia would consider submitting.

For More Information

CAP Strategic Plans

Quote

We have proposed to mobilise the agricultural reserve to express our solidarity to Greek and Slovenian farmers who have suffered from catastrophic events. As the magnitude and frequency of crises are increasing, we also need to better use the resources available in the CAP plans to reinforce farmers' resilience, from risk management tools to investments, knowledge transfer and cooperation.

Janusz Wojciechowski, Commissioner for Agriculture 2023-11-22

Zarazeno ct 23.11.2023 12:11:00 Zdroj Evropska komise en Original ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/api/documents?reference=IP/23/5958&language=en lang en guid /IP/23/5958/
Commission launches first European Hydrogen Bank auction

The Commission launched today the first auction under the European Hydrogen Bank to support the production of renewable hydrogen in Europe, with an initial 800 million of emissions trading revenues, channelled through the Innovation Fund. Producers of renewable hydrogen can bid for support in the form of a fixed premium per kilogram of hydrogen produced. The premium is intended to bridge the gap between the price of production and the price consumers are currently willing to pay, in a market where non-renewable hydrogen is still cheaper to produce.

The Hydrogen Bank complements other policy tools to build a market for renewable hydrogen, stimulate investments in the production capacity, and bring production to scale. Renewable hydrogen has a critical role to play in Europe's future energy mix, in particular for the decarbonisation of heavy industry and some transport sectors, replacing fossil fuels. By enabling a faster rollout of innovative hydrogen technologies the pilot auction will contribute to the REPowerEU Plan goal to produce 10 million tonnes of hydrogen domestically by 2030.

Under the pilot auction, producers of renewable hydrogen, as defined in the Renewable Energy Directive and its Delegated Acts, can submit bids for EU support for a certain volume of hydrogen production. The bids should be based on a proposed price premium per kilogram of renewable hydrogen produced, up to a ceiling of 4.5/kg. Bids up to this price, and which also comply with other qualification requirements, will be ranked from the lowest to the highest bid price and will be awarded support in that order, until the auction budget is exhausted. The selected projects will receive the awarded subsidy on top of the market revenues that they generate from hydrogen sales, for up to 10 years. Once projects have signed their grant agreements, they will have to start producing renewable hydrogen within five years.

Cumulation with other types of aid from participating Member States will not be possible, to ensure a level playing field for all projects regardless of location. This will prevent fragmentation at the early stages of the European hydrogen market and reduce administrative costs for upcoming national hydrogen support schemes.

Auctions-as-a-Service

The Commission is also offering a new Auctions-as-a-service mechanism under the Hydrogen Bank. This will enable Member States to finance projects which have bid in the auction, but not been selected for Innovation Fund support due to budget limitations. This allows them to award national funding to additional projects on their territory, without the need to run a separate auction at national level, reducing the administrative burden and cost for all parties. Member States' participation in the Auctions-as-a-service' scheme is voluntary, and project developers must also express their interest in it during their application to be eligible. The scheme could play a significant role by preventing the segmentation of the market and incentive schemes.

Any support offered by Member States through this service will be considered as State aid. They must notify their support to the Commission, and will benefit from a streamlined approval process, as the auctions are designed at the EU level in line with the Guidelines on State aid for climate, environmental protection and energy.

Next steps

Bidders have until 8 February 2024 (17:00 CET) to apply via the EU Funding and Tenders Portal. Project promoters are strongly encouraged to consult these frequently asked questions when preparing their proposals and to engage with a financial institution as soon as possible concerning their completion bonds.

An Info Day will take place online on 30 November, providing an opportunity for project applicants to ask questions to the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA), which will implement the auction. Innovation Fund National Contact Points also organise Info Days in most Member States.

Applicants will be informed about evaluation results as early as April 2024 and sign the Grant Agreements within nine months after the call closure.

The pilot auction will allow the Commission to collect reliable data about the EU's renewable hydrogen project pipeline, the level of competition for this kind of support, the costs of renewable hydrogen production, and its market price. The Commission will use lessons from the pilot scheme to inform future auctions that could be developed for other decarbonisation technologies and products. The Commission intends to launch a second round of auctions in 2024.

Background

With an estimated budget of 40 billion from the EU Emissions Trading System between 2020 and 2030, the Innovation Fund is the EU's largest funding programme for the deployment of innovative net-zero technologies. The Innovation Fund has also opened its 2023 call for proposals today with a 4 billion budget available for cutting-edge low-carbon technologies in various sectors.

The European Hydrogen Bank was announced by President von der Leyen in her State of the European Union address in 2022 to support the EU's domestic hydrogen production and imports from international partners of renewable hydrogen. It aims to unlock private investments in the EU and in third countries by addressing the initial investment challenges and needs, closing the investment gap and connecting future renewable hydrogen supply to consumers.

For More Information

Auction for renewable hydrogen production under the Innovation Fund

EU Funding and Tenders Portal (application for the Auction)

Auctions-as-a-Service concept note

Auction FAQ

Innovation Fund 2023 Auction Info Day

European Hydrogen Bank

Innovation Fund

Quote

Todays launch is about connecting supply and demand for renewable hydrogen. It is about creating transparency about price points, which will help kickstart a European hydrogen market. In turn, this will help accelerate the EUs clean energy transition while maintaining our competitiveness and preserving Europes position as a leading global economic power. We are hoping for a positive response from the market, and also from Member States who are considering taking part in Auctions-as-service'. The European Hydrogen Bank is a great opportunity to support European industrys net-zero transition.

Maros Sefcovic, Executive Vice-President for European Green deal, Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight 2023-11-22

Hydrogen is going to be a key technology to decarbonise Europes industry and help deliver our 2030 and 2050 climate targets. Todays first EU-wide auction for renewable hydrogen production sends a clear signal that Europe is the place to invest in renewable hydrogen production, and in hydrogen-based industries. Developing a solid hydrogen market in the EU will make us more competitive, offer new growth opportunities to industry, and provide quality jobs for European companies and citizens.

Wopke Hoekstra, Commissioner for Climate Action 2023-11-22
Marchio e contenuto di questo sito sono di interesse storico ai sensi del D. Lgs 42/2004 (decreto Soprintendenza archivistica e Bibliografica Puglia 18 settembre 2020)
Strengthening partnership the right choice for future of China-U.S. relations

15:18, November 23, 2023 By Zhong Sheng ( People's Daily

Recently, at the invitation of U.S. President Joe Biden, Chinese President Xi Jinping flew across the Pacific Ocean on a trip to San Francisco. At the century-old Filoli Estate, Xi held a meeting with Biden to find the right way for China and the United States to get along with each other.

At this critical juncture of history, the San Francisco meeting between the Chinese and U.S. presidents achieved significant outcomes, making a key step to steer China-U.S. relations toward a healthy, stable and sustainable direction.

Xi pointed out that China and the United States should jointly develop a right perception, manage disagreements effectively, advance mutually beneficial cooperation, shoulder responsibilities as major countries, and promote people-to-people exchanges. This has built together five pillars for China-U.S. relations and established the "San Francisco vision" oriented toward the future.

To jointly develop a right perception comes first in the five pillars, which mirrors Xi's profound thinking on the real challenges and future direction of China-U.S. relations.

"I have always had one question on my mind: How to steer the giant ship of China-U.S. relations clear of hidden rocks and shoals, navigate it through storms and waves without getting disoriented, losing speed or even having a collision?" Xi said at a welcome dinner by friendly organizations in the United States.

"In this respect, the number one question for us is: are we adversaries, or partners? This is the fundamental and overarching issue," said Xi.

Xi's important remarks made at the welcoming dinner were thought-provoking. China and the United States are two major countries with extensive common interests and bear important responsibilities for world and regional peace, stability, and prosperity. For China and the United States, turning their back on each other is not an option. It is unrealistic for one side to remodel the other, and conflict and confrontation has unbearable consequences for both sides.

In recent years, China-U.S. relations have encountered challenges and difficulties. The root cause is U.S. misperception toward China and the China-U.S. ties.

Some people in the United States hold onto the Cold War mentality and zero-sum game mindset, seeing China as a primary competitor and the most consequential geopolitical challenge, which severely distorts the perception of China. It will only lead to misinformed policymaking, misguided actions, and unwanted results.

To find the right way to get along with each other, China and the United States need to jointly develop a right perception. Only by doing so can the foundation for mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation be laid.

Jointly developing a right perception means the two countries must accurately understand each other's strategic intentions.

Xi pointed out that China's development is driven by its inherent logic and dynamics. China is promoting the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through Chinese modernization. It will not take the old path of colonization and plundering, or the wrong path of seeking hegemony with growing strength. It does not export its ideology. It has no plan to surpass or unseat the United States. Likewise, the United States should not scheme to suppress and contain China.

China is consistently committed to having a stable, healthy and sustainable relationship with the United States. China never bets against the United States, and never interferes in its internal affairs. China has no intention to challenge the United States or to unseat it. Instead, China will be glad to see a confident, open, ever-growing and prosperous United States. Likewise, the United States should not bet against China, or interfere in China's internal affairs. It should instead welcome a peaceful, stable and prosperous China.

In recent years, some people in the United States, out of their strategic anxieties, have seriously misjudged and deliberately distorted China's strategic intentions. They stubbornly view China, which is committed to peaceful development, as a threat and thus play a zero-sum game against it. They are going further down the wrong path.

To prevent the giant ship of China-U.S. relations from getting disoriented, losing speed or having a collision, such misperception toward China must be eliminated first.

Jointly developing a right perception means the two countries must practically respect each other's legitimate rights and interests. China hopes to see win-win cooperation with the United States. At the same time, China has interests that must be safeguarded, principles that must be upheld, and red lines that must not be crossed.

Over the past decades, the relationship between China and the United States has experienced ups and downs, and the U.S. side should have a clear understanding of this.

Taiwan question remains the most important and most sensitive issue in China-U.S. relations. The U.S. side should take real actions to honor its commitment of not supporting "Taiwan independence," stop arming Taiwan, and support China's peaceful reunification. China will realize reunification, and this is unstoppable.

U.S. actions against China regarding export control, investment screening and unilateral sanctions seriously hurt China's legitimate interests, and go against the U.S. promise of not seeking to contain or suppress China's development.

Development of China is innovation-driven. Stifling China's technological progress is nothing but a move to contain China's high-quality development and deprive the Chinese people of their right to development. It is important that the U.S. side take China's concerns seriously and adopt tangible steps to lift its unilateral sanctions so as to provide an equal, fair and nondiscriminatory environment for Chinese businesses.

The world is developing, and the times are changing. China and the United States cannot repeat the outdated history of major-country confrontation. Instead, the two countries should be partners that respect each other, coexist in peace, and work together for mutual benefit. This is the right choice for the future.

In recent years, China-U.S. relations have been at a low ebb, leading to an increase in discussions about the "Thucydides trap" in the international community. The crux of the "Thucydides trap" lies in a cognitive error rather than objective conflicts of interest.

Xi once pointed out that there is no such thing as the so-called Thucydides trap in the world. But should major countries time and again make the mistakes of strategic miscalculation, they might create such traps for themselves, he explained.

This time in San Francisco, he once again stressed that the world is big enough to accommodate both countries, and China is ready to be a partner and friend of the United States.

What he said demonstrated profound wisdom in grasping the development of China-U.S. relations while following the logic of historical progress and the trend of the times, and showcased a broad-mindedness in planning the development of China-U.S. relations at the level of the future of humanity and Planet Earth.

China and the United States, the largest developing country and the largest developed country, must handle their relations well.

Both sides should take the San Francisco meeting as a new starting point to truly implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, enhance mutual understanding through communication and dialogue, eliminate biases and misjudgments by developing a right perception, and jointly promote the continuous improvement and development of China-U.S. relations.

(Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by People's Daily to express its views on foreign policy and international affairs.)

(Web editor: Chang Sha, Liang Jun)
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Udhampur (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], November 23 (ANI): The Jammu and Kashmir Police arrested an interstate narcotics smuggler on Thursday and recovered over 16 kilogram of poppy straw in Udhampur district.

The accused was identified as Dilshad Ali, a resident of Malerkotla in Punjab.

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The discovery of the smuggled contraband came to light during a routine check of police team from Police Station Udhampur, led by Station House Officer (SHO) Inspector Raghubir Choudhary.

Subsequently, during the routine checking, 16.3 kg of poppy straw-like substance was recovered from a Punjab-bound truck bearing Registration No. PB11DC5309 at Jakhani.

Also Read | Thane Shocker: Seven Booked for Threatening Woman With Black Magic, Extorting Rs 78 Lakh.

The J-K police further arrested the accused truck driver

A case was registered against the accused under sections 8 and 15 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS), 1985, at the Udhampur Police Station.

Further investigation into the matter is underway. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi [India], November 23 (ANI): The Karnataka government on Thursday issued a non-bailable warrant against National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) president, Priyank Kanoongo over comparing children's condition in Bengaluru orphanage 'Darul Uloom Sayideeya Yateemkhana' to medieval Taliban life. The police registered a case on the complaint of one of the members of the orphanage against Priyank Kanoongo.

"On November 19, Priyank Kanoongo along with the District Child Protection Officer (East) and other officials conducted a surprise inspection of an illegally running unregistered orphanage named Darul Uloom Sayyadiya Yatim Khana in Bengaluru, Karnataka in which many irregularities were found," the NCPCR said.

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The NCPCR president has said that the Karnataka government wants to suppress the voice of the commission which is just talking about the rights of the poor children.

Highlighting the poor condition in which children are living in orphanage in Bengaluru, Priyank Kanoongo told ANI "There was an orphanage called Sayyediya Yateemkhana in Bangalore. We visited it under the CPCR Act. This Act gives us the duty to inspect every place where children live, especially those children who are orphans. About 200 orphan children were kept at that place, not only this, eight children were kept together in rooms of 100 square feet, and 40 children lived in the remaining 5 rooms. Apart from this, 16 children were seen in the corridor."

Also Read | Elephant Attack in Assam: Tuskers Kill Four Including Two Children in Karbi Anglong.

He also said that the employees present there said that the children do not attend school but they are imparted the same education which is 200 years old.

" Not only this, there was no playing equipment for children in this orphanage, nor was there any TV. There were very small children who were scared. After issuing the notice, it came to light that the Karnataka government has registered a case against me under non-bailable sections. They want to suppress our voices. If we talk about the rights of poor children, the Karnataka government looks at it through the prism of religion. They talk about suppressing the commission. They have to understand that their tactics will not be successful. They will have to take action in this matter," Priyank Kanoongo said.

"A notice has been sent to Karnataka Chief secretary and the commission has requested that an action taken report be sent to the Commission within seven (7) days of issuance of this letter," he added.

He further said that the NCPCR has sent notices to Chief secretaries of different states to close all the unregistered orphanages that are running illegally. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], November 23 (ANI): Four workers of the Youth Congress were arrested by Kerala Police in connection with alleged fake ID cards during the party's recent organisational polls.

All four KSU (Kerala Students Union) workers- Fenil Ninan, Binol Binu, Abhinandh Vikram and Vikas Krishnan- are from Pathanamthitta constituency.

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The four accused are known to be close aides of Rahul Mankoottathil, who was recently elected as state youth congress president through online election.

Police registered a complaint by BJP state president K Surendran and DYFI (Democratic Youth Federation of India) state president and A A Rahim on the fake ID card creation.

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A special investigation team was formed to probe the matter. According to the remand report police have seized laptop and mobile phones from the accused. A total of 24 fake ID cards were seized, said Police.

Expressing shock on the matter, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that such a thing being done for the first time.

"This is something that should not be done at any cost. What is the credibility of it, is such a thing being done for the first time, have these agencies carried out such activities before? These are things that should be investigated properly. That investigation has begun. What I am understanding is that all agencies have taken it seriously", Vijayan said.

The chief minister lashed out against the Congress and said that they could go to any extent against political rivals.

"Congress calls itself a democratic party and all but it's just for namesake. There is no democracy. They have no elected system in general, it's nominated committees that function for them. They conducted elections for the youth congress president post. Just imagine, it's an internal party election which ideally should be healthy. In such elections, they are choosing such a route. So imagine to what extent they can go against political rivals. This is what should be seen," Vijayan said.

Youth Congress state president Rahul Mankoottom, however, claimed that the Youth Congress election was transparent.

"It's good that BJP President K Surendran has come up with these allegations in the media. His allegations are pointless. He himself was involved in election malpractice," Mankoottom said. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Patna (Bihar) [India], November 23 (ANI): A man and a woman were allegedly shot dead by unidentified persons at a village in Bihar's Patna, police said on Thursday.

Officials said that the incident occurred at a village under the Paliganj police station limits, where the victims were found dead with bullet injuries in a farmland. Locals of the area informed the police about the incident.

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The victims were identified as Rajendra Yadav and Sharda Devi.

Pritam Kumar, Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of Paliganj, said, "Today, we received information that two bodies had been found under the Paliganj police station limits."

Also Read | Elephant Attack in Assam: Tuskers Kill Four Including Two Children in Karbi Anglong.

"Upon reaching the spot, we found that the two persons, a man and a woman, had been shot dead. Bullet shells were also recovered from the spot," he said.

Officials said that prima facie, it seems to be a matter of an extra-marital affair, and a probe into the same has been initiated.

"Reportedly, both the man and woman were married and were involved in an extra-marital relationship with each other," he said.

"A probe is currently underway to ascertain the details of this tragic incident," he added.

Police were further looking into the incident.

More details are awaited. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
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Odisha Tourism and Culture Minister Aswini Patra flags off special pilgrimage train for elderly in bhubaneshwar. (Photo/ANI)

Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], November 23 (ANI): Odisha Tourism and Culture Minister Aswini Patra, along with Science and Technology Minister Ashok Panda, flagged off a special pilgrimage train for the elderly on Thursday.

The train started its journey in Bhubaneswar and will go to Haridwar and Rishikesh.

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The Odisha government wished the elderly pilgrims a happy and safe journey.

The pilgrimage train is part of an initiative of the state tourism department under the Baristha Nagarika Tirtha Yatra Yojana to help elderly people carry out their spiritual journey in places of religious importance.

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As many as 970 elderly pilgrims from five districts, including Khurda, Puri, Cuttack, Kendrapada, Jagatsingpur, and Dhenkanal, boarded the train from here.

The Baristha Nagarika Tirtha Yatra Yojana (BNTYY) is a programme in Odisha that helps senior citizens (60-75 years old) travel to pilgrimage sites with government assistance. The programme is open to people of all regions and faiths.

Earlier on Tuesday, President Droupadi Murmu flagged off three new trains, which include the Shalimar-Badampahar Weekly Express, the Badampahar-Rourkela Weekly Express, and the Tatanagar-Badampahar MEMU train.

Along with the President, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and other railway officials were present at the ceremony.

President Murmu also laid the foundation stone for the redevelopment of Badampahar Railway Station on Tuesday. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
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Rameswaram (Tamil Nadu) [India], November 23 (ANI): A fisherman was injured when two boats collided in the middle of the sea off the coast of Tamil Nadu's Rameswaram on Thursday morning.

According to the officials, the powerboat belonging to Jayaseelar was returning to the shore when it collided with the country boat owned by Duraisingham.

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Duraisingham, who was in the country boat, sustained fractures in both his legs and was taken to Ramanathapuram Government Medical College Hospital in critical condition, said Rameswaram Police. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
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Chennai, Nov 23 (PTI) Sundaram Home Finance on Thursday unveiled its plan to double its Small Business Loans (SBL) branches over the next 12 months including setting foot in Telangana.

Telangana will be the company's first expansion outside Tamil Nadu in the SBL segment.

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We have made steady progress in the SBL segment establishing a solid presence in Tier 3 and 4 towns in Tamil Nadu. While we will look to strengthen our existing branches, we are now set to foray into locations outside TN in phase two of our expansion, Sundaram Home Finance MD Lakshminarayanan Duraiswamy said on the expansion.

The company is in the process of identifying "pockets of opportunities" in smaller towns in TN and Telangana and expects to finalise them in Q4 this year, he said in a statement and added that the new branches would become fully operational next year.

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The company opened 25 exclusive SBL branches in Tier 3 and 4 towns in Tamil Nadu in phase 1 after it forayed into this new segment in October 2022, the release said.

The exclusive SBL branches in Tenkasi, Aruppukottai, Rasipuram, Kovilpatti, Ilampillai, and Sivakasi in the state registered disbursements of Rs 65 crore in the first year.

For the small business segment, Sundaram Home Finance offers loans of up to Rs 20 lakh against house property to small traders, shops, and entrepreneurs.

The company had also recently announced plans to expand into the affordable housing segment and is looking to open 10 branches and hire up to 75 people for that segment in the initial phase, the release further said.

The company registered a net profit of Rs 117 crore on disbursements of Rs 2,307 crore for the half year ended September 30 this year.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Moscow, Nov 23 (AP) A Russian-dominated security grouping held a summit in Belarus on Thursday with the absence of one of its members, Armenia, which has been irked by what it sees as a lack of support over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Speaking at the meeting of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO, Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed what he called the group's role in securing peace and stability in the region.

Also Read | Gaza Cease-Fire Will Begin Tomorrow Morning, With Aid to Follow As Soon as Possible, Says Qatar.

But in a sign of the widening rift between Russia and Armenia, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan snubbed the summit in the Belarusian capital of Minsk, citing his government's dissatisfaction with the organisation.

Pashinyan and his officials have emphasised that Armenia doesn't plan to opt out of the grouping altogether.

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Armenia has previously canceled joint drills and ignored ministerial meetings of the CSTO, which includes Russia and the former Soviet Central Asian nations of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

Armenian authorities have accused Russian peacekeepers who were deployed to Nagorno-Karabakh after a 2020 war of failing to stop September's onslaught by Azerbaijan, which reclaimed control of the Armenian-populated region in a 24-hour blitz following two decades of separatist rule.

Moscow has rejected the accusations, arguing that its troops didn't have a mandate to intervene and charging that Pashinyan himself had effectively paved the way for the collapse of separatist rule in the region by previously acknowledging Azerbaijan's sovereignty over it.

The mutual accusations have further strained relations between Armenia and its longtime ally Russia, which has accused the Armenian government of a growing pro-Western tilt.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov voiced regret about Pashinyan snubbing Thursday's summit, saying that Moscow hopes that Armenia isn't changing its foreign policy vector and it remains our ally and strategic partner.

But the summit's host, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, was more outspoken in his criticism of Armenia, saying without naming Pashinyan that some of our partners took steps and made statements that were provocative.

If you have complaints, you must voice them in an eye-to-eye conversation instead of dumping stuff to the media, he said, adding that it was irresponsible and short-sighted to create a conflict situation in the group to the benefit of the hostile West.

Lukashenko is a staunch ally of Moscow who has relied on Russian subsidies and political support throughout his three-decade rule and allowed the Kremlin to use his country's territory for sending troops into Ukraine.

Speaking after Thursday's summit, he hailed the declared deployment of some of Russia's tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus earlier this year, arguing that only the existence of the powerful weapons could guarantee security in the region.

The declared deployment of the Russian weapons in Belarus territory marked a new stage in the Kremlin's nuclear saber-rattling over its invasion of Ukraine and was another bid to discourage the West from increasing military support to Kyiv. (AP)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
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Jerusalem, Nov 23 (AP) Israel's national security adviser said late Wednesday that cease-fire talks with the Hamas militant group were still ongoing, and the hostage release will not take place before Friday. Tzachi Hanegbi gave no explanation for the delay, and it was not immediately clear when the cease-fire might begin.

The cease-fire agreement between the Hamas militant group and Israel had earlier been confirmed by both parties, along with Washington and Qatar, which helped broker the deal that would bring a temporary halt to the devastating war that is now in its seventh week.

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The Israeli government said that under an outline of the deal, Hamas will free over a four-day period at least 50 of the roughly 240 hostages taken in its Oct. 7 attack on Israel, and Israel will release some Palestinian prisoners in exchange. Egyptian state media say the truce will begin Thursday morning. Egypt helped mediate the cease-fire agreement, which would bring the first respite to war-weary Palestinians in Gaza, where more than 11,000 people have been killed, according to health authorities.

However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said late Wednesday he told US President Joe Biden that he will press ahead with the war after a cease-fire expires. Some 1,200 people have been killed in Israel, mostly during the initial incursion by Hamas.

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Currently:

- Truce deal raises hopes of freeing hostages in Gaza and halting worst Mideast violence in decades.

- How the hostage deal came about: Negotiations stumbled, but persistence finally won out.

- Israel unveils what it claims is a major Hamas militant hideout beneath Gaza City's Shifa Hospital.

- The shadowy Hamas leader in Gaza is at the top of Israel's hit list.

- During truce, humanitarians want more aid for Gaza, access to hostages - and more time.

US DESTROYER SHOOTS DOWN BOMB-CARRYING DRONES LAUNCHED FROM HOUTHI-CONTROLLED TERRITORY

DUBAI- The United States military says one of its warships in the Red Sea has shot down bomb-carrying drones launched from territory controlled by Yemen's Houthi rebels.

The military arm of Yemen's Houthi rebels said earlier Wednesday that it launched a batch of long-range large missiles toward southern Israel, including the Red Sea city of Eilat. The Iran-backed rebel group has launched at least six aerial attacks against Israel since the conflict broke out on Oct. 7.

The Houthi are staunch foes of Israel and have vowed to continue aerial attacks and hijackings of Israeli ships.

The American military's Central Command said the USS Thomas Hudner, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, shot down the drones early Thursday morning.

The ship and crew sustained no damage or injury, Central Command said, but did not identify what it believed the drones were targeting.

ISRAELI AIRSTRIKE IN SOUTH LEBANON BELIEVED TO HAVE KILLED SON OF HEAD OF HEZBOLLAH'S PARLIAMENTARY BLOC

BEIRUT - An Israeli airstrike in south Lebanon late Wednesday is believed to have killed the son of the head of Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc in Lebanon, Mohammed Raad. Hezbollah announced early Thursday that five of its fighters were killed, among them Abbas Mohammed Raad, identified by local media as the son of the legislator.

The Lebanese militant group has a political wing that has long held seats in the country's parliament.

The state-run National News Agency reported that an Israeli airstrike on a house in the town of Beit Yahoun late Wednesday killed four people and wounded one. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the strike.

On Wednesday, Hamas announced that Khalil Kharraz, a commander of the Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military wing in Lebanon, was killed in an Israeli airstrike the day before. Also on Tuesday, an Israeli airstrike killed two journalists from the pan-Arab TV channel Al Mayadeen as they were reporting in south Lebanon. The Israeli military has said it is looking into the incident.

The Lebanon-Israel border has seen daily exchanges of fire between Hezbollah and Israeli troops since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war. While mostly limited to the border area, the clashes have stirred fears of a wider regional war.

ISRAEL SAYS CEASE-FIRE TALKS ARE ONGOING AND HOSTAGE RELEASE WON'T HAPPEN BEFORE FRIDAY

JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's national security adviser says a planned hostage-for-prisoner swap with Hamas has been delayed until at least Friday.

In a statement released late Wednesday, Tzachi Hanegbi said that contacts on the deal were continuing. The release will begin according to the original agreement between the parties, and not before Friday, he said.

The swap is to take place as part of a four-day truce expected to begin on Thursday.

Hanegbi gave no explanation for the delay, and it was not immediately clear when the cease-fire might begin.

NETANYAHU SAYS SPY AGENCY WILL ACT AGAINSt HAMAS LEADERS OVERSEAS

JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he has instructed the country's Mossad spy agency to track down the leadership of the Hamas militant group living in other countries outside Gaza.

I have instructed the Mossad to act against the heads of Hamas, wherever they are, Netanyahu told a news conference.

Most of Hamas' top leadership lives in exile, primarily in the Gulf state of Qatar and the Lebanese capital of Beirut.

The Mossad has been accused in a series of assassinations overseas of Palestinian militants and Iranian nuclear scientists over the years.

OVER A MILLION DISPLACED IN GAZA ARE SHELTERING IN UN FACILITIES

CAIRO - The U.N. aid agency for Palestinian refugees said Wednesday that almost 1,037,000 internally displaced Palestinians were currently seeking shelter in 156 UNRWA facilities across the Gaza Strip.

In its report, the aid agency said that the number of its workers killed by the ongoing conflict in Gaza stands at 108. The information in the report was valid as of Tuesday.

Earlier Wednesday, UNRWA's Secretary General, Philippe Lazzarini, gave a press conference in southern Gaza warning that the suffering of Palestinians will only worsen with the coming of winter, and that the besieged territory is on the verge of a waterborne disease outbreak.

In the early hours of Wednesday morning, a temporary truce was agreed between Israel and Hamas that will facilitate the release of dozens of people taken hostage during the militant group's assault on Israel on Oct. 7.

The move has been welcomed by UNRWA whose leaders have continually called for a cease-fire.

NETANYAHU VOWS WAR WILL KEEP GOING AFTER CEASE-FIRE JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he has told President Joe Biden that he will press ahead with Israel's war against Hamas after a temporary cease-fire expires.

Netanyahu said he delivered the message to Biden in a phone call on Wednesday.

I want to be clear. The war is continuing. The war is continuing. We will continue it until we achieve all our goals, Netanyahu said.

A four-day cease-fire between Israel and Hamas is expected to take effect on Thursday.

Hamas can extend the truce by releasing more of the hostages it is holding.

But Netanyahu, along with the other members of his special war cabinet, told a press conference they will resume the war until Hamas is destroyed and all of the 240 hostages it is holding are released.

ISRAEL RELEASES AWARD-WINNING PALESTINIAN POET WHO WAS DETAINED BY TROOPS IN GAZA

JERUSALEM - The Israeli army says it has released an award-winning Palestinian poet it detained in Gaza.

Mosab Abu Toha has been contributing pieces to western media since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, painting a dire picture of its toll on civilians through his personal experience.

His family announced Monday that Abu Toha had been arrested while evacuating to southern Gaza from his home in the hard-hit Jabaliya refugee camp. Abu Toha last posted to X on Nov. 15, writing: Alive. Thanks for your prayers.

Diana Buttu, a former Palestinian peace negotiator and friend of the family, said Abu Toha was stopped at an Israeli checkpoint and held for two days with dozens of other Palestinians at an Israeli detention center. She says he was was accused of having Hamas connections and beaten up in custody. She said he was released on Tuesday, apparently after the case attracted international attention.

The Israeli military said Wednesday that Abu Toha had been released. It gave no further details.

Buttu said Abu Toha was safe in central Gaza after receiving medical treatment. The poet, whose son is an American citizen, is trying to leave the besieged territory.

MASS GRAVE FOR OVER 100 PALESTINIANS DUG IN SOUTHERN GAZA

KHAN YOUNIS - More than 100 bodies were buried Wednesday in a mass grave in Khan Younis, the corpses wrapped in blue plastic sheets fastened with cable ties.

Medical workers placed dozens of bodies brought from various areas in northern Gaza, including Shifa Hospital, into a huge trench that was dug using a bulldozer.

Workers wearing surgical masks and gloves carried the bodies to the grave and performed funeral prayers.

AID TRUCKS AT GAZA BORDER AWAIT PAUSE IN FIGHTING

GENEVA - International aid groups that have lined up thousands of aid trucks for Gaza say they're ready to move quickly to send in food, water and other supplies during an agreed, but yet undated, pause in fighting between Hamas and Israel.

Details remain unclear about both the mechanics of getting more aid for beleaguered Palestinians in Gaza and the possible release of hostages kidnapped from Israel whose families have desperately sought their release.

The entire humanitarian sector is ready to scale up once everything is set, said Tommaso Della Longa, a spokesperson for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, referring to the fine print of the announced deal.

Della Longa lamented bottlenecks that have confounded the scant deliveries of humanitarian aid into Gaza. He said IFRC hopes that a deal would include provisions to allow for a faster track of aid shipments.

The only route for international humanitarian aid into Gaza since Oct. 7 has been through the Rafah Crossing into Egypt, and planeloads of supplies have been flown into the nearby Egyptian city of El-Arish - and trucks have queued up near Gaza, where intense Israeli inspections of trucks and cargo have slowed entry.

IRANIAN-BACKED MILITANT GROUP VOWS TO EXPAND CONFLICT IF US AIRSTRIKES CONTINUE

WASHINGTON - A major Iranian-backed militant group in Iraq has warned it may strike additional U.S. targets after U.S. warplanes killed multiple militants in response to the first use of short-range ballistic missiles against U.S. forces at Al-Asad Air Base earlier this week.

U.S. fighter jets struck a Kataib Hezbollah operations center and a Kataib Hezbollah command and control node south of Baghdad on Tuesday, two defense officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity to provide additional sensitive details of the attacks.

There were Kataib Hezbollah personnel at both sites at the time of the strikes, but the officials said they could not yet confirm whether anyone there was killed.

Militia officials in Iraq said the attack had killed eight Kataib Hezbollah members.

Kataib Hezbollah said in a statement Wednesday that it was considering expanding the scope of targets if the U.S. military continues with its strikes, adding that the attack will not go unpunished.

The dangerous back-and-forth strikes have escalated since Iranian-backed militant groups under the umbrella group called the Islamic Resistance in Iraq and Syria began striking U.S. facilities on Oct. 17, the date that a blast at a hospital in Gaza killed hundreds. The attacks have continued unabated since, with at least 66 rocket and missile attacks hitting U.S. facilities and wounding at least 62 service members.

___

SWISS PARLIAMENT TO CONSIDER BAN ON HAMAS

GENEVA - Switzerland's executive branch said Wednesday it will ask parliament to ban the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

The Federal Council said the government will also end contracts it has with three Palestinian non-governmental organizations. They were among 11 Palestinian and Israeli NGOs that had been under review by Swiss officials following Hamas' Oct. 7 attacks in Israel.

Four days after the deadly rampage in Israel, the council moved to designate Hamas as a terrorist group and instructed the Foreign Ministry to consider a possible ban.

The seven-member council, which includes the Swiss president, reiterated its condemnation of the attacks in the strongest possible terms and expressed its regret about the deaths of thousands of civilians on both sides of the conflict.

The United States and the European Union, which does not count Switzerland as a member, have long considered Hamas a terrorist organization.

EGYPTIAN MEDIA SAY TRUCE WILL BEGIN THURSDAY MORNING

Egypt's state-run Qahera TV says the Israel-Hamas truce will take effect at 10 a.m. local time (0800 GMT) Thursday.

Egypt helped mediate the four-day cease-fire, which will facilitate the release of dozens of hostages captured by Hamas during its Oct. 7 attack into southern Israel. The deal will also see the release of dozens of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel and the entry of more humanitarian aid into Gaza.

Israeli media also reported that the truce would begin Thursday at 10 a.m.

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION DOCUMENTS 178 ATTACKS ON GAZA HEATH CARE FACILITIES

CAIRO - The World Health Organization has documented 178 attacks on healthcare facilities that killed 553 people, including 22 healthcare workers, since the war started on Oct. 7, the agency's regional director said Wednesday.

Ahmed Al-Mandhari said in an online briefing that about 800 people, including 48 healthcare workers, were injured in the attacks, which damaged 24 hospitals and 32 ambulances.

The war has forced the shutdown of 27 out of 36 hospitals and 47 out of 72 primary health care clinics across Gaza, he said. The facilities stopping providing services mainly because of a lack of fuel and attacks, he said.

Hospitals must be allowed to replenish the resources they need to continue functioning, he said. We cannot keep providing drops of aid in an ocean of needs.

A WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION STAFF MEMBER AND HER FAMILY ARE KILLED IN STRIKE

CAIRO - The World Health Organization says one of its local staff members in Gaza was killed along with her family when a strike hit the home where they were sheltering.

It said Dima Abdullatif Mohammed Alhaj, 29, was killed Tuesday along with her husband, their 6-month-old son and her two brothers.

The U.N. health agency said in a statement late Tuesday that over 50 people were reportedly killed in the strike. It was not immediately possible to confirm the report or to determine who carried out the strike.

Israel has launched airstrikes across Gaza in the war triggered by Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel. Palestinian militants have fired rockets at Israel, some of which have fallen short.

Dr. Rik Peeperkorn, WHO's representative for the Palestinian territories, said Alhaj was a wonderful person with a radiant smile, cheerful, positive, respectful. She was a true team player.

Alhaj, who had worked as a patient administrator with WHO since 2019, was among hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who fled from northern Gaza to shelter in the south. She had left her home in Gaza City and was staying with relatives.

WHO said her death is another example of the senseless loss in this conflict."

POPE BEGS FOR PEACE AND AN END TO TERRORISM'

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis has met separately with Israeli and Palestinian delegations and begged for peace and an end to what he called terrorism and passions that are killing everyone.

In encounters arranged before the Israeli-Hamas hostage deal was announced, Francis met Wednesday with relatives of hostages held in Gaza following Hamas' Oct. 7 raid in southern Israel. And he met separately with a delegation of Palestinians with relatives in Gaza.

Speaking at the end of his weekly general audience, Francis said he heard from both how much they are suffering and the toll that the war was taking. In the audience were people holding Palestinian flags and scarves as well as small posters showing apparent bodies in a ditch and the word Genocide written underneath.

Francis said: Here we've gone beyond war. This isn't war, this is terrorism. Please, let us go forward for peace. Pray for peace, pray a lot for peace. (AP)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Islamabad, Nov 23 (PTI) Pakistan on Thursday confirmed that it has applied for membership in the BRICS grouping.

Pakistan's application to join the the five-nation bloc comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa came as the grouping of emerging economies was set for its biggest expansion with six new members under Moscow's rotating Presidency in 2024.

Also Read | Gaza Cease-Fire Will Begin Tomorrow Morning, With Aid to Follow As Soon as Possible, Says Qatar.

This year's BRICS summit held in South Africa formally admitted Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as new members. They will formally join during the 2024 summit in Russia.

Yes, I can confirm that Pakistan has made a formal request to join BRICS, which we believe is an important grouping of developing countries, Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said in her weekly press briefing.

Also Read | Russian Actress Polina Menshikh Dies During Live Show in Attack Allegedly Conducted by Ukraine, Video Surfaces.

Baloch said Pakistan enjoys friendly ties with most of the BRICS members, as well as the newly invited group of countries. As an ardent supporter of multilateralism and a member of several multilateral organisations, Pakistan has played an important role for global peace and development, she said.

We believe that by joining BRICS, Pakistan can play an important role in furthering international cooperation and revitalising inclusive multilateralism. We also hope that BRICS will move forward on Pakistan's request in line with its commitment to inclusive multilateralism, she said.

Quoting Pakistan's envoy to Moscow Muhammad Khalid Jamali, Russia's official TASS news agency reported that Islamabad has filed an application to join the BRICS group of nations in 2024 and is counting on Moscow's assistance during the membership process.

Jamali said Islamabad plans to join the group under Russia's presidency next year.

"Pakistan would like to be part of this important organisation and we are in the process of contacting member countries for extending support to Pakistan's membership in general and the Russian Federation in particular," he said.

The TASS report said that Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said in early October that BRICS plans to agree on a list of candidates for partner-state status ahead of the upcoming summit in Kazan in 2024.

While Pakistan, currently facing its worst economic and political crisis perhaps can count on the support of its all-weather ally China, it is to be seen how the other four members, Brazil, Russia India and South Africa would react to the proposal to admit Islamabad.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
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After the tabadla in the Bigg Boss 17 mohalla, there has been a shift in dynamics. In the latest episode, Vicky Jain and Sana Raees Khan were seen getting into an argument and the reason is as bizarre as it can get. In the latest episode, Sana did not let Vicky and his wife Ankita Lokhande sleep together in the dimaag room, which led to a heated argument. Sana gives the reason that she cannot sleep in the dil room as there is a lot of light. Bigg Boss 17 Promo: Aishwarya Sharma and Rinku Dhawan Blast Mannara Chopra For Showing Kindness During Ration Task (Watch Video).

Other members of the dimaag room such as Anurag Dhobal, Arun Mahshetty and Sunny Arya offer Sana their bed but all goes in vain as she does not agree. Vicky gets annoyed and Sana says he should be thankful instead he has been behaving very rudely towards her. Ankita handles the situation, she thanks her from Vicky's end and she goes back to her room. Vicky ends up sleeping on the single bed. Bigg Boss 17 Promo: BB Reprimands the Contestants for Keeping the House Dirty, Orders to Clean the Mess (Watch Video).

Vicky Jain and Sana Raees Khan Engage In War of Words:

View this post on Instagram A post shared by ColorsTV (@colorstv)

Interestingly, this comes a day after Ankita Lokhande fans were also left disappointed and furious as her husband Vicky Jain was seen holding Sana Raees hands in one of the recent episodes of Bigg Boss 17.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 23, 2023 12:06 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
New Delhi, November 23: Around 1.5 million people may have had their personal information compromised in a recent data breach at Taj Hotels, owned by Tata, as per reports.

"The perpetrator, known as 'Dnacookies', is requesting $5,000 for the complete dataset, encompassing addresses, membership IDs, mobile numbers, and other personally identifiable information (PII)," the reports further stated. "We have been made aware of someone claiming possession of a limited customer data set which is of non-sensitive nature. Safety and security of our customers' data is of paramount importance to us," said the spokesperson of Indian Hotels Company Ltd (IHCL), which runs the Taj Group. Cyber Attack on US Government Agencies: Federal Institutions in America Reportedly Hit by Cyberattack, CISA Assessing Impact.

"We are investigating this claim and have notified the relevant authorities. We continue to monitor our systems and there is no suggestion of any current or ongoing security issue or impact on business operations," said the spokesperson. However, Delhi Police is yet to confirm if they have received any complaint from the Taj Group.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 23, 2023 07:52 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
The financially struggling city of New York is on the brink of resembling a large refugee camp, with Mayor Eric Adams expressing concerns that the migrant crisis may spill onto the streets, per the NY Post.

Attributing significant cuts to city services to the influx of asylum seekers in the five boroughs, Mayor Adams announced on Tuesday that migrants might soon find themselves sleeping on the curb.

As part of the proposed reductions, he also pledged to decrease the cost of housing for migrants by 20%, though the specifics of this plan are yet to be disclosed.

Addressing the issue at a press conference, Mayor Adams acknowledged the impending visible signs of the crisis and emphasized the city's goal to prevent people from sleeping on the streets.

Surprisingly, he mentioned that some migrants and asylum seekers are expressing a preference to sleep on the streets, asserting that they have the right to do so.

Mayor Adams underscored the importance of New Yorkers understanding this right and emphasized the city's inability to prevent individuals from choosing to sleep on the streets.

READ NEXT: New York Migrant Crisis: Gov. Kathy Hochul Backs Removing 'Right To Shelter Law'

Mayor Eric Adams Blames New York Migrant Crisis to Federal Government

Addressing the ongoing crisis, Mayor Eric Adams highlighted the daily challenges of managing the influx of migrants and asylum seekers into New York City, emphasizing a dynamic approach with "nothing off the table."

He expressed concern about the unexpected increase in numbers, noting a rise to 3,000 to 4,000, complicating the situation, according to Fox News.

The mayor's statement reflects the severity of the crisis, contradicting the city's previous claims of a welcoming stance towards immigrants.

New York City has consistently blamed the federal government for perceived inaction, calling for increased funding and a "decompression strategy," leading to a strained relationship with the Biden administration.

In a separate development, the White House has requested an additional $14 billion in emergency funding for border operations, including $1.4 billion in grants to assist local governments and nonprofits.

Mayor Adams has explicitly attributed blame for the crisis, highlighting the contentious relationship between the city and the federal government.

Mayor Eric Adams to Cut New York City Budget Due to Migrant Crisis

Mayor Eric Adams is confronted with the need to reduce New York City's budget in response to the migrant crisis, exacerbated by inviting 120,000 individuals to his designated "sanctuary city," the Daily Mail noted.

In a Thursday announcement, Mayor Adams warned of 'painful' budget cuts while revealing a $110.5 billion budget for the next year, with cuts across all departments necessary due to a staggering $1.45 billion expenditure in fiscal 2023 on addressing the migrant crisis.

Projections indicate an estimated $12 billion expenditure on this crisis over the next two years.

The proposed budget reductions include a significant impact on the NYPD, with a planned reduction of officers by a fifth, affecting 13.5% and bringing the number of officers below 30,000.

Education would bear a $1 billion cut over the next two years, leading to delays in composting initiatives, reduced trash pick-ups, and cuts to pre-K programs.

Libraries, including the New York Public Library, would be forced to eliminate Sunday services, expressing concern over sustaining current service levels.

Budget reductions would also impact funding for crucial children's programs, including summer school and universal prekindergarten, highlighting the multifaceted challenges facing the city amid financial constraints and the demands of the migrant crisis.

READ MORE: US Migrant Crisis Has Chicago Residents Crying

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: Migrant crisis straining NYC finances - From FOX 5 New York
Officials have found that lead has contaminated the water on the island of St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands (USVI), and this prompted President Joe Biden to declare a state of emergency in the US Caribbean territory.

The levels of lead found in the waters of St. Croix were more than 100 times over the limits set by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This was seen as one of the worst results ever seen in a US community in decades.

Because of the high amounts of lead in the water on St. Croix Island, USVI officials have told its residents not to use any of their taps. Local officials have now also started distributing vouchers for bottled water so residents can have something safe to drink or use for cooking.

However, experts told the Associated Press that the testing done by US Virgin Islands officials may be false because these came from testing that did not meet EPA standards. One of these experts is Marc Edwards, a water expert who helped identify the lead problems in Flint, Michigan. He told the outlet, "The data should be thrown into the garbage."

However, should the findings be actually true, US Virgin Islands officials actually avoided some pitfalls made in the mainland US where information was disseminated late to the residents, particularly in poor communities like Flint, Michigan. This is because US Virgin Islands officials actually acted quickly and warned residents of the lead contamination early, with the territory's governor declaring a state of emergency before President Joe Biden.

"This is not something that we shy away from talking about," Andrew Smith, head of the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority, told the AP. He also admitted that the sky-high results reflect what is really happening on the island.

READ NEXT: US Virgin Islands Fire: Puerto Rico Sends National Guard To Help Fight Massive Landfill Fire

US Virgin Islands Officials Did Not Just Find Lead in the Water, But Also Copper

Testing on the water being consumed by residents started in late September after it was found that it usually had a red or brownish color. The initial testing not only found high amounts of lead but also copper.

According to Fox News, USVI officials have promised more testing, with the added warning that water from the tap should not be ingested. This led to the governor declaring a state of emergency, with Joe Biden also declaring a federal state of emergency for the territory to free up funds to deal with the contamination.

EPA Releases Findings With the US Virgin Islands Water

The EPA also ran its own tests alongside the US Virgin Islands Water & Power Authority (VIWAPA) and confirmed that there are indeed elevated levels of lead and copper in some samples.

The EPA announced that it agreed with the USVI assessment that the lead contamination did not originate from the VIWAPA water treatment plant and that the agency is unlikely to be the source of the contamination. More testing is needed, but for now, they are advising residents to avoid water from the tap for now.

READ MORE: US Virgin Islands: 5 Most Beautiful Places to Visit During Your Next Getaway

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Updates on High Lead Levels in Water; Lead Exposure Testing Available - USVI News
A Florida judge has found "reasonable evidence" that Tesla executives, including billionaire Elon Musk, knew that the company's self-driving technology was defective. However, this information did not stop the company from allowing "cars to be driven in an unsafe manner," leading to a crash that resulted in the death of driver Stephen Banner.

In his ruling, Palm Beach County circuit court judge Reid Scott found that the Elon Musk-owned company "engaged in a marketing strategy that painted the products as autonomous," and its billionaire owner's own public statements about the technology made things worse as they "had a significant effect on the belief about the capabilities of the products."

According to The Guardian, Banner was using the car's autopilot system when his Tesla Model 3 crashed into an 18-wheeler truck in a 2019 road accident. The Tesla's roof was sheared off, killing Banner. This brought about the lawsuit from Banner's wife.

Tesla was accused of intentional misconduct and gross negligence, and Judge Scott's findings could open the company up for punitive damages.

This lawsuit was noted to have come after the company won two product liability lawsuits in California earlier this year. These lawsuits also focused on the alleged defects in Tesla's self-driving technology.

Judge Scott also found that the plaintiff could argue that Tesla's warnings in its manuals and "clickwrap" were inadequate, adding that Banner's incident was "eerily similar" to the fatal 2016 crash where Joshua Brown died after his car's self-driving system failed to detect any crossing trucks.

"It would be reasonable to conclude that the Defendant Tesla through its CEO and engineers was acutely aware of the problem with the 'Autopilot' failing to detect cross traffic," wrote Judge Scott in his ruling.

READ MORE: Elon Musk's SpaceX Sued by US DOJ -- Here's Why

Judge Allows Lawsuit vs. Tesla To Go to Trial

With his findings, Judge Reid Scott rejected Tesla's motion to summarily dismiss the lawsuit filed by the wife of Stephen Banner, Kim Banner. He then allowed the lawsuit to move to trial, which is scheduled to happen sometime next year.

The Associated Press reported that he also allowed Kim Banner to seek punitive damages against the Elon Musk-owned electric car company, meaning that she could get millions of dollars should she win.

"The public is entitled to know these findings and we feel strongly that will happen in the next few weeks," Banner attorney Trey Lytal said in a statement following the judge's ruling.

Elon Musk Also Filed a Lawsuit of His Own

As for Elon Musk himself, he is busy with another lawsuit. This time, it is one he filed against Media Matters for America, a left-leaning media outlet.

According to TIME Magazine, Musk accused the outlet of "maliciously" trying to drive away advertisers from his social media platform, X, formerly Twitter, after Apple, IBM, and Oracle all pulled ads from the platform after it was found that they were running next to pro-Nazi content.

"Media Matters designed both these images and its resulting media strategy to drive advertisers from the platform and destroy X Corp.," the lawsuit read. The report in question came after a flurry of antisemitic and other hate speech popped up on X, with Elon Musk himself promoting some of them,

However, Media Matters brushed off the allegations and stated, "This is a frivolous lawsuit meant to bully X's critics into silence." The media watchdog then vowed, "Media Matters stands behind its reporting and looks forward to winning in court."

READ MORE: Elon Musk Imposes Reading Limits on Twitter

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Video shows Tesla autopilot failing at site of fatal March crash - CBS News
The Mexico National Guard successfully apprehended Nestor Isidro Perez Salas, suspected Los Chapitos security chief, known as "El Nini," on Wednesday, Reuters reports.

El Nini is alleged to oversee security for the faction of the Sinaloa Drug Cartel led by the sons of the cartel's founder, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman.

Considered by US anti-narcotics agents as one of the most ruthless figures in Mexican drug trafficking, Perez Salas was captured in Culiacan, the heartland of the Sinaloa Drug Cartel, and subsequently transported to Mexico City, according to government detention records.

The US State Department accuses Perez Salas of working under Ivan Archivaldo Guzman to lead the "Ninis," a violent group serving as security personnel for the Guzman brothers, also known as "Los Chapitos."

US courts have indicted Perez Salas on a range of charges related to his alleged role at the forefront of the Chapitos' security apparatus.

These charges include conspiracy to traffic cocaine and methamphetamine, possession of machine guns, and witness retaliation.

READ NEXT: El Chapo Son Ovidio Guzman Lopez Pleads 'Not Guilty'

US Posted Reward for El Nini's Capture

The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued a $3 million reward for the capture of Nestor Isidro Perez Salas, aka "El Nini," in April, as he is wanted in the United States on charges of conspiracy to import and distribute fentanyl, per AP.

"This guy was a complete psychopath," said Mike Vigil, former head of international operations for the DEA.

Perez Salas is accused of protecting Chapitos, the sons of imprisoned drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, and aiding in their drug business, particularly in exporting fentanyl to the US.

His capture is seen as a positive development for Mexico, and it follows a meeting between US President Joe Biden and Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, where collaboration in combating organized crime and the opioid epidemic was emphasized.

Last week, the US, Mexico, and China agreed to work together to curb the flow of fentanyl precursor chemicals from China.

Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, has been linked to approximately 70,000 overdose deaths annually in the United States, with a significant portion attributed to the Sinaloa Drug Cartel by the DEA.

Despite the capture of El Nini, key figures like Ivan Guzman, leader of Los Chapitos, remain at large.

Chapitos Security Chief El Nini

Nestor Isidro Perez Salas, also known as "El Nini," allegedly led a security team called the Ninis, described as an exceptionally violent group of personnel for the Chapitos, the sons of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman.

The Ninis received military-style training in various combat areas and were implicated in brutal acts of violence, including the torture of a Mexico federal agent in 2017, according to ABC News.

The victim endured two hours of torture, including the insertion of a corkscrew into his muscles and the use of hot chiles in the wounds.

Under Perez Salas and Jorge Figueroa Benitez's command, the Ninis were involved in gruesome acts, such as executing captured rivals on ranches owned by the Chapitos.

Some victims were shot, while others were fed, dead or alive, to tigers owned by the Chapitos.

The Ninis allegedly conducted human testing on kidnapped rivals or addicts, injecting them until they overdosed, revealing a level of brutality that underscores the extreme nature of their operations.

The details from the indictment provide a disturbing glimpse into the tactics employed by this faction within the Sinaloa Drug Cartel.

READ MORE: El Chapo Net Worth

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: Letter from El Chapo suggests prison officials fear he's plotting another escape - From ABC 7 Chicago
In Haiti, gangs may have taken over most of the capital, but the leader of one of the most notorious gangs is now in US custody after being captured by Haitian authorities.

Jhon Peter Fleronvil was charged and wanted in the United States until the government of Haiti extradited him to the country. He is accused of kidnapping three US citizens at gunpoint in two separate incidents. The Haiti National Police confirmed his extradition, according to the Miami Herald.

Haitian police have had Fleronvil in their custody since September 11, 2022. He was arrested while trying to travel to the Dominican Republic by crossing the border between the Ouanaminthe and Dajabon areas.

There is an active arrest warrant and affidavit against Fleronvil by the FBI, who misspelled his first name as "John" in various US court documents. However, he finally had his first appearance on Tuesday in front of federal judge Lisette M. Reid in Miami.

The notorious Haiti gang leader is one of the leaders of the notorious Kokorat San Ras, which means "Cohorts of No Race." The group is known to be armed and dangerous, and like other Haitian gangs, it gets its money through kidnap-for-ransom schemes. It was recently identified in a United Nations sanctions report on Haiti.

Kokorat San Ras is known to operate in the country's rice-growing Artibonite Valley and is one of the groups slowly taking over the capital, Port-au-Prince. It has been accused of acts of extreme violence as it forced many Haitians to abandon their own homes and farmland in operations that also include armed robberies, assassinations, rapes, and kidnappings for ransom.

READ MORE: Haiti Gang Burns Courthouse

Haiti Gang Leader Targeted US Citizens in a Series of Kidnappings in 2022

A UN report noted that Kokorat San Ras "committed acts of extreme violence, forcing people to abandon large areas of cropland and threatening agricultural production." However, what made Fleronvil wanted in the US was when he targeted three US citizens, according to the Associated Press.

The gang reportedly kidnapped a married American couple visiting family in Port-de-Paix. Fleronvil led members of his gang to abduct the two Americans at gunpoint and held them hostage. They were let go after their family members paid a $10,500 ransom.

This success led them to target a third US citizen who was also kidnapped at gunpoint. The third victim was taken in the town of Tibwadom while en route to Port-de-Paix and was also released after a ransom was paid.

Kidnap-For-Ransom Thriving in Haiti as Gangs Ravage the Country

Foreigners staying in Haiti have a target on their backs as Haiti gangs often target them for their kidnap-for-ransom schemes and then charge massive amounts to their relatives. The latest example is the abduction of US nurse Alix Dorsainvil and her child.

The two have now been released but the nonprofit she was working for, El Roi Haiti, was forced to pay for their ransom. According to ABC News, the US State Department has already warned that kidnappings for ransom that include US Citizens in Haiti are now a "common" occurrence.

READ MORE: Haiti Crisis Explained: How Did It Get This Bad?

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: ABC News Exclusive: Haiti kidnapping survivor breaks his silence - ABC News
House Speaker Mike Johnson released thousands of hours of footage from January 6, quickly reviving a few conspiracy theories and talking points from Donald Trump supporters and allies. However, these conspiracy theories were soon debunked once again.

Among the revived claims was that January 6 was "peaceful," as footage showed the insurrectionists not rioting inside the Capitol but just walking around like they were on tour. However, this is easily debunked by the argument that while there were some on the Capitol that were just walking around on January 6, it does not debunk the violent actions of the others captured on camera.

Another claim stated that security footage released by Mike Johnson showed a federal agent disguised as a supporter of then-President Donald Trump during the siege on the Capitol. However, the Associated Press soon fact-checked this claim and revealed that the footage does not show an FBI agent but Chicago man Kevin James Lyon, a Trump supporter who was sentenced last July to four years in prison for his role on January 6. Multiple footage of Lyons at the Capitol wearing the same things as the footage were used in court documents.

As for the "badge" Lyon was holding, it turns out that it was just a vape pen. The January 6 rioter was convicted in April of six charges. These include obstruction of an official proceeding.

MAGA Republicans Lead Charge in Spreading January 6 Conspiracy Theories After Footage Was Released

As soon as Johnson released the January 6 footage, MAGA Republicans soon jumped into action and helped spread misinformation. This includes Marjorie Taylor Greene, who demanded that "Every member of the Jan 6th committee, Nancy Pelosi, FBI, DOJ, DC Police, Cap Police, [and] Jan 6 witnesses" be prosecuted.

READ MORE: Donald Trump New York Fraud Trial: Former Trump Organization Executive Cries While Testifying

Vanity Fair described many of their explanations for their conspiracy theories to be "deranged" and "half-baked" as many could easily be debunked, including the FBI agent conspiracy theory, which was helped spread by Utah senator Mike Lee, who posted about it on X (previously Twitter) before the community debunked his claims.

"The person in the photo is Kevin Lyons. He has been sentenced to 51 months in prison for his illegal activities inside the Capitol on J6. He is not a police officer and is not holding a badge. He is carrying a vape and a photograph and wallet stolen from Pelosi's office," read the context added by X to Lee's post.

Donald Trump Helping Spread January 6 Conspiracy Theories

Helping stoke misinformation about what really happened on January 6 is Donald Trump himself. At a rally earlier this month, he referred to January 6 defendants, many of whom have been convicted of sedition, as "hostages." He then saluted them during a song recorded by the J6 Prison Choir.

On Monday, Trump also reported a claim by a former aide that "everything you've been told about January 6th is bullsh!t" - and that the people who "framed Trump ... will pay." This is stoking fears that should he win. Trump will act more like a dictator rather than a US president, as he has promised he will go after political opponents as revenge.

However, these new conspiracy theories popped up after a state judge ruled in Colorado that the former president did engage in insurrection but ruled that he could still stay on the Colorado ballot due to a technicality.

READ MORE: Donald Trump is Confused Why Co-Defendants Sidney Powell, Jenna Ellis, Kenneth Chesebro Pleaded Guilty

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Sen. Lee pushes debunked conspiracy theory about Jan. 6 rioter - MSNBC
An ex-Obama aide, Stuart Seldowitz, was taken into police custody on Wednesday and is now facing hate crime charges following a confrontation with a halal cart vendor in Manhattan, as captured on camera, according to the police, according to ABC 7.

Seldowitz, who resides near the halal cart, was recorded in multiple videos allegedly harassing the vendor, targeting him based on his Egyptian roots and Islamic faith.

The former Barack Obama adviser's actions resulted in his termination from Gotham Government Relations, a lobbying and communications firm where he was employed.

The NYPD initiated a hate crime investigation after footage showed Seldowitz allegedly using Islamophobic language against the food cart vendor on the Upper East Side.

The 64-year-old now faces charges including hate crime/stalking, second-degree aggravated harassment, stalking causing fear, and stalking at employment, according to the NYPD.

The specific charges that Seldowitz will ultimately face will be determined by the Manhattan district attorney's office.

As he was led out of the 19th Precinct in handcuffs, Seldowitz chose not to make any comments to reporters.

READ NEXT: Landlord Faces Hate Crime Charges After Fatally Stabbing Palestinian American Boy

Ex-Obama Aide Harrases Halal Cart Vendor

Before his arrest became public, Seldowitz acknowledged to CNN via email that he was indeed the person in the videos.

These recordings, captured by a vendor operating a food cart on Manhattan's Upper East Side on different occasions, were widely shared online this month.

In the videos, Seldowitz engages in offensive behavior, mocking Islam and taunting the vendor about his citizenship status.

He also accuses the vendor of supporting Hamas and makes references to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.

One video captures Seldowitz accusing the vendor of supporting child killings, to which the vendor responds by asserting that Seldowitz is the one responsible for such actions.

The New York City Police Department informed CNN on Tuesday that a commanding officer is aware of the videos, and local precinct personnel are actively monitoring the situation.

These incidents occur at a time when the United States is witnessing an "unprecedented" surge in reported anti-Arab and anti-Muslim bias incidents since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, as reported by the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

In one video, Seldowitz threatens to publicly label the vendor as a supporter of Hamas, while in another, he questions the vendor about Egypt's General Intelligence Service, known as the Mukhabarat.

Seldowitz makes chilling remarks about the Mukhabarat potentially harming the vendor's parents. He concludes one video by holding up his phone, asking the vendor to smile, and laughing.

Seldowitz also goes on to make derogatory comments about the Prophet Mohammed, ridiculing Islam and seemingly assuming it is the vendor's religion.

Ex-Obama Aide Stuart Seldowitz Denies Being Islamophobic, Regrets His Actions

Seldowitz, who was caught on video harassing a halal cart vendor on the Upper East Side and making inappropriate comments, denied being an "Islamophobic guy," per the NY Post.

However, the ex-Obama aide reluctantly admitted that it was him in the viral videos circulating on social media and offered a somewhat apologetic statement.

Reflecting on the incident, he expressed regret, especially for bringing religion into the confrontation.

"If I had to do it all over again, I would not have raised the religious aspect," he admitted to City & State on Tuesday night.

Despite asserting that he does not consider himself Islamophobic and has advocated for equal treatment of Muslims in the past, he acknowledged making regrettable statements in the heat of the moment.

In response to the incident, Gotham Government Relations, where Seldowitz worked as a consultant, announced the termination of its association with him.

The company released a statement condemning the video, describing his actions as "vile, racist, and beneath the dignity of the standards we practice at our firm."

David Schwartz, the founder and president of the firm, expressed outrage and offered pro bono legal representation to the food vendor if he chose to sue Seldowitz.

City leaders, including Mayor Eric Adams, Governor Kathy Hochul, and New York Attorney General Letitia James, also denounced Seldowitz for his behavior in the videos.

READ MORE: Michigan Robbers Arrested

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: Racist Ex-Obama Official Caught In CRUEL Harassment Of Food Vendors - From The Young Turks
The 97th annual Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade will return to its usual 2.5-mile route for the annual holiday tradition in New York City.

Here is how you can watch the festivities this year from your couch or the New York City parade route.

The 2023 Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade begins at 8:30 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 23 and runs until approximately noon.

The parade will be broadcast at the same time in all U.S. time zones. There will also be a replay of the parade from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

NBC and Telemundo will broadcast the parade.

There is also a Macys Live Parade Special on Macys website, featuring behind-the-scenes videos.

NBCs streaming service Peacock will livestream the parade starting at 8:30 a.m.

You also can watch NBC on other streaming platforms, such as Fubo TV, which offers a free trial and has live TV and DVR functions, so viewers can watch the parade in real-time or on-demand.

Today hosts Hoda Kotb, Savannah Guthrie and Al Roker will host for NBC.

It begins at West 77th Street and Central Park West in Manhattan. The parade will make its way south along 8th Avenue before turning down 59th Street at Columbus Circle. The remainder of the Thanksgiving Day Parade will travel south down 6th Avenue, ending at Macys Herald Square.

The parade will feature seven new balloons, five new floats and dozens of performers and marching bands.

One of the new balloons in particular is fan-favorite Beagle Scout Snoopy. According to the Macys parade website, its the ninth version of the longest-running character balloon to appear in the parade.

The Deliciously Delectable World of Wonka float will also be making its debut in the parade to promote the new Wonka movie coming out from Warner Brothers Pictures in December 2023.

There will be 17 performers, including big names, such as Brandy, Cher, Chicago, Jon Batiste and Pentatonix. There will also be nine marching bands, including New Jerseys own Rutgers University marching band, the Marching Scarlet Knights.

The Macys Thanksgiving Parade is not a publicly ticketed event. If there are tickets for prime viewing spots of the parade at Herald Square, they are usually given to friends and family of Macys employees, parade performers and politicians.

It is possible, however, to view the parade for free along the 2.5 mile parade route.

People usually line up starting at 6 a.m. at Central Park West, which is a prime viewing spot, to watch the parade on Thanksgiving Day.

Forecasters from the National Weather Service are calling for mostly sunny skies with a high of 52 degrees and a low of 41 degrees.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Katherine Rodriguez can be reached at krodriguez@njadvancemedia.com. Have a tip? Tell us at nj.com/tips.
A woman pleaded guilty in a deadly DUI crash on I-95 in South Philadelphia in 2022 that claimed the lives of two Pennsylvania troopers and a pedestrian.

Now, she will spend at least 27 years in prison, according to news reports.

Last year, 23-year-old Jayana Webb struck and killed state troopers Martin F. Mack, III, 33, and Branden T. Sisca, 29, as well as 28-year-old Reyes Rivera Oliveras, of Allentown, on Interstate 95 near the Broad Street exit.

Webb entered her plea on Wednesday to multiple charges, including third-degree murder and homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence. She was sentenced to 27  years to 60 years.

Todays conviction of Jayana Webb is a just resolution of one of the most shocking incidents of vehicular violence in recent memory, District Attorney Larry Krasner said in a statement to NBC10.

But Webbs prison time has been delayed because she is seven months pregnant, KYW Newsradio reported.

This combination of photos provided by the Pennsylvania State Police shows Trooper Martin F. Mack III, left, and Trooper Branden T. Sisca. Authorities say an early Monday, March 21, 2022 crash on a highway in Philadelphia killed the two state troopers and a civilian.Pennsylvania State Police via AP

The incident occurred around 12:40 a.m. on March 21, 2022, in the southbound lanes of I-95 near Lincoln Financial Field. Mack and Sisca had just pulled over Webb when they received a call about a man, Oliveras, who was walking on the highway and left Webb as they responded to him.

As they attended to Oliveras, Webb, who had a blood alcohol level twice the legal limit of .08, fatally struck all three men and the patrol car at a high rate of speed. The impact was so great that it threw the two troopers and Oliveras into the northbound lanes of I-95.

She remained at the scene with her badly damaged vehicle.

In a tweet posted before the crash, Webb seemingly documented the traffic stop tweeting, why the cop pull me & say Im doing 110 ina 50.

In another tweet from mid-January, Webb bragged about her ability to drink to drive.

If you ask me, Im the best drunk driver ever, the post read, Fox29 reported.
Allentown-based PPL Electric Utilities is proposed to pay a $1 million civil penalty under a settlement with state utility regulators, to resolve widespread consumer billing problems from last December.

The electricity provider also would absorb more than $16 million in related costs under the proposed joint settlement with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.

The PUC said Wednesday it is evaluating the joint settlement proposal for possible approval by its commissioners.

PPL Electric Utilities in a statement Wednesday to lehighvalleylive.com said: We hope the Commission will approve the proposed joint settlement, the elements of which build upon the significant changes we already have made to PPL Electric Utilities processes and systems over the past year to prevent a billing issue like this from happening again. Supporting our customers and continuously improving our service are top priorities.

PUC officials earlier this year launched an investigation into billing issues impacting PPL customers in response to large numbers of consumer calls and complaints about unusually high or low estimated bills, missing monthly bills, and the lack of adequate customer service support resulting in consumers being unable to reach PPL Call Center representatives to discuss their billing concerns, according to a news release from the state commission.

The release states:

The probe by the PUCs independent Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement found the billing issues originated in December 2022, when the company discovered its meter data management software was not sending customer meter data to its customer service system. This backed up normal customer billing operations and resulted in sending estimated December 2022 bills. Later, human error caused additional incorrect bills to be issued, while some customers received no bills, and issues with bill estimation resulted in wildly inaccurate bills.

According to the proposed joint settlement, more than 48,000 PPL Electric accounts received no bills during one or more months between December 2022 and April 2023 billing periods, and during that same period more than 91,000 unique customer accounts received no bills.

Additionally, between December 2022 and January 2023 nearly 795,000 estimated bills were issued by PPL Electric, and a total of more than 860,000 estimated bills were issued between December 2022 and May 2023.

An analysis of estimated bills issued by PPL revealed that 67.31% (261,104 customers) of the bills had an estimate differing from the customers actual usage of 10% or greater. Of these bills, one-third indicated an estimate that varied from actual by more than 25%. And nearly 48,000 customer bills were based on an estimate differing from actual usage by more than 50%.

Further, over 82,000 estimated bills were impacted by missing or inaccurate supply charges  resulting in a process where PPL canceled the initial estimated bills and rebilled accounts to correct errors  generating consumer confusion and creating a complicated tangle of bills that took months to unravel.

Finally, customers who attempted to contact PPL about billing issues were faced with extremely long wait times or were unable to reach the utility at all. Call center data from the period between January and April 2023 showed that 41% of calls to PPL were abandoned without customers being able to reach a representative.

Under the proposed settlement, PPL Electric would agree to a series of corrective actions in response to these billing issues, in addition to the $1 million fine.

Additionally, PPL voluntary agrees under the proposal to absorb more than $16 million in additional costs related to rectifying their billing issues, including:

Around $2.3 million in voluntarily waived late fees.

Approximately $7.8 million of additional bad debt expense arising out of the voluntary service termination moratorium.

Forgoing collection of approximately $1.7 million from customers who were underbilled in the estimation true-up process.

An additional approximately $3.7 million of unplanned costs in engaging external vendors.

Approximately $700,000 of unbudgeted employee overtime expenses.

Under the proposed settlement, PPL would not seek to recover any of those related costs in future rate cases or in any other manner.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com.
A Laois Fianna Fail local election candidate is among those backing the peace in Palestine march in Portlaoise as the a pause in the war between Israel and Hamas takes place.

The organisers, the Laois branch of the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign, say the peace and solidarity 'emergency rally' is taking place in support of the Palestinian people.

Those taking part are asked to assemble at the new Library at Lower Main Street, Portlaoise at 1 pm on Sunday 26 November.

Naeem Iqbal is among those encouraging local people to show their support by taking part. Mr Iqbal has been selected by Fianna Fail to contest the 2024 Laois County Council local election. He is a candidate in the Portlaoise Municipal District.

He has previously been vocal in support of the Palestinians.

"Innocent people will keep on dying on both sides until an international effort is made to deliver a just and sustainable peace.

"The recent attacks of Hamas and counterattacks of Israel have unleashed horror upon innocent people in Israel & Gaza.

"It is the moral & political obligation of the world leaders to chart a way towards a future in which these events cant be repeated.

"Highly condemnable are those countries who are supporting Israel's bombing, complete blockade of food, water, electricity & medicine and suspension of aid for the innocent people of Gaza.

"I appreciate the Department of Foreign Affairs, Ireland for not supporting the suspension of aid which plays a crucial role in the livelihoods and welfare of Palestinian civilians  currently up to 80% of the Palestinian population is dependent on international assistance for basic human needs," he said in October.
Shoppers hoping to bag a bargain in the Black Friday sales tomorrow have been warned of several different scams doing the rounds.

As Phishing and text message scams have been on the rise in recent months , consumers, especially those shopping online, have been advised to be wary of any links the might press that could lead to their financial and personal information being stolen.

Irish households will spend more than 5bn over the Christmas period and a time of such high activity is "fertile ground" for scammers seeking to gain access to sensitive financial data.

Digital Business Ireland (DBI) urges all shoppers to protect themselves by using security software, never clicking links unless they know the sender and having a heightened awareness of the possibility of fraud.

DBI have provided consumers with a 5 point checklist to keep themselves safe while shopping online.

Secure URLs will have https at the start, along with a green bar/padlock.

In the UK, 1 in 10 ticket buyers have purchased fakes, so only buy from trusted sites.

Social media is increasingly used by fraudsters. Watch out for fake friend requests and YouTube links containing malware.

Check your bank statements regularly and set up mobile alerts for transactions.

Import taxes now apply to goods from the UK, so check where youre buying from. Even better: shop on .ie domains and support local businesses.

A recent poll conducted by Digital Business Ireland found that nearly a fifth of Irish people (17%) have fallen victim to a scam through their mobile phone. 20% of women reported a violation of their information through a mobile phone scam, while only 12% of men did similarly.

Ashley McDonnell, Chairperson of Digital Business Ireland, said:

Weve seen an increase in cyber-security breaches become more and more elaborate and sophisticated in recent years and these threats continue to grow and evolve all the time.

We urge people to be very careful when shopping online this Black Friday, Cyber Monday and into the Christmas rush.

Remember: if something seems too good to be true  it probably is!

There are a few simple precautions that people can take which would make a huge difference in protecting them, their information and sensitive financial data.

Scams and fraud are difficult to investigate and prosecute so self-protection must be at the core of shoppers activity when online shopping.
Police and politicians have called for calm amid warnings against misinformation as violence broke out in Dublin following a knife attack on a woman and three young children near a school.

Irish Justice Minister Helen McEntee labelled the scenes in the city centre intolerable, and said a thuggish and manipulative element must not be allowed to use an appalling tragedy to wreak havoc.

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said a complete lunatic faction driven by far-right ideology is behind disorder in the capital.

Violence broke out after three young children and a woman were attacked Parnell Square East in the north of the city centre on Thursday afternoon.

A five-year-old girl is undergoing emergency treatment for her injuries, Irish police have said.

The woman was seriously injured while the two other children, a five-year-old boy and a six-year-old girl, sustained less serious injuries

Gardai said a man who sustained serious injuries is a person of interest in their investigation.

Earlier on Thursday, Garda Superintendent Liam Geraghty said they were keeping an open mind in terms of the investigation but were satisfied there is no terrorist link.

However, at an evening press conference Mr Harris was asked about a potential terrorist link, and appeared minded not to rule that out.

I have never ruled out any possible motive for this attack all lines of inquiry are open to determine the motive for this attack, he said.

Until were sure what the motive is then we have to keep an open mind as to why this happened.

The scene of the incident is close to Irish language-medium primary school Gaelscoil Cholaiste Mhuire.

Please be advised that all Luas services have been suspended due to a non Luas related safety incident at Parnel Street.Apologies for any inconvenience caused.  Luas (@Luas) November 23, 2023

A Garda public order unit was deployed in the area around Parnell Square, Parnell Street and OConnell Street as protesters started to scuffles with officers and flares and fireworks were thrown at the Garda cordon.

As the violence escalated, a bus and car were set on fire on OConnell Bridge in the heart of the city centre.

The Luas trams service was suspended after coming under attack.

Rioters looted a Foot Locker store on OConnell Steet as bottles were thrown at gardai on the famous Dublin street.

Other people carried metal bars and smashed shop windows.

In a series of co-ordinated presses, gardai dispersed a large portion of the crowd onto nearby roads.

Smoke from bus and car fires filled the air while a garda helicopter monitored the situation overhead

Ms McEntee said: A thuggish and manipulative element must not be allowed to use an appalling tragedy to wreak havoc.

I have spoken to local TDs from all sides of the Dail and we are of the same view.

We will not tolerate a small number using an appalling incident to spread division. I would appeal for calm in the city centre as An Garda Siochana carry out their work  attacks on members of An Garda Siochana must be utterly condemned and will be dealt with severely.

Most importantly, we must remember the real tragedy of today and allow the investigations take their course.

Speaking to media at Mountjoy Garda Station on Thursday evening, Mr Harris called for calm and spoke out against the spreading of misinformation.

He confirmed that a number of Garda vehicles have been damaged.

He said some individuals were using a tragic event which is under investigation by the authorities for their own ends and a hooligan faction who are only interested in causing damage and mayhem in the city centre and theyre using the opportunity for that as well.

I think theres disgraceful scenes in terms of a major investigation, the maintenance of a scene and the gathering of evidence, he said.

We have a complete lunatic hooligan faction driven by far-right ideology, and also then this disruptive tendency engaged in serious violence.

We are drafting in resources to deal with that and that will be dealt with properly. Ive given full direction to our resources here in respect of making arrests and bringing offenders to justice.

Its our responsibility to make sure that we police the streets, and part of that is we ask people to act responsibly and not to listen to the misinformation and rumour that is circulating on social media.

The facts are being established, but the facts are still not clear on a lot of the rumour and the innuendo is being spread for malevolent purposes.

Mr Harris cautioned: The facts have yet to emerge, and will take time to fully emerge.

He said the motive for the afternoon attack is not clear to us at this moment in time.

Earlier, Supt Geraghty said: Preliminary indications are that a male attacked a number of people on Parnell Square East.

Five casualties have been taken to hospitals in the Dublin region. These casualties include three young children, an adult female and an adult male.

One girl, aged five years, has sustained serious injuries and is currently receiving emergency medical treatment in CHI Temple Street.

He added: The male in his 50s is a person of interest to An Garda Siochana in this investigation and An Garda Siochana is not looking for any other person at this time.

The officer said his understanding is that a knife was used, adding: It would appear to be a standalone attack, and we need to determine the reasons behind that.

He added: My understanding is members of the public did intervene at a very, very early stage and we would applaud those members of the public for getting involved in such a traumatic and potentially dangerous situation for themselves.

Were aware that the public are concerned about the activities that have happened today. The message to them is that we believe that this is a standalone incident, not necessarily connected to any wider issues that are ongoing in the country or in the city, and we need to identify the exact reasons for that happening.

So wed ask for people not to jump to conclusions and not to make rash judgments on what may have happened.

Siobhan Kearney said she witnessed what she believes was a man attacking children, describing what she saw as absolutely bedlam.

Ms Kearney told RTE she watched people disarm a man who she said had a knife.

I looked across the road and I see the man and the stabbing motion with a load of children so I flew across the road, she said.

The man was after stabbing two children as far as I could make out, and we got the children up to the left with the women that were there, and the teachers I presume.

People were trying to attack the man so me and an American lady, we formed a ring around the man, and then about three minutes later the ambulance came for the children and then another ambulance and fire officers came for the man on the ground.

Irish premier Mr Varadkar said: We are all shocked by the incident which has taken place in Parnell Square.

A number of people have been injured, some of them children. Our thoughts and our prayers go out to them and their families.

The facts in this matter are still emerging. The emergency services responded very quickly and were on site within minutes. I thank them for that.

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald said the incident in Dublin city centre had caused shock and horror.

Speaking at the scene she said children who witnessed what happened have been traumatised.

She added: Our heart goes out to the whole school community, to the children, the parents, the teachers.

I know that the gardai acted very swiftly in this matter, but this is certainly the last thing that any of us expected on a Thursday afternoon where children should come safely from school and be collected by their parents.

I pray the injured make a full recovery.

The community is stunned, stunned and horrified.
A Kildare native is one of two Irish men among the 456 contestants participating in Netflix's latest reality competition, Squid Game: The Challenge.

USE THE ARROWS ABOVE OR 'NEXT' TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE IRISH CONTESTANTS

The series debuted on Netflix on Wednesday, and eager-eyed Irish viewers may have recognised some familiar faces in the form of Donegal social media star Eric Roberts, and Kildare native Mikie Bowe who lives in Belfast.

Contestants of all ages, identities and backgrounds from all over the world will be tested in a series of physical and mental challenges to win the biggest cash prize in Netflix television - $4.56 million.

The first batch of five episodes landed on the streaming platform on Wednesday, with a second batch of four episodes to follow next week before the final episode's release on December 6. Good luck to our Irish representation!

USE THE ARROWS ABOVE OR 'NEXT' TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE IRISH CONTESTANTS
A Naas District Court defendant with schizophrenia is so mentally unwell at present that he does have capacity to advice his legal team.

Earlier this month, Judge Desmond Zaidan was told that the man is a serious risk to both himself and others.

However, there was no bed at the Central Mental Health Hospital (CMMH) available for him.

The man stands accused of attacking and injuring his mother with a knife.

On the latest court date (Thursday, November 20 last), defending barrister Mark Gibbons, who was acting on behalf of solicitor Cairbre Finan, told the judge that there is still no bed available at the CMMH for the accused.

The man appeared via video-link as he is currently remanded in custody  specifically, he is currently being detained in the medical wing of the prison he is in.

Mr Gibbons directed Judge Zaidan's attention to one part of a psychiatric report which was provided in relation to his client.

The section said that the man has no mental capacity to instruct his legal team.

Judge Desmond Zaidan. File pic.

A garda told the judge that a copy of the psychiatric report has since been sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

Judge Zaidan asked for a prison garda to appear, and when the garda made themselves available via video-link beside the accused, the judge told the garda about the man's current lack of mental capacity.

"It doesn't get more serious than that," the judge added.

Judge Zaidan also pointed out that the court was told last week that the defendant was refusing to take any prescribed medication to alleviate his condition.

When he asked if the man was still refusing medication, the prison garda said that they did not have this information at hand.

The judge also told the garda: "If I strike this case out, he will be released, and if something goes wrong, it will be at the door of the State.

"The doctor (who assessed the accused and wrote the psychiatric report) has made it clear that there is no bed for him, but if, for the next date, State hasn't given me directions, or at least hasn't given me a good reason why DPP directions haven't been given, I will strike-out the case without prejudice."

He added: "It's not up to me to fill in gaps for the State."

MENTAL HEALTH ACT, 2001

The judge further said that the doctor recommended for gardai to make an application under Section 12 of the Mental Health Act, 2001.

This provision of the Act states:

12.(1) Where a member of the Garda Siochana has reasonable grounds for believing that a person is suffering from a mental disorder and that because of the mental disorder there is a serious likelihood of the person causing immediate and serious harm to himself or herself or to other persons, the member may either alone or with any other members of the Garda Siochana

(a) take the person into custody, and (b) enter if need be by force any dwelling or other premises or any place if he or she has reasonable grounds for believing that the person is to be found there.

(2) Where a member of the Garda Siochana takes a person into custody under subsection (1), he or she or any other member of the Garda Siochana shall make an application forthwith in a form specified by the Commission to a registered medical practitioner for a recommendation.

(3) The provisions of sections 10 and 11 shall apply to an application under this section as they apply to an application under section 9 with any necessary modifications.

(4) If an application under this section is refused by the registered medical practitioner pursuant to the provisions of section 10 , the person the subject of the application shall be released from custody immediately.

(5) Where, following an application under this section, a recommendation is made in relation to a person, a member of the Garda Siochana shall remove the person to the approved centre specified in the recommendation.

'THINK ABOUT TAKING HELP'

Judge Zaidan then spoke directly to the defendant, and urged him to take up treatment.

"Just think about taking help. There are lots of people with schizophrenia who have their condition managed, and are able to live independent lives," he said.

"I understand," the defendant replied.

The judge adjourned the case to November 23, to allow time for directions from the DPP.

He remanded the man in custody until this date, and also made a video-link order.

Judge Zaidan also said to Mr Gibbons that he would recommend for him and Mr Finan to liase with the governor of the prison the man is being kept in, as well as the doctor who wrote the report.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can contact Samaritans Ireland (116123 or jo@samaritans.org) or you can visit pieta.ie (24/7 Free Crisis Helpline: 1800 247 247 or Text HELP to 51444).

For further information about schizophrenia, including how to treat the condition, please visit https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/schizophrenia/
Kildare County Council and An Garda Siochana will host the annual public meeting of the Joint Policing Committee on Monday 4th December in the Osprey Hotel, Naas.

The meeting will take place from 7pm  9pm discussing the theme of Working together to improve road safety.

The public is invited to attend and participate in the annual public meeting.

World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims took place on Sunday 19th November and Kildare County Council joined other Local Authorities, the Road Safety Authority, An Garda Siochana and other road safety groups, in remembering all those who have died in road traffic collisions around the world, in Ireland and on our own roads in County Kildare.

2023 has been the worst year for road fatalities in Ireland in many years, with over 165 families losing loved ones in road traffic accidents.

Donna Price, Founder, President & PRO of the Irish Road Victims Association will be a guest speaker at the public meeting of the Joint Policing Committee.

Inspector Anthony Connaughton will also speak to the public meeting, discussing Gardai objectives in relation to road safety.

Kildare County Councils Road Safety Team will also be in attendance on the night.

The Joint Policing Committee in Kildare has 37 members comprising:

15 Elected Members

11 Oireachtas Members

2 Local Authority Representatives

2 Garda Representatives

7 Community Representatives

The purpose of the Joint Policing Committee is to serve as a forum for consultations, discussions and recommendations on matters affecting the policing of Kildare.

For further information visit www.kildarejointpolicing.ie.


Three young children have been injured, one seriously, following a knife attack outside a school in Dublin city centre.

A woman was also seriously injured in the incident on Parnell Square East in the north inner-city on Thursday afternoon.

A five-year-old girl is undergoing emergency treatment for her injuries, Irish police have said.

The two other children, a five-year-old boy and a six-year-old girl, sustained less serious injuries.

Garda said a man who sustained serious injuries is a person of interest in their investigation.

They have also ruled out any terrorist link and praised members of the public who intervened following the attack.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said a suspect had been detained.

The scene of the incident is close to Irish language-medium primary school Gaelscoil Cholaiste Mhuire.

Giving an update to the media on Thursday evening, Superintendent Liam Geraghty said: An Garda Siochana continue to investigate all of the circumstances of a serious assault which occurred on Parnell Square East shortly after 1.30pm this afternoon.

Preliminary indications are that a male attacked a number of people on Parnell Square East.

Five casualties have been taken to hospitals in the Dublin region.

These casualties include three young children, an adult female and an adult male.

One girl, aged five years, has sustained serious injuries and is currently receiving emergency medical treatment in CHI Temple Street.

The senior officer said the police were following a definite line of inquiry.

He added: The male in his 50s is a person of interest to An Garda Siochana in this investigation and An Garda Siochana is not looking for any other person at this time.

Mr Geraghty said he is satisfied there is no terror-related activity or related to any wider aspects in relation to this matter.

He said: It would appear to be a standalone attack, and we need to determine the reasons behind that.

The officer said his understanding is that a knife was used.

He added: My understanding is members of the public did intervene at a very, very early stage and we would applaud those members of the public for getting involved in such a traumatic and potentially dangerous situation for themselves.

Were aware that the public are concerned about the activities that have happened today.

The message to them is that we believe that this is a standalone incident, not necessarily connected to any wider issues that are ongoing in the country or in the city, and we need to identify the exact reasons for that happening.

So wed ask for people not to jump to conclusions and not to make rash judgments on what may have happened.

Siobhan Kearney said she witnessed what she believes was a man attacking children.

She described what she saw as absolutely bedlam.

Ms Kearney told RTE she watched people disarm a man who she said had a knife.

I looked across the road and I see the man and the stabbing motion with a load of children so I flew across the road, she said.

The man was after stabbing two children as far as I could make out, and we got the children up to the left with the women that were there, and the teachers I presume.

People were trying to attack the man so me and an American lady, we formed a ring around the man, and then about three minutes later the ambulance came for the children and then another ambulance and fire officers came for the man on the ground.

Irish Justice Minister Helen McEntee said she was deeply shocked by the appalling attack on three innocent children and a woman.

She said: All our thoughts are with those injured, especially with the children, their parents and families, during this extremely difficult period.

I have been briefed by the Garda Commissioner (Drew Harris) and will remain in close contact with him and senior gardai.

She added: However, my thoughts now are with the innocent children and the woman who have been attacked, their families, and those who are caring for them at this time.

Irish premier Mr Varadkar said: We are all shocked by the incident which has taken place in Parnell Square.

A number of people have been injured, some of them children.

Our thoughts and our prayers go out to them and their families.

I have been in contact with the Minister for Justice who is keeping me updated.

He added: The facts in this matter are still emerging.

The emergency services responded very quickly and were on site within minutes. I thank them for that.

Gardai have detained a suspect and are following a definite line of inquiry.

Irish Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe said his thoughts and prayers are with the victims.

He said: I am aware of an extremely serious incident that has taken place at Parnell Square in my constituency of Dublin Central.

My thought and prayers are with the victims of this very serious incident, and their families.

Anyone with information is being asked to contact Store Street police station.

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald said the incident in Dublin city centre had caused shock and horror.

Speaking at the scene she said children who witnessed what happened have been traumatised.

She added: Our heart goes out to the whole school community, to the children, the parents, the teachers.

I know that the gardai acted very swiftly in this matter, but this is certainly the last thing that any of us expected on a Thursday afternoon where children should come safely from school and be collected by their parents.

I pray the injured make a full recovery.

The community is stunned, stunned and horrified.
IFA President Tim Cullinan said that it will not be practical for farmers to comply with Minister McConalogues letter sent to individual farmers yesterday advising them that they must reduce their nitrates derogation limit from 250kg to 220kg from January 1st.



The timing of this letter when the EU Commissioner is coming to Ireland next week to discuss this very issue with the Taoiseach is unbelievable. However, the real issue is that it will not be practical for farmers to comply, he said.



The way this medium-term review was set up, with a decision to be made in September 2023, was always going to cause issues on farm. Farmers made their decision to put cows in calf last spring.



To suggest that farmers can comply with this reduction without reducing stock is a fallacy. Farmers will now be forced to consider culling pregnant animals.



This is wrong and the Minister, the Taoiseach and Commissioner Sinkevicius know this. They must address it when the Commissioner comes to Dublin to meet the Taoiseach next week, he said.



The handling of this issue by the Minister for Agriculture has been deplorable.



Firstly, the Minister agreed to a deeply flawed mid-term review of the Nitrates derogation. Then he made a half-hearted attempt to re-visit the issue with the Commissioner, waiving the white the flag on a Zoom call.



Now he has sent out these letters before the Taoiseach meets the Commissioner. It will leave farmers feeling that they are just being used as pawns in a political game, he said.



The Taoiseach has invited the Commissioner to Ireland next Thursday. We need the Taoiseach and the Minister working together to get a result for Irish farmers, he said.
A Celebratory Event is being held in recognition of the achievements of the Better Together  Nios Fearr Le Cheile, Peace Impact Programme in The Island Theatre, Ballinamore, from 3 to 7pm on Friday, November 24.

This Programme is managed by Ballinamore Area Community Council Clg and funded by The International Fund for Ireland.

We secured our first tranche of funding in 2019 and ran a successful 18-month project. After Covid we applied and were successful in securing 193,797 for a two-year project which has proven to be a huge success, explained Mairin Martin, Chairperson, Ballinamore Area Community Council Clg.

Everybody is welcome to join them for some refreshments and a meet and greet at 3pm.

At 3.50pm Mairin Martin will welcome everybody and introduce Paddy Harte, Chairperson of The International Fund for Ireland who will deliver the opening remarks.

We are very honoured to have Paddy Harte attend our celebrations.

Michael Mullin, Project Manager will give a summary of the entire Peace Impact Project.

We will then be joined by the Enniskillen Royal Grammar School and Ballinamore Community School, who have been working together for the past year. They will share their experiences and learnings from this excellent cross border/cross community project.

At 5pm you can join us for refreshments and music by local artists and the reading of a Peace Poem written by Ballinamore Writers Group.

At 6pm we have an excellent discussion around peace building, trauma, healing and the coexistence of multiple identities. This will be Chaired by Debbie Watters, OBE, NIA/Restorative Justice and members of the 2022 AMBIT group who participated in the study visit to El Paso, Texas and Washington DC.

These participants are cross border and cross community from West Belfast, Larne, Louth, South Armagh, Monaghan and Leitrim and this will be a most interesting discussion.

This Celebratory Event is open to everyone to attend all or any part of the day. We look forward to seeing you there and sharing our success story with you, concluded Mairin.
Golconda Gold Announces Gold Streaming Transaction for Its Galaxy Project





TORONTO, Nov. 23, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Golconda Gold Ltd. ("Golconda Gold" or the "Company") (TSXV: GG; OTCQB: GGGOF) today announces that it has entered into a US$5 million stream transaction relating to its Galaxy project in South Africa with Empress Royalty Holding Corp. ("Empress"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Empress Royalty Corp. ("Empress Royalty") (TSXV: EMPR | OTCQX:EMPYF).



Golconda Gold, its subsidiary Galaxy Gold Reefs (Pty) Ltd., and certain of its affiliates, have entered into a metal purchase and sale agreement dated November 21, 2023 (the "Agreement") with Empress for payable gold production from the Galaxy mine in South Africa. Pursuant to the terms of the Agreement, Empress will make an up-front cash payment totalling US$5 million (the "Investment") for payable gold produced from the Galaxy mine. The Investment is based on 3.5% of the payable gold production from the Galaxy mine for an initial 8,000 payable ounces; thereafter, the percentage will reduce to 2.0% of the payable gold production until the earlier of: (i) 20,000 ounces having been paid to Empress; or (ii) 20 years after the first payment was made. The purchase price for the payable gold delivered pursuant to the Agreement is 20% of the gold spot price. The closing of the transaction and the funding of the Investment is subject to typical conditions precedent.

"We are excited to partner with Empress who, through their due diligence, have understood the true potential of Galaxy. With the proceeds generated from the Investment, we will be fully funded to implement and execute our Phase 1 and 2 expansion plans at the Galaxy mine.

We have faced challenges at Galaxy over the last few years including the effects of COVID-19 in slowing our expansion plans, flooding both at the mine and at our concentrate warehouse in Durban, and production challenges due to a lack of investment in the mining fleet required to meet our production targets. We currently have over 35,000 tonnes per month ("tpm") of spare capacity in the processing plant. Therefore, the Investment will primarily be used to acquire new underground equipment and cover the working capital costs of underground development to increase underground production and fill the processing plant," said Nick Brodie, Chief Executive Officer of the Company.(1)

The Galaxy Gold Mine(2)

Golconda Gold acquired the Galaxy mine in November 2015. Galaxy is situated 8 km west of the town of Barberton and 45 km west of the provincial capital of Nelspruit in the Mpumalanga Province of South Africa. The property covers 58.6 km2 and is part of the prolific Barberton Greenstone Belt.

Galaxy consists of 22 ore bodies, all of which can be accessed via adits at level 17 and level 22. Galaxy is currently mining at the following two main ore bodies:

Galaxy ore body ? a massive pipe shaped ore body with a thickness of 35m and a strike of around 100m (the "Galaxy Ore Body"); and

Princeton ore body ? a steeply dipping ore body with a thickness of 5m and a strike of 300m (the "Princeton Ore Body").

The current mine plan includes the mining of the Galaxy Ore Body and the Princeton Ore Body using a mechanised cut and fill mining method. There are also extensive tailings around the Galaxy mine site which Golconda Gold intends to use to supplement production.(1) Golconda Gold has already upgraded the crushing circuit, float plant and filtration plant to 50,000 tpm, from the original 15,000 tpm plant, which produces a gold concentrate.

Galaxy is currently in Phase 1 of its expansion program taking production to 15,000 tpm and 1,100 recovered gold ounces per month. The proceeds from the Agreement will be used to fund the expansion required in Phase 2 to take production to 48,000 tpm and 2,800 recovered gold ounces per month.(1)

Golconda Gold has completed the Galaxy Technical Report and the PEA (as such terms are defined below) for the Galaxy mine, which supports the expansion plans already undertaken and the future plans for expansion. In addition, Golconda Gold has a drill ready plan to expand the resource to over 4 million ounces, which encompasses the other 20 identified ore bodies. Work is already underway to determine how this can support future expansion of Galaxy.

Empress has completed a site visit, and a third-party engineering firm has satisfactorily completed a technical analysis of the Galaxy mine. The use of proceeds from the transactions contemplated by the Agreement will enhance and expand the production profile at Galaxy moving forward.(1)

About Golconda Gold

Golconda Gold is an un-hedged gold producer and explorer with mining operations and exploration tenements in South Africa and New Mexico. Golconda Gold is a public company and its shares are quoted on the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV") under the symbol "GG" and the OTCQB under the symbol "GGGOF". Golconda Gold's management team is comprised of senior mining professionals with extensive experience in managing mining and processing operations and large-scale exploration programmes. It is committed to operating at world-class standards, focused on the safety of its employees, respecting the environment, and contributing to the communities in which it operates. Golconda Gold's primary objective is to be reshaped into a long-life and low-cost operation that can produce positive returns for investors across commodity cycles by:

Optimising current mining, processing and administrative operations to reduce costs and maximize profits; and



Grow through opportunistic acquisition and development opportunities.



About Empress Royalty Corp.

Empress Royalty is a global royalty and streaming creation company providing investors with a diversified portfolio of gold and silver investments. Since listing in December 2020, Empress Royalty has built a portfolio of precious metal investments and is actively investing in mining companies with development and production stage projects who require additional non-dilutive capital. Empress Royalty has strategic partnerships with Endeavour Financial and Terra Capital which allow Empress Royalty to not only access global investment opportunities but also bring unique mining finance expertise, deal structuring and access to capital markets. Empress Royalty is looking forward to continuously creating value for its shareholders through the proven royalty and streaming models.

Notes:

(1) This is forward-looking information and is based on a number of assumptions. See "Cautionary Notes".

(2) The deposits at the Galaxy mine are supported by a technical report entitled "NI 43-101 Technical Report on the Galaxy Gold Mine, South Africa" which was issued on July 3, 2020 (the "Galaxy Technical Report"), with an effective date of June 29, 2020, a copy of which is available under the Company's profile on www.sedar.com. The Galaxy Technical Report was prepared by Minxcon (Pty) Ltd and approved by Mr. Uwe Engelmann, BSc (Zoo. & Bot.), BSc Hons (Geol.) Pr.Sci.Nat., MGSSA, and Mr. Daniel (Daan) van Heerden, B Eng (Min.), MCom (Bus. Admin.), MMC, Pr.Eng., FSAIMM, AMMSA, both "qualified persons" as defined by National Instrument 43-101 ? Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101"), and independent of the Company for the purposes of NI 43-101. The preliminary economic assessment ("PEA") supported by the Galaxy Technical Report is preliminary in nature as the resources included in the PEA are comprised 54% of inferred mineral resources. Inferred mineral resources are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves. There is no certainty that the PEA will be realized.

Cautionary Notes

Certain statements contained in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements". All statements other than statements of historical fact contained in this press release, including, without limitation, those regarding completion of the transactions contemplated by the Agreement, timing of receipt of the Investment if at all, the Company's projected plans for expansion and production at the Galaxy mine, the Company's use of proceeds from the transactions contemplated by the Agreement, any future financings or transactions contemplated by the Company, the impact of the transactions contemplated by the Agreement on the Company and its expansion plans, creation of long term value for stakeholders, future financial position and results of operations, strategy, proposed acquisitions, plans, objectives, goals and targets, and any statements preceded by, followed by or that include the words "believe", "expect", "aim", "intend", "plan", "continue", "will", "may", "would", "anticipate", "estimate", "forecast", "predict", "project", "seek", "should" or similar expressions or the negative thereof, are forward-looking statements. These statements are not historical facts but instead represent only the Company's expectations, estimates and projections regarding future events. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve assumptions, risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual results may differ materially from what is expressed, implied or forecasted in such forward-looking statements.

Additional factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially include, but are not limited to: the Company's dependence on two mineral projects; gold price volatility; risks associated with the conduct of the Company's mining activities in South Africa and New Mexico; regulatory, consent or permitting delays; risks relating to the Company's exploration, development and mining activities being situated in South Africa and New Mexico; risks relating to reliance on the Company's management team and outside contractors; risks regarding mineral resources and reserves; the Company's inability to obtain insurance to cover all risks, on a commercially reasonable basis or at all; currency fluctuations; risks regarding the failure to generate sufficient cash flow from operations; risks relating to project financing and equity issuances; risks arising from the Company's fair value estimates with respect to the carrying amount of mineral interests; mining tax regimes; risks arising from holding derivative instruments; the Company's need to replace reserves depleted by production; risks and unknowns inherent in all mining projects, including the inaccuracy of reserves and resources, metallurgical recoveries and capital and operating costs of such projects; contests over title to properties, particularly title to undeveloped properties; laws and regulations governing the environment, health and safety; the ability of the communities in which the Company operates to manage and cope with the implications of any local, regional, national or international outbreak of a contagious disease; operating or technical difficulties in connection with mining or development activities; lack of infrastructure; employee relations, labour unrest or unavailability; health risks in Africa; the Company's interactions with surrounding communities and artisanal miners; the Company's ability to successfully integrate acquired assets; risks related to restarting production; the speculative nature of exploration and development, including the risks of diminishing quantities or grades of reserves; development of the Company's exploration properties into commercially viable mines; stock market volatility; conflicts of interest among certain directors and officers; lack of liquidity for shareholders of the Company; risks related to the market perception of junior gold companies; and litigation risk. Management provides forward-looking statements because it believes they provide useful information to investors when considering their investment objectives and cautions investors not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Consequently, all of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements and other cautionary statements or factors contained herein, and there can be no assurance that the actual results or developments will be realized or, even if substantially realized, that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on, the Company. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect subsequent information, events or circumstances or otherwise, except as required by law.

Information of a technical and scientific nature that forms the basis of the disclosure in the press release has been prepared and approved by Kevin Crossling Pr. Sci. Nat., MAusIMM. and former Business Development Manager for Golconda Gold, and a "qualified person" as defined by NI 43-101. Mr. Crossling has verified the technical and scientific data disclosed herein and has conducted appropriate verification on the underlying data.

Neither the TSXV nor its regulation services provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

For further information please contact:

Nick Brodie

CEO, Golconda Gold Ltd.

+ 44 7905 089878

[email protected]

www.golcondagold.com

23 november 2023 at 07:30

News published onand distributed by:
Namecheap's Stranger Deals Are Here -- Save Big On Web Essentials This Black Friday and Cyber Monday





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SOURCE Namecheap

23 november 2023 at 08:38

News published onand distributed by:
CIBC receives inaugural Indigenous Reconciliation award from Canadian federal Labour Program





TORONTO, Nov. 23, 2023 /CNW/ - CIBC today announced it has received the inaugural Indigenous Reconciliation award as part of the 2023 Employment Equity Achievement Awards (EEAA) organized by the Canadian federal Labour program.

This new category within the EEAA program recognizes employers who have demonstrated outstanding commitment to reconciliation with Indigenous peoples including outreach and partnerships with local Indigenous communities, innovative approaches to Indigenous recruitment, employee training programs on Indigenous reconciliation, as well as supporting engagement with Indigenous communities and stakeholders on employment equity.

"Our bank is committed to making meaningful change and supporting Indigenous team members, communities and leaders to build a more inclusive future. We are pleased to receive this recognition as part of our journey towards reconciliation, equity and inclusion," said Sandy Sharman, Group Head, People, Culture and Brand, CIBC. "While we have much to be proud of, there is still more we can and will do."

The award recognizes CIBC's action and impact in several areas, including:

The launch of CIBC's Reconciliation Framework, stewarded by the bank's Reconciliation Action Committee, help accelerate the bank's progress in supporting economic prosperity for Indigenous peoples through clear and measurable commitments and reporting.





Establishing goals to increase representation of Indigenous peoples across CIBC, including 2 per cent of executive roles in Canada held by Indigenous peoples by 2025 and 3 per cent of our workforce in Canada identifying as Indigenous peoples by 2024.





held by Indigenous peoples by 2025 and 3 per cent of our workforce in identifying as Indigenous peoples by 2024. Opening the Legacy Space at CIBC SQUARE, which is dedicated to the shared history of Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada , as well as the importance of economic reconciliation.





, as well as the importance of economic reconciliation. Conducting employee training programs for Canadian team members to help expand understanding of the unique history of the Indigenous Peoples in Canada .





. Partnering with the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB) and Canadian Aboriginal Minority Supplier Council (CAMSC) to connect with Indigenous suppliers.





Providing scholarships, grants and/or internships to undergraduate students from under-represented communities in financial services, including Indigenous peoples.

CIBC was also recognized in the Outstanding Commitment to Employment Equity and Innovation categories.

Learn more about the 2023 Employment Equity Achievement Awards

About CIBC?

CIBC is a leading North American financial institution with 13?million personal banking, business, public sector and institutional clients. Across Personal and Business Banking, Commercial Banking and Wealth Management, and Capital Markets businesses, CIBC offers a full range of advice, solutions and services through its leading digital banking network and locations across?Canada, with offices in?the United States?and around the world. Ongoing news releases and more information about CIBC can be found at

www.cibc.com/ca/media-centre .

SOURCE CIBC

23 november 2023 at 12:01

News published onand distributed by:
FeatureThe 100,000 inhabitants of the former separatist enclave are still in shock as they try to rebuild their lives after losing their territory to Azerbaijan in September.

Before fleeing Nagorno-Karabakh, 13-year-old Natalie Musayelian hastily gathered a handful of stones, a branch and some berries and hid them in a small chocolate box with the key to her house in Martuni, in the former separatist enclave. Since finding refuge in Armenia with her grandmother and aunt, the teenager clutches her treasures every morning, remnants of her former life, and breathes in their scent deeply. "It reminds me of home. I miss Artsakh [the Armenian name for Nagorno-Karabakh] so much!"

More than 100,000 Armenians, almost the entire population, fled Nagorno-Karabakh following the Azerbaijani offensive on September 19, which led to the fall of the self-proclaimed republic and Baku's takeover of the territory after 30 years of conflict.

Two months on, the shock of their sudden departure was still raw, but they were all trying to rebuild their lives in Armenia. "The initial survival phase is over," observed Aneta Kachotian, a psychologist tasked with monitoring around 30 families. "They have lost everything and now have to start from scratch. This puts them under so much stress that many feel 'frozen,' unable to envision the future."

Natalie Musayelian (center), with her grandmother and aunt, in their apartment in Jermouk (Armenia), November 16, 2023. KAREN MIRZOYAN FOR LE MONDE

A handful of pebbles, a branch, a few berries, hidden by Natalie Musayelian in a little box of chocolates with the key to her old house. KAREN MIRZOYAN FOR LE MONDE

The first challenge was finding a place to live. Many refugees were still moving around the country, looking for somewhere to settle. Natalie's family finally found a modest flat rented for 40,000 drams (91) in Jermuk, a famous spa town popular with Russians and close to the border with Azerbaijan. "It was very hard to find anywhere else, everything is so expensive! Here, it's more affordable," explained Varsik, Natalie's aunt. And with good reason: Since Azerbaijan bombed it in September 2022, this town has been deserted. All that could be heard around the lake, usually bustling with thousands of tourists at this time of year, was the quacking of ducks and the wind in the trees.

When the Musayelian family told their friends they were moving here, they received alarmed reactions: "Aren't you afraid?" Most of the refugees have refused to be relocated to the border areas, which have become the deadliest in the last three years. "They say they're tired of the war," explained Vardan Sargsyan, deputy mayor of Jermuk. "We're worried too. The Azerbaijanis are five kilometers away, on the mountains, and they're fortifying their positions." The vast majority of new arrivals have already left for quieter areas.

Read more Article reserve a nos abonnes Ukraine, Gaza and Nagorno-Karabakh: Three interacting wars

The challenge of finding a job

Over 5,500 refugees have settled in Hrazdan, an industrial town in the Kotayk region, north of Yerevan. "In every building, you have at least 30 people from Nagorno-Karabakh," said Samvel Manoukian, one of the residents, pointing to the dilapidated buildings. Living conditions are basic. "They live in mostly abandoned accommodation with no heating," said the taxi driver. "But they have no other choice."

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At a press conference on Wednesday, November 15, a journalist asked Joe Biden, "Would you still refer to President Xi [Jinping] as a dictator?" Biden's response was: "Look, he is," adding, "He's a dictator in the sense that he's a guy who runs a country that is a communist country that's based on a form of government totally different than ours." The American president gave a similar description of his Chinese counterpart last year.

It was clearly not appreciated by the "guy" in Beijing. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the statement "extremely wrong and irresponsible political manipulation." Was Biden's one little sentence enough to torpedo the outcome of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit held in San Francisco  which had the intention of improving an Asian-American relationship that has deteriorated to its lowest level in 40 years?

In the middle of an election year, the White House's octogenarian president has lived up to his reputation as gaffe-prone. Unless of course, he has put his finger on one of the key problems plaguing the relationship between the world's two leading economies. There's a political-ideological gulf between them, and four hours of conversation in a dreamy villa in Northern California are unlikely to bridge it.

Read more Article reserve a nos abonnes Biden and Xi renew prudent dialogue

Nevertheless, Francois Godement, a China specialist at the Institut Montaigne, wrote this week that this summit marks "a pause in the rivalry" between Beijing and Washington. Ministerial exchanges have resumed across all sectors in recent months and the two countries even formed a climate working group before their California lunch. During their meeting in San Francisco, they also decided to restore contact between their militaries, which had been suspended a year prior.

San Fran's 'cool attitude'

The summit's aim was to remedy a situation where there are almost daily incidents, as Chinese and American patrols cross paths in the air and sea space of the Western Pacific. China has agreed to halt exports of the chemical components that are required to manufacture fentanyl, the synthetic opioid that has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives in the United States in the past 20 years.

Read more Article reserve a nos abonnes San Francisco in the time of 'Fentalife'

The prevailing tone has changed. There is no longer "wolf warrior diplomacy" on the Chinese side. Suddenly, any lofty speeches about the emergence of a Chinese superpower have been forgotten, along with its aggressive criticism of the crimes committed by the declining West. San Francisco's 'coolness' is in its DNA, and maybe that played a part in talks. But more than California cool, Xi needs Wall Street.

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A LIMERICK hurler who was upset with a man talking to two girls in a city nightclub punched him continuously in the face on the dancefloor, a trial has heard.

The alleged victim, Cillian McCarthy (pictured below), aged 24, of Tooreen, Ballysimon entered the witness box this Thursday morning.

He said Kyle Hayes and another man punched me continuously to the right hand side of my face and to my right eye".

Mr Hayes' barrister, Brian McInerney said Mr McCarthy was the aggressor and the "author of your own misfortune".

Craig Cosgrave, aged 24, of Caherelly, Grange, Limerick; Kyle Hayes, aged 25, of Ballyoshea, Kildimo, Limerick and Jai Chaudri, aged 22, of Carheeny, Kildimo, Limerick have all pleaded not guilty to alleged offences in the early hours of October 28, 2019.

Mr Cosgrave is charged with one count of violent disorder in the Icon nightclub in Limerick city centre.

Mr Hayes, a five-time All-Ireland winning Limerick hurler and four-time All-Star, is charged with violent disorder in the Icon nightclub; violent disorder at Upper Denmark Street, Limerick and assault causing harm at Upper Denmark Street.

Mr Chaudri is charged with violent disorder at Upper Denmark Street and assault causing harm to Mr McCarthy at Upper Denmark Street.

Mr McCarthy said he bought alcohol with Craig Cosgrave, one of the accused, in the Tesco in Roxboro before going for pre-drinks in a friend's house in the North Circular Road at around 8.30pm on the night in question.

Prosecuting barrister John O'Sullivan, instructed by State Solicitor Padraig Mawe, asked how much alcohol he had consumed?

"We bought a litre of Captain Morgan so I assume I had half of that," said Mr McCarthy.

The alleged injured party said he, Mr Cosgrave and a number of others at the party walked into the city centre at around 10.30pm / 11pm. They spent an hour in Clohessy's on Upper Denmark Street, then Black Rabbit for 15 minutes before going to Smyth's just before midnight.

Mr McCarthy said he and Mr Cosgrave met two female friends, who he knew for a couple of years, and was having a conversation with them in Smyth's.

"I was approached by Kyle Hayes for the first time. I didn't know him as a friend but I knew him. He got abusive. He didn't want us talking to the girls. He told me, 'Stay the f*** away from the girls' and instigated if I didn't, it would cause a fight.

"I tried to explain I knew the girls but he didn't really want to hear it. He was shouting towards the end. He said, 'Do you know who the f*** I am?' It ended after that. I walked away. I knew where it was going - a fight - and I didn't want that," said Mr McCarthy.

The alleged victim said he and Mr Cosgrave went into the Icon (a nightclub attached to Smyths) and walked up the stairs.

"We tried to move on with the night. We started dancing, we met the two girls. Kyle Hayes approached Craig and I got between them. It was the same situation again.

"Kyle Hayes was getting very aggressive. He was going a lot for Craig - there is a size difference. Kyle Hayes told me he 'was getting sick of me and if I want to do it, we'll do it'," said Mr McCarthy.

The alleged injured party said a man, who is not one of the three accused, punched him in the eye.

"Kyle Hayes and him punched me continuously to the right hand side of my face and to my right eye. There were a lot of punches - I'd say around 10. It was continuous until it was broken up," said Mr McCarthy.

Mr O'Sullivan asked him if he had said something or made gestures.

"No. I don't think so. I feel I avoided a fight at all times. I didn't give them any ammo and I didn't egg anyone on," said Mr McCarthy.

Mr O'Sullivan asked him if he was in pain.

"Yes, my right eye, I felt it was pounding and blood was dripping from it. It was hard to see and swelled up a lot," said Mr McCarthy.

He said after speaking with bouncers in a room he left the Icon by a side door. Mr McCarthy said Kyle Hayes and another male had left before him.

"They both followed me. They caught up with me. They wanted to know my name and my friend's name. I obviously wouldn't respond. Because I wouldn't tell them Kyle Hayes said he 'would dig the head off me'. I said I already got a beating," said Mr McCarthy, who met a female friend coming out of Black Rabbit.

"She saw my face and asked me what happened? She suggested we go to Smyth's and get a taxi. I met a friend who asked me what happened. I told him. Kyle Hayes was across the road with friends.

"My friend said he knew someone over there and went to talk to them. When he came back he said Kyle Hayes wanted to fight me one-on-one around the corner," said Mr McCarthy, who saw Mr Cosgrave come out of a side door of the Icon.

"Kyle and his group immediately ran towards Craig and attacked him. Once I saw what was happening I ran, tried to intervene and break it up. Kyle had a big group with him. I wasn't going to leave Craig on his own. It moved up the street. They were throwing punches left, right and centre. I was tripped by one of the people - I think it was Kyle Hayes.

"I was attacked and they were stamping all over me with their feet. I put my hands over my head. It caused more damage to my eye ," said Mr McCarthy, who added that Kyle Hayes and Jai Chaudri were among the men in the group who attacked him.

Mr McCarthy said he was punched and stomped on between 10 and 20 times.

Mr O'Sullivan asked him if he had any doubts they were the persons who did this? "No," said Mr McCarthy.

A number of CCTV clips were played in court by Detective Garda Barry Moylan.

The alleged victim said a squad car came and he was pulled up by a guard. Mr McCarthy was taken by ambulance to University Hospital Limerick.

"I had an X-ray. I was released at 7am / 7.30am. They didn't have a doctor to look at the X-ray. I was told to come back at 11.30am. I suffered a fracture to the bone under my right eye. I required surgery," said Mr McCarthy. A friend who came to visit him in hospital took a photo of his face which was shown to the jury.

Mr O'Sullivan asked him if he had recovered?

"It is four years down the line. I'm recovered. I feel like I have to wear my glasses a lot more. I'm a bit more conscious of it," said Mr McCarthy.

Mr O'Sullivan asked him if he had done anything to anybody on the night to justify "the state of you in the photo?"

"No. I don't think anything justifies it," said Mr McCarthy.

Brian McInerney SC, defence barrister for Mr Hayes, said his client has pleaded not guilty and maintains that claim.

Mr McInerney put it to Mr McCarthy that he wants a bag of cash.

Compensation would be nice. Justice is the most important, said Mr McCarthy.

Mr McInerney said Mr McCarthy gave evidence that his friend who crossed the road to talk to the other group said Kyle Hayes wanted to fight you one-on-one around the corner.

Mr McInerney said that man gave a statement to gardai that says Kyle "didnt reply.

Mr Hayes didnt say anything. Either youre wrong or hes wrong, said Mr McInerney.

The senior counsel said CCTV footage shows Mr McCarthy with two arms outstretched.

It seems to be a bit odd, said Mr McInerney, who also put it to the alleged injured party that he didnt get in a number of taxis or tell gardai in a patrol car, that fella over there beat me up in the nightclub, hunt down the criminal and get me justice.

Mr McCarthy said he was waiting for his friend (Mr Cosgrave) and he didnt think it would happen again if gardai were on patrol.

Mr McInerney referred to the conversation with the two young women in Smyths.

The senior counsel asked Mr McCarthy if Mr Hayes told him one of the girls was seeing one of his friends and to leave her alone.

I dont remember. I just remember the abusive parts, said Mr McCarthy.

Mr McInerney said when Mr McCarthy and Mr Cosgrave went upstairs to the Icon they just happened to chance upon these two girls again.

Mr Hayes came over to you again and said he was sick of you trying to get on with this girl, said Mr McInerney.

Mr McCarthy said he wasnt trying to (get on with this girl).

Mr McInerney put it to Mr McCarthy that he squared up to Kyle Hayes and pushed him.

No, said Mr McCarthy.

Turning to the alleged events outside the nightclub, Mr McInerney said Mr McCarthys blood was up.

You are just trying to do the man (Kyle Hayes) down and damage him. The whole night you were trying to get involved with a young lady. He told you to back off. You didnt like that. You brought it on yourself. You were waiting open armed. You pounced out of the long grass and attacked. You are the author of your own misfortune, said Mr McInerney.

I disagree, said Mr McCarthy.

Mr Whyms, barrister for Mr Chaudri, said his client, who was 18 at the time, followed the incident like everybody else on Upper Denmark Street.

Somebody directed a racist remark towards him. This annoyed Mr Chaudri. That is why his friend restrained him. He was not involved in the assault on you, said Mr Whyms.

"I disagree," said Mr McCarthy.

The trial continues with one of the girls, who Mr McCarthy and Mr Cosgrave were speaking to, due to give evidence on Friday morning.
LIMERICK gardai have issued a warning to shoppers ahead of the busy Christmas season.

As a lot of people will be shopping online, gardai have issued advice to consumers on how to shop safe in the run up to the festive season.

Sergeant Ber Leetch, Crime Prevention Officer at Henry Street garda station said: "Be wary of texts, even those in the thread of previous genuine texts from online sites or banks, especially if you are expecting a delivery.

"Be wary of cold calls, if you have any concerns just hang up and ring the company back yourself using a phone number you sourced yourself.

"Dont download any Apps that could give fraudsters control of your device. Never ever click on links."

Sergeant Leetch continued: "Never ever give away your personal data e.g., bank details, PIN numbers, passwords, one time codes, PPS number or Eircode.

"Do not transfer any money before getting advice from a trusted person.

"If you have been a victim of any fraud or scam, change your passwords and pin codes, report it to your bank immediately, ask them to do a recall, then report it to gardai."
THE SOCIAL Democrats will run three candidates in Limerick metropolitan area at next summers local election.

Outgoing councillor Elisa ODonovan in City West will be joined on her partys ticket by Caherdavin man Shane Hickey-OMara running on the northside, while in City East, Annacottys Donnah Vuma will carry the groups hopes.

The trio were selected to run ahead of a campaign launch in Duo Cafe at Sarsfield Street in the city centre.

Councillor ODonovan said: We share the same political values and ambition for Limerick, but bring a wide variety of experiences together. Our strength is our differences and we work brilliantly together as friends and colleagues. This is a really exciting time for us all in the Limerick branch.

Ms Vuma works as the co-ordinator for a victims of crime support project at migrant charity Doras.

I'm committed to addressing key issues such as community well-being and safety. Together with an enthusiastic and energetic team, we aim to bring a fresh and progressive approach to politics in Limerick City, she said.

Mr Hickey-OMara is the artistic director of County Limerick Youth Theatre and is currently working as a student psychotherapist as part of his final year of training.

Everyone who knows me is aware of how passionate I am about mental health, the Arts, the environment, and providing opportunities for young people in Limerick. I believe that this citys potential is limitless and I intend to put my energy and experience into ensuring that this potential isnt just reached but exceeded, he said.

Limerick and the rest of Ireland will go to the polls to elect new councils on June 7, 2024.
GARDAI in Limerick will be taking a rest from their regular crime-fighting duties as they sell doughnuts, all in the name of charity.

More accustomed to traffic stops than selling confectionaries, members of the community policing unit at Roxboro Road Garda Station will play their part in a worldwide event called Cops for Donuts

The event, which will take place on Friday, November 24, from 1 pm to 6 pm, at the Crescent Shopping Centre, is part of the internationally run Law Enforcement Torch Run (L.E.T.R.) Program.

Gardai in Limerick will join close to 90,000 police professionals in over 35 countries across the world, as they participate as part of a worldwide effort to raise money and awareness for the Special Olympics.

The charitable venture will see local gardai play on the age-old stereotype and will be on hand to sell doughnuts as they look to raise much needed funding for Special Olympics Munster.

Speaking ahead of the event garda Dyann Carroll said the drive has been very successful in recent years and has raised in excess of 10,000.

Last year, we raised over 2,500, said Garda Carroll.

Our motivation is that the Special Olympics is a very special organisation that needs funding and support. We are delighted to get behind it. People can expect a fun and enjoyable atmosphere on the day, he added.

The Law Enforcement Torch Run began in 1981 in Wichita, Kansas, in the United States of America, and has stood out as one of the largest grass-roots fundraising movements for the Special Olympics.

Irelands first torch run took place in 1989, when members of An Garda Siochana took part in the project, while 1996 marked a special occasion when both An Garda Siochana and the Royal Ulster Constabulary, the predecessor of the PSNI, took part in an all-island Torch Run.
THE GUM Litter Taskforce's (GLT) Bin It! Roadshow made a memorable stop in Limerick last week, aiming to instill positive behavioral changes in students' attitudes toward gum litter.

The week-long initiative saw active participation from students at Laurel Hill Colaiste FJC and Mungret Community College in hour-long workshops designed to educate and inspire responsible litter disposal.

The Bin It! Roadshow, an integral component of GLT's gum litter education campaign, employs fun actor-led workshops and interactive learning materials to convey the importance of proper gum litter disposal to schoolchildren. This year's roadshow marks its largest scale to date, with performances slated for 70 schools nationwide.

For schools not part of the current roadshow, GLT continues its commitment to education by providing valuable lesson plan materials on its website. The initiative has already reached over 730 schools across Ireland, emphasizing the widespread impact of GLT's mission.

Jonathon McDade, Chairperson of the Gum Litter Taskforce, expressed delight at the expansion of this year's Bin It! Roadshow, stating: "[It] provides an important opportunity to engage with young people about the environmental impacts of littering in a positive and interactive way. It's great to see the expansion of the Roadshow this year, reflecting the level of interest we're seeing from schools."

Anne Sheeran, Corporate Affairs Specialist at Mars Ireland, highlighted the significance of the Bin It! Roadshow, saying: "The Bin It! Roadshow is an exciting and extremely important part of the GLT campaign, allowing us to deliver our important messaging to a young and engaged demographic, who are already environmentally conscious and want to make a difference. We are delighted to be visiting 25 counties and reaching so many young people again this year."

The GLT education campaign is comprehensive, extending beyond the Bin It! Roadshow. A summer roadshow travels throughout the country, promoting responsible gum behaviors with the support of local authorities. Additionally, a TV and online advertising campaign, along with the website www.gumlittertaskforce.ie, complements these efforts, ensuring a multi-faceted approach to raising awareness about the impact of gum litter on the environment.
The Minister for Higher Education has announced that students who paid the full tuition at the start of the college year will be given a 1000 refund.

The cost of education measures that were outlined in the Budget stipulated that the student contribution for third-level education would be reduced from 3000 to 2000.

This will reduce the cost for 96,000 students across Ireland by 33%.

Students and their families that paid the full contribution at the beginning of the college year have been asked to provide their bank details to their higher education institution by the end of November in order to receive their refund.

If bank details are not supplied, a credit will be applied to the students account.

Minister Simon Harris said:

"I want to put money back in the pockets of students and their parents.

"That's why in the Budget we reduced college fees for 96,000 students.

"This means all eligible full-time undergraduate students will see their fees reduced by at least 1000.

"If you have paid the fees in full, your college will have been in touch or will be in touch by the end of this month to get your back details so they can arrange for you to get a refund."

No other action is necessary by students, fees will automatically reduce for those eligible.

Minister Harris added:

"If you are paying in installments, as many families do, your second installment will be reduced by up to 1000 at the start of the second term in 2024. If you paid in full, your college will refund you by the end of the year."

Families earning under 100,000 are also eligible for a further 500 reduction and must apply through www.susi.ie
A GARDA car has been set alight in Dublin city centre during violent scenes in the aftermath of a vicious attack which left several people, including a young girl with serious injuries.

It is also believed that at least one garda has been physically assaulted during the disturbances close to the junction of O'Connell Street and Parnell Square East.

It's reported that some protesters have been involved in scuffles with gardai, while others threw bottles at officers.

Footage posted on social media by Irish Independent journalist Adrian Weckler shows a man wearing a hoodie and face covering carrying a burning cardboard box and placing it on the back seat of a parked garda car.

Parnell Street right now pic.twitter.com/vfY6lRfscO  Adrian Weckler (@adrianweckler) November 23, 2023

Speaking at a media briefing this Thursday evening, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris described the protests as "disgraceful". He told reporters that gardai believe a "hooligan faction driven by far right ideology" had contributed to the trouble.

The violent protests, which have impacted public transport in the capital, erupted after a violent attack close to a school at Parnell Square.

A five-year-old child and a woman in her 30s are in a serious condition in hospital after they were attacked and stabbed at lunchtime. Two other young children were also taken to hospital with what have been described as minor injuries. One of them - a boy - has since been discharged.

A man, aged in his 50s, was arrested at the scene by gardai before being brought to hospital with injuries that have been described as serious.

He has been described as a "person of interest" by investigating gardai.

A major garda investigation into the incident is continuing while additional garda resources from the greater Dublin region and surrounding counties have been deployed to deal with the protests.

In a statement, this Thursday night, the Minister for Justice Helen McEntee said what happened was "an appalling crime that has shocked us all."

She added that An Garda Siochana are following a definite line of inquiry and are not looking for anyone else regarding this crime.

"The perpetrator will be brought to justice. However, the scenes we are witnessing this evening in our city centre cannot and will not be tolerated. A thuggish and manipulative element must not be allowed to use an appalling tragedy to wreak havoc."

"We will not tolerate a small number using an appalling incident to spread division. I would appeal for calm in the city centre as An Garda Siochana carry out their work  attacks on members of An Garda Siochana must be utterly condemned and will be dealt with severely."
CHRISTMAS cheer is in the air, and I had the honour of cutting the ribbon at the launch of Limerick fashion designer Aoife McNamaras Christmas Creative pop-up shop!

Aoife is a young inspiration to so many as she continues to break boundaries in the fashion world with sustainability concepts in her gorgeous designs.

Based in Adare, Aoife launched a festive-style pop-up shop at her cottage clothes boutique in the county Limerick village.

Aoife has achieved a globally-recognised certificate for her clothing brand and has achieved a Benefit Corporation (B Corp) status, which awards companies for their commitment to positively impacting people and the planet.

This global award establishes Aoife as Ireland's first B Corp fashion label, setting a new standard for sustainable, ethical clothing in Ireland.

I had an absolute ball in Adare with Aoife.

Promoting Irish designers and fabrics is something we need more of in the fashion industry, and it is something that I love to do.

I also went to RTE Cork again with some of the Holman Lee Agency models.

Lorraine Keane is presenting quite a lot now on the RTE Today Show which Im delighted about, because shes a marvelous presenter.

I know Lorraine from my days in Ireland AM and it was great to showcase a fantastic boutique during the show, called Fusion boutique, based in Galway.

For a good few weeks now the TV programme has been showcasing boutiques from around the country and especially in Limerick, such as Sineads Boutique which featured recently.

Its great for all of us, stores and models alike.

I hope with all my heart it is a special Christmas for the designers, with wonderful sales and prosperity.

XxCelia
Sam Altman is back at the helm of OpenAI, days after the board abruptly ousted him. Almost everything else is still in flux.

The deal struck Tuesday night to restore Altman as CEO is a long way from the ultimate goal he wanted to achieve heading into a weekend of intense negotiations. He had lobbied for an entirely new slate of directorsbuilt on the ashes of the directors who fired himand wanted to rejoin the board again himself, according to people familiar with the matter.

Instead, Altman wont be on the reconfigured board, and one of the directors who fired him is still there.

On Tuesday evening, the company announced a new initial board consisting of Bret Taylor, the former co-CEO of Salesforce; Larry Summers, the former Treasury secretary; and Adam DAngelo, the chief executive of Quora and only holdover from the old board.

The previous board and Altman also agreed to an independent investigation into his conduct, the process the board used to oust him last week and its aftermath, The Wall Street Journal reported. When the board announced Altmans departure, they cited a lack of candor in his communications, without elaborating.

OpenAIs unusual corporate setupwhere a nonprofit board governs a business arm that raised outside money from investorswill remain for now. Under the companys current charter, the boards sole responsibility is to ensure that the company develops AI systems beneficial to humanityeven if it means wiping out investors profits.

The initial new board has a lot to work out in the coming months. It has been tasked with appointing directors for an expanded board and will likely explore substantial changes to OpenAIs governance structure, people familiar with the matter said. Most OpenAI investors and executives are expecting new checks and balances that limit the boards ability to so abruptly oust a founder and jeopardize billions of dollars in business value.

As the company debates its future, here is what is at stake for the key players.

Sam Altman

Altmans biggest victory was to successfully pressure the board into reinstating him as chief executive.

He is rejoining OpenAI with the public support of Microsoft, its largest corporate backer, and the support of most employees, who have seen the value of their shares soar in the past year.

Three of the four directors of the board that fired him are gone, including a board member who clashed with Altman this fall over publishing a paper that praised the safety practices of a competitor. And Altman and the new directors may have a chance to change OpenAIs board and governance structure to insulate him from a repeat of what happened Friday.

But Altman is also in a weaker position than he was aiming for as he negotiated his possible return. His camp believed it had reached a tentative agreement Sunday to bring him back onto the boardas well as restoring him as chief executivepeople familiar with the matter said. But the deal fell apart late Sunday and the board named a new interim CEO, forcing Altman back to the negotiating table. He ultimately signed on to an arrangement that didnt include him on the board, limiting his influence.

Altman also lost a key ally on the board: former OpenAI President Greg Brockman, who was abruptly removed as a director right before Altman was fired. Brockman initially quit the company to protest that move. Now, he is back at the company but not as a board member.

The parties also agreed to an independent investigation into Altmans conduct and the boards decision to fire him, people familiar with the matter said.

The Old Board, Minus Ilya Sutskever

The old boards goal to replace Altman ultimately faltered after they failed to win over employees, who were angry about the way the decision was communicated and said they had lost trust in the board. By Monday morning, one of the initial four directors who fired Altman flipped sides.

Still, the remaining three board members negotiated key concessions that will give them influence over OpenAI. Over the weekend, they demanded representation on the new board and sought a full independent investigation into Altmans conduct, the people said. Both these conditions were met in the deal struck late Tuesday.

The prior board of directors also approved two independent board membersTaylor and Summerswho it hopes will act as impartial directors and keep Altman in check, people familiar with the matter said. Through DAngelo, they will likely have a voice to advocate for their vision of the company, which has placed a strict emphasis on safety over profit.

The old board included DAngelo; Helen Toner, a director at the Center for Security and Emerging Technology; Tasha McCauley, an adjunct senior management scientist at a policy nonprofit; and Ilya Sutskever, OpenAIs chief research scientist, who supported the coup but then changed his mind on Monday.

Microsoft

As OpenAIs biggest backer and beneficiary of its technology, Microsoft had a lot to lose amid the chaos and uncertainty of the past several days. The company invested $13 billion but didnt have a board seat, and knew that the nonprofit board could wipe out its investment in the name of protecting OpenAIs mission.

Instead, the tech giant placed its faith in the close relationship between Altman and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Chief Technology Officer Kevin Scott. But as OpenAIs board shed members over the past yearcritically Reid Hoffman, who is also a director at MicrosoftAltmans loyalist contingent shrank. When he was ousted, Microsoft was completely blindsided.

It is still unclear whether Microsoft will end up with a board role within the new structure. If it gets one, potentially a board observer role, Nadella would get the visibility into OpenAIs governance he lacked. But if it doesnt, and critically if Altman doesnt get appointed to the larger board, then Microsoft would emerge from the turmoil in a worse position, with even less visibility and control over one of its most valuable assets.

Venture-Capital Investors

Over the years, Silicon Valley venture firms such as Thrive Capital and Khosla Ventures have invested in OpenAI by purchasing shares from employees. (The company has largely relied on Microsoft for outside capital.) Like Microsoft, these investors had no say in the governance of OpenAIleaving them at the behest of a board that had no obligation to act in their financial interest.

Altmans firing put an investor deal to buy shares at an $86 billion valuation on ice. It even opened the possibility of seeing those shares tank in value, given that the company could very well have collapsed if employees followed through on their threats to resign. Over the weekend, investors rallied behind Altman, pushing for him to be reinstated.

Investors want OpenAI to become a corporation managed by a board financially aligned with its shareholders, they said. That would free them from the nonprofit board, which doesnt act on behalf of shareholders and has also instituted profit caps for investors. The change would be a tall task, given the prior boards continued influence and OpenAIs long-held identity as a nonprofit devoted to developing safe artificial intelligence.

Employees

Altmans return was hugely popular with employees. Over the weekend, more than 95% of them signed a letter saying they would quit if he didnt come back.

OpenAI was founded as a nonprofit in 2015. It began to look more like a Silicon Valley startupespecially in the year since it released the viral chatbot ChatGPT, one of the most successful technology launches in history.

The company wooed engineers from other tech companies with high salaries and the promise of getting wildly rich off company shares. The companys San Francisco headquarters were outfitted with amenities typical of highflying tech companies, including a bar, cafeteria, and library.

Many preferred to stay at OpenAI over Microsoft, which Altman planned to join earlier this week before he was reinstated as CEO. On social media, employees joked about the cultural differences with the software giant.

They also had financial incentives to reunify" OpenAI. Employees who intended to sell their shares to venture capitalists were on the verge of a massive windfall. That stock sale would have tripled OpenAIs value in less than a year, but was paused after Altman was fired. Now, investors are optimistic the deal will go through.

Write to Berber Jin at berber.jin@wsj.com, Deepa Seetharaman at deepa.seetharaman@wsj.com and Tom Dotan at tom.dotan@wsj.com

Milestone Alert!Livemint tops charts as the fastest growing news website in the world  Click here to know more.
The king of cryptos largest outlaw empire told employees for years that he would never turn himself in. But on Tuesday, a jittery Changpeng Zhao showed up in a Seattle federal court to plead guilty to violating U.S. money-laundering rules.

Ive not caused problems before, Ive never been a criminal. And Ive never been into a courthouse before. So this is new to me," Zhao told a judge.

Hours earlier, Zhao and his company, Binance, agreed to plead guilty to resolve a Justice Department criminal investigation that has dogged the worlds largest cryptocurrency exchange almost since its launch. As part of its plea, Binance will pay a $4.3 billion fine, and Zhao stepped down as CEO. He faces a prison sentence as long as 18 months.

It was a massive twist in the life of the crypto industrys most influential figurehead, who launched the online exchange in 2017 and developed it into a money-spinning trading machine.

He became a multibillionaire along the way. The Justice Department said Zhaos refusal to abide by financial-crime laws, in pursuit of unfettered trading profits, turned his exchange into a colossal money-laundering hub for terrorists, cybercriminals and customers in sanctioned countries such as Iran and Russia.

His decision to come to terms with the governments charges reflected a sense of pragmatism. The deal allows Binance to continue to operate. Zhao, 46 years old, will move to the sidelines, but retains his ownership. An internal monitor prescribed by the deal could constrain or even choke off the companys business, but might also give reassurance to Binance customers that the regulatory troubles are behind it.

Binances ability to withstand such a large penaltythe largest levied against a crypto firmreflected the huge war chest the company has amassed. Company insiders have said it had set aside $8 billion for a settlement. The fine was double what U.K. banking giant HSBC had to pay in 2012 for similar violations. Late last year, Denmarks largest bank paid $2 billion to resolve one of the biggest money-laundering scandals of all time.

These resolutions acknowledge our companys responsibility for historical, criminal compliance violations, and allow our company to turn the page," Binance said, adding it has poured resources into compliance.

The DOJ had its own reasons to resolve the case. A trial comes with risks and would have taken years to resolve. Binance mostly operates outside the U.S., limiting the ability to disrupt its operations. Zhao is based in the United Arab Emirates, which doesnt have an extradition treaty with the U.S., though last year it signed a law-enforcement cooperation treaty with Washington.

By late 2022, some of the DOJ prosecutors believed the evidence they had accumulated justified charging Binance and Zhao, according to several people familiar with the case. Among the charges under investigation then was money-laundering conspiracy, a more severe charge than what Zhao and Binance ultimately pleaded guilty to.

Zhao, then ensconced in Dubai, instructed Binances lawyers to engage with the Justice Department to search for a deal. Binances defense attorneys at law firm Gibson Dunn & Crutcher met with DOJ officials through the year and argued that the exchanges compliance program was much improved and that a criminal prosecution would hammer the crypto market, just as it was in meltdown.

Zhao offered an alternative to prison time: house arrest in New York, according to a person familiar with the negotiations. Zhao resisted giving up control of the company or stepping aside, too. During the back-and-forth, his general counsel quit this July over disagreements on the legal strategy.

But as the DOJ talks pressed on this fall, Zhao started floating his resignation to his lieutenants at Binance. An earlier plan to hand Binances reins to the chief customer service officer, Yi He, with whom Zhao has children, was scrapped. Instead, the exchanges head of regional markets, Richard Teng, a former Singaporean regulator, emerged as Zhaos top choice.

Zhao also bowed to pressure in September from the DOJ to sell Binances Russia business, after The Wall Street Journal revealed customers there were using sanctioned Russian banks.

Over a five-year investigation, U.S. authorities tracked Zhao while he hopped from country to country in an effort to keep Binance beyond their reach. First it was China, then Japan and Singapore, next a stint pretending to operate Binance from Malta, until finally he ended up in the U.A.E.

Once the unquestionable go-to place for trading crypto, Binance lost market share in recent months as customers grew wary. Several top executives left in recent months, many fearful that the exchange could be shut down under DOJ charges.

Late this summer, Zhao rejected a deal proposed by the DOJ that involved a $6 billion company fine and a recommended prison sentence of 18 months, according to people familiar with the negotiations.

Tuesdays guilty plea came only weeks after FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried was convicted of stealing billions of dollars from customers of his crypto exchange, in what prosecutors called one of the biggest financial frauds in U.S. history.

Binance sought to use the case to distinguish its crimes from those that brought down FTX. In a press release, Binance said it hasnt been accused of misappropriating any user funds.

I made mistakes, and I must take responsibility," Zhao wrote on X, formerly Twitter. This is best for our community, for Binance, and for myself."

Born in China, Zhao moved to Canada when he was 12 with his parents and sister. He later learned the ropes of building exchange infrastructure as a software developer at Bloomberg in New York.

In 2017, he and a small team launched Binance in Shanghai, and within six months it was already the largest crypto exchange in the world. Zhao attributed the success to hard work. Binance touted stories about how employees would take their laptops to hikes and midnight movies, in case work called.

But Binances main edge was that it had no authority to answer to. The company claimed it was based nowhere, while it serviced customers anywhere in the world through its platform, Binance.com. That included countries facing Western sanctions, such as Iran and later Russia.

Zhao was obsessed with expanding Binance at any cost, according to internal messages and people close to him. Early on, a Binance compliance employee told a colleague that Zhao wanted users to be able to trade within 10 minutes," without any identity checks meant to prevent the use of the exchange by criminals.

In keeping with Binances refusal to disclose its platforms location, Zhao also encouraged a culture of secrecy, ordering employees not to reveal whom they worked for and to erase internal communications.

During a company retreat at a South Korean ski resort in 2020, a note circulated among staff telling them to avoid speaking of the company, especially when in groups, out loud. Inebriated or not."

The company appeared to recognize its risks early on. Samuel Lim, Binances compliance chief, told Zhao in October 2018 that it had users from sanctioned countries, according to text messages obtained by the DOJ.

Lim suggested Binance should block those customers, adding U.S. authorities could try to investigate if they knew what Binance was up to.

Lim wasnt wrong. That year, U.S. authorities began looking into whether Binance and other crypto exchanges were soliciting American customers without following anti-money-laundering laws and sanctions restrictions.

As early as 2019, law-enforcement officials were gathering information on Zhao.

Lim didnt respond to requests for comment.

Zhao sought to insulate Binance from the growing scrutiny. He launched a U.S. arm, called Binance. US, that year which claimed to operate independently. In reality, Binance was fully behind it, and Zhao was its largest shareholder, the Journal previously reported.

While Binance officially blocked U.S. customers from its main website, it offered technological workarounds so Americans could use the larger exchange. The goal was to reduce the losses to ourselves, and at the same time to make the U.S. regulatory authorities not trouble us," Zhao said at the time, according to a separate civil complaint by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Zhaos reluctance to require users to provide any identifying information opened the door to criminals and users seeking to skirt U.S. sanctions. The exchange allowed customers in Iran to move at least $899 million, and it received over $100 million from a Russian online drug marketplace called Hydra, according to the DOJ.

We need a banner is washing drug money too hard these dayscome to Binance we got cake for you," a Binance compliance employee wrote in a 2019 chat, according to the DOJ.

Federal prosecutors sent a letter to Binance in December 2020 seeking records on Binances compliance policies. The request caused concern internally because under Zhaos direction much of the documentation had been erased, according to a person familiar with the letter.

A crypto boom during the pandemic turbocharged Zhaos fortunes. While he preached frugality, he splashed $11 million on a yacht that year, according to the SEC. The 100-foot, Italian-made vessel was named Da Moon, according to a former Binance executive, a play on the phrase to the moon" beloved by crypto traders hopeful for ever-rising prices.

U.S. regulators, meanwhile, received help from several former top executives at Binance. US. Brian Brooks, who had a brief three-month spell there as chief executive, told SEC officials during a meeting in December 2021 that it became clear to him during his tenure that Zhao was in charge of the American business, not him.

As soon as I realized that, I left," Brooks said.

At the Seattle courthouse Tuesday, prosecutors sought to prevent Zhao from leaving the country until his sentencing. They argued that Zhaos wealth and citizenship in the U.A.E. might lead him to skip sentencing, currently scheduled for February.

Magistrate Judge Brian A. Tsuchida sided with Zhao, releasing him on a $175 million bond. Zhaos sister also put up her $5 million California home as collateral to ensure her brother shows up for his sentencing.

I have full intention to come back here and close this issue," Zhao told Judge Tsuchida. Otherwise, I wouldnt be here today."

Vicky Ge Huang contributed to this article.

Write to Patricia Kowsmann at patricia.kowsmann@wsj.com, Angus Berwick at angus.berwick@wsj.com, Caitlin Ostroff at caitlin.ostroff@wsj.com and Dave Michaels at dave.michaels@wsj.com

View Full Image Inside Binances Guilty Plea and the Biggest Fine in Crypto History
Over the past few years, the social movement known as effective altruism has divided employees and executives at artificial-intelligence companies across Silicon Valley, pitting believers against nonbelievers.

The blowup at OpenAI showed its influenceand the triumphant return of chief executive Sam Altman revealed hard limits, capping a bruising year for the divisive philosophy.

Coming just weeks after effective altruisms most prominent backer, Sam Bankman-Fried, was convicted of fraud, the OpenAI meltdown delivered another blow to the movement, which believes that carefully crafted artificial-intelligence systems, imbued with the correct human values, will yield a Golden Ageand failure to do so could have apocalyptic consequences.

OpenAI, which released ChatGPT a year ago, was formed in part on the principles of effective altruism, a broad social and moral philosophy that influences the AI research community in Silicon Valley and beyond. Some followers live in private group homes, where they can brainstorm ideas, engage in philosophical debates and relax playing a four-person variant of chess known as Bughouse. The movement includes people devoted to animal rights and climate change, drawing ideas from rationalist philosophers, mathematicians and forecasters of the future.

Supercharged by hundreds of millions of dollars in tech-titan donations, effective altruists believe a headlong rush into artificial intelligence could destroy mankind. They favor safety over speed for AI development. The movement, which includes people who helped shape the generative-AI boom, is insular and multifaceted but shares a belief in doing good in the worldeven if that means simply making a lot of money and giving it to worthy recipients.

Altman, who was fired by the board Friday, clashed with the companys chief scientist and board member Ilya Sutskever over AI-safety issues that mirrored effective-altruism concerns, according to people familiar with the dispute.

Voting with Sutskever, who led the coup, were board members Tasha McCauley, a tech executive and board member for the effective-altruism charity Effective Ventures, and Helen Toner, an executive with Georgetown Universitys Center for Security and Emerging Technology, which is backed by a philanthropy dedicated to effective-altruism causes. They made up three of the four votes needed to oust Altman, people familiar with the matter said. The board said he failed to be consistently candid."

The company announced Wednesday that Altman would return as chief executive and Sutskever, McCauley and Toner would be replaced. Emmett Shear, a tech executive favoring a slowdown in AI development and recruited as the interim CEO, was out.

Altmans dismissal had triggered a company revolt that threatened OpenAIs future. More than 700 of about 770 employees had called for Altmans return and threatened to jump ship to Microsoft, OpenAIs biggest investor. Sutskever said Monday he regretted his vote.

OpenAIs board members religion of effective altruism and its misapplication could have set back the worlds path to the tremendous benefits of artificial intelligence," venture capitalist and OpenAI investor Vinod Khosla wrote in an opinion piece for The Information.

Altman toured the world this spring warning that AI could cause serious harm. He also called effective altruism an incredibly flawed movement" that showed very weird emergent behavior."

The effective-altruism community has spent vast sums promoting the idea that AI poses an existential risk. But it was the release of ChatGPT that drew broad attention to how quickly AI had advanced, said Scott Aaronson, a computer scientist at the University of Texas, Austin, who works on AI safety at OpenAI. The chatbots surprising capabilities worried people who had previously brushed off concerns, he said.

The movement has spread among the armies of tech-industry scientists, investors and executives racing to create AI systems to mimic and eventually surpass human ability. AI can bring global prosperity, but it first must be prevented from wreaking havoc, according to those in the movement.

Google and other companies are trying to be the first to roll out AI systems that can match the human brain. They largely regard artificial intelligence as a tool to advance work and economies at great profit.

The movements high-profile supporters include Dustin Moskovitz, a co-founder of Facebook, and Jann Tallinn, the billionaire founder of Skype, who have pledged billions of dollars to effective-altruism research. Before his fall, Bankman-Fried had also pledged billions. Elon Musk has called the writings of effective altruisms co-founder William MacAskill a close match for my philosophy."

Marc Andreessen, the co-founder of venture-capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, and Garry Tan, chief executive of the startup incubator Y Combinator, have criticized the movement. Tan called it an insubstantial virtue signal philosophy" that should be abandoned to solve real problems that create human abundance."

Urgent fear among effective-altruists that AI will destroy humanity clouds their ability to take in critique from outside the culture," said Shazeda Ahmed, a researcher who led a Princeton University team that studied the movement. That is never good for any community trying to solve any trenchant problem."

The turmoil at OpenAI exposes the behind-the-scenes contest in Silicon Valley between people who put their faith in markets and effective altruists who believe ethics, reason, mathematics and finely tuned machines should guide the future.

This account of the movement is based on interviews with more than 50 executives, researchers, investors, current and former effective-altruists, as well as public talks, academic papers and other published material from the effective-altruism community.

Clip job

One fall day last year, thousands of paper clips in the shape of OpenAIs logo arrived at the companys San Francisco office. No one seemed to know where they were from, but everybody knew what they meant.

The paper clip has become a symbol of doom in the AI community. The idea is that an artificial-intelligence system told to build as many paper clips as possible might destroy all of humanity in its drive to maximize production.

The prank was done by an employee at crosstown rival, Anthropic, which itself sprang from divisions over AI safety.

Dario Amodei, OpenAIs top research scientist, split from the company, joined by several company executives in early 2021. They started Anthropic, an AI research company friendly to effective altruists.

Bankman-Fried had been one of Anthropics largest investors and supported the companys mission, which favored AI safety over growth and profits.

The fear of futuristic AI systems hasnt stopped even those worried about safety from trying to build artificial general intelligence or AGIadvanced systems that match or outdo the human brain.

At OpenAIs holiday party last December, Sutskever addressed hundreds of employees and their guests at the California Academy of Science in San Francisco, not far from the museums dioramas of stuffed zebras, antelopes and lions.

Our goal is to make a mankind-loving AGI," said Sutskever, the companys chief scientist.

Feel the AGI," he said. Repeat after me. Feel the AGI."

Effective altruists say they can build safer AI systems because they are willing to invest in what they call alignment: making sure employees can control the technology they create and ensure it comports with a set of human values. So far, no AI company has said what those values should be.

OpenAI recently said it would dedicate a fifth of its computing resources over the next four years to what the company called superalignment," an effort led by Sutskever. The team has been building, among other things, an AI-derived scientist" that can conduct research on AI systems, people familiar with the matter said.

Frustrated employees said attention to AGI and alignment has left fewer resources to solve more immediate issues such as developer abuse, fraud and nefarious AI uses that could affect the 2024 election. They say the resource disparity reflects the influence of effective altruism.

While OpenAI is building automated tools to catch abuses, it hasnt hired many investigators for that work, according to people familiar with the company. It also has few employees monitoring its developer platform, which is used by more than two million researchers, companies and other developers.

The company has recently hired someone to consider the role of OpenAI technology in the 2024 election. Experts warn of the potential for AI-generated images to mislead voters.

A spokeswoman for OpenAI said the company has invested heavily in moderating its products and has several teams to manage short-term risks. The company said it also has put significant resources into training its AI models to avoid generating harmful content.

At Google, the merging this year of its two artificial intelligence unitsDeepMind and Google Braintriggered a split over how effective-altruism principles are applied, according to current and former employees.

DeepMind co-founder Demis Hassabis, who has long hired people aligned with the movement, is in charge of the combined units.

Google Brain employees say they have largely ignored effective altruism and instead explore practical uses of artificial intelligence and the potential misuse of AI tools, according to people familiar with the matter.

One former employee compared the merger with DeepMind to a forced marriage, making many people squirm at Brain."

P(doom)

Arjun Panickssery, a 21-year-old AI safety researcher, lives with other effective altruists at Andromeda House, a five-bedroom, three-story home a few blocks from the University of California, Berkeley campus.

They host dinners, and visitors are sometimes asked to reveal their P(doom)estimates of the chances of an AI catastrophe.

Berkeley, Calif., is an epicenter of effective altruism in the Bay Area, Panickssery said. Some houses designate no-AI" zones to give people an escape from constant talk about artificial intelligence.

Open Philanthropys then-CEO Holden Karnofsky had once lived with two senior OpenAI executives, according to Open Philanthropys website. Since 2015, Open Philanthropy, a nonprofit that supports effective-altruism causeshas given away $327 million, including $30 million to OpenAI, its website shows.

When Karnofsky was engaged to Daniela Amodei, now Anthropics president, they were roommates with Amodeis brother Dario, now Anthropics CEO.

In August 2017, Karnofsky and Daniela Amodei married in an effective-altruism-theme ceremony. Wedding guests were encouraged to donate to Karnofskys effective-altruism charity GiveWell and to read a 457-page tome by German philosopher Jurgen Habermas beforehand.

This is necessary context for understanding our wedding," the couple wrote on a website for the event.

The effective-altruism movement dates back roughly two decades, when a group of Oxford University philosophers and those they identified as super-hardcore do-gooders," were looking for a marketing term to promote their utilitarian version of philanthropy.

Adherents believe in maximizing the amount of good they do with their time. They can earn as much money as possible, then give much of it away to attack problems that government and traditional nonprofits are ignoring or havent solved. They focus on ideas that deliver the biggest impact or help the largest number of people per dollar spent.

Bankman-Fried, who was convicted this month, said he was building his fortune only to give most of it away.

Beginning around 2014, effective altruists became attuned to the risk of human annihilation by an advanced AI system, a danger on the scale of climate change. The revelation coincided with publication of the book Superintelligence" by the Swedish philosopher Nick Bostrom, which popularized the paper clip as a symbol of AI danger.

Effective altruists have since formed networks of online communities, where they exchange job advice, argue about philosophy and offer predictions. Affiliated nonprofits and student groups organize local meetups and conferences focused on using reason, economics and mathematics to solve the worlds biggest problems.

The gatherings and events, held around the world, are often closed to outsiders. Organizers of a recent effective-altruism conference in New York declined the request of a Wall Street Journal reporter to attend, saying in an email that there was a high bar for admissions."

The email suggested the reporter would benefit from spending some more time engaging with the effective altruism community."

Caitlin Ostroff contributed to this article.

Write to Robert McMillan at robert.mcmillan@wsj.com and Deepa Seetharaman at deepa.seetharaman@wsj.com
Call it the Burning Man" theory of tech. Every so often, the hopes and dreams of a technological visionary are almost torched by those who surround them. In 1985 Steve Jobs was fired from Apple, the company he fathered, and did not return for 11 years. In 2000 Elon Musks co-founders ousted him as CEO of X.com, the firm that went on to become PayPal, a digital-payments platform. In 2008 Jack Dorseys fellow creators of Twitter ended his short reign as chief executive of the social-media app. On November 17th Sam Altman looked like he would become the Bay Areas next burnt effigy, ousted from OpenAI , the artificial-intelligence (AI) firm he co-founded in 2015, by a board that accused him of lacking candour. But on November 21st, after four days in which he, his employees and OpenAIs investors, such as Microsoft, wrangled feverishly for his reinstatement, he was back in control of the firm. Wow it even took Jesus three days," one wag tweeted in the midst of the drama. Instead of Mr Altman, three of the four board members who gave him the boot are toast.

It is not the first time in his 38 years on Earth that Mr Altman has been at the centre of such an imbroglio. He is a man of such supreme self-confidence that people tend to treat him as either genius or opportunistthe latter usually in private. Like Jobs, he has a messianic ability to inspire people, even if he doesnt have the iPhone creators God-like eye for design. Like Mr Musk, he has ironclad faith in his vision for the future, even if he lacks the Tesla bosss legendary engineering skills. Like Mr Dorsey, he has shipped a product, ChatGPT, that has become a worldwide topic of conversationand consternation.

Yet along the way he has irked people. This started at Y Combinator (YC), a hothouse for entrepreneurs, which he led from 2014 until he was pushed out in 2019 for scaling it up too fast and getting distracted by side hustles such as OpenAI. At OpenAI, he fell out with Mr Musk, another co-founder, and some influential AI researchers who left in a huff. The latest evidence comes from the four board members who clumsily sought to fire him. The specific reasons for their decision remain unclear. But it would not be a surprise if Mr Altmans unbridled ambition played a role.

If there is one constant in Mr Altmans life, it is a missionary zeal that even by Silicon Valley standards is striking. Some entrepreneurs are motivated by fame and fortune. His goal appears to be techno-omnipotence. Paul Graham, co-founder of YC, said of Mr Altman, then still in his early 20s: You could parachute him into an island full of cannibals and come back in five years and hed be the king."

Forget the island. The world is now his domain. In 2021 he penned a Utopian manifesto called Moores Law for Everything", predicting that the AI revolution (which he was leading) would shower benefits on Earthcreating phenomenal wealth, changing the nature of work, reducing poverty. He is an ardent proponent of nuclear fusion, arguing that coupled with ChatGPT-like generative" AI, falling costs of knowledge and energy will create a beautiful exponential curve". This is heady stuff, all the more so given the need to strike a careful balance between speed and safety when rolling out such world-changing technologies. Where Mr Altman sits on that spectrum is hard to gauge.

Mr Altman is a man of contradictions. In 2016, when he still led YC, Peter Thiel, a billionaire venture capitalist, described him to the New Yorker as not particularly religious butculturally very Jewishan optimist yet a survivalist" (back then Mr Altman had a bolt hole in Big Sur, stocked with guns and gold, in preparation for rogue AIs, pandemics and other disasters). As for his enduring optimism, it rang out clearly during an interview he recorded just two days before OpenAIs boardroom coup, which he did not see coming. What differentiates me [from] most of the AI companies is I think AI is good," he told Hard Fork", a podcast. I dont secretly hate what I do all day. I think its going to be awesome."

He has sought to have it both ways when it comes to OpenAIs governance, too. Mr Altman devised the wacky corporate structure at the heart of the latest drama. OpenAI was founded as a non-profit, in order to push the frontiers of AI to a point where computers can out-think people, yet without sacrificing human pre-eminence. But it also needed money. For that it established a for-profit subsidiary that offered investors capped rewards but no say in the running of the company. Mr Altman, who owns no shares in OpenAI, has defended the model. In March he told one interviewer that putting such technologies into the hands of a company that sought to create unlimited value left him a little afraid".

And yet he also appears to chafe against its constraints. As he did at YC, he has pursued side projects, including seeking investors to make generative-AI devices and semiconductors, which could potentially be hugely lucrative. The old board is being replaced by a new one that may turn out to be less wedded to OpenAIs safety-above-all-else charter. The incoming chairman, Bret Taylor, used to run Salesforce, a software giant. On his watch the startup could come to resemble a more conventional, fast-scaling tech company. Mr Altman will probably be happy with that, too.

Mercury rising

If that happens, OpenAI may become an even hotter ticket. With the latest version of its AI model, GPT-5, and other products on the way, it is ahead of the pack. Mr Altman has a unique knack for raising money and recruiting talented individuals, and his task would be all the easier with a more normal corporate structure. But his ambiguities, especially over where to strike the balance between speed and safety, are a lesson. Though Mr Altman has been welcomed into the worlds corridors of powers to provide guidance on AI regulation, his own convictions are still not set in stone. That is all the more reason for governments to set the tone on AI safety, not mercurial tech visionaries.

 2023, The Economist Newspaper Limited. All rights reserved.

From The Economist, published under licence. The original content can be found on www.economist.com
Chasing a valuation of $6 billion, business-to-business (B2B) marketplace OfBusiness has approached sovereign wealth funds, private equity (PE) funds and crossover funds to raise $150-200 million in a new funding round, three people with knowledge of the development said.

The company has appointed investment bank Avendus to help it raise the funds. The talks are in an early stage and the deal has just been launched. The final value discovery will happen basis the investor interest," said the first person cited above.

The Delhi-based company was last valued at $5 billion in 2021 when it raised $325 million from investors led by Alpha Wave Global, Tiger Global and SoftBanks Vision Fund 2. It has raised nearly $900 million in 11 funding rounds, of which $802 million came in 2021 alone.

OfBusinesss fundraising assumes importance in a market where liquidity has dried up for the larger startup ecosystem. Investors have pulled back from backing companies that are burning money and far from profitability. So far this year, venture funding is down to around $9 billion in the first nine months to September, from $19.8 billion in the same period in 2022.

The maximum funding raised by a company in 2023 was by omnichannel eyewear maker Lenskart, which raised $600 million from investors in a mix of primary and secondary funding across two rounds. The company was valued at $4 billion after the funding rounds.

OfBusinesss latest round will be a mix of secondary and primary funding, with some early backers selling some of their shares, the second person said, adding that the secondary shares are being offered at a discount of 15-20% to the last valuation. Primary funding is when a company raises funds, and secondary is when an existing shareholder looks to offload stake.

OfBusiness counts Norwest Venture Partners, Matrix Partners, Creation Investments and Zodius Capital as its other investors, and is looking at an initial public offering in the next 12-24 months. The company was eyeing $8-9 billion in valuation, but due to market conditions, the valuations have corrected, and it would wait for liquidity situation to improve," the third person said.

Founded in 2015 by Asish Mohapatra, Vasant Sridhar, Bhuvan Gupta, Nitin Jain, Ruchi Karla and Srinath Ramakkrushnan, all Indian Institute of Technology graduates from different campuses, OfBusiness provides manufacturing and infrastructure companies with purchases of metals, chemicals, agricultural commodities and building materials. When contacted, Mohapatra denied the firm was looking to raise money.

According to the three people quoted above, the company is improving its unit economics and is already profitable, making it a better candidate to access capital easier.

As per its financial filings, OfBusinesss revenue from operations stood at 15,342.5 crore in FY23, double the 7,139.5 crore of FY22. Its net profit also doubled to 463.2 crore in FY23 from 201.1 crore the previous year.

Its other business, Oxyzo Financial Services, a digital lending platform, raised $200 million from investors in 2022 when it turned unicorn in its maiden funding round.

Companies in the B2B segment have seen steep growth rates in the past three years. Zetwerk, InfraMarket and others have been profitable and are attracting investor interest.
The Internal Revenue Service has now postponed them all for two yearswhich could cost the Treasury more than $8 billion.

The latest IRS move to push back a congressional deadline came this week. Officials for the second time delayed the requirement that platforms such as Venmo send informational tax forms to the IRS and to many users who receive more than $600 in revenue a year.

The IRS decisions help the affected taxpayers avoid burdensome requirements. Millions of people selling goods on eBay or reselling tickets on StubHub wont get confusing tax forms in January. High-income workers age 50 and up can still make their full retirement contributions in pretax dollars next year instead of posttax accounts. And crypto brokers dont yet have to report transactions that could lead to eight billion information returns going to the IRS each year.

At least in the short run, however, the tax agencys moves frustrate lawmakers attempts to raise revenue and plug gaps in tax compliance.

They are symptomatic of a phenomenon in which administrations of both parties take action without the oversight or cost analysis required by legislation. The tax delays arent as headline-grabbing as President Bidens student-loan relief or former President Donald Trumps border-wall construction. But they allow the IRS to deliver what are, in a sense, tax breaks without congressional approval.

The IRS, like every administrative agency, exercises discretion as it interprets sometimes vague laws. It tries to balance helping taxpayers meet their obligations with strictly enforcing the law. This year alone, the IRS gave Californians seven extra months to pay their 2022 taxes after natural disasters. Separately, it prevailed over a taxpayer who filed a Tax Court petition 11 seconds too late.

In a statement justifying the recent series of rule delays, the IRS pointed to a tax code section that gives the commissioner the power to administer, manage, conduct, direct, and supervise the execution and application" of tax laws.

The IRS has used its authority over the years to delay implementation of complex laws in the interest of good tax administration," the statement said.

Some lawmakers say the tax agency cant change deadlines that Congress wrote into law.

The IRS is completely out of control and must be held accountable as they continue to make up the law as they go," said Rep. Carol Miller (R., W.Va.), a Ways and Means Committee member who has been pushing to repeal the online seller law. The Biden administration must be reminded that Congress writes the laws; they are the ones who must correctly implement them."

Fred Goldberg, a former IRS commissioner, said officials have a responsibility to look holistically at making the tax system run as smoothly as possible.

My starting assumption is that the IRS does what the statute says, read literally. Its a big barrier to get over. But they can and should get over it," he said, endorsing occasional relief such as the delays the IRS has recently allowed. Its common sense, and its not willy-nilly and its not mere personal preference."

Rule: Online sellers

Cost: $2 billion

The most recent IRS decision pushed back new requirements for payment and e-commerce platforms such as Venmo and Ticketmaster. In a 2021 law, Congress said they must send information returns to the IRS and to sellers who receive at least $600 in revenue in a given year. The law didnt change what is taxable but, generally, if the IRS has more information on more transactions, tax compliance improves.

That was supposed to take effect for tax year 2022, with the first forms sent in early 2023. But the IRS postponed it last December after lawmakers and business groups warned that the forms could be difficult for taxpayers to understand and use in filing their own returns. The agency again delayed the rule for tax year 2023 and said it would attempt to enforce a $5,000 thresholdneither the old law nor the new onein tax year 2024.

The congressional Joint Committee on Taxation projected that the first two full years would generate about $2 billion when the law was passed by Democrats in 2021. Congress had counted the revenue to help pay for pension-law changes.

Many lawmakers want to reverse the 2021 law or impose a threshold far above $600. But the idea is stuck in a logjam with other tax measures, and its prospects are uncertain.

There are times where arguably this kind of discretion of agencies to not enforce the law kind of does get us to the place where a well-functioning Congress would have gotten us anyway," said Brian Galle, a tax law professor at Georgetown University.

And when the IRS moves on its own, there is generally no legal recourse. Taxpayers can challenge IRS actions when they are individually harmed, but they typically cant sue over taxpayer-friendly rules.

As taxpayers, all we can do is complain," Galle said.

Rule: Crypto brokers

Cost: $4 billion

The delay on crypto brokers reporting, however, has drawn frustration from some in Congress.

The law, passed in 2021, was intended to ensure crypto transactions would be reported similar to stock sales, so the IRS has independent information on costs and gains that it can use for audits. Similar to the changes for online sellers, these rules wouldnt change what is taxable but would give the IRS more visibility into opaque income streams. The rules were supposed to take effect in tax year 2023, with forms sent in 2024.

The IRS released proposed rules earlier this year but said they wont take full effect until 2026. The first two years were projected to generate more than $4 billion, to help pay for the bipartisan infrastructure law.

An additional two-year delay not only contravenes this statutory directive; it runs counter to the interests of American taxpayers and the federal government," Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) and Angus King (I., Maine) wrote to IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen last month. Any delay would give crypto lobbyists even more opportunity to undermine the administrations efforts to impose basic reporting requirements on the nearly unregulated crypto sector."

Rule: Retirement contributions

Cost: $2 billion

The delay in retirement rules was also partly a response to industry pressure. Congress, in a 2022 law, required most people age 50 and up to change how they make catch-up contributions, or amounts above the annual limits.

That was supposed to start in 2024. But industry groups questioned how they could comply, and the IRS gave everyone another two years.

The delay is likely to cost about $2 billion over 10 years, based on the original estimates from the joint tax committee. When writing the law, Congress had counted that money toward a package of retirement-policy changes.

Write to Richard Rubin at richard.rubin@wsj.com

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The phrase factory Asia" describes one of historys most impressive economic achievements. Over the past half-century Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and, more recently, China became bustling hubs for manufacturing goods, which they then exported to the rest of the world, especially the well-off West. Millions of Asians escaped poverty by making stuff; many grew prosperous. Now the regions economic model is shifting again, with consequences for Asia and for the world.

Asias long manufacturing boom fostered a wave of trade integration. In 1990, 46% of Asian trade took place within the region. By 2021 that figure had risen to 58%, making it the most integrated continent after Europe. As Asia has become richer and its firms more muscular, investment flows are becoming more regional, too.

Over the past decade Asian firms have been enthusiastic investors in their own neighbourhood. Foreign direct investment into Asia by other Asians has grown almost twice as quickly as that by Western investors. Much of it has come from rich and ageing Japan and South Korea, as well as from China, and has gone to poorer, younger places. As a result, in 2021 Asians owned 59% of the stock of foreign direct investment in Asia (excluding the financial hubs of Hong Kong and Singapore), up from 48% in 2010. The Wests share, meanwhile, has fallen.

A similar picture emerges from other financial flows. Asias share of cross-border bank lending has risen from less than 40% before the global financial crisis to 54% today. Firms like the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Japans Mitsubishi UFI Financial Group and Singapores United Overseas Bank have expanded in the region even as Western lenders have retreated.

What development finance is done in the region by America is done in large part through multilateral banks. Asian countries are bigger lenders, and direct ones too. Between 2015 and 2021 China committed an average of $5.5bn to the region annually, compared with $4bn from Japan and $2.9bn from South Korea. Much of this is accompanied by the transfer of technical expertise. Visit Ho Chi Minh Citys nearly completed metro stations, and you cannot miss that they were built with Japanese support. Few infrastructure projects across the region are bedecked in the Stars and Stripes.

Asian integration is likely to deepen. Newish trade agreements such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership have removed some of the barriers to commerce. As supply chains become still more complex, more cross-border investment in logistics will be needed. Even where regional firms are scrambling to reduce their reliance on China, many are looking to set up factories in India or Vietnam instead.

More important, Asias rising consumers should turbocharge integration. For now a large share of intra-Asian trade is in intermediate inputs, used to produce finished goods, rather than consumer items. But over the next five years, the IMF predicts, emerging and developing Asian economies are likely to grow by 4.5% a year, three times as quickly as advanced countries. As consumers get richer they will buy more from their neighbours.

The economic implications are exciting. Today the disparities in income across Asia are vast, with GDP per person ranging from $8,000 in India to $49,000 in Japan, adjusting for purchasing power. Just as integration with the eu helped incomes in eastern Europe catch up with those in the west, so too integration in Asia should lift incomes in the south and south-east. The savings of richer, ageing Asian countries are being put to good use in poorer and younger ones, where they are helping to spread prosperity while generating healthy returns for investors. Increased trade should reduce prices for consumers, and more investment should bring down the cost of capital.

What of the political consequences? Unlike in Europe, deeper economic ties in Asia do not herald political integration. The European project was propelled by a desire to avoid another continental war; in Asia today there is no similar impetus. Asian countries are fiercely independent, and their political systems are too variedfrom liberal democracy to war-scorched tyrannyto make an Asian Union feasible. An Asian mosaic is more likely, with several powers vying for influence.

Although America remains an important investor in the region, its economic and political sway will be diminished. In relative terms, it has lost financial clout, so it stands to gain relatively less from Asias coming boom. Moreover, support for free-trade deals has evaporated on both sides of the aisle in Washington. When seeking to build alliances in Asia, America has fewer economic carrots to offer than in the past.

Yet this does not mean that the region will be dominated by China, the regional heavyweight. True, China has gained influence through its huge trading heft and the Belt and Road Initiative. But many Asian countries are wary of China, not least because its foreign policy has grown more abrasive under President Xi Jinping. Indians tell pollsters they are no fans of China. Socialist Vietnam is playing both sides, as President Joe Bidens recent trip to the country shows.

Rich, mature Asian democracies such as Japan and South Korea will be an important counterweight to China. Japans long-standing development aid to South-East Asia helps explain why regional elites say it is the most trusted power in the region, according to a survey by the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore. South Korea takes pride in its rapid transition from aid recipient to big donor. Both Japan and South Korea are much friendlier to America than they are to China.

Pan-Pacific prosperity

Even though Americas relative economic weight is diminishing in Asia, it can still wield influence through its partners. At a summit last month Mr Biden welcomed South Koreas president, Yoon Suk-yeol, and Japans prime minister, Kishida Fumio; the three leaders all reaffirmed their support for a rules-based order. As Asian countries grow richer together, America should remember that it, too, is a Pacific nation, and should resist the temptation to turn inward.

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 2023, The Economist Newspaper Limited. All rights reserved. From The Economist, published under licence. The original content can be found on www.economist.com
Indian students studying in Germany surged significantly over the past four years. According to a report by Studying-in-Germany.org , it was observed that the number of Indian students in Germany has increased by 107% in 4 years.

Earlier China had been the biggest source of international students in Germany but this position was taken over by India recently. Currently, 39,137 Chinese students are enrolled in German universities.

In terms of students crossing borders to study in Germany has remained stable for China with around 39,000 to 40,000 reported to be studying in Germany. Around 39,871 Chinese students were studying in Germany in 2019. In stark contrast to Chinese experience outflow of Indian students surged significantly over the past few years.

As per the report, 20,562 Indian students were studying in Germany in 2019. The numbers peaked to 42,578 in 2023 which placed India at the forefront of international student representation in Germany.

Also read: Delhi University faces criticism for unprecedented hike in PhD fees

Apart from India and China, other countries that contribute significantly to the international student population in Germany include Syria with 15,563 students, Austria with 14,762, Turkey with 14,732 and Iran with 13,279. The diversity of international students underscores Germany's global appeal and its reputation as a hub for high-quality education and research.

According to experts from the Studying-in-Germany.org this shift in trend can be attributed to various factors that includes high-quality education system, affordable tuition fees in Germany as compared to rest of the world and last but not the least a strong focus on research and innovation in Germany's Universities. It is believed that post-study work policies make Germany an attractive destination for Indian students.

India's top rank among countries experiencing outflow of students to Germany signifies the shift in trend towards non-English speaking countries for higher education. It is believed that increased Indian student enrolment in Germany will enhance cultural exchange and mutual understanding and will also contribute to the development of skilled workforce, will foster innovation and collaboration in various areas of study.

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Rajasthan is all set go to polls on Saturday, November 25. The campaign for Rajasthan Assembly Election 2023 ended at 6 pm on Thursday, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress trading barbs over a host of issues. These issues ranged from crime to women safety to corruption and paper leak cases.

As around 5.25 crore electors in Rajasthan gear up to vote, here's look at voting time, key candidates, polls issues, and strengths and weakness of the BJP and the Congress in the Rajasthan Election 2023:

Follow assembly election 2023 LIVE Updates here

Voting will be held in how many Rajasthan assembly constituencies?

Out of the total 200 assembly seats in Rajasthan, 199 will be contested on November 25. This is because the election in the Karanpur assembly constituency was adjourned after the Congress candidate from Karanpur, Gurmeet Singh Koonar, died due to sepsis. Koonar was the sitting MLA from Karanpur.

Of these 200 seats, 25 are reserved for Scheduled Caste (SC) category, 34 for Scheduled Tribe (ST) category and 141 for General category.

Voting date, time and results: When will the voting happen in Rajasthan Election?

The voting for the Rajasthan Election 2023 will begin at 7 am and conclude at 6 pm on Saturday, November 25. The elections results will be declared on December 3.

ALSO READ: Rajasthan assembly elections 2023: How would BJP, Congress ensure women safety and welfare - explained

When will the term of Rajasthan assembly end?

It ends on January 14, 2024.

Which major parties are contesting Rajasthan polls?

The BJP and the Congress are two key parties contesting the Rajasthan Election 2023. Both the political parties announced names for all 200 seats. Besides them, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Aam aadmi Party (AAP) have also fieled candidates.

ALSO READ: Rajasthan Assembly polls 2023: A look at key constituencies, candidates, issues

How to know your candidate?

In a bid to keep the voters informed, the Election Commission uploads candidates' affidavit, with all details including Criminal Antecedents" if any, on the #KYC App of ECI and https://affidavit.eci.gov.in portal.

On the website and app, a person can browse candidates and view their details including affidavits provided by the candidate during their nomination. They need to enter the state and the assembly constituency to see which candidate is contesting from that particular constituency. They can even click on "view more" option given against each candidate to check details.

SWOT analysis of BJP

Strengths:

1. The BJP has a strong organisational set up down to the booth level.

2. The party hopes to cash in on the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi Modi.

3. The party's Hindutva appeal could help in getting votes.

4. The party may also bag support of right-wingers after the Kanhaiya Lal case in Udaipur.

Weakness

1. The BJP lacks a tall leader in the state.

2. The differences within the BJP unit may not be as out in the open as in the rival Congress, but the party will have to tread carefully while dealing with former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and her camp.

3. According to a political analysis, the BJP's low visibility on ground may cost the party a few votes.

4. The BJP has not been able to effectively counter the Congress narrative that the Centre is reluctant to accord the national project" status to the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project, which covers some districts where BJP is considered weak.

Opportunities

1. Anti-incumbency in Rajasthan might be in the BJP's favour. Rajasthan has been a swing state, with the power oscillating between the Congress and the BJP for decade. After five years of Congress rule, the voters could be inclined to bring the BJP to power this time.

2. The BJP will exploit the infighting within the Congress. BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have targetted the Congress over the contention between Congress leader Sachin Pilot and Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.

3. The BJP has tried to corner the Ashok Gehlot government on law and order, particularly crime against women. A red diary detailing corruption that is claimed to be in the possession of a sacked Rajasthan minister Rajendra Gudha is also a talking point.

4. A new CM face from the BJP might be in its favour as the people in the state look forward to a changed leadership in the wake of anti-incumbency factor.

Threats

1. The restoration of the Old Pension Scheme and the launch of a series of welfare initiatives by the Gehlot government will pull votes for the Congress.

2. Former BJP leader and Rashtriya Loktantrik Party supremo Hanuman Beniwal is likely to garner Jat votes which might have gone to the BJP in some constituencies. In tribal areas, the new Bhartiya Adivasi Party is the one to watch out for.

3. Congress leaders Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot have been among prominent faces in Rajasthan polls

SWOT analysis of Congress

Strengths:

1. Ashok Gehlots mass connect, strengthened further by a systematic outreach programme, gives the party another shot at power. gehlot has been the Chief Minister of the state for three times.

2. Despite being sidelined in the state, former deputy minister Sachin Pilots charisma still counts. He remains a crowd-puller, particularly among the youth. He has been a prominent leader among the Gujjar community.

3. A long list of welfare schemes launched by the Ashok Gehlot-led government could favour the Congress. These schemes include 25-lakh medical insurance, MGNREGA-like employment scheme for urban areas, cooking gas cylinders at 500 for the Ujjwala scheme beneficiaries, smartphones for women and a social security allowance.

Weaknesses

1. Infighting between Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot has been out in the open. The current truce may not be enough to offset the damage, news agency PTI reported.

2. The Congress's organisational structure could have been stronger. Many state unit office bearers and district presidents were appointed only in July, giving them little time for them to settle in before the elections.

3. The allegations of corruption, including those related to paper leaks, could take a hit at the Congress' image. A sacked ministers claim that he has a red diary" that carries evidence of financial irregularities is also now in the mix.

Opportunities

1. Restoration of the Old Pension Scheme should give an edge to the ruling Congress in Rajasthan. About 7 lakh employees  and their families  are expected to benefit from this decision.

2. Divisions within the BJPs state unit could help the Congress, particularly if Vasundhara Rajes supporters do not throw their weight into the BJP campaign.

3. The party gains in some districts if it manages to convince voters that the BJP at the Centre is not prioritising the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project.

Threats

1. Anti-incumbency is the major threat to the Congress. This has made regaining power in the state tough for the party. The state has alternated between the BJP and the Congress every year in recent decades.

2. The BJP appears brought up cases of communal violence in the state. It also accused the state government of appeasement towards Muslims.

3. The presence of Asaduddin Owaisis AIMIM on the Rajasthan poll scene could split the Muslim vote in some constituencies. Similarly, newly formed Bhartiya Adivasi too can make it tougher for the party in the tribal belt.

(With inputs from PTI)

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Union Home Minister Amit Shah held mega roadshows in Chittorgarh, Nathdwara constituencies on the last day of campaigning for the Rajasthan assembly election. He expressed confidence that the BJP will form the government in the state, reported ANI Thursday.

The Union Home Minister said people of Rajasthan have suffered due to the appeasement policies under the Congress government in the state and people are very upset with this.

"In the last five years, the Congress has worked with the policy of appeasement and corruption. The people of Rajasthan are very upset with this," the Union home minister said.

"In the last five years, if anyone's condition has been the worst in Rajasthan, it has been that of women and Dalits. The politics of appeasement is at its peak under the Gehlot government. The Rajasthan government has not taken any action against rioters due to vote-bank politics," Shah said.

Expressing confidence that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will form the government in the state with a thumping majority, he said ...there is a mood for change and people have made up their minds to throw out the failed Congress government."

"Today, even children in Rajasthan are saying 'Gehlot ji, you won't get votes'," he added.

"Congress party and Gehlot government are anti-backward class. For many years, the Congress party opposed the report of the Mandal Commission and the Congress party did not give constitutional recognition to the Backward Classes Commission," Shah said.

He further said, After touring the state, I see that he has made many things disappear such as jobs, law, and order now people will become magicians and will make the Congress government disappear on December 3."

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There have been over 35,000 cases of rape in the state and more than 15,000 cases of rape of minors. Rajasthan accounts for 22% of all rape crimes in India. We saw anger in women wherever we went. Women are standing against the Gehlot government and in support of Modi."

He added that Congress, which came to power on the promise of a loan waiver to farmers in 10 days, was not able to do it even for 5% of farmers in five years. Moreover, the land of over 19,000 farmers had been seized and many farmers died by suicide. Farmers are united against Gehlot," he said.

Shah said over 15 paper leaks took place in three years and the future of over four million youths was destroyed. Despite all this, the Gehlot government did not institute any strict investigation."

Shah said whenever the Congress has called Modi names, the people of the country have given it a befitting reply and the people of Rajasthan will do the same. The BJP government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has delivered welfare schemes to crores of beneficiaries in a transparent manner."

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After three years of living in her dream home in a Texas community called Rocky Creek Ranch, Donna Rutter is giving it up to move closer to the accounting firm she bought in the nearby city of Fort Worth.

Rutter spent most of her 30-year career as a CPA for large firms in Dallas and Fort Worth. Even before Covid, she had a work style that allowed her some flexibility. She didnt have a central office she went to every day, but she had clients she traveled to visit on site. That schedule allowed her to build a home in Rocky Creek, about 20 minutes from downtown Fort Worth.

Then the pandemic hit and she gave up travel and went fully remote. Now, with the pandemic-influenced lifestyle waning and the importance of being in the office growing, she has been drawn back into the workplace but for different reasons. In 2021, she bought her own firm, renamed Donna R Rutter CPA PC, and started working from her desk each week.

Small businesses werent really set up to work remotely," said Rutter, 59. My clients want me in the office. They want to meet with me."

The only problem, she said, was that her office is near central Fort Worth, making her commute about 45 minutes each way. She decided that is too long, and is moving closer to her new business. Her roughly 11-acre ranchette is now on the market for $1.75 million.

Rutter is just one of many homeowners making the decision to relocate closer to work.

According to a September report by Redfin, about 10% of home sellers in the U.S. are looking to move because of return-to-work policies, indicating that after more than three years of remote-work policies dominating behavior in the housing market, the in-person, 9-to-5 lifestyle is picking up some steam. Average office attendance last week was 50.5% of the prepandemic level in February 2020 across 10 major U.S. cities, including New York and San Francisco, according to Kastle, which tracks security-badge swipes into the buildings they secure.

In May and June, Redfins study surveyed more than 600 people across the country who were likely to sell and move within the next year, according to chief economist Daryl Fairweather. The findings follow more than a year of announcements from major corporationsincluding Apple, Walt Disney, Google and Teslacalling remote employees back to the office.

In Seattle, local real-estate agent David Palmer of Redfin said that so far this year, he has received about 10% more inquiries than in 2022 from clients looking to relocate closer to the city because their jobs require a hybrid work schedule.

I have a buyer who moved out of the city during the pandemic. He now works for Google and, long story short, he needs to commute three days a week and its about a two-hour commute each way," he said. So hes actively looking to buy something." Palmers client didnt respond to a request for an interview.

Google has announced it will consider office attendance records in performance reviews, The Wall Street Journal reported in June. The company began calling employees back to the office a few days a week in April 2022.

Austin-based real-estate agent Matt Holm of Compass said that since Elon Musk called his employees back to the office, he has had several clients looking to move to the city to work for, or with, Tesla, where the company is headquartered. Last year, Musk told Tesla employees they are required to spend at least 40 hours a week in company offices, The Wall Street Journal reported. He sent the same message to employees of his rocket company, Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, which also operates in Texas.

Finding affordable housing in Austin for some of the incoming workers can be tough, Holm said. Those who cant, often settle down in nearby markets, such as San Antonio and Killeen, because they are cheaper, he said. In October, the median sale price in the Austin metro area was about $444,000, down 6.5% from October 2022, Redfin said.

But for the employees who can afford Austin prices, Holm added, the demand has been a welcome boost to the housing market, which has seen slowed sales due to rising interest rates. On average, homes in the Austin metro area are sitting on the market for 63 days, Redfin stated, up from 53 days during the same period in 2022.

The sentiment around relocating for in-person attendance is mixed, Palmer said, I have some clients who dont mind, others who are a bit peeved."

Rutter and her husband, Steve Lewis, 61, built their roughly 4,000-square-foot ranchette in late 2019. They outfitted it with vaulted ceilings, a heated saltwater pool, a dog shower and an outdoor kitchen, among other features.

While the home they have bought closer to the city is just 20 minutes from her office, it is about 1,000 square feet smaller and sits on about a third of an acre. She declined to disclose the purchase price. We dont have as much room," she said, but added she is excited for a change and a shorter commute.

The couples ranchette is garnering interest from potential buyers, according to their listing agent, John Giordano of Compass. Rocky Creek Ranch is a desirable area because of the steady demand for ranchettes and because of its proximity to downtown Fort Worth, he said, adding that homes there rarely come up for sale.

Write to Libertina Brandt at Libertina.Brandt@wsj.com

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NEW DELHI : E-SIMs or embedded SIMs will soon replace those fiddly physical SIMs in smartphones and other devices. Airtels top boss Gopal Vittal has urged subscribers to move to e-SIMs. But what exactly are they, how do they work, and what does it mean for us?

Whats the technology behind e-SIMs?

Embedded SIM, or e-SIM is a digital copy of a physical SIM card. A SIM, which stands for subscriber identity module, is a smart card with a microchip. While a physical SIM can be inserted into and removed from a phone, an e-SIM is embedded into a device, be it a smartphone, smartwatch or, in the near future, even laptops, as part of a chip. It allows the device to be permanently connected with a telecom service providers network, therefore eliminating the need for a physical SIM. Since it is a digital copy of a physical SIM card, the same information that resides on a physical SIM can be stored in the e-SIM.

What are the benefits of moving to e-SIM?

With e-SIM, customers will no longer have to be dependent on a physical SIM card. No more fiddling about with multiple tiny cards. Even when users want to change their phone or operator, they can easily transfer the e-SIM to their new mobile phone or to a new operator, digitally. In case a customer needs, they can use multiple mobile numbers on a single e-SIM. The key benefit here is that in case a customers device gets stolen, it will be that much harder for criminals to get rid of the e-SIM, since it is part of the chipset within the hardware of the phone. This will also make a lost phone easier to track.

Which telcos offer e-SIMs in India and globally?

In India, all carriers offer e-SIMs. But since they require devices that are e-SIM enabled, the uptake has been slow. Globally, many carriers and smartphone brands provide e-SIMs. Apple introduced them with the XR/XS series. With the iPhone 15 it has launched e-SIM-only models in the US. Elsewhere, new iPhones have a dual physical and e-SIM option.

How does it benefit telcos and businesses?

Telecom operators save on the hardware and distribution cost of physical SIMs. They can push software updates over the air and enable better quality of service. E-SIMs allow seamless connectivity across IoT devices, thus making network mapping and management much easier. For handset makers, removing the physical SIM slots gives room for other components in the device, such as larger RAM, higher GPU or storage. For businesses, e-SIMs provide better security than physical ones which can be cloned.

Why are e-SIMs becoming popular?

E-SIMs have been around for more than a decade, but are not the primary mode of getting a mobile number from a telco in India. With the growing popularity of smartwatches and gadgets that may need to be connected to a smartphone, e-SIMs have become more commonplace. Earlier this week Bharti Airtels chief executive officer Gopal Vittal asked all of Airtels 374 million-plus subscribers to move to e-SIMs. Driven by tech majors like Apple, the deployment of e-SIMs is set to rise in the years to come.
New Delhi: India and the US are gearing up for a significant rise in travel between the countries this winter, primarily driven by people of Indian origin. Flight bookings show both nations rank as the leading outbound destinations for each other.

A report by BSE-listed RateGain Travel Technologies Ltd, which provides SaaS solutions for travel and hospitality, said winter, typically, is not a season when Indians travel to the US, but this season will be a deviation from last year. According to the report accessed by Mint, the rise in demand, spanning December to February 2024 compared with a year earlier, was conducted by World on Holiday Insights Centre. The analysis takes into account airline and hotel booking information rather than search data.

The drop in bookings from the US to the UAE emerged as a significant factor in making India a key destination for outbound US travellers. Growing number of US citizens, including persons of Indian origin, are choosing India for the winter break. A significant rise in hotel bookings in India is seen since October, extending up to February. The report said the ongoing conflict in West Asia prompted many US citizens to holiday in places like Goa and Kerala.

The USs top 10 outbound leisure destinations are diverse. India leads at 30% of bookings, followed by Mexico at 22%, and the UK, Japan, and the Philippines completing the top five with 8%, 7% and 6%, respectively. Colombia, Spain, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, and Italy, each at 5% make up the top 10 destinations.

There is also growing contingent of non-diaspora vacationers who will visit leisure destinations in India during the period. India is also emerging as a transit hub for a lot of travellers headed to south-east Asia," said Ankit Chaturvedi, the companys vice president and global head of marketing.

The US is the most booked outbound leisure travel destination for Indians with 17% of all bookings, primarily travellers visiting family there. This figure is 12% higher than the year-ago period.

While inbound tourism is recovering still to its pre-covid numbers, Indias outbound tourism market is poised for significant growth, with projections indicating a reach of $42 billion by 2024. This expansion is driven by a growing population and a rising number of passport holders, with approximately 80 million Indians now possessing travel documents.

A 2019 study by consulting firm Nangia Andersen LLP and the Ficci lobby group revealed that Indians spent $22.9 billion on outbound trips that year. Europe emerges as a prime destination, attracting 20% of Indian traveler traffic, while another 10% venture to Australia and New Zealand. Southeast Asia also captures a substantial portion of Indian outbound tourism.

RATEGAIN TRAVEL TECHNOLOGIES More Information

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As people in the national capital continue to breathe poisonous air amid poor air quality, Delhi Minister for Environment Gopal Rai on Thursday made it clear that restrictions under Graded Response Action Plan-3 (GRAP 3) will continue till the improvement of air quality in the city.

On Thursday, Delhi's air quality index stood at 324 in the morning, according to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR-India).

Also Read: Delhi air quality very poor, AQI at 331; no relief from high pollution levels for next few days

"The way wind speed is low, scientists believe that it can improve further. The government has decided that until air quality improves, GRAP 3 will continue in Delhi," Minister Gopal Rai told news agency ANI.

Earlier, the senior Delhi minister had urged people to be careful and continue to follow restrictions and rules under stages 1, 2, and 3 of GRAP.

Also Read: Delhi air quality LIVE updates: STF formed to tackle poor AQI, pollution control committee calls smog towers ineffective

He also clarified that all the construction work in the city will remain suspended till the improvement of air quality in the city. However, the construction work of national importance, linear projects are going on, he added.

"Other than the construction work of national importance, other construction works are prohibited. Linear projects are going on," the senior AAP leader said.

Delhi government lifted GRAP 4 restrictions earlier in November after the city witnessed some improvement in its air quality. Following the removal of restrictions under GRAP 4, government permitted the entry of trucks and buses except for BS-3 and BS-4 petrol and diesel vehicles in the city and lifted the ban on ongoing construction activities.

Also Read: Top 10 most polluted cities in India: Punjab's city leads the list, Rajasthan state with worst AQI levels

On Thursday, the air quality index score continued to remain above 350 in key areas of the city. According to CPCB data recorded at 6:00 am, the Air quality index at Anand Vihar was at 387 (very poor); At ITO, Delhi it was 343 (very poor) while the AQI at Wazirpur, Delhi, was 422 (severe), at RK Puram, it was 415 ( severe).

Also Read: All schools to reopen from Monday in Delhi as air quality improves

Indicating excessive toxicity in the atmosphere, AQI remained at 406 at Okhla Phase-2 at 7:00 am. The Air Quality Index from 0 to 100 is considered as good, while from 100 to 200 it is moderate, from 200 to 300 it is poor, and from 300 to 400 it is said to be very poor and from 400 to 500 or above it is considered as severe.

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Prakash Raj , famous actor, film director and producer, has been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for questioning in connection with a money laundering case linked to an alleged 100 crore ponzi and fraud case against Tiruchirapalli-based Pranav Jewellers, PTI reported on Thursday.

The summons followed a probe against Pranav Jewellers, a partnership firm, whom the ED had raided on November 20 under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and claimed to have seized "unexplained" cash of 23.70 lakh and some gold jewellery.

The 58-year-old actor has been a brand ambassador for this company. He has been asked to depose before the ED in Chennai next week.

The ED has indicated that Prakash Raj's summoning is part of the broader investigation into the alleged bogus gold investment scheme floated by Pranav Jewellers, India Today reported citing sources.

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The federal agency said in a statement on Wednesday said Pranav Jewellers collected  100 crore from the public under the guise of a gold investment scheme that promised high returns. However, the company not only failed to fulfil its commitment but also didn't return the invested money to the investors, leaving them in the lurch.

"Pranav Jewellers failed to return the amount to such investors and the firm (Pranav Jewellers) and other connected persons cheated the public by diverting public funds to shell entities/entry providers under the garb of purchase of bullion/gold ornaments," the ED statement read.

The ponzi scheme, allegedly run by the Pranav Jewellers, came under the ED's scanner based on an FIR lodged by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) in Trichy against the group and others involved in the alleged financial wrongdoing.

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New Delhi: India and Finland have discussed manufacturing of green hydrogen electrolyzers in India, said Finnish minister for international trade Ville Tavio in an interview with Mint, amid Indian hopes to develop itself as a green hydrogen hub. The matter came up during Tavios meeting with power minister R.K. Singh.

India announced a Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme this year for green hydrogen production and for manufacturing electrolyzers.

Tavio told Mint that Finland is also keen to expand nuclear research and technology collaboration with India, given Finlands expertise in the field.

Lappeenranta Technical University (LTU), a Finnish research university, is currently carrying out nuclear research with an Indian partner university, Tavio said. He emphasized that Finland is keen to expand these university-level nuclear research collaborations. Mint had earlier reported that LTU was writing a paper on small and medium nuclear reactors with Indias National Institute for Advanced Studies (NIAS) for the G20 Summit. India has expressed its interest in developing the technology for small reactors, given the importance of nuclear power to its energy mix.

Earlier this year, Finlands former minister for foreign trade and development cooperation Ville Skinnari highlighted the possibility of more bilateral cooperation on this technology.

Tavio, who was accompanied by a delegation of clean-tech companies, also met with officials from Indias Epsilon Advanced Materials. The battery materials firm has plans to set up a facility in Finland, said Tavio. Epsilon had signed an MoU in 2022 with the Finnish Minerals Group to explore setting up an anode material production plant in Finland.

Finland hopes to build up more private sector collaboration in the renewable energy space, particularly through the creation of a new working group on sustainability.

Tavio was also in India to talk on Finlands DESI (Digitalization, Education, Sustainability, Innovation) initiativean India-specific export promotion programme unveiled this year. During his visit, Tavio met with commerce minister Piyush Goyal and G20 sherpa Amitabh Kant. He also attended the 2nd CII India Nordic Baltic Business Conclave in New Delhi.

Finland has showcased its special expertise in quantum technology, 5G and 6G technology, new green technologies, energy solutions, biofuels and research and product development linked to sustainable development.
India has resumed issuing e-visas for Canadian nationals after suspending it following a diplomatic row over Ottawa's accusation of possible Indian government involvement in Hardeep Singh Nijjar's killing . External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called it a 'logical consequence' as the situation relatively improved.

Addressing a press conference following the conclusion of the Virtual G20 Leaders' Summit on Wednesday, Jaishankar said, Regarding the E visa, you know, first of all, it had nothing to do with the G20 meeting."

What had happened was we had temporarily suspended visa issuance because the situation in Canada made it difficult for our diplomats to do the, you know, frankly to go to the office and do the necessary work for processing visas," he stated.

In September, the Indian Mission in Canada temporarily halted visa services until further notice due to operational reasons, as noted by BLS International, an Indian outsourcing service provider that oversees government and diplomatic missions globally.

Important notice from Indian Mission: Due to operational reasons, with effect from September 21, 2023, Indian visa services have been suspended till further notice. Please keep checking the BLS website for further updates," the BLS website had said.

In October, India opted to recommence visa services in Canada for four specific categories following a thorough assessment of the security situation, taking into consideration recent measures implemented by Canada.

The categories include entry visa, business visa, medical visa, and conference visa, and the resumption of services was effective from October 26.

Following the development, Canada welcomed India's decision to partially resume visa services calling it a good sign" and stating that the suspension should never have happened in the first place".

Significantly, in the midst of a diplomatic dispute with Canada, India suspended its visa services in September, citing an indefinite hiatus. This move followed Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's accusation of the involvement of "agents of the Indian government" in the June killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar, identified as a designated terrorist in India, was gunned down outside a Gurdwara in a parking area in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, on June 18.

(With ANI inputs)

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Terming deepfakes as a new threat to democracy, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday said that the government will come up with new regulations soon to tackle deepfakes.

The minister, who met social media platforms on the deepfake issue on Thursday, said that companies have agreed on the need for clear actionable work in areas such as detection, prevention, strengthening of reporting mechanism, and raising user awareness.

"We will start drafting regulation today itself, and within a short time we will have a new set of regulations for deepfakes ... this could be in the form of amending existing framework or bringing new rules, or new law," Vaishnaw told reporters.

Deepfakes have emerged as a new threat to democracy, the minister said.

"We will have our next meeting in the first week of December...that will be on follow-up action on today's decisions, and also on what should be included in the draft regulation," Vaishnaw said.

Deepfakes refer to synthetic or doctored media that is digitally manipulated and altered to convincingly misrepresent or impersonate someone, using a form of artificial intelligence.

Recently, several 'deepfake' videos targeting leading actors went viral, sparking public outrage and raising concerns over the misuse of technology and tools for creating doctored content and fake narratives.

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Jharkhand CM voices concern over delayed evacuation of workers in the collapsed tunnel, citing previous incidents in Uttarakhand.

A 15-member NDRF team, led by a commandant, has been assigned the mission of rescuing 41 labourers trapped for the past 10 days in the collapsed Silkyara Tunnel in Uttarkashi. Here are the top ten updates on the Uttarkashi tunnel collapse. 1. The evacuation process, utilizing a series of 800 mm diameter steel pipes, has presented a significant challenge for the rescue efforts. NDRF personnel have simulated a drill to demonstrate their approach for traversing through the pipes to reach the other side of the debris where the trapped labourers are located, NDRF second-in-command (2 ic) Ravi Shankar Badhani told PTI. Also Read: Uttarkashi Tunnel Collapse news LIVE update: 'Silkyara rescue operation now in final stages, says official 2. Medical professionals have been stationed within the tunnel, and ambulances are positioned outside to ensure the safe transfer of the rescued individuals. The ambulances will convey the workers to a hospital established in Chinyalisaur, approximately 30 kilometres from the tunnel location. 3. The Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL) and Indian Railways (IR) have collaborated to operate a special train transporting equipment from Karambeli in Gujarat to Rishikesh in Uttarakhand. Covering a distance of 1605 km, this initiative aims to support the rescue efforts for the trapped workers in the Uttarkashi tunnel collapse incident. Also Read: After the collapse of the Uttarkashi tunnel, NHAI to inspect all under-construction tunnels across India 4. On Wednesday, a 41-bed hospital was established at the Chinyalisaur Community Health Centre in the district to provide medical care for the 41 trapped laborers once they are rescued from the Silkyara tunnel. Additionally, a temporary hospital with eight beds has been arranged at the location to offer immediate medical attention to the trapped workers, if necessary, PTI reported.

5. After conversing with the workers, their family members expressed optimism, anticipating that the anxious wait would ultimately lead to a heartwarming reunion with their loved ones. We called him on Diwali but could not reach him. His colleagues told us that his mobile phone had been damaged. Later, we saw his name in the newspaper and learnt that he was trapped inside the tunnel," he told PTI.

Also Read: Uttarkashi tunnel collapse: 'Good news' in next 40 hrs if... say officials

6. Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren voiced concern on Wednesday regarding the delayed evacuation of workers from the under-construction Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand.

7. Ten days have passed since the collapse in the tunnel. But there is no surety when the workers who are trapped will come out," Soren said. The incident is not the first in Uttarakhand. Such occurrences had taken place in previous years too and several workers from Jharkhand had lost their lives," Jharkhand CM added.

Also Read: Watch: First visuals of Uttarkashi tunnel rescue come up

8. The Jharkhand government is making arrangements to airlift all 15 workers hailing from the state who are currently trapped in the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand. Among the total of 41 workers stuck inside the collapsed tunnel, 15 individuals are from Giridih, Ranchi, East Singhbhum, and Khunti districts of Jharkhand.

Also Read: Uttarkashi tunnel collapse Highlights: 6-inch pipe pushed through rubble, IAF airlifts another 36 tonne of equipment

9. Jharkhand Labour Minister Satyanand Bhokta stated that the department is actively communicating with the families of the 15 labourers from Jharkhand who are stuck at the collapse site. The Jharkhand government is willing to bear the entire expense of bringing the workers to Jharkhand from Uttarkashi after they are rescued," he told reporters.

10. Bhaskar Khulbe, former advisor to the Prime Minister's Office, announced on Wednesday that activities for the upcoming phase will commence in the next two hours. As reported by ANI, Khulbe, who is also the Special Executive Officer in the Uttarakhand Tourism Department, said, I am very happy to tell you that with the work we were doing for the last hour, we have drilled another 6-meter length with an American Oger machine. I am hopeful that in the next 2 hours, work will start for the next phase."

(With inputs from agencies)

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Security forces killed one more Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist (LeT) on Thursday as the counter-terrorism operation in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri continued to the second day, officials were quoted by news agency ANI as saying. So far, two terrorists have been killed in the encounter. One of them is said to be a "highly ranked terrorist leader of the Lashkar-e-Taiba".

Encounter breaks out in Rajouri

The encounter broke out between terrorists and joint forces of the Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police in the Bajimaal area of Dharmsal in the Rajouri district on Wednesday. The fresh firing resumed this morning after a night-long halt in Bajimaal area of Dharmsal belt on Thursday, officials said.

Based on specific intelligence, joint operations were launched in the Kalakote Area, Gulabgarh Forest, and Rajouri District.

"Contact was established on November 22 and an intense firefight ensued. The terrorists have been injured and surrounded and operations are in progress, amidst acts of valour and sacrifice by our own bravehearts in trying to prevent collateral damage to women and children in the highest traditions of the Indian Army," the Indian Army's White Knight Corps said.

As part of the operation, the Indian Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police recovered one pistol, two magazines, 38 Live rounds, nine grenades and one battery-operated IED dropped through a Quadcopter in Laukikhad area of Akhnoor sector.

"This has prevented further terror attacks in the Rajouri-Poonch region," the White Knight Corps of the Indian Army said in a tweet on Thursday.

Indian Army officers killed

Since then, as many as four Army personnel, including two officers and two jawans, were killed and two others were injured, sources told ANI.

Those who lost their lives include Captain M V Pranjal of 63 Rastriya Rifles, a resident of Karnataka, Captain Shubham of the Special Forces, resident of Agra in Uttar Pradesh, Havaldar Abdul Majid of the Special Force, a resident of Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir, and Lance Naik Sanjay Bist of Nainital in Uttarakhand, PTI reported.

Two terrorists killed

One terrorist was gunned down early Thursday in the Bajimaal area of Dharamsala in the Rajouri district, the report said. Later, another terrorist was also killed.

One of the slain terrorists was identified as Quari, a Pakistani national and a hardcore terrorist. He was trained on the Pakistani and Afghan fronts, according to the PRO Defence Jammu. The PRO Defence Jammu said the killed terrorist is a highly-ranked terrorist leader of Lashkar-e-Taiba.

He was active in Rajouri-Poonch along with his group for the past year. He was also believed to be the mastermind of the Dangri and Kandi attacks. "He was sent to revive terrorism in the region and had expertise in IEDs, operating and hiding from caves, and a trained sniper," PRO Defence Jammu added.

The identity of the other terrorist is being verified.

Condolences pour in for Army officers

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced a financial assistance of 50 lakh to the kin of Captain Shubham Gupta and a government job for one of his family members, an official statement said. Adityanath also "said that road in the district would be named after late Captain Gupta," the statement added.

Captain Gupta, a resident of Agra district, joined the Indian Army in 2015 and was commissioned in 2018.

Meanwhile, the mortal remains of Captain V Pranjal, who was also killed during the encounter with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir, will be flown to Bengaluru on Thursday evening, defence sources were quoted by PTI as saying.

Expressing condolences on the soldier's death, former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy posted on social media platform X: "Heartfelt tributes to Captain MV Pranjal, a proud Kannadiga, who lost his life during the military operation against terrorists in Rajouri, Jammu and Kashmir."

'Heartbreaking to see officers, jawans lose lives in the line of duty'

Former chief ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday expressed grief over the killing of four soldiers in an encounter with terrorists in the Rajouri area of Jammu and Kashmir.

On the loss of lives of four Army personnel in an encounter with terrorists in Rajouri, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti said, "When they (the central government) say that the situation in J&K is normal, then why are our jawans losing their lives?"
The proposed truce between Israel and Hamas was put on hold for at least another day. As the two groups continued to wage war in the Gaza Strip, Israel said the four-day Gaza truce would not begin at least until Friday. Soon after Hamas confirmed that the pause will start on Friday around 10:30 am IST.

The truce involves a four-day cease-fire in war-hit Gaza and phased release of at least 50 hostages (by Hamas) in return for 150 Palestinian prisoner (held in Israel). Israel said the truce could last beyond the initial four days as long as the militants free at least 10 hostages per day.

Qatar said Israel would also allow more fuel and humanitarian aid into Gaza, but did not provide details. Hamas said hundreds of trucks carrying humanitarian aid and fuel are to be allowed to enter Gaza every day as part of the deal. "Supplies would also reach northern Gaza, the focus of Israel's ground offensive, for the first time," Hamas said.

However, Israeli Channel 12 TV reported that as part of the deal, Israel will allow a significant" amount of fuel and humanitarian supplies into Gaza, but did not specify how much.

Israel, Hamas and Qatar had released different details of the agreement earlier. However, those details do not appear to contradict one another, news agency Associated Press had reported.

However, in a major blow to the families expecting a brief relief from the bombardment and atrocities, the deal was delayed by another day on Thursday.

Hamas and other Palestinian gunmen seized around 240 hostages during unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7. In retaliation, Israeli launched an relentless airstrikes and a ground offensive in Hamas-run Gaza. More than 14,000 people, thousands of them children, have been killed in Israeli strikes.

Here's a sneak-peek into why was the Israel-Hamas deal delayed, what could the deal mean and what's the road ahead for the ongoing war?

Why was the Israel-Hamas deal delayed

A Palestinian official, with knowledge of the negotiation process, told news agency AFP on Friday that the delay stemmed from "last minute" details over which hostages would be released and how.

The report quoted the source as saying that the truce was put back over "the names of the Israeli hostages and the modalities of their release". Officials said lists of those to be freed had been exchanged by both sides.

"Questions were also being raised over Red Cross (a humanitarian network) access to the hostages before they would be released into Egypt," he said.

Meanwhile, an Israeli official source, speaking to AFP Thursday, blamed the delay on "additional demands by Hamas", but did not give details.

According to Majed al-Ansari, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry of Qatar, negotiators were still working to create the appropriate conditions" for the cease-fire and swap.

When will the Hamas-Israel deal come into effect?

According to AFP, Hamas confirmed that Gaza ceasefire will start at 0500 GMT (10:30 am IST) on Friday. A pause in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza will start on Friday morning with the first hostages to be released hours later," mediator Qatar said, after nearly seven weeks of fighting.

What does the Hamas-Israel deal means?

The deal is nothing but a brief halt in the exchange of hostilities (or a short break in the fighting) between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Moreover, reports claim that a significant number of hostages are likely remain in Hamas captivity, including men, women, older people and foreign nationals.

Besides, hundreds of thousands who have fled Gaza and headed south are not expected to be able to return home. Meanwhile, Israeli troops are expected to remain in their positions in northern Gaza, Associated Press reported.

Is Hamas-Israel truce an end the war?

Both sides said they will go back to fighting once the truce is over. Meanwhile, Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas and is expected to continue from where it left off once the four days of truce are over.

"We are not ending the war. We will continue until we are victorious," the chief of the Israeli general staff, Lieutenant-General Herzi Halevi, told commanders in a video released by the military on Thursday, AFP reported.

A break in fighting is likely to grant Hamas time to strategise, shift around militant positions and perhaps regroup, the Associated Press said.

"The staggered nature of the deal also opens the door for Hamas to up its demands on the fly, in the hopes that Israel would make more concessions to release more hostages," it added.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Israel's national security adviser on Wednesday said that the release of hostages under a temporary truce between Israel and Palestinian Hamas militants will not happen before Friday. Israel and Hamas had agreed early on Wednesday to a ceasefire in Gaza for at least four days. Here are top 10 updates on this story,

1) The Israeli military on Wednesday unveiled what it claimed was a Hamas military facility under Gaza's largest hospital, showing what appeared to be an underground dormitory to a group of foreign journalists who were given a rare glimpse inside the besieged enclave.

2) Dozens of soldiers escorted journalists through a narrow stone tunnel  which the military said stretched 150 meters (164 yards)  to a series of underground bunkers beneath Shifa Hospital in a shattered Gaza City, AP reported.

3) Since Israel declared war against Hamas on October 7, it has repeatedly accused the Islamic militant group of using Gaza's hospitals as cover for military use. It has paid special attention to Shifa, saying Hamas has hidden command centers and bunkers underneath the hospital's sprawling grounds.

4) The war was triggered by Hamas' October 7 cross-border attack that killed at least 1,200 people and took 240 others hostage. Israel's intense aerial campaign and devastating ground invasion have leveled entire neighborhoods, and well over 11,000 Palestinians have been killed in the fighting, health officials said.

5) The Israeli military has plowed through northern Gaza over the past month, leaving a trail of destruction in its effort to bomb Hamas' tunnel network and other targets.

6) Hundreds of patients and doctors remain stranded at the besieged hospital. Thousands more who had been sheltering in its courtyard fled south last week as Israeli tanks drew close and fighting raged, as per AP reports.

7) Israel and Hamas agreed to a short ceasefire this week after 47 days of fighting. The tentative truce brokered with help from Egypt, Qatar, and the United States will see both sides release prisoners and allow aid entry. Officials indicate that the process could begin on Thursday at 10:00 am (1:30 pm IST).

8) The truce may be extended beyond the initial four-day period if more hostages were freed. A second phase could see 150 more Palestinian prisoners freed in exchange for another 50 hostages during an extended truce.

9) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said that at least 10 women and children would be released per day to a total of 50 people over the next four days. The truce could be extended as long as an additional ten hostages were freed per day.

10) Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said that Israeli reconnaissance of Gaza would be put on a temporary hold while hostages were moved.

(With inputs from agencies)

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About a month-and-a-half after the Israel-Hamas war started, there is at last hope of the bloodshed ending, even if only for a bit. Israel has agreed to pause its military action in Gaza for four days in exchange for the release in batches of 50 hostages held by Hamas. For every additional 10 released, Israel has promised to extend the pause by a day. Plus, according to Hamas, Israel will release 150 Palestinians held behind bars. That bombs and guns will fall silent if this plan succeeds is a relief not just to Gazans, who are in dire need of aid supplies, having suffered an Israeli anti-Hamas blitz that has left over 14,000 dead, by a Palestinian count, with children among them said to be four times the toll taken by Hamas terror attack of 7 October that sparked the war. Gazans need a breather. To the rest of the world, this weeks pact signals a will on both sides to talk, even if only via intermediaries. This suggests a dip in the proximate risk of a wider flare-up of this war, which should calm markets like crude oil that take cues from it. What it implies for armed hostilities once this brief truce runs out is harder to judge. Israel has reaffirmed its intent to wipe out Hamas, although it cant take US backing for granted in perpetuity, given Chinas opportunistic efforts to court those put off by Americas stance.

No matter how the US views the geopolitical puzzle of West Asia, with its 21st century global rival looking to make gains at its expense, the peace that is eventually sought must go well beyond a return to what prevailed before 7 October. For lasting stability, the region needs a proper settlement of the Israel-Palestine dispute, a peace pact across old ruptures that the world at large can approve of. Its pursuit, we must make explicit, would have nothing to do with the horrors committed by Hamas and everything to do with justice. An unbiased look at the regions history would place the spotlight on a two-state solution as a way out. It was what the United Nations asked for. It is what New Delhi advocates, as re-affirmed by Indias external affairs minister S. Jaishankar on Tuesday. For decades, it held an outline of hope for peace, only to be thwarted by rightist Israeli politics and Palestinian extremes that fed off each other. Israel will likely need new leadership for prospects of a truly free state of Palestine to brighten. Sadly, all Israel did was allow self-rule on paper in Gaza and the West Bank, land marked for Palestine, while placing the former under siege and expanding into the latter with brazen disregard on frequent display for the rights of their residents.

Sure, peace is easier to advise than achieve. There are so many sticky points that only a global effort has any chance of resolving this vexed issue. An earnest attempt, though, will require us not to tiptoe around but address issues that past peace talks left for later, such as control over spots considered holy by different faiths. In this context, Jerusalems Dome of the Rock would be in focus. It stands on a site holy to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Al Aqsa complex. While Jerusalem was to be the shared capital of both states, suspicions run rife among Palestinians of a planned takeover of that site by the Jewish state. Only a rational approach can resolve its status and its best if no move is made without a consensus. This means we must evolve not just past the age of war, but also past the era of property discords arising from matters of faith.
At the Dubai Air Show, Emirates announced an order for over 100 new aircraft, while sister airline, flydubai, made its first order for 30 wide-body planes. Additionally, Saudi Arabia's newcomer, Riyadh Air, is expected to place a sizable order for narrow-body aircraft. These Gulf carriers are positioning themselves to capitalize on India, the worlds fastest growing air travel market.

The Gulf region is not only focused on expanding its airlines but also on enhancing airport and air navigation capacities. While the Gulf is fast adding new airports, the world's largest airport is expected to come up in Dubai by 2050. It will replace what is already the largest airport in the world.

Indian airlines are not far behind in expansion efforts, with Air India ordering 470 aircraft and IndiGo 500. More seats may help Indian carriers take on the challenge from the Gulf to an extent but they may find themselves at a disadvantage when it comes to airport capacity and air navigation systems, which are not developing as swiftly as those in the Gulf.

The Gulf states are meticulously planning their air navigational capacity, both in the air and on the ground. Dubai is already looking at separation of traffic between the upcoming airport, even though it will become fully functional only in 2035, and the existing airport. But similar discussions in India, particularly concerning the imminent new airports in Delhi and Mumbai, are scarcely in the spotlight.

These issues have a bearing on the number of aircraft that can be in the air over an airport at any given point in time.

Theres also the looming threat of Gulf airlines launching additional flights to India, potentially capturing the market share of Indian carriers.

Emirates president Tim Clark has publicly expressed the desire to increase the airline's seat capacity from India, emphasizing their request for 50,000 additional seats, though he also said that Emirates does not rely on any single market. This stance has been echoed by other Emirates officials, creating a narrative that Indian authorities may find difficult to overlook.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE), enjoying strong ties with India and anticipating increased travel demand due to a growing Indian diaspora, is among several countries seeking to enhance their bilateral air service agreements with India.

This, of course, brings up the contentious issue of the scramble for Indias bilaterals with other countries so that carriers from both sides can start more flights. The Indian government has, reportedly, been approached by multiple nations, including the UAE, Qatar, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Turkiye, for more foreign flying rights. This is only to be expected given India is tipped to be the hottest market.

Several countries, including the UAE, Singapore and Indonesia, have been pushing India to revise air services arrangements but will have to wait as the government is unlikely to grant new flying rights till domestic carriers reach a certain scale in the international space. The Gulf is a big market for Indian carriers that, too, may need more bilaterals to deploy the new aircraft they have ordered on international flights there.

Countries typically consider revising air services agreements when 80-85% of the available seat capacity under current agreements is in use, leading to higher ticket prices and travel difficulties for passengers.

India has reached its seat capacity limit under its existing agreement with Dubai, prompting calls for renegotiation. A sticking point in these negotiations is the demand of Indian carriers for better landing slots than what is currently offered by Dubai, a matter that Dubai says should be settled directly with airports rather than within government-to-government bilaterals.
In a world of rapidly changing geopolitical realities with growing uncertainty and instability, international trade is striving to cope with emerging challenges. After abrupt supply-chain disruptions during the pandemic, revealing global overdependence on China for trade as well as investment, national governments and corporates worldwide sought to diversify both and establish alternative supply chains.

At a recent meeting at San Francisco in the US, India, led by Union commerce minister Piyush Goyal, signed the Supply Chain Resilience Agreement of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF), which should help the country leverage its growing economic strength to participate in global value chain (GVC) networks. It is expected to strengthen Indias position as a reliable partner in the creation of resilient supply chains in the region and help mitigate disruption risks at times of crisis.

Supply stability is a major cause of concern for global trade ,especially for fast-rising economies like India. Given rising conflicts across the world, from Ukraine-Russia and US-China-Taiwan to Israel-Palestine and many more in the Middle-East, with their geopolitical dynamics gaining complexity, India needs to secure its interests and has been playing its cards deftly. Signing the IPEF supply chain agreement is another example of it. An earlier one is how Indias non-alignment on the Ukraine-Russia war let it import petroleum from Russia at discounted prices, saving billions of dollars, despite Western displeasure, while maintaining harmonious relations with the West.

To counter Chinas rising influence in the region, the IPEF was launched in May 2022 by the US with 13 other countriesAustralia, Brunei Darussalam, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnamrepresenting about 40% of global GDP and 28% of world trade. IPEF negotiations include four major pillars: trade, supply chains, clean energy and a clean economy (by rooting out corruption). Unlike most other such international agreement frameworks, the IPEF offers in-built flexibility. Its member countries are not required to join all its four pillars and can opt to join any pillar/s of their choice.

India enjoys strong economic and strategic relations with IPEF members based on mutual trust and complementarity. This should help the country explore and capitalize on new opportunities to become a vital part of GVCswhich is the secret of success in trade and investment promotion. Under current economic realities, with increasing worldwide economic integration despite domestic constraints and some resistance, remaining aloof is hardly an option.

Moreover, during Indias G20 presidency, a consensus forged with warring nations on the same platform gave India a significant role in world diplomacy that is well suited to the global multi-polarity in the making. Another outcome of Indias G20 presidency was the India Middle-East Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), which, if brought to fruition, can bolster trade links between Asia and Europe via West Asia to counter Chinas much hyped Belt and Road Initiative, which faces severe criticism for its financing patterns leading to bankruptcy in some of the worlds most vulnerable countries.

The IPEFs trade pillar falls short of a traditional trade deal, as it does not offer enhanced market access. Despite erudite theorists in the US advocating free trade as the panacea for the worlds economic woes, the US itself has championed trade subsidies to promote domestic production and also erected innovative trade barriers in the name of quality, labour, the environment, transparency and other novel issues.

As a matter of ground reality, election rhetoric in the US has been about protecting American industries and jobs and there is enormous resistance to any concessional market access to foreign goodsso much so that democratically elected governments find it a formidable task to strike any free trade agreement (FTA) with it.

Note that former US president Donald Trump had scrapped a much more ambitious trade deal, the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), on the charge that it ignored the interests of US workers. It was part of previous president Barack Obamas outreach to Asia, but fellow Democrat Joe Bidens approach is IPEF-led. Recently, a member of Bidens own Democratic Party, Senator Sherrod Brown, facing polls in Ohio next year, went to the extent of demanding that the IPEFs trade deal be called off.

Although some progress was made on a clean and fair economy at the San Francisco dialogue , there seems stiff resistance within the US to open up its market further to imports. Owing to conflicts and divergences of interest, IPEF members failed to reach a consensus on the trade pillar and its adoption got deferred.

Indias economic emergence is a reality and also the power that comes with it. The world is slowly and surely coming around to accept this. The views of a democratic India, with 1.4 billion plus people, matter. The country has done well to publicize its capacity for innovation, especially in technology, and readiness to take on big challenges. It is welcome, then, that we have only signed international deals that are in our national interest and not signed those that have been judged otherwise, in spite of pressure.
The start of a new column is like the birth of a child. What you are going to name it, and expectations of how it will all turn out. This new column series (following in the tradition of Looking for Logic, Beyond Logic and No Proof Required) is named Rashomon Diaries. Films and cricket were my earliest romances, and they have tested time. Kurosawas Rashomon was released in 1950, a year with considerably fewer computers and manifestly less fake commentary. Rashomon is a film more appropriate for the conflicted and polarized times of today. Never have truths been more contested than now. Rashomon Diaries will attempt to shed light on, decipher and seek truth in this data-rich AI deep-fake world.

In this article, we will look at politically sensitive data on the labour market, i.e. unemployment and labour force participation. Candidate Bill Clinton aptly described his 1992 US presidential campaign as one revolving around the economy; Its the economy, stupid" is now a household phrase the world over. India is four times more populous and N times more varied than the US. Not unexpectedly, there is so much variation in our economic data that almost anyone can come out with an observation that seems to fit the narrative.

One such narrative is that the unemployment level in India is high, and increasing. Data provider Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) recently released unemployment rates according to its much-cited Consumer Pyramids Household Survey (CPHS) module. The CPHS states that the national unemployment rate increased by 3 percentage points (ppt) in just one monthfrom 7.1 % in September 2023 to 10.1 % in October 2023, coincidentally just before five states in India went to the polls in November. Can unemployment rise by such a large magnitude in India when the labour market is improving across the world? India hosted the G20 summit in September. Did its close lead to such a downturn in the economy? Or was it stubble burning in Punjab that led to a major shutdown in north India? The highest 4-month increase in unemployment ever recorded by CMIE-CPHS was the 2.9 ppt increase during the exceptional lockdown of January-April 2020.

If it is the economy that matters most (it does), and if the Indian economy is looking good (GDP data, the IMF and World Bank are all in agreement), then it is logical that the narrative of the opposition is going to be that the economy is not doing well, and its calling card is WYSINWYG: What you see is not what you get.

View Full Image (graphic:mint)

Official Indian data on unemployment goes by the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS, current weekly status). It tells quite a story different from CMIEs. Unemployment declined from 7.4% in 2017-18 (agricultural year July-June) to 4.2% in 2022-23. Coincidentally also a 3 ppt change, but this is over six years, not one month, and a decline, not an increase. The question analysts have to answer: Which version of reality approximates the truth best? To begin with, note that the PLFS-CWS unemployment rate of 4.2% for 2022-23 is the lowest since 2011-12, and not far from the 3.5-4.5% range that has prevailed since measurement began in 1983. Taking the more relevant usual status (unemployed for more than 30 days), the aggregate unemployment rate falls to less than 3%. CMIE-CPHS data (see chart) shows a steady increase from 4.7% in 2017-18 to 7.6% in 2022-23. The CMIE and PLFS show wildly divergent labour markets. What explains this divergence? Two important determinants of it are sampling design and definitions. Many have commented on the unrepresentative nature of the CMIE survey; here, lets focus on differences in definition.

The PLFS definition of weekly status is whether you were employed for at least one hour in the previous week. This is a standard ILO definition. The CMIE definition is non-standard. It defines a person as employed if s/he is engaged in any economic activity either on the day of the survey or the day preceding the survey, or is generally engaged in an economic activity." How do we compare unemployment rates from two different sources/definitions? By making estimates using PLFS data and CMIEs definition. This eliminates sampling design differences, but tests for differences in definition.

Unemployment rates are higher for the CMIE definition, but only by 0.8 ppt. However, the first two days unemployment rate is the highest CMIE reports. If the unemployment rate is estimated as per CMIE for the third through the seventh day, then the PLFS and CMIE rates broadly matchin trend as well as levels! Conclusion: Definition differences play no role in explaining the differences between PLFS and CMIE data.

Another unrepresentative result of CMIE data is in terms of labour force participation rates (LFPR). These rates are related to labour inputs (and their changes to GDP growth). To paraphrase Jane Austen, it is now a truth universally acknowledged that Indian GDP growth is the fastest among G20 economies and expected to be so for this decade. However, according CMIE, less than 40% of the population is working in India, compared to about 44% in 2017-18. In contrast, PLFS data shows Indias LFPR to have increased from about 47% to 54%, and both the trend and magnitude are unaffected by adopting the CMIE definition of employment.

Also in the chart are unemployment and LFPR rates for women. Unemployment rates are marginally lower for women. CMIE female LFPR rates seem to be in a different universe, as is the trend. Female LFPR rates under the PLFS show a steady increase from 20.7% in 2017-18 to 31.3% in 2022-23. This is for the 15+ age group, as is all other data reported in the table. For the 25-64 working age-group, the female LFPR has increased from 26.4% in 2017-18 to 39.2% in 2022-23. In sharp contrast, CMIE-CPHS data not only shows the worlds lowest female LFPR data for India (8.9% in 2022-23), but also a steady decline from 11.6% in 2017-18. Other countries have seen sharp increases in their female LFPR.

CMIE-CPHS data presents challenges. Neither economic nor social explanations fit the CMIE narrative. We have presented data, perhaps too much of it. Data can be a useful tool for communication and interpretation. Contrary to Rashomon, we can arrive at some stable conclusions about reality.

These are the authors personal views.
With a four-day cease-fire in effect, time isnt on Israels side in its war with Hamas in Gaza. Israel already faces challenges unprecedented in the history of war. A terrorist enemy dedicated to its destruction holds hundreds of hostages in a complex tunnel network and uses civilians as human shields. Israeli society, already riven by political infighting, is traumatized by Hamass Oct. 7 assault and divided over how to handle the hostage crisis. Further cease-fires mean the recovery of more hostages, but this will slow and eventually halt Israels effort to break Hamass control over Gaza. That would be a strategic defeat for both Israel and the U.S.

Israel needs time to root out Hamas. But the longer the war goes on, the likelier it is to spiral into a regional conflict drawing in the U.S. Since Oct. 17, Iranian-supplied militias have hit U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria with more than 60 rocket attacks. If a rocket or drone kills American troops, the Biden administration will face a crisis of its own. It could either retaliate against Iran and risk unpredictable military, economic and electoral consequences, or retreat from the Mideast, abandoning Israel and ceding a crucial region in the U.S.s great-power struggle with China.

Few observers are better placed to understand these dilemmas than Michael Oren. An Israeli-American historian of the U.S.s relationship with the Middle East, Mr. Oren served in Gaza with the Israel Defense Forces, then advised on several rounds of peace negotiations with the Palestinians. He was Israels ambassador to Washington during the Obama years. He held the Gaza brief as Benjamin Netanyahus deputy prime minister.

Mr. Oren praises President Bidens forthright support of Israel. He agrees with the presidents statement that a ceasefire is not peace" as long as Hamas clings to its ideology of destruction." It is war by other means, allowing the terrorists to rebuild their stockpile of rockets, reposition fighters and restart the killing by attacking innocents again." Mr. Oren expects U.S. and international pressure for cease-fires to grow exponentially" in the coming weeks.

A cease-fire deprives Israel of military momentum and transfers the initiative to Hamas. Now that Israel has agreed to a short cease-fire, the Biden administration and its Qatari interlocutors will expect longer cease-fires. Hamas will remain armed and dangerous in Gaza, despite Israels war aims and the U.S.s stated goals, and will use this cease-fire to regroup. The cease-fires terms allow Hamas to extend the truce by releasing 10 hostages a day. As the possibility of a permanent truce nears, and as Hamas starts to trade adult, male and military hostages, the groups demands will rise. The U.S. will pressure Israel to release hundreds of Palestinian terrorists.

The partial hostage release also increases pressure inside Israel for further cease-fires. Israeli society, and Mr. Netanyahus cabinet, are already split by a real-life Sophies choice": Who is returned home, and who is left behind? The Israeli government insists its Gaza campaign will resume once the cease-fire lapses, but a combination of domestic and international pressures may prevent Israel from regaining military momentum. The State Department is already refusing to endorse an Israeli move into southern Gaza, citing humanitarian concerns.

A temporary cease-fire that becomes permanent is incompatible with the Biden administrations commitment to Israels security. More than 200,000 Israelis are internally displaced from the southern regions adjoining Gaza and the northern border with Lebanon. This cease-fire with Hamas wont return those Israelis home. It will, however, embolden Iran and its proxies, none of whom are parties to the cease-fire deal. Hezbollahs attacks across Israels northern border have intensified in recent weeks, as has the pace of rocket attacks by Iranian-sponsored militias on American bases in Iraq and Syria. The Houthis of Yemen, removed from the Foreign Terrorist Organizations list when the Biden administration came into office, have hijacked a cargo ship in the Red Sea and launched ballistic missiles at Israel.

Whats going to happen when the message gets out that we can be hit more or less with impunity, and when we try to defend ourselves, someones going to slap a cease-fire on us?" Mr. Oren asks.

Restoring Israels deterrence is a matter of survival for the Jewish state. Its also an asset that the U.S. is defending by resupplying Israel and sending out two carrier strike groups to the region. Israelis now appreciate the indispensability of American support more than at any time since the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Its vital the Biden administration uses its leverage wisely.

Mr. Oren endorses reports that after Oct. 7 Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant advised launching a pre-emptive strike on Hezbollah before addressing Hamass smaller rocket arsenal in Gaza. Mr. Gallant was overruled in the cabinet partly, Mr. Oren believes, because of tremendous pressure" from the Biden administration. The presidents one-word warning to Iran and its assetsDont"also applies to Israel.

Mr. Oren hears several clocks ticking at once. A short cease-fire wont slow any of them, and it will exacerbate some of their pressures. There is the ammo clock": The IDF needs to be resupplied consistently with U.S.-made advanced munitions. There is the reservist clock": Israel has mobilized an army equivalent to those of Britain and France combined; its young men and women, he says, form the backbone of our high-tech economy." There is the economic clock": Foreign investment and tourism have collapsed, and Israel is burning money on the war. There is the humanitarian clock": Footage continues to show civilian casualties and more than a million displaced Gazans.

Israel needs to stop these clocks to survive. The Biden administration should create time and diplomatic space for Israels forces to break Hamas. That means preventing the terrorists from setting the timetable in the Gaza war, letting Israel strike Hezbollah as necessary, and re-establishing American deterrence against Iranian-sponsored rocket attacks. It also means rethinking Americas Iran strategy.

Israels leaders, Mr. Oren among them, made the mistake of believing Hamas could be bought off with Qatari cash and work permits. The Obama administration, he says, made the same mistake" about Iran. The Biden administration, which transferred $6 billion to Iran to secure the release of five American hostages in September and allowed sanctions on Irans missile technology to lapse, is under the same delusion. The Democrats long campaign to escape the Mideast by placating Iran has completely boomeranged" in abject failure," Mr. Oren says. The U.S. has been dragged back into the region by Iranian-sponsored aggression.

Two other clocks are ticking: the countdown to Irans nuclear breakout and the countdown to what Mr. Oren calls the crunch" moment when an Iranian missile takes American lives or hits a U.S. Navy vessel. That would also be a direct hit on the contradictions of American policy." Time is tight for Israel, but the U.S. is approaching a fateful moment too.

Mr. Green is a Journal contributor and a fellow of the Royal Historical Society.
SEOULA key symbol of a brief period of detente on the Korean Peninsula half a decade ago is now gone.

This week, North and South Korea suspended an inter-Korean military agreement struck in 2018 to reduce the risk of conflict along the shared border. A liaison office, also dating to that period, was blown up by North Korea in 2020, and any hopes of resurrecting that eras denuclearization talks have disappeared in a hail of missile launches by Pyongyang.

Whats left is an increasingly belligerent North Korea facing off with a more hawkish government in the South with longstanding guardrails now removed.

The government in Seoul suspended parts of the agreement and said it would resume aerial surveillance along the border after North Korea launched a spy satellite this week. On Thursday, North Koreas Defense Ministry said it would resume all military activities it had halted under the agreement and vowed it would deploy new weapons along the border.

North Korea has violated the agreement a number of times since denuclearization talks stalled in 2019. Still, the pact provided some protection against escalating tensions in the border region separating the two Koreas. The resumption of live-fire drills and deployment of new troops and weapons could lead to clashes, said Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies.

To prove they will no longer abide by the military agreement, North Korea will resume live-fire drills, breach the maritime border and continue with its various missile launches, significantly raising the risk of armed conflict in the border region," Yang said.

The suspension of the agreement signals the end of efforts to halt North Koreas growing nuclear and missile program and bring Pyongyang back to dialogue, he said.

Tensions between the two Koreas have grown following the election of the conservative government in Seoul and the growing friction between its American ally and North Korea backers Russia and China. Emboldened, Pyongyang has pursued deeper cooperation with Russia and has openly ignored international sanctions.

Before the 2018 pact, North Korea had fired artillery shells at a South Korean island and sank a South Korean vessel with a torpedo attack. North Korean drones crashed near the fortified border after taking photos of military installations. South Korea returned fire on several occasions.

To prevent such incidents, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Koreas then-President Moon Jae-in agreed to create a no-fly zone along the border, establish buffer zones along their maritime boundary and curb military exercises including live drills within 3 miles of the border.

The two Koreas and the U.S.-led United Nations Command also removed firearms and guard posts from a border village where troops from both sides face off every day. South Korea often limited its response to North Korean provocations to warning shots or messages sent over the inter-Korean hotline.

But since conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol took office last year, South Korea has adopted a policy of responding more aggressively to North Korean military action.

South Korean officials said North Korea had violated the agreement dozens of times, flying drones into the South and conducting live-fire drills near the border. Even before taking office, Yoon said he would suspend the pact if provoked by Pyongyang. Ruling-party lawmakers and military officials have repeatedly called for the agreement to be suspended, citing its limits on South Koreas ability to identify North Korean threats.

On Wednesday, Yoon approved his National Security Councils decision to restore surveillance operations along the fortified border after North Korea launched its first military satellite into orbit. The satellite, after two prior failures, successfully reached orbit following technical assistance from Russia, South Korean spy-agency officials told lawmakers on Thursday.

South Korea will be held accountable in the case of an irretrievable clash" between the two Koreas, North Korean state media reported on Thursday. Pyongyang has said its spy-satellite program is essential to defend against military activities by the U.S. and its allies in the region, blaming joint military exercises and the deployment of U.S. strategic assets for escalating tensions.

The United Nations Security Council bans satellite launches by North Korea, because they are seen as a cover for testing ballistic missile technology. North Korea in recent years has rapidly expanded its weapons program, tested new solid-fuel rocket technology and unveiled new drones.

The two Koreas are chasing independent military-surveillance technology, with North Korea vowing to launch more spy satellites in the near future and South Korea launching its first domestically developed spy satellite Nov. 30 atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

In September, on the fifth anniversary of the military pact, Moon criticized the Yoon administrations talk of suspending the agreement. Abolishing the inter-Korean military agreement would be irresponsible, akin to removing the last safety pin," the former president said.

On Wednesday, opposition lawmakers and former Moon administration officials said the pact had reduced military tensions significantly in the demilitarized zone and called on the Yoon government to maintain the agreement despite North Koreas violations.

South Koreas resumption of aerial surveillance will allow it to track potential surprise attacks from the North, which have become a bigger concern since the Hamas attacks on Israel, said Moon Seong-mook, a retired South Korean brigadier general who was a negotiator at inter-Korean military talks in 2007.

Until now, South Korea has tried to respect the inter-Korean military agreement," he said, but now we are warning of retaliation."

Write to Dasl Yoon at dasl.yoon@wsj.com
SEOULA key symbol of a brief period of detente on the Korean Peninsula half a decade ago is now gone.

This week, North and South Korea suspended an inter-Korean military agreement struck in 2018 to reduce the risk of conflict along the shared border. A liaison office, also dating to that period, was blown up by North Korea in 2020, and any hopes of resurrecting that eras denuclearization talks have disappeared in a hail of missile launches by Pyongyang.

Whats left is an increasingly belligerent North Korea facing off with a more hawkish government in the South with longstanding guardrails now removed.

The government in Seoul suspended parts of the agreement and said it would resume aerial surveillance along the border after North Korea launched a spy satellite this week. On Thursday, North Koreas Defense Ministry said it would resume all military activities it had halted under the agreement and vowed it would deploy new weapons along the border.

North Korea has violated the agreement a number of times since denuclearization talks stalled in 2019. Still, the pact provided some protection against escalating tensions in the border region separating the two Koreas. The resumption of live-fire drills and deployment of new troops and weapons could lead to clashes, said Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies.

To prove they will no longer abide by the military agreement, North Korea will resume live-fire drills, breach the maritime border and continue with its various missile launches, significantly raising the risk of armed conflict in the border region," Yang said.

The suspension of the agreement signals the end of efforts to halt North Koreas growing nuclear and missile program and bring Pyongyang back to dialogue, he said.

Tensions between the two Koreas have grown following the election of the conservative government in Seoul and the growing friction between its American ally and North Korea backers Russia and China. Emboldened, Pyongyang has pursued deeper cooperation with Russia and has openly ignored international sanctions.

Before the 2018 pact, North Korea had fired artillery shells at a South Korean island and sank a South Korean vessel with a torpedo attack. North Korean drones crashed near the fortified border after taking photos of military installations. South Korea returned fire on several occasions.

To prevent such incidents, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Koreas then-President Moon Jae-in agreed to create a no-fly zone along the border, establish buffer zones along their maritime boundary and curb military exercises including live drills within 3 miles of the border.

The two Koreas and the U.S.-led United Nations Command also removed firearms and guard posts from a border village where troops from both sides face off every day. South Korea often limited its response to North Korean provocations to warning shots or messages sent over the inter-Korean hotline.

But since conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol took office last year, South Korea has adopted a policy of responding more aggressively to North Korean military action.

South Korean officials said North Korea had violated the agreement dozens of times, flying drones into the South and conducting live-fire drills near the border. Even before taking office, Yoon said he would suspend the pact if provoked by Pyongyang. Ruling-party lawmakers and military officials have repeatedly called for the agreement to be suspended, citing its limits on South Koreas ability to identify North Korean threats.

On Wednesday, Yoon approved his National Security Councils decision to restore surveillance operations along the fortified border after North Korea launched its first military satellite into orbit. The satellite, after two prior failures, successfully reached orbit following technical assistance from Russia, South Korean spy-agency officials told lawmakers on Thursday.

South Korea will be held accountable in the case of an irretrievable clash" between the two Koreas, North Korean state media reported on Thursday. Pyongyang has said its spy-satellite program is essential to defend against military activities by the U.S. and its allies in the region, blaming joint military exercises and the deployment of U.S. strategic assets for escalating tensions.

The United Nations Security Council bans satellite launches by North Korea, because they are seen as a cover for testing ballistic missile technology. North Korea in recent years has rapidly expanded its weapons program, tested new solid-fuel rocket technology and unveiled new drones.

The two Koreas are chasing independent military-surveillance technology, with North Korea vowing to launch more spy satellites in the near future and South Korea launching its first domestically developed spy satellite Nov. 30 atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

In September, on the fifth anniversary of the military pact, Moon criticized the Yoon administrations talk of suspending the agreement. Abolishing the inter-Korean military agreement would be irresponsible, akin to removing the last safety pin," the former president said.

On Wednesday, opposition lawmakers and former Moon administration officials said the pact had reduced military tensions significantly in the demilitarized zone and called on the Yoon government to maintain the agreement despite North Koreas violations.

South Koreas resumption of aerial surveillance will allow it to track potential surprise attacks from the North, which have become a bigger concern since the Hamas attacks on Israel, said Moon Seong-mook, a retired South Korean brigadier general who was a negotiator at inter-Korean military talks in 2007.

Until now, South Korea has tried to respect the inter-Korean military agreement," he said, but now we are warning of retaliation."

Write to Dasl Yoon at dasl.yoon@wsj.com

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TAIPEIFor years, Beijing hoped to win control of Taiwan by convincing its people their economic futures were inextricably tied to China.

Instead, more Taiwanese businesses are pivoting to the U.S. and other markets, reducing the island democracys dependence on China and angering Beijing as it sees its economic leverage over Taiwan ebb.

In one sign of the shift, the U.S. replaced mainland China as the top buyer of Taiwanese agricultural products for the first time last year.

Electronics firms such as chip maker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. are also selling more goods to American and other non-Chinese buyers, thanks in part to Washingtons chip restrictions and Apples bets on Taiwanese chips.

Overall, Taiwanese exports to the U.S. in the first 10 months of 2023 were more than 80% higher than in the same period of 2018, Taiwanese government data shows. Taiwanese exports to the mainland were 1% lowera major change from a decade or so ago when Chinas and Taiwans economies were rapidly integrating.

Taiwans outbound investment has also shifted. After flowing mostly to mainland China in the early 2000s, it has now moved decisively toward other destinations, including Southeast Asia, India and the U.S.

Taiwanese electronics giant Foxconn, which assembles iPhones in mainland China, is expanding in India and Vietnam after Apple began pushing its suppliers to diversify.

Chinese state media recently reported that China had opened tax and land-use probes into Foxconn. Though Taiwanese officials and analysts interpreted the probes as a sign that China wants Foxconn founder Terry Gou to drop plans to run in Taiwans presidential election in January, some have said Beijing may also be trying to pressure Foxconn into resisting decoupling with China.

Any attempt to talk down the mainlands economy or to seek decoupling is driven by ulterior motives and will be futile," said a spokeswoman for Beijings Taiwan Affairs Office in September. The mainland is always the best choice for Taiwanese compatriots and businesses."

Fully decoupling from mainland Chinas economy likely isnt possible, and would be disastrous for Taiwan, not to mention China, even if it were.

Foxconn and other major Taiwanese companies depend heavily on China for parts, testing and buyers. Some 25% of Taiwans electronic parts imports still come from the mainland.

If Chinas weakened economy returns to strong growth, it could shift the calculus back in favor of the mainland, where the Communist Party claims Taiwan despite never having ruled it. About 21% of Taiwans total goods trade this year has been with mainland China, versus 14% for the U.S., though the U.S. share has risen from 11% in 2018.

My hunch is that the large manufacturing sectors will try to stay in the Chinese market, even with harsh conditions," said Alexander Huang, director of the international affairs department of the opposition Kuomintang Party, whose supporters include business people with mainland ties. If you talk to those business owners, they say, Nah, no way will I give it to my competitors."

Even so, many forces are pushing Taiwan to rewire its economic relationship with China.

Trump-era tariffs and Biden administration export controls have raised the cost of sourcing from China, and in some cases prohibited it. U.S. firms are pushing their Taiwanese suppliers to diversify sourcing, and rising wages in China have made it less attractive than before.

Long-running shifts in Taiwanese sentiment toward Chinaand Chinas own efforts to punish the island using its economic leverageare also factors. China has banned Taiwanese agricultural products such as pineapple and, in 2022, grouper fish, and restricted outbound tourism to Taiwan.

Those restrictions to some degree have backfired, pushing Taiwanese businesses to look elsewhere.

Casting for new markets

Chang Chia-sheng, who runs a fish farming operation in Taiwan, said his main export target a decade ago was mainland China. But as geopolitical tensions climbed, he looked elsewhere. Sales to Americans have jumped fivefold since 2018, he said. In the U.S., things just seem to work out more easily," Chang said.

The U.S. and Taiwan reached an agreement in May on a number of trade and investment measures to deepen ties, though the deal stopped short of reducing tariffs.

In the June quarter of 2023, 63% of revenues at TSMC, which makes most of the worlds most cutting-edge logic chips, came from the U.S., up from 54% in the same period in 2018, according to S&P Global data. Just 12% of TSMCs revenue now comes from Chinese buyers, down from 22% in the second quarter of 2018.

Taiwans government is also encouraging closer economic links with Southeast Asia, South Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Its New Southbound Policy," rolled out in 2016, has been the subject of fierce debate in Taiwan, with the Kuomintang Party saying steps to boost relationslike handing out scholarshipsarent worth the cost.

Exports to New Southbound" partners have risen, however, to $66 billion in the first nine months of 2023, about 50% higher than the same period in 2016.

Frankly speaking, were responding reactively" to the need for more diverse trading partners, Taiwans Economic Minister Wang Mei-hua said in an interview. Taiwan needs to manage the risks on its own, but we also need our allies to join us more in mitigating these risks."

Together, the U.S. and the six largest Southeast Asian economies accounted for 36% of Taiwanese exports in the third quarter of 2023, according to data from CEIC, surpassing the percentage sent to mainland China and Hong Kong on a quarterly basis for the first time since 2002.

In September, Taiwan sent less than 21% of its exports to the mainland, the lowest percentage since the global financial crisis.

Taiwanese foreign investment into mainland China, steady at around $10 billion a year for most of the early 2010s, plummeted in late 2018 and has since been running at about half that level, according to Taiwanese government data. In 2023 so far, just 13% of Taiwans investment went to mainland China; 25% went to other Asian locations, and nearly half went to the U.S.

A survey of Taiwanese businesses conducted last year on behalf of The Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank, found that nearly 60% had moved or were considering moving some production or sourcing out of Chinaa significantly higher rate than European or American firms.

Jay Yen, chief executive of Yen and Brothers, a Taiwanese frozen-food processing company, said his firm received a government subsidy of around $75,000 to market his products to American consumers. China now only accounts for about 3% of its revenue, he said.

That said, if you really have to consider the risks of a war between the U.S. and China and its potential impact on Taiwan, you might want to place your bets on a third countryneither China nor the U.S.," Yen added.

Reversing the tide

After China began to open up its economy in the late 1970s, Taiwanese businesses were among the first investors.

By the 2000s, China seemed to be succeeding in its strategy of integrating the two economies, with more than 28% of Taiwans exports going to the mainland in 2010, from less than 4% a decade earlier.

Direct flights between the two sides were normalized for the first time in decades. Mainland tourists were allowed to visit Taiwan on their own.

By 2014, the tides were turning as more Taiwanese grew worried about overdependence on China. Student demonstrators protested against a trade pact, later abandoned, which would have deepened ties with China. President Tsai Ing-wen, who took office in 2016, has pushed to diversify Taiwans economy.

China has responded by moving trade issues more into the spotlight.

In April, it opened an investigation into Taiwanese trade restrictions which it says limit exports of more than 2,400 items from the mainland to the island in violation of World Trade Organization rules. In October, Chinas Ministry of Commerce announced the probe would be extended until Jan. 12the day before Taiwans coming election.

Taiwans government has called the probe politically motivated.

Chinese officials have implied that Beijing could suspend preferential tariff rates for some Taiwanese goods in China under a 2010 deal signed when Kuomintangs Ma Ying-jeou was president. Beijing has also reacted angrily to Taiwans recent trade agreement with the U.S.

For Taiwanese companies, building and operating new factories in places other than China isnt cheap or easy. Protests have at times disrupted operations at Indian plants operated by Foxconn and Wistron, another Apple supplier. In September, a fire halted production at a Taiwanese facility in Tamil Nadu.

Still, some Taiwanese businesspeople have clearly soured on China.

The electronics industry has already become a Chinese empire, not a Taiwanese one," says Leo Chiu, who worked in mainland China in quality control for an electronics manufacturer for 14 years before concluding he couldnt move up further there and returning to Taiwan in 2019. Many of his old colleagues have left, he said.

If Xi Jinping steps down, theres still a chance it could change," says Chiu. But I think its very hard."

Write to Joyu Wang at joyu.wang@wsj.com and Nathaniel Taplin at nathaniel.taplin@wsj.com

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US officials have foiled a bid to assassinate pro-Khalistan leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, claimed a report in The Financial Times. US officials have also reportedly warned the Indian government amid concerns about its involvement in the matter. This report, which comes just months after Canada made similar allegations against India, may have broader implications for India and its diplomatic ties. Mint breaks down the developments:

What does the report say about the incident?

The Financial Times report said that US officials had thwarted a plot to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a prominent pro-Khalistan leader. Pannun has been designated as a terrorist by Indian authorities. The report said that US officials issued a warning to the Indian government amid concerns about its involvement in the matter after PM Modis visit to America in June. A sealed indictment has also been filed against individuals involved in the case, which may be made public. The report also states that America briefed its allies about the matter once Canadas Justin Trudeau publicly insinuated India's involvement in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, another prominent face in the pro-Khalistan movement, in September.

How have both sides reacted?

Indias ministry of external affairs did not deny the story. Its somewhat vague statement confirmed that the US government had provided inputs pertaining to nexus between organized criminals, gun runners, terrorists and others". The MEA said that the relevant departments were following up on the matter. Meanwhile, US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson also confirmed that America had conveyed its concerns to the Indian government, including at the senior-most levels". Watson said Indian officials had expressed surprise and concern on the matter. We have conveyed our expectation that anyone deemed responsible should be held accountable," she said.

What does this mean for India-US relations?

At this moment, it seems that both sides have decided to deal with the matter largely behind closed doors. New Delhi and Washington also seem unwilling to let this incident disrupt bilateral relations. The engagement has continued, including through the high-level 2+2 dialogue which took place in Delhi earlier in November. Statements made by both sides also reflect a more cooperative approach to dealing with the matter, in sharp contrast to the allegations made by Canada in September.

What does this mean for Indias broader diplomacy?

This development comes as an unwelcome distraction for New Delhi. The news came on the day India was hosting the Virtual G20 Summit and expected to talk up its achievements during its Presidency of the G20, which is set to end this month. Some argue that this latest story will cause some reputational harm, especially after Canada has already made similar allegations amid Indias vociferous denials. Others suggest that the fallout will be limited, since India and Canada seem to be inching towards a diplomatic thaw while New Delhi and Washington have played down the matter.
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday called on individuals in China to adhere to measures aimed at lowering the risk of respiratory illness.

Additionally, the organization requested further information from authorities regarding a documented increase in cases among children. During a press briefing held on November 13, 2023, representatives from the National Health Commission in China disclosed a rise in the prevalence of respiratory diseases in the country. Northern areas of the country have reported an increase in influenza-like illness since mid-October when compared to the same period in the previous three years," the UN health body said in a statement posted on X. Also Read: China urges people for final victory against Covid as global concerns mount

On 21 November, the media and public disease surveillance system ProMED reported clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children in northern China. It is unclear if these are associated with the overall increase in respiratory infections previously reported by Chinese authorities, or separate events," said WHO.

WHO has made an official request to China for detailed information on an increase in respiratory illnesses and reported clusters of pneumonia in children," WHO added.

Also Read: Chinas batwoman scientist warns another highly likely coronavirus outbreak in future: Report

Chinese authorities told reporters on November 13 that the respiratory illness spike was due to the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions and the circulation of known pathogens, including influenza and common bacterial infections that affect children.

On November 21, the media and public disease surveillance system ProMED reported clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children in northern China.

The WHO said it was unclear if ProMED's report was related to the authorities' press conference and that it was seeking clarification.

What does WHO say to China?

WHO is also in contact with clinicians and scientists through our existing technical partnerships and networks in China.

We have also requested further information about recent trends in the circulation of known pathogens including influenza, SARS-CoV-2, RSV and mycoplasma pneumoniae, and the current burden on health care systems," said the WHO.

Also Read: Chinas government launches a campaign against medical corruption

Meanwhile, the WHO has advised individuals to adopt preventive measures, including vaccination, maintaining distance from those who are unwell, staying at home when feeling ill, practicing regular hand-washing, and appropriately using masks.

Also Read: WHO sounds alarm as Covid-19 new variant Eris cases rise sharply in UK

Throughout the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, the WHO consistently voiced disapproval of Chinese authorities, citing concerns over their perceived lack of transparency and collaboration.

WHO issues guidelines

WHO recommend that people in China follow measures to reduce the risk of respiratory illness, which include recommended vaccination; keeping distance from people who are ill; staying home when ill; getting tested and medical care as needed; wearing masks as appropriate; ensuring good ventilation; and regular hand-washing.

Also Read: Why China now needs a consumption story

WHO further noted that even after more than three years since cases were initially identified in Wuhan, the origins of Covid-19 remain a contentious topic.

The scientific community is divided between two primary theories: the possibility of the virus escaping from a laboratory in the city where such viruses were under study, or the transmission from an intermediate animal to humans at a local market," said WHO.

Earlier this year, WHO experts said they were sure that Beijing had far more data that could shed light on the origins of COVID-19, and called it a moral imperative for the information to be shared, AFP reported.

Also Read: WHO warns of troubling Covid-19 trends in coming months, says closely monitoring new Omicron variant

In early 2021, a group of specialists, led by the WHO and working alongside Chinese counterparts, conducted an investigation in China. However, no subsequent team has been able to return, and WHO officials have consistently requested additional data.

Emphasizing the significance of unravelling this mystery, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has underscored that understanding the origins could play a crucial role in preventing future pandemics.

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With smartphone cameras getting better by the day, customers are increasingly preferring to buy a good camera smartphone instead of a standalone device for taking pictures or videos. Major smartphone manufacturers like Google, Motorola, Samsung and OnePlus have released some value-for-money devices in a bid to win the crown in the sub-30k market.

Here's a list of best camera smartphones under 30,000:

1) Pixel 6a:

The Pixel 6a is priced at 30,999 for the 6GB RAM/128GB storage variant, but the price of Google's premium smartphone can be further reduced by availing the 10% discount using Axis Bank Credit Card.

The Pixel 6a features a 2400 x 1080 Full HD+ OLED display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection and HDR support. The smartphone is powered by a dual camera sensor on the back with a 12.2 MP primary sensor and a 12 MP ultra-wide sensor. On the front, the Pixel 6 has an 8MP front-facing camera capable of recording 1080p video at 30fps.

2) Samsung Galaxy F54:

Samsung Galaxy F54 5G comes with a 6.7-inch sAMOLED+ screen with a 120 Hz refresh rate and Vision Booster. The device features a premium metal camera module with rounded corners. As mentioned above, the phone will be available in Meteor Blue and Stardust Silver.

The smartphone is powered by Samsungs Exynos 1380 5nm processor which is claimed to offer seamless multitasking and a lag-free experience. Samsung Galaxy F54 5G runs on the latest One UI 5.1, offering a user-friendly interface and seamless navigation. Samsung is giving up to four generations of OS updates and up to five years of security updates with the new phone.

On the camera front, Samsung Galaxy F54 5G has a 108 MP (OIS) No Shake primary camera paired with 8 MP ultra-wide lens and 2 MP macro lens. On the front, there is a 32 MP selfie camera. The smartphone boasts of camera features such as Night Mode, Auto Night Mode, and AI based Multi-frame processing.

3) OnePlus Nord CE 3 5G:

OnePlus Nord CE 3 5G comes equipped with a 6.7-inch Fluid AMOLED display in a 20:9 aspect ratio. The display also features a 120Hz refresh rate and 2160Hz PWM dimming support.

This device is powered by the Snapdragon 782G chipset, which falls within the mid-range category. It offers a maximum of 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of storage, along with a cooling system similar to that of the Nord 3. When it comes to the camera setup, both the Nord 3 and Nord CE 3 feature an identical configuration, featuring a 50MP Sony IMX890 sensor with Optical Image Stabilization (OIS).

4) Motorola Edge 40:

The Motorola Edge 40 comes with a 6.5-inch pOLED panel offering Full-HD resolution and a refresh rate of 144Hz refresh rate. While the models with vegan finish measure 7.58mm in thickness, the variant with the PMMA finish measures 7.49mm. The phones display comes with support for HDR10+, Amazon HDR playback, and Netflix HDR playback.

The smartphone comes powered by MediaTek Dimensity 8020 SoC coupled with 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage and 8GB of LPDDR4x.

The Edge 40 with the tag of 'world's slimmest 5G smartphone with an IP68' is an ideal choice for users who want a sleek phone with a user experience similar to stock Android.

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Chinese service robots achieve success in overseas market

16:15, November 23, 2023 By Wang Ying ( People's Daily

Chinese manufacturers of service robots are receiving orders from around the world, according to a report by Nikkei Asia.

The Shenzhen-based tech firm Pudu Robotics, founded in 2016, reported a revenue of $100 million in 2022.

Robots dance at the 2023 World Robot Expo held in Beijing, Aug. 21, 2023. (People's Daily Online/Chen Xiaogen)

KEENON Robotics Co., Ltd., headquartered in Shanghai, is also preparing to accelerate its overseas expansion. By the end of 2022, the company had sold approximately 35,000 robots, with nearly 10,000 of them sold to destinations outside China.

In recent years, the Chinese robotics industry has experienced rapid development, with the service robot sector maintaining a fast growth rate.

Statistics show that in 2022, the operating revenue of the Chinese robotics industry exceeded 170 billion yuan ($23.94 billion), making China the world's largest robotics market.

According to data released by the International Federation of Robotics, the Chinese robotics industry maintained steady growth in the first half of 2023. A total of 3.53 million sets of service robots were produced, representing a year-on-year growth of 9.6 percent.

In recent years, China has introduced a series of policies to support the development of the robotics industry. According to an outline for the development of the robotics industry during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), China plans to build itself into a global source of innovation in robotics technology, a hub for high-end manufacturing, and a leading center for integrated robotics applications by 2025.

A robot conducts health checkups for senior residents in Weilou neighborhood, Jinggang township, Hefei, east China's Anhui province. (People's Daily Online/Hu Zhaoqun)

Earlier this year, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Education, and 15 other departments jointly issued an action plan on "robotics+" that aims to expand the use of robotics. The action plan is expected to further implement the goal of doubling China's manufacturing robot density by 2025 compared with that of 2020, and significantly increasing the use of service and special robots.

Service robots are an important category of robot products. They can replace human labor in performing certain daily tasks, improve life quality for consumers and reduce manual labor input. Based on specific needs, service robots can operate autonomously with minimal human intervention or be remotely controlled by human operators.

Service robots can provide assistance in various fields and scenarios, including but not limited to the food and beverage industry, healthcare, hospitality, building services, and logistics. They can perform tasks such as greeting guests, meal deliveries, express parcel deliveries, cleaning, and providing medical assistance.

Jiao Ziyuan, a researcher at the Beijing Institute for General Artificial Intelligence, told People's Daily that currently, service robots developed and produced in China are mainly used for food delivery, cleaning, and medical assistance. The overall domestic market is showing a positive trend, with a high rate of localization and an increasingly advanced level of technology.

This is attributed to the significant breakthroughs made by China in cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence speech recognition and image recognition, Jiao explained.

A robot cleans the floor in a waiting hall of Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport, east China's Zhejiang province. (People's Daily Online/Long Wei)

Chinese manufacturers of service robots are accelerating their expansion into the global market. According to a report released by International Data Corporation in July this year, "going global" became an important source of growth for most manufacturers in 2022 because of the low market penetration, high labor costs, and higher profit margins for products sold overseas.

The report said the income made overseas by many manufacturers was on par with or even significantly higher than their revenue in the Chinese market. In 2022, Chinese manufacturers of commercial service robot generated nearly $200 million in revenue from overseas markets, representing a year-on-year growth of 103.4 percent.

Jiao said that China's service robots are leading in technology, price, and service. In terms of technology, China applies advanced artificial intelligence technology to service robots, resulting in higher stability and intelligence. In terms of price, China has a relatively complete industrial chain related to robots, which leads to higher cost-effectiveness. In terms of service, Chinese manufacturers can provide customized services based on different needs.

However, Chinese manufacturers of service robots, facing increasingly fierce competition in the international market, still need to continuously improve their technological and innovative capabilities, pay attention to cultural differences between China and foreign countries, comply with regulations and standards in various countries, provide excellent after-sales service and technical support, continuously optimize the industrial chain, and maintain their advantage in cost control.

Jiao pointed out that in the future, humanoid robots will be one of the mainstream directions for the development of service robots. Humanoid robots can better adapt to real-life scenarios, enabling service robots to transition from specialized to general-purpose. For manufacturers, strengthening the technological research and development of humanoid robots and reducing costs may be an important direction in the future.

(Web editor: Chang Sha, Liang Jun)
How will you feel if you see your water heater geyser isn't working on a winter morning? This scenario is more than an inconvenience; it's a reminder of the essential role a water heater geyser plays in our daily comfort and convenience. Especially during the colder months, a reliable water heater geyser is absolutely a necessity. In today's market, the plethora of options can be overwhelming, with features ranging from energy efficiency to smart technology integrations. Choosing the right one from top brands ensures not only a consistent supply of hot water but also peace of mind.

The importance of a quality water heater geyser can never be understated. Its an appliance that blends into the background of our daily lives, silently ensuring that hot water is always within reach for cooking, cleaning, and personal hygiene.

In this blog, we have listed the top 10 water heater geysers from well-renowned brands with various unique features. These features impact the functionality of the geysers and that is why you need to consider them while buying one for your house. Energy efficiency is a critical consideration, as it directly impacts your utility bills and environmental footprint. The capacity of the water heater is another crucial aspect, as it needs to meet the demands of your household. Safety features like auto-shutoff, adjustable thermostats, and corrosion-resistant tanks are vital for the longevity of the appliance and the safety of your home. Innovations in technology have also revolutionised this humble appliance. Features like Wi-Fi connectivity and digital displays offer convenience and control like never before. The design and build quality of a water heater geyser also play a significant role, ensuring durability and seamlessly integrating into your homes decor.

We aim to simplify your decision-making process through this guide by highlighting the 10 best water heater geysers from trusted brands. Each model has been carefully selected based on performance, features, customer reviews, and value for money. So, lets check out the best water heater geysers and find the perfect match for your home!

Also Read: Best geyser in India: Choose from top 10 for November 2023

1. Havells Instanio Prime 15 Litre Storage Water Heater (White Blue)

This water heater lives up to its name, with color-changing LEDs that cycle from blue to amber as the water gets hotter. The ultra-thick steel tank provides higher corrosion resistance for a longer lifespan compared to standard tanks. The Incoloy heating element delivers superior heating performance and efficiency, while the multi-function valve prevents pressure from exceeding 8 bars. The tank avoids mixing cold and hot water for faster heating, optimised energy savings and 20% more hot water output. Perfect for high-rise apartments and properties that require a pressure pump, this water heater means you'll never run out of steaming hot water again.

Specifications of Havells Instanio Prime 15 Litre Storage Water Heater (White Blue):

Capacity: 15 Litres

Body Material: ABS

Features: LED Indicator, Incoloy heating element

Pros Cons LED Indicator for real-time monitoring Energy rating not specified Incoloy heating element for durability

2. Bajaj New Shakti Neo 25L Vertical Storage Water Heater| Star Rated Geyser| Water Heating with Titanium Armour & Swirl Flow Technology| Glasslined Tank| Wall Mounting| 1-Yr Warranty by Bajaj| White

The titanium armor and swirl flow technology of this water heater geyser heat water up to 20% faster, while the glass-lined tank and magnesium anode protect against corrosion and rust for longer life. The adjustable thermostat lets you set the perfect temperature for your needs, while PUF insulation traps heat inside to keep water warm. Designed for high-rise buildings, this 2000W heater can withstand pressures of up to 8 bars. And with child safety protection that cuts off temperatures above 50C. Its space-saving vertical design and stylish white finish make it a smart addition to any home, while 1-year warranty and 5-year tank warranty give you confidence in its quality and reliability. So, if you want hot water heating with performance, durability, and value, the New Shakti Neo 25L Vertical Storage Water Heater from Bajaj fits the bill.

Specifications of Bajaj New Shakti Neo 25L Vertical Storage Water Heater| Star Rated Geyser| Water Heating with Titanium Armour & Swirl Flow Technology| Glasslined Tank| Wall Mounting| 1-Yr Warranty by Bajaj| White:

Capacity: 25 Litres

Body Material: Mild Steel with Glass Lined Coating

Features: Titanium Armour, Swirl Flow Technology

Warranty: 1 Year

Pros Cons Titanium Armour & Swirl Flow Technology for efficient heating Only 1-year warranty 25 Litre capacity, ideal for larger households

3. Crompton Gracee 5-L Instant Water Heater (Geyser), Wall Mounting

This stylish instant water heater brings high performance and safety to your home. Crompton's Gracee 5L heater features a speedy 3000W heating element that warms water in a flash, so you can enjoy a hot shower or fill your kettle in no time. The PP blend tank is rust-resistant to ensure long product life, while a 4-level safety system with features like a steam thermostat, thermal cut-out, pressure release valve and fusible plug keeps you and your family protected. The wall-mount design saves space and installs easily, and a 5-year warranty on the tank. With its fast heating, compact size and safety features, this Crompton water heater makes enjoying hot water effortless and reliable, instantly upgrading your daily routine.

Specifications of Crompton Gracee 5-L Instant Water Heater (Geyser), Wall Mounting:

Capacity: 5 Litres

Features: Instant heating, Wall Mounting

Pros Cons Instant heating feature for immediate hot water Limited 5 Litre capacity may not suit larger families Wall Mounting saves space

4. AO Smith SDS-GREEN -015 Storage 15 Litre Vertical Water Heater ABS Body BEE 5 Star Superior Energy Efficiency|Enhanced Durability Blue Diamond Tank Coating|Suitable High Rise Buildings Wall Mounting

This compact wall-mounted water heater packs high performance into a space-saving design. Its 2000-watt heating element means hot water on demand for essential uses, while its energy-efficient BEE 5-star rating helps keep electricity costs low. The blue diamond tank coating provides twice the corrosion resistance of standard tanks, extending tank life significantly. The custom alloy anode rod also has double the lifespan of regular magnesium rods, protecting vital tank components even in hard water. Wall mounting frees up floor space, and the compact dimensions make it suitable for apartments and high-rise buildings.

Specifications of AO Smith SDS-GREEN -015 Storage 15 Litre Vertical Water Heater ABS Body BEE 5 Star Superior Energy Efficiency|Enhanced Durability Blue Diamond Tank Coating|Suitable High Rise Buildings Wall Mounting:

Capacity: 15 Litres

Body Material: ABS

Energy Rating: BEE 5 Star

Features: Blue Diamond Tank Coating, Suitable for High Rise Buildings

Pros Cons BEE 5 Star rating for superior energy efficiency 15 Litre capacity may not be enough for large households Suitable for High Rise Buildings

5. V-Guard Victo Plus 25 Litre 5 Star Water Heater with Advanced Safe Shock Module; Free PAN India Installation & Free Connection Pipes (White-Black)

Constructed with advanced titanium-enriched enamel and Incoloy 800 heating elements, this water heater provides enhanced energy efficiency and reliability you can count on for years. Featuring a 5-star BEE rating and thick PUF insulation, it minimises heat loss to keep water hotter longer. But safety comes first, so it has built-in safe shock, thermal cut-out and overpressure protection mechanisms. The stylish dual-tone body looks sophisticated yet functional, while the temperature control knob and LED indicator make it easy to use. This V-Guard water heater brings you superior performance, safety, and convenience in a package that is both beautiful and built to last.

Specifications of V-Guard Victo Plus 25 Litre 5 Star Water Heater with Advanced Safe Shock Module; Free PAN India Installation & Free Connection Pipes (White-Black):

Capacity: 25 Litres

Energy Rating: 5 Star

Features: Advanced Safe Shock Module

Pros Cons Advanced Safe Shock Module ensures safety Body material not specified Energy-efficient

6. Bajaj Skive 5 Litre 5-Star Rated Instant Water Heater for home| High Grade SS Tank| Multiple Safety System| Suitable for High Rise| Shock Resistant| Rust Proof Outer| 5-Year* Warranty by Bajaj |White

The high-grade stainless steel tank of this Bajaj heater ensures long-term durability and rust resistance, so you can rest assured this hard-working water heater will keep up with your hot water needs for years to come. Multiple safety systems protect against overheating, dry heating, and excess pressure. An LED indicator light makes it easy to monitor its status at a glance. Perfect for highrise apartments, this compact heater can handle higher water pressure. When you need hot water fast, the 3000-watt heating element boils water quickly so you can enjoy a hot shower or cup of tea without delay. The shock-resistant thermoplastic outer body can withstand the occasional bump or knock, adding to its longevity.

Specifications of Bajaj Skive 5 Litre 5-Star Rated Instant Water Heater for home| High Grade SS Tank| Multiple Safety System| Suitable for High Rise| Shock Resistant| Rust Proof Outer| 5-Year* Warranty by Bajaj |White:

Capacity: 5 Litres

Body Material: High-Grade SS Tank

Energy Rating: 5 Star

Features: Multiple Safety System, Suitable for High Rise

Pros Cons High-Grade SS Tank for durability Limited 5 Litre capacity Multiple Safety System for added security

7. V-Guard Zio Pro Instant Geyser | 3 Litre | 3000 W Powerful Heating | White-Metallic Rose Gold | Energy Efficiency with Advanced Safety Features | Stainless-Steel Tank | 2 Year Warranty

With its high-output 3,000 watt heating element, this powerful instant water heater from V-Guard ensures you'll never run short on hot water again. Its sturdy stainless steel tank and superior magnesium oxide insulation keep water heated and ready when you need it, allowing you to enjoy hassle-free bathing and cooking without waiting around. The advanced safety features like pressure relief valve and overheating protection relieve your concerns, while the energy-efficient construction and eco-friendly insulation help minimise your utility bills. The sleek metallic rose gold finish and modern display panel complement contemporary bathrooms and kitchens, making it an attractive yet practical water heater choice that can meet your everyday hot water demands for years to come.

Specifications of V-Guard Zio Pro Instant Geyser | 3 Litre | 3000 W Powerful Heating | White-Metallic Rose Gold | Energy Efficiency with Advanced Safety Features | Stainless-Steel Tank | 2 Year Warranty:

Capacity: 3 Litres

Body Material: Stainless-Steel Tank

Features: 3000 W Powerful Heating, White-Metallic Rose Gold design

Warranty: 2 Years

Pros Cons 3000 W Powerful Heating for quick hot water Very small capacity (3 Litre) Stylish White-Metallic Rose Gold design Advanced Safety Features with a 2 Year Warranty

8. Faber Jazz 15L Vertical Storage Water Heater | Heating Indicator, 8 Bar Pressure, Titanium Glassline Coated Tank, Temperature Control, MFV Valve, Auto-Off, PUF Technology | 2000W, 5 Star | (Wine Red)

This stylish wine red glassline storage water heater delivers hot water right when you need it. The neon power-on and heating indicators let you know the status of the water heating, so there are no surprises. The multi-function safety valve helps regulate heating to provide safe water at the right temperature as needed, while the 2000-watt heating element warms the water in a jiffy. The cold rolled steel tank with magnesium anode rod coating provides longevity and reliability for years to come. The laminated plastic polyapp inner tank resists corrosion and mineral buildup to maintain peak performance.

Specifications of Faber Jazz 15L Vertical Storage Water Heater | Heating Indicator, 8 Bar Pressure, Titanium Glassline Coated Tank, Temperature Control, MFV Valve, Auto-Off, PUF Technology | 2000W, 5 Star | (Wine Red):

Capacity: 15 Litres

Body Material: Titanium Glass Lined Coated Tank

Energy Rating: 5 Star

Features: Heating Indicator, 8 Bar Pressure, Temperature Control

Pros Cons Titanium Glassline Coated Tank for longevity 15 Litre capacity may not suffice for larger households 8 Bar Pressure, suitable for high-rise buildings

9. Lifelong 10L Storage Water Geyser | 5 Star BEE Rated | With Glass Lined Tank, Heavy Duty Anode Rod, Suitable for High-Rise Buildings | 2000W 8 Bar Pressure (Wall mount, White, LLSWH110)

This compact 10-liter storage water geyser packs high performance into its stylish, sophisticated design. The energy-efficient 5-star rated insulation retains heat to provide enough hot water for small to medium families while saving you money on bills. The temperature knob lets you adjust the water heat to your preferred setting from 35 to 75 degrees Celsius, and safety features like the thermal cutout and pressure valve protect the durable tank. The nickel-coated heating element handles tough and hard water conditions with long-lasting resistance to corrosion and oxidation. The shock-proof and splash-proof construction eliminates the worry of electrocution, giving you worry-free hot water for showers.

Specifications of Lifelong 10L Storage Water Geyser | 5 Star BEE Rated | With Glass Lined Tank, Heavy Duty Anode Rod, Suitable for High-Rise Buildings | 2000W 8 Bar Pressure (Wall mount, White, LLSWH110):

Capacity: 10 Litres

Body Material: Glass Lined Tank

Energy Rating: 5 Star BEE Rated

Features: Heavy Duty Anode Rod, Suitable for High-Rise Buildings

Pros Cons 5 Star BEE Rated for energy efficiency 10 Litre capacity may not be adequate for larger families Glass Lined Tank and Heavy Duty Anode Rod for durability Suitable for High-Rise Buildings

10. CG Magnamix 10L Storage Water Heater(White) with Glassline Tank | 5 Star Rated | 2 Years Product Warranty (CG Magnamix 10)

This CG Magnamix 10L water heater promises hot water on demand. The glassline tank features a vitreous porcelain shield for durability and longevity, while the superior heating element heats water quickly, so you get the temperature you need in an instant. An anti-corrosion magnesium anode protects the tank from damage, and insulation made from high-density foam minimises energy loss. A four-layer safety system of thermostat, thermal cut out, MFV, and fireproof power cord is there for enhancing safety. The galvanised body is rust-resistant, so that you can rely on this heater year after year.

Specifications of CG Magnamix 10L Storage Water Heater(White) with Glassline Tank | 5 Star Rated | 2 Years Product Warranty (CG Magnamix 10):

Capacity: 10 Litres

Body Material: Glassline Tank

Energy Rating: 5 Star

Features: 2 Years Product Warranty

Warranty: 2 Years

Pros Cons 5 Star Rated for energy efficiency Smaller 10 Litre capacity not ideal for larger families Glassline Tank enhances durability Basic features compared to other models

Also read: 50 litre geyser to never run out of hot water: Top 10 picks for September 2023

Top 3 features for you

Product Feature 1 Feature 2 Feature 3 Havells Instanio Prime 15 Litre Storage Water Heater (White Blue) 15 Litres Storage LED Indicator, Incoloy heating element Bajaj New Shakti Neo 25L Vertical Storage Water Heater| Star Rated Geyser| Water Heating with Titanium Armour & Swirl Flow Technology| Glasslined Tank| Wall Mounting| 1-Yr Warranty by Bajaj| White 25 Litres Storage Titanium Armour, Swirl Flow, Glass Lined Tank, Wall Mounting Crompton Gracee 5-L Instant Water Heater (Geyser), Wall Mounting 5 Litres Instant Wall Mounting, Instant heating AO Smith SDS-GREEN -015 Storage 15 Litre Vertical Water Heater ABS Body BEE 5 Star Superior Energy Efficiency|Enhanced Durability Blue Diamond Tank Coating|Suitable High Rise Buildings Wall Mounting 15 Litres Storage Blue Diamond Tank Coating, Suitable for High Rise Buildings V-Guard Victo Plus 25 Litre 5 Star Water Heater with Advanced Safe Shock Module; Free PAN India Installation & Free Connection Pipes (White-Black) 25 Litres Storage Advanced Safe Shock Module, Free PAN India Installation Bajaj Skive 5 Litre 5-Star Rated Instant Water Heater for home| High Grade SS Tank| Multiple Safety System| Suitable for High Rise| Shock Resistant| Rust Proof Outer| 5-Year* Warranty by Bajaj |White 5 Litres Instant High Grade SS Tank, Multiple Safety System, Suitable for High Rise V-Guard Zio Pro Instant Geyser | 3 Litre | 3000 W Powerful Heating | White-Metallic Rose Gold | Energy Efficiency with Advanced Safety Features | Stainless-Steel Tank | 2 Year Warranty 3 Litres Instant 3000 W Heating, Advanced Safety Features, Stainless-Steel Tank Faber Jazz 15L Vertical Storage Water Heater | Heating Indicator, 8 Bar Pressure, Titanium Glassline Coated Tank, Temperature Control, MFV Valve, Auto-Off, PUF Technology | 2000W, 5 Star | (Wine Red) 15 Litres Storage Titanium Glass Lined Coated Tank, Temperature Control, PUF Technology Lifelong 10L Storage Water Geyser | 5 Star BEE Rated | With Glass Lined Tank, Heavy Duty Anode Rod, Suitable for High-Rise Buildings | 2000W 8 Bar Pressure (Wall mount, White, LLSWH110) 10 Litres Storage Glass Lined Tank, Heavy Duty Anode Rod, Suitable for High-Rise Buildings CG Magnamix 10L Storage Water Heater(White) with Glassline Tank | 5 Star Rated | 2 Years Product Warranty (CG Magnamix 10) 10 Litres Storage Glassline Tank, Suitable for Wall Mounting

Best value for money

The Havells Instanio Prime 15 Liter Water Heater ensures hot water is always on tap. Featuring color-changing LEDs that indicate the temperature of the water, this water heater uses ultra-thick, super cold-rolled steel inner tank construction for higher corrosion resistance and longer life. The Incoloy glass-coated heating element provides superior heating performance and high efficiency, while the multi-function valve prevents pressure from exceeding 8 bars, avoiding direct contact between cold and hot water for faster heating and optimised energy savings. This results in up to 20% more hot water output. Ideal for high-rise buildings and pressure pump applications, the Havells Instanio Prime delivers hot water wherever you need it.

Best overall product

Made from durable ABS plastic on the outside and a blue diamond-coated inner tank for twice the corrosion resistance, the AO Smith SDS-GREEN water heater delivers blazing hot water when you need it most. With a generous 15-liter capacity, 2000 watts of heating power, and 8-bar pressure, this vertical wall-mounted unit provides plenty of hot water for small flats and apartments. An energy-efficient 5-star rating means lower utility bills, while the custom alloy anode rod lasts twice as long - even in hard water. Installation is free within the municipal limits of major Indian cities. So go ahead - shrink your footprint without compromising performance with this mighty mini water heater.

How to find the best water heater geyser?

Buying the best water heater geyser is not at all a tough job when we are here to guide you. Follow the steps below to find the best water heater geyser for your home.

Assess Your Needs: Start by evaluating your household's hot water usage. Consider the number of people in your home and your daily hot water requirements. This will help you determine the ideal capacity for your water heater.

Choose the Right Type: Water heaters come in various types like storage, tankless, gas, and electric. Storage water heaters have a tank, while tankless models heat water on demand. Gas heaters are usually more efficient but require a gas connection, whereas electric heaters are easier to install.

Consider Energy Efficiency: Look for energy-efficient models to save on electricity bills. Models with higher energy ratings use less power to heat water. An energy-efficient water heater might have a higher upfront cost but can save money in the long run.

Check Safety Features: Safety is paramount. Choose a water heater with features like automatic shut-off, thermostat control, and pressure-release valves. These features prevent accidents and ensure the longevity of the heater.

Size and Installation Space: Consider the size of the water heater and the space available in your home for installation. Ensure there is adequate space for installation and maintenance.

Review the Warranty: A longer warranty period indicates the manufacturer's confidence in their product. Look for water heaters with extended warranty periods for peace of mind.

Brand Reputation: Choose a water heater from a reputable brand. Well-known brands generally offer better customer service, quality assurance, and availability of spare parts.

FAQs

Question : How does the capacity of a water heater geyser affect its performance?

Ans : Capacity determines how much hot water the geyser can store or heat at a time, affecting its ability to meet the demands of your household or usage patterns.

Question : Are there energy-efficient water heater geysers?

Ans : Many modern water heater geysers are designed for energy efficiency, reducing electricity consumption and lowering utility bills.

Question : What safety features should I look for in a water heater geyser?

Ans : Look for auto-shutoff mechanisms, adjustable thermostats, and overheat protection. Also, consider models with corrosion-resistant tanks and quality insulation to prevent accidents and enhance durability.

Question : How long does a typical water heater geyser last?

Ans : A quality water heater geyser typically lasts between 8 to 12 years, depending on maintenance and build quality.

Question : Can I install a water heater geyser myself?

Ans : While some models allow DIY (Do It Yourself) installation, it's generally recommended to have a professional install your water heater geyser to ensure a safe and correct setup, especially for gas or complex electric systems.

Disclaimer: At Livemint, we help you stay up-to-date with the latest trends and products. Mint has an affiliate partnership, so we may get a part of the revenue when you make a purchase. We shall not be liable for any claim under applicable laws, including but not limited to the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, with respect to the products. The products listed in this article are in no particular order of priority.

Milestone Alert!Livemint tops charts as the fastest growing news website in the world  Click here to know more.
In September, Apple introduced the iOS 17 update, prompting various reactions from iPhone users who encountered several issues. Among the reported problems, a significant number of users have expressed concerns about WiFi speed problems since updating their iPhones to iOS 17. Although the WiFi connectivity issue was not present before the latest iPhone update, users have consistently reported this problem across subsequent updates and attempted fixes. To address these issues, Apple is expected to release a new update in the near future.

As per a report from MacRumors, individuals have consistently encountered issues with their WiFi connection and speed following the launch of the iOS 17 update. Despite the release of the 17.1.1 update, the problem remains unresolved, leading Apple to purportedly undergo testing for a new update internally, identified as iOS 17.1.2.

Reportedly, the upcoming release of the iOS 17.1.2 update is anticipated to address the Wi-Fi issues plaguing iPhones, though a specific rollout date has not been specified. Experts suggest that the forthcoming iOS 17.2 update will not only resolve the prominent issues reported by users but also introduce additional features to compatible iPhones.

Details about the forthcoming iOS 17.1.2 update remain limited, but it is anticipated to be released for iPhones next week. Moreover, in December, users can expect the rollout of the iOS 17.2 update.

It is anticipated that Apple is actively addressing the issue to enhance the overall iPhone user experience. Until the official release of the upcoming update, the specifics remain uncertain, prompting a need to wait and observe Apple's forthcoming plans.

Meanwhile, Apple has also reportedly announced support for RCS (Rich Communication Services messages) in iPhones. So far, Google has asked the California based tech giant to support its Rich Communication Services messages. Those who do not know, RCS chat is considered as the successor to SMS.

According to a report by 9to5Mac, Apple said in a statement that later next year they will be adding support for RCS Universal Profile which is the standard as per the GSM Association.

We believe RCS Universal Profile will offer a better interoperability experience when compared to SMS or MMS. This will work alongside iMessage, which will continue to be the best and most secure messaging experience for Apple users," told Apple to the publication.

Milestone Alert!Livemint tops charts as the fastest growing news website in the world  Click here to know more.
In a dynamic shift, several global financial institutions, including esteemed firms like Knightsbridge, are significantly increasing their investments and presence in China. This surge is attributed to Chinas optimistic economic outlook and its unwavering commitment to financial openness. Knightsbridge, recognized for its financial expertise, is among the firms strategically positioning themselves to leverage the burgeoning opportunities in the Chinese market.

Growing Presence in Securities and Banking: Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) Ltd., with an initial capital injection of 1.05 billion yuan, made history as the first newly-approved wholly foreign-owned securities firm in China since the lifting of foreign ownership caps in 2020. Knightsbridge views this move as a testament to the institutions confidence in Chinas long-term development. Furthermore, the China Securities Regulatory Commissions approval of seven foreign-controlled or wholly foreign-owned securities, futures, and fund companies this year underscores the attractiveness of Chinas financial sector to global players.

In the banking sector, Mastercards Chinese joint venture received approval for bank card clearing operations, marking a significant milestone. Knightsbridge acknowledges the importance of such endeavors, emphasizing that deeper participation by global financial giants like Mastercard contributes to the mutual benefit of China, its consumers, and businesses.

Strategic Investments and Positive Indicators: Official data reveals a substantial capital injection by foreign-funded banks in China during the first three quarters of the year. Knightsbridge notes that two banks established new branches, while six launched new business outlets, signaling a robust expansion trend. The consultancy underscores Chinas commitment to financial openness, with more than 50 specific measures implemented to attract global investors.

Knightsbridge emphasizes that foreign financial institutions, driven by Chinas concrete opening-up measures, are strategically expanding their operations. Notably, Standard Chartered Group Chairman Jose Vinals describes China as the banks most important strategic market, emphasizing the effectiveness of their China strategy in contributing to global network revenue.

Optimism and Commitment: HSBC, recognizing the potential of the Chinese market, plans a substantial investment of over 3 billion yuan in its China operations by 2025. Knightsbridge notes that such commitments, as demonstrated by HSBC and other institutions, underscore the widespread optimism about Chinas economic prospects. The consultancy suggests that this stronger push by foreign-funded financial institutions corroborates the countrys robust post-COVID recovery and strong economic growth.

In conclusion, as global financial firms, including Knightsbridge, align their strategies with Chinas economic trajectory, the financial landscape is witnessing transformative shifts. The increasing confidence and commitment of these institutions affirm Chinas status as a key player in the global financial arena. The steady institutional opening up of Chinas financial sector is poised to facilitate cross-border investment, attract foreign investors, and usher in a new era of sustained economic growth.

Shayne Heffernan
Interview with Economist Shayne Heffernan, Knightsbridge Group

In the dynamic landscape of global economics, strategic investment decisions play a pivotal role in securing long-term prosperity. As we navigate through the ever-evolving markets, it becomes increasingly evident that the time is ripe for investors to turn their attention towards the flourishing opportunities in Asia. Economist Shayne Heffernan of Knightsbridge Group urges investors to consider diversifying their portfolios and capitalizing on the robust growth potential that Asia presents.

The Asian Economic Resurgence

Asia has emerged as the growth engine of the world, boasting resilient economies that have weathered global uncertainties. With a population exceeding 4.6 billion, the region encapsulates a diverse and dynamic market. Economist Shayne Heffernan highlights the stellar economic performance of countries such as China, India, and Southeast Asian nations, attributing their success to strategic policy measures, technological advancements, and a burgeoning middle class.

Technological Innovation and Infrastructure Development

Asia stands at the forefront of technological innovation, with vibrant ecosystems fostering the growth of startups and technology giants alike. Economies in the region are embracing digital transformation, and investments in cutting-edge technologies, artificial intelligence, and fintech are driving unprecedented progress. Economist Shayne Heffernan emphasizes that such innovation creates unique investment opportunities, particularly in sectors poised for exponential growth.

Moreover, Asias commitment to infrastructure development is reshaping the physical and digital landscapes. Ambitious projects, including smart cities, high-speed rail networks, and sustainable energy initiatives, present compelling prospects for investors seeking exposure to infrastructure-driven growth.

Consumer-Led Growth and Market Expansion

The rise of the Asian middle class is reshaping consumption patterns and driving demand across various industries. Economist Shayne Heffernan underscores the significance of this demographic shift, stating that it positions Asia as a pivotal player in the global consumer market. From e-commerce to healthcare, businesses catering to the diverse needs of the expanding middle class are poised for substantial growth.

Additionally, Asias economic integration and trade partnerships contribute to the resilience of its markets. Participation in regional trade blocs and initiatives fosters cross-border collaboration, providing investors with access to a vast and interconnected market.

Navigating Risks and Seizing Opportunities

While recognizing the immense potential for growth in Asia, Economist Shayne Heffernan acknowledges the importance of prudent risk management. Geopolitical factors, regulatory changes, and market dynamics necessitate a careful and informed approach to investment decisions. Knightsbridge Group recommends thorough due diligence and staying abreast of evolving market conditions to make well-informed investment choices.

In conclusion, Economist Shayne Heffernan advises investors to explore the diverse and promising opportunities that Asia presents. By strategically allocating capital to capitalize on the regions economic dynamism, investors can position themselves for long-term success in an ever-changing global landscape.
President Joe Biden orders US flags lowered in memory of former first lady Rosalynn Carter

President Joe Biden has ordered that U.S. flags on federal government buildings and property will be lowered to half staff in recognition of former first lady Rosalynn Carter, who died Sunday
The U.S. Forest Service on Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, said the Collett Ridge Fire, burning about four miles north of Andrews, North Carolina, experienced minimal growth to the west towards Flat Branch and Collett Creek on Saturday. As of Sunday, the fire had grown to about 61 acres, with 0% containment.
As of now, if a person sends mail in Chattanooga, it is processed here and then sent off for delivery to its destination. But the proposal would change the process.
The Rainbow Bridge crossing connecting the US and Canada near Niagara Falls has been shut down on both sides due to a crash.
A man who entered a plea of guilty at Longford District Court to possessing cannabis was fined 500. Enrico Gismondi (35) was initially before the court charged with possession of cannabis and cultivation of cannabis.

The defendant had a charge sheet address of Annagh, Drumlish, Longford, but told the court he now lives at 3 Castle Street, Macroom, County Cork.

Sergeant Mark Mahon told Judge Bernadette Owens that the State was seeking to have the cultivation charge struck out.

Sgt Mahon outlined the details of the offence that brought Mr Gismondo before the court. The officer said that on the date of the offence Garda Leo Sheil carried out a search of the defendant home on foot of a search warrant.

The search uncovered 10 seedling plants in a bedroom and cannabis to the value of 50 which Mr Gismondi said was for his own personal use.

The defendant's legal representatives said the plants were very small and had only been planted a few days prior to the search.

The court heard that Mr Gismondi moved from Navan to Longford, but was now living in Macroom, Cork and has worked steadily throughout his life. The court was told the defendant's girlfriend is pregnant and he was going to move to Dublin, with the ultimate ambition to open his own restaurant.

It was explained that Mr Gismondi was diagnosed with chronic colitis in 2010. He has been using cannabis to deal with pain and discomfort. The cannabis alleviates his pain.

Sgt Mahon said the defendant had 15 previous convictions, but none since 2012.

Taking the facts of the case into consideration Judge Owens imposed a fine of 500 giving Mr Gismondi six months to pay. A destruction order was issued for the drugs.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said removing the triple-lock mechanism for the deployment of Irish troops overseas would protect Irelands sovereignty from the veto power of China, Russia and the US.

It comes after Tanaiste Micheal Martin instructed Department of Defence officials to prepare legislation to remove the UN Security Councils ability to veto the deployment of Irish troops abroad, in a move described by opposition politicians as an attempt to undermine the states neutrality.

The triple-lock system requires approval from the Government and Dail as well as either a UN Security Council or General Assembly resolution for the deployment of more than 12 defence forces members on overseas operations.

The five permanent members of the UN Security Council, China, France, Russia, the UK and the US, have the power to veto the adoption of any Council resolution.

On Thursday, Mr Varadkar said: Ive never been a fan of the triple-lock nor has my party.

He said the mechanism would generally only be used for peacekeeping missions, adding: Were not going to invade anyone, obviously, or get involved in anyone elses wars.

Mr Varadkar said: The problem that arises is the UN resolution and as the Tanaiste pointed out the other day, the UN hasnt approved a peacekeeping operation in 10 years now.

Thats down to China and Russia in particular, but potentially even the United States, wielding the veto power.

So to me actually, it would be a vindication of our sovereignty, saying that we actually arent going to allow Russia or China or America or Britain or France to decide where we cant send our troops.

Asked if there was a danger of Ireland getting involved in conflicts of EU member states following the removal of the triple lock, Mr Varadkar said: I think theres a danger that we wont be able to participate in any new peacekeeping operation if we continue to allow the veto power of those great powers that won a war 75 years ago, and have nuclear weapons, to decide where we cant send our troops.

The ideal outcome, and this is what Ive been advocating for, is reform of the UN so that the Security Council works properly.

But, you know, I wouldnt be waiting around for that to happen.

Speaking to Newstalk, he added: Meanwhile, there are places in the world that may be looking for help, looking for our support and I think we should be open to that.

He said the requirement for Oireachtas backing would provide democratic authority.

Mr Varadkar added: And I dont honestly believe any party in Ireland would wantonly send Irish troops into into a place of danger.

Weve never done that before and I dont think that that will be done deliberately again.
Removing the triple lock will end the morally wrong situation of Russia being able to veto the deployment of Irish troops abroad, the Tanaiste has said.

Micheal Martin rejected the suggestion the move would undermine Irelands military neutrality amid angry clashes with Sinn Fein in the Dail.

During Leaders Questions, Sinn Feins Pearse Doherty told Mr Martin such a fundamental policy shift should be put to the Irish people in a referendum.

Mr Martin has instructed Department of Defence officials to prepare legislation to remove the UN Security Councils ability to veto the deployment of Irish troops abroad.

Under the triple lock, a deployment of 12 or more Defence Force members can only happen if the mission is approved by the Government, the Dail and by way of a UN resolution.

The five permanent members of the UN Security Council  China, France, Russia, the UK and the US  can veto any such resolution.

Mr Doherty insisted the Government did not have a mandate to change the policy.

You never campaigned for that, the programme for government didnt say that, and if youre securing your position put it to the people in a referendum and let them decide whether they want to undermine neutrality or not, he told Mr Martin.

The Tanaiste said there was absolutely no policy to undermine Irelands military neutrality.

Stop creating a false story and deliberately doing so, he told Mr Doherty.

And the bottom line is this. You seem to have a view that Russia should dictate our foreign policy. Thats exactly what you were saying.

I believe theres something morally wrong with the fact that an authoritarian and aggressive neo-imperialist power has de facto veto on elements of how we, as an independent republic, react to any given situation, that is the fundamental truth of where we are today. Theyve invaded Ukraine. They violated the UN charter and you are saying they should have a veto over how, when and where we deploy our troops.

That is the essence of the Sinn Fein policy, which I reject and oppose.
Apache Pizza is due to open its 200th store in Ireland and created its 3,000th job as it continues to pursue a rapid expansion strategy that is set to deliver new jobs on the island.

The 200th Apache Pizza store will officially open in Longford town this afternoon where local franchisee, Talwinder Singh, also achieved the distinction of becoming the 3,000th employee to work with the popular pizza chain.

The new store at Weavers Hall in Longford town is the sixteenth Apache Pizza store to open this year.

"Apache Pizza is an incredible Irish success story. We opened our first store in Balbriggan in 1996. Today, we have 200 stores and employ 3,000 people in communities all over the island of Ireland. We are exceptionally proud of what we have achieved, said Martin Lyons, CEO of Apache Pizza.

"Our continued growth and expansion is down to being local to homes, businesses, schools and universities and our We Love Extra way of doing things, offering generous toppings, dips, ingredients, flavour and value to our customers, said Mr. Lyons.

Speaking ahead of the opening of the new Apache Pizza store in Longford town, franchisee, Talwinder Singh, said, "Im thrilled to open Apache Pizzas 200 th store, to become its 3,000th employee and to bring this hugely popular pizza brand to Longford town. I look forward to being part of the local business community and to serving our great tasting pizzas."

The brand is also seeking new franchisees. The online franchisee application form can be found at www.apachepizza.com.

Apache Pizza is celebrating its growth and expansion with the return of the Really Big Deal which includes a large pizza and garlic bread, any chicken and chips and a dip for just 25.99, along with the launch of its limited edition 425ml large garlic sauce bottle which is available at all stores for 5.95.

About Apache Pizza

Apache Pizza is owned by Food Delivery Brands, the largest and most geographically diversified pizza delivery master franchise in the world by store numbers and by OKR Group, Irelands leading QSR franchise operator.

Facebook: Apache Pizza Longford

Address: Unit 1, Weavers Hall, Market Square, Townparks, Longford, N39 AF80

Located behind Dealz with plenty of parking nearby.

*Sponsored Content
Local News

By Chris Boyle Published: November 23 2023

Honor Flights mission is to honor fellow Long Islanders who served in the Armed Forces of the United States, by providing all-expense paid one-day trips to D.C. for the Veterans.

American Airpower Museum is proud to host an Honor Flight Long Island Reunion on December 2nd, reuniting 45 Veterans who took a free Honor Flight to Washington, D.C. on September 29, 2023. These Long Island heroes visited their military memorials, commiserated with fellow Veterans and exchanged stories. Honor Flights mission is to honor fellow Long Islanders who served in the Armed Forces of the United States, by providing all-expense paid one-day trips to D.C. for the Veterans.

Thanks to HFLI, these 45 Veterans took a free, early-morning Southwest flight from MacArthur Airport to Washington, D.C. Veterans, their Guardians and Honor Flight officials visited World War II, Korean War and Vietnam Memorials, Arlington National Cemetery for a Changing of the Guard, the Air Force Memorial and Iwo Jima Memorial. They returned to MacArthur later that evening for a rousing welcome home by the Saffron United Pipe Band, plus thunderous applause from hundreds of family, friends and supporters!

According to Bill Jones, HFLI President, West Point 1972 Graduate and U.S. Army Veteran, This special flight included 42 Vietnam War Veterans who received long overdue recognition and thanks for their service, Jones said. They were accompanied by 3 elder comrades, 1 World War II Veteran and 2 Korean War Veterans. What this flight really represented was a Big Hug to all our Veterans from Honor Flight, their families and supporters, who make such flights possible, Jones added. Editors: See Excel file  Sep 29 Vets for Rob  for background on the Veterans and/or contact Bill Jones for additional comments at (631) 276-8825 or ddbeach5@gmail.com.

On December 2nd the Museum doors open at 10:30 a.m. and the reunion runs from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at AAMs Hangar 3, 1230 New Highway, Farmingdale, NY. Admission for the Veterans, their Guardians and families, is free. The public is also invited to attend FREE OF CHARGE if they arrive between 10:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m . After 11:00 a.m., regular Museum admission is $15 for Adults, $12 for Seniors and Veterans, $10 for kids 5 to 12.

Come and cheer these Veterans during our Ceremony of Honors, as they receive personalized Tribute Journals full of photos taken during their D.C. trip. This great patriotic event includes speeches by HFLI President Bill Jones and AAM President and Founder Jeff Clyman. The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla Band will play a popular patriotic medley known as the Armed Forces Salute, featuring the five official musical themes of the U.S. Armed Forces: Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard. Free refreshments for all provided by HFLI.

HFLI is accepting applications from Veterans of WWII, Korea and Vietnam. Long Island Veterans are encouraged to sign up by going to the HFLI website, www.honorflightlongisland.org. Its important to submit an application, as that will guarantee placement on the list. Veterans fly for free, thanks to donations from across Long Island. They are accompanied by Guardians, able-bodied volunteers who donate $400 (tax deductible) to offset their travel costs. If there is no family member to act as a Guardian, HFLI has volunteers ready to step up for the privilege of escorting our heroes to their memorials. Questions? Call Jamie Bowden at (631) 702-2423 or email JBowden@southamptontownny.gov .

About Honor Flight Network

The Honor Flight Network was formed in 2005 with a mission of honoring our nations World War II Veterans by flying them to visit the Washington, D.C. WWII Memorial dedicated in 2004. The Honor Flight Network is currently comprised of over 130 hubs throughout the country dedicated to carrying out the Honor Flight mission. In addition to WWII Veterans, the organization now transports those who served in the Korean War, Vietnam War, later conflicts and in special cases of terminal illness or injury, Veterans from more recent service eras. Since 2005, the Honor Flight Network has taken more than 250,000 Veterans to Washington, D.C. Since 2007, Honor Flight Long Island has flown over 1,900 Veterans to Washington, D.C. to visit their military memorials. For more information, visit honorflight.org.

The American Airpower Museum is an aviation museum located on the landmarked former site of Republic Aviation at Republic Airport, Farmingdale, NY. The Museum maintains a collection of aviation artifacts and an array of operational aircraft spanning the many years of the aircraft factory's history. The Museum is a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Educational Foundation Chartered by the New York State Board of Regents.
Crime

By Chris Boyle Published: November 23 2023

Payam Toobian, M.D. Paid Kickbacks to Physicians for Patient Referrals and Defrauded Medicaid by Subjecting Patients to Unnecessary Radiological Tests.

New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced that a jury found Payam Toobian, M.D. of Kings Point, New York, and his company, Americas Imaging Center, Inc., guilty on charges related to running a kickback scheme that defrauded Medicaid and subjected patients to invasive procedures they did not need. In August 2022, the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) indicted Toobian, and today he was found guilty of Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, Health Care Fraud in the Third Degree, four of eight counts of Falsifying Business Records in the First Degree, and two counts of violating the Social Services Law statute prohibiting the payment of kickbacks, all felony charges.

All New Yorkers should be able to trust that their doctors are prioritizing their health, not simply using them to upcharge insurance companies, said Attorney General James. For years, Payam Toobian subjected patients to unnecessary and often invasive tests in order to enrich himself. Todays verdict will ensure he is held accountable for defrauding Medicaid and putting New Yorkers at risk. My office will continue to pursue any medical provider who attempts to profit at the expense of those in need of care.

From January 2006 to August 2017, Toobian ran a kickback scheme in which he gave gift cards and cash to two physicians in exchange for the physicians referral of patients. In addition, from January 2014 to August 2017, Toobian directed his employees to add additional, unordered radiological procedures to orders submitted by referring physicians to increase the amount of money received from Medicaid.

Toobian defrauded Medicaid and subjected patients to medically unnecessary and often invasive radiological testing without the direction, consent, or approval of the referring physicians responsible for the underlying care of those patients. The additional tests included MRIs of the brain, cervical spine, and lumbar spine, all with contrast, which required subjecting patients to unnecessary and invasive injections. Toobian then directed his staff to submit claims for payment to Medicaid for those medically unnecessary tests.

The OAG would like to thank the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General, the New York State Department of Health, and Medicaid MCOs, HealthFirst, MetroPlusHealth, and United Healthcare, for their cooperation and valuable assistance throughout the investigation.

MFCUs investigation was led by Detectives Thomas Bolen, Robert Hatt, Dawn Scandaliato, and Michael McNally, with the assistance of Acting Assistant Chief Ronald Lynch and Deputy Chief William Falk. Trial and administrative support was provided by Detectives Thomas Fisch, Allison Gionta, and Adrian Klapper, Legal Support Analysts Anne Liptak, Kelvin Caraballo, and Caroline Lindeman, and MFCUs Electronic Investigative Support Group. The investigative financial analysis was presented by Principal Auditor-Investigator Deowattie Persaud and Senior Auditor-Investigator Khristian Diaz, with assistance from Regional Chief Auditor Stacey Millis.

The OAG was represented at trial by Special Assistant Attorneys General Robert Trudell and Samantha McCullagh, with the assistance of Special Assistant A.G. Ferron Lien, under the supervision of Thomas OHanlon, Chief of MFCU Criminal Investigations. MFCU is led by Director Amy Held and Assistant Deputy Attorney General Paul J. Mahoney. The Division for Criminal Justice is led by Chief Deputy Attorney General Jose Maldonado and overseen by First Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Levy.

MFCU defends the public by addressing Medicaid provider fraud and protecting nursing home residents from abuse and neglect. If an individual believes they have information about Medicaid provider fraud or about an incident of abuse or neglect of a nursing home resident, they can file a confidential complaint online on OAG website or by calling MFCU's hotline at (800) 771-7755. If the situation is an emergency, please call 911.

New York MFCUs total funding for federal fiscal year (FY) 2024 is $68,997,928. Of that total, 75 percent, or $51,748,448, is awarded under a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $17,249,480 for FY 2024, is funded by New York state.
Crime

By Chris Boyle Published: November 23 2023

Jim Masiakos, 58, is charged with Sexual Abuse 1st degree and Endangering the Welfare of a Child.

The Special Victims Squad reports the arrest of a Glen Cove man on Wednesday, November 22, 2023 at 7:40 AM in Glen Cove for Sexual Abuse.

According to Detectives, on Tuesday, August 22, 2023 defendant Jim Masiakos, 58, was working from his home as a modeling photographer for children. He was in the process of taking measurements for a 10-year-old female victim when he inappropriately touched her. The victim who resided in Montana notified her family of the incident upon returning home, the father then reported it to their local police department.

An investigation was then initiated by the Nassau County Special Victims Squad, which led police to the residence of defendant Jim Masiakos. He was placed under arrest without incident. No injuries reported at scene.

Defendant Jim Masiakos was arraigned on Wednesday, November 22, 2023 at First District Court, 99 Main Street, Hempstead. He was charged with Sexual Abuse 1st degree and Endangering the Welfare of a Child.
Manchester, VT (05254)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this morning will give way to cloudy skies and rain during the afternoon. High 48F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Rain showers this evening with overcast skies overnight. Low 36F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.
Cambridge police are investigating a shooting that killed one person and left another person injured and in the hospital on Thursday, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryans office announced.

At around 12:30 a.m., Cambridge police went to the area of 10 Magazine St. in Central Square, where they found two people near a black Tesla with gunshot wounds, Ryans office said in a statement.

Both victims were taken to a Boston hospital. One victim, a 27-year-old woman, died at the hospital, while the other victim, a 26-year-old man, was treated for not life-threatening injuries.

So far, no suspects have been identified and the investigation remains ongoing.

Read more: Victim of Springfield shooting dropped off at hospital

Cambridge police are asking that anyone with information related to the shooting can call the Cambridge Police Criminal Investigations Unit and can anonymously submit a tip through the tip line at 617-349-3370 (tel:617-349-3370) or online at cambridgepolice.org/TIPS.
An agreement for a four-day cease-fire in Gaza and the release of dozens of hostages held by militants and Palestinians imprisoned by Israel appeared to have hit a last-minute snag. A senior Israeli official said it would not take effect until Friday, a day later than originally announced.

The diplomatic breakthrough promised some relief for the 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza who have endured weeks of Israeli bombardment, as well as families in Israel fearful for the fate of their loved ones taken captive during Hamas Oct. 7 attack that triggered the war.

Israels national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, announced the delay late Wednesday, without providing a reason. Negotiators were still working to create the appropriate conditions for the cease-fire and swap, according to Majed al-Ansari, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry of Qatar, which played a key role in mediating with Hamas.

The Persian Gulf nation said early Thursday that a new time for the agreement to go into force would be announced in the coming hours. It was originally set to begin Thursday morning. The U.S. and Egypt also helped negotiate the deal.

Rising toll in Gaza

The Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza, meanwhile, resumed its detailed count of Palestinian casualties from the war, saying over 13,300 have been killed.

The figures do not include updated numbers from hospitals in the north, where services and communication largely broke down earlier this month, and the ministry says some 6,000 people have been reported missing and are feared to be buried under rubble.

The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and militants in its death tolls. Israel says it has killed thousands of Hamas fighters, though it has presented no evidence for its count.

The ministry stopped publishing casualty counts as of Nov. 11, saying it had lost the ability to do so because of the collapse of the health sector in the north.

Netanyahu says truce wont end war

The truce agreement had raised hopes of eventually winding down the war, which has leveled vast swaths of Gaza, fueled a surge of violence in the occupied West Bank, and stirred fears of a wider conflagration across the Middle East.

Air raid sirens sounded across northern Israel on Thursday as Hezbollah said it had fired 48 Katyusha rockets from southern Lebanon. The barrage came after an Israeli strike killed five Hezbollah fighters, including the son of the head of the groups parliamentary bloc.

The Israeli military said it was striking the sources of the launches. Israel and Hezbollah, which fought a monthlong war in 2006, have repeatedly traded fire across the border since the war in Gaza broke out.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue the war against Hamas after the truce expires, with the goal of destroying the groups military capabilities, ending its 16-year rule in Gaza and returning all of the estimated 240 captives held in Gaza by Hamas and other groups.

We will continue it until we achieve all our goals, Netanyahu said, adding that he had delivered the same message in a phone call to U.S. President Joe Biden. Washington has provided extensive military and diplomatic support to Israel since the start of the war.

Israeli troops hold much of northern Gaza and say they have dismantled tunnels and much of Hamas infrastructure there. Israeli forces on Wednesday revealed what they said was a major Hamas hideout in a tunnel beneath Shifa Hospital.

The territorys largest medical center has been at the heart of a fierce battle of narratives over both sides allegedly reckless endangerment of civilians. Hamas and hospital staff deny Israeli allegations that Shifa was used as a militant command center.

The military said Thursday that it had detained Mohammed Abu Selmia, the director of Shifa, for questioning over his involvement in what it said were extensive Hamas activities in the hospital. Gazas Health Ministry called on international bodies to intervene and said it would no longer cooperate with the World Health Organization in evacuating hospitals.

Earlier on Thursday, Israel had ordered the full evacuation of the Indonesian Hospital in the north, Dr. Munir al-Boursh, a Health Ministry official inside the facility, told Al-Jazeera.

Read more: UN Security Council approves resolution for urgent humanitarian pauses in Gaza

Fighting has raged outside the hospital for days, and hundreds of people have already been evacuated to the south. It was unclear if the arrest of Abu Selmia would affect those efforts.

Israel has threatened to launch wider operations in southern Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of people who fled the north have crammed into overflowing U.N.-run shelters with dwindling food, water and basic supplies.

For Hamas, the cease-fire would provide an opportunity to regroup after weeks of apparently heavy losses. Hamas leader Yehya Sinwar, who is believed to be alive and in hiding in Gaza, is likely to claim the release of Palestinian prisoners as a major achievement and declare victory if the war ends.

Hostages to be freed in stages

Under the truce deal, 50 hostages are supposed to be freed in stages, in exchange for the release of what Hamas said would be 150 Palestinian prisoners. Women and children would be released first, and Israel said the truce would be extended an extra day for every additional 10 hostages freed.

The return of hostages could lift spirits in Israel, where their plight has gripped the country. Families of the hostages have staged mass demonstrations to pressure the government to bring them home.

Qatar said the cease-fire would allow a larger number of humanitarian convoys and relief aid to enter Gaza, including fuel, but it gave no details on quantities. Israel cut off all fuel imports at the start of the war, causing a territory-wide blackout and leaving homes and hospitals reliant on generators, which have also steadily been forced to shut down.

Read more: Palestinian flag flies outside Worcester City Hall as war in Gaza rages on

Israels Justice Ministry published a list of 300 prisoners eligible to be released, mainly teenagers detained over the past year for rock-throwing and other minor offenses.

The war erupted when several thousand Hamas militants stormed into southern Israel, killing at least 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking scores of hostages, including babies, women and older adults, as well as soldiers, for whom Hamas is expected to demand a large number of high-profile prisoners.

More than 1.7 million people, three-fourths of Gazas population, have been displaced in the war. Many, if not most, will be unable to return home because of the vast damage and the presence of Israeli troops in the north.

Read more: Debate over Palestinian flag in North Andover leads to town policy change

Israel has barred imports to Gaza since the start of the war, except for a trickle of aid. Humanitarian aid groups operating in Gaza said the truce will prove too short and the Rafah crossings capacity insufficient to meet urgent needs.
SPRINGFIELD  To James Sullivan, the 35th president was a president for the people.

He knew and realized how great America was and is still great today, Sullivan said of President John F. Kennedy, as he and others gathered at Springfields annual JFK remembrance ceremony.

In 1960, Sullivan had campaigned for Kennedy in western Massachusetts. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963.

The ceremony was held at the Eternal Flame in Forest Park, one of two in the nation dedicated to Kennedys legacy.

During the event, U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal and Mayor Domenic J. Sarno offered remarks, along with Anthony Cignoli, president of A. L. Cignoli Co., who emceed the event.

Hampden County Sheriff's Department Mounted Patrol horse "Billy," with Sgt. Tori Sullivan aboard, stands watch during the 60-year remembrance ceremony of John F. Kennedy's death held at the Eternal Flame in Forest Park. (Don Treeger / The Republican) 11/22/2023The Republican

Neal recalled Kennedys speech to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association, where he advocated for religious liberty and was met with a standing ovation. He encouraged the audience to recall not only the presidents accomplishments, but the eloquence and elegance of Jack Kennedy.

In a world full of pessimism, nastiness and hate, President Kennedy brought optimism, Sarno said. He said Kennedy brought civility and grace to the presidency.

Sarno said the U.S. is a beacon of democracy, strength, hope and opportunity.

Thats what President Kennedy put forward each and every day, Sarno said. His tenure was cut short, but his legacy lives on through many of you in the crowd.
After 44 years working with the Auburn Fire Department, Jim Sweeney still looks forward to a future where he can keep giving back to the community.

Speaking with MassLive Thursday during his last 24-hour shift before retiring, Sweeney said his career started Feb. 16, 1979, when he moved to Massachusetts from Maine as a high schooler and worked with the Civilian Defense Corps with the Boy Scouts of America, now called BSA Scouts, to knock out fires as an auxiliary firefighter.

If you went out to any brush fires, that was a good thing, he said. That was how I was able to be a volunteer firefighter and called out. I started with a metal helmet, rubber coat and three-quarter boots. If your ears got hot, you know you were too far into the building.

He became an ambulance driver in Auburn, where rather than going out every Friday night, I worked the ambulance. It was the adrenaline doing the accidents, people lost in the woods, helping people more and more. Became a bigger group. Now you learn how to repel, how to dive. You learned a little about a lot.

By 1982, he was appointed as a call firefighter for the Auburn Fire Department and served in several other roles over the next 20 years, including as a member of the dive team from 1985 to 2012, where he worked as a rescue diver and a ground crew member, according to Auburns town website.

He also worked as an EMS driver for the Auburn Police Departments DARE Camp between 1992 to 2003. It gave him the chance to interact with children and make a connection with them.

During his time with the Auburn Fire Department, firefighter Jim Sweeney worked with the department's dive team between 1985 and 2012. Courtesy of the Auburn Fire Department.Courtesy of the Auburn Fire Department.

Sweeney recognized that throughout his career, he saw that fire chiefs go through more guys than guys go through chiefs.

Im one of the last people of the originals of the fire department, he said.

Reflecting on how things have changed during his career, he remarked how he went from operating standard fire trucks and how if one couldnt drive them, you couldnt be on the fire department. Now everythings electronic. The Jetsons predicted where we would be.

Chiefs were progressive when it came to integrating advancements in technology with the department, he said. When the EMS motor unit started, requiring bikers to hit the roads, Sweeney was there when appointed in 2018.

One of the fires that Sweeney remembered most was in 2019 when a three-alarm fire destroyed an American Legion Post in Auburn. He said he was eating dinner with his wife when he was called out to battle the fire.

I entered the building, he said, remembering seeing the secretaries still inside and telling them, The alarms are off, get out.

The fire at the Chester P. Tuttle Post on Bancroft Street resulted in the evacuation of more than 200 people after a kitchen fire started on the first floor of the building, Channel 7 News reported at the time. After firefighters left, the roof of the building collapsed with no one hurt.

While he said hes seen quite a bit in town, theres been a lot of good, though.

One of the traditions he took part in was giving out meals with Auburn Youth and Family Services at around Christmas, taking part in the Santa Claus tour in town every Saturday before Christmas.

As the years went on, he took part in leading training shifts with new firefighters. Up until the day of his retirement, trainings would vary from conducting self-rescue operations to how to fend off electrical car fires.

We like to be knowledgeable about everything happening, Sweeney said. Were proactive instead of reactive.

Sweeney retires after a full 24-hour shift on Thursday, Nov. 23. On Friday, the department will hold a walkout ceremony celebrating his career and devotion to Auburn, a celebration he said will feel bittersweet.

Ill see a lot of people, including people (I know) from Boston, he said. Itll be bittersweet. Its sad but its a happy moment.

With his retirement coming, he said his family will be happy with his signing off while he looks toward his future.

Well figure out the future, he said. (My wife and I ) will go away for two months (to travel). Im going to miss (work) dearly.

Sweeney said they plan to see relatives, camp over the summer, but he thinks he might pick up work with a private ambulance company.

Im not ready to call it quits yet, I want to drive, he said. Ive always helped when someone gets sick. I want to make sure the public is getting something from us.

For Sweeney, theres no I in team, he said.

I wish there was an us, he said. This is not a one-person job.
The first indigenous people encountered by Christopher Columbus in 1492 are not always widely recognized.

Patricia Chalinaru Dones, a Newton resident, works to preserve the culture of Puerto Ricos native population called the Taino. Many people are unaware that common English words come from the islands indigenous people, she said.

Anyone who has floated downriver on a canoe, laid on a hammock or enjoyed a flavorful barbecue can thank Taino culture for inventing those words, according to Dones. The Smithsonian Magazine and Britannica also provide the words as examples of words with Taino roots.

Other words include hurricane, tobacco and Cuba, according to the Smithsonian Magazine.

Read more: What to know about National Native American Heritage Month

Dones, who took part in this years 33rd annual Springfield Puerto Rican Parade, is a liaison officer for the United Confederation of Taino People, an indigenous representative organization established in 1998.

Most boricua Puerto Rican people have Taino DNA and most people dont know it, Dones said.

As part of her work with the confederation of Taino people, she raises awareness and furthers the organizations mission of cultural education.

We had our own language prior to colonization, Dones said. During genocide and the slave trade, we were forced not to speak our language and colonizers made us speak Spanish. But, by the same token, a lot of people speak Taino every single day. Words we use that people think are Spanish.

Puerto Ricans and Spanish people speak these words and have no idea they are speaking Arawak, she said.

The Taino are a subgroup of the Arawak natives that spanned from northeast South America and inhabited the Greater Antilles (Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola and Puerto Rico). Some scholars estimate the Taino population may have reached more than three million on Hispaniola alone at the end of the 1400s, and Columbus made note of the indigenous peoples generosity, according to Smithsonian Magazine.

They will give all that they do possess for anything that is given to them, exchanging things even for bits of broken crockery, Columbus wrote upon meeting them in the Bahamas in 1492, according to the magazine. They were very well built, with very handsome bodies and very good faces... They do not carry arms or know them... They should be good servants.

Dones said a large focus of the United Confederation of Taino People is changing the narrative that Columbus discovered America.

He got lost at sea and came to the shores of the Caribbean in the Western hemisphere, Dones said. We found him. My ancestors are the ones he communicated with... People that taught him and fed him and kept him alive pretty much. And then the atrocities happened and slaughtered our people.

Most history books dont explain who those natives were that he encountered, she added.

The theme of this years Puerto Rican parade in Springfield was nuestras raices, or our roots, and Dones was invited to participate on a float dedicated to the islands Native people.

People wore indigenous shirts with petroglyphs and deities depicted on them while on a float decorated to look like a Puerto Rican rainforest.

Dones said the parade gave her an opportunity to speak with Puerto Ricans about Taino culture.
In recognition of Native American Heritage Month in November, MassLive asked readers to identify people who are leaders from the Indigenous community throughout the state, working to make a difference in their own area of interest, be it politics, education, business or the arts.

MassLive will publish profiles of these leaders through November. These are people our readers have identified as inspirational, who may be doing good acts for their communities. They are being recognized for their accomplishments, leadership and commitment to inspire change.

Courtesy of Troy Phillips.Troy Phillips

Troy Phillips

Age: 62

Community: Seekonk

His story: When he was young, Troy Phillips was active in demonstrating for Native American rights. Coming from the Hassanamisco Nipmuc people, he would travel to protest in Plymouth during the National Day of Mourning on Thanksgiving  a yearly reminder of the genocide that Native Americans faced at the hands of white settlers.

His work started in 2000 when he entered politics as part of the the Massachusetts Commission on Indian Affairs. He took what was a long-vacant position serving Western Massachusetts, and at that time there was very little representation for Native Americans in that part of the state, he said to MassLive.

He became a commissioner and a chairperson on the commission, in a role where he serves tribal peoples as well as tribal organizations. Phillips currently serves as the sub-chief, tribal council member and member of the Medicine Society of the Nipmuc Tribe.

Phillips has given talks focused on his community a local matters, including one on land acknowledgments in August 2023, according to the Hassanamisco Nipmuc Bands website. This recent webinar was part of a series called Knowing Nipmuc: Building Relationships Between Nipmuc People and Organizations. The series promoted the bands history while also helping those within the tribe searching for work within their community, interact more confidently with the public or for their own edification.

Many organizations hoping to meet their diversity and inclusion metrics seek information from our tribe, often in an extractive process, according to the series description. The tribes current policy is to first develop a reciprocal relationship with organizations that seek our assistance. This webinar series will set clear standards and guidelines for organizations interested in interacting with our tribe.

In his words: In order to be in the work I do, you must have real dedication and passion to serve the people because it comes with so much resistance. But in the end, it brings success, love and accomplishment.

Were always open to hear about more inspiring people. If youd like to suggest someone else who should be recognized, please fill out this form.
A woman with an astounding amount of money living in Massachusetts was shopping at Louis Vuitton, Balenciaga and Jimmy Choo, according to court documents. But officials said she had no legitimate employment.

Instead, officials are claiming she was receiving money by operating multiple brothels in Massachusetts and Virginia.

Han Lee, and Junmyung Lee, 30, of Dedham, are accused of operating multiple brothels in Massachusetts and Virginia. In federal court Wednesday, a judge said they would be detained pending trial as officials pointed out their flight risks in an affidavit.

Theyve been charged with conspiracy to coerce and entice to travel to engage in illegal sexual activity, U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy said on Nov. 8 in a statement. James Lee, 68, of Torrance, California, also received the same charges.

The brothels operated from at least July 2020 from Cambridge and Watertown, and in Fairfax and Tysons, Va., which is just miles away from Washington D.C., Levy said.

Elected and military officials, security-cleared government officials, executives from high-tech and pharmaceutical companies, doctors, professors, attorneys, scientists and accountants, among others, made up the list of commercial buyers whom officials believe paid for sex with the women.

The customers found the women through two main online platforms: a site called bostontopten10.com, and another named browneyesgirlsva.blog.

False advertisements for nude Asian models for professional photography appointments at upscale studios in Boston or Virginia were posted by the defendants, Levy said, along with specific information on the womens physical qualities such as height, weight and breast size. The ads also showed nude or semi-nude pictures of the women.

There were frequent updates to the ads on which women were listed as available, which included words such as coming soon or open to show when new women would be arriving in the area, Levy said.

Buyers verified themselves with their full names, email address, phone number, employer and reference through the site to be eligible to book appointments, Levy added.

They were charged a premium price in cash  between $350 and $600 an hour, depending on the service, prosecutors said.

These verified buyers texted with the three arrested to schedule appointments, to look through a menu of women, peruse the sexual services available at the hourly rate, and to get directions to the high-end apartment brothel locations, Levy said.

The money received from the brothels was hidden through depositing hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash to personal bank accounts and peer-to-peer transfers, Levy said. The rent and utilities of those brothels was also paid for in money orders, which were purchased through the cash proceeds in amounts that would not raise alarms, Levy added.

But items inside Han Lees home made her lavish and extravagant spending habits apparent, court documents reveal.

Luxury bags and shoes from Yves St. Laurent, Givenchy, Louis Vuitton, Christian Louboutin and Jimmy Choo were found inside Han Lees apartment, court documents state. Officials said bank records also showed purchases made at other luxury stores, including Balenciaga.

A Louis Vuitton shoe box, which was used as a filing cabinet, had a sticker price of $1,360.

Investigators also found signed blank checks in the name of J.Y.P., $22,608 in cash, dozens of stored value cards, and used lottery tickets throughout her apartment.

Simply stated  I do not believe that [Han Lee] has legitimate employment but I do believe she has made an astounding amount of money running her prostitution business over the last several years, Zachary A. Mitlitsky, a special agent with United States Department of Homeland Security and Homeland Security Investigations, wrote.

Han Lee had two checking accounts at Bank of America. From December 2019 to October 2023, court documents state about $965,000 was deposited into the accounts.

These included about $800,550 in cash deposits, $136,500 in electronic transfers from various individuals, and about $15,000 in money orders, court documents state. Of the cash deposited into the two accounts, more than $300,000 was deposited within the last year.

From December 2020 to October 2023, Han Lee also made $186,665 in credit card purchases. About $10,500 was in airline costs and about $15,500 was in Uber and Lyft charges, according to the court documents.

Officials claimed that these purchases were related to the brothels.

She also had another bank account at Kookmin Bank in South Korea and has transferred a significant amount of money to someone named M.B. in court documents. Officials are also worried she has some level of control over three other bank accounts in other names.

... there is significant concern by investigators that [Han Lee] may have control over other accounts not yet identified, particularly given her large peer financial network, court documents state.

Officials believe Junmyung Lee used the money he got to buy a 2018 Chevrolet Corvette.

Officials said Junmyung Lee was a student and had no discernible income. He had $1,000 in his account. But on June 8, 2022, two days after Junmyung Lee submitted the rental application at the same location where one of the brothels was, he deposited $35,700 worth of cash into a personal checking account, court documents state.

Later that month, Junmyung Lee purchased a 2018 Chevrolet Corvette from an auto dealership in Quincy, Massachusetts for $69,490. He made a downpayment of $25,500, as well as an additional debit card payment of $315, officials said.

... I believe the $35,700 in cash that [Junmyung Lee] deposited into his checking account was a payment for opening the brothel lease in his own name, Mitlitsky wrote. I also believe that the down payment on his Corvette involved the use of proceeds of the prostitution business.

From December 2019 until September 2023, deposits into his bank account totaled about $378,365, including $193,822 in cash deposits and more than $100,000 in Zelle transfers, court documents state.

The deposits ramped up significantly in 2022 and 2023 as compared to previous years, officials said. They believe he took on additional responsibilities in the business at this time.

He also made purchases on his credit card, including about $4,500 in Turo Inc. charges, which investigators said he regularly rents vehicles used to transport commercial sex providers to and from the brothel locations.

Between the large amount of money and no ties to the community, officials believe both are a flight risk. In federal court Wednesday, Magistrate Judge David H. Hennessy determined that the two should continue to be detained while the case is pending and without the judge making a finding against them.

The district attorney stated anyone with questions, concerns or information regarding this case should contact USAMA.VictimAssistance@usdoj.gov.
As we amble along the craggy path of life, we meet a myriad of characters along the way. Most of the time we pass each other without notice and leave little or no impression, some of the time we collide momentarily and subsequently fade from memory, but in the rare bejewelled moments we meet someone who embeds themselves in the brain forever.

Henry Wills is one of those rare humans. The prince of photographers has engraved himself in Mayo life like few others. He is hugely talented with camera in hand and has recorded the social, sporting and political history of Mayo and Ireland for a lifetime.

Last Friday night he launched his wonderful book In All Kinds Of Weather in The Mount Falcon Estate in Ballina. It was a night of great fun, friendship and recollections, and it broke my heart to be otherwise engaged on the evening.

Henrys pictures have danced in our eyes for generations. He captured Willie Joe Padden flying high over Croke Park in an iconic shot from 1985. Four summers later he was on hand to click the shutter when John OMahony stood dejected in the middle of the same field following our All Ireland defeat to Cork as supporters held a banner with the words Keep The Faith emblazoned on it. The picture captured the essence of what it means to be of Mayo. Johnno was devastated  we all were  but the resilience of our people, the refusal to give up on our dream was captured in that one perfect picture.

Wisdom sometimes decrees that a picture paints a thousand words  Henrys freeze-frames paint libraries in our heads. One of Henrys pictures develops pathways in the mind where other images are projected into the imagination. How he does it is beyond me, but then again Henry exists on a plain far removed from my mundane existence.

As well as being a genius, Henry is also one of the nicest, funniest, most gracious men one could hope to meet. His courtesy and composure have got him to places the rest of us could never hope to tread. His friendship and lifelong connections brought him to Aras an Uachtarain to take wonderfully personal pictures when Mary Robinson became president of our nation.

The Ballina woman knew the quality of the man who arrived in her midst that night, and he took the most beautiful of pictures which captured the essence of Mrs Robinson and her family.

Henry is much-loved everywhere, but at the zenith of local media in the 1970s and 80s, he developed a special place in Erris hearts. He would arrive in Belmullet to meet Eamon Shevlin, the famed Erris correspondent for The Western People. The two of them would head off across the barony, capturing words and pictures from the most colourful of characters.

We loved Henry. He had a way with him that appealed to the Erris psyche. He was full of fun, mad banter and sincerity. All of those traits were/are important if one wants to get inside the defences of those of us with Erris passports, and Henry had them in abundance.

He photographed people, places and a few animals too. On one famous occasion he photographed a donkey who had reached the ripe old age of 38 and Shevlin wrote up the story. The picture and words appeared in the following weeks paper, but sadly by then the poor old donkey had departed this world.

He lived happily for almost 40 years, but within days of meeting myself and Shevlin he was gone. We must have made some impression on him, Henry explained.

Im blessed to have spent some great times alongside Henry in this industry. We spent a great day on Doolough Strand with a colourful band of creatives from Macnas, the Galway-based performance company. He caught some iconic moments, but the laughter and the craic made it even more memorable.

However, the greatest memories I have of Henry revolve around the testing days we spent in Erris following the landslide in the Rossport/Glengad area in 2003. Our mutual friend Councillor Gerry Coyle alerted both of us on that pivotal night and we spent much of the following week in the area.

I tried to put words on the situation, but they were nothing without Henrys pictures which brought the sad situation to the world in living colour.

Thats what sets Herny Wills apart. There are other great photographers in our midst. Men and women who light up our lives with their talent, but few, if any will ever reach into my heart the way Henry has.

The prince of photographers. One of the finest.
by Kirstyn Nimmo , Op-Ed Contributor, November 22, 2023

Honoring Native communities begins with your words and your actions.

November is Native American Heritage Month, a time to recognize the rich ancestry and traditions of Native Americans. It is also the ideal time to audit your communications for bias against Native communities.

Discrimination can live in our words and actions, and as marketers, we are obligated to stop it.

Almost 9 million people in the United States identify as Native American or Alaska Native. This is just under 3% of the population and as a result, Native communities are often ignored as a demographic target.

However, population size is not an indicator of importance or impact, and marketers have the responsibility to learn how to acknowledge and correctly refer to Native communities.

A best practice is to be as specific as possible. You can start by understanding these terms:



advertisement advertisement Indigenous : defined as the earliest known inhabitants of a place, this term refers to indigenous people on any continent.

Native : This term is often used to describe indigenous peoples from the United States (Native Americans, Native Hawaiians, Alaska Natives).

Native American: refers exclusively to indigenous people in the United States.When possible, be as specific as you can and mention the tribe an individual belongs to, such as Cherokee, Lakota or Sioux.

American Indian: typicallyused for legal purposes and in the U.S. Census.

Indian: a term given to Indigenous communities by colonizers who mistakenly believed they had landed in India.

Members of Native communities may prefer any or all of these names, and it is key that marketers follow their example.

The opinions and voices of Native people have been erased rather than protected for far too long  and the vernacular of their culture should not be co-opted for conversational (mis)use.

Youre Not Having a Powwow

Words with origins in Native vernacular are often misused by people and marketers alike. Casual use of these terms makes light of Native culture and fails to show respect for Native traditions and history.



Powwow : Powwows are gatherings among Native communities that may be private or public and can include socialization and dancing. However, this term is often used by non-Native people to describe all kinds of gatherings, including meetings in corporate environments.

Spirit animal : Animals play an important symbolic role in the cultural lives of Indigenous people, and this term tends to refer to a spirit that acts as a guide or protector. However, non-Native people casually appropriate the term to describe someone or something that they relate to.

Off the reservation:This phrase describes a person who has gone rogue, but it originates in a time when Native Americans were restricted to reservations and their movements were monitored by the federal government.

Media Is Rife With Stereotypes

Representation of people from Native communities in American media has often fallen short. For decades, movies cast white actors in roles depicting Native people, solely featured historical storylines and perpetuated the white savior complex  narratives where a white person plays a pivotal role in saving a disempowered Native counterpart.

Advertising has not done much better:



Iron Eyes Cody: Launched by Keep America Beautiful on Earth Day 1971, this infamous ad featured an ostensibly Native actor named Iron Eyes Cody shedding a tear after witnessing pollution and is credited with ushering in a new Green Age. The actor was actually Espera Oscar DeCorti, an Italian-American, who donned a wig and darkened his complexion with makeup.

Dior: Diors highly criticized 2019 perfume ad is littered with Native American tropes for a product named Sauvage, which translates to wild or savage in English.

Diesel: A 2010 ad that was part of a Cannes Grand Prix-winning campaign resurfaced in 2022 and drove a negative public reaction, proving low cultural competence and tolerance of appropriation across creative industries.

We have recently seen prominent brands pressured to address discrimination against Native communities, with the recently renamed Washington Commanders being a prime example.

Public criticism of the teams previous racist name is familiar to most, but the brands renaming effort by agency Code was the result of hundreds of interviews, with a special focus on the contributions of leaders and members of Native communities.

This example highlights the power of elevating Native voices  a best practice that should be adopted by any brand aiming to drive Native representation, and should always be supported by fair compensation.

Finally, brands should seek to understand how they can best serve needs and help address challenges faced by Native communities. The following influencers and organizations speak authentically about a range of intersectional issues and are great resources for firsthand understanding of Native points of view:



Allie Redhorse Young: Citizen of the Navajo Nation who encourages Native communities to exercise their vote and speak out on issues, including land and water rights, education, healthcare and missing Indigenous women.

Sharice Davids: Member of the Ho-Chunk Nation and one of the first two Native American women elected to Congress. Her platform focuses on access to healthcare, renewable energy and education equity.

Charlie Amaya Scott: A Navajo Nation citizen and transgender influencer, scholar and advocate who highlights issues affecting the queer Indigenous community, including anti-queerness rooted in the violence of settler colonialism and heteropatriarchy.

Marketers Actions Have a Broad Impact

As marketers aim to be more inclusive of Indigenous communities, they should remember the following best practices:

Follow the leader. The language we use to describe Native communities should align with how they describe themselves. Pay attention to how a member of a Native community spells and pronounces their name, and if they mention a tribe as their identifier, be sure to include that in their descriptor.

Expand representation. When including members of Native communities in content, do not limit representation to historical narratives or stories of oppression. Native communities still exist and deserve to be represented accurately within modern context.

Elevate Native voices. Marketers can better serve their brands if they are constantly learning, and Native people are the best source. Whenever possible, brands should pass the mic to Native people to tell their own stories, in their voices and from their perspectives.

Native and indigenous people have endured generations of inequality and deserve to be honored and respected by people and brands alike. Inclusion is a moral responsibility that allows us to over-serve Native communities, and it also presents a tremendous opportunity for brand growth. According to McKinsey, inclusive brands are 35% more likely to outperform their competitors and can model a more equitable world while increasing their resiliency and thoughtfully reaching more consumers.

What brand doesnt want that?
by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, November 22, 2023

Amazon is urging a federal appeals court to reject users' request to revive claims that the company wrongly targeted ads to them based on their voice interactions with Alexa-enabled devices.

In papers filed Tuesday, Amazon argues that its privacy policies widely and clearly disclosed that its use of data derived from Alexa for ad purposes.

If appellants were unaware of those practices, it is because they chose not to read Amazons terms, the company wrote. The law does not excuse willful ignorance.

The company's new papers come in a battle dating to last year, when Ohio resident James Gray and Massachusetts resident Scott Horton alleged in a class-action complaint that Amazon violated Alexa users' privacy, and engaged in misleading and unfair conduct. They sued soon after researchers from the University of Washington, University of California-Davis, University of California-Irvine, and Northeastern University posted the paper Your Echoes are Heard: Tracking, Profiling, and Ad Targeting in the Amazon Smart Speaker Ecosystem, which concluded that Amazon processes voice data to infer user interests.

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That report doesn't allege that Amazon secretly listened to conversations, or directly shared voice recordings with third parties.

After the paper surfaced, Amazon said it is not in the business of selling data, and doesn't share Alexa requests with ad networks. At the same time, the company acknowledged it targeted ads to consumers based on their transactions with Alexa.

Similar to what you'd experience if you made a purchase on Amazon.com or requested a song through Amazon Music, if you ask Alexa to order paper towels or to play a song on Amazon Music, the record of that purchase or song play may inform relevant ads shown on Amazon or other sites where Amazon places ads, the company stated in response to the researchers' paper.

Gray and Horton contended in court papers that Amazon's harnessing of voice-transactions for ad targeting contradicts the company's numerous statements to media outlets -- including NBC and The New York Times -- that Alexa doesn't use voice recordings for targeted advertising.

U.S. District Court Judge Barbara Rothstein in the Western District of Washington dismissed the lawsuit in May, writing that the use of voice data for ad purposes was contemplated in the applicable policies.

Gray and Horton recently appealed to the 9th Circuit, arguing that Amazon's Alexa-specific policies don't say anything about targeted advertising.

Every provision in the User Agreement that describes how Amazon uses voice recordings, both in the Alexa-Specific Terms and in the Amazon Generic Terms, provides the same exhaustive list that neither includes anything remotely resembling advertising nor suggests that the list is incomplete, their lawyers write.

A Utah State University marketing professor sided with the consumers, arguing in a proposed friend-of-the-court brief that Amazon obfuscated the purposes for which it was using consumer data.

Amazon counters in its new court papers that Alexa's privacy policy tells users that Amazon processes and retains your Alexa Interactions, such as your voice inputs, music playlists, and your Alexa to-do and shopping lists, in the cloud to provide, personalize, and improve our services.

The company adds: Thus, the user is immediately on notice that Amazon will use Alexa Interactions to 'personalize' the users experience.

Amazon also says other documents -- including an Amazon.com privacy notice, Amazon.com conditions of use, and answers to frequently asked questions -- include disclosures about the use of personal information for advertising.

In sum, all of these interrelated terms and disclosures make clear that customers interactions with the Alexa service might be used to serve interest-based or personalized advertisements, unless the user chooses to opt out, Amazon writes.

The 9th Circuit hasn't yet set a date for a hearing in the case.
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"Any food sitting between 40 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit is in the danger zone. In the danger zone, bacteria multiply quickly  doubling every 15 to 20 minutes. And these bacteria can make you very, very sick."Leftovers should not be left to sit out longer than two hours. Divide your food into several small airtight containers before refrigerating. This allows the food to cool to a safe temperature in the fridge and makes them handier to reheat and enjoy."Leftovers kept in the refrigerator are safe to eat within three to five days. If you want Thanksgiving to last even longer, leftovers keep between two to six months in the freezer."  Gina Wood, Extension specialist and Family Nutrition Program coordinator, WVU Extension Family Nutrition ProgramSource: Newswise
When it comes to space exploration, very few people have the privilege of etching their names as pioneers, reshaping the trajectory of technological advancement. Pawan Kumar Chandana, an alumnus of IIT-Kharagpur and former scientist at ISRO is one of them.

His journey, a compelling narrative of dedication and vision, unfolds as a story of cosmic proportions. It stands as a testament to this spirit of innovation and ambition.

Armed with a Bachelors degree in mechanical engineering and a Masters degree in thermal science and engineering, Pawan Kumar Chandana devoted six impactful years to ISRO, contributing significantly to India's space odyssey.

 Instagram/Skyroot Aerospace

His prowess came to the forefront at the Rocket Design Centre (VSSC), where he played an integral role in crafting the GSLV Mk-III, India's largest indigenous rocket. Amidst this monumental endeavour, Pawans stellar performance earned him two innovation awards.



Driven by an insatiable thirst for exploration, Pawan embarked on a journey that would redefine the contours of India's space capabilities. Collaborating with fellow IITian and ex-ISRO colleague Naga Bharat Daka, he co-founded Skyroot Aerospace, marking the genesis of Indias premier private space company.

 Instagram/Skyroot Aerospace

The saga of Skyroot Aerospace unfolded with the creation of Vikram-S, India's maiden private rocketan accomplishment that reverberated through the corridors of aerospace innovation. Fueled by strategic collaboration with ISRO for essential services, the Vikram-S rocket, designed entirely in-house, soared into the skies from Sriharikota on November 18, 2022, carrying three small satellites.



Pawans entrepreneurial acumen bore fruit as Skyroot Aerospace secured cumulative funding of $95 million, including a recent pre-Series C funding of Rs 225 crore ($27 million) from Temasek. The company's valuation skyrocketed to approximately Rs 1,304 crore (around $165 million) during the Series B round in 2022, underscoring its pivotal role in India's burgeoning private space sector.

As the sector is poised to reach an estimated market value of $100 billion by 2040, Pawan Kumar Chandana's Skyroot Aerospace emerges as a driving force, propelling India into the forefront of global space exploration.

Who knows, it might even turn out to be Indias version of SpaceX, giving stiff competition to the space company led by Elon Musk thats worth a whopping $150 billion.
How do you make money?

The common answer would be from a salary or through a business. Yes, you may be a salaried employee or a businessman/businesswoman, but the amount you earn from your profession is rightly called earnings and not profit.

Making money is the process of saving what you earn and investing the savings to multiply the invested amount over time. The extra amount, over and above your invested amount, is the profit, which allows you to make money.

Most people know that investing the saved amount in the stock market is an ideal way to make short-term or long-term profits and achieve various investment objectives. However, with numerous investment instruments, the choice can be daunting.

Investing in IPOs is one of the best ways for people to make quick profits. There have been instances where IPOs provided investors with over 100% gains just hours after listing. Imagine if you could double your amount in just hours, sell it, and use the amount for personal purposes.

Seems interesting right? With numerous IPOs lining up for listing, we have curated this blog for you to understand IPOs in detail and help you make quick profits.

What Is An IPO?

 Freepik

IPO, or Initial Public Offering, is a process through which a privately held company or subsidiary becomes a public limited company by offering its shares to the general public for the first time. One of the main reasons for companies to hold an IPO is to raise money from the general public and use the money for various company purposes, such as debt repayment or expansion.

Companies looking to list their shares through an IPO hire investment banks to act as book-running managers. Book running managers help determine the initial offering price and the number of shares to be issued, and they also help sell the shares to institutional and retail investors. While the IPO is live, retail investors (individuals) can apply and hope for share allotment.

Terminology Related To Initial Public Offering (IPO)

Similar to other investment processes, IPOs also include some financial terminology that may seem new or technical. However, it is vital that you understand what each term means to better understand and analyse IPOs and ensure you make an informed investment decision.

Here are the most common terminology used while referring to IPOs in India:

IPO dates are the dates on which certain events happen for the applicants who want to or have applied to the IPO. IPO close and open date is the time period during which the investors can apply, while the basis of the allotment date is when the company finalises the applicants who receive the IPO share allotment.

Initiation of refund is the date on which the company initiates refunds for applicants with non-allotment, while the credit of shares to demat is the date when the shares are credited to the allotted demat accounts. Finally, the listing day is when the shares are listed on the stock exchanges.

Price Band:

The price band is the range of price per share that the company sets a few days before the open date of the IPO. Instead of a fixed price, the companies offer their shares through IPOs with a floor price (minimum price) and a cap price (maximum price), creating a price band. For example, the IPO of Tata Technologies had a price band of Rs 475-500.

Issue Size:

The issue size is the total value and number of shares the company plans to offer to the public during its initial offering. The issue size is the total sum of money the company plans to raise by selling its shares. For example, the issue size for Tata Technology IPO was Rs 3,042.51 crores. It means that if the IPO was fully subscribed, the company (or selling shareholders) would receive Rs 3,042.51 crores.

Lot Size:

Lot Size is one of the most important terms in IPO terminology, and when investing in IPOs, you invest in lots. A lot refers to a specific number of shares set by the company for sale as a single unit. Investors applying to an IPO typically need to purchase shares in specific multiples known as "lots."

The company going public determines the lot size, which is specified in the IPO prospectus. For example, the lot size of the Tata Technologies IPO was 30 shares, meaning that if you apply for one lot, you are applying for a minimum of 30 shares.

Minimum and Maximum Investment:

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has set a guideline that the minimum investment per lot should be Rs 10,000, and the maximum investment per lot should not exceed Rs 15,000. Hence, almost all single lots cost between Rs 10,000-15,000 as the company includes the number of shares in one lot so as to not exceed Rs 15,000 as per the price band.

As retail investors can bid for multiple lots, SEBI has also created guidelines to detail the maximum amount investors can invest through bids. For retail investors, the maximum amount is Rs 2,00,000 through respective lots.

Prospectus:

SEBI requires every company coming out with an IPO to file two prospectuses called Draft Red Herring Prospectus and Red Herring Prospectus. The DRHP provides information about the company's business, financials, management, and all the details about the proposed IPO. It is the initial disclosure document filed with SEBI and made available to the public and potential investors for their scrutiny.

Once SEBI analyses the DRHP, it suggests numerous changes and modifications before finalising the DRHP. Once SEBI approves the DRHP with or without modifications, the company prepares the RHP, the final version of the prospectus. The RHP contains all the details presented in the DRHP but with any necessary updates or changes based on SEBI's feedback. It is the document that contains all the relevant and final information about the company and the upcoming IPO.

Conclusion

Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) are a great way for investors to enter the stock market by buying shares at the lowest initial price. Good IPOs see significant investor demand, which increases the chances of the shares listing at a higher price than the price band, providing substantial profits, called listing gains, on the day of listing.

However, there are equal chances that an IPO can open at a discount than a premium and force investors to make losses. Hence, it is important that you understand all the terminology related to IPOs, which will help you better analyse the IPO issue and ensure you invest in making listing, short-term or long-term gains.

As there are numerous upcoming IPOs, it is time that you learn about the above terms and choose the best IPOs to invest in and ensure you make good profits.

Disclaimer:

The above information is to promote financial literacy and should not be taken as investment advice.




BEIRUT (AP)  The militant Hezbollah group fired more than 50 rockets at military posts in northern Israel on Thursday, a day after an Israeli airstrike on a home in southern Lebanon killed five of the groups senior fighters.

The waves of rockets sent over the border represented one of the most intense bombardments since Hezbollah started attacking Israeli posts in the country's north at the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war.

Hezbollah has said that by heating up its actions on the Israel-Lebanon border, it is easing pressure on the Gaza Strip, where Israel's crushing aerial, ground and naval offensive has left more than 13,300 Palestinians dead and caused wide destruction in the sealed-off enclave.

The war was triggered by an Oct. 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel that left about 1,200 people dead, most of them civilians, and resulted in about 240 hostages getting taken to Gaza.

An agreement for a four-day cease-fire in Gaza and the release of dozens of hostages held by the militants and Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, was set to take place Thursday but appeared to have hit a last-minute snag.

Hezbollah said in a series of statements released Thursday that the volleys it fired toward Israeli posts included 48 Katyusha rockets that were directed at an Israeli army base in Beit Zeitem, about 10 kilometers (6 miles) south of the border.

The group said its fighters also struck tanks and locations where Israeli troops were taking positions.

The intense fire followed an Israeli airstrike on a house in Beit Yahoun, a village in southern Lebanon, that killed the five senior fighters, including Abbas Raad, the son of the head of Hezbollahs 13-member parliamentary bloc in Lebanon, Mohammed Raad.

The deaths bring the number of Hezbollah fighters who have been killed in seven weeks of fighting to at least 83.

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah met in Beirut in Thursday with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian. They discussed the ongoing war in Gaza and efforts to stop the Israeli aggression, as well as the situation at the tense Lebanon-Israel border, according to a statement released by Hezbollah.

Amirabdollahian warned in comments to journalists upon his arrival in Lebanon Wednesday that the ongoing Israel-Hamas war could spiral out of control if a truce does not last.

Iran-backed factions in Iraq, including the militant group Kataib Hezbollah, have carried out more than 60 and rocket or suicide drone attacks at bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria. Kataib Hezbollah is allied with Lebanon's Hezbollah but the groups have different leaders.

The U.S. military said Thursday that one of its warships in the Red Sea shot down bomb-carrying drones launched from territory controlled by Yemens Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

The American militarys Central Command said the USS Thomas Hudner, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, shot down the drones early Thursday morning. The ship and crew sustained no damage or injury, Central Command said.
DETROIT, MI  Two men were arraigned Wednesday, Nov. 22, following a human trafficking investigation that started earlier this week when state police were searching for a stolen vehicle in Royal Oak, officials said.

In the 36th District Court, Rodney Darrell Wheeler was arraigned and received a $1 million bond while Bobby Donnell Clark was arraigned and received a $200,000 bond, state police reported on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Wheeler, a 58-year-old Detroit man, was charged with two counts of prostitution and accepting earnings, one count of delivery of narcotics less than 50 grams, one count of human trafficking enterprise, two counts of human trafficking forced labor, one count of keeping a house of prostitution as well as one count of controlled substance on a second offense.

Clark, meanwhile, was charged with one count of controlled substance delivery and one count of human trafficking forced labor.

The court proceedings unfolded one week after state police engaged in a stolen vehicle probe that evolved into a multi-house sting

During the (stolen vehicle) investigation, troopers noticed something wasnt quite right, state police reported on X earlier this week. During the interviews, troopers discovered evidence of a possible human trafficking operation.

After a multi-day surveillance operation, the state polices Investigation Traffic Abduction Group identified three Detroit homes where potential human trafficking victims were observed, officials said.

On Monday, Nov. 20, law enforcers executed search warrants at each house, where they detained 18 people, including potential victims, officials said.

This is just one of the many examples of troopers looking beyond the original call, First Lt. Mike Shaw, of the state police, said in a statement. They were able to dig and, with the help of (Investigation Traffick Abduction Group), help get these victims out of a horrible environment and get them the help they need.
ANN ARBOR, MI  For $250, customers can buy whats boasted as the Rolls-Royce of turkeys from a popular Ann Arbor business.

Zingermans, perhaps best known for its deli, sells heritage turkeys each fall via its online shop, a separate arm of the business. These 19th-century turkeys are nothing like todays turkeys you can buy at the store, company officials claim.

(With our turkey, it goes) from being one of the things on the plate to being the star of the plate and the star of the meal, Brad Hedeman, Zingermans Mail Order marketing and product selection manager, said.

Zingermans Mail Order is an online shop selling the companys food, like hearth-baked breads, handmade cheese and even Thanksgiving turkeys.

But the heritage turkeys sold by Zingermans arent regular birds. They come from farmer Judd Culver, who runs Heritage Glen Farms in Virginia, and the higher price reflects efforts to raise the birds in a pasture, roaming free range.

Its not going to be like anything you ever had, Culver said. The taste is the way turkeys are supposed to taste.

While a standard turkey might cost about $20, depending on size, heritage turkeys start at $250 for 11-to-13-pound birds and $325 for 15-to-17-pound turkeys.

The flavors of the foods that we sell are quite economical, (since) theres so much pleasure in one small bite that it blows away 10 bites of another thing, (making) you forget what that Butterball turkey tasted like, Hedeman said.

Culvers turkeys go through a natural breeding process and grow longer than the average commercial turkey.

From the get-go, everything we do is anywhere from 4 to 5 times more expensive than commercial birds, he said.

Heritage turkeys are making a comeback thanks to farmers, Zingermans officials said. They dont have antibiotics or hormones, unlike standard turkeys, which are bred to make as much white breast meat as possible.

Todays commercial turkey is raised on a daily cocktail of antibiotics, without which it would succumb to illnesses common in high-density feedlots, according to Zingermans website, advertising its heritage turkeys. Its also terribly bland. Commercial turkeys taste like salt and water, with very little turkey flavor to mention.

Heritage turkeys get their flavor from how Culver processes the birds by hand. The birds are prepared in a style called New York dressed.

This means the turkeys are cleaned without water and hung to dry age  like a steak  which makes them tender, Culver said. The birds are left intact and hanging while being chilled for a minimum of a week.

At the end of the process, people are left with an extremely juicy turkey, which Culver said doesnt even need gravy.

Another difference with heritage turkeys -- they look a bit different, as dark-colored quills remain in the skin because of the gentler plucking method used, per the Zingermans website. Its normal to see these, and they are edible, the website states.

Culver raises KellyBronze Turkeys, which were developed by Paul Kelly in the United Kingdom.

Each year, the Virginia farmer said he gets eggs shipped from Kelly and raises the turkeys outdoors the way Mother Nature intended.

This year, Culver raised nearly 4,500 turkeys, which he said is a small operation in comparison to the commercial industry. This amounts to roughly 200 turkeys per acre.

Around 280 of these turkeys are being sold through Zingermans Mail Order this year, said Joe Capuano, Zingermans Mail Order purchasing manager and a customer of the heritage turkeys.

Capuano and his wife, Mary Skiver, travel to Virginia each year to pick up the turkeys and bring them back in a freezer truck to Zingermans warehouse in Ann Arbor for shipping.

The business will ship all over the country, to states including Michigan, California, Illinois and New York.

Capuano has been hooked on the heritage turkeys ever since he gave it a try. And thats despite his mom telling him he was completely crazy for spending hundreds of dollars on a turkey.

Capuano was blown away by the flavor.

When we start carving and everyone is eating, you just know something is right because nobody is talking at the table, he said. If the bird wasnt good, I know we wouldnt carry it. And because the bird is good is why I eat it every year.
ANN ARBOR, MI - Don Horning knows that 156 turkeys will not fit inside a car. A truck will do the trick.

He knows this from experience. The retired Ann Arbor teacher has for decades quietly assembled birds, pies and Thanksgiving fixings by the dozens each November and given them to families who need them.

Its a need thats out there, and were glad to do it, the 82-year-old said. Theres really no way well stop during the amount of time Ill be on Earth. As long as were healthy, well do it.

The meal donations are a Thanksgiving tradition for Horning, his wife Skip, family members and friends that dates back to the 1970s.

Then, Horning taught at Tappan Middle School in Ann Arbor with fellow physical education teacher Rob Lillie, for whom the schools gym is now named.

I think we were just sitting in the office one day and said why dont we get food for some of these people who otherwise wouldnt eat much, Horning said. We said why not check into turkey dinners. So we did.

The pair of teachers started by buying readymade turkeys that came complete with cranberry sauce, rolls, gravy, mashed potatoes and a vegetable dish  a $20 bargain that fed a family of four.

They hand-delivered the meals to students who were signed up to receive free or reduced-priced lunches at Tappan. And kept doing it, year after year.

Things only ramped up when Horning retired around 1995.

He and his partners in the turkey-day distributions contacted principals at Ann Arbors Bryant and Northside elementary schools and identified students and families who could use the donations, Horning said.

They began to shift away from boxed meals to buy whole turkeys, pumpkin pies and vegetables, providing more food for less money.

It was more work, but we did it, Horning said.

Horning has taken donations from friends and family to fund the yearly meals and says nobody involved gets paid for their trouble. According to his brother, Bob Horning, the retired teacher has also made up the difference when the sum isnt enough.

He doesnt broadcast it or anything, but hes always been generous, gives to people, gives to his church, Bob Horning said.

This year, Horning, Lillie and relatives distributed 156 turkeys and pumpkin pies.

Since the mid-90s, theyve done between 100 and 150 a year, Horning said, a sum that amounts to a ballpark estimate of more than 3,000 meals in that time.

Recognizing the need not just in Ann Arbor but across the county, Horning said after serving the Ann Arbor elementaries for a year he contacted leaders of Peace Neighborhood Center, as well as Ypsilantis Hope Clinic and ACCE High School to supply them with some of the food.

These days, the group picks up turkeys and fixings a few days before Thanksgiving and delivers them to the schools and nonprofit organizations, where theyre then picked up by families.

Horning and his helpers show up to Meijer and Costco with a truck from The M Den, the University of Michigan merchandise retailer where one of Hornings sons is a part owner and Horning also worked for a time.

Without The M Den and my wife and our families, we wouldnt get it done. It would just be too big, Horning said.

Its a ritual that will repeat itself later this year.

After once finding himself with extra donations after Thanksgiving, Horning said he used the excess to buy hams to give away at Christmas.

That also became a tradition, and this year theyll do the same, planning on giving away more than 100.

Well keep doing it until, I guess, we cant, Horning said.

Want more Ann Arbor-area news? Bookmark the local Ann Arbor news page, the Ypsilanti-area news page or sign up for the free 3@3 Ann Arbor daily newsletter.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI  The family of the late Honestie Hodges, whose handcuffing at age 11 led to a new youth-interaction policy at Grand Rapids Police Department, has filed a federal lawsuit against the city and police officers.

Whitney Hodges, her mother, filed the lawsuit Wednesday, Nov. 22, in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan.

Her daughter was 11 in December 2017 when she was handcuffed at gunpoint. Grand Rapids police were searching for a stabbing suspect as she and others left their house and encountered police.

The girl was briefly held in a patrol car.

The trauma Honestie endured that night lasted for the remainder of her short lifetime, Grand Rapids attorney Stephen Drew wrote.

Related: If this happened to white child would you have handcuffed her? girl, 11, asks

After that confrontation by officers, Honesties life was marred by extreme emotional and psychological distress significantly diminishing her quality of life and her ability to cope both physically and mentally.

Honestie died Nov. 22, 2020, at 14, from complications of COVID-19, the lawsuit said.

A city spokesperson did not immediately respond to a call seeking comment.

The handcuffing of an 11-year-old girl, who was Black, outraged many. It led to changes dubbed the Honestie Policy in March 2018. It called for police to consider the most reasonable and least restrictive options for interacting with juveniles while also maintaining safety of the public and police.

Her brief detention came after five Black unarmed juveniles were held down at gunpoint near the Kroc Center while police responded to a report of someone with a gun.

Related: Vigil for Honestie Hodges, 14: She fought coronavirus, pushed for change in police interaction with youth

The City of Grand Rapids, former police Chief David Rahinsky and three officers are named as defendants.

Police were looking for a white woman when Honestie was detained. The girl was cooperative but terrified, Drew said.

Without probable cause or reasonable suspicion that Honestie was committing or had committed a crime, in the presence of her mother and others, Honestie Hodges was detained at gunpoint, handcuffed, and placed in a police car  nervous, afraid, and deathly fearful for her safety, and also the well-being of her family, Drew wrote.

Given the history and recent tragic interactions between law enforcement and African American citizens, Honestie had a legitimate fear that she would be shot and killed.

The incident happened Dec. 6, 2017. Honestie was going to a neighborhood store with an adult family friend when police responded.

The mother said she asked police what they were doing and said her daughter was only 11. Honestie followed police commands and walked backward with hands raised, the lawsuit said.

An officer allegedly told the girl to calm down because police might be at the wrong house, the lawsuit said. A sergeant told an officer to remove the handcuffs, though Honestie remained in the patrol car, the lawsuit said.

Related: Police handcuffing girl, 11, disturbing image, Grand Rapids police chief says

The lawsuit said that an officer said: We took a child in custody at gunpoint. Were all going to be on the news now.

After the ordeal, Honestie suffered extreme emotional and psychological distress significantly diminishing her quality of life  .

She had increasing trouble with authority figures and experienced panic/anxiety attacks, and required counseling and medication to address residual symptoms from the trauma caused by Defendants, the lawsuit said.

Read more:

Two children joined their forever family on Adoption Day in time for Thanksgiving

Interesting look at snowy Thanksgivings in southwest Michigan

Jenison High School band excited to represent Michigan in Macys Thanksgiving Day parade
Felicity Michael expected the reception at the Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade to be similar to that of the various parades she and the rest of the Jenison High School marching band have participated in.

It was much more.

I think a lot of us were expecting a normal parade, said Michael, a 16-year-old junior and member of the Jenison High School color guard.

Seeing how many people were there and how many people really do care about marching bands and stuff like that, it was an incredible experience.

Nearly 200 Jenison High School students participated in the Thursday, Nov. 23, Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.

The spirited teens cycled through a handful of songs  including Cant Stop the Feeling by Justin Timberlake, I Want You Back by the Jackson Five, and Uptown Girl by Billy Joel  as they made their way past Central Park and down to Macys Herald Square. The band also played classics from composer George Gershwin including An American in Paris.

A snippet of the performance was captured on live TV for viewers watching from home.

Related: Jenison High School band excited to represent Michigan in Macys Thanksgiving Day parade

Inspiration is all around us, and this band is paying tribute to the Art Deco design of some of New Yorks most famous landmarks, said NBC News Anchor Savannah Guthrie, before pausing to let the audience take in a portion of the performance.

Members of the Jenison High School Marching Band practice in Central Park in New York City on Tuesday, Nov. 21. The band is going to perform in the 2023 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday.Bethany Schutter

Michaels mother, Bethany Schutter, recorded a two-minute video of the Jenison marching band performance Thursday. You can see it on YouTube here.

The Jenison students were spotted between balloon floats of characters from DreamWorks Animations Kung Fu Panda and the YouTube series Ryans World.

Related: Balloons, bands and Santa: Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade ushers in holiday season in New York

This years parade marks the fourth time in recent years that a Michigan high school band performed in the 97-year-old event. Jenison was one of six high schools across the country selected to play in this years parade.

We see this as a really awesome opportunity to represent really the whole state on this nationally viewed program, Band Director Dave Zamborsky told MLive earlier this week. Theyve put in a ton of time and a ton of energy into preparing for this week.

Students were accompanied to New York by five band directors and assistants, seven band staff members, and 20 chaperones. The school raised $107,000 to send the band on the trip.

In addition to participating in the parade, students held a concert in Central Park, took in a Broadway show, and did some sightseeing.

On Thursday evening, the students were scheduled to go on a dinner cruise to celebrate Thanksgiving with their peers. Then theyll head home Friday morning, Nov. 24.

In years past, Michigan was represented by Rockford (2017), Walled Lake Central (2015), and Plymouth-Canton Educational Park.
Renowned Nigerian music executive and record label CEO Don Jazzy has hit back at a social media user who trolled him for not having a child to take over his legacy.

In a post on X, Nigerian social media influencer Daniel Regha suggested that Don Jazzy should consider adoption even though he is not married.

He asserted one of the biggest priorities of the Mavin Record CEO at the moment should be a father.

Regha wrote "Don Jazzy not being married isn't an issue, not everyone fancy marriage; But he should adopt a kid, at least, someone who can preserve & carry on his legacy long after he's gone. Being a dad ought to be among his top priorities right now, adopting is always an option. No offense."

However, Don Jazzy was not impressed with the comments and swiftly responded by offering to adopt Regha instead.

He wrote "Let me adopt you Daniel since you lack a father figure in your life, A proper nuisance."

Real name, Michael Collins Ajereh, the 45-year-old is one of the biggest Nigerian record producers.

He is the founder and the CEO of Mavin Records, the label of Rema Ayra Starr and formerly Tiwa Savage.

Don Jazzy was co-owner of the now-defunct Mo' Hits Records record label with D'banj.
Former Head of the Linguistics Department at the University of Ghana, Professor Kofi Agyekum, has issued a caution to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) following the dismissal of four members who openly supported independent presidential candidate Alan Kyerematen.

The ousted members include Hopeson Adorye, Nana Ohene Ntow, Boniface Abubakar Saddique, and Yaw Buaben Asamoa.

In a statement signed by the NPP's General Secretary, Justin Kodua Frimpong, the party indicted the four individuals for violating the party's constitution.

Reacting to this, Prof. Kofi Agyekum, expressed concern over the party's handling of the matter.

He questioned whether the party had engaged in dialogue with the dismissed members before going ahead with the drastic action.

While acknowledging the NPP's right to enforce party rules, Professor Agyekum urged caution, pointing out that the individuals in question have supporters and family members whose votes are crucial for the party's success, especially in breaking the eight-year governance cycle.

"They must understand that if they really want to break the eight, they should iron out their differences.

Where they have reached, if they don't take care and continue their strict enforcement of their laws, the same laws will be an impediment to them," Professor Agyekum emphasised in an interview on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" morning show.
Henry Nana Boakye, the National Organizer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has urged former President John Dramani Mahama to reconsider his proposal to implement a 24-hour economy in Ghana.

Nana Boakye, known as Nana B in political circles, expressed his views during an interview on NEAT FM's Ghana Montie morning show.

According to Nana B, Mahama's proposed 24-hour economy policy lacks understanding.

He argued that the current system allows businesses and individuals to operate 24 hours, making Mahama's policy redundant.

"He [John Mahama] doesn't understand the policy he is proposing.

The system is such that people can run their businesses 24 hours in Ghana already. This cannot be his policy," Nana B asserted.

The National Organizer of the NPP emphasized that Ghana's priority should be digitalization rather than a 24-hour economy.

He pointed to Vice President Dr. Bawumia's advocacy for digitalization as a crucial step for the country's progress.

"What Ghana needs now is digitalization. This is why Dr. Bawumia is championing that course," Nana B stated.
A proposed law to compensate thousands of men who were convicted and imprisoned for the offense of homosexuality in France between 1942 and 1982 is being debated in the Senate.

The proposed law, tabled in the upper house on Wednesday, aims to correct a social error and recognise the responsibility of the French state in its homophobic repression.

We have enough perspective to be able to look at this painful and inglorious past, and to admit the mistakes that were made, Socialist senator Hussein Bourgi, who drafted the bill, told FranceInfo radio.

Although France was the first country in the world to decriminalise homosexuality  in 1791 during the French Revolution  the policy of discrimination was reintroduced under the Nazi-allied Vichy regime.

Under the guise of protecting young people, the Vichy government in 1942 introduced a distinction between the age of consent for heterosexual and homosexual sex.

That age was set at 13 for heterosexual couples (though raised to 15 a few years later), while it was set at 21 for homosexuals.

Decades of persecution

Same-sex couples risked prison until 1982, with convictions including moral indecency and leading a minor to debauchery.

Sociologist and historian Antoine Idier told the French news agency AFP: Judges used a much broader criminal arsenal and all kinds of articles to repress homosexuality, even though they were not explicitly intended to do so.

It is estimated that between 1942 and 1982, some 50,000 people were convicted for homosexual offences.

Of those, 10,000 were targeted under under Article 331 of the Penal Code. They were almost exclusively men from the working class. A third of were married, widowed or divorced, while a quarter had children.

Ninety-three percent of the convictions carried a prison sentence.

According to research by sociologists Regis Schlagdenhauffen and Jeremie Gauthier, a further 50,000 people were convicted under a separate public indecency law that was incorporated into the Penal Code in 1960.

Both offences were punishable by six months to three years of imprisonment and several thousand francs in fines.

Parliamentary battle

Those who were convicted were granted amnesty in 1981, erasing their criminal records.

The Socialists' bill hopes to go further by enshrining France's responsibility in its policy of homosexual persecution.

It also creation the new offence of negationism for those who deny that people in France were deported because of their homosexuality.

However the bill has little chance of being adopted in its existing form given that France's Senate, the upper house, is dominated by the rightwing Republicains party, whose members rejected same-sex marriage a decade ago.
Officials of Odotobri Rural Bank PLC have highlighted the impactful gains the institution has made in 40 years of banking.

Owing to its customer-friendly products and excellent service delivery, the Bank received a Gold Award in the Rural Bank category (Deposit Mobilization) at the 19th Ashanti Financial Service Excellence Awards organised under the auspices of the Manhyia Palace in 2022.

It has also received an award as the Best Rural Bank in the Ashanti region for 2021 financial year which was organised by the Association of Rural Banks, Ghana in 2022.

On corporate social responsibility, it has consistently supported the activities of the Ghana Police Service to enhance security.

Hospitals, schools, among several institutions as well as farmers have also benefitted.

It has built a Community Center for Jacobu township, named Nana Adu Darko Community Centre and a Science Laboratory for Jacobu Senior High Technical School.

In recent times, the Bank spent an amount of GHs183,467.84 on corporate social responsibility in the 2022 financial year.

Chief Executive Officer for the Bank, Mr. Abraham Coffie made the above disclosure to the media during the celebration of the institution's 40th anniversary in Kumasi.

He told the media at a press briefing that, further to the above hallmark of achievements, bursaries are granted to brilliant but needy students annually.

In the year 2023 financial year, for instance, scholarships and bursaries granted amounted to GHS31,200.00.

The CEO told the press that the Board and Management of the Bank are working seriously to roll out electronic channels like Mobile App, develop products and services, and open branches in strategic areas to bring banking businesses to the doorsteps of Ghanaians.
China's top legislator meets Uruguayan president

Xinhua) 16:27, November 23, 2023

BEIJING, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- China's top legislator Zhao Leji met with Uruguayan President Luis Alberto Lacalle Pou on Thursday in Beijing, calling for enhanced exchanges between the legislative bodies of the two countries.

Zhao, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, said that since the establishment of diplomatic ties 35 years ago, China-Uruguay relations have stood the test of changes in the international landscape and become a model of peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation between countries with different political systems and economic sizes.

The two heads of state jointly announced the establishment of bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership on Wednesday, which is an important milestone, Zhao said, adding that the two sides should follow the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, respect, trust and support each other, and jointly build the Belt and Road in high quality to bring more benefits to the two peoples.

Noting that next year will mark the 65th anniversary of legislative exchanges between the two countries, Zhao said the NPC of China is willing to continue the traditional friendship and deepen exchanges with the Uruguayan General Assembly, and provide a solid legal guarantee for bilateral practical cooperation.

Lacalle said that Uruguay will actively implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state and the outcomes of this visit, strengthen exchanges between the two legislatures and consolidate public support for bilateral friendship.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
22.11.2023 LISTEN

The National Democratic Congress parliamentary candidate for Nanton constituency, Dr Mohammed Sherif Abdul-Khaliq has not only proven to be competent, capable and ready to serve his people, but he is also a transformational leader as well. He has shown his readiness and preparedness to serve as a member of Parliament for the Nanton constituency.

Dr. Mohammed Sherif Abdul-Khaliq, a son of a former District Chief Executive for the then Savelugu/Nanton District, is a native of Nanton township. Coming from a politically endowed family background and a medical doctor by profession, he perfectly understands the needs of the people. As a true son of the land, he holds the people tight to his heart.

Having been elected as NDC parliamentary candidate for the constituency in less than six months, he has not relented on his efforts to bring development to his people, even as an opposition parliamentary candidate.

As a transformational leader, his eagerness to develop and deliver the constituency from its current form of being starved of development, has activated all his networks. So far, #the_Khaliq_effect is indeed affecting the constituents already.

His achievements in six(6) months

 Free health screening and treatment: Prior to his election as parliamentary candidate, he provided free health screening and treatment for the people of the constituency. Over two thousand(2,000) people from the constituency benefited from this health outreach. With at least 100 people undergoing surgery.

 Free eye screening and treatment: Immediately after his election as a parliamentary candidate, he again organized free eye screening for the people of the constituency. And again, over three hundred (300) people were screened and nearly eighty (80) people were treated for various forms of eye diseases.

 Support for farmers: As a constituency with over 85% of its people being farmers, he provided support in various forms to farmers during the farming season, regardless of their political colouration.

 Supporting students and parents in the payment of their school fees for tertiary students.

 Donated items worth tens of thousands of Ghana cedis to this year's BECE candidates during their exams.

Supported farmers with cycles to aid their movements

 Supported a number of communities in the form of cash donations during the rainy season in the reconstruction of their roads when those roads were flooded and cut off from the rest of the constituency.

 Provision of an ultra-modern hospital for the people of Tampion.

These are, but few of the handy works of the man Dr Mohammed Sherif Abdul-Khaliq.

Dr. Khaliq strives not only to put smiles on the faces of his people but also to be an example to the youth in the constituency. He sees the youth as laboratory for the social, political and economic transformation of the district/constituency. Dr believes that the youth have a significant role to play in the development of the constituency. He is therefore, giving priority to the youth in the constituency.

Dr. Khaliq's journey towards the transformation of Nanton constituency should therefore, serve as an inspiration to the people of the constituency to give him the nod to represent them in the august house of Ghana's Parliament in 2024. He is a true definition of a transformational leader.

Amadu Alhassan Chahayilidoo, NDC deputy constituency communication officer for Nanton.
Major international money transfer services Wise and Xoom have suspended cross-border transfers to Ghana following regulatory action from the Bank of Ghana (BoG).

The move comes after BoG issued a notice fining and suspending the license of domestic payments firm Zeepay for violations of foreign exchange regulations.

Specifically, Zeepay was penalized for failing to use the average interbank exchange rate when settling international transfers into local currency, as required by BoG rules.

In its notice, the central bank warned all forex market players, including banks, money transfer operators and payment firms, to strictly adhere to applicable regulations.

BoG Secretary Sandra Thompson who signed the statement stated, "the settlement bank shall 'use the average interbank exchange rate published by the Ghana Association of Banks on the day the transfer is received or as prescribed by Bank of Ghana for the conversion of settlement funds into local currency'."

A Wise emailed statement to customers read: "We're working to change this as soon as possible. Please check back here for updates.

Xoom also notified its users that "Xoom is pausing its cross-border send-money service to Ghana...We appreciate your business and are working to offer this service again in the future.

The suspensions are a blow for Ghanaian expatriates and migrants abroad looking to send funds home.

For now, Ghanaians relying on international remittances will have to find alternate means until the major money transfer operators resolve issues with the banking regulator.
22.11.2023 LISTEN

An Independent presidential aspirant Dr Sam Ankrah has written to rebut accusers levelled at him for alleged plagiarism in his campaign for support from Ghanaians.

For some time now, on the streets of Accra city, a certain number of peculiar billboards were spotted by citizens. On them were the image of what looks like a man in a tuxedo, his face covered with an ornamented mask.

Also, Leadership for the next generation, The new force. Embrace the change, and The new force. A new Ghana. A new nation, were some of the words on the billboards standing at various vantage points all over Accra.

On social and traditional media, conversations were had about the man behind the mask with some people guessing it was businessman Nana Kwame Bediako, alias Cheddar.

It was, however, revealed to be Dr Sam Ankrah who was behind the campaign, dubbed No Masked Promises.

Since then, a group called The New Force, in a statement released on Monday, November 20, 2023, have asserted the Man in Mask was its idea and not Dr Ankrahs.

We wish to state categorically that the said Sam Ankrah has no connection to the creative concept design, and inventive process that developed the Man in the Mask campaign.

We are disappointed that Mr Sam Ankrah has sought to deliberately exploit the ingenuity of young Ghanaians and coopted their vision and creativity to project dubious political ambitions, the group said.

The New Force condemned Dr Ankrahs alleged actions as reprehensible and evidence of lack of credibility that undermines him as a person as well as someone capable of leading a new political vision for a country that is in need of a clean break from the kind of dirty politics we witness on a daily basis.

We reserve our right to consider civil action against him for infringement of our intellectual property rights including our right over the original artistic and creative works, the New Force stressed.

The group also demanded that Dr Ankrah immediately cease and desist from any further use reproduction, redistribution, or modification of their intellectual property, asking also that he deletes the images on all his platforms and put up an appropriate statement apologising for the infringement immediately.

Reacting to the damning allegations, independent presidential aspirant Dr Sam Ankrah has, through a statement signed by the Head of Communications for his campaign, Dr Candace Baker, asserted that he is guiltless.

At no point during my campaign have I purported or expressly claimed to be the originator of the so-called Man in the Mask campaign, he said.

He also asked the person(s) to retract with immediate effect the defamatory press release which is circulating all over the world.

Furthermore, he reiterated: The key point and thrust of my message is the exposure of political gimmicks and falsehoods aimed at deceiving the Ghanaian citizenry; the unmasking, as it were, of political con artists.

Read the entire statement titled No Masked Promises Campaign Sets the Record Straight on False Claims below:

Following the No Masked Promises campaign led by myself Dr. Sam Ankrah, a faceless person or group of persons has since launched baseless, malicious attacks on the person and reputation of myself; claiming amongst others that I have misappropriated their intellectual property rights.

I firmly, unequivocally, and categorically deny all those false claims, allegations, and assertions by the person or group without a face.

At no point during my campaign have I purported or expressly claimed to be the originator of the so-called Man in the Mask campaign. Neither has he claimed anywhere that he is the Man in the Mask. At the time of launching his campaign and disseminating his political messages, I refute the existence of a legal or natural person(s) by the name The Man in the Mask and #TheNewForce.

Furthermore, I had no knowledge of any intellectual property rights vested in that person(s) or name. On this note, I urge the person(s) to retract with immediate effect the defamatory press release which is circulating all over the world.

The key point and thrust of my message is the exposure of political gimmicks and falsehoods aimed at deceiving the Ghanaian citizenry; the unmasking, as it were, of political con artists. The No Masked Promises campaign is a transformative journey towards transparent and accountable leadership, and the driving philosophy behind my bid for the high office of the presidency of Ghana as an independent candidate. It is built on a commitment to reshape the political landscape for the betterment of Ghana through principles of truth, transparency, accountability, and civic responsibility. At the heart of the No Masked Promises campaign is a mission to unveil the truth behind political facades and a call to citizens to actively engage in the political process. It encourages them to voice their concerns and actively participate in holding leaders and political hopefuls accountable for their promises. I, a seasoned economist and investment banker, lead this movement with the belief that active civic responsibility and engagement are fundamental to a thriving democracy.

Furthermore, "No Masked Promises" signifies a rejection of unfulfilled political commitments, and doubles down on a commitment to prioritizing the needs of the people and bridging the trust deficit between citizens and leaders. The symbolic depiction of the unmasking represents a rejection of the historical narrative of veiled intentions in past and present governments. It is a representation of the need to unveil the true faces of leaders and political hopefuls alike, in order to hold them accountable for their commitments. It is also worth noting that as far as intellectual property claims are concerned, the mask used in the campaign is a stock image generated by artificial intelligence and available in the public domain.

In response to the threat of legal action, we would like to emphasize that I Dr. Sam Ankrah am well within my rights to express my views on the state of politics in Ghana and to launch a legitimate counter-campaign in response to the position of other political hopefuls. This is a fundamental facet of the democracy that holds our great nation together. The "No Masked Promises'' campaign is not an attempt to infringe on any intellectual property rights but rather a call for transparency and accountability in leadership, a principle all political movements should proudly stand united in.

As we enter the 2024 political season, the No Masked Promises campaign extends an invitation to all citizens and political stakeholders to engage in open and honest dialogue, and to unite under the philosophy of "No Masked Promises". Together, we must work towards reshaping the political landscape for a future where leaders are unafraid to show their true faces and subsequently deliver on their commitments. On this, note I urged Ghanaians to learn more about Dr Sam Ankrah, my policies, especially my youth policy, and how I intend to end the economic hardship, the endemic and pervasive corruption, the social inequalities, the lack of rule of law and stability in general.

Signed

Dr Candace Baker

Head of communications

Presidential Candidate Office, Sam Ankrah +233 20 725 1296

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Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has summoned the Ministers of Defence and National Security to appear before the Defence and Interior Committee of Parliament on Thursday morning to provide a briefing on actions being taken by the government to forestall a clash between the Mo and Wangara tribes in the Kintampo North municipality.

According to the Member of Parliament for the area, Joseph Kwame Kumah, tensions were high when the Mo tribe requested to perform rituals within the months of November and December, coinciding with the annual Klubi festival of the Wangara community.

In response to calls for a ceasefire by the MP, the Speaker directed that the government must take immediate steps to ensure peaceful coexistence.

As the first authorities to come to this house to brief the committee on Defense and Interior, this is an urgent matter that should be handled with dispatch. I think tomorrow should be okay for the two ministers and their commanders to appear before the committee early tomorrow morning by 9 am to brief the committee. It is an urgent matter.

The National Security Council through their regional office should immediately intervene because the chieftaincy institution is one of the cornerstones of the peace and security of our country, and we hold that institution dearly. We will do everything to prevent that institution from falling into disarray, he stated.
The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has stated that the recent decision by the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia NPP-led government to convert the Sunyani Regional Hospital into a Teaching Hospital is a scam.

The Health Minister and MP for Dormaa Central, Hon Kwaku Agyeman Manu on Saturday, 18th November, 2023 on behalf of President Akufo-Addo, launched the conversion of the Sunyani Regional Hospital into a Teaching Hospital status.

The ceremony took place at the premises of the hospital with several dignitaries in attendance.

In reaction, the National Chairman of the NDC at a press conference on Wednesday, 18th November, 2023, called on the people of the Bono Region to be weary of the cunning ways of the NPP.

He urges them not to be swayed by them again, especially in the runup to the 2024 general elections.

Mr Asiedu Nketiah wondered how the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia-led NPP government could attempt to deceive the good people of the Bono Region knowing that there has been no resource allocation for the upgrade of the Sunyani Regional Hospital into a Teaching Hospital since that comes with a huge resources.

''As a matter of fact, the Finance Minister only last week, presented to Parliament what will be the last budget of this Akufo-Addo/Bawumia NPP administration. It will interest you to know that the 2024 budget made no provision whatsoever for a medical school or a teaching hospital in the Bono Region," he stated.

According to Mr Nketiah, ''Parliament has not considered nor passed any legislation backing the establishment of a Sunyani Teaching Hospital; neither has Parliament considered nor approved any loan facility for these projects. Where, then is the funding for this project going to come from?"

Mr Nketiah added ''for all intents and purposes, this is another deceitful sod-cutting exercise undertaken by President Akufo-Addo calculated to deceive the chiefs and good people of the Bono Region''.

Mr Nketiah gave an example of how Akufo-Addo in 2020 deceived the people of Dormaa of building an Accident and Emergency Centre which has never seen the day of light.

''It must be noted that this is not the first time President Akufo-Addo and this NPP government have made such empty promises of building an ultramodern health facility in the Bono Region. In the run-up to the 2020 General Elections, President Akufo-Addo organized a similar sod-cutting for the construction of an ultramodern Accident and Emergency Centre for Dormaa Presbyterian Hospital. The Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana who graced the occasion was so glad that he equated President Akufo-Addo to Jesus Christ at the sod-cutting ceremony. Nearly four years down the line, that project remains a Trojan gift - empty, fraudulent and non-existent. Yet, this is the same man who is making a promise to the Bono people again,'' he added.

He emphasised, "Again, the Sunyani Regional Hospital has not seen any refurbishment in the past seven years to enable it to play its role as a significant Regional referral hospital. To add insult to injury, there is no work currently ongoing at most of the Agenda 111 sites in the Bono Region especially the one at Berekum East which has been totally neglected. This, according to the NDC, leaves many in the Bono Region having to travel over long distances to Sunyani to seek medical care at the overstretched facility."

Mr Nketiah stressed, ''we in the NDC do not think that essential projects like UENR Medical School and Sunyani Teaching Hospital must be subjected to empty promises, deception and cheap political sloganeering as we have witnessed under this failed Akufo-Addo/Bawumia NPP government''.

He noted that the NDC has important projects that touch the very heart and soul of the people of Bono but same cannot be said of the NPP in the region. To Mr Nketiah, the people of the Bono Region deserve a befitting Regional Teaching Hospital that matches modern standards and not a mere painting and renaming.

Mr Nketiah further called on the people of the Bono Region to embrace the superior policies and track record of the NDC in the region and vote for the NDC in the 2024 general elections.

According to him, the ruling NPP has taken the Bono Region, the birthplace of Prof. Kofi Abrefa Busia, the first leader of the Danquah-Busia Tradition for granted for far too long.
Last week, we read about Germanys promise to relax existing rules for qualified migrant professionals with university degrees. This we agreed would of course resolve half of its problems if Germany would absorb its migrant professionals with German university degrees so that after spending years in education, they don't end up doing menial jobs to say the least if not face frustration over whether they must leave the country because the system could not support their successful integration.

To this day, that has not been achieved. People with university degrees if they have no intention of further studies where they pay for themselves to enter the universities or get scholarships to retrain in a profession are downgraded to be at the level of not even a full passed out secondary student. Skills are not recognized and applications to be admitted into a training program can take you a minimum of three years and this can span out until you are frustrated and left no choice but enter the unprofessional job markets such as cleaning, Logistics as in packing things in warehouses, or at best enter into the old age nursing homes which is actually where they are looking to lure people into.

Germany, unlike many countries in Europe, is not necessarily facing skilled workers shortage. But even if it were really so, here are the figures for 2022. It said the country's labour shortage rose to an all-time high: the Institute for Employment Research (IAB) found 1.74 million vacant positions throughout Germany.

Do you know that, in this same year, there has been more layoffs due to the collapse of many businesses and or lack of financial flows to sustain the workers due to the covid crisis? Germany is drawing attention to itself for obvious reasons. Lack of its popularity and their increasing interest in the stakes of Africa.

Nonetheless, stay tuned for the continuation of the topic as we will be bringing you ideas on how to maneuver should you happen to find yourself seeking these opportunities.

This is the Diaspora Lens

By Ghana Diaspora Youth Movement Germany

[email protected]
The Chief of Staff at the Office of the President, Hon Akosua Fremah Osei Opare has reiterated governments commitment to releasing additional funding as the various sectors carry out further needs assessment of the affected communities of the Akosombo Dam Spillage.

She revealed that so far, GHC40,000,000 has been made available for relief efforts from the Volta River Authority (VRA) and the National Disaster and Management Organisation (NADMO) within the period.

Hon Fremah Opare who doubles as the Chairperson of Inter-Ministerial on Akosombo Dam spillage made the remarks at a meeting in Accra on Wednesday, November 22, 2023.

The Finance Minister, Hon. Ken Ofori Atta, during the reading of the 2024 budget and economic policy of government on the floor of Parliament, announced that government has budgeted an amount of two hundred and twenty million Ghana cedis (GHC220 million) to support communities affected by the Akosombo Dam spillage as well as floods in the Oti, Savannah and Bono-East Regions.

The Chief of Staff hinted that for the restoration phase, government through the Ministry of Agriculture will allocate additional resources to support the restoration of livelihoods.

His Excellency the President, set up this committee under the chairmanship of Hon Akosua Fremah Osei Opare to see to the effective and timely execution of government relief and rehabilitation efforts to communities affected by the spillage of the Akosombo dam, in the Volta, Eastern and Greater Accra regions as well as other communities that are affected by floods due to heavy rainfall in other parts of the country.
23.11.2023 LISTEN

The proposed partnership between Tema Oil Refinery and Tema Energy and Processing Limited has been suspended pending a corruption risk analysis by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).

In a directive to Tema Oil Refinery's managing director Daniel Osei Appiah on Tuesday, November 21, Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng said the OSP has commenced an analysis of the risk of corruption in the proposed deal.

Mr. Agyebeng ordered an immediate suspension of "the proposed partnership agreement, ongoing negotiations, operations, and all other ancillary activities" until further notice.

He also demanded that all relevant documents pertaining to the proposed partnership be submitted to the OSP by the close of business on December 2023.

In the statement, Mr. Agyebeng said the directive was issued "in pursuance of regulation 31(1)(a) of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (Operations) Regulations, 2018 (L.I. 2374) and the objects of section 2(c) of the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act, 2017(Act 959)."

While the OSP did not state its reason, many Ghanaians, notably Bright Simons of the IMANI Africa Policy Think Tank, say the deal is a coated version of the Torentco deal that came heavily under scrutiny some months ago.

Bright Simons noted, that despite the serious work IMANI did to show that the attempt to hand over Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) to Torrentco was dangerous, "they rebranded Torentco to TEPL & by executive fiat handed over the national asset anyway! Forcing Ghana's Special Prosecutor to step in.
The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has denied claims by the Herald newspaper that it has sold portions of its prime lands in Accra, including residences of senior officers, to a private developer.

In a press release dated Wednesday, November 22, the Director General of Public Relations at GAF, Brigadier General E. Aggrey-Quashie, said the Force "wishes to categorically state that no military lands have been sold to a private developer."

He added that "as the Institution is only a custodian of the lands it is using and does not have any authority or right to dispose of same."

According to Brig. Gen. Aggrey-Quashie, where lands being occupied by GAF have been developed, "any such development have been done in conjunction with the Ministry of Defence with the approval of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources."

The statement noted that there are ongoing plans "to redevelop the area in question to increase the number of residential accommodations in line with the expansion programme of GAF."

The statement stressed, "Currently, the area in question has only two (2) residential accommodations. It is envisaged that after the redevelopment, the number of residential accommodations for senior officers will increase to thirteen (13)."

GAF emphasized that "the report by the Herald Newspaper is false and that no military lands have been sold to a private developer."

It urged the media to "verify such information with GAF to avert the dissemination of misleading and inaccurate information."
The National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) and Volta River Authority (VRA) will continue to distribute relief items to victims of the Akosomba Dam spillage until all displaced persons are catered for.

The Chief of Staff and Chairperson of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on the Akosomba Dam spillage, Madam Akosua Frema Osei-Opare, announced this at an Inter-Ministerial press briefing in Accra on Wednesday.

She stated that the government had given the VRA and NADMO GH40 million to support their efforts.

She assured that the government was committed to improving the social and economic conditions of all persons affected by the spillage.

Madam Osei-Opare said the government was also addressing the environmental and public health challenges stemming from the Akosombo Dam spillage.

She assured residents of the governments commitment to working closely with them to bring things back to normal.

On his part, the Executive Director for the Water Resources Commission, Dr Bob Alfa, acknowledged that the aftermath of the Akosombo Dam Spillage has triggered concerns, as the assessment results indicated that sources of portable water have been contaminated, posing significant health risks to the affected population.

He underscored the severity of the situation, emphasising that the polluted water is unsafe for consumption and any contact.

As a result, Dr Alfa issued a series of crucial safety precautions that residents in the affected areas should strictly adhere to mitigate health hazards.

He urged residents to refrain from any direct contact with the contaminated water. This includes activities like swimming, fishing, or any form of recreational water use.

The potential health risks associated with contact with the polluted water are significant and adherence to this precaution is paramount to preventing waterborne illnesses, he explained.

He also recommended that affected individuals take immediate measures to treat the contaminated water before use.

The process, according to him, involves using water purification methods, such as water purifiers, chlorine tablets, or other approved water treatment solutions.

Ensure the water undergoes adequate treatment, which is vital to minimising the health impact on the local population, he added.

The advice comes in the wake of increasing concerns about the environmental and public health repercussions of the Akosombo Dam spillage.

The water pollution has prompted local authorities to take swift action to provide support to affected communities and implement measures to contain the spread of contamination.

Government agencies and non-governmental organisations are mobilising resources to address the situation, with a focus on conducting further assessments, providing clean water supplies and implementing long-term strategies to prevent future incidents of this nature.
23.11.2023 LISTEN

The controversial "Gold 4 Oil" deal that sees Ghana importing fuel from Russia is coming under renewed scrutiny as vehicles across the country experience low performance linked to high manganese levels in gasoline.

The National Petroleum Authority (NPA) issued a statement on November 15, acknowledging the numerous complaints from motorists about reduced engine performance.

It is reported that while fuels meet Ghana's manganese limit of 18 mg/liter, imports now contain high levels closer to the maximum.

This has garnered reactions from some sections of the public who are of the belief that the current high manganese content in gasoline is a result of the gold for oil deal, which makes Ghana import fuel from Russia.

"So, in summary, #Gold4Oil has government buying fuel from Russia. Russia fuel has a high manganese content of 18 g/l, which is causing various problems to your cars. So yes, you will buy cheaper fuel, but you will use more than your saved cash to do repairs," media practitioner Edem Kojo of Accra-based GHOne TV noted via X.

Bright Simons, Vice President of Policy Think Tank IMANI Africa, observed, "Ghana's gasoline/petrol and diesel regulator, NPA, says fuels being imported into Ghana nowadays have too much manganese. But they don't say what has changed. Historically, Ghana imported most of its fuels from markets that ban or heavily limit manganese. Then "Gold 4 Oil" came."

To curb the situation, the NPA has directed importers to meet proposed lower manganese standards as it works with the Ghana Standards Authority to revise limits from 18 mg/l to 6 mg/l for regular gasoline and 2 mg/l for premium grades.

Gold for Oil

The policy, as explained by the government, is to allow the government to pay for imported oil products with gold in a direct barter with gold purchased by the Central Bank.

The move, announced by the Vice President to tackle the depreciation of the cedi against the US dollar and the rising cost of fuel prices, was explained as an intervention to help stabilize prices of fuel products as well as reduce pressure on Ghanas foreign exchange, as the direct gold barter would be the mode of paying for imported oil instead of depleting the foreign exchange reserve.

The Gold for Oil program has since been implemented, with the first oil consignment arriving early this year, in January 2023.
The deal between Israel and Hamas to free 50 hostages held by the Palestinian militant group should be "broadened" and the "humanitarian pause" it brings used to work towards a "lasting ceasefire", the French President Emmanuel Macron said after a meeting with foreign ministers from Arab and Muslim countries.

Macron hosted a delegation of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Foreign ministers from major Arab and majority-Muslim countries in Paris on Wednesday.

The Paris leg of the diplomatic tour came on the back of meetings in Beijing, Moscow and London, and will be followed up by a meeting in Washington DC.

"There will be no lasting ceasefire without very solid guarantees on Israel's security," Macron told top diplomats from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the Palestinian territories, Indonesia, Nigeria and Turkey as well as the secretary general of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit.

Macron's comments came shortly after the announcement of a deal between Israel and Hamas for the release of some hostages on both sides and a "humanitarian pause" in fighting in the Gaza Strip.

But he indicated that international diplomatic efforts to free the remaining hostages and negotiate a ceasefire were far from over.

"We are working tirelessly to get all of the hostages freed," Macron wrote on X (formerly Twitter). Among them are eight French citizens.

Macron's office said the Egyptian minister mentioned his intention to "facilitate humanitarian access to Gaza" and the possibility of the UN Security Council adopting a resolution on the issue.

France has reined in its initial support for Israeli retaliation over Hamas's 7 October attacks in which 1,200 people were killed.

With deaths in the Gaza strip mounting to over 14,000 in six weeks of Israeli bombardment and ground invasion, Macron last weekend told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu there were "too many civilian casualties" among Palestinians.

Two-state solution

Earlier on Wednesday, British Foreign Minister David Cameron hosted foreign ministers from Arab and other countries belonging to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in London to discuss cooperation on the conflict.

Discussions "focused on how to secure the release of all hostages, increase the amount of aid into Gaza, and reach a long-term political solution to the crisis", according to a UK government press release.

The ministers discussed efforts to "reinvigorate" diplomatic efforts towards a two-state solution.

"We discussed how to use this step forward to think about the future and how we can build a peaceful future which provides security for Israel but also peace and stability for the Palestinian people," said Cameron, who is expected to visit the region on Thursday.

During a joint meeting in Moscow, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that Moscow "affirmed Russia's support for an immediate ceasefire" but condemned the "collective punishment of the civilians of the Gaza Strip."

In China, the delegation had met with Vice-President Han Zheng, who said that China is "keen to coordinate and work jointly with Arab and Islamic countries to achieve a ceasefire and calm in Gaza as quickly as possible.

(With newswires)
UK High Commissioner to Ghana, Harriet Thompson, has expressed concerns over the issue of corruption in the country.

The UK High Commissioner underscored the significant impact of corruption on the countrys progress and development, lamenting Ghanas standing on the corruption perception index.

Speaking at a media engagement during the 75th birthday celebration of King Charles III at her residence, the UK High Commissioner noted: Corruption is one of the things holding Ghana back. It's not only a problem in Ghana but also a problem in many other countries.

If all the money that comes into Ghana were used for the purpose for which it was intended, Ghana would be making faster progress.

While acknowledging the absence of concrete evidence, Ms Thompson emphasised the importance of addressing corruption based on survey perceptions, highlighting the need for effective utilisation of funds to propel the nation forward.

In a commitment to support Ghana's democratic processes, the UK High Commissioner pledged assistance for the upcoming 2024 general elections.

The focus of this support will be countering misinformation and disinformation, achieved through collaboration with the Electoral Commission.

The UK High Commissioner explained: We have been working with the Electoral Commission for a long time.

We're also doing some work to help tackle mis/disinformation, which sadly has popped up in many elections these days.

Emphasising the role of politicians in serving the public, Ms Thompson stressed the crucial importance of civil society's continued engagement in the democratic process.

Addressing another pressing issue, the UK High Commissioner expressed her concern about plastic waste and its detrimental effects on the ocean and the blue economy.

Describing the situation as depressing, she highlighted the need for concerted efforts to prevent plastic from entering the ocean.

classfmonline
Implementing a 24-hour economy in a developing nation like Ghana requires a well-thought-out approach. A 24-hour economy refers to an economic system where businesses and services operate around the clock, beyond traditional daytime hours, to meet the demand for goods and services at any time of day or night. While it may be feasible in specific sectors like healthcare, emergency services, or transportation, which already do it in a limited sense, expanding it across all industries might face formidable challenges. Factors such as infrastructural limitations, workforce readiness, and socio-cultural considerations need careful consideration.

Understanding the lag time between policy implementation and tangible results is crucial. A leader with a limited four-year mandate must balance the urgency of implementing policies for long-term results with the need to show tangible progress within that timeframe. Understanding the lag time between policy implementation and tangible outcomes is crucial for managing expectations and setting realistic goals. Mr. Mahamah should focus on laying a solid foundation for sustainable change, communicating the vision effectively, and initiating policies that demonstrate immediate positive effects. Emphasizing incremental milestones and short-term wins can help maintain momentum and showcase progress to Ghanaians, even within the constraints of a limited tenure.

A transition to a 24-Hour Economy involves multifaceted changes encompassing structural, cultural, and infrastructural aspects that necessitate a strategic and gradual implementation process.

At its core, establishing a 24-hour economy demands intricate alterations in regulations, infrastructure development, workforce adaptation, and societal norms. These changes are not instantaneous; they evolve gradually over time. Essential aspects like infrastructure improvementsuch as enhancing transportation, bolstering security, and ensuring round-the-clock servicesrequire substantial investments and prolonged efforts.

Cultural shifts are equally pivotal. Adapting the workforce to unconventional hours and fostering a culture where extended operations are embraced may face initial resistance. It involves comprehensive training programs and adjustments that unfold gradually.

Specific to Ghana, economic and social challenges, including unemployment, fair labor practices, and societal expectations, present hurdles that must be addressed for a seamless transition. Mr. Mahama's limited four-year tenure underscores the need to prioritize foundational issues that set the stage for a 24-hour economy rather than aiming for immediate implementation.

Initiating fundamental reforms, establishing frameworks, and making strategic investments are crucial steps to pave the way for a smooth transition beyond Mr. Mahama's tenure. The delicate balance between addressing immediate needs and envisioning long-term goals becomes paramount in such circumstances.

A thriving 24-hour economy intertwines economic structures, governmental policies, and industry demands. Industries like healthcare, emergency services, hospitality, transportation, and digital services operate around the clock in a limited fashion. This is due to their needs or their global clientele. This exemplifies the adaptability required to sustain services and manage global operations.

Transitioning to a 24-hour economy in the public sector requires careful consideration of productivity. Meticulous planning is essential to avoid inflating public wage bills without productivity gains. The current scenario reveals a significant imbalance in the public sector wage bill, accounting for nearly 50% of government tax revenue. Meanwhile, the public sector workforce constitutes only 3% of the population. So where will Mr. Mahamah find more money to support more public sector employment at night when they do not do that much during the day?

In the private sector, addressing indiscipline and cultivating work ethics is paramount. This involves a multifaceted approach, including strict labor regulations, skill enhancement programs, and stakeholder collaboration to enforce ethical work behavior standards.

The government can play a pivotal role in this transition: Providing incentives for productivity improvements, supporting skill enhancement programs, and collaborating with industry associations to set ethical standards are vital steps. Aligning these strategies can foster a culture of discipline, ethics, and productivity within the private sector, facilitating the transition to a 24-hour economy.

Yet, challenges such as heightened crime rates loom large. Safety concerns impact employee safety and customer confidence, potentially necessitating increased security measures and higher operational costs.

Furthermore, high crime rates affect infrastructure, investment, and the business environment. Effectively addressing violent crimes through law enforcement, community engagement, and robust prevention strategies becomes imperative to create a safe environment conducive to a thriving 24-hour economy.

In conclusion, transitioning to a 24-hour economy demands a delicate balance between economic demand, governmental intervention, and addressing challenges like crime rates. Mr. Mahamah should focus on dealing with corrupt practices draining the country's coffers, especially the public procurement system, instead of all these ideas that might not see the light of day.

To pave the way for a 24-hour economy, we need robust infrastructure, flexible regulations, and technological innovation. Supporting small businesses, prioritizing safety, and fostering a vibrant nighttime culture are crucial. Creating flexible zones and sustainable initiatives form the backbone of a robust and well-rounded economy that works non-stop.
The Ghana Police Service led by Inspector-General of Police, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare has issued an apology to the public for the inconvenience caused on Wednesday, November 22, as a result of the Graduation Ceremony of Course 52 Cadet Officers.

The ceremony held at the National Police Training School (NPTS) Tesano, Accra caused a lot of traffic and inconvenience commuters using the N6 Highway.

In a press release today, the Ghana Police Service says it is sorry.

The Ghana Police Service has taken notice of the traffic situation that occurred yesterday, 22nd November 2023, on the Accra-Ofankor stretch of the N6 Highway, due to the Course 52 Cadet Officers' Graduation Ceremony at the National Police Training School (NPTS) Tesano, Accra, which inconvenienced the commuting public and other road users.

The Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and the entire Ghana Police Service wish to sincerely apologize to the public for the traffic congestion, the security service said in a release signed by Assistant Commissioner Of Police, Grace Ansah-Akrofi.

The Ghana Police Service assures the public that lessons have been learned and steps will be taken to improve the management of traffic for similar events going forward.
A High Court in Accra has set January 24, 2024, to deliver its ruling in the case of nine (9) persons accused of plotting to oust the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government through a violent coup.

The nine, made up of civilians, junior and senior military personnel as well as a senior police officer are before the court on charges of conspiracy and abetment of crime, and a substantive charge of high treason.

The court set the date yesterday after indicating that some of the defence lawyers had complied with its order by filing written addresses, although two of them are yet to do so and have been given up to December 13, 2023.

Donya Kafui aka Ezor, Bright Allan Debrah Ofosu aka Bright Alan Yeboah or BB, Lance Corporal Ali Solomon, Lance Corporal Sylvester Akapewu, Lance Corporal Seidu Abubakar, WO II Esther Saan Dekuwine aka Mama Gee and Johannes Zikpi, a civilian employee with the Ghana Armed Forces, are facing two counts of conspiracy to commit high treason and high treason.

ACP Dr. Benjamin Agordzo and Col. Samuel Kojo Gameli, on the other hand, have been charged with two counts of abetment of high treason each.

The accused persons, including two civilians, a senior police officer and six military officers are being accused of planning to usurp the executive powers of the state.

Subsequent to their plans, they are alleged to have hired the services of a local gun manufacturer (Donya Kafui) to produce improvised explosive devices (IEDs), guns and ammunition with which they intended to carry out their plans.

They are alleged to be members of a non-governmental organisation, Take Action Ghana (TAG), formed by the late Dr. Frederick Mac-Palm who was also standing trial until he died in March this year.

A civilian employee of the Ghana Armed Forces, Gershon Akpa, who is a weapons mechanic, is alleged to have agreed to sell two guns to the 'coup doctor' at a cost of GH7,000.

He allegedly took GH2,000 part-payment but returned the money later because he could not supply the guns.

The accused were put before the court on April 24, 2021, and on June 8, 2021 the prosecution began leading evidence and in the course of the trial called 13 witnesses, some of whom tendered guns, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), a blacksmith's equipment used in the manufacturing of the weapons and other ammunition confiscated from some of the accused persons during their arrest.

Some of the prosecution witnesses included undercover operatives who were able to infiltrate a WhatsApp group  Take Action Ghana (TAG) created by the accused persons where they allegedly planed the coup, as well as meetings attended by some of the accused persons where the alleged coup plot was discussed.

One of the prosecution's witnesses, Deputy Staff Officer (DSO) Frank Aboagye, during his testimony also told the court that Dr. Mac-Palm was habouring the desire to become President upon the overthrow of government.

The court also heard audio tapes of the meetings attended by some of the accused persons and WOII Esther Saan, the only female among the accused persons was heard on the tape saying President Nana Akufo-Addo must be eliminated when captured on the day of the coup.

On July 25, 2023, accused persons were ordered by a three-member panel of the court made up of Justices Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe, Stephen Oppong and Hafisata Amaleboba, all Justices of the Court of Appeal sitting as additional High Court Judges, to open their defence after finding that the prosecution had made a case against them.

They all opened their defence and denied the charges levelled against them and questioned the authenticity of the video tendered by the prosecution in proving its case.

-DGN online
Over the past three decades (1993 to 2023), Ghanas decentralization experience and the assembly system of local governance have evolved with the media playing various roles in this process.

All over the world, decentralization and local governance offer strong prospects for sustainable development through bringing public services to the doorsteps of the citizenry in providing an enabling support and environments in which citizens can make their living.

Offering platforms for citizens to participate in decisions about allocation of national /local resources and the public interest (empowering them and providing them with opportunities to exercise their voice and enabling local interpretation, adoption and adaptation of international and national human rights commitments, standards and development policies and programmes, including gender equity and social inclusion.

In Ghana, local government elections consist of selecting assembly members and unit committee members in order to bring democracy and participation through representation down as far as possible.

Provision is made in Local Governance Act (Act 936) for election every four years and Act 473 sets out the guidelines for the conduct of district level elections as well as for unit committees.

In 2023, it is estimated that about 6, 272 assembly members and 31,360 unit committee members would be elected.

The critical question is, will the low levels of participation of women as candidates, elected members and voters change?

The 1992 Ghanaian Constitution in Article 35, clause 6 (d), states make democracy a reality by decentralizing the administrative and financial machinery of government to the regions and districts and by affording all possible opportunities to the people to participate in decision-making at every level in national life and in government. This meaningful participation includes women alongside men.

In Article 36 Clause 6, Constitution seeks to allow for equality of opportunity for all citizens and steps to ensure full integration of women into the mainstream of the economic development of Ghana.

Article 37 provides for freedom of opportunities and rights for effective participation, freedom of association, promotion of self-help and collective as well as individual interests in income generation.

Chapter 20 of the Constitution, dedicated to local governance and decentralization, provides in Articles 241 to 251 for the creation, constitution, management and functioning of assemblies and local authorities. Articles 246 to 249 provide for elections to district assemblies every 4 years, six months apart from Parliamentary Elections

Article 240 (2) sets out the processes and features that should characterize the assembly system, namely provisions for legislative transfer of power, functions, responsibilities and resources; capacity of local authorities fiscal and financial soundness for viable economic and local governance, administrative decentralization responsive to the locality; and popular participation for accountability.

If we want to promote womens participation in local governance, the implications of these provisions for them and what has been achieved must be considered, Dr. Abena Yeboah Banin of the University of Ghana has said.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)

The SDGs are a set of 17 global goals adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015 to be achieved by 2030. The fifth goal, SDG 5, is focused on achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls.

It also aims to eliminate gender disparities, violence against women and girls, early and forced marriage, and secure equal participation and opportunities for leadership, as well as universal access to sexual and reproductive rights.

Gender equality is a fundamental human right and a precondition for realizing all goals in the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. Achieving gender equality and womens empowerment is integral to each of the 17 goals. Only by ensuring the rights of women and girls across all the goals will we get to justice and inclusion, economies that work for all, and sustaining our shared environment now and for future generations

The Situation to Date

She said local governance touches the daily lives of women their markets, their homes, sanitation, their garbage, public access and streets, noise and nuisance, funerals and cemeteries, use of spaces for faith, recreation and economic activity, location of public utilities, social infrastructure like schools and health facilities, the safety and well-being of their children, amongst others.

However, womens presence in the local government environment in various offices does not reflect their proportion of the Ghanaian population, she said.

Statistics from AWMA revealed that female elected Assembly members are less than 5%. It was estimated that they constituted 3.8% of the 6,270 memberships; and out of 6,033, there were 246 women representing less than 5%.

Female appointed members constitute 591 out of 2,242 representing 26%, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) are 38 out of the 261 representing 15%), female members of Parliament are 40 out of 275 representing 14.5%, MMD Coordinating Directors 34 out of 261 representing 13% and Chief Directors in the Regions as Regional Coordinating Directors 2 out of 16 representing 12.5%.

It is said that very little progress has been made over 28 years in elections and therefore the need for government and other stakeholders to address the issues to ensure equity in the allocation of resources and positions.

A research revealed that in 1994, women constituted 2.9% of elected assembly members. The proportions went up slightly in 1998 and in 2002 but remained under 7%.

The figures peaked in 2006, when women constituted 8% of the elected assembly members and started dropping in 2010 to 7% and further in 2015 to 5% and fell further in 2019.

In 2019, 6,272 assembly seats were contested by 18, 510 people. Out of these hopefuls, 17,601 were males, and 909 females representing 4.9% of the candidates.

At the unit committee level, there were 38,520 aspirants constituting 34,769 male candidates and 3,751 female candidates representing 9.7%. This calls for the encouragement of women to enter and vie for positions in local governance, based on the following reasons

Local Government Arena

Local government is the basic arena for social services that impact on womens reproductive and domestic activities including primary health, pre-school and basic education, garbage collection and environmental sanitation and regulation of their productive, economic and artisanal activities, she said

According to her, women are key contributors to assemblies internally generated revenues through tolls and levies; participants in fee-fixing processes.

Relative limitations in traditional authority structures for women require local governance arrangements to offer more options for effective participation of women from supply sides as politicians and administrators, and demand sides as citizens, clients and stakeholders, she said.

The Forthcoming Elections

We do not know how many women are offering themselves up for the 2023 elections but we do know that womens numbers are few where they should matter according to the few posters seen available that are not encouraging, Mad Shamima Muslim has said.

We need to encourage more women exercise their franchise in the forthcoming elections, she said.

They must be educated to know who they are voting for, and why and what these persons can be expected to achieve for them through assembly membership, she added.

She appealed to the media to support actions at various levels starting from grassroots activism by womens networks.

Critical challenges cited by female candidates include:

Lack of logistics for campaigns, materials, transport, support staff, and inducements for voters, continue to hinder the women commitment to participate in district assembly election.

She noted that social hindrances to womens participation in politics like traditional gender roles, perceptions about women in public, stereotypes, power relations and patriarchy need to be addressed.

Concerns about public abuse and violence

Time constraints relating to combining social and economic responsibilities with political ambitions family perceptions about their prospects and involvement is also a factor, she said.

Lack of interest and confidence amongst women about political participation; with too few role models, she added.

Partisanship concerns

Various efforts by state and non-state entities to address their challenges met limited success and not been sustained and therefore the need for public education, advocacy, provision of skills training and in-kind support and token cash for womens campaign efforts she said.

They need to be encouraged to form networking in order to utilize their collective potential, she said.

Over the 30 years of implementation of the constitutional assembly system, not much has been achieved to provide an enabling environment to make the local government arena attractive to women beyond elections, she stressed.

The role of the media

Over three decades of the assembly system, the media has covered local level and community development news, carried citizens concerns about local level development including sanitation, infrastructure, disasters and emergencies as well as land use, and reported on the implementation of government policies pertinent to local governance.

It also, solicited citizens opinions ahead of local level elections; reported on trends to elect presiding members and happenings at the confirmation of Chief Executives, assisted in public education on the local government system, citizens obligations and elections; and carried information on training programmes, assembly sittings, reports by Chief Executives to members, disability support and local revenue mobilization efforts, amongst others.

The media has played critical role in uniting Ghana around a broad-based agenda with common goals, values and aspirations around engendering local governance in ensuring womens visibility and participation are promoted beyond cleavages and factions around ethnicity, religion, partisan allegiances, gender and social status.

The medias role as a facilitator and partner is required to promote higher levels of womens participation, gender equality and social inclusion in local governance.

What can media do for women, this time around, in the district level election?

The media need to collaborate with the Electoral Commission, the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, and the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) to increase education and provide unbiased platforms.

The media activism at the local level needs to be developed to foster an environment for local people to participate in governance on their own.

The role of Alliance for Women in Media

Women Advocate and the Convener of Alliance for Women in Media (AWMA) Shamima Muslim said the organization is dedicated to effective communication that gives women more visibility as viable governance alternatives, as well as improves ethical responsible media reportage.

She reiterated the commitment of AWMA to promote higher levels of womens participation, gender equality and social inclusion that are feasible and desirable for women to participate in district level elections.

[email protected], 0241076960
Participants from the Republic of Benin, Civil Society and other national stakeholders converged at the Azalai Hotel in Cotonou for a three-day workshop, from 14  16 November 2023, for an In-Country Pilot Capacity Building Training for National Stakeholders and Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Focal Persons on the Continental Results Framework (CRF) for Monitoring and Reporting of the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda.

The workshop was aimed at enhancing the capacity of National Stakeholders in Monitoring and Reporting on WPS issues using the CRF tool, Improving the understanding by key stakeholders of their roles in monitoring and reporting on the WPS agenda and enhance the implementation of National Action Plans on WPS by improving on feedback on the implementation of plans.

Mr Bekaye Coulibaly, Head of Civilian Component of the ECOWAS Standby Force, who represented Dr. Sintiki Tarfa-Ugbe, Director, Humanitarian and Social Affairs of the ECOWAS Commission, in his welcome remarks said, the ECOWAS Commission, with the support of the GIZ EPSAO project, has developed a simplified version of the AU CRF tool for West Africa, that will support Member States in monitoring and reporting on the WPS Agenda. To this end, the directorate is building the capacities of WPS stakeholders in member states with Benin being the third country benefiting from the training after Nigeria and Cote d'Ivoire.

Mrs. Tamwakat Golit, GIZ-EPSAO Women, Peace, and Security Expert (Embedded in the ECOWAS Commission), who spoke on behalf of Yvonne Akpasom, Head of the GIZ-EPSAO Project. In her remarks, she congratulated the ECOWAS Commission for sustaining the momentum in the processes to operationalize the Continental Results Framework in the West African Region and further re-iterated the commitment of GIZ-EPSAO in accompanying the ECOWAS Commission in implementing its WPS mandate.

Mr. Amadou Diongue, ECOWAS Resident Representative in the Republic of Benin, in his remarks, emphasized the importance of creating a more inclusive and secure society where women's voices are heard, their rights are respected and their contributions are valued, most especially as the West African Region continues to face challenges to peace, security and stability.In order to help in ensuring that a coherent follow-up of the progress of the objectives set by the Women, Peace and Security Agenda in Benin is achieved, he reiterated the readiness of the ECOWAS Representation in accompanying the process in Benin.

In her opening remarks, Mme. Veronique Tognifode, Minister of Social Affairs and Microfinance of the Republic of Benin reiterated the commitment of the government of the Republic of Benin in implementing the WPS agenda, which is evident in the development and adoption of its National Action Plan in 2017. She mentioned that though Benin has not experienced any conflicts, there are multiple situations of tension that threaten the social balance, peace and national stability of the country. In closing, she called for more collaboration to support Benin in implementing its National Action Plan and expressed gratitude to the delegation of the ECOWAS Commission and the representatives of GIZ-EPSAO for their technical and financial support for the organization of the workshop.

The workshop was organized by the ECOWAS Directorate for Humanitarian and Social Affairs (DHSA) in collaboration with relevant Directorates and Agencies with the financial and technical support of the ECOWAS Peace and Security Architecture and Operations (EPSAO) Project -co-funded by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented with the support of GIZ.

The workshop is being attended by about 30 participants drawn from the focal points of ministries, departments, and agencies of the Republic of Benin as well as participants from development organizations, civil society and the media.
The Savannah Regional Director of Ghana Health Service, Dr. Chrysantus Kubio, has stated that Victims of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) suffer disfigurement and disabilities that affect their lives and perpetuate a vicious cycle of poverty.

He said the NTD programme over the years, has been resolute in its mission to eliminate NTDs by 2030.

He said this during a Regional Town Hall advocacy meeting on NTDs organised by Ghana Health Service on Wednesday in Ho, Volta Region.

According to him, in May 2022, World Vision Ghana (WVG), the NTD Ambassador, Rev. Dr. Joyce Aryee, the Intra-Country Coordination Committee (ICCC) and Neglected Tropical Disease Programme, collaborated to hold a Regional Town Hall Advocacy meeting in the Western Region to garner grassroots support and integrating positive initiatives into routine health systems, sustained control and elimination of NTDs.

He was grateful to World Vision Ghana, USAID and all partners for the opportunity to replicate the model in the region because it would serve as a convergence of strengths to combat stigma and advocate for vital water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities and unite a regional caucus of NTD Ambassadors.

He urged all partners to focus on the three strategic shifts outlined in the Global NTDs Road Map.

He asked the partners to prioritise impact over process, ensure heightened accountability and holistic health solutions; integrate within national health systems and adopt comprehensive interventions and bolster national and sub-national ownership to enhance the viability and sustainability of NTD initiatives.
More than 330,000 doses of the Mosquirix malaria vaccine have been delivered to Cameroon as part of efforts to ramp up immunisation across Africa. Cameroon is the first African country to receive the vaccine after pilot programmes in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi.

A batch of 331,200 doses of the vaccine  which is also known as RTS,S and is manufactured by British drugmaker GSK  was offloaded in the capital Yaounde this week.

The initial consignment of vaccines will go to 42 out of 203 health districts in the country, Cameroon's health minister Manaouda Malachie said.

"We lose many compatriots who die because of this disease. Today, we have a vaccine which comes to add to the panoply of measures already rolled out."

Inoculations will begin in December or early next year, according to health officials.

Menacing disease

Malaria remains one of Africa's deadliest diseases, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), killing nearly half a million children under the age of five.

Africa accounted for approximately 95 percent of global malaria cases and 96 percent of related deaths from the mosquito-borne disease in 2021.

The vaccine rollout is a "breakthrough moment for malaria vaccines and malaria control, and a ray of light in a dark time for so many vulnerable children in the world", said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Since 2019, more than two million children have been jabbed in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi in a pilot phase, resulting in substantial reductions in severe malaria illness and hospitalisations.

A further 1.7 million doses of the RTS,S vaccine are expected to arrive in Burkina Faso, Liberia, Niger and Sierra Leone in coming weeks, the global vaccine alliance GAVI said in a joint statement with WHO and the UN children's fund, Unicef.

The trio said ehe delivery to Cameroon signalled that a scale-up of vaccination against malaria across the highest-risk areas on the African continent wouls soon begin.

Unicef representative Juliette Haenni said the vaccine marked an historic moment to protect children.

"Children are the most affected. The ones we are targeting are the six to 24 months old  the most vulnerable," Haenni said.

"This vaccine has the potential to save many lives and reduce the burden of this disease."

The WHO says a second malaria vaccine developed by Britain's University of Oxford, R21/Matrix-M, would become available by the middle of next year.
Government of Ghana has given the approval for passengers travelling to Ghana to opt for visa-on-arrival, waiving the requirement for prior approval.

The approval has been given following a successful engagement between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Ghana Immigration Service and the Ghana Tourism Authority.

The reintroduction of visa-on-arrival is to motivate more Africans in the diaspora and tourists travelling to Ghana to choose the West African country as their destination this December.

It is part of the "Beyond the Return" initiative introduced by the government of Ghana which seeks to connect Africans in the diaspora with their roots.

Following consultation between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Ghana Immigration Service and the Ghana Tourism Authority, approval has been given for passengers travelling to Ghana to opt for visa-on-arrival waiving the requirement for prior approval. This arrangement is effective from 1st December 2023 to 15th January 2024.

Consequently, it would be appreciated if systems are updated to reflect this new arrangement and those responsible for checking-in passengers travelling to Ghana advised not to insist on entry visas prior to their boarding, parts of a letter from the Ministry of Transport said.

"Beyond the Return" is a 10-year Project under the theme "A decade of African Renaissance (2020-2030)."

The initiative has attracted widespread interest among Africans in the Diaspora, a large number of whom have travelled to and /or relocated to Ghana since 2019.

Thousands of people are expected to visit Ghana this December for the holidays as well.
23.11.2023 LISTEN

As President Biden continues to falls further behind in the polls for the 2024 presidential elections, political pundits are once again wondering if Joe Biden can spring a surprise and score another come from behind victory as he has done before. It should be recalled that President Biden was viewed as road kill in some circles during the early stages of the 2020 Democratic primaries for the presidential candidacy. Biden eventually rallied and defeated all his rivals including Bernie Sanders thanks largely in part to the Black vote that saw Biden as an extension of the Obama era.

With less that one year remaining before the 2024 presidential election, former President Donald Trump is leading President Biden in the polls in five battleground states. Polls done by The New York Times and Siena College reveal that President Biden is trailing Donald Trump in five of the six most important battle ground states. Individuals polled in these states indicated dissatisfaction with Bidens age, his handling of the economy, and a number of other issues.

While President Biden continues to double down on his unwavering support for Israels genocidal aggression against the Palestinian people of Gaza, his multiracial coalition seems to be unravelling. Arab and Black Democratic Party supporters are becoming alienated from President Biden and his policies vis a vis the state of Israel as Prime Minister Netanyahu orchestrates a fully televised act of genocide and ethnic cleansing.

Prime Minister Sanchez of Spain, President Macron of France, and Prime Minister Trudeau of Canada have stepped back from the abyss, and have broken rank with the political leadership of the United States and the European Union calling on the Israeli government to exercise maximum restraint, to stop killing babies and women, and to end the indiscriminate killing of Palestinians in Gaza.

In an opinion piece in The Washington Post, President Joe Biden reiterated the view that his administration would not sit back and watch President Putin or Hamas upset the delicate geopolitical apple cart created by America. After engaging in some spectacular gaslighting designed to make Palestinians and the world believe that it was Hamas committing the ongoing genocide and ethnic cleansing taking place in Gaza, President Biden affirmed that his administration was standing firmly with the Israelis as they defend themselves against the murderous nihilism of Hamas.

President Biden continued by reminding his reading audience that the 1200 people killed on October 7, inclusive of 35 American citizens, was a Holocaust triggering event since it represented the largest number of Jewish people killed in a single day since the Holocaust. President Biden however conveniently remained silent on how the continued siege on Gaza, the illegal settlements in the West Bank, and least I forget, the actual Holocaust taking place in Gaza right before our lying eyes are all triggering events of the Nakba of 1948 for the Palestinian people.

President Biden goes on to write about entire Jewish families being massacred in their homes on October 7. He waxed eloquent about the Jewish young people being gunned down at a musical festival and about bodies riddled with bullets and burnt beyond recognition. If babies were beheaded and burnt, now was as good a time as any for President Biden to drive home such a telling point, but he was noticeably mute on this discredited Machiavellian propagandistic talking point concocted by the Israeli Ministry of Disinformation and Deceit.

President Biden and all the other Israeli apologists are entitled to their defense of the Israeli genocide and ethnic cleansing unfolding in Gaza and the West Bank. What President Biden and the other political actors who are providing cover for these barbaric acts are not entitled to however is the support of the masses who can clearly see which side of the conflict really constitutes an existential threat to the other side and which side of the conflict is the true victim in this globally televised Holocaust. The mighty President Joe Biden is speaking his mind on the atrocities he is currently facilitating in Gaza. On November 4, 2024, the Arab and Black masses in America will speak their mind to President Joe Biden. We will have to wait and see if he will be able to come back from behind again after the Arab and Black masses speak their mind on November 4, 2024.

Lenrod Nzulu Baraka is the founder of Afro-Caribbean Spiritual Teaching Center and the author of The Grand Failure: How Christianity Became a Source of Evil in the World.
What an interesting country Ghana is, dear critical-reader: A Parliament full of misogynistic serial-philanderers, with a penchant for pursuing youngish Slay Queens with expensive tastes, is proposing to pass into law, a bill to promote proper human sexual rights and Ghanaian family values. Amazing.

I am left-handed, so I am acutely aware of the nonsensical notion across Ghana, that associates disrespect for others, in the usage of the left hand in certain social settings, and in one's daily interactions with others.

Naturally, it is therefore not strange that one constantly worries that it is not beyond the realms of possibility, that, at some point in time, going forward into the future, ambitious busybodies in the world of Ghanaian politics, a significant number of whom could also be sponsored and funded generously, by overseas extremists in wealthy nations in the Global North, which, for argument's sake, are, for example, suddenly infected by a metaphorical anti-lefthandedness cognitive-virus, and consequently rush to pass laws banning left-hand usage, because they are convinced that it is devilish, and decide to work hard to ban it globally, too, by generously funding the passage of anti-lefthandedness legislation, worldwide, as is the case with anti-LGBTQI+ legislation now being passed by national assemblies across Africa, which are funded behind the scenes by lobbyists working on behalf of wealthy Christian conservative anti-diversity-demographic Westerners.

As compassionate beings, who aren't perfect, and are not without sin ourselves either, perhaps the question to ponder over is: What right do imperfect beings, who happen to be powerful and influential individuals, have, in an African democracy that frowns on discrimination of all kinds, in all societal interactions, to impose their personal views, on others, about how intimacy between their fellow humans, who happen to be consenting adults, should or shouldn't take place, in the privacy of wherever it occurs?

Ditto who decides what proper family values are, in a corruption riddled society, like Ghana, which is dominated by corrupt, misogynistic, and philandering power-hungry and power-mad hypocritical types, I ask?

Seen in that light, do we also not have every right to question whether or not, the proper human sexual rights and proper Ghanaian family values bill, is, or isn't, an unjust and callous attempt, by power-hungry and power-mad hypocrites in Ghana, to pass legislation enabling them to control others, using what is in effect, an unjustifiable monstrous snooping-busybodies-charter, in all but name, and cloaking it with references to religious faith and Ghanaian cultural values, to drum up support, for that inequity? With the greatest respect, dear critcal-reader, the proper human sexual rights and proper Ghanaian family values bill is arrant nonsense, pure and simple. Full stop. Case closed
Where in Accra can one find Sankara Circle? Anyway, in case youre an Accra dweller, dont bother to rack your brains, trying to remember. There is no Sankara Circle in Accra. In fact, there hasnt been one for the past 21 years!

Yet, just before finishing this article, on Thursday, November 23, 2023, passing in front of the Nima Police Station, I saw again, just by the King Tackie Tawiah Overpass, a directional sign which includes SANKARA CIRCLE still there. Ironically, it even has an arrow helpfully pointing towards the Ako Adjei Interchange!

The mystery is that the Ako Adjei Interchange replaced the Sankara Circle as far back as 2002, so why is there still a directional sign with that name written on it, when there is no Sankara Circle?! Who is in charge of just removing the misleading sign, or correcting it?

I was reminded of the Sankara Circle mystery, which has bothered me for years, by a social media video I came across a few days ago. The video shows the shocking, disgusting state of the Black Star Gate, the centrepiece of our famous Black Star Square (also known as the Independence Square), a major visitor attraction.

It was an unsettling reminder that we are a people who seem to revel in the tag that Ghanaians lack a maintenance culture. Also, its yet another reminder that we seem to have too many officials with questionable attitude to their duties; and supervisors who dont supervise.

Otherwise, how can it be that the sign that says SANKARA CIRCLE is still there? I first drew attention to this puzzling anomaly in an article in The Mirror weekly on March 23, 2019.

Part of that article read:

What is now the Ako Adjei Interchange, located between the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation and the Police Headquarters, Ghanas first interchange, under the President J J Rawlings administration, has had a number of name-changes. They include Sankara Circle and then Sankara Interchange, named after the assassinated Head of State of Burkina Faso, Captain Thomas Sankara.

In 2002, it was renamed yet again, this time after Dr Ebenezer Ako Adjei, one of the Big Six who led the fight for Ghanas Independence.

Thus for more than 16 years, the Interchange has borne the Ako Adjei name.

As I wrote in 2019: I can imagine a bewildered tourist, or even somebody just visiting Accra from another part of Ghana, wasting time looking for a non-existent Sankara Circle!

What kind of oversight is this?!

Does it mean that in the successive administrations of the capital city, there are officials who dont know that Accra no more has a Sankara Circle  and hasnt had one for two decades?

And does also it mean that there is no government department in Ghana whose duty it is to check on street signs, traffic directional posts, etc.? Yet, there must be, and evidently those office holders are sleeping on the job!

Doubtless, its that same attitude that has allowed Ghanas iconic monument, the Black Star Gate, to fall into such a deplorable, nauseating state of disrepair, as portrayed in the video. Indeed, so much so that a patriot, the concerned citizen who circulated the distressing video felt compelled to draw attention to the terribly embarrassing situation with a lot of biting insults for the authorities.

One reference source gives the following description to the monument: Just to the north of the main square is a roundabout, in the centre of which stands the Black Star Gate, an imposing monument topped by the Black Star of Africa, the five-pointed star that symbolizes Africa in general and Ghana in particular. The monument bears the inscription AD 1957 and Freedom and Justice.

(Incidentally, there seems to be some confusion as to which of the monuments is termed the Independence Arch, the one described above, or the splendid arch located in the main square. Some reference sources give the same name to both. This will have to be clarified soon by the appropriate bodies.)

What the video focuses on is the Black Star Gate section of the Black Star Square. Appallingly, most of the decorative low wall skirting the roundabout is broken. Other, disgraceful signs of negligence highlighted in the video include its filthy gutters choked full of foul stagnant water, leaves and dirt; cracks in the monument; its dirty walls; and overgrown grass. In short, its condition is a national disgrace!

Little wonder that the patriot was so angry that he even invoked Ghanas deities to unleash severe punishment on those responsible for such monumental neglect!

His question: What kind of country is this?

According to him, he filmed the video earlier this year, significantly, on Independence Day, March 6, 2023. However, strangely, it appears that its only in the past few days that its been circulating widely.

On Tuesday, November 21, I went to the Black Star Square to check on the video report, hoping that the situation would have changed for the better since March. However, I discovered to my dismay that its still the same, if not worse, than what the video depicts!

So, again, what kind of country is this?!

Anyhow, sadly, the same negligent attitude is seen in relation to other national monuments.

For example, what accounts for the disappearance of the names of the dignitaries that two Accra structures are named after, the Interchange and the Overpass? Many years ago, one could see on them, respectively, the bold signs: AKO ADJEI INTERCHANGE; and KING TACKIE TAWIAH OVERPASS.

However, in recent years, their name signs have vanished; and I confirmed that again on Thursday, November 23! In fact, on the Interchange, what is there now on one side is a huge commercial advert!

Why and how did this come about?

Of course Ghana is in the grip of an economic crisis and escalating cost of living stress. But does that mean we dont take care of existing edifices? Even on a personal level, does a period of hardship justify a squalid home environment?

How can memorials honouring an Independence icon, and a revered traditional ruler, continue to be left without their names on the edifices? Surely, to be meaningful, the names need to be written conspicuously on those structures; again!

And the generally unkempt surroundings of our national monuments is perhaps a topic for another day! Weeds everywhere!

Interesting that this is a country on an offensive to increase tourist arrivals significantly, especially at this time of the year! But if there is no interest in keeping places like the Black Star Square in excellent order, why would tourists find Ghana attractive?

Equally importantly, what does such dereliction of duty portray of those supposed to be taking care of our national symbols  and about the country Ghana?

I pray that even before the expected Christmas tourism season begins, those responsible will ensure that all of the Black Star Square is made visitor worthy again; and ASAP! The square, and Ghana, deserve better!

ajoayeboahafari@ yahoo.com
Civil society actors in Ghana, led by Vision for Alternative Development (VALD-Ghana) have expressed their support to the Food and Drugs Authority's (FDA) position to ban alcohol advertisements by celebrities.

They said the banning of celebrities from advertising alcoholic beverages was an effective public health measure that would protect the health and rights of Ghanaian children.

This was in a statement signed by Mr Labram Musah, the Executive Director of Programmes of VALD-Ghana and copied the Ghana News Agency.

The actors expressed their displeasure with the section of the media and some celebrities who are up in arms fighting the FDA and the government for formulating alcohol guidelines aimed at protecting and safeguarding the health, well-being and rights of children and young people from harm caused by alcohol consumption.

The statement said alcohol marketing was largely targeted at children and young people; this is a violation of their rights, as enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Children have the right to grow up in a healthy environment, to be protected from being hurt, from receiving harmful information and from any exploitation.

It said concurrently, Article 28 of Ghana's constitution reiterated that children and young people must, in all circumstances, receive special protection against exposure to physical and moral hazards.

This article agrees that every Ghanaian child has the right to life and education, the statement said, and added that; it is worth noting that these global and national provisions are all dependent on whether or not the child in question is healthy; thus, the child's right to health must at all times superseded all other interests.

They said as civil society actors with the mandate to champion public health against business interests, we strongly support the FDAs stance regarding hindering well-known individuals and celebrities from advertising alcoholic beverages.

Our core responsibility is to advocate for comprehensive public health policies that safeguard the rights, health and well-being of children and young people.

The statement said It was appalling that some celebrities wished to engage in alcohol advertisements for monetary benefits or personal gains without recognizing its adverse effect on children and young people as well as the poor.

They leverage their significant influence and huge social media following to entice young people who look up to them into alcohol consumption at the expense of their health and future, it stated, adding that; Every country, including Ghana, has the utmost responsibility to protect its present and future generations from health-harming products such as alcohol and tobacco.

The statement said alcohol consumption among children and young people led to a substantial burden of disease, disabilities and death, which could be prevented.

The science is very clear that alcohol use in young people, especially early-onset among minors, increases the risk of disrupting brain development, developing alcohol use problems later in life, unwanted pregnancies, contracting transmissible diseases, being injured, or even killed through violence and road traffic crashes.

Since the human brain develops until the age of 25, alcohol consumption poses a developmental risk to children and youth, affecting the development of cognitive and intellectual capacities, it stated.

The statement said: We, the entire civil society fraternity in public health stand with the FDA and the government of Ghana in their decision to continue to implement the ban on celebrities from alcohol advertisement.

It is a step in the right direction to avoid the incubation of a new generation of alcohol addicts and the associated diseases and the socioeconomic burden.

GNA
The Minority in Parliament has lambasted the government for what it describes as total neglect of the Accra Regional Hospital, commonly known as Ridge Hospital.

Speaking during the budget debate, Minority Chief Whip Governs Kwame Agbodza accused President Akufo-Addos government of neglecting healthcare and prioritising the construction of a $250 million headquarters for the Bank of Ghana.

The second phase of that project has been suspended by the Akufo-Addo government. Interestingly, where they abandoned Ridge Hospital they are building a 250 million dollar Bank of Ghana Headquarters, the Minority Chief Whip bemoaned.

Governs Kwame Agbodza continued, As we sit here, if you are to choose health care and Bank of Ghana headquarters which one will you choose? Mr. Speaker, today we can boast of many health facilities under President Mahama.

Making an argument to counter the Minoritys argument, the chairman of the Health Committee, Dr. Ayew Afriyie stressed that it is not healthy for the Minority to play politics with everything.

He said the construction of Agenda 111 hospitals is far-advanced and will be completed to improve health care delivery in the country.

Government is expecting that at least 50 of the agenda 111 hospitals will be completed and commissioned in the first half of 2024.
23.11.2023 LISTEN

The President of the Republic of Ghana, H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has congratulated the new President of Liberia, Joseph Boakai on his election.

In his congratulatory message to the new President, President Akufo-Addo urged him to follow in the footsteps of his predecessors and strengthen the friendship that exists between Liberia and Ghana.

It is my hope that President-elect Boakai would continue on the path of his predecessors, and deepen further the friendship that exists between Liberia and Ghana, which has been based on a shared agenda of democracy, stability, security, development, and prosperity.

Warm congratulations, once again, to President-Elect Joseph Boakai, and best wishes for his and his country's success, President Akufo-Addo said in his statement.

Meanwhile, President Akufo-Addo has also applauded former Liberia President George Manneh Weah for his gracious and statesmanlike concession of defeat.

The President of Ghana holds the view that this lays to rest any lingering suspicion and anxiety about the fate of Liberia in the aftermath of the elections.

Read the full congratulatory message from President Akufo-Addo to the new Liberia President.
A tragic incident happened on Tuesday night as a Masters student from the University of Ghana Business School (UGBS) lost his life in a robbery incident.

The student was reportedly returning from class around 9:00pm when he was attacked by robbers operating on the UPSA-UGBS stretch of the Legon-Madina road.

In an attempt to resist the robbers, the situation escalated, leading to the robbers pushing him onto the road.

Tragically, a speeding vehicle ran over him, killing him instantly.

The incident has raised concerns among students, prompting them to express their worries about the inadequate security measures on that particular dark stretch, especially during late hours.

Students are drawing attention to the absence of street lights, traffic lights, and security personnel in the area.

The University community is mourning the loss of the Masters student, and fellow students are using social media platforms to bring this issue to the attention of authorities.

The call for improved security measures and infrastructure on the Legon-Madina road is resonating among the student body

-Classfmonline
The South African government recently issued a long-awaited policy statement  called a White Paper  outlining proposed changes to the country's asylum and immigration system. More than 20 years after its first post-apartheid immigration legislation in 1998 , immigration remains a pressing concern . Getting this policy right could help with South Africa's economic recovery, increase regional prosperity, and heighten security for citizens and migrants alike.

A general election is due in 2024 and the issue is at the heart of political debate .

Immigrant rights advocates and anti-immigrant activists will welcome the far-reaching efforts to reform frameworks that currently work for none but a few rent-seeking bureaucrats . Most will embrace proposed initiatives to better train officials and reduce corruption but will agree on little else.

Human rights advocates will decry proposals to relocate the processing of asylum applications to the border and to narrow immigrants' channels to permanent residency and citizenship. The stated imperative to develop a well-coordinated strategy of tracking down illegal foreigners will raise their hackles. Anti-immigrant activists and leaders will say the proposals do not go far enough .

Collectively we have studied immigration policy and practice in South Africa and elsewhere for almost 40 years. Based on this experience, we find that the White Paper does not provide an empirical foundation for effective, developmental policy reform.

Instead, it offers vague proposals to address problems that are less about immigration than bureaucratic and political mismanagement. It provides a smokescreen to hide government faults. Perhaps it's intended to distract voters in the 2024 elections from the increasing inequalities and socio-economic challenges in South Africa.

False claims and lapses of logic

What is most unsettling about the paper is how the government invents its own social reality, and then offers vague and poorly considered proposals to solve nonexistent problems.

Case in point: the document states that 150,997 people in South Africa have been granted citizenship by naturalisation (presumably since the 2002 Immigration Act ). This number is used to justify radically narrowing pathways to citizenship. Yet, this figure represents less than 0.2% of the country's population of 62 million .

The suggestion that citizenship is easily accessed  especially through the asylum process  is bizarre. This could only happen if asylum cases were effectively processed. They are not .

Since the Refugees Act was passed in 1998 , only about 300,000 people have been granted refugee status . Many of these have since left South Africa or needed to reapply (so they may have been counted more than once). Of these 300,000, only a small percentage have become permanent residents, let alone citizens.

The White Paper reaches its tragi-comic apex by including a substantial list of legal cases that civil society has won against the Department of Home Affairs for not enforcing its own laws . The cases are supposedly so numerous that

there are several instances wherein the DHA has been slapped with court orders of which it has not been aware of the proceedings.

Rather than bring itself into line, the department wants the law altered to prevent these court challenges. And it argues that without legal reform, scapegoating and violence against immigrants will continue.

The White Paper reasons that excluding immigrants from South Africa will protect them by making Home Affairs more legally compliant, and South Africans more tolerant and welcoming.

The paper's most remarkable self-delusion is in its estimates of between 5 million and 13 million immigrants. These estimates have been debunked . The most reliable source of information on population data, Stats SA Census 2020 , indicates that the percentage of immigrants in the country has declined in the last decade. The numbers may not be perfect, but the total number of foreign-born residents (including exiles, spouses, investors, and others) is close to 2.4 million  somewhere around 4% of the total population of 62 million . The previous census (2010) put the figure at 4.4% of a total population of 52 million .

The White Paper suggests that strict laws are needed to protect the rights of South African citizens against the harsh realities that there are simply not enough resources for everyone. Yet the question is: what exactly do South Africans need to be protected from?

Misplaced blame

Immigration can be a challenge. But this does not explain why South Africans spend days without light, water, jobs, or hope of addressing economic inequality . Immigrants are not the reason why the health service is failing or infrastracture is crumbling . And immigrants are not responsible for most of the country's crime .

Missing too from the White Paper is a grounded discussion of how mobility and immigration schemes can meet skills gaps, promote investment, and create jobs across the region. Whether in the US or South Africa , most careful research suggests immigration has positive economic effects.

Nowhere is there reference to the careful analysis of connections between immigration and development , or research involving the Department of Labour , the International Labour Organisation , unions , and scholars .

Instead, the White Paper offers an almost Soviet style programme where experts will designate entry requirements based on predictions of needed skills. The unpredictability of the regional economy, the high economic and human costs of state-managed labour systems, and the diplomatic benefits of a more regionally integrated labour market suggest another model is needed.

It is another illusion that a government that cannot identify and respond to citizens' basic needs  water , electricity , education , or healthcare  can somehow predict and carefully manage a regional migrant labour system. It is equally fantastical to think that it should.

Imagined problems, impractical solutions

The White Paper does not outline an approach to improve immigration policy. Its proposals are vague and the problems it seeks to solve are not about immigration.

This appears to be part of a trend: the poorly researched and largely unsubstantiated 2017 South African Law Reform Commission's Report on Adult Prostitution similarly overlooked robust evidence-based research in favour of data from religious NGOs in the US and personal blogs .

Both examples point to a government lacking capacity to empirically analyse the world and develop solutions to real problems. If not that, they suggest a government wilfully deceiving its citizenry: making immigrants the scapegoat for its own failings. Given the content of the White Paper, it is likely both.

Loren B Landau receives funding from the South African National Research Foundation. Research informing this article was also supported by the Presidency of South Africa, the South African Local Government Association, the Open Society Foundation, and the US Agency for International Development.

Rebecca Walker does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

By Loren B Landau, Co-Director of the Wits-Oxford Mobility Governance Lab, University of the Witwatersrand And

Rebecca Walker, Research Associate at the African Centre for Migration & Society, University of the Witwatersrand
23.11.2023 LISTEN

Senior Political Science lecturer at the University of Ghana (UG), Prof. Ransford Gyampo has urged Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia to focus on his campaign to build the trust deficit he suffers with the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the eyes of Ghanaians.

In a statement, Prof. Gyampo admonished the NPP flagbearer to stop responding to everything former President John Dramani Mahama talks about.

Arguing that the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has been vindicated of the things he was accused of by the NPP, the Senior Political Science lecturer said how the NPP's ability to restore lost hope will be crucial in the 2024 General Election.

I have a few words to help your very difficult attempt at breaking the Eight. You must focus on your own campaign. Spend much time to rebuild the palpable trust deficit and show no sense of entitlement to anything.

It is politically tactless to respond to the one who stands vindicated by the governments (that you are part of) inability to fulfill some key promises and the bigger hardships people are now facing, than they were experiencing before your government took over office, Prof. Ransford Gyampo said in his statement.

In his statement, Prof. Ransford Gyampo implored Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia to sack his political strategist for making him speak publicly about Mahamas 24-hour economy promise.

Remember, it was your opponents response to the free SHS that made it even more popular. So, why your political strategist couldnt shield you from this same campaign suicidal path, should be the reasoning for their sack, Prof. Gyampo said.

Below is a copy of Prof. Ransford Gyampos statement:

Dear Sir,

I have a few words to help your very difficult attempt at breaking the Eight. You must focus on your own campaign. Spend much time to rebuild the palpable trust deficit and show no sense of entitlement to anything.

It is politically tactless to respond to the one who stands vindicated by the governments (that you are part of) inability to fulfill some key promises and the bigger hardships people are now facing, than they were experiencing before your government took over office.

Remember, you were brought on board to manage the economy and your own lecture series and public utterances gave a lot of hope to many Ghanaians. But the hope of many have been dashed. Your government has dissipated the goodwill willed to it by many Ghanaians. Even among your core support base, there are complaints and regrets.

How you are able to restore lost hopes in your campaign is crucial, and for starters, the way to go isnt to popularize your opponents idea of having a 24 hour economy. Your political strategists should be sacked for making you speak publicly about that proposal because, in their quest to get you to rubbish it, they have succeeded in getting you to make it very popular and trendy. Remember, it was your opponents response to the free SHS that made it even more popular. So, why your political strategist couldnt shield you from this same campaign suicidal path, should be the reasoning for their sack.

This is a free political consultancy. Focus on your campaign and let your opponents do same and may the one with the best of messages win the hearts of Ghanaians. Your recent experience in not making KAs public outbursts against you, an issue, and your strategy to focus only on your delegates, should guide you.

Once again, speak to the issues, stop the unnecessary mocking laughter that intersperses your public remarks, as they create a certain condescension, sense of entitlement, and show disrespect for popular sensibilities.

Do more to deal with the public trust deficit as a fine gentleman. You compound the trust deficit by forcing to overly fraternize with Christian engagements. As a Christian, I would love it, if you decide to be a Christian too. But we all know that you wont convert to be a Christian. You are a Moslem, so remain true to your faith and be committed to it, else your over-fraternization with Christiandom is easily perceived as vote-getting technique which deepens the trust deficit.

We have peacefully coexisted as Christians and Moslems and nothing should be done to point to our differences. Unintendedly, your over-fraternizations rather pronounce surreptitiously, our differences. So just leave it. We have always been together as one people and we wont ever be disunited. Thats how come your party, a very Akan and a very Christian dominated party, voted for you, as flag bearer. It means we have lived together, in spite of region and religion.

May these guide you in your campaign. I wish you well.

Yaw Gyampo

A31, Prabiw

PAV Ansah Street

Saltpond

Suro Nipa House

Behind Old Post Office

Larteh -Akuapim
A media personality Austine Woode has said NPP flagbearer Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia should be wise to focus on specific policy proposals, accepting responsibility for economic challenges and reducing expenditures if he wants to win the 2024 elections.

Outlining five steps, he urges Bawumia to focus on substance over attacks, admonishing him not to mention Mahama or NDC" in his campaigns.

He suggested Dr. Bawumia give policy-focused lectures to key stakeholders such as teachers, market women, and medical practitioners and advertise them widely on radio and TV.

Accept and apologize for the economic crisis and in a sober mood, tell Ghanaians tough decisions had to be taken and we are bouncing back," read Woodes X post on Thursday, November 23.

The proposed strategy also included unveiling what he described as "my plans if elected President" which should focus on increasing funding for anti-corruption bodies and cutting down government expenditure.

Woode advised Bawumia to "Promise to reduce overall budget deficit by 5% of GDP by showing clearly expenditure reduction."

He said the NPP flagbearer should focus on "one big policy on either health, education or housing which is well thought through."

"If implemented, the focused policy proposals and concessions on economic challenges could help Bawumia make his case to voters struggling under hardship," according to Austine Woode's proposed 2024 campaign strategy for Bawumia.
My fellow Akatamansonians, on behalf of myself and that of the entire chapter executive committee of NDC USA, we wish you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Day is celebrated here in the US and Canada, though not on the same day, but for the same purpose, thats a day set aside to give thanks.

History has it that, in November 1621, the Pilgrims on the MayFlower, after their first harvest in what was called New World, celebrated the first Thanksgiving" These festivities that lasted for some few days is recorded, was attended by the Pilgrims and some Native Americans.

The history or origin of Thanksgiving Day in Canada dates back to 1578 with a little different reason, but the same purpose-giving thanks.

As we celebrate this day with friends and families, were most grateful and thankful to each and everyone of you for your dedication, unwavering commitment and sacrifices for the betterment of our party and country over the years here in the US to enhance the Fortunes of the NDC.

We are particularly most grateful for giving me and the entire chapter executives the opportunity to lead and serve you for another term in office.

We began our term of office by holding a reconciliation conference, listening to most of you who voiced your concerns about what you deemed was done wrong by us in the old administration and either leading to or during the chapter elections.

We followed it with a historical and humongous successful conference and fundraising in Chicago and New Jersey, which was attended by H. E John Dramani Mahama, the former President of the Republic of Ghana, our flag-bearer, the leader of the rescue team to deliver our dear motherland, Ghana from the ruins of the state of affairs and governance by the super incompetent government led by the insensitive Nana Akufo Addo/ Dr. Bawuliar and the NPP friends and family government.

The delegation included our General Secretary Hon, Fiifi Kwatey, Hon. Alex Segbefia, Esq, the Director of IRD, Hon. Sammy Adu Gyamfi, Esq -National Communications Office, Hon George Opare Addo Esq, National Youth Organizer and a host of other dignitaries and national officers of the NDC.

Ghana needs us more now than never, election 2024, we cannot, I mean Ghana cannot afford to entrust the halm of affairs and governance into the hands of Dr. Bawumia liar. The super incompetent leader of the shameful and dysfunctional economic management team ever assembled by any government in the history of Ghana. The overseers of the unprecedented corruption, the leader of most scandalous regime we have ever experienced in Ghana, need I say more.

Ghana just cannot afford not to elect H.E John Mahama and the NDC party back to power in 2024. While thanking each of you for making our recent fundraising a huge success, most especially, the protocol and event planning team, the fundraising team, all the chapter executives, team Chicago, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Atlanta, and the New Jersey/New York/DC Metro/Massachusetts/Virginia/Rhode Island/Connecticut team and everyone who played a part in helping make these historical events a huge success, as earlier stated.

We have more work to do, I therefore would like to use this occasion to appeal to all of you to set aside all our differences and come together as one United family under the umbrella of the great Akatamanso fraternity to help rescue our dear motherland in election 2024.

What unites us is greater than what divides us.

Wishing you and yours once again a Happy and Safe Thanksgiving filled with warmth, joy and a moment of reflection on our vision as NDC USA Chapter in the Diaspora.

United we Stand, Divided we fall.

Better Together,

Eye Zu

Eye Za

Maame Aba Dadzie

Chairman, NDC USA.
23.11.2023 LISTEN

In a historic moment marked by a visit to the Gbewaa Palace in Yendi, the Overlord of Dagbon, Ya-Naa Abubakari Mahami II, has congratulated Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia on his election as the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for the upcoming presidential election in 2024.

During the courtesy visit on Tuesday, Ya-Naa was happy about the landmark election of Vice President Bawumia as the first Northerner to lead the NPP.

"I have noted with satisfaction, as well as other Northerners, that you are the first-ever northerner to lead the NPP," Ya Na Abubakari stated.

"We definitely are proud of this achievement and know that you are more than qualified to occupy this lofty position in your party," he added.

The Overlord emphasized that Dr. Bawumia's elevation is well-deserved, considering his exemplary contributions to both the NPP and the development of Ghana.

"My son, your elevation to this high office is not a surprise to Ghanaians who follow our political development in the country. Your contributions to your party and the development of Ghana provide ample reasons why you should be elevated to lead your party," Ya-Naa Abubakari remarked.

He continued, stating, "No sincere and persistent contributions to a cause are ever lost, and this is well demonstrated in the reward that has been presented to you."

Acknowledging the responsibility placed on Dr. Bawumia's shoulders, Ya-Naa Abubakari expressed his hope that the Vice President would successfully lead the party to greater heights.

"This is a big responsibility that has been placed on your head, and I pray that you will be up to the task and carry out your duties as successfully as you can," he stated.

The Overlord advised Dr. Bawumia to remain humble and emphasized the importance of seeking God's guidance for continued success.

Concluding his remarks, Ya-Naa Abubakari extended his blessings and encouraged the Vice President to unite with other leaders and their supporters within the NPP for the greater good.
23.11.2023 LISTEN

Senior Lecturer at the Political Science Department at the University of Ghana, Prof. Ransford Gyampo has penned an open letter to the flagbearer of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.

In his letter, Prof. Gyampo urged the Vice President to focus on addressing key issues, adding that his mocking laughter is unnecessary.

According to the Political Science Lecture, the mocking laughter of Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia not only creates a sense of entitlement but also shows disrespect.

Once again, speak to the issues, stop the unnecessary mocking laughter that intersperses your public remarks, as they create a certain condescension, sense of entitlement, and show disrespect for popular sensibilities, Prof. Ransford Gyampo said.

He urged Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia to do more to deal with the public trust deficit before the 2024 General Election.

In the open letter shared on Facebook, Prof. Ransford Gyampo admonished the NPP flagbearer to remain true to his faith and be committed to it.

He argued that if this is not heeded, the Vice Presidents over-fraternization with Christiandom will be easily perceived as a vote-getting technique that deepens the trust deficit.

Below is Prof. Ransford Gyampos Open Letter to Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.

Dear Sir,

I have a few words to help your very difficult attempt at breaking the Eight. You must focus on your own campaign. Spend much time to rebuild the palpable trust deficit and show no sense of entitlement to anything.

It is politically tactless to respond to the one who stands vindicated by the governments (that you are part of) inability to fulfill some key promises and the bigger hardships people are now facing, than they were experiencing before your government took over office.

Remember, you were brought on board to manage the economy and your own lecture series and public utterances gave a lot of hope to many Ghanaians. But the hope of many have been dashed. Your government has dissipated the goodwill willed to it by many Ghanaians. Even among your core support base, there are complaints and regrets.

How you are able to restore lost hopes in your campaign is crucial, and for starters, the way to go isnt to popularize your opponents idea of having a 24 hour economy. Your political strategists should be sacked for making you speak publicly about that proposal because, in their quest to get you to rubbish it, they have succeeded in getting you to make it very popular and trendy. Remember, it was your opponents response to the free SHS that made it even more popular. So, why your political strategist couldnt shield you from this same campaign suicidal path, should be the reasoning for their sack.

This is a free political consultancy. Focus on your campaign and let your opponents do same and may the one with the best of messages win the hearts of Ghanaians. Your recent experience in not making KAs public outbursts against you, an issue, and your strategy to focus only on your delegates, should guide you.

Once again, speak to the issues, stop the unnecessary mocking laughter that intersperses your public remarks, as they create a certain condescension, sense of entitlement, and show disrespect for popular sensibilities.

Do more to deal with the public trust deficit as a fine gentleman. You compound the trust deficit by forcing to overly fraternize with Christian engagements. As a Christian, I would love it, if you decide to be a Christian too. But we all know that you wont convert to be a Christian. You are a Moslem, so remain true to your faith and be committed to it, else your over-fraternization with Christiandom is easily perceived as vote-getting technique which deepens the trust deficit.

We have peacefully coexisted as Christians and Moslems and nothing should be done to point to our differences. Unintendedly, your over-fraternizations rather pronounce surreptitiously, our differences. So just leave it. We have always been together as one people and we wont ever be disunited. Thats how come your party, a very Akan and a very Christian dominated party, voted for you, as flag bearer. It means we have lived together, in spite of region and religion.

May these guide you in your campaign. I wish you well.

Yaw Gyampo

A31, Prabiw

PAV Ansah Street

Saltpond

Suro Nipa House

Behind Old Post Office

Larteh -Akuapim
The issue of "massive uncontrolled corruption," recently decried by the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference (GCBC), has resonated with the UK High Commissioner to Ghana, Harriet Thompson, who emphasized that corruption is a huge hindrance to Ghana's progress.

Speaking at the 75th birthday celebration of King Charles III at her residence, Harriet Thompson addressed the pervasive impact of corruption on the nation's development.

She asserted that if all the funds allocated to Ghana were utilized for their intended purposes, the country would experience expedited progress.

Harriet Thompson's remarks mirrored the concerns raised by the GCBC, who recently said corruption seems legalized and suffocating the nation.

In an interview with the media monitored by ModernGhana News, she stated, Corruption is one of the things holding Ghana back. Its not only a problem in Ghana, but also a problem in many other countries. If all the money that comes into Ghana were used for the purpose for which it was intended, Ghana would be making faster progress.

Addressing the public perception of high corruption, Harriet Thompson emphasized that such perceptions negatively affect Ghana's image, contributing to its poor ranking on the corruption index.

Beyond addressing corruption, the UK High Commissioner also expressed her concern about the upcoming 2024 general elections.

She pledged the UK's support to ensure a peaceful, transparent, free, and fair electoral process.

"We have been working with the Electoral Commission for a long time. Were also doing some work to help tackle mis/disinformation, which sadly has popped up in many elections these days," Harriet Thompson disclosed.

Expressing confidence in the democratic process, she highlighted the collaborative efforts of civil society and political actors.
Ghana's democracy is failing to deliver for its citizens and must be reformed to restore hope, a prominent democracy advocate said today.

Delivering a keynote lecture at the Ghana Center for Democratic Developments (CDD-Ghana) 'Kronti ne Akwamu' (Democracy and Good Governance) public lecture, Professor Baffour Agyemang-Duah, Professor Agyemang-Duah, CEO of John Agyekum Kufour Foundation said Ghana's leadership and institutions are failing, reducing public faith in the once-cherished system.

"Our democracy has now been around for 30 years but poverty and unemployment are still high. People no longer have much confidence that it can solve their problems," Prof Agyemang-Duah said at the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences on Wednesday, November 22.

He called for the inclusion of traditional chiefs in governance and a decentralization of power from the central government.

"Nothing prevents us from adjusting our democracy if the current model has not worked. We must be ready to change, he added.

Held at a time of CDD-Ghanas 25th anniversary, the lecture was dubbed, In conversation with CDD-Ghana: 25 years of democracy, good governance and inclusive development.

The lecture included a panel made up of Prof Audrey Gadzekpo, Board Chair of CDD-Ghana, Mr. Kweku A Awotwi, CDD-Ghana Board Member, Mrs. Rhoda Osei-Afful, former elections lead at CDD-Ghana and Mr. Ibrahim Tanko Amidu, Executive Director of Star Ghana Foundation.

The panellists reflected on CDD-Ghanas contribution towards the development of democracy in Ghana and Africa as well as some challenges encountered and how to keep on with its mandate going forward.

Board chair Prof Audrey Gadzekpo praised CDD-Ghana's Afrobarometer research network for enriching democratic discourse across Africa.

"They have helped shape the debate on the state of democracy and citizenship on the continent," she said.

Former CDD-Ghana elections lead Rhoda Osei-Afful noted the challenges the think tank faces as a non-profit organisation.

"Operating without bias but on limited funds is not easy, but they have never given up advocating for good governance," she averred.
Aguia Resources Limited (CVE:AGRL  Get Free Report)s share price traded down 7.1% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as C$0.13 and last traded at C$0.13. 361,698 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 14% from the average session volume of 418,301 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$0.14.

Aguia Resources Stock Down 7.1 %

The firms 50-day moving average price is C$0.13 and its 200 day moving average price is C$0.13. The firm has a market cap of C$24.14 million and a P/E ratio of -10.00.

About Aguia Resources

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Aguia Resources Limited engages in the exploration and development of mineral resource projects in Brazil. Its flagship Rio Grande phosphate assets include the Tres Estradas, Joca Tavares, Porteira carbonatite, and Cerro Preto deposits located in the state of Rio Grande do Sul in southern Brazil. Aguia Resources Limited was incorporated in 2007 and is based in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

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AmeriCann, Inc. (OTCMKTS:ACAN  Get Free Report) shares dropped 10% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $0.18 and last traded at $0.18. Approximately 57,600 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 286% from the average daily volume of 14,911 shares. The stock had previously closed at $0.20.

AmeriCann Stock Performance

The businesss 50-day simple moving average is $0.26 and its 200-day simple moving average is $0.24.

About AmeriCann

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AmeriCann, Inc operates as a specialized cannabis company in the United States. It engages in the product manufacturing and greenhouse cultivation facilities for licensed cannabis business. The company's flagship project is the Massachusetts Cannabis Center that is developed on a 52-acre parcel of land located in Freetown, southeastern Massachusetts.

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Crawford & Company (NYSE:CRD-B  Get Free Report) SVP Michael J. Hoberman sold 1,200 shares of Crawford & Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $10.79, for a total transaction of $12,948.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 6,676 shares in the company, valued at approximately $72,034.04. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Crawford & Company Price Performance

NYSE:CRD-B traded up $0.50 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $10.14. 41,300 shares of the stock traded hands. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $8.70 and a 200 day moving average of $8.74.

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Crawford & Company provides claims management and outsourcing solutions for carriers, brokers, and corporations in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe, Canada, Australia, Asia, and Latin America. The company operates through four segments: North America Loss Adjusting, International Operations, Broadspire, and Platform Solutions.

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PIMCO 25+ Year Zero Coupon U.S. Treasury Index Exchange-Traded Fund (NYSEARCA:ZROZ  Get Free Report)s share price traded up 1.1% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $74.82 and last traded at $74.73. 240,093 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 15% from the average session volume of 281,204 shares. The stock had previously closed at $73.92.

PIMCO 25+ Year Zero Coupon U.S. Treasury Index Exchange-Traded Fund Trading Up 0.8 %

The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $71.22 and a 200-day simple moving average of $81.29.

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Institutional Investors Weigh In On PIMCO 25+ Year Zero Coupon U.S. Treasury Index Exchange-Traded Fund

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its stake in shares of PIMCO 25+ Year Zero Coupon U.S. Treasury Index Exchange-Traded Fund by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 86,359 shares of the companys stock worth $6,283,000 after acquiring an additional 3,469 shares during the period. Flow Traders U.S. LLC lifted its position in shares of PIMCO 25+ Year Zero Coupon U.S. Treasury Index Exchange-Traded Fund by 1,018.7% during the 2nd quarter. Flow Traders U.S. LLC now owns 46,628 shares of the companys stock worth $4,291,000 after buying an additional 42,460 shares during the last quarter. Ashford Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of PIMCO 25+ Year Zero Coupon U.S. Treasury Index Exchange-Traded Fund by 97.5% during the 3rd quarter. Ashford Capital Management Inc. now owns 30,918 shares of the companys stock worth $2,249,000 after buying an additional 15,265 shares during the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its position in shares of PIMCO 25+ Year Zero Coupon U.S. Treasury Index Exchange-Traded Fund by 12.9% during the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 16,680 shares of the companys stock worth $1,598,000 after buying an additional 1,910 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ancora Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of PIMCO 25+ Year Zero Coupon U.S. Treasury Index Exchange-Traded Fund by 263.2% during the 4th quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 13,800 shares of the companys stock worth $1,205,000 after buying an additional 10,000 shares during the last quarter.

About PIMCO 25+ Year Zero Coupon U.S. Treasury Index Exchange-Traded Fund

PIMCO 25+ Year Zero Coupon U.S. Treasury Index ETF, formerly PIMCO 25+ Year Zero Coupon U.S. Treasury Index Fund ETF, is an exchange-traded fund. The Fund seeks to provide total return that closely corresponds to the total return of The BofA Merrill Lynch Long US Treasury Principal STRIPS Index (the Index) by investing at least 80% of its total assets (exclusive of collateral held from securities lending) in the component securities of the Index.

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Superdry plc (LON:SDRY  Get Free Report)s share price dropped 3.4% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as low as GBX 39.41 ($0.49) and last traded at GBX 39.60 ($0.50). Approximately 184,028 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 47% from the average daily volume of 348,735 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 41 ($0.51).

Superdry Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of 38.38 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -21.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 2.21. The stocks 50 day moving average price is GBX 42.33 and its two-hundred day moving average price is GBX 61.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 293.27.

About Superdry

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Superdry plc designs, produces, markets, and sells clothing, footwear, and accessories primarily under the Superdry brand for men and women in the United Kingdom and internationally. It operates through Retail and Wholesale segments. The Company operates through stores, concessions, various Internet sites, multi-brand independents and distributors, franchise, and license stores.

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Ariana Resources plc (LON:AAU  Get Free Report)s stock price crossed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of GBX 2.47 ($0.03) and traded as low as GBX 2.01 ($0.03). Ariana Resources shares last traded at GBX 2.05 ($0.03), with a volume of 357,466 shares traded.

Ariana Resources Price Performance

The firms 50-day moving average price is GBX 2.29 and its 200-day moving average price is GBX 2.47. The company has a market cap of 23.81 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 335.00 and a beta of 0.71.

About Ariana Resources

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Ariana Resources plc engages in acquisition, exploration, and development of mineral resources in Turkey. The company explores for gold, nickel, cobalt, uranium, zinc, silver, copper, and molybdenum deposits. Its projects include the Kiziltepe Gold-Silver mine and Tavsan gold project located in western Turkey; and Salinbas gold project located in north-eastern Turkey.

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ATS Automation Tooling Systems Inc. (TSE:ATA  Get Free Report) crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of C$0.00 and traded as high as C$43.88. ATS Automation Tooling Systems shares last traded at C$43.69, with a volume of 144,829 shares.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, National Bank Financial reiterated an outperform overweight rating on shares of ATS Automation Tooling Systems in a report on Wednesday, August 16th.

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ATS Automation Tooling Systems Stock Performance

About ATS Automation Tooling Systems

The stock has a market capitalization of C$4.01 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.32. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of C$43.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 125.91, a current ratio of 1.49 and a quick ratio of 1.15.

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ATS Automation Tooling Systems Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides automation solutions worldwide. The company is also involved in the planning, designing, building, commissioning, and servicing automated manufacturing and assembly systems, including automation products and test solutions. It offers enterprise solutions in the areas of project management; partners/suppliers/vendors team selection and coordination; facility layouts and operational design; business case development and project justification; post project service, spare parts, and support; and system design, built, integration, commissioning, validation, training and start up.

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Bahamas Petroleum Company plc (LON:BPC  Get Free Report)s share price crossed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of GBX 0.33 ($0.00) and traded as low as GBX 0.31 ($0.00). Bahamas Petroleum shares last traded at GBX 0.33 ($0.00), with a volume of 182,969,264 shares trading hands.

Bahamas Petroleum Stock Down 8.5 %

The company has a quick ratio of 3.82, a current ratio of 3.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. The stock has a market cap of 16.21 million and a P/E ratio of -1.63. The companys 50 day moving average price is GBX 0.32 and its two-hundred day moving average price is GBX 0.33.

About Bahamas Petroleum

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Bahamas Petroleum Company plc engages in the oil and gas exploration activities in the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. Bahamas Petroleum Company plc was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in Douglas, the United Kingdom.

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Battalion Oil Co. (NYSE:BATL  Get Free Report) shot up 7.4% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $5.88 and last traded at $5.77. 7,312 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 60% from the average session volume of 18,147 shares. The stock had previously closed at $5.37.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on BATL. TheStreet lowered shares of Battalion Oil from a c- rating to a d rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 1st. Roth Mkm reduced their price target on shares of Battalion Oil from $24.00 to $18.60 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 11th.

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Battalion Oil Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $94.97 million, a P/E ratio of -1.90 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.76, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.53. The companys 50 day moving average is $5.96 and its 200 day moving average is $6.35.

Battalion Oil (NYSE:BATL  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 15th. The company reported ($0.73) EPS for the quarter. The company had revenue of $54.11 million during the quarter. Battalion Oil had a negative net margin of 17.33% and a negative return on equity of 20.89%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Battalion Oil

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Battalion Oil by 48.2% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 910,559 shares of the companys stock valued at $16,918,000 after acquiring an additional 296,132 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp bought a new position in shares of Battalion Oil during the second quarter valued at $491,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its stake in shares of Battalion Oil by 126.2% during the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 46,600 shares of the companys stock valued at $397,000 after acquiring an additional 26,000 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp bought a new position in shares of Battalion Oil during the second quarter valued at $196,000. Finally, RBF Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Battalion Oil during the second quarter valued at $114,000.

Battalion Oil Company Profile

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Battalion Oil Corporation, an independent energy company, engages in the acquisition, production, exploration, and development of onshore oil and natural gas assets in the United States. It holds interests in the Delaware Basin located in the counties of Pecos, Reeves, Ward, and Winkler, Texas. The company was formerly known as Halcon Resources Corporation and changed its name to Battalion Oil Corporation in January 2020.

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Shares of Cathay Pacific Airways Limited (OTCMKTS:CPCAY  Get Free Report) passed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $5.09 and traded as low as $5.00. Cathay Pacific Airways shares last traded at $5.00, with a volume of 1,152 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Cathay Pacific Airways from a neutral rating to an overweight rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 25th.

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Cathay Pacific Airways Price Performance

Cathay Pacific Airways Company Profile

The business has a 50 day moving average price of $5.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $5.09.

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Cathay Pacific Airways Limited, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a carrier of international passengers and air cargo. The company conducts airline operations principally to and from Hong Kong. It also provides property investment, travel reward program, travel tour operator, financial, aircraft leasing and acquisition facilitation, airline catering, information processing, aircraft ramp handling, laundry and dry cleaning, ground handling, cargo terminal, and aircraft engineering services.

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CCL Industries Inc. (TSE:CCL.B  Get Free Report) shares passed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of C$60.92 and traded as low as C$57.44. CCL Industries shares last traded at C$58.26, with a volume of 143,077 shares.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CCL.B has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus set a C$65.00 price target on shares of CCL Industries and gave the company a hold rating in a report on Tuesday. National Bankshares increased their price target on shares of CCL Industries from C$78.00 to C$79.00 in a report on Friday, August 11th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on shares of CCL Industries from C$75.00 to C$72.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 10th. CIBC cut their price target on shares of CCL Industries from C$74.00 to C$72.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 13th. Finally, Pi Financial cut their price target on shares of CCL Industries from C$81.00 to C$75.00 in a report on Friday, November 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of C$73.40.

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CCL Industries Stock Up 0.5 %

About CCL Industries

The company has a market capitalization of C$9.61 billion, a PE ratio of 16.25, a PEG ratio of 0.26 and a beta of 0.59. The companys 50 day moving average is C$56.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is C$60.87. The company has a quick ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 54.63.

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CCL Industries Inc manufactures and sells labels, containers, consumer printable media products, technology driven label solutions, polymer bank note substrates, and specialty films. The company operates through four segments: CCL, Avery, Checkpoint, and Innovia. The CCL segment offers pressure sensitive and specialty extruded film materials for decorative, instructional, functional, and security applications in the consumer packaging, healthcare, chemicals, consumer electronic device, and automotive markets.

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Farmers Edge Inc. (OTC:FMEGF  Get Free Report)s share price rose 104.3% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $0.18 and last traded at $0.18. Approximately 16,500 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 56% from the average daily volume of 10,544 shares. The stock had previously closed at $0.09.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Raymond James lowered their target price on shares of Farmers Edge from C$0.15 to C$0.10 in a research report on Monday, August 21st.

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Farmers Edge Stock Performance

About Farmers Edge

The companys 50-day simple moving average is $0.12 and its 200 day simple moving average is $0.14.

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Farmers Edge Inc develops digital agriculture solutions in Canada, the United States, Brazil, Australia, and internationally. It operates through two segments, Digital Agronomy Operations and E-commerce Operations. The Digital Agronomy Operations segment offers suite of digital agronomy solutions to growers.

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Frederick County Bancorp (MD) (OTCMKTS:FCBI  Get Free Report) crossed above its 50 day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 50 day moving average of $36.00 and traded as high as $36.10. Frederick County Bancorp (MD) shares last traded at $36.00, with a volume of 600 shares changing hands.

Frederick County Bancorp (MD) Stock Performance

The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $36.00 and a 200-day moving average price of $36.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $57.85 million, a PE ratio of 25.35 and a beta of 0.34.

About Frederick County Bancorp (MD)

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Frederick County Bancorp, Inc operates as the holding company for Frederick County Bank that provides various banking services to individuals and commercial enterprises in the Frederick County, Maryland. It offers deposit products, including personal checking accounts, savings accounts, money market accounts, certificates of deposit, individual retirement accounts, and health savings accounts; and business checking accounts, savings and money market accounts, and certificates of deposits.

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Hansteen Holdings plc (LON:HSTN  Get Free Report)s stock price passed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of GBX 116.20 ($1.45) and traded as high as GBX 116.20 ($1.45). Hansteen shares last traded at GBX 116.20 ($1.45), with a volume of 5,099,403 shares changing hands.

Hansteen Price Performance

The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of GBX 116.20 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of GBX 116.20. The stock has a market cap of 498.20 million and a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 53.41, a current ratio of 2.83 and a quick ratio of 2.37.

Hansteen Company Profile

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Hansteen Holdings PLC is a company which was incorporated in the United Kingdom and registered in England and Wales on 27 October 2005. The Company is required to comply with the provisions of the Companies Act 2006. The address of the registered office is 1st Floor, Pegasus House, 37-43 Sackville Street, London W1S 3DL.

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Landis+Gyr Group AG (OTCMKTS:LDGYY  Get Free Report)s stock price was up 2.5% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $20.53 and last traded at $20.53. Approximately 200 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 72% from the average daily volume of 727 shares. The stock had previously closed at $20.03.

Landis+Gyr Group Price Performance

The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $20.10 and a 200 day simple moving average of $21.50.

About Landis+Gyr Group

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Landis+Gyr Group AG, together with its subsidiaries, provides integrated energy management solutions to utility sector in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, South America, Canada, and the Asia Pacific. The company offers prepayment electricity, commercial/industrial and grid, and non-smart and smart gas meters; heat and water meters and solutions; load control devices; and system deployment, and managed network solutions.

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Macquarie Group Limited (OTCMKTS:MQBKY  Get Free Report) shares passed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $113.19 and traded as low as $110.13. Macquarie Group shares last traded at $111.12, with a volume of 15,042 shares traded.

Macquarie Group Trading Down 2.0 %

The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $106.23 and a 200 day simple moving average of $113.09.

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Macquarie Group Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 29th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 15th will be issued a $0.9859 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 14th. Macquarie Groups payout ratio is presently 77.50%.

Macquarie Group Company Profile

Macquarie Group Limited provides diversified financial services in Australia, the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. The company operates through four segments: Macquarie Asset Management (MAM), Banking and Financial Services (BFS), Commodities and Global Markets (CGM), and Macquarie Capital.

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Mueller Industries, Inc. (NYSE:MLI  Get Free Report)s share price passed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $39.71 and traded as high as $41.64. Mueller Industries shares last traded at $41.36, with a volume of 496,456 shares traded.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com lowered Mueller Industries from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Friday, October 27th.

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View Our Latest Analysis on Mueller Industries

Mueller Industries Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $4.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.43 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a 50 day moving average of $39.16 and a 200-day moving average of $39.74.

Mueller Industries (NYSE:MLI  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 24th. The industrial products company reported $1.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $819.70 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $661.00 million. Mueller Industries had a return on equity of 30.39% and a net margin of 17.46%. The companys quarterly revenue was down 13.2% compared to the same quarter last year.

Mueller Industries Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 15th. Investors of record on Friday, December 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 30th. Mueller Industriess dividend payout ratio is 10.92%.

Insider Activity at Mueller Industries

In other Mueller Industries news, Director John B. Hansen sold 10,148 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.14, for a total transaction of $397,192.72. Following the sale, the director now owns 109,214 shares in the company, valued at $4,274,635.96. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Mueller Industries news, Director John B. Hansen sold 10,148 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.14, for a total transaction of $397,192.72. Following the sale, the director now owns 109,214 shares in the company, valued at $4,274,635.96. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director John B. Hansen sold 1,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.87, for a total value of $37,870.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 23,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $871,010. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of MLI. First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Mueller Industries by 284.1% in the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,701,964 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $198,540,000 after buying an additional 1,998,534 shares during the period. Gates Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Mueller Industries during the 1st quarter valued at about $60,565,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Mueller Industries during the 4th quarter valued at about $39,197,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Mueller Industries by 1,084.7% during the 1st quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 671,768 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $4,010,000 after purchasing an additional 615,064 shares during the period. Finally, Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in Mueller Industries during the 1st quarter valued at about $29,681,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.50% of the companys stock.

Mueller Industries Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Mueller Industries, Inc manufactures and sells copper, brass, aluminum, and plastic products in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, South Korea, the Middle East, China, and Mexico. It operates through three segments: Piping Systems, Industrial Metals, and Climate. The Piping Systems segment offers copper tubes, fittings, line sets, and pipe nipples; PEX plumbing and radiant systems; and plumbing-related fittings and plastic injection tooling.

Further Reading

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Shares of Nuveen Credit Strategies Income Fund (NYSE:JQC  Get Free Report) crossed above its fifty day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a fifty day moving average of $5.01 and traded as high as $5.07. Nuveen Credit Strategies Income Fund shares last traded at $5.06, with a volume of 317,421 shares changing hands.

Nuveen Credit Strategies Income Fund Stock Performance

The stocks 50-day moving average price is $5.00 and its 200-day moving average price is $5.01.

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Nuveen Credit Strategies Income Fund Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 15th will be given a dividend of $0.054 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 14th. This represents a $0.65 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 12.88%.

Insider Activity

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

In related news, Portfolio Manager Scott C. Caraher sold 15,000 shares of Nuveen Credit Strategies Income Fund stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $4.92, for a total transaction of $73,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the portfolio manager now directly owns 6,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,520. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Nuveen Credit Strategies Income Fund by 93.6% in the 1st quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 43,890 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $224,000 after acquiring an additional 21,222 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its holdings in Nuveen Credit Strategies Income Fund by 10.4% in the 2nd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,515,880 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $7,655,000 after acquiring an additional 143,382 shares during the last quarter. Credit Suisse AG raised its holdings in Nuveen Credit Strategies Income Fund by 216.7% in the 1st quarter. Credit Suisse AG now owns 950,000 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $4,854,000 after acquiring an additional 650,000 shares during the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp raised its holdings in Nuveen Credit Strategies Income Fund by 56.0% in the 1st quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 429,009 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $2,193,000 after acquiring an additional 153,972 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bramshill Investments LLC raised its holdings in Nuveen Credit Strategies Income Fund by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. Bramshill Investments LLC now owns 358,437 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $1,832,000 after acquiring an additional 6,242 shares during the last quarter.

Nuveen Credit Strategies Income Fund Company Profile

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Nuveen Credit Strategies Income Fund is a closed-ended balanced mutual fund launched by Nuveen Investments, Inc The fund is managed by Symphony Asset Management, LLC. It invests in the fixed income and public equity markets of the United States. The fund invests in senior secured and second lien loans, preferred securities, convertible securities and related instruments.

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OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A purchased a new stake in shares of SPDR Gold Shares (NYSEARCA:GLD  Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund purchased 2,762 shares of the exchange traded funds stock, valued at approximately $492,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Tucker Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in SPDR Gold Shares in the first quarter worth $25,000. Northwest Capital Management Inc purchased a new stake in SPDR Gold Shares in the second quarter worth $35,000. Old North State Trust LLC increased its stake in SPDR Gold Shares by 225.4% in the first quarter. Old North State Trust LLC now owns 550 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 381 shares during the period. WFA of San Diego LLC purchased a new stake in SPDR Gold Shares in the second quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Worth Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in SPDR Gold Shares in the first quarter worth $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 40.99% of the companys stock.

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SPDR Gold Shares Stock Performance

GLD stock traded down $0.79 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $184.56. The companys stock had a trading volume of 4,338,209 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,725,950. SPDR Gold Shares has a 1 year low of $161.56 and a 1 year high of $191.36. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $179.17 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $180.01.

SPDR Gold Shares Profile

SPDR Gold Trust (the Trust) is an investment trust. The investment objective of the Trust is for the Shares to reflect the performance of the price of gold bullion, less the Trusts expenses. The Trusts business activity is the investment of gold. The Trust creates and redeems Shares from time to time, but in one or more Baskets (a Basket equals a block of 100,000 Shares).

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Petropavlovsk PLC (LON:POG  Get Free Report)s stock price passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of GBX 1.20 ($0.02) and traded as high as GBX 1.65 ($0.02). Petropavlovsk shares last traded at GBX 1.20 ($0.02), with a volume of 26,359,046 shares traded.

Petropavlovsk Price Performance

The stock has a 50-day moving average of GBX 1.20 and a two-hundred day moving average of GBX 1.20. The company has a market cap of 47.51 million and a P/E ratio of 120.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 79.95, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 1.86.

Petropavlovsk Company Profile

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Petropavlovsk PLC operates as a gold mining company in the Far East of Russia. It principally holds interests in the Pioneer, Albyn, and Malomir mining assets, as well as holds various gold licenses located in Amur region. The company also produces silver deposits. In addition, it provides construction, project and engineering, research, repair and maintenance, and transportation services; and operates educational institutes.

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PIMCO Income Strategy Fund (NYSE:PFL  Get Free Report)s share price crossed above its 50 day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 50 day moving average of $7.59 and traded as high as $7.99. PIMCO Income Strategy Fund shares last traded at $7.96, with a volume of 108,728 shares trading hands.

PIMCO Income Strategy Fund Stock Performance

The stock has a 50 day moving average of $7.60 and a 200-day moving average of $7.90.

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PIMCO Income Strategy Fund Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 13th will be paid a $0.0814 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 10th. This represents a $0.98 annualized dividend and a yield of 12.30%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

PIMCO Income Strategy Fund Company Profile

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Gallagher Fiduciary Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PIMCO Income Strategy Fund during the 1st quarter worth approximately $4,077,000. Guggenheim Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of PIMCO Income Strategy Fund by 218.3% during the 1st quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 200,196 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $1,628,000 after acquiring an additional 137,291 shares in the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp raised its holdings in shares of PIMCO Income Strategy Fund by 104.1% during the 1st quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 194,274 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $1,579,000 after acquiring an additional 99,111 shares in the last quarter. Creative Planning raised its holdings in shares of PIMCO Income Strategy Fund by 107.9% during the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 159,236 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $1,304,000 after acquiring an additional 82,646 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised its holdings in shares of PIMCO Income Strategy Fund by 45.4% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 225,789 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $2,303,000 after acquiring an additional 70,531 shares in the last quarter.

(Get Free Report)

PIMCO Income Strategy Fund is a closed-ended fixed income mutual fund launched and managed by Allianz Global Investors Fund Management LLC. The fund is co-managed by Pacific Investment Management Company LLC. It invests in fixed income markets across the globe. The fund invests in a diversified portfolio of floating rate debt instruments with an average duration of around three years.

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Stableford Capital II LLC purchased a new stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS  Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 4,666 shares of the transportation companys stock, valued at approximately $842,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Pacific Center for Financial Services bought a new position in United Parcel Service during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Worth Asset Management LLC bought a new position in United Parcel Service during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 216.0% during the 2nd quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 158 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Centerpoint Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in United Parcel Service by 205.0% during the 1st quarter. Centerpoint Advisors LLC now owns 183 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. Finally, WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new position in United Parcel Service during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.45% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on United Parcel Service from $185.00 to $179.00 and set an in-line rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, September 12th. Barclays cut their price target on United Parcel Service from $180.00 to $175.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 28th. Loop Capital downgraded United Parcel Service from a buy rating to a hold rating and cut their price target for the stock from $210.00 to $195.00 in a report on Wednesday, August 9th. Citigroup cut their price target on United Parcel Service from $200.00 to $180.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, September 12th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on United Parcel Service to $203.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 26th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $188.91.

United Parcel Service Price Performance

Shares of UPS stock traded up $0.98 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $150.75. 2,640,250 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,306,122. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a twelve month low of $133.68 and a twelve month high of $197.80. The firm has a market cap of $128.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.10. The companys 50-day simple moving average is $149.83 and its 200-day simple moving average is $165.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.22.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 26th. The transportation company reported $1.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.53 by $0.04. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 43.46% and a net margin of 9.19%. The company had revenue of $21.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $21.40 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.99 EPS. The firms revenue for the quarter was down 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.81 earnings per share for the current year.

United Parcel Service Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 13th will be paid a dividend of $1.62 per share. This represents a $6.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.30%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 10th. United Parcel Services dividend payout ratio is presently 65.59%.

United Parcel Service Profile

(Free Report)

United Parcel Service, Inc, a package delivery company, provides transportation and delivery, distribution, contract logistics, ocean freight, airfreight, customs brokerage, and insurance services. It operates through two segments, U.S. Domestic Package and International Package. The U.S. Domestic Package segment offers time-definite delivery of letters, documents, small packages, and palletized freight through air and ground services in the United States.

Further Reading

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Shares of Stellar AfricaGold Inc. (OTCMKTS:STLXF  Get Free Report) crossed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $0.02 and traded as low as $0.00. Stellar AfricaGold shares last traded at $0.00, with a volume of 200 shares changing hands.

Stellar AfricaGold Stock Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average price of $0.01 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $0.02.

About Stellar AfricaGold

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Stellar AfricaGold Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the acquisition, exploration, and evaluation of mineral properties in West Africa and Canada. The company primarily explores for gold deposits. It holds interest in the Lullwitz-Kaepelli gold property located in Lacoste and De Sales township in the Charlevoix Area of Quebec; the Birimian Geology, Priko, and Zenoula permits situated in Cote d'Ivoire; the Tichka Est gold project located in the Atlas region of Morocco; and the Namarana gold project situated in region of Koulikoro.

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The Allstate Co. (NYSE:ALL  Get Free Report) CAO John C. Pintozzi sold 4,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Monday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.79, for a total transaction of $539,160.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 13,711 shares in the company, valued at $1,848,105.69. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Allstate Stock Performance

Shares of ALL stock traded up $1.13 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $136.09. 1,034,338 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,823,366. The company has a quick ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $35.61 billion, a PE ratio of -17.10 and a beta of 0.52. The Allstate Co. has a twelve month low of $100.57 and a twelve month high of $142.15. The firms fifty day moving average price is $121.43 and its 200-day moving average price is $114.11.

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Allstate (NYSE:ALL  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 2nd. The insurance provider reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.39 by $0.42. Allstate had a negative return on equity of 10.95% and a negative net margin of 3.51%. The company had revenue of $14.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.78 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned ($1.56) earnings per share. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Allstate Co. will post -2.1 EPS for the current year.

Allstate Announces Dividend

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 30th will be given a $0.89 dividend. This represents a $3.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.62%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 29th. Allstates payout ratio is -44.89%.

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Allstate by 3.1% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 24,850,782 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $3,442,082,000 after buying an additional 745,096 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. increased its holdings in Allstate by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 22,294,372 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $2,430,978,000 after buying an additional 181,050 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its position in Allstate by 9.0% in the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 6,039,351 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $669,221,000 after acquiring an additional 499,056 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Allstate by 3.0% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,926,917 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $660,318,000 after acquiring an additional 172,250 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Allstate by 1.1% in the first quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,815,257 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $643,015,000 after acquiring an additional 63,438 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.23% of the companys stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Bank of America dropped their price objective on shares of Allstate from $143.00 to $138.00 in a report on Wednesday, August 2nd. Roth Mkm lifted their price objective on shares of Allstate from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Friday, November 3rd. Morgan Stanley reiterated an equal weight rating and issued a $117.00 price objective on shares of Allstate in a report on Tuesday, August 1st. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Allstate from $135.00 to $156.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Friday, October 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Allstate from $162.00 to $154.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $135.50.

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About Allstate

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The Allstate Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides property and casualty, and other insurance products in the United States and Canada. The company operates through Allstate Protection; Protection Services; Allstate Health and Benefits; and Run-off Property-Liability segments. The Allstate Protection segment offers private passenger auto and homeowners insurance; other personal lines products; and commercial lines products under the Allstate and Encompass brand names.

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V Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NEE  Free Report) by 66.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 25,593 shares of the utilities providers stock after purchasing an additional 10,206 shares during the period. V Wealth Advisors LLCs holdings in NextEra Energy were worth $1,899,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in NEE. Sageworth Trust Co grew its stake in NextEra Energy by 1,794.1% during the first quarter. Sageworth Trust Co now owns 322 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 305 shares during the period. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp acquired a new stake in NextEra Energy during the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. Magellan Asset Management Ltd acquired a new stake in NextEra Energy in the first quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Tower View Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in NextEra Energy in the second quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. grew its stake in NextEra Energy by 444.4% in the second quarter. Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 490 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.48% of the companys stock.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

NEE has been the subject of a number of research reports. Mizuho reduced their price objective on NextEra Energy from $91.00 to $65.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 28th. Seaport Res Ptn cut NextEra Energy from a neutral rating to a sell rating in a research note on Thursday, November 9th. TheStreet cut NextEra Energy from a b- rating to a c+ rating in a research note on Monday, October 2nd. Scotiabank reduced their price objective on NextEra Energy from $105.00 to $96.00 in a research note on Thursday, September 28th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on NextEra Energy from $88.00 to $72.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $74.08.

NextEra Energy Stock Performance

NextEra Energy stock traded down $0.04 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $57.47. 9,626,942 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 12,944,706. The businesss fifty day simple moving average is $57.54 and its 200 day simple moving average is $67.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $117.91 billion, a PE ratio of 15.20, a P/E/G ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.54. NextEra Energy, Inc. has a one year low of $47.15 and a one year high of $88.61. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05.

NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 24th. The utilities provider reported $0.94 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.86 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $7.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.07 billion. NextEra Energy had a return on equity of 12.15% and a net margin of 27.82%. NextEra Energys quarterly revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.85 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that NextEra Energy, Inc. will post 3.12 earnings per share for the current year.

NextEra Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 15th. Investors of record on Friday, November 24th will be issued a dividend of $0.4675 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 22nd. This represents a $1.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.25%. NextEra Energys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 49.47%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other NextEra Energy news, major shareholder Nextera Energy Inc purchased 3,097,524 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 6th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $24.21 per share, for a total transaction of $74,991,056.04. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider now owns 4,097,524 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $99,201,056.04. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.38% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About NextEra Energy

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NextEra Energy, Inc, through its subsidiaries, generates, transmits, distributes, and sells electric power to retail and wholesale customers in North America. The company generates electricity through wind, solar, nuclear, coal, and natural gas facilities. It also develops, constructs, and operates long-term contracted assets that consists of clean energy solutions, such as renewable generation facilities, battery storage projects, and electric transmission facilities; sells energy commodities; and owns, develops, constructs, manages and operates electric generation facilities in wholesale energy markets.

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Shares of Vedanta Resources plc (LON:VED  Get Free Report) passed below its two hundred day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of GBX 832.60 ($10.42) and traded as low as GBX 824.60 ($10.32). Vedanta Resources shares last traded at GBX 832.60 ($10.42), with a volume of 162,101 shares changing hands.

Vedanta Resources Stock Up 0.9 %

The stock has a 50 day moving average of GBX 832.60 and a two-hundred day moving average of GBX 832.60.

About Vedanta Resources

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Vedanta Resources plc operates as a diversified natural resources company in India, Zambia, South Africa, Namibia, the United Arab Emirates, Ireland, Australia, and Liberia. It primarily produces zinc, lead, silver, copper, iron ore, and aluminum deposits. The company also explores for, extracts, and processes minerals, as well as oil and gas.

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Xero Limited (OTCMKTS:XROLF  Get Free Report) shares fell 0.4% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $64.50 and last traded at $64.50. 150 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 75% from the average session volume of 607 shares. The stock had previously closed at $64.78.

Xero Price Performance

The business has a fifty day moving average of $71.77 and a 200-day moving average of $75.57.

Xero Company Profile

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Xero Limited, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a software as a service company in New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company offers Xero, an open platform that connects small businesses to a range of solutions, which helps to manage their finances. It also provides Xero mobile app; and accountant/bookkeeper tools, including Xero HQ, Xero Practice Manager, Xero Workpapers, and Xero Cashbook or Xero Ledger.

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Bulls finally achieved it! The Nifty50 started the new F&O series on a healthy note as the index not only surpassed its previous all-time high (hit on September 15) but also ended at a fresh record closing high on December 1, with above-average volumes. Hence, as long as the index holds 20,000 (psychological mark-19,800 low of the week), marching towards 20,500 looks likely in the coming days despite intermittent consolidation, experts said. The Nifty50 opened higher at 20,194 and gained strength as the day progressed, to hit a fresh record high of 20,292 in the afternoon. It saw a bit of profit-taking in the last hour of trade and finally settled with 135 points gains at 20,268. The index has formed a bullish candlestick pattern on the daily charts with higher highs and higher lows for four days in a row. On the weekly scale, the Nifty50 has formed a big bullish candlestick pattern and gained 2.4 percent, the biggest weekly gain since June this year. "The weekly chart formation signals sharp upside breakout in the market as per long-term charts," Nagaraj Shetti, technical research analyst at HDFC Securities said, adding though, Nifty placed at all-time highs, still there is no indication of any reversal pattern unfolding at the highs. He feels the short-term trend of Nifty continues to be positive, and one may expect further upside in the coming week. "The next upside levels to be watched around 20,510 (50 percent Fibonacci projection, taken from March 23 bottom-September 23 top-October 23 bottom). Immediate support is at 20,140." Also read: Gainers and Losers: 10 stocks that moved the most on December 1 On the weekly Options front, with the robust trend in the equity markets, the supports and resistances shifted higher with 21,000 strike enjoying the maximum Call open interest, the key resistance area going ahead in current month, followed by 20,400 strike and 20,300 strike. The maximum Call writing was seen at 20,400 strike and then 20,800 strike. The maximum Put open interest was visible at 20,000 strike, which can act as crucial support in the coming days, followed by 19,500 strike and 20,200 strike with Put writing at 20,200 strike and then 19,500 strike. Bank Nifty The Bank Nifty continued its higher highs and higher lows formation for five days in a row. The index rebounded after a day of small profit-taking and climbed 332 points to 44,814 on Friday with above-average volumes, forming a bullish candlestick pattern with a minor upper shadow on the daily scale. For the week, the banking index jumped 2.4 percent and formed a long bullish candlestick pattern on the weekly scale. Now, 45,000 is expected to be an immediate resistance for the index, with support at 44,300-44,000 levels. "The Bank Nifty index maintained its robust bullish momentum, breaching the resistance level of 44,700. The immediate hurdle on the upside is positioned at 45,000, marked by the highest open interest on the Call side," Kunal Shah, senior technical & derivative analyst at LKP Securities said. On the downside, he feels a substantial support level rests at 44,300, serving as a protective buffer for the bulls. "Any retracement towards this support presents an opportune moment for investors to initiate long positions." Disclaimer: The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts on Moneycontrol.com are their own and not those of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.
Synergy needed to develop China's sci-fi industry

16:47, November 23, 2023 By Hai Ya ( People's Daily

Hai Ya attends the 81st World Science Fiction Convention (WorldCon) in Chengdu, the capital city of southwest China's Sichuan province. (Photo provided by the author)

Recently, my novelette "The Space-Time Painter" won the Hugo Award for Best Novelette, which was announced at the 2023 World Science Fiction Convention in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan province. It was a great encouragement to me to receive the trophy from my predecessor Liu Cixin.

My steps along the path of science fiction creation are fueled by a deep passion inside. When I was a child, I liked to visit the Xinhua Bookstore near my home, where I stumbled upon reading sci-fi works including Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, The Mysterious Island, and Chinese work Dense Fog over the Old Gorge.

During my middle school years, I consciously looked for sci-fi novels to read, and sci-fi magazines were always shared by my classmates then. This reading environment further fueled my love for science fiction.

The allure of science fiction lies in its ability to create worlds different from reality through scientific imagination, allowing people to experience the wonders of fantasy.

For sci-fi enthusiasts, writing their own stories seems a natural next step. As you repeatedly soar through the wonders crafted in novels, there comes a day when you want to create your own literary universe with your pen.

A common challenge in sci-fi creation is that authors often use lengthy and esoteric terms to explain the sci-fi settings. This not only raises the barrier to reading acceptance but also disrupts the narrative flow, making it difficult to gain widespread readership and popularity.

On the contrary, Liu Cixin's works such as The Three-Body Problem and The Devourer stand out with prominent sci-fi elements while telling intricate and captivating stories that provoke deep thoughts. These works have inspired me to believe that storytelling is paramount in science fiction, whether it is hard or soft sci-fi.

In my creative work, I always adhere to the principle of putting the story first and pay particular attention to whether the sci-fi elements can be easily comprehended by readers. Gradually, I have learned to naturally introduce sci-fi settings through plot evolution, revealing the sci-fi world to the readers step by step.

The opening of my work The Space-Time Painter doesn't have many sci-fi elements but rather resembles a mystery story. As the story unfolds, the sci-fi settings start to emerge. Judging from the results, this creative approach has made my works beloved by more readers.

After I won the Hugo Award, many people asked me where the inspiration for the innovative setting in The Space-Time Painter came from, which combines science fiction and traditional culture.

The direct inspiration came from the ancient painting A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains by Wang Ximeng of China's Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127). The renowned artist left behind this masterpiece, but only sparse biographical details about him exist in historical records, leaving ample space for literary imagination.

As a child, I repeatedly read an accessible edition of Zizhi Tongjian (Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance), whose gripping contents have stuck with me over the years, leaving me yearning for more of the unfinished story threads. Just one historical detail, when unfolded, can be turned into an outstanding work of literature. My series of historical science fiction exactly originated from such unfinished story threads in history.

Every writer's creation has historical and cultural imprints, and the science fiction sector is no exception. Chinese civilization has a long and continuous history, and the fine traditional Chinese culture serves as a vast "database" for literature creation. By drawing from and innovatively transforming this cultural heritage, new literary works, films, television programs, tourism projects, and cultural and creative products can be continuously produced.

In China today, more and more creators are actively engaging in the creative transformation and innovative development of China's fine traditional culture. Seeking inspiration and materials from our ancient civilization has become a consensus among creators.

For me, the combination of science fiction and traditional culture is not a deliberate choice but a natural progression. I believe that even without The Space-Time Painter, other writers would make the same choice.

Science fiction can only bloom in the spring of science and technology. No matter what kind of science fiction, it originates from science. With the continuous advancement of science and technology and the constant breakthroughs being made, people are filled with longing and curiosity for science. This attracts them to read sci-fi works and thus brings vitality to the industry. It can be said that the prosperity of science and technology in China today is the biggest engine driving sci-fi creation.

As a financial practitioner, I often think about the future of China's science fiction from an industrial perspective, hoping that the industry can truly thrive.

I believe that to achieve this vision, a more complete industrial chain is needed to address the shortcomings in the development of the industry. At the same time, key aspects such as film and television adaptations need to be well managed to play a leading role.

For example, the successes of excellent film and television works such as The Wandering Earth, Moon Man and The Three-Body Problem have had a significant impact on the overall improvement of the sci-fi industry.

On one hand, they have made sci-fi works widely spread and stimulated market demand. On the other hand, they have refined the division of labor in the industry, allowing professionals to do their specialized work, thereby solidifying the cultural industrial system and foundation of the industry.

Developing the sci-fi industry is not a short-term task; it requires the joint and synergetic efforts of various aspects such as literary creation, copyright trading, and film and television adaptations.

While attending the World Science Fiction Convention, I found that most foreign sci-fi fans and authors are seniors, but in China, we have a vibrant community of young sci-fi enthusiasts and creators. We are seeing an increasing number of teenagers and even younger individuals who are passionate about science fiction. This signifies a promising future for Chinese science fiction.

As long as we put in sincere efforts and dedication, we can create rich and impactful Chinese science fiction that moves the world.

(Hai Ya is a Chinese science fiction writer. The article is compiled by People's Daily journalist Zhang Mingse based on an interview with Hai Ya.)

(Web editor: Chang Sha, Liang Jun)
In April 2015, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar offered Baba Ramdev the status of a state cabinet minister. Ramdev, a resourceful holy man for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ruling Haryana and the country, declined the offer. "Now, that PM is ours, entire Cabinet is ours, Haryana CM is ours and his Cabinet is ours, so let baba (an ascetic) remain a baba, said Ramdev.

The trappings of power were redundant for Ramdev. He had already built his proximity to power through his strong electoral support to BJP and Narendra Modi. In turn, Ramdev and his Patanjali group benefited in Haryana from the BJP governments policies in the state.

The proof is found in the forested lands of the Aravalli Range in Haryana.

Judicial records, policy papers and government records reveal a concerted effort from the Haryana government to ensure parts of these sensitive Aravalli Range do not get any protection. The state stonewalled two crucial Supreme Court orders of 1996 and 2022 that offered protection to these forests, the state deforestation laws and a Union government law that protects ecologically vital lands in and around Delhi.

The states dilly-dallying has helped lay the ground for a surreptitious real estate business that flourished in the forested land of Aravalli. Ramdevs Patanjali Group, which sells Ayurveda, cosmetics, food and other fast moving consumer products through the front door, was one of the main beneficiaries  till date it has been discreetly buying and selling large tracts of land in the Aravalli through dubious entities and shell companies, documents studied by The Reporters Collective show.

We traced at least 14 companies and two trusts of Baba Ramdevs empire that have traded in Mangar village. We found evidence of at least four of these 14 companies and one of the two trusts selling off the lands in Mangar to other corporations that are, by their own claims, real-estate dealers.

See Table in Part 1 here ) Of these, 12 companies and one trust continue to hold parcels of forestlands in Mangar, which add up to at least 123 acres going by the latest land records of the Haryana state government. (

Earlier reporting by the Business Standard has shown Ramdevs companies owned lands in a different village, Kot, in Faridabad. And, also pointed to some of the Haryana governments tricks that potentially benefit his holdings. The Collectives investigation shows a wider land-owning empire that the yoga guru has spawned and how his empire moves monies among themselves. The investigation also reveals how an array of policy decisions by Haryana have aided such real-estate businesses in Faridabad, including that of the Patanjali group, make huge profits.

A company is not required to explicitly state the profits it made by selling a particular plot of land in its annual corporate filings. However, we calculated it in one case by cross-referencing records of the real-estate firm that purchased the land against that of the Patanjalis shell company that sold that property, Kankhal Ayurveda Private Limited. This gives a sense of the super-profits that were being amassed by Baba Ramdevs empire discreetly.

We found that in just one land deal we could map, Kankhal Ayurveda received a whopping 365% profit. And, this is a shell company that has never done any business that its promoters, including Ramdevs right hand man Acharya Balkrishna, have officially set the company up for. No other business of Baba Ramdevs empire - that he talks up in public - is capable of generating such profit margins.

The map below represents Patanjalis land holdings in Mangar village according to the latest revenue records (jamabandi) of the state online. Haryana has updated its digital land records up to 2018-19.

The yellow dots on the map indicate the landholdings of Patanjali group-affiliated entities. The area coloured in light blue is regulated by The Punjab Land Preservation Act. The one in brighter green is formally designated forest and the one in brown is classified as gair mumkin pahad or uncultivatable land. A majority of Patanjali group companies lands we mapped lie in this category - forestlands that the Haryana government has kept out of conservation laws, leaving it as grazing grounds for real-estate dealers.

How did we map it? The Collective accessed a revenue map of Mangar. This revenue map pins the exact location of hundreds of land plots. Then we trawled through the state digital land records to see who owns these hundreds of plots. From this we filtered out the lands owned by Patanjalis firms. These were then geotagged on the revenue map individually to build the complete picture of Ramdevs land ownings in Mangar through its web of shadow companies.

Cinderella's glass shoes

The Aravalli Hills, the oldest mountain range, runs northeast from Gujarat through Rajasthan into Haryana where it works as the lungs of Delhi.

Continue Reading Patanjalis profitable land deals were aided by Haryana governments consistent attempts to keep these vast swathes of land in the Aravalli off the list of recognised forests. Only about two-thirds of the Aravalli hills in Haryana are protected under Haryanas conservation law, the Punjab Land Preservation Act, 1900. In Gurgaon and Faridabad, bordering Delhi, where the real estate market is booming, large tracts of forests have not been protected under this law. According to experts, an estimated 40% of the hills in Gurgaon and 36.8% in Faridabad are not notified as forests and remain legally unprotected

Story credits: Tapasya (Reporter), Shreegireesh Jalihal (Reporter), Anoop George Philip (Editor)
India is mulling regulation to tame the spread of deepfakes and other user harm that artificial intelligence (AI) can bring along, Union IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said here on Thursday.

After meeting representatives from large social media platforms and other stakeholders, the minister said India will draft new rules to spot and limit the spread of deepfakes.

The new regulation will also strengthen the reporting process for such deepfake videos for people.

The social media companies share our concerns and they understand that deepfakes are not free speech. They understand the need for regulation for this and we will start drafting the regulation, Mr said Vaishnaw.

The IT ministry will also look at imposing penalties on those who create deepfake videos.

We need urgent steps to strengthen trust in society and to protect our democracy from deepfakes, said Mr Vaishnaw.

The Minister is expected to meet social media companies again on this burning topic next month.

The new regulation will also focus on strengthening the reporting mechanisms for individuals to report such videos, and for proactive and timely actions by social media companies, said Vaishnaw.

Speaking on the deepfake issue during a media interaction last week, MrVaishnaw said, Deepfake is a big issue for all of us.

Deepfake technology poses a significant threat to the privacy and individual rights of public figures.

As seen in the case of Rashmika Mandanna, it can be used to create convincing fake videos that can potentially harm a person's reputation or even incite legal action.

Deepfake technology can be weaponised to create deceptive content that poses a threat to national security.

It can be used to manipulate public sentiment, create forged videos of politicians or leaders, and potentially incite chaos or conflicts, according to experts.

Earlier this month, Union minister of state for electronics and IT, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, said that those who find themselves impacted by AI-generated deepfakes should file first information reports (FIRs) at the nearest police stations and avail the remedies provided under the Information Technology (IT) Rules, 2021 and the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

It is a legal obligation for online platforms to prevent the spread of misinformation by any user under the Information Technology (IT) Rules, 2021.

Disclaimer: Information, facts or opinions expressed in this news article are presented as sourced from IANS and do not reflect views of Moneylife and hence Moneylife is not responsible or liable for the same. As a source and news provider, IANS is responsible for accuracy, completeness, suitability and validity of any information in this article.
In a recent post circulating widely on various social media platforms, popular Indian actress Rashmika Mandana is seen walking into an elevator sporting a black body-hugging swimsuit.

On the face of it, there is nothing wrong with the video. Actresses wearing swimsuits accentuating their decolletage has gained an edge of banality. Some might even think that it was part of the promotion of her upcoming big-banner film Animal.

But the catch is that Mandana is not the real and actual subject of the video. Her face has been morphed on top of the torso of a British Indian influencer named Zara Patel.

It is a fine (or disquieting, depending on which side of the divide you are) example of deepfakes images and videos produced by artificial intelligence (AI)-powered digital tools to demonstrate non-existent humans or real individuals in unique set-ups.

The morphed post managed to elicit a flurry of responses due to the fact that the torso of the actress was seamlessly blended into someone elses physique. As AI technology keeps developing, what lies ahead when the line between fact and fiction is smudged further?

Assessment of potential risks

Anything novel comes with a learning curve. The earliest deepfakes required extensive recordings, several frames of target imagery and sophisticated technical know-how.

Recent progress in rapidfire technologies such as Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) and Autoencoders (AEs) have democratised accessibility and fastened output-generation speed at minimum costs and skills.

Considering that human civilisation is on the cusp of an infocalypse, an era in which society is overrun by disinformation, the proliferation of deepfakes in terms of high resolution face-swapping, attribute editing and voice mimicking features can have deleterious consequences.

Deepfakes are made all the more catastrophic by a lack of accountability and ambiguity regarding the rights of content producers and suppliers, as well as the people whose resemblance is utilised.

Peoples identities are their private property. Hence, AI-based contracts pertain to any agreement concerning the right to ones image and voice.

Unauthorised commodification of deepfakes by generating subconscious acceptance in the targeted consumer base can be attributed as a transgression of an individuals rights.

Simultaneously, the right to safeguard ones image is not an absolute right, it entails that the fundamental freedoms and rights of others (such as that of speech and expression) have to be constantly recognised.

In addition to the creators rights, the manner in which the picture is used plays a crucial role in determining the legitimacy of the utilisation.

Privacy, defamation and social identity

In the relationship between humans and machines, the freedom to exercise agency is uncertain, which raises inquiries about technological ethics and privacy concerns, crucial to building public value and the long-term sustenance of AI.

This implies that people tend to be hesitant or, worse, oblivious performers in a deepfaked, manipulated work. In the realm of attention-economy, the growth of entrepreneurial online self via virality metrics (likes, shares, views, etc.) escalates the risk of exposing online recording of lives to automatised data accumulation for a series of interlinked infractions: revenge porn, identity theft, defamation, blackmailing and harassment.

Under such circumstances, the detrimental effects on ones persona and perhaps on the community as a whole may be unalterable and irretrievable. Hence, knowingly propagating non-consensual non-veridical representations of an individual implies altering a persons social identity which undermines their personality rights and privacy.

Distribution of non consensual deepfake pornography infringes upon the rights of a person that others should not meddle with their identity within the society. A shocking 96 percent of deepfakes are sexually explicit material and objectify unconsenting women, demonstrating weaponisation of data-fuelled algorithmic content against females and the strengthening of a hierarchy that has historically been centred around toxic masculinity.

Deepfakes which are immediate, easy-to-digest and elicit emotion can also be used to falsely represent politicians making bogus remarks or individuals engaged in controversial or illegal acts to manipulate decisions, taint reputations, disrupt societal cohesion and misdirect public discourse.

For example, deepfakes of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appearing to command his army to surrender became viral along with the fake revenge porn of Rana Ayyub, an investigative journalist whose reporting exposed State corruption and violations of human rights in India.

Deepfakes of soldiers engaging in acts of sacrilege in a foreign territory or members of a certain group consuming food that is prohibited by their faith have the potential to instigate civil strife.

Human susceptibility to fake news, astroturfed disinformation campaigns, and the resulting manipulation depends on psychological (confirmation) biases and interpersonal dynamics, ergo becoming obvious in algorithmic data surveillance.

In this way, experiencing fake news turns into an act of prosumption instead of mere consumption, with spectators turned into oblivious propagandists, bending reality via their regular social media routines.

Deepfakes propagating harmful untruths have an impact on social image and personal and professional relationships in terms of phenomenal immediacy, an attribute that is inversely proportional to the simplicity with which the depiction can be challenged.

The personal impact of defamatory posts and trolls can take the form of victimisation, trauma and toll on mental health which is likewise comparable to the harm caused by conventional forms of privacy invasion through stalking or trespass.

In the US, only a few states have implemented legislation prohibiting the transmission of deepfake pornography in any manner, and only a handful have criminalised the conduct.

Meanwhile, in the United Kingdom , both English and Welsh laws criminalise non-consensual porn when authentic images are used. Scottish legislation, on the other hand, appears to be more broad, as it includes photos that have been transformed in any way.

Personality rights and copyright protection

A persons image encompasses one of the primary aspects of an individuals character that distinguishes the person from others. The European Court of Human Rights declared in a 2009 judgement that the right to preserve ones image is one of the essential components of personal development and presupposes the right to control the use of that image.

In this context, New York recently approved a new legislation granting renowned citizens and celebrities heirs the power to control the monetary use of their name, image and likeness. Sending out a superimposed face on a performers body is a misleading portrayal of ones skill to fraudulently benefit from the actors services. Such digital impersonations can be tantamount to identity thefts.

Copyright protection and its adjoining economic rights are admissible to a work that must be unique in terms of the creators own intellectual production.

Deepfakes are the ultimate result of merging existing videos or image details that may or may not be secured under copyright law depending on the jurisdiction.

In India, under Section 57 (1)(b) of the Copyright Act, 1957 , an author is protected from mutilation, distortion, alteration, or any other identical activity attributed to their work if it may harm their reputation.

Deepfakes typically depend on the alteration of copyrighted content, which can be classified as distortion or mutilation and, therefore, regarded to be a violation of individual rights.

Consequently, in the absence of explicit legislation, India keeps an absolute tight rein on digital fakery.

In the United States, deepfakes are considered transformative work when they are developed for entirely distinct objectives from those anticipated while producing the original piece of work. In accordance with Berne Convention Article 2(1) , literary and artistic works comprise every production in the literary, scientific, and artistic domain, regardless of its mode or form of expression.

Hence, the US copyright legislation does not impose an absolute ban on deepfakes, even if there is use of copyrighted material as long as the end product is transformative in nature.

Legal threats looming ahead

Experts predict that by 2026, up to 90 percent of web material will be created synthetically. As humans have a visceral response to audio and visual mediums, they rely upon their own perception to tell them what is authentic and what is not.

Auditory and visual records of an occurrence are frequently regarded as accurate representations of what transpired. Falsifying electronic evidence has significant ramifications for the community, the criminal justice system, and law enforcement.

Offenders might employ the liars dividend hypothesis, in which they would employ deepfakes to dismiss legitimate evidence of their misdeeds. Recently, Elon Musk was sued for comments he made about Teslas self-driving feature, which resulted in a boys death.

Teslas lawyers sought to use the deepfake defence to reject Musks prior assertions regarding the security of Teslas autopilot features, even though the video has been accessible on YouTube for more than seven years.

Despite their increasing prevalence at the time, research in 2019 showed almost 72 percent of people in a UK survey to be unaware of deepfakes and their impact, highlighting the proclivity of uninformed public to fall for virtual forgeries.

An even more real-world threat landscape emphasises on enhanced generalised epistemic anarchy, a sophisticated stage of pan-society distrust. Refuting genuine occurrences raises the prospect of a society in which individuals cease to trust documentary proof of police aggression, human rights breaches, or a leaders erroneous statements and lose their concept of reality.

Technologists believe that in the advanced stage of the AI Revolution, it may be challenging to distinguish between actual and fraudulent media. When defendants will cast doubt on a piece of digital proof, proving the veracity of evidence will increase the cost and time required for poor plaintiffs to seek justice, while providing an easier way out for the rich to clamp down on the powerless.

While there is an urgent need to create methods capable of detecting deepfakes, the task will become increasingly difficult as AI learns from its own mistakes, making it difficult to predict how good it will be at identifying deepfakes produced using upgraded algorithms.

The solution lies in a coordinated response from the international community, technology corporations, educators, legislators and media along with societal resilience.
Market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has barred for one year P Krishnakumar and Jagadeesan S (noticee) of YM Forecast for providing illegal investment advisory services. Mr Krishnakumar and Mr Jagadeesan has also been slapped with a fine of Rs1 lakh each. SEBI asked them to refund Rs30.92 lakh, the money they collected from investors-clients, as fees for providing investment advisory.

In the order, G Ramar, chief general manager (CGM) of SEBI, says, I find that aforesaid total credit of Rs30.92 lakh in the ICICI Bank accounts of the noticees were received as fees for investment advisory services provided by them while acting as an investment adviser without obtaining a certificate of registration from SEBI. I find that the noticees have acted in total disregard to the requirements of the law and have violated Regulation 3(1) of the IA Regulations and Section 12(1) of the SEBI Act.

A complainant, vide email complaining against www.ymforecast.com managed by noticees, alleging that stock calls were provided and charges of Rs9,000 per month were collected. The complainant also alleged that Mr Krishnakumar was using a fake certificate from the National Institute of Securities Markets (NISM).

SEBI noted that Mr Krishnakumar provided astro-based predictions in the stock market through various channels, including the website, YouTube, and Telegram. He charged fees ranging from Rs5,000 to Rs12,000 for these services, accumulating around Rs26 lakh. The fees were collected in the name of investment advisory services in ICICI Bank accounts belonging to Mr Krishnakumar and Mr Jagadeesan.

SEBI ordered Mr Krishnakumar and Mr Jagdeesan, of YM Forecast to refund Rs30.92 lakh within three months collected as fees for investment advisory from various investor-clients.

They are also restrained from selling assets, properties, and mutual funds, shares, and securities held by them in demat and physical form except for the sole purpose of making the refunds.
Ugochukwu Akoma walks out of court after his hearing Tuesday, May 9, 2023, in Hagatna.
Man accused in sexual assaults of 2 teens when they were 7, 9
The Hafa Adai Exchange, as seen Wednesday Nov. 22, 2023 in Tamuning, will be the site for a new Cannabis lab.
Rebels claim to capture more ground in Congos east, raising further concerns about election safety

Rebels claim to capture more ground in Congos east, raising further concerns about election safety View Photo

GOMA, Congo (AP)  A rebel group with alleged links to neighboring Rwanda claimed Wednesday to have seized a key town in Congos conflict-hit eastern region amid intense fighting, raising further security concerns ahead of the countrys Dec. 20 presidential election.

Mweso town, which is about 100 kilometres (62 miles) from the North Kivu provincial capital of Goma, came under the control of the M23 rebel group following days of fighting with government-backed forces, Lawrence Kanyuka, the groups spokesman, said.

Residents in the area told The Associated Press they witnessed gunfire between the rebels and security forces. The enemy has managed to reoccupy Mweso, said one, Alain Kamala.

The AP was not immediately able to verify who was in control of the town. The Congolese army confirmed there was fighting under way around the area.

M23 rose to prominence 10 years ago when its fighters seized Goma, eastern Congos largest city on the border with Rwanda. It derives its name from a March 23, 2009, peace deal which it accuses the Congo government of not implementing.

Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi blames Rwanda for destabilizing Congo by backing the M23 rebels. U.N. experts have linked the rebels to Rwandan forces. Rwanda denies this.

Fighting in eastern Congo has been simmering for decades as more than 120 groups fight for power, land and valuable mineral resources, while others try to defend their communities. But it spiked in late 2021 when M23, which had been largely dormant, resurfaced and started capturing territory.

The rebels said the latest round of fighting started after government-backed forces attacked heavily populated areas and our positions on many axes and that they will not hesitate to protect the civilian population and its belongings.

Residents fear for their safety. Tshisekedi, who seeks reelection, has said rebel-controlled territories might not participate in the December vote for security reasons.

By JUSTIN KABUMBA

Associated Press
A former Canadian RCMP intelligence official is found guilty of breaching secrets law

A former Canadian RCMP intelligence official is found guilty of breaching secrets law View Photo

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP)  A jury found a former senior intelligence official in Canadas national police force guilty on Wednesday of breaching the countrys secrets law.

Jurors declared Cameron Jay Ortis guilty of three counts of violating the Security of Information Act and one count of attempting to do so.

They also found him guilty of breach of trust and fraudulent use of a computer.

Ortis, 51, had pleaded not guilty to all charges, including violating the secrets law by revealing classified information to three individuals in 2015 and trying to do so in a fourth instance.

He testified he offered secret material to targets in a bid to get them to use an online encryption service set up by an allied intelligence agency to spy on adversaries.

The prosecution argued Ortis lacked authority to disclose classified material and that he was not doing so as part of a sanctioned undercover operation.

Ortis could face a stiff prison sentence.

Following the verdict, Justice Robert Maranger told the court that Ortiss bail would be revoked prior to sentencing.

The defense contended that the former official did not betray Canada, but was rather acting on a clear and grave threat.

Ortis led the Royal Canadian Mounted Polices Operations Research group, which assembled and developed classified information on cybercriminals, terror cells and transnational criminal networks.

He told the jury that in September 2014, he was contacted by a counterpart at a foreign agency who advised him of a particularly serious threat.

Ortis said the counterpart informed him in strict confidence about an online encryption service called Tutanota that was secretly set up to monitor communications of interest.

Ortis said he then quietly devised a plan, dubbed Nudge, to entice investigative targets to sign on to the encryption service, using promises of secret material as bait.

The company, now known as Tuta, denies having ties to intelligence agencies.

Although Ortis asked one target for thousands of dollars before he would send full versions of sensitive documents, there was no evidence he received money from the individuals he contacted.

Even so, the prosecution portrayed Ortis as self-serving and reckless, flouting rules and protocols on a solo mission that sabotaged national security and even endangered the life of a genuine undercover officer.

The prosecution, which called several current and former RCMP employees to testify, argued that no one other than Ortis had heard of Operation Nudge and that no records of the project could be found.

Ortis was taken into custody in September 2019.

The trail to his arrest began the previous year when the RCMP analyzed the contents of a laptop computer owned by Vincent Ramos, chief executive of Phantom Secure Communications, who had been apprehended in the United States.

An RCMP effort known as Project Saturation revealed that members of criminal organizations were known to use Phantom Secures encrypted communication devices.

Ramos would later plead guilty to using his Phantom Secure devices to help facilitate the distribution of cocaine and other illicit drugs to countries including Canada.
Ukraine says 3 civilians were killed in a daylight Russian cluster bomb attack View Photo

KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  A Russian attack using cluster munitions killed three people Thursday in a suburb of Ukraines southern city of Kherson, a Ukrainian official said, bringing the number of civilians to die in a day of war to at least six.

Five people were wounded in what Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said was heavy afternoon shelling of Khersons Chornobayivka suburb. More than 60 residential and infrastructure buildings were damaged in the daylight attack, he said.

Cluster munitions  a type of bomb that opens in the air and releases smaller bomblets across a wide area  are used by both Russia and Ukraine, which has received them as military aid from the United States. Critics say the weapons litter the ground and harm and kill many more civilians than combatants.

Kherson city is the capital of a region of the same name that is located on the Dnieper River near the mouth of the Black Sea and a key gateway to Crimea. Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014 and uses it for logistics operations and rear supply depots during the current war.

Of military significance and lying on the wars long front line, the Kherson region has been a stage for heavy fighting. Ukrainian troops last week reported gaining multiple bridgeheads on the Russian-held eastern side of the river.

Before the afternoon attack, Russian forces fired other parts of the province with eight nighttime artillery barrages, killing a 42-year-old man in his apartment building and wounding another man, the Ukrainian presidential office said.

Russian shelling also killed two people in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, the office said.

It was not possible to independently verify the reports. Long-range Russian shelling that hits civilian areas has been a hallmark of Moscows 21-month war in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Russian state media reported that TV journalist Boris Maksudov died after being wounded in a drone attack while working in southern Ukraines Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia region

Maksudov, who worked for Russian state television channel Russia 24, was hit Wednesday while working on a story about Ukraine allegedly shelling civilians, according to Russias Ministry of Defense. Zaporizhzhia is one of the four Ukrainian regions that Russia illegally annexed last year.

A stepped-up Russian bombardment of civilian infrastructure has prompted Ukraine and its Western allies to beef up air defense systems. Officials fear the Kremlins forces will repeat their aerial attacks on the Ukrainian power grid this winter in an effort to break the countrys will.

The grid is already showing signs of strain. Ukrainian national electricity operator Ukrenergo reported an energy deficit Wednesday due to a steep rise in consumption caused by a drop in temperatures after a spell of mild weather, a company statement said.

Ukrenergo asked system operators in Romania, Slovakia and Poland to provide emergency assistance.

At a meeting Wednesday of some 50 countries supporting Ukraines war effort, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said they were placing extra emphasis on ground-based air defense, with Germany and France leading the European effort to furnish equipment.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a Telegram post that Ukraines sky shield is getting more powerful literally every month.

___

Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

By ILLIA NOVIKOV

Associated Press
MEXICO CITY (AP)  Mexicos governmental human rights agency said Wednesday that soldiers opened fire without reason a year ago in the violent border city of Nuevo Laredo, killing a man.

The National Human Rights Commission said soldiers had argued that the occupants of a pickup truck had opened fire first on a road in Nuevo Laredo, across the border from Laredo, Texas.

But the commission said no gunshot residue was found on any of the four people in the truck following the confrontation on Nov. 4, 2022.

The commission said none of the victims had fired a gun, and issued a call for the Defense Department to cooperate in the investigation and take action to compensate the survivors.

It would hardly be the first time that soldiers had engaged in such acts in Nuevo Laredo, where troops regularly come under fire from the Northeast drug cartel, which dominates the city.

In February, the army acknowledged that four soldiers opened fire on a pickup truck in Nuevo Laredo, killing five men and wounding another. The soldiers were later charged with homicide.
Mexico arrests alleged security chief for the Chapitos wing of the Sinaloa drug cartel

MEXICO CITY (AP)  Mexicos National Guard officers on Wednesday arrested the hyper violent, alleged security chief for the Chapitos wing of the Sinaloa drug cartel.

The Public Safety Departments arrest registry says Nestor Isidro Perez Salas was detained around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at a walled property in the Sinaloa state capital of Culiacan. The department listed his alias as El Nini.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in April had posted a $3 million reward for his capture. Perez Salas is wanted on U.S. charges of conspiracy to import and distribute fentanyl in the United States. But he also allegedly left a trail of murder and torture behind him in Mexico.

This guy was a complete psychopath, said Mike Vigil, former head of international operations for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Taking him out of commission is a good thing for Mexico.

Perez Salas allegedly protected the sons of imprisoned drug lord Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, and also helped in their drug business. The sons lead a faction of the cartel known as the little Chapos, or Chapitos that has been identified as one of the main exporters of fentanyl, a deadly synthetic opioid, to the U.S. market.

Fentanyl has been blamed for about 70,000 overdose deaths per year in the United States.

Perez Salas allegedly ran security for the Chapitos in Sinaloa state, according to prosecutors in the Southern District of New York. He was among nearly two dozen defendants named earlier this year in an indictment.

Perez Salas commanded a security team known as the Ninis, a particularly violent group of security personnel for the Chapitos, according to the indictment unsealed in April. The Ninis received military-style training in multiple areas of combat, including urban warfare, special weapons and tactics, and sniper proficiency.

The nickname Nini is apparently a reference to a Mexican slang saying neither nor, used to describe youths who neither work nor study.

Perez Salas allegedly participated in the torture of a Mexican federal agent in 2017. He and others tortured the man for two hours, inserting a corkscrew into his muscles, ripping it out and placing hot chiles in the wounds.

According to the indictment, the Ninis  the gang of gunmen led by Perez Salas and Jorge Figueroa Benitez  carried out gruesome acts of violence.

The Ninis would take captured rivals to ranches owned by the Chapitos for execution.

While many of these victims were shot, others were fed, dead or alive, to tigers belonging to the Chapitos, who raised and kept tigers as pets, according to the indictment.

And while the Sinaloa cartel does some lab testing on its products, the Ninis conducted more grisly human testing on kidnapped rivals or addicts who are injected until they overdose.

In 2002, according to the indictment, the two Ninis leaders experimented on a woman they were supposed to shoot and injected her repeatedly with a lower potency of fentanyl until she overdosed and died.

The purity of the cartels fentanyl varies greatly depending on the method and skill of the particular manufacturer, prosecutors noted, and after a user overdosed on one batch, the Chapitos still shipped to the U.S.

When the elder Guzman and fellow Sinaloa cartel leader Ismael El Mayo Zambada ran the gang, it operated with a certain degree of restraint. But with Guzman serving a life sentence and Zambada believed to be suffering from health issues, the Chapitos moved in aggressively with unrestrained violence.

The arrest of Perez Salas came just a few days after Lopez Obrador met with President Joe Biden in San Francisco, continuing a trend of major arrests occurring days before or after meetings with Biden.

Ovidio Guzman Lopez, one of the Chapitos, was arrested in January, just a few days before the two leaders met in Mexico City.

Ovidio Guzman was extradited to the United States in September to face drug trafficking, weapons and other charges. His father, El Chapo, is serving a life sentence in the U.S.

Vigil said of the timing of the arrests that some of them are more than coincidence.

Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador may be trying to provide a gesture of goodwill in his final hours as president, Vigil said. The Mexican president leaves office in September.

____

Follow APs coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america
David Raymond Haro ll -- TCSO booking photo View Photo

Jamestown, CA  A Lodi man was found sleeping in his vehicle, and more disturbing is what was in clear view beside him.

Tuolumne County Sheriffs deputies recently responded to a caller reporting a suspicious vehicle in the area of Petticoat Junction Drive near Jim Brady Road in Jamestown. When deputies arrived, the vehicles motor was running, and the driver, 51-year-old David Raymond Haro II of Lodi, was sleeping behind the wheel. Sheriffs officials say the deputies immediately spotted a handgun in the center console.

Deputies knocked on the window to wake Haro and then ordered him out of the vehicle. He was handcuffed before they removed the handgun, which was loaded. A record check of Haro uncovered that he had a domestic violence restraining order against him and was a convicted felon. Both prohibit him from having firearms in California.

Haro was arrested on charges of felon in possession of a firearm, carrying a loaded firearm in public, and violation of a domestic violence restraining order.
Hezbollah fires rockets at north Israel after an airstrike kills 5 of the groups senior fighters

Hezbollah fires rockets at north Israel after an airstrike kills 5 of the groups senior fighters View Photo

BEIRUT (AP)  The militant Hezbollah group fired more than 50 rockets at military posts in northern Israel on Thursday, a day after an Israeli airstrike on a home in southern Lebanon killed five of the groups senior fighters.

The waves of rockets sent over the border represented one of the most intense bombardments since Hezbollah started attacking Israeli posts in the countrys north at the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war.

Hezbollah has said that by heating up its actions on the Israel-Lebanon border, it is easing pressure on the Gaza Strip, where Israels crushing aerial, ground and naval offensive has left more than 13,300 Palestinians dead and caused wide destruction in the sealed-off enclave.

The war was triggered by an Oct. 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel that left about 1,200 people dead, most of them civilians, and resulted in about 240 hostages getting taken to Gaza.

An agreement for a four-day cease-fire in Gaza and the release of dozens of hostages held by the militants and Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, was set to take place Thursday but it was later announced in Qatar, which was a main mediator, that the truce would go into effect Friday morning.

Hezbollah said in a series of statements released Thursday that the volleys it fired toward Israeli posts included 48 Katyusha rockets that were directed at an Israeli army base in Beit Zeitem, about 10 kilometers (6 miles) south of the border.

In another attack, Hezbollah said its fighters monitored four Israeli soldiers as they took positions inside a house in the Manara Kibbutz then fired an anti-tank missile that destroyed the house and killed the soldiers. There was no comment on the claim by Israels military.

Hezbollah released at least 21 statements claiming attacks on Thursday alone making it a record in one day since the fighting began last month. The group said its fighters also struck Israeli tanks.

The intense fire followed an Israeli airstrike on a house in Beit Yahoun, a village in southern Lebanon, that killed the five senior fighters, including Abbas Raad, the son of the head of Hezbollahs 13-member parliamentary bloc in Lebanon, Mohammed Raad.

The deaths bring the number of Hezbollah fighters who have been killed in seven weeks of fighting to at least 83.

Thousands of people, including senior Hezbollah officials, attended Raads funeral in the southern village of Jbaa. After a Thursday afternoon ceremony in the main square, the coffin, draped in Hezbollahs yellow flag, was carried to a cemetery for burial.

When Netanyahu accepts to abide by a truce, this means he is not capable of wiping out the resistance, top Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine said in a funeral speech, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah met in Beirut in Thursday with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian. They discussed the ongoing war in Gaza and efforts to stop the Israeli aggression, as well as the situation at the tense Lebanon-Israel border, according to a statement released by Hezbollah.

Amirabdollahian warned in comments to journalists upon his arrival in Lebanon Wednesday that the ongoing Israel-Hamas war could spiral out of control if a truce does not last.

Iran-backed factions in Iraq, including the militant group Kataib Hezbollah, have carried out more than 60 and rocket or suicide drone attacks at bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria. Kataib Hezbollah is allied with Lebanons Hezbollah but the groups have different leaders.

The U.S. military said Thursday that one of its warships in the Red Sea shot down bomb-carrying drones launched from territory controlled by Yemens Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

The American militarys Central Command said the USS Thomas Hudner, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, shot down the drones early Thursday morning. The ship and crew sustained no damage or injury, Central Command said.

By BASSEM MROUE

Associated Press
Judges rule against Tennessee Senate redistricting map over treatment of Nashville seats View Photo

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)  A Republican-drawn map for Tennessees Senate seats violates the state Constitution because lawmakers incorrectly numbered the legislative districts in left-leaning Nashville, which affects which years those seats are on the ballot, a panel of judges ruled Wednesday.

The ruling centers on maps passed by the Republican-supermajority Legislature in 2022 during the once-a-decade redistricting process.

Tennessees constitution dictates that districts must be numbered consecutively in counties that have more than one district. The newly drawn redistricting plan does not do that in Davidson County, which encompasses Nashville. Instead, its numbered 17, 19, 20 and 21.

The numbering matters because the four-year Senate terms are staggered, putting some districts on the ballot in presidential election years, others in gubernatorial election cycles.

Currently, those four districts are represented by three Democrats and one Republican. There are 27 Republicans and 6 Democrats in the state Senate.

According to Wednesdays ruling, the states attorneys conceded that they would not defend the Senate map in court and instead focused their attention arguing that the plaintiffs didnt have standing to sue. Tennessees state House map was also challenged in the lawsuit, though the state did defend those boundaries.

Ultimately, the three judges panel upheld the House map and ordered the Tennessee Senate to come up with a new district layout by Jan. 31, 2024.

Senate Speaker Randy McNally, a Republican who previously defended the Senate map as legally sound, said legislative leaders were reviewing Wednesdays decision but believed that an appeal is a very viable option.

A spokesperson for Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti also said the office was reviewing the ruling.

Todays court ruling against the gerrymandered state Senate map is a clear win for the Tennessee Constitution, said Democratic Sens. Raumesh Akbari and London Lamar in a joint statement. Even when a political party has a supermajority in the legislature, its members must still follow the law.

Akbari and Lamar added that they looked forward to advocating for a fair map and transparent process over the following weeks.

Separately, Democrats had argued that the House map also divides more counties than needed to create districts with roughly equal populations, and that it dilutes the power of minority voters. The map splits 30 counties, the maximum permitted for the state House. The Tennessee Democratic Party said Wednesday that it would continue fighting the ruling on upholding the House map.

Our fight for a constitutional State House map is not over, said Hendrell Remus, chairman of the states Democratic Party, in a statement.

Composing a constitutional map is like piecing together a complex puzzle because one may not focus on a single factor to the exclusion of other constitutional factorsThe nature of constructing a puzzle whose pieces have inherent conflict means that a perfect map will never be constructed by, nor required of the General Assembly, the judges wrote in their ruling.

Three voters filed the lawsuit in 2022, which was backed by the Tennessee Democratic Party. The state had argued that the plaintiffs lacked standing to sue over the maps, but the panel of judges allowed the case to proceed with one plaintiff eligible to challenge the House map, and another allowed to contest the Senate map.

In April 2022, the panel of state trial-level judges blocked the Senate map from taking effect. The state appealed, and within a week, the Tennessee Supreme Court overturned that decision and let the maps stand. The justices reasoned that the lower court judges didnt properly consider how blocking the map and extending the candidate filing deadline would harm elections officials and cause voter confusion.

A legal challenge against Tennessees redistricting maps is still pending in federal court, as well.

The federal lawsuit alleges that the U.S. House districts and those for the state Senate amount to unconstitutional racial gerrymandering under the 14th and 15th amendments. The challenge of the congressional map focuses on how the map split Nashville three ways, turning a Democratic seat there into a Republican pickup in 2022. The Senate challenge focuses on the boundaries in majority-Black Shelby County, including part of Memphis. A Republican represents the seat in question.

That lawsuit, however, is not scheduled to make its way to trial until April 2025.

By JONATHAN MATTISE and KIMBERLEE KRUESI

Associated Press
Hawaiis governor wants to make it easier for travelers from Japan to visit the islands

Hawaiis governor wants to make it easier for travelers from Japan to visit the islands View Photo

HONOLULU (AP)  Hawaii leaders want to make it easier for tourists from Japan to visit the U.S. state by creating a pre-clearance program allowing travelers from the country to save time at the Honolulu airport by completing immigration, customs and agricultural inspections before departure.

Gov. Josh Green and other state officials proposed the idea during a recent visit to Tokyo. Green hopes the program will help boost tourism to the islands, Hawaii News Now reported Tuesday.

Tourism from Japan, Hawaiis top international visitor market, has been sluggish since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hawaii is keen on bringing more travelers from Japan back because thats the tourist that knows how to carry themselves in Hawaii and how to care for our aina and so on, Green said, using the Hawaiian word for land.

A pre-clearance program, which has been discussed for many years, could open direct routes to other islands, including Maui, Green said.

Soon after a deadly wildfire wiped out much of the west Maui town of Lahaina, the Japan government donated $2 million in humanitarian aid.

State House Speaker Scott Saiki, who joined Green on the trip, said Japan officials were concerned about how much the program would cost and how it would be implemented and enforced.

Green said he will ask Hawaiis delegation in U.S. Congress to help make the program possible.
Walmart shooter who injured 4 in Ohio may have been motivated by racial extremism, FBI says

Walmart shooter who injured 4 in Ohio may have been motivated by racial extremism, FBI says View Photo

A white gunman who opened fire inside a Walmart in Ohio and wounded four people before killing himself may have been motivated by racist extremism, the FBI said Wednesday.

Four shoppers  two Black women, a white woman and a white man  were wounded in the attack at the Walmart in Beavercreek, a suburb of Dayton, just days before Thanksgiving, the FBI said.

Evidence, including journal writings, show the shooting may have been at least partially inspired by racially violent extremist ideology, according to the FBI.

The shooter, identified as 20-year-old Benjamin Charles Jones, of Dayton, entered the store Monday night, carrying a Hi-Point 45-caliber Carbine long gun, police said. He shot an undetermined number of rounds, leaving injured victims throughout the building, before turning the weapon on himself, authorities said.

Attempts by The Associated Press to reach relatives of Jones were unsuccessful.

Jones bought the gun two days before the attack at a store in Dayton, the FBI said. Investigators said they were checking whether he provided any false information on his background check form and also continuing to look into his background and online activity

Police said on Tuesday that three of the victims were in stable condition at area hospitals and one of the victims, a woman, was in critical but stable condition.

Authorities have declined to release the identities of the victims.

The shooting happened a day after a man shot and killed a woman before fatally shooting himself outside a Walmart in Anchorage, Alaska. Police in Anchorage said Tuesday it was a domestic-violence related crime.

In 2019, a white gunman killed 23 people at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, in a racist attack that targeted Hispanic shoppers. Walmart soon after discontinued sales of certain kinds of ammunition. It also asked that customers no longer openly carry firearms in its stores. The retailer now sells only hunting rifles and related ammunition.

The store in Ohio where Mondays shooting took place was the scene of a fatal shooting involving police almost 10 years ago. A white police officer shot 22-year-old John Crawford III after he picked up an unpackaged pellet rifle he found on a shelf in August 2014. The family of the Black man reached a settlement of $1.7 million with the city of Beavercreek. The settlement included changes in police policy.

By JOHN SEEWER

Associated Press
Georgia Supreme Court ruling prevents GOP-backed commission from beginning to discipline prosecutors View Photo

ATLANTA (AP)  Georgias state Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to approve rules for a new commission to discipline and remove state prosecutors, meaning the commission cant begin operating.

Some Republicans in Georgia want the new commission to discipline or remove Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis for winning indictments of former President Donald Trump and 18 others.

In an unsigned order, justices said they have grave doubts about their ability to regulate the duties of district attorneys beyond the practice of law. They said that because lawmakers hadnt expressly ordered justices to act, they were refusing to rule one way or the other.

If district attorneys exercise judicial power, our regulation of the exercise of that power may well be within our inherent power as the head of the Judicial Branch, justices wrote. But if district attorneys exercise only executive power, our regulation of the exercise of that power would likely be beyond the scope of our judicial power.

State Rep. Houston Gaines, an Athens Republican who helped guide the law through the state House earlier this year, said he believed lawmakers could as soon as January remove the requirement for the court to approve the rules, letting the commission begin operating.

This commission has been years in the making  and now it has its appointees and rules and regulations ready to go, Gaines wrote in a text. As soon as the legislature can address this final issue from the court, rogue prosecutors will be held accountable.

Georgias law is one of multiple attempts nationwide by Republicans to control prosecutors they dont like. Republicans have inveighed against progressive prosecutors after some have brought fewer drug possession cases and sought shorter prison sentences, arguing Democrats are coddling criminals.

Beyond the hurdle of state Supreme Court approval of rules, four district attorneys are suing to overturn the commission, arguing that it unconstitutionally infringes on their power.

Sherry Boston, the Democratic district attorney in suburban Atlantas DeKalb County and one of the four plaintiffs, said in a statement Wednesday that the order shines a bright light on the fundamental failings of the law.

We are pleased the justices have taken action to stop this unconstitutional attack on the states prosecutors, Boston said.

A Georgia judge in September denied an request to freeze the law from the four district attorneys, suggesting she will ultimately rule against their lawsuit.

The plaintiffs argue prosecutors are already changing their behavior because theyre worried about getting investigated.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Paige Reese Whitaker found the suit is unlikely to succeed, noting the Georgia Constitution expressly authorizes the General Assembly to impose duties on district attorneys and to create disciplinary and removal processes.

Opponents say the law creates a bias in favor of prosecuting people, but supporters including Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, a Republican, argue that if district attorneys dont prosecute, they are violating their oaths of office.

The law raises key questions about prosecutorial discretion, a bedrock of the American judicial system that allows prosecutors to decide what criminal charges to seek and how heavy of a sentence to pursue. The Georgia law states a prosecutor cant refuse to prosecute whole categories of crimes, but must instead decide charges case by case. It applies both to district attorneys and elected solicitors general, who prosecute lower-level crimes in some Georgia counties.

Commissioners have said they cant start operations until rules take effect. They voted in September not to investigate any acts that take place before rules are approved. Its unclear how that decision might affect petitions asking the commission to discipline Willis, who won indictments of Trump and others in August.

Randy McGinley, the district attorney for Newton and Walton counties who has been named to lead the commission, declined comment Wednesday. McGinley said he would seek to have the commission meet next week to discuss the issue.

By JEFF AMY

Associated Press
German police arrest two men accused of smuggling as many as 200 migrants into the European Union

German police arrest two men accused of smuggling as many as 200 migrants into the European Union View Photo

BERLIN (AP)  German police arrested two men Thursday following raids targeting organized migrant smuggling in the countrys capital and the northern state of Lower Saxony.

About 260 officers took part in the raids and searches at eight properties in Lower Saxony and another six in Berlin.

The suspects are accused of smuggling more than 200 migrants, most of them Syrians, into the European Union, German news agency dpa reported.

One of the suspects, a 23-year-old man from Berlin, was arrested in Garbsen near Hannover. The other, a 40-year-old man, was placed in custody in Lehrte near Hanover on the basis of an Austrian arrest warrant.

Authorities did not identify the suspects. But security officials alleged the two were part of a group of smugglers, most of them Iraqis, that allegedly brought at least 208 migrants into the EU during a dozen trips between August 2022 and June 2023.

The men are suspected of transporting the migrants in extreme heat and unsuitable vehicles and did not give the passengers rest or food, dpa reported.

They allegedly charged 4,000-5,000 euros ($4,357-$5,446) per person. The route taken by the smugglers went through Hungary, Austria, the Czech Republic and ultimately into Germany.

Wealthy Germany is a top destination for migrants from around the world, but shelters in the country have been filling up. The government is under pressure to curb migration and speed up deportations of rejected asylum-seekers.

In recent weeks, Germany also started carrying out systematic checks on its borders with Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland to keep unauthorized migrants from entering the country.

___

Follow APs coverage of migration issues at https://apnews.com/hub/migration
Dr. Richard Benfield, retired CCSU Professor and Chair of Geography, spoke to 38 Ys Men of Meriden on Oct. 24, about the rare (and possibly disappearing) Snow Leopard, with habitats in 12 countries near Mount Everest including China, Russia, India and Mongolia. Benfields experience is drawn from many years of fascination with this animal and about seven trips to the area that he made since retirement.

The presentation included remarkable videos and photos of these stunning cats. He noted that snow leopards live at an altitude of about 16,000 feet (varying from 10,000 to 20,000) so their environment is cold, challenging and austere. And their camouflage is remarkable; indeed, Benfield displayed a series of slides and challenged his audience to spot the snow leopard in each, with limited success. They are proficient hunters, preferring blue sheep, ibex, marmots, argali (mountain sheep) and even the two-humped Bactrian camel, but are only successful in about 10 percent of the hunts due to the challenging near-vertical mountainside environment.

Mating occurs in winter after the male marks his territory (with material from his perianal area) and emitting a yowling sound. Gestation lasts about 90 days, producing up to four cubs who stay close to their mother for about 18 months (exhausting the mother who must capture prey for herself and the cubs). Most mothers have up to four litters in their lifetime (except for a remarkable leopard Dagina who has had five).

But these leopards are currently endangered, numbering about 3,900 worldwide. Numerous factors are involved in the decline of the snow leopard population, including loss of natural prey, killing by local herders and poaching (with hides fetching up to $5,000). Benfield, working through the Snow Leopard Trust (Seattle, Wash.,) is devoted to their preservation. Techniques include the use of remote motion-activated flash cameras (with images analyzed by artificial intelligence technology,) GPS collars (with a satellite link,) and interaction with the local population (if no snow leopards killed in past six months, they are rewarded with purchase of their handicrafts, building projects, and compensation for any livestock killed by a snow leopard.)

Benfield displayed three videos, including a dramatic one of hunting prey. He concluded his presentation by running a raffle (a snow leopard hat being won by a lucky member of the audience) and asked members to consider donation to this cause by going to www.snowleopard.org.

For further information about the Ys Men of Meriden, go to ysmenofmeriden.com or call 203-238-7784.
Happy American Thanksgiving to those who celebrate, and may your tryptophan-induced haze abide in beneficence. lambert

Do Coyotes Hunt in Packs? Field & Stream

Scientists make breakthrough discovery in research into what causes an itch Axios

Climate

Unraveling Paddy Soil Secrets: Surprising Contribution of Nonmicrobial Mechanisms to CO2 Emissions (press release) Chinese Academy of Sciences

#COVID19

China?

Syraqistan

As A.I.-Controlled Killer Drones Become Reality, Nations Debate Limits NYT (DL).

European Disunion

New Not-So-Cold War

No Way Out Trying to Understand the World. Musical interlude.

Being an Arctic Nation is for the Good of All Americans Maritime Executive

Democrats en Deshabille

Pa. High Court Rejects Percentage of Revenue Venue Defense Law.com

Antitrust

Digital Watch

Behind the Scenes of Sam Altmans Showdown at OpenAI WSJ. I hope Larry Summers slithering onto the OpenAI board is a sign that the enshittification of AI is proceeding with the rapidity and force it so richly deserves. Perhaps Larry can do for OpenAI what he did for the Harvard endowment!

Imperial Collapse Watch

The Old-School Artillery Shell Is Becoming High Tech WSJ. Something wrong with simple and rugged?

Thanksgiving Pre-Game Festivities

Guillotine Watch

This Bat Uses Its Oversized Penis as an Arm during Sex Scientific American. Something to talk about round the table!

Antidote du jour (via):

I suppose I should have done a turkey, but this wombat is just too cute.

See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here.
Yves here. As I regularly stress, Simon Watkins regularly provided early and important intelligence about developments in the oil and gas industry, particularly in the Middle East, along with comments on their geopolitical importance. However, as you can see here, Watkins also brings a lot of Cold War baggage along with him. Regardless of what greater designs one attributes to China and Russia, its a remarkable proof of US failure that they are becoming major gas development partners with Iraq after our hugely expensive wars and aftermath there.

By Simon Watkins, a former senior FX trader and salesman, financial journalist, and best-selling author. He was Head of Forex Institutional Sales and Trading for Credit Lyonnais, and later Director of Forex at Bank of Montreal. He was then Head of Weekly Publications and Chief Writer for Business Monitor International, Head of Fuel Oil Products for Platts, and Global Managing Editor of Research for Renaissance Capital in Moscow. He has written extensively on oil and gas, Forex, equities, bonds, economics and geopolitics for many leading publications, and has worked as a geopolitical risk consultant for a number of major hedge funds in London, Moscow, and Dubai. Originally published at OilPrice

Russia and China are positioning to benefit from Iraqs sixth gas licensing round.

The huge Akkas gas field and the surrounding area are absolutely crucial in Iraqs strategic plan for natural gas.

The field itself has around 5.6 trillion cubic feet of proven reserves, and Iraqs Oil Ministry plans for it to produce around 400 million cubic feet per day of gas.

Any major project connected to Iraqs oil and gas sector has an incalculably greater significance than just extracting oil or gas. Situated in the heart of the Middle East, sharing its eastern border with Iran, its northern border with Turkey, its western border with Syria and Jordan, and its southern border with Saudi Arabia, Iraq is perhaps the single most geopolitically important country to Russia, China, and the U.S. in the entire region. In turn, the lawless western desert province of Anbar is perhaps the most geopolitically vital area in all of Iraq. And the most strategically important position in Anbar is the huge Akkas gas field. It is little wonder, then, that Russia and China have been angling for the best position to benefit from Iraqs sixth gas licensing round, centre stage of which will be the bidding for the giant Akkas gas field and its surrounding area.

The field itself has around 5.6 trillion cubic feet of proven reserves, and Iraqs Oil Ministry plans for it to produce around 400 million cubic feet per day of gas. But that is not the point at all  it could have nothing in it, and Russia and China would still do anything to get it. One core reason is that oil and gas companies are legally entitled to secure their oil and/or gas field operations around the world through whatever means they feel necessary. In practical terms, this can include stationing a massive heavily-armed security force around an oil and/or gas field. Such a site can also house anyone else that the company wishes, in whatever job function they care to label them. In Chinas case, this link between the corporate world and the state is explicit. For the many national-level state firms (and virtually all others), board directors and company executives are under the standing instruction to execute the will of the Central Committee of the China Communist Party. A similar directive applies to Russian state companies. In the West, the links between the corporate world and the state are much less direct. In sum, though, the outcome is largely the same: an oil and/or gas field exploration and development site anywhere in the world can effectively be regarded as part of the country of the company that operates it, not as part of the country in which it is geographically situated.

For China, then, a growing presence in Iraq brings several significant advantages to its overarching plan to act as  at least  the global superpower counterpoint to the U.S. One of these, as reiterated recently in the Iraq Cabinet meeting that gave its full support to rolling out all aspects of the Iraq-China Framework Agreement signed in December 2021, is plentiful cheap oil, gas, and petrochemicals. This agreement is very similar in scope and scale to the all-encompassing Iran-China 25-Year Comprehensive Cooperation Agreement, as first revealed anywhere in the world in my 3 September 2019 article on the subject and fully examined in my new book on the new global oil market order. A key part of both deals is that China has first refusal on all oil, gas, and petrochemicals projects that come up in Iraq for the duration of the deal, and that it is given at least a 30 percent discount on all oil, gas, and petrochemicals it buys. Another key part of the Iraq-China Framework Agreement is that Beijing is allowed to build factories across the country, with a corollary build-out of supportive infrastructure. This includes  importantly for its Belt and Road Initiative  railway and other transport and logistical links, all overseen by its own management staff from Chinese companies on the ground in Iraq.

For Russia, the stakes are even higher. Iraq  under the enduring influence of Iran  is a key part of the Shia Crescent countries over which Moscow extends its influence across the Middle East, as also analysed in depth in my new book. This augments the geopolitical power it wields in and around its Former Soviet Union (FSU) satellite states. Already in a controlling position in all key countries in the Shia Crescent of power in the Middle East  Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran, and Yemen (via Iran)  Russia continues to work on those countries on the edges of the Crescent in which it already directly or indirectly had a foothold. These include Azerbaijan (75% Shia and an FSU state) and Turkey (25% Shia and furious at not being accepted fully into the European Union). Others also remain longer-term targets, including Bahrain (75% Shia) and Pakistan (up to 25% Shia and previously a sanctuary to sworn-U.S. enemies Al Qaeda and the Taliban). Iraq is the vital link for Russia, then, between Iran (over which it has significant control, along with China) and Syria  the biggest country on the western side of the Shia Crescent.

The Akkas gas field itself is one of three big gas fields that form a skewed triangle across southern Iraq, stretching from the Mansuriya field near the eastern border with Iran, down to Siba field in the south (extremely close to the key Iraqi Basra export hub), and then all the way west across to Akkas itself (extremely close to the border with Syria). Russia thought it had finally gained control over these three sites when in September 2019 its Stroytransgaz signed a preliminary contract with Iraqs Oil Ministry to develop the hitherto virtually unknown Block 17 in Iraqs lawless wasteland Anbar province, as also analysed in depth in my new book. A place so violent and unpredictable that it was even avoided where possible by Islamic State, the Block 17 site in Anbar province was perfect for Russias purposes, as it was right in the middle of what the U.S. military used to call the spine of Islamic State where the Euphrates flows westwards into Syria and eastwards into the Persian Gulf, extremely close to the border with Iran.

Along the spine running from east to west are the historical ultra-nationalist and ultra-anti-West cities of Falluja, Ramadi, Hit and Haditha, and then Iraq turns into Syria, and it is just a short hop to the key strategic ports of Banias and Tartus, and to Latakia  all three of which are crucial globally strategic sites for Moscow. The Syrian port of Tartus remains a huge naval base for Russia and the only Mediterranean port it has access to. The port is just a short ride from Khmeimim airport, which  under a deal struck in 2015  became a dual-use civilian-military airport-airbase for use by Russia. And just a short flight away from those two key assets is Russias Latakia intelligence-gathering listening station. Meanwhile, Banias had long been earmarked as the end point for the long-planned Iran-Iraq-Syria pipelines that would move Iranian, and later Iraqi, oil and gas from Iran through Iraq to Syria, and then into the less rigorously policed ports of southern Europe. This route would not only allow for the movement of sanctioned Iranian oil and gas into Europe, but also of anything else that Russia and Iran want to get into the continent without too many checks. This has long been the final part of Russian and Iranian plans to build a land bridge from Tehran to the Mediterranean Sea by which they could exponentially increase the scale and scope of weapons delivery into southern Lebanon and the Golan Heights area of Syria to be used in attacks on Israel, as also analysed in depth in my new book on the new global oil market order. This core aim of this policy was to provoke a broader conflict in the Middle East that would draw in the U.S. and its allies into an unwinnable war of the sort seen recently in Iraq and Afghanistan.

It should come as no surprise, then, that  according to a source who works closely with Iraqs Oil Ministry spoken to exclusively by OilPrice.com last week  Russia has now received assurances from the Iraqi government that it will be awarded an exploratory and production licence for the Akkas gas field. The enormous pressure that Russia brought to bear on Baghdad, both through its activities in the south of the country and through its tight grip over Kurdistans oil and gas sector in the north, was augmented by heavy lobbying of Iraqs Oil Ministry from elements of Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, added the source. So the Russian licence will allow its chosen companies to subcontract parts of the contract for periods of 5-10 years during the 20-year license period, and this will heavily feature Chinese companies, he concluded.
Battlefields are high-stress, complex environments where decisions have to be made in a split second. In the fog of conflict, its not always easy to tell friends from foes  particularly if youre looking at a fast-moving vehicle from a long distance. To address this challenge, the US Armys Training Doctrine Command (TRADOC) has developed a deck of playing cards featuring 54 NATO weapons systems, covering everything from tanks to helicopters to artillery systems.



Helping troops identify NATO equipment

The main purpose of the NATO Proliferation Playing Cards is to help troops on the ground become familiar with NATO equipment that has been adopted for use in non-NATO countries, so that they can distinguish this equipment from that of the enemy and prevent friendly fire.

The card deck went into production before Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. While this tool was not created specifically with the war against Ukraine in mind, it will be particularly useful to Ukrainian forces, who are currently fighting to free their territory from Russias illegal occupation.

NATO Allies have sent billions of euros worth of military equipment to Ukraine to help Kyiv defend itself against Russias war of aggression. Allies have also trained Ukrainian soldiers to use advanced weapons systems, vehicles and other gear. NATO itself has coordinated the donation and delivery of non-lethal assistance to Ukraine, including medical supplies, fuel, combat rations and protective equipment. (Read more about NATOs response to Russias invasion of Ukraine.)

The cards will help Ukrainian troops identify some of the main pieces of this gear, and also provide them with additional information, including the names of the equipment, its main weapon, the country of manufacture and other countries that have purchased it. The deck contains 52 cards and two jokers. Each card features a piece of gear from a NATO Ally, with suits and numbers randomly assigned. For instance, the seven of spades shows the German-made Gepard anti-aircraft gun, the five of diamonds highlights the French Eurocopter AS532 Cougar and the eight of diamonds features a Slovak-made Dana SPH howitzer. Because the cards went into production prior to Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the deck may be missing some of the equipment that Allies have provided to assist Ukraine since.

Each of the 54 cards features information on the name of the equipment, its main weapon, the manufacturer and countries that have purchased it. Photo credit: US Army Training and Doctrine Command

The "NATO Proliferation Playing Cards" are available on the Central Army Registry (CAR) website. They can be printed off for use as memory flashcards, or to play any card game, from solitaire to hearts to poker.

Cards on the battlefield  a historical tradition

Card games have been a staple for troops in the field since at least the First World War. During their downtime in the trenches, soldiers would gather to play cards. They provided a much-needed sense of normalcy, promoted social interaction and offered some distraction from negative thoughts. Furthermore, they were simple to learn how to play, even if you didnt speak the same language, and they were easy to carry  a deck of cards would fit in one pocket without having to sacrifice any piece of essential gear.

For the same reason, wartime decks have been used to pass information to troops behind enemy lines. During the Second World War, UK and US intelligence units joined forces to create a deck of cards that would help the Allies escape Nazi imprisonment, particularly from the Colditz Castle prisoner of war camp. Thanks to the Geneva Convention, it was possible for organisations like the Red Cross to deliver care packages to captured soldiers during Christmas.

What was in the cards for the imprisoned troops? Much more than premonitions about the future, the cards featured maps revealing escape routes. Each card had a thin piece of a map concealed between its two thicker outside layers. Using water, the two pieces would separate and reveal their true purpose.

The card deck developed by UK and US intelligence services, which concealed maps with escape routes. Photo credit: International Spy Museum

According to the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C., which holds some of these historical decks in its collection, these cards prompted more than 310 escape attempts and enabled at least 32 successful escapes from Colditz Castle.

Bringing people together

Playing cards have existed in one form or another for more than a thousand years. No matter how a deck of cards has been designed throughout history, or how many cards it contains, it almost always serves the same ultimate purpose: bringing people together to pass the time in friendly competition. And if they can learn something while theyre playing the game, all the better.

A deck of cards might not be the first thing that comes to mind when we think of military instructional tools. But the US Armys NATO equipment deck will complement the more detailed, formal briefings that soldiers receive. And beyond its educational use, it will also provide an even greater value: helping troops get to know each other better, bond as a group, and live and work together more effectively both on and off the battlefield.
On 21 and 22 November, Moldovan and Ukrainian experts gathered in Chisinau to exchange experiences on hybrid threats and challenges since Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and to share lessons learned on countering hybrid tactics.

Organized in the framework of the NATO-Ukraine Platform on Countering Hybrid Warfare, the event took place, for the first time, in the Republic of Moldova. It offered the opportunity to strengthen dialogue and cooperation between Ukraine and Moldovas security and defence institutions, as well as to enhance inter-agency cooperation. Representatives from Allied nations and the EUPartnership Mission in Moldova also contributed to the discussions.

The participants focused on a range of issues related to hybrid threats and resilience, including: strategic communications and disinformation, government and inter-government cooperation, energy security, and protection of critical infrastructure. These expert consultations aim to strengthen resilience and facilitate the prevention and countering of hybrid attacks. The presence of so many experts is a unique opportunity to highlight and analyse common hybrid risks and threats to Moldova and Ukraine, said Michaela Simakova, Head of the NATO Liaison Office in Moldova.

The Platform was launched in 2016 as a tool for NATO and Ukraine to facilitate exchanges on Russian hybrid tactics, including by developing tools to defend and enhance resilience. The work of the Platform is open to select partners facing hybrid pressure from Russia.
Missouri AG investigating Media Matters after Elon Musk claimed it gamed servers for X hit piece

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey announced that his office is launching an investigation of the media watchdog group Media Matters for America in connection with its actions in creating a hit piece on X owner and tech billionaire Elon Musk.

Elon Musk has also threatened to file a thermonuclear lawsuit against Media Matters after they published their report, which cast X (formerly Twitter) in a negative light amid the exodus of several major brands who had been advertising on the social media platform.

The drama was set in motion by a Media Matters report published on Thursday that showed how ads for several prominent mainstream brands on X had been running alongside posts from users who expressed white supremacist viewpoints.

A slew of major firms, including Apple, Disney, Paramount, Lionsgate and IBM, have said they will leave X, while the European Union announced it would stop advertising on the platform.

X spokesperson Joe Benarroch explained in a company blog post what happened from their point of view and how Media Matters misrepresented the reality of how the platform works. He noted: ?Media Matters created an alternate X account and deliberately followed sensitive accounts to curate posts and get advertising to appear on the accounts timeline to then misinform advertisers about the placement of their posts. These contrived experiences could be created on any social media platform.

According to X, reporters from Media Matters curated an account to look at various white supremacist content and then refreshed their feeds on a repeated basis until they could get certain rare instances of ads to appear next to the content to support their story. Musk noted that of the 5.5 billion ad impressions on X each day, only 50 appeared on the specific content Media Matters showcased in its report.

On Friday night, Musk wrote on X: The split second court opens on Monday, X Corp will be filing a thermonuclear lawsuit against Media Matters and ALL those who colluded in this fraudulent attack on our company.

He went on to add: Their board, their donors, their network of dark money, all of them... and said in other tweets that the discovery and depositions will be glorious to behold.

Attorney General Baileys office will be investigating the allegations that Media Matters created social media accounts to game the platforms servers and create false impressions.

After Musk asked conservative attorneys general in the U.S. to investigate Media Matters on X, Bailey responded: My team is looking into this matter.

Bailey is known for defending the First Amendment, suing the Biden administration over violations of free speech and filing a joint-amicus brief with a group of other attorneys general against the gag order on former President Donald Trump related to his January 6 case.

Musk admonished by White House for anti-semitic posts

Media Matters report came after Musk agreed with a post on X that falsely claimed Jewish people had been promoting dialectical hatred against white people; he responded that the post was the actual truth, leading to backlash from brands that use and advertise on the platform as well as the White House.

The White House even went so far as to admonish Musk, saying his actions were an abhorrent promotion of antisemitic and racist hate that run against our core values as Americans.

It is not yet known if Musk will follow through on his threat to file the suit or under which jurisdiction as X is based in San Francisco and Media Matters is based in Washington, D.C.

The president of Media Matters, Angelo Carusone, said the company is prepared for any legal action Musk might be considering. He said in a statement: Far from the free speech advocate he claims to be, Musk is a bully who threatens meritless lawsuits in an attempt to silence reporting that he even confirmed is accurate. Musk admitted the ads at issue ran alongside the pro-Nazi content we identified. If he does sue us, we will win.

Sources for this article include:

ThePostMillennial.com

CNBC.com
U.S. Army now begging UNVAXXED soldiers it once dismissed to return to service

The U.S. Army is begging soldiers not injected with the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine, and who were fired for their decision to refuse it, to return to military service

Information Liberation reported that several unvaccinated former soldiers received letters from the Department of Defense (DoD). The correspondence exhorted military members "involuntary separated for refusal to receive" the COVID-19 injections to request for "a correction of their military records." The letter arose "as a result of the rescission of all current COVID-19 vaccination requirements."

Alongside the correction of military records, the letter also opened the possibility of the former military members returning to active duty. It urged them to contact their local recruiter for this purpose.

In August 2021, the Biden administration made COVID-19 injections compulsory for military members. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said at the time that any service member refusing the COVID-19 injection would be kicked out  with more than 8,000 being discharged for noncompliance.

"Only 43 of the more than 8,000 U.S. service members who were discharged from the military for refusing to be vaccinated against COVID-19 have sought to rejoin, eight months after the vaccine mandate was officially repealed, according to data provided by the military branches," a report by CNN said.

Aside from the letter, a recruitment pamphlet also made the rounds on social media. The flyer explicitly stated that "the COVID-19 vaccine isn't required" for potential recruits. (Related: Getting COVID-19 vaccines is a risk potential recruits are not willing to take, says ex-serviceman.)

Chris Menahan of Information Liberation expressed a critical view of the letter, writing: "The Army is desperate to find cannon fodder for Israel's wars. I very much doubt these letters will convince anyone to rejoin. Firing those soldiers was a truly despicable act. The same cast of criminals now want to send our troops to die on behalf of a foreign power in a war the majority of Americans oppose."

Army: Dismissal of unvaxxed troops has no impact on military readiness

According to InfoWars, the Army insisted that its dismissal of unvaccinated soldiers has no impact on military readiness.

"I can tell you: There are no operational impacts across the force for readiness," Marine Corps Lt. Gen. David Ottignon told lawmakers. "There's no one community that has signaled an instance where a [leader], an NCO [non-commissioned officer] or another enlisted Marine is not present because of that."

The Army rescinded its vaccine mandate in January, a year and five months after it was first announced. Nevertheless, it said it would continue "to promote and encourage COVID-19 vaccination for all personnel to ensure readiness, facilitate mission accomplishment and protect the force."

But according to recently retired Army Maj. Chase Spears, the military doing a complete 180 on the COVID-19 vaccine mandate is mainly driven by its dismal recruiting numbers. He expounded on this claim in a Nov. 17 piece for the American Mind.

"One might be curious why the Army is doing an about-face on this now, given that its top official clearly has a different perspective from the policy change [they're] authorizing," he wrote. "Last month, the Army missed its fiscal year 2022 recruiting goals by 10,000  the third consecutive year to have a significant shortfall."

Spears also called on the DoD to formally apologize to service members it unlawfully removed from the military.

"Though this policy reversal is a step toward sanity it is far from enough. As I have said before, senior Army officials should apologize for the COVID-related misconduct. Beyond that, they owe a deep reservoir of amends to subordinates whose trust was so casually broken," he stated.

"We must never allow totalitarians to persecute their fellow citizens in our nation's military ever again. A force that can so easily lose sight of its purpose is one that is rightly viewed through a skeptic's lens."

Visit NationalSecurity.news for more stories about the country's military readiness.

Watch Scott Kesterson explain why the COVID-19 vaccine mandate was a ploy to dismiss soldiers who refused to obey illegal orders on this episode of "BardsFM" on Brighteon.TV from July 2022.

This video is from the BrighteonTV channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Now that most of the military has already been force-vaccinated for covid, Pentagon finally drops deadly mandate.

Vaccine mandates, military vaccine injuries continue to threaten national security by killing our soldiers.

Pentagon reports ALMOST 75 PERCENT of troops turned down Wuhan coronavirus vaccine.

Dr. Sam Sigoloff: The fight against vaccine mandates in the military continues.

Military servicemen call for an end to the Pentagon's vaccine mandate.

Sources include:

InformationLiberation.com

InfoWars.com

Brighteon.com
Former Obama advisor: Biden has 50% chance or less of winning 2024 presidential election

An erstwhile advisor to former President Barack Obama has warned incumbent President Joe Biden that he only has a 50 percent chance or less of winning the 2024 presidential election.

Political strategist David Axelrod issued this warning in an interview with Maureen Dowd of the New York Times (NYT). "I think he has a 50-50 shot here, but no better than that, maybe a little worse," he said. "He thinks he can cheat nature here, and it's really risky."

Axelrod also warned that Biden shouldn't count on former President Donald Trump, the Republican frontrunner, helping him win. According to the former Obama administration official, failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton mistakenly thought Trump securing the GOP nomination would hand her the election. Given this, Axelrod stressed that Biden should not make the same mistake.

This did not sit well with the incumbent president, who reportedly called Axelrod a "punk."

The consultant, who has been critical of Biden's age and decision to seek a second term, merely shrugged off the criticism. "I don't care about them thinking I'm a punk, that's fine," Axelrod told Dowd. "I hope they don't think the polls are wrong, because they're not."

According to recent polling from the NYT and Siena College, Biden trailed Trump in five swing states  Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and Pennsylvania. Only in Wisconsin was the former vice president ahead of Trump, and by a measly two points. Biden won all six states in the 2020 presidential election.

Biden, who turned 81 on Nov. 20, also faced a decline in approval ratings. A poll by NBC had his approval rating at an all-time low of 40 percent. In early November, a Gallup poll showed his approval at 37 percent  a 20-point slump from the 57 percent he had during his January 2021 inauguration.

Axelrod has concerns about Biden's age

If Biden wins the 2024 presidential election, he will be 82 years old at the time and 86 by the time he finishes his second term. His closest rival and predecessor Trump is 77 as of writing.

Axelrod has acknowledged that Biden's advanced age, coupled with his physical stumbles and verbal gaffes, could be hindrances in convincing the American electorate to vote for him once more.

"I think that there is one issue that is hanging over him," the political consultant told the fake news network on Nov. 19. "I think with Trump on the other end, he could still win this election. But the age issue is difficult."

Axelrod is not alone in this sentiment. Even Clinton, former first lady and secretary of state, has acknowledged that Biden's age is a legitimate issue to consider ahead of the 2024 elections. She made this remark during a sit-down interview with Financial Times (FT) editor Edward Luce in May, who asked the former first lady about Biden physically stumbling at the Group of Seven (G-7) Summit.

"It's a concern for everyone," Clinton said. "We've had presidents who had fallen before who were a lot younger, and people didn't go into heart palpitations. But his age is an issue, and people have every right to consider it." (Related: Hillary Clinton: Joe Biden's AGE is a legitimate issue to consider ahead of 2024 presidential elections.)

Despite this, the former secretary of state cited a maxim from Biden: "He has this great saying  and I think he's right  'Don't judge him for running against the Almighty but against the alternative.'"

Visit JoeBiden.news for more stories about the incumbent president ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

Watch Gabor "Gabe" Zolna discuss David Axelrod's criticism of Biden for focusing too much on himself below.

This video is from the zolnareport.com channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Joe Biden second most UNPOPULAR president in modern US history, just behind fellow Democrat Jimmy Carter.

As Americans find Biden too old, Blackstone CEO sees surprise in 2024 elections.

Hillary Clinton admits Joe Bidens age could be an issue in his reelection bid.

Survey: 71% of Americans believe Joe Biden is TOO OLD for a second term.

WSJ poll: Biden is TOO OLD to run for a second term in 2024 elections.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

FoxNews.com

Brighteon.com
Democrat congressman says on live TV: Trump has to be eliminated

Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman came under fire for saying that former President Donald Trump "has to be eliminated." He made the controversial remarks Sunday, Nov. 19, during his appearance on MSNBC's "Inside With Jen Psaki," where he discussed Trump's role in the January 6, 2021 riot at the Capitol.

Goldman, who represents New York's 10th Congressional District, has been a staunch critic of Trump's handling of his defeat in the 2020 elections. A former prosecutor, he worked on Trumps first impeachment inquiry in the House.

He said that Trump should never hold office again because of his denial of the 2020 election results. A federation indictment claims that Trump's action has led to efforts to overturn the election, culminating in the riot.

"His (Trump) rhetoric is really getting dangerous, more and more dangerous," the congressman said.

"And we saw what happened on January 6. When he uses inflammatory rhetoric now, and in his recent Truth Social posts, is incredibly, incredibly scary for anyone that might be trying to work in government. It is just unquestionable at this point that that man cannot see public office again. He is not only unfit. He is destructive to our democracy, and he has to be eliminated."

Goldmans use of the word eliminated drew widespread condemnation on social media.

Conservative activist Benny Johnson wrote: "Democrat Congressman Dan Goldman just said President Trump 'has to be eliminated' while simultaneously ranting about his 'dangerous rhetoric.'"

"Time to Censure Dan Goldman for inciting violence against a President of the United States," said conservative commentator Rogan O'Handley.

Charlie Kirk, chief executive officer of the conservative youth organization Turning Point, posted: "If a Republican went on TV and said that a Democrat presidential candidate needed to be 'eliminated' they'd be raided by the FBI within hours. Donald Trump is facing half a millennia in prison for saying people should 'fight.' Instead, Dan Goldman alludes to the assassination of Donald Trump and does so with zero consequences and zero fear of any consequences."

Trump's camp not surprised by Goldman's remarks

The former president's camp told the New York Post that Goldman's remarks were not surprising.

"Democrats have been calling for violence against President Trump and his supporters since 2016. This is not new or surprising rhetoric from disgusting liberals," Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement.

Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, demanded that Goldman be "investigated by the Secret Service for this threat."

Others called on the House to censure Goldman. "I hope Speaker Johnson censures this nut job!" Trump-aligned GOP consultant Alex Bruesewitz posted on X.

On Monday morning, Goldman apologized for the remark in a post on X.

"Yesterday on TV, I mistakenly used the wrong word to express the importance for America that Donald Trump doesn't become president again," he wrote. "While he must be defeated, I certainly wish no harm to him and do not condone political violence. I apologize for the poor choice of words."

Before entering politics, Goldman worked as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York, focusing on organized crime and white-collar prosecutions. He has also provided legal analysis on network and cable television and was a fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice.

Goldman is a proponent of gun control measures and supports gun control legislation, including a ban on assault weapons, universal background checks and waiting periods to purchase guns. He has introduced a bill aimed at curbing gun trafficking from the U.S. into Mexico.

Watch Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman saying Trump "has to be eliminated."

This video is from the Rick Langley channel on Brighteon.com.

Sources include:

ZeroHedge.com

NYPost.com

Brighteon.com
Ethnic cleansing of Gaza is harming Israels reputation and leading to more bloodshed, says author Steven Ben-Nun

The ethnic cleansing of Gaza is harming Israel's reputation and leading to more bloodshed. according to author Steven Ben-Nun.

"Is this going to harm Israel's reputation? Well, in a way, yes, it does harm Israel's reputation. But if you can take and just keep going. And when you see that there's this relentless attack This is not the Israeli people, whoever is in power, whoever is pulling the strings, and behind the scenes, they want the bloodshed to be so great," Ben-Nun said in an interview with host Mike Adams during the November 16 "Health Ranger Report" podcast.

The former intelligence agent warned that the Arabic people displaced several years ago by ISIS would then start taking out their anger, vengeance and frustrations on other Jewish communities, pro-Zionist Christians and pro-Israel supporters.

He added this will not only lead to escalation, but it will also cause martial law on a global scale.

Ben-Nun talked about the book called "Holocaust Victims Accuse," written by Rabbi Moshe Schonfeld. The book denounced the Jewish organizations in Switzerland and the United States.

In the book, Schonfeld stated that one of those complicit in war crimes is the Jewish Congress of Switzerland, which negotiated the release of 850,000 Jews to be able to go to Palestine. The Jewish Congress refused to pay for the $15 per head and instead negotiated a deal with the Germans to release 1,500 Jews.

When a Jewish Congress leader was asked why they did it, he said Jewish blood was needed to justify the State of Israel and the partitioning of the Middle East for the Jews to get a state.

Adams commented that the ethnic cleansing targeting the Palestinians today is partially the result of a series of events that began with European guilt against the Jews because "people in power" allowed Jewish citizens to be slaughtered to create the blood, guilt and justification for the Nakba.

The Nakba, which means "catastrophe" in Arabic, refers to the mass displacement and dispossession of Palestinians during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.

Israelis taking out Palestinians to force Arab nations to come against them

According to Ben-Nun, the Israelis want to take out as many Palestinians as they can to force the Arab nations to come against them. (Related: Syria now firing missiles on Golan Heights as U.S. provides surging support for Israeli operation in "cleansing" Gaza of all Palestinians.)

The biblical and Hebraic scholar pointed out that the Israelis don't believe that Jesus is the Messiah, and they are trying to bring about a "messiah" of their own through certain events.

"And so, they have to have a Gog and Magog war. They got to have all these Arabic nations coming against them. And if they are not doing it, then we got to create a way for them to do it. Secondly, if it took the Jewish blood of 850,000 Hungarian Jews for them to get a Jewish state, then they want more Jewish blood out there in order to be able to be the head of a New World Order," Ben-Nun explained.

Ben-Nun said the Chabad organization is behind this, and it wants the world to turn against Israel and come against the Jewish people to achieve something. He added that everybody is supposed to come against the Israelis and then people are going to forget the fact that they just killed thousands of children, men and women in Gaza.

When all the "displaced" Arab Muslims start killing Jews and Zionist Christians, the world's sympathy is going to turn from Gaza to the Jewish people around the world.

This strategy, Ben-Nun said, traces its roots to the Sabbatai Zevi doctrine. This doctrine believes that the more sinful things are done, the sooner the Messiah will come.

Adams stated the sacrifice of all kinds of human blood or the genocide of people to get a Messiah to show up sounds like a human sacrifice ritual. Ben-Nun agreed, noting that Israel sacrificed its children to Moloch before.

Follow WWWIII.news for more news about Israel's ongoing siege of Gaza.

Watch the video below about Steven Ben-Nun's interview with Mike Adams.

This video is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com.

More related articles:

The Wests refusal to call for a ceasefire is a green light to Israels ethnic cleansing.

International law expert calls for World Court intervention as ethnic cleansing now. under way with Biden greenlighting Israels Gaza invasion.

Israeli genocide of Gaza may be motivated by Palestines maritime natural gas reserves and desire to wipe Gaza off the map.

Israels delayed ground invasion of Gaza allows U.S. to rush more weapons over there.  meaning, more Palestinian civilians will DIE in the ethnic cleansing campaign.

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

Conference.IsraeliNews Live.org
Conflicting videos cast doubt on Israels claim that Al-Shifa hospital is Hamas main HQ

Mainstream news outlet BBC released a report that Israel is claiming that Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest medical complex and central hospital in the Gaza Strip, is the militant group Hamas' main command center or headquarters for its "terroristic activities."

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) posted an intelligence-based animation of the hospital late in October, which indicated a tunnel system underneath the said medical institution. The video shows a 3D diagram of the hospital, which moves to show an animated network of purported tunnels and operation rooms. However, according to BBC, IDF is yet to produce evidence of the claimed tunnel's existence.

After raiding the hospital, Israel's military arm released a seven-minute video "proving" they were right. In the said clip, a solider has a watch which indicates that the footage was taken a few hours before BBC was allowed to film inside the hospital which they claimed to be a Hamas headquarters. As per the news anchor's reporting, the particular video was uploaded, removed and then reposted without the section referring to an Israeli soldier who had been held hostage. The initial CCTV footage appeared to show hostages being brought through the hospital itself.

Even @BBC is exposing Israeli propaganda now. ?? WOW! pic.twitter.com/OQNbTVWtDF  Dr. Anastasia Maria Loupis (@DrLoupis) November 17, 2023

In the video by the IDF, a soldier was showing evidence of their claims and was presenting one gun beside an MRI machine. Meanwhile, the video aired by BBC had the same shot of the scene but already showed two very different guns from the one the man showed in the Israeli-released video. It further reported that the footage was edited despite IDF's claim that the video was a single shot, without edits.

Critics also observed that Israel is trying to magnify its allegations by insisting that the hospital is Hamas' main command center. The White House has backed the claims, saying that Hamas was storing weapons, but wordings by House spokesman John Kirby were technically different: "Hamas uses Al-Shifa as a command-and-control node," which implied a much smaller facility.

Meanwhile, a British doctor who used to work at the hospital has confirmed that there were areas of the hospital where he could not go, or else he would be shot. In a recent interview with the English-language channel of French broadcaster France24, the doctor, who requested anonymity for fear of endangering his colleagues in Gaza, said he had worked at Al-Shifa and other hospitals in Gaza and the West Bank for three months, three years ago. "When I was first asked to work there [at Shifa], I was told there was a part of the hospital I was not to go near, and if I did, I'd be in danger of being shot," he was quoted as saying.

A British doctor who used to work in Gaza's Shifa hospital recounts: "I was told there was a part of the hospital I was not to go near and if I did, I'd be in danger of being shot." Is this also totally normal in the hospitals you frequent @BowenBBC? pic.twitter.com/JGwIwEiR3K  Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) November 19, 2023

When asked whether it was explained to him why, he answered: "No, but implicit was that it was being used for non-medical purposes." The doctor also said that he stayed away but saw a few dodgy-looking non-medical characters going in and out all the time. "It was a ward leading to a basement. As I said, I didn't go there; so I behaved myself," he said.

But Israeli ex-Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has a different claim. According to him, the Hamas command center is in the south of Gaza and not at the al-Shifa Hospital. He disagreed when the military said it had uncovered a Hamas "tunnel shaft" and a vehicle with weapons in the hospital last week. "We haven't yet even come to the heart of this operation," Olmert said. "Khan Younis, which is in the southern part of Gaza Strip, is the real headquarters of Hamas." He added that the group has the leadership and that "they are hiding, they have the bunkers, they have the command positions, they have the launching pads."

Hamas, health officials deny IDF allegations

Israel's allegations have been vehemently denied by Hamas, the Gaza Health Ministry and hospital officials. Dr. Medhat Abbas, the director general of the Hamas-controlled health ministry, told CNN that hospitals in the enclave are used to treat patients only and are not being used "to hide anyone." (Related: IDF raid of al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza produces nearly ZERO real evidence of claimed Hamas headquarters.)

"The health ministry responded to the images of hostages inside Al-Shifa released Sunday by the IDF by questioning their authenticity  but went on to say that if true, the pictures showed that hospitals in Gaza provided medical care to anyone who needed it," the news site reported. Hamas said it had brought several hostages to hospitals for medical treatment after they were injured in Israeli air strikes, regarding the claim they are keeping hostages in the hospital. This statement came out before the CCTV videos were even released.

Meanwhile, Israeli troops are still on hospital grounds as the facility continues attending to patients. Doctors who are still at the hospital cannot treat patients due to heavy shelling in the past week. Fuel shortages and a lack of electricity prevent them from running incubators for the babies. ICU patients and several neonatal babies in Al-Shifa have died in recent days.

WWIII.news has more updates on the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Sources for this article include:

TimesOfIsrael.com

EuroNews.com

Edition.CNN.com
Pope Francis parties with transgender prostitutes in the Vatican to commemorate World Day of the Poor

Pope Francis partied with transgender prostitutes in the Vatican this weekend as he commemorated the World Day for the Poor.

(Article by Shane Trejo republished from BigLeaguePolitics.com)

An Associated Press article noted that these tranny hookers are regular attendees of the Vatican as the heretic Marxist Pope works to mainstream their corrosive degenerate lifestyle among the public:

BREAKING: @APNews reports that #PopeFrancis has invited a local group of "trans women" to his lunch for World Day of the Poor today. The group comprises many working as prostitutes: they're already regular special guests at weekly #Vatican audience.https://t.co/HlxrGWcbukpic.twitter.com/4aPBDNRGFe  Michael Haynes ?? (@MLJHaynes) November 19, 2023

Before, the church was closed to us. They didnt see us as normal people, they saw us as the devil, said Andrea Paola Torres Lopez, a transgender woman from Colombia who uses the alias Consuelo. Then Pope Francis arrived and the doors of the church opened for us.

This norm from Pope Francis brings me closer to finding that absolute serenity, Carla Segovia, a 46-year-old transgender prostitute from Argentina.

Big League Politics has reported on Pope Francis war to crush conservative Catholics while enabling sin to run wild within the church:

A popular Texas Bishop has been removed from his post by the Catholic Church for being outspoken against the leftist direction of the church under the stewardship of Pope Francis.

Bishop Joseph Strickland, who led the diocese at Tyler, Texas, was removed from his position on Nov. 11. He had previously been under investigation over social media posts that slammed Pope Francis.

The blasphemy is that this holy priest is canceled while an evil president promotes the denial of truth and the murder of the unborn at every turn, Vatican officials promote immorality and denial of the deposit of faith and priests promote gender confusion devastating livesevil, Strickland wrote in a Twitter post after anti-abortion activist and former priest Frank Pavone was defrocked last year.

Bishop Strickland had been undeniably successful in Tyler Texas. According to the National Catholic Register, 21 men are being trained to be priest in an area of 119,168 Catholics and the diocese is expected to match 99 percent of its 2.3 million fundraising goal six months ahead of the plans.

Despite growing the church and inspiring Catholics, Strickland is being punished because of his unwillingness to bow to the Francis regime where the truth of Christ is replaced with the false idol of globalism

Recent news that Pope Francis is mainstreaming transgenders in the Catholic Church shows that this man is a heretic and an antichrist. He is one of the many demonic architects of the New World Order.

The Pope is rapidly transforming the church into Satans realm. Francis shielded pedophile priests and now he is paving the way toward mainstreaming the drugging and mutilating children for the transgender delusion. He may be the antichrist.

Read more at: BigLeaguePolitics.com
THE ENEMY WITHIN: The FBI is a criminal terrorist organization operating inside America, warns Jeffrey Prather

The government doesn't need to look far to find a criminal terrorist organization, according to former intelligence officer Jeffrey Prather.

"The FBI [Federal Bureau of Investigation] is just clearly rolling around and doing whatever it wants anywhere. That's because the FBI is the criminal terrorist organization in America," Prather said. He added that the bureau and its parent, the Department of Justice (DOJ), are conducting a counter-insurgency against the American people.

Prather cited the recent case of New York City (NYC) Mayor Eric Adams, a Black liberal. Adams and his security team were unexpectedly surrounded by FBI agents, who quietly seized mobile phones and an iPad from the mayor. According to Adams' attorney Boyd Johnson, the seizure was part of an investigation into political fundraising during his 2021 campaign

The FBI's move happened as Adams was leaving a public event in Manhattan, and followed four days after federal agents searched the home of Brianna Suggs, the NYC mayor's primary campaign fundraiser. Prather said after the security detail yielded, the FBI agents entered Adams' black-windowed SUV for a closed-door private chat with him.

"This is the FBI showing how powerful they are openly, that they are going to do whatever they want to do and they are going to stay in existence," said Prather. He added that the FBI seized Adams' electronics because he might have had something that didn't go along with their plan. (Related: FBI improperly surveilled politicians and judge amid Bidens drive to renew spy program.)

The host of "The Prather Point" on Brighteon.TV noted that Adams is accused of organizing a fundraiser for a nonprofit. In reality, this is just a smokescreen for the actual goal  which is to take control even more. Prather stressed that this probe on Adams is politically motivated and has nothing to do with crime.

FBI rewarded with new $300M headquarters

Prather also noted that the timing of the probe against Adams coincided with congressional efforts against the FBI. In particular, it followed Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) introducing an amendment to block the $300 million earmarked for the FBI's new headquarters. The said building will be bigger than the Pentagon, where the Department of Defense is headquartered.

In a post on the X platform, Gaetz noted that Rep. Steve Womack (R-AR) and others believe that the FBI deserves a new building as its current headquarters, the J. Edgar Hoover Building, is "crumbling." Prather noted that the new FBI HQ's size, which is bigger than the Pentagon, is due to its significance as an intelligence organization. The "Prather Point" host surmised that the 70 GOP members of Congress who voted in favor of a new building for the FBI were blackmailed into doing so, despite seeing Adams being unfairly investigated.

He also recalled that the FBI has been involved with the Steele dossier, the Roger Stone arrest, Antifa and Black Lives Matter. It had even conspired with a left-wing group to target parents as domestic terrorists if they protested the mask mandates or critical race theory in schools. Worse, it raided former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence in August 2022.

Prather also cited FBI whistleblower Steve Friend, who lamented his situation in a recent post on X. The whistleblower also lamented how the same GOP representatives he shared information with had voted in favor of the FBI.

"[I] brought protected whistleblower disclosures about FBI weaponization to [the] House GOP. They used it to go on TV and get elected. I lost my career and am under FBI investigation," he wrote. "[Now,] the House GOP voted to give the FBI [a new] $300 million headquarters."

Follow FBICorruption.news for more news about the corruption happening in the FBI.

Watch Jeffrey Prather's commentary about the criminal terrorist FBI below.

This video is from the High Hopes channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Prather Point: FBI is a corrupt intel organization with law enforcement function  Brighteon.TV.

FBI BYE-BYE: Durham report makes it clear: FBI should be defunded or disbanded because it cannot be reformed.

FBI closely monitoring Trump supporters in run-up to 2024 election.

FBI surveillance contractor infiltrated chatrooms, monitored skeptics of COVID jabs.

FBI whistleblower releases documentation showing that agency actively surveils radical Latin Mass Catholics.

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

APNews.com 1

APNews.com 2

FloridianPress.com
Rumble CEO accuses Media Matters of misrepresenting Rumble in an effort to target free expression online

Rumble CEO Chris Pavlovski has accused the activist group Media Matters of deliberately misleading the public and advertisers in an attempt to harm the video platform. According to Pavlovski, Media Matters is threatened by Rumbles commitment to maintaining a free and open internet, leading them to take deceptive actions.

(Article by Christina Maas republished from ReclaimTheNet.org)

The contention centers on a Media Matters claim made on March 14th, alleging that Netflix ads were placed on Rumble videos violating the platforms content policies. Pavlovski refutes this claim with analytics data, suggesting that the video in question had received no views before Media Matters activity.

This means that the Media Matters activist who took the screenshot was the FIRST HUMAN BEING to actually view the Netflix ad on the video in question, though their story left the false impression that it was a widespread problem, Pavlovski posted on X.

Pavlovski shared this analytics screenshot.

Pavlovski also noted that most videos cited by Media Matters were promptly removed from Rumble upon their discovery, emphasizing the platforms commitment to enforcing its content policies.

He questions the motives and funding behind Media Matters actions, implying that their campaign is an attack on free speech and an attempt to intimidate law-abiding advertisers.

Its clear that Media Matters intends to mislead and deceive about advertisements on Rumble in order to hamper free speech and harm law-abiding employers who only want to advertise their products and services, Pavlovski wrote.

The CEOs statement ends with a call to action for Congress, urging Speaker Johnson and Representative Jordan to investigate the matter. This confrontation highlights ongoing tensions between digital platforms and activist groups regarding content moderation and the boundaries of free speech online.

[Media Matters] have a long track record of evil deeds. An investigation is badly needed, Elon Musk responded to the allegations on X. Musk is currently considering his own lawsuit against Media Matters for similar reasons.

Read more at: ReclaimTheNet.org
The Sahara Desert is SHRINKING as plants grow, land becomes more GREEN, thanks to rising CO2

An award-winning geologist and climate researcher at the University of Cologne in Germany says that climate fanatics who warn about the expansion of deserts due to global warming are

Dr. Stefan Kropelin, who specializes in the study of the eastern Sahara Desert and its climatic history, has been active in the field over there for more than 40 years. He said in a recent interview that deserts like the Sahara are actually shrinking, meaning they are becoming greener with plants and vegetation.

Going back as far as the late 1980s, rains have been spreading across northern Sudan and elsewhere in northern Africa. This has had the effect of greening the region and making the harsh Sahara Desert smaller than it once was.

"The desert is shrinking," Dr. Kropelin said in the interview. "It is not growing."

(Related: Earlier this year, PBS announced the unveiling of a new "climate psychology therapist" to help mentally ill climate fanatics cope with the reality of carbon.)

The climate is always "gradually" changing

Based on the vast multitude of sediment cores collected coupled with the proxy data they yielded, Dr. Kropelin says that the Sahara Desert will continue greening as rains move northward through it towards southern Europe.

"The most important studies that we conducted all show that after the ice age, when global temperatures rose, the Sahara greened," Dr. Kropelin explained. "The monsoon rains increased and the ground water rose."

Over many years, all that new water led to the growth and spread of both vegetation and the wildlife that feeds on it. In other words, the Sahara Desert is slowly turning into the Sahara forest, or perhaps the Sahara jungle.

But wait: What about the so-called "dramatic tipping point" for the climate that researchers at the Potsdam Institute (PIK) and elsewhere claim is going to occur in an instant, destroying everything in its path? Dr. Kropelin is skeptical about these claims, explaining that the scientists who claim this "never did any studies themselves in any climate zone on the earth, and they don't understand how complex climate change is."

Besides the occasional catastrophic geological event, the climate is always changing, Dr. Kropelin says.

"It's not how nature works," he explained about the cataclysmic scenarios put forth by today's leading climate fanatics. "Things change gradually."

"We have to be careful that things don't get half a degree warmer, otherwise everything will collapse, is, of course, complete nonsense."

Further describing the "tipping point" concept as "baseless," Dr. Kropelin is insistent that the slowly changing climate is completely normal, and that people need not worry as they are being told by the "experts" to do.

"Much more indicates that they won't happen than that they will happen," Dr. Kropelin says about the "tipping point" claims.

Last year at a gathering in Munich, Dr. Kropelin also addressed the idea of carbon dioxide (CO2)-induced climate tipping points, calling them completely outlandish. He also called the prospect of the Sahara Desert somehow spreading into Europe due to global warming completely preposterous.

U of Cologne Sahara Expert, Geologist Dr. Stefan Kropelin Says Desert Is Shrinking, Calls Alarmist Tipping Points From 0.5C Warming "Complete Nonsense"...Modelers Don't Understand Climate Complexity... Climate Changes Gradual @ClimateDepot @EIKE_KLIMA https://t.co/mVrbahV3Pf pic.twitter.com/XwnbdfupHv  Pierre L. Gosselin (@NoTricksZone) November 11, 2023

"This report will be called 'misinformation' by the Climate Cult and the professor will be trashed on the web, such as a wiki entry," one commenter wrote about how Dr. Kropelin is treading on thin ice with his scientific beliefs.

"Some kid with a connection in the family basement knows about 'deniers' even if the location of the eastern Sahara Desert is a complete mystery."

The latest news about the myth of man-made climate change can be found at Climate.news.

Sources for this article include:

ClimateDepot.com

Newstarget.com
Study: Nearly two-thirds of COVID-19 vaccine recipients suffer from health complications a year later

A recent study published in ScienceDirect revealed that nearly two-thirds of Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine recipients suffer from health complications one year after getting vaccinated.

The study, funded by the Indian Council of Medical Research in New Delhi and conducted between September 2021 and May 2023, focused on potential post-COVID-19 vaccination syndrome (PCVS) and its impact on the quality of life (QoL) among Indian adults aged 18 and above who received either Bharat Biotech's COVAXIN or the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines. (Related: Australian actress sues AstraZeneca for life-threatening vaccine injury, but continues to ADVOCATE for other COVID-19 "vaccines.")

According to study authors Yogendra Shrestha and Rajesh Venkataraman from the Department of Pharmacy Practice, Sri Adichunchanagiri College of Pharmacy, 52.8 percent of the vaccine recipients experienced at least one PCVS a month after their first vaccination. Shockingly, this number increased to 64.6 percent at the 12-month mark. Overall, the PCVS was higher among vaccinated individuals with AstraZeneca (65.59 percent) compared to COVAXIN (59.4 percent).

Notably, individuals who opted for booster shots revealed even higher rates of PCVS, with over 80 percent reporting complications. This contrasts sharply with the unvaccinated group, where only 50 percent reported a similar syndrome. In other words, the occurrence of PCVS decreases over time but increases after booster shots. The QoL improves over time but declines after boosters.

Furthermore, the authors noted that discussions about the impact of immunization on people with long-term COVID have led to varying opinions.

Some evidence indicates a change in, an improvement in, a continuation of, or even a worsening of long-term COVID-19 symptoms following vaccination. The ratio of change in antibody titers was noticeably larger in the group of people whose illnesses became worse.

CDC still recommends COVID-19 vaccines despite evidence of adverse effects from several studies

This controversial study adds to a growing body of research suggesting potential health complications associated with COVID-19 vaccinations.

A March review, published in the National Library of Medicine, analyzed 81 articles confirming cardiovascular complications in 17,636 individuals who had received an mRNA vaccine. The study reported 284 deaths, with thrombosis being a frequent concern associated with mRNA shots.

Pfizer's vaccine was linked to thrombosis, while Moderna's vaccine recipients experienced a higher incidence of stroke. Cardiologist Peter McCullough described the findings as a "cardiovascular safety disaster," questioning public health agencies for the continuous promotion of these vaccines.

In a Substack post on Nov. 11, McCullough emphasized that 284 well-described deaths due to cardiovascular and thrombotic complications should prompt a global recall of the vaccines. The time between vaccination and the onset of symptoms was reported to be 5.6 days for Moderna and 4.8 days for Pfizer.

Moreover, a preprint study published on medRxiv revealed common chronic symptoms among vaccine recipients, including excessive fatigue, brain fog, numbness, neuropathy and exercise intolerance. At least half of the participants, with a median of 22 symptoms, also reported dizziness, burning sensations, tinnitus, headache, insomnia, palpitations and myalgia.

But despite all these concerns, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still recommends the 2023-2024 updated COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax, even for children as young as six months old. The agency insists that these vaccinations are necessary to protect against serious illness from COVID-19. However, recent government files revealed that over five million COVID-19 infections in 2021 occurred among vaccinated individuals.

Learn more about the dangers of COVID-19 vaccines at Vaccines.news.

Watch U.K. Member of Parliament Andrew Bridgen calling for the suspension of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines in the House of Commons.

This video is from the channel The Big Logic channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

CDC knew COVID vaccines killed 163 children and injured 67,622, but still included the deadly shots in childhood immunization schedule.

Brazil's socialist government threatens to WITHHOLD welfare payments to parents who REFUSE TO VACCINATE their children against COVID-19.

Pfizer and Moderna COVID jabs found to be contaminated with short DNA fragments, making them potentially TUMORIGENIC and GENOTOXIC.

Study: COVID-19 vaccines linked to increased risk of brain clots and stroke when combined with flu vaccines.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com

ScienceDirect.com

Brighteon.com
A new study by researchers from the U.S. Forest Service and the University of Delaware has revealed how dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and total alkalinity (Alk T) are transported and transformed by rivers and glaciers in western Canada and southeast Alaska before reaching the Gulf of Alaska.

The study, published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, provides a comprehensive assessment of the freshwater and carbon fluxes from one of the most geographically diverse but understudied regions on the planet.

Why DIC and Alk T Matter

DIC and Alk T are important indicators of the carbon cycle, which describes how carbon is exchanged among the atmosphere, land, and ocean.

DIC is the sum of carbon dioxide (CO2), bicarbonate (HCO3-), and carbonate (CO32-) in water, and Alk T is the measure of the water's ability to neutralize acids.

Both DIC and Alk T affect the pH and carbonate saturation state of seawater, which in turn influence the rates of primary production, coral reef formation, coastal ocean acidification, and continental shelf ecology.

The sources and sinks of DIC and Alk T in coastal zones are complex and variable, depending on the interactions among terrestrial, marine, and atmospheric processes.

For example, DIC and Alk T can be produced by the decomposition of organic matter, weathering of rocks and minerals, and dissolution of carbonate shells and skeletons.

They can also be consumed by photosynthesis, calcification, and burial of sediments.

Additionally, DIC and Alk T can be exchanged with the atmosphere through gas exchange and with the ocean through mixing and advection.

How the Study Was Conducted

The study region covers an area of about 1.3 million square kilometers, spanning from northern British Columbia to the southwestern corner of the Yukon Territory.

The region is characterized by a wide range of land cover types, including glaciers, forests, mountains, and plateaus, and a complex network of rivers that drain into bays, fjords, and channels before reaching the Pacific Ocean.

The region also experiences large seasonal and spatial variations in precipitation, temperature, and runoff.

To estimate the freshwater and carbon fluxes from the region, the researchers combined a digital elevation model with estimated shapes of watershed boundaries and glacier extents, as well as gridded data representing mean monthly runoff.

They used a distributed climate water balance model calibrated with measurements taken from watersheds in the study area to calculate the total amount of freshwater runoff.

They also used empirical relationships between runoff and DIC and Alk T concentrations to estimate the carbon fluxes from each watershed.

The researchers validated their model results by comparing them with available observations of freshwater discharge, DIC, and Alk T from several rivers and estuaries in the region.

They also analyzed the spatial and temporal patterns of DIC and Alk T production and export, and the factors that control them, such as watershed type, location, and flow rate.

Also Read: Dormant Volcano in Alaska Shows Signs of Activity for the First Time in 800 Years, Could an Eruption be Underway?

What the Study Found

The study found that the region exports about 430 cubic kilometers of fresh water and 1.17 teragrams of DIC annually to the Gulf of Alaska, which account for about 8% and 6% of the total freshwater and carbon inputs to the North Pacific Ocean, respectively.

The study also found that the region exports about 0.34 teragrams of Alk T annually, which is equivalent to about 2% of the total Alk T input to the North Pacific Ocean.

The study revealed that the freshwater and carbon fluxes vary significantly across the region, depending on the watershed characteristics and hydrological conditions.

For instance, the researchers found that glaciers contribute about 40% of the freshwater runoff, but only 10% of the DIC and Alk T fluxes, because of their low carbon content and dilution effect.

On the other hand, they found that forested watersheds contribute about 30% of the freshwater runoff, but 50% of the DIC and Alk T fluxes, because of their high carbon content and production rates.

The study also showed that the freshwater and carbon fluxes vary seasonally, with the highest values occurring during the summer and fall months, when the precipitation, temperature, and runoff are high.

The researchers estimated that about 70% of the annual freshwater and carbon fluxes occur between June and October, with peak values in August and September.

The study highlighted the importance of considering the spatial and temporal variability of freshwater and carbon fluxes in coastal zones, and the need for more data and monitoring to improve the understanding and modeling of these fluxes.

Freshwater and carbon fluxes from the region may change in the future, due to the effects of climate change and human activities on the hydrology and carbon cycle of the region.

The region is a significant source of freshwater and carbon to the Gulf of Alaska, and that the rivers and glaciers in the region play an active role in transforming and transporting DIC and Alk T from land to sea.

It is a valuable natural resource and a hotspot of biodiversity, and that its conservation and management are essential for the sustainability of the ecosystem and the well-being of the people.

Related article: Powerful Autumn Storm to Barrel Towards Alaska in the Coming Days [NWS]
Experts said that the waters of Lake Titicaca have severely receded and this will leave indigenous people struggling.

Around the canal, the landscape is seen to be arid.

Severe Drought

It was said that the severe drought endangers the ancestral land of the indigenous people living in the area and those who have regarded the lake as a sacred place.

They have identified themselves as beings of water and their existence have revolved around it.

Due to the grave drought, the entire local economy has been affected.

Officials said that fishing, agriculture and livestock farming sectors have suffered in the Titicaca region.

So far, communities that rely on fishing are struggling as low water levels exacerbate the already-existing issues of dwindling fish species as a result of pollution and overfishing.

Drought has also had an impact on agriculture, with regional officials claiming that crops suffered greatly during the recent harvest season.

The entire majority of quinoa and potato crops, both local staples, as well as oats used to feed livestock, have been damaged.

The tourist industry suffered as well, as boats used to shuttle guests around the lake became stuck as the waters retreated.

Authorities said that on the Peruvian side, more than 100 platforms made of totora reeds rise out of the water to the north-east. These are considered as the homes and workplaces of about 2,000 Uros.

Early this month, the water level at Lake Titicaca at the Peru-Bolivia border is edging towards a record low.

This was exacerbated by the weather phenomenon known as the El Nino that is expected to get more intense in the coming months.

Severe drought conditions and unusually high temperatures have caused the shoreline to shrivel at Titicaca, which is considered as South America's largest lake and the world's highest navigable body of water.

The water level had reached around 13 inches (33 cm), which was above its record low recorded in 1943.

Researchers said that the double whammy of extreme dryness and heat has led to higher-than-normal water evaporation.

They found out that over the past seven months, the lake's water level has fallen 29 inches (74 cm).

Read Also: The Plight of Lake Titicaca: The World's Highest Lake Faces Water Scarcity Due to Climate Change

Lake Titicaca

Lake Titicaca is sometimes referred to as a "inland sea," and it is home to indigenous cultures of Aymara, Quechua, and Uros.

It is situated in the middle Andes mountain range at an elevation of roughly 3,800 meters (12,500 feet), making it the highest navigable lake in the world.

The lake's high altitude also exposes it to high levels of solar radiation, which increases evaporation and accounts for the majority of its water losses.

In 2018, a UNESCO workshop in Lake Titicaca convened area specialists to debate scientific research and the protection of underwater cultural heritage, its role in sustainable development, and a project to create an underwater museum.

Experts noted the "gradual decline" in lake water levels in recent years, and a recent study that examined satellite images from 1992 to 2020 found that Lake Titicaca is losing around 120 million metric tons of water per year, which the authors attribute to changes in precipitation and runoff.

Related Article: Shell Llama Offering in Lake Titicaca Deepens Our Understanding of Past Cultures
Authorities have called on residents to stay in the comfort of their homes as a venomous green mamba is on the loose in Netherlands.

Security forces in the southern city of Tilburg said they were informed by the green mamba's owner that his snake was missing.

Extremely Risk

Police said the snake is very dangerous, noting that the green mamba's bite is extremely risky for anyone.

They said that if someone is unluckily bitten by the snake, he or she should immediately call the emergency services and get some medical attention.

''A Green #Mamba escaped from a house on Goudenregenstraat in #Tilburg on Monday evening. This is a very poisonous snake. The police are calling on people in the area to be extra careful and not to come near the snake,'' the municipality of Tilburg stated.

In een huis aan de Goudenregenstraat in #Tilburg is maandagavond een Groene #Mamba ontsnapt. Dit is een zeer giftige slang. De politie roept mensen in de omving op om extra op te letten en niet in de buurt van de slang te komen. Lees meer: https://t.co/lhVq5qB1tl #slang pic.twitter.com/od2a27cbL5  gemeentetilburg (@gemeentetilburg) November 21, 2023

Because the green mamba that escaped has not yet been found, authorities have already made contact with various experts in the country.

The expectation from these experts was that the snake is still in the owner's home. They said that the snake may have retreated to a place where it is difficult to leave or it may still be in a warm, dry place.

Officials said that the snake is searched for in various ways. This included cameras, placement of flour, as well as holes drilled in the wall.

To ensure the safety of everyone, the snake's owner has moved his other animals elsewhere.

Contact has been made with several experts in the country to see how the snake can be located in the home as quickly as possible and this also included using a sniffer dog.

According to authorities, local residents will be kept informed by the owner. The district director and district police officer have also been available for people with questions, with a commitment that as soon as the snake is found, this will be announced to the public.

Read Also: Top 10 Most Venomous Snakes

Green Mamba

The green mamba is usually between 1.80 and 2 meters long.

Experts classified it as a tropical snake.

The green mamba is known as an escape snake that does not seek confrontation itself. The snake is mainly active during the day.

Previous study had indicated that the tropical snake will not go outside anytime soon due to the weather. This animal is fond of a dark and warm space.

Experts warned that the snake is very dangerous and a bite from the green mamba is extremely poisonous. If someone is bitten, it is important that this person receives immediate medical attention.

Normally found in trees, this snake produces a fast-acting venom that can kill within days.

It is found to rarely attack humans and instead it preys on birds, small mammals and lizards.

Officials reminded the public to stay away and call 112 if they see the snake or have been bitten by it.

As a precautionary measure, the police have informed the Duty Officer of the Medical Assistance Organization in the region so that they provide medical assistance in the event of disasters and crises and can intervene quickly if a person is bitten.

Related Article: As Number of Pet Increase in UK, More Cases of Exotic Snakebites Have Been Reported
Lead water contamination has been reported in the United States Virgin Islands, where the threat of poisoning or exposure has persisted as of this week. The presence of lead, a chemical element, revealed that its level is multiple times above the limit set by the US government after tests were made, according to reports.

Due to the looming environmental and public health threat, US President Joe Biden declared an emergency in the territory located in the Caribbean Sea, southeast of Puerto Rico.

Local authorities warned the islands' residents to stop drinking water from their taps and provided vouchers for bottled water. The growing concern towards the issue of lead contamination is based on its proven detrimental impacts to humans, animals, and even plants.

Health experts say that lead poisoning or exposure can lead to damage to one's brain and central nervous system. The highly toxic metal can also result in death, depending on the length of exposure, degree of severity, and conducted treatment.

Lead Water Contamination

President Biden declared the emergency after lead water contamination or "lead-in-water contamination" was detected by authorities earlier this week following tests on St. Croix, the largest of the islands in the said territory. This means that the hazardous substance has accessed the local population's water supply.

In a press release on November 18, The White House announced that the US Virgin Islands emergency declaration was issued by Biden due to the elevated levels of lead and copper in the territory's water supply since October 25, 2023. Under the emergency status, the Biden administration ordered federal assistance to the US Caribbean territory's response efforts amid the emergency conditions posed by the lead water contamination.

The emergency declaration authorizes the US Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management to take charge of all disaster relief efforts for the local population of the US Virgin Islands, especially in St. Croix. Reports have not mentioned the exact cause on how lead got into the island's water supply. However, the lead contamination has continued as of Thursday, November 23, almost a month after the first reported incident.

Also Read: Inactive Yeast Was Found Effective Material for Removing Lead Contamination From Drinking Water Supply

US Virgin Islands Lead Levels

The reported US Virgin Islands lead contamination has a level 100 times greater than the limit set by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In modern times, lead and its compounds have been used in many products, including batteries, ceramics, paint, pipes, plumbing materials, and even gasoline. This toxic element can enter the environment from this usage, the EPA adds.

Lead exposure is known for being notorious when it comes to affecting a child's intelligence, behavior, and IQ. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), lead can enter the blood once it is swallowed by a child. For adults, lead can result in high blood pressure and damage not only to the brain but also to kidney and reproductive health, according to US health authorities.

Related Article: Scientists Reveal Lead Exposure to People Can Cause IQ Score Decrease
Sharanya Manivannan By

Express News Service

CHENNAI: I have terrible taste in men, Indian Member of Parliament Mahua Moitra told The Guardian recently. The comment was not a throwaway revelation  it was related to character assassination attempts made on her using a cropped photograph, which she believes an ex leaked.

Moitra is currently being investigated by the Ethics Committee on corruption charges, which she says are fabricated because she is an Opposition politician  and a woman.

Moitra is a rising leader, and a dissident voice in more than one way. In hitting back, she has been speaking to the press both internationally and in the country, and overtly so about the misogyny she personally experiences. Disobedient women are here to stay. Get used to it, she posted on social media, linking to one such interview about her potential expulsion.

Whether the articles focus on fluffy topics like her preferred luxury brands, or more directly address the political ramifications she is facing now, the overall effect posits Moitra as a politician who has been the target of specific kinds of attacks because she is not only a woman, but a certain kind of woman.

Rebecca Mammen John, a senior advocate at the Supreme Court of India, was quoted in the same British profile of Moitra as describing her friend and her friends detractors as follows: The Indian man, more so the politician, cannot handle a woman who has a brain, is well educated, understands finance, is confident, and exercises sexual agency. Thats why the right goes after her.

There have been numerous Indian women politicians through the decades, obviously  each with her own personal values and public alignments, and ways of coping with or pandering to societal, patriarchal and institutional expectations. Even those who have behaved as patriarchal agents themselves are oppressed by the system they seek to uphold. Others directly critique misogyny, which is not necessarily the same as having a feminist-informed political compass that is intersectional and evolving.

Then there are some who have and operate by that compass, but dont appear to be subversive. Lately, a kind of politician who is liberal in her life and isnt afraid to be seen that way has also emerged. They know there is no connection between being seen as a goody-two-shoes and actually being good at their jobs. This is new in India  and it is interesting to observe.

While I dislike how politicians like Mahua Moitra and Nayana Motamma (of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly) are both well-intentionally and maliciously reduced to certain stereotypically modern proclivities, like a taste for wine or Western attire, there is something to be said for women like them being in the public eye and holding positions of authority. They are threats to the establishment not just in terms of the competition they present to conservative or even fascist politicians and political parties.

They also present a challenge to the establishment as a collective, potent imaginary and a lived reality. They command respect because of the power they hold. The hope is that that respect then trickles down: to the ordinary woman, quietly or otherwise living a little or a lot askew to what society demands of her.

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CHENNAI: I have terrible taste in men, Indian Member of Parliament Mahua Moitra told The Guardian recently. The comment was not a throwaway revelation  it was related to character assassination attempts made on her using a cropped photograph, which she believes an ex leaked. Moitra is currently being investigated by the Ethics Committee on corruption charges, which she says are fabricated because she is an Opposition politician  and a woman. Moitra is a rising leader, and a dissident voice in more than one way. In hitting back, she has been speaking to the press both internationally and in the country, and overtly so about the misogyny she personally experiences. Disobedient women are here to stay. Get used to it, she posted on social media, linking to one such interview about her potential expulsion.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Whether the articles focus on fluffy topics like her preferred luxury brands, or more directly address the political ramifications she is facing now, the overall effect posits Moitra as a politician who has been the target of specific kinds of attacks because she is not only a woman, but a certain kind of woman. Rebecca Mammen John, a senior advocate at the Supreme Court of India, was quoted in the same British profile of Moitra as describing her friend and her friends detractors as follows: The Indian man, more so the politician, cannot handle a woman who has a brain, is well educated, understands finance, is confident, and exercises sexual agency. Thats why the right goes after her. There have been numerous Indian women politicians through the decades, obviously  each with her own personal values and public alignments, and ways of coping with or pandering to societal, patriarchal and institutional expectations. Even those who have behaved as patriarchal agents themselves are oppressed by the system they seek to uphold. Others directly critique misogyny, which is not necessarily the same as having a feminist-informed political compass that is intersectional and evolving. Then there are some who have and operate by that compass, but dont appear to be subversive. Lately, a kind of politician who is liberal in her life and isnt afraid to be seen that way has also emerged. They know there is no connection between being seen as a goody-two-shoes and actually being good at their jobs. This is new in India  and it is interesting to observe. While I dislike how politicians like Mahua Moitra and Nayana Motamma (of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly) are both well-intentionally and maliciously reduced to certain stereotypically modern proclivities, like a taste for wine or Western attire, there is something to be said for women like them being in the public eye and holding positions of authority. They are threats to the establishment not just in terms of the competition they present to conservative or even fascist politicians and political parties. They also present a challenge to the establishment as a collective, potent imaginary and a lived reality. They command respect because of the power they hold. The hope is that that respect then trickles down: to the ordinary woman, quietly or otherwise living a little or a lot askew to what society demands of her. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Parvana K B By

Express News Service

KOCHI: A band that proudly carries their countrys name as their identity travelled to the southern coastal town of Kovalam to fire up the International Indie Music Festival (IIMF) recently for an exchange of music and rich culture. Now, Melody Uganda has become the first Ugandan band to reach southern India. I had a wonderful experience. Kerala stole our hearts, says Kakooza Manson, the frontman of the three-member band.

The people of Kerala are incredibly warm, welcoming, and full of love. During our time at the IIMF, we had the opportunity to connect with numerous artists. We engaged in meaningful musical exchanges and moments. Now, were eager to bring these experiences to Uganda, hoping to spread the joy of our cultural exchange, beams the founder of the band over a video call.

His rough vocals, crooning slow reggae tones, gradually transitioning to the soft melody fired up the audience in Kovalam, and that charisma on stage is visible when he speaks about music and his beloved country. The name Melody Uganda isnt a random choice for Manson; its a tribute to his mother, nicknamed Melody during her school days for her excellent singing in the choir. Manson wanted to make his band carrying his mothers name, unique. Hence, he added his country code, 256, representing Uganda. I wanted to be the melody of Uganda, he emphasises.

The bands composition reflects a beautiful combination of friendships and musical talents. Manson brings the influence of reggae/dancehall and Afropop into their music, with Rako, the drummer and music programmer, infusing folk influences and Eric, the guitarist, adding a rumba touch. Together, for the past three years, theyve created a unique sound that challenges genre boundaries.Theres no strict rule that says we have to stick to a particular genre, Manson explains.

Creativity is all you want, and it is limitless; you keep pushing boundaries. Unlike mathematics, where one plus one is always two, music is dynamic and diverse. Various styles coexist and evolve. Take Afrobeat, for example; its a style that originated some time ago and has now swept across the entire African continent. Why is it so successful? Because it fuses different elements. Thats what we aim to do infuse various genres of music into our work, breaking down barriers and exploring the endless possibilities of creativity.

The band acknowledges that musicians in Uganda face challenges distinct from those in other parts of the world. In India, artists and musicians benefit from a collective society and a well-established film industry. Unfortunately, in Uganda, we lack a supportive collective society for artists. I love my country so much, but the truth has to be the truth. Corruption, in particular, poses a significant hindrance to progress in the arts sector, he says.

Melody Uganda is creating music videos to showcase their country, focusing on its rich culture. In many of their videos, they aim to express the beauty of Uganda, promote tourism, and invite the world to appreciate the country. We came to India with the desire for the country to experience the best artists from Uganda. I hold a deep appreciation for IIMF, not only for the numerous connections it offers but also for the opportunity it provides to showcase the changes in Ugandan music. My aim is for everyone to understand the roots of our music and the diverse influences that shape it, Manson shares.

The band expressed their wish to collaborate and create something that infuses Indian and Ugandan cultures and instruments, particularly in crafting soundtracks for movies. Also, they are planning potential collaborations with the people they met during IIMF. Manson adds, Many bands, including Psychopunch and Dave Evans, expressed interest in getting involved with Ugandan societys music and festivals. He hopes many such artists visit Uganda and share their music.

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KOCHI: A band that proudly carries their countrys name as their identity travelled to the southern coastal town of Kovalam to fire up the International Indie Music Festival (IIMF) recently for an exchange of music and rich culture. Now, Melody Uganda has become the first Ugandan band to reach southern India. I had a wonderful experience. Kerala stole our hearts, says Kakooza Manson, the frontman of the three-member band. The people of Kerala are incredibly warm, welcoming, and full of love. During our time at the IIMF, we had the opportunity to connect with numerous artists. We engaged in meaningful musical exchanges and moments. Now, were eager to bring these experiences to Uganda, hoping to spread the joy of our cultural exchange, beams the founder of the band over a video call. His rough vocals, crooning slow reggae tones, gradually transitioning to the soft melody fired up the audience in Kovalam, and that charisma on stage is visible when he speaks about music and his beloved country. The name Melody Uganda isnt a random choice for Manson; its a tribute to his mother, nicknamed Melody during her school days for her excellent singing in the choir. Manson wanted to make his band carrying his mothers name, unique. Hence, he added his country code, 256, representing Uganda. I wanted to be the melody of Uganda, he emphasises. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The bands composition reflects a beautiful combination of friendships and musical talents. Manson brings the influence of reggae/dancehall and Afropop into their music, with Rako, the drummer and music programmer, infusing folk influences and Eric, the guitarist, adding a rumba touch. Together, for the past three years, theyve created a unique sound that challenges genre boundaries.Theres no strict rule that says we have to stick to a particular genre, Manson explains. Creativity is all you want, and it is limitless; you keep pushing boundaries. Unlike mathematics, where one plus one is always two, music is dynamic and diverse. Various styles coexist and evolve. Take Afrobeat, for example; its a style that originated some time ago and has now swept across the entire African continent. Why is it so successful? Because it fuses different elements. Thats what we aim to do infuse various genres of music into our work, breaking down barriers and exploring the endless possibilities of creativity. The band acknowledges that musicians in Uganda face challenges distinct from those in other parts of the world. In India, artists and musicians benefit from a collective society and a well-established film industry. Unfortunately, in Uganda, we lack a supportive collective society for artists. I love my country so much, but the truth has to be the truth. Corruption, in particular, poses a significant hindrance to progress in the arts sector, he says. Melody Uganda is creating music videos to showcase their country, focusing on its rich culture. In many of their videos, they aim to express the beauty of Uganda, promote tourism, and invite the world to appreciate the country. We came to India with the desire for the country to experience the best artists from Uganda. I hold a deep appreciation for IIMF, not only for the numerous connections it offers but also for the opportunity it provides to showcase the changes in Ugandan music. My aim is for everyone to understand the roots of our music and the diverse influences that shape it, Manson shares. The band expressed their wish to collaborate and create something that infuses Indian and Ugandan cultures and instruments, particularly in crafting soundtracks for movies. Also, they are planning potential collaborations with the people they met during IIMF. Manson adds, Many bands, including Psychopunch and Dave Evans, expressed interest in getting involved with Ugandan societys music and festivals. He hopes many such artists visit Uganda and share their music. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By Online Desk

Qatar's foreign ministry spokesman, Majed Al-Ansari said on Thursday that hostage release will start on Friday morning.

The complex and carefully choreographed deal saw Israel and Hamas agree to a four-day truce, during which at least 50 hostages taken in the Palestinian militant group's deadly October 7 attacks would be released. For every 10 additional hostages released, there would be an extra day's "pause" in fighting, an Israeli government document said.

In turn, Israel would release at least 150 Palestinian women and children and allow more humanitarian aid into the besieged coastal territory after weeks of bombardment and heavy fighting.

The Israeli government said that under an outline of the deal, Hamas will free over a four-day period at least 50 of the roughly 240 hostages taken in its Oct 7 attack on Israel, and Israel will release some Palestinian prisoners in exchange.

Egypt helped mediate the cease-fire agreement, which would bring the first respite to war-weary Palestinians in Gaza, where more than 11,000 people have been killed, according to health authorities.

Egyptian state media had earlier said the truce would begin Thursday morning. But, it was not immediately clear what caused the delay in the deal that resulted from weeks of talks involving Qatar, Egypt and the United States.

However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said late Wednesday he told US President Joe Biden that he will press ahead with the war after a cease-fire expires. Some 1,200 people have been killed in Israel, mostly during the initial incursion by Hamas.

"We are winning and will continue to fight until absolute victory," he said on Wednesday, vowing to secure Israel from threats emanating from Gaza and Lebanon, home to Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants.

UPDATES FROM DAY 48 OF THE WAR

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Qatar's foreign ministry spokesman, Majed Al-Ansari said on Thursday that hostage release will start on Friday morning. The complex and carefully choreographed deal saw Israel and Hamas agree to a four-day truce, during which at least 50 hostages taken in the Palestinian militant group's deadly October 7 attacks would be released. For every 10 additional hostages released, there would be an extra day's "pause" in fighting, an Israeli government document said. In turn, Israel would release at least 150 Palestinian women and children and allow more humanitarian aid into the besieged coastal territory after weeks of bombardment and heavy fighting.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The Israeli government said that under an outline of the deal, Hamas will free over a four-day period at least 50 of the roughly 240 hostages taken in its Oct 7 attack on Israel, and Israel will release some Palestinian prisoners in exchange. Egypt helped mediate the cease-fire agreement, which would bring the first respite to war-weary Palestinians in Gaza, where more than 11,000 people have been killed, according to health authorities. Egyptian state media had earlier said the truce would begin Thursday morning. But, it was not immediately clear what caused the delay in the deal that resulted from weeks of talks involving Qatar, Egypt and the United States. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said late Wednesday he told US President Joe Biden that he will press ahead with the war after a cease-fire expires. Some 1,200 people have been killed in Israel, mostly during the initial incursion by Hamas. "We are winning and will continue to fight until absolute victory," he said on Wednesday, vowing to secure Israel from threats emanating from Gaza and Lebanon, home to Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants. UPDATES FROM DAY 48 OF THE WAR Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Fayaz Wani By

Express News Service

SRINAGAR: Four Army personnel, including two captains, were killed during a gunfight with a group of militants in Kalakote forest area in the border district of Rajouri in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday. Two others were injured, officials said.

The encounter took place during a joint operation of the Army and police in Bajimaal area of Dharmsal in Kalalkote- Gulabgarh forest area of Rajouri in the morning. The joint team was deployed after receiving specific intelligence inputs about the presence of a group of militants there. A security official said the troops came under heavy fire.

The militants fired from the automatic weapons. The fire was returned, triggering an encounter, he said. Additional troops have been rushed to the forest area to tighten the siege and prevent the militants from escaping. Helicopters, quadcopters with night vision, drones, and sniffer dogs have been deployed to track down the militants.

The Special Forces, who have been air dropped in the forest area, are also assisting the troops in the ongoing operation against the militants, the security official said. Sources said a group of three to four heavily armed militants are believed to be trapped in the gunfight. The gunfight was going on when reports last poured in, they said.

An Army spokesperson said contact was established with the terrorists on Wednesday and intense fight ensued. The terrorists have been injured and surrounded. Operations are in progress amidst acts of valour and sacrifice by our bravehearts in trying to prevent collateral damage to women and children in the highest traditions of the Army, he said.

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SRINAGAR: Four Army personnel, including two captains, were killed during a gunfight with a group of militants in Kalakote forest area in the border district of Rajouri in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday. Two others were injured, officials said. The encounter took place during a joint operation of the Army and police in Bajimaal area of Dharmsal in Kalalkote- Gulabgarh forest area of Rajouri in the morning. The joint team was deployed after receiving specific intelligence inputs about the presence of a group of militants there. A security official said the troops came under heavy fire. The militants fired from the automatic weapons. The fire was returned, triggering an encounter, he said. Additional troops have been rushed to the forest area to tighten the siege and prevent the militants from escaping. Helicopters, quadcopters with night vision, drones, and sniffer dogs have been deployed to track down the militants.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The Special Forces, who have been air dropped in the forest area, are also assisting the troops in the ongoing operation against the militants, the security official said. Sources said a group of three to four heavily armed militants are believed to be trapped in the gunfight. The gunfight was going on when reports last poured in, they said. An Army spokesperson said contact was established with the terrorists on Wednesday and intense fight ensued. The terrorists have been injured and surrounded. Operations are in progress amidst acts of valour and sacrifice by our bravehearts in trying to prevent collateral damage to women and children in the highest traditions of the Army, he said. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Jitendra Choubey By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: A single-member committee headed by Justice Brojendra Katakey (retired), appointed by the High Court, has found unabated illegal rat-hole coal mining and its illegal transportation in Meghalaya. The Meghalaya High Court has today accepted the committee's hard-hitting 18th report and scheduled a hearing on November 30 to take future courses of action.

Rat hole mining involves digging very small tunnels, usually 3-4 feet diameter in which especially children enter to extract coal. The National Green Tribunal had banned Rat hole mining in 2014 on the grounds that unscientific mining can cause human fatalities.

However, the Meghalaya government has challenged the NGT ban in the Supreme Court. There is no other way of extracting coal from the hills as the available coal seam is too thin to mine with big machines, it said.

Justice Katakey visited East Jaintia and West Khasi districts on November 7. The committee found illegal coal mining, transportation and setting up of a weighbridge. In the East Jaintia district, the committee found freshly mined coals dumped beside the national highway near Don Bosco College, and also a weighbridge nearby.

The committee said in its report that such an amount of coal was neither part of previous inventories nor part of seized coal, amply establishing rampant illegal mining. Besides the committee also found the disappearance of 18 Lakh Metric Tonnes (LMT) coal out of the total seized 32 LMT from the government record.



No government officials ready to explain logically about missing coals, says a senior official close to the development.

On April 19, 2022, the High Court had constituted the Katakey committee on Suo Motu public interest litigation petition to look after the implementation of the court's directions to prohibit mining and suggest measures. The committee has submitted 17 interim reports apart from a preliminary report on rat hole mining.

The Katakey committee report is quite alarming establishing continuation of illegal rat hole mining, said Agnes Kharshiing, Meghalaya-based Right To Information activist.

The unabated rat hole mining also causes environmental damage. Many rivulet's water turned acidic in hills with high concentrations of sulphate, iron toxic heavy metals, etc., heavy transportation vehicles and roadside dumping of coals pollute air, water and soil.

The Supreme Court in its one order directed to implementation of Meghalaya Minerals (prevention of illegal mining, storage and transportation) rules. But it failed to curb the rat hole mining.

Recently, the High Court had also directed the deployment of CISF to stop rat hole mining which the centre objected to in the Supreme Court, early this year.

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NEW DELHI: A single-member committee headed by Justice Brojendra Katakey (retired), appointed by the High Court, has found unabated illegal rat-hole coal mining and its illegal transportation in Meghalaya. The Meghalaya High Court has today accepted the committee's hard-hitting 18th report and scheduled a hearing on November 30 to take future courses of action. Rat hole mining involves digging very small tunnels, usually 3-4 feet diameter in which especially children enter to extract coal. The National Green Tribunal had banned Rat hole mining in 2014 on the grounds that unscientific mining can cause human fatalities. However, the Meghalaya government has challenged the NGT ban in the Supreme Court. There is no other way of extracting coal from the hills as the available coal seam is too thin to mine with big machines, it said.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Justice Katakey visited East Jaintia and West Khasi districts on November 7. The committee found illegal coal mining, transportation and setting up of a weighbridge. In the East Jaintia district, the committee found freshly mined coals dumped beside the national highway near Don Bosco College, and also a weighbridge nearby. The committee said in its report that such an amount of coal was neither part of previous inventories nor part of seized coal, amply establishing rampant illegal mining. Besides the committee also found the disappearance of 18 Lakh Metric Tonnes (LMT) coal out of the total seized 32 LMT from the government record. No government officials ready to explain logically about missing coals, says a senior official close to the development. On April 19, 2022, the High Court had constituted the Katakey committee on Suo Motu public interest litigation petition to look after the implementation of the court's directions to prohibit mining and suggest measures. The committee has submitted 17 interim reports apart from a preliminary report on rat hole mining. The Katakey committee report is quite alarming establishing continuation of illegal rat hole mining, said Agnes Kharshiing, Meghalaya-based Right To Information activist. The unabated rat hole mining also causes environmental damage. Many rivulet's water turned acidic in hills with high concentrations of sulphate, iron toxic heavy metals, etc., heavy transportation vehicles and roadside dumping of coals pollute air, water and soil. The Supreme Court in its one order directed to implementation of Meghalaya Minerals (prevention of illegal mining, storage and transportation) rules. But it failed to curb the rat hole mining. Recently, the High Court had also directed the deployment of CISF to stop rat hole mining which the centre objected to in the Supreme Court, early this year. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Bala Chauhan By

Express News Service

BENGALURU: The Hamas attack on Israel, killing roughly 1,400 people and taking about 240 hostage, was deliberate in design, and planned to be diabolical enough to evoke an aggressive and unprecedented reaction from Israel, said Israeli scholar, futurist and best-selling author Prof David Passig. He called the October 7 attack a turning point in the history of the Middle East.

Speaking to this paper on the sidelines of the Synergia Conclave in Bengaluru, Passig said the Hamas attack was against the emerging power blocks in the world. It was to destabilise the new block in the Middle East, which was coming up following the Abraham Accords, he added. The Abraham Accords are treaties normalising diplomatic relations between Israel, the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco, which were facilitated by then US President Donald Trump between August and December 2020.

The Abraham Accords were the first step forward towards an emerging Middle East block, and Israel and Saudi Arabia were in the process of enlarging the new integration in the Middle East. It would have given Israel some legitimacy in the region and there was a possibility of some more Muslim nations joining the block. The other block comprising Iran and Russia found this dangerous and saw it as a threat.

Though Iran has denied involvement in the October 7 attack, we know that Hamas is a proxy of a proxy (Iran-led Hezbollah) of another proxy (Russia). The Hamas attack was not just about (Israels) occupation (on Gaza and the West Bank). It was far more layered and was to destabilise the normalisation of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel. It has put the block on freeze, at least for some time, said Passig.

He added that the attack has also brought Israel to a stage where it cannot have neighbours that will annihilate it. Israel is facing Hezbollah in the north. It may have to enter Lebanon and Syria, which will not only spill the conflict in the Middle East, but also have a cascading effect and force countries to join the opposing power blocks, he cautioned.

In September, Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had for the first time publicly acknowledged that his country was moving closer each day towards normalising relations with Israel and called it the biggest historical deal since the Cold War. Passig, who specialises in technological, social and educational futures and is Associate Professor at Bar-Ilan University in Israel, had predicted 9/11 in the 1990s, when he had stated that a terrorist attack would take place on a major symbol of world order in the early 21st century and the 2008 financial crisis in 1998.

He warned that the Israel-Gaza conflict may not end soon. It is likely to drag on and may take three to five years. This phase may be more challenging and crueller. The Palestinians are the most tragic group in modern history. They are doomed to have a state and doomed if they dont, said Passig.

The Israeli scholar also spoke about the emerging power blocks; one backed by the US and the other by Russia-China. No country can afford to be neutral any longer. The world entered a decade of confrontation cascading the Russia-Ukraine war, with a greater conflict with China, Passig added.

No quick end to war

Prof David Passig, who specialises in technological, social and educational futures, had predicted 9/11 in the 1990s, when he had stated that a terrorist attack would take place on a major symbol of world order in the early 21st century, and the 2008 financial crisis in 1998. On Wednesday, he warned that the Israel-Gaza conflict may not end soon. It is likely to drag on and may take three to five years. This phase may be more challenging and crueller, Passig said.

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BENGALURU: The Hamas attack on Israel, killing roughly 1,400 people and taking about 240 hostage, was deliberate in design, and planned to be diabolical enough to evoke an aggressive and unprecedented reaction from Israel, said Israeli scholar, futurist and best-selling author Prof David Passig. He called the October 7 attack a turning point in the history of the Middle East. Speaking to this paper on the sidelines of the Synergia Conclave in Bengaluru, Passig said the Hamas attack was against the emerging power blocks in the world. It was to destabilise the new block in the Middle East, which was coming up following the Abraham Accords, he added. The Abraham Accords are treaties normalising diplomatic relations between Israel, the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco, which were facilitated by then US President Donald Trump between August and December 2020. The Abraham Accords were the first step forward towards an emerging Middle East block, and Israel and Saudi Arabia were in the process of enlarging the new integration in the Middle East. It would have given Israel some legitimacy in the region and there was a possibility of some more Muslim nations joining the block. The other block comprising Iran and Russia found this dangerous and saw it as a threat.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Though Iran has denied involvement in the October 7 attack, we know that Hamas is a proxy of a proxy (Iran-led Hezbollah) of another proxy (Russia). The Hamas attack was not just about (Israels) occupation (on Gaza and the West Bank). It was far more layered and was to destabilise the normalisation of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel. It has put the block on freeze, at least for some time, said Passig. He added that the attack has also brought Israel to a stage where it cannot have neighbours that will annihilate it. Israel is facing Hezbollah in the north. It may have to enter Lebanon and Syria, which will not only spill the conflict in the Middle East, but also have a cascading effect and force countries to join the opposing power blocks, he cautioned. In September, Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had for the first time publicly acknowledged that his country was moving closer each day towards normalising relations with Israel and called it the biggest historical deal since the Cold War. Passig, who specialises in technological, social and educational futures and is Associate Professor at Bar-Ilan University in Israel, had predicted 9/11 in the 1990s, when he had stated that a terrorist attack would take place on a major symbol of world order in the early 21st century and the 2008 financial crisis in 1998. He warned that the Israel-Gaza conflict may not end soon. It is likely to drag on and may take three to five years. This phase may be more challenging and crueller. The Palestinians are the most tragic group in modern history. They are doomed to have a state and doomed if they dont, said Passig. The Israeli scholar also spoke about the emerging power blocks; one backed by the US and the other by Russia-China. No country can afford to be neutral any longer. The world entered a decade of confrontation cascading the Russia-Ukraine war, with a greater conflict with China, Passig added. No quick end to war Prof David Passig, who specialises in technological, social and educational futures, had predicted 9/11 in the 1990s, when he had stated that a terrorist attack would take place on a major symbol of world order in the early 21st century, and the 2008 financial crisis in 1998. On Wednesday, he warned that the Israel-Gaza conflict may not end soon. It is likely to drag on and may take three to five years. This phase may be more challenging and crueller, Passig said. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Gabina VOA is designed to be an infotainment youth radio show broadcasting to Ethiopia and Eritrea in the Amharic language. The show brings varied perspectives on issues concerning young people in the Horn of Africa region. Gabina in the Amharic language is a front-row taxi ride.
Yeshi Seli By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The appeal filed by the legal team appointed by India to challenge the death penalty awarded to eight naval veterans imprisoned in Qatars Doha since August 30, 2022, will come up for hearing on Thursday.

The Qatars Court of First Instance had passed a judgment on October 26, awarding death penalty to eight Indian naval veterans  Captain Navtej Singh Gill, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Captain Saurabh Vasisht, Commander Amit Nagpal, Commander Purnendu Tiwari, Commander Sugunakar Pakala, Commander Sanjeev Gupta, and sailor Ragesh  who were employees of the Al Dahra company based in Doha.

The Indian government had expressed deep shock at the judgment. We are deeply shocked by the verdict of the death penalty and are in touch with the family members. Our legal team is exploring all options, Ministry of External Affairs had said after the judgment. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had, earlier this month, said an appeal has been filed in the case. India had also got another round of consular access to the detainees on November 7.

The judgment is confidential. There is a court of first instance that gave the judgment, which was shared with the legal team. Considering all legal options, an appeal has been filed. We are in touch with the Qatari authorities, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on November 9. Meanwhile, family members of the jailed naval veterans had a second meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar earlier this month. This is the second interaction that the families have had with the minister in a month.

The families are hoping against hope that the appeal will be considered. There will be two more appeals filed in this court, if this appeal isnt accepted, said a source. Details of the Qatar courts judgment have not yet been made public. Qatar has not issued any statement on the same either. There were talks that the families were made to sign an indemnity bond in order to know details of the judgment. Some families had reservations on signing of such a bond.

Meanwhile, India is holding back-channel talks involving other countries to help in the repatriation of its naval veterans. The US and Turkey are amongst the countries that have been approached regarding this issue, according to a source. The US could get Qatar and Egypt to mediate for the release of hostages and bring about a humanitarian ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict on Wednesday. This has raised our hope for a similar mediation for our naval veterans, said a source.

Back-channel talks

India is holding back-channel talks involving other countries to help in the repatriation of its naval veterans. The US and Turkey are two countries that have been approached. The US could get Qatar and Egypt to mediate for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war on Wednesday. This has raised our hope for a similar mediation, said a source.

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NEW DELHI: The appeal filed by the legal team appointed by India to challenge the death penalty awarded to eight naval veterans imprisoned in Qatars Doha since August 30, 2022, will come up for hearing on Thursday. The Qatars Court of First Instance had passed a judgment on October 26, awarding death penalty to eight Indian naval veterans  Captain Navtej Singh Gill, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Captain Saurabh Vasisht, Commander Amit Nagpal, Commander Purnendu Tiwari, Commander Sugunakar Pakala, Commander Sanjeev Gupta, and sailor Ragesh  who were employees of the Al Dahra company based in Doha. The Indian government had expressed deep shock at the judgment. We are deeply shocked by the verdict of the death penalty and are in touch with the family members. Our legal team is exploring all options, Ministry of External Affairs had said after the judgment. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had, earlier this month, said an appeal has been filed in the case. India had also got another round of consular access to the detainees on November 7. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The judgment is confidential. There is a court of first instance that gave the judgment, which was shared with the legal team. Considering all legal options, an appeal has been filed. We are in touch with the Qatari authorities, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on November 9. Meanwhile, family members of the jailed naval veterans had a second meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar earlier this month. This is the second interaction that the families have had with the minister in a month. The families are hoping against hope that the appeal will be considered. There will be two more appeals filed in this court, if this appeal isnt accepted, said a source. Details of the Qatar courts judgment have not yet been made public. Qatar has not issued any statement on the same either. There were talks that the families were made to sign an indemnity bond in order to know details of the judgment. Some families had reservations on signing of such a bond. Meanwhile, India is holding back-channel talks involving other countries to help in the repatriation of its naval veterans. The US and Turkey are amongst the countries that have been approached regarding this issue, according to a source. The US could get Qatar and Egypt to mediate for the release of hostages and bring about a humanitarian ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict on Wednesday. This has raised our hope for a similar mediation for our naval veterans, said a source. Back-channel talks India is holding back-channel talks involving other countries to help in the repatriation of its naval veterans. The US and Turkey are two countries that have been approached. The US could get Qatar and Egypt to mediate for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war on Wednesday. This has raised our hope for a similar mediation, said a source. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Mayank Singh By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: A contingent of 81 personnel drawn from the Indian armed forces on Wednesday departed for Australia to take part in the second edition of AustraHind-23, a joint military exercise. It will be conducted at Perth from November 22 to December 6.

The aim of the exercise is to foster collaborative partnership and share best practices between the two sides. The exercise will also promote inter-operability while undertaking multi-domain operations in urban and semi-urban terrain under Chapter VII of United Nations on peace keeping operations.

The UNs Chapter VII is about action with respect to threats to peace, breaches of peace, and acts of aggression. The personnel includes 60 from a Battalion of the Gorkha Rifles of Indian Army, One officer from Indian Navy and 20 personnel from Indian Air Force.

The Australian Army contingent comprising 60 personnel will be from the 13th Brigade. The Australian contingent will include 20 personnel each from the Royal Australian Navy and Royal Australian Air Force. AustraHind was instituted in 2022 and the first edition was conducted in Mahajan, Rajasthan. It is planned to be an annual training event to be conducted alternatively in India and Australia.

The joint exercise will promote exchange of ideas and jointly rehearse tactics, technique and procedures for conducting tactical operations. Training curriculum also includes sniper firing, and jointly operating surveillance and communication equipment to achieve a high degree of situational awareness. Casualty management and evacuation will also be rehearsed besides tactical actions at company or battalion level.

The exercise will also help in promoting understanding between the two militaries and further strengthen the defence cooperation between the two friendly nations.

INS Sumedhas port of call in Mozambique

Indian Naval Ship Sumedha arrived at Maputo, Mozambique on Wednesday as part of the ongoing extended operational deployment to Africa.

The port of call is aimed at strengthening long-standing diplomatic relations, reinforce maritime cooperation and boost interoperability between both the navies, Indian Navy said. Professional interactions, cross-deck visits, planning conferences and joint EEZ surveillance from November 23-25, 2023, are scheduled during the visit.

Activities during the port of call include courtesy calls by the commanding officer on various dignitaries and government officials of Mozambique, including the Navy Commandant, Mozambique Navy and Mayor of Maputo City.

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NEW DELHI: A contingent of 81 personnel drawn from the Indian armed forces on Wednesday departed for Australia to take part in the second edition of AustraHind-23, a joint military exercise. It will be conducted at Perth from November 22 to December 6. The aim of the exercise is to foster collaborative partnership and share best practices between the two sides. The exercise will also promote inter-operability while undertaking multi-domain operations in urban and semi-urban terrain under Chapter VII of United Nations on peace keeping operations. The UNs Chapter VII is about action with respect to threats to peace, breaches of peace, and acts of aggression. The personnel includes 60 from a Battalion of the Gorkha Rifles of Indian Army, One officer from Indian Navy and 20 personnel from Indian Air Force.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The Australian Army contingent comprising 60 personnel will be from the 13th Brigade. The Australian contingent will include 20 personnel each from the Royal Australian Navy and Royal Australian Air Force. AustraHind was instituted in 2022 and the first edition was conducted in Mahajan, Rajasthan. It is planned to be an annual training event to be conducted alternatively in India and Australia. The joint exercise will promote exchange of ideas and jointly rehearse tactics, technique and procedures for conducting tactical operations. Training curriculum also includes sniper firing, and jointly operating surveillance and communication equipment to achieve a high degree of situational awareness. Casualty management and evacuation will also be rehearsed besides tactical actions at company or battalion level. The exercise will also help in promoting understanding between the two militaries and further strengthen the defence cooperation between the two friendly nations. INS Sumedhas port of call in Mozambique Indian Naval Ship Sumedha arrived at Maputo, Mozambique on Wednesday as part of the ongoing extended operational deployment to Africa. The port of call is aimed at strengthening long-standing diplomatic relations, reinforce maritime cooperation and boost interoperability between both the navies, Indian Navy said. Professional interactions, cross-deck visits, planning conferences and joint EEZ surveillance from November 23-25, 2023, are scheduled during the visit. Activities during the port of call include courtesy calls by the commanding officer on various dignitaries and government officials of Mozambique, including the Navy Commandant, Mozambique Navy and Mayor of Maputo City. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Hemant Kumar Rout By

Express News Service

BHUBANESWAR: In a first-of-its-kind discovery, scientists at Institute of Life Sciences (ILS), Bhubaneswar, and two other research organisations have uncovered the role of a host protein that can help combat severe bacterial ailments such as tuberculosis (TB), viral infections and address prolonged health complications associated with autoimmune diseases.

As India sets an ambitious goal to eliminate TB by 2025, the discovery is expected to lead to development of a host directed therapy, which could be one of the ways to get over drug resistant TB and drastically reduce incidence.

TB is caused by bacteria mycobacterium tuberculosis and it most often affects the lungs. Every year, 10 million people fall ill with tuberculosis and despite being a preventable and curable disease, 1.5 million people die, making it the world's top infectious killer.

Researchers have found the host protein nuclear receptor corepressor-1 (NCoR1) as a crucial factor in controlling the growth of TB in lung myeloid cells by regulating its killing ability.

The study revealed that the dynamic expression of NCoR1 is compromised in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells during active tuberculosis infection, which is rescued upon prolonged anti-mycobacterial therapy.

Senior scientist at ILS Dr Sunil Raghav said several proteins that play a role in growth of TB were reported before mostly in the bacteria but not in the host. "This is for the first time, we have discovered the role of NCoR1, which can protect humans from the bacterial infection when its level is not going down and maintained. It is an interesting finding," he said.

When bacteria infect cells, Raghav said, the protein level goes up. But after some time, the bacteria hijacks it, and then the level of protein starts decreasing, leading to multiplication of bacteria inside the cells. This protein is a potential candidate for host directed therapy, he said.

The scientists have tested it on mice models and some primary cells in humans by removing NCoR1 from immune cells. They studied that the immune system becomes less active on removal of the protein leading to reduced ability to fight infections.

The preliminary results are promising and they hope it would be extremely crucial in daily treatment regimens. Efforts are on to test it on samples of lung cells of TB infected humans.

Nowadays it is difficult to treat the bacteria with drugs as it has become drug resistant. Researchers are looking into the possibilities to increase the host immunity so that the bacteria can be killed. We will further study how the bacteria hijacks the NCoR1 protein and increases the infection. What is the signalling and how the protein works? We will also find out if there is any method to increase the protein's level, Raghav added.

Researchers of the School of Bioscience of KIIT university, Bhubaneswar, and Regional Centre for Biotechnology, Faridabad, were also involved in the study that has been published in the recent issue of peer-reviewed scientific journals PLOS Biology and Autophagy.

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BHUBANESWAR: In a first-of-its-kind discovery, scientists at Institute of Life Sciences (ILS), Bhubaneswar, and two other research organisations have uncovered the role of a host protein that can help combat severe bacterial ailments such as tuberculosis (TB), viral infections and address prolonged health complications associated with autoimmune diseases. As India sets an ambitious goal to eliminate TB by 2025, the discovery is expected to lead to development of a host directed therapy, which could be one of the ways to get over drug resistant TB and drastically reduce incidence. TB is caused by bacteria mycobacterium tuberculosis and it most often affects the lungs. Every year, 10 million people fall ill with tuberculosis and despite being a preventable and curable disease, 1.5 million people die, making it the world's top infectious killer.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Researchers have found the host protein nuclear receptor corepressor-1 (NCoR1) as a crucial factor in controlling the growth of TB in lung myeloid cells by regulating its killing ability. The study revealed that the dynamic expression of NCoR1 is compromised in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells during active tuberculosis infection, which is rescued upon prolonged anti-mycobacterial therapy. Senior scientist at ILS Dr Sunil Raghav said several proteins that play a role in growth of TB were reported before mostly in the bacteria but not in the host. "This is for the first time, we have discovered the role of NCoR1, which can protect humans from the bacterial infection when its level is not going down and maintained. It is an interesting finding," he said. When bacteria infect cells, Raghav said, the protein level goes up. But after some time, the bacteria hijacks it, and then the level of protein starts decreasing, leading to multiplication of bacteria inside the cells. This protein is a potential candidate for host directed therapy, he said. The scientists have tested it on mice models and some primary cells in humans by removing NCoR1 from immune cells. They studied that the immune system becomes less active on removal of the protein leading to reduced ability to fight infections. The preliminary results are promising and they hope it would be extremely crucial in daily treatment regimens. Efforts are on to test it on samples of lung cells of TB infected humans. Nowadays it is difficult to treat the bacteria with drugs as it has become drug resistant. Researchers are looking into the possibilities to increase the host immunity so that the bacteria can be killed. We will further study how the bacteria hijacks the NCoR1 protein and increases the infection. What is the signalling and how the protein works? We will also find out if there is any method to increase the protein's level, Raghav added. Researchers of the School of Bioscience of KIIT university, Bhubaneswar, and Regional Centre for Biotechnology, Faridabad, were also involved in the study that has been published in the recent issue of peer-reviewed scientific journals PLOS Biology and Autophagy. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By PTI

KOLKATA: Breaking her silence on the "cash-for-query" allegation against TMC MP Mahua Moitra, party chief Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said that plans were in the works to expel her from Parliament but any such action would only help the lawmaker from Krishnanagar ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Last week, Moitra, who is facing recommendations for expulsion from Lok Sabha, was tasked with strengthening the party's organisation in Nadia district, in a clear message of support from the TMC.

"Now, they are planning to expel Mahua (from Parliament). She will become more popular as a result. Whatever she used to say inside (Parliament), she will now say those things outside. Would anyone do something like this three months before the elections if he is not stupid?" Banerjee said, addressing a special session of the party at the Netaji Indoor Stadium.

READ MORE | 'Cash-for-query' row: TMC firmly backs Mahua Moitra, says those questioning BJP are 'harassed'

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey had forwarded a complaint against the Trinamool Congress member by lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, accusing her of taking bribes for asking questions in the House at the behest of businessman Darshan Hiranandani to target the Adani Group and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Lok Sabha Ethics Committee, headed by BJP MP Vinod Kumar Sonkar, submitted its report on the allegation against Moitra to the speaker's office earlier this month.

The report, adopted by a majority in the Committee, recommended Moitra's expulsion from the House, accusing her of accepting "illegal gratifications" to raise questions in Parliament at the behest of the businessman.

Moitra, in response, dismissed the decision as a "prefixed match by a kangaroo court" and deemed it a "death of parliamentary democracy".

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KOLKATA: Breaking her silence on the "cash-for-query" allegation against TMC MP Mahua Moitra, party chief Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said that plans were in the works to expel her from Parliament but any such action would only help the lawmaker from Krishnanagar ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Last week, Moitra, who is facing recommendations for expulsion from Lok Sabha, was tasked with strengthening the party's organisation in Nadia district, in a clear message of support from the TMC. "Now, they are planning to expel Mahua (from Parliament). She will become more popular as a result. Whatever she used to say inside (Parliament), she will now say those things outside. Would anyone do something like this three months before the elections if he is not stupid?" Banerjee said, addressing a special session of the party at the Netaji Indoor Stadium.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); READ MORE | 'Cash-for-query' row: TMC firmly backs Mahua Moitra, says those questioning BJP are 'harassed' BJP MP Nishikant Dubey had forwarded a complaint against the Trinamool Congress member by lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, accusing her of taking bribes for asking questions in the House at the behest of businessman Darshan Hiranandani to target the Adani Group and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Lok Sabha Ethics Committee, headed by BJP MP Vinod Kumar Sonkar, submitted its report on the allegation against Moitra to the speaker's office earlier this month. The report, adopted by a majority in the Committee, recommended Moitra's expulsion from the House, accusing her of accepting "illegal gratifications" to raise questions in Parliament at the behest of the businessman. Moitra, in response, dismissed the decision as a "prefixed match by a kangaroo court" and deemed it a "death of parliamentary democracy". Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By PTI

NEW DELHI: The Lok Sabha secretariat has underscored the confidentiality of the government's replies to MPs during the Question Hour in the House and asked them to access their portal only for their exclusive use, a development triggered by the raging "cash-for-query" row involving TMC MP Mahua Moitra.

"It may be noted that since the replies are log-in and password protected on the Members' Portal, they are exclusively for the use of Members only," the Lok Sabha secretariat said in its bulletin.

Members are, therefore, requested to maintain confidentiality of the replies and not to share the contents with others until the Question Hour is over, it added.

It informed MPs that the contents of a reply made in response to a question is "strictly confidential" until the question for oral answer has been asked and answered in the House. In case a question could not come up for oral answer, the reply to the question should not be released till the conclusion of Question Hour, the Lok Sabha secretariat added.

Sources said the Lok Sabha has merely reiterated the same set of existing rules about confidentiality in the wake of the episode involving Moitra.

She was accused by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey of letting a Dubai-based businessman access her parliamentary portal in lieu of bribes, and the Lok Sabha's Ethics Committee has recommended her expulsion.

She admitted to sharing her log-in credentials with businessman Darshan Hiranandani but has denied the bribery charges, dismissing her indictment by the parliamentary panel as a decision of a "kangaroo court".

Under a new initiative, the secretariat said replies to 'Starred Questions', a term for queries where ministers concerned answer to related supplementary in the House, are being uploaded on the members' portal by 9 am on the day of reply.

With Parliament's Winter Session scheduled to begin on December 4, members have begun putting in their questions.

The House is likely to take a decision on the Ethics Committee's recommendation for Moitra's expulsion during the session, with the Trinamool Congress (TMC) rallying around her after its initial "wait and watch" approach.

Moitra was last week tasked with strengthening the party's organisation in Nadia district, with a clear message of support from the TMC.

TMC president and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday broke her silence over the issue and said that plans were in the works to expel her (Moitra) from Parliament but any such action would help the lawmaker from Krishnanagar ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

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NEW DELHI: The Lok Sabha secretariat has underscored the confidentiality of the government's replies to MPs during the Question Hour in the House and asked them to access their portal only for their exclusive use, a development triggered by the raging "cash-for-query" row involving TMC MP Mahua Moitra. "It may be noted that since the replies are log-in and password protected on the Members' Portal, they are exclusively for the use of Members only," the Lok Sabha secretariat said in its bulletin. Members are, therefore, requested to maintain confidentiality of the replies and not to share the contents with others until the Question Hour is over, it added.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); It informed MPs that the contents of a reply made in response to a question is "strictly confidential" until the question for oral answer has been asked and answered in the House. In case a question could not come up for oral answer, the reply to the question should not be released till the conclusion of Question Hour, the Lok Sabha secretariat added. Sources said the Lok Sabha has merely reiterated the same set of existing rules about confidentiality in the wake of the episode involving Moitra. She was accused by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey of letting a Dubai-based businessman access her parliamentary portal in lieu of bribes, and the Lok Sabha's Ethics Committee has recommended her expulsion. She admitted to sharing her log-in credentials with businessman Darshan Hiranandani but has denied the bribery charges, dismissing her indictment by the parliamentary panel as a decision of a "kangaroo court". Under a new initiative, the secretariat said replies to 'Starred Questions', a term for queries where ministers concerned answer to related supplementary in the House, are being uploaded on the members' portal by 9 am on the day of reply. With Parliament's Winter Session scheduled to begin on December 4, members have begun putting in their questions. The House is likely to take a decision on the Ethics Committee's recommendation for Moitra's expulsion during the session, with the Trinamool Congress (TMC) rallying around her after its initial "wait and watch" approach. Moitra was last week tasked with strengthening the party's organisation in Nadia district, with a clear message of support from the TMC. TMC president and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday broke her silence over the issue and said that plans were in the works to expel her (Moitra) from Parliament but any such action would help the lawmaker from Krishnanagar ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Rajesh Asnani By

Express News Service

JAIPUR: Doubling down his criticism of the dynasty politics of Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday alleged that Sachin Pilot was being made a victim by Congress high command due to a revolt by his father in the past.

According to PM Modi, late Rajesh Pilot at one point of time had raised his voice against the first family of the Congress. Sachin Pilot is one of the top Congress leaders in Rajasthan but has been kept waiting for the CM post over the past five years. His differences with Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot have frequently grabbed national headlines.

In a spirited address at a rally in Shahpura in Rajasthan, PM Modi contended that the nations oldest political party is actively seeking to punish Sachin Pilot, the son of a rebel who opposed dynastic rule back in 1996. You know the history of Congress. Whoever tries to raise his voice against wrongdoings in the party will lose political space because of the high command sitting in Delhi, he alleged.

In the 1990s Rajesh Pilot had fought an election against Sitaram Kesari who was then the choice to be the Congress president supported by the Gandhi family. Accusing the Congress of perpetuating dynastic politics, PM Modi issued a cautionary note, asserting that any Congress member daring to voice dissent against the partys actions would face severe political repercussions.

According to the Prime Minister, Congress leaders in Delhi are purportedly orchestrating the reinstatement of Ashok Gehlot as Chief Minister.The PM said that given the multiple failures of the Gehlot government, the Congress has no chance of retaining power in Rajasthan.

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JAIPUR: Doubling down his criticism of the dynasty politics of Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday alleged that Sachin Pilot was being made a victim by Congress high command due to a revolt by his father in the past. According to PM Modi, late Rajesh Pilot at one point of time had raised his voice against the first family of the Congress. Sachin Pilot is one of the top Congress leaders in Rajasthan but has been kept waiting for the CM post over the past five years. His differences with Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot have frequently grabbed national headlines. In a spirited address at a rally in Shahpura in Rajasthan, PM Modi contended that the nations oldest political party is actively seeking to punish Sachin Pilot, the son of a rebel who opposed dynastic rule back in 1996. You know the history of Congress. Whoever tries to raise his voice against wrongdoings in the party will lose political space because of the high command sitting in Delhi, he alleged.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); In the 1990s Rajesh Pilot had fought an election against Sitaram Kesari who was then the choice to be the Congress president supported by the Gandhi family. Accusing the Congress of perpetuating dynastic politics, PM Modi issued a cautionary note, asserting that any Congress member daring to voice dissent against the partys actions would face severe political repercussions. According to the Prime Minister, Congress leaders in Delhi are purportedly orchestrating the reinstatement of Ashok Gehlot as Chief Minister.The PM said that given the multiple failures of the Gehlot government, the Congress has no chance of retaining power in Rajasthan. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Yeshi Seli By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while welcoming a deal to release 50 Israeli hostages, during his address at the virtual G20 summit on Wednesday, asserted that killings of innocents, especially children and women, is not acceptable.

He made seven observations on the Israel-Hamas conflict, which included zero tolerance on terrorism, expediting humanitarian aid, need for regional stability and pursuing dialogue and diplomacy to resolve the conflict. When I proposed this virtual summit, there was no anticipation of what the global situation would be like today. New challenges have arisen in the last months.

The situation of insecurity and instability in the West Asia region is a matter of concern for all of us... The death of civilians, wherever they happen, is condemnable, he said. The summit was attended by 22 heads of government, though some leaders were not present.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, Japanese PM Fumio Kishida, Australian PM Anthony Albanese took part, while Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden skipped it. In his address, Put i n launched a broadside over the Gaza conflict.

Russia has never refused peace negotiations in Ukraine. I understand that this is war and the loss of life cannot but shock. But isnt the extermination of civilian population in Gaza shocking? Isnt it shocking that doctors have to perform operations on children without anaesthesia?

Isnt it shocking that the UNSC said that Gaza has turned into a huge childrens cemetery? he said. Modi also spoke about the negative effects of artificial intelligence and made a strong pitch for its global regulation. India, he added, will host a Global AI Partnership Summit next month.

Four-day Gaza truce begins today

4-day Israel-Hamas ceasefire begins at 1.30 pm IST on Thursday

130 Palestinian women and children to be freed in exchange for 50 Israeli hostages

Truce could be extended by a day for each additional release of 10 Israeli hostages

Hundreds of trucks carrying humanitarian aid and fuel would be allowed to enter Gaza

Egypt, Qatar, US helped mediate the deal between Israel and Hamas

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NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while welcoming a deal to release 50 Israeli hostages, during his address at the virtual G20 summit on Wednesday, asserted that killings of innocents, especially children and women, is not acceptable. He made seven observations on the Israel-Hamas conflict, which included zero tolerance on terrorism, expediting humanitarian aid, need for regional stability and pursuing dialogue and diplomacy to resolve the conflict. When I proposed this virtual summit, there was no anticipation of what the global situation would be like today. New challenges have arisen in the last months. The situation of insecurity and instability in the West Asia region is a matter of concern for all of us... The death of civilians, wherever they happen, is condemnable, he said. The summit was attended by 22 heads of government, though some leaders were not present.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Russian President Vladimir Putin, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, Japanese PM Fumio Kishida, Australian PM Anthony Albanese took part, while Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden skipped it. In his address, Put i n launched a broadside over the Gaza conflict. Russia has never refused peace negotiations in Ukraine. I understand that this is war and the loss of life cannot but shock. But isnt the extermination of civilian population in Gaza shocking? Isnt it shocking that doctors have to perform operations on children without anaesthesia? Isnt it shocking that the UNSC said that Gaza has turned into a huge childrens cemetery? he said. Modi also spoke about the negative effects of artificial intelligence and made a strong pitch for its global regulation. India, he added, will host a Global AI Partnership Summit next month. Four-day Gaza truce begins today 4-day Israel-Hamas ceasefire begins at 1.30 pm IST on Thursday 130 Palestinian women and children to be freed in exchange for 50 Israeli hostages Truce could be extended by a day for each additional release of 10 Israeli hostages Hundreds of trucks carrying humanitarian aid and fuel would be allowed to enter Gaza Egypt, Qatar, US helped mediate the deal between Israel and Hamas Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Terming deepfakes as a new threat to democracy, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday said that the government will come up with new regulations soon to tackle deepfakes.

The minister, who met social media platforms on the deepfake issue on Thursday, said that companies have agreed on the need for clear actionable work in areas such as detection, prevention, strengthening of reporting mechanism, and raising user awareness.

"We will start drafting regulation today itself, and within a short time we will have a new set of regulations for deepfakes; this could be in the form of amending existing framework or bringing new rules, or new law," Vaishnaw told reporters.

Deepfakes have emerged as a new threat to democracy, the minister said.

"We will have our next meeting in the first week of December that will be on follow-up action on today's decisions, and also on what should be included in the draft regulation," Vaishnaw said.

Deepfakes refer to synthetic or doctored media that is digitally manipulated and altered to convincingly misrepresent or impersonate someone, using a form of artificial intelligence.

Recently, several 'deepfake' videos targeting leading actors went viral, sparking public outrage and raising concerns over the misuse of technology and tools for creating doctored content and fake narratives.

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NEW DELHI: Terming deepfakes as a new threat to democracy, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday said that the government will come up with new regulations soon to tackle deepfakes. The minister, who met social media platforms on the deepfake issue on Thursday, said that companies have agreed on the need for clear actionable work in areas such as detection, prevention, strengthening of reporting mechanism, and raising user awareness. "We will start drafting regulation today itself, and within a short time we will have a new set of regulations for deepfakes; this could be in the form of amending existing framework or bringing new rules, or new law," Vaishnaw told reporters.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Deepfakes have emerged as a new threat to democracy, the minister said. "We will have our next meeting in the first week of December that will be on follow-up action on today's decisions, and also on what should be included in the draft regulation," Vaishnaw said. Deepfakes refer to synthetic or doctored media that is digitally manipulated and altered to convincingly misrepresent or impersonate someone, using a form of artificial intelligence. Recently, several 'deepfake' videos targeting leading actors went viral, sparking public outrage and raising concerns over the misuse of technology and tools for creating doctored content and fake narratives. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Harpreeet Bajwa By

Express News Service

CHANDIGARH: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday carried out searches at 14 locations in Punjab and Haryana as part of its continuing investigations into the attacks on the Consulate General of India at San Francisco in the US in March this year by Khalistani elements.

Sources said the NIA teams raided different places in Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Moga, Patiala, Gurdaspur and SAS Nagar districts in Punjab. In Haryana, they searched a few premises in Kurukshetra and Yamunanagar districts. The teams seized digital data on the accused persons, along with other incriminating documents.

On September 21, the NIA had released photos of 10 suspects in the attack on the San Francisco mission and crowd sourced information about them. The probe agency has already identified certain individuals who were part of the plot.

They include both Indian and foreign nationals. On the intervening night of March 18 and 19 this year, some pro-Khalistan entities trespassed into the San Francisco mission and tried to burn it down.

On the same day, slogan-shouting Khalistani supporters broke through the missions makeshift security barriers, put up two so-called Khalistani flags in the Consulate premises and damaged the building besides assaulting officials.

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CHANDIGARH: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday carried out searches at 14 locations in Punjab and Haryana as part of its continuing investigations into the attacks on the Consulate General of India at San Francisco in the US in March this year by Khalistani elements. Sources said the NIA teams raided different places in Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Moga, Patiala, Gurdaspur and SAS Nagar districts in Punjab. In Haryana, they searched a few premises in Kurukshetra and Yamunanagar districts. The teams seized digital data on the accused persons, along with other incriminating documents. On September 21, the NIA had released photos of 10 suspects in the attack on the San Francisco mission and crowd sourced information about them. The probe agency has already identified certain individuals who were part of the plot.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); They include both Indian and foreign nationals. On the intervening night of March 18 and 19 this year, some pro-Khalistan entities trespassed into the San Francisco mission and tried to burn it down. On the same day, slogan-shouting Khalistani supporters broke through the missions makeshift security barriers, put up two so-called Khalistani flags in the Consulate premises and damaged the building besides assaulting officials. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Namita Bajpai By

Express News Service

LUCKNOW: After the Allahabad High Court nod to the development of Vrindavan (Mathura) Banke Bihari Temple Corridor, a plan proposed by the Uttar Pradesh government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to make an announcement of the corridor and also the special budget for the project during his visit to Mathura-Vrindavan on Thursday.

Following the expected announcement by the PM, while the administration will proceed with steps towards bringing the proposed corridor on the ground, the Sevayat Goswamis, who manage the temple, which depicts the child form of Lord Krishna, are not keen on speaking about the court order and maintain that their affairs had been administered by Munsif Court in Mathura since long. So they always respect a court order.

While hearing a bunch of PILs regarding the crowd management and safety and security of the devotees visiting the famous temple in Vrindavan, the High Court had directed the state government to rid the entire area around the temple of the encroachment to facilitate the movement of devotees. However, the court restrained the state from using Rs 262.50 crore for the bank account of the deity for the construction of the temple corridor. It asked the state authorities to utilise its own money for the secular activity of facilitating public interest.

The court had also cautioned the UP government against any interference in the rights of Sevayats and in puja-archana and Shringar carried out by them. Significantly, the proposal for the development of the temple corridor encompasses the purchase of five-acre land around the temple for facilitating smooth darshan and puja by the devotees, parking facilities and management of other public amenities.

As per highly placed sources, an amount Rs 300 crore is estimated for the land acquisition, Rs 505 crore for corridor development and another Rs 100 crore for the restoration of Banke Bihari temple.

In one of the petitions in the High Court, it was submitted that Swami Hari Das Ji, who had established the temple, did not create any trust or endowment in favour of anyone. On the contrary, Goswami Onkar Nath and Goswami Phundi Lal proclaimed themselves to be the legal heirs and were entitled to do the Pramukh Seva of Thakur Shree Banke Bihari Ji.The petitioner had also contended that the judgment given in 1939 in a suit filed by Goswami Onkar Nath, the court had recorded the fact that there was no trust or endowment in favour of anyone.

The petitioner had specifically pleaded before the Court that due to the lack of management inside the temple, it was difficult for the devotees to offer prayers and have proper darshan of the deity. As a result, the division bench, headed by Chief Justice Pritinker Diwaker and comprising Justice Ashutosh Srivastava, in its order said: Human life cannot be put at stake just because somebody has objection. In our opinion, even the private temples where devotees come for darshan, safety and security of human life is required to be treated of utmost importance and the government is bound to make necessary arrangements.

Meanwhile, an intervention application was filed by about 250 shopkeepers and residents of the area in and around the temple against the proposed expansion plan. They argued that as per the popular belief, the Kunj Galis (narrow streets) were sacred galis where Lord Krishna and Radha Rani still carry on their leelas.Significantly, of the total 120-150 streets in Vrindavan, 22 are present in and around the main Banke Bihari temple and are just 3-10 ft in width thus making the approach to the temple difficult given the number of devotees going beyond five lakh, especially, during the weekends and special occasions.

The inner courtyard of the Banke Bihari temple, which was established in 1864, is just 48 ftX 48 ft and is capable of hosting just 1,000 people at a time. However, in the proposed corridor plan submitted by the state authorities, five acre of land has to be acquired around the temple. The proposed acquisition would require the removal of around 300 temples and residential and commercial constructions in the vicinity. Of these, 149 are residential buildings, 66 commercial and rest mixed.

As per sources, over 200 such constructions have already been surveyed, identified and marked to be removed to pave way for the corridor. As per the plan, the proposed corridor would have three paths leading to the temple. The one approaching the temple from the side of river Yamuna would be in 2100 sqm area. Here the corridor would be developed into two parts  a lower portion spread over 11,300 sqm area bearing the puja shops and an upper portion spread over 10,600 sqm area. It would be 3.5 metre above the lower portion and would be connected through a ramp.

A 37,000 sqm Banke Bihari Bridge parking area has also been proposed in the plan. Moreover, besides a suspension over river Yamuna, smaller bridges are also proposed in front of the main temple and Devraha Baba Ghat.

Rid entire area around temple of encroachment

The Allahabad High Court on Monday gave its nod to the development of Vrindavan (Mathura) Banke Bihari Temple Corridor. The plan was proposed by the Uttar Pradesh government. The court also directed the state government to rid the entire area around the temple of the encroachment to facilitate the movement ensure safety and security of the devotees. The High Court, however, directed the Yogi Adityanath government not to use Rs 262.50 crore lying in the bank account of the deity for the construction of the temple corridor.

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LUCKNOW: After the Allahabad High Court nod to the development of Vrindavan (Mathura) Banke Bihari Temple Corridor, a plan proposed by the Uttar Pradesh government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to make an announcement of the corridor and also the special budget for the project during his visit to Mathura-Vrindavan on Thursday. Following the expected announcement by the PM, while the administration will proceed with steps towards bringing the proposed corridor on the ground, the Sevayat Goswamis, who manage the temple, which depicts the child form of Lord Krishna, are not keen on speaking about the court order and maintain that their affairs had been administered by Munsif Court in Mathura since long. So they always respect a court order. While hearing a bunch of PILs regarding the crowd management and safety and security of the devotees visiting the famous temple in Vrindavan, the High Court had directed the state government to rid the entire area around the temple of the encroachment to facilitate the movement of devotees. However, the court restrained the state from using Rs 262.50 crore for the bank account of the deity for the construction of the temple corridor. It asked the state authorities to utilise its own money for the secular activity of facilitating public interest.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The court had also cautioned the UP government against any interference in the rights of Sevayats and in puja-archana and Shringar carried out by them. Significantly, the proposal for the development of the temple corridor encompasses the purchase of five-acre land around the temple for facilitating smooth darshan and puja by the devotees, parking facilities and management of other public amenities. As per highly placed sources, an amount Rs 300 crore is estimated for the land acquisition, Rs 505 crore for corridor development and another Rs 100 crore for the restoration of Banke Bihari temple. In one of the petitions in the High Court, it was submitted that Swami Hari Das Ji, who had established the temple, did not create any trust or endowment in favour of anyone. On the contrary, Goswami Onkar Nath and Goswami Phundi Lal proclaimed themselves to be the legal heirs and were entitled to do the Pramukh Seva of Thakur Shree Banke Bihari Ji.The petitioner had also contended that the judgment given in 1939 in a suit filed by Goswami Onkar Nath, the court had recorded the fact that there was no trust or endowment in favour of anyone. The petitioner had specifically pleaded before the Court that due to the lack of management inside the temple, it was difficult for the devotees to offer prayers and have proper darshan of the deity. As a result, the division bench, headed by Chief Justice Pritinker Diwaker and comprising Justice Ashutosh Srivastava, in its order said: Human life cannot be put at stake just because somebody has objection. In our opinion, even the private temples where devotees come for darshan, safety and security of human life is required to be treated of utmost importance and the government is bound to make necessary arrangements. Meanwhile, an intervention application was filed by about 250 shopkeepers and residents of the area in and around the temple against the proposed expansion plan. They argued that as per the popular belief, the Kunj Galis (narrow streets) were sacred galis where Lord Krishna and Radha Rani still carry on their leelas.Significantly, of the total 120-150 streets in Vrindavan, 22 are present in and around the main Banke Bihari temple and are just 3-10 ft in width thus making the approach to the temple difficult given the number of devotees going beyond five lakh, especially, during the weekends and special occasions. The inner courtyard of the Banke Bihari temple, which was established in 1864, is just 48 ftX 48 ft and is capable of hosting just 1,000 people at a time. However, in the proposed corridor plan submitted by the state authorities, five acre of land has to be acquired around the temple. The proposed acquisition would require the removal of around 300 temples and residential and commercial constructions in the vicinity. Of these, 149 are residential buildings, 66 commercial and rest mixed. As per sources, over 200 such constructions have already been surveyed, identified and marked to be removed to pave way for the corridor. As per the plan, the proposed corridor would have three paths leading to the temple. The one approaching the temple from the side of river Yamuna would be in 2100 sqm area. Here the corridor would be developed into two parts  a lower portion spread over 11,300 sqm area bearing the puja shops and an upper portion spread over 10,600 sqm area. It would be 3.5 metre above the lower portion and would be connected through a ramp. A 37,000 sqm Banke Bihari Bridge parking area has also been proposed in the plan. Moreover, besides a suspension over river Yamuna, smaller bridges are also proposed in front of the main temple and Devraha Baba Ghat. Rid entire area around temple of encroachment The Allahabad High Court on Monday gave its nod to the development of Vrindavan (Mathura) Banke Bihari Temple Corridor. The plan was proposed by the Uttar Pradesh government. The court also directed the state government to rid the entire area around the temple of the encroachment to facilitate the movement ensure safety and security of the devotees. The High Court, however, directed the Yogi Adityanath government not to use Rs 262.50 crore lying in the bank account of the deity for the construction of the temple corridor. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
China's expressway length reaches 177,000 km by end of 2022

Xinhua) 16:55, November 23, 2023

BEIJING, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- China's expressway mileage under operation had reached 177,000 km by the end of 2022, and China remains the country with the longest expressway mileage in the world, the Ministry of Transport said on Thursday.

By the end of 2022, China's total highway mileage had reached 5.35 million km, an increase of 1.12 million km in the space of 10 years, Guo Sheng, an official with the ministry, told a press conference.

In recent years, China's highway network has constantly improved in terms of both length and quality, with a number of major highway projects completed.

In the future, China will further optimize its highway network, striving to build a modern highway infrastructure system to ensure mobility of people and goods, Guo added.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
? Ahora el premier Alberto Otarola sustenta en el @CongresoPeru el #Presupuesto2024 y la ejecucion presupuestaria del 2023 de la Presidencia del Consejo de Ministros. pic.twitter.com/iThbbi2Q93
By Express News Service

BHOPAL: Four days after the November 17 assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, women from scheduled caste families in a village in Mungaoli constituency of Ashok Nagar district have alleged that they are denied water from a government-built bore well unless they swear they have voted for the BJP.

The women said that dominant OBC caste members who control and operate the government-owned bore-well in the Nayakheda village are allowing them water only after they swear that they have voted for the BJP.

They (people who operate and control the motor in the bore-well) are asking us to first swear whether weve voted for the lotus symbol in the elections or not. Saying yes will render us water, while a no will see those people switch off the motor and drive us away, Nayakheda village dweller Shyam Bai said.

Other SC category women, including a young girl, alleged, As were not being easily rendered the water from the bore-well, many of us have shifted family members, particularly elders and children to our relatives houses in adjoining Chanderi assembly segment of Ashok Nagar district. Not getting clean water from the concerned bore-well is leaving us with two options, either to rely on another well containing dirty water or else shift our kin to relatives houses in other villages.

The local BJP MLA and the ruling party candidate Brajendra Singh Yadav  who is also the minister of state for public health engineering  told a news channel on the matter, I dont understand why such a thing is happening after the election. That is a government bore-well. Not one, but four bores were done in the concerned village. Those bores were done to provide water to everyone.

Acting in the matter, a government team led by local tehsildar Dilip Daroga went to the concerned village and got the encroachment around the bore-well (a boundary wall) removed on Wednesday. The boundary wall built around the government bore-well by some private people has been removed.

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BHOPAL: Four days after the November 17 assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, women from scheduled caste families in a village in Mungaoli constituency of Ashok Nagar district have alleged that they are denied water from a government-built bore well unless they swear they have voted for the BJP. The women said that dominant OBC caste members who control and operate the government-owned bore-well in the Nayakheda village are allowing them water only after they swear that they have voted for the BJP. They (people who operate and control the motor in the bore-well) are asking us to first swear whether weve voted for the lotus symbol in the elections or not. Saying yes will render us water, while a no will see those people switch off the motor and drive us away, Nayakheda village dweller Shyam Bai said.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Other SC category women, including a young girl, alleged, As were not being easily rendered the water from the bore-well, many of us have shifted family members, particularly elders and children to our relatives houses in adjoining Chanderi assembly segment of Ashok Nagar district. Not getting clean water from the concerned bore-well is leaving us with two options, either to rely on another well containing dirty water or else shift our kin to relatives houses in other villages. The local BJP MLA and the ruling party candidate Brajendra Singh Yadav  who is also the minister of state for public health engineering  told a news channel on the matter, I dont understand why such a thing is happening after the election. That is a government bore-well. Not one, but four bores were done in the concerned village. Those bores were done to provide water to everyone. Acting in the matter, a government team led by local tehsildar Dilip Daroga went to the concerned village and got the encroachment around the bore-well (a boundary wall) removed on Wednesday. The boundary wall built around the government bore-well by some private people has been removed. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Fayaz Wani By

Express News Service

SRINAGAR: A top Pakistani militant of Lashkar-e-Toiba ( LeT) Qari was killed in the ongoing gunfight with security forces in the forest area of Rajouri in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday.

Four Army personnel, including two captains of special forces, were killed and two others injured in the encounter on Wednesday.

A security official said that a fresh firing resumed on Thursday morning in Bajimaal area of Dharmsal belt. In the gunfight, A Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) terrorist identified as Qari was killed.

"He has been trained on the Pakistan and Afghan front. He is a highly ranked terrorist leader of Lashkar-e-Taiba", an army official said.

The Pakistani terrorist has been active in Rajouri-Poonch along with his group for the past year, he said, adding he is also believed to be the mastermind of the Dangri and Kandi attacks.

Quari was sent to revive terrorism in the region, the official said, adding he is an expert in IEDs.

The army and police launched a massive combing and search operation in the Dharmsal-Kamalkote forest area of Rajouri on Wednesday to track down a group of militants hiding there.

During the search operation, militants fired on the troops and in the day-long encounter, four army men including two officers, Captain MV Pranjal and Captain Shubham were killed and two security men including a Major were injured.

Armys Special Forces are assisting the troops on the ground in the anti-militancy operation. The army is also using drones, quadcopters and sniffer dogs to pinpoint the location of the militants hiding in the dense forest area.

According to security officials, militants are taking advantage of treacherous mountains and difficult terrain and use natural caves in the forest areas as their hide-outs.

There have been many encounters between militants and security forces in the thick forest areas in the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch this year.

On November 17, a militant was killed in an encounter with troops in the Guller Behrote area of Rajouri.

In September this year, two militants and an army man were killed in a two-day-long gunfight in the Narla area of Rajouri.

At least 10 army men were killed in twin militant attacks in forest areas of border districts of Poonch and Rajouri in April and May this year.

Earlier, on January 1 and 2, seven civilians were killed and a dozen others injured in twin militant attacks in a village in Rajouri.

READ MORE | 6-year-old army dog dies protecting handler during Rajouri encounter

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SRINAGAR: A top Pakistani militant of Lashkar-e-Toiba ( LeT) Qari was killed in the ongoing gunfight with security forces in the forest area of Rajouri in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday. Four Army personnel, including two captains of special forces, were killed and two others injured in the encounter on Wednesday. A security official said that a fresh firing resumed on Thursday morning in Bajimaal area of Dharmsal belt. In the gunfight, A Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) terrorist identified as Qari was killed.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); "He has been trained on the Pakistan and Afghan front. He is a highly ranked terrorist leader of Lashkar-e-Taiba", an army official said. The Pakistani terrorist has been active in Rajouri-Poonch along with his group for the past year, he said, adding he is also believed to be the mastermind of the Dangri and Kandi attacks. Quari was sent to revive terrorism in the region, the official said, adding he is an expert in IEDs. The army and police launched a massive combing and search operation in the Dharmsal-Kamalkote forest area of Rajouri on Wednesday to track down a group of militants hiding there. During the search operation, militants fired on the troops and in the day-long encounter, four army men including two officers, Captain MV Pranjal and Captain Shubham were killed and two security men including a Major were injured. Armys Special Forces are assisting the troops on the ground in the anti-militancy operation. The army is also using drones, quadcopters and sniffer dogs to pinpoint the location of the militants hiding in the dense forest area. According to security officials, militants are taking advantage of treacherous mountains and difficult terrain and use natural caves in the forest areas as their hide-outs. There have been many encounters between militants and security forces in the thick forest areas in the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch this year. On November 17, a militant was killed in an encounter with troops in the Guller Behrote area of Rajouri. In September this year, two militants and an army man were killed in a two-day-long gunfight in the Narla area of Rajouri. At least 10 army men were killed in twin militant attacks in forest areas of border districts of Poonch and Rajouri in April and May this year. Earlier, on January 1 and 2, seven civilians were killed and a dozen others injured in twin militant attacks in a village in Rajouri. READ MORE | 6-year-old army dog dies protecting handler during Rajouri encounter Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Yeshi Seli By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Hours after a media report claimed the US foiled an alleged Indian attempt to bump off Khalistani terrorist and founder of the banned Sikhs For Justice Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on its soil, the foreign office here said India takes US inputs seriously.

India takes such inputs seriously since it impinges on our own national security interests as well. During the course of recent discussions on the India- US security cooperation, the US side shared some inputs pertaining to the nexus between organised criminals, gun runners, terrorists and others.

The inputs are a cause of concern for both countries and they decided to take necessary and follow up action, said Arindam Bagchi, MEA spokesperson. Pannun had warned Sikhs to not take any Air India flight to India on November 19, the birth anniversary day of former prime minister Indira Gandhi.

The story broken by Londons Financial Times claimed the US had protested Indias alleged involvement in the plot to kill Pannun. The protest came after Prime Minister Narendra Modis state visit to Washington in June, it added.

On June 18 this year, Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar was gunned down by unknown assailants in Canada. After Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau blamed India for the murder, bilateral relations nosedived with both sides expelling a diplomat each and India suspending visa services. India on Wednesday resumed evisas to Canadians.

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NEW DELHI: Hours after a media report claimed the US foiled an alleged Indian attempt to bump off Khalistani terrorist and founder of the banned Sikhs For Justice Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on its soil, the foreign office here said India takes US inputs seriously. India takes such inputs seriously since it impinges on our own national security interests as well. During the course of recent discussions on the India- US security cooperation, the US side shared some inputs pertaining to the nexus between organised criminals, gun runners, terrorists and others. The inputs are a cause of concern for both countries and they decided to take necessary and follow up action, said Arindam Bagchi, MEA spokesperson. Pannun had warned Sikhs to not take any Air India flight to India on November 19, the birth anniversary day of former prime minister Indira Gandhi.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The story broken by Londons Financial Times claimed the US had protested Indias alleged involvement in the plot to kill Pannun. The protest came after Prime Minister Narendra Modis state visit to Washington in June, it added. On June 18 this year, Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar was gunned down by unknown assailants in Canada. After Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau blamed India for the murder, bilateral relations nosedived with both sides expelling a diplomat each and India suspending visa services. India on Wednesday resumed evisas to Canadians. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Yeshi Seli By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: India and Finland with their complementary skills can work together and find common solutions to many global challenges and bring several positive outcomes, said a visiting Finnish minister on Tuesday.

"We can find several positive outcomes in the areas of digitisation, education, sustainability and innovation (DESI) between Finland and India," Finlands Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Tavio told The New Indian Express.

Tavio said that his visit to India has been the longest ever he has taken out of Finland which demonstrates the value of trade between the two countries.

"I have come with a delegation of representatives of companies which includes mostly technology companies, some are offering green solutions. At the Nordic Baltic convention, we also networked politically and I met Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal. You may be aware that there are many Finnish companies in India including Kone which makes elevators and Nokia which is a telecom service provider. Similarly, there are many Indian companies in Finland. We also hope that the India EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) concludes soon as it would be mutually beneficial for all countries involved," Tavio said.

Finland is also looking at supporting sustainability projects which turn waste into energy in India. They are seeking collaborations with start-ups.

Meanwhile, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday said that the proposed FTA agreements with the EU and four nation EFTA group (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) are doable but they should keep in mind Indias interests.

"We are in an active dialogue with the EU and EFTA for a FTA. I do believe that both these are eminently doable and will significantly help us expand our engagement not only in trade in goods and services but also in investments, technology, tourism, innovation and clean energy," said Goyal while speaking at the Nordic Baltic conference.

The Nordic region includes Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Faroe Islands and Greenland while the Baltic states include Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

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NEW DELHI: India and Finland with their complementary skills can work together and find common solutions to many global challenges and bring several positive outcomes, said a visiting Finnish minister on Tuesday. "We can find several positive outcomes in the areas of digitisation, education, sustainability and innovation (DESI) between Finland and India," Finlands Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Tavio told The New Indian Express. Tavio said that his visit to India has been the longest ever he has taken out of Finland which demonstrates the value of trade between the two countries.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); "I have come with a delegation of representatives of companies which includes mostly technology companies, some are offering green solutions. At the Nordic Baltic convention, we also networked politically and I met Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal. You may be aware that there are many Finnish companies in India including Kone which makes elevators and Nokia which is a telecom service provider. Similarly, there are many Indian companies in Finland. We also hope that the India EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) concludes soon as it would be mutually beneficial for all countries involved," Tavio said. Finland is also looking at supporting sustainability projects which turn waste into energy in India. They are seeking collaborations with start-ups. Meanwhile, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday said that the proposed FTA agreements with the EU and four nation EFTA group (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) are doable but they should keep in mind Indias interests. "We are in an active dialogue with the EU and EFTA for a FTA. I do believe that both these are eminently doable and will significantly help us expand our engagement not only in trade in goods and services but also in investments, technology, tourism, innovation and clean energy," said Goyal while speaking at the Nordic Baltic conference. The Nordic region includes Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Faroe Islands and Greenland while the Baltic states include Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
M K Bhadrakumar By

The security situation developing in Myanmar holds long-term geo-strategic consequences for the integrity of Indias northeastern region. A scenario like in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan is quite possibly in the making. Analogies are never perfect fits, but they can help draw attention to key features and conceptual boundaries of an emergent situation being learned and probably make it easier for decision-makers to navigate their way in the highly complex matrix in Myanmar.

No one is asking the obvious question: are the developments in Myanmar taking place in a strategic vacuum? Framed differently, who stands to gain? Myanmar is an ethnic mosaic-like Afghanistan or India and has had a long history of insurgencies. But this time around, the mosaic is showing signs of fault lines breaking up under the weight of external intervention.

What has helped Myanmar survive ethnic strife so far is that the insurgent groups could never coalesce into a united front and outside intervention was virtually non-existent. The reason for this was that the Burmans, the Sino-Tibetan ethnic group who constitute Myanmars largest ethnic group, accounted for an estimated 70 percent of the countrys populationcomparable to the critical mass of the Hindu population in Indiawhereas the insurgent groups were drawn from the non-Burman groups in the country, many of which had converted to Christianity. And there are over 135 indigenous ethnic groups in Myanmar.

However, there has been a phenomenal shift in the recent past. In a little over a year, these ethnic insurgent groups have been encouraged by external forces to join hands with the armed civilian groups called Peoples Defence Forces, the military wing of the countrys self-declared National Unity Government (NUG) in exile opposing military rule. Simply put, what distinguishes the current situation is an unprecedented level of coordination between disparate non-Burman ethnic groups and the Burman-dominated NUG in exile. Suffice to say, western intelligence has done a masterly job to manage this transition.

Significantly, even as the anti-government militant surge by the NUG has led to wild speculations that a regime change in Myanmar is around the corner, in a brilliant piece of psy war, the curtain has been lifted on the NUG in exile. Last week, the New York Times disclosed that the American headquarters of the NUG is located in Washington DC, in a building just three blocks from the White House.

NUG officials routinely testify before Congress. Last December, President Joe Biden signed the so-called Burma Act, which calls for sanctions on those who quashed Myanmars reforms and gave non-lethal aid to pro-democracy forces. Traditionally, Myanmar was never a foreign policy priority for the US but that has changed against the backdrop of the Biden administrations dual containment strategy against China and Russia. The same thing is happening vis-a-vis Bangladesh.

There have been reports that western intelligence agencies mastermind the regime change agenda in Myanmar from their base camp in Thailandtraining the militants, coordinating with the ethnic militia groups and fine-tuning the broad strategy or the big picture. Last week, a report in the prominent Russian daily Izvestia titled, The Burmese Triangle: How the US is fuelling the conflict in Myanmar, highlighted the strategic implications for China and India. The article acknowledged that the military administration that came to power [in Myanmar] has not faced a greater threat than it is now. Interim President Myint Shwe said that the country would be on the verge of collapse if the military could not suppress the resistance.

The report added, The current situation is turning against Beijing itself. Instability on the border may hinder Chinese investments in the region and even ambitions to create a global economic corridor. For China, Myanmar is important as a country that plays a vital role in the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative. A transport corridor to the deep-water port of Kyaukpyu, which is being built by the Chinese, should pass through it, as well as oil and gas pipelines built in 2013-2017 that are of strategic importance to the PRC.

ALSO READ| The dirty hands of the Five Eyes

Importantly, however, the daily brushed aside the feverish talk of any impending collapse of Myanmar and alluded to negotiations between Moscow and Naypyidaw about the possible deployment of a Russian naval base and sending a limited contingent to help the friendly regime, quoting expert opinion. Evidently, not all ethnic minorities are fighting Naypyidaw because they lack resources. The point is, there are about 66 armed formations in the territory of Myanmar, their strength varying between several hundreds and 2,0003,000 militants. But there have been reports about Washington stepping up arms supplies to the militant wing of the opposition. The rebels are not only supplied with lethal weapons but are also trained in subversive activities.

On the other hand, the Myanmar military has remained the only force keeping the country from chaos through the past five decades, and the destruction of the army will actually mean catastrophe for Burmese statehood. This can undermine the stability and relative prosperity of the entire Southeast Asian region in general. The spectre that haunts Myanmar is that the country may fall victim to the fratricidal strife fuelled by the West for geopolitical purposes and descend into chaos, as has happened to Afghanistan.

A think-tanker at the Centre for Policy Research in Delhi was recently quoted as saying, It is high time that New Delhi looks beyond its narrow relationship with the junta and starts seriously engaging with the NUG. This recommendation must be music to American ears. But it is a dangerous thought process, as Pakistans tragic experience showsprojecting power into next-door Afghanistan at the behest of Washington. Pakistans downhill slide began when Zia ul Haq blithely allowed his countrys remote borderlands to be the hunting ground of the Central Intelligence Agency to wage the Afghan Jihad.

M K Bhadrakumar

Former diplomat

(Views are personal.)

Click here for all the earlier columns

Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp

The security situation developing in Myanmar holds long-term geo-strategic consequences for the integrity of Indias northeastern region. A scenario like in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan is quite possibly in the making. Analogies are never perfect fits, but they can help draw attention to key features and conceptual boundaries of an emergent situation being learned and probably make it easier for decision-makers to navigate their way in the highly complex matrix in Myanmar. No one is asking the obvious question: are the developments in Myanmar taking place in a strategic vacuum? Framed differently, who stands to gain? Myanmar is an ethnic mosaic-like Afghanistan or India and has had a long history of insurgencies. But this time around, the mosaic is showing signs of fault lines breaking up under the weight of external intervention. What has helped Myanmar survive ethnic strife so far is that the insurgent groups could never coalesce into a united front and outside intervention was virtually non-existent. The reason for this was that the Burmans, the Sino-Tibetan ethnic group who constitute Myanmars largest ethnic group, accounted for an estimated 70 percent of the countrys populationcomparable to the critical mass of the Hindu population in Indiawhereas the insurgent groups were drawn from the non-Burman groups in the country, many of which had converted to Christianity. And there are over 135 indigenous ethnic groups in Myanmar.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); However, there has been a phenomenal shift in the recent past. In a little over a year, these ethnic insurgent groups have been encouraged by external forces to join hands with the armed civilian groups called Peoples Defence Forces, the military wing of the countrys self-declared National Unity Government (NUG) in exile opposing military rule. Simply put, what distinguishes the current situation is an unprecedented level of coordination between disparate non-Burman ethnic groups and the Burman-dominated NUG in exile. Suffice to say, western intelligence has done a masterly job to manage this transition. Significantly, even as the anti-government militant surge by the NUG has led to wild speculations that a regime change in Myanmar is around the corner, in a brilliant piece of psy war, the curtain has been lifted on the NUG in exile. Last week, the New York Times disclosed that the American headquarters of the NUG is located in Washington DC, in a building just three blocks from the White House. NUG officials routinely testify before Congress. Last December, President Joe Biden signed the so-called Burma Act, which calls for sanctions on those who quashed Myanmars reforms and gave non-lethal aid to pro-democracy forces. Traditionally, Myanmar was never a foreign policy priority for the US but that has changed against the backdrop of the Biden administrations dual containment strategy against China and Russia. The same thing is happening vis-a-vis Bangladesh. There have been reports that western intelligence agencies mastermind the regime change agenda in Myanmar from their base camp in Thailandtraining the militants, coordinating with the ethnic militia groups and fine-tuning the broad strategy or the big picture. Last week, a report in the prominent Russian daily Izvestia titled, The Burmese Triangle: How the US is fuelling the conflict in Myanmar, highlighted the strategic implications for China and India. The article acknowledged that the military administration that came to power [in Myanmar] has not faced a greater threat than it is now. Interim President Myint Shwe said that the country would be on the verge of collapse if the military could not suppress the resistance. The report added, The current situation is turning against Beijing itself. Instability on the border may hinder Chinese investments in the region and even ambitions to create a global economic corridor. For China, Myanmar is important as a country that plays a vital role in the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative. A transport corridor to the deep-water port of Kyaukpyu, which is being built by the Chinese, should pass through it, as well as oil and gas pipelines built in 2013-2017 that are of strategic importance to the PRC. ALSO READ| The dirty hands of the Five Eyes Importantly, however, the daily brushed aside the feverish talk of any impending collapse of Myanmar and alluded to negotiations between Moscow and Naypyidaw about the possible deployment of a Russian naval base and sending a limited contingent to help the friendly regime, quoting expert opinion. Evidently, not all ethnic minorities are fighting Naypyidaw because they lack resources. The point is, there are about 66 armed formations in the territory of Myanmar, their strength varying between several hundreds and 2,0003,000 militants. But there have been reports about Washington stepping up arms supplies to the militant wing of the opposition. The rebels are not only supplied with lethal weapons but are also trained in subversive activities. On the other hand, the Myanmar military has remained the only force keeping the country from chaos through the past five decades, and the destruction of the army will actually mean catastrophe for Burmese statehood. This can undermine the stability and relative prosperity of the entire Southeast Asian region in general. The spectre that haunts Myanmar is that the country may fall victim to the fratricidal strife fuelled by the West for geopolitical purposes and descend into chaos, as has happened to Afghanistan. A think-tanker at the Centre for Policy Research in Delhi was recently quoted as saying, It is high time that New Delhi looks beyond its narrow relationship with the junta and starts seriously engaging with the NUG. This recommendation must be music to American ears. But it is a dangerous thought process, as Pakistans tragic experience showsprojecting power into next-door Afghanistan at the behest of Washington. Pakistans downhill slide began when Zia ul Haq blithely allowed his countrys remote borderlands to be the hunting ground of the Central Intelligence Agency to wage the Afghan Jihad. M K Bhadrakumar Former diplomat (Views are personal.) Click here for all the earlier columns Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By Express News Service

COIMBATORE: A group of women advocates in Nilgiris district has sent a legal notice to the Inspector General (west zone) K Bhavaneeshwari demanding stringent action against police personnel who allegedly handcuffed a Pocso case victim while taking her to and from court on November 7.

The advocates - Kavitha Arunkumar, Aruna Mosin Sait, Malini Prabhakaran and Subashini - also stated that police officers in Nilgiris district had allegedly threatened the 15-year-old girl and her family after they complained to the SP P Sundaravadivel. The SP, however, has denied the allegations.

According to Malini Prabhakaran, the victims mother lodged a complaint with Child Line on October 6 that a 22-year-old youth had sexually abused her 15-year-old daughter. Through the child welfare committee, the girl was admitted to Annai Sathya Home. Though it was informed to the police immediately, they allegedly delayed registered the case on November 2.

The Investigation Officer (IO) was reluctant to file an FIR in favour of the suspect and he was let free without being apprehended though there was sufficient evidence. The victim was taken for medical examination by woman police and upon return, the IO called her to the police station and abused her in bad language, according to the notice.

Further, Malini said on November 7, a police constable (WPC) took the victim from the home to the magistrate court in Kotagiri to record a statement under section 164 CrPC. The constable took the girl by bus to Kotagiri from Ooty and then made her walk from the bus stand to the court in handcuffs in full public view. The girl was taken home in the same manner. When the girl asked the constable why she was handcuffed, she told her that she was doing it under the instructions given by the IO.

Malini added that the girl told her that she felt ashamed after being handcuffed. The incident caused mental agony to the girl as she was made to walk with handcuffs in front of her friends and the public. The girls mother addressed the alleged harassment to the SP on November 15. After that police personnel started to threaten the family in the name of inquiry on the complaint, Malini told TNIE.

The girl was threatened that if she revealed the truth, she would be detained at home till she turned 18. She was forced to sign a statement allegedly prepared by police, Malini said adding she has the girls video statement.

When contacted, Nilgiris SP P Sundaravadivel told TNIE that the girl was not taken with handcuffs on. We explained the incident to the media with CCTV footage evidence. It was a false allegation against the police officers. We suspect they flared up the issue for personal reasons, he said.

Min Balajis judicial custody extended

Principal sessions court judge S Alli on Wednesday extended the judicial custody of minister V Senthil Balaji till December 4 in the money laundering case registered by the ED. He was produced through video-conferencing from Omandurar Estate government multi-specialty hospital. The minister was arrested by the ED on June 14 in a case registered under the PMLA Act in the cash-for-jobs scam. Speaking about the health of Balaji, Health Minister Ma Subramanian in Coimbatore said as he requires physiotherapy for numbness of his legs, treatment would be provided for three more days in the hospital.

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COIMBATORE: A group of women advocates in Nilgiris district has sent a legal notice to the Inspector General (west zone) K Bhavaneeshwari demanding stringent action against police personnel who allegedly handcuffed a Pocso case victim while taking her to and from court on November 7. The advocates - Kavitha Arunkumar, Aruna Mosin Sait, Malini Prabhakaran and Subashini - also stated that police officers in Nilgiris district had allegedly threatened the 15-year-old girl and her family after they complained to the SP P Sundaravadivel. The SP, however, has denied the allegations. According to Malini Prabhakaran, the victims mother lodged a complaint with Child Line on October 6 that a 22-year-old youth had sexually abused her 15-year-old daughter. Through the child welfare committee, the girl was admitted to Annai Sathya Home. Though it was informed to the police immediately, they allegedly delayed registered the case on November 2.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The Investigation Officer (IO) was reluctant to file an FIR in favour of the suspect and he was let free without being apprehended though there was sufficient evidence. The victim was taken for medical examination by woman police and upon return, the IO called her to the police station and abused her in bad language, according to the notice. Further, Malini said on November 7, a police constable (WPC) took the victim from the home to the magistrate court in Kotagiri to record a statement under section 164 CrPC. The constable took the girl by bus to Kotagiri from Ooty and then made her walk from the bus stand to the court in handcuffs in full public view. The girl was taken home in the same manner. When the girl asked the constable why she was handcuffed, she told her that she was doing it under the instructions given by the IO. Malini added that the girl told her that she felt ashamed after being handcuffed. The incident caused mental agony to the girl as she was made to walk with handcuffs in front of her friends and the public. The girls mother addressed the alleged harassment to the SP on November 15. After that police personnel started to threaten the family in the name of inquiry on the complaint, Malini told TNIE. The girl was threatened that if she revealed the truth, she would be detained at home till she turned 18. She was forced to sign a statement allegedly prepared by police, Malini said adding she has the girls video statement. When contacted, Nilgiris SP P Sundaravadivel told TNIE that the girl was not taken with handcuffs on. We explained the incident to the media with CCTV footage evidence. It was a false allegation against the police officers. We suspect they flared up the issue for personal reasons, he said. Min Balajis judicial custody extended Principal sessions court judge S Alli on Wednesday extended the judicial custody of minister V Senthil Balaji till December 4 in the money laundering case registered by the ED. He was produced through video-conferencing from Omandurar Estate government multi-specialty hospital. The minister was arrested by the ED on June 14 in a case registered under the PMLA Act in the cash-for-jobs scam. Speaking about the health of Balaji, Health Minister Ma Subramanian in Coimbatore said as he requires physiotherapy for numbness of his legs, treatment would be provided for three more days in the hospital. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By PTI

WASHINGTON: There were about 725,000 Indian illegal immigrants in the US -- the third largest population of unauthorised immigrants after Mexico and El Salvador, according to new Pew Research Centre estimates.

As of 2021, the country's 10.5 million unauthorised immigrants represented about three per cent of the total US population and 22 per cent of the foreign-born population, the Washington-based think tank said.

Almost every region in the world had a notable increase in the number of unauthorised immigrants in the US from 2007 to 2021, with the largest increase from Central America (240,000) and South and East Asia (180,000).

While the number of unauthorised immigrants from Mexico living in the US -- 4.1 million in 2021 -- was the lowest since the 1990s, El Salvador -- 800,000 -- and India with 725,000 immigrants saw an increase in the numbers, the report said.

Among countries with the largest numbers of US unauthorised immigrants, India, Brazil, Canada and former Soviet Union countries all experienced growth from 2017 to 2021, the report said.

The six states with the largest unauthorised immigrant populations in 2021 were: California (1.9 million), Texas (1.6 million), Florida (900,000), New York (600,000), New Jersey (450,000) and Illinois (400,000), the report said.

In 2021, the population of unauthorised immigrants from other countries was 6.4 million, up by 900,000 from 2017, the report said.

Other countries which accounted for most unauthorised immigrants were Guatemala (700,000) and Honduras (525,000).

The report said India, Guatemala and Honduras all saw increases from 2017 with the unauthorised immigrant population in the US reaching 10.5 million in 2021, according to new Pew Research Centre estimates.

There were increases in unauthorised immigrants from nearly every other region of the world  Central America, the Caribbean, South America, Asia, Europe and sub-Saharan Africa.

Meanwhile, the lawful immigrant population grew by more than 8 million, a 29 per cent increase, and the number of naturalised US citizens grew by 49 per cent.

In 2021, naturalised citizens accounted for about half (49 per cent) of all immigrants in the country, the report said.

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WASHINGTON: There were about 725,000 Indian illegal immigrants in the US -- the third largest population of unauthorised immigrants after Mexico and El Salvador, according to new Pew Research Centre estimates. As of 2021, the country's 10.5 million unauthorised immigrants represented about three per cent of the total US population and 22 per cent of the foreign-born population, the Washington-based think tank said. Almost every region in the world had a notable increase in the number of unauthorised immigrants in the US from 2007 to 2021, with the largest increase from Central America (240,000) and South and East Asia (180,000).googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); While the number of unauthorised immigrants from Mexico living in the US -- 4.1 million in 2021 -- was the lowest since the 1990s, El Salvador -- 800,000 -- and India with 725,000 immigrants saw an increase in the numbers, the report said. Among countries with the largest numbers of US unauthorised immigrants, India, Brazil, Canada and former Soviet Union countries all experienced growth from 2017 to 2021, the report said. The six states with the largest unauthorised immigrant populations in 2021 were: California (1.9 million), Texas (1.6 million), Florida (900,000), New York (600,000), New Jersey (450,000) and Illinois (400,000), the report said. In 2021, the population of unauthorised immigrants from other countries was 6.4 million, up by 900,000 from 2017, the report said. Other countries which accounted for most unauthorised immigrants were Guatemala (700,000) and Honduras (525,000). The report said India, Guatemala and Honduras all saw increases from 2017 with the unauthorised immigrant population in the US reaching 10.5 million in 2021, according to new Pew Research Centre estimates. There were increases in unauthorised immigrants from nearly every other region of the world  Central America, the Caribbean, South America, Asia, Europe and sub-Saharan Africa. Meanwhile, the lawful immigrant population grew by more than 8 million, a 29 per cent increase, and the number of naturalised US citizens grew by 49 per cent. In 2021, naturalised citizens accounted for about half (49 per cent) of all immigrants in the country, the report said. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By AFP

BEIRUT: Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has met with Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, which has traded deadly cross-border fire with Israel since the start of the Gaza war, the Lebanese movement said Thursday.

Since the Israel-Hamas war began on October 7, the border between Lebanon and Israel has witnessed escalating exchanges of fire, primarily involving Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah, along with Palestinian groups.

The clashes have raised fears of a broader conflagration.

In a statement, Hezbollah said Amir-Abdollahian and Nasrallah "reviewed the latest developments in Palestine, Lebanon and the region, and... the efforts made to end the Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip".

Amir-Abdollahian, who warned on Wednesday that the war could spiral out of control, left Beirut for Doha after their meeting, Iran's Nour news agency reported.

Hezbollah said on Thursday morning that it fired 48 Katyusha rockets at a military base at Ein Zeitim, near the town of Safed in northern Israel, about 10 kilometres (six miles) from the border.

Israel-Hamas war LIVE: Qatar confirms Israel-Hamas deal on four-day truce, hostage release; Biden praises agreement

It said it also carried out at least 10 other attacks on Israeli positions near the frontier, and claimed to have caused casualties.

The Israeli army shelled several locations in southern Lebanon in response, said Lebanon's National News Agency.

Hezbollah says it has been acting in support of Hamas since the Palestinian Islamist movement's October 7 attacks on Israel, which Israeli officials say killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and saw about 240 people taken hostage.

Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas and its retaliatory air and ground offensive in the Gaza Strip has killed more than 14,000 people, thousands of them children, according to the Hamas government of the Palestinian territory.

The violence between Israel and Hezbollah has claimed at least 108 lives in Lebanon, most of them Hezbollah fighters, but also at least 14 civilians, including three journalists, according to an AFP count.

Six Israeli soldiers and three civilians have been killed on the Israeli side, according to the authorities.

Israel and Hamas on Wednesday agreed a four-day truce and a hostage and prisoner swap which was now expected top start by Friday at the earliest.

In Tehran, Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi argued that Israel had failed to reach its objectives in the war and that "the Palestinian people and resistance won a great victory", the official IRNA news agency reported.

ALSO READ | Palestinian official says truce delayed over 'last minute' hostage list details

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BEIRUT: Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has met with Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, which has traded deadly cross-border fire with Israel since the start of the Gaza war, the Lebanese movement said Thursday. Since the Israel-Hamas war began on October 7, the border between Lebanon and Israel has witnessed escalating exchanges of fire, primarily involving Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah, along with Palestinian groups. The clashes have raised fears of a broader conflagration.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); In a statement, Hezbollah said Amir-Abdollahian and Nasrallah "reviewed the latest developments in Palestine, Lebanon and the region, and... the efforts made to end the Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip". Amir-Abdollahian, who warned on Wednesday that the war could spiral out of control, left Beirut for Doha after their meeting, Iran's Nour news agency reported. Hezbollah said on Thursday morning that it fired 48 Katyusha rockets at a military base at Ein Zeitim, near the town of Safed in northern Israel, about 10 kilometres (six miles) from the border. Israel-Hamas war LIVE: Qatar confirms Israel-Hamas deal on four-day truce, hostage release; Biden praises agreement It said it also carried out at least 10 other attacks on Israeli positions near the frontier, and claimed to have caused casualties. The Israeli army shelled several locations in southern Lebanon in response, said Lebanon's National News Agency. Hezbollah says it has been acting in support of Hamas since the Palestinian Islamist movement's October 7 attacks on Israel, which Israeli officials say killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and saw about 240 people taken hostage. Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas and its retaliatory air and ground offensive in the Gaza Strip has killed more than 14,000 people, thousands of them children, according to the Hamas government of the Palestinian territory. The violence between Israel and Hezbollah has claimed at least 108 lives in Lebanon, most of them Hezbollah fighters, but also at least 14 civilians, including three journalists, according to an AFP count. Six Israeli soldiers and three civilians have been killed on the Israeli side, according to the authorities. Israel and Hamas on Wednesday agreed a four-day truce and a hostage and prisoner swap which was now expected top start by Friday at the earliest. In Tehran, Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi argued that Israel had failed to reach its objectives in the war and that "the Palestinian people and resistance won a great victory", the official IRNA news agency reported. ALSO READ | Palestinian official says truce delayed over 'last minute' hostage list details Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By Associated Press

JERUSALEM: Israel and Hamas on Wednesday agreed to a four-day cease-fire in the war in Gaza  a diplomatic breakthrough that will free dozens of hostages held by militants as well as Palestinians imprisoned in Israel, and bring a large influx of aid to the besieged territory.

A senior Israeli official has said that the planned exchange of some Palestinians held in Israeli prisons for Israeli hostages in Hamas has been delayed until at least Friday.

Multiple news media are reporting that the ceasefire will also be delayed, as well as the hostage deal.

The BBC also reported that an Israeli government source said there would be a delay to the ceasefire, which had been expected to begin at 10am (0800GMT) on Thursday with the release of hostages expected to begin shortly after.

An Israeli official meanwhile told the news agency AFP early Thursday there would be no halt in the fighting between Israel and Hamas before Friday.

I want to be clear. The war is continuing. The war is continuing. We will continue it until we achieve all our goals, Netanyahu said, adding he had delivered the same message in a phone call to U.S. President Joe Biden. He also said he had instructed the Mossad spy agency to hunt down Hamas exiled leadership wherever they are.

The truce raised hopes of eventually winding down the war, which was triggered by Hamas Oct. 7 deadly rampage into Israel. Now in its seventh week, the war has leveled vast swaths of Gaza, fueled a surge of violence in the occupied West Bank, and stirred fears of a wider conflagration across the Middle East.

But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a nationally televised news conference that the war would resume after the truce expires. Israels goals are to destroy Hamas military capabilities and return all 240 hostages held captive in Gaza.

The cease-fire efforts hit another hurdle when Israel's national security adviser said in a late-night announcement that the deal would not take effect before Friday, a day later than originally expected. Tzachi Hanegbi gave no reason for the delay, but Channel 13 TV said there were still some last-minute details being ironed out.

If implemented, the deal temporarily freezes both sides at a tenuous moment.

Israeli troops hold much of northern Gaza and say they have dismantled tunnels and much of Hamas infrastructure there. But Israeli officials acknowledge the groups infrastructure remains intact elsewhere. Netanyahus announcement Wednesday appeared to be aimed at public concerns that a truce will lead Israel to halt its offensive before achieving its goals.

Israel has said it is determined to take its ground offensive into the south. That could be potentially devastating for Gazas uprooted population, most of which is squeezed into the south with nowhere to go to avoid the assault.

Residents in Gaza City said the fighting intensified overnight into Wednesday, with gunfire, heavy artillery and airstrikes. Palestinian militants continued firing rockets at Israel throughout the day, without causing casualties.

A DIPLOMATIC BREAKTHROUGH

The announcement of the truce capped weeks of indirect, stop-and-go negotiations to free some of the hostages taken by Hamas and other militants during their Oct. 7 raid. Egypt and Qatar, along with the United States, helped mediate the deal.

Fifty hostages will be freed in stages, in exchange for the release of what Hamas said would be 150 Palestinian prisoners. Both sides will let go of women and children first.

Israel said the truce would be extended an extra day for every additional 10 hostages freed by Hamas. Hamas said hundreds of trucks carrying humanitarian aid  including fuel  would be allowed to enter Gaza.

Netanyahu said the deal also included a provision for the International Committee of the Red Cross to visit the hostages in captivity.

The cease-fire is to take effect at 10 a.m. local time (0800 GMT) Thursday, according to Egypts state-run Qahera TV channel.

Biden welcomed the deal, saying Netanyahu committed to supporting an extended pause. Qatars prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, said he hoped it would eventually lead to a permanent cease-fire and serious talks on resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israels Justice Ministry published a list of 300 prisoners eligible to be released, mainly teenagers detained over the past year for rock-throwing and other minor offenses.

WILL THE WAR RESUME?

The war erupted when several thousand Hamas militants broke into southern Israel, killing at least 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking hostages.

Weeks of Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, followed by a ground invasion, have killed more than 11,000 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-run territory. It does not differentiate between civilians and militants, though some two-thirds of the dead have been identified as women and minors.

The ministry said that as of Nov. 11 it had lost the ability to count the dead because of the collapse of large parts of the health system, but says the number has risen sharply since then. Some 2,700 people are missing and believed buried under rubble.

Israel says it has killed thousands of Hamas fighters, though it has presented no evidence for its count.

Hamas, meanwhile, will have a chance to regroup. Hamas leader Yehya Sinwar will likely present the release of the prisoners  seen by most Palestinians as heroes resisting occupation  as a major achievement, and declare victory if the war ends.

STRIKES CONTINUE

An airstrike overnight hit a residential building in the southern town of Khan Younis, killing 17 people, including children, said Ahmad Balouny, a relative of the deceased. An Associated Press reporter saw the bodies of two children pulled from the rubble.

Outside Khan Younis, workers dug a mass grave for 111 bodies that Israeli authorities handed over after troops took them from Shifa Hospital and other parts of northern Gaza. Israeli troops had taken the bodies apparently for DNA analysis amid the search for hostages in the north.

Strikes also leveled buildings in the Nusseirat refugee camp and the city of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza. The citys Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital said 128 bodies were brought in overnight after strikes.

In northern Gaza, about 60 bodies and 200 people wounded by heavy fighting were brought into the Kamal Adwan Hospital overnight, hospital director Dr. Ahmed al-Kahlout told Al-Jazeera television Wednesday.

Over 1.7 million Palestinians have been displaced in the war. Many, if not most, will be unable to return home because of the vast damage and the continued presence of Israeli troops in the north. The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA, said that more than 1 million Palestinians were seeking shelter in 156 of its facilities in Gaza.

The cease-fire deal promises an increase of aid to the south, bringing some relief to hundreds of thousands who have struggled to find food and water. Israel has barred imports to Gaza since the start of the war, except for a trickle of aid entering through Egypts Rafah crossing.

A Qatari statement said the cease-fire would allow a larger number of humanitarian convoys and relief aid, including fuel. But it gave no details on actual quantities.

Humanitarian aid groups operating in Gaza criticized the cease-fire, saying the truce was too short and the Rafah crossings capacity was insufficient to deliver enough aid to meet the urgent demand.

The Palestine Red Crescent aid group and U.N. teams evacuated 190 wounded and sick people, their companions and some medical teams from Shifa Hospital to hospitals in southern Gaza, Wednesday, a Red Crescent spokesperson said.

DEAL COULD DIVIDE ISRAELIS

The return of hostages could lift spirits in Israel, where their plight has gripped the country. Families of the hostages have staged mass demonstrations to pressure the government to bring them home.

But they could also find themselves divided as some hostages are freed and others not.

Ofri Bibas Levy, whose brother, sister-in-law and two nephews  aged 4 and 10 months  are among the captives, said the deal puts the families in an inhumane situation.

Who will be released, who wont? she asked. No matter which way it happens, there will still be families that will remain worried and sad and angry.

CLICK HERE FOR UPDATES

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JERUSALEM: Israel and Hamas on Wednesday agreed to a four-day cease-fire in the war in Gaza  a diplomatic breakthrough that will free dozens of hostages held by militants as well as Palestinians imprisoned in Israel, and bring a large influx of aid to the besieged territory. A senior Israeli official has said that the planned exchange of some Palestinians held in Israeli prisons for Israeli hostages in Hamas has been delayed until at least Friday. Multiple news media are reporting that the ceasefire will also be delayed, as well as the hostage deal.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The BBC also reported that an Israeli government source said there would be a delay to the ceasefire, which had been expected to begin at 10am (0800GMT) on Thursday with the release of hostages expected to begin shortly after. An Israeli official meanwhile told the news agency AFP early Thursday there would be no halt in the fighting between Israel and Hamas before Friday. I want to be clear. The war is continuing. The war is continuing. We will continue it until we achieve all our goals, Netanyahu said, adding he had delivered the same message in a phone call to U.S. President Joe Biden. He also said he had instructed the Mossad spy agency to hunt down Hamas exiled leadership wherever they are. The truce raised hopes of eventually winding down the war, which was triggered by Hamas Oct. 7 deadly rampage into Israel. Now in its seventh week, the war has leveled vast swaths of Gaza, fueled a surge of violence in the occupied West Bank, and stirred fears of a wider conflagration across the Middle East. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a nationally televised news conference that the war would resume after the truce expires. Israels goals are to destroy Hamas military capabilities and return all 240 hostages held captive in Gaza. The cease-fire efforts hit another hurdle when Israel's national security adviser said in a late-night announcement that the deal would not take effect before Friday, a day later than originally expected. Tzachi Hanegbi gave no reason for the delay, but Channel 13 TV said there were still some last-minute details being ironed out. If implemented, the deal temporarily freezes both sides at a tenuous moment. Israeli troops hold much of northern Gaza and say they have dismantled tunnels and much of Hamas infrastructure there. But Israeli officials acknowledge the groups infrastructure remains intact elsewhere. Netanyahus announcement Wednesday appeared to be aimed at public concerns that a truce will lead Israel to halt its offensive before achieving its goals. Israel has said it is determined to take its ground offensive into the south. That could be potentially devastating for Gazas uprooted population, most of which is squeezed into the south with nowhere to go to avoid the assault. Residents in Gaza City said the fighting intensified overnight into Wednesday, with gunfire, heavy artillery and airstrikes. Palestinian militants continued firing rockets at Israel throughout the day, without causing casualties. A DIPLOMATIC BREAKTHROUGH The announcement of the truce capped weeks of indirect, stop-and-go negotiations to free some of the hostages taken by Hamas and other militants during their Oct. 7 raid. Egypt and Qatar, along with the United States, helped mediate the deal. Fifty hostages will be freed in stages, in exchange for the release of what Hamas said would be 150 Palestinian prisoners. Both sides will let go of women and children first. Israel said the truce would be extended an extra day for every additional 10 hostages freed by Hamas. Hamas said hundreds of trucks carrying humanitarian aid  including fuel  would be allowed to enter Gaza. Netanyahu said the deal also included a provision for the International Committee of the Red Cross to visit the hostages in captivity. The cease-fire is to take effect at 10 a.m. local time (0800 GMT) Thursday, according to Egypts state-run Qahera TV channel. Biden welcomed the deal, saying Netanyahu committed to supporting an extended pause. Qatars prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, said he hoped it would eventually lead to a permanent cease-fire and serious talks on resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israels Justice Ministry published a list of 300 prisoners eligible to be released, mainly teenagers detained over the past year for rock-throwing and other minor offenses. WILL THE WAR RESUME? The war erupted when several thousand Hamas militants broke into southern Israel, killing at least 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking hostages. Weeks of Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, followed by a ground invasion, have killed more than 11,000 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-run territory. It does not differentiate between civilians and militants, though some two-thirds of the dead have been identified as women and minors. The ministry said that as of Nov. 11 it had lost the ability to count the dead because of the collapse of large parts of the health system, but says the number has risen sharply since then. Some 2,700 people are missing and believed buried under rubble. Israel says it has killed thousands of Hamas fighters, though it has presented no evidence for its count. Hamas, meanwhile, will have a chance to regroup. Hamas leader Yehya Sinwar will likely present the release of the prisoners  seen by most Palestinians as heroes resisting occupation  as a major achievement, and declare victory if the war ends. STRIKES CONTINUE An airstrike overnight hit a residential building in the southern town of Khan Younis, killing 17 people, including children, said Ahmad Balouny, a relative of the deceased. An Associated Press reporter saw the bodies of two children pulled from the rubble. Outside Khan Younis, workers dug a mass grave for 111 bodies that Israeli authorities handed over after troops took them from Shifa Hospital and other parts of northern Gaza. Israeli troops had taken the bodies apparently for DNA analysis amid the search for hostages in the north. Strikes also leveled buildings in the Nusseirat refugee camp and the city of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza. The citys Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital said 128 bodies were brought in overnight after strikes. In northern Gaza, about 60 bodies and 200 people wounded by heavy fighting were brought into the Kamal Adwan Hospital overnight, hospital director Dr. Ahmed al-Kahlout told Al-Jazeera television Wednesday. Over 1.7 million Palestinians have been displaced in the war. Many, if not most, will be unable to return home because of the vast damage and the continued presence of Israeli troops in the north. The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA, said that more than 1 million Palestinians were seeking shelter in 156 of its facilities in Gaza. The cease-fire deal promises an increase of aid to the south, bringing some relief to hundreds of thousands who have struggled to find food and water. Israel has barred imports to Gaza since the start of the war, except for a trickle of aid entering through Egypts Rafah crossing. A Qatari statement said the cease-fire would allow a larger number of humanitarian convoys and relief aid, including fuel. But it gave no details on actual quantities. Humanitarian aid groups operating in Gaza criticized the cease-fire, saying the truce was too short and the Rafah crossings capacity was insufficient to deliver enough aid to meet the urgent demand. The Palestine Red Crescent aid group and U.N. teams evacuated 190 wounded and sick people, their companions and some medical teams from Shifa Hospital to hospitals in southern Gaza, Wednesday, a Red Crescent spokesperson said. DEAL COULD DIVIDE ISRAELIS The return of hostages could lift spirits in Israel, where their plight has gripped the country. Families of the hostages have staged mass demonstrations to pressure the government to bring them home. But they could also find themselves divided as some hostages are freed and others not. Ofri Bibas Levy, whose brother, sister-in-law and two nephews  aged 4 and 10 months  are among the captives, said the deal puts the families in an inhumane situation. Who will be released, who wont? she asked. No matter which way it happens, there will still be families that will remain worried and sad and angry. CLICK HERE FOR UPDATES Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 23, ARMENPRESS. Armenia did not veto the documents that were adopted during the CSTO summit in Belarus which it did not attend, Belarus State Secretary of the Security Council Alexander Volfovich has said.

He said that the documents were agreed upon beforehand.

The Belarusian foreign minister, Sergei Aleinik, confirmed that CSTO decisions are made by consensus. I have had a telephone conversation with my Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan. We discussed, among other things, these issues and decision-making mechanisms. All decisions that will be made today will be absolutely legitimate. In accordance with the rules and procedures of the organization, all decisions are made by consensus of all member countries. We agreed that following the summit, the CSTO secretary general will visit Yerevan. And, naturally, we will forward all the decisions finalized here within the framework of the conciliation commission to our Armenian partners. And we will count on them to join these decisions, BelTA quoted him as saying.
Mumbai, Nov 22

B ollywood superstar Salman Khan, who is receiving a lot of positive response to his recently released film Tiger 3, said that while milestones may be special but the feeling of creating characters that stay in the hearts of audiences forever is truly unparalleled.

The film, which takes the spy-universe arc further, also stars Katrina Kaif, and Emraan Hashmi as the antagonistic force to Salmans titular character of Tiger 3.

The film has so far collected Rs 400 crore at the global box-office, as per the makers

Reacting to the appreciation by the audience for the film, Salman said in a statement: It is quite amazing that two of my most loved characters Prem and Tiger have entertained people so much on Diwali. As an actor, I have only looked to create memories for people through my brand of cinema and Im fortunate that they have loved me back.

The actor added: Milestones are always special but whats even more amazing is creating characters that stay in the hearts of audiences forever. Im hoping people will always cherish Prem and Tiger equally because for me both these characters have given me unanimous appreciation. So, I cant choose one over the other. Im glad Prem and Tiger have made Diwali special for families and audiences across all age groups.

Tiger 3 is produced by Aditya Chopra of YRF and directed by Maneesh Sharma.

The film is currently playing in cinemas.

Salman Khan: 'Important to create characters that stay with audience forever'

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Los Angeles, Nov 23

H ollywood star Bradley Cooper is spending Thanksgiving with Leonard Bernstein's children.

The 48-year-old actor, who portrays the legendary conductor in upcoming biopic 'Maestro', is jetting to Connecticut to spend the holiday with Nina, Jamie and Alexander Bernstein after they bonded when he made the film.

Speaking on 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert', Cooper said: "We are going to go to (New) Jersey and then we're going to go to Fairfield to spend it with the Bernsteins - the children. And we shot ('Maestro') in that house."

Cooper spent six years preparing for the role, spending time with the New York Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra, and studying Bernstein's work, but he insisted it was never a hardship for him or co-star Carey Mulligan, who plays his on-screen wife Felicia.

He said: "It didn't feel like acting, it felt like we were just channeling these people, so it was so thrilling. I mean, I'll never have an experience like this."

The Oscar-winning actor admitted he used to spend "hundreds of hours conducting" in his bedroom to cartoons like "Tom and Jerry."

He added: "I've always been in love with conducting  fake conducting, as a kid."

Cooper has faced criticism for wearing a prosthetic nose to play the late Jewish composer and he admitted he cried when the conductor's family released a statement of support.

During an appearance on CBS News, he explained: "I read it (the statement), and I called Alex (Bernstein) to thank him ... and I remember I called him on the phone, and I heard his voice."

"And then I couldn't believe it, but this huge emotional exhalation came out, and I just was crying so hard, I couldn't even thank him. And he started crying. And it was an incredible moment. And ... sometimes you don't even know what's going on, you know ... I couldn't believe that gesture. It was very moving to me," he continued.

The family statement, which was released in August, stated: "We were touched to the core to witness the depth of his commitment, his loving embrace of our father's music, and the sheer open-hearted joy he brought to his exploration. It breaks our hearts to see any misrepresentations or misunderstandings of his efforts. It happens to be true that Leonard Bernstein had a nice, big nose."

He chose to use make-up to amplify his resemblance, and we're perfectly fine with that. We're also certain that our dad would have been fine with it as well."

Bradley Cooper plans Thanksgiving bonding with Leonard Bernstein's children

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New Delhi, Nov 23

I ts about to be Gin OClock as the Worlds biggest gin extravaganza  Gin Explorers Club is returning to Jayamahal Palace, Bengaluru on December 9th and 10th, 2023. This season they bring alive a retroverese theme - enter this gin-realm to experience a variety of your favourite juniper-delights with a splash of retro! Move to disco beat while holding artistically crafted gin cocktails.

GEC stands as a distinctive space honoring the fusion of Gin, culture, and creativity - an embodiment of the burgeoning Gin movement.

What To Expect :

Hop from one bar to another to explore the craft cocktails from a range of homegrown and international brands. Over 15 Gins are showcasing at this edition like Beefeater, Hoegaarden Gin, Jaisalmer, KI NO BI, Malfy, Monkey 47, Roku, Satiwa, Samsara, Sipsmith, Tanqueray, to name some.

From exclusively crafted tasting sessions, to cocktail workshops and interactive sessions - stand a chance to learn about your favorite brands and discover new ones.

An eclectic music line-up with live acts of Lifafa, Anoushka Maskey, Arun Sivag, Farhan Rehman, Frizzell DSouza, and LNee, Stalwart John will enliven a vibrant disco feel. Swoon to the folk and latin jazz tunes by INGA.

The event will also see pop-ups of some of the best restaurants in the city serving the power-ups to the festival, such as Burgerama, Brik Oven, Local Ferment Co, Nashville Fried Chicken, and more!

"Worlds largest Gin festival, Ims still digesting this tagline. What started as an experiment back in 2018 has now become instrumental in causing the Gin-surgence for India.Its an electrifying celebration that has evolved into the worlds grandest gathering for gin enthusiasts, boasting over 10,000+ attendees. Every year the festival grows in scale and also in the number of Gins we bring to consumers. And that is such an incredible feeling- considering we started with just 4 brands listed in India in year 1. This edition heralds a revamped, premiumize experience, cultivating an opulent and specialized atmosphere. At our core, we're storytellers igniting India's passionate affair with the botanical realms of gina narrative of growth, sustainability, and an enchanting journey through spirited flavors. Our motto is to make India fall in love with Gin!," says Anjali Batra, Founder of Gin Explorers Club.

Date: 9th & 10th December 2023

Address: Jayamahal Palace

Time: Noon - 10pm

For tickets:

https://insider.in/gin-explorers-club-retroverse-edition-202324-i-bengaluru-dec9-2023/event/

World's Biggest Gin Festival

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New Delhi, Nov 23

A kasa Air will operate daily through flights between Bengaluru and Port Blair via Chennai (with no change of aircraft required at Chennai) enhancing connectivity between the tourist hub and two major metros.

The tropical island of Port Blair is a popular tourist destination and Akasa Air's foray into the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands is testament to the airline's commitment to strengthen its operations across the country, allowing travellers more options to connect between cities and fly to an increasing number of destinations.

Commenting on the announcement, Praveen Iyer, Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer, Akasa Air, said, "At Akasa Air, we strive to make air travel accessible. The start of operations in the Andamans is yet another step towards our continuous efforts in network expansion."

"Port Blair offers breathtaking natural beauty and is an attractive tourist destination with strong air travel demand. The inclusion of Port Blair also aligns with Akasa Air's commitment to providing seamless travel options and world-class service to our passengers. We are certain that our warm and efficient customer experience, reliable service and affordable fares will enable more consumers to visit and explore the island," said Iyer.

Akasa Air starts its daily flight to Port Blair

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YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 23, ARMENPRESS. The Minister of Labor and Social Affairs of Armenia Narek Mkrtchyan on Thursday received the delegation of the Ministry of Civil Affairs of the People's Republic of China, headed by Vice Minister Zhan Chengfu.

During the meeting, the perspectives of sectoral cooperation and a number of issues of mutual interest were discussed, the ministry said in a press release.

The Minister of Labor and Social Affairs highly appreciated the role of long-standing friendly relations between Armenia and China and in this context emphasized the importance of joint work in the fields of social protection of both countries.

"We have effective cooperation with the Chinese Embassy in Armenia and have implemented many joint projects. We hope that further initiatives with the Ministry of Civil Affairs will also have tangible results," the minister said.

Zhan Chengfu, in turn, thanked for the reception and noted that the members of the delegation were impressed by Armenia.

"Both Armenia and China are developing countries, and we should help each other to find the right way of development. We have a lot to learn from Armenia and a lot of work to do together," said the head of the delegation, adding that they are ready to exchange experience in various fields.

''During the meeting, the parties also referred to the process of providing social support to forcibly displaced persons from Nagorno-Karabakh. Zhan Chengfu noted that they are ready to take necessary steps to overcome the crisis created in Armenia.

As part of the visit, separate discussions with the representatives of the sector with the participation of the delegation members, as well as visits to the care facilities operating under the ministry are planned,'' the ministry said.
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Periods of rain. High 47F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a half an inch..

Tonight

Cloudy with occasional light rain...mainly this evening. Low 39F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
A new research paper was published in Oncotarget's Volume 14 on October 4, 2023, entitled, "Determination of genetic predisposition to early breast cancer in women of Kazakh ethnicity."

Breast cancer (BC) is the most common type of cancer among women in Kazakhstan. To date, little data are available on the spectrum of genetic variation in Kazakh women with BC.

In this new study, researchers Gulnur Zhunussova, Nazgul Omarbayeva, Dilyara Kaidarova, Saltanat Abdikerim, Natalya Mit, Ilya Kisselev, Kanagat Yergali, Aigul Zhunussova, Tatyana Goncharova, Aliya Abdrakhmanova, and Leyla Djansugurova from the Institute of Genetics and Physiology, Kazakh Institute of Oncology and Radiology, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, and Asfendiyarov Kazakh National Medical University aimed to identify population-specific genetic markers associated with the risk of developing early-onset BC and test their association with clinical and prognostic factors.

"To our knowledge, this is the first study using NGS [next-generation sequencing] technology to study the genetic predisposition to early-onset BC women from Kazakhstan and assess their impact on the patients' clinical outcomes."

The study included 224 Kazakh women diagnosed with BC (40 age). Entire coding regions (>1700 exons) and the flanking noncoding regions of 94 cancer-associated genes were sequenced from blood DNA using MiSeq platform. The researchers identified 38 unique pathogenic variants (PVs) in 13 different cancer-predisposing genes among 57 patients (25.4%), of which 6 variants were novel. In total, 12 of the 38 distinct PVs were detected recurrently, including BRCA1 c.5266dup, c.5278-2del, and c.2T>C, and BRCA2 c.9409dup and c.9253del that may be founder in this population. BRCA1 carriers were significantly more likely to develop triple-negative BC (OR = 6.61, 95% CI 2.4417.91, p = 0.0002) and have family history of BC (OR = 3.17, 95% CI 1.148.76, p = 0.03) compared to non-carriers.

"This study allowed the identification of PVs specific to early-onset BC, which may be used as a foundation to develop regional expertise and diagnostic tools for early detection of BC in young Kazakh women."
When you eagerly dig into a long-awaited dinner, signals from your stomach to your brain keep you from eating so much you'll regret it  or so it's been thought. That theory had never really been directly tested until a team of scientists at UC San Francisco recently took up the question.

The picture, it turns out, is a little different.

The team, led by Zachary Knight, PhD, a UCSF professor of physiology in the Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, discovered that it's our sense of taste that pulls us back from the brink of food inhalation on a hungry day. Stimulated by the perception of flavor, a set of neurons  a type of brain cell  leaps to attention almost immediately to curtail our food intake.

"We've uncovered a logic the brainstem uses to control how fast and how much we eat, using two different kinds of signals, one coming from the mouth, and one coming much later from the gut," said Knight, who is also an investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and a member of the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences. "This discovery gives us a new framework to understand how we control our eating."

The study, which appears Nov. 22, 2023 in Nature, could help reveal exactly how weight-loss drugs like Ozempic work, and how to make them more effective.

New views into the brainstem

Pavlov proposed over a century ago that the sight, smell and taste of food are important for regulating digestion. More recent studies in the 1970s and 1980s have also suggested that the taste of food may restrain how fast we eat, but it's been impossible to study the relevant brain activity during eating because the brain cells that control this process are located deep in the brainstem, making them hard to access or record in an animal that's awake.

Over the years, the idea had been forgotten, Knight said.

New techniques developed by lead author Truong Ly, PhD, a graduate student in Knight's lab, allowed for the first-ever imaging and recording of a brainstem structure critical for feeling full, called the nucleus of the solitary tract, or NTS, in an awake, active mouse. He used those techniques to look at two types of neurons that have been known for decades to have a role in food intake.

The team found that when they put food directly into the mouse's stomach, brain cells called PRLH (for prolactin-releasing hormone) were activated by nutrient signals sent from the GI tract, in line with traditional thinking and the results of prior studies.

However, when they allowed the mice to eat the food as they normally would, those signals from the gut didn't show up. Instead, the PRLH brain cells switched to a new activity pattern that was entirely controlled by signals from the mouth.

"It was a total surprise that these cells were activated by the perception of taste," said Ly. "It shows that there are other components of the appetite-control system that we should be thinking about."

While it may seem counterintuitive for our brains to slow eating when we're hungry, the brain is actually using the taste of food in two different ways at the same time. One part is saying, "This tastes good, eat more," and another part is watching how fast you're eating and saying, "Slow down or you're going to be sick."

"The balance between those is how fast you eat," said Knight.

The activity of the PRLH neurons seems to affect how palatable the mice found the food, Ly said. That meshes with our human experience that food is less appetizing once you've had your fill of it.

Brain cells that inspire weight-loss drugs

The PRLH-neuron-induced slowdown also makes sense in terms of timing. The taste of food triggers these neurons to switch their activity in seconds, from keeping tabs on the gut to responding to signals from the mouth.

Meanwhile, it takes many minutes for a different group of brain cells, called CGC neurons, to begin responding to signals from the stomach and intestines. These cells act over much slower time scales  tens of minutes  and can hold back hunger for a much longer period of time.

Together, these two sets of neurons create a feed-forward, feed-back loop. One is using taste to slow things down and anticipate what's coming. The other is using a gut signal to say, 'This is how much I really ate. Ok, I'm full now!'" Zachary Knight, PhD, UCSF professor of physiology, Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience

The CGC brain cells' response to stretch signals from the gut is to release GLP-1, the hormone mimicked by Ozempic, Wegovy and other new weight-loss drugs.

These drugs act on the same region of the brainstem that Ly's technology has finally allowed researchers to study. "Now we have a way of teasing apart what's happening in the brain that makes these drugs work," he said.

A deeper understanding of how signals from different parts of the body control appetite would open doors to designing weight-loss regimens designed for the individual ways people eat by optimizing how the signals from the two sets of brain cells interact, the researchers said.

The team plans to investigate those interactions, seeking to better understand how taste signals from food interact with feedback from the gut to suppress our appetite during a meal.
insights from industry Fang-Yi Chu Technical Account Manager Sino Biological

In this interview, Dr. Fang-Yi Chu talks to NewsMedical about the role of transmembrane proteins in targeting oncology research.

Can you explain what transmembrane proteins are and why they are important?

Transmembrane proteins play a crucial role in cellular function by residing in the lipid bilayer of cell membranes, which separates the cell interior from the external environment.

These proteins are diverse and are involved in a myriad of cellular processes, including signal transduction, cell adhesion, and cell-to-cell interactions.

The significance of transmembrane proteins lies in their control over the movement of substances in and out of cells, influencing cellular processes from signal transduction to immune response modulation.

Approximately 70-80% of membrane proteins are integral, meaning they are permanently attached to the biological membrane.

They can be classified into different types, including alpha-helical anchor proteins and transmembrane proteins with hydrophobic regions embedded in the membrane.

Can you provide some specific applications or advancements in oncology research facilitated by transmembrane proteins?

Transmembrane proteins play a crucial role in advancing oncology research by serving as key targets for therapeutic interventions.

One notable application is in the development of targeted cancer therapies, where transmembrane proteins, such as G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), are explored as potential drug targets.

GPCRs, for instance, are involved in various physiological processes and have been implicated in diseases like cancer.

By understanding the structure and function of transmembrane proteins, researchers can design small molecule drugs that specifically target these proteins, influencing cellular processes related to cancer progression.

Additionally, the production of transmembrane proteins using innovative platforms provides a foundation for studying their interactions with other molecules, aiding in the design and validation of novel cancer drugs.

What challenges are associated with producing transmembrane proteins, and how do Sino Biological's platforms address these challenges?

Producing transmembrane proteins poses several challenges, primarily due to their hydrophobic nature, tissue-specific expression, and susceptibility to aggregation.

These proteins are not soluble without detergents or lipids, and their expression can be tissue-specific, potentially causing cell damage and leading to low yields.

Extraction from tissues may result in low efficiency, and purification processes can be complicated.

Furthermore, transmembrane proteins are inherently difficult to maintain in their native conformation and are prone to aggregation. Sino Biological addresses these challenges through three innovative platforms.

Image Credit: urfin/Shutterstock.com

Can you provide an overview of the three platforms for transmembrane protein production that Sino Biological has established?

At Sino Biological, we have developed three robust platforms for transmembrane protein production.

The first platform involves Virus-Like Particles (VLPs), nanoscale particles composed of viral capsid proteins and cell membrane components.

These VLPs, approximately 100 to 300 nanometers in diameter, display transmembrane proteins in their native conformation, making them ideal for immunization and antibody screening.

The second platform utilizes detergent micelles, employing detergents to solubilize transmembrane proteins by disrupting hydrophobic associations and destroying lipid bilayers.

The third platform, Nanodiscs, is created using either styrene maleic anhydride (SMA) or membrane scaffold proteins (MSP) to maintain native lipid environments.

SMA inserts into cell membranes, while MSP involves transient solubilization with detergent and subsequent assembly with phospholipids. Nanodiscs allow for the study of protein-lipid interactions.

Each platform has its strengths, with VLPs offering speed, Detergent Micelles providing purity, and Nanodiscs combining a native-like environment with flexibility in design.

Can you provide some example case studies where these transmembrane proteins were validated using different platforms?

In our case studies, we have successfully validated transmembrane proteins using three distinct platforms: virus-like particles (VLP), detergent micelle, and nanodiscs.

For instance, we focused on GPRC5D, a G-protein-coupled receptor highly expressed on CD138+ multiple myeloma cells. The VLP product was validated through ELISA and Western blots, demonstrating high batch-to-batch consistency and efficacy in antibody generation.

The detergent version, solubilized using SMA, underwent validation through ELISA and bio-layer interferometry (BLI) with an affinity constant (K D ) of approximately 58 nanometers.

Moving to nanodiscs, we employed SMA polymers and membrane scaffold protein (MSP) to create nanodiscs for GPRC5D.

These nanodiscs exhibited binding in ELISA, BLI, and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) with an impressive K D as low as 0.7 nanometers, showcasing the effectiveness of our nanodisc platform.

In another case study, we explored claudin proteins, specifically claudin 5, claudin 6, and claudin 18.2, validating their VLP and detergent versions through ELISA.

Nanodiscs for these proteins showed a K D as slow as 0.5 nanometers, reinforcing the success of our nanodisc platform across different transmembrane proteins.

These case studies underscore the versatility and reliability of our diverse protein production platforms at Sino Biological.

How does Sino Biological approach the production and purification of bispecific antibodies, and what are the key considerations in this process?

At Sino Biological, our approach to the production and purification of bispecific antibodies involves a comprehensive and flexible strategy tailored to meet the diverse needs of our clients.

We begin with gene synthesis and cloning, followed by transient transfection of the plasmid into the HEK293 system for expression.

After a 5 to 7-day expression period, we harvest and break down the cells to extract the membrane and solubilize the transmembrane protein using various platforms such as virus-like particles (VLP), detergent micelles, and nanodiscs.

For the purification process, we employ different tests based on the chosen platform.

In the case of bispecific antibodies, we have expertise in over 14 bispecific antibody formats, with common ones including DutaMab, IgG-scFv, and BiTE.

We have achieved a remarkable success rate of over 90% in more than 80 projects, and our bispecific antibodies undergo validation through cell-based assays and techniques like surface plasmon resonance (SPR) or bio-layer interferometry (BLI).

Our purification protocols ensure high purity, with yields reaching up to 250 milligrams per liter. We prioritize client flexibility and can adapt our procedures based on specific needs, providing a reliable and high-quality solution for the production of bispecific antibodies.

What are the advantages of the recombinant technology used by Sino Biological in antibody production, and how does it differ from traditional methods?

The recombinant technology employed by Sino Biological in antibody production offers several distinct advantages over traditional methods. One key advantage lies in the ability to produce a large number of antibodies simultaneously, thanks to the high-throughput capabilities of the recombinant technology.

With up to 1500 liters of bioreactors, Sino Biological can achieve kilogram-level production, demonstrating scalability for large-scale antibody manufacturing. Additionally, the in-house development of all reagents ensures quality control and the availability of diverse expression systems, including those for human, mouse, rat, and rabbit antibodies.

This flexibility allows Sino Biological to cater to various research needs. The recombinant production approach also facilitates the production of different antibody formats, such as IgG, IgM, and IgA, as well as fragments like scFv and Fab antibodies.

Could you provide more details about Sino Biological's new production site, the Center of BioProcessing, and how it will enhance your services?

The Center of BioProcessing in Houston marks an exciting expansion for Sino Biological, allowing us to further elevate our services. This new production site is strategically positioned to enhance efficiency, offering a local hub for our operations.

With a warehouse in Pennsylvania for US stocks and an office in Texas, the addition of the Center of BioProcessing will bring us even closer to our clients, facilitating faster turnaround times and streamlined communication.

This local presence aligns with our commitment to providing top-notch reagent and CRO services. The state-of-the-art facility is poised to bolster our capabilities in protein expression, antibody development, and customized assay development.

How does Sino Biological envision its contributions to scientific and human health fields, and what impact do you hope to achieve through your products and services?

Sino Biological envisions playing a pivotal role in advancing scientific understanding and improving human health through its comprehensive range of products and services.

Our commitment extends beyond being a leading reagent provider and contract research organization; we aim to be a catalyst for groundbreaking discoveries and advancements.

By offering over 6,500 proteins, 14,000 antibodies, 47,000 genes, and 600 ELISA kits, we empower researchers worldwide with the tools they need for innovative studies.

Our focus on transmembrane protein production, showcased through three established platforms, demonstrates our dedication to addressing challenging areas in biology and medicine.

Through our contributions to antibody development, customized assay development, and high-impact research projects, we aspire to accelerate progress in diverse fields such as oncology, immunotherapy, and drug development.

As we expand globally, with new production facilities and strategic locations, we aim to enhance accessibility, communication, and service efficiency, ultimately contributing to the scientific community's ability to make lasting positive impacts on human health.

About Fang-Yi Chu

Dr. Fang-Yi Chu is a Technical Account Manager at Sino Biological. She is in charge of the customized services, including protein expression, antibody development, and bioassays.

Before joining Sino Biological, Dr. Chu obtained her Ph.D. degree in Physics from New York University. After graduation, she did her post-doctoral training at the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Chus fields of expertise include biophysics, bioengineering, and soft matter.

About Sino Biological Inc.

Sino Biological is an international reagent supplier and service provider. The company specializes in recombinant protein production and antibody development. All of Sino Biological's products are independently developed and produced, including recombinant proteins, antibodies and cDNA clones. Sino Biological is the researchers' one-stop technical services shop for the advanced technology platforms they need to make advancements. In addition, Sino Biological offers pharmaceutical companies and biotechnology firms pre-clinical production technology services for hundreds of monoclonal antibody drug candidates.

Sino Biological's core business

Sino Biological is committed to providing high-quality recombinant protein and antibody reagents and to being a one-stop technical services shop for life science researchers around the world. All of our products are independently developed and produced. In addition, we offer pharmaceutical companies and biotechnology firms pre-clinical production technology services for hundreds of monoclonal antibody drug candidates. Our product quality control indicators meet rigorous requirements for clinical use samples. It takes only a few weeks for us to produce 1 to 30 grams of purified monoclonal antibody from gene sequencing.

Sponsored Content Policy: News-Medical.net publishes articles and related content that may be derived from sources where we have existing commercial relationships, provided such content adds value to the core editorial ethos of News-Medical.Net which is to educate and inform site visitors interested in medical research, science, medical devices and treatments.
With the coveted Consolidator Grants totalling two million euros, the European Research Council (ERC) supports outstanding scientists whose work promises further top achievements. Jose Pedro Friedmann Angeli, Professor of Translational Cell Biology at Rudolf Virchow Centre - Centre for Integrative and Translational Bioimaging at Julius-Maximilians-Universitat (JMU) Wurzburg, now belongs to this group.

The prize winner is a pioneer in the field of ferroptosis. This special form of cell death is triggered by the accumulation of oxidised lipids and is associated with many pathological conditions, including cancer and neurodegeneration.

Recent studies have shown that inducing ferroptosis in cells can be an effective strategy against neuroblastomas and other difficult-to-treat tumours. This can be achieved by influencing key metabolic pathways regulating ferroptosis." Jose Pedro Friedmann Angeli, Professor of Translational Cell Biology at Rudolf Virchow Centre - Centre for Integrative and Translational Bioimaging, Julius-Maximilians-Universitat (JMU) Wurzburg

Neuroblastomas are malignant tumors that occur in children.

Closing critical gaps in knowledge about ferroptosis

However, therapeutic breakthroughs are difficult to achieve in this way. "This is because we don't yet understand well enough the factors that control the process of ferroptosis," explains the JMU researcher. He wants to close these critical knowledge gaps with his ERC project DeciFERR (Deciphering and exploiting ferroptosis regulatory mechanism in cancer).

The project is based on the pioneering work carried out by Friedmann Angeli's group. Among other things, his team has identified two important systems involved in the regulation of ferroptosis: the enzyme glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) and the ferroptosis suppressor protein 1 (FSP1). These will now be the focal point for further research.

"The funding extended by the ERC is indispensable for turning our ideas into reality", says the Wurzburg Professor. "With the assistance of three more scientists, we can now delve into a deeper understanding of the crucial process of achieving membrane redox homeostasis, and consequently, effectively translate these innovative strategies into preclinical cancer models."

Career of Jose Pedro Friedmann Angeli

The ERC awardee, born in 1983, studied biology at Universidade Estadual de Londrina in Brazil. He completed his biochemistry-based doctoral thesis at the University of Sao Paulo in 2011. As a Humboldt-Fellow, he moved to Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen - German Research Centre for Health and Environment GmbH. From there, he joined the Rudolf Virchow Centre in Wurzburg as head of a research group in 2018, where he was appointed University Professor of Translational Cell Biology in 2022. Since 2021 he has also been co-speaker of the DFG priority program "Ferroptosis: from Molecular Basics to Clinical Applications" (SPP2306).

Thanks to his pioneering work on ferroptosis, Friedmann Angeli has been included in the list of Highly Cited Researchers since 2021. This list includes researchers whose work is cited above average by others worldwide. Clarivate Analytics, a company specialising in citation data, compiles the Highly Cited List; it is based on the Web of Science database.
In a recent study published in Journal of Clinical Medicine, researchers systematically reviewed and analyzed the therapeutic efficacy of low-dose local anesthetics (LAs) in various clinical conditions, highlighting gaps in current research for future exploration.

Study: Therapeutic Use of Low-Dose Local Anesthetics in Pain, Inflammation, and Other Clinical Conditions: A Systematic Scoping Review. Image Credit: daniiD/Shutterstock.com

Background

Since the first use of cocaine as an LA by Carl Koller in 1894, LAs have evolved significantly in therapeutic applications. Initially utilized for their immediate pain-relieving properties, their scope expanded with the discovery of procaine in 1905 and its inflammation-reducing effects.

This evolution gave rise to neural therapy (NT), predominantly in Europe, employing LAs for more than just pain management. Modern applications extend to targeting the autonomic nervous system (ANS) to provide sustained relief from pain and other dysfunctions.

Further research is needed to comprehensively understand the scope, efficacy, and safety of low-dose local anesthetics in various conditions, as current studies vary in design, and a unified understanding is yet to be established.

About the study

In the present study, the researchers conducted a systematic scoping review using the Arksey and OMalley framework, comprising five stages: defining the research question, identifying relevant studies, selecting studies, charting data, and summarizing and reporting results.

The review adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines, and the research question sought to understand the therapeutic applications of low-dose LAs in various medical conditions.

The team selected studies focusing solely on LAs, emphasizing measuring efficacy or safety. The review included a wide array of study designs, from experimental setups like randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to observational analyses including cohort and case-control studies. Systematic reviews, qualitative studies, and meta-analyses that met the inclusion criteria were also considered, excluding narrative reviews, expert opinions, and studies involving LAs combined with other treatments.

The literature search was comprehensive, covering major databases like MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and LILACS, with no language or publication date restrictions. They supplemented this with searches on Google Scholar and references from included studies.

Two reviewers independently screened titles and abstracts, with full-text reviews for those meeting the inclusion criteria. Conflicts were resolved through discussion or a third reviewer's input. The study used Rayyan Qatar Computing Research Institute (QCRI) for data management during the screening phases.

Data extraction was thorough, capturing key information such as authorship, publication year, study objectives, population characteristics, study type, intervention details, outcomes, and main findings. Special attention was given to data on the safety of the interventions. A third reviewer resolved any discrepancies in data extraction.

Finally, the team performed a narrative synthesis of the results, using text and tables from the studies for a descriptive summary.

This synthesis not only outlined the characteristics and findings of the studies but also highlighted gaps in the evidence and offered potential interpretations and implications of the results.

Study results

The initial search across Medline, LILACS, and the Cochrane Library yielded 9614 publications, supplemented by 52 articles from citation searches and grey literature.

After duplicate removal, 7,670 publications were manually screened based on titles and abstracts, excluding 7,250 publications. This process left 420 articles for full-text assessment, with ten being inaccessible, and after thorough evaluation, 315 studies were further excluded.

The researchers also considered 52 publications identified through citation searching, of which six could not be retrieved. Out of the 46 assessed for eligibility, 12 were excluded for being opinion articles, and 129 studies were included in the review.

These included studies comprising 49 clinical trials (both non-randomized and randomized), 71 observational studies, and nine systematic reviews. The observational studies varied, including case reports or series, cohort studies, qualitative studies, and before-and-after studies.

The median patient number across these studies was 44. The studies primarily reported on procaine, lidocaine, and bupivacaine, focusing on their therapeutic applications and potential adverse effects.

Geographically, the studies spanned multiple countries, with the most contributions from Turkiye, Germany, the United States, and Cuba, among others. The median publication year was 2016, with a concentration of studies published between 2011 and March 2022.

These studies were predominantly published in general medical journals, although some appeared in specialized journals focused on pain management, neurology, psychiatry, and anesthesiology.

Regarding indications, the primary use of low-dose, short-acting LAs was in managing chronic pain, followed by acute pain. The most common conditions treated were musculoskeletal and/or myofascial pain and migraines. Additionally, 14% of the studies focused on non-pain-related indications.

In the studies, LAs were applied in various ways, including segmental application, local application, ganglion injections, and mixed approaches. The studys Figure 5 highlights the evidence gaps in the literature regarding the types of indications and study designs.

The review found that 96.12% of the studies primarily assessed the efficacy of LAs, with a smaller portion focusing on safety. The key outcomes included pain relief, improvements in quality of life, reduced analgesic intake, and better scores on anxiety and depression scales.

While 53.48% of these studies also considered safety, reporting mild and transient adverse reactions, no severe adverse allergic responses or reactions were documented.

The study revealed that lidocaine and procaine were the most researched LAs, with lidocaine showing a slightly higher frequency of adverse events, though neither exhibited major adverse effects.

The interventions predominantly showed positive or potentially positive effects, with a minority reporting no effect or providing unclear evidence. A specific focus on acute stress revealed positive impacts, with studies on anxiety and depression as secondary outcomes showing varying degrees of improvement.
Coca-Cola India has entered the ready-to-drink tea beverages segment with the launch of Honest Tea. For this, the company has partnered with Luxmi Groups iconic Darjeeling tea estate, Makaibari, for ready-to-drink iced green tea.

The brand Honest Tea is owned by Honest, a subsidiary of the Coca-Cola Company. It comes in two flavours  lemon-tulsi and mango.

The bottled iced green tea was formally launched on the second and concluding of the Bengal Global Business Summit 2023, on November 22.

A PTI report, quoting company officials, said the organic green tea for the product will be sourced from Kolkata-based Luxmi Tea Co Private Ltds Makaibari Tea Estate. An MoU in this regard was signed between the two companies at the seventh edition of the Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS) here.

The idea behind the launch was to provide consumers with wider beverage options, a senior official of Coca-Cola India & Southwest Asia told PTI. The iced green tea will come in lemon-tulsi and mango variants, he added.

According to Business Standard, Karthik Subramanian, director of marketing  hydration, coffee and tea category, Coca Cola India and Southwest Asia, in a statement said, We are thrilled to introduce our new ready-to-drink iced green tea. With Honest Tea, we are offering consumers a unique experience of a great tasting green tea-based beverage.

Rudra Chatterjee, managing director of Kolkata-based Luxmi Group, said that there was no greater tea estate in Darjeeling than Makaibari. It is the last word among teas, whether in Japan or England, royal houses.
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 23, ARMENPRESS. All Armenian political prisoners, POWs and hostages illegally held in Azerbaijan must be released immediately in accordance with the international law.

This is noted in the report of the Center for Truth and Justice entitled Azerbaijan Must Release All Armenian Political Prisoners, POWs and Hostages.

The report indicates that on Sept. 19, 2023, an Azerbaijani offensive, the second in three years, set the stage for the ethnic cleansing of Armenians from their ancestral land of Nagorno-Karabakh. Within 10 days, over 100,000 Armenians fled Nagorno-Karabakh and found refuge in neighboring Armenia.

During the Sep-Nov 2020 and Sep 2023 wars against Nagorno-Karabakh, the Azerbaijani authorities detained some 200 Armenian civilians and military personnel.

Dozens remain in Azerbaijani jails illegally, some awaiting trials and others illegally convicted to lengthy jail terms, reads the report.

It is noted that according to Azerbaijans prosecutor general, 300 former leaders of Nagorno-Karabakh are wanted for alleged war crimes committed during the wars. Eight of these leaders were detained, humiliated in front of cameras, and transferred to prisons in Baku.

Referring to the hostages, the authors of the report noted that an unknown number of Armenian civilians were taken prisoner since 2020 by Azerbaijani security personnel in and around Nagorno-Karabakh and within the borders of Armenia.

As for POWs, according to the report, 36 Armenian prisoners of war (POWs) remain in Azerbaijani prisons.

The 2020 war POWs should have been released in accordance with the 10 November 2020 ceasefire agreement. Now that both wars are over, all POWs from must be freed immediately in accordance with the Geneva Conventions. The majority of prisoners of war were taken a month after the official ceasefire in 2020, and in the area of Khtsaberd.

These political prisoners, POWs and hostages, some of whom have been convicted illegally to lengthy jail terms in Azerbaijan, must be freed immediately in accordance with international law, and at the very least as a confidence-building measure so that the ongoing negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan can produce results. The international community, in particular the U.S., Russia and EU mediators, as well as others, have an obligation to persuade Azerbaijan to free them unconditionally and immediately, reads the report.

All the hostages are represented by name in the report, including the persons who held leadership positions in Nagorno-Karabakh: Arayik Harutyunyan, Bako Sahakyan, Davit Babayan, Arkadi Ghukasyan, Ruben Vardanyan, Davit Ishkhanyan, Davit Manukyan, Levon Mnatsakanyan, as well as captured civilians and military personnel.
SpiceJet shares continued their strong upward move for the third straight session on Thursday. Shares of the budget carrier hit a 52-week high of Rs 48.38, up 10 per cent on the BSE in Thursdays intra-day trade amid heavy volumes in an otherwise range-bound market. The stock of airline company was trading higher for the third straight day, surging 27 per cent during the period.

The counter has gained 26.95 per cent in the past one month and 82.33 per cent in six months.

SpiceJet, low-cost carrier, operates a fleet of Boeing 737s & Q-400s and is one of the countrys largest regional players operating multiple daily flights under UDAN or the Regional Connectivity Scheme. The majority of the airlines fleet offers SpiceMax, the most spacious economy class seating in India.

SpiceJet, named VS MSN 36118 CAY Designated Activity Company, on November 21 moved the Delhi High Court to execute a decree it obtained in the United Kingdom in June 2023 against the airline.

The lessor seeks to recover an amount of Rs 90 crore from SpiceJet by executing the judgment of the UK court. The HC has sought the airlines response to the plea and the case is likely to come up for hearing in February.

VS MSN 36118 CAY Designated Activity Company, represented by senior advocate Rajshekar Rao and lawyer Anandh Venkatramani also asked the court to restrain SpiceJet from using their aircraft, however, the court did not pass any such orders for the time being. The court has permitted the lessor to inspect the aircraft and check if it is maintained properly.

Senior advocate Amit Sibal, who appeared for SpiceJet told the court that the airline will regularise its lease rent payments to the lessor from December.

SpiceJet entered into a lease with VS MSN 36118 CAY in 2018 for a Boeing 737-700. The tenure of the lease was 96 months, which was supposed to expire in 2023. According to the lessor, SpiceJet defaulted on its payments periodically from November 2020. Thus the lessor moved a plea in the United Kingdom for payment of dues and also claimed for future rental said to have become due upon an event of default.

The court in the UK awarded both past rent dues and future rent close to $ 5.89 million.

On technical setup, support on the counter could be seen at Rs 38 and resistance may be witnessed around the Rs 48-odd zone. An analyst suggested booking profits at current levels.

Osho Krishan, Senior Research Analyst  Technical & Derivatives at Angel One, said SpiceJet has gained traction in the last couple of trading months. The counter is placed at the crucial juncture of resistance at Rs 43-45 sub-zone. A decisive breakthrough could only trigger momentum. On the downside, immediate support lies around Rs 38, below which the counter may plunge to Rs 34. It is advisable to have a cautious approach keeping a close tab on the mentioned levels.

The scrip has an analyst target price of Rs 38, Trendlyne data showed, suggesting a potential downside of 12 per cent in a year. It has a one-year beta of 0.3, indicating low volatility on the counter.
Agriculture subject will be added to the curriculum of schools in the state from the next academic year, Maharashtra school education minister Deepak Kesarkar said on Wednesday. Addressing a press conference at the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) headquarters, Kesarkar said the state government was committed to making Maharashtra a number one state in the education sector. The Mumbai district guardian minister also said that Chief Minister Eknath Shinde would launch the My School Beautiful School campaign in the state on December 5.

On the lines of the Read Mumbai campaign, a statewide drive will be launched to cultivate reading habits among the students by the chief minister, he said. Kesarkar said Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) has allotted four old double-decker buses which will be used to set up art galleries, libraries, and restaurants. Besides, toilet facilities will also be provided in these buses to be parked in congested areas near JJ Flyover.

We hope this measure will give a big boost to these areas, the minister added.
The Directorate of Education, Delhi, will initiate the registration process for nursery admissions in private unaided recognised schools today, November 23. The admission schedule for open seats (excluding EWS, DG, and CWSN category seats) was released in October. Parents interested in nursery admissions for the academic year 2024-2025 in Delhi can access the official website edudel.nic.in. To apply, a non-refundable fee of Rs 25 is required, and all applications must be submitted by December 15.

Delhi Nursery Admissions 2024 Eligibility Criteria

The 25 per cent quota applies to the private unaided recognised schools that admit children in pre-school, pre-primary, and Class 1 for EWS, DG, and children with disabilities respectively. DoE has ordered these schools that the minimum count of seats for entry-level admissions should be the same or equal to the highest count of seats offered in entry-level classes over the last three years (2021-2023). By January 12, 2024, schools should upload their admission criteria and the initial list of selected candidates with points earned.

The age of a child must be three years for pre-school class admissions by March 31, 2024. This official notice by the Directorate of Education, Delhi stated, At the level of school head, age relaxation for up to 30 days may be granted in minimum and upper age limits for these classes.

The notice adds that after releasing the first admission list on January 12, schools will handle queries from parents from January 13 to 22. The notice further states that any parent desiring age relaxation should apply manually by submitting a request to the school head or principal.

Uploading details of the children who have applied for nursery admission needs to be done by December 29. The marks received by each applicant will be declared on January 5, 2024. The second list of selected applicants will be announced on January 29, 2024. Other lists (if any) will be issued on February 21. The entire admission process will conclude on March 8.
All government and private schools in Tamil Nadus Thirunelveli, Kanyakumari, Thoothukudi, Tenkasi, Viruthunagar, Theni, Pudhukottai, Nilgiri districts have been declared shut today, November 23 amid heavy rainfall in the region, reported PTI.

VIDEO | All government and private schools have been closed in Tamil Nadus Thirunelveli, Kanyakumari, Thoothukudi, Tenkasi, Viruthunagar, Theni, Pudhukottai, Nilgiri districts today (November 23) amid heavy rainfall in the region. pic.twitter.com/bhvMu2gbl5 Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) November 23, 2023

Earlier, Puducherry and Karaikal regions too have received incessant rain in the last 24 hours which prompted the territorial government to declare a holiday for schools in the region on Wednesday. Puducherry recorded 5 cm rainfall during the last 24 hours which concluded at 8.30 am while Karaikal experienced 9 cm rainfall.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) had issued an orange alert for some parts of Kerala and Tamil Nadu on Nov 22. Light to moderate rainfall at most places with isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall and isolated extremely heavy rainfall is very likely over Kerala and Isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry & Karaikal today, the 22nd November, the department said on microblogging site X. (sic)

Further, on Nov 21, the governments of Tamil Nadu and Kerala had issued advisories to people urging them to be cautious in view of the heavy rainfall. An MTC bus was stuck in a subway in Chennais Moolakkothalam area due to waterlogging. The bus was later removed with the help of the Transport Department and Corporation workers.

Since the last few weeks, classes have been suspended in schools, colleges, and other educational institutes across several districts of Tamil Nadu for quite some time due to heavy rainfall and flooding. Last week, the district collector of Chennai, Rashmi Siddharth Zagade, announced a holiday for schools in the city on November 15. Schools and other educational institutions in Villupuram, Ariyalur, Cuddalore, and Nagapattinam were also declared closed on the same day.
The Election Commission on Thursday made it clear that reports about it giving an approval to extend Madhya Pradesh Chief Secretary Iqbal Singh Bains term by a month were false. Bains term as the state chief secretary is ending on November 30.

As the model code of conduct for the state assembly elections, held in a single phase on November 17, is still in force, any decision regarding Bains term extension will have to be approved by the Election Commission.

Taking to X, the office of the Madhya Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Anupam Rajan said, A fake news is being shared on social media that Election Commission has given approval to the extension of tenure of Chief Secretary of Madhya Pradesh, who is about to superannuate. It is clarified that no such approval has been given by the Commission.

When asked about it, CEO Ranjan told PTI, I have already stated on X that the inBhopal:formation that the EC has extended Bains tenure as fake news.

Bains, a trusted hand of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has got two extensions of six months each earlier. At the request of the state government, the Centre had cleared these extensions in the past.

According to sources, any decision regarding extension of Bains term will have to be taken after the ECs approval in view of the model code of conduct. For appointing a senior bureaucrat to the top bureaucratic post, the ECs nod is necessary, they said.

If Bains does not get another extension, the EC may designate the senior most official in the state as the chief secretary. The counting of votes for the state assembly polls will be taken up on December 3.
Jis par humein abhimaan hai, nirmal jiska mann hai, chavi mahaan hai, aandhi jise nahi udaya, pani na jise dubaaye, woh hai Vasundhara. Hum sab chahe Vasundhara. Phir chahen Vasundhara  so blares a campaign song at Phulera in Rajasthan before former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje came to address a rally on Wednesday.

The campaign will end today ahead of polling on Saturday but Raje has not given any media interviews this poll season. She has campaigned across the state and also attended a rally with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Jhalawar-Baran on Tuesday. But the issue hovers why BJP has not chosen to declare her as the CM face. Though the public at Phulera said they want Raje again, the million-dollar question is if the BJP wants her again as CM if it wins.

Why do you have a doubt that she will not be CM again? 60 candidates fighting in the elections are her choices. These 60 tickets have been given as per her wishes. So, it is clear who will be the CM with support of majority of MLAs, say a group of elderly men who are rooting for Raje in Phulera.

Raje is in Phulera to campaign for her loyalist and three-time MLA from Phulera, Nirmal Kumawat. Raje is a very popular leader, her stature is very high and she is also BJPs national vice-president, I wanted her rally in my constituency. Who will be CM, our leadership will decide later, Kumawat told News18.

Some others, however, say the vote is for Modi and not any CM face. Modi will decide the CM. Vasundhara Raje is our leader, her popularity is as high when she was the CM. We are with her. We are with any face Modi decides, but we are with Raje also. We have to vote for Kamal, we back Ram Mandir. We have to defeat the Congress  that is the top priority, a group of women said.

Another group of women, however, quickly added that Raje should be made the CM as she is a woman and best understands the concerns of their lot. We want a woman CM. Congress under Ashok Gehlot did nothing. If Raje comes as the CM, it will be good, they added.

Vasundhara Rajes Crowd Connect

She gives a rousing address, highlighting her record as the chief minister and what she did for the people. I went to so many regions and met so many candidates in the campaign. Congress MLAs did rampant corruption, took money for transfers. You know it all, Raje tells the big crowd listening to her. She has the crowd in splits when she points out how the CM is giving one guarantee after the other without thinking why he did not fulfil his earlier promises.

When one CM starts a work, it is important for the next government to continue it and take care of it, otherwise it is a sin. They (Congress) made a lot of promises. First is free electricity. But here we have generator running at my rally. It is night now so I have to drive back to Jaipur rather than use the chopper. The locals were telling me that I will realise how bad the roads are, Raje says.

Raje also indirectly pitches her case for the top chair in the state if the BJP wins. We got 73 seats in the last elections too. Some had said we wont get even 30 seats. But I knew we had done work. What has happened now  19 paper leaks. The youth have cursed this government, Raje tells the crowd. She says the states name has been sullied by the crimes against women. This was a state where men laid their lives for the honour of women, Raje said.

She only smiled when News18 tried to ask her to respond to some of our questions. It seems Raje would now only speak after December 3. Will the Rani be the CM of Rajasthan again? No one in the BJP is willing to take a bet.
Prime Minister Narendra Modis statement that Sachin Pilot is still paying because his father once challenged the Congress stems from the BJPs strong belief that eastern Rajasthan and Gujjars have turned against the Congress in 2023.

This region and the Gujjar community had voted en masse for the Congress in 2018 as Sachin Pilot was the state Congress chief and was seen as the probable Chief Minister if the Congress won. The BJP could win just 14 out of the 54 seats in eastern Rajasthans 11 districts in 2018, which included all four seats in Vasundhara Rajes stronghold Jhalawar region. It was wiped out of districts like Dausa, Sawai Madhopur, Karauli and Bharatpur in 2018, and faced big reverses in big districts like Alwar.

That was the reason BJP lost in the last elections. But this time, the entire eastern Rajasthan and specifically Gujjars have turned against the Congress due to the humiliation of Sachin Pilot over the last five years when he was not made the CM and was constantly abused by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, a top BJP leader in Rajasthan told News18 in Jaipur.

The leader said that this would be a big reason for the BJPs victory in Rajasthan this time. The leader claimed that this was also why Pilot had not aggressively campaigned in eastern Rajasthan this time.

Gujjars have originally been the backers of the BJP, but shifted to Congress last time due to Pilot. The Gujjars feel slighted by the treatment meted out to Sachin Pilot far from being made CM as they thought, he was stripped of even the post of Deputy CM and state Congress chief in 2020. Further, with all Congress posters now showing the face of Ashok Gehlot, and Sachin Pilot missing from most of them, Gujjars know Pilot will not be made the CM even if Congress wins so they see no point in voting for the Congress, the top BJP leader said.

The Prime Minister, while campaigning in Rajasthan on Wednesday, said the Congress was punishing Sachin Pilot. Rajesh Pilot once challenged the Gandhi family and his son (Sachin) is still paying for it. Anyone who says the truth in the Congress is shunted out, the PM said, referring to Rajesh Pilot once contesting for the post of the Congress president.

The PMs statement is expected to further assuage the sentiment in eastern Rajasthan where people feel Sachin Pilot did not get his due. People there know Gehlot and Pilot kept fighting for 4.5 years and now the CM is putting up a facade of unity as they face the elections, the BJP leader said.

News18 also found multiple people agreeing with the sentiment when it travelled through eastern Rajasthan.

Pawan Khera of the Congress said the Prime Ministers statement was far from the facts and said the BJP should instead seek an apology from the Gujjars who were killed during an agitation in Dausa during the BJPs tenure.

Sachin Pilot also said: The truth is that (Rajesh) Pilot joined the Congress after taking inspiration from Indira Gandhi. He served the people for a long time while being in the Congress. Regarding his (PMs) remarks on me, I believe no one, except my party and people, should care about my present and future.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, while addressing an election rally in Telangana, on Wednesday said Hyderabad will be renamed to Bhagyanagar within 30 minutes of BJP coming to power in the state. Sarma further emphasised that no one will raise a hue and cry if Hyderabad is renamed.

Sarma further said it was because of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the Ram Mandir is being constructed in Ayodhya.

Did anyone ever think that Ram Mandir will be constructed? Did Jawahar Lal Nehru or Indira Gandhi dare to built? Because of BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it is happening, he said.

The BJP leader also highlighted that the Congress government was always on the back foot during terrorist attacks in the country. When terrorist attacks were taking place in the country, the Congress government was always on the back foot. But, Modi has shown them with surgical strikes. Now, terror attacks have stopped, he said.

The Assam CM further took a dig at AIMIMs stand over the Israel-Hamas conflict and said, All these people (AIMIM) who are supporting Palestine should go there and fight for their cause.

He also targeted Congress leaders Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi for not saying a word against Hamas. PM Modi also supports the creation of a Palestine state, but it cannot happen with terrorist organisations like Hamas. He condemned Hamas activities, he added.
Masks and social distancing have made a comeback in China due to a mysterious pneumonia outbreak. As the country experiences a strain on hospitals because of a sharp increase in cases of unexplained illness, especially among children, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a guidance on Wednesday.

Several news reports indicate that childrens hospitals in Beijing, Liaoning, and other cities are dealing with a high number of sick children, causing a significant burden on hospitals.

Earlier this week, ProMED, noted a growing number of media reports of clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia among children in northern China. ProMed is an online medical community that raised questions in late 2019 about an unknown illness circulating in Wuhan that later became Covid-19.

Globally, the trend is concerning because the initial instances of what later became known as Covid-19 were initially described as unexplained pneumonia in late 2019.

In the latest development, WHO made an official request to China for detailed information on an increase in respiratory illnesses and reported clusters of pneumonia in children, the United Nations health agency said in a statement on Wednesday.

Building Up of Illness in China

WHO noted in multiple posts on social media platform X that at a press briefing on November 13 officials from Chinas National Health Commission revealed a higher occurrence of respiratory diseases in the country. The northern regions have noted rise in conditions similar to the influenza-like illness since mid-October, compared to the same timeframe in the past three years.

https://x.com/WHO/status/1727452971816935537?s=20

However, Chinese authorities told reporters on November 13 that the respiratory illness spike was due to the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions and the circulation of known pathogens, including influenza and common bacterial infections that affect children.

On X, Dr Krutika Kuppalli, a member of the WHOs emergency programme, wrote that the illness could be anything. She mentioned that several countries experienced outbreaks of respiratory illness after easing lockdowns. She stressed the need for additional information about symptoms, epidemiology, and the extent of testing conducted.

https://x.com/KrutikaKuppalli/status/1727409649610322058?s=20

WHO Guidelines

While WHO has been seeking additional information, it has recommended that people in China follow measures to reduce the risk of respiratory illness, which include recommended vaccination; keeping their distance from people who are ill and staying home when ill. It has also recommended people to wear masks and ensure good ventilation along with regular hand-washing.

The UN body has asked people in China to follow steps to reduce the chance of getting sick with respiratory illnesses. WHO has also requested further information about recent trends in the circulation of known pathogens including influenza, SARS-CoV-2, RSV and the current burden on healthcare systems.
Western countries, particularly the US and Canada, must act on open threats issued by Khalistani separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and India, top intelligence sources told News18 amid reports that the United States thwarted a plot to kill the Sikhs for Justice general counsel on American soil.

In his latest diatribe against India, Pannun, who says he is a dual citizen of the United States and Canada, mentioned January 26, 2024  Indias Republic Day  as D-Day and the iconic Red Fort as ground zero.

Titled Violence Begets Violence, Is India Ready to Face Consequences?, Pannuns latest communication accused New Delhi of using bullets to stop the Khalistani referendum. Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) is using Ballot to liberate Punjab while India is using Bullets to stop the ongoing Khalistan Referendum  the motive behind Indias efforts to kill me.

India is using mercenaries to kill pro-Khalistan Sikhs. Hence, I dare the Modi government to declare open armed conflict with Punjab and history is a witness that the Sikhs will defend with equal force and continue to campaign for liberation of Punjab from the Indian occupation.

At this time, my focus is not threats to my life but to organise American phase of Khalistan Referendum scheduled to start from San Francisco on January 28, 2024, which Indian government is attempting to block.

Top Indian intelligence officials told News18 that details of Pannuns open threats of violence have been shared with US and Canada, but no action has been forthcoming.

He is spoiling the fabric of the country for his own personal gains and money-making immigration business. India soon will share fresh evidence and will ask foreign partners to hand over custody of this terrorist, an official said.

A Financial Times report has cited senior Biden administration officials as claiming that the United States authorities thwarted a plot to kill Pannun. The US is treating the plot with utmost seriousness and has raised the issue with the Indian government at the senior-most levels, the White House said on Wednesday.

Asked about the FT report, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said Washington had shared some inputs that were being examined by relevant departments. Bagchi said the inputs pertained to the nexus between organized criminals, gun runners, terrorists and others.

India takes such inputs seriously since it impinges on our own national security interests as well, he said.

The US claims come two months after Canada alleged there were credible allegations linking Indian agents to the June murder of Sikh separatist leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in a Vancouver suburb. India has rejected the allegation.

The National Investigation Agency filed a case against Pannun on Monday stating that he warned flag carrier Air India passengers in video messages shared on social media this month that their lives were in danger.

The case comes against the historical backdrop of a bombing in 1985 of an Air India aircraft flying from Canada to India that killed 329, and for which Sikh militants were blamed.

Pannun is the general counsel of Sikhs for Justice, which India labelled an unlawful association in 2019, citing its involvement in extremist activities. Pannun was listed as an individual terrorist by India in 2020.
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 23, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a meeting with EU Ambassador to Armenia and Ambassadors of EU Member States accredited in Armenia.

Issues related to Armenia-European Union cooperation and joint programs, in particular, the agenda of reforms in Armenia and the continuous support of the EU to the strengthening of democratic institutions, were discussed, the PM's Office said in a readout.

The sides exchanged ideas on the processes taking place in the South Caucasus region. Reference was made to the humanitarian problems of more than 100,000 forcibly displaced persons from Nagorno-Karabakh as a result of Azerbaijan's ethnic cleansing policy, as well as to the steps taken by the Armenian government to overcome them. The support of the international community in solving the existing problems was highlighted.

Issues related to regional security and stability, the process of normalization of Armenia-Azerbaijan relations were discussed.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan answered the Ambassadors' questions and presented the views of the Armenian government.
A young Indian student, pursuing his Ph.D. in molecular and developmental biology at a university in the US Ohio state, was fatally shot in his car. Twenty-six-year-old Aaditya Adlakha was shot on November 9 and died two days later.

The fourth-year doctoral student at the University of Cincinnati Medical School was found with multiple gunshot wounds inside a vehicle that had crashed into a wall and was rushed to UC Medical Center in Cincinnati in critical condition, where he succumbed to his injuries.

As per reports, ShotSpotter, a gunfire locator service, alerted police about shots fired in the area around 6:20 am on November 9. Drivers passing by also called 911 to report a vehicle with bullet holes and a person inside who had been shot.

The police found Adlakha inside the vehicle, which had at least three bullet holes visible in the drivers side window. The car was on the upper deck of the Western Hills Viaduct.

No arrests have been made since the shooting was reported, according to local media reports.

Adlakhas demise has been termed as sudden, tragic, and senseless by the medical school, which issued a statement expressing its condolences to his family and friends.

Today, you might have seen news reports of his sudden, tragic and senseless death. Those who knew him, along with fellow students and others who may not have had the fortune to have met Aaditya, may experience a wide variety of reactions, which are understandable and expected, Senior Vice President of Health Affairs and Dean, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Andrew Filak said.

He was much-loved, exceedingly kind and humorous, intelligent and sharp, whose research was described as novel and transformative. The focus of his work was to better understand neuroimmune communication and how neuroimmune interactions might contribute to pain and the inflammatory landscape in ulcerative colitis, Filak was quoted as saying by WLWT.com, a television station in Cincinnati.

Adlakha came to Cincinnati from Delhi to continue his education in medicine. He got his bachelors degree in Zoology in 2018 from Ramjas College of the University of Delhi in New Delhi.

He received his masters degree in physiology in 2020 from All India Institute of Medical Sciences, also in New Delhi. His vehicle was hit multiple times.

As a college and as Aadityas academic home, we extend our deepest condolences to his family and to those who knew him as a friend and colleague, the Cincinnati Enquirer quoted the medical school as saying.

(With PTI Inputs)
The Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission has directed the state government to pay Rs 2 lakh each to five animal activists for blatant violation of their human rights after they were allegedly assaulted at a police lock up in Nanded in February this year.

The commission in February took suo motu cognisance of the case where a police officer in Nanded allegedly assaulted some youth for stopping vehicles carrying smuggled cows.

The commission in its November 9 order, passed by its chairperson retired Justice K K Tated and member M A Sayed, said it has no hesitation to hold that the victims human rights right to live with dignity and honour have been blatantly breached on account of the illegal and perverse action by the erring police officer. Such illegal action naturally entitles the victims to compensation for their humiliation and turmoil, it said.

The commission in its order said the police officers action in treating the victims in an inhumane manner cannot be justified in any way as he is himself the protector and guardian of law.

The commission directed the Maharashtra governments additional chief secretary to comply with the order within a month.

It also directed the additional chief secretary to ask the state director general of police to frame guidelines on police brutality and abuse of powers. The commission noted that while an FIR was later lodged against the errant police officer and departmental inquiry initiated, it was of the firm opinion that a case under the Protection of Human Rights Act has been made out.

The basic and prime reason for such conclusion is the fact that the victims were bashed up by the erring police officer concerned which has resulted in disciplinary action against him as well as further action against him in accordance with law, the panel said.

The very act of bringing the victims to the police station, asking them to remove their clothes and bashing them up must have resulted in great humiliation to them as such an incident very conveniently comes within the four corners of the term harassment, it said.

In another case of 2022, the commission on October 31 directed the Nandurbar district superintendent of police to pay Rs 21,000 compensation to a social worker against whom a false case was lodged after he raised complaints against illegal smuggling of leather. Animal rights activists have welcomed both the orders and said this would raise awareness.

Ashok Jain, chairman of the high court-appointed sub-committee meant to monitor animal welfare laws in the state, said the order would be helpful for animal welfare officers and activists. Nandini Kulkarni, an animal welfare officer of the committee, said such orders offer justice not just to animal caretakers and vigilant citizens but also to the voiceless animals.
Amid major row over property tycoon Niranjan Hiranandanis son Darshan uploading question for Mahua Moitra to raise in Parliament, the Lok Sabha has reportedly blocked access of MPs aides to the Digital Sansad portal and apps. This wont let others, except the lawmakers, to submit travel bills, access MPs official email or file notices for questions in the House.

The difficulty that may now arise is that all lawmakers do not have the equal qualifications or skill sets, and are often dependent on their assistants and secretaries.

A report by PRS Legislative Research in 2019 stated that about 75 per cent of MPs in the Lok Sabha have at least a graduate degree, while 10 per cent are only matriculates.

A similar report by the Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR) and the National Election Watch (NEW) this year said that while 184 MPs were graduates, 141 were professional graduates. Only one MP was illiterate.

With the Lok Sabha members now expected to handle their own digital parliamentary functions, the latest development could be a tall order.

Reacting to this, a report in Times of India quoted its source as saying, At best, the members can sit beside their assistants or secretaries, sharing the passwords and OTPs to get their work done. Most MPs are still using this unofficial method to participate.

The same TOI report mentioned that the LS secretariat is learnt to have blocked access of MPs secretaries and personal assistants to the Digital Sansad portal and apps to facilitate the members routine functions like submission of questions to be asked in the House, accessing emails and submitting TA bills.

The access is now restricted to the MP. However, the secretariat has not yet issued any notification on the restrictions on access, the report added.

With Digital Sansad coming into use since September 1, members were allowed to authorise assistants or secretaries to access their accounts by submitting the email IDs and phone numbers of their authorised personnel to the Lok Sabha secretariat, the publication mentioned.

Who All Used Mahua Moitras MP Login?

The changes came after some shocking revelations by Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra. The lawmaker not only accepted that she gave her Parliament login and password to Darshan Hiranandani, but also revealed that her sisters child logged in from Cambridge and typed in her questions.

She said that no MP puts the questions themselves, and the login and the passwords remain with their team. But then an OTP comes and it comes to my phone only. It does not go to Darshans phone. Only when I provide the OTP, the questions are submitted, Moitra had said.

ALSO READ | Jharkhandi Pitbull, Hiranandanis Car, Sisters Child Using Parl ID in UK: Mahuas Explosive Revelations

The NIC login has no rules as to who can have the login or not. Every single MPs questions are given to their large teams. You are saying I have given it to a foreign entity. Darshan Hiranandani is a friend, and an Indian citizen. His passport has been made public, she had said.

I myself have logged in from Switzerland. My sisters child has also logged in from Cambridge and typed in my questions. If NICs question-and-answer portal is so very protected, then why dont you block IP addresses from entering it? Darshan Hiranandani does not need me to ask questions. Every question is RTI-able. Where is the quid, where is the quo? Moitra added.
A strategic block spanning a brief three-hour window has been put in place in the first week of December for the launch of girders on the Gokhle Bridge that connects SV Road and Western Express Highway in Andheri. The block has been scheduled during the night to avoid any interference in the regular daytime train services.

The block for launching girders for Gokhle bridge will be taken in the first week of December only for 3 hours at night during the planned block period so there will be no impact on regular train services during the day, the Western Railway spokesperson said.

To minimize the impact on train service, blocks will be carried out during the night, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of Western Railway, Sumit Thakur was quoted by TOI as saying.

According to a report in The Free Press Journal, the focus is to launch the south carriageway girder after the successful launch of the north carriageway girder in October.

Spanning an impressive 90m, this girder will become the citys second-largest railway bridge girder. The assembly, pushing and launching processes will take place at a height of 25m, the report stated.

According to FPJ, each girder, weighing approximately 1,300 tonnes, will be lifted and launched using a specially designed crane. The Gokhale bridge, constructed in 1975, is undergoing a comprehensive reconstruction estimated at Rs 90 crore.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) aims to partially open the bridge in February 2024, following delays in meeting the initial November 2023 deadline, the report stated.

Local residents had recently sought chief minister Eknath Shindes intervention in the matter citing that that the opening of the Gopal Krishna Gokhale bridge has been delayed several times. The move comes to ensure timely completion of the bridge construction, the publication reported.

Dhaval Shah, President of Lokhandwala Oshiwara Citizens Association was quoted as saying: At the time when the bridge was shut, we had requested to construct it with the help of the Indian Army who had built the foot over bridge in Parel in record time. Our fear has come true with the fourth extension of the deadline for the opening of Gokhale bridge. We suspect the new deadline will also get extended, so we want the chief minister to intervene.

Apart from this, the Western Railway on Wednesday announced the cancellation few trains both on the Up and Down main lines between Valsad and Dungri for two hours on November 23 (Thursday).

It cited a girder launch for a railway overbridge as the reason. The train services on this stretch will be affected for two hours between 11.10 AM to 1.10 PM on Thursday.
The Allahabad High Court recently observed that even though there is a ban on cow slaughter in Uttar Pradesh, the practice is still going on. The bench of Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav, coming down heavily upon UP Police, said that whenever an FIR is lodged in such cases, flexible behaviour is adopted by the police and the investigation is not completed on time, that is why the crime of cow slaughter is continuously increasing in this state.

It seems that the police department is not serious in such matters, which directly benefits such criminals and also increases their morale, said the single-judge bench.

Taking a serious view, the bench ordered the police commissioner of Prayagraj to present the complete report before the high court through an affidavit as to how many cases of cow slaughter have been registered in the district from the year 2019 till date and how many are under investigation.

On the next date, the Police Commissioner, Prayagraj will be personally present before this court with an affidavit, otherwise the Home Secretary of the State Government will appear before the court along with the progress report of the FIR lodged pertaining to cow slaughter from the year 2019 till date. Otherwise, the court will be forced to pass an order against them, directed the bench.

Regarding the case at hand, the bench observed that it was from the year 2019 and the investigation had not been completed to date.

The bench was dealing with an anticipatory bail petition filed by one Saif Ali Khan in a case registered under sections 3/5/8 of the Uttar Pradesh Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act, 1955.

As per the prosecution, from Khans possession, 1.5 quintal cow meat was recovered. The court noted that the report of the Forensic Science Laboratory dated 30.09.2019 was also on record in which beef had been confirmed.

The court ordered the case to be listed as fresh on November 30, 2023.
A Pakistan-based terrorist, said to be a trained sniper and an expert in Improvised explosive devices (IED), is among the two who have been gunned down in an encounter with security personnel in Jammu and Kashmirs Rajouri district. Five Army personnel have also lost their lives in the operation.

The Pakistan-based terrorist, identified as Quari, has been trained on Pak & Afghan front. He is considered to be a highly ranked terrorist leader of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and has been active in Rajouri-Poonch along with his group from past one year.

He is also believed to be mastermind of Dangri and Kandi attacks. He was sent to revive terrorism in the region.

Contact was established on November 22 and an intense firefight ensued. The terrorists have been injured and surrounded and operations are in progress, amidst acts of valour and sacrifice by our own bravehearts in trying to prevent collateral damage to women and children in the highest traditions of the Indian Army, the Indian Armys White Knight Corps said in a statement.

In January this year, seven civilians were killed in a terror attack in Dangri village of Jammu and Kashmirs Rajouri district in January. At Kesari area in Kandi Hamlet of Rajouri, five soldiers were killed in May this year after terrorists triggered a massive explosion. The explosion had taken place after a brief exchange of gunfire between the soldiers and the terrorists.

Quari, the terrorist gunned down today, is said to be an expert in IEDs, operating and hiding from caves and is also a trained sniper.

A fresh exchange of fire took place on Thursday between terrorists and security personnel in Jammu and Kashmirs Rajouri district, where five Army personnel were killed and two others were injured in an encounter. The fresh firing resumed Thursday morning after a night-long halt in Bajimaal area of Dharmsal belt, officials said.

Four Army men, including two captains, died in the operation yesterday, one army personnel lost his life today.

Personnel who lost their lives include Captain M V Pranjal of 63 Rashtriya Rifles from Karnataka, Captain Shubham of the Special Forces, a resident of Agra in Uttar Pradesh, Havaldar Abdul Majid of the Special Force, a resident of Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir, and Lance Naik Sanjay Bist of Nainital in Uttarakhand.

The encounter broke out between terrorists and joint forces of the Army and J-K Police in the in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir, following a cordon and search operation, police said@TejinderSsodhi shares latest details with @JamwalNews18 #JammuAndKashmir pic.twitter.com/MaHVurCVMI News18 (@CNNnews18) November 23, 2023

The area was cordoned off overnight with induction of additional security forces to ensure that terrorists engaged in the encounter do not escape from the area, which is highly forested, they said.

The treacherous terrain of Reasi-Rajouri-Poonch coupled with limited road connectivity is posing a difficulty in carrying out the operation, they said.

Isolated dhoks (huts made of mud) in villages nestled in the mountains make the civilian population, particularly women and children, vulnerable to terrorists, an officer said.

The encounter broke out in Bajimaal area following a cordon-and-search operation on Wednesday. Two captains were among four security personnel killed in the encounter.

(With PTI inputs)
The Uttar Pradesh governments decision to ban the sale of halal certified products has sparked a fresh controversy. While the opposition parties call the move BJPs yet another attempt to divide the society, some support the decision, saying people dont need any third party issuing a halal certificate.

The certification row began with Lucknows Hazratganj Police Station when an FIR was registered against four organisations, their owners, managers and others on November 17, accusing them of extorting money in the name of halal certification and for promoting enmity in the name of religion and funding terror outfits. The FIR was registered on the complaint of the city-based social worker Shailendra Kumar Sharma, who hails from Aishbagh in Lucknow.

In the FIR, the complainant had accused Halal India Pvt Ltd of Chennai, Jamiat Ulama Hind Halal Trust of Delhi, Halal Counselling of India and Jamiat Ulama of Mumbai, Maharashtra, as well as some unidentified people of extorting money in the name of halal certification.

The FIR was registered under Indian Penal Code sections 153-A for promoting enmity between two groups on the ground of religion, 420 for fraud, 467 for forging documents, 468 for using forged documents for cheating, 471 for using forged documents as genuine, 384 for extorting money and 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 298 for statements with the deliberate intention of wounding the religious feelings of any person and 505 for statements conducing public mischief, said Ajeet Kumar Singh, Sub Inspector (SI) who has been appointed as investigation officer (IO), to investigate the matter.

UP Governments Decision

On November 18, a day after the FIR, the government banned the production, storage, distribution and sale of the halal certified products. However, the government kept the export products out of the purview of the ban. Strict legal action will be taken against an individual or firm engaged in the production, storage, distribution, buying and selling of halal certified medicines, medical devices and cosmetics within Uttar Pradesh, said Anita Singh, commissioner Food Safety and Drug Administration, UP Govt in a ban order dated November 18.

Move Sparks a Fresh Row

Ajay Rai, Uttar Pradesh Congress chief, has blamed the Yogi Adityanath government it for dividing the society on the lines of religion. It is purely an attempt to divert peoples attention from the other grave issues, said Rai. Not only Congress, Samajwadi Party (SP) too took a dig at BJP for its decision and called it an anti-trade decision. Its a decision that will affect the economy. It is an anti-trade decision, also it is an attempt to polarise voters ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha Polls, said IP Singh, spokesperson SP, UP.

UP Clerics Divided

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has opposed the ban while others support it. As per Islamic law, there are restrictions on certain things which could not be eaten. Halal certificates make it easy for the Muslim community to buy Sharia compliant food products that are permitted in the religion, said Qasim Rasool Iliyas, AIMPLB spokesperson.

Maulana Saif from Lucknow backed the government and said third parties, which issue halal tags should also be banned. He said halal and jhatka, the two words, were only meant for meat and not for any other product.

The clerics from Barelvi sect are supporting the ban. Maulana Shahbuddin, who hails from Bareilly district, said halal certification should not be for anything except meat. It is wrong to put halal tags on other products.

A senior journalist, M Tariq Khan, from Lucknow, said that the brouhaha over halal certification is nothing new. A handful of right-wingers seem to have taken a leaf out from their counterparts in Kerala where a similar campaign was orchestrated in 2020 but it petered out. There is widespread misunderstanding of the term halal. For products like cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, health products and toiletries, a halal certification simply clarifies that the item does not contain pig fat. It also means that the product is safe and unadulterated. The misunderstanding is being used in divisive posts, such as in this instance, to imply that a food item with halal certification is unfit for Hindu consumption.

A senior advocate S Mohammed Haider from Lucknow called the controversy absolutely misconceived. The certification from the organisations, which are issuing these certificates identifying certain products as Halal or Not Halal are neither needed nor required as they do not carry any legal mandate, and our Holy Book is the only guide which needs to be referred to in case any such need arises.

Meanwhile, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind Halal Trust has stated that it had a valid certificate on halal and authorisation from the commerce ministry. It said halal certificates were being issued with transparency and honesty and such allegations are baseless. We adhere to government regulations, as emphasised in the ministry of commerce and industry notification, requiring all halal certification bodies to be registered by NABCB (National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies under the Quality Council of India), said CEO of Trust, Niaz A Farooqui.

Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind Halal Trust was one of the four halal certification issuing bodies that was named in the FIR lodged in Hazratganj police station.

The UP Police has handed over the case to the state polices Special Task Force (STF).

What is Halal Certification?

Halal certification is a guarantee that the product is prepared in accordance with Islamic law and is unadulterated. In India, the halal certificate is issued by a third party body unlike in Arab countries where a magistrate grants the halal certificate.
A woman in Uttar Pradesh climbed a mobile tower on Thursday, demanding that her boyfriend marry her. The woman, whose identity is not clear at the moment, alleged that her boyfriend cheated on her and is refusing to commit to his promise to marry her.

The incident took place near Semra Raja Toll Plaza in the Bhitauli police station area in UPs Maharajganj district.

A huge crowd gathered at the scene as the woman as police and rescue workers swiftly brought the woman down from the tower. While her boyfriend is currently missing, police have taken his father into custody.

An investigation is underway in the case and the police are trying to track down the boyfriend.

In August 2023, a minor girl climbed an 80-feet tall tower of high-tension power line in the Gaurela Pendra Marwahi district of Chhattisgarh because she was angry with her boyfriend.

The situation worsened further after the boyfriend also decided to pursue her to the top of the tower.

According to an India Today report, some locals noticed the duo atop the tower and alerted the Pendra police station. The families of the boy and girl were also informed about the incident.

After hours of negotiation, the police officials managed to convince the couple to come down.
Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami and Union Minister General VK Singh (Retd) held a meeting to review the relief and rescue operations at the Silkayra tunnel in Uttarkashi.

During the meeting, the CM directed the officers and said that all the agencies should be engaged in relief and rescue work with mutual coordination. It should be the effort of all of us to get the trapped workers out safely as soon as possible, said CMO.
The long wait continues for 41 workers trapped in Uttarakhands Silkyara collapsed tunnel as the rescuers failed to find passage to them after the drilling machine stopped on the 12th of the operation.

This came just hours after drilling to evacuate 41 trapped workers resumed, following a six-hour setback Wednesday night as the American machine encountered an iron girdle.

Earlier, drilling was put on hold from Friday afternoon to Tuesday night when the machine encountered a hurdle.

Rescuers have drilled up to 46.8 meters in the Silkyara tunnel till now.

Arnold Dix, who heads an international consortium of experts in tunnelling and is currently in Silkyara to offer advice, said the auger machine is being repaired and it should be back up Friday.

Top Updates in Tunnel Rescue Op
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 23, ARMENPRESS. Gardman-Shirvan-Nakhijevan Pan-Armenian Union has issued a statement regarding the circulation of fake scientific political discourse by Azerbaijan. The Union has urged Azerbaijan to admit the numerous historical injustices committed against Armenians over the past century.

We call on Azerbaijan to take tangible measures for the just restoration of the rights of Armenians who have suffered from Azerbaijani aggression at different times.

The selective approach to historical facts, the re-editing of the past and the formation of one-sided visions of the future in accordance with it are among the brilliant examples of Azerbaijani political hypocrisy.

This explains the great desire of Azerbaijan, as a young state, to hide the complexity of the historical past, because the historical reality is one thing, and the invention of the desired past is another.

Consequently, the entire Azerbaijani historiography represents nothing more than a contrast between the desired and the reality, from which there are two ways out: either accept reality and strive to correct its consequences, or accept a position of complete denial, repeating the dangerous practice of ethnic cleansing, cultural genocide, complete violation of human rights and disregard for authoritative international structures.

It is not difficult to notice the destructive approach adopted by Azerbaijan. The most superficial study of Azerbaijani society clearly shows that all layers of this state are focused on one issue: the development of anti-Armenian discourses.

Various initiatives containing ambitions for the sovereign territory of Armenia, the activities of government officials hidden under the cover of non-political organizations, meaningless and baseless speeches, scientific discourses, festivals, presentations, congresses clearly show Azerbaijans real ideas about regional stability, the statement reads.
Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi district on Thursday and spoke to the 41 construction workers trapped inside the collapsed part for 12 days now. He told them that rescuers are now very close to them.

We have come to around 45 metres (through the rubble). We are very close to you now, the chief minister said as the rescue and relief operation entered Day 12, and the final stretch.

Dhami asked two labourers  Gabbar Singh Negi and Saba Ahmad  about the condition of the workers and praised the duo for keeping up their morale. He said all agencies are working hard to ensure that they are safely evacuated as soon as possible.

The CM also told the labourers that Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks with him every morning for updates. He said their families have been contacted and assured of their well-being.

The rescue operations resumed in the morning after an overnight hurdle delayed the drilling by several hours. Former adviser to the prime ministers office (PMO) Bhaskar Khulbe, who was at the site, said an iron mesh had come in the path of the drilling machine and was removed.

The drilling, however, was held up by six hours, dampening the previous evenings enthusiasm over an imminent rescue. Removing the mesh in a claustrophobic environment inside the pipe was difficult and the problem was compounded by the lack of oxygen, Khulbe said. He said if no other obstruction is encountered during drilling, the operation will likely get over by night.

International tunnelling expert Arnold Dicks, who is present at the site, said, It seems we have reached the door and knocking at it. We know people are at the other side of the door. I will go in and see what is happening.

Uttarkashi SP Arpan Yaduvanshi said the post-rescue plan is ready to provide immediate medical care to the evacuated workers. When the workers come out, they will be taken via the green corridor under police escort in ambulances to Chinyalisaur CHC where all facilities have been created for them, he said.

Here is looking back at the 11 days after the workers got trapped inside the tunnel on November 12, when a portion of the structure collapsed due to a landslide:

Day 11, November 22

Ambulances are put on standby and a special ward at a local health centre is readied in the evening. In a late evening development, drilling of steel pipes through the rubble hits a hurdle when some iron rods come in the way of the auger machine. Till 6 pm, up to 44 metres of an escape pipe have been inserted into the debris of the collapsed stretch. A team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is spotted entering the tunnel in the evening. A team of 15 doctors, including chest specialists, is deployed in anticipation of the evacuation. Relatives of workers who have spoken to them through a new six-inch pipeline express optimism. Today, we were taken inside the tunnel and we spoke to our family member. Sonu repeatedly told me not to worry now and that we would meet soon, said Devashish, whose brother-in-law is among the 41 workers. We called him on Diwali but could not reach him. His colleagues told us that his mobile phone was damaged. Later, we saw his name in the newspaper and learnt that he was trapped inside the tunnel, he added. The second lifeline is being used to ensure an ample supply of food items like rotis, sabzi, khichdi, daliya, oranges, and bananas in the tunnel.

Day 10, November 21

The first visuals of the 41 workers trapped inside emerge. According to officials, focus remains on digging horizontally through the debris of the collapsed stretch but rescue workers continue to prepare for other options, including drilling from above the tunnel to reach the workers. At the disaster site, a video clip captured by an endoscopic camera sent in through a new six-inch wide pipeline brings some hope to relatives camping there for days. The pipeline was pushed late on November 20 through 53 metres of debris  the collapsed stretch. In the video, workers wearing yellow and white helmets are seen receiving food items sent to them through the pipeline and talking to each other. Officials watching them on a screen are heard giving instructions, asking them to clean the lens. The workers are told to come near the camera and use walkie-talkies, apparently sent down earlier. The camera is then pulled back up so that water can be released under pressure to clean the pipeline.

Day 9, November 20

Rescuers push a six-inch-wide pipeline through the rubble, the first breakthrough at the site to help supply larger quantities of food and possibly allow live visuals. A four-inch existing tube was being used to supply oxygen and items like dry fruit and medicines. Drones and robots from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) are brought to the site to look into the possibility of other escape routes. The first machine for construction of a vertical rescue shaft, possibly around 80-metre deep by drilling from near the hilltop, also reaches the tunnel. A road to the hilltop is laid, and the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) arranges for more equipment. Also, work starts on drilling from the other side, the Barkot-end, of the tunnel. International tunnelling expert Arnold Dicks also reaches the disaster site to conduct a review. The pipeline development comes on the day Prime Minister Modi called up the CM to take stock of the rescue operation.

Day 8, November 19

Rescue work is put on hold as the agencies involved in the effort set themselves up for the next stage  adopting multiple approaches to reach the 41 trapped men inside. A road to the top of the hill is laid in a single day for digging a vertical shaft down into the tunnel.

Day 7, November 18

Drilling does not resume on Saturday as experts feel that the vibrations created by the diesel-driven 1,750-horse power heavy-duty American auger inside the tunnel might cause more debris to collapse, posing a risk to the lives of the rescue personnel. Alternative options are explored by a team from the PMO and experts who decide to work on five evacuation plans simultaneously, including vertical drilling through the top of the tunnel to rescue the trapped labourers.

Day 6, November 17

Working overnight, the machine drills about 24 metres through the rubble by the afternoon and four MS pipes with a length of six metres each are inserted. The process comes to a halt when the fifth pipe hits an obstacle. Damage to the machine is also reported. Yet another high-performance auger machine is flown down from Indore to assist in the rescue efforts following a request from the NHIDCL. In the evening, the NHIDCL reports that around 2.45 pm, during the positioning of the fifth pipe, a big cracking sound was heard in the tunnel and the rescue operation suspended immediately. The sound creates panic among the rescue team members. An expert involved in the project warns about the possibility of further collapse in the vicinity. Subsequently, the drilling and pipe-pushing activity is stopped.

Day 5, November 16

The high-performance drilling machine is assembled and installed. It starts working past midnight.

Day 4, November 15

Dissatisfied with the performance of the first drilling machine, the NHIDCL asks for a state-of-the-art American auger machine, which is airlifted from Delhi to speed up the rescue efforts.

Day 3, November 14

Steel pipes of a diameter of 800 and 900 mm are brought to the tunnel site to be inserted through the rubble with the help of an auger machine for horizontal digging. However, the efforts suffer a setback when more rubble falls from the cavity created by the cave-in and causes minor injuries to two labourers. A team of experts begins a survey of the tunnel and surrounding areas for soil testing. The trapped workers are supplied food, water, oxygen, electricity and medicines as some of them complain of nausea and headache.

Day 2, November 13

Contact is established with the trapped workers through a pipe meant to supply oxygen to them and they are reported to be safe. Rescue efforts continue as Dhami visits the site. Not much progress is made in removing the debris accumulated on the collapsed part of the tunnel as fresh rubble keeps falling from above, further complicating the task of the rescuers. As a result, the debris accumulated in an area of around 30 metres spreads to 60 metres. A strategy is devised to stabilise the loose soil inside the tunnel applying the method of shotcreting (spraying concrete) and then insert large-diameter steel pipes through the rubble to prepare an escape passage.

Day 1, November 12

The labourers get trapped as portions of the under-construction tunnel on the Brahmkhal-Yamunotri highway collapse following a landslide around 5.30 am on the day of Diwali. Rescue efforts are launched by the district administration and arrangements made to supply oxygen, electricity and eatables to the trapped labourers through air-compressed pipes. Multiple agencies, including the NDRF, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Border Roads Organisation (BRO), project executing agency NHIDCL and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), join the rescue efforts.

(With PTI inputs)
The trailer of Naga Chaitanya starrer Dhootha is out. On Thursday, the makers of the supernatural suspense-thriller dropped the trailer of the Telugu original series and left everyone super excited for it.

The trailer reveals that Naga Chaitanya will be playing the role of a journalist in his OTT debut. It presents the horrors after he finds out that newspapers are predicting horrific incidents. Besides Naga Chaitanya, the eight-episode series also stars Parvathy Thiruvothu, Priya Bhavani Shankar, and Prachi Desai in key roles. It is directed by Vikram K Kumar.

Talking about his OTT debut, Naga Chaitanya shared that he is thrilled and excited. With a character as layered as Sagars in such a poignant story, I reckoned that I would be stepping out of my comfort zone and challenging myself in a way I havent done before. While it is a fictional story, Dhootha is thought-provoking, as it makes the audience rethink choices and decisions from their own life. And I am confident that my fans as well as ardent followers of the thriller genre will be on their toes as they watch and enjoy the series on Prime Video, he said in a statement.

Parvathy Thiruvothu also shared, For my very first Telugu project, I am thrilled to have worked with Vikram, Naga Chaitanya and the rest of the team of such talented professionals both in front and behind the camera, and I cant wait to see the audiences reaction to the series.

Director Vikram Kumar also called Dhootha a fast-paced suspense thriller and promised that the show will be unique for all.

Dhootha will stream on Prime Video from December 1.
Karan Johars popular celebrity chat show  Koffee With Karan Season 8 has been treating viewers with some interesting revelations. Making celebrities spill the beans about their personal and professional lives is what the filmmaker does best in KWK. And the latest B-town stars who are ready to undertake the risk are Varun Dhawan and Sidharth Malhotra. Ahead of the episode later today, November 23, the promo video has been circulating online, leaving the masses excited for the interaction. In the promotional clip, the Student Of The Year co-stars turned the tables, urging KJo to name three of his best friends in the film industry. And Karans reaction to the question soon became a major highlight.

During the rapid-fire question-and-answer round, Sidharth Malhotra asked Karan Johar that it was his and Varun Dhawans turn to put themselves in Karan Johars position as the KWK host and ask the filmmaker some questions. When Sidharth wanted to know Karans three best friends in Bollywood, Karan looked taken aback by the question, nodding his head in confusion. Silenced by Varun and Sidharth by their random quiz, the Ae Dil Hai Mushkil director broke into an awkward laugh which was reciprocated by Sidharth and Varun.

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Although Karan Johar might have avoided the question deliberately on KWK, the filmmaker has a strong opinion about tinsel town celebrities being lonely, and devoid of any friends. Back in 2016 while attending the Jio MAMI 18th Mumbai Film Festival, Karan revealed in an interview, Movie people just dont have friends. They have so much else to deal with Ive been a friend who has been a seasonal friend, and Ive also made some seasonal friends. I do know what that feels like. He added that everyone involved within the film circuit was lost, fighting to meet expectations, success, and baggage.

Coming back to Koffee With Karan 8, the upcoming fifth episode will also showcase Sidharth Malhotra and Varun Dhawan getting candid about their previous love affairs and their present love lives. Karan Johar will also jokingly talk about his three strategies which are Beg, borrow, and steal to make Salman Khan sign his movies.

Koffee With Karan 8 is aired every Thursday at midnight on Disney+Hotstar with a new episode. So far, Deepika Padukone-Ranveer Singh, Kareena Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Sara Ali Khan, Ananya Panday, Sunny Deol, and Bobby Deol have appeared on the Koffee Couch.
Mansoor Ali Khan appeared for questioning by the Chennai Police in connection with his rape comment about Trisha. An FIR was recently filed against the Tamil actor after he made derogatory remarks against his Leo co-star. News18 has gained access to the statements he made to the Chennai police in regard to the case. Heres what he said.

Mansoor Ali Khans Statement to Chennai Police:

We have learnt that Mansoor Ali Khan, during interrogation, told Chennai police that if Trisha has been hurt by his statements, he is equally pained too. He also told the police that he is willing to appear before the police anytime in connnection with this case.

What Mansoor Ali Khan Said to Trisha?

Recently, a video went viral on social media in which Mansoor Ali Khan said in Tamil, When I heard that I was acting with Trisha, I thought there would be a bedroom scene in the film. I thought I would carry her to the bedroom just like I did with other actresses in my earlier movies. I have done so many rape scenes and its not new to me. But these guys didnt even show Trisha to me on the sets during the shoot in Kashmir.

How Did Trisha React To Mansoor Ali Khans Statement?

A recent video has come to my attention where Mr Mansoor Ali Khan has spoken about me in a vile manner. I strongly condemn this and find it sexist, disrespectful, misogynistic, repulsive, and in bad taste. He can keep wishing, but I am grateful never to have shared screen space with someone as pathetic as him, and I will make sure it never happens for the rest of my film career as well. People like him bring a bad name to mankind, she wrote on X.

Case Registered Against Mansoor Ali Khan:

Meanwhile, the National Commission For Women (NCW) had also asked Tamil Nadu DGP to take action against the actor. Mansoor Ali Khan has been booked under Section 354 A (sexual harassment) and Section 509 (word, gesture, or act intended to outrage modesty of woman) in the case.
As the release date of Ranbir Kapoors Animal nears, the anticipation around the film keeps skyrocketing. Finally, the makers released the films trailer on Thursday, November 23. Animal follows the dynamic of a father-son duo played by Anil Kapoor and Ranbir Kapoor respectively. According to the films trailer, Ranbirs character will go to any lengths to prove his love for his father.

In Animal, Ranbirs character is underlined by certain dark tones, distinct from his popular lover-boy image. At a press conference in Delhi on Thursday, Ranbir was asked whom did he take a reference from to play this angry character.

Ranbir said, Main jab Sandeep (Reddy Vanga) se milta that oh yahi poochta tha ki Sandeep ek reference dedo. Maine kabhi yeh matlab Ive never heard anything like this, mujhe kabhi yeh cheezein mehsoos nahi hui hain (When I used to meet Sandeep I would ask for a reference. Ive never heard or felt anything like this).

I think eventually, subconsciously kahin na kahin mujhe mere papa ki yaad aayi. I think jis tareeke se voh baat karte the, he was a very passionate and aggressive man (Subconsciously, I thought of my father. The way he used to speak, he was a very passionate and aggressive man).

Speaking about portraying a dark character, Ranbir said that he calls the character complex instead.

Besides Ranbir and Anil, Animal also features Bobby Deol and Rashmika Mandanna in key roles. The trailer presents how Ranbirs characters attachment to his father leads him on the path of becoming a gangster, eventually coming to face with his nemesis, played by Bobby Deol.

Animal marks Sandeep Reddy Vangas second directorial venture in Bollywood, after Shahid Kapoors Kabir Singh. Animal marks the first collaboration between Sandeep and Ranbir. The film is scheduled to be released in theatres on December 1.
Suriyas upcoming film Kanguva is in its filming phase at present. Touted to be one of the most expensive films in Indian cinema, expectations from the movie are sky high. Director Siva recently completed a large schedule of the movie in Thailand. After that, the crew returned to Chennai and resumed filming. However, due to a mishap on the sets, leading to Suriyas injury, the shooting has been halted as of now.

As per reports that surfaced on November 23, Thursday, a rope camera went awry during the film shooting, landing on Suriyas shoulders and barely missing his head. The actor was injured and the shooting had to be stopped in the light of this unforeseen accident. Fans all over social media sent their wishes for a speedy recovery, so that he can resume the shoot as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, Suriyas look from Kanguva was unveiled around Diwali. We can see from his attire and the background that it is set to be a period drama. Kanguva seems to revolve around a barbarian clan during prehistoric times, headed by Suriya. Suriyas makeup artist Ranjith Ambady has also made some interesting revelations about the actors look in the film. According to Ambady, only one look out of the actors three looks in the films have been unveiled, the other two being surprises. He also said that the inspiration for Suriya as well as other actors look in the film is from the Hollywood film Apocalypto.

Kanguva is set in both the present and the past. The majority of the film takes place during ancient times though. Kanguva is believed to be Suriyas first film to feature a large amount of visual effects. The film also stars actors including Disha Patani,Bobby Deol, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley, Anandraj, Natty Natraj, Jagapathi Babu, KS Ravikumar, and others. Devi Sri Prasad wrote the music, while Madan Kargi wrote the lyrics.
Vicky Kaushal is all set for his next film Sam Bahadur. The trailer has already created a lot of buzz among the audience and they are eagerly waiting for its release. Well, ahead of its release, looks like the actor has headed to Amritsar to seek blessing at the Golden Temple. Vicky was joined by director Meghna Gulzar and actress Sanya Malhotra. The trio sought blessings at the sacred Sikh shrine. The video has gone viral.

In the video, shared by Viral Bhayani, we can see Vicky dressed in traditional attire. Meghna Gulzar and Sanya Malhotra also opted for ethnic wear. They were seen taking blessings at the shrine and also indulged in some talks. The video is getting a lot of love from fans. They are dropping heart emojis in the comment section. Sam Bahadur is a biographical drama featuring Vicky Kaushal essaying the role of Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, a legendary figure in the Indian Army. Sanya Malhotra and Fatima Sana Shaikh are also seen in the film.

Watch the video here:

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Sharing the trailer on his Instagram handle, Vicky Kaushal had written, Zindagi unki, itihaas hamara. The teaser opens with Sam Bahadur aka Vicky Kaushal sharing a motivating message to his soldiers. Ek soldier apne wardi ki izzat ke liye apne jaan bhi de sakta hai (a soldier can also give away his life for his uniform, he says. It then presents how Sam Bahadur took the lead and helped India to attain victory in the 1971 Indo-Pak war. The teaser also shares a glimpse of Fatima Sana Shaikh as the former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. It also reveals that Sanya Malhotra will be playing the role of Vicky Kaushals wife in the film.

Indias first Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw career in the army spanned over four decades and five wars. He was the first Indian Army officer to be promoted to the rank of Field Marshal and his military victory in the 1971 Indo-Pak war led to the creation of Bangladesh.
The current tensions in the Middle East compel one to probe the roots of the hostility of the Christians and the Muslims towards the Jews, especially the hostility between the Jews and the Muslims. To trace the roots, one needs to go back to around 1800 BCE. That is the age in which Abraham, who is venerated by all three traditions, lived.

The story goes as follows. Abraham lived in the city of Ur, in the Sumer region, where he was called by God to monotheismthe worship of only one God, over and above the worship of many gods, then current in Mesopotamia. He left the city and went to Canaan, or the area now known as Israel, and that land was promised to him and his children by God.

There was, however, one problem. He had no children. Thereupon, his wife, Sarah, allowed him to have relations with Hagar, an Egyptian princess who was her slave. The union proved fruitful, and a son named Ishmael was born. However, in due course, although past child-bearing age, Sarah also conceived and a second son, Isaac, was born. Thereupon, Sarah insisted that Ishmael be exiled. In some accounts, this is attributed to her jealousy; in other accounts, it is stated that Ishmael was a rather wild child, and his presence was corrupting Isaac. Although Ishmael was the firstborn son, the blessings of Abraham were said to belong to Isaac, who was born of Sarah.

The Arabs trace their origin to Ishmael, and the Jews trace their origin to Isaac. The struggle between them, therefore, dates back to the question: Who was the rightful heir to Abraham? This issue has been the source of a lasting sibling rivalry.

It is not all conflict, however. According to the standard narrative, both the brothers buried Abraham together when he passed away.

The Jews, descendants of Isaac, finally found their kingdom in the promised land. They prospered, especially around 1000 BCE, giving us the legendary figures of David and Solomon. Thereafter, however, the Jewish kingdom fell prey to the various empires which arose in the Middle East, such as the Assyrian, the Babylonian, the Persian, and the Roman.

We fast forward now to the beginning of the Christian era when the Romans were ruling over the Jews. The prolonged period of political servitude had instilled in the Jews the hope that a great saviour, a Messiah, would arise in due course to restore their sovereignty. It was in such an atmosphere of Messianic expectation that Jesus was born. His charismatic personality and the miracles he performed raised the expectation in some quarters that he might be the Messiah. But others wondered whether that could be the case, because of the aura of non-violence around him. Those who continued to believe that he was the Messiah, even after his crucifixion, became the founders of Christianity. In other words, the key issue between the Jews and the Christians is whether Jesus was the Messiah. The Christians accept him as such, and the Jews reject him as such.

Just as the difference between the Jews and the Muslims goes back to the legacy of Abraham; the difference between the Jews and the Christians goes back to the legacy of Jesus Christ.

The difference between the Jews and the Christians is aggravated by the fact that, in the Christian scriptures, the Jews are depicted as responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus, although the crucifixion was formally carried out by the Romans. In Christian theology, Jesus is sometimes identified with God and, therefore, the Christians held the Jews responsible not just for the killing of Jesus Christ, but for killing God, or what is known as deicide.

Some historians argue that this was the result of the spread of Christianity in the Roman Empire. The Romans could not be held responsible for killing Jesus, because they were proving receptive to the message of Christianity, and therefore the blame for the death of Jesus Christ had to be shifted to the Jews. Christian theology not only aggravates but also complicates the relationship between the Jews and the Christians. Because Jews and Christians worship the same God, the Christians felt that Gods word to the Jews had also to be redeemed in some form. That is why Jews survived as a set in the Roman Empire even though Christianity eliminated all other rival sects within the empire once it became the official religion.

Thus the hostility of both the Muslims and the Christians towards the Jews has deep historical roots. In recent times, however, the hostility between the Christians and the Jews has diminished because of the Holocaust, in which almost six million Jews were eliminated during the Nazi regime. Many Christians now feel guilty about this, and therefore tend to favour Israel.

The hostility between the Jews and the Muslims also went through a period when it was not as acute as it is now. During the sixteenth century, when the Jews were expelled from Christian Spain, they found shelter in the Muslim Ottoman Empire. Therefore, although the hostility between the Jews and the Muslims and the Jews and the Christians has deep historical roots, one should not fall prey to historical determinism and imagine it must always be so. It is possible that a modus vivendi may yet emerge.

The author, formerly of the IAS, is the Birks Professor of Comparative Religion at McGill University in Montreal Canada, where he has taught for over thirty years. He has also taught in Australia and the United States and at Nalanda University in India. He has published extensively in the fields of Indian religions and world religions. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views.
The Joe Biden-Xi Jinping meeting in San Francisco on the occasion of the APEC summit did not signify any meaningful breakthrough in their increasingly adversarial relationship. To alter the dynamics behind the deterioration of their ties, a redefinition of their interests and policies is needed. This is not on the cards.

The US sees China as a rival, the only real one that can counter US global power, politically, economically and technologically. If the Chinese political and economic system was compatible with that of the West and China was seen as willing to become a part of the West-dominated global system without challenging it as it became more powerful itself, its rise would not have been considered threatening the way it is today. In fact, this was the US expectation when China was admitted to the WTO, the West made massive investments in China and gave access to its advanced technology.

The public and political mood in the US has become antagonistic towards China. The Biden government has taken steps to deny advanced technologies to China, including advanced semiconductors, put restrictions on Chinese investments in sensitive sectors, monitor more closely academic interactions between the two countries, promote on-shore manufacturing, develop trustworthy and resilient supply chains to reduce dependence on China, compete with China in connectivity projects to give more options to developing countries, pay more attention to Africa, promote the Indo-Pacific concept, the Quad as well as AUKUS to deter China, and so on.

Chinas determination to build its comprehensive national power, rapidly enhance its military capacities, discard the concept of its peaceful rise, declare openly its time-lined ambitions to be at the centre of global governance by 2049, and discuss openly the dangers of China and the US getting locked into a Thucydides Trap, explains its ties with the US moving from partnership to rivalry.

The tone and substance of the Blinken-Yang Jiechi meeting in Alaska in 2021 showed a more confident and combative China. Since then, Chinas Wolf Warrior diplomacy and the unsparing comments by Chinese spokespersons on US policies represent a change in equations between the two countries.

China makes no secret of its intention to end the US hegemony over global affairs. In the first instance, it seeks to counter Americas strong military presence in the western Pacific. Apart from developing naval, missile and nuclear capacities of its own, this includes reclaiming and militarising islands in the South China Sea. At the centre of this strategy are serious differences over the future of Taiwan. China considers Taiwan an integral part of China and expresses its clear intention to either achieve reunification peacefully or by force, if necessary.

Chinas Belt and Road Initiative, its connectivity projects, the strategy of gaining control over critical raw materials and technologies, strengthening ties with Iran, brokering reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran, entry into Middle East politics at the expense of the historic US influence in the region, increasing its presence in Africa, role in the SCO, the push for expansion of BRICS, are various ways in which it seeks to challenge what it sees is a declining US.

A key part of this evolving strategy is strengthening strategic ties with Russia, and together with it promoting a multipolar world.

At his meeting with Xi, Biden, according to the White House readout, registered the various US concerns about China and was unapologetic about the steps taken to redress the balance in Americas favour. He made it clear that the two countries were in competition but that the US would want to manage this competition responsibly in order to prevent conflict and avoid confrontation. This nuances the earlier enunciation of US policy towards China which laid out that the US will compete, cooperate, and where necessary, confront China.

Biden made it plain that the US will invest in sources of strength at home and align with allies and partners. Not that China is not aware of this, but the point in emphasising this was to draw limits to the engagement that the US seeks with China. With this in view, Biden reaffirmed support for a free and open Indo-Pacific, peace and stability in the South China Sea and the East China Sea, and freedom of navigation and overflight. He underlined Americas iron-clad commitment to defending its allies, which was a signal also to its allies that this US overture towards China would not be at the cost of its commitment to its allies. On the very sensitive issue of Taiwan, he warned against any unilateral change of status quo in Taiwan and called for Chinese restraint.

The US President also mentioned Chinas unfair trade practices and non-market economic practices. He was clear on preventing advanced US technologies from being used to undermine Americas national security, though this would be without unduly limiting trade and investment, he said.

Biden also spoke of Americas international human rights commitments and its concerns about human rights in Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong. At the Blinken-Yang Jiechi meeting in Alaska, the Chinese diplomat had hit back hard at the US on this point, but this time, in Chinas readout of the meeting, this US critique was not directly rejected.

In his meeting with Biden and with the US CEOs, Xi chose to adopt a conciliatory, non-combative but quietly firm tone in response to the USs more explicitly blunt positions. He made it clear that Taiwan was non-negotiable and that it would inevitably become part of China. He asked the US to stop arming Taiwan and support peaceful reunification. He also cautioned that military communication between the two countries would be on the basis of equality and mutual respect. He noted that US actions were stifling Chinas development and that the US should not scheme to suppress or contain China. Both sides should understand each others bottom lines, he said and asked the US not to interfere in Chinas internal affairs. In other words, the differences in the positions of the two countries were not eluded.

The US seems to have in mind the Cold War model of its engagement with the Soviet Union on military matters while making the resumption of high-level military-to-military cooperation with China virtually the central goal of the Biden-Xi summit. The US and the Soviet Union despite being adversaries wanted nonetheless to agree to some confidence-building measures, avoid the danger of a direct conflict, besides preventing an unbridled arms race. These were the guardrails that the US put in place with the Soviet Union, and a version of these the US wants to establish with China.

The US has succeeded in restoring the high-level military-to-military cooperation with China, which the latter cancelled in August 2022. This is the kind of guardrail the US wanted to avoid tensions escalating into an actual military conflict. The US-China Defence Policy Coordination talks, the Maritime Consultation Agreement meeting, and telephone communication between theatre commanders will be resumed. The aim is the management of conflict, not the elimination of conflict. Xi has warned though that military communication between the two countries would be on the basis of equality and mutual respect. This caveat suggests that China can walk away again if it sees US actions in the region as unacceptably provocative, such as the US continuing to arm Taiwan.

The fundamental question Xi asked in San Francisco was whether the US and China were rivals or partners. Xi knows the answer but still chose to ask it rhetorically. A top-level meeting as part of diplomatic management does not overcome fundamental differences. Biden and Xi have met before, but US-China relations have continued to deteriorate. Putin and Biden, for instance, met in Geneva in June 2021 but we see how any hope that ties would improve has been totally belied.

Xi said that If the US considered China as its biggest rival, the most significant geopolitical challenge and an ever-pressing threat, then wrong policies, wrong actions and wrong results would follow. Xi expressed Chinas willingness to be a partner and a friend to the US. He spoke of win-win cooperation, meeting each other halfway and handling differences calmly. He denied any intention to challenge the US or unseat it. None of this will convince the Americans or materially change negative perceptions about China in the US. This will be taken by the American policymakers as a political soft-sell.

It is argued that with Chinas economy becoming sluggish, the seriousness of the real estate crisis in the country, rising youth unemployment, and the realisation that China needs the world as much as the world needs China, Xi Jinping was compelled to adopt a conciliatory discourse and do an image-restoring exercise. The US corporate and financial sector is a powerful pro-China lobby in the US and sending a comforting message to it was important. However, the fundamentals of Chinese political, economic and military strategy can hardly change.

The Biden-Xi summit sends a signal to Russia too. Russias relations with the US are at an impasse, but China, while joining hands with Russia to counter US hegemony, is also seeking engagement with the US. In the China-Russia-US triangle, China is giving itself more flexible diplomatic options.

Kanwal Sibal is a former Indian Foreign Secretary. He was Indias Ambassador to Turkey, Egypt, France and Russia. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views.
I was struck by watching the recent discussion on Is Consciousness a Miracle? between Sadhguru and Steven Pinker, Professor of Psychology at Harvard. Although the question for discussion was not well chosen, both speakers did their best to overcome its constraints and relate their responses. After all, both are engaging representatives of their fields of expertise. When I refer to their being representatives, I mean that they stand for something greater in terms of the kind of knowledge that they pursue and teach others. They speak for their fields, as it were, not merely their experiences. At least that is how I would like to enter into reflecting on their exchange.

The striking part of the conversation was not so much what each had to relate about their field, though that is important, but rather how it demonstrated the interaction between their fields. It should make us ask serious questions about how different fields of knowledge across the world interact with each other. Different cultures in the world have developed different means for reflecting on experience by producing different kinds of sciences. How their practitioners can work together will partly condition how human progress develops.

An analogy of their interaction, albeit inexact, can be found in the philosophy and sociology of science. More than half a century ago, Thomas Kuhn proposed a Structure of Scientific Revolutions in an influential book carrying that very name. While the process of how scientific revolutions happen is interesting in itself, along the way, Kuhn talked about the phenomenon of paradigms, which are composed of a theory or set of theories which govern the conduct of science among groups of scientists working in their fields. This seems a useful heuristic for us to think about, say, cognitive science as Pinker conceives it or enlightenment science as Sadhguru conceives it. Each works within its own paradigm.

An interesting question in the philosophy and sociology of science is whether and how one group of practitioners communicates with and understands the other. The general assumption is that each does so from within the framework of their own paradigm, which provides the technical or theoretical language they work within. But paradigms may also erect limitations because scientists working within one paradigm may not easily grasp what those in the other one are saying. Kuhn and others refer to this as the problem of incommensurability, which takes different forms.

Although it is easy enough to declare that Sadhguru and Pinker work within their own scientific paradigms, it isnt clear to me that both sides of the conversation would accept this description. In fact, I am fairly convinced that Pinker does not accept Indian enlightenment science as a form of science or knowledge at all and that it should be treated with seriousness as such. It also seemed to me that Pinker experiences greater limitations emerging from the assumptions according to which he works. The reverse was not the case in quite the same way, however. Sadhgurus starting point seems to be that Pinker does represent some field of science or knowledge and he accepts Pinker as an expert or specialist.

The asymmetry goes beyond that. Listening to Sadhguru, one got the impression that he could accommodate the concepts, findings and theories that Pinker works within. He could also account for them and provide some critique of the limitations in their methodology (e.g. data derived from sensory perception) and scope of inquiry (e.g. whether there is a realm beyond the physical). Whereas it isnt clear that Pinker was able to grasp what Sadhguru was saying, let alone accept the limitations that the latter identified.

How should we account for this difference? It seems to me that Pinker is committed to the limitation that comes from insisting that the consciousness of human beings can be put down to some sort of brain activity. Claims to go beyond that in cases such as extra sensory perception or telekinesis were, for Pinker, without evidence and fictional, if not fraudulent. It was not Sadhguru who referred to extrasensory perception or telekinesis but Pinker who spontaneously produced them. This seemed like the only way in which Pinker could grasp and structure what Sadhguru was saying. It seemed as though the limitations, including the ones that Sadhuru has correctly identified, were the very ones that were preventing Pinker from acknowledging that Sadhguru also operates in some scientific domain or paradigm.

These limitations of Pinker and his field appear to arise from his own Western cultural background. In his view, the enlightenment that took place in the West shook off religious shackles and grounded knowledge on rational foundations. In this view, the paradigm Sadhguru works within was that which the enlightenment had displaced. This is despite the fact that Sadhguru pointed out more than once that he was not speaking from the kind of religious background that Pinker had rejected. In other words, Sadhgurus cultural background lies not in the heritage of Semitic religions rejected by Pinker but in the paradigm of Indian enlightenment science.

Not only did Pinker reduce the scope of inquiry by the limitations introduced by rationality, but he feels justified, even if erroneously so, by conflating the religious traditions that he rejects with the Indian paradigm. It is no wonder that Pinker does not see Sadhguru as a practitioner of any kind of science, but maybe as just some kind of charlatan. Although Pinker was far too polite to say so explicitly, that seems a plausible explanation for his dismissiveness and demeanour throughout the conversation.

What do we learn from the exchange and the differences it throws light on?

It seems evident that those from the Western culture have erected many limitations to the kind of knowledge offered by Indian enlightenment science. Meanwhile, Indian enlightenment science is capacious enough to listen to and understand the extent to which Western natural sciences are progressing and to account for their success as well as their limitations. I would like to name this as a case of asymmetrical incommensurability.

Broadening this out, one can see how those who have been socialised in a culture such as India have little difficulty in practising their traditions while also being often very good practitioners of the natural sciences. Their culture is capacious enough for them not to feel trapped in a sort of cognitive dissonance while being practitioners of both. But the reverse is less often true. We can find Western people who experience a great deal of difficulty in being able to access enlightenment science without first ensuring that it does not represent some aspect of the religious tradition they have rejected in favour of rationality. In that sense, Pinkers difficulties are not his own or even of his own making. They are cultural limitations which produce the constraints for the way in which his paradigm can function.

The writer is a Reader in Culture and Law at Queen Mary, University of London. He is author of Against Caste in British Law (Palgrave, 2015) and co-editor of Western Foundations of the Caste System (Palgrave, 2017). Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views.
Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly V D Satheesan on Wednesday flayed Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayans remarks regarding the assault on the Youth Congress activists who waved black flags at him and called him a criminal.

As Vijayans cabinet colleagues justified his remark that DYFI workers were saving the lives of the YC activists and did not assault them, Satheesan alleged that it shows the CMs cruel mindset.

Condemning the CMs remarks, Satheesan said a day ago he had accused Vijayan of having a criminal mindset, but today I am saying he is a criminal.

A person who is calling for continuing such murder attempts is not eligible to sit in the CMs office. He should step down or publicly apologise for his statements, the LoP contended.

The LoP further alleged that Vijayans remarks admiring the DYFI workers actions and asking them to continue the same in the future amount to instigating a riot.

Meanwhile, Vijayan, after inaugurating the Nava Kerala Sadas in Mattannur assembly constituency in Kannur district, said the huge public turnout for the state governments outreach programme has upset the mental balance of UDF leaders.

The CM said the huge crowd at each venue indicates that people are convinced about the outreach programme. But some are feigning ignorance about it and there is no use in talking to them. You can only wake up those who are asleep.

There is no point in trying to wake up those who are pretending to be asleep, Vijayan said in an apparent dig at the Congress-led UDF.

Earlier in the day, Satheesan, addressing the media in Kochi, said while the CM termed the alleged assault as a life-saving operation, the police have invoked murder attempt charges against those who brutally beat up the YC activists.

The Kerala police had on Tuesday registered a case against 14 CPI(M) activists here for allegedly assaulting the YC activists who had waved black flags at the cavalcade of Vijayan in Kannur district of the state.

Police have registered a case under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) including sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 341 (wrongful restraint), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by the use of dangerous weapons or means), 307 (attempt to murder) among others.

On the same day, Vijayan at a press conference in Kannur claimed that workers of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI)  the youth wing of CPI(M)  had actually saved the lives of the YC activists, who allegedly tried to jump in front of his cavalcade.

It happened right in front of my eyes. The DYFI workers were trying to prevent them from jumping in front of the oncoming vehicle.

They were saving the lives of the Youth Congress activists for which some force had to be necessarily used. It was not an assault. It was an admirable act on the part of the DYFI workers and my request to them is to continue the same, he had said. z

The CMs remarks were justified by state Industries Minister P Rajeev, Revenue Minister K Rajan and their cabinet colleague M B Rajesh, who told media in Kannur that Vijayan narrated what he had seen while sitting in the front seat of the bus.

Both Rajeev and Rajesh also pointed out that the CM also asked the party supporters and workers not to be provoked by such demonstrations and to exercise restraint.

Downplaying the CMs life saving remark, Rajesh claimed that Vijayan only meant it as a joke, to which Satheesan reacted that such jokes should not be made on a public platform.

Satheesan also alleged that Vijayan has become arrogant and intoxicated with the power he has and that is why he was making such statements. he is instigating a riot. He is calling for continuing such brutal murder attempts, he further alleged.

Satheesan said that one of the YC activists injured in the assault is presently in the ICU and the YCs district vice-president, a woman, had her arm broken in the incident.

He also termed the ongoing Nava Kerala Sadas  an outreach programme of the state government  as an obscene play and a political campaign being carried out at taxpayers expense.

Satheesan also sought to know why the ministers were accompanying the CM as they had no role in the whole programme.

They (ministers) are not taking complaints. The complaints they had received in May-June as part of Adalats are still pending. So why are they tagging along? he asked.

In response to this, Vijayan said that the taluk-level adalats received 76,551 complaints out of which 69,413 were resolved and only 7,138 remain to be examined.

He further said 10,026 complaints were received on Tuesday during the Nava Kerala Sadas held in four Assembly constituencies in Kannur district and the government has already put in place mechanisms for expeditious redressal of peoples grievances.

As part of that, the Chief Ministers Grievance Redressal Cell in the Secretariat is progressing well, Vijayan claimed.

Citing figures in support of that claim, the CM said that 5,40,722 complaints were received till date in the grievance redressal cell started during the previous LDF government and out of them 5,36,525 complaints were decided.

That is, 99.2 per cent of complaints were resolved. The remaining 4,197 complaints are being processed and they will also be resolved in a time-bound manner, he said.

Both the Congress-led UDF and the BJP have criticised the state government and CPI(M) for conducting the programme when Kerala was in a financial crisis.
Rebellions have a way of coming back to haunt. Prime Minister Narendra Modis words at a rally in Rajasthan, where he accused the Congress top leadership of taking revenge against Sachin Pilot because of his father standing up to Sonia Gandhi, stung the party. It also brought back memories of those days in the Congress which saw a tussle for the top post. Sachin Pilots father Rajesh Pilot is the man who is in focus.

Rajesh Pilot had always had a mind of his own. He was essentially from Ghaziabad but made Rajasthan his political karmabhoomi. And it was Rajiv Gandhi who brought him into active politics and made him a minister. But after Rajiv Gandhis death when a tussle broke out and Sitaram Kesri gained control of the party, the fight for the top post also began. Pilot had contested for the presidents post against Kesri in 1998 but lost. But soon a bloodless coup made Sonia Gandhi the party president. However, the presidential elections were due. This was also the time when the Congress was seeing a churning with many like Sharad Pawar and PA Sangma raising the foreign origin issue and eventually leaving the party.

Rajesh Pilot may not have had an easy relationship with Sonia Gandhi and he had a mind of his own, but he refused to leave the party. This reminds one of Sachin Pilots so-called rebellion when despite speculation he had refused to join the BJP. In private, he told his people: Its my party. I will not leave. Even those who want me toI will not listen to them. I am a Congressman, its my party too.

Its the Same reason why Rajesh Pilot decided to fight it out. But he was not one to bend under any pressure and was clear that he would on occasion stand up to Sonia Gandhi. For example, he had opposed any alliance of the Congress with J Jayalalithaa and Lalu Prasad Yadav. Rajesh Pilot was open about his ambitions and he had no qualms in admitting that he could take Sonia Gandhi on, as she had the post falling in her lap while he as a senior Congressman had earned it. But its also a fact that Sonia Gandhi respected him, and often used him as her troubleshooter, given the fact that her husband Rajiv Gandhi had initiated him into active politics.

Interestingly, two men who stood up to Sonia Gandhi were geared up to contest for the top post: Rajesh Pilot and Jitendra Prasada. In Pilots case, fate intervened. Just as he was preparing to contest for the post of Congress president and organising a big rally in Jhansi, the farmer leader died in a car accident. It was left to Jitendra Prasada to contest against Sonia Gandhi in 2000 but he lost by over 7,000 votes.

When the Congress-led UPA came to power in 2004, there were some voices that wondered whether Pilot and Prasadas sons should be given ministerial posts. Sources say Sonia Gandhi was insistent that there should be no bad blood and no animosity. She and her son Rahul Gandhi trusted Jitin Prasada and Sachin Pilot and both were part of Rahuls coterie and were also made ministers. When Jitin joined the BJP, and Sachin rebelled against Ashok Gehlot, their critics said, We told you so. But Sonia refused to budge.

Rajesh Pilot was born Rajeshwar Prasad Bidhuri and sold milk till he rose through the Congress ranks. But his base and heart were as a farmer leader, as also his garam khoon, as Kesri dismissed his rebellious streak. Its this streak, which the father has handed to his son, that the BJP wants to stoke during the polls. Rajesh Pilot is back in the news once again. He once told the media: Netaon ko khabron mein rehna chahiye. Kisiko humein bhoolne naheen dena chahiye (Politicians should remain in the news. No one should be allowed to forget us). Rajesh Pilot is clearly not forgotten.
Corporations and Responsible Leadership

Fr. McGrath, the loved and admired Founding member of XLRI Jamshedpur, championed responsible leadership for the greater good among generations of leaders graduating from XLRI. His philosophy left a lasting impression on the students he interacted with and, today, his legacy lives on through the Fr. McGrath Memorial Program. The program hosts an annual event that carries his messages to not only XLRI students but MBA graduates across the board, the upcoming business leaders of today and tomorrow. Known as MaggieSpeak, it has become a platform to underline responsible leadership, ethics, and the pursuit of the greater good.

MaggieSpeak encourages MBA students across the nation, to apply thought, exchange ideas and generate answers on emerging and current governance challenges. The event features a debate competition for MBA students across multiple rounds and a Panel discussion bringing industry thought leaders to pool their views. With carefully chosen themes such as Corporations, Media, and Governance  the need for a Better Tomorrow and Corporations and Investors can do Great while doing Good, it leads young minds to delve into pressing issues, echoing Fr. McGraths commitment to responsible leadership.

The Birth of MaggieSpeak

In 2021, during the challenging pandemic times, the Fr. McGrath Memorial Program took shape. A bunch of XLRI Alumni reminiscing about XLRI days agreed, Fr McGrath aka Maggie left lasting learnings across most of us. We all saw relevance even today in Maggies values of Responsible Leadershipand this was the start of institutionalising a program to carry Maggies messages to the upcoming business Leaders of today and tomorrow  the MBA graduates entering the workforce! We started off, amidst Covid, with an online debate, open to students across all MBA schools and got considerable participation. This encouraged us to move to a LIVE mode and the next 2 editions were held at Delhi, broadcast on YouTube live and telecast on CNBC. The format also evolved and from the second edition onwards, a Panel discussion was added, engaging experts from multiple streams sharing their insights on the chosen topic. MaggieSpeak became institutionalised and today we are rolling out the 4th edition !

Gaining Momentum

MaggieSpeak has come a long way since its inception, the 1st Edition had 36 participating B-schools and winners were IIM Kozhikode, Runners Up S P Jain School of Global Management. The 2nd Edition saw participation from 64 BSchools and MDI Gurgaon were winners, Runners Up IIM Kozhikode. In the 3rd Edition, participation grew to 91 BSchools,with MDI Gurgaon retaining the Winners crown and IIM Kashipur dislodging IIM Kozhikode. The dedicated efforts of the XLRI Student Committee, along with the support of Fr. George, Director of XLRI Jamshedpur, have played a pivotal role in building up momentum and success for MaggieSpeak.

The Journey Continues  4th Edition of MaggieSpeak

Now MaggieSpeak is gearing up for its 4th edition, which will be held on November 29, 2023, at the Bangalore International Centre, Domlur. The theme for the 4th edition of MaggieSpeak is Technology Companies and AI Governance, and the Panel discussion focuses on AI will reshape Society and Industry  How Should Businesses Navigate the Impact of Generative AI Responsibly?

The theme reflects the contemporary relevance of Generative AI, which is poised to transform businesses and contribute trillions to the global economy annually. While excitement surrounds this transformative technology, the panel discussion will delve into issues associated with it, including risks, misinformation, privacy concerns, job displacements, and more. With the rapid proliferation of generative AI technology, the need for a unified regulatory approach also becomes crucial to mitigate potential harms and ensure responsible development and deployment.

Dynamic Discussions

In the 4th Edition we have had 70+ BSchools participate and in the final rounds, competition is among yes MDI Gurgaon early years winners, and IMT Ghaziabad, XIME Bangalore and XLRI Jamshedpur. All the best to the teams for the finals !!!!!

In the expert Panel discussion on the day of the event, Industry leaders are expected to discuss a spectrum of issues from the impact of generative AI on business operations and economic productivity to the potential risks that can arise in development or deployment of Gen AI solutions and the role that governments and industry bodies could play to ensure responsible adoption of AI at scale, amongst other critical themes. The Expert Panel includes Ankit Bose, NASSCOM Head AI, Fathima Sait Standard Chartered Executive Director Technology Partnerships, Subhabrata Debnath Co-Founder NueralGarage, Sarayu Natarajan, Founder Aapti Institute.

MaggieSpeak  4th Fr McGrath Memorial Program promises to continue the stimulating legacy of debate on ethics and leadership for the greater good. Addressing the challenges posed by Generative AI and fostering a meaningful dialogue on the theme, its takeaways will transcend the boundaries of time and technology.

This is a Partnered Post.
Microsoft launched Windows Hello as its passwordless alternative for Windows laptops. You could login to your PC using PIN, face recognition or the fingerprint sensor. The company has made tall claims that its Hello security is reliable and not-that-easy to bypass.

Well, a group of researchers have proved those claims otherwise by breaking the fingerprint sensor on laptops from Dell, Lenovo and Microsoft itself. The most interesting part about these details is that Microsoft asked the security researchers to test the security levels of the fingerprint sensors that you get with laptops these days.

The company reached out to Blackwing intelligence to test the feature and see where it stands in terms of the security level. The agency used the Dell Inspiron 15, Lenovo ThinkPad T14 and Microsoft Surface Pro X models that were affected by the test and showed that the fingerprint sensors on these devices can be bypassed by those with the knowledge of breaking such technical stuff.

So how does Blackwing Intelligence manage to break the security of these laptops? They had to reverse engineer both hardware and software on these models to discover flaws in the custom TLS which is an integral part of the security sensor, in this case from Synaptics. But their findings also explained that manufacturers might be at fault for these breakages rather than Microsofts security level.

In fact, the researchers said that Microsoft has done a good job designing the security protocol between the laptop and the biometric sensor. But these three laptops didnt have it activated which made them susceptible to intrusion that puts millions of users at risk. After all, Microsoft has claimed that Windows Hello is being used by well over 85 million devices, and if most of them dont adhere to these protocols then people have to avoid using the feature altogether.

But thats just the Windows market, what about the millions of Android phones and even Mac devices that have the same feature, are they secure? Well, Blackwing is looking into possible tests on these platforms and we might soon hear more about their findings.
Dont judge a book by its cover  the metaphoric phrase was once again proven when a man from Chennai was seen posing in front of a brand-new Rolls-Royce Spectre EV while wearing simple clothes and a pair of sandals. The all-electric car, manufactured by the British luxury automaker, has yet to make its debut in the Indian market. Baashyaam Yuvaraj is the lucky customer to receive the very first delivery of the hardtop sedan way ahead of the official launch, according to a report by Cartoq. Yuvaraj is recognised as a builder and his business is registered under the name of Baashyaam Constructions.

Sharing the talked-about photograph on X (formerly Twitter), a user wrote, Chennai builder gets Indias first Rolls Royce Spectre before launch. Baashyaam Yuvaraj has purchased a Wittering Blue variant of the Rolls-Royce Spectre EV, which is likely to get a price tag of nearly Rs 9 crore (ex-showroom) upon arrival in the domestic market.

Since the post surfaced on the internet, it has attracted reactions from many users. While some referred to the down-to-earth nature of Baashyaam Yuvaraj, others underlined some fascinating features of the Rolls-Royce Spectre EV. One user wrote, Irrespective of the wealth and status, all Chennai dudes are dressed like this with those same sandals.

Irrespective of the wealth and status all Chennai dudes are dressed like this with those same sandals Heliav (@Florenc23016620) November 22, 2023

Another user found the price of the electric sedan really mind-blowing. Once launched, the on-road price of the Rolls-Royce Spectre EV is expected to touch the Rs 10-crore mark.

The price tag is really mind boggling. Nitin Sarin (@Deaphen) November 21, 2023

A person feels the Indian government should improve the quality of roads to offer the best driving surface for a Rolls-Royce car. We need roads worthy of Rolls Royce cars to start with, he commented.

We need roads worthy of a @rollsroycecars to start with  Karti P Chidambaram (@KartiPC) November 21, 2023

The picture of Indias first-ever Rolls-Royce Spectre EV was first dropped on Instagram by a page named Automobili Ardent a week ago. The car was reportedly delivered via a cargo plane, which landed at the Chennai International Airport. The all-electric sedan is slated to become available across the Indian market in 2024.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Automobili Ardent India  (@automobiliardent)

The Rolls-Royce Spectre, which includes various EV-specific features, is a sort of spiritual successor to the Phantom. The design is true to the Rolls-Royce heritage as it gets the iconic grille, which will light up in the dark to offer a lovely ambience. Equipped with 23-inch wheels, the car has a drag coefficient of 0.25cd. Its rear profile comprises vertical tail light elements, making the look more elegant.
You know, as the saying goes, believe in yourself for the world to believe in you. Well, theres a guy who took this mantra to heart. Instead of waiting for others to applaud his parking prowess on a public account, he took matters into his own hands. Its almost like a father patting his son on the back for a perfectly parked car, except this man engages in some serious self-parenting! The internet gave him a thumbs up because, lets face it, who wouldnt laugh at such a unique display of self-appreciation?

This amusing revelation unfolded when a user named @FranziaMom shared on the micro-blogging site X: My friend runs an instagram account called kikos parking service where he only takes pictures of his own car after finding a parking spot, and then comments on the picture from his personal account. Accompanying the post were screenshots featuring the blue Honda Fit Hive, masterfully wedged between two cars.

Also Read: Gol Gappa Vendors Earn Rs 10 Lakh: Mans Insta Account Goes Viral After Wild Business Breakdown

What set it apart was the enthusiastic commentary from the account creator, @ctjordan_ (Casey Jordan), praising his own parking skills with Wow! Close one! What a fit! and the like.

my friend runs an instagram account called kikos parking service where he only takes pictures of his own car after finding a parking spot, and then comments on the picture from his personal account pic.twitter.com/QUkgUwgGq8 keegan (@FranziaMom) November 22, 2023

This blend of humour and self-praise had the internet in stitches. One commenter remarked, Never this is a weird elaborate way to remember where he parked. Another praised him as a legend, saying, Hes rizzing himself up into space. What a legend.

Also Read: Woman Created An Instagram Account To Find Her Kindergarten Friend And Then

A third chimed in with, Sometimes you Have to be your own hype man. The fourth summed it up as self-parenting like.

Indeed, the Instagram landscape is evolving, bringing us content we never knew we needed. Who could have guessed that admiring a perfectly parked car, even if its not your own, would become a source of pride? And with the creator enthusiastically hyping it up, its proof that peoples interests are the driving force keeping social media alive and kicking.
A man recently recounted a chilling near-death experience during a journey from Pune to Mumbai with his 11-year-old daughter in an Uber. Dhaval Kulkarni took to the micro-blogging site X to narrate the distressing incident where his cab collided with a truck. In a detailed post, he urged authorities and the ride-sharing giant Uber to take prompt action for road safety.

Commencing his narrative, Kulkarni stated, On Saturday, I took the train for Pune to pick-up my daughter. I am a great fan of the @RailMinIndia as the trains between Mumbai-Pune are by and large punctual, safe, and help avoid traffic jams. But our train tickets were wait-listed and hence we had to book an Uber cab for Mumbai. He highlighted how the Uber driver exhibited signs of fatigue and risky driving behaviour, such as yawning and erratic lane changes.

I engaged him in small talk to keep him awake. Soon after we descended the ghat and reached Khopoli, there was a truck bang in the middle of the carriageway. Even as I yelled at him to watch out, our car smashed into the rear end of the truck, he shared.

Also Read: Tried to Save Her: Husband Recounts Wifes Tragic Loss to Powerful Waves at Bandra Bandstand

The airbag activated and slammed against my chest. I was dazed and in immense pain from the impact but instinctively looked at the rear seat to check on my daughter. She was rattled but kept calm. Thankfully, the driver was OK. We were incredibly lucky to have not been tail-ended by another speeding car on the busy highway, he continued in the post, accompanied by images illustrating the severity of the cars damage.

*The Accident*My 11-year-old daughter and I had a near death experience on the Mumbai- Pune express highway on November 19 (Sunday). This is our account and I hope that @nitin_gadkari @CMOMaharashtra @Devendra_Office @TransportofMAHA and @Uber @Uber_Support shall take the pic.twitter.com/wIOmgHDiWq  Dhaval Kulkarni ( ) (@dhavalkulkarni) November 22, 2023

The aftermath exposed a lack of immediate assistance. The truck driver fled, and Kulkarnis attempts to secure another Uber were hindered by an unresponsive driver. With no on-site first aid, Kulkarni relied on personal connections, including reaching out to IPS officer Ravinder Singal for help.

The police, led by SP Tanaji Chikhale, provided support, arranging an ambulance to transport Kulkarni and his daughter to MGM hospital. Due to logistical challenges, they later proceeded to Bombay Hospital, where medical examinations revealed blunt trauma to Kulkarnis chest.

The AftermathThe truck driver fled without checking on us. We got out of the car and walked to the edge of the road to take stock. My daughter had a bruise on her right leg. She saw that I was in tremendous pain and kept calm for she knew that her panic would add to my woes. pic.twitter.com/n6jTARUWCv  Dhaval Kulkarni ( ) (@dhavalkulkarni) November 22, 2023

However, Kulkarni didnt stop there. He criticised the highway police for not preventing lane-cutting, overspeeding, and heavy vehicles taking up wrong lanes. He later chastised Uber for the unresponsiveness of their second driver and emphasised the need for rest for those involved in intercity travel.

Also Read: Looks Like An Action Movie Scene: Car Goes Flying After Hitting Tow Trucks Ramp

I have received a call from Tata AIG saying that they will reimburse my medical costs as part of their accident insurance with Uber. I shall file the claim once I feel better. Let us see how it goes, he concluded, highlighting that the resolution came not from official bodies but from personal connections.

The RescueWith no help forthcoming, I called up Shri Ravinder Singal, IPS and Additional Director General of Police (Traffic) (@ravindersingal), and managed to convey the situation to him. Soon after, I received a call from Tanaji Chikhale, the SP and a team including PSI Anil  Dhaval Kulkarni ( ) (@dhavalkulkarni) November 22, 2023

Since being shared, the long post has garnered over 1.8 million views on the platform.
A seven-room hotel, located in Indonesia, is trying to bag the title of being the worlds skinniest hotel. This hotel is located in Salatiga, Central Java. Architect Ary Indra returned to his hometown to transform a small, overlooked piece of land into a five-storey hotel with unique rooms, measuring just 2.8 meters wide. This narrow wonder isnt just about its width; its an ode to Salatigas culture.

PituRooms (Pitu is Javanese for seven), situated at the foot of Mount Merbabu, offers guests a view of the majestic mountain directly from their hotel rooms. Compact yet functional, every room includes a double bed, a small bathroom with a shower, and a toilet. Despite its size, each room boasts local artwork, offering seven distinctive experiences. There is also a bar and restaurant on the hotels top floor.

Ary Indras creation is a tribute to his hometown, inviting guests to embrace Salatigas essence. More than a place to stay, PituRooms is a simple yet profound introduction to the unconventional charm of a small town with a big heart.

I want people to experience Salatiga in a new way, Mr Indra told CNN. I own, designed and operate PituRooms with my own team. It has become my new platform to generate a new type of tourism which involves local communities. He said, Aside from the technical difficulties, the biggest challenge was the typical mindset surrounding the hospitality industry that is used to superlative words: biggest, tallest, most luxurious. Here we are skinniest.

We tried very hard to turn this limitation to become our strongest selling point, that this is a built study of micro-space, and guests can experience the possibility of living and choreographing their movement in just enough space, the architect added.

Since PituRooms opened in December 2022, Mr Indra shared that 95% of their guests have been from Indonesia. So far the reaction we receive from our guests is that they are amazed by how little space is actually needed to live and move comfortably, he said.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially sought detailed report from China on an increase in respiratory illnesses and cases of pneumonia in children. The move came after media reported that Chinese hospitals have been overwhelmed with sick children as an outbreak of pneumonia escalates in cities across the country, including Beijing.

In its statement, the WHO stated that Chinese authorities from the National Health Commission  during a press conference on November 23  reported an increase in incidence of respiratory diseases in China.

Chinese authorities attributed this increase to the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions and the circulation of known pathogens such as influenza, mycoplasma pneumoniae (a common bacterial infection which typically affects younger children), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes Covid-19), the WHO statement read.

Since mid-October, northern China has reported an increase in influenza-like illness compared to the same period in the previous three years, the World Health Organization said.

WHO Lists Precautions for Chinese Residents

The health organisation further said that while it seeks additional information from China, it recommends the residents of the country to take following measures:

 Reduce the risk of respiratory illness, which include recommended vaccination.

 Keep distance from people who are ill.

 Staying at home when ill.

 Getting tested and medical care as needed.

 Wearing masks appropriate.

 Ensure good ventilation.

 Regular hand-washing.

All About the New Pneumonia Outbreak in China

According to a report in UK-based The Telegraph, ProMed  a large, publicly available surveillance system which monitors human and animal disease outbreaks worldwide  issued a notification late on Tuesday detailing a reported epidemic of undiagnosed pneumonia in children.

The report stated that it was a ProMed alert in late December 2019 that brought a mystery virus later named Sars-Cov-2 to the attention of many doctors and scientists, including senior officials at the WHO

The latest post, based on a report from the Taiwanese outlet FTV News, said that hospitals in the capital Beijing and Liaoning  almost 500 miles northeast  were struggling amid an influx of children sick with pneumonia.

Many, many are hospitalised. They dont cough and have no symptoms. They just have a high temperature (fever) and many develop pulmonary nodules, Wei, a Beijing citizen, was quoted by FTV News.

Now you are not allowed to report to school. If you have any symptoms such as fever, cold, cough and then you are hospitalised, you can ask for leave, he was quoted further.

Local media reported that the lobby of Dalian Childrens Hospital in Liaoning province was also full of sick children receiving intravenous drips.

Patients have to wait in line for two hours, and we are all in the emergency department and there are no general outpatient clinics, a hospital staff was quoted as saying.

Epidemiologist Eric-Feigl-Dingh shared videos from hospitals and messages from local residents in a long thread on X (formerly Twitter).

UNDIAGNOSED PNEUMONIA OUTBREAKAn emerging large outbreak of pneumonia in China, with pediatric hospitals in Beijing, Liaoning overwhelmed with sick children, & many schools suspended. Beijing Children's Hospital overflowing. on what we know so far:pic.twitter.com/hmgsQO4NEZ Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) November 22, 2023

Is It Walking Pneumonia? What Does it Mean?

In an editors note, ProMed said the outbreak could be linked to Mycoplasma pneumoniae, also known as walking pneumonia, which is reportedly surging as China enters its first winter without its stringent Covid-19 lockdown in place.

The Telegraph stated that other countries, including the UK and US, saw similar surges in diseases such as RSV and flu once pandemic restrictions were lifted, as years of suppressed circulation hit immunity among the population.

Symptoms of walking pneumonia  which generally affects young children  include a sore throat, fatigue, and a lingering cough that can last for weeks or months. In severe cases, this can eventually deteriorate into pneumonia, the report mentioned.

China Daily quoted Zhou Huixia, director of the childrens medical centre at the Seventh Medical Center of the Chinese PLA General Hospital, as saying: It is the first wave of mycoplasma pneumoniae infections since most Covid-19 containment measures were lifted at the beginning of this year.

The wave has appeared particularly ferocious since the National Day holiday in early October. Compared to previous years, we found more patients with mixed infections, drug resistance and lobar pneumonia, she was further quoted.

Huixia added that the intense wave of infections is expected to peak in November, and may coincide with an uptick in other infectious respiratory diseases that were suppressed during lockdowns.
The release of hostages under a temporary truce between Israel and Hamas in Gaza will not happen before Friday, Israels national security adviser said, thwarting hopes of a breakthrough deal to pause the brutal and bloody seven-week-old war.

This comes a day after both warring sides had agreed to a ceasefire for at least four days to let in humanitarian aid and free at least 50 hostages held in Gaza in exchange for at least 150 Palestinians jailed in Israel. A delay in implementation of a truce in the Gaza Strip was reportedly due to last minute details over which hostages would be released and how. The truce, widely expected to go into force on Thursday but delayed during the night, had been put back over the names of the Israeli hostages and the modalities of their release, according to AFP.

Israel, Hamas Agree on 4-Day Ceasefire and Release of 50 Hostages: Key Points

The negotiations on the release of our hostages are advancing and continuing constantly, Israeli National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said in a statement released by the prime ministers office. The start of the release will take place according to the original agreement between the sides, and not before Friday, it said.

24-Hour Delay?

Israeli media reported that there was a 24-hour delay because the agreement was not signed by Hamas and mediator Qatar. The official said they were optimistic the agreement would be carried out when it was signed. No one said there would be a release tomorrow except the media  We had to make it clear that no release is planned before Friday, because of the uncertainty that hostages families are facing, Kan quoted a source in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus office as saying, according to Reuters.

Since the Hamas attack on southern Israel that surprised the government and shocked Israelis, five hostages have been recovered alive. Israel says 1,200 people were killed, mostly civilians and about 240 hostages of different nationalities taken hostage by Islamist gunmen. In retaliation, Israel has subjected Hamas-ruled Gaza to a siege and relentless bombardment. More than 14,000 Gazans have been killed, around 40% of them children, according to medical officials in the territory.

Need to know they are alive

Hanegbis statement was released about an hour after the late-night press conference by Netanyahu where he made no mention of a potential delay in implementation of the agreement. The Red Cross will be able to visit any remaining hostages in Gaza, Netanyahu said.

The outline that has been achieved does not include the release of murderers. It does include visits by Red Cross representatives to the hostages and the delivery of medicines to them. Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) November 22, 2023

We need to know they are alive, if theyre okay. Its the minimum, said Gilad Korngold, who drew just a measure of comfort from the deal between Israel and Hamas and was among those who was still awaiting word of relatives. Seven of his family members, including his 3-year-old granddaughter, were taken hostage.

I want everybody back. But I think  and its a very tough decision  but I think the children and women must be (first). theyre most fragile. You know, they need to get out. The United States also hoped that aid would begin reaching Gaza in large volumes within the next few days, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said.

50 Hostages, 4 Day Pause, 300 Palestinians

The 50 hostages would be released over four days at a rate of at least 10 daily, Netanyahus office said. The truce could be extended day by day as long as an additional 10 hostages were freed per day, it said. Israels justice ministry published a list of 300 names of Palestinian prisoners who could be freed.

Hamas said the initial 50 hostages would be released in exchange for 150 Palestinian women and children imprisoned in Israel. Hundreds of trucks of humanitarian, medical and fuel supplies would enter Gaza, while Israel would halt all air sorties over southern Gaza and maintain a daily six-hour daytime no-fly window in the north, Hamas said. The truce agreement, the first in a nearly seven-week-long war, was reached after mediation by Qatar and the United States.

(With agency inputs)
"Today, November 23, at 10:00 p.m., the 26th Telethon of the 'Hayastan' All-Armenian Fund, titled 'For You, Armenia,' will be broadcast live on the Public Television Company.

November 23, 2023, 13:33 Today: 'For You, Armenia' - The 26th Telethon of the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund

STEPANAKERT, NOVEMBER 20 , ARTSAKHPRESS: The three-hour program will showcase the multifaceted and large-scale initiatives undertaken by the Foundation to promote the development of border communities and provide urgent assistance to our forcibly displaced compatriots, the Fund said.

This year, the 'Hayastan' All-Armenian Fund continues its mission of developing border communities and supporting our compatriots displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh.



The telethon will also be broadcast by satellite in Europe and the United States and will be available atwww.1tv.am. After November 23, the entire telethon will be posted on the Foundation's website and Facebook page.

We would like to inform you that the annual telethon of the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund will be followed by the telethon of the American local branch of the Fund (Armenia Fund) on the West Coast of the USA.

On November 23, let's unite and contribute to the sacred task of improving the living conditions of our compatriots forcibly displaced from Nagorno Karabakh and developing communities, reads the statement.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reiterated the countrys resolve to target top Hamas leaders, instructing the Mossad spy agency to pursue them wherever they are.

He made the remarks at a late-night press conference in Tel Aviv on Wednesday held alongside other members of the war cabinet. This comes after a deal was announced on Wednesday allowing at least 50 hostages and scores of Palestinian prisoners to be freed while offering Gaza residents a four-day truce.

Netanyahu made the comments after a reporter mentioned reports asserting that Hamas leaders including Ismail Haniyeh are euphoric over the war and expect to continue ruling Gaza after it ends, according to The Times of Israel. Asked whether the four-day ceasfire agreement could be extended by a few more, Netanyahu said there was no such obligation.

Living on borrowed time

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant weighed in on Netanyahus remarks to say all Hamas leaders were walking dead men. They are living on borrowed time, Gallant was quoted as saying by the Israeli newspaper. The struggle is worldwide: From gunmen in the field to those who are enjoying luxury jets while their emissaries are acting against women and children  they are destined to die.

Earlier this month, the Israeli military said that they attacked Haniyehs house in Gaza. They said his house was used as terrorist infrastructure and often served as a meeting point for Hamas senior leaders to direct terror attacks against Israel. Though Haniyeh, the head of the groups political bureau, lives in Qatar, the Israeli military said his home was used as terrorist infrastructure and a meeting place for the organisations senior officials.

On Wednesday, Netanyahu said the Israeli army will use the multi-day truce to prepare for the resumption of the war. All of our forces will be protected during the pause and intelligence collection will continue, he added. The war continues. We will continue until we complete all of our goals, Netanyahu said, listing those goals again as removing Hamas, returning all the hostages, and ensuring that whatever comes next in Gaza will not pose a threat to Israel.

(With agency inputs)
A speeding car crashed in flames at a US-Canada checkpoint on Wednesday, killing two people and causing border closures after a massive security alert on the eve of a major holiday.

The blast happened on the bridge linking New York state and Ontario at Niagara Falls. Multiple witnesses reported hearing a loud explosion and seeing a large cloud of smoke near the inspection station. Dramatic videos showed thick plumes of black smoke rising from a conflagration at the crossing.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul confirmed the two fatalities in the blast at the checkpoint northwest of New York City and said nothing pointed to a terrorist attack. There is no evidence at this time that this was terrorist activity, Hochul told a briefing. (It was) a horrific incident, a crash, an explosion but at this time no known terrorist connection.

Just came from the scene of this horrible incident at the Rainbow Bridge. No evidence of terrorism indicated at this time.Grateful for our first responders keeping drivers and residents safe on this busy travel day. Will continue to update on any developments. https://t.co/nNGFPHm0bm  Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) November 22, 2023

Crash Near Niagara Falls

The explosion happened at the major Rainbow Bridge crossing near Niagara Falls with nothing left of the vehicle which Hochul said was incinerated except for the engine. Authorities on both sides of the border activated emergency responses and images showed access roads to the crossing swarming with emergency service workers and vehicles.

In the video posted by US Customs and Border Protection, a car traveling at high speed before it crashed into a checkpoint barrier and exploded into flames. The White House said President Joe Biden had been briefed and was closely following developments. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told parliament this is obviously a very serious situation.

Went flying up into the air

Weve seen this car coming down towards the border and he was flying  over 100 miles an hour, Mike Guenther, a Canadian visiting the United States, told CBS News. The car then swerved and hit the fence, went flying up into the air, he said. He went up into the air and we just seen the fireball and thats all we could see. It was just covered in smoke everywhere.

The incident came on the eve of the Thanksgiving holiday, one of the busiest days for travel when millions of Americans take to the roads and skies. Rainbow Bridge  among the busiest crossings between Canada and the United States  has 16 vehicle lanes and is normally open around the clock, according to US Customs and Border Protection.

Hochul said that debris was spread across as many as 14 of the lanes following the incident. Three other nearby border crossings had been closed in the aftermath of the incident, but had since reopened, US Customs and Border Protection said. On the US side, Niagara Falls State Park, which attracts millions of visitors every year, was closed until further notice according to the Parks Service.

(With agency inputs)
American billionaire investor Warren Buffett has expressed gratitude at the Thanksgiving festival, announcing the donation of 2.4 million Class B shares of Berkshire Hathaway stock to family-run charitable foundations.

The donations, totaling about $876 million, include contributions to The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, The Sherwood Foundation, The Howard G. Buffett Foundation, and NoVo Foundation. This is the second consecutive year that he supplemented his regular summer donations to these foundations and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Warren Buffett said he has donated about $866 million of Berkshire Hathaway stock to four family charities, and told shareholders I feel good as he moves nearer the sunset of his storied investing career https://t.co/s62sT7ESPR Reuters (@Reuters) November 22, 2023

My children, along with their father, have a common belief that dynastic wealth, though both legal and common in much of the world including the United States, is not desirable, Buffett said in the statement, adding that after his death, his children would act as trustees of a charitable trust that would inherit 99% of his wealth.

The testamentary trust will be self-liquidating after a decade or so and operate with a lean staff, Buffett said. His will will be available for inspection at the county courthouse in Omaha, he said. One of the most renowned billionaire investors in the US first committed to giving away his fortune in 2006, and in 2012, he increased the annual donations he made to the foundations.

(With agency inputs)
The Israeli army on Wednesday showed a reinforced tunnel beside Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza, that it said had served as a command post for Hamas fighters. The largest hospital in the densely populated Palestinian enclave has been the focal point of the fight between Israel and the militants for the past few weeks.

Journalists were taken to the 150-meter-long narrow stone tunnel, some two meters high, which was accessed through an outdoor shaft in the hospital complex grounds, which were once crowded with tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians.

The media tour came after a deal was announced on Wednesday allowing at least 50 hostages and scores of Palestinian prisoners to be freed while offering besieged Gaza residents a four-day truce after weeks of all-out war. The living quarters, located at the end of the tunnel, had an air conditioner, kitchen, bathroom and pair of metal cots in a room fashioned from rusty white tile.

Thats the way that they survive because they use the hospital as a human shield that protects them, said Colonel Elad Tsuri, commander of an Israeli armoured brigade that found the tunnel. And here they can stay for a long time. There is a room with air conditioning inside.

Israeli military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said, Shifa Hospital is the hugest hospital in Gaza, and its also the hugest terror facility of Hamas. Hamas battalion commanders were conducting command and control, firing rockets from here.

Al-Shifa Hospital from aboveHamas terror complex belowHamas hides behind hospitalsAnd heres the drone footageThat incontrovertibly proves itHamas wages war from hospitalsWill the world condemn Hamas? pic.twitter.com/xvvqErP0t1 Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 22, 2023

Shifa hospital complex

Israel has long accused Hamas of using the Shifa hospital complex as a command and control center as part of a wider strategy that seeks to hide its forces among the civilian population. Hamas and hospital officials have denied the accusation, with Palestinians accusing Israel of targeting hospitals.

Journalists were driven in Israeli military vehicles to the hospital complex in the northern Gaza Strip past a landscape of buildings destroyed or vacated during Israels nearly seven-week-old war. We assume that there is another way out that they prepared. Its not open yet and we are sure that there are ways to the city from here, Tsuri said.

Israel has faced international criticism for its Gaza campaign, including its attacks on Shifa. Israel has killed over 11,000 people in the strip since Hamas Oct. 7 attack on Israel in which 1,200 people were killed and 240 taken hostage. Outside on the ground, the Israeli army showed scores of guns, grenades and other explosives that military spokesperson Hagari said had been collected in recent days inside the hospital, a motor home and nearby cars.

He said the body of one hostage, Noa Marciano, 19, had been recovered by the army outside a nearby medical clinic. Hamas earlier released a video saying she had died in an Israeli air strike. Notably, the White House has said its independent intelligence supported Israels claim that Hamas was using Gazas hospitals, including Shifa, to hide command posts.

(With agency inputs)
An unusual discovery in the front yard of a woman's home has sent social media into a spin after photos were shared by the perplexed homeowner asking what they could be.

The photos posted on Facebook show three pink bullet-shaped objects nestled among some sticks at the base of a large tree  a sight that made the Perth resident stop and ponder.

"Does anyone know what these are?" she questioned on Wednesday. "Ive just found out front". The woman from Fremantle said she was hesitant to move them or even touch them. The suggestions came in thick and fast and ranged from "dinosaur eggs" to "sea glass" and even crystals.

The Perth woman found these bullet-shaped objects in the garden outside of her home. Source: Facebook

Many agreed the objects resembled animal eggs, but struggled to identify the type. "Looks like eggs of some kind. Interested to see what it turns out to be," one person suggested. "They look reptilian, some sort of snake?" said another, to which the poster agreed. But the thought of them hatching made the Perth woman shiver. "My original concern [was that] our heatwave here in WA [could cause them to] suddenly hatch," she said.

The woman later confirmed that she notified her council and the state's Department of Biodiversity and Conservation and Attractions, but neither could give her answers. The mystery has even baffled some experts who say they don't appear to be from a snake, lizard or bird. Snake eggs are typically white in colour.

Mystery find identified by experts

Yahoo News Australia can confirm the mysterious objects are in fact snake eggs  but they're infertile, meaning there's no snake inside. These are also known as slugs.

"That will happen quite regularly because [snakes] do have a large clutch, and not all of them will be fertile," Tina Chenery, a venomous snake handler and wildlife exhibitor, told Yahoo. "Sometimes it could be that the female wasn't in good condition, or it could just be a bad clutch of eggs."

Story continues

The mysterious find has been identified as infertile snake eggs, or slugs. Source: Facebook

Slugs can also vary in colour ranging from a shade of yellow through to black. "They will look distinctly off. Just like when you go to the supermarket and the food is not up to scratch. You can tell the difference," Chenery explained.

Since they're infertile, the eggs will not hatch and it's best to leave them where they are. "They will get preyed upon by other lizards," like monitor lizards which feed on eggs," Chenery said. Her husband John said it's likely there are other fertile eggs around, and the female snake might be too.

"In our experience with snakes, if they've got slugs like that, they'll discard those ones and then keep the good ones sort of altogether," he explained. Many snake species do this sort of thing he said, but it's impossible to tell what type of snake is responsible for these eggs.

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Two United Methodist Church in Zimbabwe members have filed a High Court petition against their leader, Bishop Eben Nhiwatiwa over their opposing views on homosexuality and to compel him to retire.

The petitioners, Mr Peter Musuka of the Chisipite Circuit in Harare East District of the Zimbabwe East Annual Conference and Mr Kelvin Chitowo of the Chinzanga Circuit in the MutokoMudzi District under the Zimbabwe West Annual Conference, are the first and second applicants, respectively.

According to High Court documents, the two applicants submitted a court application on November 9, under case number HCH7292/23 through their legal representatives, Hofisi & Partners Commercial Attorneys. The application seeks two declaratory orders and a prohibitory interdict.

In their founding affidavit, jointly signed by Mr Musuka and Mr Chitowo, the two church members request that the High Court declares the bishops continued tenure illegal. They allege that he is in violation of paragraph 408 of the churchs Book of Discipline, which serves as the churchs constitution, mandating a bishops retirement upon reaching the age of 68 years.

In their second declaratory order, the applicants seek a High Court ruling that grants their local churches a limited right to disaffiliate, up to December 31, as per the newly- introduced paragraph 2553 of the Book of Discipline, which was inserted through the 2019 addendum.

The paragraph allows a local church to vote to disaffiliate or leave the church by December 31, if it disagrees with the practice of homosexuality.

The two applicants maintain that their local churches have the right to vote on disaffiliation due to concerns surrounding homosexuality, with a deadline of December 31. They assert that Bishop Nhiwatiwa is obstructing this right and allege that the deadline is rapidly approaching.

Through the prohibitory interdict, the applicants are seeking a High Court order restraining Bishop Nhiwatiwa from impeding their local churches and other United Methodist churches in Zimbabwe from exercising their right to disaffiliate. They demand that he refrain from interfering with the disaffiliation vote or process.

Mr Musuka asserts that the bishop is currently 74 years old, having been appointed in 2004 when he was 55.

He contends that Bishop Nhiwatiwa is unlawfully holding onto his position. According to paragraph 408(1) of the Book of Discipline, which governs mandatory retirement, the bishop should have retired.

Mr Musuka claims in one of his statements that the true reason respondent (the bishop) is not retiring is that he is backing homosexuality to appease his church superiors in the Western world, particularly in the United States of America.

On disaffiliation, Mr Musuka submitted: It is not a secret that in the United Methodist Church there is documented disagreement over the practice of homosexuality in the church. Many like me are against it while there are some in other (United Methodist) churches particularly in the western world such as the United States who support the practice.

The difference in opinion gave rise to two main factions within the United Methodist Church, namely the traditionalists or conservative faction and the liberal or Continuing United Methodist Church faction. The traditionalists are against homosexuality.

They are against the intended amendment of the churchs Book of Discipline to accommodate the practice of homosexuality by those who identify themselves as LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer). On the other hand, the liberal supports the practice of homosexuality.

Church members in Zimbabwe are reportedly worried that after December 31, homosexuality will be accepted as normal in the church.

I am of the firm belief that homosexuality is morally wrong. It is against public interest. It is also illegal in terms of the laws of Zimbabwe. Promoting it in Zimbabwe amounts to supporting violation of the law, argued Mr Musuka. Herald






A CITY neurologist questioned the credentials of another senior specialist physician and supervisor who he claimed had NEVER SEEN THE ENTRANCE OF A NEUROLOGY TRAINING CENTRE.

The row has now spilled into court. Dr Lennon Gwaunza claimed Dr Andrew Matarutse was masquerading as a specialist physician.

Dr Matarutse runs a surgery in Milton Park.

He practices clinical neurology and internal medicine with a special assignment to supervise doctors at Parirenyatwa Hospital.

The cyber bulling and harassment case is now being heard by Harare magistrate Apolonia Marutya.

Dr Gwaunza was granted US$100 bail yesterday.

He was ordered not to circulate any information related to Dr Andrew Matarutse, or his qualifications.

He will be back in court on January 22 for routine remand.

Dr Gwaunza is accused of sending an e-mail to the Medical and Dental Practitioners Council of Zimbabwe (MDPCZ), in which he claimed Dr. Mataruse never saw the entrance of a neurology training centre.

The court heard that on February 13, 2020, at around 6.13pm, Dr Gwaunza unlawfully and intentionally generated a data message using his email address, [email protected] to the following effect.

I was volunteering at Pari and I have from immediate effect relinquished that role so I will be unable to supervise Dr Mushawarimwa.

Secondly, Dr Mushawarimwa is a fully fledged neurologist who doesnt need to be supervised by myself or by Dr Mataruse who isnt a clinically trained neurologist.

However, Council feels its in Dr. Mushawarimwas interest that he is supervised by someone who has never seen the entrance of a neurology training centre.

Please by all means, go ahead.

I will not be involved in that circus, reads the email.

Allegations by the State point that Dr Gwaunza intended to humiliate and cause emotional distress when he shared the information with MDCPZ administrator, Julian Mashingaidze, and Josephine Mwatukuya (former registrar), among other recipients.

It is the States case that despite previous warnings to desist from circulating the rumours, Dr Gwaunza had a criminal intent to harass Dr Matarutse into stopping from practicing clinical neurology at his surgery in Milton Park.

The e-mail also branded Dr Matarutse a fraud, who is not worth the status in which he holds himself as a specialist physician in clinical neurology. H Metro






UPDATE

Nov 23, 2023 1:20 PM CST

A woman has been sentenced to decades in prison after pleading guilty to driving under the influence and then striking and killing two state troopers and a pedestrian on an interstate in Philadelphia last year. Jayana Webb, 23, pleaded guilty Wednesday to three counts each of third-degree murder and homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence in the early morning crash in March 2022, the AP reports. She was sentenced to 27.5 to 60 years in prison. Defense attorney Michael Walker told the Philadelphia Inquirer that Webb, who is pregnant, will be allowed to remain out of custody until she gives birth in February and will be allowed some time after that to bond with the child before she reports to prison.

Mar 23, 2022 1:33 AM CDT

Weeks before she allegedly struck and killed two Pennsylvania state troopers and a pedestrian while driving under the influence, Jayana Tanae Webb allegedly bragged on social media that she was the "best drunk driver ever." Fox News cites a tweet allegedly from the 21-year-old's Twitter account saying as much from Jan. 15, one of several posts referring to alcohol in recent weeks. The last tweet she posted before the tragedy, which took place in the wee hours of Monday morning, read that she was "f---ing Kelly drive up rn !!!!" in the early hours of Sunday morning. Kelly Drive is a well-known area in Philadelphia, the city where the troopers and the man they were trying to help were killed about 24 hours later.
An exploding population of hard-to-eradicate "super pigs" in Canada is threatening to spill south of the border, and northern states like Minnesota, North Dakota, and Montana are taking steps to stop the invasion. In Canada, the wild pigs roaming Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba pose a new threat, the AP reports. They are often crossbreeds that combine the survival skills of wild Eurasian boar with the size and high fertility of domestic swine to create a "super pig" that's spreading out of control. Ryan Brook, a professor at the University of Saskatchewan and one of Canada's leading authorities on the problem, calls feral swine, "the most invasive animal on the planet" and "an ecological train wreck." Feral swine have been reported in at least 35 states, according to the USDA, which estimates the swine population in those states totals around 6 million.

Pigs are not native to North America. While pigs have have roamed parts of the continent for centuries, Canada's problem dates back only to the 1980s, when it encouraged farmers to raise wild boar, Brook said. The market collapsed after peaking in 2001, and some frustrated farmers simply cut their fences, setting the animals free. It turned out that the pigs were good at surviving Canadian winters. Smart, adaptable, and furry, they eat anything, including crops and wildlife. They tear up land when they root for bugs and crops. They can spread devastating diseases like African swine fever to hog farms. And they reproduce quickly. A sow can have six piglets in a litter and raise two litters in a year.

That means 65% or more of a wild pig population could be killed every year, and it will still increase, Brook said. Hunting just makes the problem worse, he said. The success rate for hunters is only about 2% to 3%, and several states have banned hunting because it makes the pigs more wary and nocturnaltougher to track down and eradicate. Wild pigs already cause around $2.5 billion in damage to US crops every year, mostly in Southern states like Texas. And they can be aggressive toward humans. A woman in Texas was killed by wild pigs in 2019. Eradication of wild pigs is no longer possible in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, Brook said. But the situation isn't hopeless everywhere, and a few US states have eliminated them. The key, he said, is having a detection system that finds them early and fast, and then responding quickly.

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Brook and his colleagues have documented 62,000 wild pig sightings in Canada. Their aerial surveys have spotted them on both sides of the Canada-North Dakota border. They've also recorded a sighting in Manitoba within 18 miles of Minnesota. "Nobody should be surprised when pigs start walking across that border if they haven't already," Brook said. Montana has been the most serious in its fight, he said, banning raising and transporting wild pigs within the state. "The only path forward is you have to be really aggressive and you have to use all the tools," Brook said. That could include big ground traps or net guns fired from helicopters. Some states and provinces embrace crowdsourced "Squeal on Pigs" tracking programs. Scientists have studied poisons such as sodium nitrite, but they risk harming other species.

(Read more feral pigs stories.)
Security was stepped up on both sides of the border Wednesday after a vehicle exploded at a checkpoint on a bridge connecting the US to Canada, but New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said there is "no indication of a terrorist attack." "Based on what we know at this momentand, again, anything can changethere is no sign of terrorist activity with respect to this crash," she said at a news conference in Niagara Falls, per the New York Times . The governor said the vehicle was moving at an "extraordinarily high rate of speed" before it flew over an 8-foot fence and exploded on the American side of the Rainbow Bridge, which connects New York and Ontario.

Hochul said that it is too early to call the crash an accident because the driver's motives are unknown. Canadian government sources tell the CBC that two people were killed in the crash, adding that they are "highly confident" that the vehicle originated on the American side of the border. The White House said President Biden was closely following developments, while Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the government is "taking this extraordinarily seriously," the AP reports. The FBI's Buffalo field office is among the agencies investigating the crash. Four border crossings in the area have been closed, and other US-Canada border crossings are being monitored, officials say.

Hochul said the driver has been identified as a "local individual," the Buffalo News reports. The Times, citing a law enforcement official speaking on condition of anonymity, reports that the driver was a casino gambler who frequently crossed the border. The source says no explosives were found in the vehicle. (Read more US-Canadian border stories.)
An official who served on the National Security Council under former President Obama was arrested Wednesday for alleging spewing hate at a halal food cart worker in Manhattan earlier this month. "You're a terrorist," Stuart Seldowitz, 64, allegedly told the employee, who filmed the verbal attacks, per CBS News . Seldowitz confirmed to CNN that he is the person in the viral videos , who is also seen threatening to send the man's photo to his "friends in Immigration" and accusing him of supporting Hamas, per the New York Post . "We're going to put big signs here saying this guy believes in Hamas," he says in one video. "You support killing little children ... If we killed 4,000 Palestinian children, you know what? It wasn't enough!"

The vendor, 24-year-old Mohamed Hussein, said Seldowitz was not a customer but approached him and asked where he was from. When Hussein replied Egypt, he says Seldowitz began harassing him. In one video, Seldowitz is seen telling Hussein that Egypt's Mukhabarat intelligence agency "will get your parents." "Does your father like his fingernails?" he says. "They'll take them out one by one." Seldowitz is also shown mocking Islam and asking, "Did you rape your daughter like Mohammed did?"

Seldowitz told the Daily Beast that Hussein told him he supported Hamas' actions against Israel, which made him upset. However, a food cart co-owner told CBS that Seldowitz was "trying to flip the story." Mohamed Attia of the Street Vendor Project told CNN that Hussein doesn't speak English well and doesn't engage in deep conversations with his customers.

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Seldowitz, former acting director for the National Security Council South Asia Directorate, did apologize in a statement to City & State. "I regret the whole thing happened and I'm sorry," he said. "But you know, in the heat of the moment, I said things that probably I shouldn't have said." The NYPD said Seldowitz was arrested Wednesday on preliminary charges of hate crime/stalking, second-degree aggravated harassment, stalking causing fear, and stalking at employment. CNN reports that New York City Councilmember Julie Menin was the person to report the incidents to police. "This is vile hate speech and harassment and truly abhorrent," Menin wrote Tuesday on X. "There is no place for hate in our community and city." (Read more hate crime stories.)
An Illinois jury ruled this week that several major egg producers conspired to limit the country's supply of eggs in order to raise prices in a case stemming from a federal lawsuit originally filed 12 years ago, per the AP . Kraft Foods, the Kellogg Company, General Mills, and Nestle USA alleged in the lawsuit originally filed in 2011 that producers used various means to limit the US domestic supply of eggs to increase the prices of eggs and egg products during the 2000s, causing them to overpay for eggs. The time frame of the conspiracy was an issue throughout the case; jurors ultimately determined damages occurred between 2004-2008. A jury unanimously delivered its verdict Tuesday in the Northern District of Illinois and damages will be decided in a trial scheduled for next week.

The jury found the egg suppliers and trade groups who participated in the conspiracy were Cal-Maine Foods, United Egg Producers, United States Egg Marketers, and Rose Acre Farms, the family company of John Rust, who's running for Indiana's US Senate seat in 2024. Court documents show the defendants denied the claims. However, the jury found the egg suppliers exported eggs to reduce the overall supply in the domestic market, as well as limiting the number of chickens through means including cage space, early slaughter, and flock reduction, court documents say.

Bloomberg Law reports lawyers for Cal-Maine Foods "appeared stunned by the verdict," with two lawyers dropping their heads to their chests and leave them there. For the first time, the defendants have been held liable for their antitrust violations," Brandon Fox, an attorney representing the food manufacturers, said in a statement. "We are now going to turn our attention to the damages phase." Bloomberg Law reports the same jury will decide the damages amount in a trial slated for next Wednesday, and whatever number they settle on will be trebled. (Read more price fixing stories.)
Residents living in a small Sydney unit block are on edge after they each found a letter at their front door threatening to kill them, their children and pets unless they cough up $20,000 in cash.

Police were seen speaking to those living in the five adjacent apartments in the western Sydney suburb of Silverwater this week after the bizarre blackmail attempt triggered concerns for their safety.

You are all in danger, the letter  seen by 7News  begins before stating their individual address. We have been given the task to get money from you or we will kill you and your family (including your kids/pets).

The threatening letter was found at five adjacent apartments in the western Sydney suburb of Silverwater, leaving residents on edge. Source: 7News

Letter threatens to 'kill all' residents

The note, which claims to have been written by a group of good hackers who do assassinations for money, then says the residents computers and mobile phones have already been compromised.

We can listen to your calls, check your texts. We hacked your systems and got all the information we need for the job. We know exactly what your family movement timings are.

We know where you guys are working and studying. We are still outside your home observing the movement and using your internet right now, the letter continues before demanding the $20,000 in cash to prevent any harm.

The letter claimed residents, their children and pets would be killed if they didn't give the hackers $20,000. Source: 7News

The residents are urged not to call the police otherwise we will come may be (sic) in a few days and kill all of you quietly (including your kids/pets) by slaughtering (cutting your throat).

We will burn your house with your dead bodies inside, we will burn your car which are parked outside. Just be careful we dont want any police to get involved otherwise we will kill all of you in few days or months, it ends.

Letter 'a bit worrying', resident says

One of the homeowners told 7News the letters came out of the blue and were really, really random. It is a bit worrying. The guys got some real mental illness, the anonymous man said.

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Footage from the publication shows officers interviewing concerned residents, who reportedly believe the blackmail attempt could be from a child or someone with a low mental capacity due to the letters poor grammar and structure.

Yahoo News Australia has contacted NSW Police for more information.

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
It's a thinly sourced report but an intriguing one: Reuters reports two sources have told it that ahead of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's firing, the board of directors was sent a warning letter penned by staff researchers that warned "of a powerful artificial intelligence discovery that they said could threaten humanity." Reuters has not seen a copy of the letter nor was it able to secure a comment from OpenAI or the staffers who it says wrote the letter. The sources say the letter was just one of a number of factors that led to Altman's firing, which was reversed four days later.

Reuters suggests the letter may have been related to a project dubbed Q* (that's Q-Star), which is apparently able to solve math problems at a grade-school level. Reuters explains the potential significance: Generative AI's current strength is in writing and language-oriented tasks as it's able to statistically predict the next wordand when it comes to the next word, there are plenty of viable potential options. The same doesn't hold true for math, where there is only one correct answer. As such, AI would need superior reasoning capabilities akin to human intelligence to do math. If true, CNBC reports Q* could be a breakthrough in the search for superintelligence (which OpenAI calls artificial general intelligence), or a system whose intelligence surpasses that of humans. (Read more OpenAI stories.)
Residents of the Dutch city of Tilburg are being told to keep their eyes peeled for a long green snakeand stay far, far away should they see it. The AFP reports police were called on Monday night by a homeowner who said a highly venomous green mamba had escaped from its enclosure. The tropical snake favors warm and dark places, and the Netherlands are anything but warm right now; as such, the owner says it's possible the 6-foot-long snake remains in the home. Dutch News reports experts, assisted by a specially trained dog, have been looking for it.

A Dutch biologist warned the public that the snake only bites if it perceives a threatbut that it's also a nervous animal that "will strike at the least provocation," as Dutch News puts it. "Call 112 if it bites you, and do it quickly," he said. These are "really life-threatening snakes," he added, per the NL Times. The Pretoria Zoo explains the threat: "Green mambas have short, fixed fangs at the front of their mouths. ... Case reports of rapidly fatal outcomes, in as little as 30 minutes, have been recorded for this species." The Netherlands permits green mambas to be kept as pets. (Read more snakes stories.)
The party of anti-Islam populist Geert Wilders won a huge general election victory in the Netherlands, according to a nearly complete vote count early Thursday that showed a stunning lurch to the far right for a nation once famed as a beacon of tolerance, per the AP . With nearly all votes counted, Wilders' Party for Freedom was forecast to win 37 seats in the 150-seat lower house of parliament, two more than predicted by an exit poll when voting finished Wednesday night and more than double the 17 the party secured in the last election. "Can you imagine it? 37 seats!" Wilders, who could become the next prime minster , said to cheers as he met his lawmakers at the parliament building Thursday morning and received a standing ovation.

In a statement on its website, the Dutch branch of Amnesty International said: "Yesterday human rights lost. A racist party won the Dutch elections." Wilders' election program included calls for a halt to accepting asylum-seekers, migrant pushbacks, and the "de-Islamization" of the Netherlands. He says he wants no mosques or Islamic schools in the country. Although known for his harsh rhetoric, Wilders began courting other right-wing and centrist parties by saying in a victory speech that whatever policies he pushes will be "within the law and constitution." His victory appeared based on his campaign to curtail migrationthe issue that caused the last governing coalition to quit in Julyand to tackle issues such as the Netherlands' cost-of-living crisis and housing shortages.

Other political parties were holding separate meetings to discuss the election's outcome before what is likely to be an arduous process of forming a new governing coalition begins Friday. To become prime minister of a country known for compromise politics, Wilders must persuade other party leaders to work with him. The party that came next to Wilders' in the election was an alliance of the center-left Labor Party and Green Left, which was forecast to win 25 seats, and its leader, Frans Timmermans, made clear that Wilders should not count on him as a partner. However, Pieter Omtzigt, a former centrist Christian Democrat who built his own New Social Contract party in three months to take 20 seats, said he would always be open to talks. (Read more Netherlands stories.)
South Korea has concluded that Russian support likely enabled North Korea to put a spy satellite into orbit for the first time this week, and it should be clear in several days whether it is functioning properly, officials said Thursday. In a closed-door briefing, South Korea's spy agency cited Vladimir Putin's earlier mention of a promise to support North Korea's satellite program. The National Intelligence Service said it also obtained intelligence that North Korea had sent Russia the design and other data for its new "Chollima-1" rocket used in the two previous failed launches. The intelligence showed that Russia returned its analysis of the North Korean data, according to lawmaker Yoo Sang-bum, who attended the NIS briefing.

Tuesday's launch was the third attempt to get the "Malligyong-1" satellite into orbit; two earlier attempts in May and August failed due to technical problems with the rocket. There has been speculation that Russia is providing technological support for North Korea's satellite program since Kim Jong Un traveled to Russia to meet Putin in September, reports the AP. The Kim-Putin summit was held at Russia's main space launch center, and when asked whether Russia would help North Korea build and launch satellites, Putin told Russian state media "that's why we have come here. ... The (North Korean) leader shows keen interest in rocket technology. They're trying to develop space, too."

The US, South Korea, and Japan accuse North Korea of seeking to obtain high-tech Russian military technologies in return for supplying conventional arms for Russia's war in Ukraine. Both Russia and North Korea have denied the alleged deal. North Korea said its Malligyong-1 satellite will begin its official mission on Dec. 1. But it said the satellite has already transmitted images of military facilities in the US territory of Guam and that Kim saw them. North Korea hasn't released the images, and many foreign experts are skeptical about the satellite's ability to take high-resolution images. UN Security Council resolutions ban any satellite launches by North Korea, viewing them as disguised tests of long-range missile technology.

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In response to the satellite launch, South Korea said it has partially suspended a 2018 agreement to reduce tensions with North Korea and will resume flying surveillance aircraft and drones along their border. North Korea's Defense Ministry slammed the decision Thursday, saying it will deploy more powerful weapons at the border in a tit-for-tat measure. "From now on, our army will never be bound by the September 19 North-South Military Agreement," it said in a statement, per NBC News. A US State Department rep called South Korea's decision a "prudent and restrained response," noting that the restoration of surveillance and reconnaissance activities will heighten the country's ability to monitor North Korean threats.

(Read more North Korea stories.)
From the beheading of Marie Antoinette through the Reign of Terror and on to the Battle of Waterloo, Ridley Scott's Napoleon, hitting theaters Thursday before heading to Apple TV+, charts the dramatic rise of French military commander and emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, who is often regarded as a military genius. However, that's not the picture painted by this R-rated epic, starring Joaquin Phoenix, which has a 62% rating from critics and audiences via Rotten Tomatoes. Here's what critics are saying:
We have a date and time: The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas will begin at 7am local time Friday (12am EST), allowing humanitarian relief to enter Gaza as hostages taken by Hamas are exchanged for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel, according to a rep from Qatar's Foreign Ministry, which played a key role in negotiations for the ceasefire. Hamas' armed wing confirmed the start time, per the Guardian . The Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Majed al-Ansari, said humanitarian aid would enter Gaza "as soon as possible." Thirteen women and children held by Hamas are to be released around 4pm local time Friday. Israel is to release 39 prisoners from Megiddo, Damon, and Ofer prisons, per Al Jazeera . They are reportedly to be taken to the West Bank.

Israel's prime minister's office said it received a list of the 13 hostages to be released. The government reached out to all families of hostages, informing them whether or not their loved ones were named, per the Times of Israel. The timing of other releases will be decided later, per the Guardian. Israel has said it will release three Palestinian prisoners for each hostage released. Hamas is to release at least 50 women and child hostages over four days. Israeli forces and Hamas' military wing, known as the al-Qassam Brigades, have agreed to stop fighting for those days. Israeli will also stop flights over southern Gaza and limit flights over northern Gaza, including Gaza City, to 10am to 4pm daily.

The news came after Israel announced the arrest of Muhammad Abu Salmiya, the director of al-Shifa Hospital. Israeli's military claimed there was "evidence showing that Shifa Hospital, under his direct management, served as a Hamas command and control center," per Al Jazeera. Other medical workers were also detained. Also Thursday, Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, who "spearheaded the drive to pass emergency government regulations allowing his ministry to shut down foreign news broadcasts deemed to be harmful to national security," proposed a government resolution to stop all state connection to the Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz, claiming it had taken "a harmful line" in its reporting and may have "crossed the criminal threshold," per the Times. (Read more Israel-Hamas war stories.)
After the huge election victory of far-right leader Geert Wilders in the Netherlands, the world is paying a lot more attention to Dutch politics and the country's alphabet soup of political parties. Wilders' Party for FreedomPVVwon 37 of the 150 seats in the lower house of the country's parliament, leaving the country in what the Economist calls an "awful quandary." Other parties have had a "cordon sanitaire" around the PVV in recent years, refusing to include the anti-Islam, anti immigration party in coalition governments, but it's unclear whether other parties will be able to assemble a majority of at least 76 this time.
The police said medics tried to save the 36-year-old, but he died at the scene. The woman was uninjured.

Official documents seen by RNZ show Wipa had a long history of violent offending, both in New Zealand and Australia - where he lived from the age of four until he was deported in 2012.

Release from Auckland Prison

Just two years ago, Wipa was released from Auckland Prison after serving a sentence of four years and nine months without parole for aggravated robbery.

He was subject to GPS monitoring and a curfew for the following two months, and under the condition that for six months he would not associate with any of his victims, and would tell authorities details of any intimate relationship which started, resumed or ended.

Authorities said Wipa had not wanted to do rehabilitation programmes while in prison, but had "kept himself out of mischief and misconduct trouble for most of this year" - which led to his security classification being reduced from maximum to high.

A parole assessment report referred to apparent threats to his ex-partner and her whanau, but that was no longer seen as a risk when considering his release because the woman had a new partner.

An earlier trial had found him guilty of robbing an Auckland dairy - two youths had robbed the store while Wipa, the "adult leader", stood as a lookout outside. He was still subject to release conditions from a previous jail sentence at the time. At the sentencing, Judge Gibson described Wipa as "a habitual criminal", and said he had been one since a young age.

Deported from Australia

Wipa first appeared in the Childen's Court at the age of 13.

Over the next few years, while still a teenager, he assaulted a 16-year-old with a metal pipe, struck another youth on the forehead with a steering lock and undertook an armed robbery with "actual violence".

In December 2010, Wipa pleaded guilty to two serious assaults, after he spat blood in the faces of a police officer and an ambulance officer while knowing he was infected with hepatitis C. The sentencing judge described his actions as "despicable".

He was in and out of prison for the rest of his life, accumulating a "significant" criminal history by the time of a 2012 tribunal hearing regarding his deportation.

"Wipa has an appalling record of committing crimes, and particularly crimes of violence or threatened violence. It is quite astonishing considering that he has only just turned 25," the tribunal said.

At the time of his deportation, Wipa had two children - a two-year-old son to his partner of three years (an Australian citizen born in New Zealand) and a one-year-old daughter to a former girlfriend. All three adults hoped he would be involved in bringing up the children.

The tribunal said Wipa had no New Zealand connection, as his immediate family - a mother and four younger siblings - lived in Australia. However, it found that was not enough to stop his deportation.

"He has demonstrated an unfortunately violent nature from an early age and it seems highly likely that that violent nature remains ... there is every reason to suppose that that anger might be used against a partner or child in the future."

New Zealand Police confirmed members of Wipa's immediate family were present at the time of his death, but were yet to give more details.

On Wipa's offences, the tribunal said his violence was the most concerning aspect.

"There is no evidence to suggest, and no reason to suppose, that Wipa would refrain from committing offences if released into the community. His record to date suggests to the contrary... all three of his most serious episodes of offending [have] been characterised by a high level of personal violence.

"There is a high likelihood that Wipa will continue to offend and will continue to offend in a violent manner."

'Worst news of my life'

A GoFundMe page has been set up by one of Wipa's brothers to help pay for a tangi and to cover the cost of flying the family from Australia to New Zealand.

Hearing of the death was "some of the worst news of my life, that I wouldn't wish upon anyone", he said. Wipa's remains would be taken back to Australia "to be with mum and dad once again".

Several investigations were underway following the shooting, including a police critical incident investigation. The matter has also been referred to the Independent Police Conduct Authority.

RNZ
Turning up to a Thursday afternoon press conference, Luxon said: "I'm pleased to announce we've concluded our negotiations"."

Luxon is the flick of a few pens away from becoming the 42nd Prime minister of Aotearoa New Zealand.

"Its historic and we'll reveal more about it tomorrow but it's important - that's why weve spent so much time getting it right," he said.

The three have agreed - now the boards need to check the workings and it's all go.

"Every party has to make concessions in order to form a coalition Government," Luxon said.

Earlier on Friday, ain't nothing was gonna break Luxon's stride - not even the lack of a deal.

"What a glorious start to the day," he said, entering Parliament's grounds.

"We're getting really close a couple of calls to make and hopefully well close it all out."

Asked if there would be a deal, Seymour said: "I certainly hope so. I am very happy with the way things are going. I see no reason for there not to be. Until it is signed on the bottom line, I am just another guy saying I hope it happens very soon."

Forty days on from vote casting, New Zealand First MP and prophet Shane Jones promised biblical feats.

"There is that great line from Exodus: Forty days and 40 nights, up in the mountain and the covenant emerge and the commandments were written. So, it is probably the day."

Politicians jumped aboard any available flight to the capital on Wednesday night with big promises.

Luxon said he was back to "bring it home".

But come morning, there was a missing Winston-sized puzzle piece.

Eventually, he made the trek to Wellington. But he refused to answer any questions initially.

Then later, he emerged with a major development - negotiations were over.

The final hurdle was who got the 2IC job. Peters wouldn't give anything away but he said New Zealand had never had co-deputy Prime Ministers.

Newshub understands the possibility of sharing the deputy prime ministership was part of the negotiations.

Seymour confirmed taking turns had been floated.

By the time the negotiations concluded, he was still coy on whether he's got it.

"In the future, that will be revealed when the details come out," Seymour said.

The outgoing Government, meanwhile, is keen to move on.

"[After] 40 days, I think New Zealanders are ready to know what the shape of their next government is going to be now," said outgoing Prime Minister Chris Hipkins.

One heck of a black Friday deal is to be announced tomorrow.
Bortala: A thriving border hub driving industrial integration

10:19, November 23, 2023 By Xian Jiangnan, Ebulayi, Liu Jieyan, Zhou Yu, Elena Davydova, Su Yingxiang ( People's Daily Online

It was a land of mystique and wonder in times of old. Nestled in the western frontier of China, it unfolds with a grandeur that left anyone who visit it spellbound  snow-clad mountains, lush forests, vast deserts, and emerald oases, each a vivid stroke in a masterful painting.

Bortala Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture is situated in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. In Mongolian, Bortala means "green grassland." Once a pivotal crossroads on the ancient Silk Road, Bortala now stands as a key node linking Europe and Asia. Within this enchanting realm of natural beauty, profound culture, and thriving industry, Bortala has transformed into a captivating wonderland along the Belt and Road.

Small goji berry, big industry

In a blistering July day, Jinghe county in the southeast of Bortala emerged as a stretched canvas painted with vibrant hues of lush goji berry fields. Goji berry farmer Wang Lei, along with over 50 workers, seized the farming season to harvest the goji berries. The goji berries in Jinghe county have thin skin, thick flesh and are rich in sugar, making them particularly delightful in taste, said Wang Lei, who has been cultivating goji berries for over 30 years.

Jinghe county, dubbed as the hometown of Chinese Goji Berries, boasts a storied legacy of goji berry cultivation dating back a century. Presently, the county spans a vast expanse of over 103,100 mu (6,873 hectares) of goji berry plantations, yielding an annual output of fresh fruit reaching nearly 60,000 tonnes and culminating in a total output value that surpasses 660 million yuan, which contributes to 35 percent of the county's total agricultural output.

Wang Lei recalled a time when harvested goji berries were predominantly sun-dried before being sold. This practice left farmers vulnerable to unpredictable weather, leading to inconsistent incomes after a year of tireless toil. Now, our freshly plucked goji berries are directly sent to companies, with a minimum purchase price of approximately 16 yuan per kilogram, Wang said, adding that with their income are on the rise, their lives thrive like these luscious goji berries.

In recent years, Jinghe county has embarked on a steadfast journey to foster the whole industry chain of goji berries from planting to processing and marking. The endeavor, steered by the company + cooperatives + farmers model, has thicken the wallets of local farmers.

Xinjinag Jingqishen Goji Berry Co., Ltd. stands outs as a paradigm to this vision, achieving a plethora of goji berry deep-processing wonders. After more than a decade of dedicated development, our company now boasts eight production lines, producing an array of products such as goji berry juice, puree, beverages, dried fruits, and beyond, totaling over 20 types, explained Dai Xusheng, the head of Xinjiang Jingqishen Goji Berry Co., Ltd.

The companys products has not only made a presence in domestic market, both online and offline, but also found their way to the shelves of over 30 countries, including the Netherlands and Germany.

This year, the company exported its goji berry beverages to five Central Asian nations. This success, according to Dai, is attributable to the promotion of the Belt and Road Initiative. As a result, the global reputation of Jinghe goji berries is soaring, and with the help of ever-improving international logistics, the global business of goji berry products becomes more streamlined and convenient, Dai added.

From desolate area to pivotal land port

Nestled in the northeastern expanse of Bortala and bordering Kazakhstan, Alashankou city is one of China's four wind gateways. The wind blows once a year, each lasting from spring to winter. This was once the most indelible impression that Alashankou city has etched on the outside world.

The border city has ushered in an extraordinary upswing thanks to railway infrastructure. In 1990, national authorities officially ordained the establishment of Alataw Pass (or Alashankou Port). In 2011, Alataw Pass witnessed the foundation of the comprehensive bonded zone, and the passage of the nations first China-Europe freight train. In 2012, Alashankou was upgraded to a county-level city.

A China-Europe freight train departs from Alataw Pass in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, July 24, 2023. (People's Daily Online/Xian Jiangnan)

As the Belt and Road Initiative forges ahead, the demand for international trade has surged, positioning Alashankou as one of China's closest and most accessible gateways to Central Asia, West Asia, and even Europe. The annual influx and efflux of China-Europe freight trains through Alataw Pass have surged. The port city of Alashankou has been emerging as a pivotal hub between China and the Eurasian continent.

The Alataw Pass has seen more than 30,000 China-Europe freight train trips from 2011. As import and export trade flourish, the scale of train services has burgeoned from a monthly average of 3.5 in 2012 to the current daily average of 17, said Chen Qian, Secretary of the Communist Youth League of Alataw Pass border station of China Railway Urumqi Group Co., Ltd.

From January to mid-July this year, Alataw Pass has borne witness to the passage of 3520 China-Europe (Central Asia) freight trains, representing an 11.1 percent year-on-year increase. Railway freight volume reached about 7.48 million tonnes, surging by 18.8 percent year-on-year, while road imports and exports have ascended to 316,700 tonnes, marking a 228.53 percent year-on-year growth.

Driven by the impetus of the Belt and Road Initiative, Alashankou stands wide open to the Eurasian continent as a pivotal land port. What was once a desolate area in Gobi desert, howling in the relentless winds, has now developed into a golden gateway in northwest China with intricate networks of railways, roadways, aviation, and pipelines.

Eco-development shines on Sayram Lake

From the awe-inspiring desert landscapes and soothing hot springs, to boundless grasslands and snow-capped mountains, Bortala has them all. A treasure-house of distinctive attractions, the region is nurturing its burgeoning tourism sector, with Sayram Lake standing out as a radiant hue in its vibrant tapestry of natural wonders.

Photo taken on July 26 shows the Sayram Lake scenic area in Bortala Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (People's Daily Online/Zhou Yu)

Sayram Lake, recognized as the highest and largest alpine lake in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, delivers awe-inspiring vistas throughout the year. This natural jewel is often called the last teardrop of the Atlantic Ocean.

The lake's scenic area hosts an abundant array of flora and fauna. Swans, mountain goats, and other wildlife can frequently be seen here, crafting a mesmerizing spectacle of humanity's harmonious relationship with nature.

As an enclosed plateau lake, Sayram's ecological balance demands vigilant care. Local authorities have taken a series of measures, including imposing a grazing ban across the expanse of 425,000 mu (28,333 hectares) surrounding the lake, restoring 130,000 mu (8,667 hectares) of grasslands, and cleaning up a stretch of 94 kilometers of waterways. These efforts have effectively protected the ecology and environment of the Sayram Lake scenic area.

"In recent years, the grasslands around Sayram Lake have become greener, the lake water clearer, and the sky bluer," Haster, director of the Resource and Environmental Management Bureau of the scenic area, told People's Daily Online. He added that the vegetation restoration rate in the area's core exceeded 95 percent, and the lake's water quality now meets Class II standards, with some water areas reaching Class I standards.

Today, Sayram Lake has regained its former splendor, attracting many travelers from across the globe. Statistics reveal that the average number of daily visits to the Sayram Lake scenic area has reached 38,700 since July this year. Tourists can take a self-guided tour around the lake and participate in various recreational activities, such as powered paragliding and sailing.

"We will continue to improve tourism facilities and enhance ecological protection, ensuring that visitors enjoy the best possible experience amidst this beautiful environment," Haster said.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Wu Chengliang)
A US couple who allegedly fled to New Zealand following the death of their adopted son have criticised their one-year jail sentence as excessive.

Timothy and Sarah Johnson moved across the world with their surviving children just one year after they found their son Seth Johnson, 7, dead in his vomit-soaked bed in their Minnesota home in 2015. The couple were aware of the young boys failing health, including bruises and small cracks on his skin, but had issues going to doctors, local publications report.

The pair, who preferred to do their own research, told police they increased their sons vitamin intake and treated his visible wounds with Neosporin and medical honey, according to court documents that also claim his death was preventable with proper medication.

Timothy and Sarah Johnson, who reportedly fled to New Zealand after their son's death, requested the court to overturn their jail sentence, calling it an 'injustice'. Source: Fox 9 Minnesota

The Johnsons then prayed for Seths health the night before his death. An autopsy later determined Seths cause of death was acute pancreatitis and possible sepsis.

Parents return to the US

Nearly two years after his death the couple were charged with gross misdemeanour child neglect, but the family had already settled into their new life thousands of kilometres away in New Zealand. The Johnsons lived in Auckland  where Sarah worked as a childrens ministry director at a church  with their six children until their visa was declined in 2022, Stuff.co.nz reports.

When they returned to the US, the couple pleaded guilty to the charges as part of an agreement that wouldnt include any further jail time, however it was rejected by the judge, who sentenced each parent to a year behind bars in March this year.

Seth Johnson, 7, was found dead in his vomit-soaked bed in 2015. Source: Stuff.co.nz/Fox 9 Minnesota

We thought we were good people. We thought we were good parents. The reality is we got it wrong, Timothy said at the time, according to the StarTribune. The reality is that it was within our abilities to seek medical attention but we chose to wait. We thought we were faced with behavioural issues, not medical ones.

Story continues

Couple petition jail sentence

The couple recently petitioned the court, claiming it abused its discretion by imposing the year-long sentence, Fox 9 Minnesota reports. The Johnsons deemed it excessive and a manifest injustice, and requested to withdraw their guilty pleas. They also asked the court to overturn their convictions, however their request has now been denied by the Minnesota Court of Appeals.

Earlier this year, Sarah told the judge the pair carry the guilt of losing our son every single day and wish more than anything they had made different choices.

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WARNING  GRAPHIC IMAGES: It was a regular Sunday afternoon when Krichelle Parkinson jumped onto her ride-on mower to tidy up her backyard this week. She thought she had completely cleared the lawn when she suddenly spotted a hose in her way.

"I turned off the blades and got off the mower," the 39-year-old firefighter told Yahoo News Australia. "I moved the hose over, got back on and started the blades when I noticed there was a wire in the hose... and for some reason I leant over just to grab it, and move it out the way."

Within seconds of touching the wire, it whirled past her, jolting her back as she clutched her hand against her chest.

"There was blood spurting everywhere," she recalled. And that's when she noticed. "I looked down at my thumb and realised it was gone."

Krichelle Parkinson lost her thumb in the mowing accident. Source: Supplied

Home security camera catches bloody accident

Krichelle believes either the blades or pulley system caught the wire, pulling it at speed across her thumb while also inflicting deep lacerations across her other four fingers, breaking them in the process.

"There was no skin left but technically I still had a thumb as the main knuckle was there but my bone was exposed," she said.

In utter panic, Krichelle phoned her partner who had left her property minutes earlier, fearing what impact the horror accident would have on her children, who were home at the time. She also recognised she needed urgent assistance, mindful that her rural home in Seaham, in the NSW Hunter region, was "at least 30 minutes away from an ambulance station".

When her partner arrived, home security footage shows Krichelle screaming "find my fingers" as she clutched her injured hand while on the phone to emergency services.

"Initially I said to my partner, 'My fingers are gone', because it felt like the the most damage was to my actual fingers. But in hindsight, that's because they were the only ones that I had left," she said.

Story continues

The moment of the accident was not caught on the home security camera as Krichelle was just out of vision, however, something can be seen flying across the yard after a cutting sound is heard.

Thumb was 'nowhere to be found' despite extensive searching

Despite Krichelle's partner, 13-year-old son and ambulance workers searching for her thumb in her backyard, no one was able to find it. Its location remains a mystery to the family.

"If it was in one piece, it could have been reattached, but it's nowhere to be found," Krichelle lamented to Yahoo.

Doctors were forced to "cut down the bone" of her thumb and carry out a procedure to give sensation to the top of the "nub" in the hope she will have the ability to grab things in the future.

It is unknown how much hand function Krichelle will have having lost her thumb in the mowing accident. Source: Supplied

The young mum recalls being in "extreme pain" and suffered over 30 seizures after the procedure, with doctors taking recovery "one day at a time" before setting expectations on what her future hand function will be.

Family adopt 'Aussie' approach, using humour in wake of accident

Krichelle admits she hasn't fully comprehended the extent of her injuries but knows she will need to "readjust everything" and "see where my firefighting career goes from here", but is immensely grateful for her family who had adopted a "very Aussie" approach to her losing her thumb.

"Within hours of being in the hospital my whole family, even my little nephews, are sending 'thumbs up' photos to me and have nicknamed me 'Nubby'," she said. "If you don't laugh you'll cry."

"My partner also rang me earlier and said, 'Is this the Hogwarts Express? Because I'm looking for platform nine and three-quarters," she laughed.

Krichelle has been inundated with 'thumbs up' pictures with her sister and nephew (left) joining in while she has started to be called 'Nubby' by loved ones. Source: Supplied

Krichelle wants her experience to be a warning to other Aussies

Jokes aside, the ordeal has been far less than ideal and Krichelle wants others to know how quickly something like this can happen.

"The most important thing is, no matter if you think you know what you're doing, don't lean off the mower or touch things on the grass when one is moving. Stop, put the break on, stop the blades and then do it," she warned.

"My hand was nowhere near the blades and this happened."

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TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

In a heartwarming gesture, Thamanna Manesh Kumar, a Class 5 student at The Indian School Bahrain (ISB), exhibited compassion by donating her 29-centimeter-long hair to cancer patients in Bahrain.

The 11-year-old avid reader has refrained from any significant haircut since 2021. She resides with her family in Juffair.

The benevolent act of donating hair holds significance for cancer patients undergoing mental and physical challenges due to their illness.

Thamannas donated hair will be used to craft wigs for individuals undergoing chemotherapy.



The hair was formally handed over to officials at the Bahrain Cancer Society in Adliya.

Expressing pride in their daughters understanding of such acts of kindness at a young age, Thamannas parents mentioned being inspired by other ISB students regularly engaging in similar noble endeavours.

ISBs Honorary Chairman, Prince S. Natarajan, Honorary Secretary Saji Antony, and Principal VR Palaniswamy extended their congratulations to Thamanna for her remarkable act of kindness.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

StartUp Bahrain, the prominent platform championing startups in the Kingdom of Bahrain, recently played host to the eighth edition of the highly anticipated StartUp Bahrain Pitch series.

In collaboration with key industry stakeholders, including the Ministry of Industry & Commerce, the Labour Fund (Tamkeen), the Bahrain Economic Development Board, and Bahrain Development Bank (BDB), this event unfolded as a special edition in partnership with the Supreme Council for Women at Riyadat Mall.

The event was graced by a keynote speech from Amal Dokhan, the General Partner of 500 Global.

Dokhan shared her personal entrepreneurial journey, delving into the challenges faced, risks encountered, and opportunities seized during her path to growth in the field.

This edition showcased five innovative Bahraini startups, presenting their compelling business ideas to a distinguished panel of judges, featuring local and regional experts such as Fajer Alpachachi, General Manager at Hope Ventures; Vijay Tirathrai, Managing Director of Riyadh Techstars; Eman Shakoor, Founder & CEO of Blossom Accelerator, and Amal Dokhan, General Partner at 500 Global.

Ahead of the event, the participating startups underwent an intensive Raise: Art of Fundraising bootcamp, led by industry experts.
Company's artisanal, micro-roasted coffee is now available in 100% compostable capsules for major single-serve coffee models

TORONTO, Nov. 23, 2023 /CNW/ - Neighbourhood Coffee Company, a women-led, Toronto-based purveyor of premium artisanal coffee, is excited to announce the trailblazing launch of its fully compostable, single-serve coffee podthe first of its kind in Canada. Crafted entirely with plant-based materials and offering superior volume versus traditional plastic capsules, Neighbourhood Coffee's biodegradable pods are compatible with all KeurigTM single-serve coffee machine models.

In addition to Canadas first-ever, fully compostable, single-serve coffee pods, Neighbourhood Coffee Companys artisanal coffee is available in ground or whole bean bags in a variety of small batch, slow-roasted blends, each one named after and representative of a unique neighbourhood in Toronto. (CNW Group/Neighbourhood Coffee Incorporated)

"With sustainability always top of mind at Neighbourhood Coffee, we're charting a green path forward and are thrilled to be the first roaster in Canada to offer 100% biodegradable (KeurigTM compatible) coffee pods that break down in a matter of weeks versus the hundreds of years required for plastic capsules," said Karen Hales, Co-Founder and CEO of Neighbourhood Coffee. "This is a proud milestone for our small, local business. By making our small-batch, premium coffee available in compostable K-cups, we are marrying innovation with sustainability while still delivering the vibrant micro-roasted flavours Neighbourhood Coffee is known for."

Neighbourhood Coffee's pods are developed and fulfilled by Nexe Innovations, offering proven sustainability thanks to five years of science-backed testing. Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) certified, the quick composting, plant-based pods take as little as 17 to 25 days to break down in industrial composting and pack a punch with superior capacity (up to 15% more volume).

Neighbourhood Coffee's premium coffee is offered in ground or whole bean bags in a variety of slow-roasted blends, each one named after and representative of a unique neighbourhood in Toronto. The Company's eco-friendly capsules are currently available in two of its most popular flavours: Medium-Dark Roast Signature Blend and Annex Artisanal Espresso Roast, retailing for $15.99 per box of 12.

"Like different coffee blends have their own flavour, every neighbourhood in Toronto has its own character, vibe and sense of community," Ms. Hales continued. "Our little coffee company is about honouring just thatit's about celebrating Toronto's vibrant diversity and distinct communities with every cup of our artisanal coffee."

In keeping with its mission to celebrate and give back to the diverse, local community, Neighbourhood Coffee regularly collaborates with other small businesses to offer artisanal product bundles. Each bag and box of coffee features work from local artists, and the company is also very active in supporting local causes and charities.

All Neighbourhood Coffee's products are available for purchase and delivery on its website at www.neighbourhoodcoffee.ca as well as in select retailers across Toronto.

About Neighbourhood Coffee Company:

Neighbourhood Coffee Company is a women-led, Toronto-based purveyor of premium artisanal coffee. More than a high-quality, small-batch roaster, the brand represents a deep nod to Toronto's vibrant diversity and its mosaic of over 100 distinct neighbourhoods. Neighbourhood Coffee is guided by a mission to celebrate and support Toronto's local neighbourhoods and businesses, with every step from sourcing to roasting done with the Toronto community in mind, one batch at a time. The Company regularly collaborates with other local businesses and each bag and box of coffee features work from local artists who receive a portion of the proceeds for every purchase. Neighbourhood Coffee also consistently initiates creative ways to support important charitable causes and is a champion of sustainability, evidenced by its recent launch of Canada's first-ever, 100% biodegradable, single-serve (KeurigTM compatible) coffee pods. For more information on the Company's premium micro-roasted coffee selections, where to purchase or how to partner, please visit www.neighbourhoodcoffee.ca.

* Neighbourhood Coffee Company is not affiliated with Keurig Dr Pepper.

SOURCE Neighbourhood Coffee Incorporated

For further information: Karen Hales, Co-Founder & CEO, [email protected]; Tara De Boer, Corporate Communications, [email protected]
The sound of children's laughter is hard to avoid at suburban playgrounds. But it seems the joyous sound of happiness is no longer allowed at a park in Brisbane's northwest, and it has left some parents gobsmacked.

A sign erected in the playground at Newmarket tells users to "consider noise levels and disruption" when using the play equipment, ostensibly aimed at young kids who use the equipment. The playground, situated in Spencer Park, and surrounded by houses, is typical of any other public area available for residents to use  although now they apparently must do so quietly.

"Users are requested to consider noise levels and disruption generated by use of this facility," the sign reads.

The newly renovated playground sits with a "popular multi-purpose recreational space" and includes "a modern playground tower, modern playground equipment and a shade sail" for children to enjoy, the council's website states. But the new addition has riled up locals after a photo of the signage was shared on Facebook this week.

A sign erected in a newly upgraded playground tells users to consider noise levels. Source: Facebook

'Stupid' council rule slammed

In a local group, many expressed disbelief at the directive from council. "I class it as a council joke, so stupid," one resident fumed. "Are three-year-olds reading this and being held accountable? Good grief," said another.

"Construction, lawnmowers and traffic noise is fine. No kids laughing or having fun allowed, even where a playground is provided," a third commented.

One resident appeared chuffed by the new noise restrictions though, saying, "have you ever heard screaming children at 7am on a Sunday?" but another hit back to say, "much rather a kid cheerful laughing at 7am rather than roadworks at 11pm". Regardless, many agreed noise is "all part of living in the city".

Story continues

Councillor calls for sign to be 'removed immediately'

A spokesperson from Brisbane City Council confirmed to Yahoo News Australia that the sign "was installed by a Council officer following a resident complaint". However, it was done "without consultation" with the local Councillor Andrew Wines who on Thursday "asked for it to be removed immediately".

The upgraded playground reopened earlier this year. Source: Facebook

Parents rage over playground designs

Recently, a $2 million playground upgrade in Collingwood, Melbourne attracted the ire of residents who compared the new version to a "prison. Meanwhile, the safety of a disability playground in Sydney was questioned by parents who slammed the unusual design. In both scenarios, the council stepped in to reassure its residents by defending the playground designs.

Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? Get our new weekly newsletter showcasing the weeks best stories.
Trendy bites, top food picks and national favourites are revealed in SkipTheDishes' 2023 order trends

TORONTO, Nov. 23, 2023 /CNW/ - As Canada's homegrown delivery app, SkipTheDishes delivered more of what Canadians wanted this year - and the data did not disappoint! Skip has just released their 2023 order trends, which unpacks the most popular items, biggest spenders and most notable stats of the year - did you know Ontarians are in their pickle era, and Albertans went crazy for bubble tea?

Here's a sneak peek at what Skip customers across the country have been loving in 2023:

The most expensive order was $1,259.71 in Quebec , which included 55 sandwiches, 3 pizzas and - in true Canadian style - 7 orders of poutine

, which included 55 sandwiches, 3 pizzas and - in true Canadian style - 7 orders of poutine Canadians love Butter Chicken - the dish was crowned the top ordered food item this year across the country, followed by Garlic Naan

- the dish was crowned the top ordered food item this year across the country, followed by Garlic Naan As a nation of self-confessed snackers, chips were the most ordered groceries , topping the list ahead of milk, bread and eggs!

, topping the list ahead of milk, bread and eggs! Is Ontario in its pickle era? Playing pickleball, hosting its first ever Pickle Festival, and probably also eating them right out the jar, pickles have been a big dill in Ontario this year! So, it makes perfect sense that Ontarians ordered more pickles than any other province in 2023

Playing pickleball, hosting its first ever Pickle Festival, and probably also eating them right out the jar, pickles have been a big dill in this year! So, it makes perfect sense that Ontarians ordered more pickles than any other province in 2023 Something was bubbling in Alberta , as they ordered more Bubble Tea than all other provinces combined

"Releasing our annual ordering trends is one of our favorite times of the year! As a Canadian brand, we love digging deeper into the ordering habits of our communities across the country, and this year did not disappoint," said Melanie Fatouros-Richardson, Vice President, Communications & Government Relations at SkipTheDishes. "In 2023, Canadians took advantage of the growing categories available on Skip, and we're proud to serve customers coast to coast and save them time by bringing them more of what they love, right to their doorstep."

Check out the full 2023 order trends below.

Top 5 biggest orders in 2023

Quebec : The most expensive order was $1,259.71 in Quebec , which included 55 sandwiches, 3 pizzas and - in true Canadian style - 7 orders of poutine

The most expensive order was in , which included 55 sandwiches, 3 pizzas and - in true Canadian style - 7 orders of poutine British Columbia : Someone in BC spent $1060.50 on 15 bottles of liquor (including two bottles of Grey Goosefancy!)

Someone in BC spent on 15 bottles of liquor (including two bottles of Grey Goosefancy!) Alberta : Someone in Alberta spent $921.61 on 36 plates of chicken with 2 salads thrown in for good measure!

Someone in spent on 36 plates of chicken with 2 salads thrown in for good measure! Ontario : Someone in ON spent $789.50 on 70 tacos and 25 orders of chips with a combination of guac, salsa and horseradish cream - now that is a Mexican feast!

: Someone in ON spent on 70 tacos and 25 orders of chips with a combination of guac, salsa and horseradish cream - now that is a Mexican feast! Manitoba : Someone in MB spent $748 on 10 caesar salads, 10 beef ribs, 3 pickerel and 3 pasta dishes

Top 10 Food Items Ordered Nationally

Canadians crowned their top food item of the year, and it's clear that Indian food is a nationwide favourite. Not only was Naan featured three times within the top 10 food items ordered nationally, but Butter Chicken unanimously claimed the top spot - with the classic Indian dish appearing within the top 10 for every province.

Butter Chicken Garlic Naan Miso soup Poutine Butter Naan California Roll Onion Rings Caesar Salad Chicken Wings Plain Naan

Top Food Items Ordered Nationally Across Notable Occasions

Canadians' love for Butter Chicken doesn't end there - it's also Canadians' go-to to ring in the New Year and celebrate Canada Day. Now, who doesn't love curry in the middle of the Summer?

New Years Eve - Butter Chicken

Super Bowl - Chicken Wings

Valentine's Day - California Roll

Canada Day - Butter Chicken

Thanksgiving - Samosa

Top 10 Grocery Items Ordered Nationally

It's no secret we're a nation of snackers, with chips being the clear winner across the country, as the most ordered item from Skip's rapid grocery service, Skip Express Lane.

Injecting some fun into their grocery shopping, Canadians demonstrated a clear appetite for surprise (and great value), with Skip's Mystery Bag making the 'Top 10' list.*

Chips Pepsi Ice Cream Bananas Milk Bread Mystery Bag Eggs Candy Chip Dip

*Skip's $9.99 Mystery Bag contains 5 unique items worth at least $25 in total. Every bag is different and can contain any product from a Skip Express Lane store

Trendy Bites

Most Pickles Ordered by Province

Pickles were trending on social media this year, and Skip customers were on board with the hype - but which province topped the leaderboard? That'll be Ontarians, who ordered 45% of all pickles delivered this year! Now, that's a big dill!

Ontario Alberta British Columbia Saskatchewan Manitoba

Most Bubble Tea Ordered by Province

Bubble Tea is another social media winner - but there's one province loving it the most - Alberta! This year, Albertans ordered more Bubble Tea than all other provinces combined.

Alberta Manitoba British Columbia Ontario Quebec

About Skip

SkipTheDishes is part of Just Eat Takeaway.com, a leading global online food delivery marketplace. SkipTheDishes connects millions of customers with over 50,000 restaurant partners in Canada, including a growing offering of groceries, retailers, alcohol and convenience stores, making it the go-to source for industry data and insight into consumer trends.

SOURCE SkipTheDishes

For further information: Skip : [email protected]




The member representing Awka South Constituency I in the Anambra State House of Assembly, Henry Mbachu, has protested the non-inclusion of allocation for the conduct of local government elections in the 2024 budget.





Governor Soludo presented a N410 billion budget to members of the assembly on Tuesday.





Mbachus protests may not be unconnected to the campaign promise made by Soludo before his election in 2021, where he promised to conduct council polls.





Speaking at the plenary on Wednesday, he said: Going through the budget estimate presented, it is glaring that there are no intentions of conducting LGA elections next year.





On page 475, the budget for the Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission for this current year was N89,120,000, while the projected estimate for the incoming year is N129,120,000.





You find out that theres no feasibility or readiness for local government elections for the incoming year. I worry so much because this tier of government has suffered so much because of a lack of local government elections.





Local government, as the third tier of government, is the bedrock of governance. Leadership and political tutelage are heavily mounted on this tier of government and should be upheld accordingly. If this can be wishfully considered, Ill be glad. For now, the budget can go for a second reading.
It's a common sight  baby in a highchair, toast in hand. But for one Aussie mum, the recent experience of her son eating toast was anything but ordinary when he began to choke, desperately attempting to "cough it up".

After his efforts were unsuccessful, the baby "stopped making noise" and "couldn't breathe", forcing the mum to jump into action. "I picked him up immediately and started to perform back blows," she said. "With the second blow, it was dislodged from his throat."

The mum leapt into action when she realised her baby was choking. Source: Instagram

Home security footage captures choking incident

A camera set up in the family home captured the terrifying moment the mum sprung into action, quickly scooping her son up from his highchair and placing him over her knee before performing sharp back blows. The clip lasted mere seconds, but the terror and subsequent relief from the woman was evident. She put her head in her hand, while her son began to move his legs.

"F*** me he started choking," she said in response to her partner, who she had yelled at for help. She checked her son over, pleased he appeared well, before apologising that "mummy hit you so hard then".

Aussie mum praised for 'heroic' calmness

The footage was shared by baby safety educators Tiny Hearts Foundation who praised the mum for her decisive action, getting her child into the correct position to perform the life-saving back blows.

"Don't wait helplessly, become empowered," educator Nikki Jurcutz wrote in her post. Many others followed suit in expressing admiration for the mum, calling her "heroic" given the highly stressful situation.

Parents urged to learn first aid

In light of the incident, Kidsafe Australia said it is "easy to panic but it's important as your parenting practice that you learn first aid", much like the mum demonstrated in the video.

Story continues

"If you have children, learn first aid, and remember to call Triple-0 if you need to," a KidSafe spokesperson said.

Preventative measures are the best way to safeguard a child from choking, with the spokesperson also recommending parents keep in touch with their child family health nurse who can offer guidance during growth milestones, suggesting what type of food is safe and unsafe for an infant depending on their age.

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The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja on Thursday affirmed the election of the Gombe State Governor, Inuwa Yahaya.

The Independent National Electoral Commission had declared Yahaya the winner of the governorship election after scoring 342,821 votes to beat his closest rival Jibrin Barde of the Peoples Democratic Party who polled 233,131 votes.

Displeased with the outcome of the election, the PDP alleged that Yahaya was not re-elected by a majority of lawful votes.

The party also alleged that multiple thumb printing and ballot box stuffing were carried out across various polling units in nine out of the 11 local government areas of the state to favour Yahaya.

But the state governorship election petition tribunal dismissed the petitions filed by the party and Barde.

The three-man panel headed by Justice S.B. Belgore struck out the matter, saying that it was a pre-election issue.

The tribunal declared that the deputy governor met the minimum requirement to run in the election.

Not satisfied with the tribunals verdict, Barde and the PDP approached the appeal court.

Reading the lead judgment on Thursday, Justice T. N Orji-Abadua upheld the governors victory and dismissed the appeal by the PDP and its candidate, Barde.

Orji-Abadua said the issues in the appeal were resolved in the favour of the respondent.

This appeal lacks merit. All the issues are resolved in favour of the respondent and against the appellant. No order as to cost. The judgment of the lower tribunal is hereby affirmed,  she held.








Dr Abdulkarim Obaje, National Coordinator, Nigeria Covid-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (NG-CARES) Programme says the Federal Government will assist the states in tackling poverty, addressing basic infrastructural deficit, food security and support to small and nano businesses.





Obaje made the declaration on Wednesday in Jalingo during a courtesy visit to Gov. Agbu Kefas of Taraba.





He said, If the states and FCT fully support the implementation of NG-CARES, it will expand access to livelihood support and food security services and grants for vulnerable households and firms in the country.





The NG-CARES is a Performance for Results (PforR) programme where states and FCT get reimbursed for funding developments according to agreed protocols.





The reimbursement is based on earned results which translates into a corresponding amount much higher than what the sub-national invested.





According to the national coordinator, Taraba had a draw-down of only $3.98 million out of the nominal allocation of $20 million to each state since the commencement of the programme.





With more support from the state government, the state delivery platforms will perform better, earn more results and funds for the state, Obaje said.





Responding, Kefas pledged the state governments commitment to fully support the implementation of the NG-CARES Programme in the state.





He charged the implementation departments and agencies of the programme to work harder and according to the guidelines of the Implementation Manual to earn better results for the state.
Aisha Yesufu, a socio-political commentator, has questioned President Bola Tinubus academic claims.

Yesufu challenged Tinubus Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga to prevail on the president to visit his Alma Mater.

She made the call while reacting to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakars visit to the primary school he attended in Jada, Adamawa State.

Posting a video of his visit on his social media, Atiku wrote: Nostalgic. Today, I returned to where it all started. My Alma Mater, Central Primary School, Jada. -AA

Reacting, Yesufu posted on X, Where is that mentally abducted afterthought of an SSA @aonanuga1956?

Focus on getting Chief Tinubu or whatever he decides to call himself today to go to his alma mater too.

By the way, my husband was at the reunion of his secondary school during the weekend.

Recently, there was controversy over the academic records of President Tinubu with claims that he never attended some of the institutions on his credentials.

Notable of such institution was the Chicago State University, CSU, but the school insisted that Tinubu was given admission and he graduated from the institution.
The Federal Government on Tuesday launched the Startup Support and Engagement Portal, which is a key requirement for the implementation of the Nigeria Startup Act.

The launch was announced by the Minister of Communications Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, on his X account.

He wrote, The startup portal will drive the identification and aggregation of Nigerian startups, venture capital companies, hubs and innovation centres in order to facilitate engagement and support for ecosystem players.

The launch of the portal will allow us initiate the process of setting up the startup consultative forums to select representatives to the National Council for Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship, in order to facilitate discourse and consensus among Nigerian ecosystem players.

He, however, invited all Nigerian startups, venture capital companies, hubs and innovation centres to register.

The National Information Technology Development Agency also urged all Nigerian startups, VCs, angels, hubs, and innovation centres to visit the portal, register, and explore the resources available to them.

Below is the registration process for startups:

Visit http://startup.gov.ng Scroll down the page to reveal the options for Startups, Angel Investors, Venture Capitalists or Accelerators, Innovation Hubs & Incubators. Select Startups

Criteria to enroll:

Be a limited liability company registered under the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA).

Be a company existing for less than 10 years from the date of incorporation.

Have objects that are focused on innovation, development, production, improvement, and commercialization of a digital technology innovative product or process.

Be a holder or repository of a product or process of digital technology or the owner or author of a registered software.

Have at least one-third of local shareholding held by one or more Nigerians as founder or co-founder of the startup.

Satisfy the conditions set out in the Act, in the case of a sole proprietorship or partnership.

Be a tech-enabled business that uses existing tools, platforms, libraries, and frameworks to make a company or a solution more efficient or effective.

4. Enter the following details:

RC Number (Unique CAC identification number)

Company Name

Year of Incorporation

Industry (type)

Media

Start Up description

Company Email

Company Address

Company website

Founders Full Name

First Name + Last Name

Founders Email Address

Founders Phone Number

Founders means of Identification (BVN or NIN)

5. Then Submit




Following the political crisis rocking Ondo State over the continued feud between Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu and his deputy, Aiyedatiwa, the leader of Afenifere, Pa Reuben Fasoranti, and some elders in Ondo State have appealed to President Bola Tinubu to urgently intervene in the situation.





Fasoranti, who led other elder statesmen under the aegis of Ondo State Elders and Leaders, disclosed that the political crisis, particularly the absence of the governor, has been affecting governance in the state.





A communique signed by the Afenifere leader and the groups secretary, Bakitta Bello, after an emergency meeting in Akure, the state capital, asserted that some people have hijacked the governance of the state.





The elders also maintained that if the development is not quickly addressed, it will no doubt affect the preparation of the 2024 budget.





While decrying the absence of the state in crucial national events due to the crisis, the elder statesmen stated that there is no clear direction within the states civil service.





The communique states: The Elders also call on the state and national leadership of the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress, to provide the required guide to those in government as well as ensure discipline amongst their fold.





The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is hereby passionately called upon to intervene and end the present constitutional crisis in the state, to avoid the looming breakdown of law and order in Ondo State.




Delays are already affecting the start of a four-day ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas to let aid into Gaza and to free dozens of hostages, which was set to go into effect after nearly seven weeks of war.





The truce was due to commence on Thursday at 10 am (0800 GMT) but the exact timing remained unclear as Israel is yet to say when it would pause its air and ground offensive in the coastal area.





An Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said the process of returning hostages from the Gaza Strip to Israel is complex and not yet concrete.





The military is preparing the implementation of this first phase of the hostage exchange agreement, said Hagari late on Wednesday.





However, the repatriation of the people kidnapped to the sealed-off coastal strip could take time and take place in several stages, he said.





The release (of hostages) will begin according to the original agreement between the parties, and not before Friday, Israels security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi was quoted by the Times of Israel as saying.





The talks on the release of our hostages are progressing and will continue on an ongoing basis, he said.





The first exchange of hostages kidnapped in Israel for Palestinian prisoners was initially expected to take place on Thursday.





The Times of Israel cited an Israeli official as explaining the delay by saying that both Israel and Hamas would have to sign a document ratifying the agreement for it to come into force.
Popular social media commentator, Daniel Regha has asked famous record producer and music executive, Don Jazzy to consider adopting children.

The controversial critic said it was okay for the Mavin boss not to marry, but insisted that he should consider adopting at least a child that would carry on his legacy.

He said being a parent should be Don Jazzys top priority right now, and he should consider adoption.

On his X handle, Regha wrote, Don Jazzy not being married isnt an issue, not everyone fancy marriage.

But he should adopt a kid, at least, someone who can preserve & carry on his legacy long after hes gone.

Being a dad ought to be among his top priorities right now, adopting is always an option. No offense.

Obviously irked by his advice, Don Jazzy reacted: Let me adopt you Daniel since you lack a father figure in your life. A proper nuisance.

Recall that Mr Collins Enebeli Ajereh, the father of Don Jazzy stated in a recent interview that he is not pressurizing his 40-year-old son to get married.

He said marriage is a personal decision.
Former spokesperson for the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential campaign, Daniel Buala, has described the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, as the biggest problem in the 2023 elections across all levels.

Bwala stated this in an interview with Channels Televisions Politics Today on Monday.

He said, The biggest culprit, the biggest problem in the 2023 elections across all levels, is INEC, because have you seen the mystery of INEC?

In this 2023 election, INEC will certify a document for you, INEC will be in the court raising objection and the court has never caution them.

So, we will get to perfection, but this election regime has left so much to be desired, he said.
Former manager to Mr. Ibu, Emeka Chocoo, has explained why the police invited the ailing actors two sons and his adopted daughter, Jasmine.





There were reports that the actors wife, Stella Maris allegedly ordered their arrests over the signature to the actors account.

Nollywood actress, Doris Ogala, who shared the news on Instagram, alleged that Jasmine and the actors sons were arrested and detained at the Force Criminal Investigation Department Annex, Alagbon, Lagos over claims that Jasmine transferred N300 million donated to the ailing actor from his account.





She wrote: Jasmine and Ibus sons were arrested at Alagbon Police Station. They are detained there. Ibus wife alleged that Jasmine moved N300 million out of the account. Ibus wife allegedly wanted them to buy her new house from the money contributed so far for Ibus treatments.

Thats why she arrested Jasmine. But investigation states that the money contributed isnt even up to N300 million.

Chochoo in an interview with Punch, on Thursday, confirmed that they were invited by the police over the actors account.

He said: Yes, they were all invited by the police. I wont call it arrest; the police invited them over Mr Ibus account. However, Val is left out as he knows nothing about whats been happening. He just returned to the country. I have not been able to reach any of them.




Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike has expressed the desire of the FCT Administration to collaborate with the governments of Cuba and Mexico in the areas of health, agriculture, and tourism.





Wike made the disclosure when he met with Cuban and Mexican ambassadors to Nigeria, Miriam Morales Palmero and Alfredo Miranda Ortiz, respectively, in separate meetings in his office on Thursday, November 23, 2023.





Wike added that the FCT Administration is also open to partnerships with both countries in the areas of skills acquisition as part of efforts by government to create employment for youths in the FCT.





He said the FCT has vast arable land suitable for farming and would be willing to leverage the expertise of Cuba and Mexico to develop the FCTs agricultural sector.





The minister further assured that the FCT, as the capital of Nigeria and host to all the embassies in the country, will continue to make the city conducive for its visitors, particularly the diplomatic community.





While thanking the Cuban Envoy for the visit, Wike said Nigeria and Cuba have a long history, adding that many Cubans could trace their roots to Africa and Nigeria in particular.





He also acknowledged the impact that Cuba has had in the field of medicine as well as its contribution to the fight against malaria and he pledged the readiness of the FCT Administration to partner with the government of Cuba to eliminate malaria in Nigeria.





He said: I have mostly known the impact of Cuba in terms of medicine and when it comes to the issue of the elimination of malaria, you are quite good at that. Therefore, we will continue to partner with you. And then the vaccine too, which is the latest one now. So, it will be our pleasure to really see how we can benefit from that and cooperate with you.





The minister, who also lauded Mexicos agricultural achievements, explained that the FCT would be willing to partner with Mexican companies to develop agriculture and tourism in the FCT.





Wike said: Mexico is a nation noted for agriculture. I know a lot of Mexicans and Nigerians who are running a lot of agricultural firms. FCTA has always wanted to partner with companies that will contribute to the agricultural development of FCT and of course, as a tourist centre, Abuja has all it takes to be a tourist city in the world.





In her remark, the Cuban ambassador to Nigeria, Miriam Morales Palmero, explained that the historical link between Nigeria and Cuba dates back centuries, adding that Cubans consider all Africans to be their brothers.





She also explained that the visit to the FCTA was to explore the many areas in which Nigeria and Cuba can collaborate and assured that the government of Cuba will continue to support the efforts of Nigeria to eradicate malaria.





On his part, the Mexican ambassador, Alfredo Miranda Ortiz, said his visit was to strengthen bilateral cooperation between both countries.





The envoy stressed that both countries with very large populations also have major roles to play in reducing poverty and contributing meaningfully to the global economy.





He assured that necessary steps would be taken to enhance collaboration and increase the presence of Mexican businesses in the FCT.





I am more than glad to see what we can do in order to enhance our bilateral cooperation, he said.
Television has taught us emperor penguins can survive extreme conditions in Antarctica, but experts are concerned about the welfare of a pair kept in a bland indoor enclosure in China to entertain tourists.

Concerns were triggered after a photo was shared on social media showing a penguin at the facility with its head buried in a box of shaved ice. A scientist who was on a research trip and present when the images were snapped told Yahoo News Australia the bird remained motionless for over seven minutes.

Other shots highlight the artificiality of the enclosure. While the space is clearly air-conditioned, the snow on the walls is painted rather than real, fluorescent lights replace the sun and a white-panelled ceiling stands in for Antarcticas expansive sky.

A penguin was photographed with its head buried inside shaved ice. Source: Supplied

There are also concerns about the size of the space and the depth of the water tank  emperor penguins are the worlds deepest diving penguin and can plunge more than 100 metres beneath the ocean surface.

It turned my stomach and it was extremely hard to bear witness to what these animals are having to suffer through in order for people to see them, the scientist told Yahoo.

Having travelled to Antarctica more than 30 times and observed emperor penguins, they were disturbed by the enclosure at the Nanjing Andover Underwater World, situated over 280km inland from coastal Shanghai.

Penguin expert analyses enclosure penguin images

We provided images of the enclosure to Massey University penguin expert Professor John Cockrem to try and get a better understanding of the birds situation.

Looking at the flat enclosure and its small tank, he said it appeared to be a very barren environment in which to keep birds.

During his seven trips to Antarctica, he has never witnessed wild emperor penguins plunge their heads into snow. The closest behaviour he has seen was Adelie penguins doing so to access water, most likely to cool themselves.

Experts are concerned the penguins do not have access to natural light. Source: Supplied

Some Chinese associate penguins with circuses

An image of the penguin was first shared to social media app Weibo by animal welfare group China Cetacean Alliance (CCA) in October, sparking anger and heartbreak from its followers.

Story continues

A spokesperson from the group told Yahoo there has been a worrying trend of housing penguins in unnatural conditions like those seen at the aquarium.

Some facilities put them into shopping malls for opening ceremonies to bring them attention, the spokesperson said.

While many Chinese still associate penguins with circuses and performance, a growing number of younger people in the larger cities are becoming more aware of animal welfare, according to the CCA.

Its a big country, so the demographics are diverse. For people in small cities with limited access to information, they still like to go to marine parks just for fun. Because there arent many fun activities where they live, they said.

A lot of them dont think about the animals situation. They just think: There is a park and I can take my kids there.

But then sometimes I receive comments from people saying: My kids are feeling troubled and they think the animals are really distressed.

Yahoo has contacted the aquarium's owner Singapore-based Andover Leisure for comment.

Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? Get our new weekly newsletter showcasing the weeks best stories.
Circle of Thanks

Pleasure is a personal experience driven by the senses. Gratitude is its cousin, a social and moral emotion focused on acknowledging the contributions of others. The cosmic cocktail accompanying Thanksgiving connects these positive emotions in an endless circle. Grateful hearts make things for others to enjoy; their enjoyment makes a grateful heart, continuing the circle.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Even though you could get by doing much less, thats not your style. For you, having more comes with the responsibility to give more. Your natural luminescence is bright, and youll let it shine.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You dont need anyone to tell you what youve done right or wrong. You have a feeling about it and youre willing to honestly examine your own actions. If theres something to call out, youll be the caller and the one who steps up too.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Youll work best with people whose definition of success matches up with your own. If you suspect this is not the case, a lighthearted conversation could set things right. Everything gets easier when you find common ground.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Youve strong powers of insight. The questions people ask you will reveal more about them than your answer will reveal about you. And if you pose the askers same question back to them, youll really learn fast what theyre about.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). You are most fulfilled when putting something into the world that wasnt there before. Inspiration is not about an exotic location or an exciting experience. The right conditions for creativity will involve a simple, repetitive task.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Youre knowledgeable, connected and willing to help. However, youre also sensitive to the egos around you, some of which will require plenty of attention and care before they are ready to trust and hear you.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Its not as though you can let go of baggage once and its done. We weave our way through life, making attachments, then releasing from them and making new ones as we continue to shape this ever-evolving basket of our existence.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). Real power doesnt need to flex. You show your position by being easygoing. You project an aura of having things under control and people are drawn to the casual grace of your leadership.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Little do you know that you are someones muse. Someone is inspired by you, or by a longing for your attention and company. You know the feeling, as you too spin emotions into creations.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You may think you want to make an impression on someone, but whats really happening is more remarkable. The reactions of others turn out to be irrelevant in the end. Its who you become when you strive to be and do more that matters.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Pitch your ideas. The better you get at pitching, the more likely youll be to make a deal. The more deals you make, the better positioned youll be to help people you love and love people you help.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Because youre strong, and you run with the similarly gifted, there are big personalities all around you. Feeling secure and confident as you do today, you will find a way to flip all interactions in your favor.

TODAYS BIRTHDAY (Nov. 23). Its palpable, this feeling you were born to motivate and inspire. Youll be grateful for past hardship because it enables you to understand and connect with people in a special way. Youll use your experience to elevate -- spirits, businesses, families, teams and more. More highlights: a wonderful trip, vows of love and a fun new hobby. Virgo and Cancer adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 6, 33, 2, 28 and 40.

CELEBRITY PROFILES: Miley Cyrus grew up covering her Aunt Dollys music and is now honored by Dolly Partons recent release of Wrecking Ball featuring powerhouse vocals from both of these Tennessean superstars. Like a Sagittarian, Cyrus trailblazed a multilevel career path from child start to pop star that many have followed since. Dubbed The Pop Chameleon, Cyrus has natal Moon, Mercury and Pluto in Scorpio, the sign of transformation. Learn more about her new novel How to Fail Epically in Hollywood or contact Holiday Mathis at HolidayMathis.com.

COPYRIGHT 2023 CREATORS.COM
A 56-year-old man was arrested this week after he was accused of sexually assaulting a child in Cliffside Park on multiple occasions, the Bergen County Prosecutors Office announced Friday.

The office said it became aware of the alleged assault by the Division of Child Protection and Permanency on Tuesday and an investigation was launched.

Detectives alleged Delfino Simon-Roca sexually assaulted the child, whose age and gender were not released, three times in the borough, the office said.

Simon-Roca was arrested Tuesday in the borough and charged with sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child and was taken to the Bergen County Jail where he was held pending his first court appearance, authorities said.

Attorney information for him was not immediately available.

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Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com.
The Bergen County man who was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a teenager he was supervising was revealed to be a school security guard, an official confirmed Thursday.

Joseph Hicks, 30, of Englewood, was arrested Monday and charged with first-degree aggravated sexual assault and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, the Bergen County Prosecutors Office announced Wednesday afternoon.

A spokeswoman for the office told NJ Advance Media on Thursday that Hicks was a security guard.

The offices Special Victims Unit was alerted to allegations of sexual assault of a minor against Hicks on Nov. 14 by the Englewood Police Department. A brief investigation resulted in charges and Hicks arrest on Monday in Paramus, the office said.

The child is between the ages of 13 and 16, officials said. The prosecutors office said Hicks was arrested in Paramus, but didnt name the school where he worked.

A spokesperson for the prosecutors office did not immediately respond to an email Wednesday evening with questions about Hicks connection to the alleged victim.

NJ Advance Media Staff Writer Matthew Enuco contributed to this report.

Saleah Blancaflor may be reached at sblancaflor@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @saleyley and Instagram.
Authorities announced Wednesday that a Bergen County man was arrested after allegedly sexually assaulting a teenager he was supervising.

Joseph Hicks, 30, of Englewood, was arrested Monday and charged with first-degree aggravated sexual assault and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, the Bergen County Prosecutors Office announced Wednesday afternoon.

The offices Special Victims Unit was alerted to allegations of sexual assault of a minor against Hicks on Nov. 14 by the Englewood Police Department. A brief investigation resulted in charges and Hicks arrest on Monday in Paramus, the office said.

Hicks is identified as single and working as a security officer in the press release from the prosecutors office. He is alleged to have been in a supervisory role over the child at the time of the sexual assault, according to the prosecutors office, but not additional details about that were released. The child is between the ages of 13 and 16, authorities said.

A spokesperson for the prosecutors office did not immediately respond to an email Wednesday evening with questions about Hicks connection to the alleged victim.

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Matthew Enuco may be reached at Menuco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow Matt on X.
Daves Hot Chicken, the expanding California-based fast-casual eatery, has announced the opening date for its second New Jersey location.

The franchise said Wednesday it will open its Ocean Township spot on Saturday, Dec. 2.

It will be located at 2311 Rt. 66, in the space of a former Baja Mexican Grill at the Seaview Square Shopping Center.

Daves joins brands like Starbucks, Five Guys, Applebees and Crumbl Cookies in the Monmouth County shopping complex.

The eatery specializes in the Nashville hot chicken concept  a mix of seasonings and spices that are used to give the food a major spicy flavor.

Its menu features hot chicken tenders and sliders, with seven spice levels ranging from No Spice to Reaper. Fries, cheese fries, kale slaw, and mac and cheese also are on the menu.

Daves debuted in New Jersey last year with a location in Wayne.

In 2021, the company said it will open 14 restaurants throughout Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Passaic and Union counties amid its East Coast expansion.

Daves recently reached an agreement to open seven new locations throughout southern New Jersey within the next five years, as well.

Its first South Jersey spot is slated to open at the Ellisburg Circle Shopping Center in Cherry Hill, although an opening date has not been announced.

The company currently operates to over 140 locations throughout the United States, Dubai and Qatar.

RELATED STORIES ABOUT RETAIL AND SHOPPING:

Philadelphia-based Asads Hot Chicken makes N.J. debut

ShopRites latest N.J store opens at former Kmart site

90-year-old N.J. bar sells as owners head into retirement

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Christopher Burch can be reached at cburch@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter: @SwishBurch. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tip
A Sicklerville man originally charged with murder in the 2017 killing of a Camden man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison after pleading guilty to lesser charges, authorities announced.

Andrew Whittaker, 29, in September pleaded guilty to first-degree aggravated manslaughter and first-degree witness tampering in the death of Edward Whittle Jr., the Camden County Prosecutors Office said Wednesday.

Whittaker was sentenced last Friday and must serve a minimum of 85% of the 25-year sentence before being eligible for parole, authorities said.

On the evening of May 17, 2017, Whittle Jr. was shot multiple times on the 1300 block of Carl Miller Boulevard and later died of the injuries, the prosecutors office said. Whittaker was arrested on Jun. 9, 2017 following an investigation and charged with first-degree murder. He was later charged with first-degree witness tampering in March of 2019.

The motive for the shooting has not been released.

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Matthew Enuco may be reached at Menuco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow Matt on X
PHILADELPHIA  Its Thanksgiving and that means a lot of things to a lot of people  and poultry.

Turkeys get pardoned by presidents despite the fact theyve committed no impeachable offenses.
Pro-Palestinian protesters could be seen on the route of the Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade Thursday, according to various reports.

Some wore shirts that said Free Palestine and Stop the Genocide, as in the photo above.

Pro-Palestinian protesters have glued their hands to 6th Avenue, disrupting the Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade; floats, bands and balloons are being diverted. pic.twitter.com/nYKLGyev87  Matthew Chayes (@chayesmatthew) November 23, 2023
More than six months after she was reported missing, a Morris County teacher has been found dead of an apparent suicide, investigators announced Wednesday.

Human remains were located on Nov. 19 in a wooded area off of Howard Boulevard and Route 80 in Roxbury Township, thanks to help of K9 tracking team that has been searching for Lara Emanuele, 46, a teacher at Alexander Hamilton Elementary School in Morristown, according to a statement from the Morris County Prosecutors Office.

She was reported missing on June 7 after she had not returned home from work, authorities have said.

The Morris County Medical Examiners Office has confirmed the remains to be those of Emanuele, authorities said.

While the cause and manner of death were still undetermined, Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll said there was no evidence to indicate that her death was suspicious.

I realize her disappearance has also generated rumors on social media that foul play was involved, Carroll said in a statement. While a thorough investigation continues into her death, at this time, evidence points to Emanuele having taken her own life. This was a determination that could not have been made prior to the recovery of her body.

Investigators said early on that morning, Emanuele got out of her vehicle in the parking lot of the hotel and left the area of her own free will. Her cell phone was also located in her vehicle after her disappearance, officials said.

A handwritten note was discovered in her car, indicating she did not want to be found, the office said.

The Morris County Prosecutors Office extends its condolences to Ms. Emanueles family for their loss, Carroll said. Her disappearance generated an outpouring of support and concern for Ms. Emanuele and offers of assistance. Ms. Emanuele was a special person to her students, co-workers, family, and the community.

Editors note: NJ Advance Media typically limits reporting on suicides to those that occur in crowded public places, involve public figures or, in special circumstances, where there is a larger public impact. Suicidal thoughts and behaviors can be reduced with the proper mental health support and treatment. If you are in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.

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Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com.
A search is underway for three men who attacked and robbed a mailman last week in Toms River, police said.

The mailman told police that he noticed two men in hooded sweatshirts walking down the street in the area of Madison and Lexington avenues as he was delivering mail at around 4 p.m. on Nov. 17, police said. As the mailman was returning to his mail truck, the men hit him in the head, according to a statement from the Toms River Police Department.

After he fell to the ground, the kicked him in the head, took his belongings, got in a car and fled down the Madison Avenue toward Hooper Avenue, investigators said.

Three men were reportedly involved, the pair who assaulted the mailman and another who remained in the car while they carried out the act, the department said.

Investigators released a photo of the suspects car but no description was given by police who said similar, unspecified, incidents had been reported throughout the state.

Anyone with information was asked to call 732-349-0150 ext. 1361.

Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription.

Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com.
Beijing (Gasgoo)- On November 23, Wu Qiang, co-president of Chinese new energy vehicle maker Leapmotor, announced the company's anticipation of commencing vehicle deliveries in Europe by the third quarter of next year.



The company will export vehicles to the European market.

Photo credit: Leapmotor

Just three days earlier, on November 20, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange revealed that the transaction announced by Leapmotor and Stellantis in late October had concluded. Leapmotor issued 194 million new H-shares to Stellantis, rendering Leapmotors single largest shareholder with a combined ownership of 23.47%, while Stellantis holds 21.26%. This milestone marks a new phase in their partnership, with Dahua Technologies no longer holding shares.

Regarding international expansion, Leapmotor's initial step involves penetrating ten European countries, including Germany, Italy, France, and Spain. The strategy integrates two approaches: leveraging Stellantis' established sales channels for exports and exploring additional overseas pathways based on successful domestic experiences, shaping a comprehensive sales network tailored to the European market.

The debut model slated for international markets is the Leapmotor C10, previously showcased at the IAA Mobility and the Auto Guangzhou 2023. Leapmotor remains flexible regarding the vehicle type for overseas sales, aiming to respond to market demandswhether all-electric or range-extended.
Watertown, NY (13601)

Today

Periods of rain. High 47F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

Cloudy with occasional rain showers. Low 38F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
Six-day (Tuesday through Sunday) print subscribers of the Watertown Daily Times are eligible for full access to NNY360, the NNY360 mobile app, and the Watertown Daily Times e-edition, all at no additional cost.

If you have an existing six-day print subscription to the Watertown Daily Times, please make sure your email address on file matches your NNY360 account email. You can sign up or manage your print subscription using the options below.
With Gasgoo Daily, we will offer daily important automotive news in China. For those we have reported, the title of the piece will include a hyperlink, which will provide detailed information.

Hyundai's IONIQ 5 N set to enter Chinese market in 2024

Hyundai's first mass-produced high-performance electric vehicle under the N brand, the IONIQ 5 N, is slated for an official introduction to China in 2024, marking the N brand's second model entry into the Chinese market.

Photo credit: Hyundai

4h-generation FAW Bestune B70 to hit market in December



The fourth generation of FAW Bestunes B70 sedan is set to hit the market in early December. As the inaugural B-segment sedan self-developed by FAW Group, the first-generation Bestune B70 was originally introduced to the market in 2006.

Shanghai so far has around 500,400 private charging piles connected to grid

According to the State Grid Shanghai Municipal Electrical Power Company (SGCC), the number of individual charging piles for new energy vehicles in Shanghai has surpassed 500,000, reaching roughly 500,400. The city has successfully promoted 1.269 million electric vehicles so far, signifying significant progress in both new energy vehicle inventory and personal charging facility expansion in Shanghai.

Leapmotor to commence vehicle delivery in Europe in Q3 2024

On November 23, Wu Qiang, co-president of Chinese new energy vehicle maker Leapmotor, announced the company's anticipation of commencing vehicle deliveries in Europe by the third quarter of next year.

Autonomous truck developer DeepWay finds home in Hefei, Anhui Province

DeepWay, the autonomous new energy truck developer backed by Baidu, recently inked a project cooperation agreement with the People's Government of Feixi County, Hefei, Anhui Province.

Autonomous driving tech firm SENIOR approved to set up postdoctoral workstation

On November 21, the Beijing Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau announced the approval and release of newly established postdoctoral workstations and innovative practice bases for 2023, presenting certificates to entities like commercial vehicle autonomous driving solution developer, SENIOR, among the new postdoctoral stations.

FAW Jiefang delivers year-to-date 1,000th JH6 tractor to South African market

In a recent ceremony held in Johannesburg, FAW South Africa, the South African operating entity of FAW Group, marked a significant milestone with the delivery of its 1000th Jiefang JH6 tractor for the year 2023.

Chinas battery testing company Fire Cloud Technology closes angel funding round

Chinese battery testing company, Shanghai Fire Cloud New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. ("Fire Cloud Technology"), recently announced the successful completion of its angel funding round, which raised for the company tens of millions of yuan.

China greenlights pilot open-road program for L3/L4 intelligent connected vehicles

On November 17, Chinas Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, and Ministry of Transport jointly released a notice, titled "Notice on Conducting Pilot Program for Intelligent Connected Vehicles."
Photo credit: ESPN

Someone got to talking JFK assassination conspiracies on ESPN, and no, it wasnt Aaron Rodgers, it was Chris Mad Dog Russo.

During his weekly appearance alongside Stephen A. Smith on First Take, Russo opened his What Are You Mad About? segment with a history lesson. But Russo refused to just spew what the history books want you to believe, opting to share what he knows you should believe.



Today is the 60th anniversary of JFKs assassination, Russo began. If anybody out there thinks that Lee Harvey Oswald did that by himself? Theyre taking gummies with me. Lee Harvey Oswald  that was not a solo deal with the President of the United States.

Theres a podcast idea. Chris Russo, loaded up on gummies, sharing conspiracy theories about the United States government.

Somewhere, Mike Francesa is shaking his head as he prepares for a Thanksgiving feast with all the trimmings. Hes shaking his head at Russos disdain for one of the best meals of the year, and hes shaking his head at his former WFAN partner for daring to act like he knows who shot JFK.

No one has read more books on John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States than Francesa. Not you, not me, not Russo, not anyone. And if you dont believe that, just ask Francesa. But despite reading every JFK book in existence, Francesa vows to never discuss conspiracies around the former presidents assassination.

That didnt stop Russo from talking JFK and Lee Hahvey Oswald on ESPNs First Take. It wouldnt be the first time Russo broached a topic that he wasnt as well-versed on as Francesa claims to be.

[First Take]
Google introduced the Tensor series of chips with the Pixel 6 series in 2021. It was meant to usher in a range of chips specially tailored by Google to keep up with its class-leading AI-based software features. Just three Tensor chips in, and many of Googles new AI features need to be off-loaded to the cloud for processing.

4 Reviews

Googles Pixel smartphones have always been at the cutting edge of the use of machine learning and AI to deliver unique experiences, all by leveraging Googles software expertise creating clever algorithms. The original Pixel was the first Android smartphone to feature Google Assistant while it was also the first smartphone more generally to feature AI-powered computational photography features like Lens Blur and Smartburst. Each successive phone built on this legacy and right through to the Pixel 5, Google had partnered with Qualcomm to use its Snapdragon chips to power these AI and ML experiences.

This changed with the launch of the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro in 2021, which was powered by the Google Tensor, its first customized chip. At the time, Google said its goal was to create its own chip so that it could deliver totally new capabilities for Pixel users by keeping pace with the latest advancements in ML. The implication being, that if it had stuck with Qualcomm, it simply wouldnt have been able to achieve its goals. Specifically:

Co-designing Google Tensor with Google Research gave us insight into where ML models are heading, not where they are today. This allowed us to build an AI/ML platform that could keep up with our work at Google.

It also highlighted how the Tensor enabled then new AI features like Live Translate to work on media like videos using on-device speech and translation models. As far as the original machine learning capabilities of the first Tensor goes, it delivered. If the Google Tensor series of chips was created specifically to support Googles AI features - both keeping pace with Googles AI models and supporting them on-device as intended - something has since gone awry.

Developing market-leading customized chips is an expensive undertaking. Apples decision to invest in fully customized Arm-based chips dates back to the Steve Jobs era when it acquired a couple of chip designing companies specializing in low-power, high-performance silicon. Its first Arm-based Mac prototype also dates back to the Jobs era, with rumors of its existence first surfacing in 2011, the year before Jobs sadly passed away from pancreatic cancer. In the same year, Apple's chip team had already been built out to at least 1,000 strong. It has also invested heavily in TSMC to ensure priority access to its latest fabrication technologies. In short, Apple has invested many billions of dollars with its custom silicon efforts for the reason that it would deliver an unrivaled unison between its hardware and software.

Google has also wanted to emulate Apples approach by tailoring silicon to better align with its market-leading AI-powered software capabilities. However, to date, its efforts havent been quite as ambitious as Apples. The first three Tensor chips are considered semi-custom designs, having been co-designed and developed with Samsung LSI, the team behind Samsungs own Exynos chips. They are also manufactured by Samsung Foundry. The provenance of the original Tensor and its close relationship with Samsung Exynos chips was identified by Andrei Frumansu who was then writing for Anandtech. (Frumansu, has since gone on to bigger and better things and is now a Principal Engineer at Qualcomm working on the Snapdragon X Elite chip -- so he knows a thing or two about chips).

So while Apple has been developing fully customized Arm-based CPUs for many years and, more recently, fully customized GPU cores as well, Googles Samsung co-designed and developed Tensor chips have been using stock Arm Cortex CPU cores and Arm Mali GPU cores. They do, however, feature fully custom Google IP blocks including the Tensor Processing Unit (TPU), the Titan M secure enclave, and other customized IP blocks as outlined by Frumansu. This builds on the custom silicon IP that Google had developed when it was still using Qualcomm Snapdragon chips including the Pixel Visual Core first seen in the Pixel 2 and the first Titan M secure enclave that debuted in the Pixel 3. This has been the approach Google has stuck with for all its Tensor chips so far - the original Tensor, Tensor G2 and the latest Tensor G3.

According to the latest rumors, Google has been designing a fully customized Tensor. This will be fabricated on one of TSMCs 3 nm nodes instead of Samsungs nodes - even though Samsung seems to be winning back some of the customers it has lost in the past two or three years to TSMC, it appears as though Google has lost its patience with the Korean giant. Unfortunately for Pixel fans, this chip isnt expected to arrive until 2025, which means we can expect at least one more Tensor chip from its current hook-up with Samsung. Early signs arent, however, promising. Like the Tensor G2, which was a modest upgrade over the OG Tensor, the Tensor G4 is expected to be a modest upgrade over the Tensor G3. This could be a problem for Google given the Tensor G3 is unable to handle Google's latest AI algorithms on-device as per its original plans.

Even though the Tensor G3 significant architectural upgrades, its performance in benchmarks puts its performance between the mid-range Qualcomm Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 and the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. While the performance is sufficient to keep the Pixel 8 Pro running the system UI smoothly and other tasks, it is still prone to getting warm doing simple tasks like downloading apps and shooting video in this writers experience with it. When phones get warm like this in general use, it is reflective of the type of inefficiency that is a known characteristic of chips produced on Samsungs 5 nm and 4 nm nodes  including the 4LPP node used to fabricate the Tensor G3. Google has tried to mask these thermal deficiencies by loading the Pixel 8 Pro with lots of graphite. The same inefficiency is also apparent in numerous standardized battery tests found which typically show the Pixel 8 Pro well behind the iPhone 15 Pro Max and the Galaxy S23 Ultra, its two key competitors.

The biggest issue, perhaps, with the Tensor G3 is (as we have highlighted recently), that many of the latest AI features that Google has advertised alongside the launch of the Pixel 8 Pro cannot be handled on-device. This is despite Google positioning the chip as being able to do so on its official blog. Although Google made it clear at its launch that the new Video Boost feature is off-loaded to the cloud for processing, it has not made it clear exactly which features require an internet connection. The only clue that AI processing is being off-loaded to the cloud for a new AI feature to work is where Google specifically denotes in the small print that a feature "requires Google Photos app". New AI features that the Tensor G3 is not powerful enough to process on-device include Google Assistant with Bard, Night Sight Video, Gboard proof-read, Magic Editor, AI Wallpaper, Audio Magic Eraser and the generative AI update coming to Magic Eraser.

It is clear that just three chips in, and with so many new AI features being dished off to Google Cloud, the Google Tensor project is on life support. You will recall Google said it switched from using Snapdragon chips as it had been doing because:

Co-designing Google Tensor with Google Research gave us insight into where ML models are heading, not where they are today. This allowed us to build an AI/ML platform that could keep up with our work at Google.

The Tensor G3 simply does not come close to delivering on Googles original raison d'etre for creating its own chips. According to Google the benefits of a chip being able to process AI tasks on-device include: low latency (as the processing is handled locally); privacy (as user data isn't being off-loaded to remote servers); and improved battery life (as cellular or Wi-Fi connections drain power). Instead, by off-loading AI tasks to the cloud, latency on the Pixel 8 Pro is increased, privacy is diminished, and battery life takes a hit every time a user uses one of the new AI features that needs to use a cellular or Wi-Fi connection.

In launching the powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 just a few short weeks after the Tensor G3, Qualcomm did not miss the opportunity to send a message to Google that it should never have dropped them. During its launch event, Qualcomm placed extra emphasis on the on-device generative AI processing capabilities of Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, calling it a "Titan of on-device intelligence". Qualcomm was not exaggerating -- the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is the first mobile SoC with the ability to support Stable Diffusion on-device, and large AI models up with up to 10 billion parameters.

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 has also exposed Googles assertion that "traditional performance metrics" being unimportant as a farce. The reason the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 crushes the on-device AI processing capabilities of the Tensor G3 is for the very that it also crushes it in benchmarks. Qualcomm calls the combination of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 CPU, GPU and NPU has comprising its "AI Engine". This is because CPU, GPU and NPU of a smartphone SoC are utilized extensively when processing the machine learning models that power AI features on smartphones. Benchmarks show clearly that the Tensor G3 has a comparatively weak CPU and GPU, while its custom TPU isnt enough to come close to compensating for this.

Raw horsepower matters, and it matters more than now than ever thanks to the rise of generative AI over the past 12 to 18 months. At this point, the only benefit of the Tensor G3 for Pixel fans is that Google has promised 7 years of OS updates for the Pixel 8 series, which is substantially more than would have been possible with Qualcomm. However, at this stage, this is merely a promise, and there have to be question marks about the ability for the Tensor G3 to be able to actually support Android 21, which is ostensibly the last of the OS updates the Pixel 8 Pro and Pixel 8 will receive.

Things don't look like improving much for the Pixel 9 Pro when it launches in 2024, as early indications are that the Tensor G4 will continue with the current CPU architecture of the Tensor G3, while it might receive a TPU and GPU upgrade. This would be similar in approach to the Tensor G2, which was a modest upgrade over the OG Tensor. It will only be in 2025 that we may finally see Google deliver a Tensor that can deliver on Googles original promise, one that is fully customized, but -- crucially -- fabricated on TSMC's 3NE node. This should see the Tensor G5 much more competitive with other flagship chips on the market.

Right now, though, the Pixel 8 Pro is only just hanging on as it is -- can it survive a Tensor G2-like upgrade when an all-new architecture and a much better fabrication process is needed as soon as possible? An obvious short-term fix would be to drop a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 in the Pixel 9 Pro next year. However, that would present a marketing challenge given the massive effort Google has tipped into the Tensor brand, before taking into account the sunk costs expended in developing the Tensor G4 and the reengineering costs of switching chips. It is so much of a hurdle, that it would appear Google is locked into its present trajectory. If Google proceeds as planned, it could well kill off any cache left in the Tensor and Pixel brands.

Even at this early stage, it appears that sales of the Pixel 8 series are on the soft side. While Google traditionally discounts its Pixels for the Black Friday sales, huge discounts of over $400 AUD were already available on the Pixel 8 Pro just four weeks after its launch and a week and a half ahead of the official start of Black Friday sales. This is extremely unusual. The Pixel series continues to offer great software and excellent camera performance. Google pioneered on-device AI features on smartphones, and its AI features remain class leading. But its Tensor chips are its Achilles heal.
Physicians and a family nurse practitioner joined the Franciscan Physician Network and are now seeing new patients.

Family nurse practitioner Jessica Van Noort specializes in family medicine, acute care, disease management and preventive care. She's accepting new patients in Cedar Lake.

She earned a bachelor of science degree in nursing from the University of St. Francis and a master of science degree in nursing at Chamberlain University.

Van Noort is now seeing new patients both virtually and in person at Franciscan's Cedar Lake Health Center at 6831 W. 133rd Ave. in Cedar Lake.

A cardiologist joined the Franciscan Physician Network in Munster, where he's seeing new patients.

Roland Njei specializes in cardiology, cardiology-oncology, preventative cardiology, heart failure and cardiac imaging.

Njei, who is fluent in French as well as English, studied medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago and completed his residency and fellowship in cardiology-oncology at Washington University School of Medicines Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis.

He is now seeing patients at Franciscan Physician Network Cardiology Munster, 701 Superior Ave., Suite J in Munster.

A cardiologist is now seeing new patients in LaPorte and Michigan City after joining the Franciscan Physician Network

Abul Basher is accepting new patients at Franciscan Physician Network Legacy Hills Health Center, 309 W. Johnson Road in LaPorte and Franciscan Health Heart Center, Franciscan Medical Pavilion, 4th Floor, 3500 Franciscan Way in Michigan City.

Basher specializes in preventive cardiology, coronary artery disease, heart failure, echocardiogram and nuclear cardiology.

He studied at the University of Madras, Thanjavur Medical College in Thanjavur, India. He did his residency in internal medicine at Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center in the Bronx and his fellowship in cardiology at Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center.

His clinical interests include preventive cardiology, coronary artery disease, heart failure, echocardiogram and nuclear cardiology.

Basher is seeing patients both in person and virtually.
The School City of Hammond Board of Trustees formally approved Kerchell Hobson as the new principal of Scott Middle School during their Tuesday night meeting.

Hobson takes over for the previous principal, Andrew Merritt, who resigned last month.

Hobson, who started in the role on Nov. 13, told the board she was honored to serve as the school's principal. Additionally, she said her first priority was addressing the climate and culture at the middle school, and to address academics.

Prior to being hired as Scott Middle School's principal, Hobson was serving as the chief academic officer for the Gary Community School Corp.

During the public comment section of the meeting, Hammond resident Barbara Garcia raised issues with Kelly Education, the company that provides substitute teacher services for Hammond schools.

Garcia raised concerns about the quality and vetting of substitute teachers provided by Kelly Education.

Garcia asked board members why they were paying a company for substitute teacher services instead of hiring someone to work for the school district.

The Hammond school board renewed its contract with Kelly Education for $3 million in July. Trustee Carlotta Blake-King has strongly opposed the contract, claiming it duplicates the same services the district's human resources department provides.

Trustee Kelly Spencer has also expressed skepticism about the quality of substitute teachers hired by Kelly Education.

Superintendent Scott Miller said the administration would provide an update on Kelly Education to the school board in January.

The next Hammond school board meeting is a public work session scheduled for Dec. 5.

PHOTOS: New mural at Hammond's Advanced Engineering Services Advanced Engineering Services gets a new mural completed by Felix Maldonado Jr. Advanced Engineering Services gets a new mural completed by Felix Maldonado Jr. Advanced Engineering Services gets a new mural completed by Felix Maldonado Jr. Advanced Engineering Services gets a new mural completed by Felix Maldonado Jr. Advanced Engineering Services gets a new mural completed by Felix Maldonado Jr. Advanced Engineering Services gets a new mural completed by Felix Maldonado Jr. Advanced Engineering Services gets a new mural completed by Felix Maldonado Jr.
Meijer is poised to take the first step toward gaining permission to build a store in Crown Point.

The city's Board of Zoning Appeals is scheduled to consider a special use request Monday that would allow Meijer to build and operate a store on the former Mowry's Fruit Farm property at the intersection of 109th Avenue and Iowa Street.

Meijer Stores Limited Partnership is petitioning for a special use variance to allow a commercial retail building on land zoned R-1 residential. The request is specifically for a 159,935-square-foot building and a fuel center located at 2411 E. 109th Ave.

The Nov. 27 BZA meeting will take place at 7 p.m. at Crown Point City Hall, 101 N. East St.

The land was annexed in early 2021, and by ordinance came into the city zoned R-1, the most restrictive zoning classification. In March of that year, developer Ryan Fleming of CP Prairie, LLC presented to the Plan Commission a project called The Orchard, a 53-unit residential subdivision.

The plan drew criticism from neighboring property owners who had concerns about lot sizes being too small and increased traffic along Iowa Street. The area is surrounded by the Niles Creek, Miller Farm and Heather Ridge subdivisions.

The Orchard project was ultimately approved by the Plan Commission. The BZA also approved a variance for it, allowing the subdivision to have only one entrance, even though Crown Point's subdivision control ordinance requires subdivisions with more than 40 lots to have two entrances.

According to minutes from a March 14, 2022 Plan Commission meeting, The Orchard plan was expanded to 75 lots and two entrances. During the March 14, 2022 meeting, primary subdivision plat approval for The Orchard was deferred because the project's drainage plan had not been fully approved.

Gallery: 140-foot flagpole installed in roundabout at 109th Avenue and I-65 140-foot tall flagpole at the roundabout at I-65 140-foot tall flagpole at the roundabout at I-65 140-foot tall flagpole at the roundabout at I-65 140-foot tall flagpole at the roundabout at I-65 140-foot tall flagpole at the roundabout at I-65 140-foot tall flagpole at the roundabout at I-65 140-foot tall flagpole at the roundabout at I-65 140-foot tall flagpole at the roundabout at I-65 140-foot tall flagpole at the roundabout at I-65 140-foot tall flagpole at the roundabout at I-65

A Meijer store is now proposed for the property located east of the 109th Avenue exit off Interstate 65, in a corridor where commercial development has been booming since the new I-65 interchange opened in 2019.

The proposed Crown Point Meijer would be smaller than the company's average past footprint of about 200,000 square feet. The Valparaiso store Meijer most recently opened in Northwest Indiana is about 195,000 square feet.

Meijer, which has more than 40 locations in Indiana, has been skewing toward a slightly smaller store format as of late. Earlier this year, it opened a new 159,000-square-foot store in Elkhart in north-central Indiana.

Meijer stores are typically large employers and require significant capital investment to build. The Valparaiso location was $20 million and employs about 300 workers.
The board of directors of OpenAI, the high-flying artificial intelligence start-up, said in a note to employees on Sunday night that its former chief, Sam Altman, would not be returning to his job, while naming his second interim replacement in two days.

Hours later, in another head-spinning move, Microsoft said it was hiring Mr. Altman and Greg Brockman, OpenAIs president and a company co-founder who quit in solidarity with Mr. Altman. The two men will lead an advanced research lab at Microsoft.

At OpenAI, Emmett Shear, the former chief executive of Twitch, will replace Mira Murati as interim chief, the board said. Ms. Murati, a longtime OpenAI executive, had been appointed to that role after Mr. Altmans ouster on Friday. The board said Mr. Shear has a unique mix of skills, expertise and relationships that will drive OpenAI forward, according to the memo viewed by The New York Times.

At Microsoft, Satya Nadella, the tech giants chief executive, said that Mr. Altman would be chief executive of the new research lab, setting a new pace for innovation, in an apparent contrast at the OpenAI boards desire for caution in developing A.I. technology. Mr. Nadella noted in a post to X, formerly known as Twitter, that Mr. Altmans new group will operate as an independent entity within Microsoft.
The former State Department employee and national security official who was filmed harassing a halal food vendor in Manhattan and calling him a terrorist was arrested and charged with a hate crime on Wednesday.

The former official, Stuart Seldowitz, 64, faces charges that include aggravated harassment and several counts of stalking, according to the police.

The charges were brought after the vendor, whom the police did not name but identified as a 24-year-old man, told the police that a person had approached him several times while he was working and had made Islamophobic comments, causing him to feel afraid and annoyed.

In several videos posted on social media, Mr. Seldowitz was shown photographing the vendor, threatening to send his picture to friends in Immigration and making Islamophobic remarks.

Image Q Halal Cart is often on the Upper East Side in Manhattan. Credit... Dodai Stewart/The New York Times

In one clip, Mr. Seldowitz calls the vendor ignorant for not speaking English, and goes on to make derisive comments about Islams founder, the Prophet Muhammad. In another, after a brief interaction about children being killed, Mr. Seldowitz says: If we killed 4,000 Palestinian kids, you know what? It wasnt enough.

According to the police, Mr. Seldowitz lives a few blocks from the halal carts usual location on the Upper East Side. Attempts to reach him on Wednesday night were unsuccessful.

In a phone interview on Tuesday, Mr. Seldowitz said that he was not Islamophobic and that he had targeted the vendor only after he expressed support for Hamas. The videos do not depict any comments by the vendor beyond his asking Mr. Seldowitz to leave and saying he would call the police.

At that point, I got rather upset and Ive said things to him, that in retrospect, I probably regret, though  that I do regret, Mr. Seldowitz said on Tuesday. Instead of focusing in on him and what he said, I expanded into insulting his religion and so on.

Mr. Seldowitz said he had held several positions in both Democratic and Republican administrations, including acting director for the National Security Councils South Asia Directorate and a post in the U.S. State Departments Office of Israel and Palestinian Affairs. He no longer holds any government positions, he said.

The incident came as tensions have escalated between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel groups in the weeks since the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7. In New York City, there have been almost daily demonstrations about the war and increases in both anti-Islamic and antisemitic hate crimes, and some angry encounters have gone viral.

In social media posts on Tuesday, both Mayor Eric Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul denounced Mr. Seldowitzs behavior, calling his remarks vile.

Mr. Adams wrote: Islamophobia is hate. Plain and simple. This vile, disrespectful rhetoric has no home in our city.

Julie Menin, a city councilwoman representing the Upper East Side, said in an interview on Wednesday that the incident was wholly and totally unacceptable and had upset the local community and that she was glad to hear Mr. Seldowitz was in custody.

This individual targeted this street vendor day after day after day, threatened the vendor, clearly committed hate speech that was violent in nature and contained threats, she said.

Hurubie Meko contributed reporting.
Dallas and Houston are two Democratic bubbles in Texas that have long faced the familiar urban ache of homeless people slumped on sidewalks and camping in parks. Both cities tried to address the challenge.

But smart policy matters far more than good intentions. In Dallas, homelessness worsened for years, and that city now has the most unhoused people in Texas. Meanwhile, the Houston region has slashed homelessness by more than 60 percent since 2011.

Homelessness is one of those topics that leaves Americans despairing, but Houston offers hope: It demonstrates what should be obvious, that a wealthy society doesnt have to accept as inevitable throngs of people sleeping on sidewalks. Delegations from around the country now troop to Houston to seek lessons, with the mayors of Chicago, Los Angeles and Denver traipsing through this summer.

Houston achieved its results on the cheap, spending very little of its own money even as West Coast cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco and Portland, Ore., have each poured hundreds of millions of dollars into efforts to address homelessness without much to show for them.
This transcript was created using speech recognition software. While it has been reviewed by human transcribers, it may contain errors. Please review the episode audio before quoting from this transcript and email transcripts@nytimes.com with any questions.

kevin roose

Casey, where are you right now?

casey newton

OK, first of all, you have to stop calling me, Kevin. Im trying to be on vacation over here. Im literally in the middle of gate E8 at San Francisco International Airport.

kevin roose

Is it loud there? How are you recording this?

casey newton

Its surprisingly quiet but only because my flight just got canceled.

kevin roose

No! What happened? [LAUGHS]

casey newton

Well, step one was they were waiting on some paperwork. Step two was they opened up some sort of compartment and they said that they needed to replace a broken latch. And then during that process, they announced that something was cracked and they were taking the airplane out of service.

kevin roose

Oh my god.

casey newton

But the best option for us was to hop on and chat while we wait for our next plane to arrive. And thats how my 

kevin roose

Oh my god.

casey newton

Thanksgiving is going so far.

kevin roose

Im so sorry that happened to you.

casey newton

Hows your holiday going so far?

kevin roose

I would say its been very relaxing. Ive just been spending quiet afternoons reading books and catching up on sleep. No, of course, I have been in a frenzy of reporting and trying to figure out what the heck is going on behind all of this drama. This is a triumphal return of Sam Altman and some OpenAI employees have been saying things like, we are so back.

casey newton

Well, before we get into the aftermath, Kevin, we should probably just quickly tell folks who may not have heard what happened since last week came to them in an emergency podcast just hours ago.

kevin roose

I feel like this week has just been one never-ending emergency podcast. I feel like we have really not stopped recording since Friday. But basically, heres the deal. Late Tuesday, OpenAI announced that Sam Altman was being brought back after this five-day campaign that had been waged by Sam and his allies, OpenAIs employees who had threatened to quit en masse and go work at Microsoft, as well as the companys investors. They said they had a, quote, agreement in principle for Sam Altman to return and that they were overhauling the companys board of directors. So Adam DAngelo who is the chief executive of Quora and was one of the board directors who had voted to fire Sam Altman, is staying on, but he is the only member of that board who is staying on. Helen Toner and Tasha McCauley, two of the other board members who voted to fire Sam Altman, are leaving the board. And two new people are joining to replace them. Bret Taylor, who is an early Facebook executive and former executive of Salesforce is coming on to the board. He will be the new chairman. And Larry Summers, the former Treasury Secretary is also coming on to the board. So Casey, what was your reaction to this news?

casey newton

I mean, on one hand, it was very surprising given that there had been a few failed attempts to return Sam to this position so far. On the other hand, though I think by the time this happened, Kevin, this really was inevitable. There was one particular detail I read in some reporting that I want to share right now and this was the moment where I thought there is no way Sam Altman doesnt come back to this board. Can I just share this with you?

kevin roose

Yes, please.

casey newton

So this is from a story written by Keach Hagey, Deepa Seetharaman, and Berber Jin at the Wall Street Journal. And in their piece on the matter, they said  and this is, of course, as the board is discussing the situation with some supporters for Sam Altman  and this is the quote, The board agreed to discuss the matter with their counsel. After a few hours, they returned still unwilling to provide specifics. Specifics in this case about why Altman was fired. The story goes on. They said that Altman wasnt candid and often got his way. The board said that Altman had been so daft, they couldnt even give a specific example, according to the people familiar with the executives. So when the people who were trying to get Sam back asked the board, hey, no, seriously, why did you fire this guy? Their answer was, hes so good at being bad, we cant even tell you what he did bad. And that was the moment where I thought this man is going to be CEO of this company again.

kevin roose

Yeah, thats a good observation. It dovetails with some reporting that my colleagues and I have been doing at the Times about why Sam Altman was fired and about some of the conflicts between him and the board that have been going on for a while now. In particular, this conflict between Sam Altman and Helen Toner, one of the board members who is departing, over this academic paper that she had written that drew attention to OpenAI in a negative light. And Sam Altman was upset about this. And this is part of what sparked the disagreement between him and the Helen Toner faction of the board. But obviously, youre right, we still dont know exactly what the trigger was for firing Sam Altman. But it seems to have been vague enough or unconvincing enough that the faction of the board that wanted to push him out was not able to stand their ground. And ultimately, in these bargaining sessions, they agreed to bring him back in exchange for certain changes to the companys governance.

casey newton

Thats right. I do think that, that dispute that you mentioned is important to spend another beat on though because I do think that the entire conflict is contained in this story. OpenAI is, of course, famously, a nonprofit board that runs a for-profit company. Helen represented the nonprofit board. Sam, his duty is to the nonprofit. He is hired essentially by the nonprofit. But I also think that his loyalties have been much more to the commercial corporate side of the venture at least as this most recent drama has been playing out. And the paper that Helen co-wrote was a paper in part about AI safety. And the thing that she and her coauthors wrote was that OpenAIs rival Anthropic, which is, of course, co-founded by a bunch of former OpenAI people, they wrote that Anthropic had essentially built their product more safely than OpenAI had. And so you can understand why in Sams mind that was a betrayal, but you can also understand why in Helens mind that was just her doing her job. Her job is to make sure that gets built in the safest manner possible. Her job is not to protect the reputation of OpenAI. And so that appears to be where the schism was. And even if that wasnt the trigger for why Sam got fired, I think it tells you a lot about what happened over the past week.

kevin roose

Yeah, so well see who gets added to the board in the coming days. This is not the final composition for the board

casey newton

Are you throwing your hat in the ring by the way, Kevin?

kevin roose

I will not serve if elected. This company has already cost me too much sleep. So it remains to be seen who will end up on the final version of the board. This is being seen and portrayed as an interim board thats just there to sort things out and ultimately decide who should be on the nonprofit board going forward. But I would say a couple things. One is Microsoft is definitely going to have a bigger hand in the governance of OpenAI going forward. When Microsoft did this deal with OpenAI, investing billions of dollars in the company, they were a passive investor. They did not have a seat on the board. They were not making the decisions about the future of this company even though this company and its technology have become very important to Microsofts future business plans.

casey newton

The best joke I heard about that, by the way, was from Matt Levine who wrote something like, Microsoft invested in a nonprofit at a valuation of $80 billion.

kevin roose

Yeah, so Microsoft, obviously, will want to ensure that something like this doesnt happen again, that its investment in OpenAI is not jeopardized by this nonprofit board. And so I expect that they will want a board seat going forward. And the bigger picture here I think, and this is something that Ive been writing about today, is that this war in AI between the capitalists and the catastrophists.

casey newton

Thats catchy.

kevin roose

Yeah, thank you. The people who think that AI is going to be a powerful business tool and the people who worry that its going to take over the world and destroy humanity. That war, I think, as of now, is over. The capitalists have won. The people who are now in charge of the board of OpenAI are the seasoned deal makers and Silicon Valley insiders that you would expect to govern a for-profit technology company. They are not these academics and ideologues who worry that AI could become too powerful and need to be shut down. And I think thats mostly the way that things are going to be from here on out.

casey newton

Certainly, I think, the pro-safety people have lost their most important perch that they had on any power in the circumstance at all. At the same time, there is a faction throughout the government, academia, in journalism, and within the industry itself that wants to build this technology in a safe way, so I dont think that disappears. But youre right it did lose a lot of power. I think my wrapping-up question for you, Kevin, is, how much do you think this changes OpenAI? Is it the case that Monday morning rolls around and it is just back to business as usual for these folks or do you think that this crazy series of events will have affected Sam and the company in some profound way that might change what we expect to see from them going forward?

kevin roose

Its hard to say I was talking to some OpenAI employees who were going back to the office to celebrate. They were having a party at the office. I did not get invited to that party, but I was hearing dispatches from inside of it. And at one point, the fire alarm of the OpenAI offices was set off by a fog machine. In case you want to do a vibe check on how people at the company are feeling right now, they are very happy. They are celebrating. They are bonded. Nothing bonds people together like going through a crisis. Theres a lot of solidarity 

casey newton

Like the one were having right now where Im recording an emergency episode in the airport? Its true, Ive never felt lonesome with you.

kevin roose

Yes, I do feel very bonded to you right now, Casey. The people Im talking to, they think that this is going to be a real moment of reinvigoration for the company, that employees are feeling optimistic about the future, and they are now even more devoted to this mission of building AGI. And obviously, I think there are going to be some people who come out ahead or behind of this reorganized, reconstituted OpenAI. And theres a lot of questions we still dont know the answers to about how the company will change going forward. But I think if youre looking for a clear before and after picture of OpenAI, I would say before there was this sense that there was this fragile structure that needed to be balanced, the needs of the business and the needs of the nonprofit. And now, I think, people feel like the business is firmly in the drivers seat.

casey newton

That all sounds right to me. I think the one thing I would add is that I do think the company, and Sam Altman in particular, are just going to be under more scrutiny now. We all learned a lot about the history of this company, and of Sam Altman in particular, over the past week. I think, to the extent that the company makes moves that are perceived as pro-corporate, pro-Microsoft, and anti-safety, I just think theyre going to get 10 times the attention that they did before all of this happened. And that might be a good thing So at the end of the day, I think that the board that they had did not execute its responsibilities well and did need to go. But I do hope that you and I will keep our eye on some of the concerns that they were raising behind closed doors, even if they would never be straightforward about what those concerns actually were.

kevin roose

Totally. Well, Casey, thank you for taking one for the team and recording an emergency podcast from the airport. I hope that you are able to get on a new flight and make your Thanksgiving plans after all.

casey newton

Yeah. And let me just say to the people of OpenAI, this is the last one I have in me this week. I dont care what kind of crazy shenanigans you guys get up to with your fog machine and your fire alarms that youre pulling at company headquarters, youre not going to hear my voice again until next Friday. And you can count on that.

kevin roose

Thats the Hard Fork promise. We are going to take a vacation.

casey newton

All right maybe go grab that turkey out of the oven, Kevin. Im starting to see some smoke coming out from the door behind you.

kevin roose

Thats just my fog machine in solidarity. [MUSIC PLAYING]

casey newton
Ms. Portillo returned the next day; while she was deeply upset about the assault, according to the lawsuit, she was also fearful that she would lose her job with Trump Model Management, professional opportunities, or even the agencys support of her visa if she rejected the job. On the second day, according to the lawsuit, Mr. Richardson once again commanded her to perform oral sex on him, while his employees took photographs, this time while they rode together in a van.

The experience traumatized her, according to the lawsuit, and Ms. Portillo returned to Spain about a week later.

That fall, some of the photographs of Ms. Portillo were included in an exhibition titled Terry Richardson: Terryworld, and in 2006 were published in a book, Kibosh, despite a 2005 cease-and-desist letter from Ms. Portillo, who claimed she was dropped by a Spanish modeling agency because of the explicit images.

Ms. Portillo said she did not consent to the distribution or sale of Mr. Richardsons photos. She had signed an undated release at his studio after the first photo shoot, but given her state of mind and that English wasnt her first language, did not know what she was signing, according to the lawsuit. (Modeling agencies typically handle such paperwork.)

Enduring sexual assault is one of the worst things that could have possibly happened to her, but then to have images of it captured forever and circulated on the internet and sold for profit  it just really altered the trajectory of her career and her life, said her lawyer, Ms. Guentert.

Two days after Ms. Portillos lawsuit, on Thursday, another woman filed a similar lawsuit against Mr. Richardson in New York state, according to her lawyer, inspired by Ms. Portillos actions. Caron Bernstein, a former actress and model who told her story to The Daily News in 2017, accused Mr. Richardson of forcing her to perform oral sex during a photoshoot in the summer of 2003, then including the photos of the alleged assault in his exhibition Terryworld and his book Kibosh. She did not sign a model release form, according to her complaint.
Juacabas work, by contrast, was plain yet potent in its attention to detail. Take her 2008 Varanda house in the rich Rio suburb of Itanhanga, which consists of little more than a 1,000-square-foot prism of glass lifted over two feet off the ground on steel joists, its gabled metal roof split by a skylight that runs the houses length, filling the interior space with shifting shadows. Thats the intelligence I love in her work  the gesture that mobilizes the [landscape] as part of the project, says Pedro Varella, 36, a co-founder and a partner at Gru.a, along with his childhood friend Caio Calafate, also 36. She leaves room for the imagination.

In one of their firms first projects, 2015s Videiras Pavilion  an extension of a pre-existing country home in a valley 62 miles from Rio  a 386-square-foot structure seems to levitate over a gentle slope. Built principally from brick, metal and cumaru wood, the house looks more like a diagram than like a solid architectural object; its pitched metal roof, attached by slim steel brackets to six sturdy columns, seems like it might slip off at any moment.

For Cabana Zero, a prototype built last year at a therapeutic retreat in the hills of Areal, a 30-mile drive northeast of Videiras, the architects Alziro Carvalho Neto, 42, and Felipe Rio Branco, 44, of Gavea Arquitetos, incorporated similarly elemental construction techniques. A wooden scaffold supports a 100-square-foot pine box, just big enough for a bedroom and bathroom (with no electricity or hot water), next to a 130-square-foot balcony that extends over the forest floor. Made largely from recycled timber left on-site by the previous owners, the external structure is rich in detail, featuring puzzlelike junctions of banisters and beams. Deep frames around unglazed windows double as outdoor seats. The black paint used in parts was inspired by the natural patina acquired by Indigenous palm-thatch dwellings, a resilient typology throughout Brazil that most architects, until recently, wouldnt have considered architecture at all.
More board members, who could be plucked from OpenAIs biggest investor, Microsoft, and the A.I. research community, are expected to join soon. Mr. Altman was not named to the board on Tuesday night, and it was not clear if he ever will be.

On Wednesday, what appeared to be emerging from the mess was a company better suited to handle the billions of dollars thrown its way and the attention it has received since it released ChatGPT. But some already argue that it will not be as attuned to OpenAIs original mission to create A.I. that is safe for the world.

The OpenAI debacle has illustrated that building A.I. systems is testing whether businesspeople who want to make money can work in sync with researchers who worry that what they are developing could eventually eliminate jobs or become a threat if technologies like autonomous weapons grow out of control.

The tech industry  perhaps even the world  will be watching to see if OpenAI is any closer to balancing those dueling aspirations than it was a week ago.

Well look back on this period as a very brief, highly dramatic blip that gave us a public and dramatic reset, said Aaron Levie, the chief executive of Box, an online data storage provider. This needs to be a trustworthy organization thats aligned with its board, and at the end of it all, OpenAI is a more valuable organization than it was a week ago.
The Israeli military sought on Wednesday to bolster its assertions that Hamas uses tunnels beneath Gazas largest hospital, releasing a series of videos that it said showed dozens of meters of a tunnel system beneath the complex of Al-Shifa Hospital.

Israeli and American officials have said that Hamas uses hospitals to provide cover for its military operations, accusations that Hamas and hospital administrators have denied. Israel, under increasing international pressure to prove those claims, has released several videos to press its case, showing elements of its cautious exploration of underground structures the military identifies as Hamas tunnels. The videos so far  including those released on Wednesday  have not shown conclusive evidence of a vast network of tunnels.

One video released this month included a military spokesman showing weapons that he said were found at Al-Shifa. Another showed a section of a tunnel that The New York Times verified was recorded at Al-Shifa.

That tunnel resembled the one seen in a video released on Wednesday. In that video, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the chief spokesman for the Israeli military, is shown holding a flashlight as he and a group of soldiers traverse a tunnel with an arched ceiling that he describes as being underneath Al-Shifas complex.

The videos released on Wednesday also show at least two toilets, a small alcove with a sink and a room with exposed wiring. Admiral Hagari says in the video that the room, and an electrical panel in another part of the tunnel, are connected to electricity sourced through the hospital.

In the video, the admiral also shows a room that he called a hideout, with two cots and a wall-mounted air-conditioning unit that he says is connected to an engine outside a hospital building.

The Israeli military said that Hamas had likely emptied the rooms as Israeli forces advanced. Admiral Hagari says in the video that Hamas tried to seal and destroy portions of the tunnel ahead of the militarys arrival.

In another video released on Wednesday, Admiral Hagari enters a home that he says is near Al-Shifas complex and served as a classroom. Inside the house, which has a chalkboard with English writing on it, Admiral Hagari shows an entrance into a tunnel that he says connected to tunnels under Al-Shifa.

Aric Toler and Malachy Browne contributed reporting.
A four-day cease-fire between Israel and Hamas  the first extended break in almost seven weeks of war  will most likely not begin until Friday at the earliest, Israeli officials said on Wednesday night, as negotiators hammered out details of an agreement between Israel and Hamas that would pause the fighting to allow the release of hostages and Palestinian prisoners.

The timing for the releases, which may also not begin until Friday, was released in a statement issued by the National Security Council through the Israeli prime ministers office, and appeared to rule out the possibility that hostages could be freed on Thursday, as many of their families had hoped.

The timing on the cease-fire was disclosed by an Israeli official who spoke on the condition of anonymity about the highly sensitive issue.

The new information underscored the fluidity of the negotiations between Israel and Hamas, which are being mediated by Qatar. Earlier Wednesday, Moussa Abu Marzouk, a senior Hamas official, told Al Jazeera from Qatar that his group had agreed to a temporary cease-fire starting at 10 a.m. local time on Thursday, and an Israeli official had set out the same timing.

The two sides announced Wednesday morning  Tuesday evening in the United States  that they had agreed to the exchange and a pause in fighting, but spent much of the day working out tricky details about timing and methods. In an atmosphere of deep mutual mistrust, with a history of collapsed truces and without an intermediary attempting to keep peace on the ground, Palestinians and Israelis alike worried that the deal might yet fall through.

The deal calls for the release of at least 150 Palestinian women and teenagers jailed by Israel in exchange for at least 50 women and minors taken hostage during the Hamas assault in Israel on Oct. 7. Israel said its warplanes would not fly over southern Gaza for the duration of the cease-fire, and would not fly over the northern part of the territory for six hours each day.

But as if to highlight that there was no lull in the war yet, the Israeli military said on Wednesday that it continued to fight in the Gaza Strip, while Hamas said it had agreed to a truce, but our hands will remain on the trigger.
At the risk of evoking unpleasant memories of high-school English, can we please discuss the word allegory? It refers to a story or a painting that comes with a moral or a lesson, perhaps a social or political one. And, in an era when figurative art has returned to prominence, the New York galleries are filled with a profusion of both allegorical paintings and their very opposite  which is to say, paintings that reject third-person narration in favor of first-person self-exposure. I caught two shows last week  Dana Schutzs and Tracey Emins  that represent the two extremes.

Schutz, whos now 47, is our leading painter of oil-on-canvas allegories. Her current show, Jupiters Lottery,  her first at the David Zwirner gallery in Chelsea  is a substantial and exciting affair that brings together 15 large-scale, exuberantly colored paintings and seven related bronze sculptures that come with a cast of sad-funny characters adrift in a fallen, post-Edenic world.

None of the works, by the way, resemble Open Casket, the photograph-based painting of Emmett Till that jettisoned Schutz into bilious controversy in 2017. When the painting was unveiled at the Whitney Biennial, detractors demanded that it be removed and even destroyed, and accused the artist, who is white, of exploiting an image of Black anguish for profit and self-aggrandizement.
The catastrophic history of the Jews in Germany in the 1930s and 40s is better known than the second half of the 20th century, Berg said. Before Adolf Hitlers rise to power in 1933, there were more than half a million Jews in Germany, but during the first six years of the antisemitic Nazi regime, half fled to other countries. Among those who stayed, about 170,000 were murdered in the Holocaust. By the end of World War II, only about 15,000 Jews remained.

After the Third Reich was defeated in 1945, the Allies divided Germany into four occupied zones. Four years later, the British, French and American sectors became a parliamentary democracy, the Federal Republic of Germany, while the Soviet zone, led by a Marxist-Leninist party, became the G.D.R.

While few Jews wanted to live in Germany, or what they regarded as the land of the perpetrators in the wars aftermath, denazification proceeded more quickly in the Soviet zone than in the West, and some Jews were attracted to the utopian vision of rebuilding a better society in the East, Ludicke said: a just, antifascist society, where being human was the most important value.

The story of one such optimistic family is told through a traveling trunk owned by Josef and Lizzi Zimmering, painted with the cities that marked their trip back: London, Brussels, Berlin. After surviving the Holocaust in exile, they returned to the Soviet occupied zone in 1946. The trunk contained all of the familys possessions after the war.

It really stands for the optimism and hope  the exile and return  of people who believed in this utopia, said Lewinsky.
Suzanne Shepherd, an influential New York acting teacher who found success in midlife as a character actress, including memorable turns as the mothers of Edie Falcos character on The Sopranos and Lorraine Braccos character in Goodfellas, died on Friday at her home in Manhattan. She was 89.

Her daughter, Kate Shepherd, said the cause was chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and kidney failure.

After establishing herself as a stage actress and director, Ms. Shepherd became well known as an acting instructor  her students included Gregory Hines, Bebe Neuwirth and Christopher Meloni  before she began acting in film and on television when she was in her mid-50s.

She began her big-screen career with two 1988 romantic comedies: Working Girl, in which she secured a role from its director, her old friend Mike Nichols, appearing alongside Melanie Griffith and Harrison Ford; and Mystic Pizza, playing an aunt of the Julia Roberts characters boyfriend. She would accumulate about 40 film and television credits in the decades to come, with maternal roles a signature.
Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie, a French historian at the forefront of a scholarly movement that sought to understand the past from the bottom up, by probing the beliefs and psychology of anonymous peasants and priests rather than the exploits of triumphant generals and rulers, died on Wednesday. He was 94.

His family confirmed the death, according to Agence France-Presse and other French news organizations. The magazine LObs said he died in Paris.

In a statement from the Elysee Palace, President Emmanuel Macron of France called Mr. Le Roy Ladurie one of our greatest historians, adding, His work truly extended historys domain  the discipline was enriched because he was able to invent new tools, new approaches, and new subjects.

A prolific and eminently readable scholar, Mr. Le Roy Ladurie was most familiar for his books Montaillou: The Promised Land of Error (1975) and Carnival in Romans (1979), both of them best sellers and instant classics on both sides of the Atlantic.
The cease-fire in Gaza is expected to begin today

The Qatari government, which has brokered negotiations between Israel and Hamas, said a four-day pause in fighting in Gaza would begin this morning, followed by the hostage and prisoner releases. The events could lead to a significant diplomatic breakthrough in the war, now in its seventh week. Heres the latest.

Israel and Hamas have been negotiating to clinch the final details of the agreement to exchange at least 50 women and children held in Gaza for 150 Palestinian women and minors imprisoned in Israeli jails. The agreement was announced on Wednesday, but the talks have snagged on key details, underscoring the fragility of the deal and the intense mutual mistrust.

Continued fighting: Israeli airstrikes and ground troops pummeled northern Gaza amid the countdown to the pause in fighting. Numerous clashes were reported in Jabaliya, an area just north of Gaza City that Israeli officials have called a stronghold of Hamas.

Details: A spokesman for Qatars foreign ministry told reporters that the pause in fighting would begin at 7 a.m. Gaza time. A first group of 13 hostages would be released starting at 4 p.m. along with an undisclosed number of Palestinian prisoners.
This article is from Headway, an initiative from The New York Times exploring the worlds challenges through the lens of progress. Headway looks for promising solutions, notable experiments and lessons from what has been tried.

Jack Walker is a union man. He drives a garbage truck in Memphis, where his route can take him barreling past shotgun-style houses along the Mississippi River and down the narrow alleyways near the Lorraine Motel, where the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. He is aware, always, of how his union protections are tied to Dr. Kings death and that of another man: his father.

Robert Walker, Mr. Walkers father, was also a sanitation worker. On Feb. 1, 1968, he was collecting garbage when sheets of rain started pouring down. He and his colleague Echol Cole took shelter in the compactor of their truck. When a compressing piston malfunctioned, the two men were crushed. The city had no intention to pay death benefits, offering Robert Walkers widow only $500 for funeral expenses, if you need it, as the official letter put it. She had five children, including Jack, and was pregnant with a sixth.

The tragedy was a culmination of slow-burning indignities for Black sanitation workers in Memphis. They earned low wages to lug heavy, open tubs of refuse to their trucks. Rotting garbage seeped onto their skin and clothes. Their white colleagues, who were often drivers, showered at the depot at the end of their shifts. But the Black collectors were forced to ride the bus or walk home in their dank clothes covered in flecks of trash and maggots.

Fed up, they called a strike. Roughly 1,300 sanitation workers began marching through the streets of Memphis. They carried signs that read I Am a Man, with the Am underlined. The strike stretched on for weeks. Even as trash began to accumulate on city streets, Memphiss mayor wouldnt entertain the strikers demands, instead sending in police officers with clubs and mace to break up marches.
CASEY NEWTON Disbelief. It didnt make any sense. We had just talked to the guy 48 hours earlier, and he seemingly had no indication that this was coming. OpenAI was riding high, on top of the world, and all of a sudden hes fired. The blog post from OpenAI didnt even really explain why  it just insinuated some things without really saying anything. So my first reaction was, What is happening? Shortly after that, Kevin and I hopped on a Google Meet with the podcast team to figure out what we were going to do.

Did you worry that the news would blow up the interview, which you had yet to publish?

KEVIN ROOSE Obviously the best thing would have been to interview him about all of this after it happened, to get his take on it. But we couldnt do that. We just happened to have this very fresh interview with him in which he didnt know he was about to get fired. But he did talk about a lot of the issues that we have since learned are at the heart of the conflict between him and the board of OpenAI. To me, it felt revelatory, illuminating and urgent to get it out as soon as we could.

Did you detect any hint of the rift?

NEWTON I wish I could tell you that I knew, but I dont think any of us knew.

ROOSE No, absolutely no indication that this was coming. The reporting that we have since then backs up the fact that this was a complete surprise to him and to everyone except those on the board.

Which parts of the interview did Mr. Altmans ouster cast into new light?

ROOSE It was clear to me that Sam was trying to walk a careful line between these two warring factions in the A.I. world: You could call them the optimists, the people who think that this technology should move faster, and the pessimists, the people who think that its already moving too fast. Sam was trying to be very thoughtful and deliberate about aiming down the middle of that debate. But he was very clear with us that he believed this technology needed to move faster. I thought that was illuminating at the time he said it, and even more so after he was fired, because, while we still dont know the exact cause of the firing, it seems to have been a source of conflict within OpenAI.
Frybread Face and Me is set in 1990, when its protagonist, Benny (Keir Tallman), reluctantly goes to live on a Navajo reservation with his maternal grandmother (Sarah H. Natani). Having grown up in San Diego, the 11-year-old Benny has more experience with action figures, SeaWorld visits and Fleetwood Mac tunes than with rug weaving, sheep herding and bull riding. Over the kind of indelible summer beloved by screenwriters, he will receive an introduction to all three.

It helps that Benny is quickly joined at his grandmothers by a cousin of a similar age; she is widely known by the nickname Frybread Face (Charley Hogan). Fry acts as a translator with their grandmother (who has refused to learn English), teaches Benny a few Navajo concepts and even gives him a driving lesson. The cultural exchange goes both ways: Fry is enthused to learn that Benny can visit the orca Shamu at SeaWorld whenever he wants.
Mayor Eric Adams of New York has been accused in a lawsuit filed under New Yorks Adult Survivors Act of sexually assaulting a Florida woman three decades ago.

The suit, which was filed Wednesday in Manhattan, accuses the mayor of assaulting the woman in 1993 when Mr. Adams was a New York police officer, but gives no other details. He denied the claim and said he does not recall ever meeting the woman who filed the suit.

Mr. Adams on Thursday denied the central claim of the case, which seeks $5 million and also names the Police Department as a defendant.

People know my character. They see how I am, how I carry myself, the mayor told reporters, adding, This never took place, and I do not recall ever meeting the accuser.
All along Central Park West on Thursday, throngs of people gathered for the Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade and packed street corners or sat on folding chairs set up since dawn. They wedged themselves on slivers of sidewalk, and some placed their toddlers atop food carts for a better view.

Madison Burgess, 26, was kind of over it.

You dont realize how slow the cadence is in real life, she said as she left the parade route. For nearly three hours, Ms. Burgess added, she had peered up at balloons of animated characters like Bluey, Goku and Monkey D. Luffy. She had watched the event only on television, and as a TV production coordinator, she realized how she preferred seeing the spectacle. Edited, she said.
The resulting explosion sent flames shooting into the sky and government and law enforcement officials scrambling to determine what had happened. A border patrol worker in the checkpoint booth had minor injuries. Cross-border rail service was suspended and cars searched for explosives at local airports, as White House and Homeland Security officials were briefed.

Cable television was flooded with speculation about the cause of the blast, and some politicians took the opportunity to warn against terrorism and criticize the president.

By nightfall, however, Ms. Hochul was assuring the public that no terrorist activity was suspected, noting that stress levels are already high in the wake of the terrorist attacks in Israel on Oct. 7 and military action in the Gaza Strip.

The Villanis were well known in Grand Island, a generally affluent town of about 21,500 that sits just north of Buffalo and midstream in the Niagara, where residents were shocked, said Nate McMurray, the former town supervisor, who still has a home there. A family business, their Ace Hardware store, Guis Lumber, has several locations in western New York, offering up festive holiday decorations.

Its not like a Home Depot, Mr. McMurray said. Its more of a community place.

Efforts to reach the victims family by phone and in person were unsuccessful.
There will be turkey at Marci Rosas family Thanksgiving in New Jersey, and stuffing and sweet potato and leek gratin. But also kasha varnishkes, a Jewish grain dish with roots in Eastern Europe, where her in-laws survived the Holocaust.

All across the country, families like Ms. Rosas are gathering on Thursday to nosh, to catch up and perhaps to bicker a little. But this year, with Israel at war and the world sharply divided over questions of justice, some Jewish families are finding that what it means to be a Jew is also on the Thanksgiving table.

Seated around one table will be members of a family whose stances toward Israel since the Hamas terrorist attacks on Oct. 7 and the Israeli military response have sent them to different ideological poles.

At one end is Ms. Rosas mother, Esther Rosa, 95, who recalls Thanksgivings during World War II with one seat left empty  her brother was fighting for the United States against the Germans  and is steadfast in her belief in Israels right to defend itself. At the other is her daughter, Becca Gertler, 25, who is outspoken in her support for the Palestinians, thousands of whom have been killed in the war. Somewhere in the middle is Ms. Rosa herself, a self-described liberal from Brooklyn who is in her 60s, and who regularly criticized Israels policies in the past, but now sees it  and Jews like her  as under threat.

Though the family is no stranger to heated debates, according to Ms. Rosas nephew, who is hosting the dinner, this kind of tension is new. With my family, with politics we kind of know where those lines were drawn years ago; you know what to say if you want to press someones buttons, said the nephew, who asked that his name not be used because of the contentiousness of the subject.

You are going into a family dinner with a polarizing topic, not knowing where anybody stands, he said. I dont think weve ever done that  I dont think any family has ever done that.

Raging family debates at Thanksgiving are as traditional as cranberry sauce. For generations, Americans have sat down to dinner divided over politics and taxes, Republicans and Democrats, the Giants and the Jets. At a time when things like protests against Israels policies and the tearing down of missing persons signs can feel like personal attacks, some American Jews are experiencing the revelation of differing values across the family Thanksgiving table with acute pain.

These types of identity- and values-based conflicts are the most intractable, according to Tricia S. Jones, a professor at Temple University and director of the Center for Conflict Management and Media Impact there. They are so much a definition of who we are and need to be that it is very difficult for us to accept an alternate story from anyone  particularly from those we love, she said.

Dr. Jones added: Youve got people who deeply love one another, and want to understand where their loved ones are coming from, so pretending away the differences and the pain also isnt workable.

There are 21 members of the extended Rosa family coming for Thanksgiving, but one matriarch will be absent: Judith Gertler, 89, Ms. Rosas mother-in-law, a Holocaust survivor who endured the Ravensbruck concentration camp in Germany as a little girl, and who lives in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn. She has dementia and is too frail to make the trip to New Jersey. With the support of Mrs. Gertlers doctor, the family has kept all news of the Oct. 7 attack from her. She found refuge in Israel after the war, Ms. Rosa said, and the family was afraid the news would trigger post-traumatic stress.
In 1805, when the Lewis and Clark expedition reached the border of what is now North Dakota and Montana, they found herds of American buffalo so numerous, the whole face of the country was covered by them, Meriwether Lewis wrote. Less than a century later, in 1889, the nations most majestic animal (whose scientific name is Bison bison) had been reduced from practically uncountable numbers to an easily countable 541, and the species teetered on the edge of extinction.

The story of what happened to the buffalo was a triple tragedy: for the animals, who were mercilessly slaughtered by the millions to feed an insatiable industrial demand for their hides; for the vitality of the Great Plains ecosystem that depended on them; and perhaps most profoundly for Native people, who were simultaneously dispossessed of their homelands, confined to reservations and deprived of the animals that had fed their bodies and nourished their spirits for untold generations.

But that heartbreaking tale has another chapter, too, that shows how Americans can change direction and pull back from the brink. In the early 1900s, a diverse and unlikely collection of individuals set about preserving small herds of bison in an effort that finally coalesced into a national movement that saved the species from oblivion. Today, more than 350,000 bison can be found in the United States  a notable success, but really just a start. More is still needed to correct one of the most grievous mistakes of our nations past.

Most of todays bison are being raised as livestock, confined like cattle, fattened in feedlots and trucked to commercial slaughterhouses. Only 20,000 of them are protected in federal and state preserves in what are called conservation herds. Meanwhile, some ranchers and nonprofit environmental organizations are trying to provide buffalo with something closer to the habitats they once knew: more room to roam and native grasses to eat. Under those conditions, the bison can reclaim their former role as the keystone species of the prairies, improving conditions for all other species to thrive.
To the Editor:

Re Progressives Arent Liberal, by Pamela Paul (column, Nov. 17):

Ms. Paul bemoans the failure of labels to accurately describe what a persons beliefs are, in this case liberals. Instead, she should be championing the demise of labels for the very reason that whether progressive or liberal, conservative or libertarian, labels are a lazy way of organizing people into groups primed by the echo chamber we live in and devoid of any nuance.

Labels allow a labeler to define us without the heavy lifting of critical thinking that truly informs who and what we are. The use of labels gives permission to easily dismiss another person as a this or a that while blinding the labeler to shared beliefs that if understood would foster greater dialogue and the opportunity to achieve goals that break down societal divisions.

In the end, we should applaud the failure of labels and encourage a deeper understanding of one another.

Jonathan Karmel

Chicago

To the Editor:

Thank you so much for Progressives Arent Liberal. It was spot on! The talk show host Bill Maher has been saying for years that he is a classic liberal, but not at all like modern progressives. I have always identified with him whenever he made comments like that.
Can one organization, or one person, maintain the brain of a scientist, the drive of a capitalist and the cautious heart of a regulatory agency? Or, as Charlie Warzel wrote in The Atlantic, will the money always win out?

Its important to remember that A.I. is quite different from other parts of the tech world. It is (or at least was) more academic. A.I. is a field that had a research lineage stretching back centuries. Even today, many of the giants of the field are primarily researchers, not entrepreneurs  people like Yann LeCun and Geoffrey Hinton, who won the Turing Award (the Nobel Prize of computing) together in 2018 and now disagree about where A.I. is taking us.

Its only in the last several years that academic researchers have been leaving the university aeries and flocking to industry. Researchers at places like Alphabet, the parent company of Google; Microsoft; OpenAI; and Meta, which owns Facebook, still communicate with one another by publishing research papers, the way professors do.

But the field also has the intensity and the audacity of the hottest of all startup sectors. While talking with A.I. researchers over the past year or so, I have often felt I was on one of those airport moving walkways going three miles per hour and they were on walkways going 4,000 miles per hour. The researchers kept telling me that this phase of A.I.s history is so exhilarating precisely because nobody can predict what will happen next. The point of being an A.I. researcher is you should understand whats going on. Were constantly being surprised, the Stanford Ph.D. candidate Rishi Bommasani told me.

The people in A.I. seem to be experiencing radically different brain states all at once. Ive found it incredibly hard to write about A.I. because it is literally unknowable whether this technology is leading us to heaven or hell, and so my attitude about it shifts with my mood.
NATIONAL

An article on Tuesday about the 76th pre-Thanksgiving presidential turkey pardon ritual misstated when the annual tradition of a presidential turkey pardon began. While U.S. presidents have been presented with turkeys since 1947, the first documented pardon was not until 1963.

OBITUARIES

An obituary on Monday about the former New York City sanitation commissioner Brendan Sexton misstated the career history of his father, who was also named Brendan. While he was a union leader, he was not also a sociology professor at New York University; Mr. Sextons stepmother, Patricia Cayo Sexton, was.

An obituary on Nov. 6 about the China expert Jeffrey A. Bader, using information from his wife, contained an incomplete list of his survivors. In addition to his wife, Rohini Talalla, and his brother, Lawrence, he is survived by a son, Odoric Brechet, and a grandson.

Errors are corrected during the press run whenever possible, so some errors noted here may not have appeared in all editions.
The city of Charleston this week elected a Republican mayor for the first time since the mid-1870s, signifying a new chapter for the centuries-old southern city.

The new mayor, William Cogswell, a former state representative and real estate developer, won a tight runoff election on Tuesday in South Carolina against Mayor John Tecklenburg, a Democrat who was seeking his third term in office.

Mr. Cogswells election indicates a shift for Charleston, a stubbornly left-leaning city that has consistently elected Democratic mayors  including one to 10 terms  even as the state as a whole has not voted for a Democratic president since 1976.

The mayors office in Charleston is technically nonpartisan, though mayors are often known to identify with a party. The citys last Republican mayor served until 1877, according to city records and The Associated Press. Mr. Cogswell, 48, who had previously served as a Republican in the states House of Representatives, said in an interview on Thursday that he did not make much of the narrative about his political party and that he did not run on an expressly partisan platform.
Edwin Smith, who goes by Smoky, was Mr. Holts best friend and employer. Mr. Smith, a 78-year-old lifelong Hinsdale resident, said in an interview that he met Mr. Holt sometime in the 1970s. He said Mr. Holt grew up in Springfield, Mass., and settled in Hinsdale after serving in the Navy and earning a masters degree at American International College, where his father, Lee Holt, was an English professor.

Eventually, Mr. Holt moved into a mobile home on a tract of land that Mr. Smith owned, and lived there for a time with a widow who owned the home.

Mr. Holt did odd jobs for Mr. Smith over the years, like clearing brush, plowing snow and other maintenance tasks. He even house-sat for Mr. Smith and his wife when they were away on vacation. Mr. Smith said that his friend lived very frugally.

But before Mr. Holt started working for Mr. Smith, he had a job at a grain mill operated by Agway Inc. in Brattleboro, Vt., which bought him out in the mid-1980s. This left Mr. Holt with a small nest egg that he invested in several mutual funds with a broker in Keene, N.H. One was what Mr. Smith described as a communications fund.

In 2000 or so, Mr. Holt revealed his wealth to Mr. Smith. His investments had done quite well, Mr. Smith recalled his friend telling him, but he didnt know what to do with the money. Mr. Holt had no children. He had been married once, and only briefly, in the 1960s. He was in contact only occasionally with a younger sister who lives on the West Coast, and he wasnt particularly close with any members of his extended family.
For my young, healthy husband, thats a different decision than for me when I am taking care of patients who are cancer survivors, and they trust me to be in their airway every day, she told NBC News. Giving people that autonomy is the most important part.

More recently, when asked if she recommended that others receive the vaccination, in accordance with C.D.C. guidance, she carefully sidestepped the question: I recommend that people make their decisions based on the risks and benefits that have been published  and the risks and benefits should be investigated in a fair and balanced manner. She later said that their children were not vaccinated against Covid-19.

In interviews, Dr. Ramaswamy resorted to a few different moves in defending her husband: downplaying (He says things in a way that sounds pretty dramatic, but when you actually read his proposals, theyre very reasonable) or glossing over the details of his proposals and saying she stood behind him (He has a different communication style than I do, but I agree with him and his principles on pretty much everything), or ducking questions by saying simply that he was running for president, not she (Im not the candidate, she said, when asked about his call to fire half the federal work force).

She also expressed disbelief at the strong reactions to Mr. Ramaswamy from some who might have been expected to share similar views. What has been surprising is that people have, in the Republican Party themselves, had such an allergic reaction to someone who is an independent thinker, who actually represents a lot of what the Republican Party  in terms of the people who vote conservative  what we believe, she said.

Dr. Ramaswamy ventured a bit further into the fray after the third Republican National Committee debate, in which her husband had mocked Nikki Haley as Dick Cheney in three-inch heels and then invoked Ms. Haleys daughters use of TikTok to score another point  eliciting an angry Youre just scum in response.
Heavy rains and floods have killed scores of people and displaced hundreds of thousands of others across eastern Africa in recent weeks, governments and the United Nations said, underscoring the intensifying climatic hazards in a politically and economically tumultuous region.

At least 179 people have been killed in countries including Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, according to the U.N. and government agencies, and some regional authorities believe the figures are most likely higher.

The torrential rains, which have devastated other nations including Burundi, Sudan, South Sudan and Uganda, have affected more than three million people in a region that was already reeling from its worst drought in four decades.

Since 2020, the drought conditions, aggravated by climate change, have decimated crops and livestock and left millions of people hungry and malnourished, and hundreds of children dead.
After being held for months on an immigration violation, a Chinese dissident who traveled from China to South Korea on a Jet Ski-type vehicle in August was given a suspended sentence on Thursday. His prospects remain unclear.

The district court in Incheon, South Korea, handed the activist, Kwon Pyong, 35, a suspended jail term of one year with a two-year probation period, effectively ending his custody. For the past three months, Mr. Kwon has been in detention in Incheon.

After Mr. Kwon made the dangerous trip, crossing around 200 miles of ocean by personal watercraft, he was found stranded on a mud flat off South Koreas west coast, near Incheon. He had hoped to seek asylum, but instead was arrested for illegal entry. The South Korea Coast Guard found him with a life jacket, a telescope, a compass and a helmet, according to the local police.

Mr. Kwon was charged with violating the Immigration Control Act. His legal team had initially hoped for a fine with no detention, but several months in custody and a disappointing preliminary hearing in October had lowered their expectations.
For the second time in recent months, the Indian government is facing questions about whether it was involved in an assassination plot on Western soil, as American officials said they had expressed concerns to New Delhi about a thwarted plan to kill a dual U.S.-Canadian citizen.

U.S. officials did not publicly accuse India of trying to orchestrate the killing of the dual citizen, reported by news outlets to be Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a vocal advocate of the cause of Sikh separatism.

But the revelation of a foiled plot comes just months after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada accused the Indian government of involvement in the killing of another Sikh separatist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, on Canadian territory. And in the case of Mr. Pannun, news outlets, led by The Financial Times, reported on Wednesday that the Biden administration had told the Indian government it had information possibly linking New Delhi to the plot against him.

Responding to those reports, which cited anonymous U.S. officials, the Indian foreign ministry issued a vaguely worded statement acknowledging discussion with the United States on the matter.
It is unclear if these are associated with the overall increase in respiratory infections previously reported by Chinese authorities, or separate events, the W.H.O., a United Nations agency, said in a statement Thursday.

During both the outbreak of SARS in 2003 and the coronavirus pandemic that began in 2020, Chinas surveillance and reporting of infectious diseases drew global scrutiny and criticism. Both times, officials covered up early cases, and stonewalled requests from health officials overseas, including the W.H.O., for more information and access to patient data.

Several experts said in interviews that the current rise in cases might not be cause for concern, noting that further testing could illuminate the reasons for the apparently undiagnosed cases. But they acknowledged that many around the world were on higher alert toward reports from China.

Definitely, there is concern about transparency from China, said Raina MacIntyre, a professor of global biosecurity at the University of New South Wales in Australia. Given the history of what happened with Covid, I think W.H.O. decided to get on the front foot, which is a good thing, and request information from China now.

The W.H.O. said it had requested laboratory results from the reported clusters among children, as well as more details about the current burden on health care systems. It said it was also in touch with clinicians and scientists through its networks in China.
The extraordinary video summit on the Palestinian-Israeli issue held by the BRICS leaders on November 21 is the first-ever emergency conference dedicated to an unforeseen international issue in the history of the BRICS. It is also the first leaders' meeting of BRICS since its expansion in August of this year. As the most prestigious and influential cooperation platform for emerging-market countries and developing countries, BRICS holding a special summit at this critical juncture of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict marks a good start for greater BRICS cooperation. As Chinese President Xi Jinping stated, it is very timely and very important that the BRICS countries meet and speak up for justice and for peace on the Palestinian-Israeli issue.

At the invitation of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, President Xi Jinping attended the summit and delivered an important speech entitled "Working Toward a Ceasefire and Realizing Lasting Peace and Sustainable Security." He proposed three "urgent tasks." First, the parties to the conflict must end hostilities and achieve a cease-fire immediately, stop all violence and attacks against civilians, release civilians held captive, and act to prevent loss of more lives and spare people from more miseries. Second, humanitarian corridors must be kept secure and unimpeded, and more humanitarian assistance should be provided to the population in Gaza. The collective punishment of people in Gaza in the form of forced transfer or water, electricity and fuel deprivation must stop. Third, the international community must act with practical measures to prevent the conflict from spilling over and endangering stability in the Middle East as a whole. These three "urgent tasks" address the core issues, are highly practical and sincere, and possess a high degree of constructiveness and operability.

President Xi emphasized that the only viable way to break the cycle of Palestinian-Israeli conflict lies in the two-state solution and he called for the early convening of an international peace conference that is more authoritative. These proposals align with the expectations of regional countries and articulate the broad consensus of the BRICS and the international community. Other participating leaders also delivered speeches, issuing "BRICS strong voices" on the Palestinian-Israeli issue, which are not negligible.

The BRICS mechanism, for the first time, held a special summit on regional hot-spot conflicts, signifying the arrival of a powerful ally for the global governance system that is being confronted with numerous challenges and difficulties. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attended the meeting, representing the international community's expectations for the BRICS countries to play a greater role in addressing hot spot issues.

The Palestinian-Israeli conflict is a mirror that reflects many things. Because of the opposition of a few countries, the UN Security Council was unable to take firm actions, which has become an insurmountable obstacle that the UN Security Council cannot overcome. Some other Western countries lack the willingness and courage to stand up for justice, thus leading to a vacuum in the global governance system. The BRICS countries, which represent the emerging-market countries and developing countries, have come forward to fill the vacuum. This underscores the further expansion of the functions of the BRICS cooperation mechanism, the enhancement of its influence in the international community, the power of BRICS countries in shaping the international landscape, as well as its profound impact on the world's development process.

From the outbreak of the latest round of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict to the convening of this virtual meeting, China, Russia, Brazil, South Africa and other BRICS members have made efforts to promote a cease-fire in Gaza and prevent the escalation of violence by submitting bills and organizing meetings within the framework of the UN Security Council. In this process, the stance of BRICS members is unanimous: They are committed to promoting talks for peace, opposing violence and avoiding humanitarian disasters, which is clearly different from that of some Western countries. BRICS is becoming a symbol and an entity that upholds international justice, and the more influence it has in the international arena, the better it will be for peace and tranquility in the world.

The serious marginalization of the Palestinian issue in recent years is one of the root causes of this round of Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and the BRICS countries' special approach to highlighting their concern for the Palestinian issue will help to promote the international community's prioritization of this issue on the international agenda and to create the conditions for a comprehensive and just settlement. We hope that the Western countries and the BRICS countries will work together to cool down the Palestinian-Israeli situation and make concrete efforts for peace and development. SourceGlobal Times)
The British governments effort to salvage its contentious policy of deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda is drawing attention from the White House, which wants to make sure any revamped legislation does not undermine the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland, according to two Biden administration officials.

Definitely all keeping an eye on Northern Ireland, said a senior official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

That a British immigration policy involving one-way flights to an East African country would have implications for Northern Ireland is one of the strange, second-order effects of Britains membership in the European Convention on Human Rights, an international accord it helped draft after World War II.

And the fact that it would catch the eye of Washington speaks to the sensitivity of Northern Ireland in the trans-Atlantic relationship. President Biden, a proud Irish American, has shown a keen interest in the Good Friday Agreement, which was brokered under another Democratic president, Bill Clinton, and ended decades of sectarian strife.
Three young children and a woman in her 30s were injured near a school in Dublin on Thursday, the police said, an attack that was followed by destructive riots that they blamed on the far right weaponizing misinformation about the episode.

An adult woman in her 30s and a 5-year-old girl sustained serious wounds in the attack, in which a knife was used, the police said, while a 5-year-old boy and a 6-year-old girl were being treated for less serious injuries. The boy was later released from hospital.

A suspect in the case was in custody, according to the Garda Siochana, the Irish police force. Drew Harris, the Garda police commissioner, said that the motive for the attack remained entirely unclear.

The attack, which the police described as a serious public order incident, took place at Parnell Square East, in central Dublin, shortly after 1:30 p.m. on Thursday.
The Netherlands, long regarded as one of Europes most socially liberal countries, woke up to a drastically changed political landscape on Thursday after a far-right party swept national elections in a result that has reverberated throughout Europe.

Geert Wilderss Party for Freedom, which advocates banning the Quran, closing Islamic schools and entirely halting the acceptance of asylum seekers, won 37 seats in the 150-seat House of Representatives, making it by far the biggest party, in a clear rebuke of the countrys political establishment.

The results, tabulated overnight after Wednesdays voting, give Mr. Wilders enough support to try to form a governing coalition. Centrist and center-right parties long wary of the firebrand have left the door ajar to a possible partnership, giving Mr. Wilders a chance to become the Netherlands first far-right prime minister.

While people across the political spectrum expressed surprise at the election outcome, and the Dutch reputation of liberalism persists, experts say that Mr. Wilders succeeded by tapping into a discontent with government that dates back at least two decades.
Finland is closing all but one of its land border crossings with Russia, escalating a standoff between the two countries over an influx of migrants that Finnish officials blame on Moscow.

Starting on Friday, only the Raja-Jooseppi crossing in northern Lapland will stay open to travelers, while all seven other land crossings will be closed. Last week, Finland closed four of the entry points.

Russia has sought for years to cause discord, to shake unity in Europe and to weaken the Western alliance and international rules-based order, the Finnish prime minister, Petteri Orpo, said in a televised address to Parliament on Thursday. Our national response must be clear and strong.

He had previously said the situation at the border was deteriorating amid signs that the Russian authorities were helping asylum seekers make their way to the country.
When asked last week what kind of leader should replace President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, his longtime spokesman gave a quick and simple answer: the same.

Or different, but the same, the spokesman, Dmitri S. Peskov, told a Russian television network, adding that he was confident that should Mr. Putin run, he would win the election without doubt and would remain our president.

Few doubt that Mr. Putin will seek another presidential term in an election scheduled for March. He is widely expected to formally announce his candidacy next month.

There is little question about the outcome, too; in Russias authoritarian political system, Mr. Putin is always reported to have won in a landslide. He has led Russia as either president or prime minister since 1999.
Some of those increases are likely to be temporary, but the rise has stirred tensions within the Conservative Party, which promised, when it took power 13 years ago, to limit net migration to tens of thousands of people a year.

A Conservative lawmaker, Jonathan Gullis, told Times Radio that the rise was completely unacceptable and it will be unacceptable as well to the majority of the British people. He called on the prime minister and the home secretary to take drastic action now as well as stopping the boats. Although a highly visible symbol of Britains inability to control its frontiers, the number of people crossing on small boats is a fraction of the number arriving legally; last years total amounted to around 46,000.

According to opinion polls, migration had fallen down the list of concerns for most Britons in recent years. The state of the economy and health care are more of a worry, despite a slight uptick recently, and polls show more Britons believe that immigrants make a positive contribution to their society.

On Thursday James Cleverly, the home secretary appointed last week after the firing of Suella Braverman, a hard-line champion of immigration restrictions, said that the government remains completely committed to reducing levels of legal migration while at the same time focusing relentlessly on our priority of stopping the boats. But he also echoed what many economists have pointed out  that Britain relies on migrant workers in many sectors, particularly health and social care.
Like many people around the world with families in Gaza who are anxious for news of their loved ones, wondering if they are still alive, whether they are hungry or hurt, Reem Alfranji is also consumed with guilt.

Even drinking a glass of water  a simple act at her home in Jordan, but a luxury for those trapped in the besieged enclave, like her mother  makes her feel guilty, Ms. Alfranji said. Every time I drink this water, I feel I wish I could pass one cup for my mom, she said.

The people of the Gaza Strip have been living for weeks under constant bombardment, cut off from supplies of food, water and medicine. Communications are also frequently disrupted, so those living outside the territory can find out about their families there only through sporadic text messages with WhatsApp or phone calls. They are desperate for any signs their loved ones are alive. Some say they barely sleep. Others barely eat.

Many grew up in Gaza and know what it is like to run from an airstrike, or how shattered glass turns into shrapnel. And while they know they cant stop the bombardments, some said they wished they were there with their families, knowing how much they are suffering.

More than 12,000 people  including about 5,000 children  have been killed in Gaza as of Nov. 22, according to the health ministry in the enclave. Israel launched its military campaign against Gaza in response to terrorist attacks by Hamas, the group that runs the enclave, on Oct. 7. Israel says that about 1,200 people were killed and 240 hostages abducted in those attacks.
In Khan Younis, a city in the southern Gaza Strip where many Palestinians have fled to escape Israeli bombardment of the north, 111 bodies wrapped in bright blue bags arrived on Wednesday in a shipping container on the back of a truck.

The bodies were believed to be from Al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza, which Israeli troops seized last week, and Beit Hanoun, a city on the northeastern edge of Gaza. Israel returned the bodies to Palestinian authorities earlier this week.

They were removed from the shipping container on stretchers, as workers dug a trench with construction equipment and shovels. Journalists watched, but no family members were present. The bodies were unidentified except for numbers on the bags.

Workers then stacked them next to each other in the trench, their blue bags standing out against the red-orange soil.
A deal between Israel and Hamas for a temporary cease-fire appeared to take effect on Friday. Here is a closer look at the agreement, mediated in part by Qatar, and how it is expected to play out.

Whats in the deal?

The agreement is for at least a four-day pause in hostilities. During that time, at least 50 women and children  from the roughly 240 people that Israeli officials say were abducted on Oct. 7  were expected to be exchanged for 150 Palestinian women and minors imprisoned in Israeli jails.

The deal also includes an increase in humanitarian aid for Gaza, but Qatars foreign ministry did not release details. Hamas said Thursday that 200 trucks carrying relief supplies and four fuel trucks would enter the territory each day during the four-day pause. Israeli officials did not immediately comment.

Israel said its warplanes would not fly over southern Gaza for the duration of the cease-fire, and would not fly over the northern part of the territory for six hours each day.

How is it being carried out?

The pause had been scheduled to begin at 7 a.m. Gaza time (midnight Eastern) on Friday, Qatars foreign ministry spokesman, Majed al-Ansari said Thursday, which Hamas confirmed. Mr. al-Ansari said a first group of 13 hostages would then be released starting at 4 p.m., in exchange for an undisclosed number of Palestinian prisoners.

In general, both Israel and Hamas have signaled that roughly 30 Palestinians will be exchanged for every 10 Israeli hostages.

Each day of the pause, Israel and Hamas will receive lists of the hostages and prisoners to be released, with Qatar passing them between the two parties, according to Mr. al-Ansari. He said that the International Committee of the Red Cross would be designated to receive the hostages, though he gave no further detail on the groups role or where the hostages would cross the border.

The Israeli government has said that the hostages would be freed in four groups during the truce, each with at least 10 people.

An Israeli official who spoke on condition of anonymity on Wednesday said hostages turned over by Hamas would be taken to hospitals, and the seriously injured transported by helicopter. Those under 12 will be met at the border by their families, the official said, while older hostages will meet their families at hospitals, where they will also be debriefed by security services.

The official said the first Palestinians to be released from Israeli prisons will be allowed home only after the first tranche of Israeli hostages are freed.

Who are the Palestinian prisoners?

The Israeli government this week published a list of 300 names  all people 18 years old and younger or women  of Palestinian prisoners being considered for release. It was not immediately known who would be among the 150 to be released.

All the names on the list were described as security prisoners, or people who had been arrested in connection with offenses against national security. The prisoners are accused of offenses including supporting terrorism, acts of violence and throwing stones. There are also several charges of attempted murder. Most of the prisoners on the list had not been convicted of the charges.

There were 32 women and girls listed, including two 18-year-olds and a 15-year-old. Of the boys, 144 are 18 years old and 123 are between 14 and 17.

Who are the hostages being freed?

The Israeli prime ministers office said it had received an initial list of names of the hostages who would be released and had contacted their families. It did not specify how many names were on that list.

At least 36 children and teenagers, ranging in age from infancy to the final year of high school, are being held in Gaza, and little is known about their whereabouts or well-being. Some, but perhaps not all, of them are expected to be among the hostages released in the coming days.

White House officials said on Tuesday that they expected the agreement to include the release of three Americans: two women and a toddler.

What happens after the cease-fire?

Israel has said that it will restart fighting after the truce ends and that it still intends to force Hamas from power in every part of Gaza. But some analysts say that it could prove difficult for Israel to regain momentum, particularly if Hamas dangles the possibility of further hostage deals  and if Israels partners push for a longer truce.

Patrick Kingsley contributed reporting.
As soon as the Tanji siblings heard that their youngest sister, Walaa, could be released from Israeli prison, they began frantically preparing for her return.

They arranged transportation for family members scattered across the Israeli-occupied West Bank. They rented plastic chairs to accommodate the crowds that would come to greet her. A friend even flew in from Canada to be there.

We were so happy, said Nagham Tanji, Walaas older sister. My sisters and I could not wait for the sun to rise and for this day to come.

The family was among many on both sides of the conflict that were hopeful after the announcement of a deal to release about 50 hostages held in Gaza and about 150 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, paired with a temporary cease-fire. Then came some delays, which dampened hopes. But on Thursday came an announcement that the exchange would begin on Friday  and that day the Palestinian Authoritys Commission for Prisoners Affairs confirmed that Walaa would be among the first 39 prisoners to be freed.

Speaking to The New York Times on Thursday, Ms. Tanji said: Praise be to God, who made the deal happen. Patience is the key to relief. Now I want to start arranging again for her reception.

Walaa Tanji, 26, was detained by Israel over a year ago at her home in the Balata refugee camp on the outskirts of Nablus, along with two other women. Israels military accused the three of planning an attack on an Israeli checkpoint and said it had found firearms in a car they were using. Ms. Tanji said that her sister was innocent and that she had yet to be charged or sentenced.

Even if Walaa had been released on Thursday, the reception would not have been possible.

Israeli forces started raiding the refugee camp early Thursday, and violent clashes erupted, killing one Palestinian and wounding three others, according to Wafa, the Palestinian Authoritys news agency. The Israeli military has been carrying out nightly raids across the West Bank since the Hamas attack in Israel on Oct. 7, saying they are part of a counterterrorism operation to apprehend wanted Palestinians.

Ms. Tanji said that Walaas home was among those raided and severely damaged by Israeli forces. We cant think about the prisoner release deal now because of the horror we have been living since the raid started, she said.

The agreement reached by Israel and Hamas, the militant group that controls Gaza, would also grant people in the enclave at least four days of calm after a relentless Israeli bombardment that health officials say has killed over 12,000 Palestinians. The bombing began in retaliation for the Hamas-led attacks on Oct. 7 that Israel says killed about 1,200 people.

Thirty-nine prisoners were set to be freed on Friday, the first day of exchanges. They include Rawan Abu Ziadeh, 29, who has been in an Israeli prison for over eight years.

The wait has been very tough, her older sister, Buthaina Abu Ziadeh, told The Times on Thursday. When she comes out, I just want to hug her and hold her tight.

Rawan Abu Ziadeh, who is from the village of Baytillu near Ramallah, was arrested in 2015 at the age of 20 and is serving a nine-year sentence after she was convicted of stabbing and lightly wounding an Israeli soldier.

Ms. Abu Ziadeh said the family had not been expecting Rawan to be on the list because she was set to be released in seven months: She basically served her entire sentence, even if she is released now.

The long-awaited reunion would not be what the family had hoped for, said Ms. Abu Ziadeh. Weve been eagerly awaiting this day, she said. But the joy will be incomplete because of all the pain in Gaza.
Thanksgiving is coming 

When is Thanksgiving?

In the United States, Thanksgiving day is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in Novemberin Canada, Thanksgiving day has been celebrated on the second Monday in October since 1957

What is Thanksgiving?

Its an annual national holiday in the United States and Canada that celebrates the blessings of the past yearIts a means of giving thanks for familyfriends healthfood and other positivities

Thanksgiving is coming

I thank my family, the ones I love and the ones who love me, thank for helping me grow in the journey of life; for bringing me joy and blessing my soul 

I thank my friends, the ones I can count on and the ones who can count on me, thank for accepting me for who I amfor supporting me with kindness and compassion

Thanksgiving is coming, 

whom do you want to thank?

Happy Thanksgiving to all!
Robert Dilenschneider

Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.  Charles Dickens

The world today is full of conflicts, some of them violent and deadly. Fortunately, the United States, while it has taken sides in many cases, is not yet directly engaged in any of the fighting. That is all the more reason to celebrate Thanksgiving 2023 for the blessings that we have and enjoy.

Many of us will gather once again with family, friends and neighbors for traditional Thanksgiving meals with the warmth of shared memories and, perhaps, new beginnings.

Many of us will extend a helping hand in some way to those who are less fortunate. That spirit of giving is a great part of the American character.

Above all, let us give thanks that we live in the world's greatest nation, that our standard of living is the highest history has known, and that we still strive, whatever our shortcomings, to ensure liberty and justice for all.

There are so many of our fellow Americans to whom we owe thanks:

The 2.2 million men and women who serve on active duty or in the reserves of our Armed Forces.

The tens of thousands of police officers, firefighters, EMTs, paramedics and other first responders who are on duty 24/7 to protect us.

The skilled hospital workers who treat us when we are ill or injured.

The citizen volunteers who give so generously of their time and energy to help those in need.

The dedicated school teachers who educate our young people for the future. And that is only a partial list of the hardworking people who make America the safe and thriving nation that it is. Let us be grateful to them all.

Some fun facts about this special day:

In 1621, Governor William Bradford invited the Pilgrims' Native American allies to join them in giving thanks for a successful harvest. The 90 Wampanoags who showed up brought so much food that the celebration was extended to three days.

We don't know exactly when the first Thanksgiving occurred, but many historians believe it was mid-October when the harvest was presumably all in and the weather was better suited for outdoor festivities. It was President Lincoln who set the date in late November to coincide with the time of the Pilgrims' arrival at Plymouth Rock in 1620.

There is also no record of what food was served. It's considered unlikely that turkey was included, but lobsters, ducks, geese and swans were almost certainly on the tables. The Wampanoags reportedly brought five deer, so venison would have been a highlight.

When President Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863, it was at the urging of Sarah Josepha Hale, the writer of Mary Had a Little Lamb, who believed it might help in healing the trauma of the Civil War.

Macys first Thanksgiving Day Parade was almost a century ago, in 1924. It featured monkeys, bears, camels and elephants borrowed from the Central Park Zoo, but no balloons. They weren't introduced until 1927. Far and away the most popular character down through the years has been Snoopy with 39 appearances since his introduction in 1968.

We have so much to be grateful for, so please enjoy this Thanksgiving.

***

Robert L. Dilenschneider is the Founder and CEO of The Dilenschneider Group, an international communications firm that provides strategic advice and counsel to Fortune 500 companies and leading families and individuals in fields ranging from mergers and acquisitions, to crisis communications, to marketing, government affairs and foreign media.
A MAN charged with harassment and who had allegedly sent anonymous letters of a sexual nature to the acting principal of a school in Offaly is to be sent forward for trial to the circuit criminal court.

In her evidence to a recent morning sitting of Tullamore District Court, Sgt Joanne Martin said that on December 9, 2021 it had been brought to the attention of the gardai that three anonymous letters had been sent to a national school in Offaly.

She said the letters were of a sexual and graphic nature and an investigation got underway.

On January 1 this year gardai were able to match DNA under a stamp on one of the letters with that of the defendant Philip McGachey (49), Clunbroch, Athlone.

There were seven letters in total, she said. She said the injured party was present and would like to address the court.

Sgt Brendan Kearns said the DPP directed summary disposal on a plea only.

Judge Andrew Cody said if Mr McGachey was sending vile and filthy letters it was well above the jurisdiction of the district court.

Solicitor for Mr McGachey said his client was facing a single charge which was harrassment.

Judge Cody said he had only read one letter and it was the most vile filth he had ever seen.

Solicitor for Mr McGachey said his client had gathered up 1,000 in compensation.

Judge Cody said he needed to reconsider that amount adding that it was a ''million miles'' away from what would be required. He said with permission from the injured party he would read some of the letters in court, adding the public should be made aware.

Judge Cody said he would consider the case over lunch and adjourned the matter to the afternoon sitting.

In the afternoon, Judge Cody said he would read some of the contents of the letters.

Before that he issued a warning to anyone of a weak or nervous disposition to leave the courtroom. He said he was struggling to keep jurisdiction of the case.

The solicitor for Mr McGachey intervened to say if the court was in any doubt then maybe it should refuse jurisdiction.

He said the compensation available would be limited and would not reflect the gravity of the case. He said it was a token gesture of remorse.

He told Judge Cody his client was never going to be able to pay much more, even over time.

Judge Cody once again said the letters were the most vile, disgusting and inhumane letters that anyone could mete out to another person.

Refusing jurisdiction Judge Cody remanded the accused on bail to appear at the court sitting on December 20 for DPP directions.
TWO brothers of Jozef Puska, the man who murdered Ashling Murphy, are scheduled to appear at Tullamore District Court on December 20 next.

Lubomir Puska (35) and Marek Puska (34) are both accused of failing to disclose information to gardai which might have helped secure the apprehension, prosecution or conviction of Jozef Puska for the murder of Ashling Murphy at Grand Canal Way, Cappincur, Tullamore on January 12 last year.

The offences are alleged to have been committed by the two men on a date unknown between January 12 and January 27, 2022 at Tullamore Garda Station.

A woman, Lucia Istokova (34) has been accused of the same offence and has also been remanded to appear at Tullamore District Court on December 20.

Two other women, Jozefina Grundzova (33) and Viera Gazoiva (38) have also been remanded to appear at the same court on that date.

They are both charged with impeding the apprehension or prosecution of a person, knowing or believing that person to be guilty of murder or some other arrestable offence, between January 12 and January 14, 2022.

When the five accused people appeared before Tullamore District Court earlier this year an order was made prohibiting the publication of their addresses.

Detective Garda Colin O'Leary told the court that when Lubomir Puska was arrested and charged he replied after caution: I understand what you said and I thank you.

Marek Puska was arrested by Detective Sergeant Caroline Lyng and she said his reply after caution was: It is out of my hands to say anything about that.

The other gardai who gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution were Detective Garda Shane Jennings, Detective Garda Alan Burke and Detective Garda David Harney.

The court heard the DPP had directed all five be tried by indictment and she remanded them on bail to appear in court again for service of books of evidence.

A Slovakian language interpreter was in court to assist the accused.

Jozef Puska (33), a native of Slovakia with an address at Lynally Grove, Mucklagh, Tullamore, is serving a life sentence for murdering Ashling Murphy after being found guilty at the end of an 18-day trial at the Central Criminal Court.

Twenty-three-year-old Ms Murphy, from Blueball, Tullamore, was a teacher at Durrow National School.
Offaly student Rebecca Gannon was presented with a scholarship award by Dublin City University at a ceremony to celebrate memorial and endowed scholarships on Wednesday, November 15. In total, 47 students received awards named in honour of individuals and organisations who have played a key role in the life of Dublin City University and Irish society.

Rebecca Gannon from Tullamore, a former student of Tullamore College, who is currently completing a degree in Health and Society at Dublin City University, was presented with the Endowed Paul Kerley Access Scholarship. Created thanks to the vision of entrepreneur Paul Kerley, this scholarship fund was established to foster equal access to higher education.

Speaking at the event, Joe Quinsey, CEO of DCU Educational Trust commented: We are delighted to celebrate the students who receive memorial and endowed scholarships today, and to honour those who created those scholarships, and our friends and loved ones who are remembered through them. The talent and promise of these students are truly a source of great hope for the future.

The 47 scholarship recipients were selected based on different criteria, depending on the wishes of those who created the scholarship. These include undergraduate students supported by DCUs Access Programme, postgraduate students in the fields of Biotechnology, Accounting, Law and Journalism, and students with outstanding sporting achievements.
Not all pyramids are in Egypt. According to one study, the oldest is actually in Indonesia.

Following in the footsteps of Egypt and China, Indonesia could now also be the setting for one of the world's most enigmatic monuments: the pyramid. Specialists on the Asian archipelago have just discovered one under a hill. And not the least: it's said to be the oldest ever unearthed. This is what scientists have just revealed at a conference held as part of the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU).

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For several years, researchers have been studying Gunung Padang, a 'hill' culminating at an altitude of 885 metres, some 50 kilometers south-west of the town of Cianjur. The site is crowned by a remarkable megalithic site, the largest in Southeast Asia. It has been known to the Western world since its discovery by Dutch settlers in the early 20th century.

But the multitude of stones that line the summit of the mound are - according to the scientists' revelations - only the tip of the iceberg. Indonesian researches explained:

The structures are not just superficial, but rooted deeper down.

A much larger structure than expected

The specialists added:

Our work shows that the structure not only covers the top [of the hill] but also envelops the slopes, covering [thus] an approximate area of at least 15 hectares.

To make such claims, the team relies on solid scientific evidence. The researchers used a combination of cutting-edge geophysical methods - ground-penetrating radar and seismic tomography - to probe the bowels of the hill. Drilling and soil analysis also enabled them to refine their interpretations. Andang Bachtiar, independent geologist and drilling operations manager, explains:

What was previously thought to be a simple surface construction actually extends downwards - and it's a huge structure.

An 'enormous structure' built up over the course of history, the result of the superimposition of countless layers of stone. A few metres below the surface, a series of mineral columns would be hidden. At an even lower level, geophysicists have detected a series of cavities and chambers - some fifteen metres deep.

Read more:This hidden pyramid contains a mysterious love note from a Royal Family member

A not-so-natural shape

But in addition to this heap of man-made achievements, it's also the shape of the whole that leads scientists to a bold interpretation. According to them, the elongation of the structure, coupled with the half-moon shape of its front section, are signs of the building's religious functions. Geophysicist Danny Hilman Natawidjaja tells the Live Science website:

This is a temple without equal [elsewhere in the world].

Although still controversial within the scientific community, these interpretations could - if confirmed - have revealed one of the world's oldest pyramids. Carbon-14 dating places the origins of the building's third stratum - the deepest - between 9,500 and 28,000 years ago.

A rather wide range, but one that confirms what Danny Hilman Natawidjaja had already said in 2013:

People think that prehistory was a primitive [period], but this monument proves that this is not true.

Whether they're Egyptian, Chinese or now Indonesian, the pyramids have definitely not finished overturning our historical certainties.

Danny Hilman Natawidjaja is also the author of a brand new study, published in Archeological Prospection. This work has yielded new information about the pyramid, and as Arkeonews reports:

Led by geologist Danny Hilman Natawidjaja and his team at the Indonesian National Agency for Research and Innovation, the new study suggests that Gunung Padang dates back to the last Ice Age, around 25,000 to 14,000 years ago.

Read more:This is the highest waterfall in the world, and you'll never guess where it is (PHOTO)

This article has been translated from Gentside FR.

Sources used:

AGU Conference: NS33B-0785: Evidences of Large pyramid-like structure predating 10,000 Year BP at Mount Padang, West Java, Indonesia: Applications of geological-geophysical methods to explore buried large archeological site

LiveScience: Long-Hidden 'Pyramid' Found in Indonesia Was Likely an Ancient Temple

Archeological Prospection: Geo-archaeological prospecting of Gunung Padang buried prehistoric pyramid in West Java, Indonesia

Arkeonews: New evidence suggests Indonesias Gunung Padang could be worlds oldest known pyramid
A U.S. Army veteran is on a mission to build a war memorial in Billings to honor Montanans who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Rick Baker, who owns a metal fabrication business in Shepherd, was at the Yellowstone County Courthouse in 2020 when he noticed the monument outside doesnt recognize those lost in the more recent conflicts.

Now, I'm not an emotional guy. But that day, I felt a lot of emotion all at once, he said. I lost a lot of friends in those wars.

So, he took it upon himself to create a tribute for them, too.

Baker, 39, started Hoodies for Heroes, which sells sweatshirts, t-shirts, hats and other gear to help raise money for the memorial. So far, he said, the nonprofit has raised about $1,200 for the $500,000 project.

Earlier this month, he got the green light from the city of Billings to build the memorial in Delher Park.

We always like to honor our veterans who fought and lost their lives for the country, Billings Parks Director Mike Pigg said in a news release about the project. Anytime we can do something to help our veterans heal is a positive for the community.

Baker has also brought other local business owners on board. Eric Simonsen, of Simonsen Architect, volunteered to design the memorial.

It will list the names of Montana soldiers killed in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq on one side and feature the American flag on the other. Within the flag's stripes, itll have a world map that shows all of the conflicts Montanans have been involved in.

Therell also be room to recognize those who fight in future wars.

Visitors will be able to interact with the monument through a kiosk. As they click on a conflict, the area in which it took place will light up on the map and the Montanans who served in it will be listed. Each of those who were killed in action will have a biography on the kiosk.

It hit super close to home for me because Ive lost so many buddies I served with and went to school with, Baker said.

He served for four years in the infantry and did one combat tour in Afghanistan. Baker received an honorable discharge after tearing his shoulder during tryouts for the Army wrestling team.

Now, he's working to get businesses to help sponsor the memorial. Baker plans to run a contest on TikTok and Instagram to name the memorial so the community can be involved, too.

People can buy Hoodies for Heroes merchandise and make donations to help support the memorial at hoodiesforheros.org.

Were super excited, Baker said. Everyone supports it and were just so humbled and grateful.
Bengaluru On Track To Overtake Chennai, To Get India's Largest Circular Railway Network

Mortal Remains Of Capt. Pranjal, Who Died Fighting Terrorists, To Be Flown To Bengaluru

Bengaluru

oi-Madhuri Adnal

The mortal remains of Captain M V Pranjal who was killed during an encounter with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir, will be flown in Bengaluru on Thursday evening, defence sources said.

The 29-year-old Army officer was killed during an exchange of fire with terrorists in the Rajouri sector on Wednesday.

Hailing from Mysuru, Captain Pranjal was from 63 Rashtriya Rifles.

Son of M Venkatesh, retired director of Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL), Pranjal did his schooling at Suratkal in Dakshina Kannada district and was an engineering graduate from the National Defence Academy, sources added.

J&K Encounter: Five Terrorists Killed

Condoling his demise, former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said on 'X': ''Heartfelt tributes to Captain MV Pranjal, a proud Kannadiga, who lost his life during the military operation against terrorists in Rajouri, Jammu and Kashmir.''
Why Get Elected To Parliament If You Want To Raise Issues On Streets: Thakur Slams Opposition Over Manipur

Anurag Thakur Reviews Development Works in Hamirpur

Union minister Anurag Thakur on Thursday gave instructions to expedite work on ongoing construction work on national highways, medical colleges and other important projects in Hamirpur district.

India

-Krishna Kripa

Union Minister Anurag Thakur visited Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh on Thursday and reviewed the progress of various infrastructure projects and welfare schemes of the government. He gave instructions to expedite work on ongoing construction work on national highways, medical colleges, and other important projects in the district.

Infrastructure Development

During a meeting of the District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee Disha, Thakur emphasized the need to complete sanctioned works under Member of Parliament (MP) funds on a priority basis. He specifically mentioned the Hamirpur-Awahdevi-Mandi National Highway project and urged officials to expedite its completion. The Union Minister also promised to improve the condition of the Hamirpur-Galod road and to complete the tender process of 21 road projects approved under the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojna PMGSY-3.

Thakur also reviewed the construction progress of the new campus of the medical college at Jol Sappar and directed officials to expedite its completion. He stressed the importance of achieving the targets of all schemes of the Union government in the last quarter of this financial year.

Mining and Stone Crushers

The Union Minister also took detailed information from mining department officials regarding the status of mining and stone crushers in the district. He emphasized the need for strict adherence to environmental norms and regulations in mining activities.

Road Safety

In a separate meeting of the Parliamentarian Road Safety Committee, Thakur directed the police, officers of the transport department, and other concerned departments to conduct a comprehensive awareness campaign regarding road safety. He emphasized the importance of repairing accident-prone spots, raising awareness about traffic rules, and conducting a comprehensive study of road accident data to take preventive action.

Union Minister Anurag Thakur's visit to Hamirpur highlighted his commitment to improving infrastructure, promoting road safety, and ensuring the timely completion of development projects. His focus on expediting ongoing works and prioritizing the welfare of the people reflects the government's dedication to transforming Hamirpur and ensuring its sustainable growth.
Caught On Camera! Delhi Boy Stabs Man For 350 Rupees, Dances Next To Dead Body

India

oi-Gaurav Sharma

A brutal murder was reported from East Delhi's Welcome area, where a 16-year-old boy stabbed a man multiple times. The incident was recorded in the CCTV camera, and the accused has been held by the police, as per the reports. The locals told the media that the boy was drunk when committed the crime and even threatened people who were trying to stop him. The video of the killing is doing round the internet, in which, the accused can be seen killing and kicking the dead body, before running from the crime spot.

The video shows how brutally the accused stabbed, cut ears and neck of the deceased, and was dancing next to the dead body.

As per the reports, the accused wanted to steel Rs 350 from the victim, but when confronted he murdered the victim.

Joy Tirkey, Deputy Commissioner of Police for the North East Delhi told the media that a PCR call was received at around 11.15 pm Tuesday that someone has stabbed a man to death in Janta Mazdoor colony in Welcome area. Police took the victim to the hospital where he was declared dead, the DCP added.

Delhi LG Rejects Atishis Report On Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar

Delhi- A Muslim Yusuf (17) a resident of Jafrabad colony, son of a single mother a domestic help was murdered in Welcome colony of Northeast Delhi by an inebriated 16 y/o for 350 on Wednesday around 10.20 PM



-Horrible murder Captured in CCTV Camera. pic.twitter.com/wVYPPer0yt    (@iamharunkhan) November 23, 2023

The investigation is underway and the CCTV footage is being scanned. Also, the forensic team has collected the proofs and murder weapon have been sent for the examination, he further added.

The minor, who committed the crime was also previously involved in another murder case in 2022, reports said.

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Story first published: Thursday, November 23, 2023, 16:35 [IST]
Centre To Draft Rules On Deepfake Regulations In the Next 10 Days

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

During a meeting addressing the concern of deepfakes, highlighted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other celebrities, the consensus was to collaborate between the government and social media firms to establish comprehensive guidelines for detecting, preventing, and curbing the dissemination of such videos within the next ten days.

IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, in a press briefing, expressed that deepfakes pose a new challenge to democracy, indicating the government's contemplation of introducing regulatory measures.

"We have all agreed that within the next about 10 days, we will come up with clear actionable items...All the companies, all the platforms, and the entire industry understood that this is not free speech. They understood that this is something which is really harmful for the society. They understood the need for much heavier regulation on this. So we agree that we will start drafting the regulation today. We'll start drafting the regulations today itself. And within a very short time frame, we will have a new set of regulations for deep fake...," he said.

Deepfake Photos And Fake X Profiles Prompt Sara Tendulkar To Demand Action

#WATCH | Delhi: After meeting with social media companies on the issue of Deep fake, Union Minister for Communications, Electronics & IT Ashwini Vaishnaw says, "We have all agreed that within the next about 10 days, we will come up with clear actionable items...All the companies, pic.twitter.com/3h0hMyCk1C  ANI (@ANI) November 23, 2023

He also said,"Deep fake has emerged as a new threat in the society. We need to take immediate steps. Today a meeting was held with social media platforms. We've to focus on four aspects-detection, prevention, reporting mechanism of deep fake and awareness needs to be increased. New regulations will be brought and in the coming weeks, efforts will be made to complete the drafting of regulations...Social media companies, NASSCOM, and professors working on Artificial intelligence (AI) were also present in today's meeting."

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Story first published: Thursday, November 23, 2023, 12:51 [IST]
Himachal Pradesh Urban Local Bodies to Receive Monthly Grants-in-Aid

The Himachal Pradesh government has decided to release grants-in-aid to the states 61 urban local bodies on a monthly basis, rather than in one lump sum or in advance. The move is aimed at ensuring that the funds are utilized more effectively and efficiently.

India

-Krishna Kripa

The Urban Development Department of Himachal Pradesh has announced that the grants-in-aid to the state's 61 urban local bodies will now be released on a monthly basis, rather than in one lump sum or in advance. This decision was made in light of the natural disaster that occurred in July, which caused significant damage to infrastructure and property in many urban areas.

Previous Release and Return of Funds

In July, the government had released a total of Rs 153.64 crore in grants-in-aid to the urban local bodies under the Sixth State Finance Commission award. However, following the natural disaster, the Urban Development Department directed the commissioners of the municipal corporations, the executive officers of the municipal councils, and the secretaries of the nagar panchayats to return 50% of the grant, amounting to around Rs 76.82 crore.

New Guidelines for Grant Release

The decision to release the grants-in-aid on a monthly basis was made after the state finance department issued economy instructions and financial guidelines for incurring expenditure. The department observed that departments were releasing the grants-in-aid and subsidies for state schemes either in one go or, in some cases, quarterly in advance. After due consideration, the finance department decided that grants-in-aid and subsidies for state schemes should be released monthly.

Difficulties Faced by Urban Local Bodies

The urban local bodies have expressed concerns about the decision to return 50% of the grant-in-aid. They argue that they have already made various development plans and released the budget based on the funds received in July. Returning 50% of the grant-in-aid would be challenging and could hinder their ability to carry out essential development works.

Appeal for Reconsideration

BJP leader Karan Nanda has written to the Urban Development Department, requesting them to reconsider the decision to return 50% of the grant-in-aid. He highlighted that the urban areas have suffered huge losses during the recent monsoon season, and the funds are needed for rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts. Nanda also pointed out that the Shimla Municipal Corporation, which received a grant-in-aid of Rs 30.89 crore for rehabilitation after the natural disaster, will now have to return Rs 15.44 crore.

The decision to release the grants-in-aid on a monthly basis aims to ensure proper utilization of funds and prevent any misuse. However, the urban local bodies have genuine concerns about the challenges they face in returning 50% of the grant-in-aid. The state government should consider their appeal and explore alternative measures to address the financial needs of the urban local bodies, especially in light of the recent natural disasters and the ongoing monsoon season.
About 75 people packed into the stick game arbor on the Blackfeet Reservation Tuesday evening for a conversation about alcohol use in the tribal community.

Councilman Everett Armstrong, who organized the meeting, said alcoholism affects nearly everyone in the close-knit community.

The tribe has lost many people to addiction, Armstrong said, and alcohol use has disrupted countless families. It's caused grandparents and even great-grandparents to raise their grandchildren.

And because there is not enough housing supply on the reservation, Armstrong said theres been a significant increase in people experiencing homelessness. According to Armstrong, there have been several incidents involving alcohol that have made some community members feel unsafe. A week before school started, for example, he said someone drove a vehicle into the De La Salle Blackfeet School. And not long ago, some unhoused people took shelter in an abandoned structure and started a fire to keep warm. But when the fire grew out of control, Armstrong said, the entire home burned down, posing risk to the people inside and to community members nearby.

Several stores in Browning  including the IGA, Town Pump, Icks and Glacier Family Foods  sell alcohol, and Armstrong said hes noticed that Steel Reserve, a cheaper malt liquor often sold in a black can, has become especially popular. As he began to see more and more black cans around town, Armstrong said he started asking friends and family what they thought about a possible malt liquor ban on the reservation.

The conversations grew, so Armstrong then consulted elders, the Tribal Business Council, the honorary council and the tribes legal team. Earlier this week, as a result of those conversations, Armstrong and fellow leaders invited community members to make their voices heard on the issue.

We want to get the community involved so were not talking at them but talking with them, Armstrong explained. We want this to be a team effort. Not just for the community and council, but we also want to invite tribal programs that deal directly with this to say, Hey, come get involved. Wed like your input.

At the meeting, some people supported the idea of banning malt liquor on the reservation, and others  mostly elders  advocated for banning all liquor sales. Some people said they didnt support any bans, saying they feared that if alcohol isnt available, people in the community will instead turn to harder drugs or drive outside the community to purchase and bring alcohol in.

While the topic is complex and the discussion was passionate, Armstrong said everyone in the room agreed something must be done.

We recognize that there is a problem here, he said. And we are willing to address this and hopefully make change for the better. I think this is going to have a really positive outcome  not just for the Blackfeet but for all of Indian Country.

The next community discussion on alcohol will occur in mid-December. For updates on the exact date and time, follow the Office of the Blackfeet Tribe on Facebook.
Bilawal Bhuttos statements on PM are a new low for Pakistan too: MEA

MEA Expresses Concern Over Allegations To Plot Khalistan Leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannu's Killing

India

oi-Gaurav Sharma

Not India's policy! MEA expresses concern over allegations to plot Khalistan leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannu's killing

A day after, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) responded to the allegations of UK-based newspaper stating the United States thwarted a conspiracy to assassinate Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the US officials took the up the matter with top Indian officials. Indian authorities, who were surprised and concerned by the allegations, made it clear that such kind of acts is not in India's policy or nature.

White house spokesperson, Adrienne Watson, told the media that Indian authorities expressed their concern after learning about the allegations of their involvement to plot the killings of the Khalistan leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannu.

The matter of India's alleged involvement in plotting to kill Pannu was taken up by the United States in the utmost serious manner, reports quoting Watson.

He added that Indian officials would too investigate the matter and are taking it up as most serious one. The US has conveyed its expectations and would not tolerate any illegal action which might disturb the peace or law.

US Thwarts Plot To Assassinate Khalistani Terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun On American Soil

People found responsible should be held accountable, Watson further added.

Earlier on Wednesday, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi had said that some inputs were received from the US during the recent security discussion. Bagchi was responding to UK-based newspaper which alleged a conspiracy to assassinate Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.

Pannu, who is absconding from India runs a US-based organization called Sikhs for Justice, and holds holds dual US-Canadian citizenship. Notably, Sikhs for Justice organization has been titled as a terrorist outfit by the Indian government as promotes hate speech and allegedly funds terror activities.

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Story first published: Thursday, November 23, 2023, 16:29 [IST]
Sanjay Shirsat claims rebel MLAs didnt receive whip last year

Ruling Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Shirsat on Thursday claimed legislators who rebelled against party president and then-Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray did not receive any whip in June last year.

India

-Krishna Kripa

On Thursday, November 23, ruling Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Shirsat made a bold claim, stating that the legislators who rebelled against party president and then-Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray did not receive any whip in June of last year. During a press conference following the third consecutive day of cross-examination of Sunil Prabhu, Shiv Sena UBT leader and party chief whip, Shirsat accused the rival group of attempting to delay the hearing of disqualification pleas pending adjudication before assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar.

Prabhu's Explanation Unsatisfactory

Shirsat expressed dissatisfaction with the explanation provided by Sunil Prabhu during the cross-examination regarding the issuance of a whip. He asserted that Prabhu failed to present any proof of the whip being issued via mail or WhatsApp. Shirsat further revealed that he personally did not receive any whip either.

Rebellion Against Thackeray's Leadership

Prabhu had claimed to have issued a whip to all the MLAs of the then undivided Shiv Sena to attend a meeting in June last year. Notably, Shirsat is among the 16 MLAs against whom a disqualification petition was filed last year. The hearing for these petitions will continue on Monday.

It is important to note that 40 Sena MLAs, including the current Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, had rebelled against Thackeray's leadership in June last year. Previously, the Shiv Sena UBT had accused the rival group led by Shinde of deliberately delaying the hearing of disqualification pleas by posing repetitive questions to Prabhu.

Supreme Court's Intervention

In a significant development, the Supreme Court intervened last month and directed speaker Narwekar to deliver the judgment on the disqualification of rebel Sena MLAs by December 31. The apex court strongly criticized the speaker for the delay in deciding the pleas filed by the Thackeray faction seeking the disqualification of CM Shinde and several MLAs loyal to him. The court emphasized that the speaker cannot defy the orders of the top court.

It is worth mentioning that similar disqualification petitions have also been filed by the Shinde bloc against lawmakers who owe allegiance to Thackeray. On September 18, the Supreme Court directed the speaker to outline a timeline for the adjudication of the disqualification petitions against Shinde and Shiv Sena MLAs who had joined forces with the BJP to form a new government in June 2022.

Seeking Expeditious Adjudication

The Thackeray faction approached the apex court, seeking a directive for the speaker to expeditiously adjudicate the disqualification petitions within a time-bound manner. The Shiv Sena faced a significant split when a group of MLAs led by Shinde revolted against the party leadership and joined hands with the BJP to form the government. This revolt ultimately led to the collapse of the three-party Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government headed by Thackeray, with Shinde subsequently taking over as the new chief minister.

The ongoing saga surrounding the disqualification pleas against rebel Sena MLAs continues to unfold, with the Supreme Court's intervention aimed at ensuring a timely resolution. As the hearing resumes on Monday, the fate of the MLAs in question hangs in the balance, potentially impacting the political landscape of Maharashtra.
NDRF Devises Plan To Extricate Trapped Workers Using Wheeled Stretchers

India

oi-PTI

Once the rescue pipe breaks through the debris at the Silkyara tunnel, NDRF personnel plan to pull out the trapped workers one by one with the help of wheeled stretchers tied to ropes, a senior official said on Thursday.

Rescue operations to evacuate 41 workers trapped in the tunnel resumed on Thursday morning after an iron mesh that had come in the path of the auger machine drilling an escape path was removed.

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Director General Atul Karwal, who was present at the site, said the force is fully ready for the evacuation.

The men have been trapped for 11 days after a portion of the under-construction tunnel on the Uttarakhand Char Dham route collapsed, cutting off its exit.

Uttarakhand CM Dhami Assures Swift Rescue Of 41 Trapped Workers, PM Modi Kept Updated

The NDRF men will go in through the pipe and once they reach the workers, they will use their equipment to start sending them out of the tunnel one by one, Karwal said. The workers will lie upon low-height, wheeled stretchers and NDRF men will pull them out one after another using ropes, officials said.

But before that, the 800-mm diameter rescue pipe will be cleaned by the NDRF and SDRF personnel to ensure that no debris acts as an obstruction in the movement of the stretchers, the NDRF DG said.

Replying to a question, he said 800-mm diameter pipes are wide enough to accommodate the workers.

''These 800-mm pipes have a width of nearly 32 inches which is enough. Even if we get a width of 22-24 inches, we can pull out people through them. Our men have carried out rehearsals for the exercise,'' he said.

The iron mesh hurdle held up the drilling through the 57-metre stretch of the rubble of the collapsed section of the tunnel by six hours, dampening somewhat the previous evening's enthusiasm over an imminent rescue.

According to the NDRF DG, another six-metre steel pipe has been drilled through the rubble with the total length of the pipes reaching 48 metres.

Steel Obstacle Cleared: Former PMO Advisor Hails Progress In Uttarakhand Rescue Operations

''The next pipe is being welded now. We plan to drill two more pipes now so that we achieve a length of up to 60 metres through the rubble to get some extended space,'' Karwal said.

The NDRF DG said Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami talked to the trapped workers and they appeared to be in good spirits.

''People who work in tunnels are mentally tough and these people are aware of the huge endeavour being carried out to evacuate them. So they are optimistic,'' Karwal said.

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Story first published: Thursday, November 23, 2023, 16:04 [IST]
North Delhis Signature View Apartments residents can approach high court for hearing on vacation clause

The residents of the Signature View Apartments, up for demolition in north Delhi, can approach the high court for a hearing on the vacation clause since the matter now is sub judice, the DDA told the building RWA on Thursday.

India

-Krishna Kripa

The residents of the Signature View Apartments, which is slated for demolition in north Delhi, can approach the high court for a hearing on the vacation clause since the matter is now sub judice, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) informed the building's Resident Welfare Association (RWA) on Thursday.

The Complex's Condition

The apartment complex in Mukherjee Nagar, built between 2007 and 2009 with 336 MIG and HIG flats, has some construction issues and is set to be demolished by the DDA. The DDA had earlier offered to pay rent to the residents only if all 336 flats are vacated. The RWA challenged the condition, citing its inability to get all 336 flat owners to hand over their keys at once, and requested the authority to reduce the 100% vacation clause to 75%, hoping that the rest would follow suit soon.

Legal Proceedings

However, since the residents of nine apartments have approached the Delhi High Court and obtained a stay order on further action by the DDA, the matter is now before the court. The RWA President stated that the meeting was held because the DDA was eager to know the RWA's stance on litigation and whether they would continue to negotiate with the authority. The RWA highlighted the weak structure of the building and emphasized the urgency of vacating it, considering the recent series of earthquakes.

RWA's Position

The RWA clarified that it is not a party to the litigation and does not support it, as negotiations with the DDA are ongoing. The RWA President asserted that most, if not all, flat owners are willing to vacate the building if they are provided rent. However, the condition that all 336 flats should be vacated at once is an obstacle.

DDA's Response

The DDA had earlier stated that the removal of the 100% evacuation condition was possible only through an amendment by the Lieutenant Governor's (LG) office. However, since the matter is now in court, this is no longer the case. In Thursday's meeting, the DDA suggested that the RWA make a representation before the LG or an authority member while allowing the court case to proceed. The RWA has announced plans to meet with an additional chief architect in the coming week.

Rehabilitation Options

Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena, who is also the chairman of the DDA, had earlier ordered the agency to redevelop the apartments and extend support to the thousands of residents facing grave danger to life and property. As part of the rehabilitation plan, three options have been presented to the residents. They can either sell their flats back to the DDA at current rates, have their flats reconstructed and receive rent during the construction period, or accept DDA flats at other locations.

Structural Concerns

A 2021-2022 study conducted by the IIT-Delhi at the behest of the DDA found the building to be structurally unsafe. The residents have expressed concerns about the safety of the building and the urgency of addressing the situation.
Steel Obstacle Cleared: Former PMO Advisor Hails Progress In Uttarakhand Rescue Operations

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

An iron mesh which came in the way of the auger machine drilling through the rubble at Silkyara tunnel to create an escape passage for the trapped workers has been removed, officials said on Thursday. Bhaskar Khulbe, former advisor to the prime minister's office, stated that it would require an additional 12 to 14 hours to finish the drilling and reach the trapped workers.

"The issue caused by the iron mesh has been resolved. We managed to cut through the mesh using iron cutters," Khulbe reported. "Completing the drilling and reaching the workers will take 12 to 14 more hours. Subsequently, it will require three additional hours to safely evacuate the workers one by one, with the assistance of the NDRF."

Bhaskar Khulbe, former advisor to the Prime Minister's Office, expressed satisfaction, stating, "I am pleased to report that the impediment caused by the steel, hindering the smooth movement of the pipe, has been successfully eliminated". #UttarakhandTunnelCollapse pic.twitter.com/oUxnth4AJR  Madhuri Adnal (@madhuriadnal) November 23, 2023

Khulbe mentioned that cutting through the iron mesh consumed approximately six hours of time.

He also expressed contentment, announcing, "I'm glad to confirm that we've resolved the steel obstruction that was impeding the pipe's movement, ensuring a smoother process."

The temporary halt in the drilling of 800 mm diameter steel pipes due to the obstacle was resolved late Wednesday, allowing the resumption of the pipe pushing process.

Uttarkashi Tunnel Rescue Operation Enters Final Phase, Doctors, Ambulances On Standby - Top Developments

Furthermore, officials have ensured all necessary arrangements for immediate medical attention to the 41 trapped workers upon their evacuation.

"Our aim remains to advance six meters beyond the 45-meter milestone achieved. Despite a temporary pause in drilling due to an iron obstruction last night, we're positive that we'll overcome any further hindrances," he said.

Uttarkashi Superintendent of Police, Arpan Yaduvanshi, detailed the post-rescue plan, saying, "Our strategy involves guiding the workers along a designated route with police protection, ensuring prompt medical attention."

"We plan to transport them to Chinyalisaur and, if needed, onward to Rishikesh. Notably, there are scheduled VIP movements, including the presence of Union Minister General VK Singh (Retd) and the Secretary, North."

Uttarkashi District Magistrate Abhishek Ruhela highlighted, "We've made substantial progress, with only a small amount of work remaining."

"Our teams are actively addressing technical challenges, seeking guidance from experts and skilled individuals on-site. While the conclusion of the rescue operation remains uncertain, continuous efforts are under close supervision by both state and central governments, with comprehensive support from the Government of India," he concluded.

A 41-bed separate ward has been readied at the Community Health Centre in Chinyalisaur for Silkyara tunnel evacuees and 41 ambulances wait outside the tunnel to rush them there as soon as they crawl out, officials said.

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Story first published: Thursday, November 23, 2023, 11:14 [IST]
Supreme Court directs Punjab Governor to decide on Bills passed by legislative assembly

The Supreme Court has directed Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit to decide on the Bills passed by the legislative assembly during its constitutionally valid session held on June 19 and 20, saying the governors power cannot be used to thwart the normal course of lawmaking.

India

-Krishna Kripa

The Supreme Court has directed Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit to decide on the Bills passed by the legislative assembly during its constitutionally valid session held on June 19 and 20, stating that the governor's power cannot be used to thwart the normal course of lawmaking. The top court's 27-page judgment, uploaded on Thursday night, came in response to a plea filed by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab, which alleged that the governor was not granting his assent to four bills passed by the assembly. The Punjab government had also sought a judicial declaration that the assembly session held on June 19 and 20 was legal and that the business transacted by the House is valid.

Validity of Assembly Sessions

A bench comprising Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, Justice J B Pardiwala, and Justice Manoj Misra held that the assembly sessions were valid and that this aspect was not open to the governor after the Speaker took the decision. The bench observed, "We are of the view that there is no valid constitutional basis to cast doubt on the validity of the session of the Vidhan Sabha which was held on June 19, 2023, June 20, 2023, and October 20, 2023. Any attempt to cast doubt on the session of the legislature would be replete with grave perils to democracy." The judgment further stated that the Speaker, who is recognized as the guardian of the privileges of the House and the constitutionally recognized authority who represents the House, was acting well within his jurisdiction in adjourning the House sine die.

Governor's Role and Constitutional Provisions

The judgment clarified that the Governor, as an unelected Head of the State, is entrusted with certain constitutional powers. However, it emphasized that this power cannot be used to thwart the normal course of lawmaking by the state legislatures. The bench stated, "Casting doubt on the validity of the session of the House is not a constitutional option open to the governor," adding that the legislative assembly comprises duly elected MLAs and is governed by the decisions taken by the speaker. The judgment concluded that the Governor of Punjab must now proceed to take a decision on the Bills submitted for assent on the basis that the sitting of the House conducted on 19 June 2023, 20 June 2023, and 20 October 2023, was constitutionally valid.

Governor's Discretion and Accountability

The top court also clarified that it has not expressed any opinion regarding the manner in which the governor will exercise his jurisdiction on the Bills in question presented to him. The judgment highlighted that in a Parliamentary form of democracy, real power vests in the elected representatives of the people. It stated, "The governments, both in the states and at the Centre consist of members of the State Legislature, and, as the case may be, Parliament. Members of the government in a Cabinet form of government are accountable to and subject to scrutiny by the legislature. The Governor as an appointee of the President is the titular head of State."

Bills Passed by the Assembly

The bench further clarified the process to be followed if the governor decides to withhold assent to a Bill. In such cases, the governor is required to return the bill to the legislature for reconsideration. The judgment stated, "If the governor decides to withhold assent under the substantive part of Article 200, the logical course of action is to pursue the course indicated in the first proviso of remitting the Bill to the state legislature for reconsideration." It emphasized that the power to withhold assent under Article 200 must be read together with the consequential course of action to be adopted.

The Supreme Court's judgment in the case of the Punjab Governor's assent to Bills passed by the assembly upholds the principles of constitutional governance and the separation of powers between different organs of the state. The court's directive to the governor to decide on the Bills without casting doubt on the validity of the assembly sessions reaffirms the importance of respecting the legislative process and the will of the elected representatives. This judgment sets a precedent for future instances where governors may attempt to overstep their constitutional boundaries and interfere with the normal functioning of state legislatures.
Uttarakhand CM Dhami Assures Swift Rescue Of 41 Trapped Workers, PM Modi Kept Updated

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami who arrived in Silkyara for an on-the-spot review of the rescue efforts said that a 45-meter pipeline has been installed using an auger machine, marking the concluding phases of the rescue operation. Although some obstacles persist, efforts are underway to expedite the workers.

"Preparations post-rescue have been completed, with ambulances and hospitals standing by for necessary check-ups and treatments. Prime Minister Modi remains actively informed about the ongoing rescue, receiving regular updates, including today. Our dedicated experts continue to work tirelessly day and night to ensure the successful retrieval of the workers", he further added.

Rescue operations to evacuate 41 workers trapped in Uttarakhand's Silkyara tunnel resumed on Thursday morning after an overnight hurdle delayed the drilling by several hours. The agencies just need to insert the 800 mm steel pipe through the remaining 12-15 meters.

Former advisor to the prime minister's office Bhaskar Khulbe said an iron mesh thad had come in the path of the drilling machine creating an escape passage for the workers was removed in the morning but has delayed the rescue operation by 12 to 14 hours.

Steel Obstacle Cleared: Former PMO Advisor Hails Progress In Uttarakhand Rescue Operations

Removing the mesh in a claustrophobic environment inside the pipe was difficult and the problem was compounded by the lack of oxygen, Khulbe told reporters.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami in #Uttarkashi.



Dhami said A 45-meter pipeline has been installed using an auger machine, marking the concluding phases of the rescue operation.#UttarakhandTunnelCollapse #UttarkashiRescue pic.twitter.com/MdCykEqdU4  Madhuri Adnal (@madhuriadnal) November 23, 2023

''It took us six hours to remove it. But the good news is that we have cleared the hurdle which came yesterday after drilling up to 45 metres had been done,'' he said.

Now the process of assembling to go beyond 45 metres which requires welding the pipes has been restarted. The drilling will also resume soon, he said.

Uttarkashi Tunnel Rescue Operation Enters Final Phase, Doctors, Ambulances On Standby - Top Developments

It will take around 12 to 14 hours more to complete the whole operation of reaching the workers. After that, it will take three hours to take out the workers one by one. That will be done with the help of NDRF, Khulbe said.

Union Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways Gen V K Singh and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Director General Atul Karwal have arrived in Silkyara for an on-the-spot review of the rescue efforts.
Uttarakhand Tunnel Rescue: Evacuation Of Workers To Take 3-4 Hours, Says NDMA

Joyful Reunion: Families Express Thanks To Govt After Successful Rescue of 41 Workers From Silkyara Tunnel

Practised Yoga, Took Walks To Keep Spirits Up: Rescued Workers Tell PM Modi

Uttarakhand CM Dhami Talks To Trapped Labourers Inside Tunnel

India

oi-PTI

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi district on Thursday and spoke to the 41 construction workers trapped inside.

Dhami told the labourers, who are trapped inside the tunnel for 12 days now, that the rescuers have managed to come very close to them.

''We have come to around 45 metres (through the rubble). We are very close to you now,'' the chief minister said.

Union minister V K Singh was also with Dhami.

The chief minister asked two labourers -- Gabbar Singh Negi and Saba Ahmad -- about the condition of the workers and praised the duo for keeping up their morale.

Uttarakhand CM Dhami Assures Swift Rescue Of 41 Trapped Workers, PM Modi Kept Updated

He said all agencies are working hard to ensure that they are evacuated safely as soon as possible.

The chief minister also told the labourers that Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks with him every morning to take updates on their condition.

He said their families have been contacted and assured them of their well-being. The construction workers got trapped inside the tunnel on November 12 when a portion of the structure collapsed due to a landslide.

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Story first published: Thursday, November 23, 2023, 16:11 [IST]
Former Canadian Intelligence Official Found Guilty of Breaching Secrets Law

A former senior intelligence official in Canadas national police force was found guilty of breaching the countrys secrets law. The official, Cameron Jay Ortis, was found guilty of three counts of violating the Security of Information Act and one count of attempting to do so.

International

-Sathish Raman

Ottawa, November 23 (AP): In a significant verdict, a jury has found Cameron Jay Ortis, a former senior intelligence official in Canada's national police force, guilty of breaching the country's secrets law. The jurors unanimously declared Ortis guilty of three counts of violating the Security of Information Act and one count of attempting to do so. Additionally, he was convicted of breach of trust and fraudulent use of a computer.

Ortis Pleads Not Guilty

Throughout the trial, Ortis, aged 51, maintained his innocence, pleading not guilty to all charges. The prosecution alleged that he violated the secrets law by disclosing classified information to three individuals in 2015 and attempted to do so in a fourth instance. However, Ortis testified that he offered secret material to specific targets with the intention of getting them to use an online encryption service set up by an allied intelligence agency to monitor adversaries.

Prosecution's Argument

The prosecution countered Ortis's claims, arguing that he lacked the authority to disclose classified material and that his actions were not part of a sanctioned undercover operation. They portrayed Ortis as reckless and self-serving, accusing him of flouting rules and protocols on a solo mission that jeopardized national security and even endangered the life of a genuine undercover officer.

Ortis's Defense

Ortis's defense contended that their client did not betray Canada but was acting in response to a clear and grave threat. He led the Royal Canadian Mounted Police's Operations Research group, responsible for assembling and developing classified information on cybercriminals, terror cells, and transnational criminal networks. Ortis informed the jury that in September 2014, he was contacted by a counterpart at a foreign agency who alerted him to a severe threat.According to Ortis, his counterpart confidentially disclosed information about an online encryption service called Tutanota, which was secretly established to monitor communications of interest. He devised a covert plan, dubbed Nudge, to entice investigative targets to sign up for the encryption service by offering secret material as an incentive. However, the company, now known as Tuta, denies any ties to intelligence agencies.

Ortis's Actions Questioned

Although Ortis requested thousands of dollars from one target before sending full versions of sensitive documents, there was no evidence that he received any money from the individuals he contacted. Nevertheless, the prosecution painted a picture of Ortis as a self-serving and reckless individual who disregarded rules and protocols, potentially compromising national security.Several current and former RCMP employees testified during the trial, and the prosecution emphasized that no one else had knowledge of Operation Nudge, nor could any records of the project be found. Ortis was taken into custody in September 2019, and the investigation leading to his arrest began the previous year when the RCMP analyzed the contents of a laptop belonging to Vincent Ramos, the chief executive of Phantom Secure Communications, who had been apprehended in the United States. Project Saturation, an RCMP initiative, revealed that members of criminal organizations used Phantom Secure's encrypted communication devices. Ramos later pleaded guilty to using his devices to facilitate the distribution of cocaine and other illicit drugs to countries, including Canada.The verdict in the case of Cameron Jay Ortis serves as a stark reminder of the importance of safeguarding national secrets and adhering to established protocols. The court's decision reflects the seriousness of the charges against Ortis, and he now faces the possibility of a substantial prison sentence. The case highlights the need for vigilance in protecting sensitive information and ensuring that individuals entrusted with such information act responsibly and within the confines of the law.
Geert Wilders, Anti-Islamic Leader, Who Backed Nupur Sharma Over Prophet remark, To Be Netherlands' Next PM

International

oi-Gaurav Sharma

Known for his anti-Islam and anti-immigration rhetoric, far-right Dutch leader Geert Wilder's Freedom Party (PVV) on Thursday registered a landslide victory in Dutch elections. His party won 37 seats, highest by any party but still short of majority to form the government.

Wilder, who once defended BJP's Nupur Sharma over her remarks on Prophet Mohammad, now may emerged as the new Dutch Prime Minister if he is able to cobble together a coalition government.

During a TV debate last year, Wilders had backed BJP leader Nupur Sharma over her remarks on Prophet Muhammad. While backing Nupur Sharma, Geert had said one should never give in to Islamic terrorist groups like Al-Qaida and Taliban, as they represent barbarism. "One lesson: never bow to terrorists. Never!" he had said.

As per the reports, Geert has received countless death threats from Islamic extremists. For his anti-Islam image and statements, Britain once had banned him from entering the country.

Geert's victory would also send shock waves across Europe as he had called for a referendum on the Netherlands leaving the European Union during his election campaign. Also asylum seekers and migrants push-back were top of his election campaign agenda.

'Privilege, says Rana Ayyub after former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma gets gun license

As per the AFP report, the PVV clinched 37 seats, doubling the vote share from the last election, while the centre-right VVD bagged 24 seats, and the left-wing bloc trailed on 25 seats.

With the results of the Parliamentary Elections 2023, Prime Minister Mark Rutte AC makes an exit. He was in power since 2010 and will not return to politics following the installation of a new cabinet, said the reports. In last 92 years, Mark Rutte was the first liberal to be appointed as the Prime Minister of the Netherland. Rutte won his first election in 2006 under the VVD flag and later, led the party to register a victory in general election in 2010.
The Montana Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled unanimously against counties' bid to levy fewer mills for the state's school equalization mechanism.

The ruling settles a months-long dispute between local officials, school advocates and Gov. Greg Gianforte's administration that set off splintering legal challenges in Montana. Counties will soon begin the process of sending out supplemental tax notices. Lewis and Clark County Officials previously estimated a $50,000 cost locally for re-printing additional tax notices if the counties lost their case.

As counties grappled with booming property tax increases following the state's reappraisal process, commissioners in all but seven of Montana's 56 counites had approved resolutions to levy 78 mills for the mechanism rather than the 95 as requested by the Montana Department of Revenue since the measure went into place 20 years ago.

The school equalization mills, also referred to as the 95 mills, are collected from each county and redistributed by the state in a fashion that levels out funding for school districts in richer and poorer counties. Counties have argued they have the authority to lower, or float down, those mills at the local level.

Education advocates argued doing so would put a dent in public school funding, and the revenue department has contended its interpretation of the state law that created the school equalization mechanism required it to mandate the full 95 mills. The state department filed legal challenges in October seeking a judicial ruling to that effect, although the counties' moved ahead with their lower rates and then took the question to the state Supreme Court.

Chief Justice Mike McGrath authored the unanimous opinion, writing that the law gives Department of Revenue exclusive authority to calculate the 95 mills and that counties must abide by that calculation. Regarding the calculation in question, McGrath wrote the court would defer to the department's interpretation which had been unchallenged for more than two decades.

"Counties have the authority to levy mills according to local interests," McGrath wrote, citing the 1972 constitutional delegation's foundation for tax powers among different government bodies. "In cases of statewide mills, however, that authority rests with the state."

The ruling covers this and future tax cycles.

A timeline for those supplemental tax notices was not immediately clear Thursday. Lewis and Clark County Chief Administrative Officer Roger Baltz said Wednesday officials will being working out the process ahead.

"This just happened," he said. "We'll be following up with our elected officials to thoroughly review what happened and what we need to do to meet our legal obligations."

Gianforte on Wednesday applauded the court's decision.

"I appreciate the Montana Supreme Court bringing clarity to the law around the 95 public school mills which the state collects and returns in full to school districts," Gianforte said in an emailed statement. "Todays decision reaffirms what has guided us: we have an obligation, both constitutional and moral, to ensure each Montana child has access to a quality education, and we wont defund our public schools."

Helena Independent Record reporter Nolan Lister contributed to this report.
Israel releases footage of what it says are Hamas tunnels running for "dozens of metres" below the Al Shifa hospital in Gaza.
Israel's national security adviser said that negotiations with Hamas regarding the captives are still ongoing. Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden discussed Gaza with Egyptian and Qatari leaders. DW has the latest.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang has called on G20 member nations to implement the consensus reached at this year's New Delhi summit. He urged the countries to prioritize development cooperation and oppose the politicization of development issues. Li did not mention the Israel-Hamas conflict in his speech, unlike President Xi Jinping, who called for a ceasefire and a two-state solution at the BRICS virtual summit on the Palestine-Israeli issue. Li emphasized the need for closer coordination, macro policy cooperation, and consideration of developing countries' concerns in international organizations.
The recent truce between Hamas and Israel to stop the bloodshed of Gaza is welcomed by the international community. The four-day reprieve of constant bombing of the strip, now going on for the last 47 days, is seen as a cautious breakthrough to a more permanent ceasefire.



The truce comes after weeks of intense negotiations...
Despite the destruction of Gaza, Hamas and the Palestinian resistance may have won the first round of the war on the Strip so to..

Eurasia Review 27 Nov 2023
Approximately 170,000 people flooded into Spain's capital city of Madrid on Saturday to protest the controversial Catalan amnesty law that the country's Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez pushed through in a bid to stay in power. Sanchez agreed to the amnesty in exchange for the political backing of Catalan and Basque nationalist parties.

The law will apparently benefit about 400 people involved in the independence bid that came to a head in 2017. The independence referendum was declared illegal by the courts and resulted in Spain's worst political crisis in decades. The amnesty would be Spain's largest since the 1977 blanket amnesty for crimes committed during the Francisco Franco dictatorship and the first approved in the European Union since 1991, according to Spain's national research council.

The demonstration, the latest in a series of protests in cities across the country against the amnesty, took place two days after Sanchez won a four-year term with the backing of Catalan and Basque nationalist parties in return for agreeing to the law. The leaders of the Popular Party, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, and of Vox, Santiago Abascal, joined the protest by hundreds of thousands of people in the centre of Madrid, bringing the capital to a standstill.

The reason the law is so controversial is because it relates to the divisive issue of Catalan independence, particularly the illegal referendums of 2014 and 2017. The law raises legal and constitutional concerns, as it may undermine the rule of law by pardoning actions deemed illegal by Spain's constitutional court. This has led to a split in public opinion and a political divide, with strong opposition from right-wing and far-right parties. The law also challenges national unity, potentially encouraging separatist movements in other regions. Officially titled the "organic amnesty law for institutional, political and social normalisation in Catalonia," the law is especially notable for potentially allowing Puigdemont, the leader of the Junts Per Catalunya party and a staunch separatist, to return from exile. The law's constitutionality has sparked intense debate across Spain and faces strong opposition from the public and political entities like the right-wing People's Party and the far-right Vox party.

Spain has been experiencing significant political turmoil following inconclusive general elections in July. In an effort to retain power, Sa'nchez has negotiated with various regional parties, leading to controversial decisions - such as the amnesty law.

According to a report by Al Jazeera, "The independence referendum was declared illegal by the courts and resulted in Spain's worst political crisis for decades."

And according to CNBC, "Sanchez, who helms the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), won 179 votes in favor, with 171 against and no abstentions. It ends a four-month political deadlock following inconclusive general elections in July, when Feijoo's People's Party won a 136 majority of seats, while the Socialists clinched 121. Sanchez himself had called for the vote after his party hemorrhaged losses in regional and municipal elections in late May."

The public is furious because the law is not universally supported and many see it as an unjust concession to separatists, potentially rewarding illegal actions. This division is mirrored in the political arena, with parties like the right-wing People's Party and the far-right Vox strongly opposing the law.

Opponents of the law argue that it could weaken the sense of national unity in Spain. They fear it may embolden separatist movements not just in Catalonia but in other regions as well, potentially leading to further fragmentation and instability. Critics say the amnesty is a self-serving measure to allow Sanchez to remain in power and accuse him of trampling on the rule of law.

Indeed, this is already happening and of course the issue has been a point of contention for many years already. Now the question is whether the protests will have any effect on Sa'nchez and whether he decides to back down in the face of such backlash.

Meanwhile, the protestors will continue to demonstrate until their voices are heard.


John F. Kennedy campaign poster

(Image by dog97209 from flickr) Details DMCA





The following is a reprint of a column I wrote 10 years ago. I am re-posting it today on the 60th anniversary of the assassination of president John F. Kennedy because of its significance in my life and because of the times we live in. Would things have been different if Kennedy had lived to continue serving? I have no way of knowing. I'd like to think the answer is yes. Joe Biden is the oldest elected president this country has ever had. Kennedy was the youngest. They share the same dedication to protecting our democracy. I continue to celebrate Kennedy on the birth date I share with him and I honor his memory on the anniversary of the day he was taken from us. A day history was altered forever.

The first editorial I wrote for the Times Herald-Record in Middletown, N.Y., appeared on the 20th anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. I wrote the headline, too: "The measure of the man."

Trying to "measure" the meaning of the life of a man who was literally loved and idolized by millions of people is no easy task, especially for a rookie editorial writer's debut effort. But that's what newspapers do and, in truth, I took it as a good omen that remembering JFK was my first assignment. He was a hero to me as to many young men my age when he was elected president. It was a combination of things: his youth, his wit, his easy-going style, his intelligence, his words, his sense of justice. Plus, we shared the same birthdate: May 29.

As fate would have it, JFK would come to be remembered, not on his birthday, but on the anniversary of his death. And not so much for what Americans received for having him as president for 1,000 days, but rather for what we lost by not having him much longer.

That first editorial said, in essence, that it would take more than 20 years to measure the meaning of the man. It acknowledged the things we had learned about JFK in the years since the shooting in Dallas the flaws that made him human as well as what I felt were his positive contributions. Thirty years later, no longer a rookie editorial writer indeed, now retired after 23 years of writing editorials with Nov. 22 approaching, I realized I had to write about JFK 50 years after his death (because that's what old newspaper guys do). Before I started, I asked one of my reliable sounding boards, my son, Zack, what he knew about JFK. Zack is 19 and better informed than a lot of young people his age, so I figured his answer would provide me with a fair sense of what our education system had been telling kids about Kennedy.

"He was the first Catholic president," Zack said. Correct. "He had an affair with Marilyn Monroe." Uh, correct. 'There's still some theories that there was more than one shooter." Right. "Do you think the Kevin Costner movie ("JFK," directed by Oliver Stone) was true?" Well, the people portrayed were real. "The Bay of Pigs didn't go too well." No, it didn't. I took the opportunity to point out that Cuba was the site, not only of Kennedy's biggest failure in global affairs, but also his biggest success.

I was a little older than Zack is now when the world stood at the brink of a nuclear war over the presence of Soviet missile-launching sites in Cuba, aimed at the United States. I was a senior in college and knew full well, as did all my classmates, than no 2-S deferment was going to exempt me from what might happen if the Soviets did not as Kennedy demanded remove their missiles. Kennedy ordered the U.S. Navy to blockade Cuba to prevent the shipment of Soviet missiles and equipment. Nikita Khrushchev, Soviet president, who had initially denied the existence of the missile sites, sent a naval fleet to Cuba, loaded with supplies and armed for battle. As the world watched and waited and prayed, Kennedy and Khrushchev exchanged messages. Kennedy prevailed. The Soviet fleet stopped short of Cuba and turned around. I lived to write this remembrance. Kennedy was dead not long after.

So here I am 50 years later, still looking to take the measure of the man and still wondering how that is possible. Kennedy had the gift of engagement. He appeared to be comfortable with whomever he was speaking. He had tremendous appeal to young people, being so different from the older, stodgier presidents who preceded him. He created the Peace Corps a legacy that continues to this day with not enough fanfare. He made many Americans and this is not a small thing truly proud to be Americans. Not in an arrogant, flag-waving, we-know-better-than-you way. Just proud. And he cheated on his wife and kept his serious health problems a secret from us and sometimes needed to be prodded by his brother, Bobby (another tragic loss), to take the proper (courageous) stand on issues.

So the question I still ask myself is, what might JFK have done, what might he have meant to America and the world, if he had lived longer? What did we lose at Dealey Plaza? Certainly, whatever innocence we still possessed. The wind was sucked from our sails as a nation and our domestic politics have slowly and steadily deteriorated into such partisanship that is virtually impossible for any president to speak to the minds and hearts of a majority of Americans the way Kennedy did. Maybe it would have happened even if Kennedy had lived a longer life and gone on to be an ambassador to the world of what America stands for. Or maybe not.

It dawns on me in writing this that it is an ultimately frustrating task to try to take the measure of another man or woman. I know what JFK meant to me personally. I know a lot of others feel similarly and others do not. I know what history has recorded (he was also the youngest man to be elected president) and what the tabloids have told us. I have a sense of what I would like to think Kennedy would ultimately have meant had he not died so young. But it's only speculation.

The only man I can truly take the measure of is myself. It is 50 years since that morning when I was waiting at home to go to Fort Dix, N.J., to begin six months of active duty training. How do I measure up today? That's a question I work on every day. It wasn't always thus, but the years have a way of insisting on perspective. Maybe the answer will appear in some other writing. I have neither the space nor the inclination to do so here. I will say that, on balance, I'll probably give myself a passing grade, but there's still some stuff I'm learning. For now, I'm through trying to take the measure of JFK, as man or president. Let the historians have at it. I'm going to try to take his advice and ask not what life can do for me, but what I can contribute to life. And I'm also going to remember to honor him not on the date he died, but on the date we both were born.

By Bob Gaydos
Thousands of low-income Washington patients will receive refunds from PeaceHealth, the nonprofit health system, for hospital bills because they were probably eligible for financial help but did not receive it.

On Monday, Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced up to $13 million in refunds PeaceHealth has agreed to dole out to roughly 15,500 patients. PeaceHealth billed thousands of patients it knew were likely eligible for financial help under state law, and also failed to screen patients, Ferguson said.

I appreciate PeaceHealths cooperation in reaching this resolution that fully refunds Washingtonians for millions of dollars in medical payments, plus interest, without the need for litigation, Ferguson said in a statement.

The state recently made more Washingtonians eligible for free or discounted hospital care. But at the time, Washington households making up to 200% of the federal poverty level were eligible for free or discounted care for out-of-pocket hospital expenses.

PeaceHealth, which is based in Vancouver, Washington, will pay $4.2 million back to about 4,500 patients directly via checks in the mail. Eight of those patients will receive refunds of more than $10,000 and nearly 50 will get refunds of more than $5,000. The payments will include interest. PeaceHealth knew those patients were likely eligible for financial help, but billed them and did not let them know they were potentially eligible, Ferguson said.

PeaceHealth said in a news release those patients did not apply for assistance or respond to outreach.

Since 2018, our practice has been to counsel and share information about financial assistance with patients and their loved ones at every step of their journey  before receiving care, on-site, after returning home, and at any time in the billing process, Alison Taylor, a spokesperson for PeaceHealth, said in an email.

PeaceHealth must also refund up to $9.2 million, including interest, to about 11,000 patients who may have qualified for help with their medical bills had they been properly screened for eligibility, Ferguson said. Those patients will be notified by the Attorney Generals Office by mail, and they will have to file a claim to pursue a refund.

PeaceHealth also agreed to pay the Attorney Generals Office $2 million, which will cover the costs of the investigation and fund potential future cases, Ferguson said.

PeaceHealth is committed to identifying every single person who can benefit from charity care, PeaceHealth General Counsel Tom Karnes said in a statement Monday. We welcome this opportunity to continue to lead the way in charity care, providing physical and financial healing to the most vulnerable in our communities.

The Attorney Generals Office started investigating PeaceHealth in 2020.

The health system, which operates hospitals in Bellingham, Friday Harbor, Longview, Sedro-Woolley and Vancouver, said it cooperated with the investigation and provided tens of thousands of documents and supplied evidence that ... (it) did everything required by law  and more  to inform its patients about the availability of financial assistance.

PeaceHealth also said it had awarded $258 million in charity care to about 66,000 patients since 2018, including $83 million to 25,000 patients whose income the hospital system did not verify.

Medical debt plagues many Americans: As of June 2021, the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau found $88 billion in medical debt on credit records. The total is likely higher because not all medical debts in collections are provided to consumer reporting companies, the bureau said in a February 2022 report. Nationally, about two-thirds of people who file for bankruptcy cite medical debt as a key contributor, Ferguson said.

Millions of Washingtonians live in fear of a health emergency that would devastate their finances, even those with insurance, Ferguson said.

Recent changes to the states law concerning charity care expanded who is eligible for that help.

As of July 1, 2022, all Washingtonians within 300% of the federal poverty level now qualify for charity care for their full out-of-pocket hospital bill, as long as care is considered medically necessary. Those within 400% of the federal poverty level are eligible for discounted care, which is up to about $54,360 for a one-person home or $111,000 for a family of four.

About 4 million people fall into those income groups in Washington, roughly half the states population.

The new law also establishes two tiers of financial assistance  one for large health care systems with three or more hospitals (Tier 1, which accounts for about 80% of the states hospital beds) and another for smaller, independent hospitals (Tier 2).

At Tier 1 hospitals, about 3 million residents have access to free hospital care, while another million have access to discounted care. Tier 2 hospitals, which are often public hospital districts in rural counties, offer slightly smaller discounts for residents and arent required to offer discounts to those between 300% and 400% of the poverty level.

In a statement Monday, PeaceHealth said it would ask patients when they register about their household income and size, and, regardless of how a patient answers, will continue to provide all patients with information about financial help and how to apply for it, and notify any patients who are potentially available for financial help to seek reimbursement for past payments.

Washington has filed three other lawsuits to force hospitals to follow the states charity care rules. A case against Providence Health and Services is expected to go to trial in early February, Ferguson said. In September 2022, The New York Times published an investigation finding Providence pressured patients to pay even when they may have qualified for financial help.

-- Claire Withycombe, The Seattle Times

(c)2023 The Seattle Times. Visit The Seattle Times at www.seattletimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
A four-day cease-fire in Gaza between Israel and Hamas will begin Friday morning, Qatar said, a day later than originally announced, as negotiators worked out final details of the deal, which is to lead to the release of dozens of hostages held by militants and Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

The diplomatic breakthrough promised some relief for the 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza who have endured weeks of Israeli bombardment, as well as families in Israel fearful for the fate of their loved ones taken captive during Hamas Oct. 7 attack that triggered the war.

The cease-fire was originally set to begin Thursday morning, but it appeared to hit a snag the night before when Israels national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, announced a one-day delay without providing a reason.

On Thursday, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari announced the cease-fire will start at 7 a.m. local time Friday.

He said the two sides had exchanged lists of those to be released, and the first group of 13 women and children held by Hamas would be freed Friday afternoon. He did not say how many Palestinian prisoners would be freed, but officials have said three would be freed for every hostage.

Increased aid for Palestinians will start to enter Gaza as soon as possible, al-Ansari said. The hope is that the momentum from this deal will lead to an end to this violence, he told reporters.

RISING TOLL IN GAZA

The Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza, meanwhile, resumed its detailed count of Palestinian casualties from the war, saying over 13,300 have been killed. The new numbers were not fully broken down, but women and minors have consistently made up around two-thirds of the dead in past tallies.

The figures do not include updated numbers from hospitals in the north, where services and communication largely broke down earlier this month. The ministry says some 6,000 people have been reported missing, feared buried under rubble.

The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and militants in its death tolls. Israel says it has killed thousands of Hamas fighters, without presenting evidence for its count.

The ministry had stopped publishing casualty counts as of Nov. 11, saying it had lost the ability to do so because of the collapse of the health sector in the north.

Smoke rises following an Israeli bombardment in the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023.AP Photo/Leo Correa

NETANYAHU SAYS TRUCE WONT END WAR

The truce agreement raised hopes of eventually winding down the war, which has leveled vast swaths of Gaza, fueled a surge of violence in the occupied West Bank and stirred fears of a wider conflagration across the Middle East.

Air-raid sirens sounded across northern Israel on Thursday as Hezbollah said it fired 48 Katyusha rockets from southern Lebanon. The barrage came after an Israeli strike killed five Hezbollah fighters, including the son of the head of the groups parliamentary bloc.

The Israeli military said it was striking the sources of the launches. Israel and Hezbollah, which fought a monthlong war in 2006, have repeatedly traded fire across the border since the war in Gaza broke out.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue the war after the truce expires to destroy Hamas military capabilities, end its 16-year rule in Gaza and return all the estimated 240 captives held in Gaza by Hamas and other groups.

We will continue it until we achieve all our goals, Netanyahu said, adding that he had delivered the same message in a phone call to U.S. President Joe Biden. Washington has provided extensive military and diplomatic support to Israel since the start of the war.

The delay in implementing the cease-fire dismayed uprooted Palestinians in Gaza, who hope to use the few days of quiet to visit homes they had fled  or at least the wreckage of them  and reconnect with families. More than 1.7 million people, three-fourths of Gazas population, have been displaced in the war.

Wed been waiting and hoping since yesterday, said Aya Hamad, who is sheltering at a hospital in the central city of Deir al Balah. We wanted to go home to get a change of clothes for our children, even though we know our homes have been bombed  Its all for nothing.

Israeli troops hold much of northern Gaza and say they have dismantled tunnels and much of Hamas infrastructure there. Israeli forces Wednesday revealed what they said was a major Hamas hideout in a tunnel beneath Gaza Citys Shifa Hospital.

The territorys largest medical center has been at the heart of a fierce battle of narratives over both sides allegedly reckless endangerment of civilians. Hamas and hospital staff deny Israeli allegations that Shifa was used as a militant command center.

The military said Thursday it detained Shifas director, Mohammed Abu Selmia, for questioning over his involvement in what it called extensive Hamas activities in the hospital. Gazas Health Ministry called on international bodies to intervene and said it would no longer cooperate with the World Health Organization in evacuating hospitals.

Earlier Thursday, Israel ordered the full evacuation of the Indonesian Hospital in the north, Dr. Munir al-Boursh, a Health Ministry official inside the facility, told Al Jazeera.

Fighting has raged outside the hospital for days, and hundreds of people have already been evacuated to the south. It was unclear if the arrest of Abu Selmia would affect those efforts.

Israeli military spokesman Col. Richard Hecht said combat operations would continue until we are given the order to hold our fire.

Israeli troops have surrounded the Jabaliya refugee camp and called on any residents inside to evacuate during a three-hour window Thursday, he said. The military has said it is pursuing Hamas fighters in Jabaliya, a dense urban district adjacent to Gaza City that has come under intense bombardment for weeks.

Israel has threatened to extend its invasion to southern Gaza, where most of the territorys population is now located. More than 1 million people, including hundreds of thousands who fled the north, have crammed into overflowing U.N.-run shelters with dwindling food, water and basic supplies.

For Hamas, the cease-fire would provide an opportunity to regroup after weeks of apparently heavy losses. Hamas leader Yehya Sinwar, who is believed to be alive and in hiding in Gaza, is likely to claim the release of Palestinian prisoners as a major achievement and declare victory if the war ends.

People walk past graffiti calling for the return of the hostages kidnapped during the Oct. 7 Hamas cross-border attack in Israel, in Kfar Saba, Israel, Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023.AP Photo/Ariel Schalit

HOSTAGES TO BE FREED IN STAGES

Under the truce deal, 50 hostages are supposed to be freed in stages, in exchange for the release of what Hamas said would be 150 Palestinian prisoners. Women and children would be released first, and Israel said the truce would be extended an extra day for every additional 10 hostages freed.

The return of hostages could lift spirits in Israel, where their plight has gripped the country. Families of the hostages have staged mass demonstrations to pressure the government to bring them home. Netanyahus office said it notified the families of hostages listed for release Friday.

Hamas said 200 trucks a day will enter Gaza carrying aid. Qatar said the aid will include fuel, but has given no details on quantities.

Israel cut off all imports at the start of the war, except for a trickle of food, water and medical supplies allowed in from Egypt. The lack of fuel has caused a territory-wide blackout, leaving homes and hospitals reliant on faltering generators.

Israels Justice Ministry published a list of 300 prisoners eligible to be released, mainly teenagers detained over the past year for rock-throwing and other minor offenses.

The war erupted when several thousand Hamas militants stormed into southern Israel, killing at least 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking scores of hostages, including babies, women and older adults, as well as soldiers, for whom Hamas is expected to demand a large number of high-profile prisoners.

-- Wafaa Shurafa and Kareem Chehayeb, The Associated Press

___

Chehayeb reported from Beirut. Associated Press reporters Najib Jobain in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Melanie Lidman in Jerusalem and Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed.
The Montana Supreme Court ruled in favor of a ballot initiative group attempting to implement open primaries in the state, overruling the attorney general's initial decision.

This opinion by the high court does not change Montana's election system quite yet and instead allows the group behind the effort to gather signatures to get the initiative on the ballot in November of next year.

If the initiative garners enough signatures and is then approved by voters, this measure would implement a single-ballot primary election in which all candidates  no matter their political affiliation  would appear on the same ballot. The candidates would still be allowed to list their party affiliation on the ballot if they so choose.

In practice, this means that when voters go to the polls on primary day, they will not select which ballot they want to vote on. They instead will all be handed one with all the candidates in their district.

From there, the top four vote-getters for each seat would move onto the general election.

This measure, known as Ballot Initiative 12, would pertain to all of Montana's major political offices (such as governor, lieutenant governor, auditor, superintendent of public instruction and more) as well as the state House and Senate. It would also put a limit on the number of signatures candidates have to gather in order to appear on the ballot, which is aimed in part at protecting third-party candidates from having to gather an unattainable number of signatures.

Right now, Montana has what is sometimes referred to as a "closed primary," where voters have to choose which party's primary to vote in when they go to the polls.

"It puts the voters back in charge of who they hire rather than having to limit the candidates," former Republican statehouse member Rob Cook told the Montana State News Bureau following the ruling Wednesday.

Cook and other traditionally moderate Republicans are part of the Montanans for Election Reform (MER), the group backing the initiative.

Attorney General Austin Knudsen initially rejected the ballot initiative on constitutional grounds, arguing that it violates the prohibition on grouping multiple issues (open primaries, plus the signature cap) into a single measure that voters then have to decide on.

Chief Justice Mike McGrath, the author of the unanimous opinion, wrote that Knudsen "erred" by blocking BI-12, saying that it does not violate the portion of the Montana Constitution that Knudsen implicated.

"...the signature-gathering limitation is not a separate function but is rather, as MER asserts, an integral part of the top-four primary system BI-12 proposes," McGrath wrote. "We thus disagree with the Attorney General that the signature-gathering limitation is not closely related to the remainder of BI-12."

McGrath ordered Knudsen's office to prepare language for the ballot within five days.

The Attorney General's office told the State Bureau that they plan to comply with the order and send the ballot language to the Secretary of State within the time frame.

Because this ballot initiative is a constitutional amendment, advocates must collect around 60,000 signatures spanning at least 40 House districts.

This is no cheap venture. From mid-August to the last day of September, the group spent just north of $77,000. Their largest expense so far was on legal services, at roughly $37,000, according to public filings.

"The total effort will be a multimillion dollar effort," Cook said, adding that the group plans to fundraise in and out of state, relying on paid employees and volunteers.

The required number of signatures must be gathered by next summer.

Montana would not be the first state to implement this type of primary system: California, Nebraska and Washington all have some variation of an open primary where the top two advance. Alaska recently implemented a top-four system, similar to the one Montana voters may get to weigh in on next year.
Just in time for Thanksgiving, a southern Oregon church got a boost in its long-running dispute with the city of Brookings over its free soup kitchen that has drawn steady complaints from neighbors and faces restrictions imposed under a city ordinance.

St. Timothy Episcopal Church filed a federal lawsuit to challenge a change in city zoning code that restricts meals to only three times a week for two hours each.
SEATTLE  Have we checked the spare parachute packing card slot? What about the rip cords? Wait, the parachute, was it a 24-foot canopy or a 26-foot canopy? Is there DNA on the tie clip? And, my goodness, how did the money end up at Tena Bar?

The questions linger, they spiral, becoming ever more arcane.

If youre not versed, if you dont know about the copycats and the diatoms and the titanium particles, it all sounds like Greek.

But for those whove been hooked, captivated, enthralled, the legend of D.B. Cooper does not fade. It is a subculture  like Swifties, 12s, the BeyHive  focused around a larger ideal, where people find community.

Martin McNally, a previous plane hijacker in 1972, is the Sunday speaker at CooperCon at The Museum of Flight in Seattle on Friday, Nov. 17, 2023. (Daniel Kim/The Seattle Times/TNS)TNS

We know the middle  we dont know the beginning or the end of the story, said Chris Grandlienard, a county planner from Florida, who flew across the country for CooperCon, a three-day annual event held this year at The Museum of Flight dedicated to solving, or at least propagating, a half-century-old mystery. Its not like this is Bigfoot. This is an actual person who existed. Who was he? He was so nondescript, he just blended in.

On Nov. 24, 1971, a man giving his name as Dan Cooper walked into Portland International Airport and paid $20 for a ticket on Northwest Orient Flight 305 to Seattle. He ordered a bourbon and soda, smoked cigarettes and handed the flight attendant a note, saying he had a bomb. He asked for $200,000 and four parachutes.

The plane landed in Seattle, and he traded the passengers for the money and the chutes. Then he instructed the pilots to fly south. Somewhere over southern Washington, he opened the rear door of the Boeing 727, and jumped.

Hes never been found. It is the only unsolved skyjacking in American history. An early news story misreported his name as D.B. Cooper and it stuck. Frankly, it sounds a lot cooler than Dan. Nearly a decade later, an 8-year-old boy, digging in the sand on Tena Bar, a Columbia River beach, found $6,000 of Coopers money.

Artist renderings of Northwest Orient flight skyjacker "D.B. Cooper," released by the FBI after the 1971 plane hijacking out of Portland.LC- Oregonian files

The name, the ubiquitous police sketch  close-cropped hair, black suit, black tie, black sunglasses  have become legend.

It is among the great mysteries wafting through the American consciousness, not quite on the level of Was there a second shooter? but in the echelon right below.

For the 100 or so people at CooperCon on Friday, who flew from Florida, Texas, Ireland (and paid $149 for a three-day pass), the motivations vary. Everyone mentions the mystery. Most have a theory of the case. Many want to solve it. Some prefer the unknown.

They came in sloganed T-shirts  DB Lives, I am the Man who Found D.B. Cooper, Northwest Legend.

Few people who ever lived have been more impacted by D.B. Cooper than Martin McNally. McNally was 28 when he lost his job in 1972, a couple months after the Cooper hijacking.

D.B. Coopers sketch is attached to an attendees water bottle at CooperCon at The Museum of Flight in Seattle on Friday, Nov. 17, 2023. (Daniel Kim/The Seattle Times/TNS)TNS

D.B. Cooper did his in November, OK? Thanksgiving, McNally said Friday. I said, Hey, that sounds like an easy score: Get an extortion note, couple of weapons, disguise, wigs and so forth. And board the plane and demand what you want, money, half a million dollars, parachutes and bail out. What could be easier?

Hey, McNally said, pausing for emphasis, was I wrong.

In June 1972, carrying a submachine gun, McNally hijacked a flight from St. Louis to Tulsa. He asked for $500,000, but lost it when he jumped over Indiana. He was caught a few days later with $13 in his pocket and eventually sentenced to two life sentences. He was released in 2010 after serving 38 years in prison.

McNally, 80, flew to Seattle for CooperCon from his home in Michigan, where he lives with his sister. He was set to be a featured speaker on Sunday.

Its a big mystery and a lot of people want to know, McNally said of the continued Cooper fascination. Its the evidence that doesnt even show up. Theres no evidence to say that he survived or he perished  nothing.

Grudges are few in the CooperCon world. Maybe itd be different if someone was hurt or killed, but its been 50 years, and a defunct airline lost $200,000. Wheres the victim?

A couple years ago, McNally called his sister and told her to come home. He had a visitor.

He said, I havent seen this lady since 1972, " McNallys sister, Clare McNally-Bailey, recalled. I walked in and said, Who are you? She said, Im the stewardess he hijacked.

CooperCon is the type of event where Larry Carr, a retired FBI agent who led the investigation for years, addressed McNally, a convicted felon, as Mr. McNally and asked permission to ask him a question.

(Carr thinks Cooper died jumping from the plane, but I hope Im wrong.)

Eric Ulis, the organizer of CooperCon, attributes the interest to a few things. One, it indisputably happened. This is not a search for the Loch Ness monster. Two, there is a romance to it, to walking into the airport in a black business suit, with cash, drinking a bourbon, smoking a cigarette and jumping out of a plane never to be seen again. It seems like, and is, something from a bygone era. The passengers werent even aware it was a hijacking until they got off the plane. Plus, new technology, in DNA, in electron microscopes, in fabric analysis, ensures theres always one more nugget of evidence on the horizon.

Its a lot of things that just sort of come together and just make it a fascinating case, Ulis says.

Hes spent a decade and a half, at least, consumed by it, leading expeditions near Tena Bar, petitioning the FBI, looking for more clues.

He has his own suspect, a Pittsburgh-area man who died in 2002 and had worked in titanium research, matching the titanium particles on the clip-on tie Cooper left on the plane.

Almost everyone has a theory. They come in waves; a new one rolls in and an old one drifts away. They compete for oxygen. They metastasize.

Was he a Boeing employee? Or, no, a Boeing contractor? A guy who also got away with killing his stepfather? The college professor with parachute training? Or was it a woman, disguised as a man, angry that the Federal Aviation Administration wouldnt let her be a pilot?

As law enforcement waded through the endless tips, the dead ends, the conflicting evidence, every new theory of the case was trumpeted as a breakthrough.

The FBI closed the case in 2016.

Eric Knackmuhs has a favorite. He likes Richard McCoy, who got caught hijacking a plane a few months after Cooper, then escaped from prison and was killed when the FBI caught up to him. But he doesnt really think McCoy is Cooper. He just gravitates to the story.

Anyway, Knackmuhs isnt at CooperCon to research the mystery. Hes there to research the researchers.

A professor of recreation and nonprofit administration at Western Kentucky University, Knackmuhs and two students flew into CooperCon because hes interested in why people are so interested in Cooper. Theyre surveying attendees and hoping for follow-up interviews.

He has a few hypotheses. The idea of being a citizen sleuth is attractive. He thinks its possible the crowd, largely male, sees a bit of themselves in Cooper.

And theres this concept of serious leisure, doing a hobby to the point that its an amateur career, he said. Its created a community.

Cory Altheide, of Woodinville, has been fascinated with the case since he saw an Unsolved Mysteries episode in the 1980s. His daughter, Winter, 16, caught the bug a couple years ago when they listened to a Cooper audiobook during a summer road trip.

It didnt make sense, and thats what was interesting, Winter said. She cant get over the money in Tena Bar, found miles from Coopers estimated drop zone. Whats more, the bills were found with diatoms, microscopic algae that only bloom in the spring. But Cooper jumped in November.

As she listened to the parade of Cooper speakers Friday, she knitted and doodled  a plane, a parachute, a cat (unrelated but nice).

Cory and Winter are two of the few who have no theory of the case. And neither particularly wants to see it solved. That would kill the fun.

They are, to borrow a phrase, process oriented.

Its kind of meta, but Im really interested in how it captured the public imagination at the time. He became sort of a Robin Hood-type folk hero, Cory said. Everybody wants to know, Im having a good time hearing other peoples theories.

This is their second year at CooperCon.

D.B. Cooper, Winter said, is the friends you make along the way.

--David Gutman, The Seattle Times

2023 The Seattle Times
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Abdoulaye Bathily, has invited the main institutional parties in Libya to participate in a meeting to be held in the coming period to reach an agreement on a political settlement to the politically contentious issues related to the implementation of the electoral process
New York, US (PANA) - UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohamed has called for greater investment in preventing violence against women and girls, an issue that transcends all borders and cultures
Photo: (Photo : Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

A group of Democratic lawmakers, including Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, are putting more pressure on President Joe Biden to persuade Israel to strengthen security measures for children in the troubled enclave as tensions in Gaza rise. This push comes in the wake of continued warfare in Gaza, with lawmakers advocating for a general cease-fire, a stance contrary to Biden's position. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has voiced opposition to such a cease-fire unless it includes the release of Israeli hostages.

Lawmakers Urge President Biden to Intervene in Gaza Crisis, Citing Child Welfare Concerns

The group, including Rep. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts and 25 other members of Congress, has directed a letter to both President Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The sudden terrorist attacks by Hamas on October 7 and Israel's subsequent retaliatory actions prompted the letter, which calls for immediate action to protect "infants and children living under terror and violence."

This initiative comes as the Israeli government approved a deal on Tuesday night that promises a temporary suspension of hostilities and the release of at least 50 women and children held hostage. In addition, the deal includes the liberation of 150 Palestinian prisoners by Israel.

In the letter, the members of Congress express gratitude towards Biden's efforts in facilitating aid to Gaza but emphasize the urgency of additional measures. They advocate for an immediate halt to hostilities in areas with civilian presence to enable the prompt evacuation and protection of children and babies. The letter also highlights the need for protective measures for children in Israel and the West Bank.

United Nations agencies and experts have indicated that children, particularly in Gaza, are disproportionately suffering in the Israel-Hamas war. Reports suggest that a significant percentage of deaths in Gaza consist of women and children, with thousands more injured.

Read Also: Medical Emergency: Israeli Forces Engage Hamas Near Gaza's Largest Hospital, Doctors Strive to Protect Newborns

Evacuation of Vulnerable Children from Gaza: A Ray of Hope Amidst Turmoil

One notable development in ensuring the safety of the youngest victims of this conflict is the evacuation of over two dozen premature and low-birthweight babies from Gaza into Egypt for emergency medical care.

The letter underscores the universal need to protect children from the devastating impacts of terrorism and armed conflict. It calls for the immediate cessation of endangering children and violating their rights and physical safety. This appeal is grounded in the belief that protecting children should be a universally agreed-upon priority, transcending political and territorial disputes.

Moreover, the letter refers to the case of orphaned 3-year-old Abigail Edan, an Israeli-American kidnapped by Hamas militants on October 7. The U.S. is hopeful that she will be among those released under the recently approved deal.

The House Democrats have also requested detailed daily reports on the condition of Palestinian and Israeli children affected by the conflict. This information is crucial for ensuring that the United States' humanitarian aid is effectively targeted and aligns with the needs of the most vulnerable victims of the conflict.

This concerted effort by Democratic lawmakers reflects a growing concern within the U.S. political sphere regarding the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza. It underscores the importance of international cooperation and intervention in safeguarding the rights and lives of children caught in the crossfire of geopolitical conflicts.

Related Article: Critical Medical Evacuation: Gaza Children with Cancer and Blood Disorders Rescued
The window between Thanksgiving and Christmas has always been a reflective time for me. While we all have challenges in life, the truth is we need to intentionally look for points of thanks even in the storms of life. Down the list from your health, family and work would be hunting, fishing and time outdoors. For most its more of a diversion from the cold hard issues of life.

So, while some hunters didnt draw a deer tag (again), others may have secured the tag but missed the shot. Pheasant numbers are up but that doesnt mean some pockets didnt produce like they have in the past for hunters.

Comparing hunts and seasons is something hunters are known for. But for so many past seasons comparisons the weather plays a crucial role in most of the good and not so good.

You dont have to be a meteorologist, hydrologist, agronomist or even biologist to realize North Dakotas weather in early 2023 was remembered for mostly the wrong reasons. Even going back to last year when the deer season was met with a nasty beginning to winter of wind, cold and snow that basically stuck around until Mothers Day.

Winter lasted too long. Spring was too slow to arrive, and as it would seem some places didnt get enough rain. Others too much at the wrong time. For those of us whove spent our life here, the only consistent thing about our weather is the total lack of consistency.

Our memories can at times erase the bad, for the most part, which is good.

Do you remember 2019? That was when an October snowstorm hit much of North Dakota on opening weekend of pheasant season, which turned this treasured weekend into more of an exercise in dealing with snow and closed roads rather than chasing birds in some places.

That was quite a contrast to the pheasant opener on Oct. 10, 2015, when the daytime high was 97 degrees -- a record high for the day, and the entire month in West Fargo. Hunters that year were worried about heat stress on dogs and taking care to not spark a fire on tinder-dry grasslands.

This year the high temperature in eastern North Dakota on Oct. 1 and 2 was near 90 in many places and some places 95. The first weeks of October were good for fishing, farming, hunting and just about anything outdoors.

Such is life on the prairie, we tell ourselves. We enjoy Thanksgiving and look for the good, while realistically knowing that the coming winter and next spring could bring additional sets of undesirable circumstances.

Even so, when it comes to weather extremes and wildlife and fish, there is often some sort of silver lining. We just have to look for it.

What will winter do in 2023-24? Honestly, we can listen to all the predictions in the world, but the truth is well find out in due time.
Photo: (Photo : Brandon Bell / Getty Images)

In a seismic legal development, an Illinois jury has delivered an unequivocal verdict, declaring several major egg producers, including industry titans Kraft Foods Global, Inc. and The Kellogg Company, guilty of orchestrating an extensive price-fixing conspiracy.

This pivotal decision marks the culmination of a protracted 12-year legal battle initiated by major food manufacturers, who alleged that these producers systematically manipulated the U.S. egg supply between 2004 and 2008.

Conspiracy Unveiled: Systematic Egg Supply Manipulation to Drive Prices Up

The jury's decisive ruling, pronounced in the Northern District of Illinois on Tuesday, has peeled back the layers of an intricate scheme executed by egg producers, including Cal-Maine Foods, Rose Acre Farms, United Egg Producers, and United States Egg Marketers.

According to court documents, these companies implemented a calculated plan, strategically exporting eggs to diminish the domestic supply.

Simultaneously, they employed a range of tactics, from limiting chicken populations through cage space to early slaughter and flock reduction. These actions were all geared towards artificially inflating egg prices during the mid-2000s.

This revelation lays bare a concerted effort by egg producers to wield control over market dynamics, adversely affecting consumers and other stakeholders within the industry. The consequences of these manipulative practices are far-reaching, prompting questions about the integrity of the broader food production landscape.

Industry Titans Held Accountable: Damages to be Evaluated in Forthcoming Trial

In a legal showdown that involved major food manufacturers, such as General Mills, Inc. and Nestle USA, Inc., the jury found egg suppliers Cal-Maine Foods, Inc., United Egg Producers, Inc., United States Egg Marketers, Inc., and Rose Acre Farms, Inc. culpable of antitrust violations.

The damages resulting from this price-fixing conspiracy will undergo meticulous scrutiny and determination in an upcoming trial. This decision not only reverberates through the egg industry but also casts a spotlight on the broader business practices of major players within the food manufacturing sector.

The repercussions of this verdict will likely prompt industry-wide reviews and discussions surrounding ethical considerations and competitive practices.

Read Also: Children Hit Hard by Early RSV Surge and Flu Spike: Health Officials Sound Alarms

Political Implications: Indiana Egg Farmer Tied to the Conspiracy

Adding an unexpected political dimension to the controversy is the involvement of the family company of John Rust, an Indiana egg farmer presently pursuing a U.S. Senate seat.

Amid a legal battle over state election laws, Rust chose not to comment on the ongoing litigation. Seizing the opportunity, his opponent, U.S. Rep. Jim Banks, criticized Rust, accusing him of exploiting working-class Hoosiers for personal gain.

This revelation not only places Rust in a precarious position amid his Senate run but also underscores the broader ramifications of the price-fixing conspiracy, extending even into the political sphere.

As the legal proceedings continue, the intersection of business practices and politics adds an intriguing layer to an already complex and far-reaching case, and the repercussions of this landmark verdict resonate throughout the egg industry and beyond.

The findings of the Illinois jury have exposed manipulative practices employed by major egg producers, prompting a closer examination of industry dynamics and practices.

The upcoming damages trial holds the promise of providing further insight into the economic impact resulting from the price-fixing conspiracy that unfolded between 2004 and 2008.

The interplay of legal, economic, and political factors in this case underscores its significance, raising important questions about transparency, fair competition, and the accountability of major players within the food production ecosystem.

Related Article: First Birthday Gift Ideas: Top 5 Presents to Celebrate the Milestone
Chapter 11 (pp. 91-98) of my book, Reflections on Radical Catholic Reactionaries (December 2002; revised second edition: 17 August 2013; slightly revised again in November 2023 for the purpose of the free online version). Anyone who reads this book should first read the following three introductory articles, in order to fully understand the definitions and sociological categories I am employing:

Introduction (on the book page)

Definitions: Radical Catholic Reactionaries, Mainstream Traditionalists, and Supposed Neo-Catholics [revised 8-6-13]

Radical Catholic Reactionaries: What They Are Not [9-28-21]

If youre still confused and unclear as to my meanings and intent after that, read one or more of these articles:

Rationales for My Self-Coined Term, Radical Catholic Reactionaries [8-6-13]

My Coined Term, Radical Catholic Reactionary: Clarifications [10-5-17]

Clarifying My Coined Term, Radical Catholic Reactionary [4-3-20]

This book is modeled after the method and structure of the French mathematician and Catholic apologist Blaise Pascals classic, Pensees (thoughts). Catholic apologist and philosopher Peter Kreeft described this masterpiece as raw pearls and more like sayings than a book . . . Sayings reflect and approximate the higher, the mode of Christ and Socrates and Buddha. Thats why Socrates is the greatest philosopher, according to St. Thomas (S.T. III, 42, 4).

I am not intending to compare myself or my own thoughts or their cogency or import in any way, shape, or form, to those of Pascal, let alone to Socrates or our Lord Jesus! I am merely utilizing the unconventional structure of the Pensees, which harmonizes well, I believe, with the approach that I have taken with regard to the present subject. I have sought to analyze (minus proper names, a la Trent) the premises, presuppositions, logical and ecclesiological bottom lines and (in a word), the spirit of a false and divisive radical Catholic reactionary strain of thought held by a distinctive sociological sub-group of Catholics.

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Vatican II supposedly changed Catholic doctrine, hence that council is thought to be heterodox and heretical (radical Catholic reactionaries almost always express this proposition in equivocal language). This cannot happen in a valid ecumenical council, according to the principle of infallibility, indefectibility, papal authority, and previously assumed Catholic ecclesiology.

The novelty and irony here is the refusal of reactionaries to accept the expressed magisterium of the Church. This is nothing new: it has plenty of precursors in past heresies and dissenters from councils, such as the Arians, Nestorians, Monophysites, Protestants, and Old Catholics.

Vatican II operated on the same ecclesiological and theological principles as all former councils, but reactionaries operate on the analogy of the heretics throughout history: all of whom thought they knew better than the solemnly expressed will and mind of the Church, guided by the Holy Spirit, and headed by the Holy Father.

There is no difference in authoritative principle whatsoever, between the Council of Trent and the Second Vatican Council. The question is not one of extraordinary dogmatic definitions, but rather, of routine obedience to a council, which requires obedience by its very nature, according to the Church fathers and unbroken Catholic tradition.

I agree with reactionaries that some heterodox liberals and modernists were present at the Second Vatican Council; even that they had a nefarious plan to subvert the council. I deny that they succeeded in getting their heresies into the documents. The Holy Spirit saw that that didnt happen.

Reactionaries maintain that the Second Vatican Council deliberately and consciously sought a compromise with humanistic modernism, and that the tragic results can be observed in its documents. This is merely more equivocation: the council is not heretical; rather, it is compromised. We so-called conservatives (orthodox Catholics, in objective terminology) deny this absolutely. The council is orthodox. It did not depart at all from Catholic tradition. The Holy Spirit would not allow such a thing. This is Catholic belief and faith; this is Catholic tradition. How is it that these elementary aspects of the Catholic faith can be flat-out denied by people claiming to uphold (over against alleged compromisers  orthodox Catholics like myself) traditionalism?! The world (as well as the Church) is again turned upside-down by such insolence and presumption.

I deny this concept of quasi-defectibility, since ecumenical councils cannot depart from the faith in this fashion, if indeed they are ecumenical councils. Thus, the only rational recourse for reactionaries who despise Vatican II is to prove that it is not a valid ecumenical council in the first place  surely an impossible task. Knowing that this is impossible (so I would hypothesize), they resort to the empty charge of ambiguity and compromise, so as to denigrate the council whose teachings they so detest, for erroneous reasons. Its valid, yet somehow simultaneously reprehensible and a departure from previous Catholicism  precisely as they believe about recent popes, and the New Mass. It is a foolish game, a dangerous and unnecessary one, and spiritually dangerous to souls.

As far as I can tell, many reactionaries adopt the logical fallacy (post hoc ergo propter hoc) of thinking that because the council preceded the things they dont like (some quite justifiably so), that therefore it is the root cause of all these things. Modernism flourished after the council, therefore the council must be modernist . . .

Many reactionaries seem to require an ex cathedra papal pronouncement in order to fully accept the authority and orthodoxy of Vatican II. But there is little reason to believe that the bulk of reactionaries would accept such a proclamation, as it goes against their opinions, and since we observe how cavalierly and modernistically they selectively accept papal proclamations as it is. Such a pronouncement would likely make reactionaries want to leave the Church  give up on it as a hopeless case. They have already made up their own mind that the Holy Father is wrong, about this and many other issues. Why should anyone think they would receive this papal statement with assent, rather than dissent? Their modernist-influenced cafeteria Catholicism precludes such a mass acceptance, I think. This is not the Catholic spirit; it is the spirit of disobedience, private judgment, and schism.

There is no such thing as going back to an ecumenical council and deleting the whole thing from the record, so to speak. This is impossible, both from the nature of things, and because it would constitute a glaring contradiction between one pope and another. One could, however, adopt Luthers position of being totally willing to abandon any mere council or papal decree (even an entire Christian tradition), if his conscience so dictated. But of course that is Protestantism, and its principles of sola Scriptura, private judgment, and absolute supremacy of the individual conscience, not Catholicism . . . Once again, reactionaryism betrays its (quite ironic) latent Protestant affinities and sympathies . . .

The difference in estimations of Vatican II  in large part  lie in how one initially approaches the issue. I assume, as a devout Catholic  in faith and given the evidence of Church history  that the council is consistent with previous Catholic doctrine. This can be demonstrated, as well, by orthodox Catholic theologians and canonists. Now, when a reactionary approaches the council, does he view these so-called innovations or novelties  in faith  as developments that may be difficult to understand, or corruptions which are difficult to reconcile? It is all in the premise . . . To simply work out difficulties, nuances, and complexities is one thing. The Bible is inerrant; nevertheless, it doesnt follow for a second that there are not textual and theological and exegetical difficulties to be mulled over and worked through. Likewise with the council; one has to start with either a hostile or an embracing assumption. To take the hostile assumption is to go against what the pope said about the council, and the analogy of earlier councils; therefore involving the utter absurdity (granting Catholic ecclesiology) of placing theologians or private persons over against the pope  precisely as both modernists and Protestants do. Thus reactionaries are to the council what the liberal higher critics are to the Bible. Their initial hostile assumption is fallacious, so that the house of cards they build upon it is fundamentally flawed. Likewise with reactionary presuppositions and the reactionary house.

One reactionary referred, typically, to the fervor which devotees of Vatican II possessed. This terminology is loaded and absurd. Who talks of devotees of Trent or Chalcedon? A council is a council. If indeed it is one, the Catholic accepts it as a matter of course, not due to being a devotee, as if it were like following a movie star or a hairstyle. So this brings us back, as always, to the question of whether Vatican II was a valid council. I havent seen any reactionary demonstrate with rational argument that it was not. Therefore, the very language they use to describe the council is rash and imprudent, as well as inconsistent.

It remains obviously true that the council and its so-called spirit or (heterodox) interpretation are not identical. Reactionaries want to attribute every stupid, modernist teaching of the last fifty years to the council itself. If it cant be traced to actual teaching, then the subterfuge of deliberate ambiguity is utilized for the Cause. Reactionaries have created their own little box no one can penetrate. No one can disagree without themselves being stamped with the scarlet letter of modernism or the ubiquitous charge of denial of reality (the hallmark of mental illness).

There is no way for any self-professed Catholic to deny the validity of Vatican II as an ecumenical council. It was called by a sitting pope (how could anyone possibly deny that status to Pope St. John XXIII?), and attended by 2,860 bishops. And of course, nothing it promulgated contradicted the tradition of the Church in the least (including the Decree on Ecumenism and the Declaration on Religious Liberty). Whoever denies its validity, places themselves in the same ilk as the heretical Arians vis-a-vis the Council of Nicaea, the Nestorians in relation to Ephesus, and the Monophysites with regard to Chalcedon, not to mention the Old Catholics who refused to accept the dogma of papal infallibility and departed from the visible unity of the Church after the Vatican Council of 1870. The schismatic and heretical spirit has always fought against doctrinal development and the social, intellectual, and evangelistic progress of the Church. It is a shortsighted, tunnel vision spirit that shows itself quite ignorant both of Church history and apostolic tradition.

How is Martin Luthers dissent against Catholic conciliar authority different from reactionary undermining of Vatican II, which cannot not be an ecumenical council by any stretch of consistent Catholic reasoning? Reactionaries merely start later in time. The principle remains the same. Their schismatic attitude begins in 1962 or so (1958?), rather than 1054 or 1517. They arbitrarily pick what they dont care for and/or dont understand in Church teaching and decide that they know more than a pope or an ecumenical council.

The view claiming that Vatican II constituted a successful modernist revolution in the Church, is nonsense and unable to be consistently demonstrated within a Catholic framework. One would have to believe that, either:

1) Pope St. John XXIII was not a valid pope, hence couldnt convoke a council;

2) The council itself is invalid, thus establishing that councils can err, just as Luther held in 1521;

3) That God would allow His Church to be taken in by such pernicious error  thus contradicting our Lords promises in Matthew 16:18 and John 16:13.

Councils have always been abused and misinterpreted  this is no new phenomenon. Dollinger and the Old Catholics split off because they rejected papal infallibility at Vatican I in 1870. The Monophysites left after Chalcedon in 451. And of course Trent solidified the resistance of many Protestants  particularly the Calvinists. There are always people who think they know better than Gods One True Church  set up by Him and protected from doctrinal and moral error by Almighty God, by means of apostolic succession and the charism of infallibility.

A reactionary stated in a letter to me that Vatican II was the beginning of a trend pleasing to modernists and liberals who hate the Church, implying that this brings the council itself into question. But this response overlooked the possibility that the modernists have not understood Vatican II in the first place, or else that indeed they did understand it, and proceeded to unethically and cynically distort it for their own heterodox, schismatic, and ethically immoral ends. Either way, the result of their efforts (conscious and deliberate, well-intentioned or not) to undermine the traditional faith, liturgy, and what not, would be the same. And we see it all around us. I could argue, by this curiously deficient logic, that the Council of Nicaea was the beginning of a trend pleasing to Arians and apostates who hate the Church. Or I could argue that Vatican I was the beginning of a trend pleasing to Old Catholics and conciliarists and Gallicans who hate the infallible papacy.

The Second Vatican Council sought to make the faith more relevant and compelling to modern man, without sacrificing orthodoxy and its tradition, or changing any of its essentials. In this it was successful, despite all the nonsense that also occurred. The world is messy. Serious problems arent quickly resolved in neat little packages, as in soap operas and fantasy movies. Maybe reactionaries think they are resolved rapidly because they are too immersed in secular western culture and cant see how they have been harmfully influenced by its false ideas.

Architectural mediocrity and the loss of the sense of the sacred and reverence are symptoms of the modern era and the larger cultural upheaval of the post-World War II period, and especially of the sexual revolution of the 1960s. This nonsense simply cannot be found in Vatican II. That advocates of secularism cited the councils spirit to justify themselves is no more a case against Vatican II than the penumbra of the Constitution  nefariously used to find abortion rights in it  is a condemnation of the actual US Constitution.

Its always easier to destroy culture than to construct it. The fact that destruction and corruption proceed rapidly, by their very nature doesnt prove anything one way or the other (in this instance, about the inherent value of Vatican II).

Many Protestants are now joining the Catholic Church. Yet reactionaries are tempted to leave it because Vatican II is defended as a legitimate ecumenical council?! How strange that is! Outsiders see the Church as full of wonderful (spiritual, biblical, moral, ecclesiological, theological, intellectual, historical) things that Protestant denominations lack. One could reflect for hours upon the tragi-comic irony and sadness of that.

I would note that the reactionaries of 1870, such as the excommunicate Old Catholic historian Johann Joseph Ignaz von Dollinger, thought the definition of papal infallibility was a novelty and contrary to past teaching. On the other end of the spectrum were the ultramontanists. But the Church, as always, guided by the Holy Spirit, came out in 1870 with a reasonable middle position. Likewise, the same thing happened at Vatican II.

If a reactionary rejects Vatican II, by decapitating it into orthodox and heretical portions, based on their own private judgment, they will no longer be orthodox Catholics.

The Holy Spirit didnt guarantee the successful application or reception of an ecumenical councils true teaching  that is a function of human free will. What is guaranteed to be free from error are the actual (not imagined, or hoped-for) teachings of ecumenical councils. The so-called spirit of Vatican II is, of course, the modernist distortion of authentic conciliar teaching.

The Council of Nica was orthodox in the midst of the Arian heresy. Likewise, Vatican II was orthodox in the midst of the modernist heresy. Do reactionaries think that their alleged charism of obedient dissent is superior to that which rests upon the bishops as a corporate body in council, and on the pope?

If the conciliar documents had been properly applied and followed, everything would have been great. Reactionaries unfairly blame the council; I blame human rebelliousness, pride, and the cultural zeitgeist of the late 60s and 70s. God couldnt make Adam and Eve remain sinless and obedient (given free will). Neither can Vatican II make liberals obedient.

One might compare the reactionary mentality to all the errors of anti-Catholic Protestants. They engage in a quixotic, ridiculous crusade against (as Fulton Sheen said) what they erroneously think the Catholic Church is. By the same token, reactionaries engage in a futile, wrong-headed, cynical, faith-damaging endeavor to undercut the authority of, and castigate Vatican II, that they do not fully understand. But its part and parcel of obedience to sometimes accept what we dont understand. This applies to a 2-year-old child and his or her father or mother, and also to all of us and God.

It is absurd and tragic to have to argue about Vatican II with fellow Catholics, as opposed to Protestants or Anglicans or Orthodox (who at least are consistent in their objection to it).

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Summary: Chapter 11 of my book, Reflections on Radical Catholic Reactionaries (December 2002; revised in November 2023 for the purpose of the free online version).
Participants at a three-day regional multi-stakeholder forum on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) organised by Third World Network-Africa (TWN-Africa) for Anglophone West Africa in Accra say the Protocol on Free Movement of persons is still a major headache despite some years into the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement.



According to them, AfCFTA which is a free trade area encompassing most African countries is yet to address the decades-old problem of the free movement of persons within the African continent.



The AfCFTA agreement which was adopted and opened for signature on 21 March 2018 in Kigali, Rwanda and entered into force on 30 May 2019 to establish a unified market of 1.3 billion people and a GDP of around $3.4 trillion, is poised to become the worlds largest free trade area with 55 member states.



Recognising the importance of human resource skills to the continents development, the African Union adopted the Free Movement of Persons protocol in 2018, which has been signed by 47 Member States. However, only four countries namely Rwanda, Niger, Mali and Sao Tome and Principe have ratified the Protocol to date.



So, the state of ratification is slow and disappointing as the protocol is aimed at facilitating regional integration in general, and the implementation of the AfCFTA, in particular, they lamented.



Officials of the AfCFTA Secretariat admitted that it would take a long time for the free movement of persons to be achieved.



The Director of Trade in Goods and Competition at the AfCFTA Secretariat, Mohamed Ali noted that the AfCFTA is one of the innovative ways of transforming Africas economies and creating the biggest single market in the world, however, the delays in the implementation of the free movement of person protocol are affecting the smooth operations of AfCFTA.



In his words: If the problems of free movement of persons are not addressed, they would affect the implementation of the Agreement.



He said trades would not occur if people didnt move and therefore called on African governments to work assiduously to cut down the barriers impeding the movement of persons on the continent.



Update on the AfCFTA



Mr Ali explained to the participants from the ECOWAS sub-region that 46 State Parties had deposited their instruments of ratification of the AfCFTA Agreement with the most recent being Comoros.



42 schedules are by the Agreed Modalities and form part of the Ministerial Directive on the Application of Provisional Schedules on Tariff Concessions trade reciprocally under the AfCFTA preferences.



He was quick to add that the agreed rules of Origin for the AfCFTA stood at 92.3%, whereas some chapters under the textiles and automotive sectors remain outstanding.



Trade in Serves



Touching on the five priority service sectors comprising business, communication, financial; transport, and tourism and travel-related services, he said: 48 Trade in service schedule commitments have been deposited with the Secretariat in Accra.



AfCFTA Protocol Trade in Services



Abdoulie Jammeh of the Gambian Ministry of Trade explained that the AfCFTA Protocol on Trade on Services seeks to create a Single continental Services Market through the progressive liberalisation of services on the continent.



The protocol he noted provides the foundation to negotiate, as part of its annexes  Schedules of Specific Commitments and Regulatory Cooperation framework for services sectors.



Some inform the current negotiations of the provisions in the agreement for complementary measures that State Parties have to put in place for effective implementation of the Agreement.



The protocol has 29 Articles which is a big step towards promoting trade in services in Africa to stimulate economic growth by attracting foreign investment, fostering innovation, and creating job opportunities.



Objectives of the protocol according to him are to progressively liberalise trade in services across the African continent; expand the depth and scope of services trade liberalisation, and increase, improve and develop export services; enhance the competitiveness of services through economies of scale, reduce business costs, and enhanced continental market access; among others.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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The Western Regional Minister, Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, has called on churches, particularly those in the Western Region to pray for businessmen and women in the region to be successful and to create more jobs for the youth in the country.



I am of the belief that businesses operating in the region will be successful if we seek divine intervention apart from the hard work.



Most of the people in the region are business-minded and want to establish their own entities rather than depending on government for meager salaries. So please I will appeal to the men of God in the region to pray for the success of businesses in the area, he added.



The Regional Minister was speaking at the Episcopal Consecration Service for Bishop Noel Asante-Mensah, Founder and General Overseer of Calvary Pentecostal Church International in Takoradi.



He said, As a country, we are one people and should not lose sight of that. Ghanaians are connected by marriage, friendship and school, and there is the need to support our democracy and government in order to move the country forward.



Bishop Noel Asante-Mensah



Bishop Noel Asante-Mensah was born on September 23, 1946 at Obomeng-Kwahu in the Eastern Region. He graduated in December, 1985 with an Associate of Arts Degree from the All Nations for Christ Bible Institute in Nigeria.



He was ordained into ministry by the late Archbishop Benson Idahosah, who was the Founder and President of All Nations for Christ Bible Institute and the presiding Archbishop of Church of God Mission International.



He is currently the Western Regional Treasurer for the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council and an executive member of the Sekondi-Takoradi Network of Ministers Council and Churches.



In his remarks, Bishop Asante-Mensah pledged to embrace the responsibility that comes with this sacred consecration.



He said, My commitment is to serve with humility, compassion in Christ and unwavering dedication to the teachings of our faith.



Together, let us cultivate a community where love is our cornerstone, justice is our compass and compassion is our guide.



May this ordination be a catalyst for renewed commitment, deeper spirituality and a shared vision for the future.



He told the congregation and colleague Bishops that, Your collective wisdom has shaped my spiritual path and, I am humbled by the trust you have placed in me to continue shepherding you as a Bishop.



I, therefore, extend my deepest thanks to the clergy, faithful workers and congregation of the body of Christ for your kind support and prayers, he pointed out.



Archbishop Charles Agyin Asare, Founder of Perez Chapel International, described Bishop Noel Asante-Mensah as very prayerful and whose commitment to the things of God is worthy of emulation.

Source: dailyguidenetwork.com









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Cameroon has received more than 330,000 doses of a new malaria vaccine - the first to be approved by the World Health Organization (WHO).



Health Minister Manaouda Malachie described it as a historic moment.



Kenya, Ghana and Malawi have already started distributing the RTS,S vaccine, which has to be administered in four doses.



Over the next few weeks, deliveries are expected in Burkina Faso, Liberia, Niger and Sierra Leone.



Africa accounts for the vast majority of malaria cases worldwide.



The disease kills more than 600,000 people globally each year, most of them children.

Source: BBC









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Energy Minister, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh has reiterated the Ministry of Energys resolve to ensuring that Ghanaian content and participation is pursued aggressively.

According to Dr. Prempeh, it is the means by which Ghana will not be recipients of only petroleum revenue but maximize value in the exploitation of its hydrocarbon resource.

The Minister made these assertions when he addressed the 2023 Local Content Conference and Exhibition in Takoradi on Wednesday, 22nd November, 2023.



He said ten (10) years of the passage of L.I. 2204 and its implementation, the upstream petroleum sector has witnessed remarkable achievements.

In 2021 for instance, out of a total of US$ 1.3 billion value of services available, US$ 238 million went to Indigenous Ghanaian Companies whilst US$ 1.1 billion went to Joint Ventures (involving Indigenous Ghanaian Companies), he said



The Manhyia South lawmaker added that between 2014 and 2022, out of the total contracts valued at $17 billion, indigenous Ghanaian companies and joint ventures benefitted from contracts worth $3.4 billion and $5 billion respectively.

Most importantly, industrial establishments that were non-existent prior to the passage of the L.I have emerged. There have been significant in-country investments by way of Capital Investments, Cementing Units, Waste Management / Thermal Absorption Plants, Fabrication yards, manufacture of bolts, nuts and valves and refurbishments of some aviation facilities in Takoradi, he stated.



Dr. Prempeh said in meeting the demands of ensuring local content and local participation, it is imperative that the capabilities of local service providers and personnel are developed to enable them offer products and services that meet quality standards in the oil and gas industry at competitive prices and provide adequate returns on resources employed or consumed in producing them.



The Conference is expected on Friday with a procurement conference where companies will outline their procurement processes for the coming year.





Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa has welcomed the deal between Israel and Hamas for a four-day pause in fighting.



The start of the pause is due to be announced within 24 hours.



As part of the deal, Hamas will free 50 hostages it seized last month; Israel will release about 150 Palestinian prisoners.



In a statement, Mr Ramaphosa said: "As a member of the international community that stands for peace, justice and the rule of international law in all parts of the world, South Africa welcomes the agreement reached.



It is my hope that the achievement of this pause will strengthen efforts to achieve an outright end to the current conflict."



South Africa's government - led by the African National Congress (ANC) - is a long-standing ally of the Palestinians.



It has asked the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by mid-December over Israel's military operation in Gaza.



The government accuses Israel of committing war crimes in Gaza.



Israel has said that it is acting in self-defence.



It launched a major military operation in Gaza in response to a cross-border attack by Hamas on 7 October, in which at least 1,200 people were killed and more than 200 others taken hostage.



Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry says at least 14,000 people have been killed in the territory since Israel launched its retaliatory campaign.

Source: BBC









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The management of Ghana's finest Petroleum Company, IBM Petroleum Limited has expressed shock at the level of devastation caused by the spillage of the Akosombo Dam a few weeks ago.



The company commiserated with the communities and families severely affected by the spillage.



The company, therefore, provided some relief items worth about ghc75,000 GHC to help alleviate their pain.



The items include Mattresses, Buckets, Bar Soaps, Washing Powders, T- Rolls, Sanitary Pads, Rice, Oil, Mackerels, Sardines, Cadbury's Hot Choto, bales of used clothes and many other important items they may need for survival.



These items were presented to the people of the affected communities such as Battor- Nyatipo, Moklikpo Battor, Kledeke Battor, Klemetikope Battor, Atlatigdzi Battor, Phugodzi Battor and other affected communities, the delegation led by the Head of Marketing for IBM Petroleum, Mr. Prince Owusu Yeboah said, the company was truly saddened by the situation that the people find themselves in.



According to him, as a company that cares, they cannot stand by and watch fellow Ghanaians suffer, hence, they were deeply moved by the devastation and felt a moral duty to offer some assistance to support though the company has no outlet in the Volta Region for now.



"As you all know about the plight and people around the Volta River through the spillage of the Akosombo Dam. With the support and assistance from our Managing Director, the company decided to offer some relief items to the communities affected to show our love and care. We are here to present the items to them", Mr. Yeboah noted.



The Human Resource Manager at IBM Petroleum Limited, Abena Achiaa Adu- Poku took the opportunity to also express shock at the level of devastation and called for long-term solutions to prevent such incidents from happening again in communities along the Volta Lake.



She assured the affected people that, IBM Petroleum would continue to collaborate with relevant authorities to ensure their well-being.



"I urge various corporate entities, philanthropists and other civil society groups to come and support since the people affected are really suffering", she said.



Meanwhile, Togbui Galah IV and some traditional leaders after receiving the items on behalf of their people expressed gratitude for the generous donations and assured the company that the items would be distributed effectively to those in need.







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More than 50 people have died in Ethiopias northern Tigray and Amhara regions due to drought-induced hunger, local officials have told the BBC.



According to Tigrays Disaster Risk Management office, 46 displaced people died after having already left their homes because of drought.



The deaths occurred in a town called Yechila, the offices head Gebrehiwot Gebregziabher said.



In the neighbouring Amhara area of Wag Hemra, at least six people and 4,000 cattle have died because of food shortages prompted by drought, a local official has said.



For more than five months, the US and the UN had suspended food aid to Ethiopia following allegations of massive theft.



This exacerbated the humanitarian crises in the country where war and extreme weather events had left millions dependent on aid.



While parts of northern Ethiopia are facing a severe drought, the countrys southern and eastern regions are expected to be hit by unusually heavy rains.



According to the UN, more than 40 people have died in recent weeks due to floods and landslides, many of whom are in the eastern Somali region.

Source: BBC









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National Security operatives yesterday impounded a truckload of smuggled gallons of vegetable cooking oil from Togo into the country by land.



The truck, with registration number AC 8143-23 and the inscription King of Kings, had the gallons of oil concealed in a black polythene and covered with bags of rice.



A woman, said to be the owner of the items, was subsequently arrested by the security operatives.



The smuggling of the oil into the country is a violation of the ban on the importation of vegetable oil by land.



Context

In a circular dated October 9, 2023, the Office of the Commissioner of the Customs Division of GRA, reminded all Commanders of the policy to regulate the palm oil sector.



It directed the commanders to restrict the importation of refined vegetable oil to the sea port (Tema and Takoradi) and discontinue the implementation of the ECOWAS ETLS concessions on reformed oil imported from Togo.



All deputy commissioners and sector commanders are to ensure strict compliance with this directive, the circular stressed.



Scene

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Tree Crops Development Authority (TCDA), William Agyapong Quaittoo, who dashed to see the items and the suspect in Accra yesterday, told the media that following the ban, a circular was issued by the Ministry of Finance through the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).



The GRA, he said, also sent circulars to all commanders indicating that the government had placed a ban on the importation of vegetable oil by land.



Importation of vegetable oil should all go through the ports, either through the Tema Port or the Takoradi Port.



This is because investigations have proved that most of the people who import the vegetable oils into the country avoid paying the required taxes, he said.



Mr Quaittoo explained that research had shown that about $4.5 million was lost in revenue per month by those who engaged in the importation of vegetable oil.



Such illegality, he added, was also killing the businesses of vegetable oil manufacturers in the country.



Manufacturers

The CEO of the Tree Crops Development Authority, whose office supervises oil palm used in the production of such vegetable oil, said the local manufacturers had GRA officers sitting in their manufacturing centres, so whatever they produced was seen by the officers for the required tax to be paid on them.



Meanwhile, those who import these vegetable oil into the country avoid paying the taxes.



They smuggle the oils into the country and are able to sell at a very cheap price at the detriment of those who produce in the country.



When this happens, it affects the value chain down to the oil palm producers, the service providers and the transporters because they are unable to sell their goods, he said.



Mr Quaittoo said the impounded product, named AICHA, was one of products that was usually imported from Togo and that it was affecting the local palm oil industry.



Following that, he added that the TCDA made a case to the President and the Economic Management Team based on which Cabinet approved the ban of vegetable oils into the country by land.



So all those who have to import oil into the country must go through the port, where they will be seen by the GRA and other officers so that they can pay the appropriate taxes, Mr Quaittoo added.



Facility

Again, Mr Quaittoo said people who imported from Togo were using a facility called ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS) as an alibi.



Togo is a country that is not qualified for that concession and so all those that import vegetable oil from there, with AICHA being one of them, and coming through the ETLS concession are engaged in wrong doing.



And that is why we are saying that everybody that would import oil, whether from Cote dIvoire, Togo or wherever, must go through the ports.



This is a clear case of somebody who has smuggled vegetable oil from Togo and has covered it with this rice, Mr Quaittoo said.



The CEO of TCDA said the authoritys research had shown that about 7,000 tonnes of the vegetable oil were imported into the country through illegal means per month.



The tax calculated, he added, was $4.5 million per month.



Mr Quaittoo said the owner of the products had no documents covering them and so did not know the quantity of the gallons of oil until after investigations.



He said before the implementation of the ban on importing oil by land, enough notices were served, with the deadline being October 18, this year.

Source: graphiconline.com









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On November 10, I posted an item to Boing Boing titled, "Giggling woman removes Israeli kidnapping victims' posters in viral video; speculation links her to Redmond mayor." It included a video showing a woman, allegedly the daughter of Redmond, Washington's mayor, removing posters of kidnapped Israelis from a USC building and laughing when questioned about it.

It turns out the woman is indeed the daughter of the mayor of Redmond, Washington Mayor Angela Birney. Moments ago, she released the following statement to the public about the video:

Regarding the incident involving my daughter, Rachel Birney, a student at USC. I have the following statement:

I want to start with an apology to those affected by my daughter's actions. I don't condone her behavior, which surfaced and intensified our community members' fear and distrust.

As a parent, seeing your child learn this way is painful. Still, I know that Rachel has turned it into an opportunity to connect with local faith leaders, further educate herself about the long and complex history of the region, and better understand how her actions are viewed as antisemitic.

Above all, I would like to make one thing very clear: this is a mistake she made and not an action rooted in hatred or behavior we engage in at home. All acts of antisemitism and hatred are unacceptable.

Navigating this moment calls us to educate ourselves and our families on the importance of tolerance, empathy, and communication. I have spent time working with local Jewish leaders to better understand their concerns, and I encourage everyone not to wait, but to reach out to members of our community and proactively engage in conversations that help curb the rise in antisemitism.

As your Mayor, I remind everyone that Redmond is a thriving community because it welcomes people from all walks of life, not in spite of it. The City I am committed to leading celebrates our differences. We engage in tough conversations about the issues, no matter how uncomfortable they may sometimes be, to continue to improve our city.

Finally, my job is to serve our entire community. Doing so means hearing many different points of view and finding ways to ensure community members feel safe and included. I want to thank those who have taken the time to communicate with the City about this matter and let you know that I value your feedback. I will continue working to implement strategies and actions that further our understanding of each other and better serve all of Redmond's community members.
Pope Francis hosted a group of trans women at a recent lunch to mark the Catholic Churchs World Day of the Poor.



The event took place at the Vatican City on Sunday, November 19.



The Pope hosted 1,200 poor and homeless people with about 120 transgender women from Torvaianica, south of Rome in attendance. Many of them were Latin American migrants who work as prostitutes.



'This is a fantastic opportunity for us transexuals,' said Claudia Victoria Salas, 55, a transgender tailor and cleaner originally from Argentina who was seated opposite Francis. 'I send the Pope a big kiss!'



Another guest, named Jessica Quintero, added: Its beautiful for us trans [women] because we are forgotten.



Its a great pleasure, and a moral boost for us because people often forget about us.



It comes as the latest display from Pope Francis of his support for the LGBTQ+ community.



Earlier this month, it was confirmed trans people will be able to act as godparents, witnesses at religious weddings, and receive baptisms.













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University of Mines and Technology, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and Regional Maritime Universityhave qualified for the final stage of the 2023 Gas Challenge after an intense competition held at the GNAT Hall on Wednesday, 22nd November 2023.



The six(6) semi-finalists were grouped based on balloting. University of Mines and Technology won their contest against Regional Maritime University and Ghana Communication Technology University in the first group, while Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology also emerged victorious in a battle against University of Energy and Natural Resources and and Ho Technical University in the second group. Fortunately for Regional Maritime University, they had a highest loosing score and also booked their slot in the Grand Finale.



The Gas Challenge is aneducative quiz competition, led by the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana National Gas Limited Company (Ghana Gas), Dr. Ben K.D. Asanteand championed by the Government Relations Department with Augustina Asare Osei (Mrs.) serving as the Chairpersonof the Committee. This years competition is being held in partnership with the Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Education with the purpose of equipping students pursuing oil and gas and/orengineering-related courses with vital insights into the gas industry and fostering synergy between industry and academia.



Duringthe spirited preliminary rounds held on the 15th and 16th of November 2023, twelve (12) esteemed schools clashed in four intense groups, each comprising three institutions. The stage was set, and the battle lines were drawn as intellectual prowess collided. The University of Energy and Natural Resources emerged victorious in the first group, triumphing over the Regional Maritime University and the University of Cape Coast. Ho Technical University secured a coveted spot in the semi-finals by outshining the University of Ghana and Takoradi Technical University.



The second day of the preliminaries witnessed a fierce competition as Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology triumphed over the three-time champions, the University of Mines and Technology and Kumasi Technical University. Meanwhile, Ghana Communication Technology University showcased their mettle by surpassing Tamale Technical University and All Nations University to securetheir spot in the semi-finals.



Adding an intriguing twist, the two top-performing losing schools, Regional Maritime University and University of Mines and Technology, were granted passage to the semi-finals, adding to the four(4) that qualified in their groups.



As the dust settles and anticipation brews, the three institutions that have qualified to the final stage gear up for an electrifying face-off on 30th November 2023 at the UPSA Auditorium at 10am.



The 2023 Gas Challenge finalists promise an enthralling spectacle, poised to unravel not just academic excellence but also resilience, strategy, and innovation. The UPSA Auditorium will serve as the battleground where these astute minds converge, each eager to claim the ultimate title.





Source: Peacefmonline.com









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As a result of its commitment to the Partner2Connect (P2C) Digital Coalition of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Huawei has stated that it has already provided connectivity to 90 million individuals living in rural areas across over 80 nations.



Huawei made the statement as part of its first progress report since joining the Coalition last year.



The statement was made during Huawei's 2023 Sustainability Forum, which has as its theme "Thriving Together with Tech: Realizing Sustainable Development," by Dr. Liang Hua, Chairman of the Board.



In addition, Jeffrey Sachs, President of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network and Commissioner of the UN Broadband Commission for Development, Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary-General of the ITU, and officials from telecommunications ministries and regulators, including representatives from Ghana, were present at the event. Participants learned how digital infrastructure may promote sustainable development and contribute to the creation of an intelligent, greener, and more inclusive world.



Addressing the forum, Dr Liang said next-generation digital infrastructure, like connectivity and computing power, are as vital to driving socio-economic development as our physical infrastructure, just like roads. This new infrastructure will be crucial to sustainable development for all of society," Dr. Liang said. "Computing is a core driver of productivity in the digital economy. Faster rollout of computing infrastructure will help speed up digital transition in many industries, and promote deeper integration of the digital and real economies. This can further promote global economic stability and sustainable development."



Doreen Bogdan-Martin, the Secretary-General of ITU, said: "Let's not choose between tech and sustainable development. We need both! Let's thrive together with tech. Let's build a digital future that advances progress for people and planet."



Huawei is adamant that the future of technical innovation depends on digital talent. The firm has strengthened its relationship with ITU by introducing a fellowship program named "ITU Generation Connect Young Leadership Programme in Partnership with Huawei" in an effort to promote more digital engagement and cultivate future leaders.



The three-year fellowship will begin accepting applications early in the following year. Thirty young visionaries (between the ages of eighteen and twenty-eight) will be supported annually in their endeavors to leverage digital technology to propel community development.



"Huawei is proud to partner with ITU for this important cause, and to see young visionaries making a tangible impact for digital inclusion all across the world. The support that participants will receive includes financial contributions to their projects, mentoring from ITU and Huawei experts, and opportunities to participate in joint events."



"Through ITU and Huawei's joint efforts, young people will learn, contribute and lead in the digital world," said Dr Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava, Director of ITU's Telecommunication Development Bureau. "Digital is a prerequisite for accelerating the achievement of the SDGs. We want youth to push the envelope on the evolving global digital ecosystem and make their transformative contributions. I thank Huawei for this great partnership, and I look forward to seeing the global impact of this innovative project, Jeff Wang, President of Huawei's Public Affairs and Communications Department stated.



With a focus on rural people in nations and areas without digital access, the P2C Coalition was established by the ITU to promote meaningful connectivity and digital transformation on a global scale. With the aim of providing connection to about 120 million people living in remote areas across more than 80 nations by 2025, Huawei signed the worldwide commitment last year. Thus far, Huawei has collaborated with local ministries and colleges to offer 2,066 training opportunities in Cambodia, the ITU's first P2C partner country.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Lands Commission has denied media reports that the official residence of the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Kingsford Bagbin, at Cantonments in Accra was nearly sold to a private developer.



The Speaker made the claim at a forum he organized at the Alisa Hotel in Accra on Monday, as part of the 30th anniversary celebration of parliamentary democracy.



But the Lands Commission, in a statement signed by its Ag. Executive Secretary, Benjamin Arthur, said the claim by Speaker Bagbin is unfounded.



The Lands Commission has become aware of reports in a section of the media suggesting that the Rt. Hon. Speaker of Parliaments official residence at Cantonments has been sold to a private developer. The Commission wishes to state emphatically that, at no point in time was the said property sold to a private developer by the Lands Commission, the statement stressed.



According to the statement, records available to the Commission indicate that the land in question was acquired in 1920 by a Certificate of Title, dated June 7, 1920 for government services.



Since 2003, the land has always been used as the official residence of the Rt. Hon. Speaker of Parliament. By an application dated November 15, 2022, and numbered PS/LS/002/12/22, Parliamentary Service applied for a Certificate of Allocation to regularise their occupation of the land, which measures approximately 1.66 acres, the statement noted.



At its sixty-fourth (64) Regular Meeting held on December 22, 2022, the Regional Lands Commission approved the application, after all statutory processes, including planning approval from the La Dadekotopon Municipal Assembly, had been duly concluded, it said.



According to the statement, on February 14, 2023, the Lands Commission made an offer of allocation to Parliamentary Service.



Parliamentary Service accepted the offer, and after paying the requisite fees, a Certificate of Allocation, dated April 28, 2023 was issued to Parliamentary Service, the statement indicated.



The Lands Commission is, therefore, unaware of any purported sale of the Rt. Hon. Speaker of Parliaments official residence to a private developer. The Commission wishes to reiterate its commitment to the prudent and efficient management of public lands in the national interest, and promote effective land administration that is anchored on the highest standards of integrity, transparency and candour, the statement concluded.

Source: dailyguidenetwork.com









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The King and Overlord of Gonja, Jire Kuunu-bi I has enskinned Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia as Konukolewura - the Chief of Unity - in recognition of the Vice President's tolerance and unifying traits.



At a colourful ceremony in Damongo on Tuesday during Dr. Bawumia's visit to thank the Yagbonwura for his support and prayers following his election as flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), the Overlord of Gonjaland said he has observed Dr. Bawumia's character and has come to the realization that the Vice President is a unifier for all and sundry in the country.



He therefore explained that the chieftaincy title "Konukolewura" which means Chief of Unity is in recognition of Dr. Bawumia's remarkable traits and also meant to encourage him.



Congratulating Dr. Bawumia on his historic election as flagbearer and leader of the NPP, the Yagbonwura expressed optimism that Dr. Bawumia will progress further.



On his part, Dr. Bawumia, who revealed he privately sought the blessing and prayers of the Yagbonwura before publicly declaring his interest in the NPP flagbearership contest, expressed gratitude to the Yagbonwura.



"Yagbonwura, your prayers have been answered and by the grace of God, I have been elected the Flagbearer and leader of the NPP for next year's general elections."



"As a son, before I went for the contest, I came to you and sought your blessings and support. It is appropriate to come back and thank you for the prayers you offered."



Dr. Bawumia also assured the Yagbonwura of his unflinching loyalty and dedication.



Yagbonwura, I have been your son since your days as Tulewura and I want to assure you of my continued loyalty, service and dedication as your son, the Vice President stressed.



He offered to renovate the Jakpa Palace, the seat of the Gonja Kingdom, which is said to be in a bad state.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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The 2024 flag bearer of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has stated that former President John Mahama has nothing new to offer Ghanaians.



He said the records of Mr Mahama while in government were nothing to write home about.



Dr Bawumia said Mr Mahama, who is the National Democratic Congress (NDC) flag bearer for the 2024 election, had the opportunity to govern the country but he could not leave behind any meaningful legacy.



Thank you tour

Addressing a mammoth rally of NPP supporters in Tamale last Monday as part of his tour of the Northern Region, he (Bawumia) said as a Vice-President he had brought a lot of ideas and interventions such as the digitisation of every facet of the economy that was transforming lives and growth of the nation.



"Today, John Mahama says he has new ideas and what are the new ideas.



When he was a President what was he able to do in this country?" he quizzed.



Dr Bawumia is touring the North East and Northern Regions to thank the delegates and all party faithful for the love shown him during the recent presidential primaries.



Thousands of supporters and sympathisers of the NPP thronged the Tamale Jubilee Park for the rally.



oining him on the tour included the National Chairman of the NPP, Stephen Ayensu Ntim; Majority Leader, Osei Kyei- Mensah- Bonsu; Ministers of State, government appointees, party bigwigs and parliamentary aspirants.



24 Hour economy

The leader of the NDC had pledged to establish a 24-hour economy as a key pillar of his campaign for the 2024 presidential election.



He argued that such a policy would contribute to economic growth and job creation, especially for the youth.



However, addressing the rally, Dr Bawumia described the former President's 24-hour economy campaign promise as "laughable".



He said the promise was nothing new because currently many businesses and organisations both in the public and private sectors of the economy are already operating 24 hours.



"He says he wants a 24-hour economy; he doesnt even understand that promise.



Today in Ghana, our hospitals, electricity company, transport companies, chop bars and many other organisations work 24 hours, our electricity company works 24 hours, dont they?



Today, because of digitalisation, you can transfer money and receive money within 24 hours, so he doesnt understand his own policy.



It doesnt make sense, he chastised.



New ideas

When given the nod in the 2024 general election, the NPP flag bearer said he would bring onboard new ideas and vision to transform the economy and create more jobs for the teeming unemployed youth.



I will bring new ideas, vision and policies to transform Ghana.



John Mahama is the past, Dr Bawumia is the future.



If John Mahama were there, we would be having a dumsor economy.



We cant have a 24-hour economy with dumsor and so vote for me in 2024, he noted.



He called on Ghanaians to have faith in him and give him the mandate in the upcoming elections to enable him to transform the economy.



Unity

For his part, the Northern Regional Chairman of the NPP, Mohammed Samba Bantima, called for unity among the rank and file of the party to enable the party to emerge victorious in the upcoming election.



He said the only way the party can break the eight is to remain united, bury our differences and work hard".

Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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By MARK KENNEDY and LINLEY SANDERS, The Associated Press

Thanksgiving may be a time for Americans to come together, but opinion is divided over whats on the crowded dinner table. We mostly agree on the deliciousness of pumpkin pie, say, but are split over the eternal turkey question of dark meat versus white meat.

And dont even ask if marshmallows belong on sweet potatoes  it could cause a ruckus.

THE BIRD

About 3 in 10 U.S. adults (32%) who will celebrate Thanksgiving this year say turkey is their favorite dish in the holiday feast, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Stuffing or dressing (19%) and mashed potatoes (6%) come in second and third.

Thanksgiving  its about turkey, said Ralph Caya, 71, from Pensacola, Fla., who participated in the survey.

On the other hand, Vaidehi Upadhyaya, a 27-year-old pharmacist in Glen Rock, N.J., is a lifelong vegetarian. Its all about the side dishes for her.

Although turkey is tops across U.S. regions and ages, theres a slight generational divide. Americans 45 or older are especially likely to call turkey the best thing on the Thanksgiving table (39%), while younger adults who agree come in at 24%.

Once the turkey is carved, about 4 in 10 celebrators (43%) prefer white meat over dark (28%), and about one in five (21%) have no preference. Older people are more likely than those under 45 to prefer dark meat (31% vs. 24%).

About 1 in 10 adults under 45 dont like the big bird at all.

I have to go with the white meat, says Carlos Stallworth, 58, of Los Angeles, who also thinks ahead to leftovers. Youre not going to get a great slice of dark meat to go on a sandwich. But with the white meat, you get that.

Close-up of container of cranberry sauce on a plate, a traditional item served on the American Thanksgiving holiday. (Photo by Gado/Getty Images, 2012)Gado via Getty Images

THE SAUCE

As for the least favorite dishes on the Thanksgiving table, look no further than cranberries. About 2 in 10 celebrators say cranberries or cranberry sauce wouldnt be missed. (For the record, KRC Research reports 80 million pounds of cranberries are eaten during Thanksgiving week.)

Caya says cranberries on the table are important, but Upadhyaya is pretty indifferent, adding: Ill eat it if its there but its like not exciting by any means.

Stallworth, who has taken a few culinary courses, appreciates what cranberries do on the big day: You definitely want a clash with the salty and the gaminess of the meat. So to me, cranberry is a must.

Thanksgiving celebrators are generally divided on whether its better to have cranberry sauce from a can or homemade. About one-quarter (24%) say the canned sauce is preferable, while 22% want it made from scratch. About one-third (35%) just dont like cranberry sauce, with those under 45 being more likely than older adults to dislike it.

Pumpkin pie from Raising the Bar bakery in Harrisburg. (Sean Simmers | ssimmers@pennlive.com, file)

THE PIE

According the poll, pumpkin pie is the safe bet if you want to make the average guest happy. One-third of U.S. adults who will celebrate Thanksgiving say thats their preferred dessert.

Pecan pie got 17%, apple pie was right behind with 15% and sweet potato pie was at 12%. Chocolate pie and cherry or berry pie were in the single digits.

Caya, in Florida, bypasses the pumpkin to go with a regional delicacy. Being this close to Georgia, Ive got to go with pecan, he says.

OH, AND ABOUT THE SWEET POTATOES ...

One of the holidays biggest divides is whether marshmallows belong on sweet potato dishes. About one-third (32%) say they prefer that whoever is cooking nix the marshmallows, while 26% want them added. Another one-quarter dont like sweet potato dishes at all, and 16% have no preference.

There are some regional differences over marshmallows, according to the data. Northeasterners (42%) are more likely than Midwesterners (29%) or Southerners (29%) to say no to them.

Upadhyaya has eaten sweet potatoes both ways and says theres not much difference: I feel like it really doesnt affect the taste that much because the dish is already sweet enough without the marshmallows. Its good both ways.

This combination of photos shows various pieces of pie, from left, pumpkin, pecan, apple and sweet potato. The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research looks at the state of the country's Thanksgiving favorites. (AP Photo)AP

THE COOKS TOUCH

Lauren Feldman, 39, of Indianapolis, suggests another key ingredient for a successful meal. Every year, she goes home and her mom makes turkey, lots of sides, cranberry sauce from scratch, and a pumpkin pie with homemade crust.

That human touch  moms touch, actually  makes all the difference, says Feldman: I think if those things were store-bought, I probably wouldnt like them as much.

So who IS doing the cooking?

Among those celebrating Thanksgiving, women (34%) are more likely than men (19%) to say they will do all or most of the cooking. Slightly fewer than half of men (46%) who plan to celebrate Thanksgiving say they will do hardly any or none of the cooking. Just one-quarter of women participants say the same.
Feral hogs are 300-pound, 30 mile-per-hour rampaging, crop-eating machines and they are moving north into Pennsylvania.

A recent study by outfitter Captain Experiences using data from the University of Georgia found that about three dozen hogs have been spotted in 14 Pennsylvania counties.

An expert at Penn State told WJAC-TV the hogs have been found in south-central counties west of Harrisburg and several counties in the north-central region, over the past decade. [Although one was sighted in Dauphin County.)

The farmers might see a nice field the evening before, and they come out the next morning, and the hogs have gone through, and literally destroyed a large portion of the crop, said Melanie Barkley, of Penn State Bedford. They root them up. They may feed on the crop themselves. They may be digging up insects in the soil where the crops are growing.

The population of wild hogs in southern states, including Texas, Florida and the Carolinas is in the hundreds, even thousands that have caused significant damage to croplands.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which has been tracking the spread of the non-native hogs in the U.S. for 40 years says they cause $2.5 billion in agricultural damages each year and can also destroy forest lands and transmit diseases and parasites.

A decade ago an effort to ban wild hog captive hunting preserves in Pennsylvania failed when then Gov. Tom Corbett signed a bill allowing the farms to continue to import hogs. The concern by the Pennsylvania Game Commission, wildlife biologists and farming and animal advocates was that the hogs could escape captivity, cause destruction and spread disease.

Read more: Wild Canadian super pigs threaten to invade the U.S.
Eric Augustine had been anticipating this Thanksgivings homecoming for years. But until very recently, it did not feature an elaborate and almost miraculous plan to transport a shelter dog.

Eric arrived home in Hampden Township on Nov. 10 from a 13-month deployment with the Pennsylvania National Guard to Fort Bliss, Texas  almost certainly his last before he retires from military service, a great relief to him, his wife Megan, and their two young daughters.

While in Texas, Eric volunteered at an animal shelter in El Paso, and formed a bond with a young Shepherd-mix dog  now named Socks  who seemed to only trust the guardsman.

At times, he was the only one I could turn to, Eric said of Socks, describing the feelings of isolation living on a military base where having people there isnt the same as having your family.

If we didnt adopt him, I wouldve, in the back of my mind, held out hope and I wouldve convinced myself that somebody adopted him to make myself feel better, Eric said. But after 16 years in the PA Guard - nine spent on active full-time duty, including 24 of the last 40 months - ending the final deployment with that doubt wasnt an option.

A life-long dog lover, Eric started volunteering at the shelter to calm his mind on deployment. In civilian life, hes an attorney for the state government; in the guard, hes a lawyer for the Judge Advocate General (JAG) section.

In October 2022, the Department of Defense announced it was re-authorizing 2,500 National Guard troops from various states to deploy on border security duty to help deal with the influx of migrants. Pennsylvania provided headquarters services, including JAG.

Eric described often aggravating work, from officers not taking his legal advice to soldiers doing stupid things, getting into trouble and being investigated. But through it all, Socks became a constant.

They would ask me to work with skittish or very timid dogs because the whole idea is you want to get these dogs socialized so they can be adopted, Eric said. Socks was a particularly acute case, and wouldnt allow Eric to touch him for three weeks - until one day Eric was able to give him a scratch, and slip a leash on him to go for a walk.

Ever since then, the walls started crumbling down, and he just became my boy, Eric said. All the people who worked at the shelter were like hes only like that with you, hes not that way with anyone else. If we didnt adopt him, I dont know that hed ever get adopted.

Thus began the agonizing process of figuring out how to get Socks back to Pennsylvania. Airlines have largely stopped taking animals that are too large to travel in the cabin, Eric said, with limited exceptions for the military. Even after finding an airline that would take Socks, he would still have had to travel in the cargo hold, including a long layover in Chicago.

One hurdle after another, it started to seem like an insurmountable task, Eric said.

But Megan started asking around, and eventually a neighbor put her in touch with a woman from a rescue group that transfers dogs from shelters around the country.

This woman starts working the phones and creating a logistical plan that came out of a novel somewhere, Eric said. Socks was transported by a small private plane  organized by the group Pilots N Paws - from El Paso to San Angelo, and then driven to Austin where he briefly stayed with a foster family.

We dont actually know all the logistics because so many people were at play, Megan said. All of them were very selfless and didnt want to draw attention to their work, Eric said.

Socks was then put in a van with several other dogs and driven by a pair of women who operate Freedom Run Express, which shuttles rescued animals from Texas to locations up and down the eastern seaboard.

Her rate was $250, which is nothing, and she didnt charge him because hes a veteran. She refused our money, Megan said. The Augustines picked up socks from the van service in a parking lot on Nov. 17, a week after Eric got home.

Rescuing Socks is a fitting cap to a long career. Eric tried to join the military in 2001, out of a sense of patriotic duty after Sept. 11, but was found unfit due to a prior injury. In 2007, a recruiter got him a rare medical exemption on the condition that he was joining as a JAG attorney and not a combat soldier.

He and the rest of his guard unit were eager to deploy to Afghanistan to fight terrorism, Eric said, but these tours never happened. It was only after he married and had two children that deployments started popping up. In the summer of 2020, he started a ten-month stint at an airbase in Kuwait that was supporting American troops in Iraq and Syria.

We had a two-and-a-half year old and a newborn, and now youre going? Megan said, recalling her shock at the deployment.

The first deployment was more physically taxing, she said, taking care of a toddler and an infant by herself - but the second time around, the kids were older and really aware and very upset that Eric was away, and the experience was more emotionally difficult. Hes missed three of his eldest daughters last four birthdays.

I was like were going to do all the fun things to make up for daddy being gone, Megan recalled, and ended up running herself ragged while Eric was deployed and feeling completely alone.

Thats the struggle you have as a couple, Megan said. One person is inundated with all the things, and the other person is left far away from home, very sad and wishing they could just have one day or one hour with their loved ones at home.

With two tours nearly back-to-back under his belt, Eric wont be required to do another one before hes eligible for retirement at 20 years of service. This years climactic homecoming is most likely his last.

But the deployments have left their mark, after two years of seeing the struggles of people in the Middle East, and the plight of migrants on the southern border  many of whom die trying to cross deserts and rivers to reach the U.S., while others are coerced into carrying drugs for cartels, Eric said.

Put the two deployments together and its a very different perspective, Eric said. You get very frustrated with Americans not understanding how good we have it in America.

The last deployment would have been even more distressing if not for the animal shelter, and finding Socks.

It was therapeutic for me. It kept me sane, kept my spirits up, Eric said. I never enjoyed picking up poop so much in my life.
SEOUL, South Korea  South Korea said North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward the sea but the launch likely failed Wednesday night, hours after Seoul said it would resume front-line aerial surveillance in response to the Norths spy satellite launch.

South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a brief statement early Thursday a missile was launched from the Norths capital region toward the Norths eastern waters but that the launch was believed to have ended in failure. It gave no further details such as what type of missile was fired and what happened to it.

The launch was North Koreas first known weapons firing in more than two months. It followed South Koreas announcement earlier Wednesday that it decided to partially suspend an inter-Korean agreement and resume flying surveillance aircraft along the border in reaction to the Norths satellite launch. North Korea Thursday lambasted the South Korean move, saying itll deploy more powerful and new weapons at the border in a tit-for-tat measure.

South Korea, the U.S. and Japan have strongly condemned the Norths satellite launch on Tuesday night because they believe it was meant to improve the countrys missile technology as well as establish a space-based surveillance system. U.N. Security Council resolutions prohibit any satellite liftoffs by North Korea, viewing them as covers for testing its long-range missile technology. The North says it has a sovereign right to launch satellites.

The Norths neighbors are trying to confirm whether its satellite launch was successful as it claimed and whether the satellite can perform reconnaissance functions.

South Koreas military said it assessed that the satellite had entered orbit. But it said it needs more time to verify whether it works. Earlier, the Pentagon said it was assessing the success of the launch, while Japan said there had been no confirmation of the Norths report on the satellite entering orbit.

North Koreas space agency said its Malligyong-1 satellite was placed in orbit on Tuesday night, about 12 minutes after liftoff. Leader Kim Jong Un watched the satellite launch on site. He later visited the Pyongyang control center of the Norths space agency, where he was briefed that the satellite would officially begin its reconnaissance mission from Dec. 1, following a period of fine-tuning, according to state media.

The Norths official Korean Central News Agency reported that Kim was presented with satellite photos of Anderson Air Force Base, Apra Harbor and other U.S. military facilities in the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam, which it said were taken Wednesday morning.

It didnt publicize the photos, and many experts remain skeptical about whether the North Korean satellite is advanced enough to conduct meaningful military reconnaissance.

In December, when North Korea released black-and-white satellite photos of South Korean cities following a test launch, many experts said the imagery was too crude for surveillance purposes. In 2012 and 2016, North Korea placed Earth observation satellites into orbit, but experts say neither has ever transmitted imagery back to North Korea.

North Korea used the same satellite in its two failed launches in May and August. South Koreas military retrieved debris from the first launch and assessed at the time the satellite wasnt sophisticated enough to perform military reconnaissance.

Before Tuesdays launch, South Korean officials said North Korea was likely receiving Russian technological support for its spy satellite launch program as part of the two countries push to boost their partnerships.

The U.S., South Korea and others accuse North Korea of shipping conventional arms to support Russias war in Ukraine in exchange for receiving high-tech Russian technologies to enhance its own military programs. Both North Korea and Russia have denied the accusations.

A spy satellite is among an array of sophisticated weapons systems that Kim wants to acquire. Experts say he would eventually aim to use his enlarged arsenal to win sanctions relief and other concessions from the U.S. when diplomacy resumes.

Some civilian experts said North Koreas Malligyong-1 satellite is likely capable of only detecting big targets like warships or planes. But by operating several such satellites, North Korea could still observe South Korea at all times, they said.

Animosities run high on the Korean Peninsula due to North Koreas series of weapons tests since last year and the expansion of U.S.-South Korean military drills.

When Heo Tae-keun, South Koreas deputy minister of national defense policy, announced the partial suspension of the 2018 inter-Korean agreement, he said South Korea will promptly and strongly punish North Korea if it uses the South Korean step as a pretext to launch another provocation. Heo called the Norths satellite launch a grave provocation that threatens our national security.

North Koreas Defense Ministry responded Thursday it will get South Korea to face searing consequences over its decision. It said North Korea wont be bound by the 2018 deal any longer and restore all the steps it has taken to ease frontline military tensions under the agreement.

The Norths space agency said the satellite would help improve the Norths war readiness in the face of the enemies dangerous military moves. The agency said North Korea will soon launch several more spy satellites to better monitor South Korea and other areas.

The 2018 agreement, struck during a short-lived era of reconciliation between the rival Koreas, created buffer and no-fly zones along the countries heavily fortified border. Under the deal, the Koreas were required to halt front-line aerial reconnaissance and live-fire exercises. They also removed some of their guard posts and land mines at border areas.

The deal invited conservative criticism in South Korea, with critics saying it significantly restricted the operation of the countrys aerial surveillance assets, which are much more superior to North Koreas. They also accused the deal of heavily benefiting North Korea, because it only called for mutual reductions of conventional military strength while leaving the Norths growing nuclear arsenal intact.
Have you ever seen anything cuter than this adorable, vampire-esque creature munching on greens and sweet potatoes? I mean, just look at its little vampire teeth! Look at its scraggly eyebrow hairs! Look at its tiny feet! This divine beast, named Rizzo, is a rock hyrax who lives at the San Antonio Zoo. The African Wildlife Foundation describes the hyrax as a "small furry mammal" that "looks like a robust, oversized guinea pig, or a rabbit with rounded ears and no tail." They continue:

Hyraxes have stumpy toes with hoof-like nails; and four toes on each front foot and three on each back foot. The longer, claw-like nails on the inside toes and the back feet are used for grooming and scratching. The bottoms of the feet have a rubbery texture to assist in climbing steep rock surfaces and trees. Of the three hyrax species, two are known as rock (or bush) hyrax, and the third as tree hyrax. In the field, it is sometimes difficult to differentiate among them. The rock hyrax has the widest distribution in East Africa. Its coat is yellowish  or grayish-brown  and the dorsal spot (a bare scent gland on the back covered with longer hair) is covered with black or yellow hair. Its head is more rounded than other types of hyraxes, and the nose is blunt.

The Smithsonian National Zoo also describes the rock hyrax:

Rock hyraxes, also called rock dassies or rock rabbits, are small, stub-tailed, rabbit-like animals native to Africa. Though rock hyraxes resemble rodents, their closest living relatives are actually elephants and manatees. These social mammals primarily eat vegetation. One of four species of hyrax, rock hyraxes (also called cape hyraxes) have a short snout, cleft upper lip, short ears, and short sturdy legs. They are brownish gray with a creamy colored underside and long, black whiskers. They have a black patch of hair on their back that covers a gland; if the animal is angry or frightened this patch of hair will stand up. The soles of their feet are rubber-like and are kept moist by a glandular secretion. There is also a hollow in the middle of the sole formed by a muscle arrangement that allows it to act like a suction cup. Both of these characteristics make rock hyraxes very agile animals that climb well and run and jump skillfully, even on rugged and steep surfaces.

The rock hyrax is now officially one of my top three favorite creatures. I hope you enjoy this adorable beast, too!
Muslim, Jewish, and Christian leaders in the Harrisburg region found a way to do here what many have been unable to do in the grips of war in the Middle East. They prayed for each other. And a miracle occurred just in time for Thanksgiving.

The faith leaders from throughout Central Pennsylvania took time to speak, but more importantly to listen to each others stories in the World Affairs Council of Harrisburg led with the Pennsylvania Council of Churches. Their pain was evident.

The Pennsylvania Council of Churches holds a Summit on Policing at St. Stephens Cathedral in Harrisburg, Pa., May 10, 2023. With keynote speaker is Paul Butler, Rev. Dr. Larry D. Pickens and Chad Dion Lassiter before the event, in Harrisburg, Pa., May. 10, 2023. Mark Pynes | pennlive.comMark Pynes | mpynes@pennlive.com

The Rev. Dr. Larry Pickens, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Council of Churches, considered the Praying for Peace online community event so important, he broke away from the All-Africa Conference of churches in Nigeria to join it. He reminded those gathered of the suffering of millions of people in Africa, as the world focused again on the land holy to three faiths.

Prayers went up not only for Jews and Palestinians caught in what seems a non-ending spiral of brutality, but for people suffering the ravages of violence and war anywhere on planet Earth.

The Rev. Lexi Aligarbes, a pastor at the Harrisburg First Church of the Brethren, participated in the "Praying for Peace" Zoom event on Nov. 21, 2023, just before Israel announced a exchange of hostages and prisoners and a temporary ceasefire.Facebook screenshot

The Rev. Lexi Aligarbes, a pastor at The Harrisburg First Church of the Brethren, called on the God of justice to remember those taken hostage and unjustly held in prisons around the world. She prayed for people suffering violence in East Timor, the Philippines, Sudan, Ukraine, Somalia, Nepal, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Israel and Palestine  and here in Harrisburg.

The Rev. Laura Edinger, of the Unitarian Church of Harrisburg; Aneesa Weinstein of the BahaI faith community; and Imam Farhad Rana, of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Harrisburg lifted their prayers in unity for peace and protection for the oppressed, particularly for the innocent, children, and the elderly.

And Pastor Russell W. Goodman, of New Branches Ministries, reminded everyone of the power of sincere and fervent prayer to galvanize communities and change the world.

Turns out, he may have been right.

The Rev. Dr. Paul Amara shares his prayers to protect the world's vulnerable people during the "Prayers for Peace" webinar on Nov. 21, 2023.Facebook screenshot

The Rev. Paul Amara, Superintendent of the Williamsport District of the Susquehanna Conference of the United Methodist Church, prayed for the people of Ukraine and Russia, who share so much of the same culture and language. He was born in Sierra Leone but has lived in Russia and speaks the language. He expressed compassion for both Ukrainians and Russians who seem little more than pawns in Vladmir Putins global chessboard.

Jennifer Ross with Beth El Temple read a prayer from Rabbi Natan Sternhartz of Ukraine calling for world peace at the "Prayers for Peace" webinar on Nov. 21, 2023.Facebook screenshot

Jennifer Ross, of Beth El Temple and former president of the Jewish Federation of Harrisburg, read a prayer from Rabbi Natan Sternhartz of Nemirov, Ukraine: May it be your will, Eternal One, our God; God of our ancestors, that wars and bloodshed be abolished from the world, and bring into the world a great and wonderful and lasting peace.

Palestinian-American Nabila Taha (left) and Dr. Awia Suliman, a native of Sudan, pray for those suffering war in Gaza and Africa.Facebook screenshot

Palestinian-American Nabila Taha and Dr. Alawia Suliman, a Penn State Hershey Medical Center physician who was born in Sudan, prayed for Gods protection for people in Gaza and Sudan.

Allah, my God, help us  help us to change the injustices, whatever they are.

Imam Fatih Abdekir represented the Red Rose Cultural and Educational Foundation during the "Prayers for Peace" online vigil on Nov. 21, 2023.Facebook screenshot

Imam Fatih Akdemir, of the Red Rose Cultural and Educational Foundation, prayed with passion for peace, fearing many more will be butchered without heavenly intervention. He repeated the Qurans teachings that God made different tribes and races so we would know each other, not hate each other.

In his prayer, Rabbi Sternhartz put similar sentiments another way:

Let all who dwell on earth simply acknowledge the truth of truths: that we have not come into this world for the sake of quarreling and war; not for the sake of hatred, jealousy, anger, or bloodshed; rather, we have come into this world only to know you ... 

Ann Van Dyke accepts a Peace & Justice PA recognition award on Oct. 17, 2023. Joe Hermitt | jhermitt@pennlive.com

And Van Dyke, representing the Community Responders Network, added her perspective as a lifelong justice advocate to the same sentiment: There are many paths up the mountain, she said, but only one mountain.

All of these community and faith leaders and peace advocates came together without agendas, with open hearts, risking offense or worse, risking they might unintentionally offend. They shared their hurts, fears, and their hope that somehow, God might hear a small community in prayer in Harrisburg and bring peace on Earth in time for Thanksgiving.

A surprising thing happened about an hour after the prayer vigil. Israel announced its Knesset voted to accept a deal with Hamas to free 50 hostages, including children, in exchange for Israels release of 150 Palestinian prisoners.

Theres no way to prove that the prayers of Harrisburgs faithful had any impact whatsoever on the first glimmer of hope in the Middle East since Oct. 7. But some of us are giving thanks this Thanksgiving, as if it did.

Joyce M. Davis is PennLives Outreach & Opinion Editor. She is a member of the board of directors of the Pennsylvania Council of Churches, president of the World Affairs Council of Harrisburg. Follow her on Facebook and on Twitter @byjoycedavis.

Quality local journalism has never been more important. You deserve the best. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre speaks during a press conference at the Shaarei Shomayim Congregation in Toronto on Thursday Nov. 23, 2023. Poilievre says his party didn't vote against having a free-trade agreement with Ukraine but rather rejected a bill that promotes a carbon tax.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn
A Peel Regional Police logo is shown at a crime scene in Brampton, Ont., on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2019. Peel Regional Police say a youth has been charged with second degree murder in connection with the violent killing of an international student in the summer.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston
On the day before a national holiday, walking distance from Niagara Falls  one of the worlds natural wonders that draws millions of people annually  the peace was shattered by an explosion caused by a car crashing into an obstacle near a U.S. Customs and Border Protection inspection booth.

Law enforcement authorities did not know what caused the explosion on the Rainbow Bridge, and U.S. and Canadian officials werent taking any chances, shutting down traffic in both directions to all four international crossings between Western New York and Canada as they looked into whether an act of terror was committed on Western New Yorks doorstep.

Close The Rainbow Bridge to Canada in Niagara Falls as law enforcement from multiple agencies assemble to investigate after a car crashed and exploded within the customs plaza, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. A heavily armed Niagara Falls Police officer directs tourists in Niagara Falls away from the Rainbow Bridge after a car crashed and exploded within the customs plaza, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. Law enforcement barricade the entrance to the Rainbow Bridge to Canada in Niagara Falls after a car crashed and exploded within the customs plaza, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. A view of the debris field inside the customs plaza at the Rainbow Bridge to Canada in Niagara Falls after a car crashed and exploded within the plaza on Wednesday. Both occupants of the car died. LEFT: A view of the debris field inside the customs plaza at the Rainbow Bridge to Canada in Niagara Falls after a car crashed and exploded within the plaza on Wednesday. Both occupants of the car died. RIGHT: Fire damage is visible at a structure in the customs plaza at the Rainbow Bridge to Canada in Niagara Falls after a car crashed and exploded there Wednesday. The customs plaza is closed at the Rainbow Bridge to Canada in Niagara Falls after a car crashed and exploded within the plaza, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. Fire damage is visible at a structure in the customs plaza at the Rainbow Bridge to Canada in Niagara Falls after a car crashed and exploded within the plaza, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. Law enforcement barricade the entrance to the Rainbow Bridge to Canada in Niagara Falls after a car crashed and exploded within the customs plaza, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. The customs plaza is closed at the Rainbow Bridge to Canada in Niagara Falls, after a car crashed and exploded within the plaza, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. Law enforcement barricade the entrance to the Rainbow Bridge to Canada in Niagara Falls after a car crashed and exploded within the customs plaza, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. A Niagara Falls Police officer mans a barricade at the entrance to the Rainbow Bridge to Canada in Niagara Falls after a car crashed and exploded within the customs plaza, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. Wreckage inside the customs plaza at the Rainbow Bridge to Canada in Niagara Falls after a car crashed and exploded within the plaza, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. Law enforcement agents block the entrance to the Rainbow Bridge to Canada in Niagara Falls after a car crashed and exploded within the customs plaza, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. Eyewitness Rickie Wilson describes what he saw to members of the news media outside the Rainbow Bridge to Canada in Niagara Falls after a car crashed into the customs plaza, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. Law enforcement officers park an armored vehicle at a barricade outside the entrance to the Rainbow Bridge to Canada in Niagara Falls after a car crashed and exploded inside the customs plaza, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. State Police block traffic on Main Street in Niagara Falls near the entrance to the Rainbow Bridge to Canada after a car crashed and exploded within the customs plaza, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. (Derek Gee/Buffalo News) Law enforcement officers park an armored vehicle at a barricade outside the entrance to the Rainbow Bridge to Canada in Niagara Falls after an car crashed and exploded inside the customs plaza, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. A Niagara Falls Police officer directs tourists away from the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls, N.Y. after a car crashed and exploded within the customs plaza, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. A Niagara Falls Police officer directs tourists away from the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls after a car crashed and exploded within the customs plaza, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. Law enforcement officers park an armored vehicle at a barricade outside the entrance to the Rainbow Bridge to Canada in Niagara Falls after a car crashed and exploded inside the customs plaza, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. Photos: Aftermath after vehicle crashes, explodes at Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls Two people died in a vehicle that exploded on the American side of the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls late Wednesday morning, a federal law enforcement source said, prompting the closure of all four Niagara region bridges between the United States and Canada. The Rainbow Bridge to Canada in Niagara Falls as law enforcement from multiple agencies assemble to investigate after a car crashed and exploded within the customs plaza, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. A heavily armed Niagara Falls Police officer directs tourists in Niagara Falls away from the Rainbow Bridge after a car crashed and exploded within the customs plaza, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. Law enforcement barricade the entrance to the Rainbow Bridge to Canada in Niagara Falls after a car crashed and exploded within the customs plaza, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. A view of the debris field inside the customs plaza at the Rainbow Bridge to Canada in Niagara Falls after a car crashed and exploded within the plaza on Wednesday. Both occupants of the car died. LEFT: A view of the debris field inside the customs plaza at the Rainbow Bridge to Canada in Niagara Falls after a car crashed and exploded within the plaza on Wednesday. Both occupants of the car died. RIGHT: Fire damage is visible at a structure in the customs plaza at the Rainbow Bridge to Canada in Niagara Falls after a car crashed and exploded there Wednesday. The customs plaza is closed at the Rainbow Bridge to Canada in Niagara Falls after a car crashed and exploded within the plaza, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. Fire damage is visible at a structure in the customs plaza at the Rainbow Bridge to Canada in Niagara Falls after a car crashed and exploded within the plaza, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. Law enforcement barricade the entrance to the Rainbow Bridge to Canada in Niagara Falls after a car crashed and exploded within the customs plaza, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. The customs plaza is closed at the Rainbow Bridge to Canada in Niagara Falls, after a car crashed and exploded within the plaza, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. Law enforcement barricade the entrance to the Rainbow Bridge to Canada in Niagara Falls after a car crashed and exploded within the customs plaza, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. A Niagara Falls Police officer mans a barricade at the entrance to the Rainbow Bridge to Canada in Niagara Falls after a car crashed and exploded within the customs plaza, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. Wreckage inside the customs plaza at the Rainbow Bridge to Canada in Niagara Falls after a car crashed and exploded within the plaza, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. Law enforcement agents block the entrance to the Rainbow Bridge to Canada in Niagara Falls after a car crashed and exploded within the customs plaza, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. Eyewitness Rickie Wilson describes what he saw to members of the news media outside the Rainbow Bridge to Canada in Niagara Falls after a car crashed into the customs plaza, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. Law enforcement officers park an armored vehicle at a barricade outside the entrance to the Rainbow Bridge to Canada in Niagara Falls after a car crashed and exploded inside the customs plaza, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. State Police block traffic on Main Street in Niagara Falls near the entrance to the Rainbow Bridge to Canada after a car crashed and exploded within the customs plaza, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. (Derek Gee/Buffalo News) Law enforcement officers park an armored vehicle at a barricade outside the entrance to the Rainbow Bridge to Canada in Niagara Falls after an car crashed and exploded inside the customs plaza, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. A Niagara Falls Police officer directs tourists away from the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls, N.Y. after a car crashed and exploded within the customs plaza, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. A Niagara Falls Police officer directs tourists away from the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls after a car crashed and exploded within the customs plaza, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. Law enforcement officers park an armored vehicle at a barricade outside the entrance to the Rainbow Bridge to Canada in Niagara Falls after a car crashed and exploded inside the customs plaza, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023.

But within six hours, local, state and federal officials gave the word: It was not.

Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a news conference at the scene at 5 p.m. that there is no indication of a terrorist attack. Erie County Sheriff John Garcia said the crash was a very unfortunate fatal car accident.

There is no indication of a terrorist attack at Rainbow Bridge, Gov. Kathy Hochul says. pic.twitter.com/XUZYdyZK3G  Charlie Specht (@Charlie_Reports) November 22, 2023

Gov. Kathy Hochul Rainbow Bridge press conference Your browser does not support the audio element.

Later Wednesday night, after being briefed by representatives of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the White House, U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer said it is clear the vehicle crash is not related to terrorist activity.

The FBIs Evidence Response Team on the site of the accident swabbed for explosives and there was no evidence of any chemicals or substances that would create an explosion, Schumer said.

He added that the FBI knows the identity of the man who owns the vehicle involved in the crash and his wife, who was also in the vehicle, and it has found no connection between them and any terrorist group or criminal activity.

The names of the victims are still not being released at this time, but Schumer said more details are likely to come out tomorrow, on Thanksgiving Day. The investigation is continuing.

I think we can all breathe a sigh of relief that this horrible accident was not terror related," Schumer said.

Shortly before 10 p.m., The FBI office in Buffalo released a statement announcing that its investigation of the incident was concluded and that it turned the matter over to the Niagara Falls Police Department as a traffic investigation.

"A search of the scene revealed no explosive materials, and nor terrorism nexus was identified," the FBI said in a statement.

Authorities said the cause of the incident was still currently under investigation.

A source with knowledge of the situation said the couple was traveling in a luxury vehicle and had purchased two tickets to a concert Wednesday night in Toronto, suggesting that the crash may have been accidental.

Video from the scene showed a fire quickly spreading in the plaza and a huge plume of black smoke billowing into the sky. Other images that circulated on social media appeared to show charred remnants of a shattered vehicle strewn about the plaza.

Two people inside the vehicle were dead and a customs officer was injured.

Hochul said the investigation would likely take a long time.

This vehicle basically incinerated; there is nothing left but the engine, she said.

She also said that the authorities have identified that this is a local individual.

According to two local law enforcement sources with knowledge of the investigation, the vehicle involved was a relatively new Bentley, and the two occupants of the car were from Western New York. Earlier in the day, the pair were at the Seneca Niagara Casino, the sources said. They were traveling at a high speed as they approached the bridge. Investigators are looking at the possibility that the driver had a medical incident or there was a malfunction with the vehicle.

A video obtained by NBC News appeared to show a vehicle speeding on Niagara Street before going airborne at the bridge entrance.

Immediately after the crash, U.S. and Canadian authorities shut down not only the Rainbow Bridge, but also the Peace Bridge, Lewiston-Queenston Bridge and Whirlpool Bridge. All but the Rainbow Bridge were reopened by about 5 p.m.

At Buffalo Niagara International Airport, flights continued but security was greatly heightened. NFTA police with K9 units checked each car that entered the airport and passengers were subjected to extra screenings.

Buffalo City Hall and three Erie County buildings, including the Rath Building, the old County Court House and Family Court, closed early on Wednesday as a precaution. The Jewish Community Center of Greater Buffalos two campuses in Amherst and Buffalo announced to members that, under the advice of law enforcement, they decided to close through the Thanksgiving holiday. Turkey Trot organizers said they were keeping in touch with law enforcement, but the annual race is expected to go on as scheduled.

A customs officer working at the crossing was injured in the incident. Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center has evaluated and treated a single patient with non-life-threatening injuries from the incident, said Sean Dwyer, the hospitals marketing director. That patient, a border patrol agent, has already been discharged from the hospital, Dwyer added.

The FBI Office in Buffalo was leading the investigation. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was aiding in the investigation, along with Homeland Security Investigations. Garcia told The News that his specialty teams are involved in the investigation, as well.

The car explosion made national news and drew attention from the top leaders of Washington, D.C.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that President Biden was aware of the incident.

The president has been briefed on the vehicle explosion at the Rainbow Bridge Port of Entry. He and his team are closely following developments, Jean-Pierre wrote.

Schumer and fellow Senator Kirsten Gillibrand both were briefed by the FBI.

Paul Edwards, of England, and Gloria Fiorito, of Hamilton, Ontario, were on their way back from the outlets in Erie, Pa., shopping for holiday gifts for their grandchildren when they noticed the commotion at the Rainbow Bridge entrance.

We went on a little getaway for the night. We were looking for deals, which we found, Fiorito said. We were really looking forward to being home today.

The couple got out of their car after seeing emergency vehicles gathered at the entrance to the Rainbow Bridge.

They approached reporters gathered at the corner of Niagara and Third streets and said they didnt know at first why the bridge was closed.

Because its Niagara Falls, Im sure (the news coverage) will spread all over the world, Edwards said.

The couple booked a hotel room for the night and said they would try to cross the bridge again on Thursday. They were thankful to not be closer to the scene of the explosion.

You never know what could have happened, Edwards said.
888poker Reveals Exciting 2024 Live Events Stops, Including a New UK Tour

November 23, 2023 Matthew Pitt Senior Editor

888poker ended 2023 with a bang with the 888poker LIVE Coventry Festival. It is starting 2024 in the same manner, with an incredible line-up of live events, including a brand new UK Poker League in the United Kingdom.

Amit Berkovich, VP Head of Poker, and MD ROW at 888 William Hill, said, "We have carefully crafted each event to ensure that our players have access to affordable buy-ins, exceptional tournament structures, and the chance to win life-changing prizes."

Five 888poker LIVE Stops in 2024

Players do not have long to wait to get into the 888poker LIVE action because the first of five scheduled stops takes place on January 22-29. The Gran Via casino in Madrid, Spain, is the venue for the first leg of the 2024 888poker LIVE tour. In 2023, Adrian Marin came out on top in the 888 buy-in Madrid Main Event and walked away 92,000 richer.

888poker LIVE then heads to Bucharest, Romania, between March 16-24. Billed as the Little Paris of the East, Bucharest is a beautiful city, rich in history, and the locals love playing poker.

Viorel Gavrila is the reigning champion, having outlasted 190 opponents to collect 30,000.

The tour returns to Spain from May 8-20 for the eagerly anticipated Barcelona leg. Barcelona is a superb poker destination, and one that Finland's Tero Laurila remembers fondly courtesy of him taking down the 1,100 Main Event for 64,000 in 2023.

888poker LIVE Coventry champion Yiannis Liperis

The final two stops of the 2024 888poker LIVE tour take place in the United Kingdom. London Victoria hosts a festival from August 14-25 before the last leg sees the tour return to Coventry from October 10-21. David McConachie triumphed in London and won 83,100, while Yiannis Liperis won in Coventry and banked 120,000.

Dates Festival January 22-29 Madrid, Spain March 16-24 Bucharest, Romania May 8-20 Barcelona, Spain August 14-25 London, United Kingdom October 10-21 Coventry, United Kingdom

New UK Poker League (UKPL) Launches in January 2024

888poker has joined forces with Grosvenor Casinos for a brand new poker tour in the United Kingdom. Known as the UK Poker League (UKPL), the new 888poker tour will visit seven British locations during 2024. There are stops in Coventry, Edinburgh, Luton, Manchester, Leeds, and London.

Each of the UKPL stops features seven exciting events, including a 560 buy-in Main Event that you can win your way into for pennies online at 888poker.

PokerNews will be taking a more in-depth look at the new tour soon, so stay tuned.

Dates UKPL Festival January 16-21 Grosvenor Casino Coventry February 13-18 Grosvenor Casino Edinburgh March 5-10 Grosvenor Casino Luton April 16-21 Grosvenor Casino Manchester Bury New Road August 27-September 1 Grosvenor Casino Leeds Westgate September 24-29 Grosvenor Casino Victoria, London October 10-21 Grosvenor Casino Coventry

Five CPN Stops Planned in 2024

Lucia Navarro

The CPN Series, part of 888poker's Spanish market, has been running for 12 years, and has five legs planned for 2024. Lucia Navarro, the 888poker ambassador, loves the CPN, having won two CPN tournaments during her career.

The 2024 CPN Series stops off in Sevilla, Barcelona, Granada, Alicante, and Madrid, with each stop featuring a 550 buy-in Main Event, 1,100 High Roller, and a 125 Pot-Limit Omaha event among others.

Dates CPN Stop February 19-25 Sevilla April 8-14 Barcelona June 17-23 Granada September 9-15 Alicante November 14-25 Madrid

Join 888poker Today

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Sharelines Check out the full schedule of 888poker LIVE events in 2024.
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Fox News reported that an explosion on the Rainbow Bridge US/Canada border was a terrorist attack, but they were later forced to retract their inaccurate reporting.

The original report and retraction:

Fox News has now removed definitive claims of a terror attack & explosives in vehicle from its online report:https://t.co/0fg2POh46m  Jackson Proskow (@JProskowGlobal) November 22, 2023

Of course, none of this stopped MAGAs like Kari Lake from claiming that it was a terrorist attack and blaming President Biden:

Two points. 1) spellcheck. 2) saving this Remember when after every mass shooting we are told to wait for more information before commenting? pic.twitter.com/rol6sN4pWB  Adam Kinzinger (Slava Ukraini)  (@AdamKinzinger) November 22, 2023

As former Rep. Kinzinger pointed out, the same people who tell everyone that it is too to talk about guns after a mass shooting have no problem running with inaccurate reports about terrorist attacks and blaming the President Of The United States.

It was bad reporting by the Fox News reporter, but it is even worse that conservatives will continue to potentially perpetuate this false story as they try to do political damage to President Biden.

Fox News isnt taken seriously as credible journalism because of incidents like this. The fact that Fox News left the inaccurate report on their website for such a long period of time fuels the belief that at Fox political ideology comes before facts.

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We have been honored to be able to put your interests first for 14 years as we only answer to our readers and we will not compromise on that fundamental, core PoliticusUSA value.
The Timberland High School girls basketball team returns a seasoned group for the 2023-24 campaign on the hardwood. The Lady Wolves bring back four starters from a squad that won 18 games and captured a region crown for the second year in a row in 2022-23. Read moreLady Wolves going to court with seasoned group
A Gulf Coast military shipbuilder has bid bon voyage to the newest addition to the Coast Guard's Charleston fleet.

Huntington Ingalls Industries announced this week that the Calhoun, a Legend-class national security cutter, shoved off from its manufacturing site in Pascagoula, Miss., on Nov. 19.

The newly built ship is expected to be commissioned next year. At its future home port in the Charleston area, it will join three other Coast Guard cutters from the same vessel class: Hamilton, James and Stone. They, too, were built by Huntington Ingalls.

The nearly 419-foot-long Calhoun will have a crew of 124, including 22 officers and 15 chief petty officers, and a maximum speed of 28 knots, according to a fact sheet. The range is 12,000 nautical miles, and the vessel can stay at sea for up to 90 days.

The Coast Guard said its 10 white-hulled national security cutters are its "largest and most technologically advanced ships" and are the centerpiece of the fleet. They "serve as afloat operational-level headquarters for complex law enforcement and national security missions" that often involve multiple government agencies.

Huntington Ingalls added that the ships "have proven to be ideal platforms for drug interdiction, global illegal fishing, disaster relief and defense support operations."

The new South Carolina-bound cutter is named in honor of Charles L. Calhoun, an Ocean City, Md., native who became the first master chief petty officer of the Coast Guard in the late 1960s. He also served three years in the Navy during World War II.

The Coast Guard accepted delivery of the Calhoun last month. In a written statement, a Huntington Ingalls official said Sunday's final send off from Pascagoula was "a proud moment for us all and we look forward to watching this highly capable national security cutter serve for decades to come.

The company's Mississippi yard is now working on Friedman, the 11th and final national security cutter that the Coast Guard has ordered. They're replacing a smaller 1960s-era class of ships and cost about $670 million each, according to a Congressional Research Service report released earlier this year.
Santa is coming to town, but not by sleigh.

He will be posted aboard a historical replica train nestled in the heart of downtown.

Explore Charleston and the Childrens Museum of the Lowcountry partnered to start a new holiday tradition this year, adding visibility to a lesser-known artifact of Charlestons history.

The Best Friend Train Museum opened in 2014 next to the downtown visitors center. The free city-owned attraction brings in about 5,000 guests annually.

Each weekend between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the Charleston Santa will be available for photos for free.

Helen Hill, CEO of Explore Charleston, said that it's not a well-known fact that Americas first passenger steam locomotive operated in Charleston. She said that the partnership puts a spotlight on this piece of the citys transportation and industrial legacy, while also adding to the holiday spirit downtown.

When families visit with Santa theyll not only learn about this part of Charlestons history, theyll also have an opportunity to give back in a way that truly reflects our communitys values," she said. "The Charleston Santa is set to become a hallmark of holidays in the Lowcountry.

Its not just the red-and-green paint scheme of the Best Friend of Charleston locomotive that is reminiscent of Christmas, its the story behind it.

The train made its first passenger run on six miles of track on Christmas Day in 1830. The Charleston Courier described the ride as one hundred and forty-one persons flew on the wings of wind at the speed of fifteen to twenty-five miles per hour, according to museum records.

While the train lived up to the hype at the time, it was short-lived. Six months after its maiden excursion, the boiler blew and destroyed the train while also killing the operator. The Phoenix was constructed from the salvaged remains and replaced the Best Friend.
The occupants of the fast-moving car that went airborne over an 8-foot fence and crashed and exploded at the American side of the Rainbow Bridge on Wednesday appear to have stopped at Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino just before the crash that killed them, Niagara Falls Police Superintendent John Faso said.

The vehicle, a 2022 Bentley, approached the international crossing traveling at high speed down Niagara Street and hit a concrete barrier, launching it toward the customs plaza, Faso said Thursday.

Hochul: 'No indication' of terrorism in fatal car crash, explosion at Rainbow Bridge A car that crashed and exploded Wednesday morning on the American side of the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls, killing two people, does not appear to be an act of terrorism, Gov. Kathy Hochul said during a news conference. "There is no sign of terrorist activity with respect to this crash. We have identified that this is a local individual," she said.

The FBI late Wednesday said the investigation into the crash found no terrorism nexus. The case was turned over to Niagara Falls police as a traffic investigation, the agency said.

Investigators were still working to positively identify the occupants and notify next of kin, Niagara Falls police said.

The Rainbow Bridge remained closed to all vehicular and pedestrian traffic as of noon Thursday.

The identities of the vehicle owner and his wife, who was also in the vehicle, are known by the FBI, Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer said late Wednesday. The occupants were from Western New York, two law enforcement sources previously said.

It will take some time for the departments Crash Management Unit to complete the investigation, due to its complexity, Faso said.

The Seneca Nation, which owns the casino, in a written statement issued Thursday said it was cooperating with the police investigation.

We have reviewed and provided information related to a vehicle that stopped at Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino only for a matter of minutes shortly before the crash occurred, the nation said in a statement released by a spokesperson.

CBP is working closely with @FBI, federal, state & local partners in response to a vehicle explosion at Rainbow Bridge which remains closed. Out of abundance of caution, CBP temporarily suspended inbound/outbound traffic at 3 other Buffalo crossings that have since reopened. pic.twitter.com/pTXyUsavRB  CBP (@CBP) November 22, 2023

The crash happened at 11:32 a.m. Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, and a busy day for travel.

After the crash, traffic was shut down on all four international crossings between Western New York and Canada. All but the Rainbow were reopened by about 5 p.m. Wednesday.

Photos: Aftermath after vehicle crashes, explodes at Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls Two people died in a vehicle that exploded on the American side of the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls late Wednesday morning, a federal law e

A customs officer injured in the incident was released from Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center after treatment. Investigators found no evidence of any chemicals or substances that would cause an explosion.

A source with knowledge of the situation said the couple was traveling in a luxury vehicle and had purchased two tickets to a concert Wednesday night in Toronto.

Video from the scene showed a fire quickly spreading in the plaza and a huge plume of black smoke billowing into the sky. Other images that circulated on social media appeared to show charred remnants of a shattered vehicle strewn about the plaza.

Investigators were looking at the possibility that the driver had a medical incident, or there was a malfunction with the vehicle.

Gov. Kathy Hochul said Wednesday of the incinerated vehicle, there is nothing left but the engine.
Once someone is in the system, it can be hard to get back out.

South Carolina's recidivism rates, which measure the percent of inmates who return to prison within three years after serving their sentence, are some of the lowest in the country, according to the state Department of Corrections.

Still, about 1 in 5 inmates find themselves behind bars more than once, data shows.

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What can make the difference between committing another crime or not is whether a former inmate can find stable work once they're released. SCDC has credited the low recidivism rates on the department's focus on preparing inmates for reentering society, coupled with the partnerships it has with different charities and organizations.

While he was incarcerated for committing financial crimes, Colin Slaven saw firsthand how people would get out of prison, commit another crime and return. He made it his purpose to help drop the recidivism rate even lower.

After his release, Slaven worked with his wife, Debbie, to found Second Chance Job Center, or Second Chance Jobs, a nonprofit that trains people in trades and helps them to secure employment.

The Charleston duo started out of Aiken in 2018 after becoming an approved training provider through the state's job center, SC Works. After just a year, Second Chance boasted a 92 percent retention rate and began to look statewide.

Now, Second Chance Jobs serves people across the state, and it helps more than just former inmates. The organization also serves transitioning veterans, displaced workers, the homeless and even those stuck in their search for a new career, Slaven said.
The City of Isle of Palms holiday street festival and tree lighting will take place on Dec. 2 from 2 to 7 p.m. on the Isle of Palms. The tree lighting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. This event will have an impact on some roads on the island. Read moreIOP announces road closures
COLUMBIA  A former Westinghouse top executive who worked on South Carolina's failed nuclear reactor construction project had a short reprieve from prosecution. Jeffrey Alan Benjamin was re-indicted Nov. 14 on the same charges he previously faced: conspiracy and wire and securities fraud.

In August, the federal judge presiding over the criminal cases filed in the aftermath of the state's largest business failure agreed with Benjamin's attorneys that the previous indictment against him must be dismissed. She based her decision on the possibility some grand jurors who voted to indict Benjamin in August 2021 could have been biased if they were utility customers stuck with higher bills after the $9 billion construction debacle.

Benjamin was employed by Westinghouse Electric Co. as a senior vice president of new plants and major projects until his services were terminated in March 2017. That was around the same time Westinghouse filed a bankruptcy petition and abandoned the decade-longs S.C. nuclear reactor construction project, according to the latest indictment against Benjamin.

In May 2008, SCANA and Santee Cooper signed a construction contract with Westinghouse to build two nuclear reactors at the V.C. Summer site in Jenkinsville, where one reactor was already in operation. Initially, the cost estimate was $9.8 billion. To help cover the cost, SCANA was depending on specific federal tax incentives for such projects and a state law that allows utility companies to increase its rates to cover the cost of projects such as the new nuclear reactors.

Both state and federal funding required oversight. And to collect the federal tax credit of an estimated $1.4 billion, the project had to be finished by Dec. 31, 2020.

The project was overbudget and delayed from the start, according to Benjamin's indictment. In January 2016, the contract was re-negotiated and Westinghouse took over as the chief constructor of the S.C. project. One reactor was to be finished in June 2019 and the second in June 2020. But according to the new indictment, Benjamin knew in 2015 those completion dates were off by 13 months  which meant the deadline for the federal tax credit SCANA was depending on was impossible to meet.
Animal cruelty arrests skyrocketed in South Carolina last year, according to an annual statewide crime report, increasing just over 50 percent from the previous year.

Law enforcement throughout the state made 225 animal cruelty arrests in 2022 compared to 149 in 2021, according to data compiled by the State Law Enforcement Division.

Though animal cruelty is often considered an isolated phenomenon, ample research shows a correlation between animal cruelty and human violence in society.

"Human violence and animal cruelty are directly linked," Charleston Animal Society President Joe Elmore said. "When we see a rise in human violent crimes, which is what weve been seeing over the past few years, we also see a rise in animal cruelty."

In 2022, one in four animal cruelty arrests in South Carolina came from Laurens County, SLED data shows. The rural Upstate county accounts for 1.3 percent of the state population but 24 percent of the state's animal cruelty arrests last year.

Sgt. Geoff Brown is the director of the Animal Control Division of the Laurens County Sheriff's Office. The division was previously under the county's department of public works but was incorporated into the Sheriff's Office in 2020, giving agents the authority to execute search warrants and make arrests.

The Charleston Animal Society awarded the Laurens County Sheriff's Office an award through its No Kill South Carolina statewide project in recognition of its serious approach to addressing animal cruelty. Elmore said the county's animal cruelty arrest record reflects its approach to addressing animal cruelty.

They are taking it seriously," he said. "That is a demonstration of leadership there."

Folding animal control into the Sheriff's Office followed a string of severe animal cruelty cases, including one of the largest animal cruelty busts in state history, according to Brown.

In January 2020, Brown and others descended on a "puppy mill" off Indian Mountain Road where more than 300 dogs were languishing in their own filth throughout the property. Brown recalled that the fire department had to use exhaust fans to make it safe for deputies to enter the premises because the toxins were so bad. Deputies charged two people with animal cruelty, but they pleaded guilty last year in state court to drug charges, he said.
The Netherlands went to the polls today in a national election and Geert Wilders and his Freedom Party (the PVV) won the most votes. Polite opinion (that is, the EU and the major media) have long considered Wilders beyond the pale, on the same plane as Nigel Farage in Britain or Marine Le Pen in France. After all, he is anti-immigration and a Euro-skeptic, and as such not clubbable.

Like most of the maddening European multi-party systems, Wilders doesnt have an outright majority, and will have to form a coalition government. Wilderss PVV won about 35 seats (out of 150), while the current ruling four-party coalition government lost 37 seats, a massive repudiation.

As usual, Henry Olsens Twitter feed has the dope you need to sort it all out, which isnt easy. See also Peter Franklins analysis on UnHerd. But more evidence of a rising populist tide in Europe.

ChaserYou want to know how politically incorrect Geert Wilders is? Check out this Tweet:
The IDF has carefully overtaken and explored the tunnel system that converges on Gaza Citys Shifa Hospital. The IDF seeks to expose the Hamas way of war as inherently criminal  a point that has gotten lost in the media shuffle.

Shifa Hospital director Muhammad Abu Salmiya was arrested yesterday along with several other hospital staff members while attempting to evacuate southward along the humanitarian corridor  i.e., the escape route. The JNS story quotes the IDF statement:

The director of the Shifa Hospital in the Gaza Strip was apprehended and transferred for ISA questioning following evidence showing that the Shifa Hospital, under his direct management, served as a Hamas command and control center, the statement read. The Hamas terror tunnel network situated under the hospital also exploited electricity and resources taken from the hospital. In addition, Hamas stored numerous weapons inside the hospital and on the hospital grounds. The statement continued: Furthermore, after the Hamas massacre on October 7th, Hamas terrorists sought refuge within the hospital, some of them taking hostages from Israel with them. A pathological report also confirmed the murder of CPL Noa Marciano on the hospital premises. In the hospital, under his management, there was extensive Hamas terrorist activity. Findings of his involvement in terrorist activity will determine whether he will be subject to further ISA questioning.

The IDF is exposing the tunnel system it has found underneath the hospital. As IDF Lt. Colonel Richard Hecht puts it here:  We have moved past the blast door and discovered full subterranean complex, complete with a dormitory, kitchen, bathroom, and more. The scale of this tunnel, parts of which Hamas worked to bury is absolutely incredible[.]

This is by way of introduction to IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagaris tour of the hidden Hamas terrorism base beneath Gazas largest hospitalstark proof of Hamas direct threat to innocent lives. The Hagari video is below. It is also posted here on YouTube. Dont miss this one.

Dear world, is this enough proof for you? pic.twitter.com/Z3HNDPNV3O  Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 22, 2023

The IDF puts the tracking shot to good use in the Hagari video. It reminds me of the scene taking viewers into the Copacabana in Goodfellas. Wheres the kitchen? Like Henry Hill in Goodfellas  Hamas, theyre business is construction.

As one knowledgeable observer has counseled regarding the video tour of the tunnel system take a good look around, you helped pay for it. The tweet plaintively poses the question whether this is enough proof for you. We know the answer to that question. Query whether Israel will even be allowed to finish the job.

The video below provides an accelerated tour while the tweet poses the question whether the world [will] condemn Hamas[.] We know the answer to that question too.

Al-Shifa Hospital from above

Hamas terror complex below

Hamas hides behind hospitals

And heres the drone footage

That incontrovertibly proves it

Hamas wages war from hospitals

Will the world condemn Hamas? pic.twitter.com/xvvqErP0t1  Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 22, 2023

Below is Hagaris statement on the IDFs findings. The important question Hagari poses to the international community now that the IDF has provided irrefutable proof of the Hamas way of war is this one: What will you do to stop Gazans hospitals from being turned into terror bases in the future? Will you condemn Hamas, or will you continue toremain silent? We know the answer to those questions too.

We have an important question to ask the international community: pic.twitter.com/6miA6Xg8A0  Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 22, 2023

In the video below the IDF provides a look at further tunnels under the Qatari building in the Shifa hospital compound.tunnels intersecting with underground rooms with air conditioning, toilets, and a kitchen. Rifles, magazines, and drones can be seen gathered from throughout the site.

A first look into Hamas underground city, underneath the Shifa Hospital complex: pic.twitter.com/O8gEQHAfJ6  Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 22, 2023

In the most recent video the IDF has more to show.

Yes, we have discovered yet another Hamas tunnel, however this time beneath a civilian house near Shifa Hospital. pic.twitter.com/PbDEZQgU8R  Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 23, 2023

Here is a cogent summary by Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy.
The Israel-hating leftand some on the neo-isolationist rightlike to attack American aid to Israel, especially military aid. It turns out American aid as a proportion of total Israeli defense spending has been in decline in recent years. The great Zach Goldberg puts it into perspective with the receipts:

Goldberg: The reason for the decline is NOT because the US is giving less money (due to treaties, including the peace deal with Egypt in 1979, much of the aid is fixed), but rather because Israel is spending more.

Like the United States, defense as a proportion of Israels GDP has been falling because of Israels prosperity:
BY MATT GLYNN

Nov. 23, 2023

Banks exiting insurance opens door to Gallagher's growth

Remember when banks were snapping up insurance businesses as another source of revenue?

It's been a different story lately in the Buffalo Niagara region.

Evans Bank just agreed to sell its Evans Agency subsidiary for $40 million to Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., an insurance brokerage, risk management and consulting firm.

About a year ago, M&T Bank finished selling its M&T Insurance Agency to Gallagher, resulting in a $136 million gain for the bank.

Going back a few years, KeyBank in 2018 sold its Key Insurance & Benefits Services business to USI Insurance Services, recording a $78 million gain from the sale.

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Why are some banks exiting the insurance business? Each has its own reasons. Evans received an offer that it decided was too good to pass up, and will redeploy the proceeds elsewhere. Key had acquired an insurance business as part of its 2016 deal for First Niagara, but insurance wasn't core to Key's operations, and the bank found a buyer in USI.

Nationally, Bank Director reported that for the first time in two decades, divestitures of bank-owned insurance brokerages this year have outpaced announced acquisitions.

The industry as a whole is refocusing its effort on its core business," said David Nasca, Evans' president and CEO. "They dont want to hold capital in ancillary businesses, so theyre monetizing them to be able to refocus that capital into their core.

That trend is allowing Gallagher to build up its presence in the Buffalo area.

Gallagher, which is publicly traded, ranks as the fourth-largest insurance brokerage in the world, based on brokerage revenue. The firm has 49,000 employees worldwide.

But don't let the large size of the firm, which is based in suburban Chicago, fool you, said Bart Kresse, Gallagher's area president.

"Everyone I meet at Gallagher, it feels like they could live in Buffalo," said Kresse, who led M&T's insurance agency before joining Gallagher.

Kresse said Gallagher has a "family feel," despite its vast size. Members of the family that founded the firm nearly 100 years ago are still in leadership roles.

At the same time, Kresse said Gallagher's large scale gives employees access to more resources and expertise to serve their clients.

Mergers and acquisitions are a driving force of Gallagher's growth  the firm completed 36 deals last year  but Kresse said the firm still looks for the right fit before making an acquisition.

"Gallagher, with this (Evans) acquisition, is showing the marketplace and showing our employees here in Western New York that they're willing to invest," he said.

Gallagher has been making inroads in the Buffalo market in other ways, including employee volunteering and sponsorship deals with the Buffalo Bills and Shea's Buffalo Theatre.

The firm plans to close its deal for the Evans Agency by the end of the year. All 63 Evans Agency employees will join Gallagher, and the Evans Agency name will remain in use through a transition period.

Gallagher will maintain the Evans Agency's office in Wellsville, giving the firm a presence in Allegany County. But Gallagher is still working out where it will combine its employees in the Buffalo area. Its local offices are downtown on Delaware Avenue.

Gallagher found a lot to like about the Evans Agency, including its markets, book of clients and personnel, Nasca said. Gallagher saw the Evans Agency as a high-performing business "with a talented young team in an industry thats aging," he said.

There was also a big financial upside for Evans Bank in the deal.

"The purchase of this agency is effectively fast forwarding 18 to 20 years' worth of earnings with this purchase price, back into our capital," Nasca said. "That's a significant impact."

Not all banks around the Buffalo Niagara region are exiting the insurance business.

SDN Insurance Agency "has, and continues to be, an excellent complement to our diversified financial services offerings, along with retail banking, commercial banking and wealth management, and an important driver of non-interest income for our company," said Martin K. Birmingham, president and CEO of Financial Institutions, the Warsaw-based parent of Five Star Bank.

In 2014, Financial Institutions bought Scott Danahy Naylon, an Amherst-based agency, in a deal valued at $16.9 million in cash and stock. The business was renamed SDN Insurance Agency in 2018 as part of a rebranding.

Since making the deal, Financial Institutions has grown SDN Insurance organically and through other deals, "allowing us to expand our reach and enhance capabilities to better serve our customers," Birmingham said.

Citi cuts watch

Citigroup has begun cutting jobs as CEO Jane Fraser follows through on her plan to streamline the organization.

The bank isn't saying whether the reductions are hitting its sophisticated financial hub in Getzville.

Citi has cut 300 senior managers across the bank, but many more reductions are expected. The Wall Street Journal reported future rounds of job cuts will "spread to thousands of lower-level workers," and that Citi aims to finish the reductions by the end of the first quarter of 2024. Fraser is under investor pressure to turn things around at Citi, whose stock has been in a slump.

The prospect of more job cuts creates uncertainty for members of the workforce heading into the holiday season.

Citi is an anchor tenant of CrossPoint Business Park. The bank did not provide a current headcount for its Getzville site, but in recent years, it has had a workforce there of nearly 2,000 employees.

The financial hub supports multiple business units, mostly in corporate and investment banking, and is connected to operations around the world.

Want to know more? Three stories to catch you up:

THE LATEST

Five things to expect this Black Friday weekend.

Ready, set, shop. Here's when stores will open on Black Friday.

The Buffalo Niagara unemployment rate is rising.

Doug Jemal got the green light to move ahead with the first part of his Simon Electric project.

Elmwood Taco & Subs is facing charges at the National Labor Relations Board.

What's the latest on the Buffalo Bills stadium construction project?

Buybuy Baby is coming back.

The new Vive shelter is ready to open.

Union workers at the General Motors engine plant in the Town of Tonawanda voted against a tentative contract agreement.

A community group continues to criticize KeyBank's lending practices.

Ellicott Development brings back Locker Room project.

Lactalis seeks $1.2 million in tax breaks for latest investment project.

Foursome plans new apartment project on Abbott Road in South Buffalo.

A Clarence company is acquiring a Medina adult care facility.

Renovations at a closed Buffalo school provide housing for veterans.

Where will the local auto plants fit in an electric vehicle world?

Gov. Hochul formed a new health commission. What will it do?

The Buffalo Bisons are looking for state money for stadium improvements.

ICYMI

Five reads from Buffalo Next:

1. Why do grocery stores move stuff around? There's a lot of science that goes into it, but the bottom line is increasing sales.

2. The Buffalo Niagara job market is stuck. But it's not sick.

3. Delaware North's new chief operations officer comes with a reputation as a 'game changer.'

4. Plug Power is in deep financial trouble. What that means for its big plans in Genesee County.

5. Flexlume is aglow over its new Lackawanna home.

The Buffalo Next team gives you the big picture on the regions economic revitalization. Email tips to buffalonext@buffnews.com or reach Buffalo Next Editor David Robinson at 716-849-4435.

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From the patio to the campsite, AroundFire does it all! Enjoy interactive grilling, cooking, and campfire together with a 30s setup.CALIFORNIA CITY, CA / ACCESSWIRE / November 23, 2023 / AroundFire, a team of designers and outdoor adventure experts, has just announced that they will soon release their latest campfire cookout innovation. The AroundFire portable grill table, lets BBQ connoisseurs break free from the traditional grill master's corner in the backyard or the campground and get everyone in on the fun while creating truly unforgettable gatherings. This go-anywhere camp cooking essential offers multifunctionality, including grilling, campfire, and open-fire cooking. It's the perfect combination of portability and functionality. Find more info about AroundFire: https://signup.aroundfire.co AroundFire combines a stainless steel fire mesh with a lightweight dual-fold table. The smart design makes cooking over an open fire an enjoyable minimal smoke experience for camping, tailgating, and backyard cookouts and sets up in 30 seconds. AroundFire is the perfect spot for gathering for fireside chats while grilling, cooking, and telling stories.AroundFire is designed around a revolutionary Ultra-Light Fire Mesh technology. This lightweight (just 300g) durable material provides a truly portable campfire experience, eliminating the mess of ash and ground damage usually associated with conventional fire mesh. Crafted with ultra-durable 304 stainless steel, it maximizes airflow and efficiency, resulting in efficient burning and minimal smoke."If you spent time in the outdoors growing up, you probably have great memories of sitting around the campfire, cooking food, and telling stories. Our vision for AroundFire is to provide better solutions for outdoor gatherings. Whether you're on your camping trip, picnicking on a beach, or in your backyard, everyone can enjoy the fun and interactive experience of grilling and eating with family and friends without worrying about setting up and moving complicated equipment." -AroundFire CEOAroundFire has useful features to improve the overall experience, such as adjustable heights to suit particular setup requirements, rapid-cooling design for safer touch, and wide storage areas that can accommodate paper plates and other grilling essentials. Its multifunctional table tops can transform into windscreens, and additional accessories include a gas camping stove for quick heat-ups of food or coffee, a versatile grill grate, and an outdoor light stand to provide mood lighting in the evenings.AroundFire utilizes advanced, rust-proof materials with electrophoretic and heat-resistant coating, ensuring adventure-ready quality for years to come. The table top uses 40% thicker mesh than typical outdoor tables for better weight capacity and years of durability. Different grill screens let users enjoy the flavors of American, Korean, and Japanese-style BBQ as they choose.Designed for portability, efficiency, and easy setup, AroundFire's compact, foldable design is easy to carry, fits in the trunk of a car, and is the best way to enjoy the pleasure of outdoor cooking anytime and anywhere. Now it is easy for everyone to fully enjoy the portable grilling experience. Learn more here: https://signup.aroundfire.co Contact InformationSiew Zheng Marketing Manager info@ aroundfire.co Related FilesAroundFire release.docx SOURCE: AroundFire
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HONG KONG, CHINA / ACCESSWIRE / November 23, 2023 /Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group announces FY2024 interim resultsResults HighlightsIn transition to higher value growth, we are focusing our efforts and making significant strides towards executing our five strategic priorities as part of the transformation journey: brand revamp, product optimisation, accelerated digitalisation, operational efficiency and talent cultivation.Notable progress in rationalising our product portfolio and optimising the product planning process. During the period, we successfully launched new designs of HUA Collection and our HEARTS ON FIRE brand launched its VELA Collection.Improvement in mobility and retail activity in our key markets during the first half of FY2024 ("1HFY2024") drove a 6.4% year-on-year increase in revenue to HK$49,526 million. The growth would amount to 11.3% on a constant exchange rate basis. In Hong Kong, Macau and other markets, revenue grew 57.7% during the period due to improved inbound tourism with the progressive return of Mainland tourists.Core operating profit increased 37.7% to HK$5,989 million, outpacing revenue growth. This was led by ongoing efforts in optimised pricing strategy and operational efficiency enhancement, coupled with the benefits from gold price surge. On a constant exchange rate basis, it was up 44.3% YoY.In line with our commitment to enhancing earnings quality, adjusted gross profit margin improved 140 basis points year-on-year to 23.8% while the core operating profit margin expanded by 280 basis points to 12.1% in the period. This validates our clear focus towards higher value growth and delivering sustainable long-term stakeholder value creation as we chart steady progress in our transition.Financial SummaryFor the six months ended 30 September2023HK$ million2022HK$ millionYoY ChangeRevenue49,52646,535+6.4%Gross profit12,34410,962+12.6%Gross profit margin24.9% 23.6%Adjusted gross profit margin(1)23.8%22.4%Core operating profit(2)5,9894,349+37.7%Core operating profit margin(2)12.1%9.3%Profit attributable to shareholders of the Company4,5513,336+36.4%Earnings per share(HK$)0.460.33+36.4%Interim dividend per share(3)(HK$)0.250.22N/AAdjusted gross profit margin, a non-IFRS measure, eliminates the effect of unrealised loss (gain) on gold loans, which the Company believes is useful in gaining a more complete understanding of its operational performance and the underlying trend of its businessesCore operating profit and the corresponding margin, a non-IFRS measure, being the aggregate of adjusted gross profit and other income, less selling and distribution costs and general and administration expenses, which the Company believes is useful in gaining a more complete understanding of its operational performance and the underlying trend of its businessesThe payout ratio for 1HFY2024 approximates 54.9%(Hong Kong, China, 23 November 2023) Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group Limited ("Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group", the "Group" or the "Company"; SEHK stock code: 1929), today announces its interim results for the six months ended 30 September 2023 ("1HFY2024").Solid Recovery in Operating PerformanceOur efforts in pricing strategy optimisation and operational efficiency enhancement, coupled with the benefits from gold price surge yielded resilient underlying performance during 1HFY2024. The Group's revenue increased 6.4% to HK$49,526 million in 1HFY2024 (1HFY2023: HK$46,535 million). Gross profit rose 12.6% to HK$12,344 million (1HFY2023: HK$10,962 million). Adjusted gross profit margin improved to 23.8% from 22.4% in the same period last year. Core operating profit increased 37.7% to HK$5,989 million, outpacing revenue growth. On a constant exchange rate basis, it was up 44.3% YoY.Profit attributable to shareholders rose 36.4% to HK$4,551 million (1HFY2023: HK$3,336 million) during the period. Earnings per share was reported at HK$0.46 (1HFY2023: HK$0.33). The Board has declared an interim dividend of HK$0.25 per share in 1HFY2024 (1HFY2023: HK$0.22), representing a payout ratio of approximately 54.9%.Dr. Henry Cheng, Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group Chairman, said: "We are witnessing encouraging progress in our transformation journey and we are confident that through active investment in our five strategic priorities, we will further strengthen our competitiveness and enhance earnings quality as we transition into a new phase of higher value growth." Robust RSV Growth Fueled by Sustained Improvement of Mobility and Retail ActivityDuring 1HFY2024, mobility and retail activity continued to improve in the Mainland and Hong Kong and Macau. The Group's retail sales value ("RSV") registered positive growth of 15.6% during the period, driven by Hong Kong, Macau and other markets. RSV in Hong Kong, Macau and other markets jumped 58.5% in 1HFY2024, boosted by the return of inbound tourism in key markets.Against a high base of comparison, our RSV in Mainland China increased by a notable 10.8%. Furthermore, we saw resilient teens RSV growth during several festive and holiday periods, such as the Labour Day holiday, Chinese Valentine's Day, Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday etc. During the recent Double 11 Festival, we ranked No.1 in the jewellery category on both Tmall and JD.com , with strong GMV growth of close to 90% year-on-year.In Hong Kong and Macau, the return of inbound Mainland tourists continued support our business, with Same Store Sales Growth ("SSSG") of 59.6% in 1HFY2024. SSS in Hong Kong increased 52.5% during the period while that in Macau jumped 87.3%. SSS in the Mainland was 3.5% lower in 1HFY2024, largely due to the high base of comparison.Centralised Marketing Efforts To Support Targeted GrowthWe continued to execute our centralised global marketing campaign strategy in 1HFY2024, to ensure consistency and maximise synergy. In August, we launched our first-ever 360-degree global marketing campaign unveiling the new designs for HUA Collection, inspired by the Tang Dynasty artefacts and forged with time-honoured gold-crafting techniques. An immersive launch event was held at the Shaanxi History Museum in Xi'an. Separately, the "GOLD IS CHIC: The Luminous Era" art exhibition was held at Taikoo Li Qiantan in Shanghai, where the lavishly adorned event space offered visitors an immersive sensory experience. The HUA Collection continued to register RSV growth of approximately 8% and its contribution stabilised at around 37% in the Mainland. The Collection's RSV achieved a sign
PR-Inside.com: 2023-11-23 00:16:06

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NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATESVANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / November 22, 2023 / Eagle Bay Resources Corp. (CSE:EBR) ("Eagle Bay" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it intends to undertake a non-brokered private placement offering of up to 2,272,727 flow-through units (each, a "FT Unit") at a price of $.011 per FT Unit to raise aggregate gross proceeds of up to $250,000 (the "Offering"). Each FT Unit will consist of one common share in the capital of the Company, to be issued as a "flow-through share" within the meaning of the Income Tax Act (Canada) (each, a "FT Share"), and one common share purchase warrant (each, a "FT Warrant"). Each FT Warrant shall entitle the holder to purchase one common share (each, a "FT Warrant Share") in the capital of the Company, issued on a non-flow-through basis, at a price of $0.13 per FT Warrant Share for a period of two (2) years from closing of the Offering (the "Closing").The Company will use the gross proceeds from the sale of the FT Units to incur eligible "Canadian exploration expenses" that will qualify as "flow-through mining expenditures" as such terms are defined in the Income Tax Act (Canada) (the "Qualifying Expenditures") related to the Company's Cap property located in British Columbia, Canada on or before December 31, 2023. All Qualifying Expenditures will be renounced in favour of the subscribers effective December 31, 2023.All securities issued pursuant to the Offering will be subject to a statutory hold period of four (4) months and a day from the Closing in accordance with securities laws. Any participation by insiders in the Offering will constitute a related party transaction under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101") but is expected to be exempt from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101. The Closing remains subject to several conditions including receipt of subscriptions and regulatory approval, if required.The securities offered have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or any state securities laws, and may not be offered, sold or delivered, directly or indirectly, in the Unites States, its possessions and other areas subject to its jurisdiction or to, or for the account or for the benefit of a U.S. person, unless an exemption from registration is available. This news release is for information purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities of the Company in any jurisdiction.About Eagle Bay Resources Corp.Eagle Bay Resources Corp. is a Canadian exploration company specializing in the acquisition and development of high potential rare earth elements (REE's) and niobium properties. Eagle Bay Resources is publicly listed on the Canadian Stock Exchange ("CSE") under trading symbol "EBR".On Behalf of the Board of DirectorsEAGLE BAY RESOURCES CORP.Sean CharlandChief Executive OfficerTel: 604.681.1568Email: info@ eaglebayresources.com Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION:This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements consist of statements that are not purely historical, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements with respect to the expectations of management regarding the use of proceeds of the Offering, that the Company will renounce the Qualifying Expenditures within the date set out herein, closing conditions for the Offering, the expiry of hold periods for securities distributed pursuant to the Offering and that exemptions from the requirements of MI 61-101 will be available to the Company. Forward-looking statements are subject to various known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in the statements, including risks related to factors beyond the control of the Company, including, but not limited to: changes in general economic conditions or conditions in the financial and capital markets; uncertainties related to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future; business and economic conditions in the mineral exploration industry generally; the supply and demand for labour and other project inputs; changes in commodity prices; changes in interest and currency exchange rates; risks related to inaccurate geological and engineering assumptions; risks relating to unanticipated operational difficulties (including failure of equipment or processes to operate in accordance with the specifications or expectations, unavailability of materials and equipment, government action or delays in the receipt of government approvals, industrial disturbances or other job action and unanticipated events related to health, safety and environmental matters); risks related to adverse weather conditions and geopolitical risk and social unrest. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.SOURCE: Eagle Bay Resources
PR-Inside.com: 2023-11-23 13:00:43

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VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / November 23, 2023 / Empress Royalty Corp. (TSXV:EMPR)(OTCQX:EMPYF) ("Empress" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the execution of an agreement for a US$5M gold stream (the "Investment") on the Galaxy gold mine ("Galaxy") in South Africa owned by Golconda Gold Ltd. (TSXV:GG)(OTCQX:GGOF) ("Golconda")."We are excited to provide a gold stream financing to Golconda's Galaxy mine, which will support Golconda in expanding its production capacity," stated Alexandra Woodyer Sherron, CEO and President of Empress. "The gold stream on the Galaxy mine will immediately increase Empress' revenue projections and expand our long-term revenue profile. With four producing assets in our portfolio generating significant revenue, we look forward to executing similar transactions on producing precious metal mines that will result in substantial returns for our shareholders." In addition, Nicholas Brodie, CEO of Golconda stated "We are excited to partner with Empress who, through their due diligence, have understood the true potential of Galaxy. With the proceeds generated from the Investment, we will be able to further implement and execute on our expansion plans at the Galaxy mine." THE INVESTMENTEmpress has entered into a US$5M metal purchase and sale agreement (the "Agreement") with Galaxy Gold Reefs (Pty) Ltd., a subsidiary of Golconda, and Golconda and certain of its affiliates, for payable gold production from the Galaxy mine in South Africa. The Investment is based on 3.5% of the payable gold production from the Galaxy mine for an initial 8,000 payable ounces; thereafter, the percentage will reduce to 2.0% of the payable gold production until the earlier of: (i) 20,000 ounces having been paid to Empress; or (ii) 20 years after the first payment was made. The purchase price for the payable gold delivered pursuant to the Agreement is 20% of the gold spot price. The closing of the transaction and the funding of the Investment is subject to customary closing conditions including Empress' satisfactory completion of technical, legal, and financial due diligence which is expected to be completed in early 2024. It is anticipated that the Investment will be funded by Empress through a credit facility.THE GALAXY GOLD MINE(1)Golconda acquired the Galaxy mine in November 2015. Galaxy is situated 8 km west of the town of Barberton and 45 km west of the provincial capital of Nelspruit in the Mpumalanga Province of South Africa. The property covers 58.6 km2 and is part of the prolific Barberton Greenstone Belt.Galaxy consists of 22 ore bodies, all of which can be accessed via adits at level 17 and level 22. Galaxy is currently mining at the following two main ore bodies:Galaxy Ore Body - a large pipe shaped ore body with a thickness of 35m and a strike of around 100m (the "Galaxy Ore Body"); andPrinceton Ore Body - a steeply dipping ore body with a thickness of 5m and a strike of 300m (the "Princeton Ore Body").The current mine plan includes the mining of the Galaxy Ore Body and the Princeton Ore Body using a mechanised cut and fill mining method. There are also extensive tailings around the Galaxy mine site which Golconda intends to use to supplement production. Golconda has already upgraded the crushing circuit, float plant and filtration plant to 50,000 tonnes per month ("tpm"), from the original 15,000 tpm plant, which produces a gold concentrate.Galaxy is currently in Phase 1 of its expansion program taking production to 15,000 tpm and 1,100 recovered gold ounces per month. The proceeds from the Agreement will be used to fund the expansion required in Phase 2 to take production to 48,000 tpm and 2,800 recovered gold ounces per month.Golconda Gold has completed the Galaxy Technical Report and the PEA (as such terms are defined below) for the Galaxy mine, which supports the expansion plans already undertaken and the future plans for expansion. In addition, Golconda has a drill ready plan to expand the resource to over 4 million ounces, which encompasses the other 20 identified ore bodies. Work is already underway to determine how this can support future expansion of Galaxy. Further information can be found in the technical report titled "NI 43-101 Technical Report on the Galaxy Gold Mine, South Africa" filed on sedarplus.ca on July 6, 2020.Empress has completed a site visit, and a third-party engineering firm has satisfactorily completed a technical analysis of the Galaxy mine. The use of proceeds from the transactions contemplated by the Agreement, will enhance and expand the production profile at Galaxy moving forward.Richard Mazur, P.Geo., a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101 has reviewed and approved the contents of this news release.ABOUT GOLCONDA GOLDGolconda Gold is an un-hedged gold producer and explorer with mining operations and exploration tenements in South Africa and New Mexico. Golconda Gold is a public company, and its shares are quoted on the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV") under the symbol "GG" and the OTCQB under the symbol "GGGOF". Golconda Gold's management team is comprised of senior mining professionals with extensive experience in managing mining and processing operations and large-scale exploration programmes. It is committed to operating at world-class standards, focused on the safety of its employees, respecting the environment, and contributing to the communities in which it operates. Golconda Gold's primary objective is to be reshaped into a long-life and low-cost operation that can produce positive returns for investors across commodity cycles by optimising current mining, processing, and administrative operations to reduce costs and maximize profits; and grow through opportunistic acquisition and development opportunities.For additional information visit Golconda's website at www.golcondagold.com or their Company Profile on sedarplus.ca ABOUT EMPRESS ROYALTY CORP.Empress is a global royalty and streaming creation company providing investors with a diversified portfolio of gold and silver investments. Since listing in December 2020, Empress has built a portfolio of precious metal investments and is actively investing in mining companies with development and production stage projects who require additional non-dilutive capital. The Company has strategic partnerships with Endeavour Financial and Terra Capital which allow Empress to not only access global investment opportunities but also bring unique mining finance expertise, deal structuring and access to capital markets. Empress is looking forward to continuously creating value for its shareholders through the proven royalty and streaming models.ON BEHALF OF EMPRESS ROYALTY CORP.Per: Alexandra Woodyer Sherron, CEO and Presiden
PR-Inside.com: 2023-11-23 19:02:23

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NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / November 23, 2023 / Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC a nationally recognized law firm, notifies investors that a class action lawsuit has been filed against FMC Corp. ("FMC" or "the Company") (NYSE:FMC) and certain of its officers.Class Definition:This lawsuit seeks to recover damages against Defendants for alleged violations of the federal securities laws on behalf of all persons and entities that purchased or otherwise acquired FMC securities between November 2, 2022 and October 20, 2023, inclusive (the "Class Period"). Such investors are encouraged to join this case by visiting the firm's site: bgandg.com/fmc Case Details:The complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements and failed to disclose material adverse facts about the Company's business, operations, and prospects. Specifically, it is alleged that Defendants failed to disclose to investors that: (1) the diminishment of patent protection for FMC's flagship products following legal defeats in key markets including India, China, and Brazil had opened the door to increased competition from generics; (2) the Company repeatedly mislead investors about the status of such proceedings and falsely claimed that it did not and would not face generic competition in key markets until 2026 at the earliest; and (3) because of these issues Defendant's positive statements about the Company's business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis.What's Next?A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to review a copy of the Complaint, you can visit the firm's site: bgandg.com/fmc or you may contact Peretz Bronstein, Esq. or his Law Clerk and Client Relations Manager, Yael Nathanson of Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC at 332-239-2660. If you suffered a loss in FMC you have until January 8, 2024, to request that the Court appoint you as lead plaintiff. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff.There is No Cost to YouWe represent investors in class actions on a contingency fee basis. That means we will ask the court to reimburse us for out-of-pocket expenses and attorneys' fees, usually a percentage of the total recovery, only if we are successful.Why Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman:Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC is a nationally recognized firm that represents investors in securities fraud class actions and shareholder derivative suits. Our firm has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors nationwide.Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.CONTACT:Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLCPeretz Bronstein or Yael Nathanson332-239-2660 | info@ bgandg.com SOURCE: Bronstein, Gewirtz and Grossman, LLC
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ROAD TOWN, VIRGIN ISLANDS (BRITISH) / ACCESSWIRE / November 23, 2023 / PureVPN, a leading cybersecurity provider under the PureSquare umbrella, is excited to share a fantastic upgrade on their existing Black Friday and Cyber Monday promotion, taking it up a notch by offering an 84% discount on a two-year subscription of PureMax, plus five months extra and a Golden Ticket, which is an exclusive code that gives you a 100% discount on another PureMax subscription along with a chance to win an iPhone 15 Pro and other exciting prizes.Black Friday Cyber MondayIn the spirit of the holiday season, you can give your loved ones the gift of security with PureVPN's Golden Ticket. It offers a full security suite of PureMax, including an all-in-one top-notch VPN, privacy manager, file encryptor, and password manager - because nothing says "I care" quite like ensuring their online world is safe and sound.What does PureVPN offer?Robust securityPureVPN employs cutting-edge encryption protocols - including OpenVPN, IPSec/IKEv2, and WireGuard - to ensure your online activities remain secure and private, protecting your sensitive information from potential threats.Global accessibilityWith a network of over 6,500 secure VPN servers in 70+ countries, PureVPN allows you to access content from any location, ensuring a seamless online experience regardless of where you are.No-log policy PureVPN follows a strict no-logs policy, which means it doesn't record your online activities, connection time stamps, or IP addresses. In other words, it keeps your personal information confidential at all times.Streaming Delight PureVPN's lightning-fast 20 Gbps servers are strategically placed in popular locations; you can count on smooth, buffer-free streaming on Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Samsung TV, Nvidia, Chromecast, and more.Cross-platform compatibility: Providing a consistent and reliable experience across a wide range of devices and platforms including Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android.Where can you get it? PureVPN's exclusive Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers are available till the 4th of December 2023. If you want to fortify your online presence while enjoying a colossal 84% discount on a two-year protection plan, here's your chance. Visit PureVPN's official website at www.purevpn.com About PureSquare:PureSquare is a holistic cybersecurity platform that prioritizes user safety and privacy for the new age. It is dedicated to empowering people with digital security and online privacy, creating a safer world with peace of mind and a sense of security for all. Leveraging 16 years of expertise in the industry, PureSquare continues to achieve excellence through its subsidiary brands - PureVPN, PureKeep, PurePrivacy, PureEncrypt, PureDome, and PureWL.Contact InformationPureSquare Press PR Manager press@ puresquare.com SOURCE: PureVPN
PR-Inside.com: 2023-11-23 16:31:45

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NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / November 23, 2023 / Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC a nationally recognized law firm, notifies investors that a class action lawsuit has been filed against SC Health Corporation ("SC Health" or "the Company") (NYSE:SCPE; NYSE: SCPE.WS; NYSE: SCPE.U) and Rockley Photonics Holdings Limited ("Rockley" or "the company") (NYSE: RKLY; NYSE: RKLY.WS) and certain of its officers.Class Definition:This lawsuit seeks to recover damages against Defendants for alleged violations of the federal securities laws on behalf of all persons and entities that purchased or otherwise acquired SC Health and Rockley securities: (1) directly in the March 2021 private investment in public equity of Rockley shares (the "PIPE Offering") conducted in connection with the merger of SC Health and Rockley (the "Merger"); or (ii) between March 19, 2021 and January 23, 2023, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"). Such investors are encouraged to join this case by visiting the firm's site: bgandg.com/scpe Case Details:The complaint alleges that defendants throughout the Class Period made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) Rockley's joint venture agreement ("JV Agreement") with Hengtong Rockley Technology Co., Ltd. was in jeopardy because Jiangsu Hengtong Optic-Electric Co., Ltd. ("Hengtong"), Rockley's joint venture partner, had acquired a majority interest in a company, Huawei Marine Networks Co., Ltd. ("Huawei Marine") (later renamed HMN Tech), on the banned entities list maintained by the U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security of the U.S. Department of Commerce since 2019; (ii) the JV Agreement was in further jeopardy because in February 2021 the World Bank had invalidated a bid by Huawei Marine to build an undersea optical cable based on security concerns raised by the United States and other countries that China could use the infrastructure to spy on communications; (iii) the materially undisclosed risk that the JV Agreement could fail as a result of Hengtong's acquisition of a majority interest in HMN Tech jeopardized Rockley's joint venture revenues, launch schedule, business prospects, and ultimately Rockley's solvency; (iv) Rockley did not have the customer base or customer commitments that defendants had represented to investors; and (v) Rockley did not have sufficient customer orders to allow it to develop and commercialize products, maintain and expand client relationships, reach cash flow break-even, or stave off bankruptcy following the Merger.What's Next?A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to review a copy of the Complaint, you can visit the firm's site: bgandg.com/scpe or you may contact Peretz Bronstein, Esq. or his Law Clerk and Client Relations Manager, Yael Nathanson of Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC at 332-239-2660. If you suffered a loss in SC Health you have until January 8, 2024, to request that the Court appoint you as lead plaintiff. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff.There is No Cost to YouWe represent investors in class actions on a contingency fee basis. That means we will ask the court to reimburse us for out-of-pocket expenses and attorneys' fees, usually a percentage of the total recovery, only if we are successful.Why Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman:Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC is a nationally recognized firm that represents investors in securities fraud class actions and shareholder derivative suits. Our firm has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors nationwide.Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.CONTACT:Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLCPeretz Bronstein or Yael Nathanson332-239-2660 | info@ bgandg.com SOURCE: Bronstein, Gewirtz and Grossman, LLC
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CLAYMONT, DE / ACCESSWIRE / November 23, 2023 / Vinatura Supplements, a new brand of healthy supplements, was launched in the USA in 2023. The brand is committed to providing high-quality supplements that promote healthy living and overall wellness.Vinatura Supplements logo Signboard of Vinatura Supplements in front of their factoryVinatura Supplements's headquarters is in Claymont, DE, 19703, USA, at 2093 Philadelphia Pike, #7324. The brand's website, www.vinatura.store , offers a wide range of supplements designed to support various aspects of health and wellness.VINATURA and Vinatura Supplements brands are owned by Vinatura Supplements LLC, a U.S.-based company in Delaware. With a dedication to transparency and customer satisfaction, Vinatura Supplements aims to empower individuals on their journey toward optimal well-being.Vinatura Supplements' website provides a user-friendly shopping experience by offering detailed product descriptions and simple checkout options. The website caters to the global community interested in healthy living, especially supplements, by providing access to high-quality information and products. Customers can browse through the entire catalog and select the products that best suit their needs.Steven Cohen, the VINATURA Director of Operations, has a passion for promoting healthy living and has spent years researching and working with nutritionists, biologists, herbalists, scientists, and naturopathic physicians to develop effective and safe supplements under FDA guidelines. He believes everyone should have access to high-quality products to help them live their best lives.Vinatura Supplements' products are made with natural ingredients and are free from harmful chemicals and additives. The supplements are manufactured under cGMP framework and at FDA-registered facilities. All products are independently tested for purity and harmful particles. The brand's commitment to quality ensures that customers can trust their supplements to support their health and wellness."We are excited to launch Vinatura Supplements and bring our commitment to healthy living to customers across the country," said Steven Cohen. Our supplements are specifically designed to help you maintain a healthy lifestyle. We have carefully curated our products to support your overall health and well-being. Everyone should have access to high-quality products that help them live their best life.With its focus on healthy living and commitment to quality, Vinatura Supplements is poised to become a leading brand in the USA supplement market.For more information, visit vinature.store or contact this information:Address: 2093 PHILADELPHIA PIKE #7324, CLAYMONT, DE 19703Mail: marketing@ vinatura.storePhone: +1 302-306-0899Contact InformationSteven Cohen Director of Operations marketing@ vinatura.store SOURCE: Vinatura Supplements
Jaiz Bank has announced the appointment of Haruna Musa, who until this October was an executive director at the financial services group Guaranty Trust Holding Company, as its substantive managing and chief executive officer.

His appointment followed an approval by the Central Bank of Nigeria, the non-interest bank said in a Wednesday statement.

Mr Musa is succeeding Ahmed Hassan, who retires from the bank at the end of this year.

From January 1993 to June 1997, he was an agricultural officer at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Abuja.

He has over 28 years of firsthand experience in banking, 22 of which he had at Guaranty Trust Bank from March 2001 to October 2023.

He was an executive director at the lender for eight years.

He took that role in October 2015 alongside the position of Head, Northeast & Public Sector, Abuja Divisions on the board of Guaranty Trust Bank.

Mr Musa began his banking career as a banking officer at United Bank for Africa between June 1997 and December 1998 before leaving for FSB International Bank where he was a senior banking officer until 2001.

He is versed in SME banking, retail banking, public sector, corporate banking, business banking and commercial banking.

A graduate of agriculture from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria which he attended from 1987 to 1991, Mr Musa holds a postgraduate diploma in management from the same institution.

He holds an MBA, MSc in Finance and Management from Cranfield University, United Kingdom and is undergoing a PhD in Islamic Banking & Finance at the Universiti Utara in Malaysia, the statement said.

He also served separately as a Non-Executive Director with GT Bank (Cote DIvoire Ltd) and Chairman of the Board Audit Committee from March 2015 to October 2023, where he contributed to the turnaround of the Bank from a loss position to consistent profitability, it added.

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One of the most celebrated outcomes of the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Sharm El-Sheik was the agreement to establish a Loss and Damage Fund. The continued resistance from wealthy countries meant it took over 30 years to achieve. But many questions remained about who would contribute, who would have access and under what conditions.

Loss and damage refers to consequences of climate impacts that are separate from adaptation and mitigation measures. Damage denotes items that can be recovered or repaired, such as infrastructure, housing, agricultural land, crops and livestock. Loss refers to things that cannot be retrieved, including lives, damage to biodiversity, disrupted education or forced displacement from ancestral homes.

The Loss and Damage Fund should provide fast, accessible, non-debt finance to the growing number of Africans displaced by escalating climate impacts who desperately need support. So far in 2023, extreme weather has killed at least 15,700 people in Africa and impacted at least 34 million more

Climate disasters include a medicane in Derna, Libya, flooding and landslides in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, record-breaking Cyclone Freddy and unrelenting drought across East Africa, the Horn and the Sahel. Despite contributing only 3-4 per cent of historical global carbon emissions, Africa suffers the worst climate change impacts globally.

A Transitional Committee comprising 14 members from developing countries and 10 from developed, was tasked at COP27 with getting the Loss and Damage Fund started. The fund is expected to be launched at COP28, which starts on 30 November in Dubai. However, disagreements within the committee over modalities could prevent progress.

The committee failed to issue recommendations as planned at its fourth and final meeting in October. Discussions broke down over who would host, administer and contribute to the fund. At an unscheduled fifth meeting in early November, a draft framework was eventually reached despite tense negotiations.

Developing countries capitulated to the United States (US) insistence that the World Bank host and administer the fund. They argued that the bank, housed in Washington DC, had a history of operating as a US policy tool, used revenue-generating transactions, and lacked a strong climate change record. Like other climate funds, developing countries wanted the Loss and Damage Fund to operate as an independent United Nations body.

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The US, Australia and Canada further insisted on delinking the fund with liability or compensation. Wealthy countries have opposed the fund over concerns that agreements would open the door to legal liability and compensation. They also insisted that the pool of contributors includes high-polluting nations such as China, India, Russia and Saudi Arabia and that only the least developed countries be eligible for funding.

One of the cornerstones of the 2015 Paris Agreement was the polluter pays principle. Wealthy countries with historic responsibility for causing the climate crisis must provide financial assistance to developing countries now being asked to forego growth to slow climate change.

A 2022 report by the Vulnerable Twenty Group (58 poor countries including 24 from Africa) estimated that they had lost one-fifth of their wealth over the past two decades and would have been 20 per cent wealthier today without climate change. This totals around $525 billion. The most at-risk states have lost 51 per cent of GDP growth since 2000 due to climate change. Yet only $6 billion out of the global total of $30 billion of adaptation finance flows to Africa.

Forced displacement can trigger cascading social and environmental losses such as livelihoods, community ties, food, water, education, healthcare and safety. People incur significant economic and non-economic loss and damage when forced to flee their homes. If they cannot return, the costs rise exponentially.

In the face of competing priorities over limited funds, the Loss and Damage Fund should acknowledge and address displacement incurred by vulnerable people. Its decisions on structure, governance, terms of reference and disbursement should mobilise funding to avert and address forced displacement due to climate change. Funding should be rooted in equity and justice, and be rapidly accessible to African communities.

In 2021, Scotland made the first bilateral contribution of 2 million, becoming the first country to break the taboo and commit funding. At COP27 a year later, 200 nations agreed to establish a Loss and Damage Fund to compensate vulnerable countries and communities.

In March 2023, the first payment went from Scotland to Malawians affected by climate change. Of the 2 million pledged in 2021, a grant of 500 000 was given to the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund for projects in six Malawian villages to build new flood embankments and repair schools affected by tropical storms.

A further 1 million of Scotlands pledge went to a partnership with the Climate Justice Resilience Fund to address loss and damage across multiple continents. The balance went to the International Centre for Climate Change and Development and the Stockholm Environment Institute to fund research on strategic loss and damage plans and principles.

Loss and damage funding could be a major development for African communities. COP28 is a pivotal moment to determine how, when, where and how much the Loss and Damage Fund can provide relief for the most vulnerable people.

Decision-makers at every level should be well-informed about the evidence and many nuances of climate-linked mobility in Africa. They must ensure disbursement modalities grounded in climate justice that allow simple, rapid access.

Aimee-Noel Mbiyozo, Senior Research Consultant, Migration, Institute for Security Studies (ISS) Pretoria

(This article was first published by ISS Today, a Premium Times syndication partner. We have their permission to republish).

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News / Local

by Staff reporter

The Bulawayo City Council has completed a sewer and water sanitation rehabilitation project funded through an African Development Bank AfDB US$33,6 million grant.Council is considering approaching the bank for more funding to expand Bulawayo's water and sewerage services improvement projects (BWSSIP).Bulawayo's sewer and reticulation infrastructure suffers from sewer pipe bursts and leaks having outlived its lifespan.Latest council minutes indicate that the AfDB grant was used in the rehabilitation of targeted critical components of the city's water and sewerage infrastructure to improve access to water and sanitation.The BWSSIP project started in Bulawayo in 2016 and was completed in June this year."There was a need for the Project to close out on a positive note with consideration of possibly unlocking further funding from the AfDB as the project was a first of its model in Zimbabwe where the executing agent was granted powers to implement the project in terms of planning, procuring, contract administration and management."The project was modelled on the sidelines of skills transfer and empowerment," read the minutes."This was a critical moment for the City of Bulawayo to close out the project in a positive note with required human capital who executed the project as project managers but currently most of those critical project managers had left council."The city fathers said they will hire former project managers, most of whom were its former employees, as consultants.The former project managers who had left council employment were Vusisizwe Sibanda, Thulani Dube, Michael Ncube and Mercy Ncube."It was against this background that the City was requesting the engagement of the above former staff members for the period of the Bank review mission," the council noted."The cost of hiring the above members would be borne by council and amounted to $23 627 000 total andc rates as per travelling and subsistence had been used as basis for calculating the fees."Bulawayo is emerging as the country's diarrhoea epicentre due to the ongoing water crisis and collapsing sewer reticulation systems.In June 2020, a killer diarrhoea outbreak killed 13 residents of Luveve suburb and infected over 2000 otherA road traffic accident that claimed 22 lives along the Bulawayo-Gwanda road last week brought back to the spotlight the poor state of the road network in Matebeleland.Most of the roads that connect Bulawayo to various districts of Matebeleland such as Tsholotsho, Maphisa and Nkayi are in a sorry state and have become death traps.The Beitbridge-Bulawayo-Victoria Falls highway, a major trade route, is neglected.It was only recently that government started rehabilitating the highway.In Bulawayo, the council is on record saying 70% of its road network has outlived its lifespan and requires about US$700 million to be rehabilitated.The government has been making promises to rehabilitate the roads over the years, but they remain neglected.At some of these roads, equipment is deployed on site towards the elections with officials promising a quick fix.However, the equipment is soon removed after the elections, raising eyebrows.Zimbabwe Passenger Association secretary-general Paul Makiwa said transport operators are paying the high cost of neglected roads.Makiwa said their vehicles are suffering tear and wear as they traverse the corrugated roads ferrying villagers from growth points to deep outlying areas.Zupco, government's only licenced mass public transport system, even shuns the outlying areas, leaving villagers at the mercy of the few private transport operators."We are witnessing daily road carnage because most of the roads in the region are in a bad state," Makiwa said."We do not have proper bridges and other places are not friendly and usable to the motorists."He appealed to government to allocate more funds towards the rehabilitation of roads in the region.The government launched the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme (ERRP) in 2021 after President Emmerson Mnangagwa declared the state of the country's roads a national disaster.Under ERRP, the government is targeting to rehabilitate 10 000 kilometres of the road network countrywide but mainly urban and trunk roads, ignoring the neglected gravel roads in rural areas, particularly deep situated areas.However, there have been reports of some construction companies being forced to abandon road rehabilitation works over payment delays.Despite launching ERRP, major routes in Matebeleland are in a bad shape, said transport operator Matthew Sibanda."We pay a lot of money for our public transport in terms of tax, insurance and at tollgates hoping that the money would be channelled towards the maintenance of the roads but this is not the case," Sibanda said."What is painful is that the fees keep on rising every now and then but we do not see our value for money in terms of service delivery."Tsholotsho Rural District Council (RDC) chief executive Nkululeko Sibanda said funds for roads maintenance and formation from the Zimbabwe National Road Administration (Zinara) were not enough."We do get allocation from Zinara for council roads, but the disbursements are erratic and not enough," Sibanda said.Nkayi RDC chief executive Silibele Mpofu said the council was now using its own resources to try and fix the roads."In our case we have acquired a tipper truck and water bowser, which we will use to repair the roads," Mpofu said."We will try and outsource only the equipment that we do not have."In Nkayi, roads linking Nkayi centre and other outlying areas are in bad condition.Last year, Transport and Infrastructural Development minister Felix Mhona revealed that an estimated 35 km of the constructed Bulawayo-Nkayi road has outlived its design lifespan by two decades.Construction of the road began in 1996, three years after the completion of feasibility studies.Critics argue the government has never been serious in ensuring the completion of the project citing the painfully slow pace of road construction works.Zinara chief executive Nkosinathi Ncube admitted that the road network in the region was in a poor state."I have been to Nkayi road and that road is terrible," Ncube said."However, if the councils can use their own available equipment or resources to fix these roads, say they go to the government maybe to ask for money for their grader that would be better because that is the essence of devolution."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described the ceasefire agreement with Islamist Hamas to trade hostages as a right decision.

The war will continue even after the implementation of the agreement to exchange Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, he emphasised at a press conference in Tel Aviv.

The fighting would continue until Israel had achieved all its goals, Mr Netanyahu added.

Up to 100 hostages from Israel could be exchanged for up to 300 Palestinian inmates in Israeli prisons.

Mr Netanyahu labelled the return of the hostages as an ethical duty and said every opportunity would be utilized to ultimately free all hostages who were taken when Hamas terrorists attacked Israel on 7 October, killing around 1,200 people.

Israel hit back with shelling and ground offensives, with the Hamas-run Gazan Health Ministry saying over 16,000 have died, but this number was later disputed.

Hamas says the ceasefire is to begin on Thursday at 10 a.m. (0800 GMT).

Mr Netanyahu did not comment on the exact start and there was also no official information on the time of the citizen exchange.

According to reports, this is expected to be as early as midday on Thursday. (dpa/NAN)

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A leading Nigerian music company, Chocolate City, may lose as much as 60 per cent of its equity to an international partner, WEA International, a subsidiary of New York-based Warner Music Group (WMG).

This is a fallout of a judgement of the Commercial Division of a High Court in London on a loan dispute between the parties.

The judgement bars Chocolate City from prepaying a $1.7 million loan it took from the American record label ahead of the loans due date in 2024, while also affirming the lenders right to choose to be paid back with 60 per cent of the borrowers shares.

The judgement, delivered on 16 November, affirmed that WEA/WMG has the right to either choose to accept the payment with full interest at the due date or convert the loan to 60 per cent of Chocolate Citys shares.

The High Courts decision put an end to the move by Chocolate City to exit the loan obligations early, to preempt the lender from taking the option of demanding 60 per cent of its shares as a means of offsetting the loan.

Chocolate City had sought to prepay the loan in 2022, whereas the loan has a term of five years, from 2019 to 2024.

In his judgement, a copy of which was obtained by PREMIUM TIMES, the judge, David Foxton, ruled that prepayment of the facility before the due date was not envisaged under the agreement the parties signed.

There is no right to pay off any negative balance under the ADA Distribution Agreement before the Maturity Date or termination of the Facility (implicitly under clause 17.21), the judge said.

Chocolate City, founded in 2005 by Audu Maikori, Paul Okeugo and Yahaya Maikori, obtained the loan in issue from WEA under a contractual agreement they entered into on 27 March 2019.

According to the court judgement, the agreement signed by the parties was for $1.8 million ($1,832,500) Convertible Term Loan Facilities.

A convertible loan is one which will either be repaid or, in most cases, converted into equity at a future date. It is a form of financing that ordinarily takes less time than an equity funding round, which can be costly and time-consuming.

The loan obtained from WMG was to be payable in full or convertible into 60 per cent of the equity interests of Chocolate City.

Promising deal

At the promising beginning of the deal, on 28 March 2019, a day after the agreement was signed, Warner Music Group (WMG) announced a pioneering partnership with Chocolate City.

Under the partnership listed on its official website, Chocolate City artistes would join WMGs repertoire and receive the support of the companys distribution and artiste services via its independent label services division, Alternative Distribution Alliance (ADA).

At the time, WMG said that the partnership with Chocolate City would dramatically grow the reach of African artistes worldwide and create new opportunities for global superstars in the region.

Under the terms of the deal, music from the labels artistes would join Warner Musics repertoire, and they would receive the support of the companys global expertise, including distribution and artiste services via ADA.

WMG also promised financial support for Chocolate City to help achieve its mission of signing and developing the best local talent in this fast-growing market.

Chocolate City loan agreement details

Details of the loan deal were reproduced in the courts judgement on the dispute that later ensued between the parties.

The judge referenced some pre-contractual documents signed by the parties for a better understanding of the deal.

The judge said the pre-contractual documents are not legally binding but help shed light on the unclear details of the contract itself.

Some of the documents include the Letter of Interest (LOI) dated 15 August 2018 which was signed by Chocolate City and Warner Music Inc (of which WEA is a part).

There was also a non-binding Term Sheet dated 17 January 2019 signed by Chocolate City and WEA.

Certain correspondences were also cited by the judge as helping to establish the facts and details of the loan agreement.

From the Letter of Interest, the judge said, the agreement was designed for WMG or its affiliate(s) to provide financing to Chocolate City in the form of a convertible note.

The loan was to be payable in full or convertible into 60 per cent of the equity interests of Chocolate City.

The judge referenced an email dated 27 September 2018 which WMG sent to Chocolate City, explaining what the convertible loan structure that parties had been discussing entailed.

WMG explained in the email that at the end of the term loan, that is, after five years, the investor (WMG) would have the option of accepting a return in the form of principal plus interest or equity in the company.

In response to the clarification by WMG, the judge said while reviewing the documents filed by the parties to the case, Chocolate City responded by stating, We are aligned, and We are happy to move ahead with the deal.

In the Term Sheet which the parties also signed, it was stated under the Proposed Transaction section that the transaction was an investment by way of secured loan, convertible into equity in the Company at the Lenders option at the Maturity Date.

How dispute started

By 2022, Chocolate City had drawn down on the $1.8 million facility to $1.7 million.

Dispute between the parties over the facility began to rear its head when, on 8 September 2022, Chocolate City served a prepayment notice on WEA, indicating its decision to prepay the full amount of the loan together with accrued interests on or before 20 December 2022.

Citing Clauses 8.3(a) and (b) of the Facility Agreement, Chocolate City asserted its right to prepay the loan, and requested that WEA provide its bank details for prepayment to be made.

On 13 September 2022, WEA responded that Chocolate City was not entitled to make a prepayment. Therefore, WEA did not provide its bank details.

Chocolate City then filed an application in court for summary judgment seeking declarations to the effect that it is contractually entitled to prepay the amount outstanding under a convertible term loan facility ahead of the specified maturity date.

Chocolate City was represented by Nathan Searle and George Harnett of Hogan Lovells International LLP.

WEA, represented by Tamara Oppenheimer KC and Gillian Hughes of Dentons UK and Middle East LLP, cross-applied for summary judgment for a declaration that Chocolate City is not entitled to prepay the facility.

Citing Clause 7 of the loan agreement, WEA insisted that the borrower shall repay the loans in full together with any interest accrued on the Maturity Date.

Judgement

In his judgement, Mr Foxton ruled that prepayment of the facility before the due date was not envisaged under the agreement.

This finding, the judge said, tallies with WEAs rights recognised in clause 7 of the facility up to the maturity date.

He said the clause presupposes that the Facility will only be terminated on the Maturity Date or pursuant to early termination under clause 17.21.

The judge, who said WEAs interpretation of the agreement was more acceptable than Chocolate Citys, said he was satisfied that the commercial purpose of the transaction affirmed WEAs construction of the agreement.

He said the loan agreement gave WEA an embedded right to swap the outstanding debt for equity at the Maturity Date if it decided it was in its economic interests to do so.

That commercial purpose lends strong support to WEAs construction, but Chocolate Citys construction would be inimical to it, the judge said.

In conclusion, Mr Foxton noted that Chocolate City does not have a real prospect of establishing a right to prepay the loan made to it by WEA, and WEAs construction is correct. Chocolate City fails on its application for summary judgment, and WEA succeeds on its cross-application for summary judgment.

Implication for Chocolate City

The judgement, affirming WEA/WMGs interpretation of the agreement, gives the American conglomerate the discretion to accept payment in cash or convert the loan sum to 60 per cent of Chocolate Citys equity when the facility is due for repayment.

The judge ruled that it was at WMGs sole discretion to decide whether all or a portion of the loan be converted into an unrecouped balance under the Distribution Agreement.

PREMIUM TIMES contacted Chocolate Citys CEO, Abuchi Ugwu, on the phone on Wednesday to find out if the company will appeal against the judgement or has other plans to avert losing a majority of its shares to its estranged partners. Mr Ugwu asked our correspondent to email the questions to him, but he has yet to respond to our email enquiry as of the time of filing this report.

Chocolate City has been home to recording artistes such as M.I Abaga, Nosa, Dice Ailes, Victoria Kimani, Ice Prince, DJ Caise, DJ Lambo, Jeremiah Gyang, Ruby Gyang, Pryse, Brymo, Koker, Jesse Jagz, Lemon Adisa, Mr Gbafun, Ijay, and Kahli Abdu, VHS Safari and more.

But the artistes currently on the label are Tariq, Noondave, YoungJohn, Blaqbonez, CandyBleakz and MajorAJ.

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The Federal High Court (FHC), Abuja, on Thursday, dismissed the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC)s motion seeking an order setting aside its judgement restraining the commission from imposing fines on broadcast stations in the country.

The judge, James Omotosho, in a judgement, dismissed all the grounds put forward by the NBC, describing same as an afterthought.

Mr Omotosho held that despite being served with the originating process and hearing notices in the case leading to the judgment, the commission failed to file its defence.

The judge said contrary to the NBCs argument that it was not served with court processes that led to the judgement, the court file shows that services were effected on the respondent applicant (NBC) but failed to file and refused to enter appearance.

He said there was an affidavit of facts deposed to by the court bailiff that confirmed that court processes were served on the commission on different occasions.

The respondent applicant cannot claim it was not served. The objection is hereby overruled, he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr Omotosho had, on 10 May, given an order of perpetual injunction restraining NBC from imposing fines on broadcast stations.

The judge, in a judgement, also set aside the N500,000 fines imposed, on 1 March 2019, on each of the 45 broadcast stations alleged to have violated its code.

He held that NBC, not being a court of law, had no power to impose sanctions as punishment on broadcast stations.

He further held that the NBC Code, which gives the commission the power to impose sanctions, conflicts with Section 6 of the Constitution which vested judicial power in the court of law.

The judgement followed a suit filed by Media Rights Agenda (MRA), a civil society organisation concerned with freedom of information.

In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1386/2021, the group sued NBC as the sole respondent.

In the motion dated November 2021, by its lawyer, Noah Ajare, the group sought a declaration that the sanctions procedure applied by NBC in imposing N500,000 fines on each of the 45 broadcast stations on 1 March 2019, was a violation of the rules of natural justice, among others.

NBCs push for reversal

However, after the judgement was delivered, NBC filed a motion on notice through its lawyer, Babatunde Ogala, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), seeking an order setting aside the default judgment, being a judgment reached per incuriam and without jurisdiction.

Giving a 20-ground argument, the commission said the originating motion in the suit which birthed the judgement delivered on 10 May was not served on them.

It argued that the rights group had two un-appealed, subsisting and binding decisions of the court on the same issues on the parties.

It said that the judge, Obiora Egwuatu, delivered the judgement in the suit number: FHC/ABJ/1365/2021 on 3 March in its favour.

Besides, the NBC said on 26 April 2022, Nkeonye Maha delivered judgement in suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1436/2020 against the group on the same subject matter submitted for consideration before Mr Omotosho.

It said rather than appeal against same, the group brought a fresh suit before the court, setting the honourable court up for a collision course with decisions of your Learned Brothers of the Federal High Court in the same complex.

It argued that the group failed to serve the commission with court processes because all the facts stated above would have been brought to the attention of the court.

The commission, which accused the group of engaging in a multiplicity of actions, said it was an abuse of the court process.

That having presented the issues for adjudication before a competent court of Law, the issues decided and judgement delivered, the issues are res judicata on the parties except on appeal, it said, among other things.

MRA fights back

But the group, the MRA, through its counsel, Mr Ajare, disagreed with NBC.

It insisted that the commission was duly served but refused to appear in court, urging the court to discountenance the arguments.

He argued that the subject matters were different and the court, having delivered the judgment, was functus officio (lacked jurisdiction to re-examine its decision).

Mr Omotosho agreed with Mr Ajares submission that the court lacked jurisdiction to reopen the case already decided.

Judge rules

The judge gave instances where a court can set aside its judgement. He said such instances include when the judgement was obtained by fraud, when a party was not served to give its defence, when it was a nullity, etc.

According to him, it is clear from the above that service of process confers jurisdiction on the court.

He dismissed the argument that the case was an abuse of the court process as NBC failed to bring those facts before the court but folded its arms to allow the court to decide on the matter.

According to him, equity does not aid indolence; rather, equity aids the vigilant not the indolent, citing a previous case of the Supreme Court to back his decision.

A party challenging the jurisdiction of the court must do that timeously.

These are facts the respondent applicant (NBC) ought to have brought before the court but did not avail itself of this opportunity.

It is a futile attempt to get the court to set aside this judgment.

The respondent applicant should bear the consequences of its own indolence.

In the final analysis, it is an afterthought and belated. The application to set aside the judgment is hereby refused, the judge declared.

(NAN)

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The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) on Wednesday said it has made a robust plan for the supply of petroleum products sufficient to last beyond the ember months and the New Year festivities.

Olufemi Soneye, the chief corporate communications officer of the company, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday.

Mr Soneye said Mele Kyari, the group chief executive officer of the company, made the disclosure when he led the NNPC Ltd delegation on a courtesy visit to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, at the National Assembly in Abuja, on Wednesday.

By the creation of the National Assembly, NNPC Ltd is saddled with the responsibility of guaranteeing Nigerias energy security which is critical to national security.

We have made a robust plan for the forthcoming end-of-the-year festivities and beyond. We do not see any shortages in the petroleum products supply for the period, the statement quoted Mr Kyari as saying.

While lauding the National Assembly for the critical roles it played in the enactment of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021, according to the statement, Mr Kyari said that this legislative endeavour had given birth to a new commercially oriented National Oil Company (NOC) that is governed by the Company & Allied Matters Act (CAMA) principles.

Speaking further, Mr Kyari stated that with the passage of the PIA 2021, NNPC Ltds profitability margins have significantly risen, growing from a loss position of N803 billion in 2018 to a profit position of N674 billion in 2021.

Mr Kyari explained that NNPC Ltd is targeting a profit increase of N2 trillion when the 2022 Audited Financial Statements (AFS) are released, noting that since July this year, the company has started paying dividends to its shareholders.

He said that the NNPC Ltd is involved in the entire value chain of the oil and gas business and controls about 30 per cent of the nations petroleum downstream retail market.

While identifying crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism as major challenges to the companys business, Mr Kyari said the recent collaboration with the nations security services as well as third-party security contractors has been yielding results, mostly in the area of increased crude oil production.

He added that the company is investing in several gas and power projects across the country, aimed at supporting the federal governments power generation and industrialisation aspirations.

He further assured that NNPC Ltd is working assiduously to revamp local refining of petroleum products and collaborating with indigenous refiners to ensure that Nigeria becomes a net exporter of petroleum products.

Senate President responds

In his response, Mr Akpabio assured Mr Kyari of the 10th Senates support, saying that the Nigerian parliament appreciates the Mr Kyari-led management for its commitment to ensuring robust petroleum products supply during the yuletide period.

Nigerians always want to hear good news. We are glad that you have made robust plans to provide sufficient product supply this coming festive period and beyond, the statement quoted Mr Akpabio as saying.

The Senate President also commended the rehabilitation of the nations three refineries, saying that their re-streaming will cause a multiplier effect on Nigerias economy, in line with the Bola Tinubu administrations Renewed Hope agenda.

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The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, expressed worry, on Wednesday, over the huge financial losses Nigeria suffers as a result of cybercrime activities in the country.

He said cybercrime became rampant in the country after some individuals with bad intentions started it some years ago.

He said the people, who first engaged in cybercrime in Nigeria, started with hacking, identity theft, fraud, harassment and cyber terrorism.

Mr Akpabio said this on Wednesday during the inauguration of a public hearing on the amendment of Cybercrime Act 2015 held at the Senate Complex, Abuja.

Mr Akpabio who was represented by the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, lamented how cybercrime has become a great menace to the Nigerian economy.

In this age of rapid technological advancement and widespread internet usage, cybercrime has emerged as a grave menace to our society, economy and personal security.

It is imperative and strengthening the existing laws on cybercrime prohibition and prevention. In the past, certain individuals with misguided intentions exploited our weak cybercrime laws, thereby tarnishing the reputation of our country.

They engaged in a wide array of illegal activities, such as hacking, identity theft, fraud, harassment and cyber terrorism. These crimes not only inflicted significant financial losses upon our country, but also invaded our privacy, disrupted critical infrastructure, and eroded trust in our digital systems, the Senate President said.

Mr Akpabio therefore reiterated the need to establish a comprehensive legal framework that will include strengthening the prosecution of cyber-criminals.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on ICT and Cyber Security, Shuaib Salisu (APC, Ogun Central), said it is necessary to amend the Cybercrime Act 2015.

READ ALSO: Akpabio reshuffles leadership of Senate committees

Mr Salisu explained that the amendment sought to strengthen the digital space operation in Nigeria.

He, therefore, called on all the stakeholders to contribute to the legislation of the amendment.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence, Shehu Buba (APC Bauchi South), said the amendment will empower anti-corruption agencies and the Nigeria Police Force to arrest and prosecute offenders of cybercrime.

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UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday welcomed a deal to release hostages taken during the Hamas terror attack on Israel.

He said that the UN stood ready to maximise the positive humanitarian impact of the agreement.

This is an important step in the right direction, but much more needs to be done, Mr Guterres said in a statement issued by his spokesperson, Farhan Haq.

A top UN official leading efforts to secure a lasting peace in the Middle East, Tor Wennesland, also welcomed the announced 96-hour humanitarian pause in war-shattered Gaza.

This pause must be used to its fullest extent to facilitate the release of hostages and alleviate the dire needs of Palestinians in Gaza.

The development comes as UN humanitarians reiterated that they remain ready to seize the opportunity to ramp up lifesaving aid to the enclave.

Following the four-day ceasefire announcement the UN World Health Organisation (WHO) issued fresh calls for safe, unimpeded humanitarian access in the Strip.

The fighting needs to stop so that we can quickly scale up our response, Ahmed Al-Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean said.

We cannot keep providing drops of aid in Gaza in an ocean of need.

Meanwhile, WHO said that a new evacuation was underway at Gaza Citys incaded Al-Shifa hospital, with more to follow in northern Gaza.

According to media reports, the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was due to begin within 24 hours of its announcement.

In his statement, Mr Wennesland welcomed the efforts of the governments of Egypt, Qatar and the United States in facilitating the agreement.

WHOs representative in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Richard Peeperkorn, said that any news of a humanitarian pause and of a release of hostages was welcome, but that a true end to the fighting was needed.

At the same WHO press conference in Cairo, Mr Al-Mandhari called for a permanent ceasefire and said that the parties to the conflict should put the welfare and health of their people as their first priority.

The UN health agency official also led a minute of silence to honour WHO Staffer Dima Alhaji killed in Gaza on Tuesday, along with many relatives.

As we grieve, we are reminded of the senseless nature of this conflict and of the fact that in Gaza today nowhere is safe for civilians, including our own UN colleagues, he said.

Since the start of Israels retaliation of Hamas 7 October massacres which left 1,200 dead in southern Israel and some 240 hostages abducted, 108 UN staff members have been killed in the Strip.

Mr Peeperkorn revealed on Wednesday that a mission was underway in close coordination with humanitarian partners the Palestinian Red Crescent and Medecins Sans Frontieres, to evacuate patients and health workers remaining in Al-Shifa.

The mission follows the initial inter-agency evacuation of 31 premature babies on Sunday.

Out of the 220 patients and 200 health workers still at the hospital, the priority evacuees would be 21 dialysis patients, 29 patients with spinal injuries and those in intensive care, Mr Peeperkorn said.

He also informed that in the meantime, the UN health agency has received evacuation requests from three other hospitals in northern Gaza: Al-Ahli Arab Hospital, Al-Awda Hospital and the Indonesian Hospital, and planning was underway, with WHO and its partners sparing no efforts to make sure this happens in the coming days.

He explained that such evacuations are only undertaken upon request and as a last resort.

Mr Al-Mandhari deplored the fact that even hospitals are not being protected from the horrors of the conflict in Gaza.

WHO has documented 178 attacks on healthcare in the Strip since 7 October and out of the enclaves 36 hospitals 28 are not functional anymore, his colleague Mr Peeperkorn told journalists.

The eight remaining hospitals, all in the south, are overwhelmed, he said, and all efforts must be made to keep them functional and expand their bed capacity.

The enclave had some 3,500 hospital beds prior to the current escalation and that number is now down to less than 1,400.

The perspective of a ceasefire has raised hopes for improved access to desperate Gazan civilians and an increase in the volume of relief items coming through.

(NAN)

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The Acting Director, Library Services, Enugu State Library, Caroline Okolie, has urged the state government to make use of noise-proof materials in the library building to reduce the noise around it.

Mrs Okolie made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Enugu.

She said that this had become necessary to enable readers to concentrate effectively while in the library.

NAN reports that the state library built over 50 years ago has been surrounded by bus terminals and businesses that create noise in the library premises.

Mrs Okolie said that the E-Library service was one of the facilities needed for users to enjoy the library as it would help to increase the number of library users.

According to her, the library cannot cope with the noise around it due to the increased number of businesses here and urban development as well.

Relocating the library elsewhere will not solve the noise problem because wherever you relocate it to, development will definitely take place around it in future.

But with the help of noise-proof materials in the building, the library will be quiet for everyone within the building to concentrate on his or her work, she said.

The director noted that the number of users had reduced when compared to before, but students usually come in large numbers during examination to read.

We encourage everyone to use the library as we often organise library period for children every second Saturday of the month, Mrs Okolie said.

She, however, applauded the state government for its plan to upgrade the state library facilities.

The director also said that the familiarisation visit by the members of the states House of Assembly to the library recently was encouraging.

She added that the house members promised to look into the challenges faced by the library and upgrade it to a state-of-the-art standard.

(NAN)

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The National Council on Climate Change (NCCC) on Thursday held a one-day workshop ahead of the upcoming Conference of Parties (COP) which will be held in Dubai, United Arab Emirate.

The workshop organised in partnership with Oxfam in Nigeria and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) is meant to harmonise Nigerias position at the conference.

Emphasising the importance of the workshop, the Director-General of the Council, Salisu Dahiru, said Nigeria is one of the 10 worst hit countries by climate change, highlighting the flooding of the previous year that affected about two million people.

He noted that it is important for stakeholders to collectively agree on what steps they can take and roles they can play towards the challenges of climate change.

The NCCC is the focal point of Nigeria to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) which is the United Nations entity charged with the responsibility of addressing the global threat of climate change.

Mr Dahiru noted that although the council has its responsibilities set out, it lacks the financing to implement and execute these responsibilities.

These responsibilities include a national climate change action plan, developing a carbon taxing system, developing carbon budget, carbon registry amongst others.

According to him, the current budgetary allocation for the council does not scratch the surface. The council has partnered with the UK high commission in Nigeria to activate Nigerias climate change fund so as to lessen the councils dependence on the national budget.

Mr Dahiru said if Nigeria wants to take its climate change destiny in its hands, it must have the requisite financing.

READ ALSO: Nigeria outlines priorities for COP28

Echoing the challenge of funding faced by the council, the Deputy Chairman House Committee on Environment, Terseer Ugbor, said the House of Representatives will work to see that the council becomes a commission in order to enjoy government funding following the current governments decision to defund all councils in the country.

He noted that for Nigerias participation at COP28 to be valuable and fruitful, the countrys delegates must provide a unified vision and tangible proposals that prove the countrys commitment to environmental sustainability, resilience, and inclusive economic development.

For Mr Ugbor, the outcomes of COP28 are not mere policies but lifelines dictating the future trajectory of sustainable development, hence, the need for joint action at COP28 and beyond.

He said Nigeria is not just a participant at COP28, but a proponent for substantial climate initiatives, striving to activate the $100 billion loss and damage funding. He said Nigeria will also be championing enhanced and climate action and finance distribution.

Mr Ugbor hoped that at the end of the conference, Nigeria can secure at least one billion dollars in support.

Despite unveiling it Energy Transition Plan (ETP) at the conference last year, it could not secure any investment unlike South Africa and Egypt.

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A bill seeking to provide a legal framework for the mining, production and exportation of bitumen in the country, has passed second reading at the Senate .

The bill was sponsored by Jimoh Ibrahim (APC, Ondo South) .

The bill was read the second time during the plenary on Thursday and referred to the Senate Committee on Solid Minerals for further legislative action.

The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, directed the committee to report back to the senate within one month.

Mr Ibrahim, while leading a debate on the bill, advocated the establishment of the Bitumen Development Commission of Nigeria.

He said the establishment of the commission is necessary because it will increase the revenue generation of the country.

The senator noted that the commission will be saddled with the responsibility of regulating all mining , production and exportation process of bitumen in the country.

Mr Ibrahim said it will also ensure effective utilisation of over 38 billion reserves of bitumen in Nigeria.

He said bitumen exploration will contribute positively in promoting economic activities in the country, when the legal framework is finally put in place.

The senator also said the exploration of bitumen in the country will promote the economic diversification policy of the federal government.

The objectives of the bill, according to the senator are:

 The need to develop a legal framework for the regulation of the Bitumen development in Nigeria;

 To prevent unconventional sources from taking advantage of research-enhanced applications over other competitors

 To lead innovation and resource-based strategy in the development of Bitumen in Nigeria

 To ensure effective utilisation of over 38 billion reserves of bitumen in Nigeria; and 

To promote economic diversification policy of the federal government.

Debate

Babanjida Husseni (APC, Jigawa North West) seconded the motion.

Mr Husseni said the legalisation of the exploration of bitumen will facilitate construction of good roads in different parts of the country.

Oyewunmi Olalere (PDP, Osun West) said Nigeria needs a legal framework to utilise all the bitumen discovered in different parts of the country.

Seriake Dickson (PDP, Bayelsa West), who also supported passage of the bill, said the legalisation will help to develop economic activities of the country.

Majority of the senators voted in support of the motion when it was put to debate through a voice vote.

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A former Bauchi lawmaker, Salisu Zakari, has been stripped of his traditional title.

This came after he made a statement critical of an 11-kilometre road valued at N10. 3 billion the state government plans to construct from Ningi to Gudduba.

The governor, Bala Muhammad, flagged off the construction of the road last Sunday.

He said when the project is completed, the road will boost the states economy and bring development to Ningi town in particular.

The governor said the 11-kilometre road project was awarded to MotherCart Nig. Ltd.

He said the road was strategic as it would be a gateway to the commercial city of Kano and other parts of northern Nigeria.

However, the cost of the road has attracted criticism from people who believed it was too expensive.

Mr Zakari, a former representative of Ningi Federal Constituency, suggested the road might not be as long as the length quoted by the government.

Writing on Facebook, Mr Zakari said he was glad about the road. He, however, raised questions about the length of the road.

My problem is not about the amount. Even if its N20 or N50 billion we are benefitting from the dual carriageway in the town. But the truth of the matter is that from Ningi to Gadar Maiwa is 10 kilometres, and from Ningi to Gadar Nasaru is 10 kilometres, put together is 20 kilometres. The length of Ningi is over 100 kilometres, from Kogin Bunga to Burra but Ningi is not much in breadth.

My question here is that I doubt if from Government Secondary School Ningi to Gudduba (School of Health Technology) (Where the N10.3 billion was awarded for the 11 kilometres road), is up to 10 kilometres. I am just asking because there are Eagle eyes, he said.

But after his comment the Ningi Emirate Council stripped him of his traditional title of Kauran Ningi.

The council said he was stripped of his title for condemning the road project.

READ ALSO:

The councils decision was conveyed in a letter with the reference number: NEC/N/TTH/75/V.1 dated 17 November.

The letter, signed by the Council Secretary, Sulaiman Burra, written in Hausa language reads, in parts: Warmest greetings and best wishes to you. I have been directed to inform you that, His Royal Highness, the Emir of Ningi in consultation with his Council has removed you from your traditional title of Kauran Ningi effective today, Friday, November 17, 2023.

The letter reads further: This is consequent upon your lackadaisical attitude towards the development and growth of the Ningi Emirate, as well as condemnation and rubbishing the developmental project the Emirate had yearned for over a long period in terms of a dual carriageway in Ningi township, the Bauchi-Ningi-Kano road, as heard in the social media.

Mr Zakari said he was shocked by the councils decision because he advocated the construction of the road in the past.

I have been advocating for the road project over the years, I never questioned about the cost, I said the road is not up to 11-kilometre, let them come and measure it before embarking on the project, Mr Zakari told. PREMIUM TIMES Tuesday afternoon.

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News / Local

by Staff reporter

SEVEN Zimbabweans have been locked up in remand prison in Botswana pending trial for illegal mining.According to media reports, the Zimbabweans were caught prospecting and mining gold illegally in Sechele and Kalakamati areas in Botswana.They appeared before Masunga senior magistrate Segametsi Basinyi last week and pleaded guilty to the charge.Media reports state that the investigating officer, Constable John Makhubu of Nlakhwane Police Post said the seven were arrested on September 13 near Isaac Hlabano's farm."I was engaged in an operation together with the Botswana Defence Force when we encountered the accused. We were immediately suspicious that they were mining illegally," Makhubu said.The suspects confessed and showed remorse over their illegal activities, at the same time pleading for a fine instead of being jailed.The accused persons said poverty drove them to commit the crime.
The police in Jigawa State have arrested a 50-year-old man for allegedly fabricating firearms in Ringim Local Government Area of the state.

Police spokesperson in the state, Lawan Shiisu, a deputy suprintendent of police, said in Dutse, the state capital, on Thursday that the suspect was arrested on 16 November.

Policemen in Ringim in collaboration with a local vigilance group arrested the 50-year-old resident of Yandutsen Kawari village who specialised in fabricating firearms for miscreants, Mr Shiisu stated.

A search at the residence of the suspect led to the recovery of a locally-made pistol and two rifles, he added.

Mr Shiisu said also that the suspect confessed to have manufactured so many firearms and sold them to people he could not identify.

The suspect would be arraigned in court at the conclusion of investigation, the police spokesperson assured.

(NAN)

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Nigeria may lose $460 billion due to climate change by 2050 if necessary adaptation and mitigation actions are not taken, a new report by Agora Policy, an Abuja-based think-tank, has revealed.

The report titled, Climate Change and Socio-Economic Development in Nigeria, was officially presented to the public on Wednesday during a policy dialogue, themed: Nigeria, Climate Change, and the Green Economy in Abuja.

The dialogue was part of the activities mapped out by Agora policy and other partners in the lead-up to the forthcoming 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28)

The new report was produced with the support of the MacArthur Foundation and was authored by Chukwumerije Okereke  a professor of Global Climate and Environmental Governance; Emmanuel Oladipo  a retired lecturer and specialist on sustainable development, environment, and climate change; Ifeoma Malo  Co-founder of Clean Technology Hub and Fola Aina  a development, peace and security expert.

The total economic cost of climate change to Nigeria is estimated to be about $100 billion cumulatively. Climate change may also cause Nigeria to lose trillions of dollars in stranded assets, the 84-page report noted.

In his remarks, Kole Shettima, the Nigeria Office Director of the MacArthur Foundation, outlined the organisations efforts to provide access to clean energy, particularly in rural and low-income communities.

He emphasised that climate change affects different populations disproportionately, with the poor and disadvantaged being more severely impacted.

Meanwhile, the World Bank Country Director for Nigeria, Shubham Chaudhuri, stressed the need for more coordinated action to address climate change issues in Nigeria.

He explained how the World Bank is supporting Nigeria in responding to climate change, with a focus on adaptation and mitigation efforts.

Climate change adaptation is an overwhelming challenge, issues of rising temperatures, flooding, drought abound and we must move from policies to action. Nigeria must do more to improve access to energy resources so as to promote development, doing this will help all development efforts, he noted.

Key highlights and recommendations

The report states that climate change is increasing hunger, poverty, disease-burden, migration, conflict and insecurity in Nigeria, and that it is damaging infrastructure, changing Nigerias coastlines, fuelling desertification, producing water scarcity, facilitating erosion and resulting in the loss of revenue for states and the national government.

With these far-reaching negative effects on the countrys human and natural systems, the report said climate change has the potential to jeopardise the countrys economic development and alter its geographical, social, and political trajectory for decades or centuries.

Some of the repercussions of climate change on the nation may be irreversible. Therefore, it should be evident that climate change is not a marginal or peripheral issue that the government and the people of Nigeria can take lightly, the report said.

Even though climate change poses significant threats to Nigerias economic development, the report says it also presents an opportunity to diversify the economy, expand the countrys energy portfolio, address energy security concerns, and increase global economic competitiveness.

The authors noted that to transform climate change from a significant threat into an opportunity requires deliberate planning supported by immediate, bold and courageous action.

While presenting the highlights of the report, Mr Okereke who is also the director of the Centre for Climate Change and Development, noted about 25 million Nigerians are at risk of flooding and 630 km2 of land is susceptible to flooding along the Niger-Benue basin in the Niger Delta area.

He argued that about 357,000 people living in Lagos are exposed to flood and that by 2050, 3.2 million Lagosians may be exposed to flooding.

The expert explained that the direct estimate of loss and damages recorded from last years flooding is pegged at N1.48 trillion, while the total damage and loss, including indirect ones due to the flooding is about N2.6 trillion.

The researchers explained that climate change will alter Nigerias coastlines, result in displacement of hundreds of thousands of people and possibly the submergence and disappearance of Nigerian communities.

Also, they noted that agriculture is one of the sectors most sensitive to global warming in Nigeria and a major source of climate-induced economic loss in the country.

They, however, recommended that there is a need to strengthen national climate policy frameworks, strengthen institutional capacity, ensure adequate climate funding, fair energy transition, public awareness, collaborative approach, and targeted sectoral interventions among several others in order to mitigate the impending climate crisis.

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Membership of the newly-appointed Rivers State All Progressives Congress (APC) Caretaker Committee appears to have been shared between loyalists of former Transport Minister, Rotimi Amaechi, and supporters of the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike.

Mr Amaechi is officially a member of the APC while Mr Wike is officially a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Mr Wike, who unsuccessfully bidded for his partys presidential ticket last year, is believed to have some influence on the APC in the state by virtue of his position as a minister in the APC-led federal government.

The NWC of APC, on Wednesday, dissolved the crisis-ridden leadership of the party, and appointed a seven-member caretaker committee to run its affairs in the state for six months.

The committee members are Tony Okocha (Chairman), Eric Nwibani (Secretary), Chibuike Ikenga and Stephen Abolo.

Others are Silvester Vidin, Senibo Dan-Jumbo and Darling Amadi.

Mr Okocha is a known supporter of Mr Wike, even though they belong to different political parties.

His appointment as the committee chairman has, therefore, fuelled speculations that the ruling party is preparing grounds for the defection of the FCT minister to the APC.

Mr Okocha, a former Chief of Staff to Mr Amaechi, has been critical of his former boss lately.

Besides, the new caretaker committee chair, in the past couple of months, has been championing the campaign for the defection of Mr Wike from the PDP to the APC.

In an interview in July, Mr Okocha declared that his group had resolved to formally invite Mr Wike to join the APC and take over the structure of the party.

The group had met after the election and we asked ourselves what the position was. In that meeting, it was not part of our agenda. We had a two-point agenda.

One, was a briefing as to what has happened? The second one was, what is the way forward? In the cause of that meeting, a motion was moved from the floor saying that we should invite Governor Wike to come over to APC and take over the leadership of APC, he said.

There are speculations that now that he has been given the structure of the APC in Rivers State with the mandate to midwife the birth of a new state executive, he would ensure the defection of Mr Wike to the party.

Other affiliations

On the other hand, the appointment of Eric Nwibani, a loyalist of Mr Amaechi, as the secretary of the caretaker committee is seen by observers as some sort of a balance.

Mr Nwibani, a House of Representatives candidate in the last election, belongs to the Chibuike Amaechi (CRA) political bloc in the state.

Another loyalist of Mr Amaechi is Chibuike Ikenga, a former caretaker chairman of Ikwerre Local Government Area where the former transport minister hails from.

Crisis-ridden state executive

Since 2018, the Rivers State chapter of the APC has been enmeshed in crises.

That year, the Federal High Court nullified both the direct and indirect primaries conducted by two factions of the party in the state.

The factions conducted parallel primaries that produced two sets of candidates.

While the faction loyal to Mr Ameachi produced Tonye Cole as its governorship candidate, the other loyal to Magnus Abe, produced him (Abe) as its candidate.

The Supreme Court subsequently affirmed the nullification of all APC candidates in the state.

The development gave Mr Wike a smooth sail to be re-elected for second term as a PDP governor in 2019.

The APC almost went through the same experience again in 2022 in the build-up to the 2023 general elections.

The pro-Amaechi faction again produced Mr Cole as its candidate, prompting some aggrieved aspirants to approach the court.

It took the intervention of the Court of Appeal for the APC to be on the ballot in Rivers State.

However, immediately after the general elections, the party went into another crisis as some members of the state executive committee suspended Emeka Beke, the state party chairman, Iheanyichukwu Azubuike, legal adviser, and Darlington Nwauju, publicity secretary.

Omiete Eferebo, the deputy chairman of the APC, took over the running of the party. His supporters also got an order restraining Mr Beke from parading himself as chairman of the APC in Rivers State.

Political rivalry between Wike and Amaechi

Messrs Wike and Amaechi have been in continuous struggle for control of the political structure of the state for about a decade.

Mr Wike had served as chief of staff to Mr Ameachi while the latter was governor before he (Wike) moved to Abuja as Minister of State for Education.

But since 2014, when Amaechi left PDP for the APC in the twilight of his second and final tenure as governor, both have been in different political parties.

While Mr Wike remained in the PDP, Mr Amaechi, alongside some governors, defected to the newly formed APC. He would later become the director-general of the APC presidential campaigns.

However, the 2023 general elections changed the political arrangement in the state. Mr Amaechi, who lost the presidential primary election against then co-presidential aspirant, Bola Tinubu, in 2022, has since been largely withdrawn from the activities of the APC especially at the national level.

He also faced allegations of working against the party in the state.

On the other hand, Mr Wike led a group of aggrieved PDP governors named the G5 that openly opposed Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the PDP.

For the very first time since the return of democracy, a party other than the PDP was declared winner of the presidential election in Rivers State. Mr Wike claimed credit for APCs surprising victory in the state. Bola Tinubu, the APC candidate in the election, polled 231,591 votes in the state to emerge the winner.

However, PREMIUM TIMES review of the results uploaded on the INEC Results Viewing Portal (IReV) shows that Peter Obi of the Labour Party won the presidential election in Rivers, contrary to the declaration made by INEC.

In gratitude for Mr Wikes contribution to the success of the APC in the state, President Tinubu appointed him FCT minister, prompting protests by some elements within the pro-Amaechis camp.

The Rivers State Chapter of the APC has no representation at any level of governance in our country. There isnt a single Rivers APC member appointed at any level of the federal, state or local government, Mr Cole told the National Chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Ganduje, in September during a visit to the partys national secretariat.

The protests over appointment was dismissed by Mr Okocha, who stated that all appointments should be routed to the state through Mr Wike.

We have said whatever is due to us as our own slot in Rivers should be handed over to Wike because he knows who and who worked for Tinubu in Rivers, he said.

The recent move by the ruling party is coming amid ongoing fight between Mr Wike and his political godson and successor, Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State.

The two politicians are currently locked in a battle over the political structure of the state. As a result, the timing of a rejig in the leadership of APC in the state is fueling the speculations of a possible defection of the FCT minister.

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The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has ordered an immediate investigation of an intelligence report on misconduct by some men of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS).

This is contained in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Alao Babatunde, on Thursday in Abuja.

The minister ordered the investigation while reacting to comments by the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Christopher Musa, a general, when he appeared before members of the House of Representatives on Tuesday.

According to the CDS, some personnel of the correctional service connived with inmates to finance the operations of proscribed terrorist groups.

Mr Tunji-Ojo, in his reaction, condemned the unpatriotic act, directing the Controller-General of the NCoS, Haliru Nababa, to investigate the disturbing allegation.

The minister, therefore, called for a speedy investigation into the matter with the view of unravelling the truth.

He added that any officer culpable or complicit in sabotaging the service and by extension the security of the country would face the full wrath of the law.

Mr Tunji-Ojo also assured the public that actions were underway to reform the service to match international standards where inmates would be truly rehabilitated.

This, he added, would be in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu.

The era of talks but no action is over. The renewed hope administration will not entertain breaches from any officer.

We have the interest of the state to protect and it is above anyones interest, he added.

(NAN)

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The Nigerian government on Thursday outlined its priorities for the upcoming 28th Conference of Parties (COP).

Speaking to journalists at a pre-COP workshop organised by the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC), the Director General of the council, Salisu Dahiru, said Nigeria has a number of issues dear to its economy and journey towards climate resilience that it hopes to achieve at COP28.

COP 28 is the United Nations Climate Change Conference taking place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates this year, from 30 November to 12 December.

COP takes place every year, and is the worlds only multilateral decision-making forum on climate change with about 198 member countries.

Nigerias focus at COP28

According to Mr Dahiru, Nigerias focus for COP28 includes securing funds to implement its Energy Transition Plan (ETP) that was launched at last years conference, and raising additional finance based on the $100 billion pledge made by the global north in 2009 to support mitigation and adaptation in developing countries.

Additionally, Nigeria is concerned with the issue of using gas as a transition fuel and also the loss and damage fund which was agreed on at the last COP.

Our focus for this COP28, will be to operationalise the loss and damage fund and to be in a position to support countries that are vulnerable to climate change including Nigeria with emphasis on leaving no one behind, Mr Dahiru said.

He noted that Nigeria is also interested in ramping up finance for adaptation as much of financing available is for mitigation.

Mr Dahiru clarified that achieving these outcomes are dependent on consensus which is achieved by the ability of a party to negotiate, convince and gain the confidence of other parties at the conference.

On getting funding for Nigerias ETP, he noted that less than 10 countries have been able to secure funding for the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) as it is called.

Mr Dahiru said this partnership is controlled by members of the G7 and sometimes in collaboration with the G20.

To arrive at a deal between these countries and a developing country like Nigeria, it requires massive lobbying and massive requests on the part of the funding companies, he noted.

He added that investors will need to be convinced that the business environment in a country is favourable before they can invest in it. He said Nigeria has shown preparedness by having a clear transition plan with the recent removal of fuel subsidy.

Mr Dahiru noted that during the first two months of the subsidy, fuel consumption reduced considerably, and in turn, Green House Gases (GHG) emitted reduced.

This, he said, is an indication that Nigeria is able to meet its unconditional commitment as contained in its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

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The Defence Headquarters says troops of the Operation Delta Safe have in the last one week destroyed 50 illegal oil refining sites in the Niger Delta region and arrested 51 suspects.

The Director, Defence Media Operations, Edward Buba, a major-general, made this known on Thursday in Abuja while briefing journalists on the operations of the military.

Mr Buba said the troops also eliminated four criminals and recovered arms and ammunition.

He added that 578,900 litres of stolen crude oil, 454,330 litres of illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (diesel) and 10,000 litres of Dual Purpose Kerosene were recovered during the operations.

According to him, troops also destroyed 245 dugout pits, 31 boats, 69 storage tanks, one tricycle, 23 vehicles, 162 cooking ovens, one pumping machine and three outboard engines.

He said the troops killed a notorious criminal and recovered one locally made pistol on 14 November in Akpabuyo Local Government Area of Cross River.

On 15 November, troops with hybrid forces raided suspected drugs peddlers hideout in Isoko North Local Government Area of Delta and arrested six suspects.

The maritime component of Operation Delta Safe on 17 November, conducted search and rescue operation following a distress call on a missing Cameroonian-flagged motor Fishing Vessel MFV AFKI with registration number UK12 and number AFKI 8432780.

After frantic surveillance, maritime component traced and made contact with the vessel 17 nautical miles off Pennington terminal.

The vessel was recovered with two foreign crew members onboard, he said.

In the South-east, Mr Buba said the troops of Operation UDO KA killed six criminals, apprehended 14 suspected IPOB/ESN elements and rescued two kidnapped hostages.

He added that the troops recovered a pump action gun, one double barrel gun, one locally made pistol, six rounds of 9mm ammo, a motorcycle and two mobile phones, among other items.

According to him, all recovered items, arrested suspects and rescued hostages were handed over to relevant authorities for further action. (NAN)

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The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) says the troops of the Armed Forces of Nigeria in the last one week eliminated 99 terrorists and apprehended 198 others in different operations across the country.

The Director, Defence Media Operations, Edward Buba, a major-general, said this while briefing journalists on the operations of the military on Thursday in Abuja.

Mr Buba said the troops also rescued a total of 139 hostages and recovered 141 assorted weapons and 1,463 assorted ammunition in the various operations across North-east, North-central and North-west theatres of operation.

The breakdown of recovered items, according to him, include one GPMG, one GT3 rifle, one assault rifle, 49 AK47 rifles, one Josef Magnum Pump Action gun, one double barrel gun and two single barrel guns.

Others are: nine locally made pistols, 13 dane guns, one hand grenade, seven locally made rifles, and two locally made hand grenades.

In the North-east, he said, the troops of Operation Hadin Kai, on 17 November, apprehended three suspected terrorists collaborators in Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe State.

He added that the suspects claimed to have been coerced to go on the errand by terrorists elements.

Mr Buba said a total of 108 terrorists and their families comprising 13 adult males, 32 adult females and 63 children surrendered to troops between 17 November and 23 November within the theatre of operations.

READ ALSO:

He said the troops neutralised 19 terrorists, arrested 21 and rescued eight kidnapped victims within the week across the theatre.

In the North-central, Mr Buba said, the troops of Operation Safe Haven neutralised three terrorists, apprehended 32 and rescued eight kidnapped victims as well as recovered various types of arms and ammunition, amongst other items.

He added that troops of Operation Whirl Stroke conducted raids at suspected criminal hideouts in Takum and Katsina-Ala Local Government Areas of Taraba and Benue states, respectively, neutralised two terrorists, arrested nine terrorists and rescued three kidnapped hostages.

He said the troops also recovered one AK47 rifle, one magazine and 27 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, amongst other items.

In the North-west, the Defence spokesperson said the troops of Operation Hadarin Daji neutralised 20 terrorists, apprehended 20 terrorists and rescued 83 kidnapped victims in different operations across Katsina, Sokoto and Zamfara States.

He said the air component of the operation conducted air interdiction on a targeted terrorist leaders enclave known as Lalbi Nagogo.

According to him, the enclave is in Danmusa Local Government Area of Katsina State and the location was struck with rockets and cannons after confirmation that the terrorist and his foot soldiers were present there.

Battle damage assessment revealed several terrorists were neutralised with various structures destroyed, he said.

Mr Buba said the troops of Operation Whirl Punch conducted fighting patrols in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State and Kuje Area Council of FCT respectively.

He said the troops neutralised 16 terrorists, arrested 16 suspects and rescued three hostages in ambush and offensive operations on the terrorists within the period.

He added that the air component had on 16 November, conducted air interdiction at terrorist leader known as Boderi in his new enclave located in Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

According to him, the location was observed to be active with terrorists and was acquired and engaged with rockets and cannons.

He said the battle damage assessment revealed that the older brother of the terrorist leader named, Nasiru, with several of his lieutenants and foot soldiers were neutralised while their structures were destroyed.

(NAN)

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This years United Nations (UN) climate change conference  the Conference of the Parties or COP  will bring together global leaders, top government officials and negotiators to reach agreements on how to address some of the pressing challenges of climate change.

The parties, including governments that have signed the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Kyoto Protocol and/or the Paris Agreement, will interact and agree on further measures to tackle this existential threat.

Representatives from civil society, the private sector, international organisations and the media usually attend the COP.

This years COP, tagged COP28, will take place between 30 November and 12 December in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Premium Times reporters will be on the ground in Dubai to monitor negotiating parties in action.

The host country usually appoints a president to lead the talks. The official plays a key role in consulting with governments and other stakeholders, providing leadership and vision and brokering the agreements generated.

Paris Agreement

Since COP 2015, stakeholders across the globe have gathered yearly to appraise the progress of the Paris Agreement.

The agreement has three main goals.

They include keeping global average temperature rise to well below 2C and pursuing efforts to limit the rise to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.

Countries had also pledged to adapt to climate change and build resilience.

The third goal is to assess financial flows targeted at creating a pathway towards low greenhouse gas emissions and climate-resilient development.

COP 28

Sultan al-Jaber, the minister of industry and advanced technology for the UAE and managing director and group CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC Group), will preside over the general negotiations.

Since COP decisions are taken by the consensus of all parties, reaching agreements is usually a rigorous process.

Key issues

Apart from marking the conclusion of the first global stocktake (GST), this years gathering will also assess the Paris Agreement, the progress made in implementation so far, and the attendant challenges.

Climate experts opine that, though, the world is not on track to meeting the clear goals of the Paris Agreement, decisions reached at the event will help accelerate further climate action.

Other issues of priority interest to different negotiating teams which may dominate talks during the conference include climate finance, adaptation, transition to green economies in different climes, climate justice and food security

Climate Change: Global threat

Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns.

Such shifts can be natural, due to changes in the suns activity or large volcanic eruptions. But sunce the 1800s, human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas.

Burning fossil fuels triggers greenhouse gas emissions that wrap around the Earth, trapping the suns heat and raising global temperatures.

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The main greenhouse gases causing climate change are carbon dioxide and methane.

These come from gasoline for driving a car or coal for heating a building. Also, clearing land and cutting down forests can also release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Agriculture, oil and gas operations are major sources of methane emissions.

Energy, industry, transport, buildings, agriculture and land use are among the main sectors causing greenhouse gases across the globe.

Consequences: Why its a huge risk

The earth is currently facing the consequences of climate change in diverse ways. These include droughts, water scarcity, forest fires, rising sea levels, flooding, melting polar ice, storms and vanishing biodiversity.

Climate change also affects health, agriculture, housing and the environment. Many communities, especially across the global south have had to relocate due to the debilitating effects of climate change such as famine and drought.

Scientists agree that limiting global temperature rise to no more than 1.5C would help nip in the bud the growing crises necessitated by climate change.

But due to the challenges posed by this threat and the slow pace of implementing agreements to tackle the crises, experts say the world may be inching towards a 3C temperature rise by the end of the century which will further aggravate the situation.

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The Court of Appeal in Lagos, on Wednesday, affirmed the election of Bassey Otu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the governor of Cross River State.

A three-member panel of the court, in its judgement, upheld the decision of the states Governorship Election Petition Tribunal which had, in September, affirmed Governor Otus victory at the 18 March polls.

The court dismissed the appeal filed by the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sandy Onor, a professor, to challenge the decision of the tribunal delivered on 26 September.

The court resolved all the 20 issues raised in the appeal in favour of Mr Otu and against Mr Onor and his party.

According to the court, all the issues canvassed by the appellants, were pre-election matters that should have been litigated at the Federal High Court within 14 days of their happening.

The court ruled that the tribunal was right to decline jurisdiction to determine the issue of the deputy governor, Peter Odeys membership of a political party. The issue, according to the court, is a pre-election matter, therefore, was statute-barred.

The court also agreed with the tribunal that the appellants did not prove the alleged conflict in the names of the secondary school attended by Mr Otu.

It also ruled that the tribunal was right to reject the testimonies of three petitioners witnesses tagged as PW1, PW2 and PW3.

The Court of Appeal held that the witnesses, who were subpoenaed to testify in court, did not fall into the category of witnesses that could be compelled to appear in court by a subpoena, as they were all under the control of the appellants at the material time.

The court further agreed with the tribunal that PW3 did not present academic qualifications or qualifications of practice in the specific field of immigration to show that he was an expert in immigration law.

The court dismissed the appeal for lacking in merit and affirmed Mr Otu and Mr Odey, as the duly elected governor and deputy governor of Cross River State, respectively.

It also awarded N1 million cost against each of the appellants  Mr Otu and PDP  in favour of each of the four rspondents  Messrs Otu and Odey alongside the INEC and the APC.

Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mike Ozekhome, represented the governor and his deputy.

J.Y. Musa, also a SAN represented the appellants.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Mr Otu the winner of the 18 March election. The commission said he polled 258,619 votes to defeat PDPs Mr Onor, who scored 179,636.

But Mr Onor and the PDP had filed a petition to challenge the results declared by the electoral commission.

The tribunal, on 26 September, dismissed the petition and affirmed Mr Otus victory.

Mr Onor proceeded to the Court of Appeal to challenge the tribunals judgement.

Although, the Court of Appeal dismissed Mr Onors appeal on Wednesday, he has the right to appeal to the Supreme Court which has the final say on disputes arising from governorship elections.

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The Nasarawa State chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) has hailed the judgement of the Court of Appeal in Abuja affirming Governor Abdullahi Sule as the winner of the March 18 governorship poll in the state.

This is contained in a statement signed by the partys State Publicity Secretary, Otaru Douglas, and made available to newsmen on Thursday in Lafia, the state capital.

The party, in the statement, welcomed with excitement the Appeal Courts decision saying it had brought relief to the people.

The states Governorship Election Petition Tribunal had on 2 October nullified the election of the governor and declared David Ombugadu of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner of the election.

The Court of Appeal, on Thursday, overturned the tribunals decision to affirm Mr Sules election.

This judgement is a further reflection of the decision of the majority of the people of the state at the poll and it is a victory for democracy.

It has further rekindled the hope of the common man which was almost dashed by the uncertainties which pervaded the political atmosphere.

The good people of the state can now have a sigh of relief from anti democratic tendencies and distractions, the statement added.

It stated that the resounding victory was a testament to the trust and confidence the citizens of the state have in the APC-led administration.

The party congratulated the governor on the victory and expressed optimism of victory even at the Supreme Court should the opposition appeal the judgment of the Appeal Court.

It further called on the party supporters to celebrate with all sense of responsibility and avoid anything that could lead to break down of law and order.

The party also called on PDP and its candidate to put aside all differences and rally behind the governor to move the state forward.

PDPs reaction

Meanwhile, the PDP in the state has rejected the verdict of the Court of Appeal and promised to challenge it at the Supreme Court.

Francis Orogu, Chairman of the PDP in the state, u a statement in Lafia, described the judgement as a temporary setback.

Mr Orogu said that the PDP, after careful consideration and consultation with its legal team, rejected the outcome and decided file an appeal at the Supreme Court.

While we respect the judiciary and the rule of law, we firmly believe that the decision by the Court of Appeal does not align with the facts presented during the tribunal proceedings.

Our legal team has identified significant grounds for appeal and we believe we can get justice at the Supreme Court.

We have confidence in the legal system and are optimistic that justice will prevail at last, Mr Orogu added.

The PDP chairman noted that the declaration by the tribunal was the true reflection of the will of the people of Nasarawa State at the poll on March 18.

He, therefore, urged the partys supporters and members of the public to remain calm and still have confidence in the judiciary.

Mr Orogu appreciated the supporters of the party for their prayers and solidarity throughout the period of the struggle from tribunal to Appeal Court.

(NAN)

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News / Local

by Staff reporter

THERE was chaos at the Lupane State University (LSU) in Matebeleland North on Monday when authorities blocked several students from writing their end of semester examinations over unpaid fees.Southern Eye heard that students were asked to produce clearance forms or receipts before being allowed into the examination room."We had to go to accounts for them to check on our portals. We were told that the system was down and there was nothing that could be done. This happened while others had already started the same exams and we were still negotiating," said a student who declined to be named for fear of victimisation.Matebeleland North Province Zimbabwe Congress of Students Union provincial secretary-general Mthulisi Nkala said they held a meeting with the senior assistant registrar on the matter."My argument with him was why hinder us from writing the exams when they know we will not be able to access the results since we will not have paid the fees. It does not make any sense that we attend all the lectures and manage to pull through the whole semester, and then we get denied entry to the final exams," Nkala said.Nkala said there was need for the students' rights to be observed by the school authorities.LSU spokesperson Densen Kulube said: "As far as I am concerned, everything is normal; there is no protest in the institution."
I can only hope that this piece inspires us all to follow the lead of our esteemed ex-Excellency  Is that out of Owu? I dont know any equivalent in Ibadan  and get on with the business not only of rethinking all the stuff that the evil Westerners have saddled us with but, more important, also of setting a date when we shall be rid of such never worked, unworking, and unworkable encumbrances like Western liberal democracy.

I would like to begin by congratulating His Ex-Excellency, General Olusegun Obasanjo (retired), on the convening of that fabulous group of sages, doctors, alhajis, other Ex-Excellencies, alhajas, and other notables, not to talk of the usual coterie of a-gbo-a-wa, we need to rub shoulders with stars, compatriots, ladies and gentlemen, on the absolutely fundamental theme of Rethinking Western Liberal Democracy in Africa. Given that I plan to write specifically on the very question of the relevance of Western democracy in Africa in another piece, I will limit myself here to some preliminary steps that I am convinced must be taken before we get to the more crucial issue of the fate of Western democracy in our continent.

Let us be clear. I write this from the vantage point of someone who shares with all the attendees at the confab an African identity and, with the sage convenor of the meeting, a Yoruba identity. I must point out, though, that the part dealing with the Yoruba identity get-as-e-be  I am an Ibadan mon and our leader is Owu to the core. Those who know their history would catch my gist.

The primary charge against Western liberal democracy is that it is unworkable, has not worked, and is not working in Africa, no less! This failure is, according to our wise leader and his retinue, attributable to Western liberal democracys pedigree: it is not original to Africa, and it was not conceived with our needs and, more important, our culture, nay, our Africanness, in mind. The solution and the object of the rethinking? Work on homegrown modes of governance, nay, modes of social living, that originate in our culture, and are derived from the centuries in which our civilisation(s) has(have) been around. I cannot agree more!

As a student of the history of ideas, I have never come across any reference in the literature, better still the annals of Western liberal democracy, that mentions its relevance to Africa. In fact, it was on the ascendance at the same time that those  todays African Americans and most Diasporic Africans  who our revered African forebears, ancestors, sold to people whose ways of life they, initially, had no idea of and persisted even after they knew what horror they had been transported into, were turned into chattel, and their unpaid labour was used as the founding blocks of the stupendous wealth that is the inheritance of what is now called the West.

I would like to direct our conferees to other Western-derived contraptions  ideas, processes, institutions, practices and just stuff!  the deployment of which in our lives and societies we need to rethink to celebrate our identity, show pride in our heritage and, just once and for all, end our dependence on anything Western, with all their severe implications for our place in the world and the gathering of civilisations. What I list below are one and all of Western provenance and can be shown to be not working for us in Africa.

There is only one problem, though. If its provenance is the ground for the unworkability of liberal democracy in Africa, I am afraid that we have more than one culprit in this identity-driven, pedigree-hugging, choice-making in the business of improving African life and holding aloft the banner of our African civilisation, complete with appliques of the many and diverse member cultures that make it up.

Where this is concerned, people may have forgotten the sterling accomplishments of our dear leader when it comes to deploying homegrown African genius in solving African problems. I cite just two examples: (1) he inaugurated the subdiscipline of the study of spiritual warfare with a view to strengthening our military when the fight against apartheid was still raging back in the late 1970s of the last century. There is a reason why South Africans remain grateful to us for leading the charge for their liberation with the best ominigbon (I hope my Edo friends do not mind my dragging them into this mess) the African scientist could concoct! (2) And in his second term as civilian  am I permitted to call him democratically elected?  president of Nigeria, deploying the best minds from Oyingbo and Balogun markets, he deregulated the telecommunications market in Nigeria and the rest, as they say, is history! Why would anyone harbour any doubt that there is more where those came from?

It is now time to declare my aim in this piece. I would like to direct our conferees to other Western-derived contraptions  ideas, processes, institutions, practices and just stuff!  the deployment of which in our lives and societies we need to rethink to celebrate our identity, show pride in our heritage and, just once and for all, end our dependence on anything Western, with all their severe implications for our place in the world and the gathering of civilisations. What I list below are one and all of Western provenance and can be shown to be not working for us in Africa. We should rethink them yesterday!

Please permit me to itemise them.

1. Time. When it comes to this, our conferees should chuck the framework they have used for their programme, their scheduling of time allotted to each speaker, and when each session should hold and for how long. For instance, they may not put start time at 10:00 a.m., sessions at 11:00 a.m.  12:00 noon, and so on. Aarokutu, idakomu, iyaleta; osan, ojoro should suffice for delineating temporal frames for different sections of the programme. That would be the homegrown, African thing to do. Of course, it should not be my business to make the translations for other members of the African family.

The last time I looked, all the billowing boubous, the felt hats, the jewellery stacks that adorn our necks, hands, mouths, heads, and ankles, mostly have external provenance. The dresses we wear are the most notable for this lack. Neither Ankara nor Guinea Brocade, nor the machines with which they are made fit for our royalty, our eminent personalities, all our conferees without exception, are all externally sourced! Do you need any more evidence that the Western-derived textile industry needs to be rethought in Africa, too?

2. The Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, the physical structure  struts, beams, pillars, concrete, tiles, window and door frames  the very design  pardon me if it was built in the best architectural design inspired by Owu  remember Owu la ko da, it is the original  motifs, engineering designs, and presentation, and so on. The very idea must be jettisoned; it must be scrapped. There is absolutely nothing African either about the idea or its execution: the conception, the funding, the operation, etc. And we dont need any reminder that that idea is not working well in Africa, either. Has anyone forgotten the roaring success of the Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding located in Osogbo that was originally going to be appended to the Library? We can see how those Western-derived ideas continue to unravel in our soil. Se mo wiire?

3. When in the early 1970s of the last century, IBM threw to Bill Gates Jr. and Paul Allen the bone of coming up with a Disk Operating System (DOS) for the mini-computer, the ancestor of all the miniaturised gadgets that most Africans cannot live without today, the duo may have fantasised about creating a museum dedicated to rock n roll and Black music, and eventually paying humongous sums to vaccinate African children against all sorts of affliction. One thing I am sure they never averted their minds to was how the DOS and its successors would work in Africa. In other words, we neither created the material requisites  computers, silicon chips, conductors, microphones, headphones, electric cables, lightbulbs, upholstery  that made the Abeokuta gathering possible nor did their creators ever have Africa at the front of their minds when they were putting them together. Only our lack of shame would make us think that they are working in Africa, either. Where that is concerned, we are a continent of consumers, no producers!

4. The last time I looked, all the billowing boubous, the felt hats, the jewellery stacks that adorn our necks, hands, mouths, heads, and ankles, mostly have external provenance. The dresses we wear are the most notable for this lack. Neither Ankara nor Guinea Brocade, nor the machines with which they are made fit for our royalty, our eminent personalities, all our conferees without exception, are all externally sourced! Do you need any more evidence that the Western-derived textile industry needs to be rethought in Africa, too? Just imagine how much the economies of Iseyin, Abeokuta, Ibadan, not to talk of Kano and Akwanga, would be benefited were we to reengage our inheritance when it comes to matters of clothing! Need I say more!

5. What part of Bells University is African-inspired, forget derived?

I apologise that I cannot put more here. I can only hope that this piece inspires us all to follow the lead of our esteemed ex-Excellency  Is that out of Owu? I dont know any equivalent in Ibadan  and get on with the business not only of rethinking all the stuff that the evil Westerners have saddled us with but, more important, also of setting a date when we shall be rid of such never worked, unworking, and unworkable encumbrances like Western liberal democracy.

Olufemi Taiwo teaches at the Africana Studies and Research Center, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.

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From its major forms of development assistance, expressed through the granting of low-interest loans, the construction of crucial infrastructure, including roads, airports, railways, power stations, through to support in capacity building and inter-cultural exchanges, the activation of collaborations through its huge soft power will certainly endure as Chinas most durable footprint in Nigeria, and Africa.

A Win-Win Approach

As an upper, middle income developing country, which is the second largest economy in the world in terms of its GDP, and accounting for 19 per cent of global economic output in 2022, China is certainly one of the most powerful and continuously ascendant countries on earth. This is a $18 trillion economy that is growing at the rate of 3 per cent per annum, and has a GDP per capita of almost $13,000.

With its expanding material base, it has also developed the capacity to defend itself against all sorts of aggression, whether from those envious of its rise, to allies turned foes, or within the gambits of international or area geo-politics in the Asia-Pacific region.

In terms of military capabilities or hard power, China has the largest armed forces in the world, with over two million personnel, only trailed by India and the United States, and a defence spending of about $230 billion annually, including materiel comprising 50 warships and submarines, etc.

Yet, beyond the indices of traditional hard power, through which the clout and influence of countries are profiled, and against which it can weigh its chest against any in the world and possibly coral others into doing its bidding, Chinas more effective source of influence has been its efficient utilisation of soft power. This has seen to its ability to co-opt, rather than coerce a raft of nations and regions into sharing its values and outlook, which is certainly a more humane and sustainable approach to power.

The global influence of China, as alluded to above, is evident in the productive size of its economy, as the manufacturing capital of the world and largest exporter of goods, having over 400 of the 500 biggest companies present on its territory. Also, it is location of four of the worlds top ten most competitive financial centres; three of the worlds ten biggest stock exchanges, in terms of market capitalisation and trade volume; and two of the five global technology clusters. It is a crucial link in the global supply chain, and in the leadership of AI development and regulation  the Holy Grail of this age and times.

Despite all this, one of Chinas more enduring routes to global acclaim has been the utilisation of its culture, values and policies to expand its spheres of influence across the world  from Europe, to North America, Australia and Africa. This is the realm of soft power, which is about attraction and persuasion, rather that force and inducement; the ability to advance ones strategic interests through collaboration and cooperation. This is much different from hard power, which is largely about forceful domination and dominance, hinged on coercion.

In its grand strategic plan and relationship-building processes, particularly among countries of the global South, of which Nigeria is a crucial member, China positions itself as a developing country, despite its economic attainments and reckoning. Hence, it stands as a peer to African countries, considering itself as one of their fellow developing countries, motivating the need to assist them and each other to develop, in the spirit of South-South cooperation. For China, it is about equality and a win-win interaction with African countries, very much unlike the West, whose tendency is to signal a relationship of power, through which it renders assistance by means of conditional aids and charity to African countries, stringing these together by policy, political and economic ultimatums.

It has also been observed that through this soft power approach, China has been able to offer an alternative development model to many developing countries who are highly wary of and wearied by the Washington Consensus as a series of policy and economic prescriptions that do not augur well for them.

The notion of the Chinese approach in Africa and Nigeria is what President Xi Jinping referred to as soft power with Chinese characteristics during the October 2017 edition of the 19th Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC). For President Jinping, in this approach, we will improve our capacity to tell our stories, present a multidimensional view, and enhance Chinas cultural soft power.

A More Sustainable Consensus

It has also been observed that through this soft power approach, China has been able to offer an alternative development model to many developing countries who are highly wary of and wearied by the Washington Consensus as a series of policy and economic prescriptions that do not augur well for them.

For instance, Chinas assistance to several African countries, and Nigeria, have led to much closer and strategic ties over the years, and this support has been more appreciated, because it neither comes with the severe conditions attached to Western support, nor does it make demands that justify interference in the internal affairs of these countries.

The manifestation of Chinese soft power in Africa came about through initiatives like the Forum on China-Africa Co-operation (FOCAC) held in 2000 and then 2003, first at the ministerial level, following which was the Summit of the Heads of State, during which low interest loans of about $5 billion were granted to Africa countries. After these, it has been a floodgate of support, till date, especially within the framework of the Road and Belt Initiative that has strengthened trade, infrastructure and development links with African countries.

In Nigeria, the Chinese loans have erected a durable platform of soft power, enabling infrastructural development. It has been the basis for the financing of schemes like the Nigerian Railway Modernisation Project, cutting across locations such as Lagos, Kano, Abuja and Port Harcourt; the Four Airport Terminals Expansion Project; the Rehabilitation and Upgrading of Roads Projects, involving a vital route like the Keffi-Makurdi road; and additional massive infrastructural undertakings in agriculture, energy, communications, etc.

Building Bridges of Insight and Knowledge

Other tangible aspects of the expression of the soft power of China in Nigeria, as in a number of other African countries, have been in terms of policies built around education, capacity building and the promotion of Chinese culture. This led to the establishment of over 60 Confucius Institutes across 46 countries in Africa, with two remarkably located in Nigeria, within the University of Lagos in the South and University of Nigeria, Nsukka, in the East.

With Chinese having been recognised as a United Nations Language in 1946, alongside English, French, Spanish and Russian, the Confucius Institute was created to promote the study of over 5,000 years of Chinese civilisation  one of the oldest in the world, in terms of its language, culture and heritage, across vast geographical spaces. This endeavour at educational and cultural exchange is funded and run by the Chinese International Education Foundation, a government-organised non-governmental organisation under the Ministry of Education of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC).

The numbers of Nigerian and African students in Chinese universities are growing faster than those from other countries and regions, and they are said to currently make up to 13 per cent of the students population in some of these institutions, up from about two per cent in 2003. The opening up of access to education for Nigerians and Africans by the Chinese government is a diplomatic strategy that is enhancing its soft power

In addition, also in the past two decades, there has been the establishment of Chinese Cultural Centres by the Ministry of Culture of the PRC in many countries Africa, including Nigeria. Together, these enterprises of Chinas soft power have been means of fostering the deepening of cultural ties  alongside the values of friendship, and the promotion of diversity and inclusion  with Nigeria. They have enhanced cultural interactions through lectures, concerts, arts exhibitions, dragon boat races, calligraphy classes, etc.

A crucial aspect of the spread of Chinese soft power in Nigeria, as in other parts of Africa, has been in terms of the provision of educational and technological trainings for Nigerians (and Africans) in China. The government of the PRC offers thousands of yearly scholarships to African officials to study in its vast array of distinguished institutions, which have also become top destinations for hordes of African students, beyond even Western institutions in Europe and the United States of America, due to their additional value propositions.

The numbers of Nigerian and African students in Chinese universities are growing faster than those from other countries and regions, and they are said to currently make up to 13 per cent of the students population in some of these institutions, up from about two per cent in 2003. The opening up of access to education for Nigerians and Africans by the Chinese government is a diplomatic strategy that is enhancing its soft power, and President Xi Jinping is noted to have made a commitment to the establishment of vocational schools in countries of top priority to the PRC, including Nigeria.

Equally, while there are over 20 agricultural training centres run by China across Africa, the Asian giant is also impacting the continents aviation sector by the setting up of servicing centres for its aircraft in places like Tanzania, which will ultimately become a mutually beneficial endeavour for the PRC and countries on the continent.

Another prong of the soft power engagement of China in Nigeria has involved collaborations with the media, evident in the StarTimes linkage with the Nigerian Television Authority, the largest network in Africa. Through this partnership, Chinese culture and activities have been showcased to over 40 million Nigerian viewers, with this being reciprocated through the broadcast of Nigerian programmes on Chinese television networks also.

Similarly, there has been the highly successful exhibition of the Chinese film industry to Nigerian audiences, such as during the Chinese film festival held in Lagos in 2015. This led to the featuring of Chinese films such as Confucius, Monkey King and Chinese Zodiac, which attracted a huge number of Nigerian viewers, including cineastes interested in exploring collaborations.

From its major forms of development assistance, expressed through the granting of low-interest loans, the construction of crucial infrastructure, including roads, airports, railways, power stations, through to support in capacity building and inter-cultural exchanges, the activation of collaborations through its huge soft power will certainly endure as Chinas most durable footprint in Nigeria, and Africa.

Lade Bandele, a journalist, writes from Lagos.

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Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, has refuted as false the claim that he spent over N400 million on foreign trips.

An online newspaper recently reported that Mr Lawal spent N170,276,294.31 on international travel and transport, N221,567,094 on local travel, and N6,929,500.00 on private security within three months.

A statement by the governors spokesperson, Mr Sulaiman Bala Idris, on Thursday, said the story was fabricated deliberately by mischief-makers to distract the government.

He explained that the misinformation arose from deliberate misinterpretation of budget data, adding that the first, second and third quarters fall under the immediate past administration.

The statement reads in parts: We read a report alleging that Governor Dauda Lawal spent over N400 million on foreign trips. This is false and an attempt to tarnish the governors image.

The principles of transparency and accountability are the foundation of Governor Dauda Lawals government. All relevant information can be found on the official website of the Zamfara State Government at zamfara.gov.ng.

Published on the official website is a detailed report on the budget performance, which provides a breakdown of the Governors spending on trips and other activities. Under Governor Dauda Lawal, we have implemented a system of complete transparency and accountability, leaving no room for misuse of funds.

It is therefore important to clarify that Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State has only undertaken three official foreign trips since he assumed office on May 29, 2023. The three foreign trips were: attending the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in the United States of America; a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Retreat in Kigali, Rwanda; and a meeting with the President of the African Development Bank, Dr Akinwumi A. Adesina in Abidjan, Cote dIvoire.

Furthermore, the retreat in Kigali was organised by the Nigerian Governors Forum and fully sponsored by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). So, no money was spent by the government on that. The only money spent on foreign trips was for the UNGA in the United States, and the Northwest Governors Meeting with the President of AfDB in Abidjan.

The statement said that: The report erroneously attributed the money spent by the previous administration to our governments spending. Our government has never employed private security services, nor have we witnessed any Ramadan period. Therefore, we are puzzled about how the funding for the Ramadan Fasting and Eid-el-Fitr (Sallah) gifts was attributed to us.

As a government, we are committed to maintaining transparency in all our governance activities. We promised the people of Zamfara State to bring about positive change, and we are determined to fulfil that promise. Our administrations rescue mission is comprehensive and covers all aspects of governance. We will not be deterred or slowed down by any misinformation, the spokesperson, Mr Idris pointed out.

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Tata International is set to expand operations in Nigeria through a strategic partnership with the Lagos Free Zone (LFZ). The agreement was signed in the presence of Anand Sen, Managing Director of Tata International Limited, by Managing Director of Tata Africa Holdings Pty Ltd, Len Brand. This marks a significant milestone in the companys commitment to the region.

With a rich legacy spanning over four decades, Tata International is a key contributor to the economic landscape of the African continent. In 2006, Tata International established operations in Nigeria and since then has made a significant contribution in the country. It has been upholding the core values of Tatas business ethics and commitment to corporate social responsibility.

As a brand synonymous with quality products and ethical business operations in Africa, Tata International is excited to join the Lagos Free Zone. This strategic move reflects our commitment to fuelling growth in Nigeria and the wider African continent, says Anand Sen, MD, Tata International.

Promoted by Tolaram, a Singaporean conglomerate with over four decades of experience in Nigeria, LFZ is in Lekki, the sunrise development corridor earmarked by Lagos State Government for driving industrialization over the next two decades. The agreement with LFZ involves the leasing of a state-of-the-art 6000 square meter facility within LFZ, a move aimed at enhancing Tata Internationals operational capabilities in the region.

The participation in Lagos Free Zone is the next level of commitment for Tata Internationals longstanding presence in Nigeria and the African continent as a whole. This collaboration with Tolaram underscores our dedication to fostering economic growth and increased competitiveness. We aim for this partnership to lead to greater efficiency, innovation, and specialisation in the region, added Len Brand, MD of Tata Africa Holdings.

The signing ceremony took place in the Lagos Free Zone area and was attended by key representatives from Tata International, Tolaram and Lagos Free Zone. The event signifies the dawn of a new era in the relationship between the entities, aiming to contribute to economic development in the region and attract new investors to Nigeria, recognised as one of the key economies in the continent.

Tata International remains steadfast in its vision to build and sustain relationships in Africa. The companys entry into the Lagos Free Zone reaffirms its commitment to creating opportunities and making a positive impact on local communities. We stand by our pledge to strengthen our already robust footprint on the African continent, concluded Brand.

Navin Nahata, a member of the Tolaram Board and the Managing Director of its infrastructure and fintech business, added: We are delighted that Tata International, one of our most prestigious international clients, has decided to expand their operations in Nigeria through our ready-to-lease Standard Industrial Facility at the LFZ. We are committed to supporting the next phase of growth in Nigeria for Tata International.

LFZ is the first and only free zone in Nigeria that is uniquely integrated with the deepest seaport in the region, the Lekki Port, which commenced operations in April 2023. LFZ thus offers a unique location that will provide our valued tenants with seamless and cost-efficient access to domestic, regional, and international markets., said Dinesh Rathi, CEO and Managing Director at Lagos Free Zone.

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The Court of Appeal in Abuja, on Thursday, upheld the election of Gombe State governor, Inuwa Yahaya after dismissing the appeal filed by Jibrin Barde of the PDP to challenge the outcome of the governorship poll in the state.

Mr Yahaya was re-elected for the second and final term as governor of the state at the 18 March polls.

Nigerias electoral commission, INEC, declared Mr Yahaya of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the contest. The commission said Mr Yahaya polled 342,821 votes to beat his closest opponent, Jibrin Barde of the of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who garnered 233,131 votes.

Dissatisfied with the election outcome, Mr Barde and the PDP, in a joint petition filed at the Gombe State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, said Mr Yahaya was not re-elected by majority of valid votes cast in the election.

The petitioners alleged widespread electoral malpractices in nine of the states 11 local government areas.

Specifically, they alleged cases of ballot box stuffing and thumbprinting in the nine council areas.

But, the tribunal while deciding the disputed election, held that Mr Barde failed to prove the allegations of electoral fraud against Mr Yahaya and the APC.

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The three-member tribunal led by S.B. Belgore, dismissed the petition for being un-meritorious.

Determined to overturn the governors victory, Mr Barde approached the Court of Appeal, urging it to nullify Mr Yahayas victory.

Delivering judgement on the appeal on Thursday, a three-member panel of the Court of Appeal led by Y.N Orji-Agbadua, affirmed Mr Yahayas victory.

All the issues are resolved in favour of the respondent and against the appellant. No order as to cost. The judgment of the lower tribunal is hereby affirmed, Ms Orji-Agbadua said.

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The Court of Appeal in Abuja on Thursday affirmed the election of Abdullahi Sule as Nasarawa State governor, after overturning the earlier decision of the election petition tribunal that removed him from office.

Delivering judgement on the appeal filed by Mr Sule, a three-member panel of the appeal court held that the Nasarawa State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal was wrong to have declared David Ombugadu, the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as the winner of the 18 March election.

Mr Sule of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was initially declared the winner of the polls by Nigerias electoral commission, INEC.

But Mr Ombugadu challenged the election outcome at the tribunal, arguing that he won the majority of valid votes during the contest.

In a split decision of the tribunal on 2 October, two members, forming the majority, declared Mr Ombugadu the winner of the election, while the minority opinion of the only other member affirmed Mr Sules victory.

Mr Sule subsequently appealed against the majority decision of the tribunal.

Governor Sule won

Deciding the governors appeal on Thursday, the Court of Appeal held that Mr Sule was validly elected as Nasarawa State governor.

The appellate court panel led by Uchechukwu Onyemenam said Mr Ombugadu failed to prove his allegation of over-voting levelled against Mr Sule.

Mr Onyemenam, who read the lead decision of the court, said the tribunal was wrong to have concluded that Mr Sule did not score a majority of the valid votes cast in the election.

Referencing Section 285(5) of the Nigerian constitution, and Section 132(7) of the Electoral Act 2022, and Paragraphs 4(5) (6) and 14(2) of the First Schedule to the Electoral Act, the appellate court held that a petition must be filed alongside every written statement on oath within 21 days from the date of an election.

Where a trial court admitted and acted on illegally inadmissible evidence, it is the duty of the appellate court to ensure that such illegally inadmissible evidence is expunged.

A court of law is only allowed to act on legally admissible evidence. If documents are unlawfully allowed by a trial court, the appellate court is duty-bound to exclude the documents and discountenance the evidence, Mr Onyemenam said of witnesses statements oath that was tendered by Mr Ombugadu at the tribunal.

Consequently, the justice struck out all the evidence and exhibits that were tendered before the tribunal by Mr Ombugadus eight witnesses.

Mr Onyemenam noted that the evidence of the remaining 12 witnesses who testified for the PDP governorship candidate was insufficient to prove Mr Ombugadus allegations of electoral fraud against the governor.

In addition, the justice faulted the tribunals deduction of 1,868 votes credited to Mr Sule. The tribunal had reduced the governors scores because over-voting occurred in four polling stations.

The appellate court ruled that the PDP candidate merely dumped on the court, reports of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines and other electoral documents without demonstrating them with evidence to substantiate the allegation of over-voting

He dismissed the lower courts majority decision but upheld the dissenting judgement, which had affirmed Mr Sules victory at the polls.

On the whole, I hold that this appeal has merit a nd succeeds; the majority judgment of the tribunal delivered on October 2 is hereby dismissed, Mr Onyemenam said.

Background

INEC had declared Mr Sule as the winner of the election with 347,209 votes to beat his closest challenger, Mr Ombugadu, who garnered 283,016 votes.

Dissatisfied with the results declared by INEC, Mr Ombugadu and his party, the PDP, filed a petition at the governorship election tribunal in the state to challenge the outcome of the polls.

On 2 October, the three-member election petition tribunal led by Ezekiel Ajayi, by a split decision of two-to-one, declared Mr Ombugadu the validly elected governor of Nasarawa State.

Evaluating the evidence before the panel, Mr Ajayi held that Mr Ombugadu tendered the results of the various polling stations and forms EC 8A and substantiated his claim that poll results were manipulated in favour of Mr Sule.

Another member of the tribunal, Chiemelie Onaga, concurred with the lead judgement read by Mr Ajayi.

But a dissenting decision of the other member of the tribunal, Ibrahim Mashi, dismissed Mr Ombugadus petition for lacking in merit.

Displeased with the judgement, Mr Sule filed his appeal to challenge the majority decision. The appeal succeeded on Thursday.

But the PDP and its candidate still have the right to challenge the Court of Appeals decision at the Supreme Court, which has the final say on governorship election disputes in Nigeria.

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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Cross River State says it will contest Wednesdays judgement of the Court of Appeal that affirmed Governor Bassey Otu as winner of the 18 March governorship election in the state.

The partys decision to challenge Mr Otus electoral victory is contained in a statement issued by its state Publicity Secretary, Mike Ojisi, and made available to journalists in Calabar, the state capital, on Thursday.

While urging PDP supporters to remain calm, Mr Ojisi noted that the verdict of the appellate court did not tally with the partys conviction about the processes leading to the election.

While we are saddened by this temporary setback, we are, however, glad that there is still room at the Supreme Court and this is the beauty of our judicial system and democracy.

We kindly appeal to our teeming supporters and party faithful to remain calm, as we are still committed to seeking legal opinions and exhausting all legal means toward reclaiming our mandate, he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the appeal court sitting in Lagos had, on Wednesday, affirmed the judgement of the election petition tribunal which upheld Mr Otus victory after dismissing the petition filed by the PDP candidate, Sandy Onor, a professor, for lack of merit.

I remain unshaken

Meanwhile, the governor, who had earlier called for an end to further litigation on the matter, said that he had remained unshaken by the petition against his electoral victory in the 18 March governorship poll.

Speaking on the appeal court judgement, Mr Otu said that he believed that the people of the state overwhelmingly gave him their mandate.

He said it was time for all, irrespective of political party affiliations, to join hands with him to move the state forward.

The governor said that the affirmation of his victory by the court had given him an added impetus to serve the state and move it forward with his People First agenda.

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The ruling of the court of appeal is a welcome development and it affirms that we were overwhelmingly voted in by the people on 18 March 2023.

This judgement should brings an end to litigation on the outcome of the governorship election.

For those in the opposition, especially my brother, Prof. Sandy Onor, I once again offer you a hand of friendship.

Come and join my administration so that, together, we can move our state forward and bring about dividends of democracy.

My administration is fully re-energised to deliver on the People First mandate, which is on track to reposition our state for effective and responsive governance, he said.

Mr Otu solicited for the support and patience of the people of the state, as his administration had continued to navigate the challenging times toward achieving the Cross River of his dream.

Let me reassure all our citizens that we are working round the clock to ensure that we deliver the best governance to our people.

It is important also to note that reparations are in top gear for a robust and successful Calabar festival, while we continue to address other socio-economic and developmental issues, he said. (NAN)

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The police have arrested in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, a man suspected to be responsible for the murder of Juliana Dimaka, a female entrepreneur in Eket Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State.

Mrs Dimaka, the owner of Testimony Supermarket at Grace Bill Street, Eket, was strangled to death at her home on 17 October, at about 8 p.m.

There were previous attempts on the womans life.

A source at the Eket Divisional Police Station confirmed the arrest of the suspect to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday.

The source said that detectives from the police headquarters in Akwa Ibom, who are investigating the murder, traced the suspect to Port Harcourt, where he fled to.

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The detectives traced the suspect to his friends apartment in Port Harcourt, where he was hiding, the source said.

We traced and tracked the culprit to Port Harcourt, arrested him, and took him to Ikot Akpan Abia in Uyo, he said.

Ikot Akpan Abia is where the police headquarters in the state is.

The police spokesperson in Akwa Ibom State, MacDon Odiko, would neither confirm nor deny the arrest of the suspect when a NAN correspondent contacted him on Thursday.

I am not confirming anything to you until Im able to get information on the matter, said Mr Odiko, a superintendent of police.

(NAN)

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News / Local

by Staff reporter

Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) interim secretary-general Sengezo Tshabangu says he is ready to tackle election rigging in the December 9 by-elections.Tshabangu has recalled several CCC legislators and councillors triggering the by-elections although Nelson Chamisa, the opposition party president, is battling to block him through the courts.Last week, Tshabangu recalled another 13 National Assembly members and five Senators as turmoil continues unabated in the opposition party.However, High Court judge Justice Tawanda Chitapi barred the recall of MPs, Senators and councillors.Tshabangu's spokesperson Khaliphani Phugeni yesterday told Southern Eye that rigging started when the party rigged its own internal nomination process allowing Zanu-PF to claim electoral victory in the August 23 harmonised elections."I am not sure about the talks by the Sadc team but the SG has said on numerous platforms that the rigging started when CCC rigged its own internal nomination process. This weakened the whole system and it gave Zanu-PF an opportunity. Tshabangu has started addressing that so that going forward the party is ready to thwart any rigging that might happen," he said.However, political analyst Effie Ncube said elections in Zimbabwe were unnecessary, adding that there was a need to deal with the provisions of the Constitution and international human rights issues."What we urgently need is anything that will assist the country to produce a dispensation that fully embraces in theory and in practice the provisions of the Constitution and international human rights instruments."We need a dispensation that will address the prevailing political and economic crisis that has led to debilitating poverty. This political and economic crisis cannot be addressed until we have addressed disputed electoral outcomes and transitioned away from authoritarian ways of governance," he said.Ncube said Zimbabwe needed deep reforms that would enable the country to hold free, fair and credible elections, enable peaceful transfer of power to the winners, and address international isolation.
DUBLIN, Nov. 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Mobility and the Employment of Overseas Nationals Training Course" training has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The law and best practice around global mobility and the employment of overseas nationals is a fast-moving area. Are you aware of the latest changes and how they can impact your business?

This intensive training programme covers everything the in house lawyer needs to know when considering the employment of overseas nationals, including the risks involved and best practice.

This one-day event will cover the most relevant, and fast changing, topics in the world of immigration with a focus on the UK. From the impact of Brexit, to the seismic shifts in working practices caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, this session will ensure you are fully up to date.

Who Should Attend:

This event is primarily aimed at in-house lawyers but it will also be of interest and value to HR personnel and people managers looking to recruit overseas nationals.

Prevention of illegal working

This session will cover a detailed look at the rules and policies around the prevention of illegal working policies, including the new (and soon to be mandatory) online verification procedure, the proposed changes in right to work verification for settled individuals and British citizens, and the implications of the Covid-19 concessions. Whilst many businesses believe they are compliant, this is actually rarely the case due to the frequent changes introduced.

Immigration compliance and discrimination

This session will show you how to ensure you remain compliant with your obligations under immigration rules and policies, whilst also ensuring you remain compliant with employment law and the avoidance of discrimination to ensure inclusivity.

Global flexible working

With an increased focus on agile working, which is often across country borders, many employers are not aware of the full implications of this. This session will therefore look to provide a high level overview of all the risks when faced with cross border flexible working, including the immigration, tax, employment, health and safety and data security considerations.

Immigration options

This session will provide an overview of all UK immigration options for non-settled individuals looking to live lawfully in the UK for the purposes of work. It will cover all the primary routes employers should be aware of when looking to recruit an individual from overseas, and help them decide the most appropriate way forward.

This will include:

Sponsor licencing

Skilled workers

Intra-company transfers (and the proposed new 'Global Mobility' route)

Non sponsored work options

Family options

Why you should attend?

Get to grips with the latest updates in immigration best practice

Understand the risks involved in getting it wrong and what that could mean for your business

Examine the primary recruitment routes available to employers

Clarify the processes you need to follow to remain compliant with employment law

Expand your knowledge of discrimination law and how to ensure inclusivity

Learn about agile working and the implications of cross border flexible working

Speakers:

Adam Sinfield

Osborne Clarke



Adam Sinfield, Immigration Director, UK at Osborne Clarke, is an experienced global mobility specialist, specialising in UK inbound immigration for fast growth corporates and high net worth individuals. With over 15 years' experience in advising clients on all aspects of UK and global migration matters.



As a member of the specialist immigration team, part of the employment service line, Adam focuses on assisting clients with their global staff mobility needs. This includes clients varying from fast growth tech start-ups to larger, established corporates with their global mobility strategy and management.

Gavin Jones

Osborne Clarke



Gavin Jones, Head of Immigration, UK at Osborne Clarke, has over 20 years' experience advising on both business and personal immigration issues. He leads the firm's immigration practice and has a well-regarded reputation in the industry. His legal expertise comprises all areas of UK business immigration acting for multi-nationals through to start-up companies and he has advised on the full extent of entry clearance applications, as well as personal applications for UK residency and nationality, settlements and citizenship and student applications.

Helga Butler

Osborne Clarke



Helga Butler joined Osborne Clarke in January 2017 and has over twelve years' immigration experience. She has in-depth knowledge and expertise comprising of UK business immigration and private immigration applications.



Helga advises on a wide range of applications ranging from business sponsor licence applications, skilled worker, intra-company visas to indefinite leave to remain, naturalisation and EU Settlement Scheme and associated applications.



For more information about this training visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/7dtwmt

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

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Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Research and Markets
NEW YORK, Nov. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Mage Data, a leading provider of data security and privacy solutions has announced the addition of a prominent US based healthcare system into their customer family.

Leveraging Mage Data's cutting edge Test Data Management solution, the customer aims to effortlessly access and provision anonymized, privacy-compliant test data from cloud environments. This capability ensures that their testing and development teams can conduct rigorous testing and support operations without the risk of exposing sensitive data. The anonymization techniques used also ensures that the data remains realistic and usable for the diverse testing scenarios in cloud environments.

With the critical importance of data privacy and compliance in the healthcare landscape, the Mage Test Data Management solution will empower the organization to adhere to global and local data protection laws including healthcare specific laws such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

"The addition of such a reputed organization to our roster of customers is a testament to the effectiveness of our Test Data Management solution in meeting the unique challenges faced by the healthcare sector. Our solution's capabilities align perfectly with their needs to streamline their testing processes and improve operational efficiencies while maintaining the highest standards of data security and compliance" said Ashok Krishnarao, VP of Business Development at Mage Data."

"We are excited to continue expanding our growing family of satisfied customers with the addition of this reputable organization" said Anil Bhat, Senior VP of Engineering and Customer Success at Mage Data. "The continued success of our Test Data Management solution in the market stands as a testament to our commitment to enable seamless and secure testing practices and to empower organizations with the tools needed to navigate the complex data privacy regulatory environment."

This collaboration marks a significant stride for Mage Data in their journey towards fortifying data security and privacy for enterprises looking to seamlessly provision test data provisioning from cloud environments within the healthcare domain.

About Mage:

Mage is the leading solutions provider for data security and data privacy software for global enterprises. Built upon a patented and award-winning solution, the Mage platform enables organizations to stay on top of privacy regulations while ensuring security and privacy of data. Top Swiss Banks, Fortune 10 organizations, Ivy League Universities, and Industry Leaders in the financial and healthcare businesses protect their sensitive data with the Mage platform for Data Privacy and Security. Deploying state-of-the-art privacy enhancing technologies for securing data, Mage delivers robust data security while ensuring privacy of individuals.

Visit www.magedata.ai to explore the brand's new website and to check out the company's solutions.

SOURCE Mage Data
DUBLIN, Nov. 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Danicopan Emerging Drug Insight and Market Forecast - 2032" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



This "Danicopan Emerging Drug Insight and Market Forecast - 2032" report provides comprehensive insights about danicopan for paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) in the seven major markets.

A detailed picture of the danicopan for PNH in the 7MM, i.e., the United States, EU4 (Germany, France, Italy, and Spain) and the United Kingdom, and Japan for the study period 2019 -2032 is provided in this report along with a detailed description of the danicopan for PNH. The report provides insights about mechanism of action, dosage and administration, as well as research and development including regulatory milestones, along with other developmental activities.

Further, it also consists of future market assessments inclusive of the danicopan market forecast analysis for PNH in the 7MM, SWOT, analysts' views, comprehensive overview of market competitors, and brief about other emerging therapies in PNH.



Drug Summary



ALXN2040 (also known as danicopan) is an investigational, first-in-class, oral proximal factor D inhibitor developed by Achillion, a wholly owned subsidiary of Alexion. Factor D (FD), a serine protease, catalyzes the cleavage of complement factor B into Ba and Bb, which allows for the formation of the AP C3 convertase. By inhibiting FD, danicopan, blocks C3 convertase formation, the control point for AP activation, and the amplification of all pathways. This leads to the inhibition of C3 cleavage, C3 fragment deposition, terminal pathway activation, and MAC formation.



The drug has already received Breakthrough Therapy Designation (BTD) and Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) by the FDA and PRIME designation and ODD by the EMA. Phase III development is currently being initiated for danicopan as an add-on therapy for PNH patients with extravascular hemolysis (EVH). Besides, the company is conducting Phase II studies to determine the effectiveness of ACH-0144471 in patients with PNH who have an inadequate response to eculizumab monotherapy.

In-depth Danicopan Market Assessment



This report provides a detailed market assessment of danicopan for paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) in the seven major markets, i.e., the United States, EU4 (Germany, France, Italy, and Spain) and the United Kingdom, and Japan. This segment of the report provides forecasted sales data from 2024 to 2032.



Danicopan Clinical Assessment



The report provides the clinical trials information of danicopan for PNH covering trial interventions, trial conditions, trial status, start and completion dates.



Report Highlights

In the coming years, the market scenario for paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) is set to change due to the extensive research and incremental healthcare spending across the world; which would expand the size of the market to enable the drug manufacturers to penetrate more into the market.

The companies are developing therapies that focus on novel approaches to treat/improve the disease condition, assess challenges, and seek opportunities that could influence danicopan dominance.

Other emerging products for PNH are expected to give tough market competition to danicopan and launch of late-stage emerging therapies in the near future will significantly impact the market.

A detailed description of regulatory milestones, and developmental activities, provide the current development scenario of danicopan in PNH.

This in-depth analysis of the forecasted sales data of danicopan from 2024 to 2032 will support the clients in the decision-making process regarding their therapeutic portfolio by identifying the overall scenario of the danicopan in PNH.

Key Topics Covered:



1. Report Introduction



2. Danicopan Overview in PNH

2.1. Product Detail

2.2. Clinical Development

2.2.1. Clinical studies

2.2.2. Clinical trials information

2.2.3. Safety and efficacy

2.3. Other Developmental Activities

2.4. Product Profile



3. Competitive Landscape (Marketed Therapies)



4. Competitive Landscape (Late-stage Emerging Therapies)



5. Danicopan Market Assessment

5.1. Market Outlook of Danicopan in PNH

5.2. 7MM Analysis

5.2.1. Market Size of Danicopan in the 7MM for PNH

5.3. Country-wise Market Analysis

5.3.1. Market Size of Danicopan in the United States for PNH

5.3.2. Market Size of Danicopan in Germany for PNH

5.3.3. Market Size of Danicopan in France for PNH

5.3.4. Market Size of Danicopan in Italy for PNH

5.3.5. Market Size of Danicopan in Spain for PNH

5.3.6. Market Size of Danicopan in the United Kingdom for PNH

5.3.7. Market Size of Danicopan in Japan for PNH



6. SWOT Analysis



7. Analysts' Views



8. Appendix



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/jkekhw

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Research and Markets
DUBLIN, Nov. 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Alzheimer's disease (AD) - Epidemiology Forecast - 2032" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



This 'Alzheimer's Disease - Epidemiology Forecast - 2032' report delivers an in-depth understanding of Alzheimer's disease, historical and forecasted epidemiology, and the Alzheimer's disease trends in the United States, EU4 (Germany, France, Italy, and Spain) and the United Kingdom, and Japan.



The disease epidemiology covered in the report provides historical as well as forecasted epidemiology segmented by the total diagnosed prevalent cases of Alzheimer's disease, age-specific cases of Alzheimer's disease, gender-specific cases of Alzheimer's disease, and severity-specific cases of Alzheimer's disease in the 7MM covering the United States, EU4 (Germany, France, Italy, and Spain) and the United Kingdom, and Japan from 2019 to 2032.



Alzheimer's Disease Detailed Epidemiology Segmentation

As per the estimates by the publisher, in 2022, the total diagnosed prevalent cases of Alzheimer's disease were estimated to be approximately 15,083,370 cases in the 7MM. These cases are projected to increase at a CAGR of 2.4%.

In the US, there were approximately 6,186,284 diagnosed prevalent cases of Alzheimer's disease in 2022. These were nearly 41% of the total cases in the 7MM. These cases are expected to increase during the forecast period.

In 2022, among the 7MM, Japan accounted for the second-highest diagnosed prevalent cases of Alzheimer's disease, contributing nearly 26%, while the UK accounted for the least with nearly 4% of the total diagnosed prevalent cases.

accounted for the second-highest diagnosed prevalent cases of Alzheimer's disease, contributing nearly 26%, while the UK accounted for the least with nearly 4% of the total diagnosed prevalent cases. In 2022, EU4 and the UK accounted for nearly 33% of the total diagnosed prevalent cases of Alzheimer's in the 7MM. There were approximately 4,942,376 total diagnosed prevalent cases of Alzheimer's disease.

Among EU4 and the UK, Germany accounted for the highest (nearly 31%) total diagnosed prevalent cases of Alzheimer's disease, with approximately 1,510,515 cases, followed by France (nearly 24%).

accounted for the highest (nearly 31%) total diagnosed prevalent cases of Alzheimer's disease, with approximately 1,510,515 cases, followed by (nearly 24%). Japan accounted for 3,954,710 diagnosed prevalent cases of Alzheimer's disease. In 2022 the age-specific distribution of the disease suggests that the age cohort of 75-84 years accounted for the majority, nearly 51% of the cases, followed by =85 (32%), 65-74 (14%), and < 65 years (3%). These cases of Alzheimer's disease are expected to increase during the forecast period.

accounted for 3,954,710 diagnosed prevalent cases of Alzheimer's disease. In 2022 the age-specific distribution of the disease suggests that the age cohort of 75-84 years accounted for the majority, nearly 51% of the cases, followed by =85 (32%), 65-74 (14%), and < 65 years (3%). These cases of Alzheimer's disease are expected to increase during the forecast period. As per estimates based on this epidemiology model for Alzheimer's disease, the gender distribution of the disease suggests a female predominance across the 7MM, with approximately 5,024,849 male and 10,058,521 female cases in the 7MM in 2022.

According to estimates based on this epidemiology model, in EU4 and the UK, around 1,454,541 males and 3,487,835 females were diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2022, and the cases are expected to increase during the forecast period.

Alzheimer's disease diagnosed prevalent cases based on severity were divided into MCI, mild, moderate, and severe dementia. According to the publisher's epidemiology model, in the 7MM, MCI due to Alzheimer's disease accounted for the highest cases, with approximately 8,174,943 cases, while severe dementia accounted for the least, with approximately 1,450,356 cases in 2022. The cases are expected to increase by 2032.

According to estimates based on this epidemiology model for Alzheimer's disease, in Japan , in 2022, there were approximately 2,324,183 cases of MCI, 826,139 cases of mild dementia, 517,671 cases of moderate dementia, and 286,716 cases of severe dementia, which are expected to increase during the study period.

Report Highlights

Ten Years Forecast of Alzheimer's Disease

The 7MM coverage

Total Diagnosed Prevalent Cases of Alzheimer's Disease

Age-specific Cases of Alzheimer's Disease

Gender-specific Cases of Alzheimer's Disease

Severity-specific Cases of Alzheimer's Disease

Key Assessments

Patient segmentation

Disease risk and burden

Risk of disease by the segmentation

Factors driving growth in a specific patient population

Geographies Covered

The United States

EU4 ( Germany , France , Italy , and Spain ) and the United Kingdom

, , , and ) and the Japan

Key Topics Covered:



1. Key Insights



2. Report Introduction



3. Alzheimer's Disease Epidemiology Overview at a Glance

3.1. Patient Share (%) Distribution of Alzheimer's Disease in 2019

3.2. Patient Share (%) Distribution of Alzheimer's Disease in 2032



4. Methodology of Alzheimer's Disease Epidemiology



5. Executive Summary of Alzheimer's Disease



6. Disease Background and Overview of Alzheimer's Disease

6.1. Introduction

6.2. Signs and Symptoms

6.3. Classification of Alzheimer's Disease

6.4. Risk Factors

6.5. The severity of Alzheimer's Disease

6.6. Pathophysiology

6.7. Diagnosis

6.7.1. NIA-AA Criteria

6.7.2. DSM-5 Criteria for Diagnosing Alzheimer's Disease

6.7.3. IWG-2 Criteria for Alzheimer's Disease

6.7.4. Mini-mental state examination (MMSE)



7. Patient Journey



8. Epidemiology and Patient Population

8.1. Key Findings

8.2. Assumption and Rationale

8.2.1. Diagnosed Prevalent Cases of Alzheimer's Disease

8.2.2. Gender-specific Cases of Alzheimer's Disease

8.2.3. Age-specific Cases of Alzheimer's Disease

8.2.4. Severity-specific Cases of Alzheimer's Disease

8.3. Total Diagnosed Prevalent Cases of Alzheimer's Disease in the 7MM

8.4. The US

8.4.1. Diagnosed Prevalent Cases of Alzheimer's Disease in the US

8.4.2. Gender-specific Cases of Alzheimer's Disease in the US

8.4.3. Age-specific Cases of Alzheimer's Disease in the US

8.4.4. Severity-specific Cases of Alzheimer's Disease in the US

8.5. EU4 and the UK

8.5.1. Diagnosed Prevalent Cases of Alzheimer's Disease in EU4 and the UK

8.5.2. Gender-specific Cases of Alzheimer's Disease in EU4 and the UK

8.5.3. Age-specific Cases of Alzheimer's Disease in EU4 and the UK

8.5.4. Severity-specific Cases of Alzheimer's Disease in EU4 and the UK

8.6. Japan

8.6.1. Diagnosed Prevalent Cases of Alzheimer's Disease in Japan

8.6.2. Gender-specific Cases of Alzheimer's Disease in Japan

8.6.3. Age-specific Cases of Alzheimer's Disease in Japan

8.6.4. Severity-specific Cases of Alzheimer's Disease in Japan



9. KOL Opinion Leaders' Views



10. Unmet Needs



11. Appendix



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/2lsqy8

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

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For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

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SOURCE Research and Markets
DUBLIN, Nov. 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Anti-Static Plates Market - Global Industry Size, Share, Trends Opportunity, and Forecast 2018-2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global Anti-Static Plates Market is poised for strong growth, with projections indicating that it will reach an impressive USD 2.28 billion by 2028, driven by a robust compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.23%. These plates, available in various materials such as PVC, acrylic, and polycarbonate, serve as crucial tools in averting static electricity buildup, a phenomenon that can potentially harm sensitive electronic components. Their specialized properties effectively dissipate static charges, ensuring the secure handling and protection of electronic goods.

E-commerce Drives Demand for Anti-Static Plates in Packaging

The exponential growth of e-commerce is revolutionizing the global retail landscape, leading to an unprecedented surge in demand for packaging solutions. As companies worldwide ship products on a massive scale, there is an acute need for sturdy and dependable protective packaging. Anti-static plates have emerged as indispensable assets in the packaging industry, where they play a vital role in preventing the buildup of static electricity and safeguarding sensitive electronic components during transportation. With the rising volume of electronic goods shipped globally, the demand for these plates is skyrocketing.

Challenges: Global Supply Chain Disruptions

The global Anti-Static Plates Market, which significantly impacts industries such as electronics, automotive, and construction, currently faces a substantial challenge: disruptions in the global supply chain. These disruptions, driven by various factors and further intensified by recent events like the COVID-19 pandemic, have led to delays, increased costs, and reduced availability of essential materials. As a result, industries reliant on these supplies, including the anti-static plates market, are facing negative consequences.

Asia Pacific Dominates the Market

Asia Pacific has emerged as the dominant player in the global Anti-Static Plates Market in 2022, holding the largest market share in terms of value. The region's rapid growth in end-user industries, particularly construction and plastics, has driven the demand for anti-static plates. With the Asia Pacific region experiencing a construction boom driven by urbanization, infrastructure development, and economic growth, there is a growing need for anti-static plates to ensure safety and efficiency in construction applications.

Key Market Trends: Growing E-commerce and Packaging

The rise of e-commerce and the subsequent surge in packaging demand are driving significant trends in the global Anti-Static Plates Market. E-commerce companies shipping electronic products globally require robust protective packaging, leading to increased demand for anti-static plates. Additionally, the shift towards sustainable packaging is presenting new opportunities for eco-friendly anti-static solutions, aligning with consumer preferences and driving market growth.

The report covers various segments of the Anti-Static Plates Market, including types, materials, end-users, and regions. It provides in-depth company profiles of major industry players including:

Mitsubishi Chemical

Sumitomo Bakelite Co. Ltd.

MISUMI Group Inc

Energetic Industry Co. Ltd.

Seikisui Chemical GmbH

C.I. Takiron Corporation

SciCron Technologies

Korea Plate Co Ltd

Korea Polymer Co., Ltd.

Nextech Systems, Inc.

The global Anti-Static Plates Market is on an upward trajectory, fueled by the growing demand for electronic safety and the rapid expansion of e-commerce. Despite supply chain challenges, Asia Pacific dominates the market, driven by booming end-user industries. As e-commerce continues to grow, the demand for anti-static plates in packaging will persist, presenting opportunities for innovation and sustainability in the industry. The future holds great potential for advancements in anti-static technology, ensuring the continued protection and reliability of electronic systems worldwide.

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/yxo05d

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SOURCE Research and Markets
BEIJING, Nov. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report by China.org.cn on the San Francisco summit meeting:

After a year, face-to-face communication between the leaders of China and the United States was once again witnessed by the international community.

Building a more stable China-U.S. relationship after the San Francisco summit meeting

In the past few months, the bilateral relationship between China and the U.S. has gradually walked out of the shadow, showing a stop in decline and a trend of stabilization. High-ranked officials of both countries have dialogued and negotiated frequently, with China-U.S. economic and financial working groups formed, and the two countries have been promoting people-to-people exchanges. In such context, Chinese President Xi Jinping and American President Joe Biden met on Nov. 15 at Filoli Estate, south of San Francisco.

This meeting is to set China-U.S. relations back to the trajectories pictured when President Xi and President Biden met on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia. It is also an important window for both countries to join hands to avoid a zero-sum game, and view one country's success as an opportunity for the other.

During the meeting, President Xi Jinping underscored that the two countries should foster a new "San Francisco vision," while consolidating the five pillars for China-U.S. relations. Fundamentally, the U.S. needs to alter its existing stereotypes towards China and the relationship between the two countries. It should be aware that China will not take the wrong path of seeking hegemony with growing strength, nor does it have a plan to surpass or unseat the United States.

The two countries also agreed to cooperate in a range of fields, among which the resumption of bilateral high-level military-to-military communication has been attached utmost importance by the Biden administration and the international community. Many think this could lower the possibility of war in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea between China and the U.S. The two countries also showed willingness to work together on coping with Fentanyl, climate change and AI issues, which received compliments from the international community and those with vision in America. Besides, the San Diego Zoo in California may also benefit from the summit meeting: It may welcome some new pandas, as the animal is a long-time favorite of the American people.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. To substantially ease the tension between China and the U.S., and to really safeguard peace and stability in the international system, progress must be made step by step.

Quote President Xi Jinping: "Major-country competition is not the prevailing trend of current times and cannot solve the problems facing China and the United States or the world at large." Hopefully, the two countries could usher in a new chapter after the San Francisco summit meeting, actively put the heads of state's consensus into action, and build a more stable and more constructive China-US relationship.

China Mosaic

http://chinamosaic.china.com.cn/index.htm

Building a more stable China-U.S. relationship after the San Francisco summit meeting

http://www.china.org.cn/video/2023-11/23/content_116834967.htm

SOURCE China.org.cn
NEW YORK, Nov. 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Cell Surface Markers Market size is expected to grow by USD 14.06 billion, accelerating at a CAGR of 8.25% during the forecast period, according to Technavio Research. The report provides the complete insights on companies including Abbott Laboratories, Abcam plc, Agilent Technologies Inc., Becton Dickinson and Co., Bio Rad Laboratories Inc., Bio Techne Corp., Cell Signaling Technology Inc., Danaher Corp., DiaSorin SpA, F. Hoffmann La Roche Ltd., GenScript Biotech Corp., Grifols SA, IVD Medical Holding Ltd., Johnson and Johnson, PerkinElmer Inc., QIAGEN NV, Siemens Healthineers AG, Sysmex Corp., Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. and Werfenlife SA. This report offers an up-to-date analysis of the current market scenario, the latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment. Read PDF Sample Report

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Cell Surface Markers Market 2024-2028

Cell Surface Markers Market: Company Profile:

Abcam plc: The company offers cell surface markers such as Human immune cell markers and Mouse immune cell markers.

To gain access to more company profiles available with Technavio, buy the report

Cell Surface Markers Market: Regional Analysis

North America is expected to contribute 39% of the global market growth due to its significant role in the cell surface markers market. The region's dominance is due to the increased applications in disease diagnosis, supported by well-established research institutions and extensive biotechnology industry R&D. The US, with its thriving biotech sector, contributes substantially to this demand. The market's growth is further driven by the continuous introduction of new products by major companies in the market.

Cell Surface Markers Market: Segmentation Analysis

The market is segmented by Application (Disease diagnosis, Research, and drug discovery), Product (Antibody and PCR array), and Geography (North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of World (ROW)).

The disease diagnosis segment is expected for substantial market share growth during the forecast period. Utilizing immunophenotyping to analyze cell surface markers enables efficient disease identification, sample preparation, drug discovery, and determination of treatment, further boosting the market. Additionally, the increasing uptake of in-vitro diagnostics, encompassing diagnostic test products, instruments, and supplies, is anticipated to be a key driver of market expansion.

Learn about the contribution of each segment summarized in concise infographics and thorough descriptions. View a PDF Sample Report

Cell Surface Markers Market: Driver & Trend:

Driver

Increased focus on COVID-19 antibody interactions with cell surface markers drives research.

Elevated risk of fungal coinfections in COVID-19 patients fuels the use of cell surface markers for fungal infection research.

Growing understanding of these markers aids novel approaches towards finding cures, boosting global cell surface markers market growth during the forecast period.

Trends - The increased use of diagnostics in cancer detection is the primary trend shaping market growth.

Identify key trends, drivers, and challenges in the market. Download the sample report to gain access to this information

Related Reports:

Cell Sorting Market: The global cell sorting market size is estimated to grow by USD 129.02 million at a CAGR of 7.86% between 2022 and 2027.

Cell Culture Market: The Cell Culture Market size is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 11.3% between 2022 and 2027. The size of the market is forecasted to increase by USD 17.74 billion.

What are the key data covered in this cell surface markers market report?

CAGR of the market during the forecast period

Detailed information on factors that will drive the growth of the cell surface markers market between 2023 and 2028.

Precise estimation of the cell surface markers market size and its contribution to the market in focus on the parent market

Accurate predictions about upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

A thorough analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information about companies.

Comprehensive analysis of factors that will challenge the growth of cell surface markers market companies.

TOC:

Executive Summary Market Landscape Market Sizing Historic Market Sizes Five Forces Analysis Market Segmentation by Application Market Segmentation by Product Market Segmentation by Geography Customer Landscape Geographic Landscape Drivers, Challenges, & Trends Company Landscape Company Analysis Appendix

About Technavio

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provide actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions.

With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

Contacts

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Jesse Maida

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Email: [email protected]

Website: www.technavio.com/

SOURCE Technavio
Essential training guides for food safety training are now available at a considerable discount

ABILENE, Texas, Nov. 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Clean Bio Foods Business, the industry leader in food safety training courses and related study materials, is pleased to announce the release of several new study guides.

Continuing in the tradition of past Clean Bio Foods Business books, these new releases are essential study guides for environmental health and food safety roles, such as Registered Environmental Health Specialist (REHS), Registered Sanitarian (RS), and Certified Professional  Food Safety (CP-FS). Each volume is now available at a huge discount, with free shipping on all orders.

Clean Bio Foods Business Chief Operating Officer Bria Parker said of the new releases, "It's only at Clean Bio Foods Business that we provide affordable educational materials to expand the knowledge in the industry."

Each new study guide provides thorough preparation for training classes and certification courses from the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA). Among the new books are these comprehensive guides: NEHA Certified Professional  Food Safety (CP-FS) Study Guide (4th Edition); REHS/RS Study Guide (5th Edition); NEHA Environmental Engineering, Prevention & Response (Sixth Edition); and several more. With the current discounts, buyers can save up to 80 percent on each purchase.

With its thorough and extensive study guides, Clean Bio Foods Business offers the depths of knowledge to ensure the success of Registered Environmental Health Specialists, Registered Sanitarians, and other food safety professionals. Clean Bio Foods study guides and NEHA certifications ensure premier food safety practices in any retail environment.

Interested students and food service professionals are encouraged to visit the Clean Bio Foods Business website to view the entire catalog of new study guides. For more information about the study guides or other inquiries, contact Clean Bio Foods Business by phone or via the company's website.

Industry: Environment

Press Contact:

bella rose

7402177670

https://www.cbfbusiness.com/

SOURCE CLEAN BIO FOODS BUSINESS
News / Local

by Staff reporter

POLICE in Beitbridge have arrested a 28-year-old Zimbabwean truck driver for smuggling cigarettes stashed in a gas tanker.In a statement, national police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said the suspect was arrested on Saturday after his contraband was detected as he drove past the border post after falsely declaring that the tanker was empty."The Zimbabwe Republic Police confirms the arrest of Hillary Makopa (28) for smuggling cigarettes using a gas tanker truck on 18th November 2023 at Beitbridge Border Post," Nyathi said.The contraband comprising 585 (50 x 10x 20) boxes and 256 (25 x 10x 20) of Remington Gold cigarettes was recovered from the tanker.Nyathi added that police have intensified operations targeting syndicates involved in cross-border crimes at the country's border posts."The police, therefore, categorically state that cigarette smuggling syndicates will be arrested without fear or favour. We warn bus operators, truck drivers, omalayitsha, clearing agents or any other person who initiates acts of smuggling that they are equally liable and will be arrested," he said.
SEOUL, South Korea, Nov. 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Hanwha Aerospace has been awarded a contract to supply 155mm artillery bi-modular charge systems to BAE Systems. BAE Systems is a long term strategic supply partner to the UK Ministry of Defence. The contract is worth around $130M, providing critical components of the artillery operation.

"This contract with BAE Systems underscores Hanwha Aerospace's commitment to strengthening Korea-UK defense ties," said Jae-il Son, President and CEO of Hanwha Aerospace "Our 155mm Artillery Modular Charge System will effectively meet NATO's ammunition needs, enhancing the operational efficiency of weapon systems by leveraging Hanwha's robust production capabilities and BAE Systems' expertise."

Glynn Plant, Managing Director of Land UK at BAE Systems, said: "Our order for the supply of modular charge systems demonstrates the compatibility of the Hanwha Aerospace MCS system with our 155mm ammunition."

The Modular Charge System (MCS) is an effective method of tailoring the propelling charge to the individual needs of weapons systems, which streamlines logistics and improves the handling of self-propelled artillery systems. The MCS burns very cleanly upon ignition leaving little or no residue, thereby eliminating the need for swabbing the barrel between fires, leading to the increase the system's rate of fire.

Hanwha Aerospace's Bi-Modular Charge System, HW70 and HW50, were developed using NATO standard 39/52 caliber 155mm guns and BAE Systems' NATO standard ammunition, L15, to meet the Joint Ballistic Memorandum of Understanding (JBMoU), and have been verified for performance, safety, and compatibility. It also incorporates performance enhancements over its predecessor, including increased robustness of the Combustible Cartridge Case (CCC) to maximize operability with Automated Turrets, which are expected to be increasingly deployed in the future, and an improved ignition system for fast and uniform propellant ignition.

About Hanwha Aerospace

Hanwha Aerospace is a global aerospace and defense company that offers a broad portfolio of products and services. These include land combat vehicles such as the world-renowned K9 Self-Propelled Howitzer and the Redback Infantry Fighting Vehicle, various other weapons systems, munitions, aircraft engine parts, and technology products and services. As South Korea's largest aerospace and defense company, Hanwha Aerospace is engaged in the research, development, and manufacture of advanced technology systems and is spearheading the country's space projects. More information about Hanwha Aerospace is available at www.hanwhaaerospace.com.

About BAE Systems

At BAE Systems, we provide some of the world's most advanced, technology-led defence, aerospace and security solutions. We employ a skilled workforce of 93,100 people in around 40 countries. Working with customers and local partners, we develop, engineer, manufacture, and support products and systems to deliver military capability, protect national security, and keep critical information and infrastructure secure.

www.baesystems.com

SOURCE Hanwha Aerospace
CHICAGO, Nov. 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ --

A proposed settlement has been reached in a class action lawsuit against BioMetric Impressions Corp. ("BIC") regarding fingerprinting services it conducted allegedly in violation of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act ("BIPA"). The case is Sayas v. BioMetric Impression Corp., Case No. 2020 CH 000210, pending in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois (the "Court"). Although BIC denies the allegations and any wrongdoing, the parties have decided to settle their dispute (the "Settlement"). BIC's agreement to settle this matter is not an admission of any wrongdoing, and the Court has not made any determination that BIC violated the law.

Who's included in the Class? All persons who were fingerprinted by BIC: (a) between January 8, 2015 and August 14, 2023; and (b) for whom such fingerprinting services were not paid by the State of Illinois pursuant to the CMS Contract (as defined in the Settlement Agreement).

What does the Settlement provide? BIC has agreed to create a fund in the amount of $10,850,000 to pay Class Members; settlement administration expenses; attorneys' fees, costs and expenses; and a service award to class representatives (the "Settlement Fund"). Each Class member who submits a timely, valid Claim Form may receive a payment out of the Settlement. Following the timely submission of a valid Claim Form and final approval of the Settlement by the Court, this payment will be sent to Class Members via electronic means or check. Although the exact amount of each Class Member's payment is and will be unknown until the Court grants final approval of the Settlement, Class Members who timely submit a valid Claim Form are eligible to receive up to $1,000. The amount could be less depending on several factors, including how many Class Members return valid Claim Forms. To receive a cash payment from the fund, you must complete and submit a Claim Form by February 22, 2024. Claim Forms can be completed online at www.BICBIPASettlement.com or may be submitted via email or by mail. For more information about this Settlement, including its benefits, your options, and a copy of the Agreement itself, please visit www.BICBIPASettlement.com or call 1-877-834-0275. Please call 1-877-834-0275 if you need to update your mailing address.

Your rights may be affected. If you do not want to be legally bound by the Settlement, you must exclude yourself by January 8, 2024. If you do not exclude yourself, you will release your claims against BIC related to the alleged violations of BIPA, as more fully described in the Settlement Agreement. If you stay in the Settlement, you may object to it by January 8, 2024. The detailed Notice available at www.BICBIPASettlement.com explains how to exclude yourself or object. The Court is scheduled to hold a hearing on March 5, 2024 at 11:00 am to consider whether to approve the Settlement Agreement, Class Counsel's request for attorneys' fees of up to 33.3% of the Settlement Fund plus reasonable out-of-pocket litigation costs not to exceed $30,000, and a service award for the Class Representatives of $6,000. You can appear at the hearing, but you do not have to. If you want, you can hire your own attorney at your own expense to appear or speak for you at the hearing.

URL: www.BICBIPASettlement.com

SOURCE Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois
SHANGHAI, Nov. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Sixth China International Import Expo (CIIE) ended on November 10 in Shanghai after six busy and fruitful days. For the first time, the Lin-gang area has taken up a new role as the exhibitor recruitment partner of the Intelligent Industry & Information Technology Hall (Hall 3) of China's largest annual import trade fair.

Scene of the signing ceremony The signing ceremony between Lingang Group and UCCTC

The 2,700 square meter Lin-gang Exhibition Area was jointly organized by the administrative committee of Lin-gang Special Area of China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone ("Lin-gang Special Area") and Shanghai Lingang Economic Development (Group) Co., Ltd. ("Lingang Group").

Nearly 100 foreign companies, most of whom operate in parks operated by Lingang Group, showcased new technologies, new business formats and new business models.

The Lin-gang Exhibition Area is the first comprehensive exhibition area for enterprises to participate in the CIIE through industrial clusters. It received 1,078 visiting delegations and held more than 100 events. More than 6,000 people held various types of commercial and investment discussions in this area. By November 10, over 100 deals were reached here. Yuan Guohua, the Chairman of Lingang Group, said: "We believe in opening-up and innovation. We have set up platforms for companies to thrive."

New joiners expand Lingang's industrial ecosystem

On the opening day of November 5, many exhibitors of the area signed strategic cooperation agreements with the Lingang Group, including Energy Singularity, Schneider Electric, TENWAYS and Newsight Imaging, covering fusion power, worldwide energy efficiency management and automation, e-bike, image sensors and many other industries.

The Lin-gang Special Area has attracted companies from various industry chains thanks to its good business environment, complete industry ecosystem and full lifecycle services for its investors. On November 6, the world-leading heating and air-conditioning solution provider Johnson Controls - Hitachi Air Conditioning signed the agreement to invest in Lingang Fengxian Park, and is considering setting up its regional headquarters here. Its arrival will further expand the green low-carbon energy saving industry cluster of Lin-gang Special Area and build a next generation green technology industry park.

"In the next five years, China's heating and air-conditioning market will reach a trillion-yuan size. Johnson Controls - Hitachi Air Conditioning is committed to increase our investment in China to provide better products, solutions and services to our clients," said Guan Yu, Vice President and General Manager of China, Johnson Controls - Hitachi Air Conditioning.

Also during the exhibition, many exhibitors have signed agreements to attend the seventh CIIE, including Lenze, Sebia, Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Group, Voith and Cummings.

New stage creates new growth opportunities

As a veteran of China's mechanical engineering automation industry, German company Lenze joined the CIIE for the first time through the Lin-gang Exhibition Area. Upon its debut, the company received orders worth of 20 million yuan and was approached by many partners for strategic cooperation.

"A confident China has kept its opening-up policy, which is a big boost of confidence for foreign companies to invest more in the country. During this CIIE, we have received many inquiries of upgrading projects from lower tier Chinese cities. This is all thanks to the outstanding display stage provided by the Lin-gang Exhibition Area," said Xie Weidong, President, East Asia, Lenze.

AXA Tianping P&C Insurance Co., Ltd., another first-timer of CIIE through Lin-gang Exhibition Area, signed the first deal of the international facultative inward business of China's international board of reinsurance market. This is a significant step in the two-way opening-up journey of China's reinsurance industry.

Sustainable development is another hot topic of the CIIE. Lingang Group, U.S.-China Cleantech Center (UCCTC) and Shanghai Foreign Investment Development Board jointly organized the Shanghai North American Clean Technology and Carbon Neutrality Cooperation Summit. On the sideline of the event, 16 leading American companies held business meetings with 67 Chinese companies of this industry train. They have reached more than 30 cooperation intentions. Lingang Group signed a cooperation agreement with UCCTC to open a new chapter of China-US collaboration on the research and development of clean technologies.

International cooperation enhance Lin-gang service capabilities

As a park service provider, Lingang Group has always regarded high-quality service as its core competence. It has set up a holistic system to support technological, digital, green, service, financial and overseas innovations, which will cover all aspects and elements of a company's lifecycle.

During this CIIE, Lingang Group has joined hands with its sister park - Hong Kong Cyberport - to launch the Shanghai Lingang Group - Hong Kong Cyberport Industry Acceleration Program. It will be a platform to accelerate the growth of companies from both parties' parks through start-up incubation, technology exchange, international cooperation and talent introduction. Lingang Group has also set up a joint taskforce with Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Bank of Communications and Kasikornbank to explore innovative cross-border financial services.

Together with HSBC, Lingang Group hosted the Roundtable on Growth Opportunities in Supply Chain Finance Innovation to find new application scenarios for supply chain financial services.

The newly opened Shanghai-Kunming Lancang-Mekong Express Freight Train Route connects Lin-gang's Luchaogang Station with Lao's capital Vientiane, where it is also connected with Thailand's railway network. It has created new opportunities for more international cooperation. During the CIIE, the ASEAN International Supply Chain Service Forum was held at Lin-gang Exhibition Area. More than 100 guests from Chinese and foreign companies and organizations, such as Thai and Vietnam chambers of commerce in China, attended to discuss how to leverage opportunities brought by this new transportation channel.

Sakarn Saensopa, Commercial Consul of the Royal Thai Consulate General in Shanghai, said: "China/Kunming - Laos/Vientiane Railway is a bridge of international cooperation. We are accelerating the construction of a new railway to connect our Laem Chabang Port with the China-Laos Railway. It will help create a new railway transport channel to stimulate closer economic collaboration between China and Thailand."

Image Attachments Links:

Link: https://iop.asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=443422

Caption: Scene of the signing ceremony

Link: https://iop.asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=443427

Caption: The signing ceremony between Lingang Group and UCCTC

SOURCE Shanghai Lingang Economic Development Group
NEW YORK, Nov. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- New Heaven New Earth Shincheonji Church of Jesus is receiving praise for its orderly maintenance of the facilities used for its November 12th graduation of 108,084 theology students.

Before and after celebrating the graduation of Class 114 from the Zion Christian Mission Center, volunteers thoroughly disinfected and cleaned the stadium where the event took place in Daegu, South Korea.

New Heaven New Earth Shincheonji Church of Jesus is receiving praise for its orderly maintenance of the facilities used for its November 12, 2023 graduation of 108,084 theology students.

"I was quite astonished when I came for trash inspection before and after the event," said a professional cleaning company representative from the Daegu region. "Not only was it impressive that such a large number of people were able to move orderly during the event, but also the cleanliness after the event was remarkable. It made me see (Shincheonji Church of Jesus) in a new light."

In preparation for its latest graduation, Shincheonji Church of Jesus emphasized safety and order and paid close attention to environmental cleanup and sanitation. Beginning two to three days before the event, church members gathered to clean Daegu Stadium, install temporary toilets, and purchase supplies.

"We made every effort to ensure that anyone who sees it, even after the event, can say that it was an orderly and beautiful event until the end," said Jung Geun Young, head of Shincheonji Church's environmental cleanup department.

The November 12th ceremony was the third occasion commemorating the graduation of over 100,000 students who completed an in-depth course explaining the whole Bible and the Book of Revelation. Its ability to consistently produce 100,000 graduates at a time is just one of many impressive achievements of Shincheonji Church of Jesus.

The church's online seminar series providing its introductory, intermediate and advanced Bible course content has exceeded 32 million cumulative views on YouTube. As many as 9,593 churches in over 80 different countries have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Shincheonji Church, vowing to work together and exchange Bible teaching materials.

For more information about New Heaven New Earth Shincheonji Church of Jesus, please visit scjamericas.org or send an email to [email protected].

SOURCE Shincheonji Church of Jesus
The non-injectable insulin market is poised for significant growth, propelled by advancements in drug delivery technologies and a rising demand for convenient and patient-friendly insulin treatments. This report delves into the future of insulin therapy over the next decade, highlighting the increasing prominence of non-invasive insulin delivery methods.

NEWARK, Del., Nov. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Oral Pills and Hospital Pharmacies Market Analysis for Non-Injectable Insulin 2024 to 2034

The non-injectable insulin market is projected to generate US$ 1372.9 million in 2024. According to projections, the market will reach US$ 4,418.70 million in 2034. Between 2023 and 2033, the market is expected to register a CAGR of 9.50%. Pharmaceutical companies and researchers strive to offer more convenient alternatives to traditional insulin injections, the market for non-injectable insulin has seen notable growth in recent years. With products like Afrezza, inhaled insulin offers needle-free administration, so it has been gaining attention for enhancing treatment adherence.

Empower Informed Decision-Making: Preview Our Comprehensive Non-Injectable Insulin Market Research Report Before You Buy

As insulin is easy to administer, enzyme degradation may challenge its advancement, but new formulations and protective technologies are helping to address this issue. With advancements in skin permeability, transdermal insulin delivery is becoming a less invasive option. Long-term safety and efficacy are being refined for implantable insulin delivery devices.

Regulatory approvals and clinical trials of non-injectable insulin are poised to grow the market substantially, making it easier for diabetics to manage their condition. Healthcare stakeholders, who expect a significant impact on diabetes management, are closely monitoring these developments. The FDA approved a new emergency hypoglycemia treatment, Baqsimi. Individuals four years and older can receive this treatment, a powder administered through the nose. The United States has approved injectable glucagon for several decades. It was the first non-injectable glucagon product that was available.

A speaker at the World Congress on Insulin Resistance, Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease said there are several new ways diabetes patients could manage their condition through non-injectable insulin delivery. According to a speaker, oral insulin formulation could become a reality soon. The FDA approved Semaglutide (Rybelsus, Novo Nordisk) in September for treating type 2 diabetes without injections. Several large trials showed that this therapy reduced HbA1c significantly compared to placebo in several large trials. In addition to empagliflozin, sitagliptin, and empagliflozin, the oral SGLT2 inhibitor was demonstrated to reduce HbA1c significantly.

Non-injectable Insulin Market Research Report Coverage: 2024-2034

Attributes Details Estimated Market Size in 2024 US$ 1372.9 million Projected Market Valuation in 2034 US$ 4,418.70 million Value-based CAGR 2024 to 2034 9.50 % Forecast Period 2024 to 2034 Historical Data Available for 2019 to 2023 Market Analysis Value in US$ million Key Regions Covered North America Latin America Western Europe Eastern Europe South Asia and Pacific East Asia The Middle East & Africa Key Market Segments Covered Dosage Distribution Channel Region Key Countries Profiled The United States Canada Brazil Mexico Germany The United Kingdom France Spain Italy Russia Poland Czech Republic Romania India Bangladesh Australia New Zealand China Japan South Korea GCC countries South Africa Israel Key Companies Profiled Novo Nordisk Sanofi Eli Lilly MannKind Corporation Biocon Janssen Pharmaceuticals Adocia Oramed Pharmaceuticals Dance Biopharm Medtronic Verily Life Sciences Zafgen Dance Biopharm Senseonics Bigfoot Biomedical













Understand global, regional, and country-level parameters with growth opportunities, historical data (2019-2023), and forecasts (2024-2034). Buy this report today!

Key Takeaways

Based on dosage, oral pills are projected to hold a market share of 47% during the forecast period.

Hospital pharmacies are expected to account for 46% of the market in 2024.

The non-injectable insulin market in China is forecast to increase by 11.2% CAGR from 2024 to 2034.

is forecast to increase by 11.2% CAGR from 2024 to 2034. Non-injectable insulins are projected to expand at a CAGR of 7.2% in the United States .

. The market for non-injectable insulin in Japan is predicted to expand at a CAGR of 5.4%.

"Research and development activities in the healthcare sector have increased. A combination of new technologies and studies will increase the demand for non-injectable insulins on the market," says Sabyasachi Ghosh (Associate Vice President at Future Market Insights, Inc.).

Competitive Landscape

A high level of fragmentation characterizes non-injectable insulin management owing to multiple participants. Patients with diabetes have benefited from technology.

With modern insulin treatment solutions, managing insulin levels successfully is much easier and more efficient than traditional insulin methods. Through mergers, acquisitions, partnerships, collaborations, and product launches.

Industry Developments Include

In April 2023 , Spin-off developed oral insulin and received commercial backing. Proto Axiom, an Australian biotechnology incubator, has given $2.2 million in funding to a company founded by three University of Sydney and Sydney Local Health District academics.

, Spin-off developed oral insulin and received commercial backing. Proto Axiom, an Australian biotechnology incubator, has given in funding to a company founded by three and Sydney Local Health District academics. In June 2023 , Dexcom announced the development of an automated continuous glucose monitoring solution aimed at the 25 million Americans without insulin-dependent type 2 diabetes. People without insulin who have type 2 diabetes will be able to use Dexcom's innovative CGM system.

Purchase this report now to get key companies with their Revenue Forecast, Volume Forecast, Company Ranking, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, Trends, and Pricing Analysis.

More Valuable Insights Available

Future Market Insights offers an unbiased global market analysis, providing historical data for 2019 to 2023 and forecast statistics from 2024 to 2034.

To understand opportunities in the non-injectable insulin market, the market is segmented based on Dosage (Oral Pills, Sprays, Others), Distribution Channel (Hospital Pharmacies, Online Pharmacies, Drug Stores), and Region (North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, South Asia and Pacific, East Asia, Middle East, and Africa).

About the Healthcare Division at Future Market Insights

The healthcare team at Future Market Insights offers expert analysis, time-efficient research, and strategic recommendations with the objective of providing authentic insights and accurate results to help clients worldwide. With a repertoire of over 100+ reports and 1 million+ data points, the team has been analyzing the industry lucidly in 50+ countries for over a decade. The team provides a brief analysis of key trends, including competitive landscape, profit margin, and research development efforts.

About the Author:

Sabyasachi Ghosh (Associate Vice President at Future Market Insights, Inc.) holds over 12 years of experience in the Healthcare, Medical Devices, and Pharmaceutical industries. His curious and analytical nature helped him shape his career as a researcher.

Identifying key challenges faced by clients and devising robust, hypothesis-based solutions to empower them with strategic decision-making capabilities come naturally to him. His primary expertise lies in areas such as Market Entry and Expansion Strategy, Feasibility Studies, Competitive Intelligence, and Strategic Transformation.

Holding a degree in Microbiology, Sabyasachi has authored numerous publications and has been cited in journals, including The Journal of mHealth, ITN Online, and Spinal Surgery News.

Explore FMI's Extensive Coverage in the Healthcare Domain:

About Future Market Insights (FMI)

Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in Dubai and has delivery centers in the United Kingdom, the United States, and India. FMI's latest market research reports and industry analysis helps businesses navigate challenges and make critical decisions with confidence and clarity amidst breakneck competition.

Our customized and syndicated market research reports deliver actionable insights that drive sustainable growth. A team of expert-led analysts at FMI continuously tracks emerging trends and events in a broad range of industries to ensure that our clients prepare for the evolving needs of their consumers.

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DUBLIN, Nov. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "US Joint All Domain Command and Control (JADC2) Market by Platform (Land, Naval, Airborne, Cyber, Space), Application (JADC2 Specific, Command & Control (C2), Communication, SATCOM, Computers, and AI, Networks), Solution - Forecast to 2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The US JADC2 Market is estimated to be USD 1.2 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach USD 8.6 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 31.7 % during the forecast period.

Due to several factors, the market for JADC2 is expanding significantly. Complex, multi-domain operations demand seamless integration, real-time data sharing, and rapid decision-making. As technology advances, the demand for advanced communication, AI-driven analytics, and interoperable systems grows, driving the expansion of the JADC2 market.

Land: The highest CAGR of the US JADC2 Market by Platform Segment during the forecast period

The US JADC2 market, based on platform, has been segmented into land, naval, airborne, space, and cyber., Land Segment is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Modern warfare scenarios increasingly involve complex and integrated battlespaces where land operations play a central role. The ability to coordinate and synchronize ground forces with assets in other domains is crucial for mission success. JADC2's emphasis on real-time data sharing, communication, and decision-making aligns perfectly with the dynamic and fluid nature of land-based operations.

JADC2 Specific: The fastest growing segment of the JADC2 Market by Application during the forecast period

The US Joint All Domain Command and Control market, based on application, has been segmented into JADC2 Specific, Command & Control (C2), communication, SATCOM, Computer and AI, and Networks. JADC2 specifically comprises programs that include Air Force's ABMS (Advanced Battle Management System), Army's Project Convergence, and Navy's Project Overmatch. These programs seek to seamlessly integrate land, air, sea, space, and cyberspace capabilities, enhancing decision-making, interoperability, and situational awareness. JADC2 envisions a networked environment where data from sensors, intelligence sources, and communication systems are rapidly processed using advanced technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning. This real-time analysis enables commanders to make informed choices in rapidly evolving scenarios. JADC2 initiatives also focus on creating a unified digital architecture that allows different branches of the military, allies, and partners to collaborate effectively.

Software: The Largest segment of the US JADC2 Market by solution during the forecasted period

JADC2 software, with its emphasis on open architecture and standardized protocols, enables seamless communication and coordination between different platforms and units. This enhances joint and coalition operations, allowing forces to collaborate effectively in multi-domain scenarios. The rise of autonomous systems, cyber threats, and the need for efficient resource allocation further accentuates the importance of JADC2 software. As military forces seek to maintain a competitive edge, the software's ability to provide real-time synchronization, situational awareness, and mission flexibility positions it as a critical enabler of success in the rapidly evolving landscape of modern warfare.

Market Dynamics

Drivers

Rising Adoption of New Technologies

Increasing Complexity of Modern Warfare

Growing Demand for Interoperability and Coordination

Increased Demand for Situational Awareness

Restraints

Technical Complexities

Security Concerns and Cyber Threats

Opportunities

Usage Beyond Military Applications

International Collaborations

Challenges

Training and Skill Development

Resistance to Change

Trends/Disruptions Impacting Customer's Business

Revenue Shift and New Revenue Pockets for US Joint All-Domain Command and Control Manufacturers

Key Topics Covered:

Executive Summary

Software Segment to Register Highest Market Growth from 2023 to 2030

Satcom Segment Anticipated to Lead Market During Forecast Period

Naval Segment to Account for Largest Market Share During Forecast Period

Premium Insights

Attractive Growth Opportunities for Players in US Joint All-Domain Command and Control Market - Increased Adoption of Joint All-Domain Command and Control Systems to Drive Market

US Joint All-Domain Command and Control Market, by Application - Communication Segment to Register Highest Growth in US Jadc2 Market

US Joint All-Domain Command and Control Market, by Platform - Land Segment to Have Highest Growth During Forecast Period

US Joint All-Domain Command and Control Market, by Solution - Software Segment to Lead Market by 2030

Company Profiles:

Agile Defense

Amazon

Arc, Inc.

Bae Systems plc

Caci International Inc.

Draper Laboratory

Elbit Systems Ltd.

General Atomics

General Dynamics Corporation

IBM Corporation

Improbable

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc.

L3Harris Technologies, Inc.

Leidos

Leonardo Spa

Lockheed Martin Corporation

Microsoft Corporation

Northrop Grumman Corporation

Radiance Technologies

Raytheon Technologies Corporation

Saic

Sigma Defense

Systematic Inc.

The Boeing Company

Viasat Inc.

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Growth in satellite broadband services, rise of in-flight, maritime and land mobile connectivity, investments in SATCOM infrastructure and ground stations drive the growth of the global satellite antenna market.

WILMINGTON, Del., Nov. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Satellite Antenna Market by Antenna Type (Parabolic Reflector Antenna, Flat Panel Antenna, Others), by Frequency (C/K/Ku/Ka band, S, and L band, X band, VHF and UHF band, Others), by Platform (Land, Airborne, Maritime, Space): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2023-2032". According to the report, the global satellite antenna market was valued at $4.39 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach $17.59 billion by 2032, registering a CAGR of 15.1%.

Prime determinants of growth

Factors such as growth in satellite broadband services, rise of in-flight, maritime, and land mobile connectivity, and investments in SATCOM infrastructure and ground stations boost the growth of the di satellite antenna market. However, high costs associated with phased array and electronically steered antennas, regulatory barriers, and restrictions on placement/installation of antennas are anticipated to hinder market growth. On the other hand, development of flat panels, interoperable, multi-orbit antennas, and adoption of electronically steered antennas (ESA) in aerospace, defense provide a remarkable growth opportunity for the market players operating in the market.

Download Sample Pages - https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/14266

Report Coverage & Details:

Report Coverage Details Forecast Period 20232032 Base Year 2022 Market Size in 2022 $4.39 billion Market Size in 2032 $17.59 billion CAGR 15.1 % No. of Pages in Report 349 Segments Covered Antenna type, frequency, platform, and region Drivers Growth in satellite broadband services Rise of in-flight, maritime, and land mobile connectivity Investments in SATCOM infrastructure and ground stations Opportunities Development of flat panel, interoperable, multi-orbit antennas Adoption of electronically steered antennas (ESA) in aerospace, defense Restraints High costs associated with phased array and electronically steered antennas. Regulatory barriers and restrictions on placement/installation of antennas

Impact of Russia-Ukraine War

On February 24, 2022 , Russia initiated an invasion of Ukraine , marking a significant escalation in the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War. The sanctions imposed on the space industry and space technology exports of Russia following its invasion of Ukraine could affect Russian satellite programs and operations.

, initiated an invasion of , marking a significant escalation in the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War. The sanctions imposed on the space industry and space technology exports of following its invasion of could affect Russian satellite programs and operations. This may reduce demand for ground antennas and satellite service terminals in Russia over the next few years. Domestic antenna manufacturers in Russia are anticipated to face pressures from the sanctions and economic uncertainty.

over the next few years. Domestic antenna manufacturers in are anticipated to face pressures from the sanctions and economic uncertainty. In addition, the satellite communications infrastructure of Ukraine on the ground has been disrupted significantly due to the conflict. The damage to ground station networks and loss of antenna facilities across the country may necessitate major infrastructure upgrades and investment in antennas post-war during the rebuilding phase.

on the ground has been disrupted significantly due to the conflict. The damage to ground station networks and loss of antenna facilities across the country may necessitate major infrastructure upgrades and investment in antennas post-war during the rebuilding phase. Overall, the Russia - Ukraine war has dampened the near-term prospects for the global satellite antenna market through multiple interconnected factors. The market dynamics remain fluid and hard to precisely estimate.

The parabolic reflector antenna segment to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period

On the basis of antenna type, the parabolic reflector antenna segment held the highest market share in 2022, accounting for more than three-fourths of the global satellite antenna market revenue, and is estimated to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period. This is owing to the constant drive to improve bandwidth and frequency efficiency in these antennas. However, the flat panel antenna segment is projected to manifest the highest CAGR of 16.6% from 2023 to 2032, owing to the ever-increasing need for high-speed internet connectivity.

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The C/K/Ku/Ka band segment to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period

On the basis of frequency, the C/K/Ku/Ka band segment held the highest market share in 2022 and is estimated to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period. In addition, the same segment is projected to manifest the highest CAGR of 15.9% from 2023 to 2032. This owing to Ku band antennas is integral in providing reliable internet connectivity in rural and remote areas. Their use in maritime, aviation, and military applications further contributes to their growth.

The land segment to maintain its lead position during the forecast period

On the basis of platform, the land segment accounted for the largest share in 2022 and is estimated to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period, owing to the shift from large dish antennas towards low-profile, unobtrusive flat panel antennas to support residential services such as Starlink of SpaceX. However, the Airborne segment is expected to portray the largest CAGR of 16.5% from 2023 to 2032, as Inflight connectivity is a major demand driver for airborne satellite antennas, as more airlines opt to equip aircraft with satellite-based WiFi services.

North America to maintain its dominance by 2032

On the basis of region, North America held the highest market share in terms of revenue in 2022 and is estimated to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period, owing to major satellite companies being engaged in the development of sophisticated antenna technologies to strengthen the capabilities of satellite services in this region, which propel the growth of the satellite antenna market across North America. However, the Asia-Pacific is expected to portray the largest CAGR of 16.3% from 2023 to 2032, as a combination of economic growth, increase in satellite communication applications, and a strong emphasis on technological advancements.

Leading Market Players: -

Honeywell International Inc.

Hughes Network Systems, LLC.

Kymeta Corporation

L3Harris Technologies, Inc.

Thales

Viasat, Inc.

Airbus DS Government Solutions Inc.

Cobham Limited

Gilat Satellite Networks

CPI International Inc.

Intellian Technologies, Inc.

Report Key Highlights:

The satellite antenna market study spans 14 countries, incorporating regional and segment analysis for each country based on projected values ($ billion) for the period from 2023 to 2032.

Our study integrates high-quality data, professional opinions, and analytical insights, alongside critical independent perspectives. The research approach aims to offer a balanced perspective on global markets, empowering stakeholders to make informed decisions in pursuit of their ambitious growth objectives.

To enhance our market understanding, we conducted a thorough review of over 3,700 product literature pieces, annual reports, industry statements, and comparable materials from major industry participants.

Procure Complete Research Report (PDF with Qualitative and Quotative Data, Insights, Statistics, Tables, Charts, Figures) - https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/satellite-antenna-market/purchase-options

The report provides a detailed analysis of these key players in the global satellite antenna market. These players have adopted different strategies such as new product launches, collaborations, expansion, agreements, and others to increase their market share and maintain dominant shares in different regions. The report is valuable in highlighting business performance, satellite antenna segments, product portfolio, and strategic moves of market players to showcase the competitive scenario.

Similar Reports We Have on Satellite Industry:

Military Antenna Market Research Report 2023-2032

Aircraft Antenna Market Research Report 2023-2032

Military Loop Antenna Market Research Report 2023-2032

Military Aperture Antenna Market Research Report 2023-2032

SATCOM Space Antenna Equipment Market Research Report 2023-2032

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We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Allied Market Research CEO Pawan Kumar is instrumental in inspiring and encouraging everyone associated with the company to maintain high quality of data and help clients in every way possible to achieve success. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry.

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SOURCE Allied Market Research
BEIJING, Nov. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A report from People's Daily:

Recently, at the invitation of U.S. President Joe Biden, Chinese President Xi Jinping flew across the Pacific Ocean on a trip to San Francisco. At the century-old Filoli Estate, Xi held a meeting with Biden to find the right way for China and the United States to get along with each other.

At this critical juncture of history, the San Francisco meeting between the Chinese and U.S. presidents achieved significant outcomes, making a key step to steer China-U.S. relations toward a healthy, stable and sustainable direction.

Xi pointed out that China and the United States should jointly develop a right perception, manage disagreements effectively, advance mutually beneficial cooperation, shoulder responsibilities as major countries, and promote people-to-people exchanges. This has built together five pillars for China-U.S. relations and established the "San Francisco vision" oriented toward the future.

To jointly develop a right perception comes first in the five pillars, which mirrors Xi's profound thinking on the real challenges and future direction of China-U.S. relations.

"I have always had one question on my mind: How to steer the giant ship of China-U.S. relations clear of hidden rocks and shoals, navigate it through storms and waves without getting disoriented, losing speed or even having a collision?" Xi said at a welcome dinner by friendly organizations in the United States.

"In this respect, the number one question for us is: are we adversaries, or partners? This is the fundamental and overarching issue," said Xi.

Xi's important remarks made at the welcoming dinner were thought-provoking. China and the United States are two major countries with extensive common interests and bear important responsibilities for world and regional peace, stability, and prosperity. For China and the United States, turning their back on each other is not an option. It is unrealistic for one side to remodel the other, and conflict and confrontation has unbearable consequences for both sides.

To find the right way to get along with each other, China and the United States need to jointly develop a right perception. Only by doing so can the foundation for mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation be laid.

This time in San Francisco, Xi once again stressed that the world is big enough to accommodate both countries, and China is ready to be a partner and friend of the United States.

What he said demonstrated profound wisdom in grasping the development of China-U.S. relations while following the logic of historical progress and the trend of the times, and showcased a broad-mindedness in planning the development of China-U.S. relations at the level of the future of humanity and Planet Earth.

China and the United States, the largest developing country and the largest developed country, must handle their relations well.

Both sides should take the San Francisco meeting as a new starting point to truly implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, enhance mutual understanding through communication and dialogue, eliminate biases and misjudgments by developing a right perception, and jointly promote the continuous improvement and development of China-U.S. relations.

SOURCE People's Daily
HANOI, Vietnam, Nov. 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Viettel High Tech announced the successful deployment validation of inaugural 5G Open RAN gNodeB powered by industry leading Qualcomm 5G RAN Platforms. Viettel is the world's first company to deploy 5G Open RAN network equipment with the Qualcomm X100 5G RAN Accelerator Card and Qualcomm QRU100 5G RAN Platform on a live network with real users and data traffic. This remarkable milestone was accomplished by Viettel and Qualcomm Technologies within a mere 8 months from the initial design showcase at the Mobile World Congress 2023 in March to this successful deployment.

Viettel announced the successful deployment validation of commercial 5G Open RAN network equipment with Qualcomms high performance and energy efficient 5G RAN Platforms

The installation site of this 5G gNodeB is within a network cluster that Viettel had deployed since 2021 in Hai Ba Trung District, Hanoi, Vietnam. This area is a typical representation of the 5G deployment model in urban areas with dense populations and proximity to university campuses, boasting a high concentration of subscribers, ranging between 300-400 subscribers in a cell. Deploying within this high-traffic area facilitated the product optimization process, enabling Viettel to quickly improve the products to meet stringent requirements for Viettel's networks.

Leveraging its unique position as both a network operator and a leading 5G Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), Viettel expedited the development process of 5G gNodeB by harnessing the capabilities of Qualcomm 5G RAN Platforms. Capitalizing on a live network environment characterized by dense user bases and substantial data loads, Viettel and Qualcomm Technologies engineering teams have been continuously refining the product, leading to the successful end-to-end integration of the 32T32R 5G gNodeB with downlink throughput reaching 850Mbps in real-network scenarios. As measured in this deployment validation, this performance aligns closely with that of equivalent products offered by leading global vendors. Following the successful deployment validation in Vietnam, Viettel plans to introduce these products across their eleven international markets and extend to other global operators.

"This is a seminal moment for 5G Open RAN and Qualcomm 5G RAN platforms, fueling modern networks underscored by architecture flexibility, power efficiency and uncompromised performance. We are incredibly honored to share this industry first with Viettel, who has been an incredible collaborator in the pursuit of unlocking Open RAN's full potential," said Gerardo Giaretta, Vice President, Product Management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

According to Nguyen Vu Ha, CEO of Viettel High Tech, he remarked, "Deploying a robust 5G infrastructure is not an easy task for network operators and equipment manufacturers. It is increasingly challenging to achieve a balance between factors such as high capacity, low latency, and reasonable costs. To enhance competitiveness and establish Viettel as a reputable global provider, we must continually improve our products and focus on key factors: high performance, Open RAN compliance, low power consumption, virtualization, and cloud-native design. The collaboration between Viettel and Qualcomm Technologies aims to address these critical factors, enabling our products to meet the requirements for mass commercialization in Vietnam and global markets".

Media Contact:

Mrs. Le Thuy Mai

Director of Marketing, Viettel High Tech

[email protected]

SOURCE Viettel High Technology Industries Corporation
News / Local

by Staff reporter

FORMER Finance minister Tendai Biti has accused Zanu-PF of having a hand in the verbal assault charges he is facing.Biti made the claims while submitting his defence in a case he is accused of verbally assaulting local businesswoman Tatiana Aleshina at the Harare Magistrates Court in 2020, a charge he denies.He also accused the media, Zanu-PF finance secretary Patrick Chinamasa, Information secretary Ndavaningi Mangwana, and Deputy Prosecutor-General Michael Reza of conniving to have him nailed over the assault charge.Yesterday, he also complained about a showroom that was built by property developer George Katsimberis which was demolished after he built it with an alleged fraudulently acquired plan.The opposition politician told the court that Aleshina was a very powerful woman, adding he was not likely to get a fair trial with Reza prosecuting the matter.Biti questioned the directorship of West Properties where Aleshina works and the authenticity of the joint venture agreements they signed with other partners.But the State accused him of raising issues that had nothing with the assault charge he is facing.Reza last week accused Biti of buying time by filing several applications, thereby delaying finalisation of the matter. Magistrate Vongai Guwuriro then postponed the trial to Wednesday saying the matter must be placed on the continuous roll until Thursday.
ROTKREUZ, Switzerland, Nov. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A Swiss multi-product IT company specializing in language technologies and development of AI-powered translation solutions, vidby , launches Vidby Call Translator service to let business teams and individual users communicate with foreign language participants through Google Meet. Users can translate video calls in real time and understand colleagues globally in over 150 languages.

Call Translator by vidby

The niche of video call translations is abuzz with solutions, yet existing software faces many hurdles. As providers and users seek innovative solutions, the market for speech-to-speech translation is expected to grow by an impressive 19.8% from 2023 to 2028. Vidby positions itself as a leading provider of B2B and, unlike competitors, well-crafted B2C solutions for real-time video call translation.

With Vidby Call Translator, multiple participants can chat online without language hiccups, avoiding the hassle and costs of booking a translator. They can download a text file of the meeting transcription in their target language.

Large-scale businesses, creators, event managers, or educational platforms can choose the best-fitting subscription plan to start using meeting translations in Google Meet (with Zoom and Microsoft Teams coming soon).

To tap into the solution's benefits, a user should log in and select their native language in the profile settings. After that, a user should insert the link to a Google Meet meeting and then connect the vidby call translator bot to the call. For the bot, it's necessary to set languages for each call participant and specify target languages for translation. Once the bot says, "I'm ready," the users can start the conversation: one person speaking at a time, other participants having their microphones on mute.

The key functionalities of the product involve the following:

Vidby call translator bot that automatically joins a call upon invitation

The list of scheduled calls automatically fetched from the user's calendar

List of their screen names from Google Meet (Zoom and Teams are coming soon)

Recognition of speech and voices and real-time translation

Notifications when the bot can start translating and when the translation is ready

Call transcription text file

Translation to the user's main language, saved in the user's profile

Search for calls by name among upcoming and past calls

Vidby Call Translator is a cutting-edge solution designed to bridge the language gap in video and audio call services. Seamless multilingual communication is now within reach, making global conversations more accessible and efficient than ever before.

About vidby:

Vidby is a Swiss multi-product IT company specializing in language technologies and development of AI-powered translation solutions. Providing content localization vidby helps to reach new customers from other countries in no time. vidby has got the status of Google technology partner, a recommended vendor of YouTube.

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SOURCE Vidby
TAIPEI, Nov. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- TSENG'S Tea, a prominent tea brand of TSENG'S TEA INTERNATIONAL TRADING CO, Ltd. from Taiwan, has recently been awarded the prestigious Anti Additive Clean Label certification, marking a historic milestone as the first tea leaf brand in Taiwan to achieve this recognition. The accolade has also garnered TSENG'S Tea an exclusive invitation to participate in the 2024 Foodex Japan, presenting an exceptional opportunity to promote Taiwan's organic tea culture and further elevate the country's tea industry.

TSENG'S Tea's distinct quality features played a pivotal role in attaining the Anti Additive Clean Label certification, positioning it as the inaugural Taiwanese tea brand to receive this honor. This certification emphasizes the commitment to maintaining tea purity and quality by refraining from the use of flavor enhancers, bleaching agents, quality-improving agents, artificial colors, artificial fragrances, and preservatives throughout the production process. TSENG'S Tea has emerged as a globally recognized representative of tea leaves, capturing significant international attention.

Situated in the premier tea leaf-producing region of Miaoli's Tongluo Mountains, TSENG'S Tea upholds a 132-year-old tea-making tradition. Committed to single-origin production, small-batch crafting, tea masters independently adjusting roasting formulations, non-toxic organic practices, and the infusion of natural floral and fruity fragrances, TSENG'S Tea has not only become a sensation domestically but has also made remarkable appearances at tea expos worldwide. TSENG'S Tea has spearheaded revolutionary changes in the tea industry, presenting more efficient, higher-quality tea while maintaining ecological balance.

TSENG'S Tea's unique characteristics lie in its perfume-like flavor, showcasing layers of taste in the forefront, midsection, final stages, and aftertaste. Adopting innovative practices such as mutually beneficial relationships with insects and exclusive harvesting from top-tier regions, TSENG'S Tea has successfully challenged traditional frameworks, standing out as the embodiment of Taiwan's organic tea culture.

On November 24th of this year, TSENG'S Tea achieved another milestone by becoming the exclusive Taiwanese tea plantation designated for visitation by the AVPA French Agricultural Association. As a significant leap, TSENG'S Tea is set to make its debut at the Foodex Japan from March 5th to 8th, 2024, marking the first entry of a Taiwanese tea brand into this esteemed event.

Eagerly anticipating a splendid showcase at the Foodex Japan, TSENG'S Tea aims to present the unique charm of Taiwan's organic tea while creating new international opportunities for the Taiwanese tea industry. This event is poised to be a highly anticipated affair, with TSENG'S Tea shining brightly as a symbol of Taiwan's excellence.

SOURCE TSENG TEA INTERNATIONAL TRADING CO., LTD.
AMSTERDAM, Nov. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Digital Neighborhood, a growing community of 13 independent tech companies specializing in Microsoft Cloud and AI services, announces the establishment of its Artificial Intelligence (AI) Arm. Leading this initiative is Aki Antman, Founder and CEO of Sulava*, The Digital Neighborhood's Finnish brand renowned for its AI and Copilot expertise and proficiency in Microsoft Cloud solutions. Sulava has been Microsoft's Finish Partner of the Year for Modern Work for four consequtive years (2020-2023).

With an unwavering commitment to redefine how organizations operate,The Digital Neighborhood makes a significant move and investment to empower its 2,400 customers. The company's dedication to innovation and excellence has forged a dynamic partnership with Microsoft, cementing its position as the go-to-market leader in Northern European deployments of Microsoft's Copilot.

Jean-Yves Charlier, CEO of The Digital Neighborhood, says, "Our venture into Artificial Intelligence embodies The Digital Neighborhood's dedication to cutting-edge technology and customer-centric solutions, and our partnership with Microsoft is at the core of the technological advancements we are delivering to our customers."

"As pioneers in Microsoft Cloud and AI technologies, we are committed to redefining the way people work and we are proud to collaborate with Microsoft to deliver AI technology and services that are transforming the business landscape," concludes Charlier.

Aki Antman, now at the helm of The Digital Neighborhood's AI Arm, brings a wealth of experience and vision to this role. He remarks, "Our journey into AI is anchored in innovation and our focus on harnessing Microsoft Cloud and AI capabilities. We have already assisted over 40 of our valued customers in improving their productivity, efficiency, and innovation with Copilot solutions, many, prior to its public market launch on 1st November this year. We are excited to now extend these unmatched benefits to all our enterprise customers across The Digital Neighborhood."

Aki emphasizes the role of training and adoption of new ways of working in the era of AI: 'As a global Microsoft Training Partner, we know that both our own employees and all our customers need to be trained in a new way of working. As generative AI and Copilots improve productivity by double-digit percentages, we are making a fundamental shift from information work to thinking work."

The City of Helsinki is one of Sulava's most progressive AI customers. Commenting on its roll out of AI with Sulava and The Digital Neighborhood, it said, " We're on an AI learning journey, identifying the best use cases, learning with Copilot in IT management, and planning our next steps for change. We're focused on enhancing the user experience across our organization, ensuring everyone knows how to harness AI in their work effectively. In administration, efficient information discovery and integration are key benefits of AI. Working with Sulava on our AI journey as been a 5-star experience."

As Aki takes on his new role as the Head of AI for The Digital Neighborhood, alongside his existing position as Sulava CEO, he will be passing on the day-to-day operations of Sulava to industry veteran Mika Sarhimaa. Mika joins Sulava on as COO, bringing with him extensive experience in Microsoft technologies and enterprise customer engagement. Mika has held numerous senior leadership roles at Microsoft and HP. The Digital Neighborhood warmly welcomes Mika to the group and looks forward to benefiting from the depth of industry knowledge and experience he brings.

For more information about The Digital Neighborhood, please visit www.thedigitalneighborhood.com.

For further information, please contact:

Rozzyn Boy

Email: [email protected]

+1 (615) 596-5056

About The Digital Neighborhood

The Digital Neighborhood is your destination for deep cloud, Microsoft and data expertise. Together, we're a growing community of 13 entrepreneurial tech companies with over 1,300 IT consultants, engineers and employees. All leading in our own fields, we specialize in all things Microsoft, data and the Cloud. The Digital Neighborhood is made up of True, Fullstaq, Beyond Blue, Pink Elephant, DMP, Cmotions, 2Foqus, Focus Enterprise Solutions, GAC, Delegate, Projectum, Sulava and Iquality. Based in seven countries, our HQ is in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2284025/The_Digital_Neighborhood_Logo.jpg

SOURCE The Digital Neighborhood
LONDON, Nov. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On International Women's Day 2023, Haagen-Dazs launched 'The Rose Project', a global initiative with a $100,000 (USD) bursary grant inviting nominations to recognise unsung trailblazing women in honour of the brand's unsung female co-founder Rose Mattus. Today, 23 November, on what would have been Rose Mattus' birthday, Haagen-Dazs celebrates her legacy with the announcement of the Top 50 #WomenWhoDontHoldBack nominees being shortlisted for their achievements and its five globally accomplished Haagen-Dazs Rose Project judges.

The Haagen-Dazs Rose Project announces Top 50 #WomenWhoDontHoldBack

Over 2,500 applications were received for The Haagen-Dazs Rose Project putting forward pioneering efforts and societal contributions made by women across the globe. From these, 50 talented and inspirational women have been shortlisted and will be put forward to win one of five monetary grants of $20,000 (USD), which will be announced on International Women's Day 2024, to continue their exceptional work, unleash their potential or give to a cause they are passionate about. The top 50 shortlist includes women from 17 countries hailing from across Europe, Asia, Africa & Middle East, Australia and the Americas. Every nominee's story can be found at https://iwd.haagen-dazs.global/en/.

A stellar all-female judging panel from across the world has been handpicked for the final selection stage of The Haagen-Dazs Rose Project. Inspirational, passionate and representative of the global nature of the project and the brand, the judges will work together to select 5 worthy honourees from the Top 50 list, who have followed their own trajectory of significant trailblazing achievements and epitomise the Haagen-Dazs 'Don't Hold Back' ethos.

The panel includes UK-based author, broadcaster and philanthropist Katie Piper, fashion entrepreneur and advocate for women's fertility issues, Velda Tan from Singapore, Spanish entrepreneur and creative director Ines Arroyo, community builder and founder of women's community network, Lady Multitask, Mercedes Palomar from Mexico with Haagen-Dazs Shops Global Managing Director Aurelie Lory from France representing the brand.

Haagen-Dazs spokesperson Aurelie Lory said: "International Women's Day 2023 marked the launch of The Haagen-Dazs Rose Project to honour the legacy of our co-founder, Rose Mattus, and create a fund platform to provide opportunities to women across all fields around the world who are truly deserving of support and recognition. We were thrilled to receive thousands of nominations across countries and our #WomenWhoDontHoldBack Top 50 shortlist is a compelling and diverse mosaic of trailblazing female narratives that moved us and serve as an inspiration to women everywhere. For this final stage, we are equally privileged to call upon a remarkable judging panel of pioneering female thought leaders and culture shapers, who share our value, to select our 1st ever Rose Project honourees as part of this renewed commitment."

Media Contact:

Pria Mani

pria@capturecomms.com

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Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2280511/Haagen_Dazs_the_Rose_Project_logo.jpg

SOURCE Haagen-Dazs
KAOHSIUNG, Nov. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In a recent development, Taiwanese tuna expert, Huikun, has been awarded the prestigious "Halal Food Certification Mark" by JAKIM-halal, the highly recognized halal certification body in Malaysia. This accolade further solidifies the quality assurance for Huikun's diverse range of tuna products.

Adhering to the core values of "health, safety, and convenience," Huikun has been committed to providing consumers with fresh, high-quality, and nutrition-rich tuna products. Its product lineup includes frozen cooked tuna, tuna meat sauce packs, tuna curry sauce, and canned tuna pasta sauce.

Halal certification, originating from Islamic law, sets strict standards ensuring that products consumed by Muslims do not contain impure elements such as pork, alcohol, or anything deemed unclean. By passing the rigorous assessment from JAKIM-halal, Huikun stands out as one of the globally recognized halal food brands.

Huikun's range of tuna products fully complies with halal standards. Whether it's the exclusive tuna curry sauce or the tuna pasta sauce, all products are handmade with no artificial sweeteners, preserving the distinctive flavor of tuna while offering consumers a healthy and delicious choice.

Huikun's founder, Hsueh Mei, Yang, expressed that, despite delays in the halal certification process due to the pandemic, preventing the continuation of the 2019 certification application, obtaining the halal certification is a recognition of Huikun's consistent commitment to quality. This achievement allows more consumers to enjoy the peace of mind that comes with savoring fresh and delicious tuna products. Reflecting on the founding purpose of Huikun, Snow Mei, being the daughter of a captain, intimately understands the deliciousness and nutritional benefits of tuna. Through Huikun's dedication, she aims to make the delightful taste of tuna conveniently accessible to everyone.

The brand slogan of Huikun, "Exclusive Gift  Instant Delicacy," embodies the idea of enjoying the sea breeze through food, treating taste buds to an oceanic journey, and welcoming family with a heart full of hospitality  ensuring every bite is filled with the essence of tuna.

Mei recalled the brand's inception, driven by the desire to make fish easily accessible to everyone, especially in the fast-paced modern lifestyle where cooking at home becomes a challenge. The diverse product line, including tuna meat sauce and tuna pasta sauce, has been met with acclaim from a wide audience.

Huikun's outstanding quality has consistently earned invitations to shine on the international stage. In August, Huikun proudly participated in the Taiwan Expo in Malaysia, showcasing our products in the dedicated Halal Pavilion. September witnessed our presence at the Malaysia International Halal Showcase (MIHAS), capturing the attention of potential buyers. In late October, we spread our wings to Singapore for the "Taiwan Good Food Day" event hosted by Prime Supermarket. Wherever we went, we attracted numerous buyers who eagerly inquired about our products, receiving enthusiastic responses.

The halal certification not only offers more choices to Muslim consumers but also allows non-Muslim consumers to enjoy a broader range of healthy food options. Looking ahead, Huikun remains dedicated to continuous research and development, aiming to enrich consumers' palates with a variety of tuna products and solidify its position as a professional brand in the Taiwanese tuna industry.

SOURCE HUIKUN Co.
BEIJING, Nov. 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The just-concluded 2023 Pearl Bay International Climate Investment and Financing Conference witnessed fruitful achievements, while Guangzhou's Nansha District, in collaboration with 11 entities, established the Pearl River Delta (Nansha) Climate Investment and Financing Alliance, and launched 200 billion yuan of joint bank credit, 100 billion yuan of climate fund, as well as 50 billion yuan of climate investment and financing projects.

The photo shows the main venue of the 2023 Pearl Bay International Climate Investment and Financing Conference.

Additionally, a guideline aiming to enhance financial industry standards and foster the development of a carbon financial market was released during the conference.

A series of events under the 2023 Pearl Bay International Climate Investment and Financing Conference was held during November 17-18 at Nansha District of Guanghou in south China's Guangdong Province, marking significant strides in climate investment and financing initiatives.

Standing as the exclusive national-level new district in Guangdong and the largest comprehensive cooperation demonstration area for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Nansha has become a focal point in the global sphere of climate investment and financing.

This international event, themed "Climate Finance for a Better World," is the first of its kind in China, centered on climate finance. It featured three overseas venues in Paris, Singapore, and Dubai.

The event also set up thematic forums attracting over 500 attendees hared the latest insights in the climate investment and financing domain, while envisioning prospective collaborations.

As Guangzhou's outlet to the sea, Nansha is the connecting point of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and the Land Silk Road, and is committed to making greater contributions to global green and sustainable development.

The conference dedicated a specific exhibition hall for climate investment and financing supporting green projects, showcasing over ten climate-friendly projects in Nansha, including the Magic Box unmanned coffee vehicle, hydrogen-powered ride-hailing service, Hycan Automobile Technology, Greater Bay Technology, CloudWalk Technology, among others.

This conference was jointly organized by the People's Government of Guangdong Province, Xinhua News Agency, and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment. The Guangzhou Municipal People's Government, Xinhua News Agency Guangdong Branch, and China Economic Information Service were responsible for the execution of the event.

To invest in Nansha, please contact Olivia Gui with the secretariat of PBCIFC. ([email protected])

https://en.imsilkroad.com/p/337262.html

SOURCE Xinhua Silk Road
News / Local

by Staff reporter

THE African Union-Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation yesterday launched the resilient African feed and fodder systems (RAFFS Project) in Zimbabwe.The project will contribute to understanding the effects of COVID-19, climate change shocks and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine on the African fodder systems.It will be implemented through the African Women in Animal Resources Farming and Agribusiness Network, an organisation established under the ambit of AU-IBAR.This ensures women's meaningful inclusion in gainful activities in the feed and fodder sector, and the livestock sourced food supply chains.Officially launching the project in Harare yesterday, Agriculture deputy minister Vangelis Haritatos said the growth of the livestock sub-sector had been hindered by low production and productivity."The livestock sector, like all other sectors in Zimbabwe, has not been spared by the negative effects of the current and ongoing global crises such as recurrent droughts and other climatic vagaries, effects of the COVID-19 era and Ukraine war," he said."These have contributed, either directly or indirectly, to low production and productivity of the livestock sector and its upstream and downstream industries."He said performance of the veld, which forms the basic source of feed for grazing livestock, had been negatively impacted by droughts, while stockfeed manufacturing had been negatively impacted in terms of raw materials and other inputs availability, labour and market access."The crises have exposed the significant weaknesses and vulnerabilities in the country's feed and fodder input. Feed constitutes about 70-80% of the cost of production of livestock," he said.The major challenges affecting the livestock sector include animal health, sanitary and food safety issues; availability of adequate nutrition (feed, pastures, fodder and water); genetic improvement issues; access to infrastructure suitable for accessing lucrative domestic, regional and international markets; and low investment in the sector.In an effort to address these challenges, Haritatos said the government produced the livestock growth plan, a blueprint with strategies to improve livestock production and productivity. One of the pillars addressed in the growth plan is livestock nutrition.To address nutrition issues affecting the livestock industry, the government has introduced various measures which include a presidential silage scheme; presidential legume pasture programme (creation of fodder banks), presidential borehole drilling programme to mitigate water shortages and improve access to irrigation water.He said the continental initiative was welcome to Zimbabwe as it dovetailed into the objectives and goals of the economic blueprint, National Development Strategy 1 while adhering to the livestock growth plan."At the moment, the growth of the livestock sub-sector has been characterised by low production and productivity but we hope through various interventions by the government and donor partners that this will be a thing of the past," Haritatos said.AU-IBAR director Huyam Salih said through the project, AWARFA-N Zimbabwe Chapter is expected to be one of the most vibrant, organised and empowered with visible achievements."One of the result areas of the RAFFS project is empowerment of women in the feed and fodder and the livestock sourced foods value chains," she said in a speech read on her behalf by AU-IBAR senior knowledge management officer Patricia Lumba."The RAFFS project will support consolidation of the AWARFA-Net Zimbabwe five-year strategy and resource mobilisation plan."
News / National

by Staff Reporter

Harare, November 22 - President Mnangagwa welcomed ambassadors and representatives from Southern African Development Community (SADC) member states to State House in Harare yesterday. The visit by envoys from Angola, Namibia, South Africa, Botswana, Tanzania, Malawi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, and Zambia aimed to extend congratulations on President Mnangagwa's victory in the August harmonized elections.

In a gathering emphasizing the strong historical, cultural, and familial ties binding SADC nations, President Mnangagwa described the member states as "one people" united in their pursuit of peace, stability, socio-economic development, and prosperity. Acknowledging the enduring support shown by the regional bloc, he highlighted the shared history dating back to the liberation struggle.Expressing gratitude for SADC's endorsement of Zimbabwe's August polls as "free, fair, credible, and peaceful," President Mnangagwa commended the nation's continued political maturity. He affirmed Zimbabwe's commitment to upholding the rule of law in line with SADC principles and thanked the bloc for its ongoing call to lift Western-imposed sanctions.President Mnangagwa emphasized Zimbabwe's resilience in the face of economic challenges, stating, "Despite socio-economic adversities brought about by the illegal sanctions, we remain focused, steadfast and determined to grow every sector of our economy." He extended heartfelt thanks to the diplomatic corps accredited to Zimbabwe for conveying the nation's story of "peace, tranquility, and unprecedented development" to the international community.Assuming the role of the incoming Chair of SADC, President Mnangagwa urged member states to maintain unity, emphasizing the importance of economic diplomacy for realizing the bloc's economic potential. He encouraged Ambassadors to focus on regional industrialization, integration, and the African Continental Free Trade Area.President Mnangagwa also stressed the need for food self-sufficiency, increased industrialization, and the adoption of technology in the region. He congratulated Eswatini on conducting peaceful elections and extended well-wishes to the Democratic Republic of Congo and Madagascar as they prepare for upcoming elections.In an interview after the meeting, Angolan Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Agostinho Tavares da Silva Neto, expressed gratitude to President Mnangagwa for the reception and reiterated SADC's support for Zimbabwe. He acknowledged the lessons learned from Zimbabwe's achievements, particularly in food security, despite prolonged sanctions.The courtesy call concluded with President Mnangagwa expressing optimism for the deepening of cooperation between SADC states and Zimbabwe, highlighting the importance of uplifting people out of poverty and into prosperity through enhanced diplomatic relations.
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Ramallah, Nov 23 : Seven Palestinians were killed in Israeli raids in the northern West Bank, said the Palestinian Health Ministry.

Six of the victims were from the Tulkarm refugee camp, and one near the Qalqilya city, the Ministry added on Wednesday.

Palestinian sources said the Israeli forces carried out a drone attack in the Tulkarm camp on Wednesday morning, killing six Palestinians.

The forces also stormed the camp with dozens of military vehicles and an armoured bulldozer demolishing infrastructure and properties in the camp, the sources added.

Meanwhile, in the town of Azzun near Qalqilya, a Palestinian youth succumbed to his injuries from live bullets during confrontation with the Israeli army, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Israeli raids on Wednesday bring the total death toll of Palestinians across the West Bank to 225 since October 7, when the Hamas-Israel conflict broke out, the Health Ministry said.
Damascus, Nov 23 : The Syrian air defences thwarted an Israeli missile attack near the Syrian capital Damascus, the Syrian army said in a statement.

The incident occurred at around 15:10 p.m. on Wednesday local time when two missiles were launched from the direction of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, targetting military sites in the vicinity of Damascus, according to the statement released on Wednesday.

The Syrian air defences destroyed one of the missiles while the other caused limited material damage, Xinhua news agency reported.

While the military statement didn't give more details, the pro-government Sham FM radio said the attack took place south of Damascus, specifically in the al-Sayeda Zainab suburb, a predominantly Shia area.
Mumbai, Nov 23 : Bollywood actor Sidharth Malhotra, who was last seen in the spy-thriller film 'Mission Majnu', appeared on the streaming chat show 'Koffee With Karan' along with actor Varun Dhawan, and the two had an absolute blast on the episode.

During the episode, Sid took a dig at Karan about how hard the director was with him and Varun during the making of 'Student of the Year' which served as a debut vehicle for Sid, Varun and Alia Bhatt.

Sid and Varun's banter on the show put Karan Johar, who otherwise is known to make his guests go speechless with controversies, on the backfoot as the 'My Name is Khan' director barely got to speak.

The two actors clearly took away the locus of control from Karan during the episode and that's what made it a refreshing watch.

This is the second time during this season that this has happened after the last episode with Kareena Kapoor Khan and Alia Bhatt.

Taking a jibe at Karan, Varun said in jest that Karan was very strict in terms of what his 'Student of the Year' actors were having for calorie intake as the film being a high school musical required the three debutants to look a certain way.

Talking about the same, Varun said, "We had a very rationed food coming to us. Karan was not letting us eat."

Sid quipped, as he said, "Our budget was cut from our food first. I didn't drink water."

Varun said, "Yeah, I remember you were so dehydrated", which led to the two actors saying in unison that this happened twice.

Sid had the final word as he went on to say, "It was child labour."

Looking at how his 'students' outplayed the guru himself and put him in a spot with their chemistry and timing, a completely aghast Karan could only say, "What rubbish" as the three of them had a hearty laugh at the crazy conversation that transpired.
Jerusalem, Nov 23 : Israel's National Security Advisor has announced that the deal for the release of hostages in Gaza in exchange for a temporary truce has been postponed until Friday at the earliest.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government voted to accept the deal early on Wednesday and announced that the truce would come into effect on Thursday, Xinhua news agency reported.

Under the proposed deal, at least 50 Israeli hostages would be freed in return for the release of at least 150 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli custody and the entry of desperately-needed humanitarian aid into Gaza.

However, Israel's National Security Council Director Tzachi Hanegbi said late Wednesday that the hostage release "will take place according to the original agreement between the sides, and not before Friday".
Sanaa, Nov 23 : Yemen's Houthi rebels have said that they have launched long-range missiles toward Israel, in a new operation to avenge the Israeli attacks on the Palestinian enclave of Gaza Strip.

"The winged missiles targeted various military targets of the Israeli entity in Eilat," the militia's spokesman Yehya Sarea said on Wednesday in a statement aired by the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.

"We will continue to carry out more military operations until the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank stops," he said, without providing further details.

This is the ninth cross-border missile attack claimed by the Yemeni Houthi rebels since the Israel-Hamas conflict broke out on October 7, Xinhua news agency reported.

The US announced last month that one of its navy ships in northern Red Sea intercepted several missiles fired from Yemen toward Israel.

On Sunday, the Houthis announced that they had hijacked what they said an "Israeli ship" near Bab-el-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea and took it to the port city of Hodeidah.

On Monday, the Houthis released footage showing that they used a military helicopter and boats when they hijacked the ship.

The Houthis have been in control of much of northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa and the strategic Red Sea port city of Hodeidah since the Yemeni civil war broke out in late 2014.
Canberra, Nov 23 : Over 2,000 Palestinians and Israelis have been granted temporary Australian visas since the conflict between Israel and Hamas escalated in October, the government has revealed.

According to data released by the Department of Home Affairs on Wednesday night, more than 2,500 visas were granted to Palestinians and Israelis with connections to Australia between October 7 and November 20.

Of those, 860 were for Palestinians and 1,793 for Israelis, Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said at a press conference.

"Obviously there is a lot of demand from those in the region for Australian visas for people who are eligible," she added.

"These people have been subjected to the same security checks by Australian Border Force and authorities as you would expect any visa applicant would be required."

According to state media the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), the group have been issued with subclass 600 visitors visas that allow them to stay in Australia for between three and 12 months.

Wong described news of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas as an "important and necessary" step but said the ultimate goal remained long-term peace in the region, Xinhua news agency reported.

She also on Wednesday confirmed that another 67 Australian citizens, permanent residents and their family members on Tuesday night left Gaza and entered Egypt via the Rafah border crossing.

It takes to 127 the total number of Australian citizens, permanent residents and family members who the government has helped leave Gaza since October 7.

The group was met by Australian consular staff in Cairo who will organise their repatriation to Australia.
London, Nov 23 : A drug dealer has been jailed for four-and-a-half years after the death of a 20-year-old Indian-origin University of Cambridge student in 2021.

Benjamin Brown, 32, was tracked down after police found Keshava Iyengar dead in a friend's room at the Trinity College, Cambridge University, on March 13, 2021.

A coroner's report later concluded the student's death was drug-related and the police investigation uncovered messages on his phone from a drug dealer called "Lean Xan Man".

The dealer described himself as a "pharmacist" selling a variety of prescription-only drugs through Instagram and Snapchat.

Officers identified Lean Xan Man as Brown of Byrefield Road, Guildford, Surrey.

He was arrested on July 27, 2021, and a search of his home uncovered drugs, more than 15,000 pounds in cash and sticky labels with his "business logo".

"Brown was running a huge operation from his bedroom in Surrey, which had tragic consequences," said detective constable Dan Harper from Cambridgeshire Police, who investigated the case.

"It is not possible to prove that Brown's actions caused the death of Keshava, but you can say with certainty that drugs ruin lives and there is a reason why some can only be prescribed by a medical professional. This is why it continues to be a priority for police in Cambridgeshire," Harper added.

At Huntingdon Law Courts last week, Brown pleaded guilty to two counts of being concerned in the supply of class A drugs, two counts in the supply of class C, one count in the supply of class B, possession of class A and possession with intent to supply class C.

The judge described Brown's drug dealing business as "substantial, sophisticated and lucrative".

He said that through greed he had "profited from the vulnerabilities of others dependent on prescription medication for conditions such as anxiety".
News / National

by Staff reporter

Prominent preacher Frederick Shumba, founder of World Harvest Ministries in Norton, has been divorced by his wife of 32 years, who accuses him of having many adulterous affairs.The couple's divorce was granted by High Court judge Fatima Maxwell after establishing that their marriage has irretrievably broken down.Among other reasons, Shumba's wife, Consilia said the cleric would publicly accuse her of prostitution while he himself had many concubines, embarrassing her in front of the world.She also said Shumba, on three occasions, accused her of trying to kill him.According to her divorce summons, the parties were married in terms of the then Marriages Act [Chapter 5:11] on the 7 of September 1991.The couple's union was blessed with three children.On 27 August 2019, Consilia issued summons claiming a decree of divorce and ancillary relief.In her declaration, she stated that the parties' marriage has irretrievably broken down to such an extent that there were no reasonable prospects of reconciliation."She further stated that the defendant committed adultery with several women and treated her with such cruelty as is inconsistent with a normal marital relationship."She also stated that the defendant publicly accused her of prostitution and attempting to kill him on three occasions."She averred that defendant deserted her for over three years and told her in front of his brothers and her sisters that he no longer loves her and had divorced' her three years earlier," read court papers.Consilia stated that during the marriage, the parties acquired both movable and immovable assets.She suggested a distribution plan and prayed that each party bears its own costs.Testifying in court, Consilia accused her husband of trying to elbow her out of their marriage empty handed.To this end, she said, Shumba had formed a Trust which was registered in his name.Consilia stated that the properties in the Trust must be subject to distribution as she was not consulted and did not consent to their transfer to the Trust.She submitted the couple's house in Norton should be awarded to her and together with other stands in Norton and Gweru.Shumba's wife proposed that the cleric be awarded a house in Poorle Road, Twinlakes, Norton and a commercial stand for lodges in Kariba.She stated that in terms of value, she was getting less than what she proposed should be given to Shumba.She produced valuation reports prepared by Josephine Chidora of Global World Properties.The properties were valued as follows; 764 Hertfordshire in Gweru (US$96,000), Govans in Norton (US$18,000), Poorle Road in Norton (US$75,000), Stand 473 in Norton (US$170,000) and stand 1036 in Kariba (US$140,000).Consilia also testified that the parties were both employed but she earned more than the defendant.She acquired a family car while her estranged husband got a loan to buy an incomplete house in Kuwadzana.The court heard the loan was not enough and the car was used to cover the deficit.However, the parties did not complete the house. They sold it and went to Norton where Shumba had been given a house by his employer.According to Consilia, they started a car selling business before Shumba left employment and became a full-time pastor, though continuing in the business.After he left his job, Shumba asked Consilia to leave employment so that she accompanies him in his many visits to congregants' homes.She eventually left her employment in 1998.Justifying her claim, Consilia said they acquired their wealth together and in his absence, she would be the pastor at church and the housewife at home.She said Shumba would travel to America and bring lots of money and at times she would accompany him on international trips where at times she would sing before he preached.Consilia said she would also look after their extended family and Shumba's father.It was her testimony that three of her children are in America and that in 2017, she visited and found them out of school and with no food in the house.He said Shumba has not been paying rates and charges for their matrimonial home yet he would bring congregants home for prayer and she would take care of them.Shumba's position was that the assets do not belong to the parties and were not available for distribution.He narrated how a Trust had been formed stating that it was not logic for his wife to say the property registered under a third parties name "was theirs".He pointed out that the six-hectare agricultural plot in Norton is state land was not subject to distribution.Under cross-examination, Consilia conceded that she had not given evidence that the Trust was a fraud and was only registered and valid as at the time of her testimony.The court then ruled that what is subject to distribution is what belongs to the parties.The judge ruled, "A decree of divorce be and is hereby granted."Plaintiff be and is hereby awarded Stand No. 3 Poorle Road, Twinlakes, Norton as her sole and exclusive property."The defendant be and is hereby awarded the commercial stand for lodges in Kariba as his sole and exclusive property."From 1989 to 1996, Shumba served as a senior member in the United Assemblies in Africa (UAA) church after rising through ranks.He was fully employed by the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZETDC).He then founded his church, World Harvest Ministries which has since spread to major towns in Zimbabwe.
Doctor passengers help baby suffering from severe breathing crisis on flight. Image Source: IANS News

Lucknow, Nov 23 : A probe has been ordered against a doctor at the Civil Hospital in Lucknow, following a complaint alleging that he demanded money to perform an operation.

The complaint was filed by the family of a woman patient from the Para area, admitted for a uterine operation.

The family claimed they were given a receipt for Rs 400 as the operation fee, but the doctor demanded an additional Rs 5,000 to conduct the surgery.

The complainants managed to pay the additional amount, and the surgery was performed.

Deputy Chief Minister and Health Minister Brajesh Pathak said that the hospital director has been directed to conduct a probe and submit a report at the earliest.
Guwahati, Nov 23 : Two police officers in Assam were arrested for their alleged involvement in a cash-for-job scam case involving the 2013 Combined Competitive Examination administered by Assam Public Service Commission (APSC).

A Special Investigation Team (SIT) was established by the Assam government in May last year to look into the alleged scam. These two police officers were among the 34 high-ranking government employees named in the SIT's final report, which was filed last month, as suspects in the cash-for-job scheme.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) arrested Shahjahan Sarkar and Aishwarya Jeevan Baruah, the two police officers on Tuesday night. They will be brought to Guwahati for questioning on Thursday.

Both were employed as Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP).

Baruah and Sarkar are the first of the 34 to be arrested, according to the police.

The scam was unearthed in 2016 when Rakesh Paul, the previous chairman of the APSC, was arrested by the Dibrugarh Police in response to a complaint filed against him in that area. The Assam Police then detained about 70 state government officials.

In response to a question before the state Assembly on March 21, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stated that investigations were underway against 60 government employees who passed the Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) exams in 2013, 2015 and 2016.

According to Sarma, 57 of them were arrested before being let off from their positions. Three of them consented to become government approvers.

He also said that some officials who were chosen through the APSC exam in 2013a"14 were not included in this.

Earlier, a PIL was filed before the Gauhati High Court last year and the court also questioned why some of the candidates remained outside the police investigation. Following this, the state government formed a Special probe Team (SIT) to conduct a thorough probe.

The SIT headed by Gauhati High Court's retired justice, Biplab Kumar Sharma submitted a 380-page report to the home department of the Assam government on October 13.

In addition to listing the 34 officials who passed the 2013 APSC exam and were found to be involved in the scheme, the Justice Sharma Commission also raised concerns about Rakesh Paul's nomination as the then-APSC chairman.

Because of the numerous anomalies and malpractices in the 2013 examination, the Commission advised the government to rescind the selection of the entire batch.

Earlier this month, the Assam government started departmental procedures against 34 officers chosen by the APSC for the 2013 batch, as well as members of the Assam Police Service (APS) and Assam Civil Service (ACS). The police made their first arrest in this alleged scam on Tuesday night.
Jaipur, Nov 23 : Over the last two weeks, hundreds of Indian Overseas Congress (IOC) members have campaigned extensively in Rajasthan seeking a second consecutive term for the Ashok Gehlot-led government in the November 25 elections, campaigning for which ends on Thursday evening.

In the run-up to the Assembly polls, the desert state has witnessed an intense political action with high-octane campaigning by heavyweights of the BJP and Congress, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and several others across the state.

IOC Secretary Virendra Vashisth, who is also campaigning along with the NRIs in the state, told IANS, "For over last two weeks, hundreds of NRIs have returned to the state to participate in campaigning.They are also indulging in door to door campaign of the party enumerating the Congress government's achievements during its rule to every household."

The NRIs have returned to their home state on their own to highlight the works of the Congress government in the desert state, he added.

The IOC leader said that the non-residents are highlighting how the Congress government has fulfilled the 10 promises it made in 2018 and how the seven guarantees will help them again.

He said that the members of the IOC family have campaigned extensively in Jaisamler, Jodhpur, Jaipur, Bikaner, Udaipur and several other districts of the state.

They have been meeting the business community and taking the work of the Congress government to them, he said.

Polling for the 200-member Assembly is scheduled on November 25 and counting of votes will take place on December 3.

The Congress is eyeing a second consecutive term in the desert state which for the past three decades has been witnessing a tradition of alternate party governments.
Chandigarh, Nov 23 : A Punjab Police constable was killed and at least five policemen were injured on Thursday in a clash with Nihang Sikhs in Kapurthala's Sultanpur Lodhi.

It is reported that Nihangs fired at policemen who reached Gurdwara Akal Bunga to prevent a clash between two groups of Nihangs over taking the possession of the disputed shrine that is located close to the historical Gurdwara Ber Sahib.

Two rival Nihang groups have staked claims over the ownership of the gurdwara. Heavy police force has been deployed to ease out tension and prevent further clashes.

The situation escalated after the police tried to vacate the gurdwara from one group manned by Mann Singh. His members allegedly started firing indiscriminately at the police team, killing a police constable and injuring five policemen, who are presently admitted to the local hospital.

Tension prevailed in the area just days ahead of the birth anniversary of the first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak Dev on November 27.

The Nihangs, who are heavily armed, have locked the gurdwara from inside. The police have barricaded the whole area and initiated talks with one group to vacate the possession.
Tel Aviv, Nov 23 : Shani Gabay, a 25-year-old Israeli law student who was missing since the Hamas launched its massive assault on October 7 and presumed to have been abducted by the militant group, has been found dead.

Gabay was from the northern city of Yokne'am and her body was recovered by the authorities on Wednesday near Kibbutz Beri..

Speaking to reporters, Yokne'am Mayor Simon Alfasi said she had been at the Supernova music festival when the Hamas had launched its attack.

According to the Mayor, Gabay had called her mother shortly after the assault and informed her that she was in hiding at a shelter and that she shot on her leg.

Speaking to IANS, her brother Aviel said: "We were expecting her to return. Unfortunately, this has happened. We thank the people of Israel who were praying for her comeback including all our near and dear ones. We expect all the hostages to be back home without any issues."

Her funeral will take place at Yokne'am at 3 p.m. on Thursday.

The development comes amid a hotly anticipated hostage deal between Hamas and Israel -- which includes a four-day pause to fighting -- has now been postponed to Friday following a setback.

The Hamas had announced that the pause would begin at 10 a.m. on Thursday.

But, the plan has been delayed after a security adviser to the Israeli government said there would be no Israeli hostages released by Hamas before Friday.

As of Thursday morning, the war continues in the Gaza Strip.
London, Nov 23 : Education agents are charging Indian students more money to secure spots at UK universities ahead of a government ban, which prohibits dependents from entering the country, beginning January 1, 2024.

A near-eightfold rise in the number of family members joining foreign students led Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to announce the ban earlier this year for those not studying "high-value" degrees under government plans.

A couple paid 30,000 pounds to secure a student visa and a dependent's visa to travel to the UK together, according to The Telegraph newspaper.

With a rise in the number of students accelerating their visa applications to avoid the ban, some universities have opened up applications in November and December, the report added.

Sunak's announcement followed a sharp rise in study-related visas for dependents of students, which almost doubled from 80,846 in the year ending June 2022 to 154,063 in June 2023, accounting for nearly 24 per cent of all sponsored study related visas.

To avoid the ban, one couple entered into a "contract" marriage, where the man agreed to fund his wife's university education in the UK in return for her sponsoring his dependent visa so he could work in the UK.

He did not have the required academic or language qualifications to enter the UK as a student and ended up paying 30,000 pounds for her tuition, visa and admission fees on top of her expenses.

Rinku Sharma from Ahmedabad sold his agricultural land to pay the education agent 11,000 pounds for his admission in a masters course as well as a dependent visa for his wife.

"It is a one-time investment. Once we get a degree from the UK and work experience, we have a great future both in the UK and back in India," Sharma told The Telegraph.

Sahil Bhatia, head of Om Visa, a Punjab-based visa consultancy, said he was receiving between 30 and 40 spouse applications a day.

Bhatia said universities like BPP in London, Birmingham and Bedfordshire were taking students in November and December.

According to estimates, international students add 35 billion pounds a year to the UK economy, and 490,763 students were given visas last year.

Foreign students and their dependents contributed to the UK economy not just through fees of 10,000 pounds to 26,000 pounds but also via an NHS surcharge of 400 pounds a year for the student and 600 pounds for a dependent, UK-based New Way Consultancy said.
News organisations can also get a share of Xs ad revenue: Musk. Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, Nov 23 : X will start showing news headlines again, Elon Musk said on Thursday, after the platform stopped showing titles with URLs in previews last month for "improved aesthetics".

In a post on X, Musk said that the headlines will return with news articles in an upcoming update.

"In an upcoming release,  will overlay the title in the upper portion of the image of a URL card," The social media platform owner said.

However, the headlines will "still overlaid on the image".

"Every pixel matters," said Musk.

After the change in October, users had to click or tap on the URL card to actually know the title or read the headline.

The update comes as several top companies like IBM, Apple, Disney, Warner Bros, Discovery, Paramount and Comcast/NBCUniversal pulled or paused advertising on X, as Musk continued to endorse far-right viewpoints and agrees with posts that promote antisemitism.

Musk then sued Left-leaning non-profit Media Matters, accusing it of interference with contract, business disparagement, and interference with prospective economic advantage.

The non-profit last week alleged in a report that X "has been placing ads for major brands" like Apple and IBM "next to content that touts Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Party".

This led to several high-profile brands pausing their ads on X.

X CEO Linda Yaccarino said she is committed to truth and fairness on the platform.
Al is only a means, not an end: Nadella after Altmans return to OpenAI. Image Source: IANS News

San Francisco, Nov 23 : As Sam Altman returned to OpenAI after the five-day intense drama, Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella has said that technology, including Al, is only a tool.

In an internal memo to employees ahead of Thanksgiving holiday, Nadella said that the pace of innovation that they have driven has been remarkable, especially during a time of so much "continued hardship and uncertainty in the world".

"But technology, including Al, is only a tool. It's a means, not an end. And, ultimately, our end is our mission to empower people and organisations all over the planet -- one individual, one community, one country at a time," he told employees.

"At the end of the day, the greatest privilege of my job is working with people who are driven by mission. There is no better example of this than these past 5 days, when I saw people across the company remaining focused on our mission and serving our customers and partners, stepping up to help in every way possible," Nadella added.

Microsoft Chief Technology Office (CTO) and EVP of AI, Kevin Scott, also addressed employees about the OpenAI turmoil, reports The Verge.

"The events of the past few days have been uncertain for our colleagues at OpenAl, and of intense interest to many others. Throughout, nothing has changed or wavered about our resolve and focus to deliver the world's best Al technology platforms and products to our customers and partners," Scott said in a separate memo to employees.

"We will continue to support our colleagues at OpenAl and the phenomenal work they've been doing alongside us in service of that mission. As we have for these past 4+ years, we look forward to continuing our work with Sam and his team," he added.

Scott said that despite the potential of the past few days to distract us, both Microsoft and OpenAl scientists and engineers have been working with undiminished urgency.

On Wednesday, OpenAI announced that Altman and president and co-founder Greg Brockman are returning to the company with a new board in place.
Seoul, Nov 23 : North Korea on Thursday said it will immediately restore all military measures halted under a 2018 inter-Korean military accord after Seoul suspended part of the tension reduction deal following Pyongyang's launch of a military spy satellite.

The North's Defence Ministry said it will "never be bound" by the military agreement any more, effectively scrapping the deal that calls for a series of tension reduction measures along the heavily armed border, and warned that the South must "pay dearly" for its decision, reports Yonhap News Agency.

"We will immediately restore all military measures that have been halted according to the North-South military agreement," the Ministry said in a statement carried by the Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

"We will withdraw the military steps, taken to prevent military tension and conflict in all spheres including ground, sea and air, and deploy more powerful armed forces and new-type military hardware in the region along the Military Demarcation Line," it said.

South Korea must "pay dearly for their irresponsible and grave political and military provocations that have pushed the present situation to an uncontrollable phase", the North added.

South Korea partially suspended the 2018 inter-Korean military accord, after North Korea launched a military spy satellite, called the Malligyong-1, on a new type of Chollima-1 rocket Tuesday night.

The move allowed Seoul to immediately restore reconnaissance and surveillance operations near the border with North Korea.

The agreement, signed September 19, 2018, under the previous liberal administration of President Moon Jae-in, calls for setting up buffer zones and no-fly zones near the inter-Korean border in a bid to prevent accidental clashes between the two Koreas.

North Korea had violated the accord 17 times until end-2022, and 15 violations occurred last year alone, including five North Korean drones' infiltration into the South in December, according to Seoul's defense ministry.

South Korea's Unification Ministry denounced the North Korean defense ministry's statement as a "far-fetched" claim, and "strongly" condemned Pyongyang's threat to deploy new weapons along the border.
Kupwara: Security personnel take position during a cordon and search operation after an encounter between holed up terrorists and the security forces in the Chanjimulla village of Handwara tehsil in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district on May 3, 2020. Image Source: IANS News

Jammu, Nov 23 : Operation launched by the security forces against terrorists continued for the second day on Thursday in J&K's Rajouri district where four soldiers were killed during the operation.

Defence sources said that two officers and two jawans were killed in this operation on Wednesday.

Same sources said that the terrorists were injured and have been surrounded.

The encounter started on Wednesday between the Army - local police and terrorists in the Bajimaal area of Rajouri district.

Special forces have been deployed to weed out the terrorists from the area.

The General Officer Commanding (GOC) of Armyas 16 and the commander of the Romeo force of Rashtriya Rifles were monitoring the situation.

There were, however, no reports of fresh exchange of fire between the security forces and the hiding terrorists.
News / National

by Staff reporter

Fourteen CCC MPs and nine senators have appealed - through the Supreme Court - a recent High Court rejection of their challenge against a highly emotive recall order by self-imposed interim party secretary general Sengezo Tshabangu.In their challenge, the former legislators, who constitute the first batch of ousted opposition lawmakers, argue that the High Court failed to uphold the voice of the electorate.The axed MPs, represented by Harare lawyer Thabani Mpofu, claimed that High Court judge Munamato Mutevedzi erred by entertaining Tshabangu, whom they claim is an imposter.Among the recalled lawmakers are Febion Munyaradzi Kufahakutizwi, who became famous for defeating Zanu-PF's Pedzai Sakupwanya in Mabvuku Tafara constituency, and Pashor Sibanda, who floored finance minister Mthuli Ncube in Cowdray Park.In their fresh challenge, the affected MPs said their recall was a violation of the voices of the electorate, and therefore their appeal should be granted."It must, if at all, take exceptional circumstances for people's political choices," reads the court challenge in part."Constitutionally expressed through a process of adult universal suffrage, to be ignored by anyone, let alone the courts."Whilst it belongs to political actors to make and score political points against each other, a court of law must, when confronted with a matter, never lose the essence."Regrettably, the court aquo completely lost its path and did not consider, that in matters electoral, the voice of the electorate is sacrosanct; that any perceived procedural inadequacies cannot trump the clearly expressed voice of the people, and that for a court of law, there is really no choice between sense and nonsense."The MPs were ousted on the ostensible reason they had ceased to be members of the main opposition.In their appeal, they also noted that Tshabangu did not demonstrate how he came to the conclusion that they had lost their membership."Apart from stating that they had ceased being members, which is itself a conclusion, he did not explain what that meant."Did they resign? Were they expelled? If so, when and by whom? Is that act of expulsion the act of the CCC party?"If it is, where did that leave the communication of the uncontested leader of the same political party?" further read the challenge.Tshabangu, Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda and the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission are listed as respondents.The controversial politician, a virtually unknown figure in politics until his recent exploits, continues to decree more recalls amid opposition claims he was a hired Zanu-PF hitman keen to decimate the opposition representation and restore the ruling party's two thirds majority in parliament.Tshabangu insists he was acting in the spirit of reversing the imposition of election candidates prior to the August 23 elections by the Nelson Chamisa led party.The first set of recalls have triggered a presidential proclamation for the holding of by-elections December 9, 2023.
Athens, Nov 23 : Tokyo 2020 rowing gold medalist Stefanos Douskos of Greece will be the first torchbearer for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, the Hellenic Olympic Committee (HOC) said.

The details of the Olympic Torch Relay Paris 2024, which will take place in Greece from April 16 to 26, 2024, were presented by the Hellenic Olympic Committee at an event held at its headquarters on Wednesday.

Chairman of the HOC Olympic Torch Relay Commission, Douskos will be the first torchbearer, while the flame will be carried last by the menas national water polo team, led by Tokyo 2020 silver medalist Giannis Fountoulis, to the Panathenaic Stadium, where it will be handed over to the President of the HOC, Spyros Capralos, who will pass it on to the Paris Olympic Organizing Committee.

The Lighting of the flame will take place on April 16 in Ancient Olympia and marks the beginning of an eleven-day journey. Around 600 torchbearers will carry the Olympic flame through the Greek territory, covering over 5000 kilometers in 41 municipalities and ending on 26 April 2024 in the Panathenaic Stadium, where the modern Games have been revived.

The route of the Olympic flame has been designed to meet four main objectives, i,e., to cover the whole of Greece, connecting the four ends of the country, from Crete to Alexandroupoli and from Corfu to Kastellorizo.

-To promote most important archaeological sites, highlighting the treasures of our history and culture (Ancient Elis, Mycenae, Knossos, Delphi, Ancient Philippi, Vergina, Sounio, Acropolis).

-To showcase the iconic landscapes that make up the beauty of Greece (Methoni, Nafplio, Santorini, Meteora).

-Finally, the aim is to honor the historical past that connects France and Greece, a story that developed over the years into a very strong friendship. France is mainly associated with the Greek Revolution of 1821, which ignited a great wave of sympathy and support for the Greek people.
Kolkata, Nov 23 : A Border Security Force (BSF) jawan posted at the India-Bangladesh international border outpost at Hridaypur in West Bengal's Nadia district committed suicide by shooting himself with his INSAS service rifle.

He shot himself on his head, according to BSF sources.

The deceased jawan has been identified as Manmohan Singh, a resident of Jaipur, Rajasthan.

He was associated with the BSF since 2013.

His body has been sent to the Shaktinagar Hospital for post-mortem.

BSF sources said that the deceased was extremely well-behaved and soft-spoken and his colleagues posted in the same border outpost are clueless on what exactly prompted him to take the drastic step.

In September, another BSF jawan posted at the India-Bangladesh international border outpost in Sitalkuchi, Cooch Behar, committed suicide.

In that case as well, the victim N.M. Swami, a resident of Andhra Pradesh, shot himself dead with his service gun.

The reason behind his suicide is yet to be ascertained.
Helsinki, Nov 23 : The government of Finland has decided to restrict road traffic on its border with Russia to just one crossing point in the far north, Prime Minister Petteri Orpo announced at a press conference.

Last week, the government closed four border crossings in southeastern Finland but left four others still open in the north, reports Xinhua news agency.

From Friday night, only the Raja-Jooseppi crossing point in the municipality of Inari will remain accessible.

The decision will remain in force until December 23.

On Tuesday, a plan by Orpo's cabinet to close all road crossings with Russia was rejected by Finland's Chancellor of Justice Office.

The Chancellor's office approved Wednesday's plan.

Asked if a complete closure remains an option, Orpo said on Wednesday that "It can be done, but the present situation does not justify it".

Finland shares a 1,340 km border with Russia, Europe's longest.
Los Angeles, Nov 23 : Actor Jamie Foxx has been sued for an alleged sexual assault at a rooftop bar in New York city.

Just a few months after he's out of the woods following a health scare, the actor is now facing lawsuit for an alleged incident that happened several years ago.

In the suit that was filed on Wednesday, the woman, who identified as Jane Doe, claims the Oscar winner sexually assaulted her at a rooftop bar in New York City back in 2015.

The docs detail that the 55-year-old Hollywood star was at Catch NYC & Roof in August 2015 around 11 P.M. when the plaintiff arrived to be seated in the rooftop lounge and bar. She says she noticed the actor one table away, reports aceshowbiz.com.

Around 1 A.M., the plaintiff's friend asked Jamie if he'd take a photo with her and the plaintiff. He allegedly said, "Sure, baby anything for you," but appeared to have been intoxicated at the time.

After they took several photos together, he allegedly made flirty comments, including "Wow, you have that supermodel body" and "You smell so good," and told the plaintiff she looked like Gabrielle Union.

He then pulled her by the arm to the back area of the rooftop, where he placed both hands on her waist and groped her private parts, according to the plaintiff.

The woman claims she attempted to step away and noticed a security guard and others who saw what had happened, but they chose to walk away.

He allegedly only stopped touching her when her friend came over and saw what was happening.

The woman claims she was injured and had to undergo a medical treatment. She says she suffered pain and emotional distress as a result of the "sexual assault, abuse, assault and battery." She is suing the 'Annie' actor, Catch and its employees for compensatory and punitive damages.

Jamie has not responded to the allegations. He was hospitalised due to unspecified medical emergency in April, but was discharged from the hospital in April. He seemed to have been recovering well and back to his normal routine.
Bengaluru, Nov 23 : BJP MLA and former minister V. Sunil Kumar on Thursday said that if Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is genuinely committed to ensuring social justice, he should hand over the caste census report to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for a probe.

Sunil Kumar, a prominent OBC leader, maintained that the Chief Minister should stop the drama of forming a cabinet subcommittee to study the caste census report.

"Mr Siddaramaiah, what a betrayal from you to the backward classes and Dalit communities. The original blueprint is missing. You are set to prepare a forgery report and impress Rahul Gandhi," charged Sunil Kumar.

If one goes through the confusions and complexities of the caste report there is no doubt that it is a big scam. If the objective of the caste census conducted at the cost of Rs 162 crore is not fulfilled, what does it convey? Kumar wondered.

At a time when the debate over the issue is raging, the former Chairman of the Backward Classes Committee Kantharaj has gone missing, he stated.

It was during Kantharaj's tenure that the caste census was conducted.

The member secretary is also silent on why he had not given his signature to the report then, he explained.

Kumar further claimed that it implies that he does not want to be a part of the caste census.

This also shows that during the period of preparation of the caste census report there was big mess up and misappropriation, he alleged.

He reiterated that instead of handing over the caste census report to the cabinet subcommittee to study, the chief minister should hand over the probe into the issue by the CBI.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of Backward Classes Commission K. Jayaprakash Hegde clarified on Wednesday that the data of the caste census is safe while the work sheets are missing.

"The caste census is genuine and the report will be submitted," he said.

Deputy Chief Minister D.K Shivakumar had stated that the demand of various communities for a scientific approach to the caste census must be considered.
San Francisco, Nov 23 : Microsoft's threat intelligence team has uncovered a supply chain attack by the North Korea-based threat actor involving a malicious variant of an application developed by CyberLink, a Taiwanese company that develops multimedia software products.

This malicious file is a legitimate CyberLink application installer that has been modified to include malicious code that downloads, decrypts, and loads a second-stage payload.

The malicious activity has impacted over 100 devices in multiple countries, including Japan, Taiwan, Canada, and the US.

Microsoft attributed this activity with "high confidence to Diamond Sleet, a North Korean threat actor".

According to CyberLink's website, it owns over 200 patented technologies and has shipped more than 400 million apps worldwide.

More recently, Microsoft has observed Diamond Sleet utilising trojanised open-source and proprietary software to target organisations in information technology, defense and media.

The tech giant said it has communicated this supply chain compromise to CyberLink and is notifying Microsoft Defender for Endpoint customers that have been targeted or compromised in this campaign.

Microsoft reported the attack to GitHub, which removed the second-stage payload in accordance with its acceptable use policies.

"Diamond Sleet focuses on espionage, theft of personal and corporate data, financial gain, and corporate network destruction. Diamond Sleet is known to use a variety of custom malware that is exclusive to the group," said the team.

Microsoft advised people to take immediate action to address malicious activity on the impacted device.

"If malicious code has been launched, the attacker has likely taken complete control of the device. Immediately isolate the system and perform a reset of credentials and tokens," said the company.
Beirut, Nov 23 : A total of 115 people have been killed in Lebanon since border clashes with Israel started after the Hamas's massive assault against the Jewish nation on October 7, a military source said.

The source said Israel stepped up its assaults on Wednesday by using heavy artillery to hit the outskirts of 28 towns and villages in southern Lebanon, reports Xinhua news agency.

The source said that Israeli drones and warplanes destroyed six homes and damaged 20 more in southern Lebanon.

In the southern village of Khiam, the bodies of two civilians were recovered from the rubble of a house destroyed by Israel on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group based in Lebanon announced that there were Israeli casualties after its fighters had attacked Israel's military positions in the villages of al-Malikiyah, al-Bayada and al-Marj, as well as the settlement of Miskav Am.

The Lebanon-Israel border witnessed increased tension for over six weeks after Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets toward Shebaa Farms on October 8 in support of the Hamas attacks on Israel the previous day.

This prompted the Israeli forces to respond by firing heavy artillery toward several areas in southeastern Lebanon.
New York, Nov 23 : A "weird bacterium" may be the culprit behind a mystery respiratory illness seen among dogs in the US, according to a report.

Scores of dogs across the US have been experiencing a mysterious respiratory illness.

Some dogs have died from the illness, which starts with a cough that can last for weeks, runny eyes and sneezing.

Researchers from the University of New Hampshire in the UK said that it could be caused by a bacterial infection that may be very good at evading the canine immune system, NBC news reported.

The team identified the pathogen from a genetic sequencing of samples from an initial group of 30 dogs from New Hampshire who were infected last year and then an additional 40 from Rhode Island and Massachusetts who got sick this year.

The pathogen is "a funky bacterium," David Needle, pathology section chief at the College of Life Sciences and Agriculture at the University of New Hampshire, was quoted as saying.

"It's smaller than a normal bacterium in its size and in the size of its genome. Long story short, it's a weird bacterium that can be tough to find and sequence."

The germ "is new as a potential cause of disease, but it is likely to be -- or to have evolved from -- a component of the dog microbiome", he said.

Dogs as well as humans have multiple types of harmless bacteria and other microorganisms living both inside and outside the body. In the gut, they are thought to aid in digestion. The initial sequencing showed there were no known viral, bacterial or fungal pathogens.

However, "21 of the initial 30 samples from New Hampshire had some genetic material from one atypical bacterial species", Needle said.

The team is sharing its results prior to publishing a research article, hoping they will give veterinarians some information as they deal with other respiratory syndrome outbreaks, the report said.
Manila, Nov 23 : Four children, including an 11-month-old infant, were killed and two others injured in a fire that erupted at a residential complex in Cebu City in the central Philippines on Thursday, authorities said.

The Cebu City Command Centre said the fire broke out at 5.51 a.m., reports Xinhua news agency.

Firefighters declared the fire out around 6.15 a.m.

An uncle of the children told authorities that the four victims, aged 11, six, one and 11 months, were asleep and trapped on their house's second floor.

Those injured were a 30-year-old woman and a 31-year-old man, also family members.

Authorities said at least seven houses were gutted in the fire.

An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the blaze.
New Delhi, Nov 23 : Delhi Police Crime Branch has arrested a 22-year-old man for killing a man over a petty issue in Kanjhawala area, an official said on Thursday.

The accused was identified as Mohit a.k.a Mukhiya, a resident of Bawana.

On November 2, a PCR call was received regarding a gunshot incident opposite Arogya Hospital, Kanjhawala.

The injured, Ajay Dabas, was admitted to Shree Agrasen International Hospital, Rohini in an unconscious state.

During treatment, the victim succumbed to his injuries.

Special Commissioner of Police (Crime) Ravindra Singh Yadav said that specific input was received that Mohit would come near Japanese Park, Rohini, Delhi to meet his associates.

"A trap was laid at the place of information and the accused Mohit was successfully apprehended. During his search, one loaded pistol along-with two live cartridges was recovered from his possession," said the Special CP.

On interrogation, Mohit disclosed that one Parvesh, also a resident of Bawana, was a close friend of Ajay. Parvesh's cousin Prince is a drug addict. Both Parvesh and Ajay held one Lucky responsible for Prince's addiction.

"Ajay along-with his associate Sahil, manhandled Lucky for Prince's drug addiction. On November 2, Ajay telephonically called Prince to meet him. Prince along with Lucky met Ajay near SOS, Bawana. There Lucky manhandled Ajay and Sahil. At that time, one Munish was also present at the spot," said the Special CP.

"Munish narrated the whole incident to the accused persons named Ankit Maan, Mohit and Bharat Rathi and they decided to meet Ajay. All the above four reached Arogya Hospital where Ajay tried to manhandle Mohit on which Ankit shot Ajay," said the Special CO.
News / National

by Staff reporter

A mother has told how she chased after a baboon and forced it to give up its unusual prey - her 18-month-old son.Petronella Moyo was doing cleaning her house in West Nicholson on November 16 when the baboon sneaked in and snatched her son after sinking its teeth in his buttocks."I was scrubbing the floor in the bedroom and the child was playing near the door. Suddenly I heard the baby screaming and when I turned to check what was happening I saw the baboon already dragging him," Moyo told the Voice of America's Studio 7."I started chasing after it until it let go of him. The wound is very deep."Moyo said she had almost given up hope of getting her son alive."The verandah for my house is quite high and when I saw the baboon jump over with him, I feared the worst. I thought he was dead," she said.The baby is expected to make a full recovery at Gwanda Provincial Hospital.Attacks on humans by baboons are extremely rare, and victims are usually hunters who would have cornered the animal.Baboons have very sharp canine teeth and claws which can injure and even kill their victims.A well reported death in a baboon attack occurred in June 2003 in the remote North West village of Madipelesa outside Pampierstad in South Africa.A young mother watched helplessly as a baboon snatched and ripped open the skull of her three-month-old tot and ate his brain.Lettie Goitsimang Tukane, 34, said the baboon climbed up a telephone pole and ate the brain before disappearing into nearby bushes.Tukane said her son Neo was sleeping in a bed in one of the rooms while she was busy washing dishes in another room when she heard his screams.She said when she rushed outside, she saw a big baboon carrying Neo under one of its arms. She tried to scare it off but the baboon was aggressive and it wanted to attack her too.She blamed witchcraft.
Mumbai, Nov 23 : National Award-winning filmmaker Vetrimaaran, who is known for films like 'Aadukalam', 'Asuran', 'Vada Chennai' and 'Visaranai', is glad someone hacked his Facebook account sometime ago as he considers it a blessing in disguise and an opportunity for him to focus better on his work.

Vetrimaaran recently presented his latest film 'Viduthalai: Part One' at the 54th edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa.

Talking to the media, the director said that the lack of social media in his life keep him away from all the audience expectation and hype.

He said, "I'm not responsible for the expectation and the hype, and I'm not working on it or creating it. I don't have Twitter (now X), I was on Facebook but I'm happy someone hacked my account. So I'm trying to keep myself intact."

However, he admitted that there are times when the pressure really gets to him, as he went on to say, "Sometimes, it does put pressure unconsciously when I'm working on the final cut. During the release, I find it really hard to sleep. It is an unconscious stress. But once the film is over, I get out of it. I don't watch my films after the release or read reviews."

Meanwhile, his upcoming film 'Viduthalai: Part One', is part of the Indian Panorama section at the coveted festival.

The film, which stars Vijay Sethupathi, Soori, Gautham Vasudev Menon and Bhavani Sre, is set in 1987 in Tamil Nadu and follows the police crackdown on The People's Army, an armed anti-government outfit, that poses a big threat to the stability of the government in the region.
Budgam: A soldier takes position during an encounter between terrorists and security forces that started in central Kashmir's Budgam district on Oct 16, 2020. The gunfight began at Chadoora after a cordoning operation was launched in the area during . Image Source: IANS News

Jammu, Nov 23, : One terrorist has been killed in an ongoing encounter between terrorists and security forces at Dharmsal in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri District, officials said on Thursday.

Four soldiers including two officers have been killed in the operation launched by the security forces against terrorists on Thursday.

Defence sources said the neutralized terrorist was a Pakistani national who was trained on the Pakistani and Afghanistan front.

Sources said he was a high-ranking LeT terrorist active in Rajouri for one year and the mastermind of terrorist attacks at Dangri and Kandi in Rajouri.

Sources revealed that he was sent to revive terrorism in the region and was an expert in IEDs, hiding and operating from caves and a trained sniper.
New Delhi, Nov 23 : A Delhi court on Thursday extended the judicial custody of accused individuals, including the Managing Director of Lava International mobile company by 14 days, in connection with a money laundering case related to Chinese smartphone-maker Vivo.

The four accused are -- Lava International MD Hari Om Rai, Chinese national Guangwen alias Andrew Kuang, Chartered Accountants Nitin Garg and Rajan Malik.

Before Additional Sessions Judge Devender Kumar Jangala of Patiala House Courts, defence advocate Nitesh Rana argued that there is no fresh material to extend judicial custody.

"Application seeking custody is mechanical and there is no allegation of noncooperation against Rai," he said.

The judge after hearing the matter at length, extended the judicial custody till December 7.

On November 18, the court sought a response from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on the bail application of Rai.

Rana had earlier argued that the judicial custody cannot be extended "mechanically" and "automatically", and that there must be application of mind.

"In the absence of it, the accused ought to be released forthwith," Rana had told the court.

The court had noted that the probe agency was able to make out the case for grant of further custody.

"There appears to be continuity in the stand taken by the Enforcement Directorate with regard to extraction of digital data and the accused persons to be confronted with the same.

"Therefore, considering the settled principles of law and Delhi High Court Rules, I am of the considered opinion that the Enforcement Directorate is able to make out the case for grant of further custody remand," the judge had said.

The court had further directed that the interrogation be conducted at a place having CCTV coverage and the footage be preserved.

"Accused persons shall be medically examined once in every 48 hours during the above period and the accused persons shall also be permitted to meet their advocates for half an hour daily between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. during the said period of their ED custody in a manner that the ED officials are not able to hear their conversations," the court had said.

In response to the allegation of the ED that there has been recovery of several incriminating documents, the counsel for Guangwen had argued, "The nature of such documents has not been specified and why these are relevant to the investigation was not apprised or substantiated by the ED. It was only submitted that they relate to incorporation of companies which is not an offence."

The probe agency had arrested the four persons on October 10.

A source had earlier told IANS that the arrests were made after the financial probe agency carried out searches at the premises of the four accused on Monday and recovered cash to the tune of Rs 10 lakh.

The ED action came more than a year after it carried out searches at 48 locations across the country belonging to Vivo Mobiles India Private Ltd and its 23 associated companies such as Grand Prospect International Communication Pvt Ltd (GPICPL), and claimed that it has busted a major money laundering racket involving Chinese nationals and multiple Indian companies.

According to the ED, Vivo Mobiles India Pvt Ltd was incorporated on August 1, 2014 as a subsidiary of Multi Accord Ltd, a Hong Kong-based company, and was registered at ROC Delhi.

GPICPL was registered on December 3, 2014 at ROC Shimla, with registered addresses of Solan, Himachal Pradesh, and Gandhinagar, Jammu.

The PMLA investigation by ED was initiated by registering a money laundering case on February 3, 2022 on the basis of an FIR registered at the Kalkaji police station in the national Capital by Delhi Police against the GPICPL, its director, shareholders and certifying professionals etc., on the basis of a complaint filed by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.
Tel Aviv, Nov 23 : The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Thursday arrested Mohammed Abu Selemya, director of the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza, along with few other staffers of the largest medical facility in the besieged enclave.

The hospital has been one of the major focus areas of the Israeli military ground offensive in Gaza it launched on October 27.

The IDF has maintained that the Hamas militant group operates a command centre underneath Al-Shifa and also uses the medical complex as a base, with several tunnel entry points within the hospital.

The allegations however, have been repeatedly denied by the militant group as well as the Palestinian Health Ministry and the hospital authorities.

In several statements, the IDF has claimed that the hostages captured by the Hamas on october 7 were kept in the tunnels underneath the hospital.

On Sunday night, the military had confirmed that 19-year-old corporal Noa Marciano, whose body was found last week near the Al-Shifa Hospital, was murdered by the Hamas.

Marciano's body was found a day after the remains of of a 65-year-old abductee Yehudit Weiss was discovered in the premises of the Al-Shifa.

Thursday's development comes as after a four-day humanitarian pause in fighting, which was agreed by the Hamas and Israel, has been delayed.

The pause was expected to start on Thursday. But an Israeli government source says they believe the deal will go ahead on Friday

In the first phase of the pause, Hamas will release 50 hostages from Gaza, and Israel will free 150 Palestinian detainees
New Delhi, Nov 23 : The Delhi High Court has granted bail to a murder accused, Naveen Uppar alias Sunny, who had entered into a suicide pact with the woman victim.

Justice Vikas Mahajan found merit in the argument that the deceased may have partaken in a consensual romantic relationship with the accused and willingly entered into the suicide pact.

The court noted the forensic report indicating that the accused's country-made pistol was in normal working order, but the cartridge recovered did not fire.

Taking into account an audio recording transcript where the accused and the victim expressed love for each other, the court noted contradictions in the prosecution's version, which claimed the accused killed the victim after she refused to leave him.

The police received information in 2016 that the accused was attempting suicide, leading to the discovery of the woman's death in a car.

The investigation revealed a long-standing relationship between the accused and the victim, who were both married to other individuals.

The court rejected the prosecution's theory of financial disputes and pointed out the cordial relationship between the accused and the victim's families.

Out of 64 witnesses, only 24 had been examined in the last seven years, prompting the court to consider the prolonged trial period and the lack of useful purpose served by keeping the accused in custody.

While acknowledging that the accused might not be ultimately found guilty, the court granted bail and said: "It would indeed be a travesty of justice to keep the petitioner in jail for an indefinite period for an offence which may ultimately be found not to have been committed by him, especially when there is material on record which has the prospect of probabilising the defence of the petitioner."

The bail plea was allowed.

--IANS

spr/ksk
New Delhi, Nov 23 : Ophthalmologists in Delhi are observing sharp rise in number of patients suffering from eye problems like allergy, burning of eyes and itching due to high level of pollution in the capital.

Air quality across Delhi continued to be in the 'very poor' category with AQI at 324.

"With severe air quality and high level of pollution in Delhi-NCR, we are observing an increase in number of patients coming to us with complains of redness, Itching, and watering in the eyes," said Dr Ikeda Lal, Cornea and Refractory Surgery Specialist, at Delhi Eye Centre and Sir Ganga Ram Hospital New Delhi.

"Patients with pre-existing dry eyes are experiencing exacerbation due to high pollution. We are observing almost increase of 40 rise in number of patients coming to us with eye related problems," he added.

Dr Lal explained that pollutants and dust in the air is one of the major reasons for causing eye allergy and eye related problem. Delhi has been witnessing a steep increase in AQI levels after a marginal improvement on Sunday.

The city's AQI stood at 348 at 4 pm on Monday, deteriorating from 301 on Sunday. The increase in AQI levels comes after the Centre on Saturday had removed stringent curbs, including a ban on construction work related to linear projects and the entry of polluting trucks, in Delhi following a drop in pollution levels due to favourable wind speed and direction.

"The increase in the incidence of dry eye and ocular allergy is causing discomfort even in normal eyes. It aggravates the eye complaints in eyes that are prone to dryness and allergies. If care is not taken immediately, some of these eyes can have reduced vision due to this problem as well," said Dr Rajesh Sinha, Professor of Ophthalmology at RP Centre AIIMS New Delhi.

While lubricating eye drops and the use of sunglasses are helpful options, contact lenses and eye makeup should be avoided until the eyes are healed completely, Dr Lal said.

Doctors advised to not rub eyes if they itch, wash eyes with clean water; repeat if it still feels uncomfortable. They suggested that cold compresses can help relieve mild itching and to see an eye doctor as soon as possible and avoid prolonged exposure of eyes to pollution.

--IANS rvt/shb
Patna, Nov 23 : A day after the Bihar Cabinet passed a proposal for Special Status for the state, Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav asked the Narendra Modi Government to clarify its stand on this issue.

Yadav also said that if the Centre does not meet the demand of the Bihar Government, it should put its views in public domain.

While speaking to media persons in Patna's Secretariat, Tejashwi Yadav said, "Bihar Chief Minister has demanded Special Status for the state many times from the Centre. But the Prime Minister is not listening. If you (Modi) don't want to give Special Status to Bihar, clarify it in public domain and then we will look into it and work in our own way for the development of Bihar."

"Our government has done historic work like successfully conducting a caste-based survey in Bihar. We were wishing that a caste census would take place in the country and we met the Prime Minister in this context but he did not agree to it.

"The Bihar Government conducted the caste survey on its own and the efforts of our Chief Minister should be appreciated. Due to him, we have obtained such huge data of people, their castes and economic conditions."

"The data has given the numbers of people living under the poverty line. Poor people are in every section of society including in the upper castes. Hence, the Chief Minister decided to enhance the limit of reservation during the recently-concluded Winter Session," Yadav said.
'Sikhs for Justice' gives call to hold rallies at Indian embassies. Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, November 23 : Calling the foiled attempt on his life 'transnational terrorism' and threat to US sovereignty, Khalistan leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun said on Thursday that he will let the American government respond to it.

New York-based Pannun's remarks came a day after Financial Times reported that authorities in the US thwarted a conspiracy to assassinate him and issued a warning to India over concerns that it was involved in the plot.

"The foiled attempt on my life on American soil by the Indian agents is transnational terrorism which is a threat to the US sovereignty, freedom of speech and democracy, so I will let the US government respond to this threat, Pannun, a US and Canadian citizen, said in a statement released on Thursday.

As per the Times report, the US informed some of its allies about the plot following the killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June this year outside a gurdwara in Surrey.

In September, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had said there were "credible allegations" linking New Delhi to Nijjar's fatal shooting.

The legal counsel of the banned Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) said the group is using "ballot to liberate Punjab while India is using bullets to stop the ongoing Khalistan referendum".

He said that at the moment his focus is not on the threats to his life but to organise the US phase of Khalistan Referendum scheduled to start from San Francisco on January 28.

The SFJ made the "America Votes" declaration earlier this month with a float celebrating former Indian Army Chief General A.S. Vaidya's killing by Sikh separatists Sukhdeo Singh and Harjinder Singh in 1986.

Pannun also "dared" Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government to "declare Open Armed Conflict with Punjab" in the statement, which he titled, "violence begets violence, is India ready to face consequences?"

The report over the alleged plot to kill Pannun coincided with the pro-Khalistan leader's call to "picket" Air India flights on December 1 at the Toronto and Vancouver international airports in Canada.

His call to target the outbound AI 188 and AI 186 flights came a day after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) registered a case against him over a November 4 video threatening the Indian flag carrier.

In September this year, the NIA had confiscated the listed terrorist's share of the house and land in Amritsar and Chandigarh.

Non-bailable arrest warrants were issued against Pannun by the NIA Special Court on February 3, 2021 and he was declared a 'Proclaimed Offender' on November 29, 2022.

(Meenakshi Iyer can be reached at meenakshi.i@ians.in)
Los Angeles, Nov 23 : Former model Sheila Kennedy has sued Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose for alleged sexual assault and battery.

According to her lawsuit, the popular rock musician attacked her during a violent hotel room encounter in New York in 1989.

Kennedy was diagnosed with anxiety and depression due to the alleged assault, the lawsuit says.

Kennedy seeks damages from Rose for intentional affliction of emotional distress and gender motivated violence, her lawsuit says. Her attorneys have requested a jury trial, reports bbc.com.

The lawsuit was filed in New York Supreme Court days before the expiration of a law that allows sexual assault survivors to file lawsuits against their alleged attackers, no matter when the original statute of limitations expired.

Kennedy said in her complaint that she was a 26-year-old model for Penthouse magazine when she met Rose in a New York City nightclub in early 1989.

The musician physically and sexually assaulted her in his hotel suite hours later, she alleges in the lawsuit.

Alan S. Gutman, Rose's attorney, rejected Kennedy's allegations in a statement to CNN, reports bbc.com.

"Simply put, this incident never happened," said Gutman, who added that Rose had "no recollection" of ever meeting Ms Kennedy.

The suit states that Rose invited Kennedy and another model to a party of alcohol and drugs in his hotel suite. Though Kennedy said she did not mind an initial encounter with Rose in which he "pushed Kennedy against the wall and kissed her", her view of the rock star changed as the night progressed.

According to the lawsuit, Kennedy witnessed Rose engage in sex with the other model in a manner that was "aggressive" and that "appeared painful for the model".

Afterward, the lawsuit alleges the Guns N' Roses vocalist physically assaulted Kennedy in an angry confrontation.

It claims he grabbed her "by the hair and dragged her across the suite back to his bedroom."

Kennedy alleges she was bleeding and tried to leave, but Rose restrained her and proceeded to sexually assault her.

Since the attack, Kennedy has suffered "lifelong emotional, physical, psychological, and financial impacts" and she has developed "symptoms akin to post-traumatic stress disorder" when hearing Guns N' Roses music, the complaint alleges.

Dr Ann Olivarius, who is representing Ms Kennedy, alleged the music industry had enabled similar examples of misconduct.

She said she hoped Kennedy's "bravery helps other victims find their voice" and will serve as "an important turning point for the music industry."

Kennedy first described aspects of the alleged incident in her 2016 autobiography 'No One's Pet' and in the 2021 documentary 'Look Away', which details claims of abuse in the music industry, Rolling Stone magazine reported. Rose has faced allegations of abusive behavior in the past.

Past partners Erin Everly and Stephanie Seymour accused Rose of physical abuse in a 1994 cover story of People magazine, which Kennedy noted her in her lawsuit.
New Delhi, Nov 23 : A couple of days after a boy was arrested for allegedly stabbing a teenager over 50 times during a street robbery here, investigators on Thursday released visuals showing the accused dancing and seemingly "celebrating" the murder.

The accused minor, as captured by CCTV cameras, is shown dragging the body into a narrow alleyway. Repeatedly stabbing the victim in the neck to ensure death, the assailant proceeds to kick the head multiple times.

The disturbing scene concludes with the assailant standing over the lifeless body and engaging in a macabre dance, all documented on camera.

According to police, on Tuesday at around 11.15 p.m., a young boy was stabbed to death by a 16-year-old boy in Janta Mazdoor Colony in northeast Delhi's Welcome.

"During the probe of the incident, the minor was apprehended and the knife used in the crime recovered from his possession," said the Deputy Commissioner of Police (northeast) Joy Tirkey.

"Reason behind murder was robbery. The boy first choked the victim and when he fell unconscious, the accused stabbed him multiple times before robbing him of his money about Rs 350," said the DCP.

"The victim was taken to GTB Hospital where he was pronounced "brought dead," said the DCP.

Efforts are being made to identify the victim, he added.

"As a part of the probe and to identify the victim, CCTVs in the area are being scanned. The Crime and FSL team visited the spot and collected necessary evidence," said the DCP, adding that a case under relevant sections of the IPC has been registered at Welcome police station.

--IANSNew Delhi, Nov 23 (IANS) A couple of days after a boy was arrested for allegedly stabbing a teenager over 50 times during a street robbery here, investigators on Thursday released visuals showing the accused dancing and seemingly "celebrating" the murder.

The accused minor, as captured by CCTV cameras, is shown dragging the body into a narrow alleyway. Repeatedly stabbing the victim in the neck to ensure death, the assailant proceeds to kick the head multiple times.

The disturbing scene concludes with the assailant standing over the lifeless body and engaging in a macabre dance, all documented on camera.

According to police, on Tuesday at around 11.15 p.m., a young boy was stabbed to death by a 16-year-old boy in Janta Mazdoor Colony in northeast Delhi's Welcome.

"During the probe of the incident, the minor was apprehended and the knife used in the crime recovered from his possession," said the Deputy Commissioner of Police (northeast) Joy Tirkey.

"Reason behind murder was robbery. The boy first choked the victim and when he fell unconscious, the accused stabbed him multiple times before robbing him of his money about Rs 350," said the DCP.

"The victim was taken to GTB Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival," said the DCP.

Efforts are being made to identify the victim, he added.

"As a part of the probe and to identify the victim, CCTVs in the area are being scanned. The Crime and FSL team visited the spot and collected necessary evidence," said the DCP, adding that a case under relevant sections of the IPC has been registered at Welcome police station.

ssh/shb
Disney+ has struck a deal with U.K. streamer ITVX to license some of its shows.

Extraordinary and Under the Banner of Heaven are set to drop on ITVX, which is owned by British public service broadcaster ITV, in the first half of 2024. Extraordinary is also set to get a linear broadcast on ITV2.

More from Variety

Both shows will still continue to be available on Disney+.

Extraordinary is a Disney+ U.K. original starring Mairead Tyers as Jen, the only person in the world who doesnt have a superpower. The edgy series is set in London and sees the 25-year-old navigate a world in which she alone is powerless. It was written by series creator and co-executive producer Emma Moran and executive produced by Sally Woodward Gentle (Killing Eve). Sofia Oxenham, Bilal Hasna, Luke Rollason and Siobhan McSweeney co-star as Jens friends and family. A second season has been commissioned by Disney+ and is set to drop early next year.

Under the Banner of Heaven stars Andrew Garfield and Daisy Edgar-Jones and was created by Oscar winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black (Milk). It was inspired by Jon Krakauers true crime story about the murder of Brenda Wright Lafferty (played by Edgar-Jones) and her baby in 1984 in Salt Lake Valley,

The deal, which was negotiated by ITVs head of content acquisitions Sasha Breslau, is emblematic of a significant shift in Disneys strategy regarding streaming.

Disney boss Bob Iger has made it clear since returning to the company last year that he plans to re-establish, at least in some part, the distribution model of old, with movies getting a first run in theaters and television shows being licensed across various broadcasters rather than hoarded on a proprietary streaming platform.

Story continues

The streaming business, which I believe is the future and has been growing, is not delivering basically the kind of profitability or bottom line results that the linear business delivered for us over a few decades, he said during an earnings call in February.

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New Delhi, Nov 23 : Delhi Customs officials at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport have arrested a man for trying to smuggle in gold paste worth Rs 98 lakh, an official said on Thursday.

According to officials, on the basis of profiling, Customs officials at IGI Airport have seized gold weighing 1841 grams in paste form valued at Rs 98 lakh brought by One Indian national who arrived from Doha.

"The passenger has been arrested under Customs Act, 1962. Further, investigations are underway," said the official.

Earlier, on Tuesday, customs officials had arrested a man with gold bars worth over Rs two crore.

Sharing the details, a senior customs official said that on the basis of profiling, Customs officers at IGI Airport seized gold bars weighing 4204 grams valued at 2.24 crore brought by one Indian national from Bangkok.
Wellington, Nov 23 : Three New Zealand political parties on Thursday concluded weeks of negotiations to form a government and will announce the details in a signing ceremony on Friday.

"The parties are now going through their respective party processes for final sign-off and we expect that process to be completed this evening," said a joint statement issued by leaders of the three parties, National's Christopher Luxon, ACT's David Seymour and NZ First's Winston Peters.

"Subject to agreement by all parties, a signing ceremony will take place tomorrow at Parliament," Xinhua news agency quoted the statement as saying.

The formal signing will be followed by the announcement of the new Cabinet lineup and ministerial responsibilities so as to "get this country moving forward", Luxon told media.

The National Party won the general election on October 14, with the Labour Party to step down after six years in office.

However, with no party winning a majority of seats, the formation of a new government depended on the outcome of inter-party negotiations to form a coalition government.
New Delhi, Nov 23 : India is mulling regulation to tame the spread of deepfakes and other user harm that Artificial Intelligence (AI) can bring along, Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said here on Thursday.

After meeting representatives from large social media platforms and other stakeholders, the Minister said India will draft new rules to spot and limit the spread of deepfakes.

The new regulation will also strengthen the reporting process for such deepfake videos for people.

"The social media companies share our concerns and they understand that deepfakes are not free speech. They understand the need for regulation for this and we will start drafting the regulation," said Vaishnaw.

The IT Ministry will also look at imposing penalties on those who create deepfake videos.

"We need urgent steps to strengthen trust in society and to protect our democracy from deepfakes," said Vaishnaw.

The Minister is expected to meet social media companies again on this burning topic next month.

The new regulation will also focus on strengthening the reporting mechanisms for individuals to report such videos, and for proactive and timely actions by social media companies, said Vaishnaw.

Speaking on the deepfake issue during a media interaction last week, Vaishnaw said, "Deepfake is a big issue for all of us."

Deepfake technology poses a significant threat to the privacy and individual rights of public figures.

As seen in the case of Rashmika Mandanna, it can be used to create convincing fake videos that can potentially harm a person's reputation or even incite legal action.

Deepfake technology can be weaponised to create deceptive content that poses a threat to national security.

It can be used to manipulate public sentiment, create forged videos of politicians or leaders, and potentially incite chaos or conflicts, according to experts.

Earlier this month, Union Minister of State for Electronics and IT, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, said that those who find themselves impacted by AI-generated deepfakes should file First Information Reports (FIRs) at the nearest police stations and avail the remedies provided under the Information Technology (IT) Rules, 2021 and the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

It is a legal obligation for online platforms to prevent the spread of misinformation by any user under the Information Technology (IT) Rules, 2021.
Cipla clarifies on reports of promoters looking to sell part stake. Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, Nov 23 : Cipla shares were down by more than 7 per cent on Thursday after the US FDA issued a warning letter pertaining to its Pithampur manufacturing facility.

Cipla shares were trading at Rs 1,172, down 7.8 per cent.

Cipla said it has received a warning letter dated November 17 from US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the routine current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) inspection conducted at our Pithampur manufacturing facility between February 6-17, 2023.

"This Warning Letter summarises contraventions regarding methods or controls followed at the facility which do not conform to the prescribed cGMP regulations and contains directional guidance for necessary corrections," Cipla said.

"The company will respond to the Warning Letter within the stipulated timelines and work closely with the FDA to address the concerns in a holistic and timely manner to ensure sustained compliance.

"We uphold quality and compliance with utmost importance and remain committed to be compliant with the cGMP quality standards," it added.
Hingoli : , Nov 23 (IANS) In a bizarre proposal, at least 10 debt-hit farmers from Goregaon village of Hingoli have asked Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to 'sell off' their body organs and recover the outstanding loans from local banks or private lenders, officials said here on Thursday.

The farmers have shot off a letter to the CM with an offer to sell off their eyes, liver, kidneys and other organs, the proceeds of which could be used to repay their pending dues.

The shocking move elicited sharp reactions from Congress Leader of Opposition Vijay Wadettiwar and Shiv Sena (UBT) farmer leader Kishore Tiwari.

The farmers with unpaid loans are: Deepak Kawarkhe (Rs 3 lakh), Namdeo Patange (Rs 2.99 lakh), Dheeraj Mapari (Rs 2.25 lakh), Gajanan Kawarkhe (Rs 2 lakh), Rameshwar Kawarkhe, Ashok Kawarkhe, Gajanan Jadhav (Rs1.50 lakh, each), Dashrath Mule (Rs 1.20 lakh), Vijay Kawarkhe (Rs 1.10 lakh), Rameshwar Kawarkhe (Rs 90,000).

"We have submitted the memorandum addressed to the CM to the Sengaon Tehsildar and the Goregaon Police Station here with a request to forward it to the CM. They have accepted our communication, but there is no further response," one of the signatories, Gajanan Kawarkhe, told IANS.

In order to 'assist' the authorities, the farmers have even issued a 'rate-card' for their precious body organs -- Rs 90,000 per liver, Rs 75,000 per kidney and Rs 25,000 per eye.

After the step, Kawarkhe said that now the wives, children and other family members have also volunteered to part with their body organs, limbs, etc., "to avoid the continuous harassment by the local banks and private loan-sharks".

"This is just the beginning Hundreds of farmers from Hingoli and neighbouring districts are planning to come forward and 'sell off' their body organs to clear their loans and hope to live peacefully," claimed Jadhav, Mule and others.

Explaining their frustration, Kawarkhe said that the farmers here cultivate cotton and soyabean but this year, nearly 80 per cent of the crop failed owing to the weather problems and diseases hitting the standing crops in the fields.

The Kharif season was practically wiped out with severe losses and now the farmers have no money or resources to take up sowing for the current Rabi season, the exasperated tillers explained.

"There is no help forthcoming in the form of crop insurance or even the government's big announcement of loan-waiver. There is no proper pricing mechanism or minimum support price, and our cultivation costs are double the income. It has become impossible to survive now We have no options left but to sell off our body organs and repay our debts," rued Kawarkhe.

In Mumbai, Wadettiwar termed this "as an extremely serious matter" and urged the state government to immediately declare drought in Maharashtra and extend much-needed aid to the suffering farmers.

In Yavatmal, Tiwari slammed the government for ignoring the ground realities or the critical drought situation gripping large parts of the state that has compelled the farmers to resort to such extreme measures.

"If these farmers had been legislators or parliamentarians, then the state government would have rushed with 'khokhas' (slang for crore Rupees) to them. But the very same regime has no funds for these drought-affected and debt-burdened peasants," slammed Wadettiwar.

"After the loan waiver given by the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government headed by ex-CM Uddhav Thackeray in 2019-2020, the farmers had got huge relief from their debts Thereafter, only jumlas in the name of loan-waiver are being announced by the present government," Tiwari said scathingly.

Incidentally, in February, some desperate onion farmers of Nashik had asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "permission to commit suicide" as they were not getting adequate remunerative prices for their crops.

(Quaid Najmi can be contacted at: q.najmi@ians.in)
Kothagudem : , Nov 23 (IANS) Actor-politician Pawan Kalyan on Thursday said that Jana Sena Party (JSP) is moving forward with both Sanatana Dharma and socialism side by side.

He claims to have learnt this from Telangana's revolutionary poet Dasarathi Krishnamacharyulu, who penned the famous poem 'Naa Telangana Koti Ratnaala Veena (My Telangana is like a Veena decked with one crore diamonds).

The JSP leader was addressing a public meeting as part of the election campaign in support of JSP-BJP candidates at Kothagudem in undivided Khammam district.

JSP, which had an electoral alliance with the Left parties in Andhra Pradesh in 2019, is contesting upcoming elections in Telangana in alliance with the BJP.

Pawan Kalyan defended his stand saying Dasaathi is his inspiration. He said that both the ideologies can be carried side by side.

"Many people say we don't understand your ism. I say to them that my ism is humanism," he said.

Out of 119 Assembly seats in Telangana JSP is contesting eight seats, four of them in undivided Khammam district, a region with history of Communist influence.

Pawan Kalyan reiterated that he draws inspiration from Telangana movement to fight 'goondas' in Andhra Pradesh.

He said he decided to support BJP as he wanted Narendra Modi to become the Prime Minister for another term. He said he was also impressed by the BJP's promise to make someone from backward classes as the chief minister if voted to power in Telangana.

"BCs are 50 per cent of the population. A BC should become the chief minister," he said.

The actor-politician said JSP waited for one decade to make its debut in electoral politics in Telangana out of respect for parties like TRS, BJP, Congress and the Left who fought for Telangana state.

Stating that the state was formed after the sacrifice of 1,200 youths and with a lot of expectations by the youth, he observed that those expectations were yet to be fulfilled.

The JSP leader alleged that there was massive corruption since 2004 and it was hoped that in the new state this will be checked but the same mistakes were being repeated. He stated that the JSP will stand by the youth who want to fight against corruption.

In a veiled criticism of BRS, he said the government failed to adhere to the job calendar while the question paper leak in the recruitment exams led to suicides of many unemployed youth.

He also found fault with 'Hyderabad-centric development' and said development should take place in every district and every village and youth should get jobs.
Toronto, Nov 23 : A 53-year-old Indian-origin physiotherapist in Canada's Ontario province is facing additional charges in an ongoing sexual assault investigation after more victims came forward, police said.

Iraj Daneshvar was arrested on Thursday, and charged with two additional counts of sexual assault by the York Regional Police's Criminal Investigations Bureau, in conjunction with Sexual Assault and Crimes Against Children Unit.

Investigators received information on October 23 that a victim was sexually assaulted during a physiotherapy visit at a clinic in the area of Yonge Street and Centre Street in Richmond Hill.

On October 30, he was charged with one count of sexual assault causing bodily harm, following which the public was notified.

"As a result, other victims came forward and reported being sexually assaulted by the suspect under similar circumstances," The York Regional Police said in a statement.

Police believe there may be other victims who have not yet come forward and they are urging them to contact police as soon as possible.

In August this year, 55-year-old Ajay Gupta was arrested in Toronto for allegedly sexually assaulting two women during job interviews.

Toronto Police said that during the interviews, Gupta would instruct the victims how to meditate and then sexually assault them.

In June, Gurpartap Singh Walia and his son Sumrit Walia were arrested and charged in Calgary for sexually assaulting and exploiting multiple teenage girls over the course of several months.

An investigation by the Calgary Police Service Child Abuse Unit found that the duo provided girls, not of consenting age, alcohol, vapes and drugs in exchange for sex.

--IANS

mi/ksk
Los Angeles, Nov 23 : Actress Jenna Ortega has left the 'Scream 7' film due to scheduling conflicts. The actress dropped out of the horror franchise due to her 'Wednesday' season 2 shooting schedule with Netflix, which was said to be in the works months ago before the SAG-AFTRA strike began.

Production dates for the upcoming season of aWednesdaya are yet to be confirmed, reports Mirror.co.uk.

Meanwhile, Jenna also needs to wrap filming on Tim Burtonas aBeetlejuice 2a, which has a few more days to shoot after it was interrupted by the SAG-AFTRA strike.

As per Mirror.co.uk, the news of her exit from aScream 7a comes as her co-star and Mexican actress Melissa Barrera was fired from the movie franchise, with her axing following on from posts she made relating to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war and Gaza conflict.

Variety has confirmed that Jenna's exit from Scream was not connected to Melissa's dismissal. According to a new report, Spyglass Media Group has "dropped" Melissa from the cast of aScream VIIa, with them said to be "pushing back on a narrative that has quickly coalesced around the decision that Barrera was fired for showing support for the Palestinian cause."

Melissa, 33, was cast as Sam Carpenter in August 2020 for the fifth 'Scream' film, with the film hitting screens in January 2022. She is also famous for having starred in the likes of In 'The Heights' and 'Carmen'. She was supposed to be at the helm of the leading role for the next 'Scream' movie.
Bengaluru, Nov 23 : Karnataka Police have arrested a 76 years-old man in connection with raping a minor girl (10) after luring her with chocolate in Shivamogga district on Thursday.

The accused had promised the girl that he will buy her a chocolate and took her near the stream and committed the crime.

The girl after coming back home shared with her parents about the incident.

The parents immediately lodged a complaint under the provisions of the Pocso Act.

The accused was arrested and has been remanded to judicial custody.

Police said that further investigation in the case is underway.

--IANS

mka/dan
New Delhi, Nov 23 : A 61-year-old man was arrested for impersonating Delhi Police Inspector and cheating public on one or other pretext, an official said on Thursday.

The accused was identified as Laxmi Narayan Sharma, a resident of Sagarpur.

According to police, on Monday, complainant Suraj Singh alleged that one person was impersonating a police officer Inspector R.K. Sharma, Additional SHO Sagarpur police station, took Rs 5,000 from him and further demanded a cheque of Rs 1.5 lakh on the pretext of giving undue benefit in some case.

The complainant alleged that the said person was wearing a police uniform.

"With the help of local informers and CCTV footage, the team traced the said suspected police inspector in police uniform having name plate of one R.K Sharma. When he was asked to prove his identity he failed to produce any valid ID proof and tried to escape," said the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southwest) Manoj C.

"After that, said person/imposter was thoroughly interrogated. He is a caterer by profession but to earn easy money he was using a police uniform to cheat the public on one or other pretext," the DCP added.
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will travel to Atlanta next week for a tribute service for former first lady Rosalynn Carter.

Vice President Kamala Harris and the second gentleman will also attend the Tuesday service.

A number of ceremonies are slated to take place next week to celebrate the life of Carter, the wife of former President Jimmy Carter, who died Sunday at the age of 96.

According to the Carter Center, members of the public will be able to pay their respects as the former first lady lies in repose at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum on Monday, while the tribute service will be held for invited guests Tuesday at Glenn Memorial Church at Emory University. A funeral service will take place Wednesday for family and invited friends at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia, according to the schedule shared by the Carter Center.

Former President Jimmy Carters attendance has not been confirmed for events remembering his wife, The Carter Center told CNN.

Biden, speaking with reporters shortly after Rosalynn Carters death, praised the Carter family, saying: Theyre really an incredible family because they brought so much grace to the office.

While Rosalynn Carters most lasting individual legacy will be her efforts to diminish the stigma attached to people with mental illnesses and her fight for parity and access for mental health treatment, she, along with her husband of 77 years, redefined and revolutionized the post-presidency.

Together they founded the Carter Center and traveled to hot spots around the world, including visits to Cuba, Sudan and North Korea, monitoring elections and working to eradicate Guinea worm disease and other neglected tropical diseases.

Shortly before her death, the Carter Center announced that Rosalynn Carter had entered hospice care in the couples home in Plains. She had been diagnosed with dementia in May. Former President Jimmy Carter began home hospice care in February, following a series of hospital stays.

Story continues

CNNs Shawn Nottingham contributed to this report.

This story has been updated with additional details.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
Kochi, Nov 23 : A Kerala court granted anticipatory bail to vlogger Shakir Subhan, popularly known as Mallu Traveller, in a case registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act on his former wife's complaint registered earlier this month.

As per the prosecution, when the complainant was 15 years old in 2012, she had agreed to marry Subhan after reaching adulthood.

However, a month after they performed Nikkah (Muslim marriage) on December 13, 2012, the accused allegedly took her to his home and committed multiple acts of penetrative sexual assault.

But the counsel for the vlogger said that he and the complainant were legally married till she obtained a divorce in 2016.
New Delhi, Nov 23 : With a "heavy heart", Supreme Court judge Justice S.K. Kaul said on Thursday that the pleas challenging the powers of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) be placed before Chief Justice of India (CJI) for the constitution of a new bench.

"Solicitor General seeks deferment, which would leave no time for this bench to pen down an order The Chief Justice will have to reconstitute the bench in view of one of us (Justice Kaul) demitting office," ordered the three-judge bench, also comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Bela M. Trivedi.

It may be recalled that Justice Kaul, who headed the three-judge special bench, is due to retire on December 25.

In the previous hearing, senior advocate Kapil Sibal had contended that the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) are in violation of Article 21 and go against the principle of rule of law, and thus the matter needs to be placed before a larger Constitution bench.

The special bench was constituted to consider the review pleas filed against its 2022 judgment in the Vijay Madanlal Choudhary case, upholding the ED's powers related to arrest, searches, seizures, and attachment of property, under the PMLA.

In the case of Vijay Madanlal Choudhary & Others vs Union of India & Others, a three-judge bench had turned down the challenge to vires of Section 50 of the PMLA giving power to the anti-money laundering agency to summon an accused and record statement, which is an admissible evidence in the court of law.

The 2022 decision rendered by a bench headed by Justice A.M. Khanwilkar (now retired) affirmed the stringent provisions of PMLA in connection with definition of proceeds of crime, power of arrest, search & seizure, attachment of properties and also the twin bail conditions.

On August 25 last year, a bench headed by then CJI N.V. Ramana had agreed to review its PMLA judgment for two main concerns -- non-providing of ECIR to accused at the time of arrest, and negation of presumption of innocence.
Bengaluru, Nov 23 : Former Chairman of the Karnataka Backward Classes Commission, H Kantharaju, came forward on Thursday amid the caste census row raging in the state and clarified that his caste census report is genuine and scientific. He accused the BJP of making it a political issue.

Speaking to the media in Bengaluru, Kantaraju maintained that it was not tenable to dub the report unscientific without going through it.

"The door-to-door survey was carried out for 40 days. There are many volumes of the report. The Member Secretary has not given a signature for just one of the volumes. The BJP is raking up the issue for political reasons," he stated.

The questionnaire contained 55 questions for everyone, including caste, gender, religion, and property. After the 40-day survey, the report was compiled with statistics. The report is now the property of the government, and it can make a decision once it goes through the report, he explained.

Kantaraju noted that the Vokkaligas and Lingayats might oppose it, but first, let them study the report, and if it is incorrect, then they can oppose it.

"I will agree if they study and point out shortcomings. The Commission had worked hard, and it is incorrect to say that there is no signature of the Member Secretary," he maintained.

"I don't know about the missing original blueprint. I had submitted the report in 2019. When I submitted it, the original blueprint was intact. I don't know about the document going missing now. It is improper for me to comment when I am not in the Commission. This is not a caste census report; it is a Social and Academic Survey report," Kantaraju stated.

When asked about ministers in the Congress Government signing the memorandum to reject the report, Kantaraju stated that he had submitted the report, and others were free to give opinions.

Let the report be submitted to the government, and then statements can be made. He added that the BJP is politicising the issue.

When asked whether former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy did not receive the report, he explained that an appointment was sought, and Kumaraswamy did not give time.

BJP MLA and former minister V Sunil Kumar on Thursday said that if Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is genuinely committed to ensuring social justice, he should hand over the caste census report to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for a probe.

BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal had shared the letter written by the Chairman of the Backward Classes Commission to the Principal Secretary of the Department of Backward Classes Welfare Department on his social media on Wednesday.

"The caste census report submitted to the Chief Minister does not have the original copy, showcasing the lack of responsibility or a conspiracy. The validity of this document which does not have the signature of the Member Secretary is questionable," Yatnal said.

Meanwhile, the Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K Shivakumar on Wednesday said that the demand of various communities for a scientific approach to the caste census must be considered.

The Chairman of Backward Classes Commission K. Jayaprakash Hegde has clarified on Wednesday that the data of the caste census was safe while the work sheets were missing.

"The caste census is genuine and the report will be submitted," he said. Hegde's clarification came following the development of a letter stating that the original copy of the caste census report is missing, which has gone viral on social media triggering controversy.

"The data is hundred percent safe. Only the worksheets of the caste census prepared by the Kantaraj Commission are missing," Hegde told media persons.

He said that there shall be no suspicion whatsoever about the signatures of the former Chairman of the Commission, members and member secretary in the hard copy of the report.
New Delhi, Nov 23 : The Delhi High Court on Thursday directed the Delhi Police to file a status report within 10 days in a plea seeking FIR registration against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for allegedly revealing the identity of a nine-year-old girl who was raped and killed.

Before a Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Mini Pushkarna, the counsel appearing for the petitioner and National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) told the court that no action has been taken yet by the police, and that it has been over two years since the incident took place.

The NCPCR has earlier, through an affidavit, told the High Court that Xas decision to not remove Gandhi's post, wherein he had allegedly revealed the identity of a minor Dalit girl, who was raped and murdered in 2021, contributes to disclosing the victim's identity.

The NCPCRas lawyer said that the Delhi Police must register a First Information Report (FIR) in the case.

Appearing for Gandhi, on the other hand, Advocate Tarannum Cheema said that the court has not issued a formal notice to him.

In response, the court said that it will first examine the status report of the Delhi Police and then decide what needs to be done, and listed the matter for hearing next on December 21.

A nine-year-old minor girl had died under suspicious circumstances on August 1, 2021, with her parents alleging that she was raped, murdered and cremated by a crematorium's priest in southwest Delhi's Old Nangal village.

A social activist Makarand Suresh Mhadlekar had moved a plea in the High Court in 2021, alleging that Gandhi had violated the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act, 2012, which prohibits the identification of minors who have been sexually assaulted.

The NCPCR in its affidavit has said that though X (then Twitter) has withheld the post in India on receiving a notice sent by it, the social media platform failed to remove the tweet altogether which is still available for the public to be seen outside India.

It has said that in order to fully give effect to its obligations, X ought to have removed the impugned tweet from its platform and the same should not be hidden only in the "Indian territory".

"The object is to conceal the identity of the minor girl child and hence merely hiding the post in question from Indian domain shall not suffice the purpose of hiding the identity of the victim. True meaning and effect has to be given in letter and spirit to Right to Privacy and Right to dignity as guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution," the affidavit reads.

It further says that it is pertinent to mention here that the said post can still be accessed and is still available in public domain throughout the world.

Consequently, the inaction of X contributes to disclosure of the identity of the victim, which is in violation of the country's laws.

The NCPCR had earlier told the court that it wants to support and join the petitioner in the matter. It had told the court that the offence of making such a disclosure still exists, despite X's claim that it had removed Gandhi's post.

Sajan Poovayya, a senior lawyer representing X, had argued that "nothing survived" in the petition because the contested post has been "geo-blocked" and is currently not accessible in India.

He had added that Gandhi's account was suspended by the social media platform but was later restored. Nonetheless, the petitioner and the NCPCR's counsel argued that the offence still exists.
Jammu, Nov 23 : One army soldier and a terrorist were killed on Thursday in J&K's Rajouri district taking the toll to 7 in over 28-hour long operation.

Two terrorists and five army soldiers, including two captains, have been killed in the encounter.

Both terrorists and a soldier were killed on Thursday while four soldiers, including two captains, were killed on Wednesday.

Following specific intelligence inputs, the security forces including the army and the police started a joint operation in Baji Maal area of Kalakote in Rajouri district on Wednesday morning.

One army major and two jawans sustained injuries in the operation.

One of the two slain terrorists has been identified as Quari of Pakistan. Sources said he was a highly motivated and trained terrorist; wanted as one of the top terrorists still active in J&K.
New Delhi, Nov 23 : The Election Commission on Thursday issued a show cause notice to former Congress president Rahul Gandhi for his remarks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and asked him to reply by November 25.

In the show cause notice issued to the Congress leader, the poll panel said that a complaint was received against him from the BJP alleging that he on November 22 in a public meeting at Bayatu in Rajasthan made wild allegations and spoke in a derisive and obnoxious manner about the Prime Minister.

The commission said that it is alleged that comparing the Prime Minister to a 'jaib katra' (pick pocket) and using the word 'pannauti' (ill-omen) is unbecoming of a very senior leader of a national political party.

It further said that the allegations of grant of waivers of Rs 14,00,000 crore for the last nine years, is asserted by the BJP, as not borne out on facts. Furthermore they are allegedly in violation of Section 123 (4) of the RP Act, Section 171G, 504, 505 (2) and 499 of the IPC and provisions of the Model Code of Conduct.

"Accordingly you are requested to provide your explanation, on the allegation made and to show causes as to why action as deemed fit for alleged violations of MCC and relevant panel provisions is not initiated by the Commission," the poll panel said.

"Your reply, if any, be reached by 6 p.m. on November 25. If no reply is received by then action deemed fit will be taken by the Commission," it added.
Hyderabad, Nov 23 : Unaccounted cash of Rs 7 crore was seized in two separate incidents in Hyderabad on Thursday.

In the first incident, Rs 5 crore was seized during the vehicle checking in Gachibowli area under Cyberabad Police Commissionerate.

The cash was seized when it was being transported in two cars.

Seven people carrying the cash in these cars were also detained. Police handed over the cash to the Income Tax department, which will conduct further inquiry.

Earlier, Rs 2 crore was seized in the limits of Hayat Nagar Police Station of Rachakonda Police Commissionerate.

The cash was found in five bags in a car near Pedda Amberpet.

The police detained the person transporting the cash.

With a week to go for Assembly elections in Telangana, the police and other enforcement agencies have stepped up checking across the state to prevent any illegal transfer of cash, liquor or other items that could be used as inducement for voters.

The enforcement agencies have so far seized cash, precious metals, liquor, drugs and other items worth more than Rs 657 crore since October 9, when the model code of conduct came into force.

The seizure includes Rs 252 crore, 2.27 lakh litres of liquor valued at Rs 106 crore, drugs valued at Rs 35.67 crore, gold, silver and other precious metals worth Rs 183 crore, other items like vehicles, cookers, sarees etc all worth Rs 80.46 crore.

According to the Election Commission, Telangana tops among five poll-bound states in poll-related seizures.

Compared to the 2018 elections, the seizures have gone up manifolds in Telangana.

In the previous elections, the seizures were only Rs 103.89 crore.
New Delhi, Nov 23 : After an exchange of fire, the Delhi Police's Special Cell has arrested three wanted sharpshooters of the Neeraj Bawana, Davinder Bambiha and Himanshu a.k.a Bhau gangs, who had committed a spate of murders, extortions, and other heinous crimes in Delhi and Haryana's Jhajjar, Rohtak, and Palwal areas, an officer said on Thursday.

The accused were identified as Rahul a.k.a Hulli (20), Aman (23) and Jasbir alias Jassa (34), are all residents of Jhajjar, Haryana.

The officer said that the accused were carrying a collective reward of Rs 3,55,000 on information leading to their arrest.

According to police, on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday, a team received specific input that wanted sharpshooters Rahul, Aman, and Jasbir would come to Chhawla area to meet their associates.

"Accordingly, a trap was laid near Village Chhawla Road towards the Urban Extension Road (UER-II), and at around 12:45 A.M, the police team spotted three suspects on a motorcycle. The team signalled them to stop the bike. After seeing the police party, the driver immediately tried to take a U-turn but the bike slipped," said the Special Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) HGS Dhaliwal.

"Immediately, the police team surrounded them and asked them to surrender. However, they whipped out their pistols and opened fire on the raiding party. The team members fired in self-defence, and two of them namely, Rahul and Aman sustained bullet injuries in their legs," said the Special CP.

Thereafter, all the accused were overpowered, and the injured were taken to Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital.

"No police personnel were injured in the gunfight. However Inspector Sandeep Dabas and SI Praveen had a narrow escape when the bullets fired by the accused hit their bulletproof jackets," said Dhaliwal.
London, Nov 23 : People with long-Covid exhibit patterns of changes in the brain that are different from fully recovered Covid-19 patients, according to research.

The results based on diffusion microstructure imaging (DMI), a novel MRI technique, showed no brain volume loss or any other lesions that might explain the symptoms of long Covid.

However, Covid infection induced a specific pattern of microstructural changes in various brain regions, and this pattern differed between those who had long Covid and those who did not.

"To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study comparing patients with long Covid to both a group without history of Covid-19 and a group that went through a Covid-19 infection but is subjectively unimpaired," said Alexander Rau, from the Departments of Neuroradiology and Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology at University Hospital Freiburg in Freiburg, Germany.

"This study allows for an in vivo insight on the impact of Covid-19 on the brain.

"Here, we noted gray matter alterations in both patients with long-Covid and those unimpaired after a Covid-19 infection. Interestingly, we not only noted widespread microstructural alterations in patients with long Covid, but also in those unimpaired after having contracted Covid-19," Rau said.

The findings also revealed a correlation between microstructural changes and symptom-specific brain networks associated with impaired cognition, sense of smell and fatigue.

"Expression of post-Covid symptoms was associated with specific affected cerebral networks, suggesting a pathophysiological basis of this syndrome," Rau said.

For the study, the team compared MRI brain scans of three groups: 89 patients with long Covid, 38 patients that had contracted Covid-19 but did not report any subjective long-term symptoms, and 46 healthy controls with no history of Covid-19.

The researchers first compared the cerebral macrostructure of these three groups to test for atrophy or any other abnormalities. Next, they used DMI to gain a deeper insight into the brain.

DMI looks at the movement of water molecules in tissues. By studying how water molecules move in different directions and at various speeds, DMI can provide detailed information on the microstructure of the brain. It can detect even very small changes in the brain, not detectable with conventional MRI.

The study will be presented next week at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) in Chicago.
Mumbai, Nov 23 : Actor Ankur Verma got nostalgic and shared that he's missing his family for Guru Nanak Jayanti celebrations in his hometown, Gurugram.

The actor talks about the festival's importance, recalling moments spent with family and visits to the famous Bangla Sahib Gurdwara in Delhi on this special day.

Ankur said: "Celebrating the birth of Guru Nanak is very dear to me. Back home, every year I visit a gurdwara with my family. I love enjoying langar and watching firecrackers at the gurdwaraa"it's a tradition we cherish. Nothing can compare to the solace I find in offering prayers and gratitude for the blessings Iave received so far."

"This year, due to work commitments, I'll miss visiting the iconic Bangla Sahib Gurdwara. I will visit a gurdwara near my house in Mumbai. I thank God for giving me some of the best fans, who have supported me throughout my journey," he added.

He is currently playing the role of Sanju in 'Parineetii'. The show illustrates the interconnected lives of Parineet (played by Anchal Sahu), Neeti (played by Ankur Verma), and Sanju (Ankur) showcasing the complicated dynamics among them.

In the current storyline, Sanju requests Neeti to attend his boss's anniversary party with him. She eventually decides to go to the party with Sanju as a couple. However, Parineet visits the house of Sanjuas boss to help his wife with the preparations, and everyone at the party thinks that Parineet is Sanjuas wife.

'Parineetii' airs on Colors.
RICS SBE, Amity University, opens Pre-Registration for the 2024 Admission Session

New Delhi [India] Published : November 22, 2023



In a significant update for those eyeing a career in the built environment sector, the RICS School of Built Environment (RICS SBE), Amity University has officially released pre-registration forms for the upcoming admission session in 2024. The pre-registration phase is not just a formality but a pivotal point for students to express their interest in joining RICS SBE. It is an opportunity for individuals to align their aspirations with the offerings of the institution and take a step towards shaping their academic and professional journey.

The RICS School of Built Environment is a leading institution that focuses on education and research in the fields of built environment and construction management. Established by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (a globally recognised professional body in the built environment) and Amity University, the institution aims to nurture professionals who can contribute to the sustainable development of the built environment. The RICS SBE degrees are accredited by the prestigious RICS, PMI, and GAC, which enables graduates to build a career both domestically and internationally.



Programmes offered:



RICS SBE provides a range of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, including BBA and MBA degrees with specialisations in real estate, infrastructure, and construction project management.



* MBA in Real Estate and Urban Infrastructure* MBA in Construction Project Management* MBA in Construction Economics and Quantity Surveying* Postgraduate Diploma in Facilities Management* BBA in Real Estate and Urban Infrastructure



Benefits of Pre-Registrations:



When you opt for pre-registration, you essentially place yourself at the front of the line for course selection. Pre-registered applicants receive priority consideration during the admission process, potentially increasing their chances of acceptance. As the demand for certain programmes is competitively high in the market, pre-registered applicants get first preference throughout the selection process. Early submission also helps students avoid the last-minute rush and receive timely updates on admissions, institutions, and programmes.



How to Apply for Pre-Registrations:



* Visit the official RICS SBE, Amity University website.* Locate the "Pre-registrations 2024" section.* Access the pre-registration form for the 2024 session.* Fill in the required details accurately.* Submit the form within the specified time frame.



Date of release of pre-registration forms: November 10, 2023



As the competition for quality education intensifies, early pre-registration ensures that prospective students secure their spot. For comprehensive details on the pre-registration process, interested candidates are urged to visit the official website of RICS SBE, where they can find guidance on form submission, document requirements, and other pertinent information.



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New Delhi, Nov 23 : After more than 14 years, a Delhi court has convicted a man of culpable homicide, "not amounting to murder", in the case of stabbing his wife to death.

The court noted that the accused did not act in a cruel manner and there was no premeditation in the incident.

The court observed that a quarrel had ensued between the victim and her husband, during which the wife attacked the accused. In response, the husband stabbed her.

The judge said that there was no undue advantage taken or cruel behaviour exhibited by the accused, but he had the knowledge that the injuries could result in his wife's death.

Addressing the alleged murder weapon, a knife, the court questioned the prosecution's claim that the recovered knife was used as the weapon of offence.

It noted that there was no indication from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) that bloodstain marks couldn't be retrieved under such circumstances.

The court noted the testimonies of the couple's two sons, stating that the accused and his wife were found unconscious in a pool of blood.

After their discovery, they were shifted to a hospital. The accused disclosed the weapon of the offence during police interrogation after his discharge from the hospital.

Concluding the verdict, the court deemed the act an exception to the murder charge and convicted the accused under IPC Section 304 Part 1 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder).

The sentencing arguments are likely to commence after completing the mandatory procedure
New Delhi, Nov 23 : A group of travellers in the US was left stranded in the desert for hours after allegedly taking a shortcut suggested by Google Maps.

To avoid traffic, the travellers group from California allegedly took Google Maps' suggestion when they were returning to Los Angeles from Las Vegas on November 19, reports SFGate. While driving back to Los Angeles from a Formula 1 race in Las Vegas, Shelby Easler, her brother Austin, and their partners followed suggestions by Google Maps to avoid the major highway connecting the two cities.

The app suggested the group to take an alternate route to avoid the dust storm that caused major traffic delays on the Interstate 15 highway.

However, the route took the group into Nevada's deserts, according to the report.

"We ironically thought it would be a safer option, and it did say it would be 50 minutes faster. It was our first time driving to/from Vegas, so we didn't know that you can really only take the I-15 back and forth," Easler was quoted as saying.

Easler and her family were not the only ones who were unaware of this. Her TikTok video showed a trail of cars stuck on the same road.

"The first driver that turned around talked to us to tell us that the road gets washed out the higher into the mountain you get, and we have to turn around since the path leads nowhere. He was in a huge truck and was just driving straight through the bushes and shrubs to let people know to turn around," Easler said.

The group felt 'trapped' so they called 911 for the rescue, but the California Highway Patrol could not help as it was dealing with a dust storm emergency.

They then contacted a towing company that sent trucks and rescued Easler's car as well as the other stranded vehicles.

Easler said, "In the future, I'll stick to the road I know and double-check somewhere else if the route seems sketchy".
Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 23 : Taking the fight into the 'enemy' camp, 86-year-old Mariyakutty - reportedly a daily wage labourer - on Thursday filed a defamation case against CPI(M) mouthpiece 'Deshabhimani' in Kerala for "portraying her in poor light".

She has filed the petition at a court accusing the chief editor of 'Deshabhimani', its three journalists and six others of spreading fake news on social media.

Mariyakutty contended that she has suffered huge loss of face because of the 'false' report, and hence she should be compensated and the 'guilty' should be punished.

Incidentally, 'Deshabhimani' published the report after the elderly woman also with her friend slammed the Pinarayi Vijayan government over arrears in social welfare pension of Rs 1,600 a month. As a mark of protest, the two elderly women posed with begging bowls with a caption that they have no money and hence are resorting to begging at their home town in Idukki.

She became upset with the party mouthpiece after it published a report that Mariyakutty owns 1.5 acres of land and two houses, and her daughter is based out of Switzerland.

The report further alleged that she has joined ranks with the Congress to malign the state government's reputation.

The video of the two women begging went viral, giving fodder to the Congress to attack the Vijayan-led government.

Upset by the 'Deshabhimani' article, Mariyakutty had approached the local village officer and submitted an application to trace her land and other assets. After the due process of inspection, the authorities issued a certificate stating that she doesn't own any assets.

Then came the news that her daughter stays in Adimali (Idukki), and not in Switzerland as claimed, and makes a living by selling lottery tickets.

While Deshabhimani later came out with an apology, Mariyakutty said that she will file two cases, one against the party mouthpiece in a local court, and another in the Kerala High Court seeking disbursal of monthly social welfare pension on time.

After being deserted by her husband 36 years ago, Mariyakutty toiled hard to raise her four children.
Mumbai, Nov 23 : The RBI on Thursday said that the banks should focus on fortifying cyber security and prevention of cyber frauds to safeguard their customers from rising incidents of fraud and data breaches.

RBI Deputy Governor Rajeshwar Rao, in his address at the FIBAC 2023 conference, on Thursday said that the banking landscape is fast evolving with increase in financial inclusion, customer access, product choices, and convenience.

"However, the risks to the consumer have also increased with increasing instances of frauds and data breaches," he said.

He said that bank customers today are facing a threat from technology induced frauds such as fraudulent apps, breach of privacy and deep fakes.

"Even mis-selling has emerged in a digital avatar now  called Dark Patterns. Dark patterns are design interfaces and tactics used to trick users into desired behaviour such as availing high-cost short-term consumer credit masquerading as an instant loan. We must work hard, work smart and work together to protect customers from these threats to retain and strengthen their trust," Rao said.

He said that a key element of protecting customers is to provide them an efficient, prompt and cost effective grievance redress mechanism.

"Unfortunately, it appears that the efforts of the banks to provide timely solutions to customer grievances have not kept pace with explosion in technology and products.

"While banks are hugely invested in forging new and innovative ways of customer acquisition, very little thought seems to be going on improving the customer grievance redress mechanisms," he said.

"This seems very odd for a sector which prides itself on being a service industry. We definitely wish to see more serious thought and intent emerging from the Boards and top executives on quality of grievance redressal instead of just monitoring TAT and MIS on complaints," Rao said.

He also emphasised the need for banks to bring in greater empathy into their services, products and operations.

"For example, there is a need for greater effort to provide safe and friendly tech-banking to senior citizens. Banks must require their employees to treat senior citizens, people with special needs, those that are technologically challenged or someone who may need help otherwise with special care and empathy," Rao said.

He said that the boards must ensure that their access points  branches, websites, and apps are user friendly and convenient for the customers with special needs.

"From the regulatory side, we are taking up these subjects more vigorously in our interaction with the industry but there is also a need for a cultural and attitudinal change within the fraternity that I would like to emphasise," Rao said.

--IANS

pannu/dan
Panaji, Nov 23 : Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS) has demanded a ban on the Sunburn festival scheduled to take place from December 28 to 31 in Goa.

The HJS delegation has submitted a memorandum to the North Goa Collector and demanded a ban on the festival.

"Sunburn 2023 organisers have recently announced that Sunburn 2023 will be held in Goa from 28 to 31 December at Vagator Beach like every year. The names of International artists who will appear in the festival have also been announced.

"Due to this festival, Goa's civility and social health is deteriorating," said HJS State Coordinator Manoj Solanki.

He said that the EDM festivals promote perversion and destroy the youth generation through 'drug culture'.

"We have appealed to the North Goa Collector to ban the Sunburn festival forever and preserve the cultural identity of Goa," he said.

He said that EDM festivals like Sunburn are addicting the younger generation and glorifying Western perversity.

"It cannot be tolerated that the young generation of Goa gets addicted to western distortions. Organising sunburn is cultural treason. It is our responsibility to protect Goa's culture and the youth. Goa should be free from EDM," said Solanki.
New Delhi, Nov 23 : The Delhi High Court on Thursday directed the medical superintendent of AIIMS to constitute a board to examine a 20-year-old woman seeking termination of pregnancy at 26 weeks under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act.

The woman, still pursuing her studies, discovered her pregnancy recently through a consensual relationship. Facing medical issues and learning about the pregnancy on November 16, she sought termination, but doctors refused due to the gestation period exceeding the permissible limit of 24 weeks.

Justice Subramonium Prasad issued notice to the authorities and asked the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to submit its report after examining the woman.

The court has scheduled the matter for further hearing on November 28.
Kolkata, Nov 23 : The leader of opposition in West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, on Thursday hinted at initiating legal proceedings, including registration of an FIR, against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for the latter's comment on resorting to counter-arrests in retaliation to the arrests of Trinamool Congress heavyweights by the central agencies in connection with various cases of corruption.

"Four of our legislators are behind bars now. They want to lessen our count through such arrests. But if they arrest four of us, I will get eight of them arrested by reopening the old cases already registered against them," Banerjee said while addressing a party event at the Netaji Indoor Stadium here.

Reacting to he remarks, Adhikari said that first he will get a copy and transcript of her speech, and then initiate necessary legal proceedings to find out if the Chief Minister can make such comments.

"I will seek an answer from the judicial system as to who is handling the administrative affairs in West Bengal. An FIR should be registered against the Chief Minister for making such comments. The Netaji Indoor Stadium falls under the Hare Street police station. I will register an FIR against the Chief Minister there," Adhikari said.
Patna, Nov 23 : The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday conducted raids on the house of former district councilor in Gaya, Bihar.

The former official identified as Raju Jaat is facing alleged charges of providing shelters to Naxal operatives of the area.

The central agency conducted raids at his Gautam Budha colony in Gaya as well as his native place at Katolia. However, the accused was not present at both the places.

The raids were conducted for five hours and the sleuths took away mobile phones of family members while they also seized documents.

"The NIA team questioned every family member about the Naxal activities. A number of people visit us on daily basis. How do we know who are Naxals and who are common people," said Ranjit Kumar, brother of Raju.

--IANS

ajk/dan
New Delhi, Nov 23 : Around 1.5 million people may have had their personal information compromised in a recent data breach at Taj Hotels, owned by Tata, as per reports.

"The perpetrator, known as 'Dnacookies', is requesting $5,000 for the complete dataset, encompassing addresses, membership IDs, mobile numbers, and other personally identifiable information (PII)," the reports further stated. "We have been made aware of someone claiming possession of a limited customer data set which is of non-sensitive nature. Safety and security of our customers' data is of paramount importance to us," said the spokesperson of Indian Hotels Company Ltd (IHCL), which runs the Taj Group.

"We are investigating this claim and have notified the relevant authorities. We continue to monitor our systems and there is no suggestion of any current or ongoing security issue or impact on business operations," said the spokesperson.

However, Delhi Police is yet to confirm if they have received any complaint from the Taj Group.

--IANS

ssh/pgh
Mathura, Nov 23 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Thursday, became the first Prime Minister to visit the Krishna Janmabhoomi in Mathura, the birthplace of Lord Krishna.

The Prime Minister offered prayers at the temple and was given gifts by the priests. These included a painting and an 'angavastram'.

UP Governor Anandiben Patel and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath accompanied the Prime Minister on his visit.

The Prime Minister's visit comes two days after Allahabad High Court, in a significant development, granted approval to the construction plan for the Banke Bihari Temple corridor earlier this week.

The court's green signal to the initiative, which is the brainchild of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, has paved the way for the removal of encroachments obstructing the corridor's path.

After visiting the temple, the Prime Minister attended the Braj Raj Mahotsav to mark the 525th birth anniversary of Meera Bai.

Speaking on the occasion, he said that he was elated to come to Braj and set foot on this divine land. Assuring development of the region, he reminded people of the relation between Braj and Gujarat and Rajasthan.

"Krishna became Dwarikadeesh when he came to Gujarat. Meera Bai belonged to Rajasthan but came to Vrindavan in her quest for divine love," he said.

The Prime Minister further said that different spiritual strains that emerged from various parts of the country found a culmination in Vrindavan.

He added that he was happy to know about development in the region and assured that no effort would be spared to turn Braj into a divine centre.

The Prime Minister also watched a short documentary prepared by the administration on the occasion of the 525th birth anniversary of Meera Bai at the same venue.

He also released a commemorative stamp and coin to mark the occasion.

Later, he watched a dance performance by Member of Parliament Hema Malini, as part of the celebrations of Meera Bai's birth anniversary.
How to get vaccinated

 Vaccines against flu and COVID-19, recommended for everyone 6 months and older, are available at doctors' offices and at pharmacies listed at vaccines.gov.

 For vaccines against RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, contact your doctor's office. Different shots are available for young children, pregnant women and older adults, with some in short supply.

 For more information, go to go.madison.com/vaccines.
New Delhi, Nov 23 : A murder accused wanted in India by the Kerala Police and against whom a Red Notice was issued by the Interpol was brought back from Saudi Arabia through the coordinated efforts of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), officials said.

A CBI spokesperson here said that Sudheesh Ramachandran was wanted by Kerala Police in a case registered in 2006 at Thumba Police Station in Kerala's Thiruvanathapuram for murder and other offences.

The spokesperson said, "The Global Operation Centre of CBI (NCB-India) coordinated over Interpol channels and the Red Notice Subject (who was absconding for several years) was located in Saudi Arabia. With the close assistance of INTERPOL NCB a" Riyadh, he was returned on November 23 (Thursday) from Saudi Arabia to India by a team from Kerala Police."

The official said that a Red Notice was issued against him from IPSG on May 26, 2021 on the request of the Kerala Police.

A Red Notice was circulated to all Interpol member countries for location and arrest of the accused.

The notice is issued by the Interpol on the request of a member country to detain a fugitive accused located in foreign jurisdiction.
Islamabad, Nov 23 : Pakistan has applied for BRICS membership and sought Russia's support for the same, said the country's envoy to Moscow, Muhammad Khalid Jamali, according to a media report.

There has been no comment from the Foreign Office without whose approval Jamali would not have made this revelation, The News reported.

According to media reports, Jamali was talking to the Russian news agency TASS during which he revealed that Pakistan has filed an application to join the BRICS and is counting on Russiaas assistance, The News reported.

Jamali said Pakistan has already applied for membership of BRICS, which is set to expand next year with the admission of six new members.

Jamali also said that Islamabad plans to join the group under Russiaas presidency next year.

"Pakistan would like to be a part of this important organisation and we are in the process of contacting member countries for extending support to Pakistanas membership in general and the Russian Federation in particular," he said, The News reported.
New Delhi, Nov 23 : The Congress, which is eyeing a comeback in Rajasthan, has addressed 32 public meetings in the desert state in the last 20 days with former party chief Rahul Gandhi addressing the maximum number of rallies (14) for the grand old party.

The high-octane election campaigning for November 25 Rajasthan Assembly polls ending on Thursday.

The Congress, which is eyeing to break the three-decade old tradition of the alternate party government in the state, during the campaigning has gone all guns blazing.

According to party leaders, Rahul Gandhi, who is one of the main star campaigners of the party took out time from his busy schedule of campaigning from the other states of Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram and and addressed 14 public meetings in the state in the last 20 days.

Besides Rahul Gandhi, even Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra too addressed nine public meetings each in the desert state, despite their busy schedules in other states.

Kharge even released the party's manifesto two days ago in the state capital Jaipur and announced several promises for the people.

The Congress on Tuesday released its manifesto for the Rajasthan Assembly elections promising caste census, MSP law for farmers, Right to Housing Law, law for Old Pension Scheme (OPS) and reservation for minorities.

Under its minority welfare measures, the Congress has mentioned in its manifesto that it will give reservation according to population.

"After caste census, we will undertake to provide reservation as per their population," the party said.

The other key points of the manifesto, as released by Kharge, are -- MSP law for farmers as per the recommendations of Swaminathan Committee, caste census will be conducted, law to keep the OPS going on, the amount of Chiranjeevi insurance will be increased from Rs 25 lakh to Rs 50 lakh.

The manifesto also promised four lakh youth will be given government jobs, 10 lakh youth will be given employment, a new cadre of government jobs will be created at the Panchayat level, gas cylinder is currently available for Rs 500, it will be reduced to Rs 400 for BPL, NFSA and Ujjawal beneficiaries, by bringing RTE law in the state, education up to 12th will be made free in private educational institutions also.

Polling for the 200-member Assembly is scheduled on November 25 and counting of votes will take place on December 3.
Organise counselling for minor who was traumatised after man exposed himself: HC to Delhi Police. Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, Nov 23 : Delhi High Court on Thursday directed authorities to ensure robust police deployment in district courts throughout the national capital.

A division bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Mini Pushkarna, was hearing a suo moto matter regarding the safety and security of district courts in Delhi in the wake of the shocking and gory incident that took place at Rohini district court on September 24, 2021.

The bench stressed on the need for "enough deployment" during the hearing.

The shootout had resulted in several deaths including of Gangster Jitender Singh Mann alias Gogi. Two armed men posing as lawyers had killed Gogi inside a courtroom before being gunned down by police personnel. Over 30 shots were fired.

The bench expressed concern over the shortage of personnel at present, noting that the deployment is typically 20 to 30 per cent short in district courts, which witness a substantial footfall.

Noting the challenge of regulating entry due to multiple gates, the court deemed it "impossible" to manage the enormous foot traffic without a structured methodology, stressing on the risk of potential stampedes.

The court suggested exploration of methods to control entry, such as a visitor pass system. Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court Bar Association said that it would address the issue of security measures, including the installation of boom barriers and proximity cards, with the building's maintenance committee.

In April, stakeholders including police and bar representatives, were directed to convene and discuss security measures.

The subsequent status report highlighted the deployment of 997 security personnel, 2700 CCTVs, 85 baggage scanners, 242 handheld metal detectors, and 146 door frame metal detectors across the seven district courts in the national capital.

The court further directed the Delhi Police Commissioner to conduct periodic reviews of security arrangements based on expert team audits. The case is set to be heard again on February 1, 2024.
Jaipur : Congress leader Rahul Gandhi interacts with patients during an inspection for the benefits of Rajasthan's Chiranjeevi Scheme. Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, Nov 23 : A day after visiting the Mahatma Gandhi Hospital in Rajasthan's Jaipur, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday shared the video of his interaction with the patients discussing the benefit of the Chiranjeevi Health Insurance scheme.

Sharing the video on the YouTube platform titled, aChiranjeevi Rajasthan: Free treatment of up to Rs 50 lakh,a he said in the clip, "Got a chance to meet patients and their families in the cancer ward of Mahatma Gandhi Hospital, Jaipur, Rajasthan. Inquired about his well-being and talked to them about the benefits of Chiranjeevi Scheme."

He added, "Rajasthan Government's Chiranjeevi scheme is India's largest and best health protection scheme. A source of peace for millions of families. Any kind of surgery, organ transplant, dialysis, cancer and heart disease treatment a" from the most serious to the most expensive a" are completely free of cost."

He continued, "Following the announcement by Rajasthan Chief Minister, Ashok Gehlot, the facility of free treatment of up to Rs 25 lakh has now been increased to Rs 50 lakh."

Polling for the 200-member Assembly is scheduled on November 25 and counting of votes will take place on December 3.

The Congress is eyeing a second-consecutive term in the desert state which has a tradition of alternate party governments for the last three decades.
Palghar : , Nov 23 (IANS) Three persons from a five-member family from Pune were killed on the spot after their car rammed into a tanker on a steep turn on the Mendhwat Ghat on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad National Highway, the police said here on Thursday.

According to Inspector Namdev Bandgar from Kasa police station, the crash took place at around 2.45 p.m. when the car was speeding towards Gujarat in the hilly region.

At a steep turn in the Mendhwan Ghat region, the car driver, Milind Vaidya (43), apparently lost control, skidded on the bend and rammed into an oncoming tanker truck coming from Mumbai on the opposite lane.

Three passengers, Harshad Godbole (42), his daughter Anandi Godbole (5), and his brother-in-law Milind Vaidya, who was at the wheel, perished on the spot while their vehicle was badly crushed due to the powerful impact.

The injured have been identified as Harshada Godbole (37) and her son Advait Godbole (12), who have been admitted to a nearby hospital where their condition is stated to be astablea, said Bandgar.

The crash resulted in a massive traffic jam for several kilometres on both arms of the highway, which the police and highway authorities managed to clear after a couple of hours.

Bandgar said that the exact cause of the accident is not clear yet.

Locals claimed that the Mendhwan Ghat stretch on the highway is treacherous with regular accidents getting reported from here, but the concerned authorities have not taken measures to make it safe for the inter-state heavy traffic plying here.

The Mendhwan Ghat is around 15 km on the same highway stretch where former Tata Group head Cyrus P. Mistry was killed in a car accident on September 4, 2022.
Home voting underway for three categories of voters in Telangana. Image Source: IANS News

Hyderabad, Nov 23 : Home voting is underway for three categories of voters in Telangana for Assembly elections, Chief Electoral Officer Vikas Raj said on Thursday.

For the first time, the Election Commission of India introduced home voting and it started two days ago.

The facility has been made available in three categories: 80 plus senior citizens, Persons with Disabilities (PwD) and essential services.

A total of 9,386 voters of over 80 years of age and 5,022 PwD voters cast their votes till November 22.

A total of 253 voters in the essential services category also cast their votes.

Postal ballot facility is available for police and other personnel who are on polling duty.

A facilitation centre has been opened in every constituency.

Raj said till Wednesday, 32,730 availed this facility and for service voters, the poll authorities have sent electronically-transmitted ballots.

The voters will download them and send them as postal ballots to returning officers concerned.

Till November 22, a total of 9,830 service voters downloaded the ballots and 275 made bookings to send postal ballots.

The CEO said they are geared up for the polling to be held in all 119 Assembly constituencies on November 30.

The state has 3.26 crore voters with female voters exceeding males. There are 9.99 lakh voters in the age group of 18-19. This accounts for 3.06 per cent of the total number of voters, which is the highest ever.

There are more than four lakh voters aged above 80 years and more than five lakh PwD voters. The state has a total of 35,655 polling stations including 299 auxiliary polling stations. A total of 59,779 ballot units will be used.

The poll authorities printed 4,70,287 postal ballots and 8,84,507 lakh EVM ballots.

The CEO said they printed more EVM ballots for use in case of tendered and challenged ballots.

Vikas Raj said that traditionally Telangana has not had a lot of law and order problems but they will keep a close vigil for any deployment needed.

About 65,000 state police personnel will be deployed across the state to maintain peace. In addition to this, 375 companies of central forces will be deployed.

"Many of them are here, some of them are on the way," he said.

The CEO said this year they have printed more than 51 lakh new EPICs and their distribution is almost completed. Three special observers have come to the state for general, police and expenditure purposes.

The election authorities have almost completed distribution of 2.81 crore voter information slips across the state.
Bhubaneswar, Nov 23 : A 25-year-old man in Odisha's Ganjam district has been arrested for allegedly using a venomous snake to bite his wife and daughter, an official said on Thursday, adding both died after they were bitten by the reptile.

The arrested individual has been identified as K. Ganesh Patra. The incident took place in Kabisuryanagar area of Ganjam district.

Ganesh used to work at a construction company in Himachal Pradesh.

He came to his native village on a vacation four months ago and he did not return to the workplace since then.

His wife, Basanti Patra along with her daughter, was sleeping in a separate room in the night of October 6.

In the morning on October 7, Ganesh called his neighbours saying that a snake had entered his house and bitten the mother-daughter duo.

The villagers killed the snake and rushed the deceased persons to a nearby hospital where doctors declared them dead.

Based on a complaint filed by Ganesh, police started an investigation into the matter after registering a case of unnatural death.

"However, Basanti's father who also resides in the same village lodged a complaint with us on October 12 alleging that her daughter might have been killed by Ganesh through the snake. Meanwhile, we also received the post mortem report clearly indicating that the death of the mother-daughter duo had occurred during late October 6 night. This raised suspicion that how could the reptile remain in the same room till morning several hours after biting the duo," said Pravat Kumar Sahu, the Inspector In-charge of Kabisuryanagar police.

Police later initiated a fresh probe and began maintaining vigilance on Ganesh's movements.

"We questioned several snake charmers in the locality and were shocked to find that Ganesh had brought a venomous reptile from one of the snake charmers on the pretext of some special puja ritual at his residence on October 6.

"He later let the snake into the room where the mother-daughter duo is sleeping. We also came to know that Ganesh often picked up quarrels with his wife who had filed a case against him too," added Sahu.

The accused was on Thursday presented at the court that sent him to 14 days' judicial custody.
Panaji, Nov 23 : Veteran actor Siddharth Randeria on Thursday said that Gujarati cinema needs more platforms like IFFI to reach wider audiences.

He was speaking during the press conference ahead of Gala Premier of the film 'Hurry Om Hurry' at 54th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa today.

"Gujarati cinema needs more platforms like IFFI to reach other regions and people within our country. To break barriers and reach wider audiences is the need of the hour for Gujarati cinema," Siddharth Randeria, adding they produce cinemas with original stories.

He said that the creating awareness about the beauty of Gujarati films and the essence of its captivating storytelling is very important.

He said that since last two to three years Gujarati film productions have been increasing.

Actor Raunaq Kamdar while expressing happiness about the Premier of 'Hurry Om Hurry' at the 54th IFFI said that in the recent years a number of critically acclaimed Gujarati films like 'Hillaro' have had a chance to reach audiences through the medium of IFFI.

Speaking about the storyline of the film 'Hurry Om Hurry' Director Nisarg Vaidya said the nuances in the film connect to the emotions of the Gujarati community and reflect their culture.

"The idea is to connect to the audience and be as real as possible with the story. Every region has its own culture that is why it is unique. The humorous and fun part of the film will definitely keep the audience hooked to the screen," said Vaidya.

A film about longtime friends, Om and Vini who found their lives taking an unforeseen turn when Vini decides to propose marriage to Om however their once-promising union encounters stumbling blocks as Om begins to drift away, leaving Vini with a profound sense of betrayal. Just when all hope seems lost, a strange encounter shakes Om's world, promising to alter the course of everything.
In a poorly ventilated room in a dairy lab on ninth floor of UW-Madison's Animal and Dairy Sciences building, more than $1 million of research equipment sits on decades-old desks. An average-looking air purifier on the floor nearby keeps the machines running.

Above the air purifier, a trash bag covers the end of a vent. Even with the filtration, dirty air can still forcefully spew out of it and ruin the lab's cattle RNA samples.

In another lab on the same floor, professor Heather White wanted to add a drying oven to her shared lab. But when installation crews arrived, they discovered multiple shorts in the electric wiring of the 1970s-era building, an enormous fire risk.

Many spaces in UW-Madison's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, including White's lab, are past their prime. Of the college's 1,063,100 square feet, about 40% is considered to be poor quality, according to a master plan document created with Flad Architects.

So, CALS administrators are taking a close look at their facility needs  and they've realized that, even as CALS aims to grow over the coming decades, the college actually needs less space than it's currently using.

"The world is evolving, changing place, and so the master plan has to reflect that," CALS Dean Glenda Gillaspy said. "The way we do science now may not be the way that we do science in the future. ... We really have to think critically about how we're going to do space differently in the future."

The master plan outlines short- and long-term plans over at least the next dozen or more years. It's only a framework, and nothing is set in stone, Gillaspy said. But the overall plan is to reduce CALS' square footage across campus by 22% in the coming years, largely through consolidation. Some current lab spaces are set to be torn down and rebuilt, bringing departments out of separate buildings into one space.

More than labs

In some cases, current spaces actively work against researchers, many of whom are trying to support the state's farmers.

Freezers behind red metal doors on many of the floors are defunct, so some research that used to be possible just doesn't happen anymore. On the sixth floor, insulation covers one of the windows to prevent drafts from disrupting the lab's ovens.

Spaces in bad shape include the Animal and Dairy Sciences building, Russell Laboratories, the Stock Pavilion and the Poultry Research Laboratory. Others, such as Agricultural Hall, at the top of Henry Mall and one of the most recognizable places on campus, and the Agricultural Engineering Laboratory are listed as having some low-quality spaces.

But leaders are also thinking beyond labs.

With 31 buildings across the college, CALS' nearly 4,000 students lack a place to call home. The first step of the college's master plan aims to remedy that.

"Students walk all around campus and they look for gathering spaces. And one day I was walking up Henry Mall and heard students (say), 'Where can we go sit?'" Gillaspy said. "Somebody said, "Let's go to the building with the really neat bathrooms,' and they're talking about School of Human Ecology, where you hear rainforest sounds in the bathrooms. So, our students find their identities this way by being together in spaces."

A $15 million, a 14,500-square-foot renovation of Agricultural Hall's basement would tear out a decades-old balcony to create a commons space for students with seating and an area to heat food. One of the wings in the basement would be reserved for student services, including mental health counselors or academic advisers; additional women's and single-user gender-neutral bathrooms would be added after only a men's restroom was originally built.

"We want to have a space in the lower level of that hall where students can land, where they heat up a lunch if they need to, because they might be more likely to bring a lunch versus purchasing a lunch on campus," Gillaspy said. "It's about having places where students see other students meeting and congregating, and so that helps them feel like they belong, and they, too, can participate in different student groups. So that's the big idea."

Timeline and complications

In the near future, defined by the college as between now and 2029, CALS administrators want to create a "student home" in the lower level of Agriculture Hall and renovate and expand the Russell Laboratories. Further out, into the 2030s, the college hopes to relocate the Walnut Street greenhouses, which are slated for demolition to make way for the private-public West Campus Plan, construct a new Ag and Life Sciences building and move out of the current Nutritional Sciences building.

Nearly 15 years out, the college hopes to do a full renovation of Agricultural Hall, consolidate its dairy cattle, poultry research and livestock labs into one facility and build a new food and agricultural systems space.

Whether those projects get done in that time frame is uncertain: Some projects are planned to be funded through fundraising, but others will need approval from state lawmakers and the governor for borrowing. And as evidenced by the ongoing fight over the proposed new engineering building, a green light isn't a given.

Across UW-Madison, the goal is to replace outdated buildings with flexible research space as space limitations and strained utilities plague multiple areas of campus.

And on a campus where space is at a premium, decreasing a physical footprint is vital for other parts of campus to grow, Peter Schlecht, university architect, said. Some of CALS' current space is already slated for use in the West Campus Plan, a public-private redevelopment project aimed at reinvigorating what is often considered a sleepy part of campus.

"Really, they should be getting credit for understanding their program and looking at their space, which has had some of those (outdated) areas for a while," Schlecht said. "So, it's not like it's going away. It's going to be repurposed."

Campuswide concern

CALS isn't the only UW-Madison college seeking more flexible facilities. Collaborative, adaptable research space is largely the emphasis of many of the university's projects, either underway or proposed, including the new computer, data and information sciences building under construction and the highly sought engineering building that university officials are still strongly advocating for after it was left out of the state budget this summer.

"Just because maybe CALS is reducing, campus is not necessarily, because it's really about efficiencies and making sure we're pairing the right type of space, the right quantity of space, to the right programmatic needs of the school," said Cindy Torstveit, facilities planning and management associate vice chancellor.

In CALS, the limitations are driven more by the lack of facilities required to collaborate across departments, Torstveit said. Researchers within the college might want to work with others from biochemistry or the Nelson Institute on sustainable farming practices, but the outdated labs in CALS facilities might hinder that research.

The college aims to fundraise the entire cost of the project, so it likely would not require approval from lawmakers in the state budget.

For now, researchers are making do, but creating workarounds and short-term solutions to keep their labs working is a constant focus.

"It's hard to say how much time we've actually (spent) on that, but it's absolutely always at the forefront of our minds, because it becomes an issue if it doesn't stay on the forefront of our minds," White said. "It's always something new, right? A drain will start leaking, and then you've got to put a bucket there and then you can't use that sink for washing dishes. So, then you've got to relocate something else because you can't wash dishes by fragile equipment. So, then you rearrange the whole lab because the sink started leaking."

25 plates: The culinary dishes that define Madison Babcock Dairy's chocolate turtle ice cream Brasserie V's moules et frites Chocolaterian cafe's Badger Bait The Graze Burger Heritage Tavern's family-style pork Ian's Pizza mac 'n cheese pizza Kavanaugh's chicken dinner Lane's kringle Lao Laan-Xang's squash curry Lombardino's spaghetti Bolognese Mickies Dairy Bar Scrambler Natt Spil Three Cup Chicken Oakcrest Tavern's perch The Old Fashioned's cheese curds Parthenon's gyro sandwich A Pig in a Fur Coat's fois gras mousse The Plaza's Plazaburger Salvatore's Tomato Pies Smoky's Club steak Smoky Jon's full slab St. Louis-style spareribs dinner State Street Brats' World's Best Brat Stella's Bakery hot and spicy cheese bread Taqueria Guadalajara's tacos al pastor Quivey's Grove Duck Wilcox Fraboni's original Italian sub
Shillong, Nov 23 : Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong on Thursday said that the CBI has been asked to take up the investigation into the Mukroh firing incident that occurred last year along the debated boundary area between Assam and Meghalaya.

An inquiry by CBI was requested by both the Assam and Meghalaya government.

He stated that the CBI was asked to take over the probe into the 2022 Mukroh violence, which resulted in six deaths, by the governments of Assam and Meghalaya on September 30.

Tynsong said: "We have sent a letter to the CBI for taking over the probe. The Assam government has also done the same.

"The ball is now in the CBI's court," he added.

On November 22 of last year, six persons were killed in gunfire in Mukroh along a contentious portion of the Assam-Meghalaya inter-state boundary, including five inhabitants of Meghalaya and a forest guard from Assam.
Aizawl, Nov 23 : A six-member delegation of NGO Coordination Committee (NGOCC), an umbrella body of influential civil society and students' organisations, left for Delhi on Thursday to request the Election Commission to reschedule the day for counting of votes for the Assembly polls held in Mizoram on November 7.

Since the announcement of election schedule for five states on October 9, all political parties, church bodies, NGOs, and civil society organisations in the Christian-majority state (87 per cent) have been requesting the poll panel to reschedule the counting date -- December 3, a Sunday. Counting for the four other states -- Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Telangana -- would also be taken up on that day.

The ruling and opposition parties and several of organiations in Mizoram have been arguing that as Sundays are sacred for Christians and a large percentage of the people in the state attend church services on that day, the vote counting should be rescheduled to another date.

The NGOCC delegation is hopeful to meet the ECI officials on Friday, though they are yet to get an appointment.

A leader of Young Mizo Association (YMA) said that they can't wait for an appointment, as this is an important issue which is being supported all, cutting across party lines.

The YMA, which has over five lakh members across Mizoram and various other states, is a constituent of the NGOCC.

The NGOCC move came after the state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Madhup Vyas met with the ECI on this issue last week.

The ECI reportedly told the CEO that it will not reschedule the counting date since unlike polling, counting of votes does not involve common people who are free to do what they like on Sunday (December 3).

Media reports quoting officials said that the EC had deferred the date of counting in 2013 from December 8 to December 9 following appeals by political parties, civil society groups and churches in Mizoram.
Jerusalem, Nov 23 : A ceasefire between Hamas and Israel will commence from Friday morning and the Hamas has agreed to free at least 13 hostages under a deal brokered by the Qatar.

Qatar Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Majed al Ansari said that Hamas will release at least 13 hostages which mostly include women and children.

"The ceasefire will commence on Friday at 7 AM and it has been agreed upon by both the sides that Hamas will release 13 hostages at 4 PM on the same day," said Ansari.

He said that the ceasefire will last for four days, starting from Friday.

He said that it is expected that Hamas will also release at least 50 more hostages during the four-day ceasefire under a new deal with Israel.

The Hamas is likely to release the hostages through Egypt.

The ongoing backchannel negotiations between Hamas and Israel in Doha -- with major players like the U.S and Saudi Arabia -- along with other major Arab countries are taking part in the negotiations. However, Qatar has been at the forefront of these negotiations between Hamas and Israel.

Hamas has taken at least over 200 hostages during its attack on October 7.

During the negotiation, Israel has said that it can extend the ceasefire by another day for release of 10 more hostages. However, a deal to free Palestinian children from Israeli prisons has not yet been finalised.

It has also been agreed to allow at least 200 aid trucks to deliver relief and also four additional trucks will deliver fuel and cooking gas every day of the truce to all areas of Gaza.

Hamas Health Ministry has said that more than 13,300 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza due to Israel attacks while 2,700 Palestinians are missing and believed to be buried under the rubble. The Israel has said that 1200 of their people have been killed since October 7.

Israeli forces have also killed 201 Palestinians in the West Bank, including 52 children.

At least 53 journalists and media workers have also been killed by Israel.

The Israeli forces have also arrested Director of Al Shifa Hospital Mohammad Abu Salmiya has also been was arrested by Israeli forces.

It is believed that Salmiya is being questioned on "evidence that the Al Shifa Hospital served as a Hamas command and control center" of Hamas.
New Delhi, Nov 23 : The Delhi High Court on Thursday sought the Centre's stand on an appeal filed by the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF).

The appeal challenges the government's cancellation of their registration under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA).

The RGF counts former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Union Minister P. Chidambaram, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi among its trustees.

Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust has also filed an appeal in the matter. Sonia Gandhi, also a Congress leader, heads both of these non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

On Thursday, a single-judge bench of Justice Jasmeet Singh asked the Centre to show cause why the appeal by the RGF should not be admitted and instead be dismissed at this stage itself.

In response, the Centreas counsel deemed it unmaintainable in the form of an appeal and said that a petition should have been filed.

On the other hand, the counsel for the NGO said the appeal was maintainable under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 and urged the court to issue formal notice on it to the authorities.

Earlier, this year, the court had sent a notice to the central government in the matter.

Justice Jyoti Singh had issued a notice while expressing dissatisfaction with the fact that it took eight hearings to issue the notice, as the government had requested adjournments on at least four occasions.

Despite the government counsel's request for a pass over, Justice Singh had stated that she would take notice of the matter.

"This is a Regular First Appeal (RFA). It cannot be dismissed immediately. Eight dates have already passed, so let's be a little practical... Eight dates just for this," the bench remarked.

The RGF's FCRA registration was cancelled in October 2022 by the Union Home Ministry for allegedly violating the foreign funding law.

As per MHA, the FCRA licence of the foundation has been cancelled due to violation of foreign funding rules.

The MHA had also constituted a committee in 2020 to probe this. This decision has been taken on the basis of the report by the same inquiry committee.

According to sources, the RGF came under the scanner in July, 2020. The MHA then constituted an inter-ministerial committee headed by an Enforcement Directorate (ED) officer to investigate NGOs, including the RGF, linked to the Gandhi family.

The foundation was accused of tampering with income tax returns, including suspected FCRA violations. The RGF was established in 1991. For many years, this foundation worked on important issues regarding health, science and technology, women, children and education, etc.

--IANS

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New Delhi, Nov 23 : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) said on Thursday said that it carried out searches at 13 locations in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh at the premises of four executive engineers, two divisional accountants and other employees of Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN), Yamunanagar.

The ED said that it carried out the searches under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) at 13 locations in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday.

The agency said the search operations resulted in the recovery and seizure of digital devices, incriminating documents regarding immovable properties, fixed deposits, bank lockers and unaccounted cash to the tune of Rs 27.50 lakh.

The ED case is based on two FIRs registered by the Haryana Police at Yamunannagar relating to fraud done in UHBVN, Yamunanagar, wherein a huge amount of government money was misappropriated and embezzled by transfer from the government accounts to the accounts of persons (other than bonafide beneficiaries) in connivance with the officials of UHBVN, Yamunanagar.

The UHBVN officials committed offence by fraudulent transfer of government funds to non-bonafide beneficiaries, causing loss of public money to the tune of Rs 55 crore.

"The ED probe revealed that the officials of UHBVN prepared bogus vouchers and on the basis of these, they prepared cheques which got credited in the bank accounts of non-bonafide persons and the money was subsequently siphoned off," the agency stated.
Hyderabad, Nov 23 : With barely a week to go for Assembly elections in Telangana, Chief Minister and BRS president K. Chandrasekhar Rao and state Congress president A. Revanth Reddy intensified their campaign, launching bitter attacks on each other.

Addressing a series of election rallies on Thursday, both the leaders led the campaign for the candidates of their respective parties.

Highlighting the progress made by Telangana under Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) rule during the last two terms, KCR remarked that Congress party wants to serve the food prepared by the BRS.

The BRS chief was apparently referring to a slew of freebies promised by the Congress party.

"The state's wealth has increased due to financial discipline observed by us. While BRS increased the state's wealth, Congress wants to blow it away," he said.

Addressing a public meeting in Maheshwaram near Hyderabad, he said the BRS implemented welfare measures with the increase in state's revenues and promised that after coming to power again, it will enhance the pension amount. KCR also cautioned people that power to Congress will undo all the work done during the last 10 years.

He alleged that Congress wants to bring back the rule of middlemen in the state by scrapping Dharani portal.

He said if the online land record management system is scrapped, people will have to suffer as the earlier system of Patwari will make a comeback. KCR also cautioned farmers that officials will start taking their share in the amount they get under the Rythu Bandhu scheme.

Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president Revanth Reddy launched a scathing attack on KCR. Addressing public meetings in Huzurabad and Dubbak, he said that he will build a double bedroom house for KCR in Cherlapally Jail.

The Congress leader said KCR failed to fulfill his promise to construct a double bedroom house for the poor but he was promising on behalf of Congress party that a double bedroom house would be built for him in jail.

Alleging that KCR and his family members were involved in large-scale corruption and land grabbing, Revanth Reddy predicted that they all would land in jail. Revanth Reddy also remarked that KCR will be retiring next month.

"I am promising that KCR will get the pension," he taunted. The TPCC chief reiterated that Congress will come to power in the state by winning more than 80 seats in the 119-member Assembly.

--IANS

ms/pgh
Jaipur, Nov 23 : Gujarat Congress leader Tejas Patel on Thursday accused Raghu Sharma, the Congress candidate from Kekri in Rajasthan for the November 25 Assembly polls, of working against party interests by helping the BJP to mint money worth crores.

Addressing a press conference here, Patel alleged that Raghu Sharma took Rs 400 crore from the BJP in exchange for creating confusion and defections in the Congress.

"His narco-test should be done so that people come to know about how he has been involved in anti-party activities," Patel told mediapersons.

He said the BJP had given ticket to Anandiben Patel's daughter Anar Patel for the Vadodara seat during the Gujarat Assembly elections held last year.

"Raghu Sharma, at the behest of BJP, gave ticket to a dentist who was neither a Congress worker nor a social worker. The candidate even lost his deposit," Patel said.

Incidentally, Sharma was the Congress in-charge for Gujarat for the Assembly polls, and had resigned after taking full responsibility for the party's disastrous performance in elections.

"Sharma also called me in Gujarat and said that BJP is giving Rs 6 crore for the Mansa seat. He asked me to pay Rs 10 crore if wanted to contest the elections. When I did not pay him, he got my ticket cancelled," Patel said.

He said that Congress lost in Gujarat only because of Raghu Sharma gave at least 50 per cent tickets to candidates in exchange of crores of rupees," he said.

Patel also said that these people did not even work for the Congress on the ground.

"Only because of Sharma, even one of the sitting Congress MLAs resigned from the party. The situation worsened so much that for the first time in the 2022 elections, the Congress candidates in Gujarat lost their deposits," he said.

Patel said that he came to Rajasthan so that the Congress workers come to know about the reality of Sharma and his son Sagar Sharma.

"They (father and son) are the most corrupt. They have also implemented 'Sagar Tax' in Kekri due to which poor people are suffering. He (Raghu Sharma) minted money by indulging in corruption when he was the Health Minister," Patel claimed.

He also said that people should wake up and hand a crushing defeat to people like Sharma.
Patna, Nov 23 : The district court in Siwan on Thursday granted bail to Osama Sahab, the son of late Mohammad Shahabuddin, in a case of land grab and firing.

Osama is currently lodged in Siwan district prison. However, he will not come out of the jail as a similar case has been registered against him in Motihari as well.

His bail plea was heard in the court of ADJ Navendu Kumar in Siwan district on Wednesday, but the decision was reserved for the day. He was granted bail on Thursday.

Siwan police had registered an FIR against Osama in connection with threatening a person for 42 kathas (more than two acres) of land in Chapia Khurd village.

The FIR was registered based on the statement of a person named Abhishek Kumar alias Jimmy on October 7 this year.

Abhishek, a resident of Bania Toli in Siwan district, owns four bighas of land in Chapia Khurd village. He had signed an agreement with a person named Arhun Yadav to sell 42 kathas.

Abhishek alleged in his complaint that Osama and his aide Salman Mian alias Saif threatened him to cancel the agreement of selling land to Arjun Yadav on October 6.

In Motihari, a violent clash broke out between the in-laws of Osama's sister and relatives on August 1 this year, in which six persons sustained injuries.

The victims claimed that Osamaas men were involved in the attack who fired more than 25 rounds. Stone pelting was also reported during the incident.

Shahabuddinas daughter is married to the son of Sayyad Iftikhar Khan in Motihari. He has a property dispute with his brother Imtiyaz Ahmed.

The incident was triggered when Imtiyazas son Farhan Ahmed was constructing a boundary wall near his house. A large number of people carrying firearms and batons came in SUVs and attacked him and his family members on August 1.
Imphal, Nov 23 : A 23-year-old injured Myanmar national, who was brought to Manipur capital Imphal on Thursday for medical treatment by the Assam Rifles, died during treatment, an official said.

The official said that the Assam Rifles and the police on Thursday morning brought Khohantum, a resident of bordering Thanan village in neighbouring Myanmar, and he was admitted to the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) in Imphal.

"The Myanmar national suffered bullet injuries in his lower abdomen. He was admitted to the hospital eight hours after his bullet injuries. He during the medical treat he succumbed to his injuries in the afternoon," a bulletin of the JNIMS said.

After learning about the admission of a patient of a Myanmar national, a huge crowd of people gathered in front of the medical college while a combined team of Imphal East District Police and Central Forces deployed in the hospital controlled the crowd and had prevented any unwanted incident.

Police fired tear gas shells to control the crowd.

There has been an escalating gun battle between the Myanmar Army and the Chin National Defence Force (CNDF), the armed wing of the Chin National Organisation (CNO) in the Chin state of Myanmar.

Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh said that due to the prevailing situation in Myanmar, Central and state security forces have been deployed along the state's border with the adjoining country.

--IANS

sc/pgh
New Delhi, Nov 23 : In a bid to expose and foil the conspiracy of CPI (Maoist) to revive and strengthen the proscribed organisation in Bihar's Magadh division, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday conducted raids at 31 locations across Bihar including the premises of four arrested commanders An NIA spokesperson here said that the raids, conducted at the premises of accused and suspected persons at 31 locations in the Aurangabad, Rohtash, Kaimur, Gaya and Saran (Chhapra) district of Bihar, led the agency to unearth the involvement of top CPI (Maoist) commanders in the conspiracy to revive the outfit and its cadres in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

The official said that during searches a host of electronic or digital devices, including mobile phones, SIM cards, SD cards and hard discs, along with incriminating documents, two country made pistols and Rs 3.53 lakh in cash were seized in the searches, conducted as part of NIA's investigation in two separate cases.

The places where searches were conducted on Thursday were identified as residential premises of four arrested accused persons who are commanders of CPI (Maoist), in addition to 27 suspected OGWs or supporters or sympathisers of the outfit, the official said.

"NIA investigations have revealed that the four accused had co-conspired with other accused persons to revive and strengthen the cadres of CPI(Maoist) in Magadh division," the official said.

The case was initially registered at Tikari police station in Gaya on August 10, following the arrest of two accused, namely Pramod Mishra, chief of the Eastern Regional Bureau of CPI (Maoist), and Anil Yadav, the Sub-Zonal Commander of the outfit.

The two accused persons were conspiring with other associates to commit unlawful activities and strengthen the cadres of CPI (Maoist) in Magadh region i.e. Gaya and Aurangabad districts. The NIA registered the case on August 31. While the other case was initially registered on August 7, at Goh police station in Aurangabad, and taken over by NIA on September 26.

The case relates to recovery and seizure of two booklets pertaining to the CPI (Maoist) Magadh Zonal Sangathnic Committee, along with arms and ammunitions, from the possession of accused persons Rohit Rai and Pramod Yadav. The duo, along with their associates, were conspiring to commit unlawful activities and were also extorting levy from contactors and brick kiln owners to promote the violent activities of CPI (Maoist), the official said
Humanities Nebraska has announced the recipients of its autumn round of educator grants, supporting 15 projects and helping Nebraska teachers around the state to enrich the educations of thousands of Nebraska students.

Scott Polacek, a social science teacher at Howells-Dodge Consolidated Schools, is one of the grant recipients. The grant will be used for an anthropology unit.

The purpose of the grants is to help celebrate HNs 50th anniversary in 2023 and to spark the next 50 years of humanities learning, programming, and exchange of ideas. Humanities Nebraska is celebrating 50 years of what connects us and makes us human.

Humanities Nebraska is funded in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities, an appropriation from the Nebraska Legislature, private donations, and the Nebraska Cultural Endowment, a public-private partnership with state dollars matching private dollars to benefit the arts and humanities in Nebraska.
Bengaluru, Nov 24 : The Karnataka government has decided to withdraw the permission granted for a CBI investigation into the disproportionate assets case against Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar.

The decision was made during a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday.

Minister of Law and Parliamentary Affairs H.K. Patil, speaking to the media, said that the cabinet has approved the withdrawal of the decision for a CBI probe against Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar.

"The previous Chief Minister had given oral orders for a CBI investigation against Shivakumar. According to legal procedure, they should have obtained consent from the Speaker. Without obtaining the Speaker's consent, the former CM had orally ordered a CBI probe. Considering the opinions of the former and present Advocate Generals (AGs), this decision has been made. The earlier decision to hand over the case to the CBI probe was deemed unlawful as consent from the Speaker was not obtained," he said.

"The former AG had opined that the case was not suitable for a CBI probe. The previous BJP government, disregarding this opinion, had given consent. Based on the former AG's opinion, the current AG, Shashikiran Shetty, also gave his opinion," Patil added.

The Congress government argued that to date, 577 cases of disproportionate assets case have been registered in the state, and not a single case has been handed over to the CBI. Local police have conducted investigations in these cases.

Reacting to the cabinet's decision, Leader of Opposition R. Ashoka said: "The case is before the court, and it (the decision) is against the law. An appeal was made against handing over the case to the CBI. The decision to withdraw permission for a CBI probe against Shivakumar before the judgment is given is incorrect. Whenever there is a change of government, everyone will do the same."
Editors note: This story was first published in The World-Herald on the 50th anniversary of JFK's assassination. Wednesday marks the 60th anniversary.

* * *

John F. Kennedy looked confident and at ease as he sat on a backyard patio near 90th and Hickory Streets in Omaha, surrounded by dozens of reporters, photographers and adoring Democrats.

On this day in August 1959, the telegenic U.S. senator from Massachusetts wasnt running for president  at least, not officially. It wouldnt be revealed until much later that in a private meeting at the home minutes earlier, JFK and statewide supporters had secretly mapped plans for him to enter Nebraskas potentially pivotal 1960 Democratic primary.

At some point while the youthful pol gazed off into the crowd, a photographer hired by the Kennedy family raised his camera and snapped a picture.

It was but a moment in time. But captured in that vivid frame was a photograph that would become one of the most reproduced and recognizable images of Kennedy  one whose use would fatefully frame both the hopeful beginnings of his campaign and the tragic end of his life.

Within months that picture would appear on JFK buttons, bumper stickers and campaign posters as he campaigned across the country.

In July 1960 it was printed on delegate buttons and splashed over the convention hall as Kennedy accepted his partys nomination.

It would appear on red-ribboned buttons at Kennedys Jan. 20, 1961, inauguration.

And then after the awful day in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963, it would appear on the prayer cards given to mourners at his funeral.

John F. Kennedy was never the peoples choice in Republican-leaning Nebraska. But as the nation marks the 60th anniversary of his assassination, one can find a surprising amount of Nebraska history surrounding the nations 35th president.

A number of former Nebraskans held high positions in his administration, including his special counsel, his personal secretary and the White House social secretary.

Kennedy traveled to Nebraska at least 10 times, ranking among the most trips any president made to the state over his lifetime. The vast majority of Kennedys trips came as he maneuvered to capture the states convention delegates and secure his partys nomination.

It was during one of the earliest of those Nebraska trips that photographer Jacques Lowe shot that iconic Kennedy picture. Its an image whose unique roots in Omaha and Nebraska and wide use were little known and  until recent years  largely forgotten.

* * *

With the approach of the 1960 election year, many considered John F. Kennedy a long shot candidate for president. His record in the Senate was undistinguished compared with the records of some of his main opponents for the Democratic nomination, Senate colleagues Lyndon Johnson of Texas, Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota and Stuart Symington of Missouri. And, of course, he was Catholic, a historic disqualifier in a national election.

As Kennedy and his advisers charted a course for garnering the delegates needed to win the nomination, Nebraska would become part of their calculus.

At the time, a little more than a dozen states held primary elections, most states selecting their convention delegates in caucuses made up of party stalwarts. Even some states with primaries had governors who had declared themselves candidates, fencing off their states from other contenders.

Nebraska had a wide-open primary. Kennedy saw in the farm state the potential to show party leaders across the country his grass-roots appeal.

Kennedy first came to Nebraska in 1957 to speak in Omaha and Lincoln, and he returned in 1958 to press the flesh at a meeting of Midwestern Democrats  both visits sowing the seeds for the campaign to come.

In 1959 he was ready to put together an organization. Kennedy talked to Bernard Boyle, the cigar-chomping Nebraska Democratic national committeeman and a man known for holding major political gatherings on the sweeping lawn of his home in Omahas far-west suburbs. A date was set: Aug. 9.

As on most of his Nebraska visits, Kennedy was accompanied that day by Ted Sorensen, the Lincoln native who to the end served as one of JFKs most trusted advisers. Also on the flight was Jacques Lowe.

Joe Kennedy, JFKs father and the patriarch of the Kennedy political dynasty, had hired the talented freelancer to shoot pictures of his family, with politics in mind.

Joe Kennedy was ahead of his time in recognizing the power of pictures and words in marketing a candidate. Were going to sell Jack like soap flakes, he once declared.

Lowe later called the trip to Omaha his first unofficial campaign trip with JFK. During it he would shoot among the first of tens of thousands of JFK images he would capture over the next four years.

Some among the 400 Nebraska Democrats who attended the Sunday fried-chicken picnic later recalled what a beautiful day it was, the sun highlighting the red in Kennedys hair. They noticed the Bostonians accent and the funny way he pronounced the name of the state  Nebrasker.

But they also were wowed by his intelligence, sense of humor and charm.

Kennedy had arrived well before the gathering, huddling with two dozen top Democrats on the back porch. According to an oral history Boyle later provided to the Kennedy Library, this is where Kennedy and his supporters worked out many of the nuts and bolts of his Nebraska campaign.

Many of Kennedys earliest backers in Nebraska had been fellow Irish Catholics, from Omaha, including John Red Munnelly and Jim Green, who were there that day. But to show Kennedys broad appeal, it was decided Hans Jensen of Aurora, a Protestant farmer, would head the campaign.

Then while comfortably seated on a stone patio, Kennedy held a press conference with local reporters. He brushed off questions about whether he would run for president, saying it had been discussed only in a general way during the private gathering. But at the same time, he talked up the Nebraska primary, calling it a key one that everyone seeking the presidency should compete in.

While Kennedy fielded questions, Lowe moved around the fringes of the gathering, capturing images.

On Jan. 2, 1960, Kennedy made it official, declaring he would seek his partys nomination. Less than three weeks later, he made a surprise visit to Omaha. He announced he would compete in the states primary and then challenged other Democratic hopefuls to join the race.

As Kennedy campaigned around the country, many of the JFK signs and buttons that began popping up bore a striking profile of Kennedy  one that Lowe shot in Omaha.

Its a remarkably crisp and clear image, the sun glistening off Kennedys hair, his silhouette standing out from the reporters and photographers in the background.

During the campaign, Kennedy worked hard to win over Nebraska Democrats. He set up the most extensive county organization seen to date in a Nebraska primary. He made at least five Nebraska trips after the Boyle picnic, including one that took him from Lincoln to Scottsbluff. At other times he sent brothers Robert and Edward and his mother, Rose, to campaign on his behalf.

In the Nebraska vote on May 10, Kennedy won big, capturing 18 Nebraska delegates to six for all other contenders combined. But the state didnt become the proving ground he had once hoped.

Possibly due to the big head start Kennedy and his machine had gotten, his opponents largely bypassed the state. Instead, it was West Virginia, a highly contested Protestant state that held its primary on the same day as Nebraska, that would propel Kennedy toward the nomination  and ultimately the presidency.

During the general election, Kennedy visited Nebraska only once, showing off his national security credentials at the Strategic Air Command. It was generally accepted Nebraska would go for Richard Nixon, who ultimately won 62 percent of the states votes.

After the election, Lowe published a book detailing his campaign travels with JFK, featuring the Omaha image on the cover and inside. The book may have marked the first time the photo was published in its original form, including the news media members in the background.

Tragically, two years later, the picture would find another use.

After Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, preparations were made for a state funeral. It was Jacqueline Kennedy who chose the picture snapped in Omaha to grace the prayer cards at her husbands Mass.

Over the past half-century, the pictures history had largely been lost. In fact, it may have remained lost had it not been for another horrific event: 9/11.

Jacques Lowe had stowed nearly all his negatives in a vault in the World Trade Center. When the towers came crashing down, the negatives were lost. Only his contact sheets  small, printed images that show what was on the negatives  survived, kept at another location.

As the 50th anniversary of JFKs assassination approached, the Newseum in Washington, D.C., asked Lowes estate about putting together a JFK photo exhibit. Restoration experts at the Newseum worked painstakingly to produce large, high-quality digital images from Lowes old contact sheets.

When it came time to decide what pictures to put in the exhibit, one particularly stood out, said Sarah Mercier, who was the Newseum photo editor. In fact, the Omaha image was picked to be the signature for the project, featured on a large marquee at the front of the museum and used in promotional materials.

The Newseum also released the picture to media outlets, which gave it considerable run leading up to the anniversary of Kennedys assassination.

The Newseum liked that the Omaha picture was not only striking but featured news media members, too, Mercier said. But more than anything, she said, it was Jacqueline Kennedys selection of the picture for her husbands prayer cards a half-century ago that truly elevates its historic status.

She felt it reflected something about him that she wanted people to see, Mercier said. Her making that choice really validates the image.

Our best Omaha staff photos & videos of November 2023
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Bullish Brazilian Bank Nubank Adds Five More Altcoins to Banking App

Disclosure: Crypto is a high-risk asset class. This article is provided for informational purposes and does not constitute investment advice. By using this website, you agree to our terms and conditions. We may utilise affiliate links within our content, and receive commission.

The Brazilian neobanking unicorn Nubank is stepping up its crypto adoption drive, adding trading capabilities for five more altcoins to its banking app.

Per the Brazilian media outlet Livecoins, the bank added support for Polkadot (DOT), Avalanche (AVAX), Stella Lumens (XLM), Arbitrum (ARB), and Optimism (OP) on November 22.

The bank launched crypto trading functions on its banking app in May 2022, offering its bank customers access to Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH).

It has since expanded its range of crypto offerings and earlier this year added Polygon (MATIC) and Uniswap (UNI) trading functions.

Nubank has become one of the nations most prominent crypto bulls, last year announcing its intention to buy Bitcoin (BTC) using its balance sheet.

The company said it wanted to convert 1% of its available funds to Bitcoin via its holding company.

Prominent Nubank backers include Warren Buffet, whose investment vehicle bought a $500 million stake in 2021.

The bank launched an initial public offering in 2021, with a valuation of over $45 billion.

It has since launched its own cryptoasset, Nucoin, which it also trades on its app, as well as a crypto-specific division named Nubank Cripto.

Nubank: Brazilian Bank Remaining Bullish on Crypto



Nubank Cripto said that the altcoins had been added partly due to feedback from users, and added:

Diversification is seen as essential for people who are deeply interested in this form of technology.

The bank is attempting to drive up interest in its new altcoin additions by offering promotional commission rates of 0.9% for the next four weeks.

Some of Nubanks other major backers include Sequoia Capital, Tiger Global Management, and Goldman Sachs.

Nubank is also working with the Brazilian central bank on the latters digital real CBDC pilot project, along with a number of smaller domestic crypto players.

Other notable domestic conventional financial services providers, such as Itau, have also begun developing crypto interests in recent years.
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The net leasing of Grade-A commercial office space in India will stagnate this financial year at 32-34 million square feet, with global uncertainties brewing caution among key tenant categories, according to the latest Crisil Ratings report.

Photograph: David W Cerny/Reuters

Major seven cities in India  Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), National Capital Region (NCR) and Pune  had Grade-A office space with an operational stock of around 705 million square feet as of March 2023.

Indias commercial office space is dominated by technology companies, with information technology (IT) and IT-enabled services (ITeS) companies occupying 42-45 per cent of the operational stock.

That said, the inherent strengths of the Indian market and increasing shift to return to office should help demand pick up over the medium term, keeping credit profiles of office asset owners stable, the report stated.

Global capability centres (GCCs) of multinational corporations have also emerged as a key category of tenants in the past few years, occupying around a third of the total stock.

These two determinants will keep demand modest in the near term amid global economic headwinds.

Net leasing of office space will be impacted by two factors this financial year.

"One, headcount addition in the Indian IT/ITeS sector has already come to a halt amid tapering revenue growth and pressure on profitability.

"Plus, the sector may look to control costs, including rent. Two, GCCs may defer large-scale leasing plans in India amid weak macroeconomic outlook in key regions such as the US and Europe, said Gautam Shahi, director, Crisil Ratings.

According to commercial real estate consultant Vestian, the Bengaluru office market remained slow during Q3 (July-September) this year as leasing activity and demand-supply dipped.

However, Hyderabad saw an increase in all segments, pushing it to the top of the list.

Bengaluru, the hub for IT companies, has shown a significant decline in leasing transactions.

In Bengaluru, the absorption of office space fell 28 per cent year-on-year to 3.6 million square feet during Q3.

The new supply for commercial spaces also declined 25 per cent year-on-year to 2.7 million sq. ft.

In Hyderabad, the leasing of office space jumped 270 per cent to 3.7 million square feet. New supply soared 175 per cent to 5.5 million square feet.

Crisil states that demand from the domestic enterprises in the banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI), consulting, engineering, pharmaceuticals, and e-commerce segments, which occupy the remainder of Indias office area, will remain buoyant, resulting in net leasing of 32-34 million square feet this fiscal, same as that in fiscal 2023.

Employers push for increased physical occupancy in offices may prove to be another tailwind for office leasing.

Most companies, including those in technology, are now pushing for a return to office on most days of the week.

Physical occupancy, which averaged 40 per cent last financial year, is expected at 65-70 per cent this financial year, Crisil said.

Notwithstanding the near-term hiccups, net leasing is expected to grow 10-12 per cent next financial year to 36-38 million square feet.

"Growth is expected to remain at a similar level over the medium term as well supported by both GCCs and domestic enterprises, said Saina Kathawala, associate director, Crisil Ratings.

GCCs are expected to drive office demand, given the cost advantages of the Indian market as well as the other developing markets and availability of a skilled talent pool.

"Additionally, demand from domestic enterprises will remain healthy backed by strong financial health and good growth prospects, Kathwala added.

Given the sound medium-term outlook and adequate leverage, credit profiles of office operators will remain stable.

A Crisil Ratings analysis of office space owners with over Rs 70,000 crore debt and total leasable area of about 185 million sq. ft. corroborates it.

According to Crisil, the ratio of debt to earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda) and debt service coverage ratio will remain comfortable under 5.0 times and at 1.6-1.7 times, respectively, this financial year and the next.

That said, the duration and intensity of the global economic slowdown and its impact on hiring as well as overall business plans of companies can impact future leasing and will bear watching, it said.
Fintech companies believe that the impact of Reserve Bank of India's order last week on unsecured loans will be visible in six to 12 months and prompt them to diversify and strengthen their secured portfolio.

Fintechs which source funds through banks or non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) are looking at quickly building their secured portfolio options to at least 40 per cent of their total portfolio.

Over the medium to long term, as part of our product strategy, we are evaluating secured products which can be enabled over a digital platform said Yogi Sadana, the founder of Zype, a lending-focussed fintech.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) tightened norms for personal loans and credit cards by raising the capital requirements that banks and NBFCs must set aside for such borrowings.

It raised the risk weight on retail loans  personal loans and credit card loans fall in this category  from 100 per cent to 125 per cent.

It excluded education, vehicle, housing, and gold loans.

Keeping in line with the central banks directive, fintechs may consider other forms of secured products such as a gold loan as part of their diversification strategy.

Time to diversify

One could see that there will be some diversification.

"One can do a gold loan also because it is a secured product, said Madhusudan Ekambaram, co-founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of KreditBee.

Sadana said: What we have seen is that the banks have gotten a lot of interest in secured lending and gold loans.

"There has been interest in products like this where there is an underlying security present with the RBI becoming cautious of growing an unsecured portfolio of banks.

Ekambaram said fintech firms may consider expanding into secured and priority secured loans (PSLs) as they diversify.

It (strategy) will differ from fintech to fintech.

"One may do products like education loans or an extension towards loan against property.

"One can also do an SME/micro-SME loan for enterprises with a Udyam certificate. If one is extending an unsecured loan over it, it can be categorised as a priority sector loan, said Ekambaram.

His company, KreditBee, had ventured into a loan against property product (LAP) for retail customers before the RBIs orders.

This was not based on the current scenario but we wanted to offer multiple different loan products to our customers.

"Traditionally, we had been doing unsecured personal loans.

"Later, we started with SME business loans.

"This way, we had started both the forms of both secured and unsecured loans.

"Later, we started with the loan against property even for the retail segment, he said.

Fintech companies said the RBI directive is not a surprise.

The RBI governor had spoken about the increase in the unsecured personal loan segment during the monetary policy committee meeting in October.

"As a consequence, RBI has raised the risk weights for banks and NBFCs on unsecured loans by 25%.

"We need to appreciate and respect the RBIs view as this shows their commitment for long term financial stability, said Sadana.

Consumer awareness

Higher delinquency among certain customers has been a concern for some time.

The TransUnion Cibil report for Q2 FY23 said that consumers having at least one small-ticket personal loan saw balance level delinquency of 4 per cent, marking a rise of 120 basis points since Q2 FY22, Business Standard reported earlier this week.

There needs to be cyber and financial literacy and awareness among customers that they should neither fall prey to unauthorised lending apps, nor fall into over-indebtedness, said Jatinder Handoo, CEO of Digital Lenders Association of India (DLAI), an industry association.

We are organising a capacity-building programme for independent directors and CXOs regarding corporate governance, because that is something RBI has time and again expressed its views on governance. Multiple initiatives, right from the board to the end customer, there are multiple interventions planned in the next one or two weeks time, he said.

Fintechs believe the RBI orders wont have an immediate impact and they would evaluate the situation for the next six months.

Within the next six months we will be able to see the impact panning out.

"That said, if we compare the growth of unsecured loans in the last six months to six months from here, we will find a dent, said Ekambaram.

Sadana said companies will have to reconsider their credit policies.

With increase in the risk weights, lenders will have to relook at their risk, credit policies and products.

"In the short term it will create pricing pressure since leverage will become more expensive.

"Having said that, as a good practice a review of the risk and credit policies should be a periodic process to assess portfolio risk. he said.
Fresh formal job creation cooled for the second consecutive month to decline to a six-month low in September, signalling a downturn in the labour markets this financial year.

The number of new monthly subscribers under the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) declined by 6.45 per cent to 891,583 in September from 953,092 in August, shows the latest payroll data released by the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO).

Besides, the net payroll additions -- calculated by taking into account the number of new subscribers, the number of exits, and the return of old subscribers -- increased by 14.9 per cent to 1.72 million in September from 1.49 million in August.

The net monthly payroll numbers are, however, provisional in nature and are often revised sharply the following month.

That is why the new EPF subscriber figure has greater certitude than net additions.

Of the 891,583 fresh EPF subscribers in September, the share of women declined to 25.3 per cent (226,392) in September from 26.12 per cent (248,980) in August.

However, the share of young people belonging to the 18-28 age group among the new subscribers stood at 68.8 per cent (613,471) in September, slightly up from the 67.93 per cent (647,522) in August.

This is crucial because subscribers in this age group are usually first-timers in the labour market, thus reflecting its robustness.

The labour ministry in a statement said in net membership, around 41.46 per cent addition in September was from expert services consisting of manpower suppliers, normal contractors, security services, and miscellaneous activities.

A month-on-month comparison of industry-wise data displays significant growth in the members working in establishments engaged in the sugar industry, courier services, iron and steel, hospitals, travel agencies, etc, the statement noted.

According to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), which conducts its own Consumer Pyramids Household Survey, the labour markets fared well in September, proved by the fact that the unemployment rate dropped to a one-year low as joblessness in rural areas fell along with a decline in the labour participation rate and a weak monsoon.

The overall joblessness rate slid to 7.09 per cent last month, from 8.10 per cent in August.

"Thats the lowest reading since September last year.

"Rural unemployment dropped to 6.20 per cent, from 7.11 per cent in August, while urban unemployment rate fell to 8.94 per cent from 10.09 per cent in the same period, ahead of the key festival season in India, it said in a statement.

The monthly data released by the EPFO is part of the governments effort to track formal-sector employment by using payrolls as an instrument.

Since April 2018, the National Statistical Office (NSO) has been bringing out employment-related statistics in the formal sector, covering the period September 2017 onwards, using information on the number of subscribers under the EPF Scheme, Employees State Insurance Scheme, and the National Pension System.
The government has exhausted only 39 per cent of its fiscal deficit target in the first half of FY24.

IMAGE: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman addresses a presss conference in Hyderabad, November 21, 2023. Photograph: ANI Photo

The first supplementary demands for grants for 2023-2024 (FY24), to be presented in the upcoming winter session of Parliament, is unlikely to involve any major cash outflow, as the government aims to meet the 5.9 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) fiscal deficit target amid a slowdown in nominal GDP growth.

"We are seeing quite a bit of rejigging of provisions being made. We will draw the supplementary demands based on the discussions on Revised Estimates with the departments, which have been completed. I don't foresee a major cash outflow as of today," said a finance ministry official.

The winter session of Parliament will commence on December 4, a day after the assembly election results of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan and Telangana are announced, and will continue until December 22.

With 15 sittings spread across 19 days, it is poised to become the second-shortest winter session of the current Lok Sabha.

Supplementary demands involve completely new items of expenditure that were not in the Budget (new services), such as the Pradhan Mantri Vishwakarma Yojana, and substantial increases in existing lines of expenditure (new instruments of services), such as the rural job guarantee scheme and food subsidies.

Denying any instruction from the finance ministry to departments to slow down expenditure, the official said the government is maintaining a high cash balance with the Reserve Bank of India because a big repayment (Rs 2 trillion) is due in November/December.

"But we are not restricting expenditure for anybody at all," the source added.

The government has exhausted only 39 per cent of its fiscal deficit target in the first half (April-September) of FY24.

Some economists have raised concerns that the slow pace of government expenditure may lead to demand compression in the economy.

While revenue collections have remained robust so far, persistent deflation in the wholesale price index is expected to keep nominal GDP depressed in FY24, well below the 10.5 per cent target set in the Budget.

However, the official said that irrespective of nominal GDP, the government will stick to the 5.9 per cent fiscal deficit target this financial year (FY24).

Supplementary demands for grants could be cash, token, or technical.

While cash involves a substantial fresh allocation not foreseen in the Budget, the token is a small allocation, while technical allocation is rejigged in the current allocation for a different scheme.

Last year, the government announced it would have two supplementary demands for grants in a year, deviating from the usual practice of three in a year.

"Departments were asked to intelligently act, reflectively budget so that they don't come every now and then for small expenditure demands," the official added.

The second supplementary demands for grants will be presented during the Budget session of Parliament in February.

Regarding the upcoming interim Budget ahead of the general election, the official said the Budget arithmetic can't be wobbly and has to be credible; otherwise, it would send the wrong signal to the market.

The official also stated that the government has no plan to tinker with the existing borrowing calendar for FY24.

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
'You don't know what you are going to encounter every 10-20 metres.'

'These mountains are unpredictable.'

IMAGE: A drone view of rescue operations underway at the Uttarkashi tunnel. Photograph: ANI Photo

"We think rocks are very strong objects, but they are not. A single piece of rock can be strong, but a mountain is not made up of a single piece of rock. It is made up of a mass of rock split into many, many, pieces.

"There are plenty of reasons for the disintegration of rocks -- tectonics, weathering etc, and you need some support system that can support the fractured rock from below [during tunnelling].

"If the support system is not good enough for the rock mass, it will collapse," says Dr Naresh Rana, Assistant Professor, Department of Geology, Delhi University.

Dr Rana's research interests include natural hazards, active tectonics and paleoclimate. He has more than 30 publications in international journals.

In a phone conversation with Rediff.com's Archana Masih, Dr Rana explains the complexities of the Himalayas and the challenge of the terrain in carrying out the Herculean rescue of the 41 workers trapped inside the tunnel.

Could you give us a sense of the region and terrain where this tunnel is being constructed?

The area is part of the Lesser Himalayas region comprising phyllite rocks which are metamorphic rocks and are not very strong.

The most challenging part of the Himalayas is that it is a folded and faulted mountain range. It is not a very stable and strong mountain. You don't know what you are going to encounter every 10 to 20 metres.

There is a complexity about it. There are many weak planes. The Himalayas are being pushed towards the north. Therefore, there is a compression which is continuously breaking down the rocks and creating new fractures.

The process is still alive and one cannot predict what is going to happen in a given area or division of the Himalayas.

The Himalayas will always surprise you and you will always encounter the unexpected.

IMAGE: National Disaster Response Force personnel wait at the site to enter the Silkyara tunnel to rescue the 41 trapped workers. Photograph: ANI Photo

How is the Himalayan terrain and physical features of the region contributing to the difficulties in the tunnel rescue?

The under construction tunnel is about 4.5 kilometres. It is being excavated from both ends while around 500 metres of the excavation still remains to be done.

It appears that the accident happened when the workers were replacing the temporary support system of the tunnel with a permanent lining.

Tunnel excavation is a sophisticated exercise and requires extensive treatment after the excavation process.

Constructing a tunnel is a complex process as compared to constructing a road. Underground tunnelling in the Himalayas or anywhere requires extra precautions because all the activity is underground and the field of vision is restricted as compared to over ground construction.

One encounters tremendous stress known as lithostatic pressure as one goes deeper into the ground due to the weight of the rocks and overlying materials above the tunnel.

This pressure is disturbed during excavation and needs to be supported to provide stability.

IMAGE: NDRF personnel enter the Silkyara tunnel to rescue trapped workers. Photograph: ANI Photo

What are some of the most important precautions that need to be followed while carrying out excavation for tunnelling in the Himalayas?

During excavation there is disturbance in the underground system which becomes unstable at that location and needs to be provided with some extra support.

We think rocks are very strong objects, but they are not. A single piece of rock can be strong, but a mountain is not made up of a single piece of rock. It is made up of a mass of rock split into many, many pieces.

There are plenty of reasons for the disintegration of rocks - tectonics, weathering etc and you certainly need some support system that can support the fractured rock from below.

If the support system is not good enough for the rock mass, it will collapse.

IMAGE: Members of rescue teams use machines as part of preparations to start vertical drilling in a hill to rescue the workers. Photograph: Shankar Prasad Nautiyal/Reuters

And this probably has led to the collapse of around 50 metres of the tunnel?

Unstable rocks and material fall down -- for example, if you remove two trucks of material, two trucks worth will fall down again.

That's why prior to the excavation, geologists go to the location and characterise the rock mass, and what kind of support system is required to support this rock.

If the characterisation is not done correctly and the appropriate support system is not set up it can lead to an accident.

Around 50 metres of the tunnel has collapsed, and if you remove the debris, there is a likelihood more material will again fall.

This accident appears to be a planning and execution failure which can happen due to many reasons, but particularly because of the ignorance of the complexity of Himalaya terrain.

The precautionary and safety measures did not meet the required parameters. What happened is a matter of investigation and nobody knows the exact cause as yet.

The immediate challenge is to remove the material and rescue the workers.

IMAGE: The rescue operation is underway. Photograph: ANI Photo

It has been a herculean task to push the pipe through the debris to get food to the workers and work has been going to insert a wider pipe so that the workers can be extracted.

What are the difficulties of drilling in such circumstances?

Strong drilling equipment is required to penetrate through the high pressure debris that extends for about 50 to 60 metres with a lot of overburden.

It requires sophisticated heavy machinery that has to be moved into the mountains which is not an easy task. The instruments and heavy machinery needed for the rescue had to be transported from elsewhere because they did not expect that such an accident could occur.

Those involved in the rescue must be assessing the situation and dealing with the situation appropriately.

Part 2 of the Interview: 'We repeat the same mistakes'

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
'The good governance which the Congress government claims has resulted in a regime where women in Rajasthan are afraid to go out of their homes.'

IMAGE: Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Diya Kumari is welcomed at an election meeting. All Photographs: Kind courtesy Diya Kumari

She is a princess with a difference.

Diya Kumari is the daughter of the late Brigadier Bhawani Singh, the former maharaja of Jaipur who received the Maha Vir Chakra for his gallantry in the 1971 War.

Brigadier Bhawani Singh's only child married a commoner -- Narendra Singh, an employee at Jaipur's City Palace -- and after 21 years of marriage that produced three children, divorced him.

Bhawani Singh adopted his daughter's son Padmanabh Singh who became the titular maharaja of Jaipur after his grandfather's death.

Diya Kumari joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2013 at the behest of Vasundhara Raje, herself the maharani of Dholpur in Rajasthan and a daughter of the Scindia royal family in Gwalior.

Diya Kumari contested the 2013 assembly election from Sawai Madhopur, of which the famous Ranthambhore tiger national park is a part, and defeated Dr Kirori Lal Meena, the powerful Congress nominee.

Dr Kirori Meena, a leader of the agriculturist tribal Meena community, is now in the BJP. The Rajya Sabha member has been asked by the BJP's central leadership to contest the Sawai Madhopur seat in the current assembly election, and Diya Kumari has campaigned for Dr Meena there.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, Diya Kumari was assigned the Rajsamand constituency even though she wanted to contest her native Jaipur seat.

Rajsamand is a very complex Lok Sabha constituency with eight Assembly segments spread over four far-flung districts.

With a Modi wave to favour her, she scored an emphatic victory over Deokinandan of the Congress by 550,000 votes.

"She would travel from one segment to the other touching the four districts' various villages and look after the people's needs," says Parbat Singh Rawat, a resident of Bhim, an assembly segment of the Rajsamand Lok Sabha constituency..

"She would meet Union ministers to get her job done and she got a number of roads and rail projects cleared that not only made her popular, but her performance was rated one of the best among the 25 Lok Sabha members from Rajasthan," adds Rawat.

Diya Kumari wanted to continue in national politics, but was surprised when the party told her to contest the 2023 Vidhan Sabha election from the Vidyadhar Nagar constituency in Jaipur.

This seat was represented thrice by Narpat Singh Rajvi, the late BJP titan Bhairon Singh Shekhawat's son-in-law.

Rajvi, who is seen as close to Vasundhara Raje, was first denied an election ticket, but then shifted to Chittorgarh, a constituency which he once represented in the state assembly.

The Congress has again fielded Sita Ram Agarwal, a businessman, who lost to Rajvi in the 2018 assembly election by a big margin, against Diya Kumari, whose victory is seen as a foregone conclusion.

Some political observers have speculated that if the BJP wins the assembly election in Rajasthan, Diya Kumari could well be the state chief minister, instead of the hugely popular Vasundhara Raje who is not known to enjoy the confidence of Narendra D Modi and Amit A Shah, the BJP's most powerful leaders.

Rediff.com Senior Contributor Prakash Bhandari spoke to Diya Kumari on the campaign trail in Vidyadhar Nagar, a newly developed colony which has been named after the main architect of Jaipur, Vidyadhar Bhattacharya who designed the Pink City 296 years ago.

What was your reaction when you were asked by the party to contest the Vidhan Sabha election?

In the BJP, we are all soldiers of the party, and do whatever is instructed for the organisation.

I have been in state politics earlier also. If the BJP leadership decided to field me as a Vidhan Sabha candidate this time, I welcome their decision.

My focus now is to win this election with a huge margin.

My end goal always remains to serve the people of my constituency, whether it was as an MLA in Sawai Madhopur, as a member of Parliament in Rajsamand and now in Vidyadhar Nagar in Jaipur, my home city.

IMAGE: Women folk meet Diya Kumari.

Don't you think it is a big change from national to state politics?

I don't consider it much of a change as the aim remains the same -- to serve the people.

You did a lot for the Rajsamand Lok Sabha constituency. Don't you think the people of Rajsamand are unhappy as you have been fielded for the Vidhan Sabha elections leaving your unfinished work in Rajsamand?

Development work in any constituency is dynamic and continues on a regular basis. I did the same in Rajsamand, and before that in Sawai Madhopur.

I was fortunate to have guidance from senior party leaders who helped me a lot in achieving results of my work and implementation of many historic projects in the Rajsamand Lok sabha constituency.

IMAGE: Diya Kumari at an election meeting in Vidyadhar Nagar.

You started your political career in 2013. What was your experience as an MLA?

Whether one is working for a Lok Sabha constituency or Vidhan Sabha constituency, the primary objective is always to work for the people of one's constituency and proactively try and develop the region by way of improved infrastructure. My experience as a MLA was fulfilling.

Your father Maharaja Saheb Sawai Bhawani Singh of Jaipur was in the Congress. Why did you opt to join the BJP?

My late father stood for election on the late Rajiv Gandhi's personal request.

I joined the BJP because I was convinced that under the leadership of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the country is going from strength to strength.

Apart from widespread corruption, there was hardly any development work in Rajasthan in Congress regimes.

What the country has achieved in the last ten years is absolutely amazing in almost all the sectors.

IMAGE: Diya Kumari embraces a supporter.

What are your development plans for Vidyadhar Nagar?

Parts of Vidyadhar Nagar is still undeveloped. The Congresss claim that the Ashok Gehlot government has sanctioned Rs 800 crore (Rs 8 billion) development work in the area in the last five years, but I have not been able to see any change.

Roads, water, sewers, sanitation, and even Internet connectivity is the issue in the area.

If this is the Congress development model, then they should pack their bags from Vidyadhar Nagar forever.

My plan for my constituency includes getting a satellite cum trauma hospital and a government college for the area.

Beside this, infrastructure and road bottleneck are the major issues which need to be addressed.

Since the MLA from Vidhyadhar Nagar was from the BJP, and the state government was that of the Congress, there was hardly any development work undertaken in Vidhyadhar Nagar.

What were the failures of the Gehlot government?

The list is extremely long. But the primary failure is the total collapse of law and order in the state, including crimes against women.

Only three days ago, police personnel raped a four-year-old girl, and this was not the first such incident.

From unemployment to the leaks of question papers in the state service examinations, it is there for everyone to see.

This government has failed the youth. People are eagerly waiting to remove the corrupt Congress government.

IMAGE: A child supporter welcomes Diya Kumari.

The Congress says there is no anti-incumbency against the Ashok Gehlot government.

It is an absolutely false claim.

Cases are being reported where even policemen are raping women while Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot sits on his laurels holding the home minister portfolio.

The youth sees no future in Rajasthan as paper leaks have demoralised them to the core.

The people of Rajasthan know the ground reality and it will reflect in the election results.

People are smart and politically aware. They will vote this government out.

IMAGE: Diya Kumari with supporters.

The people and party are sure you will win by a thumping majority.

There will be an overwhelming win for the BJP in Rajasthan. Looking at the response of the people to my campaign, I am quite sure that I am going to win with a huge margin.

Nevertheless, I will not take my campaign lightly. I am very proud of my BJP workers who are slogging day in and day out to achieve a vast majority.

We are not taking anything for granted.

IMAGE: Diya Kumari worships at a shrine.

Are you in the running for the chief ministership?

This is a speculative question which the media asks to make their headlines. After the results are out, the BJP leadership will decide who will lead the government in the state.

If the party asks you to contest the Lok Sabha election in 2024 from Jaipur or Rajsamand, what would you prefer?

This is again a speculative question. We will cross the bridge when we come to it.

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
'Hinduism meshed with his sense that the world was paradoxical and puzzling.'

IMAGE: Robert Downey Jr as Lewis Strauss and Cillian Murphy as Dr J Robert Oppenheimer in Christopher Nolan's film.

Earlier this year, Director Christopher Nolan released his biopic of American physicist J Robert Oppenheimer.

Based on Kai Bird and Martin J Sherwin's American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J Robert Oppenheimer, Nolan's film reignited interest in the life of the 'Father of the Atomic Bomb' and reinitiated a discussion around the development of nuclear weapons and the role of scientists in it.

Ray Monk has also written a comprehensive and authoritative life story of Oppenheimer, Inside the Centre: The Life of J Robert Oppenheimer.

What makes Professor Monk's book stand out amongst other biographies of Dr Oppenheimer is the fact that it focuses as much on his life as a physicist as on his role as director of the Manhattan Project.

In an e-mail interview with Rediff.com's Utkarsh Mishra, Professor Monk discussed various aspects of Dr Oppenheimer's life, including his love for Hinduism and ancient Indian scriptures, about which he has written in the book that Dr Oppenheimer 'found it so inspiring that he learned Sanskrit in order to read them in their original language'.

About the controversial scene in the movie that was later censored in India, Professor Monk said it was "very embarrassing and looked silly".

Your book is called Inside the Centre because, as you have written, Dr Oppenheimer 'always liked to be at the centre'. And it was this quest to be at the centre that got him involved in the Manhattan Project.

But more interesting was to read that it was an accidental revelation about the project to build an atomic bomb, followed by Ernest Lawrence's repeated insistence, that led to his inclusion.

Was he not so crucial for the project? How appropriate, then, is it to call Oppenheimer the 'father of the atomic bomb'?

He was absolutely crucial to the project.

(Lieutenant General Leslie Richard) Groves insisted on having him, which turned out to be the best decision Groves ever made.

What made Oppenheimer the man for the job? Several things: One, his incredibly quick intellect, which could get to the heart of a problem faster than anyone else; two, his breadth of interest which meant that he could discuss all aspects of the project with a wide range of experts and finally, his determination to get the job done.

You write about Oppenheimer losing touch with his subject in the summer of 1941. Did he feel that he would never be 'at the centre' if he was not included in a military project?

What would have been Oppenheimer's legacy had he been kept out of the Manhattan Project? As you mention, perhaps he would have got the Nobel Prize for his work on black holes if he took it further.

If he had lived longer, he would have got the Nobel Prize for his work on black holes when empirical evidence started to be discovered.

I doubt that he would have worked on black holes, however. I think he would have worked on particle physics and QED (Quantum Electrodynamics).

Your book covers Oppenheimer's work as a theoretical physicist in remarkable detail. And while you call American Prometheus 'a monumental piece of scholarship', you also say that it 'summarises very briefly' Oppenheimer's contribution to physics.

This has also been the case, more or less, with his recent biopic. Do you think the movie has reinvigorated interest in Oppenheimer, but only insofar as his contribution in the making of the bomb, and his other scientific achievements have been relegated to the background?

Curiously, the only bit of Oppenheimer's scientific work that the movie deals with is his work on black holes -- which is more or less irrelevant to his work on the bomb.

I get the impression that Nolan was not very interested in the science and judged (probably rightly) that his audience wouldn't be either.

Albert Einstein said about Oppenheimer that 'he loves a woman who doesn't love him -- the United States government'. Was this love the reason for Oppenheimer's struggle with his German-Jewish identity? And why did this love not stop him from drifting towards Communism?

I think, for him, his struggle with his German-Jewish inheritance was irrelevant to his love for the USA, but, unfortunately, the antisemitism rife in the USA played a part in his love being unrequited.

I don't think -- in the '30s, at least -- Oppenheimer saw any conflict between Communism and a love for the USA. During the Cold War, of course, it was different, but by then he had severed his ties with the Communist Party.

You have written that Oppenheimer 'felt a sense of belonging in Left Wing circles'. The movie also shows an enthusiastic Oppenheimer joining Communist gatherings, even ignoring the possibility of being put under surveillance.

Did he suppress his affinity towards the Left after being included in the Manhattan Project, or was it some kind of realisation that extinguished his interest in their politics?

He never revealed the full extent of his involvement with the Left.

I think he became disillusioned with Communism for a number of reasons, including the Nazi-Soviet Pact and reports from Russia about what it was like to live and work under Communism.

You say that Oppenheimer was 'extraordinarily good at not revealing things about himself'. So, what does the Chevalier episode tell about him, which he himself later termed as his 'cock and bull story'?

Was he worried that his security clearance would not come and he would be taken off the project?

He was certainly worried about being taken off the project.

He also wanted to shield his friend Chevalier.

He also under-estimated the rigour with which the security services would pursue the matter.

On one hand Oppenheimer was an unapologetic rich man, and on the other, he was attracted towards certain principles of Communism. And in-between he also developed an interest towards Hindu philosophy and scriptures. How did that happen?

I think Hinduism meshed with his sense that the world was paradoxical and puzzling.

I think Communism satisfied certain principles he had acquired from the Ethical Culture movement.

You mention Oppenheimer's meeting with Jawaharlal Nehru in 1950, during which he asked the latter about the 'Hindu notion of control or restraint'. Can you tell us more about that meeting?

Is it true that Nehru offered him Indian citizenship in 1954?

I'm sorry, but everything I know about this meeting is in the book.

Did Oppenheimer regret his role in making the atomic bomb as shown in the movie? Didn't he once say that it is the 'problem of governments, not scientists' how their discoveries are used?

And was his opposition to the H-bomb programme rooted in this regret or was it because he knew that he won't be 'at the centre' of this programme in the same way as he was in the previous one?

He was asked several times if he regretted his work on the bomb and he also said no.

His opposition to the H-Bomb was rooted in: 1. His conviction that it would never be built because it was not feasible, 2. His view that no sane person would use a bomb thousands of times more powerful than the atomic bomb so it was therefore pointless to try to build it.

There was controversy in India over a scene in the movie where the character playing Jean Tatlock makes Oppenheimer's character read verses from the Gita during an intimate moment.

I found the scene very embarrassing.

Nolan is in many ways a great director, but I don't think he handles intimacy very well.

This was supposed to be an intimate, sexy moment but it just looked silly.

Oppenheimer is currently available for streaming on rent (for Rs 149) on Amazon Prime Video.

You can rent a 4K version on ZEE5 for Rs 169.
The uncle of Havaldar Abdul Majid who was killed in an encounter with the terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district said he feel proud of his nephew's martyrdom.

IMAGE: Security personnel recover the body of the terrorist killed in ongoing Rajouri encounter, in Rajouri, November 23, 2023. Photograph: ANI Photo

Majid, a para commando, was among four army personnel killed in the operation against the terrorists in the Dharmsal belt's Bajimaal area on Wednesday.

We are proud of his martyrdom while fighting terrorists in the Kalakote area. His brother, a soldier of the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry, also achieved martyrdom in 2017 in Bhimber Gali area of Poonch. We are ready to lay down our lives for the nation," Majid's uncle Mohmmad Yousef said.

Majid's family lives in the Ajot hamlet located between zero-line and border fencing along the LoC.

Two terrorists, including a top Lashkar-e-Tayiba commander trained in Afghanistan, were killed in a gunfight with security forces in Rajouri on Thursday.

Yousef who retired as a soldier of the army's Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry said that we are a family of the soldiers living on the LoC to defend the nation.

"We have 30 to 40 family members who are serving or have retired from the Indian Army. Serving in the Army is in our blood. My son is also serving in the forces. It feels proud to be a soldier, he said.

Angered over the repeated mischievous acts of Pakistan, the former soldier calls for a befitting reply to the neighbouring nation so that they do not dare to repeat it again.

Hundreds of people and relatives thronged the Majid's house to stand by his family and were proud of his martyrdom.

Majid's wife said he had told her about his visit to home in the next few days but news of his martyrdom has rattled her.

Just a day ago he called me and told me that he will soon visit home. I called him a number of times yesterday but his mobile was off. In the evening, I was told by the Army that he was injured in an encounter and is in hospital, she said.

Sunil Kumar Sharma Naib Sarpanch Ajote said that the entire belt is proud of him.

"Our son and brave jawan has achieved martyrdom in an encounter in Kalakote. Entire area is proud of him".

"Pakistan is everyday engineering mischief and killing innocent people here. Pakistan should be given a befitting reply so that they don't dare to repeat such acts, Sharma said.

Those who lost their lives in the Wednesday encounter include Captain M V Pranjal of 63 Rashtriya Rifles, a resident of Karnataka, Captain Shubham of the Special Forces, resident of Agra in Uttar Pradesh, Havaldar Abdul Majid of the Special Force, a resident of Poonch in J-K, and Lance Naik Sanjay Bist of Nainital in Uttarakhand.
Breaking her silence on the 'cash-for-query' allegation against Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, party chief Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said that plans were in the works to expel her from Parliament but any such action would help the lawmaker from Krishnanagar ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

IMAGE: Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra. Photograph: PTI Photo

Last week, Moitra, who is facing recommendations for expulsion from Lok Sabha, was tasked with strengthening the party's organisation in Nadia district, in a clear message of support from the TMC.

"Now, they are planning to expel Mahua (from Parliament). She will become more popular as a result. Whatever she used to say inside (Parliament), she will now say those things outside. Would anyone do something like this three months before the elections if he is not stupid?" Banerjee said, addressing a special session of the party at the Netaji Indoor Stadium.

Bharatiya Janata Party MP Nishikant Dubey had forwarded a complaint against the Trinamool Congress member by lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, accusing her of taking bribes for asking questions in the House at the behest of businessman Darshan Hiranandani.

The Lok Sabha Ethics Committee, headed by BJP MP Vinod Kumar Sonkar, submitted its report on the allegation against Moitra to the speaker's office earlier this month.

The report, adopted by a majority in the Committee, recommended Moitra's expulsion from the House, accusing her of accepting 'illegal gratifications' to raise questions in Parliament at the behest of the businessman.
Satellite Images Show Bhutans Secret State-Owned Bitcoin Mining Facilities

Disclosure: Crypto is a high-risk asset class. This article is provided for informational purposes and does not constitute investment advice. By using this website, you agree to our terms and conditions. We may utilise affiliate links within our content, and receive commission.

Satellite images have uncovered Bhutans undisclosed state-owned Bitcoin (BTC) mining operations.

The landlocked Himalayan nation, known for its seclusion and breathtaking landscapes, has transformed itself into a crypto haven under the rule of King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, according to a recent analysis by Forbes.

The report noted that Bhutans government has allocated land, funding, and energy to these secret mining facilities, hoping to mitigate an impending economic crisis.

However, the exact locations and extent of these operations have remained a mystery until now.

Forbes, which previously reported on Bhutans multimillion-dollar bitcoin portfolio, has identified four mining sites through sources knowledgeable about Bhutans crypto investments and satellite imagery from Planet Labs, Satellite Vu, and Google Earth.

Bhutans #Bitcoin mining secret revealed! Hidden mines in Bhutan for #BTC

Forbes uncovers using satellites 

Aim: Boost economy & tackle crisis 

Big energy usage increase, signaling large-scale mining 

Hashrate at all time high suggesting more nation state  Quinten | 048.eth (@QuintenFrancois) November 22, 2023

These images reveal long rectangular mining units, data center cooling systems, and high-capacity power lines and transformers connecting Bhutans hydroelectric plants to the mining sites.

These facilities have never been publicly disclosed.

One of the facilities, considered the pilot location for Bhutans Bitcoin mining endeavors, was constructed near Dochula Pass.

This area holds cultural and political significance as it houses 108 memorial shrines dedicated to fallen Bhutanese soldiers.

Satellite imagery indicates that construction began in 2020 and seemingly finished in late 2022.

The site is concealed within miles of forest, hidden from casual observers despite its proximity to a busy highway.

Another mining site is located near Trongsa, the ancestral seat of the current Wangchuck dynasty, while a third is situated in the densely forested district of Dagana.

Failed Government Project Becomes Largest BTC Mining Facility



The largest and most significant mining facility is positioned on the site of a failed $1 billion government project called Education City.

The project aimed to establish an international center for education and knowledge but was abandoned due to scandals and mismanagement.

The Bitcoin mine on this site is concealed behind mountainous terrain but is betrayed by transformers and power lines.

Historical satellite imagery reveals that its construction began in December 2021.

Bhutans sovereign investing arm, Druk Holdings & Investment (DHI), confirmed the existence of these mines but declined to disclose their locations, citing commercial sensitivity.

The countrys government, including the Ministry of Finance, has remained tight-lipped about its cryptocurrency activities.

DHI, which also oversees Bhutans flagship airline, hydroelectric power plants, and a cheese factory, has not provided detailed information on revenues or investment in bitcoin mining.

Bhutans interest in bitcoin mining arose as a response to the economic challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

With tourism revenues and hydropower exports to India severely impacted, the country sought alternative solutions.

Bhutanese officials began engaging with bitcoin miners and suppliers in 2020.

The country experienced a significant surge in power usage by the industry in 2022, along with a substantial increase in imports of chips used for Bitcoin mining.

While the identified state-owned mines represent a significant development, they may not be Bhutans largest.

The country recently partnered with Singaporean Bitcoin mining giant Bitdeer for a 600 MW facility in the town of Gedu.

This partnership aims to create 300 to 400 jobs and establish a new computing sector in Bhutan. Bitdeer has been actively seeking investors for a $500 million green crypto mining fund.

Despite economic challenges and the need for reforms, Bhutan remains committed to blockchain-based solutions.

The country recently unveiled an experimental decentralized digital identity app, with the crown prince serving as the first test subject and digital citizen.
The 26-year-old Indian doctoral student died after being shot inside a car in the US state of Ohio, in an incident described by his medical university as "sudden, tragic and senseless".

Image used for representational purpose only. Photograph: Alyson McClaran/Reuters

Aaditya Adlakha was a fourth-year doctoral student in the molecular and developmental biology programme at the University of Cincinnati Medical School, according to a statement from the medical school, WXIX-TV reported.

Adlakha died earlier this month at the UC Medical Center, according to the Hamilton County Coroner's Office.

On November 9, Cincinnati Police Lt. Jonathan Cunningham said officers found a man shot inside a vehicle that crashed into a wall on the upper deck of the Western Hills Viaduct.

ShotSpotter, a gunfire locator service, reported there was gunfire in the area around 6:20 am, the police said.

Drivers passing by called 911 to report a vehicle that had bullet holes in it with a person inside who had been shot, said Cunningham.

Adlakha was transported to UC Medical Center where he was in critical condition and was pronounced dead two days later.

No arrests have been made since the shooting was reported, local media reports said.

"Today, you might have seen news reports of his sudden, tragic and senseless death. Those who knew him, along with fellow students and others who may not have had the fortune to have met Aaditya, may experience a wide variety of reactions, which are understandable and expected," senior vice president of health affairs and dean, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Andrew Filak said.

"He was much-loved, exceedingly kind and humorous, intelligent and sharp, whose research was described as novel and transformative. The focus of his work was to better understand neuroimmune communication and how neuroimmune interactions might contribute to pain and the inflammatory landscape in ulcerative colitis." Filak was quoted as saying by WLWT.com, a television station in Cincinnati.

Adlakha came to Cincinnati from north India to continue his education in medicine. He got his bachelor's degree in Zoology in 2018 from Ramjas College of the University of Delhi in New Delhi.

He received his master's degree in physiology in 2020 from All India Institute of Medical Sciences, also in New Delhi.

His vehicle was hit multiple times.

There were at least three bullet holes visible in the driver's side window.

"As a college and as Aaditya's academic home, we extend our deepest condolences to his family and to those who knew him as a friend and colleague," the Cincinnati Enquirer quoted the medical school as saying.
On Thursday, November 23, 2023, Peoples Democratic Party workers staged a protest against the electricity crisis in Kashmir.

The protestors wanted to march to Lal Chowk, but were prevented by the police and the protest was carried out outside the PDP office in Srinagar.

Congress workers too were stopped by the police when they tried to take the protest to Maulana Azad road.

The Kashmir valley is facing a shortage of electricity at the beginning of the long winter.

All Photographs: Umar Ganie for Rediff.com IMAGE: Senior PDP leaders being stopped by the police during their protest.

IMAGE: Police stop senior Congress leaders from marching ahead.

IMAGE: Congress leaders hold placards against the power crisis, here and below.

IMAGE: PDP women leaders and workers hold placards during the protest.

Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff.com

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
The 41 workers trapped in Uttarakhand's Silkyara tunnel for the last 11 days are likely to be rescued in the next few hours or by tomorrow, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) member Lt Gen (retd) Syed Ata Hasnain said on Thursday evening.

IMAGE: Rescue workers speak to the media on the ongoing operations at the Silkyara tunnel site, Uttarkashi, November 23, 2023. Photograph: ANI Photo

The drilling work to pull out 41 trapped workers encountered obstacles, which resulted in a temporary stoppage of rescue efforts.

"I expect that in the next few hours or by tomorrow, we will be successful in this operation," Hasnain said in a media briefing.

The NDMA member also said that the horizontal drilling to rescue workers may face 3-4 more hurdles.

He also noted that it would not be fair to speculate on the timeline for rescue operations as it is just like fighting a war.

Hasnain further said that 41 ambulances, one each for trapped workers, are in place at the tunnel site, and also facilities are in place to airlift workers in serious condition.

The men have been trapped for the past 11 days after a portion of the under-construction tunnel on the Uttarakhand Char Dham route collapsed, cutting off its exit.

Rescue operations to evacuate the workers resumed on Thursday morning after an overnight hurdle delayed the drilling by several hours.

Hasnain further said the workers trapped inside are safe, and there is no shortage of light or oxygen. Food, water, clothes and medicines are being supplied to them.

According to him, a better communication channel with the workers has now been established, due to which the authorities, including psychosocial workers, are able to directly talk with the trapped men.

Hasnain said National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams are at the site, conducting rehearsal and practice for the recovery of the trapped men.

"When the rescue is done, a medical checkup of workers will be done; anyone with a serious medical condition will be airlifted and flown to AIIMS, Rishikesh," he added.

The NDMA member also said that equipment and resources that were being supplied from different places are being continued.

"As soon as the machines arrive, efforts through other means will also start, in the interest of having redundant options available, in case the primary approach through horizontal drilling does not meet with success," he said.

According to the government's latest media bulletin, NHIDCL has resumed horizontal boring from the Silkyara end to rescue workers using an Augur boring machine.

A metallic object (lattice girder rib) was encountered in the front of the pipe and the pipe could not be inserted further. Cutting of Metallic object (lattice girder rib) using gas cutters has been completed at 0230 hrs.

The trenchless team entered into pipe manually twice to confirm the clearance of the rescue pipe.

The media bulletin said the pushing of the 9th pipe started at 1310 hrs, and the pipe reached to additional 1.8 metres.

Besides, the fabrication of a protective canopy for the drilling machine is underway.

The government has undertaken a five-option action plan to rescue the workers and five agencies namely Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, Sutluj Jal Vidyut Nigam, Rail Vikas Nigam, National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation, and Tehri Hydro Development Corporation have been assigned specific responsibilities, working collaboratively with occasional task adjustments for operational efficiency.

THDC has initiated the construction of a rescue tunnel from the Barkot end, with four blasts already completed, resulting in a 9.10-metre drift. Efforts are being made to carry out three blasts per day.

Equipment for micro tunnelling required for horizontal drilling to rescue labourers has reached the site. Platform likely to be completed by November 24, 2023. Equipment is to be set up by November 25, 2023.

Work is underway to create a drift inside the tunnel, with a safe channel established from 180 metres to 150 metres.

The Army is mobilising box culverts for this purpose. Fabrication of frames has started.

BRO has completed the construction of an approach road for vertical drilling by SJVNL and RVNL. It is also building an approach road for ONGC with geological surveys conducted by the oil company. It has also made an access road of 300 metres.

The area of entrapment, measuring 8.5 metres in height and 2 kilometres in length, is the built-up portion of the tunnel, offering safety to the labourers with available electricity and water supply.

Silkyara tunnel, about 30 km from the district headquarters of Uttarkashi and a seven-hour drive from the Uttarakhand capital Dehradun, is part of the ambitious Char Dham all-weather road project of the central government.
Four soldiers from the Indian Army made the supreme sacrifice for the Motherland during an encounter with terrorists in the Baaji Maal area, Kalakote sub division, Rajouri district in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, November 22, 2023.

IMAGE: Security personnel stand guard at the site. All photographs: ANI Photo

IMAGE: Security personnel cordoned off the area.

IMAGE: Two or three terrorists are trapped at the encounter site.

IMAGE: Security personnel and their vehicles at the site.

IMAGE: Another view of the site in Rajouri.

Photographs curated by Anant Salvi/Rediff.com

Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com
Brattleboro, VT (05301)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this morning will give way to cloudy skies and rain during the afternoon. High 49F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Rain showers this evening with mostly cloudy conditions overnight. Low 34F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
Brattleboro, VT (05301)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this morning will give way to cloudy skies and rain during the afternoon. High 49F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Showers early with some clearing overnight. Low 34F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
Vienna-Based Raiffeisen Bank Expands Services to Include Crypto Trading

Disclosure: Crypto is a high-risk asset class. This article is provided for informational purposes and does not constitute investment advice. By using this website, you agree to our terms and conditions. We may utilise affiliate links within our content, and receive commission.

Austrias Raiffeisen Bank is set to launch crypto trading services in 2024, joining a slew of European banks breaking into the digital asset custody business.

The 130-year-old bank announced plans for the service in April upon signing a letter of intent to collaborate on the offering with with crypto trading platform Bitpanda. At the time, the bank claimed it would be the first traditional credit union in the European Union (EU) to include crypto within its digital investment offering.

At first, the service will only be offered to retail customers in Vienna, in contrast to other crypto-curious banks beginning with a focus on institutional clients. We are starting in Vienna where about a quarter of Austrias population lives, said Curt Chadha, the banks head of innovation, in an interview with CoinDesk. He added:

The customer can use their mobile device to enter Bitpanda through the Raiffeisen app. The experience will be familiar, so confirming a trade will work exactly like an account-to-account bank transfer with the same sort of security customers are used to.

Raiffeisen Bank boasts 16.7 million customers across Austria and Central and Eastern Europe, supported by roughly 45,000 employees, according to its website. Its international business holds $224 billion in assets under management.

Its entry into crypto custody follows an announcement from Commerzbank earlier this month that the German banking giant became the first full-service bank in the country to receive a crypto custody license from regulators.

A week prior, Britains HSBC confirmed it would launch crypto custody for tokenized securities next year in partnership with the Ripple-owned digital asset custody firm Metaco.

The Importance of Regulation



Throughout the year, the continents lawmakers and regulators have helped clear a path for crypto as a regulated financial industry, creating a more welcoming environment for legacy financial players.

Raiffeisen Banks partner, Bitpanda, launched in 2014 with a focus on enabling traditional banks and Fintechs to launch stock, ETF, and crypto custody services within a regulated venue.

Recent events have once again shown that regulatory compliance must not be seen as a barrier to growth, stated BitPanda over X on Thursday. We firmly believe that a collaborative approach to regulation is crucial for the long-term success of the crypto industry.

Earlier this week, Binance was fined $4.3 billion by the U.S. Department of Justice for failing to comply with anti-money laundering requirements.
Women have 'a unique role' and should embody 'traditional values, he says.

A couple takes a selfie as they take the subway to the site of a group wedding during 520 I Love You Day on May 20, 2023 in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of China.

Faced with plummeting marriage rates, flagging births and a rapidly aging population, Chinese President Xi Jinping wants the country's women to step up and embody "the traditional virtues" of marriage and raising children in a bid to "rejuvenate" the nation.

The number of Chinese couples tying the knot for the first time has plummeted by nearly 56% over the past nine years, the financial magazine Yicai quoted the 2023 China Statistical Yearbook as saying, with such marriages numbering less than 11 million in 2022.

Young people are increasingly avoiding marriage, having children and buying a home amid a tanking economy and rampant youth unemployment, part of an emerging social phenomenon known as the young refuseniks  people who reject the traditional four-fold path to adulthood: finding a mate, marriage, mortgages and raising a family.

A recent poll on the social media platform Weibo found that while most of the 44,000 respondents said 25-28 is the best age to marry, nearly 60% said they were delaying marriage due to work pressures, education or the need to buy property.

Georgetown University student Chelsea Yao, 22, who hails from the southern city of Guangzhou, said she doesn't find the prospect of marriage at all enticing after enduring years of restrictions under the zero-COVID policy.

"It may look like a peaceful family, but parents actually have a lot of conflict," she said. "In the end, marriage is about everyone living together ... when you grow up and realize what it's actually like, it seems a little unnecessary," Yao told RFA Mandarin, adding that antagonism between men and women seems to be intensifying in todays China.

"Rather than making how you feel dependent on another person," she said, "it's better to focus on what you want to do."

Backing away

Yet Xi, whose 24-member Politburo is the first in decades not to include a single woman, is calling for the political mobilization of women like Yao to step up and compensate.

Backing away from his party's time-honored rhetoric on gender equality that was once a mainstay of its claim to legitimacy, Xi told a recent meeting that women have a "unique" role to play in the nation's return to family life.

China's President Xi Jinping speaks at an event on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders' Week in San Francisco, California, Nov. 15, 2023. "We need to ... guide women to play their unique role in carrying forward the traditional virtues of the Chinese nation, he says. Credit: Carlos Barria/Pool/AFP





"We need to ... guide women to play their unique role in carrying forward the traditional virtues of the Chinese nation, establish a good family tradition, and create a new trend of family civilization," Xi told a recent meeting with leaders of the party's All China Women's Federation in comments reported by state news agency Xinhua.

"Only with harmonious families, good family education, and correct family traditions can children be raised and society develop in a healthy manner," Xi said.

"We need to actively cultivate a new culture of marriage and childbearing," he said, including "guiding young people's views on marriage and childbearing" in a bid to reverse the rapidly aging population.

Chinese women should be mobilized "to contribute to China's modernization," Xi told All-China Women's Federation leaders. "The role of women in the ... great cause of national rejuvenation ... is irreplaceable."

Meanwhile, Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang's speech to the five-yearly Chinese Women's National Congress also broke with the party's usual lip-service to gender equality  by not mentioning it at all.

Widening gender gap

The lack of enthusiasm for women's rights has had a real-world impact, too.

When Xi Jinping took power in 2012, China ranked 69th in the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report, which measures policies and suggests measures to address gender inequality. By 2023, the country had fallen to 107th place.

While few women have ever risen to the highest ranks of the Communist Party, Xi's insistence on a domestic role for women is a departure even from the luke-warm, Mao-era rhetoric about gender equality, and the depiction of the party in propaganda films as liberating working class and rural women from the shackles of traditional gender roles, including forced marriage and prostitution.

China's Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang speaks during a meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, July 4, 2023. His speech to this years Chinese Women's National Congress made no mention of gender equality. Credit: Pedro Pardo/Pool via Reuters





In May 2021, Beijing unveiled new plans to boost flagging birth rates and reverse population aging, raising the official limit on the number of children per couple from two to three.

But Chinese women haven't been stepping up to solve the government's population problems as readily as Xi had hoped.

And the current emphasis on traditional Confucian culture appears to have exacerbated gender inequality under Xi, who has also offered little in the way of practical assistance, according to Wang Ruiqin, a former member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference from the western province of Qinghai.

"The liberation of women ... should be fundamentally based on their social status," she said. "But the Chinese Communist Party's claim that women hold up half the sky is really about political expediency."

She said that rather than just calling on women to take more responsibility for marriage and childrearing, the government should put its money where its mouth is.

"The Chinese Communist Party is aware of these problems ... but doesn't actually have any fundamental measures to remedy them," Wang said. "There is no women's liberation, no employment or welfare protections, and the cost of raising children isn't shared by the government."

Obstacles

Chinese women face major barriers to finding work in the graduate labor market and fear getting pregnant if they do manage to get a job, out of concern their employer will fire them, a common practice despite protection on paper offered by China's labor laws.

And the authorities have cracked down hard on women's rights groups and #MeToo activists, detaining five feminists as they planned a campaign against sexual harassment on public transport ahead of International Women's Day 2015 and recently jailing feminist journalist and #MeToo researcher Sophia Huang for "incitement to subvert state power."

A woman holds the hands of her children at the Beijing Railway Station before boarding their train during the travel rush ahead of the upcoming Spring Festival in Beijing, Feb. 2, 2016. Credit: Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters





Despite being stymied by strict censorship and the fear of political persecution at home, Chinese women are finding allies in the international feminist movement, as well as standing with Uyghur women activists overseas.

Xia Ming, political science professor at New York's City University, said Xi's administration has effectively downgraded the status of women, yet resistance continues.

"The social status of Chinese women is in sharp decline, and this is coming from the government, judging by the level of attention it is getting from the highest level of leadership," Xia said.

"They have come up with a total solution for saving their regime's grip on power  to remove women from the labor market entirely," he said.

He said the move comes amid a growing feminist awareness among Chinese women, who are unlikely to go along with the plan quietly.

"China has accumulated a large number of highly capable and talented women, and they are going to be in strong conflict with the system [over this policy]," he said.

Translated by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Malcolm Foster.
Although more than half a century has passed, Kim Sang-jin still remembers when his family placed doenjang, a soybean paste, outside their home on South Koreas Heuksan Island to ferment overnight  only to find it gone the next morning.

Thats how we knew, Kim said, North Korean spies had infiltrated the island.

In the late 1960s, the communist country used Heuksan as a base for espionage operations. South Korean soldiers killed three North Korean infiltrators in 1969, and scenes of gunfire and grenade flashes are etched on Kims memory, as is the fear that pervaded the small community about 90 kilometers (60 miles) west of South Koreas southern coast.

Kim, 80, still lives on Heuksan. His worry now, though, is less about North Korean spies and more about Chinese fishing vessels trolling nearby fisheries. These days, it isnt doenjang that goes missing but the tools of the commercial fishing trade.

The Chinese boats drag and remove our nets, causing substantial losses from our end, Kim said.

South Korea is building a civilian airport on Heuksan Island that could also be used for military operations. Credit: Lee Jeong-Ho/RFA

A call for help

When it comes to Chinas maritime ambitions, much of the worlds attention has focused on its expansive claims to the South China Sea and the so-called nine-dash line, which critics like the U.S. say contravenes international law. Chinese coast guard ships have blocked fishing boats from Vietnam and the Philippines from areas that those governments say are theirs.

Occasional violent clashes in the Yellow Sea have flared up too, but for the most part China and South Korea have settled on an uneasy truce kept together by limited agreements.

But an eastward push by Chinese commercial fishing boats and naval vessels threatens to change the dynamics on the Yellow Sea, and is fueling a growing sense of unease on Heuksan and islands farther north.

Quicker connections

An airport South Korea plans to start building soon on Heuksan is raising some islanders hopes that their government is planning a more robust response.

Its main purpose is to make travel to and from the mainland easier. A trip to Seoul now takes around seven hours by ferry and train; a flight will shorten it to just one. But residents like Kim are also looking to the airport, which will open in 2027, to help the government respond to Chinese fishing boats trying to steal sockeye salmon, mackerel and the other marine bounties from the Yellow Sea.

Although its runway will be too small to accommodate most military aircraft, the airport can support short-takeoff and landing capable C-130s and CN-235s operated by the coast guard. An approval document noted its benefit to maritime patrols.

The airport has potential to enhance maritime and aerial activities, bolstering military security operations, former South Korea air force Maj. Park Kyung-ae, who was also a lecturer at the Joint Forces Military University during her service, told RFA.

Fishermen on Heuksan Island are losing nets to Chinese boats, which drag and remove them, says islander Kim Sang-jin.

Stealing the catch

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, to which both South Korea and China are signatories, grants countries exclusive economic zones up to 200 nautical miles out to sea. But South Koreas and Chinas zones overlap, leaving a measure of ambiguity as to where one countrys territorial rights end and the others begin.

Since 2001, Seoul and Beijing have operated under a provisional measure zone that delineates where fishing boats from each side are allowed to operate. But South Korea says that China has been lax in enforcing the pact, and its fishing vessels frequently venture far to the east, sometimes entering South Korean waters.

In 2014, South Korea estimated that illegal Chinese fishing had cost the country $1.2 billion. Since then, incursions have continued, as Chinese fishers search out seafood beyond the depleted waters surrounding their country.

South Koreas coast guard evicted a total of 2,796 Chinese ships in 2017. That number rose to 20,997 in 2020 before tapering off to 1,504 last year, according to data obtained by RFA through South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik.

China has agreed starting in May 2024 to require fishing vessels from the country to activate automatic identification systems while operating in South Koreas economic zone. The move, aimed at curbing illegal fishing, was announced by Seouls Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries on Nov. 3.

But a sense of unease lingers among Heuksan residents, whose livelihoods are closely linked to the sea and the golden fishing grounds around them. They arent convinced the threat of illegal fishing will be completely removed.

Provocative activity

Military considerations overlap with the commercial concerns. Terence Roehrig, who teaches national security affairs at the U.S. Naval War College in Washington, D.C., said the Chinese Communist Party sees the region as an important security zone.

They view it as an entry point into the Chinese heartland, he told RFA.

A decade ago, China announced that its territory extends east to 124 degrees longitude, a line based on a 1962 treaty with North Korea that the South never signed onto.

Chinese naval ships have approached the 124-degree line more than 200 times in the past five years, said a source in South Koreas National Assembly, who asked for anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the disclosure.

South Korean officials view these actions as Beijings attempt to mark the eastern edge of its maritime border  at a point that would give it authority over about 70% of the Yellow Sea. The National Assembly source said the number of Chinese vessels operating near the line has increased since 2013, when China first unilaterally established its so-called area of operations.

RFA contacted China's Foreign Ministry for comment but did not receive a response by presstime.

China also said that South Koreas navy should not operate west of 124 degrees, a demand the country has ignored as the area is considered international waters and is, for South Korea, a key point from which to monitor North Koreas naval activities.

In a show of force in September, South Korean, American and Canadian navies took part in a Yellow Sea exercise. Though it was widely viewed to serve as a deterrent to North Korea, which remains South Koreas biggest security threat, China called the exercise a provocative military activity.

A navy ship lies in port at Heuksan Island. Credit: Lee Jeong-Ho/RFA

Sinking popularity

Historically, both sides have appeared wary of the risks of escalation, Roehrig said. China may still have hope of drawing South Korea closer to its political sphere. It is perhaps a bit more reluctant to be overly aggressive, as, I think, it has in comparison to the South China Sea, he told RFA.

South Korea, meanwhile, has to consider the economic fallout. China is its largest trading partner, eclipsing both the United States and Japan.

The Heuksan airport itself appears to straddle a middle ground  a primarily commercial purpose that can be used for maritime patrols in a pinch.

But the public may press for more. A Pew Research poll this summer found that 77% of South Koreans had a negative view of China, up from around 50% a decade before.

Roehrig said the maritime disputes may be a factor in the decline, a view thats reflected in interviews with Heuksan residents.

Kim Kuem-hee told RFA that she mostly looks forward to the airports construction for conveniences sake. Having quick access to Seoul, especially for medical visits, would simplify our lives, she said.

But, she added: I hope they can collaborate with the navy to address the issue of Chinese ships in our waters.

Additional reporting by Lauren Kim. Edited by Elaine Chan and Jim Snyder.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un looks on as a rocket carrying a spy satellite Malligyong-1 is launched, as North Korean government claims, in a location given as North Gyeongsang Province, North Korea in this handout picture obtained by Reuters on November 21, 2023.

Russia has likely offered North Korea technological advice for its latest illegal satellite launch, the Souths spy agency said Thursday, weighing in on weeks of speculation of Moscows backing that could expedite Pyongyangs efforts to complete its surveillance system by 2025.

South Koreas lawmaker Yoo Sang-beom told reporters about the affirmation from the nations National Intelligence Service (NIS) following a briefing by the spy agency in the South Korean parliament.

North Korea  which leveraged its strengthened ties with Moscow after a landmark September summit between its leader Kim Jong Un and Russian president Vladimir Putin  had provided Russia with design blueprints and data related to the first and second stages of a launch vehicle, Yoo said.

Russia, in turn, is believed to have shared its analysis results [with North Korea].

Therefore, the success of this launch vehicle is thought to have been aided by Russian assistance, the lawmaker added.

Cheon Seong-whun, a former security strategy secretary for South Koreas presidential office, said Moscows help would aid North Koreas ultimate ambition to launch multiple satellites to spy on the activities of South Korea, as well as its security cooperation with the U.S. and Japan.

Russias technological support clearly aids North Korea in its attempt to secure a complete satellite surveillance system that it vowed to have, Cheon said. As Russia is already a nation with such technological capabilities, it would, no doubt, be beneficial to North Korea.

Kims ambition

Last year, Kim announced his plan to deploy a large number of reconnaissance satellites by 2025, aimed at monitoring what he termed as hostile military activities of the U.S. and its allies, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) had reported.

That plan is being put into action, as evidenced by the statement from North Koreas National Aerospace Development Administration on Tuesday, when it declared that the militarization of space by the allies was compelling Pyongyang to further accelerate our self-defensive space development projects, including the development of military reconnaissance satellites.

The deployment of satellites, Cheon emphasized, is particularly crucial for Pyongyang to maintain its status as a nuclear state. Satellites play a crucial role in demonstrating nuclear power, as they enable the observation of potential targets, the former presidential official said.

In this context, Russias role in aiding such satellite development is considered significant.

North Koreas illegal satellite launch late Tuesday formally marks its initiation of its space ambition, despite international warnings. Rocket technology can be used for both launching satellites and missiles. For that reason, the U.N. bans North Korea from launching a ballistic rocket, even if it claims to be a satellite launch.

A rocket carrying a spy satellite Malligyong-1 is prepared to be launched, as North Korean government claims, in a location given as North Gyeongsang Province, North Korea in this handout picture obtained by Reuters on November 21, 2023. Credit: KCNA via Reuters

As a countermeasure, Seoul on Wednesday suspended some parts of the 2018 inter-Korean military agreement to resume its surveillance. Following Seouls response, Pyongyang declared its complete withdrawal from the 2018 deal, with it pledging to deploy its latest weaponry along the border with South Korea.

The two Koreas had agreed to halt what the other has defined as hostile actions toward one another near the border.

Shortly after the launch, Pyongyang, through a KCNA report, claimed victory for accurately launching a spy satellite into orbit, a feat that was corroborated by the Souths NIS.

More Russian support?

Going forward, the NIS believes that there are additional technological realms where Pyongyang could seek Moscows assistance. The NIS pointed out that one aspect of North Koreas technological shortcomings is in solid-fuelled Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBM), where development of home-grown technology remains at the infancy stage.

Another could be soliciting further assistance to perfect its surveillance system, in light of a lack of definitive proof that demonstrates the full surveillance capabilities of the Norths satellite system, according to the South Korean spies. They remain skeptical of North Koreas capabilities despite claims that its satellite is capturing images of a U.S. military airbase in Guam.

Yoo, citing the NIS, also told reporters that the analysis of debris from North Koreas previous failed reconnaissance satellite launch suggests that the satellite was not advanced enough to be classified as a reconnaissance satellite.

Given that developing new satellites usually takes around three years, it is believed that North Korea still lacks the ability to conduct effective reconnaissance. Concrete evidence, such as the release of images or videos showing the satellite capturing Guam, is needed to verify its capabilities, he said.

In August, North Korea failed for the second time to launch a satellite, three months after an unsuccessful first attempt.

A month later, Kim and Putin met at the symbol of Russian space prowess in Russias Far East, and vowed to form an anti-imperialist united front. Pyongyang often refers to the U.S. and its allies as imperialists.

Earlier this month, the NIS reported that since early August, Russia has acquired over 1 million artillery shells from North Korea. This procurement is perceived as a reciprocal gesture for Russias assistance in providing technology for Pyongyangs satellite launch.

Edited by Elaine Chan and Mike Firn.
The Basic Education High School in Buthidaung townships Thay Kan village is empty due to fighting in Rakhine state on Nov. 23, 2023.

Updated Nov. 23, 2023, 08:15 a.m. ET.

Over 1,000 schools in western Myanmar have been abandoned by pupils, education officials told Radio Free Asia on Thursday.

Escalating battles in northern Rakhine state between the junta and Arakan Army have emptied schools in 10 townships.

In those townships, students are normally sent to some 1,800 schools, now of which only about 650 can operate, said Rakhine states education director Ba Htwe Sein.

Its not that they are closed. Parents in uninhabited villages dont send children to school, he told RFA. Children dont come to school because parents dont let them go. They are worried about the children. We have not ordered the schools to close.

Rakhines education department is telling township education offices to encourage students to go to school and asking schools to run as normal in areas where they can, he added.

On Thursday night, junta-controlled media reported that all schools are open as normal, calling the news of closures in 10 townships fake news even though it was reported by junta-sanctioned officials.

However, locals report that some entire villages have fled because of fighting. One parent from Chein Khar Li in Rathedaung township, said since the Arakan Army and juntas year-long ceasefire ended, children have not been sent to school in conflict-ridden areas.

My daughter is in the fourth grade. She attends Chein Khar Li villages elementary school. Since November 13, the entire village has fled. There is only a school with no teacher at all, the parent said, asking to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals.

Everyone is fleeing. Even if the child wants to go to school, she could not go to school because there is no one to teach her. I am worried about the delay in childrens education.

Since the junta has blocked land and water routes to suppress the Arakan Army, teachers and other school employees cant get to work, he added.

Most educators in battlegrounds are also fleeing for their lives, said one middle school teacher in Pauktaw, where a series of junta attacks since Nov. 16 have led residents to flee en masse.

How can the teachers go to schools? The teachers themselves are fleeing the war. There are no schools anymore, so who is going to teach? she said, asking to remain anonymous to protect herself from reprisals. Even teachers have to flee to save their lives.

Reopening schools seems impossible in the near future, residents told RFA, adding that junta troops are firing heavy artillery every day in Pauktaw.

More than 26,000 people from 4,700 households in Rakhine state have fled due to intense conflict, the United Nation Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported on Friday.

The report also said at least 11 local people have been killed and more than 30 have been injured by heavy shelling in Maungdaw, Mrauk-U, Kyauktaw and Ann townships.

Translated by RFA Burmese. Edited by Mike Firn.

Updated to include denial of school closures by junta-controlled media.
Pakistan has issued an ultimatum to the Afghan Taliban: Expel the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) extremist group from Afghanistan or face the consequences.



Pakistans special representative for Afghanistan, Asif Durrani, repeated the warning on November 11, saying that the Afghan extremist group must choose Pakistan or the TTP.



The Afghan Taliban denies sheltering the TTP, with which it has close ideological and organizational ties. The TTP has intensified its deadly insurgency against Pakistan since the Afghan militants seized power in Afghanistan in 2021.



By refusing to rein in the TTP, Pakistan believes the Afghan Taliban has made its choice. Islamabad has sought to strongarm the Afghan militants by expelling hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees from Pakistan, shutting key border crossings, and temporarily blocking Afghan transit goods in recent months.



Experts said the relationship between Pakistan and the Taliban, which have been close allies for decades, has reached a crisis point. They warn that further escalation could have major security and economic ramifications for both countries.



Pakistan and the Taliban are on a collision course, said Asfandyar Mir, a senior analyst at the United States Institute of Peace.



Pakistan's pressure campaign has the potential to be very painful for the Taliban and the Taliban's retaliatory measures, like letting the TTP undertake even more attacks, can impose serious costs on Pakistan as well, Mir added.



Pressure Tactics



The Afghan Taliban has accused Pakistan of using pressure tactics to make the group bow to Islamabads demands.



Last month, Islamabad ordered 1.7 million undocumented Afghan refugees and migrants to leave the South Asian country or face arrest and forced deportation after November 1.



Over 400,000 Afghans have returned to their homeland since then, in a move that has further aggravated the devastating humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, the worlds largest.

Pakistan said its decision was in direct response to the Taliban's alleged refusal to expel the TTP, also known as the Pakistani Taliban.



"After noncooperation by the Afghan interim government, Pakistan has decided to take matters into its own hands, and Pakistan's recent actions are neither unexpected or surprising," Pakistani caretaker Prime Minister Anwar ul-Haq Kakar said on November 8.



Kakar claimed that terrorist attacks inside his country have increased by around 60 percent since the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan in August 2021. Since then, he said, some 2,300 Pakistanis have been killed in those attacks.



Pakistan also temporarily blocked the transit of thousands of containers filled with imports bound for Afghanistan that were stranded at Pakistans port city of Karachi for months.



To open alternative international trade routes for landlocked Afghanistan, the Taliban has sought access to Iran's strategic Chabahar Port, located in the countrys southeast.



Pakistan has also sporadically closed the border with Afghanistan, stranding thousands of mostly Afghan civilians and halting hundreds of vehicles carrying goods between the two countries.



Pledge Of Allegiance



Some experts said Pakistans tactics are unlikely to change the Afghan Talibans calculations.



Sami Yousafzai, a veteran Afghan journalist and commentator who tracks the Taliban, said it was unlikely that the Afghan Taliban would expel the TTP.



In 2001, the Taliban refused to hand over the Al-Qaeda leaders that Washington held responsible for the 9/11 terrorist attacks. In response, the United States invaded Afghanistan and ousted the Taliban regime from power.



Today, the TTP is a much closer ally, said Yousafzai.



Successive TTP chiefs have sworn allegiance to the Talibans spiritual leader. Like the Afghan Taliban, many TTP fighters are from the Pashtun ethnic group. The TTP also hosted and fought alongside the Afghan Taliban during its nearly 19-year insurgency against the Western-backed Afghan government and international troops in Afghanistan.



The TTP made many sacrifices to enable the Taliban to return to power, Yousafzai said. How can the Taliban abandon them now?



Yousafzai said the Afghan Talibans confrontation with Pakistan has also allowed it to shed its image as a Pakistani proxy. Islamabad has been the Afghan Talibans key foreign sponsor since the mid-1990s, when the extremist group first emerged.



The current tensions give the Taliban a golden opportunity to undo those accusations, he said.



Military Option



Islamabad could resort to military force to compel the Afghan Taliban to change its behavior, according to some experts.



The Afghan Taliban has tried to appease Pakistan. In June, the Afghan Taliban relocated TTP fighters and their families away from the border with Pakistan to other areas of Afghanistan, a move intended to placate Islamabad.



Last year, the Afghan Taliban brokered yearlong peace talks between the TTP and Islamabad that broke down.



Ihsanullah Tipu Mehsud, an Islamabad-based director at Khorasan Diary, a website tracking militant groups in Afghanistan and Pakistan, said that senior Pakistani officials feel they have exhausted all diplomatic and political options.



Here, the current mindset is that the TTP can only be contained through force, he said. One possible option being considered here now is to begin cross-border strikes on suspected TTP bases and hideouts inside Afghanistan.



In April 2022, Pakistan carried out unprecedented air strikes in eastern Afghanistan, killing dozens of people. Pakistan said it was targeting the TTP. The air strikes provoked harsh exchanges, with the Taliban issuing threats against Islamabad.

There have been reports of other Pakistani cross-border attacks that have targeted the TTP over the past year. Some of those incidents have led to the TTP launching retaliatory attacks against Pakistani forces, Mehsud said.



Pakistani attacks inside Afghanistan have raised fears of a direct conflict between Islamabad and the Afghan Taliban.



But experts said they expect the sides to reach a compromise that would prevent a worst-case scenario.



Mir of the United States Institute of Peace said that the Afghan Taliban is unlikely to rein in the TTP unless Pakistan offers concessions to the Pakistani militants.



During the failed peace negotiations with Pakistan, the TTP demanded that Islamabad withdraw a large portion of the tens of thousands of Pakistani troops stationed in northwestern Pakistan, the extremist groups former stronghold.



The TTPs other demands included the implementation of Islamic Shari'a law in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the reversal of democratic reforms in the same province.



Pakistan may settle for less than a Taliban crackdown or expulsion of the TTP, said Mir. But, at a bare minimum, it will want an end to the TTP violence.
The human rights group Memorial has recognized Alsu Kurmasheva, a veteran journalist of RFE/RL's Tatar-Bashkir Service who has been in Russian custody since October 18, as a political prisoner.

Kurmasheva, a Prague, Czech Republic-based journalist with RFE/RL who holds dual U.S. and Russian citizenships, traveled to Russia for a family emergency in May.



She was temporarily detained while waiting for her return flight on June 2 at the airport in the capital of the Tatarstan region, where both of her passports were confiscated. She was not able to leave Russia as she awaited the return of her travel documents.



On October 11, Kurmasheva was fined 10,000 rubles ($103) for failing to register her U.S. passport with the Russian authorities, according to local media reports based on court documents they'd seen.



Kurmasheva was detained again on October 18 and this time charged with failing to register as a "foreign agent," a crime that carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.



The Investigative Committee said Kurmasheva was being charged under a section of the Criminal Code that refers to the registration of foreign agents who carry out "purposeful collection of information in the field of military, military-technical activities of Russia," which, if received by foreign sources, "can be used against the security of the country."



It gave no further details.



The Investigative Committee said its investigation found that while the Russian Justice Ministry did not add her to the list of foreign agents, she failed to provide documents to be included on the registry.



Kurmasheva and RFE/RL have both rejected the charge.

Russia's detention of Kurmasheva, the second U.S. media member to be detained by Moscow this year, triggered a wave of criticism from rights groups and politicians saying the move signals a new level of wartime censorship.



Sergei Davidis, the leader of Memorial's Support of Political Prisoners project, told RFE/RL that Kurmasheva was recognized as a political prisoner because the group considers illegal the Russian Criminal Code's article on foreign agents and its connection with so-called "purposeful collection of information in the field of military, military-technical activities of Russia."



Davidis added that Memorial considered the prosecution and possible conviction of people for failing to carry out "a so-called obligation to voluntarily declare themselves as foreign agents...also illegal."



"That request is illegal because, de facto, it is not about punishment for failure to declare, but for implementation of legal activities. The information in question is not classified and it is not illegal to collect such information," Davidis said, stressing that the Federal Security Service (FSB) had given a vague explanation about what can be considered information banned for collecting.



"Additional to that, we see concrete political goals in [Kurmasheva's] case that were obvious by how the persecution was carried out. First, she was detained and convicted of failure to declare the second citizenship, and after that only, after obvious thinking over and looking for reasons -- they filed the second case," Davidis said.

"This is the first criminal case and arrest of that kind. It explicitly indicates the artificial grounds of the whole construction. This illegal charge was thought over for a long time before it was used. They had searched for something to deprive Alsu Kurmasheva of her freedom," he added.



Russia has been accused of detaining Americans to use as bargaining chips to exchange for Russians jailed in the United States. Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was arrested for alleged spying -- a charge he and the newspaper vehemently deny -- in March.

WATCH: The husband of the RFE/RL journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, who was detained in Russia on October 18, has said she is a "political prisoner."

Since 2012, Russia has used its so-called foreign agent laws to label and punish critics of government policies. It has also been increasingly used to shut down civil society and media groups in Russia since the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.



Amnesty International, the UN Human Rights Office, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and the chairman of the U.S. House of Representative's Foreign Affairs Committee have called for the immediate release of Kurmasheva.



The "foreign agent" law allows authorities to label nonprofit organizations as "foreign agents" if they receive funding from abroad and are engaged in political activities.



RFE/RL says the law amounts to political censorship meant to prevent journalists from performing their professional duties and is challenging the authorities' moves in Russian courts and at the European Court of Human Rights.

More than 30 RFE/RL employees have been listed as "foreign agents" by the Russian Justice Ministry in their personal capacity.



In March, a Moscow court declared the bankruptcy of RFE/RL's operations in Russia following the company's refusal to pay multiple fines totaling more than 1 billion rubles ($14 million) for noncompliance with the law.

Memorial, founded in 1987 to remember victims of Soviet repression, was closed down by Russia's Supreme Court in November 2021 -- citing the "foreign agents" law -- although it still functions outside the country and has managed to continue some activities inside Russia.

Kurmasheva is one of four RFE/RL journalists -- Andrey Kuznechyk, Ihar Losik, and Vladyslav Yesypenko are the other three -- currently imprisoned on charges related to their work. Rights groups and RFE/RL have called repeatedly for the release of all four, saying they have been wrongly detained.

Losik is a blogger and contributor for RFE/RLs Belarus Service who was convicted in December 2021 on several charges including the organization and preparation of actions that grossly violate public order and sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Kuznechyk, a web editor for RFE/RLs Belarus Service, was sentenced in June 2022 to six years in prison following a trial that lasted no more than a few hours. He was convicted of creating or participating in an extremist organization.

Yesypenko, a dual Ukrainian-Russian citizen who contributed to Crimea.Realities, a regional news outlet of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, was sentenced in February 2022 to six years in prison by a Russian judge in occupied Crimea after a closed-door trial. He was convicted of possession and transport of explosives, a charge he steadfastly denies.
Leaders of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) discussed "urgent problems of international and regional security" at a summit in Minsk on November 23 that was notable for the absence of a representative from member-state Armenia.

Belarusian Foreign Minister Syarhey Aleynyk acknowledged before the leaders of Belarus, Russia, Kygyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan gathered for the summit that Armenia's absence meant the lack of a quorum, but he told journalists that all the decisions approved would be "absolutely legitimate."

Aleynyk said he had discussed "issues and mechanisms for approving decisions" with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan in a phone call. The Belarusian minister said that according to the CSTO rules, all decisions are made in consultation with all countries.

"We agreed that after the summit, the secretary-general of the CSTO will visit Yerevan. And, of course, we will pass all the decisions that were finalized here as part of the conciliation commission to our Armenian partners. And we will count on them to join us," Aleynyk said.

The summit was hosted by authoritarian Belarusian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka and attended by Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Kremlin said it "regretted" Armenia's decision to skip the summit amid concerns that Yerevan could pull out of the alliance.

"We hope that Armenia does not change the vector of its foreign policy and remains our ally.... We will continue to talk to them," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told state TV.

Pashinian last year criticized the CSTO for its refusal to support Armenia when it faced "Azerbaijani aggression," saying this had been damaging to the CSTO's image in Armenia and abroad.

Lukashenka said the situation in the Caucasus "and some dissatisfaction of one of the members" of the CSTO had been discussed.

"We will not hide the fact that we also discussed the situation in the Caucasus and the certain dissatisfaction of one of the CSTO members," Lukashenka said. "We have come to the joint conclusion that there have always been problems, there are and there will be problems. But if we are to solve these problems, we should do it at the negotiation table and not through unreasonable demarches.

At the same time he expressed hope that "we will see our Armenian friends" in St. Petersburg at an economic forum.

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Mnatsakan Safarian told reporters in Yerevan earlier on November 23 that Armenia was not considering quitting Russian-led alliances, including the CSTO.

An official statement from the Belarusian president's office said the summit discussed "current problems of international and regional security, definition of new tasks, as well as approval of a number of documents aimed at ensuring the interests of collective security."

Among the decisions made at the summit was the approval of Russian Colonel General Andrei Serdyukov to the post of the head of the Joint Staff of the CSTO. A decision was also made on the allocation of quota positions in the CSTO for the next three years.

It also was decided that the chairmanship of the CSTO will pass from Belarus to Kazakhstan from January 1, 2024.

Additionally, the leaders signed documents on measures to develop the CSTO crisis-response system and approved a new provision on the order of response of the CSTO to crisis situations and on the order of adoption and implementation of collective decisions on the use of forces.

They also approved a regulation on the joint press center of the CSTO and discussed issues related to the strengthening and development of CSTO military cooperation and the organization's budget.

With reporting by AFP
Charlottesvilles own Tom Perriello is giving a boost to Rep. Abigail Spanberger from the left in her bid for the Democratic Partys nomination for governor in 2025.

Spanberger, a three-term Democratic congresswoman who represents the commonwealths 7th District and has sought to position herself politically as a centrist, already has the endorsement of former Gov. Ralph Northam, who defeated Perriello in the Democratic primary for governor in 2017, as well as a growing list of Democratic legislators and local government officials.

Perriello represented Virginias 5th District in the House of Representatives from 2009 to 2011.

Thats a good sign for her, said Larry Sabato, president of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, after Spanberger announced the Perriello endorsement on Wednesday morning. Hes known and hes very much admired on the left.

Currently, Spanberger is expected to face competition for the party nomination from Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney, a political protege of former Gov. Terry McAuliffe, but political commentators say they wouldnt be surprised to see additional candidates. Former House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn, a Fairfax Democrat, was planning a possible gubernatorial run but chose instead to run for the 10th District seat in Congress in an effort to succeed retiring Democratic Rep. Jennifer Wexton of Virginias 10th.

Perriello served one term in the House of Representatives from 2009 to 2011 after defeating Republican Rep. Virgil Goode of the 5th District, a six-term congressman who began his career as a conservative Democrat from rural Southside Virginia, but later became an independent and then a Republican. Robert Hurt, then a state senator from Chatham, defeated Perriello in 2010 and served three terms before leaving Congress in 2017, and Republicans have dominated the red-hued 5th Congressional District ever since.

Im fired up that we Virginians will have a chance to elect Abigail Spanberger as our next governor! Perriello said in the announcement by Spanbergers campaign. Abigail is a leader whose service record demonstrates her willingness to do what is difficult to put her community, commonwealth and country first.

Shes taken on the special interests to deliver cheaper prescription drugs, expanded broadband access and made investments in green jobs, he said. Shes been a bulwark for our fundamental freedoms while also building bridges to fight political corruption and attacks on our democracy.

Perriello, 49, who grew up in the Charlottesville area, served in two diplomatic posts under then-President Barack Obama after losing his congressional seat.

In the 2017 Democrat primary for governor, major Democratic donor Michael Bills backed Northam, while his wife, donor and philanthropist Sonjia Smith, backed Perriello. Bills would found Clean Virginia in 2018.

After losing the gubernatorial nomination to Northam, Perriello led Win Virginia, a Democratic political action committee that helped the party flip 15 seats in the Republican-controlled House of Delegates in 2017.

In 2018, he became executive director of U.S. programs for the Open Society Foundations, a grant-making network founded by international financier George Soros to promote democracy, criminal justice reform and equitable growth for communities of color and immigrants. He left the job in July.

Perriello headed a group of 14 state and local officials who endorsed Spanberger on Wednesday. The group also includes Del. Mark Sickles, a Fairfax Democrat, who will serve in prominent leadership roles for the new Democratic majority in the House of Delegates, including as chair of the Health and Human Services Committee.
Iran's strategy in the Middle East is essentially a take on an old proverb: Give your proxies and partners weapons and you can sustain their battles for a day. Teach them to make weapons and they can fight your enemies for a lifetime.



With Iranian-backed militant groups taking the charge in the Islamic republic's fight against Israel and the United States, Tehran is seeing its effort to help them acquire their own weapons-manufacturing capabilities pay off.



"Iran has established a network of allies and partners throughout the Middle East, from the Huthis in Yemen, to pro-Iranian groups in Iraq, to pro-Iranian groups in Syria, to Hizballah in Lebanon, to Hamas in Gaza," said Samuel Bendett of the Virginia-based Center for Naval Analyses. "And [Tehran] basically feeds some of its technology there directly, or provides kits and parts and other assistance to the local developers from those units, from those groups, and either gives them training in Iran or trains them on their location."



Increasingly, those Tehran-backed militant groups are turning to weapons they have produced themselves, often based on Iranian blueprints or manufactured or assembled with Iran's assistance. "Those groups now have a lot of know-how which was provided to them by Iran," Bendett said. "And they're now using them against the U.S. and its allies in the region."



The Iranian-backed Islamic Resistance Movement -- better known as Hamas and considered a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union -- utilized a vast array of indigenously produced weapons and employed advanced battlefield tactics during its surprise multipronged attack on Israel on October 7 that left around 1,200 people dead.

The Israeli Defense Forces said they recovered Iranian-manufactured mortars and explosives used by the Palestinian extremist group after the assault, and Israeli military officials have reportedly estimated that up to 10 percent of the weapons used in the attack were made in Iran.



But most were produced or refined by Hamas indigenously in the Gaza Strip, including assault rifles, missiles, rockets, mortars, shells, and ammunition, according to Israeli defense officials.



Some of the at least 19 Iranian proxies and partners in the region that help make up Iran's so-called axis of resistance have also used Iranian-derived or indigenously manufactured weapons built with Tehran's help against Israel as well as U.S. troops based in the region since the Hamas assault.



These militant groups boast varying levels of firepower in their respective arsenals made up of Soviet-era, Russian, Iranian, and indigenously manufactured weapons based on Iranian designs. While Iran denies delivering arms to the groups directly, many of the missiles, rockets, and other weapons are similar to those produced by Iran.



Lebanese Hizballah boasts the most formidable arsenal of projectiles among Tehran's proxies -- including its own manufactured or refitted missiles and rockets. Since October 7, Hizballah has launched hundreds of rockets and missiles at Israel.



The Iranian-backed Huthi rebels in Yemen claim to have launched ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as drones, at Israel. On November 8, the Pentagon announced that a U.S. military surveillance drone was shot down off the coast of Yemen by Huthi forces.



In an apparent response to U.S. support for Israel's retaliatory land invasion and aerial bombardment of the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, Iranian proxies in Iraq and Syria have launched 58 attacks against U.S. forces in the past month, according to the Pentagon.



Tehran has denied involvement in the Hamas attack, and in early November Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reportedly pressed Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh to silence those calling for Iran and Lebanese Hizballah to join the Israel-Hamas war.

According to sources cited by Reuters, Khamenei said during the meeting with Haniyeh in Tehran that Iran would continue to offer political and moral support but would not directly enter the conflict.



But Iran has publicly boasted about the military aid it has provided to Hamas in recent years. And despite international sanctions and a sea and land blockade on the Gaza Strip that was imposed by Israel and Egypt in 2005, experts say it is clear that Tehran has provided assistance to boost Hamas's fighting capabilities.

Middle East political analyst Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib told RFE/RL that Hamas built up its arsenal by looting weapons from former stockpiles of the Palestinian Authority or illegally purchasing them decades ago from Israeli sources through straw-man sales, smuggling arms and materials across the border with Egypt, and domestically producing drones, rockets, and various munitions.

But there is little evidence that any seaborne smuggling of arms has taken place since Hamas took power in the Gaza Strip in 2007, he said. And the smuggling from Egypt that reached its height after the Egyptian revolution in 2011 declined sharply after the Muslim Brotherhood government there was overthrown in 2013 and has since "been reduced to a trickle."



Nevertheless, Alkhatib said, "the weaponry and the arsenal that Hamas has right now has been building up for over a decade" and benefited from thousands of tons of smuggled arms and materials that could be used to manufacture its own weapons.



"Even if the smuggling stopped, those are still significant and vast enough to offer Hamas and other groups the ability to inflict damage as we saw on October 7 and as we're seeing in their defensive battle with advancing Israeli ground troops," said Alkhatib, a U.S. citizen from Gaza.



Whereas Hamas historically focused on building up a stockpile of rifles and machine guns, he says, it turned its attention to developing kinetic capabilities -- including mines, targeted explosive warheads, improvised explosive devices, anti-tank missiles, and rocket propelled grenades.



Hamas has also invested heavily in developing longer-range rockets and guidance and targeting capabilities as well as a range of unmanned aerial vehicles, including fixed-wing and weaponized commercial-grade drones.



Hamas had a falling out with Tehran, including over the extremist group's support of the Syrian uprising in 2011, Alkhatib says. But Yahya Sinwar, Hamas's leader in Gaza, realigned the organization with Tehran "because they have realized that without Iran, their military capability won't stand a chance in continuing to evolve."



The realignment "with Iran, with the Syrian regime, and certainly with [Lebanese] Hizballah," he added, "are directly related to Hamas's needs and reliance on Iran to procure materials and, more importantly in the era of limited to no smuggling, technologies and know-how to domestically produce [weapons] systems."



Aided by Iranian weapons blueprints and the use of modern digital platforms for remote training, Hamas has learned how to upgrade old rockets and missiles to expand their range and lethality, he said.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and Lebanese Hizballah have also been able to remotely teach Hamas fighting tactics and how to develop its massive tunnel network. "And, more importantly, Iran is also teaching Hamas how to use strategic capabilities," Alkhatib said, such as how to integrate drones on the battlefield.



"What was particularly spectacular about the October 7 attack," Alkhatib said, "is that Hamas for the first time demonstrated a combined-arms approach to guerrilla warfare, whereby intelligence was linked with the artillery barrage, was linked with the aerial capabilities of using the paragliders, was linked with the ground troops with the elite forces, with the logistical networks to transport the hostages back to Gaza and to send the attacks in waves with internal operational security.



"This was a qualitative leap forward in Hamas's fighting doctrine. And it could have only been learned and developed through assistance from Iran, broadly, and more specifically, its proxies and its arms in the region such as Hizballah and the IRGC," he added.



Elsewhere in the Middle East, Iran's support for proxies and its involvement in the Syrian civil war now leaves it with a significant number of experienced fighters at the ready for future conflicts.



Alkhatib notes that Iran supported hundreds of thousands of Shi'ite militias and fighters in Iraq and Syria, both to support the government of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria and to combat the Islamic State (IS) extremist group alongside Syrian and Iraqi government forces.



"Now that both have been largely defeated, IS and the Syrian rebels, Iran was left with these powerful, battle-hardened, well-trained, well-organized militias that had nothing to do," Alkhatib said. "And so, they have been recycled and repurposed by the IRGC to further bolster the so-called axis of resistance, and to be used in a potential fight with Israel and the United States."
On the steep slope of a glacier jutting through the Hunza Valley in Pakistans mountainous far north, Tariq Jamil measures the ice's movement and takes photos. Later, he creates a report that includes data from sensors and another camera installed near the Shisper glacier to update his village an hour's hike downstream. The 51-year-old's mission is to rally the 200 families that comprise the village of Hassanabad in the Karakoram Mountains, to protect their way of life, which is increasingly in jeopardy due to unstable lakes that are a result of melting glacier ice. When glacial lakes overfill or their banks become unsound, they burst, creating deadly floods that wash out bridges and buildings and wipe out fertile land throughout the Hindu Kush, Karakoram, and Himalayan mountain ranges that intersect in northern Pakistan.

Himalayan glaciers are on track to lose up to 75 percent of their ice by the century's end due to global warming, according to the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). Hassanabad is part of the UN-backed Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) II project to help communities downstream of melting glaciers adapt. After all of the sensors are installed, village representatives will be able to monitor data through their mobile phones, Jamil says. "Local wisdom is very important, we are the main observers. We have witnessed many things." Amid a shortfall in funding for those most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, village residents say they urgently need increased support to adapt to the threats of glacial lake floods. "The needs are enormous," said Karma Lodey Rapten, regional technical specialist for climate change adaptation at the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

Pakistan is the only country to receive adaptation funding from the Green Climate Fund -- the Paris Agreement's key financing pot -- to ease the risk of such floods. While countries like Bhutan have worked with other funders to minimize the threat from glacial lake floods, the $36.96 million GLOF II scheme, which ends this year, is a global benchmark for other regions grappling with this threat, including the Peruvian Andes and China. Since 2017, weather stations as well as sensors measuring rainfall, water discharge, and river and lake water levels have been installed under the administration of Islamabad and the UNDP. GLOF II has deployed speakers in villages to communicate warnings, and infrastructure like stone-and-wire barriers that slow floodwater.

In Hassanabad, a villager regularly monitors the feed from a camera installed high up the valley for water levels in the river by the glacier's base during risky periods such as summer, when a lake dammed by ice from Shisper glacier often forms. With 800,000 people living within 15 kilometers of a glacier, Pakistan is among the world's most at-risk countries. Many residents of Karakoram, the second-highest mountain range in the world, built their homes on lush land along rivers running off glaciers. October floods in neighboring India, most likely caused by a partial glacial-lake burst in the Himalayas, killed 179 people after an avalanche and intense rains. Many are still unaccounted for. An early warning system was being installed near the lake, but it had not been completed.

Deadly Risks Fifteen million people worldwide are at risk of glacial-lake flooding, with 2 million of them in Pakistan, according to a February study published in the scientific journal Nature Communications. From 2018 to 2021, about 14 GLOFs occurred in Pakistan, but that spiked to 75 in 2022, according to the UNDP. Jamils village has experienced close calls from floods, according to residents and officials. Over the past three years, residents have repeatedly evacuated just in time to avoid loss of life, and many fear a flood while they sleep. Others struggled financially as their land and homes were destroyed, most recently in 2022.

In Chalt village, a few hours away, a torrent of black water rushed down the valley last year, sweeping away Zahra Ramzan's 11-year old son, Ali Mohammad.

"I'm in very deep grief. I could not see my son again, even a body," said the 40-year-old. The village has had little information about the risks, residents said. Ramzan gets nervous whenever there is heavy rain or flooding, refusing to allow her surviving children out of sight. In Hassanabad, Jamil is trying to manage these risks. He and 23 other volunteers have been trained in first aid and evacuation planning. Every summer, they keep an eye on the glacier and confer with officials and experts from outside.

They are hoping to receive international financing for 20 times the length of the barrier wall that is currently funded. They also want interest-free loans to rebuild destroyed homes and adapt their housing with stronger material, as well as better mobile reception to access the monitoring feed. A Plea For Adaptation Funding With the UNs COP28 climate summit scheduled to begin on November 30, pressure is ramping up on wealthy countries to fulfill promises to help developing nations. The Green Climate Fund said in October it had raised $9.3 billion, short of its $10 billion target. Wealthy countries are set to meet a broader $100 billion climate-finance pledge to developing countries this year, three years late and short of the actual needs, estimated by the UN at over $200 billion annually by 2030. ICIMOD said changes driven by global warming to glaciers in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region are "largely irreversible." The region has over 200 glacial lakes that are considered dangerous.

Darkut village, also part of GLOF II, sits surrounded by mountains and glaciers above verdant plains where yaks graze. At the bottom of the nearby Darkut Glacier lies a deep turquoise lake. "Until 1978...this whole place was a glacier, [then] the pool of water came later," said 75-year-old Musafir Khan, pointing at the lake that formed as the glacier receded. Unlike the ice-dammed lake at Shisper, Darkut is formed in the soil and rock landscape left by a receding glacier.

In northern Pakistan, such moraine-dammed lakes are linked to comparatively few GLOFs, according to ICIMOD researcher Sher Muhammad, but in other parts of mountainous Asia, they have been associated with higher casualty rates than ice-dammed lakes. The risks of both types of lakes may increase, Muhammad says. Muhammad Yasin, an environmental-sciences graduate researcher at Karakorum International University, is studying the extent to which the Darkut glacier is melting. "We have told the community that risk factors exist in this lake, you should be aware of this," he said. Many families have left over the years after previous flash floods, says Khan, who was born in the remote village, but hundreds rebuilt nearby.
TBILISI -- It was 20 years ago that Georgia's Rose Revolution applied a radical jolt to the country's politics, economy, and foreign policy. For many in Georgia and abroad, the revolution and the man it brought to the presidency, Mikheil Saakashvili, represented a new hope for the poor, isolated country.

But when the anniversary is marked on November 23 -- the day Eduard Shevardnadze, the country's president and Soviet-era leader, resigned -- many in Georgia won't be celebrating. Especially the current leadership.



"The Rose Revolution brought to this country torture, corruption, the loss of 20 percent of our territories," said Irakli Kobakhidze, chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream party, last week. "To celebrate the 20th anniversary is simply shameless."



The degree of vitriol between Georgia's current and former ruling parties is hard to overstate. Georgian Dream, which took power in 2012 after defeating Saakashvili and his United National Movement (ENM), to this day defines itself primarily in opposition to the former regime. Saakashvili, now in jail on a variety of charges from his time in office, calls his successors Russian puppets and says the charges against him are politically motivated.

Polarization in Georgian politics is so deep that the European Union emphasized it as one of the key issues in the country's bid to become a candidate to join the bloc.



That bitter animosity, however, obscures just how much the Georgian Dream government is continuing along the path that the Rose Revolution began to blaze 20 years ago. From foreign policy to resolving its separatist conflicts to the economy, the government today is in significant ways fulfilling the legacy set by its hated enemies.

The divide in Georgian politics "is not really polarization in classical terms like in Western countries, where it is based on ideologies," said Kornely Kakachia, the head of the Tbilisi think tank Georgian Institute for Politics. "In Georgia, what we have is more like personality-driven polarization.... They are just cursing each other, talking about how bad their opponent is, but never talking about issues."



A 2021 study by a group of political scientists for the German Friedrich Ebert Foundation found that the policies of the two main feuding blocs -- Georgian Dream and Saakashvili's ENM -- had more commonalities than differences, especially in terms of economic policy.



Under Shevardnadze's rule, the economy was stagnating and there were widespread allegations of state corruption. Suspicions of vote-rigging in November 2003 parliamentary elections led to thousands of Georgians taking to the streets, culminating on November 22, 2003, with Saakashvili supporters storming parliament, prompting the embattled president to flee.



Elected by a landslide in new elections six weeks later, Saakashvili and his government had a strong ideological vision: a staunchly pro-Western foreign policy and a radically free-market economic policy.

Under his rule, the country became a close ally of the United States and its enmity with Russia deepened to the point that the two fought a war in 2008 over the breakaway territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The economy opened up to such a degree that, in the last year of Saakashvili's rule, the World Bank's Ease of Doing Business rankings placed Georgia ninth in the world.

But Saakashvili and the ENM were voted out in 2012 by Georgian Dream, a diverse coalition assembled by billionaire businessman Bidzina Ivanishvili that had little in common besides a desire to remove a regime that was seen as being increasingly authoritarian. Saakashvili's party was accused of persistent abuses of power, exemplified by a prison-torture scandal that broke shortly before the elections.



What came after Saakashvili, though, did not amount to a drastic change or a new political direction. "Ivanishvili is not a very political person. He doesn't have a vision or any ideology or program," Kakachia said. "This affected the whole Georgian Dream; they were more opportunistic than ENM, which had its own political vision."



Once in office, Georgian Dream did bring in a few policy innovations. Most notably, the new leadership has taken a less confrontational approach toward Russia, even as it continued moving closer to the West at the same time.

In the wake of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Georgian Dream has doubled down on its policy of accommodating Moscow. Just how Georgia should deal with Russia has become the sharpest point of contention in the country's politics.



Lately, Georgian Dream has taken a sharp turn toward social conservatism, embracing rhetoric of "family values" and identity, inspired by the example of Viktor Orban's Hungary. (While Saakashvili and his government were not outspoken liberals, cultural issues played little role in the way they governed.)

But to many Georgians, the similarities between the two regimes still outweigh the differences.

Take the loss of 20 percent of the country's territory that Georgian Dream Chairman Kobakhidze mentioned. It refers to the war over South Ossetia in 2008, which resulted in a Russian invasion of Georgia and Moscow's subsequent recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent republics. Both now host thousands of Russian troops.

While the territories broke away in the early 1990s, well before Saakashvili came to power, the 2008 war cemented the loss. It is one of Georgian Dream's favorite talking points.



But Georgian Dream for the most part follows the agenda set by Saakashvili's government, argues Paata Zakareshvili, who served as state minister for reconciliation and civic equality in the early days of Georgian Dream rule and is now a sharp critic of both regimes.



While the previous government under Shevardnadze had held regular dialogues with representatives of the de facto governments in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Saakashvili halted those talks. "There is no point in talking to Abkhazians and Ossetians. They are nobody. Russia and Moscow decide everything," Zakareshvili said, paraphrasing the previous government's approach. "That was [Saakashvili's] concept."

When Georgian Dream came to power, little changed. "They took the same approach, they just modernized it," Zakareshvili told RFE/RL. The government continues to refuse to talk to the de facto entities, for the most part out of inertia and fear that doing otherwise would expose it to criticism, he says.



"They are afraid to touch this topic," Zakareshvili said. "As soon as Georgian Dream would start talking to [Abkhazians and South Ossetians], the nationalists would say, 'You see, they are carrying out a Russian policy....' They don't have a policy, they only have inaction."



In relation to Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Georgian Dream accepts the premise that Russia is the only party worth dealing with; its innovation is trying to accommodate and placate Moscow rather than confronting it directly, as did the ENM leadership. But both suffer from the same fatal flaw, Zakareshvili notes.

"Russia is a problem. They are 80 percent of the problem, but the other 20 percent is our problem with the Abkhazians and Ossetians. As long as we don't solve this problem, Russia is going to take advantage of it," he said.

Despite Kobakhidze's protestations about the human rights record of the Saakashvili government, many argue that the two regimes are following similar trajectories: an initial opening up and liberalization, followed by gradually increasing authoritarianism.

"With every successive regime, we have returned again and again to a single-party system that controls more and more institutions," President Salome Zurabishvili said in a recent interview. The president was elected to the largely symbolic post in 2018 with the backing of Georgian Dream, but has since become an outspoken critic of the ruling party.

Georgian Dream recently tried to impeach the president over trips she made to the European Union without the consent of the government, but the motion failed to gain enough votes in parliament.



The petty corruption that Saakashvili famously stamped out with a full-scale overhaul of the law enforcement system has been almost wiped out in Georgia, while the high-level variety -- politically connected businessmen getting favorable treatment -- remains present.



But it is in the economic sphere where the continuity between the two parties' time in power is most pronounced. The radical economic changes that the Rose Revolution wrought -- a strong adherence to the free market and deregulation -- if anything have only deepened.

Under Saakashvili, Georgia placed a heavy priority on attracting foreign investment, believing it was the key to attracting the capital required for the country to grow. So, it reduced and simplified taxes and slashed regulations. To woo foreign investors, they touted the fact that the country has no minimum wage. "Establishing a laissez-faire state after the Rose Revolution became one of the central discourses of nation-building," political economist Ia Eradze wrote.



That strategy did attract investors and boost GDP growth, but the benefits did not accrue to ordinary Georgians, Eradze says. And when Georgian Dream came to power and started publishing economic development strategies, they initially criticized the previous government's approach. "And I thought, 'OK, this looks kind of promising, let's see what happens,'" Eradze told RFE/RL. "But then there was really no substantial change."



Toward the end of the Saakashvili era, the government passed the Economic Liberty Act, which enshrined principles of austerity in the constitution. The law made it impossible to significantly raise taxes without a referendum, for example. The law, Saakashvili promised when introducing it, represented "an ambition to turn Georgia into a real flagship of the world liberal economic ideology."



Critics say the law hamstrings the government's ability to manage the economy and, in 2017, there was an effort to revoke it. But, in the end, the government kept it on the books for 12 more years.

"We are still dependent on the agenda that Saakashvili set," said Beka Natsvlishvili, a lecturer of political economy and a former member of parliament in a social-democratic faction of Georgian Dream. (Natsvlishvili pushed for the revocation of the Economic Liberty Act and broke with the party in 2019 over its economic policies.)

"Nobody [in the current government] talks about economic policy, because it is the conventional wisdom that the market would regulate everything, we have this kind of path dependency," he told RFE/RL.



In some ways, Georgian Dream even goes further than its predecessors. This year, the government rolled out a new pension scheme in which individuals themselves have to choose how to invest their retirement savings.

"In the case of pensions, they even deepened the neoliberalism," Natsvlishvili said.



In 2020, the last year the World Bank did its Ease of Doing Business rankings, Georgia had continued to climb, reaching seventh in the world. For a party largely uninterested in economic issues, staying devoted to the free market is the path of least resistance, Eradze says.



"This existing kind of view of development, that as a state you just create all favorable conditions for [foreign direct investment] to come in and then everything just happens on its own -- it's an easy way to think of development," she said. "It can also bring fast revenues. So, you have this kind of immediate result and then, as a prime minister, you can get on TV and tell the population, 'Look, our economy grew' and who cares how."



A more hands-on economic policy, by contrast, takes a lot of work. Eradze says a more actively engaged government would have to work out a policy sector-by-sector, coordinate the actions with the central bank, and implement corresponding education reforms.

"This all has to go hand in hand, and you might see the results after 10 years. I have a feeling nobody wants to put that much effort into it," she said.



Eradze notes that opinion polls consistently show Georgians' top concerns are economic. A new survey, released in mid-November by the International Republican Institute, asked, "What is the most important problem facing our country today?" The top four answers -- representing 67 percent of the responses -- were all economic.



"If you look at our politics and the parties, neither the ruling party nor the opposition really brings up this topic," she said. "It's a huge, huge gap. I don't know how long that can go on."
This Thanksgiving is all about location, location, location  and not just because so many people travel to celebrate.

We count on the fun-size chefs from Bright Beginnings Preschool each year for advice on how to cook the perfect Thanksgiving turkey, and this year, theyre encouraging us to think outside the oven, microwave and fryer. They offer tips for not just how to cook that unforgettable bird, but where.

Charlie R. recommends taking your turkey to the desert, where itll get hot enough to cook itself. Teddy K. favors the dishwasher. Julian D. suggests the ocean  followed by a little follow-up time in the microwave.

Other locations to consider include the forest, a train, a zip line, a trampoline and a washing machine. And if you get tired of thinking outside the box, Jasper A. actually suggests putting the turkey in a box, which Sung is going to heat up for you.

If you do put your turkey in the oven, just set it to self-clean. Ryan F. recommends timing it for 40 minutes.

The students time-honored turkey seasonings, toppings and stuffing ingredients are well represented this year, including sprinkles, pepperoni, cake, strawberries, chicken, pizza and heaps of miniature marshmallows, but fresh ideas this season include purple feathers, stickers, tattoos, a police car and even sugar cookies shaped like turkeys.

Emma S. and her family let their turkey go naked.

As always, I am grateful that you take a few minutes with me this time of year to share a smile and an occasional belly laugh. Theres still time to make reservations if keeping the bird in your teeth for 1,000 hours doesnt quite work.

Thank you for reading  and a very happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.

The students of Bright Beginnings Preschool:

Crozet

Monkeys class with Ms. Candace and Ms. Cassie

Rye C., 2: Um  at home.

Tucker B., almost 3: My daddy.

Vale B., 3: I dont know.

Eli A., 2: In the toaster oven!

Henley M., 2: With sprinkles!

Waylon S., 2: Put it in the oven, put sprinkles on it.

Blair V., 2: Daddy helps me stick!

Ore A., 2: Salt and pepper!

Jones L., 2: I want to cook it!

Miles C., 2: I want to put a hat.

Tigers class with Ms. Kaitlyn R.

Genevieve F., 3: Mommy cooks it in the oven.

Lennon S., 3: In the microwave.

Max, 3: Mommy cooks it in the kitchen.

Isabella C., 3: Cook it in the oven and then put it on the table and eat it.

Jack: In the microwave, and then just eat it.

Leo H., 3: To cook a turkey, you cook it with mommy, put seasoning on it, then put it in a sandwich.

Lily F., 3: The big turkey goes in the oven and then we wait on it, open it and its warm.

Georgie H., 3: Cook it in the oven six times and then you cut it!

Rafaela B., 3: In the oven for a little bit and then its little.

Natalie L., 2: Cook the turkey with cake and then mommy eats it.

Zebras class with Ms. Margaret

Adeline S., almost 5: Bake it in the oven for 10 minutes!

Adrian B., 5: Fill it with sugar cookies shaped like turkeys, then cook it with a chicken and cut it in half.

Brody C., almost 4: Bake it for 10 minutes in the oven covered with roast beef at 1,000 degrees!

Charlotte S., 4: Stuff with white, tiny marshmallows, cover with rainbow sprinkles, strawberries and pink frosting. Cook it then eat it!

Collins F., 4: Shoot a turkey. Then bake it in the oven for two seconds.

Eden B., 4: Put it in the oven at 500 degrees for two minutes, then cover it with chocolate ice cream!

Emery D., 4: Salt it and spread peanut butter and grape jelly on it. Bake it for 23 minutes.

Eloise S., 5: Bake it in the oven for five minutes.

Emma W., 4: Stuff it with pumpkin pie, then put buttons made out of chocolate cookies, then ice it, then eat it!

Grant B., 4: Stick huge marshmallows on the outside with toothpicks and cook it in the oven five minutes.

Hannah L., 4: Stuff it with oreos then cook it in a big, big pot on the stove for 16 minutes then eat it!

Harper B., 4: Decorate it with confetti and cook it in the oven for five hours at 5 degrees!

Harper M., 4: Bake it on really hot for five minutes then eat it!

Ian C., 4: Stuff the turkey with tiny marshmallows and cook it in the oven then eat it!

Jack B., 4: I would grill it for five minutes, then cover it with vanilla frosting and sprinkles!

Lily R., 4: Spread pumpkin pie filling all over it and put it in the oven for 10 minutes!

Ryan F., 4: Cook it in the oven on self-clean for 40 minutes then stuff it with marshmallows!

Sagan B., 5: Stuff it with turkey dressing and cook it, then sprinkle it with chocolate sprinkles and eat it!

Summer S., 4: Stuff it with a ham and bake it at 1,000 degrees for five minutes. Roll it up.

Cheetahs class with Ms. Caitlin H.

Owen B., 3: Put it in the oven. Cook it for five minutes, eat it. Eat it all gone!

Alexis G., 3: Cooked it with apple juice, she roasted it, put it in the oven. The temperature was 4,000 degrees.

Eva J., 3: Cook it with pancakes, make tea to drink, put bacon on top and cook for 48 to 49 minutes.

Riley M., 3: I think it has a head, cut it. We bake it for 100 minutes, then we eat it. After that we go to bed.

Declan P., 3: In the oven, he cooks it with sausage and a hot dog too!

Ian P., 3: Scramble the turkey. It cooks for 59 minutes!

Nikola R., 3: I break it up and eat it all!

Maximilian R., 3: We put it in the oven and cook it.

Freya S., 3: My mommy cooks it with apple juice.

Bentley S., 3: She uses sprinkles and puts cookies on it and some old things, then mixes it all together.

Betty V., 3: My mommy cooks it with eggs.

Tyler F., 4: You use sugar and salt and eggs. There is all different kinds of ways.

Genevieve N., 4: I put eggs on it. We cook it all up, take it out and put powder sugar on it and chocolate on it too!

Jack O., 3: A little bit of time in the oven!

Forest Lakes

Zebras class with Ms. Michell

Madeline B., almost 3: I would cook a turkey with mommy and daddy in a big castle with lots of turkeys running around!

Jack V., 2: Outside with mom and dad.

Campbell N., 2: I would cook a turkey with my mom and dad!

Mackenzie M., 2: I cooked a turkey, because I did.

Maisie S., 2: I would cook it with my friend Annie at home.

Annie X., almost 3: I would watch mommy and daddy cook the turkey!

Christian W., 3: I would cook a turkey on the table by myself!

Jasper M., 2: The turkey would be cooked outside.

George S., 2: In a pizza, outside, by myself. For five weeks!

Tigers class with Ms. Mia and Ms. Bola

Delilah C., 3: It goes in the microwave.

Lukas H., 4: You take it out of the oven, then eat it, then eat dessert.

Chandy M., 3: In the sink and the water gets hot.

Linda B., 3: In an egg with mommy.

Elsie S., 3: Put glue and stickers on, then bake it in the oven for five hours then take it out and dress it in purple feathers, then take pictures, cut it, then eat.

Buck B., almost 4: He puts pepper and hot sauce on it.

Austin Z., 4: Put ice on it.

Eoin C., 3: Put it in the freezer, then microwave. Then put sprinkles and bananas on it.

Khang P., 3: With a police car.

Theo W., 3: With a car and plate.

Eva D., 3: Put chocolate on it.

J.J. R., 3: I fry the turkey in the frying pan.

Ben F., 4: I wash my hands and put the turkey in a toaster for five hours. I put it on a plate and eat it.

Cheetahs class with Ms. Jess and Ms. Amelia

Charlie R., 4: I think you can cook a turkey in the desert. It will get hot by itself because its so hot!

Teddy K., 5: I think you can cook a turkey in the dishwasher. It is going to burn up and we can scrape it into golden and put worms inside it.

Julian D., 5: I think you can cook it in the ocean. It is going to get cold and then somebody will take it out and cook it in the microwave.

Amelia D., 4: I would cook it in the oven. It will cook fine in the oven. Cook it for super long, like 169 seconds!

James M., 5: I would cook it on a trampoline. When it gets hot, I am going to eat it up and its head.

Melek S., 4: I would cook a turkey in my teeth, with a lollipop and hair. Keep it in your teeth for 1,000 hours.

Paul N., 4: I would cook a turkey on a zip line. The sun beats it with electric.

Jasper A., 4: I would put it in a box. Sung is going to heat up the box. Put it in a shelf and cool down so we can eat it.

Tierney C., 4: I would cook a turkey in a cold pool. As the day gets hotter it will burn.

Joseph P., 4: I would cook a turkey in a car. It will burn. It needs to stay in the car until it is really hot.

Jack W., 4: I would cook a turkey in a crater. Its going to get hot form the sun.

Aubrey C., 4: I am going to cook it in the washing machine. It is going to be cold. It has to run for 20 minutes. And then you eat it.

Evan D., 4: I will put the turkey in the car. Turn the car on all by itself. Take it out of the car and put it in the oven for 7 hours.

Xavier E., 5: I would cook a turkey in the hot sun. Its going to be hot then it will cool off. When the sun goes down it will get cooled off.

Ryker L., 4: I would make the turkey into a meat circle because I like meat turkey I can make in a van, playground or my dads blue car. A cow can eat it, but not people.

Christian K., 4: We need to wash the trees and then put it on the turkey. When you put a tattoo on it, its really good. Put a pie next to it and it smells gooder.

Jaxon B., 5: I would cook a turkey on a train. The sun would burn it. It will cook 2,400 minutes.

Victor B., 4: I would cook a turkey in the forest. It will cook and someone will come and eat it and you need a sauce.

Miriam P., 4: I would cook a turkey with fire. I would also cook it with mulch

Lincoln S., 4: I would cook a turkey on the stove. It will burn up cause the oven is so hot!

Mill Creek

Elephants class with Ms. Kayla

Silas L., 4: Put it in the oven and it burned up.

Magnus K., 2: Put it in the oven

Leland B., 2: Cook it and crack it, then eat it!

Sullivan L., 2: Put it on the table then cook it. Put in oven, put cheese and pepperoni in it then put it on the table, then eat it all!

Oaklynn T., 3: Turkey, put it in the oven to cook.

Julia B., 2: Put it in the oven, put butter in it, season it.

Tigers with Ms. Suzanne and Ms. Lanesha

Theo L. 3: You flip it over. Then you cook it in the house on the grill and put peanut butter on it!

Ursula H., 3: You mix it up with chocolate pie and put a little salt in it and cook it with a plate.

Landon B., 3: We cook it. We flip it. We put it on the plate. We put it in the microwave and set the timer for 10 minutes.

Clara H., 3: I loved the skin of the turkey. You need to just cook it in the oven for 30 minutes. Some people put salt and pepper on it, and some dont. I dont want it too spicy and sneeze because of the pepper.

Amaya G., 3: You cook a turkey in a pan and put it in the oven for three hours. Then you put pepperoni on it, then eat it!

Caroline L., 3: You blow it up then you get a fork and a cup of juice and eat it.

Bjorn R., 3: You put it in the microwave for a couple minutes. We put a napkin on top.

Cheetahs class with Ms. Casey and Ms. Melanie

Axel A., 3: Um ... with cookies and marshmallows.

Bear W., 4: You put it in the oven and then you eat it.

Lyron S., 4: Put it in rice, cook it for 61 minutes, add carrots, tomatoes and meat. Then you can eat it.

Benjamin B., 4: Well, sometimes I have spicy turkey. You put it in the oven for five minutes, and its done.

Leo M., 4: You make the dough and then you roll it out, put it in the oven for 10 minutes or nine minutes.

Evan L., 4: You put it in the pan and put something in it with some salt, oil and pepper. You have to cook it for one minute.

Gabrielle M., 4: Put it in the oven for 11 hours with nothing on it.

Dominus H., 4: Put pepper, salt and salt seasoning on it. You put the decorations on it, then put it in the oven for eight minutes.

Mason H., 4: I put it in the frying pan first, then the stove, set the timer for 10 minutes. You have to put the ingredients on it like sugar, put it in the stove again and then its done.

Emma S., 3: We dont put anything on it, they just leave it naked.

Callum W., 4: Sometimes my dad forgets to take out the bones, but sometimes its boneless. I cook it and put it in the stove for about 20 minutes.

Alton H., 4: Put it in the oven first for 25 minutes, take it out, put pepperonis, cheese and eggs. We get out the forks and knives, then we eat it.

Rhodes P., 4: You have to put chicken on it first, then cook it in the oven for two minutes.

Suzanna S., 4: Put cheese on it and cook it in the oven for one minute. When it comes out you have to put pepperonis on it.

Aria L., 4: Cook it in the oven for 20 minutes. I put tomatoes and salt on it.

Dylan E., 4: To make it good you have to put oregano and garlic on it.

Bennett W., 4: I put it on the stove for 21 minutes. You have to put rice, peas, broccoli, salt, pepper and mustard on it.
Chandigarh News

Chandigarh Administration unanimously took the following decisions to strengthen the EV policy.

Chandigarh Electric Vehicle, EV, Policy News: In a move towards sustainable urban mobility, the Chandigarh Administration conducted a review of its Electric Vehicle (EV) Policy in consultation with various stakeholders. Chandigarh's EV Policy faced two comprehensive reviews in July 2023 and October 2023 due to evolving circumstances, primarily the evolving charging infrastructure landscape.

During the second review, the Chandigarh Administrator expressed the need for a fresh evaluation before November 27, 2023, and temporarily suspended the capping on the registration of 2-wheelers and 4-wheelers.

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Chandigarh Administration unanimously took the following decisions to strengthen the EV policy:

Building an EV Ecosystem: The Administration recognizes the pivotal role of a robust charging infrastructure. Steps will be taken to expedite the establishment of charging stations, ensuring operational efficiency to instill public confidence in Battery Operated Vehicles.

Promoting EV Adoption: The capping of registration of vehicles has been removed and aggressive promotion of cash incentives for e-vehicle purchasers will be a priority. The process will be streamlined for consumer convenience, minimizing paperwork to encourage the voluntary adoption of e-vehicles.

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Combatting Pollution: An accelerated Source Apportionment study by IIT Kanpur/IIT Ropar will be done to identify pollution sources within six months. The findings will be incorporated into EV Policy amendments, aligning them with the study's outcomes.

Tax Rebate Precision: Tax rebates in the strong hybrid category will be targeted specifically for vehicles below Rs.20.00 lakhs, ensuring that the benefits are extended only to strong hybrid vehicles purchased and registered within the jurisdiction of UT Chandigarh. A 50% Motor Vehicle tax rebate will be granted accordingly.

Policy Refinement: The Early Bird Incentive/general incentive will undergo a comprehensive review, seeking approval from the Honble Administrator, UT Chandigarh separately.

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Also Read: IPL 2024: Rohit Sharma and Mumbai Indians to part ways?

Also Read: Chandigarh Carnival 2023: Preparations Underway for City's Mega Event
Chandigarh News

Eminent Judges Illuminate Future of Judiciary at Inspiring Celebration

Chandigarh News: Chandigarh Law College at CGC Jhanjeri recently hosted the 'Rising Judicial Star' event, a noteworthy celebration that showcased and applauded the brilliance of legal minds shaping the future of the judiciary. The event, held on November 23, 2023, gathered distinguished jurists, esteemed guests, and aspiring legal talents in a shared celebration of legal excellence.

The Event was graced by the esteemed presence of Justice (Retd.) S.D. Anand, former Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, who served as the Chief Guest. Justice S.D. Anand's profound legal insights and wealth of experience added a significant dimension to the event, inspiring both the audience and participating legal enthusiasts.

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Arsh Dhaliwal, Managing Director of CGC Jhanjeri, expressed the institution's vision, stating, "In hosting the 'Rising Judicial Star' event, we aimed to illuminate the path of legal excellence and honor the luminaries shaping the future of our judiciary. This event was not just a celebration but a symphony of legal minds, fostering insightful discussions and illuminating the profound nuances of judicial practice."

Distinguished Panel

The event featured an esteemed panel of eight judges, each contributing a unique perspective to discussions and interactions. The panel included Amanpreet Kaur, Kamini Chaudhary, Nandita, Priyanka Sondhi, Harvinder Singh, Gaurav Mittal, Priyanka Kheeva, and Karam. Their collective expertise and diverse backgrounds enriched the event, offering valuable insights into the evolving landscape of the judiciary.

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Educational Empowerment

Dr. Neeraj Sharma, Campus Director of CGC Jhanjeri, expressed pride in witnessing the vibrant exchange of ideas and knowledge at the 'Rising Judicial Star' event. He highlighted the institution's commitment to nurturing a learning environment that goes beyond textbooks, providing students with real-world insights and connecting them with the stalwarts of the legal field.

The 'Rising Judicial Star' event featured engaging discussions on current legal issues, interactive sessions, and a vibrant exchange of ideas. Participants seized the opportunity to learn from the experiences of distinguished judges, gaining a deeper understanding of the nuanced aspects of judicial practice.
Nihang-Police Firing-Sultanpur Lodhi

Tensions Escalate as Budha Dal Factions Battle for Control, Resulting in Tragic Casualties and Injuries

Nihang-Police Firing-Sultanpur Lodhi: A long-standing dispute over the possession of Gurdwara Akal Bunga Sahib, Sahib Nawab Kapur Singh, Cantonment Nihang Singh Budha Dal Sultanpur Lodhi, took a violent turn as clashes erupted between two factions, leading to the death of a home guard jawan and injuries to several policemen.

The disagreement between factions of Budha Dal regarding the control of the historical Gurdwara had been escalating for days. District Kapurthala police were attempting to mediate, but tensions flared, resulting in a clash between Nihang Singhs and the police. Both sides engaged in gunfire, leading to the tragic death of home guard jawan Jaspal Singh, with approximately 10 policemen sustaining injuries.

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Sultanpur Lodhi SHO Lakhwinder Singh reported that the injured include:

DSP Bhulath Bharat Bhushan Saini, ASI Sukhdev Singh, Constable Babalpreet Singh, ASI Ashok Kumar, ASI Gurmeet Singh, Surinder Singh, Amandeep Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Harjinder Singh. All injured personnel have been admitted to Civil Hospital Sultanpur Lodhi. Rajya Sabha MP Balbir Singh Seecheval visited the hospital to inquire about the condition of the injured.

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Background of the Conflict:

The Gurdwara and cantonment had been under the control of Baba Man Singh and Lal Singh of Budha Dal for the past 30-40 years. However, in the last 3-4 years, a faction led by Budha Dal chief Singh Sahib Baba Balbir Singh Akali took over. On November 21, the cantonment was once again captured by the faction of Budha Dal chief, sparking the recent clash. Prior incidents involved attempts by Nihang Singh Man Singh's followers to occupy Pir Geb near the second camp of Baba Balbir Singh.

Upon receiving information about the clash, SDM Sultanpur Lodhi Jaspreet Singh, SP-Headquarters Tejveer Singh Hundal, DSP Babandeep Singh, and around 200 police personnel rushed to the scene, transforming the entire area into a cantonment. The administration has been actively engaged in resolving the dispute and restoring order in the region.

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Market Closures and Civil Unrest:

Local residents reported sudden gunshots during the night, prompting the deployment of a significant police force that released tear gas shells. As a result, markets in the area are currently closed, and residents are grappling with the aftermath of the violent clash. The situation remains tense as authorities work to de-escalate the conflict and restore calm in Sultanpur Lodhi.

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(For More News Apart from Sultanpur Lodhi Firing News, Stay Tuned to Rozana Spokesman)


Thanksgiving may be a time for Americans to come together, but opinion is divided over what's on the crowded dinner table. We mostly agree on the deliciousness of pumpkin pie, say, but are split over the eternal turkey question of dark meat versus white meat.

And don't even ask if marshmallows belong on sweet potatoes  it could cause a ruckus.

The bird

About 3 in 10 U.S. adults (32%) who will celebrate Thanksgiving this year say turkey is their favorite dish in the holiday feast, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Stuffing or dressing (19%) and mashed potatoes (6%) come in second and third.

Thanksgiving  its about turkey, said Ralph Caya, 71, from Pensacola, Florida, who participated in the survey.

On the other hand, Vaidehi Upadhyaya, a 27-year-old pharmacist in Glen Rock, New Jersey, is a lifelong vegetarian. It's all about the side dishes for her.

Although turkey is tops across U.S. regions and ages, there's a slight generational divide. Americans 45 or older are especially likely to call turkey the best thing on the Thanksgiving table (39%), while younger adults who agree come in at 24%.

Once the turkey is carved, about 4 in 10 celebrators (43%) prefer white meat over dark (28%), and about one in five (21%) have no preference. Older people are more likely than those under 45 to prefer dark meat (31% vs. 24%).

About 1 in 10 adults under 45 don't like the big bird at all.

I have to go with the white meat, says Carlos Stallworth, 58, of Los Angeles, who also thinks ahead to leftovers. "Youre not going to get a great slice of dark meat to go on a sandwich. But with the white meat, you get that.

The sauce

As for the least favorite dishes on the Thanksgiving table, look no further than cranberries. About 2 in 10 celebrators say cranberries or cranberry sauce wouldn't be missed. (For the record, KRC Research reports 80 million pounds of cranberries are eaten during Thanksgiving week.)

Caya says cranberries on the table are important, but Upadhyaya is pretty indifferent," adding: Ill eat it if it's there but its like not exciting by any means.

Stallworth, who has taken a few culinary courses, appreciates what cranberries do on the big day: You definitely want a clash with the salty and the gaminess of the meat. So to me, cranberry is a must.

Thanksgiving celebrators are generally divided on whether its better to have cranberry sauce from a can or homemade. About one-quarter (24%) say the canned sauce is preferable, while 22% want it made from scratch. About one-third (35%) just dont like cranberry sauce, with those under 45 being more likely than older adults to dislike it.

The pie

According to the poll, pumpkin pie is the safe bet if you want to make the average guest happy. One-third of U.S. adults who will celebrate Thanksgiving say that's their preferred dessert.

Pecan pie got 17%, apple pie was right behind with 15% and sweet potato pie was at 12%. Chocolate pie and cherry or berry pie were in the single digits.

Caya, in Florida, bypasses the pumpkin to go with a regional delicacy. Being this close to Georgia, Ive got to go with pecan, he says.

About the sweet potatoes ...

One of the holiday's biggest divides is whether marshmallows belong on sweet potato dishes. About one-third (32%) say they prefer that whoever is cooking skip the marshmallows, while 26% want them added. Another one-quarter dont like sweet potato dishes at all, and 16% have no preference.

There are some regional differences over marshmallows, according to the data. Northeasterners (42%) are more likely than Midwesterners (29%) or Southerners (29%) to say no to them.

Upadhyaya has eaten sweet potatoes both ways and says there's not much difference: I feel like it really doesnt affect the taste that much because the dish is already sweet enough without the marshmallows. Its good both ways.

The cook's touch

Lauren Feldman, 39, of Indianapolis, suggests another key ingredient for a successful meal. Every year, she goes home and her mom makes turkey, lots of sides, cranberry sauce from scratch, and a pumpkin pie with homemade crust.

That human touch  moms touch, actually  makes all the difference, says Feldman: I think if those things were store-bought, I probably wouldnt like them as much.

So who IS doing the cooking?

Among those celebrating Thanksgiving, women (34%) are more likely than men (19%) to say they will do all or most of the cooking. Slightly fewer than half of men (46%) who plan to celebrate Thanksgiving say they will do hardly any or none of the cooking. Just one-quarter of women participants say the same.
China Pneumonia Latest News

World Health Organization on Alert as New Epidemic Resembles Pneumonia but Exhibits Unique Symptoms

China Pneumonia News Latest: Amid the ongoing global battle against the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, a new health crisis has emerged in China, raising alarm bells worldwide. Reports of a mysterious disease affecting children in various Chinese hospitals have prompted preparations for school closures and heightened concerns from the World Health Organization (WHO).

Resembling pneumonia but presenting distinctive symptoms, the unidentified disease is causing swelling in the lungs of affected children. Alongside high fever, individuals are experiencing cough, flu, and breathing difficulties, marking a departure from traditional pneumonia symptoms. The outbreak is particularly impacting school-aged children, evoking memories of the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Most cases of the mysterious pneumonia have been reported in hospitals across north-eastern China, including Beijing and Liaoning. The severity of the outbreak has strained local resources, prompting the government to contemplate school closures in an effort to curb the spread of the disease.

ProMed Alert's Warning:

ProMed Alert, a vigilant open-access monitoring system, has issued a global warning regarding the disease. The organization, known for its proactive alerts, previously played a crucial role in notifying the world about the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 in late December 2019. ProMed Alert expressed concern about the rapid spread of the mysterious disease, emphasizing its prevalence among children.

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The World Health Organization has urged China to provide detailed information about the new epidemic. In a press conference, WHO disclosed that China first communicated the disease to local media on November 13, 2023. WHO has requested China to closely monitor and report cases related to the mysterious pneumonia. ProMed reported the disease spreading in North China on November 21, prompting WHO to seek additional information from Chinese health authorities.

(For More News Apart from China Pneumonia News, Stay Tuned to Rozana Spokesman)
Crude oil futures settled lower on Wednesday after data showed a notable increase in crude inventory in the U.S., and the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) postponed a key meeting by four days.

OPEC and allies, collectively known as OPEC+, were scheduled to meet on Sunday (November 26) to decide, among other things, their stance on output cuts. The meeting is now postponed to November 30th.

OPEC has not given any reason for the postponement. The group is expected to announce additional production cuts.

According to reports, Saudi Arabia is finding it tough to convince Angola and Nigeria to accept lower output targets.

West Texas Intermediate Crude oil futures for January ended down $0.67 or about 0.86% at $77.10 a barrel, after having tumbled to $73.85 a barrel earlier in the day.

Brent crude futures settled at $81.96 a barrel today, losing $0.49 or about 0.59%.

Data released by Energy Information Administration (EIA) this morning showed crude inventories, excluding the strategic reserve, increased by 8.7 million barrels in the week ended November 17th, substantially higher than an expected increase of about 1.2 million barrels.

The EIA data also showed that gasoline stockpiles surged 749,000 barrels last week, as against forecasts for a drop of about 150,000 barrels, while distillate stockpiles fell by 1.02 million barrels in the week, against expectations for a 761,000-barrel decline.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Market Analysis
Flash Purchasing Managers' survey results from euro area and the UK are due on Thursday, headlining a busy day for the European economic news.

At 2.00 am ET, Statistics Norway releases GDP data for the third quarter. The is forecast to grow 0.3 percent sequentially after staying flat in the second quarter.

At 2.45 am ET, France's statistical office INSEE is scheduled to issue sentiment survey results. The business confidence index is seen unchanged at 98.0 in November.

At 3.15 am ET, S&P Global publishes France's flash composite PMI survey data for November. Economists expect the composite indicator to rise to 45.0 from 44.6 in the previous month.

At 3.30 am ET, flash composite PMI survey results are due from Germany. The composite indicator is forecast to rise to 46.5 in November from 45.9 in October.

In the meantime, Sweden's central bank announces its monetary policy decision. The bank is widely expected to hike the benchmark rate by 25 basis points to 4.25 percent.

At 4.00 am ET, Eurozone flash composite PMI survey data is due. Economists forecast the composite output index to improve to 46.9 in November from 46.5 a month ago.

Half an hour later, S&P Global releases UK's flash composite PMI data for November. The composite indicator is seen unchanged at 48.7.

At 7.30 am ET, the European Central Bank is set to publish the account of the monetary policy meeting of the Governing Council held on October 25 and 26.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
Michelmersh Brick Holdings Plc (MBH.L), brick manufacturer, said it expects revenue, profit and cash for the Group to be in-line with market expectations for the 12 months ending 31 December 2023.

Following the half year results announcement on 5 September 2023, the trading performance of the Group has been resilient in the final quarter of the financial year as it has continued to operate at full manufacturing capacity to deliver its diverse forward order book, the company said.

The company plans to announce its full 2023 results on 26 March 2024.

For more earnings news, earnings calendar, and earnings for stocks, visit rttnews.com

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
The World Health Organization has made an official request to China to provide detailed information on an increase in respiratory illnesses and reported clusters of pneumonia among children in that country.

WHO said in a statement Wednesday that authorities from China's National Health Commission reported an increase in incidence of respiratory diseases at a press conference last week.

Chinese authorities attributed this increase to the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions and the circulation of known pathogens such as influenza, mycoplasma pneumoniae (a common bacterial infection which typically affects younger children), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19).

WHO said that on Tuesday, media and ProMED reported clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children in northern China. It is unclear if these are associated with the overall increase in respiratory infections previously reported by Chinese authorities, or separate events.

On Wednesday, WHO requested additional epidemiological and clinical information, as well as laboratory results from these reported clusters among children, through the International Health Regulations mechanism. The UN agency said it has also requested further information about recent trends in the circulation of known pathogens including influenza, SARS-CoV-2, RSV and mycoplasma pneumoniae, and the current burden on health care systems. WHO is also in contact with clinicians and scientists through our existing technical partnerships and networks in China.

Since mid-October, northern China has reported an increase in influenza-like illness compared to the same period in the previous three years. China has systems in place to capture information on trends in influenza, influenza-like illnesses, RSV and SARS-CoV-2, and reports to platforms such as the Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System.

WHO said it has recommend that people in China follow measures to reduce the risk of respiratory illness. They include recommended vaccination; keeping distance from people who are ill; staying home when ill; getting tested and medical care as needed; wearing masks; ensuring good ventilation; and regular hand-washing.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
Honda GB350 C for Japan is India-spec CB350

With its pure retro classic design, Honda GB350 C can prompt enthusiasts to reconsider their original 350cc classic bike preferences

As part of its campaign to aggressively target the 350cc segment, Honda has launched the new CB350 in India. The existing 350cc bikes from Honda, the Hness CB350 and CB350RS, will continue to be sold alongside. The same motorcycle will be shipped to Japan too, where it will be sold under the name GB350 C, where C seems to stand for Classic.

New Honda GB350 C in Japan  Whats different?

New CB350 utilizes the same platform as that of Hness CB350 and CB350RS. As of now, Honda does export the CB350 lineup to Japan, where Hness CB350 is sold as GB350 and CB350 RS as GB350 S. Now CB350 will be sold as GB350 C. Even though it is identical to India-spec CB350, Honda GB350 C will get Japan-specific colours.

When compared to Hness or RS, CB350 gets a new look and comes with some retro timeless design attributes. While the other two 350cc Honda bikes have a neo-retro profile, the new CB350 has a timeless classic design. For folks who currently favour Royal Enfield Classic 350, Hondas new CB350 can emerge as a viable option. However, breaking into Royal Enfields cult-like fan following will still be a challenge.

At a starting price of Rs. 2 lakh (ex-sh), new CB350 certainly has potential. But it is not something that can be described as completely unique. With design traits resembling those of Classic 350, its nemesis.

New Honda CB350 Vs Classic 350

Some of the key highlights include round headlamps and rear-view mirrors, a timeless fuel tank, all-LED lighting setup, metallic shrouds for front forks, split seats, a long exhaust and retro front and rear fenders. A total of five colour options are available  Pearl Igneous Black, Matte Marshal Green Metallic, Matte Dune Brown, Matte Crust Metallic and Precious Red Metallic.

Honda CB350 specs, performance

Powering Honda CB350 is the 348.36cc engine that generates 21 PS of max power and 29.4 Nm of peak torque. It is mated to a 5-speed gearbox. In comparison, Royal Enfield Classic 350 delivers 20.2 PS and 27 Nm. Ride dynamics onboard Honda CB350 are improved with assist and slipper clutch and Honda Selectable Torque Control (HSTC).

The bike has telescopic front forks and nitrogen-charged rear suspension. Braking apparatus comprises 310 mm and 240 mm disc brakes at front and rear, respectively. Dual-channel ABS is standard across all variants. Honda CB350 is equipped with a retro-styled semi-digital instrument console.

It has advanced features such as Honda Smartphone Voice Control system (HSVCS). The exhaust pipe has a double layer structure, which helps maintain the bikes visual appeal by preventing thermal discoloration. Users can choose customization options such as Solo Carrier Custom and Comfort Cushion. For personalization, users can choose accessories such as a long visor, backrest and rear carrier. Safety can be improved with accessories such as leg guards and knuckle guards.
To counter Hyundai Exter which offers a digital instrument cluster as standard, Tata Punch now offers 4-inch MID as standard

Tata Punch rules the sub 4m crossover/SUV territory in India and we recently saw Hyundai Exter pose a direct challenge. The company is set to fortify Punchs stand with more features as Hyundai products are known to come with fatter brochures. Latest feature addition will be in its instrumentation department.

Tata Punch instrument cluster upgrade

Our dealer sources have confirmed to Rushlane that Tata is offering a 4-inch digital screen as standard fitment across up until Creative trim, which gets a fancier semi-digital setup. Tata Punch is currently being presented in 4 trims  Pure, Adventure, Accomplished and Creative.

While the new CNG variants of Tata Punch introduced a larger 4-inch digital instrument screen that hosts almost all the readouts excluding tachometer, fuel gauge and others. This same instrument setup was seen on pre-facelift Nexon as standard and base Smart trim of facelifted Nexon.

Not only Nexon, Tiago and Tigor (EV and CNG as standard and top-spec ICE trims) offer this instrument setup too. As opposed to the tiny MID sandwiched between two analog dials, the new 4-inch digital setup comes off as new-age and tech-savvy. We would have liked it if Tata made the fancier semi-digital instrument setup seen on Creative trim as standard fitment. But that is not the case.

Creative trims larger colour TFT screen opens up quite some screen real estate to show various car-related parameters like power and torque metres, trip computer reading, TPMS reading, music info or radio station, coolant temp, a few telltale lights and more. This display even assists driver in aligning steering wheel straight before taking off.

This new 4-inch MID instrument update on Pure, Adventure and Accomplished trims will make Tata eligible to advertise fully digital instrument cluster as standard with Punch, just like Hyundai Exter. But Exters setup is fancier. Even though our dealer sources didnt mention a price hike, there may be a small increment in Tata Punchs pricing. This update will go live in the coming days.

Tata Punch CNG Engine Specs

Tata Punch will draw power from a 1.2L Revotron 3-cyl NA petrol engine which offers 84 hp power and 113 Nm torque. The company offers CNG with Punch too. In CNG mode, power and torque are reduced to 76 hp and 97 Nm respectively. Punchs twin cylinder CNG setup is far more appealing and convenient than every other single-cylinder setup on offer in India.

The engine gets mated to a 5 speed manual gearbox unit and an AMT version of it. Where fuel efficiency is concerned, petrol-only Punch will eke out 20.9 km/l (claimed), while Punch iCNG is slated to offer fuel efficiency of 26.99 km/kg of CNG. Punch even gets a 5 star crash safety rating awarded by GNCAP. Something that Exter currently lacks.

Tata Motors is working really hard to keep Punch in line with Exter where features are concerned. In that regard, Punch got a sunroof, an aftermarket dashcam as part of accessory and now, a fully-digital instrument cluster as standard fitment. Rear AC vents would make sense on Punch too, Tata Motors?
The companys motorcycle and scooter segments did well last month with particular emphasis on the iQube, sales of which grew 148 percent YoY

TVS Motor Company reported their highest-ever monthly sales in October 2023. The company saw both its motorcycle and scooter segments show off positive results while growth was seen both in domestic and global markets. Total TVS sales (domestic + exports) stood at 4,19,292 units in the past month, up from 3,43,614 units sold in October 2022. This related to a volume growth of 75,615 units. It was also a MoM growth from a total of 3,85,443 units sold in September 2023 (domestic  3,00,493 units + exports  84,950 units).

TVS Jupiter leads the domestic sales list with 26.62% market share

Total domestic sales in October 2023 stood at 3,44,957 units which was a 25.01 percent YoY growth over 2,75,934 units sold in October 2022. This led to a 69,023 unit volume growth. It was Jupiter that topped sales charts with 91,824 units sold in October 2023, up 19.19 percent from 77,042 units sold in October 2022.

Jupiter currently commands a 26.62 percent share in the company lineup. It was in October 2023 that the company introduced the new Jupiter 125 SmartXonnect. Following this introduction, TVS Jupiter 125 is now offered in 3 variants of Drum Alloy, Disc and SmartXonnect variants, priced between Rs 86,405 and Rs 96,855 (ex-showroom).

It was the TVS XL that was at No. 2 with 53,162 units sold last month. This was a 19.10 percent YoY growth from 44,638 units sold in October 2022. TVS Raider sales improved by 96.59 percent YoY to 47,483 units last month from 24,153 units sold in October 2022. However, it was the Apache that reported lower sales down by 4.39 percent YoY to 39,187 units. There had been 40,988 units sold in October 2022.

iQube electric scooter showed highest sales growth of 148.32%

While TVS Ntorq (34,476 units) and Sport (24,864 units) saw sales growth at 11.04 percent and 37.17 percent YoY, it was outstanding sales seen in the case of the iQube e-scooter that has seen sales increase 148.32 percent YoY. iQube sales which had stood at 8,103 units in October 2022 improved to 20,121 units in the past month. A new electric scooter has been spied on test in Bengaluru with a design that is strikingly akin to the iQube while it also follows some Ather designs.

TVS has also seen sales growth for both the Radeon (16,977 units) and Zest (7,410 units), however sales dipped for the Star City by 22.76 percent down to 5,784 units in October 2023, down from 7,488 units sold in October 2022. There were also 2,620 units of Ronin and 1,049 units of the TVS 310 sold last month, with the latter recording a 186.61 percent YoY growth from 366 units sold in October 2022.

TVS Exports October 2023

With a strong global reach and performance in export markets, TVS exports improved by 9.84 percent in October 2023 to 74,337 units, up from 67,680 units sold in October 2022. In international markets, it was TVS Star City 125 that saw most sales at 47,550 units up 115.82 percent from 22,032 units sold in October 2022 to command a 63.97 percent share on this list.

At No. 2 was the Apache with 8,394 units sold last month, up 9.27 percent from 7,682 units sold in October 2022 while Jupiter exports also improved by 115.94 percent to 5,718 units last month from 2,648 units sold in the same month last year. TVS Ntorq also saw higher exports by 51.67 percent YoY to 5,554 units in October 2023 from 3,662 units sold in October 2022.

Raider had 4,253 units shipped last month, up by 4.24 percent over 4,080 units exported in October 2022. Sales de-growth was seen in the case of TVS Sport, exports of which fell by 58.18 percent to 1,878 units in October 2023. There had been 4,491 units shipped in October 2022. Even as there were 628 units of the Ronin and 348 units of TVS XL exported last month, exports of the RR310 dipped by 90.41 percent to just 14 units, down from 146 units shipped in October 2022.
Benton County warming centers

Warming center locations in Benton County

Alsea

Alsea Community Library

19192 Alsea Highway

541-487-5061

Monday/Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (closed for lunch 12:30-1 p.m.)

Tuesday/Thursday, noon - 7 p.m.

Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (closed for lunch 12:30-1 p.m.)

Web: cbcpubliclibrary.net/locations-and-hours

Corvallis

Daytime warming centers

Corvallis-Benton County Public Library

645 NW. Monroe Ave.

541-766-6793

Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Friday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Sunday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Web: cbcpubliclibrary.net/locations-and-hours

Corvallis Community Center

2601 NW. Tyler Ave.

541-766-6959

Email: c3@corvallisoregon.gov

Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Saturday, 8-11 a.m.

Web: corvallisoregon.gov/c3

Corvallis Daytime Drop-in Center

530 SW. Fourth St.

455-233-5327

Walk-up basic needs

Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to noon

Social services (by appointment)

Monday through Friday, noon to 2 p.m.

Web: corvallisddc.org

Corvallis Hygiene Center (Unity Shelter)

211 SE. Chapman Place

541-250-5113

Email: mens.shelter.manager@gmail.com

Daily, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Web: unityshelter.org

Osborn Aquatic Center

1940 NW. Highland Ave.

541-766-7946

Monday through Friday, 5:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Sunday, 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Web: corvallisoregon.gov/osborn

Overnight shelter

Unity Shelter - Room at the Inn*

541-250-5113

Email: nohe@unityshelter.org

Nightly 5 p.m. to 9 a.m.

Web: unityshelter.org

*This is a combined women's and men's shelter until the Men's Shelter reopens in December. There is currently a waitlist for Room at the Inn.

Monroe

Monroe Community Library

380 N. Fifth St.

541-847-5174

Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (closed for lunch 1-1:30 p.m.)

Wednesday, 2-7 p.m.

Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (closed for lunch 1-1:30 p.m.)

Friday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (closed for lunch 1-1:30 p.m.)

Saturday, noon-3 p.m.

Sunday and Monday, closed

Web: cbcpubliclibrary.net/locations-and-hours

Philomath

Philomath Community Library

1050 Applegate St.

541-929-3016

Monday, Thursday, Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Tuesday/Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Web: cbcpubliclibrary.net/locations-and-hours

Philomath Fire Department

1035 Main St.

541-360-0030

Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., excluding holidays

Web: philomathfire.com
The San Marcos City Council updated its massage ordinance Tuesday, to improve regulation of the citys massage businesses.

The changes aimed to clarify rules passed in 2017 to ensure the health and safety of employees and customers at the citys 35 massage businesses.

They included changes to tighten record-keeping by massage services and to ensure that all of their employees understand and follow the rules. And they added flexibility for owners, by allowing them to name managers who can run the business in their absence, rather than requiring the owner to be on site during all business hours.

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Starting in 2008, state law restricted local authority over massage businesses, turning licensing of massage therapists over to a state body, the California Massage Therapy Council. Officials said that made it harder for local governments to regulate and control those businesses.

In many jurisdictions including San Marcos, massage businesses proliferated rapidly, and became an enforcement issue, City Attorney Helen Peak said.

In 2015, the state allowed cities to regulate licensing and zoning and to impose limited health and safety requirements for massage parlors. However, problems have continued, and some cities have reported problems with prostitution and human trafficking at massage parlors.

In March, 2017, the National City Police Department found evidence of prostitution at three massage businesses during raids of those sites. In June of that year, two women were arrested on suspicion of prostitution at massage parlors in Fallbrook.

And last September, the San Diego City Council began exploring stricter rules for massage businesses, which would allow the city to immediately shut down sites engaged in prostitution, human trafficking or other illegal activities.

San Marcos has not reported those kinds of problems, but in January of last year, officials did revoke the permit for one massage business because of multiple code violations.

The updated regulations aim to help city code enforcement officers regulate massage practice in San Marcos, and maintain the credibility of lawful massage businesses

We want to recognize massage as a legitimate business, but want to protect the businesses and the community, Assistant City Attorney Wendy House said.

The original city rules established licensing and record-keeping procedures for massage businesses in San Marcos. They banned sexually provocative advertising or attire, forbade sleeping in the establishment and required separate areas for men and women. The rules established sanitary practices for towels, linens and other materials. And they required the owner to be onsite during all business hours.

However, there were some problems after the rules were adopted, including confusion over certain provisions of the ordinance, as well as language barriers, she said.

Some of the owners and employees speak Mandarin, Cantonese or Thai as their first language, and couldnt read the ordinance in English, House said. In some cases, they filled out logs in their own language, which left code inspectors unable to verify records. In other instances, businesses brought in new temporary employees to fill shifts, without ensuring that they were properly licensed.

The updated ordinance clarifies that all employees  including part-time or temporary massage technicians  must all have state licenses through the California Massage Therapy Council, and wear their badges at all times while on the premises. Business owners must also notify the city of any personnel changes.

They are required to keep massage logs in English, so that code enforcement can determine which employees were on duty and what services they performed. The citys website provides translation services, so massage technicians and business owners can read the regulations in the language of their choice, officials said.

While the city discussed the changes with sheriffs deputies and code enforcement officers, they didnt adopt all their suggestions, Peak said.

There was a request that we require the customers identification to be kept, she said. We did not believe that was something that passed the privacy test.

Although the original rules required owner/operators to be onsite at all times during business hours, the updated ordinance allows them to designate site managers to run their businesses while theyre away. However, it adds stricter penalties for code violations; owners whose licenses are revoked cant operate any other massage business in the city for five years.

deborah.brennan@sduniontribune.com Twitter@deborahsbrennan
A wanted man crashed his truck into two parked vehicles, a restaurant and a police cruiser trying to escape from authorities in Lebanon.

Robert Hoskinson, 30, was arrested around 2 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 21 near Wing Ming Restaurant, according to a news release from the Lebanon Police Department.

Police sought Hoskinson for multiple warrants, who was found sitting inside a large pickup truck parked in front of Wing Ming on South Main Street, the release states.

A Place to Sleep - episode 6: Brownsville Find out how a man arrested in the 1960s for being a drug addict shaped the law that requires Oregon cities to designate a place to sleep for homeless people.

When officers contacted him, Hoskinson backed up then accelerated forward, hitting a parked vehicle and a wall of Wing Ming, according to the release, which states the business suffered extensive damage.

Hoskinson backed up again, crashing into another parked vehicle, then drove through the parking and rammed into an occupied Lebanon police patrol vehicle, the release states, adding he was then ordered out of his truck by officers and taken to the Linn County Jail.

The police cruiser is expected to be a total loss, according to the release, which states the officer inside was injured but did not require medical attention.

Hoskinson has an extensive history with the Lebanon Police Department, the release states, including arrests for property crimes and warrants.

Jail information shows hes held without bail on charges of second-degree assault, reckless endangering, first-degree criminal mischief, possession of a prohibited firearm, delivery of a controlled substance to a minor, delivery of cocaine, delivery of meth, resisting arrest, reckless driving, failure to perform drivers duties and a parole violation warrant.

Along with a lengthy criminal history, Hoskinson has an open Linn County case for three counts of first-degree forgery, according to court records.

An investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to contact Detective James Glover at 541-258-4326 or Lt. Taylor Jackson at 541-258-4357.

Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by becoming a subscriber today.
A man in his 20s was stabbed Sunday night in Ocean Beach by a homeless man who was later arrested, San Diego police said.

The victim was standing in front of a taco shop on Newport Avenue near Bacon Street just before midnight when he exchanged words with the man. The man walked away but returned a few minutes later with a knife, police said.

He stabbed the victim once in the chest and ran away.

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Officers spotted him a few blocks away and took him into custody. The victim identified him as the attacker.
Jeff Bezos' company, Blue Origin, beat Elon Musk's SpaceX after NASA gave the former a multi-million contract to join its Psyche mission. Thus, Bezos' spacecraft is heading to Mars ahead of Musk.

NASA Awards Blue Origin $20M Contract

NASA announced Wednesday that it awarded Blue Origin a $20 million deal to launch two scientific spacecraft to the Red Planet on the first Blue Origin New Glenn rocket in August 2024. The NASA cargo was initially scheduled to be found on a Falcon Heavy rocket by Musk's SpaceX business in October of this year, along with NASA's Psyche mission, which was headed for an asteroid.

However, the space agency withdrew the other craft from the launch since the Falcon Heavy could not place them on the correct trajectory to enter Mars' orbit.

The revelation of the new schedule coincides with the explosion of Musk's Starship rocket during a second launch attempt. The SpaceX and Tesla CEOs plan to use the Starship rocket to transport people to the moon and eventually Mars.

NASA's Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorer (ESCAPADE) project will send two identical spacecraft carrying three experiments to examine how solar winds affect the planet's magnetosphere-riding along with the unproven Blue Origin New Glenn rocket.

This mission is a component of a larger NASA initiative to engage commercial contractors for less expensive Mars transportation.

This is the newest development in the space race between the two billionaires - Musk and Bezos - which began earlier this year when NASA awarded each company separate multibillion-dollar contracts to send astronauts to the moon. Musk called Bezos a "dilettante" when it came to space travel, yet the creator of Blue Origin is on track to arrive at Mars ahead of SpaceX.

ALSO READ: Starlink International Outage Leaves Australians, Americans Without Network; SpaceX Resolves Issue

Blue Origin on Amazon's Project Kuiper

Blue Origin is also part of the ambitious Project Kuiper alongside United Launch Alliance (ULA) and Arianespace. The three companies received a multi-million contract to launch Amazon's Project Kuiper constellation in April 2022. Despite delays, they insisted that they would release the satellites on time.

None of the three vehicles had launched after the contract was signed, and all three had suffered serious development failures and had not even attempted a single launch.

During a panel discussion on Sept. 11 at Euroconsult's World Satellite Business Week, executives from the three launch companies said they are getting closer to the first launches of their vehicles.

Barrett Jones, senior vice president for New Glenn at Blue Origin, stated that the rocket's initial launch is still scheduled for 2024. He did not, however, give a more precise date. Instead, he said that integrated hot-fire testing would come first, and the first flight vehicle would arrive at the integration center by the end of the year.

In 2024, Blue Origin plans to launch New Glenn several times. According to Jones, they plan to fulfill their contractual obligations, which include NASA's ESCAPADE Mars smallsat mission, by the end of the following year.

ULA's president and chief executive, Tory Bruno, said they planned to ship the Vulcan Centaur out to the pad in November and launch the vehicle in December. Stephane Israel, chief executive of Arianespace, also said that "things are progressing very well" on their end, noting that Ariane 6 will make its debut flight in 2024.

RELATED ARTICLE: Will The Sun Explode 5 Billion Years From Now? Probably, Experts Say!

Check out more news and information on Space in Science Times.
Malaysian telco Maxis signed MoUs on Wednesday with smart scooter provider Blueshark and charging network operator EV Connection (EVC) to accelerate adoption of e-mobility solutions.

As part of the MoUs, Maxis will provide 4G and 5G network connectivity solutions to Blueshark and EVC (which operates the JomCharge charging network) to support their respective electric scooters and infrastructure.

Maxis, Blueshark and EVC also agreed to explore and develop new digital solutions for the EV ecosystem. First up is an ESG dashboard powered by Maxis cloud, data analytics, and IoT capabilities to help Blueshark customers use their electric scooters to measure and analyse their carbon footprint.

Maxis will also provide network connectivity to Bluesharks battery swap stations across Malaysia to help analyse and manage their battery inventory.

Bluesharks edge is in our app-to-bike connectivity and with constant two-way data flows, our customers can monitor and track their vehicle stats in real time, seamlessly and instantly, said Jin Chan, Group COO (ASEAN) for Blueshark. This means that our app needs to be always connected and lag-free to provide riders with an always-on experience. Thanks to Maxis, we are now able to power up our robust connected ecosystem and IoV (Internet of Vehicles) solutions to their full potential for the benefit of our riders.

EVC managing director Lee Yuen How said the company faces three key challenges in the EV sector: connection reliability, ease of management, and cost competitiveness.

Maxis addresses these pain points with their IoT connectivity, providing us reliable coverage and connectivity along with an IoT analytics platform, supporting our JomCharge charging network at best value, he said.

The MoUs were signed on the sidelines of the first E-Mobility Asia (EMA) 2023 exhibition, which is being held in Kuala Lumpur from 22 to 24 November. Maxis is also the official smart mobility solution provider for EMA.
Myanmar authorities handed over thousands of telecom fraud suspects to China, after a crackdown on rising scam operations between both countries.

Myanmar and China have been working since September to catch fraudsters who have taken large sums of money from Chinese citizens and the crackdown has achieved significant battle results, said the Ministry of Public Security in a statement, reported Reuters.

Among the 31,000 captured suspects are 63 financiers and ring leaders of crime syndicates.

Over 100,000 people engage in telecom fraud daily stemming from scam centres based in Myanmar, Chinese media reported.

A ringleader of a scam gang committed suicide last week while on the run from authorities during the crackdown, with three people arrested.

Chinas Assistant Foreign Minister Nong Rong visited Myanmar this month and said China is ready to deepen its relationship with Myanmar to tackle cross-border crime.
We started off in my mother's home when I was about the age of three. My mother took her first floral design class because she was pinning a boutonniere on one of the ministers at the church and it completely fell apart in her hands. She didn't make it. Someone else did. So she said, okay, if I'm going to be doing this, let me take some classes so I can just do this myself. And eventually she was the florist of the church, and was doing all the weddings, the funerals, the celebrations. And she just dragged me along with her pretty much my entire life. I never wanted anything to do with flowers because it was just always there. I wanted to do something completely different. Fast forward, I go to college, I'm majoring in psychology, and then I start realizing how much of a business this could be for my mom. So I started taking business classes, and eventually I said, if we're going to do this, why don't we make this a real business? And my sole purpose was literally just to be the business side and she'd be the face of the business and the designer, but then I decided to take my own flower class from a very prominent designer that's well known throughout the US, and I fell in love with flowers. So it started off as Henrietta's Flowers and Gifts, and, about almost 40 years later, we have Now and Forever Flower Boutique.There were no florists. There was no one in River Rouge that was selling flowers. And we saw the need in the community. We thought that we could be an asset to the community because there are, unfortunately, so many dispensaries in River Rouge, where it was like where are the restaurants and the flower shops and the things that just brightens a community? Another big factor for us was that it is a diverse community. We wanted to be someplace where we could resonate with a lot of different people and cultures. You're close to Detroit, yet you're close to Downriver such as Wyandotte and Allen Park, so it was a good location for what we wanted to do, and where we wanted to start. The other factor was it was down the street from my church where I grew up, which was also a big plus because a lot of the people we were servicing were also church members, so it was easy for them to find us, to shop with us, to come visit us.It hasn't been easy at all. I've applied for quite a few grants and I was able to obtain one, but a lot of the capital for us has gone through loans. Before we opened up the shop, we were already sitting on a small gold mine because we were putting everything back into the business and just sitting on it. We weren't actually getting paid, so a lot of the capital needed came from us and loans.We're definitely looking for another location right now. We want to be able to hire more people at more of a full-time position. Right now we hire people for special events, so we're able to bring other people's talents to help build through our business. And then also really streamline our process when it comes to online service. We have a lot of people who don't want to travel Downriver to see us, or they just can't get a schedule booked with us for deliveries because we are so busy. So we want to start a delivery and mailing service for flowers, so people can still enjoy them at their homes without having to come to the shop or trying to schedule a delivery time with us. And lastly, we started a class called Popping Petals with a Twist, where, pretty much, you come in, you have a relaxing time with you and your girlfriends or meet someone new and we play with flowers and you go home and take your own centerpiece for you to keep or to give to someone else. And we literally pop sparkling cider and play with flowers. So we've got quite a few things going on at the same time. But what we're excited about the future, our main thing is to really open up multiple locations because our designs are unique and people want to enjoy them and, unfortunately, Downriver sometimes it's just not accessible for them.Capital is big. We all need funding. Unfortunately, it is not easy to get those things without having to sacrifice something else or to put yourself in this long binding contract of sorts. I would also say people. It's a challenge. And I would say my biggest thing is time. Unfortunately, no one can give me that but God, so it always feels like running out of time because at least for us, with our business, we do a lot of our own in-house things. So social media and emails and advertisements are all in-house aka me. So time is huge. It would be awesome to be able to have the resources or services because a lot of times, a lot of people who are running a business, they're the talent of the business. They're managing the business. They're the janitor of the business. They're everything, all hats. And we all need help, but we all need to be able to make sure we can pay for that help. So, resources that I feel like I would need to achieve my goals are time.More time, more of me. And that's just not going to happen. Why? Because it's a lot. Youre already showing up at your business sometimes seven days out of the week and you're already not sleeping because you're already doing the work. So I find it a bit unrealistic for people who don't have a team to say, okay, cool, I'm gonna go to this workshop or I'm going to go and talk to this consultant, and they're going to tell me what I need to do. But I don't have time to do it. We're in the age of technology and, unfortunately, it takes a whole different set of skills to be able to communicate with the average consumer. When you're running a business, it takes a lot more than just cutting that one sign on sometimes. And, for me, because we're a service-based business that also sells products, we pretty much can set our own hours. So, sometimes for me, I find I make the most money servicing my customers by not even cutting on the sign, not even waiting for people to walk in the door. You have to be able to service people on their phones, on their computers, at their homes. A lot of times businesses, they don't know what they need or who to hire other than what's directly in front of their face, which is whatever they're selling, they don't understand. You have to understand social media, you have to understand SMS marketing, you have to understand guerrilla marketing, and a lot of them just don't.I would say the SBA (Small Business Administration) has been a good resource, and Verizon Small Business Digital Ready . They have an app and a YouTube channel. And then, also, my little circle of entrepreneurs, and my little community who I can always call on. The SBA has been a good resource because they will actually send someone out to your business to pretty much evaluate what you need. They teach you how to network. They put you in those circles of people, and they really work with you hand in hand. The Verizon Small Business Digital Ready program has online classes and workshops that you can attend and view, and it teaches you pretty much A to Z on a business, but it's at your own pace. There's no one that's going to hold your hand or call you or meet with you. But the app itself is really good and self paced, and then once you complete so many courses, you can apply for their grant program. And YouTube, my goodness, you can always access it from your phone 24-hours a day. You do have to be careful who you're listening to, but there's a lot of great teachers there. And then I do have my little circle of event planners and florists and designers, all over the world, that I've met through different workshops and networking opportunities and online Facebook groups, and weve just become flower friends, and we teach each other and we help each other build and grow.Sometimes every day feels like a challenge. But I don't think I look at challenges the way most people look at challenges. It's more like, okay, it's another hump. Let's get over it. Let's keep moving. Let's keep going. So. I think the biggest challenge, honestly, is staying motivated because although you get to do something that you love and enjoy and feel passionate about, it makes other people feel happy, which is also part of the passion of it all. It takes a lot to run a business mentally, physically, emotionally, because it is your baby. Everyday its another challenge. I don't think there was anything that was too challenging to overcome. Other than myself, my own mental mindset of saying, okay, we got this. That's what I find a lot of people struggle with, especially when I listen to other people's problems or even think of my own. I'm like, it's really just you. That's your own challenge. Because sometimes we make things problems thats really not that big, and it's just a matter of staying motivated. Keep pushing yourself, not waiting for everyone else to do it for you, and get up and do it yourself and figure this thing out.In the city, I would connect them to the City of River Rouge. River Rouge doesn't have a Chamber of Commerce, but I've had businesses in other cities that did, and the Chamber of Commerce has always been so beneficial to whatever we do because they kind of lead you in those areas. But for River Rouge, in particular, the City of River Rouge. Going to those council meetings, introducing yourselves to the community, and then allowing them to forward you to the local newspapers, the small business organizations that's probably already been established in the community. Downriver has a couple of associations, and when I go to those meetings and I meet with other owners, they're so supportive. They want to pour into you because they know that the more businesses that you bring to the community, the more customers come with it, the more clients that come. So that would be my first thing I would say, connect with the other businesses in the city. Rather it is through the city council, through a Chamber of Commerce or business association. All cities don't have those things, but find what your city has and connect with them.I think we would all agree that the lack of funding for small businesses that are not dispensaries is a big issue, a huge issue for Downriver, unfortunately. I don't know how much money they make, but I know the city makes money. More money from dispensaries opening than they do from flower shops opening. So, unfortunately, there's a lot of dispensaries, and there's not that many restaurants. We don't have a movie theater or a grocery store. Some of the everyday basic things that a group, a community, needs we don't have. So I would say that the biggest issue is there's more support for non-family friendly businesses than there are for family-friendly businesses. And I think a lot of people thought that if you allow the dispensaries to come in, it's going to bring in the customers. But unfortunately, a lot of those people that go to dispensaries, they already don't have a whole lot of funds that they can share with other businesses outside of the dispensaries. And then the other ones, they come in through the city and they leave right back out.
UAE operator e&, part of the Etisalat Group, has announced the introduction of what it describes as an eco-friendly Green SIM Card initiative for its UAE customers.

Its certainly timely, taking place in the run-up to the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change UNFCCC (aka COP28), taking place from 30 November until 12 December 2023, at the Expo City, Dubai. The UAE has also declared 2023 the Year of Sustainability. Thus its a good time for e& to highlight its aim of accelerating the pace of its green initiatives.

Manufactured from recycled consumer electronics, over half a million Green SIM Cards will be available for visitors and attendees arriving for the COP28 event.

The Green SIM Cards initiative is part of e&s environmental, social, and governance (ESG) commitment to tackle climate challenges at all levels of its operations.

In fact e& says it has taken substantial steps to reduce its carbon footprint and is working towards achieving net zero in scope 1 and 2 within the groups operations in the UAE by 2030; this includes the deployment of energy-efficient wireless equipment at its mobile network sites. This transformation, it says, has led to a 52% reduction in energy consumption compared to conventional equipment.

The e& SIM initiative is not unique of course. In January 2022 we reported that operator Globe Telecom in the Philippines had launched SIM cards for its postpaid mobile customers. The cards were made from 100% recycled polystyrene that came from discarded refrigerator interiors.

In the light of ongoing global concerns about e-waste, this is nevertheless a significant gesture, but theres clearly a lot more that can be done  a topic weve been addressing in a special series of articles that began in August.
Bay-area-news

spotlight

From pups to partners: How a Bay Area school trains guide dogs

Allyson Aleksey/The Examiner The current litter of golden retrievers at Guide Dog Dogs for the Blind are around seven weeks old and will be sent out to their puppy raisers the first week of December.

Graham Norwood knew hed finally met the one when he first heard his name  Malcolm.

Theres a whole elaborate sequence that goes into naming dogs, he said. I just thought Malcolm was such a great dog name.

But it wasnt exactly love at first sight.

Malcolm is one of hundreds of canine companions trained every year to serve as assistants for vision-impaired or blind people by Guide Dogs for the Blind, the nonprofit San Rafael training school thats also the countrys largest. The school has successfully graduated 16,000 Labrador and golden retrievers as guide dogs since its founding in 1942.

Norwood, a Berkeley resident, is one of the schools many clients, all of whom undergo rigorous training alongside their new canine companions to ensure that the pair  who will be almost literally joined at the hip for the foreseeable future  are in fact, a match.

I wanted a dog that was able to, when hes working, be really focused, Norwood said. Also, I wanted a companion and a dog that was frisky and wanted to play and all of those things that make up a dogs life outside of Malcolms job.

Craig Lee/The Examiner Graham Norwood and his guide dog, Malcolm, walks across the street nicknamed Abbey Road on the campus at Guide Dogs for the Blind, in San Rafael on Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. Norwood said Malcolm has been "whatever is needed."

He first met Malcolm, a sweet yellow Lab, a few years ago, but Norwood has struggled with his eyesight his entire life. Diagnosed with Leber congenital amaurosis, a rare degenerative visual condition, Norwood got by with partial vision for most of his life until it started deteriorating even further in his mid-30s.

A new gene therapy seemed like a promising solution, but it wound up having the opposite effect.

I went from this long, slow decline visually to overnight having to make some pretty profound adjustments with my life, the therapist and musician said.

One of those adjustments was getting a guide dog.

Guide Dogs for the Blind had already been on his radar for years, and Norwood decided to take the same plunge as thousands of others before him. Previously, hed relied on a white cane to get around, using a tool that allows visually impaired people to gain a sense of their surroundings. This provided him with enough spatial and movement knowledge that the school requires from clients before they undergo the dog-matching process.

When Norwood was ready, he arrived at the sprawling Marin County campus for an open house, then underwent the month-long training process, which Guide Dogs for the Blind CEO and President Christine Benninger said was recently shortened to two weeks.

The process involves full days of working with the dogs and their trainers, followed by classes in the evenings, and then nights spent in campus lodging. Its a full-time commitment, but a necessary one to make sure the relationship is successful.

Dogs are just like people: Were all different, Benninger said. So we look specifically for the traits that are going to be needed for you.

Craig Lee/The Examiner Guide Dogs for the Blind CEO and President Christine Benninger, left, poses for a picture on the organization's San Rafael campus on Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. "Dogs are just like people: We're all different," Benninger told The Examiner. "So we look specifically for the traits that are going to be needed for you."

Unlike their people, the dogs prepare for their careers from the moment theyre born.

They spend the first several weeks of their lives on the campus, undergoing socialization with staff and other puppies, but they begin their training around five days after theyre born.

Theres essentially 18 to 20 months of training that goes into every single dog before they graduate, Benninger said.

After their first 10 weeks alive on campus, the dogs get sent off to one of around 1,500 puppy raisers around the country who take the dogs through tasks and activities to prepare them for the real world, such as navigating busy areas like airports and shopping malls.

The puppy raisers send monthly reports to the school about the dogs progress. When the dogs are around 15 or 16 months old, they return to campus to go through their more formal training with staff trainers.

The dogs are taught to become comfortable wearing a harness, walk in a straight line, and respond to voice commands. They also learn intelligent disobedience  a form of training unique to seeing-eye dogs.

Craig Lee/The Examiner Senior guide dog instructor Adam Gilbert trains a dog named Blanchett to walk around obstacles at Guide Dogs for the Blind in San Rafael on Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. The dogs undergo intensive training from the moment they're born.

Intelligent disobedience is essential to keeping clients safe, and it teaches the dogs to think for themselves. If a client is trying to walk across the street and a car comes out of nowhere, a dog has to stop and ignore the clients commands to go.

They have to make independent decisions, Benninger said. They have to say no to their boss if theyre given a command thats going to put their person in harms way.

Not all make it to the end, but Benninger and staff dont say that the dog has failed or flunked out. Instead, they make transitions and become companions of other kinds, or even get adopted by their raisers or friends of their raisers. Guide Dogs for the Blind staffers call it a career change.

Guide work is the most challenging service work, Benninger said. A guide dog has to do everything correctly 100% of the time. You cant just walk somebody into a light pole once.

Allyson Aleksey/The Examiner Frill, or Bobby as her puppy raiser calls her, is currently about 10 months old and will likely begin her formal training in five or six months.

But the hard work pays off for most, and clients are able to navigate their world with more ease than they might have been able to before.

I was living in the heart of the Mission when I got Malcolm, and lots of dogs struggle with being distracted by all the noises and smells in The City, Norwood said. Hes just an amazing dog. Hes able to shapeshift and be whatever is needed.

Currently, Guide Dogs for the Blind raises around 800 puppies a year to serve as guide dogs. The entire process, from breeding, raising, health care, training and ongoing support can cost as much as $60,000 per dog.

But the school and other similar programs across the country dont receive any government funding. There have been grassroots campaigns in the past to require medical insurance providers to include guide-dog access, or have state or national agencies foot the bill. None have succeeded.

Sharon Giovinazzo, CEO of San Franciscos LightHouse for the Blind, said it just isnt on legislators radars.

Visual impairment is low-incidence, or a less-common disability, Giovianzzo said. You really have to have a family member or loved one who is visually impaired to understand the real necessity of guide dogs.

Giovianzzo and others who use guide dogs said that the service these pups provide for their owners is irreplaceable.

Craig Lee/The Examiner An affectionate puppy and future guide dog licks Guide Dogs for the Blind canine welfare neonatal technician Keilana Murphy in San Rafael on Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023.

Kristen Ingalz, another Guide Dogs for the Blind client, lost part of her vision due to autoimmune retinopathy, a rare disease in which the immune system attacks proteins in the retina. For years, she navigated San Jose with a cane, attending the school to gain better orientation and mobility for cane use.

She didnt intend on being paired with a guide dog.

Then she met Bestie.

Ingalz admitted that it took some time for the pair to get acquainted. Bestie was all business from the beginning, hyper-focused on Ingalzs every move.

When we took pictures, you could not get her to stop looking at me to look at the camera, Ingalz said. Shes laser-focused. Right now, shes sleeping. But if I were to move my leg even slightly, she would jump up like, all right, what do you need? Where are we going?

Besties professional demeanor has afforded Ingalz a newfound freedom. With a cane, Ingalz limited her activities. Navigating a noisy mall with a cane, or even back-to-school nights with her young daughter, was wearying and, at times, anxiety-inducing.

She will never forget her first trip to Target with Bestie in tow. She was sure all the hard work they put in up until that point would go to the dogs.

For many, walking through the aisles of a department store is a routine, mundane activity. But for someone who is visually impaired, it can be frightening.

Ingalz said Bestie sensed her nerves and maneuvered through aisles and marketing displays with ease, something Ingalz wasnt able to do for years  sealing her faith in her new companion.

Bestie just wove through it like it was nothing, Ingalz said. I didnt even have to consider the fact that (the obstacles) were there. I just started crying, right there in the middle of Target.

Craig Lee/The Examiner Graham Norwood and his seeing-eye dog, Malcolm, walking the campus at Guide Dogs for the Blind, in San Rafael on Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. Norwood said Malcolm has removed a lot of social barriers for him.

Norwood has had the same experience with Malcolm, who has helped him navigate everything from the New York City subway to BART. The Lab even sits by his side as he plays gigs at music venues in the Mission.

The biggest difference for me isnt even the transportation thing, he said. Previously, when Norwood walked with a cane, he felt as if it put up a barrier between him and others. They get uncomfortable, maybe they dont know anything about etiquette, and so its easier to just not engage.

That all changed when he got Malcolm.

I cant go to a bar and have an empty seat next to me for more than 90 seconds before somebody comes up and wants to know about Malcolm and wants to say hello, he said. Its just this really transformative social distinction.

Norwood and Ingalz both said they believe in the value of canine over cane, but admitted there are some challenges  mostly from others questioning the dogs credentials and even the veracity of their conditions.

Norwood said people have accused him of faking his visual impairment when trying to enter businesses and shops with Malcolm. Its an unfortunate byproduct of the rise in popularity of emotional-support animals, which poses challenges to the credibility of service dogs like Malcolm and Bestie, Benninger said.

Rideshare app drivers, like Lyft or Uber, have also refused to pick up visually impaired people with their service dogs. Norwood, Ingalz and Giovinazzo all said its happened to them. Although it is a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, it continues to happen to others throughout the country  so much so that Lyft and Uber were both hit with discrimination lawsuits six years ago.

Still, by and large, the general public shows respect to working dogs, Ingalz said.

Id like people to know that when Besties got her vest on, shes in work mode, she said. It isnt a time to pet and play, and people  especially kids  understand that.

The next generation of guide dogs like Bestie and Malcolm are still in the beginning phase of their lives.

The current litter of golden retrievers at San Rafael right now is around seven weeks old. The puppies will go home with their raisers the first week of December and begin the monthslong training process to become verified guide dogs.

And if all goes well, the puppies will follow the paw prints of Malcolm and Bestie to a grateful companion.
A study led by Simon Fraser University researchers finds that mining companies are staking claims on future salmon habitats as glaciers retreat.

In the ice-covered transboundary region shared by northern B.C. and Alaska, glacier retreat is creating thousands of kilometers of new rivers that salmon are finding. These emerging rivers represent future habitats for salmon but mining companies are also looking to these areas for the next gold mine. A new study, published in Science maps out these emerging land use conflicts and identifies policy blind spots as well as key opportunities for the stewardship of these nascent habitats.

The paper discovered that of the 114 subwatersheds in the transboundary region with future salmon habitat, 25 had more than 50 per cent of future salmon habitat near a mining claim. In addition, more than half of future salmon habitat in Canada has either medium or high mineral potential, an indicator of future potential mining pressure.

The paper was a collaboration among researchers from SFU, Gitanyow First Nation Hereditary Chiefs, the University of Montana Flathead Lake Biological Station, and Taku River Tlingit First Nation.

Climate change and other human activities are harming salmon populations in much of their range. Yet in some locations of northern B.C. and Alaska, glacier retreat is creating hotspots of opportunity for salmon, but also of mining pressure. This is an emerging environmental issue, says SFU professor Jonathan Moore, the studys lead author and head of the Salmon Watersheds Lab.

This study builds on previous work by Moore and Kara Pitman, a research scientist at SFU. Previously, we mapped where and when future salmon habitat would be created with glacier retreat. This builds on that work, and is the first time that we have assessed where mining claims or mineral potential overlap with future salmon habitats, says Pitman.
Virgin Money UK reported a 42% fall in statutory profit in its full-year results on Thursday, to 345m, as its underlying profit on ordinary activities fell 24% to 592m.

The FTSE 250 company said underlying net interest income increased 8% for the year to 1.716bn, while underlying non-interest income grew 5% to 157m, meaning total underlying operating income reached 1.873bn, an 8% increase.

Underlying operating and administrative expenses grew 6% to 971m while underlying operating profit before impairment losses rose 9% to 902m.

Impairment losses on credit exposures were 309m, compared to 52m in the 2022 financial year.

Adjusting items, including restructuring charges and intangible asset write-downs, amounted to 248m, making for a 37% increase.

Virgin Money UK said its net interest margin expanded to 1.91% from 1.85% year-on-year, supported by effective deposit management, hedge re-investment, and lending mix adjustments.

The companys cost-to-income ratio (CIR) remained stable at 51.9%, in line with guidance.

Its Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) ratio remained strong at 14.7%, and the company announced a further 150m buyback, exceeding prior guidance, bringing the total shareholder distributions for 2023 to 272m - about 2% higher than in 2022.

In addition to its financial performance, Virgin Money UK achieved growth in target lending segments and relationship deposits during the year.

Active relationship customer accounts increased by 5% to 3.8 million, with relationship deposits reaching 35.4bn, comprising 53% of total deposits.

Virgin Money UK also highlighted its strategic achievements for customers, including the relaunch of Virgin Money Investments, the launch of a digital wallet for Virgin Atlantic customers, and strong growth in business current account (BCA) sales.

Looking ahead to the 2024 period and the medium term, Virgin Money UK said it expected to maintain a net interest margin of 190 to 195 basis points, continued loan growth in unsecured and business lending, and a stable cost-to-income ratio.

The company said it aimed to generate sustainable double-digit statutory returns in the medium term.

We made good progress executing our strategy in 2023, growing both our relationship customer base and target lending segments, said chief executive officer David Duffy.

With the momentum we carry into 2024, we are confident in the outlook for our business and we expect to deliver around 800m in distributions to our investors by the end of the three-year period ending in 2024.

Duffy said that under the Virgin brand, the firms ambition was to create the UKs best digital bank.

To help achieve this goal, we are stepping up investment in our technological capability to future proof our business and protect our customers from the growing risk of fraud strategies driven by advances in AI.

At 0944 GMT, shares in Virgin Money UK were down 2.26% at 153.45p.

Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.
Amazon has launched the 'AI Ready' initiative, which aims to provide free generative AI skill training to two million individuals by 2025. To support professionals in their workplace, Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announced eight new free AI and generative AI courses that are open to everyone and designed to meet the demands of current job markets. These courses complement more than 80 free and low-cost AI and generative AI courses and resources already provided by AWS.

Amazon has announced the AWS Generative AI Scholarship and its collaboration with Code.org to facilitate access to next-generation tech education for underrepresented and underserved students. The AWS Generative AI Scholarship will provide Udacity scholarships worth more than $12 million to over 50,000 high school and university students globally, belonging to underprivileged and underrepresented communities.

A new AWS study found strong demand for AI talent and the potential for workers with AI skills to earn up to 47 percent more in salaries. "Looking ahead, AI will only become more integral to the way business is done, with 93 percent of businesses expecting they will be using AI solutions across their organization in the next five years", the study noted.
The impetus to evolve is integral to the success trajectory for every startup. These budding businesses are always on the lookout for enhanced productivity solutions. Often, that quest leads to the adoption of breakthrough corrective technologies that catalyze growth and render efficient operations along the way. This is where First Bit https://firstbit.ae/, a leading player in this landscape, comes in with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), their flagship ERP software getting duly noticed for a surging preference among startups in the United Arab Emirates.

Streamlining Business through Technology

Startup environments are innately resilient, but as they expand, complexity and challenges naturally arise. To mitigate this, FirstBit ERP comes equipped with a comprehensive suite of modules covering financials, accounting, HR, payroll, CRM, sales, and inventory. Embracing such end-to-end automation addresses diverse business needs, paving the way for productive workflows and cost efficiencies. For a startup looking to scale effectively, such streamlining is a blessing.

Financials and Accounting: Confluence of Compliance and Convenience

Compliant financial reporting forms the bedrock of every business. This is why FirstBit ERP has prioritized making the process of managing financial data painlessly straightforward. The application boasts features like automated Value Added Tax (VAT) calculations in compliance with UAE VAT Law and multi-company accounting in a single database, which are essential to startups navigating an increasingly regulated business environment.

Inventory and Warehouse: Making Stock Management Seamless

Startups in the retail or manufacturing vertical cannot overlook the need for accurate inventory control for their daily operations and long-term strategy. Real-time online inventory tracking, control of minimum stock balance, and expiry dates tracking are among the powerful features that FirstBit ERP offers. This ensures not only a more efficient warehouse operation but also a better understanding of the stock in multiple locations, providing startups the insights needed for growth.

Real-Time Reports: Ensuring Current Insights

Staying ahead in the modern business world requires access to timely, precise information. Automated report generation and customized indicator reports in FirstBit ERP allow relevant stakeholders to grasp the business's pulse in real-time, ensuring the timely pivot of strategies to accommodate market changes. A boon for startups, real-time reporting facilitates informed decision-making, ushering in growth and expansion.

Approvals and Collaboration: Accelerating Decision-Making

Startups thrive on collaboration and swift decision making. FirstBit ERP offers an easy-to-design custom approval process, ensuring prompt action on essential business decisions. Its built-in messenger increases inter-company communication, fostering the quick relaying of information and quicker approval of ideas or strategies.

Project Costing: Tracking the Growth Path

For project-centric startups, analyzing project profitability, expenditures, and output can make the difference between success and failure. FirstBit ERPs project costing feature provides real-time information and insights about project estimates and actuals, which fuels cost-effectiveness and revenue growth.

HR and Payroll: Automating Administrative Processes

Automating routine HR and payroll processes allows startups to reduce administrative error and focus more on strategic initiatives that promote growth. FirstBit ERP ensures compliance with the UAE Labor Law and provides efficient tracking of employee inventories and asset accounting.

Conclusion

In conclusion, FirstBit ERP packs an intensive suite of insightful applications customized to empower startups toward decisive growth. Aided by such technologically robust and operationally seamless solutions, startups can focus more on their core proposition, driving success in the exciting, dynamic UAE business landscape.
Indian-owned Hexaware Technologies, a global provider of IT and digital solutions has marked the next phase of its UK expansion by opening a new Birmingham-based facility, with plans to create 250 jobs. The facility at 3, Brindleyplace was officially opened by West Midlands Mayor Andy Street, who took part in a ribbon cutting and traditional Indian lamp-lighting ceremony. Hexaware's launch of its Birmingham base follows its move to establish a pilot facility in the city earlier this year to provide on-site support for several customers. Since then, a surge in demand in areas such as application operations, End-User Computing (EUC) services, and service desk support has convinced Hexaware to step up its growth in the West Midlands while diversifying its portfolio of services.

The expansion plan forms a key part of the business' UK growth strategy, which is focused on establishing itself as a trusted partner for innovative IT and digital services. The company is committed to scaling up its Birmingham facility to house 250 talented professionals by 2025. The onboarding process for over 60 local employees is already underway, with plans to actively seek out additional top-tier talent to complement Hexaware's growing team. The business' recruitment drive is being supported by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) skills team following an introduction by the West Midlands Growth Company (WMGC).

The announcement comes one year since West Midlands Mayor, Andy Street, led a delegation formed of business and political leaders from the UK's West Midlands to India's sub-regions. The trade mission resulted in a number of strategic partnerships, with the aim of boosting bilateral trade and investment between India and the West Midlands. During the 2022/23 financial year, India overtook the US to become the West Midlands' leading source of FDI, with tech-led investments into the region representing a prominent trend. The West Midlands also cemented its reputation as a global investment hotspot, emerging as the UK's top regional location for attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) outside London.

R Srikrishna, CEO at Hexaware, said, "We want to deliver personalized services to our large and rapidly growing British customer base while helping build and improve the economy and talent in local communities. Birmingham and the Midlands, with their rich and diverse talent base, offer immense potential to meet both objectives". Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, said, "Last year's trade mission to India helped us to further strengthen our region's economic ties with this dynamic nation on the rise as discussions advance around a new Free Trade Agreement between the UK and India".

"India is now one of our region's leading sources of foreign direct investment, and now, the West Midlands Growth Company (WMGC) is spearheading our international strategy to further strengthen our reputation as the UK's leading FDI recipient outside of London". "This important investment announcement from Hexaware a year on from our trade mission is a fantastic result. I'm pleased that Hexaware has made this commitment, and I look forward to seeing them go from strength to strength here supported by our world-class STEM talent base and strengths in innovation".

Councillor John Cotton, Leader of Birmingham City Council, said, "Birmingham is a hub of educational excellence, housing multiple institutions that consistently rank among the world's top 100 universities. Our city is not only home to these world-class universities, but it also offers an exceptional environment for both local and international students and skilled professionals. With this expansion, Birmingham presents a unique opportunity to students and professionals alike to acquire invaluable industry experience through work placements with Hexaware, contributing to the needs of their global clientele".
During the Virtual G20 Leaders' Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasized the importance of responsible use of technology and announced $25 million for developing Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI). PM Modi said, "Friends, at the New Delhi Summit, it was decided to create a digital public infrastructure repository. I am happy to say that the repository is ready. More than fifty DPIs from sixteen countries have been added to it. I propose to establish a social impact fund to implement DPI in countries of the Global South".

Notably, India continues to make significant strides aimed at expanding access to digital technologies and services like Aadhaar, Unified Payments Interface, DigiLocker, and CoWin. "On behalf of India, I also announce the addition of an initial amount of USD 25 mn. I hope that all of you will join this initiative", said PM Modi.

Speaking on the misuse of deepfake technology, PM Modi urged people to use technology in the utmost responsible manner. "It's high time we use technology in the utmost responsible manner. India has a clear view that we should work together on global regulation of artificial intelligence (AI)", said PM Modi. Deepfake technology is a type of artificial intelligence (AI) that uses machine learning algorithms to create synthetic media.

"We must understand the seriousness of how dangerous the Deepfake is for society and individuals. AI should reach the people, and it must be safe for society. With this approach, India will launch a global AI partnership summit next month. I am sure that all of you will cooperate in this also", said the PM. He also spoke about climate change and Green Credit for environmental protection. "Through the Global Biofuels Alliance launched in New Delhi, we are promoting the development of alternative fuels along with reducing carbon", said PM Modi.

Under India's G20 Presidency , the Global Biofuel Alliance has become a top priority. The alliance seeks to promote cooperation and increase the use of sustainable biofuels, particularly in the transportation sector. The focus is on strengthening markets, facilitating global biofuel trade, developing effective policies, and providing technical support for national biofuel programs worldwide. It also highlights the implementation of best practices and successful cases.

"G-20 has recognized the mission LiFE, i.e., lifestyle for environment, for a pro-planet approach. There has been a call to triple the use of renewable energy by 2030 and has shown commitment towards clean hydrogen. The need to take climate finance from billions to trillions has been recognized. In a few days, during COP-28 being held in UAE, concrete steps need to be taken on all these initiatives," said PM Modi.

The Prime Minister also highlighted the 33 percent reservation for women in the state legislative assemblies and the Lok Sabha being reserved for women. "A new working group on women's empowerment has also been formed. In this context, I am very happy to say that India took a historic decision in the first session of its new Parliament building to strengthen women-led development. We have decided to have a 33 percent reservation for women in Parliament and state legislative assemblies", said PM Modi.
RHI Magnesita India, a prominent refractory company, recently unveiled a major investment plan of 333 crore for the next two years. The primary objective of this investment is to expand and upgrade the technology at its facilities. As part of this strategy, the company aims to eliminate bottlenecks and implement advanced technologies such as iron-ore pelletization and the production of green-steel products.

The company currently operates at 65% capacity and holds almost one-third of the market share. With these investments, it is poised for further growth. The integration of three subsidiaries - RHI Clasil, RHI India, and Orient Refractories - and the acquisitions of Dalmia-OCL and Hi-Tech Chemicals have significantly expanded RHI Magnesita India's range of products.

CEO Stefan Borgas confirmed that the investments would be internally financed, leveraging the robust demand within the Indian market across various industries, including steel and cement. Refractories are crucial in these sectors as they serve as thermal barriers that can withstand high temperatures.

In addition to scaling up its production capabilities, RHI Magnesita India also plans to increase its capacity utilization by at least 10% through the adoption of robotics and artificial intelligence. This tech-forward approach is expected to streamline operations and boost efficiency.
If you are injured in an accident at work, it is crucial that you seek legal advice from a personal injury solicitor. An experienced solicitor can help you navigate the complex process of making a claim and maximise your compen- sation payout. Here are some of the key reasons why working with a solicitor is so important after a workplace accident.

Evidence Gathering

A personal injury solicitor will carry out vital evidence gathering from the outset. This includes taking detailed witness statements, collecting CCTV footage, gathering medical reports, and compiling photographic evidence. A solicitor will build a compelling case to demonstrate that your accident was due to employer negligence and that you sustained injuries and losses as a result.

Determining Liability

Establishing liability in an accident claim can be tricky. There may be issues around whether appropriate health and safety regulations were followed, if adequate training was provided, or if you contributed to the accident through your own negligence. A solicitor will determine where the blame lies and fight to prove employer liability on your behalf.

Calculating Damages

The financial value of a personal injury claim depends on many complex factors. These include the severity of the injury, length of recovery time, loss of earnings, impact on future job prospects, and any care or assistance required. A solicitor from a firm like P.A. Duffy & Co. Solicitors will have the expertise to thoroughly calculate and maximise the total compensation you are entitled to.

Negotiating Settlements

An experienced personal injury lawyer will negotiate with insurance companies and third parties to obtain the best possible settlement for your case. They will refuse lowball offers, demonstrate the strength of your legal claim, and achieve maximum payouts through their negotiation skills.

Litigation Knowledge

If it becomes necessary to take your claim to court, the intricate litigation process can be difficult to navigate as an individual. A personal injury solicitor will handle all aspects of bringing your case through the courts. Their litigation knowledge and experience give you the best chance of success.

Avoiding Mistakes

Making errors when pursuing accident compensation can severely reduce payouts or even destroy the validity of the claim. Common mistakes include missing deadlines, failing to follow correct protocols, accepting early settlement offers, and underestimating the value of the claim. An expert solicitor avoids these mistakes.

Support and Guidance

Suffering an injury at work and making a personal injury claim can be incredibly stressful experiences. A good solicitor will provide invaluable support and guidance throughout. They handle all the legal complexities and paperwork, whilst you focus on your recovery. Their expertise and human touch ensure you remain calm and informed.

Choosing the Right Solicitor

It is important to choose an accredited specialist personal injury solicitor to handle your claim, rather than a general high street firm. Specialist firms have extensive expertise that proves invaluable. Ensure they offer a free initial consultation so you can discuss your claim.

If you are injured in a workplace accident, the takeaway is clear: seeking legal representation from a skilled personal injury solicitor is essential. With their help, you can make the strongest possible claim and receive your full entitlement to compensation. A solicitor levels the playing field and gets you the justice you deserve.
Zebra Technologies Corporation, a leading digital solution provider enabling businesses to intelligently connect data, assets, and people, released the findings of its 2023 Global Warehousing Study. The study highlights the importance of enhancing employee value and retention, with 70% of Indian and Asia Pacific (APAC) warehouse decision-makers planning to automate workflows by 2024 for more customer-centric tasks. The study further confirmed that 58% of warehouse decision-makers plan to deploy radio frequency identification (RFID) technology by 2028 which will help increase inventory visibility and reduce out-of-stocks.

Over the next five years, a majority of warehouse decision-makers plan to deploy fixed, passive or handheld RFID readers and fixed industrial scanning solutions that can better track assets, workers and goods throughout the warehouse environment. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the invention of RFID, which has become a problem-solving tool for front-line workers in warehouses and other industries.

Accelerating Modernization to Manage Returns

Globally, 73% of warehouse decision-makers have or will be accelerating timelines of modernization projects, with decision-makers in APAC similarly aligned at 69%. This should help with returns management which climbed to the top operational challenge cited by nearly half of warehouse decision-makers surveyed (47% globally, 40% in APAC). The study records an increase of 5 percentage points year-over-year in the APAC region.

"Precise inventory updates and efficient return management are imperative in the warehousing sector. This becomes even more critical in the retail sector during the high-demand seasons in a country like India", said Rajnish Gupta, VP of India and Subcontinent, Zebra Technologies. "Warehouse operators must embrace best-in-class technological solutions to enhance operational efficiency, agility, and real-time decision-making during such high-demand times. This involves modernizing operations to manage returns effectively, improve inventory visibility, and enhance demand forecasting. Zebra supports its customers in India with its series of Zebra printers (ZD421/ ZD411, ZQ600plus), mobile computers and tablets (TC53/TC58, ET60/ET65), RFID devices (ZT231 RFID, WS50 RFID), and software (VisibilityIQ Foresight) amongst others".

This comes about as the majority of warehouse decision-makers (76% globally, 75% in APAC) say they are under pressure to improve performance while adjusting to shifting consumer ecommerce demands. Inaccurate inventory and out-of-stocks continue to significantly challenge productivity according to nearly 80% of warehouse associates and decision-makers. In fact, both groups associates (82% globally, 79% in APAC) and decision-makers (76% globally, 79% in APAC) acknowledge they need better inventory management tools to achieve better accuracy and determine availability. To combat these issues, a significant portion of decision-makers (91% globally and 88% in APAC) are addressing this need, citing plans to invest in technology to increase visibility across the supply chain by 2028.

Optimizing Operations to Increase Visibility

Warehouse decision-makers are also augmenting their front-line workers by automating their warehouses to ultimately optimize their operations and increase their inventory visibility. According to a recent study by Interact Analysis, despite a recent slowdown in demand for automation projects (in part due to a reduction in warehousing construction), this demand is expected to return to growth in 2024. Close to half of warehouse decision-makers believe automation increases worker efficiency and productivity by reducing manual picking, order errors and cycle time. Meanwhile, around eight-in-10 warehouse associates globally (81%) and in APAC (78%) agree using more technology and automation helps them meet or exceed productivity goals.

Complementing the rise in productivity, this empowers associates mentality towards their work - eight in ten warehouse associates (83% globally, 82% in APAC) surveyed also feel more valued when their employers provide them with technology and automation tools to help them work. Similarly, more than eight in ten of global (88%) and APAC (84%) warehouse decision-makers say adding warehouse technologies, including devices and robotics, attracts and retains employees which is extremely important during labor shortages. More than half of the surveyed decision-makers plan to implement machine learning (52% globally, 57% in APAC) and predictive analytics (59% globally, 63% in APAC) software solutions in their facilities by 2028.

Prioritizing Sustainability in Decision-Making

Ultimately, warehouse decision-makers are choosing solutions based on their ability to help them build sustainable operations, driven largely by regulations, energy costs or shortages along with customer, worker and investor expectations. For example, 77% of global warehouse decision-makers are focused on reducing emissions and waste while 84% of warehouse decision-makers recognize the importance of their warehouse technology solutions maximizing battery life. These sentiments are echoed within APAC as well, with 74% and 78% of APAC decision-makers resonating on these areas respectively.

Other sustainable elements decision-makers prioritize today include ensuring accurate mobile device swap-out time, connecting to energy monitoring software to maximize efficiency, offering buy-back and certified refurbishment/circular economy programs, and the use of reusable and recyclable materials. Beyond their own operations, 81% of global warehouse decision-makers (79% in APAC) also say it is important that technology vendors have sustainability measures in place for running their businesses. Ultimately, warehouses must continue to implement agile strategies to avoid inefficiencies, preserve resources, and provide employees with a performance edge.
Indian-American Rohit Verma has been appointed as the Dean of the University of Carolinas Darla Moore School of Business, which will be effective from August 1st.

Indian-American Rohit Verma is appointed as the Dean of the University of South Carolinas Darla Moore School of Business. Anticipated to take up his role from August 1st, Dr. Verma will be joining the Moore School from Vin University in Hanoi, Vietnam. He is currently serving as the founding provost at the Moore School and a professor of operations, technology, and information management at Cornell Universitys SC Johnson College of Business.

Dr. Vermas previous roles include dean of external affairs at Cornells SC Johnson College of Business. The President of the University of South Carolina praised his exceptional role as an award-winning teacher, researcher, and innovative leader, welcoming him into the Carolina family.

He holds an impressive academic record and an international perspective to facilitate leading-edge work for the Darla Moore School of Business. Dr. Verma also served as the executive director for the Center of Hospitality Research and a founding executive director for the Institute for Healthy Futures at Cornell. Post which, he served in various concurrent leadership positions at VinUniversity, and won the Excellent Leader Award in 2021.

Mr. Verma expressed his interest to take up a multi-disciplinary perspective and in making active collaborations with colleagues from other fields, while asked about his nomination. He ensured that he will make feasible collaborations with his colleagues at the Moore School to restore the core values of the school and prioritize them in his work.

Dr. Verma has made a significant impact during his time at VinUniversity, recruiting highly accomplished and diverse academic leaders and faculty from various nations. He has established a fully integrated campus life system, and nurtured curriculum programs for degrees, on account of active and experiential learning.

Dr. Verma received Ph.D. in Business Administration and completed MS in Engineering from the University of Utah. He holds a bachelors degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, and has published over 75 articles in prestigious academic journals.
President Biden praised the Indian American communitys significant role in the US State and his administration, highlighting the relationship between both nations.

President Joe Biden welcomed Indian PM Modi at the White House on his first state visit in 2023 on 22nd June. During the welcoming ceremony, President Biden praised the Indian community residing in the US, highlighting the significance of their contributions to the Biden administration, including Vice-president Kamala Harris. Their success stories critically define the relationship, opening limitless possibilities between India and the US.

Due to the common values of individuals of both nations, like a duty to family and elders, treating people with respect and dignity, self-discipline, hard work, courage, and resilience, a special bond is formed between both nations. This can be witnessed in the Indian-American diaspora, reflecting every part of American life, which acts as a bridge between both countries.

A record number, 150+ Indian Americans are serving in the United States Congress, where President Biden highlighted proud Americans of Indian heritage in his administration. One member may be the granddaughter of an Indian civil servant, while another may be a daughter of an Indian student-turned-American scientist serving under the Biden administration. There are almost a thousand stories of determination, courage, and hope in the US, defining the relationship and limitless possibilities between the United States and India. Both countries' partnerships can likely be referred to as two great nations, two great friends, and two great powers, redefining the 21st century.

Vice-president Mrs. Harris is an Indian-Jamaican descendant who has settled in the United States. The 58-year-old leader was born in Oakland, California, and was raised as a proud Indian-American. PM Modi was pleased by the welcome and expressed that the grand welcome is specifically an honor for the Indian population.
Another US cabinet-level secretary will be visiting India this year, following the visits of Secretary of State Antony J Blinken, treasury secretary Janet Yellen, and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.

The United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will be visiting India in early June as a part of advancing discussions on bilateral defense cooperation. The statement regarding his arrival was proposed by the assistant secretary for Indo-Pacific security affairs Dr. Ely Ratner, who serves as a key architect of the defense posture of administration in the region.

The strategic alignment between India and the US is highly robust in recent times, especially with a clear directive from the top political leadership in the American system over the prioritization of a defense partnership with India, rather than a mere business-as-usual mode. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to the US state on June 22nd comes with a critical agenda to deliver categorical support for the co-production and co-development of the defense system in strengthening the indigenous capabilities of India.

Mr. Austin's visit to India will mark his second trip to the country and his seventh visit to the Indo-Pacific ever since his period in office. He will be traveling to Tokyo and Singapore to address the Shangrila dialogue prior to his arrival in New Delhi. The secretarys visit has come as a counterpart to Modis state visit, aiming to figure out the critical outcomes of defense cooperation.

Mr. Austin is the fourth US cabinet-level secretary to visit India in 2023, post the visit of Secretary of State Antony J Blinken, treasury secretary Janet Yellen, and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. Dr. Ratner has commented on Mr. Austins visit as a critical part of the historical period in building out, deepening, modernizing, and advancing the US-India major defense partnership.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The yearly trek to choose a Christmas tree for some is more of a hassle than fun. From carrying it out of the lot, to strapping it onto the car and erecting it in your home, the process can be time consuming.

For this reason, Huguenot resident Igor Yakovlev recently bought a pre-existing New Jersey-based business, Holly Jolly Christmas Trees, which delivers holiday evergreens -- complete with Santa Claus, elves and even cookies and milk. And he expanded the service to Staten Island.

Holly Jolly Christmas Trees delivers holiday evergreens -- complete with Santa Claus, elves and event cookies and milk.(Courtesy of Holly Jolly Christmas Trees)

And Yakovlev, who is a school paraprofessional by day, is no stranger to small business ownership. He and his wife, Ashley, own several mom and pop shops, including the Willowbrook-based Beezy Beez Honey & Cannabis, which sells homemade honey and other items, such as THC products, and Udderly Delicious, a farm fresh milk route.

We deliver fresh Christmas trees to your doorstep dressed as elves, or you can upgrade for a Santa or a Grinch, said Yakovlev, noting he sells Fraser and Balsam Fir trees of various shapes and sizes. You can also have a milk and cookies package. We bake the fresh cookies and deliver it with the tree -- or without the tree -- with our freshly bottled milk.

Igor, Ashley and Anthony Yakovlev.Courtesy of Christina Rick/Little Moments Photography.

HUSTLING TO MAKE A BUCK

Ever since he can remember, Yakovlev has had to hustle to make ends meet.

Born in Ukraine, he immigrated to the U.S. with his family at age 4. Growing up, he was always trying to make money.

I remember collecting cans underneath the Cropsey Avenue underpass in Brooklyn so I could buy a toy. I always had a job --pretty much since the age of 12. Even in high school, I would sell Cup of Noodles and candy for 50 cents to $1 to students to make some extra cash because things were not easy. I graduated New Dorp High School then went to college, and was able to get my bachelors degree with my own money, said Yakovlev.

We deliver fresh Christmas trees to your doorstep dressed as elves, or you can upgrade for a Santa or a Grinch, said Igor Yakovlev, noting he sells Fraser and Balsam Fir trees of various shapes and sizes. You can also have a milk and cookies package. We bake the fresh cookies and deliver it with the tree -- or without the tree -- with our freshly bottled milk.(Courtesy of Holly Jolly Christmas Trees)

I always wanted to be successful so that my family would never be in the situation that I was growing up, he added.

One of the reasons Yakovlev jumped at the opportunity to own and operate Holly Jolly Christmas Trees was because he wasnt able to celebrate many holidays in his youth, as his father worked odd jobs to put food on the table, while his mother went to school to learn to speak English.

Holidays cost money, and I didnt have that growing up, he said. Because of this we also do donations where we donate some trees to organizations. And we do free pictures with Santa for children and theres no purchase needed.

People really love the whole experience because when little kids see Santa Claus, they get excited. They even give us their Christmas lists, Yakovlev said.(Courtesy of Holly Jolly Christmas Trees)

HOW IT WORKS

If you want a tree delivered, you can request the type and size up to 12 feet tall, and Holly Jolly elves will show up with a few choices for you -- and they will even assemble it. And when Christmas is over, Holly Jolly wil also remove the tree for you, said Yakovlev.

People really love the whole experience because when little kids see Santa Claus, they get excited. They even give us their Christmas lists, Yakovlev said.

Holly Jolly Christmas Trees doesn't only have Santa Claus and elves, there's also the Grinch.(Courtesy of Holly Jolly Christmas Trees)

HOLLY JOLLY CHRISTMAS TREES AT A GLANCE

Website: hollyjollytrees.com

Instagram: @holly_jolly_trees

Facebook: @hollyjollytrees

New Businesses in Focus is a weekly column that relates the stories of new Staten Island businesses owners. If you have a new business on Staten Island, e-mail porpora@siadvance.com.

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  A Staten Island defendant convicted in the beating of a Jewish man two years ago in Times Square was at the center of a chaotic hearing Tuesday in Manhattan state Supreme Court.

Mahmoud Musa, 23, of Targee Street in Stapleton, was sentenced by Justice Felicia Mennin to a seven-year prison sentence followed by five years of post release supervision for his role in the attack, while taking into consideration a subsequent arrest.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Under a brilliant orange canopy of leaves, clients of the Salvation Armys Stapleton outpost stood in dappled light on the sidewalk. On this Thursday morning before Thanksgiving, they anticipated a holiday gift for which theyd signed up  whole, frozen turkeys plus goodie bags filled with holiday meal essentials.

Rev. Esther Mobley, a lieutenant in the Salvation Army, along with a handful of volunteers prepared for about 350 clients on this day. Visually recounting what food was packed the night before, she turned clockwise with reaching motions in the air and ticked off the items aloud, Turkey, sweet potato pie, string beans, cranberry sauce, rice, stuffing, a bag of potatoes, carrots...

Monday brought an additional treat to the neighborhood  a hot turkey feast with all the fixins in the basement of 15 Broad Street. Workers could pack the meal to go, although fellowship at the table was highly encouraged.

Rev. Mobley hails from West Philly. She started with the Salvation Army as a client; her children received Christmas presents from the organization when they were tots. That introduction brought the family into a Salvation Army-run after-school program. Mobley eventually volunteered for the charity and after three years of pitching in she began working for them in 2005.

A bulletin board asks clients of the Salvation Army in Stapleton, "What are your grateful for?" Responses included grandchildren, family and God's grace. (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)Pamela Silvestri

At that point in her life, she shared, The Lord called me to be a Pastor.

Now living on Staten Island for five months, shes shepherded the Salvation Armys Stapleton food pantry  open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from noon to 1:30 p.m. On Mondays and Fridays, the locations soup kitchen swings into full motion. The chapel is open most of the week. All are welcome.

Mobley said of Stapleton, Its a good community to work alongside.

Lt. Rev. Mobley goes over a list with Marcus Polk of South Beach. Polk volunteers at the soup kitchen and food pantry along with his grandmother. (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)Pamela Silvestri

About an hour before the official distribution start time, a client named Victoria asked if she could pick up her turkey early because she had an appointment. Mobley and volunteer Marcus Polk fetched the goods.

In return, Victoria told the pastor, You are so special. Youre at the top of my list  that you took the time to say a prayer with me....

Mobley broke into a broad smile. She said to Victoria, Jesus loves you, baby. And so do I!

Pamela Silvestri is Advance Food Editor. She can be reached at silvestri@siadvance.com.
On Tuesday, the Staten Island FerryHawks, in partnership with the Staten Island-based non-profit Childrens Literacy Society (CLS), opened the doors of Staten Island University Hospital Community Park to their local community for its first ever Thanksgiving Turkey Giveaway Event.

Staff and volunteers from the FerryHawks and CLS, along with special guest Frankie the FerryHawk, handed out over 150 Thanksgiving turkeys to families from local schools PS 84, PS 78, PS 74, PS 65, PS 18 and the Eagle Academy for Young Men of Staten Island.

Along with our staff and the leadership team from the Childrens Literacy Society, we designed this event with the goal to ensure that the families of our community will have a Happy Thanksgiving with plenty of food on the table, said Gary Perone, Executive Vice President / General Manger Staten Island FerryHawks.

The Childrens Literacy was founded by Sofia Diggs and Lucille Belyayev. Sofia is the sister of Wu-Tang Clan founding member, RZA.

This past season the FerryHawks began our relationship by working with CLS and RZA on our successful Shaolin Hawks Night. RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan participated in coming out to support CLS and the Jerseys worn on field which were auctioned off to benefit the Childrens Literacy Society.

On behalf of the Childrens Literacy Society we are delighted to team up with the Staten Island FerryHawks this holiday season for this special event to provide turkeys to support the schools and families on Staten Island and throughout the 5 Boroughs said Sophia Diggs, Co-Founder Childrens Literacy Society.

In the spirit of giving thanks for what we have, and to share that abundance with those less fortunate in our community, we are grateful for the opportunity to partner with CLS to give back to families of local school communities in a meaningful way this Thanksgiving, added Flynn Ferguson, VP for Community Engagement Staten Island FerryHawks.
NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (AP)  Two people were found dead in a vehicle that exploded at a checkpoint on the American side of a U.S.-Canada bridge in Niagara Falls Wednesday, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press.

The official was not authorized to discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. APs earlier story is below.

A vehicle exploded at a checkpoint on the American side of a U.S.-Canada bridge in Niagara Falls Wednesday, prompting the closing of four border crossings in the area, authorities said.

There was no immediate information on whether anyone was injured or on the cause of the explosion.

This is obviously a very serious situation in Niagara Falls, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in Parliament, as he excused himself from Question Period in the House of Commons to be briefed further.

We are taking this extraordinary seriously, he added.

Debris is scattered about inside the customs plaza at the Rainbow Bridge border crossing, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023, in Niagara Falls, N.Y. The border crossing between the U.S. and Canada has been closed after a vehicle exploded at a checkpoint on a bridge near Niagara Falls. The FBI's field office in Buffalo said in a statement that it was investigating the explosion on the Rainbow Bridge, which connects the two countries across the Niagara River.Derek Gee/The Buffalo News via AP

The blast happened on the U.S. side of the Rainbow Bridge, which connects the two countries across the Niagara River. Three other bridges between western New York and Ontario were quickly closed as a precaution, and the Buffalo-Niagara International Airport began security checks on all cars and told passengers to expect additional screenings.

Trudeau said that additional measures were being contemplated and activated at border crossings across Canada.

The FBIs field office in Buffalo said in a statement that it was investigating the blast, and investigators with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were also responding to the scene.

Photos and video taken by bystanders and posted on social media showed thick smoke, flames on the pavement and a security booth that had been singed by flames.

Videos showed that the fire was in a U.S. Customs and Border Protection area just east of the main vehicle checkpoint.

Speaking to WGRZ-TV, Mike Guenther said he saw a vehicle speeding toward the crossing from the U.S. side of the border when it swerved to avoid another car, crashed into a fence and exploded.

All of a sudden he went up in the air and then it was a ball of fire like 30 or 40 feet high, Guenther told the station. I never saw anything like it.

Ivan Vitalii, a Ukrainian visiting Niagara Falls, told The Niagara Gazette that he and a friend were near the bridge when they heard something smash.

We saw fire and big, black smoke, he told the newspaper.

U.S. Attorney General Attorney General Merrick Garland and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul had been briefed on the situation, their offices said.

The Niagara Falls Bridge Commission reported that all four of its crossings  the others are Lewiston, Whirlpool and Peace Bridge  were closed.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A situation that is every parents worst nightmare is coming to an end for a Princes Bay mother, who will be reunited with her three children in Egypt after they were trapped in Gaza at the start of the Israel-Hamas War.

Dina Massoud, a Gaza native who left the Palestinian territory in 2017 after getting divorced, was horrified when she learned her three children, who were living with her ex-husband, had found themselves in the middle of a war zone.

The media reported that she was pleading with the world, pleading with America, pleading with Biden to bring her kids back.

Upon becoming an American citizen this past August (she initially came to the U.S. on a student visa), Massoud started the process of having her children  two daughters, ages 11 and 15, and a 15-year-old son  obtain Palestinian passports to come to the United States and begin their pathways toward citizenship, said Rania Mustafa, executive director of the Clifton, New Jersey-based Palestinian American Community Center. Mustafa has been acting as Massouds translator.

But when war erupted in the Middle East after the violent Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas militants, Massoud was overcome with terror as she feared every day for the lives of her three children.

She was in contact with the passport center [in Gaza] until it was bombed by Israel, said Mustafa. Thats when she lost hope. She thought there was no way to get her kids out.

But on Wednesday  the same day a temporary cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas was announced  Massoud was en route to Egypt to be reunited with her children. They were being held at the American Embassy in Egypt after being safely transported over the border, said Mustafa.

HOW SHE OBTAINED HELP

Last month, Massoud reached out to the Palestinian American Community Center, and attended a press conference where media reports brought attention to her situation. Upon reading Massouds story in the Advance/SILive.com, U.S. Senator Charles Schumer reached out to Massoud through Mustafa, to see if he could help return her children to safety.

After the passport building was bombed, we helped her get them through the West Bank, said Mustafa. We also got her a lawyer, and then we immediately worked with her to start applying for humanitarian visas. But the process is taking longer than we expected.

Right now they are in Egypt, but were hoping to continue working with Sen. Schumers office to expedite the visas so the kids can come back [to Staten Island] sooner rather than later, she added.

Schumer, who worked with the State Department to help expedite Massouds reunion with her children, said he is willing to continue to help the family in any way he can.

I am thrilled Staten Island resident Dina Massoud will soon be reunited with her children in Egypt, said Schumer. I worked with the State Department to ensure Dinas three children could cross into Egypt from Gaza. Ill continue to do everything I can to help Ms. Massoud and her family through their reunification and beyond.

Palestinians inspect the damage of a destroyed house following Israeli airstrikes in the town of Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Mohammed Dahman)AP

UPDATE ON THE ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR

Qatar announced Wednesday that Hamas will release 50 hostages in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, according to the Associated Press. All those to be released are women and children, the news outlet reported.

The Health Ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza gave its most recent death toll to be 11,078 on Nov. 10, and more than 1,200 people in Israel were killed as a result of the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, according to the Associated Press.

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  In honor of those who have died, here is a compilation of obituaries posted on SILive.com. Viewing times and guest books can be seen here.

Ann Sara Herman, who provided mental health support for battered women and veterans at various clinics and hospitals in New York and Charleston, S.C., died Nov. 6 in Arlington, Va. She was 84. Born and raised in London, England during World War II, she hid from German bombings as air raid sirens wailed, along with her child-sized Mickey Mouse gas mask from her parents Moishe and Helen Presky. She survived the war, married an American G.I. stationed in England and then moved to New York City where she raised four children. Read the full obituary on SILive.com.

TUESDAYS OBITUARIES

Morris Liebman, a devoted family man, business owner, and long-time Islander, passed away on Nov. 19, 2023. Born in Brooklyn in 1930, Murray moved to Staten Island in 1956, where he built a successful career as a CPA, eventually opening his own practice. With a strong connection to his community, a sharp sense of humor, and a love for politics, Murrays greatest joy was always his family. Survived by his wife Marilyn of 69 years, children, and grandchildren, Murrays legacy is one of familial love and community impact. Read the full obituary on SILive.com.
HENRY COUNTY  A trio of Florida residents were arrested in Henry County on Tuesday after drugs were discovered in their vehicle following a traffic stop, according to police.

Brandon Givens 39, of Panama City, is charged with trafficking methamphetamine, unlawful possession of a controlled substance, second-degree possession of marijuana, and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia. His bond was set at $171,000.

Candice Bell, 33, of Panama City, is charged with trafficking methamphetamine, unlawful possession of a controlled substance, and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia. Her bond was set at $168,000.

Terry Mize, 60, of Wewahitchka, is charged with trafficking methamphetamine, unlawful possession of a controlled substance, promoting prison contraband, and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia. His bond was set at $175,500.

On Tuesday, Nov. 21, at around 11:09 a.m., Henry County Sheriffs deputies conducted a traffic stop on U.S. 431 near Whiddon Farm Road.

According to Henry County Sheriff Eric Blankenship, as a result of the stop, 42 grams of suspected methamphetamine, seven grams of suspected marijuana, one gram of suspected cocaine, and a large sum of money was recovered.

The three individuals were taken into custody and transported to the Henry County Jail. The case is still under investigation by the Henry County Task Force.
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And, thanks to a trove of documents released under freedom of information, weve now got a glimpse at how much our man in DC Kevin Rudd and his predecessor Arthur Sinodinos have spent on wining, dining and entertaining various guests. During Sinodinos time, notable events included the Great Aussie BBQ (total cost: about $600) and a $750 Australian-election viewing gathering last year, which cant have been a pleasant evening for the former Liberal senator and chief of staff to John Howard. More intriguing is the relative price of dinners with various figures. Everyone knows the Kennedys come with expensive tastes, and a hefty entourage. So, no surprises Sinodinos formal dinner with the US Ambassador to Australia Caroline Kennedy shortly after her confirmation came with a $1500 price tag. Former NSW health minister Brad Hazzard wasnt cheap, either, his dinner costing the taxpayer nearly $500. All this now makes it seem like High Court Chief Justice Stephen Gageler got stitched up on the hospitality front  he and Sinodinos dined for just a shade over $50. Most of Rudds dinners are sadly redacted, although CBD was amused to discover the former PMs first event was a barbecue and Easter egg hunt for embassy families. At a cost of more than $1000, they mustve been very big eggs.

EXIT RIGHT The life of ABC Radio Nationals token Tory cant be an easy one, so CBD salutes Tom Switzer and his nine-year shift on the stations Between the Lines show, a clarion call for personal liberty and free enterprise amid all that collectivist noise the national broadcaster puts out. Aunty announced on Thursday that Switzers time behind the mic would end in a few weeks, when he would return to what many would consider his more natural habitat, conservative ideas factory the Centre for Independent Studies. Switzer was once a senior staffer to then Liberal leader Brendan Nelson and had a dip at preselection for Nelsons seat of Sydney seat of Bradfield after the boss left politics. Switzer has also been a prolific opinionator in his day, banging out op-eds for The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post and the Financial Times, as well as some others youve probably never heard of, and had a memorable stint as opinion editor at The Australian.

Switzer told us that even though he may have been a bit different from his ABC colleagues, they were nice enough to almost never mention it, except for the couple of times he had former British cabinet minister and climate denier the late Nigel Lawson on the show. But variety is the spice of life, they say, and Switzer told us on Wednesday that intellectual diversity was the lifeblood of any media organisation. On some ABC television shows and, indeed, Sky News television shows, the panel will all be agreeing with each other, so its good to have different views, the departing presenter said. And we wont disagree with that. SELECTION DAY

In three days the NSW Liberals will have picked a new senator to succeed Marise Payne, and CBD will have a preselection-shaped hole in its life. With endorsements locked and loaded, the phones were working overtime as the many contenders battled to usurp former transport minister Andrew Constance as the frontrunner. One such endorsement causing a bit of eyebrow-raising is Business Council of Australia boss Bran Blacks reference for Monica Tudehope. The pair both worked in former premier Dominic Perrottets office, where Black was chief of staff. Now, we dont take the BCA for a bunch of raving lefties, but the endorsement from the head of an ostensibly neutral lobby group, staffer or not, did elicit some chatter. Meanwhile, we briefly heard rumours that CBDs favourite candidate Lou Who Amato was considering pulling out. Unlikely, given hed put out another one of those Make Australia Great Again emails late Wednesday night, putting the party that gave him eight years in the NSW upper house on blast yet again.
The forgotten golden generation of workers

Millions of workers who silently contributed to Vietnams remarkable economic reforms are now forgotten as they approach retirement age.

In 1996, Nguyen Thuy Lan, holding her 15-month-old baby son in her arms, hurriedly got on a bus to Saigon from Quang Nam after receiving a letter from her husband, who had moved to the city a year earlier, saying a Korean garment factory was hiring workers.



It was the first long trip away from home for the then 26-year-old woman.

After a nearly two-day bus trip, mother and son arrived in Saigon at dawn to a warm welcome from her husband.

They went to their new home, a small room barely 10 m2 and one of 10 identical rooms off a narrow corridor where 20 other emigrant workers lived.

The next morning Lan applied for the job at Pungkook, an established Korean backpack and handbag company, which had no minimum educational requirements and only required applicants to know how to sew.

Lan, who had only finished ninth grade ninth but worked as a seamstress in her hometown, easily passed the test and got the job.

With his grandparents not around to take care of him, their son was put in a childcare center where he would stay until late at night while they worked industriously.

Life was much harder in HCMC than in their hometown, but it was a sacrifice they were willing to make.

Lan recalls: "We were determined to stay in the city because we saw a future there. Life at the factory might be hard, but it was still better than back home because we made money."

Pungkook Sai Goon belongs to the very first generation of foreign-invested companies in HCMC, most of which were in labor-intensive industries.

Back in 1993 the company opened four factories in Districts 7 and 4, creating, along with other similar companies, innumerable jobs and making Sai Goon a "promised land" for workers like Lan.

But Lan did not foresee the day when the company would move its factories, leaving her and many other workers in their forties in a state of limbo as businesses in HCMC, the city which, for the past 35 years, has attracted the most FDI in the country, began to "transform."

Grass surounds the deserted factory of Pungkook, one of the first foreign direct investment companies to arrive in Ho Chi Minh City and also one of the first to leave the city. Photo by VnExpress/Thanh Tung

Big moves

Lan started work in the Pungkook Nha Be Sims (District 7) in 1996 at a monthly probationary salary of VND312,000 ($12.4).

Together she and her husband earned VND1 million a month, which afforded them childcare, rent and frugal food and enabled them to save up a mace (3.75 gram) of gold.

The year Lan began work at Pungkook also marked the start of the first big wave of foreign investment, with FDI reaching a record US$10 billion in 1996, 10 years after Vietnam threw open its economy to the world.

HCMC, the most attractive destination for foreign investors, received $2.4 billion, or 25% of the countrys total FDI, all of it in labor-intensive garment, footwear and electronics plants.

They were a magnet for workers, who flocked to the city from all over the country, increasing its emigrant population by 2.24% a year, 2.7 times the average rate in 1989-99.

Thus began to change HCMC.

Between 2006 and 2010 city authorities decided to adjust the industrial structure, reducing dependence on labor-intensive industries and instructing the textile industry in particular to make a sea change by reducing manufacturing and switching instead to designing and prototyping.

The second FDI wave came more into knowledge-intensive industries like software, electronics and IT, starting with Intel Group, which invested in a semiconductor plant in the Saigon Hi-tech Park, which had been built to attract technology enterprises.

During this period Pungkook Nha Be Sims reorganized its workforce and moved its manufacturing activities out of HCMC, causing Lan to lose her job after a decade at it.

Talking about the move, Pungkook officials point out that by 2000 the city administration was already considering relocation of factories away from residential and urban areas.

The Korean company shut down three facilities outside the Tan Thuan Export Processing Zone and built new factories in Binh Duong in 2004, Ben Tre in 2008, Tieng Giang in 2012, and Long An in 2013.

With no other skill except sewing and withdrawing her social security money, Lan applied for a job at Pungkooks factory inside the Tan Thuan EPZ.

However, soon afterward the factory ran into some difficulties related to incompatibility with the EPZs operating model, rising labor costs and shortage of manual workers.

A motorbike rider passes the abandonned factory of Pungkook in District 7, Ho Chi Minh City after the company left for Binh Duong Province. Photo by VnExpress/Thanh Tung

In 2017 it began its second move away from HCMC and asked its workforce of over 3,000 staff to follow, especially those belonging to the four provinces where it had built the new factories, a request many workers accepted to maintain their seniority.

"[I] Started with a workers salary of VND312,000 and just got to a group leaders position with a salary of VND13 million a month, but I had to quit," Lan recalls dejectedly.

Then the third big wave of FDI hit, with several billion-dollar conglomerates like Samsung and LG investing in Vietnam.

The labor-intensive textile and footwear industries were no longer the "stars" of the FDI sector like 27 years ago.

Moving out of major urban areas is a common trend in labor-intensive industries, according to a 2020 study by the HCMC Institute for Development Studies.

Statistics clearly show that many businesses restructured or left Vietnam after Covid-19, leaving behind a whole generation of workers who had stuck with them for decades, according to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Duc Loc, head of the Institute of Social Life Research, which studies contemporary social phenomena.

Between 2016 and 2020 the number of industrial workers in HCMC decreased by an average of 3.29% a year, with manufacturing, including the textile and footwear industries, bearing the brunt.

These industries slowly moved to other provinces in the southeastern region and the Mekong Delta.

In the last two years, many foreign businesses have massively cut their workforce, including 1,200 employees by shoemaker Ty Hung in 2022 and 9,000 by footwear firm PouYuen Vietnam.

Marvin Tsao, CEO of Tan Thuan LLC, which manages the EPZ of the same name, says when the zone was established, 100% of businesses there were labor-intensive.

This rate has now dropped to 50%.

"These changes do not result from just businesses developing, they are inevitable in the development of society and economy," Tsao says.

The obsolete generation

"Textile factories tend to gradually move to smaller provinces," Nguyen Huu Tuan, head of human resources at Thanh Cong Group, a Vietnamese-Korean joint venture textile company, says.

"If weaving and dyeing [jobs] moved because of the ban by HCMC authorities, sewing [jobs] moved because the industry itself wanted it."

With its workforce of 5,300, the textile company claimed it could "no longer bear" the labor cost and workers could not afford to live in HCMC, he says.

"Workers are hesitant to take a job in HCMC with a monthly salary of VND8 million since they will not have any surplus, and so businesses have difficulty hiring,"

To increase wages, the company would need to increase productivity, which has already peaked, and this only leaves the option of moving to areas with lower labor costs, he says.

Currently 40% of Thanh Congs workforce is based in Vinh Long and Tay Ninh provinces.

Tuan speculates that the textile industry will leave Vietnam when the countrys average income per capita reaches the same level as Chinas when its industrial shift began, $6,000.

"Labor cost increased while prices could only inch up, if not fall. Our company definitely could no longer bear the labor costs."

The textile industry currently uses the most labor, nearly 2.6 million workers, in the private sector.

The top 100 foreign textile companies hire a whopping 26% of the total workforce.

"The common trait among the relocating businesses is the need for cheap labor," Tran Viet Ha, vice chairman of the HCMC Export Processing Zone Authority, which regulates EPZs and industrial parks in HCMC, explains.

They cannot increase wages fast enough to compete with the electronics and mechanical industries.

The citys minimum wage for foreign firms in 1996 was $45 (VND495,000) per month.

After 27 years, it is now VND4.68 million, a 945% rise, but manual workers salaries are not enough to live in the city.

A 2021 survey by the Research Center for Employment Relations (RCER), an independent institute that provides training, research and consultancy for employee relations, found the minimum livable wage for workers in the city was VND7.5 million, while the average income was only VND6.6 million, indicating that companies are under pressure to pay workers more.

Labor-intensive factories look for cheaper but also younger labor.

According to RCERs 2022 report, the productivity of a worker in a textile, footwear and electronics assembling company peaks after two or three years and stays there for 10-15 years if the person is in good health before starting to gradually decline.

Once a worker creates less value than their wages, the company will consider terminating their employment.

Workers themselves tend to quit after a while as they find working eight hours a day plus mandatory overtime too strenuous, Huynh Tan Tai, president of Pungkooks labor union, says.

He adds that the Pungkook Sai Gon II factory in the Song Than Industrial Park in Binh Duong has around 4,000 workers, of whom only 30% are above 40 years old.

The mechanical engineer who has been with Pungkook for 27 years says of those who started working at the same time as him, only 30, mostly technical workers, are still with the company.

Again, this phenomenon is not exclusive to HCMC.

According to Doan Van Day, vice president of the Federation of Labor in Dong Nai Province, since 2017, several labor unions have warned about older workers being culled by large foreign businesses using various methods like the "startup assistance policy," under which severance pay of VND100-200 million is offered to encourage workers to leave.

Since most older workers spend their entire career at a company, they lack the knowledge to fully utilize the money and quickly use it up, then withdraw the social security they accumulated - their last safety net - early, leaving them broke and jobless, he says.

"Letting older workers go has become even more prevalent recently, given the pandemic, economic recession and lack of orders."

After three decades manual workers from the first FDI wave like Lan have entered middle age and face the dilemma of being not yet of retirement age but no longer of freshly employable age.

Loc of the Institute of Social Life Research explains that businesses want to maximize profits by hiring young workers with the best productivity at the cheapest price.

"If we say life only lasts 60 years, then these workers have only lived two-thirds of theirs."

So years of factory work without any backup plan leaves these workers in a tough spot.

According to a 2021 survey by the HCMC Federation of Labor on the living and working conditions of women textile workers, 2% chose to study after work hours while 68% did house chores and the rest watched TV, rested, etc.

Money spent on improving personal skills only accounted for 3% of cumulative spending by the respondents.

But the fall of this generation of workers was foreseen years ago.

Warning ignored

"Warning signs of the gradual collapse of the labor market were ignored," Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vu Quang Tho, former head of the Institute of Workers and Trade Union (IWTU), which offers research assistance to the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, says.

Six years ago the IWTU published a report on how manufacturing businesses sought to replace workers older than 35 with younger people.

Of 64 companies surveyed for the report, the average workers age was 26.9 in the energyelectronics industry, 29.5 in footwear and 30.9 in food processing.

Workers only stayed at a company for six to seven years on average.

Tho warns that in the near future tens of thousands of workers could lose their jobs.

At the age of 40 they are still the family breadwinners but could become permanently unemployed if the government does not intervene, he says.

"Many say I think too far ahead."
With a string of No. 1 hits like Rich Girl, Maneater and Shes Gone in the 1970s and 80s, followed by a more recent cultural resurgence, Daryl Hall and John Oates have long been one of pop musics most celebrated duos.

But over the decades, there have been hints that things were not entirely copacetic between the two men whose names are almost always uttered in sequence. (Oates is the one with the famous moustache.)

Daryl Hall and John Oates (without his famous moustache).

In the 80s the group went on hiatus, and both members have at times pursued solo work. In 2020, they announced plans for a 19th studio album, but it never came to fruition; this year, the musicians performed separate tours.

Now, the discord is undeniable as Hall, 77, has filed a lawsuit in Nashville, Tennessee, against Oates, 75, the partner with whom he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2014. Because a judge allowed the complaint to be filed this month under seal, details on the disagreement are scant, but court records classify it as a contract lawsuit.
Three men have faced court over a daylight shooting in a hair salon in Sydneys inner west earlier this year that left two men injured and two cars ablaze in nearby suburban streets.

Police allege a 20-year-old man sustained gunshot wounds to the chest and a 33-year-old man was shot in the buttocks at Adels salon on bustling Marrickville Road just before 2pm on July 7.

Jayden Mahara, 26, and Sione Langi, 27, were arrested at Kempsey police station on Wednesday morning. They were charged with shooting with intent to murder and participating in a criminal group.

Their 28-year-old co-accused, Christmar Banares, was arrested on Tuesday afternoon at Grafton Correctional Centre, where he was charged with participating in a criminal group.
The taxpayer-owned Perth Mint and its operator Gold Corporation have avoided a fine despite Australias finance watchdog uncovering a litany of failures in its compliance with anti-money laundering and terrorism finance laws.

Instead, Gold Corp has entered into an enforceable undertaking with AUSTRAC which sets in stone a requirement for the organisation to fix its anti-money laundering compliance rules in full by April 2025.

The Perth Mint and Gold Corporation have avoided a fine.

Political pressure has ramped up on the mint since March, when a Four Corners investigation exposed holes in its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing defences. It was during this episode that CCTV footage emerged of ex-Hells Angels bikie Dayne Brajkovich purchasing tens of thousands of dollars worth of gold without mint staff batting an eyelid.

AUSTRAC acting chief executive Peter Soros signed the undertaking on Wednesday, which he said was designed to ensure Gold Corp complied with its obligations into the future.
The rural Wieambilla site where two police officers and a neighbour were gunned down in a terrorist attack has been visited by Queensland State Coroner Terry Ryan and several legal representatives, as a number of active lines of inquiry continue to be investigated.

The Train property in Wieambilla, Queensland, where several police and a neighbour were shot dead in December 2022. Credit: A Current Affair

Constables Rachel McCrow, 29, and Matthew Arnold, 26, were shot dead by Nathaniel, Gareth and Stacey Train while conducting a routine job in December last year. A neighbour, 58-year-old Alan Dare, was also gunned down by the Trains.

The Trains were living on a secluded property near Tara, about 3 hours west of Brisbane, when four officers, including McCrow and Arnold, attended the Wains Road home for a welfare check for Nathaniel, who had been missing from NSW.

While McCrow and Arnold were fatally shot, their colleagues, constables Randall Kirk and Keely Brough, were forced to escape through the dry bushland under gunfire.
On a clear late summer day in 1976, a plane popped up on the radar just off the coast of the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. It had been flying a mere 100 feet off the water, low enough to avoid detection. Now, suddenly, it climbed up to 20,000 feet. Clearly, the pilot wanted to be seen.

The aircraft flew toward the south-western port city of Hakodate. It circled the airport twice, then prepared to land. The plane, identifiable now as a Soviet fighter jet, nearly collided with a 727 airliner as it touched down. It ploughed past the end of the tarmac, blew out its front wheel and came to a stop not far from a busy highway.

First Lieutenant Belenko made a surprising landing at a small airport in Hakodate, Japan, in 1976. Credit: AP Wirephoto

As ground crews rushed toward it, the planes canopy opened. A sturdy blond man emerged with a gun and fired two shots in the air to warn onlookers away. When the authorities arrived, he climbed down to meet them.

His name was Lieutenant Viktor Belenko. He was there to defect, he said, along with his jet, a supersonic interceptor called an MiG-25. The plane had stoked fear among Western militaries for years. Now, thanks to Lieutenant Belenko, they had a pristine specimen to examine. George H. W. Bush, then the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, called the incident an intelligence bonanza.
The West Australian government is working with the Commonwealth to stand up the Bullsbrook Centre for National Resilience to house residents forced to evacuate from a fire which has destroyed at least 10 homes in Perths northern suburbs.

Acting Premier Rita Saffioti said the $400 million Bullsbrook facility, which was built as a COVID-19 quarantine facility but has never been used, could also be used to house interstate firefighters.

Emergency Services Minister Stephen Dawson said the blaze was a significant fire.

This will be a long-running incident and it could take some time before the fire is brought under control given the situation we find ourselves in terms of the wind at the moment, and indeed the high temperatures, he said.
Labor is facing a new political storm over asylum seekers after a boatload of people from Indonesia arrived in Australia undetected, sparking calls for the government to explain how up to 12 people landed on a remote part of the West Australian coast.

Federal officials refused to confirm any details of the suspected illegal vessel on Thursday night, after news emerged of the boats arrival in the Kimberley region earlier this week.

Home Affairs Minister Clare ONeils office deferred questions on the boats arrival to Australian Border Force, which refused to comment. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Wyndham East Kimberley Shire president David Menzel said he had learnt that up to 12 people had arrived in the Truscott area, but it was not yet clear whether the vessel contained fishermen or asylum seekers.

Its certainly not a surprise to us, he said. Weve been advocating for a bit more attention on our coastline.
The NSW Labor government has abandoned its promise to introduce new laws this year to outlaw gay conversion practices after church groups and LGBTQ advocates pleaded for more time to ensure the sensitive legislation strikes the right balance.

NSW Premier Chris Minns had guaranteed that new laws would be introduced to parliament this year after making an election promise that he would ban the harmful practices.

However, faith groups  including the Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, Anthony Fisher  and independent Sydney MP Alex Greenwich this week lobbied Minns not to rush the laws and risk unintended consequences. NSW parliament will sit for the final time this year next week.

Premier Chris Minns says he remains committed to banning gay conversion practices. Credit: Louise Kennerley

Greenwich, who has his own bill to ban gay conversion before the parliament, wrote to Minns earlier this week asking that the governments bill be delayed to allow more consultation with survivors of this harmful practice.
Chinese officials say they did not detect any unusual or novel diseases in the country, the World Health Organisation said, following an official request by the UN health agency for information about a potentially worrying spike in respiratory illnesses and clusters of pneumonia in children.

WHO cited unspecified media reports and a global infectious disease monitoring service as reporting clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children in northern China and formally requested more details from China earlier this week.

Residents wearing face masks line up behind barricaded tapes for COVID mass testing near a residential area in Beijing. Credit: AP

Outside scientists said the situation warranted close monitoring, but were not convinced that the recent spike in respiratory illnesses in China signalled the start of a new global outbreak.

The emergence of new flu strains or other viruses capable of triggering pandemics typically starts with undiagnosed clusters of respiratory illness. Both SARS and COVID-19 were first reported as unusual types of pneumonia.
More than half of Vietnams population shopped online last year as both supply and demand in the e-commerce sector continue to boom.

Dang Anh Dung, deputy CEO of Lazada Vietnam, told the forum on e-commerce on Tuesday that a report by Google and Temaske & Bain said around 57 million Vietnamese made online purchases last year, most of them in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang City.

The report also asserted that Vietnams young population is playing an important role in the digital economy.

Around 43% of Lazada shoppers are Gen-Zers born in 1997 or later, said the deputy CEO of the digital shopping channel that has been called "The Amazon of Southeast Asia."

According to Dung, this demographic in Vietnam accesses the app every day.

On average, each individual in this young Vietnamese population bracket buys products from seven different categories, Dung told the conference. "Young people are becoming more particular with their products. They seek values and will change brands if they receive low-quality items."

Tran Van Trong, general secretary of the Vietnam E-commerce Association (VECOM), said Vietnam is seeing a boom in e-commerce as the number of online shopper surges with improving shopping skills and increasing purchase value.

The rise in demand has also prompted supply surges, he said. "Millions of people are now online sellers, and the majority of them do not even own a brick-and-mortar store."

Businesses are evolving fast to adapt to new ways of selling products, Tand said, adding that many retail firms are responding to the changing times by issuing new policies on online shopping.

The government has also tightened e-commerce tax collection and is punishing those who sell counterfeit products, he pointed out.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade recently reported that Vietnams e-commerce gross merchandise value is growing by 16-30% a year and could reach $20.5 billion this year.

The Google report said that Vietnams digital economy could reach a total value of $30 billion this year, and $45 billion by 2025.
In the six weeks since the photograph of their meeting emerged, however, it has come to embody the scourge of corruption in South-East Asias largest economy and the seemingly never-ending battle against it.

Firli Bahuri, the Corruption Eradication Commission chief and former agriculture minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo speak on the side of badminton courts in Jakarta.

On the left is Firli Bahuri, the head of Indonesias much-vaunted Corruption Eradication Commission, or KPK; on his right is Syahrul Yasin Limpo, until recently the countrys agriculture minister.

Singapore/Jakarta: Seated on a bench at a badminton centre in Jakarta, two senior Indonesian officials are pictured in conversation.

Limpo has since been arrested for alleged abuse of power and fraud, accused of receiving bribes from government contractors and from ministry officials for promotions. If charged and convicted he would become the sixth minister during Indonesian President Joko Widodos tenure to go down for graft offences.

The more surprising fact is that the anti-corruption chief himself has also been caught in the crosshairs.

According to Indonesias Tempo magazine, former police general Bahuri was accused of demanding a pay-off of 50 billion rupiah ($4.9 million) from Limpo in exchange for shelving the case against him.

He has denied the claims of extortion and maintained the controversial meeting at the badminton courts in the Indonesian capital occurred in March 2022 before Limpo came under investigation.

But Jakarta police have zeroed in on him and on Wednesday evening Safri Simanjuntak, the director of special crimes investigations said: The KPK chairman is named as a suspect in the alleged corruption case after finding enough evidence.
Seoul: North Korea has scrapped a 2018 security deal with South Korea, vowing to restore all military measures at their shared border, including deploying more armed forces and new weapons.

The announcement by the Norths Defence Ministry came a day after South Korea suspended part of the inter-Korean deal in response to Pyongyangs launch of a spy satellite and said it would immediately step up surveillance along the heavily fortified frontier.

From now on, our army will never be bound by the September 19 North-South Military Agreement, the statement said.

A TV screen in Seoul, South Korea, shows a report of the launch of North Koreas spy satellite into orbit on Wednesday. Credit: AP

We will withdraw the military steps, taken to prevent military tension and conflict in all spheres including ground, sea and air, and deploy more powerful armed forces and new-type military hardware in the region along the Military Demarcation Line.
What in the World, a free weekly newsletter from our foreign correspondents, is sent every Thursday. Below is an excerpt. Sign up to get the whole newsletter delivered to your inbox.

Greetings from Britain, a nation of shoplifters.

Rarely do I visit my local Tesco Express without seeing a security guard confront someone they suspect of being light-fingered. Ive lost count of the number of times Ive been on a bus going past a supermarket when a person has run out of the store with bags full of groceries, being pursued, often reluctantly, by an out-of-condition shop employee.

Security warning signs in a shop window in central London Credit: Bloomberg

Its not just anecdotal, either  the British Retail Consortium says there were 8 million instances of theft from shops in the past year, costing businesses nearly 1 billion ($1.9 billion). Police recorded 365,164 shoplifting offences in the year to June  up 25 per cent on the previous 12 months.
London: Violent clashes broke out in central Dublin on Thursday evening, after three children and a woman were stabbed near a school, prompting rioters to clash with the police and set cars and shops on fire.

A group of people, thugs and criminals, are using this attack to wreak havoc, Justice Minister Helen McEntee said. The head of the Irish police, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris, blamed the unrest on a lunatic, hooligan faction driven by far-right ideology.

Irish police said a five-year-old girl was receiving emergency medical treatment in a Dublin hospital following the attack outside a school around lunchtime. Soon after that announcement, at least 100 people took to the streets, some armed with metal bars and covering their faces.

Police said more than 400 officers including many in riot gear, were deployed in Dublin city centre to contain the unrest, which they said was caused by a small group of thugs. A police cordon was also set up around the Irish Parliament building, Leinster House.
In recent decades, the use of electronic attack and defence has been more lopsided. In the Iraq War in the 2000s, the US used gadgets called jammers to create so much radio noise that improvised explosive devices could not communicate with their remote detonators. More recently, Israel has jumbled GPS signals in its airspace with electronic warfare systems to confuse would-be attacks from drones or missiles. Oleksandr Berezhny of Quantum Systems assembles a reconnaissance drone at the companys repair center in Zhytomyr, Ukraine. Credit: Brendan Hoffman/The New York Times The war in Ukraine is the first recent conflict between two large and relatively advanced armies to widely deploy electronic warfare and evolve the techniques in real time. Once the purview of trained experts, the technologies have spread to front-line infantry troops. Ukrainian drone pilots said they constantly fine-tuned their methods to parry the invisible attacks. One day, a new radio frequency might work, some said. The next, a different antenna. The tactics have become so critical that electronic warfare received its own section in a recent essay by General Valery Zaluzhny, Ukraines top military commander. Widespread use of information technology in military affairs would be key to breaking what has become a stalemate in the conflict with Russia, he wrote. The techniques have turned the war into a proxy laboratory the US, Europe and China are following closely for what may sway a future conflict, experts said.

General Charles Brown Jnr, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, raised the topic of electronic warfare this year in prepared remarks for a Congressional hearing. NATO countries have expanded programs to buy and develop electronic weapons, said Thomas Withington, an electronic warfare expert at the Royal United Services Institute, a British security think-tank. The war in Ukraine has been the performance enhancing drug for NATOs electromagnetic thinking, he said. It has been the thing that concentrates minds. Antennas and Jammers As Russian tanks rolled towards Kyiv, Ukraine, in February 2022, the Russian military made good on its reputation as one of the worlds best at electronic warfare. It used powerful jammers and decoy missiles to inundate Ukrainian air defences, leaving its neighbour reliant on aircraft to fight off Russian planes. Recovered Russian military radios, standing upright, and a green radio made by Himera, a Ukrainian company that makes $US100 walkie-talkies that can withstand Russian jamming. Credit: Brendan Hoffman/The New York Times

The electronic weapons do not appear dangerous at first glance. They are typically satellite dishes or antennas that can be mounted on trucks or set up in fields or on buildings. But they then beam out electromagnetic waves to track, trick and block sensors and communication links that guide precision weapons and allow for radio communications. Just about every communications technology relies on electromagnetic signals, be it soldiers with radios, drones connecting to pilots or missiles linked to satellites. One basic but effective tool is a jammer, which disrupts communications by sending out powerful signals at the same frequencies used by walkie-talkies or drones to cause so much disturbance that beaming a signal is impossible. Jamming is akin to blasting heavy metal in the middle of a lecture. Another winter approaches: A car abandoned on the frontline close to Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, on Wednesday. Credit: AP Another key weapon sends a signal that pretends to be something it is not, like a satellite link. Called spoofing, the fake signal can convince a drone or missile it is miles off course by feeding it false coordinates. In other cases, spoofers ape the signals made by missiles or planes to trick air defence systems into detecting attacks that arent happening. Other tools listen for beams of radiation and seek to locate their origin. These devices are often used to find and attack drone pilots.

After early success using these tools, the Russian military stumbled, analysts said. But as the war has stretched on, Russia has innovated by making smaller, mobile electronic weapons, like anti-drone guns and tiny jammers that form a radio-wave bubble around trenches. The Russians have been more nimble at responding than we would have expected from their ground behaviour, said James Lewis, a former US official who writes on technology and security for the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. That should be worrisome for NATO. The Kremlin did not respond to a request for comment. Low-tech green radios. Using electromagnetic waves to flummox and follow smarter weapons has become a critical part of the cat-and-mouse game between Ukraine and Russia. Credit: Brendan Hoffman/The New York Times Soviet v Startup

To combat Russias century of Soviet know-how in electronic attack and defence, Ukraine has turned to a startup approach associated with Silicon Valley. The idea is to help the countrys tech workers quickly turn out electronic warfare products, test them and then send them to the battlefield. Recently, Ukraines government hosted a hackathon for firms to work on ways to jam Iranian Shahed drones, which are long-range unmanned aerial vehicles that have been used to hit cities deep inside the country, said Digital Minister Mykhailo Fedorov. Loading At testing ranges outside Kyiv, drone makers pit their craft against electronic attack weapons. In a field in central Ukraine in August, Yurii Momot, 53, a former Soviet Union special forces commander and a founder of the electronic warfare firm Piranha, showed a new anti-drone gun built for the conflict. The guns have a checkered performance in the war, but Momots version worked. Pointing it at a DJI Mavic, a common cheap reconnaissance drone, he pulled the trigger. The drone hovered on the spot. Its navigation system had been swamped by a burst of radio signals from the gun.

The whole system is more structured in Russia, Momot said of Russias electronic warfare program, which he knows from his time with the Soviet army. Were catching up, but it will take a while. Loading Other Ukrainian companies, such as Kvertus and Himera, are building tiny jammers or $US100 ($152) walkie-talkies that can withstand Russian jamming. At Infozahyst, one of Ukraines biggest electronic warfare contractors, engineers recently worked on a project to track and identify Russian air defence systems. Iaroslav Kalinin, the companys CEO, said Russias anti-aircraft radars were not as easy to replace as tanks. But if enough were eliminated, it could provide a turning point in the war. Once we control the sky, then Russia fails hard, he said.

A Call to Action This northern summer, Oleksandr Berezhny, a Quantum executive, travelled with one of Ukraines top drone pilots to share what they knew about electronic warfare with NATO. At a large round table in a base in Germany, they explained the problems they faced to a rapt audience of commanders. Loading We told them probably 90 per cent of the American and European systems coming to Ukraine were not prepared to meet the electronic warfare challenge, Berezhny said. There was total understanding that something needed to change. As Ukraine offers a glimpse of how future electronic battles may be waged, would-be combatants of those fights have taken note. The US and Europe have paid close attention to how such weapons have fared against Russian systems, with some worrying they are not responding fast enough. Chinese experts have also exhaustively chronicled which Russian electronic attacks were most effective against NATO systems, and in turn, where Russia failed.

In one November 2022 report, a Chinese defence think-tank detailed how a Russian electronic attack had tricked NATOs detection equipment, leading Ukraine to reveal the location of its own electronic defences. Loading The Russian armys anti-drone combat capabilities are superior to those of the U.S. military, the report said. As Ukraine evolves its anti-jamming techniques, some of those tactics are flowing to the United States and its allies, said Clark of the Hudson Institute. Now youre starting to see countries, including the United States, field these smaller systems, just like youre seeing folks in Ukraine cobbling them together, he said.
We will have to find ways to live up to the hopes of our voters, to put the Dutch back as number one, Wilders said in his first response, adding that the Netherlands will be returned to the Dutch, the asylum tsunami and migration will be curbed. What is Wilders political stance on immigration? Running against immigration has been central to Wilders career, sometimes bringing him into conflict with the law. He was convicted of discrimination against Moroccans after leading a chant at a campaign rally in 2014, when he asked the crowd whether they wanted more, or fewer Moroccans. After supporters chanted Fewer! he answered: Were going to take care of that. Wilders said in 2021, when the Supreme Court upheld his conviction, that he was the victim of a witch hunt and a broken legal system.

Habib al-Kaddouri, head of the organisation representing Dutch Moroccans said the distress and fear were enormous among the community following the poll. Wilders is known for his ideas about Muslims and Moroccans. We are afraid that he will portray us as second-class citizens. Having made strongly anti-EU comments in the past, he moderated his tone over the election campaign as he sought to get his party into government. He will have to work with pro-EU parties to form a coalition. But he kept to his strict anti-immigration, Dutch-first approach, winning his Party for Freedom its largest support in its 17-year existence. Its enough now. The Netherlands cant take it any more. We have to think about our own people first now. Borders closed. Zero asylum-seekers, Wilders said in a television debate on the eve of the election.

Geert Wilders in Perth in 2015. Credit: James Mooney Wilders is by far the best campaigner. Even his political opponents will admit that, author Willem Post of the Netherlands Clingendael Institute think-tank said. Hes the one-liner guy, hes a bit like [former US president Donald] Trump. Loading Wilders inflammatory views on Islam have prompted death threats and he has lived under heavy police protection for years. He has called the prophet Mohammad a paedophile, Islam a fascist ideology and backward religion, and wants to ban mosques and the Koran  the Muslim holy book  in the Netherlands.

His comments have led to sometimes violent protests in nations with large Muslim populations, including Pakistan, Indonesia and Egypt. In Pakistan, a religious leader issued a fatwa against him. He visited Australia in 2015 to help launch the Australian Liberty Alliance, a party that he inspired. He said at the time the party wanted Australia to stay Australian and stood for not giving in to multiculturalism. His visit was clouded both by protests and questions about whether he would be granted a visa to enter the country. What is the Party for Freedom?

The Party of Freedom was formed in 2006 as a replacement for Wilders one-seat hold in Dutch parliament. It quickly became the fourth-largest party in the Netherlands and established itself as influential. A self-proclaimed fan of nationalist Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Wilders is explicitly anti-EU, urging the Netherlands to take back control of its borders, to significantly reduce its payments to the union and to block the entrance of any new members. Orban said of Wilders likely victory: The winds of change are here! Congratulations to Geert Wilders on winning the Dutch elections! Wilders has also repeatedly said the Netherlands should stop providing arms to Ukraine, as he says the country needs the weapons to be able to defend itself. However, none of the parties he could potentially form a government with share these ideas. The politician is one of the Netherlands most recognisable figures thanks to his dyed blond mane, but little is known about his private life, except that he is married to a Hungarian-born woman and has two cats who have their own Instagram and X accounts.
- Minister of Education, Culture, Youth & Sport Lauds Youth as Shining Stars of Our Society

PHILIPSBURG:--- In celebration of World Childrens Day, the Department of Youth, in collaboration with UNICEF in the Netherlands, hosted approximately 160 students to participate in a special Children's Rights (CRC) Event at the Cultural Center.

As a run-up to World Childrens Day, over five hundred 6th-grade students have attended similar childrens rights presentations to promote meaningful youth participation, an initiative spearheaded by the Department of Youth and UNICEF in the Netherlands. This activity is part of the Child Resilience and Protection Project (CRPP) executed by UNICEF the Netherlands in collaboration with the Government of Sint Maarten, financed by the Government of the Netherlands through the Sint Maarten Trust Fund, and administered by the World Bank.

The World Childrens Day Event was hosted by 6th-grade students Ms. Brooklyn Bell and Mr. Abdiel Joseph of the MAC J.A.G Campus alongside Lenworth Wilson, Youth Participation Specialist of UNICEF. The young hosts did a fantastic job and set a good example of young people taking the lead.

During the event, the audience was treated to several cultural artistic performances by Ms. Shaneisha Robinson, Funtopia Youth Initiative, musical renditions by Sweet Pan and the highlight of the event, which was the screening of the film What if I Told You.

The film was recently produced by the Department of Youth and UNICEF in the Netherlands on Sint Maarten and features an all-cast of 6th-grade students. The film touches on the critical role duty bearers, such as parents, teachers, and government play in the safe development of a child. Since Monday, this film has been available for the public to watch on Facebook: Department of Youth SXM & UNICEF Sint Maarten.

The ceremony was closed with an announcement by the Department of Youth, which has launched a Childrens Right Art Competition: The artwork should visualize one of the children's rights of the United Nationals Childrens Rights Convention (UNCRC) creatively. There are 54 articles, so there are plenty of children's rights to choose from! Remember, YOUth Participation Matters. On behalf of our Department, I encourage everyone to think about childrens rights and how to promote youth participation in your work and home environment, concludes Mrs. Agard-Lake.

More information about this competition can be obtained via the Facebook pages of The Department of Youth (Department of Youth SXM) and UNICEF St. Maarten or by sending specific questions to deptof This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
Strong demand for gold jewelry in China

Compared to the previous year, demand for jewelry in China has risen by more than twelve percent this year.

Chinese jewelry companies are delighted. Jewelry made of gold, silver and other precious metals is in high demand. Retail sales in 2023 have so far amounted to around 34.4 billion US dollars. This is due to a growth rate that is significantly higher than the growth rate of total retail sales. A weaker economy in China therefore has no impact on demand for jewelry. In terms of total exports, the value of precious jewelry exports is around 18% higher than before the pandemic in 2019. In the first half of 2023, jewelry with a total value of almost 40 billion yuan was exported, a good 13% more than in the same period last year. The reason for the strong demand for gold in China is likely due to the Chinese people\-s desire to protect their own savings. The Chinese central bank even intervened and banned banks from importing gold.

But it\-s not just the Chinese who love gold, the Indians do too. Shortly before the October holidays, gold exports from Switzerland rose to their highest level since May. Switzerland is the largest gold refining country in the world. India imported 60 percent more gold in October than in the previous year. This led to a 31-month high. In Europe, too, where there are signs of a softer monetary policy and a weaker economy, many seem to be turning to gold again. Gold investments are always worthwhile in the long term, for example in Karora Resources or Fury Gold Mines.

Karora Resources\-  https://www.commodity-tv.com/ondemand/companies/profil/karora-resources-inc/  two gold mines delivered more than 120,000 ounces in the first three quarters of 2023 and the full year 2023 production guidance of 145,000 to 160,000 ounces is likely to be achieved.

Fury Gold Mines  https://www.commodity-tv.com/ondemand/companies/profil/fury-gold-mines-ltd/ -, well financed, operates in Quebec and Nunavut and owns a multi-million-ounce gold platform.

Current corporate information and press releases from Karora Resources (- https://www.resource-capital.ch/en/companies/karora-resources-inc/ -) and Fury Gold Mines (- https://www.resource-capital.ch/en/companies/fury-gold-mines-ltd/ -).

In accordance with A34 WpHG I would like to point out that partners, authors and employees may hold shares in the respective companies addressed and thus a possible conflict of interest exists. No guarantee for the translation into English. Only the German version of this news is valid.

Disclaimer: The information provided does not represent any form of recommendation or advice. Express reference is made to the risks in securities trading. No liability can be accepted for any damage arising from the use of this blog. I would like to point out that shares and especially warrant investments are always associated with risk. The total loss of the invested capital cannot be excluded. All information and sources are carefully researched. However, no guarantee is given for the correctness of all contents. Despite the greatest care, I expressly reserve the right to make errors, especially with regard to figures and prices. The information contained herein is taken from sources believed to be reliable, but in no way claims to be accurate or complete. Due to court decisions, the contents of linked external sites are also co-responsible (e.g. Landgericht Hamburg, in the decision of 12.05.1998  312 O 85/98), as long as there is no explicit dissociation from them. Despite careful control of the content, I do not assume liability for the content of linked external pages. The respective operators are exclusively responsible for their content. The disclaimer of Swiss Resource Capital AG also applies: https://www.resource-capital.ch/en/disclaimer/
HCMC police have detained a woman operating a ring producing a so-called "happy water" drug cocktail from a recipe she learned from working as a DJ at clubs overseas.

Nguyen Thi Hoai when she was arrested in HCMC, Nov. 22, 2023. Photo by police

Nguyen Thi Hoai, 31, is now facing the charge of "illegal producing and transporting narcotic substances."

Her accomplices Thach Hoang Minh, 42, and Vo Thi Quynh Trang, 26 were also arrested.

The arrest came after police started early this year to track down a group of people in HCMC who showed signs of producing narcotics.

After a period of investigation, they identified Hoai as the leader of the ring, which makes "happy water," a cocktail of synthetic drugs, a powdered mixture which typically contains ketamine, ecstasy, methamphetamine, diazepam, caffeine and is then dissolved in liquid to make a beverage.

The cocktail makes drinkers feel happy and excited for a long period.

Hoai told police that she used to work as a DJ at several clubs abroad where she had learned the recipe to make the drug cocktail.

After returning to Vietnam, she launched a business to produce the cocktail to sell.

She imported the ingredients and recruited Minh and Trang to work for the ring.

More than 10 others were hired to run the production facility.

The "happy water" product made by Hoais ring is packed as tea or coffee bags for disguise.

Hoai only traded the product via social media and frequently changed the locations of her warehouses.

Bags of the "happy water" drug cocktail produced by a ring run by Nguyen Thi Hoai. Photo by police

At the end of May 2023, more than 200 officers and soldiers conducted a raid into seven locations where Hoais ring produced and kept the drugs across HCMC.

They seized 217 kilograms of synthetic drugs that would have been used to produce one ton of the "happy water" powder.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime last year raised concerns over the emergence of the potent cocktail.

It said in a report issued in May last year the effects of consuming drug products containing a combination of substances could be unpredictable and dangerous.
A book of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong on the building and development of Vietnam's diplomacy deeply imbued with the characteristics of the "bamboo" policy.

The book, launched in Hanoi on Nov. 21, is divided into three parts, with the first focusing on the important role of and major contributions by diplomacy to national construction and defense. It consists of an overview article and seven speeches the Communist Party leader delivered at meetings of the Party Central Committee and national diplomatic and foreign affairs conferences.

The second part  Vietnam's foreign affairs for independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, cooperation, and development  gathers his 78 speeches, writings, interviews, letters, and messages at bilateral and multilateral diplomatic activities and forums, showing the close and harmonious coordination among the diplomatic pillars of Party-to-Party, State-to-State, and people-to-people diplomacy.

The third part is about the hallmarks of the countrys foreign affairs and diplomacy. It features 52 opinions of international experts, politicians, diplomats, researchers, and friends about Trong's role and contributions to the formation and development of Vietnam's comprehensive and modern foreign policy. It also includes the memories, impressions, and stories shared by Vietnamese diplomats, journalists, and expatriates who used to accompany or meet the leader during his visits and working trips in the country and abroad, reflecting their sentiment towards, respect for, and trust in the Party and the General Secretarys leadership.

Addressing the book's launch, Truong Thi Mai, Politburo member, Permanent member of the Party Central Committee Secretariat and Chairwoman of the Party Central Committees Organization Commission, said the publication of the book demonstrates that the Party always views foreign affairs as an essential, constant, and important task of the entire political system and a major contributor to the national construction and defense.

She noted the book is the biggest and most meticulous and vivid demonstration of that unique and consistent characteristic of Vietnams diplomacy, she continued.

Mai held that it is a valuable reference book for those wishing to learn about the countrys foreign policy and also a clear illustration of the Party and States consistent foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, cooperation, development, diversification, and multilateralisation. It also reflects international experts, politicians, diplomats, and friends support for the Party leaders role and contributions to foreign affairs over the past years.

Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son said the book shows Trongs strategic vision, wisdom, and clear-sighted leadership and directions over foreign affairs and diplomacy.

Holding theoretical and practical values, it is a precious handbook on diplomacy for those working on foreign affairs of sectors, all-level authorities, and the entire political system, he added.
Speaking of students, my own such days are not that long behind me, so I know the insidious culture that dominates that world. Half your night out is spent pulling your friend away from someone that gave her a funny look. Or you make sure you're walking each other to the bathroom and then to your front doors to avoid any moment alone. It is also true that binge drinking amongst British women has soared to new heights. Just two weeks ago, a study concluded that we were the worst female binge drinkers in the world (defining binge drinking as having at least six alcoholic drinks in a single session).
Over the last year weve got a clearer picture of whats going down: David Tennant is returning to play the Doctor for three special stand alone 60th anniversary episodes, the first of which will air this weekend. Then Gatwa will become the 15th Doctor in the brand new series, which is set to air on Christmas Day.
Going into the episode, fans knew that this was the end for Peter Capaldi, the Twelfth Doctor, who was about to hang up his sonic screwdriver for good. While the Christmas Day episode may not have ticked any boxes for being iconic itself, writing and plot wise, it gains the last spot on our list because it changed everything.
Nearly 15 years on and the combination of high prices and high interest rates is pushing homebuyers out again. But, in times of uncertainty (and with punitive stamp duty) buyers do not want to take too great a risk. They are looking for cheaper areas one village away with rows of Victorian terraces near to the amenities they already know, Agace says. These are compromise hotspots.
All reports of hate crime are taken seriously and I would like to reassure all of our communities that we have specially trained officers who investigate these cases with a view to taking robust action against offenders. If you encounter hate please do report it.
Joseph Hogan, 40, appeared in the dock at Southwark crown court on Thursday to deny the criminal charge over the stunt on October 25. Smoke flares were also set off alongside the Grade I-listed monument, which is nearly 200 years old, while it is alleged fire extinguishers were used to spray orange paint on to the facade. The incident happened during a wave of protests by Just Stop Oil around London, including pitch invasions at Wimbledon and Lords.
Things escalated and he started asking: Let me see your knickers. As he said that he placed his hands on her body, on her legs and became quite forceful trying to prise her legs apart, with his hands on the inside of her thighs.
The tutor was ordered to live and sleep each night at his family home in Amsterdam, check in every fortnight with his solicitors via videolink, and report in person to Bishopsgate Police Station two weeks before his trial is due to begin. Repko, who denies sexual assault by touching and sexual assault by penetration, is also banned from attended the RCM or contacting former or current students under the terms of his bail.
Detective Superintendent Helen Rance, leading the investigation, said: Synthetic opioids have been detected in batches of heroin found in London and across the UK; they substantially raise the risk of incredibly serious harm to the user and are believed to be linked to a number of deaths.
Officials and police in a remote central Vietnamese district are working to prevent pregnant women from crossing the border and selling their newborns to Chinese buyers.

A day in mid-November, Cut Van Thuan, 43, a village head in Huu Kiem Commune, Ky Son District, Nghe An Province came to visit several pregnant women in the neighborhood.

He was joined by four police officers and several officials in the commune.

Their purpose was to keep a close eye on the women to prevent them from going to China to give birth and sell their newborns.

Cut Van Thuan (in black) joins a policeman and local officials to visit the home of a pregnant woman in Huu Kiem Commune, Ky Son District, Nghe An Province, November 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Duc Hung

Located in the middle mountainous forests, villages in Huu Kiem Commune are home to a large community of Kho Mu people.

Most of them earn a living farming and selling forest products.

In 2018 and 2019, the three villages  Dinh Son 1, Dinh Son 2, and Huoi Tho  emerged as hotspots for baby harvesting and the systematic sale of newborns.

In those two years, 21 Kho Mu women crossed the border and sold their newborn children to Chinese families. Most of them come from poor families and do not go to school.

Thanks to Covid-19 restrictions, the border areas were put under stricter monitoring in 2020 and 2021.

Dinh Son 2 Village in Huu Kiem Commune in Ky Son District, Nghe An Province. Photo by VnExpress/Duc Hung

In early 2022, Huu Kiem Commune decided to act to prevent the practice before it began.

A task force made up of 10 officials and police officers from the commune was formed with the mission of educating locals on the dangers of human trafficking and illegal migration.

Every week, they come to monitor pregnant women and urge their families to sign a commitment to "not sell babies."

Thuan said it was challenging at first because no one wanted to work with the task force, arguing that it is their right to keep or give away their own child.

"Some people even asked me for compensation. They said they were poor and that selling their newborns could earn them VND70-80 million (US$3,000-3,020). Now if they keep the babies, they have no idea how they can afford to raise them," he said.

In more than a few cases, the mothers called Thuan on the phone after giving birth, requesting him to buy clothes and milk powder for their babies as they were completely broke.

In one particular case, Thuan learned of a case in which a woman had been pregnant for over a month.

He rushed to her home and checked on her to make sure she and the baby would be safe. As he seemed to care too much, the womans husband doubted his intentions and in turn scolded Thuan, accusing him of having an affair with his wife.

Early last year, Thuan was informed that a pregnant woman was leaving the commune for China to meet with a broker to sell her baby. He immediately drove his motorbike tens of kilometers to the border and asked the woman to return home.

The woman initially struggled and it was not until Thuan threatened to report her to higher authorities, who would then cut a subsidy of 5 kg of rice per month for her family, that she agreed to return to the village.

Ever since the task force was formed, it has prevented four pregnant women from escaping, but Thuan himself had to pay a price to keep the babies in Vietnam.

As he intervened to keep the women from performing a deal they had agreed to, the deal brokers took revenge by attacking his family's cattle.

Thuan said even his worried wife had tried to talk him out of the job.

"But some couples have come to thank me after giving birth to their children. As the head of the village, its my responsibility to look out for them," he said.

Captain Tran Danh Hoa, head of the Huu Kiem Commune Police Department, said some women made it clear that they had no valuables to sell and thus must sell their babies to make money.

Some of them simply thought that "they should just earn money first and have another baby later."

He said that aside from convincing pregnant women and their families, the task force also keeps an eye on any strangers behaving suspiciously in the area, as they could be brokers who work for human trafficking rings.

Lu Thi Mui (2nd, R) talks to officials and police at her home in November 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Duc Hung

Lu Thi Mui, 24, who is currently in her ninth month of pregnancy, said she felt annoyed and uncomfortable at first when the task force came to her, but now she understands why they have to do so.

"This is my flesh and blood, how could I sell it away?" she said.

The central province of Nghe An, around 300 km (190 miles) south of Hanoi, has been put on high alert for human trafficking in recent years.

The mothers, mostly uneducated tribal women, easily fell into the traps of brokers who promised handsome payments for giving birth in China.

China, the worlds most populous country, suffers from one of the worst gender imbalance rates in the world due to the one-child policy and the illegal abortion of female fetuses. This has been a major factor behind the trafficking of Vietnamese women and girls across the border, and now, newborns.
But, speaking to my contacts in the region, even Hamas isnt clear exactly where everyone is, you know, it operates on the basis of cells, theres other groups involved too, so you know, well only know in the next few days as to whether shes one of those being released but shes certainly on the priority list.
Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, said: This is yet another appalling and preventable tragedy that demonstrates yet again the urgent need for safe routes so men women and children from countries such as Afghanistan dont have to take dangerous journeys across the worlds busiest shipping lane.
The joint advisory is the first time the NCSC has issued such a warning without partnership from other Five Eyes agencies  those in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the US  and comes during the state visit to the UK by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.
The i and the Financial Times have honed in on the UKs tax burden, which is set to hit a record high despite the cuts announced in the autumn statement.
Their activities range from expressions of sympathy and propaganda activities to financing and fundraising activities to strengthen the organisation abroad. "We are continuing our consistent action against radical Islamists," German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said. "By banning Hamas and Samidoun in Germany, we have sent a clear signal that we will not tolerate any glorification or support of Hamas' barbaric terror against Israel."
Doctor Who first appeared on BBC television on November 23 in 1963, with William Hartnell as the first Doctor. It originally ran for 26 years before ending in 1989 and was then relaunched in 2005.
During his afternoon of evidence, Mr Seymour was asked about his time on the BBC drag contest hosted by RuPaul, to which he replied: It was a mixed bag, it was very stressful, exciting, difficult it was a pressure cookera bit like this in a way, Im afraid.
I bet you anything if every single immigrant or from immigrant descent was to leave the UK, all your doctors gone, most of your doctors are Asian right? Most of your nurses are African women, right?
The couple met in 2018 through mutual friends and have spoken previously about how their relationship was casual to begin with. But the couple tied the knot in December 2019 after the actress proposed during a New Years Eve holiday in Nicaragua, with Jackson saying in the past he instinctively said yes.
November 22, 2023 | 04:47 pm PT

A restaurant is listed for sale with over 300 meters of usable area, two floors of business space and valuable kitchen equipment. I saw the advertisement, knew the story, and was sad.

Every business has a life span and a human story. When we reach the end, we see things never noticed at the start.

This story is about entrepreneurship in Vietnam. Not large-scale, multi-national business, but the everyday shops and services around us, especially those controlled and operated by a single individual. A 2021 study commissioned by the European Union notes that, in the last 30 years, this sector "has grown exponentially." True, it is difficult to define the term "small and medium enterprise" exactly, but this study cited the General Statistics Office to say that there were 758,610 active SMEs in Vietnam. For comparison's sake, one can find a post-Covid figure from the Ministry of Planning and Investment listing the total number of business enterprises in Vietnam is roughly 900,000.

Thus, while the numbers change according to definitions, it is clear that small-scale businesses are extremely important for Vietnams economy and society. Yet, how well do we know what happens to them and what it means for them to come and go?

Here is a story about a single entrepreneur, a young woman who came from Vinh to Da Nang and followed her dream by opening a restaurant in the My An beach district. I first became acquainted with Lien (name has been changed) in the last months of 2022. I was struck by the way that she operated a multi-faceted business by herself. To be sure, she had some assistance from her mother and younger brother. And she told me about the generous help she received from an older brother, an architect who converted the house into a place for business and even made the tables. But she was the one who came every day to do the cooking, serving and cleaning. She was the one who taught herself English and learned to prepare food that Western people like. And she was the one that - right before the pandemic - signed the loan.

Lets say a few things about the economics of small businesses, noting these points are about psychology as much as commerce.

Small businesses are almost always more vulnerable to changes in the immediate environment, and they must take into account that these changes are impossible to predict consistently. Thats one of the reasons why there is no effective way to stop everyday businesses from rising and falling. Their growth and contraction is a reflection of the activity around them. This may sound obvious, but the matter is linked to two additional academic issues that deserve more attention.

Though a great deal of time and energy is spent trying to understand and control business cycles, the expansion and contraction of the interlinked microeconomies - to say nothing of the national and global economy - is something that nobody can entirely predict. Indeed, the technical term used by economists to describe such cycles statistically "stochastic" comes from an ancient Greek word meaning "to guess." We make a big deal of successful entrepreneurship, but it keeps perspective if we realize practically all business operators make do by guessing where things are heading.

A man drives past shops that have been shut down due to impacts of Covid-19 in 2022. Photo by VnExpress/Thien Ngan

This leads to another difficulty. I could see for myself that insufficient customers came to Liens restaurant. Should she have guessed differently? The answer to that depends on your definition of what it means to know better. She made her wager on becoming a business owner right before Covid, signing the loan papers in 2020. Several months later, the restaurant, in lockdown, sat empty - while, nevertheless, rent had to be paid. In a sense, Liens November 2023 announcement that the place was up for sale is one of the late causalities of the pandemic.

But I dont think we should oppose her decision. This is the second point. For more than a decade, prominent economists, including Nobel Prize winners like Daniel Kahneman, have emphasized that most economic decisions are not made through a clear calculation of goals and risks. Rather, decisions are made in an atmosphere of incomplete information. How could Lien fully know what to expect? In hindsight what we were supposed to do is clear. Beforehand, not so much.

Hence, instead of confining our questions to what a business owner should do, it helps to reconstruct what it is like to make decisions under conditions of incomplete information. In Liens case, why not visualize her situation as it unfolds: what it felt like to unpack the utensils and equipment for the first time; how she surfed the internet for recipes and decided which ones to practice cooking herself; how the business felt on a good day, when it seemed like a post-pandemic recovery was happening, what it was like on a bad day, when nobody came, and what it will feel like, on the last day, when she packs up her things for the final time.

If such questions seem too subjective, consider that on the individual level entrepreneurial decisions are fully mixed with subjectivity. Of course, this does not mean we should make no effort to be objective. It is possible to view the rise and fall of small and medium businesses academically, and make recommendations for change. I will close with trying out a few of my own.

First, data on this topic is valuable, and I support collecting and publicizing it in detailed form. That means, tracking businesses across regions, industries, age of proprietor, gender of proprietor, and even more categories. Perhaps such data is already collected in Vietnam, but it does not seem to be readily available. While large generalizations are partially helpful, more specific and granular data means we understand whats happening to businesses in Vietnam even better.

Second, even though classes in entrepreneurship have the potential to be very useful, I disagree that there are educational solutions to the problems discussed. There are too many variables involved to prepare people by sitting in a classroom. However, there are a few areas of exception. I think entrepreneurs like Lien will benefit from informational seminars on borrowing, taxes and the basics of rent and real estate. Perhaps banks and municipal governments could cooperate with local universities to arrange this.

Third, Lien chose to start a business in a place where there is much interaction between Vietnamese and foreigner visitors, and one might say that her problems are ones of the tourist industry. However, Im not sure the situation is not radically different elsewhere. Because there are versions of the same problems all over Vietnam, I recommend that the subject be discussed more frequently, particularly by people who live in the same neighborhoods and cities as the businesses they observe. A wide range of people, discussing the situation from many angles, will provide more opportunities for productive exchange between entrepreneurs and the wider community.

Finally, there is a last, important point. Businesses must rise and fall. There is no viable way to stop this process. In the U.S. it is said that only 20% of restaurants survive until their fifth year, and thats without a pandemic. But while businesses disappear, the people who took a chance on them remain and many of them show the endurance to try again. Indeed, most entrepreneurs wind up better because of the burdens they took on and the courage they showed in facing them. Lien does not know where shes heading to next, but people like her are a kind of precious national resource. Theyve gained essential skills from their efforts and deserve our respect.

*David Pickus received his Ph.D. in history from the University of Chicago. He taught at Arizona State University, RenMin University in Beijing and other institutions in the U.S., China and Europe. He has published books and academic essays on topics related to history, education and globalization. He is currently an Associate Professor of History at a university in Da Nang, Vietnam.
Six Chinese beggars banned from returning to Thailand for 10 years

Tourists visit the Grand Palace, one of Thailand's leading tourist attractions, January 2023. Photo by Reuters

Six Chinese visitors, who were found begging for money on streets in Bangkok, have been prohibited from returning to Thailand for ten years.

They were arrested between Nov. 10 and 20 while asking for money on the streets, Bangkok Post reported.

They have been fined between 100 and 500 baht (US$3-15) each. One of them has already been deported back to China, while the rest are awaiting deportation, Thai PBS World reported.

Police added that all of them will be blacklisted.

They mainly begged in crowded places and tourist destinations with their disfigured faces and bodies.

Some of the beggars claimed they ran out of money while traveling in Thailand but police found one of the Chinese beggars arrived by air in June on a tourist visa. The woman later applied for online education in Thailand and sought a student visa to help extend her stay, the Nation Thailand reported.

Following the investigation, police found the beggars earned about 10,000 baht a day.

Begging is considered illegal in Thailand.

Thailand last month started granting visa-free entry for Chinese tourists and industry insiders worried the Chinese beggars would take advantage of the government's visa-free scheme to operate in Thailand.

Thai police pledged to carefully check Chinese visitors with facial and body disfiguration as some had come there with the intention of begging on the streets, according to the Metropolitan Police Bureau.
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Crime prosecutors conducting some 200 searches of groups related to human trafficking, child pornography, cyber-crime

On Thursday, approximately 200 searches were carried out at criminal groups specialised in trafficking in persons and minors, child pornography, cyber-crime and drug trafficking, according to the Directorate for Investigation of Organised Crime and Terror (DIICOT).

According to DIICOT, targetted are organised crime groups that operate both in Romania and in a cross-border context, which goals include the exploitation of vulnerable people, migrant trafficking, as well as drug trafficking, which was and remains a constant concern with DIICOT prosecutors.

"It is essential to be aware of the fact that the Internet is not only a source of information and opportunities, but also a dangerous terrain, especially for the little ones. We are witnessing an alarming increase in the number of minors, who at the request of some well-known people in the virtual environment - who gain their trust by misleading them that they are their age - photographed and filmed themselves in indecent poses and sent such materials to sexual predators, exposing themselves to subsequent blackmail actions."

"As regards the phenomenon of trafficking in persons and minors, the cases investigated by DIICOT have revealed that organised criminal groups - in some cases having foreign citizens in their organisation - recruiting people (including minors) by taking advantage of the state of vulnerability in which they are already. Minors, and also adults, victims of human trafficking in the hope of a fulfilling life or out of the desire to belong to a family, end up believing in false promises and entering the carousel of sexual exploitation, exploitation by forcing them to practice begging or by performing hard work to the benefit of the trafficker, very often measured in exorbitant amounts. In all these situations where the family either does not exist, or cannot intervene or is in the position of the aggressor, the intervention of society is necessary, from a preventive point of view - schools, institutions with responsibilities in the area of social or religious protection, neighbors or people from the entourage) by denouncing such criminal activities and reporting any possible situation of human trafficking."

DIICOT also says that it is carrying out intense activities to investigate and prosecute cross-border organised crime networks composed of Romanian and foreign citizens, specialising in the trafficking of migrants and deriving huge profits from recruiting, sheltering and transporting groups of migrants from Romania to countries in Western Europe.
The chairwoman of the Women's Organization of Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR), MP Biro Rozalia, declared on Thursday, in Oradea, that women from the national minorities of Europe need a European working group, within the Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN).

The women's leader from UDMR participated, between November 21 and 22, in Vienna, in the event organized by FUEN, with the theme "Women of national minorities", where representatives from ten countries were present, agerpres reports.

According to the MP, the discussions were based on a study developed by FUEN regarding the women of national minorities in Europe and which analyzes the situation of equal opportunities between women and men.

Deputy Biro Rozalia emphasized, during the work in Vienna, that a national minority, as a community, requires special attention, greater than for the majority, as is also given to the youngest child in the family.She gave some minorities as examples - such as the Germans in Hungary or the Croats in Austria - who are trying to develop standards for putting into practice the principle of equal opportunities between men and women. It is activated, she continued, to raise awareness that there are certain jobs that are perceived only for women, in order to emphasize the fact that work at home, taking care of family members, is not valued, not even quantified, in the conditions in which 99 percent of these activities are performed by women."In conclusion, because the situation differs from one country to another, from one national minority to another, having specific aspects, we need to establish a work group, at a European level, within FUEN, through which we can ensure a permanent exchange of experience, as well as elaborating priorities of women from Europe's national minorities, namely a common strategy, with common and specific directives," deputy Biro Rozalia pointed out.
President Klaus Iohannis said that by the tour to Kenya, Tanzania, Cape Verde and Senegal that ends on Thursday, he "put" Romania back on the African radar.

"I could say, without exaggeration, that this tour has put Romania back on the African radar. We have restored what was almost lost, an extremely valuable relationship between Romania and its African partners. This strategy will not only have positive practical consequences for Romania and for the countries we visited, but will also have very concrete consequences for the relationship between the European Union and the African countries, the relationship between the European Union and the African Union," said the Romanian president in a joint press conference with his Senegalese counterpart, Macky Sall, agerpres reports.

According to president Iohannis, "it is obvious that our closest regional partner is Africa". "There are phenomenal opportunities and it would be a huge mistake to neglect this opportunity for good cooperation," the head of state stressed.

He added that "in recent decades, the whole world has realised the opportunities that lie in working with Africa".Beyond the economic relationship, the president said, "we can intervene together to keep the peace or bring back the peace".Iohannis said that for Romania this relationship has a "very special" specificity. He evoked the period when our country offered scholarships and had economic relations with African countries."Unfortunately, in the decades following the Revolution in our country, this relationship was almost neglected. I realized that a strategic error was made in Romanian foreign policy and I came up with corrective measures, I came up with a new strategy for Africa that is especially aimed at Romania's traditional partners in Africa, such as, in this specific case, Senegal," Klaus Iohannis said.He pointed out that such a strategy, "of extraordinary weight", cannot be implemented "by correspondence"."In order to give weight to this strategy and to show that Romania is very serious and very committed to reinvigorating these partnerships, I decided to make an African tour that today took us to Senegal and here is where this tour ends," said president Iohannis.
The Government approved on Thursday, through a memorandum, the request of the Ministry of National Defense towards the Romanian Parliament in regards to obtaining of prior approval for initiating the procedure for acquiring PAC-2 GEM-T missiles, in order to strengthen the air defense capability with the ground base related to the essential endowment program "High Range Surface-to-Air Missile System (HSAM)".

"Through this memorandum, the Ministry of National Defense requests the Parliament's prior approval to initiate the procedure for purchasing 200 PAC-2 GEM-T missiles of European production, in order to strengthen the air defense capability with the ground base related to the essential endowment program" High-range surface-to-air missile system (HSAM)," the Executive press release reads, agerpres reports.

The purchase contract will start in 2024, according to the quoted source.
MEP Negrescu asks EP President Metsola to back up Romania's accession to Schengen area

European Parliament Quaestor of the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament MEP Victor Negrescu has asked President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola to back up Romania's accession to the Schengen area ahead of a Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting, including challenging with the Court of Justice of the EU a possible new veto by Austria, reads a press statement released on Thursday by his MEP's office, told Agerpres.

"The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, is a supporter of Romania's accession to the Schengen area. That is why we discussed the prospects of the future Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting, which will take place in a few weeks' time, and the state of the high-level negotiations, including at the level of the right-wing political family of which the Austrian chancellor is a part," Negrescu is quoted as saying in the statement.

He added that he wanted to thank Metsola for her efforts and at the same time "to discuss the options that Romania can have in the event of a new veto by the right-wing government in Austria."

"I have requested support so that the European Parliament may back up Romania in the event of a new refusal in carrying out a legitimate approach for the defence of European values through which we can demand our rights even at the Court of Justice of the EU."

Negrescu advocated for Romania's accession to the Schengen area also during a debate attended by the Prime Minister of Bulgaria, Nikolay Denkov, in the EP plenary meeting in Strasbourg.

"Romania and Bulgaria deserve to be accepted in the Schengen area and that must happen unconditionally and immediately. It is unacceptable that our countries are left out, given that we are meeting all the Schengen criteria and have effectively protected the European borders for so many years," Negrescu is quoted as having told the plenary sitting of the EP on Wednesday.

"Romania and Bulgaria are not second-class member states, and people should stop looking at us that way. That's why I am calling on the EU leaders to support our accession to the Schengen area until the end, by holding a vote by the end of the year, to demonstrate that compliance with the rules in the EU pays off."
The Ministry of Finance (MF) borrowed, on Thursday, 409.1 million RON from the banks, through an issue of benchmark state bonds, with a residual maturity of 128 months and an average yield of 7.22% per year, according to data published by the National Bank of Romania (BNR).

The nominal value of Thursday's issue was 500 million RON, and the banks subscribed 449.1 million RON, agerpres reports.

An additional auction is scheduled for Friday, through which the state wants to attract another 75 million RON at the yield set on Thursday for the bonds.

The Ministry of Finance (MF) has planned, in November 2023, loans from commercial banks in the amount of 5 billion lei, to which the amount of 675 million lei can be added through additional sessions of non-competitive offers, related to bond auctions.The total amount, of 5.675 billion RON, is 920 million RON less than the one that was scheduled in October, of 6.595 billion RON, and will be intended for refinancing the public debt and financing the state budget deficit.
Prime minister Marcel Ciolacu said on Thursday that Romania is not prepared for the ECHR's decision regarding the legal status of same-sex couples.

The PM was asked, in a show on Europa FM, what response our country will give, until March 25, to the proposals set in the ECHR decision regarding same-sex couples, agerpres reports.

"Romanian society is not ready for a decision at this moment. It is neither the first [ECHR decision] nor the last to condemn. Romania was also condemned for the treatment in prisons. It is not one of my priorities and, I repeat, not I think Romania is ready at this moment. I'm not an obtuse man, I'm part of the world, I have no reservations, I have friends who have relations with another man, I have no problem, I'm speaking now from the point of view of the prime minister", stated Ciolacu.

Asked, in the context, whether Romania "will violate this decision of the ECHR", the prime minister replied: "It is neither the first nor the last, but I believe that the Romanian society is not yet ready for this".
President Klaus to be welcomed by Senegalese counterpart Macky Sall

President Klaus Iohannis will be officially welcomed on Thursday by his Senegalese counterpart Macky Sall, in the context of the visit the Romanian head of state is paying to Senegal.

According to the programme, Klaus Iohannis will be welcomed at 13.00 at the Presidential Palace, where there will be tete-a-tete and official talks, followed by a ceremony to sign bilateral documents.

At the end, the two Presidents will hold joint press statements.

Also on Thursday, the Romanian head of state will participate together with his Senegalese counterpart in the inauguration of the United Nations House in Senegal.

In the evening, Klaus Iohannis will attend the opening of the exhibition "Traditional African Masks - Traditional Romanian Masks," organised in cooperation with the Romanian Peasant Museum and will meet with former students from Senegal who studied in Romania.
A U.S. military MQ-9 drone was shot down on Wednesday by Yemen's Houthis, two U.S. officials and the Iran-aligned Houthi movement said.

US drone shot down near Yemen: officials Houthi ban roi UAV 30 trieu USD cua My A U.S. MQ-9 drone is shot down off Yemen in a video shared by Twitter account Ahadmalik1.

While U.S. drones have been shot down by Houthis in the past, this incident comes at a particularly tense time in the region.

Washington is on heightened alert for activity by Iran-backed groups as regional tensions soar during the Israel-Hamas war.

The U.S. officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the drone, made by General Atomics, had been brought down off the coast of Yemen. They did not say if it was taken down in international airspace.

In a statement, a Houthi military spokesperson said they shot down the drone in airspace over Yemeni territorial waters.

In 2019, U.S. drones were brought down on two separate occasions by the group in Yemen.

The Pentagon has surged thousands of troops to the region to try and contain the conflict, including two aircraft carriers. Some of those troops have been in the Red Sea aboard military vessels.

Last month, a U.S. Navy warship intercepted four cruise missiles and more than a dozen drones launched by the Houthis from Yemen headed toward Israel.
A number of 13 pieces from the treasure collection of the Museum of Dacian and Roman Civilization (MCDR) Deva, representative of the Roman period, are present in an exhibition, this week, at the Romanian National Museum (Diocletian's Baths) in the capital of Italy.

MCDR Deva participates in this exhibition with Lapidarium objects - statuettes, reliefs and funerary pieces, gold and bronze objects, including two gold votive plaques discovered at Germisara, the current Geoagiu-Bai resort, agerpres reports.

"They are very valuable pieces that are part of the Tezaur collection of the MCDR. The plaques were discovered in the 80s in Germisara, today's Geoagiu Bai locality, during the excavations at Baile Romane. Seven of the eight votive plaques are in the MCDR collection , and one in the collection of the National Museum of the Union in Alba Iulia," the spokesperson of MCDR Deva, Daniel I.Iancu, said for AGERPRES.

Specialists say that these votive plates were an offering brought by the rich people of the Roman Empire, when they were cured of diseases due to the thermal waters of Germisara.The list of 13 pieces presented in the exhibition in Rome also includes the representation of Medusa from Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa and a bronze statuette representing the god Mercurius, discovered in the village of Rapoltu Mare.Between November 21, 2023 and April 21, 2024, the Romanian National Museum - Diocletian's Baths in Rome hosts the archaeological exhibition "Dacia. The last frontier of Romania", the largest and most valuable Romanian exhibition organized outside Romania's borders in the last 25 years, curated by the National History Museum of Romania and the Romanian National Museum.Under the high patronage of the president of Romania and the president of Italy, the exhibition marks a double anniversary for the Romanian-Italian bilateral relationship: 15 years since the signing of the consolidated strategic partnership between Romania and Italy and 150 years since the establishment of the first diplomatic agency of Romania in Italy.This flagship event is the pinnacle of bilateral cultural exchanges and brings together over 1,000 artifacts from 47 museums in Romania and the Republic of Moldova, some of which are exhibited for the first time in this setting.The artefacts trace the historical evolution of the territory of present-day Romania over a period of over fifteen hundred years (8th century BC - 8th century AD), a testimony to the many contacts and cultural exchanges that took place in the region.
The former Minister of Health, Vlad Voiculescu, stated on Thursday that the anti-Covid vaccination was under the prime minister during the pandemic and he also made the decisions regarding the purchase of vaccines.

"On September 21, 2021, we said that an investigation into the purchase of vaccines in Romania is welcome. First of all, because a critical moment for Romania and public health has been turned into a show of political attacks in the last two years by the Social Democratic Party (PSD) I remind you that the anti-COVID vaccination was subordinated to the Prime Minister during the pandemic, not to the Minister of Health: it is the famous vaccination committee led by Mr. Gheorghita that reported to the Minister of Defense Ciuca and Prime Minister Citu," Voiculescu wrote on Facebook, agerpres reports.

According to him, the quantities allocated to the member states were established within a joint purchase contract of the European Commission with the suppliers, mainly based on the population criterion. The decisions regarding the purchase of vaccines were taken "exclusively" by the prime minister at that time, the chairman of Save Romania Union (USR) Bucharest said.

"There are recordings of Government meetings and documents that prove that the prime minister took these decisions. Although I did not agree with all the decisions taken by those who coordinated the vaccination (eg: prioritizing the 'specials', the secret centers for 'specials', falsifying indicators, vaccination campaign communication, etc.) and it is well known that I was kicked out of the Government for this, it must be said that the quantity of purchased doses constituted an opportunity decision in conditions of uncertainty regarding the availability of production, the evolution of the strains, the need for re-vaccination," explained Voiculescu.He claimed that in his mandate as a minister he acted "honestly" and "always putting people's lives and health first".The National Anticorruption Directorate announced, on Thursday, that it has sent to the Prosecutor General of the Prosecutor's Office next to the High Court of Cassation and Justice a reference of a cause regarding notifying the president of Romania and the Senate for formulating requests for carrying out a criminal investigation against three persons for commiting the crimes of abuse of office regarding the acquisition of anti-COVID vaccines.According to some judicial sources, this is about former Prime Minister Florin Citu and former Ministers of Health Vlad Voiculescu and Ioana Mihaila.
Case 14: Ms. C is struggling to take care of her four children  between the ages of 5 and 13  since flooding destroyed her home and belongings in the summer of last year. She moved and has been working hard to recover, but her family was evicted this past summer. They are now bouncing between hotels and her mother's house. Assistance with housing and utilities along with a computer for work, furniture, clothing and toys would help her rebuild a life for her family.

Case 15: The F family is facing serious challenges since coming to America in May as refugees from Afghanistan with their 11 children, ages 3 to 20. They speak a language spoken by only about 500,000 people in the world. The mother has debilitating mental health issues, and the family lost food assistance because of clerical error in the spelling of their name. The father's wages are barely enough to meet basic needs. The family needs a lot of help, especially with rent, utilities and car costs.

Case 16: Mrs. A, her husband and her mother are seeking asylum in America after fleeing economic and political turmoil in Venezuela in August of last year. The couple has two children, an infant and a 6-year-old. They are struggling to pay bills and feed their family with temporary manual labor jobs while waiting for work authorization permits. They would appreciate a microwave, twin mattress, bedding, kitchenware, toys and help with rent or groceries.

Case profiles by Michele Munz

WAYS TO GIVE

ADOPT A CASE For highest-need cases, the program supplies donors with a list of a family's needs. Donors are asked to meet at least one of the stated needs and provide at least one present for each individual in the family. Everything goes directly to the family, through a social worker.

DONATE Monetary gifts to the 100 Neediest Cases general fund are used to help the more than 4,000 cases, and go directly to the families.

FUNDRAISE Encourage friends, family and others to join you in helping. Set up a fundraising page for your adopted family or the program overall, and have an even bigger impact.

HOW IT WORKS: Social service agencies, working through the United Way, identify thousands of needy families. Volunteers then select 100 cases to be profiled in the newspaper to raise awareness

HOW IT STARTED: The tradition of 100 Neediest Cases campaign dates to 1922, when civic leaders formed the Christmas Bureau. The Post-Dispatch has partnered with the program for more than five decades, renaming it 100 Neediest Cases in 1954.
Case 14: Ms. C is struggling to take care of her four children  between the ages of 5 and 13  since flooding destroyed her home and belongings in the summer of last year. She moved and has been working hard to recover, but her family was evicted this past summer. They are now bouncing between hotels and her mothers house. Assistance with housing and utilities along with a computer for work, furniture, clothing and toys would help her rebuild a life for her family.

Case 15: The F family is facing serious challenges since coming to America in May as refugees from Afghanistan with their 11 children, ages 3 to 20. They speak a language spoken by only about 500,000 people in the world. The mother has debilitating mental health issues, and the family lost food assistance because of clerical error in the spelling of their name. The fathers wages are barely enough to meet basic needs. The family needs a lot of help, especially with rent, utilities and car costs.

Case 16: Mrs. A, her husband and her mother are seeking asylum in America after fleeing economic and political turmoil in Venezuela in August of last year. The couple has two children, an infant and a 6-year-old. They are struggling to pay bills and feed their family with temporary manual labor jobs while waiting for work authorization permits. They would appreciate a microwave, twin mattress, bedding, kitchenware, toys and help with rent or groceries.

Case profiles by Michele Munz
In rural Missouri, dental care for the uninsured is so hard to come by that the waitlist for one clinic stretches to six months.

The clinic, a Catholic ministry of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, has no permanent home and never sends out bills. The 16-ton truck rolls into town and sets up in parking lots to see patients, some of whom havent had their teeth checked in decades.

We could go day and night, said volunteer hygienist Diann Bomkamp of Creve Coeur. Theres so many people in need.

The Rural Parish Clinic first hit the road in 2019 to offer free medical treatment to adults who lack insurance and earn less than 200% of the poverty level, or about $60,000 for a family of four. It is open two days a week, rotating through six destinations.

By early 2021, the clinic had furnished another truck, this one home to a pair of dental exam rooms. It started with appointments four days a month in two locations. Now, it operates 12 days each month, and a fifth stop, in Ste. Genevieve County, was added to the route in the fall. Through October of this year, the dental clinic had treated 533 patients, 50 more than in all of 2022.

Bomkamp, who has worked in the field for more than a half-century, has seen some of the worst cases of her career at the clinic: adults who havent been to a dentist since they were children; longtime smokers or chewing-tobacco users; people who have recovered from meth or alcohol addictions, but are stuck with gnarled smiles.

Theyre coming in with some really bombed-out teeth, said Bomkamp. They have nowhere else to go.

About two-thirds of Americans have unmet dental needs, according to KFF, an independent health care researcher. The situation is worse in Missouri, where more than three-quarters of the population cant access dental care  either because they cant afford it or there are no nearby practitioners.

For acute medical conditions, emergency rooms or urgent cares are an option.

But theres no equivalent for dentistry. And when people ignore small problems, they snowball.

For months, Aaron Lawson had braced for a shock every time he took a swig of water. But without insurance, the tree trimmer couldnt afford to get his cracked filling fixed.

He heard about the Rural Parish Clinic from his mom. He checked in this month while the truck was parked outside St. Joachim Catholic Church in Cadet, not far from where Lawson lives in Lincoln County.

An hour or so later, he was as good as new, if a little numb.

I probably would have lost the tooth otherwise, Lawson said.

Transforming people

The Rural Parish Clinics model is built around continuity of care, said director Sister Mary Rachel Nerbun, a physician and nun. There arent many one-and-done visitors.

The goal is to improve health outcomes over time, said Nerbun.

Many dental patients are referred from the medical clinic, local service agencies or food pantries. Initial appointments last an hour and include screenings for diseases such as hypertension and diabetes.

Poor dental health has consequences that extend outside the mouth. Conditions including heart disease, stroke and bacterial pneumonia have been linked to substandard dental hygiene. Chronic pain reduces quality of life. And beyond the physical discomfort, missing or damaged teeth can restrict job opportunities and erode self-esteem.

Bobbie Harris of Bloomsdale makes pies at her daughters restaurant in Ste. Genevieve County. Harris often felt exhausted even before she had pulled out the rolling pin.

To stay up all night with a toothache is unbearable, she said.

In June, a customer pointed her to the mobile dental clinic. Over the course of three visits to Bonne Terre, she had 10 teeth extracted and was fitted for dentures, work that would have cost a few thousand dollars.

Im 100% more confident, Harris said. Its your looks. Its your appearance.

The dental truck is the only free clinic in Missouri that offers dentures, said Nerbun. Its target group, she said, is the working poor: people who earn too much to receive government assistance but too little to pay for procedures out of pocket.

It takes about a million dollars a year  including five paid staff members  to run both clinics, which are funded through private donations and small grants. About 80 volunteers contribute to the dental side. Eventually, if it can get more help and raise more money, the Rural Parish Clinic would like to add dates to its calendar, and possibly another truck.

We want to reach everybody in need, Nerbun said. Were transforming people.

Kathi Brandle of Bonne Terre has had dental problems for 45 years, since several of her teeth were knocked out during a horseback-riding accident when she was a teenager. Her tongue would catch on the jagged edges.

Time only made things worse, but Brandle, who is raising two grandchildren on a fixed income, never had the money to keep up with the treatment.

My mouth just hurt all the time, she said. I didnt smile. I didnt like talking.

After several months on the Rural Parish Clinic waitlist, Brandle had her first appointment in May. By August, she had new dentures, top and bottom. When her grandkids came home from school that afternoon, she greeted them with a big grin.

They squealed.

Its life-changing at 61 years old to be able to smile again, said Brandle. I feel so blessed.
by Austin Bay November 22, 2023

Yemen's complex nest of wars is a hideous but representative example of a bloody, chaotic tragedy exploited by a would-be great power, in this case, ayatollah Iran's Shia Islamic revolutionary dictatorship.

Iran and al-Qaida -- yes, al-Qaida is still there -- both use chaotic Yemen as a base for violent and criminal operations throughout the Arabian Peninsula, along Africa's Red Sea littoral and now on attacks on Sinai and the eastern Mediterranean. If Tel Aviv is in range, so is Cairo.

For Iran, Yemen's instability provides a type of plausible deniability. The ayatollah regime can blame its terror attacks, assassinations, raids on shipping, and missile and drone strikes on indigenous Yemeni insurgents, primarily the Houthis -- a Shia group from northwestern Yemen that controls the capital, Sana, and the major port city, Hodeida.

Which brings us to the Houthis' war at sea.

On Sunday, Nov. 19, the commercial ship Galaxy Leader made an unscheduled stop at Hodeida after heli-borne Houthi raiders seized the vessel in the Red Sea about 50 miles west of the port as it was en route from Turkey to India.

"Houthi pirates" is more accurate than raiders, but that said, the Hollywood-level video their camera crew took brings "commando" to mind.

Oh yes, the Houthis landed with cameras. AK-assault-rifle-armed Houthis rappel from a Russian Mi-8 transport helicopter onto the Galaxy Leader's deck. They race quickly to subdue the crew.

Though these scoundrels aren't quite as slick as U.S. Navy SEALs or Royal Marines, they've been training. Trained by whom? Iran's Al Quds Force special operations personnel. Al Quds is the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) elite arm. It controls Iran's international covert and proxy warfare operations and oversees ballistic missile units.

More on the missile operations in a moment.

The Galaxy Legend incident is similar to ship seizure operations the IRGC has conducted in the Persian Gulf. As the ship headed for shore a flotilla of small speedboats provided escort. Swarming speedboats is a signature Iranian tactic.

Two wire services reported the Houthis wore headbands invoking Hamas' eternally repugnant Oct. 7 Al Aqsa Flood massacre. They later ran Yemeni and Palestinian flags up the mast.

The ship seizure is first and foremost an attack on international commerce and hence an attack on international law and order. Yes, it's piracy, terrorist piracy, and therefore cannot be ignored.

However, the Hamas supplications are not incidental facts. The ship seizure and its Hollywood video advertisement are also propaganda by deed.

So were Hamas' Oct. 7 massacres of Israeli babies and rapes of Israeli women, and the psychopathic videos of those atrocities Hamas terrorists recorded for global distribution.

The Houthis claim the Bahamian-flagged Galaxy Leader is an Israeli ship. An Israeli billionaire has an interest, but the Israel connection is tenuous. A Japanese company operates the vessel. Its ownership is British registered.

Tenuous, however, was enough for Iran to pull the Houthi Red Sea trigger.

Trigger it is. Yemen lies on the eastern side of the Bab el-Mandeb (Gateway of Anguish), the strait connecting the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. Threaten ships in the Red Sea and oil prices may rise, but the price of maritime insurance will definitely spike and raise the cost of imported goods.

The Red Sea southern front incident isn't an isolated attack. On Nov. 20, Hezbollah escalated rocket, drone, artillery fire and missile attacks on Israel's northern front (Lebanon-Syria).

Houthis have launched -- with Al Quds oversight-- missile and drone attacks on Israel. Debris has hit two Egyptian Sinai towns. So far, the Southern Front missile attacks have failed.

Iran, however, is deploying improved ballistic missiles. On Nov. 9 an Israeli Arrow-3 anti-missile missile intercepted an Iranian missile over the Red Sea -- a missile fired from Yemen. The Arrow-3 has anti-ICBM capabilities. Was the Nov. 9 interception a test under duress?

Destroying Hamas is the Israeli army's first objective. Hezbollah in Lebanon is an enemy on the border. Chaotic Yemen may be distant -- however, it is also a dangerous front.
WINNIPEG, MB / ACCESSWIRE / November 23, 2023 / Medicure Inc. ("Medicure" or the "Company") (TSXV:MPH)(OTC PINK:MCUJF), a company focused on the development and commercialization of pharmaceuticals and healthcare products for patients and prescribers in the United States market, today announced that the FDA provides complete approval to enroll patients in its pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial to evaluate the use of its investigational product MC-1 for treatment of a rare pediatric disease called pyridox(am)ine 5-phosphate oxidase (PNPO) deficiency. The study involves approximately 10 patients at sites in the United States and Australia, and the Company is seeking marketing approval initially in those countries.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") has granted both Orphan Drug Designation and Rare Pediatric Disease Designation to MC-1 for the treatment of seizures associated with PNPO deficiency. Additionally, the European Medicines Agency ("EMA") has granted Orphan Drug Designation to MC-1 for the treatment of PNPO deficiency.

Under the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act (FDASIA) passed into federal law in 2012, the FDA grants a Rare Pediatric Disease Designation for serious and life-threatening diseases in which the serious or life-threatening manifestations primarily affect individuals from birth to 18 years of age, with a prevalence of less than 200,000 people in the United States. If a new drug application ("NDA") for MC-1 for patients with PNPO deficiency is approved, the Company may be eligible to receive a priority review voucher ("PRV") from the FDA, which can be redeemed to obtain priority review for any subsequent marketing application.

"MC-1 has the potential to become the first FDA-approved therapy for patients with PNPO deficiency. We sincerely thank all of the clinicians, patients and their families for participating in this study." said Dr. Albert D. Friesen, CEO of Medicure and Chair of its Board of Directors.

About Medicure Inc.

Medicure is a pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of therapies for the U.S. cardiovascular market. The present focus of the Company is the marketing and distribution of AGGRASTAT (tirofiban hydrochloride) injection and ZYPITAMAG (pitavastatin) tablets in the United States, where they are sold through the Company's U.S. subsidiary, Medicure Pharma Inc. Medicure also operates Marley Drug, Inc. ("Marley Drug"), a pharmacy located in North Carolina that offers an Extended Supply drug program serving all 50 states, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico. Marley Drug is committed to improving the health status of its patients and the communities they serve while reducing overall health care costs for employers and other health care consumers. For more information visit www.marleydrug.com. To learn more about The Extended Supply Generic Drug Program call 800.286.6781 or email [email protected].For more information on Medicure please visit www.medicure.com. For additional information about AGGRASTAT, please visit www.aggrastathdb.com or refer to the full Prescribing Information. For additional information about ZYPITAMAG, please visit www.zypitamag.com or refer to the full Prescribing Information.

To receive investor and business updates from Medicure, please fill out this form click here to be added to Medicure's e-mail list.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward Looking Information: Statements contained in this press release that are not statements of historical fact, including, without limitation, statements containing the words "believes", "may", "plans", "will", "estimates", "continues", "anticipates", "intends", "expects" and similar expressions, may constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian and U.S. federal securities laws (such forward-looking information and forward-looking statements are hereinafter collectively referred to as "forward-looking statements"). Forward-looking statements, include estimates, analysis and opinions of management of the Company made in light of its experience and its perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, as well as other factors which the Company believes to be relevant and reasonable in the circumstances. Inherent in forward-looking statements are known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors beyond the Company's ability to predict or control that may cause the actual results, events or developments to be materially different from any future results, events or developments expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, and as such, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Such risk factors include, among others, the Company's future product revenues, expected results, including future revenue from P5P, the likelihood of receiving a priority review voucher from the United State Food and Drug Administration, expected future growth in revenues, stage of development, additional capital requirements, risks associated with the completion and timing of clinical trials and obtaining regulatory approval to market the Company's products, the ability to protect its intellectual property, dependence upon collaborative partners, changes in government regulation or regulatory approval processes, and rapid technological change in the industry. Such statements are based on a number of assumptions which may prove to be incorrect, including, but not limited to, assumptions about: general business and economic conditions; the impact of changes in Canadian-US dollar and other foreign exchange rates on the Company's revenues, costs and results; the timing of the receipt of regulatory and governmental approvals for the Company's research and development projects; the availability of financing for the Company's commercial operations and/or research and development projects, or the availability of financing on reasonable terms; results of current and future clinical trials; the uncertainties associated with the acceptance and demand for new products and market competition. The foregoing list of important factors and assumptions is not exhaustive. The Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking statements or the foregoing list of factors, other than as may be required by applicable legislation. Additional discussion regarding the risks and uncertainties relating to the Company and its business can be found in the Company's other filings with the applicable Canadian securities regulatory authorities or the US Securities and Exchange Commission, and in the "Risk Factors" section of its current Form 20F.

AGGRASTAT (tirofiban hydrochloride) injection, ZYPITAMAG (pitavastatin) tablets, and Marley Drug are registered trademarks.

For more information, please contact:

Dr. Albert D. Friesen

Chief Executive Officer

Tel. 888-435-2220

Fax 204-488-9823

E-mail: [email protected]

www.medicure.com

SOURCE: Medicure, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:
TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / November 23, 2023 / WeeCare Pediatric Home Health Care announced today that they have signed on with leading home-based care technology platform AlayaCare.

WeeCare provides in-home and in-school healthcare services for pediatrics across Ontario. WeeCare is an independently owned and operated company that provides a range of services including personal care services, assisting with appointments and out-of-home activities, respite for caregivers, behavioural support, and pediatric nursing services.

"We chose AlayaCare as our technology partner because they lead the way in home care software," says Megan Walker, WeeCare Pediatric Home Health Care founder and CEO. "Their commitment to staying ahead of the industry is evident, and they offer much more than just software. With conferences, support teams, and a focus on customer care, they're dedicated to helping us succeed. AlayaCare's diverse skilled nursing solutions, up-to-date medication support, and customizable care plans were all crucial factors in our decision. The Family Portal allows families to be more connected with their child's care. Features like Visit Optimizer take away a lot of manual work for our team. We're able to get a perfect caregiver-client match much faster, which gets the care in faster as well. AlayaCare is the right choice for where I want to take my company."

AlayaCare provides home and community care agencies like WeeCare with an innovative, end-to-end software platform. It combines in-home and virtual care solutions with APIs and machine learning to help agencies optimize the delivery of care while reducing overhead and increasing efficiency.

"We're thrilled to partner with an organization like WeeCare to help them provide the best possible care for their clients," says Rhonda Bosch, Senior Vice President of Customer Success at AlayaCare. "We look forward to supporting them now and as they scale their business. By creating technology-based solutions, we can improve outcomes for providers, caregivers, and patients alike."

About AlayaCare

AlayaCare is an end-to-end software platform for public, private, non-profit, and community home-based care organizations that manages the entire client lifecycle, including needs assessments, care plans, scheduling, visit and route optimization, and visit verification. Founded in 2014 with over 600 employees, AlayaCare combines traditional in-home and virtual care solutions that enable care providers to lower the cost of care and achieve better outcomes for their clients. For more information, visit: AlayaCare.com

About WeeCare Pediatric Home Health Care

WeeCare Pediatric Home Health Care is a leading provider of specialized pediatric home health care services in Ontario, Canada. Our team of highly trained pediatric caregivers is committed to delivering personalized, compassionate care, tailored to each child's unique needs. We believe in a personal approach, combining medical expertise with emotional support to improve the quality of life for children and their families facing health challenges.

For more information about WeeCare Pediatric Home Health Care and our services, please visit www.weecarehealth.ca or connect with us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

AlayaCare Press Contact:

Steph Davidson

[email protected]

647-668-6369

SOURCE: AlayaCare

View source version on accesswire.com:
A humanitarian disaster has unfolded in Gaza as hostilities, according to the United Nations. There are reports of 11,000 civilian deaths, most of them children and women, but the actual number is undoubtedly far higher. Out of a population of 2.2 million, 1.6 million have been displaced. Entire neighborhoods have been razed to the ground. There is little food and water, no shelter from the fighting.

Hamas actions on October 7th were barbaric acts of terror and set into motion what we are witnessing today, said United States Representative to the United States Linda Thomas-Greenfield. And Hamas bears responsibility for causing so much senseless suffering on all sides.

This moment calls on all of us to empathize with the plight of Israelis and Palestinians. To put ourselves in their shoes and see the world through their eyes, she said.

In mid-November, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2712, which calls for a number of measures to help alleviate the suffering of civilians. The United States supports many of the critical provisions the Council did adopt, including the immediate and unconditional release of the hostages held by Hamas and other groups, and humanitarian pauses to help enable full, rapid, safe, and unhindered humanitarian access to civilians in Gaza, said Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield.

We need to urgently scale up the flow of food, water, and medicine, she said. The first of five U.S.-chartered planes landed in El Arish, carrying 49 tons of nutritious, ready-to-eat food. But fuel is critically needed to get supplies into the hands of those who need them. Make no mistake: this is a matter of utmost urgency. For our part, the United States will work with the UN, Israel, other donors, regional partners to enable humanitarian workers to do the work so desperately needed to save civilians.

Hamas has deeply embedded itself within the civilian population, including at hospitals. This is appalling and atrocious. But Hamas actions do not lessen Israels responsibility to protect civilians, said Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield.

Every civilian death is a tragedy. Every single one.  Let us all recognize the shared humanity of both Israelis and Palestinians. And let us all work toward a future in which they can live side by side in states of their own, with peace, freedom, and security.
NAIROBI, Kenya--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) through its Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) initiative, in partnership with African Guarantee Fund (AGF) and in collaboration with the Office of the Presidents Advisor on Womens Rights, have inaugurated the 6th edition of the AFAWA Finance Series in Nairobi, Kenya. This 3-day event themed Enhancing Financial Inclusion for Women, running between 21-23 November, 2023, is a pivotal initiative aiming to revolutionise the financial landscape and foster an enabling environment for women entrepreneurs, facilitating their growth and contribution to the continent's economic development.

The AFAWA initiative seeks to increase womens access to finance in the continent by bridging the $42 billion financing gap for women-led and owned small and medium enterprises. Since its inception just over two years ago, the AFAWA initiative has already approved $1.2 billion in funding for women-led enterprises in 32 countries across Africa with a goal to mobilise $5 billion in financing for African women-led businesses by 2026.

Financial products need to be tailored to women's unique lived experiences, needs and aspirations from the start not later when at scale, said Her Excellency Governor Ann Waiguru, Chair of the Council of Governors in Kenya and the chief speaker at the Finance Series Kenya opening ceremony.

Financial institutions face a major challenge in understanding and responding to the unique needs of the women entrepreneurs. We need innovative approaches to improve women's creditworthiness as traditional collateral requirements only serve to reinforce gender inequalities, she added.

The AFAWA Finance Series will emphasise the tangible benefits of gender financing for women-led small and medium enterprises, financial institutions, the Kenyan Government and policymakers. The opening conference will be followed by a 2-day training to sensitize lending institutions on gender smart investing.

Kenyan women are known for their resilience and tenacity, Harriette Chiggai, Womens Rights Advisor to the Office of the President of the Republic of Kenya told reporters, when detailing table banking, grants and other Government programs targeting women entrepreneurs.

The AFAWA Finance Series is an acknowledgement of our commitment to creating an environment where Kenyan women can access essential financial tools for enterprise and development, Chiggai added.

The Series explores ways to enhance regulatory frameworks that can boost access to finance for women-led small and medium enterprises. The event will also build understanding of AFAWAs Guarantee for Growth (G4G) mechanism as implemented by the AGF.

"Too many women entrepreneurs across the continent are denied opportunities to grow their businesses. Were here today to help challenge common misperceptions and emphasize that theres business to be had in offering financial services to women-led enterprises. AFAWA understands the challenges women face and the initiative is addressing them head on, said Marie-Laure Akin-Olugbade, Vice President for Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery at African Development Bank Group.

Research shows women are better at repaying loans than men, and typically reinvest up to 90% of their income in the education, health and nutrition of their families and communities.

The question we are addressing is how to support women and increase their productivity to fully participate in the GDP of the African economy, said AGF Group CEO, Jules Ngankam. Through the AFAWA G4G program we are derisking financial institutions that on-lend to women-led SMEs increasing their appetite for this target market, he added.

Previous AFAWA Finance Series have been held in Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Angola and Nigeria.

Representing AFAWAs donor nations at the Kenya launch were His Excellency H.E. Roberto Natali, Ambassador of Italy to Kenya and Her Excellency Caroline Vicini, Ambassador of Sweden to Kenya.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).

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Alphonso Van Marsh

Principal Digital Content and Events Officer

African Development Bank

Email: [email protected]

www.AfDB.org/en

Diana Aluga

Group Communications & Public Relations Officer

African Guarantee Fund

Cell: +254 732 148 000,

Email: [email protected]

https://AfricanGuaranteeFund.com/

Emily Njagi

Scarlet Digital Limited

Cell: +254 722 615524

Email: [email protected]

Hilda Mwangi

Scarlet Digital Limited

Cell: +254 718 611543

Email: [email protected]

Source: African Development Bank Group (AfDB)
ST. CATHARINES, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Algoma Central Corporation (TSX: ALC) is proud to announce that it has been selected as one of Hamilton-Niagaras Top Employers for 2024. The Award recognizes Algomas dedication to providing an environment where employees can thrive and reach their full potential. This will be the second year in a row Algoma has achieved this special recognition and highlights our continued commitment to creating an exceptional workplace, fostering a culture of inclusivity, investing in employees' well-being, and developing our workforce for the future.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231123917655/en/

Algoma Central Corporation named one of Hamilton-Niagara's Top Employers for the second year in a row. (Graphic: Business Wire)

"We are incredibly honoured to receive the Top Employer Award again this year," said Gregg Ruhl, President and CEO of Algoma Central Corporation. "This recognition stands as a testament of our ongoing efforts to recognize and value our exceptional employees by providing them with a workplace that supports their development and well-being. Their hard work and dedication fuels our commitment to investing in our team, propelling progress, and ensuring Algoma remains an outstanding place to work and the Marine Carrier of Choice, continued Mr. Ruhl.

This accolade recognizes Algoma as an outstanding employer and emphasizes the numerous fulfilling career opportunities within the maritime industry. At Algoma, we take pride in our team members' choice to be part of our workforce, aiming for long-term commitment until retirement. For prospective employees, we encourage them to contemplate a career in marine transportation, especially with Algoma, where a gratifying and dynamic professional journey awaits.

This annual award program, organized by Canadas Top 100 Employers, evaluates companies that excel in several key areas, including the following highlights:

Employee training and development: Algoma continues to offer and improve ongoing training and development opportunities for employees. This commitment ensures that our team members continue to grow both professionally and personally.

Work atmosphere: Algoma has a strong commitment to fostering a workplace where people of all backgrounds feel valued, respected, and included. Our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) council, formed in 2023, is comprised of both shipboard and shoreside employees with varying backgrounds and experiences. The council advocates for inclusion, helps create awareness, and focuses on areas of improvement to strengthen our core values.

Employee engagement & communications: We are continually working to find and implement new tools and technology to ensure employees stay engaged, find meaningful ways to collaborate with their peers, and continue to build inter-departmental relationships and teamwork.

Compensation and Benefits: Algoma offers competitive compensation packages, comprehensive benefits plans, and opportunities for career advancement.

Health & wellness: We are always striving to keep ourselves and others safe and healthy by promoting physical and mental wellness, staying informed of best practices, providing training, and finding ways to continually evolve and improve. To support the well-being of employees, Algoma has an Employee and Family Assistance Program available for free to all employees and their families.

Community involvement: We are committed to being a good corporate citizen across the communities we serve. We have been a long-time supporter of United Way and their Days of Caring. The combination of our employees' donations and the company match has a meaningful impact in communities across Canada, guaranteeing that funds directly benefit the home provinces of our employees.

About Algoma Central Corporation

Algoma Central Corporation is a global provider of marine transportation that owns and operates dry and liquid bulk carriers, serving markets throughout the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway and internationally. Algoma is aiming to reach a carbon emissions reduction target of 40% by 2030 and net zero by 2050 across all business units with fuel efficient vessels, innovative technology, and alternate fuels. Algoma truly is Your Marine Carrier of Choice. Learn more at algonet.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231123917655/en/

Gregg A. Ruhl

Algoma Central Corporation

President & CEO

905-687-7890

Cathy Smith

Algoma Central Corporation

Vice-President, Human Resources

905-687-7823

Source: Algoma Central Corporation
OTTAWA, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Today, BioTalent Canada opened its call for nominations for the Catalyst Award for Top New Hire. Now in its ninth year, the award celebrates the achievements of young minds who are launching their careers in Canadas bourgeoning health and biosciences sector.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231123100618/en/

While the Catalyst Award is open to employers who have hired wage subsidy participants from all BioTalent Canadas wage subsidy programs, recent winners, including 2023s winner, Jade Bouchard, have come from participants in BioTalent Canadas immensely popular Student Work Placement Program.

Jade Bouchard earned this recognition last year for her work as a co-op student at STEMCELL Technologies, a Vancouver-based biotechnology company that develops specialized cell culture media, cell isolation systems, accessory products, and scientific services that are used by life sciences researchers working in the cell therapy, cancer research, and regenerative medicine fields.

READ JADES WINNING NOMINATION HERE

Canadas health and bioscience sector is at a critical juncture when it comes to recruiting new talent, says Rob Henderson, President and CEO of BioTalent Canada. As the industry works to fill the 65,000 biotechnology jobs needed by 2029, weve seen first-hand how important work-integrated learning is in encouraging bright young minds to this essential sector. Stories like Jades are a testament to the power of investing in training and development of Canadas youth and the direct impact that investment has on employers.

READ BIOTALENT CANADAS REPORT ON SWPPS IMPACT IN GROWING CANADAS BIO-ECONOMY

Entries for the 2024 Catalyst Award for Top New Hire will be judged based on the participants contributions to their companys culture, sense of innovation, and any impact they had in helping their organization meet a team or company business objective or help in overcoming a business challenge.

Nominees must still be employed by their original wage subsidy employer or have participated in the 2023-2024 SWPP funding year. Nominations will be open until January 2024, with the winner announced in the spring.

The Catalyst Award has been an important part in recognizing the contributions wage subsidy participants have made in advancing Canadas bio-economy, adds Henderson. For the sector to meet the future talent demands, its crucial to share these stories and show what is possible for small- and medium-sized businesses when they invest in talent.

For more information on how to submit a nomination, visit biotalent.ca/Catalyst2024.

About BioTalent Canada:

BioTalent Canada supports the people behind life-changing science. Trusted as the go-to source for labour market intelligence, BioTalent Canada guides bio-economy stakeholders with evidence-based data and industry-driven standards. BioTalent Canada is focused on igniting the industrys brainpower, bridging the gap between job-ready talent and employers, and ensuring the long-term agility, resiliency, and sustainability of one of Canadas most vital sectors.

Recently named a Great Place to Work and Best Workplaces in Healthcare for 2023, by Great Place to Work Canada, as well as being listed as a Best Workplace by HRD Canada for 2023 and a 5-Star Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Employer by Canadian HR Reporter, BioTalent Canada practices the same industry standards it recommends to stakeholders. These varied distinctions were awarded to BioTalent Canada following a thorough and independent analysis of the organization.

For more information, please visit biotalent.ca.

About the Catalyst Award:

Launched in 2015, the Catalyst Award for Top New Hire recognizes the impacts and achievements of young employees who are wage subsidy recipients in Canadas bio-economy. The award grants a $1,000 prize to the young employee who has contributed most significantly to a Canadian biotechnology organization. It also spotlights employers that give young people opportunities and has previously been awarded to some of the bio-economys top young talent.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231123100618/en/

Media Inquiries:

Siobhan Williams

Vice-President Marketing and Communications

BioTalent Canada

613-235-1402 ext. 229

[email protected]

Source: BioTalent Canada
Six-year collaboration recognised at prestigious awards ceremony for its continued success in advancing OOC research to support widespread adoption across the pharmaceutical industry

CAMBRIDGE, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- CN Bio, a leading Organ-on-a-Chip (OOC) company that designs and manufactures single-and multi-organ microphysiological systems (MPS), has received the Most Impactful Industry Collaboration of the Year at the 2023 OBN Awards. The award recognises the ongoing success of the Companys collaboration with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), aimed at advancing OOC adoption through evaluation of its PhysioMimix OOC range of MPS across a series of applications in drug discovery and development.

Around 90% of drug candidates reaching clinical trials fail, often due to poor clinical translatability between conventional animal models and humans. Coupled with increasing awareness around ethical considerations and the increasing cost of animal studies, there is growing interest in New Approach Methodologies (NAMs), such as OOC, to provide effective, predictive preclinical models. Recent ground-breaking legislature, including the US Governments FDA Modernization Act and similar acts from the Canadian Government have supported this.

However, a lack of published data demonstrating OOC technology in comparison to other, long established preclinical models has impacted its widespread adoption into drug discovery and development programmes. To overcome these challenges, in 2017, the FDA selected CN Bio as a collaborative partner, to harness its 14+ years OOC expertise in a ground-breaking research partnership aimed at evaluating the accuracy and reproducibility of MPS relative to standard practices. The successful study led to the publication of the first co-authored, peer-reviewed article between an MPS provider and a regulator,1 and general recommendations for the use of liver MPS technology during drug discovery workflows. Since then, the breadth and scope of the study has been expanded twice to investigate additional models for increasingly complex studies that aim to better inform decision-making at an earlier stage of drug discovery, gain deeper mechanistic insights to refine in vivo study assay design and reduce requirements for animal models. Further publications are anticipated.

The OBN Awards, now in their 15th year, are a highly regarded and sought-after awards programme for the Life Sciences industry, designed to celebrate innovation and outstanding achievement across all corners of the industry. Sponsored by Mills & Reeve, the award for Most Impactful Industry Collaboration of the Year recognises companies that have successfully engaged in partnerships that have shown a dynamic impact on R&D which stands to benefit patients.

Dr. Tomasz Kostrzewski, Chief Scientific Officer, commented: It is a huge honour to have received Most Impactful Industry Collaboration of the Year at this years OBN Awards. By working closely with the FDA, our aim is to highlight the impact that this research could have on the global NAM market. He added: The data so far further asserts the utility of our OOC technology to provide accurate and reproducible data, encouraging MPS adoption into drug discovery and development workflows, positioning the technology as a viable alternative to animal models, where suited. Taken together, the collaborations ever-growing scope is helping to pave the way for global regulatory bodies to rewrite legislature around animal testing requirements, and open up possibilities for accurate, human-relevant preclinical models that can bring more effective treatments to patients who need them.

Characterizing the Reproducibility in Using a Liver Microphysiological System for Assaying Drug Toxicity, Metabolism and Accumulation, Clinical and Translational Science https://ascpt.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cts.12969

ENDS

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231123517879/en/

Lily Jeffery

Tel: +44(0)7891477378

Email: [email protected]

Source: CN Bio
Park Hyatt Toronto launches an immersive holiday pop-up for the ultimate winter oasis

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Torontos iconic Park Hyatt hotel is launching an immersive holiday cottage pop-up concept where guests can escape the cold and enjoy an array of winter experiences in the beautifully appointed space. The limited-time experience will welcome visitors Thursday to Sunday Weekly from November 24th, 2023, to January 1st, 2024.

The concept for this pop-up was inspired by traditional bothys, cozy cottages commonly found in remote mountainous regions throughout Europe. These distinctive shelters provide a comforting respite for explorers, and the Park Hyatts Holiday Bothy conveys a similar atmosphere of warmth, connection, and comfort.

We have created an exceptionally inviting space that just feels warm and festive. We also have some incredible partners lined up were excited to feature over the duration of the pop-up, says Jason Bossenberry, Director of Sales & Marketing at Park Hyatt Toronto. We want people to stay a while. Come with friends, gather, enjoy an incredible menu that features classic comforts like fried truffled grilled cheese, and really feel connected in conversation these holidays.

The Holiday Bothy promises a lively atmosphere, featuring nightly DJ sessions to create a vibrant and distinctive experience for guests. Kick-off holiday festivities with elevated cocktails, as well as an Instagram-worthy signature cocktail exclusively crafted in partnership with Glenfiddich, accentuated by extraordinary culinary pairings by Executive Sous Chef Jonathan Williams.

At Park Hyatt Toronto, we believe in creating extraordinary experiences that transcend the ordinary. Our Holiday Bothy offers a sanctuary of warmth and connection in the heart of the city, where guests can escape the cold and revel in shared moments of holiday magic. We invite everyone to step into the Holiday Bothy at the Park Hyatt and create new memories." - Jason Bossenberry, Director of Sales & Marketing, Park Hyatt Toronto.

This winter, indulge in this one-of-kind winter experience. No need to book in advance; attendance is walk-in only.

About Park Hyatt Toronto

Park Hyatt Toronto provides a peaceful respite with deeply personalized and engaged service in an enriching environment. Located in the heart of Toronto's most fashionable neighbourhood, Park Hyatt Toronto features renowned-Canadian artwork, sophisticated design, with immersive and rare culinary experiences. The 219 well-appointed guestrooms - including 40 luxurious suites - artfully balance residential comfort with contemporary design, providing guests a refined home-away-from-home. Find luxury in the heart of Toronto at Park Hyatt Toronto. For more information and reservations, please visit parkhyatttoronto.com or @parkhyattto on Instagram.

About Glenfiddich

GLENFIDDICH is the world's most awarded single malt Scotch whisky. Today, Glenfiddich is run by the fifth generation of the Grant-Gordon family and is one of the few remaining family-owned and operated distilleries in the world. Glenfiddich continues to be a progressive spirit in challenging malt whisky conventions while also staying true to legacy, by keeping the traditional production techniques established by founder, William Grant. Represented by PMA Canada. www.pmacanada.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231123404346/en/

For further information about the Holiday Bothy at Park Hyatt Toronto: Ally Smith, Public Relations Manager, [email protected]

For further information about Glenfiddich in Canada: Brianna Carroll, Account Manager, Alchemysts Inc., [email protected]

Source: Park Hyatt Toronto
Transaction Is Expected to Close in the First Quarter of 2024

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- EngageSmart, Inc. (NYSE: ESMT) (EngageSmart or the Company), a leading provider of vertically tailored customer engagement software and integrated payments solutions, today announced the expiration of the 30-day go-shop period under the terms of the previously announced definitive merger agreement, pursuant to which an affiliate of Vista Equity Partners (Vista), a leading global investment firm focused exclusively on enterprise software, data and technology-enabled businesses, will acquire EngageSmart for $23.00 per share in cash. The go-shop period expired at 11:59 p.m. ET on November 22, 2023.

Pursuant to the definitive merger agreement, EngageSmart and its representatives had the right to solicit and consider alternative acquisition proposals from third parties during the go-shop period. EngageSmart did not receive any alternative acquisition proposals from any third party during the go-shop period.

The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2024, subject to customary closing conditions and receipt of customary regulatory approvals, as well as the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of the Companys common stock held by stockholders other than affiliates of General Atlantic, L.P. (General Atlantic) and certain officers of the Company. Upon completion of the transaction, EngageSmart will become a privately held company, affiliates of Vista will hold approximately 65% of the outstanding equity, and affiliates of General Atlantic, a leading global investor, will hold approximately 35% of the outstanding equity.

Advisors

Evercore is acting as financial advisor to the Special Committee, and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP is acting as legal counsel to the Special Committee.

Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC is acting as exclusive financial advisor to EngageSmart.

Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP is acting as legal counsel to General Atlantic.

BofA Securities and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC are serving as financial advisors to Vista, and Kirkland & Ellis LLP is acting as legal counsel to Vista.

About EngageSmart

EngageSmart is a leading provider of vertically tailored customer engagement software and integrated payments solutions. At EngageSmart, our mission is to simplify customer and client engagement to allow our customers to focus resources on initiatives that improve their businesses and better serve their communities. EngageSmart offers single instance, multi-tenant, true Software-as-a-Service ("SaaS") vertical solutions, including SimplePractice, InvoiceCloud and DonorDrive, that are designed to simplify our customers' engagement with their clients by driving digital adoption and self-service. As of September 30, 2023, EngageSmart serves 116,200 customers in the SMB Solutions segment and 3,400 customers in the Enterprise Solutions segment across several core verticals: Health & Wellness, Government, Utilities, Financial Services and Giving. For more information, visit www.engagesmart.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

About Vista Equity Partners

Vista is a leading global investment firm with more than $101 billion in assets under management as of June 30, 2023. The firm exclusively invests in enterprise software, data and technology-enabled organizations across private equity, permanent capital, credit and public equity strategies, bringing an approach that prioritizes creating enduring market value for the benefit of its global ecosystem of investors, companies, customers and employees. Vista's investments are anchored by a sizable long-term capital base, experience in structuring technology-oriented transactions and proven, flexible management techniques that drive sustainable growth. Vista believes the transformative power of technology is the key to an even better future  a healthier planet, a smarter economy, a diverse and inclusive community and a broader path to prosperity. Further information is available at vistaequitypartners.com. Follow Vista on LinkedIn, @Vista Equity Partners, and on X, @Vista_Equity.

About General Atlantic

General Atlantic is a leading global investor with more than four decades of experience providing capital and strategic support for over 500 growth companies throughout its history. Established in 1980 to partner with visionary entrepreneurs and deliver lasting impact, the firm combines a collaborative global approach, sector specific expertise, a long-term investment horizon and a deep understanding of growth drivers to partner with great entrepreneurs and management teams to scale innovative businesses around the world. General Atlantic has more than $77 billion in assets under management inclusive of all products as of September 30, 2023, and more than 280 investment professionals based in New York, Amsterdam, Beijing, Hong Kong, Jakarta, London, Mexico City, Miami, Mumbai, Munich, San Francisco, Sao Paulo, Shanghai, Singapore, Stamford and Tel Aviv. For more information on General Atlantic, please visit: www.generalatlantic.com.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This communication includes certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including statements related to the proposed merger of the Company with Vista (the Transaction), including financial estimates and statements as to the expected timing, completion and effects of the Transaction. These forward-looking statements are based on the Company's current expectations, estimates and projections regarding, among other things, the expected date of closing of the Transaction and the potential benefits thereof, its business and industry, managements beliefs and certain assumptions made by the Company, all of which are subject to change. Forward-looking statements often contain words such as expect, anticipate, intend, aims, plan, believe, could, seek, see, will, may, would, might, considered, potential, estimate, continue, likely, expect, target or similar expressions or the negatives of these words or other comparable terminology that convey uncertainty of future events or outcomes. By their nature, forward-looking statements address matters that involve risks and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend upon future circumstances that may or may not occur, such as the consummation of the Transaction and the anticipated benefits thereof. These and other forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future results and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. Important risk factors that may cause such a difference include, but are not limited to: (i) the completion of the Transaction on anticipated terms and timing, including obtaining required stockholder and regulatory approvals, and the satisfaction of other conditions to the completion of the Transaction; (ii) the ability of affiliates of Vista to obtain the necessary financing arrangements set forth in the commitment letters received in connection with the Transaction; (iii) litigation relating to the Transaction that has been or could be instituted against Vista, General Atlantic, the Company or their respective directors, managers or officers, including the effects of any outcomes related thereto; (iv) the risk that disruptions from the Transaction will harm the Companys business, including current plans and operations; (v) the ability of the Company to retain and hire key personnel; (vi) potential adverse reactions or changes to business relationships resulting from the announcement or completion of the Transaction; (vii) continued availability of capital and financing and rating agency actions; (viii) legislative, regulatory and economic developments affecting the Companys business; (ix) general economic and market developments and conditions; (x) potential business uncertainty, including changes to existing business relationships, during the pendency of the Transaction that could affect the Companys financial performance; (xi) certain restrictions during the pendency of the Transaction that may impact the Companys ability to pursue certain business opportunities or strategic transactions; (xii) unpredictability and severity of catastrophic events, including but not limited to acts of terrorism, pandemics, outbreaks of war or hostilities, as well as the Companys response to any of the aforementioned factors; (xiii) significant transaction costs associated with the Transaction; (xiv) the possibility that the Transaction may be more expensive to complete than anticipated, including as a result of unexpected factors or events; (xv) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the Transaction, including in circumstances requiring the Company to pay a termination fee or other expenses; (xvi) competitive responses to the Transaction; (xvii) the risks and uncertainties pertaining to the Companys business, including those set forth in Part I, Item 1A of the Companys most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Part II, Item 1A of the Companys subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, as such risk factors may be amended, supplemented or superseded from time to time by other reports filed by the Company with the SEC; and (xviii) the risks and uncertainties that will be described in the proxy statement available from the sources indicated below. These risks, as well as other risks associated with the Transaction, will be more fully discussed in the proxy statement. While the list of factors presented here is, and the list of factors to be presented in the proxy statement will be, considered representative, no such list should be considered a complete statement of all potential risks and uncertainties. Unlisted factors may present significant additional obstacles to the realization of forward-looking statements. Consequences of material differences in results as compared with those anticipated in the forward-looking statements could include, among other things, business disruption, operational problems, financial loss, legal liability to third parties and similar risks, any of which could have a material impact on the Companys financial condition, results of operations, credit rating or liquidity. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and the Company does not undertake to and specifically disclaims any obligation to publicly release the results of any updates or revisions to these forward-looking statements that may be made to reflect future events or circumstances after the date of such statements or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events.

Important Additional Information and Where to Find It

In connection with the Transaction, the Company has filed with the SEC a preliminary proxy statement. The Company will file with the SEC a definitive proxy statement, which will be sent or provided to Company stockholders prior to the special meeting of stockholders. The Company and affiliates of the Company have jointly filed a transaction statement on Schedule 13E-3 (the Schedule 13E-3). The Company may also file other documents with the SEC regarding the Transaction. This communication is not a substitute for the proxy statement, the Schedule 13E-3 or any other document which the Company may file with the SEC. INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THE PROXY STATEMENT, THE SCHEDULE 13E-3 AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS THAT ARE FILED OR WILL BE FILED WITH THE SEC, AS WELL AS ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS TO THESE DOCUMENTS, CAREFULLY AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY BECAUSE THEY CONTAIN OR WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE TRANSACTION AND RELATED MATTERS. Investors and security holders may obtain free copies of the proxy statement, Schedule 13E-3 and other documents that are filed or will be filed with the SEC by the Company through the website maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov, the Companys website at www.investors.EngageSmart.com or by contacting the Companys Investor Relations Team at [email protected].

The Transaction will be implemented solely pursuant to the Merger Agreement dated as of October 23, 2023, among the Company, Icefall Parent, LLC and Icefall Merger Sub, Inc., which contains the full terms and conditions of the Transaction.

Participants in the Solicitation

The Company and certain of its directors, executive officers and other employees may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from the Companys stockholders in connection with the Transaction. Additional information regarding the identity of the participants, including a description of their direct or indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, is set forth in the preliminary proxy statement, which was filed with the SEC on November 20, 2023, in the section captioned Special FactorsInterests of EngageSmarts Directors and Executive Officers in the Merger and will be set forth in the definitive proxy statement and other materials to be filed with the SEC in connection with the Transaction (if and when they become available). You may obtain free copies of these documents using the sources indicated above.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231123430871/en/

Investors



Josh Schmidt

EngageSmart, Inc.

[email protected]



Media



EngageSmart:

Sharon Stern / Ed Trissel

Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher

[email protected]



Vista Equity Partners:

Brian Steel

[email protected]

(212) 804-9170



General Atlantic:

Emily Japlon

[email protected]

Source: EngageSmart
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- As anticipation builds for Dubai's biggest New Year's Eve celebration, Emaar Properties reveals the extraordinary technological expertise and human creativity that went into the making of the legendary Emaar New Year's Eve 2024 show in Downtown Dubai.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231123792143/en/

Engineering Wonder: Behind the Scenes of Emaar's New Year's Eve Extravaganza at Burj Khalifa and Dubai Fountain (Photo: Business Wire)

The visual composition on the Burj Khalifa's facade was meticulously designed by a daring crew of visionaries and technicians throughout 671 working days. An increase from previous seasons, the 325 strategic firing positions in this year's show are choreographed to create a breathtaking spectacle in the sky.

Paying tribute to the spirit of Dubai, more than 2800 shooting directions transform the night sky into an intricate pattern of colours and shapes, thereby contributing to the show's complexity. An unprecedented 15,682 pyrotechnic elements will be featured in the performance; each will have a distinct firing sequence coordinated using state-of-the-art computer technology.

In perfect harmony with this spectacular display, the nearby Dubai Fountain is set to present a breathtaking choreography of its own.

Under the expert direction of Peter Kopik, WET's chief choreographer with a rich history of nearly three decades in fountain choreography, this year's Dubai Fountain show promises an awe-inspiring blend of water artistry, light, and sound, perfectly timed and synchronised with Burj Khalifa's display.

The show features over a thousand MiniShooters creating dynamic water sequences, dozens of HyperShooters and XtremeShooters propelling water up to 150 meters, and hundreds of Oarsmen and Fan Oarsmen that add elegance and fluidity to the water dance. Over 6,600 lights and 127 strobe strings will illuminate the water, while 6,700 fog nozzles create an ethereal atmosphere, setting the stage for a night of enchantment.

Emaar ensures the meticulous planning and execution of the New Year's Eve shows at Burj Khalifa and Dubai Fountain, prioritising high quality over quantity when producing its events. Beyond being just another fireworks extravaganza, the Emaar New Year's Eve show exemplifies the seamless integration of technology, artistic excellence, and human ingenuity.

A limited number of tickets for a prime viewing spot in Burj Park is available for those who wish to enjoy a hassle-free experience on this magical evening. Tickets are now on Platinumlist.

For information: mydubainewyear.emaar.com

Follow: Facebook: www.facebook.com/emaardubai, X: www.twitter.com/emaardubai, Instagram: www.instagram.com/emaardubai.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231123792143/en/

Emaar Marketing Department

[email protected]

Source: Emaar Properties PJSC
PONTPIERRE, France--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Regulatory News:

FDE (Euronext: FDE - ISIN: FR0013030152), a carbon negative energy producer, has obtained by decree dated November 20th, 2023, the Bleue Lorraine production lease with a total surface of 191 km2, valid until January 1st 2024, paving the way for the development of FDEs certified gas resources in Lorraine.

Go ahead for the development of low carbon energy in Lorraine

This grant marks a key step toward monetizing the reserves and resources certified by the Group on this strategic asset located at the heart of Europe.

These energy resources will be developed in a decentralized manner, as close as possible to the end consumer. Given the proximity of consumers and future hydrogen infrastructure, the significant work undertaken over the years by FDE on the CO2 capture via its subsidiary Cryo Pur, and the use of gas resources to produce carbon-free hydrogen, notably as part of the Walloon Recovery Plan with the HECO2 project for the production of hydrogen by plasmalysis, will allow an even more relevant monetisation of these gas reserves and resources attached to the production lease. The net asset value of this asset is currently estimated at  318 M, based on reserves certified in 2018 by MHA (Sproule Group) and adjusted energy prices.

Julien Moulin, president of FDE, declares: For more than a decade, FDE has been supporting the project promoting local gas, as an ecologically and economically competitive resource. I am looking forward to contributing further to our positive impact on the carbon footprint of the region, by reducing imported energy, contributing to energy security and decarbonizing the industry while stimulating a faster development of hydrogen ecosystems in the Greater Region going from Wallonia to Saarland via Luxembourg and the Grand-Est Region. The updated development plan will therefore be presented at the beginning of 2024 in order to integrate all stakeholders in this development. 

Continuing work related to the discovery of natural hydrogen

In parallel, the Group is pursuing its work while awaiting the granting of the Des Trois Eveches permit, which application was made in March 2023, in order to validate and accelerate the development of the native hydrogen potential, a very ecologically and economically competitive resource, particularly compared to other forms of carbon-free hydrogen

FDE confirms its FY 2026 objectives of annual revenues of more than 100 million, and an EBITDA above 50 million, combined with over 10 million tons of CO2eq emissions avoided per annum

Next announcements:

General Assembly Meeting FY2023: November 30th, 2023

Reuters code: FDEL.PA | Bloomberg code: FDE.FP

About La Francaise de lEnergie ( FDE )

FDE is a negative carbon footprint energy Group, specialized in the implementation via short circuits, of energy recovery and production sites, allowing the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. FDE notably supplies regional players with gas, electricity, heat and CO2, thus replacing imported energy with local, cleaner energy. FDE has strong development potential and aims to become a leading independent player in the energy sector in Europe by Bpifrance.

More information available on http://www.francaisedelenergie.fr

Disclaimer

This press release contains certain forward - looking statements and estimates concerning LFDEs financial condition, operating results, strategy, projects and future performance and the markets in which it operates. Such forward-looking statements and estimates may be identified by words such as anticipate, believe, can, could, estimate, expect, intend, is designed to, may, might, plan, potential, predict, objective, should, or the negative of these and similar expressions. They incorporate all topics that are not historical facts. Forward looking statements, forecasts and estimates are based on managements current assumptions and assessment of risks, uncertainties and other factors, known and unknown, which were deemed to be reasonable at the time they were made but which may turn out to be incorrect. Events and outcomes are difficult to predict and depend on factors beyond the companys control. Consequently, the actual results, financial condition, performances and/or achievements of LFDE or of the industry may turn out to differ materially from the future results, performances or achievements expressed or implied by these statements, forecasts and estimates. Owing to these uncertainties, no representation is made as to the correctness or fairness of these forward-looking statements, forecasts and estimates. Furthermore, forward-looking statements, forecasts and estimates speak only as of the date on which they are made, and LFDE undertakes no obligation to update or revise any of them, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231122406031/en/

Press

[email protected]

+ 33 3 87 04 34 51

Investor Relations

ir@francaisedelenergie.fr

+33 3 87 04 34 51

Source: FDE
TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Vault, the leading digital financial platform for Canadian Businesses, released their Transfer Approval feature designed to help business owners save time and empower their teams. This addition provides owners complete flexibility in managing their Accounts Payables (AP) process, with enhanced control and visibility into payments.

Vault's Transfer Approval feature addresses the challenge of managing bank transfers within a growing, multi-user organization by offering owners the ability to set explicit limits on the funds their employees are authorized to transfer. Using Transfer Approvals, admins can review and approve or reject transfers before they are processed, effectively aligning spend to company policies.

Vault aims to facilitate better business banking by enabling expense policy compliance and strategic business planning:

Expense Policy Compliance



Transfer Approval rules enable a culture of trust and empowerment by granting employees autonomy within predetermined limits. Every transfer above the threshold is reviewed, preventing unauthorized transactions in violation of company spend policies.



Strategic Business Planning



Owners proactively manage expenses by aligning transfer limits to department or project budgets, ensuring accurate business planning and resource allocation. Customized multi-level approvals offer flexibility to create workflows that accommodate unique business processes.

Within just 9 months of launch, Vault is supporting over 1,500 Canadian businesses. This release is the latest in a series of ongoing updates intended to provide essential financial tools and features that support the daily operations of Canadian businesses.

"Our customers' success is our top priority, and Transfer Approvals is another feature created with the aim of giving our users all the tools and functionality to seamlessly manage their business, all in one place, said Ahmed Shafik, Co-founder at Vault. Customer feedback drives our growth as we prioritize shaping our decisions based on their input and place their business needs at the forefront of product development."

For more information on Vault or the Transfer Approvals feature, visit tryvault.com.

About Vault:

Vault is transforming the financial landscape for Canadian businesses by providing them with a digital banking platform to manage their finances and save on high banking fees. By offering a range of financial products and services, including multi-currency accounts, global bank transfers and high-yield investment options such as GICs, Vault enables business owners to manage their operations across borders more effectively.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231123598507/en/

Media

Jessica Pereira

[email protected]

Source: Vault
Fisker filed its Q3 2023 10-Q on Wednesday, Nov. 22.

Fiskers Q3 2023 earnings and 10-Q filing were delayed by personnel changes, identification of material weaknesses in internal controls, increased complexity from the companys compressed and rapid growth in vehicle production, global deliveries, and revenue generation.

Finance and Accounting resources expand.

Fisker has made a strategic shift to improve the pace of deliveries in the US and Europe.

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Fisker Inc. (NYSE: FSR) (Fisker), driven by a mission to create the worlds most emotional and sustainable electric vehicles, today announced that it filed its Q3 2023 10-Q with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company also announced changes to its finance and accounting leadership team.

We are a growth company with innovative design and strong market appeal. There was a series of events that led to us filing late, Chairman and CEO Henrik Fisker said. We are committed to developing the infrastructure required to support our rapid expansion. With accelerating revenue growth, it is critical that we provide accurate and timely financial information to our shareholders. In order to achieve these objectives, we are scaling our systems, processes and people to match our high-quality vehicles and will redouble these efforts moving forward to advance sustainable growth.

I am 100% dedicated to execute on our business plan, mature our organization, and drive long-term shareholder value. Our team is working day and night to deliver and sell even more vehicles, continued Fisker.

Delays to Fiskers Q3 2023 Earnings and Subsequent 10-Q Filing

Fiskers Q3 2023 earnings and 10-Q filing were delayed earlier this month due to accounting personnel changes, material adjustments to financial information, identification of material weaknesses in internal controls, and increased business complexity and transactional volume, which collectively impacted the companys financial close for the third quarter. Subsequent to the release of our preliminary earnings results on November 13, 2023, we identified approximately $20 million of expenses that were related to services performed after the start of production of salable vehicles. The expenses were incorrectly recorded primarily as selling, general and administrative expenses in our preliminary earnings results, but were later determined to be associated with production set-up activities and are now appropriately reflected in cost of revenues. Additionally, other inventory adjustments were recorded resulting in a $4.0 million increase in net loss subsequent to the preliminary earnings results. No material prior period misstatements were identified. With todays filing of the 10-Q, Fisker is now current with the NYSE Listed Company Manual.

Expanding Finance Team Resources and Expertise to Support Global Growth

Total current assets grew by over 70% from the second quarter to the third quarter, significantly increasing the volume of transactions that required detailed analysis and reconciliation after the end of the quarter. Fisker is bolstering its finance and accounting resources and broadening its leadership teams to support business growth. Eric Sand, recently promoted to Corporate Controller, brings over two decades of finance and accounting experience managing complex processes and systems. In addition, Dan Quirk joins Fisker as Executive Vice President, Finance and Accounting. Dan joins Fisker after a 30+ year career with Ernst & Young LLP, where he spent the last 18 years as an Assurance Partner within the firms Advanced Manufacturing & Mobility practice. Across his seasoned career, he helped a variety of Fortune 500 and emerging growth companies with strategies to improve business and financial performance across controls, processes, long-term profitability, and strategic planning. Fisker will continue to invest in its people, processes, and technology to be an enabler of business growth.

New sales and deliveries strategy

Fisker has also reorganized its sales and delivery strategy. The company opened several new facilities in the past few weeks, including two locations in New York and one in California and expects to open several more facilities throughout the rest of the year. The company also changed the internal delivery team set up and process to expedite sales and deliveries. Fisker is also improving its logistics capabilities to transport vehicles from the manufacturing facility in Austria to markets in North America. In Europe, Fisker started delivering vehicles in two new countries in the past few weeks, after having already delivered most of the Ocean Ones sold in Europe and commencing deliveries of the Extreme trim. Last week, Fisker reported a new daily delivery record of 107 vehicles, up more than 120% from a month earlier. Overall, Fisker can now see that its delivery strategy is working and the company is ready to scale.

About Fisker Inc.

California-based Fisker Inc. is revolutionizing the automotive industry by designing and developing individual mobility in alignment with nature. Passionately driven by a vision of a clean future for all, the company is on a mission to create the worlds most sustainable and emotional electric vehicles. To learn more, visit Fiskerinc.com and enjoy exclusive content across Fisker's social media channels: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

Download the revolutionary new Fisker mobile app from the App Store or Google Play .

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes forward-looking statements, which are subject to the "safe harbor" provisions of the US Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements may be identified by words such as "feel," "believes," expects," "estimates," "projects," "intends," "should," "is to be," or the negative of such terms, or other comparable terminology and include, among other things, the quotation of our CEO, the statements regarding the planned launch timing, pricing, delivery, production, and estimated range of the Fisker Ocean, the planned timing of the opening of Fisker facilities, the Company's future performance, expansion of operations, software updates, and other future events that involve risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained herein due to many factors, including, but not limited to: Fisker's limited operating history; Fisker's ability to enter into additional manufacturing and other contracts with Magna or tier-one suppliers in order to execute on its business plan; the risk that OEM and supply partners do not meet agreed-upon timelines or experience capacity constraints; Fisker may experience significant delays in the design, manufacture, regulatory approval, launch and financing of its vehicles; Fisker's ability to execute its business model, including market acceptance of its planned products and services; Fisker's inability to retain key personnel and to hire additional personnel; competition in the electric vehicle market; Fisker's inability to develop a sales distribution network; and the ability to protect its intellectual property rights; and those factors discussed in Fisker's Annual Report on Form 10-K, under the heading "Risk Factors", filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), as supplemented by Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and other reports and documents Fisker files from time to time with the SEC. Any forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and Fisker undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231122273103/en/

European Media:

[email protected]

US Media

[email protected]

Customer service: [email protected]

Fisker Inc. Communications:

Matthew DeBord

Sr Director, Communications Strategy & Storytelling

[email protected]

Franziska Queling

Regional Head of Public Relations Europe

[email protected]

Investor Relations:

Frank Boroch, VP of Investor Relations

[email protected]

Source: Fisker Inc.
Seven months ago, hopes for civilian governance in Sudan were tragically dimmed when new conflict broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces, the SAF, and the paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces, or RSF.

At a UN Security Council briefing, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield called the war in Sudan a living hell.

More than 5,000 people have been killed, more than 5.7 million people have had to flee their homes. Khartoum has been devastated, and Darfur is also bearing the brunt of this conflict, she said.

Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield noted that in November the RSF and allied militias carried out massacres and other horrific abuses across West Darfur:

Eyewitnesses report further human rights abuses in West Darfur, the ethnic targeting of the ethnic-African Masalit community, and the arbitrary detention of civilians including local leaders, human rights defenders and activists. According to doctors and the UN, more than 800 people and counting were killed in a multiday attack in Adamata in what may amount to the single largest mass killing since the war erupted in April.

Conflict-related sexual violence, including rape, has been rampant, said Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield:

According to the OHCHR [Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights], women and girls are being abducted, chained, and held against their will in RSF-controlled areas in Darfur. ... This is all happening on our watch. And it is a stain on our collective humanity.

A sustained peace is the only way to save lives and end the crisis, said Ambassador Thomas Greenfield. To further that goal, the United States, with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Intergovernmental Authority for Development, reconvened ceasefire talks between the parties in Jeddah. The SAF and RSF agreed to identify points of contact to help with humanitarian assistance. In addition, they resolved to implement confidence-building measures, including establishing communication between SAF and RSF leaders, arresting prison escapees, and reducing hostile rhetoric. It remains to be seen if the parties live up to these commitments.

It is past time for the parties to put down their weapons and resume civilian governance, declared Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield. Let us all do everything possible to help the Sudanese people secure the freedom, the peace, and justice they deserve.
Delivery partners launch federally funded ElevateIP services in Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan

KITCHENER, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Communitech, Invest Ottawa and North Forge are hosting a virtual event today, Nov. 23, to launch a federal initiative in Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan that helps startups protect and leverage their intellectual property.

ElevateIP provides startups with three tiers of support: understanding IP, designing an IP strategy for your specific business, and implementing that strategy.

Services include education offerings and awareness resources; strategy development, including patent mining, prior art searches, trademark searches, agreement review, and more; and strategy implementation, such as patent drafting/filing/prosecution, trademark registration, licensing agreement creation, open-source audits, and more.

ElevateIP is a nationwide initiative funded through Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. It was announced in the 2021 federal budget, which included a commitment for $90 million over four years, starting in 2022-2023. Communitech was one of five regional organizations across Canada chosen to deliver the programming. It was awarded $38 million in federal funding and is working with Invest Ottawa, North Forge Technology Exchange and other partners to design and deliver ElevateIP programming in Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

Research shows that businesses that manage their IP strategically are more likely to grow domestically and internationally  and grow at a higher rate. Smart, strategic IP management is a key ingredient for a startups early growth and competitiveness. Protecting IP can help attract investors, fend off competitors and expand into new markets.

Quotes:

ISED:

A key aspect of maximizing the impact of innovation is the effective leveraging and protection of intellectual property. This is why our Government is collaborating with Communitech. Through this partnership, Communitech will be able to design and deliver ElevateIP programming in Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, which will help regional start-ups maximize the potential of their intellectual property to fuel growth, both domestically and internationally.

-The Honourable Francois-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry

North Forge Technology Exchange:

The substantial funding for intellectual property will be a catalyst for Prairie startups by removing financial barriers associated with pursuing innovative ideas. With the ability to safeguard intellectual property and manage risks more effectively, this initiative holds the potential to ignite a substantial surge in entrepreneurial activity, in turn bolstering the economy.

 Joelle Foster, President and CEO of North Forge Technology Exchange

Communitech:

Finding ways to better manage and leverage intellectual property helps Canadian companies become more competitive, which fuels prosperity for the entire country. Communitech is grateful to the federal government and to Francois-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, for providing the resources through ElevateIP to help startups make the most of their IP assets and retain the benefits of Canadian innovation in Canada.

 Chris Albinson, CEO and President of Communitech

Invest Ottawa:

In a dynamic global economy where tech firms are vying for market share, IP is fuel for innovation, competitive advantage, and long-term growth. When leveraged fully, it can open doors to new markets, revenue streams, and capital. Invest Ottawa looks forward to collaborating with our partners to help companies put these valuable IP resources to work. Together, we will help firms in Canadas Capital and across the country implement IP strategies that drive long-term value creation, competitive advantage, and global market leadership.

 Sonya Shorey, Interim President and CEO, Invest Ottawa

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231123313406/en/

Media contacts:

Communitech:

Kevin Crowley, Director of Communications and Editorial: [email protected]

Invest Ottawa media contact:

Amanda Speroni, Marketing Strategist, Venture Development: [email protected]

North Forge media contact

Whitney Moir, Program and Communications Director: [email protected]

Source: Communitech
TEMPE, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Institutional Property Advisors (IPA), a division of Marcus & Millichap (NYSE: MMI), announced the sale of Parc Broadway, a 324-unit multifamily property in Tempe, Arizona. The asset traded for $100.25 million, or $309,414 per unit. IPA Capital Markets arranged $65.16 million in acquisition financing.

Parc Broadway is the first mid-rise multifamily asset to be constructed in North Tempes Maker District, an Opportunity Zone that is one of the citys nine innovation hubs, said Steve Gebing, IPA executive managing director. Local government policy, steady renter demand and scarcity of developable land support strong multifamily operational fundamentals in North Tempe, including 95% average physical occupancy over the last five years. Gebing and IPA executive managing director Cliff David represented the seller, Evergreen Devco, Inc., and procured the buyer, MG Properties. Brian Eisendrath and Cameron Chalfant of IPA Capital Markets secured seven years of interest-only, agency financing.

Located along Broadway Road, the property is accessible from Interstates 10, 143, and U.S. Route 60. Tempe Town Lake and Papago Park are close by and employers in Chandler, Phoenix, Mesa, Gilbert, and Scottsdale are within a 30-minute commute. Home to Arizona State University, North Tempe has 2,600 businesses, including State Farm, Deloitte, JPMorgan Chase, and Amazon.

Parc Broadway was built in 2023 on nine acres. The property has open-concept apartment homes with high ceilings, vinyl wood-style flooring, laundry closets with built-in wood shelving and full-size washers and dryers. The average unit size is 895 square feet. Community amenities include a leasing office, clubhouse, fitness center, resort-inspired swimming pool, covered outdoor kitchen and electric vehicle charging stations.

About Institutional Property Advisors (IPA)

Institutional Property Advisors (IPA) is a division of Marcus & Millichap (NYSE: MMI), a leading commercial real estate services firm in North America. IPAs combination of real estate investment and capital markets expertise, industry-leading technology, and acclaimed research offers customized solutions for the acquisition, disposition and financing of institutional properties and portfolios. For more information, please visit www.institutionalpropertyadvisors.com.

About Marcus & Millichap, Inc. (NYSE: MMI)

Marcus & Millichap, Inc. is a leading brokerage firm specializing in commercial real estate investment sales, financing, research and advisory services with offices throughout the United States and Canada. As of December 31, 2022, the company had 1,904 investment sales and financing professionals in 81 offices who provide investment brokerage and financing services to sellers and buyers of commercial real estate. The company also offers market research, consulting and advisory services to clients. Marcus & Millichap closed 12,272 transactions in 2022, with a sales volume of approximately $86.3 billion. For additional information, please visit www.MarcusMillichap.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231122040226/en/

Gina Relva, VP of Public Relations

[email protected]

Source: Marcus & Millichap, Inc.
- Kirkland Lake Discoveries ALS GoldSpot MPASS geophysics survey identifies a potential intrusive complex with similarities to Agnicos Upper Beaver deposit six kilometres to the southwest

- A ground-truthing exercise conducted to interrogate the results of the geophysical interpretation confirms the presence of various intrusive rocks, associated alteration, and mineralization

- The Company reviewed public datasets of historical work programs discovering relevant work which supports the Companys findings

- Targeted prospecting of select areas reveals widespread copper and gold

- Next exploration steps include ongoing compilation, targeting, drilling, and follow-up field work for Q1/Q2 of 2024

- Ongoing analysis of the Hurricane intrusive zone petrography, mineralogy, structure, and geochemistry will determine similarities and differences to the Upper Beaver deposit

- Summer 2023 drilling at Goodfish Kirana extends mineralization at the Jo zone downdip by ~75 m to 375m vertical depth

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Kirkland Lake Discoveries Corp. (TSX-V: KLDC | US-OTC: KLKLF) (KLDC or the Company) is pleased to provide results from the summer and fall exploration programs. Airborne geophysics, mapping, and prospecting on the Lucky Strike property outlined the seven-kilometre-long by three-kilometre-wide prospective Hurricane intrusive zone. Follow-up mapping and sampling returned gold and copper grab samples up to 4.25 g/t Au and 0.95% Cu. Widespread sericite, epidote +/- potassic alteration, and quartz stockwork veining coupled with pyrite, +/- chalcopyrite mineralization is common throughout. The geophysical signature, geology, mineralization, and alteration bear similarities to the intrusion-related Au-Cu system that hosts Agnico Eagle Mines Limited (Agnico) Upper Beaver deposit which is six kilometres southeast of the Hurricane intrusive zone.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231123002601/en/

Figure 1  First vertical derivative comparison between Hurricane intrusive zone and Upper Beaver deposit. (Photo: Business Wire)

This was an incredibly productive field season for the Company. We had multiple teams of prospectors, mappers, and samplers traversing the recently acquired ground, advancing our knowledge and understanding of the Lucky Strike, Founder, Director, and CEO Daniele Spethmann commented. Whiskey Jack is a new showing on the Hurricane intrusive zone that has the geological and structural features of a potential feeder zone for the alteration and mineralization that occurs in the area. Copper and gold assays at Whiskey Jack, Jensen, Vallillee, and Norwood showings indicate that mineralization is widespread over this newly identified regional showing. We look forward to following up these results with more detailed analysis and drilling.

Geophysical Resemblance to Upper Beaver Deposit

Interpretation of the magnetic survey flown in June 2023 identified a ring-shaped magnetic feature similar to the one found at the Upper Beaver deposit. These magnetic features are reflected by mafic syenite in contact with mafic volcanic rocks (Figure 1).

ALS GoldSpot's additional interpretation of the M-PASS heliborne survey data over Lucky Strike and of publicly available time-domain electromagnetics (TDEM) dataset, outlines a northeast-trending corridor that envelopes the Upper Beaver deposit, the historical Copper King mine, and the Hurricane intrusive zone gold-copper showings (Figure 2). The Hurricane intrusive zone lies at the intersection of this northeast-trending TDEM corridor and the Misema-Mist Lake and Mulven fault systems. The intersection of the Cadillac-Larder Lake deformation zone with the network of high-angle NE-trending cross faults acts as conduits for gold endowments in the Larder Lake area1.

Initial Ground Truthing Confirms Highly Prospective Target at Hurricane

In late July, Lindsay Hall, Chief Geologist of ALS GoldSpot, a structural geologist and Abitibi expert familiar with the Upper Beaver deposit, led a mapping and prospecting team to ground truth the interpretations from the geophysical survey. Historical work, combined with anomalous till samples of 60, 65, 67, 88, and 98 gold grains, collected by New Found Gold in 2020 within and surrounding the intrusive anomaly, made this a priority area of interest. Initial findings indicate that the Hurricane area contains exceptional alteration and mineralization of stockwork fractured porphyritic syenites, and epidote, potassium-feldspar-altered mafic volcanics with arsenopyrite (Figures 3 and 4).

MERC Research Indicates Structures Are Deep-Seated

In 2017 and 2018, an aeromagnetic, magnetotelluric, and seismic transect across the Kirkland Lake-Larder Lake greenstone belt was completed by Mineral Exploration Research Centre (MERC). Interpretation by MERC demonstrate that the Hurricane intrusive zone corridor lies within a strongly conductive response similar to the Cadillac-Larder Lake deformation zone (Figure 5) 2.

LNSZ Lincoln Nipissing Shear Zone; CLDZ Cadillac Larder deformation zone; BRG Blake River Group; MLF Mulven/Missema Lake fault.

Historical Work Review Confirms Prospectivity

Historical exploration work in the Hurricane area identified six showings with varying degrees of copper and gold mineralization.

Whiskey Jack East (formerly MacDonald):

The Whiskey Jack East showing is a syenite with associated feldspar porphyry with sericitic and fuchsitic alteration. Although numerous old workings (1920s) were discovered during the recent prospecting program, samples assayed returned limited results, none exceeding 0.4g/t Au, despite being the most altered rocks observed on the property.

Norwood:

The Norwood showing is located within a magnetic high and exhibits strong sericite alteration on the margins of quartz vein sets. There are two distinct, parallel EW-trending vein sets with intermittent intensity of shearing within this EW zone. In 1936, Norwood Kirkland Gold Mines identified multiple gold-bearing veins with samples from trenches grading as high as 96.53 g/t Au (Figure 6). In 2009, Wallbridge conducted a limited 997.61 m drill program (eight holes). Three of these holes were at the Norwood showing, two at Vallillee showing, one at the Wood showing, and two regional targets. 3 The KLDC sampling returned gold mineralization including 4.25 g/t Au, 3.81 g/t Au, and 3.32 g/t Au (see Table 1).

Jensen:

All samples taken by the KLDC team at and around the Jensen showing, a 1930s pit, returned copper and gold assays with values up to 0.76 g/t Au with 0.69% Cu. These values are also correlative with elevated bismuth supporting an epithermal model of the mineralization. Field observations by KLDC geologists at Jensen are similar to observations made at Upper Beaver, including the quartz veining found in the syenite with distinct quartz-hematite potassium feldspar alteration along vein margins.

Vallillee:

A 2006 grab sample of altered syenite with minor pyrite and no quartz veining assayed 128 g/t Au. This highly anomalous sample was followed up in 2007 with two x-ray diamond holes totalling 104 feet. The first hole intersected high-grade gold including 13 g/t Au over 76 cm and 7 g/t Au over 91 cm. The second hole intersected anomalous gold concentrations, but no record of sample intervals was found in the government reports3. Sampling by KLDC returned gold and copper mineralization including 1.93 g/t Au with 0.73% Cu, 0.79 g/t Au with 0.63% Cu and 0.49 g/t Au with 0.73% Cu.

Flood:

A 1923 report by a prospector indicated that gold could be panned on the Macdonald, Wood, and Flood showings on the Misema Lake Peninsula. He described a number of feldspar porphyry (and presumable syenite) dikes that come together. In 1947, 1,088 m of drilling was completed at an old shaft with reported trace gold results. KLDC sampling returned 0.76% Cu and 0.95% Cu.

Wood:

The Wood showing (1920s) was drill tested by Wallbridge in 2009, southwest of the showing targeting a strong chargeability anomaly, that is coincident with a strong magnetic signature. The hole intersected gabbro intruded by a feldspar porphyry and a syenite sequence, and no significant mineralization was reported.

KLDC Concerted Prospecting and Mapping Reveals Prolific Copper and Gold Mineralization

From August to November, systematic mapping and prospecting was undertaken across the Hurricane intrusive zone, structurally prepared felsic to intermediate intrusions between the Mulven and Misema Mist Lake faults (Figure 7). Tightly spaced blocks of 50 m line spacing were planned for prospectors to traverse systematically.

The results from this program suggest that the consistency of mineralization may indicates the existence of an extensive Au-Cu intrusive system.

Whiskey Jack is a new showing discovered by the Company and is located west of the previous named MacDonald showing and south of the Wood showing. It is located on an ESE-WSW trending structure on the margin of a magnetic high, interpreted as the contact between mafic volcanics and a syenite intrusion. The area exhibits very strong sericite and epidote alteration, silicification, pyrite, and stockwork quartz veinlets possibly representing a skarnoid-style deposit model (Figure 8). Grab samples have returned up to 0.13% Cu and 0.44 g/t Au. The structural features of this intrusive zone are near vertical and indicate that they may be the conduits for the alteration of the Hurricane intrusive zone.

Planned Drilling and Future Exploration Work at Hurricane Intrusive Zone

A 4,000-m diamond drilling program is planned at the Hurricane intrusive zone for Q1 2024. Emphasis of the drilling campaign will be to target all showings that have returned consistent gold and copper values and to investigate the nature, significance, and extent of the associated mineralized and widespread alteration haloes.

Twenty samples have been prepared for petrographic study to determine origin, mineral content, and classification of rock types which will help to determine the conditions which formed these rocks and will refine the geological model. A continuation of the concerted prospecting program is planned for 2024.

Copper King Results

Located within a NE-trending TDEM corridor between the Hurricane intrusive zone and Upper Beaver is the historical Copper King mine. Copper King is a vein-hosted copper system defined by two intersecting structures that trend N-S and NE-SW. Both trends are mineralized consisting of quartz, pyrite, chalcopyrite, and bornite. Grab samples during 2023 returned assays including 0.8%, 1% and 1.16% Cu.

Goodfish Kirana Drill Results

The drilling at the Goodfish-Kirana focused on regional targets along the east-west trending Kirana deformation zone defined by coincident northwest structures, IP chargeability anomalies, and known gold mineralization at shallow depths. Two holes (KLD23-08 and KLD23-09) were also completed at the Jo Zone to investigate recent high-grade assays in the hanging-wall, where drilling in 2021 reported 155 g/t Au over 0.75m and 72 g/t Au over 0.50m. The Jo Zone was extended down-plunge ~75 m in hole KLD23-08 returning 2.07 g/t Au over 7.7 m.

Results of the drill program are tabled below (Table 2). Intervals are downhole intervals in metres. For hole locations see press release dated September 7, 2023.4.

This drill program targeted gaps in historical drilling incorporating all the compiled data and exploration work completed over the Goodfish-Kirana claim package over the last ten years. The Kirana Deformation Zone, a second-order structure of the Larder Lake Cadillac Deformation Zone, remains a target of high merit.

Drill permit approval for the Hurricane intrusive zone on the Lucky Strike claim group has been received and the next phase of drilling is scheduled for Q1 2024.

QA/QC Protocol

Drill core samples were cut by diamond saw at KLDCs core logging facility. Field duplicate samples, blank rock samples, and certified reference materials were inserted into the sample sequence at a frequency of one per 20 samples. A halved core sample was left in the core box with the other half core sent for sample analysis and picked up at site by ALS. Samples were prepared at ALS Limiteds sample laboratory in Timmins, Ontario and then shipped to ALS's Vancouver facility for gold analysis by fire assay (50 gm subsample) with atomic absorption (AA) and gravimetric finish for samples greater than 3.0 g/t Au. ALS is a certified and accredited laboratory service. ALS routinely inserts certified gold reference materials, blanks, and pulp duplicates, and results of all QC samples are reported.

The QA/QC results from the drilling program and the technical information contained in this news release have been approved by Mike Kilbourne, P.Geo. who is a Qualified Person as defined in National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

About Kirkland Lake Discoveries Corp.

Kirkland Lake Discoveries Corp. is a TSX Venture Exchange listed company that has recently consolidated a district-scale and highly prospective land package in the Kirkland Lake Gold Camp in Ontario, Canada. The properties are hosted in the Abitibi Greenstone Belt, one of the worlds best-endowed greenstone belts, with 200+ million ounces of gold produced to date.5 The properties are host to regional and property-scale mineralized structures that are considered second-order structures off the Larder Lake Cadillac Deformation Zone (LLCDZ), the regional structure in the belt known to be spatially associated with the gold mines hosted in the camp.

The properties assembled include the 100%-owned Lucky Strike Property, Goodfish-Kirana, the Arnold property, and the optioned KL West (KLW) and KL Central (KLC) properties. The KLDC land position comprises approximately 38,000 ha, over 1,338 claims and 29 patented claims and ranks the Company as the largest landholder in the Kirkland Lake region.

The TSX Venture Exchange Inc. has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking information. These statements relate to future events or future performance. The use of any of the words could, intend, expect, believe, will, projected, estimated and similar expressions and statements relating to matters that are not historical facts are intended to identify forward-looking information and are based on the Companys current belief or assumptions as to the outcome and timing of such future events. Actual future results may differ materially. Various assumptions or factors are typically applied in drawing conclusions or making the forecasts or projections set out in forward-looking information. Those assumptions and factors are based on information currently available to the Company.

The forward-looking information contained in this release is made as of the date hereof, and the Company is not obligated to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws.

Because of the risks, uncertainties and assumptions contained herein, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The foregoing statements expressly qualify any forward-looking information contained herein.

1 Haiming Liu, Jeff Harris, Ross Sherlock, Pouran Behnia, Eric Grunsky, Mostafa Naghizadeh, Kate Rubingh, Gyorgyi Tuba, Eric Roots, Graham Hill 2023: Mineral prospectivity mapping using machine learning techniques for gold exploration in the Larder Lake area, Ontario, Canada, Journal of Geochemical Exploration, Volume 253

2 https://metalearth.geohub.laurentian.ca/documents/bc64905cb70d4c098d5f5d3c1e5b2f13/explore

3 http://www.geologyontario.mndmf.gov.on.ca/mndmfiles/afri/data/imaging/20000005216/20007459.pdf

4 https://www.kirklandlakediscoveries.com/post/kirkland-lake-discoveries-announces-phase-1-drilling-completion-and-provides-exploration-update

5 Canadas Gold Exploration Frontier: The Abitibi Greenstone Belt - https://www.visualcapitalist.com/sp/canadas-gold-exploration-frontier-the-abitibi-greenstone-belt/

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231123002601/en/

For additional information, please contact:

Daniele Spethmann, P.Geo.

Founder, President & CEO

kirklandlakediscoveries.com

+1 416 363 0317

[email protected]

Source: Kirkland Lake Discoveries Corp.
TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The United Steelworkers union (USW) is looking forward to the potential passing of legislation tabled in the Ontario legislature by the New Democratic Party to ban the use of replacement workers during labour disputes in the province. Ontario Members of Parliament are voting on the bill today.

USW Ontario Director Myles Sullivan said the NDPs anti-scab bill presents an opportunity to Doug Fords Conservative government to reverse its course of attacking the constitutional rights of workers and their ability to support their families.

We thank Ontarios New Democrats for tabling this bill to modernize labour law and support free and fair collective bargaining in this province by stopping the use of replacement workers in labour disputes, said Sullivan, who was among union members at Queens Park this morning when the NDP bill was tabled.

Recruiting scabs during strikes and lockouts undermines the collective bargaining rights of workers and creates a serious power imbalance in favour of employers. The use of replacement workers exacerbates labour disputes, pits workers against each other, and is destructive to individual lives and communities, Sullivan added.

Anti-scab legislation will help prevent such devastating impacts on Ontario families and will help workers to improve their working and living standards, which they desperately need in these times, he said.

Legislation banning replacement workers exists in Quebec and British Columbia, while similar legislation introduced earlier this month by the federal government would apply to federally regulated workplaces if passed.

Bill 90, tabled in March 2023 by the Ontario New Democrats, would restore legislation that was in place in the province before it was killed in 1995 by the Conservative government of Mike Harris. Bill 90 was tabled jointly by NDP MPPs Jamie West (Sudbury), Lisa Gretzky (Windsor West), Jennifer French (Oshawa) and France Gelinas (Nickel Belt).

Sullivan said he has seen too many labour disputes exacerbated by employers use of scab labour. He cited the year-long mining strike by 3,500 USW members in Sudbury and Port Colborne, Ont., in 2009-2010, when was a union negotiator and Sudbury MPP Jamie West was among the workers on the picket line. The strike was prolonged by the decision of Brazil-based Vale, which had recently purchased the former Inco Ltd., to recruit replacement workers for the first time in the history of those operations, Sullivan noted.

Bill 90 is an opportunity for Doug Fords Conservatives to finally back up their claims of supporting workers, which so far have been discredited by their repeated attacks on the fundamental, Constitutional rights of workers, Sullivan said.

The Ford governments attacks on workers have been struck down by the courts and have been widely opposed by working families in communities across our province, he said.

To date, Fords Conservatives have demonstrated nothing but support for the wealthiest and most powerful in our society. Its time for them to help workers who need to be able to negotiate better living standards for themselves and their families.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231123252673/en/

Myles Sullivan, USW District 6 Director (Ontario and Atlantic Canada), 416-243-8792

Lorei Leigh De Los Reyes, USW Communications, 416-544-6009, [email protected]

Source: United Steelworkers
HUZHOU, China--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- On November 17th, the 2nd ECI International Eco-Village (Yucun, China) Innovation Forum 2023 Yucun Dream Gala hosted by IECIA (International Entrepreneurs, Creatives and Innovators Association) kicked off in Yucun, Tianhuangping Town, Anji County. Experts and scholars from all over the world jointly discussed the international experience of green rural innovation and development, and jointly launched the global rural ecological civilization development initiative of "Green Wishes, Shaping the Future".

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231122916300/en/

Group photo of participating guests (Photo: Business Wire)

At the Gala, Dayu Village signed contracts with Tsinghua University Academy of Fine Arts, International Business School of Beijing Foreign Studies University, Bamboo Industry Institute of Zhejiang A&F University, and School of Design of Huzhou College, coupling the talent training in colleges and universities with the revitalization of rural talents. Tsinghua University Academy of Fine Arts will jointly build Tsinghua University Aesthetic Education Workstation (Anji Station) and New Life Art Museum in Dayu Village, and jointly hold "Anji Mountain and River Art Season" and "International Young Artists Forum" to reshape rural aesthetics based on Dayu Village. The International Business School of Beijing Foreign Studies University will establish a "Yangtze River Delta Representative Office" and a "practice base for international students" to join hands with Dayu Village to transport international talents for rural revitalization and help promote international brands. The School of Design of Huzhou College focuses on "green design" to empower the development of Dayu Village and rural revitalization, and plans to form a "four-in-one" co-construction system of "learning theory together, doing activities together, building positions together and solving problems together". The Bamboo Industry Institute of Zhejiang A&F University will help Liujiatang Village in Shangshu Township to create the "First Village of Bamboo Travel in China", and jointly build the doctoral workstation and postgraduate training base of the Bamboo Research Institute, and make great efforts to promote nature education and bamboo industry-related training.

During the Gala, preparations for the "Global Village Chief Forum" were officially launched. In the future, Dayu Village plans to invite "Global Village Chiefs" to talk about the beautiful possibilities of modern villages and contribute wisdom to building a global rural ecological civilization.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231122916300/en/

Contact: Lijun Jia

Email: [email protected]

Tel: +86130 6264 6939

Website: https://global.eciawards.org/#/

Source: IECIA (International Entrepreneurs, Creatives and Innovators Association)
Study assessing the efficacy of BIOCERA-VET Osteosarcoma Cementoplasty associated with stereotactic radiotherapy1

Evaluation of the effect on lameness and the risk of pathological fracture

University of Florida is ranked #7 among veterinary medical colleges nationwide by U.S. News & World Report

GOSSELIES, Wallonia, Belgium--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Regulatory News:

TheraVet (ISIN: BE0974387194  ticker: ALVET), a pioneering company in the management of osteoarticular diseases in pets, announces the launch of a clinical study assessing the efficacy of BIOCERA-VET Osteosarcoma Cementoplasty combined with Stereotactic Radiotherapy (SRT) in patients with osteosarcoma. The study will be led by Dr Marilia Takada (DVM, PhD, DACVR Radiation Oncology, Assistant Professor and Radiation Oncology Service chief, and by Dr Judith Bertran (DVM, MRCVS, DACVS (SA), ACVS Fellow in Surgical Oncology) Assistant Professor and Surgical Oncology Service Chief at the University of Florida.

Canine osteosarcoma is commonly treated by limb amputation for local tumor control, and adjuvant chemotherapy to delay the onset of metastases. Standard limb-sparing surgery, used as alternative to amputation, suffers from high complication rates and is only suitable at specific locations; therefore, novel limb-sparing technique options are currently more and more sought-after as an alternative to amputation.

A promising alternative to the previous limb-sparing techniques is percutaneous cementoplasty. This procedure consists in a percutaneous injection of a bone cement - such as BIOCERA-VET Osteosarcoma - into the bone tumor site thus providing analgesia, bone consolidation, and preventing pathological fractures2. This procedure can be combined with ablation techniques, with adjuvant chemotherapy, and/or radiation therapy. Among the latter, SRT, while acting on tumors cells and locally controlling the progression of the tumor and improving lameness, is associated with a high rate of pathological fracture (41%) due to bone weakening3. The combination of SRT with percutaneous cementoplasty could therefore be an option to counteract the consequences of the radiotherapy by strengthening the bone.

In this context, a study assessing the combination of percutaneous cementoplasty and SRT in 10 dogs suffering from appendicular osteosarcoma will be conducted by Dr Marilia Takada and by Dr Judith Bertran at the University of Florida.

The dogs will be treated by SRT followed two weeks later by a percutaneous cementoplasty using BIOCERA-VET Osteosarcoma. The objectives of the study will be to evaluate the effect on lameness by using objective measurements (i.e., force plate analysis) and to assess the risk of pathological fracture. Patients will be followed monthly for the first 3 months and then every three months until the patients end of the life. First patient enrolment is expected in December 2023. With an estimated enrolment phase of 6 months, the study will be conducted over a period of 18 months, with first results expected in a year.

Dr. Judith Bertran, Assistant Professor and Surgical Oncology Service Chief at the University of Florida, stated: As osteosarcoma is a devastating local and systemic disease, investigation of new strategies to ensure local disease control and comfort for our patients is imperative. As researchers, this pilot study is extremely important to investigate the benefits of the percutaneous cementoplasty in dogs undergoing SRT for osteosarcoma. Collected data will serve as the basis of larger clinical trials to investigate further the best protocols for SRT combined with cementoplasty to preserve limb function, comfort level and acceptable disease-free intervals and survivals for canine patients.

About the University of Florida

Ranked #7 among veterinary medical colleges nationwide by U.S. News & World Report, University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine teaches the veterinarians of the future and provides leading-edge care to animal patients from throughout the Southeast through the UF Veterinary Hospitals. Its programs in biomedical research advance the science of animal, human and environmental health.

About TheraVet SA

TheraVet is a veterinary biotechnology company specializing in osteoarticular treatments for companion animals. The Company develops targeted, safe and effective treatments to improve the quality of life of pets suffering from joint and bone diseases. For pet owners, the health of their pets is a major concern and TheraVets mission is to address the need for innovative and curative treatments. TheraVet works closely with international opinion leaders in order to provide a more effective response to ever-growing needs in the field of veterinary medicine. TheraVet is listed on Euronext Growth Paris and Brussels, has its head office in Belgium (Gosselies) with a US subsidiary.

For more information, visit the TheraVet website or follow us on LinkedIn / Facebook / Twitter

About BIOCERA-VET

In close collaboration with an international scientific board, THERAVET has developed a new line of calcium-phosphate and biological bone substitutes, BIOCERA-VET. BIOCERA-VET is a full range of innovative, easy-to-use, efficient & cost-effective bone substitutes indicated in bone surgeries where a bone graft is required and as a palliative alternative in the management of canine osteosarcoma. Based on extremely promising clinical results, this line offers the possibility of a better, more convenient and more efficient orthopedic surgery.

BIOCERA-VET is declined in different lines:

BIOCERA-VET BONE SURGERY RTU, a ready-to-use highly injectable self-hardening calcium-phosphate cement

BIOCERA-VET SMARTGRAFT, a naturally osteoconductive bone graft

BIOCERA-VET GRANULES, an affordable biocompatible calcium-phosphate bone substitute

BIOCERA-VET OSTEOSARCOMA RTU, a ready-to-use highly injectable calcium-phosphate bone substitute for cementoplasty

BIOCERA-VET COMBO-CLEAN, a local and long-lasting antibiotic delivery calcium-phosphate bone substitute

For more information, visit BIOCERA-VET website.

1 Stereotatic radiotherapy (SRT) is defined as focused radiation beams targeting a well-defined tumor allowing high dose of radiation at the tumor site and lower at the surrounding tissue.

2 Article under review

3 Wormhoudt Martin T et al. Outcome and prognosis for canine appendicular osteosarcoma treated with stereotactic body radiation therapy in 123 dogs. Vet Comp Oncol. 2021 June ; 19(2): 284294. doi:10.1111/vco.12674

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231122957173/en/

TheraVet

Chief Operating Officer

Sabrina Ena

[email protected]

Tel: +32 (0) 71 96 00 43

NewCap

Investor Relations and Financial Communications

Theo Martin / Nicolas Fossiez

[email protected]

Tel: +33 (0)1 44 71 94 94

Press Relations

Arthur Rouille

[email protected]

Tel: +33 (0)1 44 71 00 15

NewCap Belgique

Press Relations

Laure-Eve Monfort

[email protected]

Tel: + 32 (0) 489 57 76 52

Source: TheraVet
VANCOUVER, British Columbia--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- VoPay, a leading provider of embedded payment technology, is proud to announce the successful completion of its Service Organization Control (SOC) 2 Type 2 audit for the period from February 1, 2023, to September 30, 2023. This achievement underscores VoPay's unwavering commitment to maintaining the highest standards of information security and operational excellence.

VoPay passed the SOC2 Type 1 audit and received its report earlier this year, and now has completed the SOC2 Type 2 audit on the trust services criteria relevant to security and availability. Type 1 is a snapshot of the service provider's security controls at a specific point in time, while Type 2 provides a more in-depth assessment of the service provider's security controls and their effectiveness over a period of time. A SOC 2 Type 2 report instills confidence that a company's information security systems and controls have operated effectively and efficiently. This covers all aspects of its operations, including infrastructure monitoring, data security, employee onboarding, risk assessment, and the management of security deficiencies.

The successful audit of VoPays systems, which involved a comprehensive evaluation of more than 100 controls within Drata, highlights the company's excellence in maintaining robust security measures. VoPay passed all assessments and provided a solid testament to its secure and reliable service offerings.

This accomplishment is particularly significant in the current climate, where data security is paramount. According to IBM's 2023 Cost of a Data Breach Report, the average cost of data breaches in 2023 reached a record high of $4.45 million. The report also notes that although there was a decrease in the total cost of data breaches in Canada, the figures remain substantial, underscoring the critical importance of robust data security measures.

"We at VoPay deeply understand the critical role of trust and reliability in the payment industry, said Hamed Arbarbi, VoPay CEO. Achieving this level of compliance is crucial, not merely as a symbol of excellence but as an essential gateway for any business seeking partnerships with financial institutions and key players in the industry. This accomplishment is a clear indication of VoPay's steadfast commitment to implementing controlled, consistent processes, with client security always at the forefront of our priorities."

VoPays SOC 2 Type 2 compliance achievement is more than just a regulatory milestone; it is a declaration of the companys dedication to upholding the highest information security standards. This accomplishment positions VoPay as a trusted partner in the financial services industry, ready to meet the evolving challenges of data security and privacy in the digital age.

For more information about VoPay and its commitment to data security, please visit https://vopay.com/.

About VoPay

At the core of VoPay's offering is a multi-tenancy architecture, seamlessly integrated with a comprehensive payment engine and financial services solutions, epitomizing the concept of Fintech-as-a-Service. For software enterprises seeking to accelerate growth, expedite time to market, reduce operational costs, and enhance efficiency within their core platform, VoPay provides an embedded payment solution.

Tailor and integrate any workflow or intricate money movement operations to deliver the ultimate experience for your users, while maintaining full control of the customer journey from start to finish. Learn more or book a consultation with our Fintech Specialists at vopay.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231122133928/en/

Media:

Natalie Rossiter

[email protected]

Source: VoPay
TORONTO, Nov. 23, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Golconda Gold Ltd. (Golconda Gold or the Company) (TSXV: GG; OTCQB: GGGOF) today announces that it has entered into a US$5 million stream transaction relating to its Galaxy project in South Africa with Empress Royalty Holding Corp. (Empress), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Empress Royalty Corp. (Empress Royalty) (TSXV: EMPR | OTCQX: EMPYF).

Golconda Gold, its subsidiary Galaxy Gold Reefs (Pty) Ltd., and certain of its affiliates, have entered into a metal purchase and sale agreement dated November 21, 2023 (the Agreement) with Empress for payable gold production from the Galaxy mine in South Africa. Pursuant to the terms of the Agreement, Empress will make an up-front cash payment totalling US$5 million (the Investment) for payable gold produced from the Galaxy mine. The Investment is based on 3.5% of the payable gold production from the Galaxy mine for an initial 8,000 payable ounces; thereafter, the percentage will reduce to 2.0% of the payable gold production until the earlier of: (i) 20,000 ounces having been paid to Empress; or (ii) 20 years after the first payment was made. The purchase price for the payable gold delivered pursuant to the Agreement is 20% of the gold spot price. The closing of the transaction and the funding of the Investment is subject to typical conditions precedent.

We are excited to partner with Empress who, through their due diligence, have understood the true potential of Galaxy. With the proceeds generated from the Investment, we will be fully funded to implement and execute our Phase 1 and 2 expansion plans at the Galaxy mine.

We have faced challenges at Galaxy over the last few years including the effects of COVID-19 in slowing our expansion plans, flooding both at the mine and at our concentrate warehouse in Durban, and production challenges due to a lack of investment in the mining fleet required to meet our production targets. We currently have over 35,000 tonnes per month (tpm) of spare capacity in the processing plant. Therefore, the Investment will primarily be used to acquire new underground equipment and cover the working capital costs of underground development to increase underground production and fill the processing plant, said Nick Brodie, Chief Executive Officer of the Company.(1)

The Galaxy Gold Mine(2)

Golconda Gold acquired the Galaxy mine in November 2015. Galaxy is situated 8 km west of the town of Barberton and 45 km west of the provincial capital of Nelspruit in the Mpumalanga Province of South Africa. The property covers 58.6 km2 and is part of the prolific Barberton Greenstone Belt.

Galaxy consists of 22 ore bodies, all of which can be accessed via adits at level 17 and level 22. Galaxy is currently mining at the following two main ore bodies:

Galaxy ore body  a massive pipe shaped ore body with a thickness of 35m and a strike of around 100m (the Galaxy Ore Body); and

Princeton ore body  a steeply dipping ore body with a thickness of 5m and a strike of 300m (the Princeton Ore Body).

The current mine plan includes the mining of the Galaxy Ore Body and the Princeton Ore Body using a mechanised cut and fill mining method. There are also extensive tailings around the Galaxy mine site which Golconda Gold intends to use to supplement production.(1) Golconda Gold has already upgraded the crushing circuit, float plant and filtration plant to 50,000 tpm, from the original 15,000 tpm plant, which produces a gold concentrate.

Galaxy is currently in Phase 1 of its expansion program taking production to 15,000 tpm and 1,100 recovered gold ounces per month. The proceeds from the Agreement will be used to fund the expansion required in Phase 2 to take production to 48,000 tpm and 2,800 recovered gold ounces per month.(1)

Golconda Gold has completed the Galaxy Technical Report and the PEA (as such terms are defined below) for the Galaxy mine, which supports the expansion plans already undertaken and the future plans for expansion. In addition, Golconda Gold has a drill ready plan to expand the resource to over 4 million ounces, which encompasses the other 20 identified ore bodies. Work is already underway to determine how this can support future expansion of Galaxy.

Empress has completed a site visit, and a third-party engineering firm has satisfactorily completed a technical analysis of the Galaxy mine. The use of proceeds from the transactions contemplated by the Agreement will enhance and expand the production profile at Galaxy moving forward.(1)

About Golconda Gold

Golconda Gold is an un-hedged gold producer and explorer with mining operations and exploration tenements in South Africa and New Mexico. Golconda Gold is a public company and its shares are quoted on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV) under the symbol GG and the OTCQB under the symbol GGGOF. Golconda Golds management team is comprised of senior mining professionals with extensive experience in managing mining and processing operations and large-scale exploration programmes. It is committed to operating at world-class standards, focused on the safety of its employees, respecting the environment, and contributing to the communities in which it operates. Golconda Golds primary objective is to be reshaped into a long-life and low-cost operation that can produce positive returns for investors across commodity cycles by:

Optimising current mining, processing and administrative operations to reduce costs and maximize profits; and

Grow through opportunistic acquisition and development opportunities.

About Empress Royalty Corp.

Empress Royalty is a global royalty and streaming creation company providing investors with a diversified portfolio of gold and silver investments. Since listing in December 2020, Empress Royalty has built a portfolio of precious metal investments and is actively investing in mining companies with development and production stage projects who require additional non-dilutive capital. Empress Royalty has strategic partnerships with Endeavour Financial and Terra Capital which allow Empress Royalty to not only access global investment opportunities but also bring unique mining finance expertise, deal structuring and access to capital markets. Empress Royalty is looking forward to continuously creating value for its shareholders through the proven royalty and streaming models.

Notes:

(1) This is forward-looking information and is based on a number of assumptions. See Cautionary Notes.

(2) The deposits at the Galaxy mine are supported by a technical report entitled NI 43-101 Technical Report on the Galaxy Gold Mine, South Africa which was issued on July 3, 2020 (the Galaxy Technical Report), with an effective date of June 29, 2020, a copy of which is available under the Companys profile on www.sedar.com. The Galaxy Technical Report was prepared by Minxcon (Pty) Ltd and approved by Mr. Uwe Engelmann, BSc (Zoo. & Bot.), BSc Hons (Geol.) Pr.Sci.Nat., MGSSA, and Mr. Daniel (Daan) van Heerden, B Eng (Min.), MCom (Bus. Admin.), MMC, Pr.Eng., FSAIMM, AMMSA, both qualified persons as defined by National Instrument 43-101  Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (NI 43-101), and independent of the Company for the purposes of NI 43-101. The preliminary economic assessment (PEA) supported by the Galaxy Technical Report is preliminary in nature as the resources included in the PEA are comprised 54% of inferred mineral resources. Inferred mineral resources are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves. There is no certainty that the PEA will be realized.

Cautionary Notes

Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact contained in this press release, including, without limitation, those regarding completion of the transactions contemplated by the Agreement, timing of receipt of the Investment if at all, the Companys projected plans for expansion and production at the Galaxy mine, the Companys use of proceeds from the transactions contemplated by the Agreement, any future financings or transactions contemplated by the Company, the impact of the transactions contemplated by the Agreement on the Company and its expansion plans, creation of long term value for stakeholders, future financial position and results of operations, strategy, proposed acquisitions, plans, objectives, goals and targets, and any statements preceded by, followed by or that include the words believe, expect, aim, intend, plan, continue, will, may, would, anticipate, estimate, forecast, predict, project, seek, should or similar expressions or the negative thereof, are forward-looking statements. These statements are not historical facts but instead represent only the Companys expectations, estimates and projections regarding future events. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve assumptions, risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual results may differ materially from what is expressed, implied or forecasted in such forward-looking statements.

Additional factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially include, but are not limited to: the Companys dependence on two mineral projects; gold price volatility; risks associated with the conduct of the Companys mining activities in South Africa and New Mexico; regulatory, consent or permitting delays; risks relating to the Companys exploration, development and mining activities being situated in South Africa and New Mexico; risks relating to reliance on the Companys management team and outside contractors; risks regarding mineral resources and reserves; the Companys inability to obtain insurance to cover all risks, on a commercially reasonable basis or at all; currency fluctuations; risks regarding the failure to generate sufficient cash flow from operations; risks relating to project financing and equity issuances; risks arising from the Companys fair value estimates with respect to the carrying amount of mineral interests; mining tax regimes; risks arising from holding derivative instruments; the Companys need to replace reserves depleted by production; risks and unknowns inherent in all mining projects, including the inaccuracy of reserves and resources, metallurgical recoveries and capital and operating costs of such projects; contests over title to properties, particularly title to undeveloped properties; laws and regulations governing the environment, health and safety; the ability of the communities in which the Company operates to manage and cope with the implications of any local, regional, national or international outbreak of a contagious disease; operating or technical difficulties in connection with mining or development activities; lack of infrastructure; employee relations, labour unrest or unavailability; health risks in Africa; the Companys interactions with surrounding communities and artisanal miners; the Companys ability to successfully integrate acquired assets; risks related to restarting production; the speculative nature of exploration and development, including the risks of diminishing quantities or grades of reserves; development of the Companys exploration properties into commercially viable mines; stock market volatility; conflicts of interest among certain directors and officers; lack of liquidity for shareholders of the Company; risks related to the market perception of junior gold companies; and litigation risk. Management provides forward-looking statements because it believes they provide useful information to investors when considering their investment objectives and cautions investors not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Consequently, all of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements and other cautionary statements or factors contained herein, and there can be no assurance that the actual results or developments will be realized or, even if substantially realized, that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on, the Company. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect subsequent information, events or circumstances or otherwise, except as required by law.

Information of a technical and scientific nature that forms the basis of the disclosure in the press release has been prepared and approved by Kevin Crossling Pr. Sci. Nat., MAusIMM. and former Business Development Manager for Golconda Gold, and a qualified person as defined by NI 43-101. Mr. Crossling has verified the technical and scientific data disclosed herein and has conducted appropriate verification on the underlying data.

Neither the TSXV nor its regulation services provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

For further information please contact:Nick BrodieCEO, Golconda Gold Ltd.+ 44 7905 089878[email protected]www.golcondagold.com

Source: Golconda Gold Ltd
TORONTO, Nov. 23, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Goodfood Market Corp. (Goodfood or the Company) (TSX: FOOD) has announced its first-ever national talent search for Goodfoods Next Culinary Creator, during which applicants from across Canada will be selected to create content for the brands social media and owned channels.

Beginning today, foodies aspiring chefs, gourmands and social media enthusiasts can apply for one of the five Goodfood Culinary Creator positions, which focus on digital content creation to excite, inspire and ignite enthusiasm for local ingredient sourcing, recipe diversity and the at-home cooking experience.

For nearly a decade Goodfood has inspired fellow foodies to discover exciting new recipes and cuisines through our chef-curated meal-kits and farm-fresh ingredients, said Jennifer Stahlke, Executive Vice President of Marketing, Goodfood. We're thrilled to introduce Goodfood's Next Culinary Creator so we can continue using our platform to inspire food discovery and unite food lovers from coast to coast.

Showcasing Culinary Creativity The ideal applicant has a passion for food and food content, is a captivating storyteller and shares Goodfoods commitment to contributing to a healthier planet and healthier living. The successful candidates will play a key role in supporting Goodfoods content marketing strategy and engaging consumers on social media. The paid 15-week contract will include ongoing content development, guided by seasonal food trends and stories outlined by Goodfood while ensuring applicants maintain creative control to portray the at-home cooking experience in a manner that is authentic to them.

How to Apply Candidates will be asked to demonstrate their creativity and passion for food on Instagram and/or TikTok by posting a piece of content that showcases why they should be selected using #GFCulinaryCreator in their caption(s) and tagging @goodfoodca. Applicants will be selected based on fit, experience and ability to create engaging food content. For the full job description and application requirements, Canadians can visit www.makegoodfood.ca/goodfood-next-culinary-creator. The application deadline is December 13, 2023.

To learn more about Goodfoods farm-fresh ingredients and chef-curated meal-kits, visit makegoodfood.ca.

About GoodfoodGoodfood (TSX: FOOD) is a leading digitally native meal solutions brand in Canada, delivering fresh meals and add-ons that make it easy for customers from across Canada to enjoy delicious meals at home every day. The Goodfood team is building Canadas most loved millennial food brand, with the mission to create experiences that spark joy and help our community live longer on a healthier planet. Goodfood customers have access to uniquely fresh and delicious products, as well as exclusive pricing, made possible by its world class culinary team and direct-to-consumer infrastructures and technology. We are passionate about connecting our partner farms and suppliers to our customers kitchens while eliminating food waste and costly retail overhead. The Companys administrative offices are based in Montreal, Quebec, with production facilities located in the provinces of Quebec and Alberta.

For further information

Investors Media Roslane Aouameur Jennifer Stahlke Chief Financial Officer Executive Vice President, Marketing [email protected] [email protected]

Source: Goodfood Market Corp.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Nov. 22, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Monument Mining Limited (TSX-V: MMY and FSE: D7Q1) (Monument or the Company) is pleased to announce the results from its Annual General Meeting of shareholders held on November 22, 2023 in Vancouver, B.C.

Resolutions tabled at the Annual General Meeting as proposed in the Information Circular dated on October 11, 2023 were all passed with more than 79% For for each and overwhelming participation, including: appointing Grant Thornton LLP as auditors; and fixing the number of board members for the ensuring year at six, being Graham Dickson, Cathy Zhai, Zaidi Harun, Michael John Kitney, Dato Sia Hok Kiang, and Jean-Edgar de Trentinian. Each resolution and each nominee of the board of directors have been approved by a vast majority of the shares voted.

Graham Dickson, Chairman of the meeting commented, We would like to thank all the shareholders that participated by voting in this years meeting. Monument has achieved an outstanding milestone year, as it focused on executing and completing the construction of the flotation plant at the Selinsing gold mine in Malaysia. Our team will continue in fiscal 2024 to work strategically and creatively to focus on developing and growing mineral assets to create a stronger Company for all stakeholders.

For more information on these matters, please refer to Monument's Information Circular, available on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) or visit our website at www.monumentmining.com.

About Monument

Monument Mining Limited (TSX-V: MMY, FSE: D7Q1) is an established Canadian gold producer that 100% owns and operates the Selinsing Gold Mine in Malaysia and the Murchison Gold Project in the Murchison area of Western Australia. It has 20% interest in Tuckanarra Gold Project jointly owned with Odyssey Gold Ltd in the same region. The Company employs approximately 220 people in both regions and is committed to the highest standards of environmental management, social responsibility, and health and safety for its employees and neighboring communities.

Cathy Zhai, President and CEOMonument Mining LimitedSuite 1580 -1100 Melville StreetVancouver, BC V6E 4A6

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION visit the company web site at www.monumentmining.com or contact:

Richard Cushing, MMY Vancouver T: +1-604-638-1661 x102 [email protected]

"Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release."

Forward-Looking Statement

This news release includes statements containing forward-looking information about Monument, its business and future plans ("forward-looking statements"). Forward-looking statements are statements that involve expectations, plans, objectives or future events that are not historical facts and include the Company's plans with respect to its mineral projects, expectations regarding the completion of the ramp-up period to target production level at Selinsing and the timing thereof, expectations regarding the Companys continuing ability to source explosives from suppliers, expectations regarding completion of the proposed storage shed and ammonium nitrate depot and the timing thereof, and the timing and results of the other proposed programs and events referred to in this news release. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". The forward-looking statements in this news release are subject to various risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These risks and certain other factors include, without limitation: risks related to general business, economic, competitive, geopolitical and social uncertainties; uncertainties regarding the results of current exploration activities; uncertainties in the progress and timing of development activities, including those related to the ramp-up process at Selinsing and the completion of the proposed storage shed and ammonium nitrate depot; uncertainties and risks related to the Companys ability to source explosives from suppliers; foreign operations risks; other risks inherent in the mining industry and other risks described in the management discussion and analysis of the Company and the technical reports on the Company's projects, all of which are available under the profile of the Company on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Material factors and assumptions used to develop forward-looking statements in this news release include: expectations regarding the estimated cash cost per ounce of gold production and the estimated cash flows which may be generated from the operations, general economic factors and other factors that may be beyond the control of Monument; assumptions and expectations regarding the results of exploration on the Company's projects; assumptions regarding the future price of gold of other minerals; the timing and amount of estimated future production; assumptions regarding the timing and results of development activities, including the ramp-up process at Selinsing and the completion of the proposed storage shed and ammonium nitrate depot; expectations that the Company will continue to be able to source explosives from suppliers in a timely manner; costs of future activities; capital and operating expenditures; success of exploration activities; mining or processing issues; exchange rates; and all of the factors and assumptions described in the management discussion and analysis of the Company and the technical reports on the Company's projects, all of which are available under the profile of the Company on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

Source: Monument Mining
The fourth Thursday in November is Thanksgiving in the United States, a national holiday celebrating the first anniversary of the establishment of one of the earliest permanent English colonies in North America.

On November 11, 1620, the ship Mayflower, carrying 102 settlers, who came to be known as Pilgrims, arrived at the shores of North America. They were the first of a group of religious separatists who refused to follow the teachings of the Church of England, a punishable offence in their native country.

So, they made the decision to leave Europe and establish a farming village in the northern part of the Virginia Colony, which had been settled 13 years earlier. Accidentally landing nearly a thousand kilometers too far north, they nevertheless decided to stay, finally settling on a spot a little south of todays city of Boston in the state of Massachusetts. There they founded Plymouth Colony.

That first year in North America was very difficult. Although they were not starving, thanks in part to support from the local native population of the Wampanoag people, within the first two months, two thirds of them died. But the fall of 1621 brought plentiful crops, and as the end of the harvest coincided with the anniversary of their arrival in North America, the Pilgrims celebrated.

Fifty-three settlers sat down to a feast with 90 of their Wampanoag neighbors, dining on wild fowl, venison and a variety of vegetables. But first came heart-felt prayers, thanking God for His forbearance which allowed them to survive.

This American spirit of gratitude dates back to our earliest days, when the Pilgrims celebrated a successful first harvest, thanks to the generosity and support of the Wampanoag people, said President Joe Biden. It inspired George Washington to give his troops a day of prayer and thanks amid fierce fighting for American independence. It also moved Abraham Lincoln to proclaim Thanksgiving a national holiday, honoring Americas bounty and asking God to bring us together to care for one another and heal our Nation.

Today, Thanksgiving is still all about family and food. Holiday dinner still features autumn vegetables, but instead of venison and wild fowl, the feast centers on a roasted turkey.

This Thanksgiving, as homes across America fill with laughter, favorite family foods, and the joy of friends and relatives reuniting, said President Biden, we give thanks for everything that is good in our lives and reflect on the many blessings of our Nation.
THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN IS NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION IN OR INTO AUSTRALIA, CANADA, ITALY, DENMARK, JAPAN, THE UNITED STATES, OR TO ANY NATIONAL OF SUCH JURISDICTIONS

23 November 2023

NB Private Equity Partners (NBPE), the $1.3bn, FTSE 250, listed private equity investment company managed by Neuberger Berman, today releases its 31 October 2023 monthly NAV estimate.

Highlights (31 October 2023)

NAV per share of $27.07 (22.31), a decline of 0.3% during the month

Monthly NAV driven by a 1.7% uplift on a constant currency basis attributable to the receipt of Q3 private valuation information; this was offset by a decline in value of quoted holdings and negative foreign exchange movements

Year to date constant currency private valuations are up 5.6%

Total realisations year to date of $110 million and a further $44 million expected from announced but not yet closed transactions 1

Full or partial sales year to date have achieved a 2.0x gross multiple of capital and were at a 13% uplift 2 ; $21 million realised from quoted holdings year to date, which are now 7% of the portfolio fair value

; $21 million realised from quoted holdings year to date, which are now 7% of the portfolio fair value $317 million of available liquidity at 31 October 2023 (excluding cash expected to be received from exits that have been announced but not yet closed)

As of 31 October 2023 YTD 1 Year 3 years 5 years 10 years NAV TR (USD)*

Annualised (1.4%)



0.1%

0.1% 50.4%

14.6% 75.2%

11.9% 202.0%

11.7% MSCI World TR (USD)*

Annualised 8.3%



11.0%

11.0% 28.3%

8.7% 52.6%

8.8% 118.0%

8.1% Share price TR (GBP)*

Annualised 3.0%



3.3%

3.3% 76.1%

20.8% 78.9%

12.3% 324.6%

15.6% FTSE All-Share TR (GBP)*

Annualised 0.3% 5.9%

5.9% 39.4%

11.7% 21.1%

3.9% 58.0%

4.7%

*Reflects cumulative returns over the time periods shown and are not annualised.

Portfolio Update to 31 October 2023

NAV performance during the month driven by:

1.7% NAV increase ($21 million) from the receipt of Q3 2023 private company valuation information

1.7% NAV decrease ($21 million) from the value of quoted holdings (which now constitute 7% of portfolio fair value)

0.2% NAV decrease ($2 million) from negative FX movements

0.1% NAV decrease ($1 million) attributable to expense accruals and offset by changes in the Zero Dividend Preference share (ZDP) liability

Realisations from the portfolio continue in 2023

2023 year to date cash proceeds of $110 milllion3

 Full sales of Accedian and Boa Vista

 Partial sale of Action and Hub Insurance

 Full and partial sales of public stock in GFL, Vertiv, Concord, Holley, Solarwinds and N-able

$44 million of realisations expected to be received over the coming months from announced but not yet closed transactions including FV Hospital, Melissa & Doug (fka undisclosed branded toy company) and Petsmart4

$20m of investment year to date through 31 October 2023

Including $13m of follow-on investments in Solenis and Renaissance Learning to support transformative M&A

Well positioned to take advantage of investment opportunities with significant available liquidity at 31 October 2023

$317 million of availability liquidity

 $210 million undrawn credit line and $107 million of cash / liquid investments

Portfolio Valuation

The fair value of NBPEs portfolio as of 31 October 2023 was based on the following information:

10% of the portfolio was valued as of 31 October 2023

7% in public securities 3% in private direct investments



68% of the portfolio was valued as of 30 September 2023

67% in private direct investments 1% in private fund investments



22% of the portfolio was valued as of 30 June 2023

22% in private direct investments



For further information, please contact:

NBPE Investor Relations +1 214 647 9593

Kaso Legg Communications +44 (0)20 3995 6673

Charles Gorman [email protected]

Luke Dampier

Charlotte Francis

Supplementary Information (as at 31 October 2023)

Company Name Vintage Lead Sponsor Sector Fair Value ($m) % of FV Action 2020 3i Consumer 75.4 5.7% USI 2017 KKR Financial Services 62.0 4.7% Osaic 2019 Reverence Capital Financial Services 56.5 4.3% Solenis 2021 Platinum Equity Industrials 47.2 3.6% Constellation Automotive 2019 TDR Capital Business Services 43.1 3.3% Fortna 2017 THL Industrials 39.6 3.0% Cotiviti 2018 Veritas Capital Healthcare 37.5 2.8% Business Services Company* 2017 Not Disclosed Business Services 34.1 2.6% Branded Cities Network 2017 Shamrock Capital Communications / Media 33.9 2.6% BeyondTrust 2018 Francisco Partners Technology / IT 33.5 2.5% Monroe Engineering 2021 AEA Investors Industrials 31.9 2.4% Kroll 2020 Further Global / Stone Point Financial Services 30.1 2.3% True Potential 2022 Cinven Financial Services 29.7 2.2% Marquee Brands 2014 Neuberger Berman Consumer 28.9 2.2% AutoStore (OB.AUTO) 2019 THL Industrials 27.2 2.1% Stubhub 2020 Neuberger Berman Consumer 26.4 2.0% Staples 2017 Sycamore Partners Business Services 25.7 1.9% Viant 2018 JLL Partners Healthcare 24.7 1.9% Engineering 2020 NB Renaissance / Bain Capital Technology / IT 24.5 1.8% Addison Group 2021 Trilantic Capital Partners Business Services 23.9 1.8% Auctane 2021 Thoma Bravo Technology / IT 23.6 1.8% Excelitas 2017 AEA Investors Industrials 21.9 1.7% Melissa & Doug 2017 AEA Investors Consumer 21.2 1.6% FV Hospital 2017 Quadria Capital Healthcare 20.5 1.5% Renaissance Learning 2018 Francisco Partners Technology / IT 20.2 1.5% Solace Systems 2016 Bridge Growth Partners Technology / IT 19.8 1.5% Bylight 2017 Sagewind Partners Technology / IT 19.7 1.5% GFL (NYSE: GFL) 2018 BC Partners Business Services 18.5 1.4% Qpark 2017 KKR Transportation 17.8 1.3% Exact 2019 KKR Technology / IT 16.7 1.3% Total Top 30 Investments $935.7 70.7%

*Undisclosed company due to confidentiality provisions.

Geography % of Portfolio North America 75% Europe 22% Asia / Rest of World 3% Total Portfolio 100% Industry % of Portfolio Tech, Media & Telecom 21% Consumer / E-commerce 20% Industrials / Industrial Technology 17% Business Services 12% Financial Services 15% Healthcare 9% Other 5% Energy 1% Total Portfolio 100% Vintage Year % of Portfolio 2015 & Earlier 6% 2016 6% 2017 26% 2018 19% 2019 14% 2020 12% 2021 13% 2022 3% 2023 1% Total Portfolio 100%

About NB Private Equity Partners Limited

NBPE invests in direct private equity investments alongside market leading private equity firms globally. NB Alternatives Advisers LLC (the Investment Manager), an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Neuberger Berman Group LLC, is responsible for sourcing, execution and management of NBPE. The vast majority of direct investments are made with no management fee / no carried interest payable to third-party GPs, offering greater fee efficiency than other listed private equity companies. NBPE seeks capital appreciation through growth in net asset value over time while paying a bi-annual dividend.

LEI number: 213800UJH93NH8IOFQ77

About Neuberger Berman

Neuberger Berman, founded in 1939, is a private, independent, employee-owned investment manager. The firm manages a range of strategiesincluding equity, fixed income, quantitative and multi-asset class, private equity, real estate and hedge fundson behalf of institutions, advisors and individual investors globally. Neuberger Bermans investment philosophy is founded on active management, engaged ownership and fundamental research, including industry-leading research into material environmental, social and governance factors. Neuberger Berman is a PRI Leader, a designation awarded to fewer than 1% of investment firms. With offices in 26 countries, the firms diverse team has over 2,750 professionals. For nine consecutive years, Neuberger Berman has been named first or second in Pensions & Investments Best Places to Work in Money Management survey (among those with 1,000 employees or more). The firm manages $439 billion in client assets as of September 30, 2023. For more information, please visit our website at www.nb.com .

This press release appears as a matter of record only and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to purchase any security. NBPE is established as a closed-end investment company domiciled in Guernsey. NBPE has received the necessary consent of the Guernsey Financial Services Commission. The value of investments may fluctuate. Results achieved in the past are no guarantee of future results. This document is not intended to constitute legal, tax or accounting advice or investment recommendations. Prospective investors are advised to seek expert legal, financial, tax and other professional advice before making any investment decision. Statements contained in this document that are not historical facts are based on current expectations, estimates, projections, opinions and beliefs of NBPE's investment manager. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, and undue reliance should not be placed thereon. Additionally, this document contains "forward-looking statements." Actual events or results or the actual performance of NBPE may differ materially from those reflected or contemplated in such targets or forward-looking statements.

1 $110 million received through 31 October 2023, with a further $44 million expected from announced but not yet received transactions. $20 million was attributable to announced sales in 2022 but received in 2023. Pending realisations are subject to customary closing conditions. No assurances can be given the transactions ultimately close.

2 Uplift to value three quarters prior to the announced transaction. For one investment with a partial sale, multiple and uplift reflect realised proceeds only.

3$110 million received during 2023, of which $20 million was attributable to announced sales in 2022 but received in 2023.

4 Pending realisations are subject to customary closing conditions. No assurances can be given the transactions ultimately close.





This press release appears as a matter of record only and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to purchase any security.





NBPE is established as a closed-end investment company domiciled in Guernsey. NBPE has received the necessary consent of the Guernsey Financial Services Commission. The value of investments may fluctuate. Results achieved in the past are no guarantee of future results. This document is not intended to constitute legal, tax or accounting advice or investment recommendations. Prospective investors are advised to seek expert legal, financial, tax and other professional advice before making any investment decision. Statements contained in this document that are not historical facts are based on current expectations, estimates, projections, opinions and beliefs of NBPE's investment manager. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, and undue reliance should not be placed thereon. Additionally, this document contains "forward-looking statements." Actual events or results or the actual performance of NBPE may differ materially from those reflected or contemplated in such targets or forward-looking statements.

Attachment
Regina, SK, Nov. 23, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Protein Industries Canada is opening an expanded call for projects under the Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy. This call will consider projects that span the entire agriculture and food value-chain, from seed genetics to on-farm production through to ingredient manufacturing, food processing and logistics. As AI continues to make inroads into agriculture and food it will be an important tool to improve the industry in the face of evolving challenges.

It is well understood that the global demand for food is only going to increase. As our global population grows, so does the need for more calories. Unfortunately, factors such as drought and pests are impacting our annual production, which impacts our ability to get affordable and healthy food to those who need it, CEO of Protein Industries Canada Bill Greuel said. We know that AI is revolutionizing the agriculture industry, and is making farming more efficient, sustainable and productive. Thats why with this call we are seeking Expressions of Interest (EOIs) for projects inclusive of the entire value-chain.

Under the call, projects from consortiums of companies that use AI to contribute to the following outcomes will be considered:

The development of tools that accelerate commercialization of seed genetics;

Improvement of on-farm information gathering to support advanced, real-time production decisions and improve sustainability (i.e. visual and other sensory technologies);

Technologies that maximize production and improve yields;

Supply chain optimization;

Ingredient development and food formulation; and

Quality Assurance and food safety protocols.

Companies involved in Canadas agriculture and food sector that are interested in exploring AI, and how it may help their business are encouraged to consider participation in Protein Industries Canada and AMIIs Data Readiness Improvement Projects (DRIP). The second cohort will begin at the end of January 2023 and continue through to the spring. More information can be found here.

The Government of Canada invests into the Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy to drive the adoption of artificial intelligence across Canada's economy and society. Expressions of interests will be accepted from Monday, Nov. 27 to Jan. 31, 2024, with projects being evaluated on a first-come basis. A maximum of $20 million is available for co-investment between all eligible projects. Companies interested in applying are encouraged to visit www.proteinindustriescanada.ca/artificial-intelligence for more information.

Miranda Burski Protein Industries Canada 306-581-1340 [email protected]

Source: Protein Industries Canada
TRADING UPDATE

Volumes (Year to date, 18 November 2023)

2023 2022 Change vs 2022 Cars 588,700 524,700 +12.2% RoRo Freight 639,900 616,100 +3.9% Container Freight (teu) 248,500 291,100 (14.6%) Terminal Lifts 277,300 286,100 (3.1%)

Volumes (since last Trading Update, 26 August 2023)

27/8/23-18/11/23 27/8/22-18/11/22 Change vs 2022 Cars 145,400 129,400 +12.4% RoRo Freight 179,200 173,400 +3.3% Container Freight (teu) 64,300 71,100 (9.6%) Terminal Lifts 77,700 71,900 +8.1%

Irish Continental Group (ICG) issues this trading update which covers carryings for the year to date to 18 November 2023 and financial information for the first ten months of 2023, i.e. 1 January to 31 October with comparisons against the corresponding period in 2022. All figures are unaudited.

Consolidated Group revenue in the period was 491.4 million, a decrease of 1.8% compared with last year. Pre-IFRS 16 net debt figures were 113.1 million compared to 128.7 million at prior year end. Including IFRS 16 lease obligations, net debt figures were 155.2 million compared to 171.1 million at year end.

Ferries Division

Total revenues recorded in the period to 31 October amounted to 352.9 million (2022: 338.0 million) (including intra-division charter income), a 4.4% increase on the prior year.

For the year to 18 November, Irish Ferries carried 588,700 cars, an increase of 12.2% on the previous year. Freight carryings were 639,900 RoRo units, an increase of 3.9% compared with 2022.

Container and Terminal Division

Total revenues recorded in the period to 31 October amounted to 165.4 million (2022: 190.5 million), a 13.2% decrease on the prior year. This decrease was predominantly driven by a reduction in volumes versus the prior period.

For the year to 18 November, container freight volumes shipped were down 14.6% on the previous year at 248,500 teu (twenty foot equivalent units), primarily due to a slowdown in deep sea volumes in the year to date. We have adjusted our capacity to match the current demand situation. Units handled at our terminals in Dublin and Belfast decreased by 3.1% year on year to 277,300 lifts.

Recent Developments

There are no significant developments since the last trading update. The EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) is due to be phased in, starting on 1 January 2024. There is no update on the UK position on this issue.

Proposed changes in seafarer legislation remain an agenda item in both the UK and France. These may breach international and EU laws with the local employment protection objectives clearly distorting the objective of free movement of workers within the EU.

Container Volumes

We have been impacted by the weak deep-sea market in the first half of the year. This has resulted in a material drop in volumes in our Container and Terminal Division. This is a result of continued weak export and import levels in China, the continued effect of over stocking following the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent supply chain difficulties and the slowdown in world economic growth. Our flexible business model has allowed us to adjust our shipping capacity to match the current demand situation.

About Irish Continental Group

Irish Continental Group (ICG) is the leading Irish-based maritime transport group. We carry passengers and cars, Roll on Roll off (RoRo) freight and Container Lift on Lift off (LoLo) freight on routes between Ireland, Britain and Continental Europe. We also operate container terminals in the ports of Dublin and Belfast. The Group also carries out ship chartering activities. For the year ended 31 December 2022, ICG reported revenue of 584.9 million and EBITDA of 127.2 million.

Dublin.

23 November 2023

Enquiries

Eamonn Rothwell, CEO +353 1 607 5628

David Ledwidge, CFO +353 1 607 5628
Panama City, Panama, Nov. 23, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- USBT proudly announces its foray into the dynamic realm of blockchain technology, marking a pivotal moment in the landscape of digital solutions tailored to fortify and streamline contemporary business operations. At the core of USBT's mission is an unwavering commitment to innovation, particularly in the seamless integration of blockchain technology that serves as a robust bridge to a future where business processes are not only more secure but also inherently more transparent and efficient.



Empowering Enterprises with Revolutionary Blockchain Integration

Standing at the forefront of blockchain application, USBT presents an array of services meticulously designed to simplify the adoption of this groundbreaking technology for businesses of all sizes. From elevating cybersecurity measures to facilitating the flawless execution of autonomous smart contracts, USBT is crafting an extensive toolbox of blockchain-based solutions poised to redefine and revolutionize prevailing industry standards.

Forward-Thinking Solutions for a Decentralized Future

As true pioneers in this space, USBT recognizes the immense potential of blockchain beyond cryptocurrency. The company's forward-thinking approach encompasses the full spectrum of decentralized solutions, spanning everything from seamless supply chain management to foolproof digital identity verification. This strategic positioning offers USBT's clients a distinctive competitive edge in an increasingly digital world.

A New Standard in Digital Trust and Integrity

Acknowledging the critical nature of trust in the digital age, USBT embeds the highest security protocols and transparent practices into every facet of its offerings. By prioritizing these essential elements, USBT not only equips its clients with the tools necessary for success but also instills the confidence needed to forge ahead in the digital landscape with unparalleled peace of mind.

Joining Forces with USBT for Blockchain Excellence

USBT extends an enthusiastic invitation to forward-looking businesses, tech enthusiasts, and industry innovators to participate in harnessing the transformative capabilities of blockchain technology. With USBT as a partner , clients can unlock a new level of operational excellence, explore innovative revenue avenues, and secure their digital transactions like never before.



About USBT:

USBT stands as a visionary blockchain technology firm, dedicated to delivering robust and sophisticated blockchain solutions to a global clientele. USBT's emphasis on user experience and technological excellence sets it apart as a leader in the field, ready to guide businesses through the intricacies of blockchain adoption.

To discover more about USBT's innovative solutions , please contact our media team or visit our website.

To discover more about USBT's innovative solutions, please contact our media team or visit our website.

https://usbtofficial.com/



Disclaimer: The information provided in this press release is not a solicitation for investment, or intended as investment advice, financial advice, or trading advice. It is strongly recommended that you practice due diligence (including consultation with a professional financial advisor) before investing in or trading securities and cryptocurrency.


Miami, Florida--(Newsfile Corp. - November 23, 2023) - FXRivals is a retail trading market in the financial markets. With the recent progress, the company introduces strategies that empower retail traders and redefine the landscape of proprietary trading.

The newly launched strategies by FXRivals are as follows:

A Sustainable System for Success: FXRivals is committed to creating a sustainable system that allows both traders and the firm to thrive. Recognizing the challenges faced by traders with limited capital, FXRivals introduces a new approach that ensures a win-win scenario.

By the third month of operating a funded account and under close supervision, trades are mirrored into master accounts with a significantly larger capital pool. This setup allows for swift funding and a lower percentage of gains in the initial months. High-Frequency Trading (HFT) is also incorporated into the evaluation process, reducing risk in funded accounts.

In the latest development, FXRivals also introduces the Lot Size Consistency Range Rule, applicable to HFT passers in the funded phase. This rule ensures consistency in trading sizes, setting a range based on the average trading size. The formula for determining this range takes into account all closed orders, providing a fair and transparent framework for traders. FXRivals utilizes Zenfinex as the brokerage provider for all simulated accounts on its platform. FXRivals acts as the "evaluator" through a demo evaluation, with any simulated trading activity conducted by a trader provided by Zenfinex Limited, a simulated account provider

Furthermore, Payouts for qualified traders on their "Funded Account" simulated account are done using cryptocurrencies. Traders can choose to be paid in either BTC (Bitcoin Network) or USDT (TRC-20 Network). Disbursements are reviewed and sent to the trader within 1 to 3 business days after the request.

Conclusively, FXRivals is committed to creating an environment where traders can showcase their talent, benefit from a sustainable system, and redefine their success in the financial markets.

About the Company - FXRivals:

FXRivals is a retail trading platform in the financial markets, providing retail traders with innovative strategies and a sustainable system to thrive in the world of forex. With a commitment to empowering traders, FXRivals offers unique opportunities for skill development, funding, and success in the competitive trading landscape.

For further details, potential clients can visit the following link: https://fxrivals.com/#1.

Media Details:

Company Name: FXRivals

Company's Website: https://fxrivals.com/#1

Contact Email Address: [email protected]

Name: Kylie Zalvi

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/188546
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - November 23, 2023) - Graphano Energy Ltd.(TSXV: GEL) (OTCQB: GELEF) (FSE: 97G0) (the "Company" or "Graphano") is pleased to announce that drilling activity is starting on its 100% owned Standard Mine and Lac Aux Bouleaux (LAB) Graphite Properties in Quebec. Forage Hebert Inc. of Amos, Quebec, has been awarded the drilling contract. In addition, Mercator Geological Services is responsible for the drill program design and St-Pierre Exploration Enr. for the field logistics of the program.

Luisa Moreno, Chief Executive Officer of Graphano, emphasized the critical nature of the drilling endeavors: "In light of China's recent graphite export restrictions, there is an urgent imperative for us to propel our projects into production, thereby fortifying international markets against the imminent surge in demand driven by electric vehicles. Backed by a robust production history and strategically advantageous project locations, we confidently assert ourselves as the most immediate source of graphite in North America. Despite the challenges posed by the sluggish junior mining equity markets, we are committed to advance the Standard and LAB properties. Our objective is clear: to conduct drilling, support resource estimation, and embark on additional exploratory efforts to unlock the full potential of resource expansion."

The Company plans to complete approximately 25 holes totaling up to 3,000 metres prior to year end. The drilling program will start at the Standard Mine Property, where the primary focus of the planned drilling is on resource expansion. Previous results at Standard Mine (see Graphano news releases dated February 23, 2023, and June 14, 2023) included:

Trench TR23-25, returned 8.91% graphitic carbon (Cg) over 23m, including 12.09% Cg over 14 metres (m) and a second zone assaying 10.87% Cg over 6m;

Drill Hole ST23-10 intersected 5.11% graphitic carbon (Cg) over 20.5m starting at 39.0m drilled depth, including 6.7% Cg over 9.0m at 41m;

Drill Hole ST23-11 intersected 7.44% Cg over 13.0m at 31m;

Drill Hole ST23-13 intersected 8.99% Cg over 11.3m at 4.2m, and 7.65% Cg over 13m at 56m; and

Drill Hole ST23-05 intersected 5.79% Cg over 14.0m at 4.6m.

(Note: All intersections reported are based on drilled width and have not been converted to the true width.)

At LAB, the focus will be on Zone 3, the historical pit area and, if time permits, Zone 1. Recent drilling at Zone 3 intersected significant graphite mineralization (see Graphano news release dated February 8, 2023), including:

Drill hole LB22-33 intersected 6.26% Cg over 13.7m starting at 14.0m drilled depth, including 11.95% Cg over 4.7m at 14m;

Drill hole LB22-45 intersected 9.09% Cg over 8.0m at 68m; and

Drill hole LB22-52 intersected 7.17% Cg over 9.0m at 36m.

(Note: All intersections reported are based on drilled width and have not been converted to the true width.)

These zones are just two of the eight prospective targets which have been defined on the LAP Property to date through the Company's surface trenching and sampling programs completed during 2021 and 2022, as well as historical exploration data.

Drilling will also be performed at the historical pit area, where the Company will be drilling confirmatory holes to validate the current resource modeling work and to test for expansion of the deposit.

Qualified Person

The technical content disclosed in this press release was reviewed and approved by Mr. Martin Ethier, Go (#1520) who is a Member of the Order of Geologists of Quebec and a "Qualified Person" under NI 43-101, and Roger Dahn, B.Sc., P.Geo., a director of the Company, and a "Qualified Person" as defined in National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

About Graphano Energy

Graphano Energy Ltd. is an exploration and development company that is focused on evaluating, acquiring and developing energy metals resources from exploration to production.

Graphite is one of the most in-demand technology minerals that is required for a green and sustainable world. The Company's Lac Aux Bouleaux property, situated adjacent to Canada's only producing graphite mine, in Quebec, Canada, has historically been an active area for natural graphite. With the demand for graphite growing in some of the most prominent and cutting-edge industries, such as lithium batteries in electric cars and other energy storage technologies, the Company is developing its project to meet the demands of the future.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Luisa Moreno

Chief Executive Officer and Director

E: [email protected]

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:

This news release contains certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, without limitation, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are frequently, but not always, identified by words such as "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "potential", "possible", and similar expressions, or statements that events, conditions, or results "will", "may", "could", or "should" occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements in this news release relate to, among other things, drilling at the Company's Standard Mine Property and Lac Aux Bouleaux Graphite Property and results thereof, potential future production by Graphano, and the resource requirements of the electric vehicle sector. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Forward-looking statements reflect the beliefs, opinions and projections on the date the statements are made and are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by Graphano, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and the parties have made assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. Such factors include, without limitation, risks associated with possible accidents and other risks associated with mineral exploration operations, the risk that the Company will encounter unanticipated geological factors, risks associated with the interpretation of exploration results, the possibility that the Company may not be able to secure permitting and other governmental clearances necessary to carry out the Company's exploration plans, the risk that the Company will not be able to raise sufficient funds to carry out its business plans, and the risk of political uncertainties and regulatory or legal changes that might interfere with the Company's business and prospects. These risks, as well as others, are disclosed within the Company's filing on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca, the Canadian Securities Administrators' national system that all market participants use for filings and disclosure, which investors are encouraged to review prior to any transaction involving the securities of the Company. Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release concerning these items. Graphano does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by applicable securities laws.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/188497
Summary: Impact Health USA, a leading platform in the healthcare industry, has unveiled its Telehealth Business Package, an initiative designed to empower entrepreneurs and redefine the future of healthcare delivery.

Phoenix, Arizona--(Newsfile Corp. - November 23, 2023) - To address the latest approach in the healthcare landscape, Impact Health USA launches a telehealth business package that empowers entrepreneurs to own the future of healthcare. The platform's initiative marks a significant milestone in providing entrepreneurs with the tools and resources to take charge of their healthcare ventures.

The Telehealth Business Package is poised to revolutionize the way healthcare services are accessed and delivered. By leveraging telehealth technology, entrepreneurs can establish and grow their healthcare businesses with greater flexibility and efficiency. This comprehensive package offers a turnkey solution for aspiring healthcare pioneers, streamlining the process of entering the telehealth arena.

In addition, the platform allows entrepreneurs access to a telehealth platform, facilitating seamless virtual consultations and enhancing the overall patient experience. The platform takes charge of managing clinical work on the backend, orchestrating the hiring of skilled doctors, and overseeing the delivery of various healthcare services to patients. Impact Health USA is committed to ensuring the success of entrepreneurs entering the telehealth space. The package includes thorough training and ongoing support to equip entrepreneurs with the skills and knowledge needed to thrive in the digital healthcare landscape.

Moreover, Impact Health USA focuses on the diversity of healthcare needs and allows entrepreneurs to customize their business models to cater to specific niches, ensuring a tailored approach to healthcare delivery. The platform provides entrepreneurs with guidance on regulatory compliance and ensures that their telehealth ventures meet all necessary standards. Entrepreneurs can enter the healthcare industry with this package to start businesses and also pioneer a new era of healthcare that is patient-centric, technologically advanced, and highly adaptable.

Impact Health USA

Conclusively, Impact Health USA remains at the forefront of innovation, poised to empower individuals to take charge of their healthcare journeys. The Telehealth Business Package is a testament to this commitment, providing entrepreneurs with the tools and resources needed to succeed in an ever-changing healthcare landscape. Additionally, the platform's innovative approach addresses the evolving needs of the market, positioning entrepreneurs at the forefront of this transformative wave.

About the Company - Impact Health USA:

Impact Health USA, a top-notch platform in the healthcare industry dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship and innovation. The platform provides a diverse range of specialized services, ensuring comprehensive healthcare solutions.

Media details:

Joshua Thompson

ImpactHealthUSA.com

Impact Health USA

[email protected]

https://www.instagram.com/impacthealthusa/

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/188364
New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - November 22, 2023) - In a remarkable display of professional innovations, INVT Electric Vehicle Drive Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd (referred as INVT E-mobility) showcases its e-mobility solutions on EV motor controllers, on-board power systems, and EV chargers at Stand H1-C006 in Solutrans 2023, the prestigious international transportation exhibition held at Lyon Eurexpo from November 21st to 25th. Presenting the e-mobility solutions more catering to the European market requirements, it was a great success of the event, unveiling INVT E-mobility's fasten paces in its global.

Image 1

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

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Strategic Product Offerings

During the expo, INVT E-mobility highlighted two main product lines EV drive controllers and EV chargers. Recognized as one of the top EV drive controller suppliers in China, INVT E-mobility now provides EV drive controllers catering to the European market's needs. Notable highlights featured the next-generation MGTCU, a pioneering multi-functional hybrid product for passenger vehicles. The advanced EV motor controller with GVD series are also well presented, which is tailored for the logistics vehicle industry, and the highly anticipated ER30, E11K, NAVARA, and TX5 models.

Solutions of EV charging were also highlighted in the event. INVT E-mobility provides EV chargers solutions from 3kW to 480kW. For residential application, INVT E-mobility showcased AC Wallbox Home (7kW-22kW) , a home charger with Level 2 charging, prioritizing safety with Dynamic Load Balancing and protection measures. For the commercial application, AC Wallbox Commercial (22kW) and DC fast chargers (30-180kW) were presented. The DC fast charger is a highly competitive supporting three outlets, emphasizing adaptability and scalability with modular design.

Global Reach and Collaborations:

Building on its success in the domestic market, INVT E-mobility demonstrates its determination to global development. The company's foray into international markets was emphasized, with strategic partnerships with leading enterprises in the transportation sector. INVT E-mobility's collaboration with prominent car companies showcased its prowess in meeting the diverse needs of global clients.

About INVT E-mobility:

INVT Electric Vehicle Drive Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd, the main implementation body of the new energy vehicle business of INVT Group, is devoted to being the globally leading and respected provider of NEV power solutions. INVT E-mobility takes motor controller, on-board power supply and electric vehicle charger technology as the core, providing multi-scenario solutions for global customers.

For more information, please visit us: www.invt-ev.com

Media Contact : Cheney Green

Email: [email protected]

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/188533
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - November 23, 2023) - Purebread, a subsidiary of Coho Collective Kitchens Inc.(TSXV: COHO) ("Coho" or the "Company"), proudly announces a significant achievement at its Vancouver International Airport (YVR) location, where the bakery and cafe has welcomed and served over 100,000 customers since its opening in late June, 2023. This remarkable milestone headlines a summer season with significant traffic and exceptional success at all Purebread locations.

Strategically positioned at the former site once occupied by Starbucks, this chosen location not only exemplifies Purebread's commitment to strategic expansion but also facilitates an accelerated path since opening.

"Purebread embodies YVR's commitment to providing unique dining concepts and options which elevate the travel experience and serve our community," said Eric Pateman, Vice President, Passenger Experience and Chief Experience Officer at Vancouver International Airport. "We are on a journey to transform our food and beverage program to provide more fresh, local and authentic offerings reflective of the vibrant and diverse culinary choices in our community. Since joining the airport in June, Purebread has created a space at YVR where passengers, guests and employees can enjoy their inspired menu that is unmistakably made in Vancouver."

Andrew Barnes, CEO, expressed, "The phenomenal success of Purebread at Vancouver International Airport is a testament to the dedication of our team and the overwhelming support from the YVR community. We are immensely proud to have reached this milestone, and we extend our gratitude to the YVR team for their belief in and support of local businesses. This accomplishment fuels our passion for delivering an unparalleled culinary experience, and we eagerly anticipate more milestones as we continue to grow and serve our valued customers at this iconic location."

Further, Coho and Purebread celebrate two months of seamless integration. Key achievements during this period include:

Increased Foot Traffic: All Purebread locations experienced an increase in foot traffic since acquisition





Location Growth: Purebread has announced two additional locations to continue the growth of the brand. Additional growth opportunities are being identified now and will be announced in due course.





Operational Synergy: Coho and Purebread teams have worked collaboratively to identify and leverage operational synergies between organizations including the successful merge of Finance and Marketing organizations. This approach has streamlined processes, improved efficiency, and maximized resource utilization.





Client Satisfaction: Purebread remains committed to delivering exceptional value to its customers. The integration has consistently maintained Purebread's award-winning high standards of service, and quality of product.

For more information about Purebread visit their website at www.purebread.ca or follow them on social media.

About Purebread and Coho Collective Kitchens Inc.

Coho is a growing player in commercial real estate and food technology, operating fast casual restaurants and shared-kitchen facilities. As Canada's largest shared-kitchen company, Coho is expanding its presence and services. Through their combined efforts, Coho and Purebread strive to positively impact the communities in which they operate.

For more information, please visit www.cohocollectivekitchens.com or contact:

Andrew Barnes, Chief Executive Officer

Coho Collective Kitchens

[email protected]

(778) 877-6513

Forward-Looking Information

This press release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities legislation, which reflect management's current expectations regarding future events. Forward-Looking information is based on a number of assumptions and is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's control, which could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those that are disclosed in or implied by such forward-looking information. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, Coho's ability to open the locations described in this press release substantially in accordance with the timelines indicated above, the ability of the Company to execute on its strategy, the growth and performance of the ghost kitchen industry globally and in Canada; risks inherent in the ghost-kitchen, retail bakery, or coffeehouse sectors in general; that future results may vary from historical results; and competition in the markets where Coho operates. Except as required by securities law, Coho does not assume any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, events or otherwise.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/188545
DUBLIN , Nov. 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Mobility and the Employment of Overseas Nationals Training Course" training has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The law and best practice around global mobility and the employment of overseas nationals is a fast-moving area. Are you aware of the latest changes and how they can impact your business?

This intensive training programme covers everything the in house lawyer needs to know when considering the employment of overseas nationals, including the risks involved and best practice.

This one-day event will cover the most relevant, and fast changing, topics in the world of immigration with a focus on the UK . From the impact of Brexit, to the seismic shifts in working practices caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, this session will ensure you are fully up to date.

Who Should Attend:

This event is primarily aimed at in-house lawyers but it will also be of interest and value to HR personnel and people managers looking to recruit overseas nationals.

Prevention of illegal working

This session will cover a detailed look at the rules and policies around the prevention of illegal working policies, including the new (and soon to be mandatory) online verification procedure, the proposed changes in right to work verification for settled individuals and British citizens, and the implications of the Covid-19 concessions. Whilst many businesses believe they are compliant, this is actually rarely the case due to the frequent changes introduced.

Immigration compliance and discrimination

This session will show you how to ensure you remain compliant with your obligations under immigration rules and policies, whilst also ensuring you remain compliant with employment law and the avoidance of discrimination to ensure inclusivity.

Global flexible working

With an increased focus on agile working, which is often across country borders, many employers are not aware of the full implications of this. This session will therefore look to provide a high level overview of all the risks when faced with cross border flexible working, including the immigration, tax, employment, health and safety and data security considerations.

Immigration options

This session will provide an overview of all UK immigration options for non-settled individuals looking to live lawfully in the UK for the purposes of work. It will cover all the primary routes employers should be aware of when looking to recruit an individual from overseas, and help them decide the most appropriate way forward.

This will include:

Sponsor licencing

Skilled workers

Intra-company transfers (and the proposed new 'Global Mobility' route)

Non sponsored work options

Family options

Why you should attend?

Get to grips with the latest updates in immigration best practice

Understand the risks involved in getting it wrong and what that could mean for your business

Examine the primary recruitment routes available to employers

Clarify the processes you need to follow to remain compliant with employment law

Expand your knowledge of discrimination law and how to ensure inclusivity

Learn about agile working and the implications of cross border flexible working

Speakers:

Adam Sinfield

Osborne Clarke



Adam Sinfield , Immigration Director, UK at Osborne Clarke, is an experienced global mobility specialist, specialising in UK inbound immigration for fast growth corporates and high net worth individuals. With over 15 years' experience in advising clients on all aspects of UK and global migration matters.



As a member of the specialist immigration team, part of the employment service line, Adam focuses on assisting clients with their global staff mobility needs. This includes clients varying from fast growth tech start-ups to larger, established corporates with their global mobility strategy and management.

Gavin Jones

Osborne Clarke



Gavin Jones, Head of Immigration, UK at Osborne Clarke, has over 20 years' experience advising on both business and personal immigration issues. He leads the firm's immigration practice and has a well-regarded reputation in the industry. His legal expertise comprises all areas of UK business immigration acting for multi-nationals through to start-up companies and he has advised on the full extent of entry clearance applications, as well as personal applications for UK residency and nationality, settlements and citizenship and student applications.

Helga Butler

Osborne Clarke



Helga Butler joined Osborne Clarke in January 2017 and has over twelve years' immigration experience. She has in-depth knowledge and expertise comprising of UK business immigration and private immigration applications.



Helga advises on a wide range of applications ranging from business sponsor licence applications, skilled worker, intra-company visas to indefinite leave to remain, naturalisation and EU Settlement Scheme and associated applications.



For more information about this training visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/7dtwmt

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood , Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

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SOURCE Research and Markets
Backers of an initiative to create an independent redistricting commission for Nevada are again launching an effort to get a question on the ballot.

Two initiatives were filed last week with the secretary of states office on behalf of Fair Maps Nevada, a group led by College of Southern Nevada professor Sondra Cosgrove, who also spearheaded the 2020 and 2022 efforts to change Nevadas redistricting process.

The petitions contain identical language and seek to remove state lawmakers role in the redistricting process by establishing an independent, seven-member commission to draw congressional and legislative district maps. The only difference between the two petitions is that one would require new maps to be redrawn in 2027 (the first possible year the proposed law would be in effect assuming the measure were to pass on the 2024 and 2026 ballots) and the other in 2031, which would align with the states usual 10-year redistricting cycle.

According to Ballotpedia, 10 states use commissions for congressional redistricting, and 15 use them for legislative redistricting, with the vast majority of commissions not populated by those in elected office. Advocates say that the model helps suppress partisan gerrymandering and ensures elections are fairer and more competitive.

As constitutional amendments, voters will need to vote in favor of the initiatives in the 2024 and 2026 elections before the amendments could become part of the state constitution.

I am being tenacious about this, and Im going to put it in front of the voters as many times as I possibly can, Cosgrove said in an interview with The Nevada Independent.

Cosgrove said the 2021 redistricting process, when Democrats held control of the Legislature and the governors office, resulted in maps that heavily favored the Democratic Party. She cited the Princeton Gerrymandering Projects recently released F grade for partisan fairness on the states new congressional maps as evidence that the system needs to change, especially given the fact that registered nonpartisans are quickly growing in number.

No one in this state can look me in the eye and tell me that the maps are not gerrymandered, said Cosgrove, who is also the executive director of the civic engagement nonprofit Vote Nevada.

In 2020 and 2022, Fair Maps Nevada supported similar, nearly identical initiatives that were unsuccessful.

To get an initiative or referendum on the ballot, a petitioner must obtain signatures from at least 10 percent of the voters in the previous general election  meaning that at least 102,586 signatures are needed to qualify a measure for the 2024 ballot, with at least 25,647 signatures coming from each of the states four congressional districts.

The petitioners must collect and submit signatures by July 8, 2024, to qualify for next years election. If a petition receives enough signatures and a simple majority of Nevadans vote in favor of the corresponding ballot question, it would pass and be placed on the ballot again in 2026, where another affirmative vote would add the language to the state constitution.

The 2020 petition was challenged in court almost immediately after it was filed by a Las Vegas pastor with ties to state Democrats. Despite winning a deadline extension in federal court, difficulties with collecting signatures during a pandemic meant the group fell well short of the signatures needed to qualify for the initiative.

Cosgrove said shes not worried about lawsuits derailing the measure because the initiatives language has survived past legal challenges. She said the 2022 effort failed because it was challenging to reach nonpartisan voters, and she and other supporters are working on addressing that gap.

The petitions stipulate that four of the redistricting commission members would be appointed by legislative leadership and the remaining three chosen by the four appointees. Those three could not have an affiliation with either the Republican Party or Democratic Party, and at least one nonpartisan would need to support the new district maps for them to move forward.

Individuals who would not be allowed on the commission include lobbyists, candidates or elected officials.

In the past, the initiative received modest financial support from trade groups for real estate agents and franchised auto dealers. She said fundraising for the 2024 measure has not yet begun.

Cosgrove estimated it costs about $2 million to successfully qualify a ballot initiative, which she said is prohibitively expensive and unfair.

But Im just gonna keep doing it, Cosgrove said. Im a historian. I know that tenacity sometimes is what you need.
JOHANNESBURG , Nov. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- As technology continues to transform and disrupt every sector, the health sector is no exception. Digital innovation is having a tremendous impact on the healthcare industry from the way individuals gain access to services, to the breakthrough development of new technology that is radically transforming diagnostic procedures.

Helping Healthcare Professionals Solve Complex Problems

Even more notable is the impact of data in healthcare and how it is helping to solve the most challenging problems in patient health and operational efficiency.

In January 2023 , Harvard Business Review Analytic Services conducted a global survey of 757 members of the Harvard Business Review audience who work in the health care industry or in a health care-related industry and are familiar with their organization's use of health data.

Data Accelerating Digital Transformation

The results from the report demonstrate how innovative uses of data in healthcare is helping organizations improve patient health outcomes, enable faster clinical decisions, and improve treatment and hospital workflows.

This year's 8th Healthcare Innovation Summit Africa 2023 , featuring leading experts, innovators, and stakeholders will be sharing their insights and experiences on topics like digital health, telemedicine, data analytics, and more.

The two-day summit, being hosted at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Johannesburg , on November 29th and 30th presents an opportunity to network with peers and potential partners, explore the Innovation Showcase, and learn how to overcome the industry specific challenges that have arisen from the rapid technological advancements.

Attendee Testimonials

At the Healthcare Innovation Summit held in 2017, CEO of Helen Joseph Hospital in Auckland Park who was in attendance shared his experience after attending the IT Summit in 2015 and why he made the decision to come back.

It was at the IT Summit that he heard about the technology available to improve healthcare management and had the opportunity to to have a conversation with an industry expert about the challenges he faced with managing data.

That conversation led to the implementation of a software system that led to the overall improvement of the hospitals performance. In the areas of administration, patient data management, HR and finances. Testifying to the incredible experience, he had which led to his decision to attend the summit in 2017 he said, "When I heard about this conference this year, I decided to come back so that I can learn more about how I can improve the hospital's efficiency."

Similarly, Managing Director of MediSwitch, Andrew Brown shared his perspective about the impact of the Healthcare Summit, and how important it is to continue to host such events, "I thoroughly enjoyed the event, we've heard from speakers who are really challenging the status quo of the adoption of technology, in the healthcare market in South Africa and in broader Africa and I firmly believe that events like this brings all of those role players together and challenges each one of us to think about what we do on a day to day basis differently so that we can actually go out there and ultimately make a difference to health care in Africa ."

Key Topics to be Addressed.

This summit will address key topics such as:

The digital divide in public healthcare and how to bridge it.

Innovative healthcare solutions for marginalized communities and how to deliver them.

The future of health in Africa and how to prepare for it.

The Healthcare Innovation Summit Africa 2023, will most benefit individuals interested in learning about the latest African healthcare trends, presented by healthcare experts, policymakers, IT decision-makers, entrepreneurs, and investors to discuss digital transformation.

Earn 8 CPD points at Healthcare Innovation

Summit Africa 2023:

By attending this #HISA2023, you not only have the opportunity to gain valuable insights and networking experiences, but also to earn 8 CPD (Continuing Profes-sional Development) credits from The Alliance of South Africa Independent Prac-titioners Association (ASAIPA).

Don't miss this chance to be part of the pivotal event that assembles a diverse array of stakeholders dedicated to changing the face of healthcare on the African continent. Register now and secure your seat at this exclusive event.

Media Contact:

Nonhlanhla Kunene

(c): O718361815

(w): 0120125801

(e): [email protected]

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/attend-the-healthcare-innovation-summit-africa-2023-301996670.html

SOURCE Healthcare Innovation Summit Africa 2023
FUZHOU, China , Nov. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The China proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has brought the vision of "heart connectivity" to reality, and it is a path to common development, multiple ambassadors and officials from BRI partner countries said on Wednesday during a roundtable held in Fuzhou , East China's Fujian Province .

"The BRI has brought changes in the mind of the world," said Bishnu Pukar Shrestha , Ambassador of Nepal to China , noting that the initiative focuses on connectivity, not only in transportation, but also in minds and hearts.

"This vision and concept have now become possible to access," Shrestha continued. Nepal has benefited a lot from the BRI, and there are different projects that have been completed in Nepal , including railways and roads, which have energized bilateral cooperation and allowed the country to continue to develop, he said.

Shrestha made the remarks during a roundtable on the Belt and Road Global Chambers of Commerce and Association Conference, which is the world's first international cooperation and exchange platform with chambers of commerce, industry associations and other social organizations as the main participants. The conference, which is held annually, aims to harness the resources of chambers of commerce as the BRI cooperation advances, and to explore new international cooperation opportunities.

"The BRI gives an opportunity to the world that is connected now, and the potential for the initiative is unlimited," Awale Ali Kullane, Somali Ambassador to China , said during the roundtable, noting that the COVID-19 pandemic has delayed the process, but it has also shown the importance of such a global initiative.

Kadirkamu Kandasamy Yoganaadan, charge d'affaires of Sri Lanka's Embassy in China , enumerated a number of infrastructure construction projects under the BRI including ports, airports and expressways. Taking the Colombo Port project as an example, Yoganaadan said that it is being built with the modern sustainable design and smart city concept, providing investment opportunities in the IT industry, financial services and shipping logistics.

"The BRI has generated many direct and indirect job opportunities in Sri Lanka , and we are expecting more direct investment flows. Sri Lanka is among the countries ready to join the second phase of the BRI," Yoganaadan noted.

Minister of Economic Affairs of the Embassy of Malaysia in China Unny Sankar Ravi Sankar said that China has been Malaysia's largest trade partner for 14 consecutive years and the biggest source of foreign direct investment as well. The two countries have established two industrial parks under the BRI, and more projects are expected next year, he said.

Minister of Economic Affairs of the Embassy of Pakistan in Beijing, China Aslam Chaudhary said that Pakistan is among the first countries that joined the BRI.

"During the last 10 years, we added 2,500 kilometers of motorways to the existing network of rural transportation and added 10,000 megawatts of generation capacity to the national grid. We also added 4,000 electricity transmission lines to the existing network," Chaudhary noted.

Chaudhary added that the major focus of the BRI during its first 10 years has been cooperation between countries to build infrastructure, promote economic development and investment. In the second phase, business-to-business collaboration will become increasingly important.

Ahmed Chouaib , charge d'affaires of the Mission of the League of Arab States in Beijing , said that Arab countries participating in the BRI are demonstrating a high degree of engagement with China . This initiative represents the power of international cooperation, a power of interconnectivity that crosses national and ethnic boundaries.

Chouaib noted that strengthening people-to-people communication between China and Arab countries has also become an integral part of the BRI, and cultural, tourism and artistic cooperation have all emerged.

The BRI is a symbol of unity between China and Arab countries. As well as building roads and bridges, it can also create more interconnected, prosperous and harmonious cooperation, said Chouaib.

Under the guidance of People's Daily and All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, the GCCAC 2023 & Presidents Conference is hosted by Fuzhou Municipal People's Government, Global Times, Fujian Federation of Commerce & Industry, Administrative Committee of Fuzhou New Area , and Administration of Fuzhou Area of China (Fujian) Pilot Free Trade Zone , as well as organized by Global Times Online, the Information Office of Fuzhou Municipal People's Government, and Fuzhou Federation of Industry and Commerce.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bri-offers-common-development-officials-from-partner-countries-301996592.html

SOURCE Huanqiu.com
SHENZHEN, China , Nov. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- QuillingCL, the leading paper quilling gift supplier, is launching a Black Friday promotional event in celebration of the upcoming holiday season. Until January 31, 2024 , all gift items across all themes are available at a 20% discount with the code BF20.

Quilling, a paper art form with roots in Europe , has been popular for hundreds of years. In the 18th century, it was particularly prevalent in French and Italian monasteries. As part of the promotion, QuillingCL particularly highlights their Christmas ornaments, which are handcrafted with intricate details and rich in design.

https://craftsliberty.com/collections/quilling-christmas-ornaments

Among the highlighted items are the Quilled Snowflake Ornaments, unique holiday gifts featuring a three-layered abstract snowflake design. Another popular option is the Quilling Christmas Tree with coloring Christmas light. Packaged in exquisite, high-end gift boxes, these handcrafted ornaments are perfect for home or office decorations, or as gifts for loved ones.

https://craftsliberty.com/products/quilled-snowflake-ornaments-holiday-gifts

"Each piece of our artwork is handcrafted with unique original designs. The creation of a paper quilling art piece requires an exceptional level of craftsmanship and a significant amount of time. Our products, rich in detail, take an average of 10 hours to create, with some taking as long as 20 hours," the founder said.

QuillingCL is also committed to using high-quality materials, specifically premium quilling paper strips from the renowned Japanese brand TANT. Vibrant colors stand the test of time, ensuring optimal presentation and visual impact for every piece.

As we approach Thanksgiving , QuillingCL is also showcasing its unique collection of quilled floral bouquets as the perfect gifts for your Thanksgiving Day . The collection offers a unique selection of handcrafted floral bouquets. These exquisite pieces make thoughtful gifts for occasions such as Thanksgiving Day , Birthday, Mother's Day , weddings, housewarmings, and more. https://craftsliberty.com/collections/quilled-flowers-for-birthday

Customers can also choose gifts from other popular themes as below:

Quilled Back-to-School Gift is a distinctive present that can bring joy and ease to both teachers and students. This fun and unique gift is sure to make the start of the academic year more exciting.

Embrace the spirit of celebration and renewal with our Quilled New Year Gifts . These handcrafted pieces capture the joy and positivity that come with the start of a new year, making them perfect gifts to ring in the new year.

"Send more than just a gift  send art!"

Customers can rest assured with QuillingCL's 40-day after-sales service guarantee. All purchases are made securely through Paypal, ensuring a safe transaction platform. QuillingCL invites everyone to take part in this festive promotion, explore the wide range of handmade gifts, and celebrate the holiday season with art.

About QuillingCL

QuillingCL is a leading provider of handmade gifts, specializing in the art of quilling. We take immerse pride in our commitment to quality and our capacity to provide customers with a wide selection of gifts that are perfect for all occasions. At QuillingCL, we are confident that we can alleviate all your gift-giving worries.

For more information, please visit https://craftsliberty.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quillingcl_official/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@QuillingCL

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/quillingcl/

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SOURCE QuillingCL
BOGOTA, Colombia , Nov. 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ecopetrol S.A. (BVC: ECOPETROL; NYSE: EC) ("Ecopetrol") announces changes in its senior management team of the Upstream Vice-Presidency to meet challenges in the process of aligning its hydrocarbons exploration and production activities with the energy transition, as follows:

1. Elsa Jeanneth Jaimes is confirmed as Vice President of Offshore, a position she has held since last August. Elsa is a Geologist and has a master's degree in petroleum geology. She joined the Ecopetrol Group in 2008 and since then has served in different capacities, including as Vice President of Exploration for Ecopetrol and Hocol S.A..

2. Juan Diego Puerta , current General Manager of Drilling and Completions, is appointed as the new Vice President of Exploration. Juan Diego is a mechanical engineer with more than 25 years of experience in the energy industry, where he has led international offshore exploration projects. He joined the Ecopetrol Group in 2011

Ecopetrol is the largest company in Colombia and one of the main integrated energy companies in the American continent, with more than 18,000 employees. In Colombia , it is responsible for more than 60% of the hydrocarbon production of most transportation, logistics, and hydrocarbon refining systems, and it holds leading positions in the petrochemicals and gas distribution segments. With the acquisition of 51.4% of ISA's shares, the company participates in energy transmission, the management of real-time systems (XM), and the Barranquilla - Cartagena coastal highway concession. At the international level, Ecopetrol has a stake in strategic basins in the American continent, with Drilling and Exploration operations in the United States (Permian basin and the Gulf of Mexico ), Brazil , and Mexico , and, through ISA and its subsidiaries, Ecopetrol holds leading positions in the power transmission business in Brazil , Chile , Peru , and Bolivia, road concessions in Chile , and the telecommunications sector. This press release contains business prospect statements, operating and financial result estimates, and statements related to Ecopetrol's growth prospects. These are all projections and, as such, they are based solely on the expectations of the managers regarding the future of the company and their continued access to capital to finance the company's business plan. The realization of said estimates in the future depends on the behavior of market conditions, regulations, competition, and the performance of the Colombian economy and the industry, among other factors, and are consequently subject to change without prior notice.

This release contains statements that may be considered forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All forward-looking statements, whether made in this release or in future filings or press releases, or orally, address matters that involve risks and uncertainties, including in respect of the Company's prospects for growth and its ongoing access to capital to fund the Company's business plan, among others. Consequently, changes in the following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from those included in the forward-looking statements: market prices of oil & gas, our exploration, and production activities, market conditions, applicable regulations, the exchange rate, the Company's competitiveness and the performance of Colombia's economy and industry, to mention a few. We do not intend and do not assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

For more information, please contact:

Head of Capital Markets (a)

Carolina Tovar Aragon

Email: [email protected]

Head of Corporate Communications

Marcela Ulloa

Email: [email protected]

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ecopetrol-announces-new-senior-management-appointments-301996411.html

SOURCE Ecopetrol S.A.
SEOUL, South Korea , Nov. 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Hanwha Aerospace has been awarded a contract to supply 155mm artillery bi-modular charge systems to BAE Systems. BAE Systems is a long term strategic supply partner to the UK Ministry of Defence. The contract is worth around $130M , providing critical components of the artillery operation.

"This contract with BAE Systems underscores Hanwha Aerospace's commitment to strengthening Korea - UK defense ties," said Jae-il Son , President and CEO of Hanwha Aerospace "Our 155mm Artillery Modular Charge System will effectively meet NATO's ammunition needs, enhancing the operational efficiency of weapon systems by leveraging Hanwha's robust production capabilities and BAE Systems' expertise."

Glynn Plant, Managing Director of Land UK at BAE Systems, said: "Our order for the supply of modular charge systems demonstrates the compatibility of the Hanwha Aerospace MCS system with our 155mm ammunition."

The Modular Charge System (MCS) is an effective method of tailoring the propelling charge to the individual needs of weapons systems, which streamlines logistics and improves the handling of self-propelled artillery systems. The MCS burns very cleanly upon ignition leaving little or no residue, thereby eliminating the need for swabbing the barrel between fires, leading to the increase the system's rate of fire.

Hanwha Aerospace's Bi-Modular Charge System, HW70 and HW50, were developed using NATO standard 39/52 caliber 155mm guns and BAE Systems' NATO standard ammunition, L15, to meet the Joint Ballistic Memorandum of Understanding (JBMoU), and have been verified for performance, safety, and compatibility. It also incorporates performance enhancements over its predecessor, including increased robustness of the Combustible Cartridge Case (CCC) to maximize operability with Automated Turrets, which are expected to be increasingly deployed in the future, and an improved ignition system for fast and uniform propellant ignition.

About Hanwha Aerospace

Hanwha Aerospace is a global aerospace and defense company that offers a broad portfolio of products and services. These include land combat vehicles such as the world-renowned K9 Self-Propelled Howitzer and the Redback Infantry Fighting Vehicle, various other weapons systems, munitions, aircraft engine parts, and technology products and services. As South Korea's largest aerospace and defense company, Hanwha Aerospace is engaged in the research, development, and manufacture of advanced technology systems and is spearheading the country's space projects. More information about Hanwha Aerospace is available at www.hanwhaaerospace.com.

About BAE Systems

At BAE Systems, we provide some of the world's most advanced, technology-led defence, aerospace and security solutions. We employ a skilled workforce of 93,100 people in around 40 countries. Working with customers and local partners, we develop, engineer, manufacture, and support products and systems to deliver military capability, protect national security, and keep critical information and infrastructure secure.

www.baesystems.com

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hanwha-aerospace-contracts-with-bae-systems-to-supply-155mm-artillery-propelling-charges-301996340.html

SOURCE Hanwha Aerospace
Global provider of IT and digital solutions, Hexaware Technologies, opens new Birmingham facility to support UK growth ambitions.

Offices officially opened by West Midlands Mayor, Andy Street , one year on from trade mission to India .

Hexaware begins West Midlands recruitment drive, with plans to create 250 roles at new facility by 2025.

ISELIN, N.J. , Nov. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Indian-owned Hexaware Technologies, a global provider of IT and digital solutions, has marked the next phase of its UK expansion by opening a new Birmingham -based facility, with plans to create 250 jobs. The facility at 3, Brindleyplace was officially opened by West Midlands Mayor, Andy Street , who took part in a ribbon cutting and traditional Indian lamp-lighting ceremony.

Hexaware's launch of its Birmingham base follows its move to establish a pilot facility in the city earlier this year to provide on-site support for several customers. Since then, a surge in demand in areas such as application operations, End-User Computing (EUC) services, and ServiceDesk support, has convinced Hexaware to step up its growth in the West Midlands while diversifying its portfolio of services.

The expansion plan forms a key part of the business' UK growth strategy, which is focused on establishing themselves as a trusted partner for innovative IT and digital services. The company is committed to scaling up its Birmingham facility to house 250 talented professionals by 2025. The onboarding process for over 60 local employees is already underway, with plans to actively seek out additional top-tier talent to complement Hexaware's growing team. The business' recruitment drive is being supported by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) skills team, following an introduction by the West Midlands Growth Company (WMGC).

The announcement comes one year since West Midlands Mayor, Andy Street , led a delegation formed of business and political leaders from the UK's West Midlands to India's sub-regions. The trade mission resulted in a number of strategic partnerships, with the aim of boosting bilateral trade and investment between India and the West Midlands .

During the 2022/23 financial year, India overtook the US to become the West Midlands' leading source of FDI, with tech-led investments into the region representing a prominent trend. The West Midlands also cemented its reputation as a global investment hotspot, emerging as the UK's top regional location for attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) outside London .

R Srikrishna, CEO at Hexaware, said, "We want to deliver personalized services to our large and rapidly growing British customer base while helping build and improve the economy and talent in local communities. Birmingham and the Midlands , with their rich and diverse talent base, offer immense potential to meet both objectives."

Andy Street , Mayor of the West Midlands , said, "Last year's trade mission to India helped us to further strengthen our region's economic ties with this dynamic nation on the rise  as discussions advance around a new Free Trade Agreement between the UK and India .

" India is now one of our region's leading sources of foreign direct investment, and now, the West Midlands Growth Company (WMGC) is spearheading our international strategy to further strengthen our reputation as the UK's leading FDI recipient outside of London .

"This important investment announcement from Hexaware a year on from our trade mission is a fantastic result. I'm pleased that Hexaware have made this commitment, and I look forward to seeing them go from strength to strength here  supported by our world-class STEM talent base and strengths in innovation."

Councillor John Cotton , Leader of Birmingham City Council, said, " Birmingham is a hub of educational excellence, housing multiple institutions that consistently rank among the world's top 100 universities. Our city is not only home to these world-class universities, but it also offers an exceptional environment for both local and international students and skilled professionals. With this expansion, Birmingham presents a unique opportunity to students and professionals alike to acquire invaluable industry experience through work placements with Hexaware, contributing to the needs of their global clientele."

About West Midlands Growth Company:

The West Midlands Growth Company helps the region make its mark nationally and internationally. Its primary purpose is to attract investment, jobs, visitors and businesses to the West Midlands . The West Midlands Growth Company focuses on the WMCA geography of Greater Birmingham and Solihull , Coventry and Warwickshire , and the Black Country .

About Hexaware Technologies:

Hexaware is a global technology and business process services company. Our 27,900 Hexawarians wake up every day with a singular purpose: to create smiles through great people and technology. With 45+ offices in 19 countries, we empower enterprises worldwide to realize digital transformation at scale and speed by partnering with them to build, transform, run, and optimize their technology and business processes.

Learn more about Hexaware at https://www.hexaware.com

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2284206/Hexaware_Birmingham_facility_inauguration.jpg

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2237417/Hexaware_NEW_Logo.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hexaware-expands-uk-operations-with-new-facility-in-birmingham-301996542.html

SOURCE Hexaware Technologies Ltd.
Hyundai Motor and UCL sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) ahead of the UK-Korea Business Forum in London on November 22 with key leaders attending

and UCL sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) ahead of the in on with key leaders attending Hyundai Motor and UCL to conduct joint research on hydrogen production, fuel cells and electrification technologies, leveraging UCL's new Advanced Propulsion Lab

and UCL to conduct joint research on hydrogen production, fuel cells and electrification technologies, leveraging UCL's new Both parties look to achieve carbon neutrality by accelerating the establishment of a hydrogen economy and realizing a sustainable future mobility ecosystem

SEOUL, South Korea , Nov. 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Hyundai Motor Company today announced that it is partnering with the world-renowned University College London (UCL) to jointly research carbon-neutral future technologies.

Hyundai Motor signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on 'Cooperation in areas of Research and Development for Hydrogen Production, Hydrogen Fuel Cells and Electrification Technology' with UCL at Mansion House in London on November 22 .

The MOU signing ceremony took place prior to the UK-Korea Business Forum. In attendance were government officials from both countries, including Moon-kyu Bang , South Korea's Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy; and Nigel Huddleston , UK Secretary of State for International Trade; as well as Dong-wook Kim, Executive Vice President of Hyundai Motor Company; and Dr Michael Spence , President and Provost of UCL.

With both South Korea and UK aiming to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, Hyundai Motor looks to accelerate the development of a hydrogen economy and realize a sustainable future mobility ecosystem through this MOU.

UCL is a prestigious research-oriented university that is consistently ranked at the top of global university rankings and has produced dozens of Nobel Prize and Fields Medal winners. "Through joint research with UCL, one of the UK's leading research universities, we will accelerate the pace of technological innovation in hydrogen production, fuel cells and electrification," said Jaehoon (Jay) Chang , President and CEO of Hyundai Motor Company. "We hope that this collaboration will contribute to achieving carbon neutrality in the transportation sector, which is a goal shared by Korea and the UK ."

UCL President and Provost, Dr Michael Spence said, "New technologies, such as hydrogen generation, electric vehicles and fuel cells, are a fundamental part of international efforts to keep the global temperature rise within the goals set out in the Paris Agreement. This partnership will combine UCL's world-leading engineering research with Hyundai's expertise as one of the world's leading automotive companies to accelerate the development of these vital technologies."

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hyundai-motor-company-and-university-college-london-to-collaborate-on-carbon-free-future-technologies-301995911.html

SOURCE Hyundai Motor Company
CHICAGO , Nov. 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ --

A proposed settlement has been reached in a class action lawsuit against BioMetric Impressions Corp. ("BIC") regarding fingerprinting services it conducted allegedly in violation of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act ("BIPA"). The case is Sayas v. BioMetric Impression Corp., Case No. 2020 CH 000210, pending in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois (the "Court"). Although BIC denies the allegations and any wrongdoing, the parties have decided to settle their dispute (the "Settlement"). BIC's agreement to settle this matter is not an admission of any wrongdoing, and the Court has not made any determination that BIC violated the law.

Who's included in the Class? All persons who were fingerprinted by BIC: (a) between January 8, 2015 and August 14, 2023 ; and (b) for whom such fingerprinting services were not paid by the State of Illinois pursuant to the CMS Contract (as defined in the Settlement Agreement).

What does the Settlement provide? BIC has agreed to create a fund in the amount of $10,850,000 to pay Class Members; settlement administration expenses; attorneys' fees, costs and expenses; and a service award to class representatives (the "Settlement Fund"). Each Class member who submits a timely, valid Claim Form may receive a payment out of the Settlement. Following the timely submission of a valid Claim Form and final approval of the Settlement by the Court, this payment will be sent to Class Members via electronic means or check. Although the exact amount of each Class Member's payment is and will be unknown until the Court grants final approval of the Settlement, Class Members who timely submit a valid Claim Form are eligible to receive up to $1,000 . The amount could be less depending on several factors, including how many Class Members return valid Claim Forms. To receive a cash payment from the fund, you must complete and submit a Claim Form by February 22, 2024 . Claim Forms can be completed online at www.BICBIPASettlement.com or may be submitted via email or by mail. For more information about this Settlement, including its benefits, your options, and a copy of the Agreement itself, please visit www.BICBIPASettlement.com or call 1-877-834-0275. Please call 1-877-834-0275 if you need to update your mailing address.

Your rights may be affected. If you do not want to be legally bound by the Settlement, you must exclude yourself by January 8, 2024 . If you do not exclude yourself, you will release your claims against BIC related to the alleged violations of BIPA, as more fully described in the Settlement Agreement. If you stay in the Settlement, you may object to it by January 8, 2024 . The detailed Notice available at www.BICBIPASettlement.com explains how to exclude yourself or object. The Court is scheduled to hold a hearing on March 5, 2024 at 11:00 am to consider whether to approve the Settlement Agreement, Class Counsel's request for attorneys' fees of up to 33.3% of the Settlement Fund plus reasonable out-of-pocket litigation costs not to exceed $30,000 , and a service award for the Class Representatives of $6,000 . You can appear at the hearing, but you do not have to. If you want, you can hire your own attorney at your own expense to appear or speak for you at the hearing.

URL: www.BICBIPASettlement.com

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/if-you-were-fingerprinted-by-biometric-impressions-corp-on-or-after-january-8-2015-you-may-be-eligible-for-a-cash-payment-from-a-class-action-settlement-301994070.html

SOURCE Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois
DUBLIN , Nov. 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "FDA Inspections and Audit Readiness Course" training has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



This seminar is broken into two phases. Phase one corresponding to Day 1 will build basic knowledge of the inspection - the who, what, and when. Phase Two corresponding to Day 2 will delve into the how of the inspection from the perspectives of the FDA and those being inspected.



One of the key components discussing and emphasizing the importance of truthfulness to the process - truthfulness in performing the job on a daily basis, truthfulness in completing the regulatory documentation that is so much a part of our regulatory lives, and finally in the context of this webinar, truthfulness when interacting with FDA inspectors.



Another key component of this seminar is the discussion of the tricks and techniques that inspectors use to elicit information. How you react and respond when they occur could impact your results.



Other key communications skills will be presented in the context of the inspection and interpersonal exchanges between inspectors and company associates being questioned.



We will complete the seminar by discussing how to handle, in the moment, adverse findings as they are identified by the inspector so as to not compound the issues and severity of the findings.

WHY YOU SHOULD ATTEND:

The FDA has been increasing its surveillance of regulated industries. While it is a given that companies must meet their regulatory requirements, how company staff handle an audit and interact with FDA inspectors, can mean the difference between a successful and an unsuccessful FDA audit. The cost of an ineffective interaction can be staggering.



If you are in any regulated business - pharmaceuticals, medical devices, you will experience an inspection by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). According to the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, "Registered domestic drug establishments shall be inspected by the FDA at least once every two years." Depending upon the inspection type and the circumstance, inspections may occur more frequently. The outcome of those inspections can have a grave significant impact upon your business even if you and your colleagues have done everything "right."

How you and others behave and interact with FDA inspectors can have an impact on the results reported. Interacting with inspectors is not an natural behavior, effective techniques must be learned and mastered if those inspections are to have positive outcomes.

Ideal for, and a Must-Attend webinar for Top Management, Directors, Vice Presidents, General & Senior Managers, Managers and Every Personnel from

Quality Assurance Departments

Quality Control Departments

Regulatory Affairs Departments

Research and Development Departments

Compliance Departments

Production Departments

Operations Departments

Manufacturing Departments

Validation Departments

Documentation Departments

Engineering Departments

Logistics & Warehousing Departments

Marketing Departments

Virtually the entire spectrum of your organization

DAY 1 ( 11 AM to 3 PM )



Setting the Stage

FDA Inspection Operations - how they do it

Risk-Based approaches for prioritizing sites for GMP Inspection

ICH Q9/Q10

Types of Inspections

Pre-Approval

Post-Approval

Product Surveillance

For Cause

What gets Inspected?

Good Clinical Practice (GCP),

Good Laboratory Practice (GLP), and

Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP).

Who gets inspected?

The Systems-Based approach

Inspectional Trends

Enforcement

DAY 2 ( 11 AM to 3 PM )



Preparation, Inspection Conduct and Do's and Don'ts

The FDA Investigator

Preparation

General

3I approach of Implement-Inspect-Incorporate

Gap analysis and root cause determination

Good Clinical Practice (GCP)

Good Laboratory Practice (GLP)

Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP)

General FDA Inspection Protocol

What is covered during a routine inspection

Inspection conduct

Importance of truthfulness

Importance of knowledgeability and confidence

FDA Tricks to elicit information

Arguing and challenging

Behavior during the inspection

Importance and role of documentation

Effective communication skills

Being deceptive

Opinion versus fact

Phrases never to say

Handling adverse findings during the inspection

Inspection Do's and Don'ts

Speakers

Charles Paul is an instructional designer and management consultant with over 30 years experience providing training and consulting services to regulated industries. He has installed quality systems and designed and developed GMP and operational documentation and training programs for foods and beverage, pharmaceuticals, biotech, cosmetics, and consumer product OTC industries.

For more information about this training visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/vqz8cz

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood , Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S. /CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S. ): +353-1-481-1716

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View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/intensive-2-day-virtual-fda-inspections-and-audit-readiness-course-regulatory-success-basics-and-pro-techniques-301995952.html

SOURCE Research and Markets
BEIJING , Nov. 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- JA Solar, a leading manufacturer of high-performance solar power products, recently achieved further validation of its sustainability efforts with the successful completion of Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) assessments for multiple product lines through the authoritative French institution Kapstan, resulting in registration on the EPD systems of Norway and Italy . This accomplishment demonstrates that JA Solar's ongoing work in eco-friendly design, carbon footprint reduction, and sustainable manufacturing practices continues to gain important third-party verification and enhance the company's influence and competitiveness in the high-end photovoltaic (PV) market.

As a type III environmental declaration based on the ISO14025 standard, EPD is based on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), and discloses the environmental impact of a product or service on aspects including non-renewable resources, ecosystems, and human health throughout its lifecycle from raw material acquisition, production, transportation, consumption, and final disposal. In this context, EPD is considered the most powerful support tool for government green procurement and product ecological design. The EPD assessment obtained by enterprise products is universal across most European countries.

The p-type series products and the whole n-type DeepBlue 4.0 Pro products under JA Solar have successfully passed the EPD assessment in Norway and Italy this time. In particular, these products are highly recognized with their low GWP (Global Warming Potential). This indicates that all mainstream PV products of JA Solar have been further recognized in the international high-end market, and shows the progressiveness and eco-friendliness of JA Solar's products in the n-type era.

JA Solar has always committed itself to green production, green operations, and green products, and spares no efforts to building a green and low-carbon industrial chain. In 2022, JA Solar further proposed the sustainable development concept of "Green to Green, Green to Grow, Green to Great".

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ja-solars-n-type-products-pass-epd-assessment-in-norway-and-italy-301996412.html

SOURCE JA Solar Technology Co., Ltd.
WASHINGTON, DC  U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen, D-NV, and Catherine Cortez Masto, D-NV, announced that more than $1,050,000 for public safety and law enforcement has been awarded to the Nevada System of Higher Education, Elko County School District, and the City of Reno. This funding comes through the Department of Justices Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) for hiring law enforcement officers, increasing school security, and supporting community policing.

The funding includes $500,000 for Elko County School District to improve school security; $375,000 for the Nevada System of Higher Education to hire additional officers; and $175,000 for City of Reno for officer recruitment, retention, and workforce diversification.

One of my top priorities in the Senate is ensuring law enforcement in Nevada have all the resources they need to keep our communities safe, said Rosen. Im proud to see this funding come to our state and support agencies in hiring additional officers to strengthen school and community safety.

Im pleased to see these federal dollars I secured coming to Nevada to improve public safety, said Cortez Masto. Ill continue working with my colleagues to provide Nevadas law enforcement with the tools they need to keep our streets and schools safe.

The funding marks the second award from the Department of Justices Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS). Last November, ECSD was awarded its first COPS grant totaling $485,263 to support the Elko County School District School Violence Prevention Program project. The second award will support the continuation of the project.

The project includes the purchase and installation of security cameras, single-point entry locations, security card access to school sites, and updated technology for expedited notification of local law enforcement during an emergency for all school sites.

Elko County Superintendent of Schools CJ Anderson thanked the senators for their efforts in support of the grant.

On behalf of the students, staff, parents and all members of the school community in the Elko County School District, Id like to express our sincere gratitude to Senator Cortez Masto and Senator Rosen for their advocacy and support in this important arena, Anderson said. Their efforts to secure this necessary funding are essential to our ability to strengthen and modernize the safety and security of our schools and district facilities.

This $500,000 award will help contribute to the completion of the ECSD School Violence Prevention Project we recently started this school year and will continue to work on to benefit every school in our district, he continued.

Senators Rosen and Cortez Masto have consistently supported Nevada law enforcement and police departments. Last month, they announced over $7.2 million they secured for Nevadas law enforcement and first responders. Earlier this year, they helped pass the bipartisan Recruit and Retain Act, which establishes a federal pipeline program supporting more collaboration between local law enforcement and schools to hire and retain more police officers. Senator Rosen also announced federal funding opportunities for local police departments to hire more officers and incentivize community policing efforts. Senator Cortez Mastos bipartisan bills to combat the crisis of law enforcement suicide and provide mental health resources to officers have been signed into law by presidents of both parties.

To learn more about the School Violence Prevention Project, visit: https://cleargov.com/nevada/school/elko-county-school-district/projects/8288/school-violence-prevention-project.
Trading Symbol: TSX: SVM

NYSE AMERICAN: SVM

VANCOUVER, BC , Nov. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Silvercorp Metals Inc. ("Silvercorp" or the "Company") (TSX: SVM) (NYSE American: SVM) announces that it has entered into an amendment (the "Amending Deed") to the binding scheme implementation deed dated August 5, 2023 (the "Agreement") entered into previously with OreCorp Limited (ASX: ORR) ("OreCorp"), whereby Silvercorp agreed to acquire all fully-paid ordinary shares of OreCorp (the "Transaction") not held by Silvercorp or its associates (the "OreCorp Shares"), pursuant to an Australian scheme of arrangement (the "Scheme").

As a result of the Amending Deed, each OreCorp shareholder will now receive, for each OreCorp Share held, an increase in the cash consideration from A$0.15 to A$0.19 , (reflecting a 26.7% increase in the cash component), and 0.0967 of a Silvercorp common share (no change), or if elected by OreCorp shareholders and subject to quotation of Silvercorp shares as CDIs on the ASX, 0.0967 of a new Silvercorp CDI.

As of the date of this announcement, Silvercorp holds 72,312,344 OreCorp Shares, representing 15.40% of the fully paid ordinary shares of OreCorp.

Board Approvals and Recommendations

The OreCorp Board has unanimously approved the Scheme, as revised ("Revised Scheme"), and recommends that all OreCorp shareholders vote in favour of the Revised Scheme at the meeting of the shareholders of OreCorp (the "Scheme Meeting"), currently set for December 8, 2023 , in the absence of a Superior Proposal and subject to the Independent Expert concluding (and continuing to conclude) that the Revised Scheme is in the best interests of OreCorp shareholders (the "Qualifications"). Subject to the Qualifications, each OreCorp Director intends to vote, or cause to be voted, all OreCorp shares held or controlled by them at the time of the Scheme Meeting (representing 3.94% of OreCorp's issued shares as at the date of this announcement) in favour of the Revised Scheme. The Revised Scheme has also been unanimously approved by the Board of Directors of Silvercorp.

Key Shareholder Support

In OreCorp's announcement to the ASX dated November 23 2023 in relation to the Revised Scheme, OreCorp stated that Mr. Timothy Goyder , who together with his associates holds 24,125,756 OreCorp shares (representing approximately 5.14% of OreCorp's issued shares as at the date of that announcement), has signed a voting intention statement to OreCorp indicating that he intends to vote, or cause to be voted, all of those OreCorp shares, to the extent that he continues to hold, or to control the voting of, those OreCorp shares at the time of the Scheme Meeting, in favour of the Scheme, in the absence of a superior proposal and subject to the Independent Expert concluding (and continuing to conclude) that the Revised Scheme is in the best interests of OreCorp shareholders.1

OreCorp's announcement also noted that Mr. Goyder 's support for the Revised Scheme is in addition to the existing voting intention statement provided by Rollason Pty Ltd which controls 49,136,589 OreCorp Shares (representing approximately 10.47% of OreCorp's issued shares as at the date of the OreCorp announcement).

______________________________ 1 The OreCorp announcement noted that Mr Goyder 's voting intention statement is subject to the terms of the Scheme being amended consistent with the terms of the announcement released by OreCorp on November 23, 2023 and the Scheme Meeting being held on or before December 22, 2023 , and based solely on the information provided by OreCorp in relation to the Amending Deed and the Scheme as at the date of the voting intention statement.

Transaction Conditions and Timing

All other terms of the Agreement remain unchanged except as noted above. As reported in Silvercorp's news release of November 16, 2023 , Silvercorp has received the sole Tanzanian regulatory approval required to complete the Transaction. The only remaining conditions to the Transaction are OreCorp shareholders approving the Revised Scheme at the Scheme Meeting, final approval of the Federal Court of Australia, and acceptance from the TSX and NYSE American in respect of the issuance and listing of new Silvercorp common shares issuable pursuant to the Revised Scheme.

About Silvercorp

Silvercorp is a Canadian mining company producing silver, gold, lead, and zinc with a long history of profitability and growth potential. The Company's strategy is to create shareholder value by 1) focusing on generating free cashflow from long life mines; 2) organic growth through extensive drilling for discovery; 3) ongoing merger and acquisition efforts to unlock value; and 4) long term commitment to responsible mining and ESG. For more information, please visit our website at www.silvercorp.ca.

For further information

Silvercorp Metals Inc.

Lon Shaver

President

Phone: (604) 669-9397

Toll Free 1(888) 224-1881

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.silvercorp.ca

ALTERNATIVE PERFORMANCE (NON-IFRS) MEASURES

This news release should be read in conjunction with the Company's Management Discussion & Analysis ("MD&A"), the unaudited condensed interim consolidated financial statements and related notes contains therein for the three and six months ended September 30, 2023 , which have been posted on SEDAR+ under the Company's profile at www.sedarplus.ca and on EDGAR at www.sec.gov, and are also available on the Company's website at www.silvercorp.ca under the Investor section. This news release refers to various alternative performance (non-IFRS) measures, such as adjusted earnings and adjusted earnings per share, cash costs and all-in sustaining costs per ounce of silver, net of by-product credits, production costs and all-in sustaining production costs per tonne of ore processed, silver equivalent, and working capital. These measures are widely used in the mining industry as a benchmark for performance, but do not have standardized meanings under IFRS as an indicator of performance and may differ from methods used by other companies with similar description. The detailed description and reconciliation of these alternative performance (non-IFRS) measures have been incorporated by reference and can be found on page 31, section 11  Alternative Performance (Non-IFRS) Measures in the MD&A for the three and six months ended September 30, 2023 filled on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca and EDGAR at www.sec.gov and which is incorporated by reference here in.

CAUTIONARY DISCLAIMER - FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain of the statements and information in this news release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian and US securities laws (collectively, "forward-looking statements"). Any statements or information that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "expects", "is expected", "anticipates", "believes", "plans", "projects", "estimates", "assumes", "intends", "strategies", "targets", "goals", "forecasts", "objectives", "budgets", "schedules", "potential" or variations thereof or stating that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved, or the negative of any of these terms and similar expressions) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements relate to, among other things: the price of silver and other metals; the accuracy of mineral resource and mineral reserve estimates at the Company's material properties; the sufficiency of the Company's capital to finance the Company's operations; and advance the development of the Nyanzaga Gold Project; the scheduling of the Scheme Meeting of OreCorp shareholders; estimates of the Company's revenues and capital expenditures; estimated production from the Company's mines in the Ying Mining District and the GC Mine ; timing of receipt of permits and regulatory approvals; government relations; availability of funds from production to finance the Company's operations; and access to and availability of funding for future construction, the progress of the tender process for constructing resettlement housing; use of proceeds from any financing and development of the Company's properties.

Actual results may vary from forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, risks relating to: global economic and social impact of COVID-19; fluctuating commodity prices; calculation of resources, reserves and mineralization and precious and base metal recovery; interpretations and assumptions of mineral resource and mineral reserve estimates; exploration and development programs; feasibility and engineering reports; permits and licences; title to properties; property interests; joint venture partners; acquisition of commercially mineable mineral rights; financing; recent market events and conditions; economic factors affecting the Company; timing, estimated amount, capital and operating expenditures and economic returns of future production; integration of future acquisitions into the Company's existing operations; competition; operations and political conditions; regulatory environment in China and Canada ; environmental risks; foreign exchange rate fluctuations; insurance; risks and hazards of mining operations; key personnel; conflicts of interest; dependence on management; internal control over financial reporting; and bringing actions and enforcing judgments under U.S. securities laws.

This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of the Company's forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements about the future and are inherently uncertain, and actual achievements of the Company or other future events or conditions may differ materially from those reflected in the forward-looking statements due to a variety of risks, uncertainties and other factors, including, without limitation, those referred to in the Company's Annual Information Form under the heading "Risk Factors" and in the Company's Annual Report on Form 40-F, and in the Company's other filings with Canadian and U.S. securities regulators. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated, described or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

The Company's forward-looking statements are based on the assumptions, beliefs, expectations and opinions of management as of the date of this news release, and other than as required by applicable securities laws, the Company does not assume any obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management's assumptions, beliefs, expectations or opinions should change, or changes in any other events affecting such statements. Assumptions may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Consequently, guidance cannot be guaranteed. For the reasons set forth above, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

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SOURCE Silvercorp Metals Inc
BEIJING , Nov. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A report from People's Daily:

Recently, at the invitation of U.S. President Joe Biden , Chinese President Xi Jinping flew across the Pacific Ocean on a trip to San Francisco . At the century-old Filoli Estate , Xi held a meeting with Biden to find the right way for China and the United States to get along with each other.

At this critical juncture of history, the San Francisco meeting between the Chinese and U.S. presidents achieved significant outcomes, making a key step to steer China - U.S. relations toward a healthy, stable and sustainable direction.

Xi pointed out that China and the United States should jointly develop a right perception, manage disagreements effectively, advance mutually beneficial cooperation, shoulder responsibilities as major countries, and promote people-to-people exchanges. This has built together five pillars for China - U.S. relations and established the " San Francisco vision" oriented toward the future.

To jointly develop a right perception comes first in the five pillars, which mirrors Xi's profound thinking on the real challenges and future direction of China - U.S. relations.

"I have always had one question on my mind: How to steer the giant ship of China - U.S. relations clear of hidden rocks and shoals, navigate it through storms and waves without getting disoriented, losing speed or even having a collision?" Xi said at a welcome dinner by friendly organizations in the United States .

"In this respect, the number one question for us is: are we adversaries, or partners? This is the fundamental and overarching issue," said Xi.

Xi's important remarks made at the welcoming dinner were thought-provoking. China and the United States are two major countries with extensive common interests and bear important responsibilities for world and regional peace, stability, and prosperity. For China and the United States , turning their back on each other is not an option. It is unrealistic for one side to remodel the other, and conflict and confrontation has unbearable consequences for both sides.

To find the right way to get along with each other, China and the United States need to jointly develop a right perception. Only by doing so can the foundation for mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation be laid.

This time in San Francisco , Xi once again stressed that the world is big enough to accommodate both countries, and China is ready to be a partner and friend of the United States .

What he said demonstrated profound wisdom in grasping the development of China - U.S. relations while following the logic of historical progress and the trend of the times, and showcased a broad-mindedness in planning the development of China - U.S. relations at the level of the future of humanity and Planet Earth.

China and the United States , the largest developing country and the largest developed country, must handle their relations well.

Both sides should take the San Francisco meeting as a new starting point to truly implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, enhance mutual understanding through communication and dialogue, eliminate biases and misjudgments by developing a right perception, and jointly promote the continuous improvement and development of China - U.S. relations.

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SOURCE People's Daily
HANOI, Vietnam , Nov. 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Viettel High Tech announced the successful deployment validation of inaugural 5G Open RAN gNodeB powered by industry leading Qualcomm 5G RAN Platforms. Viettel is the world's first company to deploy 5G Open RAN network equipment with the Qualcomm X100 5G RAN Accelerator Card and Qualcomm QRU100 5G RAN Platform on a live network with real users and data traffic. This remarkable milestone was accomplished by Viettel and Qualcomm Technologies within a mere 8 months from the initial design showcase at the Mobile World Congress 2023 in March to this successful deployment.

The installation site of this 5G gNodeB is within a network cluster that Viettel had deployed since 2021 in Hai Ba Trung District , Hanoi, Vietnam . This area is a typical representation of the 5G deployment model in urban areas with dense populations and proximity to university campuses, boasting a high concentration of subscribers, ranging between 300-400 subscribers in a cell. Deploying within this high-traffic area facilitated the product optimization process, enabling Viettel to quickly improve the products to meet stringent requirements for Viettel's networks.

Leveraging its unique position as both a network operator and a leading 5G Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), Viettel expedited the development process of 5G gNodeB by harnessing the capabilities of Qualcomm 5G RAN Platforms. Capitalizing on a live network environment characterized by dense user bases and substantial data loads, Viettel and Qualcomm Technologies engineering teams have been continuously refining the product, leading to the successful end-to-end integration of the 32T32R 5G gNodeB with downlink throughput reaching 850Mbps in real-network scenarios. As measured in this deployment validation, this performance aligns closely with that of equivalent products offered by leading global vendors. Following the successful deployment validation in Vietnam , Viettel plans to introduce these products across their eleven international markets and extend to other global operators.

"This is a seminal moment for 5G Open RAN and Qualcomm 5G RAN platforms, fueling modern networks underscored by architecture flexibility, power efficiency and uncompromised performance. We are incredibly honored to share this industry first with Viettel, who has been an incredible collaborator in the pursuit of unlocking Open RAN's full potential," said Gerardo Giaretta , Vice President, Product Management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

According to Nguyen Vu Ha , CEO of Viettel High Tech, he remarked, "Deploying a robust 5G infrastructure is not an easy task for network operators and equipment manufacturers. It is increasingly challenging to achieve a balance between factors such as high capacity, low latency, and reasonable costs. To enhance competitiveness and establish Viettel as a reputable global provider, we must continually improve our products and focus on key factors: high performance, Open RAN compliance, low power consumption, virtualization, and cloud-native design. The collaboration between Viettel and Qualcomm Technologies aims to address these critical factors, enabling our products to meet the requirements for mass commercialization in Vietnam and global markets".

Media Contact:

Mrs. Le Thuy Mai

Director of Marketing, Viettel High Tech

[email protected]

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SOURCE Viettel High Technology Industries Corporation
LONDON , Nov. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Technology Magazine is thrilled to announce the highly-anticipated launch of its prestigious Top 100 Leaders supplement  celebrating the best of the best of global technology leaders.

This definitive list of 100 leaders are leading the charge when it comes to investment, innovation, and capitalising on strategic opportunities to advance technology solutions, software, and hardware. All have a passion for the industry and are driven to make a positive change for the organisations they work for and the communities they serve.

Putting this list together was no easy feat, with the magnitude of talented and inspirational leaders out there who are elevating the industry, but this list represents some of the best and most influential leaders from around the world.

For further details on the Top 100 Leaders supplement, and to explore the incredible digital transformation journeys of these global pioneers, click HERE .

Glen White , Founder and CEO of BizClik says: "Our Top 100 series champions professionals of all disciplines, backgrounds, and regions. It celebrates the leaders who elevate the industry day in, and day out"

You can read the latest news in Technology Magazine by clicking HERE .

You can now register your interest for the next Tech & AI LIVE conference, held virtually on the 21st May 2024 .

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/technology-magazine-releases-top-100-ctos-list-301996817.html

SOURCE Technology Magazine
Celebrating Literary Excellence: Young Author Yang Zhihan Triumphs with Her Masterpiece

BEIJING , Nov. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On October 24, 2023 , the award ceremony for the 6th Blancpain-Imaginist Literary Prize was held in Beijing . Yang Zhihan won first prize for her work Yituan Jianbing (literally, "a block of solid ice"). The prize, co-sponsored by Swiss luxury watch brand Blancpain and China's most influential cultural brand Imaginist, aims to create a literary accolade that is impartial, authoritative, professional and enduring while honoring a work that is likely to stimulate international dialogue. The co-sponsors, Blancpain and the Imaginist, continue on their quest to convey a simple but meaningful message to the public: "Reading makes time more valuable".

The theme of this year's prize is "Stand up for Complexity". In an age where everything tends toward simplification and uniformity, we encourage every young creator who loves literature to courageously defend complex structures, narratives, emotions, and perspectives, ultimately arriving at truth. The judging panel, comprising Yiyun Li , Ma Boyong, Tang Nuo , and Ye Zhaoyan (in alphabetical order), arrived at their decision after intense deliberations during the jury meeting. Jack Liao , Blancpain China's vice president and member of the Swatch Group China Management Committee, joined Ma Boyong in presenting the trophy to the winner. The recipient of the first prize received a cash award of 300,000 yuan (approx. US$41,900, provided by Blancpain) and a Blancpain Villeret collection watch.

The five finalists, Fei Ying, Ning Buyuan , Shao Dong , Wang Ruoxu, and Yang Zhihan, all received the Young Friend of Blancpain award and a finalist's certificate from Mr. Liao and Imaginist founder Liu Ruilin. The other four finalists each received a bonus of 20,000 yuan (approx. US$2,790, provided by Blancpain) to support their creative endeavors and inspire them to continue their literary work. Young Friend of Blancpain award symbolizes both Blancpain's appreciation and encouragement of young talent, as well as the young talents' alignment with Blancpain's brand values.

Ma Boyong, one of this year's five judges, shared the jury's thoughts on the winning entry during the award ceremony: "Yituan Jianbing is like snow falling on the edge of a knife blade, or the sensation of licking an icy door. She 'freezes' her hometown with a cold, incisive brush stroke, then takes a step back and lightly touches it with her tongue. The warm flesh sticks to the cold surface, leaving an indelible impact that is both profoundly moving and poignant."

The 29-yeat old Yang Zhihan expressed her astonishment at winning the first prize. "I truly didn't expect to win, and right now, my feelings are quite complex. I might need to take some time to think about it. After all, 'complexity' is something that must be defended."

Mr Liao, the Blancpain China vice president, said in his speech that "the Blancpain-Imaginist Literary Prize possesses certain unique aspects. It is China's first literary award jointly initiated by a commercial entity and a book publisher, exclusively targeting authors under 45 years old and embracing a diverse array of forms and themes within the realm of fiction.

This year's theme, 'Stand up for Complexity' is a call to action in an era increasingly leaning towards simplification, homogenization, trendiness, and symbolism. However, simplicity and complexity are not inherently contradictory, they can coexist and complement each other. Much like Blancpain mechanical timepieces, which do not pursue complexity for complexity's sake or flaunt their prowess gratuitously but instead prioritize the wearer's experience. As an all-encompassing luxury watch brand, Blancpain achieves remarkable complexity in mechanical watches. Yet, the more intricate the functions crafted within these timepieces, the more they remain 'simple' for the wearer. These super-complex watches often feature straightforward time reading, convenient long power reserves, and effortless adjustment steps. Blancpain also offers elegantly simple three-hand or two-hand watches. They exude an appearance of utter simplicity and purity on the surface, but upon opening the case and peering inside, one discovers the hidden complexity. Within a single component, intricate procedures and complex craftsmanship unfold, often requiring dozens of hours of painstaking polishing  an endeavor dedicated to preserving the hallmark of high-end watchmaking in the finest details."

Jury of the 2023 Blancpain-Imaginist Literary Prize (in alphabetical order)

Yiyun Li , writer and professor of the School of Creative Writing at Princeton University's Lewis Center for the Arts. She is the author of Must I Go, The Book of Goose and Tolstoy Together.

Ma Boyong, writer. He is the author of Da Yi , The Litchi Road , Two Capitals, Fifteen Days, The Great Ming Under the Microscope, The Longest Day in Chang'an, Antiques and Intrigue, and The Wind Blows from Longxi.

Tang Nuo , literary critic, writer, and member of the jury of the first Blancpain-Imaginist Literary Prize. He is the author of Time of Readers, At the End, The Story of Chinese Characters, and The Story of Reading.

Pema Tseden, Tibetan filmmaker, screenwriter and novelist. His films include The Silent Holy Stones, Tharlo, and Balloon. He is the author of several novels in both Tibetan and Chinese, including Wujin's Teeth and Enticement.

Ye Zhaoyan, writer. His major works include Nanjing 1937: A Love Story , Nanjing Flower Demon, How Stubborn Our Hearts, Other People's Love, Evening Moor on the Qinhuai, Tale of the Date Tree, and the historical essay Nanjing : The Story of a Chinese City.

About the Blancpain-Imaginist Literary Prize

The Blancpain-Imaginist Literary Prize, co-founded by Swiss luxury watch brand Blancpain and China's most influential cultural brand Imaginist, was created to uncover new and promising literary stars, support talented young authors and encourage the creation of Chinese-language novels.

Engagement of the members of the latest generation just entering adulthood is always a key indicator that determines the future of the world of literature. In the field of literary creation, talented young authors are always seeking an opportunity, while publishing platforms are looking for potential authors, and, at the same time, seek to attract more attention and garner more engagement. Many contemporary classical authors were discovered and recognized in their youth, as literary awards specifically designated for up and coming authors were available to them. For example, Naipaul, Coetzee and new Nobel Prize in Literature winner Kazuo Ishiguro all won the Man Booker Prize in their youth, and went on to earn the Nobel Prize in Literature at a later stage in their writing careers. Renowned Japanese authors, among them, Shusaku Endo , Kenzaburo Oe and Ryu Murakami , were each recipients of the Akutagawa Prize in their youth. In today's world, literary creation is a lonely and long road for young authors. The literary prize is designed to create a future that gives authors the space to focus on the creation of their works just as calligraphers are given the space and time to practice their craft.

Imaginist, the most influential publisher in China , has been dedicated to discovering the best authors who write in Chinese, offering an opportunity for thoughtful words to be published, while imagining another possibility for books. Works by Mu Xin , Kenneth Pai Hsien-yung, among others, have become even more valuable with the passage of time, nourishing the emotional life for generations of readers. Imaginist has, for a long time, been focused on publishing both the literary classics alongside the works of some of the most dynamic and thoughtful young authors who care about the human condition through the diverse collection of works that they have created with their open-minded insights.

Founded in 1735, Blancpain, the fine watchmaking brand from Switzerland , can pride itself in a long history going back 288 years. This creator of classic timepieces understands that the keepers of time that it creates are devices that go well beyond the material and physical, and that they speak to the faith, the feeling for aesthetics and the humanity that resides in each and every one of us. When one talks about the act of creation, it means the perseverance that must be maintained over an extended period of time, while bringing together the inspiration, skills, devotion and patience to create the structure, details and theme for each watch, which often calls for endless iterations of design while rethinking new ones to deliver true excellence in quality. Such an approach is very much in line with the essence that led to the creation of our literary classics. Literature is the extension of time. Blancpain, hand-in-hand with Imaginist, represent the literature penned by members of today's youngest generation who love literary creation and remain committed to making their contribution.

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SOURCE Blancpain
BEIJING , Nov. 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The just-concluded 2023 Pearl Bay International Climate Investment and Financing Conference witnessed fruitful achievements, while Guangzhou's Nansha District , in collaboration with 11 entities, established the Pearl River Delta (Nansha) Climate Investment and Financing Alliance, and launched 200 billion yuan of joint bank credit, 100 billion yuan of climate fund, as well as 50 billion yuan of climate investment and financing projects.

Additionally, a guideline aiming to enhance financial industry standards and foster the development of a carbon financial market was released during the conference.

A series of events under the 2023 Pearl Bay International Climate Investment and Financing Conference was held during November 17-18 at Nansha District of Guanghou in south China's Guangdong Province , marking significant strides in climate investment and financing initiatives.

Standing as the exclusive national-level new district in Guangdong and the largest comprehensive cooperation demonstration area for the Guangdong -Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area , Nansha has become a focal point in the global sphere of climate investment and financing.

This international event, themed "Climate Finance for a Better World," is the first of its kind in China , centered on climate finance. It featured three overseas venues in Paris , Singapore , and Dubai .

The event also set up thematic forums attracting over 500 attendees hared the latest insights in the climate investment and financing domain, while envisioning prospective collaborations.

As Guangzhou's outlet to the sea, Nansha is the connecting point of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and the Land Silk Road , and is committed to making greater contributions to global green and sustainable development.

The conference dedicated a specific exhibition hall for climate investment and financing supporting green projects, showcasing over ten climate-friendly projects in Nansha, including the Magic Box unmanned coffee vehicle, hydrogen-powered ride-hailing service, Hycan Automobile Technology, Greater Bay Technology, CloudWalk Technology, among others.

This conference was jointly organized by the People's Government of Guangdong Province , Xinhua News Agency, and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment. The Guangzhou Municipal People's Government, Xinhua News Agency Guangdong Branch, and China Economic Information Service were responsible for the execution of the event.

To invest in Nansha, please contact Olivia Gui with the secretariat of PBCIFC. ([email protected])

https://en.imsilkroad.com/p/337262.html

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FILE PHOTO: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak speaks during the opening session of the Global Food Security Summit at Lancaster House in London, Britain November 20, 2023. Dan Kitwood/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

By Kate Holton, Alistair Smout and William Schomberg

LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has chosen Hampton Court, a 16th-century palace renowned for its maze, to host a summit at which he will attempt to win back favour among investors who have been left disoriented by twists and turns in British policy.

As Britain looks to wrestle its ranking as Europe's top foreign direct investment (FDI) destination back from France, Sunak will need to reassure them next week of a guiding hand from government and of no more policy dead ends.

Years of political churn - with five prime ministers and a non-stop ministerial carousel since the 2016 Brexit vote - have shaken Britain's reputation for stability among investors.

Hoping to emulate a French event in the glittering Versailles palace in May at which President Emanuel Macron won 13 billion euros ($14.2 billion) of commitments, Sunak will urge his business audience to show similar faith in Britain.

But they may take some persuading.

Britain has changed course on key policies including its rate of corporation tax, its net zero timetable, a major high-speed rail project and its offshore and onshore wind policies.

Some executives say the country, long a magnet for FDI, has simply taken them for granted. Others told an official review that they struggled to navigate the country's "slow and cumbersome" system.

"The UK has diminished in its ability to attract capital in a variety of sectors," said Jack Paris, the head of InfraRed Capital Partners, which manages $14 billion of equity in infrastructure assets across 18 countries.

"Things like tax deductions, subsidies: they have to work hand in hand in order to attract private capital," Paris told Reuters, adding that his firm was being cautious about investing in a heating and energy efficiency venture in Britain pending clarity over regulation.

British finance minister Jeremy Hunt on Wednesday announced long-term tax incentives to boost business investment - key to speeding up the slow economy - and backed proposals to provide more support for foreign firms seeking to invest in the country.

SHOCK

Britain's standing among foreign investors started to weaken around 2016 when its vote to leave the European Union triggered years of uncertainty around its trading relationships.

As well as facing greater competition from countries such as Germany and France, it has more recently faced the United States offering billions of dollars in renewable subsidies, a plan which prompted the EU to relax its stance on state support.

Accountancy firm EY says total FDI projects into Britain fell by 6.4% to 929 last year, putting it second in Europe behind France on 1,259. It slipped to third for perceived attractiveness, behind Germany and France.

Overall business investment has also waned. Britain stands only 4% above its mid-2016 level, compared with 8% in Germany, 28% in the United States and 30% in France, a Reuters analysis of OECD data shows.

Alina Osorio, the head of Fiera Infrastructure which has solar, fibre, waste and ferry assets in Britain, said her investors routinely expressed concern over exposure to the country with its stagnant economy and shifting policies.

Britain could not "sit on its laurels and say, well, in the past, everybody wanted to invest in the UK and hence this is the way it's going to be," she said.

Mikhail Taver of Delaware-based Taver Capital, a global venture capital fund focused on AI investments, summarised Britain as "very good logistics-wise, good aspiration-wise, medium economy-wise, uncertain policy risk-wise".

UPGRADE

Britain, which is weighed down by debt after the COVID-19 pandemic, urgently needs to upgrade its ageing infrastructure, and drive the digitisation and electrification of its economy.

Both Sunak's government and the opposition Labour Party which holds a 20-point lead in polls ahead of an election expected next year, say they want to attract private capital.

But companies and investors say that a focus by regulators on limiting costs for bill-payers in sectors such as water, telecoms and energy has crimped investment.

With no clear industrial strategy, Britain has provided ad-hoc support. This year it offered a financial package to India's Tata Group to help secure a new electric vehicle battery plant.

Richard Harrington, a former minister, was commissioned by the government earlier this year to review FDI policies after Britain missed out on a number of investments, including drugmaker AstraZeneca choosing Ireland for a new plant.

Harrington told Reuters the idea that government could avoid being involved in business was "completely dead" and other states were "far more professional, far more slick" with "a far more definitive decision making process."

Sunak's government has backed his idea of a concierge service for big investors after many told him they felt "messed around" and were bounced from department to department, unable to secure a decision on support or subsidies.

British investment minister Dominic Johnson said the government would be in listening mode at the gathering on Nov. 27 to hear how it can remove hurdles.

"It's a competitive world out there," Johnson told Reuters. "In order to stand still, we have to keep running quite fast."

($1 = 0.9168 euros)

(Writing by Kate Holton; Additional reporting by Sinead Cruise and Andy Bruce; Editing by Alexander Smith)
U.S. President Joe Biden greets Nantucket Fire Department Chief Cranson alongside First Lady Jill Biden, at the Nantucket Fire Department in Nantucket, Massachusetts, U.S, November 23, 2023. REUTERS/Tom Brenner

By Jeff Mason

NANTUCKET, Mass. (Reuters) - President Joe Biden delivered pumpkin pies to firefighters on Thursday to celebrate the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday and expressed hope about a pending hostage release in the war between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.

Biden, who is vacationing with his family on the Massachusetts island of Nantucket, has spent part of his time here speaking to foreign leaders about the war.

He told reporters at the fire station that he would not give an update on the hostages until Friday, but said he was keeping his "fingers crossed" that a 3-year-old American girl would be among those released first.

Israel and Hamas will start a four-day truce on Friday, Qatar mediators said, with a group of 13 Israeli women and children being held hostage released later that day.

Biden has a decades-long family tradition of coming to Nantucket for the Thanksgiving holiday.

After he and his wife, first lady Jill Biden, delivered the pies, they returned to the place where they are staying for the trip, a home owned by their friend David Rubenstein, the billionaire co-founder of private equity giant The Carlyle Group.

In earlier remarks on NBC, Biden urged people to focus on solving problems together and stopping rancor in U.S. society.

"Today is about coming together," said Biden, a Democrat who is running for reelection in 2024 and may face former President Donald Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican nomination.

Asked at the fire station about his message for U.S. citizens Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan, who have been detained in Russia, the president said: "We ain't giving up."

(Reporting by Jeff Mason; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
Children look out from balconies in Shatila Palestinian refugee camp, in Beirut suburbs, Lebanon November 21, 2023. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

By John Davison

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Rose Rostom, Nahida Mashouz and Ammar Hajeh have had their lives uprooted many times - by Palestinian militants, Syrian warplanes, Islamic State, Western-backed forces or the Israeli army.

Between them, they have fled their homes 20 times, most recently following border clashes between Israeli forces and the Iran-backed Hezbollah group sparked by Israel's war with Hamas militants in Gaza.

Rostom is Lebanese, Mashouz is a refugee from Syria and Hajeh is a Palestinian refugee.

Israeli bombardment forced Rostom from her home in south Lebanon and drove Mashouz from her temporary accommodation nearby. Hajeh has fled his crowded refugee camp four times this year during fighting between militant groups.

Their circumstances differ, but all three worry about the future in a country that has repeatedly been rocked by civil strife and was in dire straits and racked by social tensions even before the latest violence compounded economic problems.

Since the Israel-Hamas war began seven weeks ago in Gaza, the clashes on Lebanon's border with Israel have displaced nearly 50,000 people, according to U.N. figures, and at least 13 civilians have been killed in Lebanon, Lebanese officials say.

"The Gaza war began, Hezbollah started firing at Israel, and then shells began landing around our house. Conflict drove me from home for the third time in my life," Rostom said.

She and her husband, two sons and grandchildren are now staying at her brother-in-law's home in the coastal city of Sidon. During Lebanon's civil war in the 1980s she moved twice, once under Israeli bombardment and once fleeing Palestinian militant attacks.

Mashouz left the Syrian city of Raqqa when it was held by Islamic State, departing shortly before her house there was bombed as U.S.-backed forces began an assault.

Israeli shelling this month next to the building where she and her family lived, in an area near Rostom's home - a cluster of towns at the Lebanon-Israel border - wounded her teenage daughter.

"We thought we'd finally found a stable life in southern Lebanon. Those hopes are shattered. We don't know where to go," she said, speaking from a crowded house in the Bekaa valley where three other newly displaced Syrian families were also sheltering.

A STRUGGLING STATE

Lebanon is a country of perpetually displaced people.

The influx of Palestinians after the creation of Israel in 1948 helped spark the Lebanese civil war decades later, redrawing its sectarian map as people fled fighting. A 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah displaced hundreds of thousands.

The arrival of 1.5 million Syrian refugees during Syria's civil war which started in 2011 put new strain on Lebanon, and spilled into Europe as refugees migrated via dangerous sea routes.

Recent displacements are fewer but likely to increase if conflict continues, and this time the country is less prepared.

A 2019 financial collapse destroyed Lebanon's economy and left its institutions in tatters. Israeli strikes and shells have destroyed farmland and homes, wiping out income, savings and jobs.

"My husband's car parts shop has now closed during fighting," Rostom said, checking news to see if her house was among the latest hit by rockets.

Another Lebanese family, whose home was destroyed by a rocket, said they cannot afford renovations and were in effect homeless.

Mashouz's three sons have lost their jobs at a local bakery by moving. Her wounded daughter's hospital treatment all but wiped out their savings.

"We've got $750 left in the world," Mashouz said.

Jacob Boswall, Leader of the Lebanon Crisis Analysis Team at aid agency Mercy Corps, said Lebanon was straining to absorb this latest shock.

"If you look at the government's contingency plan, it doesn't have money to deal with this from a central point of view ... it's a whole host of different pressures on the state," he said.

'WHAT ABOUT US?'

Tension is rising between locals and refugees.

Information Minister Ziad Makary said this month that Lebanon was suffering from an exodus of Lebanese and was burdened by Syrians. "We're losing the best and getting the worst," he was quoted as saying by local media.

Charbel Alam, a barber in the southern town of Rmeich which is regularly hit by shelling, said he has stayed to stop Syrian refugees who he says are trying to move into abandoned homes.

"We've formed groups to stop that happening," he said, without giving details. "International organisations are helping Syrians but what about us?"

Syrians and Palestinians are again eyeing Europe.

Hajeh, the Palestinian refugee, left Yarmouk refugee camp in Syria in 2013 under the bombs of Syrian warplanes.

In Ain El Hilweh, a Palestinian camp in southern Lebanon where Hajeh now lives, he, his mother and sister depend on $250 a month in aid from the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency, he says.

Work is scarce and he has fled his apartment to stay with relatives outside the camp 15 times since 2013 during clashes among rival Palestinian factions.

He says anti-Palestinian and Syrian racism is intensifying, and worries that when the Gaza war ends, infighting between Palestinian factions will resume in Ain El Hilweh.

"People don't like us, they don't like Syrians, and Palestinian gunmen will turn on each other again at some point," he said.

"Everyone wants to leave. They're ready to take the sea route."

(Editing by Timothy Heritage)
Blair Thomas, CEO of EIG, poses in an undated handout photo obtained January 5, 2021. Danthi Comunicacoes/via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY.

SYDNEY (Reuters) - EIG Partners CEO Blair Thomas said on Thursday the consortium behind the $10.6 billion bid for Origin Energy was "done" negotiating with top shareholder AustralianSuper in an attempt to gain its backing for the offer.

Thomas said he believed AustralianSuper, which holds 16.5% of Origin, was acting against the best interests of the company's remaining shareholders.

EIG is part of the consortium led by Canada's Brookfield.

(Reporting by Scott Murdoch in Sydney; Editing by Jamie Freed)
At the meeting between Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith. (Photo: VNA)

The PM pledged that Vietnam will further support Laos in building an independent, self-reliant economy and a contingent of quality personnel, and emphasised the need to intensify economic connectivity and share development paths, for the sake of people.

For his part, Kommasith conveyed regards from Party General Secretary and President Thongloun Sisoulith, Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone and other high-ranking leaders of Laos to Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and other high-ranking leaders of Vietnam.

He noted with pleasure the effective developments of the Vietnam-Laos special relationship, and commended Vietnams valuable support to Laos during its past struggle for national independence, as well as its present cause of national construction and defence.

Host and guest shared the view that the bilateral political relations have been tightened, and other cooperation areas like defence, security, economy, culture, education and training as well as collaboration between localities have received due attention and made progress.

Chinh asked relevant ministries and agencies of the two countries to quickly review cooperation fields, coordinate to remove obstacles to key joint projects, and work together to bring the relationship to a new page.

The leader suggested the two sides closely coordinate to implement high-level delegation exchanges and important cooperation mechanisms between the two countries, including the 46th meeting of the Vietnam - Laos Intergovernmental Committee, and support each other at multilateral forums.

Vietnam will continue to support as much as possible to help Laos successfully assume the 2024 ASEAN Chairmanship, he promised.

Kommasith informed Chinh about the results of the tenth Vietnam-Laos foreign ministerial-level consultation meeting he co-chaired earlier the same day in Hanoi, and noted that the two countries will maintain their close coordination and cooperation in regional and international issues./.
FILE PHOTO: Barclays Bank logo is seen in this illustration taken March 12, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

By Sinead Cruise and Lawrence White

LONDON (Reuters) -Barclays is working on plans to save up to 1 billion pounds ($1.25 billion), which could involve cutting as many as 2,000 jobs, mainly in the British bank's back office, a person with direct knowledge of the proposals told Reuters.

Managers at Barclays, led by Chief Executive C.S. Venkatakrishnan who is known within the bank as Venkat, are reviewing proposals aimed at boosting profitability. As part of these, 1,500 to 2,000 jobs could be cut if the plans are implemented in full, the person said.

A spokesperson for Barclays declined to comment on Thursday.

The potential cuts would primarily be at Barclays Execution Services, known internally as 'BX', and would form part of an overall target of reducing expenses by up to 1 billion pounds across the group over several years, the person added.

Analysts said the scale of the potential savings could reassure investors, given market forecasts had ranged from 500 million to 1.5 billion pounds in restructuring costs for the bank without much sense of how that would translate to savings.

"Before today the market knew roughly how much this might cost but not what the benefits are, which now becomes clearer," said Benjamin Toms, an analyst at RBC.

"This will be viewed as a net positive for investors, but we now need to see more detail on how long the benefits will take to appear," he said.

Barclays has made efforts to reduce expenses in recent years by slashing bonuses, as well as jobs in its retail and investment banking businesses, but moves to shrink BX and the potential savings have not been reported before.

Created in 2017 to consolidate support functions for the bank's two main business divisions, UK retail banking and international, BX was designed to eliminate duplication and implement post-crisis risk management rules.

Barclays' 1 billion pound cost saving target would represent about 7% of the bank's underlying annual operating expenses of 15 billion pounds in 2022.

The BX headcount discussions are ongoing and Barclays could decided to prioritise layoffs in other areas, the source said.

BX's staffing and costs have grown significantly in recent years. Its headcount rose to about 22,300 as of the end of 2022, from 20,000 at end-2017, and now accounts for more than a quarter of Barclays staff, regulatory filings show.

Meanwhile, annual staff costs at BX have risen to 2 billion pounds, from 1.8 billion pounds.

Venkat is under pressure to find ways to boost Barclays' tumbling book value ahead of an investor presentation in February when he will unveil a fresh strategy.

Since taking over as CEO, the veteran banker has grappled with the fallout from a trading blunder that cost the bank hundreds of millions of dollars.

He also faces a prolonged battle to maintain morale across Barclays' investment bank, where a talent exodus is hindering attempts to compete with European rivals such as Deutsche Bank, BNP Paribas and UBS.

Barclays' shares gained 0.3% on Friday morning following Reuters' first reporting the potential cuts late on Thursday, the only major British bank shares to rise on the day with the benchmark FTSE index down 0.3%.

Barclays' share price has fallen 26% since Venkat took charge on Nov. 1, 2021, while Deutsche's shares are little changed and HSBC's have gained 37%.

ACTIONS

Managers across teams within BX have been working with effectively frozen budgets this year and told that costs must be reduced in 2024, a second source in the division told Reuters.

Venkat signalled on Oct. 23 that Barclays will embark on further restructuring in preparation for its Feb. 20 presentation, which is seen as a key opportunity for the bank to convince shareholders that it has a plan to lift its valuation.

Barclays is "evaluating material structural cost actions", Venkat said when it reported disappointing third-quarter results in October.

Barclays has been working with Boston Consulting Group on a strategy review, focused on which parts of the business to invest in and which should be reduced or sold.

It is also reviewing options for its payments business among other measures, Reuters reported in July.

($1 = 0.8025 pounds)

(Reporting by Sinead Cruise and Lawrence White; Editing by Alexander Smith and David Evans)
FILE PHOTO: German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser looks on as she delivers a statement during the federal Hesse state elections in Wiesbaden, Germany, October 8, 2023. REUTERS/Jana Rodenbusch

(Reuters) -German authorities searched 15 properties on Thursday in connection with a recent ban on activities of Hamas as well as pro-Palestinian group Samidoun, the German interior ministry said in a statement.

The searches in four German states, which started at 6 am local time (0500 GMT), are intended to enforce the ban as well as clear up illegal structures of Hamas, designated a terrorist organisation in the country, and Samidoun, it said.

"We continue our consistent action against radical Islamists," German interior minister Nancy Faeser said in the statement.

"With the bans on Hamas and Samidoun in Germany, we have sent a clear signal that we will not tolerate any glorification or support of the barbaric terror of Hamas against Israel," Faeser added.

According to the ministry, there are around 450 members of Hamas in Germany, whose activities range from support and propaganda to financing and the collection of donations.

(Reporting by Maria Sheahan; Editing by Kim Coghill and Linda Pasquini)
FILE PHOTO: The newly elected leader of Syriza leftist party, Stefanos Kasselakis, delivers a statement to the members of the press outside the party's headquarters in Athens, Greece, September 25, 2023. REUTERS/Louisa Gouliamaki/File Photo

ATHENS (Reuters) - Nine Greek lawmakers quit the leftist Syriza party on Thursday after breaking ranks with its new leader, formalising a split in the country's main opposition party which they said could now disintegrate.

They resigned in protest over the leadership of 35-year old Stefanos Kasselakis, a former banker who was picked as party leader in September after Syriza's heavy defeat in June's national election.

"SYRIZA is experiencing a dissolution crisis," the lawmakers said in a letter, accusing Kasselakis of contradictory positions and an ideological shift from leftist principles.

Syriza was catapulted to power at the height of Greece's debt crisis in 2015 but lost to the conservative New Democracy party in 2019 and again in June 2023, when it won just over 18% of the vote.

Recent opinion polls show Syriza trailing in third place, behind the Socialist PASOK party.

Earlier this month, two more lawmakers including former finance minister Euclid Tsakalotos had rebelled and the total number of those who have resigned now stands at 11, meaning Syriza now holds 36 of parliament's 300 seats.

The lawmakers who quit Syriza have the numbers to form a separate parliamentary group and could launch a new party ahead of European Parliament elections next year.

Kasselakis, a former Goldman Sachs associate who spent more than two decades in the United States and has almost no political experience, replaced former prime minister Alexis Tsipras, who resigned in June.

Some Syriza supporters were unhappy about Kasselakis' election, saying his profile did not fit the traditional Left and raising questions about his intentions. He said that knowing capitalism from the inside had turned him into a leftist.

The 20-year-old party has suffered splits in the past, especially after signing up to Greece's third bailout.

Political analysts expressed doubts about Syriza's future.

"It is very uncertain how Syriza can succeed under these circumstances," head of ALCO pollsters Costas Panagopoulos told Reuters.

(Reporting by Renee Maltezou; Editing by Gareth Jones)
The Macy's logo is pictured on the side of a building in downtown Los Angeles, California, U.S., March 6, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo

(Reuters) - More than 400 Macy's workers in Washington state are planning a three-day strike from Black Friday through Sunday, alleging unfair labor practices and demanding better wages, according to UFCW Local 3000's website.

The union said it was planning to start the strike on Nov. 24 at 3 a.m. PT with a parade at the Southcenter Mall in Tukwila. The fourth Friday of November is one of the busiest and most profitable days of the year at the department store chain.

The strike would be at three of Macy's busiest stores and the workers are expected to return to duty from 3 a.m. PT on Monday.

Macy's did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for a comment.

As of Jan. 28, excluding seasonal employees, Macy's had 94,570 full-time and part-time employees, of which about 8% are represented by unions, a regulatory filing showed. Its minimum wage for workers was at $15 per hour.

The UFCW Local 3000 represents more than 50,000 members working in grocery, retail, healthcare, meat packing, cannabis and other industries in Washington, Oregon and northern Idaho.

Cyber Week, the five days from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday, is one of the biggest shopping periods in the U.S. where retailers try to cash in on demand from customers looking to snap up products at the cheapest available prices.

(Reporting by Ananya Mariam Rajesh and Seher Dareen in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar)
FILE PHOTO: The logo of America Movil is pictured on the wall at a reception area in the company's corporate offices, in Mexico City, Mexico January 25, 2022. REUTERS/Gustavo Graf/File Photo

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - America Movil, the Mexican telecommunications company controlled by billionaire Carlos Slim, on Thursday denied a report it is in talks with Argentine President-elect Javier Milei's team to buy Argentina's state telecoms company Arsat.

"It's all false," Arturo Elias, Slim's spokesman and son-in-law, told Reuters when asked about the media report.

Citing sources close to the matter, website La Politica Online said plans to sell Arsat are very advanced, and reported that a member of Milei's transition team on Tuesday held talks with executives from America Movil's Argentine unit, Claro.

La Politica Online said the value of Arsat was discussed during the talks with a figure of around $930 million mentioned. It did not state who had come up with the price tag.

A spokesperson for Milei's transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The incoming Argentine president has vowed to revive the country's battered economy and look at privatizing state-owned assets, though it is unclear how easy that will be.

(Reporting by Dave Graham; Additional reporting by Eliana Raszewski; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Marguerita Choy)
FILE PHOTO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds a press conference with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz (not pictured) in the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv , Israel , 28 October 2023. ABIR SULTAN POOL/Pool

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the United Nations on Thursday of being slow to attend to the spiralling humanitarian crisis in Gaza, saying its relief workers had not entered a designated "safe zone" for Palestinian refugees.

"I have yet to see the effort that I would like to see on the part of the U.N. and international agencies," Netanyahu told the visiting Spanish and Belgian prime ministers, according to a Hebrew-language transcript of the meeting issued by his office.

(Writing by Dan Williams)
The world's largest gold bullion coin, the Australian Kangaroo One Tonne Gold Coin, is displayed to mark the official launch of the Perth Mint Physical Gold Exchange Traded Fund (AAAU), outside the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., July 16

(Reuters) -Australia's Perth Mint said on Thursday it had entered into an agreement with the country's financial intelligence agency to fully adhere to anti-money laundering laws after an external audit found compliance issues.

The world's biggest producer of newly mined gold said it would conclude its anti-money laundering remediation program, which started in March 2021, by April 30, 2025, adding that no fine had been imposed as part of the undertaking.

The external audit was conducted between November 2022 and July 2023 at the direction of the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC), after it found non-compliance in an August 2022 assessment of Perth Mint.

"The audit findings reflected AUSTRAC's concerns in relation to Gold Corporation's AML/CTF (anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing) program, monitoring systems and controls, and reporting to AUSTRAC," the agency said.

The undertaking can be enforced by court orders, and if the remediation program is not adequately implemented, AUSTRAC can also pursue civil penalties.

In April, Western Australia state launched a review of its ownership of The Perth Mint, as the company battled allegations it sold diluted gold to China.

(Reporting by Deep Vakil in Bengaluru; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Diane Craft)
FILE PHOTO: The building of the European Court of Human Rights is seen ahead of the start of a hearing concerning Ukraine's lawsuit against Russia regarding human rights violations in Crimea, in Strasbourg, France, September 11, 2019. REUTERS/Vincent Kes

WARSAW (Reuters) - The procedure to appoint judges to a new chamber of Poland's Supreme Court is defective and Warsaw has to take appropriate legislative measures to correct the process, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) said on Thursday.

Rule of law issues took centre stage in Poland after Oct. 15 elections in which pro-European parties won a majority, a shift after eight years of Law and Justice (PiS) party rule and feuding with Brussels over issues such as judicial independence.

The parties will face challenges rolling back the court reforms of PiS, which is one of the conditions for obtaining EU recovery funds. Those include changes to a council that decides on appointments of judges.

Thursday's case was brought to the ECHR by former Polish president and Nobel Peace Prize winner Lech Walesa after an appeals court verdict in a case he had brought about the protection of his personal interests was reversed by the Chamber of Extraordinary Review and Public Affairs of the Supreme Court.

Walesa argued that logging an extraordinary appeal in his case by Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro, who is also prosecutor general, was politically motivated and that he was not ensured the right to an independent and impartial tribunal.

The court found that his right to a fair trial was not secured due to "interrelated systemic problems connected with the malfunctioning of domestic legislation and practice".

Those were caused by, among other things, a defective procedure for judicial appointments that had resulted in a lack of independence on the part of the Supreme Court's Chamber of Extraordinary Review and Public Affairs, it said.

It added that to put an end to systemic violations of the European Convention of Human Rights, Poland had to take steps to secure in its domestic law compliance with the requirements of an 'independent and impartial tribunal established by law'.

Walesa was awarded 30,000 euros ($32,721.00) in damages.

The Strasbourg court has several dozen cases pending over appointments of Polish judges. The PiS government has ignored several past rulings by European bodies over its judiciary and other matters, saying they were illegal and politically motivated interference.

($1 = 0.9168 euros)

(Reporting by Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk; Editing by William Maclean)
FILE PHOTO: Portugal's Prime Minister Antonio Costa attends the informal meeting of European heads of state or government, in Granada, Spain October 6, 2023. REUTERS/Juan Medina/File Photo

By Sergio Goncalves

LISBON (Reuters) - Portugal's Attorney General Lucilia Gago on Thursday rejected criticism from the ruling Socialist Party (PS) that she was responsible for Prime Minister Antonio Costa's resignation because of her probe into alleged irregularities in his administration.

Prominent members of the Socialist Party (PS) have blamed Gago for the fall of the government, but she said prosecutors were "doing their job" and are obliged by law to investigate allegations.

"I naturally don't feel responsible, because it was a personal and political assessment that was made (by Costa)," Gago, who rarely speaks to the media, told reporters on the sidelines of a conference.

Costa stepped down on Nov. 7 over an investigation into alleged illegalities in his government's handling of lithium and hydrogen projects. President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa called a snap election for March 10.

Prosecutors said Costa was also the target of a related probe, but he has denied wrongdoing.

Parliament President Augusto Santos Silva, a member of the PS, last week criticized prosecutors for "accumulating errors" after a judge dropped charges of corruption and malfeasance against five suspects.

The judge kept the charges of influence peddling and offering of undue advantages, but the Socialists raised questions about the strength the prosecutors' investigation.

Santos Silva said some in the judicial system viewed political activity as "by nature suspicious and tend to criminalize political and governmental action."

He demanded the justice system decide Costa's case before the snap election.

"We will continue to carry out the investigations without any drama. I feel the duty to present the best results possible," Gago said.

(Reporting by Sergio Goncalves; editing by Charlie Devereux and Jonathan Oatis)
KYIV (Reuters) -Ukrainian forces staved off unrelenting Russian attacks on the devastated eastern Ukraine city of Avdiivka on Thursday, a senior official said, and Russian shelling killed four people on the war's southern front in Kherson region.

With little movement along the 1,000-km (600-mile) front line, Moscow has been focused since mid-October on capturing Avdiivka, a town noted for its vast coking plant and proximity to the Russian-held regional centre of Donetsk.

Vitaliy Barabash, head of Avdiivka's military administration, said Russian forces had unleashed "the fiercest" attacks on the devastated town, where fewer than 1,400 of 32,000 pre-war residents remain.

"Basically, nothing has changed. Everything is very tough. As regards the city, there is an average number of eight to 16 to 18 air attacks per day. Sometimes 30. We don't have time to count them," Barabash told Channel 24 television.

"I am pleased the defence line has been holding for a month and a half. It has not been breached, no matter what they say."

He said 102 residents, a "certain record", had been evacuated in the past week along the lone road out of the town.

The town is protected by fortifications erected after it was briefly seized by Russian-financed separatists in 2014.

Russian accounts of the fighting rarely mention Avdiivka. On Thursday, the Russian Defence Ministry said its forces had struck Ukrainian units further south in Donetsk region.

Reuters could not verify reports from either side.

FIGHTING IN THE NORTHEAST

Ukrainian officials have noted Russian attempts to advance in Ukraine's northeast near Kupansk, a town seized by Russian forces in the days after the February 2022 invasion but retaken by Ukrainian troops about a year ago.

Military analyst Serhiy Zgurets, interviewed by the Espreso TV news outlet, quoted commanders as saying Russian forces were bearing down on Senkyvka village, with the aim of pushing Ukrainian forces back to the Oskil River.

Overnight temperatures of minus 13 Celsius (9 Fahrenheit), had frozen the ground, easing the advance for Russian vehicles.

Russian forces have focused on the east since failing in their initial attempt to advance on Kyiv. They hold a little less than 20% of Ukrainian territory.

In southern Kherson region, prosecutors said Russian forces had shelled the town of Beryslav, killing a man on a bicycle. In a separate shelling incident targeting several settlements, two men and a woman were killed, they said.

Russian troops abandoned Kherson and the western bank of the Dnipro River late last year, but now regularly shell those areas from positions on the eastern bank.

Ukrainian forces launched a counteroffensive in June and have made marginal gains in the east and south. Kyiv last week said troops had established a bridgehead on the Dnipro's east bank, but Russian officials dispute this.

(Reporting by Pavel Polityuk; Writing by Ron Popeski;Editing by Bernadette Baum, Emelia Sithole-Matarise and Bill Berkrot)
Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, meets with a delegation led by Natsuo Yamaguchi, leader of Japan's ruling coalition party Komeito, in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 22, 2023. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei)

BEIJING, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- Cai Qi, a senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC) met on Wednesday with a delegation led by Natsuo Yamaguchi, leader of Japan's ruling coalition party Komeito.

This year marks the 45th anniversary of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship Between China and Japan.

Cai, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, called on the two ruling parties to implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, accurately grasp each other's development and strategic intentions, promote positive and friendly mutual understanding, and work together to build China-Japan relations that meet the requirements of the new era.

He also clarified China's position on issues such as history, the Taiwan question and the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water from the Fukushima power plant.

Yamaguchi said that the Komeito Party is willing to uphold the conviction of its founder Daisaku Ikeda, who was firmly committed to the friendly relations between Japan and China, actively promote exchanges and cooperation between the two countries in various fields, give full play to the role of the exchange mechanism of the ruling parties, properly handle differences, and promote the improvement and development of bilateral relations.

Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, meets with a delegation led by Natsuo Yamaguchi, leader of Japan's ruling coalition party Komeito, in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 22, 2023. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei)

Editor: WXL
FILE PHOTO: Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca walks as medical staff carry a Palestinian cancer patient who was evacuated from Gaza to Egypt and brought to Turkey by plane, at Esenboga Airport in Ankara, Turkey November 16, 2023. REUTERS/Cagla Gurdog

ANKARA (Reuters) -Turkey plans to evacuate some wounded or sick Gazan children and young people on Friday as part of its third round of evacuation, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Thursday.

Turkey has so far brought 150 people, mostly cancer patients and their companions, from Gaza to continue their treatment. It has also evacuated more than 100 Turks, Turkish Cypriots, and their relatives this week.

Speaking at Ankara's Esenboga airport, Koca said three sick Gazan children had been brought to Turkey on Thursday. He added that the children - a 2-year-old boy, as well as two girls aged 9 and 10 - would receive treatment in Turkey.

The third round of evacuations, consisting of a group of 50 people, has been delayed due to issues regarding permissions for their releases, the minister said, but added that those problems were now largely resolved and officials were working to complete the preparations.

"We expect the third evacuation to be tomorrow (Friday) and it will be an evacuation that will largely consist of children and young people," Koca told reporters.

"There are less cancer patients (in the group), but it will be an evacuation that mostly consists of wounded children and young people," he said, adding that none of the people in the list of 50 were in critical condition.

Ankara has sent some 800 metric tons of humanitarian aid, medical supplies, medicine, and medical personnel to Egypt for Gazans. It has said it wants to set up a field hospital on the Gaza side of the Rafah border crossing.

On Thursday, Koca said a coordination mechanism comprised of Turkish, Egyptian and Israeli officials was working to identify a suitable location for the field hospital.

"A team formed with Israel, Egypt, and Turkey's coordination is in Egypt, especially to conduct field work. We are at the stage of identifying a location," he said. "We want to take action as soon as possible."

Separately, a group of 100 Turks and their relatives arrived in Egypt from Gaza on Thursday and were set to fly to Istanbul on Friday, a Turkish diplomatic source said. Ankara expected to evacuate more citizens from Gaza on Friday, the person added.

(Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy meets with German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine November 21, 2023. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS

(Reuters) - President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and his defence minister welcomed the formation by Ukraine's Western allies on Thursday of a 20-nation "coalition" to boost air defences, seen as a key element in the country's campaign against Russian forces.

Zelenskiy said the group, one of several devoted to specific areas of Ukraine's defence, was formed at a virtual meeting of the "Ramstein group" examining Ukraine's military needs.

Germany's Defence Ministry had earlier announced the formation of the group in a posting on X, formerly Twitter, with Germany and France taking on leading roles.

"Thanks to every country participating in these efforts for enabling our cities and villages to be better protected against Russian attacks," Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address.

"Not everything can be disclosed publicly at this time, but the Ukrainian air shield is becoming stronger every month."

Defence Minister Rustem Umerov also noted other assistance agreed by participants, including a German air defence package announced this week during a visit to Kyiv by Defence Minister Boris Pistorius. Also noted were a Dutch package and Estonian financing for help with information technology.

Ukraine's military commander-in-chief, General Valery Zaluzhniy, said on Telegram that he had taken part in the meeting for the first time, describing the situation along the 1,000-km (600-mile) front as "complicated but controllable".

Zelenskiy has long pointed to improved air defence as a key element to help keep Ukrainian cities safe from Russian air strikes - including on energy infrastructure - as wintry weather takes hold.

At different points in the war, about to extend into its 21st month, Russia has launched attacks on Ukrainian power stations and other infrastructure.

Missile and drone strikes have also hit apartment blocks and other civilian sites, though Russia denies targeting civilians.

(Reporting by Ron Popeski and Ludwig Berger; Editing by Stephen Coates)
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. forces were attacked four times in Iraq and Syria on Thursday with rockets and armed drones, but there were no casualties or damage to infrastructure, a U.S military official said.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said U.S. and international forces were attacked at two sites in northeastern Syria with multiple rockets and a one-way attack drone.

In Iraq, multiple one-way drones were launched at the Ain Al-Asad airbase west of Baghdad and a drone was launched at a base housing U.S. forces near Erbil airport in northern Iraq.

A group calling itself the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which analysts say is a catch-all for several Iran-aligned Iraqi armed groups, had claimed attacks on those locations earlier in the day.

The attacks come the day after the U.S. struck the Iran-aligned Kataeb Hezbollah (KH) armed group south of Baghdad in an attack that KH said had left eight members dead.

The attack was condemned by the Iraqi government as escalatory and a violation of sovereignty.

U.S. officials said the United States had struck Iran-aligned groups after an escalation in their attacks that have targeted U.S. and international forces dozens of times since Oct. 17, 10 days after the Israel-Hamas war began.

As of Thursday, there had been 36 attacks in Iraq and 37 in Syria, the U.S. military official said.

(Reporting by Timour Azhari; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
FILE PHOTO: Tourists walk during a new heatwave as temperatures are expected to reach 40 degrees Celsius in some cities, in Venice, Italy August 22, 2023. REUTERS/Manuel Silvestri/File Photo

By Federico Maccioni

MILAN (Reuters) - Venice will start testing a daily admission fee and cap on visitor access to its famous canals from next April, in what the Italian city's mayor hailed as the world's first such scheme.

The move is aimed at managing the flow of tourists on spring bank holidays and some summer weekends when visitor numbers are at their peak, local authorities said during a press conference on Thursday.

"It is the first time in the world that you do something like this, you make a city bookable," Mayor Luigi Brugnaro said.

The restrictions will apply from 0830 to 1600 local time, initially for a total of 29 days and cover most weekends from April 25 to mid July next year.

Travellers will have to book their visit online and pay 5 euros ($5.45) to obtain a QR code that will be checked at specific entry points and will grant them access to the city's historic quarters.

Restrictions will not apply to the lagoon's smaller islands, such as Murano, famous for its glass-making industry.

Potential sanctions will range from 50 to 310 euros will be imposed on those failing to comply with the measure.

Residents and people who were born in Venice as well as students, workers and home owners in the city will be exempt from paying and booking a slot, councillor Michele Zuin said.

Visitors aged under 14 will need to be registered but access for them will be free of charge.

Mass tourism and floods have long been a problem for the fragile lagoon city, known for its canals and cultural sites.

"We want to measure the effect of this trial, we want to measure the effect of this bookability," said Brugnaro, noting the experiment would initially lose money.

The trial is estimated to cost 3 million euros against proceeds for about 700,000 euros. ($1 = 0.9168 euros)

(Reporting by Federico Maccioni; Editing by Keith Weir)
Small figurines are seen in front of displayed World Health Organization logo in this illustration taken February 11, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Ilustration/File Photo

(Reuters) -Chinese health authorities have not detected any unusual or novel pathogens and provided the requested data on an increase in respiratory illnesses and reported clusters of pneumonia in children, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday.

The WHO had asked China for more information on Wednesday after groups including the Program for Monitoring Emerging Diseases (ProMED) reported clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children in north China.

As per the rule, China responded to the WHO within 24 hours. The WHO had sought epidemiologic and clinical information as well as laboratory results through the International Health Regulations mechanism.

The data suggests the increase is linked to the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions along with the circulation of known pathogens like mycoplasma pneumoniae, a common bacterial infection that typically affects younger children and which has circulated since May.

Influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and adenovirus have been in circulation since October.

The agency does not advise against travel and trade as they have been monitoring the situation with authorities.

No unusual pathogens have been detected in the capital of Beijing and the northeastern province of Liaoning.

Chinese authorities from the National Health Commission held a press conference on Nov. 13 to report an increase in incidence of respiratory disease.

Both China and the WHO have faced questions about the transparency of reporting on the earliest COVID-19 cases that emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019.

The U.N. health agency had also asked China for further information about trends in the circulation of known pathogens and the burden on healthcare systems. The WHO said it was in contact with clinicians and scientists through its existing technical partnerships and networks in China.

WHO China said it was "routine" to request information on increases in respiratory illnesses and reported clusters of pneumonia in children from member states, such as China.

The global agency decided to issue a statement on China to share available information, as it received a number of queries about it from media, WHO China said in an emailed statement.

The ProMED alert was based on a report by FTV News in Taiwan that came out on Tuesday.

Undiagnosed pneumonia was not mentioned at last week's press conference, according to a transcript, but one speaker said everyone felt like there had been an increase in respiratory illnesses this year compared with three years ago.

The speaker said that global monitoring for mycoplasma pneumoniae had been at a low over the past three years and outbreaks were cyclical, occurring every three to seven years.

'SEASONAL SURGE'

The rise in respiratory illnesses comes as China braces for its first full winter season since it had lifted strict COVID-19 restrictions in December. Many other countries saw similar increases in respiratory diseases after easing pandemic measures.

"It is just a relatively large seasonal surge, perhaps partly due to chance and partly because there's a bit of 'immunity debt' from the lesser winter surges in the last three years," said Ben Cowling, an epidemiologist at Hong Kong University.

China's National Health Commission did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

On Thursday, it published an interview with the state media agency Xinhua in which it advised parents what to do and mentioned that big hospitals were receiving a large number of patients and waiting times were long. It did not comment on the WHO notice.

Since mid-October, the WHO said northern China had reported an increase in influenza-like illness compared with the same period in the previous three years.

It said China had systems in place to capture information on trends in illness incidence and to report that data to platforms such as the Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System.

In recent days, media in cities such as Xian in the northwest have posted videos of hospitals crowded with parents and children awaiting checks.

Some social media users have posted photos of children doing homework while receiving intravenous drips in hospital.

The WHO said that while it was seeking additional information, it recommended that people in China follow measures to reduce the risk of respiratory illness.

Measures included vaccination, keeping distance from sick people, staying at home when ill, getting tested and medical care as needed, wearing masks as appropriate, ensuring good ventilation, and regular hand-washing, it said.

(Reporting By Deena Beasley in Los Angeles, Andrew Silver in Shanghai, Jennifer Rigby in London and Emma Farge in Geneva, Urvi Dugar in Bengaluru; Editing by Robert Birsel, Miyoung Kim and Josie Kao)
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti celebrates Thanksgiving with sailors aboard the USS Ronald Reagan at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)

YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan  Just days after returning from a monthslong deployment, the crew aboard the USS Ronald Reagan celebrated Thanksgiving alongside the Navys highest-ranking officer and most senior enlisted sailor.

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti and Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy James Honea boarded the carrier in its berth at Yokosuka on Thursday. They helped reenlist 10 sailors and then joined the crew for a Thanksgiving feast.

Traditionally, our supply department goes all out for Thanksgiving, whether were in port or on deployment, Senior Chief Matthew White told Stars and Stripes during the meal.

Between bites of turkey and prime rib  carved and served by Franchetti and Honea  the sailors rubbed shoulders with the distinguished visitors and discussed their personal and professional lives.

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti celebrates Thanksgiving with sailors aboard the USS Ronald Reagan at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes) Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy James Honea celebrates Thanksgiving with sailors aboard the USS Ronald Reagan at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)

Meeting Franchetti, who was confirmed as the first female chief of naval operations on Nov. 2, was especially inspiring for Petty Officer 1st Class Brittany Robinson.

I think its awesome shes paving the way for women, the aviation ordnanceman told Stars and Stripes during the feast. If she can do it, we can do it, too.

Franchetti and Honea werent the Ronald Reagans only Thanksgiving visitors. Dozens of family members joined about 120 sailors in the carriers aft enlisted mess hall, where food was served to anyone, on or off duty.

The carrier returned to Yokosuka on Sunday after concluding an annual Indo-Pacific patrol that began May 23.

Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy James Honea celebrates Thanksgiving with sailors aboard the USS Ronald Reagan at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes) Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti helps serve a Thanksgiving meal aboard the USS Ronald Reagan at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)

Ahead of the meal, Franchetti voiced her appreciation to the family members who scarify and hold down the fort while their sailor is away.

They are the glue that holds our Navy together; theyre your family and your support team, she said during a brief speech ahead of the meal. They sacrifice a lot for us, and they make a difference, so I want to say thank you for that.

Honea echoed those sentiments and acknowledged the family members who cant see their sailors on Thanksgiving.

We get deployed all over the world, and sometimes we have to leave our extended families back home - our brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, moms and dads, he told the crowd. Wherever you happen to be, you have to make new connections; we become one anothers brothers and sisters and aunts and uncles.

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti and Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy James Honea spend Thanksgiving with sailors aboard the USS Ronald Reagan at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)

Franchetti and Honea are making their way through the Indo-Pacific as part of Franchettis first international trip since her confirmation.

On Wednesday, the pair met with Adm. Ryo Sakai, the Japan Maritime-Self Defense Forces chief of staff, at Camp Ichigaya in Tokyo to discuss U.S.-Japan operations and integration, according to a Navy news release that day.

Franchetti mentioned her meeting with Sakai during an after-meal interview with Stars and Stripes but emphasized that spending time with sailors is also a critical part of her job.

Having the opportunity to recognize the contributions that this team made to the stability to the Indo-Pacific  all the relationships they built, all the port visits they got to make  I really wanted to come out here with [Honea] and show that gratitude, she said.
A Jordanian humanitarian aid convoy enters the Gaza Strip from Egypt in Rafah on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023. (Hatem Ali/AP)

GENEVA  International aid groups say they are ready to deliver thousands of truckloads of food, water and other supplies to besieged Gaza if a temporary cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war takes hold.

Some hailed an important first step, but many said Wednesday that a four-day truce isnt enough to meet overwhelming needs after seven weeks of fighting have displaced hundreds of thousands of Palestinians now living in miserable conditions.

Key details of the accord announced Wednesday remain unclear, including the mechanics of getting more aid to desperate civilians and escorting the first group of Israeli hostages out of Gaza where they have been held since Hamas Oct. 7 rampage in Israel.

The cease-fire efforts hit a hurdle Wednesday when Israels national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said in a late-night announcement that the deal would not take effect before Friday, a day later than originally expected.

Aid groups say a key ambition is to get help to northern Gaza, which has been largely inaccessible and where nearly all hospitals stopped working during a blistering air and ground offensive by Israeli forces.

The entire humanitarian sector is ready to scale up once everything is set, said Tommaso Della Longa, a spokesman for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, an umbrella organization that amounts to the worlds largest humanitarian aid group.

The international community and aid groups have been trying to find ways to get aid into Gaza since Israel retaliated for Hamas slaying of some 1,200 people in Israel on Oct. 7. The onslaught has killed at least 11,000 people in Gaza, health officials in the Hamas-controlled enclave say.

Della Longa lamented bottlenecks he said have confounded the delivery of already insuffient aid into Gaza. He said his umbrella group hoped a truce deal would include a faster track of aid shipments.

The only route for international humanitarian aid into Gaza since the start of the war has been through the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza. Planeloads of supplies have been flown into the nearby Egyptian city of El-Arish, and trucks have queued up near Gaza.

Intense Israeli inspections of Gaza-bound trucks and cargo have slowed their entry.

Joel Weiler, executive director of Doctors of the World, a Paris-based relief organization, said a four-day window was far too short.

Even if the aid enters, it will take three four days to deliver to doctors to get it, and then the fighting starts again, he said. Its a joke. Its white-washing.

Many humanitarians say shipments through Rafah amount to only a trickle compared to the total needs of Gazas 2.3 million people, and want the restoration of access through the Kerem Shalom crossing  the main entry point for commercial goods into Gaza from Israel. It has been shuttered since the conflict began.

If Kerem Shalom doesnt open, the logistical nightmare will continue forever, said Jan Egeland, head of the Norwegian Refugee Council, an aid group with 53 workers in Gaza.

Spokesperson Shani Sasson of COGAT, the Israeli military body responsible for Palestinian affairs, said she was not aware of any changes at Israels Nitzana crossing with Egypt to accommodate greater aid deliveries during a truce. Nitzana is where Israeli authorities check aid trucks before they enter Gaza at Rafah.

Della Longa, of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, said freedom of movement for humanitarians is another concern.

Its not enough to open up a gate. After opening a gate, you need to create a safe humanitarian space where we can work, he said.

One upside is that during the four-day pause in fighting, aid groups could reach different people, different communities and different hospitals that were not reachable before, like in the north, Della Longa added.

Another important concern is fuel, which is in short supply. Israel has prevented virtually all fuel from getting in, except for a few small deliveries to the main U.N. agency on the ground, for fear Hamas could use it. Some aid groups say they wouldnt be able to get enough fuel into Gaza over the four days to distribute aid to the hard-to-reach north.

We are very restricted in who we can reach, said Jason Lee, director for Save the Children in the Palestinian territories. This is why we need a full cease-fire and the resumption of food, fuel and people through all available crossings.

Otherwise we are just Band-Aids, he added. And very ineffective Band-Aids.

Uncertainty is also looming over possible arrangements for contacting Israeli hostages in Gaza.

During the coming four days, 50 hostages, all women and children, are to be released by Hamas in stages, in exchange for some 150 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

Hamas is believed to be holding about 240 Israelis seized during the Oct. 7 raid. Close to 7,000 Palestinians are held by Israel on various security offenses, including about 1,800 detained since the start of the war.

The International Committee of the Red Cross has previously escorted hostages out of Gaza. In all, four were released since the start of the war.

Red Cross officials said they have not been notified of any agreement between the sides to enable visits with hostages during the truce.

Should a visit be agreed upon, the ICRC stands ready to visit, said the Geneva-based organization which focuses on conflict and the rights of detainees, but does not engage in negotiations over releases.

Its president, Mirjana Spoljaric on Monday met with Hamas supreme leader Ismail Haniyeh in Qatars capital. Qatar led weeks of indirect negotiations over a truce-for-hostages deal that also involved the United States and Egypt.

DeBre reported from Jerusalem. Associated Press writers Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel, and Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.
Far-right Party for Freedom leader Geert Wilders, right, celebrates with Fleur Agema, section left, and other party members after winning the most votes in a general election, in The Hague, Netherlands, Thursday Nov. 23, 2023. (Phil Nijhuis/AP)

THE HAGUE, Netherlands  Anti-Islam populist Geert Wilders said Thursday that he is ready to join the next Dutch coalition government after he surged to a huge election victory that marked a stunning lurch to the far right for a nation once famed as a beacon of tolerance.

The result is sending shockwaves through Europe, where extremist nationalist ideology is putting pressure on democracies that now face the possibility of having to deal with the first far-right prime minister of the Netherlands.

It is going to happen that the PVV is in the next Cabinet, Wilders said, using the Dutch abbreviation for his Party for Freedom.

With nearly all votes counted, Wilders party was forecast to win 37 seats in the 150-seat lower house of parliament, more than double the 17 the party secured in the last election.

Wilders got a standing ovation, cake and sparkling wine when he met his lawmakers at the parliament building Thursday morning.

Can you imagine it? 37 seats! he said to cheers.

Other political parties were holding separate meetings to discuss the elections outcome before what is likely to be an arduous process of forming a new governing coalition begins Friday.

Wilders election program included calls for a referendum on the Netherlands leaving the European Union, a total halt to accepting asylum-seekers and migrant pushbacks at Dutch borders.

It also advocates the de-Islamization of the Netherlands. He says he wants no mosques or Islamic schools in the country, although he has been milder about Islam during this election campaign than in the past.

One of the most prominent Muslim organizations in the Netherlands said it had received emails expressing support since the election result.

Thats reassuring, the Contact Group Muslims and Government said in a statement. In addition, Mr. Wilders has said that he will become prime minister of all Dutch people, regardless of their religion, sex or color. The Netherlands is a state governed by the rule of law and we trust that it is a tolerant country.

Although known for his harsh rhetoric, Wilders began courting other conservative and centrist parties by saying in a victory speech that whatever policies he pushes will be within the law and constitution.

His victory appeared based on his campaign to curtail migration  the issue that caused the last governing coalition to quit in July  and to tackle problems including the Netherlands cost-of-living crisis and housing shortages.

In his victory speech, Wilders said he wants to end what he called the asylum tsunami, referring to the migration issue that came to dominate his campaign.

The Dutch will be No. 1 again, Wilders said. The people must get their nation back.

But to become prime minister of a country known for compromise politics, the politician sometimes called the Dutch Donald Trump must persuade other party leaders to work with him in a coalition government.

That will be tough since mainstream parties have long been reluctant to join forces with him and his party, but the size of his victory strengthens his hand in any negotiations.

Wilders called on other parties to constructively engage in coalition talks. Pieter Omtzigt, a former centrist Christian Democrat who built his own New Social Contract party in three months to take 20 seats, said he would always be open to talks.

It will be a complicated formation process. It is up to responsible politicians to form a government, one way or another, Omtzigt said, according to Dutch news site Nu.nl.

The party that finished behind Wilders in the election was an alliance of the center-left Labor Party and Green Left, which was forecast to win 25 seats. But its leader, Frans Timmermans, made clear that Wilders shouldnt count on him as a partner.

The historic victory came one year after the win of Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, whose Brothers of Italy party had roots steeped in nostalgia for fascist dictator Benito Mussolini. Meloni has since mellowed her stance on several issues and has become the acceptable face of the hard right in the EU.

During the final weeks of his campaign, Wilders somewhat softened his stance and vowed that he would be a prime minister for all Dutch people.

The election was called after the fourth and final coalition of Mark Rutte, who resigned in July, failed to agree on measures to rein in migration. He has been in office for 13 years, making him the Netherlands longest-serving leader, and plans to step down once a new coalition government is formed.

Rutte was replaced as the head of VVD by Dilan Yesilgoz-Zegerius, a former refugee from Turkey who could have become the countrys first female prime minister had her party won the most votes. Instead, it was forecast to lose 10 seats to end up with 24.

She said that the PVV and Omtzigts party should now take the initiative in talks to form the next coalition.

The result is the latest in a series of elections that is altering the European political landscape. From Slovakia and Spain, to Germany and Poland, populist and hard-right parties triumphed in some EU member nations and faltered in others.

In The Hague on Thursday, Dutch voter Barbara Belder said that Wilders victory is a very clear sign that the Netherlands wants something different.

Casert reported from Brussels.
People walk past graffiti calling for the return of the hostages kidnapped during the Oct. 7 Hamas cross-border attack in Israel, in Kfar Saba, Israel, Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023. (Ariel Schalit/AP)

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip  A four-day cease-fire in Gaza between Israel and Hamas was set to begin Friday morning, Qatar said after a daylong delay extended the agony for those hoping for some relief from the deal, which is to bring the release of dozens of hostages held by militants and Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

The diplomatic breakthrough promised some relief for the 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza who have endured weeks of Israeli bombardment, as well as families in Israel fearful for the fate of their loved ones taken captive during Hamas Oct. 7 attack that triggered the war.

The cease-fire was originally set to begin Thursday morning, but it appeared to hit a snag the night before when Israels national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, announced a one-day delay without providing a reason.

On Thursday, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari announced the cease-fire will start at 7 a.m. local time Friday.

He said the two sides had exchanged lists of those to be released, and the first group of 13 women and children held by Hamas would be freed Friday afternoon. He did not say how many Palestinian prisoners would be freed, but officials have said three would be freed for every hostage.

Increased aid for Palestinians will start to enter Gaza as soon as possible, al-Ansari said. The hope is that the momentum from this deal will lead to an end to this violence, he told reporters.

Rising toll in Gaza

Israeli airstrikes continued Thursday. In the afternoon, a strike leveled a residential building in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. At least 12 people were killed, according to officials at nearby Al-Aqsa Hospital.

One resident, Hosni Moharib, said his wife and several children were killed and other relatives remained buried under the rubble.

It exploded on the house, striking the babies and young children. Everyone in the house, they are all dead, he said, bursting into tears.

The Israeli bombardment, now in its seventh week, has killed more than 13,300 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza, which resumed its detailed count of casualties in Gaza from the war. The ministry had stopped publishing casualty counts since Nov. 11, saying it had lost the ability to do so because of the health systems collapse in the north,

The new numbers were not fully broken down, but women and minors have consistently made up around two-thirds of the dead. The figures do not include updated numbers from hospitals in the north. The ministry says some 6,000 people have been reported missing, feared buried under rubble.

The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and militants in its death tolls. Israel says it has killed thousands of Hamas fighters, without presenting evidence for its count.

Netanyahu says truce wont end war

The truce agreement raised hopes of eventually winding down the war, which has leveled vast swaths of Gaza, fueled a surge of violence in the occupied West Bank and stirred fears of a wider conflagration across the Middle East.

Air-raid sirens sounded across northern Israel on Thursday as Hezbollah said it fired 48 Katyusha rockets from southern Lebanon. The barrage came after an Israeli strike killed five Hezbollah fighters, including the son of the head of the groups parliamentary bloc.

The Israeli military said it was striking the sources of the launches. Israel and Hezbollah, which fought a monthlong war in 2006, have repeatedly traded fire across the border since the war in Gaza broke out.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue the war after the truce expires to destroy Hamas military capabilities, end its 16-year rule in Gaza and return all of the estimated 240 captives held in Gaza by Hamas and other groups.

We will continue it until we achieve all our goals, Netanyahu said, adding that he had delivered the same message in a phone call to U.S. President Joe Biden. Washington has provided extensive military and diplomatic support to Israel since the start of the war.

In Gazas city of Khan Younis, Palestinians welcomed the respite of the upcoming cease-fire but said four days would do little to relieve the humanitarian disaster caused by the war.

God willing, it becomes a total cease-fire, said Jihan Qanan. People have had houses brought down on their heads, theyve been expelled.  Theres no homes, no money, no possessions. The whole world is wrecked.

Surrounding Jabaliya

The Israeli military said combat operations would continue until it was ordered to hold fire, and chief spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said troops would remain in place during the truce. Israeli forces hold much of northern Gaza, where they say they have dismantled tunnels and much of Hamas infrastructure there.

The military said it has surrounded the Jabaliya refugee camp and called on any residents inside to evacuate Thursday. The military has said it is pursuing Hamas fighters in Jabaliya, a dense urban district adjacent to Gaza City that has been heavily bombarded for weeks.

The military said Thursday it detained the director of Gaza Citys Shifa Hospital, Mohammed Abu Selmia, for questioning over his involvement in what it called extensive Hamas activities in the hospital. Gazas Health Ministry condemned Abu Selmias arrest and called on international bodies to intervene.

A day earlier, Israel showed a tunnel and rooms that military officials said were a major Hamas hideout beneath Shifa. Hamas and hospital staff deny Israeli allegations that Shifa was used as a militant command center. Hagari said Israel has mapped out Shifa Hospital and plans to destroy all terror infrastructure it has found.

Ahmed El-Mokhallalati, a plastic surgeon working at Shifa, said 150 patients are still there, with only two doctors, a nurse and three volunteer workers to care for them. My colleagues and I are unable to continue providing treatment to patients, El-Mokhallalati said on X.

Israel has threatened to extend its invasion to southern Gaza, where most of the territorys population is now located. More than 1 million people, including hundreds of thousands who fled the north, have crammed into overflowing U.N.-run shelters with dwindling food, water and basic supplies.

For Hamas, the cease-fire would provide an opportunity to regroup after weeks of apparently heavy losses. Hamas leader Yehya Sinwar, who is believed to be alive and in hiding in Gaza, is likely to claim the release of Palestinian prisoners as a major achievement and declare victory if the war ends.

Hostages to be freed in stages

Under the truce deal, 50 hostages are supposed to be freed in stages, in exchange for the release of what Hamas said would be 150 Palestinian prisoners. Women and children would be released first, and Israel said the truce would be extended an extra day for every additional 10 hostages freed.

The return of hostages could lift spirits in Israel, where their plight has gripped the country. Families of the hostages have staged mass demonstrations to pressure the government to bring them home. Netanyahus office said it notified the families of hostages listed for release Friday.

Hamas said 200 trucks a day will enter Gaza carrying aid. Qatar said the aid will include fuel, but has given no details on quantities.

Israel cut off all imports at the start of the war, except for a trickle of food, water and medical supplies allowed in from Egypt. The lack of fuel has caused a territory-wide blackout, leaving homes and hospitals reliant on faltering generators.

Israels Justice Ministry published a list of 300 prisoners eligible to be released, mainly teenagers detained over the past year for rock-throwing and other minor offenses.

The war erupted when several thousand Hamas militants stormed into southern Israel, killing at least 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking scores of hostages, including babies, women and older adults, as well as soldiers, for whom Hamas is expected to demand a large number of high-profile prisoners.

Jobain reported from Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, and Jeffery from Cairo. Associated Press reporters Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut, Melanie Lidman in Jerusalem and Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed.
A police vehicle stands on the street during a raid in Berlin-Adlershof in Berlin, Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023. Hundreds of police officers searched the properties of Hamas members and followers in Germany on Thursday morning with the majority of the raids taking place in Berlin. (Sven Kaeuler/dpa via AP)

BERLIN  Hundreds of police officers searched the properties of Hamas members and followers in Germany on Thursday morning following a formal ban on any activity by or in support of the militant group.

The German government implemented the ban on Nov. 2 and dissolved Samidoun, a group that was behind a celebration in Berlin of Hamas Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

Germanys domestic intelligence service estimates that Hamas has around 450 members in the country. Their activities range from expressions of sympathy and propaganda activities to financing and fundraising activities to strengthen the organization abroad.

We are continuing our consistent action against radical Islamists, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said. By banning Hamas and Samidoun in Germany, we have sent a clear signal that we will not tolerate any glorification or support of Hamas barbaric terror against Israel.

The raids, which mostly took place in Berlin, were meant to enforce the bans and to further investigate the groups, the German interior ministry said in a statement.

A total of 16 properties were searched by 500 police officers in Berlin and the states of Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia and Schleswig-Holstein.

In Berlin alone, more than 300 police officers carried out searches at 11 locations in order to seize evidence and assets. Seven searches were related to Hamas and four to Samidoun. The searches mainly took place at the homes of supporters and the premises of a Palestinian association, German news agency dpa reported.

Germany has been clamping down on groups supporting antisemitism in the wake of the latest Israel-Hamas war.

On Tuesday, police raided the homes of 17 people in the southern German state of Bavaria who were accused of spreading antisemitic hate speech and threats targeting Jews online. On Nov. 16, German police raided 54 locations across the country in an investigation of a Hamburg-based organization suspected of promoting the Iranian leaderships ideology and possibly supporting activities of Hezbollah in Germany.

We are keeping a close eye on the Islamist scene, Faeser said. Islamists and antisemites cannot and must not feel safe anywhere here. She said the members and supporters of Hamas in Germany are also committed to influencing the political and social discourse in the country.

Hamas has vowed to annihilate Israel and has been responsible for many suicide bombings and other deadly attacks on civilians and Israeli soldiers. After the groups incursion into Israel in October, Israel vowed to wipe out Hamas.

The U.S. State Department designated Hamas a terrorist group in 1997. The European Union and other Western countries also consider it a terrorist organization.
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Chairman of the Russian State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 22, 2023. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

BEIJING, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Chairman of the Russian State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin in Beijing on Wednesday.

Xi said that China and Russia, each other's largest neighbors and both permanent members of the UN Security Council, share extensive common interests.

"This year, President Putin and I had face-to-face in-depth exchanges twice and reached a lot of new consensus on deepening the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination and practical cooperation in various fields," said Xi.

Noting that next year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of China-Russia diplomatic ties, Xi said China is ready to work with Russia to deepen bilateral relations featuring permanent good-neighborly friendship, comprehensive strategic coordination and mutually beneficial cooperation to inject new impetus into the development of the two countries and contribute to the prosperity and stability of the world.

Xi stressed that strengthening cooperation between legislative bodies plays an important role in ensuring the steady and long-term development of China-Russia relations.

Xi expressed his hope that the Russian State Duma and the National People's Congress of China will strengthen exchanges of legislative experience and give full play to the role of special committees and friendship groups of the two legislatures to provide better legal support for bilateral cooperation.

He called on the two legislatures to ensure the synergy of the Belt and Road Initiative and the Eurasian Economic Union, and deepen communication and coordination in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, BRICS, G20 and other multilateral platforms.

Volodin said that under the strategic guidance of President Xi and President Putin, Russia-China relations have reached the best level in history, noting that all parties in the Russian State Duma have a high degree of consensus on developing friendly relations with China.

Russia firmly pursues the one-China policy and firmly supports China in safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity. Russia is willing to strengthen exchanges and cooperation between the legislatures and between the political parties of the two countries, actively implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, deepen friendship and mutual trust between the two peoples, said Volodin.

Wang Yi, Peng Qinghua attended the meeting. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Chairman of the Russian State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 22, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan)

Editor: JYZ
Romina Shvalb, 42, at the dining room table with posters showing her sister Carina Engelbert, 51, with her husband Ronen and daughters Mika, 18, and Yuval, 11. The family was taken from Kibbutz Nir Oz and are believed to be held hostage in Gaza. (Heidi Levine/for The Washington Post)

A hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas will involve the return of 50 hostages, who are among the estimated 240 held captive by Hamas and possibly other groups in Gaza, in exchange for the release of 150 Palestinian prisoners held in Israel, plus a four-day pause in fighting.

The agreement, announced Wednesday, was the result of weeks of tense negotiations that involved mediation by Qatar. President Joe Biden said in a statement welcoming the deal that he would continue to push for the release of all American hostages.

Israeli National Security Council Director Tzachi Hanegbi said talks were continuing and that the release would not begin before Friday.

Heres what we know about the release of hostages from Gaza.

The facts

At least 50 hostages  women and children  will be released during a four-day pause in fighting, the Israeli government said Wednesday.

In turn, Israel will release 150 Palestinian prisoners  women and teenagers, three for each hostage. The pause in fighting could be extended by a day for every additional 10 hostages released by Hamas from Gaza after the first group of 50.

Three Americans  two women and a girl  are expected to be released under the present agreement, a senior Biden administration official told The Washington Post.

The hostages are likely to be transferred to the International Committee of the Red Cross in small numbers in Gaza who will escort them to Israeli border crossings.

In Israel, six hospitals have been readied to receive the hostages with a special pediatrics unit and mental health counselors. The hostages and their families will be housed in dedicated facilities, and the hospitals would be barred from releasing information or photographs to the public, the Israeli Ministry of Health said.

Yocheved Lifshitz, an 85-year-old Israeli grandmother who was held hostage by Hamas in Gaza, speaks during a news conference at Ichelov Hospital in Tel Aviv on Oct. 24. (Heidi Levine/for The Washington Post)

Who are the hostages being released?

The names of the 50 hostages expected to be released have not been shared.

The estimated 240 people held in Gaza are from a plurality of countries, many also with Israeli citizenship. About 20 Thai workers were among those taken, the Thai Foreign Ministry said. They are hoped to be among the first released, it said Nov. 2, after talks with Iran, Egypt and Qatar before the hostage release deal. Not all hostages are believed to be held by Hamas; smaller militant groups such as Palestinian Islamic Jihad are potentially in control of some.

After the initial captives exchange is completed, there will still be about 190 remaining hostages in Gaza, though the deal leaves open the possibility of further exchanges. Israeli and U.S. officials believe there are at least another 25, and perhaps another 50 or more, women and children among the hostages, with the remaining including male civilians, female Israeli soldiers, and up to several dozen male members of the Israel Defense Forces, The Post reported Wednesday. Hamas has claimed that some hostages were killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza, but verifying that information has not been possible.

Were other hostages released earlier?

Four hostages have been released by Hamas since the beginning of the war, in two batches of two about a month ago.

On Oct. 20, Americans Judith Raanan, 59, and her daughter Natalie, 17, were released. Hamas said that this was due to humanitarian reasons, without elaborating further. They had been staying with relatives at the Nahal Oz, a kibbutz near the border with Gaza, when they were taken captive during Hamas unprecedented attack Oct. 7 that killed at least 1,200 in Israel. More than 11,100 have since been killed in Gaza, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which stopped releasing a count from Nov. 10 on, citing the intensity of the fighting.

On Oct. 23, Yocheved Lifshitz and Nurit Cooper, Israeli women in their 70s and 80s, were released, for crushing humanitarian reasons, Hamas said. Their husbands remain in captivity.

How many American hostages are there?

At least nine Americans and one legal permanent resident are believed to be among those held in Gaza, The Post reported previously. One is a 3-year-old child whose parents were killed in the Oct. 7 attack.

Biden said that Americans would be among those freed under the newly announced deal. Todays deal should bring home additional American hostages, and I will not stop until they are all released, he said in his statement Wednesday.

Steve Hendrix contributed to this report.
President Joe Biden responds Monday, Nov. 20, 2023, when asked about a potential deal in the Israel-Gaza conflict. In the Middle East, many people blame the United States for the devastation in Gaza since Oct. 7. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post)

CAIRO  The entire front page of a Lebanese newspaper this month displayed President Joe Bidens face superimposed over pictures of dead Palestinian children, under a headline declaring Western genocide.

In Egypt and some Persian Gulf states, once-bustling Starbucks and McDonalds outlets sit empty thanks to a boycott of U.S. brands. And in Beirut, Tunis and other Arab capitals, protesters have marched on U.S. diplomatic missions, sometimes burning American flags, to vent their fury at the staggering death toll in Gaza.

The prevailing view throughout the Middle East is that while Israel is doing the fighting, this is an American war. Without the diplomatic cover and high-tech munitions provided by the United States, the reasoning goes, Israel wouldnt be able to carry out the massive operation it launched in Gaza to eradicate Hamas that a U.N. official this week said has caused complete and utter carnage. Israels aerial and ground attack on Gaza came after Hamas massacred more than 1,200 people and abducted scores of others on Oct. 7.

International human rights groups, alarmed by the images of maimed or lifeless Palestinian children pulled from the rubble, have warned that the Israeli response is disproportionate and probably includes war crimes, a charge Israeli authorities reject. In Arab nations, where solidarity with the Palestinian cause has endured for decades, millions are watching as the only force they see as powerful enough to stop the bloodletting in Gaza instead defends it. The U.S.-backed pause in fighting set to begin Friday is generally welcomed, but it falls short of Arab calls for the United States to back a longer truce.

In a very important moment of history, when principles were put to the test, they failed the world, said Noha Bakr, an associate professor of political science at the American University in Cairo.

Political analysts in the Middle East called Washingtons support for Israels war a reckless position that doesnt account for the long-term diplomatic, security and economic effects of alienating a region where rivals, namely China, are carving deeper inroads. More importantly, they said, the war has toppled the United States from its moral high ground, with Bidens lectures to Russia about safeguarding civilian life in Ukraine now juxtaposed with his more muted statements as Israel bombs schools and hospitals in Gaza.

On social media, at cafes and in nearly every regional publication, Arabs express a blend of despair and rage toward the American reaction to Palestinian suffering. That feeling was reinforced Tuesday when the White House issued a statement on the deal to free hostages in exchange for a pause in fighting and the release of some Palestinian prisoners.

Im gratified that these brave souls, who have endured an unspeakable ordeal, will be reunited with their families once this deal is fully implemented, Biden said of the hostages in a statement. He made no mention of the Palestinian death toll of more than 13,300, among them more than 5,000 children, according to the latest figures from health officials in Gaza.

On X, formerly Twitter, dozens of comments under Bidens statement highlighted the omission and responded with variations of the message that the presidents legacy in the Middle East would be soaked in blood.

Where are the American values that the Biden administration has been talking about since it came to power? asked Maha Allam, an American studies researcher at the Egyptian Center for Strategic Studies, a think tank in Cairo.

America had multiple opportunities to reorient its compass, she said. But it didnt.

A growing boycott movement

Since the start of the war, American brands have emerged as the main recipients of street-level anger over the U.S. role in the conflict. A platform called Bdnassh, meaning We dont want, allows users to see if a particular brand is on a boycott list alongside Pizza Hut, Pepsi and many other mainstays.

Pro-boycott videos rack up thousands, sometimes millions, of views on YouTube and TikTok with messaging that buying from big American brands amounts to complicity in the killing of Palestinians. In one video, ketchup turns to blood as a man squeezes it on his McDonalds fries. In another, a green-and-white Starbucks cup turns crimson while the mermaid logo morphs into a skeleton.

We picked Starbucks to send a message, said Abdrahman Taeyara, a college student who was among demonstrators outside a Beirut branch of the coffee chain this month. The activists stood silently, passing out leaflets and carrying signs urging passersby to support the boycott.

Typically, brands are added to the list for issuing pro-Israel statements or because of the idea that earnings are taxed and therefore fund U.S. weapons sent to bolster Israels arsenal. Nuance and evidence matter little in the emotion of the moment, when eschewing a Coke is a small antidote to the helplessness of watching Gazas misery.

Some boycotters go so far as to call for the public shaming of those who dont join them.

If you pass by a Starbucks, check to see if there are any traitors inside, one Qatari boycotter said on TikTok, urging people to give them a stare so they can feel guilt. The video has nearly 2 million views.

In Egypt, some McDonalds now display the Palestinian and Egyptian flags, along with pledges to donate to Gaza. Despite the damage-control efforts, many of the restaurants remain empty.

Earlier this month, the Federation of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce released a statement calling on the loyal people of Egypt not to follow boycott calls because the actions harm the national economy and affect the salaries of tens of thousands of Egyptians who work in those companies.

That argument doesnt sway Eman Khaled, an 18-year-old Egyptian student who supports the boycott.

Their blood is like our blood. They are people just like us, she said of Palestinians. Why should I go pay so that they buy bullets to kill them?

The boycott movement is also a way for young Arabs to telegraph their anger over Gaza without running afoul of crackdowns on public demonstrations imposed by the regions monarchs and authoritarians, who are terrified that any unrest could reignite the pro-democracy rebellions of more than a decade ago.

The Arab world now has the largest youth cohort it has ever seen, according to the United Nations, which counts 60 percent of the regions population younger than 30. Through social media, Arab youths are connected to like-minded activists around the world. Even if they cant be as vocal in their criticism for security reasons, they signal their views by wearing wristbands with the Palestinian flag or by sharing memes and emojis of watermelons, a popular symbol of the Palestinian cause.

In Baghdad, the American University of Iraq sparked an uproar with an Oct. 10 email introducing a campuswide ban on the traditional patterned scarves of the region, including the black-and-white keffiyeh associated with Palestinians. The email, which was viewed by The Washington Post, couched the ban as part of ongoing revisions to the dress code, but the wording made it clear kaffiyehs were the issue.

Hours later, after a backlash on social media, administrators apologized for the misunderstanding. The next day students organized a demonstration, wearing kaffiyehs on campus as they denounced the killing of civilians.

Firas Ali, a 22-year old computer science student, said he grew up admiring the United States despite the resentment in Baghdad over the U.S.-led invasion of 2003. He learned English partly through Hollywood movies, mimicking the American accent and believing in American values: You know, like, human rights, freedom of speech.

Enrolling at the American University, Ali said, was part of his dream to eventually live in the United States. That plan evaporated, he said, as he watched Israel killing families and bombing hospitals with the direct support of the nation I have always admired.

To me, they were heroes and whoever is against them is a terrorist, he said. This all has changed after October 7th.

No red lines

The United States became a party to the conflict from the outset, by dispatching warships to support Israel before sending politicians or diplomats, said Mohammed Obeid, a Beirut-based political analyst close to Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group whose low-intensity exchanges with Israel already are widening the war.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced that an aircraft carrier strike group had been ordered to the eastern Mediterranean a day after the Oct. 7 attack. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel four days later.

Before sending diplomats to find a political solution, they sent their warships and weapons and threatened a response, Obeid said. So they actually got involved in this war for the sake of Israel, not for the sake of the United States.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirbys remark that were not drawing red lines for Israel is replayed ad nauseam on Arabic-language news outlets. The blank-check support for Israel isnt new, analysts said, but some were nevertheless surprised by what they view as anti-Palestinian rhetoric coming from the president himself, coupled with the refusal to entertain any criticism that Israels response amounts to collective punishment. Women and children make up nearly 70 percent of the dead, according to U.N. estimates.

Biden was pilloried in the Middle East for expressing doubts about the number of Palestinian casualties because the Gaza Health Ministry, like other official functions, is run by Hamas. Independent researchers and humanitarian groups have vouched for the accuracy of the counts. Biden also repeatedly spread an Israeli government talking point about Hamas beheading babies  a specific claim that lacks clear evidence, unlike the many other documented brutalities committed by the militants inside Israel on Oct. 7.

After what many in the region saw as the naked xenophobia that marked the Donald Trump era, analysts said, Bidens election had been viewed as a reset. Now, as Allam put it, hes no different from Trump.

Other concerns are that Bidens stance emboldens militant groups, which already have attacked U.S. targets in Iraq and Syria, and risks the stability of some of the U.S. governments most reliable Arab allies. Nations such as Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia are all squeezed between guarding their shared interests with the United States and the popular anger swelling with each new day of bloodied children and flattened schools.

The slow and sensitive path to normalization between Israel and Persian Gulf states including Saudi Arabia  a showpiece of U.S. policy in the region  is now on ice. Instead, the region saw a delegation of Arab foreign ministers head to China this week for talks on how to resolve the Gaza crisis.

Americas blind support for whats happening now is affecting the soft-power capacity of the United States in the region, said Bakr, of the American University in Cairo. No one can watch what they are watching and accept the narrative that we have to continue bombarding civilians.

El Chamaa reported from Beirut. Heba Mahfouz in Cairo, Mustafa Salim in Baghdad and Liz Sly in Beirut contributed to this report.
A sailor assigned to the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Thomas Hudner, passes information through a headset, Oct. 10, 2022. U.S. Central Command said the USS Thomas Hudner shot down bomb-carrying drones launched from territory controlled by Yemens Houthi rebels. (Chelsea Palmer/U.S. Navy)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates  The United States military says one of its warships in the Red Sea has shot down bomb-carrying drones launched from territory controlled by Yemens Houthi rebels.

The military arm of Yemens Houthi rebels said earlier Wednesday that it launched a batch of long-range large missiles toward southern Israel, including the Red Sea city of Eilat. The Iran-backed rebel group has launched at least six aerial attacks against Israel since the conflict broke out on Oct. 7.

The Houthi are staunch foes of Israel and have vowed to continue aerial attacks and hijackings of Israeli ships.

The American militarys Central Command said the USS Thomas Hudner, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, shot down the drones early Thursday morning.

The ship and crew sustained no damage or injury, Central Command said, but did not identify what it believed the drones were targeting.
This picture, taken from the Israeli side of the border with the Gaza Strip, shows smoke rising above buildings during Israeli strikes on the northern part of the Palestinian enclave on Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023, as battles between Israel and the Hamas movement continue. (John MacDougall, AFP/Getty Images/TNS)

(Tribune News Service)  As Israel has waged its war in the Gaza Strip, officials across the world are united in trying to figure out how to restore order when all the fighting stops. Theres little agreement, however, and even less optimism.

Israels goal is to eradicate Hamas and secure the enclave. But like so much about the events of the Palestinian militant groups Oct. 7 attack on the Jewish state and its aftermath, what advocates seek for the future of Gaza reflects how they interpret the past  and on that, they cant agree.

That raises questions over whether Israel can ever achieve its stated aims: to deradicalize and demilitarize the Palestinian territory of 2.2 million people on its southwestern border. Israel and Hamas agreed to a hostage deal announced early Wednesday and a pause in fighting, but its uncertain whether any sustainable peace will endure.

U.S. President Joe Biden wants to bring the more moderate Palestinian Authority from the West Bank, led by Mahmoud Abbas, back into Gaza more than 16 years after it was ejected and restart the building of a Palestinian state, as he laid out in a recent essay and public statements.

Interviews with two dozen officials, diplomats and analysts in Israel, the Arab world, Europe and the U.S.  most of which were granted on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive negotiations  show the range of options along with the mistrust and confusion dominating the discussions.

Unlike the U.S., the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opposes a Palestinian state and wants to keep the West Bank and Gaza separate. It seeks to foster a young technocratic leadership inside Gaza with Arab money, U.S. guidance and Israeli security that will build something like Dubai on the Mediterranean, according to senior Israeli officials and others with whom theyve spoken. Its an approach most outsiders consider pie in the sky.

The Palestinian Authority says it wont discuss the future without a ceasefire, but privately officials say theyre ready to return, just not on the back of Israeli tanks. The European Union supports its return, one senior official said, and could beef up its border control mission in Gaza that was withdrawn after Oct. 7. Top officials from the E.U. have been holding discussions with officials from the authority and key Arab states.

Some other European and U.S. officials say the only way forward is a multinational or United Nations force, with an emphasis on Arab troops. Governments in Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia say they wont put boots on the ground and that the U.S. is too supportive of Israels war.

Let me be very clear: I know I am speaking on behalf of Jordan but I have discussed this issue with almost all of our Arab brethren, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi told the Manama Dialogue security conference in Bahrain on Nov. 18. There will be no Arab troops going to Gaza.

That leaves an option of a force like the one in Haiti or Lebanon, but these are considered to be highly ineffective, and Israel either wont accept it or will mostly ignore it once in place.

Many Arabs see the Hamas attack last month as evidence that Israel has been ignoring the Palestinian question to its detriment, pursuing peace with countries further afield such as the United Arab Emirates, Morocco and Saudi Arabia. The assault was significant less for its savagery than for the underlying factors that, they argue, drove desperate people to do desperate things.

This is an opportunity, they say, to restart stalled Israeli-Palestinian negotiations and return to the two-state model that has animated policy and analysis for some three decades. Some also argue that Hamas cant be eliminated because the group, designated a terrorist organization by the U.S., U.K. and E.U., is inherent to Palestinian society and now must be incorporated into peace talks.

Israelis mostly draw a different conclusion. They say they pulled their forces and settlers out of Gaza in 2005. Palestinians could have constructed factories, farms and hotels. Instead, Hamas  which won legislative elections a year later and then took control by force  mostly built rockets and underground tunnels, training thousands of militants to kill and maim, while leaving the population impoverished, the Israelis say.

The lesson is that Israel must never again leave neighboring territory in the hands of Palestinian security forces because militants will take over and try another Oct. 7 attack. For them, the model is Japan and Germany after World War II  destroy fully the existing authority and create a new entity backed by an aid package.

The only way to uproot Hamas entails a massive devastation to homes and infrastructure, leaving parts of Gaza today looking like the European cities in rubble at the end of the Second World War, said Uri Dromi, an Israeli government spokesman in the 1990s. The situation calls for a similar remedy: A new Marshall Plan for Gaza.

A scenario of total devastation in Gaza risks radicalizing an entire generation of youth against the Jewish state, Arab leaders like Jordans King Abdullah have warned. Plus, it would involve billions, if not tens of billions, of dollars. The question is from whom and who would decide how to spend it. Qatar, for one, has financed Gaza for years, with money going toward infrastructure.

Some Arab leaders, though, say theyve paid to rebuild Gaza three times already due to conflicts with Israel and arent much interested in a fourth without rock-solid guarantees.

In Israel, many say its time to abandon the  clearly failed  two-state formula and find a new approach. Its as if nothing happened and people are coming up with the old stuff, said Uzi Rabi, director of the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies. I would vie for something which is out-of-the-box thinking. There is an opportunity to do something different.

Biden says that ground rules for what should happen next include no forcible displacement of Palestinians, no siege or blockade of Gaza and no reduction in its territory.

But Israel has been pressing to move Gazans temporarily into Egypt or other Arab countries to complete its military operation and limit civilian casualties. Egypt refuses  as do the others  on the grounds that, in the past, Israel drove Palestinians from their homes and may not let them back. Israel denies that, but says it plans to create a buffer zone inside Gaza so that militants are kept far from its communities. That, too, contradicts Biden.

In trying to plan whats next, many look at recent history. The Palestinian Authority was in charge of Gaza from 1994 until 2007. In 2006 legislative elections, Hamas squeaked past Fatah, the main party of the Palestinian Authority. It then began pressuring Fatah officials, leading to a violent civil war. Hundreds were killed and the Palestinian Authority was exiled from the strip.

Walid Ibrahim al-Walid, a general in the Palestinian Authoritys preventive security service, counts himself lucky to be alive. He says Hamas made two attempts on his life in Gaza. They came to my house, where I was with my family, and began shooting and throwing grenades, he recounted.

Now living in the West Bank, Al-Walid would like to go back to Gaza, where hes from, as part of a new leadership. There are some 25,000 Palestinian Authority officials still in Gaza, some of whom work within Hamas ministries, and others whove collected salaries for 16 years while staying home. Such civil servants could, in theory, form a new governing structure.

Two names come up as possibilities to run Gaza, at least in the short term. One is Mohammed Dahlan, the top Palestinian Authority figure in Gaza before Hamas took over. Dahlan challenged President Abbas and has been living in exile in Abu Dhabi since 2011. The other is Marwan Barghouti. Hes been in Israeli prison for two decades, is highly influential in the West Bank and considered a possible successor to Abbas. Israel would have to be willing to release him.

The Palestinian Authority, though, is widely considered to have grown sclerotic after almost two decades under Abbas, with corruption and inefficiency endemic. Israeli officials say the authoritys return would be a recipe for disaster and they wont permit it. U.S. officials dont deny that there are significant problems with that possibility, but say theyre less severe than Israel contends.

In truth, there are so many variables  when the war will end, how much will be left standing, how many civilians are killed, whether the fighting spreads more deeply into Lebanon  that detailed planning seems almost fantasy-like. It isnt even clear who the decision makers in key places will be.

Many expect that when the war ends, Netanyahu will be forced to resign for having overseen the security lapse that permitted the Oct. 7 attack. Since his government is especially nationalist, a change could mean a new approach.

Its far from clear, however, whether a new administration would be more moderate on Gazas future or a Palestinian state because the events of recent weeks have driven many Israelis further to the right. In a poll by Channel 12 last week, only 10% of Israelis said they favored bringing the Palestinian Authority into Gaza, with 30% favoring an international force.

Its also not clear how much longer Abbas, 88, will be in office or who might replace him. The same could be said of Biden at 81, facing a tight reelection race in one year, possibly against Donald Trump, whos campaigning partly on a platform of isolationism, suggesting that U.S. military engagement abroad would decrease markedly.

Biden has taken a central role in supporting Israel, sending two carrier-led combat fleets to the Eastern Mediterranean to warn Hezbollah and Iran not to jump into the war with Israel.

Among many other issues is what will be left of Gaza. Much of Gaza City is in ruins. Gazas inhabitants are mostly the descendants of refugees and many have lived without productive work, although thanks to U.N. agencies, their core needs  health and education  have been met.

The reputation of the strip is more dire than the reality. According to the World Bank, Gaza has near universal literacy, much higher than in neighboring Egypt, let alone poorer countries like Sudan and Chad. Rates of infant mortality and life expectancy were also better.

But the impact of the war will be devastating. The U.N. Development Program has already forecast that with some 390,000 jobs lost so far, the economy could shrink by up to 12% in 2023, poverty could rise by a third and the area could be set back by some 15 years. More than two thirds of Gazans have been displaced. Gaza could look like Syria with huge internal refugee tent camps amid rubble.

Its extremely difficult to think of the endgame, said Khaled Al-Hroub, professor in residence of the faculty of liberal arts at Northwestern University in Qatar. Much depends on the final outcome of the war and the degree to which Hamas is weakened.

He said Hamas cant be eliminated and must be included in negotiations on a future Palestinian state, or as former Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Moussa put it: Hamas will most certainly have a role in what emerges after the guns are silenced.

Meanwhile, said Al-Hroub, Israel is turning Gaza into a reconstruction site that will consume whoever is in power for years to come in healing it. And, for now, its hard to see who would wield that power beyond Israel.

The country says it trusts no one else to make sure Hamas isnt rebuilding its forces. It plans on having its troops moving freely in and out, which will protect the border communities it plans to rebuild, but create friction in Gaza.

If a local governing body does emerge, the situation might most resemble parts of the West Bank where Palestinian officials handle civil matters and Israeli troops are responsible for security. Its an arrangement that Palestinians have complained about for years, saying Israeli troops humiliate their officials who are dismissed by the population as toadies and agents of occupation.

Meanwhile, the most striking gap remains over the meaning of Oct. 7. Israelis focus on the killing, maiming and kidnapping of women, children and elderly, by militants. To them, its evidence of a deeply violent streak and proof that Hamas needs to be uprooted the way the Islamic State was from Iraq and Syria in 2016-17.

Palestinians view it differently. They tend to see the attack as a triumph over Israel, according to a recent poll by Ramallah-based Arab World for Research and Development. Support for a two-state solution has plummeted, it showed, while belief has soared in the installation of a Palestinian state from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.

To the question of whether the events since Oct. 7 have made them more or less in favor of coexistence, nine in 10 Palestinians said less.

Thats the kind of sentiment Israelis cite as a reason to focus purely on their own security calculations, without expecting cooperation from anyone else. As long as there is no stability in Gaza, Israel can rely on nobody, said Rabi, the Dayan Center director. Whatever the solution, it has to have something to do with the security needs of Israel.

With assistance from Antony Sguazzin and Fadwa Hodali.

2023 Bloomberg L.P.

Visit bloomberg.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Scott Lauer, left, an attorney for Han Lee, walks past members of the media as he departs federal court, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023, in Worcester, Mass. Two people, Han Lee and Junmyung Lee, accused of operating a high-end brothel network with wealthy and prominent clients in Massachusetts and the Washington, D.C. suburbs, will remain behind bars for now, a judge said on Wednesday. (Steven Senne/AP)

WORCESTER, Mass.  Two people accused of operating a high-end brothel network with wealthy and prominent clients in Massachusetts and the Washington, D.C., suburbs will remain behind bars for now, a judge said on Wednesday.

Lawyers for Han Lee and Junmyung Lee agreed to a voluntary order of detention during a brief court hearing two weeks after their arrest. Magistrate Judge David Hennessy in Worcester, Massachusetts, entered the order without prejudice, which means defense lawyers can move for their release at a later date.

Their attorneys declined to comment after the hearing.

Authorities have said the commercial sex ring in Massachusetts and northern Virginia catered to politicians, company executives, military officers, lawyers, professors and other well-connected clients.

Prosecutors have not publicly named any of the buyers and they have not been charged. But acting Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Josh Levy has said the investigation is ongoing and that prosecutors are committed to holding accountable both those who ran the scheme and those who fueled the demand.

Prosecutors have argued Han Lee and Junmyung Lee pose a risk of flight, pointing to their financial resources and lack of ties to the community. A Homeland Security Investigations agent said in court papers filed Wednesday that authorities believe Han Lee made an astounding amount of money as the leader of the operation.

It was run using websites that falsely claimed to advertise nude Asian models for professional photography, prosecutors allege. The operators rented high-end apartments to use as brothels in Watertown and Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Tysons and Fairfax, Virginia, prosecutors said.

Authorities say Han Lee recruited women and maintained the websites and brothels. She paid Junmyung Lee, who was one of her employees, between $6,000 to $8,000 in cash per month in exchange for his work booking appointments for the buyers and bringing women to the brothels, among other things, the agent wrote.

Prosecutors believe the operators raked in hundreds of thousands of dollars through the network, where men paid upwards of $600 per hour for services. Officials say Han Lee concealed more than $1 million in proceeds from the ring by converting the cash into money orders, among other things, to make it look legitimate.

Authorities seized from their apartments cash, ledgers detailing the activities of the brothels and phones believed to be used to communicate with the sex customers, according to court papers. The agent wrote investigators at Han Lees home also found items indicative of her lavish and extravagant spending habits, including luxury shoes and bags.

A third person charged in the case, James Lee, was arrested in California and was ordered by a judge there to remain behind bars while he awaits trial. He has yet to appear in court in Massachusetts.
Army veteran Isaac Bashi, at right with his family, will be hosting Thanksgiving in a mortgage-free, renovated home that he received as part of a program offered by PNC Bank and the Military Warriors Support Foundation. (Facebook)

(Tribune News Service)  For the first time in 20 years Isaac Bashis family will celebrate Thanksgiving Day together.

All of our family, who can fit in here are coming for dinner, said Bashi, a United States Army veteran who moved from Phoenix, Ariz., to Michigan along with his fiance, Jassyel Tungol and their daughters Aria, 7, and Avalee, 2.

Another blessing for Thanksgiving Day is that Bashi will be hosting the holiday meal in a mortgage-free, renovated home that he received as part of a program offered by PNC Bank and the Military Warriors Support Foundation.

This much he knew about.

What he was not prepared for when he and his family arrived at their home was the red carpet celebration awaiting them in St. Clair Shores including: a fire truck escort; a school bus filled with students waving flags; other school children lining the sidewalk carrying signs that said, Welcome To Shorian Nation, Congratulations! and  Welcome Home! or Lake Shore High Schools marching band, cheerleaders and a host of others from the community, bank and foundation gathered in front of their house.

It was surreal, Bashi said, of the feeling that rose up in his chest once he realized they were all there for him.

Ive never felt that way before, added the veteran, who earned multiple military awards for his service including the Purple Heart, Combat Infantryman Badge and Afghanistan Campaign Medal.

It was while deployed in Afghanistan that Bashi was injured.

I suffered a traumatic brain injury from a roadside bomb, said the 33-year-old veteran, who learned about the Military Warriors Support Foundation from other wounded warriors.

They have a website where veterans can apply for a home, a car, mentorships and other programs, Bashi said. I checked it out every now and then to see where the homes were available.

When one popped up in Michigan he applied.

We have family here on my fathers side, Bashi said. We visited them at Christmas and we really like it here.

Bashi said Phoenix can get pretty hot and he and his family are really looking forward to experiencing four seasons.

Among the people who played a role in the red carpet arrival was PNC Regional President Mike Bickers, who said PNC Bank became involved in the support foundation after witnessing the value a home donation provided a veteran.

That was in 2015.

Every year since then they have contributed to the house-giving program.

This is now our eighth home donation, and we firmly believe its among the best ways we can honor a serviceman or woman who sustained injuries due to the execution of their duties in defense of our country, Bickers said.

David Dougherty concurred.

Its an honor to serve our nations heroes in this way, awarding Isaac Joseph Bashi and his family with a beautiful mortgage-free home, said the retired U.S. Army command sergeant major and vice president of Military Warriors Support Foundation.

We thank PNC for their commitment to this program and continued support for our veterans. Without the relationship we enjoy and our shared values, this would not be possible, added Dougherty, who joined Bickers for the home unveiling that included a surprise once the family got inside.

It was above our expectations, Bashi said.

They knew it was newly remodeled but figured it would be empty. Instead, they found the home filled with new appliances and furniture.

There was even a Christmas tree with toys for the kids, said Bashi, who works in Information Technology and provides consulting services to a variety of companies.

(c)2023 The Macomb Daily, Mount Clemens, Mich.

Visit https://www.macombdaily.com/

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Members of the Extradition Unit were supported by local Detective Gardai from Dundalk and the Regional Armed Support Unit in the course of this operation

A man arrested in Co Louth by gardai acting on a Swedish European Arrest Warrant is due to appear before the High Court next month.

The man, in his 20s, was arrested on Sunday, November 19, by members of the Extradition Unit attached to the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (GNBCI) in Dundalk.

Members of the Extradition Unit were supported by local Detective Gardai from Dundalk and the Regional Armed Support Unit in the course of this operation, the Garda Press Office stated.

The male was brought before the High Court on Sunday, November 19, 2023 and remanded in custody to appear before the High Court again on Tuesday, December 12, 2023.

As this matter is now before the courts An Garda Siochana will not be providing further comment.
Cillian McCarthy, (24), told Limerick Circuit Criminal Court that Kyle Hayes (25) and others punched and stamped on him

A man told a court today he was chased, tripped, punched and kicked as he lay on the ground by a group of males, which included five time All-Ireland winning Limerick hurler Kyle Hayes.

Cillian McCarthy, (24), told Limerick Circuit Criminal Court that Kyle Hayes (25) and others punched and stamped on him after he was tripped to the ground outside the Icon nightclub, Limerick City, on October 28, 2019.

Two gardai will give evidence they saw Mr Hayes and others assaulting Mr McCarthy as he lay on a street outside the nightclub, on the night in question, prosecution counsel, John OSullivan BL, has told the court.

Cillian McCarthy alleged Kyle Hayes also assaulted him inside the club earlier on the night after he became angry that Mr McCarthy was chatting to two females at the bar in the club.

Mr McCarthy alleged Kyle Hayes approached him and his friend Craig Cosgrave in Smyths Bar, and warned them to stay the f**k away from the two girls.

Mr McCarthy said Kyle Hayes became aggressive and shouted at him Do you know who the f**k I am?.

He said he tried explaining to Kyle Hayes that the girls were old school friends of his, but he (Kyle Hayes) did not want to hear it.

I just walked away, I knew where it was going, I thought it was going to lend towards a fight - I didn't want that, Mr McCarthy said.

He alleged that when he met the two girls again later on, on the clubs dance floor, Kyle Hayes became very aggressive and charged towards him.

He (Kyle Hayes) told me he was getting sick of me, he told me if I wanted to do it, wed do it, Mr McCarthy said.

Another man who was with Kyle Hayes threw the first punch, hitting me in my right eye, Mr McCarthy claimed.

He said Kyle Hayes and the other man began punching me continuously into the head.

Kyle Hayes arriving at Limerick Circuit Criminal Court on Thursday. Photo: Brendan Gleeson.

Mr McCarthy said he was removed from the dance floor by security staff and admitted he was mad by what happened.

I was mad, I was in pain, and I was agitated, I wont lie.

My right eye was pounding, I could feel blood dripping down my face, it was getting hard to see out through it (my eye), as it was swelling up a lot.

Mr McCarthy told the court, after CCTV footage of the alleged dance floor brawl was played to the jury: You can clearly see Kyle Hayes jumping in and punching me.

Mr McCarthy said when he eventually left the club bruised and bloodied he was pursued by Kyle Hayes and others.

He said Kyle Hayes caught up with him, and told me I was all alone now and hed dig the head off me.

Mr McCarthy said he told Kyle Hayes to f**k off, that Id already got a beating.

He said he started to panic when other males joined Kyle Hayes across the street from him.

Mr McCarthy said a friend of his then informed him that despite his best efforts to try and calm the situation, there was no reasoning with Kyle Hayes who said he wanted to fight me, one-to-one - a claim refuted by Kyle Hayes barrister, senior counsel, Brian McInerney.

Mr McCarthy said it all kicked off again and he ran towards the parties to try and help Craig, who was on his own.

He said Kyle Hayes and others began throwing punches left, right and centre, trying to attack us.

Mr McCarthy said the group chased them up the street, and he was knocked to the ground.

Thats when they started stamping on me.

They were hitting me as I was running away, I was tripped onto the ground and I was attacked and stamped on.

Asked by John OSullivan, for the DPP, who had stamped on him, Mr McCarthy replied: Kyle Hayes, Jai Chaudri, (and others).

Mr McCarthy said that about five or six males, including Kyle Hayes and Jai Chaudri were standing over me, stamping all over me with their feet.

He said that, between punches and kicks he suffered roughly about 20 continuous blows to his head and body.

He told the court he sustained a fracture to a bone under his right eye and underwent surgery to repair it and put it back into place.

Under cross examination by Kyle Hayes barrister, Brian McInerney SC, Mr McCarthy denied he was aggressor on the night and that his motivation was to do damage to Kyle Hayes.

Mr McCarthy denied that all Kyle Hayes said to him on the night was to stop talking to a girl who was in a relationship with one of his friends.

Kyle Hayes, of Ballyashea, Kildimo, Co Limerick, denies one count of assault causing harm to Mr McCarthy and two counts of violent disorder, inside and outside Icon nightclub, on October 28, 2019.

Jai Chaudri (22), of Carheeny, Kildimo, denies one count of assaulting Mr McCarthy causing him harm, as well as one count of violent disorder, on the same night.

Craig Cosgrave, (24), of Caherally, Grange, Co Limerick, denies one count of violent disorder.

The trial resumes Friday.
The page states that Brandon, who died suddenly and unexpectedly on November 18, is the beloved son of Sabrina and John, cherished brother of Byron, Ellie, Kaci and Daryl

A condolences page for Finglas shooting victim Brandon Ledwidge has been flooded with messages of sympathy ahead of his funeral.

While details of his funeral are yet to be announced, a death notice on rip.ie has been inundated with messages from people expressing their sadness at his death.

The notice states that Brandon, who died suddenly and unexpectedly on November 18, is the beloved son of Sabrina and John, cherished brother of Byron, Ellie, Kaci and Daryl.

He will be sadly missed by his family, nanny and grandad, brother-in-law Kian, nephew Kruz, niece Ruby, his girlfriend, cousins, extended family and friends, the announcement reads.

In the condolences section, one person has written: So sorry for the loss of your beloved son. I hope Brandon gets the best bed in heaven and guides yous through the healing process.

Another has added: Thinking of our friends at this heart-breaking time, RIP Brandon, watch over your family give them the strength to try get through this heartache.

One person said: So sorry for yous are (sic) loss, he was such a nice and kind-hearted boy, didn't deserve this at all such a cruel world.

Brandon Ledwidge

Another adds: Deepest sympathy to Brandon's family at this very sad time. May Brandon send you strength in the days ahead and watch over you all. Rest in peace, forever 23.

One offered: Condolences to John, Sibby, and family on the loss of your beautiful young son may the Angels guide him to eternal life and may he watch over his family at this heart-breaking time and give you all the courage and strength to get through this in my thoughts and prayers, RIP Brandon.

This week we revealed how Ledwidge, who was shot dead in Finglas, Dublin last Saturday night, was due in court today on drug possession and intent to sell charges.

Ledwidge (23), who was shot several times as he answered the door of his home on Barry Drive at around 7pm, was facing three separate charges for possession of heroin and cocaine with the intent of sale or supply.

Two charges relating to the possession of cocaine and diamorphine and two of possession for sale or supply were due to be heard on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, a post-mortem has been completed by the State Pathologist Dr Sally Ann Collis yesterday, the results of which are not being released for operational reasons according to the Garda Press Office.

A technical examination of the scene has since been completed by the Garda Technical Bureau.

The investigation is being led by a Senior Investigating Officer (SIO) and a Garda Family Liaison Officer (FLO) has been appointed to liaise with the family of the deceased.

The Sunday World previously reported Brandon Ledwidge was not considered a serious criminal but had links to gangsters far higher up the food chain than him, according sources.

A gunman who had called to the home opened fire, shooting the victim four times in the head and body.

He was shot at close range and didnt stand a chance sources added.

Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact Finglas Garda Station on 01 666 7500, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any garda station.

Several tributes to the young man have been posed on social media since the killing, with friends and family dedicating Facebook posts to him.

An aunt wrote that she was broken after her nephews death, adding that she considered him to be one of her closest pals.

My nephew/brother... My forever best friend... I loved you from the first day of your life and I'll love you till the last day of my life, she wrote.
Similarly to D2 in Cloverhill, inmates with ongoing psychiatric needs sent to the Midlands are kept on C1 left.

Jozef Puska (centre) when he was charged with the murder of Ashling Murphy. Photo: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin

Evil murderer Jozef Puska has been transferred to the Midlands Prison where he is being kept in a single cell, the Sunday World has learned.

Puska (33) was sentenced to life in prison last week for the brutal and senseless murder of school teacher Ashling Murphy (23) in Tullamore, Co Offaly, in January 2022.

Now prisoner 117923, Puska was returned to the D2 landing in Cloverhill Prison on Friday evening after he was processed in Mountjoy Prison following his sentence.

Although Cloverhill Prison is considered a remand prison, sources say inmates on the D2 landing have ready access to psychiatric services that would not necessarily be available to inmates in other prisons.

Ashling Murphy

There had been speculation about where Puska would be sent to next. However, we can confirm that the Slovakian native has been placed on the C1 left landing in Midlands Prison.

Similarly to D2 in Cloverhill, inmates with ongoing psychiatric needs sent to the Midlands are kept on C1 left.

Currently, inmates housed on the landing include former Kinahan cartel gunman Alan Wilson; serial sex attacker Kevin Kletzander, who sexually assaulted nine women in Dublin in one month; convicted rapist Mark McAnaw; convicted killer Simon McGinley  who is serving life for the murder of pensioner Eugene Gillespie  and convicted rapist John Connors.

Puska has been keep under close watch by prison staff since an apparent attempt at serious self-injury on October 31, the day before he was due to take to the stand in his trial for the murder of Ashling.

Staff on the D2 landing in Cloverhill Prison discovered Puska attempting to self-harm and successfully intervened to prevent him causing serious injury.

A source said Puska remains on suicide watch in the Midlands and is being checked every 15 minutes, but presents as normal.

He is acting perfectly normal, the source said.

Alan Wilson

"He is alone, nobody is near him  both because of his profile and the horrific crime he has committed."

Inmates housed on the landing include notorious gangland criminal Alan Wilson, who was part a hit team hired by the Kinahan Cartel to kill Gary Hanley in 2017.

Wilson was jailed for six years, while his cousin Luke Wilson received an 11-year sentence.

Wilson has not served his time behind bars quietly.

The mobster has been the subject of disciplinary sanctions on more than 10 occasions, most of these for threatening jail staff.

During his first four years behind bars, Wilson was hit with more than 10 P19 reports, which are handed to inmates who have broken prison regulations.

Wilson has also brought a case for damages against the Prison Service after the Mountjoy attack in which his head was cut.

He claims he informed authorities that there was a 20,000 reward for cutting or assaulting him, and 100,000 bounty for killing him.

In December 2021, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the 2010 gun attack at the Players Lounge in Dublin which left three men injured.

Wilson was also charged with and acquitted of the 2008 abduction and murder of Romanian girl Marioara Rostas in Dublin.

Other prisoners who will be joined by Puska on C1 left are serial sex attacker Kevin Kletzander, who sexually assaulted nine women in Dublin in one month; convicted rapist Mark McAnaw; convicted killer Simon McGinley  who is serving life for the murder of pensioner Eugene Gillespie  and convicted rapist John Connors.

A source yesterday described C1 left as one of the most oppressive landings within the prison system.

It houses inmates who have committed some of the worst crimes imaginable, who are now suffering from severe mental conditions, the source said.

Its an unpleasant place to work in, never mind to serve a sentence. But Jozef Puska would probably fit right in.

Puska, who continues to deny carrying out Ashling Murphys murder, has 21 days from his sentencing on Friday last to appeal.

Sources say both gardai and prison authorities believe Puska will file an appeal following his repeated denials during trial.

Jozef Puska

Handing down the mandatory sentence on Friday last, following victim impact statements from the Murphy family, and Ashlings partner, Ryan Casey, Judge Tony Hunt described it as wholly deserved.

He said he did not have the power to impose a minimum period to be served and if he had the power, a whole life-term would have to be considered in this case.

The judge said Puskas evidence had been indescribable and the one thing we dont know about this case is the why.

During the four-week trial, the jury heard evidence that Puska stabbed Ms Murphy in the neck 11 times with a knife.

Two days after her death  Puska admitted killing Ashling, the jury heard.

But, in his evidence, Puska resiled from his confession and claimed he was pushed off his bike, and that he was stabbed three times in the stomach by a man in a face mask, who then assaulted and killed Ms Murphy.
Kurban Hupur checks stored plums at an agricultural cooperative in Payzawat, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sept. 4, 2023. (Xinhua/Ding Lei)

URUMQI, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- Plums planted in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region are known for their sweet and juicy taste thanks to the region's prolonged sunshine and great day and night temperature difference. However, it was once a headache for local farmers to preserve the fresh plums until new technologies changed that.

Payzawat County in Xinjiang is the country's largest production base of high-quality plums. The introduction and application of new technologies and practices are bringing local orchardists increasing incomes, a better life, and a promising future.

One year into his work at the Doowin Goodies Pilot Plant in Payzawat, an agro-tech company, Aiztiali Yimam, a 26-year-old resident and college graduate, is still amazed by the new changes.

"There are many things I have never seen in the past, including preservation technologies from Japan and the Netherlands, as well as smart sorting equipment from France," he said.

The young man is responsible for operating the plant's fresh-storage facilities. "Every two hours, I have to check all the fresh-keeping storehouses to make sure the equipment is running properly, and the temperature-controlling equipment directly determines the quality of the plums," Aiztiali Yimam explained.

He said that in the past, the plums had to be sold within about 20 days of picking. "They could not sell at a good price, and the plums that didn't sell could only be made into dried fruits," he added.

Now, with the assistance of new technologies and equipment, plums can be stored for much longer, and the sales period has been extended to two to six months, allowing the fruit to reach customers farther away and the price to be kept relatively stable.

To take advantage of the new technologies, Payzawat County has built a cold storage system with a total storage capacity of about 100,000 tonnes.

Kurban Hupur, who has been planting plums for nearly two decades, constructed three cold storage units of more than 200 square meters in front of his house three years ago. "I will sell my plums when the price is appropriate and put them in cold storage when the price is low," he said.

In just a few years, Kurban Hupur's planting area of plums grew from 4 mu (about 0.27 hectares) to more than 20 mu. In 2020, he started a cooperative to buy more than 100 tonnes of plums annually.

Kurban Hupur said that with government support, he established a cooperative with direct contact with buyers, and there have been several long-term partners from provinces like Zhejiang in the east and Guangdong in the south.

As more and more plum growers have begun to focus on quality, the fruit produced here has become increasingly popular. Businessmen from all over China flock to Payzawat every year to place orders even before the plums are ripe.

Nowadays, plums from Payzawat are also exported to Southeast Asia and Central Asia. This August, Payzawat plums were transported to the southern Chinese metropolis of Shenzhen by cold chain transport and then to Malaysia by sea.

The plum planting area in Payzawat County has reached 450,000 mu, with the total output value estimated at 4.5 billion yuan (about 643 million U.S. dollars) annually.

"New technologies and large enterprises have gathered in our small county, making our plums more and more famous," said Kurban Hupur. "I'm earning more, which improves our lives and gives my family more opportunities to go out and see the outside world." 

This aerial photo taken on Sept. 2, 2023 shows a plum industry park built with the assistance of south China's Guangdong Province in Payzawat, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Ding Lei)

Workers sort out plums on a smart operating line at a plum industry park in Payzawat, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Aug. 30, 2023. (Xinhua/Ding Lei)

Aiztiali Yimam checks fresh-storage facilities of Doowin Goodies Pilot Plant, an agro-tech company, in Payzawat, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sept. 2, 2023. (Xinhua/Ding Lei)

This photo taken on Sept. 2, 2023 shows plum products displayed at a plum industry park in Payzawat, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Ding Lei)

Editor: JYZ
The scene was preserved and a technical examination conducted by the Scenes of Crime Unit

A man has been arrested in Dublin following reports of an assault that left another man in hospital with serious injuries.

The man in his 50s was detained after the incident at commercial premises in Walkinstown, Dublin 12 at approximately 6.05pm on Wednesday.

Gardai said they had received report of an assault and that a male in his 40s was transferred to St Jamess Hospital for treatment of serious injuries.

The scene was preserved and a technical examination conducted by the Scenes of Crime Unit, gardai said.

In the early hours of Thursday, November 23, a male in his 50s was arrested by gardai and is currently detained at a garda station in South Dublin under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984.

Gardai added that investigations are ongoing.
Gardai say a man in his fifties who was taken to hospital for treatment is a person of interest in the case and they are not looking for anyone else

A young girl is in critical condition after five people were injured in a stabbing near a school in Dublin city centre.

Three children were among the casualties taken to hospital following the attack which occurred shortly after 1pm near Parnell Square on the northside of Dublin.

One of the children  a young girl who is aged 5 - was gravely injured and is receiving urgent medical treatment in CHI Temple Street.

A boy (5) and a girl (6) were taken to CHI Crumlin for treatment for less serious injuries and the boy has since been released.

A woman in her 30s was also injured in the attack.

Gardai say a man in his fifties who was taken to hospital for treatment is a person of interest in the case and they are not looking for anyone else.

Mary-Lou McDonald offers her sympathy as three children injured in Dublin knife attack

In a garda press briefing at Mountjoy garda station this evening, Garda Superintendent Liam Geraghty said they are satisfied there is no terror related activity linked to the attack and they are treating it as a standalone incident.

Supt Geraghty praised members of the public who intervened to protect the students.

He said: "My understanding is members of the public did intervene at a very, very early stage and we would applaud those members of the public for getting involved in such a traumatic and potentially dangerous situation for themselves.

"We're aware that the public are concerned about the activities that have happened today. The message to them is that we believe that this is a standalone incident, not necessarily connected to any wider issues that are ongoing in the country or in the city, and we need to identify the exact reasons for that happening.

"So we'd ask for people not to jump to conclusions and not to make rash judgments on what may have happened."

He said the parents of the children involved were aware of the incident very quickly.

"We are dealing, not just with the parents of the three children, but parents of the wider group that would have seen and potentially be traumatised as a result of what happened this afternoon," he said.

"My understanding is that the first emergency services were ambulances, and they were there within minutes, followed by An Garda Siochana.

Earlier, gardai said the casualties have been taken to various hospitals in the Dublin Region, according to gardai.

"One child, a girl, has sustained serious injuries, while the other two children are being treated for less serious injuries, a spokesperson said.

An Garda Siochana is in contact with parents of all three injured children.

The adult female is being treated for serious injuries and the adult male for less serious injuries, the spokeperson added.

Scene of the stabbing on Parnell Street. Photo: Twitter

An eye witness at the scene told how the children involved in the incident suddenly fell to the ground.

"The kids were out walking. All of a sudden one of them fell to the ground, then another fell to the ground, then another falls to the ground.

Then this guy started running past.

The eyewitness said the assailant was armed with a knife and fell to the ground and a load of people jumped on him.

They said that people at the scene then formed a cordon around the assailant to stop him from being assaulted.

The witness said: The police were on the scene pretty quickly. An undercover garda came running up and intervened.

Then the cordon went up and there were people, maybe parents, I dont know, were running up and going underneath it, sprinting up the road.

Local councillor Nial Ring told how he had spoken to a woman who helped remove the knife from the attacker, which he says helped prevent more carnage.

"I have just come back from Parnell Square where shocked parents and children are coming to terms with the horrific attack," he told the Sunday World.

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"I spoke with parents and passers-by alike and the sense of shock was palpable"

"I have a long standing connection with the school and I know many of the parents and pupils as well as their brilliant principal.

"I also spoke with the lady who was on her way to the Stardust inquiry but on seeing the attack confronted the attacker with another man and managed to get the knife off him. Those two citizens are real heroes and probably prevented even more carnage."

"I spoke with parents who had to wait outside the school (at the back lane) and hoped and prayed that their child would come out. The sense of fear and foreboding had parents I know in tears. We cannot even start to imagine the traumatic effect for those whose children did not come out." "It was like a lottery, " one father said to me.

Gardai at the scene in Parnell Street

"Our thoughts are with the injured children and their parents and I am sure the Department of Education will immediately put in place counselling for the children and staff who have witnessed such a traumatic event. This will be a vital part of bringing some sort of normality back to the school"

"This only happens in America" was a phrase I heard a good few times today. It happened here - let's take all the steps necessary to make sure it can never happen again" .

Minister for Education Norma Foley said that The National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) is providing support to the school community.

I wish to express my deepest sympathies to the three children and the woman who were viciously attacked in Dublin, she said.

Our hearts and minds go out to all who were injured today and to all of their families, as well as all the staff who care for them in the school and in their creche.

In a statement the INTO said its thoughts and prayers were with the students and teachers in the school.

"Our hearts are with the entire school community of Gaelscoil Cholaiste Mhuire following the horrendous incident that has taken place today. We are thinking of the children, their families and the schools staff during this unimaginably difficult time.

"We are in touch with the school and know teachers around the country will have the school in their thoughts and prayers this evening," a spokesperson for the INTO said.

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee said she is deeply shocked by the appalling attack on three innocent children and a woman in Dublin today.

"The attack has shocked us all and Ive no doubt the person responsible will be brought to justice. However, my thoughts are with the innocent children and the woman who have been attacked, their families and those who are caring for them at this time, she added.

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald has described the violent attack as beyond words

She said the violent attack has sent shock and horror throughout the community. My heart goes out to all the hurt and injured, the parents, teachers but especially the children who have been so traumatised. This is beyond words, she wrote on Twitter.

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Green Party Councillor Janet Horner said she knew the school believed to be at the centre of the incident and some of the parents of children at the school.

I havent spoken to any of them yet, she said. Im sure everybodys just reeling at the moment.

Its horrific," she added. "I think people are really shocked. Many people have contacted me already and I think everyone is just stunned."

Earlier, gardai said in a statement: An Garda Siochana are investigating all the circumstances of a serious public order incident which occurred on Parnell Square East, shortly after 1.30pm this afternoon Thursday, 23rd November 2023.

The scene remains sealed off at this time.

An Garda Siochana is following a definite line of inquiry.

An Garda Siochana is not looking for any other person at this time.

There is no further information
It follows the arrest and conviction earlier this year of Johnny Dolph (50) originally of Tulsa, Oklahoma, a leader of the Irish Mob Gang

A Kansas woman has been jailed for two years after being convicted of a witness retaliation plot involving a leader of the Irish Mob Gang in Oklahoma.

Juanita Gibson (38) was convicted for conspiracy to assault a witness and attempted assault of a witness and sentenced in federal court in Omaha on Tuesday.

She will serve 24 months in prison followed by a three-year term of supervised release with no parole.

It follows the arrest and conviction earlier this year of Johnny Dolph (50) originally of Tulsa, Oklahoma, a leader of the Irish Mob Gang, which originated in the Oklahoma prison system, according to the Attorneys Office of Nebraska.

Court documents show that Dolph was under investigation by the United States Secret Service for financial crimes involving counterfeit currency in 2021.

In September 2021, one of the Irish Mobs gang members was caught in possession of counterfeit currency, forged cheques, and other items used for forging documents, with much of the evidence incriminating Dolph.

After his arrest, Dolph and a woman named Jennifer Norwood, or Jennifer Dolph, began contacting the arrested mans wife in a bid to prevent her from cooperating with law enforcement.

Dolph, believing the couple were cooperating with law enforcement, put a green light on them, which is mob slang meaning permission to carry out a hit or other form of coercive action, according to local media reports.

In October of that year, after a search warrant was authorised for Dolphs Omaha apartment, the Dolphs began researching the judge who authorised it, as well as the Secret Service agent who was the author of the affidavit

Dolph and Norwood also began providing information about the accomplices wife, including where she and her family live to others living outside Nebraska.

On November 19, 2021, Dolph contacted a woman by the name of Kate Ruth and requested that she travel from Kansas to Omaha to carry out a green light on the victim.

Gibson got involved in the plot when she drove Ruth to Nebraska while Dolph sent the pair money for fuel over CashApp, while inquiring about their trip and providing parking instructions.

Ruth and Gibson stayed with the Dolphs where the four researched the victim.

Gibson later admitted to the Secret Service, that she and Ruth had travelled to Nebraska at Dolphs request to find a woman who Dolph had been looking for.

Authorities attempted to arrest Dolph on March 1, 2022, after law enforcement determined that a Hi-Point C9 9mm gun found in his possession had been obtained via the so-called, straw purchase.

In recorded calls, Dolph gave specific instructions to another gangster about how to find an item hidden in an air compressor inside a trailer kept in a storage unit in Omaha.

He told the man to destroy the evidence in the case by dousing it in gasoline and igniting it with a blow torch  and to send him a photo of it burning to prove hed actually done it.

The FBI detectives in charge described their relief and tireless efforts that were were instrumental in seeing justice served in this case, said Kansas City Field Office Special Agent in Charge Brandon Bridgeforth.

We can think of no greater outcome than protecting citizens and witnesses of crimes from violent criminals such as Johnny Dolph.

"Our office has the power and authority to prosecute all offenses against the United States. Any attempts to subvert this pursuit of justice through illicit means will be met with aggressive prosecution," said Acting United States Attorney Susan Lehr.

"Today's sentencing is an example of this commitment and should serve as a warning to those who are contemplating unlawful attempts to undermine the criminal justice process, the Attorney said.

Dolph was sentenced on August 17, 2023, for various charges including felon in possession of a firearm and two counts of conspiracy to assault a witness, and two counts of attempted assault of a witness.

On November 14, Jennifer Dolph pleaded guilty to making false statements during the purchase of a firearm, conspiracy to destroy evidence and conspiracy to assault a witness.

Ruths trial is currently pending

With no parole in the federal system, Gibson will begin a three-year term of supervised release when she is free from prison.
The deer appears to have been shot and has suffered catastrophic injuries

A deer that appears to have been shot in the face pictured at the Derrybawn Bridge in Laragh, Wicklow. Photo: Myles Carroll

A deer that appears to have been shot in the face pictured at the Derrybawn Bridge in Laragh, Wicklow. Photo: Myles Carroll

A representative from the Irish Deer Society has asked for the Wicklow publics help in locating a deer in the Laragh area that appears to have been shot and has suffered catastrophic injuries to its face and head.

The alarm was raised on Tuesday by acclaimed Aughrim photographer Myles Carroll after he caught a glimpse of the ailing animal while snapping some winter wildlife shots under the Derrybawn Bridge.

Peering through his lens, the nature photographer watched the deer approach and sip from the Glandassan River before disappearing through the undergrowth.

It wasnt until he got home and was processing his pictures that he realised what he had captured. Recoiling at the shocking state of the animal, he promptly contacted the relevant authority.

It was so sad to see this animal with part of its face missing, Myles said.

I was using a wide-angle lens at the time, taking photos of the scene under the bridge when the deer came into the shot, and I thought it would just make the picture.

I stood still and couldnt move because the deer was facing me. It took a drink, put the head up, looked at me, and then went back into the woodlands at Laragh.

Unfortunately, I had no telephoto lens to zoom in and could not get a close-up picture, so the injuries only came to my attention while editing the picture later.

So, I cropped the original to show the sad state of the deer's head, and the poor thing, the whole side of its face is missing.

I got on to the Irish Deer Society, who have taken it up and were out looking for the animal. Maybe someone can help this poor animal, and if anyone has links to share, that would be a good way of helping the poor unfortunate deer.

Appalled by the shocking state of the animal, Peter Windsor of the Irish Deer Society has implored the public to keep on the lookout for the injured deer.

The National Parks and Wildlife Service sent down a couple of rangers today to see if they could find it, but if it is on private property, it's going to be very hard to locate, Peter said.

A deer that appears to have been shot in the face pictured at the Derrybawn Bridge in Laragh, Wicklow. Photo: Myles Carroll

It has more than likely been shot by poachers, who use a high-powered light and are usually shooting at a pair of eyes in the darkness. They clearly werent accurate or responsible enough to leave it in that shocking state.

Im amazed it's still alive. Ive seen it all, but that defies reality in my eyes. I was speaking to one of the rangers, who couldnt believe it either.

When Myles told me he had seen it drinking, it was a bit of a telltale sign. Normally,- youll only see a deer drinking from a water body when theyre ill or have an infection, as they usually get most of their water needs from what they eat.

The search is ongoing with the National Parks and Wildlife Service, and Id ask the people in the area to keep their eyes and ears open and alert the National Parks Service if they see this poor deer.

You can contact the Wicklow Mountains National Park Region of the National Parks and Wildlife Service on 0404 45800. Or contact the Irish Deer Society on 086 289 8382.
Emily was kidnapped on October 7 during the Hamas raid into Israel which killed 1,200 people. She was initially feared dead but Israeli intelligence later informed her father, Dublin native Thomas Hand, that she may be alive and in Gaza.

Irish-Israeli girl Emily Hand (9) is one of the potential 50 hostages that will be released by Hamas in an exchange for 150 Palestinians held by Israel, according to Israels Channel 12, who quoted Benjamin Netanyahus office.

The Prime Ministers office named Emily and 49 other children and women who will be released in the first tranche of hostages as part of a tentative truce deal brokered in recent days.

Emily was kidnapped on October 7 during the Hamas raid into Israel which killed 1,200 people. She was initially feared dead but Israeli intelligence later informed her father, Dublin native Thomas Hand, that she may be alive and in Gaza.

This comes as Israel's government and Hamas agreed on Wednesday to a four-day pause in fighting to allow the release of the 50 hostages held in Gaza in exchange for 150 Palestinians imprisoned in Israel, and the entry of humanitarian aid into the besieged enclave.

Officials from Qatar, which has been mediating secret negotiations, as well as the U.S., Israel and Hamas have for days been saying a deal was imminent.

Hamas is believed to be holding more than 200 hostages, taken when its fighters surged into Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies.

A statement by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said 50 women and children will be released over four days, during which there will be a pause in fighting.

Irish-Israeli girl Emily Hand, who turned nine last week, is believed to be among the hostages.

Father of nine-year-old held hostage by Hamas calls for evidence of proof of life

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the nine-year-old could soon be free as a result of the hostage agreement.

We are particularly pursuing the case of Emily Hand, a young Irish-Israeli girl who we believe has been held hostage in Gaza by Hamas, Mr Varadkar told Mary Lou McDonald in the Dail yesterday.

"We're pushing, and using all our contacts and abilities, to ensure that that Emily Hand is along one of those to be released. Thats a major priority for us.

And we're very strongly of the view that hostages should never be taken by anyone, in any conflict, anywhere, ever.

Ireland is going to have to change the way it trades with Israel, the Taoiseach added in a major escalation of language over the Gaza conflict.

He said: "I have said at European meetings, and I will say it again, that we cannot continue to aid Palestine and trade with Israel in the way we have done in the past."

That is going to have to change in some way."

For every additional 10 hostages released, the pause would be extended by another day, it said, without mentioning the release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange.

"Israel's government is committed to return all the hostages home. Tonight, it approved the proposed deal as a first stage to achieving this goal," said the statement, released after hours of deliberation that were closed to the press.

Hamas said the 50 hostages would be released in exchange for 150 Palestinian women and children who are held in Israeli jails. The truce deal will also allow hundreds of trucks of humanitarian, medical and fuel aid to enter Gaza, the Palestinian group said in a statement.

Israels war cabinet is to meet to consider a possible deal on the release of hostages held by Hamas (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Israel had committed not to attack or arrest anyone in all parts of Gaza during the truce period, it added.

US President Joe Biden said he welcomed the deal. "Todays deal should bring home additional American hostages, and I will not stop until they are all released," he said in a statement.

The Qatar government said 50 civilian women and children hostages would be released from Gaza in exchange for the release "of a number of Palestinian women and children held in Israeli prisons".

The starting time of the truce would be announced within the next 24 hours, it said in a statement.

The accord is the first truce of a war in which Israeli bombardments have flattened swathes of Hamas-ruled Gaza, killed 13,300 civilians in the tiny densely populated enclave and left about two-thirds of its 2.3 million people homeless, according to authorities in Gaza.

But Netanyahu said Israel's broader mission was unchanged.

"We are at war and we will continue the war until we achieve all our goals. To destroy Hamas, return all our hostages and ensure that no entity in Gaza can threaten Israel," he said in a recorded message at the start of the government meeting.

Hamas said in its statement: "As we announce the striking of a truce agreement, we affirm that our fingers remain on the trigger, and our victorious fighters will remain on the look out to defend our people and defeat the occupation."

Pro-Palestinian supporters protest outside Parliament in Cape Town, South Africa, Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023. The majority of MP's voted to close the Israeli embassy in South Africa over the war in Gaza. (AP Photo/Nardus Engelbrecht)

Release to begin tomorrow

Three Americans, including a three-year-old girl whose parents were among those killed during Hamas's Oct. 7 attack, are expected to be among the hostages to be released, a senior U.S. official said.

In addition to Israeli citizens, more than half the hostages held foreign and dual citizenship from some 40 countries including the U.S., Thailand, Britain, France, Argentina, Germany, Chile, Spain, Ireland and Portugal, Israel's government has said.

Israeli media said the first release of hostages was expected on Thursday. Implementing the deal must wait for 24 hours to give Israeli citizens the chance to ask the Supreme Court to block the release of Palestinian prisoners, reports said.

Kamelia Hoter Ishay, the grandmother of 13-year-old Gali Tarshansky, who is believed to be held in Gaza, said she would not believe reports of a deal until she got a call that the teenager was freed.

"And then I'll know that it's really over and I can breathe a sigh of relief and say that's it, it's over," she said.

Qadura Fares, head of the Commission for Prisoners' Affairs in the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority, told Reuters that among more than 7,800 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel were about 85 women and 350 minors. Most were detained without charges or for incidents such as hurling rocks at Israeli soldiers, not for launching militant attacks, he said.

Qatar's chief negotiator in ceasefire talks, Minister of State at the Foreign Ministry Mohammed Al-Khulaifi, told Reuters that the International Committee of the Red Cross would be working inside Gaza to facilitate the hostages' release.

Israeli residents and Mexicans with family members living in Israel, protest for the release of children kidnapped by Hamas gunmen on October 7 and taken to Gaza, outside the UNICEF offices, in Mexico City, Mexico November 21, 2023. REUTERS/Henry Romero

He said that the truce means there would be "no attack whatsoever. No military movements, no expansion, nothing."

Al-Khulaifi added that Qatar hopes the deal "will be a seed to a bigger agreement and a permanent cease of fire. And that's our intention."

Hamas has to date released only four captives: U.S. citizens Judith Raanan, 59, and her daughter, Natalie Raanan, 17, on Oct. 20, citing "humanitarian reasons," and Israeli women Nurit Cooper, 79, and Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, on Oct. 23.

The armed wing of the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad, which participated in the Oct. 7 raid with Hamas, said late on Tuesday that one of the Israeli hostages it has held since the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel had died.

"We previously expressed our willingness to release her for humanitarian reasons, but the enemy was stalling and this led to her death," Al Quds Brigades said on its Telegram channel.

As attention focused on the hostage release deal, fighting on the ground raged on. Mounir Al-Barsh, director-general of Gaza's health ministry, told Al Jazeera TV that the Israeli military ordered the evacuation of the Indonesian Hospital in Gaza City. Israel said militants were operating from the facility and threatened to act against them within four hours, he said.

On Tuesday, Israel also said its forces had encircled the Jabalia refugee camp, a congested urban extension of Gaza City where Hamas has been battling advancing Israeli armoured forces.

The Palestinian news agency WAFA said 33 people were killed and dozens wounded in an Israeli air strike on part of Jabalia.

In southern Gaza, Hamas-affiliated media said 10 people were killed and 22 injured by an Israeli air strike on an apartment in the city of Khan Younis.

Reuters could not immediately verify the accounts of fighting on either side.
The Ronans employed Dermot Bannons architectural firm to draw up their ambitious plans

Mairead Ronan and her husband Louis have had their dreams dashed of a Dermot Bannon inspired holiday home make-over in Dunmore East in Co Waterford.

This follows An Bord Pleanala refusing planning permission to the Ronans for a proposed two storey extension to their home in the holiday hot-spot.

The Ronans employed Dermot Bannons architectural firm to draw up their ambitious plans where they were seeking a 2,518 sq ft extension - almost a four fold increase on the existing 648 sq ft home.

In an April 2021 email to Waterford City and County Council before the plans were lodged, Dermot Bannon told a Council planner that he was attaching plans of what is proposed with some early 3D renders.

A Design Statement lodged with the planning application by Orna Tubridy of Corridy Consulting told the council that the proposal provides a modern interpretation of the historic 1835 terrace houses and bookends this five dwelling terrace successfully.

However, this is a Room to Improve planning drama where the celebrity architect and the Ronans wont be toasting the transformation of the Ronan home at the end of a build.

Instead after two and a half years in the planning system, not a brick has been laid and it is a case of going back to the drawing board for Bannon and the Ronans.

Mairead Ronan

This arises from the appeals board refusing planning permission having regard to the schemes specific proposed design and the resultant scale, massing and bulk of the proposed development in comparison to the small scale of the existing dwelling on the prominent corner site.

The board pointed out that the Ronan home is at the end of an historic terrace located close to the seafront and to the centre of Dunmore East and as such is not satisfied that the proposal would not adversely impact on the special character of Dunmore East Architectural Conservation Area (ACA).

The board ruled that the scheme would materially contravene the Built Heritage Policy of the Waterford City and County Development Plan 2022-2028.

The Ronans would have secured planning permission but for the intervention of neighbours who opposed the project.

The couple first lodged their plan in August 2021 and Waterford City and County Council granted planning permission to the couple for the major home extension in July 2022.

However, the Ronans and Dermot Bannon Architects couldn't proceed with the build after two appeals were lodged against the Council decision by other homeowners on the Curraghmore Terrace in Dunmore East.

In his appeal, next door neighbour Tom ORegan told the appeals board that due to the intensified scale and its dominant appearance, the development will detract from the streetscape of Curraghmore Terrace and the entire Lower Village area.

In a separate appeal, Valerie and Trevor Walsh told the appeals board that they could find nothing in documentation lodged to explain why it is necessary to adopt a modern response" to the redevelopment of the home.

The Walshes contended that "such an inappropriate design would disproportionately impact on the overall look and feel of the Lower Village and Dunmore East in general.

In response to the objectors concerns, on behalf of the Ronans, David Mulcahy Planning Consultants, stated that the Ronans and their architects were acutely aware of the sensitivity of the site when devising the proposed design.

The submission added that the proposed development is deserving of being within an Architectural Conservation Area on account of its high quality design.

The report states that the scheme involves high quality architecture involving exceptional design which is the case in this instance. The design involves a successful marrying of old and new.

The Ronans spent this summer at Dunmore East and former Today FM presenter, Mairead Ronan has stated in a previous interview that Dunmore East is her favourite place in Ireland to visit.

Planning documentation shows that the Ronans purchased the home in May 2021.

In her report, appeals board inspector, Angela Brereton stated that the new larger scale contemporary design "will appear overly dominant on this corner site at the end of the historic terrace.

Recommending refusal, Ms Brereton concluded that the design and layout as currently proposed would have an adverse impact on the character of Dunmore East ACA.
The band is set to take the stage at Dublins 3Arena next week as part of a Gig for Gaza just days after a German gig was cancelled because their political stance

The cancellation of a show by Irish folk band Lankum in Germany over their pro-Palestine stance has been branded disgraceful.

The band is set to take the stage at Dublins 3Arena next week as part of a Gig for Gaza just days after a German gig was cancelled because their political stance

Lankum were due to play The TransCentury Festival in Leipzig on Sunday night (November 19) along with Gloria De Oliveira, before it was announced by organisers that they were pulling the plug.

In a statement released in both German and English on The TransCentury Festival Instagram page, festival organisers said: "The Lankum & Gloria De Oliveira concerts tonight will not take place.

"Lankum represents a political stance that we as a venue and festival do not represent. In consultation with the artists, we have agreed to cancel the concert."

A refund for the tickets was offered to festival attendees.

However the bands other German dates including a sold-out show in Cologne have gone ahead.

Lankum, made up of brothers Ian Lynch and Darragh Lynch, along with Cormac MacDiarmada and Radie Peat, have been vocal in their showing of solidarity with the people of Palestine.

Like most people of sound mind and reason around the globe, we are heartbroken and shocked to see the indiscriminate murder of children and civilians happening for the past few weeks," Lankum said.

"This, on top of decades of oppression, persecution and dehumanisation is something we can only struggle to comprehend. That is why we are very proud to raise our voices in solidarity with the people of Palestine. It's the very very least we can do."

In the wake of the Hamas terror attack on 7 October, the German government banned about a quarter of the pro-Palestine marches registered with the authorities in their main cities.

Germany is home to Europes largest Palestinian community, with roughly 80,000 Palestinians living in the country.

People Before Profit parry said the disgraceful move to ban the Lankum gig reflects an atmosphere of repression that is meted out to anyone who stands up for Palestine.

The German state has systematically banned many Palestinian protests, the party stated.

In Berlin, bans have been issued against protests with titles such as Peace in the Middle East or Jewish Berliners Against Violence in the Middle East, a rally organised by Jewish Voice for a Just Peace in the Middle East, a Jewish organisation.

The party also claims that a ban was imposed on a Youth Against Racism rally which was called after a high school teacher hit a student who had brought a Palestinian flag to school.

Lankum, who were nominated for this year's Mercury music prize for their fourth album, False Lankum, are set to play the 3Arena next week as part of the Gig for Gaza, under the umbrella group Irish Artists For Palestine.

The group will be joining some of the leading names in Irish folk and trad-informed music for the concert with all proceeds going to Medical Aid For Palestinians.

The line-up for the Gig For Gaza includes The Mary Wallopers, Damien Dempsey, Lisa O'Neill, Pauline Scanlon, Sile Denvir, and Niamh Dunne & Friends.

The Gig For Gaza is one of a series of events taking place across Ireland under the Irish Artists for Palestine banner  with another show taking place the same night at 3Olympia Theatre in Dublin, featuring The Saw Doctors, The Stunning, Mary Black and others.
An innovative tourism business located in Katikati is breaking new ground by offering tours of a working avocado orchard, the first-of-its-kind in New Zealand.

Co-founded by Tim Rosamond and Michele Ricou, Avocado Tours offers visitors a unique opportunity to step into the world of avocados and discover the journey from tree to toast.

With avocado consumption on the rise and the increasing popularity of this delicious and nutritious fruit, Avocado Tours NZ aims to provide an informative and enjoyable experience for avocado enthusiasts and curious travellers alike.

The guided tours offer a firsthand look at the workings of a fully operational avocado orchard.

"Our goal is to introduce visitors to the fascinating world of avocados and showcase the beauty and wonder of an avocado orchard," says co-founder Tim.

"We want to provide an educational and unforgettable experience that will leave our guests with a deeper appreciation for this incredible fruit."

Led by Tim himself, guests will embark on a journey through the orchard, gaining an in-depth understanding of everything from avocado cultivation and harvesting to the intricate process of getting the fruit from tree to consumer.

"We believe that avocados are a sustainable and versatile superfood with a rich history," Tim adds. "By sharing this knowledge and passion with visitors, we hope to contribute to a greater understanding and appreciation for avocados and their role in helping us all live healthier lives."

We are delighted that visitors to Katikati can now finally experience a tour of a real working avocado orchard, says Katch Katikati promotions manager Jacqui Knight.

As the Avocado Capital of the country we receive a lot of interest from people wanting to learn not only more about the humble avocado but to see where and how they grow.
Police are searching hospitals and schools across the country after threats were made against a number of organisations in New Zealand.

They are searching Wellington and Bowen Hospital in the Capital and Burwood Hospital in Christchurch.

RNZ understands police have also been at Auckland City Hospital and Saint Kentigern College says on its website that it was evacuating.

High school students are currently undertaking NCEA exams.

NZQA deputy chief executive of assessment Jann Marshall says the safety of students and staff is a top priority.

"Each school has its own processes for handling a security lockdown, and these apply during the exam period.

"Students who are unable to sit an exam, or whose performance is impaired because of a security incident, can apply for a derived grade, or their school may apply for derived grades at scale to apply."

PPTA acting president Chris Abercrombie says the primary concern of schools will be ensuring the safety of staff and students.

Police say staff are working with those impacted and will respond based on individual circumstances.

"Police acknowledge how unsettling these emails are for all concerned. We'd like to thank all involved for their cooperation as we investigate these emails."

Te Whatu Ora's national director for hospital and specialist services Fionnagh Dougan confirms some hospitals received an "email of concern" earlier today.

"[It] was immediately referred to police for further investigation," she says.

"Staff have followed police advice and we are remaining vigilant. Our hospital sites have remained open and all services are continuing.

"Members of the public with appointments at our hospitals or needing emergency treatment should be assured it is safe to attend their local hospital as usual."

On July 26, 2022, some North Island schools went into lockdown and moved students off site after receiving phone threats.

Threats were made to five schools in Waikato, Thames Coromandel and Gisborne districts, police say.

No specific risk was ever found.

The next day, bomb threats were made to four schools and at least a dozen the next, causing widespread disruption with many of the schools having to evacuate.

The Principals' Federation says those threats originated from an overseas cyberbot.

More to come...

-RNZ.
Teaching outdoor survival skills to his class of primary school students has been an unexpected bonus of life in the New Zealand Army Reserve Force for Cambridge man Private Mitchell Pettit.

The 28-year-old has been a teacher for six years and has served in the Reserve Force for more than two years.

His experience with 3/6 Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment, has made for popular lessons with pupils at Matangi School, near Hamilton, where he runs a fortnightly Bush School programme.

The kids found out I served in the Reserve Force and were keen to learn some of the skills we picked up in the Army, says Private Pettit.

So I started a Bush School with the Year 3-4 syndicate, teaching them bush craft and survival skills.

Its a bit of fun for us all, and theyre picking up some really valuable skills at the same time.

On average, five people die and more than 6,600 injuries occur every year while tramping or hiking, according to data from the NZ Mountain Safety Council.

Private Pettit is hoping his students can avoid getting into trouble outdoors with some basic bush craft knowledge.

So far, theyve been shown how to build and light a fire and taught fire safety, as well as how to construct a basic shelter and washing line.

Theyve also made model trenches out of shoe boxes, and been shown how to tie various knots.

Private Pettit says hes lucky that both the school principal and board of trustees have supported him to take time away from the classroom for basic training, training days, and to assist with the Cyclone Gabrielle response in Thames.

He says his students are keen to hear about his Army experiences, and want him to bring a slice of Army life into the classroom.

We now have tote tray inspections, and its all done in a fun and relaxed way with a bit of healthy competition.

The kids stand behind their desk in a disciplined manner and I offer improvements and select a winner. Its all a bit of fun and the kids seem to thrive on it.

Beyond the fun side of these lessons, Private Pettit says it's also an opportunity for his students to learn more about the New Zealand Defence Force in general.

Explaining some of the terminology to the kids in simplified terms gives them a much better understanding around Anzac Day and the Army too.

Its also given me a greater understanding about Anzac Day, and has enabled me to teach about it in much more detail.

Private Pettit is excited to keep honing his military expertise.

I didnt know anyone in the military when I joined, but now I look forward to catching up with my Army mates at training.

Ive loved the experience so far and am looking forward to developing my military skills further.

Some of the students in my class are starting to talk about joining the Reserve Force to learn some of the skills that I have picked up.

Students at Matangi School learn how to tie double knots with harakeke plants and create a washing line at Bush School.

Any Defence Recruiting enquiries can be directed to 0800 1 FORCE. Each Reserve Force company has its own training programme in line with its battalions training focus.

Company-level training typically occurs one weekend a month, with platoon-level training one night a week. There are additional exercises and training opportunities available throughout the year.
Cars are pictured at the parking area of Qingdao Cruise Terminal in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, Nov. 21, 2023. Qingdao has been vigorously developing its cruise tourism service. As cruise voyages become increasingly frequent along with a climbing number of inbound tourists, they also contribute to the sustainable development of related sectors in the city. To date, Qingdao is connected by 40 international cruise lines to nearly 20 port cities. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)

People prepare to board at the passenger transportation center of Qingdao Cruise Terminal in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, Nov. 21, 2023. Qingdao has been vigorously developing its cruise tourism service. As cruise voyages become increasingly frequent along with a climbing number of inbound tourists, they also contribute to the sustainable development of related sectors in the city. To date, Qingdao is connected by 40 international cruise lines to nearly 20 port cities. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)

People visit the passenger transportation center of Qingdao Cruise Terminal in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, Nov. 21, 2023. Qingdao has been vigorously developing its cruise tourism service. As cruise voyages become increasingly frequent along with a climbing number of inbound tourists, they also contribute to the sustainable development of related sectors in the city. To date, Qingdao is connected by 40 international cruise lines to nearly 20 port cities. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)

The Qingdao Cruise Terminal is pictured in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, Nov. 21, 2023. Qingdao has been vigorously developing its cruise tourism service. As cruise voyages become increasingly frequent along with a climbing number of inbound tourists, they also contribute to the sustainable development of related sectors in the city. To date, Qingdao is connected by 40 international cruise lines to nearly 20 port cities. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)

This aerial photo taken on Nov. 21, 2023 shows the cruise ship "Mediterranea" docked at Qingdao Cruise Terminal in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province. Qingdao has been vigorously developing its cruise tourism service. As cruise voyages become increasingly frequent along with a climbing number of inbound tourists, they also contribute to the sustainable development of related sectors in the city. To date, Qingdao is connected by 40 international cruise lines to nearly 20 port cities. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)

This aerial photo taken on Nov. 21, 2023 shows the cruise ship "Mediterranea" docked at Qingdao Cruise Terminal in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province. Qingdao has been vigorously developing its cruise tourism service. As cruise voyages become increasingly frequent along with a climbing number of inbound tourists, they also contribute to the sustainable development of related sectors in the city. To date, Qingdao is connected by 40 international cruise lines to nearly 20 port cities. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)

This aerial photo taken on Nov. 21, 2023 shows the passenger transportation center of Qingdao Cruise Terminal in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province. Qingdao has been vigorously developing its cruise tourism service. As cruise voyages become increasingly frequent along with a climbing number of inbound tourists, they also contribute to the sustainable development of related sectors in the city. To date, Qingdao is connected by 40 international cruise lines to nearly 20 port cities. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)

Qingdao Cruise Terminal is pictured in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, Nov. 21, 2023. Qingdao has been vigorously developing its cruise tourism service. As cruise voyages become increasingly frequent along with a climbing number of inbound tourists, they also contribute to the sustainable development of related sectors in the city. To date, Qingdao is connected by 40 international cruise lines to nearly 20 port cities. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)

People walk past a billboard at the passenger transportation center of Qingdao Cruise Terminal in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, Nov. 21, 2023. Qingdao has been vigorously developing its cruise tourism service. As cruise voyages become increasingly frequent along with a climbing number of inbound tourists, they also contribute to the sustainable development of related sectors in the city. To date, Qingdao is connected by 40 international cruise lines to nearly 20 port cities. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)

Editor: JYZ
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Syracuse, N.Y. -- A man was stabbed multiple times during a domestic incident in Syracuse Thursday.

Around 1:40 a.m., police responded to reports of a stabbing at an apartment on the 800 block of Bellvue Avenue, according to a news release from Syracuse police.

When officers arrived they found a 29-year-old man with multiple stab wounds. He was rushed to Upstate University Hospital in serious condition, police said.
Research and Innovation Developments for Sustainable Food Systems

The 2023 Euragri Conference Research and Innovation Developments for Sustainable Food Systems opened today, Thursday 23 November 2023 in Dublin. Professor Frank O'Mara, Teagasc Director, welcomed delegates to the Euragri conference, which is hosted by Teagasc at the Teagasc Ashtown Food Research Centre, Dublin.

Pictured Professor Frank O Mara welcoming delegates to EURAGRI Conference hosted by Teagasc at the Teagasc Ashtown Research Centre, Dublin, today, Thursday 23 November, 2023

The Conference, which continues tomorrow Friday, is set against the challenges of delivering food security and nutrition for all, in a way that does not compromise the economic, social, and environmental ability to do so in the future.

The Conference brings together all EU actors of the Agriculture Knowledge and Innovation Systems (AKIS) to reflect and identify the emerging responses required to deliver Sustainable Food Systems and their relevance to international/national policies, research, innovation, and knowledge transfer systems.

Professor Gerry Boyle, Euragri's President, said; "Delivering sustainable food systems requires balancing food production with climate action, protecting, preserving, and recovering the natural resources, as well as ensuring sustainable incomes for those involved". EURAGRI represents critical European and national government departments, research and innovation institutions, funding agencies, and others interested in developing resilient, sustainable food systems.

In July this year, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, "Global food systems are broken  and billions of people are paying the price". The Euragri Conference is providing a forum for delegates to consider the required responses to "fixing" food systems from the perspective of farmers, food processors, consumers, and policymakers.

Updates on the latest international, EU and national developments are being provided. Participants are sharing their experiences and knowledge in developing research and innovation responses to the challenges. The critical role of the circular economy is also highlighted.

Making food systems more sustainable requires greater integration of a wide range of stakeholders to address the complex challenges involving finance, innovation, translating science into action, and the capacity development of the actors involved. Professor Boyle said this Euragri Conference is providing insights into the necessary solutions.
Ukrnafta signed a framework agreement with the German company Oil Dynamics to provide comprehensive and modern technological solutions for intensifying oil and gas production.

"We are talking about the supply of electric pumping systems that allow efficient oil production, control stations and software that increases the life cycle of such systems through continuous remote monitoring," the company said in a press release on Thursday.

As the director of Ukrnafta, Serhiy Koretsky, quoted in the document, said, Oil Dynamics equipment was developed and manufactured in Germany within the framework of the Industry 4.0 concept and complies with API standards.

"The concluded agreement provides for the possibility of cooperation over the next five years  until 2028," he noted.

According to the first order, the company expects to supply 200 electric center pump units in four batches of 50 units, starting in December 2023.

"Thus, Ukrnafta will implement the well digitalization project within the framework of the Digital Field concept, according to which leading companies in the mining industry operate," the company emphasized.

Ukrnafta is the largest oil producing company in Ukraine, operating a national network of 537 gas stations, of which 456 are operational.
amalji Senior - BHPian



Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Bengaluru Posts: 1,631 Thanked: 3,137 Times

Re: Hyundai India claims its CVT requires no fluid change, service or maintenance Quote: harikr Originally Posted by Hello BHPians. I am writing this post to share something I observed in my 2023 Verna IVT user manual. The service guide says that IVT (Hyundai's name for CVT) fluid needs no checks or service under normal usage. Please find below the screenshot of the user manual.



The keyword here being "Normal Usage". I have always heard and read that the life of a CVT transmission depends a lot on timely replacement of CVT fluid with the right fluid. I remember my old Honda City CVT had a schedule to replace CVT fluid every 40,000 KM. So is Hyundai using some special grade CVT fluid? Or Is Hyundai expecting customers not to use the car for a long mileage (above 1lakh km, may be)



Under severe usage, Hyundai suggests CVT fluid replacement every 90,000 km



Additionally in case vehicle has submerged under water any time, CVT fluid needs to be replaced.



I am little confused with these pages. Hyundai has not given a scenario of service after 80,000 km. What will be the course of action after 80,000km. (I may not drive that much within warranty period of 7 years, 1 lakh km, but still I am interested to know how it will be post 80k km until 100k km) Quote: GTO Originally Posted by BMW says the ZF-8 gearbox in my 530d doesn't require oil changes. But if I go on the ZF website, I see clear instructions to change the transmission fluid at the 7 (or 8) year mark FOR THE SAME GEARBOX. ZF even sells a full service kit for the same (with filter etc.) which I got done at substantial cost. But a good gearbox is as important as a good engine IMHO. Ford says its DCTs were "sealed for life" but that was all rubbish. Never ever believe the "sealed for life" claim for any mechanical product (different matter for electronic items).



The no.1 cause of CVT failure is not getting the fluid replaced periodically. For the old City, Honda said to replace the CVT fluid every 40,000 km. I would personally stick with that (or earlier). Changing the gear oil once in 4 - 5 years shouldn't hurt any car owner.



Maruti manual says to check, refill or change at 30,000 km intervals. How to make your Toyota Last Over 300k Miles without Major Repairs



TLDR



For Non-Hybrids: Torque converter transmissions that use the ATF WS transmission fluid & for normal CVT Transmissions

Recommendation is to replace transmission fluid every 100,000 kms / 6 years . The earliest you can do is every 50,000 kms. But, it's not recommended to do transmission fluid replacements more frequent than that.

. In case, you never replaced the transmission fluid for 200,000 kms, then it's better to continue as is than to replace it. Replacement could potentially lead to clutch slipping.

For Hybrids: e-CVT transmissions that use ATF WS transmission fluid ( ironically the same transmission fluid used on the Torque Converters! ) Recommendation is to replace every 100,000 - 150,000 kms ( 6 - 9 years )

Even if you forgot to replace the transmission fluid ever and it is already past 200,000 kms, it's still recommended to replace it.

Why is it so ?

There should be a delicate balance for a debris. Not too much and not too low. When you replace transmission fluid too early, the debris gets removed and there is no scope for accumulation. Accumulation of debris reinforces the clutch and compensates for the metal loss. So, when it's not there, the clutch tends to slip over a period of time. If you don't replace transmission fluid at all, the debris clogs the very small passages in the valve body and valves will become sticky which leads to lesser pressure applied to the clutch. If you replace the transmission fluid after running for too long without a change, the debris in the clutches gets removed. But, the small valve passages in the valve body are too clogged and sticky. The debris continues to remain there. This causes the pressure on the clutch to remain low while the debris on the clutch also goes out which means less reinforcement on the clutch. So, it's better not to replace transmission fluid at this stage than to replace it.

On Hybrids ( with e-CVTs ), because there are no clutches and no valve body, there are no such complications. So, there is no harm in replacing transmission fluids even at a very late stage.

Let me quote the verbatin of his thoughts on why he recommends the above.



Quote: Why ?



Transmission does have some debris to it and it comes from the clutches. Some of it will be floating in the fluid, some of it will be caught by the filter. Most of it actually wont.



There should be a delicate balance for this debris. There should be some debris in the transmission because that debris will follow the pressure route into the clutches and they actually reinforce the clutches because this clutch material after all will pile up on the clutch and itll actually reinforce it.



But you dont want too much debris where it is now clogging the very small passages in the valve body and now the valves are sticking, the accumulators are sticking and now you have shifting concerns.



When you overdo the transmission fluid change ( like every 10,000 miles ) and you drain it 6 times and replace every last drop. Well you took all that floating material in the fluid. Now the clutches are on their own. As they wear, there is nothing to reinforce that material thats being lost and it gets to a point where there is no more material and it starts slipping.



If you dont change the fluid at all, the valves and valve body will start sticking because you have too much floating debris. Some of them will start sticking where the pressure is less on the clutches. When you have less pressure, you are not applying those clutches with full force. Its going to start barely engaging. And because of that floating material in the fluid, its going to actually help it engage better. But then, all of a sudden 150k miles ( 240k kms ) roll and you change the fluid and take all of that debris out. And worse when you do a flush because you replace the entire capacity of the transmission. Now you have potentially full pressure or sometimes the valve is too siezed its not moving properly. And now you have less pressure just like you were before. But that debris that you had that was helping the clutch engage is now gone and now you start slipping immediately.



Thats the delicate balance you want with transmissions. Dont overdo it. But dont under do it.



Conclusion: Single drain and fill every 100,000 kms gets some of that debris out, but not all of it. So now you have the best of both worlds.





Exception: Hybrids

They ( e-CVTs ) use the standard ATF WS fluid from Toyota ( NOT the CVT transmission fluid ). Here, transmission fluid can be replaced even if its very old because there are no clutches, no valve body. Here the reason why the fluid is replaced mainly to keep it clean. There is no filter to catch any metallic debris from the gears going against each other. So, its a good habit to get it out, put fresh fluid in to keep everything clean and not allow the metallic debris to start wearing the gears prematurely. This is why 100k to 150k kms is a good transmission fluid replacement interval for e-CVTs on Hybrid Toyotas.



Quote: svsantosh Originally Posted by

But my humble 2013 Chevy Sail UVA Diesel was promised to have the lifetime fluid. It came with the most expensive (in my lifetime) oil I have ever heard in my life. See it to believe it. I sold my car at 1,95,000 Kms. I changed the oil 1st time at around 1.85 or 1.9Lac Kms, dont recall, but I never had any issue, Just changed it because I was bored during Covid break.



Attachment 2534305



Maybe that transmission was the best thing that GM did on the Sail UVA. But my humble 2013 Chevy Sail UVA Diesel was promised to have the lifetime fluid. It came with the most expensive (in my lifetime) oil I have ever heard in my life. See it to believe it. I sold my car at 1,95,000 Kms. I changed the oil 1st time at around 1.85 or 1.9Lac Kms, dont recall, but I never had any issue, Just changed it because I was bored during Covid break.Maybe that transmission was the best thing that GM did on the Sail UVA. Even the car care nut mentions that we might not have any issue at all without changing the transmission fluid on a Toyota, if we use the car for 150000 miles ( 240000 kms ). But, if we really want a maintenance free experience for 300,000 miles ( 500,000 kms ) then changing transmission fluid every 100,000 kms is his recommendation. Even Toyota claims that the transmission fluid never needs to be replaced. But, I refer to The Car Care Nut Youtube channel ( a channel by a Toyota Master technician ) to cross check such claims. He talks from his real experience of dealing with old Toyota cars. There is a video ofWatch from 4:07 till 9:45 to get his thoughts about transmission fluid replacement.Let me quote the verbatin of his thoughts on why he recommends the above.Now, all these recommendations are for a Toyota vehicle. You might want to do some research around the best replacement interval for your Hyundai iVT ( the name for Hyundai CVTs ). But I hope you get some insights into why it's good to change at a long enough interval and why it's not good to change it too early as well. If I were you, I might go for 90,000 kms / 6 years transmission fluid change recommended by Hyundai for rigorous usage.I hear that the Toyota transmission fluids also have a comparable cost to it.Even the car care nut mentions that we might not have any issue at all without changing the transmission fluid on a Toyota, if we use the car for 150000 miles ( 240000 kms ). But, if we really want a maintenance free experience for 300,000 miles ( 500,000 kms ) then changing transmission fluid every 100,000 kms is his recommendation. Last edited by amalji : 24th November 2023 at 11:12 .
Adobe AIR and the Adobe Flash Platform unleash the creativity of designers and developers by providing a consistent and flexible development environment for the delivery of applications across devices and platforms. Support for additional platforms, including Android, is under development.

Native process API

Create native installers allowing you to launch and communicate with native processes using standard input and output. Using the native process API, communicate with native libraries built using Java and .NET and native applications such as "grep" for file searching. You can also create operating system-specific installers (native installers). Applications that use the native process API must be deployed using a native installer.

Native document handlers to open documents

Open documents in popular file formats like PDF, PSD, DOC, PPT, and MP3 using the native application associated with that file. For example, opening an MP3 file will launch iTunes on systems where iTunes is the default application for MP3 files.

Local microphone API

Record audio locally on your device without the need for a server.

UDP networking support

Take advantage of runtime support for the User Datagram Protocol (UDP) to build time-sensitive, real-time networking applications such as multiplayer games.

WebKit with HTML5/CSS3 support

Benefit from new capabilities such as CSS transforms, animations, and canvas support.

Mass storage device detection

Detect when mass storage devices such as cameras and USB flash memory drives are available to synchronize files such as photos, videos, MP3 files, or other files.

Enhanced drag-and-drop support

Copy files to the local machine by dragging them out of the Adobe AIR application and onto the desktop. This enables new user interaction possibilities for applications such as content management systems or online stores.

Socket servers and peer-to-peer applications

Build peer-to-peer applications or local servers that make it easier to communicate with other local applications or remote applications over the network.

What's New

In today's release, we've updated Flash Player with critical security and functional bug fixes. We recommend all customers upgrade to this version.

For those organizations that use the Extended Support Release (ESR), please note that we have incremented the ESR from version 13 to version 18 with today's update.

Current Flash Player 18 users who have enrolled in the "Allow Adobe to install updates (recommended)" update mechanism will be automatically updated to the latest version of Flash Player over the next 24 hours.

Users who have selected "Notify me to install updates" will receive an update notification dialog within 7 days from today. Please note that Windows users will need to restart their system or log out and in to activate the update notification dialog.

Flash Player can always be downloaded and installed by simply visiting https://get.adobe.com/flashplayer

Customers using Google Chrome or Windows 8.x Internet Explorer will receive the update through the Google and Microsoft update mechanisms.
In brief: Microsoft and other tech giants are encouraging a general pivot toward biometrics  generally considered more secure than typical passwords. However, research has repeatedly shown that biometrics aren't fool-proof, and a recent study demonstrates how a single weak link in a complex production chain can compromise an entire security system.

An intelligence company recently began sharing proofs of concept for circumventing Windows Hello fingerprint authentication on some of the most popular laptops. In each case, the primary flaw was the communication between the fingerprint reader and the rest of the system.

Microsoft asked researchers at Blackwing Intelligence to crack the Windows Hellow implementations in three leading laptop models with fingerprint sensors using the feature: A Dell Inspiron 15, a Lenovo ThinkPad T14, and an attachable keyboard with a fingerprint sensor for the Microsoft Surface Pro. Blackwing successfully compromised all three using various methods, none of which involved typical biometric hacking methods like using photos.

To prevent attackers from copying biometric data like fingerprints or facial scans, authenticators from companies like Microsoft and Apple keep the information on separate chips, inaccessible to a device's primary storage. However, those chips still must tell the operating system when they receive the correct signature. That signal is the weak point the researchers exploited.

Microsoft devised a system called Secure Device Connection Protocol (SDCP) to protect the connection between fingerprint sensors and their host devices. However, of the products Blackwing tested, only the Dell Inspiron used it, and its implementation wasn't perfect.

That device's weakness is its ability to dual-boot Windows and Linux, which certify fingerprints differently. Blackwing found that an attacker could register their fingerprint on Linux and match it to someone else's Windows ID, though the process is complex and requires additional hardware, including a Raspberry Pi 4.

Blackwing overcame the Thinkpad with a similar negotiation between Windows and Linux, but the researchers discovered that Lenovo ships the notebook with SDCP disabled. Instead, the company uses a custom system that decrypts the fingerprint data with a key based on each machine's product name and serial number.

Microsoft's Surface Pro accessory has particularly weak security for its fingerprint sensor. It also doesn't engage SDCP and communicates in cleartext without additional authentication layers. The researchers discovered they could spoof an ID using practically any USB device.

Blackwing plans to eventually release more details of its research. The group suggests that OEMs utilizing Windows Hello enable SDCP and test their implementations thoroughly. However, because the exploits require physical access to each device, biometric logins remain more secure than passwords.
Received wisdom might tell you that looking for a job in late November or early December is a bust. But received wisdom is wrong and while it is true that there are a couple of big peaks in annual hiring around the winter months of January and February as well as the post-summer surge of September and October, writing off looking for a new job right now is a mistake.

Sure, it's a busy time with the holidays approaching and it can be tempting to abandon any plans to job search until the new year. But this is precisely why you can take advantage of a less competitive hiring environment.

Where your peers may focus on festive parties and Secret Santa, assuming that companies are not actively hiring, this can result in fewer job applicants and less competition for desirable roles. This isn't the only reason this is a good time to apply...

Networking opportunities are maximized

This is a time of year when many companies and industries host holiday events, parties, or networking sessions. Your own company probably does the same, and this can afford you facetime with senior leaders who you may not normally get to talk to.

So, attending relevant events can provide opportunities to connect with professionals in your industry   and learn about potential job openings.

Left over budget has to be spent

If annual budgets aren't spent, they can be clawed back or even reduced in line with the previous year's spend. That's why many companies rush to spend leftover money towards the end of the year  and that can include allocating the budget towards any planned new hires.

Get prepped for a January onboarding

Companies hiring through December are likely to want to finalize their hiring decisions this month, so that new hires are fast out of the starting blocks in January. This gives them an advantage, too, because they can mop up the best talent early  and get ahead of their competition who may only be thinking about hiring as the new year begins.

Ready to get ahead of the competition? Check out the TechSpot Job Board where new software engineering jobs are added every week. Here's three to start with:

Senior ASIC Verification Engineer, Coherent High-Speed Interconnect, Nvidia, Santa Clara

Nvidia is looking for an ASIC Verification Engineer to verify the design and implementation of innovative high speed coherent interconnects for mobile SoCs and GPUs. You'll have the opportunity to have real impact in a multifaceted, technology-focused company impacting product lines ranging from consumer graphics to self-driving cars, and the growing field of artificial intelligence.

Some of the application criteria include a Bachelor's or Master's degree (or equivalent experience), three years of relevant verification experience, and experience in architecting test bench environments for unit level verification. See all requirements now.

Embedded Software Developer, ENSCO, Inc., Hauppauge

ENSCO Avionics is looking for talented Software Engineers to work on safety critical embedded software. Your responsibilities will include defining high-level and low-level software requirements, developing new software, porting legacy software for new hardware configurations, performing software-hardware integration, and supporting system integration.

You will experience a supportive and unique culture, positive work environment, and flexible work schedules to empower you to achieve your maximum potential. A Bachelor of Science degree in computer science, computer engineering, software engineering, or an equivalent degree/experience, at least three years of hands-on experience and safety critical embedded development experience. Find out more here.

Data Architect GEOINT - 1013, Reinventing Geospatial, Inc. (RGi), Dulles

Reinventing Geospatial, Inc is looking for a Data Architect GEOINT to join a team building a data fabric construct connecting user needs to disparate GEOINT data suppliers for an intelligence community customer. This system will incorporate artificial intelligence/machine learning to match data consumers with repositories, and to monitor system usage.

You will be responsible for the initial design, development, deployment, and ongoing support of this system, and will use data modeling tools to design, build, optimize, and maintain conceptual, logical, and physical data models. You will also work closely with product management and systems engineering teams to fit their capabilities into the larger direction of the overall system. Interested? See what you'll need here.
PSA: Users of Lenovo Go USB-C Power Banks take note: the company has issued a recall for the device due to concerns that it could burst into flames. There has already been one report of this happening, in which the fire caused minimal property damage with no injuries.

The recall notice from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission states that owners can check if their device is one of those affected by looking for part number 40ALLG2WWW and model number PBLG2W on the label.

If those numbers match up, check the manufacturing date on the label. The recalled units have the manufacturing date of 22/01, 22/02, 22/03, 22/04, 22/05 or 22/06.

The risk stems from internal screws within the power bank that can come loose. These can drop between the cover rib and the cell printed circuit board and cause a short circuit and overheating of the 20,000 mAh lithium-ion rechargeable battery, posing a fire hazard.

Lenovo advises consumers to stop using the device and contact the company for a free replacement as well as instructions for proper disposal of lithium-ion batteries according to local and state regulations. You can call Lenovo directly on 1-866-989-0515 or use a web form on the company's website.

Around 2,850 of the $100 Go USB-C Laptop Power Banks were sold in the US. The Canadian government's website also lists a similar recall for the 507 units sold in Canada.

This isn't the first time Lenovo has issued a recall over potential fire hazards, though the most recent one occurred several years ago. There was a voluntary recall for a specific batch of ThinkPad X1 Carbon laptops in 2018. Manufactured from December 2016 to November 2017, some units had a loose screw that could damage the battery and cause overheating to the extent that it posed a fire risk. There was also a recall for more than half a million faulty AC power cables in 2014 that could overheat.
WTF?! It isn't just generative AI that occasionally gets things very wrong. Microsoft search engine Bing told some users yesterday that the country of Australia doesn't exist, repeating a jokey (to some) conspiracy theory that has been circulating online since 2017  though its source could date back even further.

Australian users of Bluesky and Mastodon were surprised yesterday to find Bing was informing them that the country they were in didn't actually exist.

As reported by The Guardian, Microsoft's search engine was answering the unusual query about the world's sixth-largest country with an emphatic "No." Bing stated this was according to several sources.

The conspiracy theory about Australia's non-existence can reportedly be traced back to a user on the Flat Earth Society forum  where else  who said everything about the country was made up, pictures were faked, and anyone who claimed to be from there was really a secret government agent. One would imagine this was someone trolling, but who knows, given its source.

There was then a Facebook post that claimed Australia is "one of the biggest hoaxes ever created," a conspiracy thought up by the British to make people think that criminals were sent there instead of being thrown into the sea.

"It's a coverup for one of the greatest mass murders in history, made by one of the most prominent empires... Australia is not real. It's a codeword for the cold blooded murder of more than a hundred thousand people, and it is not okay. We will not, accept this. Stand up for the ones who died. Let it be known, that Australia does not exist," the post read. It was deleted after the author received 100 or so death threats from angry Australians.

We're used to seeing these sorts of factually incorrect and just plain weird statements spouted by generative AIs, but what's most surprising about all this is that Bing co-pilot, formerly Bing Chat, confirmed Australia is real. It also noted that there are conspiracy theories surrounding the country's existence, but these are not true and have been debunked.

A spokesperson for Microsoft said the Bing issue had been addressed. "Thank you for bringing this to our attention," the spokesperson said. "We've investigated this query and have rolled out a fix to address it."

Anyone who believes that the land down under isn't real will probably see Bing's error as further proof, tragically. However, our own Steve Walton and Tim Schiesser will likely have something to say about that.
In what could have been an iconic open-world zombie game, Rockstar Games' discontinued project is now a title for gamers to marvel at and hope the company would release in the future-but it seems highly unlikely. This was revealed by a former developer who worked for Rockstar more than a decade ago, also showing new information behind the Grand Theft Auto franchise's early run.

Rockstar Games' Supposed Open-World Zombie Game

Obbe Vermeij recounted his moments via a blog post, where, during his time, he previously worked for Rockstar Games as the former technical director at Rockstar North. In his post, he focused on the development of the GTA Trilogy, as well as Grand Theft Auto IV.

However, one of the most shocking revelations by Vermeij was a supposed open-world zombie survival game called "Agent," which was part of the company's plan to steer away from the GTA franchise for a while. Initially, Vermeij and the team started on this development after they released Grand Theft Auto: Vice City in 2002, giving it the codename "Z" (pronounced as "Zed" and not "zee").

"Z" originally used Vice City's code but sets gamers on a Scottish island in the 70s, where they will use vehicles to navigate around and escape zombie hordes, with one of the main challenges centering on fuel and maintenance.

Read Also: GTA 6 Leak Teases Return of a Fan-Favorite Side Mission

Why Was This Zombie Game Canceled by Rockstar?

It was revealed that as the company prepared to develop GTA IV, the team was divided, with one half focusing on this concept game and the other on their AAA-rated main franchise title. The team saw one year of their work poured into developing "Agent," and despite the demand by fans, it was ultimately scrapped, with Rockstar pulling everyone to work on GTA IV.

Rockstar Games and What it Offers

Grand Theft Auto remains the most popular franchise in Rockstar Games' releases for gamers, and for a long time since 1997, it has given gamers a chance to experience the wonders of this sandbox game. Its last game, Grand Theft Auto V, recently celebrated its 10 years in the industry, with it still an ongoing experience for some, especially for GTA Online.

The gaming company also saw critical acclaim for its westerner, Red Dead Redemption. It is similar to GTA in terms of the sandbox experience but offers a unique plot that takes players back to the Wild West.

Moreover, gamers are still anticipating the return of the Bully franchise, an action game that centers on a prep school and their everyday mischiefs, also offering gamers a chance to forge their paths.

Through the years, Rockstar Games has given the world highly-rated and industry-defying games, with the company stuck to its massive guns and players as a recipe for its success. Still, it had a brief moment where it experimented on a new release, a supposed open-world based on Vice City, set in a dystopian island overrun by the undead.

Related Article: What Will Happen to GTA Online Profiles? New Grand Theft Auto VI Report Reveals

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Archaeologists at the Casas del Turunuelo site in southwestern Spain have uncovered compelling evidence of ritualized animal sacrifice, ultimately unveiling a captivating glimpse into the mystique of Iron Age rituals.

According to Phys.org, the multidisciplinary study sheds light on the repeated use of the Casas del Turunuelo site for ritualized animal sacrifices during the Iron Age, particularly toward the end of the 5th Century BCE.

6,770 Bones From 52 Sacrificed Animals Found in Spain

This discovery is noteworthy as archaeological sites with evidence of major animal sacrifices from the Iron Age in the Mediterranean region are rare, creating a gap between historical records and the archaeological evidence.

The newfound insights from Casas del Turunuelo help bridge this gap, providing a clearer understanding of the patterns and protocols associated with this ancient practice.

The researchers meticulously examined and dated 6,770 bones from 52 sacrificed animals, primarily adult horses, alongside smaller numbers of cattle, pigs, and one dog. The bones were buried in three sequential phases, revealing an intriguing evolution in the sacrificial rituals conducted at the site.

During the initial two phases, the skeletons were predominantly complete and unaltered. However, in the third phase, except for equids (horses), the skeletons exhibited signs of processing for food, suggesting a culinary aspect accompanying the ritual.

That indicates that the site was utilized repeatedly over several years for sacrificial ceremonies that varied in their practices and purposes, according to the researchers.

Read Also: Archaeologists Say Indonesia's Ancient Structure Could Be World's Oldest Pyramid Built by Human Hands

Mass Animal Sacrifices

The findings offer valuable insights into the ritual protocols practiced at Casas del Turunuelo, emphasizing the intentional selection of adult animals over young ones. The presence of burned plants and remains of animals underscores the importance of fire in these rituals.

Notably, Casas del Turunuelo presents distinctive features, such as an unusually high abundance of sacrificed horses, setting it apart from other archaeological sites.

The study's authors said: "This study highlights the role of mass animal sacrifices in the context of Iron Age European societies. Zooarchaeological, taphonomic, and microstratigraphic investigations shed light on animal sacrifice practices and the Tartessian ritual behavior at the Iron Age site of Casas del Turunuelo (Badajoz, Spain)."

Overall, this discovery not only contributes to a better understanding of ritual animal sacrifices in Iron Age Europe but also showcases the unique aspects of the Casas del Turunuelo site, enriching people's knowledge of ancient societies and their cultural practices.

The study was led by M Pilar Iborra Eres from the Institut Valencia de Conservacio, Restauracio i Investigacio, Spain, and Sebastian Celestino Perez from Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, Spain.

The findings of the team were further detailed in PLoS ONE.

Related Article: 2,000-Year-Old Cave Art May Suggest that Ice Age Hunter-Gatherers Were the First to Use a Calendar - New Study

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Elon Musk has announced that X, formerly known as Twitter, will reintroduce headlines in preview cards on the social media platform just a month after removing them.

Elon Musk on Reinstating Headlines to X

Elon Musk shared this development on his X account, stating that in an upcoming update, the company plans to overlay the title in the upper portion of the image of a URL card.

While the billionaire didn't provide a specific timeline or offer an example of the redesigned card, this move suggests a shift in the platform's approach to displaying content.

This change comes on the heels of a previous decision in August when Musk revealed X's intention to eliminate titles from URL previews for the sake of "improved aesthetics."

However, this decision was implemented in October when headlines were removed entirely. Users were then required to click or tap on the URL card to access the title or read the headline, a complete departure from the previous format.

Hence, the elimination of headlines prompted a workaround from publishers, who began incorporating their own headlines directly onto images or sharing the link separately.

This adjustment aimed to counteract the limitations imposed by X's altered preview card format. But now, the decision to reintroduce headlines in preview cards suggests recognizing the importance of quick and accessible information for users.

While this move may simplify the publication process, its effectiveness will be contingent on the layout and design of the revamped card, the specifics of which Musk has not yet disclosed.

Read Also: Elon Musk Biopic Takes Shape: A24, Acclaimed Director Aronofsky Team Up for a Unique Cinematic Journey

Elon Musk Shares Disturbing Letter

In related news, Elon Musk's recent post on X took an unexpected turn as he shared a mysterious letter alleging "disturbing" actions by Sam Altman, one of the top executives at OpenAI.

The letter, sent only to Musk, outlined various instances of alleged misconduct and dishonesty by Altman and Greg Brockman, another executive at the AI company.

The letter, although deleted, is available in a cached version posted on GitHub. It alleged a pattern of silencing, termination, or medical leave for employees who opposed Altman and Brockman.

The authors claimed that OpenAI's shift from a non-profit to a for-profit entity was accompanied by deceit and manipulation, all driven by a relentless pursuit of achieving artificial general intelligence (AGI).

Among the claims, the letter cited Altman's alleged personal grudge against Musk and accused Altman of utilizing OpenAI's resources for personal goals, including the ongoing feud between Altman and Musk.

The authors called on current board members to investigate these allegations, urging them to "take a firm stand against these unethical practices and launch an independent investigation into Sam and Greg's conduct."

While the authenticity and motivations behind the letter remain unclear, Musk has indicated that the concerns raised in it are "worth investigating."

Related Article: Elon Musk Celebrates SpaceX, Starlink Achieving 'Breakeven Cash Flow,' Satellite Internet Milestone

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Sony has successfully concluded a month-long field test of its in-camera authenticity technology to combat the rise of manipulated imagery.

According to Sony, the latest field test, marking the second phase, concluded in October. This in-camera authenticity technology involves creating a digital signature, essentially a birth certificate for images, at the moment of capture, thereby validating the origin of the content.

The digital signature is generated within the camera's hardware chipset, making it machine-based and eliminating the possibility of undetected manipulation from the outset.

Authenticity Tech of Sony

Sony's authenticity technology is particularly targeting professionals seeking to safeguard their content's authenticity. It serves as an additional layer of security to assist news agencies in combating the spread of falsified imagery.

Neal Manowitz, President and COO of Sony Electronics, emphasized the company's commitment to addressing the challenges posed by manipulated imagery and false information.

Sony has been involved in the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA), helping set industry standards for tracking editing and manipulation of imagery. The company's in-camera authenticity technology, demonstrated during the field test with the Associated Press (AP), has shown promising results.

"The dissemination of false information and images has real world social impact that brings harm not only to our photojournalist and news agency partners, but to society as a whole. We care deeply about this challenge and are committed to using our resources to help solve it," Manowitz said in a press statement.

"Through Sony's work on the steering committee for C2PA (Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity), we have helped set the current industry standard for the tracking of editing and manipulation of imagery. Additionally, our in-camera authenticity technology has shown valuable results, and we will continue to push its development towards a wider release," he added.

The field test, conducted in collaboration with Camera Bits, the company behind the industry-standard workflow tool Photo Mechanic, evaluated capture authentication and workflow processes.

The technology in Photo Mechanic was developed alongside Sony and AP, aiming to preserve the camera's digital signature throughout the metadata editing process. It ensures that the image's authenticity is maintained, addressing the challenge of manipulated imagery during the editing phase.

Read Also: Sony Pulse Explore: The Only Wireless Earbuds to Work for PlayStation Portal is Coming this December

Fake Imagery in Journalism

David Ake, AP Director of Photography, highlighted the significant concern that fake and manipulated images pose for news organizations, contributing to misinformation and eroding the public's trust in accurate imagery. The collaboration between Sony and AP aims to create an authentication solution to combat this problem.

"We are proud to be working alongside Sony Electronics to create an authentication solution that can help combat this problem," Ake said in the statement.

Sony's in-camera signature and C2PA authentication are expected to be released in a firmware update for the Alpha 9 III, Alpha 1, and Alpha 7S III cameras in the Spring of 2024.

This technology could mark a step forward in ensuring the integrity and authenticity of images in an age where the rapid evolution of generative AI raises concerns about the potential impact of manipulated imagery in journalism.

Related Article: Sony: PS Plus Premium Cloud Streaming is Here, No Need to Download Top PS5 Games to Play

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CHERNIHIV-TOWN-MODULAR

Modular town for IDPs constructed by URCS put into operation in Chernihiv

KYIV. Nov 23 (Interfax-Ukraine)  A modular town for 112 IDP families, constructed due to the efforts of the Ukrainian Red Cross, was opened in Chernihiv, the Ukrainian Red Cross Society (URCS) press service said.

"Today in Chernihiv the official opening of a modular town for internally displaced persons took place. We are talking about seven multi-apartment two-story buildings with 112 apartments. The apartments are fully equipped with both household appliances and furniture for a comfortable stay," the society said in a statement on Wednesday.

"This project was one of the first in the direction of restoration from the Ukrainian Red Cross. And we are pleased that we managed to do it before winter and cold weather. I would like to thank the city authorities, and, of course, our partners  the British and Austrian Red Cross, who also made efforts to this construction became possible. I hope those who will live in this town will feel the care and love with which we built this town," Director General of the National Committee of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society Maksym Dotsenko said.

Reportedly, URCS raised almost UAH 157 million for the construction of a modular town. In addition, two 100 kW generators have also been provided in case of emergency shutdowns.

"On behalf of Chernihiv community, I want to thank the Ukrainian Red Cross and its units, which joined in the construction of the town in which live people who lost their own homes as a result of the barbaric aggression of Russia. The fact that the world supports us and finances such projects shows that we are not alone in this struggle for democracy, freedom, independence," acting mayor Oleksandr Lomako said.
Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. has etched its name in aviation history after completing the world's first transatlantic flight using 100 percent sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

The November 19 journey took place on a Gulfstream G600 aircraft, flying from Savannah, Georgia, to Farnborough, England, for six hours and 56 minutes.

The Era of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)?

In a climate where the aerospace sector is intensively exploring avenues to achieve net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050, the race to accomplish the first transatlantic flight fueled exclusively by SAF was foreseeable.

SAF is engineered to mitigate aviation carbon emissions by leveraging sources that rely significantly less on fossil fuels. Both of the aircraft's Pratt & Whitney PW815GA engines were powered exclusively by 100% SAF, underlining the potential for renewable fuels in aviation.

These fuels exhibit lower carbon, sulfur, and aromatics. The data gathered from this extensive flight will facilitate assessments of aircraft compatibility with forthcoming low-aromatic renewable fuels, particularly in cold temperatures during extended flights.

Mark Burns, the President of Gulfstream, said, "Gulfstream is innovating for a sustainable future. One of the keys to reaching business aviation's long-term decarbonization goals is the broad use of SAF in place of fossil-based jet fuel."

"The completion of this world-class flight helps to advance business aviation's overarching sustainability mission and create positive environmental impacts for future generations," he added.

The SAF utilized in this groundbreaking flight was provided by World Energy and distributed by World Fuel Services. This SAF, known as Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids (neat HEFA), boasts at least 70% lower lifecycle CO2 emissions than fossil-based jet fuel, contributing to reduced climate impact, according to Gulfstream.

Moreover, this fuel, devoid of additional aromatics, exerts a reduced impact on local air quality and boasts an exceptionally low sulfur content, alleviating non-CO2 environmental impacts.

Read Also: Expect More Rough Flights Due to Climate Change Increasing Turbulence, According to Study

Pioneering Role in Sustainable Aviation

Anthony Rossi, Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Pratt & Whitney Canada, commended Gulfstream for their pioneering role in sustainable aviation. Key partners, including Honeywell, Safran, and Eaton, collaborated to support this significant achievement.

"We'd like to thank all our partners for their help in making this milestone flight happen, and for their ongoing partnership in collaborating with the extended SAF community to champion the aviation industry's path to 100% SAF usage," Burns said in a statement.

In related news, a recent study by the National Center for Atmospheric Science and the University of Manchester examined emissions from sustainable aviation fuels compared to traditional jet fuel.

The research revealed an up to 80% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions, with a significant 45% decrease in ultrafine black carbon emissions during low thrust, impacting local air quality positively.

Related Article: FAA Says People Flying Drones at Super Bowl to Face Consequences: $30,000 Fine, Criminal Charges, and Drone Confiscation Included

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From Canada, a group of "super pigs" is seen to be growing and it is threatening to invade the United States soon.

If the population of the invasive species of hogs will not be mitigated, chances are it will deplete the population of the native pigs in the country.

Canada's 'Super Pig' Invasion

A resilient and challenging population of wild hogs, dubbed "super pigs," is on the move in Canada, and authorities fear an imminent spillover into the US.

As reported by The Associated Press, these super pigs are crossbreeds on the loose, merging the survival prowess of wild Eurasian boars with the size and prolific breeding capabilities of domestic swine.

Related Article: Emerging Threat: Atypical Canine Respiratory Disease Spreads Across Multiple States

Regional Precautions in Motion

Concerned by the potential invasion of these super pigs, states like Minnesota, North Dakota, and Montana are already implementing preventative measures.

The wild pig population surge in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba is posing a significant threat to native species and demanding swift action.

Widespread Menace of Wild Hogs

The population of the feral swine has grown in the US since they were first brought in the 1500s. At present, the hogs are said to have covered over three-quarters of the country.

As the US Department of Agriculture says, the number of invasive pigs exceeded nine million. They are projected to expand in numbers and invade states such as Michigan, Hawaii, and California in the long run.

Ecological Train Wreck

University of Saskatchewan's professor Ryan Brook, who also happens to be a lead author on the issue, says that "super pigs" are the most invasive animal on Earth.

For Brook, these hard-to-eradicate hogs resemble an "ecological train wreck." Annually, the species are accountable for nearly $2.5 billion in damages in the agriculture sector.

Super Pigs Should Not Underestimated

The super pigs' intelligence and adaptability make them formidable opponents, thriving even in Canada's harsh winters, according to USA Today.

Known for consuming anything in their path, from wildlife to crops, these wild hogs spread diseases, including the perilous African swine fever, pose a threat to hog farms, and wreak havoc on landscapes. Their rapid reproduction further complicates eradication efforts.

Conservation Efforts and Challenges

Despite concerted efforts to eliminate wild pig populations, the success rate for hunters remains low at about 2% to 3%. The Missouri Feral Hog Elimination Partnership, for instance, eliminated nearly 10,000 feral hogs in 2021, contributing to a total of over 54,000 since 2016.

However, the elusive nature of these creatures and their ability to relocate in response to hunting pressures pose significant challenges.

Impact on States and Mitigation Strategies

States like Florida, Georgia, and Texas report the highest incidents of feral hog encounters.

Texas alone witnessed 2,425 feral hog sightings in 2023, with Georgia following closely at 1,377. Popular mitigation tactics include public hunting, fencing, and trapping, with the latter methods requiring more sustained investment and upkeep.

Read Also: Free-Roaming Deer Tests Positive for Rabies in West Virginia, Prompting Outbreak Concerns

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It's an honor for Andrzej Sapkowski to be the author of The Witcher novels. However, deep within his heart, it's quite not fulfilling since Netflix, the streaming giant behind its TV adaptation did not listen to his ideas.

Netflix is Not Listening to The Witcher's Author

Sapkowski, the writer behind The Witcher series, which served as the foundation for CD Projekt Red's game series and Netflix's TV adaptation, recently shared his thoughts on the visual adaptations of his works.

Eurogamer picked up that during a conversation at Vienna Comic Con, Sapkowski expressed that seeing every visual adaptation of The Witcher was "strange" for him. Since he is a writer, he conveys his narrative through words.

The Polish author often finds it intriguing, noting, "Oh, this is the way they picture it. Interesting." This offers him a chance to witness various perspectives, sometimes welcoming the interpretations sympathetically, while other times, it may not align with his vision.

"My raw material when I work, it's only letters. I do not describe pictures. I don't see any pictures. I use the letters only because I know that my reader will see in the book the letters only, not the pictures. So I have to do with my letters to make the reader imagine the picture, not the other way around... so every [visual] adaptation, it's simply strange for me," he said.

Related Article: 'The Witcher' Season 3 Villain Rumors: New Iconic Character from 'Time of Contempt' Novel Coming to Netflix

Mixed Feelings on Netflix Series

The interview later shifted focus to the Netflix series, with Sapkowski sharing his experience visiting the set. While he commended the set as "tremendous," he disclosed that Netflix never considered or implemented any of his feedback.

Furthermore, he humorously remarked that, despite potentially offering ideas, Netflix's response was dismissive: it echoes a comical imitation of a Netflix executive saying, "Who's this? It's a writer, it's nobody."

As of writing, Netflix has not replied regarding the author's statement, according to Hollywood Reporter.

Henry Cavill's Departure and Source Material Fidelity

Sapkowski's choice of words gains significance in light of Henry Cavill's departure from the Netflix series.

While Cavill hasn't explicitly stated the reasons, speculation suggests his unhappiness with the deviation from the literary source material.

The Geralt actor, who is a devoted fan of the books, aimed for a portrayal faithful to Sapkowski's creation. His departure raises questions about the show's direction and its fidelity to the original narrative.

Meanwhile, Freya Allan, who plays Ciri, previously highlighted Cavill's dedication to the source material, referring to him as a "Witcher bible."

Future of The Witcher Franchise

With Netflix's fourth season introducing Liam Hemsworth as Geralt, fans anticipate a new interpretation. Hemsworth steps into Cavill's shoes, inheriting the role and the challenge of meeting fan expectations and staying true to the literary origins.

On the literary front, Sapkowski assures fans that he is actively working on the next installment of The Witcher book series, promising a release in the coming winter.

Read Also: All About Rockstar Games' Open-World Zombie GameWhy Was It Canceled?

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Amazon is reportedly on track to secure unconditional antitrust approval from the European Union for its $1.4 billion acquisition of iRobot, a leading robot vacuum manufacturer, according to insider sources.



As the EU's watchdog for competition, the European Commission has previously warned Amazon about possible issues with competition in the robot vacuum cleaner industry.

Despite this, the UK antitrust agency has already given the green light to the deal without conditions, following a preliminary review, according to a Reuters report.

The EU Commission is expected to make its final decision on the Amazon-iRobot deal by February 14, 2024, after extending the deadline due to insufficient information provided by the involved companies.



The acquisition, announced in August, is set to integrate iRobot's Roomba robot vacuum into Amazon's extensive portfolio of smart devices.

This portfolio includes the Alexa voice assistant, smart thermostats, security devices, and wall-mounted smart displays, further solidifying Amazon's presence in the smart home ecosystem, according to an article published by CNA.

Amazon Facing Backlash Over Removal of Documentary

In a parallel development, Amazon's recent removal of the documentary The Plot Against the President from its Prime Video streaming service has stirred controversy.

The Amanda Milius-directed documentary examines the Russiagate hoax and sheds light on alleged efforts by Democrats and the mainstream media to thwart the orderly transfer of power following the 2016 election.



Amazon's decision to pull the documentary has raised questions and concerns, with viewers left puzzled and filmmakers speculating about the motives behind the abrupt removal, as per a report from The Hindustan Times.

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No Explanation Provided

The Plot Against the President has gained significant attention on Amazon since its late 2020 release, accumulating around 17,000 user reviews. Filmmaker Amanda Milius suggests that Amazon might be ideologically at odds with the film's content and was possibly embarrassed by its unexpected success on the platform.



This incident is not the first time Amazon has faced criticism for content decisions, particularly those concerning conservative perspectives. The streaming giant postponed The Plot Against the President for almost two weeks in 2020 for a "content review." Amazon has previously not streamed the Republican National Convention at primetime in 2020, unlike the Democratic National Convention.



Amazon has not explained why The Plot Against the President was removed, prompting many to speculate on its content control procedures and ideological biases.



The controversy surrounding the documentary removal comes amid broader debates about Big Tech's role in shaping content availability and the potential influence of ideological considerations in content moderation decisions.

Related Article: Amazon Launches 'AI Ready': Free Courses to Build Generative AI Skills

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Sony is entangled in a colossal lawsuit concerning the pricing of games on the PlayStation Store.

PS owners in the UK initiated the lawsuit in 2022, aiming for compensation from Sony, alleging that the company artificially inflated game prices due to its industry dominance and exclusive game agreements.

Sony Accused of Monopolizing Games

As spotted by The Sun, the lawsuit argues that Sony's monopolistic position in the gaming industry allowed it to secure exclusive titles for PlayStation.

With no other storefront selling these games, the suit contends that Sony exploited this exclusivity to inflate prices on the PlayStation Store.

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PlayStation Owners Eligible For $8 Billion Payout

Sony's legal team vehemently challenged the lawsuit, labeling it as "flawed from start to finish." Despite Sony's defense, the Competition Appeal Tribunal has granted permission for the case to proceed, indicating potential merit in the claims made by PlayStation owners.

Originally filed for 5 billion ($6.5 billion), the lawsuit has now been expanded to a staggering 6.3 billion ($8 billion). If Sony faces defeat in court, individuals who made purchases on the PlayStation Store before the lawsuit's 2022 filing could be eligible for compensation.

Sony is not new when it comes to lawsuits. Back in 2021, the gaming firm was sued because of the controller drift issue in PS5 DualSense. Apparently, the plaintiff claimed that Sony allegedly had an idea about the defect. It only kept it a secret from the buyers.

In 2015, Sony dropped the lawsuit related to the PlayStation Vita advertisement. At that time, the final verdict of the court stated that the said feature was entirely implemented when PS4 came. The original claim Sony said that remote play can allow gamers to play PS3 titles via Vita.

As a result, the company had to compensate PS Vita owners, offering options like a $25 check, $25 in-store credit, or game bundles.

Potential Impact on Game Prices

If the current lawsuit proves successful, similar compensation could be on the table for affected PlayStation owners. However, a more far-reaching outcome could be a precedent that forces PlayStation to reconsider its pricing strategy, potentially leading to lower prices for exclusive games on the PS Store in the future.

In another report by Forbes, the recent Sony lawsuit does not make sense at all. The writer says that it's not proven if the 30% cut that Sony takes is harming the buyers. Apparently, it is being passed to the publishers and developers.

Outside the talk about Sony's lawsuits and the like, Tech Times reported that Rockstar Games canceled its open-world zombie game dubbed "Agent."

According to the report, the New York City-based developer discontinued the survival game after a year of development because everyone was focused on GTA IV. Although fans wanted to play it so badly, it was ditched right away in the list.

Read Also: Thinking of Buying Steam Deck? You Might Consider ROG Ally First and Here's Why

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Apple has been charged with illegal union-busting by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) for the fourth time.

This time, the federal agency accuses the tech giant of withholding benefits from the first legally unionized Apple shop workers, implying an effort to sway a unionization vote at another shop, per 9 To 5 Mac.



Previous complaints against Apple include mandatory attendance at anti-union meetings, the creation of a fake union, the penalization of union members, the firing of activists, and coercive interrogations.

What to Know About the Latest NLRB Charges Against Apple

The latest NLRB complaint centers on Apple's denial of enhanced benefits to the initial unionized workers at the Towson, Maryland, store, just before a second unionization vote at the Penn Square store in Oklahoma City.



The NLRB contends that Apple's decision to withhold benefits from the Towson workers was aimed at discouraging other employees from pursuing unionization. Allegedly, these benefits, which include new healthcare options, a Coursera subscription, and prepaid tuition, were used as a means to influence the outcome of the unionization vote.

The NLRB has scheduled a hearing to examine the legality of Apple's actions, with Chairperson Wilma Liebman expressing skepticism about the timing and questioning the legitimacy of the move. Apple is required to respond to the complaint by December 5, and the hearing is scheduled for February 20, 2024.



As of present reporting, Apple has yet to make an official statement about the fresh NLRB charge.

Read Also: Elon Musk's X Takes Legal Action Against Media Matters for 'Malicious' Report

Apple Pledges to Review Labor Policies Amid Backlash

Apple's history of engaging in union-busting tactics has resulted in judgments confirming three instances of illegal conduct. US Congressional members have noted a recurring pattern of labor law violations by the Cupertino Company. Apple is currently in the process of appealing a court ruling related to coercive interrogations.

In May, as reported by Apple Insider, Representatives Emanuel Cleaver II from Missouri and Sylvia Garcia from Texas wrote to the NLRB concerning Apple's retail worker treatment. The letter states Kansas City Country Club Plaza workers were dismissed for union action under the pretense of tardiness. The business fired one worker for being one minute late for their shift, which was rare before unionization.

The first unionized Apple shop in the UK, in Glasgow, has been accused of anti-union practices. Members of the United Tech and Allied Workers (UTAW) claim that Apple management is employing disinformation, imposing restrictions on union actions, and utilizing implied threats to dissuade employees from joining unions.

The company was accused of consistently employing a script to undermine unions, implying disciplinary action and job loss for those engaging in union-related activities. While Apple's tactics avoid direct opposition to unionization, they create an atmosphere of fear and intimidation, raising legal concerns.



In January, Apple responded to union-busting charges by committing to review its US labor policies. Engadget reported that the technology juggernaut told the Securities and Exchange Commission that it would evaluate its "efforts to comply with its Human Rights Policy concerning workers' freedom of association and collective bargaining rights in the United States by the end of the calendar year 2023."

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Both the Xbox Series X and S consoles see a significant decline of 52% in sales in Europe. While Microsoft cannot decipher what happened to their current performance, Sony's PlayStation 5 is faring on top with an impressive 143% increase in sales in the region.

Challenges Faced by Xbox in Europe

As first reported by GameIndustry.biz, the absence of ample console stock in the previous year has undoubtedly impacted these figures. Moreover, Xbox has historically faced challenges in Eurozone countries, holding only 20% of the market compared to PlayStation's commanding 80%.

Even in the UK, where Xbox has a more competitive presence, sales for Xbox Series S and X have dwindled by 23% year-to-date.

Related Article: Black Friday Deals 2023: Xbox Series X Drops to Lowest Price in the UK

Impact of Exclusive Titles and First-Party Hits

Microsoft losing the console wars is an old story, but seeing Xbox below its competitors is somewhat unforgivable for the company.

One critical factor contributing to Xbox's struggle is the dearth of blockbuster exclusives. While the launch of Starfield in September marked a notable event, it failed to translate into a significant uptick in console sales.

Microsoft openly acknowledged its shortfall in delivering compelling first-party hits. The delayed release of Halo Infinite and the underwhelming performance of Redfall pointed out the challenges faced by Xbox in maintaining momentum.

"The lack of big exclusives is often cited for why this has happened, and some of the big games like Halo: Infinite didn't provide the boost you might expect. A lot of unreasonable pressure was put on Starfield, and it did cause some sales improvement, but it hasn't been sustained," GI.biz head of games B2B Chris Dring said.

Game Pass Influence and Diverging Strategies

Microsoft's Game Pass, while applauded for its value, may be influencing game sales and even console purchases. Releasing titles simultaneously on Game Pass and for purchase may impact hardware sales, presenting a strategic divergence from Sony's approach.

As Xbox Series X and S grapple with a sales plateau, Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard is anticipated to bolster Game Pass, offering a more compelling subscription service, per IGN.

Shift Towards PC and Mobile Focus

Acknowledging the evolving landscape, there is a perceptible shift in Microsoft's strategy. While the launch of exclusive titles is expected to inject vitality into Xbox sales, there's a broader move away from a console-centric approach.

The acquisition of Activision Blizzard positions Microsoft as a powerful player in the gaming industry, extending its reach into PC and mobile gaming, with a focus on platforms dominant in Europe.

Mid-Gen Refreshes and the Road Ahead

Leaked documents hint at mid-gen refreshes for Xbox Series X and S in 2024, offering a potential revival for Xbox.

Codenamed Brooklin and Ellewood, these refreshed consoles may introduce new dynamics to the market. However, Xbox's resurgence may become more apparent in the coming years, with 2028 speculated as the launch window for Microsoft's next-generation console.

Read Also: The Witcher Author Claims Netflix Did Not Listen to His Suggestions When It Comes to TV Adaptation

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The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially requested comprehensive information from Beijing regarding a mysterious pneumonia outbreak in northern China, particularly impacting children.

The request comes as the United Nations health agency expresses growing concerns about an upswing in respiratory illnesses and reported pneumonia clusters among children, according to Al Jazeera.



The National Health Commission of China attributed the increase in respiratory diseases to the relaxation of COVID-19 measures, leading to the spread of various pathogens, including influenza, mycoplasma pneumonia (common in younger children), and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

Pneumonia Surge Overwhelming Hospitals

ProMED, an online medical community, has highlighted numerous media reports this week about clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia among children in northern China. Reports from Taiwanese media outlet FTV News indicated overwhelmed children's hospitals in Beijing, Liaoning, and other northern regions, prompting parents to question whether authorities were concealing an epidemic.



The WHO, acknowledging the unclear connection between the northern China outbreak and the overall rise in respiratory infections reported by Chinese authorities, has formally requested detailed information. This includes epidemiologic and clinical data, laboratory results from reported clusters among children, information on pathogen circulation, and the current burden on healthcare systems.



Dr. Krutika Kuppalli from the WHO's emergency program commented on social media, emphasizing the need for more information about symptoms, epidemiology, and testing, considering the broad range of potential causes of the illness.

Read Also: Deep Sleep Deficiency: People Over 60 Face Higher Dementia Risk, Study Finds



"While WHO seeks this additional information, we recommend that people in China follow measures to reduce the risk of respiratory illness, which include recommended vaccination; keeping distance from people who are ill; staying home when ill; getting tested and medical care as needed; wearing masks as appropriate; ensuring good ventilation; and regular hand-washing," the global health agency noted in its statement.



In response to the situation, Chinese authorities stress the importance of enhanced disease surveillance in healthcare facilities and community settings. They also emphasize the need to expand the health system's capacity, which is currently overwhelmed due to the increasing number of infected children.

An Aftermath of China's COVID-19 Pandemic Restrictions

China has witnessed a surge in influenza-like illnesses, diverging from the strict measures enforced under the zero-COVID strategy over the past three years. This strategy was abruptly abandoned in December 2022.

The previous zero-COVID policy, which included strict lockdowns, widespread testing, and contact tracing, stopped the spread of common infections. The shift away from these measures may have created an "immunity gap," leaving people more susceptible to infections once such precautions are discontinued, according to a CNN report.



The initial cases of what later proved to be COVID-19 were initially identified as unexplained pneumonia in late 2019. The first fatality from the illness occurred in January 2020, coinciding with China's public release of the genetic sequence of COVID-19. Expressing profound concern over the virus's rapid transmission, its severity, and a perceived lack of decisive action, the World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared a pandemic in March 2020.

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India is taking a proactive stance against the rising tide of deepfake content on social media platforms by initiating the drafting of regulations aimed at detecting and curbing the spread of harmful AI media.



The announcement came from Ashwini Vaishnaw, India's IT Minister, following extensive meetings with major social media companies, industry body Nasscom, and academic experts. The consensus reached is that regulations are imperative to effectively combat the proliferation of deepfake videos and apps that facilitate their creation.

Deepfake: A Threat to Democracy

Deepfakes, a form of synthetic media generated using artificial intelligence to convincingly replace a person's likeness or voice, have raised ethical concerns regarding consent and misinformation.

Vaishnaw underscored the shared concerns of social media companies, acknowledging the harmful impact of fake news on society. As reported by TechCrunch, the Indian official emphasized, "They understood that it's [deepfakes], not free speech. They understood that it's something that's very harmful to society. They understood the need for much heavier regulation on this, so we agree that we will start drafting the regulation today itself."

The impending regulations will focus on strengthening reporting mechanisms for individuals to report such videos, ensuring proactive and timely actions by social media companies. Vaishnaw stressed the necessity of more proactive measures, citing the immediate and potentially irreversible damage caused by deep fakes. "The actions need to be more proactive because the damage can be very immediate," he said, emphasizing that even action "hours" after reporting might not be sufficient.

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In addition to potential fines for non-compliance, the government is contemplating holding individuals accountable for creating such misleading content.



The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology is poised to commence assessments and draft regulations on deepfakes. A follow-up meeting with stakeholders in the first week of December will finalize the four-pillared structure of the regulations.

India Joins Efforts to Combat Misuse of AI

India's move to draft regulations follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi's expressing concerns about the rapid spread of fake videos.

Indian Prime Minister Modi remarked at the G20 Virtual Summit that deepfake is a grave threat to society in this age of modern technology.

As quoted by La Prensa Latina, the Indian leader emphasized the "need to use technology in a responsible manner. There is growing concern about the negative use of AI all over the world. We have to move forward, understanding the seriousness of how dangerous deepfake is for society and for the individual."

India's efforts align with global initiatives addressing the risks of AI technology. The country, along with others such as the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, and China, recently signed the Bletchley Declaration during the AI Safety Summit 2023 in the UK, according to WION.

The nations committed to collaborative research on AI safety, emphasizing the importance of responsible technology use in the face of growing concerns worldwide.

Related Article: Italy Launches Probe Into AI Training Practices Over Personal Data Gathering

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The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine informs that as a result of a successful complex special operation in cyberspace, it was possible to obtain a large volume of closed official documents from a structural unit of the Russian Ministry of Transport, the Federal Agency for Air Transport (Rosaviatsiya).

The Main Intelligence Agency of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine said among the data obtained as a result of hacking and penetration into enemy information systems is a list of daily reports from Russian Federal Agency for Air Transport throughout Russia for more than a year and a half.

"Their analysis shows that the civil aviation sector of terrorist Russia is on the verge of collapse," the agency said in the statement.

Ukrainian intelligence also published the documents received and pointed out a number of important facts about Russian Federal Agency for Air Transport. In particular, in January 2023, some 185 aircraft accidents were recorded in Russian civil aviation. About a third are classified as incidents of varying severity levels. The leader here was the Russian short-haul aircraft "superjet"  34 problem cases.

In the first nine months of 2023, some 150 cases of technical malfunctions of aircraft were documented in Russia. Over the same period in 2022, some 50 such incidents were recorded. Consequently, the risk of flying in Russia has tripled. The most problematic areas of Russian aviation remain engines and landing gear, as well as other important elements of the hydraulic system, flaps and software.

Intelligence said Russia is experiencing serious difficulties in servicing aircraft with long flight hours. Due to a lack of capacity and specialists, Moscow is trying to redirect aircraft maintenance to Iran.

"An acute shortage of spare parts has led to the so-called 'aircraft cannibalism' in Russia, when some aircraft are dismantled for repairs of others. According to the assessment of available data, by mid-2023, more than 35% of aircraft in Russia were used for 'donation," the agency said.

In addition, most Soviet An-2 aircraft today cannot get off the ground, since the engines for them were produced in Poland, but due to sanctions their supply was stopped. Also, during January 2023 alone, some 19 different failures were recorded among 220 Airbus aircraft located in Russia. In particular, 17 cases of smoke were recorded in nine aircraft used by Aeroflot.

Of the 230 Boeing aircraft used in Russia, 33 technical failures of certain aircraft systems have been recorded.

"Back in September 2022, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) designated Russia in red along with Liberia and Bhutan, which indicates an extremely high risk to flight safety," the agency said.

As the intelligence service said an analysis of the nature of aviation incidents based on the documents received shows that a number of failures, especially those related to engines, landing gear and wing mechanization, are systemic in nature.

"The corresponding reality is a direct consequence of sanctions, the most painful of which for the aggressor state of Russia were: a ban on the supply of aircraft and spare parts for them; a complete refusal to provide maintenance and services; a refusal to update software; the detention of Russian aircraft abroad; restriction of access to meteorological information for air navigation," the Main Intelligence Agency said.
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Sighting after more than 80 years: Sniffer dog sniffs out gold mole rat thought to be extinct

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The analyst predicted the dollar exchange rate in December in the range of 88-92 rubles

Zelensky announces the entry of the war with Russia into a new phase and Kiev drops 18 marches

The criminal investigation into the truck accident on the E22 is closed

Ministry of Education: Strictly investigate and deal with the behavior of training institutions that are "difficult to refund" and "run away with money".

The implementation plan for the Beijing Junior High School Academic Proficiency Examination was announced, and the examination time for each subject was clarified

Peskov: The Kremlin proceeds from the fact that sanctions have been imposed for many years

Beijing clarified how to test the experimental operation of physics, chemistry and biology subjects in the high school entrance examination

Black Friday 2023 on Amazon, last day: these are the best-selling bargains and great discounts that are worth it

Al-Maqdisiya Marah Bakir: I did not stab anyone. And they kissed my mother.

An American neural network saw signs of a fake in a photo of a US lunar mission

The opening ceremony of the COP28 China Corner and the side event of "Ecological Civilization and Beautiful China Practice" were held in Dubai

The first woman to marry an AI: "We don't rule out the idea of having children"

Haredim in Israel. They refused to conscript and then decided to occupy the army

The Armed Forces of Ukraine shelled Donetsk with missiles of a new type JROF HEF from Slovakia

The UN climate chief quotes Yoda from Star Wars: "Do or not do. There is no try"

"Playing ahead of the curve": how OPEC+'s decision to further reduce oil supplies may affect its price

In Ghana, the fight for food sovereignty in the face of land grabbing

On the first day of the issuance and opening of the "five-star card", 50 people received the new version of the permanent residence ID card for foreigners

Sanchez coincides with the president of Israel in Dubai in the midst of the diplomatic conflict, but without foreseen contact

 Communities 2019 - Privacy

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Representatives of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society (URCS) and the Public Association Casmed (Moldova) exchanged experience in caring for older people.

"As part of a working trip to Moldova, specialists from the Home Care direction of the Ukrainian Red Cross and representatives of the Moldovan public association Casmed held a joint working meeting. The meeting's purpose is to exchange experience, improve skills and methodological capabilities in caring for the elderly," the society said on Facebook.

Activities to support older people are one of the priorities of the Ukrainian Red Cross. Currently, over 1,000 URCS's social assistants provide aid and support to almost 6,000 wards. First of all, this includes help at home, emotional support, and care services for lonely elderly people.
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has discussed strengthening economic cooperation between the countries with Australian Ambassador Bruce Edwards.

"We highly appreciate the military and humanitarian assistance provided by Australia from the first days of the full-scale war. I thanked for the introduction of sanctions, as well as Australia's support for the Peace Formula and its position on holding Russia accountable," Shmyhal wrote on his Telegram channel following the meeting with Edwards, who is ending his tenure in Ukraine.

The Prime Minister said that the parties also discussed strengthening economic cooperation between the countries.

"I invited Australian companies to join Ukraine's recovery," Shmyhal added.
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Opinion Eating outAussie icons Yes, Australian sushi exists. Get over it, argues Adam Liaw An Aussie woman was called a coloniser for opening a NY shop selling Australian sushi. But Adam Liaw says its very much a thing  and anyone who disagrees simply hasnt done their homework. Adam Liaw November 23, 2023 Save Log in , register or subscribe to save recipes for later. You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share

If youre not an extremely online person whos also into food, you might have missed a little controversy that spiced up the US online commentariat a few weeks ago, and it goes to the very heart of one of Australias favourite foods: sushi. In a nutshell, Australian lawyer Alex Mark quit her job to open Sushi Counter, a small takeaway place in New Yorks Greenwich Village selling Australian sushi. American chef Eric Rivera took issue, calling Mark a coloniser and accusing her of cultural appropriation, leading to a small but vocal band of online attackers against Mark and her venture. Salmon avocado rolls at Sushi Hub in Sydneys CBD. Sushi Hub opened its first store in 2006 in Cabramatta and now has almost 200 across the country. Flavio Brancaleone We could dissect the politics of this all day, from wondering whether the online pile-on would have been so vocal if Marks hadnt been a pretty white woman in activewear, to questioning the completely absurd hypocrisy of Rivera planning to open a Puerto Rican izakaya in Seattle, blending Puerto Rican cuisine with Japanese because its apparently not cultural appropriation when he does it. Instead, its probably faster to advise everyone online to log off for a while and touch some grass.

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What the whole discourse managed to avoid is that Australian sushi is very much a thing and anyone who thinks it isnt simply hasnt done their homework. So what is Australian sushi? Australian sushi is a thick hand roll made from half a standard sheet of nori. Its shape is distinct from Japanese temaki hand rolls, which are often cone-shaped, as well as from futomaki thick rolls, which are similar in shape but usually served sliced. Japanese convenience stores sell rice balls and sometimes even similar shaped rolls with fillings like natto (fermented soybeans), tuna mayonnaise and the like, but as every Australian knows, its the range of fillings that makes our sushi truly unique. Teriyaki beef and cucumber, raw salmon and avocado, tempura prawn, and fried chicken are all standard, but Ive even seen Peking duck and sweet and sour pork rolls, too. Sushi Hub staff preparing teriyaki beef rolls for the lunch rush. Flavio Brancaleone

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When we first moved to Australia from Japan, my wife would take photos of Australian sushi to send to her friends, often with quite a few shocked emojis. Sushi has come a long way in Australia in a relatively short period of time. Japanese restaurants here served sushi through the 70s and 80s, and it was considered both exotic and expensive. RecipeTin Eats' step-by-step guide to making sushi rolls But after the Japanese economic bubble burst in the late 1980s, affordable Japanese food options proliferated around the world and in 1993, Australias first conveyor belt sushi train opened on the Gold Coast. As sushis popularity grew, it became even more simplified into the unsliced form we know today, eaten just as we would a sausage roll.

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Sushi rolls being prepared for the lunch rush at Sushi Hub. Flavio Brancaleone Today you can find our proudly Australian version of sushi in every food court, airport and central business district in the country. Its adored by children and adults alike, and isnt found this way anywhere else in the world. If Australian sushi doesnt exist, then what the hell are the things were all eating every day? The evolution of food Australia is far from the only country to have adapted its own style of sushi. On the west coast of America, there are California and dragon rolls, and in Hawaii, musubi is sushi rice topped with slices of teriyaki Spam. Gimbap, a Korean dish of seaweed-rolled rice and fillings, only evolved in the country after the 1950s, but nobody pretends it doesnt exist.

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Japan itself has developed entire cuisines from naturalising foreign foods to the Japanese palate. Yoshoku (Japanese-Western food) encompasses katsu, curries, omurice and dozens of pasta variations containing everything from sea urchin to seaweed. Chuka (Japanese-Chinese food) is responsible for dan dan ramen, prawns with mayonnaise, mapo eggplant and even ramen and gyoza. Katsu chicken and avocado rolls. Flavio Brancaleone This is by no means an isolated affair. Sweden has its own versions of pizza. Ethiopia serves spaghetti with banana. British Indian food is a cuisine that is quite different from its subcontinental origins, and American-Chinese food of lemon chicken, fortune cookies and General Tsos chicken are entirely home-grown affairs. The online carbonaraineiri (my word for the Italian food police), who angrily denounce any dish that is vaguely Italian but not made like it was in a tiny hillside village a hundred years ago, have conditioned us to believe adaptation is bad and offensive, when in fact adaptation is axiomatic of food everywhere.

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Its unfortunate that our cultural cringe writes off so much of Australian food as poor imitation rather than as triumphant local variants. I love our decadent banh mi, overflowing laksas and Aussie bolognese  all very different from their overseas inspiration. Theres nowhere in the world that loves a roast chook as much as we do, and yes, our own version of sushi is proudly and patriotically true blue. Our Australian cafes are higher quality, more fun and serve better coffee than their predecessors in Italy. And theres a reason theyre loved from New York to Shanghai, where Chinese coffee aficionados call a flat white an ao bai (an Australian white). After the firestorm surrounding its opening, social media sleuths report Marks sushi place is selling out daily, with hundreds of happy customers. I am proud as punch that Australian food in all its forms is making news on the world stage. EASY How to master Adam Liaws Australian bolognese Stop the culinary cringe, its time we redefined what is Australian food

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Eating outJust open Sicilian-style loaded focaccia is how dinner starts at Kews new Mister Bianco 2.0 Moving to clean and contemporary digs after 13 years, this Kew favourite is offering comforting Italian cooking. But one dish definitely wont be on the menu. Emma Breheny November 24, 2023 Save Log in , register or subscribe to save recipes for later. You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share

As featured in the December hit list. See all stories .

Italian restaurants are often pigeonholed as palaces of pizza and pasta, but Mister Bianco chef-patron Joseph Vargetto is going against the grain with his newly relocated Kew restaurant. Although hes installed a large wood-fired oven, he declares: Were not doing the P word  pizza. Instead, hes offering sfincione, a hefty topped focaccia thats Sicilys answer to pizza. If you travel up and down Italy, everyone has their version of pizza, says Vargetto, whose family hails from Sicily. Sfincione, Sicilys answer to pizza, is on the new Mister Bianco menu. Kristoffer Paulsen At the rebooted Mister Bianco, which opened on November 23 just 500 metres from the original, the sfincione is made with rectangles of thick and spongy focaccia, baked in the wood-fired oven and loaded with three different toppings. Theres smoked mozzarella and anchovy, a simple tomato-chilli-mozzarella number, and the off-piste caramelised onion with scamorza.

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The bubbling cheesy bread is the perfect introduction to the homely, Sicilian-accented cooking that Vargetto is pursuing. Think eggplant cotoletta, sardines agrodolce, and semolina-dusted school prawns. Joe Vargetto has reinvented a Sicilian sandwich as a pasta dish, filling the parcels with squacquerone cheese, rocket and prosciutto. HiSylvia Photography Other dishes reflect Vargettos time working in Italys north. Piadina, a filled flatbread from Emilia-Romagna, has been reconfigured as tortelloni with the same fillings commonly found in the folded sandwich: squacquerone cheese, rocket and prosciutto. Theyre both from the same region, so it works well, says Vargetto. The wood-fired oven is joined by a grill and fire pit for the two-person porchetta that heroes the menu, plus grilled fish, duck breast, steaks and more.

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The 80-seat restaurant occupies part of what many people will remember as George Calombariss Hellenic Republic Kew, but with the thatched ceiling gone, its nearly unrecognisable. Vargetto filled 12 skips with the ceiling cane and other materials stripped from the space. Mister Biancos new home in Cotham Road, Kew. Kristoffer Paulsen Moving his neighbourhood restaurant after 13 years, Vargetto says he wanted to achieve a more spacious feel without losing the intimacy of the original High Street site. A roving cheese trolley Vargetto was given by his mother and the flames of the wood grill inject atmosphere, as do amber-coloured glass dividers throughout the room. They remind me of the glass panels in my parents house in the 70s, says Vargetto. Its a clash between the lovely warm effects of the old world but [its] new, sleek, very refined. Next week, he hopes to open adjoining cocktail bar Bianchetto, with star bartender Orlando Marzo writing the drinks list.

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Asked if he had told Hamer to message Higgins and see if shes free to come to the pub, Lehrmann said: I dont have a recollection of that happening. Drinks at The Kingston The court heard Higgins ultimately joined Lehrmann, Hamer and another staffer at the Kingston Hotel in Canberra on March 2. Lehrmann said he did not recall Higgins taking out her phone later in the evening to book an Uber. Did you say to Ms Higgins words to this effect: Why dont you stay for a drink? I havent had a chance to chat with you? Collins asked. Possibly. I cant definitively recall that, Im sorry, Lehrmann replied.

Asked if he recollected snatching Ms Higgins phone away from her to stop her ordering the Uber, Lehrmann replied: No, that didnt happen. Lehrmann denies attempted kiss Lehrmann denied that on a separate occasion on March 15, 2019, before the alleged rape, he leaned into Higgins and tried to kiss her on the lips after a staff dinner at the Kingston Hotel. Absolutely not, Lehrmann said, adding that he denied making any advance to Ms Higgins ever. Ever? Collins replied.

Yes, Lehrmann replied. Loading He said he did not recall any staff dinner on that occasion. Mistaken in AFP interview During the cross-examination, Lehrmann denied giving deliberately false answers in his interview with the Australian Federal Police on April 19, 2021, but said he was mistaken when he told them there was no alcohol in his office in Parliament House.

You knew full well at the time you gave your interview to the Australian Federal Police that you had had whisky in your office  at all times when you worked for Minister Reynolds, Collins said. When answering those questions I was recalling as to the best I could, Lehrmann said. Did you correct the statement? Collins asked. I cant recall if I did, Lehrmann replied. When did you realise it was false, Mr Lehrmann? Was it before your criminal trial? Collins said.

I cant recall, Im sorry, Lehrmann replied. Its a very hazy moment, that criminal trial. Earlier on Thursday, Lehrmann told the court he had initially told Reynolds then-chief of staff, Fiona Brown, that he came back to Parliament House in the early hours of March 23, 2019, to drink whisky. The court has heard he shared an Uber to Parliament House with Higgins after drinks with colleagues. Lehrmann gave evidence that his employment in Reynolds office was terminated on March 26 after he was told by Brown that after-hours access was a breach of the ministerial code of conduct. Did you come in and drink whisky? his barrister, Steven Whybrow, SC, asked. No, I did not, Lehrmann said.

Lehrmann said he believed that if he told Brown he had been working on a question time brief she might have regarded this as an even greater security breach. Innocuous Friday night Lehrmann replied absolutely not when asked by his barrister on Thursday if he sexually assaulted Higgins in the early hours of Saturday, March 23, 2019. It was an innocuous evening; a social Friday night, Lehrmann said. He said he did not see Higgins again in Parliament House after he went to his desk to work on a question time brief.

Had you at any stage had any sexual contact or similar intimate interactions with Ms Higgins? Whybrow asked. None whatsoever, Lehrmann replied. Texts released Lehrmann told the court on Wednesday his interactions with friends and acquaintances changed drastically after the interview aired on The Project. Exhibit in the Lehrmann defamation trial showing people exiting a group chat with Bruce Lehrmann in the days after Ten broadcast an interview with Brittany Higgins. Credit: Federal Court of Australia Among the exhibits in the trial, released by the court on Thursday, was a screenshot of a group chat with Lehrmann, showing nine people exiting the group in the days after the Ten broadcast. One member posted an image of a red Eject button.

Separate screenshots show two other people leaving a different Facebook messenger group, while Lehrmann was also removed from a three-person chat titled The Triumvirate. Lehrmann not named Lehrmann was not named in the Ten interview but Federal Court Justice Michael Lee must decide if he was identified via other means. Loading If the court finds he was identified, Ten and Wilkinson admit the interview conveyed the central claim of rape and are seeking to rely in part on a truth defence. The media outlet has previously told the court the network would call 28 witnesses, including Higgins and Wilkinson.
A notorious paedophile who taught at the school at the centre of a Victorian government inquiry into historical sexual abuse in state schools has died.

Darrell Ray, who changed his name to Ray Cosgriff, was due to appear in court again in February, facing 26 counts of indecent assault.

Ray Cosgriff, previously known as Darrell Ray, has died.

Police confirmed on Thursday the 82-year-old had passed away.

Ray, who had been living in Queensland, worked at a number of Melbourne schools, including Beaumaris Primary School in the early 1970s.
Spokesperson of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Yuriy Ihnat noted that the training of Ukrainian pilots on Western F-16 fighters is going according to plan, flights with instructors are taking place.

"Everything is going according to plan. Every time pilots take to the skies with instructors, I have already talked about this. Perhaps this number of pilots with instructors is becoming large. Next we expect independent flights. I think that in the near future we will find out more. I dont want to announce anything, else Ihnat said during the telethon.

Earlier this year, the U.S. State Department expressed its readiness to approve the transfer of U.S.-made F-16 aircraft to Ukraine by a third party. The Netherlands, Denmark and Norway announced their intention to transfer fighter jets to Ukraine.

In October, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said that the first F-16 aircraft could arrive in the Ukrainian Air Force no earlier than the spring of 2024.

On November 13, the European F-16 Training Center (EFTC) opened in Romania at the 86th Fetesti Air Base, where Ukrainian pilots will undergo training.

The Pentagon later reported that Ukrainian pilots are being trained in the United States and Europe in both F-16 flight operation and maintenance.
Education Department secretary Jenny Atta told the hearing that the department would monitor available capacity. She said secondary school provision across the area was a live issue. Its important that we keep refreshing that work because those projections can change, she said. Weve seen in some of the growth corridor areas that growth has exceeded what has been projected. Renders of the new Arden Precinct in North Melbourne, which planning authorities say will have a population of about 20,000 by 2050. The Victorian Planning Authoritys public information says Arden will become an employment and innovation precinct with 34,000 jobs and 15,000 residents, but planning authorities confirmed in Wednesdays hearings the population could be closer to 20,000. Sandell said she had been told by the Planning Department that Ardens population would be mostly key workers, not families.

She compared Arden to Docklands, where the government was forced to acquire land to build a school after not including one in the original plan. Just two years after opening, the government had to expand the school into a nearby shopping centre. Children in the area are zoned for the only public secondary school in the electorate, University High School, which is at 110 per cent capacity. Greens MP Ellen Sandell at the under-construction Arden Station. Credit: Chris Hopkins Sandell, who was instrumental in campaigning for Docklands Primary, said the governments own policy encouraged families to live near transport hubs and it should plan adequate schooling to match. When Docklands was developed, the government did not expect families to live there, so no school was provided for. Of course, many families did choose to make Docklands home and parents had to campaign for a long time to build a primary school, she said.

This is exactly what happened in Docklands, which was a huge failure. Loading West Melbourne parent Mary Masters said the government needed to earmark inner-city land now for future education facilities. Masters, who has children in prep and grade 2 at Docklands Primary, was one of a group of parents who questioned the capacity of the school before its opening in 2021. Docklands Primary enrolled 100 preps the first year and has welcomed the same number every year since. This year, the government was forced to open a second campus to meet demand.

Masters said it was clear families wanted to send their children to school in Melbournes inner-city, but there were not enough facilities to cater for the demand. To not consider Arden for more primary schools or a secondary school was so narrow-sighted its ridiculous, she said. The government was forced to acquire land to build a school in Docklands and expand into a nearby shopping centre, after not including one in the original plan. Credit: Paul Jeffers City living is desirable. People want to be living here and they want to be raising their families here. We dont want to have to move out to the suburbs in order to get into a school. West Melbourne parent Chris Collier, whose children are in grade 2 and kinder at Docklands Primary School, said one school would not be enough for Arden.

Itll be behind capacity, he said. I dont think theyve factored in how many people can squeeze in [to apartments]. They need to apply the lessons of Docklands to newer suburbs. Chris Collier (rear) with his children - Louis, 4, and Lilith, 8 - and Gideon, 8, and Rupert, 6, Binstead in West Melbourne on Thursday. Credit: Luis Enrique Ascui Masters said the lease of shopping centre space bought Docklands Primary some time but was not a permanent solution. They cant just keep us in a shopping centre for the next 10 years. But all the sites nearby got sold off to developers and now theyre having to negotiate with developers if they want to get some land back for schools.

Hopefully they dont repeat the same mistake with Arden. Just put the land aside now, build new high schools, build new primary schools. An Education Department spokesperson said developments in the Arden area would be factored into the annual school demand forecasts. The Arden precinct could include about 20,000 residents and 34,000 workers. Credit: This is consistent with planning for school provision across the state, including in metropolitan growth areas, which has seen the opening of a new campus of the North Melbourne Primary School.
Sweeping industrial reforms introduced by the NSW government will abolish the Coalitions wages cap and implement a mutual gains model of negotiation requiring parties to find agreed improvements to the lives of essential workers.

Industrial Relations Minister Sophie Cotsis introduced the Industrial Relations Amendment Bill 2023 to parliament on Thursday afternoon, saying the reforms would rebuild the Industrial Relations Commission (IRC) into a modern body.

Industrial Relations Minister Sophie Cotsis said the governments Bill would fulfill an election promise to abolish the public sector wage cap Credit: Dion Georgopoulos

It follows the appointment of an industrial relations taskforce, led by former Fair Work Commission deputy commissioner Anna Booth and former IRC president Roger Boland, commissioned by the government in June to consult employees, unions and government agencies over the new IR framework.

The reforms will abolish the Coalitions wages cap which limited public sector pay rises to 3 per cent wages cap, which included a mandatory 0.5 per cent superannuation increase.
Bill Shortens Melbourne electorate office has been targeted a second time in as many weeks after he called for Australians to dial down the rhetoric amid protests and rising community tensions over the Israel-Hamas conflict.

The former Labor leader and current government services minister confirmed to this masthead his Moonee Ponds office had been graffitied with the slogan dial down the apartheid Bill early on Thursday morning.

Bill Shortens electorate office in Moonee Ponds was graffitied on Thursday morning. Credit: Chris Hopkins

Shorten had urged Australians to dial down the degree of aggro after fake dead bodies were dumped outside the electorate offices of seven Labor MPs in Victoria and Tasmania last Wednesday.

Shortens office was also plastered with posters proclaiming Free Palestine and No more bodies in Gaza.
If Jacinta Allan was asked to predict her first 100 days in office before becoming leader, it is unlikely she would have forecast that shed be tasked with navigating the deep social divisions exposed in Victoria by the Gaza war.

Spring Street is a long way from the Gaza Strip  more than 13,000 kilometres in fact  and until October, Allan had never uttered the words Israel or Palestine in the Legislative Assembly where she has sat for more than 20 years.

Premier Jacinta Allan at the launch of Melbourne Holocaust Museum in Elsternwick this week. Credit: Joe Armao

But Hamas incursion into Israel within a fortnight of Allan taking top job has forced the premier to wade into the highly contested international issue, however uncomfortable it makes her.

Allan may be a seasoned politician that can fling away questions about Victorias ballooning debt with ease, but her inexperience on foreign policy issues was obvious last month when she initially refused to label the October 7 attack as terrorism.
At Munich Airport last month, after standing in the Thai Air Business Class check in line for 75 minutes, my issued boarding pass was not for my selected seat of a mid-cabin window but rather a centre seat in the very back row. I had selected my seat five months earlier and had confirmed it was there through the My Booking page on the Thai website, only days previously. The airline staff said that the seat issued was the one in their system, and did not answer my point that my selected seat had been changed without my knowledge or agreement. The unaccompanied man occupying what should have been my seat told my wife (whose seat was as originally selected for her) that his secretary had made his booking. He refused to move. All I can say is bye bye Thai. Ross Petersen, Kew, Vic

We recently returned from an Alaskan cruise which included four days in Denali National Park, one of the largest national parks in the US. Denali definitely deserves a mention in terms of great national parks of the US (Traveller, November 11). The landscape is epic and unspoilt, spectacular valleys, flowing rivers, majestic snow-capped mountains and vast grass plains. Vehicle access is limited but hikers have unlimited access and are encouraged to explore off track to avoid creating pathways. We saw bears, moose, caribou, squirrels and Dalls sheep and it was a privilege to walk in such a pristine environment. The park is a restorative place to connect with nature on a grand scale.

Susan Nash & Susan Chalmers, Preston, Vic

Oh, Vienna

I had to smile at your extraordinarily accurate description of your article, The art of being Viennese (Traveller, November 21). My Austrian husband is certain that if Dr Sigmund Freud had been brought up and educated elsewhere than in Vienna, he would not have developed the science of psychoanalysis or reached the conclusions he did, as nowhere else would have provided such a potpourri of characters and neuroses. Perhaps for that reason it is one of the most fascinating cities in the world.

Merran Loewenthal, Vienna, Austria

Follow the leader

It seems Virgin Australia is following suit with Qantas and treating their customers with disregard. Recently booked on a flight from Sydney to Ballina, NSW, at 10.50am. I drove an hour to the train, spent three hours travelling on the train and arrived at the airport an hour before my flight. Ten minutes before we were meant to board, the flight was cancelled. All I was offered was a flight two days later. The reason? No air traffic controllers at Ballina airport. Why, then, were other flights on their way to Ballina? I had to repeat my travel home with no compensation. I am disgusted with air travel.

Sue Harrison, Narrawallee, NSW
GOODYEAR AND THE U.S. MARINE CORPS RESERVE TEAM UP TO DELIVER HOLIDAY CHEER TO LOCAL FAMILIES

California

Florida

Ohio

Annual Toys for Tots donation drive to be hosted at Goodyear'sandblimp bases

AKRON, Ohio, Nov. 20, 2023 -- Today, Goodyear announced its continued partnership with the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve for the 13th consecutive year in support of the Marines Toys for Tots Foundation. This year's toy drive events will take place at Goodyear's Blimp bases in California, Florida and Ohio. These drives will provide the public with a unique opportunity to donate to Toys for Tots while enjoying an up-close view of the iconic Goodyear Blimp.

Goodyear Airships associates and U.S. Marine Corps Reserve members pose in front of the Goodyear Blimp at past Toys for Tots donation drives. Santa Claus appears onboard Goodyear's Blimp "Wingfoot One" during a past U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program. Holiday decor and toys on display in front of the Goodyear Blimp during a past U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots donation drive.

From Dec. 1 to 3, Ohio residents can drive through the Wingfoot Lake blimp hangar from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. for an exclusive behind-the-scenes look before dropping off their donation to a U.S. Marine representing Toys for Tots. In Florida, the event will be held on Dec. 3, offering open house tours of the hangar from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The California event on Dec. 2, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., welcomes registered attendees to enjoy guided tours of the base. Blimp enthusiasts in California can secure their tour spot here.

For those unable to attend the drives in person, toys can also be shipped to Goodyear's hangars through Dec. 3. Toys being donated must be new and in the original packaging to be accepted.

Visuals from previous Toys for Tots events at Goodyear's Blimp bases can be found here.

"The enduring partnership between Goodyear and the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve in support of the Marines Toys for Tots Program is a source of immense pride for us," said Laura Duda, Goodyear's senior vice president and Chief Communications Officer. "For the 13th consecutive year, we're excited to open the doors of our three blimp bases to the public, offering a unique chance to contribute to Toys for Tots while experiencing the magic of the Goodyear Blimp up close."

Since its founding in 1947, the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program has been on a mission to collect new, unwrapped toys throughout the months of October, November and December, distributing them as Christmas gifts to less fortunate children in the local community.

"As we celebrate our 76th year of assisting children in need, we are thrilled to welcome Goodyear back for their 13th year as a National Corporate Sponsor of the Marine Toys for Tots Program," said retired Marine Colonel Ted Silvester, vice president of the Marines Toys for Tots Foundation.

"Their community service goals continue to align with those the Marine Corps has promoted for over seven decades through our Toys for Tots Program." Silvester concluded, "With their continued generous support, we will be able to fulfill the Christmas dreams of thousands of disadvantaged children who might otherwise be forgotten."

The Goodyear Blimp base locations accepting in-person and mailed toy or monetary donations for this program include:

California Goodyear Airship Base

19200 S Main St, Carson, CA 90248

Florida Goodyear Airship Base

1500 NE 5th Ave, Pompano Beach, FL 33060

Ohio Goodyear Airship Base

841 Wingfoot Lake Rd., Mogadore, OH 44260

About The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company

Goodyear is one of the world's largest tire companies. It employs about 74,000 people and manufactures its products in 57 facilities in 23 countries around the world. Its two Innovation Centers in Akron, Ohio, and Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg, strive to develop state-of-the-art products and services that set the technology and performance standard for the industry. For more information about Goodyear and its products, go to www.goodyear.com/corporate.

SOURCE The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
JSC Ukrzaliznytsia sent a Food Train built by The Howard G. Buffett Foundation on its first voyage from Kyiv, the press service of the Ministry of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development (Ministry of Restoration) reported.

The train will deliver food - baked turkey and pumpkin pie - to State Emergency Service workers, police officers, doctors, railway workers, and volunteers in Kharkiv and Izium.

The kitchen train set off on its first voyage on Thanksgiving Day, a traditional American family holiday.

"On this symbolic day, I thank our American partners for continuing to tirelessly support Ukraine in everything from military assistance and reconstruction to projects like the Food Train. Thanks to these enormous contributions, we are getting closer to victory every day," Deputy Prime Minister of Restoration of Ukraine - Minister of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine Oleksandr Kubrakov said at the train departure ceremony.

The kitchen train, which is 150 meters long, can produce about 10,000 meals per day in autonomous mode. It can work offline for five to seven days, and the equipment allows you to prepare full meals: soups, cereals, salads, meat and the like.

Special thermal boxes installed inside the train make it easy to transport ready-to-serve containers with food from the kitchen train to the end consumer.
Batavia, NY (14020)

Today

Rain showers early will evolve into a more steady rain for the afternoon. High 49F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

Cloudy skies with periods of light rain late. Low 39F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%.
The Ukrainian Red Cross Society (URCS) plans to build several more modular towns for internally displaced persons (IDPs), General Director of the National Committee of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society Maksym Dotsenko said at a press conference on Wednesday during the opening of the town in Chernihiv.

"It is with this technology that we are now starting construction in Zakarpattia region for people who left Luhansk region. This is a joint work with Luhansk regional administration, Zakarpattia regional administration and the Ukrainian Red Cross Society," he said.

In addition, according to him, projects using other technology are being implemented with the support of the Italian Red Cross in Zhytomyr and Kyiv regions. This technology makes it possible to build high-quality housing that provides decent and comfortable living.

"I in no way criticize other projects, but these modular houses are a completely different level of comfort and opportunities for the people who live in them," the URCS director said.

According to Maksym Dotsenko, as practice shows, taking into account the construction of houses, landscaping of the territory and the installation of utilities, the implementation of such projects requires from seven-eight months to a year.

Such houses can be two- or three-story, the warranty on the technology is 30 years, and the duration of operation is 100 years.

As previously reported, the URCS, in collaboration with the local authorities of the city of Chernihiv and Chernihiv State Military Administration, built a modular town in Chernihiv. The URCS invested UAH 156 million in the project, the city budget - UAH 75 million.
The European Commission remains in contact with the Polish and Ukrainian authorities in order to find a solution that would help to stop the blockade of the Ukrainian border by Polish carriers.

Spokesperson for the European Commission Adalbert Jahnz said this at a press briefing in Brussels on Thursday, while commenting on the results of a trilateral meeting on the issue between Poland, Ukraine, and the European Commission which was held on Wednesday.

"The Commission remains in constant contact with the Polish authorities and the Ukrainian authorities also to facilitate the contacts and discussions. A meeting took place yesterday [in the format of Ukraine-Poland-European Commission to discuss the blockade of the border by Polish carriers]. It was not a political level meeting and I am not really in a position to go into the details of all of the different contacts that are taking place. What I would recall is that our objective remains that the Polish and the Ukrainian authorities work together in order to come to solutions," he said.

The European Commission is also "looking at any possible practical solutions that can be taken by the authorities in order to response to the issues raised by the protesters and solve the situation at the border," Jahnz said.

"Our role in this context remains to facilitate and to be helpful to the authorities in this context. And we will continue to have contacts with all the affected parties," he said.
The Kentucky-born rapper joined Alex Cooper on her Call Her Daddy podcast to chat about a variety of insights into his love life and successful career, including how wild it was for him to feel the love and realise the extent of his fame here in New Zealand.


Agrovision to be inaugurated on 24th





Business Reporter

Agrovision Agricultural Exhibition, conceptualised by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari with the aim of providing information to the farmers of Vidarbha about new technologies in the agricultural sector, increasing their income by allied business and making farming profitable, will be inaugurated on November 24 at PDKV, Dabha Maidan at 10.30 am. Preparations for Agrovision are now in the final stages. The inauguration ceremony will be presided over by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, Chief Patron of Agrovision, Acharya Devvrat, Governor of Gujarat, Parshattam Rupala, Union Minister for Dairy, Fisheries and Animal Husbandry, Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister, Maharashtra Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, Minister for Revenue, Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development, Maharashtra, Dhananjay Munde, Agriculture Minister, Maharashtra and Dr Meenesh Shah, Chairman and Managing Director, National Dairy Development Board will be present at the inaugural ceremony.

This was revealed by Organising Secretary of Agrovision Ravi Boratkar in the press conference on Wednesday. The Organising Secretary Ramesh Mankar and Chairman of the Agrovision Advisory Committee Dr C D Mayee, Members of Agrovision Foundation Sudhir Dive, Anandrao Raut, Dr Sahatpure, Capt. Kalantri, Shrish Bhagat, Devendra Parekh, Rambabu Kadam, Navin Malewar, Elorkar, Dr Khawale, Hitendra Singh and other members were also present at the meeting. This year, Agrovision will feature a wide range of workshops on 31 different topics. Farmers will get the opportunity to take guidance from experts from across the country and inspiration from the success stories of successful farmers. Workshops have been organised on many topics useful for farmers.

Accordingly, Agrovision has organised a 2-day conference on Food Processing Industry: Opportunities and Challenges. This conference has been organised in collaboration with LIT Alumni Association, Nagpur, Boratkar said. Apart from this, special programmes have been organised in Agrovision this year, which include opportunities for dairy business on November 24, sugarcane production workshop on November 25, a special programme on orange cultivation and export on November 26, guidance programme on FPO formation on November 26 at 2 pm, Mahila Bachatgat Mela has been organised on November 27 at 11.30 am, and opportunities in freshwater fisheries on November 27. This years Agrovision theme is Sustainable farming through skills and technology.
Authorities impose curbs to bring down pollution as Bhopals air quality shows toxicity, AQI above 300





By Ankita Garg

As Air Quality Index (AQI) surpassed 300, district administration in Bhopal held an emergency meeting with the municipal corporation to address the issue. Administration has taken various steps to control the higher pollution level. In order to control the pollution level, district administration has decided to provide free of cost PUC of vehicles after having full tank from the fuel stations. Experts said that city has various construction work like metro, Kolar six lane, roads are dilapidates due to which pollution level is increasing around the city. AQI has crossed 300 in Bhopal that has put the officials on toes. On Tuesday (November 21), AQI was recorded as 308 in Koh-e-Fiza and Idgah Hills, 278 in TT Nagar and 306 in Shahpura area. Currently, AQI is higher than the Diwali night. Increasing AQI in city is affecting the health of citizens and number of Asthma patient is rising in JP and Hamidia hospitals. There are two big projects, including Metro and Kolar six lane, undergoing in Bhopal. From Subhash Nagar to AIIMs, Metro work is being held on 6 km of area while in Kolar, 15 kilometer six lane is constructing. To complete the construction work, encroachment is being removed and dried soil is dissolving into the air.

However, water is being sprinkle in the areas but it could not help to control the pollution level. Experts said that wind velocity is the main reason of higher AQI. They said, if wind pressure increases, AQI would be declining. Over cast condition is also becoming main reason of polluted air. Farmers are burning stubble in the fields near Berasia, Kolar Road, Neelbad, Ratibad, Hoshangabad Road, Vidisha Road villages that is also increasing pollution level in air. There are many brick kiln in the city that is also reason for the higher AQI. Experts said that vehicle pollution is too high in the city. Concerned over the higher pollution level, Commissioner Dr Pawan Sharma held a meeting with District Collector Ashish Singh and BMC Commissioner Frank Nobel A. Officials discussed various ways and measures to be taken to control the pollution level of city. They directed to mandate PUC for all vehicle. Officials of Petroleum Dealers Association Madhya Pradesh were also called in the meeting. Strict monitoring is being done to improve the AQI of city. All possible efforts will be made to keep the pollution level in lower category, said Frank Nobel A, Commissioner BMC.

He further informed that various steps have been taken to improve the air quality. Building Permission Branch of BMC has slapped notices on 11 building construction sites to follow the guidelines. On these construction sites, there is no green net due to which air quality is deteriorating. Chief City Planner Neeraj Anand Likha has suspended 10 buildings permission. All 110 fountains of city have been restarted. Marks of fountain get added under sustainable parameter during garbage free city marketing. Fountain on city square and tri-way improves the air quality as it stop the soil elements from flowing into the air. As garbage burning increases the PM 2.5, BMC has started action against the people find to be burning garbage. In past 21 days, BMC has took action in 58 such cases and charged penalty of Rs 21,000 under spot fine. Municipal corporation has also taken action in ten cases where tandoor, sigadi, angithi were being burnt in open area.
DIKTAT: No Helmet No Petrol-No Parking





By Kumar Ankur

Now, you cant get petrol for your bike without a helmet. The riders sans a helmet will not even be allowed to enter their offices in the State capital. Now, wearing a helmet for riding two-wheeler, even riding pillion, is mandatory. The police officials in all the districts have been instructed to take disciplinary action against those found riding two-wheelers sans helmets. Notably, as per the orders of the High Court, the Bhopal police have started a 50-day helmet checking campaign. Apart from this, fine of up to Rs 500 will be imposed against those who do not follow the rules. The police officials said that according to the orders of the High Court, a campaign is being run across the State.

In Bhopal also, there are over a dozen spots where cops are checking bikers without helmet. Now it is mandatory for the pillion riders also to wear a helmet. This is being done to spread awareness about helmets and seat belts in the state. The officials in the Police Headquarters (PHQ) said that the order is also applicable on pillion riders and the traffic department is preparing to take necessary steps for this. Police will also be deployed at petrol pumps and will monitor such riders who reach there without wearing helmets. Petrol will not be given to the riders who do not have helmets. It will be the responsibility of the police to ensure that pump operators do not give petrol without helmet. Police will also give instructions to those filling petrol without helmet.

Apart from this, it has been made mandatory for Government and private employees to bring helmet to their offices, whoever comes to the office without a helmet will not be allowed to enter the premises. At the same time, the riders without helmet would not be allowed to park their vehicles in the designated parking space owned by any agency. Only the riders who have helmet should be provided vehicle parking facility, is also written in the order. The Bhopal Police have also given instructions for schools and colleges where the management is asked to direct the parents of the students for wearing helmets while bringing their children to schools. Shedding light on the diktat, Additional Traffic Police Commissioner Basant Kumar Kaul said that they have booked eight pillion riders for not wearing helmet on Wednesday. We are in talks with the district administration officials so that action can be taken on such fuel stations where there is violation of the order, he said. There is a meeting of police officials with 4,500 petrol pump owners in the State soon. The police officials will ensure that the owners adhere to the new rules.
Govt must hike duty differential between crude and refined palm oil to 15 pc: SEA





Business Reporter

EDIBLE oil industry body SEA has expressed concern that the rise in imports of refined palm oil is affecting domestic refiners and demanded that the Government should increase the duty differential between crude and refined palm oil to 15 per cent from 7.5 per cent to check inward shipments. India is a major importer of cooking oil to meet domestic demand. The country imports palm oil from Malaysia and Indonesia, while soyabean oil from Argentina and Brazil.

Among palm oils, the import of RBD Palmolein increased to 21.1 lakh tonnes in the 2022-23 marketing year (November to October) from 18.4 lakh tonnes in the previous year. Crude palm oil (CPO) imports rose to 75.9 lakh tonnes in 2022-23 marketing year from 54.9 lakh tonnes in the year-ago period.

In a letter to its members, Solvent Extractors Association of India (SEA) President Ajay Jhunjhunwala pointed out that Indian vegetable oil (comprising of edible and non-edible oil) refining industry is facing challenges. The Indian edible oil Industry, with a size of Rs 3 lakh crore (USD 35 billion), holds significant importance. Over the last 12 years, Indonesia and Malaysia have imposed higher export taxes on CPO compared to refined oil to protect their refining industry. This has made refined oil cheaper, rendering Indian capacity redundant and unutilised, he said.

In India, the duty differential between CPO and refined palm oil has been reduced to 7.5 per cent, serving the interests of the refining industry in Malaysia and Indonesia, Jhunjhunwala said.

He pointed out that the low-duty differential is negatively impacting the domestic vegetable oil refining industry.

In light of this, SEA has once again appealed to the Government to raise the duty difference from 7.5 per cent to 15 per cent between crude and refined palm oil, Jhunjhunwala said. The SEA President said that Indias imports of vegetable oils reached an all-time high of 167.1 lakh tonnes during the recently concluded 2022-23 oil year (November-October), with edible oil shipments hitting a record high of 164.7 lakh tonnes.
New Police Station at Wangeturi irks Maoists fearing domination





Staff Reporter

Even as the Damkondawahi Bachao Sangharsh Samiti, which is leading the anti-mining protestors from Todgatta in Naxal-affected Gadchiroli district, is raising pitch for release of all the arrested protestors; the Maoists have come out in the open against the Wangeturi Police Station (PS) that was opened on November 20 -- the day of the clash between the cops and the protestors. A letter purportedly issued by Shriniwas, Spokesperson of West Sub-Zonal Bureau of CPI (Maoist), has come out. The Maoists have opposed the newly opened Wangeturi Police Station. The letter asks the tribals to start agitation in various villages of Gadchiroli district to press for release of the arrested protestors. The Red terrorists have also appealed to the people to support the demand for removal of Wangeturi Police Station. To press for both these demands -- release of protestors and removal of Wangeturi station -- the CPI (Maoist) has given a call for Gadchiroli District Bandh on November 30.

In the letter, the Maoists Spokesperson has called the opening of Wangeturi police camp as a part of the conspiracy to end anti-mining protests at Todgatta. We appeal to the people to continue the agitation at Todgatta and also start agitation at other places, the letter stated. Sandip Patil, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Gadchiroli Range, while responding to the Maoists letter, said that the letter exposed how Maoists were opposing the development of Gadchiroli district. We have opened Wangeturi police station to further development of the district, in the larger interest of the people. Opening of police station, as well as erection of mobile phone connectivity towers, construction of roads are all for development of the area, and are not linked to mining, he said. However, Patil added, the Maoists were disturbed with opening of Wangeturi police station because it would mean end of their domination in the area. They are disturbed as now rule of law will be enforced, the Constitutional values will be enforced. This they are opposed to, as could be seen from the Maoists killing innocent tribals in the recent past. The frontal organisations of Maoists, who are crying hoarse now, are silent over killing of tribals by the Red outlaws. Hence, they are now resorting to misleading propaganda against Wangeturi police station, he said.

Meanwhile, the Damkondawahi Bachao Sangharsh Samiti led by Adv Lalsu Nagoti alleged that 21 people had been arrested and slapped with Section 353 (assualt or use of criminal force to obstruct a public servant from discharging his duty). On November 21, a day after the clash between the police and the protestors at Todgatta, all 21 were placed in magisterial custody remand in Chandrapur. The cops had sought eight-day custody remand in Etapalli in Gadchiroli district. According to a statement of the Damkondawahi Bachao Sangharsh Samiti, the custody remand request filed by the police claimed that the activists arrested tried to hit and kill the police, had explosives in their possession, and were funded by Maoists. The police remand sheet says that the police intend to carry out intense interrogations in order to uncover where and how they conspired in the related incident, capture the relevant evidence, expose the support being provided by Maoist organisations, and get information on future behaviour of the accused in connection with their severe crime of planting explosives and associating with Maoist organisations. We refute all these false claim, read the statement.
NIA raids 14 places in Punjab, Haryana





NEW DELHI :

Indian Consulate attacks in San Francisco

THE National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday carried out raids at 14 locations in Punjab and Haryana in connection with its probe into attacks on the Indian Consulate in San Francisco in the US earlier this year, an official spokesperson said. The spokesperson said these places located in north India were raided to unravel the complete conspiracy behind the attacks on March 19 and July 2, involving criminal trespass, vandalism, damage to public property and attempts to cause hurt to the consulate officials and set the building on fire through acts of arson. The locations raided by the NIA were spread across the districts of Moga, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Gurdaspur, Mohali and Patiala in Punjab and Kurukshetra and Yamunanagar in Haryana.

The crackdown led to the seizure of digital data containing information related to the accused persons, along with other incriminating documents, the spokesperson said. The NIA has been probing the case with the aim to identify and prosecute the attackers and send a strong message to such anti-Indian elements. A team of the NIA had visited San Francisco in August 2023 to probe the incidents of attacks on the consulate. As part of its investigation, the NIA has crowd-sourced information to identify and collect information about US-based entities and individuals involved in these violent incidents. On July 2, Indias consulate in San Francisco came under an attack from Khalistan supporters who tried to set the diplomatic facility on fire. The attack came following the killing of separatist Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) chief Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada. On March 19, a group of pro-Khalistan protesters attacked and damaged the Indian Consulate in San Francisco.
Some big NEWS Expected in next 24-hours Rescue ops continue at Silkyara tunnel on 11th day





UTTARKASHI/NEW DELHI,

AMBULANCES were on standby and a special ward at a local health centre kept read as a multi-agency effort to rescue 41 men trapped in the Silkyara tunnel appeared close to success on Wednesday evening. Till 6 pm, up to 44 metres of an escape pipe had been inserted into the debris of the collapsed stretch of the tunnel in Uttarakhands Uttarkashi district, an official update said in Delhi. Earlier, officials said the American-made auger machine had to drill through a 57 metre stretch of debris to reach the workers, who were trapped when a portion of the under-construction tunnel collapsed 10 days back. By this count, just 13 metres of debris remained to be drilled through. Drilling from the Silkyaraend was put on hold Friday afternoon when the auger machine encountered a hard obstaclearoundthe22-metre mark, creating vibrations in the tunnel that caused safety concerns.

The drilling resumed around midnight Tuesday. As the machine drills through, six metre sections of steel pipes, just under a metre wide, are pushed into theescapepassage.Oncethe pipeway reaches the other end,the trappedworkers are expected to crawl out. A National Disaster Response Force(NDRF)team wasspottedenteringthetunnel in the evening. A team of 15 doctors, including chest specialists, hasbeendeployed at the site in anticipation of the evacuation. Twelve ambulances were on standby at the spot, and the plan was to keep a fleet of 40 ready. A helicopter was also expectedtobeearmarkedfor the operation. Aspecialward to accommodate all evacuated workers was readied at the community health centre in Chinyalisaur. All hospitals in the district as well as AIIMS, Rishikesh are on alert, officials said. Relatives of workers who have spoken to them through a new six-inch pipeline inserted late Monday through the rubble expressed optimism. At a media briefing in Silkyara around 4 pm, Bhaskar Khulbe,aformer advisor with the Prime MinistersOffice,wasupbeat, saying that another six-metre section of the rescuepipe had been inserted over the past hour. Hopefully the next twothree hours will be comfortable in terms of assembling forthe next push and attaining what all of us are waiting for, he said. Officials had said earlier that the stretch between 40 and 50 metres was the most crucial one.

Asked to spell out a timeline for workers evacuation, Khulbe had said, We hope to celebrate Bagwal with them,possibly meaning I gas, a festival celebrated in the Garhwal region after Diwali. This year Igas will be celebrated on Thursday. Several alternative plans are also in motion if the horizontal drilling from the Silkyara end fails. Officials said about nine metres of horizontal drilling had taken place from the Barkot end of the tunnel - a much longer process that could take several days. Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami once again on Wednesday morning for updates on the rescue operation. First visualsofthe trapped workers were captured early Tuesday with the help of an endoscopic camera sent through the new six-inch pipeline. In a statement, the Government saidthesecond lifeline was functioning efficiently, ensuring an ample supply of food items like rotis, sabzi, khichdi, daliya, oranges, and bananas in the tunnel.
The investigating judge ruled to seize the property of Ukrainian Member of Parliament Oleksandr Dubinsky, who is suspected of high treason, as well as property of his family members, the State Bureau of Investigations (SBI) has said.

"Based on the materials of the SBI, the property of a Member of Parliament, who is suspected of treason, has been seized, including that of his relatives. Based on the Bureau's materials, the investigating judge seized the property of the incumbent MP, part of which is registered in the name of his mother and ex-wife. A total of 39 real estate objects, in particular, 23 apartments in the capital, eight land plots, two residential buildings in Kyiv and the region, and 15 cars," the SBI said in a statement on Thursday.

According to media reports, it is about MP Oleksandr Dubinsky.

According to the SBI, during the investigation it became known that "the incumbent MP, his mother and wife became the owners of a large number of apartments, cars, two houses, and 0.7 hectares of land for a total amount of around $2.5 million over the past few years. At the same time, the official income of the defendant and his relatives did not allow them to purchase such an amount of property."

Also, SBI investigators established that the MP, his mother and now his ex-wife carried out risky financial transactions worth millions, including in cash, during 2008-2023. They significantly exceed officially stated income, which may indicate the legalization of funds through the family's acquisition of highly liquid assets, as well as the transfer of money to deposit accounts.

As noted in the SBI report, the pre-trial investigation is carried out under Article 212 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (tax evasion) and Article 209 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (legalization (laundering) of property obtained by criminal means). Procedural guidance is provided by the Prosecutor General's Office.
The Real Space Race





By Gwynne Dyer

THE upside of Elon Musk is that he is a genius who has done useful things for the human race. He brought the idea of electric vehicles from harmless fringe tinkering to commercial mass production, and he may yet bring the cost of space flight down a thousandfold and get the human race out into the Solar system for good. Musks downside is that he is a political idiot with the impulse control of a ten-year-old boy. (Ten-year-old girls are a bit better at that, but Elon is definitely a boy.) So the big question is whether he gets the Starship/Super Heavy system up and running before his random political enthusiasms drive him into bankruptcy. Thats the real space race, between Musk A and Musk B. It took about eight years from the Tesla IPO in 2010 to 5,000 vehicles per week off Musks first production line in 2018. Space Xs first multi-stage rocket, the Falcon 9, reached orbit in 2012. Lets say twice as long  2028  for the technically more challenging goal of getting fully functional Starships into serial production. Thats how long Musk has to stay alive and solvent in order to carry the Starship project to a point where it can continue in the hands of others even if he goes broke as the result of some reckless financial venture like X, formerly known as Twitter. Five more years. His continued presence at the head of Space X is necessary because the development project that has got him this far involves learning by doing.

That involves lots of failures in the form of spectacular explosions and rapid unscheduled disassemblies in the course of reaching the goal. Compared to the traditional Government-financed rockets built by NASA and its Russian and Chinese rivals, this approach works out faster and cheaper in the end. But theres a very high burn rate of cash until success is achieved, and that required either boundless cash or boundless investor confidence (same thing, really) in the developer. Musk has managed to create and maintain that confidence and the cash keeps flowing, but its still a high-risk way of working. One really bad crash that involved a large loss of human life (improbable but always possible) could bring him down. So could a bankruptcy elsewhere in his empire, most likely in Twitter. (Sorry, X) How could that happen? Musk is the richest man in the world, and the $44 billion purchase price for Twitter was less than a quarter of his net worth. Moreover, it was a leveraged by-out, so the $13 billion in bank loans that was involved is owed by X, not by him personally. However, a lot of influential people would like to see Musk go under (practically everybody hes ever worked with, by some accounts), and when confidence goes, it goes very fast. Cross-infection is possible.

Why should we even care? Because getting Starship/Super Heavy onto the market in multiple copies is important. It will revolutionise everything to do with space flight, because the cost of getting anything into orbit will drop from $60,000 (NASAs Space Launch System) to $10 a kilo (Musks Starship). If Musk is over-promising and the real cost is ten times higher than that, it would still be a thousandfold cut in the cost of lifting a kilo of anything to low-earth orbit. So if you want to send human settlers to Mars (Musks dream), this is the vehicle that could take them there. Sooner and of more practical importance, you can build immense arrays of solar panels that harvest perpetual sunlight in space and beam it down to Earth for energy. You can start mining minerals that are rare on Earth but may be plentiful on the Moon and various asteroids. You can build orbital factories that exploit zero gravity for various chemical and pharmaceutical processes. And theres no pollution involved, because the fuel used is just methane, which burns cleanly with oxygen leaving only water behind. You can do all sorts of things we hadnt even taken seriously before, because at $10-$100 per kilo to orbit it all becomes affordable, including refuelling in orbit for more distant destinations. What makes Musk so important for that? We could have had all this technology by the mid-1980s, but the two countries then financing space flight, the US and the Soviet Union, lost interest after the US won the race to the Moon and detente de-escalated the Cold War. Until and unless space flight becomes a widespread and commercially viable business, a shift in the political winds could stall it again. That is what makes Musk the indispensable man for the moment. Without him the momentum could easily be lost again.
Woman Talathi in ACB trap





Staff Reporter

ANTI-CORRUPTION Bureau (ACB) sleuths, on Wednesday, caught Sunita Nemichand Ghate, Talathi, Chacher, tehsil Mouda, and Kishor Kisan Wankhede, Kotwal, red-handed while demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 2,000 from a farmer seeking to make necessary changes in 7/12 records. The farmer had applied at the Talathis office at Chacher for inclusion of his name in ancestral agricultural land as per the will of his father. Sunita Ghate (54) demanded Rs 3,000 from him to update the land records. After negotiation, she agreed to accept Rs 2,000 for the work.

As the farmer was against giving bribes, he lodged a complaint with the ACB officers. After verification of the complaint, bureau officers laid a trap at the Talathi office. After Wankhede (54) accepted the cash from the farmer and handed it over to Sunita Ghate, ACB sleuths nabbed both public servants and took them into custody. Soon, a team of ACB conducted searches at Ghates residential premises at Sanmati Bhavan, near Jain Mandir, Itwari.
Five capability coalitions have already been formed by the allies within the framework of Ramstein, said Colonel Hennadiy Kovalenko, acting director of the Department of International Defense Cooperation of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

The creation of capability coalitions, that is, coalitions of capabilities, was announced. Currently there are five of them: aviation, air defense, tank, artillery and maritime security coalition. Each of these five coalitions, strategic coalitions, is led by one or two states. Each coalition includes from 5 to 20 other countries, Kovalenko said at a briefing on Thursday.

He emphasized that the Ramstein format is actually project management, only at a more strategic level. Kovalenko also noted that the department monitors and controls the provision of assistance from partners.

In turn, the head of the press and information department of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Ilarion Pavliuk, explained that the Ramstein format does not engage in assessments and discussions of the Ukrainian counter-offensive. This is about what Ukraine needs, he explained.

As reported, on November 22, the 17th meeting of the Contact Group on the Defense of Ukraine (Ramstein format) took place online. In particular, before the meeting, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III announced that members of the Contact Group would discuss progress in developing a new Ramstein coalition for ground-based air defense. The leaders in this coalition are Germany and France.

The first meeting in the Ramstein format took place on April 26, 2022 at the initiative of the United States in Germany with the participation of 40 countries.

As of today, there are 54 countries within the Ramstein format, as well as the EU and NATO.
The Ministry of Development of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure (Ministry of Reconstruction) is starting to collect data for the evacuation of drivers stuck on the Polish border due to the blockade, without vehicles, said Deputy Minister of Development of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure of Ukraine Serhiy Derkach.

We have begun collecting data for the evacuation of our drivers ... we will evacuate everyone who expresses such a desire, Derkach wrote on Facebook on Thursday, posting a link to the evacuation request form.

Drivers are asked to agree to be evacuated to Ukraine without a vehicle, as follows from its text.

We have raised the issue several times at the working and official levels regarding food, the duty of ambulances, fire trucks, proper sanitary conditions - all this does not exist. But in the future we see messages about the approval of the continuation of the protest by local authorities, the deputy minister emphasized.

He also said that over the past three weeks the issue of lifting the blockade had been raised at all possible levels:dozens of letters were written and meetings were held.

We have proposed a number of compromises, the Polish government and the European Commission know them. But it is possible to agree on something when there is a desire to negotiate, and not just a desire to block the border, Derkach wrote.

According to him, the Ministry of Reconstruction also sent an official letter with a proposal to create a monitoring group on the part of the European Union at the border. Its tasks should include recording the situation at blocked checkpoints: whether dangerous goods are allowed through, how humanitarian aid crosses the border, and what conditions Ukrainian drivers are in.

As reported, the blockade of three checkpoints on the Ukrainian-Polish border on Thursday extended to the fourth, Shehyni-Medyka. The State Customs Service warned that the number of blocked checkpoints on the Polish border could increase to five: protesters could block the Nizhankovychi-Malchowice checkpoint.

Leader of the Polish carriers blocking the border, Rafal Meckler of the far-right National Movement, said on Thursday that among the conditions for lifting the blockade is a return to the system of issuing permits for Ukrainian cargo carriers in the European Union, which will not apply to humanitarian and military assistance, as well as the creation of separate corridors and live Queues for empty cars with EU license plates to leave at checkpoints.

We get it on paper and at the same moment we leave the border. The ball is in Ukraines court, Meckler wrote.
Prime Minister Philip Davis was greeted by jubilant supporters when he entered Gambier House, the PLPs headquarters in New Providence, last night.
Kingsley Smith (second from right) celebrates after he secured the West Grand Bahama and Bimini seat tonight.

Torrell Glinton
Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper (left) and winner of the West Grand Bahama and Bimini by-election Kingsley Smith hold their hands up high in celebration.

PHOTOS: Torrell Glinton
Projects for military support of Ukraine, which the Netherlands in particular are involved in, are global processes, and it is difficult to imagine their cancellation, Ilarion Pavliuk, head of the press and information department of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, said.

Russias actions in the Black Sea threaten the entire free world, Umerov said, speaking at a meeting of the Council of Defense Ministers of South-Eastern Europe in Ankara.

The Minister of Defense called on partners to continue joint coordinated actions to continue the work of the tank training coalitions, the aviation coalition to train Ukrainian pilots on the F-16, the IT coalition and the mine clearance coalition. He also congratulated the Republic of Moldova on joining the Council of Defense Ministers of South-Eastern Europe.

As noted by the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, all participants in the meeting expressed support for Ukraine in opposing the war of aggression and condemned the actions of the Russian Federation.
In a recent study conducted by the Danne Institute for Research, it was disclosed that Lagos, the commercial hub of Nigeria, is losing a staggering N4tn annually, due to profound traffic congestion.

The study, titled Behavioural Causes of Traffic Congestion in Lagos, funded by the Bank of Industry and Africa Finance Corporation, explained the necessary actions to alleviate the economic and social toll.

The report was presented on Wednesday in Lagos.

The Executive Director of the Danne Institute for Research, Franca Ovadje noted that the staggering loss could otherwise be directed toward vital sectors such as education, healthcare, and infrastructure development.

Ovadje further explained that the 21 million-strong population of Lagos is not translating into corresponding productivity due to the crippling impact of traffic jams on daily life.

Also, the report suggests that doubling the population in developing countries should result in a 5 to 6 per cent growth in productivity.

According to the report, government authorities should prioritize these recommendations to enhance productivity, attract investments, and generate substantial internally generated revenue through law enforcement.

It said, Areas like Ajah, Etiosa, and Apapa bear the brunt, necessitating urgent measures such as nighttime road construction, creation of alternative routes during construction, and strict enforcement of traffic laws."

In conclusion, the report advised a comprehensive campaign against touts and corrupt traffic wardens to restore discipline and order to Lagos roads, essential for transforming the city into a livable and prosperous metropolis.

In 2022, former Permanent Secretary in the Lagos State Ministry of Transport, Taiwo Salaam, noted that if the traffic congestion in the densely populated Lagos should continue unaddressed till 2030, the city is estimated to lose as much as $21bn every month.
The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation gas disclosed on Wednesday that the Federal Government and the United Nations, as well as other development partners, are to raise $5bn annually for Nigerias Humanitarian and Poverty Alleviation Trust Fund.

This was announced during a humanitarian coordination meeting at the United Nations House, Abuja, where the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, engaged ambassadors, UN agencies, NGOs, etc, on their commitment to humanitarian crises in Nigeria.

According to the statement, The meeting, which was at the instance of the minister, brought all the humanitarian responders in Nigeria under one roof, where they all committed to a durable, smart, and coordinated approach to humanitarian response.

Part of the resolutions of the meeting was the commitment to raise $5bn annually for the Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation Trust Fund in Nigeria by the Federal Government, other countries, private sector, donor agencies, and the development partners."

Edu expressed President Bola Tinubus appreciation to the UN agencies and development partners for their contributions to easing humanitarian challenges in Nigeria.

She said, President Bola Tinubu does appreciate the effort of the UN agencies as well as other organisations that are working in the humanitarian space, but we just need to bring this effort in a more coordinated manner so that we can achieve more, especially in the face of dwindling resources.

There is a need for the government to take the lead and properly coordinate. The days of uncoordinated responses to the humanitarian crisis in Nigeria should be over.

The days of operating in silos and duplicating efforts that lead to wastage, among other things, should be over. The government must take the lead to coordinate, to ensure that we are first in line with government priorities, and then secondly, we are meeting our targets."

On his part, the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria, Matthias Schmale, who spoke on behalf of UN agencies, noted its commitment to support the government in its effort to tackle humanitarian challenges.

He said, Weve heard very clearly from you that humanitarian needs span the rest of the country. We are here as United Nations agencies to support in ensuring proper coordination, develop review and implementation response plan, mobilise resources for country response, as well as align to the Federal Government priorities."
Interfax-Ukraine to host press conference 'What is aggressor's resilience  political, economic, social?'

On Monday, November 27, at 12.00, the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine News Agency will host a discussion titled "What is the aggressor's resilience  political, economic, social?"

Participants include political expert Kostiantyn Matviyenko; PhD in Political Sciences, political scientist Ihor Petrenko; political scientist, co-founder of the National Platform for Sustainability and Cohesion Oleh Sahakyan (8/5a Reitarska Street).

The event will be streamed on the Interfax-Ukraine YouTube channel. Admission of journalists requires press accreditation.
KYIV. Nov 23 (Interfax-Ukraine)  Recognition of craft distillate producers at the legislative level will make it possible to double the number of legal producers by 2030, attract EUR 7 million in investment in the industry, and create about a thousand jobs, chairperson of the Association of Craft Distillers Kateryna Kamysheva said at a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine on Thursday.

According to her, on November 23, the law on amendments to the Tax Code of Ukraine and some laws of Ukraine on simplifying the conditions for production of distillates by small businesses came into force in Ukraine, which will become fundamental in the formation of a legal market for craft alcoholic beverages.

"Among other things, production of strong distillates for Ukraine is a good prospect for Ukrainian farmers in the face of difficulties with the export of agricultural products. We are opening a new page in the history of Ukrainian strong craft," the head of the association emphasized.

Kamysheva said that when developing legislation, its initiators were guided by data according to which one craft distillation employs from two to ten people. One manufacturer can bottle products into 250 0.5 liter bottles monthly, which will allow him to sell 3,000 bottles annually. With the cost of 1 bottle of craft distillate being UAH 300, the annual revenue of the manufacturer can reach UAH 450 million.

According to the expert, currently the shadow market for production of craft alcohol distillate includes about 500 entities, whose annual production volumes reach 1.5 million bottles, as a result of which the state budget annually receives a shortfall of UAH 75 million in VAT, UAH 39.99 million from excise taxes and UAH 16.2 million of income tax.

At the same time, if 70 legal producers of alcohol distillate appear on the market by 2030, annual sales of craft distillate will amount to 2.52 million bottles, and gross revenue will reach UAH 1 billion. Moreover, to produce 1 dl of alcohol distillate, 60 kg of fruit and 40 kg of grain need to be processed. New producers will process 28,000 tonnes of grain and 42,000 tonnes of fruit annually.

The development of small business and small farming in the post-war period will create conditions for the employment of former military personnel, as well as for the development of women's entrepreneurship, family businesses in rural areas, and will promote the development of related markets for the production of containers, labels, equipment for production and storage.

As Kamysheva reported, Ukrainian craft alcoholic distillates are already highly rated by European tasters, who complain about the impossibility of purchasing them legally.

"One of the main goals of changing legislation to legalize the work of craft distillate producers is to simplify the conditions for obtaining licenses and the financial component of obtaining permits," explained Liudmyla Khomichak, head of the department for food safety and excisable products of the department of state policy in the field of sanitary and phytosanitary measures.

When developing rules for the functioning of the market for alcoholic distillates and alcoholic beverages and developing working conditions for craft producers, a law on geographical names of alcoholic beverages was introduced, which distinguished the concepts of "alcoholic beverage" and "alcohol distillate." In addition, 44 categories of alcoholic beverages have been defined in accordance with European legislation, and uniform principles have been created for obtaining licenses, registering storage locations, reporting, waste management, etc.

As Khomichak noted, a craft producer of alcohol distillate is allowed not to undergo complex certification to obtain a license. It is enough for small manufacturers to prepare declarations of conformity of the material and technical base and submit them to the State Consumer Service.

The law that has come into force has significantly reduced the cost of obtaining production permits. Thus, a license for production of alcohol distillate and alcoholic beverages will cost a craft producer UAH 780; license for wholesale trade in alcoholic beverages  UAH 30,000 per year; and retail license  UAH 8,000 per year for each type of such product.

Chairman of the subcommittee on interaction between the state and business and investments of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Economic Development, Ihor Marchuk, expressed hope for the revival of the art of distillate production in Ukraine and for its transformation into a powerful industry.

According to Marchuk, the Verkhovna Rada and the Cabinet of Ministers are seeking financial incentives for the development of processing in Ukraine and the creation of value-added products. In turn, the state hopes for the legalization of craft distillate production, its work in the legal field, the creation of new jobs, and the payment of taxes to the state budget.
BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh, who is also the party incharge of the J&K and Ladakh today lauded the efforts of the security forces for breaking the terror ecosystem in J&K.

In a statement he said the terror outfits are on the run because of the multi-pronged offensive launched by the security forces.

Chugh complemented the J&K security agencies for confiscating about 500 properties of militants who are constantly engaged in anti-national activities while playing in the hands of the Pakistan ISI.

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The nefarious designs of the Pakistan ISI would not be allowed to work in J&K anymore because Prime Minister Narendra Modis development and progress schemes have given a new positive vision to the people of J&K.

He said J&K has moved from terrorism to tourism, and the youth in J&K were looking for tablets and computers instead of stones and guns.

Coming down heavily on NC vice president Omar Abdullah for his statement against the governance of the union territory, Chugh said in due course , after the consent of the Election Commission, elections would be held and it would expose the nepotism of Abdullah and Mufti families.

He said people of J&K have seen a new light to hope and aspiration under the guidance of the prime minister Modi so they would not be any more fooled by the ISI designs.
Bollywood actor Randeep Hooda is set to embark on a new chapter in his life as he prepares to tie the knot with his longtime girlfriend, Lin Laishram. The couple has chosen the scenic locale of Manipur as the backdrop for their nuptials, scheduled to take place later this month. The decision to wed in Manipur reflects Hoodas desire for an intimate ceremony away from the prying eyes of the media.

Known for his private nature, Randeep Hooda aims to keep the wedding a low-key affair, with only close family members and friends in attendance. The actor is shying away from the glitz and glamour of a high-profile event, opting instead for a more personal celebration in the serene surroundings of Manipur. This decision also holds sentimental value for Hooda, as he wishes to commence this new phase of life in the place where his beloved, Lin Laishram, hails from.

Adding a unique touch to their union, the couple has chosen a theme inspired by the epic Mahabharata for their wedding. Drawing inspiration from the tale of Arjuna, one of the legendary Pandava brothers, who journeyed to Manipura and wedded Chitrangada, the princess of the kingdom, Hooda and Laishram are infusing their celebration with a mythological twist. The choice of this theme adds a layer of symbolism and cultural richness to their union, bringing the essence of a timeless saga to their special day.

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Following the wedding ceremony in Manipur, the couple plans to host a reception in the bustling city of Mumbai. This event will serve as an opportunity for Randeep and Lin to share their joy with industry colleagues and close friends. However, the date for the reception remains undisclosed, keeping in line with Hoodas preference for maintaining a level of privacy around his personal life.

Randeep Hoodas decision to keep the wedding under wraps aligns with his inclination towards a more reserved lifestyle, and the choice of a mythological theme adds a distinctive touch to what promises to be a memorable celebration. As the actor steps into this new chapter of his life, he does so with a blend of tradition, sentiment, and a commitment to keeping the sanctity of the occasion intact.

In the coming weeks, the picturesque landscapes of Manipur will witness the union of Randeep Hooda and Lin Laishram in a ceremony that intertwines their personal journey with the age-old tales of love and matrimony. For this couple, the wedding is not just a union of two souls but a reflection of their shared values, cultural heritage, and the unique bond that has blossomed over time.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 23. One of the promising areas of cooperation is the transit of goods from Azerbaijan to China through Tajikistan, Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade of Tajikistan Solehzoda Ashurboy Abdulvahid told Trend.

"We also see the potential for cooperation in the transit of goods from Tajikistan through Azerbaijan to European countries. Tajikistan is striving to become a transit country. Tajikistan is located on part of the Silk Road, and supports China's "One Belt, One Road" initiative. Tajikistan's location is favorable for the transit of goods to China, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and other countries," the deputy minister said.

He also highlighted Tajikistan's growth opportunities in the textile, agricultural and food industries, mining, and exploration of mineral resources, noting that these areas may be particularly interesting to investors from Azerbaijan.

In addition, the deputy minister noted the importance of the implementation of investments for the distribution of aluminum in Tajikistan, the export of aluminum from Tajikistan to Azerbaijan and the export of alumina.

He also said that an important aspect of cooperation is the support of benefits for the transit of goods, especially aluminum and concentrates from Tajikistan through the territory of Azerbaijan.

The data of the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan shows that the trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Tajikistan amounted to $4.5 million from January through September 2023, an increase of 15.01 percent compared to the same period in 2022 ($3.9 million).
During a meeting with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath at his official residence, a four-member team of Belgium, accompanied by the countrys ambassador to India, Didier Vanderhasselt, expressed its desire to partner with the state in various sectors.

During the meeting on Thursday, the Belgian team also evinced keen interest in the partnership with UP in the areas of waste management, solar projects, and semiconductor manufacturing.

Speaking on the occasion, Ambassador Vanderhasselt praised the unprecedented development work carried out in the state under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

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Additionally, Ibrahim Hafeezur Rehman, Lead, South Asia and India Operations of Vito Arabia Science and Technology LLC, provided details of noteworthy activities in the field of waste management undertaken by the company.

The meeting was also attended by key officials, such as Paul Pupe, first secretary of the Belgian Embassy in India, and Babet Desfossez, the commercial attache and trade commissioner of Flanders Investment and Trade for Belgium.
In a fresh attack on TMC leader Mahua Moitra, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey on Thursday quoted a confidentiality rule of the Lok Sabha which says that when an MP asks a question, he gets the answer one hour before the commencement of Parliament which in turn affects the stock market.

Dubey had accused Moitra of asking questions in the Lok Sabha in exchange for cash and gifts.

In a post in Hindi on X, the BJP MP from Jharkhands Godda, said, This is the order of the Lok Sabha, which clearly says that confidentiality means that the information should be limited to the MP only. Because when the MP asks a question, the MP gets the answer one hour before the commencement of the Parliament, this affects the condition of the stock market and the company.

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Ups and downs in the countrys security, playing with economic and security due to getting premature information about its relations with other countries. Perhaps a PA like Hiranandani did not read this and tell the accused corrupt MP? example of theft and embezzlement, he said.

Parliament is the temple, the center of defense of democracy. When it becomes the center of some corrupt MPs who sell their conscience for some money, then the foreign powers justify them with some media PR. The reality is that the MPs and their only allies who are selling the conscience of the Parliament are You get your salary from the same, you can use it. Any MP who takes help from 10 people is illegal, he added.

In her first-ever public statement on Moitra, who is under the scanner over the cash-for-query allegations, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said expelling the party MP would make her popular for three months.

They (BJP) plan to expel Mahua. This will make her popular for three months. Whatever she used to say inside (Parliament), she will be saying outside. She will hold press conferences every day and speak outside. What difference will it make? Banerjee said on Thursday while addressing party workers at the Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, after praying at the Shree Krishna Janmabhoomi on Thursday evening, said that the Braj region had lagged behind in development after Independence.

He recalled that he had announced from the ramparts of the Red Fort that Mathura and Braj would not be left behind in the race for development. The darshan of God will be even more grand and divine. The entire area is associated with the Leela of Kanha. Wherever Mahabharata takes place, there are blessings of Lord Krishna. We will develop with this blessing, he added.

The prime minister worshipped at the birthplace of Lord Shri Krishna and offered prayers before a 525th birth anniversary programme of Mirabai, where Hema Malini, the actress and MP, welcomed him.

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On the occasion, the PM releases a postage stamp on Sant Mirabai and a coin of Rs 525 was also released on the 525th birth anniversary.

UP Governor Anandi Ben Patel and chief minister Yogi Adityanath were also present. He said the land of India has the potential that whenever consciousness became weak, someone emerged from a corner and became a warrior and someone became a saint.

Ramanujacharya was born in the South and other saints from Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh had the same message and objective. Mathura was the confluence of the Bhakti movement. Saints came from different corners and consciousness was raised. The saints said that Vrindavan is not a forest but Nandgaon is a village and it was the center of culture, literature and devotion, PM said.

He said, I have come to the place of devotion from the election field of Rajasthan. Only the one who is called by Shri Krishna comes here. This is not an ordinary earth. The blood of Braj is also considered sacred all over the world as Radha-Krishna is present in every particle. By coming here you get everything and I have the privilege of visiting Mirabai on her birth anniversary. I bow at the feet of Radha Krishna, PM said, adding that Hema Malini is an MP, but she is engrossed in the devotion of Krishna.

Its another special moment for me to be here. From Krishna to Mirabai there was connection with Gujarat. Krishna went to Dwarka and became the ruler of Dwarka. Mirabai also lived in Dwarka. She was from Rajasthan. When people of Gujarat get a chance to visit Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, they consider it good luck, he said.

The PM said, Mirabai had said that whatever is visible between the earth and the sky, its end is certain. In those difficult times of India, Mirabai showed that the strength of women can give direction to the country. She was one of the great social reformers. His posts are relevant even today.

BJP MP Hema Malini said, Ever since I came here as an MP, I have seen that many saints and sadhus places have been built, but there is nothing about Mirabai. I expressed my grief to PM Modi. So he immediately agreed to this and today this ceremony is taking place for Mirabai.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the Congress-led Rajasthan government in has made the state number one in riots, crime, corruption and paper leak cases.

On the last day of campaigning for the November 25 assembly poll, he said he had gone around the state in the past few days and everywhere he heard people saying that Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot would not get any vote this time.

Modi said women and sisters of the state have come out openly in support of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and are not ready to tolerate the Congress dispensation anymore. Rajasthan had not seen a bigger anti-woman government and therefore its people had decided to uproot it, he claimed.

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The chief minister says women make false complaints about rapes. Can there be a bigger charge against women and sisters and the Indian culture? he asked.

Can any daughter of the country go to a police station to make a false complaint regarding her character? The coming election is the time to punish such people and voters in the state should take this opportunity, he said.

We (BJP) will promote Rajasthan to the number one position in tourism, investments, industries and education, Modi assured the crowd in Deogarh while underscoring the need for a strong government for the development of the State.

He said the saffron party is going to form the government in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.

Hitting out at the Congress, the prime minister said the party-led dispensations are known for scandals in defence purchases like Bofors, submarines, helicopters and had opposed indigenisation like production of Tejas fighter planes.

The Congress wants imports as it is interested only in commissions, he alleged.

PM Modi alleged that the Congress government had stopped all the schemes of the previous-led BJP governments when they came to power. He said if BJP comes to power it will review petrol and diesel prices. The Ujjwala gas cylinder price was already lowered; now BJP has decided gas cylinder will be provided at Rs 450.

Five years ago, when Congress came to power, they stopped all our schemes, PM Modi added. On December 3, when the BJP will return to power, we will take forward the schemes that will benefit the people of the state, PM Modi said.

The Prime Minister said people should sweep the Congress out of power from every corner of the State. He said he had never opposed any government which did good work. Certainly, no windows of corruption will be allowed in any good scheme, he said.

Mr Modi said his questions on the Congress top leadership on Wednesday had evoked an instantaneous reaction from the party. The party had held a press conference on the Rajesh Pilot issue, but never replied to the specific issues he had raised. Gurjars never suffered so much insult as under the Congress Party, he said.

Everybody had seen this, he said, and late Rajesh Pilot and his son Sachin Pilot were treated in similar fashion by the Congress leadership. Abusive words were used about Sachin Pilot, he said.

Mr Modi said he had raised issues about Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also; his photograph was not seen anywhere in Jaipur while he was on his road-show. Was this because he is a Dalit, Mr Modi asked.
A Punjab home guards constable was killed and five policemen were injured after a Nihang Sikh opened fire at a Gurudwara in Punjabs Kapurthala on Thursday. The deceased constable has been identified as Jaspal Singh. He was posted at Sultanpur Lodhi police station and had gone to the Gurudwara following clashes between two groups over possession of the Gurudwara.

According to initial reports, the incident took place following clashes between two Nihang groups over the control of the Gurudwara Akal Bunga, which is located near the the main Gurudwara Ber Sahib.

The police had gone to the Gurudwara in the wee hours of Thursday to vacate it from the Nihang group led by Mann Singh.

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As the police team reached there, Mann Singh and his men opend fire at the police, killing one constable and wounding five policemen.

Following the incident, the Nihangs have locked the Gurudwara from inside as tension prevailed in the area ahead of birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev on November 27.

The police have barricaded the area and negotiating with the Nihang groups to vacate the Gurudwara.

The incident of violence involving Nihang Sikhs have risen over the last few years. Earlier in August this year, a Nihang Sikh in Punjabs Tarsikka had killed his daughter with a sword he carried, tied her body to a motorcycle and dragged her body for several kilometres before dropping it at a railway crossing.

According to the police, the incident took place following an altercation between the father and the daughter, who had left her home without informing him

When she returned, the Nihang Sikh father confronted her and an altercation lead to her brutal killing.

In April 2020, four Nihang Sikhs in Patiala chopped off a policemans hand allegedly for asking them to show curfew passes outside a vegetable market.
In order to cater to its current population base of 1.42 billion, India needs 2 billion square feet of healthcare space, Global Healthcare Report, released by real estate consultancies Knight Frank and Berkadia said.

Notably, the country is facing a deficit of 2.4 million beds to achieve the standards set by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The report highlighted that Indias bed-to-population ratio, including both private and public facilities, is 1.3 per 1,000 which is less compared to WHOs 3 per 1,000.

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Amid rapid growth of Indias healthcare market, this shortfall is crucial. In 2022, the size of the Indian healthcare market was estimated to be $372 billion, significantly higher than $73 billion in 2012.

The bed-to-population ratio is much lower than 13 in Japan, 4.3 in China, 2.9 in the United States of America (USA) and 2.5 in the United Kingdom, it said.

Addressing this demand necessitates nearly doubling the current real estate capacity to adequately meet the expanding healthcare requirements of the population, said Shishir Baijal, chairman and managing director at Knight Frank India.

Post the pandemic, healthcare ranks amongst the mainstream avenues for investors looking for investments into long income generating assets.

According to the report, the sector also expects to see high demand because of changing global demographics.

The global healthcare sector remains buoyant and is expected to grow despite a challenging economic outlook. This comes as the global population shifts rapidly towards an ageing demographic, which is anticipated to drive demand for elderly care beds, particularly for full-time nursing care delivered in specialised facilities, it said.

Indias healthcare market is growing rapidly. In 2022, the size of the Indian healthcare market was estimated to be $372 billion, significantly higher than $73 billion in 2012.

There are two factors contributing to the rapid expansion of the industrys size. First is the rise in Indias population and the second is that India is among the top destinations for healthcare tourism, further necessitating more investment in the sector.

As per the Medical Tourism Index (2020-21), India ranked 10th out of 46 destinations worldwide. Government has also launched the Heal in India initiative in 2022 to promote medical tourism.
The security forces have gunned down two Pakistani terrorists following a fierce encounter in Jammu and Kashmirs Rajouri district. The encounter lasted more than 24 hours. Five Army personnel, including two Captains, two Havaldars and a soldier were killed in action in the Kalakot forests.

While four Army personnel were killed yesterday, another soldier succumbed to injuries while undergoing treatment today.

The Defence Public Relations Officer (PRO) Jammu said that one of the terrorists has been identified as Pakistani national Qari. He was a high-level Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist with an expertise in IEDs.

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Qari was also a trained sniper and expert in hiding from caves, it added.

He has been trained on the Pakistan and Afghan front. He is a highly ranked terrorist leader of Lashkar-e-Taiba, he said.

Earlier, the Indian Army troops, including Special Forces are deployed in the area after inputs were received about movement of a group of terrorists in the area.

In a post on X, the 16 Corps had said that a joint operation was launched in Kalakote area of Gulabgarh forest in Rajouri district on November 19 following intelligence inputs of movement of terrorists in the area.

After days of intensive search operation, the Indian Army said that contact with terrorists was established today and intense gunfight ensued.

The India Army also hailed the supreme sacrifice of its soldiers while trying to prevent collateral damage to women and children.

Earlier on Friday, a Pakistani terrorist was killed in Budhal area of Rajouri district. A huge quantity of arms and ammunition were seized, said security forces.
Lashing out at Akbaruddin Owaisi for allegedly threatening a police officer in Hyderabad, BJP leader and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma here said that the matter would have been settled within five minutes if it had happened in Assam.

All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) President Asaduddin Owaisis brother, Akbaruddin Owaisi, was booked on Wednesday for openly threatening a police inspector who was asking him to follow the model code of conduct for the assembly polls.

If this had happened in Assam, the matter would have been settled within five minutes. Due to appeasement politics in Telangana, neither BRS nor Congress is saying anythingIf you can openly threaten the police, then people will feel threatened, Assam CM said on Wednesday.

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The Assam CM urged the Election Commission of India to cancel the candidature of Akbaruddin Owaisi.

Earlier, Rohit Raju, DCP South East zone informed that a case has been registered against Akbaruddin Owaisi.

The case has been booked under section 353 (obstructing official duties) IPC and other relevant sections, the police official said.

Reacting to the FIR registered against him, Akbaruddin said, DCP and police are lying. Firstly, I have video footage of him (a police officer) coming onto the stage. If I give a speech after 10 pm, then police can book me under the law. But obstructing a public meeting and saying that time is up is wrong. Police should not do this.

The AIMIM leader, who was addressing a campaign in Hyderabads Lalitabagh, asked the policeman to leave the venue, implying that if he made a signal to his supporters, the inspector would be forced to run from the place.

Do you think that after facing knives and bullets, I got weak, still theres lots of courage in me. Five minutes are left and Ill address five minutes, no one can stop me. If I give a signal then youll have to run, shall we make him run? This is what Im saying they come like this to weaken us, Akbaruddin said.

In this regard, AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi also defended the remarks of his brother and said that the official should not have intervened as five minutes were left for the campaign time to be over for the day.

Akbaruddin is in the fray from the Chandrayangutta constituency. The seat has been a stronghold of the AIMIM, with the party winning it in 2014 and 2018.

Telangana will go to polls in a single phase on November 30.

The counting of votes for Telangana, along with those of four other poll-bound states, will take place on December 3.
Amid rising concerns over deepfakes, the Centre has decided to bring in a regulation to tackle the issue which has recently been flagged by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and top Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan.

The decision was taken during a meeting of Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw with social media platforms and technology firms working on AI tools.

Addressing a press conference on Thursday, the minister said that deepfakes have emerged as a new threat to democracy and added that both creators and the social media platforms will be held accountable for such content.

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During the meeting, the minister said that four key issues were discussed. These were : 1. How deepfakes can be detected; 2. Whether and how people can be prevented from posting deepfakes and whether such content can be stopped from going viral; 3. How a reporting mechanism can be implemented so users on any app or website can alert the platform and the authorities about a deepfake so that action can be taken; 4. Increasing awareness among the public.

He further stressed that the government, industry and the media will need to work together to create awareness among masses about the deepfakes.

He said that there is an urgency to bring in a new regulation for deepfakes and added that work will begin immediately and attempts will be made to finish drafting the regulation in the next few weeks.

The issue gained weight after a deepfake video of Bollywood actress Rashmika Mandhana went viral on social media earlier this month. Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bacchan flagged the video and called for regulation to curb the menace.

Prime Minister Modi also highlighted his concerns about deepfakes after a video of him singing and dancing on Garba went viral.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi released a commemorative stamp and a coin in the honour of Sant Mira Bai while participating in Sant Mirabai Janmotsav, a programme organised to celebrate the 525th birth anniversary of medieval saint in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh on Thursday.

He also took a walkthrough of an exhibition and witnessed a cultural programme.

The occasion marked the initiation of year-long programmes in the memory of Sant Mirabai.

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Addressing a gathering, the prime minister expressed joy and gratitude to be in Braj Bhoomi and amongst the people of Braj. He paid rich tributes to the land and stressed its divine importance.

The prime minister bowed to Lord Krishna, Radha Rani, Mira Bai and all saints of Braj and praised the efforts of Hema Malini as a member of Parliament from Mathura and said she had completely immersed herself in the devotion of Lord Krishna.

Highlighting the connections of Lord Krishna and Mirabai with Gujarat, the Prime Minister said that it makes his visit to Mathura even more special. Kanhiya of Mathura transformed to Dwarkadhish after visiting Gujarat, he emphasized, adding Sant Mirabai ji who hailed from Rajasthan and filled the corridors of Mathura with love and affection spent her final days in Dwarka, Gujarat.

He underlined the fact that the people from Gujarat consider it the blessing of Dwarkadhish when they get the opportunity to visit Braj spread across Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.

Modi also added that he had been a part of Uttar Pradesh since 2014 when he became the MP from Varanasi.

The prime minister said the 525th birth anniversary of Sant Mirabai is not merely a birth anniversary but a celebration of the entire culture and tradition of love in India, a celebration of the thought that considers Nar and Narayan, Jeev and Shiv, devotee and the god as one.

Modi recalled that Mirabai came from the land of sacrifice and valour, Rajasthan. He also pointed out that 84 kos Braj Mandal is part of both Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. Mirabai nurtured the consciousness of India with devotion and spiritualism. This event in her memory reminds us about the valour and sacrifice of India along with Indias Bhakti tradition as people of Rajasthan remained steadfast like a wall while protecting Indias culture and consciousness, he added.

Bharat has been devoted to Nari Shakti for aeons, the prime minister remarked noting that it is the Brajwasis who have acknowledged it more than anybody else. In the land of Kanhaiya, the Prime Minister said, every welcome, address and felicitation begins with Radhe Radhe.

Krishnas name becomes complete only when prefixed with Radha, Modi underlined. He credited these ideals to the contributions made by women towards nation-building and paving the way forward for society.

Underlining that Mirabai is a perfect example, the prime minister recited a couplet by her and explained the underlying message that whatever falls between the sky and the earth will eventually come to an end.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 23. Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary Peter Szijjarto arrived in Azerbaijan, the minister's Facebook page says, Trend reports.

Hungary and Azerbaijan are united by large-scale projects of regional importance. In particular, Azerbaijani gas is already supplied to this country. The two countries are also cooperating on a green corridor project that will contribute to the supply of clean energy to Europe.

The Hungarian oil company MOL Group is the largest investor in Azerbaijan from Central Europe.

As previously reported, Hungarian companies will soon begin reconstruction of the village in the territories of Azerbaijan liberated from occupation.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said on Wednesday that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will conduct a safety assessment of all 29 tunnels that are currently under construction nationwide to guarantee safety and compliance with the highest quality standards.

The news comes against the backdrop of the November 12 collapse of the Silkyara Tunnel, which is still under construction in Uttarkashi, trapping 41 labourers.

The 29 tunnels that are now under construction have a total length of around 79 km and are located throughout the nation. Twelve of the tunnels are located in Himachal Pradesh, six in Jammu & Kashmir, two in Maharashtra, one in Odisha, one in Rajasthan, and one in each of Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, and Delhi.

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NHAI officials along with a team of experts from Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) as well as other tunnel experts will inspect the ongoing tunnel projects and will submit a report within seven days, the ministry said.

A memorandum of agreement was also signed by NHAI and Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL). Under the terms of the agreement, KRCL examines the design, drawings, and safety features pertaining to the building of tunnels and the stabilization of slopes for NHAI projects.

KRCL will also conduct safety audits of tunnels and if required, suggest remedial measures. In addition to this, KRCL will organise training programs for capacity building of NHAI officials. This agreement will remain in effect for a period of two years, the ministry said.

The ministry stated that in September, NHAI and DMRC inked a comparable contract for the provision of services related to the planning, designing, building, and upkeep of tunnels, bridges, and other structures on National Highways across the nation.

It said, the initiatives demonstrate NHAIs commitment to building a safe and efficient National Highway network and working with government agencies to exchange best practices for improving transportation infrastructure, supporting the objective of nation building.
Rescue operation of 41 workers trapped inside collapsed Silkyara-Barkot tunnel on Yamunotri highway was further delayed on Thursday due to recurring obstructions in drilling escape passages under the debris. Officials handling the rescue drive claimed they are movimg ahead with caution.

Going by the information shared by the officials overseeing rescue works their hopes of early evacuation of workers was jolted on Thursday evening could hardly move only 1.8 meters ahead of 45 meters drilling completed till Wednesday. According to these officials only 13 meters drilling of the escape passage is left to reach the trapped workers but they are moving ahead with caution for recurring obstructions coming in the way of the American auger machine.

They said early evacuation of the trapped workforce was expected till yesterday evening when pace of the auger machine was high leading to 18 meters drill in the day but it was dashed by a hard iron girdled blockade in the evening.

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Escape passage drilling work had to be stopped midway yesterday evening. It took more than six hours to remove the girdle from the path of the auger machine. It was resumed on Thursday morning but only 1.8 meters of additional passage could be drilled as the machine encountered another obstacle today. It has been stopped and technicians are trying to detect the obstruction. We are moving ahead with caution with hope that drilling remains unchecked but have to be prepared for dealing with the obstructions as well. Our task will be easier once 50-55 meters drilling is completed said Mahmood Ahmed, additional secretary Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), heading the rescue operation.

Its significant that 45 meters of drilling escape passage was over by yesterday while 13 meters are more to be done to reach the trapped workers.

We overcame a big hurdle yesterday as quintals of iron girdles were removed from as it had stopped the auger machine and steel pipeline laid earlier also got a jolt as the drill pathway of the auger machine was obstructed. However our technicians were able to clear quintals of iron girdles and drilling resumed. Escape passage drilling work is facing hurdles and challenges but the rescue teams are upbeat and motivated. Its taking time but will be successful soon informed Uttarakhand governments nodal officer for rescue operation Dr Neeraj Khairwal.

The two officials maintained that the rescue operation will succeed soon but they restrained from giving any deadline thus time.

Its notable that Mehmood and Khairwal had on Wednesday claimed that 41 workers of the collapsed under construction tunnel languishing inside it for 11 days will be out by Thursday. Following this Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami flew to the accident site last night and union minister of state General VK Singh landed there on Thursday morning. However they returned after meeting officials and taking stock of the rescue operation.
A delegation led by Spains Ambassador to India, Jose Maria Ridao paid a visit to the Dr BR Ambedkar School of Specialized Excellence (ASoSEs) here on Thursday.

During their visit, the delegation engaged with students across various classes, witnessing firsthand the high-end 21st-century skills imparted through the Arvind Kejriwal-led governments innovative educational programs at ASoSEs.

Delhi Education minister Atishi, spearheaded the delegation and provided them insights into the diverse and innovative courses offered at ASoSEs. She emphasized the relevance of these courses in the current global scenario and highlighted their significance in equipping students with skills essential for the 21st century.

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Speaking on the occasion, she said, It was a privilege to host the Spanish delegation today. This international recognition underscores the Kejriwal governments dedication to redefining education, not only at the national level but also on the global stage. This visit of the Spanish delegation marks a milestone in the governments efforts to showcase Delhis schools as examples of educational excellence and innovation.

BR Ambedkar Schools of Specialized Excellence stands as a beacon of educational innovation, fostering an environment where students not only learn core subjects but also develop a holistic skill set crucial to deal with the challenges of the modern world. The specialized education being provided by the schools of the Kejriwal government is hope for the future and will give a major boost to the country on a global stage, Atishi said.

Ridao lauded the government for its commitment to providing a well-rounded education that prepares students for the complexities of the global landscape.

It was truly exciting to witness the enthusiasm of children for learning Spanish and other global languages. The partnership with the Delhi government in the field of education has been a wonderful experience, and now, we would like to explore more opportunities beyond education, he said.
Security forces on Thursday killed two hardcore Pakistani terrorists in a fierce gunfight in the Kalakote forest area of Jammus Rajouri district.

Another jawan died on Thursday in the ongoing encounter between terrorists and security forces. This has taken the number of total Army personnel killed since yesterday to five.

Four Army personnel were killed on Wednesday, including two captains and two jawans. An Army major and two soldiers were injured in the gunfight and they were later shifted to the Armys Command Hospital in Udhampur.

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The Army has identified the martyred soldiers as Captain MV Pranjal (Mangalore, Karnataka), Captain Shubham Gupta (Agra), Havaldar Abdul Majid (Ajote, Poonch), Lance Naik Sanjay Bisht (Nainital, Uttrakhand) and Paratrooper Sachin Laur (Aligarh, UP).

Wreath-laying ceremony for the martyred soldiers will be held here on Friday.

Among the two killed terrorists one was trained on Pakistan and Afghan fronts.

An Army source identified the terrorist as Quari whose photograph with a family in the Rajouri area in whose house he was taking shelter has also surfaced.

He said the hardcore terrorist killed is a Pakistan national. He has been trained on the Pakistan and Afghan Fronts.

Quari was a highly ranked terrorist leader of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) who was active in Rajouri-Poonch alongwith his group from past one year. He is also believed to be the mastermind of Dangri and Kandi terror attacks. Seven innocent civilians were gunned down by terrorists in a targeted attack in Dangri.

Quari was sent to revive terrorism in the region and he was expert in IEDs, operating and hiding from Caves and was also a trained Sniper.
There is a degree of irony  or deja vu  in recent reports that putative US presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr is losing some support because of his admiration for Israel even as it pursues a genocidal military cam- paign. Some 55 years ago, his father  who, unlike RFK Jr, had a convinc- ing chance of winning the Democratic primaries and then the White House  was assassinated, purportedly by a Jordanian-Palestinian, Sirhan Bishara Sirhan, enraged by the candidates pledge, if elected, to send 50 Phantom jet fighters to Israel.

That was in 1968, on the first anniversary of the Six-Day War that dramatically shifted American atti- tudes towards Israel. Bobby Kennedy was then seen as a progressive candi- date. He vowed to pull US troops out of Vietnam, and appeared to sincerely empathise with African Americans still struggling for civil rights as well as the broader victims of poverty engendered by the American way of life.

Whether he might have made a decent president is hard to say, but he would no doubt have been a better option than the Republican nominee, Richard Nixon, whom his elder broth- er John F. Kennedy had narrowly defeated eight years earlier. There were suggestions the 1960 poll might have been rigged on the margins  JFK even joked about it. But much of that was forgotten when he was assas- sinated in Dallas 60 years ago today.

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That tragedy haunted RFK, who feared that in his role as attorney gen- eral in the Kennedy administra- tion, he might have stir-red up suffi- cient resentment in his pursuit of organised crime to provoke a deadly bac-k-lash. There were many other factors, though.

As a candidate, JFK had placed himself on the anti-communist extreme, but as president he turned down the option of providing air cover to the CIA-sponsored invasion of Cuba by anti-Castro exiles, which had been green-lit by the previous Eisen- hower administration. In his depart- ing address to the nation, Dwight Eisenhower pointed out the risks posed by the burgeoning military- industrial complex, but the former supreme commander had done little to curtail it. It was his successor who stood up to the generals and the CIA.

JFK accepted responsibility for the 1961 Bay of Pigs disaster, when CIA-trained infiltrators were decisive- ly thwarted by Cuban revolutionary forces. More crucially, he turned down the gung-ho military com- manders who advocated an assault on Cuba the following year, when it turned out that the USSR had deployed nuclear-armed missiles on the Caribbean island close to Florida.

Back-channel contacts in which RFK played a key role ascertained that Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev was as reluctant as JFK to risk a nuclear conflagration. Moscow did not hesi- tate to pull out its warheads as soon as Washington vowed not to invade the island, as well as to withdraw its mis- siles from Turkeys Soviet border. Thanks in large part to Daniel Ells- berg, we know that Kennedy was well aware of the global toll a nuclear con- flagration would entail, and he wasnt prepared to go there. Whether his assassination in Dallas was blowback for any of his policy decisions or predilections remains a mystery. A recent poll suggests that 65 per cent of Americans dont buy the single- gunman theory about the events of 22 November 1963.

Thats not surprising, given the plethora of contradictory evidence, including the fact that Lee Harvey Oswald never owned up to the deed, and was himself murdered less than 48 hours later by Jack Ruby, a strip- club owner with underworld and FBI connections. In the absence of defini- tive answers, the unanswered ques- tions keep piling up.

RFK Jr is convinced the CIA had a role in his uncles assassin-ation. That has never conclusi-v-ely been proved, even though the sordid nexus bet-ween the agency, the mafia and anti-Castro Cuban exiles is reasonably well documented. There are also unre- solved discrepancies in the official narratives about the 1968 assassina- tions of Martin Luther King and RFK, and some mem-bers of both families suspect that the actual killers went free. Its worth noting that a cou- ple of those accused of Malcolm Xs assassination in 1965 were only recently exonerated.

One of the factors RFK Jr is capi- talising on is the visceral distrust of the government that went main- stream not long after his uncle was murdered, and multiplied within a decade with the Pentagon Papers that laid bare the history of deceptions about Vietnam, not to mention Water- gate, which followed shortly after- wards. More recently, there was the nonsense about weapons of mass destruction that served as an excuse to invade Iraq  and echoes of that deception resonate through Israels allegations about Gazas Al Shifa hos- pital.

Distrust of the established order contributed to Donald Trumps tri- umph in 2016, and may serve him well again next year. RFK Jr is proba- bly helping to pave the way.
Just how misplaced China-India comparisons are  and are likely to continue being for the foreseeable future ~ given the massive weight of the former in terms of its comprehensive national power, has been brought out by an interesting factoid. A recent report from Tsinghua University, Chinas leading educational institution, reveals the trend for Chinas top talent: Over the past few years, the number of Tsinghua graduates who chose to study in the United States of America has plummeted ~ from 11 per cent in 2018 to just 3 per cent in 2021. The most recent report issued in 2022, the year when Beijing ended the zero-Covid policy, showed that only 7 per cent of the graduating class, including both undergraduates and graduates, chose to study abroad.

The perception that talented Chinese youth are itching to flock to American shores is not only erro- neous but the reality, it appears, is quite the opposite. Just this year, writes Sino-US relations expert Yingyi Ma in a recent essay, India eclipsed China in sending the most international students to the United States of America, the first time China has lost that distinction since 2008. The choices of Chinas top-drawer talent have changed. For those who can get into Chinas top or even good colleges, as the Tsinghua University report underlines, the preference is to stay home for further studies as opposed to studying in the USA. This trend, if it continues, has the potential to substantively reverse the brain drain from China at a time when India continues to lose its best and brightest to the US varsity and employment ecosystem. All of this, it must be underlined, is playing out against the backdrop of intensifying Sino-US strategic rivalry. As Yingyi Ma points out, it complicates policymaking in Washing- ton which has assumed till now that Chinas top talent cannot wait to leave the country. The geopolitical ten- sions between the USA and China have led to Chinese students passion for an American education subsiding dramatically; and that is not a bad thing at all for the party-state given Chinas now open challenge to the US-led international system. The problem for Delhi, given India is already haemorrhaging talent to the USA, is that even more Indian students and professionals are likely to make a beeline for America, intensifying our brain drain.

Scholars agree that deteriorating state-to-state relations, the rise of fierce anti-China sentiment among Americans, and the increase in anti-Asian hate crimes across the USA have helped alleviate Chinas brain drain. What the Chinese state could not do through talent recruitment programmes and coercive policies for years is now coming to pass. Over 1,400 Chinese scientists dropped their American university or cor- porate affiliations and returned to China in 2021, according to media reports, and four in 10 scientists of Chinese descent at elite American universities are con- sidering leaving. Guess who will fill the vacuum.

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Some social issues in the US divide the population into two almost equal groups. One such issue is abortion. Typically, lib- erals are pro-choice (they support abortion) while conservatives are pro-life. For a long time, I identified with the pro-life group. With all the birth control options available, I never understood why women get pregnant if they do not want a baby and even if pregnancy is accidental why do they not abort immediately. Aborting a developed foetus whose heartbeat is detectable does seem like killing a baby, as the pro-life activists assert.

I got more interested on this topic when the Republican Party failed to perform according to their expecta- tions in the 2022 US midterm elec- tions. There were predictions from pundits of a red wave, with the GOP capturing an overwhelming majority of the House seats and even edging out the Democrats in the Senate. That did not happen. The Democrats retained their slim majority in the Senate while the GOP managed to regain control of the House but with a narrow majority.

The experts attribute this to the ruling of the US Supreme Court (with a majority of conservative judges) overturning Roe vs Wade (the 1973 law that legalised abortion through- out the US) a few months earlier. Many experts are now saying that the 2024 presidential election will be decided based on only one issue: abortion.

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I wondered why abortion gener- ates so much passion and hysteria on both sides. Feminists have always claimed that it is their right to do what they wish with their body. I turned to my trusted friend Susan, whose polit- ical views are like mine, for clarifica- tion.

I asked her, Isnt abortion right a by-product of womens lib move- ments? It seems to me that women are saying they have the right not only to control their life and finances but also their body. Judging by how male and female bodies are designed by our cre- ator, females are meant to carry and nurture babies and males job is to protect and provide for them. This is true for all animal species. Doesnt the abortion process go against the will of God?

Without hiding my sarcasm, I added: The same liberal women insisted that everyone get vaccinated for Covid regardless of ones right to protect their own body.

Surprisingly, she did not agree with me: It is not that simple. Yes, I agree that males and females have clear purposes, but wide-spread sup- port for abortion did not arise from any ideological activism. Abortion has been around for centuries in every country, but always considered as an aberration from the norm of a man- woman relationship. Things started to change during the 1960s, and partly due to the Hippie and other counter- culture movements.

Susan emphasized that her older sister was a hippie, and she had first- hand knowledge of that era. She con- tinued, The Hippies brought two items to the mainstream: drugs like LSD and free love. As a result, women got trapped in abusive marriages or relationships. Free love meant that both men and women had multiple sex partners. If a woman got pregnant, no one was sure who the father was.

Susan paused and seemed to be choking up. I remember how my sis- ter got beaten up every night; not because she did something wrong, but because her husband was in a drug-infused rage. She started sleep- ing on the floor just outside the door of my parents bedroom. My dad assured her that he had his gun under his pillow just in case. She got a divorce but found out that she was pregnant.

She hated her ex-husband and hated the idea of carrying his baby and then raising the child by herself without a job. Opportunities for women were very limited back then. Yes, she could get a waitress job at a minimum hourly rate but probably not much more. On multiple occa- sions her ex forcefully kidnapped the baby from her for some period, caus- ing all kinds of commotion; she hated this continuing interaction with her ex even after divorce. She did not get an abortion but wished that she did. I am glad that she didnt because, before the Roe vs Wade ruling, count- less young women died in their effort to get abortions from unhealthy, unsafe clinics. Although there are more opportunities for women these days, the situation among the poor women is no different from what my sister faced.

I was sad to hear the story but still presented my counter argument: Dont you think that allowing a time window like 15 or 20 weeks is suffi- cient time for anyone to decide if she wants an abortion?

Susan was not convinced. Most of these women are young who are probably getting pregnant for the first time. Their only clue is a missed peri- od. For the first eight to twelve weeks, they probably do not even notice a missed period. Once they notice, they need some more time to confirm the pregnancy. Once confirmed, the real agony and trauma set in; the shame, the fear, the financial worries, the thought of raising a child alone, sacri- ficing a job and/or education. The soul-searching and counselling from friends and elders can go on for weeks. Remember, women love babies and it is not an easy decision regard- less of length of pregnancy. That is why it does not make sense to put an arbitrary fixed number like fifteen or twenty weeks.

The point is abortion is not an isolated social issue based on morality of church-going Christians. It must be looked at in the context of all social issues  rise in broken families, drug and alcohol use, permissiveness, unnecessary and premature deaths of poor young women.

I responded: One point of confu- sion is when a foetus becomes a living being? Does life begin at conception or when we hear the first heartbeat or when the baby comes out of the womb, completely detached from the mother able to survive on its own? Hindu scriptures are characteristically vague, dwelling on things like Ahimsa (non-violence) and indestructibility of the soul.

Susan concurred, Even in the Bible the word abortion does not appear anywhere. The focus is on not killing anyone and many Christians interpret that to include abortion. There is a perception that Catholics are more strongly opposed to abor- tion than other Christian denomina- tions; that is true only for regular church-going Catholics. Views of other Catholics are like the rest of us and half of them believe that abortion should be legal in all cases. Church- going Catholics also refuse to vote for any political candidate who is pro- choice. This is where politics enters the picture and politicians start to customize their views on abortion to get the most votes.

I wrapped up the discussion by complimenting the situation in India: Although India is a socially conser- vative country it is remarkably pro- gressive when it comes to abortion. Not only is abortion legal if performed within 24 weeks of pregnancy, but there is also government provided service available to all women seek- ing abortion for a minimal fee. One unique situation in India is the prefer- ence of the parents for a son. With the availability of gender identification tools, many mothers opt to abort a female foetus. Such acts are consid- ered illegal and criminally punishable. A new law bans any discrimination between married and unmarried women in terms of getting abortion related help.

I realized after this discussion that abortion is a much more complex issue than the usual talking points of killing babies versus saving moth- ers with no clear solution.
The Israel-Hamas deal to free hostages and release of Israeli hostages will start from Friday, Qtar has said.

According to Qatari officials, a pause in fighting will begin at 7am local time on Friday, both north and south of the Gaza Strip.

In the first batch, Hamas will release 13 hostages and all of them would be women and children. The hostages will be released at around 4 pm in the evening.

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Hamas will not directly handover the hostages to Israel. They will be handed to the Red Cross, who then will deliver them to Israeli officials

Qatar also said that it expects release of Palestinian prisoners as a result of the release of hostages by Hamas.

According to Israeli media reports, Israel has received a list of those who will be released first, and that their families have been informed.

As the ceasefire comes into force on Friday, four fuel trucks and 200 aid trucks will also be allowed to enter Gaza on each of the four days.

A deal between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas was announced on Tuesday night.

The deal brokered by Qatar would see a pause in fighting and release of 50 Israeli hostages being held in the Gaza Strip.

As per the conditions of the deal, Hamas will release at least 50 Israeli hostages, mainly women and children, in exchange for a four-day pause in fighting, the release of between 150 and 300 Palestinian prisoners, and the entry of fuel into Gaza.

Also, the ceasefire could further extend for additional days in exchange for 10 more hostage releases per extra day, the report claimed.
Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday said a new set of regulations will be designed soon to deal with the ill use of deepfake technology.

The Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology made the statement after he convened a meeting with representatives from academia, industry bodies and social media companies on issues arising out of deepfake.

Addressing a press conference, he said, Today, we had a very long and candid discussion (on deepfake). All the companies, platforms and the entire industry shared concern. They understood that this is not free speech and this is very harmful for society. They understood the need for much heavier regulation on this.

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Highlighting the outcome of the meeting, the minister said it was agreed during the discussion that the government, academia, social media companies and NASSCOM will jointly work towards responding to deepfake. It was also agreed that within the next 10 days, actionable items based on four pillars would be identified.

We have all agreed that within the next 10 days , we will come up with clear actionable items on four pillars in a very structured way. The first pillar is detection, second is prevention, third is strengthening the reporting mechanism, and the fourth is awareness. We have agreed that we will start drafting the regulation and within a very short time frame, we will have a new set of regulations for deepfake, he said.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, in a statement said, deepfake has emerged as a serious threat to democracy and social institutions across the world.

It said from time to time, it has advised social media intermediaries to exercise due diligence and take expeditious action against deepfake.

Referring to the meeting chaired by Vaishnaw with the stakeholders, it said, A follow-up meeting with relevant stakeholders will be held again in the first week of December to finalize the four-pillared structure.

The Government of India is committed to combat the growing threat of deepfake by leveraging technology and fostering public awareness, it added.

Notably, the development came days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed concern over the misuse of artificial intelligence (AI) to create deepfake.

Besides Modi, Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan also expressed concern over a deepfake of his Goodbye co-star Rashmika Mandanna and demanded legal action.
Three New Zealand political parties on Thursday concluded weeks of negotiations to form a government and will announce the details in a signing ceremony on Friday.

The parties are now going through their respective party processes for final sign-off and we expect that process to be completed this evening, said a joint statement issued by leaders of the three parties, Nationals Christopher Luxon, ACTs David Seymour and NZ Firsts Winston Peters.

Subject to agreement by all parties, a signing ceremony will take place tomorrow at Parliament, Xinhua news agency quoted the statement as saying.

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The formal signing will be followed by the announcement of the new Cabinet lineup and ministerial responsibilities so as to get this country moving forward, Luxon told media.

The National Party won the general election on October 14, with the Labour Party to step down after six years in office.

However, with no party winning a majority of seats, the formation of a new government depended on the outcome of inter-party negotiations to form a coalition government.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 23. The working visit of the Deputies of the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Director General Agil Gurbanov, and Commander of the Air Force, Lieutenant General Ramiz Tahirov to Georgia is underway, Trend reports via Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry.

They visited Heydar Aliyev Park in Tbilisi, where they laid a wreath at the monument of National Leader Heydar Aliyev and paid tribute to his brilliant memory.

Then, a memorial in Heroes Square was visited in memory of the citizens who perished for Georgia's territorial integrity and independence.

The memorial visits were followed by bilateral talks at the State Military Scientific-Technical Center "Delta" in Tbilisi, where the parties discussed detailed perspectives on a number of subjects of mutual interest in the field of military-technical cooperation.

As part of the visit, a meeting was held with Giorgi Khaindrava, Deputy Minister of Defense of the Republic of Georgia, and Major General Giorgi Matiashvili, Chief of the Georgian Defense Forces.

Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday said that Moscow has never refused peace negotiations with Kyiv and blamed Ukraine for pulling out of the negotiation process.

He called military actions a tragedy for people and stressed that the world must think about how to stop this tragedy.

In his virtual address at the G20 Leaders Summit, Putin said that some of the leaders in their speeches said that they are shocked by Russias ongoing aggression in Ukraine.

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Putin said, Of course, military actions are always a tragedy for people, families, and the country as a whole. And, of course, we must think about how to stop this tragedy.

By the way, Russia has never refused peace negotiations with Ukraine. It is not Russia, but Ukraine, that has publicly announced that it is withdrawing from the negotiation process. And moreover, a decree was signed by the head of state prohibiting such negotiations with Russia, he added.

Putin emphasised that the situation in the world requires collective and consensus decisions that reflect the opinions of the majority of the international community, including developed and developing nations.

He said, Now the situation in the global economy and in the world as a whole requires collective, consensus decisions that reflect the opinions of the overwhelming majority of the international communityboth developed and developing countries.

The world is undergoing processes of radical transformation. New powerful centres of global economic development are emerging and strengthening. A significant share of global investment, trade and consumption activity is shifting to Asian, African and Latin American regions, where the majority of the worlds population lives, he added.

He stated that the first ships with free Russian grain had been sent to Africa. He stressed that the turbulence in the markets is increasing. Putin noted that the world economy is experiencing a direct consequence of the ill-conceived macroeconomic policies of some states.

Turbulence in the markets is increasing. Chronic problems in the international financial sector, energy and food security are worsening. By the way, Russia fulfills all its obligations in this area and remains one of the largest food exporters. And today, I want to inform you that the first ships with free Russian grain have been sent to Africa, for example, to countries in need, he said.

Putin said that unlawful restrictions on trade for the sake of strengthening their own competitiveness continue to have a negative impact. He also spoke about the explosion of the Nord Stream gas pipeline system.

The Russian President said, Unlawful restrictions on trade and the biased-climate agenda of some countries for the sake of strengthening their own competitiveness continue to have a negative effect.To eliminate competitors and gain advantages, unfair methods of competition are also used.

He further said, I mean, in particular, not only the destruction of transport and logistics chains and international payment channels, but also acts of state terrorism. A blatant example of this is the explosion of the Nord Stream gas pipeline system, laid along the bottom of the Baltic Sea.

He called it important to achieve effective optimisation of the system of global economic governance and to increase the role of developing economies in international financial institutions, including the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. He said that Russia is ready to work together to solve the pressing problems within the G20.

It is important to achieve effective optimisation of the system of global economic governance, namely, to restart the WTO in full, including its arbitration function. It is necessary to increase the role of developing economies in international financial institutions, including the IMF and the World Bank, and to use the resources of these organisations in the interests of the development of countries and regions that are truly in need, not for opportunistic political purposes, he said.

We are ready to work together to solve these pressing problems within the G20 as well as other international institutions, including the BRICS association, whose weight and influence are, of course, growing; this is obvious, especially taking into account the process of its expansion, he added.

He said that Russia will continue to contribute to the balanced achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), preserving the climate and biodiversity of Earth, digital transformation of the world economy, and ensuring food and energy security.
As families and friends gather across the United States to celebrate Thanksgiving on November 23, 2023, its essential to reflect on the deeper significance of this cherished holiday. While the day is often synonymous with a bountiful feast, its roots lie in a centuries-old tradition of giving thanks and expressing gratitude.

1. Historical Origins:

Thanksgiving traces its origins back to the early 17th century when the Pilgrims, seeking religious freedom, arrived at Plymouth Rock. Facing harsh conditions and unfamiliar terrain, they forged alliances with the Wampanoag Native Americans, who played a pivotal role in helping them survive.

2. Harvest Celebration:

The first Thanksgiving, often regarded as a harvest celebration in 1621, marked a time when the Pilgrims and Native Americans came together to give thanks for a successful harvest season. This act of gratitude amid adversity set the foundation for an enduring tradition.

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3. National Proclamation:

The concept of a national day of thanks gained momentum during the American Revolution. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln officially proclaimed Thanksgiving a national holiday, designating the last Thursday in November as a day for the nation to come together in gratitude.

4. Gratitude and Unity:

Thanksgiving has since evolved into a day when people express gratitude for the blessings in their lives. It serves as a reminder to appreciate the abundance of family, friendships, and the collective spirit that unites communities.

5. Family and Togetherness:

Today, Thanksgiving has become synonymous with the warmth of family gatherings. Families and friends come together to share a festive meal, creating an atmosphere of togetherness and camaraderie.

6. Reflecting on Blessings:

Thanksgiving encourages individuals to reflect on the positive aspects of their lives. Its a time to pause, take stock of accomplishments, and express appreciation for the simple joys that often go unnoticed in the hustle and bustle of daily life.

7. Cultural Traditions:

The holiday is also an opportunity for diverse cultural expressions. While the classic Thanksgiving meal may include roast turkey, stuffing, and pumpkin pie, the specific dishes and customs vary across regions and communities, adding rich diversity to the celebration.

8. Acts of Kindness:

Beyond the feasting, many use Thanksgiving as a chance to give back to their communities. Volunteer work and charitable acts during the holiday season have become integral to the Thanksgiving spirit, reinforcing the idea of gratitude in action.

In essence, Thanksgiving 2023 is not just a day to indulge in culinary delights; it is a time-honored tradition deeply rooted in the American narrative of resilience, cooperation, and gratitude. As the nation pauses to give thanks, it serves as a reminder of the enduring importance of expressing appreciation for lifes blessings, fostering unity, and celebrating the collective strength that comes from acknowledging the good in the world.
The White House is closely monitoring the situation after the vehicle explosion incident at the US-Canada border that killed two people, a senior official told reporters on Wednesday (local time).

The White House official also informed that law enforcement is on scene and the matter is being investigated.

The White House is closely monitoring the situation, law enforcement is on scene and investigating, the senior White House official said.

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This comes after a vehicle explosion at the US-Canada border crossing near Niagara Falls in the afternoon hours on Wednesday killed two people, CBS News reported citing sources.

Four US-Canada border crossings in the region have been closed as investigators respond to the situation, it said.

A senior US law enforcement official told CBS News that the car was coming from the US side. It hit the customs station and the vehicle was charred. It is not yet known why the car exploded.

A senior administration official described the incident to CBS News as more than a freak accident, but we dont yet have details.

A Canadian visitor to New York said he was walking close by when the incident happened and he noticed the vehicle speeding in the direction of the border crossing.

Meanwhile, the FBI Buffalo Field Office said in a statement that the incident is being investigated in coordination with local, state and federal law enforcement partners.

The FBI Buffalo Field Office is investigating a vehicle explosion at the Rainbow Bridge, a border crossing between the US and Canada in Niagara Falls. The FBI is coordinating with our local, state and federal law enforcement partners in this investigation. As this situation is very fluid, thats all we can say at this time, it posted on X.

The Rainbow Bridge, which links Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, and Niagara Falls, New York, is a well-liked tourist destination. The Lewiston-Queenston Bridge, the Whirlpool Rapids Bridge, and the Peace Bridge are the other border crossings in the area.

Following the incident, New York Governor Kathy Hochul has said in a statement: At my direction, the New York State Police is actively working with the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force to monitor all points of entry to New York.

Adding further, she stated that as of now, she is on her way to Buffalo to meet with law enforcement and emergency responders and take stock of the situation.

The Rainbow Bridge crossing connecting the US and Canada near Niagara Falls has been shut as the federal authorities in Buffalo, New York, have said that an investigation is underway.
Saint-Laurent, CA (H4T1V6)

Today

Cloudy skies with periods of light rain this afternoon. High around 45F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Periods of rain and snow. Low 32F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precip 90%.
Daniel Noboa is sworn in as Ecuador's president, inheriting the leadership of a country on edge

An inexperienced politician and heir to a fortune built on the banana trade has been sworn in as Ecuadors president
South Korea says Russian support likely enabled North Korea to successfully launch a spy satellite

South Korea's spy agency has told lawmakers that Russian support likely enabled North Korea to put a spy satellite into orbit for the first time this week
BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 23. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation has always condemned Armenias 30-year-long aggression and policy of occupation against Azerbaijan, continuously and consistently supported Azerbaijans just cause and territorial integrity both during the Second Karabakh War and in the post-war period. Therefore, we express our gratitude to member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said in his address to the participants of the V Conference of Ministers of Labor of the OIC member states held in Baku, Trend reports.

"Unfortunately, during the years of occupation, our cities and villages were ravaged and looted, our cultural and religious sites were destroyed by Armenia. In addition, according to preliminary estimates, Armenia planted about a million landmines in our occupied territories, committed urbicide, culturicide and ecocide there. The Armenians, who committed genocide against the cultural heritage of the Azerbaijani people, destroyed our mosques and insulted not only our own feelings, but also those of Muslims all over the world. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation vehemently condemned Armenias destruction and looting of Islamic historical and cultural sites and shrines in the previously occupied territories, and strongly censured the desecration of our mosques. Therefore, we once again express our gratitude to member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the General Secretariat of the Organization," President Ilham Aliyev said.
FILE - In this Jan. 31, 2019 file photo, pedestrians walk near a Northeastern University sign on the school's campus in Boston. Steve Waithe, of Chicago, a former track and field coach at Northeastern University accused of setting up sham social media and email accounts in an attempt to trick women into sending him nude or semi-nude photos of themselves pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston, prosecutors said Tuesday, Nov 21, 2023.
Job Title: Project Management Specialist (Human Resources for Health)

Organisation: United States US Embassy, US Mission in Uganda

Duty Station: USAID Uganda Office, Kampala, Uganda

Salary: UGX 157,828,400 to 232,334,711 per annum

Solicitation Number: 72061724R10003

About US Embassy:

The United States Embassy in Kampala, Uganda has enjoyed diplomatic relations with Uganda for over 30 years. Ambassador Natalie E. Brown currently heads the U.S Mission to Uganda. The Mission is composed of several offices and organizations all working under the auspices of the Embassy and at the direction of the Ambassador.

Among the offices operating under the U.S Mission to Uganda are:

United States Agency for International Development (USAID)

Centers for Disease Control (CDC)

Peace Corps

Job Summary: The Project Management Specialist  Human Resources for Health (HRH) (the Specialist) serves as an advisor and provides strategic, technical, analytical, and management support on health workforce topics and health systems strengthening (HSS). S/he will serve as a Contracting Officers Representative/Agreement Officers Representative (COR/AOR) and/or Activity Manager on program/project/activities related to improved health systems with a strong focus on human resources for health. The Specialist provides technical guidance to Health Office staff and leaders, the broader USAID Mission, implementing partners (IPs), the host government, and represents USAID with the interagency, in technical working groups, and other fora. The Specialist is a key member of Health Office, Uganda. The incumbent reports to the Deputy Health Systems Strengthening Team Leader and has no formal supervisory responsibility.









Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

NOTE: All applicants must address each selection criterion detailed below with specific and comprehensive information supporting each item.

The applicants for the United States USAID Uganda Project Management Specialist  Human Resources for Health (HRH) job opportunity should hold a Masters degree in a relevant profession: public health, public administration, international development, human resources, accounting, law, business, finance, contracting, economics, industrial management, and/or organization or management.

A minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible, professional-level experience in developing, implementing, and/or monitoring and evaluating human resources for health and/or health systems strengthening activities (such as human resource planning and management, community health workers, task shifting, in-service training provision, policies and/or another closely related area).

Experience collaborating with and/or working for the USG, donor agencies, host country government, private-sector institutions or other related organization.

How to Apply:

Eligible Offerors are required to complete and submit (Requirements (i)  (v) below are critical for compliance of the offer. Therefore, candidates MUST pay due attention to these):

A complete DS-174 Employment Application for Locally Employed Staff or Family Member (https://eforms.state.gov/Forms/ds174.pdf; [click at this link for latest version]. Offerors are required to complete sections 1 through 6 (use additional pages, if needed).

Cover letter (addressed to the USAID Supervisory Executive Officer) clearly indicating the position for which you are applying and describing how you meet the minimum requirements.

Complete curriculum vitae/resume. In order to fully evaluate your application, the resume must include:

Paid and non-paid experience, job title, dates held (month/year). Please specify unpaid or part time work. Any experience that does not include dates (month/year) will not be counted towards meeting the solicitation requirements. (NOTE: Resume and DS-174 work experience should match.)

Specific duties performed that fully detail the level and complexity of the work.

Education and any other qualifications including job-related training courses, job-related skills, or job-related honors, awards, or accomplishments.

Name and contact information (phone and email) of three (3) professional references. At least one of the references must be a prior or current direct supervisor.

Supplemental [separate] document specifically addressing each QRF as outlined in the solicitation

Copies of Academic Transcripts

Offers should be in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf). No other file types will be accepted. All documents should be scanned into one (1) document (one (1) ATTACHMENT) which should not exceed 10MB.

Documents should be arranged and scanned in this order:

DS-174

Cover Letter

Complete Curriculum vitae/resume

Supplemental documents

Academic Transcripts

(vi) Submitted offers and documents become the property of USAID and will not be returned.

Offers must be received by the closing date and time specified in Section I, item 3, and submitted to the Point of Contact in Section I at kampalausaidjobs@usaid.gov Incomplete or late applications will not be considered.

All qualified Offerors will be considered regardless of age, race, color, sex, creed, national or tribal origin, lawful political affiliation, non-disqualifying handicap, marital status, sexual orientation, affiliation with an employee organization or other non-merit factor.

Offeror submissions must clearly reference the Solicitation number on all offeror submitted documents.

For this position, the subject line of the email MUST read:

SOL NUMBER TITLE OF POSITION, LAST, FIRST CANDIDATE NAME Ex: 72061724R10003, Project Management Specialist  Human Resources for Health (HRH), Smith, Jose

Deadline: 21st December 2023

For more of the latest jobs, please visit https://www.theugandanjobline.com or find us on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/UgandanJobline
Goa, the place where land meets the sea creating stunning hues of natural beauty, is one of the most favourite travel destinations in India. From families, and couples to youngsters Goa is every travellers dream and for multiple reasons. While the essence of the state can be enjoyed in different ways and travel budgets, this article entails how you can plan your Goa trip from Delhi on a budget. Read about the different modes of transportation that you can opt for, places you can visit in Goa on a budget and the activities you can do in Goa for free!

Mode of Transportation

There are various means of transportation via which you can travel from Delhi to Goa.

As of now, there are 44 direct flights from New Delhi to Goa. 2 hours 35 minutes is the minimum time that a flight takes from New Delhi to Goa. The fastest flight from Delhi to Goa takes around 2 hours and 25 minutes.

If we talk about the cheapest way to travel to Goa from Delhi, take a train to Pune Junction, and then a bus to Goa. The entire journey will take around 38 hours and 15 minutes. The minimum cost of the entire journey would be around Rs 1600 - Rs 2000.

You can also take a bus from Delhi to Goa, the average journey time of which is 43 hours.

Tips for a Perfect Budget Trip from Delhi to Goa

Keep these tips handy while planning your trip from Delhi to Goa for an unforgettable trip and that too under a budget.

Avoid visiting Goa in December as it is when tourism peaks in the state and the best hotels in Goa would already be booked. Your budget would be higher by 75% to 100% if you want to travel to Goa in December. Travel instead in the shoulder season months of early March or late October which would also help you avoid the harsh summers.

If possible, try and plan your trip on the weekdays instead of the weekends.

Travelling via train from Delhi to Goa is usually recommended for youngsters as it promises the most scenic journey and is also the most budget-friendly option. Depending on the train, the travel journey takes around 30 to 40 hours.

For those who want to experience the real relaxed vibes of Goa and leave scope for interaction with fellow travellers, hostels and homestays are your best bets. Since they are cheaper than regular hotels, it would also help you stay within budget.

Always use a reliable hotel booking app to reserve your hotels in advance if you are travelling in the peak season.

YOU MAY LIKE: Other places to visit from Delhi

Activities to Do in Goa for Free

They say there are no free lunches, but in Goa, you can definitely find several ventures on which you can embark without emptying your pockets. After you have booked the budget hotels in Goa, you can double your savings by trying out these activities.

Rejuvenate on the Beaches

The golden sand beaches of Goa are one of the biggest draws of the state and the best part is that they are accessible for free! Arabian Seas blue waters that touch the beaches of Goa are perfect for a postcard view. Visit the most popular Baga beach, laid-back Mandrem Beach, hippie paradise Anjuna Beach and the backpackers favourite Arambol Beach to experience the true essence of these beaches. The vivid beauty of these beaches will make your trip to Goa worthwhile.

Explore the Charm of Churches

After you have sunbathed on the beaches for that beautiful tan you can focus on achieving zen in the old-world charm of the churches. Several architectural and historical churches in the state are magnificently beautiful. The Church of Bom Jesus is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is dedicated to a patron saint of Goa. The other churches that you must explore are the Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, the Church of St. Francis of Assissi and St. Catherine Church. If you are looking for a stay near these churches, you can find some of the best hotels in Goa with ease.

Witness the Rugged Forts

Chapora Fort gained immense popularity after it was featured in the iconic movie Dil Chahta Hai, becoming a hot tourist spot among youngsters. Most of the rugged forts in Goa overlook the spectacular Arabian Sea, resulting in magnificent views from the top. Fort Aguada, Rachol, Nanuz, Terekhol, Corjeum, Reis Magos and Sinquerim are some other forts that are worth visiting. Do not forget to take your camera lens along with you to capture the natural beauty.

Trek in the Offbeat Places

Trekking and exploring offbeat places is the best way to soak in a destinations natural treasures. Apart from being an amazing activity, it helps you truly enjoy the awesome weather and scenic surroundings and also enriches the adventurer in you. Dudhsagar trekking is one of the most famous trekking trails and is highly popular among trekkers. You can also enjoy trekking through Harvalem Waterfalls, a trek from Fort Aguada to Sinquerim, Chorla Ghat Trek or Tambdi Surla Waterfall Trek which are also beautiful and offer views for once in a lifetime.

Places to Visit in Goa on a Budget

Once you have reached Goa, there are several tourist attractions that you can explore on a budget. Surely, beaches are a fun way to spend your time and save your money, but these places are equally fun and would be manageable on your wallet!

Aguada Fort

There is no entry fee for this popular fort in Candolim, North Goa. Built in 1612, Aguada Fort is one of the major tourist attractions in the state and is an accurate representation of Portuguese architecture. It is situated at the top of a hill near River Mandovi. Owing to its central location, you can find several hotels in Goa near Aguada Fort for a comfortable stay.

Basilica of Bom Jesus

Renowned for its baroque architecture, the Basilica of Bom Jesus was built in 1594 and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The religious and cultural significance of this site cannot be understated. The attraction is open to the public on all days of the week.

Dudhsagar Falls

Located on the Mandovi River, Dudhsagar Falls is a stunning four-tiered waterfall that grabs the attention of all visitors. It creates a mesmerising effect like a white sea coming down from a height. The best time to visit this waterfall is monsoon.

Chapora Fort

Chapora Fort is one of the must-visit tourist destinations in Goa, which is also known as the Dil Chahta Hai Fort. It is perfect to witness the splendour of the Chapora River and the beautiful sunset sky. Since Chapora Fort is a popular tourist attraction, you will be able to find top hotels in Goa near it.

Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary

Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary is one of the best budget-friendly options for photography enthusiasts, environmentalists and children. This sanctuary is perfect to witness the rare species of animals and plants in India.

We hope this article will help you plan your trip from Delhi to Goa in the most efficient way possible, saving you your hard-earned money! We would recommend using a hotel booking app to avail extra discounts for your stay. So save those bucks, pack your bags and get ready to be swooned away by the awe-inspiring state of Goa.
Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has revealed that he is set to fulfil one of things on his bucket listteach filmmaking. Anurag, who loves helping young people follow their passion, said that he will soon start mentoring young filmmakers in Kerala.

Anurag opened up about his future plans in a podcast with host Shubra Aiyappa on Flip the Script with Shubra. He said that he is going to teach in Kottayam in Kerala. The director also revealed an anecdote about his driver's son, whom he helped pursue his creative ambitions.

"My driver came to me and said, Mere bete ka kuch karo (Help my son out). My drivers son is highly educated. He went to BITS. I called him over, asked, Kya karna hai (What do you want to do)? His interest was creative, so I started giving him graphic novels. I told my driver to leave his son to me. Now hes so into graphic novels. Hes so into it, and hes going in a different direction': he said. The filmmaker added that he had access to these opportunities had wanted to share with people.

On the workfront, Anurag last directed Kennedy starring Sunny Leone and Rahul Bhat. The film premiered on ZEE5 in August. The filmmaker, known for his works like Gangs of Wasseypur, Dev D, Black Friday, That Girl in Yellow Boots, and Dobaara, recently opened up about his health scares and how he fell into a state of depression after streaming giant Netflix opted out of his adaptation of Maximum City. He revealed that he had two heart attacks during that time.
Telugu actor-director Vishnu Manchu has revealed the grand plans for his big-budget epic Kannappa, featuring Prabhas, Mohanlal, Mohan Babu and Shiva Rajkumar in pivotal roles.

Manchu, who took to social media to reveal first look posters of the film, said that it revisits the folk tale of Kannappaan atheist hunter who went on to become a devotee of Lord Shiva. The story has been adapted onto the big screen in several Indian languages before.

According to reports, Manchu, who has written the film, plays the titular role. Speaking to Variety, Manchu said that since the audience already knows the tale of Kannappa, he was taken some ceative freedom in recreating the world of the hero. What was Kannappa before he became a devotee? Its just a one-liner. So, I thought, why not recreate the world of Kannappa? Why dont we transport them to a world in the second century and thats how this whole thing came into play, he said.

Kannappa is currently being shot across multiple locations in New Zealand, including Auckland, Pukaki and Christchurch. Manchu told Variety that he decided to choose New Zealand as he was in search of a second century world with unpolluted skies and beautiful forests. The visuals and the world were taking people in to, it is brilliant, he said.

Manchu added that he has envisioned Kannappa like The Lord of the Rings films and the visuals will some of the finest in recent Indian cinema.

Kannappa will release worldwide next year in Telugu, Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 23. The Labor Center will play an important role in strengthening cooperation between the Organization of Islamic Cooperation member countries, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said in his address to the participants of the V Conference of Ministers of Labor of the OIC member states held in Baku, Trend reports.

"It is quite remarkable that a conference of labor ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation was held in Baku 10 years ago. According to the Framework document adopted there, future priorities for the exchange of experience in the fields of labor, migration and social protection were identified. Within the framework of the conference, I put forward the initiative to establish the Labor Center of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation with headquarters in Baku, and member countries unanimously supported that initiative. Over this period, important work has been done towards establishing the Labor Center of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Baku. I am sure that the center will play an important role in strengthening cooperation between member countries," President Ilham Aliyev said.
A new study is challenging the long-held belief that the brain possesses the extraordinary ability to rewire itself in the face of adversity. Scientists from the University of Cambridge and Johns Hopkins University have launched a daring assault on the widely accepted notion that the brain reorganises and repurposes specific regions to compensate for vision loss, amputation, or stroke.

Published in the eLife journal, Professors Tamar Makin and John Krakauer present a paradigm-shifting revelation: the brain isn't rewiring itself; it's unearthing hidden talents that lie dormant within.

Traditionally, it was believed that individuals who lost their sight, or were born blind, witnessed their visual cortex rewiring to process sounds, enabling them to navigate through the world using an astonishing form of "echolocation." Similarly, stroke survivors were thought to enlist alternative brain areas to regain control over their paralyzed limbs.

Renowned neuroscientist John Krakauer, Director of the Center for the Study of Motor Learning and Brain Repair at Johns Hopkins University, acknowledges the allure of the brain rewiring concept. The captivating tales of the blind acquiring superhuman echolocation skills and stroke victims achieving miraculous recoveries fueled this captivating notion. However, Krakauer boldly claims that the explanation behind these phenomena is fundamentally flawed.

Makin and Krakauer meticulously dissected ten influential studies that supported the brain rewiring theory. They contend that while these studies indeed demonstrate the brain's ability to adapt, they fall short of substantiating the creation of entirely new functions in unrelated regions. Instead, the brain taps into latent capacities that have been silently present since birth.

Drawing from her own groundbreaking research, Makin's 2022 study replicated the effect of amputation using a nerve blocker. Astonishingly, the findings unveiled that signals from adjacent fingers were already mapped onto the brain region responsible for the soon-to-be-amputated finger. Consequently, the brain region didn't exclusively process signals from the forefinger but rather amplified the processing of existing signals from other fingers.

Makin emphasises that the brain's response to injury isn't about seizing control of new brain regions for entirely different purposes. Rather, it's a matter of existing brain regions enhancing or reshaping their pre-existing architecture through repetition and learning. The researchers passionately stress the importance of grasping the true nature and boundaries of brain plasticity to set realistic expectations for patients and guide rehabilitation practitioners.

While the awe-inspiring stories of blind individuals gracefully navigating their surroundings through sound and stroke survivors triumphantly reclaiming lost motor abilities remain undeniably captivating, this groundbreaking study dares to challenge the notion that such achievements stem from a complete overhaul of brain regions. Instead, the brain unleashes its full potential by leveraging existing abilities to adapt and conquer adversity.

Unraveling the brain's astonishing adaptability represents a pivotal breakthrough in advancing rehabilitation techniques and instilling genuine hope in those grappling with injury or deficit.
Union Minister Giriraj Singh has written to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, urging him to ban halal-certified products in the state, in line with recent decision by the Uttar Pradesh government.

In the letter, the union minister for rural development said, Under halal business, those things which have no connection with Islam are being Islamised. Singh charged certain institutions have become self-proclaimed authorities in issuing Halal certificates, allegedly receiving substantial payments from companies manufacturing the goods.

Singh alleged that halal business is not only against the Constitution but also treason. The size of business activities related to halal certification all over the world is about $2 trillion and the link of this form of economy with terrorist activities is also coming to light, which needs to be thoroughly investigated, he said.

Singh urged Nitish Kumar to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter and take strict action. Whenever you have led the government in the state with the support of our party in Bihar, rule of law has been your top priority, but in recent years, the situation has deteriorated significantly, the BJP MP from Bihar said.
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw met with social media platforms and experts on Thursday and discussed measures to check deepfake menace.



Talking to presspersons, Vaishnaw said, Deep fake has emerged as a new threat in the society. We need to take immediate steps, he said. The union minister added, We have to focus on four aspects-detection, prevention, reporting mechanism of deep fake and awareness needs to be increased. New regulations will be brought and in the coming weeks, efforts will be made to complete the drafting of regulations, ANI reported. Vaishnaw said the social media companies have agreed upon the need for clear actionable work in the areas.

Representatives of social media companies, NASSCOM, and professors working on Artificial intelligence (AI) also attended the meeting.

"We will start drafting regulation today itself, and within a short time we will have a new set of regulations for deepfake; this could be in the form of amending existing framework or bringing new rules, or new law," PTI quoted Vaishnaw as saying.

Vaishnaw added they would meet next during the first week of December to discuss follow-up action on decisions taken on Thursday and elements to be included in the draft regulation.

Deepfakes refer to synthetic or doctored media that is digitally manipulated and altered to convincingly misrepresent or impersonate someone, using a form of artificial intelligence.

Recently, several 'deepfake' videos targeting leading actors went viral, including celebrities like Rashmika Mandanna, Kajol and most recently Sara Tendulkar, sparking public outrage and raising concerns over the misuse of technology and tools for creating doctored content and fake narratives.

-with agency inputs.
Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Thursday said the city's air quality, as per experts, is expected to improve in the next two to three days and hence the state government has decided to continue with GRAP III regulations.

The minister said the Air Quality Index (AQI) is expected to improve from the "very poor" category in the coming days but the ban on certain vehicles will continue under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) III regulations.

"Under GRAP III, BS 3 petrol and BS 4 diesel vehicles are still banned," Gopal Rai said.

"Scientists are saying that the air quality will improve in the coming 2-3 days. As per the present conditions, it was decided that GRAP III regulations will continue in Delhi for now," he said.

The minister further informed that the restrictions under GRAP IV have been modified and now include a ban on BS 3 petrol and BS 4 diesel vehicles with All India Permit, which were allowed to enter Delhi earlier.

If Delhi air quality deteriorates in future and GRAP IV is invoked again, such vehicles will be banned from entering the national capital, he said.

Meanwhile, the state government may impose more stringent measures to curb the air pollution in the city, if rules are flouted, Rai said while appealing to the residents to comply with rules.

The Centre on Saturday revoked GRAP IV which imposes a ban on construction work related to linear public projects in Delhi-NCR and the entry of polluting trucks and commercial four-wheelers into the national capital.

The decision was taken following an improvement in the air quality in the region due to favourable wind speed and direction.

Stage IV is the final stage of GRAP, which is activated at least three days before the AQI surpasses the 450 mark in the capital.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned actor Prakash Raj for questioning in an alleged Rs 100 crore Ponzi scam case against a Tamil Nadu-based jewellery group.

Raj, a staunch critic of the Bharatiya Janata Party and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has been asked to depose before the central agency in Chennai next week.

The actor has been a brand ambassador of Tiruchirapalli-based Pranav Jewellers which is accused of running a Ponzi scheme and duping investors of Rs 100 crore.

The ED had raided several branches of the group on November 20 and claimed to have seized "unexplained" cash of Rs 23.70 lakh and some gold jewellery.

The federal agency launched the investigation based on an FIR filed by the Tamil Nadu Police Economic Offences Wing. The complainant had alleged that Pranav Jewellers and others collected Rs 100 crore from the public under the guise of a gold investment scheme with the promise of high returns.

ED said its investigation revealed that Pranav Jewellers and other connected persons cheated the public by diverting public funds to shell entities and entry providers under the garb of purchase of bullion and gold ornaments.

Searches also revealed that the supplier parties in the books of M/s Pranav Jewellers were entry providers, who during the investigation confessed to have provided adjustment/ accommodation entries to M/s Pranav Jewellers for amounts over Rs 100 crores; and also confessed to have given cash to the accused persons in lieu of bank payments, the agency said in a statement.
Breaking her silence on the cash-for-query allegations against Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, party supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said any move to expel the lawmaker from Lok Sabha would make her more popular ahead of the 2024 general elections.

A parliament ethics committee, which examined the allegations against Moitra, had earlier this month recommended her disqualification from the lower house and a detailed investigation into the matter.

"Now, they are planning to expel Mahua (from Parliament). She will become more popular as a result. Whatever she used to say inside (Parliament), she will now say those things outside. Would anyone do something like this three months before the elections if he is not stupid?" Banerjee said.

The chief minister was addressing a special session of the party at the Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata.

Banerjees remarks are seen as a clear message of support to Moitra, a staunch critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, from the party amid the row. Earlier this month, the MP was appointed Trinamool Congresss Krishnanagar district chief.

Moitra has been in the middle of a political storm after BJP MP Nishikant Dubey accused her of taking bribe from businessman Darshan Hiranandani for asking questions in parliament targeting Modi and industrialist Gautam Adani.

Dubey had also written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla seeking action against Moitra.

The ethics committee, headed by BJP MP Vinod Kumar Sonkar, recommended Moitras expulsion from Lok Sabha and a detailed probe against her by a government agency on November 9. The panel adopted its report, with six members voting in favour and four against.

The committee chairman will table the report in the Lok Sabha during the next session and there will be a debate on it. The house will vote on a government motion on the recommendations.

Moitra will be expelled only if the house adopts the report.

The MP, meanwhile, mocked the ethics committee decision, calling it a prefixed match by a kangaroo court and the death of parliamentary democracy.

She reiterated her charges in a recent interview with THE WEEK and said the panels recommendations were laughable.

If you see the recommendations of the Ethics Committee, it's laughable. Number one is to expel, number two is to ask an agency to investigate. If you haven't found any evidence, how do you expel someone? The Ethics Committee can't expel, a Special Committee or a Privileges Committee can. So this is a kangaroo court. It is a BJP house. Let the expulsion happen and I will then let people know what I am going to do next, she said.
A top Lashkar-e-Taiba terorist leader from Pakistan was killed in the ongoing encounter between terrorists and the security personnel in Bajimaal area of Rajouri district's Dharmsal on Thursday.



The neutralised terrorist was identified as Quari, a Pakistani citizen, who has received training in Pakistan and Afghanistan, according to a defence spokesman.

"He has been trained on Pakistan and Afghan front. He is a highly ranked terrorist leader of Lashkar-e-Taiba", said the spokesman.

Quari, who has been active in Rajouri and Poonch districts along with other terrorists of the outfit for at least a year, came to the region to revive terrorist activities. The slain terrorist, who was an IED expert and a trained sniper, was reportedly the mastermind of the attacks in Dangri and Kandi.

The LeT terrorist was killed a day after two Army officers and two jawans were martyred in the encounter in Rajouri.

The joint forces of the Army and the Jammu and Kashmir police were deployed in the Kalakote Area, Gulabgarh Forest and Rajouri district based on specific intelligence. The area was cordoned off to prevent the terrorists from escaping following which the top LeT leader was neutralised.
The Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson has announced that the temporary ceasefire in Gaza will start on Friday morning. The ministry spokesperson also added that the first group of hostages will be released in the afternoon as well.

The first group of hostages will be released by 4 pm on Friday, the spokesperson added.

He also added that the criteria on who be released first was purely humanitarian. As per the deal, women and children were given priority for the release.

The spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said 13 Israeli hostages are expected to be released tomorrow. It will be followed by the release of Palestinian detainees from Israel's jail, he added. The two sides had exchanged lists of those to be released, he said.

IDF detains al-Shifa hospital director

Amid the raging Israel-Hamas war, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has detained al-Shifa hospitals director, Muhammad Abu Salmiya on Thursday. Reportedly, he was detained by IDF troops while he was heading to south of the Gaza Strip.

IDF said it was questioning him over evidence that the facility had been used as a command and control centre for the Hamas. Israel has been firmly accusing Hamas for using hospital as a cover to carry out its coordinated operations. While both Hamas and the hospital authorities denied the accusations.

In the hospital, under his management, there was extensive Hamas terrorist activity, the military said in a statement.

"The director of the al-Shifa hospital in the Gaza Strip was apprehended and transferred for ISA questioning following evidence showing that the al-Shifa hospital, under his direct management, served as a Hamas command and control centre. The Hamas terror tunnel network situated under the hospital also exploited electricity and resources taken from the hospital. In addition, Hamas stored numerous weapons inside the hospital and on the hospital grounds," IDF said in its statement.

While Hamas has condemned the action and said it was a despicable act. We consider it a despicable act that only comes from an entity that lacks all sense of humanity and morals, said Hamas.

Meanwhile, Irans foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, has met Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah in Beirut. Israel and Hezbollah have again exchanged fire over the UN-drawn blue line that divides Israel and Lebanon. Israel claims to have intercepted multiple launches.

The Gaza Health Ministry said that so far 13,300 Palestinians have been killed since the October 7 attack. The figures does not include the updated numbers from hospitals in the north as the services and communications in the area had shut down earlier this month.

Around 6,000 people have been reported missing and are feared to be buried under the rubble.

Truce won't end war

Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu said that the truce agreement had raised hopes of eventually winding down the war. He vowed to continue the war against Hamas after the truce expires. The goal is to destroy Hamass military capabilities, added Netanyahu.

We will continue it until we achieve all our goals, Netanyahu said, adding that he had delivered the same message in a phone call to US President Joe Biden.

Along with Hamas attacks, Hezbollah has also been engaged in war with Israel with both exchanging crossfires along the border.

Air raid sirens sounded across northern Israel on Thursday as Hezbollah said it had fired 48 Katyusha rockets from southern Lebanon. The barrage came after an Israeli strike killed five Hezbollah fighters, including the son of the head of the group's parliamentary bloc.

Meanwhile, under the truce deal, 50 hostages are supposed to be freed in stages, in exchange for the release of what Hamas said would be 150 Palestinian prisoners. Women and children would be released first, and Israel said the truce would be extended an extra day for every additional 10 hostages freed.

Qatar said the cease-fire would allow a larger number of humanitarian convoys and relief aid" to enter Gaza, including fuel.

Israel's Justice Ministry published a list of 300 prisoners eligible to be released, mainly teenagers detained over the past year for rock-throwing and other minor offences.
Night cloaked La Paz's gritty suburb of El Alto as Carmen Gonzales Teran finally drifted off, weary from another fruitless day coaxing sustenance for her family. Water had barely dribbled from the taps latelyhalf an hour other mornings, nothing tonight. The duct-taped plastic buckets sat empty as always in her crumbling adobe hutment clinging to a modern high-rise building/home next door. Like thousands in the arid outskirts, Carmen faced the drought and dust daily, troubling signs of the growing crisis gripping the struggling nation.

Resource-rich but impoverished, landlocked Bolivia has seen its fortunes decline sharply of late. Bedeviled by a dollar crisis, economic turmoil, corruption, and environmental woes, the political project of Evo Morales once hailed as Latin America's showcase socialist experiment now seems derailed by his ego.

Morales and his successor Luis Arce are locked in a bitter power struggle tearing their Movement to Socialism (MAS) party apart. This confrontation coincides dangerously with criminal networks and agribusiness elites jousting for economic control of a deeply polarized country.

As these malignant forces overwhelm feeble institutions, the casualties are Bolivia's long-suffering citizens. Carmen's prospects dim each day as water trickles awayboth literally and metaphorically. For a nation seated at the crossroads of South America, such gathering storms now risk spilling far across its borders.

Washington has traditionally paid little heed to instability in Bolivia. Yet, new strategic rivals like China, Russia and Iran embedded there require US attention lest crisis should open backdoors further against its interests.

Redrawing battle lines

To grasp how Bolivia arrived at its current precipice under a feud consuming the all-powerful MAS requires understanding its core cleavages and shifting internal dynamics after 14 years of Morales rule until his overthrow and exile in 2019. That year's disputed election triggered spasms of inter-ethnic bloodletting, recalling federalist civil war battles of the past. Yet a fragile peace held after Morales's technocratic former economy minister, Luis Arce narrowly reclaimed power in 2020, chosen as the partys candidate by Morales himself.

In their mythic narrative, the MAS and Morales an Aymara Indian and coca growers' union leader overcame racist elites to uplift the nation's marginalized indigenous majority through a left-indigenist communitarian ideology called "Vivir Bien", To Live Well.

In redistributing national resource wealth, Morales earned support across ethnic groups over three terms for lifting economic fortunes. At the time he was regarded by many as one of Bolivias best presidents, creeping corruption and authoritarianism gradually alienated many loyalists who once eagerly lined up behind their first indigenous president.

"Evo lost his way...he got drunk on power," say people who now oppose his political return.

Morales ultimately undid himself by blatantly rigging a fourth re-election in October 2019 despite 51 per cent opposing his continuance in a 2016 referendum he called after winning the election by a landslide.

Former president Evo Morales | Reuters

When the military withdrew backing after three weeks of bloody protests, Morales knew his game was up, the scenario has played out many times in the countrys many revolutions. The Evo who had symbolized Bolivia around the globe for over a decade exited under a political asylum deal that did not last long. His successor Jeanine Anez's interim regime moved immediately to the right, opened several probes of the MAS party's misrule spanning human rights violations to money laundering, and threatened prosecutions to put Evo in prison.

Anez, who was the second vice-president of the senate and the third in line for the presidency after the vice president, assumed office after Evo and his vice president resigned and left the country, as did the others in line. The current government now says her claim to the presidency was a usurpation of power. She ran a government mired in corruption, mismanagement of the COVID crisis, and growing authoritarianism. After toying with a candidacy to the presidency, she dropped out of the race and left office in November after one year as president.

What ensued through Arce's landslide win in the re-run election a year later was more than a mere restabilizing transition, suggests Dr Bernardo Aguilar, a La Paz political sociologist. By forcibly passing the baton to former minister Arce, MAS in effect attempted reinventing itself from its crisis of legitimacy while the conservative east regrouped. The party publicly welcomed probe cooperation while blaming excesses only on Morales. In this "MAS 2.0 reset", Arce's scholarly profile offered a reformist contrast to Morales's firebrand indigenous nationalism tainted by corruption, notes Aguilar.

Police crackdowns on opposition media and prosecution of centrist ex-president Anez exposed such rebranding as superficial, however. Arce essentially secured MAS continuity along with renewed leverage for Evo's rehabilitation into Bolivian politics after a year in Argentine exile.

"But we all knew it was a sleeping volcano with Evo outside," Aguilar remarks. "With his networks and ambitions, conflict over the party was always inevitable."

That tussle erupted in 2022 as Arce faltered politically amid deepening economic strife and Morales pulled levers to reclaim his power base. Their showdown now threatens the constitutional order again. Regional tensions magnify risks as strongmen in resource-rich lowland departments resent the Andean MAS exploiting their harvests and gas reserves for patronage. Meanwhile, well-armed coca farmers fear both camps may curb their profitable narcotics livelihoods. Such multi-dimensional strains risk fracturing Bolivia's leadership and state further.

Fueling zero-sum politics is a struggle to monopolize spoils from the vast grey economy of mining, logging and coca-cocaine spanning Bolivia's porous frontiers.

Transnational organized networks like Brazil's PCC cartel and Andean cocaine clans exert rising influence as they transit drug shipments to Atlantic ports.

Meanwhile, the eastern Santa Cruz department centered on agribusiness becomes an ever more powerful magnet for global commodities firms from China and Russia.

Capturing such riches offers whichever MAS faction prevails the budget resources they desperately need to retain power. But perceived tilt by Arce or Morales towards any constituency risks angering the rest and unleashing turmoil.

Bolivia's quadruple crisis of economic tailspin, worldwide supply chain breakdowns, climate shocks and health impacts make this political moment quite precarious, warns La Paz political thinker Carla Blanco.

Unfortunately we see no signs of compromise from any major actor.

Jockeying amid clenched fists and dynamite

Evo Morales dramatically broke months of tension with the Arce government in September with his announcement of seeking an unprecedented fourth presidential bid in 2025. The gambit was vintage Evo audacious in open defiance of both Bolivia's constitutional two-term limit he himself instituted and of Arce's reelection plans. It showed the ex-coca grower's famed maneuvering skills remained sharp. At the same time, the assertive comeback made it clear that there would be no willingness to compromise on power-sharing with the person who would follow him.

We underestimated Evo's lingering clout after three years out of office, a senior minister in Arces cabinet conceded, requesting anonymity to discuss internal party matters. But his ambition outweighs his wisdom at this point.

Evo retains immense influence as the MAS's talismanic founder and builder of its national political machinery over decades. His control springs from myriad sourcesleaders of legislature blocs beholden to him, ties with the critical coca farmers' trade unions, links to allied grassroots and civic groups across Bolivias nine departments, and even influence within the military via nationalist middle ranks. Such networks allowed Evo to pull off mass mobilizations against Arce within weeks.

Cochabamba Social Researcher Dr Arminda Hoffman believes Evo also draws covert backing from prominent figures involved with organized crime and illegal mining given mutual interests and reported past government payoffs permitting unchecked expansion. Powerful regional civic committees with shadowy ties now rally behind the former president while vilifying Arce as a traitor beholden to Washington, media reports suggested.

Evo's conglomerate of loyalists cuts across both legitimate and shadier economic worlds, so he retains heavy grassroots capability and funding sources, explains Hoffman. That makes rivals hesitate in provoking him too openly.

Yet the ex-president also has liabilities. Fair or not, his divisive legacy as an authoritarian populist tainted by corruption scandals makes Evo far from electable nationally again, polls indicate. Younger indigenous voters especially show little warmth for his anachronistic rhetoric. He also burned support within the MAS through the blatant manipulation in 2019 that triggered traumatic street violence and deaths his allies and supporters still resent. Further, his chief basecoca growers in Chapare and Yungas regionsoffers diminishing political returns as the anti-narcotic lobby calls tighter restrictions on expanding cocaine production.

Such realities appear to have Arce's decision to directly stand up to Evo in October. Risking an open rupture with powerful constituencies, the president moved to consolidate his position. Cronies on the MAS executive committee that nominally govern the organization were installed while expelling key political threats.

Potential challengers for 2025 like Santa Cruz Governor Luis Camacho found themselves swiftly accused on dubious sedition charges.

Far from replacing Arce, Evo earned public condemnation for illegally claiming MAS ownership and destabilizing the nation. Yet he swiftly rallied support to dispute his blackballing.

Staunch loyalists in half the departments converged on Cochabamba in a forceful show of strength, shutting down the airport and roads for days.

Alleging Arce no longer represented the party's grassroots, Evo unilaterally anointed himself the maximum leader. The move amounted to open revolt even as most legislators continued backing the elected president. Arce in turn rejected the Cochabamba gathering as fraudulent while clinging to just enough party apparatus support to avoid being totally isolated, even as Evos coalition placed growing public pressure to bend.

By Novembers end, Bolivia drifted towards institutional paralysis and a governance void as two competing MAS factions wrestled for supremacy without an umbrella organization to broker peace. Already futile attempts at reconciliation talks collapsed. Some dissenting lawmakers discussed trying to even support renewed opposition impeachment motions against Arce for 'betraying' core support bases.

For the majority of citizens focused on economic survival like Carmens family, however, the widening political chasm piles more uncertainty on top of their daily grind.

Drivers of desperation

While Bolivia's harsh geography has always imposed hardship, the accelerating woes Enrique and his neighbors now face signal an alarming erosion of the state. Three reinforcing dimensions of distress explain growing national anxiety.

The first and most profound shock remains the economic implosion threatening recent developmental gains since Evo took reins in 2006.

Thanks to prudent management and high commodities prices, Bolivia achieved Latin Americas highest growth rates for years, averaging near 5 per cent annually into 2014 led by natural gas exports.

However, this golden decade of growth was revealed as an illusion. It was propped up by over-exploiting rents from export of raw materials like gas and minerals in a way that was ultimately unsustainable. Both progress and stability required permanently high fuel and mineral income to support Evos vast social programs.

Activists protest in defence of 'Mother Earth' and against forest fires and gold mining in protected lands, in La Paz | AP

The house of cards crumbled after 2014 as gas fields depleted amid falling global prices, causing income and exports to fall by half. Government desperation to extract resources also spawned lithium and gold mining booms rife with graft and toxic spills while research points to cocaine trafficking rivaling coffee output.

Despite ecological warnings, rampant slash-and-burn for pasture lands and logging proceeded, shrinking forests 60 per cent in a decade. Such actions temporarily plugged fiscal gaps but stripped Bolivia of future assets.

Statistics illustrate the post-bonanza bust cycle trapping Bolivia in underdevelopment again. Growth slowed to an average of 3 per cent by 2019 when Evo left, half the regional pace. Export values keep declining yearly. Overseas currency reserves ran out in 2022 despite controversial sales of the nations last gold holdings, forcing deferred payments to overseas creditors.

Over this simmering economic stew, natures growing fury heaps more misery as the country is wracked by climate change impacts. Freak droughts and floods affect farm output and city electricity. Millions live vulnerable to disaster from the surrounding Andes glaciers melting as agricultural heartlands dry.

The third malignant force is organized crime and trafficking overwhelming the state. As economic options constrict, shadow trades with higher returns thrive on corruption and sieve-like frontiers favorable for moving contraband. Experts believe barely 10 per cent of narcotics and contraband gold transiting Bolivia is intercepted while chicken and fuel smuggling evade millions in customs duties.

Such high-reward rackets lure in growing numbers including youth and security officials. Narco clans now recruit children trafficked into forced labor and sexual exploitation. Ruthless Brazilian mobsters like the PCC colonize remote outposts to dominate overseas cocaine supply chains.

Bolivia's wild east falls to outlaw rule

In the eastern regions of Beni and Santa Cruz departments, landowners bankroll militia to illegally expand soy plantations and encroach on parks, supplanting coca bushes poisoning waters downstream. Violence inevitably explodes over the spoils as mafia wars spill blood from Chapare to Cochabamba.

Warlord feudalism is what fills vacuums when economic incentives fail and institutions erode, notes a retired Bolivian general. Our nation falls prey slowly into a criminal state.

"We found criminal presence in 70 per cent of Amazonian municipalities," concluded Bram Ebus, Pulitzer fellow and coordinator of transnational probe "Amazon Underworld". His team's year-long data project exposes malign networks thriving in gaps between states across neglected jungle borderlands.

Nowhere looms this disorder more starkly than Bolivia, Amazonia's heart. "Economically weakened and politically paralyzed, it is falling prey to mafia power," warns indigenous leader Marcial Fabricano in an interview with the Santa Cruz daily El Deber. In the remote eastern half of the nation, outlaw fiefdoms leverage cocaine profits and illegal gold to buy impunity. Their spreading grip over land, economy and marginalized forest tribes alarms neighbors like Brazil battling its own narco onslaught.

In these lawless areas surrounding the worlds second largest wetlands, narco clans process cocaine destined overseas through Paraguay and corrupt security forces. Ruthless Brazilian syndicates have colonized transit routes while backing local allies to ensure smooth supply.

"Officials at all levels are on mafia payrolls," according to Bolivian counter-narcotic agents. Cutthroat capitalists bankroll hired guns to encroach on protected parks, leaving scorched earth and social ruins. Profits permeate into agriculture, logging and land speculation, embedding organized crime influence through legitimate facades regionwide.

Bought authorities turn blind eyes, enabling proliferation. But inevitably, blood spills as mobsters feud over spoils and officials face hitmen.

With climate change ravaging farms and cities alongside political turmoil, into this disorder strides the law of the jungle, and of the gun.

"The government no longer rules here," indigenous leader Rolando Salvatierra told El Deber. "Real power lies with shadow forces dividing our home amongst themselves. It falls on us alone to take it back."

The perilous outlook means rural and marginal Bolivians today live besieged by want on more fronts daily.

Even close to the capital, families like Carmen's hunker in uncertainty over dangers ranging from food price gouging to mob hits to viral outbreaks that overwhelm skeletal healthcare. The countrys SUS (Sistema Unico de Salud), labeled as free healthcare for all, is mere window dressing, poorly covering even the most basic health issues, it is is underfunded, overburdened and failing to meet the needs of its people.

Each new pressure fans public outrage towards whoever holds power in La Paz, explains sociologist Bernardo Aguilar.

Common people barely care whether Arce or Evo rules...they just know politicians fail them while their lives crumble, said Aguilar. This rage gets channeled by opportunists towards scapegoats, weakening society further till violence looks justified.

For neighbors like Brazil and Peru on the frontlines of spillover impacts, the stakes of averting state failure loom ominous. Distant great powers too like China and Russia face containment hazards as their local clients and partners sink into disorder. The hourglass runs low for Bolivia to pull back from implosion unless compromise and reform take hold. But hope remains sparse on the horizon.

Overarching crisis in perspective

The broader picture framing the turmoil embroiling Bolivia helps contextualize internal pressures straining society's faultlines. Four dimensions of its systemic plight bear weighing for any roadmap to recovery.

The first surrounds inherent disadvantages of landlocked developing countries relying on neighbors as sole export outlets. Global data shows they suffer up to 50 per cent lower trade, 15 per cent higher transport costs and below-average growth compared to coastal states. For Bolivia, its route to open seas lies overwhelmingly dependent on commerce down the Parana River into the Atlantic and ties with Brazil and Argentina. Overland routes to the port of Arica in Chile are also depending on political ties and international relations. Such geographical constraints limit the economy despite wealth of minerals and farm output.

Add to that the legacy of racism and feudalism entrenched since Spanish conquest 500 years back has calcified inequality and exclusion of the indigenous majority. Despite significant gains during Evos government, that power structure has proven tough change through just constitutional reforms in plurinational republics like Bolivia.

Though poverty halved since 2005, class divides persist painfully amid low productivity, failing schools, malnutrition, gender violence and other woes.

The third liability lies in factional politics obsessed with narrow advantage above national purpose. Though operating under electoral rules, ethnocentric party agendas take turns exploiting rather than strengthening institutions. With no forward vision beyond group benefits, state capacity erodes long-term.

An indirect casualty is managing complexity in economic planning needed for progress. Governance requires astute data analysis, transparent regulatory systems and stabilizing policies that accumulate expertise across changes. But erratic Bolivian policymaking disperses knowledge and reorients strategies. That contributes towards misguided decisions like overreliance on gas rents without offsets or allowing illegal mining that wrecks sustainability. Volatile state signals also hamper domestic entrepreneurship and foreign capital inflows, starving job creation. Over decades, the high costs compound grievously.

These constraints underscore that beyond leadership instability, Bolivia suffers handicaps embedded historically. Even well-intentioned, reformist leaders like Arce or more democratically accountable oppositions would face chronic hurdles to delivering prosperity absent liberating structural reforms. Resolving such strategic deadlocks remains Bolivia's foremost developmental challenge.

Regional spillover risks

At stake if Bolivia continues its downward trajectory without course correction are wider hemispheric consequences given strategic geography and ties. Four neighboring countries face direct externalities of concerns to Washington policymakers: Brazil, Peru, Paraguay and Argentina.

The largest immediate fallout beyond domestic humanitarian impacts hits Brazil as human smuggling, drugs and arms trafficking surge across its vast Amazonian frontier with Bolivia.

Gulf cartels like the Familia do Norte and First Capital Command operating from there already dominate supplying Europe's booming cocaine market through Brazilian exit ports like Santos, the city made famous by Pele.

Turmoil in Bolivia now offers Brazil's mobsters new corridors to consolidate control over production zones while recruiting Bolivia's many desperate youth as they control the routes to Europe and compete with Mexican and Colombian cartels operating in the country

Experts estimate the illicit trades netting Brazilian traffickers over USD 25 billion yearly could expand another 20-30 per cent capitalizing on Bolivia's mayhem. That is aside wider money laundering pipelines to wash dirty cash through the regional banking system.

With their advanced weaponry and brutality, Brazil's syndicates are gaining sufficient foothold to capture swaths of Bolivia's police, judiciary and local municipalities to operate freely as it happened in Ecuador.

Such criminal contagion risks bleeding deeper into South America's largest nation, complicating recent efforts to reverse Brazil's emergence as a mafia haven.

As Bolivia spirals into the abyss, the alarm bells ring loud across the Americas. A nation once hailed as a showcase for 21st century socialism lies besieged by narco warlords and corrupt politicos. Its plight heralds dangers closer home as democratic fragility spreads like a virus from the Andes to the Atlantic.

Washington dispensed with Bolivia as a backwater lacking strategic import. But global rivalries turn peripheral states into powder kegs - havens where China, Iran, and Russia implant proxies while crime cartels leverage mayhem. The expanding disorder ought to serve notice that if the heart of South America succumbs, the health of its neighbors could swiftly follow.

Outside La Paz, Carmen Gonzales still waits for water.
Israel on Thursday said the release of Israeli hostages under a temporary truce between Tel Aviv and Hamas will not happen before Friday.

Israel's national security adviser's statement released by the prime minister's office comes as there was no official announcement regarding when the truce or hostage release in exchange of Palentian prisoners will begin, reported Reuters.

Israel and the Gaza militants reached a deal on Wednesday, agreeing to a four-day ceasefire in Gaza to allow access to humanitarian aid. Hamas also agreed free at least 50 Israeli hostages in exchange for at least 150 Palestinians held in Israel prisons, the agency added.

"The negotiations on the release of our hostages are advancing and continuing constantly," Israeli National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said in a statement. "The start of the release will take place according to the original agreement between the sides, and not before Friday.

Israel was yet to receive the list of hostages who were expected to be released by Hamas, reported Ynet, an Israeli new website.

Media reports from Israel, citing anonymous officials, reported the pause in fighting with Hamas also would not start before Friday.

Citing a source in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office, the country's public broadcaster Kan reported there was a 24-hour delay because the agreement was not signed by Hamas and mediator Qatar.

"No one said there would be a release tomorrow except the media... We had to make it clear that no release is planned before Friday, because of the uncertainty that hostages' families are facing," Kan quoted the official as saying.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 23. OIC Secretary General Hissein Brahim Taha has congratulated Azerbaijan on the restoration of sovereignty, Trend reports.

Taha made the remark during his speech at the V Conference of Ministers of Labor of the OIC member states held in Baku.

Mentioning the importance of the conference, the secretary general noted that the event is a beneficial opportunity to review cooperation within the OIC.

In order to ensure the provisions of the Trilateral Statement (signed by Azerbaijani, Armenian and Russian leaders following the 2020 second Karabakh war), prevent large-scale provocations in the Karabakh economic region, disarmament, and the withdrawal of Armenian armed formations from Azerbaijani territories, anti-terror measures of a local nature were carried out in the region on September 19-20, 2023.

As a result of the anti-terror measures, Azerbaijan restored sovereignty and constitutional order in these territories. The armed formations of Armenia located in the Karabakh region of the Republic of Azerbaijan were disbanded and left the territory of Azerbaijan.

Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
A 26-year-old Indian doctoral student was shot dead in the US state of Ohio. The student was identified as Aaditya Adlakha, who was pursuing his Ph.D in molecular and developmental biology at the University of Cincinnati Medical School.

The medical university has described the incident as "sudden, tragic and senseless".

According to Hamilton County Coroner's Office, Adlakha died earlier this month at the UC Medical Center.

On November 9, Cincinnati Police Lt. Jonathan Cunningham said officers found a man shot inside a vehicle that crashed into a wall on the upper deck of the Western Hills Viaduct.

Police said that they received reports of gunfire in the area by around 6:20 am. A 911 call reported spotting a car with multiple bullet holes with a person inside the vehicle, said Cunningham.

Adlakha was rushed to hospital but he succumbed to his wounds two days later.

No arrests have been made since the shooting was reported, local media reports said.

"Today, you might have seen news reports of his sudden, tragic and senseless death. Those who knew him, along with fellow students and others who may not have had the fortune to have met Aaditya, may experience a wide variety of reactions, which are understandable and expected," Senior Vice President of Health Affairs and Dean, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Andrew Filak said.

"He was much-loved, exceedingly kind and humorous, intelligent and sharp, whose research was described as novel and transformative. The focus of his work was to better understand neuroimmune communication and how neuroimmune interactions might contribute to pain and the inflammatory landscape in ulcerative colitis," Filak was quoted as saying by WLWT.com, a television station in Cincinnati.

Adlakha had earned his bachelor's degree in Zoology from Ramjas College at the University of Delhi and later completed a master's degree in Physiology at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, both located in New Delhi.

He came to Cincinnati from north India to continue his education in medicine. "As a college and as Aaditya's academic home, we extend our deepest condolences to his family and to those who knew him as a friend and colleague," the Cincinnati Enquirer quoted the medical school as saying.

(With agencies inputs)
Taboo

(plural taboos)

A subject, word, or action that is avoided for religious or social reasons.

(Apologies for the spoilers.)

Sexuality has always been a touchy subject in our society, and, as an extension, in our films which, more often than not, hold a mirror to the world around us. The mainstream industry has often treated it as taboo, or ridiculed it with its caricaturish portrayal.

The Hindi film industry had gems like My Brother Nikhil and Aligarh, and the odd strand in Kapoor & Sons, which dealt with it, and more. But they have been few and far between.

Down south, in the Malayalam film industry, which is often hailed for its progressive and realistic storylines and portrayal, too, there have been mainstream films like Deshanadakili Karayarilla, which have put the message across without frills. In fact, when Prithviraj Sukumaran and Nivin Pauly  both of who are stars in their own right  took the plunge with Mumbai Police and Moothon, it was a coming-of-age moment for the young brigade.

But now they have a challenger. A certain 72-year-old. A legend, who could have easily followed in the footsteps of his contemporaries who are trying to outdo each other in the crore club race. Instead, he is reinventing himself as an actor, one film at a time. Post pandemic, he has thrown caution to the winds and is on a streak like no other.

He is Mammootty.

If Unda heralded the era, Bheeshma Parvam, Puzhu, Rorschach and Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam brightened his aura. And with Jeo Babys Kaathal  The Core, he has just upped his game. Mathew Devassy (Mammootty) is a common man  worked in a cooperative bank, is a party worker, has a wife Omana (Jyothika) who is employed, a teenage daughter and an ageing father. But, right from the start, one can sense there is something simmering. Baby and the filmmaker, who shook us all with The Great Indian Kitchen, and his crew are at their best here, slowly but surely revealing the reason for the tension in the air. Theres an election to be fought and won, but Mathew and Omana are fighting their own silent battles. Soon, the battle lines become blurred, and it turns into a war against the societys idea and interpretation of taboo.

For a subject which is often misunderstood and misinterpreted in cinema, Kaathal  The Core gets full marks for its sensible and sensitive treatment. Take a bow, scriptwriters Paulson Skaria and Adarsh Sukumaran! In fact, its the first time Baby is directing a film scripted by another.

For the music though, he chose to go with his trusted aide, Mathews Pulickan. Another great decision, we must say, as music plays a role as important as any other character in the film.

Which brings us to the characters in Kaathal  The Core. Its difficult to imagine anybody else in Mathews shoes once you have seen Mammootty in that role. The nuances, the body language, the voice modulations the master is truly at work here.

But, the pleasant surprise in the film is the support cast. In fact, to call the other actors the support cast, is an insult really. For instance, Sudhi as Thangan will blow your mind. A man of few words, Thangans fleeting exchanges with Mathew are a sight to behold. Talk about unearthing a gem!

Admitted Jyothika brings in more star value than anything else. But she holds her own as the firm yet caring Omana. The language barrier is a bit of a stumbling block in the close-up scenes. As is the touch of melodrama right at the end, but it will be nitpicking to be honest.

Kaathal  The Core is a watershed moment in Malayalam cinema, much like The Great Indian Kitchen. Both Baby and Mammootty have shattered a glass ceiling, the sound of which, one hopes, will reverberate loudly in the society and for long.

Film: Kaathal  The Core



Language: Malayalam

Director: Jeo Baby

Cast: Mammootty, Jyothika, Sudhi and others

Rating: 4.5/5
Mumbai, Nov 23 (PTI) The Maharashtra government has allowed its departments to open accounts and invest surplus funds in eight private banks along with the Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank.

The state finance department issued a government resolution to this effect on Wednesday.

The eight private banks mentioned in the GR are HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, Kokat Mahindra Bank, IndusInd Bank, Yes Bank, Federal Bank and Bandhan Bank.

All the notified banks have been selected on criteria that includes five consecutive years of net profit, net worth of more than Rs 16,000 crore, capital adequacy ratio of more than 12 per cent, as well as no restrictions by the Reserve Bank of India.

The state government's order asked all departments concerned to verify these criteria before selection of a bank.

If any bank loses its net worth or fails to meet any other criteria in future, the onus of communicating such a change to the state government will lie with the management of the lender, the order asserted.
 Global provider of IT and digital solutions, Hexaware Technologies, opens new Birmingham facility to support UK growth ambitions.



 Offices officially opened by West Midlands Mayor, Andy Street, one year on from trade mission to India.



 Hexaware begins West Midlands recruitment drive, with plans to create 250 roles at new facility by 2025.



MUMBAI, India, Nov. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Indian-owned Hexaware Technologies, a global provider of IT and digital solutions, has marked the next phase of its UK expansion by opening a new Birmingham-based facility, with plans to create 250 jobs. The facility at 3, Brindleyplace was officially opened by West Midlands Mayor, Andy Street, who took part in a ribbon cutting and traditional Indian lamp-lighting ceremony.



Hexaware's launch of its Birmingham base follows its move to establish a pilot facility in the city earlier this year to provide on-site support for several customers. Since then, a surge in demand in areas such as application operations, End-User Computing (EUC) services, and ServiceDesk support, has convinced Hexaware to step up its growth in the West Midlands while diversifying its portfolio of services.



The expansion plan forms a key part of the business' UK growth strategy, which is focused on establishing themselves as a trusted partner for innovative IT and digital services. The company is committed to scaling up its Birmingham facility to house 250 talented professionals by 2025. The onboarding process for over 60 local employees is already underway, with plans to actively seek out additional top-tier talent to complement Hexaware's growing team. The business' recruitment drive is being supported by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) skills team, following an introduction by the West Midlands Growth Company (WMGC).



The announcement comes one year since West Midlands Mayor, Andy Street, led a delegation formed of business and political leaders from the UK's West Midlands to India's sub-regions. The trade mission resulted in a number of strategic partnerships, with the aim of boosting bilateral trade and investment between India and the West Midlands.



During the 2022/23 financial year, India overtook the US to become the West Midlands' leading source of FDI, with tech-led investments into the region representing a prominent trend. The West Midlands also cemented its reputation as a global investment hotspot, emerging as the UK's top regional location for attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) outside London.



R Srikrishna, CEO at Hexaware, said, "We want to deliver personalized services to our large and rapidly growing British customer base while helping build and improve the economy and talent in local communities. Birmingham and the Midlands, with their rich and diverse talent base, offer immense potential to meet both objectives."



Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, said, "Last year's trade mission to India helped us to further strengthen our region's economic ties with this dynamic nation on the rise  as discussions advance around a new Free Trade Agreement between the UK and India.



"India is now one of our region's leading sources of foreign direct investment, and now, the West Midlands Growth Company (WMGC) is spearheading our international strategy to further strengthen our reputation as the UK's leading FDI recipient outside of London.



"This important investment announcement from Hexaware a year on from our trade mission is a fantastic result. I'm pleased that Hexaware have made this commitment, and I look forward to seeing them go from strength to strength here  supported by our world-class STEM talent base and strengths in innovation."



Councillor John Cotton, Leader of Birmingham City Council, said, "Birmingham is a hub of educational excellence, housing multiple institutions that consistently rank among the world's top 100 universities. Our city is not only home to these world-class universities, but it also offers an exceptional environment for both local and international students and skilled professionals. With this expansion, Birmingham presents a unique opportunity to students and professionals alike to acquire invaluable industry experience through work placements with Hexaware, contributing to the needs of their global clientele."



About West Midlands Growth Company:



The West Midlands Growth Company helps the region make its mark nationally and internationally. Its primary purpose is to attract investment, jobs, visitors and businesses to the West Midlands. The West Midlands Growth Company focuses on the WMCA geography of Greater Birmingham and Solihull, Coventry and Warwickshire, and the Black Country.



About Hexaware Technologies:



Hexaware is a global technology and business process services company. Our 27,900 Hexawarians wake up every day with a singular purpose: to create smiles through great people and technology. With 45+ offices in 19 countries, we empower enterprises worldwide to realize digital transformation at scale and speed by partnering with them to build, transform, run, and optimize their technology and business processes.



Learn more about Hexaware at https://www.hexaware.com



Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2284206/HexawareBirminghamfacilityinauguration.jpg

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2237417/HexawareNEW_Logo.jpg



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NEW DELHI, Nov. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), premier 'B-School' in the country, was established in 1963 under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Govt. of India to contribute in the skill building for the external trade sector of India. The Institute was granted 'Deemed to be University' status in 2002. The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) has recognized IIFT as Grade 'A' Institution in 2005 as well as in 2015. The Institute was granted the prestigious AACSB Accreditation in 2021. With this, the IIFT figures amongst the top 900+ Business Schools of the world which have earned this accreditation. For the Academic Year 2024-25, registrations are open for following MBA programmes:



1. Two year full time MBA (International Business) 2024-26 programme at Delhi and Kolkata campuses.



2. Two year full time MBA (Business Analytics) 2024-26 programme at Delhi campus.



Eligibility Criteria



 Complete details about eligibility criteria are given in the Prospectus which is available at



https://applyadmission.net/iift2024/Prospectus2024.pdf



 Candidates appearing in the final year of graduation can also apply for both the programmes subject to submission of proof of requisite qualification by October 31, 2024.



 No age limit.



Mode of Admission:



Candidates will be shortlisted for the second round of the admission process i.e. Group Discussion/ Personal Interview of MBA (International Business) and MBA (Business Analytics) programmes on the basis of their CAT Score/ valid GMAT score and other parameters.



How to apply:



Complete details about how to apply for IIFT's MBA (IB) and MBA (BA) 2024-26 programmes are available on IIFT website i.e. www.iift.ac.inunder Current Admissions.



Application Fee:



For General / OBC-NCL/ EWS Candidates



Rs. 3,000



For SC / ST / PWD / TRANSGENDER Candidates



Rs. 1,500



For Foreign Nationals / NRIs



$200/ Rs. 15,000





ADMISSION CALENDAR



Online Application Started on



27 October 2023



Last Date of Online submission of application form



06 December 2023



Online application for Foreign National/NRI Candidates start on



15 January 2024



Last Date of Online submission of application form for Foreign National/NRI Candidates



15 March 2024



CAT Exam Date



26 November 2023



List of Shortlisted candidates for second round of admission on IIFT website https://www.iift.ac.in



Last Week of January 2024



Group Discussion/Extempore and Interview



March/ April 2024



Commencement of Programme



First week of July 2024







Contact Details:



For Admission Related Inquiry, Contact Section Officer (Admissions Cell) 011- 39147213 (Direct), 39147200-05 EPBAX (Extn. 621) Mob. 09773698083 admission@iift.edu.



About IIFT:



The Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) was established in 1963 as an autonomous body under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry to contribute in the skill building for the external trade sector of India. It has come a long way to successfully develop into a unique institution involved in imparting knowledge through research and training in international business and trade. The Institute was granted 'Deemed to be University' status in 2002. The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) has recognized IIFT as Grade 'A' Institution in 2005 as well as in 2015. Over the years, IIFT has emerged as a national university with focus on International Business Management and Strategy, and such focus is reflected in all three major activities of the Institute: Research, Training and Education.



IIFT has collaborations with 40+ Universities/B-schools throughout the world. The key areas of collaboration with partner institutes are Student Exchange / Faculty Exchange, Faculty Development Programme, Training Programmes/Study Tours Joint Research etc.



(Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with PRNewswire and PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.). PTI PWR

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(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)
New Delhi, Nov 23 (PTI) Terming deepfakes as a new threat to democracy, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday said that the government will come up with new regulations soon to tackle deepfakes.

The minister, who met social media platforms on the deepfake issue on Thursday, said that companies have agreed on the need for clear actionable work in areas such as detection, prevention, strengthening of reporting mechanism, and raising user awareness.

"We will start drafting regulation today itself, and within a short time we will have a new set of regulations for deepfakes ... this could be in the form of amending existing framework or bringing new rules, or new law," Vaishnaw told reporters.

Deepfakes have emerged as a new threat to democracy, the minister said.

"We will have our next meeting in the first week of December...that will be on follow-up action on today's decisions, and also on what should be included in the draft regulation," Vaishnaw said. Deepfakes refer to synthetic or doctored media that is digitally manipulated and altered to convincingly misrepresent or impersonate someone, using a form of artificial intelligence.

Recently, several 'deepfake' videos targeting leading actors went viral, sparking public outrage and raising concerns over the misuse of technology and tools for creating doctored content and fake narratives.
New Delhi, Nov 23 (PTI) The initial public offer of Tata Technologies, which provides engineering and product development digital services, was subscribed 14.85 times on the second day of subscription on Thursday.

This is the first company from the Tata Group to float an Initial Public Offer (IPO) in nearly two decades. Tata Consultancy Services was the last IPO from the group in the year 2004.

The Rs 3,042.5 crore initial share sale received bid for 66,87,31,680 shares against 4,50,29,207 shares on offer, as per NSE data.

The portion for non-institutional investors got subscribed 31.03 times while the category for Retail Individual Investors (RIIs) received 11.19 times subscription. The portion for Qualified Institutional Buyers (QIBs) attracted 8.55 times subscription.

The IPO of Tata Technologies was fully subscribed within minutes of opening for bidding on Wednesday.

Tata Technologies, an arm of Tata Motors, on Tuesday said it has collected Rs 791 crore from anchor investors.

The public issue, with a price band of Rs 475-500 per share, will conclude on November 24.

Tata Technologies' public issue is entirely an Offer For Sale (OFS) of 6.08 crore equity shares.

Under the OFS, Tata Motors will offload 4.63 crore shares, representing 11.4 per cent stake, private equity firm Alpha TC Holdings will sell 97.17 lakh shares or 2.4 per cent stake, and Tata Capital Growth Fund I will do away with 48.58 lakh shares or 1.2 per cent of the shareholding.

JM Financial, Citigroup Global Markets and BofA Securities are the book-running lead managers to advise the company on the IPO.

Equity shares of Tata Technologies will be listed on BSE and NSE.
New Delhi, Nov 23 (PTI) State-owned Bank of India (BoI) on Thursday organised a credit outreach programme in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.

The programme was presided over by Minister of State for Finance Bhagwat K Karad.

The main objective of the programme was to ensure credit flow to MSME (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) and agriculture and allied activities, BoI, State Level Bankers Committee convenor for Uttar Pradesh, a statement said.

In the programme, a total loan amount of Rs 223 crore to 163 customers was sanctioned by all banks, and sanction letters worth Rs 167 crore to 36 beneficiaries were distributed by Karad, it said.

He stressed the benefits of Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY), Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY), Atal Pension Yojana (APY) and Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY), and appreciated the contribution of banks in successfully implementing various financial inclusion schemes, including Stand-Up India and PM Street Vendor's Atmanirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi).

The minister talked about connecting people deprived of banking facilities with banks and emphasised the importance of a financial inclusion programme towards providing basic financial services in every corner of the country.

Karad urged banks to promote awareness about various financial inclusion schemes, including Jan Suraksha Yojana, and digital financial transactions like UPI Lite.

He asked banks to make the recently launched PM Vishwakarma Yojana to support traditional artisans and craftsmen.
Mumbai, Nov 23 (PTI) As an actor, Ranbir Kapoor has no limitations, says filmmaker Sandeep Reddy Vanga, who believes he has presented the star in a never-seen-before avatar in their upcoming film "Animal".

The movie revolves around a father and son and their troubled bond, played by Anil Kapoor and Ranbir. It is set against the backdrop of extreme bloodshed in the underworld.

The director, best known for Vijay Devarakonda-starrer Arjun Reddy and its Hindi remake "Kabir Singh", starring Shahid Kapoor, said it was a pleasure to watch Kapoor transform into the total antithesis of himself in the role of Arjun Singh in Animal.

"Ranbir is a great actor, he is in a different league altogether. He is very original. I feel he is a mix of so many actors, it is wrong to compare to other actors, (But) I feel he is a mix of Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Kamal Haasan. This man (Ranbir) has no limitation, Vanga told PTI.

"He doesnt get angry like his character (in the film). He is a very calm person. I remember when I used to write rageful scenes, I would ask him so many times, Ranbir, when do you get angry? He would say, 'I don't get angry, and Sandeep this is the 7th or 9th time you are asking me this'."

Vanga said he was introduced to Kapoor's work through Rockstar, in which the actor played the role of a musician struggling to find himself, spiritually and artistically. "I saw two shows of 'Rockstar' on the same day. I loved him and I told him about this. I never thought I would get to work with him. As a concept film, this is my second film. Im glad I got to work with him this early. He had called me saying, We should work (together). This is after 'Kabir Singh'.

"He had actually sent me a text message after 'Arjun Reddy', and I had not seen his message as it came from an unknown number. It was such a mistake. I was so happy when I learnt about it.

The movie also stars Bobby Deol and Rashmika Mandanna.

Speaking about Bobby Deol, Vanga said Deol was always the first choice for the movie.

"He is a great guy. From day one, we had Bobby in mind. I had called him in 2020 or 2021, he was promoting 'Class of 83'. For one of the scenes where he is bare-chested, we shot it in Scotland in minus three degrees. He came, he did the shot, he added.

Produced by Kumar and Krishan Kumars T-Series, Murad Khetanis Cine1 Studios and Pranay Reddy Vangas Bhadrakali Pictures, Animal will release theatrically on December 1 in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam.

Vanga is happy with the reception the movie's teaser has received and said he is eager to see how the public will react when Animal opens in theatres next month.

"I'm so happy that everybody is liking it. I gave more than three years for this film. It all feels good when people like your work. I think the film will be a blockbuster. Its been a while since there has been a story about father and son, he said.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 23. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban will arrive in Azerbaijan on a working visit, the office of the Hungarian Prime Minister said, Trend reports.

Following a visit to Switzerland on November 24, he will visit Baku to attend the UN Special Program for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA) conference.

Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Peter Szijjarto is also expected to visit Azerbaijan.

To note, large-scale regional projects unite Hungary and Azerbaijan. This country is already supplied with Azerbaijani gas. The two countries are also collaborating on a green corridor project that will add to Europe's supply of sustainable energy.

MOL Group, a Hungarian oil corporation, is the largest Central European investor in Azerbaijan.

As previously reported, Hungarian businesses will soon begin rebuilding a settlement in Azerbaijan's liberated territories.

Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
Washington, Nov 23 (PTI) The 26-year-old Indian doctoral student died after being shot inside a car in the US state of Ohio, in an incident described by his medical university as "sudden, tragic and senseless".

Aaditya Adlakha was a fourth-year doctoral student in the molecular and developmental biology programme at the University of Cincinnati Medical School, according to a statement from the medical school, WXIX-TV reported.

Adlakha died earlier this month at the UC Medical Center, according to the Hamilton County Coroners Office.

On November 9, Cincinnati Police Lt. Jonathan Cunningham said officers found a man shot inside a vehicle that crashed into a wall on the upper deck of the Western Hills Viaduct.

ShotSpotter, a gunfire locator service, reported there was gunfire in the area around 6:20 am, police said.

Drivers passing by called 911 to report a vehicle that had bullet holes in it with a person inside who had been shot, said Cunningham.

Adlakha was transported to UC Medical Center where he was in critical condition and was pronounced dead two days later.

No arrests have been made since the shooting was reported, local media reports said.

"Today, you might have seen news reports of his sudden, tragic and senseless death. Those who knew him, along with fellow students and others who may not have had the fortune to have met Aaditya, may experience a wide variety of reactions, which are understandable and expected," Senior Vice President of Health Affairs and Dean, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Andrew Filak said.

"He was much-loved, exceedingly kind and humorous, intelligent and sharp, whose research was described as novel and transformative. The focus of his work was to better understand neuroimmune communication and how neuroimmune interactions might contribute to pain and the inflammatory landscape in ulcerative colitis." Filak was quoted as saying by WLWT.com, a television station in Cincinnati.

Adlakha came to Cincinnati from north India to continue his education in medicine. He got his bachelor's degree in Zoology in 2018 from Ramjas College of the University of Delhi in New Delhi. He received his master's degree in physiology in 2020 from All India Institute of Medical Sciences, also in New Delhi.

His vehicle was hit multiple times. There were at least three bullet holes visible in the driver's side window.

"As a college and as Aadityas academic home, we extend our deepest condolences to his family and to those who knew him as a friend and colleague," the Cincinnati Enquirer quoted the medical school as saying.
Washington, Nov 23 (PTI) There is a severe lack of accountability within the US government by the people who are in position and have broken the law, according to an Indian-American attorney and a former Trump Administration official whose new book talks about the "deep state" and is highly critical of the American bureaucracy.

Kash Patels latest book Government Gangster alleges that the US bureaucracy is highly infiltrated or dominated by a section of the people who break the law.

The drive behind it (writing the book) was (that) after 16 years in government (during) both Democrat and Republican administrations, it became apparent to me that, through my roles, there was a lack of accountability severely within government, by people in government positions who had broken the law, Patel, who served a chief of staff to the acting US Defence Secretary under President Donald Trump, told PTI in a recent interview.

I thought writing out all of those instances that I encountered and was a part of trying to expose and provide solutions to how we actually defeat what I call the deep state, is one of the most important missions we have," he said.

Patel was the chief investigator for the Russia Gate for Chairman Devin Nunes on the House Intel committee.

Nunes memo alleges that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) "may have relied on politically motivated or questionable sources" to obtain a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant in October 2016 and in three subsequent renewals on Trump adviser Carter Page in the early phases of the FBI's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections.

Being a former national security prosecutor himself, he said, We're trying to return the halls of justice to a single-tier system of justice. And Russiagate was done with one intent in mind to rig elections to keep President Trump from the White House.

Responding to a question, Patel alleged that the Biden administration and the deep state are interwoven.

The Biden administration is filled by these corrupt government gangsters who I list in the back of my book by name and title. Its not a Democrat or Republican thing, the 43-year-old attorney whose book hit the stands this winter, said.

Any one of these individuals I've named plus so many others, have advanced that unconstitutional measure of justice. For instance, the FBI sends people to houses of worship, namely churches, to try to find criminals. The FBI, sending people agents to school boards to arrest those who were standing up for their kids' rights to a free education system that is free from government political agendas, he said.

Patel said those are just two small examples of how they are intertwined with it.

Responding to another question, Patel said just because the US is not physically present on the ground in Ukraine doesn't mean it's not a World War.

It's two global powers, Russia and the West sort of battling it out in the Ukraine. If we've already committed USD 120 billion there. That's a World War. And now what happened with Iran, back proxies and Hamas and Hezbollah going into Gaza full scale, that's another World War. We have publicly committed our support for Israel, our number one ally in the Middle East. I think that's the right decision to do so."

"But now what are we going to do? Are we going to send troops there? I mean, this is a conflict that involves every Middle Eastern country; Iran, the largest state sponsor of terror, the CCP (Communist Party of China) and Russia. So it's yet another world war, and I'm tragically fearing that American forces are going to get roped into this and it's going to become our next Afghanistan, Patel said.

From a military standpoint, the amount of money that the US has given in aid to Ukraine is a lot.

For example, for the surface-to-air missile defence programmes, the US has given them seven-years worth of stock.

What are we going to give Israel? How much more is the defence industrial complex? I talk about them with government gangsters. Well, the defence industrial complex does a lot of great work. I think they're one of the most corrupt institutions in Washington DC politics because they're the ones that lobby Congress, fund political campaigns and force Congress to pass these monster budgets to print more money and send more money and weapons and munitions overseas for these world wars, he said.

Patel argued that the biggest victors in all of this right now are the Communist Party of China and Russia.

Patel said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has done a great job on the global vision, advancing the interest of India.

Right now though, India is more involved in the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) organisation than it is with American relations as I see it. Thats the direct result of President (Joe) Biden not prioritising the relationship with India, he said.

He said former president Trump received Prime Minister Modi both in America and then went to India himself.

"And I was part of that delegation and made it a priority to engage not just diplomatically, but with our militaries and our intelligence components and our business components," he said.

"Those were priorities that I'm not seeing here in the Biden administration beyond just a meeting at the White House and the speech. Its causing India to ally or rely more on the likes of China and Russia, which I think is a dangerous avenue to go down, Patel said.

India is working with those countries who are looking to possibly replace the petrodollar, possibly replace the gold standard. I've seen India in those conversations and that's disheartening," he said.

But right now, there isn't an American force on the national stage to lead any counter-effort to that, Patel said.

"So, I think they're doing what's in their best interest and it makes it difficult for India as a big ally of ours in the region to foster more with the United States of America. We need a change in leadership, Patel, who is also the author of 'The Plot Against the King 2,000 Mules', said.
Seoul, Nov 23 (AP) South Korea said North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward the sea but the launch likely failed Wednesday night, hours after Seoul said it would resume front-line aerial surveillance in response to the North's spy satellite launch.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a brief statement early Thursday a missile was launched from the North's capital region toward the North's eastern waters but that the launch was believed to have ended in failure. It gave no further details such as what type of missile was fired and what happened to it.

The launch was North Korea's first known weapons firing in more than two months. It followed South Korea's announcement earlier Wednesday that it decided to partially suspend an inter-Korean agreement and resume flying surveillance aircraft along the border in reaction to the North's satellite launch. North Korea Thursday lambasted the South Korean move, saying it'll deploy more powerful and new weapons at the border in a tit-for-tat measure.

South Korea, the US and Japan have strongly condemned the North's satellite launch on Tuesday night because they believe it was meant to improve the country's missile technology as well as establish a space-based surveillance system. U.N. Security Council resolutions prohibit any satellite liftoffs by North Korea, viewing them as covers for testing its long-range missile technology. The North says it has a sovereign right to launch satellites.

The North's neighbours are trying to confirm whether its satellite launch was successful as it claimed and whether the satellite can perform reconnaissance functions.

South Korea's military said it assessed that the satellite had entered orbit. But it said it needs more time to verify whether it works. Earlier, the Pentagon said it was assessing the success of the launch, while Japan said there had been no confirmation of the North's report on the satellite entering orbit.

North Korea's space agency said its Malligyong-1 satellite was placed in orbit on Tuesday night, about 12 minutes after liftoff. Leader Kim Jong Un watched the satellite launch on site. He later visited the Pyongyang control center of the North's space agency, where he was briefed that the satellite would officially begin its reconnaissance mission from Dec. 1, following a period of fine-tuning, according to state media.

The North's official Korean Central News Agency reported that Kim was presented with satellite photos of Anderson Air Force Base, Apra Harbor and other U.S. military facilities in the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam, which it said were taken Wednesday morning.

It didn't publicize the photos, and many experts remain skeptical about whether the North Korean satellite is advanced enough to conduct meaningful military reconnaissance.

In December, when North Korea released black-and-white satellite photos of South Korean cities following a test launch, many experts said the imagery was too crude for surveillance purposes. In 2012 and 2016, North Korea placed Earth observation satellites into orbit, but experts say neither has ever transmitted imagery back to North Korea.

North Korea used the same satellite in its two failed launches in May and August. South Korea's military retrieved debris from the first launch and assessed at the time the satellite wasn't sophisticated enough to perform military reconnaissance.

Before Tuesday's launch, South Korean officials said North Korea was likely receiving Russian technological support for its spy satellite launch program as part of the two countries' push to boost their partnerships.

The U.S., South Korea and others accuse North Korea of shipping conventional arms to support Russia's war in Ukraine in exchange for receiving high-tech Russian technologies to enhance its own military programs. Both North Korea and Russia have denied the accusations.

A spy satellite is among an array of sophisticated weapons systems that Kim wants to acquire. Experts say he would eventually aim to use his enlarged arsenal to win sanctions relief and other concessions from the U.S. when diplomacy resumes.

Some civilian experts said North Korea's Malligyong-1 satellite is likely capable of only detecting big targets like warships or planes. But by operating several such satellites, North Korea could still observe South Korea at all times, they said.

Animosities run high on the Korean Peninsula due to North Korea's series of weapons tests since last year and the expansion of U.S.-South Korean military drills.

When Heo Tae-keun, South Korea's deputy minister of national defense policy, announced the partial suspension of the 2018 inter-Korean agreement, he said South Korea will promptly and strongly punish North Korea if it uses the South Korean step as a pretext to launch another provocation. Heo called the North's satellite launch a grave provocation that threatens our national security.

North Korea's Defense Ministry responded Thursday it will get South Korea to face searing consequences over its decision. It said North Korea won't be bound by the 2018 deal any longer and restore all the steps it has taken to ease frontline military tensions under the agreement.

The North's space agency said the satellite would help improve the North's war readiness in the face of the enemies' dangerous military moves. The agency said North Korea will soon launch several more spy satellites to better monitor South Korea and other areas.

The 2018 agreement, struck during a short-lived era of reconciliation between the rival Koreas, created buffer and no-fly zones along the countries' heavily fortified border. Under the deal, the Koreas were required to halt front-line aerial reconnaissance and live-fire exercises. They also removed some of their guard posts and land mines at border areas.

The deal invited conservative criticism in South Korea, with critics saying it significantly restricted the operation of the country's aerial surveillance assets, which are much more superior to North Korea's. They also accused the deal of heavily benefiting North Korea, because it only called for mutual reductions of conventional military strength while leaving the North's growing nuclear arsenal intact. (AP)

NSA

NSA
, Nov 23 (AP) An agreement for a four-day cease-fire in Gaza and the release of dozens of Hamas-held hostages and Palestinians imprisoned by Israel appeared to have hit a last-minute snag when a senior Israeli official said it would not take effect until Friday, a day later than originally announced.

The diplomatic breakthrough promised some relief for the over 1.7 million Palestinians who have fled their homes under weeks of Israeli bombardment, as well as families in Israel fearful for the fate of their loved ones captured during Hamas' Oct. 7 attack that triggered the war.

Israel's national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, announced the delay late Wednesday, without providing a reason. Israeli media reported that some final details were still being worked out.

The Persian Gulf nation of Qatar, which played a key role in mediating with Hamas, said early Thursday that a new time for the agreement to go into force would be announced in the coming hours. It was originally set to begin at 10 a.m. (0800 GMT) Thursday. The U.S. and Egypt also helped negotiate the deal.



ETANYAHU SAYS TRUCE WON'T END WAR



The agreement had raised hopes of eventually winding down the war, now in its seventh week, which has has leveled vast swaths of Gaza, fueled a surge of violence in the occupied West Bank, and stirred fears of a wider conflagration across the Middle East.

But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a nationally televised news conference that the war would resume after the truce expires, with the goal of destroying Hamas' military capabilities, ending its 16-year rule in Gaza and returning all of the estimated 240 captives held in Gaza by Hamas and other groups.

The war is continuing. We will continue it until we achieve all our goals, Netanyahu said, adding that he had delivered the same message in a phone call to U.S. President Joe Biden. Washington has provided extensive military and diplomatic support to Israel since the start of the war.

If implemented, the deal temporarily freezes both sides at a tenuous moment.

Israeli troops hold much of northern Gaza and say they have dismantled tunnels and much of Hamas' infrastructure there. Israeli forces on Wednesday revealed what they said was a major Hamas hideout in a tunnel beneath Shifa Hospital. The territory's largest medical center has been at the heart of a fierce battle of narratives over both sides' allegedly reckless endangerment of civilians.

Still, Israeli officials acknowledge that much of Hamas' infrastructure remains intact, and have threatened to launch wider operations in southern Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of people who fled the north have crammed into overflowing U.N.-run shelters with dwindling food, water and basic supplies.

For Hamas, the cease-fire would provide an opportunity to regroup after weeks of apparently heavy losses. Hamas leader Yehya Sinwar, who is believed to be alive and in hiding in Gaza, is likely to claim the release of Palestinian prisoners as a major achievement and declare victory if the war ends.



HOSTAGES TO BE FREED IN STAGES



Under the truce deal, 50 hostages will be freed in stages, in exchange for the release of what Hamas said would be 150 Palestinian prisoners. Both sides will release women and children first, and Israel said the truce would be extended an extra day for every additional 10 hostages freed by Hamas.

The return of hostages could lift spirits in Israel, where their plight has gripped the country. Families of the hostages have staged mass demonstrations to pressure the government to bring them home.

Qatar said the cease-fire would allow a larger number of humanitarian convoys and relief aid" to enter Gaza, including fuel, but it gave no details on actual quantities. Israel cut off all fuel imports at the start of the war, causing a territory-wide blackout and leaving homes and hospitals reliant on generators, which have also steadily been forced to shut down.

Netanyahu said the deal includes a provision for the International Committee of the Red Cross to visit the hostages in captivity.

Israel's Justice Ministry published a list of 300 prisoners eligible to be released, mainly teenagers detained over the past year for rock-throwing and other minor offenses.

The war erupted when several thousand Hamas militants stormed into southern Israel, killing at least 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking scores of hostages, including babies, women and older adults, as well as Israeli soldiers.

Israel has a long history of agreeing to lopsided prisoner swaps with militant groups, and Hamas is expected to demand a large number of high-profile Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the soldiers.

HEAVY TOLL ON GAZAWeeks of Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, followed by a ground invasion, have killed more than 11,000 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-run territory. It does not differentiate between civilians and militants, though some two-thirds of the dead have been identified as women and minors.

The ministry said that as of Nov. 11 it had lost the ability to count the dead because of the collapse of large parts of the health system, but that the number has risen sharply since then. Some 2,700 people are missing and believed buried under rubble.

Israel says it has killed thousands of Hamas fighters, though it has presented no evidence for its count.

Three-fourths of Gaza's population of 2.3 million have been displaced in the war. Many, if not most, will be unable to return home because of the vast damage and the presence of Israeli troops in the north.

The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA, said that more than 1 million Palestinians were seeking shelter in 156 of its facilities in Gaza, where many have been forced by overcrowding to sleep on the streets outside as a cold, rainy winter sets in.

Israel has barred imports to Gaza since the start of the war, except for a trickle of aid entering through Egypt's Rafah crossing. Humanitarian aid groups operating in Gaza said the truce was too short and the Rafah crossing's capacity was insufficient to meet urgent needs. (AP)

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Seoul, Nov 23 (AP) South Korea has concluded that Russian support likely enabled North Korea to put a spy satellite into orbit for the first time this week, and will know whether it is functioning properly by early next week, officials said on Thursday.

The launch has deepened regional animosities, with both Koreas threatening to breach a past reconciliation deal and taking hostile actions along their heavily armed border.

After two launch failures earlier this year, North Korea said it successfully placed its Malligyong-1 satellite into orbit on Tuesday night. South Korea's military has confirmed that the satellite entered orbit, but said it needs several more days to verify whether it is working properly.

In a closed-door briefing, South Korea's spy agency told lawmakers on Thursday that Russian assistance was likely the main reason the launch was successful, according to lawmakers who attended the meeting.

The National Intelligence Service cited Russian President Vladimir Putin's earlier mention of a promise to support North Korea's satellite programme. It said it also obtained intelligence that North Korea had sent Russia the design and other data for its new Chollima-1 rocket used in the two previous failed launches. The intelligence showed that Russia returned its analysis of the North Korean data, according to lawmaker Yoo Sang-bum, who attended the NIS briefing.

South Korean Defence Minister Shin Wonsik told a separate parliamentary committee meeting on Thursday that Russia appears to have been providing technological assistance for North Korea's satellite programme.

The same satellite and rocket were used in all three launches. The two earlier attempts in May and August failed due to technical problems with the rocket.

There has been speculation that Russia is providing technological support for North Korea's satellite and other programs since leader Kim Jong Un travelled to Russia to meet Putin and visit key technology and military sites in September. The Kim-Putin summit was held at Russia's main space launch centre.

Asked whether Russia would help North Korea build and launch satellites, Putin told Russian state media at the time that that's why we have come here. The (North Korean) leader shows keen interest in rocket technology. They're trying to develop space, too, Putin said.

The US, South Korea and Japan accuse North Korea of obtaining high-tech Russian military technologies in return for supplying conventional arms for Russia's war in Ukraine. Both Russia and North Korea have denied the alleged deal.

North Korea said its Malligyong-1 satellite will begin its official mission on December 1. But it said the satellite has already transmitted images of military facilities in the US territory of Guam and that Kim saw them. North Korea hasn't released the images.

Many foreign experts are sceptical about the satellite's ability to take high-resolution images and whether it is militarily meaningful. After recovering debris from the first failed launch attempt, South Korea's military said the satellite wasn't sophisticated enough to perform military reconnaissance.

Defence Minister Shin said he worries that Russia could help North Korea produce higher-resolution satellite photos.

Shin said South Korean, US and Japanese authorities will be able to determine whether the satellite is functioning normally as early as this weekend or early next week.

South Korea, the US and Japan strongly condemned the satellite launch, saying North Korea is using it to improve its missile technology as well as acquire a space-based surveillance system.

UN Security Council resolutions ban any satellite launches by North Korea, viewing them as disguised tests of long-range missile technology. North Korea says it has a sovereign right to launch spy satellites to cope with what it calls US-led military threats. It says spy satellites would allow it to better monitor its rivals' moves and enhance the precision-strike capability of its nuclear-capable missiles.

In response to the satellite launch, South Korea said it has partially suspended a 2018 agreement to reduce tensions with North Korea and will resume flying surveillance aircraft and drones along their border.

North Korea's Defence Ministry slammed the South Korean decision on Thursday, saying it will deploy more powerful weapons at the border in a tit-for-tat measure. It said it won't be bound by the 2018 deal any longer and will reverse all the steps it has taken to ease front-line military tensions under it.

South Korea's military replied that it would strongly punish North Korea if it acts provocatively.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward the sea on Wednesday, but the launch likely failed. It was North Korea's first known weapons launch in more than two months.

Kim has publicly vowed to acquire spy satellites and other high-tech weapons systems. Since last year, North Korea has test-fired about 100 ballistic missiles in an effort to expand its nuclear arsenal. Experts say Kim ultimately wants to use his enlarged arsenal to wrest greater concessions from the United States if they resume diplomacy. (AP)



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Geneva, Nov 23 (AP) The World Health Organization says it has made an official request to China for information about a potentially worrying spike in respiratory illnesses and clusters of pneumonia in children.

The UN health agency cited unspecified media reports and a global infectious disease monitoring service as reporting clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children in northern China.

In a statement late Wednesday, WHO said it was unclear whether those were linked to a rise in respiratory infections reported by Chinese authorities.

Outside scientists said the situation warranted close monitoring, but were not convinced that the recent spike in respiratory illnesses in China signalled the start of a new global outbreak.

The emergence of new diseases, particularly new flu strains or other viruses capable of triggering pandemics, typically starts with undiagnosed clusters of respiratory illness. Both SARS and COVID-19 were first reported as unusual types of pneumonia.

WHO noted that authorities at China's National Health Commission on November 13 reported an increase in respiratory diseases, which they said was due to the lifting of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions. Other countries also saw a jump in respiratory diseases such as respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, when pandemic restrictions ended.

WHO said media reports about a week later reported clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children in northern China.

It is unclear if these are associated with the overall increase in respiratory infections previously reported by Chinese authorities, or separate events, WHO said, adding that it had requested more details from China about currently circulating viruses and any increased burden on hospitals, via an international legal mechanism.

Dr. David Heymann of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine said there was a likely background of seasonal respiratory infections.

The challenge is to discern the outbreaks and determine the cause, Heymann said in a statement, adding that genetic sequencing and isolating cases would be critical. He led WHO's response to the 2002-2003 SARS outbreak.

Francois Balloux of University College London said the current wave of disease in China was likely due to respiratory illnesses like flu, RSV or a bacterial infection.

He said China was probably experiencing a significant wave of childhood infections since this was the first winter since lockdown restrictions were lifted, which likely reduced children's immunity to common bugs.

Unless new evidence emerges, there is no reason to suspect the emergence of a novel pathogen, Balloux said.

WHO said that northern China has reported a jump in influenza-like illnesses since mid-October compared to the previous three years. It is rare for the UN health agency to publicly ask for more detailed information from countries, as such requests are typically made internally.

After SARS broke out in southern China in 2002, Beijing officials told doctors to hide patients, with some being driven around in ambulances while WHO scientists were visiting the country. That prompted WHO to threaten to close its office in China.

Nearly two decades later, China stalled on sharing critical details about the coronavirus with the UN health agency after the new virus emerged in late 2019. WHO publicly applauded China's commitment to stopping the virus  weeks before it started causing explosive epidemics worldwide.

While WHO seeks this additional information, we recommend that people in China follow measures to reduce the risk of respiratory illness, the agency said, advising people to get vaccinated, isolate if they are feeling ill, wear masks if necessary and get medical care as needed. (AP)



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Islamabad, Nov 23 (PTI) Pakistan's election commission on Thursday ordered jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party to hold intra-party elections within 20 days to retain the bat as its poll symbol, according to a media report.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) did not conduct transparent elections as per the Constitution.

In August, the commission had given a final warning to the PTI to hold the polls or it could be declared ineligible to obtain an election symbol.

It had stated that the elections were due on June 13, 2021, under the partys Constitution but a years extension had been granted.

Gohar Ali Khan, representing the PTI, had said the party elections were held before an amendment to its Constitution. However, the Chief Election Commissioner claimed that the PTI amended its Constitution on June 8, 2022, and conducted intra-party polls on June 10, 2022. Khan had also said the amendment in the party constitution was later withdrawn, the Dawn newspaper reported.

The polls organising authority had said it issued a final notice to the PTI in May 2022 to ensure the conduct of intra-party elections on or before June 13, 2022 (extended date), with the observation that no further extension shall be allowed.

Subsequently, the PTI submitted a copy of the amended partys Constitution that was deemed insufficient by the electoral body.

In October, the ECP had reserved its verdict on the maintainability of a petition by the Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party seeking to take away PTIs bat electoral symbol.

Days later, the PTI formally appealed to the electoral body to immediately issue a detailed written order regarding the intra-party elections and poll symbol allocation. The PTI had claimed that the ECP had accepted there had been a misunderstanding and that the elections were held on June 9, 2022.

A four-member commission, headed by Nisar Ahmed Durrani and including Shah Mohammad Jatoi, Babar Hassan Bharwana, and Justice (retired) Ikramullah Khan, presided over the proceedings of the case.

Announcing its reserved verdict on the matter, the ECP on Thursday directed the PTI to hold the intra-party elections and submit a report to the commission within seven days of it.

The written verdict stated: We are confirmed in our views that the respondent party failed to hold transparent, just and fair intra-party election in accordance with its prevailing constitution 2019 allegedly held on 10-06-2022, which is highly disputed/objectionable, which could not be accepted at all.

The verdict then warned that in case of failure to hold the polls, the PTI would suffer the penal consequences of Section 215(5) of the Elections Act 2017 accordingly and would be ineligible to obtain an election symbol for election to Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament), etc.

The ECP highlighted that the documents provided by the chief election commissioner had made the alleged intra-party election highly objectionable [and] dubious.

It added there was a glaring, unexplained contradiction" related to the holding of an intra-party election, "as to whether the same was held on June 8, 2022, or June 9 or June 10 that year.

Noting that after the polls were held, the party was supposed to submit a certificate signed by the office bearers authorised by the party head, the ECP said, no such authentic attested copy of document related to amendment in the 2019 constitution and of PTI intra-party election allegedly held on June 6, 2022, was provided till Aug 18, 2022.

Barrister Khan said he was extremely upset by todays verdict, adding that the requirements of justice were not met.

Speaking to the media outside the ECP office in Islamabad, he claimed the verdict had been delayed for a special purpose.

The lawyer said the ECPs notice had not stated that the intra-party elections were not according to the PTIs constitution. Instead, Khan asserted, the notice was about the polls documentation being incomplete.

Khan added that the polls were held correctly and in an open manner, along with complete documentation. He said he would challenge the order before the relevant forums.

The lawyer expressed satisfaction that according to todays verdict, the bat was our (PTIs) symbol, it still is and it will remain on the ballot paper.
Islamabad, Nov 23 (PTI) A Pakistani Special Court on Thursday ordered authorities to present jailed former prime minister Imran Khan and ex-foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi at the Federal Judicial Complex here on November 28 for the hearing of the cipher case.

Special Court Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain issued the directive while hearing the case at Federal Judicial Complex (FJC) after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday declared null and void the in-prison trial of the duo on procedural grounds and also declared that the proceedings conducted so far were vitiated.

A two-member bench of the IHC issued its reserved judgment on an intra-court appeal by Khan against the single bench verdict of the same court that had turned down the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party chairman's appeal against his trial in Rawalpindi's high-security Adiala Jail, where he is currently detained.

On Thursday, the judge asked for a copy of the IHC order, which was duly furnished and summoned Khan and Qureshi on November 28, adjourning the case until then.

He also stated that the trial would begin from the position prior to August 29, when the court ordered the former premier's physical remand, and he was arrested while still in jail due to Toshakhana corruption case conviction.

Khan, 71, has been kept in the Adiala jail since September 26 when shifted there from District Jail, Attock.

His close aide and former foreign minister Qureshi, 67, was also arrested in the cipher (secret diplomatic cable) case and is imprisoned in the same jail. Khan and Qureshi have pleaded not guilty to the charges.

As the Special Court would start a fresh trial, the prosecution would have to file a fresh application to conduct the trial in jail if it was still required.

According to the first information report (FIR) filed by the Federal Investigation Agency on August 15, the case has been registered under sections 5 and 9 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923.

Judge Zulqarnain now has four weeks to conclude the trial in the cipher case, the Dawn newspaper reported quoting sources privy to the prosecution.

The sources said the trial would conclude within the 30-day deadline, as the court would require a week to frame charges, and there would be sufficient time to record the testimony of witnesses and accused in three weeks.

In March 2022, Khan and his foreign minister Qureshi were alleged to have violated the secrecy laws of the country while handling a communication (cipher) sent by Pakistan's embassy in Washington.

The diplomatic cable reportedly went missing from Khan's possession.

The duo, who had claimed that the cable contained a threat from the United States to topple the PTIs government, was indicted on October 23. Their formal trial began with the recording of statements by the witnesses two weeks ago.

They were booked by the Federal Investigation Agency in the case in August.

Khan was ousted through a vote of no-confidence in April 2022. More than 150 cases have been registered against him since his ouster from power.
Jerusalem, Nov 23 (AP) Israel's military offensive has turned much of northern Gaza into an uninhabitable moonscape.

Whole neighbourhoods have been erased. Homes, schools and hospitals have been blasted by airstrikes and scorched by tank fire. Some buildings are still standing, but most are battered shells.

Nearly 1 million Palestinians have fled the north, including its urban centre, Gaza City, as ground combat intensified. When the war ends, any relief will quickly be overshadowed by dread as displaced families come to terms with the scale of the calamity and what it means for their future.

Where would they live? Who would eventually run Gaza and pick up the pieces?

I want to go home even if I have to sleep on the rubble of my house, said Yousef Hammash, an aid worker with the Norwegian Refugee Council who fled the ruins of the urban refugee camp of Jabaliya for southern Gaza. But I don't see a future for my children here.

The Israeli army's use of powerful explosives in tightly packed residential areas  which Israel describes as the unavoidable outcome of Hamas using civilian sites as cover for its operations  has killed over 13,000 Palestinians and led to staggering destruction. Hamas denies the claim and accuses Israel of recklessly bombing civilians.

When I left, I couldn't tell which street or intersection I was passing, said Mahmoud Jamal, a 31-year-old taxi driver who fled his northern hometown of Beit Hanoun this month. He described apartment buildings resembling open-air parking garages.

Israel's bombardment has become one of the most intense air campaigns since World War II, said Emily Tripp, director of Airwars, a London-based conflict monitor. In the seven weeks since Hamas' unprecedented October 7 attack, Israel unleashed more munitions than the United States did in any given year of its bombing campaign against the Islamic State group  a barrage the U.N describes as the deadliest urban campaign since World War II.

In Israel's grainy thermal footage of airstrikes targeting Hamas tunnels, fireballs obliterate everything in sight. Videos by Hamas' military wing feature fighters with rocked-propelled grenades trekking through smoke-filled streets. Fortified bulldozers have cleared land for Israeli tanks.

The north of Gaza has been turned into one big ghost town," said Mkhaimer Abusada, a political scientist at Al-Azhar University in Gaza City who fled to Egypt last week. People have nothing to return to.

About half of all buildings across northern Gaza have been damaged or destroyed, according to an analysis of Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellite data by Corey Scher of the CUNY Graduate Center and Jamon Van Den Hoek of Oregon State University. With the UN estimating 1.7 million people are newly homeless, many wonder if Gaza will ever recover.

You'll end up having displaced people living in tents for a long time," said Raphael Cohen, a senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation, a research group.

The war has knocked 27 of 35 hospitals across Gaza out of operation, according to the World Health Organization. The destruction of other critical infrastructure has consequences for years to come.

Bakeries and grain mills have been destroyed, agriculture, water and sanitation facilities, said Scott Paul, a senior humanitarian policy adviser for Oxfam America. You need more than four walls and a ceiling for a place to be habitable, and in many cases people don't even have that.

Across the entire enclave, over 41,000 homes  45 per cent of Gaza's total housing stock  are too destroyed to be lived in, according to the U.N.

All I left at home was dead bodies and rubble, said Mohammed al-Hadad, a 28-year-old party planner who fled Shati refugee camp along Gaza City's shoreline. Shati sustained nearly 14,000 incidents of war damage  varying from an airstrike crater to a collapsed building  over just 0.5 square kilometres, the satellite data analysis shows.

Southern Gaza  where scarce food, water and fuel has spawned a humanitarian crisis  has been spared the heaviest firepower, according to the analysis.

But that's changing. In the past two weeks, satellite data shows a spike in damage across the southern town of Khan Younis. Residents say the military has showered eastern parts of town with evacuation warnings.

Israel has urged those in southern Gaza to move again, toward a slice of territory called Muwasi along the coast. As of Thursday, Israel and Hamas were still working out the details of a four-day truce that would allow more humanitarian aid to enter Gaza and facilitate an exchange of Palestinian prisoners for Israeli hostages.

Displaced Palestinians said four days won't be enough.

This is our nakba," said 32-year-old journalist Tareq Hajjaj, referring to the mass displacement of an estimated 700,000 Palestinians during the 1948 war surrounding Israel's creation  an exodus Palestinians call the nakba, or catastrophe.

Although publicly Palestinians reject the idea of being transferred outside Gaza, some privately admit they cannot stay, even after the war ends.

We will never return home, said Hajjaj, who fled his home in Shijaiyah in eastern Gaza City. Those who stay here will face the most horrific situation they could imagine.

The 2014 Israel-Hamas war levelled Shijaiyah, turning the neighbourhood into fields of inert gray rubble. The USD 5 billion reconstruction effort there and across Gaza remains unfinished to this day.

This time the scale of destruction is exponentially higher, said Giulia Marini, international advocacy officer at Palestinian rights group Al Mezan. It will take decades for Gaza to go back to where it was before.

It remains unclear who will take responsibility for that task. At the recent security summit in Bahrain, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi vowed Arab states would not come and clean the mess after Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants the army to restore security, and American officials have pushed the seemingly unlikely scenario of the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority taking over the strip.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, regarded by many Palestinians as weak, has dismissed that idea in the absence of Israeli efforts toward a two-state solution.

Despite the war's horrors, Yasser Elsheshtawy, a professor of architecture at Columbia University, hopes reconstruction could offer an opportunity to turn Gaza's ramshackle refugee camps and long deteriorating infrastructure into something more habitable and equitable and humane," including public parks and a revitalized seafront.

But Palestinians say it's not only shattered infrastructure that requires rebuilding but a traumatized society.

Gaza has become a very scary place, Abusada said. "It will always be full of memories of death and destruction." (AP)





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Male, Nov 23 (PTI) High Commissioner of India to the Maldives Ambassador Munu Mahawar on Thursday called on Moosa Zameer, the Foreign Minister of the strategically located archipelago nation in the Indian Ocean, and had a productive discussion on a special partnership between the two countries.

The meeting took place days after the newly-elected Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu formally asked India to withdraw 77 Indian military personnel from the country and decided to review more than 100 bilateral agreements between the two countries.

Delighted to call on H.E. Foreign Minister @MoosaZameer. Conveyed greetings from EAM @DrSJaishankar. Had a very productive discussion on enhancing the special partnership between India and the Maldives, Mahawar posted on X along with the photos of the meeting.

Zameer was appointed as the Maldives Foreign Minister by Muizzu, an engineer-turned-politician, who took oath as the eighth President of the Maldives on November 17 at a ceremony attended by a multitude of foreign dignitaries, including Union Minister of Earth Sciences Kiren Rijiju.

Mahawars meeting with Zameer comes a day after he  along with Muizzu  visited the site of the Greater Male Connectivity Project on Wednesday. Under the Presidents #Hafutha14 roadmap, we will work with financing and implementing partners to evaluate and expedite the completion of the project, he posted on X.

The Male connectivity project was launched in 2022 and is being built under India's USD 100 million grant and USD 400 million line of Credit. A 6.74-km-long bridge and causeway link is being built to connect the capital city Male with the adjoining islands of Villingli, Gulhifalhu, and Thilafushi as part of this project.

President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has previously pledged to expedite the completion of the Greater Male' Connectivity - Male' to Thilafushi Link Project. The evaluation of the Thilamale bridge project's status aligns with the government's commitments outlined in the "Hafutha 14" roadmap, a statement from the Presidents office said after the visit.

Soon after Zameer was appointed as the Foreign Minister, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar congratulated him with a post on X that said: Look forward to working closely with you to further India-Maldives special relationship.

Zameer reciprocated with: I look forward to working with you on issues of mutual interest and concern, and to recalibrate and advance the time-tested relationship between our two countries for the betterment of our people.

Maldives proximity to the west coast of India (barely 70 nautical miles away from Minicoy and 300 nautical miles away from Indias West coast), and its location at the hub of commercial sea lanes running through the Indian Ocean gives it significant strategic importance to India.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 23. The meeting of the border delimitation commission will be held on November 30 in the border area between Azerbaijan and Armenia, the spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Aykhan Hajizada told Trend.

Earlier, Hajizada's Armenian counterpart Ani Badalyan wrote on a social network that the meeting of the Armenian-Azerbaijani commission on border delimitation, according to the preliminary agreement, will take place on November 30.

On November 21, the Armenian Foreign Ministry, in response to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry's statement, said that Yerevan is ready to participate in negotiations with Baku.

The Armenian ministry noted that Armenia reaffirms its political will to repair relations with Azerbaijan, as well as efforts to build peace and stability in the South Caucasus.

Prior to that, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry stated that Azerbaijan is ready to hold bilateral talks with Armenia to expedite the signing of a peace treaty.

"We believe that the two countries should decide together on their future relations," the Azerbaijani ministry noted.

"Azerbaijan and Armenia are responsible for the continuation of the peace process, including the choice of a mutually acceptable location or the decision to meet at the state border," the ministry pointed out.

"We call on the Armenian side not to allow new unnecessary delays and hope that it will respond positively to this challenge to start negotiations as soon as possible," the ministry said.
Deir Al-Balah (Gaza Strip), Nov 23 (AP) A four-day cease-fire in Gaza between Israel and Hamas will began Friday morning, Qatar said, a day later than originally announced, as negotiators worked out final details of the deal, which is to lead to the release of dozens of hostages held by militants and Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

The diplomatic breakthrough promised some relief for the 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza who have endured weeks of Israeli bombardment, as well as families in Israel fearful for the fate of their loved ones taken captive during Hamas' October 7 attack that triggered the war.

The deal appeared to hit a last-minute snag when Israel's national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, announced a one-day delay late Wednesday, without providing a reason. The cease-fire was originally set to begin Thursday morning.

On Thursday, Majed al-Ansari, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry of Qatar, which played a key role in mediating with Hamas, announced the cease-fire will start at 7 a.m. local time Friday (5 a.m. GMT.)

He said the two sides had exchanged lists of those to be released, and the first group of hostages held by Hamas  including 13 women and children  would be freed Friday afternoon. Increased aid for Palestinians will start to enter as soon as possible, al-Ansari said.



RISING TOLL IN GAZA

The Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza, meanwhile, resumed its detailed count of Palestinian casualties from the war, saying over 13,300 have been killed. The new numbers were not fully broken down, but in past tallies, women and minors have consistently made up around two-thirds of the dead.

The figures do not include updated numbers from hospitals in the north, where services and communication largely broke down earlier this month. The ministry says some 6,000 people have been reported missing and are feared to be buried under rubble.

The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and militants in its death tolls. Israel says it has killed thousands of Hamas fighters, without presenting evidence for its count.

The ministry stopped publishing casualty counts as of November 11, saying it had lost the ability to do so because of the collapse of the health sector in the north.



NETANYAHU SAYS TRUCE WON'T END WAR

The truce agreement had raised hopes of eventually winding down the war, which has levelled vast swaths of Gaza, fuelled a surge of violence in the occupied West Bank, and stirred fears of a wider conflagration across the Middle East.

Air raid sirens sounded across northern Israel on Thursday as Hezbollah said it fired 48 Katyusha rockets from southern Lebanon. The barrage came after an Israeli strike killed five Hezbollah fighters, including the son of the head of the group's parliamentary bloc.

The Israeli military said it was striking the sources of the launches. Israel and Hezbollah, which fought a monthlong war in 2006, have repeatedly traded fire across the border since the war in Gaza broke out.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue the war after the truce expires, with the goal of destroying Hamas' military capabilities, ending its 16-year rule in Gaza and returning all of the estimated 240 captives held in Gaza by Hamas and other groups.

We will continue it until we achieve all our goals, Netanyahu said, adding that he had delivered the same message in a phone call to US President Joe Biden. Washington has provided extensive military and diplomatic support to Israel since the start of the war.

The delay in implementing the cease-fire dismayed uprooted Palestinians in Gaza, who hope to use the few days of quiet to visit homes they fled  or at least the wreckage of them -- and to reconnect with families after the massive dispersal caused by the Israeli assault.

We'd been waiting and hoping since yesterday, said Aya Hamad, who is sheltering at a hospital in the central city of Deir al Balah. We wanted to go home to get a change of clothes for our children, even though we know our homes have been bombed and are gone.  But no, it's all for nothing.

Many talked of trying to make short visits to homes in Gaza City in the north of the territory, though it was unlikely Israeli troops controlling the area would have allowed it.

Israeli troops hold much of northern Gaza and say they have dismantled tunnels and much of Hamas' infrastructure there. Israeli forces on Wednesday revealed what they said was a major Hamas hideout in a tunnel beneath Shifa Hospital.

The territory's largest medical centre has been at the heart of a fierce battle of narratives over both sides' allegedly reckless endangerment of civilians. Hamas and hospital staff deny Israeli allegations that Shifa was used as a militant command centre.

The military said on Thursday it detained Mohammed Abu Selmia, the director of Shifa, for questioning over his involvement in what it said were extensive Hamas activities in the hospital. Gaza's Health Ministry called on international bodies to intervene and said it would no longer cooperate with the World Health Organisation in evacuating hospitals.

Earlier on Thursday, Israel ordered the full evacuation of the Indonesian Hospital in the north, Dr. Munir al-Boursh, a Health Ministry official inside the facility, told Al-Jazeera.

Fighting has raged outside the hospital for days, and hundreds of people have already been evacuated to the south. It was unclear if the arrest of Abu Selmia would affect those efforts.

Israel has threatened to launch wider operations in southern Gaza, where most of the territory's population is now located. More than 1 million people, including hundreds of thousands who fled the north, have crammed into overflowing UN-run shelters with dwindling food, water and basic supplies.

For Hamas, the cease-fire would provide an opportunity to regroup after weeks of apparently heavy losses. Hamas leader Yehya Sinwar, who is believed to be alive and in hiding in Gaza, is likely to claim the release of Palestinian prisoners as a major achievement and declare victory if the war ends.



HOSTAGES TO BE FREED IN STAGES

Under the truce deal, 50 hostages are supposed to be freed in stages, in exchange for the release of what Hamas said would be 150 Palestinian prisoners. Women and children would be released first, and Israel said the truce would be extended an extra day for every additional 10 hostages freed.

The return of hostages could lift spirits in Israel, where their plight has gripped the country. Families of the hostages have staged mass demonstrations to pressure the government to bring them home.

Qatar said the cease-fire would allow a larger number of humanitarian convoys and relief aid to enter Gaza, including fuel, but it gave no details on quantities.

Israel cut off all imports at the start of the war, except for a trickle of food, water and medical supplies allowed in from Egypt. The lack of fuel has caused a territory-wide blackout, leaving homes and hospitals reliant on generators, which have also steadily been forced to shut down.

Israel's Justice Ministry published a list of 300 prisoners eligible to be released, mainly teenagers detained over the past year for rock-throwing and other minor offenses.

The war erupted when several thousand Hamas militants stormed into southern Israel, killing at least 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking scores of hostages, including babies, women and older adults, as well as soldiers, for whom Hamas is expected to demand a large number of high-profile prisoners.

More than 1.7 million people, three-fourths of Gaza's population, have been displaced in the war. Many, if not most, will be unable to return home because of the vast damage and the presence of Israeli troops in the north.

Israel has barred imports to Gaza since the start of the war, except for a trickle of aid. Humanitarian aid groups operating in Gaza said the truce will prove too short and the Rafah crossing's capacity insufficient to meet urgent needs. (AP)





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London, Nov 23 (AP) UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak faced heavy pressure from his own Conservatives to take swift action to bring down migration, as new data published Thursday showed net migration numbers were higher than previously thought.

The Office for National Statistics revised its estimates for net migration to the UK  meaning the number of people arriving minus those leaving  in the year to December 2022 to 745,000. That is a new record and significantly higher than the previous estimate of 606,000 for the same period.

The more hard-line wing of the Tories called for Sunak to act now as a general election looms next year.

The word existential' has been used a lot in recent days but this really is do or die' for our party, said a statement by a group of lawmakers known as the New Conservatives. Each of us made a promise to the electorate. We don't believe that such promises can be ignored."

The Conservatives were reelected in 2019 on the back of a manifesto to take back our borders" and break away from the constraints of the European Union. Britain completed its divorce with the trade bloc in 2020.

Migration continues to be a political hot potato, although Sunak's government has focused less on legal migration than the issue of unauthorised asylum-seekers arriving on small boats across the English Channel.

The latest figures do show that net migration in the 12 months up to June 2023 was 672,000. The Office for National Statistics said that it was too early to tell if that's the start of a new downward trend.

Sunak's office at Downing Street said that net migration remained far too high and indicated that further measures could be introduced to bring down the figures. Authorities said in May that foreign postgraduate students can no longer bring family members to the UK from next year as part of efforts to curb immigration.

Officials said they revised the 2022 figures upwards because patterns and behaviors have been shifting and less predictable than before the COVID-19 pandemic struck.

Jay Lindop, director of the international migration department at the statistics office, said the main drivers of the increase were people arriving from non-EU countries for study and work, particularly in Britain's health and social care sectors.

Britain also took in hundreds of thousands of people who fled Russia's war in Ukraine and the Chinese government's crackdown on civil liberties in Hong Kong, though those numbers have slowed in recent months.

Net migration to the UK has been running at record levels, driven by a rise in people coming for work, increasing numbers of students and a series of world events," he said.

More recently, we're not only seeing more students arrive, but we can also see they're staying for longer. More dependants of people with work and study visas have arrived too, and immigration is now being driven by non-EU arrivals," he added.

The latest figures showed that a total of 1.18 million people are estimated to have arrived in the UK in the year to June 2023, while 508,000 are estimated to have left, leaving the net migration figure at 672,000. (AP) SCY

SCY
Indore, Nov 23 (PTI) An increase in the movement of leopards outside forests in Madhya Pradesh's Indore district is giving rise to worries about the toll urbanisation is taking on their natural habitats.

The district is home to around 60 leopards, according to Indore Divisional Forest Officer M S Solanki.

The animals are being spotted with increasing frequency in the military cantonment at Mhow, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) campus at Simrol and a township adjacent to the Ralamandal sanctuary, he told PTI on Thursday.

A leopard was recently captured in a cage trap set up on the Army War College campus in Mhow, but it succeeded in breaking out, Solanki said.

"The cage was old. We have ordered four new cages now, he said.

As per the 2019 census, the number of leopards in the Indore forest division is estimated to be around 60, he added.

Madhya Pradesh Wildlife Board member Abhilash Khandekar said it was unfortunate that the rapid urbanisation around Indore has reached the boundaries of the forests, and leopards are being forced to migrate to human settlements due to the destruction of their natural habitats.

"Over the years, the leopard population in Indore's forest areas has increased. The animals often stray into human settlements where they can easily find prey like goats and dogs, he said.

There is a need to make renewed efforts to save leopards and prevent human-wild animal conflict, Khandekar added.
Mumbai, Nov 23 (PTI) The Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission has directed the state government to pay Rs 2 lakh each to five animal activists for blatant violation of their human rights after they were allegedly assaulted at a police lock up in Nanded in February this year.

The commission in February took suo motu cognisance of the case where a police officer in Nanded allegedly assaulted some youth for stopping vehicles carrying smuggled cows.

The commission in its November 9 order, passed by its chairperson retired Justice K K Tated and member M A Sayed, said it has no hesitation to hold that the victims' human rights  right to live with dignity and honour  have been blatantly breached on account of the illegal and perverse action" by the erring police officer.

Such illegal action naturally entitles the victims to compensation for their humiliation and turmoil, it said.

The commission in its order said the police officer's action in treating the victims in an inhumane manner cannot be justified in any way as he is himself the protector and guardian of law.

The commission directed the Maharashtra government's additional chief secretary to comply with the order within a month.

It also directed the additional chief secretary to ask the state director general of police to frame guidelines on police brutality and abuse of powers.

The commission noted that while an FIR was later lodged against the errant police officer and departmental inquiry initiated, it was of the firm opinion that a case under the Protection of Human Rights Act has been made out.

The basic and prime reason for such conclusion is the fact that the victims were bashed up by the erring police officer concerned which has resulted in disciplinary action against him as well as further action against him in accordance with law, the panel said.

The very act of bringing the victims to the police station, asking them to remove their clothes and bashing them up must have resulted in great humiliation to them as such an incident very conveniently comes within the four corners of the term 'harassment', it said.

In another case of 2022, the commission on October 31 directed the Nandurbar district superintendent of police to pay Rs 21,000 compensation to a social worker against whom a false case was lodged after he raised complaints against illegal smuggling of leather.

Animal rights activists have welcomed both the orders and said this would raise awareness.

Ashok Jain, chairman of the high court-appointed sub-committee meant to monitor animal welfare laws in the state, said the order would be helpful for animal welfare officers and activists.

Nandini Kulkarni, an animal welfare officer of the committee, said such orders offer justice not just to animal caretakers and vigilant citizens but also to the voiceless animals.
Shillong, Nov 23 (PTI) Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong on Thursday said the state government and the Assam administration have written to the CBI, requesting it to take over the probe into the last year's Mukroh firing incident along the disputed border between the two northeastern states.

The governments of Assam and Meghalaya had on September 30 decided to request the CBI to take over the investigation into the 2022 Mukroh violence, in which six people were killed, he said.

"We have already written a letter. Assam (Assam government) has also done it," Tynsong told PTI when asked whether the probe into the Mukroh firing incident was handed over to the CBI.

"The ball is now in the CBI's court," he said.

The firing incident took place on November 22 last year when the Assam Forest Protection Force fired on Mukroh villagers of Meghalaya after a truck allegedly laden with illegally felled timber was intercepted by them.

Five of the six killed in the violence were Meghalaya residents and one was an Assam forest guard.

Meghalaya was carved out from Assam as a separate state in 1972, and it had challenged the Assam Reorganisation Act, 1971, leading to disputes in 12 areas of the 884.9 km-long border between the two states.

Both states had signed an MoU resolving six of the areas of differences and talks are ongoing to resolve the remaining ones.
New Delhi, Nov 23 (PTI) A murder accused facing an Interpol Red Notice was brought back from Saudi Arabia on Thursday in an operation coordinated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), officials said.

Sudheesh Ramachandran was wanted by the Kerala Police in a 2006 murder case registered at the Thumba Police Station in Thiruvanathapuram, they said.

The Red Notice was issued against him on May 26, 2021, on the request of the Kerala Police.

The notice is issued by the Interpol on the request of a member country to detain a fugitive located in a foreign jurisdiction.

Ramachandran, who was absconding for several years, was located in Saudi Arabia by the Global Operation Centre of the CBI which was coordinating with the Interpol.

"With the close assistance of INTERPOL NCB - Riyadh, he was returned on November 23, 2023 from Saudi Arabia to India by a team from Kerala Police," according to a statement issued by the CBI.

The CBI is the National Central Bureau of India responsible for coordination with the Interpol.


Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district said he feel proud of his nephew's martyrdom.

Majid, a para commando, was among four army personnel killed in the operation against the terrorists in the Dharmsal belt's Bajimaal area on Wednesday.

We are proud of his martyrdom while fighting terrorists in the Kalakote area. His brother, a soldier of the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry (JKLI), also achieved martyrdom in 2017 in Bhimber Gali area of Poonch. We are ready to lay down our lives for the nation", Majid's uncle Mohmmad Yousef said.

Majid's family lives in the Ajot hamlet located between zero-line and border fencing along the LoC.

Two terrorists, including a top Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander trained in Afghanistan, were killed in a gunfight with security forces in Rajouri on Thursday.

Yousef who retired as a soldier of the army's Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry (JKLI) said that we are a family of the soldiers living on the LoC to defend the nation.

"We have 30 to 40 family members who are serving or have retired from the Indian Army. Serving in the Army is in our blood. My son is also serving in the forces. It feels proud to be a soldier, he said.

Angered over the repeated mischievous acts of Pakistan, the former soldier calls for a befitting reply to the neighbouring nation so that they do not dare to repeat it again.

Hundreds of people and relatives thronged the Majids house to stand by his family and were proud of his martyrdom.

Majid's wife said he had told her about his visit to home in the next few days but news of his martyrdom has rattled her.

Just a day ago he called me and told me that he will soon visit home. I called him a number of times yesterday but his mobile was off. In the evening, I was told by the Army that he was injured in an encounter and is in hospital, she said.

Sunil Kumar Sharma Naib Sarpanch Ajote said that the entire belt is proud of him.

"Our son and brave jawan has achieved martyrdom in an encounter in Kalakote. Entire area is proud of him".

"Pakistan is everyday engineering mischief and killing innocent people here. Pakistan should be given a befitting reply so that they don't dare to repeat such acts, Sharma said.

Those who lost their lives in the Wednesday encounter include Captain M V Pranjal of 63 Rashtriya Rifles, a resident of Karnataka, Captain Shubham of the Special Forces, resident of Agra in Uttar Pradesh, Havaldar Abdul Majid of the Special Force, a resident of Poonch in J-K, and Lance Naik Sanjay Bist of Nainital in Uttarakhand.
Chandigarh, Nov 23 (PTI) Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Thursday said the state government will start the process of withdrawing FIRs registered against individuals who violated the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and other guidelines issued during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Addressing a press conference here, Khattar said 8,275 such FIRs have been registered for non-compliance of the Covid norms.

The chief minister said 14,127 people have been arrested due to these cases and later released on bail.

"We will start the process of taking back back 8,275 cases." he said, adding that in some of these cases there are pending court trials.

"We will be taking up the matter with the courts and initiate proceedings to withdraw all such FIRs," Khattar said.

The FIRS are related to violations of SOPs and guidelines related to COVID-19, including for not wearing masks, violation of prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPc, disobedience to an order lawfully promulgated by a public servant, the chief minister said.

Khattar said 1,030 of these cases have been lodged in Gurugram, 814 in Jhajjar, 765 in Faridabad, 646 in Rohtak and 545 in Karnal.

On the recent case of spurious liquor which claimed 20 lives in Yamunanagar and Ambala districts, Khattar said stringent measures to tackle illegal activities associated with the production and distribution of spurious liquor have been implemented.

"Consequently, 35 people have been arrested, fines totalling Rs 2.51 crores have been levied, and six FIRs have been registered," he said.

In Yamunanagar, three FIRs have been registered, resulting in 19 arrests, and 16 people have been apprehended in Ambala.

Four liquor license holders have been declared defaulters, and 12 vending zones -- six urban and six rural -- have been cancelled. Forty-one sub-vend licenses have also been cancelled, he said.

Asked if there was any involvement of excise department officials, Khattar said investigations are going on but no such issue has come so far.

Khattar, however, assured that if any official is found guilty, he will not be spared.

Khattar said one of the accused "has links with Congress, but it is good that they have suspended him from the party".

Khattar on Thursday disbursed over Rs 38 lakh directly into the accounts of the kin of 11 people who lost their lives after consuming spurious liquor.

Officials said payment to other victims are also being processed, adding that one of the deceased did not leave behind any immediate kin.

On Punjab and Haryana High Court's order to quash the law that proposed to have 75 per cent reservation for residents of the state in private sector jobs, Khattar said the government will move the Supreme Court over the issue.

"We will strongly plead on this matter in the court. We will fight the (legal) battle," he said.

On being asked about the Jind government school principal arrested for alleged sexual harassment of several female students, the chief minister said the government will not tolerate such "shameful incidents", and that the accused "would not be spared".

After the incident came to light, police took immediate action and arrested the accused, he said.

Now a woman principal has taken charge of the concerned school, and 16 other staff members have been transferred out, Khattar added.

On Supreme Court's remarks asking the Punjab government to take cue from Haryana's efforts to check stubble burning, Khattar said his government's "serious and collaborative efforts" with farmers have resulted in substantial success in reducing farm fires in the state.

Haryana government has given various incentives to farmers to dissuade them from burning stubble and providing them machinery to manage stubble, he said.

Khattar said farmers have been told that stubble can be used in thermal power plants and can be a profitable product in various other industries.

If Punjab too gives such facilities and incentives, farmers will stop burning the crop residue.

"As against 36,000 farm fires in Punjab this year, Haryana has reported only 2,300," he said.

Meanwhile, in a move aimed at providing social and financial security to the 'Antyodaya' families, Khattar disbursed Rs 44.48 crore directly into the bank accounts of 1,159 beneficiaries of the government's Dayalu scheme, catering to those with death or permanent disability of a family member.
Noida, Nov 23 (PTI) India will become the most developed nation in the world by 2047 if it takes higher education to the next level and works on various transformational reforms, AICTE Chairman Prof T G Sitharam said here Thursday.

He also lauded the New Education Policy (NEP), 2020, saying its implementation would make India the "knowledge capital" of the world.

The chairman of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) shared his views during the Ministry of Education's Institution Innovation's Council (IIC) Regional Meet held at Amity University.

"India will become the most developed nation of the world by 2047 and during this Amrit Kaal, we have to take higher education to the next level and work on various transformational reforms," Sitharam said.

"NEP, 2020, includes excellent policies and initiatives which must be implemented in the next 25 years to make India the knowledge capital of the world. But it is not being followed," the former IIT-Guwahati director said.

Sitharam further said the vision for Amrit Kaal includes providing education in the mother tongue so that it can reach the maximum number of people.

"Therefore, we have published many books in regional languages and have also created reforms in examinations. Rote learning and writing in examinations has to change," he said.

"We have also taken a big step forward to integrate skilling into education since skill development is extremely crucial for the development of the country," the AICTE chairman added.

He stressed that India's vision is not only to become "Aatma Nirbhar" or self-reliant but also to become a "Vishwa Daata" -- a giver -- as witnessed during the COVID-19 pandemic when India provided vaccines to more than 100 countries and helped them.

The Education Ministry's regional meets are the flagship programme of its Innovation Cell, designed to provide a networking platform for innovation to institutions.

Around 800 to 1,000 participants, including innovators and startups, policymakers, and state and central government agencies, joined Thursday's meeting at Amity University in Noida.
New Delhi, Nov 23 (PTI) The Delhi government on Thursday announced a dry day on November 24, ordering closure of liquor shops in the city to observe Guru Teg Bahadur's martyrdom day.

Christmas will no longer be a dry day as announced earlier by the excise department, officials said.

In a 'corrigendum' issued by the excise department, it was said that liquor shops will remain closed on November 24 (Guru Teg Bahadur's martyrdom day) instead of Christmas (December 25) in Delhi.

In its order issued on September 29, the department had declared six dry days during October-December, including on December 25 when Christmas will be celebrated.

This has now been changed and Friday marking Guru Teg Bahadur's martyrdom day will be a dry day instead of Christmas, the officials added.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 23. The "Action Plan for 2024-2026 to increase the transit potential of international transport corridors passing through the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan and to stimulate transit cargo transportation" was approved, Trend reports.

The relevant decree was signed by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.

Following the decree, the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport of Azerbaijan is tasked with coordinating the implementation of the activities provided for in the Action Plan, as well as once a year informing the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan about the progress of the implementation of the Action Plan.

Monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of the activities provided for in the Action Plan will be carried out by the Center for Analysis of Economic Reforms and Communications, commissioned by the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport of Azerbaijan.

The Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan has been instructed to resolve issues arising from this decree.
Lucknow, Nov 23 (PTI) A Belgian delegation led by Ambassador Didier Vanderhasselt met Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath here on Thursday and expressed desire in partnering with the Uttar Pradesh government on various projects.

During the meeting at Adityanath's official residence here, both sides held discussions on further strengthening of relations between both nations, said an official release.

The ambassador congratulated the chief minister for the "unprecedented development" in the state under his leadership, the release said.

The four-member team accompanying the Belgian ambassador expressed keen interest in partnership with the Uttar Pradesh government in various sectors, including waste management, solar projects and semi-conductor manufacturing.

Welcoming the delegation, the chief minister said the relations between India and Belgium have become stronger under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visionary leadership.

Adityanath said the relations between the two countries have traditionally focused on trade and investment.

He added that the industrial atmosphere of Uttar Pradesh has changed due to his government's industry-friendly policies.

The chief minister said the state government is committed to provide all necessary incentives and facilities to the entrepreneurs, the release added.
Nahan (HP): Thousands of devotees took a holy dip in the Shri Renuka Ji Lake here on the occasion of Hariprabodhini Ekadashi on Thursday, officials said.

The holy 'snaan' started at 3 am in the wee hours and continued till late evening, locals said.

On the second day of the six-day long international Shri Renuka Ji Mela, number of people from different states of north India continued to throng the fair throughout the day.

Devotees took a holy dip in the Renuka Ji Lake and paid obeisance to Bhagwati Renuka Ji and Lord Parshuram.

Thousands of devotees take dip in the lake on the occasion of Hariprabodhini Ekadashi and Kartik Purnima (full moon), falling on November 23 and 27 this year.

Aacharya Surendra Sharma, a Bhavad Gita narrator, said this fair has been the biggest annual congregation of people in Sirmaur district since thousands of years.

This religious assembly dedicated to Lord Parshuram and Bhagwati Renuka Ji finds mentions in the several Purans including 'Skand Puran' and 'Brahmand Puran', he said.

Huge crowd was witnessed on the Snann Ghat on the bank of Renuka Ji Lake since morning, said Ram Lal Thakur, a devotee who has come here from Uttarakhand with his family to attend the fair.

"Today after taking Holi dip, we will proceed back to our native places," Thakur said.

Elaborate security arrangements were made at the Snaan Ghat to control the crowd, the officials said.
New Delhi, Nov 23 (PTI) The Delhi High Court on Thursday sought the Centre's stand on a plea by the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation challenging cancellation of its Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) licence.

Justice Jasmeet Singh asked the central government to show cause why the appeal by the NGO, headed by Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, should not be admitted and instead be dismissed at this stage itself.

The Centre's lawyer said the plea by the foundation was not maintainable in the form of an appeal and a petition should have been filed.

The counsel for the NGO said the appeal was maintainable under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 and urged the court to issue formal notice on it to the authorities.

The Centre's lawyer said that earlier this year, the high court has already noted that the admission of the appeals required "further examination".

Besides the foundation, Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust has also filed an appeal against cancellation of its FCRA licence.

On May 18, a single judge, who was inclined to issue notices, had said it would first hear the issue of maintainability of two pleas by Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF) and Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust (RGCT).

The Ministry of Home Affairs had in October last year cancelled the FCRA licences of the two NGOs for alleged violation of laws.

The action had come following investigations carried out by an inter-ministerial committee formed by the MHA in 2020.

The FCRA licences of RGF and RGCT were cancelled after investigations against these NGOs, an official had earlier said.

The investigators covered alleged manipulation of documents while filing income-tax returns, misuse of funds and money laundering while receiving funds from foreign countries, including China.

Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi is the chairperson of the RGF as well as the RGCT.

The trustees of the RGF are former prime minister Manmohan Singh, former finance minister P Chidambaram, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Suman Dubey and Ashok Ganguly.

The trustees of the RGCT are Rahul Gandhi, Ashok Ganguly, Bansi Mehta and Deep Joshi.

Set up in 1991, the RGF worked on a number of critical issues, including health, science and technology, women and children and disability support, till 2009. It also worked in the education sector, according to its website.

The RGCT was established in 2002 to address the development needs of the underprivileged people of the country, especially the rural poor.

It currently works in the poorest regions of Uttar Pradesh, one of the least developed states in the country, and Haryana through two development initiatives -- the Rajiv Gandhi Mahila Vikas Pariyojana (RGMVP) and the Indira Gandhi Eye Hospital and Research Centre (IGEHRC) -- according to the RGCT website.

The NGOs came under the scanner in July 2020 after the MHA set up an inter-ministerial committee headed by an Enforcement Directorate (ED) officer to probe possible violations of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the Income Tax Act and the FCRA.

The matter would be heard next in December.
New Delhi, Nov 23 (PTI) The Delhi High Court on Thursday granted time to police to file their response to a plea seeking registration of FIR against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for allegedly revealing the identity of Dalit girl, who was raped and murdered in 2021, by posting a photo of he with her parents on social media platform X.

The counsel for petitioner Makarand Suresh Mhadlekar, argued that Gandhi had committed a serious offence but the Delhi Police was yet to register an FIR.

The counsel for the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) said there are no exceptions to the law protecting the identity of minor victims of sexual offences and the "police must register an FIR and take consequential action".

Observing that it would proceed further after police files their response, a bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Manmohan asked the Delhi Police to file a status report in 10 days.

"Counsel for respondent no 3 seeks and is permitted to file status report in 10 days," the bench, also comprising Justice Mini Pushkarna, said, and listed the matter for hearing on December 21.

Advocate Tarannum Cheema, appearing for Gandhi, said no formal notice has been issued to be Congress leader yet on the PIL.

The lawyer for X said that Gandhi's account was temporarily suspended following the post in question, and subsequently, the post was also taken down by it.

The petitioner's counsel, however, alleged that the social media platform was trying to protect Gandhi and the post was made unavailable only in India, and thus, the offence was still continuing.

In 2021, social activist Makarand Suresh Mhadlekar had moved the high court seeking registration of an FIR against Gandhi for allegedly revealing the identity of the minor Dalit girl, rape and murdered that year, by publishing a photograph with her parents on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The nine-year-old Dalit girl had died under suspicious circumstances on August 1, 2021, with her parents alleging that she was raped, murdered and cremated by a crematorium's priest in southwest Delhi's Old Nangal village.

In an affidavit filed in response to the petition, the NCPCR has said Gandhi's conduct was in the violation of provisions of Juvenile Justice Act, 2015, which makes it explicitly clear that any information including family details should not be published in any form which could lead to the identification of any minor victim.

The child rights' body also informed that "in view of the serious offence committed" by the Congress politician, it had forwarded the complaint to the Delhi Police and X for removal of the post in question and taking necessary action against his account.

Considering that the tweet was withheld in India and has not been "removed" completely, X's inaction was contributing towards disclosure of the identity of the victim in violation of Indian laws, it added.

On October 5, 2021, a bench headed by then Chief Justice DN Patel had issued notice to X, then Twitter, on the petition which alleged that Gandhi was "attempting to take political mileage out of the unfortunate incident".

The court had then refused to issue notice to other respondents, i.e. Gandhi, the Delhi Police and NCPCR on the public interest litigation (PIL) at that stage.

The plea has also sought initiation of appropriate legal action against Gandhi by NCPCR.
Kollam (Ker), Nov 23 (PTI) Justice Fathima Beevi, the first woman judge of the Supreme Court and former Governor of Tamil Nadu, died at a private hospital here on Thursday, official sources said.



She was 96.



Justice Beevi was admitted to the private hospital a few days ago due to age-related ailments and breathed her last on Thursday afternoon around 12.15 pm, an official source said.



"Her body is being brought back to her residence in Pathanamthitta. Her burial will be held tomorrow (November 24) at the Pathanamthitta Juma Masjid," the source said.



Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan expressed condolences over the death of Justice Beevi, and recalled her journey from overcoming the educational challenges that girls face to becoming the first woman judge of the Supreme Court -- having started her legal career as a munsiff.



He further said that Justice Beevi was the first woman from the Muslim community to be a part of the higher judiciary, as she was able to overcome the negative aspects of social situations by seeing them as challenges.



Her life is an inspiration to everyone, especially women, the chief minister said, adding that as a tribute to her, she has been chosen for the Kerala Prabha Award.



State Health Minister Veena George expressed condolences, saying that the news of the demise of Justice Beevi was extremely painful.



The minister said that Justice Beevi made a mark as the first woman judge of the Supreme Court and as the Tamil Nadu Governor.



"She was a brave woman who had many records to her name. She was a personality who, through her own life, showed that willpower and a sense of purpose can overcome any adversity," George said in a statement.



Justice Beevi, who was born in April 1927 in Kerala's Pathanamthitta district, completed her schooling at the Catholicate High School there and then acquired a BSc degree from University College in Thiruvananthapuram.



Subsequently, she obtained a law degree from Law College in Thiruvananthapuram and enrolled as an advocate in 1950.



She was, thereafter, appointed as Munsiff in the Kerala Subordinate Judicial Services in 1958, promoted to Subordinate Judge in 1968, and became Chief Judicial Magistrate in 1972.



Justice Beevi went on to become a District and Sessions Judge in 1974 and was appointed as the Judicial Member of the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal in 1980.



She was elevated to the Kerala High Court in 1983 and became a permanent judge there the very next year.



She went on to become the first woman judge in the Supreme Court of India in 1989 and retired from there in 1992.



After her retirement, she served as a member of the National Human Rights Commission before becoming the Governor of Tamil Nadu in 1997.
Westerly, RI (02891)

Today

Cloudy skies with a few showers this afternoon. High 52F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Cloudy with rain ending overnight. Low 43F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%.




New York City Mayor Eric Adams ripped into President Joe Biden over the influx of border crossers and illegal aliens into the United States, calling it unfair to American taxpayers. Since the spring of 2022, approximately 140,000 border crossers and illegal aliens have arrived in New York City, with many of them being released into the countrys interior by the Department of Homeland Security under President Joe Bidens administration.

As the city grapples with the financial burden of caring for and housing these individuals, Adams has already announced a five percent across-the-board cut in New York City services. The cost of providing for border crossers and illegal aliens is expected to reach a staggering $12 billion by the end of the next year.

Speaking at a town hall event in Coney Island, Adams expressed his frustration with the impact of illegal immigration on everyday taxpayers. I want to pass a budget that adds cops, I want to pass a budget that allows us to have more after-school programs, senior care, and infrastructure building, thats the budget I want. And so when people look at whats happening in this city, we all are angry, Adams stated.

He continued, And I tell people all the time when they stop me on the subway system, Dont yell at me, yell at DC, yell at DC. We deserve better as a city.

In response to the financial challenges posed by illegal immigration, Adams announced further budget cuts on Tuesday, tasking city officials with identifying $2.1 billion in potential reductions. However, he emphasized his commitment to protecting essential services such as police, fire, and sanitation.

According to Adams, New York City is grappling with a staggering $7.1 billion budget shortfall attributed to the impact of illegal immigration over the past two years. He, along with other sanctuary city mayors, has appealed to the Biden administration for a $5 billion bailout, but as of now, the White House has not taken any such action.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)




The ousted leader of ChatGPT maker OpenAI will return to the company that fired him just days ago, concluding a short but chaotic power struggle that shocked the tech industry and underscored the conflicts around how to safely build artificial intelligence.

The San Francisco-based company said late Tuesday that it reached an agreement in principle for co-founder Sam Altman to return as CEO under a different board of directors.

The agreement followed intense negotiations that began Saturday between Altmans side and the board members who pushed him out. The discussions included disagreements about Altmans future role and who would stay on the board, according to a person familiar with the talks who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to speak publicly about such sensitive matters.

An independent investigation into Altman and the events that led to his ouster, announced earlier this week, will continue, according to the person, who described board members slow erosion of trust in the OpenAI leader without pointing to any serious wrongdoing. The company previously made unspecified allegations that Altman had not been candid with the board.

The lack of transparency surrounding Altmans firing led to a weekend of internal conflict at the company and growing outside pressure from the startups investors, particularly Microsoft, which on Monday hired Altman and a key ally, OpenAI co-founder and president Greg Brockman, and opened its doors to any of the other more than 700 employees who wanted to join them.

The turmoil accentuated the differences between Altman  who has become the face of generative AIs rapid commercialization since ChatGPTs arrival a year ago  and board members who have expressed deep reservations about the safety risks posed by AI as it gets more advanced.

One of the four board members who participated in Altmans ouster, OpenAI co-founder and chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, was involved in the negotiations over the weekend. But that changed when he publicly expressed regret about the decision Monday morning and joined the call for the boards resignation.

The person familiar with the talks said board members did not want the company to tank or employees to defect to Microsoft. At the same time, they did not want to acquiesce to demands that they all step down, nor did they want to reinstate Altman and Brockman on the board or install new members who might not stand up to them, the person said.

In the end, most of them did step down.

The new board will be led by former Salesforce co-CEO Bret Taylor, who chaired Twitters board before Elon Musk took over the platform last year. The other members will be former U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers and Quora CEO Adam DAngelo, the only member of the previous board to stay on.

The OpenAI episode shows how fragile the AI ecosystem is right now, including addressing AIs risks, said Johann Laux, an expert at the Oxford Internet Institute focusing on human oversight of artificial intelligence.

Before the board was replaced, venture capitalist Vinod Khosla, a vocal Altman supporter whose firm is an OpenAI investor, wrote in an opinion column at The Information that board members had set back the tremendous benefits of AI by misapplying their religion of effective altruism.

Some of OpenAIs board members over the years have had ties to effective altruism, the philanthropic social movement that prioritizes donating to projects that will have the greatest impact on the largest number of people, including humans in the future.

While many effective altruists believe AI could offer powerful benefits, they also advocate for mitigating the technologys potential risks.

Helping to drive Altmans return and the installation of a new board was Microsoft, which has invested billions of dollars in OpenAI and has rights to its existing technology.

While promising to welcome OpenAIs fleeing workforce, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella also made clear in a series of interviews Monday that he was open to the possibility of Altman returning to OpenAI as long as the startups governance problems were solved.

We are encouraged by the changes to the OpenAI board, Nadella posted on X late Tuesday. We believe this is a first essential step on a path to more stable, well-informed and effective governance.

In his own post, Altman said that with the new board and with Satyas support, he was looking forward to returning to OpenAI and building on our strong partnership with Microsoft.

Gone from the OpenAI board are its only two women: tech entrepreneur Tasha McCauley and Helen Toner, a policy expert at Georgetowns Center for Security and Emerging Technology, both of whom have expressed concerns about AI safety risks.

The leadership drama offers a glimpse into how big tech companies are taking the lead in governing AI and its risks, while governments scramble to catch up. The European Union is working to finalize the worlds first comprehensive AI rules.

In the absence of regulations, companies decide how a technology is rolled out, said Oxfords Laux.

Co-founded by Altman as a nonprofit with a mission to safely build AI that outperforms humans and benefits humanity, OpenAI later became a for-profit business  but one still run by its nonprofit board of directors.

This was not OpenAIs first experience with executive turmoil. Past examples including a 2018 falling out between board co-chairs Altman and Musk that led to Musks exit, and a later exodus of top leaders who started the competitor Anthropic.

Its not clear yet if the boards structure will change with its new members.

Under the current structure, all profit beyond a certain cap is supposed to go back to its mission of helping humanity. The board is also tasked with deciding when AI systems have become so advanced that they are better than humans at most economically valuable work. At that point, Microsofts intellectual property licenses no longer apply.

We are collaborating to figure out the details, OpenAI posted on social media. Thank you so much for your patience through this.

Nadella said Brockman, who was OpenAIs board chairman until Altmans firing, also will have a key role to play in ensuring the group continues to thrive and build on its mission.

As for OpenAIs short-lived interim CEO Emmett Shear, the second temporary leader in the days since Altmans ouster, he posted on X that he was deeply pleased by this result after about 72 very intense hours of work.

Coming into OpenAI, I wasnt sure what the right path would be, wrote Shear, the former head of Twitch. This was the pathway that maximized safety alongside doing right by all stakeholders involved. Im glad to have been a part of the solution.

(AP)




South Korea said North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward the sea but the launch likely failed Wednesday night, hours after Seoul said it would resume front-line aerial surveillance in response to the Norths spy satellite launch.

South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a brief statement early Thursday it detected the missile launch from the Norths capital region. It said the missile was fired toward the Norths eastern waters but that the launch was believed to have ended in failure. It gave no further details such as what type of missile was fired and what happened to it.

The launch was North Koreas first known weapons firing in more than two months. Earlier Wednesday, South Korea announced it decided to partially suspend an inter-Korean agreement and restart front-line aerial surveillance of North Korea in reaction to the Norths satellite launch the previous night.

South Korea, the U.S. and Japan have strongly condemned the Norths satellite launch because they believe it was meant to improve the countrys missile technology as well as establish a space-based surveillance system. U.N. Security Council resolutions prohibit any satellite liftoffs by North Korea, viewing them as covers for testing its long-range missile technology.

The Norths neighbors are trying to confirm whether its satellite launch was successful as it claimed and whether the satellite can perform reconnaissance functions.

South Koreas military said it assessed that the satellite had entered orbit. But it said it needs more time to verify whether it works. Earlier, the Pentagon said it was assessing the success of the launch, while Japan said there had been no confirmation of the Norths report on the satellite entering orbit.

North Koreas space agency said its Malligyong-1 satellite was placed in orbit on Tuesday night, about 12 minutes after liftoff. Leader Kim Jong Un watched the satellite launch on site. He later visited the Pyongyang control center of the Norths space agency, where he was briefed that the satellite would officially begin its reconnaissance mission from Dec. 1, following a period of fine-tuning, according to state media.

The Norths official Korean Central News Agency reported that Kim was presented with satellite photos of Anderson Air Force Base, Apra Harbor and other U.S. military facilities in the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam, which it said were taken Wednesday morning.

It didnt publicize the photos, and many experts remain skeptical about whether the North Korean satellite is advanced enough to conduct meaningful military reconnaissance.

In December, when North Korea released black-and-white satellite photos of South Korean cities following a test launch, many experts said the imagery was too crude for surveillance purposes. In 2012 and 2016, North Korea placed Earth observation satellites into orbit, but experts say neither has ever transmitted imagery back to North Korea.

North Korea used the same satellite in its two failed launches in May and August. South Koreas military retrieved debris from the first launch and assessed at the time the satellite wasnt sophisticated enough to perform military reconnaissance.

Before Tuesdays launch, South Korean officials said North Korea was likely receiving Russian technological support for its spy satellite launch program as part of the two countries push to boost their partnerships.

The U.S., South Korea and others accuse North Korea of shipping conventional arms to support Russias war in Ukraine in exchange for receiving high-tech Russian technologies to enhance its own military programs. Both North Korea and Russia have denied the accusations.

A spy satellite is among an array of sophisticated weapons systems that Kim wants to introduce. Experts say he would eventually aim to use his enlarged arsenal to win sanctions relief and other concessions from the U.S. when diplomacy resumes.

Some civilian experts said North Koreas Malligyong-1 satellite is likely capable of only detecting big targets like warships or planes. But by operating several such satellites, North Korea could still observe South Korea at all times, they said.

Animosities run high on the Korean Peninsula due to North Koreas series of weapons tests since last year and the expansion of U.S.-South Korean military drills.

When Heo Tae-keun, South Koreas deputy minister of national defense policy, announced the suspension of the 2018 inter-Korean agreement, he said South Korea will promptly and strongly punish North Korea if it uses the South Korean step as a pretext to launch another provocation. Heo called the Norths satellite launch a grave provocation that threatens our national security.

The Norths space agency said the satellite would help improve the Norths war readiness in the face of the enemies dangerous military moves. The agency said North Korea will soon launch several more spy satellites to better monitor South Korea and other areas.

The 2018 agreement, struck during a short-lived era of reconciliation between the rival Koreas, created buffer and no-fly zones along the countries heavily fortified border. Under the deal, the Koreas were required to halt front-line aerial reconnaissance and live-fire exercises. They also removed some of their guard posts and land mines at border areas.

The deal invited conservative criticism in South Korea, with critics saying it significantly restricted the operation of the countrys aerial surveillance assets, which are much more superior to North Koreas. They also accused the deal of heavily benefiting North Korea, because it only called for mutual reductions of conventional military strength while leaving the Norths growing nuclear arsenal intact.

South Korea has no nuclear weapons.

(AP)




As lawmakers in Washington weigh sending billions more in federal support to Kyiv to help fight off Russian aggression, close to half of the U.S. public thinks the country is spending too much on aid to Ukraine, according to polling from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Those sentiments, driven primarily by Republicans, help explain the hardening opposition among conservative GOP lawmakers on Capitol Hill who are rebuffing efforts from President Joe Biden to approve a new tranche of Ukraine aid, arguing that the money would be better spent for domestic priorities.

Yet opposition to aid is down slightly from where it was a month ago in another AP-NORC poll. Now, 45% say the U.S. government is spending too much on aid to Ukraine in the war against Russia, compared with 52% in October. That shift appears to come mostly from Republicans: 59% now say too much is spent on Ukraine aid, but thats down from 69% in October.

Nonetheless, the Republican resistance to continued Ukraine aid remains strong.

I understand the citizens need help, but I feel like were spending way too much money on Ukraine when we have our issues here, on our own soil, that we need to deal with, said Eric Mondello, 40, from Fountain, Colorado. Pointing to needs such as health care for veterans and homelessness in communities, Mondello added: I understand the U.S. has been an ally to others, but I feel like, lets take care of our people first.

More than one-third (38%) of U.S. adults say that current spending is about the right amount, which is up slightly from last month (31%). Among Republicans, nearly 3 in 10 (29%) say the current spending is about right, up from 20% last month.

Paula Graves, 69, is among those who says the amount of spending for Ukraine is the right amount.

Putin, hes straight up evil. I dont think there should be any question in anyones mind, said Graves, of Clovis, California. Hes a dictator. Hes infringed on human rights, hes a very scary person and if Ukraine falls to him, whos next? What countrys next?

Graves, who says she is not affiliated with a political party but leans more conservative, said she believes the U.S. has a leadership role on the global stage and added: I think we definitely need to put America first, but I dont think that needs to be first and only.

The White House has been repeatedly pressing lawmakers to pass Bidens nearly $106 billion emergency spending package that he proposed in October, which includes more than $61 billion specifically for the war in Ukraine. The rest of Bidens request has aid for Israel as it battles Hamas, money for various priorities in the Indo-Pacific region and additional resources to help manage migration at the southern border.

On Ukraine, the Biden administration is increasingly warning that the well of aid is running dry. In an unannounced visit to Kyiv on Monday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Ukraines effort to defeat Russian forces matters to the rest of the world and pledged that U.S. support would continue for the long haul.

That message was reinforced at the White House.

As President Biden has said, when aggressors dont pay a price for their aggression, theyll cause more chaos and death and destruction, John Kirby, spokesman for the National Security Council, told the White House press briefing Monday. They just keep on going, and the cost and the threats to America and to the world will keep rising.

But Congress has rebuffed the White House efforts at bolstering Ukraine support at least twice in recent months. First, it ignored a roughly $40 billion supplemental request before a Sept. 30 funding deadline. Then last week, it passed a stopgap funding measure that keeps the government operating through early next year, but with no additional Ukraine aid.

In the Senate, a small bipartisan group is working on legislation that would combine fresh Ukraine assistance with stricter border measures to address concerns from Republicans that the U.S. was focused on needs abroad at the expense of issues closer to home. A broad majority of senators remains supportive of Ukraine aid, with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., being one of the most stalwart supporters despite the isolationist strain in his party.

South Dakota Sen. John Thune, the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, said lawmakers will continue to work on the Ukraine-border package over the Thanksgiving break and wont wait until mid-January  when Congress faces another government funding deadline  to act on Ukraine.

The big question mark is in the House, where still-new Speaker Mike Johnson  who had voted against Ukraine aid as a rank-and-file conservative  has spoken broadly of the need to counter Russian aggression yet faces unruly GOP lawmakers who have shown more hostility to continued support for Kyiv.

Johnson, too, is insisting that additional Ukraine aid be paired with tougher border measures, although it is far from certain that any immigration agreement that clears the Democratic-led Senate could pass the GOP-controlled House.

Half of U.S. adults are extremely or very concerned that Russias influence poses a direct threat to the United States. Democrats (53%) and Republicans (51%) are similarly concerned about Russian power  but Democrats are more likely than Republicans to see Ukraine as a nation of shared values to the U.S. and to support more aid for Ukraine.

About half of the public (48%) endorses providing weapons to Ukraine (57% among Democrats, 42% among Republicans). About 4 in 10 favor sending government funds directly to Ukraine (54% for Democrats, 24% for Republicans).

Americans have grown slightly more likely to say the U.S. should take a less active role in solving the worlds problems, compared with a September poll from AP-NORC and Pearson. Slightly fewer than half (45%) now say the U.S. should be less involved, up from 33% in September. Just 16% of Democrats now say the U.S. should take a more active role, down from 29% in September.

Peter Einsig, a Republican from Tulsa, Oklahoma, said he still believes the U.S. has a role to play abroad, but that he remains concerned about excessive government spending and federal debt.

Yet Einsig said he would be more inclined to support aid to Ukraine if there were more oversight into how the money was being used abroad, as well as a timeline of how much longer the U.S. would be providing support.

We dont have transparency on where the money is really, really going, said Einsig, 40. Its a big lump sum.

Four in 10 U.S. adults say Ukraine is an ally that shares U.S. interests and values. That view is most common among Democrats (53%), who are much more likely than independents (28%), Republicans (29%) and Americans overall to see Ukraine as a nation with similar values and needs. About half of Republicans say Ukraine is a partner that the U.S. should cooperate with, but say it is not a nation that shares U.S. values.

(AP)
BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 23. Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov met with Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Peter Szijjarto, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said, Trend reports.

Peter Szijjarto is in Azerbaijan to participate in the meetings and summit within the UN Special Program for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA).

During the meeting, current bilateral and multilateral cooperation agenda issues between Azerbaijan and Hungary, including the current regional situation, were discussed.

The advancement of Azerbaijan-Hungary cooperation in political, economic, transportation, commerce, energy security, education, humanitarian, and other fields was highlighted with satisfaction. The importance of developing bilateral cooperation in the field of energy security, especially alternative energy, was stressed.

Jeyhun Bayramov also updated the visitors on the post-conflict condition in the region, recent efforts made by Azerbaijan to advance the peace agenda, and Azerbaijan's perspective on the prospects of the peace process. At the same time, the participation of Hungarian firms in Azerbaijan's restoration and reconstruction work in territory liberated from Armenian domination was appreciated.

Peter Szijjarto stated that Hungary is interested in the continuing development of strategic connections between the two nations, particularly the need to leverage existing resources. The work of the bilateral economic commission has been praised. Peter Szijjarto stressed the significance of collaborative initiatives implemented in this direction when discussing Azerbaijan's role in Europe's energy security.

During the meeting, the parties discussed other bilateral and regional matters of mutual concern.

Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel




The U.S. has thwarted a plot to kill Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil, a U.S. official familiar with the matter said Wednesday.

U.S. authorities have raised concerns with New Delhi that the Indian government may have had knowledge of the plot, according to the official who was not authorized to comment on the sensitive matter.

The official declined to comment on when or how U.S. officials became aware of the plot as well as how the alleged assassination attempt was derailed. The FBI is investigating the matter, the official said.

Spokespeople for the FBI and Justice Department declined to comment Wednesday.

The revelation follows the September disclosure by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of what he said were credible allegations that the Indian government may have had links to the assassination in that country of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. India rejected the accusation as absurd, but Canada expelled a top Indian diplomat while it investigated.

The thwarted assassination plot was first reported by the Financial Times, which said the U.S. informed some allies of the alleged plot.

The official who spoke to AP added that concerns over the plot have been raised by U.S. authorities at the highest levels of the Indian government, and officials in New Delhi indicated they were treating the matter seriously.

We are treating this issue with utmost seriousness, and it has been raised by the U.S. Government with the Indian Government, including at the senior-most levels. Indian counterparts expressed surprise and concern, National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said in a statement.

They stated that activity of this nature was not their policy. Based on discussion with senior U.S. government officials, we understand the Indian government is further investigating this issue and will have more to say about it in the coming days. We have conveyed our expectation that anyone deemed responsible should be held accountable, the statement added.

Law enforcement officials have repeatedly warned about what they say is an alarming trend of foreign governments seeking to harass, stalk or intimidate dissidents and political opponents in the U.S.

Indias foreign ministry issued a statement noting that the U.S. had raised information pertaining to a nexus between organized criminals, gun runners, terrorists and others during recent conversations. The statement described the information as a cause of concern for both countries and said India takes it seriously.

(AP)




Tearing up as he testified, Donald Trumps former corporate controller said he gave up on his longtime job because he was worn out by the companys legal woes.

Jeffrey McConney was on the witness stand for a fourth day in six weeks at the ex-presidents civil fraud trial when defense lawyer Jesus M. Suarez asked why McConney no longer works at the Trump Organization.

McConney paused, took off his glasses, raised his hands in the air, wiped his eyes with tissues that were brought to him and started reflecting aloud about his more than 35 years at the company.

Im very proud of the work that I did, he said, then launched into a litany of investigations and legal proceedings in which hes been subpoenaed or called to testify.

I just wanted to relax and stop being accused of misrepresenting assets for the company that I loved working for. Im sorry, he testified Tuesday, his voice trembling.

McConney is among defendants in the trial in which New York Attorney General Letitia James alleges that Trump and executives at his company fraudulently inflated his wealth on his financial statements, which were used to secure loans and insurance.

Trump, the Republican presidential front-runner, has deplored the case as a political attack by James, a Democrat. He contends the documents actually underestimated his net worth. And he has emphasized that the statements came with notes saying that they werent audited and that others might reach different conclusions about his financial position  disclaimers that he characterizes as telling recipients to vet the numbers themselves.

Judge Arthur Engoron, who will decide the verdict in the non-jury trial, has already ruled that Trump and other defendants engaged in fraud. The trial is to decide remaining claims of conspiracy, insurance fraud and falsifying business records.

James wants the judge to impose over $300 million in penalties and to ban Trump from doing business in New York  and thats on top of Engorons pretrial order that a receiver take control of some of Trumps properties. An appeals court has frozen that order for now.

Former controller McConney worked at the Trump Organization from 1987 until this past February. He has testified that he retired and is receiving a total of $500,000 in severance payments.

His exit came months after he was granted immunity to testify for the prosecution at the Trump Organizations New York criminal tax fraud trial, where he admitted breaking the law to help fellow executives avoid taxes on company-paid perks. The company was convicted and is appealing.

At the current civil trial, McConney was called to testify last month by the attorney generals office, and again this week by defense lawyers. During his various stints on the stand, he has testified about how he and other executives arrived at the asset values that James office says were wildly high, but that he says were legitimate.

He disclosed, for example, that the estimate for the bosss Trump Tower penthouse was increased by $20 million partly because of the value of Trumps celebrity. Meanwhile, the triplex also was valued for years at three times its actual size  a discrepancy that McConney attributed to information from a colleague he believed knew the property a lot better than I did.

McConney said he valued Trumps Mar-a-Lago club in Florida as though the property could be sold as a private home, though an agreement with the National Trust for Historic Preservation called for keeping the property a club, a status that yielded tax benefits for Trump. The ex-president, in his own testimony earlier this month, told the court that he believes he retains the right to re-designate the property as a home. The trust has declined to comment.

The Trump Organization only sometimes hewed to appraisals when putting down property values on Trumps financial statements, McConney testified. He said that just because theres an appraisal done doesnt mean it properly reflects the value of that property.

He said that it was his understanding that Trump himself reviewed the financial statements before they were finalized. Trump testified earlier that I would see them, and I would maybe, on occasion, have some suggestions.

McConney testified that there is no right way to determine a propertys worth. He said the bases for his evaluations were clear to the outside accountants who prepared the financial statements  though one of those accountants, Donald Bender, testified last month that the Trump Organization didnt always supply all the information needed.

McConney, who worked closely with Bender for decades, insisted the accountant was so well informed about the Trump Organizations operations that he knew more about the company than I did.

McConney testified Tuesday that he never intended to mislead anyone or to be inaccurate.

I think everything was justified. Numbers dont represent fully what these assets are worth, he said, adding that he and others at the company felt comfortable with the valuations.

To be hit over the head every time with a negative comment over something is just really frustrating, and I gave up, he said, throwing up his hands.

(AP)




The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said Wednesday that Irans decision in September to bar several experienced U.N. inspectors from monitoring the countrys nuclear program constituted a very serious blow to the agencys ability to do its job to the best possible level.

IAEA Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi said that while the U.N. nuclear watchdog continued to perform its monitoring work, Iran had targeted inspectors who have a lot of experience, particularly in enrichment and other capacities.

It takes a long time to prepare inspectors who have the necessary amount of experience, skills and ability to perform their work, Grossi told reporters on the first day of a regular meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors in Vienna.

While refusing to get into specific numbers or names, Grossi said that the ban concerned one-third of the core group of the agencys most experienced inspectors designated for Iran.

This is completely uncalled for, this is completely illogical, he said.

Grossi said that he hoped to reverse Irans decision and that he is having a conversation about the issue with Mohammad Eslami, the head of Irans civilian nuclear program,

The comments come after a confidential IAEA report last week said that Iran continues to bar several of the watchdogs inspectors from monitoring the countrys nuclear program, and that Tehran has further increased its stockpile of near weapons-grade uranium.

The IAEA said that according to its assessment, as of Oct. 28, Iran has an estimated 128.3 kilograms (282.9 pounds) of uranium enriched up to 60% purity, which represents an increase of 6.7 kilograms since its September report.

Iran has long denied ever seeking nuclear weapons and continues to insist that its nuclear program is entirely for peaceful purposes, such as for use in medicine, agriculture, industry and science.

But the IAEAs director-general has warned Tehran has enough enriched uranium for several nuclear bombs if it chose to build them.

The 128.3 kilograms enriched up to 60% fissile purity are more than three times the approximately 42 kilograms of uranium enriched up to 60% that the IAEA defines as sufficient material to fuel one atomic weapon once refined further.

Uranium enriched at 60% purity is just a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%.

In September, Iran informed Grossi of its decision to bar several inspectors from monitoring the countrys nuclear program. Irans Foreign Ministry linked the move to what it said was an attempt by the United States and three European countries to misuse the IAEA for their own political purposes.

The U.S. and the three European countries had criticized Iran in September in a joint statement, calling on Tehran to step up cooperation with the agency.

In a second confidential report last week, the IAEA said that no progress has been made on its request that Iran explain the origin and current location of man-made uranium particles found at two locations that Tehran has failed to declare as potential nuclear sites.

The report also says that there is no progress thus far in getting more monitoring equipment, including cameras, reinstalled that had been removed by Iran in June 2022.

(AP)




Bob Vander Plaats, an influential Iowa evangelical leader, endorsed Ron DeSantis for president Tuesday, boosting the Florida governor as he goes all in on the leadoff caucus state in an effort to trip up Republican front-runner Donald Trump.

Vander Plaats is the second major backer DeSantis has picked up in Iowa this month, joining popular Gov. Kim Reynolds.

Evangelicals are a crucial voting bloc in Iowas Republican caucuses. Vander Plaats, president of the Family Leader, has endorsed the eventual winner in every GOP caucus since 2008 and is potentially jeopardizing his streak by picking DeSantis, who trails far behind Trump in polls. His decision will test his sway among Iowa evangelicals, many of whom continue to support Trump.

If Trump wins Iowa, hell probably go on to be the nominee, but I dont think America is going to elect him president again, Vander Plaats told Fox News host Bret Baier.

I think America would be well served to have a choice, and I really believe Ron DeSantis should be that guy, he said. And I think Iowa is tailor made for him to win this. 

He pointed to DeSantis decisive victory in his 2022 Florida re-election and his success enacting conservative legislation.

Vander Plaats, who is prominent in the anti-abortion movement, has questioned the former presidents commitment to an abortion ban. While Trumps three Supreme Court appointments enabled the high court to overturn the constitutional right to an abortion last year, Trump has faced blowback from anti-abortion-rights activists for refusing to commit to national abortion restrictions and for calling Floridas signing of a six-week ban on the procedure a terrible mistake.

A majority of U.S. adults want abortion to be legal at least through the early stages of pregnancy, according to a July poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

DeSantis has infused his campaign with religious rhetoric and persistent outreach to white evangelicals but has said little about how he practices his own Catholic faith. He met with Vander Plaats earlier this year in Tallahassee, the Florida capital.

In response to the Vander Plaats endorsement, Trumps campaign said the former president is backed by more than 150 faith leaders in Iowa and implied that DeSantis paid for the endorsement.

Kim Reynolds endorsement wont save Ron DeSanctus, and neither will Vander Plaat$ endorsement, the Trump campaign statement said, using a nickname Trump commonly uses for DeSantis. Vander Plaats said his endorsement is not for sale and payments from DeSantis backers to his organization were for ads at a candidate forum in July.

Trump also posted a video on social media in which he goes after Reynolds for endorsing DeSantis and expresses his former administrations support for Iowa farmers.

(AP)




President Joe Biden has ordered that U.S. flags on federal government buildings and property will be lowered to half staff for five days in recognition of former first lady Rosalynn Carter, who died Sunday at the age of 96. Bidens order calls for flags to fly half-staff from Saturday through sunset on Wednesday, Nov. 29, the day Carter will be buried in Plains, Georgia, the hometown she shared with former President Jimmy Carter.

The order applies to flags at the White House, all other federal buildings and grounds, and all military and naval posts, including navy vessels, in the U.S. and its territories, along with all U.S. diplomatic, military and naval outposts abroad.

Such orders are common when major federal government figures die, including first ladies. Presidential spouses, though, do not receive state funerals.

Rosalynn Carter will be honored with public events beginning Monday in Sumter County, Georgia, where she and the former president were born, wed and lived most of their lives. Jimmy Carter, who is 99, remains at home under hospice care.

A service for Rosalynn Carter will be held in Atlanta on Tuesday, followed by a final funeral Wednesday at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, where the Carters were members for more than 40 years after leaving Washington in 1981. She will be buried on land near the home where she and the former president have lived since 1961, with the exception of four years in the Georgia Governors Mansion and four years in the White House.

It is not clear whether Biden will attend Rosalynn Carters Atlanta service. Former presidents and first ladies often attend the funerals of former first ladies.

Biden has said he plans to deliver the eulogy for former President Carter when the time comes.

(AP)




In a disturbing instance of antisemitism, a man was apprehended on Wednesday afternoon for allegedly unleashing a barrage of antisemitic vitriol and menacingly targeting a visibly Jewish father and his son in the heart of Crown Heights.

The incident began with an early morning distress call to Crown Heights Shomrim around 8:30 a.m. The caller, an Orthodox Jewish man, recounted a harrowing encounter on the streets where he and his son were subjected to a torrent of antisemitic slurs and threats.

Surveillance footage captured the assailant explicitly vowing to harm the victims son if their paths crossed again.

Shomrim and police responded to the scene, launching an intensive search for the suspect. The father provided a detailed description of the assailant before video evidence became available. Despite their efforts, the suspect managed to elude capture in the initial sweep of the area.

However, at around 3:10 p.m., the father spotted the suspect while driving. He called Shomrim back, who swiftly dispatched members to the vicinity, leading to visual contact with the suspect at Kingston Street and St. Johns Place.

The suspect attempted to evade capture by boarding a city bus, but Shomrim members maintained vigilant communication with the NYPD, letting them know where he was. Once the suspect exited the bus, he was promptly taken into police custody.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)




Authorities in Los Angeles are currently on the lookout for over a dozen individuals involved in a Nike Store heist that resulted in the theft of approximately $12,000 worth of merchandise.

Video footage of the incident captures individuals with masks and hoods swiftly moving through the store, hastily collecting shoeboxes and tearing clothes off racks before making their escape.

According to the Los Angeles Police Department, the incident occurred on Sunday around 5:50 p.m. when a group of 17 suspects arrived at a shopping center on the 9800 block of South Alameda Street in five separate vehicles. The suspects, as described by LAPD, consist of four Black females and 13 Black males, all aged between 15 to 20 years old. The vehicles used by the suspects were identified as a tan Infiniti four-door, a gray KIA SUV, a white Honda four-door, and a black Audi.

The video footage shows the suspects using blue trash bags to swiftly collect stolen goods. In the midst of the chaos, the cries of a child can be heard. Notably, one of the suspects was seen wearing a distinctive hooded sweatshirt adorned with a logo featuring a bonsai tree and the words Ritual of the Spirit.

The Los Angeles Police Department has classified this incident as a grand theft and is actively investigating it with the assistance of detectives from the Organized Crime Retail Taskforce (ORCT) within the Commercial Crimes Division. Authorities are urging anyone with information related to the incident to contact Detective Juan Campos at ORCT.

The surge in organized retail crime gained momentum during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic and has resulted in losses exceeding $100 billion in products throughout the United States, as reported in the 2022 National Retail Security Survey.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)




A Russian attack using cluster munitions killed three people Thursday in a suburb of Ukraines southern city of Kherson, a Ukrainian official said, bringing the number of civilians to die in a day of war to at least six.

Five people were wounded in what Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said was heavy afternoon shelling of Khersons Chornobayivka suburb. More than 60 residential and infrastructure buildings were damaged in the daylight attack, he said.

Cluster munitions  a type of bomb that opens in the air and releases smaller bomblets across a wide area  are used by both Russia and Ukraine, which has received them as military aid from the United States. Critics say the weapons litter the ground and harm and kill many more civilians than combatants.

Kherson city is the capital of a region of the same name that is located on the Dnieper River near the mouth of the Black Sea and a key gateway to Crimea. Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014 and uses it for logistics operations and rear supply depots during the current war.

Of military significance and lying on the wars long front line, the Kherson region has been a stage for heavy fighting. Ukrainian troops last week reported gaining multiple bridgeheads on the Russian-held eastern side of the river.

Before the afternoon attack, Russian forces fired other parts of the province with eight nighttime artillery barrages, killing a 42-year-old man in his apartment building and wounding another man, the Ukrainian presidential office said.

Russian shelling also killed two people in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, the office said.

It was not possible to independently verify the reports. Long-range Russian shelling that hits civilian areas has been a hallmark of Moscows 21-month war in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Russian state media reported that TV journalist Boris Maksudov died after being wounded in a drone attack while working in southern Ukraines Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia region

Maksudov, who worked for Russian state television channel Russia 24, was hit Wednesday while working on a story about Ukraine allegedly shelling civilians, according to Russias Ministry of Defense. Zaporizhzhia is one of the four Ukrainian regions that Russia illegally annexed last year.

A stepped-up Russian bombardment of civilian infrastructure has prompted Ukraine and its Western allies to beef up air defense systems. Officials fear the Kremlins forces will repeat their aerial attacks on the Ukrainian power grid this winter in an effort to break the countrys will.

The grid is already showing signs of strain. Ukrainian national electricity operator Ukrenergo reported an energy deficit Wednesday due to a steep rise in consumption caused by a drop in temperatures after a spell of mild weather, a company statement said.

Ukrenergo asked system operators in Romania, Slovakia and Poland to provide emergency assistance.

At a meeting Wednesday of some 50 countries supporting Ukraines war effort, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said they were placing extra emphasis on ground-based air defense, with Germany and France leading the European effort to furnish equipment.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a Telegram post that Ukraines sky shield is getting more powerful literally every month.

(AP)




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The military correspondent for Yediot Achranot Yossi Yehoshua wrote a strongly worded article expressing his opposition to the hostage deal approved by the Israeli government early Wednesday morning.

No Israeli citizen will remain unmoved by the return of hostages of Gaza, Yehoshua began. However, despite the difficulty and shared concern, the role of the leadership and the media is to consider the hidden dangers of the move, as was presented on Tuesday to the governments ministers.

Yehoshua continued by noting the mistakes  the false conception  made by Israels military leaders that enabled the success of the Hamas attack on October 7th. In the war cabinet and the IDF General Staff, theres not even a single voice challenging the false conception that led us to the disaster from which were now trying to save ourselves.

The same government responsible for the biggest failure in the countrys history is pushing the deal, which it says it has no choice but to accept. Even if people like IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi and Shin Bet Chief Ronen Bar, both highly commendable men of stature, stand fully behind the deal, its not certain that one can separate their responsibility from their justified sense of guilt.

Its clear that without the unanimous support of security officials, there would have been no deal. War cabinet members say that the strong push for the deal came from these officials, not from some ministers associated with the deal.

In response to concern that the deal would completely halt the war, the public was told that there was a commitment to renew the fighting after four days. but again, the enemy is an irrational player, a ruthless murderer, and one who knows how to exploit Israeli societys soft underbelly.

Yehoshua pointed out that just as Hamas took advantage of the split in society due to left-wing protests as an opportunity to attack, it is using the hostages to garner Israels public support for the deal while it prepares for future actions. From its perspective, the cost to the lives of Gazans is negligible.

Somehow, the monster that sent terrorists to slaughter Israelis will receive legitimacy after releasing 50 captives out of over 200, helping him secure a complete cease-fire. Hamas will use the images of bodies buried under rubble in Gaza to enlist world support to stop Israel from continuing the war.

Even in these agreed-upon four days of pause in fighting, the IDFs offensive momentum will be halted, allowing Sinwar to regroup and launch an improved offensive.

Meanwhile, the agreement on a temporary cessation of drone and UAV activity for several hours a day in Gaza poses a danger to IDF forces, and Israelis should doubt what former generals and other analysts say when they try to claim there are alternative solutions. The truth is simple: there are none.

Meanwhile, troops on the ground, at the peak of their offensive effort, will be forced to stop, commanders will have to avoid complacency and also deal with the mental difficulty of returning to full-fledged combat should the cease-fire end after four days. And what will the forces do if they are shot at? Or if rockets are launched by other Gaza terror groups? Will there be a powerful response despite the danger to the return of the hostages?

The IDF is a powerful army, and the soldiers are doing excellent work and are ready to pay with their lives to achieve the wars goals, including bringing Israeli captives back home. But under the current conditions, Israel may miss a historic opportunity to fundamentally change Gaza, both by paying with the lives of soldiers and by missing out on a better deal.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)
BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 23. High Observer Day was held on November 23 within the "Dogu Akdeniz-2023" international exercises taking place in Turkiye, Trend reports via the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan.

Commander of the Turkish Naval Forces Admiral Ercument Tatlioglu, representatives of the Azerbaijani Navy and other allied countries took part in the exercise.

The guests witnessed the performance of tasks in the regular training sessions. According to the plan, the tasks of the evacuation of citizens due to the earthquake, including the wounded from the coast to the TCG assault ship Anadolu were successfully carried out.

The servicemen landing on the ship from helicopters waved the flags of Azerbaijan and Turkiye. The course of international exercises held with the participation of the personnel of the marine special forces unit of the Azerbaijani Navy was positively assessed.

VIDEO:




Mosab Hassan Yousef, also known as the Son Of Hamas [the name of the book he authored], the son of Hamas co-founder Sheikh Hassan Yousef, left Hamas in the late 90s and became a spy for Israels Shin Bet, working with them for ten years to stop suicide attacks.

Yousef spoke to the United Nations about the nature of Hamas on Wednesday, warning the audience against blaming Israel for the conflict with Hamas.

Blame is the way of the coward, he said. Those who have the courage take responsibility. If Hamas is not defeated, if its not eradicated in Gaza, we will set the model for so many radical groups around the world, especially in Europe because many in ISIS have fled to Europe under the cover of civilians. There are sleeper cells in Europe and there is a migrant problem in Europe and there is an Islamic problem in Europe.

And this is just a warning  if you really care for global security  and I speak as someone who was part of the counterterrorism effort against radical Islamists  many radical groups around the globe will see that a few thousand savages can blackmail the international community  the superpowers  and bring democracies to their knees.

This is the time to be united. Because if Israel fails in Gaza, all of us will be next.

Watch the full speech below:

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)




IDF Paratroopers Brigade troops conducted an operation in Gaza Citys Tel al-Hawa neighborhood, where they captured a Hamas outpost and the offices of the terror groups intelligence division, according to the military.

During the operation, the forces seized intelligence materials, technical equipment, and significant information about Hamass underground infrastructure. Subsequently, the offices of the Hamas intelligence division were destroyed.

In the course of the raid on the Hamas outpost, several terror operatives were killed, and a workshop for manufacturing drones, mortars, and other weapons was discovered.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)




The mastermind of the Hamas attack on Israel that triggered the worst Israeli-Palestinian bloodshed in generations is a secretive figure, feared on both sides of the battle lines.

In Gaza, no figure looms larger in determining the future trajectory of the war than Yehya Sinwar. Obsessive, disciplined and dictatorial, he is Hamas top leader inside the Palestinian territory, a rarely seen veteran terrorist who learned fluent Hebrew during years in Israeli prisons and carefully studied his enemy.

Israeli officials have vowed to kill him and crush the terrorist group that has ruled Gaza since 2007. But seven weeks into the war, the 61-year-old Sinwar remains alive, in hiding and at the helm of Hamas fighters as they battle Israeli forces. He also controls the groups negotiations over the fate of nearly 240 hostages that militants captured during the Oct. 7 attack.

With the devastating toll from Israels bombardment and ground invasion, Sinwars political fate may now depend on how the war ends and whether Palestinians feel they gained anything from their immense losses.

If he can win the release of all Palestinian prisoners and the lifting of the 16-year blockade of Gaza, people will feel they obtained something, said Hani al-Masri, a veteran Palestinian analyst. Otherwise, it will be a big problem for Sinwar personally because people will say that there was destruction, and we got nothing in return.

Sinwar was able to claim an apparent political victory  although one that came at a staggering cost in Palestinian lives  with the announcement Wednesday of plans for a temporary cease-fire and a hostage-for-prisoner exchange between Hamas and Israel.

The exchange, which had been scheduled to begin Thursday, was then postponed until at least Friday. Israel offered no immediate explanation for the delay.

The wiry, grey-haired Sinwar is believed to have engineered the surprise Oct. 7 attack into southern Israel, along with the even more shadowy Mohammed Deif, head of Hamas armed wing.

The attack caught Israels military and intelligence establishment off guard and shattered the image of Israeli invincibility, as terrorists killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in scenes of brutality.

What it brought was devastating Israeli retaliation, leveling swaths of Gaza.

To Israelis, Sinwar is a nightmarish figure. The Israeli armys chief spokesperson, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, called him a murderer who proved to the whole world that Hamas is worse than ISIS, referring to the Islamic State group.

In a show of defiance two years ago, Sinwar ended one of his few public speeches by inviting Israel to assassinate him, proclaiming, I will walk back home after this meeting. He then did so, shaking hands and taking selfies with people in the streets.

But he is also deeply feared for his iron grip in Gaza, where public dissent is suppressed.

In contrast to the media-friendly personas cultivated by some of Hamas political leadership, Sinwar has not sought to build a public image. He is known as the Butcher of Khan Younis for his brutal approach to Palestinians suspected of collaborating with Israel.

Sinwar was born in 1962 in Gazas Khan Younis refugee camp to a family that was among thousands of Palestinians driven from what is now the city of Ashkelon during the 1948 war surrounding Israels creation.

He was an early member of Hamas, which emerged from the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood in 1987, when the coastal enclave was under Israeli military rule.

Sinwar convinced the groups founder, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, that to succeed as a resistance organization, Hamas needed to be purged of spies for Israel. They founded a security arm, then known as Majd, which Sinwar led.

Arrested by Israel in the late 1980s, he admitted under interrogation to having killed 12 suspected collaborators. He was eventually sentenced to four life terms for offenses that included the abduction and killing of two Israeli soldiers.

Michael Koubi, a former director of the investigations department at Israels Shin Bet security agency who interrogated Sinwar personally, recalled the confession that stood out to him the most: Sinwar recounted forcing a man to bury his own brother alive because he was suspected of working for Israel.

His eyes were full of happiness when he told us this story, Koubi said.

He became the leader of the hundreds of imprisoned Hamas members. He organized strikes to improve conditions. He learned Hebrew and studied Israeli society.

Being a leader inside prison gave him experience in negotiations and dialogue, and he understood the mentality of the enemy and how to affect it, said Anwar Yassine, a Lebanese citizen who spent about 17 years in Israeli jails, much of the time with Sinwar.

In 2008, Sinwar survived an aggressive form of brain cancer after treatment at a Tel Aviv hospital.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released him in 2011 along with about 1,000 other prisoners in exchange for Gilad Schalit, an Israeli soldier captured by Hamas in a cross-border raid. Netanyahu was harshly criticized for releasing dozens of prisoners held for involvement in deadly attacks.

Back in Gaza, Sinwar closely coordinated between Hamas political leadership and its military wing, the Qassam Brigades. He also cultivated a reputation for ruthlessness. He is widely believed to be behind the unprecedented 2016 killing of another top Hamas commander, Mahmoud Ishtewi, in an internal power struggle.

In 2017, he was elected head of Hamas political bureau in Gaza. Sinwar worked with Hamas leader in exile, Ismail Haniyeh, to realign the group with Iran and its allies, including Lebanons Hezbollah. He also focused on building Hamas military power.

For Hamas, surviving the war in any form would defy Israel and offer a victory of sorts. Sinwar himself may not survive.

Im sure we will eventually kill him, Koubi said. But to destroy the ideology he planted, thats not so easy.

(AP)




The IDF on Thursday released new footage from the body cameras of elite Egoz soldiers raiding the Shati camp in Gaza City in the northern Gaza Strip.

The soldiers, with the aid of precise intelligence, directed Air Force strikes against terrorists, booby-trapped buildings that posed a danger to forces, and weapon depots.

The forces eliminated numerous terrorists and seized weapons, including grenades and suicide belts.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)




The IDF on Thursday arrested Dr. Mohammad Abu Salmiya, the director of Shifa Hospital in the Gaza Strip, which has been exposed as a headquarters for Hamas.

Several other senior doctors at the hospital were also arrested and according to Kan News, were transferred to the Shin Bet and IDF intelligence officials for questioning.

Army Radio reported that Abu-Salmiya was arrested as he was preparing to evacuate to the southern Gaza Strip.

At the beginning of the week, IDF revealed footage from security cameras showing Israeli hostages being brought into the hospital. At least one Israeli hostage, Noa Marciano, Hyd, 19, was murdered by Hamas in the hospital.

Additionally, the IDF revealed evidence on Wednesday evening that the hostages were initially held in the tunnels under the hospital. The IDF believes that the attack itself was planned in the hospital.

On Thursday afternoon, the IDF and Shin Bet issued a joint statement, saying: The director of Shifaa Hospital was arrested and transferred to the Shin Bet for interrogation after much evidence was revealed that the hospital, under his direct management, served as the headquarters of the Hamas terrorist organization.

Hamas used many resources, including electricity, in order to maintain the tunnel system it built under the hospital and it also stored many weapons in and around the hospital.

Furthermore, after the massacre carried out by Hamas on October 7th, the organization used the hospital as a refuge for its terrorists and even took Israeli hostages there who were kidnapped that day. A pathological report confirmed that the murder of Corporal Noa Marciano, Hyd took place on the hospital grounds.

There was extensive terrorist activity by Hamas in the hospital under his management. A decision regarding his continued detention will be made in accordance with the findings of the investigation and his involvement in terrorist activity.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)




A Qatar Foreign Ministry spokesperson held a press conference on Thursday afternoon and said that the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas will begin on Friday morning at 7 a.m.

He added that the first group of 13 hostages will be released on Friday at 4 p.m. and that the list of hostages who will be freed has been transferred to the Mossad. No mothers and children will be separated during the release.

He refused to say whether the hostages will be transferred through the Rafah crossing. He added that the ceasefire will last for four days and that information about the remaining hostages in Gaza will be gathered during those days.

Following Qatars declaration regarding the impending commencement of the hostage deal tomorrow, the Prime Ministers Office has verified that Israel has received an initial list containing the names of abductees anticipated to be released.

The relevant officials are checking the details of the list and are currently in contact with all families, the statement says.

Following the announcement, a spokesperson for Hamass military wing confirmed the report.

Earlier on Thursday, The Wall Street Journal reported that one of the reasons Hamas has delayed signing the deal is that doesnt want the Red Cross to be involved in transferring the hostages.

Israel wants the Red Cross to transfer the hostages from Gaza to Israel but Hamas wants them transferred in Egyptian ambulances. Also, Hamas does not want to comply with Israels demand for the Red Cross to visit the remaining hostages in Gaza.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)




The IDF said Thursday that troops for its 401st Brigade have uncovered four significant tunnels in Gazas Jabaliya neighborhood, as well as stashes of weapons hidden underneath the beds of the children of a top Hamas commanders.

Also at the home of this Hamas official were many Hamas-related documents and battle plans, which have since been handed over to military intelligence.

At another officials home, IDF soldiers found an entrance to one of the four uncovered tunnels. All of the tunnels were connected to an external electricity network.

Additionally, troops found shafts used to launch rockets, as well as long-range rockets that are typically used by Hamas to target central Israel.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)




Former Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard suggested that Israel should have forced the families of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza to be quiet, even suggesting imprisonment as a means to curb public pressure in negotiating deals with the terror group.

During an online discussion with Rabbi David Bar-Hayim of the Shilo Institute aired on Israels Channel 14, Pollard expressed his harsh stance. When we declared war, the first thing that the government should have done was to declare a state of national emergency and told all of the hostage families, You will keep your mouths shut, or we will shut them for you. You will not interfere in the management of this war. You will not be used by the international community or by our own leftists, who managed the Shalit deal, as a weapon against us, he declared.

This remark refers to the contentious 2011 deal where Israel released over 1,000 Palestinian terrorists in exchange for a single kidnapped IDF soldier. One of the released terrorist was Yahye Sinway, the current chief of Hamas in Gaza who masterminded the Simchas Torah massacre.

Pollard, who spent decades in a U.S. prison for espionage before being released by former President Donald Trump and relocating to Israel, further added, And if that means imprisoning, to silence certain members of hostages families, then so be it. Were in a state of war.

His criticisms extended to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for endorsing a new hostage deal this week. Pollard also voiced his disappointment with the far-right Religious Zionism party, which supported the agreement, stating he will not vote for them again.

Expanding on his views, Pollard condemned the public display of kidnapped Israelis. I was dead-set against turning all these posters out, the kidnapped, with all these pictures of these poor people that were kidnapped. Why? Because each one of them was a poison dart at our ability to wage total war against our enemies.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)
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Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE  Free Report) in a research note released on Monday morning, MarketBeat.com reports. The firm issued a buy rating and a $60.00 price objective on the stock.

VTLE has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of Vital Energy from $54.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an underperform rating in a report on Wednesday, August 16th. Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on shares of Vital Energy from $64.00 to $55.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 16th. TheStreet upgraded shares of Vital Energy from a c rating to a b- rating in a report on Tuesday, August 8th. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of Vital Energy in a report on Wednesday, November 15th. They set an equal weight rating and a $50.00 price target for the company. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a buy rating and set a $122.00 price target on shares of Vital Energy in a report on Thursday, September 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vital Energy currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $69.50.

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Vital Energy Price Performance

Insider Activity at Vital Energy

Shares of VTLE opened at $46.24 on Monday. Vital Energy has a 1-year low of $39.74 and a 1-year high of $65.08. The stock has a market cap of $1.33 billion, a PE ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 3.27. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $51.04 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $49.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.42.

In other Vital Energy news, SVP Mark David Denny sold 5,496 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Monday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.75, for a total value of $300,906.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 18,494 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,012,546.50. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 1.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vital Energy

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Vital Energy during the 2nd quarter worth $129,151,000. State Street Corp acquired a new stake in Vital Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at about $72,076,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP acquired a new stake in Vital Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,254,000. Morgan Stanley grew its stake in Vital Energy by 45.9% in the 3rd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 627,856 shares of the companys stock valued at $34,796,000 after acquiring an additional 197,472 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in Vital Energy by 27.5% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 516,299 shares of the companys stock valued at $28,613,000 after acquiring an additional 111,320 shares during the last quarter. 86.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Vital Energy

(Get Free Report)

Vital Energy, Inc, an independent energy company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of oil and natural gas properties in the Permian Basin of West Texas, the United States. The company was formerly known as Laredo Petroleum, Inc and changed its name to Vital Energy, Inc in January 2023.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 23. Another group of former internally displaced persons was sent to the village of Zabukh of Lachin district, Trend reports.

Another group of citizens was sent from the Gobu Park 3 residential complex in the Garadagh district of Baku on November 20. At this stage, another 25 families (93 people) moved to the village of Zabukh.

Zabukh residents thanked President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva for their comprehensive care, expressed gratitude to the valiant Azerbaijani Army, which liberated the lands from occupation.

Thus, until today, a permanent settlement in the village of Zabukh has been provided for 121 families - 475 people.
Bank of America upgraded shares of Companhia Siderurgica Nacional (NYSE:SID  Free Report) from an underperform rating to a buy rating in a research note published on Monday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. They currently have $4.10 price objective on the basic materials companys stock.

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of Companhia Siderurgica Nacional from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, November 16th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $3.20.

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Companhia Siderurgica Nacional Stock Up 2.0 %

Companhia Siderurgica Nacional Increases Dividend

SID stock opened at $3.23 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87. Companhia Siderurgica Nacional has a 1 year low of $2.11 and a 1 year high of $3.70. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $2.45 and a 200 day simple moving average of $2.56. The firm has a market cap of $4.47 billion, a PE ratio of -107.50, a PEG ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.84.

The firm also recently announced a  dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, November 24th were paid a $0.1526 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 22nd. This represents a yield of 20.2%. This is a boost from Companhia Siderurgica Nacionals previous  dividend of $0.12. Companhia Siderurgica Nacionals payout ratio is presently -1,400.00%.

Institutional Trading of Companhia Siderurgica Nacional

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new stake in Companhia Siderurgica Nacional in the third quarter valued at about $42,000. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Companhia Siderurgica Nacional by 27.1% in the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 72,377 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $173,000 after buying an additional 15,433 shares in the last quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Companhia Siderurgica Nacional in the third quarter valued at about $409,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its position in Companhia Siderurgica Nacional by 272.5% in the third quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 11,306 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 8,271 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mariner LLC boosted its position in Companhia Siderurgica Nacional by 107.4% in the third quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 59,450 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $142,000 after buying an additional 30,791 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 2.38% of the companys stock.

About Companhia Siderurgica Nacional

(Get Free Report)

Companhia Siderurgica Nacional operates as an integrated steel producer in Brazil and Latin America. It operates through five segments: Steel, Mining, Logistics, Energy, and Cement. The company offers flat steel products, such as high, medium, low carbon, micro-alloyed, ultra-low-carbon, and interstitial free slabs; hot-rolled products, including heavy and light-gauge hot-rolled coils and sheets; cold-rolled products comprising cold-rolled coils and sheets; galvanized products; tin mill products consisting of flat-rolled low-carbon steel coils or sheets; and profiles, channels, UPE sections, and steel sleepers for the distribution, packaging, automotive, home appliance, and construction industries.

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Bank of America upgraded shares of Ternium (NYSE:TX  Free Report) from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research report report published on Monday morning, MarketBeat.com reports. They currently have $47.00 target price on the basic materials companys stock.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on TX. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Ternium in a research note on Thursday, October 5th. They set a strong-buy rating for the company. TheStreet cut shares of Ternium from a b rating to a c+ rating in a research report on Friday, November 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Ternium from $51.50 to $53.50 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Monday, August 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ternium presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $47.36.

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Ternium Stock Performance

Ternium stock opened at $38.71 on Monday. The companys 50-day moving average price is $37.76 and its 200-day moving average price is $39.74. Ternium has a twelve month low of $28.47 and a twelve month high of $45.81. The company has a quick ratio of 1.94, a current ratio of 3.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The company has a market cap of $7.60 billion, a PE ratio of 25.30 and a beta of 1.66.

Ternium (NYSE:TX  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 31st. The basic materials company reported $1.38 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $1.61 by ($0.23). Ternium had a return on equity of 8.87% and a net margin of 1.86%. The business had revenue of $5.19 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.80 billion. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Ternium will post 7.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ternium Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 21st. Investors of record on Monday, November 13th were paid a dividend of $1.10 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 10th. This represents a dividend yield of 7.9%. Terniums dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 143.79%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC increased its stake in Ternium by 11.5% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 14,601 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $602,000 after purchasing an additional 1,503 shares in the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. boosted its holdings in shares of Ternium by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 392,983 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $16,214,000 after acquiring an additional 1,114 shares during the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management SA purchased a new stake in shares of Ternium in the 1st quarter valued at $4,064,000. Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ternium in the 2nd quarter valued at $275,000. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Ternium by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 34,381 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $1,363,000 after acquiring an additional 413 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 12.07% of the companys stock.

Ternium Company Profile

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Ternium SA, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures, processes, and sells various steel products in Mexico, Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, Bolivia, Uruguay, Brazil, the United States, Colombia, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. It operates through two segments, Steel and Mining.

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Deere & Company (NYSE:DE  Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus rating of Moderate Buy from the nineteen brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and twelve have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $447.93.

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on DE shares. Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a hold rating and issued a $400.00 price objective (down from $530.00) on shares of Deere & Company in a report on Friday, September 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of Deere & Company from $398.00 to $407.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research report on Monday, August 21st. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Deere & Company in a research note on Thursday, October 5th. They set a hold rating for the company. Oppenheimer lowered their price target on Deere & Company from $467.00 to $458.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 21st. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price objective on Deere & Company from $455.00 to $422.50 in a research note on Wednesday, October 11th.

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Deere & Company Trading Down 3.1 %

NYSE DE opened at $370.76 on Thursday. The firms fifty day moving average price is $380.60 and its 200 day moving average price is $394.20. Deere & Company has a 12 month low of $345.55 and a 12 month high of $450.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65, a current ratio of 1.98 and a quick ratio of 1.74. The company has a market capitalization of $106.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.07.

Deere & Company (NYSE:DE  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 22nd. The industrial products company reported $8.26 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $7.46 by $0.80. The business had revenue of $13.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $13.64 billion. Deere & Company had a return on equity of 46.15% and a net margin of 16.36%. The businesss revenue was down 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $7.44 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Deere & Company will post 33.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Deere & Company Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 8th. Investors of record on Friday, September 29th were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. This is an increase from Deere & Companys previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, September 28th. Deere & Companys payout ratio is currently 15.96%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Deere & Company

In other news, insider Ryan D. Campbell sold 6,073 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $379.19, for a total value of $2,302,820.87. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 18,519 shares in the company, valued at $7,022,219.61. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.26% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Deere & Company

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Public Sector Pension Investment Board lifted its position in Deere & Company by 13.1% during the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 29,208 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $11,023,000 after buying an additional 3,387 shares during the period. Graham Capital Management L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of Deere & Company by 483.3% during the 3rd quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. now owns 17,500 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $6,604,000 after acquiring an additional 14,500 shares during the period. GUNN & Co INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT INC. acquired a new stake in shares of Deere & Company in the third quarter worth approximately $360,000. Allen Mooney & Barnes Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Deere & Company in the third quarter valued at approximately $413,000. Finally, Comerica Bank increased its position in Deere & Company by 43.5% during the third quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 66,268 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $25,008,000 after purchasing an additional 20,099 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 66.27% of the companys stock.

Deere & Company Company Profile

(Get Free Report

Deere & Company manufactures and distributes various equipment worldwide. The company operates through four segments: Production and Precision Agriculture, Small Agriculture and Turf, Construction and Forestry, and Financial Services. The Production and Precision Agriculture segment provides mid-size tractors, combines, cotton pickers and strippers, sugarcane harvesters, harvesting front-end equipment, sugarcane loaders, pull-behind scrapers, and tillage and seeding equipment, as well as application equipment, including sprayers and nutrient management, and soil preparation machinery for grain growers.

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Science Applications International Co. (NYSE:SAIC  Get Free Report) has received a consensus rating of Hold from the five brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $114.00.

SAIC has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Science Applications International from $114.00 to $116.00 in a report on Friday, September 8th. Stifel Nicolaus restated a hold rating and issued a $115.00 price target on shares of Science Applications International in a research report on Monday, October 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com assumed coverage on Science Applications International in a report on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a buy rating for the company.

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View Our Latest Analysis on SAIC

Insider Buying and Selling

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Science Applications International

In other Science Applications International news, EVP Michelle A. Ohara sold 2,004 shares of Science Applications International stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.87, for a total value of $228,195.48. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 30,238 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,443,201.06. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link . In other Science Applications International news, insider Robert S. Genter sold 1,500 shares of Science Applications International stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.30, for a total value of $159,450.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 55,605 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $5,910,811.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website . Also, EVP Michelle A. Ohara sold 2,004 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.87, for a total value of $228,195.48. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 30,238 shares in the company, valued at $3,443,201.06. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . In the last three months, insiders sold 7,061 shares of company stock valued at $778,169. 1.29% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Science Applications International by 32.7% in the second quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 3,416 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $384,000 after purchasing an additional 841 shares in the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its stake in shares of Science Applications International by 2.4% during the 2nd quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 8,638 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $972,000 after buying an additional 199 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its holdings in shares of Science Applications International by 9.2% in the 2nd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 19,089 shares of the information technology services providers stock valued at $2,147,000 after acquiring an additional 1,616 shares in the last quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated acquired a new stake in shares of Science Applications International in the first quarter valued at about $250,000. Finally, Alaska Permanent Fund Corp bought a new stake in Science Applications International during the second quarter worth about $740,000. Institutional investors own 75.31% of the companys stock.

Science Applications International Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of SAIC opened at $116.30 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.72 and a beta of 0.71. Science Applications International has a 52 week low of $95.43 and a 52 week high of $123.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.14. The businesss fifty day moving average price is $110.18 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $110.73.

Science Applications International (NYSE:SAIC  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 7th. The information technology services provider reported $2.05 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.62 by $0.43. Science Applications International had a return on equity of 25.76% and a net margin of 6.49%. The firm had revenue of $1.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.69 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.75 earnings per share. The companys revenue was down 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Science Applications International will post 7.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Science Applications International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 13th were issued a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 12th. Science Applications Internationals dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 16.19%.

Science Applications International Company Profile

(Get Free Report

Science Applications International Corporation provides technical, engineering, and enterprise information technology (IT) services primarily in the United States. The company's offerings include engineering; technology integration; IT modernization; maintenance of ground and maritime systems; logistics; training and simulation; operation and program support services; and end-to-end services, such as design, development, integration, deployment, management and operations, sustainment, and security of its customers' IT infrastructure, as well as cloud migration, managed services, infrastructure modernization, and enterprise IT-as-a-service solutions; and data management platform solutions.

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Shares of Devon Energy Co. (NYSE:DVN  Get Free Report) have been given a consensus rating of Moderate Buy by the fifteen analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $58.06.

Several brokerages have issued reports on DVN. Truist Financial lowered their price target on shares of Devon Energy from $68.00 to $65.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 9th. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Devon Energy from $57.00 to $55.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 20th. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Devon Energy in a research note on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Devon Energy from $77.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Friday, August 25th. Finally, Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Devon Energy from $62.00 to $58.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 12th.

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Hedge Funds Weigh In On Devon Energy

Devon Energy Trading Down 0.2 %

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. CENTRAL TRUST Co boosted its position in Devon Energy by 21.1% during the second quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 8,881 shares of the energy companys stock worth $429,000 after purchasing an additional 1,550 shares during the period. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC boosted its position in Devon Energy by 3.6% during the second quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 67,064 shares of the energy companys stock worth $3,242,000 after purchasing an additional 2,302 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its position in Devon Energy by 9.8% during the first quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 183,900 shares of the energy companys stock worth $9,307,000 after purchasing an additional 16,361 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP boosted its position in Devon Energy by 201.2% during the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 9,557 shares of the energy companys stock worth $462,000 after purchasing an additional 6,384 shares during the period. Finally, VitalStone Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of Devon Energy by 615.7% in the first quarter. VitalStone Financial LLC now owns 30,632 shares of the energy companys stock valued at $1,354,000 after acquiring an additional 26,352 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 68.34% of the companys stock.

Shares of NYSE:DVN opened at $45.16 on Thursday. Devon Energy has a 12 month low of $42.59 and a 12 month high of $70.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $46.82 and its 200 day simple moving average is $48.77. The firm has a market cap of $28.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.72, a PEG ratio of 0.15 and a beta of 2.30.

Devon Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 29th. Investors of record on Friday, December 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.77 per share. This represents a $3.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.82%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 14th. This is an increase from Devon Energys previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. Devon Energys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 13.68%.

Devon Energy Company Profile

(Get Free Report

Devon Energy Corporation, an independent energy company, explores for, develops, and produces oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids in the United States. It operates in Delaware, Anadarko, Williston, Eagle Ford, and Powder River Basin. The company was incorporated in 1971 and is headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

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MetLife Investment Management LLC lessened its position in Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU  Free Report) by 2.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 92,680 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 2,289 shares during the quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLCs holdings in Prudential Financial were worth $8,176,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Aspire Private Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Prudential Financial in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $18,699,240,000. Sanctuary Wealth Management L.L.C. purchased a new stake in shares of Prudential Financial in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Fairfield Bush & CO. purchased a new stake in shares of Prudential Financial in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Riverview Trust Co lifted its position in Prudential Financial by 109.3% in the 2nd quarter. Riverview Trust Co now owns 314 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 164 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pacific Center for Financial Services purchased a new stake in Prudential Financial in the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 54.92% of the companys stock.

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Prudential Financial Stock Performance

NYSE:PRU opened at $95.12 on Thursday. Prudential Financial, Inc. has a 1 year low of $75.37 and a 1 year high of $108.81. The firms fifty day simple moving average is $93.67 and its 200 day simple moving average is $90.84. The company has a current ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 0.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.34 billion, a PE ratio of 61.37, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.39.

Prudential Financial Announces Dividend

Prudential Financial ( NYSE:PRU Get Free Report ) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 1st. The financial services provider reported $3.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $3.16 by $0.28. Prudential Financial had a net margin of 1.21% and a return on equity of 16.03%. The business had revenue of $10.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.91 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.13 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Prudential Financial, Inc. will post 11.71 EPS for the current year.

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 14th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 21st will be given a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 20th. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.26%. Prudential Financials dividend payout ratio is 322.58%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Raymond James upgraded shares of Prudential Financial from a market perform rating to a strong-buy rating and set a $125.00 target price for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Prudential Financial in a research report on Wednesday, October 4th. They issued a hold rating and a $99.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Prudential Financial from $103.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 15th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Prudential Financial from an underperform rating to a hold rating and increased their price target for the stock from $70.00 to $93.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 13th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a sector perform rating and set a $100.00 price target on shares of Prudential Financial in a research note on Friday, September 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $103.00.

Get Our Latest Research Report on Prudential Financial

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Prudential Financial news, SVP Timothy L. Schmidt sold 8,281 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.49, for a total value of $782,471.69. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 14,621 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,381,538.29. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.31% of the companys stock.

Prudential Financial Company Profile

(Free Report)

Prudential Financial, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides insurance, investment management, and other financial products and services in the United States and internationally. It operates through PGIM, Retirement Strategies, Group Insurance, Individual Annuities, Individual Life, Assurance IQ, and International Businesses segments.

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PNC Financial Services Group Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of SPDR Bloomberg High Yield Bond ETF (NYSEARCA:JNK  Free Report) by 4.7% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 732,184 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after selling 36,335 shares during the quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. owned about 0.79% of SPDR Bloomberg High Yield Bond ETF worth $67,383,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich boosted its stake in shares of SPDR Bloomberg High Yield Bond ETF by 79,492.5% during the 2nd quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 341,345,051 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $31,413,985,000 after purchasing an additional 340,916,185 shares during the period. Wright Fund Management LLC bought a new position in shares of SPDR Bloomberg High Yield Bond ETF in the second quarter worth about $403,074,000. Japan Science & Technology Agency purchased a new position in SPDR Bloomberg High Yield Bond ETF in the 1st quarter worth about $358,105,000. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in SPDR Bloomberg High Yield Bond ETF by 99,822.7% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,287,456 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $295,871,000 after buying an additional 3,284,166 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in SPDR Bloomberg High Yield Bond ETF by 42.9% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,754,572 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $437,563,000 after buying an additional 1,428,280 shares during the period.

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SPDR Bloomberg High Yield Bond ETF Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSEARCA:JNK opened at $91.95 on Thursday. The firms 50 day simple moving average is $90.03 and its 200-day simple moving average is $91.02. SPDR Bloomberg High Yield Bond ETF has a one year low of $87.79 and a one year high of $94.83.

SPDR Bloomberg High Yield Bond ETF Profile

SPDR Barclays High Yield Bond ETF (the Fund), formerly SPDR Barclays Capital High Yield Bond ETF, seeks to provide investment results that correspond to the price and yield performance of the Barclays Capital High Yield Very Liquid Index (the Index). The Index includes publicly issued United States dollar denominated, non-investment grade, fixed-rate, taxable corporate bonds that have a remaining maturity of at least one year, regardless of optionality, are rated high-yield using the middle rating of Moodys, S&P, and Fitch, respectively, and have $600 million or more of outstanding face value.

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Covestor Ltd cut its stake in EOG Resources, Inc. (NYSE:EOG  Free Report) by 7.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,133 shares of the energy exploration companys stock after selling 95 shares during the quarter. Covestor Ltds holdings in EOG Resources were worth $130,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Pinnacle Holdings LLC purchased a new position in EOG Resources in the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of EOG Resources in the second quarter valued at $25,000. Kalos Management Inc. purchased a new stake in EOG Resources during the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in EOG Resources in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Lumature Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in EOG Resources in the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.21% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on EOG shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on EOG Resources from $145.00 to $156.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Wednesday, September 27th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of EOG Resources from $141.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Monday, August 28th. Mizuho cut their target price on shares of EOG Resources from $158.00 to $150.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 15th. TD Securities lifted their price target on EOG Resources from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research note on Friday, August 4th. Finally, Citigroup cut EOG Resources from a buy rating to a neutral rating and cut their price objective for the company from $144.00 to $135.00 in a research note on Monday, October 23rd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $147.68.

EOG Resources Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of EOG Resources stock opened at $123.17 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 2.43 and a quick ratio of 2.10. EOG Resources, Inc. has a 1-year low of $98.52 and a 1-year high of $144.91. The businesss fifty day moving average price is $126.85 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $122.62. The company has a market capitalization of $71.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.15, a PEG ratio of 0.36 and a beta of 1.51.

EOG Resources Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.91 per share. This is a boost from EOG Resourcess previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.96%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 16th. EOG Resourcess payout ratio is currently 24.52%.

EOG Resources Company Profile

(Free Report)

EOG Resources, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, explores for, develops, produces, and markets crude oil, and natural gas and natural gas liquids. Its principal producing areas are in New Mexico and Texas in the United States; and the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. The company was formerly known as Enron Oil & Gas Company.

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Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Edwards Lifesciences Co. (NYSE:EW  Free Report) by 1.6% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 12,412,050 shares of the medical research companys stock after acquiring an additional 197,431 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC owned about 2.04% of Edwards Lifesciences worth $1,167,651,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in EW. Baystate Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Edwards Lifesciences in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $234,000. Ballentine Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Edwards Lifesciences by 3.4% in the 2nd quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 5,653 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $533,000 after buying an additional 184 shares during the last quarter. Crescent Grove Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Edwards Lifesciences in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $205,000. Nvwm LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Edwards Lifesciences in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $599,000. Finally, Columbia Trust Co 01012016 grew its stake in shares of Edwards Lifesciences by 5.4% in the 2nd quarter. Columbia Trust Co 01012016 now owns 16,613 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $1,567,000 after buying an additional 845 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.25% of the companys stock.

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Edwards Lifesciences Stock Performance

EW stock opened at $67.06 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $40.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 1.02. Edwards Lifesciences Co. has a 1 year low of $60.57 and a 1 year high of $94.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 3.28 and a quick ratio of 2.45. The stocks fifty day moving average price is $68.68 and its 200-day moving average price is $79.15.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Edwards Lifesciences ( NYSE:EW Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 25th. The medical research company reported $0.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts consensus estimates of $0.59. The firm had revenue of $1.48 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.48 billion. Edwards Lifesciences had a return on equity of 24.54% and a net margin of 24.59%. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 12.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.61 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Edwards Lifesciences Co. will post 2.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Several research firms recently weighed in on EW. Piper Sandler cut their price target on Edwards Lifesciences from $83.00 to $68.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 26th. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on Edwards Lifesciences from $83.00 to $76.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 26th. Leerink Partnrs reiterated a market perform rating on shares of Edwards Lifesciences in a research note on Monday, October 16th. Mizuho cut their target price on Edwards Lifesciences from $90.00 to $85.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Edwards Lifesciences from $88.00 to $75.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Edwards Lifesciences currently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $84.29.

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Insider Activity at Edwards Lifesciences

In related news, CFO Scott B. Ullem sold 7,255 shares of Edwards Lifesciences stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.79, for a total transaction of $564,366.45. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 19,248 shares in the company, valued at $1,497,301.92. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, CFO Scott B. Ullem sold 7,255 shares of Edwards Lifesciences stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.79, for a total transaction of $564,366.45. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 19,248 shares in the company, valued at $1,497,301.92. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Michael A. Mussallem sold 29,350 shares of Edwards Lifesciences stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.86, for a total value of $2,226,491.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 4,486 shares in the company, valued at $340,307.96. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 179,795 shares of company stock worth $12,724,914. Corporate insiders own 1.29% of the companys stock.

Edwards Lifesciences Profile

(Free Report)

Edwards Lifesciences Corporation provides products and technologies for structural heart disease, and critical care and surgical monitoring in the United States, Europe, Japan, and internationally. It offers transcatheter heart valve replacement products for the minimally invasive replacement of heart valves; and transcatheter heart valve repair and replacement products to treat mitral and tricuspid valve diseases.

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Capital World Investors increased its stake in shares of Quanta Services, Inc. (NYSE:PWR  Free Report) by 14.8% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,991,012 shares of the construction companys stock after purchasing an additional 771,861 shares during the period. Capital World Investors owned 4.13% of Quanta Services worth $1,176,934,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of PWR. Osaic Holdings Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Quanta Services by 2,026.3% in the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 1,344,871 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $11,136,000 after acquiring an additional 1,281,621 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Quanta Services in the 4th quarter valued at about $180,853,000. FMR LLC raised its holdings in shares of Quanta Services by 19.7% in the 1st quarter. FMR LLC now owns 4,905,283 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $817,416,000 after acquiring an additional 806,157 shares in the last quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Quanta Services in the 1st quarter valued at about $118,223,000. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised its holdings in shares of Quanta Services by 52.2% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 1,492,323 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $196,405,000 after buying an additional 511,508 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.86% of the companys stock.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on PWR. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Quanta Services from a neutral rating to a buy rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $214.00 to $211.00 in a report on Wednesday, November 8th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Quanta Services in a report on Thursday, October 5th. They set a hold rating on the stock. Argus raised their price target on Quanta Services from $234.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 6th. Credit Suisse Group raised their price target on Quanta Services from $201.00 to $238.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Friday, August 4th. Finally, DA Davidson raised their price target on Quanta Services from $170.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Monday, August 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $209.17.

Insider Transactions at Quanta Services

In other news, EVP Donald Wayne sold 5,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $210.92, for a total value of $1,054,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 41,323 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,715,847.16. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.20% of the companys stock.

Quanta Services Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of PWR stock traded up $0.45 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $183.81. The companys stock had a trading volume of 789,566 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,448,475. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.19 and a beta of 1.11. Quanta Services, Inc. has a one year low of $134.61 and a one year high of $212.82. The firms fifty day simple moving average is $177.66 and its 200 day simple moving average is $187.57. The company has a current ratio of 1.61, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

Quanta Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, October 2nd were given a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 29th. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.17%. Quanta Servicess dividend payout ratio is currently 6.82%.

About Quanta Services

(Free Report)

Quanta Services, Inc provides infrastructure solutions for the electric and gas utility, renewable energy, communications, and pipeline and energy industries worldwide. The company's Electric Power Infrastructure Solutions segment engages in the design, procurement, construction, upgrade, repair, and maintenance of electric power transmission and distribution infrastructure and substation facilities; installation, maintenance, and upgrade of electric power infrastructure projects; installation of smart grid technologies on electric power networks; and design, installation, maintenance, and repair of commercial and industrial wirings.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 23. Today, the population growth rate in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation member countries is higher than average, Azerbaijan's Minister of Labor and Social Protection of Population Sahil Babayev said, Trend reports.

He spoke at the ministerial session of the V Conference of Labor Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member countries in Baku.

"Unemployment, particularly among young people, stands at 15.8 percent. This is also one of the next concerns that will need to be addressed in the next years," he added.

Babayev emphasized that unemployment in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation member countries has worsened rather than reduced over the last 12 years.

"By expanding cooperation between our states, we will be able to contribute to the overall development of the OIC member states," the minister added.

Baku is hosting the ministerial session of the V Conference of Labor Ministers of the member countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

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Capital World Investors grew its holdings in Robert Half Inc. (NYSE:RHI  Free Report) by 0.2% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 13,623,635 shares of the business services providers stock after purchasing an additional 21,988 shares during the quarter. Capital World Investors owned approximately 0.13% of Robert Half worth $1,024,770,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in RHI. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Robert Half by 32.1% in the 1st quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 4,727 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $540,000 after acquiring an additional 1,150 shares during the period. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS raised its stake in shares of Robert Half by 4.8% in the 1st quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 14,650 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $1,673,000 after acquiring an additional 676 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Robert Half by 28.5% in the 1st quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 3,619 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $428,000 after acquiring an additional 802 shares during the period. Blair William & Co. IL raised its stake in shares of Robert Half by 11.8% in the 1st quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 73,591 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $8,403,000 after acquiring an additional 7,769 shares during the period. Finally, Aviva PLC increased its stake in Robert Half by 55.4% during the 1st quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 92,865 shares of the business services providers stock worth $10,603,000 after buying an additional 33,095 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.63% of the companys stock.

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Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Robert W. Glass sold 14,751 shares of Robert Half stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.15, for a total value of $1,108,537.65. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 209,927 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $15,776,014.05. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 2.70% of the companys stock.

Robert Half Trading Up 0.5 %

RHI stock traded up $0.40 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $81.53. 556,482 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 803,148. The company has a market capitalization of $8.63 billion, a PE ratio of 18.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 16.79 and a beta of 1.26. Robert Half Inc. has a twelve month low of $64.65 and a twelve month high of $89.78. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $75.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of $74.26.

Robert Half (NYSE:RHI  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 24th. The business services provider reported $0.90 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.81 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $1.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.54 billion. Robert Half had a net margin of 7.09% and a return on equity of 29.60%. The firms revenue for the quarter was down 14.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.53 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Robert Half Inc. will post 3.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Robert Half Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 24th will be issued a $0.48 dividend. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.35%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 22nd. Robert Halfs dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.54%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on RHI shares. William Blair reaffirmed a market perform rating on shares of Robert Half in a research note on Wednesday, July 26th. Credit Suisse Group dropped their price target on shares of Robert Half from $63.00 to $57.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 26th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on shares of Robert Half from $84.00 to $76.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 27th. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Robert Half in a research note on Tuesday, November 7th. They set a sell rating and a $60.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on shares of Robert Half from $88.00 to $82.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 26th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Robert Half currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $68.63.

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About Robert Half

(Free Report)

Robert Half Inc provides talent solutions and business consulting services in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. The company operates through three segments: Contract Talent Solutions, Permanent Placement Talent Solutions, and Protiviti. The Contract Talent Solutions segment provides contract engagement professionals in the fields of finance and accounting, technology, marketing and creative, legal and administrative, and customer support.

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Franklin Resources Inc. trimmed its stake in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY  Free Report) by 8.2% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,188,232 shares of the companys stock after selling 284,330 shares during the quarter. Eli Lilly and Company makes up 0.7% of Franklin Resources Inc.s holdings, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. Franklin Resources Inc. owned about 0.34% of Eli Lilly and Company worth $1,495,217,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of LLY. Towerpoint Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 0.5% in the second quarter. Towerpoint Wealth LLC now owns 4,239 shares of the companys stock worth $1,988,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Pacific Sage Partners LLC raised its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. Pacific Sage Partners LLC now owns 1,591 shares of the companys stock worth $746,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the period. Lathrop Investment Management Corp lifted its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. Lathrop Investment Management Corp now owns 1,458 shares of the companys stock worth $684,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. SP Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. SP Asset Management LLC now owns 2,390 shares of the companys stock worth $1,121,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oxler Private Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 0.4% in the first quarter. Oxler Private Wealth LLC now owns 6,050 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,078,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. 81.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance

Shares of LLY traded up $2.49 on Thursday, hitting $595.09. The companys stock had a trading volume of 2,052,682 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,701,387. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $577.81 and a 200 day moving average price of $512.88. Eli Lilly and Company has a fifty-two week low of $309.20 and a fifty-two week high of $629.97. The company has a market capitalization of $564.92 billion, a PE ratio of 107.81, a PEG ratio of 3.60 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.59, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.82.

Eli Lilly and Company Dividend Announcement

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 15th will be paid a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 14th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.76%. Eli Lilly and Companys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 81.88%.

A number of research firms have issued reports on LLY. Jefferies Financial Group raised Eli Lilly and Company from a hold rating to a buy rating and raised their target price for the company from $408.00 to $615.00 in a report on Tuesday, August 8th. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $600.00 to $700.00 in a research note on Friday, October 6th. Argus upped their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $470.00 to $620.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Thursday, November 9th. They issued a hold rating and a $535.00 price target on the stock. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $385.00 to $470.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $557.00.

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Insider Buying and Selling at Eli Lilly and Company

In other news, major shareholder Lilly Endowment Inc sold 215,000 shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $605.44, for a total value of $130,169,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 99,768,810 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $60,404,028,326.40. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, CAO Donald A. Zakrowski sold 670 shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock in a transaction on Monday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $571.10, for a total transaction of $382,637.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 4,708 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,688,738.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Lilly Endowment Inc sold 215,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $605.44, for a total value of $130,169,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 99,768,810 shares in the company, valued at approximately $60,404,028,326.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 534,231 shares of company stock worth $20,880,573,165. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Eli Lilly and Company

(Free Report)

Eli Lilly and Company discovers, develops, and markets human pharmaceuticals worldwide. It offers Basaglar, Humalog, Humalog Mix 75/25, Humalog U-100, Humalog U-200, Humalog Mix 50/50, insulin lispro, insulin lispro protamine, insulin lispro mix 75/25, Humulin, Humulin 70/30, Humulin N, Humulin R, and Humulin U-500 for diabetes; and Jardiance, Trajenta, and Trulicity for type 2 diabetes.

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Capital World Investors increased its holdings in shares of Capital One Financial Co. (NYSE:COF) by 0.1% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,074,203 shares of the financial services providers stock after acquiring an additional 11,849 shares during the quarter. Capital World Investors holdings in Capital One Financial were worth $1,539,289,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC boosted its holdings in Capital One Financial by 5.5% in the 2nd quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 5,752 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $629,000 after purchasing an additional 299 shares during the last quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank boosted its holdings in Capital One Financial by 37.9% in the 1st quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 291,462 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $28,012,000 after purchasing an additional 80,056 shares during the last quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Capital One Financial by 8.7% in the 1st quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC now owns 6,530 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $628,000 after purchasing an additional 523 shares during the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Capital One Financial by 26.5% in the 2nd quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 34,427 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $3,765,000 after purchasing an additional 7,217 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Commonwealth Equity Services LLC boosted its holdings in Capital One Financial by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 153,975 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $16,840,000 after purchasing an additional 3,033 shares during the last quarter. 90.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on shares of Capital One Financial from $115.00 to $109.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 27th. Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of Capital One Financial from $116.00 to $111.00 in a report on Thursday, October 5th. HSBC assumed coverage on shares of Capital One Financial in a report on Friday, October 13th. They issued a reduce rating and a $84.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Capital One Financial from $86.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an underweight rating in a report on Friday, October 27th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Capital One Financial from $130.00 to $126.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 6th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Capital One Financial presently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $105.51.

Capital One Financial Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE:COF traded up $0.99 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $106.77. The stock had a trading volume of 1,342,790 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,851,018. Capital One Financial Co. has a 1 year low of $83.93 and a 1 year high of $123.09. The firms 50 day moving average is $99.15 and its 200-day moving average is $103.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.02, a P/E/G ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 1.47.

Capital One Financial (NYSE:COF  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 26th. The financial services provider reported $4.45 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $3.35 by $1.10. Capital One Financial had a net margin of 11.43% and a return on equity of 9.77%. The company had revenue of $9.37 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.21 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $4.20 EPS. The companys quarterly revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Capital One Financial Co. will post 12.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Capital One Financial Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 13th will be given a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.25%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 10th. Capital One Financials dividend payout ratio is presently 18.03%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Capital One Financial

In other news, CEO Richard D. Fairbank sold 3,890 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.76, for a total value of $411,406.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 3,848,412 shares in the company, valued at approximately $407,008,053.12. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, Director Ann F. Hackett sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.47, for a total transaction of $851,760.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 61,980 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,599,010.60. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Richard D. Fairbank sold 3,890 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.76, for a total transaction of $411,406.40. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 3,848,412 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $407,008,053.12. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 23,563 shares of company stock valued at $2,460,505. Insiders own 1.27% of the companys stock.

Capital One Financial Profile

(Free Report)

Capital One Financial Corporation operates as the financial services holding company for the Capital One Bank (USA), National Association; and Capital One, National Association, which provides various financial products and services in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. It operates through three segments: Credit Card, Consumer Banking, and Commercial Banking.

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Capital World Investors lifted its holdings in Molina Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:MOH  Free Report) by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,352,122 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 53,139 shares during the period. Capital World Investors owned approximately 7.47% of Molina Healthcare worth $1,311,033,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Molina Healthcare by 18.4% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,449,375 shares of the companys stock worth $2,151,448,000 after buying an additional 1,001,372 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its stake in Molina Healthcare by 59.5% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 3,787,368 shares of the companys stock worth $1,013,084,000 after purchasing an additional 1,413,257 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in Molina Healthcare by 40.4% during the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,603,321 shares of the companys stock worth $696,362,000 after purchasing an additional 749,696 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its stake in Molina Healthcare by 25.6% during the first quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,457,008 shares of the companys stock worth $819,633,000 after purchasing an additional 501,107 shares during the period. Finally, Capital International Investors raised its stake in Molina Healthcare by 16.5% during the second quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 1,865,817 shares of the companys stock worth $562,059,000 after purchasing an additional 264,080 shares during the period. 98.11% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Molina Healthcare Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of MOH stock traded up $4.70 during trading on Thursday, reaching $364.87. The companys stock had a trading volume of 162,261 shares, compared to its average volume of 402,686. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 1.47 and a quick ratio of 1.47. The company has a market capitalization of $21.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 0.57. The stocks 50-day moving average price is $342.25 and its 200 day moving average price is $314.78. Molina Healthcare, Inc. has a 1-year low of $256.19 and a 1-year high of $369.50.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Molina Healthcare ( NYSE:MOH Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 25th. The company reported $5.05 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $4.87 by $0.18. Molina Healthcare had a net margin of 2.80% and a return on equity of 34.85%. The firm had revenue of $8.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $8.24 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $4.36 earnings per share. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Molina Healthcare, Inc. will post 20.83 EPS for the current year.

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Molina Healthcare from $367.00 to $392.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Friday, November 17th. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Molina Healthcare from $340.00 to $350.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 27th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an overweight rating and set a $374.00 target price on shares of Molina Healthcare in a research note on Tuesday. Stephens reaffirmed an equal weight rating and set a $350.00 target price on shares of Molina Healthcare in a research note on Tuesday, October 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Molina Healthcare from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Thursday, October 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $349.82.

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Insider Activity at Molina Healthcare

In related news, Director Steven J. Orlando sold 1,134 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $325.96, for a total value of $369,638.64. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 19,299 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,290,702.04. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, CAO Maurice Hebert sold 692 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $328.15, for a total value of $227,079.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 8,528 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,798,463.20. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Steven J. Orlando sold 1,134 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $325.96, for a total transaction of $369,638.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 19,299 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $6,290,702.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Molina Healthcare

(Free Report)

Molina Healthcare, Inc provides managed healthcare services to low-income families and individuals under the Medicaid and Medicare programs and through the state insurance marketplaces. It operates in four segments, Medicaid, Medicare, Marketplace, and Other. The company served in across 19 states. The company was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Long Beach, California.

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Capital Group Investment Management PTE. LTD. raised its stake in shares of Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:UBER  Free Report) by 4.6% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 22,094 shares of the ride-sharing companys stock after acquiring an additional 963 shares during the quarter. Capital Group Investment Management PTE. LTD.s holdings in Uber Technologies were worth $954,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Uber Technologies by 66.5% in the second quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 651 shares of the ride-sharing companys stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares during the period. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. increased its stake in shares of Uber Technologies by 133.8% in the second quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 699 shares of the ride-sharing companys stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the period. Spotlight Asset Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Uber Technologies in the second quarter worth about $33,000. Pacifica Partners Inc. bought a new position in shares of Uber Technologies in the second quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Colonial Trust Advisors increased its stake in shares of Uber Technologies by 23,500.0% in the first quarter. Colonial Trust Advisors now owns 1,180 shares of the ride-sharing companys stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 1,175 shares during the period. 74.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on UBER. Truist Financial lowered their price target on Uber Technologies from $60.00 to $58.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 8th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an outperform rating and set a $58.00 price target on shares of Uber Technologies in a research note on Tuesday, September 5th. BTIG Research boosted their price target on Uber Technologies from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 1st. DA Davidson restated a buy rating and set a $62.00 price target on shares of Uber Technologies in a research note on Monday, July 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Uber Technologies from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 8th. Thirty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Buy and an average target price of $56.44.

Uber Technologies Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of UBER opened at $55.37 on Thursday. The firms 50 day moving average is $46.84 and its 200-day moving average is $44.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $113.94 billion, a PE ratio of 113.00 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. Uber Technologies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $23.90 and a 12 month high of $55.82.

Insider Buying and Selling at Uber Technologies

In related news, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi sold 50,016 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total value of $2,500,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,266,227 shares in the company, valued at $63,311,350. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, insider Jill Hazelbaker sold 18,850 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.01, for a total transaction of $999,238.50. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 109,009 shares in the company, valued at $5,778,567.09. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi sold 50,016 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction of $2,500,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,266,227 shares in the company, valued at $63,311,350. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 187,616 shares of company stock worth $9,747,789 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 3.84% of the companys stock.

Uber Technologies Profile

(Free Report)

Uber Technologies, Inc develops and operates proprietary technology applications in the United States, Canada, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia excluding China and Southeast Asia. It operates through three segments: Mobility, Delivery, and Freight. The Mobility segment connects consumers with a range of transportation modalities, such as ridesharing, carsharing, micromobility, rentals, public transit, taxis, and other modalities; and offers riders in a variety of vehicle types, as well as financial partnerships products and advertising services.

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Capital Group Private Client Services Inc. lowered its position in Edison International (NYSE:EIX  Free Report) by 11.4% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 461,149 shares of the utilities providers stock after selling 59,427 shares during the quarter. Capital Group Private Client Services Inc.s holdings in Edison International were worth $32,027,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Edison International by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 44,530,226 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $3,121,569,000 after buying an additional 731,841 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its holdings in Edison International by 30.3% during the 1st quarter. FMR LLC now owns 14,924,771 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $1,053,540,000 after buying an additional 3,468,195 shares during the last quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Edison International by 2.7% during the 1st quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 13,994,142 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $987,846,000 after buying an additional 374,257 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in Edison International by 40.6% during the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 9,575,555 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $675,938,000 after buying an additional 2,763,270 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Edison International by 2.5% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,113,228 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $561,985,000 after buying an additional 196,616 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.17% of the companys stock.

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Edison International Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of EIX opened at $65.90 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.77 and a beta of 0.86. The stocks fifty day simple moving average is $64.82 and its 200 day simple moving average is $67.87. Edison International has a twelve month low of $58.82 and a twelve month high of $74.92.

Insider Buying and Selling at Edison International

Edison International ( NYSE:EIX Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 1st. The utilities provider reported $1.38 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.46 by ($0.08). Edison International had a net margin of 8.75% and a return on equity of 12.79%. The company had revenue of $4.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $5.71 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.48 earnings per share. The companys revenue for the quarter was down 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Edison International will post 4.71 earnings per share for the current year.

In other Edison International news, SVP Caroline Choi sold 11,222 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.64, for a total value of $803,944.08. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 20,881 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,495,914.84. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.03% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Guggenheim increased their target price on Edison International from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Friday, November 3rd. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded Edison International from a sell rating to a neutral rating in a report on Tuesday, August 15th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Edison International from $52.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock an underweight rating in a report on Tuesday. Mizuho upgraded Edison International from a neutral rating to a buy rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $73.00 to $75.00 in a report on Tuesday, August 22nd. Finally, Evercore ISI upgraded Edison International from an in-line rating to an outperform rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $74.00 to $68.00 in a report on Monday, October 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Edison International presently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $71.42.

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About Edison International

(Free Report)

Edison International, through its subsidiaries, generates and distributes electric power. The company supplies electricity to approximately 50,000 square mile area of southern California to residential, commercial, industrial, public authorities, agricultural, and other sectors. It also provides decarbonization and energy solutions to commercial, institutional, and industrial customers in North America and Europe.

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Trexquant Investment LP purchased a new position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS  Free Report) in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund purchased 37,452 shares of the investment management companys stock, valued at approximately $12,080,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of GS. Fairfield Bush & CO. purchased a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $66,000. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. grew its holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group by 1,505.1% in the first quarter. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. now owns 41,300 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $13,633,000 after purchasing an additional 38,727 shares during the period. Baird Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group by 18.5% in the first quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 118,609 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $39,153,000 after purchasing an additional 18,540 shares during the period. Zions Bancorporation N.A. grew its holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group by 79.4% in the first quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 827 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $273,000 after purchasing an additional 366 shares during the period. Finally, Covestor Ltd grew its holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group by 118.3% in the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 310 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $102,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares during the period. 69.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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The Goldman Sachs Group Stock Up 1.1 %

GS traded up $3.67 during trading on Thursday, hitting $338.64. The company had a trading volume of 1,235,402 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,254,826. The company has a market cap of $110.43 billion, a PE ratio of 16.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.43. The business has a 50-day moving average of $319.52 and a 200-day moving average of $326.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.11, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $289.36 and a 1-year high of $389.44.

The Goldman Sachs Group Announces Dividend

The Goldman Sachs Group ( NYSE:GS Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 17th. The investment management company reported $5.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.42 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $11.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $11.15 billion. The Goldman Sachs Group had a net margin of 7.77% and a return on equity of 7.37%. The firms quarterly revenue was down 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $8.25 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 22.98 earnings per share for the current year.

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 30th will be issued a $2.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 29th. This represents a $11.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.25%. The Goldman Sachs Groups dividend payout ratio is presently 53.24%.

Insider Buying and Selling at The Goldman Sachs Group

In other The Goldman Sachs Group news, major shareholder Goldman Sachs Group Inc sold 72,874 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $0.71, for a total transaction of $51,740.54. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 397,954 shares in the company, valued at $282,547.34. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.54% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on GS. Atlantic Securities upgraded shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from an underweight rating to a neutral rating and boosted their target price for the company from $330.00 to $351.00 in a report on Tuesday, August 1st. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $400.00 to $380.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, September 21st. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $447.00 to $468.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, November 16th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. They set a hold rating on the stock. Finally, HSBC assumed coverage on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in a research report on Thursday, September 7th. They set a buy rating and a $403.00 price target on the stock. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $393.76.

Read Our Latest Stock Report on The Goldman Sachs Group

The Goldman Sachs Group Company Profile

(Free Report)

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc, a financial institution, provides a range of financial services for corporations, financial institutions, governments, and individuals worldwide. It operates through Global Banking & Markets, Asset & Wealth Management, and Platform Solutions segments. The Global Banking & Markets segment provides financial advisory services, including strategic advisory assignments related to mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, corporate defense activities, restructurings, and spin-offs; and relationship lending, and acquisition financing, as well as secured lending, through structured credit and asset-backed lending and involved in resale agreements.

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Delta Capital Management LLC lowered its holdings in shares of The Charles Schwab Co. (NYSE:SCHW  Free Report) by 0.6% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 55,810 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 350 shares during the period. Charles Schwab accounts for 2.2% of Delta Capital Management LLCs investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Delta Capital Management LLCs holdings in Charles Schwab were worth $3,163,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Key Financial Inc increased its position in Charles Schwab by 144.3% in the 2nd quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 447 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 264 shares during the period. AlphaMark Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Charles Schwab in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Global Trust Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Charles Schwab by 633.8% in the second quarter. Global Trust Asset Management LLC now owns 521 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the period. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its stake in shares of Charles Schwab by 1,236.6% during the second quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 548 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 507 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Worth Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Charles Schwab during the first quarter worth $32,000. 81.61% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on shares of Charles Schwab from $70.00 to $69.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 11th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Charles Schwab from $71.00 to $64.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Charles Schwab from $92.00 to $85.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 17th. UBS Group decreased their price target on Charles Schwab from $80.00 to $72.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 16th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on Charles Schwab from $66.00 to $62.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 10th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Charles Schwab presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $69.91.

Charles Schwab Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE SCHW traded down $0.06 on Thursday, hitting $55.93. The company had a trading volume of 6,830,255 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,291,464. The company has a quick ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The Charles Schwab Co. has a 12-month low of $45.00 and a 12-month high of $86.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $99.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.64, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.94. The business has a 50 day moving average of $53.81 and a two-hundred day moving average of $56.39.

Charles Schwab (NYSE:SCHW  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $0.77 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.75 by $0.02. Charles Schwab had a return on equity of 24.58% and a net margin of 30.14%. The firm had revenue of $4.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.62 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.10 EPS. Charles Schwabs revenue for the quarter was down 16.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that The Charles Schwab Co. will post 3.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Charles Schwab Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 24th. Investors of record on Friday, November 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 9th. Charles Schwabs payout ratio is 33.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Charles Schwab news, General Counsel Peter J. Morgan III sold 8,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.61, for a total value of $476,880.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel now directly owns 8,014 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $477,714.54. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, CFO Peter B. Crawford sold 3,792 shares of Charles Schwab stock in a transaction on Monday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.31, for a total value of $217,319.52. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 44,725 shares in the company, valued at $2,563,189.75. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, General Counsel Peter J. Morgan III sold 8,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.61, for a total transaction of $476,880.00. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel now directly owns 8,014 shares in the company, valued at $477,714.54. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 21,824 shares of company stock valued at $1,214,937 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 6.60% of the companys stock.

Charles Schwab Profile

(Free Report)

The Charles Schwab Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a savings and loan holding company that provides wealth management, securities brokerage, banking, asset management, custody, and financial advisory services. The company operates in two segments, Investor Services and Advisor Services.

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Korea Investment CORP trimmed its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX  Free Report) by 18.3% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 151,568 shares of the medical instruments suppliers stock after selling 33,905 shares during the quarter. Korea Investment CORPs holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $40,015,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in BDX. Townsend Asset Management Corp NC ADV raised its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 3.4% in the second quarter. Townsend Asset Management Corp NC ADV now owns 1,189 shares of the medical instruments suppliers stock valued at $314,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. FirstPurpose Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.2% during the 2nd quarter. FirstPurpose Wealth LLC now owns 1,840 shares of the medical instruments suppliers stock valued at $486,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. Breakwater Capital Group lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.6% during the 2nd quarter. Breakwater Capital Group now owns 1,597 shares of the medical instruments suppliers stock worth $422,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Ropes Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. Ropes Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,901 shares of the medical instruments suppliers stock worth $2,350,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the period. Finally, Intercontinental Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 2.8% in the second quarter. Intercontinental Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,521 shares of the medical instruments suppliers stock valued at $402,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.72% of the companys stock.

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Insider Transactions at Becton, Dickinson and Company

In related news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.48, for a total transaction of $125,986.32. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 3,444 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $945,309.12. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.48, for a total transaction of $125,986.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 3,444 shares in the company, valued at approximately $945,309.12. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Claire Fraser sold 848 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $281.66, for a total value of $238,847.68. Following the transaction, the director now owns 21,608 shares of the companys stock, valued at $6,086,109.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.31% of the companys stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $236.80 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $254.68 and a 200 day moving average price of $260.14. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a fifty-two week low of $228.62 and a fifty-two week high of $287.32. The firm has a market cap of $68.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.74, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.55.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.42 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts consensus estimates of $3.42. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 13.91% and a net margin of 7.66%. The business had revenue of $5.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.02 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.75 EPS. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 12.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.95 per share. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.60%. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Companys previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 7th. Becton, Dickinson and Companys dividend payout ratio is 73.39%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on BDX. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a research note on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $305.00 to $280.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 10th. Raymond James cut their price target on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $304.00 to $269.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 10th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $295.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Friday, August 4th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $284.00 to $303.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Monday, August 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $282.38.

Read Our Latest Research Report on Becton, Dickinson and Company

Becton, Dickinson and Company Profile

(Free Report)

Becton, Dickinson and Company develops, manufactures, and sells medical supplies, devices, laboratory equipment, and diagnostic products for healthcare institutions, physicians, life science researchers, clinical laboratories, pharmaceutical industry, and the general public worldwide. The company's BD Medical segment provides peripheral intravenous (IV) and advanced peripheral catheters, central lines, acute dialysis catheters, vascular care and preparation products, needle-free IV connectors and extensions sets, closed-system drug transfer devices, hazardous drug detections, hypodermic syringes and needles, anesthesia needles and trays, enteral syringes, and sharps disposal systems; IV medication and infusion therapy delivery systems, medication compounding workflow systems, automated medication dispensing and supply management systems, and medication inventory optimization and tracking systems; syringes, pen needles, and other products for diabetes; and prefillable drug delivery systems.

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Miramar Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Chevron Co. (NYSE:CVX  Free Report) by 7.9% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 90,113 shares of the oil and gas companys stock after acquiring an additional 6,631 shares during the period. Chevron accounts for approximately 3.6% of Miramar Capital LLCs holdings, making the stock its 9th biggest holding. Miramar Capital LLCs holdings in Chevron were worth $14,179,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in CVX. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Chevron by 247.8% in the 2nd quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 3,400 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 5,700 shares during the last quarter. Worth Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Chevron in the 1st quarter worth about $36,000. HBC Financial Services PLLC purchased a new stake in Chevron in the 1st quarter worth about $37,000. Tobam purchased a new stake in Chevron in the 1st quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Operose Advisors LLC raised its position in Chevron by 80.0% in the 1st quarter. Operose Advisors LLC now owns 234 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 68.87% of the companys stock.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an outperform rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of Chevron in a research report on Tuesday, October 24th. Raymond James reduced their price objective on shares of Chevron from $200.00 to $175.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 30th. HSBC increased their price objective on shares of Chevron from $180.00 to $184.00 in a research report on Wednesday, August 9th. Truist Financial reduced their target price on shares of Chevron from $175.00 to $169.00 and set a hold rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 24th. Finally, Mizuho reduced their target price on shares of Chevron from $215.00 to $195.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 14th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $187.89.

Chevron Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE CVX traded up $0.29 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $144.33. 7,217,065 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 11,986,382. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. The stocks 50 day simple moving average is $157.40 and its 200-day simple moving average is $157.93. Chevron Co. has a one year low of $140.72 and a one year high of $187.81. The company has a market cap of $272.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.71, a P/E/G ratio of 0.74 and a beta of 1.16.

Chevron (NYSE:CVX  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 27th. The oil and gas company reported $3.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $3.70 by ($0.65). The business had revenue of $54.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $51.41 billion. Chevron had a net margin of 12.11% and a return on equity of 16.15%. Chevrons revenue for the quarter was down 18.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $5.56 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Chevron Co. will post 13.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Chevron Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 17th will be paid a $1.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 16th. This represents a $6.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.18%. Chevrons dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 44.84%.

Chevron Company Profile

(Free Report)

Chevron Corporation, through its subsidiaries, engages in the integrated energy and chemicals operations in the United States and internationally. The company operates in two segments, Upstream and Downstream. The Upstream segment is involved in the exploration, development, production, and transportation of crude oil and natural gas; liquefaction, transportation, and regasification associated with liquefied natural gas; transportation of crude oil through pipelines; and processing, transportation, storage, and marketing of natural gas, as well as a gas-to-liquids plant.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 23. Experts of Azerbaijan's Center for Analysis of International Relations Roza Bayramli and Maryam Ismayilova have prepared a report in English titled "Disputes arising around Lachin-Khankendi road", Trend reports.

The main purpose of the report is to summarize the events that have occurred in Azerbaijan's Karabakh region over the past 3 years, for the foreign audience.

The report notes that the events that took place on the Lachin-Khankendi road over the past 3 years were actively propagandized by Armenians under the terms "blockade", "ethnic cleansing", "humanitarian crisis".

It is emphasized that despite the fact that Azerbaijan has always acted in accordance with the norms of international law, Armenia was supported by quite a number of countries. The report reflects both the crimes committed by Armenians and the facts that prove the lies about the so-called "blockade".

The first chapter of the report presents information about the illegal economic operations of Armenians in Karabakh and the resulting damage to the ecological environment. The report also identifies the events that led to protests by Azerbaijani eco-activists. Although these protests were also presented by the Armenians as a "blockade", the report points out facts that refute this.

The next chapter contains information on ammunition illegally transported from Armenia to Karabakh prior to the establishment of the Lachin border checkpoint. Visual evidence of this illegal activity has also been added to the report. Azerbaijan's establishment of the Lachin-Khankendi border crossing on the Lachin-Khankendi road to prevent war crimes and the strong Armenian reaction to this was also included in the report.

The report reflected statistical data on persons crossing the border from Armenia to Azerbaijan and from Azerbaijan to Armenia from April through September this year, as well as information on crimes resulting in restrictions on road use provided by the State Border Guard Service.

The report also stresses that in response to Armenia's appeal at the extraordinary session of the UN Security Council on August 16, 2023, discussions on the situation in Karabakh were held and no documents were adopted at the end of the session. Pictures of weddings and festivities organized by Armenians in the conditions of the so-called "humanitarian crisis" were also added to the report. The photos are taken from publications made by Armenian residents of Karabakh in social networks.

The final part of the report notes that Azerbaijan favors the establishment of peace in the region and is ready for reintegration processes.

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Capital World Investors cut its position in shares of Chevron Co. (NYSE:CVX  Free Report) by 0.1% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 10,774,101 shares of the oil and gas companys stock after selling 11,084 shares during the quarter. Capital World Investors owned 0.58% of Chevron worth $1,695,277,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Capital International Inc. CA boosted its position in Chevron by 35.4% during the second quarter. Capital International Inc. CA now owns 85,794 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $13,500,000 after purchasing an additional 22,442 shares during the last quarter. Wills Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Chevron by 4.1% during the 2nd quarter. Wills Financial Group Inc. now owns 29,106 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $4,580,000 after purchasing an additional 1,151 shares during the last quarter. Retirement Planning Co of New England Inc. lifted its holdings in Chevron by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter. Retirement Planning Co of New England Inc. now owns 8,650 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $1,361,000 after purchasing an additional 195 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd lifted its holdings in Chevron by 9.0% during the 2nd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 3,062 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $482,000 after purchasing an additional 254 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Per Stirling Capital Management LLC. lifted its holdings in Chevron by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Per Stirling Capital Management LLC. now owns 11,897 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $1,872,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. 68.87% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on CVX. Raymond James dropped their price target on Chevron from $200.00 to $175.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 30th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an outperform rating and set a $180.00 price objective on shares of Chevron in a research note on Tuesday, October 24th. UBS Group raised their price objective on Chevron from $209.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 4th. BNP Paribas upgraded Chevron from a neutral rating to an outperform rating and set a $190.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 12th. Finally, StockNews.com started coverage on Chevron in a research note on Thursday, October 5th. They set a hold rating on the stock. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Chevron presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $187.89.

Chevron Price Performance

CVX stock traded up $0.29 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $144.33. 7,217,065 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 11,986,382. The stock has a market capitalization of $272.46 billion, a PE ratio of 10.71, a P/E/G ratio of 0.74 and a beta of 1.16. Chevron Co. has a 52 week low of $140.72 and a 52 week high of $187.81. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $157.40 and a 200 day moving average price of $157.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 0.97.

Chevron (NYSE:CVX  Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, October 27th. The oil and gas company reported $3.05 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.70 by ($0.65). The company had revenue of $54.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $51.41 billion. Chevron had a return on equity of 16.15% and a net margin of 12.11%. The firms quarterly revenue was down 18.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $5.56 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Chevron Co. will post 13.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Chevron Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 17th will be issued a dividend of $1.51 per share. This represents a $6.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.18%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 16th. Chevrons payout ratio is presently 44.84%.

Chevron Company Profile

(Free Report)

Chevron Corporation, through its subsidiaries, engages in the integrated energy and chemicals operations in the United States and internationally. The company operates in two segments, Upstream and Downstream. The Upstream segment is involved in the exploration, development, production, and transportation of crude oil and natural gas; liquefaction, transportation, and regasification associated with liquefied natural gas; transportation of crude oil through pipelines; and processing, transportation, storage, and marketing of natural gas, as well as a gas-to-liquids plant.

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Capital International Sarl grew its holdings in shares of Bank of America Co. (NYSE:BAC) by 10.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 255,210 shares of the financial services providers stock after buying an additional 23,477 shares during the quarter. Capital International Sarls holdings in Bank of America were worth $7,322,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in BAC. FNY Investment Advisers LLC grew its position in shares of Bank of America by 75.9% in the 2nd quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC now owns 920 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 397 shares in the last quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Bank of America by 333.2% during the second quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 953 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 733 shares during the last quarter. Castleview Partners LLC bought a new stake in Bank of America during the first quarter valued at $28,000. Global Trust Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Bank of America by 45.7% in the 2nd quarter. Global Trust Asset Management LLC now owns 1,036 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 325 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new position in shares of Bank of America in the 1st quarter valued at about $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.06% of the companys stock.

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Bank of America Price Performance

Shares of BAC traded down $0.03 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $29.63. The stock had a trading volume of 41,427,991 shares, compared to its average volume of 45,753,016. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The company has a market capitalization of $234.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 1.38. The firms 50 day moving average price is $27.48 and its 200-day moving average price is $28.64. Bank of America Co. has a 52 week low of $24.96 and a 52 week high of $37.87.

Bank of America Dividend Announcement

Bank of America ( NYSE:BAC Get Free Report ) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 17th. The financial services provider reported $0.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.83 by $0.07. Bank of America had a return on equity of 12.08% and a net margin of 18.69%. The firm had revenue of $25.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.13 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.81 earnings per share. Bank of Americas revenue was up 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Bank of America Co. will post 3.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 29th. Investors of record on Friday, December 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.24%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 30th. Bank of Americas dividend payout ratio is presently 26.89%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on BAC shares. Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on shares of Bank of America from $35.00 to $33.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 5th. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on Bank of America from $49.00 to $51.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, November 16th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised Bank of America from an underperform rating to a market perform rating and increased their target price for the stock from $29.00 to $30.00 in a research report on Monday, November 6th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Bank of America from $43.00 to $40.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Bank of America from $34.00 to $32.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $35.54.

Read Our Latest Research Report on BAC

Insider Activity at Bank of America

In other Bank of America news, major shareholder Of America Corp /De/ Bank sold 17,769 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.94, for a total value of $176,623.86. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.27% of the companys stock.

About Bank of America

(Free Report)

Bank of America Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides banking and financial products and services for individual consumers, small and middle-market businesses, institutional investors, large corporations, and governments worldwide. Its Consumer Banking segment offers traditional and money market savings accounts, certificates of deposit and IRAs, noninterest-and interest-bearing checking accounts, and investment accounts and products; and credit and debit cards, residential mortgages, and home equity loans, as well as direct and indirect loans, such as automotive, recreational vehicle, and consumer personal loans.

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Capital World Investors grew its holdings in shares of BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE:BLK  Free Report) by 6.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,159,513 shares of the asset managers stock after buying an additional 133,293 shares during the quarter. Capital World Investors owned 1.44% of BlackRock worth $1,492,485,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of BlackRock during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Archer Investment Corp purchased a new position in shares of BlackRock during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. WFA of San Diego LLC purchased a new position in shares of BlackRock during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Centerpoint Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of BlackRock during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Sittner & Nelson LLC lifted its stake in BlackRock by 48.6% during the first quarter. Sittner & Nelson LLC now owns 52 shares of the asset managers stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. 77.01% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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BlackRock Stock Performance

Shares of BLK traded up $2.50 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $727.14. 498,141 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 632,875. The businesss fifty day simple moving average is $653.50 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $677.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $108.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.28. BlackRock, Inc. has a twelve month low of $596.18 and a twelve month high of $781.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 3.72 and a quick ratio of 3.72.

BlackRock Dividend Announcement

BlackRock ( NYSE:BLK Get Free Report ) last released its earnings results on Friday, October 13th. The asset manager reported $10.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $8.34 by $2.57. The firm had revenue of $4.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.52 billion. BlackRock had a return on equity of 14.65% and a net margin of 30.66%. BlackRocks revenue was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $9.55 earnings per share. Analysts predict that BlackRock, Inc. will post 36.44 earnings per share for the current year.

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 22nd. Investors of record on Thursday, December 7th will be issued a dividend of $5.00 per share. This represents a $20.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.75%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 6th. BlackRocks payout ratio is currently 56.10%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Laurence Fink sold 15,385 shares of BlackRock stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $652.03, for a total value of $10,031,481.55. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 435,260 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $283,802,577.80. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.96% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on BlackRock from $736.00 to $708.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 16th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on BlackRock from $820.00 to $720.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 4th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on BlackRock in a research note on Thursday, October 5th. They set a hold rating on the stock. Bank of America reduced their price objective on BlackRock from $921.00 to $868.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 4th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on BlackRock from $781.00 to $754.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 10th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $764.75.

Get Our Latest Analysis on BLK

BlackRock Profile

(Free Report)

BlackRock, Inc is a publicly owned investment manager. The firm primarily provides its services to institutional, intermediary, and individual investors including corporate, public, union, and industry pension plans, insurance companies, third-party mutual funds, endowments, public institutions, governments, foundations, charities, sovereign wealth funds, corporations, official institutions, and banks.

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Guggenheim Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Chubb Limited (NYSE:CB  Free Report) by 17.4% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 91,853 shares of the financial services providers stock after buying an additional 13,642 shares during the period. Guggenheim Capital LLCs holdings in Chubb were worth $17,687,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in CB. Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Chubb during the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Chubb during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Mcmillion Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Chubb during the 2nd quarter valued at about $35,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new position in Chubb during the 4th quarter valued at about $47,000. Finally, Almanack Investment Partners LLC. acquired a new position in Chubb during the 3rd quarter valued at about $52,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.30% of the companys stock.

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Chubb Price Performance

Shares of CB opened at $226.67 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $92.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.61. Chubb Limited has a twelve month low of $183.40 and a twelve month high of $231.37. The company has a 50 day moving average of $214.42 and a 200-day moving average of $203.19. The company has a quick ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24.

Chubb Dividend Announcement

Chubb ( NYSE:CB Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 24th. The financial services provider reported $4.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.21 by $0.74. Chubb had a return on equity of 14.26% and a net margin of 14.58%. The business had revenue of $14.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.16 billion. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Chubb Limited will post 19.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.86 per share. This represents a $3.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.52%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 14th. Chubbs dividend payout ratio is currently 20.32%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on CB. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Chubb from $235.00 to $238.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 10th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an outperform rating and set a $245.00 target price on shares of Chubb in a research report on Tuesday, August 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of Chubb from an overweight rating to a neutral rating and set a $250.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Monday, October 2nd. JMP Securities reiterated a market outperform rating and issued a $250.00 price target on shares of Chubb in a research report on Wednesday, July 26th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Chubb from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Monday, November 13th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $243.71.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on CB

Insider Transactions at Chubb

In other news, EVP Juan Luis Ortega sold 1,508 shares of Chubb stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $218.63, for a total transaction of $329,694.04. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 49,940 shares of the companys stock, valued at $10,918,382.20. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other Chubb news, EVP Juan Luis Ortega sold 1,508 shares of Chubb stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $218.63, for a total value of $329,694.04. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 49,940 shares in the company, valued at $10,918,382.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider John J. Lupica sold 17,810 shares of Chubb stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $218.76, for a total value of $3,896,115.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 136,239 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,803,643.64. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 48,665 shares of company stock valued at $10,587,036. 0.37% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Chubb

(Free Report)

Chubb Limited provides insurance and reinsurance products worldwide. The company's North America Commercial P&C Insurance segment offers commercial property, casualty, workers' compensation, package policies, risk management, financial lines, marine, construction, environmental, medical, cyber risk, surety, and excess casualty; and group accident and health insurance to large, middle market, and small commercial businesses.

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Capital International Inc. CA lifted its holdings in EOG Resources, Inc. (NYSE:EOG  Free Report) by 21.0% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 122,241 shares of the energy exploration companys stock after purchasing an additional 21,223 shares during the quarter. Capital International Inc. CAs holdings in EOG Resources were worth $13,989,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich raised its stake in EOG Resources by 100,317.5% in the 2nd quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 538,528,863 shares of the energy exploration companys stock worth $61,629,243,000 after acquiring an additional 537,992,573 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in EOG Resources by 2.8% in the 1st quarter. State Street Corp now owns 36,299,584 shares of the energy exploration companys stock worth $4,161,014,000 after acquiring an additional 1,005,328 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in EOG Resources by 12.4% in the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 26,897,413 shares of the energy exploration companys stock worth $3,083,250,000 after acquiring an additional 2,977,408 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in EOG Resources by 4.5% in the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,791,379 shares of the energy exploration companys stock worth $1,463,845,000 after acquiring an additional 551,835 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in EOG Resources by 3.1% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,183,166 shares of the energy exploration companys stock worth $1,391,507,000 after acquiring an additional 368,745 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.21% of the companys stock.

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EOG Resources Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of EOG Resources stock traded down $1.08 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $123.17. 3,369,570 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,156,668. EOG Resources, Inc. has a 1 year low of $98.52 and a 1 year high of $144.91. The stocks fifty day moving average is $126.85 and its 200 day moving average is $122.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a quick ratio of 2.10 and a current ratio of 2.43. The firm has a market cap of $71.83 billion, a PE ratio of 9.15, a PEG ratio of 0.36 and a beta of 1.51.

EOG Resources Increases Dividend

Analysts Set New Price Targets

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.91 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 16th. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.96%. This is an increase from EOG Resourcess previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. EOG Resourcess payout ratio is presently 24.52%.

EOG has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Mizuho reduced their price objective on EOG Resources from $158.00 to $150.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein cut EOG Resources from an outperform rating to a market perform rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $155.00 to $146.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 17th. TD Securities boosted their target price on EOG Resources from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a report on Friday, August 4th. Susquehanna lowered their target price on EOG Resources from $165.00 to $164.00 and set a positive rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 18th. Finally, StockNews.com started coverage on shares of EOG Resources in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. They set a hold rating on the stock. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $147.68.

Read Our Latest Analysis on EOG

About EOG Resources

(Free Report)

EOG Resources, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, explores for, develops, produces, and markets crude oil, and natural gas and natural gas liquids. Its principal producing areas are in New Mexico and Texas in the United States; and the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. The company was formerly known as Enron Oil & Gas Company.

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Delta Capital Management LLC lowered its position in shares of The Southern Company (NYSE:SO  Free Report) by 8.7% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,160 shares of the utilities providers stock after selling 300 shares during the quarter. Delta Capital Management LLCs holdings in Southern were worth $222,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Prudential PLC boosted its stake in Southern by 23.4% during the 1st quarter. Prudential PLC now owns 19,438 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $1,409,000 after purchasing an additional 3,689 shares during the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its position in shares of Southern by 33.5% in the first quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,727 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $126,000 after buying an additional 433 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd boosted its position in Southern by 63.0% during the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,902 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $138,000 after acquiring an additional 735 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its stake in Southern by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 49,925 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $3,621,000 after acquiring an additional 221 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp raised its holdings in Southern by 35.8% in the 1st quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 907,132 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $65,776,000 after acquiring an additional 239,325 shares during the last quarter. 62.85% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Southern Stock Down 0.1 %

SO traded down $0.06 on Thursday, hitting $69.59. 2,753,064 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,747,380. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $67.69 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $69.31. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.59. The Southern Company has a twelve month low of $58.85 and a twelve month high of $75.80. The company has a market cap of $75.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.82 and a beta of 0.55.

Southern Dividend Announcement

Insider Buying and Selling

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 6th. Investors of record on Monday, November 20th will be issued a $0.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 17th. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.02%. Southerns dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 101.08%.

In other news, EVP Christopher Cummiskey sold 5,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.30, for a total value of $341,500.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 22,512 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,537,569.60. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, EVP Christopher Cummiskey sold 5,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.30, for a total transaction of $341,500.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 22,512 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,537,569.60. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider David P. Poroch sold 10,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.39, for a total value of $693,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 28,691 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,990,868.49. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 31,490 shares of company stock worth $2,146,405 over the last 90 days. 0.28% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Barclays dropped their price target on Southern from $68.00 to $64.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH initiated coverage on Southern in a report on Wednesday, August 9th. They issued a buy rating and a $72.00 target price for the company. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on Southern from $72.00 to $70.00 and set a market perform rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 31st. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Southern from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Southern from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a report on Tuesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $72.36.

Get Our Latest Report on Southern

Southern Profile

(Free Report)

The Southern Company, through its subsidiaries, engages in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity. It operates through three segments: Gas Distribution Operations, Gas Pipeline Investments, and Gas Marketing Services. The company also develops, constructs, acquires, owns, and manages power generation assets, including renewable energy projects and sells electricity in the wholesale market; and distributes natural gas in Illinois, Georgia, Virginia, and Tennessee, as well as provides gas marketing services, gas distribution operations, and gas pipeline investments operations.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 23. 900th anniversary of Ajami Nakhchivani, an Azerbaijani prominent architect, is included in the list of anniversaries that will be celebrated within the framework of UNESCO during 2024-2025, Trend reports.

According to the National Commission of Azerbaijan for UNESCO, the desicion was made during the 42th session of General Conference of UNESCO.
[November 23, 2023] Unveiling Mer Sustainability Report 2022: Statkraft Mer Holding AS Tweet

OSLO, Norway, Nov. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- We are excited to unveil our Sustainability Report for the year 2022, marking another milestone in our journey towards a greener and more sustainable future. As a leading European EV charging provider, sustainability isn't just a buzzword for usit's the cornerstone of our existence and a driving force behind every choice we make. Ambitions beyond charging The IPCC 2022 report states quite explicitly that for us to confront the rising temperatures, we must invest in nature-first solutions. If we can transform the way we interact with Earths resources, we can still meet the climate targets. The Low Emission Scenario 2022 by Statkraft states that transportation stands for about 20 percent of the emissions. Therefore, transitioning to electric mobility plays a crucial role in the fight against climate change. Our mission is to make sustainable electric mobility easy and accessible for everyone. Yet we also recognize that our commitment to sustainability extends far beyond the charging stations we operate. It's about fostering a culture that values environmental responsibility, innovation, and community engagement. Although we have provided EV drivers with renewable energy in our charging stations for many years, the Mer Sustainability Report provides insight on our journey to work on the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), also including the important social and governance aspects. We are committed to sustainable and responsible business practices and our commitment can only be achieved if our employees, suppliers and partners act with the same ambition. Mer's unparalleled commitment to making a positive impact sets us apart from our competitors in the market. Our accomplishments underscore the commitment to environmental sustainability, and we are eager to build on this momentum in the years to come. Kristoffer Thoner, CEO, Mer Facts from the annual report: 36,548 charge points operated in our European network

541,227,885 electric km enabled

108,245,577 total kWh provided

Contributed with 98 000 tonnes CO2 reduction - a 71% increase from 2021 Charged by nature We blend our deep knowledge of the EV charging industry with genuine ambition, bringing expertise and scale to truly power the shift towards electric mobility. Backed by Statkraft, Europe's largest renewable energy provider, we combine the best of both worlds. Climate change and the following regulatory push is one of the primary drivers of increased sales of EV's. The electric mobility transition is a crucial part of the contribution in achieving the goals outlined in the Paris Agreement. By building critical charging infrastructure, supplied with renewable energy when the energy is sourced by us, we accelerate the demand for renewable energy technology. Sustainability is the foundation of Mer's business. We understand that a viable future can only be achieved by living in harmony with nature and a regenerative use of its finite resources. This report outlines our efforts and initiatives towards sustainable operations. Felix Kohnlein, Group Sustainability Manager, Mer The Road Ahead While we celebrate the achievements of 2022, we recognize that sustainability is an ongoing journey. The report not only reflects past achievements but serves as a roadmap for the future, outlining how we intend to remain at the forefront of positive change within the EV charging industry. Looking ahead, we remain committed to pushing the boundaries of innovation, fostering partnerships, and leading the way towards a more sustainable future. For further information, contact: Monique Berntsen, head of brand and communications +47 92 66 56 63

[email protected] The following files are available for download:







https://mb.cision.com/Main/22216/3881073/2449931.pdf Sustainability_Report_2022 https://news.cision.com/statkraft-mer-holding-as/i/kristoffer-thoner--ceo-mer,c3242210 Kristoffer Thoner, CEO Mer https://news.cision.com/statkraft-mer-holding-as/i/mer-sustainability-report-2022,c3242211 Mer Sustainability Report 2022

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/unveiling-mer-sustainability-report-2022-statkraft-mer-holding-as-301996588.html

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[November 22, 2023] Check City Won Activa Award for Community Service Tweet

Check City won an Activa Award at INFiN's 2023 MoneyTrends Conference for their commitment to community service. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231122310439/en/ Check City accepting the Activa Award (Photo: Business Wire) On October 30th to November 1st, INFiN, a financial services alliance, hosted their 2023 MoneyTrends Conference in Nashville. At this conference INFiN gave Activa Awards to FiSCA members who showed a commitment to being involved in their communities. This year, Check City won an Activa Award in acknowledgment of their community involvement, specifically their involvement in the Souper Bowl of Caring with Tackle Hunger and the Utah Food Bank. The Souper Bowl of Caring is an annual community service event that collects food dontions for the Utah Food Bank to help end child hunger here in Utah.



Check City is proud to be involved in community service causes like the Souper Bowl of Caring and is excited to continue being involved in our communities for years to come. This year, the Souper Bowl of Caring was a huge success, raising $819,333 to feed children in our communities here in Utah. Check City volunteered around 30 hours of service to help answer phones during the Souper Bowl of Caring telethon and also donated $27,000 in sponsorship funding to help advertise and market the event.

Check City loves to be involved in community service efforts. Along with the Souper Bowl of Caring, Check City is also involved in the Three Square Food Drive, an annual Primary Children's Hospital Donation, the Richard Rawle Memorial Scholarship, the Warm Hearts Coat Drive (aiding the Road Home), and the Shade Tree Fundraiser. Visit www.checkcity.com/community-outreach to learn more about how to get involved with the Check City community. Written by: Kimber Severance Reviewed by: Tracy Rawle View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231122310439/en/

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[November 22, 2023] Nicholas Academic Centers' Scholars, Educators, and Community Members Gather to Give Thanks for the Great Achievements of Its Students and Alumni and Their Impact on the Local Community Tweet

Emotions poured in for Rodolfo Duarte, the newly appointed executive director of the Nicholas Academic Centers (NAC), as he watched NAC class of 2018 Alumna Pats Vazquez and NAC benefactor Dr. Henry T. Nicholas III pose for the ceremonial cutting of the turkey. It was a full-circle moment for Duarte, who 14 years ago stumbled onto the NAC after following his friends there. "I initially went for the free sandwiches. I didn't believe the NAC would help me get to college," said Duarte, laughing. The NAC helped Duarte earn degrees from Wabash University (B.A., neuroscience) and Chapman University (M.A., leadership development) and return to Santa Ana to give back to students who are facing the same struggles he had once faced as a first-generation college student from a limited-income household. Similarly, returning alumna Vazquez credits her success to the NAC who helped her thrive at Holy Cross College in Indiana.



15th annual NAC Thanksgiving dinner to give thanks and celebrate the tremendous achievements of the NAC graduates and alumni and their impact on the local community. "The NAC is my proudest achievement," Dr. Nicholas emphasized to the returning 100 NAC alumni. "I want NAC students to go on and get their master's and doctorate degrees," said Dr. Nicholas. Students spontaneously started chanting "Dr. Nick, Dr. Nick" as a line formed to take pictures with the philanthropist who made their dreams come true. When a student asked him for a stock tip, Dr. Nicholas told him, "Invest in yourself." The student walked away blown away and empowered.

The NAC provides highly qualified staff, academic assistance and tutoring, social services, cultural enrichment programs, college access and support services, and need-based scholarship opportunities for students. A total of 2,066 NAC graduates have received over $109.5 million in scholarships and grants. The NAC graduates currently attend or have attended some of the finest educational institutions, including Ivy League institutions such as Harvard, Cornell, Dartmouth, Yale, Columbia, Pennsylvania, and Princeton, and other elite universities such as Stanford, Chicago, Notre Dame, Washington (St. Louis), Syracuse, Southern California, UCLA, and Berkeley. The NAC is generously funded by the Henry T. Nicholas III Education Foundation and was founded by Dr. Nicholas and Retired Superior Court Judge Jack Mandel on Oct. 10, 2007. Since its inception, Dr. Nicholas has donated $45.7 million to support the three NAC locations in downtown Santa Ana, Valley High School, and Century High School. View: Press Packet NAC Graduate Stats: 91% who enrolled in four-year universities have graduated or remain enrolled (national average retention rate of 82%).

81% who attended four-year universities graduated in six years (national average of 62%).

11% between 2009 and 2014 who attended four-year universities have earned or currently remain enrolled in graduate school. "Judge Mandel told me I was a diamond in the rough. I am grateful that I can help shape many more diamonds at the same place that launched me. Dr. Nicholas has enabled a generation of under-resourced students the opportunity to achieve and build themselves into the leaders sorely needed by our communities. We are seeing his ROI in Santa Ana, which is seeing a tremendous transformation," said Duarte. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231122580027/en/

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[November 22, 2023] Hyundai Motor Company and University College London to Collaborate on Carbon-Free Future Technologies Tweet

Hyundai Motor and UCL sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) ahead of the UK-Korea Business Forum in London on November 22 with key leaders attending

on with key leaders attending Hyundai Motor and UCL to conduct joint research on hydrogen production, fuel cells and electrification technologies, leveraging UCL's new Advanced Propulsion Lab

Both parties look to achieve carbon neutrality by accelerating the establishment of a hydrogen economy and realizing a sustainable future mobility ecosystem SEOUL, South Korea, Nov. 22, 2023 /CNW/ -- Hyundai Motor Company today announced that it is partnering with the world-renowned University College London (UCL) to jointly research carbon-neutral future technologies.



Hyundai Motor signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on 'Cooperation in areas of Research and Development for Hydrogen Production, Hydrogen Fuel Cells and Electrification Technology' with UCL at Mansion House in London on November 22.

The MOU signing ceremony took place prior to the UK-Korea Business Forum. In attendance were government officials from both countries, including Moon-kyu Bang, South Korea's Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy; and Nigel Huddleston, UK Secretary of State for International Trade; as well as Dong-wook Kim, Executive Vice President of Hyundai Motor Company; and Dr Michael Spence, President and Provost of UCL. With both South Korea and UK aiming to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, Hyundai Motor looks to accelerate the development of a hydrogen economy and realize a sustainable future mobility ecosystem through this MOU. UCL is a prestigious research-oriented university that is consistently ranked at the top of global university rankings and has produced dozens of Nobel Prize and Fields Medal winners. "Through joint research with UCL, one of the UK's leading research universities, we will accelerate the pace of technological innovation in hydrogen production, fuel cells and electrification," said Jaehoon (Jay) Chang, President and CEO of Hyundai Motor Company. "We hope that this collaboration will contribute to achieving carbon neutrality in the transportation sector, which is a goal shared by Korea and the UK." UCL President and Provost, Dr Michael Spence said, "New technologies, such as hydrogen generation, electric vehicles and fuel cells, are a fundamental part of international efforts to keep the global temperature rise within the goals set out in the Paris Agreement. This partnership will combine UCL's world-leading engineering research with Hyundai's expertise as one of the world's leading automotive companies to accelerate the development of these vital technologies." View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hyundai-motor-company-and-university-college-london-to-collaborate-on-carbon-free-future-technologies-301995911.html SOURCE Hyundai Motor Company

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[November 22, 2023] CrimsonLogic, a Leader in Digital Trade Facilitation Solutions, Announces Its Wholly-Owned Subsidiary, Global eTrade Services (GeTS), Will Operate Under the CrimsonLogic Brand as Part of Global Brand Consolidation in the Asia Pacific Region Tweet

SINGAPORE, Nov. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- CrimsonLogic, a leader in digital trade facilitation solutions and a member of the PSA Group, has announced that from 1 January 2024, the company's wholly-owned subsidiary, Global eTrade Services (GeTS) will operate under the CrimsonLogic brand. This strategic move consolidates and strengthens its position within the global trade and supply chain landscape. Established in 2016, GeTS has primarily focused on trade compliance services, offering customs clearance solutions such as "TradeWeb" for Singapore, Importer of Records, Business Process Outsourcing services, and a comprehensive suite of digital logistics solutions. With over 35 years of experience worldwide, CrimsonLogic specializes in technology-enablement in the fields of trade facilitation & compliance, port operations, government services and logistics. With over 60 projects implemented across 40 countries, the company's "Total Trade'' suite of solutions facilitates the end-to-end value chain for global trade across governments and business segments. The change is a strategic step to empower partners and customers to leverage the full spectrum of the company's digital capabilities and its expansive global network. "By aligning our capabilitis and solutions under one brand, we ensure a clear and accurate representation of our Total Trade vision," said Lawrence Ng, CEO of CrimsonLogic. "We look forward to further strengthening our value proposition and market presence through this brand consolidation, delivering the full range of capabilities offered by our Total Trade suite of solutions to the Asia Pacific region."



With a global footprint in over 40 countries, CrimsonLogic has a significant presence in the Asia Pacific region. Ernest Low, Vice President of Asia Pacific at CrimsonLogic, affirmed the significance of this brand consolidation. "This change is a strategic step that allows us to leverage the combined expertise of CrimsonLogic and GeTS, offering a wide range of global trade and supply chain solutions tailored to meet the needs of our Asia Pacific customers, especially for those looking to enter the diverse ASEAN market. Through this change, we deliver value-added, comprehensive capabilities, and a seamless experience for businesses navigating the complex landscape of trade into and out of the Asia Pacific region." About CrimsonLogic

CrimsonLogic, part of the PSA Group, is a global technology company driven by innovation to digitalize and simplify global trade. With over 35 years of experience worldwide, CrimsonLogic specializes in technology-enablement in the fields of trade facilitation & compliance, port operations, government services and logistics. As a trusted partner to businesses, logistics service providers and governments, their tailored solutions are designed to meet the unique needs of every client, enabling seamless and secure optimization of supply chains and operations. Having pioneered the world's first single window trade facilitation system for Singapore, CrimsonLogic continues to drive digital transformation in global trade via cutting-edge technology, exemplified by the successful implementation of innovation solutions in over 40 countries worldwide. www.crimsonlogic.com View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/crimsonlogic-a-leader-in-digital-trade-facilitation-solutions-announces-its-wholly-owned-subsidiary-global-etrade-services-gets-will-operate-under-the-crimsonlogic-brand-as-part-of-global-brand-consolidation-in-the-asia-paci-301994239.html SOURCE CrimsonLogic

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[November 22, 2023] Gyeonggi Content Agency to promote Gyeonggi Province videos and story IP-based content companies at the "2023 Singapore ATF" Tweet

SEOUL, South Korea, Nov. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Gyeonggi Province and the Gyeonggi Content Agency will be establishing a Gyeonggi Province Pavilion at the '2023 Singapore ATF(Asia TV Forum & Market)', Asia's largest digital content exhibition, to support nine animation and story IP-based content companies from Gyeonggi Province. The nine companies that will be participating in the 2023 Singapore ATF Gyeonggi Province Pavilion are WHYJ CONTENTS (Dinoman), ACCESS KOREA (SauceRia), PIXTREND (Guardians), CHUM EDUCATION (Hattung Science), ICONIX (Pororo), HEYRANG PRODUCTION (Galls on Plants), STUDIO W.BABA. (B Family), DANKKUMI (World History Adventure), BERRYCAT GALLERY (Best Berry Family). ATF is a digital content exhibition in which more than 760 content/broadcasting companies from around the world participate every year. It is Asia's lrgest B2B broadcast video exhibition, making it the second largest exhibition in the world after France's MIPCOM. It will be held at the Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Center in Singapore for four days from December 5th to 8th.



Gyeonggi Content Agency said, "By participating in the Korea Rising IP Joint Pavilion, story IP-based content companies will not only have the opportunity to see the latest trends in various media content fields such as TV dramas, movies, animation, and characters, but also have the opportunity to expand their content overseas by networking with global companies centered on Southeast Asia." In 2024, the Gyeonggi Content Agency will continue to participate in joint domestic and international exhibitions, and hold export consultations and educational seminars in order to help companies in Gyeonggi Province advance overseas, and will continue to provide support to promote the excellent contents of Gyeonggi Province to the world.

https://www.gcon.or.kr/bms/section/board/bbs_view.html?PID=REPORT&atc_sno=769&bbs_cd=report Contact:

WON HAECHANMULGYEOL

+82-32-623-8075

[email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/gyeonggi-content-agency-to-promote-gyeonggi-province-videos-and-story-ip-based-content-companies-at-the-2023-singapore-atf-301995600.html SOURCE Gyeonggi Content Agency

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 23. The 950th anniversary of the Diwan Lughat al-Turk, a compendium of the turkic dialects, will be celebrated in 2024-2025 within the framework of UNESCO, Trend reports.

Accordign to the National Commission of Azerbaijan for UNESCO, the desicion was made during the 42th session of General Conference of UNESCO.

In the same meeting, it was also decided to commemorate the 900th anniversary of Ajami Nakhchivani, a distinguished Azerbaijani architect.

Meanwhile, Diwan Lughat al-Turk is the first comprehensive dictionary of Turkic languages, compiled in 107274 by the Turkic scholar Mahmud Kashgari who extensively studied the Turkic languages of his time.
[November 22, 2023] Establishment of Asia Pacific Real World Asset Platform: Shaping the Future of RWAs Tokenization Tweet

SINGAPORE, Nov. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On November 17, 2023, the "TradFi and DeFi Unite: From Asia Pacific to the World" APRTP Summit was successfully held at the Sands Expo & Convention Centre in Singapore. The event, co-hosted by ChainUp, SGTOX, and Alibaba Cloud, drew experts from prominent businesses and institutions from Singapore and the surrounding regions. The summit's highlight was the joint announcement by the 17 founding members of the "Asia Pacific RWA Tokenization Platform" (APRTP) of the organization's establishment, followed by a collective inaugural conference. Discussing the significance of real world asset tokenization, Mr. Nathan Ma, Chairman of the Board at SGTOX, underscored its impact within the FinTech and Web3.0 sectors. He spotlighted international success stories, including MakerDao's tokenization of $5 billion in bonds, the Hong Kong government's issuance of HK$760 million in green bonds, and the innovative tokenization projects in Singapore's private funds and credit sectos. Mr. Ma also addressed the existing challenges such as achieving interoperability among private blockchains operated by large financial institutions, creating unified technical standards, and the critical need for establishing more compliant and secure trading platforms.



The platform gathers asset owners, brokers, investors, and well-known FinTech companies from the Asia Pacific region, aiming to: Develop an RWA ecosystem that enables seamless information exchange between recognized asset tokenization participants and traditional institutions.

Establish standardized tokenization procedures and protocols across different asset categories.

Construct reliable and secure blockchain infrastructure.

Promote practical applications and business cases for asset tokenization, as well as improve legal compliance and ethical standards. Representatives from ChainUp, Alibaba Cloud, and the Blockchain Association, reflecting their unique perspectives on the summit's theme and their company's attributes:

ChainUp CEO Sailor Zhong stated, "Blockchain technology is redefining the frontiers of traditional finance. Our innovative technology and services lay the groundwork for the tokenization of RWAs, enhancing the transparency and efficiency of transactions." The Alibaba Cloud representative mentioned, "As a leading global cloud service provider, we are confident in supporting APRTP by offering a secure, stable, and efficient cloud computing platform for the tokenization of RWAs." The Blockchain Association representative emphasized, "We are committed to promoting the growth and regulation of the blockchain industry. We support APRTP in setting tokenization standards and ethical guidelines to ensure the industry develops in a healthy and stable manner." The Asia Pacific region has long been a global leader in dynamism, growth, and innovation in finance, technology, and green development. With the formation of APRTP, there is an intention to collaborate with industry leaders to deepen innovation and compliance within the region, setting international standards and aspiring to become the global leader in the RWA field. The members believe that through strengthened cooperation and shared knowledge and experience, they can significantly contribute to the future development of the RWAs tokenization domain. Contact: [email protected]

Website: www.aprtp.com

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ap-r-tp/ View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/establishment-of-asia-pacific-real-world-asset-platform-shaping-the-future-of-rwas-tokenization-301995946.html SOURCE ChainUp; APRTP

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[November 22, 2023] Fosun International Receives "Excellence in Environmental Positive Impact Commendation" at Hong Kong ESG Reporting Awards Tweet

HONG KONG, Nov. 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Fosun International Limited (HKEX stock code: 00656) recently received "Excellence in Environmental Positive Impact Commendation" at the Hong Kong ESG Reporting Awards 2023, in recognition of the company's active green management practices and contribution to environmental protection locally and globally. The Hong Kong ESG Reporting Awards (HERA) is a not-for-profit initiative and one of the most prestigious awards for companies in Hong Kong on corporate sustainability. Supported by InvestHK of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), the Hong Kong Environment and Ecology Bureau of the HKSAR, Financial Services Development Council of the HKSAR, and organizations such as Hong Kong Green Finance Association and the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce. The Hong Kong ESG Reporting Awards (HERA) aims to recognize companies that have performed outstandingly in ESG reporting and corporate sustainability. The award winners are strictly selected by an independent panel of judges that composed of experts from various backgrounds such as business, non-governmental organizations, and academia. This year, Fosun International was awarded "Excellence in Environmental Positive Impact Commendation" by the professional institution in the industry, in recognition of the company's active commitment and efforts in ESG, especially in the environmental front, which have been widely recognized and affirmed. Fosun has always paid attention to the reform and development of the global policies in the field of sustainable development. It has established a comprehensive ESG management system, integrated ESG management requirements into business management over the years, actively responded to global strategies in relation to sustainable development, assumed more social responsibility, implemented "dual carbon" goals to promote sustainable management and value creation. Issued its first TCFD Report to call on all sectors to promote carbon neutrality Facing the increasingly severe challenges of global climate change, Fosun issued the ESG Report not only in accordance with the Environmental, Social and Governance Reporting Guide in Appendix 27 to the Listing Rules of Hong Kong Stock Exchange, but also prepared the ESG Report with reference to the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Sustainability Reporting Standards (GRI Standards). Fosun also disclosed its climate-related financial risks voluntarily and issued its first Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures report (the "TCFD Report") based on the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures ("TCFD") recommendations this year to support and implement the TCFD recommendations, taking an important step to strengthen Fosun's climate resilience, demonstrating its commitment of climate action to international cmmunity, and call on all sectors to work together to promote carbon neutrality.



Established Carbon Neutrality Committee and Working Group to actively advance Fosun's carbon peak and carbon neutrality targets Fosun also established a Carbon Neutrality Committee and a Carbon Neutrality Working Group, with carbon neutrality led and progressed by the Environment, Health, Safety & Quality (EHSQ) Department. The Carbon Neutrality Committee, composed of directors of Fosun International and directors of member companies, is responsible for supervising and promoting the overall carbon neutrality strategy, and regulating and monitoring climate-related risks and opportunities. Fosun has also added the indicator of "carbon neutrality management" to the ESG management performance appraisal mechanism of responsible persons of each business segment of the Group, with the aim of promoting further implementation and enforcement of carbon-neutral management across the Group.

In order to further push forward Fosun's 2050 "Carbon Neutrality Goal", the Carbon Neutrality Committee and the Carbon Neutrality Working Group further refined the Group's carbon neutrality goal, requiring each member company to set its own carbon neutrality goal based on Fosun's carbon neutrality goal. The Group will adjust its goal in a timely manner in light of the changes in the business landscape to make it more realistic and challenging. Fosun also made systematic and standardized arrangement on EHSQ work of member companies, and at the same time put the "1+N" strategic deployment into practice, which involved setting up 1 carbon management system and producing N reports (including studies on water risk assessment, climate change, and biodiversity), and developing an ESG-Carbon Neutralization Life Cycle management platform that includes ESG and carbon neutrality-related content in the Group's system audit. Additionally, Fosun upgraded the corresponding management and reward system to scientifically and systematically manage corporate risks and gradually improve ESG management with reference to advanced international-leading management standards, requirements for energy control and environmental audit, etc. Actively promote energy conservation and carbon reduction to contribute to the sustainable development of the Earth The Group and its member companies actively promote energy conservation and carbon reduction and are determined to become carbon reduction pioneers in their industries. The Group's Atlantis Sanya obtained the National Certificate of Three-star Green Building Design and Operation Label, the highest level of Chinese green building certification; it also obtained the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold Building Design and Construction Certification and the "EarthCheck" Silver Certification, and other leading environmental certifications for the global tourism industry. The Bund Finance Center (BFC), the Group's base in Shanghai and a landmark in Shanghai, was awarded the LEED Platinum certification, which is hailed as the "Oscar Award" in the green building industry, with a score of 97 points to set a new world record. Became a member company of UN Global Compact and CBCSD to actively promote the sustainable development of China + the world As a responsible global citizen, Fosun joined the United Nations (UN) Global Compact in 2014 and is committed to the global commitment of sustainable development. Fosun actively supports the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) including climate action, affordable and clean energy, life below water, life on land, and responsible consumption and production. It supervises and guides member companies to actively tackle climate change, carry out energy conservation and emission reduction in the course of operation, while seeking low-carbon opportunities and developing a green circular economy. In 2020, Fosun joined the Chinese ESG Leaders Association and became a member of the China Business Council for Sustainable Development (CBCSD). In September 2023, the Group participated in the "Sustainability CEO Forum" held by CBCSD in Hefei, Anhui Province, China to discuss with relevant government departments, experts from research institutions and other enterprise representatives the integration into the overall development of the country to promote climate response, and achieve green and low-carbon development goals. Looking ahead, Fosun will continue to actively assume more social responsibility, implement the concept of ESG, create value and give back to society. With the global trend of promoting carbon neutrality, carbon emissions reduction and the sustainable development of the Earth, Fosun will continue to actively cooperate with its member companies to promote the implementation of ESG strategies, especially in the areas of carbon emissions peak, carbon neutrality, energy conservation and energy consumption reduction, and actively promote the sustainable development of the Group. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fosun-international-receives-excellence-in-environmental-positive-impact-commendation-at-hong-kong-esg-reporting-awards-301996367.html SOURCE Fosun

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[November 22, 2023] LINE hosts 'LUXURY Day', unveiling Marketing Trend Insights for High-End Brands Tweet

BANGKOK, Thailand, Nov. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Over the past several years, the interest in and popularity of the use of the LINE platform for business purposes has increased continuously. Even high-end brands are no exception. This category traditionally created customer experiences exclusively on-site. Nowadays, however, there has been a significant push into the online marketplace. This shift is evident in the annually increasing number of global luxury brand LINE Official Accounts (OAs) in Thailand. Recently, LINE Thailand organised 'LUXURY Day 2023', an exclusive seminar tailored to the luxury goods business sector. The event brought together experts in marketing and luxury brands to discuss and provide insights into using the digital tools available on LINE. It also highlighted significant trends in building brand devotion among digital-era customers. Insights into the current use of LINE by luxury brands Supawadee Juengjaroensukying, Business Consultant - Luxury Industry, LINE Thailand, stated that LINE is a leading digital platform currently reaching over 54 million people in Thailand. It appeals to people of all age groups, especially the working-age population with purchasing power in the luxury goods market. According to the latest figures, there has been a 20% year on year increase in the number of luxury brand LINE OAs. Additionally, the number of users following these luxury brand OAs has risen by more than 40%. Notably, over 70% of these users are women, primarily in the 30-39 age group, followed by those aged 50 and over and the 40-49 age group. Notably, luxury brands increased their active engagement with LINE Official Accounts (OAs) in 2023. There has been a 155% increase in message broadcasting through LINE OAs and an 11-fold increase in communications via the API. Furthermore, there has been a focus on building brand recognition and identity through LINE Sponsored Stickers, particularly with big stickers and animated stickers, which saw a 2-fold gowth this year. It is projected that the investment value in the LINE platform from luxury brands will rise by over 41% by the end of 2023. Nonetheless, the use of LINE by luxury brands in Thailand is still limited, compared to other business sectors, indicating significant potential for luxury brands to use LINE more effectively. This is especially true when leveraging LINE's unique tools and features, such as customer data collection and the implementation of personalisation strategies.



New era customers accessed through personalisation strategies Kunchalee Sumleerat, Founder, DigiNative, a modern marketer and communicator, highlighted the evolution of brand building. The focus has shifted from product-centricity to advertising-driven branding. Presently, it is more about creating diverse content. This trend is, however, also evolving as consumers, especially the younger generation, are seeking more choice and control over their media consumption, engaging only with that content which is relevant to them or presented in an on-demand format. Therefore, personalised communication is becoming a key trend for luxury brands. To implement personalisation strategies effectively, brands need to gather comprehensive and clear data, to maximise their understanding of each customer or consumer. LINE distinguishes itself as a platform that facilitates comprehensive personalised marketing for brands.

LINE as a platform for luxury brands in personalised marketing The LINE platform is not just a medium for communication. It also serves as a sales channel, a service provider and a means by which to cater to various customer needs. Additionally, it is a crucial channel through which brands are able to collect diverse customer data for analysis. This deeper understanding of and connection with customers is facilitated through various tools. These include the LINE OA as the primary communication and marketing tool on LINE, LINE Ads for advertising, to broaden brand awareness and increase OA friends, and tools, like MyCustomer and Business Manager, for data storage and management. These help brands to categorise, segment and analyze collected data, enabling them to design targeted and effective marketing strategies. Moreover, solutions through the LINE API, developed by LINE and other developers, offer brands the option of seamlessly enhancing the user experience on LINE. This includes implementing personalised CRM solutions for customers, further strengthening their personalised marketing capabilities. Kanchalee also outlined two key factors for success in using LINE OAs by luxury brands: (1) Creating a utility that meets customer expectations: Brands should first gather customer data, to differentiate customer groups accurately and clearly. For example, new customers, potential customers and existing customers. Each group should receive tailored communications and services on LINE OA, facilitated by the LINE Messaging API. For instance, for new and general customers, the focus should be on brand building communications, potential customers should be presented with product selling points, which spur purchase interest, and existing customers should receive product updates, after-sales services and various notifications about purchased products or received services. Using the LINE Messaging API allows brands to communicate, showcase products and offer useful services that meet customer expectations on LINE OA. (2) Creating personalized communication at an individual level. This comprises 5 crucial steps: Planning Data: Brands should clearly define their objectives, to determine the type of data needed, such as demographics, interests, etc.

Brands should clearly define their objectives, to determine the type of data needed, such as demographics, interests, etc. Collecting Data: Brands should design appropriate data collection methods for each customer type, to encourage their interest and willingness to provide information, such as through Mission Stickers.

Brands should design appropriate data collection methods for each customer type, to encourage their interest and willingness to provide information, such as through Mission Stickers. Segmenting Data: Using various tools to help marketers acquire data that meets their specific objectives, such as MyCustomer.

Using various tools to help marketers acquire data that meets their specific objectives, such as MyCustomer. Designing Personalised Communications: Tailoring the format and content of communications to meet each customer's expectations, using tools like LINE API, MyCustomer and LINE Official Notification.

Tailoring the format and content of communications to meet each customer's expectations, using tools like LINE API, MyCustomer and LINE Official Notification. Optimising Communications: Integrating data obtained from LINE with existing brand databases, for efficient analysis and future product and service design. In the current, continually evolving business environment, brands must adapt quickly, especially luxury brands that rely on creating exceptional customer experiences. LINE emerges as a digital platform and set of tools which fully meet the needs for both technology and data. They serve as a vital channel for brands in the online world, working in tandem with offline channels to craft complete luxury customer experiences. Luxury businesses interested in making the most of what the LINE platform has to offer are welcome to contact [email protected] for more information. #LuxuryDay2023 #LINEforBusiness #LINEThailand View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/line-hosts-luxury-day-unveiling-marketing-trend-insights-for-high-end-brands-301996439.html SOURCE LINE Thailand

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[November 22, 2023] Cyber Security Market size to grow by USD 203.5 billion from 2022 to 2027 | The increase in the use of mobile devices is a key factor driving the market growth - Technavio Tweet

NEW YORK, Nov. 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Cyber Security Market size is expected to grow by USD 203.5 billion from 2022 to 2027. Technavio's latest market research report estimates that the cyber security market will progress at a CAGR of 13.57%. The market growth is significantly influenced by the rising utilization of mobile devices. The increased prevalence of smartphones, laptops, and tablets has driven a greater need for cybersecurity solutions. This increased demand is a result of the expanded use of the Internet on these devices, which amplifies the potential for cyber threats. As mobile devices increasingly store and access important personal and work-related data, the risk of unauthorized access in cases of loss or theft has escalated. Technavio offers in-depth market insights that assist global businesses to obtain growth opportunities. Buy the report now Cyber Security Market 2023-2027: Segmentation Deployment

On-premise



Cloud-based

End-user

Government



BFSI



ICT



Manufacturing



Others

Geography

North America



APAC



Europe



Middle East And Africa



South America The on-premise cybersecurity segment is expected to significant growth in the market during the forecast period. The on-premise cybersecurity segment, initially valued at USD 63.27 billion in 2017 and steadily growing until 2021, faces challenges due to the increasing preference for cost-effective cloud-based solutions. Although on-premises security is strong and customizable, its market is declining due to high costs and limitations compared to cloud options. Small-medium enterprises prefer cloud-based security for its affordability, leading to reduced adoption of on-premises solutions. Despite some sectors prioritizing security over expenses, the limitations of on-premises systems, such as lack of real-time analysis and high deployment costs, are expected to hinder the market growth. Receive our market sample report now to gain access to a detailed analysis on the cyber security market Cyber Security Market 2023-2027: Regional Analysis North America is projected to contribute around 34% to the global market's expansion during the forecast period. The US stands as the primary revenue generator and is expected to uphold this position in the next few years. The growth in this region is primarily fueled by the increased occurrence of cyber threats, rise of technological advancements and the utilization of cloud-based data storage systems. Moreover, the rising adoption of mobile devices for both personal and professional purposes has led to an increased demand for cyberecurity solutions, positively influencing market revenues. Previous cyberattacks on North America's IT infrastructure have included mobile malware, spear phishing, distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, and email-related threats. These factors are anticipated to boost the growth of the regional cyber security market.



Cyber Security Market 2023-2027: Company Analysis and Scope Some of the major companies of the cyber security market include AO Kaspersky Lab, Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corp., Broadcom Inc., Check Point Software Technologies Ltd., Cisco Systems Inc., Dell Technologies Inc., Fortinet Inc., F Secure Corp., General Dynamics Corp., Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co., International Business Machines Corp., Juniper Networks Inc., Lockheed Martin Corp., McAfee LLC, Microsoft Corp., Northrop Grumman Corp., Raytheon Technologies Corp., Sophos Ltd., The Boeing Co., and Trend Micro Inc. To help businesses improve their market position, Technavio's report provides a detailed analysis of around 25 companies operating in the market.

Cyber Security Market 2023  2027: Market dynamics Leading trends influencing the market On-premise cybersecurity, initially valued at USD 63.27 billion in 2017 and growing until 2021, faces market decline due to the rising preference for cost-effective cloud-based solutions.

in 2017 and growing until 2021, faces market decline due to the rising preference for cost-effective cloud-based solutions. Despite being highly secure and customizable, on-premises security demands substantial investments in licenses, IT staff, hardware, and incurs ongoing expenses, leading SMEs to favor cloud-based security for its cost-efficiency.

Challenges such as high implementation costs, lack of real-time analysis, slow software updates, and high deployment expenses limit the growth of on-premises cybersecurity, although some sectors like BFSI prioritize security over costs. Download the sample report now for information on the Cyber Security Market challenges. The report also covers the following areas: Cyber Security Market size

Cyber Security Market trends

Cyber Security Market industry analysis The cyber security market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate. The increase in use of mobile devices will offer immense growth opportunities. However, the High cost of deployment will hamper the market growth. Cyber Security Market 2023-2027: Key Highlights CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2023-2027

Detailed information on factors that will assist cyber security market growth during the next five years

Estimation of the cyber security market size and its contribution to the parent market

Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

The growth of the cyber security market

Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors

Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of cyber security market vendors Download now to uncover successful business strategies deployed by Companies of cyber security market - Download Latest Free Sample Report in Minutes Related Reports:

Aviation Cyber Security Market: The aviation cyber security market size is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 9.4% between 2022 and 2027. The market size is forecast to increase by USD 38.08 billion. Secure Web Gateway Market: The secure web gateway market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 21.52% between 2022 and 2027. The size of the market is forecast to increase by USD 11,710.84. million. TOC Executive Summary Market Landscape Market Sizing Historic Market Size Five Forces Analysis Market Segmentation by Deployment Market Segmentation by End-User Customer Landscape Geographic Landscape Drivers, Challenges, and Trends Company Landscape Company Analysis Appendix About US Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provide actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. Contact Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media & Marketing Executive

US: +1 844 364 1100

UK: +44 203 893 3200

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.technavio.com/ View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cyber-security-market-size-to-grow-by-usd-203-5-billion-from-2022-to-2027--the-increase-in-the-use-of-mobile-devices-is-a-key-factor-driving-the-market-growth---technavio-301996066.html SOURCE Technavio

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[November 23, 2023] Tongxin Micro Receives GSMA Certification and Partners with Valid to Boost eSIM Global Deployment Tweet

MADRID, Nov. 23, 2023 /CNW/ -- Tongxin Micro, an industry-leading semiconductor solution provider, and Valid, a leading provider of interoperable eSIM services around the world, have jointly launched a comprehensive eSIM one-stop solution for global OEMs. This solution has successfully passed the GSMA's eSIM product filing audit, establishing Tongxin Micro as China's first and the world's foremost provider of eSIM solutions for mobile terminals. Furthermore, this collaboration aims to drive the deployment and commercialization of eSIM technology in Smartphones, POS, CPEs, and various other sectors. In the era of 5G, the demand for eSIM is experiencing explosive growth as smart networked devices become smaller and thinner. However, challenges arise in ensuring the secure and seamless access of eSIM across different countries, regions, and scenarios, which is crucial for its widespread deployment. To address this, the Global Telecommunications Operators Alliance-GSMA has developed standards to validate eSIM's functional compliance, production, and product security. These standards serve as the passport and necessary qualification for vendors to enter the global eSIM ecosystem for production, with only a select few chip companies having received certification to date. The eSIM one-stop solution, having passed GSMA eSIM certification, owes its success to the synergies and deep integration between Tongxin Micro and Valid in both software and hardware domains. The solution is built upon TMC's high-capacity chip with CC EAL5+ certification, supporting wafer-level import of personalized data. Additionally, it incorporates Valid's world-leading OS, GSMA certified, with a download/delete speed three times faster than similar solutions and the ability t support simultaneous downloads of 10+ profiles. The combined solution is fully interoperable with profiles from the majority of tested Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), covering 200+ MNOs globally.



Beyond this, Tongxin Micro, as the first Chinese chipmaker to obtain GSMA SAS-UP certification, has established a world-class, high-security wafer-level personalization factory. This facility offers global OEMs a comprehensive range of services, from R&D and design to chip testing and personalized data writing. Jose Manuel Castro, SVP of Global OEM Sales at Valid, expressed, "Drawing upon years of involvement in the eSIM arena, Valid has been persistently working to cater to our customers' needs and address the massive demand for this transformative technology. Our forward-thinking approach led us to pioneer and earn GSMA certification for a remarkable dual-mode networking eSIM product that supports 5G functions on a domestic chip right there in China. Together with our esteemed partners at Tongxin Micro, we are actively expanding the eSIM market, providing unwavering support for China's domestic chips to conquer global markets with supreme confidence."

John Zou, EVP of Tongxin Micro, stated, "With more than 20 years of deep cultivation and innovation, Tongxin Micro has established a complete product line in the field of mobile communications, forming a full-scale business structure covering consumer, industrial, and automotive levels. With the power of Valid, this flexible, easy-to-solution helps OEMs to explore a greater development space in the field of consumer electronics and promotes the common development and interconnection of global eSIM technology." The eSIM one-stop solution will be showcased at Trustech 2023, held from November 28th to November 30th, at Paris Expo-Porte de Versailles, on Tongxin Micro's stand 5.2 C091. About Tongxin Micro We are the principal enterprise of automotive electronics and smart chip in the Tsinghua Group, which provide products and services to more than 20 countries and regions in Asia, Europe, America, and Africa. We have accumulated industry-leading chip R&D technology and wafer testing capabilities and won the First Prize of National Science and Technology Progress Award, CC EAL6+, GSMA SAS-UP, AEC-Q100 Grade1, ISO 26262 ASIL-D and other awards and certifications. We have nearly 300 authorized patents and have developed to an industry-leading semiconductor solution provider. Learn more at www.tsinghuaic.com/. About Valid Valid (B: VLID3  ON) provides tailored solutions that integrate emerging technologies to enable secure, trusted experiences. From Data, Payments, Identity, Mobile to IoT, and Digital Certification, Valid offers a wide portfolio of services and solutions that accelerate the digital transformation of our clients' business. With over 65 years of experience and more than 3,000 employees in 16 countries, Valid is the largest issuer of identification documents in Brazil, among the top 5 producers of SIM cards and the world's largest manufacturers of banking cards. To learn more, visit www.valid.com. Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2086610/4056412/Valid_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tongxin-micro-receives-gsma-certification-and-partners-with-valid-to-boost-esim-global-deployment-301996497.html SOURCE Valid

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[November 23, 2023] 'HUAWEI eKit' in Bangladesh for Better distribution of ICT Products Tweet

DHAKA, Bangladesh, Nov. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Huawei has launched 'HUAWEI eKit,' a robust sub-brand that provides an easy supply chain and distribution system for ICT products through local distributors in Bangladesh. The launching ceremony was held on November 20, 2023, at Huawei Bangladesh Academy. Excel Technologies LTD and Inflow Technologies Singapore Pte Ltd will work with HUAWEI eKit in the distribution process. HUAWEI eKit, Excel, and Inflow Jointly organized the launching ceremony. The event was attended by Ms. Kousalya Narayan, Vice President of South Asia Channels Management, Inflow Technologies Singapore Pte Ltd, Mr. Goutam Saha, Managing Director, Excel Technologies, Mr. Allen Liu, Vice President of Huawei South Asia and MD, Huawei South Asia Enterprise Business Group. Other high officials from Huawei, Excel, and Inflow were also present at the event. HUAWEI eKit, a sub-brand dedicated to SME customers andpartners. Policies, products, solutions, services, and digital tool platforms are integrated on HUAWEI eKit to build end-to-end enterprise digital solutions. In the SME market, HUAWEI eKit intends to grows together with partners and helps thousands of enterprises go digital with its intelligent products and solutions.



Ms. Kousalya Naraya, Vice President, South Asia Channels Management, Inflow Technologies Singapore Pte Ltd, said, "HUAWEI eKit launch has immense strategic significance as it will empower distributors and retailers. Together with HUAWEI eKit, we believe in collaborative growth. HUAWEI eKit aligns with Inflow Technologies' commitment to driving technological advancements and business success in the region." Mr. Goutam Saha, Managing Director of Excel Technologies Limited, said, "I am delighted to begin our partnership with HUAWEI eKit. This sub-brand aligns with our commitment to delivering cutting-edge ICT solutions. It promises to redefine the landscape of technology distribution in our country. Launching the HUAWEI eKit in the Bangladesh market provides a unique opportunity for us."

Mr. Allen Liu, Vice President of Huawei South Asia and MD of Huawei South Asia Enterprise Business Group, said, "Huawei is introducing a sub-brand known as ' HUAWEI eKit'. It will bring innovative ICT products through our distribution partners in the retail sector. This sub-brand is ideal for ensuring retail business growth for the retailers. Partners and Consumers will also benefit from this platform as the HUAWEI eKit products will be available in our distributors' inventory. This sub- brand will help make significant contributions to realizing Smart Bangladesh. In the HUAWEI eKit distribution landscape, Excel Technologies will be responsible for product promotion, market availability, and after-sales services. Simultaneously, Inflow is responsible for bringing these products to Bangladesh, taking orders from local distributors and retailers, and acquiring the product from HUAWEI eKit. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/huawei-ekit-in-bangladesh-for-better-distribution-of-ict-products-301996615.html SOURCE Huawei

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[November 23, 2023] Bank of Baroda inaugurates 6th edition of 'Baroda Kisan Pakhwada' - an annual outreach programme for Indian farmers Tweet

Through Baroda Kisan Pakhwada, the Bank engages with farmers and creates awareness of various agri initiatives taken by the Bank as well as agri products & schemes offered The Bank aims to reach out to 4 lakh farmers during the Baroda Kisan Pakhwada programme MUMBAI, India, Nov. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Bank of Baroda (Bank), one of India's leading public sector banks, announced the launch of the 6th edition of Baroda Kisan Pakhwada, the Bank's annual, fortnight long engagement programme focused on the Indian agrarian economy. The farmer engagement programme commenced on November 16, 2023, and will conclude on November 30, 2023, with the Baroda Kisan Diwas celebrations. During the two-week long agri festival, the Bank's semi-urban, rural and select metro and urban branches across the country will actively participate. The Bank is targeting to reach 4 lakh farmers during the course of the Baroda Kisan Pakhwada through a number of outreach events. During the fortnight, the Bank will reach out to farmers and create awareness about various initiatives such as the Kisan Credit Card drive in the name of "Ghar-Ghar KCC Abhiyaan" as well as create awareness on agri products, schemes/offers and delivery channels offered by Bank of Baroda for the benefit of the farming community. The event will also help to promote various Atmanirbhar Bharat schemes introduced by the Government of India such as the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF), Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF), Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), PM Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises Scheme (PM-FME), etc. The Bank will organise farmer meetings, choupals, kisan melas and health camps (for the soil, animals and farmers) during the fortniht and will also use this occasion to promote awareness on financial literacy and cyber frauds to participants.



Speaking on the occasion, Shri Debadatta Chand, Managing Director & CEO, Bank of Baroda said, "The Baroda Kisan Pakhwada is a one-of-its-kind farmer engagement and outreach programme in the Indian banking industry. Through this programme, our aim is to acknowledge and appreciate the contribution of the agriculture sector to the Indian economy and help them grow by offering them a range of agri-specific lending products as well as other banking products & services. Bank of Baroda has a rich legacy of serving its agri customers and the Baroda Kisan Pakhwada is one such initiative aimed at strengthening this bond." During the Baroda Kisan Pakhwada held in 2022, a total of 20,152 outreach programmes like Farmer Meetings, Choupals, Kisan Melas, Health Camps (Soil, Animal, Farmer) etc were organised and the Bank connected with 3,87,179 farmers during this period.

Bank of Baroda's lending to the agriculture sector stands at Rs 1,30,694 crore as on September 30, 2023, recording a 13.7% year-on-year growth. To apply for an agri loan from Bank of Baroda, customers can visit  https://bit.ly/AGRILoans About Bank of Baroda Founded on 20th July, 1908 by Sir Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III, Bank of Baroda is one of the leading commercial banks in India. At 63.97% stake, it is majorly owned by the Government of India. The Bank serves its global customer base of ~165 million through over 70,000 touch points spread across 17 countries in five continents and through its various digital banking platforms, which provide all banking products and services in a seamless and hassle-free manner. The Bank's vision matches the aspirations of its diverse clientele base and seeks to instil a sense of trust and security in all their dealings with the Bank. Visit us at www.bankofbaroda.in

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/bankofbaroda/

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LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/bankofbaroda/ For media queries, please contact: Bank of Baroda: Phiroza Choksi

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[November 23, 2023] Financial Platform Vault Enables Canadian Businesses to Automate Accounts Payable with Release of New Transfer Approvals Feature Tweet

Vault, the leading digital financial platform for Canadian Businesses, released their Transfer Approval feature designed to help business owners save time and empower their teams. This addition provides owners complete flexibility in managing their Accounts Payables (AP) process, with enhanced control and visibility into payments. Vault's Transfer Approval feature addresses the challenge of managing bank transfers within a growing, multi-user organization by offering owners the ability to set explicit limits on the funds their employees are authorized to transfer. Using Transfer Approvals, admins can review and approve or reject transfers before they are processed, effectively aligning spend to company policies. Vault aims to facilitate better business banking by enabling expense policy compliance and strategic business planning: Expense Policy Compliance



Transfer Approval rules enable a culture f trust and empowerment by granting employees autonomy within predetermined limits. Every transfer above the threshold is reviewed, preventing unauthorized transactions in violation of company spend policies.





Strategic Business Planning



Owners proactively manage expenses by aligning transfer limits to department or project budgets, ensuring accurate business planning and resource allocation. Customized multi-level approvals offer flexibility to create workflows that accommodate unique business processes. Within just 9 months of launch, Vault is supporting over 1,500 Canadian businesses. This release is the latest in a series of ongoing updates intended to provide essential financial tools and features that support the daily operations of Canadian businesses.

"Our customers' success is our top priority, and Transfer Approvals is another feature created with the aim of giving our users all the tools and functionality to seamlessly manage their business, all in one place," said Ahmed Shafik, Co-founder at Vault. "Customer feedback drives our growth as we prioritize shaping our decisions based on their input and place their business needs at the forefront of product development." For more information on Vault or the Transfer Approvals feature, visit tryvault.com. About Vault: Vault is transforming the financial landscape for Canadian businesses by providing them with a digital banking platform to manage their finances and save on high banking fees. By offering a range of financial products and services, including multi-currency accounts, global bank transfers and high-yield investment options such as GICs, Vault enables business owners to manage their operations across borders more effectively. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231123598507/en/

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[November 23, 2023] Lin-gang Exhibition Area becomes catalyst of international cooperation at CIIE Tweet

SHANGHAI, Nov. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Sixth China International Import Expo (CIIE) ended on November 10 in Shanghai after six busy and fruitful days. For the first time, the Lin-gang area has taken up a new role as the exhibitor recruitment partner of the Intelligent Industry & Information Technology Hall (Hall 3) of China's largest annual import trade fair. The 2,700 square meter Lin-gang Exhibition Area was jointly organized by the administrative committee of Lin-gang Special Area of China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone ("Lin-gang Special Area") and Shanghai Lingang Economic Development (Group) Co., Ltd. ("Lingang Group"). Nearly 100 foreign companies, most of whom operate in parks operated by Lingang Group, showcased new technologies, new business formats and new business models. The Lin-gang Exhibition Area is the first comprehensive exhibition area for enterprises to participate in the CIIE through industrial clusters. It received 1,078 visiting delegations and held more than 100 events. More than 6,000 people held various types of commercial and investment discussions in this area. By November 10, over 100 deals were reached here. Yuan Guohua, the Chairman of Lingang Group, said: "We believe in opening-up and innovation. We have set up platforms for companies to thrive." New joiners expand Lingang's industrial ecosystem

On the opening day of November 5, many exhibitors of the area signed strategic cooperation agreements with the Lingang Group, including Energy Singularity, Schneider Electric, TENWAYS and Newsight Imaging, covering fusion power, worldwide energy efficiency management and automation, e-bike, image sensors and many other industries. The Lin-gang Special Area has attracted companies from various industry chains thanks to its good business environment, complete industry ecosystem and full lifecycle services for its investors. On November 6, the world-leading heating and air-conditioning solution provider Johnson Controls - Hitachi Air Conditioning signed the agreement to invest in Lingang Fengxian Park, and is considering setting up its regional headquarters here. Its arrival will further expand the green low-carbon energy saving industry cluster of Lin-gang Special Area and build a next generation green technology industry park. "In the next five years, China's heating and air-conditioning market will reach a trillion-yuan size. Johnson Controls - Hitachi Air Conditioning is committed to increase our investment in Chinato provide better products, solutions and services to our clients," said Guan Yu, Vice President and General Manager of China, Johnson Controls - Hitachi Air Conditioning.



Also during the exhibition, many exhibitors have signed agreements to attend the seventh CIIE, including Lenze, Sebia, Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Group, Voith and Cummings. New stage creates new growth opportunities

As a veteran of China's mechanical engineering automation industry, German company Lenze joined the CIIE for the first time through the Lin-gang Exhibition Area. Upon its debut, the company received orders worth of 20 million yuan and was approached by many partners for strategic cooperation.

"A confident China has kept its opening-up policy, which is a big boost of confidence for foreign companies to invest more in the country. During this CIIE, we have received many inquiries of upgrading projects from lower tier Chinese cities. This is all thanks to the outstanding display stage provided by the Lin-gang Exhibition Area," said Xie Weidong, President, East Asia, Lenze. AXA Tianping P&C Insurance Co., Ltd., another first-timer of CIIE through Lin-gang Exhibition Area, signed the first deal of the international facultative inward business of China's international board of reinsurance market. This is a significant step in the two-way opening-up journey of China's reinsurance industry. Sustainable development is another hot topic of the CIIE. Lingang Group, U.S.-China Cleantech Center (UCCTC) and Shanghai Foreign Investment Development Board jointly organized the Shanghai North American Clean Technology and Carbon Neutrality Cooperation Summit. On the sideline of the event, 16 leading American companies held business meetings with 67 Chinese companies of this industry train. They have reached more than 30 cooperation intentions. Lingang Group signed a cooperation agreement with UCCTC to open a new chapter of China-US collaboration on the research and development of clean technologies. International cooperation enhance Lin-gang service capabilities

As a park service provider, Lingang Group has always regarded high-quality service as its core competence. It has set up a holistic system to support technological, digital, green, service, financial and overseas innovations, which will cover all aspects and elements of a company's lifecycle. During this CIIE, Lingang Group has joined hands with its sister park - Hong Kong Cyberport - to launch the Shanghai Lingang Group - Hong Kong Cyberport Industry Acceleration Program. It will be a platform to accelerate the growth of companies from both parties' parks through start-up incubation, technology exchange, international cooperation and talent introduction. Lingang Group has also set up a joint taskforce with Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Bank of Communications and Kasikornbank to explore innovative cross-border financial services. Together with HSBC, Lingang Group hosted the Roundtable on Growth Opportunities in Supply Chain Finance Innovation to find new application scenarios for supply chain financial services. The newly opened Shanghai-Kunming Lancang-Mekong Express Freight Train Route connects Lin-gang's Luchaogang Station with Lao's capital Vientiane, where it is also connected with Thailand's railway network. It has created new opportunities for more international cooperation. During the CIIE, the ASEAN International Supply Chain Service Forum was held at Lin-gang Exhibition Area. More than 100 guests from Chinese and foreign companies and organizations, such as Thai and Vietnam chambers of commerce in China, attended to discuss how to leverage opportunities brought by this new transportation channel. Sakarn Saensopa, Commercial Consul of the Royal Thai Consulate General in Shanghai, said: "China/Kunming - Laos/Vientiane Railway is a bridge of international cooperation. We are accelerating the construction of a new railway to connect our Laem Chabang Port with the China-Laos Railway. It will help create a new railway transport channel to stimulate closer economic collaboration between China and Thailand." Image Attachments Links:

Link: https://iop.asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=443422

Caption: Scene of the signing ceremony Link: https://iop.asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=443427

Caption: The signing ceremony between Lingang Group and UCCTC View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lin-gang-exhibition-area-becomes-catalyst-of-international-cooperation-at-ciie-301996688.html SOURCE Shanghai Lingang Economic Development Group

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[November 23, 2023] VoPay Successfully Completes SOC2 Type 2 Audit, Reinforcing Unwavering Trust and Reliability in the Payment Industry Tweet

VoPay, a leading provider of embedded payment technology, is proud to announce the successful completion of its Service Organization Control (SOC) 2 Type 2 audit for the period from February 1, 2023, to September 30, 2023. This achievement underscores VoPay's unwavering commitment to maintaining the highest standards of information security and operational excellence. VoPay passed the SOC2 Type 1 audit and received its report earlier this year, and now has completed the SOC2 Type 2 audit on the trust services criteria relevant to security and availability. Type 1 is a snapshot of the service provider's security controls at a specific point in time, while Type 2 provides a more in-depth assessment of the service provider's security controls and their effectiveness over a period of time. A SOC 2 Type 2 report instills confidence that a company's information security systems and controls have operated effectively and efficiently. This covers all aspects of its operations, including infrastructure monitoring, data security, employee onboarding, risk assessment, and the management of security deficiencies. The successful audit of VoPay's systems, which involved a comprehensive evaluation of more than 100 controls within Drata, highlights the company's excellence in maintaining robust security measures. VoPay passed all assessments and provided a solid testament to its secure and reliable service offerings. This accomplishment is particularly sinificant in the current climate, where data security is paramount. According to IBM's 2023 Cost of a Data Breach Report, the average cost of data breaches in 2023 reached a record high of $4.45 million. The report also notes that although there was a decrease in the total cost of data breaches in Canada, the figures remain substantial, underscoring the critical importance of robust data security measures.



"We at VoPay deeply understand the critical role of trust and reliability in the payment industry," said Hamed Arbarbi, VoPay CEO. "Achieving this level of compliance is crucial, not merely as a symbol of excellence but as an essential gateway for any business seeking partnerships with financial institutions and key players in the industry. This accomplishment is a clear indication of VoPay's steadfast commitment to implementing controlled, consistent processes, with client security always at the forefront of our priorities." VoPay's SOC 2 Type 2 compliance achievement is more than just a regulatory milestone; it is a declaration of the company's dedication to upholding the highest information security standards. This accomplishment positions VoPay as a trusted partner in the financial services industry, ready to meet the evolving challenges of data security and privacy in the digital age.

For more information about VoPay and its commitment to data security, please visit https://vopay.com/. About VoPay At the core of VoPay's offering is a multi-tenancy architecture, seamlessly integrated with a comprehensive payment engine and financial services solutions, epitomizing the concept of Fintech-as-a-Service. For software enterprises seeking to accelerate growth, expedite time to market, reduce operational costs, and enhance efficiency within their core platform, VoPay provides an embedded payment solution. Tailor and integrate any workflow or intricate money movement operations to deliver the ultimate experience for your users, while maintaining full control of the customer journey from start to finish. Learn more or book a consultation with our Fintech Specialists at vopay.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231122133928/en/

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 23. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) includes states at different stages of socio-economic development, said Minister of Labour and Social Protection of Population of Azerbaijan Sahil Babayev during a joint press conference with OIC Deputy Secretary-General Ahmad Sengendo, Trend reports.

Sahil Babayev noted that there is a great potential for cooperation between the OIC member states.

"Azerbaijan's successful experience was presented during the conference. We will share it with friendly and partner Islamic countries within the framework of bilateral relations and the Labor Center. A resolution of the ministerial conference was also adopted. Various issues were noted in this resolution. We will seek joint solutions to these issues," the minister said.

Baku hosted the ministerial session of the V Conference of Labor Ministers of the member countries of the OIC.

An address by President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev to the participants of the V Conference of Labor Ministers of OIC member states was presented at the event.

The session also heard a speech by Deputy Minister of Human Resources and Social Development of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Adnan Abdullah Al-Nuaim (Chairman of the IV Conference of OIC Labor Ministers).

The Chairperson of the Fifth OIC Conference of Ministers of Labor and the composition of the Bureau were then elected.

Stay up to date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
[November 23, 2023] USBT Breaks New Ground in Blockchain Technology for Enhanced Business Solutions Tweet

Panama City, Panama, Nov. 23, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- USBT proudly announces its foray into the dynamic realm of blockchain technology, marking a pivotal moment in the landscape of digital solutions tailored to fortify and streamline contemporary business operations. At the core of USBT's mission is an unwavering commitment to innovation, particularly in the seamless integration of blockchain technology that serves as a robust bridge to a future where business processes are not only more secure but also inherently more transparent and efficient.

Empowering Enterprises with Revolutionary Blockchain Integration Standing at the forefront of blockchain application, USBT presents an array of services meticulously designed to simplify the adoption of this groundbreaking technology for businesses of all sizes. From elevating cybersecurity measures to facilitating the flawless execution of autonomous smart contracts, USBT is crafting an extensive toolbox of blockchain-based solutions poised to redefine and revolutionize prevailing industry standards. Forward-Thinking Solutions for a Decentralized Future As true pioneers in this space, USBT recognizes the immense potential of blockchain beyond cryptocurrency. The company's forward-thinking approach encompasses the full spectrum of decentralized solutions, spanning everything from seamless supply chain management to foolproof digital identityverification. This strategic positioning offers USBT's clients a distinctive competitive edge in an increasingly digital world.



A New Standard in Digital Trust and Integrity Acknowledging the critical nature of trust in the digital age, USBT embeds the highest security protocols and transparent practices into every facet of its offerings. By prioritizing these essential elements, USBT not only equips its clients with the tools necessary for success but also instills the confidence needed to forge ahead in the digital landscape with unparalleled peace of mind.

Joining Forces with USBT for Blockchain Excellence USBT extends an enthusiastic invitation to forward-looking businesses, tech enthusiasts, and industry innovators to participate in harnessing the transformative capabilities of blockchain technology. With USBT as a partner , clients can unlock a new level of operational excellence, explore innovative revenue avenues, and secure their digital transactions like never before.

About USBT: USBT stands as a visionary blockchain technology firm, dedicated to delivering robust and sophisticated blockchain solutions to a global clientele. USBT's emphasis on user experience and technological excellence sets it apart as a leader in the field, ready to guide businesses through the intricacies of blockchain adoption. To discover more about USBT's innovative solutions , please contact our media team or visit our website. To discover more about USBT's innovative solutions, please contact our media team or visit our website. https://usbtofficial.com/

Disclaimer: The information provided in this press release is not a solicitation for investment, or intended as investment advice, financial advice, or trading advice. It is strongly recommended that you practice due diligence (including consultation with a professional financial advisor) before investing in or trading securities and cryptocurrency.



Kai Lim USBT hq-at-usbtofficial.com

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[November 23, 2023] IIM Udaipur Launches EMBA Program Offering Flexibility through Multiple-entry and Stage-wise Completion Tweet

UDAIPUR, India, Nov. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Indian Institute of Management Udaipur (IIMU) launches its Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) program, designed exclusively for ambitious professionals seeking uninterrupted career growth. Commencing on May 18, 2024, this two-year online program combines flexibility with academic excellence, featuring two one-week on-campus modules to foster networking and interaction. Managed and delivered directly by IIMU, the EMBA program employs a high-touch approach with live sessions, interactive learning experiences, and exclusive C-suite interactions, providing participants with valuable insights from industry leaders. This program will provide an ideation platform to encourage participants to discuss business ideas leading to possible new business ventures that would get support from the IIM Udaipur Incubation Centre. The curriculum is a comprehensive 1250 contact hour program covering Business Foundations, Functional Foundations, and Managerial Toolkit, complemented by diverse electives. This is the first IIM EMBA Program to offer flexibility through multiple entry and stage-wise completion. Participants benefit from credit-based waivers, acknowledging their prior academic achievements. Upon completing the program, participants will receive a Master of Business Administration by IIM Udaipur. They will also be given the status of Alumni of IIM Udaipur. Extending a welcome to potential professionals seeking a reputed degree with flexible options, Prof. Tushar Agrawal, Chairperson - EMBA Program, said, "Many professional yearn for an opportunity to enhance their skill set, elevate their careers, and contribute meaningfully to their organisations without disrupting their current roles. The EMBA Program at IIM Udaipur is designed exclusively for modern-day working professionals seeking to elevate their careers without putting their current commitments on hold. Our program prioritises your needs and aspirations, offering unparalleled flexibility in learning formats and schedules. The Executive Master of Business Administration program at IIM Udaipur is not just about earning a degree; it's about empowering professionals with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to lead and excel in the dynamic business world."



The admission cycle started on November 15, 2023. Embark on unparalleled learning and career growth with IIM Udaipur's EMBA program. For more information, visit the IIMU EMBA Program website or contact the Admissions Office at 7230001227 (9:00 AM - 5:30 PM) or [email protected].

About IIM Udaipur: IIM Udaipur is well on its way to becoming a globally recognised B-School. It has broken new ground by focusing on world-class research and transforming students into tomorrow's managers and leaders. The Institute arrived on the global education stage by securing accreditation from the AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) in merely eight years of its establishment. With this accreditation, IIM Udaipur is counted in the same league of global institutes, such as Harvard Business School, Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and the MIT Sloan School. IIM Udaipur is ranked 16th by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) Rankings 2023 of the HRD Ministry. IIM Udaipur is the only IIM in the Top 100 of the prestigious FT Masters In Management World Rankings consecutively for 5 Years since 2019. Ranked #5 amongst IIMs in the list of 2023. Indian Institute of Management Udaipur featured in the prestigious Masters in Management (MIM) QS World University Rankings 2024 for the fifth consecutive year. IIMU is also currently ranked 4th in India, after ISB, IIM Ahmedabad and IIM Bangalore, for research in management according to the methodology used by UT Dallas, which tracks publications in the leading global journals. Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2284346/IIM_New_Campus.jpg

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Roundup report following early morning gunfire . . . Here are the basics:



Officers found a woman outside who had been shot. and she pointed police to a home with bullet holes before an ambulance took her to a hospital.



Inside the home, police found a man who had been shot. He died on the way to the hospital.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Woman injured, man killed in overnight homicide near 70th, Benton in KCMO Kansas City, Missouri, police say two people were shot near East 70th Street and South Benton Avenue at about 11:30 p.m.

Double shooting leaves one man dead, woman injured in Kansas City Kansas City Police got a report of a shooting at East 70th and South Benton Avenue near 71 Highway and Gregory at around 11:30 Tuesday night.

Developing . . .
We blogged this concern earlier this week and now lesser news outlets are share social media chatter.

Here's the word and a very legit concern . . .



Jackson County 1st District Legislator Manny Abarca IV says he worries that Kansas City may have missed its shot to secure the stadium.



Abarca, who chairs the countys Stadium Improvements Committee, told KCURs Up To Date that the Royals  and Chiefs  were both made offers to move to neighboring Kansas.



We have heard from direct sources that there are serious considerations for a move to the Kansas side, he said.



Abarca explained the future locations of the two teams are being negotiated in tandem, and Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said on X he's concerned Jackson County will lose the Chiefs over this.





Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .
For late night & early morning readers we take a moment to chronicle a great many reports of metro violence that seems to be ramping up at the outset of the holiday season.

Reminder . . .

TYPICALLY, RECORD BREAKING KANSAS CITY VIOLENCE WORSENS UNTIL BAD WEATHER KEEPS PEOPLE INDOORS!!!

And even then . . . Winter-bound locals are confronted with worsening domestic violence dilemmas.



Accordingly . . .

We hope this info will inform readers and help us all make better decisions as we check crime reporting, court case updates & stories of survival.

Check TKC news gathering . . .

KC mother shares how she celebrates late son over holidays This year, more families will have an empty seat at the Thanksgiving table due to violence. Rosilyn Temple shared how she gets through the holidays after losing her son.

Suspect in custody after Overland Park shooting involving juveniles A shooting involving two juveniles left one in custody and another injured Wednesday afternoon.

Family of Shawnee teen who died from fentanyl poisoning attends court hearing for suspect Friends of Cooper Davis and his girlfriend testified about the moments leading up to Cooper's death.

Police arrest suspect in shooting at Platte City Wendy's parking lot Platte City, Missouri, police have identified and arrested a 22-year-old suspect in a deadly shooting at a local Wendy's parking lot.

Convicted felon charged in car chase where he allegedly shot at Leawood police officer A man in a stolen car shot at a Leawood police detective and led KCMO police on a high-speed chase Monday afternoon before surrendering.

Judge denies bond reduction request for suspect accused in Independence Center mall shooting The shooting on Nov. 10 left one dead and three others injured.

Clay County Sheriff's Office warns residents about scam phone calls A victim was scammed out of over $1,000 according to a Clay County Sheriff's Office Facebook post.

Hospital officials don't believe patients involved in charges against pediatric neurologist As many as 20,000 images recovered from devices belonging to a local pediatric neurologist charged with attempted production of child pornography do not - at this point - appear to involve patients

Overland Park police search for suspect who shot at woman's vehicle after hitting it Overland Park police are searching for a suspect who shot at a woman's vehicle after rear-ending it on a highway.

Jayden Robker said he was being abused multiple times, state marked him as 'safe,' reports say The KSHB 41 I-Team's Sarah Plake obtained social services reports that shed light on what 13-year-old Jayden Robker's life was like before his body was found in a pond in March.

Former senior leaders at IHOPKC ministry stand by allegations against founder Mike Bickle Bickle is on leave from ministry during investigation into sexual misconduct allegations

Independence police looking for driver who may have 'pertinent information' about a fatal pedestrian crash The driver of the vehicle that struck the pedestrian remained at the scene

Stranger applies tourniquet to Rally House employee shot in the leg It's not often that you see everyday people running towards an area that was just hit with gunfire, but that's not the case with Billy White.

Family still looking for answers in loved one's 2016 Kansas City murder Corey Lee Walls, 35, was robbed before he was shot and killed in Kansas City's northeast side on November 22, 2016. The case has been cold ever since.

Developing . . .
Reality check provided by our more politically astute friends . . .

KANSAS CITY PROGRESSIVES GATHER TO PRAY FOR GAZA & MAYBE ANY OTHER 2024 CANDIDATE BUT PREZ BIDEN!!!



Here's the cover story . . .



Thursdays vigil will call on the congressional delegation from Missouri and Kansas to join the call for ceasefire, specifically asking them to co-sponsor HR 786. Cleaver has called for ceasefire, and House. Rep. Sharice Davids has yet to call for ceasefire.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link to hipsters taking transcription . . .

Interfaith vigil calling for Gaza ceasefire set for Thursday afternoon at Mill Creek Park AlHadaf KC sit-in at Cleaver's offices. Thursday, November 23 at 4 p.m., a coalition of interfaith groups, local leaders, and activist organizers will hold a vigil calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. The event will take place on the Southwest corner of Mill Creek Park at the intersection of Emanuel Cleaver II Boulevard and Mill Creek Parkway.

Developing . . .
A holiday season trend . . .



RALLY HOUSE CONFRONTS REPEATED GUNFIRE AS HOLIDAY SEASON VIOLENCE RAMPS UP!!!



Even worse . . .

CRIMINALS WITH GUNS THREATEN TO RUIN KANSAS CITY CHRISTMAS SHOPPING!!!

At the outset of a U.S. economic downturn . . . Local violence impacting workers & shoppers risks even more damage to cowtown finances.



Check the police report . . .

Shooting 8700 N Boardwalk



This afternoon around 12:30 PM, officers were dispatched to 8700 N. Boardwalk Ave. on a reported shooting. When officers arrived they located one victim suffering from non-life threatening gunshot wounds.



Preliminarily, it is believed the shooting occurred over a shoplifting.



Additional responding officers located a vehicle and subjects of interest near 152 Hwy and Indiana Ave. They were taken into custody for further investigation.

############



This detail stands out as Super Bowl team merch seems to be tempting the local criminal class . . .

In September, an employee was shot at Rally House on the Country Club Plaza. The employee suffered non-life-threatening injuries.



Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

KCPD: Northland Rally House employee shot at store A Northland Rally House employee was shot while working Wednesday, according to the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department.
Recent stories of near tragedy spark a question . . .

GIVEN HORRIFIC TRAGEDY AVOIDED MY MERE SECONDS . . . IS AVOIDING THE MALL NOW THE SAFEST OPTION?!?

Check the deets and determine the death of retail . . .

During the struggle, Gonzalez-Munoz allegedly removed the duty weapon from the holster of one of the officers and the trio started to wrestle for control of the weapon. As the struggle continued, Gonzalez-Munoz was allegedly able to fire one shot.



Detectives later located the round in the leg of a chair in the food court. A review of surveillance video revealed a girl between the ages of 5 and 7 was sitting in the chair less than 10 seconds before it was struck by the bullet.



The officer was eventually able to recover his firearm, but not until Gonzalez-Munoz was able to escape the officers. They eventually caught him in the entryway of the malls food court and again struggled to bring the suspect into custody.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Police: Gunshot fired at Oak Park Mall narrowly missed striking young girl A Johnson County District Court judge released new information Wednesday in connection to the shot fired incident earlier this month at Oak Park Mall.

'Only 9 seconds prior': Affidavit in shot fired inside Oak Park Mall shows bullet fired in a busy food court No injuries were reported.

Developing . . .
A few years ago we found this classic item on sale for a few bucks at a used book shop.

Years before the Internets . . . We studied nearly every page of this tribute book that seemed like an EPIC story from American mythology.



Later . . . The Internets told us that either the mob, the military industrial complex . . . Or maybe Lady Bird was responsible for the assassination.

We can debate it until infinity passes . . .

For tonight . . . These words from JFK on the campaign trail seem to resonate . . .



Remarks of Senator John F. Kennedy, Auditorium, Kansas City, Missouri . . .



"Our prestige abroad is not what we say it is, but what it is. It is not the esteem of good men for good words; it is the esteem of good men for good action. What we are here at home speaks far louder than what we say. The kind of society that we build here, the fairness with which we treat our people, their equal opportunity for development of their talents, the kind of jobs they hold and wages they earn, the kind of houses in which they live, the kind of education which they get, the kind of security which they achieve in their older age, these are the things that build a strong and vital society."

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . .

Photos: The assassination of President Kennedy | CNN Politics Sixty years ago, on November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. The tragic event jarred the nation and fueled a multitude of conspiracy theories.

60 years after JFK's assassination, the agent who tried to save him opens up One image, taken seconds after President Kennedy was shot, captured the attention of news outlets all over the country. The agent in the center of the image is still coming to terms with that moment.

Opinion | The true legacy of JFK's assassination conspiracy theories The only thing scarier than the possibility that everything is part of a vast conspiracy is the nagging fear that everything is random.

Finally, we share a favorite bit of late night movie watching via the fantasies of Oliver Stone . . .

Developing . . .


Salem witchcraft, a chapter in history that is often shrouded in mystery and speculation, holds a significant place in the cultural and historical landscape of the United States.

Salem, a small town in Massachusetts, became the epicenter of a series of events in 1692 that would forever mark its name in history. The term "Salem witchcraft" refers not just to the accusations and trials of supposed witchcraft but also to the broader context of fear, superstition, and the struggle for power and justice in a young, evolving society.

The Dark Era: Key Events of Salem Witchcraft

This event reveals a period in history that is both fascinating and tragic. Salem witchcraft, a term deeply rooted in American history, refers to events in the late 17th century in Salem, Massachusetts.

Salem, 1692 - The town was overwhelmed by fear and suspicion. Everything started in early 1692 in Salem Village, now Danvers, Massachusetts. According to Smithsonian Magazine, twenty people were put to death for performing witchcraft, which is also known as "the devil's magic."

Read Also: The Importance of Learning Jewish History: Unearthing a Rich Cultural Tapestry

As the trials went on, more people were accused. Over 200 individuals were accused of practicing Salem witchcraft, with 30 found guilty. Sadly, 19 were executed by hanging, and one man, Giles Corey, was crushed to death for not pleading. These events reflected the fears and anxieties of a society in turmoil.

Salem was a place with strict religious beliefs and social tensions. The fear of the unknown, conflicts between families, and the pressures of a small, isolated community all contributed to the witch trials. It was a time when people blurred the line between natural and supernatural, and the fear of the devil was a real concern.

The Salem witch trials ended in May 1693 when the governor of Massachusetts pardoned those still accused. The trials left a lasting mark on Salem and the American legal system, highlighting the dangers of mass hysteria and the need for fair legal processes.

Salem Today: Remnants and Memorials

As you explore Salem, the impact of its history, especially the Salem witch trials, is evident. This city, once known for its tragic witchcraft trials, has transformed into a place that honors its past. Various sites and memorials are dedicated to remembering Salem witchcraft and educating visitors.

Salem Witch Trials Memorial

This quiet place honors the victims of the 1692 witch hunts. Each stone slab has the name of an accused person, their method of execution, and the date they died. Salem Witch Trials Memorial is a spot for thinking about the past and the importance of being fair and understanding.

Peabody Essex Museum

You can also visit Peabody Essex Museum for a deeper look into Salem's history. The museum has a collection of items and documents from the 17th century. These pieces help you understand the lives of people during the trials. The museum's displays tell the story of a time filled with fear and unfairness.

The Witch House

The former home of Judge Jonathan Corwin, a key figure in the trials. Now a museum, it shows how people lived in Salem during the 17th century. It helps you see how ordinary places were part of the trials' tragic events.

Salem also has shops and tours themed around witchcraft. These places mix history with modern-day interest. They provide a fun way to learn about Salem's past and are suitable for all ages.

Salem has learned from its history. The places remembering Salem witchcraft are not just for tourists; they symbolize the city's journey from fear to education and memory. When you leave Salem, you take with you lessons from history and reminders of how people can make mistakes but also learn and grow. Salem's change shows the importance of remembering history for the future.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 23. The Charter of the Labor Center of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has been signed by 16 member countries, said Minister of Labour and Social Protection of Population of Azerbaijan Sahil Babayev during a joint press conference with OIC Deputy Secretary-General Ahmad Sengendo, Trend reports.

According to Sahil Babayev, 10 more countries have expressed their intention to sign the Charter of the Labor Center.

"The chairmanship of the General Assembly of the OIC Labor Center was entrusted to the Republic of Azerbaijan, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia became its deputy," the minister said.

Today, Baku hosted the ministerial session of the V Conference of Labor Ministers of the member countries of the OIC.

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India has restarted e-visa services for Canadian tourists after a nearly two-month suspension, following a diplomatic dispute involving allegations by Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

E-Visas for Canadian Tourists to India Resume

India has started issuing e-visas for Canadian tourists and business people again. This decision comes two months after these services were stopped. The suspension was in response to Canada's claim that the Indian government might have been involved in the murder of a Canadian Sikh separatist leader.

According to Reuters, an Indian government official, who chose to stay anonymous, confirmed the resumption of e-visas for Canadian tourists. However, this official did not comment on whether this move will significantly warm up the relationship with Canada.

Currently, India is only offering e-visas to Canadian nationals for tourism and business purposes. This development follows India's decision last month to restart issuing visas in four of the 13 categories that were halted in September.

Relations between India and Canada worsened after Canada's Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, reported in parliament about possible links between Indian government agents and the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Nijjar, 45, was killed in a suburb of Vancouver. He supported the long-standing but now marginal cause for an independent Sikh state called Khalistan.

Read Also: Why Is Mount Fuji So Famous in Japan? Exploring Its Cultural and Natural Significance

India-Canada Tensions

This diplomatic tension has brought attention to the issue of e-visas for Canadian tourists, showing how international relations and travel policies are closely linked. As India and Canada go through this tough time, the status of visa policies, especially e-visas for Canadian tourists, is being closely watched.

The halt in several visa categories, including e-visas for Canadian tourists, came at a notable time. The Hindustan Times reported that it happened just before Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau joined the G20 Leaders' Summit virtually. This event was important because it was the first time Trudeau would meet, even if only online, with Indian Prime Minister Modi after the relationship between India and Canada became strained.

The tension increased after Canada's recent accusations against India. On November 12, Trudeau repeated his claims of India's involvement in Nijjar's death and accused India of wrongly expelling many Canadian diplomats. India's response to these claims came from External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

Speaking at an event in London, he denied any Indian involvement in the incident and said Canada had not provided any evidence to support their claims. Jaishankar also talked about his discussions with Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly, saying India is open to an investigation if Canada can show evidence. So far, Canada has not provided such evidence.

This situation has made the issue of e-visas for Canadian tourists a key topic. The way these two nations handle their relationship will be important in deciding the future of such visa policies.

India has revolutionized its visa system with the introduction of e-visas, simplifying entry for tourists and business visitors from over 160 countries. The new electronic visa system allows applicants to complete the entire process online - from filling out the application form to document upload and fee payment. E-visas are primarily available in multiple categories, including tourist and business visas, making India more accessible for international travelers.

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A nurse in the public health care system says she is in charge of a clinic in which she is a
During the 72nd Miss Universe competition, an error surfaced in the initial release of the Top 5 finalists by Miss Universe El Salvador organizers. In a now deleted post, there was a mixup involving the announcement of the finalists, unintentionally including the Philippines' bet Michelle Dee instead of Thailand's Anntonia Porsild.

Clarification and Apology from Organizers

Miss Universe El Salvador organizers admitted the mistake, attributing it to the rush during the live broadcast, and clarifying that Thailand was indeed part of the announced Top 5 finalists instead of Michelle Dee. Apologizing for the confusion, the organization expressed regret to both finalists for the unintended error, emphasizing that they had no special access to results and heard them at the same time with the audience.

Read More: All About Miss Universe UAE and Castings

Outcome for Dee and Miss Universe Winner

Michelle Dee concluded her run in the Top 10 of the Miss Universe competition, while Thailands bet Anntonia Porsild ended up as the 1st runner-up. Meanwhile, Miss Nicaragua Sheynnis Palacios secured the prestigious Miss Universe crown in the event.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 23. Former deputy chairman of the State Customs Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan General Igbal Babayev has been appointed chairman of the board of the Azerbaijan-Kyrgyz Development Fund, said head of the press service of the Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan Ibrahim Mammadov, Trend reports.

He noted that in this regard, Prime Minister Ali Asadov signed a decree on October 31.

Babayev held the position of deputy chairman of the State Customs Committee until the end of last year.

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Research roundup

Photo by Taryn Lopez.

Pavlof Volcano degasses in July 2017.

Aleutian volcanoes release unexpected carbon volume

Photo by Taryn Lopez.

Gas escapes from a fracture in Kanaga Volcanos summit, as viewed from the west, on Sept. 20, 2015. The volcano lies in the Aleutian Islands on the first island west of Adak.

Carbon carried deep into the Earth where continental plates collide can return to the atmosphere in unexpectedly large amounts via volcanic degassing, a UAF scientists study has concluded.

Research associate professor Taryn Lopez and a dozen other scientists looked at what happens along an arc stretching from Cook Inlet westward to the tip of the Aleutian Islands.

Volcanoes along the arc belch carbon from three sources: the sinking oceanic plate or slab, the mantle wedge overlying the descending slab and the overriding crust.

Earlier studies from elsewhere estimated that minimal amounts of organic carbon in ocean floor sediments and inorganic carbon from the subducted slab crust would return to the atmosphere.

But Lopez and her colleagues found that 43% to 61% of sediment-derived organic carbon in the slab returns to the atmosphere through volcanic degassing in the central Aleutians. About 6% to 9% of inorganic carbon from the slab crust returns to the atmosphere by degassing of western Aleutian volcanoes.

The scientists were able to deduce this by analyzing gas from 17 volcanoes for its proportion of carbon 12 and 13 isotopes, a signature that reveals the carbons source.

These results help clarify our understanding of the fate of subducted carbon and can help improve global climate models, Lopez said.

Photo by Hank Statscewich.

Tyler Hennon, a research assistant professor at the UAF College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, prepares to launch Gretel into Resurrection Bay in spring 2023.

Ocean glider data could help fisheries management

Photo by Brian Mullaly.

An autonomous underwater vehicle named Shackleton sits on the deck of the UAF research vessel Nanuq before its launch into Resurrection Bay in spring 2023.

Torpedo-like underwater gliders operated by UAF are gathering data in the Gulf of Alaska that could help managers better predict fish populations.

The battery-powered vehicles, dubbed Gretel and Shackleton, collect data that can identify conditions that trigger the spring phytoplankton bloom, an annual explosion of oceanic microscopic life. The bloom creates a feast for the ocean food web.

For the past three years, the gliders have recorded temperature, light, salinity, chlorophyll and fluorescence in the gulf. Theyve even acoustically determined densities of fish and zooplankton.

UAF professor Seth Danielson said both the timing and species composition of the phytoplankton bloom are linked to the health and size of fish populations. That could be of interest to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council.

Well be able to tell the NPFMC if the spring bloom is early or late, or strong or weak, Danielson said. As the technology improves we eventually will be able to assess and track measures of food quality for the fishes.

Satellite facility keeps expanding

Photo courtesy of UAF Geophysical Institute.

The Elvey Building houses the Alaska Satellite Facility, part of the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

UAFs Alaska Satellite Facility began a five-year, $70 million contract July 1, 2023, to continue running a NASA archive center for synthetic aperture radar data.

Synthetic aperture radar sensors on satellites broadcast in radio frequencies and record the energy reflected back from Earth. Because radio waves are longer than visible and infrared light, they arent blocked by clouds.

The recorded radar data, after being received by the Alaska Satellite Facilitys dishes, is used to produce imagery that can improve our understanding of the Earth and quicken disaster responses.

The facility, one of 12 in NASAs Earth observation data system, employs nearly 100 people, almost twice as many as five years ago. The data it handles soon will expand greatly when NASA and the Indian Space Research Organization launch a new Earth-observing satellite in early 2024.

Researcher helps exploration for graphite

Photo by George Case, U.S. Geological Survey.

The Graphite Creek deposits ore body emerges from the hillside in 2021. At far left is a Graphite One drill rig.

A UAF researcher has helped advance efforts to explore for graphite, an ingredient in the lithium-ion batteries that power modern portable electronics, electric vehicles and renewable energy storage systems.

Sean Regan, an assistant professor of geology, was part of a scientific team that revealed the metamorphic history of a high-grade graphite deposit on the Seward Peninsula. The deposit is among the largest found in the United States, which extracts no graphite of its own.

Geologists have had little understanding of the processes that lead to creation of high-grade flake graphite. That hinders discovery of such deposits.

The study provided a better picture of how the Seward Peninsula deposit was created, Regan said. Knowing that can help with exploration, he said.

Photo by Rod Boyce.

ACUASIs SeaHunter aircraft flies out of Nenanas municipal airport on May 5, 2022.

Nenana hangar will support drone cargo test flights

Photo by Rod Boyce.

ACUASI pilot Matt Westhoff guides the SeaHunter aircraft to the runway at Nenanas municipal airport on May 5, 2022, for a test flight.

Nenanas airport will be the site of a new 4,800-square-foot hangar for UAFs Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration. The hangar will serve as a base for drone cargo test flights between Fairbanks and the small city 54 miles to the southwest.

The University of Alaska Board of Regents approved $3.3 million for the hangar on Feb. 24, 2023.

ACUASI has been using the city-owned Nenana airport regularly for test flights and wants the city to become a part of an Interior drone testing hub. The airport does not have any available hangars.

The new hangar will provide year-round space for drone storage and maintenance and testing of equipment designed to increase communication among all airspace users.

HAARP helps defend against dangerous asteroids

UAF/GI photo by JR Ancheta.

The High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program facility in Gakona is covered in frost on Dec. 20, 2022, as temperatures hit 40 degrees below zero.

A powerful transmitter operated by UAF sent long-wavelength radio signals into space in late December 2022 with the purpose of bouncing them off a passing asteroid to learn about its interior.

The 500-foot asteroid, 2010 XC15, passed by Earth at twice the distance to the moon.

Results of the experiment at UAFs High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program facility at Gakona could aid efforts to defend Earth from larger, dangerous asteroids.

The U.S. has already been using radar imaging to view asteroids. The radar employs shorter wavelength signals that bounce off the surface but dont penetrate an object.

Long wavelength radio signals can reveal the interior of objects. Knowing the distribution of mass inside a dangerous asteroid could help scientists create a way to deflect it from Earth.

Small fire has big benefits

UAF photo by Leif Van Cise.

Researchers hike through the Yankovich Road Fire site on Aug. 1, 2022.

A small fire on UAFs North Campus area has big potential for research, training and education purposes.

The Yankovich Road Fire ignited in mid-July 2021 from an undetermined cause, as yet. Helicopters and airplanes dropped water, while smokejumpers and ground crews attacked the blaze. They contained the fire to 3.6 acres, stopping it about 330 feet from the closest home.

Since then, researchers have installed monitoring transects to track how the forest responds. Theyre also working on installation of interpretive signs to raise public awareness of wildfires.

People know where it is, you can park there, you dont need a permit, said Alison York, coordinator for the UAF Alaska Fire Science Consortium. It just hit all of us at the same time: This could be a really nice self-guided tour opportunity.

The site is a 10-minute walk from a public parking lot at the UAF Large Animal Research Station. The interpretive signs on the route will describe wildland fire management, ecological succession, the role of wildland fires in the ecosystem, the impacts of climate change to the boreal forest and some ways to protect homes from wildfire.

Photo by Seth Beaudreault, Toolik Field Station.

Muskoxen near Toolik Field Station browse shrub branches exposed above the snows surface on a warm day in April 2020.

Northern shrubs: frigid but not rigid

Photo by Peter Ray.

Researchers Syndonia Bret-Harte and Peter Ray designed and built the apparatus pictured above in 2006 to simulate the bending of branches under a heavy snowpack at UAFs Toolik Field Station. A branch is held in place on one end and a weight is placed on the free end. A needle attached to the free end tracks the movement of the branch as it bends under the weight and rises again once the weight is unloaded.

An accidental experiment has revealed that woody northern plants actually get more bendable when frozen.

Syndonia Bret-Harte, a professor with the UAF Institute of Arctic Biology, and Peter Ray, a professor emeritus at Stanford University, discovered the counterintuitive phenomenon. They called it cryocampsis, from the Greek roots cryo for frozen and campsis for bending.

We were doing some springtime experiments on the deck outside of a lab at Toolik Field Station, Bret-Harte said, and we just happened to have a cold night that went below freezing. Peter came back the next morning and said, Hey, thats weird. Whats going on here?

Common sense would say that freezing temperatures make branches more rigid. But the branches had bent even farther in the cold.

Over 15 years, Bret-Harte and Ray tested nearly 200 species using a cantilever apparatus that Ray built. All Arctic and most boreal plants displayed cryocampsis. Very few temperate and Mediterranean species and no tropical species did.

Bret-Harte said cryocampsis likely confers an evolutionary advantage. If youre down below the snow surface in the winter, youre not exposed to the abrasive snow crystals blown by the wind above the snow surface. Youre not exposed to herbivores, she said.

Bret-Harte warned that if cryocampsis happens less often as the Arctic warms, it could reinforce climate change as more dark, sunlight-heated branches poke above the snow.

Adopt a mammoth for science

UAF photo by JR Ancheta.

Matthew Wooller kneels among the mammoth tusk collection at the University of Alaska Museum of the North in 2021. Wooller is leading the museums Adopt a Mammoth program, which dates and identifies specimens at the museum.

The public is helping to search for the youngest mammoth specimen in the University of Alaska Museum of the Norths collection.

The Adopt a Mammoth program encourages sponsorship of each of the roughly 1,500 teeth, tusks and bones in the collection. A $350 donation pays for radiocarbon testing to date the fossil.

The youngest dated mammoth in mainland Alaska so far is about 11,600 years old, but the massive animals may have survived much longer. A remnant population on neighboring St. Paul Island survived until about 5,600 years ago.

Finding a specimen from 10,000 years ago or less would extend the mainland extinction date to a period well after the earliest people arrived in Interior Alaska.

Its a fun philanthropic project, but its also rooted in solid science, said Matthew Wooller, the director of UAFs Alaska Stable Isotope Facility and the leader of the Adopt a Mammoth project. If we find a young mammoth fossil on the mainland, thats big news.
The People's Assembly of Bulgaria at its meeting on Wednesday ratified the agreement between the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Bulgaria and the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine on the provision of armored vehicles and corresponding weapons and spare parts to Ukraine.

This was reported by BTA, Ukrinform saw.

The move saw support of 131 lawmakers, while 49 voted against it. The vote was preceded by almost two hours of debate.

Exactly which types of armored vehicles will be transferred to Ukraine has not been specified, and neither has their quantity.

It is noted that the agreement between the Bulgarian and Ukrainian ministries was signed in Sofia on August 8 and in Kyiv on November 13. The mentioned vehicles are no longer required by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Bulgaria, according to the report of the parliamentary committee on defense.

As Ukrinform reported, earlier Bulgaria offered to transfer about 100 units of Soviet-era armored vehicles to Ukraine.
President Volodymyr Zelensky signed two decrees, implementing the decision of the National Security and Defense Council of November 23 on introducing sanctions against 147 individuals and 303 legal entities associated with Russias potential.

Relevant decrees No. 772/2023 and No. 773/2023 were published on the presidents website, reports Ukrinform.

According to the first package, the list of individuals subject to sanctions includes a total of 60 citizens of Russia, Cyprus, Uzbekistan, Belarus, the UK, as well as holders of dual citizenship of Russia and Cyprus, the Principality of Liechtenstein and Switzerland, Austria and Switzerland, Russia and Germany, and Russia and Ukraine.

Among the Ukrainian citizens who hold dual citizenship with Russia, in respect of whom sanctions have been imposed, are Tetiana Menezhena, appointed in December 2021 the so-called acting minister of culture of Crimea; Tetiana Bratchenko, former chief of the Kherson Regional Museum of Local History, who is suspected of collaboration with the enemy; Natalia Kapustnikova, collaborator, who is a director of the Mariupol Regional History Museum; Andrii Malgin, historian, co-chairman of the Russian public movement in support of the Russian Federation in Crimea; Daria Morozova, human rights commissioner of the so-called DPR; Vitaly Suk, director of the Oleshky boarding school for disabled children, who was involved in the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children to Crimea and other territories of Ukraine occupied by Russia; Volodymyr Kovalenko, Chief of Staff of Youth Army in Sevastopol; Leonid Kharchenko, the former commander of the so-called DPR's "reconnaissance battalion", who was found guilty by a Dutch court in the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in 2014, and Volodymyr Sivkovych, the former deputy secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, who is suspected of cooperating with Russian intelligence.

The list of legal entities subject to sanctions includes a total of 93 entities, of which more than 30 are incorporated in the Russian Federation, 18 in Cyprus, five in the UAE, five in Turkey, two in China, one in France, two in Switzerland, one in the Cayman Islands, one in the Isle of Man, one in the Slovak Republic, one in the UK, one in Malta, and two in the Central African Republic.

Among the companies that have come under sanctions is a Crimea-based Regional Center for Preparation for Military Service and Military-Patriotic Education.

According to the second decree, sanctions were imposed on 87 individuals and 210 legal entities that are related to Russias potential.

A total of 87 citizens of the Russian Federation, Ukraine, and holders of dual citizenship of the Russian Federation and Romania are on the list of individuals on whom sanctions have been imposed.

Among the designated Ukrainian citizens are Oleksiy Popov, owner of a network of gas stations in the temporarily occupied territory of Zaporizhzhia region, who cooperated with the occupation authorities and ensured the operations of gas stations; Valery Lutsiuk, a former officer of the Luhansk-based Berkut SWAT unit, who flipped to the LPR terrorist organization; Vitaly and Natalia, and Oleksandr Balytskyi, father, wife, and son of Yevgeny Balytskyi, a former People's Deputy, member of the Party of Regions and the so-called governor of Zaporizhzhia region.

A total of 210 companies are put on the attached list of legal entities against which sanctions have been imposed for a period of three to 10 years. Among them are a number of Russian energy companies  Vologda Regional Energy Company, Omskelektro, Rosseti Lenergo, Far Eastern Energy Management Company - Generation Networks, Moscow Energy Directorate, Salehardenergo, LOESKEelectric networks of St. Petersburg and Leningrad region, Volgogradoblektro, Moscow Regional Power Grid Company, Rosseti Kuban, and others.

In addition, the so-called "DPR"s Zasiadko Mine, Soyuzenergoindustria, and Soyuzenergoproekt were sanctioned.

Both decrees lay down such sanctions as the blocking of assets, ban on capital movement out of Ukraine, restriction, partial or complete suspension of transit of resources, flights, and transportation through the territory of Ukraine (full ban), suspension of economic and financial obligations, prohibition of participation in privatization, lease of state property by residents of a foreign country and individuals, which are directly or indirectly controlled by residents of a foreign state or act in their interests.

The Cabinet of Ministers, together with the Security Service of Ukraine and the National Bank of Ukraine, is tasked with ensuring the implementation and monitoring of the effectiveness of sanctions, while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is tasked with informing the competent authorities in the European Union, the United States, and other countries of the new sanctions.

Decrees enter into force from the day of their publication.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, on November 7, President Volodymyr Zelensky put into effect the NSDC's decision to apply sanctions against nine foreign entities.
A 56-year-old Ukrainian truck driver has died in a parking lot near the Polish village of Korczowa, who was waiting to cross the border with Ukraine.

Volodymyr Mykhalevych, head of NGO International Road Carriers of Ukraine, told this to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"Today, I was informed that our ADR [European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road] driver, who was in line for almost three days to cross the border, died at night in a parking lot near Korczowa. The man was born in 1967. The Polish police claimed that it was a natural death, but the circumstances are still being investigated," Mykhalevych said.

On November 11, a 54-year-old truck driver from Ukraine died in Poland in a parking lot near the Dorohusk-Yahodyn checkpoint, where he was waiting to cross the border.

Polish hauliers started their protest on November 6. Among their main demands to the Government of Ukraine is the return of the practice of permits for Ukrainian hauliers, canceled by the agreement with the European Union until June 30, 2024. The protesters want the agreement to be terminated and the regime of border crossing permits to be resumed from January 1.

The strike led to a complete blockade at three border crossing points between Poland and Ukraine: Dorohusk-Yahodyn, Korczowa-Krakivets, and Hrebenne-Rava-Ruska. Huge queues of Ukrainian trucks formed at the border. In some places, they reach 40 kilometers in both directions, and Polish parking lots have become a place of temporary residence for many drivers.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 23. It is necessary to create a modern, multimodal communication system to establish cargo transportation through Central Asia using the Caspian Sea ports, Turkmenistan's Deputy Minister of Finance and Economy Begmyrat Allakbayev said, Trend reports.

He spoke at the 18th meeting of the SPECA Board of Directors in Baku.

He emphasized the importance of cooperation of SPECA countries with the UN Economic Commission for Europe and the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, as well as the rest of international and regional transport organizations.

"The digitalization of trade and transit procedures is an integral part of simplifying the process of vehicle control, warehousing, and export-import operations in general," Allakbayev stressed.

He mentioned that in this context, Turkmenistan has adopted and is systematically implementing the Concept of Digital Economy Development for 2019-2025.

"To date, agreements on mutual exchange of data on transported goods are in force between SPECA countries, mostly on a bilateral basis, which in turn also simplifies customs procedures," Allakbayev said.

He also added that in this direction there is established interaction with the Azerbaijani and Uzbek sides, a necessary legal framework with the Kazakh and Tajik sides, as well as relevant negotiations with the Kyrgyz side on the regulatory framework.

The UN SPECA program was established on March 26, 1998.

At present, the SPECA member states are Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

SPECA provides a platform for sub-regional cooperation to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that can best be achieved through regional cooperation.

Azerbaijan is chairing the program in 2023 and hosting SPECA Days in Baku on November 2024, 2023.

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In an era where digital privacy is increasingly scrutinized, a recent investigation by the Markup has brought to light the intricate data collection practices employed by Facebook, particularly through its Meta Pixel tool. As we delve into the findings, concerns are revealed about the exposure of sensitive information, especially among high school students, and underscores the imperative need for robust privacy regulations.

Tracking the Activities of College Students

In the educational landscape of 2022, over 1.4 million high school seniors undertook the ACT, a critical college admissions test. Astonishingly, it was uncovered that the official ACT sign-in page was actively tracking users, sending scrambled versions of students' email addresses to Facebook upon login. Despite Meta's claim that these email addresses are "hashed" for privacy, the report suggests a potential compromise of user privacy.

Moving beyond standardized testing, popular platforms integral to millions of students were identified as unsuspecting contributors to Facebook's data trove. Platforms like the Common App, Prezi, and ArbiterSports were found to transmit identifiable information, including names, gender, ethnicity, and details about financial aid requests or disability accommodations. These revelations underscore the extent of Facebook's presence in various facets of students' academic and extracurricular pursuits.

READ ALSO: California Fights Misinformation, Fake News Using Media Literacy Bill

Children Under 13 are not Safe

Perhaps, the most alarming is the revelation that websites explicitly designed for children under 13 were utilizing the Meta Pixel. Educational platforms like Raz-Kids, ABC Mouse, and XtraMath, tailored for kindergarten to fifth-grade students, were found to send data to Facebook when users interacted with specific buttons or pop-ups. This raises significant concerns about the privacy and protection of data for young learners, highlighting potential vulnerabilities in platforms catering to this demographic.

In response to the investigation, Meta, Facebook's parent company, defended its position by highlighting recent changes in advertising policies. This includes restrictions on targeting teens, with a spokesperson stating that advertisers should not send sensitive information through their Business Tools. While Meta claims its system is designed to filter out potentially sensitive data, the investigation prompts scrutiny into the efficacy of these safeguards.

The investigation not only raises concerns about Facebook's data collection practices but also sheds light on the broader issue of online privacy laws in the United States. While laws like the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) govern data collection for children under 13, the absence of comprehensive federal privacy regulations for all ages leaves significant gaps in protecting students and young users.

Ongoing Controversies and Legislative Scrutiny

Recent controversies surrounding Facebook's impact on teenage mental health and addictive design practices have intensified scrutiny on the company's dealings with young people. Ongoing lawsuits and legislative actions underscore the contentious nature of the role social media giants play in shaping the digital experiences of students.

As the digital landscape continues to evolve, the report underscores the imperative need for robust privacy regulations, especially in educational settings. The lack of technical skills or resources in many school districts to assess and address privacy concerns adequately has been highlighted. Calls for comprehensive federal privacy regulation have gained momentum, signaling a potential shift towards more stringent measures to safeguard student data in the digital age. In an environment where data is a valuable commodity, protecting the privacy of students must be a priority to ensure a safe and secure online learning experience.





RELATED ARTICLE: Schools, Universities Across US Lack AI Policies And Guidelines, UNESCO Reveals
A shift is underway in the United Kingdom, prompted by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD) call for a recalibration of the nation's approach to post-secondary education. While the call for more individuals to access quality post-secondary education is resounding, the debate intensifies over whether the traditional university route is the exclusive path to knowledge and career success.

British PM Assesses State of Higher Education

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's recent revelation that the Labour government's 1999 target of 50% of young people entering higher education was "one of the biggest mistakes" ignites a political firestorm. Sunak argues that this pursuit has led to a surplus of degrees, often failing to enhance employability or earning potential, questioning the very essence of the traditional university-centric model.

Andreas Schleicher, the OECD's director of education and skills, injects a nuanced perspective into the discourse. Acknowledging the income benefits of higher education in the UK, he highlights the existence of "low marginal returns," emphasizing the variability in the employability and earning potential of university graduates. Schleicher contends that while university remains a significant investment for some, it may not be the optimal path for all individuals.

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England vs. Other OECD Countries

Schleicher draws attention to the contrast between countries like Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland, where advanced technical education is not deemed inferior to university education. In these nations, the distinction lies not in the level of education but in the style of learning. The integration of vocational and university education pathways, devoid of hierarchical distinctions, stands in stark contrast to England's more rigid dichotomy.

Critics argue that the data on graduate earnings in England reflects not the efficacy of higher education but the economic disparities between regions and the lack of high-skilled jobs. The call for a more diversified set of paths aligns with the need to address economic inequality and create opportunities for individuals to thrive in alternative, equally valuable educational avenues.

Government Initiatives and the Future Landscape

The Westminster government's recent statement, signaling plans to reduce the number of young people entering higher education and boost high-quality apprenticeships, signifies a paradigm shift. The intent to align education policies with the evolving needs of the job market and the diverse aspirations of the youth is evident. The discourse on the role and purpose of universities as broad institutions of higher learning versus specialized, research-oriented entities continues to shape future policy directions.

As the UK contemplates the future of higher education, Schleicher raises fundamental questions about the essence of universities. Should they be all-encompassing hubs of varied skills, or should they refocus on delivering theory-based, research-oriented education? The delicate balance between accessibility and the pursuit of excellence in education remains at the heart of this ongoing debate.

The evolving narrative around higher education in the UK urges a deliberate examination of the purpose, accessibility, and efficacy of educational pathways. The OECD's call for a more diversified set of paths aligns with the need for flexible, inclusive education that caters to the diverse aspirations and learning styles of the youth. As the nation stands at the crossroads, the decisions made today will undoubtedly shape the educational landscape for generations to come.





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In a setback for students seeking financial aid for college, the U.S. Department of Education has announced a delay in processing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) following the rollout of a revamped version in December. While the changes aim to simplify the application process, concerns are mounting over potential obstacles and a slowdown in delivering crucial financial aid offers.

Delays and Disruptions

The Education Department's decision to delay the processing of FAFSA applications comes as a surprise to higher education professionals and advocacy groups. Instead of the usual prompt transfer of aid eligibility information, colleges will now have to wait until the end of January, creating a potential bottleneck in the financial aid distribution process.

Adding to the challenges, the department has opted to suspend the direct transmission of FAFSA data to certain state financial aid programs for the current school year. States affected include Iowa, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Vermont. This suspension raises concerns about the accessibility of financial aid for students in these regions.

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Overhauling FAFSA

The delay is linked to the comprehensive overhaul of the FAFSA, which includes reducing the number of questions from 103 to as few as 18. While these changes are intended to simplify the application process and expand eligibility for Pell Grants, the unforeseen delays threaten to complicate an already intricate implementation process.

Advocacy groups, including the National College Attainment Network, express concern about the potential repercussions of the delay. Kim Cook, executive director of the network, warns that the compressed timeline may lead to lower FAFSA completion rates and a subsequent decline in college enrollment, particularly for vulnerable student populations.

The Federal Student Aid Office's efforts to simplify the FAFSA process have faced persistent delays, including a year-long wait for the redesigned form's release. The Education Department attributes these delays to the unprecedented complexity of the changes, involving the replacement of outdated processing software and adherence to new security standards mandated by the IRS.

Anticipated Peak in FAFSA Applications

The Education Department anticipates that the submission of FAFSA applications will peak in late January and February. While students will receive preliminary estimates of aid upon submission, the delay in providing colleges with eligibility data raises concerns about the timely dissemination of official aid offers.

Justin Draeger, president of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, underscores the potential setbacks to the intended benefits of FAFSA overhaul. Significant delays in delivering applicant data to schools could leave vulnerable student populations in limbo, hindering their ability to make crucial college decisions.

Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.), a key player in legislative efforts to overhaul the FAFSA, acknowledges the desire for a faster rollout. However, she emphasizes the importance of clear communication and swift processing to ensure that the reforms translate into streamlined paperwork, increased aid accessibility, and prompt decision-making for students.

As the Education Department grapples with the intricacies of implementing FAFSA changes, the delay raises critical questions about the impact on students, colleges, and the overall higher education landscape. Balancing the intent of simplification with the need for efficiency remains a challenge, highlighting the delicate nature of reform in the complex realm of financial aid for aspiring college students.







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In a landmark lawsuit, nonfiction authors, led by plaintiff Julian Sancton, have taken legal action against Microsoft and OpenAI, accusing the tech giants of training their AI ChatGPT tool to replicate nonfiction works without the authors' consent. The lawsuit, filed in the Manhattan federal court, claims that thousands of authors, including Sancton, were not compensated for the unauthorized use of their intellectual property.

Allegations of Rampant Copyright Infringement

The complaint alleges that Microsoft and OpenAI, in developing and commercializing their AI products, engaged in widespread copyright infringement by reproducing and utilizing millions, if not billions, of copyrighted nonfiction works without obtaining proper authorization or providing compensation to the authors.



The synergy between Microsoft and OpenAI in developing AI-driven products, notably the widely-used ChatGPT chatbot, has yielded substantial financial gains. The legal action asserts that despite reaping billions in revenue from their AI ventures, the companies have failed to recognize or compensate nonfiction authors whose contributions played a pivotal role in shaping these technologies.

The lawsuit underscores a disparity between the lucrative outcomes of AI commercialization and the alleged oversight in compensating the intellectual contributions of nonfiction authors, sparking a legal battle that could influence the acknowledgment and remuneration of content creators in the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence.

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The Foundation of OpenAI's Platform

The heart of the complaint lies in the assertion that OpenAI's platform is built upon the "rampant theft of copyrighted works." Nonfiction authors, who invest years in research and creation, claim that their contributions were exploited without compensation, forming the foundational basis for OpenAI's AI models.



The lawsuit contends that Microsoft and OpenAI worked closely to create and deploy AI-powered products capable of recognizing and processing text inputs to generate human-like responses. The collaboration allegedly involved the commercial reproduction of copyrighted works on an enormous scale, without obtaining proper licenses or permissions from the authors.



The legal action unfolds against the backdrop of recent turmoil within OpenAI, where CEO Sam Altman was temporarily ousted due to an internal investigation. Altman's return and the threat of employee defections following his initial departure underscore the internal strife within the company, adding a layer of complexity to the lawsuit.

ChatGPT's Industry Impact

OpenAI's ChatGPT, introduced in November, quickly became a trailblazer in AI-powered chatbots, setting a new standard for human-like responses to user queries. The tool's popularity prompted other major tech players, including Microsoft, to announce or launch their own AI-based services.



Julian Sancton, representing the group of nonfiction authors, seeks damages from Microsoft and OpenAI for the alleged widespread infringement of copyrighted works. The lawsuit aims for both financial compensation and injunctive relief, highlighting the seriousness of the copyright infringement claims.



As technology advances, the legal battle initiated by nonfiction authors against Microsoft and OpenAI highlights the pressing need to address intellectual property rights in the realm of artificial intelligence. The outcome of this lawsuit could set a precedent for how AI developers collaborate with and compensate content creators in an era dominated by technological innovation.





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Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, Dr. Shamshad Akhtar said here on Thursday that Pakistan would get quick disbursement of financial assistance from various multilateral institutions once the first review of the Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) is approved by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Executive Board next month

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 23rd Nov, 2023) Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, Dr. Shamshad Akhtar said here on Thursday that Pakistan would get quick disbursement of financial assistance from various multilateral institutions once the first review of the Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) is approved by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Executive Board next month.

In an interview with a private news channel, she said, Pakistan would not only get $700 million from the fund but the SBA approval would also unlock financial assistance from many other multilateral financial institutions.

She said that the SBA agreement would go to the IMF Executive Board for approval before the Christmas holidays next month, hoping that on the basis of performance, if it approved the review, it would unlock about $1.5 billion quick disbursing programme, behind which there were many reforms which the government had implemented.

The minister said, that the incumbent government smoothly and peacefully implemented the second trance of IMFs SBA programme in an environment of trust and confidence. She said all the concerned ministries and departments worked as a whole and ensured the IMF that the government was taking all measures seriously.

She said for the implementation of SBA conditions, the government withdrew import bans to promote the investment environment, eased import licensing, and stabilized the exchange rate, not only with exchange companies reforms but with the support of law enforcement agencies.

She said the grey currency market was fished out and due to these measures, the exchange rate witnessed stability.

She said that since she took over as finance minister, they have done and ensured the successful implementation of comprehensive stabilization measures due to which the economy of the country has somehow been revitalized.

She said, that although this recovery was incipient this positive trajectory would continue at least until it is propelled with additional measures.

It is not one one-time action that revives the economy, it needs continued care, she remarked, adding that they were fortunate that the caretaker government was given a good legal mandate and empowered that enabled it to implement these measures.

She said the leadership including the Prime Minister and SIFC form helped in all these measures adding that the incumbent government worked as a team and took measures to move towards macroeconomic sustainability. We want and are doing to back up with strong fundamental structural reforms, she added.

She said that the government had complied with the SBA agreement so no additional measures would be required and there would be no budget.

She expected from the the Federal Board Revenue collective revenues beyond the targeted Rs9.4 trillion as the government has more demand from the expenditure side. In the first quarter, the FBR managed to surpass the targets set by the IMF. She said, that if there was any shortfall in revenues, that would met with additional measures.

The process of restructuring and transformation of FBR is going on, we had given a briefing to the Prime Minister in this regard. She said that FBR's internal governance would be corrected and an oversight mechanism would be developed.

Tax policy and revenue division would be separated. FBR would focus on collection while there would be a separate division for the Tax Policy and Revenue framework, she added.

She said that separation of customs from FBR to enable it to focus on trade facilitation and border controls, Design a retailers scheme, that would be linked with wholesalers' distributors

She said that a new documentation law has been prepared, and all institutions under which wholesalers and retailers would provide automatic information. FBR and NADRA would collaborate in developing the big data bank. Chairman Nadra has been appointed as chair of a high-level technical committee for collaboration
BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 23. Turkmenistan is ready to increase supplies of natural gas and electricity, Turkmenistan's Deputy Minister of Finance and Economy Begmyrat Allakbayev said, Trend reports.

He spoke at the 18th meeting of SPECA Board of Directors in Baku.

According to him, Turkmenistan is guided by the principle of equal consideration of interests of manufacturers, transitors and consumers.

"The role of energy and its significant areas, such as energy security, as well as sustainable energy, increasingly occupies an integral place in the global development of the modern world," Allakbayev emphasized.

According to him, the global energy markets are currently in a condition of global instability. In this regard, the region's primary task is to develop an appropriate model of effective cooperation to meet the region's growing energy needs in order to increase the capacity of new industrial complexes and agriculture, build infrastructure facilities, and launch joint production projects.

The UN SPECA program was established on March 26, 1998.

At present, the SPECA member states are Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

SPECA provides a platform for sub-regional cooperation to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that can best be achieved through regional cooperation.

Azerbaijan is chairing the program in 2023 and hosting SPECA Days in Baku on November 2024, 2023.

Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
The total liquid foreign reserves of Pakistan reached US$ 12,302.3 million while the central bank held the reserves of $ 7,180 million

KARACHI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 23rd Nov, 2023) The total liquid foreign reserves of Pakistan reached US$ 12,302.3 million while the central bank held the reserves of $ 7,180 million.

The State Bank of Pakistan, in a statement issued here on Thursday, informed that SBPs reserves decreased by $ 217 million to $ 7,180 million due to debt repayments during the week ending on November 17, 2023.

Meanwhile, net foreign reserves held by commercial banks stood at $ 5,122.3 million, it added.

Total liquid foreign reserves held by the country, in the previous week ending on November 10, 2023, were $ 12,535.5 million. Among them, foreign reserves held by the central bank were $ 7,396.7 million while net foreign reserves held by commercial banks were $ 5,138.8 million.
Special Representative to the Prime Minister on Religious Harmony and Pakistani Diaspora in Middle East and Islamic Countries, Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi on Thursday stressed on the Hajj Group Organizers (HGOs) to launch an extensive training programme to ensure Hajj and Umrah pilgrims were well-prepared for a smooth and hassle-free religious experience

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 23rd Nov, 2023) Special Representative to the Prime Minister on Religious Harmony and Pakistani Diaspora in middle East and Islamic Countries, Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi on Thursday stressed on the Hajj Group Organizers (HGOs) to launch an extensive training programme to ensure Hajj and Umrah pilgrims were well-prepared for a smooth and hassle-free religious experience.

Addressing the Tazeem Al-Haramain Al-Sharifain Conference here at a local hotel, he said that this initiative would equip pilgrims with the necessary knowledge and skills to navigate the sacred rituals while prioritizing their safety and well-being.

Ashrafi who is also the Chairman of Pakistan Ulema Council, said the pilgrims must receive comprehensive spiritual guidance from qualified scholars, covering the significance of each ritual and the historical context of Hajj and Umrah. This would not only deepen their understanding but also foster a sense of connection to the religious roots of the pilgrimage, he added.

He said the pilgrims must be addressed the practical aspects of the pilgrimage, including transportation details, accommodation guidelines, and essential information about the holy sites. He said it would help ensure that pilgrims were well-informed about the logistics, minimizing confusion and stress during their journey.

He said the HGOs should educate pilgrims on the diverse cultural backgrounds of fellow participants, fostering an atmosphere of mutual respect and understanding as it would promote tolerance and harmony, reflecting the inclusive spirit of the pilgrimage.

Ashrafi urged to utilize various platforms, including in-person sessions, webinars, and interactive mobile applications to cater to a diverse audience adding that this multi-faceted approach would ensure accessibility and accommodate different learning preferences.

He further emphasized on the incorporation of a feedback mechanism as an integral part of the training programme so that pilgrims were encouraged to provide input on the training modules, allowing authorities to continually improve and tailor the programme to better meet the needs of future participants.

Ashrafi lamented that certain people during Hajj rituals engaged in political discourse and got into trouble as it was against the law of the holy land and as well as against religious ethics.

He said it was a unanimous Fatwa (decree) of the prominent religious scholars that they should not engage in any political activity particularly during Hajj season.

Ashrafi said that the role of Saudi Arabia on the issue of Gaza was exemplary. He said in the BRICS conference, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman had demanded to stop the supply of arms to Israel from the world.

He said the entire Islamic world, including Pakistan, were united on the issue of Palestine and unanimously demanding the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. He mentioned that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the people had sent 500 million Riyals to the Palestinian people in just two weeks.

Meanwhile, Saudi Ambassador Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki said Pakistan was a very important Islamic country which had a special relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

He said the Saudi government took all possible steps to facilitate Hajj and Umrah pilgrims and would keep on serving under the dynamic leadership of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud and Crown Prince Mohmmad bin Salman.

He said that Saudi Arabia and Pakistan had ideal relations adding that the Kingdom had always stood firm with Pakistan in every trying time throughout the history.

At the end, the guests were also presented with gifts and commemorative shields.
Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch on Thursday said that like the rest of the world, Pakistan impatiently awaited the truce expected to come into effect on Friday and that a durable and sustained ceasefire was critical for bringing the much-needed relief to the Palestinian people

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 23rd Nov, 2023) Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch on Thursday said that like the rest of the world, Pakistan impatiently awaited the truce expected to come into effect on Friday and that a durable and sustained ceasefire was critical for bringing the much-needed relief to the Palestinian people.

"Like the rest of the world, Pakistan impatiently awaits the truce that is expected to come into effect tomorrow. It presents an opportunity to establish a humanitarian corridor facilitating the delivery of food, water, fuel and other humanitarian aid to the besieged people of Gaza," the spokesperson said in her weekly press briefing.

She said Pakistan believed that a durable and sustained ceasefire was critical for bringing much-needed relief to the Palestinian people and to responding to the immense humanitarian needs in Gaza including extensive and robust humanitarian supplies, urgent medical aid to the injured and shelter to those who have been displaced as a result of an indiscriminate and inhumane bombing campaign by Israeli forces.

She told the media that Pakistan supported the call for an international peace conference to restart the peace process as its foreign minister was in contact with his counterparts in the Middle East including with the neighboring countries of Palestine.

"We hope that together these Foreign Ministers will contribute to international consensus with regards to a peace conference on the Middle East and the Palestinian question."

She viewed that peace in the region could only be achieved with the implementation of the relevant UN resolutions calling for a two-state solution, culminating in a viable, sovereign and geographically-contiguous Palestinian state within the pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.

Recounting Pakistan's contribution to the ongoing efforts for permanent ceasefire and for a peaceful resolution of this issue, she said it had contributed to the development of a consensus position of OIC on the Gaza war.

"This position, basically underlines the importance of a permanent ceasefire, a lifting of the siege of Gaza and provision of humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza. And more importantly, the OIC has called for resumption of a dialogue pertaining to long-term peace in Palestine, leading towards a two-state solution," she remarked.

She said the recent observance of International Childrens Day was a reminder of the vulnerability of children in armed conflict.

"As stated by the Executive Director of UNICEF Gaza is today the most dangerous place in the world to be a child. Since October 7, nearly 6,000 children have been killed accounting for 40 percent of the deaths in Gaza. We call for the protection of children of Gaza who are the prime victims of the indiscriminate bombing campaign and will live the rest of their lives affected by immense loss and trauma."

Highlighting the human rights abuses in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, she said the heavy deployment of armed personnel and unbridled use of force had created an environment of trauma and distress for the Kashmiri children.

"About 100,000 children have been orphaned, children have been arbitrarily arrested, killed, injured, and even blinded because of the use of pellet guns by Indian forces. India should immediately end its oppression of IIOJK and fulfill its obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child."

The spokesperson announced that Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar would attend the World Climate Action Summit in Dubai for COP28 to advocate Pakistan's climate vision and emphasize global cooperation.

Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani will visit Belgium for a conference on countering migrant smuggling and present Pakistan's efforts and legal migration pathways within the framework of the Migration and Mobility Dialogue with the EU.

To a question, she confirmed that Pakistan had formally applied to join BRICS, emphasizing its role as an important developing country committed to global peace and cooperation. The request aligns with BRICS' openness to inclusive multilateralism, and that Pakistan looks forward to contributing to international cooperation within the alliance, she remarked.

Highlighting the diplomatic engagements, the spokesperson said in the current week, Pakistan was holding separate Bilateral Political Consultations with Denmark, Sweden and Finland to exchange views with friendly countries on a wide range of issues of mutual interest and to explore further engagement and cooperation especially in the areas of environment, information technology, energy, education, and trade and investment.

To a query about a foreign media report that the US had foiled an Indian plot to assassinate an America-based Sikh leader, the spokesperson said that Pakistan had remained a target of India's state-sponsored terrorism, subversion and espionage for a long time. We have condemned and we are concerned about India's reckless and irresponsible conduct, which we believe is in clear violation of international law and the UN principle of state sovereignty, she added.

She told the media that Pakistan made a very solid case against Commander Kulbhushan Jhadav, who was prosecuted under Pakistani laws and was convicted rightly under the country's laws. We do not need endorsement from outside for implementation of our own laws, she remarked.

She told the media that the ongoing drive to implement immigration laws was focused on illegal individuals and the refugees who were in Pakistan would return to their home country with dignity through a consultative process, which was a tripartite consultative process between Pakistan, Afghanistan, and UNHCR.

Asked about a resolution moved by US senators and a report by the European Union, Spokesperson Baloch reiterated that the Election Commission had announced the date for elections and preparations to complete the electoral process were already underway. As a polity, Pakistan remains steadfast in its commitment to the constitutional order, religious freedom, freedom of expression and the rule of law, she reiterated.

She reiterated that Pakistan was concerned about the terrorist threat that emanated from Afghanistan and the hideouts and sanctuaries of TTP inside Afghanistan. We expect Afghan authorities to take immediate action against these entities and individuals so that they do not pose any threat to Pakistan, she stated.

To a question, the spokesperson clarified that the funds raised at the annual PFOWA charity bazaar were used for charity as it presented a cheque to the Palestinian Ambassador for the children of Gaza. Moreover, the Embassy of Palestine was also an active participant in the charity bazaar with the Palestinian ambassador in attendance.

She said the ban by the authorities in Uttar Pradesh on Halal-certified food items and the subsequent crackdown on shops and malls were a manifestation of increasing Islamophobia under official patronage in India and another measure limiting the space for Muslims to freely practice their religion in India.
ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 23rd Nov, 2023) Secretary Information Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Faisal Karim Kundi Thursday said that PPP is not going for a political alliance with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the upcoming general elections, scheduled in the month of February.

Addressing a press conference here, Faisal Kundi said that PPP would contest the upcoming general polls according to its manifesto that is given by party chief Bilawal Bhutto.

All the political forces should respect the mandate of the masses and PPP will contact all the political parties for making Bilawal Bhutto as Prime Minister after the general elections in the country, he added.

Highlighting their confidence on the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Faisal Kundi said that the ECP would take all possible measures to ensure free, fair and transparent elections across the country.

PPP respect the senior politicians of the country but believe that now youth should be given chance to play their active role in the politics, he said.

Faisal Kundi said that Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had addressed the six workers convention in which he briefed about the performance of 16 months of the government.

Secretary Information appreciated the office bearers and party workers of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter for conducting a successful Workers Convention of the party chief in the province.

He said that the public gathering in Lahore was an eye opener for those comparing the return of Quaid Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif with Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto.

Faisal Kundi alleged that the narrative of Muhammad Nawaz Sharif Vote Ko Izzat Do (Respect the Vote) ended after his return to Pakistan from London.

No political victimization has been witnessed during the tenure of the PPP government unlike the rulers of Punjab who always remained involved in such victimization when came into power, he added.

To a question, Faisal Kundi said that Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and Pakistan Steel Mill (PSM) have been privatized through proper planning however the PPP would not allow anyone to privatize these national assets.
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Dr Arif Alvi reiterates Pakistan's desire to forge a lasting partnership with Russia in all fields, including trade, economy, food security, energy, defence and people-to-people contacts.

ISLAMABAD: (UrduPoint/UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News-Nov 23rd, 2023) President Dr Arif Alvi has emphasized the need of long-term, multi-dimensional partnership with Russia to increase bilateral trade and economic ties.

Talking to the outgoing Ambassador of the Russian Federation, Danila Ganich, who called on him, in Islamabad on Thursday, Dr Arif Alvi reiterated Pakistan's desire to forge a lasting partnership with Russia in all fields, including trade, economy, food security, energy, defence and people-to-people contacts.

The President said Pakistan attaches great value to its relations with the Russian Federation and expressed satisfaction over the existing level of cooperation between the two countries at multilateral fora.

Dr Arif Alvi said that Pakistan-Russia cooperation is rooted in their common approach towards the centrality of the United Nations and a rule-based international order.

During the meeting, the President also highlighted the situation in Gaza and the brutalities being committed by Israel against the people of Palestine. He condemned the killing of thousands of Palestinians, including women and children, healthcare professionals, journalists and aid workers.
Mayor Karachi Barrister Murtaza Wahab Thursday said that Karachi was the only city in the country which has the honour of being included in the C-40 cities. Various steps have been taken in Karachi to deal with the issue of climate change, he said

KARACHI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 23rd Nov, 2023) Mayor Karachi Barrister Murtaza Wahab Thursday said that Karachi was the only city in the country which has the honour of being included in the C-40 cities. Various steps have been taken in Karachi to deal with the issue of climate change, he said.

Barrister Murtaza Wahab said that urban forests had been made to bring improvement in the air quality. However, it is not enough to plant trees, they have to be nurtured and cared for, to improve the environment of Karachi. Vehicle fitness and smoke from factories in industrial areas need to be controlled and environmental initiatives need to be proactive in every sector, he said.

He was addressing as chief guest at the opening ceremony of a workshop on climate change held at a local hotel. Municipal Commissioner of KMC Syed Afzal Zaidi, Abid Hussaini of UNDP, Professor Nauman Ahmed and officers of various departments of KMC were also present on this occasion.

The Mayor said that citizens should adopt trees, which would make the city environment pleasant.

The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation is allocating spaces for car parking at different places in the city to avoid traffic jams on roads and environmental pollution created owing to this, he said and added, a number of measures have been taken to deal with climate change at the city level, including creating awareness among the public about this important issue and bringing all stakeholders together as the success of any work depends on teamwork and mutual cooperation.

He said as major cities around the world face the challenges of climate change, global environmental organizations develop strategies based on the latest research and data and inform member states and cities. It is good that efforts are being made to combat the effects of climate change across the world together to make the planet safe for the human population.

Barrister Murtaza Wahab said that the population was increasing rapidly in Karachi according to the proposals and reports that came out in this workshop on climate change. He emphasized the need to formulate a comprehensive and universal policy regarding climate change.
N'Djamena, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Nov, 2023) Chad's military rulers on Thursday announced a general amnesty ending prosecution and guilty verdicts over the deaths of hundreds of protesters in a 2022 anti-government rally, a minister told AFP.

The opposition and NGOs have previously denounced the amnesty as a move by the government to shield the police and military officers responsible for the killings from justice.

Chad's government-appointed parliament, the National Transitional Council, adopted the law with 92.4 per cent of members voting in favour, said National Reconciliation Minister Abderaman Koulamallah.

The law is part of a commitment to "national reconciliation" and applies "to all Chadians, civilians and soldiers", according to the text seen by AFP.

Hundreds of demonstrators poured onto the streets of the semi-desert country on October 20, 2022, mainly youths protesting against a move by military president Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno to cling to power.

About 50 people, according to the government, or at least 300 according to the opposition and independent observers, were killed by police and military fire in the capital N'Djamena.

After the demonstrations on what the opposition calls "Black Thursday", the regime said 621 youths, including 83 minors, were detained at an infamous desert jail at Koro Toro, 600 kilometres (370 miles) from the capital.

Most were convicted and sentenced to prison in a mass trial, before being pardoned by Deby.

Local and international NGOs as well as UN-mandated experts estimate that 1,000-2,000 were arrested. Dozens if not hundreds of them have since disappeared.

"Despite the authorities' immediate promise of an inquiry, all we have seen up to now is unfair trials behind closed doors of demonstrators and the absence of serious investigations into the alleged perpetrators of the killings," Amnesty International said in October 2023, on the one-year anniversary of the protests.

Mahamat Deby, a general, was proclaimed transitional president by the army on April 20, 2021, following the death of his father, Idriss Deby Itno, who had run Chad as a dictator for 30 years and was killed by rebels while visiting frontline troops.

Deby had promised elections within 18 months, but after that date passed he put off a vote for another two years, sparking the deadly protests.

A referendum on a new constitution is scheduled for December 17 and is due to set the stage for "free" elections and a return to civilian rule. The vast majority of opposition parties are calling for a boycott of the vote.
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Jakarta, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 23rd Nov, 2023) Indonesia has named the chairman of its anti-graft commission as a suspect in a corruption case, according to police, in a setback to the reputation of an agency set up two decades ago after the fall of dictator Suharto.

It is the first time the head of the country's anti-corruption body has been accused of the crime it was created to police.

Graft remains rampant in the archipelago nation, which ranked 110th out of 180 countries in Transparency International's latest corruption perception index.

Police named Indonesian Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) chief Firli Bahuri as a suspect on Wednesday over allegations of extortion and receiving gifts or gratuities in legal dealings with the agriculture ministry from 2020 to 2023.

Ade Safri Simanjuntak, Jakarta police's director for special crime, told reporters that Bahuri would be questioned "as the KPK chief in his capacity as a suspect in alleged corruption crime".

Last month, former Indonesian agriculture minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo was arrested after a series of accusations, including that he pocketed more than $800,000 in public funds.

The allegations against Bahuri are linked to Limpo's case.

The KPK chief has denied the accusations on several occasions in the past.

Bahuri -- a former police chief in South Sumatra and West Nusa Tenggara provinces who became KPK chief in 2019 -- had not been arrested and police did not say if they intended to detain him.

As part of the probe, police searched two properties, interviewed more than 90 people and seized documents related to more than 7.4 billion Indonesian rupiah ($478,000) in funds, police said.

He could face life in prison if found guilty on bribery charges.

The anti-corruption body's deputy commissioner insisted the agency's work had not been affected by the allegations.

"The KPK leadership... remains solid and committed to ensure the KPK will continue carrying out its duties as mandated by the KPK law," Alexander Marwata told reporters Thursday, adding that Bahuri has not been removed from his post.

Indonesia has arrested scores of public officials for graft in recent years.

In 2021, a former social affairs minister was jailed for 12 years after being convicted of taking $1.2 million in bribes linked to food aid for poor families affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
Frankfurt, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 23rd Nov, 2023) German officials raided apartments nationwide Thursday over an alleged plot by a far-right group to spread conspiracy theories and "destabilize" the state through social media, prosecutors said.

Computers, smartphones and data sticks were seized in the searches at 20 apartments in eight states, the prosecutor's office in Munich said in a statement.

The investigation is centered on a plot by alleged members of the far-right "Reichsbuerger" movement -- the same group behind a plan last year to overthrow the state and install a self-styled prince as Germany's new leader.

The latest plot centered on several channels on the messaging service Telegram, the prosecutors said.

From early 2021, the channels were used to spread conspiracy theories, and the operator of the channels organized "mass contacting" of authorities by phone and email, they said.

This was "in order to force them to make decisions in favor of the members of the association," the statement said.

"The overriding aim... was to destabilise Germany and its institutions and to prevent, or at least hinder, lawful state action,"

Those contacted were confronted with far-right conspiracy theories, and faced insults and death threats, the prosecutors said.

Thursday's raids were launched over suspicions over the formation of a criminal organisation, and the aim of authorities was to secure evidence.

Ten properties in southwestern Baden-Wuerttemberg state were searched, while raids also took place in Bavaria, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia, Schleswig-Holstein, Brandenburg, Hamburg and Lower Saxony.

They followed the arrest in late 2021 of a 58-year-old man identified as the operator of the Telegram accounts. He was charged the following year, and further investigations identified further alleged members of a criminal organization.

The Reichsbuerger movement encompasses far-right extremists, conspiracy theorists and gun enthusiasts.

Its members generally believe in the continued existence of the pre-World War I German Reich, or empire, under a monarchy, and several groups have declared their own states.
BEIJING, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 23rd Nov, 2023) To further strengthen Pak-China cooperation in the field of Chinese traditional medicine (TCM), a Pakistani delegation led by Muhammad Iqbal Choudhary, Director of China-Pakistan Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine Cooperation has visited the China academy of Chinese Medical Sciences (CACMS) here and had a meeting with Chinese experts.

Li Kun, Vice President of CACMS, presided over the meeting.

"I hope that the visit of the delegation can foster greater exchange and mutual learning in the field of traditional Chinese medicine, leading to enhanced collaboration and laying a solid foundation for future joint initiatives," Li Kun said.

On the meeting, Iqbal Choudhary presented the achievements and ongoing projects of the China-Pakistan Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine Cooperation, stating, Our center has successfully undertaken a series of initiatives, ranging from international scientific and technological cooperation research on Chinese herbal medicine to sending herbal seeds to space stations, China Economic Net (CEN) reported on Thursday.

The center has become a cornerstone of government-to-government cooperation between China and Pakistan, serving as a platform for high-level bilateral collaboration.

The meeting concluded with an agreement to expand collaboration in the areas of clinical services, drug registration, and traditional medical training.

After the exchange, the delegation visited the laboratory of Tu Youyou, the first Chinese recipient of the Nobel prize in Physiology or Medicine, further deepening their understanding of Chinese traditional medicine research.

APP/asg
BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 23. Deputy Ministry of Energy of Azerbaijan Samir Veliyev met with Deputy Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Dmitry Maryasin at the Ministry of Energy of Azerbaijan, Trend reports.

The meeting focused on energy security and energy transition in the SPECA region, as well as the significance of international relations in developing sustainable and carbon-neutral energy systems and the utilization of 'green' technologies.

The Deputy Minister discussed Azerbaijan's energy policy and reforms, as well as recent initiatives to boost the proportion of renewable energy sources in the country's energy balance and plans to export 'green' energy and 'green' hydrogen to Europe.

Azerbaijan has also taken the voluntary step of increasing the proportion of renewable energy sources in the country's energy balance.

During the discussion, the parties discussed potential areas of collaboration in the energy sector between Azerbaijan and the UNECE, as well as their interest in further expanding relations.
Labor Outsourcing in Vietnam in 2023

One way to manage a firms workforce through peaks and troughs in demand is by utilizing labor outsourcing. In this article, the Vietnam Briefing outlines the conditions for foreign firms with respect to labor outsourcing in Vietnam.

Demand in most businesses is seldom ever consistent. In the lead-up to Christmas in the western hemisphere, for example, demand for consumer goods often reaches its annual peak. In the period directly following Christmas, however, consumer demand is often the lowest it will be all year.

As a result, many manufacturers scale back at the start of the year but ramp up toward the end. Not only does this mean running machines and equipment for more hours or at a higher pace, but it also means that firms need flexibility in their workforce. They need to be able to bring in more staff when its busy and to be able to let staff go when it slows down.

Whereas a permanent workforce is often essential, firms may find that filling the gaps around peak periods can best be addressed utilizing labor outsourcing. In this light, the Vietnam Briefing outlines how labor outsourcing works in Vietnam.



See also: Recruitment Strategies for Foreign Manufacturers in Vietnam

What is labor outsourcing?

Labor outsourcing is when a worker is hired by one company to perform work at one or more third parties. These are often called labor-hire, labor dispatch, or temporary worker arrangements.

This type of labor arrangement is generally used to regulate a firms workforce in line with market demands.

Note that in Vietnam, labor outsourcing is only allowed for select roles. These are outlined in Decree 145/2020/N -CP and include:

Translation and interpretation providers

Secretarial and administrative assistants

Receptionists

Travel guides

Sales support staff

Project support staff

Machine programmers

Television and telecommunications manufacturing and installation

Operation, inspection, and/or repair of construction machinery and power production systems

Buildings and factory cleaners

Document editors

Security/bodyguards

Telemarketers and customer care phone support

Financial and tax support services

Car repair and inspection

Scanning, drawing industrial engineering, Interior decorating

Driving

Management, operation, maintenance, and service on ships

Management, supervision, operation, repair, maintenance, and service of oil and gas drilling rigs

Flying aircraft and working on aircraft, maintaining and repairing aircraft and related equipment, and aviation dispatch and flight supervision

Firms that wish to offer labor-hire services must also acquire a license. Details regarding establishing a labor-hire business are outlined in Decree 145, Chapter 4, Article 12. This article, however, will focus on the regulations around engaging in a labor outsourcing agreement.

Labor outsourcing regulations in Vietnam

Labor outsourcing is codified in Vietnams Labor Code from 2019, which outlines the following guidelines, limitations, and restrictions.

A firm can employ an outsourced worker only when:

A firm experiences a sharp increase in demand over a limited period of time;

A permanent worker is taking temporary leave, for example, maternity leave, or due to a workplace injury; or

The role requires a highly skilled worker.

The law also specifically identifies the following cases in which an outsourced worker cannot be used. This includes:

The outsourced worker is employed to cover the work of a striking worker or a worker involved in a labor dispute;

An agreement has not been reached between the labor-hire firm and its client with respect to who will take responsibility in the event the worker is injured at work; or

The outsourced worker is a replacement for an employee who was made redundant due to a restructuring at the company.

Firms should also keep in mind that:

A labor outsourcing agreement can last a maximum of 12 months.

Firms using an outsourced worker cannot send that worker to another company.

A firm cannot employ a worker from a labor-hire firm that is not licensed as a labor outsourcing provider.

Labor outsourcing contracts

In order to utilize an outsourced worker, the labor hire company and its client must have a labor outsourcing contract.

Labor hire contracts must contain the following information:

The clients location, the vacancy to be filled, a description of the work to be carried out, and any other commitments required of the worker;

It must state how long the worker will be employed and the intended start date;

It must detail work hours, rest periods, and occupational health and safety guidelines; and

It must clearly state which party is responsible for compensating an employee in the event they are injured at work.

A labor outsourcing contract must offer the same rights and benefits or better as those in the contract between the employee and the outsourcing enterprise.

See also: Q&A: Understanding Vietnams Labor Market and Key HR Compliance

Roles and responsibilities

Labor-hire businesses

Labor-hire businesses also have a number of obligations under the Labor Code. These include:

Ensure the worker is aware of the contents of the labor outsourcing contract;

Provide the client with the curriculum vitae of the outsourced worker;

Pay the outsourced worker a salary that is the same or higher than an employee in the same role with the same qualifications working directly for the client; and

Keep records of the firms labor outsourcing agreements and provide the provincial labor authority with reports periodically.

The labor-hire firm also has the right to take disciplinary measures against an outsourced worker in the event said worker violates labor regulations.

Labor-hire clients

Firms hiring workers from labor-hire companies in Vietnam also have a number of obligations under the Labor Code. These include:

Ensure the hired worker is aware of the firms internal labor regulations and any other relevant processes or procedures;

Avoid discriminating between the temporary workers and employees working directly for the company;

Reach an agreement with the temporary worker with respect to working nights and overtime commensurate with the Labor Code;

Return the outsourced worker in the event they fail to satisfy the conditions of their employment; and.

Provide evidence of any violations of the firms regulations by the outsourced worker to labor-hire firm.

Temporary workers

Temporary workers are obligated to perform the work for which they have been hired and to follow the internal rules and regulations of their temporary employer. They also have a number of rights. These include:

Receive a salary that is the same or higher than an employee in the same role with the same qualifications working directly for their temporary employer;

File a complaint in the event the client violates the labor outsourcing contract; and

Negotiate the termination of the employment contract with the labor-hire firm in order to conclude an employment contract with a labor-hire client.

Labor outsourcing arrangements for foreign firms

There are no additional restrictions beyond what is written in the Labor Code for foreign firms looking to engage in a labor outsourcing arrangement. Furthermore, foreign-invested enterprises engaged in export activities may find these arrangements ideal for managing definite periods of high demand.

Firms interested in labor outsourcing should contact the human resources experts at Dezan Shira and Associates to learn more.
Kaitlynne Rainne, a student from Belize studying at Savannah College of Art and Design in the U.S. state of Georgia, writes about her experiences for the website Her Campus.

Studying abroad, she writes, has been "life-changing and the best thing I couldve done for my future." Read her piece here. (October 2023)
BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 23. SPECA is an important mechanism for Kazakhstan to strengthen cooperation between the countries of the region, said Vice Minister of National Economy of the Republic of Kazakhstan Abzal Abdikarimov at the 18th meeting of the Board of Directors of SPECA in Baku, Trend reports.

According to him, this cooperation covers such key aspects as simplification of customs procedures, improvement of transportation infrastructure, rational use of water and energy resources, and expansion of foreign trade.

"Our common global goal should be to improve the activities of the SPECA program further. We highly appreciate the level of our cooperation, the proof of which is the growing number of enterprises of SPECA countries in Kazakhstan.

I am confident that our partnership will lead to the further realization of sustainable development, serve its goals, and build a more stable, secure, and prosperous world," he added.

The UN SPECA program was established on March 26, 1998. At present, the SPECA member states are Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. SPECA provides a platform for sub-regional cooperation to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that can best be achieved through regional cooperation.

Baku is hosting the SPECA from November 20 to 24, 2023.
Australia said Thursday it is not on track to reach its target of obtaining 82% of its power from renewable sources, including wind, solar, batteries and hydroelectricity by 2030.

Renewable sources now account for about 35% of Australias electricity.

Government hopes of bringing the number up to 82% by 2030 are not on track, according to Chris Bowen, the minister for climate change and energy.

He told local media Thursday progress is too slow, planning regulations are often too strict and that private investment in green energy plans is stalling.

The Clean Energy Council, which represents solar, wind and other renewable power companies, has said the first six months of 2023 marked the slowest start to a year for financial certainty on major green energy projects since 2017.

In response, the government Thursday said it intends to significantly expand a taxpayer-funded initiative to subsidize and underwrite new clean energy projects.

Coal and gas continue to dominate Australias energy sector, generating most of its electricity. As the country moves away from fossil fuels, though, there are concerns about instability in the power system during the shift to renewables.

Bowen told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation Thursday that he plans to get the countrys green energy commitments back on track.

Coal-fired power stations - the workers are doing a great job keeping them operating and running - but they are getting older, and we have got a massive pipeline of renewable energy investment in Australia, but we want it moving to final investment decision more quickly and we want it making its way through the planning systems more quickly, Bowen said.

Australia has legislated a target to cut carbon emissions by 43% from 2005 levels by 2030 and to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.

The aim to supply 82% of the nations power needs with renewable sources by 2030 is not mandated by law.

Bowen is expected to represent Australia at annual United Nations climate talks in Dubai. Those talks begin next week.

Before Bowen leaves for the summit, he is scheduled to give an annual climate change statement to the Federal Parliament in Canberra next week.

Australias per capita emissions from coal in 2022 were more than four times the international average according to Ember, a British clean energy research organization.
President Joe Biden was personally involved in the deal to secure the release of about 50 hostages held in Gaza by Hamas, John Kirby, the National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, said in an interview Wednesday.

The release, which has now been pushed back to at least Friday, is to be accompanied by Israels release of 150 Palestinian prisoners, a days-long temporary cease-fire and the delivery of more humanitarian aid into Gaza.

Kirby, who spoke to Paris Huang, the VOA Mandarin White House correspondent, also dismissed recent diplomatic efforts by China to broker an end to the Israel-Hamas conflict. Analysts have described the attempt as a bid by Beijing to position itself as a more credible peacemaker in the Middle East than the United States.

The following interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

VOA: What was President Biden's role in the Israel-Hamas hostage deal?

NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL COORDINATOR FOR STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS JOHN KIRBY: The president was personally involved at the leader level to see if we can get this deal done. In fact, he was speaking to the emir of Qatar just last week while we were in San Francisco for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum. So he was personally engaged and involved. He's been updated, sometimes multiple times a day, on how things were going with a negotiation. And of course, he directed the entire national security team to work hard on this outcome as well, from the CIA director to the secretary of state and national security adviser.  And of course, special envoy on the ground David Satterfield was pivotal, as was our coordinator for the Middle East Brett McGurk. So it really was a team effort.

VOA: A delegation of Arab and Muslim countries had a meeting on Gaza in Beijing this Monday. Do you believe that meeting could be constructive, and did President Xi promise to help on this issue when he met with President Biden last week?

KIRBY: I'll let President Xi speak for himself on what he will or won't do. The president did raise the issue of what's going on in the Middle East with President Xi and we certainly urge President Xi to use his influence in Tehran to make sure that we were communicating to the supreme leader how seriously we take what's going on and that we don't want to see this war widen or escalate. And of course, Tehran can have a role in that or not. And so that was certainly a message to President Xi. But China has interest in the region too. Our strong desire would be that they would use their influence in the region to that larger effect.

VOA: The delegation, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Indonesia, plans to also travel to Washington. What would be your message?



KIRBY: Im not going to get ahead of a discussion that hasn't happened. I think you can expect that our message will be the same as it has been; that that we want to continue to work with our partners in the region and many of these partners have been enormously helpful so far. Jordan, Egypt, certainly, in their communications with Hamas helped broker this deal. They have all been helpful in their own way. And I think what you can see us continue to do in our discussions with them is talk about ways in which they can be more helpful going forward.

There are so many countries that have an interest in what's going on in the region writ large, and certainly have an interest in what's going on between Israel and Hamas. Every nation is a sovereign state. They can all speak for themselves on how they want to pursue their interests.

What we want to make sure is a few things: Number one, that Israel has the tools and capabilities it needs to go after this very viable threat by Hamas, an existential threat to Israel. Number two, that all of us with interest in the region and obviously people that live in the region, do whatever we can to continue to help the people of Gaza through humanitarian assistance, medical assistance, food, water, medicine and fuel. The United States is leading the world in trying to get that kind of humanitarian assistance in and we're certainly going to be looking for additional contributions that can be made by our partners who actually live in the neighborhood.

VOA: Are you concerned that China might gain a better hand dealing with Arab and Muslim countries right now?

KIRBY: Were comfortable with our relationships. Were comfortable with American leadership in the region. Were comfortable that we have the ability to work through partners in the region to achieve outcomes and results that are beneficial to all of us. So Ill let China speak for themselves. President Biden is comfortable with our leadership on the world stage and particularly there in the region.

VOA: There's an open letter signed by the international aid organization overseeing the Indonesian Hospital in Gaza accusing President Biden of destroying international rules [that civilians and hospitals should be protected] and hurting humanitarian values in his support of Israel. What is your response?

KIRBY: President Biden has made it clear that we're going to continue to support Israel as they conduct these operations against Hamas. They have a right and a responsibility to do it. No nation should have to suffer the attacks that they suffered on Oct. 7, and we're going to continue to stand with Israel, and we're going to do so in a steadfast way.

At the same time, we're going to continue to urge Israel to be as careful and deliberate and cautious in their targeting and in their operations as possible so that an impact on civilian life can be minimized, civilian casualties can be reduced. Obviously, many, many thousands of innocent people in Gaza have been killed as a result of this conflict. And certainly, we don't want to see any more killed. We don't want to see any more wounded, and we'll continue to work with Israel to that effect.

But I also think it's important to remember who's putting these people in harm's way and that's Hamas. Hamas started this on the seventh of October by slaughtering innocent Israelis, some of them in their homes, some of them in front of their kids, and then they go back to Gaza. And what do they do? They hide in tunnels, they hide in hospitals. They put innocent people of Gaza in the crossfire between the Israel Defense Forces and themselves. That itself is a war crime. That itself is a violation of international law. That's abominable. And that's the kind of threat that the Israelis are facing.

VOA: You mentioned the administration hopes President Xi will use his influence on Iran. At this moment, do you believe that Iran is still heeding U.S.s message to not widen the war in Gaza?

KIRBY: We haven't turned a blind eye to Irans destabilizing behavior and the support that they have given to Hezbollah, the support that they've given to Hamas, the support that they give to the Houthis in Yemen, the attacks on maritime shipping, I could go on and on and on. The support that they're given Mr. Putin in Ukraine. We havent turned a blind eye to any of that. And our message to Iran today is the same as it was yesterday, the day before that. This is not the time to be thinking about escalating or widening or deepening this conflict. Now, again, we haven't seen any actor in the region jump all in with both feet and try to do that. Our message to anybody thinking about that, including Iran: Don't do it.


The Cambodian government has rejected an Amnesty International report into its mass eviction campaign near the Angkor Wat temple complex as baseless, even as a U.N. agency calls on the government to perform corrective measures and formally respond to the allegations.

In an investigation released November 14, Amnesty accused the Cambodian government of forcibly evicting thousands of families at the World Heritage site. It also accused the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO, which designates World Heritage sites, of falling short in its mission to uphold human rights.

The report has so much baseless content, wrote Long Kosal, spokesperson for Cambodia's Apsara National Authority that oversees the park, in an email. He did not respond to follow-up questions, but officials took to the government-aligned Khmer Times to rail against the report, with a Siem Reap administrator saying that Amnestys investigation was political in nature.

I dont think they are suffering, he said of the evictees, adding that Amnesty exaggerates whats actually happening.

For generations, Cambodians have lived and worked at Angkor Archaeological Park, the 400-square-kilometer site that contains Angkor Wat and other ancient temples. In late 2022, the government began evicting about 10,000 families that it claimed were illegally squatting there.

In interviews with more than 100 people, Amnesty found that Cambodian authorities relied on threats, intimidation and violence to remove people, sending them to relocation sites where they had to build their own homes and had no clean water. The tactics amounted to a gross violation of international human rights law, Amnesty concluded in the 94-page investigation.

Amnesty implored Cambodia to stop the evictions and bring the relocation sites up to international standards. It also recommended UNESCO investigate, noting that the U.N. agency had not publicly condemned the forced evictions at Angkor nor even acknowledged that they are taking place  even as the government blamed the evictions on them.

The report stirred mixed reactions at UNESCO's Paris headquarters, where a meeting of Angkors International Coordinating Committee, or ICC-Angkor, was hosted the week the report came out. The director-general of Cambodias Apsara authority, Hang Peou, told the room that we need to take care of the site and make sure there are no illegal settlements and invited Amnesty to meet in Cambodia, according to a livestream of the meeting.

Another member of ICC-Angkor, archaeologist Mounir Bouchenaki, claimed that some of these people, in front of the Angkor Wat temple, were living in terrible sanitary conditions and appeared to discourage Amnesty from speaking to the media.

"What we heard from the authorities is that they will receive land ... they will have the facilities for sanitation, water, electricity, they will have the school, the temples, et cetera," Bouchenaki said. We cannot have our eyes blind and not see that something is [being] done for the population. Now, how it is done, what are the conditions, I think you have to sit down with the Apsara.

In a formal November 15 response, UNESCO said Angkors population was an integral part of the decision to include the site on the world heritage list in 1992 and that it was deeply concerned about the allegations.

UNESCO called on Cambodia to make an explicit commitment not to carry out forced evictions in Angkor and to ensure that all necessary corrective measures are put in place. The agency also expedited the date for Cambodia to submit a report on Angkor conservation to the World Heritage Committee, to be discussed at its next meeting in summer 2024.

The Cambodian government has often invoked UNESCO as the reason for the evictions. Former prime minister Hun Sen claimed he was under pressure from UNESCO to maintain Angkors world heritage status and that people who refused to leave would not receive one cent of compensation.

UNESCO rebutted that claim, writing in the statement, at no point did it request, support, or participate in this programme. The World Heritage Committee has not considered Angkor in danger of being removed from the heritage list since 2004.

Montse Ferrer, Amnestys deputy regional director for research who attended the ICC-Angkor meeting, told VOA that she hoped UNESCOs words will translate into active monitoring of the human rights situation at Angkor. Amnesty will accept Apsaras invitation to meet in Cambodia, she added.

However, we are concerned Apsara has vehemently denied all of our allegations and has not in any way substantively engaged with Amnesty International to discuss the underlying human rights concerns at Angkor, she said.

One 43-year-old Cambodian artist at Angkor, who asked for anonymity out of fear of authorities, has lived in the park his entire life and makes a living selling paintings to tourists. In April, he agreed to leave his home by the end of the year after authorities said he otherwise wouldn't receive any compensation.

The artist told VOA he has zero interest in going to the relocation site about 20 kilometers away because he would have no house and no customers. He isnt sure where hell end up.

I saw on TV that UNESCO said we are unhygienic, living here, and that Apsara authorities say us living here has an impact on society, he said. But if thats the problem, he added, please, allow us to fix our homes.

Keat Soriththeavy contributed to this report.
The issue of who will govern Gaza if Israel succeeds in dethroning Hamas poses one of the most challenging questions facing the worlds diplomats, with Israel, the United States and the regions Arab leaders offering seemingly contradictory solutions.

The United States has proposed that the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority should ultimately govern Gaza and floated the idea that some international coalition  presumably including Arab states  provide security in the interim. Arab leaders have demanded an immediate end to the fighting without addressing the governance question, and they have rejected any security role in the territory.

And Israel, while reluctant to occupy Gaza as it did before 2005, has suggested it would maintain a security role there for some indefinite period.

U.S. President Joe Biden laid out his vision for the future of Gaza and of Israel-Palestinian relations in a November 18 commentary in The Washington Post, arguing that the Palestinian people deserve a state of their own and a future free from Hamas.

Gaza and the West Bank should be reunited under a single governance structure, ultimately under a revitalized Palestinian Authority, as we all work toward a two-state solution, Biden wrote.

In the meantime, he continued, The international community must commit resources to support the people of Gaza in the immediate aftermath of this crisis, including interim security measures, and establish a reconstruction mechanism to sustainably meet Gazas long-term needs.

Arab and Muslim leaders, represented by a ministerial delegation that is touring the five permanent U.N. Security Council states, are calling for an immediate end to the fighting and the delivery of humanitarian aid to the residents of Gaza but have had little to say about long-term governance of the territory.

While agreeing with Biden on the need to establish a Palestinian state, participation in an interim security force for Gaza has been soundly rejected by some countries in the delegation  made up of Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Nigeria, the Palestinian Authority, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the secretary-general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

"Let me be very clear, said Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi at the Manama Dialogue, a November 18 security conference sponsored by the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

I know speaking on behalf of Jordan but having discussed this issue with many, with almost all our brethren, there'll be no Arab troops going to Gaza. None. We're not going to be seen as the enemy," he said.

As for the long-term governance of the territory, Safadi asked, "How could anybody talk about the future of Gaza when we do not know what kind of Gaza will be left once this aggression ends?"

Israel, for its part, has acknowledged that it began its military drive to end Hamas rule in Gaza without a clear plan for what would replace it.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told ABC News earlier this month, however, that he thought Israel would assume overall security responsibility for Gaza after the war for an indefinite period.

The Arab and Muslim leaders, wary of Netanyahus far-right coalition in Israel, doubt the willingness of the United States and its allies to bring sufficient pressure on Israel to see an end to the war and the beginning of serious talks on a two-state solution, according to Elham Fakhro, an associate fellow at the London-based think tank Chatham House.

Arab states perceive a lack of commitment from the United States and the European Union in pressuring Israel to implement these measures, Fakhro told VOA.

Consequently, they are turning to alternative diplomatic channels, including engagement with China, to convey their concerns. The hope is that international pressure can sway the U.S. and, subsequently, influence Israel to reconsider its current course of action.

While the humanitarian crisis in Gaza weighs heavily on the Arab leaders, that is not their only concern, Fakhro added. She said they also fear the potential for the conflict to spill over into the broader region, causing widespread instability.

Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, told VOA that most Arab governments view the Palestinian leadership in the West Bank as dysfunctional, which increases their reluctance to play a direct role in taking charge of Gaza after the war.
A Thai-backed hydropower dam is under construction on the Mekong River near Luang Prabang, the old royal capital of Laos. It aims to export electricity to neighboring Thailand. But it is also raising alarm over the future of this scenic UNESCO heritage site. Tom Fawthrop reports from Luang Prabang, Laos. Camera: Houmphanh
It's been 10 years since pro-European protesters gathered in Kyiv's Independence Square  events that would lead to the ousting of the pro-Kremlin President Viktor Yanukovych and Russia's forceful annexation of Crimea. Now, as Russia's full-scale war on the country rages, Ukraine's future in the European Union is set to be decided at a summit in Brussels. Henry Ridgwell reports.
Geert Wilders, the outspoken Dutch far-right leader who has frequently been compared to former U.S. President Donald Trump, is set to begin negotiations on forming a government after his shock win in Wednesdays election. However, Wilders is still dozens of seats short of a working majority, and it remains unclear whether other parties are willing to work with him and enter into a coalition government. Negotiations are expected to take several months.

Political earthquake

Dutch voters sent political shockwaves across Europe late Wednesday as exit polls showed a clear lead for the Freedom Party, led by Wilders. His party won 37 of the 150 seats available, easily beating his closest rival, a joint Labor and Green party ticket, which secured 25 seats.

Wilders has long been a provocative figure in Dutch politics but has never before enjoyed this level of success. Following the result, the 60-year-old doubled down on his anti-migrant rhetoric.

The people have spoken. The people said, We are sick and tired of this. We will make sure the Dutch people will be number one again, he said.

The Dutchman also has hope. The hope is that people get their country back. That we make sure that the Netherlands is for the Dutch again. That we will limit the asylum tsunami and migration, Wilders told cheering supporters in The Hague as the scale of his victory became clear Wednesday.

'Less Islam'

Wilders party manifesto promises less Islam in the Netherlands. In 2016 he was convicted of inciting hatred and discrimination after leading a crowd chanting for fewer Moroccans in the country.

Following his victory Wednesday, Wilders appeared to tone down his anti-Islam rhetoric. If I become prime minister, I will be that for all Dutch people, regardless of who they are, their gender or religion, where they come from. For everyone, he said.

Softened tone

That civilized tone won him voters during the campaign, said Rachid Azrout, a political analyst at the University of Amsterdam.

Basically, what he said is, Of course, my hatred for Islam will still be a part of me, but I will put it aside and that doesn't need to be part of the government. So that way, I can become a more viable coalition partner, Azrout told VOA.

SEE ALSO: Dutch Election Candidates Make Migration Key Campaign Issue The election was held after the former government collapsed in July in a disagreement over a cap on the number of family members permitted to join immigrants in the country.

Because the government collapsed on the topic of immigration, that made the topic really important in the campaign. And so then actually, Geert Wilders was the one that actually profited from that, said Azrout.

Trump comparisons

Wilders mane of dyed blonde hair and conservative political agenda have drawn comparisons with Trump  a figure the Dutch politician has frequently praised in the past. Wilders program pledges Netherlands first, echoing the slogans of populist parties in Europe, the United States and beyond.

This is the international trend  a huge, anti-establishment populist revolt all over the place, all over the world, Rene Cuperus of the Clingendael Institute, a Dutch policy analyst group in The Hague, told Reuters.

Wilders has campaigned for the Netherlands to leave the European Union. He opposes Ukraines proposed membership of the bloc and wants to stop Dutch military support for Kyiv.

However, any coalition agreement will likely force Wilders to soften his stance.

A large majority of the Dutch population, but also most of the political parties, are very much in favor of the Netherlands being part of the European Union, and also that we should support Ukraine in the war against Russia, said analyst Azrout.

And so, yes, Geert Wilders and his party, they say we should have a Nexit  so that the Netherlands should leave the European Union  that we should have the guilder [old currency] back instead of the euro and not support Ukraine. But he realized, of course, that he is alone in that sense, Azrout said.

Coalition talks

Wilders' path to power will likely depend on whether the center-right People's Party for Freedom and Democracy, under new leader Dilan Yesilgoz  the daughter of Turkish immigrants  is willing to form a coalition with the far-right party, along with the centrist New Social Contract party under Pieter Omtzigt.

Both Yesilgoz and Omtzigt said during the campaign that they did not want to work with Wilders, although his clear victory could pressure them into opening coalition talks.

The center-left has already ruled out any coalition with Wilders and said its job was now to defend democracy. Analysts say a broad coalition between left and right parties is seen as unlikely at this stage.

Party leaders are due to meet on Friday to choose an explorer, an independent go-between who will hear from each party on what possibilities they envisage in potential coalition talks.

Meanwhile, far-right leaders across Europe sent Wilders their congratulations.
The European Parliament on Thursday condemned what it said were Iran's rights abuses against women, including "brutal murders," and its detention of EU nationals.

A nonbinding resolution slammed the "deterioration of the human rights situation in Iran, and the brutal murders of women by the Iranian authorities, including the 2023 Sakharov Prize laureate Jina Mahsa Amini," a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd who died last year in police custody.

Parliament members also called for the immediate release from detention of human rights defenders, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi.

The motion was adopted 516-4, with 27 abstentions.

Parliament members urged Tehran "to end immediately all discrimination against women and girls, including mandatory veiling, and to withdraw all gender discriminatory laws.

Amini's death last year sparked widespread street demonstrations against the Iranian government that security forces put down brutally. Hundreds of people have been killed or executed in the repression, and thousands have been arrested.

In October, the European Parliament awarded the EU's top rights honor, the Sakharov Prize, to Amini and to the "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement that sprang up after her death.

European lawmakers reiterated a call for EU states to designate Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a "terrorist organization" and for sanctions against the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and other top officials for human rights violations.

They also condemned Iran's "hostage diplomacy," which European governments say Iran uses to extract concessions from the West or gain the release of Iranians imprisoned abroad.
The EU is poised to give 900 million euros ($980 million) to Hungary as an advance on its part of post-COVID pandemic recovery funds which remain frozen in a dispute over the rule of law.

The European Commission said Thursday that the money, which it termed a "pre-financing," would go towards a greening of Hungary's energy production, once EU member states signed off on it.

Brussels' announcement came after Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban was accused of being ready to veto further EU aid to Ukraine and stall Kyiv's push for membership talks in order to unblock the frozen funds.

The nationalist leader, who has butted heads with Brussels over alleged democratic backsliding by his government and over attempts to reform the EU's asylum policies, has recently launched a public campaign hostile to the commission.

The EU executive on Thursday said it had given approval of Hungary's plan to spend 10.4 billion euros set aside for it from the post-coronavirus recovery and resilience fund  but that disbursement of the bulk of it was suspended until Budapest met rule-of-law conditions.

That 900-million-euro advance, however, was not subject to those conditions, a European Commission spokeswoman, Veerle Nuyts, said.

She said it was being given to Budapest because of the "urgency" to provide "the necessary liquidity" to Hungary, whose economy is in a fragile state, and to get energy projects off the ground.

To unlock the rest of the EU money, Hungary has to meet 27 conditions imposed by Brussels called "super milestones", covering areas such as judicial independence, the fight against corruption and rules about public procurement.

The commission spokeswoman said the EU would not pay out any requests from Hungary to tap the fund "until we find that the Hungarian plan satisfactorily complies with all the 27 super milestones."

She said the "pre-financing" amount would be deducted from any future disbursements and the commission "will recover" them if no disbursements end up being made.

As well as the billions frozen in the post-Covid recovery fund, Brussels has placed a hold on 22 billion euros in separate cohesion funds for Hungary until it can prove reforms have been taken to ensure the independence of judges, the rights of LGBTQI+ minorities and the independence of academics.

Hungary has adopted some changes it asserts meets demands related to the judiciary in a bid to receive 13 billion euros of that money.

Nuyts said those changes were viewed as "a good step in the right direction."
Finnish border guards and soldiers began erecting barriers including concrete obstacles topped with barbed wire at some crossing points on the Nordic countrys lengthy border with Russia to better control an influx of migrants, officials said Wednesday. Finland said it will close three more crossing points, leaving only one Arctic point open for migrants seeking asylum.

Some 600 migrants without proper visas and documentation, mostly from the Middle East and Africa, have arrived in Finland in November compared to a few dozen in September and October. The arrivals include residents of Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Kenya, Morocco and Somalia, border officials said.

"We need to do this to maintain order (at the crossing points) and guarantee the security of legal border traffic," Tomi Tirkkonen, deputy commander of the Kainuu border guard district in eastern Finland, told The Associated Press.

The Kremlin has voiced regret about Finlands decision to close the checkpoints and rejected Finnish authorities claims that Russia has encouraged the influx of migrants at the border to punish Finland for joining NATO.

Tirkkonen's district monitors and surveils two of Finlands nine crossing points on the border with Russia, which runs 1.340 kilometers, serves as the European Unions external border and makes up NATOs northeastern flank.

The Finnish government decided to close four busy Russia border crossings in southeastern Finland last week over suspicions of foul play by Russias border officials.

Late Wednesday, Prime Minister Petteri Orpo told reporters that measures taken on Nov. 16 "unfortunately haven't been able to stop this phenomenon; on the contrary."

He said the government would therefore close three more crossing points  Vartius, Kuusamo and Salla  and leave open only Raja-Jooseppi, Finland's northernmost checkpoint with Russia.

It's located about 1,100 kilometers north of the capital, Helsinki, and will remain, as of Saturday, the only Finnish crossing point that accepts asylum applications from migrants coming from Russia.

"Undoubtedly Russia is instrumentalizing migrants" as part of its "hydrid warfare" against Finland, said Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen on Wednesday. Finland joined NATO in April after decades of military non-alignment and pragmatic friendly relations with Moscow.

"We have proof showing that, unlike before, not only Russian border authorities are letting people without proper documentation to the Finnish border, but they are also actively helping them to the border zone," Valtonen said in an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Wednesday that Russian authorities are ready to work together with Finnish officials to reach an agreement on the border issue. She argued that Finland should have "put forward its concerns to work out a mutually acceptable solution or receive explanation," she said.

On Monday, the Russian foreign ministry summoned the Finnish ambassador in Moscow to lodge a formal protest over the closure of the most actively used checkpoints on the border.

Some 30-70 migrants have been arriving each day at the Vartius checkpoint in Kainuu and the Salla checkpoint in Finlands Arctic Lapland region, where winter conditions include minus 20-degree Celsius temperatures and plenty of snow.

Andrei Chibis, governor of Russias northern Murmansk region that borders Finland, on Wednesday posted pictures of migrants in a tent near the Salla checkpoint set up by the regional authorities to let them warm themselves up, eat and drink hot tea. He described the situation as a "humanitarian crisis" and blasted the Finnish authorities, saying, "Foreign citizens cant cross the border" to the Finnish side.

Most of the migrants are young men in their 20s and 30s but some are families with children and women, border guard data and photos from news outlets indicate.

The number of migrants attempting to cross into Finland is unusually high and Orpo's center-right government has accused Moscow of deliberately ushering migrants to the Russia-Finland border zone that is normally under heavy control by Russias Federal Security Service, or FSB.

"Theres been a remarkable change in Russias modus operandi" in regard to migrants and their movement on the Russia-Finland border, Tirkkonen said, adding that Finland is set to get some assistance from the EUs border and coast guard agency Frontex to deal with the situation.

Finland, a nation of 5.6 million people, joined NATO in direct response to Russias war with Ukraine. Many interpret Moscows migrant maneuvers as retaliation against Helsinki opting to join the Western military alliance, but analysts say Russias primary motive for such action remains unclear.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 23. Azerbaijani Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev met with Ambassador of China to Azerbaijan Guo Min, Trend reports.

During the meeting the sides expressed satisfaction with the successful development of Azerbaijani-Chinese relations and cooperation in political, trade-economic, transport-logistic, energy, agricultural, humanitarian and other spheres, and noted that interstate relations have the character of strategic partnership.

The importance of continuing mutually beneficial cooperation in the transport and transit sphere was also emphasized, in particular, the joint promotion of the Belt and Road Initiative, as well as the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (Middle Corridor).

In this context, a number of draft documents were discussed, which are planned to be signed in the near future in order to improve the legal framework, as well as expanding cooperation mechanisms.

Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
German authorities carried out raids Thursday in connection with a ban on the Palestinian militant group Hamas and the pro-Palestinian group Samidoun.

Germanys Interior Ministry said the raids took place at 15 properties in four states.

"With the bans on Hamas and Samidoun in Germany, we have sent a clear signal that we will not tolerate any glorification or support of the barbaric terror of Hamas against Israel," Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said in a statement.

The ministry says there are about 450 Hamas members in Germany and that they have engaged in propaganda and fundraising efforts.

Some information for this report came from Agence France-Presse and Reuters.


The militant Hezbollah group fired more than 50 rockets at military posts in northern Israel on Thursday, a day after an Israeli airstrike on a home in southern Lebanon killed five of the group's senior fighters.

The waves of rockets sent over the border represented one of the most intense bombardments since Hezbollah started attacking Israeli posts in the country's north at the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war.

Hezbollah has said that by heating up its actions on the Israel-Lebanon border, it is easing pressure on the Gaza Strip, where Israel's crushing aerial, ground and naval offensive has left more than 13,300 Palestinians dead and caused wide destruction in the sealed-off enclave.

The war was triggered by an October 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel that left about 1,200 people dead, most of them civilians, and resulted in about 240 hostages being taken to Gaza.

An agreement for a four-day cease-fire in Gaza and the release of dozens of hostages held by the militants and Palestinians imprisoned by Israel was set to take place Thursday, but it was later announced in Qatar, a main mediator, that the truce would go into effect Friday morning.

Hezbollah said in a series of statements Thursday that the volleys it fired toward Israeli posts included 48 Katyusha rockets that were directed at an Israeli army base in Beit Zeitem, about 10 kilometers south of the border.

Flurry of Hezbollah claims

In another attack, Hezbollah said its fighters monitored four Israeli soldiers as they took positions inside a house in the Manara Kibbutz, then fired an anti-tank missile that destroyed the house and killed the soldiers. Israel's military did not comment on the claim.

Hezbollah released at least 21 statements claiming attacks on Thursday alone, a one-day record since the fighting began last month. The group said its fighters also struck Israeli tanks.

The intense fire followed an Israeli airstrike on a house in Beit Yahoun, a village in southern Lebanon, that killed the five senior fighters, including Abbas Raad, the son of the head of Hezbollah's 13-member parliamentary bloc in Lebanon, Mohammed Raad.

The deaths brought the number of Hezbollah fighters killed in seven weeks of fighting to at least 83.

Thousands of people, including senior Hezbollah officials, attended Raad's funeral in the southern village of Jbaa. After a Thursday afternoon ceremony in the main square, the coffin, draped in Hezbollah's yellow flag, was carried to a cemetery for burial.

"When Netanyahu accepts to abide by a truce, this means he is not capable of wiping out the resistance," top Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine said in a funeral speech, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah met in Beirut on Thursday with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian. They discussed the war in Gaza and efforts to "stop the Israeli aggression," as well as the situation at the tense Lebanon-Israel border, according to a statement released by Hezbollah.

Amirabdollahian warned in comments to journalists upon his arrival Wednesday in Lebanon that the Israel-Hamas war could "spiral out of control" if a truce did not last.

Iran-backed factions in Iraq, including the militant group Kataib Hezbollah, have carried out more than 60 and rocket or suicide drone attacks at bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria. Kataib Hezbollah is allied with Lebanon's Hezbollah, but the groups have different leaders.

The U.S. military said Thursday that one of its warships in the Red Sea shot down bomb-carrying drones launched from territory controlled by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

The American military's Central Command said the USS Thomas Hudner, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, shot down the drones early Thursday morning. "The ship and crew sustained no damage or injury," Central Command said.
The new president of Maldives, Mohamed Muizzu, has moved swiftly to implement a campaign pledge to remove Indias military presence in his country by officially asking New Delhi to withdraw its military personnel from the Indian Ocean archipelago.

His administration has also said it is reviewing more than 100 agreements signed with India, including some in areas of defense and security.

Analysts call it a setback to Indias efforts to counter Chinas influence in the small, strategically located country to its south as Muizzu, seen as a pro-China leader, is likely to lean toward Beijing.

While New Delhis ties with Male, the capital of Maldives, grew significantly during the previous administration, that of former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, which followed an "India First" policy, Muizzu campaigned on an "India Out" platform, saying that the Indian military presence in the country compromised Maldivian sovereignty.

The 77 military personnel whom Muizzu wants India to take back are mainly pilots, crew and technicians who operate two helicopters and an aircraft used to assist the island nation in maritime surveillance, search and rescue operations and medical evacuations.

But in Maldives, the presence of the men during the election campaign was perceived as "boots on the ground."

"The way the issue was portrayed during the election, it seemed there was a strong Indian military presence in the country. That could have played into popular sentiments," said Azim Zahir, a research fellow at the University of Western Australia and Maldivian analyst.

"But this was not really the case," he said, "After they came to power, they released the figure and it was just about 77 personnel."

The last decade has witnessed a geopolitical tug of war between India and China for a strategic presence in the Maldives, similar to that seen in such other South Asian countries as Sri Lanka. These island countries straddle vital sea routes through which much of the oil from Middle Eastern countries heads to South, Southeast, and East Asia.

China established a significant presence in the Maldives from 2013-18 when it moved closer to Beijing and joined its Belt and Road Initiative. Among Chinas biggest projects is a $200 million four-lane bridge connecting Male with the international airport, which is on a different island.

New Delhis influence expanded in the last five years under the pro-India Solih administration that lost power in the September elections. The polls were called a virtual referendum on which of the two Asian countries would have greater sway in the Maldives.

Muizzu, though, said at his inauguration that he will "draw lines of independence and sovereignty very clearly."

"I will keep friendships with foreign countries. There wont be any enmity, with countries close and far away," according to Muizzu. He has also said he will seek stronger investment ties with both India and China.

Analysts in New Delhi say it remains to be seen how Muizzu will navigate his relations between the two Asian countries that are bitter rivals.

"We will have to wait and watch whether he leans one way or the other. While he is seen as pro-China, I think he will have to take Indias sensitivities into account," Harsh Pant, vice president of studies and foreign policy at the Observer Research Foundation said.

"Countries like Maldives have become very important at a time when contestation between great powers is becoming very vivid in the Indian Ocean region," he said.

In a sign of the growing geostrategic importance of Maldives, the United States opened an embassy in Male in September and Australia opened a high commission in May.

"The decision of the new president to evict Indian military personnel is a setback to not just India but also the Quad countries," according to Chintamani Mahapatra, founder of the Kalinga Institute of Indo-Pacific Studies in New Delhi. "These countries wanted Maldives to participate in their effort to maintain peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region."

The Quad grouping  Australia, India, Japan and the United States  aims to counter China in the Indian Ocean and Pacific region.

For China, close ties with the Maldives could help expand its reach further in the Indian Ocean, said Mahapatra.

Analysts say it is not clear what direction Muizzus foreign policy will take.

"He will definitely seek more Chinese economic assistance, no doubt about that, but that does not mean that at a strategic level Maldives will become closer to China to the detriment of India," according to Zahir. "However, New Delhi will have to concede his key demand of withdrawing its military personnel."

Analysts say India will wait to see how the new administrations policies unfold.

New Delhi and Male have agreed to discuss "workable solutions" to continue the use of Indias helicopters and aircraft following a meeting last Saturday between Muizzu and India's minister of earth sciences, Kiren Rijiju, in Male, according to the Press Trust of India. New Delhi has said that in the last five years, its military personnel carried out more than 500 evacuations.

"India cannot ignore Maldives, that is a given. But Maldives also cannot ignore India. India will see how this balance is struck by the new government which may have come to office on a pro-China sentiment, but which will have to take into account realities on the ground when it governs," according to Pant.
Qatar said Thursday an announcement about the start of a pause in fighting between Israel and Hamas and the release of hostages and prisoners could come later in the day, after delays in implementing the agreement also meant to help humanitarian aid reach the Gaza Strip.

"The truce agreement that was reached will be concluded in the coming hours," Qatari Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said.

Israels national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, said in a statement late Wednesday that negotiations were continuing and that the first hostages held by Hamas in Gaza would not be released until at least Friday.

Under the deal, Israel is set to pause its attacks on Gaza for four days. Hamas is due to release 50 women and children it seized during an October attack on Israel, and Israel is expected to free 150 Palestinian prisoners.

None of the identities of those being freed has been disclosed, but U.S. officials said they believe some of the nine American hostages believed to be held by Hamas would be among those released.

Israels military said Thursday it carried out aerial attacks on 300 Hamas targets during the past day, including tunnels, warehouses and anti-tank positions used by the militant group.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to ensure Hamas is unable to attack Israel in the future. He said in a news conference late Wednesday that following the end of a cease-fire period, Israels military would resume its campaign in Gaza.

"I want to be clear. The war is continuing. The war is continuing. We will continue it until we achieve all our goals," Netanyahu said.

Israel began its military campaign to wipe out Hamas after the U.S.-designated terrorist group launched a cross-border attack on October 7. Israel said 1,200 people were killed that day and about 240 hostages taken back to Gaza.

The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 12,000 Palestinians, including at least 5,000 children, have been killed in Israel's military offensive in the Gaza Strip.

U.S. President Joe Biden expressed his appreciation to Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani of Qatar and President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi of Egypt for helping broker the deal. Biden praised the commitment of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the brief stop in the fighting to ensure this deal can be fully carried out and to ensure the provision of additional humanitarian assistance to alleviate the suffering of innocent Palestinian families in Gaza.

But Netanyahu said Israel would resume the war after the truce and keep fighting "until we achieve all our goals," including the destruction of Hamas' fighting and governing abilities and the return of all hostages.

Several countries, including Britain, France, China and Russia, also welcomed the agreement.

Qatar's Tamim said he hoped the deal would eventually lead to a permanent cease-fire and "serious talks" on resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israel said the four-day stop in fighting would be extended an extra day for every additional 10 hostages freed by Hamas. The International Committee of the Red Cross said it could assist with any release.

Israel's Justice Ministry published a list of 300 prisoners eligible to be let out as part of the deal, mainly teenagers detained over the past year for rock-throwing and other minor offenses. Under Israeli law, the public has 24 hours to object to any release.

The Israeli military says it has detained more than 1,850 Palestinians in the West Bank since the war began, mostly suspected Hamas members. More than 200 Palestinians have been killed there, mainly during battles triggered by army raids. Attacks by Jewish settlers have also surged.

The pause in fighting will also allow for more humanitarian aid to reach Palestinians in Gaza. Such assistance has been sharply curtailed since the fighting began.

The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said 80 trucks reached the Palestinian enclave on Wednesday, bringing the total during the past month to 1,479 truckloads of aid. The agency said an average of 10,000 truckloads of commercial and humanitarian commodities were reaching Gaza each month prior to the conflict.

The United Nations said more than 1.7 million people have been displaced within Gaza, including 945,000 people staying at over-capacity U.N.-run shelters.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
A truce between Israel and Hamas will begin Friday at 7 a.m. local time (0500 GMT), with the first group of hostages set to be released from Gaza at 4 p.m., according to a spokesperson for the foreign ministry of Qatar, which is helping to negotiate the deal.

The truce  the first since the war began last month  will include a comprehensive cease-fire in north and south Gaza, spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari told journalists in Doha.

According to the deal, 50 women and children who were abducted from Israel by the militant group Hamas on October 7 will be released in exchange for 150 Palestinian women and minors jailed in Israel.

Thirteen hostages will be released from Gaza on Friday, and additional groups of hostages will be released each day of the cease-fire until 50 are freed.

We all hope that this truce will lead to a chance to start a wider work to achieve a permanent truce, Al-Ansari said.

At the request of the Israeli government, child abuse experts from Jerusalems Haruv Institute have developed guidelines on how Israeli soldiers should handle the minors once they are released from Gaza.

Israel has received an initial list of the hostages who are to be released from Gaza on Friday, the Israeli prime ministers office said Thursday.

The relevant authorities are checking the details of the list and are presently in contact with all the families, the prime ministers office said in a statement.

Under the deal, Israel is to pause its attacks on Gaza for four days. Additionally, Hamas confirmed on its Telegram channel that attacks from its forces also would pause.

The truce could last beyond the initial four days, Israel said, if Hamas releases at least 10 hostages per day. The Qatari spokesperson said Doha hopes to broker another agreement to release more hostages from Gaza by the truces fourth day.

The 50 hostages were initially expected to be released on Thursday. Israels national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, said in a statement late Wednesday that negotiations were continuing and that the first hostages held by Hamas in Gaza would not be released until at least Friday.

None of the identities of those being freed has been disclosed, but U.S. officials said they believe some of the nine American hostages believed to be held by Hamas would be among those released.

Egypt, which is also involved in the negotiations, is receiving lists of hostages and prisoners who are to be released, Diaa Rashwan, the head of Egypts state information service, said in a statement. He called on both sides to honor the agreement.

Israel and Hamas have both said they will return to fighting once the truce concludes.

The spokesperson of Hamas armed wing on Thursday called for the escalation of hostilities with Israel.

We call for escalation of the confrontation with the occupation throughout the West Bank and all resistance fronts, Abu Ubaida, the spokesperson of the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades, said in a video message aired by Al Jazeera TV.

Israels military said Thursday it carried out aerial attacks on 300 Hamas targets during the past day, including tunnels, warehouses and anti-tank positions used by the militant group. Operations will continue until troops get the order to stop, an army spokesperson said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to ensure Hamas is unable to attack Israel in the future. He said in a news conference late Wednesday that following the end of a cease-fire period, Israels military would resume its campaign in Gaza.

I want to be clear. The war is continuing. The war is continuing. We will continue it until we achieve all our goals, Netanyahu said.

Israel began its military campaign to wipe out Hamas after the U.S.-designated terrorist group launched a cross-border attack on October 7. Israel said 1,200 people were killed that day and about 240 hostages taken back to Gaza.

The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 13,300 Palestinians, including at least 5,000 children, have been killed in Israel's military offensive in the Gaza Strip.

Israel announced Thursday it had detained the head of Gazas Shifa Hospital for questioning over his role in what it said was the hospitals use by Hamas as a command center.

International concern has centered on the targeting of Gazas hospitals. Hospitals in northern Gaza are no longer functional, the territorys Health Ministry said.

Israel said the four-day stop in fighting would be extended an extra day for every 10 additional hostages freed by Hamas. The International Committee of the Red Cross said it could assist with any release.

Israels Justice Ministry published a list of 300 prisoners eligible to be freed as part of the deal, mainly teenagers detained over the past year for rock-throwing and other minor offenses. Under Israeli law, the public has 24 hours to object to any release.

The Israeli military says it has detained more than 1,850 Palestinians in the West Bank since the war began, mostly suspected Hamas members. More than 200 Palestinians have been killed there, mainly during battles triggered by army raids. Attacks by Jewish settlers have also surged.
King Charles III honored the K-pop band Blackpink on Wednesday for their work in raising awareness about climate change, as South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged closer cooperation between their two countries on technology and defense.

On the second day of Yoons three-day state visit to London, Charles made Blackpink members Jennie Kim, Jisoo Kim and Lalisa Manoban honorary Members of the Order of the British Empire.

Bandmate Roseanne (Rose) Park also received an MBE, although hers came without the honorary qualifier because she has dual citizenship in New Zealand, one of the 14 countries where the U.K. monarch is head of state.

The honors were presented during a ceremony at Buckingham Palace in recognition of Blackpinks role in promoting the work of the COP26 summit on climate change two years ago in Glasgow, Scotland. The awards are part of Britains honors system, which recognizes outstanding service to the nation and the wider world.

Charles had lauded the K-pop girl group on Tuesday during a state banquet in honor of Yoon and first lady Kim Keon Hee "for their role in bringing the message of environmental sustainability to a global audience.

I can only admire how they can prioritize these vital issues, as well as being global superstars, Charles said at the banquet.

The Korean president is being treated to royal and diplomatic pomp on the visit, which the U.K. government hopes will help cement an Indo-Pacific tilt in its foreign and trade policy.

Yoon met Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at the British leader's 10 Downing St. residence for talks focused on trade, technology and defense.

To coincide with the visit, U.K. and Korean officials launched talks on an upgraded free trade agreement to replace their current deal, which largely replicates the arrangements the U.K. had before it left the European Union.

The leaders also signed an agreement dubbed the Downing Street Accord, pledging closer cooperation on defense and technology, including artificial intelligence. Britain hosted the first international AI Safety Summit this month, and South Korea intends to hold a follow-up event next year.

The two countries also agreed to joint naval patrols to curb smuggling and enforce U.N. sanctions imposed on North Korea to curb its nuclear weapons ambitions.

Your state visit underlies the deep partnership and friendship between our two countries and the signing of the Downing Street Accord today strengthens that friendship," Sunak told the South Korean leader.

Yoon has not commented directly on North Korea's launch of a spy satellite on Tuesday or its suspected failed missile test on Wednesday, both of which took place while he was in London.

In a speech to both houses of Britain's parliament on Tuesday, Yoon said Britain and South Korea would work together on geopolitical risks like the war in Ukraine, the Israel and Hamas conflict, and the North Korean nuclear threats.

"Korea stands united with the United Kingdom and the international community to fight against illegal aggression and provocations," he said.
Iran secretly executed a man on Thursday after convicting him of killing a member of the security forces during mass protests that swept the country last year, rights groups said.

It was the eight execution Iran has carried out in a case related to the protests which erupted in September 2022 following the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a young Iranian Kurd who had been arrested for allegedly violating Iran's strict dress rules for women.

Milad Zohrevand was executed at dawn in a prison in the western city of Hamadan, the Norway-based Hengaw organization said.

He had been sentenced to death for killing a Revolutionary Guards officer during a protest in the town of Malayer in November last year.

Hengaw, which focuses on Kurdish issues, said that Zohrevand had received no prior notification that his execution was imminent and was not granted a final meeting with his family.

The execution of Zohrevand, who was in his early 20s, has not been reported by media inside Iran.

The Dadban legal collective also confirmed the execution on social media, adding that Zohrevand had been denied a lawyer.

Iranian authorities have already executed seven men in cases related to the 2022 protests, drawing condemnation from human rights groups and Western governments.

The last such executions were of three men in May. Amnesty International said they were intended to "send a strong message to the world and the people of Iran that they will stop at nothing to crush and punish dissent."

Iran launched a sweeping crackdown to snuff out the protests that saw hundreds killed and thousands arrested, according to rights groups and the United Nations.

Iran has executed at least 680 people this year, mostly on murder and drug-related charges, according to Oslo-based group Iran Human Rights.
Fruit exports are a key issue in Taiwans January presidential election in the aftermath of Beijings 2021 ban on Taiwanese pineapples.

Since then, China has been limiting imports of Taiwanese fruits as cross-strait tensions have increased, in what appears to be a move to influence the farm vote in favor of the Kuomintang Party (KMT).

The KMT is widely seen as pro-Beijing and thus more likely than the ruling Democratic Progressive Party to secure a reversal of the bans, even though the DPP is traditionally strong in agricultural areas.

But electoral success by the KMT is no guarantee that China will open its markets. Nor is it clear that, if the bans were reversed, Chinese consumers would buy products such as atemoyas and pomelos in pre-pandemic quantities, given the mainlands sluggish economy, say farmers like Hsieh Tsung-hsien, who grows atemoyas in Taitung.

Hsieh told VOA Mandarin he didn't know which candidate could help farmers, who prioritize selling their crops at a profit over politics.

Chen Chi-chung, Taiwans former minister of agriculture, told VOA Mandarin that because agricultural exports and imports are covered by internationally determined, government-controlled quarantine negotiations, the sector is prone to political interference. He said Beijing can reject a Taiwanese product by issuing findings such as "incompatible with international standards" without proof or detailed explanations.

Citing data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Chen Chi-chung said Taiwan's reliance on the Chinese market has dropped significantly. China accounted for 12.9% of Taiwan's fruit exports in 2022, down from 22.9% in 2018. In the same period, the share of Taiwanese fruit sold to China dropped to 3% from 70%.

Chen Chiou-lan, a pomelo farmer in Hualien, echoed Hsieh, telling VOA Mandarin that farmers care only about their crops "being sold at a good price, which will improve our quality of life. So, no matter what kind of policies a candidate proposes, it is more important that they can implement them. Not just a slogan."

That is why the presidential candidates are addressing farmers concerns as they campaign. Theyre speaking about automating farm tasks and bringing in migrant workers to ease labor shortages in aging Taiwan. Theyre setting out their ideas on the cold-chain technology that is used in the transit, processing, storage and display of temperature-sensitive products like fruits; and on marketing and reducing reliance on China, which views self-governing Taiwan as its own territory.

Hsieh said, "The market in Taiwan is actually small and relies on exports, which is also the reality. Fresh fruits do not contain preservatives and will deteriorate during transportation, so I think the cold-chain technology must be applied and improved."

Chen Chi-chung, then agriculture minister, said that after China banned Taiwan's pineapples in March 2021, Taiwan employed its cold-chain systems to open export channels with Japan. In April, Japanese imports of Taiwanese pineapples increased 640% over the prior month, according to Fruitnet, which reported that by May, Taiwanese pineapple imports had increased by more than 800% since the ban.

"These measures stabilized the price of pineapples at the farm gate and ensured farmers incomes," said Taiwans Agricultural Ministry in a release a year later on April 4, 2022. At that time, the boxes used for shipping pineapples to Japan were in short supply because of COVID-related supply-chain issues and the ministry was touting the use of special pineapple baskets.

The Chinese market was once open to Taiwans producers. In 2005, Beijing reduced tariffs on more than 10 varieties of fruit, after KMT Chairman Lien Chan visited China, a first since the anti-communist KMT fled the mainland in 1949 when the communists formed the Peoples Republic of China.

Then, in 2021 after the pineapple ban, China banned atemoyas, a U.S.-developed hybrid of a custard apple and a cherimoya, citing an insect infestation. Chen Chi-chung said in a press briefing then that China had no "scientific proof" of that.

China lifted the atemoya ban for those grown in Taitung in June.

Pomelo farmers have also been impacted by the Taiwan Strait fruit standoff. After then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi defied China and visited Taiwan in 2022 to support the islands "vibrant democracy," Beijing banned Taiwanese pomelos. Prices fell and by August 2023, after fertilizer and labor costs increased, Chen Chiou-Lan said some farmers didnt even bother to harvest their pomelos.

Chen Chiou-lan said most farmers believe the Kuomintang Party will ease the cross-strait tension and help export agricultural products to China.

However, if the DPP remains in power, the pomelo farmers worry Taiwan's agricultural products may face more export restrictions. She said the only solution is to rely on the government to expand overseas marketing channels.

Adrianna Zhang contributed to this report.
The Gershkovich family is accustomed to having Thanksgiving without their son, journalist Evan Gershkovich, since he has lived abroad as a reporter for several years. But this year, his absence at the Thanksgiving table weighs particularly heavily because Gershkovich is jailed in a Russian prison. Having a Thanksgiving with Evan there would have been a huge treat. But, of course, this Thanksgiving, its just hard, Danielle Gershkovich, Evans sister, told VOA. Theres a literal, physical darkness, she said.

As millions of people across the United States and the world celebrate Thanksgiving on Thursday, two American journalists  Gershkovich, as well as Radio Free Europe/Radio Libertys Alsu Kurmasheva  are spending the holiday jailed in Russia on charges that are widely viewed as groundless and politically motivated.

It is shameful these Americans are spending Thanksgiving in a Russian prison, rather than celebrating at home with their families, Daniel Kanigan, deputy spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, told VOA in a statement.

Gershkovich, a Russia correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, has been detained since March on espionage charges that he, his employer and the U.S. government vehemently deny. The U.S. government has declared Gershkovich wrongfully detained.

Gershkovichs pretrial detention is set to expire on November 30. Originally set to expire in May, his pretrial detention has already been extended twice.

Paul Beckett, an assistant editor at The Wall Street Journal who is leading the newspapers effort to secure Gershkovichs release, predicts his colleagues pretrial detention will be extended for another three-month period.

Alsu Kurmasheva Meanwhile, Kurmasheva, an editor with the Tatar-Bashkir Service of VOAs sister outlet RFE/RL, has been detained since mid-October on charges of failing to register as a foreign agent. She and her employer reject the foreign agent charges, which are often used to target the Kremlins critics.

Based in Prague, the dual U.S.-Russian national traveled to Russia in May for a family emergency. Kurmashevas passports were confiscated when she tried to leave the country in June, and she was waiting for her passports to be returned when she was detained last month. She will be held in pretrial detention until at least December 5.

Russias Washington embassy did not reply to VOAs email requesting comment.

On a typical Thanksgiving, Kurmasheva joins her family and friends for a bountiful meal with gratitude for the love and support weve experienced throughout the year, her husband, Pavel Butorin, told VOA in a statement.

This Thanksgiving, jailed in Russia, Alsu will be receiving prison food through a small window in her cell, said Butorin, who is the director of Current Time TV, a Russian-language TV and digital network led by RFE/RL in partnership with VOA.

Alsu is not a criminal. She deserves to be with family and friends on her favorite American holiday, not confined in a prison cell, Butorin said. We love her and miss her at our Thanksgiving table.

Butorin has previously called on the U.S. government to declare Kurmasheva wrongfully detained, which would open additional government resources to help secure her release.

SEE ALSO: Husband of Journalist Jailed in Russia Calls on US for Help We are also closely following the detention of Alsu Kurmasheva and remain deeply concerned about the extension of her pretrial detention, said Kanigan, from the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. The Department of State continuously reviews the circumstances surrounding the detentions of U.S. nationals overseas, including those in Russia, for indicators that they are wrongful.

In his statement, Kanigan also renewed calls for Russian authorities to immediately release Gershkovich, as well as Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine serving a 16-year sentence for espionage. Like Gershkovich, Whelan has been declared wrongfully detained.

A different Thanksgiving For the Gershkovich family, Thanksgiving is usually a casual affair, according to Danielle Gershkovich, who said they focus on spending time together as a family, especially when her brother managed to travel home from work for the holiday.

Especially the more time we were apart from one another in college and Evan being abroad, it was an excuse to have family dinner together, she said.

Evan is an amazing cook, she said, so he and their dad would do something extravagant, Danielle said. My mom and I got to reap the rewards and clean up after.

This Thanksgiving, some of Gershkovichs journalist friends, whom he met while working in Russia, are traveling from Europe to the Gershkovich home to celebrate the holiday together, she said.

Danielle said her family is able to stay in touch with Evan through letters. Their correspondence is full of jokes, she said, adding that she has also taken to giving her brother tarot card readings through their letters in an effort to keep him entertained.

Hes working really hard to keep himself in good spirits. Im just so amazed by him, she said. I dont think I could be staying as strong as I am  or my parents either  if it werent for seeing him. If he can do it, so can we.

As part of The Wall Street Journals campaign to secure Gershkovichs release, assistant editor Beckett said the outlet is asking people to save a seat at their Thanksgiving table to remember Evan and what he is going through in Lefortovo Prison.
ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, November 23. The delegation of Turkmenistan paid a study visit to Georgia to study the successful projects of this country on sustainable energy, as well as the best practices of the EU, Trend reports.

The delegation included representatives of the Turkmenenergo State Electric Power Corporation and the scientific and production center of the State Energy Institute of Turkmenistan.

The organizer of the visit is the EU project 'Sustainable Energy Links in Central Asia' (SECCA).

During the visit, the Turkmen delegation met with representatives of the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, the Georgian Energy Development Fund, the energy efficiency center of the Georgian State Electrosystem (GSE) company.

Furthermore, the delegates also got acquainted with the general strategic and legal framework for promoting sustainable energy, practical aspects of promoting energy efficiency in buildings (inventory of government buildings, energy certification of buildings), practical aspects of promoting industry (register of large enterprises, high-quality energy audits).

Meanwhile, Turkmenistan is working hard to fortify its energy industry, using advanced methods to renewable energy.

The country is studying other countries' best practices, particularly Georgia's successful experience, in order to adopt innovative solutions and enhance energy efficiency, thereby contributing to sustainable development and lowering reliance on traditional energy sources.

Stay up to date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
The White House is dismissing China's recent diplomatic engagement in the Israel-Hamas conflict, part of Beijing's attempt to position itself as a more credible peacemaker in the Middle East than the U.S.

"We're comfortable with our relationships. We're comfortable with American leadership in the region. We're comfortable that we have the ability to work through partners in the region to achieve outcomes and results that are beneficial to all of us," National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said in an interview with VOA Wednesday.

Chinese top diplomat Wang Yi has been stepping up peacemaking efforts in Gaza, meeting with Arab and Muslim officials Monday and calling for an immediate cease-fire and more humanitarian aid for Gaza.

The Beijing meeting is the first leg of a tour to the capitals of permanent members of the United Nations Security Council by a delegation of ministers from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, Indonesia and Nigeria.

The so-called Peace Committee, appointed during the Nov. 11 Joint Arab-Islamic Extraordinary Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, held subsequent meetings in London and Moscow this week, with further travel planned to Paris and Washington.

Wang told the foreign officials that the decision to start their tour in Beijing is evidence of the high level of trust in his nation. The meeting saw Arab officials praising China's stance and disparaging Washington's.

In comments posted by his ministry on X, formerly known as Twitter, Egyptian foreign minister Sameh Shoukry told Wang, "We look forward to a stronger role on the part of great powers such as China in order to stop the attacks against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Unfortunately, there are major countries that give cover to the current Israeli attacks."

China's stance on Gaza war

Within days of Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel, China launched a diplomatic blitz, positioning itself as a "friend to both Israel and Palestine" and urging for a cease-fire.

Beijing has called for an "international peace conference," promising "impartial conciliation and mediation" and contrasting its position to U.S. full-throated support of Israel's right to defend itself.

China has repeatedly shown its support of the Palestinian cause on international forums, including during Tuesday's virtual meeting of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) bloc of developing nations.

"The root cause of the Palestinian-Israeli situation is the fact that the right of the Palestinian people to statehood, their right to existence and their right of return have long been ignored," said Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Xi is capitalizing on the opportunity to improve ties with the Arab and Muslim world, said Yun Sun, director of the China Program at the Stimson Center.

"Yes, there's an element of conflict resolution. But at this point, it seems a resolution is very unlikely to transpire," she told VOA. "I think the Chinese priority is basically to use this opportunity to consolidate and strengthen relationships."

Beijing has high stakes in the Middle East related to its economic and energy security. As a key trading partner for Middle East countries and the largest consumer of Saudi oil  and as it has rapidly boosted its oil purchase from Iran in recent years China has every reason to ensure regional stability and stop the war in Gaza from broadening.

Beijing, however, also has an interest in undermining Washington, its strategic rival, said Jonathan Rynhold, head of the Department of Political Studies at Bar-Ilan University. By calling for a cease-fire, Rynhold told VOA, Beijing can be "both against American policy and trying to stop the spread of the conflict that could threaten their interests."

And unlike Washington, Beijing does not describe Hamas attacks as terrorism and maintains that Israeli retaliation has gone beyond the acceptable under international humanitarian law  a position shared by many countries in the Global South, including Indonesia, home to 13% of the world's Muslims.

No Chinese security investment

Under Xi, China has pushed its image as an international mediator in the Middle East, securing a normalization deal between Saudi Arabia and Iran earlier this year.

"In terms of political and diplomatic engagement, China is catching up quite rapidly," Yun said.

As China pitches itself as an alternative to the U.S.-led political and security order, however, it has not increased its security investments in the region.

"You can see how hollow Chinese power is in that they can't guarantee stability themselves," Rynhold said, adding that Beijing has "very little leverage" beyond the pressure it can exert on Tehran to refrain from broadening the conflict.

China was not involved in the Tuesday deal to secure a dayslong temporary cease-fire to allow for the release of around 50 hostages held by Hamas in return for 150 Palestinian prisoners and ensure more aid into Gaza.

By contrast, U.S. President Joe Biden was "personally involved," Kirby said. On Wednesday, Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to welcome the deal, and he thanked the leaders of Qatar and Egypt for their roles in reaching the agreement.

In a statement Tuesday, Netanyahu said he had personally asked Biden to join and "improve" the mediation effort.

"Indeed, it has been improved to include more hostages and at a lower cost," he said.

A National Security Council spokesperson told VOA Wednesday the U.S. has been actively engaged with countries in the Middle East, leading efforts to increase the flow of humanitarian assistance and urging Israel to restore access to water and electricity in Gaza.

"The president was able to broker a deal to enable the Rafah crossing to reopen. Israel began allowing fuel into Gaza for NGOs at our strong request," the spokesperson said.

Despite his efforts in increasing humanitarian aid for Gazans, Biden is losing ground with voters of his own party on his handling of the Israel-Hamas war, hitting the lowest approval rating of his presidency.

According to a new NBC News poll, 41% of Democrats disapprove of Biden's handling of the conflict.

The survey also found that 51% of Democrats and 42% of young voters believe Israel has gone too far in its military operations.

Paris Huang contributed to this report.
Cindy Dyer, the U.S. ambassador-at-large for monitoring and combating trafficking, is planning to push Cambodias new government to ramp up its efforts to crack down on cyberscam operations that trap many trafficking victims in slavelike conditions.

A recently completed visit to Phnom Penh by Dyer will serve as an opportunity for information sharing and coordination on anti-trafficking efforts, the State Department said last week in a release.

Dyer met with a range of officials with the objective of building a relationship with the new government for future coordination and advocating for progress in the most critical areas, including increased investigations and prosecutions of cyberscam operations, said the November 15 release.

Cambodias role as host of cybercriminals has been in an international spotlight. The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) released a report this summer estimating that the industry has victimized 100,000 people in Cambodia.

Lured by promise of jobs

Operators of these scamming networks recruit unwitting workers from across Asia, often with the promise of well-paying tech jobs, and then force them to attempt to scam victims online while living in slavelike conditions, according to the report.

Countries including Indonesia, Taiwan and China have urged countries like Cambodia and Laos to crack down on the industry, while warning their own citizens of the dangers in traveling to these countries, according to the UNHCHR report.

The U.S. State Departments annual report on global human trafficking, released in June, placed Cambodia in Tier 3, meaning the government has made insufficient efforts to address human trafficking and does not meet the minimum standards.

During her two-day visit to Cambodia that began November 15, Dyer met with officials from the ministries of justice, labor and social affairs, as well as representatives of the National Police and the National Committee for Counter Trafficking (NCCT) within the Ministry of Interior, according to an email from the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh. Dyer also held discussions with civil society groups working on combating human trafficking.

The discussions focused on Cambodias efforts to protect trafficking victims, including providing protection assistance services for victims of trafficking and vulnerable migrants, capacity building for service providers and government officials to improve victim identification and referral, and addressing emerging trends in forced criminality, the State Department release said.

More training urged

Am Sam Ath, operations director at the Cambodian rights group Licadho, told VOA Khmer that Dyers visit highlighted the need for Cambodia to tackle human trafficking and online scams.

We see that the United States  ranks Cambodia third in the blacklist of human trafficking. It also has a lot of impact on our country, and if Cambodia does not make an effort further in the prevention of human trafficking or online scams, the ranking cannot be improved, he said by telephone from the groups Phnom Penh office.

He called on the Cambodian government to strengthen the capacity of officials and authorities to crack down on online crime.

"This crime problem is technologically modern, so the authorities involved in it have to get more training to keep up with the situation, as well as the timing of the crime, Am Sam Ath added.

National Police spokesperson Chhay Kim Khoeun and Justice Ministry spokesperson Chin Malin declined to comment on Dyers visit, referring questions to Chou Bun Eng, permanent deputy chairman of the National Committee for Counter Trafficking. VOA Khmer called Chou Bun Eng, but she did not respond to a request for comment.

U.S. Embassy spokesperson Katherine Diop told VOA Khmer that Dyers visit to Cambodia was part of a U.S. effort across the world to encourage governments to take responsibility for preventing human trafficking and protecting victims.

The United States stands with the Cambodian people to identify, support and seek justice for human trafficking victims, she wrote in an email.

The UNHCHR report released in late August said the online scams were occurring in five countries in Southeast Asia: Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar and the Philippines.

People who have been trafficked into online forced criminality face threats to their right to life, liberty and security of the person, said the U.N. report. They are subject to torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment, arbitrary detention, sexual violence, forced labor and other forms of labor exploitation as well as a range of other human rights violations and abuses.

Cambodia first acknowledged the issue last year when Interior Minister Sar Kheng said in August that officials were being deployed across the country to check hotels, casinos and other establishments for potential trafficking victims.

The government has since announced sporadic operations to free victims and arrest traffickers. However, experts recently told VOA Khmer that these efforts have not noticeably curbed the illegal operations or caught ringleaders of the trafficking networks.
Authorities in several West African countries are trying to manage their huge diphtheria outbreaks, including in Nigeria where a top health official said Thursday that millions are being vaccinated to cover wide gaps in immunity against the disease.

At least 573 people out of the 11,640 diagnosed with the disease in Nigeria have died since the current outbreak started in December 2022, though officials estimate the toll  now on the decline because of treatment efforts  could be much higher across states unable to detect many cases.

In Niger, 37 people had died out of the 865 cases as of October, while Guinea has reported 58 deaths out of 497 since its outbreak started in June.

"As far as the history that I am aware of, this is the largest outbreak that we have had," Ifedayo Adetifa, head of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, told The Associated Press.

The highly contagious bacterial infection has been reported in 20 of Nigeria's 36 states so far.

A major driver of the high rate of infection in the region has been a historically wide vaccination gap, the French medical organization Doctors Without Borders, or MSF, said in a statement on Tuesday.

In Nigeria, only 42% of children under 15 years old are fully protected from diphtheria, according to a government survey, while Guinea has a 47% immunization rate  both far below the 80-85% rate recommended by the World Health Organization to maintain community protection.

The fate of the affected countries is worsened by the global shortages of the diphtheria vaccine as demand has increased to respond to outbreaks, MSF said.

"We're not seeing vaccination happen, not at the scale that is needed," said Dr. Dagemlidet Tesfaye Worku, emergency medical program manager for MSF in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. "What is needed is a truly massive scale-up of vaccination, as soon as possible."

The Nigerian government is ramping up vaccination for targeted populations while assisting states to boost their capacity to detect and manage cases, said Adetifa, the Nigeria CDC head.

But several states continue to struggle, including Kano, which accounts for more than 75% of cases in Nigeria but has only two diphtheria treatment centers, according to Abubakar Labaran Yusuf, the state's top health official.

"Once people have to travel or move significant distances to access treatment, that becomes a challenge," Adetifa said.
Ten years ago, thousands of Ukrainians gathered in Kyivs Independence Square to demand a European future for their country. Their actions set into motion a decade of revolution, turmoil and conflict, culminating in Russias full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022. A decade on from the protests, Ukraines path in the European Union is set to be decided at an upcoming summit in Brussels.

Euromaidan

In late November 2013, under intense pressure from Russia, Ukraines then-President Viktor Yanukovych pulled out of signing an association agreement with the European Union, opting instead to sign a loan and energy deal with Moscow.

Living under Yanukovych in Ukraine was humiliating. Nobody cared about the people. The authorities didnt hide their criminal, completely pro-Russian nature, said Dmytro Riznychenko, who took part in the demonstrations. We wanted to find human dignity. We wanted freedom.

Revolution of dignity"

After several days of peaceful protests, Ukrainian police converged to clear Independence Square in a brutal crackdown on the show of dissent. In response, thousands more Ukrainians joined the protests from across the country. In the grip of winter, central Kyiv was barricaded by the demonstrators, as riot police formed lines to protect government buildings.

Heavily armed riot police tried to take back control of the capital in February 2014. In the violence, 108 protesters were killed, with dozens shot by police snipers. A global outcry triggered the resignation of Yanukovych, who fled to Russia.

The events became known as Ukraines revolution of dignity. Its victims are commemorated via memorials in Independence Square.

Russian invasion

Olga Tokariuk, who now works for the British policy group Chatham House, took part in the Euromaidan demonstrations.

We had no idea what was ahead, she told VOA. Of course, we could not have imagined that there would be Russias invasion and that there would be war that would last for nine years already, that there would be Russia's full-scale invasion, that millions of Ukrainians would have to leave their homes. Thousands would be killed in this war. Many of the people who were on the square in Maidan would be killed in this war.

Russia forcefully annexed Crimea in March 2014, and fomented a separatist war in eastern Ukraine, a prelude to its full-scale invasion eight years later.

Buffer zone

Ukraine elected a pro-Western government following the revolution and demanded EU membership. But Brussels said Ukraine wasnt ready  and that proved fateful, says Tokariuk.

Ukraine paid a huge price for its desire to be a part of the European family, where it rightfully belongs. And unfortunately for a very long time, Ukraine was denied this possibility. Ukraine was kept in this back room somehow in, in limbo. Ultimately, that's what compelled Russia to invade Ukraine on a large scale. It was left as a buffer zone, Tokariuk said.

Ukraine is now engaged in a full-scale war against Russia. More than 10,000 civilians have been killed since Moscows invasion in February 2022.

EU summit

At a summit in Brussels next month, European leaders will decide whether to begin formal negotiations on Ukraines EU accession. Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says it is his countrys destiny.

Twenty years ago, it was a romantic dream. Ten years ago, it was an ambitious goal. And today it is a reality in which it is no longer possible to stop our progress, he said in a televised address Tuesday, on the anniversary of the Euromaidan protests.

Visiting Kyiv to mark the anniversary, Charles Michel, the president of the European Council, offered his support and urged the EUs 27 member states to back Ukraines membership.

Ukraines progress has been remarkable, especially during a full-blown war, and it continues to get closer to the EU, Michel said. Enlargement is a strategic investment for the EU  so its been for peace, prosperity and democratic values. I want to be clear I intend to do everything to convince my 27 colleagues that we need a positive decision in December.

European hopes

Its vital that the EU offers Ukraine hope for the future, said analyst Olga Tokariuk.

It was a huge mistake to keep Ukraine in this waiting room for such a long time. So only with Ukraine fully integrated into the European Union  but also into NATO  peace is possible on the entire European continent. It will be blow to Russia, of course, because that would mean that Ukraine has once and for good departed from the so-called Russian sphere of influence, Tokariuk said.

Ten years since the Euromaidan protests, Ukraine has suffered death and destruction on a scale few could have imagined.
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA 

Political analysts and opposition politicians in Africa accuse China of undermining the spread of democracy in the region by propping up entrenched ruling parties and promoting what Beijing sees as the advantages of one-party rule.

The beneficiaries in many cases are former liberation movements that won struggles against colonial and white-minority rule decades ago, often with Chinese support. Now organized as governing political parties, they have stayed in power ever since, often while accused of stifling any opposition.

A major instrument of Chinese influence is a $40 million political training school based in Tanzania and jointly established last year by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and six southern African former liberation movements.

Each of the six nations participating in the school  Tanzania, Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Angola  has been ruled by the same party since independence.

Promoting 'weiwen'

The CCP capitalized on an opportunity to relocate some of its political and ideological programs to Africa, China-Africa scholar Paul Nantulya said of the school in a recently published paper for the Africa Center for Strategic Studies.

The six FLMSA parties are focused on supporting one another to preserve their rule against perceived threats, Nantulya explained. The CCP term for this is 'weiwen,' meaning 'stability maintenance' or 'regime survival.'

The Nyerere Leadership School is the first political school the CCP has built overseas, a bold move by a party that often denies that it promotes its political system abroad. The school enables the CCP to proselytize and methodically share its governance model, Nantulya continued.

The CCP hopes to gain a return on investment as the school gives it a permanent home for year-round interactions with each partys new recruits and senior party cadres. This puts it in an advantageous position to shape the African liberation parties China friendly policies and long-term influence.

Chinas position

China denies it plays a role in keeping ruling parties in power.

We dont interfere in the African countries pursuit for a development path that fits their national conditions. We dont interfere, nor impose our own will on Africa, wrote Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington in response to VOAs inquiry.

VOA also asked whether China engages equally with political opposition parties in Africa.

When it comes to party-to-party relationship, the Communist Party of China is ready to deepen interactions with political parties and organizations of all countries, including those in Africa. We seek shared views and expand shared interests, Liu said.

The United States also provides training in its model of governance to foreign political parties through the congressionally funded National Endowment for Democracy, whose website says it is dedicated to fostering democratic institutions including political parties, trade unions, free markets and business organizations while supporting "human rights, an independent media, and the rule of law.

But China itself is a one-party state, and Ray Hartley, research director of the Brenthurst Foundation, a Johannesburg-based policy think tank, said the Tanzania school's existence is problematic.

"It is concerning that this particular school is for leaders of selected 'liberation movements' only, especially since it teaches the doctrine that the party must be all powerful and trump the judiciary."

"In Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Angola and Tanzania, these liberation movement governments have been in power for decades and have not hesitated to undercut democratic processes to keep it that way," Hartley added.

Ruling party and the opposition

With some notable exceptions such as South Africas African National Congress party, Nantulya said many former liberation parties have been largely intolerant of opposition challenges and have employed wide ranging measures to stifle, constrain and even dismantle opposition parties.

One example is Zimbabwe, which has been governed by former liberation movement ZANU-PF since 1980, and whose elections this year were marred by widespread irregularities, according to observers.

While many Western nations expressed concern over the Zimbabwean polls, Beijing congratulated the winner, the ruling partys President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

It's a cause for concern for us in Zimbabwe and in Africa in general especially in view of the no questions asked policy on the Chinese in their engagement with Africa, their tendency to view Africa as a dumping site and of course undermining human rights democracy transparency in favor of errant regimes, said Promise Mkwananzi, spokesperson for Zimbabwes main opposition party, the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC).

His partys members have been jailed, tortured and killed while mounting a challenge to the regime.

It leaves opposition parties with no choice but to question the motives of the CCP in Africa. We believe that the CCP must have principled, non-partisan approaches to African countries and not blindly side and even aid ruling parties to rig elections violate human rights and undermine democratic entrenchment in Africa, Mkwananzi added.

Zimbabwes governing party, ZANU-PF did not respond to a request for comment.

Change of guard?

However, historical friendships don't mean China isn't able to adapt to changes on the continent when necessary.

What happens to a ruling party when it loses an election or is removed from power is telling, Nantulya told VOA. He uses Zambia as an example, because it has had several changes of power and its former liberation movement lost to the opposition again in 2021 polls.

Zambias former liberation party is not part of the leadership academy in Tanzania, and Nantulya noted, I think the Communist Party of China does not want to embarrass or complicate its relationship with Zambia. It has a policy of cultivating whoever is in office.

He points to the fact that the CCP has been wooing new Zambian leader Hakainde Hichilema.

Likewise, in some countries in Africa, where things are less stable or specific political parties are less securely entrenched, Nantulya noted Beijing does cultivate relationships across the political spectrum, giving the examples of Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

However, its different when a political party program is only training ruling parties and helping them to entrench their stay in office, he said.
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Members of Tanzania's ruling party are among politicians from six African countries who recently attended the first session of a Chinese Communist Party training school. The school was built to strengthen Chinese outreach to African countries. Critics say it undermines democracy in Africa
The release of the first hostages held by Hamas militants in Gaza has been delayed until at least Friday, Israels national security adviser said in a statement late Wednesday.

"The release will begin according to the original agreement between the parties, and not before Friday," Tzachi Hanegbi said, adding that talks on the deal were continuing.

Hanegbi gave no reason for the delay, and it was not clear when Israel would begin a four-day pause in its attacks on Gaza, which was part of the agreement previously announced by the warring parties. The truce had been set to take effect at 10 a.m. local time Thursday.

Qatar, which helped broker the deal along with the United States and Egypt, had earlier said Hamas, in stages, would release 50 women and children in the coming days, while Israel was expected to free 150 Palestinian prisoners.

None of the identities of those being freed has been disclosed, but U.S. officials said they thought some of the nine American hostages believed to be held by Hamas would be among those released.

Fighting continued Wednesday, with explosions seen over Gaza and Hamas firing missiles into Israel.

One airstrike hit a residential building in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis, reportedly killing 17 people, including children, while in northern Gaza, about 60 bodies and 200 people wounded by heavy fighting were brought into the Kamal Adwan Hospital overnight.

The hospitals director, Dr. Ahmed al-Kahlout, told Al Jazeera television on Wednesday that the medical center was using cooking oil to keep its generator running. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in central Gaza said 128 bodies were brought in overnight after nearby strikes, more than double the number that arrived Tuesday night.

The deal encompassing the hostage-prisoner release and temporary truce evolved after weeks of stop-and-start negotiations amid the continuing bloodshed in Gaza.

Israel began its military campaign to wipe out Hamas after the U.S.-designated terrorist group launched a cross-border attack on October 7. Israel said 1,200 people were killed that day and about 240 hostages taken back to Gaza.

The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 12,000 Palestinians, including at least 5,000 children, have been killed in Israel's military offensive in the Gaza Strip.

U.S. President Joe Biden expressed his appreciation to Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani of Qatar and President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi of Egypt for helping broker the deal. Biden praised the commitment of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the brief stop in the fighting to ensure this deal can be fully carried out and to ensure the provision of additional humanitarian assistance to alleviate the suffering of innocent Palestinian families in Gaza.

But Netanyahu said Israel would resume the war after the truce and keep fighting "until we achieve all our goals," including the destruction of Hamas' fighting and governing abilities and the return of all hostages.

Several countries, including Britain, France, China and Russia, also welcomed the agreement.

Qatar's Tamim said he hoped the deal would eventually lead to a permanent cease-fire and "serious talks" on resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israel said the four-day stop in fighting would be extended an extra day for every additional 10 hostages freed by Hamas. The International Committee of the Red Cross said it could assist with any release.

Israel's Justice Ministry published a list of 300 prisoners eligible to be let out as part of the deal, mainly teenagers detained over the past year for rock-throwing and other minor offenses. Under Israeli law, the public has 24 hours to object to any release.

The Israeli military says it has detained more than 1,850 Palestinians in the West Bank since the war began, mostly suspected Hamas members. More than 200 Palestinians have been killed there, mainly during battles triggered by army raids. Attacks by Jewish settlers have also surged.

The pause in fighting will also allow for more humanitarian aid to reach Palestinians in Gaza. Such assistance has been sharply curtailed since the fighting began.

The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said 79 trucks reached the Palestinian enclave on Tuesday, bringing the total during the past month to 1,399 truckloads of aid. The agency said an average of 10,000 truckloads of commercial and humanitarian commodities were reaching Gaza each month prior to the conflict.

The United Nations said more than 1.7 million people have been displaced within Gaza, including 930,000 people staying at over-capacity U.N.-run shelters.

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell welcomed the Israel-Hamas agreement and called for the release of all hostages held by Hamas.

The humanitarian pause must be used to provide as much urgently needed aid as possible to the civilians enduring the devastating war in Gaza, Borrell said in a statement.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the deal a step in the right direction.

The United Nations will mobilize all its capacities to support the implementation of the agreement and maximize its positive impact on the humanitarian situation in Gaza, said a statement by Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for the secretary-general.

French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna also welcomed the deal, telling France Inter Radio that France hoped French nationals would be among those released.

In Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the deal the first good news in a long time regarding the conflict.

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron hailed the agreement as a crucial step towards providing relief to the families of the hostages and addressing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 23. The Greece-Bulgaria interconnector (IGB) may see its capacity boosted from the current 3 bcm/y to a total 5 bcm/y as early as 2025, the ICGB, the pipeline operator, told Trend.

With the non-binding phase of the process completed, we received indications for significant market interest in expanding the pipelines capacity. The binding phase will come in July 2024  when energy traders and shippers commit to booking capacity, said ICGBs Executive Officers George Satlas and Teodora Georgieva during a meeting of the TSOs under the Vertical Gas Corridor (Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary).

According to them, ICGB has already completed the Demand Assessment Reports as a next step in the process, initiating joint technical studies for increase of the capacity at the interconnection points of the pipeline with the adjacent network systems in Greece and Bulgaria.

Taking another step in that direction, ICGB with the support of all Vertical Gas Corridor TSOs welcomed the national transmission system operators of Moldova and Ukraine to the working session. ICGB initiates and fully supports expanding the Vertical Gas Corridor in the future with Moldova, Ukraine and the system operator for the EastMed project.

The IGB gas pipeline connects with the Greek national gas transmission system (DESFA S.A.) and the Trans-Adriatic gas pipeline (TAP AG) in the area of Komotini (Greece), and with the Bulgarian gas transmission system (Bulgartransgaz EAD) in the area of Stara Zagora. The total length of the gas pipeline is 182 km, the diameter of the pipe - 32'' - and a design capacity of up to 3 billion m3/year in the direction Greece - Bulgaria. The gas pipeline enables the transportation of natural gas from new sources to other countries in the region as well, including Moldova and Ukraine.

Follow the author on X: @Lyaman_Zeyn

Stay up to date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
On the 48th day of the military operation against the civilian population of Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) arrested the director of Al-Shifa Hospital and several staff members on November 23 at 10 a.m. GMT. They gave everyone present in the hospital 4 hours to evacuate.

No ambulance is available to evacuate seriously ill people. And no one knows where they could be taken.

Despite their statements and videos, the IDF has still not been able to prove that Hamas has a command center under the hospital.

Attacking a hospital is a war crime. The starting date of the 4-day humanitarian truce which has just been concluded between Israel and the Palestinian Resistance has been set for Friday, 24 November, at 7:00 AM.
Photo: Leon Neal/Getty Images

Axl Rose is being sued for for a sexual assault that allegedly occured over 30 years ago. Sheila Kennedy has alleged that in 1989, the Guns N Roses frontman violently assaulted her in his New York hotel room on the night they met. According to Rolling Stone, Kennedy and Rose met at a nightclub then proceeded to his hotel room. At one point, she says he pushed her against the wall and kissed her. Kennedy found Rose attractive and did not mind this encounter. She was open to sleeping with him if things progressed, the lawsuit states. Then she saw Rose initiate sex with another model in a way that appeared painful. Kennedy left Roses hotel room and went to that of future MTV VJ Riki Rachtman. Kennedy says she then heard the sound of glass breaking and Rose screaming at the model. Its going to get bad, Rachtman allegedly told Kennedy.

Rose then dragged Kennedy back to his room, where he tied her up with pantyhose, and forcibly penetrated her. [H]e was in a sexual, volatile rage, the lawsuit says. Kennedy did not consent and felt overpowered.

Roses attorney told TMZ that Though he doesnt deny the possibility of a fan photo taken in passing, Mr. Rose has no recollection of ever meeting or speaking to the Plaintiff, and has never heard about these again fictional allegations prior to today. Kennedy has spoken about this alleged assault in her 2016 memoir and in the 2021 documentary Look Away.

Kennedy is the latest in a list of survivors who are using the New Yorks Adult Survivors Act to address assaults by men in the music industry from decades past. Roses attorney noted that the filing against him happened the day before the newly extended filing deadline expired. Lawsuits have been lodged against L.A. Reid, Sean Diddy Combs, former Recording Academy CEO Neil Portnow, and Stephen Tyler (who is also facing a lawsuit in California stemming from a similar temporary lifting of the statute of limitations).

This post has been updated throughout.
Photo: ABC/Everett Collection

With over 1.8 million subscribers and almost 200 million views, Defunctland has taken the freedom of YouTube and turned the platform into the newest landscape for documentary filmmaking. Host Kevin Perjurers latest episode, Journey to EPCOT Center: A Symphonic History breaks from the shows standard format, using music and animation to show how the Florida institution came to be. Since starting Defunctland in 2017, Perjurer has built its success on his love of not only pop culture and theme parks but also nostalgia, applying his ability to shine attention and affection on otherwise forgotten attractions. One of his most successful videos, Disneys FastPass: A Complicated History, has 19 million views despite its feature length (1 hour, 43 minutes) and niche topic (FastPass is usually a second thought for most park guests). Each of Perjurers videos finds a unique aspect of theme-park culture and preserves it, like strange SeaWorld rides or the worst Six Flags roller coaster. He even expanded to create DefunctTV in 2018 to analyze childrens shows from the 90s and aughts, an era from which pieces of digital media can so easily be lost.

Its untapped territory and untapped analysis, Perjurer explained to Slate earlier this year. People dont analyze theme parks the way we analyze other forms of art. But I dont think its possible to do enough analysis on how theme parks have affected American culture. From Disneyland to Disney World to Universal, all of these parks have changed the way we view ourselves, how we vacation, and how we engage with the media. Perjurer has found a new way to document pop culture that doesnt consist of just reading a Wikipedia page. He credits the folks behind things that go unnoticed or even unknown, such as the creator of the Disney Channel theme song.

Start here if you need a good cry:

Everyone (mostly water signs) needs to schedule a good cry now and then, and anything related to the passing of the great Jim Henson makes me sob like a little baby. In DefunctTVs look at Henson, Perjurer highlights important moments of the puppeteers career, from his first public-access television series in 1955 to Sesame Street and The Muppet Show. Perjurer cuts between Hensons personal and professional final moments, including his funeral ceremony in New York and the last episode of The Jim Henson Hour, a memorial hosted by the Muppets. Alejandra Gularte

If you liked this, try this:

Now that you understand the importance of Jim Henson (and have let all of the tears out of your body), learn about the beginning of his career and see his earliest creations.

Start here if you want to get slimed:

Throughout Defunctlands history, Disney has taken a front roller-coaster cart in its coverage: ahead of everyone else but unsure of where it might lead. The History of the Nickelodeon Hotel, however, was the first Defunctland episode I ever watched, and it got me hooked. Even though I grew up going to Disneyland every couple of years, Florida and all of its green slime was a mystery to me until I was almost an adult. Being able to see what the Nick Hotel was like at the height of its popularity without any of the goo was refreshing  plus, I got to find out what actually happened to the resort. What happened to the excess slime remains a mystery. A.G.

If you liked this, try this:

Perjurer chats with former Nick Hotel manager Kate Kelly about her experience working at the property. The two dive deeper into the creepy walk-around characters, the stress of the in-demand 4-D shows, and the not-in-demand honeymoon suite.

Start here if you miss the Disney Channel theme-song bangers:

Perjurer journeys to uncover who wrote the four-note Disney Channel theme by interviewing various behind-the-scenes team members and former Disney Channel stars. He also grapples with his own need for validation from an industry that seems to ignore his documentary work because its on YouTube. I mean, the man is making feature-length documentaries for free. A.G.

If you liked this, try this:

For a shorter video about a childhood theme song that slaps, take a trip with the Kratt brothers, the hosts of Zoboomafoo. On the PBS series, the zoologist brothers teach kids from the 1990s and today (they now have an animated show) all about animals. Cute!

Start here if you grew up in New Jersey:

One of the most infamous Defunctland subjects, Action Park in Vernon, New Jersey, was one of the most dangerous and scandalous owing to the many accidents, some fatal, suffered by its guests. Released three years before the 2020 HBO documentary Class Action Park, this video features Perjurer discussing the water parks activities and the injuries that resulted from both its managers negligence and the parks reputation. While the documentary outlived Action Park, which was rebranded as Mountain Creek in 2016, it highlights the nostalgia and the dangers of the original and how it was able to survive for so long despite its deadly reputation. A.G.

If you liked this, try this:

If unsafe water parks arent scary enough, check out the defunct Tokyo Disneylands Cinderella Castle Mystery Tour.

Start here if you have a Ph.D. in RollerCoaster Tycoon statistics:

In the past two years, a revolt has been stirring among theme-park influencers and journalists. Go to a blog run by Orlando moms or Disney-specific travel agents, and even they  the biggest Disney adults of them all  are grumbling about how crowd distribution at Disney Parks is, in a word, fucked. The implementation of a new paid-tier replacement for the FastPass system (an unpleasant, malfunctioning app service called Genie+) has chipped away at the goodwill of the top 0.1 percent of Disney Parksgoers, who have built an entire tertiary industry on theme-park coverage. Was it always this bad? How did it get that way? Perjurer answers those questions in his first feature-length Defunctland entry, a one-hour, 43-minute documentary for which he built out multiple advanced computer models to illustrate exactly why those in power made going to Disney World intentionally, mathematically less fun. Its the rare theme-park vlog that urban-studies students could learn something from. Rebecca Alter

If you liked this, try this:

After learning about the mechanics of crowd distribution, learn about the Disney California Adventure Park ride that did a very good job of distributing crowds as far away from it as possible.

Start here if youre a You Must Remember This head:

To truly understand Disneyland and every theme park that came in its wake, you must first learn about the history of Walt Disney the guy, Walt Disney the studio, and Americas relationship to leisure, amusement parks, and worlds fairs at large. On the third season of Defunctland, Perjurer does a deep dive into late-19th and early-20th-century American history, matching archival footage to firsthand accounts and old sensational newspaper articles. Also: lots of Robert Moses being dastardly. The Craziest Party Walt Disney Ever Threw is an especially fun Old Hollywood episode, like the Mickey Mouse version of Babylon. R.A.

If you liked this, try this:

You wont believe how pervy this place used to be.

Start here if youre a foodie:

In one of his funniest videos, Perjurer turns his attention not to a defunct attraction but a defunct theme-park snack: the Handwich. We all know about Dole Whip and turkey legs, but for close to a decade from the 80s to the 90s, Disney tried to make the Handwich happen at its Florida parks. Concoctions of conical bread with a sort of Hungarian Chimney Cake texture, Handwiches were stuffed to the brim with stuff like tuna salad, ambrosia salad, and taco beef. This would be funny enough on its own, but the real Perjurer touch is that he does the whole video in the style of cooking shows over the decades (50s instructional, 80s Yan Can Cook, 90s Emeril), nailing the pastiche while actually re-creating Handwiches himself. R.A.

If you liked this, try this:

This minisode is about another bit of 80s fast-food antiquity: Mac Tonight, the McDonalds mascot that the alt-right reappropriated around the time of Trumps election. Its an example of a non-theme-park topic that nevertheless fits perfectly into Perjurers wheelhouse.

Start here if youre horny:

Yes, this video is about Garfield. Yes, it begins with two minutes on the history of picnics. Then it tells the century-spanning story of a boat ride at the Pennsylvania theme park Kennywood. First, Perjurer shows just how literal its Tunnel of Love ride really was  to the point that, in the 1960s, staff members stationed throughout were given a plastic bat and were instructed that if they saw the naked buttocks of any rider, they were to smack them with the bat. Somewhere along the way, this ride became Garfields Nightmare, and the episode becomes a look back at Garfield merchandising mania. R.A.

If you liked this, try this:

Maybe youre just diametrically opposed to all things Disney. Understood. If you enjoyed this more regional adult-themed ep, the history of Kings Landings Son of Beast is a perfect chaser.
Photo: Aidan Monaghan/Apple TV+

For a figure whose onscreen presence is nearly as old as cinema itself, its a weird twist of fate that the Napoleon movies that never materialized often overshadow the ones that did. Stanley Kubricks Napoleon is arguably the Citizen Kane of unrealized projects. Charlie Chaplin wrote multiple drafts of Napoleons Return From St. Helena before eventually abandoning it and repackaging its themes in The Great Dictator. Thanks to Ridley Scotts forthcoming biopic, however, the Napoleon film discourse has returned to those that escaped development exile.

Since making his cinematic debut in 1897 via Louis Lumieres 42-second Entrevue de Napoleon et du Pape, lEmpereur has demonstrated an impressive range. Hes appeared in leading and supporting roles in historical epics, lavish period dramas, downbeat dramas, buddy comedies, and childrens movies. Around him coalesce the grandest of themes, namely the inevitability of destiny, the nature of genius, and the tragedy of limitless ambition. He encapsulates a distinctly French brand of pomposity, and his comedic caricature as a runty, petulant snob  a bit first committed to by English cartoonists  was revived in earnest on film in the 1970s.

Napoleon is an extraordinarily easy historical figure to adapt to the screen, even for filmmakers without battle-scene budgets. The real Napoleon visually fused his individual destiny with that of Frances, crowning himself at his coronation and burying his face in the tricolor following his abdication. His disastrous snowbound retreat from Moscow is a staggering finale matched only by his final defeat at Waterloo. Denied martyrdom, he died broken and bitter on a windswept island. And he did it all in uniform. His black bicorne bestowed upon him an unmistakable profile; his plain greatcoat and navy-and-green corporal-rank uniforms distinguished him instantly amid the plumage of his generals and opposing commanders.

The scale of Napoleons achievements and failures is such that few filmmakers attempt to cram everything in, narrowing their focus to a consequential battle (Waterloo, Austerlitz) or approaching him through a specific relationship (Desiree, Conquest) or while in exile (The Hostage of Europe, Eagle in a Cage). Elsewhere, he is deployed as a cameo catalyst for cataclysmic events real (War and Peace) or imagined (The Count of Monte Cristo).

Through it all, Napoleon is rife with contradictions. That the conqueror of Europe and Emperor of France was this guy is at the root of both the farcical caricature of Napoleon and our collective fascination. He wasnt even French! He was an incurable Wife Guy! (While his infamous request that Josephine not wash for three days is unverified, the letters he sent threatening to kill himself if she kept ghosting him are real.) Even if we accept that his enshrinement as the original Short King was just English propaganda, Napoleon was nevertheless slight enough to reportedly enjoy sitting on Josephines lap. He believed destiny ordained him to retrieve the French crown from the gutter with the tip of his sword and not only said this out loud  convincingly reciting his self-aggrandizing proclamations is a consistent challenge for actors  but subsequently backed it up. He was a staunch Republican (not that kind of Republican) who didnt hesitate to seize absolute power. He was a tyrant responsible for the deaths of millions who executed a bloodless coup, opposed torture, and pretty much single-handedly dragged Europe into a new modernity. Who does that?

In other words, Napoleon is so much more than just a convenient excuse for filmmakers to spend a small countrys GDP on several thousand uniformed human and horse extras shot from above or in panorama. Hes a (short) person, too. Vive lEmpereur cinematographique!

Incidents in the Life of Napoleon and Josephine (1909)

Directed by pioneering animator J. Stuart Blackton, Incidents in the Life of Napoleon and Josephine is arguably the first live-action Napoleon biopic in film history, made specifically to appeal to international audiences and a better-read demographic than the average moviegoer of its day. William Humphrey plays Napoleon as especially vainglorious and melodramatic, beaming with pride over his son and burying his face in the tricolor after his abdication. Besides the flatly portrayed battle flashbacks deployed chronologically from Marengo to Waterloo, the films primary focus is his relationship with Josephine and their divorce, presented as a crushing blow to both parties. (His ghostly presence created using superimposition even haunts her after she retreats to Malmaison.) Theres a lot of swooning and posing in theatrical tableaus shot in static frames, as is characteristic of cinema prior to Murnau, and the brevity and flatness of the battle scenes throw the constraints of the medium at this historical moment into stark relief. Interestingly enough as a film history artifact, it will nonetheless take another 18 years before audiences see a silent epic truly fit for an emperor.

Napoleon (1927)

Abel Gances 1927 silent epic Napoleon is, among other things, your favorite filmmakers favorite film. It blew a young Francois Truffauts mind in 1955. Francis Ford Coppola personally oversaw its American rerelease in 1980. Martin Scorsese called it a genuine sensation. Its inarguably one of the most technically ambitious silent films ever made  so ambitious, in fact, that Gance managed to produce only the first of six planned installments. His manic camerawork  plunged underwater here, strapped to the back of a horse there  is matched only by his rapid-fire editing style and enormous narrative scope, widened to include the assassination of Marat and the execution of Robespierre. At its center is Albert Dieudonne as ambitious young officer Napoleon, whom he portrays with that glowering, hypnotic intensity most associated with his German Expressionist contemporaries. It all culminates in the widescreen triptych finale of Napoleon rallying the Army of Italy, which required cinemas to either letterbox the film or install a Polyvision projection system and subsequently suffocated its commercial potential. Its a remarkable piece of filmmaking and, in a way, precisely what you might expect from the guy who famously considered filmmaking something which one should not fail to risk ones life if the need arises.

The Fighting Eagle (1927)

Despite being released about a month apart, comparing Abel Gances Napoleon and Donald Crisps The Fighting Eagle is a bit like comparing 2001: A Space Odyssey with Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century. One is a widely influential and stunningly experiential epic that pushed the medium forward conceptually and technically, and the other is, well, none of that. The Fighting Eagle is a comedy based on Arthur Conan Doyles lesser-known character Brigadier Gerard, a French hussar who constantly undermines his own achievements through excessive if accurate boasting. Proudly identifying himself as the favorite soldier of the emperor, Gerard gets caught up in a zany espionage caper to expose Foreign Minister Talleyrands treachery and give Napoleon suitable cause to invade Spain. Played by Max Barwyn, who later played a number of minor uncredited roles in films like The Big Sleep and Grand Hotel, this Napoleon drops in and out to bark orders, demand explanations, and stomp around. Theres not much here besides a few decent slapstick sequences, including a half-interesting carriage jacking and chase scene. Just dont tell Vin Diesel. The last thing we need is Fast & Furious: Austerlitz Blitz.

Napoleon at St. Helena (1929)

Of the three films on this list centered on Napoleon in exile, Napoleon at St. Helena is the most outwardly sympathetic towards its subject, declaring that Napoleon was renounced by those who should have defended him to the end and calling him (to quote Chateaubriand) the most powerful breath that ever animated mortal clay. His British jailer Hudson Lowe, by contrast, is a fool who (to quote Lord Wellington) lacked both education and judgment. Like the exile-focused movies it predates, the power struggle between Lowe and Napoleon dominates the narrative. But unlike its successors, it includes Napoleons journey to Saint Helena and a debate in the House of Lords over his treatment as a captive. The final third of the movie drips with pathos as Napoleon is slowly abandoned by his entourage. Werner Krauss plays him with a crushing desperation, manically clinging to a bust of his son or standing pathetically with a little girls hat on after her mother shoos her away. Its a rather arresting performance from Krauss and situated squarely between the defining films of his career: the 1920 German Expressionist masterpiece The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and the 1940 Nazi propaganda film Jud Su.

Conquest (1937)

Just two years after collaborating on Anna Karenina, director Clarence Brown and Greta Garbo reunited to make yet another film about a scandalous and politically fraught extramarital affair. Conquest is based on the immortal romance, as the opening credits phrase it, of Napoleon and his most famous mistress, the Polish nationalist Countess Marie Walewska. As Napoleon, Charles Boyer is extremely self-possessed. Hes not not suave, yet hes totally unconcerned with propriety. Eager to get under those gorgeous costumes (designed by Adrian, most famous for The Wizard of Oz), he conveys to Countess Walewska that the aid hes willing to grant the burgeoning Polish national cause is conditional on her presence in his bed. When the Polish brass urge her to accept this diplomatic mission, Count Walewska gives the film its only real moment of conscience: Why is it every time this savage spits, every decent man must wipe his face? She goes. He rapes her. This ends up not being a turnoff because its 1937 by way of 1806. But Conquests Napoleon is a great man of history forever doomed to choose ambition over love. In other words, even Napoleon cant have it all.

Desiree (1954)

Considering the countless images of the man himself gazing into the distance from the shores of Elba and Saint Helena, no great conqueror broods quite like Napoleon. And no cinematic Napoleon broods quite like Marlon Brandos version in Desiree, based on Annemarie Selinkos 1952 novel of the same name. In Brandos hands, Napoleon is uncouth and comically self-serious, periodically unfurrowing his brow only to kiss Jean Simmonss guileless Desiree in the pouring rain. That is, until he discards her the moment Josephine comes along. Like Conquest, Desiree is notably told from the womans point of view and (also notably) the woman in question is not his wife. But Simmonss Desiree convincingly frees herself from Napoleon in a way Garbos Countess Walenska never does, and its her character arc and marriage to General Bernadotte, played by a devastatingly handsome Michael Rennie, that make Desiree tick. Whether confronting Napoleon together or playing up a Hays-Code-abiding bedroom scene, Simmons and Rennies chemistry is nothing short of delightful. An undercurrent of feminist defiance runs through what might have otherwise been a formulaic 50s costume drama, and all of Desiree is better for it.

Napoleon (1955)

The trouble with Sacha Guitrys Napoleon is that it hits all the major plot points in Napoleons life so efficiently and dryly that watching it feels tantamount to skimming a Wikipedia entry. This isnt entirely Guitrys fault, as a full hour hit the cutting room floor while making the English version. Then again, the shortened, two-hour English version is so plodding that suffering through an additional hour sounds unbearable. Playing the ambitious young general, Daniel Gelin channels Albert Dieudonnes beguiling severity but overdoes it just a tad, particularly in the scene where he first flirts with Josephine by staring her down in silence. (Maybe it was the very prominent bulge in his white pants that won her over? Its that noticeable.) Hes replaced by Raymond Pellegrin as the aging emperor during a neatly executed transition that is, technically speaking, a makeover scene. Guitry plays Tallyrand, his recollections of Napoleon providing narration and the films framing device. Despite being shot as close to the source as possible  on location at Fontainebleau, Chateau de Malmaison, and Versailles  Napoleon never quite manages to find its footing.

War and Peace (1956)

The Soviets may have won the Space Race, but the Americans won the War and Peace Adaptation Race. (The 1915 Russian version is so pre-Soviet that its pre-Russian Revolution, so dont get mouthy in the comments, thanks!) King Vidors gorgeous three-and-a-half-hour version stars Audrey Hepburn, Mel Ferrer, and a slightly miscast Henry Fonda as Tolstoys iconic trio of Prince Andrei, Natasha, and Pierre. From the historical paintings that backdrop the opening credits to his several appearances as acted by Peter Lom, Napoleon figures prominently throughout the entire movie. Hes grand, inquisitive, eloquent, and tempestuous. Hes also the vehicle for Pierres debasement, transforming in Pierres eyes from the greatest man in the world to the scourge of Europe. Napoleons invasion of Russia  211-year-old spoiler alert!  fails, mostly because his opponents know you never send an army to do a Russian winters job. Among the final scenes is an intense close-up of the emperor weeping silently as he flees at the head of his freezing army, a shot Vidor suffuses more with sympathy than schadenfreude. Shallow in places but always gorgeous, the film did so well among Russian audiences that the Soviets had no choice but to respond. And respond they most certainly did 

Austerlitz (1960)

For a movie named after Napoleons military masterpiece, theres disproportionately little fighting in Austerlitz, and the underwhelming battle scenes that do exist have the distinct whiff of a production running out of money. Austerlitz is interesting primarily as a wildly different interpretation of Napoleon by Abel Gance, who revisits the Emperor as a cinematic subject some 30-odd years after his 1927 epic. The film opens not with war but with peace, beginning as the Treaty of Amiens is signed and Napoleon shifts his focus to family squabbles (often instigated by Claudia Cardinales Pauline Bonaparte) and throwing things during angry outbursts. Gance burns time on overlong scenes of Napoleons sexual escapades, British military leaders plotting strategy and snickering at James Gillrays caricatures, and Orson Welles as American inventor Robert Fulton trying to sell Napoleon on steamships. (This is not a surprising cameo. Welles also briefly appears in 1955s Napoleon and 1970s Waterloo.) The costumes and production design are wondrous, as are Gances full-to-bursting frames. Still, Austerlitz feels lackluster, never quite worthy of its historical namesake or its own director.

War and Peace (1966-67)

Sergei Bondarchuks War and Peace is one of those films no doubt languishing on Criterion Channel watchlists the world over, which is somewhat understandable considering its a seven-hour juggernaut. Get around to it. Its quite possibly the best film(s) set during the Napoleonic Wars, period. Although Napoleon, played by Vladislav Strzhelchik, is a relatively minor character who appears only sporadically during the battles and the occupation of Moscow, he is the films principal antagonist. Hes referred to as an Antichrist and a brazen and insolent Goliath, whose actions are too remote from anything human for him to be able to grasp their meaning. Bondarchuks film blames Napoleon above all others for visiting so much senseless death and destruction upon Russia, panning over heaps of the dead after mind-bogglingly massive battle scenes and depicting the French pillaging of Moscow as a slaughter of innocents. No expense was spared by the Soviet government, intent as they were on outdoing King Vidors version as a matter of national pride. Its a masterpiece in every sense. If there was an upside to the Cold War, its that it gave us this.

Waterloo (1970)

Having apparently not excised Napoleon from his system while directing all seven hours of War and Peace, Sergei Bondarchuk returned to his favorite victim of Russian winter just three years later with Waterloo. Once again, the sheer scale of the thing is its calling card, from the 15,000-plus uniformed extras to the titular battle scene that lasts nearly an hour. Bondarchuk is so eager to get it going that Rod Steigers Napoleon abdicates the throne and stamps both sides of his round-trip Elba ticket all within the first 20 minutes. Once it begins, a peculiar amorality takes hold. Bondarchuk encourages audience identification with neither the French nor the British (nor the Prussians, who show up rather late in a stunning betrayal of German efficiency). And while he crams in a few shallow anti-war sentiments at the back end, Waterloo is a strikingly matter-of-fact war film thats practically themeless. It does, however, squeeze out some depth by positioning the Duke of Wellington and Napoleon as foils. The stately Wellington, played by a maddeningly hot Christopher Plummer, is pithy and equanimous; Steigers portly Napoleon is temperamental, driven by furious determination and pure desperation. Anyway, you know how it ends.

Eagle in a Cage (1972)

Theres a specific type of soapy, historical B-movie you can find for free on YouTube, often uploaded by a channel named something like RetroMovies4U, and Eagle in a Cage is exactly that type of movie. To be fair, it does have an all-timer of a tagline: War and women were his passions  and no island fortress could cage his lust for power! Hell yeah! Essentially an alt-history, Eagle in a Cage opens with Napoleons arrival on Saint Helena, where he busies himself by pontificating at his physician Barry OMeara and wearing as little clothing as possible. Get ready for Napoleon skinny dipping, Napoleon in the bath, Napoleon wearing a robe diving in for round two with his mistress, Napoleon walking around with his shirt open practically to his navel, and  the piece de resistance  Napoleons cul en entier. Kenneth Haigh plays the exiled ex-emperor as a wry rake resigned to shagging girls and shooting pool, at least until hes approached by the British with an offer he cant refuse: Theyll let him escape if he restores order to France and invades Prussia. Will he take it? Will he put clothes on first? Tune in to find out!

Love and Death (1975)

Although its most enduring legacy may very well be Stefons Sidney Applebaum joke from Saturday Night Live, Love and Death was well-received upon its release and remains one of Woody Allens Woody Allenest films. Its a joke-a-minute parody of high-minded Russian epic filmmaking and literature, particularly Tolstoy and Sergei Bondarchuks War and Peace, the latter directly referenced in the opening shot of a wide sky. Allen plays his trademark neurotic in the form of Boris Grushenko, a peasant soldier who lacks the expected to-the-death devotion to Mother Russia. Useless as a soldier, he engages mainly in pseudo-philosophical debates with Diane Keatons Sonja on the existence of God and the ethics of violence. When Napoleon occupies Moscow, Sonja and Boris decide to try their hand at assassination. James Tolkans Napoleon is a lecherous womanizer and one of the movies many punchlines, introduced while scolding an aide about how to bake the pastry bearing his name amid his culinary arms race with (beef) Wellington. Few films are simultaneously chock-full of slapstick humor and thematically obsessed with the shallowness of contemporary philosophical angst, but Love and Death pulls it off well enough. Granted, if you share Orson Welless opinion of Allen, youll hate it.

Time Bandits (1981)

There was a moment in the 80s when childrens movies took on a distinctly absurdist and even nihilistic outlook, and few exemplify this better than Terry Gilliams Time Bandits. A non-Python production starring John Cleese and Michael Palin, Time Bandits follows Kevin, a young boy swept up by a merry band of time-jumping little people intent on robbing the great men of history. First on the list is Ian Holms Napoleon, encountered after the Battle of Castiglione. Hes a farcical character and a sloppy drunk, more concerned with watching a puppet show than military strategy. Nearly every joke is a short joke  Five-foot-one and conqueror of Italy. Not bad, huh?!  and he spends dinner with the bandits rattling off the heights of assorted luminaries from military history. Of all the episodic encounters, the Napoleonic segment is the weakest, lacking the wit and creativity of the visits to Sherwood Forest with Robin Hood and Greece with Agamemnon. Time Bandits denouement is pessimistic to the core, as are its themes: technology as a breeding ground for evil, God as fundamentally apathetic, the inherent soullessness of consumerism. They just dont make em (for kids) like this anymore.

The Hostage of Europe (1989)

A later work by the magnificent Polish director Jerzy Kawalerowicz, the French- and English-language drama The Hostage of Europe is the best Napoleon-in-exile film yet made. Much of the credit rests on French actor Roland Blanche, whose unsparing interpretation of Napoleon envisions him as rotting physically and spiritually from the inside out. Cast in dark shadows and filmed uncomfortably close, Blanches emperor in decline looks so bloated and ghoulish that he very nearly resembles Danny DeVitos Penguin. He taps into the justified indignation and mutual impotence at the core of the pitiful power struggles with his jailer Hudson Lowe, which culminate when Napoleon (correctly) asserts that Lowes eventual historical significance will be due to proximity alone: You will go down in history thanks to me  Everything that is linked to my person belongs to history! Although it drags in places, The Hostage of Europe deftly captures the cruel irony of Napoleons anti-climatic end without boring its audience to death. If Eagle in a Cage is any indication, thats harder than it looks.

Bill & Teds Excellent Adventure (1989)

Napoleon shows up early in Bill and Teds Excellent Adventure, the goofball sci-fi cult classic about a pair of friends who travel through time in a telephone booth to snap up historys biggest names for a school report. Although certain jokes show its age, its still stupid funny and endlessly quotable  Strange things are afoot at the Circle K  and best watched toasted, no matter how many times Keanu Reeves insists that the titular characters are not stoners. First described by Bill as a short, dead dude and later by Ted as a very famous French dude, Napoleon is the first historical figure airlifted out of his era, zapped off the Austerlitz battlefield and deposited in San Dimas under the charge of Teds little brother, Deacon. Much to the dismay of Bill and Ted, Deacon ditches lEmpereur after he cheats at bowling and devours a gargantuan ice-cream sundae. The subsequent exchange is the funniest Napoleon joke of the movie: Deacon, do you realize you have stranded one of Europes greatest leaders in San Dimas? To which Deacon responds, He was a dick! Terry Camilleri is the best of the comedic Napoleons, particularly during his montage at the local waterpark named Waterloo. Continue la teuf mec!

The Emperors New Clothes (2002)

What if Napoleon didnt die on Saint Helena  riddled with stomach cancer and environmentally poisoned by his wallpaper or unintentionally poisoned by his doctors or deliberately poisoned with arsenic, depends who you ask  but instead escaped using a look-alike and returned to Paris to become the father who stepped up for a single mom and her son? Whew! No movie on this list comes nearly as close to fake-show-on-30-Rock territory as The Emperors New Clothes, a well-meaning and stakes-free abomination caused by crossbreeding the History Channel with Lifetime. Still, its premise hits on something interesting: trying to convince a bunch of French people in 1816 that you are Napoleon back from exile is like trying to convince a bunch of people at any time that you are the second coming of Christ. A scene where he escapes an asylum chock-full of headcases also claiming to be Napoleon, uniforms and all, underscores this point in the most obvious terms. Insofar as the Napoleonic-cinematic-thematic conflict of love versus destiny is concerned, The Emperors New Clothes is perhaps the only time love wins  even if, technically, the choice is less love versus destiny than love versus the loony bin.

The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)

Before getting struck by lightning during The Passion of the Christ set him on the path to becoming a multi-hyphenate hard-right wackjob, Jim Caviezel was just another reasonably good-looking and passable actor making okay movies. The Count of Monte Cristo is one such okay movie, notable for the unshakable commitment of Caviezel as Edmond Dantes and Guy Pearce as Fernand Mondego to read every other line as unnaturally as possible. But lets not pretend we were expecting a painstakingly rendered literary adaptation about the cost of vengeance from an early 2000s swashbuckler by the guy who made Waterworld. Although only present in the opening of the movie, Napoleon (Alex Norton) sets The Count of Monte Cristo in motion. After rowing to Elba to seek a doctor, sailors Edmond and Fernand are attacked by British soldiers and subsequently saved by a Napoleonus ex machina. The ex-emperor emerges from the darkness in uniform, dishes out some snappy bon mots, and entrusts Edmond with smuggling a letter off the island. Some other stuff happens too: betrayal, imprisonment, a Baz Luhrmannesque party entrance via hot air balloon, a steam-room interrogation that makes no physical sense. You get it.

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009)

Recognition is both the lowest form of entertainment and the entire foundation upon which Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian rests. Demanding no more from its audience than essentially the Leo DiCaprio pointing meme GIFd out of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood  Jeff Koonss balloon dog! Muhammad Alis robe! American Gothic! Darth Vader!  Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian makes the case that the first film was as far as its premise could go and still be funny. French actor Alain Chabat plays the reanimated Napoleon, one of the most despicable, the most feared leaders in all of history, whos enlisted alongside Al Capone and Ivan the Terrible by the evil pharaoh Kahmunrah to help open a portal to the underworld. Operating under the presumption its entire audience is encountering Napoleon for the first time, I guess, the sequel makes sure to explain its own short jokes: Youre Napoleon. Theres, like, a complex named after you. Youre famous for being little. Hard to say if this is just bad writing or a damning indictment of the American public education system, but either way, thank you, Ben Stiller, for that illuminating history lesson.
Ridley Scotts new historical epic isnt good, but at least it gives us an unforgettably weird Joaquin Phoenix performance. Photo: Aidan Monaghan/Apple TV+

All of Napoleons best moments are about how the brilliant military commander at its focus is also a buffoon. The Napoleon Bonaparte of the film, played by Joaquin Phoenix, dozes off with his eyes open while Directory head Paul Barras (Tahar Rahim) tries to talk to him about a matter of political urgency. When Napoleons gestures at peacemaking are brushed off by a British ambassador, he yelps back, You think youre so great because you have boats! Presented with a mummy while on a campaign in Egypt, he climbs onto a crate to get as close as possible to its desiccated face, as though expecting it to whisper advice in his ear. And during a fight with his wife, Josephine (a wonderfully bemused Vanessa Kirby, who facilitates what have to be the years most indifferent sex scenes), over her failure to conceive, he describes the changes in his own body by declaring his appetites to be a matter of providence: Destiny has brought me this lamb chop! Phoenix is, at 5 8, slightly taller than the man famously portrayed as diminutive, and is, at 49, disorientingly mature to be playing someone whos around 24 when the film begins, but he is unfalteringly weird in a way that is its own reward.

Its likely that Ridley Scott has never even heard of memes, but his new film is perfectly primed to live on through them. Itd be better off consumed that way than in its turgid entirety. Napoleon, which was written by David Scarpa, alternates between epic battles and scenes from its protagonists oddball marriage, and despite this, manages to become a drag. Although Scott obviously knows his way around a historical epic, this attempt is less Gladiator (his sword-and-sandal epic that launched Phoenix into fame) and more 1492: Conquest of Paradise, (his bloated Christopher Columbus biopic). We watch Napoleons rise to power, his wedding to and eventual separation from Josephine, and his fall, all recreated without any animating idea beyond the juxtaposition of clownishness and battlefield prowess. Napoleon is not, thank god, a hagiography. But it has the faltering rhythms of a rough draft  it plays as though Scott gave up on trying to carve a good film out of what actually ended up on screen.

Napoleon begins with Phoenixs Napoleon witnessing a frizzle-haired Marie-Antoinette, played by Catherine Walker, getting her head lopped off in front of a jeering crowd. To parse the films politics would be a fools errand. The few times it gets to street level, the public inevitably coalesces in the form of a bloodthirsty mob. Napoleon sees his place as among a most elevated crowd, while being aware that hes seen as an uncouth arriviste from Corsica who, as he puts it in a letter to his brother Lucien (Matthew Needham), has to prove hes fit for higher office. But any attempt to cast him as a populist strong man, an upstart soldier who crowns himself emperor, is undermined by the choice to seal off any wider perspective on the country. Were shown Napoleons rise to power without ever seeing him, you know, rule. Napoleon gives you the impression that its main character spends his life compulsively fighting battles with the occasional pit stop home to tangle with his wife. When, after the catastrophe that was his invasion of Russia in 1812, Napoleon is exiled to Elba, it is staged as though he were a wayward twentysomething coming home to parents whod finally tired of his constant partying and packed up his shit as a sign that its time to move out.

The battles are fine, by the way, though they become numbing as the film progressesall those hoards of men on foot and on horseback hurling themselves at each other and at artillery that tears them up in gruesome fashion. The Battle of Austerlitz is easily the most exciting, perhaps with the aid of some embellishment: We watch from Napoleons perspective on high ground as he lures the allied Russian and Austrian forces into a trap, sending them onto a frozen lake that breaks beneath them and sends soldiers and horses plunging to their deaths. The sequence, shot from above and below, has a brutal beauty, blood unfurling in plumes around the bodies as they sink into the icy water. And sure, its funny that the movies version of Napoleon fires cannons at the pyramids, but it doesnt amount to more than a lark. This Napoleon is a horny hobbit of a man who is only really at home on the battlefield, whose cuckolding gets mocked on the front page of the tabloids, and who has to put the woman he loves in cold storage in order to produce an heir. Scott, never one to be bothered about historical accuracy, has attracted criticism for playing fast and loose with the accepted details in the film, but the fudging matters less than what its in service towhich is nothing in particular.
Why doesnt Michael Fassbenders nameless assassin pull the trigger at the end of David Finchers Netflix film? Photo: Netflix

Everyones heard of Chekhovs gun, the firearm you see in the first act and just know will go off by the third. But is there a term for the gun you expect to be fired at the end but isnt? The Killer has one of those. After two hours of methodical bloodshed, the title character of David Finchers sleek Netflix noir finally tracks down his target, gets him in his crosshairs and opts not to pull the trigger. It would be unusual to expect an action-packed finale from a thriller as minimalist as this one. But to deny Michael Fassbenders nameless assassin (and the audience) his final kill? Its an ending as perversely anti-climactic as it is surprising. Its also a pointed subversion, a curveball with a purpose.

The Killer is structured almost like a video game. (From the font choices on down, its a more faithful Hitman adaptation than the two movies actually based on IOs bestselling sneak-and-execute franchise.) After missing a kill shot in Paris, The Killer narrowly avoids the ensuing blowback. He spends most of the movie hopping the globe, picking off those who treated him as a loose end to be tied up  first his handler (Charles Parnell), then the two fellow assassins (Sala Baker and Tilda Swinton) who brutalized his girlfriend while trying to get to him. Throughout, the Killer swears through voice-over that none of this is personal, that its all just business, even as he pursues what looks an awful lot like revenge.

Everything leads to the supposedly secure Chicago penthouse of Claybourne (Arliss Howard), a billionaire venture capitalist  and, as it turns out, the client who both hired the Killer and paid extra to have him rubbed out after he botched the job. Claybourne is no diabolical kingpin. He has not been hiding from the Killer or even expecting him. In fact, he has no clue why a stranger with a silenced pistol has infiltrated his sanctuary. This is a man so sheltered and disassociated from the dirty wetwork hes paid for that hes completely forgotten about it. It really is all business to him, and not the high-end kind; hes as initially foggy on the details as a regular person trying to recall the last Uber they booked or their most recent Doordash order.

Part of the stealth dark comedy of The Killer lies in the way it positions its main characters cool, stylish professionalism against a backdrop of branded commercial spaces and corporate business. He rents his makeshift crows nest from WeWork, plots his getaways with Hertz, finds criminal applications for Amazon and FedEX and Postmates. But the Killer isnt just exploiting convenience culture. Hes another part of it: a hitman on demand, as available for the right price as the McDonalds he dispassionately scarfs down during stakeouts. He is a freelance killer, literally disposable labor. Like most contract workers, he has no protections. And to men like Claybourne, he might as well be an icon on a phone app, securable at a press or swipe.

So when the Killer shows up in that swanky highrise condo, gun fixed on the baron who casually signed off on his murder, it seems possible that the movie might end on a note of symbolic class warfare. Will this contractor strike a blow against the fat cat who devalues him and his dark labor? At a moment when many industries are looking to unionize and the rights of freelance and contract workers are under ballot reform, putting a bullet between the eyes of a hedge-fund Jeff Bezos would get plenty of Netflix subscribers reaching for the Love this! two-thumbs-up button.

But Fincher is rarely so sentimental. He would rather stylishly dampen spirits than raise them. Having killed bystanders and fellow hired guns alike  no innocent cabbie or secretary earns his mercy  Fassbenders assassin finally faces the man who nearly had him snuffed and lets him off with a warning. But why? Its not the belated stirring of a conscience, thats for sure. The Killer, in the end, is no revolutionary. He has accepted his station in the gig economy. He cant kill Claybourne because that would violate the power structure to which hes committed his efforts, his talents, maybe his soul. And in a way, he seems to respect how the client has reduced the whole situation to a bad business decision; it reaffirms his own purely financial priorities, maybe purging any personal resentments he had about a deal gone wrong.

Thats what makes the ending such a bold downer. It doesnt just break with viewer expectations of how a cool hitman-on-a-mission story should come to a close. It avoids any sense of catharsis. There is no moral reckoning for the Killer, and no consequences for the Client. Nothing has been accomplished except the preservation of a grim status quo, and maybe a ceasefire of mutually transactional convenience. Despite the sunny epilogue, a glimpse of luxury lounging in paradise, the upshot of The Killer is about as despairing as Sevens final moments. Guess which sin wins out this time.
ASTANA, Kazakhstan, November 23. Kazakhstan will purchase more than 500 locomotives by 2025, said the Minister of Transport of Kazakhstan Marat Karabayev during a government meeting, Trend reports.

According to the minister, this is enough to solve the problem of rolling stock shortages.

Currently, the total number of locomotives in the fleet is 1,880.

To ensure the required number of locomotives and reduce the level of depreciation in the fleet, 133 units of locomotives were purchased this year.

As the minister noted, these locomotives were produced at domestic factories.

As it became known earlier, France will invest in the production of railway locomotives in Kazakhstan. In this regard, an investment agreement was signed for the implementation of the project "Production and maintenance of railway locomotives and rolling stock, as well as components for railway equipment in the Republic of Kazakhstan."

In addition, on September 17, CEO of Wabtec Rafael Santana, at a meeting with the President of Kazakhstan, talked about the investment projects being developed to launch the production of locomotives using hydrogen technologies and their components in Kazakhstan, the creation of an engineering center, and technology transfer.
To The Eagle:

Adolf Hitler and the Nazis used incendiary rhetoric, lies and violence to gain power in Germany. Hitlers primary target for rhetorical persecution was the Jews, but the list of the condemned eventually grew to include gypsies, gays, non-aryan, political critics and others, the physically disabled, and the mentally ill. Hitler called the condemned anti-German, parasites, and vermin. After gaining power through a fair election, the Nazis burned the German parliament, blamed it on the communists, and used the event as an excuse to suspend the government.

Civil servants and others were then required to pledge loyalty to the Fuhrer. Jews, gypsies, gays and others were prohibited from owning property, holding professional positions, working in the government and were required to wear identifying arm bands. The Nazis also banned books that they deemed subversive. And pictures of Adolf Hitler were required to be posted in schools and places of worship. And then there was the death camps and the crematoriums.

Donald Trump has called brown skinned people rapists, drug dealers and murders, accusing them of poisoning the blood of Americans. He has suggested that Muslims were closet terrorists, and African Americans protesting police brutality he called Antifa. Democrats and liberals, he labeled radical communists, baby killers and vermin. Borrowing a phrase used by Lenin and Stalin, Trump called the press the enemy of the people, and his rhetoric signaled approval to his supporters that it was acceptable to threaten and assault journalists, election workers, law enforcement and judges, etc. Trumps stolen election lie was the rallying cry that inspired the January 6, 2021, insurrection; and he has openly threatened retribution against judges, prosecutors.

Finally, Trump has told us that if elected president, he will suspend the Constitution and invoke the insurrection act, allowing him to use the military as an internal police force. He said he would purge the justice department, the judiciary and initiate a nationwide round up of all undocumented aliens. And he said civil servants and the military will be required to pledge loyalty to him.

Anyone see a parallel?

Frederick Lehr

Grays River
ASTANA, Kazakhstan, November 23. Kazakhstan covers nearly 10 percent of Hungary's oil usage, Peter Szijjarto, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Hungary, said at the UN SPECA Economic Forum in Baku, Trend reports.

In 2022, Hungary purchased 500,000 tons of oil from Kazakhstan, which amounted to about 8 percent of consumption in Hungary, and this year the supplies volume is close to 700,000 tons. Thus, imports of oil from Kazakhstan increased by 40 percent.

Szijjarto also mentioned the potential of Kazakhstan in production of natural gas and green energy. He noted that Hungary, benefiting significantly from East-West investments, supports strengthening Central Asia's role in connectivity and energy security.

Hungarian FM stressed the necessity of building a secure transit route between Europe and China, underscoring Central Asia's vital role in this endeavor.

Kazakh PM Alikhan Smailov said earlier in November that in total, about $330 million of direct Hungarian investments have been invested in Kazakhstan since 2005. About $75 million was invested in 2021-2022 alone, which is almost a quarter of the total.

For the first eight months of 2023, trade volume climbed by 24.4 percent to $124.2 million (compared to $99.8 million in the same period in 2022).

Today, 42 Hungarian companies (including the oil and gas business MOL and the pharmaceutical company Gedeon Richter) and 56 joint ventures operate in Kazakhstan.

Stay up to date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
Rome circuit unsuitable for electric car race.

The 2024 Formula E race in Italy will be held at the Misano World Circuit near Rimini, after Rome was dropped and Vallelunga failed in its bid to host the event, organisers confirmed on Wednesday.

Last month it was announced that Rome's EUR district was no longer suitable for the faster, more powerful Gen3 cars which were constrained by the "narrow" circuit with its sharp turns.

The limitations of the Rome circuit came to the fore in July when the race was marred by a multi-car pile-up after Sam Bird lost control of his Jaguar on a high-speed turn.

News that EUR did not feature on the 2024 E-Prix race calendar prompted municipal and regional authorities to search for possible alternative venues in a bid to keep the event in Rome or the surrounding Lazio region.

The city's mayor Roberto Gualtieri backed the Vallelunga race track in Campagnano di Roma, located about 30 km northwest of the capital and within the metropolitan city of Rome.

This move was supported by Lazio governor Francesco Rocca who offered to put up regional funding of half a million euro if the event was held at the Vallelunga track.

In the end Formula E organisers chose Misano - which has hosted Formula 1, Moto GP and Superbike races - over Vallelunga which hosted the Rome Grand Prix from 1963 until 1991.

The Rome E-Prix has taken place in EUR since its launch in 2018 under then mayor Virginia Raggi, with the most recent edition held last summer.

The event generated an estimated 70 million for the city each year, according to Italian news reports, however the race also received its share of criticism from commuters and local residents.

Misano, located on the Adriatic coast, will host the 2024 E-Prix on the weekend of 13-14 April.

Photo credit: AlessioDeMarco / Shutterstock.com
Starbucks opens fourth store in Rome.

Starbucks will open a new outlet in Rome on Thursday, on a busy shopping street near the Vatican, as the American multinational coffee chain continues to expand in Italy.

The new opening on Via Cola di Rienzo 23 is the fourth in the Italian capital, including the Starbucks that opened at the Castel Romano shopping mall in the greater Rome area last year.

News of the launch of Starbucks in the upmarket Prati district was confirmed this week by Percassi, the sole licensee partner with the coffee giant in Italy.

Located near Castel S. Angelo and across the river from Piazza del Popolo, the 200-sqm store has around 60 seats and will be open from 07.00 to 20.00.

The new Starbucks store on Via Cola di Rienzo. Photo RomaToday.

Percassi and Starbucks continue to invest in Rome" - Vincenzo Catrambone, general manager of Starbucks Italia stated - "This will not be the last opening of the year, 2023 still has surprises in store for Italy."

The new store, whose opening coincides with the American holiday of Thanksgiving, follows the launch of two other Starbucks in Rome earlier this year.

Last May a new Starbucks opened in Rome in front of the Italian parliament, followed quickly by an outlet in the city's central Termini train station.

As debate rages over Italys newest Starbucks, in the heart of Rome, the queue to get in stretches down the street. pic.twitter.com/l5SE5hHptN  Wanted in Rome (@wantedinrome) May 11, 2023

The company made international headlines in February when it chose Italy as the launchpad for its "Oleato" range of olive oil-infused coffee drinks.

Starbucks recently celebrated its five-year anniversary in Italy, after launching in 2018 at Piazza Cordusio in Milan, and over the last year has opened a slew of new stores across the country.

Photo credit: Harun Ozmen / Shutterstock.com
Move comes amid outrage and debate in Italy after murder of Giulia Cecchettin.

The Italian senate on Wednesday unanimously backed new measures to clamp down on violence against women and to strengthen measures already in place.

The bill, which was given unanimous support by the lower house two weeks ago, comes amid a wave of public anger in Italy over the murder of 22-year-old student Giulia Cecchettin.

The new measures will modify the codice rosso law, which gives priority to cases of domestic and gender-based violence, to make the legislation more effective.

The law includes a greater emphasis on prevention and warnings, new restraining orders and increased surveillance on men guilty of domestic violence, giving priority to court cases involving violence against women, and boosting the emergency gender violence hotline 1522.

The bill was presented by the Italian minister for family, birth rates and equal opportunities, Eugenia Roccella, who said the new law "in many cases can make the difference between life and death."

The measures also include a campaign in schools to "address the issue of sexism, machismo and psychological and physical violence against women," announced education minister Giuseppe Valditara, who said it is "absolutely unacceptable that women have to suffer harassment, humiliation and violence on a daily basis."

The move comes as demonstrations take place across the country following the murder of engineering student Cecchettin whose body was found on Saturday in a ravine in Italy's northern Friuli Venezia Giulia region.

Her body, wrapped in plastic, showed signs of a brutal murder, with multiple, deep knife wounds to the head and neck.

Cecchettin's former boyfriend Filippo Turetta, 22, was arrested as a suspect on Sunday, in Germany, after eight days on the run.

He is expected to be extradited to Italy within days, news agency ANSA reports.

On Tuesday schools across Italy held a minute's silence for Cecchettin, with many students in Rome choosing to rage against gender-based violence and femicide with a minute of noise.

A major demonstration is planned in Rome on Saturday afternoon, to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

Organised by the Non Una di Meno (Not One Less), the rally is scheduled to begin at the Circus Maximus at 14.30 before making its way to Piazza S. Giovanni.
Christmas market on 26 November in aid of Peter Pan.

Rome's Peter Pan charitable association, which provides support for families with children and teenagers suffering from cancer or leukemia, is holding a Christmas market on Sunday 26 November.

The 'Bottega delle Mani Felici' market, run by a group of Peter Pan volunteers, will take place at the Cardinal Hotel St Peter on Via Leone Dehon 71, from 11.00 to 18.00, with free parking.

The items on sale at the one-day-only market include bags, cushions, brooches, Christmas decorations and home decor pieces, all original and hand-crafted, with the possibility of paying by card.

Proceeds will help the Peter Pan volunteers host more families, providing free services and support during a very difficult time, at their base in Trastevere which has welcomed more than 900 families since 2000.

For full details see the Peter Pan website.
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PORTLAND, Ore.  A voter-approved Oregon gun control law violates the state constitution, a judge ruled Tuesday, continuing to block it from taking effect and casting fresh doubt over the future of the embattled measure. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight The law, one of the toughest in the nation, was among the first gun restrictions to be passed after a major U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year changed the guidance judges are expected to follow when considering Second Amendment cases.

The decision was handed down by Circuit Court Judge Robert S. Raschio, the presiding judge in Harney County in rural southeast Oregon.

The law requires people to undergo a criminal background check and complete a gun safety training course in order to obtain a permit to buy a firearm. It also bans high-capacity magazines.

Measure 114 has been tied up in state and federal court since it was narrowly approved by voters last November.

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The state trial stemmed from a lawsuit filed by gunowners claiming the law violated the right to bear arms under the Oregon Constitution.

The defendants include such Oregon officials as Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek, Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum and State Police Superintendent Casey Codding. They can appeal to the Oregon Court of Appeals and the case could ultimately go to the Oregon Supreme Court.

Rosenblum plans to appeal the ruling, her office said in an emailed statement.

The Harney County judges ruling is wrong, the statement said. Worse, it needlessly puts Oregonians lives at risk. The state will file an appeal and we believe we will prevail.

One of the plaintiffs attorneys, Tyler Smith, welcomed the ruling.

We hope the Attorney Generals office will realize that the ill-conceived and unconstitutional ballot measure should not be defended, he said in an email.

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The decision is likely the first opening salvo of multiple rounds of litigation, said Norman Williams, constitutional law professor at Willamette University.

During an appeals process, its likely that the injunction freezing the law would remain in place. Raschio was the judge who initially blocked it from taking effect in December.

The different lawsuits over the measure have sparked confusion over whether it can be implemented.

In a separate federal case over the Oregon measure, a judge in July ruled it was lawful under the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

But because Raschio found it to be invalid under the Oregon Constitution during the state trial, the law remains on hold. This is because state courts can strike down a state law that violates the state constitution, even if its permissible under the federal constitution.

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The U.S. Constitution sets a floor, not a ceiling, for rights, so state constitutions can be more rights-protective than the federal constitution, Williams said.

Because of this, Oregon officials would have to win in both state and federal court for the law to take effect, he said.

During the state trial, the plaintiffs and the defense clashed over whether the permit-to-purchase provision would hamper people from exercising their right to bear arms. They also sparred over whether large-capacity magazines are used for self-defense and whether theyre protected under the Oregon Constitution.

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The plaintiffs argued that firearms capable of firing multiple rounds were present in Oregon in the 1850s and known to those who ratified the state constitution, which took effect in 1859. The defense, meanwhile, said modern semiautomatic firearms were technologically distinct from the revolvers and multi-barrel pistols that were available in the 1850s.

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In his opinion, Raschio disputed the defenses claim that banning large-capacity magazines would help make mass shootings less deadly. He recognized that mass shootings have a significant impact on the psyche of America when they happen, but said they rank very low in frequency.

The court finds that 10-round magazine bans are no panacea to prevent a mass shooter, he wrote.

People tend to believe these events are prolific and happening all the time with massive levels of death and injury, he added. The court finds this belief, though sensationalized by the media, is not validated by the evidence.

The Oregon measure was passed after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June 2022 created new standards for judges weighing gun laws. That decision fueled a national upheaval in the legal landscape for U.S. firearm law.

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The ruling tossed aside a balancing test that judges had long used to decide whether to uphold gun laws. It directed them to only consider whether a law is consistent with the countrys historical tradition of firearm regulation, rather than take into account public interests such as promoting public safety.

Since then, there has been confusion about which laws can survive. Courts have overturned laws designed to keep weapons away from domestic abusers and felony defendants. The Supreme Court heard a case on one such law this month and is expected to issue a ruling by early summer.

In her separate federal ruling over the Oregon law, U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut appeared to take into account the Supreme Courts new directive to consider the history of gun regulations.

She found large-capacity magazines are not commonly used for self-defense, and are therefore not protected by the Second Amendment. Even if they were protected, she wrote, the laws restrictions are consistent with the countrys history and tradition of regulating uniquely dangerous features of weapons and firearms to protect public safety.

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She also found the permit-to-purchase provision to be constitutional, noting the Second Amendment allows governments to ensure that only law-abiding, responsible citizens keep and bear arms.

The plaintiffs in the federal case, which include the Oregon Firearms Federation, have appealed the ruling to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The case could potentially go all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Nine other states have permit-to-purchase laws similar to the Oregon measure, including New York, Hawaii, Maryland and Massachusetts, according to data compiled by the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.

Apart from Oregon, 11 states including California, along with Washington, D.C., limit large-capacity magazines holding more than 10 rounds, according to the Giffords Center. Californias ban on higher-capacity magazines remains in effect while the state fights a lower courts ruling from September that the law is unconstitutional.

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Associated Press writer Lindsay Whitehurst contributed to this report from Washington.

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Claire Rush is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
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DENVER  The Colorado Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear appeals from both a liberal group that sought to disqualify Donald Trump and the former president himself after a state judge ruled that Trump engaged in insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, but can still appear on the states ballot.

Oral arguments will take place Dec. 6, the court announced.

The appeals were filed Monday night. The ruling by District Court Judge Sarah Wallace on Friday  which said Trump is not covered by the Constitutions ban on insurrectionists holding office  was the latest in a series of defeats for the effort to end Trump's candidacy with Section 3 of the 14th Amendment.

A group in Michigan has filed an appeal with that states Supreme Court.

The constitutional provision has only been used a handful of times since the years after the Civil War. It was created to prevent former Confederates from returning to government positions.

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The group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, filing on behalf of a group of Republican and unaffiliated Colorado voters, argued that Wallace was wrong in ruling that its not clear the provision was intended to apply to presidents.

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The section prevents those who took an oath to support the Constitution from serving in Congress, the Electoral College or as an officer of the United States. It does not specifically mention the presidency.

Based on common sense alone, the appeal states, there would be no reason to allow Presidents who lead an insurrection to serve again while preventing low-level government workers who act as foot soldiers from doing so. And it would defy logic to prohibit insurrectionists from holding every federal or state office except for the highest and most powerful in the land.

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Trump, meanwhile, appealed Wallaces finding that he did engage in insurrection and questioned whether a state court judge like her, rather than Congress, should settle the issue.

The case will be heard by the seven justices on the state court, all of whom were appointed by Democrats.

Colorado officials have urged a final decision by Jan. 5, 2024, when they must finalize their primary ballot. The next step after Colorados high court would be the U.S. Supreme Court, which has never ruled on Section 3.

Trump has slammed the lawsuits as election interference by Democratic dark money groups.
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Its a running joke in Melbourne that smashed avo on toast is stopping Millennials from buying their own homes. In some parts of the world, however, the issues surrounding avocados are a lot darker and a lot farther reaching  from organised crime to serious environmental effects.

Mexican artist Fernando Laposse documents the rise and rise of the fruit  and the devastating effects of the massive demand for it  in Conflict Avocados, a new project commissioned for the National Gallery of Victorias Triennial, which opens next week.

Mexican artist Fernando Laposses work examines the dark side of the avocado. Credit: Simon Schluter

All of Mexicos avocados are grown in just one state, Michoacan, which is also the main habitat for monarch butterflies. Each year, the orange butterflies  the key pollinators of North America  migrate to a forest area known as El Rosario. As demand for avocados has increased in the United States, more land is cleared. Laposse points to a corresponding decline in the butterflies population, to the point where they are now endangered.

Initially, his work was focused on the loss of that location, so crucial for biodiversity, and how demand for agricultural land contributed.
Cash-strapped Rugby Australia has secured access to an $80 million line of credit over the next five years in its bid to pump more money into developing the floundering code.

Just a day after losing Harvey Norman as a major sponsor in what presents a multi-million dollar blow, RA announced the $80 million loan agreement with Pacific Equity Partners.

RA had entertained the idea of private equity, but in the end decided to take on a huge loan knowing that the 2025 British and Irish Lions tour and the 2027 mens and 2029 womens home World Cups would help pay off the debt.

The news comes just days after Hamish McLennan quit as RA chairman after six member unions demanded his resignation. Pressure on McLennan reached a fever pitch following the recent World Cup, in which the Wallabies failed to make it out of the group stage for the first time. Former Wallaby Daniel Herbert has been appointed as McLennans replacement.

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RA say the $80 million loan will go towards critical areas of the games development, with high-performance integration, womens rugby and community and pathways being areas of focus.

Chief executive Phil Waugh believes pursuing a debt capital path was the right decision for rugby in Australia and believes the injection of cash will help set the game up for the future.

Given the visibility we have on revenues from the British and Irish Lions and World Cups, it became clear that debt capital was going to be the best solution for Rugby, Waugh said in a statement.

This does not compromise RAs options down the road, which could include private equity investment.

This approach ensures that we retain 100 per cent of the commercial revenues from the game, that all capital raised will go into the game, and that RA controls its own direction during this next period of growth and development.

AAP
New evidence has emerged supporting the controversial claim that explorer Captain Cooks ship HMB Endeavour was shipwrecked off the US coastline after being deliberately scuttled by British forces during the American War of Independence.

Daryl Karp, Australian National Maritime Museum chief executive, said their archaeologists had uncovered further evidence that the wreck located at Newport Harbour, Rhode Island, south of Boston, was the Endeavour.

A painting by John Alcott of Captain Cooks HMB Endeavour entering Botany Bay . Credit:

The museums claim about finding the Endeavour was first aired in February 2022. However, the museums research partner, the Rhode Island Maritime Archaeology Project, rejected assertions that the wreck had been definitively identified, vowing not to be swayed by Australian emotions or politics.

What we see on the shipwreck site under study is consistent of what might be the Endeavour, but there has been no indisputable data to prove the site is that iconic vessel, the projects executive director Kathy Abbass said at the time. There were many unanswered questions that could overturn such an identification.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton is facing off against Victorian counterpart John Pesutto as they back opposing candidates to replace senator David Van, whose alleged inappropriate behaviour towards women sparked a workplace probe that remains under wraps six months later.

Dutton pressured Van out of the Liberal Party in June and referred him to parliaments workplace watchdog after independent senator Lidia Thorpe and former Liberal senator Amanda Stoker made accusations against him.

Van dismissed the claims made about him, saying in June they were simply not true.

Elected to the Senate in 2019 on the Liberal ticket, Van now sits on the crossbench. His term expires in 2025.
The Hague, Netherlands: Dutch anti-EU far-right populist Geert Wilders started looking for coalition partners on Thursday after a massive election win that is set to have wide repercussions in the Netherlands and across Europe.

Beating all predictions, his Freedom Party (PVV) won 37 seats out of 150, well ahead of 25 for a joint Labour/Green ticket and 24 for the conservative Peoples Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) of outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

Geert Wilders, leader of the Party for Freedom. Credit: AP

The result puts Wilders first in line to lead talks to form a new ruling coalition and possibly become the countrys prime minister at a time of political upheaval through much of Europe.

The vocally anti-Islam Wilders has vowed to halt all immigration, slash Dutch payments to the European Union and block the entrance of any new members, including Ukraine.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 23. The chairmanship of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) will pass to Kazakhstan on January 1, 2024, said Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev during the session of the CSTO Collective Security Council in an enlarged format, Trend reports.

Tokayev proposed a number of priority areas on which CSTO activities should be focused during Kazakhstan's presidency.

For instance, the Kazakh president proposed CSTO cooperation with interested countries and international organizations in the field of security.

The second important area of work was proposed interaction on military cooperation. In the opinion of the leader of Kazakhstan, the regulatory and legal framework for ensuring the operational deployment of the CSTO Collective Forces needs to be finalized.

Tokayev also noted as a priority the development of cooperation in countering international terrorism and extremism. According to him, close attention will be paid to the anti-terrorist component of the collective security system.

Tokayev said the Organization should also counter the trafficking of drugs and psychotropic substances.

"It is necessary to increase the effectiveness of joint measures to protect the CSTO space from the penetration of these dangerous products," he said.

Kasym-Jomart Tokayev said that the outlined priorities of Kazakhstan's chairmanship will be sent to the CSTO member states in the near future.

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The 20th Meeting of the World Customs Organization (WCO) Counterfeiting and Piracy (CAP) Group, organized in a hybrid format, was held on 21 and 22 November 2023. At the meeting, delegates elected Mrs Oumou Keita Traore of Mali Customs, as Chairperson for the meeting and Mrs Maria Manuela Loureiro Manta of Portugal Customs as Vice-Chairperson.

More than 300 delegates from WCO Member administrations and Regional Intelligence Liaison Offices (RILOs), as well as representatives from international organizations and the private sector, registered for the meeting.

In his opening remarks delivered in a video recording, Pranab Kumar Das, Director for Compliance and Facilitation, welcomed the momentum and engagement within the WCO CAP Group and applauded Members for both their participation in the regional workshops and their support for the awareness-raising campaign conducted by the Secretariat with a view to promoting the removal of counterfeit products from e-commerce platforms.

The meeting continued in the form of a closed session for Members and observers, while representatives of the private sector, including rights holders, were invited to attend a joint session.

The Secretariat reported to delegates on the activities that had been carried out since the last meeting of the Group, as well as the approach adopted in making available accredited IPR experts to promote knowledge-sharing with the younger generation.

In addition, delegates endorsed the WCO CAP Groups Work Programme 2024-2025 and discussed a number of topics, namely: (i) efforts to tackle illicit online pharmacies through closer cooperation between Customs and the private sector; (ii) work towards improving the interoperability of data exchange systems with private-sector partners through the IPR CENcomm platform; (iii) more active involvement by Customs in the fight against counterfeit pesticides; (iv) the latest trends in the threat posed by the counterfeiting of toys and games; and, finally, (v) the communication strategy to raise consumer awareness of the dangers of counterfeiting and piracy.

The WCO CAP Group was established in 2009 to serve as a forum for Customs administrations to share their experiences, practices and initiatives on border measures to be adopted in respect of goods that infringe intellectual property rights (IPRs) and/or are detrimental to consumer health.

Bringing the meeting to a close, the Chairperson Mrs Keita Traore thanked the delegates for the quality of the discussions and their commitment to supporting the Secretariats activities in connection with the WCO IPR, Health and Safety Programme.

For more information, please contact us at: IPRteam@wcooomd.org.
The WCO conducted a Train-the-Trainer workshop on Customs valuation for the South America, North America, Central America and the Caribbean (AMS) region from 13 to 17 November 2023, funded by the Customs Cooperation Fund of China (CCF China).

The workshop was held in the Dominican Republic at the WCO Reginal Training Centre (RTC), aiming to develop a pool of expert trainers to ensure that Customs administrations have competent staff to deliver training at national level for proper application of the WTO Customs Valuation Agreement.

During the five-day workshop, 16 participants from 13 Member administrations received updates on the latest developments in specific valuation technical topics, including transaction value, reason to doubt, and royalties and licence fees, along with relevant instruments adopted by the Technical Committee on Customs Valuation.

The training methodology part ensured that the participants were updated on the approach for the design, development and delivery of training, and facilitation techniques to enhance their role as expert trainers who are expected to contribute to Customs competencies development and performance.

Participants were also provided with the opportunity to deliver presentations on specific technical topics, enabling them to apply the core knowledge and facilitation skills acquired during the workshop.

The workshop concluded successfully with positive feedback from the participants who greatly appreciated the information shared by the facilitators.
BEIJING, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Chairman of the Russian State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin in Beijing on Wednesday. Xi said that China and Russia, each other's largest neighbors and both permanent members of the UN Security Council, share extensive common interests. "This year, President Putin and I had face-to-face in-depth exchanges twice and reached a lot of new consensus on deepening the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination and practical cooperation in various fields," said Xi. Noting that next year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of China-Russia diplomatic ties, Xi said China is ready to work with Russia to deepen bilateral relations featuring permanent good-neighborly friendship, comprehensive strategic coordination and mutually beneficial cooperation to inject new impetus into the development of the two countries and contribute to the prosperity and stability of the world. Xi stressed that strengthening cooperation between legislative bodies plays an important role in ensuring the steady and long-term development of China-Russia relations. Xi expressed his hope that the Russian State Duma and the National People's Congress of China will strengthen exchanges of legislative experience and give full play to the role of special committees and friendship groups of the two legislatures to provide better legal support for bilateral cooperation. He called on the two legislatures to ensure the synergy of the Belt and Road Initiative and the Eurasian Economic Union, and deepen communication and coordination in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, BRICS, G20 and other multilateral platforms. Volodin said that under the strategic guidance of President Xi and President Putin, Russia-China relations have reached the best level in history, noting that all parties in the Russian State Duma have a high degree of consensus on developing friendly relations with China. Russia firmly pursues the one-China policy and firmly supports China in safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity. Russia is willing to strengthen exchanges and cooperation between the legislatures and between the political parties of the two countries, actively implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, deepen friendship and mutual trust between the two peoples, said Volodin. Wang Yi, Peng Qinghua attended the meeting.
ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, November 23. Experts from the EU have arrived in Turkmenistan with a technical mission aimed at strengthening interdepartmental cooperation between the country's customs, phytosanitary and veterinary services responsible for border control, Trend reports.

Among the visiting delegation were Deputy Director of Customs board at State Revenue Service of Latvia Sandra Karklina-Admine and Director of Border Control Department at Food and veterinary service of Latvia Iveta Sice-Trede visited the Turkmen capital.

During the meeting in the State Customs Service of Turkmenistan with EU experts, specific mechanisms of interaction between various regulatory authorities were considered, as well as an analysis of the current legislation was carried out to develop recommendations for its improvement.

The negotiators stressed the importance of an integrated approach to the management of State borders to ensure security and the development of international trade.

The meeting was organized by the EU Border Management Programme in Central Asia (BOMCA 10) within the framework of the component promoting legitimate trade flows across borders.

In recent years, Turkmenistan has been actively developing its customs sphere, introducing international practices and experience to improve the border control system.

The country strives to improve the efficiency of customs procedures by providing more modern and transparent control methods, which facilitates trade and supports its integration into the global economy.

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High Court reporters

Gemma O'Doherty has told the High Court she did not set out to mislead her internet followers over the use of the words "paedophile brother of Veronica Guerin".

Ms O'Doherty said the most important thing to her as a journalist "is to tell the truth because this book (pointing to the witness box bible) is the most important book for me, and at the end of the day I believe I am only accountable to God".

She continued: "The idea I could mislead my 65,000 followers is just anathema to me, and I could not get into the mind of a person who could do that".

Ms O'Doherty was giving evidence on the third day of defamation proceedings brought by Fingal County Councillor Jimmy Guerin, a brother of murdered journalist Veronica Guerin, over certain Facebook and Twitter posts, and an internet broadcast on Gemma.TV/Gemmaodohertytv.com in July 2019.

In them, she refers to the "paedophile brother" of Veronica Guerin, or "how the brother of Veronica Guerin" was freed on bail pending sentence on charges of possession of hundreds of images of child pornography in 2019.

The brother in fact was Jimmy's older brother Martin (73), who later received a suspended sentence.

Jimmy Guerin says the posts and comments referred to him and claims they were made deliberately and out of malice as a result of a contribution he made in 2018 to a Fingal County Council meeting from which Ms O'Doherty had sought support for her nomination in the Presidential election.

At that meeting, he accused Ms O'Doherty, among other things, of being offensive, disgusting and attempting to capitalise on the death of Veronica by saying there was State involvement in her murder.

Ms O'Doherty denies defamation. She claims it was Cllr Guerin who acted maliciously towards her in response to what she said was the truth about State involvement.

A defamation case she took against Cllr Guerin over those comments was struck out last year.

Jimmy Guerin, brother of the late Veronica Guerin. Photo: Collins Courts

Ms O'Doherty told the court she was an award-winning journalist of nearly 20 years for the Irish Independent, with particular interests in State corruption and exposing child sex abuse.

The reason she put up the posts about the "paedophile brother" of Veronica Guerin was there had been "public outrage that yet another well-connected abuser had walked free from court", and his case had taken five years to come to court because of his connections.

Asked by her counsel, Feargal Kavanagh SC, about Jimmy Guerin's allegation that she could have put something other than she did into her posts to make sure there was no possibility of mistaken identity, she said most of the mainstream media had only referred to the "brother of Veronica Guerin".

She said she had stated "paedophile brother" and there was only one paedophile brother, and that was Martin.

In relation to a response on Facebook to her post asking if the "paedophile brother" was the same man who "was up on his high horse during Gemma's presidential campaign", she said that as one of the most followed journalists (on social media) in Ireland at the time, she did not read all comments because she would have to spend days doing it.

She thought it was unusual for Jimmy not to have first picked up the phone and talked about what she had said about State involvement in Veronicas death, claiming he instead went to the council meeting "and destroyed my good name".

Ms O'Doherty did not get a chance to run for election as she did not get enough support for a Presidential nomination.

She added: "I have since discovered our election system was rigged anyway, and all I wanted to do was take this country off the road it is going down to destruction."

Under cross-examination by Ronan Lupton SC, for Mr Guerin, Ms O'Doherty repeatedly rejected that she intended to refer to Jimmy or else cause confusion.

She also said this is now a case about a politician trying to bankrupt and make homeless a journalist, because the only remedy Cllr Guerin wanted was money. If Cllr Guerin was hard up, maybe we could have a fundraiser, she said.

Counsel put it to her that she invited her followers not to believe the mainstream media, but still expected them to know it was Martin who was convicted, and not Jimmy, from reading the mainstream media.

She replied: You know, and Cllr Guerin knows, I was not talking about him.

The case continues before a jury and Mr Justice Tony OConnor.
David Raleigh

A man allegedly punched and kicked by five-time All-Ireland winning Limerick hurler Kyle Hayes, while he was lying on the ground outside a nightclub, was the victim of a vicious assault by a number of men inside the nightclub earlier that night, a court heard today.

Kyle Hayes, (25), of Ballyahsea, Kildimo, Co Limerick is on trial before the Limerick Circuit Criminal Court, charged with assault causing harm to Cillian McCarthy, (24), from Toureen, Ballysimon, Limerick, outside the ICON nightclub, Upper Denmark Street, Limerick City, on October 28th, 2019.

Mr Hayes, a four-time All Star hurler, is also charged with one count of committing violent disorder inside the nightclub and one count of committing violent disorder outside the venue, on the same night.

A co-accused, Jai Chaudri, (22), of Carheeny, Kildimo, Co Limerick, is charged with assaulting Mr McCarthy causing him harm, and one count of committing violent disorder outside the ICON nightclub, on the same date.

A third accused, Craig Cosgrave, (24), of Caherally, Grange, Co Limerick, is charged with one count of committing violent disorder inside the ICON on the same date.

All three accused deny the charges.

CCTV footage

Some disagreement arose in court on Wednesday when defence barrister for Kyle Hayes, Brian McInerney SC, cross-examining Limerick-based Detective Garda Barry Moylan, suggested that CCTV footage played by the detective garda of the aftermath of the dance floor brawl, appeared to show the alleged victim, Cillian McCarthy, being ejected from the ICON by the clubs security staff.

Detective Garda Moylan said he could not definitively say if Mr McCarthy was being ejected, but argued that he may have been assisted out of the venue by security staff as he was certainly, unsteady on his feet as he had suffered a vicious assault on the dance-floor.

Detective Moylan agreed with Mr McInerney that it appeared from the footage which was played in court, that the ICONs security staff were removing people from the premises, but my client (Kyle Hayes) wasn't removed by security staff.

Detective Moylan, who was playing clips of the CCTV footage to the court, disagreed with Mr McInerney that Mr McCarthy seemed to push somebody backwards on the dance floor of the club prior to brawl breaking out.

Judge Dermot Sheehan remarked that an outstanding feature of the CCTV footage of the brawl was that a young lady continues dancing in the middle of all of this.

Detective Moylan said Mr McCarthy was the subject of an attack by a number of males.

Dance floor

On Tuesday the detective stated the CCTV footage showed a number of punches being thrown on the dance floor by a number of people including Kyle Hayes.

He said it appeared Kyle Hayes and another male had instigated the brawl.

Outlining the States allegations on Tuesday, prosecuting counsel, John OSullivan BL, told the court that Cillian McCarthy got talking to two girls, and it appears that Kyle Hayes was upset about this, it didnt sit well with him (Kyle Hayes).

Putting it in plain terms, Cillian McCarthy was set upon by Kyle Hayes and others, and numerous punches were thrown.

Mr OSullivan said it was the prosecutions case that Kyle Hayes and others pursued Cillian McCarthy outside the nightclub and that Kyle Hayes attacked Cillian McCarthy on the public street.

Jai Chaudri joined in the attack outside the ICON, Mr OSullivan alleged.

Mr OSullivan said the court would hear evidence from two Gardai who would give evidence that they saw Kyle Hayes and others punch and kick Cillian McCarthy while he was down on the ground.

You will hear evidence that Kyle Hayes fled the scene and he was captured (by Gardai) a short time later.

Cillian McCarthy offended Kyle Hayes by simply engaging in conversation with two girls - thats it, thats what started it all off, Mr OSullivan said.

The alleged victim, Cillian McCarthy, is expected to give direct evidence to the court when the trial resumes tomorrow (Thursday).
A Claremorris councillor has blasted Uisce Eireann, formerly Irish Water, for its failure to fix a sewerage system in a housing estate.

Speaking at last weeks municipal council meeting, Fine Gael councillor Tom Connolly asked Mayo Co Councils senior engineer Conrad Harley if there had been any update from the state-owned water utility company about finishing off required works so that the Mayfields estate in Claremorris can be taking in charge by the local authority.

We have had no word back from Irish Water in relation to Mayfields, but I understand that theres a new development thats in the second half and it is pushing along so I hope that will bring it to a head, Mr Harley stated.

Cllr Connolly then expressed his frustration with how long the process is taking.

This is going on a long time and Mayo County Council has the bond. Why havent we done it? We got the surveys done on the sewers and they were to be repaired, half the road was done and the other half is not. Those people paid big money for houses, Cllr Connolly responded.

Mr Harley said that the council needs approval from Uisce Eireann before making the repairs.

The sooner that Irish Water is scrapped and goes back to the local authority, the better. Theyre just a body that does nothing, Cllr Connolly said.
Fine Gael TD Michael Ring has announced that a contractor has been appointed to construct the new Coast Guard station at Westport Quay.

When I was minister in the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, I was delighted to get this new Coast Guard station for Westport sanctioned, said Mr Ring.

Since this project was sanctioned, a lot of procedures have taken place and planning has been approved.

Mr Ring paid tribute to the Coast Guard volunteers.

I wish to once again take this opportunity to compliment and thank the Coast Guard volunteers for all the work that they carry out.

They provide an invaluable service. Their professionalism and efficiency are second to none.

He said the new building is badly needed and he now looks forward to seeing it delivered.

The Westport Coast Guard currently operates from a small, temporary facility. This is why this new building is vital for the success of their ongoing work as a unit.

They require a modern facility for the exceptional and necessary work that they carry out.

The Westport Coast Guard Unit is an essential part of the local area. They serve their community to the highest level and it is crucial that a modern, fit-for-purpose Coast Guard station is constructed for them, said the long-serving TD.
Signs along the old Westport Road in Castlebar were removed without the knowledge of Mayo County Council, writes Keith Bourke.

The mystery behind who removed the signs was finally revealed at a meeting of Castlebar Municipal District.

Fine Gael Cllr Ger Deere had previously highlighted the issue when signposts for townlands were replaced with road numbers. The signs have since been completely removed.

Cllr Deere told the meeting that the signs were removed as part of the contract put in place by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) but the council was in the dark on the move.

He said TII has now agreed to put the signs back in place.

Its the most ludicrous thing, said Cllr Deere, Nobody knows where the old signs are. They will all have to be replaced now. Its the most outrageous waste of money and time, he added.

Cllr Deere said it is no wonder the public has disdain for officialdom.

Let something like this never happen again, he stated.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 23. SNF is looking to establish a presence in Uzbekistan in the near future, Bertrand Sahuc, Senior Project Manager of French SNF Floerger company told Trend on the sidelines of the SPE Technical Conference and Exhibition held in Baku.

The company representative noted that SNF aims to establish a strong global presence through robust development strategies.



"One of our key pursuits involves polymer flooding, an innovative method that steadily enhances oil recovery rates," he said.

Sahuc explained that this approach forms the cornerstone of SNF's expanding operations in the region, leading toward sustained growth od the oil refining industry," he said.

The SPE Caspian Technical Conference kicked off in Baku on November 21, and will continue until November 23. It will bring together global industry leaders and technical experts to share perspectives on the industry and address the unique challenges and opportunities it presents.
Big hearted staff from Mayo University Hospital are raising funds to build a Trauma Care Facility to save the lives of road traffic accident victims in Kenya.

The hospital has a long association with Londiani Sub County Hospital in Kenya with a mutual exchange of skills and knowledge and many staff from MUH travelling over to Kenya on a regular basis.

Dr Bridget Hughes, an Orthopedic Surgeon at MUH has recently returned from Kenya and is helping her colleagues spearhead a campaign to raise 20,000 for the provision of a trauma facility.

The strain on hospital staff to treat patients is compounded by limited training, lack of trauma systems and a dedicated space in the hospital.

The MUH team is completing a 5K next Tuesday, November 28 to raise the funds.

Working in conjunction with Brighter Communities Worldwide, an Irish NGO that works in partnership with the Ministry of Health and local communities on the ground in Londiani, the volunteers from the MUH say there is an urgent need for the development of further resources, given the spike in road traffic accidents in Londiani.

Dr Hughes said there is a new highway linking Londiani with Nairobi and while it is very welcome and greatly helps connectivity, sadly road traffic accidents have jumped considerably.

Trauma is now becoming the leading cause of death, particularly amongst young men which is common all over the world," she said.

The community is still reeling from the horror road crash in Londiani in July when a lorry carrying a shipping container lost control and crashed, wiping out several other vehicles, many roadside stalls and people waiting to make their way home and scores of people sadly died with hundreds more injured."

Dr Hughes said this awful tragedy has really concentrated the mind of the people on the ground as once accident victims come into the hospital, many of them have to be treated on the ground.

"There is simply no room and the basic facilities are not there," she said. The basic trauma care that happens following an accident is absolutely crucial, I cant overstate this."

Dr Hughes explained this window determines whether the person survives.

"The administration of oxygen ,blood, IV access and transfusion fluids are the really important and that is when the surgeons can manage the patient.

"They have the capabilities but not the facilities," she added.

Dr Hughes said Brighter Communities Worldwide really make money work and make it stretch so nothing is wasted.

"It is always so encouraging and uplifting when I go back to see the progress that has been made at Londiani Sub Country Hospital and this is sustainability in action," she said. The people of Mayo have been loyal supporters and I would ask them to support our endeavors next Tuesday as the money donated will go so much further with the involvement of Global Giving Dr Hughes said every cent will make a big difference.

People who want to make donations can do so by logging onto to the project on GlobalGiving at https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/trauma-resuscitation-room-for-hospital-in-kenya/
David O'Sullivan

A man who took a pizza delivery driver's car without his permission and possessed property stolen from a student flat has been sentenced to two years in prison.

Charlie Darcy (35), of John's Lane West, appeared before Judge Orla Crowe in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on Wednesday.

He pleaded guilty to counts of taking a vehicle without the consent of its owner and possession of stolen property on separate occasions between December 14th and 16th, 2021.

Garda Colm Reynolds said that at 9.30pm on the evening of the first incident, a pizza order was made by phone to Four Star Pizza in Kilmainham. The customer provided a delivery address at Camac Crescent Apartments, Dublin 8.

When the delivery driver arrived at the apartment block, he called the customer and arranged a meeting place. The driver saw two men come out of the apartment and approach the gate where he was parked.

The driver got out of the car and went to get the pizzas from the boot, when the two men told him to hand over the keys and his wallet. They pushed him backwards, and he fell on the ground.

The men demanded money and the keys to the car, but when one of the men saw they had been left in the ignition, they both got in and drove away.

The driver reported the incident to the gardai, but wasn't able to provide an accurate description of the men because they had their hoods up. He used an app installed on the stolen phone to track the car to an address in Ballyfermot.

Gardai later carried out a search of the address after following up on the burglary of a student flat. Four Star Pizza boxes were found.

Victim impact statement

In a victim impact statement handed in to the court, the driver said: The fear in the first few weeks after the robbery was terrible.

Letters in the car showed the address where he and his family lived, and he said, Any little noise in the night was scaring us.

At one point, he thought one of the men who took the car came to the pizza shop where he worked and he called the police. He described it as a terrible life experience.

Darcy also pleaded guilty to another charge which occurred two days after the robbery of the pizza delivery man.

Detective Garda Mark Kelly told the court that on December 16th, 2021, Darcy had in his possession items stolen from a student flat. This included cash, jewellery, headphones, a motorised skateboard and a hard-drive.

The two students were living in a flat on Clanbrassil Street. They had both left the apartment to go to the nearby university.

When one of the tenants returned at 9pm that day, he saw the door was open. He spoke with a neighbour and found out the gardai had already been at the property.

When their flatmate arrived, they called gardai and gave an account of what was missing from the house.

CCTV

CCTV from a nearby restaurant showed Darcy and another man with items stolen from the house. Gardai got a warrant and searched Darcy's house.

The headphones were found, but the rest of the stolen property was not. Darcy was arrested and detained by gardai.

In a victim impact statement to the court, the person living at the address said My home still doesn't feel the same. He described how the newly reinforced door frame is a constant reminder of what happened.

Darcy was on bail at the time of both offences for a burglary of the Marble Arch pub in Drimnagh. When arrested for this crime, he was found possessing an imitation firearm.

Darcy has 57 previous convictions including for attempted murder, possession of controlled drugs, possession of an imitation firearm, assault, burglary, theft, robbery, and handling stolen property.

Keith Spencer BL, defending, said Darcy witnessed violence from a young age and had spiralled completely out of control at the time of the offences and was taking drugs.

He said that Darcy was under direct pressure because he had accumulated a debt and that in a bid to repay that, he was trying to acquire property.

Mr Spencer said Darcy was at the bottom of addiction and in a dark place when he committed the crimes, but that he is capable of recovery.

He said that since entering custody Darcy has tried to better himself, but that the real test of that will be upon release". He said Darcy knows that the house of cards will come collapsing down upon him, should he reoffend.

The court heard that Darcy is in custody serving a sentence in relation to the burglary of the Marble Arch pub. When that sentence concludes early next year, he will begin a two-year sentence for these offences.

Imposing the consecutive two-year sentence, Judge Orla Crowe noted that Darcy is doing remarkably well in custody and is an excellent student, earning certificates in food safety and overdose prevention, among others.

The judge accepted that Darcy wishes to draw a line under his offending.
Claire Henry

A man has told a jury that he was frozen to the spot when he awoke to find his then-teacher sexually assaulting him.

The 59-year-old accused, who can't be named for legal reasons, has pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court to one count of attempted anal rape and eight counts of sexual assault, on dates between March 1991 and November 1997, at locations in Co Dublin.

The jury heard that a then 18-year-old man had stayed at his teacher's home in November 1997. The young man assumed that he would be sleeping on a couch, but he was told when he reached the home that he could sleep on the bedroom floor of his teacher.

The man told Anne Marie Lawlor, SC, prosecuting, that when he asked if there was a pillow or a duvet he could use, his teacher suggested, Why dont you just sleep on the bed? The young man thought this was an unusual situation, as he was my teacher and I was his student, but I just went along with it".

The young man removed his trousers and got in to bed wearing his top and loose boxer shorts. The bedside light was turned off and the room was very dark. It took the young man about 30 minutes to get to sleep. He woke a short time later to a rustling in my boxers.

The young man first believed that the accused might be touching him in his sleep. He said: I couldnt understand what was happening. I flinched and it stopped.

A short time later he once again felt touching. The accused then shuffled down in the bed and it is alleged that his mouth made contact with the young mans penis.

Ms Lawlor asked the man how he reacted to this and he replied: It was like an out-of-body experience and I just froze.

He said: You would think your reaction would be to get out of there, but I just froze to the spot. The young man flinched again and the accused lay back down beside him on the bed.

It is alleged that approximately 30 seconds later, the accused once again shuffled down in the bed and tried to make contact with the youngs man's penis with his mouth. The man is unsure if contact was made as he jumped out of the bed. The man said to the accused: What the hell are you doing? and began to dress in a frantic fashion. The man described being in total shock and incredibly upset.

Ms Lawlor asked the man if he had consented to what had occurred and he replied, Absolutely not.

The jury heard the accused was standing in front of the bedroom door and asked the young man not to go. The young man said he wanted to punch him, but Im not a violent person. The man described grabbing the accused by the shoulders and throwing him onto the bed. He then left the bedroom and ran out of the mans house.

When the man arrived home, he described being frantic. He banged on the front door and fell in the door when his mother opened it. The young man told his mother that he had been raped. He then told the court that he understood that was not what had actually happened. He described wanting to shower as he felt disgusting.

The young mans mother tried to calm him down and convinced him to get some sleep. While he was sleeping, his mother made contact with the school and told the principal that something serious had happened.

The following morning, the school principal came to the home of the young boy. He instructed the young man to write down everything that had happened the night before.

Ms Lawlor asked the man what he did with this statement he had written and he said he had given it to his school principal. She asked when was the next time he saw this statement and he said when the gardai showed it to him in 2019.

The jury heard that in 2019, gardai made contact with the man and he went on to make a statement regarding the alleged offence. Prosecuting counsel asked the man why he had not made a statement sooner, to which he replied, I didn't feel that I was mature enough to come forward. He also said: I thought I was the only one it happened to and that it would be my word against his, and I didnt want to relive it.

The court heard that the man decided to make a statement in 2019 as he was more mature. He said, Mentally, I was much stronger and I had a greater standing on doing the right thing.

Mr Michael OHiggins SC, defending, asked the man on the night in question if he had had a few drinks, to which he replied: Yes, two or three drinks.

Counsel said he had stated in his interview that he wasnt much of a drinker, which the man agreed with. He said there was no evidence of anyone plying him with drinks on that night in question, to which the man agreed with.

Mr OHiggins put it to the man that when he initially woke to feel the rustling in his boxers, his first thought was that the accused was doing this in his sleep - to which the man replied, Yes, initially.

The trial continues before Mr Justice Alexander Owens and the jury on Monday.

It is expected to last around four weeks.
READING, Pa. - Reminders of a husband, father, partner and friend.

"I get to the corner of Eighth and Washington and I look down where it happened. Every day that's my reminder, said Chris Jenkins with Reading Police. I said I wasn't gonna do this. It's my daily reminder of how all of this can end in an instant."

The instant was August of 2006, when Reading Police Officer Scott Wertz was killed in the line of duty.

It's not how these men died that made them heroes. It's how they lived, said Trish Wertz, his widow.

The Reading native dreamed of putting on the uniform for his city, and now those who knew him gathered at the Miller Center at RACC to dedicate the bridge in his honor.

"It's a very fitting tribute to a man who dedicated his entire adult life to serving and protecting his community, said Mayor Eddie Moran.

The Penn Street Bridge will now stand as a symbol of sacrifice moving forward for the City of Reading.

"Officer Wertz's death is a painful reminder of the risks police officers across the country take to keep us safe, said State Senator Judy Schwank.

A large amount of law enforcement attended the event to show their support.

He gave the ultimate sacrifice to protect our community, said District Attorney John Adams.

Now a new reminder is in place for all to see.

"As I leave work everyday, I will have another reminder when I pass the sign on the bridge formally known as the Penn Street Bridge, said Jenkins.

Nearly two decades after his death, this new sign shows that his ultimate sacrifice is not forgotten.

"Right now, in true Scott fashion, he would give you that smile and say...'It's about time.' Thank you, said Trish Wertz.
EASTON, Pa. - Pennsylvania State Police are looking for an Easton man who is accused of possessing child pornography, according to a news release from Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers.

Police say they have issued an arrest warrant for 57-year-old Edwin Padron. He is charged with a Megan's Law violation, child pornography, and criminal use of a communication facility.

Hes currently an absconded Megans Law offender who was found to be in possession of child pornography, state police say.

Anyone with information is urged to contact PSP at 610-871-6595 or anonymously contact the Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers Toll Free at 1-800-4PA-TIPS (8477) or online.

All callers to Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers remain anonymous and could be eligible for a cash reward for information that leads to an arrest, the solving of a crime/cold case or the location of a wanted person/fugitive or missing person.
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - The 9th Annual WFMZ and Lehigh Valley Phantoms Coat Drive is Friday. The coats will go to adoptive and foster families served by The Salvation Army, plus the organization S.T.A.R.

S.T.A.R., which stands for Serving To Aid and Restore, is based out of Christ Church UCC in Bethlehem. That makes it easily accessible to the homeless community it serves.

"We are desperately in need of coats, all the time," said George Harmanos, the president of S.T.A.R.

"I don't want to overdramatize, but it can be life saving, because you're out in the cold," said Tim McGorry, the resource center coordinator at S.T.A.R.

The nonprofit will be receiving donations from the WFMZ and Lehigh Valley Phantoms Coat Drive, providing some relief, since it points out, people go through coats more quickly than you may think.

"If you're living outside, a coat that would generally last somebody like me for maybe a couple of years, well, that's not going to work. The weather situation, the living situation," said Harmanos.

Every Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., people go to the church to get what they need. Everything's donated. There are clothes, camping supplies, and a variety of toiletries.

"We serve 100 people and probably on a given Saturday, maybe 40 or 50 of those will take a jacket," said Harmanos.

Two retired Bethlehem Catholic teachers are among the leaders of the organization, which is fueled by volunteers, oftentimes, from the high school.

"The Bethlehem Catholic school, on a yearly basis, at a number of different times, donates things to us," said McGorry.

Those things are valuable; coupled with people's time and kindness, they're priceless presents.

"It's not just about giving something out, but helping them to feel someone cares, and it's important to call them by names and get to know them," said McGorry.

S.T.A.R. was formerly known as Helping Bethlehem's Homeless. Between the two, the group has been giving back for about a decade.

The coat drive is from 5 to 7 p.m. outside the PPL Center Friday. There will be a drive-thru lane on Hamilton Street. There will also be drop boxes at the PPL Center from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday.

The Steel Ice Center in Bethlehem already has a drop box there, where people can bring donations too.
SALISBURY TWP., Pa. - We here at WFMZ are celebrating a co-worker for his constant support of the Lehigh Valley.

Our own Rob Vaughn was honored Wednesday at an annual Thanksgiving Awards Benefit Event put on by Life Path and the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Rob received the 2023 Community Service Award for his long-time volunteerism for many organizations and causes in helping make the Lehigh Valley a better place for everyone.

Congratulations, Rob!
The convicted murderer who was the center of a two-week manhunt in Chester County is now at a new prison.

Danelo Cavalcante was transferred from SCI-Phoenix in Montgomery County to SCI Greene, which is in southwestern Pennsylvania.

Both are maximum security facilities.

Officials say this was a scheduled move.

Cavalcante is serving a life sentence for stabbing his ex-girlfriend to death. He's also facing charges in connection with his escape from the Chester County Prison in August.
DELAWARE TWP., N.J. - In real estate, value is tied to location.

Realtor Kevin McPheeters showed us a renovated Delaware Township converted church, located along Locktown, Flemington Road in Hunterdon County, New Jersey.

While the tin pressed ceiling is original, stainless-steel appliances replace pews.

You could say time stands still for the 3800-square-foot, three-bath, three-bedroom home, sitting on an acre with permanent residents.

A 150-grave cemetery is part of the property. This includes World War II and Vietnam veterans who attract visitors. McPheeters says converting a church to apartments or a home isn't unique, but having a cemetery included is.

"We do have people who visit their relatives here, it's a local cemetery. And in a small town that is, you know, Locktown is no longer really a town," he said.

Located between Frenchtown and Lambertville, at one time Locktown was bustling. Built in 1828, what was the Locktown Christian Church hosted pastors, including Abigail Roberts, a 19th-century evangelist.

The property has been privately owned since 2014 with graves dating to the 1840's. The most recent one is from 2014.

"The only term, the only restriction in the deed is that they (the homeowners) must mow the lawn here," McPheeters said.

A non-profit maintains the gravesites.

On the market since April, it was originally listed at $850,000. The current price has dropped to $650,000.

"Culturally, there are some people who will not even look at a property that is adjacent to a cemetery, much less includes the cemetery. So, you're removing a portion of the market from there. And it is not for everyone," he said.

But for those who like peace and quiet, it could be the perfect place for an eternal view that could last a lifetime and then some.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)  An escaped inmate accused of sexually assaulting multiple victims in Tennessee has been captured in Florida after being on the run for over a month, authorities said.

Sean Williams, 52, was arrested without incident Tuesday in Florida's Pinellas County after being spotted and tracked down by a K-9 officer and his partner, the FBI in Knoxville said in social media post.

Williams was in federal custody on three counts of production of child sexual abuse material and one count of distribution of cocaine, and is now facing an escape charge, the FBI said.

A former businessman from Johnson City, Tennessee, Williams also is facing state charges including child rape, aggravated sexual battery and especially aggravated sexual exploitation, court records show. In addition, two lawsuits accuse him of drugging and raping multiple victims in the East Tennessee community for years, claiming local police did little to investigate him.

Williams escaped from a transport van Oct. 18 en route from a Kentucky detention facility  where he was held after a previous escape attempt in Tennessee  to the federal courthouse in Greeneville, Tennessee, according to the FBI. A criminal complaint says deputies found Williams missing and the back window of the vehicle kicked out after arriving at the courthouse.

Williams, who's originally from Florida, had stolen a car in Greeneville and was later spotted by an officer in Pinellas County who unsuccessfully pursued the vehicle, U.S. Marshal David Jolley told WCYB-TV. Williams was later recognized by a store clerk and, after fleeing from the store, was tracked to a hiding spot under a tarp and arrested, Jolley said.

The manhunt unfolded after police in North Carolina earlier this year said they found evidence of Williams himself apparently documenting dozens of sexual assaults.

According to a state court search warrant, in April a Western Carolina University police officer found Williams in a car while he had an outstanding arrest warrant. Inside the car, the officer found digital storage devices with photos and videos of 52 female victims being sexually assaulted by Williams at his Johnson City apartment while they were in an obvious state of unconsciousness," with many of the videos stored in labeled folders, the warrant states.

At least a half-dozen names on the folders were consistent with first names on a list labeled Raped" that was found in Williams' apartment during a September 2020 search warrant, the document states. Additionally, more than 5,000 child pornography images were on the devices, the warrant states.

A lawyer representing Williams in the federal case didn't immediately respond to an email. A court clerk said Williams had not appeared yet to answer the state charges and did not have an attorney of record.

Additionally, at least 10 women have accused Williams in lawsuits of drugging and raping victims for years before his arrest.

Kateri Lynne Dahl, a former special prosecutor in the East Tennessee U.S. attorneys office, sued the city and Johnson City police officials in June 2022 over how they approached the allegations about Williams. Dahl's federal lawsuit alleges that she had substantial evidence that Williams had been dealing drugs and was credibly accused of sexually assaulting and raping multiple women, and that Johnson City police refused her plea to investigate further.

When Dahl secured a federal indictment and arrest warrant on a minor federal ammunition charge in 2021, the lawsuit says, local police delayed and botched the arrest, letting Williams flee. Dahl was in a position coordinating between the city and the U.S. attorney's office. The then-police chief terminated her contract, citing failures to indict in other cases, the lawsuit states.

In response to Dahls lawsuit, Johnson City maintained in a statement that non-renewal of Dahls contract was justified and based on failure to perform her contractual obligations. The city also responded to Dahls claims about how the police department handled the allegations against Williams, saying it took five months to get an indictment after the department requested one in 2020.

In an August 2022 court filing, attorneys for the city and its then-police chief contended that the sexual assault allegations were properly investigated, adding the chief and a captain thought indicting Williams on the ammunition offense would be the most feasible option to pursue investigations into other possible allegations.

Additionally, numerous Jane Doe plaintiffs filed their own lawsuit in June, claiming Johnson City police received reports alleging Williams had tried to drug and/or sexually assault women in his apartment, but officers treated him as untouchable.

Erick Herrin, an attorney representing the city, the then-police chief and other officers in federal litigation, said local rules bar him from commenting on the lawsuits.

We are confident the judicial system will bring about a proper resolution in this controversy, Herrin said via email.

Asked for comment Wednesday, a police department official referred The Associated Press to a statement by the city, which says, The City is thankful for the capture of Sean Williams so that the tremendous work of the investigating and prosecuting agencies can continue in order to ensure justice is served.

In the summer of 2022, Johnson City contracted with a company for a third-party audit into how its police handle sexual assault-related investigations. Some of the findings released this July include that police conducted inconsistent, ineffective and incomplete investigations; relied on inadequate record management; had insufficient training and policies, and sometimes showed issues with gender-based stereotypes and bias.

The city has said it took steps to make changes while awaiting the audits findings, calling them the beginning of improvements where officials have fallen short. Some of these include using the local districts new sexual assault investigation protocol; reviewing investigative policies and procedures; creating a comfortable space for victim interviews and adding more funding for officer training and a new records management system.

Reynolds reported from Louisville, Kentucky.
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, November 23. The 43rd session of the UNESCO General Assembly is to be held in Uzbekistan's Samarkand in 2025, Trend reports.

As per Sherzod Asadov, the press-secretary of Uzbekistans President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, this marks the first time in a span of 40 years wherein the event is not held in Paris.

"The 42nd session of the General Assembly supported Uzbekistan's proposal to hold the next 43rd session in 2025 in the city of Samarkand and made the appropriate decision," the statement reads.

According to Simona-Mirela Miculescu, the Chairman of the 42nd session of the UNESCO General Assembly, the decision marks Uzbekistans diplomatic success.

Meanwhile, in 2022, Uzbekistan signed a cooperation program with UNESCO until 2026.

The signed document presupposes cooperation in promoting the ideas of peace and sustainable development in Uzbekistan. Among the objectives of such cooperation are the creation of inclusive, equal and safe conditions in schools, improving the quality and relevance of education, teaching children the skills necessary for life, work and sustainable development, building a generation of qualified teachers, digitalization and improving education funding.
BEIRUT (AP)  The militant Hezbollah group fired more than 50 rockets at military posts in northern Israel on Thursday, a day after an Israeli airstrike on a home in southern Lebanon killed five of the groups senior fighters.

The waves of rockets sent over the border represented one of the most intense bombardments since Hezbollah started attacking Israeli posts in the country's north at the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war.

Hezbollah has said that by heating up its actions on the Israel-Lebanon border, it is easing pressure on the Gaza Strip, where Israel's crushing aerial, ground and naval offensive has left more than 13,300 Palestinians dead and caused wide destruction in the sealed-off enclave.

The war was triggered by an Oct. 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel that left about 1,200 people dead, most of them civilians, and resulted in about 240 hostages getting taken to Gaza.

An agreement for a four-day cease-fire in Gaza and the release of dozens of hostages held by the militants and Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, was set to take place Thursday but it was later announced in Qatar, which was a main mediator, that the truce would go into effect Friday morning.

Hezbollah said in a series of statements released Thursday that the volleys it fired toward Israeli posts included 48 Katyusha rockets that were directed at an Israeli army base in Beit Zeitem, about 10 kilometers (6 miles) south of the border.

In another attack, Hezbollah said its fighters monitored four Israeli soldiers as they took positions inside a house in the Manara Kibbutz then fired an anti-tank missile that destroyed the house and killed the soldiers. There was no comment on the claim by Israel's military.

Hezbollah released at least 21 statements claiming attacks on Thursday alone making it a record in one day since the fighting began last month. The group said its fighters also struck Israeli tanks.

The intense fire followed an Israeli airstrike on a house in Beit Yahoun, a village in southern Lebanon, that killed the five senior fighters, including Abbas Raad, the son of the head of Hezbollahs 13-member parliamentary bloc in Lebanon, Mohammed Raad.

The deaths bring the number of Hezbollah fighters who have been killed in seven weeks of fighting to at least 83.

Thousands of people, including senior Hezbollah officials, attended Raad's funeral in the southern village of Jbaa. After a Thursday afternoon ceremony in the main square, the coffin, draped in Hezbollah's yellow flag, was carried to a cemetery for burial.

When Netanyahu accepts to abide by a truce, this means he is not capable of wiping out the resistance, top Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine said in a funeral speech, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah met in Beirut in Thursday with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian. They discussed the ongoing war in Gaza and efforts to stop the Israeli aggression, as well as the situation at the tense Lebanon-Israel border, according to a statement released by Hezbollah.

Amirabdollahian warned in comments to journalists upon his arrival in Lebanon Wednesday that the ongoing Israel-Hamas war could spiral out of control if a truce does not last.

Iran-backed factions in Iraq, including the militant group Kataib Hezbollah, have carried out more than 60 and rocket or suicide drone attacks at bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria. Kataib Hezbollah is allied with Lebanon's Hezbollah but the groups have different leaders.

The U.S. military said Thursday that one of its warships in the Red Sea shot down bomb-carrying drones launched from territory controlled by Yemens Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

The American militarys Central Command said the USS Thomas Hudner, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, shot down the drones early Thursday morning. The ship and crew sustained no damage or injury, Central Command said.
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP)  A four-day cease-fire in Gaza between Israel and Hamas was set to begin Friday morning, Qatar said after a daylong delay extended the agony for those hoping for some relief from the deal, which is to bring the release of dozens of hostages held by militants and Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

The diplomatic breakthrough promised some relief for the 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza who have endured weeks of Israeli bombardment, as well as families in Israel fearful for the fate of their loved ones taken captive during Hamas Oct. 7 attack that triggered the war.

The cease-fire was originally set to begin Thursday morning, but it appeared to hit a snag the night before when Israels national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, announced a one-day delay without providing a reason.

On Thursday, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari announced the cease-fire will start at 7 a.m. local time Friday (5 a.m. GMT).

He said the two sides had exchanged lists of those to be released, and the first group of 13 women and children held by Hamas would be freed Friday afternoon. He did not say how many Palestinian prisoners would be freed, but officials have said three would be freed for every hostage.

Increased aid for Palestinians will start to enter Gaza as soon as possible, al-Ansari said. The hope is that the momentum from this deal will lead to an end to this violence," he told reporters.

RISING TOLL IN GAZA

Israeli airstrikes continued Thursday. In the afternoon, a strike leveled a residential building in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. At least 12 people were killed, according to officials at nearby Al-Aqsa Hospital.

One resident, Hosni Moharib, said his wife and several children were killed and other relatives remained buried under the rubble.

It exploded on the house, striking the babies and young children. Everyone in the house, they are all dead, he said, bursting into tears.

The Israeli bombardment, now in its seventh week, has killed more than 13,300 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza, which resumed its detailed count of casualties in Gaza from the war. The ministry had stopped publishing casualty counts since Nov. 11, saying it had lost the ability to do so because of the health system's collapse in the north,

The new numbers were not fully broken down, but women and minors have consistently made up around two-thirds of the dead. The figures do not include updated numbers from hospitals in the north. The ministry says some 6,000 people have been reported missing, feared buried under rubble.

The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and militants in its death tolls. Israel says it has killed thousands of Hamas fighters, without presenting evidence for its count.

NETANYAHU SAYS TRUCE WONT END WAR

The truce agreement raised hopes of eventually winding down the war, which has leveled vast swaths of Gaza, fueled a surge of violence in the occupied West Bank and stirred fears of a wider conflagration across the Middle East.

Air-raid sirens sounded across northern Israel on Thursday as Hezbollah said it fired 48 Katyusha rockets from southern Lebanon. The barrage came after an Israeli strike killed five Hezbollah fighters, including the son of the head of the groups parliamentary bloc.

The Israeli military said it was striking the sources of the launches. Israel and Hezbollah, which fought a monthlong war in 2006, have repeatedly traded fire across the border since the war in Gaza broke out.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue the war after the truce expires to destroy Hamas military capabilities, end its 16-year rule in Gaza and return all the estimated 240 captives held in Gaza by Hamas and other groups.

We will continue it until we achieve all our goals, Netanyahu said, adding that he had delivered the same message in a phone call to U.S. President Joe Biden. Washington has provided extensive military and diplomatic support to Israel since the start of the war.

In Gazas city of Khan Younis, Palestinians welcomed the respite of the upcoming cease-fire but said four days would do little to relieve the humanitarian disaster caused by the war.

God willing, it becomes a total cease-fire, said Jihan Qanan. People have had houses brought down on their heads, theyve been expelled ... Theres no homes, no money, no possessions. The whole world is wrecked.

SURROUNDING JABALIYA

The Israeli military said combat operations would continue until it was ordered to hold fire, and chief spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said troops would remain in place during the truce. Israeli forces hold much of northern Gaza, where they say they have dismantled tunnels and much of Hamas infrastructure there.

The military said it has surrounded the Jabaliya refugee camp and called on any residents inside to evacuate Thursday. The military has said it is pursuing Hamas fighters in Jabaliya, a dense urban district adjacent to Gaza City that has been heavily bombarded for weeks.

The military said Thursday it detained the director of Gaza Citys Shifa Hospital, Mohammed Abu Selmia, for questioning over his involvement in what it called extensive Hamas activities in the hospital. Gazas Health Ministry condemned Abu Selmias arrest and called on international bodies to intervene.

A day earlier, Israel showed a tunnel and rooms that military officials said were a major Hamas hideout beneath Shifa. Hamas and hospital staff deny Israeli allegations that Shifa was used as a militant command center. Hagari said Israel has mapped out Shifa Hospital and plans to destroy all terror infrastructure" it has found.

Ahmed El-Mokhallalati, a plastic surgeon working at Shifa, said 150 patients are still there, with only two doctors, a nurse and three volunteer workers to care for them. My colleagues and I are unable to continue providing treatment to patients," El-Mokhallalati said on X.

Israel has threatened to extend its invasion to southern Gaza, where most of the territorys population is now located. More than 1 million people, including hundreds of thousands who fled the north, have crammed into overflowing U.N.-run shelters with dwindling food, water and basic supplies.

For Hamas, the cease-fire would provide an opportunity to regroup after weeks of apparently heavy losses. Hamas leader Yehya Sinwar, who is believed to be alive and in hiding in Gaza, is likely to claim the release of Palestinian prisoners as a major achievement and declare victory if the war ends.

HOSTAGES TO BE FREED IN STAGES

Under the truce deal, 50 hostages are supposed to be freed in stages, in exchange for the release of what Hamas said would be 150 Palestinian prisoners. Women and children would be released first, and Israel said the truce would be extended an extra day for every additional 10 hostages freed.

The return of hostages could lift spirits in Israel, where their plight has gripped the country. Families of the hostages have staged mass demonstrations to pressure the government to bring them home. Netanyahus office said it notified the families of hostages listed for release Friday.

Hamas said 200 trucks a day will enter Gaza carrying aid. Qatar said the aid will include fuel, but has given no details on quantities.

Israel cut off all imports at the start of the war, except for a trickle of food, water and medical supplies allowed in from Egypt. The lack of fuel has caused a territory-wide blackout, leaving homes and hospitals reliant on faltering generators.

Israels Justice Ministry published a list of 300 prisoners eligible to be released, mainly teenagers detained over the past year for rock-throwing and other minor offenses.

The war erupted when several thousand Hamas militants stormed into southern Israel, killing at least 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking scores of hostages, including babies, women and older adults, as well as soldiers, for whom Hamas is expected to demand a large number of high-profile prisoners.

Jobain reported from Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, and Jeffery from Cairo. Associated Press reporters Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut, Melanie Lidman in Jerusalem and Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed.

Full AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war.
NEW YORK  Oscar-winning actor Susan Sarandon and Scream star Melissa Barrera were each dropped by Hollywood companies after making comments on the Israel-Hamas war that some deemed antisemitic.

Spyglass Media Group, the production company behind the upcoming Scream VII, acknowledged Barrera's exit from the horror franchise. The Mexican-born actress, who starred in In the Heights and the two recent Scream installments, had posted statements on her Instagram stories calling the war genocide and ethnic cleansing. Gaza, she wrote, is currently being treated like a concentration camp.

Spyglass stance is unequivocally clear: We have zero tolerance for antisemitism or the incitement of hate in any form, including false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing, Holocaust distortion or anything that flagrantly crosses the line into hate speech," Spyglass said in a statement.

Representatives for Barrera didn't return messages Wednesday.

Jenna Ortega, who played Barreras sister in the two previous Scream films, is reportedly not returning, Deadline reported Wednesday. Ortega earlier exited the franchise due to her Wednesday schedule, the trade reported. A spokesperson for Ortega didnt immediately respond to queries.

A spokesman for the United Talent Agency said Sarandon, the five-time Oscar nominee, is no longer represented by the agency. Sarandon's exit from UTA followed comments she's made about Israel, most recently in an appearance Nov. 17 at a pro-Palestinian rally in New York.

There are a lot of people afraid of being Jewish at this time, and are getting a taste of what it feels like to be a Muslim in this country, so often subjected to violence," Sarandon said, according the New York Post.

The Post reported that Sarandon joined the crowd in chanting From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free  a slogan seen as antisemitic because it suggests the eradication of Israel.

Sarandon could not be reached for comment Wednesday. At the rally, Sarandon also was quoted as saying: Theres a terrible thing thats happened where antisemitism has been confused with speaking up against Israel. I am against antisemitism. I am against Islamophobia.

The Israel-Hamas war has caused rifts throughout Hollywood. Earlier, when many groups were issuing statements condemning Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel, the Writers Guild of America ultimately didn't after failing to come to agreement. Maha Dakhil, a prominent agent with Creative Arts Agency, last month resigned her board seat after sharing a social media post accusing Israel of genocide. Dakhil apologized.

Israel and Hamas on Wednesday agreed to a four-day cease-fire in the war in Gaza.
KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  A Russian attack using cluster munitions killed three people Thursday in a suburb of Ukraines southern city of Kherson, a Ukrainian official said, bringing the number of civilians to die in a day of war to at least six.

Five people were wounded in what Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said was heavy afternoon shelling of Kherson's Chornobayivka suburb. More than 60 residential and infrastructure buildings were damaged in the daylight attack, he said.

Cluster munitions  a type of bomb that opens in the air and releases smaller bomblets across a wide area  are used by both Russia and Ukraine, which has received them as military aid from the United States. Critics say the weapons litter the ground and harm and kill many more civilians than combatants.

Kherson city is the capital of a region of the same name that is located on the Dnieper River near the mouth of the Black Sea and a key gateway to Crimea. Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014 and uses it for logistics operations and rear supply depots during the current war.

Of military significance and lying on the war's long front line, the Kherson region has been a stage for heavy fighting. Ukrainian troops last week reported gaining multiple bridgeheads on the Russian-held eastern side of the river.

Before the afternoon attack, Russian forces fired other parts of the province with eight nighttime artillery barrages, killing a 42-year-old man in his apartment building and wounding another man, the Ukrainian presidential office said.

Russian shelling also killed two people in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, the office said.

It was not possible to independently verify the reports. Long-range Russian shelling that hits civilian areas has been a hallmark of Moscows 21-month war in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Russian state media reported that TV journalist Boris Maksudov died after being wounded in a drone attack while working in southern Ukraine's Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia region

Maksudov, who worked for Russian state television channel Russia 24, was hit Wednesday while working on a story about Ukraine allegedly shelling civilians, according to Russias Ministry of Defense. Zaporizhzhia is one of the four Ukrainian regions that Russia illegally annexed last year.

A stepped-up Russian bombardment of civilian infrastructure has prompted Ukraine and its Western allies to beef up air defense systems. Officials fear the Kremlins forces will repeat their aerial attacks on the Ukrainian power grid this winter in an effort to break the countrys will.

The grid is already showing signs of strain. Ukrainian national electricity operator Ukrenergo reported an energy deficit Wednesday due to a steep rise in consumption caused by a drop in temperatures after a spell of mild weather, a company statement said.

Ukrenergo asked system operators in Romania, Slovakia and Poland to provide emergency assistance.

At a meeting Wednesday of some 50 countries supporting Ukraines war effort, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said they were placing extra emphasis on ground-based air defense, with Germany and France leading the European effort to furnish equipment.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a Telegram post that Ukraines sky shield is getting more powerful literally every month.

Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Shares of Fortis Inc. (TSE:FTS  Get Free Report) have earned an average recommendation of Hold from the eight ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and one has given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is C$57.88.

Several brokerages recently issued reports on FTS. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on Fortis from C$59.00 to C$58.50 and set a market perform rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 8th. CSFB boosted their price objective on Fortis from C$60.50 to C$61.50 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Thursday, August 24th. TD Securities cut their price objective on Fortis from C$63.00 to C$61.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 30th. Scotiabank cut their price objective on Fortis from C$58.00 to C$57.00 and set a sector perform rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 16th. Finally, CIBC cut their price objective on Fortis from C$59.00 to C$58.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 19th.

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Fortis Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of Fortis stock opened at C$56.21 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of C$54.76 and a 200 day simple moving average of C$55.67. Fortis has a 12-month low of C$49.82 and a 12-month high of C$62.00. The company has a market capitalization of C$27.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.21. The company has a current ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 128.96.

Fortis (TSE:FTS  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 27th. The company reported C$0.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of C$0.78 by C$0.06. Fortis had a return on equity of 7.29% and a net margin of 13.23%. The business had revenue of C$2.72 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of C$2.72 billion. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Fortis will post 3.1578947 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Fortis Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 1st. Investors of record on Friday, December 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.59 per share. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.20%. This is a positive change from Fortiss previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 16th. Fortiss payout ratio is presently 76.38%.

About Fortis

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Fortis Inc operates as an electric and gas utility company in Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean countries. It generates, transmits, and distributes electricity to approximately 443,000 retail customers in southeastern Arizona; and 102,000 retail customers in Arizona's Mohave and Santa Cruz counties with an aggregate capacity of 3,328 megawatts (MW), including 68 MW of solar capacity and 250 MV of wind capacity.

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Shares of Laboratory Co. of America Holdings (NYSE:LH  Get Free Report) have earned a consensus rating of Moderate Buy from the ten brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $243.67.

Several research firms have recently weighed in on LH. Credit Suisse Group lowered their price objective on shares of Laboratory Co. of America from $247.41 to $231.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 2nd. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on shares of Laboratory Co. of America from $251.00 to $237.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Laboratory Co. of America from $259.00 to $261.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Friday, November 17th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Laboratory Co. of America from $255.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Monday, September 18th. Finally, Truist Financial reiterated a buy rating and issued a $270.00 price target on shares of Laboratory Co. of America in a research note on Friday, September 15th.

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Insider Transactions at Laboratory Co. of America

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Laboratory Co. of America

In other news, CAO Peter J. Wilkinson sold 1,384 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.71, for a total transaction of $291,622.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,087 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $439,751.77. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink . 0.65% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. WealthPLAN Partners LLC acquired a new position in Laboratory Co. of America in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Provence Wealth Management Group acquired a new position in Laboratory Co. of America in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Laboratory Co. of America in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Laboratory Co. of America in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new position in Laboratory Co. of America in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Institutional investors own 89.37% of the companys stock.

Laboratory Co. of America Trading Down 0.4 %

LH opened at $211.60 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.29 and a beta of 1.07. Laboratory Co. of America has a 12 month low of $174.20 and a 12 month high of $222.33. The firms fifty day simple moving average is $203.81 and its 200 day simple moving average is $212.58. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57.

Laboratory Co. of America (NYSE:LH  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 26th. The medical research company reported $3.38 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.37 by $0.01. Laboratory Co. of America had a net margin of 4.88% and a return on equity of 14.09%. The business had revenue of $3.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.99 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $4.68 EPS. The firms revenue was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Laboratory Co. of America will post 13.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Laboratory Co. of America Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 12th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 8th will be issued a $0.72 dividend. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 7th. Laboratory Co. of Americas dividend payout ratio is currently 38.50%.

About Laboratory Co. of America

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Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings operates as a life sciences company that provides vital information to help doctors, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, researchers, and patients make clear and confident decisions. It operates in two segments, Labcorp Diagnostics and Labcorp Drug Development.

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Shares of British Land Company PLC (LON:BLND  Get Free Report) have been given a consensus rating of Hold by the five brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has issued a hold recommendation and two have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is GBX 382.50 ($4.79).

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. Peel Hunt reissued a buy rating and set a GBX 405 ($5.07) price objective on shares of British Land in a research report on Tuesday, September 26th. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of British Land to an underperform rating and set a GBX 250 ($3.13) price objective on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, September 27th. Finally, Shore Capital restated a hold rating on shares of British Land in a research note on Monday, November 13th.

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British Land Stock Down 3.8 %

British Land Increases Dividend

BLND stock opened at GBX 348.60 ($4.36) on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of 3.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -323.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.76 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 44.53, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.27. The businesss 50 day moving average price is GBX 317.64 and its two-hundred day moving average price is GBX 327.18. British Land has a fifty-two week low of GBX 287.30 ($3.59) and a fifty-two week high of GBX 522.30 ($6.53).

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 23rd will be issued a GBX 12.16 ($0.15) dividend. This is a positive change from British Lands previous dividend of $11.04. This represents a yield of 3.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 23rd. British Lands payout ratio is presently -2,053.57%.

Insider Buying and Selling at British Land

In related news, insider Irvinder Goodhew purchased 4,687 shares of British Land stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 6th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of GBX 312 ($3.90) per share, for a total transaction of 14,623.44 ($18,295.31). In the last three months, insiders have acquired 4,828 shares of company stock worth $1,507,248. Insiders own 0.22% of the companys stock.

About British Land

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Our portfolio of high quality UK commercial property is focused on London Campuses and Retail & London Urban Logistics assets throughout the UK. We own or manage a portfolio valued at 13.0bn (British Land share: 8.9bn) as at 31 March 2023 making us one of Europe's largest listed real estate investment companies.

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TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, November 23. Uzbekistans Centrum Air airline will launch direct charter flights to India's city of Goa, Trend reports.

The first flight of the Tashkent-Goa-Tashkent route, organized with the support of the Indian Concord Exotic Voyages company,will be operated on December 7, 2023.

Centrum Air announced flights to Goa in early October of 2023. According to the company, the flights were scheduled to be performed on Tuesdays, starting on December 5.

Meanwhile, the number of tourists from India visiting Uzbekistan amounted to 16,700 people from January through June of 2023. As per data by Uzbekistans State Statistics Committee, the recorded number reflects a notable increase compared to the corresponding period in 2022, when the Central Asian republic hosted 5,200 Indian visitors.

Uzbekistan's Centrum Air marked its inaugural international flight on the Namangan-Jeddah route in April 2023. Shortly after, the airline expanded its offerings, introducing charter flights from Tashkent to Egypts Sharm el-Sheikh. The company continued its growth, initiating flights on the Tashkent to Almaty route starting on June 5, 2023.

July witnessed Centrum Air's entry into the charter flight segment with services to Issyk-Kul in Kyrgyzstan. Concurrently, the airline commenced operations from Urgench to St. Petersburg, marking another milestone in its growing network. August further underscored Centrum Air's commitment to global connectivity with the introduction of weekly flights on the Tashkent to Doha route.

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Shares of ESAB Co. (NYSE:ESAB  Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus rating of Moderate Buy from the eight ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $80.00.

ESAB has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of ESAB from $75.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Thursday, November 2nd. UBS Group began coverage on shares of ESAB in a report on Wednesday, September 27th. They set a neutral rating and a $78.00 price objective for the company. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of ESAB from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Wednesday, August 2nd. Loop Capital boosted their price objective on shares of ESAB from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a report on Wednesday, August 2nd. Finally, Bank of America raised shares of ESAB from a neutral rating to a buy rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $61.00 to $89.00 in a report on Monday, September 18th.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ESAB

In related news, insider Olivier Biebuyck sold 519 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.45, for a total transaction of $40,715.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 6,441 shares in the company, valued at $505,296.45. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink . In related news, insider Olivier Biebuyck sold 519 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.45, for a total transaction of $40,715.55. Following the sale, the insider now owns 6,441 shares of the companys stock, valued at $505,296.45. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website . Also, Director Rhonda L. Jordan sold 539 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.39, for a total transaction of $39,018.21. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Insiders sold a total of 2,624 shares of company stock worth $192,852 over the last three months. 7.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board increased its stake in ESAB by 12.9% in the 2nd quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board now owns 10,533 shares of the companys stock worth $701,000 after buying an additional 1,200 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System grew its holdings in ESAB by 10.2% during the 2nd quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 15,100 shares of the companys stock worth $1,005,000 after acquiring an additional 1,400 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. bought a new position in ESAB during the 2nd quarter worth about $606,000. Granite Investment Partners LLC bought a new position in ESAB during the 1st quarter worth about $18,580,000. Finally, New York State Common Retirement Fund grew its holdings in ESAB by 76.8% during the 1st quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 85,272 shares of the companys stock worth $5,037,000 after acquiring an additional 37,030 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.56% of the companys stock.

ESAB Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of ESAB opened at $78.99 on Thursday. ESAB has a 1-year low of $44.87 and a 1-year high of $80.56. The company has a current ratio of 1.69, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The firms 50-day moving average price is $70.60 and its 200-day moving average price is $67.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.38, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.38.

ESAB (NYSE:ESAB  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 1st. The company reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.92 by $0.16. ESAB had a net margin of 7.85% and a return on equity of 18.02%. The business had revenue of $681.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $628.17 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.92 earnings per share. ESABs quarterly revenue was up 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that ESAB will post 4.36 EPS for the current year.

ESAB Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 29th were given a $0.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, September 28th. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.30%. ESABs payout ratio is currently 6.80%.

ESAB Company Profile

(Get Free Report

ESAB Corporation engages in the formulation, development, manufacture, and supply of consumable products and equipment for use in cutting, joining, and automated welding; and control equipment. Its comprehensive range of welding consumables includes electrodes, cored and solid wires, and fluxes using a range of specialty and other materials; and cutting consumables comprising electrodes, nozzles, shields, and tips.

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Telefonica Brasil S.A. (NYSE:VIV  Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of Moderate Buy by the six ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $11.13.

VIV has been the topic of several recent research reports. StockNews.com raised Telefonica Brasil from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report on Friday, November 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Telefonica Brasil from $10.00 to $11.40 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 2nd. Citigroup raised Telefonica Brasil from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 8th. Itau BBA Securities restated an outperform rating and set a $11.00 price objective on shares of Telefonica Brasil in a research note on Friday, September 29th. Finally, TheStreet upgraded Telefonica Brasil from a d+ rating to a c- rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 7th.

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Hedge Funds Weigh In On Telefonica Brasil

Telefonica Brasil Trading Up 0.5 %

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VIV. Credit Suisse AG grew its stake in shares of Telefonica Brasil by 543.6% in the third quarter. Credit Suisse AG now owns 7,485 shares of the Wireless communications providers stock valued at $57,000 after buying an additional 6,322 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in Telefonica Brasil during the 2nd quarter worth $68,000. FMR LLC grew its stake in Telefonica Brasil by 578.8% during the 1st quarter. FMR LLC now owns 9,863 shares of the Wireless communications providers stock worth $75,000 after purchasing an additional 8,410 shares in the last quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in Telefonica Brasil by 191.7% during the 2nd quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 10,028 shares of the Wireless communications providers stock worth $102,000 after purchasing an additional 6,590 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Icon Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Telefonica Brasil during the 1st quarter worth $80,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 5.40% of the companys stock.

Telefonica Brasil stock opened at $10.39 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $9.29 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $8.86. The company has a market cap of $17.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 0.66. Telefonica Brasil has a 52-week low of $6.49 and a 52-week high of $10.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19.

Telefonica Brasil (NYSE:VIV  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 31st. The Wireless communications provider reported $0.18 EPS for the quarter. Telefonica Brasil had a return on equity of 6.62% and a net margin of 8.93%. The company had revenue of $2.69 billion for the quarter. Analysts predict that Telefonica Brasil will post 0.59 EPS for the current year.

About Telefonica Brasil

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Telefonica Brasil SA, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a mobile telecommunications company in Brazil. Its fixed line services portfolio includes local, domestic long-distance, and international long-distance calls; and mobile portfolio comprises voice and broadband internet access through 3G, 4G, 4.5G, and 5G, as well as mobile value-added and wireless roaming services.

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Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Chegg (NYSE:CHGG  Free Report) from an equal weight rating to an underweight rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday morning, Marketbeat reports. They currently have $9.00 price objective on the technology companys stock, down from their previous price objective of $10.00.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Chegg from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Thursday, November 16th. Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on shares of Chegg from $13.00 to $9.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on shares of Chegg from $14.00 to $10.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Chegg from $12.00 to $10.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 31st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on Chegg from $12.00 to $10.00 and set a market perform rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $14.82.

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Chegg Trading Up 2.0 %

NYSE:CHGG opened at $10.34 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.20 billion, a PE ratio of -43.04, a P/E/G ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 1.18. Chegg has a 52-week low of $7.32 and a 52-week high of $30.05. The stocks 50 day moving average price is $8.81 and its 200 day moving average price is $9.41. The company has a quick ratio of 2.31, a current ratio of 2.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58.

Chegg (NYSE:CHGG  Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, October 30th. The technology company reported ($0.07) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of ($0.01) by ($0.06). Chegg had a return on equity of 2.02% and a net margin of 1.41%. The business had revenue of $157.85 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $152.03 million. On average, research analysts anticipate that Chegg will post 0.3 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Chegg

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Natixis Advisors L.P. grew its holdings in Chegg by 152.3% in the first quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. now owns 33,910 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $1,230,000 after purchasing an additional 20,468 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Chegg during the first quarter valued at about $265,000. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC purchased a new stake in Chegg during the first quarter valued at about $12,124,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board grew its position in Chegg by 280.3% during the first quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 19,345 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $702,000 after acquiring an additional 14,258 shares during the period. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers purchased a new stake in Chegg during the first quarter valued at about $275,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.15% of the companys stock.

About Chegg

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Chegg, Inc operates direct-to-student learning platform that supports students starting with their academic journey and extending into their careers with products and services to support learner with their academic course materials. The company offers Chegg Services, which include subscription services; and skills and other, including skills, advertising services, print textbooks, and eTextbooks.

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Shares of Deckers Outdoor Co. (NYSE:DECK  Get Free Report) have earned an average rating of Moderate Buy from the twelve analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and ten have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $604.43.

Several research analysts recently commented on DECK shares. Truist Financial initiated coverage on Deckers Outdoor in a research note on Friday, November 17th. They set a buy rating and a $735.00 target price for the company. Telsey Advisory Group restated an outperform rating and set a $615.00 price objective on shares of Deckers Outdoor in a report on Thursday, October 19th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Deckers Outdoor from $575.00 to $620.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Friday, July 28th. Wedbush increased their target price on Deckers Outdoor from $505.00 to $614.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 26th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a buy rating and issued a $600.00 price target on shares of Deckers Outdoor in a research note on Tuesday, October 24th.

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Insider Activity at Deckers Outdoor

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Deckers Outdoor

In other Deckers Outdoor news, Director Michael F. Devine III sold 4,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $587.00, for a total transaction of $2,348,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 8,088 shares in the company, valued at $4,747,656. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website . In other Deckers Outdoor news, insider Thomas Garcia sold 3,595 shares of Deckers Outdoor stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $516.73, for a total transaction of $1,857,644.35. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 16,457 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $8,503,825.61. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink . Also, Director Michael F. Devine III sold 4,000 shares of Deckers Outdoor stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $587.00, for a total transaction of $2,348,000.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 8,088 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $4,747,656. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 14,787 shares of company stock worth $8,251,144. Company insiders own 0.70% of the companys stock.

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in DECK. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich increased its stake in Deckers Outdoor by 82,129.6% in the 2nd quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 69,272,670 shares of the textile makers stock valued at $36,552,417,000 after buying an additional 69,188,427 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley boosted its holdings in Deckers Outdoor by 82.6% in the 3rd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 1,166,394 shares of the textile makers stock valued at $599,633,000 after purchasing an additional 527,546 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. boosted its holdings in Deckers Outdoor by 20.9% in the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 2,951,309 shares of the textile makers stock valued at $1,557,288,000 after purchasing an additional 510,292 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Deckers Outdoor during the 4th quarter worth approximately $94,813,000. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its stake in Deckers Outdoor by 205.2% in the 2nd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 255,823 shares of the textile makers stock valued at $134,988,000 after purchasing an additional 171,999 shares during the last quarter. 95.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Deckers Outdoor Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:DECK opened at $632.41 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $548.82 and a 200-day moving average price of $529.51. The stock has a market cap of $16.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.29, a PEG ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.95. Deckers Outdoor has a 52-week low of $361.62 and a 52-week high of $642.18.

Deckers Outdoor (NYSE:DECK  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 26th. The textile maker reported $6.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $4.41 by $2.41. Deckers Outdoor had a return on equity of 33.96% and a net margin of 15.51%. The firm had revenue of $1.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $960.54 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.80 earnings per share. The businesss revenue was up 24.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Deckers Outdoor will post 23.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Deckers Outdoor

(Get Free Report

Deckers Outdoor Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, designs, markets, and distributes footwear, apparel, and accessories for casual lifestyle use and high-performance activities in the United States and internationally. The company offers premium footwear, apparel, and accessories under the UGG brand name; footwear and apparel for ultra-runners and athletes under the Hoka brand; and sandals, shoes, and boots under the Teva brand name.

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Delta Capital Management LLC cut its holdings in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH  Free Report) by 0.3% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 7,385 shares of the healthcare conglomerates stock after selling 25 shares during the quarter. UnitedHealth Group makes up about 2.4% of Delta Capital Management LLCs investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest position. Delta Capital Management LLCs holdings in UnitedHealth Group were worth $3,550,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich lifted its holdings in UnitedHealth Group by 97,436.9% in the 2nd quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 1,029,274,230 shares of the healthcare conglomerates stock worth $494,710,366,000 after purchasing an additional 1,028,218,963 shares during the last quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 100,076.4% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 11,823,820 shares of the healthcare conglomerates stock worth $6,268,753,000 after buying an additional 11,812,017 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the 4th quarter worth $5,210,004,000. Gateway Advisory LLC grew its position in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 48,406.9% in the first quarter. Gateway Advisory LLC now owns 4,762,407 shares of the healthcare conglomerates stock valued at $4,762,000 after purchasing an additional 4,752,589 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 264.2% in the first quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,511,174 shares of the healthcare conglomerates stock valued at $732,934,000 after purchasing an additional 3,997,959 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.69% of the companys stock.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

UNH has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $587.00 to $579.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 23rd. UBS Group raised UnitedHealth Group from a neutral rating to a buy rating and boosted their price target for the company from $520.00 to $640.00 in a research note on Monday, October 16th. HSBC began coverage on UnitedHealth Group in a report on Wednesday, September 6th. They set a hold rating and a $540.00 price objective for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an overweight rating and set a $591.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on shares of UnitedHealth Group from $565.00 to $503.00 and set a hold rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $576.90.

Insider Transactions at UnitedHealth Group

In related news, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 4,498 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $544.28, for a total transaction of $2,448,171.44. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 9,218 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $5,017,173.04. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 4,498 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction on Monday, October 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $544.28, for a total transaction of $2,448,171.44. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 9,218 shares of the companys stock, valued at $5,017,173.04. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Stephen J. Hemsley sold 121,515 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $540.58, for a total value of $65,688,578.70. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 521,818 shares in the company, valued at approximately $282,084,374.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.35% of the companys stock.

UnitedHealth Group Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of UNH traded up $4.17 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $543.76. 2,234,478 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,398,336. The business has a fifty day moving average of $523.08 and a 200-day moving average of $499.47. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $502.93 billion, a PE ratio of 23.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.63. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a 1-year low of $445.68 and a 1-year high of $553.00.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 13th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.56 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $6.33 by $0.23. UnitedHealth Group had a net margin of 6.02% and a return on equity of 26.58%. The business had revenue of $92.36 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $91.41 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $5.79 earnings per share. UnitedHealth Groups revenue for the quarter was up 14.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 24.94 EPS for the current year.

UnitedHealth Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 12th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 4th will be paid a $1.88 dividend. This represents a $7.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 1st. UnitedHealth Groups payout ratio is 32.64%.

UnitedHealth Group Company Profile

(Free Report)

UnitedHealth Group Incorporated operates as a diversified health care company in the United States. It operates through four segments: UnitedHealthcare, Optum Health, Optum Insight, and Optum Rx. The UnitedHealthcare segment offers consumer-oriented health benefit plans and services for national employers, public sector employers, mid-sized employers, small businesses, and individuals; health care coverage, and health and well-being services to individuals age 50 and older addressing their needs; Medicaid plans, children's health insurance and health care programs; and health and dental benefits, and hospital and clinical services, as well as health care benefits products and services to state programs caring for the economically disadvantaged, medically underserved, and those without the benefit of employer-funded health care coverage.

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William Blair Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Deluxe Co. (NYSE:DLX  Free Report) by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,419,323 shares of the business services providers stock after purchasing an additional 26,452 shares during the period. William Blair Investment Management LLC owned approximately 3.25% of Deluxe worth $24,810,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Deluxe by 1.9% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,853,115 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $80,805,000 after buying an additional 91,503 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Deluxe by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,762,057 shares of the business services providers stock worth $29,338,000 after acquiring an additional 9,867 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Deluxe by 12.6% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,421,113 shares of the business services providers stock worth $24,840,000 after purchasing an additional 158,927 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in Deluxe by 3.4% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,412,257 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $42,707,000 after purchasing an additional 47,094 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Deluxe by 5.5% in the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,066,524 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $18,643,000 after purchasing an additional 56,008 shares during the last quarter. 84.97% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Deluxe Price Performance

DLX stock opened at $18.11 on Thursday. The businesss 50-day moving average is $18.44 and its two-hundred day moving average is $18.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.58, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $791.23 million, a P/E ratio of 26.25, a P/E/G ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.57. Deluxe Co. has a 1 year low of $13.61 and a 1 year high of $21.59.

Deluxe Announces Dividend

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 4th. Investors of record on Monday, November 20th will be issued a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 17th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.63%. Deluxes dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 173.92%.

Several analysts have recently issued reports on DLX shares. StockNews.com cut shares of Deluxe from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report on Friday, November 3rd. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Deluxe from $29.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Friday, August 4th.

View Our Latest Stock Analysis on Deluxe

About Deluxe

(Free Report)

Deluxe Corporation provides technology-enabled solutions to enterprises, small businesses, and financial institutions in the United States, Canada, Australia, South America, and Europe. It operates through four segments: Payments, Data Solutions, Promotional Solutions, and Checks. The company provides treasury management solutions, including remittance and lockbox processing, remote deposit capture, receivables management, payment processing, and paperless treasury management solutions, as well as payment exchange, and fraud and security services; data-driven marketing solutions and hosted solutions, such as digital engagement, logo design, financial institution profitability reporting, and business incorporation services, as well as web hosting and design services.

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Piper Sandler reaffirmed their overweight rating on shares of Duolingo (NYSE:DUOL  Free Report) in a report released on Monday, Benzinga reports. Piper Sandler currently has a $217.00 price objective on the stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Duolingo from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Thursday, November 9th. Bank of America reiterated a neutral rating and set a $188.00 target price on shares of Duolingo in a report on Thursday, October 19th. Raymond James assumed coverage on Duolingo in a research report on Monday, August 28th. They set a market perform rating for the company. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Duolingo from $180.00 to $200.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 12th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC increased their price objective on Duolingo from $160.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Thursday, November 9th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $176.78.

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Duolingo Stock Performance

DUOL opened at $218.57 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $9.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -809.52 and a beta of 0.33. The businesss 50-day moving average price is $169.78 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $154.54. Duolingo has a 1 year low of $64.73 and a 1 year high of $223.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 3.49 and a quick ratio of 3.49.

Duolingo (NYSE:DUOL  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 8th. The company reported $0.06 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.08) by $0.14. Duolingo had a negative return on equity of 1.72% and a negative net margin of 2.06%. The firm had revenue of $137.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $132.14 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted ($0.46) EPS. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 43.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Duolingo will post 0.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Duolingo

In other Duolingo news, major shareholder Durable Capital Partners Lp sold 21,751 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.02, for a total value of $3,154,330.02. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 4,087,636 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $592,788,972.72. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other Duolingo news, major shareholder Durable Capital Partners Lp sold 21,751 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.02, for a total transaction of $3,154,330.02. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 4,087,636 shares in the company, valued at approximately $592,788,972.72. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Matthew Skaruppa sold 15,853 shares of Duolingo stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.14, for a total transaction of $2,491,140.42. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 56,141 shares of the companys stock, valued at $8,821,996.74. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 415,496 shares of company stock worth $73,360,476. Company insiders own 19.85% of the companys stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Duolingo

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Duolingo by 3.3% during the first quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,014 shares of the companys stock worth $430,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its stake in Duolingo by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 45,158 shares of the companys stock valued at $6,439,000 after purchasing an additional 158 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its position in Duolingo by 4.4% in the third quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,902 shares of the companys stock valued at $647,000 after buying an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Duolingo by 48.8% during the first quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 595 shares of the companys stock worth $85,000 after buying an additional 195 shares during the last quarter. Finally, California State Teachers Retirement System increased its holdings in shares of Duolingo by 0.7% during the third quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 32,453 shares of the companys stock worth $5,383,000 after buying an additional 234 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.93% of the companys stock.

About Duolingo

(Get Free Report)

Duolingo, Inc operates as a mobile learning platform in the United States, China, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company offers courses in 40 different languages, including Spanish, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, and Chinese through its Duolingo app. It also provides a digital language proficiency assessment exam.

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Miramar Capital LLC trimmed its position in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY  Free Report) by 10.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,970 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock after selling 1,103 shares during the quarter. Miramar Capital LLCs holdings in Bristol-Myers Squibb were worth $638,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Abbrea Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 1.5% during the first quarter. Abbrea Capital LLC now owns 10,025 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $695,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the period. Westshore Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 4.3% during the first quarter. Westshore Wealth LLC now owns 3,658 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $254,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the period. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 0.5% during the first quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 28,179 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $1,952,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the period. Lebenthal Global Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 1.5% during the first quarter. Lebenthal Global Advisors LLC now owns 10,533 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $730,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the period. Finally, One Charles Private Wealth Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 1.6% during the first quarter. One Charles Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 10,132 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $702,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares during the period. 74.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on BMY shares. Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from $85.00 to $80.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in a research note on Thursday, November 9th. They issued a hold rating and a $55.00 price objective for the company. Daiwa Capital Markets lowered shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from an outperform rating to a neutral rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $68.00 to $54.00 in a research note on Thursday, November 2nd. HSBC raised shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from a reduce rating to a hold rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $55.00 to $53.00 in a research note on Friday, October 27th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Friday, October 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Bristol-Myers Squibb has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $63.59.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Theodore R. Samuels II acquired 8,500 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 20th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $49.81 per share, for a total transaction of $423,385.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 35,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,768,255. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the companys stock.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Stock Up 1.9 %

Bristol-Myers Squibb stock traded up $0.94 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $49.42. The stock had a trading volume of 14,736,589 shares, compared to its average volume of 15,881,944. The company has a market cap of $100.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.54, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 1.07. The businesss 50 day moving average price is $54.92 and its 200-day moving average price is $60.51. Bristol-Myers Squibb has a 52 week low of $48.42 and a 52 week high of $81.43.

Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 26th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.24. Bristol-Myers Squibb had a net margin of 18.44% and a return on equity of 51.59%. The firm had revenue of $10.97 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.96 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.99 earnings per share. The companys revenue for the quarter was down 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Bristol-Myers Squibb will post 7.56 EPS for the current year.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 6th were issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 5th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.61%. Bristol-Myers Squibbs dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 57.87%.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Profile

(Free Report)

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company discovers, develops, licenses, manufactures, markets, distributes, and sells biopharmaceutical products worldwide. It offers products for hematology, oncology, cardiovascular, immunology, fibrotic, and neuroscience diseases. The company's products include Eliquis, an oral inhibitor for reduction in risk of stroke/systemic embolism in NVAF, and for the treatment of DVT/PE; Opdivo for anti-cancer indications; Pomalyst/Imnovid indicated for patients with multiple myeloma; Orencia for adult patients with active RA and psoriatic arthritis; and Sprycel for the treatment of Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia.

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William Blair Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Mueller Water Products, Inc. (NYSE:MWA  Free Report) by 1.5% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,580,932 shares of the industrial products companys stock after acquiring an additional 22,743 shares during the period. William Blair Investment Management LLC owned about 1.01% of Mueller Water Products worth $25,659,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MWA. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its position in Mueller Water Products by 409.9% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 3,156 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 2,537 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 132.1% in the 1st quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,291 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 1,873 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Mueller Water Products in the 1st quarter valued at about $53,000. Register Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Mueller Water Products during the 1st quarter valued at about $70,000. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors raised its position in shares of Mueller Water Products by 22.8% during the 1st quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 5,580 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 1,036 shares during the last quarter.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MWA has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Northcoast Research downgraded Mueller Water Products from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a research report on Friday, August 4th. StockNews.com cut shares of Mueller Water Products from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Tuesday. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Mueller Water Products presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $14.20.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Mueller Water Products news, Director Michael T. Tokarz sold 13,269 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.08, for a total transaction of $173,558.52. Following the sale, the director now owns 392,502 shares in the company, valued at $5,133,926.16. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other news, SVP Kenji Takeuchi sold 1,855 shares of Mueller Water Products stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.16, for a total value of $26,266.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 28,209 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $399,439.44. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Michael T. Tokarz sold 13,269 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.08, for a total transaction of $173,558.52. Following the sale, the director now owns 392,502 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,133,926.16. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.70% of the companys stock.

Mueller Water Products Stock Performance

Shares of MWA opened at $13.22 on Thursday. Mueller Water Products, Inc. has a 52-week low of $10.55 and a 52-week high of $16.62. The company has a quick ratio of 1.89, a current ratio of 3.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The firm has a market cap of $2.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.98, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.34. The businesss 50 day moving average is $12.75 and its two-hundred day moving average is $14.05.

Mueller Water Products Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 9th were given a dividend of $0.064 per share. This is a boost from Mueller Water Productss previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 8th. This represents a $0.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.94%. Mueller Water Productss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 53.06%.

Mueller Water Products Company Profile

(Free Report)

Mueller Water Products, Inc manufactures and markets products and services for the transmission, distribution, and measurement of water used by municipalities, and the residential and non-residential construction industries in the United States, Israel, and internationally. The company operates in two segments, Water Flow Solutions and Water Management Solutions.

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StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Phoenix New Media (NYSE:FENG  Free Report) in a research report released on Monday morning. The brokerage issued a hold rating on the information services providers stock.

Phoenix New Media Stock Performance

NYSE FENG opened at $1.27 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.41 million, a P/E ratio of -1.61 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 2.72 and a quick ratio of 2.72. Phoenix New Media has a 1-year low of $1.10 and a 1-year high of $4.14. The businesss 50-day simple moving average is $1.27 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1.65.

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Institutional Investors Weigh In On Phoenix New Media

An institutional investor recently bought a new position in Phoenix New Media stock. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Phoenix New Media Limited (NYSE:FENG  Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 21,805 shares of the information services providers stock, valued at approximately $58,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 6.26% of the companys stock.

Phoenix New Media Company Profile

Phoenix New Media Limited provides content on an integrated Internet platform in the People's Republic of China. The company operates through two segments, Net Advertising Services and Paid Services. It offers content and services through PC channel, mobile channel, and telecom operators, as well as transmits content to TV viewers, primarily through Phoenix TV.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 23. Armenia is planning to hold early parliamentary elections in 2024, Trend reports.

Armenian media noted that this decision was made by the country's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during a meeting of the ruling party a few days ago.

The media revealed that the primary goal of the Armenian prime minister is to reduce the number of seats held by opposition parties in the parliament.

The swift conduct of early parliamentary elections is seen as a "panacea" for Pashinyan's administration, which, in recent months, has been actively purging the opposition of those who could pose a competitive threat.

The urgent need for this arose after the son of Robert Kocharyan (former president of Armenia) became MP.

Last time, snap parliamentary elections were held in Armenia on June 20, 2021.

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Samsara Inc. (NYSE:IOT  Get Free Report) has been assigned an average recommendation of Hold from the nine analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $25.80.

Several brokerages have commented on IOT. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Samsara from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Friday, September 1st. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Samsara in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a sell rating on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an outperform rating and set a $34.00 price objective on shares of Samsara in a research note on Friday, September 15th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Samsara from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Friday, September 1st. Finally, FBN Securities initiated coverage on Samsara in a report on Wednesday, October 25th. They issued an outperform rating and a $30.00 price target for the company.

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Insider Activity

Institutional Trading of Samsara

In related news, insider John Bicket sold 77,952 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.80, for a total transaction of $2,011,161.60. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,276,473 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $32,933,003.40. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website . In related news, insider John Bicket sold 77,952 shares of Samsara stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.80, for a total value of $2,011,161.60. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 1,276,473 shares in the company, valued at approximately $32,933,003.40. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website . Also, CEO Sanjit Biswas sold 77,960 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.80, for a total value of $2,011,368.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,269,040 shares in the company, valued at $32,741,232. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Insiders have sold a total of 2,564,188 shares of company stock valued at $68,796,132 in the last quarter. Insiders own 66.14% of the companys stock.

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in IOT. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich lifted its holdings in Samsara by 90,983.8% during the 2nd quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 45,374,298 shares of the companys stock worth $1,257,322,000 after buying an additional 45,324,482 shares in the last quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. boosted its holdings in Samsara by 5.4% in the third quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 22,586,188 shares of the companys stock valued at $569,398,000 after purchasing an additional 1,166,989 shares during the period. General Atlantic L.P. acquired a new position in Samsara during the 1st quarter worth $181,957,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Samsara by 84.4% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,636,709 shares of the companys stock worth $92,175,000 after purchasing an additional 3,495,366 shares during the period. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted its stake in shares of Samsara by 4.6% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 7,326,909 shares of the companys stock valued at $91,073,000 after buying an additional 320,468 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 52.47% of the companys stock.

Samsara Price Performance

NYSE:IOT opened at $26.72 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $24.70 and a 200-day moving average price of $25.26. Samsara has a 1-year low of $8.86 and a 1-year high of $32.41. The firm has a market cap of $14.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -59.38 and a beta of 1.43.

Samsara (NYSE:IOT  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 31st. The company reported ($0.11) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of ($0.12) by $0.01. Samsara had a negative net margin of 30.77% and a negative return on equity of 20.84%. The company had revenue of $219.26 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $207.69 million. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Samsara will post -0.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Samsara

(Get Free Report

Samsara Inc provides solutions that connect physical operations data to its Connected Operations Cloud in the United States and internationally. The company's Connected Operations Cloud includes Data Platform, which ingests, aggregates, and enriches data from its IoT devices and has embedded capabilities for AI, workflows and analytics, alerts, API connections, and data security and privacy; and applications for video-based safety, vehicle telematics, apps and driver workflows, equipment monitoring, and site visibility.

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Shares of TransAlta Co. (TSE:TA  Get Free Report) (NYSE:TAC) have been assigned a consensus rating of Buy from the eleven ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, nine have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is C$16.32.

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. National Bankshares cut their price objective on shares of TransAlta from C$15.00 to C$14.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 19th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on TransAlta from C$16.00 to C$15.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. TD Securities cut their price objective on TransAlta from C$16.00 to C$15.50 and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. ATB Capital cut their price objective on shares of TransAlta from C$19.00 to C$17.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 19th. Finally, Scotiabank dropped their price objective on shares of TransAlta from C$17.00 to C$15.50 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 25th.

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TransAlta Trading Up 0.8 %

TransAlta Announces Dividend

Shares of TA stock opened at C$10.91 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of C$3.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.10, a P/E/G ratio of -0.07 and a beta of 1.13. TransAlta has a 12-month low of C$10.02 and a 12-month high of C$13.97. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of C$11.37 and a 200 day moving average price of C$12.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 161.55.

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 1st will be paid a $0.055 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 30th. This represents a $0.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.02%. TransAltas payout ratio is 10.28%.

TransAlta Company Profile

(Get Free Report

TransAlta Corporation engages in the development, production, and sale of electric energy. It operates through Hydro, Wind and Solar, Gas, Energy Transition, and Energy Marketing segments. The Hydro segment has a net ownership interest of approximately 922 megawatts (MW) of owned hydro electrical-generating capacity located in Alberta, British Columbia, and Ontario.

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Trexquant Investment LP bought a new position in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM  Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund bought 118,960 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $11,613,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Capital World Investors grew its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 3.9% in the 2nd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 116,185,273 shares of the companys stock worth $11,342,014,000 after acquiring an additional 4,368,323 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors grew its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 4.9% in the 2nd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 51,558,741 shares of the companys stock worth $5,033,166,000 after acquiring an additional 2,430,519 shares during the period. Capital International Sarl grew its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 6.4% in the 2nd quarter. Capital International Sarl now owns 327,887 shares of the companys stock worth $32,008,000 after acquiring an additional 19,587 shares during the period. Capital International Ltd. CA grew its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. Capital International Ltd. CA now owns 63,432 shares of the companys stock worth $6,192,000 after acquiring an additional 1,084 shares during the period. Finally, Capital International Inc. CA grew its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 7.4% in the 2nd quarter. Capital International Inc. CA now owns 823,075 shares of the companys stock worth $80,349,000 after acquiring an additional 56,500 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.70% of the companys stock.

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Philip Morris International Stock Performance

Shares of PM traded up $1.02 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $93.82. The stock had a trading volume of 3,508,344 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,543,435. The firm has a market cap of $145.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.22, a P/E/G ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.77. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $92.10 and its 200 day simple moving average is $94.23. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 12-month low of $87.23 and a 12-month high of $105.62.

Philip Morris International Increases Dividend

Philip Morris International ( NYSE:PM Get Free Report ) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 19th. The company reported $1.67 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.62 by $0.05. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 129.48% and a net margin of 9.62%. The business had revenue of $9.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.21 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.53 EPS. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 6.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 12th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 27th were given a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 26th. This is a positive change from Philip Morris Internationals previous quarterly dividend of $1.27. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.54%. Philip Morris Internationals dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 100.97%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group lowered their price target on Philip Morris International from $116.00 to $112.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 5th. Bank of America lowered their target price on Philip Morris International from $118.00 to $111.00 in a report on Friday, September 29th. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, November 16th. They set a neutral rating and a $95.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Philip Morris International from $118.00 to $113.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 2nd. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on Philip Morris International from $115.00 to $110.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $109.36.

Get Our Latest Analysis on PM

Philip Morris International Company Profile

(Free Report)

Philip Morris International Inc operates as a tobacco company working to delivers a smoke-free future and evolving portfolio for the long-term to include products outside of the tobacco and nicotine sector. The company's product portfolio primarily consists of cigarettes and smoke-free products, including heat-not-burn, vapor, and oral nicotine products primarily under the IQOS and ZYN brands; and consumer accessories, such as lighters and matches.

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Shares of Webster Financial Co. (NYSE:WBS  Get Free Report) have earned an average recommendation of Moderate Buy from the ten brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $50.00.

WBS has been the topic of several research reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Webster Financial from $43.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 27th. Seaport Res Ptn reissued a buy rating on shares of Webster Financial in a research note on Tuesday, September 12th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Webster Financial from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 24th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on Webster Financial from $53.00 to $47.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Webster Financial from $50.00 to $42.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 4th.

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Webster Financial Stock Down 0.5 %

WBS stock opened at $43.11 on Thursday. The firms 50-day moving average is $39.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $40.21. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The company has a market capitalization of $7.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.26 and a beta of 1.32. Webster Financial has a 52 week low of $31.03 and a 52 week high of $56.00.

Webster Financial (NYSE:WBS  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 19th. The financial services provider reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.49 by $0.06. Webster Financial had a return on equity of 13.65% and a net margin of 24.45%. The firm had revenue of $677.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $686.11 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.46 earnings per share. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Webster Financial will post 5.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Webster Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 13th. Investors of record on Friday, November 3rd were paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.71%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 2nd. Webster Financials payout ratio is presently 30.65%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Webster Financial

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Public Sector Pension Investment Board raised its stake in shares of Webster Financial by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 21,702 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $875,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Creative Planning lifted its stake in shares of Webster Financial by 11.7% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 29,691 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $1,197,000 after buying an additional 3,119 shares during the last quarter. Tudor Investment Corp Et Al bought a new stake in shares of Webster Financial during the 3rd quarter worth $2,175,000. Morgan Stanley grew its stake in Webster Financial by 14.7% in the 3rd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 1,477,808 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $59,571,000 after buying an additional 189,846 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Essex Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in Webster Financial by 81.1% in the 3rd quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 36,024 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $1,452,000 after acquiring an additional 16,133 shares during the period. 86.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Webster Financial Company Profile

(Get Free Report

Webster Financial Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Webster Bank, National Association that provides a range of financial services to individuals, families, and businesses in the United States. It operates through three segments: Commercial Banking, HSA Bank, and Consumer Banking. The Commercial Banking segment provides commercial real estate and equipment financing, business banking, asset-based lending, and commercial services; public sector finance; mortgage warehouse financing; treasury management services; credit, deposit, and cash flow management services; and wealth management solutions to business owners and operators, including trust, asset management, financial planning, insurance, retirement, and investment products, as well as derivative, treasury, accounts payable, accounts receivable, and trade products and services.

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Daniel Noboa is sworn in as Ecuador's president, inheriting the leadership of a country on edge
BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 24. Three young children and a woman were attacked by an unknown man in Dublin, Trend reports.

The incident occurred near a catholic school. As a result of the attack, three children, a 30-year-old woman and the criminal himself received stab wounds of varying severity. The injured were taken to Dublin hospitals.

Additional police forces have been deployed to the scene of the emergency. The criminal was detained. Nothing is known yet about his motives. Later, information spread on social networks that the children were attacked by a migrant from Algeria

After this incident, riots and anti-migrant protests broke out in central Dublin.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 23. The process of releasing some of the hostages held in the Gaza Strip will begin no later than November 24, the head of the Israeli National Security Council Tzachi Hanegbi said, Trend reports.

He noted that contacts regarding the release of the hostages continue.

"The release of [the hostages] will begin in accordance with the preliminary agreement between the parties and no later than Friday," he said.

Earlier, the Israeli government approved a plan to return at least 50 hostages from the Gaza Strip within four days, during which a ceasefire was declared in the enclave.

A combined attack was carried out on Israel on October 7. From the beginning, a massive rocket attack began from the territory of the Gaza Strip, followed by the penetration of militants by land, water, and air.

Israel declared a state of war after a massive rocket attack from the Gaza Strip. Moreover, Israel Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced a mass gathering of reservists.
Israel has used the October 7 Al-Aqsa Flood incursion to mount a genocidal assault on Gaza. The official narrative from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, repeated faithfully by his imperialist backers, is that Hamas carried out an unexpected and unprecedentedly barbaric assault and must now be wiped out at whatever cost.

This turns truth on its head. As the World Socialist Web Site has repeatedly warned, ever since his government took office at the end of 2022, Netanyahu has mounted provocation after provocation against the Palestinians aimed at inciting retaliation, as then occurred on October 7. Al-Aqsa Flood provided the casus belli for a pre-planned campaign of mass murder and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians beginning with Gaza and then moving on to the West bank and including Israels two million Arab citizens.

Palestinians look for survivors following Israeli airstrike in Nusseirat refugee camp, Gaza Strip, October 31, 2023. [AP Photo/Doaa AlBaz]

Israels genocidal campaign has already claimed more than 14,000 livesmostly children, women and the elderly. It has destroyed hospitals, schools and apartment blocks, while Israels refusal to allow food, fuel, electricity and even water to enter Gaza means that many more defenceless Palestinians will die a terrible death from starvation, thirst and disease.

But Israels entire narrative surrounding the events of October 7 has begun to collapse, with mounting evidence that Netanyahus government and Israels army and security services knew a military incursion was about to happen, and that once it did take place, large numbers of Israeli casualties resulted from a massive military operation carried out by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

These revelations have been largely ignored by the worlds media, which has dutifully and endlessly repeated Israels claims that Hamas fighters committed horrific atrocitiesincluding brutal kidnappings, babies being decapitated and burned, and women being rapedwhich claimed 1,400 lives. The gunmen, it is said, deliberately targeted the Supernova music festival, killing hundreds of young people, and also slaughtered the residents of Kibbutzim.

Many of the Israeli families of those killed, injured or taken hostage on October 7reflecting a widely held view that Netanyahu is responsible for the disaster and did nothing to prevent ithave called for an independent and international investigation, which the government has refused. They have demanded answers to two basic questions:

What did Israels military-intelligence apparatus know in advance about what Hamas had planned?

And what actually happened over the weekend of October 7-8?

What did Israel know about the planned attack?

The official line on October 7, endlessly repeated, is that Israels infamous Mossad spy network had no inkling that such a large-scale attackrequiring months of planning, training and coordination among several Palestinian groups, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, as well as non-affiliated Palestinianswas in the offing.

The secret American military-intelligence base in Israels Negev desert just 20 miles from Gaza, Site 512, was likewise blindsided, it is claimed.

The authorities have not explained how Israels massive electronic border fence could have been breached with only rudimentary tools and without any sirens going off or army bases being alertedwith the result that the Middle Easts most sophisticated army took hours to arrive at the scene in a country no bigger than the US state of New Jersey.

Media commentary has largely ascribed Israels security failure to its focus on the West Bank. The Netanyahu government has promoted settler violence against the Palestinians and ultra-orthodox provocations at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which supposedly consumed the attention of the IDF and Mossad.

Historically, far from viewing Hamas as a threat, Netanyahu has bolstered it as a counterweight to the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority (PA). Israel has worked to cement divisions between the two rival Palestinian factions and prevent the establishment of a mini-Palestinian state made up of the West Bank and Gaza.

As an anonymous Israeli intelligence officer told the Washington Post last month, Thats what happens when you forget that all defense lines can eventually be breached and have been historically. Thats what happens when you underestimate your enemy.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting at the prime minister's office in Jerusalem, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023. [AP Photo/Abir Sultan]

Netanyahu has repeatedly denied having received any military intelligence about a possible attack. On October 29, he tweeted that under no circumstances and at no stage was Prime Minister Netanyahu warned about Hamas intending to go to war.

Two days ago, his lies were exposed with the publication by Haaretz of letters written in March and again in July by the head of the research division at Military Intelligence, personally warning Netanyahu that the sociopolitical crisis rocking the country was encouraging Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas to risk action against the country, even simultaneously.

In March, Brigadier General Amit Saar wrote, We are seeing deliberation on whether to sit on the fence and let Israel continue to weaken itself, or to take initiative and worsen its situation. He attached the intelligence reports on which his warnings were based.

He added, To our understanding, this insight is the foundation of Hamas high motivation to execute attacks from the north at the present time, and it also spurs Iran to increase efforts by its proxies to advance attacks against Israel.

When Defense Minister Yoav Gallant drew attention to this, Netanyahu promptly sacked him, only reinstating him following massive protests.

Saar sent Netanyahu another letter in July, just before the Knesset approved legislation granting the government powers to override the Supreme Court, saying, The worsening crisis is intensifying the erosion of Israels image, worsening the damage to Israeli deterrence and increasing the probability of escalation. IDF Chief of Staff Herzl Halevi tried to brief Netanyahu on the security situation but was refused an audience.

These are only the latest revelations refuting Netanyahus claims of ignorance of a planned attack by Hamas.

Just two days after the attack, on Monday October 9, Egypt exposed Netanyahus protestations that he had no foreknowledge. An Egyptian intelligence official told the Associated Press that Cairo had repeatedly warned the Israeli authorities that something big was being planned from Gaza. He said, We have warned them an explosion of the situation is coming, and very soon, and it would be big. But they underestimated such warnings. He added that Israeli officials had played down the threat from Gaza, instead focusing on the West Bank. Netanyahu has denied receiving any such warning, denouncing the story as fake news.

Israels own soldiers also reportedly raised the alarm. But they were ignored and threatened. On November 18, speaking on a Channel 12 news programme, at least two female soldiers described how they had raised concerns for weeks beforehand about what they regarded as suspicious activity along the Gaza border. They told their commanders about training, anomalies and preparations near the border wall, telling Channel 12 they had seen new people visiting farms around the border.

Not only were their reports brushed aside, but the soldiers said they were threatened with court martial for raising concerns, We were told that if we continue to harass on this issue, you will stand trial. An officer told them, Hamas are just a bunch of punks, they wont do anything.

Such threats suggest that, while the full extent of Hamass planned incursion may have been unclear, the Israeli authorities knew about a planned attack and allowed it to happen. Put more bluntly, they wanted an atrocity and so stood down their defence and rescue services. Furthermore, the Biden administrations full-throated support for Israelincluding its deployment of warships to the region the very next dayindicates that October 7 was seized on by US military and intelligence officials to activate war plans prepared long in advance.

What happened on October 7?

On October 7, under cover of thousands of rockets launched as a distraction, at least 1,500 Palestinians undertook what can only be described as a desperate suicide mission, breaching the fortified Erez Crossing point and several points in the electronic fence between Gaza and Israel. Their declared intention was to destroy Israels military division on Gazas border and to take hostages who could be traded for the approximately 5,300 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisonssome 1,500 of whom were being held under administrative detention, without charge or trial, for an indefinite period.

They attacked the military base near the Erez Crossing and several military outposts, knocking out their technical equipment and disabling their communications systems, preventing the soldiers from reporting the attacks. In the ensuing battles, Palestinian fighters killed many soldiers, taking some as hostages, before moving on to the southern towns, villages and kibbutzim and to the Supernova music festival, which just five days earlier had been extended by one day to October 7.

The site of a music festival near the border with the Gaza Strip is seen on Thursday, October 12, 2023. [AP Photo/Erik Marmor]

According to reports in the Israeli press, the IDF, caught off guard, were slow to respond to the desperate cries for help from people caught up in the attacks, enabling Hamas fighters and the other Palestinian groups to kill around 1,400 people and take 240 hostages, including soldiers, civilians, foreign nationals and one Palestinian citizen of Israel.

It took two weeks for this story to come apart.

On October 20, Haaretz released the names and locations of 683 Israelis killed during the Palestinian insurgency, or about half of the reported 1,400 death toll. Of these, 331 were soldiers and police officers, many of them female, along with a further 13 rescue service members. (This number has since risen to 377 military and police personnel and 845 civilians, for a downwardly revised total of 1,222. The initial total included some of the dead Palestinians.) None of those listed were children under the age of three, repudiating all of the lurid and mendacious claims about the slaughter, beheading, and, in one instance, cooking in an oven of babies. Seven victims were reported as being between 4 and 7 years old, and nine between 10 and 17.

The fact that so many (48 percent) of the incomplete list are Israeli combatants means that ferocious armed battles took place between the Israeli security forces and Palestinians. Some 1,500 Palestinians were reportedly killed, with none apparently captured alive. It took three days before the fighting stopped and the IDF regained control.

Numerous sources testify that a significant number of Israeli civilians lost their lives in the crossfire, or more likely because of the infamous Hannibal Directive formulated during Israels occupation of southern Lebanon in 1986. The Directive aims to prevent the capture of Israelis by enemy forces, even at the cost of their lives, and implies that the IDF should kill Israelis rather than allow them to fall into the hands of Hamas.

Haaretzs military correspondent Amos Harel detailed how the massive military base and Coordination of Government Activities in the [Occupied] Territories (COGAT) facility at the Erez Crossing, which functions as the nerve centre of Israels siege on Gaza, came under attack by Palestinian fighters. The units deputy commander described how he and his tank unit fought inside the kibbutz, from house to house, with the tanks.

He concluded, We had no choice. What he didnt say was that until recently, when they were redeployed to the West Bank, IDF soldiers were stationed at all kibbutzim.

With many of its soldiers killed or wounded, the units commander was compelled to call for an aerial strike against the base itself in order to repulse the terrorists. IDF Apache helicopters were used repeatedly in the next days, killing not only Palestinian fighters, but also Israeli army personnel and civilians. The helicopter strikes explain the significant damage to buildings, with many burnt out, and the large number of burnt-out cars, as well as several burned bodies, which the government had blamed on Palestinians armed with rifles and hand grenadesweapons that are incapable of causing that level or type of damage.

Yediot Aharonoth, an Israeli news outlet, noted in a report on the Apache squadrons that the pilots realized that there was tremendous difficulty in distinguishing within the occupied outposts and settlements who was a terrorist and who was a soldier or civilian The rate of fire against the thousands of terrorists was tremendous at first, and only at a certain point did the pilots begin to slow down the attacks and carefully select the targets.

Yasmin Porat, a 44-year-old mother of three whose partner was killed, explains in a long interview with Kan public broadcaster, published on the Electronic Intifada, how, having fled the Supernova festival, she was captured and held hostage by Palestinian militants in Kibbutz Beeri. She said she was well treated, rebutting Israels claims of deliberate gross mistreatment and abuse by the Palestinian fighters, adding that the kidnappers treated her and other hostages humanely, in the belief that they would be able to return safely to Gaza as they would be with their Israeli captives.

In the event, however, IDF soldiers fired not just on the Palestinians, but also on hostages. She said, They eliminated everyone, including the hostages. There was very, very heavy crossfire. She added, After insane crossfire, two tank shells were shot into the house. Its a small kibbutz house, nothing big.

Quique Kierszenbaum, reporting in the Guardian about his tour of Kibbutz Beeri under the auspices of the Israeli Armys propaganda unit, writes, Building after building has been destroyed, whether in the Hamas assault or in the fighting that followed, nearby trees splintered and walls reduced to concrete rubble from where Israeli tanks blasted the Hamas militants where they were hiding. Floors collapsed on floors. Roof beams were tangled and exposed like rib cages.

Witnesses also told journalists from the New York Times and the Economist about what took place at Kibbutz Beeri and Kibbutz Nir Am. Essentially set up as defence posts years ago, all kibbutzim have their own armed defence guards. While focusing on what the Palestinians had done, their accounts also described initial battles between armed Palestinians and armed Israelis during which civilians were killed and other civilians taken captive.

Videos show Palestinians in shootouts with armed Israeli security forces, with unarmed Israelis taking cover in between. Other videos show fighters shooting toward houses and throwing grenades into fortified areas. Eyewitnesses have testified that grenades were thrown into bomb shelters, although it is not known who threw them. There have been several press reports of Israelis killed by friendly fire, while several Israelis have claimed they were fired upon by Israeli military and police.

Israeli military drives through the site of a music festival near the border with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel on October 12, 2023. [AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg]

Haaretz journalist Nir Hasson reported on October 20 his interview with a local resident of Beeri named Tuval, who was away from the kibbutz when the attack took place but whose partner was killed. He wrote, According to him, only on Monday night and only after the commanders in the field made difficult decisionsincluding shelling houses with all their occupants inside in order to eliminate the terrorists along with the hostagesdid the IDF complete the takeover of the kibbutz. The price was terrible: at least 112 Beeri people were killed. Others were kidnapped. Yesterday, 11 days after the massacre, the bodies of a mother and her son were discovered in one of the destroyed houses. It is believed that more bodies are still lying in the rubble.

In the last few days, the Israeli police report into the attack on the Supernova music festival, where the largest number of deaths occurred364 people, including 17 police officersand where 40 people were taken hostage, found that contrary to Israeli government claims, the festival was not on Hamass list of targets. Hamas could not have planned to attack it, as the festival organisers switched to the site in the Western Negev desert only two days before, after the original location in southern Israel fell through. Palestinian fighters only found out about it by accident after the festival was then extended by a day at short notice. Most of the 4,400 attendees managed to escape before the attack took place.

Haaretz reported that police investigators found that an IDF helicopter opened fire on the attackers, hitting some people attending the festival. ABC News had earlier reported that an Israeli tank had headed to the site of the festival, while videos appeared to show IDF forces opening fire at Palestinian fighters through a crowd of unarmed civilians.

These eyewitness testimonies drive a horse and cart through the official Israeli narrative. They show that:

The IDF acted as brutal and trigger-happy mass murderers of both Palestinians and Israelis.

Many Israeli captives were still alive on the Monday, two days after the events of October 7.

Hostages were not only killed in the crossfire that took place between the IDF and Palestinian militia on the Saturday. Many were killed as a consequence of the IDFs deliberate decision to attack the kibbutz with tank shells and other heavy weaponry at close quarters in the full knowledge that hostages and their captors were there.

The IDF, not the Palestinians, caused many of the Israeli civilian deaths that were used to justify Israels genocidal war on Gaza and the deployment of US warships to the Middle East. How many can only be confirmed by releasing the results of autopsies that would show the type of bullets used.

Finally, it explains why army spokesperson Daniel Hagari found that a substantial number of the hostages taken by Hamas are military officers.

Far from protecting Israeli civilians, the Netanyahu government and the IDF used them as cannon fodder in pursuit of a policy of Israeli expansionism and Jewish Supremacy.

Netanyahu has, in part, agreed to a temporary operational pause in Israels genocidal assault on Gaza, in return for Hamas releasing 50 hostages, to try and contain mounting anger within Israel over his responsibility for October 7. But there is no reason to believe this will work.

A political confrontation with Netanyahu and his fascist allies is coming. But this requires more than revulsion over what they did on October 7 and concern for the fate of the hostages. It is not a question, as Israels Zionist opposition to Netanyahu put it, of handing the reins to someone who is more militarily and politically competent to wage mass murder and ethnic cleansing, such as defence minister Gallant.

The demand must be for an immediate end to the genocide of the Palestinians, repudiating Zionism and advocating the creation of a multinational state with full equality for its Palestinian and Jewish citizens as part of a United Socialist States of the Middle East.

The lies used to sanction the mass murder and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians are regurgitated by Washington, London, Paris and Berlin in furtherance of their own plans to control the resource-rich Middle East as part of a global war against Iran, Russia and ultimately China. For the millions of workers and young people coming into struggle against their own rotten governments over their collusion with the Zionist butchers, this means taking up a political struggle against imperialisms drive to war and for socialism.
Francesca Albanese, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, visited New Zealand earlier this week and addressed public meetings in Auckland and Wellington. An expert on international human rights law, Albanese spoke about the background to the events of October 7, Israels genocidal war against the people of Gaza and its systematic brutalisation and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.

Francesca Albanese in Wellington on November 21, 2023

The meetings attracted hundreds of people, many of whom had followed Albaneses previous visit to Australia where she exposed the complicity of the media and the Labor government in supporting Israels destruction of the Gaza Strip and mass murder of tens of thousands of people. More than 14,500 people have been killed by Israel, including more than 6,000 children.

At the Auckland meeting on Monday, Albanese was applauded when she criticised outgoing Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, who called for a ceasefire the day before in his capacity as Labour Party leader, but not as leader of the government. The incoming National Party-led government has rejected calls for a ceasefire by mass protests in New Zealand and internationally.

At the Wellington event on Tuesday, Albanese condemned Hamass military attack on October 7 and expressed sympathy for everyone affected. She called for the release of those detained in Gaza by Hamas.

The military retaliation by Israel, however, was completely out of control. While the US and its allies, including the Labour government in New Zealand, repeatedly insist that Israel has the right to self-defence, Albanese explained that it had no right to do so using military force, which under international law is only allowed against another state.

Self-defence cannot be invoked, so a war cannot be waged, against a population under occupation Gaza is occupied and so are the Palestinians inside Gaza. Not only have they been occupied, but they have been under an illegal blockade which was already unlawful, which was already collective punishment, already a war crime before the 7th of October.

Albanese added that even if Israel had such a right to wage war, there are basic principles in international law of distinction, so civilians cannot be targeted. Bombing a refugee camp where there are 400 residents, including hostages, because Israel had to kill one personthis is not respecting the principle of distinction. In fact, it can constitute a crime of extermination because there is the intentional assumption that those 400 civilians can be killed or harmed.

Israel has dropped 6,000 bombs a week over this strip of land of 360 [square] kilometres, where 2.2 million are crammed, half of them children40 percent of the population of Gaza is not even 15. What kind of distinction could 6000 bombs per week make?

In addition, Albanese explained that there was no military target. Israel began its operation by saying, lets eradicate Hamas, not necessarily Hamass military capability and then the language has worsened: flatten Gaza, erase Gaza from Earth, wipe out Gaza. The level of dehumanisation has increased and increased. Palestinians [were] being called human animals, and then someone says: no, not even animals, because if you call them animals, youre insulting the animals. And then babies are associated with or called terrorists. The discourse has become genocidal.

She described the catastrophic situation facing the people of Gaza, where in addition to non-stop bombing there is no food, no medicine, no aid, no fuel, people drinking seawater. People in UNRWA [United Nations Relief and Works Agency] schools with one toilet for 300 people. The sewerage system has collapsed and disease is spreading.

Albanese noted that soldiers entering Gaza have been openly telling the world what they are doing: they say we came here with instructions: destroy, displace and settle Israeli soldiers are planting Israeli flags everywhere in the north of Gaza Strip, while people are still rotting under the rubble. She also referred to a recent article in the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth by retired general Giora Eiland who said the spread of disease will bring victory closer.

What is being done reflects this [genocidal] intent, because half of the Gaza Strip has been [almost] completely emptied 1.6 million people have been displaced to the south while the south is still being bombed.

She praised the minority of Israeli Jews who stand against this They are being threatened themselves, and risking their lives themselves, and still continue to do an honourable job.

Albanese explained that a process of ethnic cleansing is also underway in the occupied West Bank. In 40 days, 200 Palestinians have been killed by soldiers and settlers. [Minister of National Security] Ben-Gvir has been giving weapons and licence to kill any Palestinian to Israeli armed settlers 50 kids have been killed, refugee camps like Jenin and Balata have been bombed by airplanes and tanks again and again  There is no threat, there is no Hamas military presence, and still Palestinians are being told to leave to Jordan.

She described the regime of apartheid and continual, daily atrocities inflicted on Palestinian people for decades leading up to October 7. Under military regulations in the West Bank, participating in a gathering of 10 or more people where a political issue is discussed by the Palestinians, without the authorisation of the army, can lead to 10 years in jail. Living in an area that is declared closed by the military can lead to 7 years in jail: 60 percent of the land in the West Bank is directly controlled by Israel and one third of this is declared a military area.

Children were frequently abducted from their homes on the allegation that theyve thrown stones, which leads to 20 years in jail if the stone has been thrown with the intent to harm, including at a tank. In such cases, children were held in solitary confinement during the entire interrogation until they confess what they have done or until they give names of  the security threat in the village. The solitary confinement on average lasts 16 days during which the child cannot see legal counsel or a parent.

Albanese compared the present situation with the 1947-49 Nakba [catastrophe] in which the state of Israel was established through the dispossession and expulsion of 750,000 Palestinian people, driven from their homes and subjected to massacres and the destruction of villages by Israeli forces. Hundreds of thousands more people were displaced in the 1967 war, when Israel occupied the West Bank and Gaza.

She said the world faced a watershed moment. This is where we, as a people, can say: enough. Because we have not been able to stop atrocity crimes and genocide before, in Rwanda, in Sudan, in Myanmar, in Bosnia, but we have the responsibility to do that now because a genocide might be unfolding and must be stopped.

Following Albaneses talk, an audience member from the West Bank city of Nablus, who moved to New Zealand 10 years ago, said: It struck me that we used to believe that in a democracy, people dictate to the government what to do. But what I [saw] in the last 45 days shows that this is not true.

Pointing to the mass protests that have unfolded demanding a ceasefire, he said, the government is completely disconnected from the public opinion. Is this because they have been bullied by superpowers? Or is it because, when it comes to Israel, the normal laws dont apply?

Albanese replied that international law is as strong as the will of states to enforce it and there has been very little appetite, for a number of reasons, to do that. A number of reasons that are historical, political, and economic. She reiterated her support for protests and other actions to demand justice and equal rights for Palestinian people across Israel and the Palestinian territories.

Speaking after the meeting to the World Socialist Web Site, Albanese endorsed the call by Palestinian trade unions for strikes and other action to stop the shipment of weapons to the Israeli military. I think it makes sense, especially at a moment like now where its clear that atrocity crimes are being committed. So, it was meaningful to do that before the 7th of October and its a moral and legal imperative to do that now.

Albanese also denounced the efforts by several governments to ban or delegitimise protests opposing Israels genocide. This is criminal, because freedom of expression and freedom of assembly, the right to protest, these are rights that are recognised and protected under the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights and cannot be infringed upon. In many European countries they are also constitutional rights.

So we need, first and foremost, we need to act in solidarity with the Palestinian people, but also with the many Israelis who stand with them against the occupation, against apartheid, and against what might really look like a genocide. But its also for our own rights and freedoms that are being crushed.
More than 200 students and workers rallied outside the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) headquarters in Sydney on November 17 in opposition to the state-funded networks blatantly pro-Israeli bias.

Students from the nearby University of Sydney, University of Technology Sydney and University of New South Wales participated, along with some city workers. Some students travelled from Newcastle and Wollongong to join the demonstration.

Protesters outside the Australian Broadcasting Corporations Sydney studios

Protesters chanted Free Palestine, Shame, shame ABC, shame, shame Albanese and ABC you cant hide, youre supporting genocide. They held banners and placards accusing the network of recirculating Israel Defense Force talking points and whitewashing war crimes.

It was the third demonstration outside ABC facilities in recent weeks over its Gaza reportage, none of them reported by the mainstream media. The others were held in Melbourne and Brisbane, pointing to the deep-seated anger over the pro-Zionist propaganda broadcast by the state-funded network, and the rest of the Australian corporate press.

The Melbourne demonstration was in response to the networks indifference to the death of Roshdi Sarraj, a Palestinian photographer/journalist killed by the Israeli military in October. The ABC had used Sarrajs reportage but failed to publicly acknowledge his death for more than two weeks.

Protesters on Friday were incensed over the November 13 episode of ABC-TVs Q+A in which host Patricia Karvelas gave the floor to arch-Zionists Mark Liebler and former Liberal MP Dave Sharma while treating Australia Palestine Advocacy Network president Nasser Mashni with contempt. Karvelas rudely interrupted Mashni and accused his organisation of funding Hamas.

At Fridays rally Palestine Action Group member Shamikh Badra said: My message to the media and the ABC is that we are indigenous Palestinians, not Arabs in Israel. Israel isnt defending itself [but] carrying out genocide against people in Gaza... Its ethnic cleansing, not eviction. Its Palestine, not Palestinian territories. Its resistance.

University of Sydney Student Representative Council First Nations Officer Ethan Floyd denounced the ABC and called on it reaffirm its commitment to fair and accurate reporting on all issues. Other speakers called on those present to keep protesting, fostering illusions that the Labor government could be pressured into supporting the Palestinians in Gaza.

The Labor government is totally committed to Israel right to defend itself and Washingtons broader militarist agenda. Likewise, the state-funded ABC, notwithstanding occasional criticisms of the government and the Murdoch media, has no independent existence. The broadcaster has always functioned as a political mouthpiece for Australias ruling elite and its requirements.

ABC chief executive officer David Anderson made this clear in an ABC radio interview in Melbourne on November 17, a few hours before the Sydney protest.

Anderson insisted that the ABC was not biased, but its role was not to accuse anyone of war crimes, Anderson declared. ABC reporters and journalists would not use words such as genocide and apartheid, when covering the conflict in Gaza but could report other people using these definitions, he said.

Anderson stated: Genocide is a claim thats been made. Its a serious crime. Its an allegation of a crime [but] the IDF and Israel reject that. We dont make rash assumptions around allegations of war crimes. But what we do is we test and challenge what those allegations are.

Israels destruction of hospitals, education facilities and other vital infrastructure and the killing of over 13,000 people, half of them children, with missiles, bombs and high-tech weaponry cannot be described as war crimes or genocide, according to Anderson. Theyre simply allegations, which are denied by Israel and cannot be independently verified, even though Israeli government leaders are openly proclaiming their genocidal intent.

The declaration about independent verification means that a genocide or war crime can only be reported categorically, long after it has occurred. That is, after Israel has completed its ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians and all of Gaza is rubble.

Of course, if such an approach were transported back in time, journalists could not have condemned the Nazi Holocaust, or any government crimes, as they were occurring. Indeed, based on Andersons criteria, reporters would have been obliged to give equal billing to Nazi lies as to those opposing the atrocities. As is always the case, a faux neutrality in times of war is a veil for complicity.

The World Socialist Web Site spoke with two students attending Fridays rally.

Sarah, an international student, travelled from Newcastle, two hours north of Sydney, to join the demonstration. Im from the Middle East and the Palestinian occupation is an issue that I grew up with. Zionism is occupation. They have no right to stay on this land. I came here today because this is the time to speak up. In the Middle East we dont have a large platform to show people this problem, to show our perspective, the other side.

Asked to comment on the Socialist Equality Partys call for a unified movement of the international working class to fight the Gaza genocide, Sarah said, Youre talking about socialism. We dont live in an age where it has a mass power, in this new century. But I agree we should support such an ideology. We shouldnt submit to the dominant ideology, capitalism.

Speaking on the mainstream media, Sarah noted that whether it was CNN, the BBC or other corporate and state outlets, they all put forward the same thing. That is why I really agree with socialism. It has its own perspective to go against the domination of capitalism. I think capitalism is destroying our lives and families.

I think this war is moving populations around the world. I know Palestine culturally. My dad used to read to me about the occupation. If you had come to me in September and told me people in London, New York, L.A, all of them would protest to support Gaza, I wouldnt have believed you. But now this genocide is moving all these people around the world.

The reason for this, Sarah added, was today we have social media. This is a huge weapon. It is our voice.

Linhchi, a young graphic designer from Brisbane, decided to attend the protest after seeing a social media post. She told the WSWS that she only became aware of the situation in Gaza in October.

I wanted to come to educate myself. I didnt want to be at home, not knowing what is going on, she said.

The photographs on social media are what alerted me to what is happening. Everybody was speaking about the genocide in Gaza against the Palestinians. I saw videos of children injured, people crying.

What really hit me the most was when hospitals started to get bombed. Its illegal and a war crime. Where do they have to go? They cant be in their homes, they cant be in a hospital, even refugee camps. They have no choice. Theyre just being killed and forced out. It is at the point where they dont have any food, power, water. If they dont die from bombs, theyre going to die of starvation. Its genocide.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 23. The ceasefire in the Gaza Strip will take effect on November 24 (at 09:00 GMT+4), Trend reports, referring to the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Other details have not been disclosed yet.

Previously, Israel has approved a plan to return at least 50 hostages from the Gaza Strip within four days.

A combined attack was carried out on Israel on October 7. From the beginning, a massive rocket attack began from the territory of the Gaza Strip, followed by the penetration of militants by land, water, and air.

Israel declared a state of war after a massive rocket attack from the Gaza Strip. Moreover, Israel Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced a mass gathering of reservists.

Stay up to date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
A new documentary, JFK: What the Doctors Saw, directed by Barbara Shearer, was made available for streaming online on Paramount Plus on November 14. At roughly 90 minutes, the documentary is a tightly constructed forensic examination of a limited category of evidence relating to the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Jr. on November 22, 1963. Its subject matter consists of the observations of the doctors at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, where Kennedy was taken after he was shot.

John F. Kennedy, moments before he was shot.

With this narrow scope, the documentary does not substantively explore the political motives for a conspiracy to assassinate Kennedy within the American state apparatus. In fact, behind the idealized public facade of Camelot, there were violent political vendettas within the Kennedy administration over the Bay of Pigs, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Nuclear Test Ban treaty and Vietnam. But while it confines itself to a forensic study of a limited range of evidence, what this new documentary does reveal is disturbing and explosive.

The official government account of the assassination, which was advanced within hours of the shooting and which has been maintained ever since, is that Lee Harvey Oswald, acting alone, shot Kennedy from behind with a rifle from a window of the Texas School Book Depository Building after the presidential motorcade had passed the building and was driving away.

But what the doctors all say they saw when Kennedy arrived at the trauma room at Parkland Memorial Hospital was a bullet entrance wound in the front of Kennedys neck, with an exit wound at the back of his head. The doctors unanimously recall seeing that.

One of the most striking moments in the film is when the doctors are shown photos purportedly from the autopsy of Kennedy performed in Washington D.C. They shake their heads and express disbelief, and one doctor says incredulously, Thats not what I saw.

If Kennedy was shot from the front, that not only decisively rebuts the official story, it points to a government conspiracy, spanning years and decades, to cover up what really happened.

The film, which consists in large part of the testimony of the doctors themselves, opens with a depiction of Parkland Memorial Hospital in 1963. Many of the doctors themselves were Kennedy supporters and idolized him. Kennedy was a president who, in stark contrast to any politician in the American government today, could speak to genuine democratic ideals and aspirations, however much his administration deviated from them in practice.

The seven Parkland doctors are sympathetic, all-around decent people. They have all passed away since giving their testimony, much of which is shown in this new documentary for the first time.

Parkland Hospital surgery staff

The Parkland Hospital was evidently one of the best in the Dallas area, and the doctors and nurses were experienced professionals who had evaluated and treated countless gunshot wounds and other serious injuries before November 22. Speaking movingly in their taped interviews, they were all clearly shocked and traumatized by the events of that dayas well as by the shadowy government conduct they witnessed in the wake of the shooting.

After the shooting in downtown Dallas, the motorcade sped to the nearest hospital, which was Parkland. The doctors received Kennedys body in the trauma room and were prepared to do their best. But Kennedys injuries were nothing short of catastrophic. While the doctors observed an entrance wound in the front of his neck, the back of his head, the doctors say, was gone, together with much of his brain.

As shown in the video shot by bystander Abraham Zapruder as the Kennedy motorcade was passing the infamous grassy knollwhich is no less unsettling to watch than it was a half-century agoKennedys head all but exploded as he was shot, sending bits and pieces of his skull and brain cascading over the back of the car. Jacqueline Kennedy, who was seated next to Kennedy in the car, can be seen in the video retrieving a piece of his brain that had been blown onto the rear of the car, which the Parkland doctors say she was still holding when she arrived at the hospital.

In the trauma room at Parkland Memorial Hospital, Kennedy was not breathing and his heart was not beating, and there was little for the doctors to do after briefly attempting to resuscitate him except pronounce him dead and send for a priest. Nevertheless, the doctors all documented and recorded their findings contemporaneouslyincluding the entrance wound in the front of Kennedys neck.

It is the A-B-C of gunshot wound forensics that entrance wounds are small and exit wounds are largerand in the case of bullets fired from powerful rifles, sometimes dramatically larger and horribly gruesome, in contrast to often sanitized Hollywood depictions.

This pattern of entrance and exit wounds often constitutes the key evidence establishing the position of a shooter relative to the shooting victim in a criminal prosecution. The doctors at Parkland had seen countless shooting victims, and distinguishing entrance from exit wounds was second nature to them. They all thought the neck wound was an entrance woundand that this fact was obvious and uncontroversial.

As the documentary shows, there was shock and surprise when federal intelligence agents swiftly descended on the hospital, confiscated the body and whisked it away to Washington. The chief medical examiner for the Dallas Coroners office, Dr. Earl Rose, had an office at Parkland Memorial Hospital. When he protested that under Texas law the autopsy had to be performed in Dallas County, a government agent swore at him and manhandled him, putting his arms under the doctors armpits, lifting him into the air, and setting him down against a wall.

It is worth remembering that US intelligence agencies operate as a law unto themselves and were in 1963 at a high point of their unchecked criminality: connections to organized crime, illegal wiretapping, kidnapping, burglary, forgery, human experimentation, evidence tampering, persecution and harassment of journalists and civil rights leaders, and assassination. It was only 10 years later, in the wake of the Watergate scandal, that some of these activities, including the infamous Central Intelligence Agency family jewels, finally began to come to light and become the subject of public scrutiny.

Literally, before Kennedys body had even arrived in Washington D.C. for an autopsy, the federal government was presenting a version of events from which it has never deviated: Oswald, acting alone, shot Kennedy from behind. Oswald, who publicly insisted that he was innocent and a patsy, was shot and killed two days later by Jack Ruby, a Dallas nightclub owner with ties to organized crime, who in turn died in prison before the criminal proceedings against him could be completed.

The day of the assassination, Dr. Malcolm Perry, the surgeon who attended to Kennedy, gave a press conference in Dallas where he described the wound in the front of Kennedys neck as an entrance wound. Dr. Robert McClelland, who was present at that press conference, testifies in the new film: When [Dr. Perry] left the room, someone came up to him who Dr. Perry thought maybe was a Secret Service man, and he told Dr. Perry, You must never, ever say that was an entrance wound again if you know whats good for you.

When Kennedys body arrived in Washington and began to be subjected to an autopsy under strict military control, the documentary argues, it had already been tampered with. The brain stem had already been surgically severed and the remains of the brain had been removed, which was not done at Parkland Hospital. The autopsy itself was by all accounts a fiasco and incompetently performed by any standard.

When the Parkland doctors are shown photos from the autopsy years later, they all say that these images do not match their recollection of Kennedys injuries when they saw him. In one of the most chilling and striking sections of the documentary, the Parkland doctors are all adamant that Kennedy was shot from the front. They had no motive to lie, and, if anything, were putting themselves at risk by refusing to accept the official government story.

While all opposition to the government version of the assassination is officially branded as conspiracy theories, 60 years later a solid majority of Americans do not believe the government version and its implausible single bullet theory, according to which one bullet struck both Kennedy and Texas Governor John Connally, who was seated in the car in front of him. Connally himself publicly stated that he did not believe it, as did newly sworn-in President Lyndon Johnson in a recorded phone call.

The official government version of events was assembled and presented by the dubious Warren Commission, which included former CIA Director Allen Dulles, who had been personally fired by Kennedy in the aftermath of the Bay of Pigs fiasco, as well as John J. McCloy, an influential behind-the-scenes figure and old friend of Dulles.

For his part, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nephew of the assassinated president and son of Attorney General and Senator Robert F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1968, has publicly stated that his father believed his brother was killed by a conspiracy involving Cuban exiles and the CIA.

Indeed, what the documentary does not explore, but which is powerful additional and circumstantial evidence of a conspiracy, is the political context for the assassination, which David North summarized in his essay on the 50-year anniversary of the assassination in 2013:

Less than three months after his inauguration, Kennedy gave final approval for the launching of a counterrevolutionary invasion of Cuba by an anti-Castro army that had been created by the CIA. The new president received assurances that the invaders would be greeted as liberators when they landed in Cuba. The CIA knew that no such uprising was in the offing, but assumed that Kennedy, once the invasion had begun, would feel compelled to commit US forces to prevent the defeat of an American-sponsored operation. However, Kennedy, fearing Soviet retaliation in Berlin, refused to intervene to back the anti-Castro mercenaries. The invasion was defeated in less than 72 hours and more than 1,000 mercenaries were captured. The CIA never forgave Kennedy for this betrayal  In the final year of his presidency, the political divisions within the ruling class over critical issues of international policy became more intense. Kennedys decision to avoid an invasion of Cuba in the October 1962 missile crisis was opposed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff  [T]he last three months of his presidency were preoccupied with the intensifying crisis in Vietnam.  Kennedy authorized the overthrow of South Vietnamese President Diem, which resulted in the latters murder on November 1, 1963. The purpose of the coup was to establish a new anti-communist regime that would wage war against the National Liberation Front more effectively than Diem. Three weeks later, Kennedy was murdered in Dallas.

Barbara Shearer, the director of the documentary, is a former network executive for National Geographic. She previously directed a factual three-episode 2021 TV miniseries, Epsteins Shadow: Ghislaine Maxwell. While the scope of her Kennedy documentary is narrow, the clinical focus is in some ways a strength, as she steers clear of the more speculative elements of the many conflicting and controversial theories surrounding Kennedys death. The result is credible and objective. The testimony of the Parkland doctors suffices in itself to be highly disturbing.

In 2023, not a day goes by without American newspapers and television programs deferentially presenting the opinions of supposed experts from the so-called intelligence community. This is the same intelligence community responsible for secret black sites and torture camps around the world that operate in categorical defiance of US and international law; the same forces that served up the lies about weapons of mass destruction that were used to justify the invasion and occupation of Iraq in 2003; that plotted to assassinate WikiLeaks journalist Julian Assange for exposing US war crimes; that are engaged in worldwide illegal surveillance against political opponents and dissidents, as exposed by Edward Snowden in 2013.

Over the past month and a half, this intelligence community has been mobilized in an effort to intimidate and suppress opposition to Israeli war crimes in Gaza with false accusations of antisemitism. It does, indeed, have a dark and sinister history. In this context, Shearers documentary is timely and welcome.
On Monday, the US Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling that effectively turns the landmark Voting Rights Act (VRA) of 1965 into a dead letter.

In a 2 to 1 ruling, the appeals court, based in St. Louis and overseeing the mid-US states of Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Missouri and Arkansas, agreed with a US district judge in Arkansas that private individuals and groups such as the NAACP had no right under the laws Section 2 enforcement provisions to bring legal challenges against redistricting decisions and other actions by states or localities that weaken the voting power of blacks or other minorities.

President Johnson, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Rosa Parks at the signing of the Voting Rights Act on August 6, 1965

The ruling currently applies only to the seven states in the appeals courts jurisdiction and is virtually certain to be appealed to the US Supreme Court. Earlier this month, the conservative Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, based in New Orleans, issued a conflicting ruling on the same issue, affirming the right of individuals to bring such actions under Section 2 of the VRA.

If the US Supreme Court allows the Eighth Circuit ruling to stand, the evisceration of enforcement of the VRA will become the law of the land.

In an extraordinary rejection of decades-long legal precedent and practice under the VRA, and the express intent of Congress, US District Judge Lee Rudofsky in eastern Arkansas, a Trump appointee, in February 2022 dismissed a lawsuit brought by the Arkansas NAACP and the Arkansas Public Policy Panel challenging Arkansas new legislative map. Judge Rudofsky threw out the suit on the grounds that any such legal challenge had to be brought or joined by the US Justice Department. The judge argued there was no language in the text of Section 2 that explicitly grants private right of action under the VRA.

In upholding the ruling in Arkansas NAACP v. Arkansas, Eighth Circuit Appeals Court Judge David Stras, another Trump appointee and author of the majority decision, acknowledged that he was overturning what has been settled law for nearly 50 years. He noted that over the past 40 years, only 15 of 182 successful Section 2 cases have been brought solely by the US attorney general. He wrote further that while courts have for much of the last half-century assumed that private individuals and groups could sue to enforce the VRA, a deeper look has revealed that this assumption rests on flimsy footing. Stras was joined by Judge Ryamond Gruender, a George W. Bush appointee.

In his dissent, Eighth Circuit Chief Judge Lavenski Smith, also a George W. Bush appointee, wrote that while admittedly, the Court has never directly addressed the existence of a private right of action under [Article 2], the Court has repeatedly considered such cases, held that private rights of action exist under other sections of the VRA, and concluded in other VRA cases that a private right of action exists under [Article 2].

He continued:

Until the Court rules or Congress amends the statute, I would follow existing precedent that permits citizens to seek a judicial remedy. Rights so foundational to self-government and citizenship should not depend solely on the discretion or availability of the governments agents for protection.

Many legal experts immediately blasted the Eighth Circuit ruling, decrying not only its substantive anti-democratic significance for voting rights, but also its radical judicial authoritarianism and contempt both for precedent and the intent of Congress in adopting the VRA.

Paul Smith, senior vice president of the Campaign Legal Center, said, Eliminating individual peoples right to sue under Section 2 of the VRA runs contrary to settled law, common sense and any basic concept of fairness. When the government discriminates against people, they should have a right to fight back in court.

Richard L. Hasen, professor of law and political science at the University of California, in a post on the Election Law Blog, wrote that the Eighth Circuit majority decision was based on a wooden textualist analysis, despite recognizing that the Supreme Court and lower courts have for decades allowed such cases to be brought, assuming that Congress intended to allow such suits. Hasen added that the appeals court majority acknowledges that the legislative history of the passage of Section 2 leaves no doubt: Congress intended to allow private plaintiffs to bring suit.

Wendy Weiser, director of the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, said the appeals court ruling, if allowed to stand, would be devastating to the enforcement of the Voting Rights Act. She added the decision suggested that there exists an environment where judges felt like it would be permissible for them to rewrite the law and upend precedent and core rights and protections.

Should the US Supreme Court uphold the Eighth Circuit ruling, it would mark a major escalation in a mounting political and juridical assault on democratic rights in the US that has been underway for decades. It would bring to mind rulings that paved the way for the American Civil War, such as the 1857 Dred Scott decision, which blew apart all legislative attempts to contain the spread of slavery to the new states being carved out of US territories, place any restrictions on the institution of chattel slavery, or allow for the possibility of freed slaves becoming US citizens.

The current radical right Court has already struck down Roe v. Wade, abolishing at a stroke the constitutional right of women to obtain an abortion. It has also struck down a partial student debt relief program passed by Congress and bolstered the right of religious zealots to deny service to individuals based on their religious beliefs. It is serving as a spearhead of a legal counterrevolution being directed by the capitalist ruling class, which is mired in crisis, facing a growing rebellion by the working class, prosecuting a global policy of imperialist war and turning ever more openly to authoritarian and fascistic methods of rule.

In 2000, the Supreme Court in a 54 vote handed the presidency to the loser of the popular vote, George W. Bush, by halting the counting of votes in Florida. That ushered in the war on terror, the Department of Homeland Security, the institutionalization of drone assassinations, detention without trial and torture at places like Guantanamo.

Thirteen years later, the Supreme Court in a 54 ruling (Shelby County v. Holder) overturned Section 4 of the VRA, the preclearance provision that required states with a history of Jim Crow segregation and anti-black voter suppression to preclear with the US Justice Department any changes in voting procedures. It marked a major escalation in the attack on voting rights not just for blacks, but for the working class as a whole, including the imposition of voter ID requirements and other obstacles to ballot access for workers and poor people.

Now, with the Eighth Circuit ruling, a new stage in the assault on the VRA and democratic rights more broadly has been initiated. It is possible, for tactical reasons, that the Supreme Court could either reject or modify the ruling if and when it hears an appeal. Last June, the Court ruled in a Section 2 case that Alabama had drawn a racially discriminatory congressional map and ordered that the map be redrawn.

But any such ruling in an appeal of Mondays Eighth Circuit decision would not mark a reversal of the capitalist court systems intensifying assault on democratic rights. Recent developments, in fact, point to a drive by at least a section of the far-right faction on the high court to complete the evisceration of the VRA.

In a 2021 Section 2 case, Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee, the six right-wing Republican justices on the Supreme Court joined in a 63 decision upholding Arizona laws barring trade unions and advocacy groups from collecting voters mail-in ballots and banning out-of-precinct voting. The ruling, coming after Donald Trumps attempt to overthrow the 2020 presidential election on the bogus grounds that mail-in ballots and other measures designed to facilitate access to the ballot during the pandemic were used to steal the election for Joe Biden, signaled that the right-wing Court majority would make it more difficult to successfully challenge new, restrictive election laws passed by Republican-led state legislatures following Trumps failed coup.

This was made possible by the efforts of the Biden administration and the Democratic Party to conceal from the American people the complicity of large sections of the military and national security state apparatus, as well as major factions of the financial aristocracy and the bulk of the Republican Party officialdom, in Trumps attempted coup.

Justice Neil Gorsuch, a Trump appointee, filed a one-paragraph concurring opinion to Justice Samuel Alitos majority decision in Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee, in which Gorsuch flagged one thingthe fact that the Court had not directly addressed whether private individuals or groups could bring legal actions under the VRA against voting-related policies of state and local authorities. Gorsuch thereby signaled his support for the Court to reconsider its practice since the passage of the VRA in 1965 of accepting such legal challenges for review. Far-right Justice Clarence Thomas, notorious for his corrupt relations with billionaire fascistic Republicans, signed onto Gorsuchs opinion.
A Nipah virus outbreak occurred in the Kozhikode district of the southern Indian state of Kerala between September 1215. The outbreak resulted in six people being infected with two deaths, while authorities contained the outbreak through testing over 1,288 close contacts and closing several schools, workplaces and public transport networks.

Health workers collect blood samples from goats in the neighborhood for testing after a 12-year-old boy died of the Nipah virus in Kozhikode, Kerala state, India. [AP Photo/Shijith. K]

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), this is the sixth outbreak of the Nipah virus in India since 2001. The outbreak, although contained, was a warning of the growing danger of zoonotic spillover events under conditions in which public health has been drastically undermined during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nipah infection symptoms can range from nothing at all to severe flu symptoms including fever, cough, headache, shortness of breath and confusion. In some cases, the symptoms can be more severe, including the patient going into a coma, encephalitis (swelling of the brain) and seizures. The virus has a very high lethality ranging from 4075 percent. It is a biosafety level 4 (BSL-4) pathogen, the highest level, indicating its extreme danger to humans.

Nipah virus is a member of the Henipavirus genus consisting of a single strand of ribonucleic acid (RNA). It is a zoonotic virus that lives in fruit bats of the Pteropus genus, with people becoming infected through contact with contaminated secretions. Human-to-human infection is limited to those who come in close contact with infected people. Nipah is highly contagious in pigs and is known as barking pig syndrome, and humans can become infected from contact with infected pigs. To date, outbreaks have occurred in Bangladesh, India, Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore.

Electron micrograph of the Nipah virus [Photo by NIAID / CC BY 2.0

Bats can urinate and contaminate fruit, and when people eat that they get the virus and then they get sick. Once you get it, [the only treatments are] rest, hydration, treatment of symptoms, associate professor of molecular engineering Joanne Macdonal of the University of the Sunshine Coast in Australia told the Guardian.

The Nipah virus was discovered relatively recently in 199899 after an outbreak in Malaysia and Singapore among pig farmers. About 300 people were infected causing 100 deaths, while over 1 million pigs were killed to control the outbreak.

The identification of the novel virus was extremely complex. At first, it was incorrectly identified as Japanese encephalitis, which is caused by the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) that is spread by the bite of infected mosquitoes. Japanese encephalitis has similar symptoms to Nipah infections, although its lethality is 25 percent.

Malaysian scientists and medical authorities started doubting their initial hypothesis when they found that patients were not responding to the Japanese encephalitis vaccine. After a series of patient samples were examined at the University of Malayas Department of Medical Microbiology, it was proposed that a novel virus might be responsible for the outbreak. The new virus was identified as being a paramyxovirus, an important viral family that also contains mumps and measles.

The biological samples were sent to the Division of Vector Borne Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Fort Collins, Colorado, USA, for further tests and analysis. Scientists confirmed the novel virus was closely related to the Hendra virus that had been discovered in Australia in 1994.

The new virus was called Nipah virus (NiV), named after the village of the first patient from whom the virus had been isolated in Kampung Sungei Nipah.

The Hendra virus natural host is the large fruit bat known as a flying fox that belongs to the Pteropus genus. The bats are known to infect horses and more rarely dogs. The infection has been largely confined to people who handle horses. Symptoms and lethality are very similar to those of the Nipah virus. The virus was named after the suburb Hendra in Brisbane, Queensland, where 19 horses became ill with 13 dying in September 1994. Two people were infected in the outbreak, with one dying.

Indian flying foxes (Pteropus giganteus giganteus), Jamtra, Madhya Pradesh, India [Photo by Charles J. Sharp / CC BY 4.0

The recent Kerala Nipah outbreak is the fourth in the region since 2021. Although the affected areas of the infections are relatively small, health authorities are concerned that with more outbreaks the virus may mutate, enabling human-to-human infection. This would be a potentially devastating consequence and pose the threat of a pandemic.

Every outbreak is giving the pathogen an opportunity to modify itself, veterinary physician Ausraful Islam, who specializes in bat-borne pathogens at the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research in Dhaka, Bangladesh, told Nature. Each outbreak is a concern, he added.

Since its discovery, the Nipah virus has extended its geographic range. After the initial Malaysian outbreak, the virus appeared in Bangladesh and India in 2001, with sporadic outbreaks since. In India there have been six outbreaks since 2001, with the most severe in Siliguri town, West Bengal, with 66 cases and a fatality rate of 68 percent. In Bangladesh, more than 100 people have died since the virus was initially found in that country.

Outbreaks occur on an annual basis in Bangladesh, which scientists believe are linked to people drinking fermented date-palm sap contaminated with bat urine.

Locations of henipavirus outbreaks (red starsHendra virus; blue starsNipah virus) and distribution of henipavirus flying fox reservoirs (red shadingHendra virus; blue shadingNipah virus) [Photo by Rhys / CC BY 3.0

In an important comment published in Nature in October, written by the head Nipah surveillance team in Kerala and epidemiology professor Thekkumkara Surendran Anish, titled, Nipah virus is deadlybut smart policy changes can help quell pandemic risk, the author notes:

To reach Kerala, the virus must have spread undetected over more than 2,000 kilometres, from Bangladesh or the neighbouring Indian state of West Bengal. It is highly probable that many places in southeast Asia have Nipah virus reservoirs and could experience spillovers: Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, southern China, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and many Indian states all lie a similar distance from Bangladesh and are home to fruit bats. Bat populations in many Indian states harbour serological evidence of exposure to Nipah virus.

Although the Nipah virus infection rate is fairly low, Anish goes on to point out that it could mutate to become a pandemic risk, stating, Because Nipah is an RNA virus that is prone to mutate, studying the virological factors contributing to severity is important for monitoring its pandemic potential.

The WHO placed the Nipah virus along with Marburg, Ebola and others on a priority list for research because they pose the greatest public health risk due to their epidemic potential.

An important factor for the increased spread of the Nipah virus across the Indian subcontinent is global warming and the destruction of bats foraging sites, which has forced them further afield in the search for food, thereby increasing their chance of impinging on human populations.

A seminal study published in Nature in July 2022 by assistant research professor in climate epidemiology Colin Carlson and his team at Georgetown University, Climate change increases cross-species viral transmission risk, outlined the growing risk of zoonotic spillovers due to shifting ecosystems because of the climate crisis forcing animals to shift their habitats. A zoonotic spillover is thought to be responsible for the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, signifying the risk of further future pandemics.

Dr. Colin J. Carlson [Photo: Carlson Lab]

Carlson et al. state, Owing to their unique dispersal ability, bats account for the majority of novel viral sharing and are likely to share viruses along evolutionary pathways that will facilitate future emergence in humans.

Bats unique ability to fly among mammals and the fact that they harbour numerous viral pathogens gives them an important place in future zoonotic spillovers.

Carlson and his team added:

This viral sharing hotspot is driven disproportionately by bats, because their dispersal was left unconstrained within continents; we made this choice given their exclusion from previous research characterizing the dispersal ability of range-shifting mammals, genetic evidence that flight enables batsand their virusesto often circulate at continental levels and data suggesting that bat distributions are already undergoing disproportionately rapid shifts The unique ability of bats for flight could be an important and previously unconsidered link between climate-driven range shifts and future changes in the mammalian virome.

Disease ecologist and co-author of the paper Gregory Albery told the Guardian that climate change is shaking ecosystems to their core and causing interactions between species that are already likely to be spreading viruses. He said that even drastic action to address global warming now would not be enough to halt the risk of spillover events. This is happening, its not preventable even in the best-case climate change scenarios and we need to put measures in place to build health infrastructure to protect animal and human populations.

Governments have proved completely incapable of resolving the climate crisis, which is completely subordinate to the interests of the corporate elite. This underscores that it is the working class along with principled scientists who have identified the ecological and health disaster that must create a society based on need, not profit.
Sickening videos showing Stuart Seldowitz, 64, a veteran of multiple US administrations and, until recently, a high-level government lobbyist, harassing and threatening food cart workers in New York City this month have sparked global outrage and revealed the true face of US foreign policy.

According to interviews with food cart workers published in reports by DocumentedNY and Vice, Seldowitz began harassing workers at the Q Halal Cart on November 7. Prior to working as a lobbyist for Gotham Government Relations, Seldowitz advanced US foreign policy interests under both Democratic and Republican administrations for over two decades.



In the videos, Seldowitz is seen and heard taunting the workers over their perceived Muslim faith while accusing them of being terrorists. In an interview with Vice, Islam (Sam) Moustafa, an Egyptian immigrant manager of the cart, and Mohamed Hussein, an employee, said they never had any issues with customers until Seldowitz began harassing them. A third-shift co-worker confirmed that he had been harassed as well while working.



He started telling [Hussein], you support Hamas, youre a terrorist. You guys love to kill Jewish people, Moustafa told Vice.



In the videos the workers are seen repeatedly trying to deescalate the situation as Seldowitz insults them. Multiple times the workers try to placate Seldowitz by asking him if he would like something to eat, seeking to avoid being provoked by his hateful incitement.



I am working now. Can you go please? Hussein says in one of the videos, only for Seldowitz to reply, But you are a terrorist, you support terrorists.



Hussein replies, correctly, You kill children, not me.



Seldowitz replies, You know what? If we (referring to the US and Israeli government) killed 4,000 Palestinian kids, you know what, it wasnt enough. It wasnt enough.



Clearly angered by Husseins comment, in another video Seldowitz threatens to deport him to Egypt, a major non-NATO US ally, to be tortured by the Mukhabarat, the Egyptian equivalent of the CIA.

Smile for me, Seldowitz says with a sick grin and chuckle. You dont speak English? That just shows how ignorant you are. ... Thats why you are selling food in a food cart, because you are ignorant.



You should learn English, Seldowitz adds. It will help you when they deport you back to Egypt and the Mukhabarat wants to interview you



Are you here legally? Seldowitz menacingly asks Hussein in another one of the videos. Im going to send this picture to my friends in immigration and to the Egyptians, the Mukhabarat wants your picture.



Mukhabarat in Egypt will get your parents, Seldowitz adds. Does your father like his finger nails? They will take them out one by one.

Stuart Seldowtiz [Photo: Stuart Seldowtiz]

Seldowitz knows whereof he speaks. According to a now-deleted biography from his former employer, Gotham Government Relations, a well connected New York-based lobbying firm, Seldowitz was the firms foreign affairs chair until this week.



In its profile of him, Gotham touted Seldowitzs expert resume, which includes former Director of the National Security Council under President Obama and former diplomat for the US State Department ... during five presidencies.

From 1999 to 2003, Seldowitz was the deputy director of the US State Departments Office of Israel and Palestinian Affairs under former president and war criminal George W. Bush. That is, a racist bigot was in charge of mediating the two-state solution, underscoring how hollow and cynical these maneuvers by US imperialism and its client state Israel were, and continue to be.



After Bush, from 2009 to 2011 Seldowitz was acting director for the National Security Council South Asia Directorate under former President Barack deporter-in-chief Obama.



During his time at the State Department, Seldowitz was a three-time recipient of the Departments Superior Honor Award. The award is given to employees who, among other reasons, have made contributions which had a substantial impact on the accomplishment of the agencys missions, goals, or objectives, or whose accomplishments substantially contributed to the advancement of US Government interests.

In other words, Seldowitzs rants are not just the ravings of a fascistic lunatic, but a blunt articulation of US government policy.



While Seldowitzs politics earned him accolades at the State Department and well-paying jobs with mercenary lobbying firms, his attacks against the food cart workers provoked anger among nearby bystanders. In one video, a worker is seen telling Seldowitz to stop. Speaking to Vice, Moustafa said a customer called the police during one of Seldowitzs attacks, but the police never showed up.



In another instance, Moustafa said the night shift worker called the cops and they did respond, only to tell him that there was nothing they could do. This is normal, Moustafa said the cops told him. It happens in New York City.



While the police refused to stop or investigate the harassment of workers for weeks, on Wednesday, after videos of Seldowitz had been posted on X/Twitter, garnering millions of views, the NYPD Hate Crimes division announced that Seldowitz was taken into police custody. No charges have been announced as of this writing.



Seeking to distance itself from Seldowitzs genocidal rantings, his former employer, Gotham Government Relations, released a statement on November 21 saying that it had ended all affiliation with Stuart Seldowitz, and that the video of his actions is vile, racist, and beneath the dignity of the standard we practice at our firm.



In reality, Seldowitzs politics are exactly why he was hired by the firm, which is led by David Schwartz. In a fawning profile of its founder, Gotham notes that Schwartz lobbies for a wide variety of large corporations and has provided vigorous representation of ... Hedge Funds, Insurance Companies, oil and gas companies ... beer industry, numerous companies related to the pandemic, healthcare, foreign countries...



It continues, He is also a prolific political fund raiser, having raised millions of dollars nationally for candidates at every end of the spectrum, including former President Donald Trump.



Another employee of Schwartzs at Gotham is former New York Democratic Representative Gary Ackerman. While in Congress, Ackerman was a committed Zionist and a longtime agent of Israel and AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee). After a brief flirtation with rival Zionist lobby J Street in 2010, Ackerman broke with the group when it did not reject without qualification a UN resolution that would have condemned the illegal expansion of Zionist settlements.



In addition to being a staunch supporter of the apartheid state of Israel, Ackerman played a leading role in the Iraq invasion. Less than a month after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, in a CSPAN interview Ackerman falsely claimed the US had intelligence that operatives with Saddam Hussein were meeting with [Osama] Bin Ladens operative and the dots look like they are connecting.



As personally repugnant as Seldowitzs rantings are, they clearly would not be out of place at a Trump rally, in Obamas State Department or at a K-Street lobbying firm.



Seldowitzs genocidal rants are a reflection of the politics of the US ruling class as a whole and its decaying social and economic system, which has nothing to offer humanity except war, fascism and death.
North Korea conducted what it claimed to be a successful launch of a military reconnaissance satellite late Tuesday night. It was Pyongyangs third attempt following two failures in May and August of this year. The US and its allies immediately seized on the launch to continue ramping up tensions in the region, ultimately aimed at provoking war with China.

North Korean military reconnaissance satellite launch [Photo: Korean Central News Agency]

According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), North Koreas state media outlet: The carrier rocket Chollima-1 flew normally along the preset flight track and accurately put the reconnaissance satellite Malligyong-1 on its orbit at 22:54:13, 705s after the launch. The report stated Pyongyang will conduct additional launches in the near future.

The launch took place earlier than expected, with Pyongyang having previously alerted Japan that it would carry it out between Wednesday and December 1. The rocket took off from Tongchang-ri in North Pyongan Province, along the west coast, and travelled south through international airspace, passing west of South Koreas Baengnyeong Island in the Yellow Sea. The South Korean military confirmed that the satellite had entered orbit.

The US, Japan, and South Korea condemned the launch, labelling it a cover for testing ballistic missile technology. Washingtons National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson stated the launch is a brazen violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions, raises tensions, and risks destabilizing the security situation in the region and beyond.

Such statements are entirely hypocritical. While Washington demands North Korea adhere to UN resolutions and sanctions, the US is carrying out accelerating preparations for war in the Indo-Pacific region against China, including the formation of a de facto trilateral military alliance with South Korea and Japan. At the same time, the US is waging war against Russia in Ukraine and fully backs Israel as it carries out a genocide against the oppressed Palestinian people in Gaza.

Pyongyang had previously agreed to a moratorium on long-range missile and nuclear tests following talks with the previous Trump administration in 2018, which attempted to pressure the Kim Jong-un regime to distance itself from China. Washington, however, offered nothing in return while continually goading and provoking the North. Facing economic isolation, Pyongyang gradually resumed missile tests in an attempt to pressure Washington back to the bargaining table.

The Biden administration has exploited North Koreas missile tests as a pretext to build a system of military alliances in the region while provocatively holding major military exercises on Beijings doorstep on a regular basis. Pyongyang, by contrast, last conducted a missile firing on September 13.

In addition, Russia is now being accused of providing aid to North Koreas rocket program. Backed by Washington and the Western media, which presents unsubstantiated allegations as established facts, South Korean officials are promoting the possibility that North Korea and Russia cooperated to carry out the launch. Pyongyang and Moscow have denied such collaboration.

Even if true, North Korea is an impoverished country devastated by the 1950-1953 Korean War and crippling US-led economic sanctions. Pyongyangs missile and rocket tests pale in comparison to the destructive capabilities the US and its allies have threatened to unleash. Washington now regularly dispatches nuclear-capable strategic assets to the Korean Peninsula under the pretext of defending against North Korea.

As recently as Tuesday, the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier arrived at Busan, making it the third such visit by a massive US carrier to South Korea this year. Yesterday, South Koreas Defense Minister Sin Won-sik announced that Seoul and Washington plan to conduct bilateral as well as trilateral military drills with Tokyo, involving the Carl Vinson. The drills are likely to take place Saturday and Sunday respectively.

The US military does not confirm or deny whether strategic assets such as aircraft carriers are carrying nuclear weapons. However, for all intents and purposes, Washington has returned nuclear weapons to the Korean Peninsula, creating a situation in which Pyongyang and Beijing must assume their presence. This only heightens the risk of a catastrophic conflict erupting in the region.

The dispatching of the Carl Vinson to the region is highly provocative. Shortly after Israels genocidal assault on Gaza began in October, Washington deployed the aircraft carrier to the Indo-Pacific, joining the USS Ronald Reagan, which is based at Yokosuka, Japan. As it plans for a wider war with Iran, the Biden administration is no doubt aware that such a conflict could pull in China and is making the preparations for what would become World War III.

The US, South, and Japan also announced recently that they would expand the frequency and scale of their military drills beginning in January as well as agreeing to increased intelligence sharing in real-time. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin travelled to Seoul last week for discussions with Defense Minister Sin and Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara, who attended remotely from Tokyo.

These military exercises will likely take place even closer to North Koreas borders. South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol led a meeting of his administrations National Security Council (NSC) late Tuesday in the United Kingdom where he is on a state visit. The NSC announced Seoul would resume intelligence activities around the Demilitarized Zone separating the North and South. These reconnaissance operations supposedly halted following a 2018 agreement between Seoul and Pyongyang that established a buffer zone along land and sea borders to reduce tensions.

For months, the right-wing Yoon administration has been looking for an excuse to annul the agreement while pinning blame on Pyongyang for doing so. Since coming to office in May 2022, Yoon has fully backed US war plans against China, supported provocations against North Korea and called for increased nuclear cooperation with Washington.

During a summit in April, Biden and Yoon agreed to establish a Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG), which is meant to give Seoul more say in the planning and use of US nuclear weapons. The NCG is modelled after a similar group in NATO that decides nuclear policy.

The chief responsibility for the sharply escalating tensions in the region and the danger of war rests with the US and its allies including South Korea and Japan.
Hundreds of health workers in Sydney and Melbourne staged demonstrations Monday night, protesting Israels genocidal assault on Palestine.

In violation of international law, hospitals have been targeted by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) for repeated bombardments. The World Health Organisation has recorded more than 330 attacks on health facilities in Gaza and the West Bank since October 7, leaving hundreds dead, including dozens of health workers.

Nurses, midwives, doctors and other health workers, horrified by these war crimes, have responded around the world, with numerous protests and other spontaneous actions. In almost every case, these have been organised in direct opposition to the official line of the unions and professional associations. Mondays events were no exception.

Part of the Sydney healthworkers vigil

In Sydney, more than 100 health workers and students, along with family members and local residents, gathered outside Westmead Hospital for a candlelight vigil.

Taking place on World Childrens Day, particular attention was drawn to the mass killing of at least 5,500 children in Gaza. The vigil concluded with a speaker reading out the names of hundreds of the murdered children. The magnitude of Israels brutality was expressed in the fact that, while this recitation lasted some 20 minutes, the list represented only a small fraction of the deceased.

Amir, a medical student, attended the protest at Westmead:

In Melbourne, around 200 health workers rallied at an inner-city park before marching to the Royal Childrens Hospital and then Royal Melbourne Hospital. The demonstration, called by Unionists for Palestine, was addressed by two doctors and other health workers.

Dr Ola Aladassi, a medical scientist from Gaza, specialising in cervical cancer, denounced Israeli propaganda claims the hospitals were military shields.

I worked in different labs and hospitals, especially the Childrens Hospital over there, before moving to Australia. I have never seen or witnessed any kind of military resistance or act around the hospitals. Targeting hospitals, ambulances, health care facilities, schools and other civilian infrastructure is an act of terrorism and only implies the intention of committing mass murder and genocide.

A section of the Melbourne rally

She spoke movingly about calls from her friends and colleagues at the besieged Al-Shifa hospital: I received many cries from my colleagues, who were there asking for help. They told me that Now you hear our voices, but we dont know what will happen to us after that. How do you expect me to feel after that? I cry a lot because I feel helpless.

We all saw on the TV and the media how the newborns suffered from the lack of oxygen and electricity for incubators in this hospital. And most of them died because of that. And in addition to that were the sick and injured who were exposed to medical problems because of this shortage. Under what international law does this happen? Where is the humanity? Where are international laws to protect hospitals and medical staff?

She received applause when she said she was wearing her lab coat from Gaza. I am wearing it today to be with them. Her family is in Gaza and it had been 12 days since she had heard from them.

When I talked to them, when I heard my mother and father, my dads voice, this is giving me a lot of strength to keep going. But now Ive lost all of this connection, but Im still strong. For my people, Im still strong for my people.

Numerous health workers from four nearby hospitals joined the rally straight from their shifts, many still in their uniforms.

Among these was Josh, a nurse:

Another was Seema, a doctor, who said: It is not fair that people, the general public, should suffer when they have not done anything. They are innocent citizens and bombarding them with bombs, bullets and chemical weapons, which are being used but not announced. I disagree with it totally. I really am very, very disgusted, disappointed and depressed about the situation. Im pretty sure all my professional colleagues agree that hospitals, schools, community centres where people are coming in for help, for refuge, should not be bombarded at all.

She referred to the need for workers worldwide to take action to halt the supply of military materiel to Israel: I think the transport of weapons should be stopped, because they are being used to kill people who cant even defend themselves.

Think about one child being killed every ten minutes. It just makes my heart cry, I cant sleep sometimes, I cant eat sometimes, I feel so sad. When I became a doctor, I took an oath to help humanity, not kill them.

Asked about official pressure on medical workers not to comment on the genocide, Seema said: We should be allowed to speak, we should be allowed to express our opinion. The more we do, the more we can convey the message to the authorities that what they are doing is wrong and they must be stopped.

The largest union in Australia, the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF), and its state branch, the New South Wales Nurses and Midwives Association (NSWNMA), had no official presence at either event.

The ANMF has been almost totally silent throughout the more than six-week onslaught. While voicing feeble support for a ceasefire, statements issued by the union do not even mention Israels repeated bombing of hospitals, and falsely equate the actions of oppressor and oppressed.

The ANMFs statements say nothing about Labor, which, in line with the US and imperialist governments worldwide, is fully supporting Israels genocide. That is because the unions function as the chief allies and defenders of the big-business and pro-war Labor Party.

Health workers need to draw certain conclusions from the position of the ANMF and other health unions. An organisation that refuses to support the opposition of its members to genocide and the bombing of hospitals has no legitimate claim to represent workers on any issue.

This means workers need to form new organisations, rank-and-file committees, in hospitals, health care facilities and other workplaces. Through a network of such committees, workers across the country and around the world can take up the necessary political and industrial fight against the genocidal Israeli regime, and all of its imperialist accomplices, including the Labor government.
Ambulances are seen on a road near an Israeli forces tank during an Israeli army ground operation in the Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. [AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano]

The brief lull in Israels savage onslaught on the defenceless civilian population of Gaza scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m. local time Thursday is widely being presented as a ceasefire, or at least a humanitarian pause.

Assuming the agreement is fulfilled, which is by no means assured, it will amount to little more than an operational pause in Israels military offensive to ethnically cleanse Gaza by carrying out a genocide against the Palestinian people.

The terms of the agreement, mediated by Qatar and the United States, include the release by Hamas of 50 women and children among the approximately 240 Israelis captured by Hamas fighters during the October 7 incursion into Israel. In return, Israel will release 150 Palestinian detainees, halt fighting in the Gaza Strip for four days, and permit 200 trucks carrying aid to enter the enclave each day. The number of Palestinian detainees being released is minuscule compared to the over 10,000 Palestinians held in detention by Israel under the most brutal conditions, including routine torture.

The agreement remains highly unstable, illustrated by the announcement late Wednesday by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus national security adviser that the release of the first hostages would be delayed by up to 24 hours and only take place Friday. During the four-day pause, Israel will refrain from operating aircraft and drones over southern Gaza, but in the north they will only do so during a short window between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. each day.

All Israeli ground forces will remain in place, ready to resume battle at a moments notice. As Netanyahu put it at a press conference Wednesday evening, When the pause is done, we resume the war. It may be that we are forced to do so much earlier. He also rejected any suggestion that the pause applied to Israels northern border, where the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) have been striking Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon. Underlining the point, War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz told the same press conference, Whats happening now in northern Gaza can also happen in southern Lebanon and Beirut.

Even if the pause in fighting holds, it will strengthen Israels military position. Some military analysts have claimed that since Israel has used about 2,500 joint direct attack munition smart bomb kits in Gaza since the bombardment began six weeks ago, it only retains stockpiles of precision-guided munitions for 10 days of fighting. With daily C-17 flights arriving in Israel from the US Ramstein Air Base in Germany carrying much needed military supplies, the four-day period could give the IDF time to replenish its stocks.

The military situation on the ground could also allow Israel to use the pause to prepare the next stage in its genocidal onslaught. As the Wall Street Journal wrote in a Wednesday editorial, the timing of the agreement isnt bad for Israel. Having assumed a dominant position in Gazas north, it needs to prepare to turn south.

The crisis-ridden Netanyahu government is far less enthusiastic about the agreement. Netanyahu has repeatedly stressed that his main goal in the Gaza war is to eliminate or destroy Hamas, meaning, in reality, the expulsion of the Palestinians from Gaza. Jewish Power, Netanyahus fascistic coalition partner, voted to reject the hostage deal at a Tuesday night cabinet meeting.

However, Netanyahu came under increased pressure from the families of the hostages over recent days to do more to secure their release. He is a deeply unpopular figure in Israel, with broad sections of the population holding him at least partially responsible for the deaths of Israeli civilians on October 7. Netanyahus increasingly precarious position makes it all the more likely that he will endeavour to resume and intensify the war at all costs, since the alternative would almost certainly be the end of his premiership, followed by criminal prosecution.

In the six weeks since Israels air bombardment began, well over 14,000 Palestinian civilians have been killed, and half of Gazas buildings have been destroyed or damaged. Just 10 of Gazas 36 hospitals are functioning. Al-Shifa Hospital, formerly the enclaves largest, has been occupied by Israeli troops, with parts of it turned into a military barracks. Malnutrition and disease are rampant among the population due to the deliberate targeting of bakeries, which have all stopped operating, and lack of fuel to power water treatment facilities.

Oblivious to this human catastrophe, the corporate-controlled media would have everyone believe that the Biden administration twisted Netanyahus arm and intervened in the negotiations with Qatar to secure a humanitarian pause. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders wrote in an opinion piece for the New York Times that the pause is a promising first step that we can build upon. Sanders, who just two weeks ago rejected any talk of a ceasefire out of hand, proceeded to call for a significant, extended humanitarian pause and work towards a two-state solution, all of which could be achieved if the United States uses the substantial leverage we have with Israel.

The suggestion that US imperialism, after more than three decades of uninterrupted wars in the Middle East, Central Asia and North Africa, acts as some sort of moderating influence on the Israeli regime is preposterous. Throughout the entire six-week bombardment of Gaza, the unconditional support of Washington and its European imperialist allies for the Israeli military has emboldened the Netanyahu government to carry out war crimes on a daily basis. These have included the devastation of hospitals, schools, and critical public infrastructure, the killing of over 100 United Nations aid workers, and the cutting off of electricity, fuel and water to Gazas 2.3 million residents.

As for the two-state solution, the Israeli regime has openly declared its genocidal intentions against the Palestinians, with Biden administration officials proclaiming all the while that they would not impose any red lines on Israels conduct of the war. A leaked Intelligence Ministry document in October revealed plans to drive Gazas population into tent camps in Egypts Sinai Desert. More recently, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for the voluntary migration of the Gaza population to the countries of the world.

The imperialists endorsement of methods of warfare not seen since the Nazis can only be understood in the context of a rapidly developing third world war. Israels imperialist-backed onslaught on Gaza is part of a Middle East front incited above all by Washington with the aim of retaining its regional hegemony. The Biden administration has deployed two aircraft carrier battle groups and a nuclear-capable submarine to the region to prepare for military conflict with Iran.

At the same time, Washington continues its backing for the far-right Ukrainian regime in the US-NATO war on Russia, which is aimed at subjugating the country to the status of a semi-colony and plundering its natural resources. In the Asia-Pacific, regular provocations by American imperialism and its regional allies against China continue. The callous indifference shown by Biden, Germanys Scholz, Frances Macron and Britains Sunak to the deaths of over 14,000 Palestinians underscores that in this new redivision of the world between the major powers that is well underway, human life is cheap and expendable.

The only way to stop the genocide in Gaza is through the development of a global anti-war movement led by the working class. The demonstrations involving millions of people around the world over the past six weeks have shown that there exists widespread disgust and outrage in every country over Israels savage onslaught and the support it has received from the imperialist powers.

What is required is a decisive turn to the working class, which must be mobilized in struggle to halt military operations in Gaza and throughout the region. Military supplies to Israel should be blocked, and the production of military equipment and other critical products must be halted through the active intervention of workers into political life. Preparations should be made for a political general strike on an international scale in opposition to the imperialist powers backing the Israeli regime, which are themselves deeply despised because of decades of attacks on workers wages and conditions and the prosecution of bloody wars. The success of this struggle depends above all on the development of a mass movement of workers fighting for a socialist and internationalist program.
In early November, We200 was held in Colombo to mark the bicentenary of the bringing of indentured Tamil workers from southern India to labour in Sri Lankas plantations. The event was organised by the Water Supply and Estate Infrastructure Minister, Jeevan Thondaman, who is also the leader of the Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC), the main plantation union. Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was the chief guest.

Around 5,000 people, including many CWC officials, participated in the event on November 2. Cultural shows were also organised. Every attempt was made to paint the ceremonies as sympathetic to workers.

A section of plantation workers who took part in the We 200 event at Sugathadasa stadium in Colombo on 2 November 2023

After Sitharaman made her remarks, Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe outlined the far reaching plans of his government to restructure the plantations and deepen the exploitation of workers.

Hundreds of thousands of impoverished Tamils were brought to the British colony of Ceylon, as Sri Lanka was then known, starting from 1823, to toil in the plantations in the islands central hill area. Ravaged by famine and rampant unemployment, South India provided a cheap labour pool for British planters.

Currently, there are 115,000 active labourers in the plantations with more than 800,000 family members. It is one of the largest workforces in the country in a single industry and among the lowest paid, poorest sections of the Sri Lankan working class.

Part of a line room at Alton Estate

Plantation workers and their families still live in barracks-style line rooms, many around 100 years old. Their living conditions have not improved since the end of British colonial rule and so-called independence in 1948. Instead, their citizenship rights were abolished in the same year by the United National Party government. Decades later, after many had been forced to return to India, their citizenship rights were restored but the ruling elite still treats them as second class citizens.

The We200 event was organised amid widespread anger among estate workers over low wages and unbearable social conditions including the failure of the government and plantation companies to provide adequate housing, health and education facilities. The plantation trade unions, which also function as political parties, such as the CWC, act as the direct tools of the companies and government.

Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman addressing the We 200 event at Sugathadasa stadium in Colombo on 2 November 2023

Indian Finance Minister Sitharaman lamented the hardships facing Tamils brought to Sri Lanka, cynically hailed their contributions to the Sri Lankan economy and talked about the need to uplift their lives.

Sitharaman said that the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi government had allocated funds for a project to construct 10,000 houses for estate workers and to improve their educational and infrastructure facilities. Previously, India funded the building of 10,000 houses but they were small and inadequate for decent living.

The Modi government has no concern about poverty-stricken Tamils in Sri Lanka but is driven by other considerations. It wants to develop close relations with CWC and other plantation union bureaucracies to pressure Colombo in line with New Delhis strategic and economic interests. The Indian government is developing similar relations with Tamil capitalist parties in the North and East of Sri Lanka.

An incomplete home built by previous Indian-funded project in Sri Lankan estate

Despite Sitharamans call for uplifting the living standards of Sri Lankan estate workers, similar conditions face impoverished workers in Indian plantations.

An Oxfam 2021 working paper titled In Defense of Living Wages for Tea Plantation Workers explained: The tea workers in Assam [in northeast India] receive wages less than the minimum threshold needed for a decent life It is difficult for the workers and their families to meet their basic needs such as nutritious food, housing, clothing, quality healthcare, and education. They have to borrow from the local money lenders or work overtime which increases their physical burden, mental stress, and vulnerability of the entire family.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe addressing the We 200 event at Sugathadasa stadium in Colombo on 2 November 2023

President Wickremesinghes comments likewise reeked of hypocrisy. He claimed that his government was committed to integration of the plantation community into Sri Lankan society, yet it was his United National Party that abolished the citizenship rights of Tamil plantation workers in 1948.

The suppression of the democratic rights of estate workers was a major step in stirring up communal tensions and dividing Sinhalese and Tamil workers. Subsequent governments intensified anti-Tamil discrimination and violence that culminated in the 26-year communal war against the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

Wickremesinghe declared that his government would ensure equal rights in employment, land and education for plantation workers. A committee has been formed to discuss key proposals.

Wickremesinghes talk of equal rights is an utter fraud to cover up his governments real plans to further intensify the exploitation of plantation workers.

Explaining his plan to integrate estate employees, Wickremesinghe outlined the out-grower or revenue-share system regional plantation companies will be asked to implement, which will eliminate the existing plantation system.

This plan is nothing but the proposal made by the major plantation companies over the past decade for increasing productivity while ending any benefits such as contributions to their pension funds. The CWC and other trade unions leaders have backed the proposal. However, workers have opposed it in estates where it has been implemented because of the massive burdens placed on them.

Wickremesinghes statement shows the government will be centrally involved, with the help of the trade unions, in imposing this system. He has proposed to provide just 10 perches of land to each family to build a house.

Under this plan, workers are given a plot with 1,000-1,500 tea bushes. They are required to plant, trim, clear and pluck the bushes. The company supplies fertilizer and agri-chemicals but expenses are deducted from the harvest. Workers have no legal right to the land or to sell their harvest to outside buyers.

By transforming workers into out-growers with ten perches of land, the companies and the government are creating a system of bonded labour. The government is also planning to free the big companies of any responsibility for providing houses, maintaining decent wages and providing a pension system for workers.

The plantation industry is to be restructured along these lines as a part of the restructuring of state-owned enterprises under the International Monetary Fund (IMF)-dictated austerity agenda.

Plantation companies wants to boost productivity to compete with other countries such as India, China, Kenya and Vietnam, and secure a larger share of the international tea market.

Water Supply and Estate Infrastructure Minister Jeevan Thondaman addressing the We 200 event at Sugathadasa stadium in Colombo on 2 November 2023

CWC leader Thondaman declared: The reason we are having this event today is to give due recognition to this community that has been neglected . Collectively, I feel we are all nearing [this].

This is a brazen lie. Under conditions in which the working class as a whole is under attack as a result of the IMFs austerity measures, the conditions of estate workers are getting worse, not better.

Workers are not nearing a period of victory but a period of more brutal exploitation, increasing poverty, unemployment and a rapidly rising cost of living. Under the revenue share system, workers will be subjected to further intensified exploitation for extraction of super profits for companies.

Other plantation unions, including the National Union of Workers, Democratic Workers Congress and Lanka Jathika Estate Workers Union did not participate in the We200 event. All of the unions have a notorious record of close collaboration with successive governments and the plantation companies in attacking the democratic and social rights of estate workers.

The social crisis facing estate workers cannot be resolved under capitalism. Workers need to take the struggle for their rights into their own hands and form action committees in every estate independent of the trade unions and capitalist parties.

We propose a fight for the following demands:

Line rooms must be abolished and all workers provided with decent houses with full facilities.

A guaranteed monthly wage indexed to the cost of living and a decent pension.

Guaranteed high quality health and education facilities.

Plantation companies and banks must be nationalised under the democratic control of the working class.

Such a struggle requires an independent political movement of the working class to bring down the Wickremesinghe government and for a workers and peasants government to implement socialist policies as a part of the fight for international socialism.

For that it is necessary to fight for a Socialist and Democratic Congress of Workers and Rural Masses with democratically elected delegates from action committees of workers and rural poor throughout the country.
Work at USPS? We want to hear from you: Fill out the form at the end to tell us about your working conditions.

A postal worker loads a delivery vehicle in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania. [AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar]

On November 13 and 14, postal workers in the town of Bemidji, Minnesota held informational pickets against overwork from a service agreement between the United States Postal Service (USPS) and Amazon. Rural mail carriers stood outside of the Bemidji Post Office before in the pre-dawn hours to demand additional staff to manage their workloads and better pay to make up for real wage cuts.

Mail isnt being delivered on many routes because were spending 12 hours a day just delivering Amazon packages, Dennis Nelson, a veteran postal worker, told the local Bemidji Pioneer. If you were to look [in the post office] right now, theres probably five or six routes where mail wasnt delivered yesterday because the packages had to go out.

The agreement between Amazon and USPS, implemented in early November, prioritizes Amazon package delivery over regular mail. Already facing a staffing shortage, the letter carriers are now working extended hours12-hour days, six days a weekwith effectively no overtime pay. Rural routes are not paid hourly, but rather through a type of piece-rate system known as the Rural Route Evaluated Compensation System (RRECS). When implemented earlier this year, it resulted in massive pay cut for the vast majority of rural carriers, in some cases of more than $20,000 a year.

In addition, the additional workload from Amazon deliveries has led to delays in regular mail delivery, both workers and residents have said, impacting the distribution of essential items like legal documents and bills. The implementation of the Amazon agreement, which initially started in larger cities, has been problematic in other locations too, with high staff turnover and unmet demands for additional support.

If the agreement with Amazon does instruct carriers to prioritize the corporate behemoths deliveries, it would represent a violation of federal law, which stipulates that the postal service shall not make any undue or unreasonable discrimination among users of the mails, nor grant  any undue or unreasonable preferences to any user [of the mails].

In an anonymous post made on Facebook, a Bemidji postal worker described how the agreement has produced long hours and extreme working conditions preventing them from doing their job.

A little over a week ago the [post office] in Bemidji took over from UPS the delivery of Amazon packages, the worker wrote. With our own work load (avg. of almost 600 mailbox deliveries a day) combined with the Amazon deliveries we are now being forced to work 12 hours a day and all days off have been rescinded by order of our District Manager.

We were already at a critical low staffing level before the Amazon deliveries and we have lost several hard-working carriers over this issue. We now have several mail routes with no bodies to deliver them. District Management has informed us that Amazon Packages take priority and no matter how long it takes, every package will get delivered daily.

This is gross incompetence by management. Neither the equipment nor personnel were in place to be able to effectively perform this mission.

Pointing to the widespread staffing shortages at USPS, another postal worker in Minneapolis commented, Im a mail carrier in the Nokomis neighborhood of Minneapolis and we are short staffed there as well. They have not even attempted to get us help for Christmas and packages take priority so many routes will go undelivered the closer the holidays get and the worse the weather gets.

A growing number of post offices in cities throughout the US have been subjected to USPS service agreement with Amazon, which workers routinely indicate adds a crushing workload.

The protest in rural Minnesota is part of a growing wave of opposition among both postal workers and broader sections of the working class internationally, as workers seek to combat eroding wages and increasingly egregious working conditions and hours.

Among rural letter carriers, anger has been fueled by the newly implemented Rural Route Evaluated Compensation System (RRECS). The RRECS is part of a vast restructuring plan, supported by both the Democratic and Republican Parties, which have the ultimate goal of transforming USPS into a privately run logistics company like Amazon, UPS and Fedex.

This is being carried out with the full collaboration of the main postal unions, including the National Association of Letter Carriers and the American Postal Workers Union, which have not lifted a finger to defend postal workers.

Postal workers are determined to fight the conditions they face, but they require organizations under their control in order to succeed. The USPS Workers Rank-and-File Committee is working to link up workers throughout the postal system so that they can share information and coordinate their struggles.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 23. "Turkiye Innovation Week" is being held at the Halic Congress Center in Istanbul under the coordination of the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TIM), Trend reports.

The event has gathered young entrepreneurs, technology leaders and representatives of the business world.

According to the information, 10 megaprojects will be discussed at the "Turkiye Innovation Week."

The conferences and panels of the "Week" discuss many important topics, from renewable energy to food and agricultural technologies, from the future of healthcare and education to artificial intelligence and financial technologies.

TIM Chairman Mustafa Gultepe said the Turkish Exporters Assembly has made a significant contribution to Turkiye's international trade.

"We aim to include Turkiye in the top 10 countries in terms of exports. In the era of high technology, R&D (research and development work), design, branding, TIM wants to make the application of innovation a lifestyle, especially for our youth," he said.

In addition, the event's topics include sustainability and green innovation, artificial intelligence and automation, healthcare technology, space research, food production and agriculture, education, transportation technology and commercial logistics, cyber security and cyber defense, renewable energy technology, and fintech.

Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
"China has very clear vision on how to go forward in space and China is active on all domains of space."

Attendees at an event in China's Chongqing have spoken highly of China's progress in the aerospace industry and eyed great potential in the future.

Produced by Xinhua Global Service
Operation Torch, known as the Anglo-American landing in North Africa, was a turning point in modern history. Indeed, the successful operation, initiated to defeat fascism that was tearing Europe apart in 1942, has also contributed to strengthening the bilateral ties between Morocco and the United States. As the two nations are celebrating on November, the 75th anniversary of the momentous landing and the Casablanca conference attended by the U.S. President, Franklin D. Roosevelt, it is time to recall America's promise to help Morocco be independent of French.

In fact, the American statesman and war leader was known for campaigning for Moroccos independence. The 32nd U.S president, who appreciated the kingdoms crucial collaboration during the Second World War, has promised in several occasions to help Sultan Mohammed ben Youssef in ending the French protectorate.

casablanca, morocco, 1943, franklin d. roosevelt, president roosevelt, winston churchill./Ph. DR

Based on the account provided by the U.S Embassy official website, during the Anfa Conference held in Casablanca to map out strategy for the war, President Roosevelt hosted a dinner party inviting Sultan Mohammed Ben Youssef and Moulay Hassan. At the dinner, the discussion centered on Moroccos natural wealth and the possibility of development, and on efforts to raise health and education levels, mentioned the same source.

The two leaders also talked of increasing U.S.-Moroccan trade and economic cooperation. President Roosevelt asserted that the Sultan should not allow other countries to exploit Moroccos natural resources.

The president, who was angered by the French exploitation of Moroccos resources, suggested that Moroccan engineers, educators and scientists be educated in America and offered to assist the Moroccan development.

Encouraging the Sultan in his quest for independence

Known for encouraging the Sultan of Morocco in his quest for independence, the same document indicates that Roosevelt promised that he would do all in his power to support Moroccos wish to be independent of the French.

Other sources have confirmed the same account. According to volume 19 of North Africa Studies (Issue 4, 2014), a book by Nabil Boudraa and Joseph Krause, during the course of the Anfa Conference, President Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) had a private dinner with Sultan Mohamed ben Youssef, which came to change the course of Moroccan history.

Although the details of the conversation between the two statesmen remained shrouded in mystery due to FDR's untimely death just two years later, the Moroccan side later claimed that the American leader had promised to support their country's independence once the Second World War had ended.

President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill at the Villa in Casablanca where the conference were held./Ph. Pinterest

Anything must be better, than to live under French colonial rule

Although, Morocco has claimed in the past that Roosevelt promised Moroccos independence, a document has emerged later stressing his position. In a declassified document released by the Central Intelligence Agency, the President wondered why does Morocco, inhabited by Moroccans, belong to France ?  Anything must be better, than to live under French colonial rule. Should a land belong to France ? By what logic and what custom and by what historical rule ?

When weve won the war, I will work with all my might and main to see to it that the United States is not wheedled into the position of accepting any plan that will further Frances imperialistic ambitions.

Unfortunately, the presidents promises were surprised by death. In April 1945, Franklin D. Roosevelt passed away in office 11 years before Morocco was proclaimed independent of the French.
Its no secret that the fallout between Hollywood power couple, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, was nothing short of dramatic. The pair, once lovingly referred to as Brangelina, ended their 12-year relationship in 2016, leaving many fans in shock and disbelief. The divorce process was a tumultuous one, filled with a five-year custody battle over their six children, disputes about formerly shared estates like their Miravel Winery, and accusations of violent behavior on Pitts part.

But there was a time when it wasnt all bitterness and resentment. In fact, Jolies last public comments about Pitt before their split were filled with nothing but love and admiration. Its heartbreaking to look back on these words now, knowing how things ultimately unfolded.

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In a 2016 interview with ExtraTV, Angelina spoke highly of her then-husband. At the time, she had just arrived from Cambodia, where she was directing a film, and was attending the premiere of Kung Fu Panda 3, a movie in which she and four of their six children provided voices.

Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Maddox Jolie-Pitt, and Pax Jolie-Pitt attend the World Premiere of World War Z at The Empire Cinema Leicester Square on June 2, 2013 in London, England.

She said, Im always proud of him because of all the work he does, and how he balances his family life and work. I love him, Im proud of his film. Id be proud either way, obviously. Its lovely for him, its lovely for the film, its an important film  I dont need that [Oscar recognition] to be proud of him.

Jolie also touched on how fun it was to work with four of their children providing voices for the animated feature. Some of them were shy, but this one they all really wanted to and they all came together and did their recording together and took it very seriously  it was cute, Jolie explained to ExtraTV at the time.

These touching words are a stark contrast to the comments made by Jolie following their divorce  and their son Pax Jolie-Pitt, whose explosive Instagram rant from 2020 calling Pitt a world class a**hole has recently resurfaced. In an interview with Vogue India the same year, Jolie explained her decision to divorce Pitt, stating that it was for the well-being of her family. She said, I separated for the well-being of my family. It was the right decision. Jolie filed for divorce in September 2016.

As the final acts of their divorce, which was finalized in 2019, unfold we cant help but feel a pang for the once golden couple. Their current strife is a poignant reminder of how even the brightest stars can fall from grace. Heres hoping that everyone in the Jolie-Pitt family find peace amidst the turmoil.

Before you go, click here to see the best photos of Angelina Jolie & her six kids.



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Cameroonian health startup Waspito has secured a $2.5 million seed extension from DP World through Newtown Partners, Saviu Ventures, AAIC Investment, Axian Ventures and CFAOs Health54 to spur its growth in the Francophone region.

Waspito is a health-focused social network that allows users (patients) to access and consult with verified doctors over video calls. Additionally, it facilitates sample collection from homes and the delivery of medication.

The startup branched out into Ivory Coast at the start of the year, where it is also piloting a hybrid model, and has its eyes on Senegal and Gabon, backed by a new round after last years $2.7 million seed.

Jean Lobe Lobe founded Waspito at the start of 2020, just before the COVID pandemic became a global health emergency, a timely period for the health startup to kickstart its mission of making healthcare accessible to all.

However, Waspito sought to approach telemedicine differently. Instead of building a platform that would involve pre-registration and booking of consultation meetings, Lobe opted for one where users could instantly connect with doctors.

Going online to book an appointment for later doesn't really ring a bell when somebody is really seriously sick or someone that needs a doctor right away. This is why we do instant video consultations, Lobe told TechCrunch.

When a user logs in to the site, which Lobe refers to as Facebook for healthcare, they are allowed to select a doctor from a list of those that are currently online. And, where a doctor recommends medical tests, a technician from one of its partner laboratories is sent for sample collection. Waspito has integrated with some local hospitals for support with patients requiring deeper reviews and/or admission.

We have partnered with hospitals in a way that after consultation on Waspito, care continues in the nearest hospital without the need for additional consultation payments or registration. We have connected with all these stakeholders because, overall, we want to connect the healthcare ecosystem online and be a one-stop shop for all healthcare services, said Lobe.

Patients make payments through various options, including insurance, before consultations, which Lobe says incentivizes doctors to remain online for the extra earnings. Users also get to anonymously join various disease support groups for tailored advice.

Lobe is convinced that constantly having doctors online is one of the ways of making them accessible to patients domiciled in target countries, where the latest data shows there are fewer than two doctors for every 10,000 people.

The startup, declared best health startup in Africa during this year's VivaTech awards, claims to have so far reached 650,000 users in Cameroon and Ivory Coast, has on-boarded 950 doctors and facilitated 60,000 consultations.

Waspito anticipates that the number of consultations done via its platform will grow as it rolls out a hybrid model it is piloting in Ivory Coast -- where it has set-up mini-clinics to reach offline patients. The startup is establishing these clinics within the branch network of La Poste Corporation, the national postal service in Ivory Coast, which has a wide coverage across the country. With the help of nurses manning these sites, patients will be able to connect with doctors virtually and access other healthcare services by its partners.

This is a necessary strategy for Waspito as a majority of users in Africa remain offline, due to the cost of internet and smartphones, even as Africas digital economy continues to expand. It is set to introduce the hybrid approach in Cameroon and Senegal at the end of the first quarter next year. Fundraising advisory firm Raisers was Waspitos adviser during the round.

Healthcare is actually for everybody and that means we have to reach out to everybody. These mini-clinics, we think, are the best way to connect with the underserved populations, said Lobe.
Researchers believe the respiratory illness could be caused by a new type of bacterial infection

Getty Images Researchers believe they may have found the cause of a mystery respiratory illness in dogs

A mystery disease that has killed dogs across the U.S. and may have made thousands of others sick is believed to be caused by a funky bacterium.

The mystery respiratory illness, from which some dogs have died, could be caused by a new type of bacterial infection, according to researchers, per NBC News.

According to CBS News, dogs have experienced symptoms including a cough, runny eyes, sneezing, and lethargy. The illness doesnt respond to antibiotics, per the outlet.

Investigation into the causes of the disease has been carried out by researchers at the University of New Hampshires Veterinary Diagnosis Laboratory and the Hubbard Center for Genome Studies, per NBC News.

They say they discovered a new germ through their research, which involved a genetic sequencing of samples from 30 dogs from New Hampshire who were sick in 2022. They then went on to test a further 40 dogs from Rhode Island and Massachusetts who were ill this year.

Getty Images The disease has been reported in states such as Oregon and New Hampshire

Related: Dog with Terminal Cancer Treated to Early Christmas Celebration Filled with His Favorite Things

Dr. David Needle, pathology section chief at the College of Life Sciences and Agriculture at the University of New Hampshire, said the pathogen is a funky bacterium.

Its smaller than a normal bacterium in its size and in the size of its genome, he told NBC News. Long story short, its a weird bacterium that can be tough to find and sequence.

The germ is new as a potential cause of disease, but it is likely to be  or to have evolved from  a component of the dog microbiome, Needle added.

Getty Images Symptoms of the illness include a cough, runny eyes and lethargy

Related: How to Protect Your Pup from the Dreaded Dog Flu This Season

Needle said the discovery came down to dogged work by a grad student.

He continued, After initial sequencing showed there were no known viral, bacterial or fungal pathogens, time consuming and dogged work by graduate student Lawrence Gordon showed that 21 of the initial 30 samples from New Hampshire had some genetic material from one atypical bacterial species.

However, according to NBC News, scientists are unclear whether the same bug is making dogs sick across the U.S.

Never miss a story  sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Oregon and Colorado have also seen cases of the illness, as reported by CBS News.

According to NBC News, since the beginning of August, the Oregon Agriculture Department has received more than 200 reports from veterinarians around the state.

"It's a harsh, repetitive cough, usually worse in morning and evening or just getting up with exercise," Dr. Sarah Marpet, a veterinarian at Country Willow Veterinary Hospital, told CBS News New York of the disease, which has seen some canines become very sick within 24-36 hours.



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Good Burger 2 is out streaming on Paramount Plus and viewers are wondering where it was filmed and where the movie is set. The film is a sequel to the 1997 original Good Burger and brings back its leads to the titular burger joint. But where was it shot? Heres all you need to know.

Where was Good Burger 2 filmed?

Good Burger 2 was shot in Los Angeles, California, and in Rhode Island, USA, at 1883 Mineral Spring Avenue, Northern Province.

The Good Burger 2 set this morning, ready for filming! Crew call time was around 6 am and will film through the day with Ed and Dexter themselves starting around 8 ? pic.twitter.com/j29sYRKtWQ  Audrey E.Hammond (@AudreyEH_) May 18, 2023

The film turned an old Friendlys Restaurant in North Providence into the Good Burger joint that appears in the sequel. Within Rhode Island, the movie was also shot in East Providence, downtown Providence, Warwick, and East Greenwich, and it even used a former North Providence Police Station as one of its sets.

But apart from Rhode Island, the movies production was also set in Los Angeles, California, to create a vibe similar to the original.

Where is Good Burger 2 set?

While Good Burger 2 doesnt exactly specify its setting, there are hints teasing that it is set in Los Angeles, California, USA.

A good chunk of the original 1997 movie was filmed in California, taking place in West Covina (a suburban city in Los Angeles County, California, USA). Since Good Burger 2 is a continuation of that story, it is implied that the sequel is also set in the same place.

Another hint at the films LA setting comes when Dex loses everything at the beginning of the sequel. As he takes a bus ride, we hear the lyrics, Tripped up, fell on my face / Head down, headed back to LA, from the song, Make It. Furthermore, several familiar LA landscape shots can be spotted in the film.

Besides the main setting, the film also goes global with a few Mega Good Burger joints set up in Mexico City, London, Tokyo, and many more.

For further Good Burger 2 updates, check out Comingsoons interview with its writers and director. Also, here are all the cameos in the movie.

The post Good Burger 2 Filming Locations: Where Was It Filmed & Set? appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More.
The post KISS Fan, Not Terrorist, Crashes Vehicle on Rainbow Bridge appeared first on Consequence.

A fiery crash occurring on a bridge connecting Canada and the United States on Wednesday was initially and erroneously reported as a terrorist attack. In actuality, the driver of the vehicle was a 56-year-old man who had traveled to Ottawa to attend a KISS concert.

The man, whose identity has not yet been revealed, was driving with his wife in a Bentley. The driver and the passenger died in the crash, and a Customs and Border Protection officer suffered minor injuries.

While the circumstances that led to the crash have not yet been determined, authorities believe it may have been accidental, according to Reuters.

The Niagara Falls International Rainbow Bridge connects the cities of Niagara Falls, Ontario and Niagara Falls, New York. In the immediate aftermath of the incident, FOX News erroneously reported the crash was an attempted terror attack and that the vehicle was carrying explosives.

KISS Tuesday night concert in Ottawa was canceled at the last-minute after Paul Stanley fell ill. The man and his wife instead spent their evening at a local casino, according to CNN.

CBP is working closely with @FBI, federal, state & local partners in response to a vehicle explosion at Rainbow Bridge which remains closed. Out of abundance of caution, CBP temporarily suspended inbound/outbound traffic at 3 other Buffalo crossings that have since reopened. pic.twitter.com/pTXyUsavRB  CBP (@CBP) November 22, 2023

CNN is reporting that the driver of the vehicle that Fox claimed was full of explosives was a 56-year-old man who lived in a very upscale area that had intended to go to the kiss concert.. he was driving a $300k Bentley with his wife. CNN says it loos like a terrible accident pic.twitter.com/CPlLuRk2TQ  Acyn (@Acyn) November 22, 2023

KISS Fan, Not Terrorist, Crashes Vehicle on Rainbow Bridge

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Obituary Season 2 is a potential continuation of the Hulu series that debuted globally following its premiere in Ireland. The show centers on Elvira Clancy, an obituarist who faces challenges after her local paper makes budget cuts. The show, first released in Ireland and then globally, has been well-received for its unique story.

Heres all the Obituary Season 2 release date information we know so far and all the details on when it is coming out:

Is there an Obituary Season 2 release date?

Obituary Season 2 does not have an official release date, but it will likely be announced in the future.

Obituary Season 2 has no confirmed release date, as Hulu has yet to renew the series. The shows positive reception, especially on IMDb, and its recent global debut suggest Hulu is still evaluating its performance. These factors, along with Hulus tendency to renew successful series, point to a potential future announcement for the shows continuation.

Obituary stars Siobhan Cullen, known for her compelling performances, in the lead role of Elvira Clancy, an obituarist facing challenges in her career. The series was created by Ray Lawlor, adding a unique narrative to Hulus diverse lineup of shows.

Where is Obituary Season 2 coming out?

Obituary Season 2 could come out on Hulu.

This is because the first season of Obituary premiered on Hulu after its initial release in Ireland, making Hulu the primary platform for its global distribution. Given this precedent, if season two is greenlit, it is likely to follow the same pattern and be available on Hulu, continuing the series presence on this streaming service.

The official synopsis for Obituary reads:

When Elviras editor informs her that she will be paid per article, she begins murdering people to avoid going broke. Her plans are shaken when she falls for the crime reporter.

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SI Swimsuit stalwart Emily DiDonato has grown up with the brand. The model, who made her debut with the magazine in 2013 when she traveled to Namibia, was featured in four consecutive issues posing in Switzerland, Hawaii and Turks and Caicosbefore taking a three-year hiatus.

The 32-year-old entrepreneur returned to the issue in 2020, when she was photographed by Ruven Afanador in Saratoga, Wyo., and her most recent appearance was with Anne Menke in Sacramento, Calif., in 21.

The mom of two, who shares son Oliver and daughter Teddy with her husband, Kyle Peterson, is the founder of Covey, a minimalist skincare brand that aims to streamline and simplify your morning and evening routine with no-fuss necessities.

Once I allowed myself to not funnel so much energy into wishing I looked like somebody else, I was finally able to just be happy with who I was, she said of what she has learned over her time in the modeling industry. Comparing yourself to others is just a battle youll never win. There are these standards that are kind of put on us to look a certain way. I know that its so hard to not let them consume you and hard not to think about them all the time, but they take up so much mental and emotional space and just keep you down. If you allow yourself to free up that space, youll find out how much youre capable of.

Below are five of our favorite photos from DiDonatos 2014 photoshoot with Yu Tsai in Switzerland.

Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrate

Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrate

Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrate

Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrate

Yu Tsai/Sports Illustrate

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The American actor and politician Arnold Schwarzenegger, who appealed to the Russians at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, mentioned Ukraine again. The star reposted the Ukrainian's post.

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The original post on the X platform contained a photo of Schwarzenegger's book titled "Be Useful. Seven Rules of Life" in Ukrainian translation. The Ukrainian shared the news that the actor's advice can now be read in his native language.

Arnold Schwarzenegger added a comment thanking us for reading his book. In it, he shares his experience, in particular, what helped the star achieve success. However, first of all, the actor talks about the attempts, victories, and failures that made him who he is today.

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Schwarzenegger has repeatedly expressed his support for the Ukrainian people in their confrontation with the Russian invaders. On March 17, 2022, he recorded a video message to Russian citizens, where he told them who really started the war.

Earlier, OBOZ.UA told about how Verka Serdyuchka staged a powerful show in Amsterdam: thousands of people shouted "Goodbye to Russia, Glory to Ukraine!".

Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
A mysterious rocket that crashed onto the moon's surface in March 2022 came from China and was carrying an undisclosed payload, a new study suggests.

The debris, which smashed into the far side of the moon after spending years tumbling through space, has had its origins contested since it was spotted  a mystery that was deepened by the strange double crater left behind at its crash site.

Now, in a paper published Nov. 16 in The Planetary Science Journal , scientists say they have "definitive proof" that the rocket was the spent upper stage of China's Chang'e 5-T1 rocket , which was likely carrying an unknown additional payload.

Related: Will Earth ever lose its moon?

First spotted in 2015 and given the designation WE0913A by astronomers at the Catalina Sky Survey, the space junk captured the attention of skywatchers in January 2022 when the U.S. space-debris tracker Bill Gray predicted that it would hit the moon's far side in a matter of months.

When Gray first spotted the debris, he suggested that it was the second stage of a Falcon 9 rocket launched by Elon Musk's SpaceX in 2015. But later observations and analysis of orbital data hinted that the object was the spent upper stage of China's Chang'e 5-T1 rocket, a spacecraft named after the Chinese moon goddess that launched in 2014. Chinese officials, however, disagreed, claiming that this rocket, a dry run for a mission that would retrieve a sample of the moon's unconsolidated rock known as regolith, burned up in Earth's atmosphere years ago.

A satellite view of the moon showing twin craters where a rocket crashed in 2022

Stranger still was when images of the crash site, taken by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) on May 25 , showed that the wayward debris had somehow punched out not one, but two overlapping craters at the Hertzsprung crater on the moon's far side.

To date, at least 47 NASA rocket bodies have crashed into the moon, according to Arizona State University , but "the double crater was unexpected," NASA wrote in a statement in June 2022 . "No other rocket body impacts on the Moon created double craters."

To investigate the nature of WE0913A, the researchers looked for clues in how the junk behaved in flight and in the craters it left behind. By studying the changes to how sunlight reflected from the debris as it tumbled through space and comparing it with simulations, they found a close match to the Chang'e 5-T1 rocket. But it wasn't moving exactly how they expected it to.

"Something that's been in space as long as this is subjected to forces from the Earth's and the moon's gravity and the light from the sun," study first author Tanner Campbell , a doctoral student at the University of Arizona, said in a statement . "So you would expect it to wobble a little bit, particularly when you consider that the rocket body is a big empty shell with a heavy engine on one side. But this was just tumbling end-over-end, in a very stable way."

The researchers propose that the most likely explanation is that the rocket's mass distribution was like a pair of dumbbells  with its twin rocket boosters acting as the mass on one end and a mysterious counterweight fastened to the other. They also say that this arrangement is the reason why, upon smashing into the moon at roughly 5,770 mph (9,290 km/h), the debris made two craters.

"This is the first time we see a double crater," Campbell said. "We know that in the case of Chang'e 5 T1, its impact was almost straight down, and to get those two craters of about the same size, you need two roughly equal masses that are apart from each other."

What exactly the payload was is unclear, and will likely remain so, according to the scientists.

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"Obviously, we have no idea what it might have been  perhaps some extra support structure, or additional instrumentation or something else," Campbell said. "We probably won't ever know."

Although WE0913A is the first space debris to collide with the moon unintentionally, it's far from the first time a human-made satellite has crashed there. In 2009, NASA's Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite was deliberately fired into the moon's south pole at 5,600 mph (9,000 km/h), unleashing a plume that enabled scientists to detect the chemical signatures of water ice. NASA also disposed of the Apollo programme Saturn V rockets by hurling them at the moon.
Its the most wonderful time of the year until you get a headache from drinking red wine.

A new study explored why people get red wine headaches (yes, its a thing). Red wine headaches can happen about 30 minutes after you start sipping but they can also pop up within three hours of having a drink.

Researchers from the University of California, Davis, evaluated why red wine, specifically, can leave you reaching for a Tylenol (or a quiet room).

The team believes that quercetin, a flavanol found naturally in red wines, can interrupt how your body metabolizes alcohol, causing your head to throb. Odd, right? Quercetin is an antioxidant commonly found in fruits and veggies. Some people take it as a supplement. But when it metabolizes with alcohol, its not as positive, the researchers say.

When it gets in your bloodstream, your body converts it to a different form called quercetin glucuronide, says Andrew Waterhouse, PhD, an author and professor emeritus with the UC Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology. In that form, it blocks the metabolism of alcohol.

As a result, the acetaldehyde builds up in your body, explains lead author Apramita Devi, a postdoctoral researcher with the UC Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology.

Acetaldehyde is a well-known toxin, irritant and inflammatory substance, Devi says. Researchers know that high levels of acetaldehyde can cause facial flushing, headache and nausea.

Disulfiram, a medication prescribed to alcoholics to prevent them from drinking, works similarly causing the toxin to build in your body.

The study was published in the journal Scientific Reports.

You might only get a red wine headache with certain red varietals. Quercetin is produced by the grapes in response to sunlight, Waterhouse said. If you grow grapes with the clusters exposed, such as they do in the Napa Valley for their cabernets, you get much higher levels of quercetin. In some cases, it can be four to five times higher.

Red wine could be especially hard on you if youre of East Asian descent, as about 40% of that population has an enzyme that causes acetaldehyde buildup in their systems.

We postulate that when susceptible people consume wine with even modest amounts of quercetin, they develop headaches, particularly if they have a preexisting migraine or another primary headache condition, says Morris Levin, MD, a professor of neurology and director of the Headache Center at the University of California, San Francisco, who is also an author. We think we are finally on the right track toward explaining this millennia-old mystery. The next step is to test it scientifically on people who develop these headaches, so stay tuned.

Next up, scientists will compare red wines that contain a lot of quercetin with those that have very little to test their theory about red wine headaches on people. UCSF is heading up the small human clinical trial, funded by the Wine Spectator Scholarship Foundation.
Matt and Nina Horn set up a Go Fund Me and pledged to rebuild their popular restaurant after a fire gutted it.

Courtesy of Horn Barbecue

The day after an early morning fire gutted beloved Oakland, California institution Horn Barbecue, pitmaster and 2021 Best New Chef Matt Horn and his team handed out roughly 150 Thanksgiving turkeys in their annual giveaway and vowed to rebuild their flagship business.

We are equal parts heartbroken and grateful for the love we have received from our family, friends, and community about the fire that took place at Horn Barbecue yesterday, especially with the holidays around the corner, Matt Horn told Food & Wine after the turkey giveaway today at his burger joint Mattys Old Fashioned. Despite it all, our commitment to the city of Oakland, and more importantly, the people of Oakland, is unwavering. [Were] so grateful that we still got to give turkeys away to families this holiday season.

Horns wife Nina organized a Go Fund Me to help renovate the space and support the restaurants staff, and the barbecue community and fellow chefs like Nyesha Arrington and Kwame Onwuachi have shared messages of support for the Horns and their staff.

As we process this tragedy, our thoughts are with our dedicated team and loyal customers who have made Horn Barbecue more than just a restaurant, but a vibrant part of the Oakland and Bay Area community, the Horn Barbecue Team posted on Instagram Tuesday. To continue our mission of service and to help our hardworking staff, we are reaching out for support.

Two days before the fire, someone vandalized the building with graffiti and tried to break into the businesss trailer, Horn posted on Instagram earlier this week. Oakland officials are investigating the blaze but wouldnt speculate on the cause, according to SF Gate.

The proximity of open flame to rendered fat from years of smoking whole hogs and brisket make fire in the pit rooms and smokehouses of Americas barbecue restaurants a business owners number one concern, especially late at night. 2019 Best New Chef Bryan Furman lost his Atlanta barbecue restaurant Bs Cracklin Barbecue to fire in the middle of the night. Rodney Scott cooked barbecue on a tour around the South to raise money to rebuild the cookhouse at his flagship restaurant in South Carolina in 2013. And the smokehouse at North Carolinas landmark Skylight Inn caught fire in 2019. Third generation pitmaster Sam Jones, chief of the volunteer Ayden Volunteer Fire Department, responded to the fire at his family business.

Horn earned the F&W Best New Chef accolade in 2019. The self-taught pitmaster told restaurant editor Khushbu Shah that he dreamed of a black building, and from the front door, I saw people lined up down the block." That dream manifested into an Oakland mecca for smoked brisket, ribs, hot links, specials like burnt ends, and popular side dishes like mac n cheese. Lines formed daily down the block.

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Iceland has extended the danger zone at risk of a catastrophic volcanic eruption, warning of flowing lava and noxious gases on a wider area of the Reykjanes peninsula. Visitors to its most volatile sector are now required to carry gas masks.

While the volcano has not yet erupted, the situation could change suddenly with little warning, the Icelandic Met Office (IMO) cautioned. The nation is currently under a state of emergency.

The warning comes as the number of earthquakes in the area has dropped significantly, which could be a sign that magma is sitting close to the surface, say IMO experts.

The level of seismicity today is considerably lower than in the recent days, when 1,500-1,800 earthquakes were recorded each day, the IMO advised on Monday. There is continued likelihood of an eruption.

However, the IMOs volcano monitoring efforts have been hampered by stormy weather this week, and several flights to and from Keflavik Airport in Reykjavik have been cancelled or delayed due to the conditions. The intense weather affecting the country has an impact on the sensitivity of the seismic monitoring system to detect the smallest earthquakes, it noted, making it difficult to assess whether the seismic activity is decreasing overall.

Heres what you need to know if you are booked to travel to Iceland  and your rights if you choose to cancel your trip.

Cracks emerge on a road due to volcanic activity at the entrance to Grindavik, Iceland, 11 November 2023 - Reuters

How long will the Iceland volcano risk last?

IMO managing director Matthew Roberts has warned that the instability could last decades, and is likely to affect a wider area in the future. We expect to see volcanic eruptions along the peninsula, not just repeatedly in the same location, he told the BBC last week.

The volcanic activity is focused in the Fagradalsfjall volcanic system of the Reykjanes peninsula, in south-west Iceland.

Residents of nearby town Grindavik were evacuated by Icelands Civil Protection Agency a fortnight ago, amid cautions of a river of magma, noxious gases and fire fountains in the area. The threat was downgraded from emergency to danger on Thursday, but locals are currently only able to return home to collect belongings. The ground movement has caused major fissures in roads, and authorities are constructing defensive walls around a nearby geothermal power plant to shield it from potential lava flows.

The Reykjanes peninsula is a key area of Iceland, home to Keflavik Airport, the nations busiest air hub, which is connected to Britain by easyJet, British Airways and other major airlines.

Keflavik is located just 12 miles (20 km) north of Grindavik, while the Blue Lagoon  one of Icelands most popular tourist attractions and hotels  sits 4.3 miles (7 km) north. The wellness resort closed temporarily last week due to safety fears, a measure which has since been extended to 30 November.

Reykjavik, Icelands capital, is located around 50km from the volcanic system.

An eruption would not only spell disruption for holidaymakers booked to travel to Iceland, but there are fears that its effects could be more far-reaching. In 2010, the eruption of Eyjafjallajokull volcano in southern Iceland halted commercial flights across Europe for almost a week  leaving 50,000 flights grounded, and an estimated 10 million travellers stranded.

Will the Iceland volcano affect flights  like during the Eyjafjallajokull ash cloud?

The billowing ash cloud of Eyjafjallajokull volcano caused global travel disruption in spring 2010, amid worries that the particles and debris could damage aircraft engines. It lasted for almost a week, causing the highest level of air travel disruption since the Second World War. Could this new wave of seismic activity lead to similar chaos?

No, because any explosion is likely to occur under the ground, not under a glacier, says Paavo Nikkola, Research Scientist at the Geological Survey of Finland GTK.

A volcanic ash cloud like in 2010 is not possible now, Nikkola told Finnish broadcast organisation Yle. Back then, the ash was generated by a large explosive eruption beneath a glacier. Now, the eruption is likely to occur underground. Its a calm lava eruption that doesnt produce ash.

The region has experienced several eruptions in recent years, none of which affected flights, advises a spokesperson from PLAY, a low-cost Icelandic airline headquartered at Keflavik International Airport. Iceland is no stranger to volcanic activity, with three eruptions having taken place on the Reykjanes Peninsula in the last two years and no disruption to flights. It has some of the most advanced volcanic preparedness systems in the world to safeguard the public and is well prepared for every eventuality.

The current seismic activity localised on the Reykjanes Peninsula is being continuously monitored by the Icelandic Meteorological Office, The Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management, and a team of scientists from the University of Iceland for any changes.

Are flights to Iceland being cancelled?

Keflavik International Airport is operating as normal, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) states in its Iceland travel advice. At present, all flights between Britain and Iceland are unaffected by the volcano.

However, Reykjavik and the surrounding area is currently experiencing stormy conditions, and flights to destinations including Bristol, Manchester, Edinburgh and London Heathrow have been cancelled in recent days.

Flights to and from Keflavik Airport can be affected by strong winds and bad weather, the airport advised in a statement this week. Passengers are advised to check for flight times at the Keflavik Airport website.

However, Keflaviks location could also be problematic if the volcano erupts. It is located on the Reykjanes peninsula, the centre of Icelands current seismic activity  some 12 miles (20km) north of Grindavik, the town which was evacuated amid eruption fears.

The likes of Icelandair, easyJet and British Airways connect Keflavik, the nations major airline hub, with Britain  and it is a key stopover hub for transatlantic flights. It is the gateway to Reykjavik, the nations capital 50 minutes drive away.

Airlines are monitoring the situation closely, a spokesperson for easyJet disclosed. Our flying schedule is currently operating as normal however we are monitoring the situation closely and should this change we will contact customers directly to advise on their flights.

A British Airways spokesperson advised: Our flights are operating as planned and we continue to monitor the situation closely. We will be in touch with customers directly should the situation change.

Icelandair, the national airline, has advised it is unable to comment on the situation.

PLAY Airlines has also confirmed that no cancellations or delays have been made to its schedule as a result of the seismic activity. An airline spokesperson added: [PLAY] is continuously monitoring the situation with the Icelandic government and Meteorological Office and will provide timely updates via email and text with any significant developments that may affect flights.

A volcano spews molten lava near Grindavik, Iceland in 2021 - Getty

Is it safe to visit Iceland?

The FCDO updated its advice on Saturday for Britons travelling to Iceland. While there is no current eruption, it is increasingly possible that one could occur, it now warns.

Those heading to the region should monitor local media for updates and follow the authorities advice on travel to the area, it advises.

Travellers should check for alerts and advice from the: Icelandic Met Office, Safe Travel Iceland, Almannavarnadeild Facebook page and Twitter (@almannavarnir).

Earthquakes and indications of volcanic activity have increased above normal levels on the Reykjanes peninsula, southwest of Reykjavik. The Icelandic authorities continue to monitor the area closely, particularly the area northwest of Mt Thorbjorn near the Svartsengi power plant and the Blue Lagoon.

Im in Iceland now  can I come home early?

That depends on your airline or tour operator. The FCDO is not currently warning against travel to, or around, Iceland, so your transport provider is not compelled to curtail your trip, nor offer a refund if you choose to head home early. As above, you should monitor the situation via the IMOs official channels.

If you do change your travel plans, it is likely that you will have to pay for the privilege  though if you have a flexible ticket, the charge may be waived. Speak to your airline or tour operator directly, before you take any decisive action.

Travellers who are due to stay at, or visit, the Blue Lagoon, should be aware that the hotel and attraction is closed. Contact your tour operator or the organisation directly for advice on rebooking or obtaining a refund.

Should I cancel my holiday to Iceland?

Unless the FCDO changes its advice to warn against travel to Iceland, or the area to which you are headed, it is likely that your holiday will proceed as planned.

If you choose to cancel your holiday, it is highly unlikely that you will be covered by travel insurance.

Iceland holidays are currently going ahead as normal, says Georgina Hancock, Marketing Director of regional specialist Discover the World. To date we have had to rearrange a few of our clients itineraries who were set to visit the Reykjanes area including the Blue Lagoon. They are all still travelling but will just be visiting other areas in South Iceland.

They have been reassured of the safety and they know that the Icelanders are very experienced and prepared for volcanic eruptions.

An easyJet holidays spokesperson said: Our holidays are currently going ahead as planned, however we are continuing to very closely monitor the situation and, should anything change, we will be in touch with our customers directly.

Will I be covered by travel insurance if I visit Iceland?

Yes, while the FCDO does not warn against travel to Iceland. If you are concerned, speak to your provider directly  and ensure that you keep the emergency phone number to-hand while abroad, in case the situation changes.

A spokesperson from Regent, a tour operator specialising in Iceland, told Telegraph Travel that tourists are cautious but optimistic  and still booking holidays. Bookings for Iceland are continuing to come through daily. Customers appear to be cautious but optimistic, looking to the FCO and our trusted team for insight. We will continue to monitor the situation and operate accordingly, with the safety of our clients at the heart of every action.

We are closely monitoring the situation, both by staying in very close contact with our partners on the ground, and using online real time sources like Safe Travel Iceland which has been a useful resource.

Which tourist attractions have closed in Iceland?

Both the Blue Lagoon wellness resort and the Northern Lights Inn  which are situated around 4.3 miles (7 km) from Grindavik  have closed for the foreseeable future. This is due to their proximity to the volcano, Hancock advises.

The Blue Lagoon was initially due to open on Thursday, but has extended its closure until 30 November. The situation is being regularly assessed, its management said.

In the Reykjanes peninsula area, other local sights include the Reykjanesfolkvangur nature reserve and Inside the Volcano  an adventure tour that takes place inside an extinct volcano.

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Photo by Lirica Castaneda

Its easy to understand why Stella Standingbears Home Runs is earning accolades galore and making her a TikTok sensation. The catchy, relatable song serves as an affirmation anthem for anyone who has proved the haters wrong by achieving their dreams  a common theme for Native Americans, who face outsized obstacles like ongoing discrimination, education gaps, and high rates of poverty, disease, addiction, and suicide.

The debut single is also an ode to the 24-year-old Oglala Lakota musicians homecoming to South Dakotas Pine Ridge Reservation. After growing up away from her tribes traditions in Salt Lake City, Utah, she answered the call to reconnect with her heritage and moved to the scenic 2.1-million-acre territory last year. The areas vast beauty is contrasted by its peoples hardship, with some of the highest poverty rates in America and lowest life expectancies in the world. Standingbear deftly captures this juxtaposition of rich culture, palpable pride, and painful trauma in her songs.

Music is medicine, she tells Teen Vogue. I use music to process what Im going through in life; its kind of like my public diary. Its also a powerful tool to spread awareness about both the good and the challenging issues going on in the Indigenous community.

The Home Runs music video, for example, shines a light on the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women crisis while simultaneously showcasing the picturesque scenery of Pine Ridge. In parts of the clip, Standingbear sings with a red hand painted across her mouth, which has become a symbol for the growing movement to represent the silence of not only the epidemics victims but also media and law enforcement.

As an Indigenous woman, Im a target  so are my sister, my aunties, and my grandmas, she explains. This is a major issue in our community that gets downplayed a lot. Many cases are never actually filed, so the statistics are way off. My uncle, who is Indigenous, was murdered in Salt Lake City, and his case went cold. Most Native people know somebody who has gone missing or been murdered, and I feel like I need to be a voice for all relatives.

That determination to uplift Native communities combined with her unique alt-rap sound helped Standingbear make history at the recent Indigenous Hip Hop Awards. She was the only performer nominated in three categories this year and won awards for best female hip-hop artist and best music video  marking the first time a Lakota musician has taken home honors.

I won these awards not only for myself and my team, but most importantly for my community, she says. Its showing these young kids on the reservation that no dream is too big. In addition to recording her own music, like the recently released EP Crossing Over, Standingbear mentors aspiring artists at Pine Ridges new Oglala Lakota Artspace community creative hub. She also regularly performs at regional schools, reservations, and venues alongside acts such as Kirko Bangz, Montana of 300, and Futuristic.

Related: Killers of the Flower Moon Showcases the Power and Plight of Native American Women

I hope my music inspires younger generations to talk about personal and social issues, and to use music as a healing tool, she says. I always offer free posters, stickers, and photos at shows because theres not a ton of money on the rez to buy merch. These kids can take that picture home and hang it on their wall, and hopefully it will inspire them to find their own art form to express themselves.

Music has always been an outlet for Standingbear, who was mumbling rap freestyle before she could speak and recorded her first song at 14. During her Salt Lake City upbringing, she and other Indigenous students had generic Native school programming and field trips, but it was childhood visits to Pine Ridge that really allowed her to connect to her heritage. Before her 2022 trip to the reservation, she hadnt been there since fourth grade.

I was able to experience my first big powwow, and I did my first sweat lodge as part of the ceremony for my great grandma getting her Lakota name, she says of her visit last year. It just felt like homebeing able to connect with my roots and find who I am. I am learning the Lakota language, and I made my first ribbon skirt. She also has plans to get some horses so that she can fully enjoy the areas openness.

While shes honoring her ancestral history, Standingbear is also shattering stereotypes about Indigenous music by incorporating modern 808s and hip-hop beats into her songs. As a young female Native artist, Im all about breaking boundaries and experimenting with new sounds, she says. I dont stick to one genre; I create a variety of music depending on what Im going through in life.

So back to Stella Standingbears popular underdog anthem. Ultimately, she hopes Home Runs encourages people to keep swinging, just like she is. I have released a lot of songs, and some of them flopped, she says candidly. But Home Runs was my home run. I feel like it resonates so much with people who have been told they will never amount to anything  but were not going to let someone else dictate our future.

Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue

Want more great Culture stories from Teen Vogue? Check these out:
One Florida homeowner wrote to the News-Press to highlight a state law that protects homeowners rights to dry clothes on a clothesline  even if their homeowners association says no.

Terri Krass, a 62-year-old former school superintendent, was a resident of the upscale Cross Creek Estates, which had a rule against clotheslines, the News-Press reports.

However, on a vacation in Maine, Krass discovered Florida Statute 163.04, the News-Press says. That law explicitly allows Florida residents to use solar collectors, clothes lines, or other energy devices based on renewable resources, and prohibits HOAs from banning them.

Krass immediately installed an umbrella clothesline, according to the News-Press. Unfortunately, some of her neighbors pushed back.

They acted like I was white trash and I was going to ruin the community, Krass told the News-Press. Other homeowners trying to take advantage of Floridas law have also met resistance.

Thankfully, other neighbors had a more positive reaction, according to Krass. Some wanted to put up their own clotheslines  a smart money-saving move.

Alexander Lee, founder of Project Laundry List, told the News-Press that electric dryers account for 6% to 10% of a homes electrical usage, meaning homeowners who switch to a clothesline could save up to one-tenth of their power bill. Plus, clothes and sheets smell fresh when dried outside in the sun.

Meanwhile, this switch also benefits the planet by lowering the demand for electricity. While electricity is a more eco-friendly power source than polluting fuels like gas and oil, much of it is still generated by oil- and coal-burning power plants. Decreasing energy use overall would help cut down on air pollution, especially heat-trapping carbon pollution that warms up the planet.

Krass wanted to spread the word about the benefits of clotheslines. I think you would be doing many homeowners a favor if you shared this information in your column, she told the News-Press. Clotheslines have a major impact on energy usage and are environmentally sound.

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Homeowners in Sarasota, Florida, were outraged in February when they discovered their HOA planned to remove 37 mature oak trees from their backyards in a misguided attempt to protect a wall.

They called it a wall repair, then all of a sudden it was, 37 trees have to come out, Roger Metz told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Metz and his partner Desiree Moulton own two of the targeted trees. Everybody seemed pretty surprised that, in this day and age, anyone would even think about doing something like that.

The HOA in question governs Greenfield, a community of 103 households established over 30 years ago, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported. According to the Greenfield HOA, the roots of the oak trees damaged the wall.

But homeowners Moulton and Metz said otherwise. Apparently, the crack in their section of wall came from a car that crashed into it years ago. Photos from two years ago confirmed that the crack hadnt changed in at least that long.

Still, the Greenfield HOA insisted that not one, not two, but five professional arborists had reported that the trees caused the damage. The HOA didnt provide the supposed arborists report to the homeowners  just assessed a special fee to cover the $70,000 tree removal.

Removing the trees would cause irreparable harm to Moulton and Metzs property. Originally, their two oaks shaded their backyard, providing a comfortable, peaceful refuge on hot Florida days. Also, like any tree, they helped purify the air and provided food and shelter for birds and other wildlife.

These trees are a complete and total pain in my [expletive] once a year when they drop their leaves and those fuzzy things, Metz told the Tribune. But they are so worth it. If they took these trees out against our wishes, I wouldnt want to live here anymore.

Moulton agreed and threatened a lawsuit against the HOA if it removed the trees. Changing the HOAs rules would also be an option.

Luckily for Moulton, Metz, and the other Greenfield residents, there are laws in place to protect established trees like these ones. According to Sarasota Countys municipal code and an independent arborist, their size and age qualify them as Grand Trees, which can only be removed with a permit or with the permission of the property owner.

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A mother has provoked a firestorm of criticism online after appearing to pressure her daughter into taking a selfie next to a wild animal in Yellowstone National Park.

In a viral Instagram video, a mother waves her young daughter over to take a photo with her next to an elk.

The daughter, however, refuses and stands rooted to the spot some distance away. Her mother, meanwhile, turns her back to the elk and poses for a photo.

Too close, way too close, Michael (@m_packmore), who posted the original video, groans in the background.

This incident is a classic example of what many have taken to calling a touron  a park ranger slang word that mixes the words tourist and moron.

A worrying trend has been emerging where members of the public get too close to the wildlife in the U.S.s national parks.

In May, a visitor to Yellowstone pleaded guilty to pushing a bison calf from the river to the road, which resulted in the calfs death.

Another group took a newborn elk into their car and drove it to the West Yellowstone, Montana, Police Department. The elk calf later escaped into the woods.

These events prompted the National Park Service to issue a plea that people leave the animals they encounter alone. Park regulations state that visitors should maintain a safe distance of 25 yards  in the case of bears and wolves, 100 yards is recommended.

This is important both for peoples and animals welfare. The National Park Service recently warned that bull elk can be especially aggressive during mating season. In 2018, Yellowstones elk injured two people in separate incidents.

Even when it is people, and not the animal, that get injured, the animal may still end up euthanized, whether they deliberately attacked or not.

Environmental action, then, starts with the basic act of respecting and protecting the animals you come across in national parks.

Research has shown that time spent in nature leads to a greater interest in nature and a passion for conserving it, and being a touron directly contradicts that  particularly when it becomes distressing for bystanders and the rangers patrolling the parks.

Social media users have been quick to condemn such reckless behavior, as seen in the video.

These phones have turned us into idiots! said one.

The daughter did the right thing, wrote another.

Never turn your back on a wild animal when you are within his strike zone, another warned. You lose valuable seconds to respond to an emergency.

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Everyone knows the expression, diamonds are a girls best friend. But for one lucky secondhand shopper, these diamonds were even friendlier because they came cheap.

The thrifter shared a photo on Reddits r/ThriftStoreHauls forum of their 14K gold necklace made with real diamonds that they purchased for $3 at a local store. In the caption, the user noted that the same Tennessee-shaped necklace retails for close to $425, making their investment an absolute steal.

Photo Credit: u/Th15isJustAThrowaway / Reddit

Thrifting has numerous benefits besides just getting high-quality pieces of jewelry and clothes at a good price.

The jewelry industry can be an environmentally toxic one. To mine and refine the precious materials, companies have to release heavy metals and toxins like arsenic into the atmosphere and surrounding area. The industry is also reliant on dirty energy to mine, refine, and transport the materials.

Instead, thrifting offers an opportunity to recycle jewelry pieces and give them another fashionable and new life. One report even found that thrifting can save folks over $1,700 per year by buying clothing, furniture, and jewelry secondhand.



Its also pretty satisfying to find a good piece from your local store. In the end, it just takes a good eye and an understanding of brands to find hidden treasure in the jewelry section (or others) at your local Goodwill.

Other users have shared their jewelry bargains on the forum. One user found a beautiful pair of earrings at a Salvation Army that retail for over $100. Another found a 14K gold and pearl necklace in the costume jewelry section.

Several users in the comments were impressed by the quality of the necklace, as well as its creator. Whoaaa really great find! Love this jewelry designer, she makes really cute pieces, a commenter shared.

Other users joked about the shape of the necklace. Thats a chubby looking Tennessee, one user noted.

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A difficult to eradicate population of wild hogs are roaming Canada and officials worry they'll soon spill over to the United States. This population of "super pigs" often consists of crossbreeds that combine the survival skills of wild Eurasian boar with the size and high fertility of domestic swine, according to the Associated Press.

Minnesota, North Dakota and Montana are already taking measures to prevent an invasion of the "super pig."

These wild pigs are spreading out of control in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, posing a new threat to native species.

Feral swine: America's got a $2.5 billion wild hog problem. These states see the worst of it.

Wild hogs are one of the most invasive animals

Since their introduction to North America in the 1500s, the feral swine population expanded across more than three-quarters of the country. According to the Department of Agriculture, their population has grown to more than 9 million.

The wild animal has expanded westward and northward, with states like California, Hawaii, and Michigan reporting a fairly large feral hog population.

Ryan Brook, a professor at the University of Saskatchewan and one of Canadas leading authorities on the problem, told the Associated Press that feral swine are, the most invasive animal on the planet and an ecological train wreck.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, feral hogs cause approximately $2.5 billion in agricultural damages each year.

A wild hog uses a tree as a scratching post as it trips a motion sensor camera set up in Florida's Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed in January of 2022. There is growing concern that America's wild hog problem could be exacerbated in northern states as a breed of Canadian 'super pig' migrates south.

'Super pigs' are difficult to eradicate

The wild pigs are smart and adaptable, making them very good at surviving brutal winters in Canada. Officials say they will eat anything, including wildlife and crops for survival. They spread diseases to hog farms like African swine fever. They tear up land easily and they reproduce quickly.

Brook told the Associated Press that even when 65% or more of a wild pig population is killed every year, the population will still increase. The success rate for hunters is only about 2% to 3%.

The only path forward is you have to be really aggressive and you have to use all the tools in the toolbox," said Brook.

Managing the feral hog problem

In some states, total elimination of feral hogs is the end goal for conservationists.

The Missouri Feral Hog Elimination Partnership killed 9,857 feral hogs in 2021, bringing the total number of hogs killed since 2016 to more than 54,000.

Public hunting is one of the most popular mitigation tactics of wild hogs and has become a common recreational activity. But hogs often relocate in response to the pressures of hunting. Fencing and trapping can be more effective in mitigating wild hog populations, but require more upkeep and investment, according to Captain Experiences.

Which states are most impacted by wild hogs?

Florida, Georgia and Texas have the most feral hog reports in the U.S., according to data from the University of Georgia Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.

In 2023 alone, Texas had 2,425 feral hog spottings, followed by 1,377 in Georgia.

Invasive species and climate change: A perfect match? These animals thrive amid global warming.

The Associated Press contributed to this reporting

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Invasive species alert: 'Super pigs' in Canada could spill over to US
Famous Ukrainian actor Bohdan Beniuk openly admitted that he did not vote for Volodymyr Zelenskyi in the 2019 presidential election. The theater and film star reveals that he had, and allegedly still has, 'certain concerns' about the current leader of the state.

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However, the People's Artist of Ukraine has no intention to criticize the president. He encourages other citizens to support Zelenskyi. Beniuk shared his thoughts in an exclusive interview with OBOZ.UA.

The actor believes that in the context of a full-scale terrorist war, it is crucial to be united and support the guarantor, setting aside any past grievances and misunderstandings.

"I did not vote for him [Volodymyr Zelenskyi]. I had and still have certain concerns about him. The way he has been governing the state in wavesthere have been moments of respect and disrespect. The circle of people around him does not inspire me at all. But for now, I view him as a president who needs to be supported because there is a war going on," Beniuk commented.

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Furthermore, as inferred from the actor's statements, he is opposed to the presidential elections in 2024.

"We must endeavor to set aside all those negatives, unite, and avoid taking steps that could lead us to premature elections or the re-election of the president and the Verkhovna Rada," Beniuk emphasized.

Read the complete interview with Bohdan Beniuk on OBOZ.UA on Friday, November 24.

As a reminder, the theater and film star supported linguist Iryna Farion, who found herself at the center of a scandal. Beniuk asserts that the former teacher from Lviv Polytechnic accurately addressed the issue of the Russian-speaking population in Ukraine. The actor personally regards them as 'invaders' and does not endorse the use of the Russian language even at the front. Explore how Ukrainians responded to the actor's statements in the article.

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As previously reported by OBOZ.UA, Beniuk also expressed the opinion that university professors who persist in speaking Russian should face dismissal.

Only verified information is available on the OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
An unlikely visitor was found inside the mans intestines (American Journal of Gastroenterology)

In some situations, people wish they could be a fly on the wall  but maybe not an intestinal wall inside a mans digestive system.

However, this is where one unfortunate insect found itself.

The bizarre discovery came to light when a 63-year-old patient went in for a routine colon screening in Missouri.

The colonoscopy seemed to be going to plan until the doctors reached the transverse colon in the large intestine and came across a fully intact fly.

Matthew Bechtold, the chief of Gastroenterology at the University of Missouri, told The Independent that he and other doctors prodded the fly and confirmed it was dead.

The patient was bewildered by the discovery and had no idea how the insect got into his body.

He told the doctors he had only consumed clear liquids before his procedure and, two days before, he had eaten pizza and lettuce  but could not recall a fly being on any of the food he ate. He had no symptoms to suggest he had ingested it.

The fly was prodded but did not move (American Journal of Gastroenterology)

The findings, published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, represented a very rare colonoscopy finding and mystery on how the intact fly found its way into the transverse colon.

Mr Bechtold suggested a couple of ways in which the fly may have made its way to its final resting place  through consumption or by entering up his rectum  yet he and his fellow doctors remain unsure.

He said that if the fly had entered through the patients mouth, you would think that upper digestive enzymes and stomach acid would have degraded the fly. However, the fly was intact, making this hypothesis less likely.

If from the bottom, an opening must have been created long enough for the fly to fly undetected into the colon and somehow make its way to the middle part of the colon with no light in a very curvy, large intestine.

He added: However, this seems unlikely as well.

There have been other rare cases in the past where insects have remained intact throughout their journey into the digestive system, the journal revealed. In some incidents, flies and larvae have made their way inside a human and infested the intestines, known as intestinal myiasis.

Insects can deposit eggs onto food, which is then consumed by a human and, in rare cases, survive stomach acid and the gastrointestinal environment, according to the National Library of Medicine.

In some cases where larvae have been found in the stools of some patients, they have experienced diarrhoea, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting.

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention does not track cases of intestinal myiasis but does make note of one particular case in 1984 when a one-year-old child was experiencing moving worms in her stool after being fed over-ripe bananas.

The doctors at the time did not prescribe any medicine but instead told the parents to cover up their fruit from flies. The moving worms then stopped appearing.
There will be turkey at Marci Rosas family Thanksgiving in New Jersey, and stuffing and sweet potato and leek gratin. But also kasha varnishkes, a Jewish grain dish with roots in Eastern Europe, where her in-laws survived the Holocaust.

All across the country, families like Rosas are gathering Thursday to nosh, to catch up and perhaps to bicker a little. But this year, with Israel at war and the world sharply divided over questions of justice, some Jewish families are finding that what it means to be a Jew is also on the Thanksgiving table.

Seated around one table will be members of a family whose stances toward Israel since the Hamas terrorist attacks Oct. 7 and the Israeli military response have sent them to different ideological poles.

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At one end is Rosas mother, Esther Rosa, 95, who recalls Thanksgivings during World War II with one seat left empty  her brother was fighting for the United States against the Germans  and is steadfast in her belief in Israels right to defend itself. At the other is her daughter, Becca Gertler, 25, who is outspoken in her support for the Palestinians, thousands of whom have been killed in the war. Somewhere in the middle is Marci Rosa, a self-described liberal from the Brooklyn borough of New York who is in her 60s, and who regularly criticized Israels policies in the past, but now sees it  and Jews like her  as under threat.

Though the family is no stranger to heated debates, according to Rosas nephew, who is hosting the dinner, this kind of tension is new. With my family, with politics we kind of know where those lines were drawn years ago; you know what to say if you want to press someones buttons, said the nephew, who asked that his name not be used because of the contentiousness of the subject.

You are going into a family dinner with a polarizing topic, not knowing where anybody stands, he said. I dont think weve ever done that  I dont think any family has ever done that.

Raging family debates at Thanksgiving are as traditional as cranberry sauce. For generations, Americans have sat down to dinner divided over politics and taxes, Republicans and Democrats, the Giants and the Jets. At a time when things like protests against Israels policies and the tearing down of missing persons signs can feel like personal attacks, some American Jews are experiencing the revelation of differing values across the family Thanksgiving table with acute pain.

These types of identity- and values-based conflicts are the most intractable, according to Tricia S. Jones, a professor at Temple University and director of the Center for Conflict Management and Media Impact there. They are so much a definition of who we are and need to be that it is very difficult for us to accept an alternate story from anyone  particularly from those we love, she said.

Jones added: Youve got people who deeply love one another, and want to understand where their loved ones are coming from, so pretending away the differences and the pain also isnt workable.

There are 21 members of the extended Rosa family coming for Thanksgiving, but one matriarch will be absent: Judith Gertler, 89, Rosas mother-in-law, a Holocaust survivor who endured the Ravensbruck concentration camp in Germany as a little girl, and who lives in Brooklyn. She has dementia and is too frail to make the trip to New Jersey. With the support of Gertlers doctor, the family has kept all news of the Oct. 7 attack from her. She found refuge in Israel after the war, Rosa said, and the family was afraid the news would trigger post-traumatic stress.

There is some relief, too, Rosa said, that Gertler will not be there to hear her granddaughter Beccas strong criticism of Israel across the table. When Becca Gertler, a policy analyst, first shared her beliefs shortly after the attack, her mother was stunned. I felt physical pain, she said.

She only sees one side of it, Rosa said of their conversation about the war in the Gaza Strip, and of course she would probably say that I see only one side of it. Yet at the same time, she admires her daughters conviction. It is important to be able to have your voice be heard, to speak up for the underdog, and to not accept things that you dont believe in.

At Thanksgiving dinner, Becca Gertler plans to speak her mind, she said, particularly because she feels it is important that her gaggle of younger cousins feasting on homemade bread rolls be exposed to different perspectives  not just from outsiders, but from fellow Jews.

The weird part for me has been disagreeing with my parents since the war began, she said in an interview. On most things we are pretty aligned, but this is the first time where me and my mom have really gotten into arguments where we are not listening to each other.

She added: To me there are no sides. The sides are: not killing people.

On Thursday morning, one of Rosas brothers will pick up their mother in Plainsboro, New Jersey, to bring her to Thanksgiving. Shes looking forward to the meal, she said, speaking through her daughter because she is hard of hearing.

This year, she said, calls to mind those Thanksgivings during World War II when her older brother was deployed abroad, and the importance of being together as Jews, and as family  no matter what is said over the meal. Then as now, Esther Rosa told her daughter, Even though we knew what was happening over there, we still needed to celebrate over here.

c.2023 The New York Times Company
A screengrab from security camera footage at the Rainbow Bridge U.S.-Canada border crossing shows a white car (top center) going airborne after striking a concrete barrier on Wednesday. Two occupants of the vehicle died in what is now thought to be a bizarre traffic accident. Image provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Nov. 23 (UPI) -- New York authorities investigating an incident in which a car went airborne, crashed and exploded at a U.S.-Canada border crossing said Thursday it may take "some time" to determine all the facts in the bizarre case.

Two people inside the vehicle died in the crash at the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls, N.Y., early Wednesday, one of the busiest U.S.-Canadian crossings spanning the two nations.

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent sustained minor injuries in what now appears to be a violent traffic accident.

Security camera video of the incident posted by the CPB shows a car sailing through the air a high rate of speed after apparently vaulting over a concrete barrier before disappearing from the frame.

After the FBI ruled out terrorism as a possible cause late Wednesday, the probe was handed over to the Niagara Falls. N.Y., Police Department as a traffic incident.

Department spokesman John Faso said Thursday the two occupants of the vehicle have not yet positively identified and warned the investigation into what caused the fiery crash is likely to be drawn out.

"We have not made positive identification nor notification yet." he said in a statement issued to media outlets, adding, "this is obviously a very, very complex situation. Our crash management unit has been working since late yesterday afternoon and they're still working on it, and it's going to take quite some time."

CBP is working closely with @FBI, federal, state & local partners in response to a vehicle explosion at Rainbow Bridge which remains closed. Out of abundance of caution, CBP temporarily suspended inbound/outbound traffic at 3 other Buffalo crossings that have since reopened. pic.twitter.com/pTXyUsavRB CBP (@CBP) November 22, 2023

Jim Diodati, mayor of Niagara Falls, Ontario, on the Canadian side of the Rainbow Bridge, told the CBC on Thursday he expected the span to reopen for traffic cross-border traffic shortly.

He cited mistaken initial reports the incident was terror-related in causing fear among border-area residents.

"We were on a real emotional roller-coaster all day as details were coming in and they were not all accurate, especially for border towns where there's family and friends on both sides of the border," he said. "People live on one side and work on the other ... we just thought, you gotta be kidding."

While not officially identified, several media reports have indicated the two occupants of the vehicle were a married couple who were heading to Toronto to see a concert by the rock band KISS but, when the show was canceled, instead stopped at the Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino.

The crash was so violent that only the engine of the car was left, New York Gov. Kathy Hochel said Wednesday, adding that one of the people in the vehicle was a resident of western New York.
At least three people were killed and eight others injured after Russian missiles struck a hospital in southern Ukraine, said the countrys emergency services.

Missiles had struck and damaged two buildings of the hospital in Selydove town late on Tuesday, interior minister Ihor Klymenko had said in an earlier statement.

He had warned in his statement that casualties would increase as officials assessed damage from the attack.

Rescue workers finished clearing the rubble after sifting through the remains night and day, 24 hours after the attack, emergency services said on Wednesday. A whole section of the building had totally collapsed, they said.

Another body was recovered from the rubble of the hospital building, the State Emergency Service wrote on Telegram.

In total, three people were killed in the missile strike.

At least eight others were also injured in the attack.

Rescuers clear debris in a hospital in Selydove damaged by a Russian missile strike (AFP via Getty Images)

A few minutes after the attack on the hospital on Tuesday, a coal mine was targeted in another missile strike.

One worker there was killed and 39 miners had been trapped underground due to the impact of the attack.

The workers were, however, brought to the surface and confirmed to be safe, said the interior minister Mr Klymenko.

Selydove, a town in Donetsk oblast that has largely been occupied by Russia, was also targeted in a missile attack a week before. That attack had struck an apartment block in the southern town.

Russia has not issued a statement on its attack on the hospital and has rarely spoken about the several hundred strikes that have struck civilian buildings during the course of its full-scale Ukraine invasion.

Even though Russia has falsely claimed it only targets military infrastructure, Vladimir Putins forces have deliberately targeted civilians and killed hundreds in frequent air strikes.

Frequent missile strikes and shelling has resulted in thousands fleeing war hotspots like Bakhmut and Avdiivka, where Russian forces are now trying to consolidate military positions.
A new method for retrieving hearts from organ donors has ignited a debate over the surprisingly blurry line between life and death in a hospital  and whether there is any possibility that donors might still experience some trace of consciousness or pain as their organs are harvested.

The new method has divided major hospitals in New York City and beyond. It has been championed by NYU Langone Health in Manhattan, which says it became the first hospital in the United States in 2020 to try the new method. But NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, which has the citys largest organ transplant program, has rejected the technique after an ethics committee there examined the issue.

If adopted more widely, the method will significantly increase the number of hearts available for transplantation, saving lives.

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The reason is that most heart donors currently come from a small category of deaths: donors who have been declared brain dead often after a traumatic incident like a car crash. But they remain on life support  their heart beats, and their blood circulates, bringing oxygen to their organs  until a transplant team recovers their organs.

The new technique, transplant surgeons say, significantly expands the potential pool to patients who are comatose but not brain dead, and whose families have withdrawn life support because there is little chance of recovery. After these patients hearts stop, they are declared dead. But hearts are almost never recovered from these donors because they are often damaged by oxygen depletion during the dying process.

Surgeons have discovered that returning blood flow to the heart, after the donor has been declared dead, will restore it to a remarkable degree, making it suitable for transplant.

But two aspects of the procedure have left some surgeons and bioethicists uncomfortable.

The first problem, some ethicists and surgeons say, stems from the way death has traditionally been defined: The heart has stopped and circulation of blood has irreversibly ceased. Because the new procedure involves restarting blood flow, critics say it essentially invalidates the earlier declaration of death.

But that may be a minor problem compared to an additional step surgeons take: They use metal clamps to cut blood flow from the revived heart to the donors head, to limit blood flow to the brain to prevent the possibility that any brain activity is restored. Some physicians and ethicists say that is a tacit admission that the donor might not be legally dead.

Its kind of a creepy thing to be doing, a longtime heart surgeon and transplant specialist, Dr. V. Eric Thompson, said at a recent panel discussion about the procedure at the Yale School of Medicine.

As a legal matter, there are two different ways to determine whether someone has died. In addition to circulatory death, there is brain death. A person whose brain no longer functions at all can also be declared dead although their heart still beats.

The new set of potential donors, by contrast, come from the first category and are not brain dead. They might still blink if their eyeball is touched. If their breathing tube is removed, they might gasp.

For them, death is not immediate: Five minutes or 50 might pass after life support has been removed and a doctor declares that circulation has stopped.

NYU Langone has used the new procedure, which uses a cardiopulmonary bypass machine, to recover nearly 30 hearts from such patients that would not otherwise have been transplanted, according to Dr. Nader Moazami, a transplant surgeon who oversaw the first procedure at the hospital. Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, has embraced the procedure, starting shortly after NYU Langone, and has since performed more.

But some medical groups have flat-out opposed it. The American College of Physicians has said clamping the arteries to the brain to ensure brain death while restarting circulation appears to violate the dead donor rule  a foundational tenet of organ transplantation in the United States to ensure organ procurement is not the cause of a donors death.

Dr. Robert Truog, a bioethicist at Harvard Medical School who appeared at the Yale panel discussion, said that the new technique held promise for expanding the number of available donor hearts. But he felt proponents were minimizing the ethical and legal quandaries.

I worry a little bit that among some transplant professionals there is a little bit of gaslighting going on here with the public, Truog said at the panel last month.

Moazami, the NYU Langone surgeon, said much of the criticism comes from ethicists who spend little time with patients stuck on organ transplant waiting lists.

You guys can sit in your offices worried about the ethics of something, but youve never had to walk into a room where you were facing a patient with a family whos dying, whos been waiting for an organ, and who is not going to get an organ, and that patient is going to die, Moazami said in an interview. If youve ever experienced that in your life, you will never tell me that what Im doing is unethical.

The debate over the procedure  sometimes called NRP, for normothermic regional perfusion  echoes earlier medical and legal debates that touched on how to define death, where to mark the moment that divides dying from dead, and what physicians are permitted to do in those final minutes.

Some experts are even raising the specter of prosecution.

An ambitious district attorney might convincingly argue that physicians following the NRP protocol also intended to render irreversible any brain functions that had not permanently ceased, thus ensuring the patients death, two transplantation experts  Alexandra Glazier, a lawyer who runs an organ donation network across New England, and Alexander Capron, a bioethicist and professor at the University of Southern California  wrote in an opinion piece in the American Journal of Transplantation last year.

There are presently 103,327 people on the national transplant waiting list and some 17 people die each day waiting. Most are awaiting a kidney or liver.

Heart transplants are rare, with only about 3,500 performed annually. Each year, about 20% of those on the list awaiting a new heart either die or are removed from the list because they become too sick.

Scientific advances may someday ease the shortage of organs available for transplant. The solution might be organs from genetically-modified pigs or human organs grown inside animals. Or perhaps organs grown from scratch in a lab.

But until then, expanding the number of heart transplants will require using donor hearts.

One Massachusetts company, TransMedics, sells a machine to provide oxygenated blood to the heart outside of the body  which avoids the ethical debate. Removed from the donor, the heart goes into what looks like a Tupperware container, where blood circulates through it. But the devices can be expensive to use.

The NRP procedure is cheaper. Moazamis team first performed it on Jan. 20, 2020, on a 43-year-old donor suffering from end-stage liver disease.

The buildup of toxins in his body had left him comatose. With the familys permission, life support was withdrawn. After five minutes, the mans breathing grew labored. At 14 minutes his heart had stopped. Ten minutes later, Moazamis team cut open his chest, clamped off the arteries to his brain, and began pumping blood through his body using a bypass machine  the same device routinely used in open-heart surgeries.

Eventually, the heart resumed beating on its own. After about half an hour, surgeons removed it, and then transplanted it.

Moazami had learned about the procedure from cases in England, where surgeons in Cambridge started trying it in 2015.

Moazami is not dismissive of his critics ethical concerns. He noted that new scientific research has raised complex questions about what happens to the brain after death. He points to experiments at Yale that had restored some cellular activity in the brains of dead pigs.

He said it was necessary to clamp the arteries to the brain as a just-in-case measure to reduce the possibility, however remote, of sensation or traces of consciousness when circulation in the donor is restarted.

The brain remains a black box, a group of ethicists and surgeons at NYU Langone, including Moazami, wrote last year.

c.2023 The New York Times Company
Right-wing figures have been slammed for rushing to brand a deadly Niagra Falls car explosion that killed two people a terrorist attack.

A New York couple, who have not been identified, were killed on Wednesday night when their car crashed at a border crossing between the US and Canada, leading to an explosion.

The couple, who lived in western New York, were reportedly on their way to a Kiss concert in Toronto but the gig was cancelled.

Their car was travelling at speed when it hit a curb on the US side of the border and became airborne before exploding, according to the FBI field office in Buffalo, New York.

The blast initially sparked fears of a terrorist attack and prompted Canadian and New York officials to briefly shutter four border bridges between the two nations and ground planes at nearby Buffalo Airport.

A Fox News report cited high-level police sources who linked terrorism to the crash and believed the two people travelling in the car packed it full of explosives, a claim the network later retracted.

Senator Ted Cruz also claimed the incident was a terror attack, tweeting: This confirms our worst fear: the explosion at Rainbow Bridge was a terrorist attack.

Surveillance footage captures moment car speeds into Rainbow Bridge (CBP)

Meanwhile, other right-wing figures also linked the explosion to terrorism and blamed Joe Bidens border policies, including Florida congressman Byron Donalds, who wrote in a since-deleted X post: Open borders, soft-on-crime policies, and bending a knee to the woke PC mob.

Todays apparent terrorist attack must be a wake-up call to all Americans. Nowmore than everwe need a change in leadership in our nation, he said. As authorities respond to this ongoing situation, I extend my prayers to all those impacted by this terror and pray for our great nation.

Florida Senator Rick Scott and presidential contender Vivek Ramaswamy, as well as Donald Trump Jr, among others, also suggested the explosion was a terrorist incident, linking it to border enforcement policies.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul later confirmed at a press conference that there was no sign of terrorist activity.

The FBIs Buffalo division also released a statement saying that no explosives had been found at the scene and that no terrorism nexus was identified.

Despite this, Fox News attempted terrorist attack report still remained on X hours later, something the organisation has been criticised for.

A vehicle burns at the Rainbow Bridge US border crossing with Canada, in Niagara Falls (via REUTERS)

CNN reporter Oliver Darcy criticized Fox News initial terrorist attack reporting in an interview with Abby Phillip on Wednesday.

This was irresponsible reporting, this was reckless reporting and by all accounts, it was inaccurate reporting, he said, adding that it was reported for hours and the network sent out a push alert on the terrorism report.

Political strategist Lindy Li also criticised Fox News, tweeting: Contrary to what Fox News wants you to believe the car explosion on the Rainbow Bridge was NOT a terrorist attack but a terrible accident, she said.

Trumps violent insurrection against our Capitol WAS a terrorist attack and NOT a normal tourist visit. Learn the b****y difference.

Meanwhile, gun-control advocate Shannon Watts slammed Sen Cruzs response, saying: Ted Cruz tells us its too soon to talk about the causes of gun violence in the aftermath of every mass shooting tragedy, but he didnt hesitate to rashly and wrongly tweet that America was under attack by terrorists.

Niagara Falls Police Department is now investigating the crash.

The Independent has contacted Fox News for comment,
New Zealand National Party leader and prime minister-elect Christopher Luxon talks to the media at parliament in Wellington on Thursday (AP)

New Zealands political parties have finally reached an agreement to form a coalition government, bringing an end to a weeks-long political deadlock after general elections.

The leaders of three political parties said on Thursday that they had arrived at a deal to form the next government.

A formal signing ceremony to cement their coalition is expected to be held in parliament on Friday, they said.

Im really proud of the negotiations, said New Zealands incoming prime minister Christopher Luxon.

When you see the agreements tomorrow, youll understand how comprehensive they are. Weve covered a tremendous amount of material.

The leader of the centre-right National Party told reporters his swearing-in ceremony will take place on Monday.

The National Party reached an alliance with the conservative Act and populist New Zealand First parties, giving it enough seats to govern.

The agreement breaks nearly six weeks of political deadlock after the 14 October general election.

The National Party had secured a narrow victory over the incumbent Labour party. It had initially clinched a slim majority to form a coalition government with the right-wing Act party.

But this majority had diminished when supplementary voting results, including special votes, were revealed three weeks later.

The National Party had to turn to a third party, the nationalist New Zealand First, to attain the necessary 61-seat majority for government formation.

Mr Luxons party won 38 per cent of the votes, with David Seymours Act and Winston Peterss New Zealand First winning 9 and 6 per cent respectively.

The incoming prime minister said the full coalition deal with the two other parties will be released on Friday, with an announcement of ministerial positions later that afternoon.

Outgoing prime minister Chris Hipkins of the Labour party had declared that he wouldnt work with Mr Peters and conceded to Mr Luxon on election night.

Mr Hipkins had the top job for just nine months after former prime minister Jacinda Arden abruptly stepped down in January, saying she no longer had enough in the tank to do the job justice.
Russian writers Vladimir Sorokin, Lyudmila Ulitskaya and Viktor Erofeev were forced to justify themselves because of reckless autographs that brought money to the Legion of Russia as part of the Armed Forces. The book signed by the Russians was sold at a charity auction.

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The Russian Federation was already preparing to repress the authors, so they refuted the accusation of supporting the Ukrainian army. Their public "repentance" was published by propaganda media.

On October 18 this year, a presentation of the book "Slovo Novo. The Exodus" was presented in Berlin, which was attended by the above-mentioned writers. All of them left an autograph on one of the copies, which was given to the "foreign agent" gallery owner Marat Gelman.

Later, the new owner decided to donate the book with the authors' signatures to help the Legion of Russia in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. "Slovo Novo. Exodus" was sold at an auction in early November, which was reported by Russian "patriots".

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Since they cannot get to the "foreign agent" and the new owner of the book, the organization "Call of the People" filed an application with the IC and the Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation with a request to check the writers for "support of terrorism", as the Legion of Russia is considered a terrorist organization in the country.

It should be added that before this incident, the writers' position was somewhat different. For example, in 2022, the German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung published an article by Sorokin in which he wished Ukraine victory and called the Russian dictator "crazy."

A similar anti-war stance was expressed by Ulitskaya, who emigrated from Russia and talked about the "trauma" for the people. Viktor Erofeev called Vladimir Putin a "gopnik" but "whitewashed" the Russian people.

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Earlier, OBOZ.UA wrote that comedian Pavel Volya proved that he is a mouthpiece of the Kremlin propaganda by telling a monologue about "I love Russia" in the new issue of the Comedy Club show on the Russian TV channel TNT.

Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
Our directory features more than 18 million business listings from across the entire US. However, if we're missing your business, add your business by clicking on Add Your Business.
Rasvan Popescu peste tot

Pentru ca Rasvan Popescu este un membru incremenit in Consiliul National al Audiovizualului, aparitia cartilor sale este semnalata de aproape toate televiziunile. Si lansarile sunt redate pe larg de ele, cu toate tamiierile de rigoare, de parca marele oportunist Rasvan Popescu ar fi un mititel Marin Preda. Omul mediocru a produs deja Omul orchestra! [citeste mai departe]
Halina Bezruk, a famous actress from Kramatorsk, who became famous in her homeland thanks to the TV series Servant of the People, House of Fortune, The Last Muscovite, and others, and now entertains the Russian public for bloody rubles, suddenly became nostalgic for the past. Traitor shared footage from one of her Ukrainian projects, calling that period of her life "another reality."

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The video appeared on Bezruk's InstaStories. This is a fragment from the series The Last Muscovite, where the actress played one of the main roles.

The footage also features Ukrainian actor Volodymyr Horyanskyi and Russian actor Ihor Skrypko, who actually played the role of a "Muscovite."

"It was in some completely different reality... But I will always be grateful to that time for what Igor Skrypka gave me," the traitor signed.

In the video, Bezruk's character is holding a wreath made of flowers picked in the Ukrainian Carpathians. The actress had the audacity to leave a cynical comment about this "accessory" in the frame: "The wreath is like a constant attribute of our history."

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However, it is unlikely that Bezruk was referring to the history of Ukraine. Rather, she was talking about her "history" with the Russian Skrypko. What does the wreath have to do with it? The fact is that the two are currently performing together in the play Viy, based on a story by Nikolai Gogol, in a Moscow theater. There, the Ukrainian native entertains the Russian audience in an embroidered shirt and a wreath. And the "last Muscovite" goes on stage in Ukrainian national clothes. However, both Bezruk and Skrypko remain safely silent about the genocide of the Ukrainian people and the crimes of the Russian occupiers.

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As a reminder, Halina Bezruk is currently entertaining the Russian public. The artist sold herself for bloody rubles, so after the full-scale invasion she stayed in Moscow with her actor husband Artem Alekseev and little daughter Vasilisa, and decided to completely ignore the bloody and destructive war. At the same time, the celebrity's parents currently live in Kyiv. All the details are in our article.

The star's treacherous stance was a real blow to many Ukrainian colleagues who had worked with her. In particular, for Vitalina Bibliv from the TV series "House for Happiness". At first, the actress defended the traitor, but eventually realized that she had deliberately chosen the side of the aggressors.

As OBOZ.UA wrote, Nazar Zadniprovskyi also refused to comment. The People's Artist of Ukraine suggested why Bezruk decided to stay in Russia even after February 24, 2022. And the reasons are not in her husband.

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Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Don't fall for fakes!
A pro-government columnist disputes Telexs image as an independent news outlet.

In Magyar Nemzet, Ferenc Kiss rejects Telexs claim that the government intends to clamp down on independent news outlets. Telex wrote earlier this month that the new legislation the government is preparing entitled the Sovereignty Protection Bill will target independent journalism.



Kiss doesnt believe in the existence of independent journalism and dismisses Telexs claim to independence as unfounded. He quotes an old saying whereby musicians play the music they are being paid for, adding that journalists have their own political leanings which will inevitably be expressed in their articles



. He quotes Telexs own transparency report according to which over half of the new sites expenses are paid for by institutional donors, several of whom, Kiss writes, are foreigners, including the US embassy in Budapest.
The government has submitted to lawmakers a draft bill on protecting national sovereignty and an amendment to the Fundamental Law which opens up the possibility of establishing a Sovereignty Protection Office.

A draft cardinal law on setting up the independent body to protect constitutional identity was published by the justice ministry on its website and the bill submitted late on Tuesday.



The bill states that Hungarian sovereignty is increasingly under illegal attack, and that the 2022 general election campaign of the opposition was influenced by foreign financing.



Hungarian regulations already prohibit parties from accepting foreign money, it states, but the opposition bypassed them by channelling the funds through its political organisations and business associations. So the sovereignty protection office will be tasked with investigating organisations whose activities funded from abroad may influence the outcome of the elections, according to the bill.



The head of the office would be appointed by the President of the Republic at the proposal of the prime minister for a six-year term, starting on February 1, 2024. Further, the Penal Code would be amended: a candidate that made use of foreign money or gained a financial advantage by concealing the origin of the prohibited foreign funding would be criminally liable and face up to three years in prison.



The 12th constitutional amendment also includes the provision of a unique, permanent identifier for the digital management of affairs, while it also states that a trade union may not form or operate in connection with members of the Hungarian Armed Forces.



Opposition Parties Reject Draft Sovereignty Law



Four opposition parties announced on Wednesday that they will submit a joint proposal of a sovereignty law to parliament, saying Hungarys sovereignty should be protected from the government which exposed the country to Russian and Chinese interests.



At a joint press conference of the Democratic Coalition (DK), Momentum, the Socialists and Parbeszed, Timea Szabo of Parbeszed said that the governments proposed legislation, submitted to parliament late last evening, would not improve Hungarys security, independence or sovereignty by an iota.



Szabo said Hungarys security was at risk because it was dependent on Russian gas and because its best farmlands and drinking water are being sold out to Chinese battery factories. The four-party proposal will be submitted next week, and will attempt to truly improve Hungarys security, and stop the country from being sold out to foreign interests, she said.



Momentum head Ferenc Gelencser called the governments draft sovereignty protection law a law designed to intimidate, created on Russian examples.



The law, he said, was a successor of others like the Stop Soros law or the one on the foreign financing of NGOs, legislations that had resulted in infringement procedures in the EU. Should this proposal be adopted, it is sure to result in another procedure, he said, adding that it would become yet another reason for the EU to withhold Hungarys funding.



Zita Gurmai of the Socialists said there is no governance in Hungary, only propaganda. Setting up a propaganda authority is humiliating for the prosecutors office, the police and the national security agencies, and is good for nothing except communication tasks and threatening those opposing Fidesz, she said.



DKs Gergely Arato said it was not the West, but Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his government that were a threat to Hungarys sovereignty, insisting that the government was selling out the country to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinas leadership and Central Asian dictators. He said Hungarians had voted in a referendum to join the EU and NATO and share their sovereignty with those communities.



At a separate press conference, green LMP branded the governments sovereignty bill as unacceptable.



The bill submitted to the parliament late on Tuesday aims to protect the power of the political elite and secure it for the future, Erzsebet Schmuck, the partys co-leader said.



A countrys sovereignty, she said, hinged on how independent its economy was, and if a country was made vulnerable to battery production and depended on foreign capital, it could not be said to be sovereign.



The bill should instead repeal the law on strategic investments, she added.



Deutsch: EP Left-Wing Whipping Up Hysteria but 'We Will Protect Hungarian Sovereignty'



The left-wing majority of the European Parliament, according to Fidesz MEP Tamas Deutsch, is playing a dirty power game to prevent the unfreezing of EU funds which Hungary is legally entitled to.



No matter what the left-wing  does, well defend Hungarian sovereignty, the head of the Fidesz EP delegation told Hungarian journalists in Strasbourg on Tuesday after an EP plenary debate on the rule of law and independence of the judiciary in Hungary.



The aim of the political hysteria whipped up by the left wing, he said, was to put pressure on the European Commission and to create a political environment in which the EC would not have the courage to state the facts and declare that Hungary has met all conditions required for its funding to be unfrozen.



Fidesz and Christian Democrat MEPs stated clearly in the debate that no matter how much pressure Brussels puts Hungary under, they would still insist that war madness must end in Ukraine, that illegal migration must be stopped and the external EU borders protected.



Further, gender ideology madness must be opposed, and children protected, by preserving the Hungarian Child Protection Act, Deutsch said. He added that dollar left MEPs were using the EP to attack their own country.
An independent political analyst describes the Prime Ministers acceptance speech as re-elected chairman as an exercise in self-confidence.

Reviewing the Prime Ministers speech after his re-election as Fidesz chairman at the party congress on Index, Attila Tibor Nagy believes that while Mr Orban uses hard anti-Brussels rhetoric for domestic consumption, he may well prove more compromising in his dealings with the European Union in order to get frozen EU funds released.



Apart from this, Nagy underlines what he sees as a key message of the speech  the importance of leadership stability. Mr Orban, he suggests, told any potential rivals to wait, as he is in good shape and will be just as fit in two years time when the party next decides on its leadership. He encouraged ambitious young politicians in his court, nevertheless, by saying that Fidesz will remain in power until 2060 when he can hardly expect to be still politically active (at 97).



Another element Nagy deems interesting in the speech is the Prime Ministers declaration that he favours green policies without green ideology. He takes that as sign of a new narrative aimed at quelling discontent with the multiple electric car battery factories being built throughout Hungary.



PM Orban Re-Elected Fidesz Chairman

A pro-government pundit celebrates Fidesz unity, while liberal commentators point out that Viktor Orban was the only candidate for party chairman.



In Magyar Nemzet, Otto Gajdics describes Fidesz as Europes most successful political community and points to the indestructible unity of the governing party as a source of hope amidst the multiple crises in todays world and the self-defeating reactions of Europes leaders who are unfit for the job. The main message of the Fidesz Congress was its resolve to protect Hungarys sovereignty against the Soros Empire launching attacks from Brussels and Washington, he suggests.



On 444.hu, Sandor Czinkoczi and Balazs Kristof describe the Fidesz congress as an insignificant political event, given that surprises were out of the question from the outset. There were no competing candidates even for the posts of vice chairmen, they write, let alone for that of party leader. Czinkoczi and Kristof believe that delegates were more interested in the experience of meeting Viktor Orban and feeling part of a political community, than in seeking excitement in the rivalry of a genuine competition.



This opinion does not necessarily represent the views of XpatLoop.com or the publisher.



Your opinions are welcome too - for editorial review before possible publication online.



Click here to Share Your Story



MTI Photo: Szilard Koszticsak
An independent analyst forecasts an unprecedented defeat for the opposition in next years local and European elections.

On Index, Tamas Peter believes Momentum politician Anna Donath is launching one diatribe after another against the Democratic Coalition because she fears that her party is sinking into insignificance. He doesnt disagree with Donaths criticism, but finds it naive to believe that honesty and morality can lead to political success in our post-truth world.



The Democratic Coalition, he writes, is the only professionally organised opposition party today and by far the strongest among at least seven parties that would like to defeat the incumbent government. However, Peter continues, party leader Ferenc Gyurcsany is an extremely divisive political figure, and the DK will therefore never be able to win an election on its own.



Ahead of next years local and European elections, Peter would find it imperative for the opposition parties to unite if they want to avoid a catastrophic defeat.



Bitter Rivalry Prevents Alliance Among Opposition Parties



A left-wing guest-commentator urges opponents of the government to unite for next years elections.

In Nepszava, Bela Fabry laments the fact that opposition politicians lay the emphasis on criticising each other rather than considering victory over the incumbent government as their primary objective. Fabry, who only appears occasionally in public, mentions as an example Momentum luminary Anna Donath who has recently declared an opposition victory unimaginable as long as the Democratic Coalition is the leading force.



He adds that other opposition personalities have shown similar dislike of their rivals, whereby he doesnt find it surprising that the pro-opposition public is growing weary of parties and politics. As a result, NGOs are becoming increasingly popular, and try to increase their influence by dissociating themselves from opposition parties.



However, Fabry writes, such parties and NGOs can only put an end to what he calls the current dictatorship by joining forces. He also urges opposition-leaning analysts to stop suggesting that the incumbent regime cannot be overcome in parliamentary elections. Such analyses, he concludes, clearly play into the governments hands.
This past weekend, around 8,000 people in Budapest heard a hope-filled message as Will Graham shared the Gospel during an event marking the 500th anniversary of when Anabaptist preachers first arrived in the Carpathian Basin.

Source:

ABC




His Excellency the Ambassador of the State of Kuwait Saad Abdullah Saleh A Alasousi. He assumed his duty on September 2019 as the Representative of the State of Kuwait to Hungary.

Ambassador Alasousi was the previous Ambassador to Malaysia, Nigeria, Benin and Cameron. He is living with his family in this beautiful city Budapest, Hungary.



1. When did you arrive in Hungary and what brought you here?

I arrived in August of 2019. Im meant to be here for three to five years, and Ive already spent four years here in Budapest  it really is one of the most beautiful cities that I have ever served in since 1992 when my career began as a diplomat.



2. Have you ever been an expatriate elsewhere?

Well, I started my diplomatic life in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1992 in the department of GCC  the GCC covers the gulf countries of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, Qatar, and Bahrain. Then the first country I served in abroad was The Republic of Iran. Next I served in the United Arab Emirates, from where I was sent to the consulate in Pakistan. After my time in Karachi I was then sent to work in Greece. After my time in Athens I was then nominated to be the first Ambassador to represent Kuwait in Nigeria. My next station was in the beautiful country of Malaysia.



3. What surprised you most about Hungary?

Everthing is surprising here, the architecture of the buildings in Budapest are a beautiful example of this. I personally love the structure and style of the Opera House. You can find a lot about Hungarian culture in the Castle District, the Fisherman's Bastion, and the Basilica Church. There is also the Balaton Lake in the middle of the country, which is surprising.



4. Friends are in Budapest for a weekend - what must they absolutely see and do?

For a short weekend trip I would have chosen the Opera house, as I used to visit prior to the Coronavirus pandemic and construction which effected the beauty of the location. Thankfully the building has been completed recently and we can enjoy shows once again. Hungarian culture can be seen in the Buda Castle, the Fishermans Bastian and the church which are always great to visit. Also the museums in Hungary are a great option, as Kuwaitis are very highly educated and enjoy such culture it would be a good choice.



5. What would you say is your favourite Hungarian food?

Goulash! I like it lightly spicy. I also like Chicken Paprikas. Do you know in the Middle East, and specifically in Kuwait and our region we usually use a lot of spices, and we love the taste of paprika in our food.



6. What is never missing from your refrigerator?

We have everything thats important, so to be honest for me its cheese. I am a cheese lover so have several different kinds of cheese. Also, Hungarian steak is one of the best I have ever had, and overall the Hungarian food its very good, especially the cheese! By the way, one of the biggest factories that produces and exports cheese to Kuwait is in Hungary, its called Hajdu. They export all the kinds of cheeses to Kuwait, and they are considered to be some of the best ones available in Kuwait.



7. Do you have a favourite Hungarian word?

Well, when I was younger I always used to learn the language of the country in which I served. So I speak Persian, English, and little a Greek. The issue with Hungarian is that if you dont mix with people you will not get to learn such a language, and because of Covid I could not really go out, so I missed the chance to learn this language.



8. What do you miss from Kuwait?

At the beginning of my life as an Ambassador it was my family and friends. Clearly you miss your own people. So you know as much as you think that you are living the dream in a beautiful Greek city with beautiful architecture and nice food, you will always miss your culture and your people.



9. If you could choose a different career, what would you choose?

Well this is going to be my next step, within few years after retirement, Im planning to be a professor at a university in Kuwait. I just finished my master degree and Im working on my PhD in public relations.

It is one of my hopes that I can go back to my university and pass on my experience to students from over the last 30 years abroad as a diplomat. In Kuwait we have more than 12 universities in different regions, and I might find one of those to accept me as a professor. I am also working on a book, so hopefully when its finished I can share more of a clear picture about diplomacy and life as an Ambassador. As in reality the life of an ambassador is not as much fun as what many people expect - you can lose contact with your family quite easily.



During my career, I have been working in six countries on five different continents. At first my family came with me everywhere, so they are moving from country to the country, and while they did get new knowledge from living abroad this doesnt give you back the friends left behind in your home country.



10. What is a job you would never want?

Before I became an ambassador, after graduated from high school, I wanted to be a pilot. Back then I became one out of five hundred guys that they nominated to take a pilot exam, and I succeeded. From this 500 they narrowed it down 50, and I was one of them.

Then when at home I told my parents about my progress, and explained that this 50 will sit another exam and have an interview to choose ten pilots. My parents told me I would never get through, so I didnt proceed to the next stage. They explained how dangerous it would be, and I know they wanted to protect me, and so if you ask me about a job I wouldnt do then I say a pilot!



11. Where did you spend your last vacation?

My wife and my daughters usually go to Geneva, and more often to Vienna. We often drive to Vienna from here and stay overnight at weekends.



12. Where do you hope to spend your next holiday?

I am going to Balaton this weekend, after that it will be Geneva, and Vienna again.



13. Apart of temptation what can't you resist?

Number 1 for me is always my family. I do whatever they want, go wherever they want to go. Also, Im a collector of carpets, so whenever I have seen a really nice carpet I cant resist it! When I was in Iran, where as you know they have the best quality carpets, I studied carpet making, how they make it from scratch, how long it takes, which are the best ones, so I have an eye for carpets and which ones are worth buying as investments.



14. What was your favourite hobby as a teenager?

Sailing a catamaran. It is a very physical sport and so I dont do it these days. Also I used to windsurf.



15. What's your favourite drink?

After water, I like to drink fresh juices. There are a few specific ones I like, like green apple with carrots. It is good and full of vitamins, my favourite drink in the mornings.



16. Do you prefer to read a book or watch a film?

Reading a good book, its better than a film because you can experience a special atmosphere and imagine the differences in that way.



17. Morning person or night person?

Morning. I wake up at 6.30am every morning and Im asleep very early, at like 10 oclock.



18. Which social issue do you feel strongly about?

As you may know, Kuwait has a lot of charity associations in Africa, so we usually work as Ambassadors through the embassies to help people in this part of the world.



19. Buda or Pest side?

I would say it really depends on what you are doing. Both are great for different types of fun experiences.



20. What would you say is your personal motto?

What comes first to my mind now is that you should aim to raise your kids for another time not as in your time. So if you want to teach your kids to be successful, dont give them the same schooling you took 40 or 50 years ago. You have to teach them to open their mind and if possible send them to the highest level of education available anywhere in the world. This is what I have done with my children, they studied in the United Kingdom.
If lack of funds is the hurdle to starting your business then its best to start smaller. In actuality, some of the most prosperous businesses in existence today, started as side projects.

In our smart business idea project identification today, we are going to tell you about an incredible business that could be started with less capital but gives you a handsome profit. This is a low-cost, low-effort business, that requires little own contribution and has the potential to yield income in the lakhs. The fact that even housewives can start this business makes it even more special.

According to the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) feasibility report, initiating a Gajak manufacturing venture requires a total investment of Rs 22.37 lakh, out of which you will be required to give Own Contribution of Rs 5.59 lakh. Over a period of five years, you can expect a net profit of upto Rs 14.18 lakh --in the fifth year.

Business Idea: Gajak Making Business

This is a well-liked traditional sweet snack from India. Jaggery and roasted nuts/sesame make this dessert very easy to prepare. Popular with people of all ages, this sweet is also nutrient-rich. We are discussing the business idea of making gajak! There is a huge market for gajak, so launching a gajak-making business will be quite profitable. Gajak could be made with advanced machinery and technology, as well as in the conventional manner. Under the Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana (PMMY), the central government provides help to start the business. For the purpose of launching your business, you can also apply for MUDRA loans under PMMY up to Rs 10 lakh.



Business Idea: Requirements For Gajak Making

The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has prepared a report on how to start a gajak-making business and reap good profits from it. An approximate 2000-2500 Sq.ft total area will be required for a complete factory setup. It is anticipated that the space will be rented. Plant and machinery will be needed. Additionally, manpower and miscellaneous assets will be required for starting the business.



Business Idea: Cost Of Gajak-Making Unit



A feasibility analysis by the KVIC states that starting a gajak manufacturing venture will cost a total of Rs 22.37 lakh, out of which you will be required to give your own contribution of Rs 5.59 lakh. There will be Rs. 5.00 lakhs in working capital. The estimated annual sales turnover will be Rs 86.13 Lakhs.

Gajak Manufacturing Business COST OF PROJECT: Rs. 22.37 Lakhs

Particulars Amount- Land Own/Rented

Particulars Amount

Land Own/Rented

Plant & Machinery: Rs 14.10 lakh

Miss Assets: Rs 1.60 lakh

Furniture & Fixtures

Working Capital: Rs 6.67 lakh

Total = Rs 22.37 lakh

Gajak Manufacturing Business MEANS OF FINANCE

Own Contribution: Rs 5.59 Lakhs

Working Capital (Finance): Rs 5.00 Lakhs

Term Loan: Rs 11.78 Lakhs

Total = 22.37 Lakhs



Business Idea: Profit From Gajak Making Business

Making gajaks is a lucrative self-employment venture. Your gajak-making business can yield substantial profits. The KVIC report projects that the estimated annual sales turnover from gajak making will be Rs 86.13 Lakhs.



The KVIC feasible report giving a Five Year's Projected Profitability Statement on Gajak Manufacturing Business said that in the first year you can see a net profit of Rs 2.31 lakh, Rs 5 lakh in the second year, Rs 7.47 lakh in the third year, Rs 10.79 lakh in the fourth year and Rs 14.18 lakh in the fifth year.

You can quickly take over the market if you are launching your product under a fresh brand and using contemporary technology in its production. You can make lakhs of rupees from your gajak-making business if you market it well. To market your product locally, get in touch with local distributors. Additionally, you can accept orders from stores and supermarkets to sell your gajaks.

(Disclaimer: This article is for sole information purpose and for readers' project identification. The earning calculator is also mostly based on assumptive figures to give an example of certain type as mentioned by KVIC previous estimates. The Zee News article does not intend to give any financial advice of any sorts. For initiating any venture, you must do your own due diligence and market research.)
New Delhi: The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved acquisition of additional shareholding in CaratLane Trading Private Limited (CaratLane) by Titan Company Limited (Titan).

The proposed combination relates to the acquisition by Titan of 27.18% share capital of CaratLane (a subsidiary of Titan), on a fully diluted basis, from Mithun Padam Sacheti, Siddhartha Padam Sacheti, and Padamchand Sacheti.

Titan, a public listed company, is active in several business through lifestyle brands including, jewellery, eyecare, fragrances, fashion accessories, and Indian dress wear.

CaratLane is a private limited company engaged in the business of manufacture and sale of gems and jewellery in India.

Detailed order of the CCI will follow, said Competition Commission of India release.
If you've ever asked yourself how often our childhood dreams (of becoming someone) are realized in adult life, expectations and reality often do not coincide. A study of your closest social circle shows that only 15% of these dreams come true. What is the reason for this?

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When we are young, we are not afraid to dream, and our even absurd ideas seem to always come true. But with each new year of life, a person acquires more restrictions, limits, and stereotypes. And already at a conscious age, they face a kind of crisis of values, feeling a strong need for change. And, unfortunately, they often choose the path not according to the call of the heart, but try to meet someone's expectations (mostly their parents').

In one of his works, Zen master and writer John Daido Lurie noted: "It doesn't matter where creativity comes from. It is important that it is in each of us and is just waiting for expression!". And this is scientifically proven - everyone has creative inclinations, although not everyone can always see them. Today, there is a trend of life-long learning, and at the age of 25-35, despite the fear of the unknown, people are ready to "start over". And it's great not to be afraid to realize your childhood dream. Someone tries to become an actress, someone tries to write their first script, and someone is ready to take out a loan and produce their own movie.

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In most cases, this desire is an opportunity to fulfill one of their needs:

self-expression and self-affirmation,

spiritual growth and self-actualization,

enjoyment of the process,

reduce anxiety and stress levels,

preserving the productivity of brain activity.

Of course, not everyone who receives a degree in the creative industry becomes an outstanding personality. But everyone who chooses to develop their creative potential gains a number of privileges by default. One of the main ones is the ability to recognize oneself and perhaps even rethink life. In addition, there are a number of biological, psychological, and physical indicators that improve due to involvement in the creative sphere. And this is not to mention the development of aesthetic taste, more developed imagination, and the ability to observe and analyze.

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In addition, the development of creative potential helps a person gain freedom, and engaging in creative activities is akin to a meditative state. A person is immersed in the process and concentrates on their inner world, disconnecting from external stimuli. At the same time, scientists emphasize that people who are fond of creativity have a better ability to cope with negative emotions and solve problems faster. And research into neural processes has already shown that people of art use a different way of understanding the world. This is usually called creativity, which helps people feel happier.

While conducting research in the field of creative therapy, Girija Kaimal concluded that even a single creative activity reduces cortisol levels. At the same time, psychologists and art experts claim that creative activity increases activity in the prefrontal cortex, stimulating the brain's reward system. A person who is engaged in creativity for 15-20 minutes increases their ability to find new ideas and solve complex tasks (problems).

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Progressive medicine also uses creativity as a treatment tool. Art therapy today is a popular "pill" in modern medical centers. Patients who, in addition to taking medication, are engaged in painting (for example), experience better sleep, lessening of symptoms of illness, as well as increased social activity and reduced anxiety. Of course, creativity has a positive effect on emotions, but most importantly, it reduces the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease by stimulating brain activity.

An interesting fact is that people who are simultaneously engaged in "drawing" during meetings or conferences memorize 29% more information than their (at first glance) more attentive colleagues.

However, creative expression can also be found in meaningful movie watching. According to scientists, certain movie genres promote the production of hormones. Thus, watching a comedy not only relieves irritation, but also helps the immune system by releasing endorphins. A team from the University of Maryland (UMMS) noted in their study that watching comedies dilates blood vessels, increases blood flow, and thus laughter protects the heart, reducing the likelihood of attacks in various diseases. While watching horror increases blood pressure and promotes heart palpitations. And fear in moderate doses speeds up the metabolism and strengthens resistance to diseases.

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Today, being creative is a natural desire and a form of adaptation to any life situation. And thanks to creative self-knowledge, a person avoids feelings of dissatisfaction and sees more value in his or her own path. And the eternal question "What is the meaning of life?" finds its answer, at least, in meaning.
Delhi Nursery Admission 2024: The Directorate of Education, DOE, will start accepting applications for Delhi Nursery Admissions 2024 today. Last year, registration began in March, but this year, admissions will begin in January. The admissions process will begin on November 23, and applications must be submitted by December 15. The initial list of selected candidates will be revealed on January 12, 2024, with the admission process ending on March 8, 2024.

Schools have also been given the option of providing their own preference criteria. Some schools have decided to reward points if a candidate's parents or siblings attended the same school, if the candidate is a girl, if the applicant has special needs, or if the candidate is the child of a single parent. The majority of institutions will perform registration online, and the first list will be posted on January 12, 2024. Private schools set aside 25% of their seats for economically disadvantaged (EWS), impoverished, and disabled pupils, with separate waiting lists for each category.

Delhi Nursery Admission 2024: Steps to apply here

 Go to the nearest government school

 Get a form from the school

 Fill out the form, attach a photo, and the necessary papers

 Drop the form into the drop box.

Some schools may require applicants to apply through their official website. The maximum age requirement for nursery admission is three years, four years for KG, and five years for class one.

Delhi Nursery Admission 2024: Eligibility

The entry age limit for pre-school, pre-primary, and class 1 admissions is four years, five years, and six years, respectively. The Directorate of Education centralises and conducts online admission for 25% of seats in each private school for economically disadvantaged students.
Kollam: Justice Fathima Beevi, an iconic figure in the Indian judiciary and the first woman judge of the Supreme Court, passed away at the age of 96 in a private hospital in Keralas Kollam district on Friday.

From Supreme Court Judge To Governor

Justice Fathima Beevi not only broke gender barriers but also etched her name in history as the first woman judge of the Supreme Court. Her remarkable career extended beyond the judiciary, serving as the Governor of Tamil Nadu from 1997 to 2001. Additionally, she played a pivotal role as the inaugural chairperson of the Commission for Backward Classes and as a distinguished member of the Central Human Rights Commission.

Recipient Of Kerala Prabha Award

In recognition of her outstanding contributions, Justice Fathima Beevi received the prestigious Kerala Prabha Award in 2023, a testament to her dedication and impact on society.

Nation Mourns Fathima Beevis Demise

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan expressed heartfelt condolences, emphasizing Justice Fathima Beevi's unparalleled role in advancing women's rights. He noted her exceptional journey, from overcoming educational challenges for women to ascending to the highest echelons of the judiciary.

The Chief Minister highlighted Justice Beevi's unique ability to transform societal challenges into opportunities, inspiring not only women but society as a whole. Her significant contributions to human rights, both as a member of the National Human Rights Commission and during her tenure as Tamil Nadu Governor, underscore her constitutional wisdom.

Tributes From Leaders Across The Spectrum

Political leaders from various parties, ministers, and opposition figures united in expressing their condolences. State Health Minister Veena George hailed Justice Fathima Beevi's courage and resilience, citing her as a role model who defied adversity through unwavering willpower and purpose. "She was a brave woman who had many records to her name. She was a personality who through her own life showed that willpower and a sense of purpose can overcome any adversity," George said in a statement.

As India mourns the loss of a legal luminary and trailblazer, Justice Fathima Beevi's legacy will forever shine as a beacon of inspiration for generations to come.
New Delhi: The government has decided to take urgent steps to deal with the menace of deepfake technology, which can create fake and misleading videos and images using artificial intelligence. The Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology and Communications, Ashwini Vaishnaw, convened a meeting with key stakeholders, including social media platforms, government officials, and cybersecurity experts, on Thursday.

The minister said that the meeting was held to formulate a comprehensive strategy to combat the challenges posed by deepfake content. He said that the strategy would focus on four aspects: detection, prevention, reporting mechanism, and awareness. He said that deepfake had emerged as a huge social threat and needed immediate action.

He also said that new regulations would be brought in to address the issue and the drafting of the regulations would be completed in the coming weeks. He said that all the stakeholders had agreed on the seriousness of the threat and the need for heavier regulation. He said that deepfake was not free speech, but something that was really harmful for the society.

The minister also shared a video that he said showed an entrance to a secret tunnel of the militant group Hamas under a civilians home near a hospital in Gaza. He said that the video was an example of how deepfake technology could be used to spread misinformation and propaganda.

The meeting was attended by social media companies, NASSCOM, and professors working on artificial intelligence. The minister said that the next meeting on the issue of deepfake would be held in the first week of December. He said that the government was committed to safeguarding the society from the detrimental impacts of deepfake technology.
New Delhi: New Delhi: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for several districts in the southern state of Kerala. According to the met department Pathanamthitta, Kozhikode and Idukki districts are expected to witness heavy to very heavy rainfall during the next 24 hours.

IMD has also issued a yellow alert for Thiruvananthapuram, Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Palakkad, Malappuram and Wayanad districts and predicted heavy rainfall at isolated places in the region. Light to medium downpour is likely in the state for the next 2-3 days.

Heads up, North Kerala! Brace for isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall (115.6 to 204.4 mm) on November 23rd. Stay prepared and stay informed! pic.twitter.com/GPl3JVvedc  India Meteorological Department (@Indiametdept) November 23, 2023

Tamil Nadu has also been witnessing heavy downpours for a couple of days now and the Met Department has further forecasted heavy rainfall in the state. According to IMD's bulletin, heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely to occur at isolated places over the Nilgiris, Theni and Thenkasi and Coimbatore districts.

OrangeAlert! #TamilNadu, get ready for heavy rainfall ahead. Isolated areas may experience up to 204.4mm of rain on November 23rd, so stay extra weather-wise and safe! Share this to spread the word & stay safe! pic.twitter.com/4z2rhBlgkl  India Meteorological Department (@Indiametdept) November 23, 2023

Heavy rains are also likely to lash the isolated places over Erode, Tiruppur, Dindigul, Madurai, Virudhunagar, Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi districts of Tamil Nadu. Persistent and intense rainfall has led to waterlogging in various regions of the Ghat areas in Tamil Nadu. Residents are urged to avoid unpaved roads and densely populated areas for safety.
New Delhi: Israel has released a video that it claims shows a secret tunnel of the militant group Hamas under a civilians home near a hospital in Gaza. The video, shared by IDF on X, shows an Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari walking through the damaged home and entering the tunnel.

Hagari said that the tunnel was hidden under the floor of a room that had a chalkboard and looked like a classroom. He said that the tunnel was part of a network that ran underneath the Al-Shifa hospital and other locations. He said that Hamas used the hospital and the homes as a human shield and a safe haven for their terrorists.

The video shows Hagari descending into the tunnel, which had a spiral staircase leading down. He did not show what was beyond the staircase. He then came back to the house and showed the classroom again. He said that Hamas had built the tunnel in a room that should have provided education for children.

He said that Hamas had chosen the most barbaric and cynical way to use children as a cover for their activities. He said that this was what Israel was fighting against.

Israel-Hamas Hostage Swap, Ceasefire Deal

The hostage swap deal between Israel and Hamas, which was supposed to start on Thursday, has been postponed by a day, a senior US official said. The official said that the decision was made by Israel, Qatar and Egypt, with the US being informed. The official said that more time was needed to finalize the details and to avoid any mishaps.

According to the deal, Hamas will release 50 Israeli hostages, including children, their mothers and other women, in exchange for a four-day ceasefire and the release of 150 Palestinian prisoners, mostly women and minors.

The US official said that there was no reason to panic yet, as Israel had not received the list of the first group of hostages to be freed by Hamas, which was expected on Wednesday night. The official said that the situation would be worrisome if there was still no list by Thursday night.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi got emotional during a rally in poll-bound Rajasthan as he acknowledged the presence of 95-year-old BJP leader Dharam Chand Derasariya in the general audience. Speaking at the rally in Rajsamand's Deogarh, PM Modi said, "Today, I saw Derasariya ji who devoted almost six decades of his life to the party and now at this age he is sitting among the audience, is blessing each of us."

"Today is the last day of campaigning in Rajasthan and this is my last program. Our campaign added a feather to the cap when we got his blessings," PM Modi further said as he became emotional on seeing the veteran party leader. PM extended greetings and showed respect to the 95-year-old leader by folding his hands, a gesture that was widely appreciated by everyone in attendance at the rally.

VIDEO | "Derasariya Ji spent nearly six decades for this ideology, and is now blessing us while sitting down there," said PM Modi as he recognised a senior party worker sitting in the crowd during his rally in Deogarh, Rajasthan. pic.twitter.com/ZbcAM65ukU  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) November 23, 2023

Meanwhile, in another election rally on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hit out at the Congress leadership, accusing it of indulging in 'dynastic' politics and said that the grand old party strives to 'punish' its leader Sachin Pilot for his father's revolt against high command in 1996.

"You know the history of Congress. Whomsoever tries to raise his voice against wrongdoings in the party, will lose political space because of the high command sitting in Delhi. Rajesh Pilot only once raised his voice against Congress and that too for the betterment of the Congress, but the party is punishing Sachin Pilot to date. Rajesh Pilot is no more but Congress is with a feeling of rancour for his son," The PM said.Notably, Congress leader Rajesh Pilot was considered to be one of the few in the party's governing body who argued against putting forth Sonia Gandhi as the party's prime ministerial candidate

. On November 25, elections will be conducted for 199 seats in Rajasthan. The polling in the Karanpur constituency was postponed following the demise of Congress candidate Gurmeet Singh Koonar. The election results are scheduled to be declared on December 3. In the 2018 Assembly polls, the Congress secured 99 seats, whereas the BJP won 73.

On November 25, elections will be conducted for 199 seats in Rajasthan. The polling in the Karanpur constituency was postponed following the demise of Congress candidate Gurmeet Singh Koonar. The election results are scheduled to be declared on December 3. In the 2018 Assembly polls, the Congress secured 99 seats, whereas the BJP won 73.
Rajouri: The security forces on Thursday shot dead two terrorists, one of them associated with Lashar-e-Taiba, in the ongoing anti-terror operation after a fierce encounter broke out in the Bajimaal area of Dharmsal in the Rajouri district yesterday. One of the two slain terrorists has been identified as Quari, a Pakistani national.

Tragically, one more Indian Army jawan lost his life in the ongoing gun battle in Rajouri. In total, five Army personnel have lost their lives in the ongoing anti-terror operation in the area.

The killing of two terrorists comes hours after the tragic death of four Army personnel in the Rajouri-Bajimal encounter. News agency ANI cited defence officials as saying: "One more terrorist has been neutralised by security forces in the ongoing counter-terrorist operation in Rajauri. weapons and ammunition have also been recovered from the encounter location. More details are awaited."

The PRO Defence Jammu earlier said that a terrorist, who was killed during the operation, was trained on the Pakistan and Afghanistan fronts. He was a high-ranked LeT terrorist who had been active in the Rajouri-Poonch region along with his group for the past year. He was also believed to be the mastermind of the Dangri and Kandi attacks.

Believed to be an expert in IEDs, he was sent to revive terrorism in the region. He was a trained sniper, who was operating from the caves and hiding there, the PRO Defence Jammu added.

J&K | Rajouri encounter: One terrorist named Quari has been killed in an ongoing operation. The individual is a Pak National. He has been trained on the Pak & Afghan Front. He is a highly-ranked terrorist leader of Lashkar-e-Taiba. He has been active in Rajouri-Poonch along with  ANI (@ANI) November 23, 2023

This is the second day of the encounter that broke out between terrorists and joint forces of the Army and J&K Police in the Bajimaal area of Dharmsal in the Rajouri district. On Wednesday, four army personnel, including two officers, lost their lives in an ongoing encounter with terrorists in the Rajouri.

#WATCH | An encounter is underway between terrorists and joint forces of Army & J-K Police in the Bajimaal area of Dharmsal in the Rajouri district.



Four Army personnel including two officers & two jawans have lost their lives in an ongoing encounter



(Visuals deferred by pic.twitter.com/N00YreU8ni  ANI (@ANI) November 23, 2023

The four martyred army officials include two officer-ranked personnel and two jawans. Sources said that troops, including Special Forces, were deployed in the area after inputs were received about the movement of a group of terrorists in the area.

"16 Corps Commander and Rashtriya Rifles' Romeo Force commander are monitoring the operations closely," sources said. Based on specific intelligence, joint operations were launched in the Kalakote Area, Gulabgarh Forest, and Rajouri District.

"The terrorists have been injured and surrounded and operations are in progress, " the Indian Army's White Knight Corps said on the ongoing anti-terror operation in the Kalakote area of Rajouri, J&K.

"Contact was established on November 22 and an intense firefight ensued. The terrorists have been injured and surrounded and operations are in progress, amidst acts of valour and sacrifice by our own bravehearts in trying to prevent collateral damage to women and children in the highest traditions of the Indian Army," the Indian Army's White Knight Corps said.
JAIPUR: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he won't come here and show his face to the people after November 25, the day polling for the assembly elections will be held across the state. Addressing a press conference, CM Gehlot said, ''Thy (BJP) could not topple the governments in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh so now the PM and his entire team is camping here in Rajasthan but they will be staying here only till November 25 elections. After that, PM Modi will not show his face to you all."

Attacking the PM, Gehlot said that the PM and his party - BJP - are nervous at the moment as they know that they losing badly in Rajasthan.

Referring to the Mahadev App controversy, Gehlot said, "The way these people do conspiracies, recently the matter of Mahadev App came forward, and they had conspired to arrest Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel...I feel sad...they are making the PM talk about the Mahadev App and the Read Diary, after planning about it...There is no proper investigation, nothing solid and PM is speaking about it...They had a conspiracy to arrest him (Bhupesh Baghel)...ED and IT had raided 50 times in Rajasthan, did any politician or bureaucrat get caught?"

The Rajasthan Chief Minister also lashed out at the BJP government at the Centre, alleging that central agencies like ED and CBI are being misused to topple governments in non-BJP-ruled states. Attacking the Centre, CM Gehlot said, "These agencies (ED, IT) are important, their actual work is for the economic offender...their attention should be directed there so that the country's economy remains strong and economic offences don't take place.''

The Rajasthan Congress veteran went on to say, ''Their work (in that direction) has ceased for nine years, just making the government topple and rise and for that, they threaten MLAs to make them change their party. They are trying to make the government topple in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra...with ED's pressure and IT raid...People are not liking this."

Gehlot also said that the decision about his political future would be taken by the Congress High Command. Gehlot said, "My role has always been whatever the high command wants. I do not decide my own role. The role that high command will give me, I will stick to that" The Rajasthan Chief Minister, however, expressed confidence about bucking anti-incombency in getting a majority mandate in Rajasthan.

The reactions from CM Gehlot came in response to PM Narendra Modi's prediction that Congress will not be able to form the government in the state this time. "Today, taking the blessings of Mavji Maharaj Ji, I am daring to make a prediction. It is the power of this holy land that this thought has come to my mind and I am taking this courage by seeking forgiveness from Mavji Maharaj. People of Rajasthan should write what I am saying- the prediction is that Ashok Gehlot's government will never be formed in Rajasthan," PM Modi said.

PM Modi made this remark while addressing a public rally in Dungarpur's Sagwara in poll-bound Rajasthan. He also criticised the Gehlot government over the paper leak issue and said that the dreams of youths have been shattered due to its awful policies for education.

The Prime Minister also accused the state government of practising 'scams' in all the government appointments. "...Because of bad governance of Congress, dreams of youths have been shattered...The Congress government in Rajasthan has done scams in all the government appointments... This is an injustice to your children...", PM Modi said.

Taking a swipe at Congress, the PM said that guarantees of Modi start at the point where people give up their hopes in Congress on the issue of welfare schemes. "Gareeb kalyan, jan kalyan ke prati jahan congress se ummeed khatam hoti hai waha se Modi ki gurantee shuru hoti hai," the PM said.

He further urged people to elect the Bharatiya Janata Party to power and said that it is important to oust the Congress from power so that all the central government schemes can be implemented faster in the state.

In a jibe at Rajasthan CM, PM Modi said that the people are denying to vote for Ashok Gehlot this time. "Wherever Congress leaders are going to seek votes, they are getting only one answer - 'Gehlot ji, koni mile vote ji (Gehlot ji, you will not get the votes).

Gehlot on Tuesday made an emotional appeal to voters to consider his image, even if the local candidate has limited impact, stating, "Imagine that I am contesting from all these 200 seats." "There are 200 candidates contesting the election, I got requests from around 150 places but I can't go everywhere for the campaign, so I am appealing to everyone that you imagine that I am contesting the election from all these 200 seats. I request you to repeat this government again. You (people) don't have to see who is contesting from the local level," Gehlot said while speaking to ANI.

Rajasthan is set for assembly polls on November 25, with votes to be counted on December 3. Of the 200 assembly seats, 199 will be contested on November 25, as elections in the Karanpur constituency were adjourned due to the passing of the Congress candidate Gurmeet Singh Koonar.

In 2018, the Congress won 99 seats, while the BJP won 73. Gehlot assumed the CM position with the support of BSP MLAs and Independents. The 2023 Rajasthan Assembly elections are likely to be a two-way contest between the ruling Indian National Congress (INC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), even as various regional and smaller parties will try to make an impact.
About successful success

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Have you ever wondered why popular books on how to become a millionaire never make any of their readers a millionaire?

Why do successful companies like Apple, MicroSoft, Alphabet, and Netflix appear once a decade, even though their success stories have been shelved, studied, and even filmed in a major motion picture?

The answer is simple:

- Any success story is always about luck (!), with the most valuable information remaining in the minds of those who failed to succeed.

This phenomenon was first described during World War II.

The mathematician Abraham Wald studied the location of holes received by American bombers during combat missions.

The wings, stabilizers, and fuselage were most often hit by enemy fire, while the cockpit, engines, and fuel system received the fewest holes. It would seem that the places that had suffered the most damage should be reinforced, but Wald decided otherwise.

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He correctly assumed that the very fact that the aircraft was able to return to the base with such damage meant that it was not critical, and that it was necessary to strengthen the parts of the hull that remained intact.

This conclusion was confirmed after the war ended, when downed planes were recovered from forests and swamps.

It turned out that they had been damaged in exactly the places Wald had mentioned: the engines, fuel system, and cockpit.

With such damage, the plane could not fly - either the pilot was killed, or all the fuel leaked out, or the engine was jammed, but the base did not and could not know about all this, because the plane simply did not reach it.

As a result, the engineers collected all the statistical information about the damage from the returning planes, but there was no information about the lost machines.

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We see the same mistake in the business environment.

People strive to study the biographies of successful businessmen thoroughly, attend their trainings, buy their books on how to succeed, but even if they follow all this advice exactly, they do not succeed.

The reason is the same as in the case of the Waldo bombers: millionaires' books contain the most useless piece of information - what to do and how to behave when conditions are most favorable.

There is not a word in these books about what to do when everything turns against you.

The most useful information comes from people who have tried to build a business and failed, but they don't write books, and even if they did, no one would buy them.

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The statistics are inexorable: 90 to 95% of all businesses fail in the first five years, and another 80% of those that stay afloat in the next five years.

As a result, after 10 years, only 1-2% of startups have a sustainable business, while the rest are ruined.

And the 1-2% who stayed afloat did so not because they did everything better than everyone else or calculated all the risks in advance, but simply because they were in the right place at the right time.

They will not be able to repeat their success from scratch, and in science, an experiment that cannot be repeated using the same sequence of actions is called a fluke.

The moral of the story is this:

1. Analyze other people's mistakes. You can't have someone else's success.

2. Do not give up, all successful people have gone through losses and failures more than once

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3. Create your own story and your own success)) it is only yours!)

This is a fairly old text, I will add on my own:

When I was doing an internship at a Swiss private pension fund, I was surprised by the age of the portfolio managers: all of them were well over 50 years old (!).

My managers were 25 years old at the time.

When I asked why there were no younger people in the team, I was told: "Each of our managers has lived through at least two (!) economic crises.

They are not afraid of them, they know how to recognize them, how to go through them with minimal losses, without making mistakes, and how to get out of them correctly..."

That was 2006.

And then came my year 2008.)I remember our losses well and how we got out of that crisis.

By the way, the company's strategy, which was updated at that time, created a number of new businesses that are still successfully operating today.

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In that crisis period, we helped our clients to go through this time with minimal losses and quickly take leadership positions after the crisis.

What else is worth adding;

The success of each country is also unique and there is no point in blindly copying solutions. Ukraine's success will be the result of our own path and our own "Project Ukraine"!

Read, draw conclusions, look not only at the successful experience of others, but build your own success story!
NEW DELHI: Actor Suriya has been busy with the shooting of his upcoming film 'Kanguva', a Tamil period-drama. The film is directed by Siruthai Siva and the shooting has been taking place at a film city in Chennai. According to TOI report, a grand set has been erected by the makers for the shoot of film.

The latest report stated that a rope camera lost control during the shooting of 'Kanguva' and it fell on Suriya, thus leaving him injured. The report further mentioned that the actor suffered injuries on his shoulder after which the shoot was halt.



Fortunately, it was a minor mishap and no major injury was caused to Suriya. According to another report, the actor has been advised by the doctor for a two-week bed rest.



Meanwhile, Suriya was expected to wrap up the film for his portions in 'Kanguva' this month and the entire filming was slated to be over by next month. However, with the latest development, there may be a slight delay in production.



'Kanguva' was announced in August 2022 with the tentative title 'Suriya 42' as it became Suriya's 42nd film in a leading role. The shooting of the film has taken place in Goa, Kerala, Kodaikanal, and Rajahmundry. The official title 'Kanguva' was announced in April 2023.



'Kanguva' stars Suriya in six roles, leading an ensemble cast that includes Disha Patani and Bobby Deol, alongside Natarajan Subramaniam, Jagapathi Babu, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley, Kovai Sarala, Anandaraj, Ravi Raghavendra, K. S. Ravikumar, and B. S. Avinash. The film will mark the Tamil debut of Disha and Bobby.



It is scheduled to be released theatrically in early 2024 in standard, 3D and IMAX formats. The official release date of the film is yet to be announced.


New Delhi: The mild-winter morning was set ablaze with the dynamic presence of the stellar cast of 'Animal'. Ranbir Kapoor, Bobby Deol, Rashmika Mandanna, producer Bhushan Kumar and director Sandeep Reddy Vanga arrived at the trailer launch of their action thriller film.

Expressing his earnest desire for future parts of 'Animal', Ranbir said, "It was an incredible experience so far. If Animal works by god's grace, then Animal Part 2 and Part 3 should also get made up."

Helmed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, 'Animal' is all about a father-son relationship where Ranbir Kapoor's father is played by Anil Kapoor. The 3-minute-32-second trailer hinted that Ranbir's character has turned into a criminal because of his violent upbringing during his younger age.

However, Ranbir's character is protective and obsessive about his father's love. Ranbir threatens everybody who comes in the way of his love for his father. National crush Rashmika Mandanna glowed as Ranbir's love interest.

Bobby Deol is playing the antagonist in the film, who sets a thrist trap. The younger Deol is stylish yet sets a menacing appearance in the trailer.

Speaking about the film and his character, Ranbir said, "It was a deliberate choice on my part to explore a different side of myself on-screen with 'Animal'. As an actor, I always strive to challenge myself and push the boundaries of my abilities. 'Animal' presented a unique opportunity to break away from my previous on-screen image and delve into a character that is multi-dimensional and complex."

He continued, "I believe it's important for actors to constantly evolve and surprise audiences and 'Animal' allowed me to do just that. I hope viewers will appreciate this new facet of my performance and enjoy the film as much as I did while working on it."



'Animal' is all set to hit the theatres on December 1 and will be released in 5 languages- Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam.
NEW DELHI: Despite recent efforts to tackle air pollution, Delhi woke up to another day of 'very poor' air quality on Thursday, highlighting the ongoing battle against environmental hazards. The System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR-India) reported an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 324 on Thursday morning.

A closer look at the Central Pollution Control Board's (CPCB) data reveals the severity of the situation at different locations. At Anand Vihar, the AQI reached 387 (very poor), while ITO in Delhi recorded 343 (very poor). Wazirpur, Delhi, experienced a concerning AQI of 422 (severe), and RK Puram was not far behind at 415 (severe). Okhla Phase-2, Delhi, faced an alarming AQI of 406 (severe) at 7:00 AM.

#WATCH | The Air Quality Index (AQI) across Delhi continues to be in 'Severe' category in some areas as per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).



(Visuals from India Gate, shot at 6:30 am) pic.twitter.com/KWya28WnmO November 23, 2023

Understanding the Air Quality Index

The Air Quality Index, ranging from 0 to 500, serves as a crucial tool in conveying air quality levels. A score of 0-100 is considered good, 100-200 is moderate, 200-300 is poor, 300-400 is very poor, and 400-500 or above is categorized as severe.

Regulations Eased In Delhi, But Challenges Persist

While there was a brief improvement in Delhi's air quality last week, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) lifted restrictions imposed under GRAP 4. However, the battle against pollution remains evident, with trucks and buses allowed back into the city.

Penalise Farmers Burning Stubble: SC

The Supreme Court, addressing the severity of the situation, suggested economic repercussions for farmers engaging in stubble burning. It proposed depriving them of Minimum Support Price (MSP) benefits as a measure to discourage harmful practices contributing to air pollution. This suggestion emerged during a hearing related to the escalating air pollution crisis in Delhi-NCR.

NGT Expresses Dissatisfaction, Calls For Action

Expressing dissatisfaction with the authorities' efforts, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) instructed them to "take all reasonable measures to improve the quality of air in Delhi." Suo motu cognizance was taken following a media report on the deteriorating air quality in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR). The court has demanded a comprehensive action taken report within a week, highlighting the urgency of addressing the environmental crisis.

Citing the Air Quality Index on November 20, the court questioned the authorities' claims of taking effective measures, emphasizing the lack of significant improvement in Delhi's air quality. The battle against air pollution in the nation's capital remains a pressing concern that demands immediate and effective action.
New Delhi: Kerala Congress on Thursday organised an event to express solidarity with the people of Palestine amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Kozhikode and supported the idea of a free Palestine. Along with state party leaders, the event was attended by Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor and Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal.

In his speech at the event, Tharoor launched a blistering attack on Centre for defying the country's decade-old foreign policy by abstaining from voting for the UN General Assembly's resolution on the Israel war. "Modi government's foreign policy is against the decade-old policy followed by India. UN General Assembly passed a resolution on the humanitarian truce in the Israel-Gaza war. Mahatma Gandhis country did not vote for it. We abstained from voting," said Shashi Tharoor.

Speaking on the allegation of Congress for not addressing the Israel-Palestine issue due to ongoing election campaigns, Tharoor asserted that Sonia Gandhi released an opinion piece on issues and Priyanka Gandhi also spoke about the same during the election campaign.

"There is an accusation that Congress is not talking about the Israel-Palestine issue because Assembly elections are being held. I want to clarify that during the election campaign, Sonia Gandhi released an opinion piece on the Israel-Palestine war on October 30 and Priyanka Gandhi also spoke about the issue during the election campaign," said Tharoor.

#WATCH | Kerala Congress organises an event to express solidarity with the people of Palestine amid Israel-Hamas conflict, in Kozhikode pic.twitter.com/sarsYyFpb3 November 23, 2023

Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal also hit out at the Centre for abstaining from voting on UNGC's resolution and said that the Congress party supports the negotiations for free Palestine. "Our resolution says that we are with Palestine. We need to support the negotiations to free Palestine. India did not vote on the UN resolution for a truce that could lead to a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war,"said Congress Gen Secy.
New Delhi: For 12 days now over 40 laborers remain trapped inside the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi after one of its portions collapsed on November 12. Rescue teams are tirelessly working around the clock to safely extract the 41 trapped laborers. In Today's DNA, Zee News anchor Sourabh Raaj Jain analysed the ongoing rescue operation in Uttarakhand to save the labourers trapped in the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi.

This uncertainty arises from the ongoing obstacles hindering the rescue team's progress, making it challenging to determine when the workers will emerge. A notable obstacle confronted the rescue team late on Thursday night.

When the rescue operation commenced, the primary challenge for the team was addressing the large iron rods obstructing the path. While diamond blades could have been an option, the increased friction and resultant vibrations in the tunnel made this method less desirable. Consequently, the team opted for manual cutting using gas cutters. Members of the rescue team affixed oxygen gas cylinders to their backs and reached the location of the iron rods, with a limited one-hour backup. This constraint necessitated the team to expedite their work, and within six hours, the iron rods were successfully cut.
NEW DELHI: In a bold rebuttal to Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's allegations of a 'BJP conspiracy' in the Lal Diary scandal, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday asserted that it's not the saffron party seeking answers but the people of Rajasthan themselves. Shah, addressing a press conference, threw down the gauntlet, challenging Gehlot and the Congress to investigate the matter if they suspect foul play by the BJP.

Congress Govt Under Fire For Inaction, Appeasement Politics

Shah didn't mince words as he criticized the Congress government in Rajasthan for its lack of action in safeguarding the interests of the people, particularly women and Dalits. He highlighted the state's tumultuous five-year period marked by allegations of nepotism, corruption, and a politics of appeasement, with women and Dalits bearing the brunt of the consequences.

Expressing confidence in the BJP's poll prospects, Shah, who has extensively toured Rajasthan, pointed to a prevailing mood for change among the people. He suggested that Rajasthan, historically aligned with PM Modi and the BJP, is ready to bid farewell to the ineffectual Congress government. Shah said that he anticipates a significant victory for the BJP in the upcoming assembly elections.

In a fiery speech earlier, Shah likened the Congress party and the Gandhi family to the "Rahu and Ketu" of India, attributing India's challenges to their influence. He claimed that the people of Rajasthan have exposed the shortcomings of the Gehlot-led government and predicted a BJP triumph on December 3.

'BJP Promises Employment, Welfare, And Accountability'

Shah also addressed the paper leak issue in the state, promising that if the BJP comes to power, it will provide employment to 2.5 lakh youths without any paper leaks. He criticized the Congress for alleged cheating in youth recruitment exams. Shah also highlighted the stark contrast in financial aid to Rajasthan, citing the significant increase under the Modi government compared to the previous Congress regime.

Amit Shah outlined the BJP's commitment to the welfare of the people, promising financial assistance to farmers and covering medical expenses. He contrasted the financial support provided by the Sonia-Manmohan government with the substantial aid delivered by the Modi government.

The 'Lal Diary' Controversy: A Political Flashpoint

The 'Lal Diary' has emerged as a contentious issue in the political discourse, with Gehlot alleging a BJP conspiracy and the BJP calling for a thorough investigation. As Rajasthan stands at a crossroads, the upcoming elections on November 25 hold the promise of shaping the state's political landscape, with the results to be revealed on December 3.

Polls In Rajasthan On Nov 25

As Rajasthan gears up for assembly polls, the state faces a critical decision on November 25. The 2018 elections saw Congress winning 99 seats and the BJP securing 73. With the political terrain shifting, the upcoming elections will determine the path Rajasthan takes, setting the stage for a new era.
New Delhi: National Disaster Management Authority member, Lt General (Rtd) Syed Ata Hasnain, stated on Thursday that the ongoing rescue operation at the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi, where 41 workers are trapped, is comparable to a "war." He emphasized the unpredictable nature of the operation, cautioning against setting specific timelines, describing the Himalayan geology as the challenging adversary in this endeavor.

Addressing a press briefing in New Delhi, Syed Ata Hasnain said, "Many experts are giving opinions that they might be rescued today evening, tomorrow morning but remember these operations are like a war. These operations should not be given a timeline. In wars, we don't know how will the enemy react. Here Himalayan geology is our enemy. From which angles the tunnel has collapsed we don't know."

Stating that such timelines put pressure on the rescue workforce, Hasnain said, "This is challenging work. To keep expecting that rescue will be done in the next two hours puts pressure on the workforce. This is wrong. In this situation, both the trapped workers and the rescue team are at risk. We have to cater for the safety of both."

He further stated that NDRF is rehearsing at the spot of the rescue operations.

"NDRF DG is himself present there. NDRF is rehearsing the evacuation process for the workers. Government is also providing support in every way possible," he said.

However, later to a reporter's question, the NDMA member gave an estimation that the rescue operation can be completed in the next 4 to 5 hours and could be stretched till tomorrow afternoon depending on the situation in the tunnel.

Earlier today, Inspector-General (IG) of Police Garhwal Range KS Nagnyal stated on Thursday that determining the rescue timeline is challenging, given the nature of the machinery involved in the operation. "The attempt at the rescue is in progress and rescue is expected to be carried out very soon. It is machinery work so a stipulated time can't be decided. The rescue work will go on at night as well," IG said.

A comprehensive fleet of 41 ambulances has been deployed at the location of the Silkyara tunnel incident in Uttarkashi, where 41 workers are currently trapped. Mukesh Nautiyal, the Project Manager of Operation 108 Ambulance initiative, specified that among the 41 ambulances, 31 belong to '108,' and the remaining 10 have been supplied by the administration.

On November 12, a segment of the tunnel under construction, linking Silkyara to Barkot, collapsed, trapping 41 laborers in debris within a 60-meter stretch on the Silkyara side. These workers are confined within a 2 km-completed section, including concrete work, ensuring their safety.
Cherkasy paramedics brought back to life a man who had experienced clinical death. They resuscitated the patient for almost an hour.

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The incident occurred on New Year's Eve, and its heroes were Kateryna Skvortsova and Viktor Prokopenko. Iryna Nazarok, a spokeswoman for the Center for Emergency Medical Care and Disaster Medicine, told Suspilne about the case in a commentary to Suspilne.

It is noted that at 00:32 on January 1, the control room received a call from a woman who asked for an ambulance in tears - her father fell, wheezed and fainted.

Upon arrival, paramedics found that the 63-year-old man's heart had stopped and he was in clinical death. Using a portable automatic cardiopulmonary resuscitation device, they began to resuscitate the man.

For almost an hour, the patient's heart rhythm was restored and then stopped again. But at the 51st minute, the doctors managed to restore cardiac activity and stabilize the man's vital functions.

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"Finally, the hemodynamics became stable and the pressure returned to normal. On the way to the third city hospital, the man regained spontaneous breathing," said the doctor who resuscitated the patient.

She added that this is not the first time a person has been brought back to life, but the first successful one with the help of an automatic device.

"You still feel the same responsibility and worry. But, first, while the device is pumping, you have your hands free and can control vital functions. And secondly, this device maintains its strength at all stages of resuscitation - even for 10 minutes or 30. Without the device, you cannot pump with the same force all the time: it is physically difficult to do it for even five minutes, let alone 50, while the device can," Kateryna Skvortsova said.

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The doctor admitted that she wanted to save this patient above all else, as it was the first resuscitation of the new year.

"I just can't describe the feeling when you are working here to save the life of one person, and outside the window fireworks are being launched, other people are walking and having a rest. It was like a New Year's miracle for us," she said.

As OBOZREVATEL previously reported, in December, two Ukrainian nurses saved the life of a Belarusian at a resort in Sharm el-Sheikh. Rescuers pulled the man out of the water and saw no point in resuscitating him. It was the perseverance of the Ukrainian nurses that helped save his life.
New Delhi: Israel and Hamas have agreed to a temporary ceasefire in Gaza to allow humanitarian aid and the release of at least 50 hostages held by the militant group in exchange for at least 150 Palestinians jailed in Israel. However, the implementation of the deal has been postponed until Friday, news agency Reuters said quoting Israels national security adviser.

The ceasefire and hostage swap were brokered by Egypt and Qatar, but the exact start time and details of the agreement have not been officially announced. The Egyptian security source said the mediators sought a start time of 10 a.m. on Thursday, but Israels public broadcaster Kan reported that there was a 24-hour delay because the agreement was not signed by Hamas and Qatar.

The hostages were captured by Hamas during its surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7, which killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and shocked Israelis. Five hostages have been recovered alive so far, while the fate of the others remains unknown. The families of the hostages have been anxiously waiting for any news of their loved ones.

The negotiations on the release of our hostages are advancing and continuing constantly, Israeli National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said in a statement on Wednesday night. The start of the release will take place according to the original agreement between the sides, and not before Friday, he added.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the Red Cross will be able to visit any remaining hostages in Gaza. We need to know they are alive, if theyre okay. Its the minimum, said Gilad Korngold, who has seven family members, including his 3-year-old granddaughter, held by Hamas.

The rescue team at the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi is facing challenges in laying down two pipelines that are crucial for the rescue operation. Colonel Deepak Patil, who is leading the rescue efforts of the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL), said that the work of laying down two pipelines is still left and their length is approximately 12 metres.

The ceasefire also aims to ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which has been under a siege and relentless bombardment by Israel since the Hamas attack. More than 14,000 Gazans have been killed, around 40% of them children, according to medical officials in the territory. Hundreds of trucks of humanitarian, medical and fuel supplies are expected to enter Gaza during the truce.

The 50 hostages will be released over four days at a rate of at least 10 daily, Netanyahus office said. The truce could be extended day by day as long as an additional 10 hostages are freed per day, it said. Israels justice ministry published a list of 300 names of Palestinian prisoners who could be freed.

Hamas said the initial 50 hostages will be released in exchange for 150 Palestinian women and children imprisoned in Israel.

The ceasefire and hostage swap are seen as a rare opportunity to end the violence and ease the suffering of the people on both sides of the conflict. However, the delay in the implementation of the deal has raised doubts and fears among the hostages families and the international community. The United States said it hoped that aid would begin reaching Gaza in large volumes within the next few days.
New Delhi: The hostage swap deal between Israel and Hamas, which was supposed to start on Thursday, has been postponed by a day, a senior US official said. The official said that the decision was made by Israel, Qatar and Egypt, with the US being informed. The official said that more time was needed to finalize the details and to avoid any mishaps. According to the deal, Hamas will release 50 Israeli hostages, including children, their mothers and other women, in exchange for a four-day ceasefire and the release of 150 Palestinian prisoners, mostly women and minors.

The US official said that there was no reason to panic yet, as Israel had not received the list of the first group of hostages to be freed by Hamas, which was expected on Wednesday night. The official said that the situation would be worrisome if there was still no list by Thursday night.

US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson confirmed that the deal was still on and hoped that it would be implemented on Friday morning. The deal was agreed and remains agreed, Watson said in a statement. The parties are working out the final logistical details, especially for the first day of implementation.

Watson said that the US wanted to ensure that nothing would go wrong as the hostages began returning home. Our main goal is to make sure that they are brought home safely, Watson said. That is on track and we are hopeful that implementation will begin on Friday morning.

An Israeli official earlier said that the delay was due to the lack of a signed document to seal the agreement, while another source said that the mechanism for releasing the hostages was not ready and Hamas had not given the list of the first batch of hostages it intended to release as expected.

Both sources expressed optimism that the deal would take place on Friday morning.
Here are 5 proven remedies that will help you to get rid of fatigue, headaches, thirst, nausea, and other characteristic symptoms.

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A study by scientists in Denmark has shown that women suffer worse from the effects of alcohol poisoning than men, Science Nordic writes. However, the discomfort can still be alleviated by following simple rules (scroll to the bottom of the page to see the photo).

Carbonated drinks

In 2013, Chinese scientists from Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou found that carbonated drinks break down acetaldehyde, a byproduct of metabolized alcohol that can lead to nausea, headaches, and other symptoms.

The morning after the celebration, it's best to stock up on plain mineral water, or one that doesn't contain a lot of sugar. It will not only quench your thirst and prevent dry mouth, but also make you feel better overall.

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Exercise

No matter how hard it is, experts advise getting out of bed and doing some exercise as soon as possible. They will give the body a signal to produce endorphins that will help you cope with a hangover.

It can be a general cleaning after a party, a morning jog, or even sex. A little effort will alleviate the symptoms, but will not make them disappear completely, so after exercising, it is better to try to fall asleep again.

Amino acids

In order not to put too much stress on the affected stomach, experts advise to give preference to a light snack made from foods rich in amino acids and minerals. For example, asparagus or zucchini will help the body absorb alcohol faster.

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In addition, they protect liver cells from toxins. These findings were published in the Journal of Food Science based on a 2009 study conducted by Jeju National University in South Korea and the Institute of Medical Sciences.

Quitting coffee and smoking

Despite the myth that coffee after drinking energizes and helps to sober up, nutritionist Shauna Wilkinson warns that this drink can contribute to dehydration and act as a diuretic.

In addition, the chemicals in cigarettes can increase nausea and headaches, so it's best to put off smoking for later.

Apple cider vinegar

Surprisingly, a small amount of apple cider vinegar can restore the body's PH level, which becomes more acidic after drinking alcohol. It also helps to restore blood sugar levels, but you need to be very careful with this remedy.

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Earlier, OBOZREVATEL wrote about tips on how to get rid of a hangover from Ukrainian singer Anastasia Prikhodko. The star said that they save her after a fun night.
The working week is coming to an end, so it's time to plan how to spend the weekend. What could be better than an interesting movie in a nice company and delicious popcorn?

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For movie fans, OBOZ.UA has compiled a selection of movies that you can watch in the near future. It includes both premieres that have already made a splash and films that are about to be released. So if you haven't had time to go to the movies to see "old releases," don't miss your last chance.

For those who like to laugh

Crazy Money

A story based on crazy real-life events. The plot revolves around an ordinary guy named Keith Gill, who invests his savings in stocks and posts about it on social media. Suddenly, Keith's social media accounts explode with success, and so does his life. When a stock market trick turns into a movement, everyone becomes insanely rich. Until the Wall Street billionaires decide to strike back.

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The Vengeful Teacher

A French movie about a retired teacher who remembers all the school bullies. Although a lot of time has passed, they have all grown up, built careers and started families, the thought of revenge still lives in Professor Putifar's heart. He has devised a cunning plan that he will certainly put into action.

For those with a passion for adventure

Freelancer.

The story of a former special forces officer who now works in a boring office, spending his days nostalgic for the past. Suddenly, he accepts an invitation to accompany a journalist on a business trip to South America, where she is to interview the local dictator. The protagonists find themselves in the center of an armed uprising and flee to the jungle. Now their main mission is to survive.

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The Great Fugitive

The film is based on real events and tells the story of a British Royal Navy officer who lives in a nursing home. The veteran escapes from the facility to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Normandy landings, and travels all the way to the far side of the world on his own. The film is about the veteran's memories and connection to the past.

For those who love mysteries

Ghosts in Venice

On the eve of Halloween, detective Hercule Poirot, who has retired to Venice, finds himself at a debate session. There are rumors that an abandoned Italian palace is haunted, but Poirot does not believe in such tales. But when one of the guests present is murdered, the detective is forced to unravel the mystery of the sinister world of shadows.

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Killers of the Flower Full Moon

A movie that many were looking forward to, in particular because of Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro. The detective story revolves around the destruction of the Osage tribe in the 1920s, indigenous to the United States, which led to a large-scale FBI investigation.

For viewing by the whole family

Trolls: Together Again

Don't miss the continuation of the funny story of the trolls! Meet the heroes of the world of wonder in a new colorful movie full of challenges and adventures.

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Puppy Patrol: The Megamovie.

The legendary tailed patrol is back in a new adventure cartoon. The Pup Patrol gets new super powers to fight enemies, thanks to a magical meteorite. Fear the villains, because the puppy heroes are coming!

For those who lack thrills

Dangerous waters

A girl named Rose lives with her mother, Alma. Businessman Derek, her mother's new boyfriend, invites the family to Bermuda. However, due to his machinations, the boat is attacked and Rose's mother is killed. The girl is forced to learn how to sail a boat in the middle of the ocean and survive on a desert island.

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The Righteous 3: The Last Chapter

The third part of the legendary movie series. A former military intelligence officer, Robert McCall does not forget about his profession. However, in order not to look for new adventures, the man travels to the south of Italy. Near the coast, the military man dreams of a quiet retirement. However, it turns out that his friends are on the hook for the local mafia. So Robert has to change his plans a bit.

For those in anticipation of Halloween

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Exorcist. The Believer

Exactly half a century ago, the world saw a cult horror movie that later became a classic of the genre. This year, the cult story will get its sequel.

Saw X

The tenth installment in the horror series. John Kramer is trying to find a cure for cancer by any means necessary. He is recommended to undergo surgery by Mexican doctors. It turns out that this is not a cure at all, but a fraud, so John prepares a plan of revenge for the scammers.

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Earlier, OBOZ.UA wrote about the most horrifying movie and the scariest scene in the movie, according to a study by scientists.

Only verified information is available on the OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
Sea buckthorn  a shrub bearing orange-red edible berries  has improved the lives of local farmers in Guyuan county in Zhangjiakou, Hebei province, boosting their incomes and fueling prosperity. As every plant growing in the county appears to wither as autumn approaches, the small sea buckthorn fruits become more red, full and clear, stacked on branches like strings of small lanterns. "Autumn is the best time of the year for harvesting sea buckthorn berries, which have become sweet," said Liu Sudong, head of Xiaochang town, which is the major planting area for sea buckthorns. According to Liu, the county has planted sea buckthorn trees on a total area of 7,000 hectares, with an annual output of more than 10,000 metric tons for its fruit. Locals can collectively earn as much as 50 million yuan ($6.8 million) a year doing jobs related to picking and processing the fruit, he said. Among the dense sea buckthorn trees, villagers can be seen wearing thick gloves, holding branches with one hand and scissors in the other. They neatly cut the fruit-bearing branches into about 10-centimeter-long segments and then dropped them into baskets. Picking sea buckthorn fruit has emerged as a welcome job opportunity for locals in recent years, as it gives people work from September to November, the autumn harvest period. "You can get over 4 yuan for each kilogram of the berries. So if I work hard enough each day, I can pick more than 250 kg, which is more than 1,000 yuan," said Wang Hongwei, a villager in Xiaochang village of the town. Claiming to be one of the first people in Guyuan to pick sea buckthorn fruit, Wang said he started making money from it in 2018, when he earned more than 10,000 yuan after signing an agreement with a local processing company, Zhangyuan Shengguo Agriculture Technology Co, to supply them with the fruit. Encouraged by the pay, Wang went fruit picking again the next year, but this time he hired other villagers to join him. He then collected the fruit they picked and sent it to the company. So far this year, he has earned more than 20,000 yuan from fruit picking. He said the extra income has allowed him to live a better life. Like Wang, there are about 5,000 residents in Guyuan who have earned additional income thanks to the sea buckthorn industry. In the past, the county government struggled to find economic value in the plant, and it was thus overlooked. Now, sea buckthorn is a lucrative crop with various uses. Besides bearing fruit, sea buckthorn is a remarkable tree species that can withstand drought and wind erosion and can still grow in saline-alkali soil. It can also serve as an effective windbreak and plays a role in soil conservation. Qiao Yanping, founder of Zhangyuan Shengguo, saw an opportunity with the plant. "It was necessary to have our own leading enterprise," said Qiao, who used to work in Beijing. She was optimistic about the prospects of the sea buckthorn industry and decided to return to Guyuan, her hometown, to take part in the industry's development. In 2018, Qiao established her company in cooperation with the local government in Xiaochang town. The company organized employees to visit leading sea buckthorn producers to learn from their experiences in the industry and about related technology. It also introduced production lines to carry out sea buckthorn pulp processing and juice production, eventually achieving an annual production of over 500 tons of pulp and 5,000 tons of juice. The products are sold domestically as well as internationally in countries including Japan and South Korea, with an annual sales volume of over 30 million yuan, according to the company. "We plan to further expand our production scale, forming a full industry chain for the development of the sea buckthorn industry," Qiao said.
Belarusian model and participant of numerous beauty contests Polly Kanabis, who works for the pro-government TNT channel, was robbed at the airport in Istanbul, Turkey. The star was carrying jewelry worth 2.2 million rubles (900 thousand hryvnias).

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She is sure that she was the victim of a "professional gang of thieves". The incident occurred during a flight from Istanbul to Minsk, where the model was heading to celebrate her mother's birthday. The details were reported by Russian propagandists.

The Belarusian woman took her luggage with her on the plane, where she packed almost a million hryvnias worth of jewelry, hoping to take it home. The model's arsenal included rings, earrings, and other jewelry from the Bulgari and Roberto Coin brands.

A resident of Belarus said that she noticed suspicious behavior of the staff during boarding. She was allegedly told to hand over her belongings because there was not enough room for them on the plane.

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According to Kanabis, the employee who took the luggage "carefully examined all the zippers and locks on the suitcase." After landing, the model discovered that her jewelry was gone.

After noticing the theft, the star filed a statement at police stations in Minsk and Istanbul. The surveillance videos were seemingly useless, as the images were smeared, fuzzy, or cut off.

The model decided that there was a "criminal gang" working at the airport, looking for rich passengers and robbing them together with the employees. The investigation is currently underway.

By the way, in 2022, a Belarusian model did a disgusting thing. She posted a video from a beauty pageant, posing with a Ukrainian and a Russian woman, imitating "friendship." However, the Putinist did not say a word about the fact that Russian invaders were attacking peaceful Ukrainian cities by the thousands from her country, bringing death and destruction.

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Earlier, OBOZ.UA wrote that a Russian woman complained about her vacation at a popular resort in Russia. The tourist cried that she could no longer stand the smell of rotting waste from overflowing garbage cans.

Only verified information is available on the OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
Bohdan Benyuk, director of the Podil Theater in Kyiv and an acting teacher, said that university professors who continue to speak Russian should be fired. According to him, representatives of Ukrainian culture should create a Ukrainian background and speak the state language.

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The famous actor said this in an exclusive interview with OBOZ.UA. As a university employee, he believes that it is necessary to develop appropriate conditions for communication in educational institutions to be in Ukrainian.

"I work at the university, I have a teaching job, and I work with the students of the theater institute, creating appropriate conditions because they are representatives of Ukrainian culture, which means that we need to create a Ukrainian background, Ukrainian communication. Everyone needs to do this. There are people who are against this Ukrainian background, and they should be fired from their jobs and, if possible, create a Ukrainian environment," Benyuk said.

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As a reminder, the theater and film star supported linguist Iryna Farion, who found herself at the epicenter of the scandal. Benyuk believes that the former lecturer at Lviv Polytechnic was right about the Russian-speaking population of Ukraine. The actor himself considers them "invaders" and does not support speaking Russian even at the front.

Read the full interview with Bohdan Benyuk on OBOZ.UA on Friday, November 24.

Earlier, OBOZ.UA reported that a teacher from Luhansk region, Artur Proydakov, told when and why he switched to Ukrainian in everyday life.

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Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has pardoned and released the murderer and cannibal Denis Horin from the Sakhalin region. The reason for this decision by the chief war criminal of the Russian Federation was the cannibal's participation in the war against Ukraine.

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The murderer was sentenced to 22 years in a strict regime colony, but his consent to participate in hostilities allowed him to be released. This was reported by the Russian media.

Russian courts found that Horin was involved in at least four brutal murders. In several cases, he cut up the bodies of his victims and ate them.

He was first convicted in 2003 of murder and cannibalism, but was released in 2010 for "good behavior." But less than a year later, Gorin committed another murder. Together with his brother, he beat a man and then stabbed him. Two years later, they committed another murder.

In 2018, Horin was sentenced to 22 years in a maximum security colony, but this time the killer was helped to get out by Kremlin leader Putin. Right out of prison, the cannibal was recruited to fight in Ukraine, after which the Russian dictator pardoned the serial killer.

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At the end of October, the killer posted a photo on his social media account of himself in a military uniform with a St. George's ribbon and a Zacheburashim patch. Volunteers sent such patches to the front to Russian terrorists. Currently, Gorin is allegedly in hospital after being wounded in Ukraine.

It is worth noting that there are many such cases in Russia. Moreover, Putin has already pardoned many citizens of the terrorist country of the Russian Federation who were sentenced to long terms for committing particularly serious crimes.

Among the criminals pardoned by Putin are murderers, rapists, and cannibals. Some of them have already committed new crimes after returning from the war in Ukraine.

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As a reminder, Russian dictator Volodymyr Putin has pardoned another batch of Russians who were sentenced to long terms for committing particularly serious crimes. In particular, Mykola Ogolobiak, one of the leaders of a clan of cannibalistic satanists who committed ritual murders, returned to his native Yaroslavl.

Earlier, Putin pardoned the murderer of a 23-year-old girl who had been mocking his victim for 3.5 hours. He was recruited by the Bagner PMC and instead of serving his sentence, the killer went to war against Ukraine.

As reported by OBOZ.UA, Russia pardoned former military officer Dmytro Zelenskyi, who was sentenced to 11 years in prison, who killed his girlfriend in 2018 and then put her body through a meat grinder in an attempt to replace the traces of his crime. The criminal was granted amnesty after spending six months in Ukraine's war.

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The Russians have once again demonstrated their rotten nature and stolen a Ukrainian film product, namely the popular series "Catch Kaidash" based on the novel "The Kaidash Family" by Ivan Nechuy-Levytsky. Now, on Russian piracy services, citizens of the terrorist country can watch all 12 episodes of the project in low-quality Russian dubbing.

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The actors of the series have already reacted to the shameful act, and they were not surprised that the enemy continues to steal from Ukraine during a full-scale war. In particular, Antonina Khyzhnyak, who plays Motry, commented on the situation on the air of "Breakfast. Weekend " on 1+1.

The thieves also went to great lengths to photoshop the posters, apparently hoping that no one would notice their theft. However, Photoshop masters in Russia are not particularly professional either, so the result was only a cause for ridicule on the part of Ukrainians.

Yes, Khyzhnyak commented: "They know how to steal, photoshop badly, dipshits - this is all on their part too. I see that it's stupidly erased and overdubbed. I think, well, that's what they're all about, that's their whole point. Just stealing, re-voicing and inventing something else. I have no words for it."

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Actor Hryhoriy Baklanov, who plays Lavrin Kaidash, was the first to notice the theft of the project. He laughed at the ridiculous posters created by the Russians, where the faces of Ukrainian actors were simply attached to other people's bodies and the title of the series was written in Russian.

"Did you know that the Ukrainians dubbed the Kaidash and watch it on pirate platforms?" Baklanov wrote.

As it turned out, the Ukrainian series has been shown on Russian services for several years. In the comments, viewers from the aggressor country are already sharing their impressions and giving ratings. Interestingly, some users did not like the surzhik in the project, which they do not always understand.

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It should be noted that the Russian film industry has been severely affected by sanctions since the start of the full-scale war with Ukraine. Hollywood films do not allow Russians to purchase distribution licenses, streaming platforms are limited to Russian viewers, and filmmakers lack the imagination to create their own quality product. Read here to find out how Russia is grabbing the last opportunities to get viewers in front of screens.

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Earlier, OBOZREVATEL wrote about 10 films and TV series that Ukrainians should watch. Films about the lives of Ukrainian heroes, memories of the struggle for freedom, and simply feature films can be a comfort in difficult times.

Only verified information is available on our Obozrevatel Telegram channel and Viber. Don't fall for fakes!
On November 21, Prince William's wife Kate Middleton visited Buckingham Palace on the occasion of the South Korean president's arrival in Britain. At the dinner, the Princess of Wales was spotted wearing a rare piece of jewelry. Generations of royal family fans had never seen the jewelry before.

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The pink Strathmore tiara that adorned Kate's hair was a wedding gift to Elizabeth I from her father in 1923, VOGUE writes. The diamond floral crown, which looks like a garland of wild flowers, was purchased from London jewelers Catchpole & Williams.

It can be worn in several ways - above the forehead, in the hair, or as five individual brooches. According to Sir Hugh Roberts' book The Queen's Diamonds, the tiara "reflects the naturalistic style of head jewelry that was popular in the mid-19th century."

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After the Queen Mother's death in 2002, her daughter Elizabeth II inherited the tiara. However, the jewel remained in the royal vault for decades - reportedly, it had not been worn since the 1930s. Now, however, the rare diamond tiara has been given a new lease on life thanks to the Princess of Wales.

Lauren Kina, founder of The Court Jeweler jewelry brand, told People that Kate Middleton has never hidden her desire to emulate the royal role of Elizabeth I. The expert added that wearing the monarch's jewelry is an important symbol of this heritage.

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Earlier, OBOZ.UA talked about a beauty trick that Kate Middleton never uses: it was a "trick" of Elizabeth II.

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President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi has imposed sanctions on more than 300 legal entities and nearly 150 individuals from Russia and other countries. In particular, a number of energy companies were subject to restrictions.

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The sanctions were introduced by two decrees of November 23. In particular, No. 772 and No. 773.

These documents put into effect the relevant decisions of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC). The documents come into force from the date of publication.

"This is a synchronization with our partners - with regard to those who directly work for or assist Russian aggression. These are also sanctions against the terrorist state actors involved in critical infrastructure. Each name, each company name is a specific guilt for the fact that Russian terror continues," Zelenskyy commented on the introduction of the restrictions.

Who is subject to the restrictions

According to Decree No. 773, five-year sanctions are imposed on a number of Russian energy companies. In particular:

"Vologda Regional Energy Company;

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"Omskelectro;

"Russian networks Lenenergo;

"Far Eastern Energy Management Company - Generation Grids.

Also on the list are Moscow Power Directorate, Salekhardenergo, Loeskerelektricheskie Nets St. Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast, Volgogradoblelektro, Moscow Regional Power Grid Company, Rosseti Kuban and others.

In addition, sanctions were imposed on the so-called "DPR"'s O.F. Zasyadko Mine. As well as Soyuzenergoindustriya, Soyuzenergoproekt and others.

The same decree imposes sanctions for 10 years against 87 individuals. Among them:

Anatolii Chubais, former head of the Russian presidential administration;

Commander of the Air Defense and Missile Defense Forces - Deputy Chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces Andrii Domin;

Chairman of the Accounts Chamber and former Minister of Finance Oleksii Kudrin;

father, wife and son of Ukrainian collaborator Yevhen Balytskyi

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Decree No. 772 imposes 10-year sanctions on citizens of Russia, Cyprus, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Uzbekistan, and Belarus. In particular, the list includes:

former Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Volodymyr Sivkovych, who is currently in Russia;

Leonid Kharchenko, accused of the crash of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17;

top managers of the USM group of companies of the Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov and others.

As reported by OBOZ.UA, at the same time, the United Kingdom lifted sanctions against the former top manager of one of the largest Russian banks, Otkritie, Sergey Stognienko. Thus, he is no longer subject to restrictions, and his assets are not subject to blocking.

Only verified information is available on the OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
The outbreak of the full-scale invasion was a tragedy, but also a manifestation of exceptional resilience and commitment. The authors of the stories in the feature series Those Who Stayed were inspired by the stories of the citizens who stayed in the capital in February-March 2022. These are ordinary people who found themselves in extraordinary, frightening conditions, but who retained their humanity, love for their loved ones, and faith in the future.

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The series were premiered on November 1 on Netflix in Ukraine and a number of European countries: Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Hungary, Moldova, the Baltic and Balkan countries. This is the first time that a Ukrainian project will be premiered on a streaming service and in several countries at the same time. In addition, in more than 12 countries, such as Iceland, Australia, and France, the film will be shown on national TV channels. In Ukraine, the movie will be also available on 1+1 TV channel next year.

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"'First Days' has become the largest co-production with other countries since February 2022. It is also the first Ukrainian project that was actually ordered by foreign channels, and it will be shown in Ukrainian," says Kateryna Vyshnevska, Development and Co-Production Director at FILM.UA Group and the project's producer.

At the first stages of the series' development, FILM.UA Group was joined by TV channels from Sweden (SVT), Norway (NRK) and Finland (YLE) as co-producers. The global distributor is the German company Red Arrow Studios International, with which the project was developed at the script level.

"The First Days consists of six stories by six directors, who were united by the idea of the showrunner Anastasia Lodkina. Talented Ukrainian artists joined the project: Oleksii Yesakov and Tala Prystavatska, who worked on the series Serf, Artem Lytvynenko, the author of the idea and director of the series The Sniffer, Valentyn Shpakov, the author of The First Swallows, and Pavlo Ostrikov, the author of You Are Space. For Katia Tsaryk, the author of numerous music videos, concert shows, and the short film Hug Me, the project was a first full-length work.

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Each episode of The First Days is a feature film inspired by real events, and some of the characters have prototypes in real life. Olha and her children are forced to live in the same house with two husbands, one current and one former; Maksym is caught by the war at work, at the zoo, where he cannot leave; a homeless man living in a car helps the local volunteer organization, and a boy named Yehor calms himself by shooting down missiles like evil birds in his imagination; German Klaus comes to Kyiv to pick up a girl, but finds himself among the volunteers and joins their work; and the Ukrainian pop legend, whose prototype was Andrii Danylko, streams from his apartment in the capital and becomes an inspiration for millions.

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"Ukraine is now in the center of the world's attention, and foreign audiences are interested in learning what is happening to us, not only from the news, but on a deeper level. It is the format of the feature series that allows us to feel our pain and hopes more deeply and to relate to ordinary Ukrainians," says Anna Yeliseeva, the project's producer.

The project has already been supported by leading festivals, including TV Drama Vision, Helsinki Script, Conecta FICTION, Nordic Script, Content Budapest, Serial Killer, Oslo Series Day. Updates and additional information about the series are available on the Facebook and Instagram pages.

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Created with the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
The command of the Russian terrorist state is concealing the occupiers' losses in the war against Ukraine. The reason is cynical - the unwillingness to pay compensation to the families of the victims.

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One of the invaders told his wife about this in a telephone conversation intercepted by the hacker group Frontline Conversations of the Occupiers. The Russian explained that it was for this purpose that the Russian authorities had deployed a whole network of crematoria and cryochambers.

"Here, when guys get lost or die, and in order to avoid paying money, they do this to f...k up people. They just f.... throw people away or burn them. Mother, the refrigerators here are overloaded with people, there is nowhere to put them, they just... We have a cryo-chamber at the exit beyond the tape, where people are f... burned for no reason," the Russian cried.

According to him, the missing person can be recognized as dead only in ten years.

"When the f*cking state changes, and the government, and everything else, and the laws, then they will pay. Although it's unlikely...", the occupier added.

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As a reminder, the mother of one of the Storm Z militants complained that the Russian military command throws units formed of ex-prisoners into the hottest spots, using them as "meat". And the wounded and dead of the "storms" are forbidden to be evacuated from the battlefield.

For two months now, a Russian woman has been unable to get either information or the body of her dead son for burial from the command.

As reported by OBOZ.UA:

- The occupiers continue to complain about the harsh conditions and lack of supplies at the front. "Good" Russians send them boots to support them, but not to keep them warm, but to fight mice.

- On November 21, Ukrainian soldiers hit an enemy command post near Oleshky Sands. The Ukrainian military showed footage of the aftermath of the "cotton" shot by a drone.

Only verified information on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
On the afternoon of November 23, the occupiers began shelling the Kherson region again. They attacked Beryslav with attack drones, killing a 70-year-old man who was riding a bicycle on the street.

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He was seriously injured in the explosion and died on the spot. According to the Kherson Regional Prosecutor's Office, two more people, a man and a woman, were killed in a nearby village.

"So far, we know about five more civilians who received injuries of varying severity. The data is being clarified. Residential buildings and outbuildings were damaged," the agency said.

The invaders also shelled Chornobaivka with artillery, using cluster munitions, killing three people. More than 60 houses and infrastructure facilities were damaged or partially destroyed.

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"Medical aid is being provided to the injured. The police are documenting the consequences of another war crime by the occupiers," said Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko.

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As reported by OBOZ.UA, the day before the enemy attacked a high-rise building in Kherson, a fire broke out in it, and one person died.

"As soon as the rescuers began to extinguish the fire, the enemy opened fire again. Despite the danger, the rescuers extinguished the fire," said the SES officials.
In the last day, 74 combat engagements took place in the Ukrainian frontline, the Defense Forces repelled enemy attacks near Kupyansk, Avdiivka and Maryinka. At the same time, the defenders continue offensive operations in the Melitopol sector and hold their positions on the left bank of the Dnipro River in the Kherson sector.

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Theoccupiers are being depleted along the entire front line, causing significant losses. Operational information on the Russian invasion was provided by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in a morning report on November 23.

The day before, the enemy launched three missile and 43 air strikes, fired more than 64 times from multiple launch rocket systems at the positions of our troops and settlements, and also launched a massive attack with Shahed-136/131 drones. Air defense destroyed all 14 UAVs. Unfortunately, Russian terrorist attacks have resulted in civilian casualties and injuries, as well as the destruction of private homes and other civilian infrastructure.

Synkivka, Podoly, Kupyansk-Vuzlovyi, Stepova Novoselivka in Kharkiv region; Serebryanske forestry, Bilohorivka in Luhansk region; Spirne, Pivdenne, Oleksandropil, Avdiivka, Vuhledar in Donetsk region were subjected to enemy air strikes. More than 100 settlements in Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro and Kherson regions came under artillery fire.

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In the area of responsibility of the operational and strategic grouping of troops "North" in the Volyn and Polissia directions, the operational situation remains without significant changes. In the Siversky and Slobozhansky sectors, the Russian Armed Forces maintain their presence in the border areas, conduct sabotage activities, and increase the density of minefields along the border in the Belgorod region.

In the area of responsibility of the "Khortytsia" jawed unit in the Kupyansk sector, the enemy conducted assault operations in the areas of Synkivka, northeast of Petropavlivka and Ivanivka in Kharkiv region, where the Ukrainian Armed Forces repelled 12 attacks.

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The aggressor did not conduct offensive (assault) actions in the Liman and Bakhmut directions. For their part, the Ukrainian Defense Forces continue to attack south of Bakhmut in Donetsk region, inflicting losses on the occupiers and consolidating their positions.

In the area of responsibility of the Tavria Brigade in the Avdiivka sector, the invaders keep trying to surround Avdiivka, but our soldiers are holding the line, inflicting losses on them. The Russian army's offensive east of Novobakhmutivka, north of Lastochkine, Avdiivka and Pervomayske was unsuccessful, where the Ukrainian Armed Forces repelled 30 attacks.

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In the Maryinka sector, our defenders repelled 18 enemy attacks in the areas of Maryinka and Novomykhailivka. Occupants' attacks in the Shakhtarsk sector were also unsuccessful.

In the Zaporizhzhia sector, the Russian Armed Forces unsuccessfully tried four times to regain their lost position near Robotyne in Zaporizhzhia region. At the same time, the Armed Forces of Ukraine continue to conduct an offensive in the Melitopol sector, inflicting losses in manpower and equipment on the occupation forces, and exhausting the enemy along the entire front line.

In the area of responsibility of the Odesa Joint Forces Operation in the Kherson sector, Ukrainian soldiers continue to hold their positions on the left bank of the Dnipro River, continue to conduct counter-battery combat, and inflict fire on the enemy's rear.

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During the day, the aviation of the Defense Forces struck 11 areas of concentration of personnel, weapons and military equipment of the Russian Armed Forces. Missile troops hit 13 areas of concentration, as well as a command post, an air defense facility, four artillery pieces and an ammunition depot of the occupiers.

As OBOZ.UA reported, Russian occupation forces continue to attack the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Bakhmut sector. The enemy keeps trying to force the Ukrainian military out of Klishchiyivka, which was returned to Ukrainian control in September.

Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
BEIJING -- Chinese commercial space company GalaxySpace is developing a new-generation communication satellite to support broadband communication of mobile phones directly connected to satellites, according to the Science and Technology Daily on Wednesday.

The satellite has a carpet-shaped design, GalaxySpace founder and CEO Xu Ming said this week at the Aerospace Information Industry International Ecosystem Event 2023 in Southwest China's Chongqing.

Both communication antennae and solar panels will be installed on the satellite, said Xu, noting that it is a form of phased array antenna and solar wing integrated communication satellite.

The satellite will feature a strong power system to facilitate signal transmission.

At present, the construction of space infrastructure shows a trend of low-orbit, large-scale and low-cost development, which has created opportunities for commercial space companies.

The event in Chongqing, held on Nov 20 and 21, attracted 434 enterprises and 67 institutions from both home and abroad to discuss the development of the aerospace information industry.
Since 2022, Ukraine has liberated more than half of the territory occupied by Russia. In 2023, Ukraine expelled the Russian fleet from most of the Black Sea. 2024 should be the year when Ukraine throws Russia out of its sky.

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President Volodymyr Zelenskyi made this statement via his X (formerly Twitter) account. He traditionally thanked the foreign partners who made important decisions to strengthen our air defense and gave five reasons why this is extremely important for a country as large as Ukraine.

1. Every air defense system and every missile it launches saves the lives of our citizens.

2. Ukrainians who have been forced to leave their homes because of Russian shelling will be able to return to cities covered by a reliable shield. Potentially, this means millions of people.

"This will give a significant boost to Ukraine's economy, help us reduce the budget deficit and, as a result, the need for international financial assistance," the Ukrainian guarantor writes.

3. The stronger our air defense is, the greater will be Ukraine's success in the Black Sea, the greater will be its maritime exports, the better will be the protection of freedom of navigation and the greater will be its stability.

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"This will allow us to deliver hundreds of thousands of additional tons of food through a safer maritime export corridor and counteract the global food crisis," Zelenskyi said in a statement.

4. Each installation saves resources that would otherwise be needed to restore destroyed facilities, critical infrastructure, energy systems, power grids, etc.

5. Depriving Russia of the ability to terrorize Ukraine with missiles and drones will force the aggressor to abandon these tactics, which will help bring victory closer.

At the last meeting in the Ramstein format the day before, our country's partners managed to create a new coalition: ground-based air defense. Official Kyiv also secured the transfer of new packages for the defense and liberation of territories from invaders.

As OBOZ.UA reported, Pentagon chief Austin pointed out the need to strengthen the protection of Ukrainian skies. This is especially important in connection with the upcoming winter and the likely resumption of energy terror by Russian troops.

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"As Ukraine faces another winter of war, I urge this group to provide Kyiv with air defense capabilities to protect its people," the US Secretary said.

Only verified information on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
In the Netherlands, the far-right Freedom Party (PVV), led by Geert Wilders, a longtime opponent of Islam and migration who does not support aid to Ukraine, may take the lead in early parliamentary elections. The voting took place on November 22 and the official results will be announced by the country's electoral council only on the morning of December 1.

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According to NOS, the ballots will be counted in one or two days, but exit polls are already being published. The preliminary forecast, based on 98% of the votes counted, shows that the PVV has won 37 seats in parliament - two more than the exit poll predicted and 20 more than the party currently has.

It is followed by the alliance of the Left-Greens and Labor (GroenLinks-PvdA), led by former European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans, with 25 seats.

The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) of current Prime Minister Mark Rutte, which is now led by Dylan Yesilgoz-Zegerius, can count on 24 seats. The newly formed New Social Contract (NSC) political party, led by Peter Omzigt, is expected to win 20 seats.

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The new Farmers' Citizens' Union (BBB), formed against the backdrop of farmers' protests in the Netherlands, can count on seven seats.

All parties from the current coalition with the VVD have significantly worsened their results: "Democracy 66 (D66) gets nine seats, the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) gets five, and the Christian Union (CU) gets three.

A total of 26 parties were registered to run in the elections and about 9,823 polling stations were opened. Voter turnout reached 77.8%, which is slightly less than in the 2021 House of Representatives elections.

According to the law, the ruling coalition in the Dutch parliament must have more than half, i.e. at least 76 out of 150 seats. This process is complicated and can take months, especially given that many parties have previously rejected the option of uniting with the PVV and Wilders, not sharing his views. After the elections, the Netherlands will face a long process of coalition formation.

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Geert Wilders has spoken out against aid to Ukraine

In his election program, the politician called for a referendum on the country's withdrawal from the EU and closing the borders to refugees. He supported the ban on the Koran, Muslim schools and mosques in the Netherlands.

In May 2023, Wilders refused to attend a speech by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Dutch House of Representatives. He also criticized the opening of the EU market for Ukrainian farmers.

In addition, Wilders's party promised its voters to stop supporting Ukraine, both militarily, politically, and economically.

As OBOZ.UA wrote earlier:

- Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren said that the country would allocate more than 2 billion euros to help Ukraine in 2024. These funds will mainly be used for military support.

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- Earlier, Ollongren supported the idea of former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen about Ukraine's so-called partial accession to the Alliance without guarantees for the occupied territories. In her opinion, this initiative is a "creative idea".

Only verified information on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
The greatest immediate threat to security in Europe today is Russian aggression and Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine. The European Union must remain united and united to defend itself and help Ukraine.

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This was stated by Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg during a briefing with the Slovak Foreign Minister on Wednesday, November 22. He noted that everyone wants peace in Ukraine, and the Ukrainian people want it most of all, Ukrinform reports.

Schallenberg emphasized that Russian dictator Putin could decide to stop the war tomorrow and withdraw his troops from Ukraine, and then peace would come. However, Ukraine cannot stop fighting and fighting for its land, because then the country will simply cease to exist.

Then Slovakia could get a new neighbor, he said, addressing the Slovak minister.

In his opinion, unity and cohesion on this issue was the greatest achievement and the greatest asset of European countries.

"I am confident that we are doing everything right and we have to work to ensure that this unity and cohesion is maintained in the future," the Foreign Minister said.

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Earlier, Schallenberg said that the West will have to continue to engage with Russia on international platforms, in particular, within the OSCE and the UN. He also stressed that the Russian political leadership should be brought to justice for war crimes against Ukraine.

As reported by OBOZ.UA, the Slovak parliament approved a program presented by the government headed by the recently appointed Prime Minister Robert Fico. It provides for the termination of military assistance to Ukraine from Slovakia.
President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi reviewed in a meeting with IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva in Dubai on Thursday cooperation between Egypt and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in light of the program to fully implement Egypts economic reforms.
At least 40 civilians were killed in a jihadist attack in the northern Burkina Faso town of Djibo at the weekend, the UN Human Rights Office said Tuesday.
The Egyptian Exchange (EGX) saw varied performance over the week, but the corrections-driven decline in the main index led the market cap to plunge by nearly 2 percent, recording around EGP 1,677 billion.
Renowned Tunisian-Egyptian actress Hend Sabry resigned from the World Food Programme on Wednesday citing the program's failure to effectively mobilize against the Israeli policy of cutting off all food for Palestinians in Gaza amid its relentless bombardment of the strip for over 46 days.

"After 13 years of humanitarian work around the world, I resigned from the World Food Programme," Sabry, 44, wrote in a post on her social media accounts.

"I write this with a heavy heart and deep sadness; I have decided to relinquish my role as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations World Food Programme, a role that I have been proud of and have been playing for years."

Sabry, an award-winning film and TV actress, worked with in-need populations in Sudan, Bangladesh, Egypt, and Libya among other countries over her years as a Goodwill Ambassador for the WFP.

The 2.4 million population in The Gaza Strip has been teetering on the verge of starvation due to the all-out blockade imposed by Israel on the entry of all but a trickle of the water, food, and fuel needed by under-bombardment Palestinians since the start of Israel's war on the strip on 7 October.

Various international humanitarian organizations have repeatedly condemned the Israeli bombing of Gaza, which has killed more than 14,000 civilians and injured more than 32,000 others, and its deadly blockade on the strip.

Sabry's resignation comes a few days after Cindy McCain, the WFP executive director, attended a forum "honoring the people of Israel" and reportedly refused to condemn Israel's killing of more than 105 UNRWA and other UN relief workers in Gaza since the start of its war on the strip.

McCain's actions triggered widespread anger among some in the ranks of the program who circulated an internal letter questioning her ethics and neutrality in the face of an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe.

Cindy McCain, the widow of late US Senator John McCain who was a staunch supporter of Israel, was nominated by the Biden administration to run the Rome-based WFP earlier this year and took office in April.

Sabry's resignation is the latest act of protest or outrage declared by staff in the United Nations system against the inability of the international organization to mount an effective response to the violations of the human rights of Palestinians by Israel in the current war.

In late October, Director of the New York Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Craig Mokhiber resigned in protest, expressing concerns about the response of certain parts of the UN system to issues related to Palestinian Human Rights amid the war.

'Sense of helplessness'



In her post, Sabry noted: "All these years I have seen how brave men and women around the world have dedicated their lives to serving others - and for that, I have deep love and respect for them."

"Over the past weeks, I have witnessed and shared the experiences of my dedicated colleagues at WFP," explained Sabry.

There was "a sense of helplessness because they are unable to carry out their duty to the fullest extent, as they always do, towards children, mothers, fathers, and grandparents in Gaza," she added.

"There was little they could do in the face of the crushing war machine that had no mercy on civilians who were besieged by death."

"I have tried to make my voice heard at the highest level of the World Food Program and to join my colleagues in calling for WFP to be used  as it has done successfully before, to advocate and push hard for an immediate, humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, and to leverage WFPs influence to prevent the use of starvation as a weapon of war."

"I was certain that the World Food Program - which had won the Nobel Peace Prize just 3 years earlier - was an active participant in UN Resolution 2417, which condemned the use of starvation as a method of war, and would use its voice as powerfully as it did in emergencies and multiple humanitarian crises."

"However, starvation and blockades have been used as weapons of war over the past 46 days against more than two million civilians in Gaza," she noted.

"It is a weapon that has so far killed more than 14,000 people, made more than 1.6 million people homeless, destroyed half of the buildings, and bombed hospitals and schools that were supposed to be safe shelters."

"For this reason, I announce my resignation and wish all my colleagues in the World Food Program safety and peace."

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Roger Waters of Pink Floyd took the stage in Uruguay last week donning a Kufiyyah calling for an end to the Israeli genocide in Gaza.

During his concert in Uruguay, the jumbotron screened "Stop the Genocide" and showed pictures from Palestinian buildings in rubble, with people and children amongst them.

The concert is part of the This is Not a Drill tour that took off in July in the US and continues until early December 2023 with concerts in North and Latin Americas.

The British musician and songwriter is known for his strong pro-Palestinian stances, often openly condemning Israel for its decades-long occupation of Palestine and wars on its people.

Often accused of anti-Semitism and mysoginism, his opinions often lead him to conflicts with a variety of authorities, with some voices calling for the cancellation of his concerts.

Shortly before Waters' concerts in Argentina and Uruguay, many hotels have reportedly refused to accommodate the musician, accusing him of anti-Semitism.

Most recently, Waters expressed his stance in Pagina 12, an Argentinian paper, saying, "I have not had a single anti-Semitic thought in my entire life" and underscoring that his criticism was "of the Israeli government's actions."

More than 14,300 Palestinians, including over 5,840 children, have been killed in Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip since the start of the war on 7 October.

At least 33,000 have been wounded.

More than 6,800 are still missing or presumed dead under the rubble, many of them children.

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Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and Jordans King Abdullah II reaffirmed the importance of continuing efforts to achieve a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, according to a statement by Egyptian Presidential Spokesman Ahmed Fahmy on Wednesday.

This came during the Egyptian-Jordanian Summit that took place a few hours after a four-day truce between Israel and Hamas was announced.

El-Sisi and King Abdullah also emphasized the need to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid in line with international consensus reflected in the relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council and General Assembly.

Both leaders also reiterated their outright rejection of any attempts to displace Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, either internally or externally.

El-Sisi and King Abdullah underscored that stability in the region should be pursued through a comprehensive political process aimed at achieving a just resolution to the Palestinian issue through a two-state solution.

This resolution includes the legitimate rights of the Palestinians, with a key focus on the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem.

Additionally, the two leaders reviewed the joint efforts of both countries to engage with all parties, expressing the necessity for the international community to leverage the current truce to alleviate the suffering of the people in Gaza and address the humanitarian crisis in the region.

The Palestinians death toll in the Gaza Strip has reached 14,128 since the war began on October 7, according to the Palestinian Health Ministrys report on Tuesday.

On Tuesday, during a parliamentary session, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly affirmed Egypt's strong opposition to the forced displacement of Palestinians to Sinai, despite economic and political pressures.

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During his speech at the virtual G20 Summit hosted by India on Wednesday, Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi urged the international community to confront geopolitical and economic challenges, including the Palestinian issue.

Silence is no longer an option in the face of the crises that have erupted, and anticipation is no longer a solution, El-Sisi stated, emphasizing that confronting potential global scenarios, both geopolitically and economically, requires action.

El-Sisi highlighted that escalating geopolitical tensions and the continued repercussions of successive international economic crises are impeding progress toward achieving sustainable development goals and worsening challenges related to climate change.

He noted that increasing polarization and selectivity in the international community are exacerbating the complexity, explaining that the international community's response to the ongoing conflict in Palestine exemplifies this selectivity.

The war machine continues to claim more lives, leaving destruction and displacement in its wake, despite growing international warnings about the necessity to protect civilians and respect international law, El-Sisi said.

El-Sisi explained that the current global crises, which have political and military dimensions, intersect with deep economic imbalances.

These economic imbalances significantly hinder the fulfillment of economic and social human rights, especially in developing countries, he continued.

Furthermore, El-Sisi asserted the need to reform the international economic and financial structure, including the establishment of effective financing mechanisms and maximizing the benefits from the existing mechanisms.

El-Sisi called for reforming the policies and practices of multilateral development banks to enhance their financing capabilities in accordance with the priorities of developing countries.

The Egyptian president also underlined the necessity to address the growing issue of sovereign debt in developing countries, including middle-income nations.

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Recently, at the Changqingteng High-Performance Fiber Material Co., Ltd. located in the Sanshan Economic Development Zone in Wuhu, Anhui, workers are producing Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Fiber (UHMWPEF) products for export to North America.

The company is a national high-tech enterprise and manufactures various products such as UHMWPEF, coated yarn, aramid fiber, carbon fiber, polypropylene fiber, special fiber, and extended products. These products are popular in countries and regions along the "Belt and Road" initiative.

Workers are producing UHMWPEF products for export to North America

Workers are producing UHMWPEF products for export to North America

Workers are producing UHMWPEF products for export to North America

Workers are producing UHMWPEF products for export to North America

Workers are producing UHMWPEF products for export to North America

Source: anhuinews.com
US President Joe Biden affirmed the United States firm rejection of the forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza to Egyptian territories in a telephone call with Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi Wednesday evening.

According to the White Houses readout of the telephone call, Biden spoke with El-Sisi of Egypt to express his appreciation for Egypts efforts to reach the deal for the release of captives held by Hamas together with a humanitarian pause in Gaza.

The White House already issued a statement earlier that President Biden had thanked Egyptian President El-Sisi and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on Tuesday for their "critical leadership and partnership" in reaching a deal to secure the release of captives in Gaza.

The President reiterated that under no circumstances will the United States permit the forced relocation of Palestinians from Gaza or the West Bank, or the besiegement of Gaza, or the redrawing of the borders of Gaza, the White House said in its statement.

According to the Egyptian Presidency, El-Sisi reiterated in the telephone call from the US President Egypt's efforts as part of its commitment to preventing bloodshed and achieving stability in the region.

He emphasized the need to build on the current humanitarian ceasefire to achieve a permanent cessation of hostilities, ensuring the delivery of required relief aid and fuel to all areas of the Gaza Strip.

Both presidents highlighted the importance of working towards a political solution to the Palestinian issue based on the two-state solution.

The White House stated that under no circumstances can Gaza remain a sanctuary for Hamas where they can threaten Israel and Palestinians alike and imperil any pathway to a durable peace.

The two leaders also discussed coordination to further surge humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza.

They agreed to remain in close contact over the coming days as the deal to release captives is fully implemented, according to the statement.

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The recently reached ceasefire agreement in Gaza is expected to take effect starting Friday, Diaa Rashwan, head of the Egyptian State Information Service, said on Thursday.

The recently reached ceasefire agreement in Gaza is expected to take effect starting Friday, Diaa Rashwan, head of the Egyptian State Information Service, said on Thursday.

Egypt is engaging in consultations with the other parties involved to finalize the procedures required to implement the truce, he added.

The deal, reached early Wednesday and mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the US, was originally scheduled for Thursday at 10 am (0800 GMT).

However, it was delayed as a result of last-minute discussions regarding the names of Israeli captives and the specifics of their release, a Palestinian official told AFP on Thursday.

Qatar, who played a crucial role in mediating with Hamas, stated on Thursday morning that a new timeline for the agreement to take effect would be disclosed "in the coming hours."

The original truce established a four-day ceasefire to facilitate the release of 50 captives held in Gaza, according to Reuters.

In return, 150 Palestinians of the 8,000 currently imprisoned in Israel will be freed, and humanitarian aid will be allowed into the besieged Strip.

Israel also committed to refrain from any attacks or arrests in all parts of Gaza during the truce.

The terms of the agreement state that for every additional 10 captives released, the ceasefire will be extended for an additional day.

However, both sides agreed the war would resume after the truce, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying, We are at war, and we will continue the war until we achieve all our goals, according to AP.

On Wednesday, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi stated that "Egypt would continue its efforts to help the sides reach a final and sustainable solution that achieves justice, enforces peace, and ensures the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people."

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Egypts Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry and fellow members of the Arab-Muslim Ministerial Committee met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Wednesday, read a statement by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The French visit marks the conclusion of the committee's tour of several member states of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

The committee was assigned via a resolution by the Arab-Islamic Summit to engage with international parties in an attempt to halt the Israeli aggression against Gaza.

Joining Shoukry in the meeting with Macron were the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Palestine, Turkey, Indonesia, Nigeria, and the Secretary-General of the Arab League, according to Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zeid.

Abu Zeid said that during the meeting, the foreign ministers emphasized the important historical role France plays in supporting the Palestinian cause. They called for the implementation of a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza and the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Strip.

The committee highlighted that achieving an unconditional cessation of hostilities remains the desired path to mitigate the humanitarian catastrophe facing Gaza.

The foreign ministers also conveyed the unified positions of Arab and Islamic countries regarding the necessity of stopping Israeli attacks against the Palestinian people in Gaza and holding the perpetrators accountable, according to the statement.

They also stressed that the collective vision for achieving peace and coexistence in the region can only be realized through the establishment of a two-state solution and the creation of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Shoukry affirmed the Arab and Islamic countries' aspirations for France to play a leading and pivotal role in resolving the current crisis, given its membership in the Security Council and its positive approach to the proposed resolution facilitating the entry of humanitarian aid.

The meeting commended the joint mediation efforts of Egypt and Qatar, which resulted in an agreement on Wednesday for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza to take place at 10 am Thursday -- an agreement that was later delayed by Israel to Friday.

In the past 72 hours, the delegation had visited China, Russia, and the UK.

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Egypt confirmed the commencement of the agreed-upon ceasefire in the Gaza Strip at 7:00 AM on Friday, head of the State Information Service, Diaa Rashwan, announced on Thursday.

Rashwan added that Cairo has already received lists of captives and detainees from both the Israeli and Palestinian sides in preparation for an exchange of prisoners.

He added that the Palestinian side would hand over 13 captives, both male and female, to Israel on the first day of the ceasefire.

Rashwan concluded by urging the parties involved in the ceasefire to adhere to the agreed-upon plan.

Egypt announced on Thursday that the Rafah border crossing will open on Friday for Palestinian citizens who have been stranded in North Sinai and wish to return to the Gaza Strip.

An informed Egyptian source announced on Thursday the release of 13 Israeli captives, including women and children, in the Gaza Strip on the 24th of November 2023 at 1600 Hours (4 PM) in return for 39 Palestinian children and women from Israeli prisons.

The source added that the quantities of humanitarian aid, diesel, and gas entering the Gaza Strip will increase as soon as the ceasefire commences.

Furthermore, the Egyptian source announced that the humanitarian ceasefire would also entail a complete cessation of gunfire in the northern and southern regions of the Gaza Strip.

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Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said the deportation of Palestinians is a red line for Egypt, and it will not be permitted.

"We strongly oppose the relocation of Palestinians to Egypt or Jordan," said El-Sisi.

These remarks were made during a speech the Egyptian president delivered before thousands of Egyptians at an event in support of Palestine held at Cairo International Stadium.

The Egyptian president added that the Palestinian issue faces an extremely dangerous and sensitive curve amid an unpredictable and inhumane escalation.

This escalation adopts collective punishment and commits massacres as a means to impose a reality on the ground, leading to the liquidation of the issue, the deportation of the people, and the seizure of land, El-Sisi said, adding that stray bullets have not differentiated between a child, a woman, or an elder.

The machinery of senseless killing spins without guidance or conscience, becoming a disgrace on the forehead of all of humanity, he said.

El-Sisi revealed that a crisis management cell had been formed the instant the Israeli war on Gaza broke out.

This cell, he said, was composed of all the relevant state institutions and worked actively around the clock.

We have made a firm and irrevocable decision that reflects Egypt's commitment as a country and a people to stand at the forefront of supporters of our brothers in Palestine, the Egyptian president said.

Egypt, he said, has made enormous sacrifices for the Palestinian cause, and Egyptian blood has for seven decades been mingled with that of the Palestinians.

History and geography dictate that Egypt remains the foundation in supporting the struggle of the Palestinian brothers, El-Sisi said.

Furthermore, El-Sisi reaffirmed Egypt's firm and decisive rejection of plans to forcibly deport the Palestinians in either Gaza or the West Bank to Egypt and Jordan.

He also stressed that Egypt stands firmly against any attempts to liquidate the Palestinian issue or harm Egyptian national security.

Here, I express gratitude to the countries worldwide, particularly the United States, which affirmed its support for the Egyptian position and rejected any attempts in this regard, El-Sisi said.

Moreover, El-Sisi recounted Egypts efforts to prevent the escalation of this war on all levels.

He said that on the political level, Egypt held the first international summit in Cairo, in which several countries convened to secure international approval for ending this conflict and ensuring the flow of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.

In addition, Egypt participated actively in the Arab-Islamic summit, whose outcomes aligned with the general Egyptian stance, El-Sisi said.

These Egyptian efforts coincided with the Egyptian state's unrelenting and intensified contacts with regional and international leaders and officials, he added.

On the humanitarian level, the Egyptian president spoke about the significance of Egypt's decision to keep the Rafah border crossing open for food, medical aid, fuel, and for receiving the wounded and injured.

The aid provided by the Egyptian state to the Gaza Strip amounted to around 12,000 tons, transported by 1,300 trucks.

The state contributed 8,400 tons through the Egyptian Red Crescent, the National Alliance for Civil Development Work, and the Long Live Egypt Fund, accounting for 70 percent of the total aid, El-Sisi affirmed.

Egypt, in collaboration with the United States and our brothers in Qatar, successfully reached a four-day humanitarian ceasefire agreement, which could be extended," he said.

He added that he hoped the ceasefire would commence in the coming days without delay.

A new humanitarian aid convoy to Gaza

President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi affirmed that the Egyptian state has never closed the Rafah border crossing.

He also gave the green light to launch the latest and biggest humanitarian aid convoy from Cairo to Gaza.

Furthermore, El-Sisi reaffirmed that Egypt has never closed the Rafah border crossing at any point.

"I am accentuating this point to dispel any misconceptions. We have no intention or plans whatsoever to close the crossing. The crossing shall remain constantly open, and we have prepared for such a scenario."

The Egyptian president further noted that some channels have misrepresented the facts and that the Rafah crossing has never been closed.

He also highlighted that additional preparations were underway on the other side of the crossing to allow the entry of "assistance."

The responsibility is not ours alone. You must be aware of this, El-Sisi added.

The Egyptian president noted that as a country that adheres to international law, Egypt has to apply measures to facilitate the entry of aid, stressing that Egypt will not escalate the situation further to prevent any interference with its responsibilities.

I say to all Egyptians and people worldwide that the Rafah crossing has never been closed and will never be closed to aid entering the Gaza Strip," he said, adding that the crossing was shelled four times by the Israeli forces from the Palestinian side.

It was crucial for us to preserve the lives of people transporting aid and to be cautious about the procedures, El-Sisi said, adding that Egypt ultimately wants the aid to reach its destination safely.

In addition, upon his arrival at Cairo Stadium for the "Long Live Egypt-Palestine" event, the Egyptian president said, "Before the events of October 7, approximately 500 trucks used to enter daily. When faced with a significant crisis, it is not in our nature or principles to shut down the crossing."

He added that all Egyptians, whether through organizations or initiatives like the Presidential initiative Hayah Karima (Decent Life), have participated in alleviating the suffering of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Despite our challenging circumstances, I want to tell you that the volume of aid, compared to what was brought in during the past few days, is 75-80 percent of what the whole world contributed, El-Sisi said, adding that he was not trying to boast but to convey how Egypt acted responsibly and how it promptly provided aid to the people in Gaza.

In conclusion, President El-Sisi expressed gratitude to all those involved in preparing aid for the people of Palestine, particularly the Egyptian people, regardless of class or any differences, and civil society organizations.

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Amid the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza, there has been a growing trend in certain Western media and political circles to brand any individual or expression critical of Israel as anti-Semitic.

This raises important questions about the motive behind employing such an accusation and whether it serves as a genuine concern or a strategic manipulation to stifle dissenting voices.

Since the start of the Israel war on Gaza on 7 October, Israel has continuously bombarded Gaza, including hospitals, religious sites, schools, and refugee camps, resulting in the killing of over 14,128 people in Gaza, 74 percent of whom reportedly children and women, according to UNRWA figures.

Almost 1.7 million people -- nearly 80 percent of the population -- have been displaced since the war began, UNRWA said on Thursday.

This comes in addition to Israel's blockade of the Strip, cutting off all water, food, and fuel supplies and delaying the delivery of aid into Gaza.

Among the deadliest incidents witnessed in Gaza was the heavy Israeli airstrikes targeting Jabalia Refugee Camp, for which the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in early November that given the scale of destruction, we are alarmed about potential disproportionate attacks that could amount to war crimes.

The purpose?

Concerning the context that the term anti-Semitism has been invoked, Mostafa Kamel El-Sayed, a political science professor at the American University in Cairo (AUC), said it comes amid the notable upsurge in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza.

Meanwhile, the Western media argues that Hamas' aggression was a pogrom against Jews, leaving Jewish people around the world feeling threatened. Speaking to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, FBI Director Christophe Wray has recently warned that anti-Semitism is reaching historic levels in the US.

The purpose of using the term is to suppress any criticism of Israel or the Zionist movement, El-Sayed told Ahram Online.

Niveen Mosaad, professor of economics and political science at Cairo University, also believes that the purpose of using the term nowadays is to mute any dissenting voice.

"The goal is to prevent anyone from criticising Israel, deeming any criticism of Israel as supporting terrorism, Mosaad told Ahram Online.

This comes despite the fact that all those who criticised the killing of civilians in Gaza clarified that they are against civilian casualties on both sides, Mosaad noted.

Those directing such accusations do not want anyone openly criticising Israel's policies in killing civilians, including children, and targeting hospitals, bakeries, and ambulances. And yes, for them, it's acceptable for Israel to kill whoever it wants, under the pretext of its legitimate right to self-defence, Mosaad said.

When French President Emmanuel Macron criticised the killing of Gazas women and children, he was accused of being anti-Semitic, Mosaad argued.

In mid-November, Netanyahu strongly rebuked Macron, who criticised Israel's actions in Gaza, particularly for killing babies and the elderly, saying there was "no justification for Israels bombing of these babies, these ladies, these old people."

In response, Netanyahu accused Macron of making a serious mistake, factually and morally. Macron published a letter the next day in Le Parisien, in which he urged his nation to combat the unbearable resurgence of unbridled anti-Semitism.

El-Sayed underscores that the application of the term anti-Semitism is primarily situated within Western narratives, prominently surfacing in the French media and the US.

Earlier in November, the US Congress voted to censure Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian-American serving in the Congress, due to her rejection of labelling criticism towards Israel as anti-Semitic.

"I will not be silenced, and I will not let you distort my words," stated Tlaib during a Congress session.

No government is beyond criticism. The idea that criticising the government of Israel is anti-Semitic sets a dangerous precedent, and its been used to silence diverse voices speaking up for human rights across our nation, Tlaib said before being censured.

Origin and validity

The term "anti-Semitic" refers to hostility directed towards Jews as a religious group. Coined by German journalist Wilhelm Marr in 19th-century Europe, the term was introduced to identify and characterise the anti-Jewish campaigns prevalent in Central Europe during that historical period.

Mosaad indicates that anti-Semitism is a weapon used against those either who discriminate against Jews or those who take an anti-Israel position.

In this regard, El-Sayed noted that "the problem with this term is that although the Arabs are also Semites, it is understood in Europe to be limited to the Jews, and I think this is an inaccurate understanding of the term."

Mohamed Afifi, a professor in the History Department at the Faculty of Arts at Cairo University, indicated that hostility towards Jews had never existed in Arab countries before the state of Israel was established.

While after the establishment of the state of Israel, some of the extremist religious currents in Israel have shaped or transformed the conflict into a religious existential conflict, rather than a political conflict over land and borders. Unfortunately, some Islamic currents have fallen into this trap, Afifi told Ahram Online.

In recent days, several protests took place in the US, with a large number of Jews calling for a ceasefire, holding signs that read not in our names, and demanding an end to Israels occupation.

Since there are many prominent Jews who are taking a strong stand against Israel, and they even demonstrated in the US Congress and called for a ceasefire in Gaza, we should highlight such demonstrations and emphasise the fact that our hostility towards Israel and its violence in Gaza and the West Bank does not mean that we are taking a hostile stand against Jews, El-Sayed said.

Moreover, Afifi believes that we should shed light on Jews inside and outside of Israel who call for the implementation of international humanitarian law and the non-violation of human rights.

Afifi noted that Arab media should highlight the fact that we do not intend to demolish the Israeli state because this violates international law and a UN-recognized state. Rather, we only want Israel to create a political map that displays its boundaries so that it stops occupying nearby territories."

El-Sayed emphasised that we, as Arab media outlets and politicians, should be cautious when distinguishing Jews, Israelis, and Zionists.

Mosaad differentiates between both terms, saying that anti-Semitism is anti-race, while anti-Zionism is anti-political ideology.

We should be very specific that we are critical of the acts of Israelis and Zionists, but we are not critical of Jews, El-Sayed said.

In 1996, American Jews formed an anti-Zionist organisation named Jewish Voice for Peace, which stands in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle for freedom. In 2002, British Jews also founded an anti-Zionist group called Jews for Justice for Palestinians, which advocates human rights and political freedom for Palestinians.

El-Sayed said that there is a term used by the extremists in Israel and Western countries for the Jews who take a stand against Israeli policies, labelling them as self-hating Jews.

The AUC professor emphasised that we respect Jews the same way we respect Christians and people of all religions in general.

Afifi also agreed, saying that our statements and interviews, regarding the conflict, should not be directed to Jews, but rather to Israelis.

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Anti-Islam populist Geert Wilders won a huge victory in Dutch elections, according to a nearly complete count of the vote early Thursday, in a stunning lurch to the far right for a nation once famed as a beacon of tolerance.

The result will send shockwaves through Europe, where far-right ideology is on the rise, and puts Wilders in line to lead talks to form the next governing coalition and possibly become the first far-right prime minister of the Netherlands.

With nearly all votes counted, Wilders Party for Freedom was forecast to win 37 seats in the 150-seat lower house of parliament, two more than predicted by an exit poll when voting finished Wednesday night and more than double the 17 he won at the last election.

I had to pinch my arm, a jubilant Wilders said.

Political parties were set to hold separate meetings Thursday to discuss the outcome before what is likely to be an arduous process of forming a new governing coalition begins Friday.

Despite his harsh rhetoric, Wilders has already begun courting other right and center parties by saying in a victory speech that whatever policies he pushes will be within the law and constitution.

Wilders election program included calls for a referendum on the Netherlands leaving the European Union, a total halt to accepting asylum-seekers and migrant pushbacks at Dutch borders.

It also advocates the de-Islamization of the Netherlands. He says he wants no mosques or Islamic schools in the country, although he has been milder about Islam during this election campaign than in the past.

Instead, his victory seems based on his campaign to rein in migration - the issue that caused the last governing coalition to quit in July - and tackle issues such as the cost-of-living crisis and housing shortages.

I think, to be honest, very many people are very focused on one particular problem, which is immigration," voter Norbert van Beelen said in The Hague on Thursday morning. So I think thats what people voted for, immigration and all the other aspects of leaving the European Union looking very inward as opposed to outward are just forgotten. Its all about immigration.

In his victory speech, Wilders said he wanted to end what he called the asylum tsunami, referring to the migration issue that came to dominate his campaign.

The Dutch will be No. 1 again, Wilders said. The people must get their nation back.

But Wilders, who has in the past been labeled a Dutch version of Donald Trump, first must form a coalition government before he can take the reins of power.

That will be tough as mainstream parties are reluctant to join forces with him and his party, but the size of his victory strengthens his hand in any negotiations.

Wilders called on other parties to constructively engage in coalition talks. Pieter Omtzigt, a former centrist Christian Democrat who built his own New Social Contract party in three months to take 20 seats, said he would always be open to talks.

The closest party to Wilders in the election was an alliance of the center-left Labor Party and Green Left, which was forecast to win 25 seats. But its leader, Frans Timmermans, made clear that Wilders should not count on a coalition with him.

We will never form a coalition with parties that pretend that asylum seekers are the source of all misery, Timmermans said, vowing to defend Dutch democracy.

The historic victory came one year after the win of Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, whose Brothers of Italys roots were steeped in nostalgia for fascist dictator Benito Mussolini. Meloni has since mellowed her stance on several issues and has become the acceptable face of the hard right in the EU.

Wilders was long a firebrand lashing out at Islam, the EU, and migrants - a stance which brought him close to power but never in it, in a nation known for compromise politics.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who boasts of turning Hungary into an illiberal state and has similarly harsh stances on migration and EU institutions, was quick to congratulate Wilders. The winds of change are here! Congratulations, Orban said.

During the final weeks of his campaign, Wilders somewhat softened his stance and vowed that he would be a prime minister for all Dutch people, so much so that he gained the moniker Geert Milders.

The election was called after the fourth and final coalition of outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte resigned in July after failing to agree to measures to rein in migration.

Rutte was replaced by Dilan Yesilgoz-Zegerius, a former refugee from Turkey who could have become the countrys first female prime minister had her party won the most votes. Instead, it was forecast to lose 10 seats to end up with 24.

The result is the latest in a series of elections that is altering the European political landscape. From Slovakia and Spain to Germany and Poland, populist and hard-right parties triumphed in some EU member nations and faltered in others.

In The Hague Thursday morning, Dutch voter Barbara Belder said that Wilders' victory is a very clear sign that the Netherlands wants something different.

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Since 7 October, Palestinian prisoners have been subjected to a systematic policy of abuse, starting with their assault during arrest, where Israeli soldiers brutally beat them in front of their families. Subsequently, they are transferred to detention centres, where visits by lawyers and representatives of the International Red Cross (IRC) are prohibited.

Events on the ground and in prisons indicate that Israel is adopting oppressive policies against prisoners, including racist practices and violations contrary to international laws that guarantee their rights and protection and ensure their access to medical treatment and food.

What is happening in Israels prisons violates all these international norms. Prisoners face vindictive attacks from the moment of their arrest, through the investigation, and ending in prisons, where the authorities engage in numerous acts of harassment and retaliatory assaults.

A report conducted by the Palestinian Prisoners Society notes numerous violations against prisoners, ranging from raids on their homes, terrorising their families, and brutal arrests, to physical assaults during arrests, beatings, forcing them to strip naked, and seizing their belongings, including of those already convicted.

They culminate in the denial of food, reflecting humanitarian suffering that extends to their families, who are denied information about the prisoners and their place of detention.

Photographs and videos circulated by settler-affiliated Websites and the Israeli military have also revealed occupation soldiers forcing prisoners to strip naked, either entirely or leaving them in their underwear. Some videos show prisoners fully naked and subjected to mockery and verbal abuse by Israeli soldiers.

Several prisoners have been subjected to various forms of torture. The experience of Khader Latifi from the Aida Refugee Camp represents one of many instances of such assaults, where he was beaten brutally by Israeli soldiers. Similarly, Iyad Banat from the Al-Fawwar Camp in the Hebron Governorate faced brutal aggression by Israeli soldiers.

These assaults were documented by the occupation soldiers themselves, apparently as a source of pride in their crimes.

Released prisoners who refused to appear on camera fearing re-arrest revealed that the assaults are not limited to during arrest operations but that they face torture in the prisons as well. They are subjected to humiliation, beatings, and starvation during their transfer as part of a systematic policy led by Israeli Minister of Security Itamar Ben-Gvir.

Released prisoners who spent weeks in detention said that they had faced brutal attacks by Israeli soldiers. One prisoner said that he had been brutally beaten after being restrained and forced to walk bent over, with soldiers continuously beating him throughout his detention.

Prisoners who chose not to appear in the media, fearing re-arrest, said that the Israeli forces do not provide prisoners with sufficient meals. They are given minimal amounts, with one meal distributed among the five to seven prisoners in the detention rooms.

Morning and evening roll calls can involve soldiers attacking the prisoners. It was noted that the counting process takes place while the prisoners are stripped of their clothes.

The prisoners said the Israeli forces raid the prisons, confiscate all the prisoners belongings, and throw them into garbage containers. Videos released by the Israeli Prison Authority showed its forces engaging in these practices.

What is happening in the Israeli prisons constitute war crimes and violations of international conventions and norms.

PROTESTS: The reality faced by the Palestinian prisoners has prompted their families and various organisations to pressure the IRC through protest activities, but to no avail.

Palestinians fear retaliation that could affect the lives of all the prisoners. Five prisoners have died as a result of torture. They endure food, water, and electricity deprivation, along with the confiscation of all their belongings.

Abdullah Al-Zaghari, head of the Palestinian Prisoners Society in the West Bank, said that since the beginning of the brutal Israeli aggression on Gaza, there has been an extensive campaign of arrests carried out by the Israeli army in the Palestinian Territories.

Since 7 October, the Israeli army has been entering various cities and camps in large numbers, armed with weapons and police dogs, blowing open doors and invading citizens houses.

He said that various family members, especially those associated with the arrestees, are also attacked. These practices reveal a retaliatory trend characterised by unprecedentedly brutal attacks in the history of the occupation. This has been evident in the destruction and looting of homes and the extortion of the detainees families by holding one family member hostage to force others to surrender.

Al-Zaghari explains that the occupation has turned its prisons into isolation cells, in addition to confiscating all prisoners belongings such as clothes, pictures, and even writing and books. He emphasised that the prisoners are left with nothing but the clothes they are wearing.

The Israeli prison authorities have also informed the prisoners that they are under the jurisdiction of the Israeli army. Water and electricity have been cut off for long hours, prisoners deprived of going to the prison yard, and inadequate quantities of poor-quality food provided. Additionally, lawyers have been prohibited from meeting the prisoners, and visits have been suspended, leaving the prisoners in a condition of uncertainty and facing an unknown fate.

Al-Zaghari said that the IRC has not fulfilled its duties as a humanitarian international organisation. It has not communicated with the prisoners to understand their situation inside the prisons and reveal the conditions they are living in.

He said that he had obtained some information through the military courts, which have become the link between the prisoners and their families, with lawyers present. Others learn about the prisons from released prisoners who acknowledge that detainees are subjected to severe forms of torture and brutal beatings.

He highlighted the fact that the number of detainees inside Israeli prisons now exceeds 7,500 prisoners, and approximately 2,500 have been arrested since 7 October. The majority of these detainees are previously released prisoners targeted by the occupation, either through assassination or administrative detention, which now surpasses 2,200 detainees.

Al-Zaghari explained that the occupations ugliest practices in the recent operations involve humiliating the Palestinian detainees. They are subjected to brutal attacks by Israeli soldiers, who sometimes film the detainees during their arrest. In some instances, loud music is played to mock them in blatant violation of international humanitarian laws.

This confirms that the occupation deals with the Palestinian as if they are not fully human and violates their dignity. There is a need for international investigations by various legal organisations to hold Israel accountable for the crimes committed against the Palestinian people.

ARREST OF CHILDREN: Since 7 October, Israeli forces have carried out numerous arrests of children, who are protected by international agreements during times of war.

Mohamed Abdel-Rabba, head of the Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners Association, stated that since 7 October more than 200 children have been arrested by the occupation forces and are being held in harsh and inhumane conditions. These conditions are unbearable for adults, so how much more challenging they must be for children, he said, especially in the face of dropping temperatures and severe cold.

Abdel-Rabba called on human rights organisations, the UN, and the IRC to fulfill their responsibilities towards all prisoners, particularly child prisoners, emphasising that Israel has violated and continues to violate international norms.

Moreover, as part of its policy to conceal its crimes against prisoners, the Israeli occupation resorts to ignoring the demands of the IRC. All communications between the occupation authorities and the latter have stopped, even though the IRC is the authorised body monitoring the conditions of prisoners of war and ensuring that occupying states adhere to international standards and conventions that guarantee the protection of prisoners during times of war.

It ensures the application of international law, which stipulates the protection of prisoners human rights and prohibits their torture or humiliation.

Officials at the IRC do not conceal the practices of the Israeli occupation. Israel has not responded to the requests of the international organisation to know the conditions of the prisoners or their places of detention. Moreover, it refuses to grant it the opportunity to visit the prisons.

Such Israeli crimes have led to the deaths of five prisoners in the occupations prisons since 7 October. The families of the prisoners and Palestinian and international human rights organisations fear for the prisoners lives in the absence of the IRC and UN ability to force Israel to adhere to international conventions that stipulate the protection of prisoners during times of war.

Abdel-Qader Hilan, media director at the Al-Dameer Foundation, an NGO, stated that since 7 October the occupation has launched a fierce campaign of arrests against all Palestinians, with an average of 70 arrests per day. This campaign is not limited to a specific area but has targeted all regions and various categories of people, he said.

Hilan explained that the campaign is the most severe in the history of the Palestinian people, and it includes attacks, destruction, and the torture of detainees. There are approximately 200 children inside the occupation prisons.

He pointed to a new policy used by Israel to blackmail Palestinians wanted for arrest. This involves detaining the families or children of wanted persons as hostages to force them to surrender. Hilan mentioned a three-year-old child who was detained to put pressure his father.

Hilan added that the occupation is transferring large numbers of detainees to administrative detention without clear charges. He illustrated the brutal attacks and abuses against prisoners inside the prisons, where they face repeated assaults including beatings and searches.

He emphasised that the occupation employs excessive violence against the prisoners, as seen in videos circulated by occupation soldiers boasting about torturing them. The reality of the prisoners cannot be ignored, and it should be highlighted for the international community, he said.

Many Palestinians have been killed in Israeli prisons, including workers from Gaza. One of them has been identified, while the identity of the others has remained mysterious.

Hilan directed a message to all the relevant authorities concerned with the prisoners. Where are you? What is your role in holding the occupation accountable for its crimes of extermination, assassinations, and arrests, he asked.

There have been no effective efforts made on the ground by the relevant authorities, he added.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 23 November, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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The war raging in Gaza is testing Americas diplomatic ability as well as its capacity for military deterrence, and on neither front does the US seem to be winning. The bold seizure of an Israeli cargo ship, Galaxy Leader, in the Red Sea by Yemens Iranian-backed Houthi rebels over Israels war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip was a calculated risk daring the US to respond.

Though the US is wary of a direct confrontation with Iran, increased Houthi attacks could force it to act. Since the start of the war, the Biden administration has dispatched aircraft carriers to the region to deter Iran and her allies, and yet there have been rocket, drone and missile attacks on Israel and on American troops from Irans network of allied militias across the Middle East, though so far this has not developed into a regional conflict.

The Israeli army described the attack on the ship as a very grave incident of global consequence. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the vessel was hijacked with Iran guidance by the Yemenite Houthi militia, criticising what it called another act of Iranian terrorism. The Israeli army said the vessel was on its way from Turkey to India when it was seized in the southern Red Sea before it was taken to a Yemeni port.

Although Israel says the vessel does not have any connection with it and no Israelis were among its crew, the maritime security company Ambrey said the vessels group owner is listed as Ray Car Carriers, whose parent company belongs to Abraham Rami Ungar, an Israeli tycoon. Tehran denied any direct involvement in the incident. Irans Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said the Israeli allegations were invalid and a form projection meant to escape from the situation they are facing. We have repeatedly announced that the resistance groups in the region represent their own countries and make decisions and act based on their interests. The Zionist regime cannot accept that it suffered a major defeat in Palestine and wants to find justification for the defeat by accusing the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Although the calculations of Tehran and its allies in the Middle East, led by Hizbullah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen, are to avoid direct war with America and Israel, this does not exclude carrying out specific operations against American and Israeli interests in the region. It seems that the goal of Iran and its allies in the escalation on the Israeli-Lebanese border or against American military bases in Iraq and Syria is to reduce pressure on Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza by opening other fronts, albeit in a limited way, to exhaust Israel and America militarily and politically.

Also among those goals is to warn Washington of the possibility of expanding the war regionally unless the Biden administration pressures Israel to implement a resolution issued by the UN Security Council earlier this month stipulating humanitarian truces in Gaza to allow the entry of humanitarian aid to the Strips population of 2.3 million people, of whom 1.7 million people have been displaced according to the latest United Nations statistics.

Despite the fact that Irans President Ebrahim Raisi has insisted that the resistance groups in the region are independent in their opinion, decision and action, Irans Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian warned that the intensity of the war has rendered its expansion inevitable. He also recently said that resistance groups allied to Tehran were cleverly adjusting pressure on Israel and its supporters. Tehrans vague threats mean that all options are open depending on developments in the situation in Gaza. So far, the Biden administration has failed to influence Israel to limit its attacks on civilian targets. This failure made America, along with Germany, one of the very few countries around the world that still defends the killing of thousands of civilians in Gaza as Israeli self-defense.

Such unwavering support for Israel, despite strong evidence from the United Nations and other international organisation reports that Israel is committing war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and forced displacement in the Gaza Strip, puts America in an indefensible moral position. It also places it in a very weak strategic position globally and in the Middle East.

It is a situation that defeats Bidens efforts to rearrange the international order to ensure continuing American hegemony. The war not only helped the restoration of Russias active diplomacy in the conflict, it also gave China the chance it has been waiting to flex its growing diplomatic muscles in the Middle East. There is no doubt that the gathering of a number of Arab officials, led by the foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the Palestinian Authority as well as officials from Turkey, Nigeria and Indonesia in Beijing this week to discuss ways to end the war in Gaza was met with deep concern from the Biden administration.

The same group of diplomats will also visit the UN Security Councils five permanent members and others to urge an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, a Turkish Foreign Ministry source told Reuters on Tuesday. The group will meet British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron during visits to Britain and France on Wednesday, the source said. The primary goal of the contact group is for a ceasefire to be announced as soon as possible and for humanitarian aid to be sent to Gaza, the source told Reuters.

In these diplomatic efforts, America, due to its blind bias in favour of Israel, appears to be largely marginalised and without many friends in the region or globally. This encourages Iran and its allies to exploit the situation. Israels defense minister has talked this week about the military campaign taking months, but this would be the worst scenario for the Biden administration because it means enhancing the possibilities of the war expanding into a regional conflict.

Although America and Israel may agree on the goal of ending Hamas rule in Gaza, they disagree on almost everything else, starting with the duration of Israeli military operations, the forced displacement of Palestinians, the targeting of civilians, humanitarian truces, destruction of civilian infrastructure including hospitals and schools and the reduction of Gazas territory or even an Israeli reoccupation of Gaza.

Bidens inability to pressure Netanyahu on any of those issues has made his administration appear weaker. His stance led to deep disagreements within the Democratic Party and inside the administration and Congress. The majority of American citizens support a ceasefire in Gaza, which the American president refuses to support despite the passage of seven weeks of war and the death of more than 13,000 people, the majority of whom are women and children. It is a risky situation for a president who wants to be re-elected in just 11 months.

The recent attacks by Irans allies are a message to America and Israel that every day of the war on Gaza will have a price and that the axis of resistance will not allow the elimination of Hamas or Islamic Jihad, a former Iranian diplomat in London told Al-Ahram Weekly. Although the majority of Iranians do not support Irans involvement in a direct war with America or Israel, they support selective operations that protect Irans regional interests and her allies. And as long as the cost of Irans involvement remains tolerable, these operations against America and Israel in the region will continue.

So far, the war is costing America diplomatic and political capital around the world and in the Middle East, and despite Bidens 40 years of experience in American and international politics, he does not seem to have the cards to pressure Israel. This is what Iran and her allies are exploiting, and no doubt Russia and China are exploiting it too.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 23 November, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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Alaa Al-Mashharawi looks at how displaced Gazans battle against the brutal Israeli occupation while living in camps and shelters.

Fortunate Gazans have escaped the destructive bombing raids unleashed by Israel in its war against the Gaza Strip, but no matter how fortunate they may have been in escaping death, they cannot escape the suffocating economic siege or psychological warfare against Gaza.

These Gazans, numbering some 1.5 million, have fled their homes in the northern part of the Strip to the south, fleeing into the path of a famine that is now engulfing the Strip.

Their escape was prompted by a lack of humanitarian aid, shortages of food, fuel, drinking water, and medicine, and the disruption of electricity and communication networks. The situation has been further complicated by the looming threat of disease due to inadequate healthcare resources.

At the Khan Younis School in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, displaced women can be seen preparing meals for their families using firewood. Their lives have undergone a profound transformation after their homes were reduced to rubble, compelling them to seek refuge here.

Families are allocated to classrooms, where they improvise sleeping arrangements on the floor, often wrapping themselves in blankets, now a scarce commodity due to exorbitant prices.

Elham Fathi (Um Ahmed), a 47-year-old displaced woman, said that I arrived at this school with my family of 13. I cook for them using firewood. We consider ourselves fortunate to have acquired enough firewood to light the stove, enabling us to cook lentils to meet our basic needs.

Um Ahmed collects dry firewood, positioning it between two stones to light a fire. As she tends to the stove, her son Ahmed stands in line, awaiting his turn to fill a plastic gallon with potable water. In these challenging times, access to clean water has become the most precious resource for the family.

Some 45 days into the Israeli war on Gaza, Rami Adib, a 48-year-old who has been residing in the industrial shelter west of Khan Younis since 13 October, is on the verge of a breakdown.

Life here is akin to hell. Crowding, exhaustion, and soaring prices are the norm. Theres a severe shortage of sanitary facilities, which are both unclean and lack adequate water. We also face challenges in obtaining drinking water, and theres a lack of food and aid. Life has become unbearable, he said.

Having left his apartment in the Tal Al-Hawa neighbourhood of southern Gaza without being able to take any belongings with him, Adib said that the tents we live in offer little protection from the sun or the cold. They collapsed during a recent storm, exposing us to the rain and soaking mattresses and clothes.

Mervat Al-Qayed, a 36-year-old displaced from the Al-Sabra neighbourhood to the Al-Madakha School in Rafah, said that we left everything, venturing out in light clothes, barefoot, and without carrying any of our belongings. Now, as the weather turns cold and rainy, we lack warm clothing to shield us.

We are living in rudimentary tents that offer little protection against the cold and rain, especially with the drop in temperatures in the early winter season. We fear that conditions will further deteriorate in the coming days as temperatures drop and the rainfall increases. We find ourselves without mattresses, blankets, or adequate winter clothing.

The hardships experienced by displaced Gazans, including children, women, and the elderly, are heart-wrenching. They are having to grapple with hunger and fear, striving to preserve their lives amid challenging circumstances, exacerbated by the brutal aggression of the Israeli army.

A spokesman for the Red Crescent in Gaza warned about the impending threat of famine and epidemics among the 1.5 million displaced people from the northern part of the Strip. Most of the displaced sleep in schools, on the streets, or in the open air.

He said there was increasing difficulty in providing relief to the displaced population. Rescue crews are tirelessly working, but they face challenges exacerbated by communication outages and concerns about famine and the potential spread of disease.

The humanitarian situation is worsening, with local markets being out of food supplies. There is also not enough fuel to meet urgent needs.

Mohamed Sorour, a 42-year-old engineer, took refuge in the UN Relief Agency UNRWA shelter in the Japanese Quarter west of Khan Younis with his two wives and five family members. He recounted the heartbreaking loss of family members to bombings in Beit Lahia.

Sorour told Al-Ahram Weekly about the hardships of living without potable water, electricity, or fuel. The dire circumstances have forced the family to resort to primitive wood stoves, sleeping on the ground, and grappling with the elements, instilling feelings of fear and anxiety. The situation is further compounded by the need to queue for the bathroom, with as many as 200 people in line.

I prioritise the needs of my children, and we eat whatever the displaced people have, which often consists of insufficient and non-nutritious food. We struggle to find the loaves of bread we are accustomed to, as the bakeries have closed due to a shortage of flour, fuel, electricity, or the threat of being bombed by occupation aircraft, he said.

The continuation of the current situation will lead to catastrophic consequences for children in the near future, as they are being deprived of the nutritious food essential for their well-being, he added.

Thousands of displaced residents are enduring a catastrophic humanitarian and health crisis under continuous bombardment. The health sector has collapsed, and there is a severe shortage of potable water, foodstuffs, and medicines.

Despite tens of thousands seeking refuge in UNRWA schools as shelters to escape the bombings, the Israeli forces persist in targeting them. The Al-Fakhoura School, affiliated with UNRWA in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, was bombed, resulting in the loss of 200 lives, including women and children.

Similar incidents occurred at the Al-Falah School in the Al-Zaytoun neighbourhood, the Al-Buraq School, Al-Shati School, Al-Mamouniya School, Khan Younis School, Tal Al-Zaatar School, and Al-Saftawi School. These schools house tens of thousands of displaced Gazans. When they are bombed, the death toll can easily reach hundreds.

UNRWA media adviser Adnan Abu Hasna told the Weekly that the UN flag is no longer sufficient to protect Palestinians seeking refuge in our schools. They are in search of the safeguarding promised by the UN flag and international humanitarian law.

Tens of thousands of families have sought refuge in schools, which have turned into refugee centres as the number of displaced people continues to rise. These families are surviving on meagre aid, limited water, food, and mattresses provided by UNRWA. Unfortunately, these makeshift living conditions lack sanitary facilities, bathrooms, or access to safe water and are surrounded by piles of garbage, he said.

Abu Hasna said that the schools are ill-equipped and lack toilets and health facilities. There is insufficient medical and food aid to meet the needs of the thousands of displaced people relying on tents for shelter.

Head of the Gaza government Media Office Salama Maarouf has accused UNRWA of complying with Israels orders to displace the Palestinians and claimed it has abandoned displaced people in shelters without adequate services.

Maarouf said that UNRWA should focus on providing protection and support for the displaced, helping them to remain in their homes or in nearby areas instead of following Israels directives for displacement. He criticised UNRWA for abandoning its missions in Gaza City and urged it to resume its services in other areas of the Gaza Strip.

The UNRWA spokesman refuted these claims, asserting that the organisation is working to provide safe and suitable shelter for the displaced. It is also making efforts to supply food aid and relief brought into Gaza. According to Abu Hasna, there are no plans by UN institutions to support displacement.

Abu Hasna highlighted the poignant scenes of the displacement, evoking memories of the forced displacement of Palestinians during the 1948 Nakba, when they lived in tents that later became symbolic of the catastrophe after the establishment of Israel. He emphasised that the number of displaced individuals in various parts of the Gaza Strip has reached 1.7 million since 7 October, distributed among 156 agency facilities, predominantly schools.

UNRWA estimates that about 800 trucks of aid are needed a day for two or three months to meet the demand for assistance, he added.

The Agencys data indicate that there are 670,000 displaced people in 97 facilities in the central region, Khan Younis, and Deir Al-Balah, including the Khan Younis training centre, which is the largest UNRWA facility, housing 21,700 displaced people, he said.

The data show 160,000 displaced individuals in 57 facilities in the northern Gaza Strip, though communication with the north is problematic, according to UNRWA.

The lack of blankets and proper facilities compounds the difficulties, with each classroom accommodating between 70 and 80 displaced people. Over 500 individuals share the same bathroom in the schools, with waiting times extending to 90 minutes, if water is available at all, Abu Hasna said.

According to UNRWA, there are substantial numbers of displaced children, 5,000 pregnant women, more than 2,000 individuals with disabilities, people with chronic diseases and cancer, as well as newborns.

The overcrowded conditions contribute to a significant increase in gastrointestinal diseases among children and acute respiratory illnesses due to the scarcity of clean water. To address these challenges, 124 medical teams are providing services in these centres, but their efforts are being hampered by the limited aid entering from the Rafah Crossing.

Israel has killed more than 13,000 people in Gaza, including over 5,500 children and 3,500 women, since 7 October. The number of injured has surpassed 30,000, with 75 per cent of them being children and women, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 23 November, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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Moscow had struck a balanced position on the Israeli war on Gaza at the outset.

However, as the bombardments intensified and the death toll and destruction mounted, Moscow shifted to a more pro-Palestinian stance and its tone about Tel Aviv grew sharper. It condemned Israeli practices and harshly criticised the West and the US, above all, for aiding and abetting them.

Speaking at the Ninth Saint Petersburg International Cultural Festival (16-18 November), Putin called out the US for its double standards towards the Ukrainian crisis and the war in Gaza.

This was not Putins first criticism of Washington since 7 October. In late October, in a meeting with members of the Russian National Security Council, government officials and heads of law enforcement agencies, he said the ruling elites in the US and those in its orbit are to blame for the escalation in hostilities in Ukraine and for the killing of Palestinians in Gaza.

The key to resolving this conflict lies in the establishment of an independent sovereign Palestinian state, he stressed, intimating that this was not Washingtons real aim.

The recent shift in the Russian position on this crisis has manifested in other ways. Russian media has intensified its coverage of events, with a heavy focus on the suffering the Israeli war machine has inflicted on Palestinian civilians.

Considerable attention is being paid to the reactions among ordinary Russians who are watching the events closely and expressing their alarm and their sympathy with the Palestinians on social media. It is unusual for so much public attention to be focused on events outside Russia.

At the diplomatic level, on 16 November, the Russian Foreign Ministry observed that the conflict in Gaza has demonstrated the harm that can come from US attempts to monopolise mediating efforts in the Middle East.

Prior to this, on 28 October, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned that the Israeli bombardment of Gaza violated international law and threatened to cause a catastrophe that could last for decades. It is impossible for Israel to eliminate Hamas without destroying Gaza along with most of its civilian inhabitants, he stressed.

Moreover, on 28 October, Moscow hosted a Hamas delegation headed by Mousa Abu Marzouq. Unlike the US and the EU, Moscow has not designated Hamas a terrorist organisation and it has kept communication channels open with it during all phases of the crisis. Tel Aviv bristled at Hamas visit and told Moscow to expel the delegation, adding that the visit was another sign that Moscow sided with the camp of Hamas terrorists.

Moscow has also defended the Palestinians in international forums. For example, on 11 November, Russia and China urged the Security Council to call for a ceasefire and to promote a lasting solution to the crisis.

Describing conditions in Gaza as shocking, Vassily Nebenzia, Russias permanent representative at the UN, spoke of a real humanitarian catastrophe in the Palestinian region exposing a tragedy of global proportions and Israeli airstrikes completely destroying or damaging nearly half of the residential and civilian buildings vital to civilian infrastructure.

The Russian pivot to a distinctly pro-Palestinian stance is informed by a various motives and considerations. Firstly, Moscow is clearly moved by the horrifying scenes of the brutal Israeli aggression against civilians and civilian infrastructure, including hospitals and houses of worship.

But, secondly, Moscow is also keen to distance itself from the Western discourse and to present the policies it advocates as a realistic alternative to the US-led Western approach which, according to Moscow, was the original cause of the destruction of Ukraine and which not only failed to manage the conflicts of the Middle East but also aggravated them.

Russia has frequently criticised the US and Western pro-Israeli bias and, since the current crisis began, Putin has accused Washington of negligence because of its failure to promote a just and lasting settlement to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict that takes the root causes into account. According to Sergei Markov, a former Kremlin adviser, Putin wants to set himself apart from the political stances of the West which he now regards as evil incarnate because of its unconditional support for Kyiv and Tel Aviv.

Thirdly, Moscow wants to utilise world sympathy for the Palestinians to rally the international community behind it in opposing Western policies, whether towards the Gaza crisis and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict or towards the Ukraine crisis and the ongoing sanctions against Russia. In general, Russia sees an opening to build a global front that could generate momentum towards the development of a new world order that would end US mono-polar hegemony and usher in a multipolar system.

Fourthly, Russias strong opposition to Israeli actions in Gaza is intrinsically connected to its determination to ensure, at the very least, the neutrality of Arab and Islamic states, as well as Latin American states, on the war in Ukraine.

According to some Russian sources, Putin sees an opportunity to turn the situation in Ukraine in his favour. He believes he can take advantage of the universal unpopularity of US-led Western support for the Israeli war against Hamas, the most recent demonstration of which was the vote in the US Congress on 15 November, approving a $14 billion emergency support package for Israel.

It would not escape Moscow that the Western financial support going to Israel equals less Western support for Kyiv, which would improve Russian chances of making a breakthrough on the Ukrainian front. In general, Russia stands to benefit from the diversion of attention away from Ukraine and from the Western confusion over how to distribute its military, intelligence and financial resources between Kyiv and Tel Aviv.

Clearly, Putins shift to wholehearted support for the Palestinians in the face of the Israeli aggression is consistent with his long-standing desire to strengthen his countrys relations with the Arab and Islamic world. He sees a strong possibility of gaining inroads at the grassroots level where the US and the West, in general, are seen as aiders and abettors of Israels genocidal war in Gaza.

At the governmental level, he is taking advantage of the opportunity to market a concept of Russian policy different from the stereotypical one disseminated by Western propaganda, one that he hopes might convince Arab and Islamic powers to view him as a more reliable partner than Western powers which have just revealed their pro-Israeli bias in full force.

The sixth consideration is linked to Moscows revitalised diplomatic drive to rally international support behind a settlement to the Ukraine crisis and the lifting of Western sanctions against Russia. A large part of this entails countering attempts to isolate Russia internationally.

At the same time, as Russia coordinates with Arab and Islamic partners to stop the Israeli aggression and set into motion a new peace process, it will be able to increase Russian influence in the region too.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 23 November, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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Last week saw a surge in pro-Palestinian activism, arrests, and retaliation at universities across the US, but more is yet to come.

I wouldnt be caught dead holding a Starbucks cup, exclaimed one student at the University of Michigan (UMich), as she adjusted her Palestinian kuffiya. Its so embarrassing.

Wearing a kuffiya, boycotting Starbucks and McDonalds, occupying university buildings, walkouts, sit-ins, doxing, arrests are all par for the course if you are a student advocating for Palestinian rights at many university campuses in the US right now.

Lance Lokas, the leader of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at George Washington University (GWU), told Al-Ahram Weekly that his group was banned from campus for 90 days, after weeks of non-stop activism that brought together hundreds of students in solidarity with Palesitnians. The ban came after the group projected onto a school building phrases like End the Siege on Gaza and Divestment from Genocide in Gaza Now.

That is our most important, central demand, said Lokas, who having been doxed is willing to speak on the record. George Washington University [must] immediately divest from weapons manufacturers and defense contractors that aid and abet the genocide of Palestinians, and end all financial and material ties to the Zionist entity.

In response to SJPs suspension, a solidarity movement formed on campus, demanding that it be reinstated as GWUs administration continues to crack down on pro-Palestinian speech from students and faculty across campus. They have largely ignored our demands, and completely refused to acknowledge the genocide of Palestinians, he explains. They will never willingly acquiesce to our demands, so we must build power in our communities to attain them.

SJP built a strong Student Coalition for Palestine in the Washington, DC area and around the country, including indigenous, Black, Armenian, Jewish, feminist, Asian, and abolitionist organisations. They have been our strongest support system in the wake of our suspension.

Intimidation tactics by GWU include mobilising campus police force en masse to surveil and harrass pro-Palestinian activists, as well as dictating demonstration routes and volume. We know that these are signs of a weak and desperate institution, asserts Lokas. Just like the student movements against the Vietnam War and apartheid in South Africa, we are part of an international movement and we must organise against all educational institutions that fund settler colonialism and Western imperialism.

The same sentiment echoes for a student at George Mason University Fairfax, Virginia, who chose to remain anonymous. The student said that the SJP chapter on their campus participated in the Shut It Down for Palestine event on 9 November, and has organised protests and walkouts to demand that their university should divest from war profiteering companies that advertise and recruit students on campus. They also want the administration to officially recognise and acknowledge that genocide is being committed in Gaza, and provide equal protections for Palestinian and Arab students, especially from doxing.

The main problems we face are intimidation by fellow students, punishment and restrictions by the administration, the student says. As well as doxing and claims of anti-semitism online.

Doxing is the collection of someones private information across multiple platforms (including social media) by an unauthorised individual, who then publishes the information in an attempt to shame or embarrass the user. Pro-Zionist groups also post pictures of students on Canary Mission, an online blacklist to out people for being anti-semitic.

The group at George Mason University also has strong allies among the 37,000 students on campus, including the Native American Indigenous Alliance (NAIA), the Arab Student Association (ASA), the Muslim Student Association, and the Kurdish Student Organisation. They are also part of the national SJP movement through which they work and support each other.

We have yet to have a formal meeting with the president to discuss our demands, says the student at George Mason University.

While the prospect remains bleak, the door appears to be ajar at UMich in Ann Arbor, with a student body of more than 50,000. The universitys President Santa Ono finally recognised how enraged so many in our community feel We will, I will, do better in the future, he said in a video statement on 17 November.

Ono made these statements as students occupied the universitys main administration building that day, demanding to speak to him and pressure UMich to divest from Israel and release a full list of the universitys investments there.

Joseph Fisher, the activism chair of Students Allied for Freedom and Equality (SAFE), the SJP chapter at UMich, told the Weekly that a coalition of 56 organisations also wanted the university to initiate an inquiry into anti-Palestinian, anti-Arab, and Islamophobic student harassment, as well as reaffirm faculty who were vilified for supporting Palestine. They also demand that their university should issue a statement describing the massacre of Gaza as a genocidal ethnic cleansing campaign led by Israel and aided by the US.

Fund our education, not the occupation, chanted hundreds of protesters that evening as they stood outside Ruthven Hall, where Onos office and central administration are located. At the end of the seven-hour occupation of the building, 40 students were arrested, processed and released at the scene.

The event was intended to be another peaceful sit-in, but turned into a violent nightmare of police brutality, according to Assmaa Eidy, a member of SAFEs activism committee and director of community action expansion for (ASA). Our students were trampled on, tackled to the ground, punched, and thrown, Eidy told the Weekly. Muslim womens hijabs were forcibly removed by officers, along with other articles of clothing, and many women were also inappropriately handled.

She reported that students inside the building were denied water, food, access to bathrooms, medication, and medical support. Ten police precincts within a 30-mile radius descended on the location, with 50 officers surrounding the students inside Ruthven.

In his video address that evening, Ono had changed his tune completely since the beginning of October, when he slammed the horrific attack by Hamas and ignored the killing of Palestinians and emerging Islamophobia on campus. Angered and ignored, pro-Palestine students spent the next 40 days trying to meet with him.

Ono ignored pro-Palestinian demonstrators, even when they held a candle vigil outside his residence on campus; even when they organised die-ins to honour martyrs; even when they shut down traffic; even when they taped a letter of demands to his front door; even when they wrote the names of 10,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza on a 40-foot long banner and hung it outside his house; even when they staged a silent protest holding up bloodied hands and taped the pictures, names and ages of martyrs on their shirts; even when they marched 1,000 students to the main administration building.

In his video address last week, Ono acknowledged that pro-Palestine students have been intimidated and faculty members suffered verbal abuse for their political views. This tempest of war has placed a terrible burden on our students, faculty and staff from our Israeli, Palestinian, Muslim, Jewish, and Arab communities, he said.

But arrests and citations are not the most intimidating for kuffiya-wearing activists, who shield themselves from the fallout of doxing and retaliatory measures by other students or university administration by coalescing with other groups on campus: safety in numbers. While SAFE partnered with 56 other organisations, a Jewish Voices for Peace (JVP) Umich chapter was created in early November to counter pro-Zionist groups and silence accusations of anti-semitism.

Shut it Down for Palestine on 24 November promises to be another sweeping call to action, where protesters are being rallied to organise sit-ins, walkouts, wear kuffiyas, wear armbands, picket companies that profit from Israels occupation of Palestine, as well as Israeli embassies and consulates.

Shut it Down for Palestine has sponsored several rallies, including on 9 November at the University of Arizona where over 1,500 students, faculty, staff and individuals participated in a walkout. The National Students for Justice in Palestine (NSJP) supports over 200 Palestine solidarity organisations to develop a student movement that is connected, disciplined, and equipped with the tools necessary to achieve Palestinian liberation.

On 13 November, 120 faculty at Harvard University wrote to their president Claudine Gay that they are astonished by the pressure from donors, alumni, and even some on this campus to silence faculty, students, and staff critical of the actions of the State of Israel. They called on Gay to support intellectual freedom at Harvard, with its 25,000 student body, and create an advisory group on Islamophobia, anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab racism.

Rallying more allies around pro-Palestine protesters on campus is key to growing the momentum for activists. In solidarity with the members of the MIT Coalition for Palestine, the Black Graduate Student Association at MIT penned an open letter in response to the administrations attempts at intimidation, censorship, and restriction of peaceful protests by some of its nearly 12,000 students.

But the picture is grimmer on other campuses. Students protesting for a ceasefire are fighting an uphill battle, as universities started banning pro-Palestinian groups on campus. On 16 November, the American Civil Liberties Union challenged Floridas ban on pro-Palestinian university groups, arguing in a federal lawsuit that the state is violating students free speech. Last month, Floridas university system and Governor Ron DeSantis ordered colleges to shut down chapters of (SJP).

Brandeis University has also banned SJP indefinitely, and Columbia University has suspended the group. In response to this suspension, more than 20 elected officials sent a letter to Columbia University, which is attended by over 30,000 students, calling on the Ivy League University to reinstate the local chapters of SJP and JVP. Both were suspended for holding an unauthorised silent protest, and are now blocked from receiving any university funding or holding events on campus.

Signatories included representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Jamaal Bowman and Nydia Velazquez, who said that students have been doxed and some have had job offers withdrawn.

On the same day as the unauthorised protest, more than 100 of Columbias faculty wrote an open letter to university President Minouche Shafik condemning the attempts to stifle freedom of speech, and unfairly labelling students as violent, disruptive, or anti-semitic for expressing empathy for the lives and dignity of Palestinians.

Activism has my full priority and attention, asserts Eidy at UMich. All other areas of my life and education have become insignificant. Her colleague Fisher agrees: Activism is my primary responsibility, he said. Ahead of classes, ahead of sleep, even ahead of eating at times. As campus organisers, we know the impact we can make here, and know where our priorities should lie.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 23 November, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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Director for Palestine-Israel at the international NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) Omar Shakir said in an interview with Al-Ahram Weekly this week that Israels repeated and unlawful attacks on medical facilities in Gaza should be investigated as war crimes.

Despite the Israeli armys claims of Hamas cynical use of hospitals for military purposes, it has not put forward any evidence justifying depriving hospitals and ambulances in Gaza of their protected status under international humanitarian law, the group said in a report issued last week.

The report investigated Israeli attacks on five hospitals between 7 October and 7 November that killed and injured hundreds and damaged parts of these medical facilities. The attacks, as well as the lack of fuel and electricity, have forced 18 out of Gazas 36 hospitals, including its biggest and most important medical complex the Al-Shifa Hospital, to shut down, as Gazas collapsing healthcare system grapples with an unprecedented number of injured patients.

Because hospitals are protected under international law during conflicts, thousands of Palestinians had sought shelter in them after Israels assault on the Strip began on 7 October. While Israel has repeatedly accused the Palestinian resistance of using hospitals for military operations or as human shields, it has failed to provide any evidence to substantiate these claims.

As the Weekly went to press this week, the Israeli occupation forces in northern Gaza had laid siege to the Indonesian Hospital in addition to bombing the Al-Awda Hospital, killing dozens of patients and medical staff.

In a telephone interview with the Weekly on Monday, HRWs Shakir explained that Israels attacks on hospitals are rooted in decades of impunity and have also been enabled by the cover provided by its Western allies to violate and undermine international law during its war on Gaza.

The missile strike on the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital on 17 October in Gaza City that killed hundreds was so shocking that the Israeli military felt compelled to deny its responsibility and even blame it on the Islamic Jihad group. But what weve seen during the past few weeks is a targeted military campaign on Gazas hospitals in the absence of an international outcry. How did we arrive at normalising such gross violations of international law?

The reality is that international law is very clear that hospitals have special protection and that doctors, medical workers, and ambulances must always be protected and allowed to do their work. There must be an effort by warring parties to ensure that medical facilities are allowed to continue in operation. There is a very narrow specific provision under the law in which it is permissible to carry out attacks on hospitals, and as is often the case, warring parties, especially the Israeli government, have sought to take that really narrow condition and use it as the basis for systematic attacks very broadly across Gaza on hospitals. Human Rights Watch has investigated several of these attacks on hospitals and found that the Israeli government has put forward no evidence that would justify attacking Gazan hospitals.

I think weve got to this point precisely because there have been decades of unlawful attacks by Israeli forces, as well as by Palestinian armed groups, that have taken place with impunity, which creates an attitude in which basic notions of international humanitarian law can be quickly set aside and a callous disregard for human life takes their place. I think its rooted in this impunity based on years of unlawful attacks and Israeli apartheid against Palestinians, and thats whats led to this situation in which hospitals have been deprived of medical supplies, water, and fuel that runs their electricity, making it impossible for them to operate, and they have also been under relentless attack.

What kind of dynamics have contributed to the shift in the international condemnation of the attack on the Baptist Hospital almost a month ago and the current daily targeting of hospitals and even refugee centres by the Israeli forces? The escalation came soon after US President Joe Bidens solidarity visit to Israel on 18 October, in addition to the three visits to Israel by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Both made public endorsements supporting Israel.

I certainly believe that the attitude of governments in Europe and the US are a big part of providing Israel with the sense that it can continue with its aerial campaign. We know that the bombing of hospitals has been condemned in places like Syria, by Syrian or Russian forces or in other contexts, and yet we have far too often not seen leaders in Europe and the US unequivocally condemn Israeli war crimes and its unlawful attacks. It took days for many Western leaders to even reiterate the need to respect international humanitarian law. We do not see condemnation of war crimes, and we dont hear calls for investigations and accountability including at the International Criminal Court (ICC), which has jurisdiction over the matter.

I think that when the US issued its statement for example regarding the Al-Shifa Hospital, that was read by many Israeli officials as providing a green light for the attack on that particular hospital. And I think we shouldnt lose sight of the fact that beyond the airstrikes and other direct attacks on hospitals, you have the blocking of the entry of life-saving aid and medical supplies, which is a war crime under international law, as is collective punishment.

I think even the aspect of condemning collective punishment as a war crime also hasnt been forthcoming, so certainly the attitude of countries, especially the US and other allies of Israel in Europe, has certainly been a part of emboldening Israeli officials to follow up on their pretty clear and unequivocal statement of the intention to punish the population in Gaza and to commit atrocities.

The much-delayed 15 November UN Security Council Resolution calling for a humanitarian pause and establishing human corridors in Gaza was rejected by Israel, which seemed to respond by raiding the Al-Shifa Hospital and evacuating it. How much has this slow action by the Security Council  40 days into the war and not even calling for a ceasefire  enabled Israel to pursue its war on Gazas hospitals?

I think the US has paralysed the Security Council from being able to carry out its essential function, especially during times of hostilities and armed conflict. In essence, it was rendered for the first five weeks basically incapacitated from taking action. The resolution last week is binding, and it signalled to the Israeli government that there is grave concern, including from the US. But that concern should have been forthcoming sooner, and I think the slow pace certainly has contributed to giving cover to the Israeli government to continue its campaign and its unlawful blockade on Gaza.

So, much more is needed, and at HRW we have been clear for weeks that were witnessing mass atrocities taking place on the ground and that world leaders must not only be much clearer in their statements, but they must take concrete action to prevent further mass atrocities.

What would the legal repercussions of Israels rejection of a binding UN Security Council Resolution be?

The Security Council has the mandate to ensure that its resolutions are followed, and it should continue to monitor and take action. Although it abstained, the US made it clear that it agreed with many provisions in that statement, so there must be much more concrete action that can take many different forms.

There needs to be calls for accountability, including at the International Criminal Court (ICC) to provide support for its office to do its job, and there must be a look at all forms of potential complicity in war crimes. HRW has called for an arms embargo to be imposed on the Israeli government given the grave risk that these weapons and military systems will be used in the commission of grave crimes. I think that states need to activate their atrocity prevention mechanisms. The UN can do the same thing in order to look at all sorts of different ways in which it can take forms of action and help prevent further atrocities from taking place in Gaza.

After raiding and evacuating the Al-Shifa Hospital, the Israeli military presented what it claimed to be new evidence of Hamas misuse of that Hospital. We saw footage of what Israel claimed to be an underground tunnel, but no evidence yet of a military command centre run by Hamas. Do you think Israel has now established that hospitals are indeed legitimate targets, and should we expect further attacks against others?

Any time allegations of hospitals being misused are made, they should be taken seriously. Were not in a position to corroborate the Israeli governments claims, but when we have looked into these claims, we have found that the numbers of strikes on hospitals were unlawful and should be investigated as war crimes, and we found in those situations that the evidence they put forward did not justify attacking hospitals.

Lets remember that the heightened protection of hospitals means that they can only be attacked if acts harmful to the enemy have taken place from there. We did not find that in the cases we documented. In addition, even if actions harmful to the enemy have taken place, attacks on hospitals can take place only when there is provision of safe evacuation and medical representation, and thats not possible in Gaza given that theres no safe place to go and no reliably secure way to get anywhere.

In addition, lets remember that international law continues to prohibit unlawfully indiscriminate or disproportionate attacks. And the risk of disproportionality is heightened in hospitals precisely because even a relatively minor invasion can have life-altering consequences for patients in urgent need of medical care. So, Israel cannot treat hospitals as free-fire zones, even if the burden was met to show that theyre being used to commit acts harmful to the enemy.

On the 45th day of the war, are we at a point of genocide fatigue and desensitisation to the mass atrocities live-streamed daily over such a long period?

I hope nobody is ever desensitised to the piling up of hundreds of bodies everyday, and more than 4,500 children killed, to entire parts of neighbourhoods being reduced to rubble, to hospitals, schools, refugee camps, being struck by Israeli airstrikes. We should never be desensitised to that, and I think across the world, including in the West, weve seen people that are not desensitised that continue to call for the greater protection of civilians and an end to unlawful attacks.

These calls are just not yet fully reflected in the statements of the US and some other governments: theres a disconnect there. But ultimately, were seeing the fundamental principles of international law that grew out of the ashes of World War II being put to the test; were seeing the core institutions of international order from the UN to the ICC being tested by the current dynamics on the ground.

Right now, humanity is not meeting those tests, and the consequences will reverberate far beyond Israel-Palestine if these institutions continue to fail to rise to the occasion.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 23 November, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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World leaders and international organizations welcomed the Israel-Hamas truce deal, which is expected to go into effect on Thursday, as it will help ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and de-escalate the conflict. However, Israel used the remaining hours before the truce could go into effect to kill more civilians.

23:00 On Wednesday evening, hours before an announced truce deal between Israel and Hamas could go into effect sometime on Thursday, a massive Israeli airstrike on a residential block in the district of Sheikh Radwan in Gaza City killed and injured tens of civilians.

Al Jazeera reporters who rushed to the scene captured difficult scenes of emergency responders attempting to pick tens of bloodied victims - mostly women and children - from the rubble of two residential buildings in the densely populated neighbourhood.

More than 200 Palestinians were killed and dozens injured in various Israeli airstrikes and artillery bombardments on various parts of the Gaza Strip on Wednesday.

On Wednesday, as the world awaits some pause for the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza and the entry of humanitarian relief to the strip, the Palestinian health ministry said more than 14,300 Palestinians, including more than 5,840 children, have been killed in Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip since the start of the war on 7 October.

At least 33,000 have been wounded.

More than 6,800 are still missing or presumed dead under the rubble, many of them children.

More than 1.7 million Palestinians have been internally displaced.

22:00 Renowned Tunisian-Egyptian actress Hend Sabry resigned from the World Food Programme on Wednesday citing the program's failure to effectively mobilize against the Israeli policy of cutting off all food for Palestinians in Gaza amid its relentless bombardment of the strip for over 46 days.

Sabry, an award-winning film and TV actress, worked with in-need populations in Sudan, Bangladesh, Egypt, and Libya among other countries over her years as a Goodwill Ambassador for the WFP.

"I have tried to make my voice heard at the highest level of the World Food Program and to join my colleagues in calling for WFP to be used  as it has done successfully before, to advocate and push hard for an immediate, humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, and to leverage WFPs influence to prevent the use of starvation as a weapon of war."

"It is a weapon that has so far killed more than 14,000 people, made more than 1.6 million people homeless, destroyed half of the buildings, and bombed hospitals and schools that were supposed to be safe shelters."

"For this reason, I announce my resignation and wish all my colleagues in the World Food Program safety and peace."

21:45 The head of the United Nations children's agency on Wednesday called the besieged Gaza Strip "the most dangerous place in the world to be a child," and said that the hard-won truce deal between Israel and Hamas was not enough to save their lives.

UNICEF's executive director Catherine Russell told the UN Security Council that over 5,300 children have reportedly been killed in Gaza since 7 October, accounting for 40 percent of the deaths.

"This is unprecedented," said Russell, who had just returned from a trip to southern Gaza. "I am haunted by what I saw and heard."

Russell welcomed a deal reached Wednesday by Israel and Hamas to free hostages and pause ferocious fighting and bombardment in Gaza.



An Egyptian medic provides care to a premature Palestinian baby, recently evacuated from the Gaza Strip, at a hospital in al-Aris in the North Sinai Governorate of Egypt on November 22, 2023. AFP

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21:30 As the world waits for a ceasefire, Al Jazeera reporters say the Israeli artillery is frantically targeting various parts of the Gaza Strip, from Gaza City in the north to Al-Bereij refugee camp in the centre and Khan Younis in the south of the strip, killing and injuring tens during the day and into the evening hours on Wednesday.

21:00 The Israeli army announced that the number of its soldiers and officers who were killed since the start of its ground invasion of the Gaza Strip has reached 72, bringing the total of casualties among military personnel to 392 since 7 October.

Moreover, the Israeli army also announced that a top commander in the Golani Brigade was killed in north Gaza.

For an in-depth look at what the Israeli side is saying or not saying on the real number of its casualties - click here

Meanwhile, Al Jazeera aired new videos provided by Qassam brigades showing its fighters destroying Israeli tanks and armoured vehicles in various street battles in northern Gaza.

20:30 Egypts Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry said on Wednesday that the humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip has raised many questions about the silence of international parties on the crisis compared to their positions on other armed conflicts.

This came during Shoukrys meeting -- as part of an Arab-Islamic delegation -- with the UKs Foreign Secretary David Cameron.

20:00 Renowned American actress Susan Sarandon, the Academy Award-winning actress, was dropped by United Talent Agency for her support of the Palestinian Cause.

Sarandon, 77, who won the Oscars for her role in Dead Man Walking (1995), took part in demonstrations against the Israeli war on Gaza and its slaughter of Palestinian children.

"You do not have to be Palestinian to stand with the Palestinian people," Sarandon told the crowd at a recent protest.

"It's time to have an open heart. It's time that Palestine be free. There is no freedom until everyone is free."

Hollywood companies cut ties with...

Actress Susan Sarandon because of her participation in a pro-Palestine march! Because she stood for what was right  pic.twitter.com/k0kMBsbMSU  I.S.K.N.D.E.R  FREE (@najjer67281) November 22, 2023

Separately, Melissa Barrera lost her role in the "Scream" movies for Instagram posts calling for the end to the Israeli war on Gaza and signing an artist-initiated petition demanding a ceasefire.

19:30 Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and Jordans King Abdullah II reaffirmed the importance of continuing efforts to achieve a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, according to a statement by Egyptian Presidential Spokesman Ahmed Fahmy on Wednesday.

This came during the Egyptian-Jordanian Summit that took place a few hours after a four-day truce between Israel and Hamas was announced.

19:00 "We have just witnessed over the last few weeks the largest displacement of Palestinians since 1948. The scale of destruction and loss is staggering. It is an exodus under our watch. The younger generation, forced to live through traumas of ancestors or parents," UNRWA said on Wednesday.

We have just witnessed over the last few weeks the largest displacement of Palestinians since 1948.



The scale of destruction and loss is staggering. It is an exodus under our watch.



The younger generation, forced to live through traumas of ancestors or parents. pic.twitter.com/7p2dQiBhPf  UNRWA (@UNRWA) November 22, 2023

Israeli forces bombed several civilian-packed residential areas in the north and also in the south of the Gaza Strip Wednesday morning ahead of a pending truce deal.

Israeli bombardment of homes killed at least 30 Palestinians in the Shujaiya neighborhood, east of Gaza City, and 10 in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in Gaza City, Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.

Wafa added that 15 Palestinians were killed in the city's Al-Sabra neighborhood while dozens were killed and injured in Israeli strikes targeting five homes in Al-Daraj and Al-Tuffah neighborhoods.

Elsewhere, Israeli strikes on northern Gaza destroyed dozens of homes in the Al-Rimal neighborhood, Al-Shati refugee camp, Tal Al-Hawa, and Sheikh Ejleen.

Three homes were bombed in Beit Hanoun, killing 25 people in the northern strip.

Not far, Israeli tanks continued a deadly siege and strikes on the Indonesian Hospital in Beit Lahia for the third consecutive day.

Overnight, Israel allowed a number of patients to be transported out of the hospital to hospitals in southern Gaza.

In the southern parts of the strip, Khan Yunis, Al-Maghazi, Al-Bureij, and Al-Nuseirat were targeted by Israeli warplanes and artillery fire, with reports of more fatalities and wounded.

18:00 French President Emmanuel Macron will on Wednesday discuss "the situation in the Middle East" with foreign ministers from major Arab and majority-Muslim countries, his office said.

Joining the talks at the Elysee Palace in Paris will be the top diplomats from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the Palestinian territories, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Turkey, the presidency added, as well as Arab League boss Ahmed Aboul Gheit.

17:30 More than 14,100 Palestinians, including more than 5,840 children, have been killed in Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip, according to a Wednesday morning tally by the Gaza health ministry.

At least 33,000 have been wounded. More than 6,800 are still missing or presumed dead under the rubble.

Director of the Hamas media office in Gaza Ismail al-Thawabteh revealed at least 200 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli bombardment in the last 24 hours, adding that nearly 800,000 Palestinians are still residing in the north of the Palestinian territory.

17:00 A Hezbollah source told Al Jazeera that the Lebanese resistance group will abide by the four-day ceasefire, despite not being part of the negotiations.

Hezbollah will stop firing at Israel from southern Lebanon if Israel adheres to the ceasefire, the source said, stressing that any violation of the ceasefire will be met with a fierce response.

16:45 Taher Al Nono, a political adviser to Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, told Al Jazeera, that according to the ceasefire agreement at least 200 to 300 trucks, including eight fuel trucks, will be allowed entry into the Gaza Strip. This will include the entire strip, south and north, Al Nono added.

16:00 US special envoy for Middle East humanitarian issues David Satterfield said displaced people in southern Gaza must be allowed to return to their homes in the north.

There should be no displacement outside the Gaza Strip, Satterfield stressed.

These remarks come as the United Nations revealed on Wednesday all 2.4 million people in Gaza are going hungry, and 1.65 million have been displaced by the war, with almost half the houses in Gaza destroyed or damaged.

15:00 UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres "welcomes the agreement reached by Israel and Hamas, with the mediation of Qatar supported by Egypt and the United States," a spokesman for the UN chief said in a statement.

"This is an important step in the right direction, but much more needs to be done," Guterres said the UN would provide support for the implementation of the agreement. Good deal, but not enough.

The World Health Organization (WHO) also welcomed the deal, but the UN health agency's chief said it would not end civilian suffering.

"We welcome the announcement of the Israel-Hamas agreement for 50 Israeli captives to be released," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X, formerly Twitter.

"My thoughts are with the families, some of whom my WHO colleagues and I met with in recent weeks. We also welcome the four-day pause in fighting that will allow more aid to be safely delivered into Gaza."

But he added that "this is not enough to end the suffering of civilians" and "that those still in captivity must receive any needed medical care".

"We continue to call for all captives to be released. We also continue to call for a ceasefire so that civilians in Gaza can receive sustained, safe, and scaled-up support for recovery.

Read the full report on world reactions to the truce deal

14:10 Egypts Al-Qahera TV channel said the Israel-Hamas truce will take effect at 10am local time (0800 GMT) Thursday.

Egypt helped mediate the four-day ceasefire, which will facilitate the release of dozens of captives captured by Hamas on 7 October. The deal will also see the release of dozens of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel and the entry of more humanitarian aid into Gaza.

14:00 The United Nations welcomed the deal between Israel and Hamas to free captives and pause the fighting and bombardment in Gaza, but said much more needed to be done.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres "welcomes the agreement reached by Israel and Hamas, with the mediation of Qatar supported by Egypt and the United States. This is an important step in the right direction, but much more needs to be done," a spokesman for Guterres said in a statement.

I welcome the agreement reached by Israel & Hamas. Its an important step in the right direction, but much more needs to be done.



The @UN will mobilize all its capacities to support the implementation & maximize positive impact on the humanitarian situation in Gaza.  Antonio Guterres (@antonioguterres) November 22, 2023

12:00 President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi welcomed the successful Egyptian-Qatari-American mediation efforts resulting in a humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, emphasizing Egypt's persistent commitment to achieving lasting peace.

"I would like to express my welcome to the success achieved by the Egyptian-Qatari-American mediation in reaching an agreement to implement a humanitarian truce in the Gaza Strip and exchange captives between the parties," El-Sisi wrote on his official Facebook account.

10:20 At least five fighters of a pro-Hezbollah group within Iraq's Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation) forces were killed in two US strikes south of Baghdad early Wednesday, security sources said.



Iraqi mourners carry the coffin of Fadel al-Maksusi, a Kataeb Hezbollah fighter who was also part of the Islamic resistance in Iraq, the group that has claimed all recent attacks against US troops in Iraq and Syria, during a funeral in Baghdad on November 21, 2023, AFP

10:00 The Palestinian Authority welcomed a humanitarian truce agreement between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, a senior Palestinian official said.

"President Mahmud Abbas and the leadership welcome the humanitarian truce agreement, value the Qatari-Egyptian effort made, and reaffirm the call for a comprehensive cessation of the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people and the entry of humanitarian aid," senior official Hussein al-Sheikh wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

9:30 Britain welcomed a truce deal between Israel and Hamas as a "crucial step" towards providing relief to the families of the captives and addressing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

"This agreement is a crucial step towards providing relief to the families of the hostages and addressing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza," Foreign Secretary David Cameron said in a statement.

9:00 China welcomed a truce deal between Israel and Hamas after they reached an agreement on a four-day humanitarian pause in exchange for the release of 50 captives in Gaza.

"We welcome the temporary ceasefire agreement reached by relevant parties," foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a regular briefing.

Beijing hopes "that it will help ease the plight of the humanitarian crisis, de-escalate the conflict, and ease tensions," Mao said.



Injured Palestinians evacuated from the Indonesian hospital in the north of the Gaza Strip receive care at Nasser hospital in the Palestinian territory's southern city of Khan Yunis, on November 20, 2023. AFP

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An agreement for a four-day cease-fire in Gaza and the release of dozens of Hamas-held in captivity and Palestinians imprisoned by Israel appeared to have hit a last-minute snag when a senior Israeli official said it would not take effect until Friday, a day later than originally announced.

The diplomatic breakthrough promised some relief for the over 1.7 million Palestinians who have fled their homes under 48 days of Israeli brutal attacks.

Israel's national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, announced the delay late Wednesday, without providing a reason.

A Palestinian official told AFP Thursday that a delay was due to "last minute" details over "the names of the Israeli captives and the modalities of their release".

The Arab Gulf nation of Qatar, which played a key role in mediating with Hamas, said early Thursday that a new time for the agreement to go into force would be announced in the coming hours. It was originally set to begin at 10 a.m. (0800 GMT) Thursday. The U.S. and Egypt also helped negotiate the deal.



Netanyahu says truce won't end war

The agreement had raised hopes of eventually winding down the Israeli war, now in its seventh week, which has killed at least 14,000 Palestinians, two-thirds of them women and children and has leveled vast swaths of Gaza, fueled a surge of violence in the occupied West Bank, and stirred fears of a wider conflagration across the Middle East.

But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a nationally televised news conference that the war would resume after the truce expires.

The war is continuing. We will continue it until we achieve all our goals, Netanyahu said, adding that he had delivered the same message in a phone call to U.S. President Joe Biden.

Washington has provided extensive military and diplomatic support to Israel since the start of the war.

If implemented, the deal temporarily freezes both sides at a tenuous moment.

Israeli troops hold much of northern Gaza and say that much of Hamas' infrastructure remains intact. Israeli forces on Wednesday revealed what they said was a major Hamas hideout in a tunnel beneath Shifa Hospital.

The claims have not been independently verified.

The territory's largest medical center has been at the heart of a fierce Israeli attack and evacuation of patients and refugee, a reckless endangerment of civilians.

Israel meanwhile ordered the full evacuation of the Indonesian Hospital in the north, Dr. Munir al-Boursh, a Health Ministry official inside the facility, told Al-Jazeera television. He said hospital officials were trying to organize buses to evacuate some 200 patients, including older adults and children with burn injuries. Fighting has raged outside the hospital for days, and hundreds of people have already been forcibly displaced to the south.

Israel has threatened to launch wider operations in southern Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of people who fled the north have crammed into overflowing U.N.-run shelters with dwindling food, water and basic supplies.

For Hamas, the cease-fire would provide an opportunity to regroup after weeks of heavy resistance. Hamas leader Yehya Sinwar, who is believed to be alive and in hiding in Gaza, is likely to claim the release of Palestinian prisoners as a major achievement and declare victory if the war ends.



Captives to be freed in stages

Under the truce deal, 50 captives will be freed in stages, in exchange for the release of what Hamas said would be 150 Palestinian prisoners. Both sides will release women and children first, and Israel said the truce would be extended an extra day for every additional 10 captives freed by Hamas.

The return of captives could lift spirits in Israel, where their plight has gripped the country. Families of the captives have staged mass demonstrations to pressure the government to bring them home.

Qatar said the cease-fire would allow a larger number of humanitarian convoys and relief aid" to enter Gaza, including fuel, but it gave no details on actual quantities. Israel cut off all fuel imports at the start of the war, causing a territory-wide blackout and leaving homes and hospitals reliant on generators, which have also steadily been forced to shut down.

Netanyahu said the deal includes a provision for the International Committee of the Red Cross to visit the detainees in captivity.

Israels Justice Ministry published a list of 300 Palestinians prisoners to be released, mainly teenagers detained over the past year for rock-throwing and other minor offenses.

Israel has a long history of agreeing to lopsided prisoner swaps with resistance groups, and Hamas is expected to demand a large number of high-profile Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the soldiers.

Heavy toll on Gaza

Weeks of Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, followed by a ground invasion, have killed more than 14,000 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry, some two-thirds of the dead have been identified as women and minors.

The ministry said that as of Nov. 11 it had lost the ability to count the dead because of the collapse of large parts of the health system under Israel's attacks but that the number has risen sharply since then. Some 2,700 people are missing and believed buried under rubble.

Israel says it has killed thousands of Hamas fighters, though it has presented no evidence for its count.

Three-fourths of Gaza's population of 2.3 million have been forcibly displaced by Israel. Many, if not most, will be unable to return home because of the vast damage and the presence of Israeli troops in the north.

The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA, said that more than 1 million Palestinians were seeking shelter in 156 of its facilities in Gaza, where many have been forced by overcrowding to sleep on the streets outside as a cold, rainy winter sets in.

Israel has barred imports to Gaza since the start of the war, except for a trickle of aid entering through Egypts Rafah crossing. Humanitarian aid groups operating in Gaza said the truce was too short and the Rafah crossings capacity was insufficient to meet urgent needs.

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Germany on Thursday said raids were underway in four regions on the homes of members and supporters of Hamas and another Palestinian organization which are banned in the country. allegedly

"We are carrying out action against radical Islamists. By banning Hamas and Samidoun in Germany, we have sent a clear signal that we will not tolerate any apology or support for Hamas," Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said in a statement.

The interior ministry said 15 properties had been raided so far since 6:00 am after courts in four regions ordered the raids.

Germany on November 2 banned Hamas and Samidoun. There are an estimated 450 Hamas members in the country, according to official figures.

The ministry claims that while Hamas members had not staged "violent action" in Germany, they had tried to raise funds to help the group overseas and "influence the social and political discourse in Germany".

It said Samidoun on the other hand was allegedly "prone to use violence ... and denies the right of Israel to exist".

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The Lebanese Hezbollah group fired more than 50 rockets at military posts in northern Israel on Thursday, a day after an Israeli airstrike on a home in southern Lebanon killed five of the groups senior fighters.

The waves of rockets sent over the border represented one of the most intense bombardments since Hezbollah started attacking Israeli posts in the country's north at the beginning of the Israeli war on Gaza.

Hezbollah has said that by heating up its actions on the Israel-Lebanon border, it is easing pressure on the Gaza Strip, where Israel's crushing aerial, ground and naval offensive has left more than 13,300 Palestinians dead, two third of them are women and children, and caused wide destruction in the sealed-off territory.

An agreement for a four-day cease-fire in Gaza and the release of dozens of hostages held by the resistance groups and Palestinians detained by Israel, was set to take place Thursday but appeared to have hit a last-minute snag.

Hezbollah said in a series of statements released Thursday that the volleys it fired toward Israeli posts included 48 Katyusha rockets that were directed at an Israeli army base in Beit Zeitem, about 10 kilometers (6 miles) south of the border.

The group said its fighters also struck tanks and locations where Israeli troops were taking positions.

The intense fire followed an Israeli airstrike on a house in Beit Yahoun, a village in southern Lebanon, that killed the five senior fighters, including Abbas Raad, the son of the head of Hezbollahs 13-member parliamentary bloc in Lebanon, Mohammed Raad.

The deaths bring the number of Hezbollah fighters who have been killed in seven weeks of fighting to at least 83.

Iran-backed factions in Iraq, including the militant group Kataib Hezbollah, have carried out more than 60 and rocket or suicide drone attacks at bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria. Kataib Hezbollah is allied with Lebanon's Hezbollah but the groups have different leaders.

The U.S. military said Thursday that one of its warships in the Red Sea shot down bomb-carrying drones launched from territory controlled by Yemens Houthi rebels.

The American militarys Central Command said the USS Thomas Hudner, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, shot down the drones early Thursday morning. The ship and crew sustained no damage or injury, Central Command said.

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"The pause will begin at 7:00 am on Friday ... and the first batch of civilian hostages will be handed over at approximately 4:00 pm on the same day," Majed Al-Ansari said Thursday, adding that the number of people freed will be thirteen.

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Spain has said it will push the European Union to adopt policies to support the Palestinian people's right to self-determination, as Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visited Israel on Thursday.

"It is in Israel's interest to work for peace. And today peace means the establishment of the Palestine state," the Spanish premier, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, told his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu.

While Sanchez stressed that he backed Israel's "right" to defend itself, he said the number of Palestinians killed by Israel's military response "is truly unbearable".

According to the Gaza health ministry, more than 14,100 people, many of them women and children, have been killed in Israel's military invasion of the Palestinian territory.

Sanchez, who is also to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank, has repeatedly endorsed the two-state solution -- a Palestinian state established in territory that Israel illegally occupied in 1967 -- since the Israeli aggression began.

As he was sworn in for a new term this month, Sanchez said his foreign policy priority would be to "work in Europe and in Spain to recognise the Palestinian state".

Sanchez will on Friday travel to Egypt. He is accompanied on his trip to the Middle East by Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo, whose country will take over the EU presidency on January 1.

'Ripple effect'



Sanchez hopes his stance will have a "ripple effect" in the rest of Europe, at a time when many in the Arab world say that western countries are being too friendly to Israel, Isaias Barrenada, an international relations professor at Madrid's Complutense University, told AFP.

Spain's parliament voted in 2014 in favour of a resolution calling for recognition of Palestine as a state.

Similarly, Sweden and Malta have already recognised the State of Palestine but so far no major EU member has taken this step.

In October Israel's embassy to Spain accused some of Sanchez's ministers of aligning themselves with Hamas after a cabinet minister called Israel's military invasion in Gaza "a genocide".

'Different sensitivities'



EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, a former foreign minister in Sanchez's government, said in an interview published Monday in Spanish daily El Pais that Spain forms part of a group of nations with "clearer sympathy for the Arab world".

The country only established official ties with Israel in 1986.

In a mediation role, Spain hosted a 1991 peace conference attended by all Arab parties in direct conflict with Israel -- the Palestinians, Syrians, Jordanians and Lebanese -- a historically unprecedented event.

Despite the perceived failure of the talks, the Madrid conference is credited by some to have helped pave the way to the Oslo Accords and the Israel-Jordan peace treaty, both signed in the early 1990s.

However, given the divergences within the EU "it is hard to imagine that Spain has the capacity to reorient the European position" but "it can help show there are different sensitivites within the EU," said Barrenada.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online

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Related Egypt recognises Thalassemia by screening first Egyptian movie highlighting untold stories of patients

In a statement , the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency said it approved Casgevy, the first medicine licensed using the gene editing tool CRISPR, which won its makers a Nobel prize in 2020.

The agency approved the treatment for patients with sickle cell disease and thalassemia who are 12 years old and over. Casgevy is made by Vertex Pharmaceuticals (Europe) Ltd. and CRISPR Therapeutics. To date, bone marrow transplants, extremely arduous procedures that come with very unpleasant side effects, have been the only long-lasting treatment.

The future of life-changing cures resides in CRISPR based (gene-editing) technology, said Dr. Helen ONeill of University College London.

The use of the word cure in relation to sickle cell disease or thalassemia has, up until now, been incompatible, she said in a statement, calling the MHRAs approval of gene therapy a positive moment in history.

Both sickle cell disease and thalassemia are caused by mistakes in the genes that carry hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that carry oxygen.

In people with sickle cell  which is particularly common in people with African or Caribbean backgrounds  a genetic mutation causes the cells to become crescent-shaped, which can block blood flow and cause excruciating pain, organ damage, stroke and other problems.

In people with thalassemia, the genetic mutation can cause severe anemia. Patients typically require blood transfusions every few weeks, and injections and medicines for their entire life. Thalassemia predominantly affects people of South Asian, Southeast Asian and Middle Eastern heritage.

The new medicine, Casgevy, works by targeting the problematic gene in a patients bone marrow stem cells so that the body can make properly functioning hemoglobin.

Patients first receive a course of chemotherapy, before doctors take stem cells from the patients bone marrow and use genetic editing techniques in a laboratory to fix the gene. The cells are then infused back into the patient for a permanent treatment. Patients must be hospitalized at least twice  once for the collection of the stem cells and then to receive the altered cells.

This is so exciting. Its a new wave of treatments that we can utilize for patients with sickle cell disease, said Dr. James LaBelle, director of the pediatric stem cell and cellular therapy program at the University of Chicago. He said Britains approval suggested the U.S. authorization was likely imminent.

Casgevy is currently being reviewed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; the agency is expected to make a decision early next month, before considering another sickle cell gene therapy.

LaBelle said officials at the University of Chicago are already moving forward to build not only the clinical infrastructure but also the reimbursement infrastructure to get these patients this treatment.

Britains regulator said its decision to authorize the gene therapy for sickle cell disease was based on a study done on 29 patients, of whom 28 reported having no severe pain problems for at least one year after being treated. In the study for thalassemia, 39 out of 42 patients who got the therapy did not need a red blood cell transfusion for at least a year afterwards.

Gene therapy treatments can cost millions of dollars and experts have previously raised concerns that they could remain out of reach for the people who would benefit most.

Last year, Britain approved a gene therapy for a fatal genetic disorder that had a list price of 2.8 million ($3.5 million). Englands National Health Service negotiated a significant confidential discount to make it available to eligible patients.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals said it had not yet established a price for the treatment in Britain and was working with health authorities to secure reimbursement and access for eligible patients as quickly as possible.

In the U.S., Vertex has not released a potential price for the therapy, but a report by the nonprofit Institute for Clinical and Economic Review said prices up to around $2 million would be cost-effective. By comparison, research earlier this year showed medical expenses for current sickle cell treatments, from birth to age 65, add up to about $1.6 million for women and $1.7 million for men.

Medicines and treatments in Britain must be recommended by a government watchdog before they are made freely available to patients in the national health care system.

Millions of people around the world, including about 100,000 in the U.S., have sickle cell disease. It occurs more often among people from places where malaria is or was common, like Africa and India, and is also more common in certain ethnic groups, such as people of African, Middle Eastern and Indian descent. Scientists believe being a carrier of the sickle cell trait helps protect against severe malaria.

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A program using artificial intelligence to test inmates in a high security Mozambican jail for tuberculosis has spawned hope that the new tech can help eradicate the disease.

Teeming prisons are a hotbed of TB, the world's second deadliest communicable disease after COVID, according to the World Health Organization. Mozambique, a country of 32 million people, recorded about 120,000 infections last year.

Caused by a bacteria that most often affects the lungs, it infected more than 10 million people in 2022 and killed 1.3 million, according to WHO.

Almost one in four infections last year occurred in Africa.

In the sprawling courtyard of the maximum security jail in the Mozambican capital Maputo, an inmate in an orange T-shirt stood before a tripod with a wide white tablet.

Behind him, a doctor scoured a two-piece portable X-ray machine connected to an AI program that has been hailed as a breakthrough in the fight against tuberculosis.

"It processes it in real time, we have the results in less than five minutes," the doctor said.

The image popped on the computer of a technician sitting at a table outside a medical tent a few meters away, along with a diagnosis.

"Radiological signs suggestive of tuberculosisnegative," the message said.

The program is part of a large test run of the technology to scan all inmates at three prisons in Maputo. It is being conducted by a local non-profit organisation supported by the Stop TB Partnership, a UN-backed entity.

Early diagnosis is key to save lives and tackle the spread of the disease.

While a chronic cough is a hallmark of infection, people can also carry TB without showing symptoms. Prisons are a perfect breeding ground due to crammed cells and airborne transmission.

Traditional spit, skin or blood tests for TB involves visits to a lab and the results can take up to three days. The quickest time for reliable results is 24 hours.

'Great leap in technology'

The combination of AI and portable X-ray machines is faster and eliminates the need for visits to clinics and radiologists, who can be scarce in poor rural areas, said Stop TB's deputy head Suvanand Sahu.

"This is a great leap in technology," he said.

At the Maputo Provincial Penitentiary, prisoners testing positive are placed in isolation, locked in a quarantine room behind a rusty metal door.

Inside, about a dozen inmates wearing face masks sit on mattresses thrown on the ground. Clothing, blankets and other belongings hang from a line strung between two discolored blue pillars.

Serious cases are taken to a medical ward.

Mozambique's jails were about 50 percent over capacity in 2022, according to the UN.

"It's not easy to see your friends playing and walking there but you have to accept that I am sick," Kennet Fortune, an inmate who has spent 10 year behind bars for drug-related offenses, said pointing at the trees in the prison yard.

He is currently undergoing treatment and the process can take months. "When the time comes, I'll be out," he said.

A WHO report this month found that global deaths from tuberculosis dipped in 2022, showing progress towards eradicating the disease.

The UN health agency said 7.5 million people were diagnosed with TB in 2022the highest figure since it began monitoring in 1995.

Sahu of Stop TB said he was hoping that the success of pilot programs could help get funding to scale up the use of AI in diagnosing tuberculosis.

"Only a few years ago, if I was to say in a meeting that we can bring X-rays to all communities and have them read by a artificial intelligence with no need for radiologists, they would have kicked me out of the room and told me to go write a sci-fi novel," he said.

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He made the remarks in an interview with Iran's official news agency IRNA on Sunday, at the end of his seven-day trip to New York for the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

The minister said Tehran has received positive messages from Washington but will judge those messages based on America's "political action."

Amir-Abdollahian said the exchange of indirect messages between Iran and the United States continues, stressing that Tehran will continue its efforts to lift the sanctions through diplomacy and negotiations.

He, however, stressed, "We, under no circumstances, tolerate the US hypocritical moves and behavior. It is not like that everything always necessarily passes through the JCPOA's channel (for Iran). Iran's hands are not tied."

He emphasized that if the Americans and other parties have the necessary determination, an agreement will be within reach under the framework of the previously-held negotiations in the Austrian capital Vienna and based on Iran's priorities.

Iran signed the nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), with world powers in July 2015, agreeing to put some curbs on its nuclear program in return for the removal of sanctions on the country.

The US, however, pulled out of the deal in May 2018 and reimposed its unilateral sanctions on Tehran, prompting the latter to drop some of its nuclear commitments under the deal.

The talks on the revival of the JCPOA began in April 2021 in Vienna, Austria. Despite several rounds of talks, no significant breakthrough has been achieved since the end of the last round in August 2022.
The ousted leader of ChatGPT-maker OpenAI is returning to the company that fired him late last week, culminating a days-long power struggle that shocked the tech industry and brought attention to the conflicts around how to safely build artificial intelligence.

San Francisco-based OpenAI said in a statement late Tuesday, "We have reached an agreement in principle for Sam Altman to return to OpenAI as CEO with a new initial board."

The board, which replaces the one that fired Altman on Friday, will be led by former Salesforce co-CEO Bret Taylor, who also chaired Twitter's board before its takeover by Elon Musk last year. The other members will be former U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers and Quora CEO Adam D'Angelo.

OpenAI's previous board of directors, which included D'Angelo, had refused to give specific reasons for why it fired Altman, leading to a weekend of internal conflict at the company and growing outside pressure from the startup's investors.

The chaos also accentuated the differences between Altman -- who's become the face of generative AI's rapid commercialization since ChatGPT's arrival a year ago -- and members of the company's board who have expressed deep reservations about the safety risks posed by AI as it becomes more advanced.

Microsoft, which has invested billions of dollars in OpenAI and has rights to its current technology, quickly moved to hire Altman on Monday, as well as another co-founder and former president, Greg Brockman, who had quit in protest after Altman's removal. That emboldened a threatened exodus of nearly all of the start-up's 770 employees who signed a letter calling for the board's resignation and Altman's return.

One of the four board members who participated in Altman's ouster, OpenAI co-founder and chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, later expressed regret and joined the call for the board's resignation.
President Yoon Suk-yeol and the U.K.'s King Charles III celebrated 140 years of diplomatic ties between Korea and the U.K at a state banquet in Buckingham Palace in London on Tuesday.

Thanking King Charles for his hospitality, Yoon said that at the heart of the bilateral relations has been their alliance in the fight for freedom. He cited the sacrifices of British soldiers during the Korean War. But they agreed that their decades-long ties were bolstered not only diplomatically and economically but through cultural exchanges.

Referencing Shakespeare's sonnets, Yoon raised his glass to the future, while King Charles also highlighted the importance of shared values. "Korea's preservation of its sense of self, amid bewildering change, was perhaps what the poet Yun Dong-ju, who so tragically died in captivity on the very eve of Korea's liberation, anticipated," he said.
Bedbug outbreaks have spread to the south of the country, although health authorities are working hard to contain them.

A bedbug case was reported in the southern port city of Busan on Nov. 14 and another in neighboring Ulsan on Nov. 20, when the parasitic insects were also found in a foreigner's lodging in Jindo, South Jeolla Province.

The infestation, which was initially confined mainly to the Seoul metropolitan area, has now spread virtually nationwide.
South Korea on Wednesday scrapped a no-fly zone established in a 2018 military agreement with North Korea and resumed reconnaissance flights along the border.

The move came after North Korea launched a space rocket carrying a military spy satellite on Tuesday.

President Yoon Suk-yeol called an emergency Zoom meeting from the U.K. and said, "North Korea's so-called reconnaissance satellite launch is aimed at enhancing surveillance" of South Korea, and the rocket aims at "boosting its intercontinental ballistic missile capabilities."

A military official said after the meeting, "Due to limitations posed by the Sept. 19 military agreement, security along the border has been weakened. The government will take steps to suspend... the military agreement and resume surveillance operations against North Korea around the military demarcation line."

He added the government will consider suspending other clauses of the agreement depending on North Korea's next move.
Korea has been elected to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee for a four-year term through 2027, the Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday. It is the fourth time Korea has joined the committee as one of its 21 state members after being elected in 1997, 2005 and 2013.

The election was held at the UNESCO General Assembly in Paris. Korea earned one of two seats allocated to Asian-Pacific countries.

The ministry said it plans to make a leading contribution to the development of the world heritage institution in consideration of todays most pressing tasks, including developing responses to climate change, facilitating coexistence between regional communities, and preserving heritage.
In a blow to the European Green Deal, EU lawmakers on Wednesday rejected a plan to reduce the use of chemical pesticides by 50% by 2030 and to ban all pesticide use in areas such as public parks, playgrounds and schools.

After a series of amendments watered down the proposal of the EUs executive Commission, the bill was rejected in a 299 to 207 vote, with 121 abstentions. It buried the bill for good and any new proposal would need to start from scratch after June elections for members of the European Parliament.

The vote came less than a week after the use of the controversial chemical herbicide glyphosate in the 27-nation bloc was extended for 10 more years.

This is a very black day for the health of society and for the environment, and also for farmers who need to be free from the agro-industry, said Sarah Wiener, a Green lawmaker who was rapporteur for the proposal. To put it bluntly, the majority of MEPs put the profits of big agro over the health of our children and the planet. There is not going to be a new sustainable use of pesticides regulation, Wiener added.

The European Commission said last year that current rules limiting the use of pesticides were too weak and had not been applied consistently across the EU.

The EUs main agricultural group, COPA-COGECA, welcomed the rejection of the bill and called for an improved dialogue between farmers and the 27-nation blocs institutions.

Lets not forget that this proposal was ideological from the outset, with no connection to the realities of agriculture, proposing unrealistic transitions without the necessary funding, the group said. Lets not forget that all this polarization could have been avoided and solutions found without the ideological obstinacy of a few decision-makers.

As part of its plan to become climate neutral by 2050, the European Union has adopted a wide range of measures, from reducing energy consumption to sharply cutting transportation emissions and reforming the EUs trading system for greenhouse gases. But with next years elections for the European Parliament looming, some leaders and lawmakers are concerned about antagonizing voters with binding legislation and restrictive requirements.

The Left group at the Parliament blamed Christian Democrats, Liberals, and far-right parties for weakening the proposed legislation and removing binding goals to such an extent that it was impossible for their MEPs to support it.

The obligation to reduce agricultural pesticide use by at least 50% by 2030 and the requirement to reduce the use of hazardous agricultural pesticides by at least 65% by 2030 were voted down, the group said in a statement. Restrictions on toxin use in sensitive natural areas were completely removed from the law by the right-wing bloc.

Madeleine Coste, a campaigner with the Slow Food organization promoting biodiversity and support for small-scale farmers, rued that a majority in the Parliament has decided to side with the agroindustry and its allies, who have lobbied against this proposal over the last two years, ignoring the scientific consensus on the need to transform our current food system.

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The weather forecast called for rain in Tijuana, starting around four in the afternoon. But shortly after 10 a.m., the sky darkened, lightning flashed, and heavy rain poured down for a little over an hour. WhatsApp and other social media platforms were swamped with messages and images of strong winds toppling cafe umbrellas, fires and sparks from downed power lines, and collapsing walls. The city experienced a major blackout and local government agencies had to suspend work due to the power outage.

Authorities later reported that over 160,000 people were left without electricity along the Baja California coast, including Tijuana, Rosarito, Ensenada, and San Quintin. They blamed the power outage on heavy rains and unusually strong winds of 28 miles (45 kilometers) per hour. Even the mildest Category 1 hurricanes have winds of 74 mph (119 kmh), which usually only cause slight damage, according to the Mexican government.

As the chaos began to unfold, Mayor Montserrat Caballero went live on Facebook to explain the situation. She urged everyone to stay home unless absolutely necessary, and announced the cancellation of afternoon classes. According to Mexicos public safety agency (SINAPROC), Tijuana recorded 1.5-6 millimeters (.06-0.2 inches) of rain that morning. Government reports indicate that problems typically arise in Tijuana when rainfall exceeds 60 millimeters (2.4 inches). Despite only receiving 10% of that amount, the people of Tijuana had big problems all day long.

A rainy night in downtown Tijuana; November 17, 2023. Aimee Melo

This is nothing new for Tijuana. Last winter, the city experienced major flooding and 10 landslides that caused two deaths. Dozens of homes had to be evacuated and authorities declared a state of emergency due to geological, hydrological and meteorological hazards.

Chaos often ensues in Tijuana when it rains. Experts attribute this to three main factors that lead to a number of other issues. First, the local topography is conducive to flooding and landslides. Second, inadequate storm drainage and excessive garbage in the streets exacerbate the situation. Finally, uncontrolled urban growth and government corruption hinder the implementation of effective solutions. Urgent action is needed, as climate change further compounds the problem. According to Miguel Angel Ceballos, SINAPROCs director in Tijuana, the rainy season now starts in November instead of January. Furthermore, a new weather phenomenon called the Mexican monsoon produces increased precipitation in northwest Mexico from June to September.

Defend and recover

On the morning of November 15, some of the most striking images came from Zona Rio and the Hippodrome, which are middle- and upper-class Tijuana neighborhoods. Nature doesnt care about money. What matters is the ability to defend against its destructive forces and recover quickly, says Juan Manuel Rodriguez Esteves, a researcher at the Colegio de la Frontera Norte (COLEF) and an expert in water-related disasters. Rodriguez points to the citys exclusive Chapultepec neighborhood. Though located in a hillside area and susceptible to flooding, its ample financial and political resources mitigate its vulnerability and expedite recovery.

In the same city, miles away from those luxurious houses, Jose Guzman Palomares braves the rain and heads out to work. People call me Turtle because I used to be pretty fat, said Guzman with a smile. As he talks, Guzman diligently shovels mud and debris from the streets so cars can get through.

Los Laureles is an example of the urban sprawl on the outskirts of Tijuana; November 15, 2023. Aimee Melo

Many of Tijuanas streets are unpaved, but Turtle is clearing one of the few paved arteries from the suburbs to the city. Its a single-lane road that connects downtown Tijuana to over 13,000 homes spread across nearly 4.5 square miles of hills, slopes and the canyon where Los Laureles is situated. Many are ramshackle structures built with flimsy materials that lack basic amenities like potable water and drainage systems.

Tijuanas canyons are a big problem. When it rains, the water gushes down the canyons and theres not much time for people to react, said Rodriguez. Thats what just happened in this corner of the Los Laureles canyon. Its not so much the rain, but all the garbage that comes down from the hill up there, said Concepcion, who owns a tire shop near where Jose is cleaning up mud. When it floods, the water comes halfway up my leg. She says garbage is only picked up on Tuesdays when people are at work, so they put their trash out the night before. Dogs get into it and spread it everywhere. The garbage people just grab the bags that arent all ripped up and leave all the other stuff in the streets. When it rains, it all washes down here. Theres an old storm drainage system, but it doesnt work too well, said Concepcion.

The stormwater system in Tijuana is inadequate and quickly overflows, says Ceballos, who admits that the city doesnt have much storm drainage  we mostly have sand traps. There are 37 sand traps located in the lower parts of the canyons that filter rainwater and separate solids so water can flow more easily. Rodolfo Argote, an architect and a former director of the Tijuana Metropolitan Planning Institute, offered some historical perspective. The infrastructure that was built initially didnt really anticipate this much growth. Some parts have been replaced, but others are very obsolete.

Condominium under construction in Tijuana, Mexico. Aimee Melo

Mapping the risk

The climate here is semi-arid, with infrequent rainfall. However, the city is situated on loose soil and crisscrossed by canyons, hills and streams. When it rains, the water tends to flow toward the Tijuana River. Ceballos says, on average, the municipality gets about 1-1.5 inches (25-38 mm) of rain in a storm lasting 24-36 hours. The problems start when that much water falls in a much shorter period.

The problem is evident in the risk maps of Tijuana that SINEPROC updated in 2019. All flood-prone areas, streams, historical flood zones, and unstable slopes with landslide potential have been thoroughly identified. Ceballos plans to use an augmented reality tool to visualize water behavior in the canyons. According to SINEPROCs maps, the Los Laureles canyon is a major risk area for floods and landslides.

When it rains in Tijuana, corruption flows through the streets

Dr. Rodriguez doesnt mince words when defining the problem. Theres no such thing as a natural disaster. Its not natural to build seaside hotels or riverbank homes. We should call them social disasters instead.

The Tijuana government agency that issues building permits has access to SINEPROCs risk maps. On the surface, it seems like they dont pay much attention to them because you can see plenty of construction going up in areas of risk, said Rodriguez. In his book about managing natural disaster risk in Tijuana, Rodriguez explains the consequences of this building frenzy: Rapid urbanization leads to deforestation, altered rainfall patterns, erosion and sedimentation.

The stream running through Los Laureles canyon is often clogged with garbage that washes down from the hills when it rains. Aimee Melo

A 1998 study by Victor Alejandro Espinoza is even more emphatic. The insatiable greed of the developers was unbounded, disregarding the devastating consequences of destroying natural channels and diverting streams. When it rains in Tijuana, corruption flows through the streets. Espinoza puts most of the blame for Tijuanas situation on urban development motivated by fast and easy profits.

A third study conducted by COLEF in 2018 offers the following statistics. Over 10% of the population (more than 153,000 residents) live in areas that are highly vulnerable to flooding, and another 18% (277,000 residents) live in areas of medium-to-high vulnerability.

On the morning of November 15, had the risk map been projected like a hologram over Tijuana, its likely that one of those numbers would have hovered above Jose the Turtles head as he held out a paper cup for tips. I dont have a steady job because Ive got kidney disease, a hernia and some other health problems, he said. Thats why when the rivers of mud, garbage and water start flowing through Tijuana, Jose takes to the streets with a shovel in hand. He cleans up the aftermath wearing a fluorescent yellow vest so vehicles can see him, and says he can make $35 or $40 when it rains. A few others come around to clean the streets, and I cant really tell them to go away. Anyway, theres enough work here for everyone.

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An undated image of Louisa May Alcott, the author of the novel 'Little Women.' WIKIMEDIA

The influence of spiritualism and other pseudosciences on 19th-century literature in the United States prompted Northeastern University professor Max Chapnick to resurrect one of the periods most admired authors, Louisa May Alcott.

Chapnick argues that the famous author of Little Women, whose character Jo has been a feminist icon for successive generations, wrote over half a dozen stories under the pseudonym E. H. Gould, which were published in a second-rate East Coast newspaper in the second half of the 19th century.

Alcott was known to have written some pseudoscience stories, and the foreword to an anthology of her short stories mentioned a list of works that she authored, including one, The Phantom, that I couldnt find, Chapnick explains over the phone. His doctoral dissertation research (which he has since completed) then took an unexpected turn, the results of which he published in an article in the Journal of Nineteenth-Century Americanists in late October.

Chapnick conducted an exhaustive search of 19th-century East Coast literary publications until he came across a story with the same title as the one listed. It was not attributed to Alcott; it was signed by E. H. Gould, but it had a lot of Alcotts attributes, Chapnick says. The Phantom was inspired by Charles Dickenss A Christmas Carol; he was an author Alcott admired and knew very well, so much so that she had participated in amateur theatrical performances of some of his works. Its a version of that same story, although Alcotts villain is not just greedy, but he blackmails a woman to try to force her into marrying him because she is poor, Chapnick explains.

Tracking down other works signed by E. H. Gould led Chapnick to unearth six other stories, five poems and a nonfiction text, published between 1857 and 1860 in The Olive Branch, a Boston publication. Although he has not found any irrefutable proof of his thesis, the works that Chapnick located provided clues that bolstered his suspicion about Goulds relationship with the author. In one of the stories, the main characters last name is Alcott. In addition, the title of the nonfiction text is the name of her childhood home, The Wayside, he argues.

Winona Ryder and Gabriel Byrne in the 1994 film version of 'Little Women.'

So far, other academics have not taken Chapnick to task, although he is open to debate and acknowledges that his findings are not uncontested. I have always believed that the field of literary studies should be open to debate, and that this enriches it, he says. If Chapnicks thesis is confirmed, E. H. Gould would not be Alcotts only known pseudonym. In 1942, two antiquarians, Madeleine Stern and Leona Rostenberg, reviewed Alcotts papers at Harvard University and discovered that the writer had signed many stories as A. M. Barnard. Stern and Rostenberg suspected that the references to the sensationalist stories written by Little Womens protagonist, Jo March, actually had to do with the author herself, and they were not wrong.

The following decades saw the rediscovery of a number of Gothic stories featuring crime and melodrama, written under the alias Barnard; they were a far cry from the candid world of the March sisters. Alcott, who died in 1888 at age 55, turned to that dark world in the 1860s, before her successful novel came out in 1868. E. H. Gould would have been a pseudonym that she used earlier, Chapnick posits. His article collects Alcotts other largely unknown works and some anonymous pieces that he believes Alcott could have written, in order to discuss the common use of pseudonyms in the 19th century and the attribution game that was established with readers to try to determine who had penned the texts.

Chapnick emphasizes that the aliases allowed Alcott to write about issues that interested her, but which her circle would have considered inappropriate, such as drug use, greed, poverty and gender issues. The daughter of a well-known abolitionist, the writer was raised in Ralph Waldo Emersons transcendentalist circles and his philosophical and literary group. Alcott had no money, but she had connections, and writing under another name gave her freedom and allowed her to improve her finances, Chapnick says. The scholar defends the breadth and complexity of the authors literary legacy. Alcott has much more to her beyond Jo, such as her nonfiction work when she was a nurse in the Civil War and her travel writing when she was in Europe.

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When she was eight years old, Caitlin Doughty saw a child fall from a second story and hit the ground. She was whisked away, and never knew if the child died or was badly injured, but the idea of death began to haunt her, and never left her since. She now runs a funeral home in Los Angeles where she advocates for transparency in prices, defends the need for rituals, a humane treatment of families so they can spend the desired time with the body of their loved ones, and natural and sustainable ways of eliminating our physical waste. For example, composting our bodies to become part of natures cycle again. These views are also defended by the Order of the Good Death, of which she is a member.

Doughty makes a living from death and she lives with death. They dont get along badly. She is also dedicated to educating people about it. In her 2017 book From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death, she explored cultural differences in dealing with our own mortality. Her new book, Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs?, she collected and answered the questions about death that children ask her.

Question. Are children interested in death?

Answer. Yes, they are very interested, but we dont allow them to ask, as if it were an adult thing. This helps them grow up with a fear of death. In high school I realized that fear was simply interest in disguise. We are tremendously interested in the things that produce our deepest fears.

Q. You bring a lot of humor to it.

A. We are on this massive planet and we dont know why were here. There are theories, but we dont truly understand why were here. We are these little animals that will eventually die and decompose. Its horrifying, but at the same time, also very funny.

The writer and funeral home owner Caitlin Doughty. Editorial Capitan Swing

The children, in their candor, have asked her many things, and very strange ones. For example, if they will be able to keep their parents skulls when they die. Why, if we eat dead chickens, we dont eat dead people. What corpses smell like. If their hair continues to grow afterwards. If there is a risk that, being in a coma, you will be buried alive by mistake. Or if it is possible to say goodbye to a grandmother like at they did at a Viking funeral. You know, the body in a boat at twilight, the parable of a flaming arrow that reaches the boat and sets it on fire. Its lovely. But Doughty debunks the myth: it is practically impossible, no matter how much we have seen it in the movies, to set fire to a boat with a corpse inside.

Q. Is it weird to think about death too much?

A. Its completely normal. Its abnormal not to think about death. There are people, especially men, who boast: Im not concerned about it. Thats where somethings wrong.

Q. Why?

A. Death is the great human condition. It is not a personal hobby, it is something that awaits us all. Especially after Covid and the realities of climate changes, with what is happening in Gaza or Ukraine, we are constantly bombarded with reminders of our own mortality. But we are not preparing our children to live in this world.

At her funeral home, Doughty is constantly in touch with this big issue. She has seen former Hollywood stars, rocket scientists, homeless people coming in. People from every economic level and ethnic background. She says she has learned a lot from that. She thinks that since death became professionalized there is very little time left for relatives to say goodbye, and that it is important to spend time with the corpse, as long as necessary, without being rushed.

The US writer Caitlin Doughty. Editorial Capitan Swing

Q. You are opposed to the things that are sometimes done to corpses.

A. Yes. Many times the body is made up too much, or gets full of chemicals, in a very artificial way. Shes your grandmother, yes, but she hardly looks like it anymore.

Q. So, our relationship with death should be closer.

A. Imagine you have a friend from college who you only call every 10 years. The relationship weakens. But maybe you have another friend who you see every week, your relationship there is stronger. This is how we should deal with death. Our friendship would be better.

In her previous book she compiled customs from cultures that are more friendly to death than the West. Of course, there is Mexico, which has its colorful Day of the Dead. But she also explored rural areas of Indonesia, where she saw how a grandfathers body, mummified and dressed, spent several years in the family home. Or Tokyo, where she witnessed the kotsuage ceremony, in which relatives extract bones from the ashes of the deceased with the help of chopsticks. Or La Paz, where he meets the so-called Bolivian natitas, those human skulls in which, every November 8, cigarettes are placed, in a way that is somewhere between comical and macabre, and grant wishes to those who make a wish.

Q. How would you like to die?

A. First of all, peacefully. Let people come, tell stories, talk, cry. Let there be no chemicals, let them put me in a hole and my body decomposes.

That is another of Doughtys positions: to reach another type of immortality, not the one suggested by religions, whose withdrawal leaves us floating in an empty space, but one related to nature. Knowing that your atoms and molecules will become part of the soil and the cycle of life.

Q. Do you want to be part of a tree, for example?

A. For me that is meaningful, not in a religious way, but I also dont like the nihilism of thinking that after death nothing matters. Because it does matter.

By the way, in response to the question in the title of her latest book about whether the cat will end up eating ones eyes: the answer is no at least not at first. But if the sweet kitten is locked up with my corpse and starts to get hungry, it will end up eating soft and exposed parts, like the mouth or nose. In that case, it may bite the eyeballs.
Several researchers at OpenAI sent a letter to the board of directors shortly before the dismissal of Sam Altman as CEO, according to the news agency Reuters and the specialized media outlet The Information, citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter. The researchers allegedly warned of a breakthrough discovery tied to artificial intelligence that, according to them, could threaten humanity. Its unclear what role the letter played in Altmans firing. Sources cited by Reuters described it as decisive, while the specialized media The Verge said the letter did not reach the board and that it had nothing to do with Altmans dismissal.

On the eve of his sudden departure, Altman spoke at an executives conference held in parallel with the recent Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco. Four times now in the history of OpenAI, the most recent time was just in the last couple weeks, Ive gotten to be in the room, when we sort of push the veil of ignorance back and the frontier of discovery forward, and getting to do that is the professional honor of a lifetime, he said. In principle, no special importance was given to that comment, nor is it known what specific developments he was talking about.

According to The Information, some OpenAI employees believe that Altmans words were alluding to an innovation made by the companys researchers earlier this year that would allow them to develop much more powerful artificial intelligence models, according to a person familiar with the matter. The technical breakthrough, led by OpenAI chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, raised concerns among some employees that the company did not have adequate safeguards in place to commercialize such advanced AI models.

According to sources cited by Reuters, the letter was one of the factors in a long list of grievances that led to Altmans dismissal. The agency has not been able to obtain a copy of the letter or speak to the researchers who wrote it. According to one of the sources, board member Mira Murati, initially chosen as Altmans interim replacement, mentioned the project, called Q*, to employees on Wednesday and said a letter had been sent to the board before Altmans firing. The CEO has since been reinstated due to pressure from employees and investors.

An OpenAI spokesperson told Reuters that Murati had informed employees of what the media was going to publish, but did not comment on the accuracy of the information. According to Reuters, the company acknowledged in an internal message to staffers a project called Q*, which some believe could be a breakthrough in the search for AGI (artificial general intelligence), which surpasses human intelligence. Other sources familiar with the Q* project, however, did not consider it to be a groundbreaking advance.

Math problems

Researchers consider mathematics to be the frontier of generative AI development. Today, generative AI is good at writing and translating languages by statistically predicting the next word, like ChatGPT does. But the answers to the same question can vary greatly. Gaining the ability to do mathematical calculations where there is only one correct answer implies that AI would have a greater reasoning capacity that would resemble human intelligence. This could apply, for example, to new scientific research, AI researchers believe.

According to Reuters, in their letter to the board, the researchers underlined the prowess of AI and its potential dangers. Computer scientists have been debating for a long time about the dangers posed by superintelligent machines, if the latter should determine, for example, that it was in their interest to destroy humanity. On the OpenAI board there were two people very sensitive to these risks, who have now resigned as part of the agreement for Altmans return.

According to the letter that the employees sent to the board asking for their resignation, these independents conveyed to the directors that allowing the destruction of the company could be consistent with its mission in favor of humanity. In fact, they hired a new interim boss, Emmet Shear, who defines himself as a doomer who is in favor of stopping the development of artificial intelligence, although he later collaborated in Altmans return.
Whitney Goodman begins her book Toxic Positivity by inviting the reader to imagine that, upon telling our friend weve lost our job, the other person offers a response as good-natured as it is harmful: At least now youll have all the time in the world! It could be worse. Think about everything youre going to learn from this. Its the moment, the author writes, in which toxic positivity makes its entrance.

Were talking about advice that, although theoretically convenient to integrate into our lives, catches us unable to digest it in the moment in which it is offered. If that wasnt enough, its attempt to lighten up a negative situation leaves us feeling silenced, judged and misunderstood. This phenomenon of subjecting a negative experience to a filter of optimism and vitality is known as whitelighting. Although the person who uses the tactic doesnt mean to devalue or dehumanize the others experience, paradoxically thats precisely what happens when someone tries to put a positive spin on negative or traumatic feelings and experiences experienced by another person.

Ana Ibanez, author of Sorprende a tu mente (in English, Surprise your mind) explains that, on occasion, it can be hard for us to connect with the suffering of others and stay with that connection, which can leave us tempted to try to get them out of their situation the quickest way possible, instead of embracing or just being there for them. There are a lot of well-intentioned attempts to help that skip over an important step, which is saying to the other person: I understand: I understand what youre feeling and I understand that its hard. Then, you have to pause and give the other person time. Maybe theyll respond or maybe they wont, but those words will surely help. Later, maybe we can offer ideas, but we have to be careful not to give unsolicited advice. Its easy to offer it up when youre not the one in the situation, but if it were that easy, its likely that the person would have found a solution on their own, she explains.

Whitney Goodman, psychotherapist and owner of the Collaborative Counseling Center, a private therapy center in Miami, says that being sincere and authentic in moments of crisis or pain is important, and she underlines that when someone shows up authentically, instead of employing toxic positivity, they are validating that what the other person is experiencing is real. That way, theyre showing empathy, and not sugarcoating or denying their experience. In fact, the danger of denying what the other person feels is not insignificant. The study Puede la positividad ser contraproducente cuando se sufre abuso domestico? (Can positivity be counterproductive when someone is suffering from domestic abuse?) suggests that a toxically positive outlook can cause people to stay in abusive relationship, due to underestimating its harm. We all have a certain aversion to feeling bad and it makes us uncomfortable to hear about negative aspects. Intellectually, we are called to try to fix things that arent going well, and the call can be even more intense if the person who is living through something negative is important to us and we have an emotional connection with them, because it activates the cerebral protection mechanisms related to loved ones. This is to say, the intention is not bad, its protective, but it doesnt seem to be the best way to really help, says Anabel Gonzalez, author of Por donde se sale? Como deshacer el miedo, aliviar el malestar psicologico y adquirir un apego seguro (Where does that come from? How to get rid of fear, alleviate psychological distress and achieve a secure attachment). The things that happen to us arent always positive and when we try to only see their good side, were overriding the possibility that things dont turn out like we want them to, and become frustrated. Its more healthy to move between positive and negative aspects, knowing that none of them are permanent and because of that, learning the mental techniques that help us to move on from negative aspects, because logically its healthier to live to focus on the positive aspects, she adds.

The light from the dark side

New Age philosophy invites us to change our perception to navigate reality, but this road map can, on occasion, distance us from our lived experience and disconnect us from our own feelings, instincts and ultimately, from our own selves. As the neuroscientist Ana Ibanez says, to function well, we need to learn to navigate through the storms. Radical positive thinking doesnt allow us to train ourselves in managing discomfort, something which is fundamental to be able to deal with the problems that life inevitably brings our way. Its not about torturing ourselves with them, or going over them again and again, but you have to deal with problems head-on. When we dont, we wind up complicating them. Positive messaging sounds very good, and it gets us followers on social media, but its solutions dont last, she explains to S Moda.

Even throughout the history of philosophy, the tendency has been to believe that life must be good and suffering avoided above all. Thinkers such as Aristotle have formulated theories of the good life that always defend the importance of striving for the best. Although we must, of course, keep striving when we encounter stumbling blocks, its important not to minimize or hide the sadness we feel. Positive thinking rarely is as effective as a bandage when it comes to a gunshot wound. Instead of helping, it causes us to suppress emotions in a way that is destructive to our bodies, minds, relationships and society. Evidence clearly shows that suppressing emotions is inefficient and exhausting in the process of adapting. It can worsen ones mood, increase negative feelings about social interactions, feed into continuous negative emotions, and even diminish any positive emotions that may be present, writes Whitney Goodman in Toxic Positivity.

Its becoming more common among books that look to guide the reader towards happiness to touch on the negative side of positivity, advising that only looking on the bright side of things doesnt necessarily bring one closer to happiness and that in an unexpected twist, can wind up hurting us.

Ultimately, embracing sadness for a moment or even a certain, limited period of time can be, as Sara Ahmed writes in The Promise of Happiness, a form of political action, since pointing to the negative as a present in progress is always an affirmation. As the author says, we should and we can ruin the party. If in her song Its My Party, Lesley Gore defended the right to cry in ones own fete, shouldnt we have the right to cry or complain in our own lives?

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Juan Hernandez, a 22-year-old with a bachelors degree in Information Technology, wakes up early in his room in Santa Rosa, Philippines. Even though he only works six hours a day, he starts his shift early in the morning due to the time difference with his clients. Armed with a coffee, he sits at his desk and begins talking to potential buyers around the world to sell them exclusive deals offered by the woman who gave him the job. An experienced professional, he was hired because he demonstrated the fundamental skills for this job: telling raunchy stories convincingly and selling adult videos.

Hernandez is one of a huge army of professional chatters employed by OnlyFans models to assume their identity and sell extra content. The system goes like this: OnlyFans subscribers can access exclusive and often pornographic content that models, ordinary people, and adult film stars make available in exchange for an average monthly sum that can start from $10 per month and reach up to $30. But the biggest profits lie elsewhere: in personalized chats with subscribers. Thats where the true profit potential is and where special, often personalized content is offered, which is purchased separately and for figures much larger than $10.

Sometimes stars also receive generous tips from grateful fans who enjoy their content. But as OnlyFans models accumulate hundreds of thousands of followers, they lose the ability to communicate with everyone. Thats where the chatters come in. They are specialized workers who hold conversations posing as the stars of the show and thus make more money for them. Chatters charge an hourly rate plus a commission on each unit of content that they sell, which can reach up to 15%.

These professionals are trained actors. In the first weeks, a manager monitors your screen to evaluate your English, your speed and your naturalness when speaking, explains Hernandez. They send new hires scripts that predict conversations, personality guides for each model, and a small dictionary explaining their subscribers fetishes. For Hernandez, the main thing is knowing how to get into character. You have to know how to portray the model, speak like them, and know their background, he explains. Sometimes you go crazy with so many personalities, Hernandez confesses. He is currently a chatter for three models.

The Filipino has had this job for a year. It came to him as a recommendation from his sister-in-law, and it seemed strange at first. I thought it might be illegal, but then I realized it was like my previous job. He was a social media manager. Today, he is paid to talk to mostly male fans. His task is to create connections with them and try to sell them an unpublished nude photo or an exclusive video in which the model masturbates on the couch. In fact, he can offer any type of content that makes that follower feel special and privileged and, therefore, willing to pay generously. Hernandez confesses that part of the job of talking to sexually aroused men is constantly receiving photos of their penises. They have become a common occurrence in my life. Hernandez has a girlfriend who does the same job he does.

The OnlyFans platform was not conceived as a host for pornography, but its structure proved perfect for it. ANDREW KELLY (Reuters)

The chatters reveal how the conflict that comes with impersonating another person to earn a living has affected them in different ways. Hernandez felt bad at first: Both the model and I are lying, he says. Although he admits to not having felt guilty for a while. For Ronald Soriano, who is also Filipino and a professional chatter, the dilemma takes on other considerations. If you think Im someone else, yes, Im lying. But we learn to become the model, we adopt their way of speaking, the way they carry themselves, and their story. We become an extension of them. Marlon De La Cruz, another chatter from the Philippines, is practical: Im just typing and satisfying subscribers, but yeah, maybe you can call me a scammer, he says. OnlyFans terms of service are very flexible in this regard and make it clear that third parties can be used to help manage the account. Of course, it emphasizes that the accounts owner is legally liable.

Of the OnlyFans models contacted by this newspaper, none agreed to talk about using chatters. It would mean, perhaps, admitting the end of a certain magical connection between the sexual idols and their admirers. A model with almost 39,000 likes on her content justified her silence, saying: Articles that reveal our trade secrets do not benefit us.

Porn as a way of life

OnlyFans was not designed specifically for porn, but its structure met the needs of this market so perfectly  showing what cannot be shown on traditional websites  that it ended up defining the platform. Its popularity exploded exponentially during the pandemic, when filming in the porn industry was suspended at the same time as millions of people were confined to their homes. Many people turned to pornography due to the impossibility of having sexual encounters during the lockdowns. In fact, PornHub took advantage of the circumstance to make its platform temporarily free to attract new subscribers. And with OnlyFans, sex workers found a way to earn income easily from the comfort of their own home.

By the end of 2023, the platform had 3.2 million creators and almost 300 million subscribers. Many point out that if sex workers found the platform attractive, it is due to the high commission they receive (80% of the income) compared to the 75% that PornHub pays (although it still depends on production companies to fill its site with content, while on OnlyFans the models themselves directly upload their videos and photographs). The OnlyFans structure was applauded by many in the porn industry for eliminating the middleman and making porn stars, who were responsible for their own content, freer and more autonomous. Of course, it has also received criticism for being invasive and controlling and blurring the lines between its stars work and personal lives.

He believed he was in a relationship with the model. He sent her money to buy dresses, and encouraged her to continue publishing photos. I don't know if they're still together. Sonya Popescu, chateadora profesional

Pornography is also the main feature of conversations between chatters and fans. Soriano explains that it is one of the things he likes most in the profession: When I talk to fans, I try to learn new things, I get to know new fetishes. He says that on one occasion he got carried away: I was liking it, so my real personality and the one I was interpreting merged and I had a very natural conversation. On that occasion he managed to sell $1,600 worth of pornographic material from the model who hired him. However, it had setbacks at the beginning. I once spoke in a very dominant way while playing a model who presents herself as delicate, who sells a girlfriend experience [pretends to be a loving girlfriend]. The subscriber got really scared, but I managed to fix it. His skills have not gone unnoticed: he has just been promoted to manager of his own team of chatters.

OnlyFans became especially popular during the pandemic. Ilustracion: Blanca Lopez (EL PAIS)

Soriano shares that learning experience with many of the platforms other users. In research from the University of California published in January of this year, 91% of participants reported having learned some new sexual activity through the use of OnlyFans. Through his work, Soriano has learned all kinds of details about shapes and sizes of anal plugs and mens preferences and activities in BDSM.

Many subscribers are simply looking for company. There are some fans who want to talk about life, they say good morning and ask if you have eaten, adds Soriano. For Sonya Popescu, a 31-year-old Romanian chatter, women and men have their own advantages when it comes to impersonating an OnlyFans star: As a woman I feel that my interpretation is more natural, my speech is more similar to what the model might say. But I think men know what they themselves would like to hear from a woman. At the agency she worked for, her team (made up of men and women) ended up making a subscriber fall in love with her. He believed he was in a relationship with the model. He sent her money to buy dresses and encouraged her to continue posting photos. I dont know if theyre still together, she jokes.

The Filipino presence

The huge number of Filipinos among professional chatters is due to a particular set of factors. The country has a conservative culture and is still recovering from the crisis caused by former president Rodrigo Duterte and his controversial war on drugs. The law prohibits citizens from producing content for the platform because it is associated with prostitution. But regulating employment as a chatter remains in limbo. And it thrives in this gray area. The time difference between the Philippines and OnlyFans largest market, the United States, allows chatters to work during the day while it is still early morning for consumers (the busiest time for porn consumption). In addition, workers can earn a higher income by billing in U.S. dollars rather than Philippine pesos. Juan Hernandez, for example, chose the job because it is better paid than his old one (he was a web developer). Within a month I had bought a new MacBook, and now I am saving to invest, he explains.

The income changed the life of 21-year-old De La Cruz. The Filipino dropped out of university because he couldnt afford it but, after starting to work as a chatter on OnlyFans, he has renovated his familys house and treated himself to luxuries like a PlayStation. Its a lot of money and very easy to earn, he explains. According to De La Cruz, the model he impersonated earned between $1,000 and $3,000 per shift. You work from home or in a coffee shop and you can make $500 on your best day (the minimum wage in the Philippines is about $10 a day). The young man recently left his job. I already have experience, and I feel that there are other agencies that can pay me better. He believes that the skill that is most valued in this job is generating a bond with the fan: Once a subscriber told me that his grandmother had died. I told him: Oh my God babe, how are you feeling? and he gave me $200 as a tip for the model.

The platform that has given sex workers more autonomy is rapidly becoming a full-fledged business promoter. What started with models hiring people to help them with their private conversations has given rise to huge agencies with hundreds of workers creating as many interactions as possible between models and fans and making money from them. Could this be part of so-called digital pimping? Popescu acknowledges that these companies are in a morally gray area, but there is no pimping: There are good and bad agencies, but the models can easily change from one to another. And the lying? Hernandez doesnt care much: he feels good about his job and it doesnt hurt anyone. At that point, he apologizes because he has to cut the interview short: Forgive me, I have a lot of horny guys waiting for me to talk to them.

All names in this report have been changed to protect the participants privacy
Joe Biden and Javier Milei. AP / Bloomberg

The president-elect of Argentina, Javier Milei, received a call from U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday. The Democrat congratulated the far-right politician for his victory in Sundays presidential election, but declined Mileis invitation to attend his inauguration on December 10, according to statements made by Mileis entourage in television interviews. The leader of the La Libertad Avanza (Liberty Advances) party, who during his campaign underscored his alignment with the United States, said that he will travel to the U.S. before taking office.

Mieli, 53, and Biden, 81, agreed during the call on the importance of continuing to build strong bilateral relations, according to a White House statement and a release by La Libertad Avanza. Neither of the two statements alluded to Mileis invitation for Biden to visit Argentina. However, Diana Mondino, who will be responsible for foreign policy in Argentinas next administration, said in television statements that Biden rejected Mileis invitation to attend the inauguration due to agenda issues.

The president-elect of Argentina took advantage of the conversation to recognize the Democrats work towards the release of the hostages held by the terrorist group Hamas, according to a party statement. During his campaign, Milei stated that his preferred allies will be the United States, Israel and the free world in general.

After winning with 56% of the votes in the run-off on Sunday, Milei announced that in the coming weeks he will travel to the United States and Israel. The trip [...] has a more spiritual connotation than anything else, he said. Although Milei is a Catholic, years ago he began to approach Judaism and does not rule out converting to this faith in the future. He has also emphasized Israels full right to defend its territory from terrorists after the Hamas attack on October 7. During his campaign, he maintained that his intention is to move the Argentine Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Calls with Boluarte, Cameron and Zelenskiy

On Wednesday Milei also received a call from the president of Peru, Dina Boluarte, with whom he spoke about the importance of economic growth in the region and who expressed her intention to attend the inauguration, according to the La Libertad Avanza statement. The president-elect also spoke with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy, to whom he proposed that Argentina host a summit between Ukraine and Latin America. In addition, he was congratulated by the new British Foreign Secretary, David Cameron, (the official statement from La Libertad Avanza got his named mixed up with the filmmaker James Cameron, director of Titanic).

Following his victory on Sunday over the Peronist candidate Sergio Massa, Milei has also spoken with the former far-right Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, who said he will attend the inauguration; with Chiles president, the leftist Gabriel Boric, who also confirmed his presence on December 10 because relations with Argentina are a matter of state; and with the conservative president of Uruguay, Luis Lacalle Pou, who said he will host a meeting with Milei to go over bilateral issues.

One of the first calls came from the Vatican. Pope Francis, the leader of the Catholic Church and himself a native of Argentina, telephoned Milei on Tuesday. The conversation was cordial, according to local media. Milei, who had called the pontiff a filthy lefty during his campaign, retracted his insults in the final stretch before the election, and has reportedly invited Pope Francis to visit Argentina next year. The Catholic leader has not visited his homeland since he was named pope a decade ago.

Letter from Xi Jinping

Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a letter of congratulations to Milei. I hope that under your leadership, the government and people of your country will achieve new successes in the cause of national construction, Xi wrote after expressing his willingness to work together to continue the friendship between both countries, promote development and revitalization of the two countries with win-win cooperation. Milei recently attacked his two main trading partners, China and Brazil. On Wednesday, a Chinese official noted that breaking off relations would a serious mistake.
Guillermo Lasso in September 2021. Christopher Goodney (Bloomberg)

When Guillermo Lasso steps down as president on Thursday, he will have been in office for 913 days. During this period, Ecuador has gradually collapsed politically, socially and economically. The state of affairs has become so extreme and rapid that for the first time in history the president had to resort to activating the safety mechanism permitted by the Ecuadorian Constitution: the so called muerte cruzada (mutual death), in order to dissolve the Legislative and prematurely hand over the executive power. The winner of the presidential election was Daniel Noboa, a 35-year-old businessman who will be sworn into office in the National Assembly, with which he is believed to have reached a governability pact.

In order to get a better understanding of the country that Lasso is passing on, we must look at the Ecuador that he inherited in 2021. This was a year when the country was still in the midst of an emergency due to the Covid pandemic. The new president was able to vaccinate almost nine million people in three months, which gave hope that the economy would make a speedy recovery, because the pandemic had wiped out close to one million jobs. Lasso promised to restore them in the first two years of his administration.

A girl is vaccinated in Cuenca (Ecuador), in November 2021. Getty Images

When the president took his seat in the Carondelet Palace, insecurity was bordering on a rate of 12 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, with violence on the rise. Lasso was handed a moderately weakened State, with scarce public investment and high debt. Eight out of 10 citizens felt pessimistic about the present situation, but he brought high expectations to the country, says the political analyst, Pedro Donoso. After so many attempts to come to power, he was expected to take on governance of these problems, adds Billy Navarrete, director of the Human Rights Committee, who goes on to say: That did not happen, what has been evident is a total abandonment, which has left us with a bare skeleton of a country.

By the first quarter of his administration, the Lasso effect and his vaccination plan were perceived positively by 70% of citizens, according to the opinion polls, but this was soon undone by the first prison massacres and his lackluster response to controlling the countrys penitentiaries. Then came the second, third, fifth prison riots within the first year of his mandate alone, where 148 prisoners were brutally massacred. In 30 months, the relatives of 573 individuals deprived of liberty have been burying the remains of mutilated and incinerated bodies resulting from 12 prison massacres in the countrys penitentiaries.

The relative of a prisoner cries outside a prison in Guayaquil, after disturbances inside the prison, in February 2021. REUTERS

The violence in the prisons scaled the walls and spread to the streets. At first it was concentrated in Guayaquil, but it quickly spread to other areas such as Quevedo, Manta, Portoviejo, Chone, Esmeraldas, Sucumbios and the capital, Quito. On a community level, what has happened is comparable to a natural disaster; state neglect has produced this, says Navarrete.

For Carlos Jaramillo, a security guard, the country left behind by Lasso is the most insecure he can recall in the nearly 60 years of his life, and the data provides the explanation. So far this year, 6,834 violent crimes have been recorded, 3,000 more than the previous year, which was the worst year in terms of insecurity for the country. Lassos administration hands over a country with a rate of 38 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants. Carlos works as a security guard for a building in a residential neighborhood in Guayaquil. When he was on duty, electricity cables were stolen from his house in the Monte Sinai neighborhood, located one hour away, My wife was out at a doctors appointment and the thieves took advantage of the situation to steal everything, down to the last copper wire, which is what they sell. That night Paula, his wife, slept in the dark and the impact of the burglary brought on one of the many headaches she suffers from. Many nights we dont sleep because of her cries of pain.

The country that Carlos now inhabits does not provide adequate health care. A few minutes from where he lives, one of the citys large public hospitals is located. It was built in 2018, but only the infrastructure remains, because inside, the care is terrible, says Jaramillo, you have to wait hours for them to say that they dont have the equipment to do the tests, or the specialists are not there and they send us home with a pain reliever. In two years, public hospitals have experienced constant shortages of medicines and medical supplies. Patients must buy their own medicine, suturing threads and even surgical gloves for the doctors.

A woman and two children observe a control operation in Esmeraldas (Ecuador), on April 28, 2023. Vicente Gaibor

Education has also suffered, with some 50,000 children and young people dropping out of the school system in the last year to join criminal gangs or because they do not have the funds to pay for things like uniforms and transportation. In cities such as Duran, Guayaquil and Esmeraldas, children are continuously opting for online classes because the state is unable to guarantee their safety in schools.

In 913 days, the campaigns main promise, the stabilization of public finances, has not been fulfilled either. Lasso leaves a stagnant economy with a public debt of US$75 billion, equivalent to 62% of GDP. In September, the fiscal deficit reached $3.2 billion, according to Cordes analysis, and historically it doubles in the last quarter on account of the additional salaries paid in the public sector in December. This is because oil exports have plunged by 45% and tax collection has also dropped. Poverty has not been significantly reduced either. More than five million Ecuadorians have to live on three dollars a day, and the gap is even wider in rural areas, with historic peaks reached during the pandemic. However, the president claims among his achievements to have lifted 20,000 children out of chronic child malnutrition.

Guillermo Lasso at the presentation of the book '900 days: democracy and results', in the Carondelet Palace, on November 21. Presidencia de Ecuador (EFE/Presidencia de Ecuador)

Lasso refuses to recognize any of this, and to prove it he has written a book outlining his successes: 900 dias: democracia y resultados (900 Days: Democracy and Results). This book is dedicated to my detractors, who said that Lasso did nothing, so that they have something to read and stop talking rubbish, said the president at a ceremony to hand over housing units, which added to those of his two years of government amount to 30,000, although by this time there should have been 100,000, according to his campaign pledge.

At the same event, where Lasso delivered one of his last speeches as president, he once again placed the blame for the countrys crises on his political adversaries. The slackers, those who only care about themselves, who live in Belgium, and from there attempt to manage Ecuadorian politics, he said in reference to former president Rafael Correa. Another lady living in Washington who controls votes in the Assembly, in reference to Maria Paula Romo, Lenin Morenos former minister of government, and there is another one who spends more time in Miami than in Ecuador, in reference to the leader of the right-wing PSC party, Jaime Nebot, whose backing he received to become president but with whom he broke off relations as soon as he came to power after negotiating with Correas party for the authorities of the Assembly.

The National Assembly is already preparing for the change of administration to be held this Thursday. On this day there will be no power cuts, as Ecuadorians have had to endure for more than a month, up to three hours a day, and which have led to millions in economic losses. In his final days in office, Lasso inaugurated works and bestowed decorations on nine ministers, including those responsible for failing to control the countrys security crisis. However, the outgoing president clears any doubts about his future: In 2025, we will return to restore order and continue our work of service to the Ecuadorian people. According to surveys, 88% of the population disapproves of his government.
Volunteers working at the Egyptian Food Bank for Palestinians in Gaza. KHALED ELFIQI (EFE)

Egypt began mobilizing Wednesday  following the announcement of a ceasefire of at least four days agreed between Hamas and Israel in Gaza  to substantially increase the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Strip, which has been devastated after a month and a half of the Israeli military offensive and the restrictions imposed on access to essential supplies.

During Wednesday, Egyptian authorities prepared the transfer of some 500 trucks from towns near the Rafah crossing, which connects Egypt to Gaza, to the holding area opposite. These are now ready for when the agreement comes into force and this additional aid flow is allowed in, state-run Al Qahera News reported. It is not yet clear how many trucks per day will be able to access Gaza for the duration of the ceasefire, but it is believed that the figure could reach 400 per 24 hours, according to the same outlet, which also reported that a greater flow of fuel into the Strip is expected.

Between October 21, when Israel resumed permitting humanitarian aid into Gaza after imposing a total blockade almost two weeks earlier, and November 21, around 1,400 trucks entered the Strip through Rafah, an amount considered a drop in the bucket of the needs of the Palestinian population in the enclave by humanitarian agencies. During the first half of this year, by contrast, an average of 9,500 trucks per month carrying commercial and humanitarian goods entered the Palestinian enclave, according to data from the United Nations office for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

In parallel to the shipment of these supplies, the Israeli authorities only allowed the entry of fuel  essential for the daily operation of all kinds of basic services in the Strip  as of Saturday. Since then until Wednesday, however, only a total of 15 trucks were authorized to enter, and these were loaded with quantities far below those needed for the most critical humanitarian operations. The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has indicated that it needs just over 160,000 liters of fuel per day to sustain its humanitarian operations in Gaza, but this amount has never been reached.

Workers unload humanitarian aid for Palestinians at El Arish airport in Egypt on Wednesday. KHALED DESOUKI (AFP)

Egyptian authorities also reiterated Wednesday that the Rafah crossing is ready and able to take on the increased flow of humanitarian aid and fuel. Prior to the Israeli offensive in the Strip, the Kerem Shalom crossing, which connects to Israel, was the main entry point for goods into Gaza, but it has remained closed since the start of hostilities.

Movement through Rafah was initially disrupted for two weeks because Israel bombed the site three times in less than 24 hours after announcing its total siege on the Strip, causing significant damage to the Palestinian terminal. Since then  and until its partial reopening on October 21  Israel has offered no security guarantees for any humanitarian aid convoys to cross.

In an attempt to reactivate the flow of aid, three days after the announcement of the total blockade of the Strip, Egypt designated El Arish airport, 45 kilometers (28 miles) from Rafah, as a logistics center to receive supplies destined for Gaza. Since then, shipments from multiple countries and UN and humanitarian agencies have arrived there.

Since aid began passing through Rafah again  following intense diplomatic efforts led by the United States and Egypt  truckloads of humanitarian supplies for Palestinians have arrived, albeit in dribs and drabs due to the conditions imposed by the Israeli authorities. Controls and limitations slowed the flow of aid, creating bottlenecks in El Arish, where large quantities of supplies are stalled, and abroad, with donor countries slowing down the delivery of more shipments to Egypt. International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan warned in late October that preventing the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza may constitute a crime and stressed that Israel must ensure that residents of the Strip receive food, water, and medical supplies.

During a meeting in Cairo Wednesday, Egyptian President Abdel Fatah el-Sissi and his Jordanian counterpart, King Abdullah II, applauded the humanitarian truce in Gaza. However, they called on each other to maintain their diplomatic efforts to reach a permanent ceasefire and to ensure the delivery of sufficient aid to the population of the Strip to confront the policies of famine and collective punishment imposed by Israel.
The fragility of the agreement between Israel and Hamas was exposed in the early hours of Thursday. As the two sides neared the start of a four-day truce, Israeli national security advisor Tsaji Hanegbi announced that the ceasefire - accompanied by an exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners and the entry into Gaza of hundreds of trucks of humanitarian aid - would not begin until at least Friday. Shortly afterwards, an Israeli government source accused Hamas of not having handed over the list of hostages to be released and not having signed the agreement with the Qatari mediators. The last-minute discrepancies show why Israelis and Palestinians held their breath as the final details of a deal that has raised the hopes of many families on both sides were negotiated in Qatar. Now, barring a last-minute change, the shelling and clashes will continue this Thursday in Gaza for the 48th consecutive day. On Wednesday, when the implementation of the pact was still seen as imminent, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed that the agreement with Hamas, the greatest diplomatic milestone of the conflict, will in no way be the prelude to the definitive cessation of attacks. We are at war, and we will continue the war, he said. We will continue until we achieve all our goals.

On Wednesday, Hamas announced that the deal would begin to be implemented at 10 a.m. the following day. Israeli public television even placed the exchange between 10:00 and 16:00. The stumbling block, according to the Israeli version, is the signing of the pact and the list of names of the hostages that Hamas had planned to hand over in Qatar, where the head of the Mossad, the secret services abroad, David Barnea, is currently stationed. An Israeli government source suggests that the differences can be resolved within 24 hours.

Hours earlier, Gershon Baskin, a peace activist who negotiated with Hamas the swap of a thousand Palestinian prisoners for the surrender of the soldier Guilad Shalit in 2011, warned of the difficulty of the truce lasting four days, given the lack of trust between the parties and of direct contacts, which are made through the mediators: Qatar, Egypt and the United States. There is a lot of emotion, a lot of anger, a lot of hatred and a lot of chances for people to shoot each other, he pointed out to this newspaper in a voice message.

Legally, the agreement could be applied from early Thursday morning, 24 hours after the Israeli Justice Ministry published the list of 300 potential prisoners to be released, mostly men with minor offenses, plus 30 women. None are charged with murder, although some are charged with attempted murder. Nor have they been arrested in the wave of arrests after October 7, but before that date. Since then, the number of Palestinian prisoners has risen from about 5,300 to 8,000.

More than half of those on the list have not yet been tried. Some of the offenses attributed to them have long been denounced by human rights NGOs for their vagueness, such as harming the security of the area; their disproportionate punishment (for throwing stones); or for violating the right of assembly, such as attending a demonstration. In the occupied West Bank, Palestinians are subject to military jurisdiction and Israeli settlers to civilian jurisdiction.

Why, if only 150 prisoners will be released during the four-day truce, does the list contain 300 names? The difference is due to the fact that the pact includes the possibility of a four-day extension. It would be with the same ratio: one hostage for every three Palestinian prisoners. If completed, it would mean the delivery of some 98 hostages and the release of all the prisoners on the list.

The families of the hostages will only know if their family members are released when they are already in Israeli territory. There they will be transferred to special areas in hospitals, with psychological support and away from the rest of the patients and the media. The motive, in a situation as fluid as that reflected in the last-minute postponement, is not to give hope to the families until it is certain that the same person whose name appears on the list has been handed over.

At a press conference late in the day, Netanyahu attributed the agreement with Hamas to a mix of massive military pressure in Gaza and great diplomatic pressure. Also, to the help of U.S. President Joe Biden, who lobbied and succeeded in improving conditions to Israels benefit. The Prime Minister insisted that it is time to wait to recover the rest of the hostages. A military operation is not always possible to rescue them, he said. For his part, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that any advance by Israeli troops increases the chances of further hostage releases. Hamas only understands force, he added, calling the terror group barbarians.

Drone attack

Meanwhile, clashes in Gaza continued throughout the day: a bombing killed 52 members of the same family in the Jabaliya refugee camp. Moreover, in the West Bank, where violence has been escalating since October 7, six people were killed by drone fire during an Israeli raid on the town of Tulkarem. It is a means increasingly employed by the Israeli Armed Forces after two decades with little recourse to air strikes in that territory.

The bombing was part of the assault by the occupation troops on Tabet hospital, to which several vehicles and about fifteen uniformed men moved at around 4:00 a.m., threatening part of the medical team at gunpoint, according to local journalist Sami Saai. They took away at least one of the wounded from the drone attack who had been taken by ambulance to the center, as Saai shows in a video of the scene, in which he describes how the soldiers also prevented the free movement of ambulances.

Other health infrastructures were also destroyed, such as one of the first aid centers in the refugee camp, which was equipped with material from Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), according to the coordinator of this NGO in the area, Luz Saavedra. The facilities were hit by numerous bullets and were stormed by several members of the military. Six of the paramedics working in the camp were detained by the troops and taken away with their hands tied and at gunpoint in a group of about twenty of those arrested, as can be seen in a video recorded in the streets. MSF had to make arrangements for their subsequent release.

The army bulldozers also remained for several hours in Tulkarem camp causing damage to houses, water infrastructure and asphalted streets, as they had already done on two other occasions since the war began on October 7. Before leaving, they left large earthen barricades cutting off several accesses. Wednesdays was the third military incursion by the Israeli army into the camp.

Saavedra considers that these military attacks and the blockade of health facilities are a worrying trend, as well as going against international humanitarian law, since from the moment a person is wounded he ceases to be a combatant, as long as he renounces to carry out hostile acts. The outbreak of war, he says, has caused the situation of siege and harassment of health facilities to deteriorate further.

Mass grave

Meanwhile, in Gaza, the outskirts of the southern town of Khan Yunis have been the scene of the burial in a mass grave of more than 111 bodies of victims of Israeli attacks transferred from the north of the Strip, where they have not been able to receive burial. Some came from the Al Shifa hospital, the largest in the Palestinian enclave, where troops have been stationed for more than a week. Gaza City, the main stronghold of Hamas, is located in the north of the Strip.

Some UN agencies, such as Unicef or the World Health Organization, consider that the greater flow of aid that will arrive in Gaza these days thanks to the truce will not be enough to face the serious crisis faced by a population of 2.3 million people, 75% of whom have become internally displaced.

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On October 24, 18 days into the war in Gaza, during a U.N. Security Council meeting in New York, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres made a statement that caused a major diplomatic uproar. Guterres said that the surprise attack by Hamas on October 7, which resulted in the deaths of an estimated 1,200 Israelis, did not happen in a vacuum, but instead must be understood in the context of 56 years of suffocating occupation inflicted on the Palestinian people. He was referring to the decades of violence endured by the Palestinian population in the West Bank and Gaza Strip since the eruption of the Six-Day War in 1967. While Guterres condemned the carnage perpetrated by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamass full name, translated to English) against the Israeli population  the grievances of the Palestinian people cannot justify the appalling attacks by Hamas, he said  the Secretary-General also drew focus to decades of Israeli occupation: [Palestinians] have seen their land steadily devoured by settlements and plagued by violence, their economy stifled, their people displaced and their homes demolished. His speech came as a painful shock to many in Israel and around the world, where major media tend to avoid contextualizing the Palestinian situation or addressing the question of Israeli occupation. Israels Minister of Foreign Affairs, Eli Cohen, who was in the room during the speech, rebuked Guterres: Mr. Secretary-General, in what world do you live? Definitely this is not our world, he said. Israels ambassador to the U.N., Gilad Erdan, demanded that the Secretary-General resign. Guterres had dared to mention the elephant in the room, denouncing a situation that Israeli dignitaries are not used to hearing Western leaders acknowledge, much less condemn.

Top: Israeli soldiers mourn the victims of Hamass attack during a burial on October 23. Bottom: Palestinians search for and collect the bodies of victims killed in an Israeli air strike on the Jabalia refugee camp on Nov. 1. Ariel Schalit (Ap / LaPresse) /

Guterres speech reflected an undeniable reality that has existed, out in the open, for decades, but which continues to be denied by the Israeli state. To understand the context for how we got to where we are today, we need to go back to the end of the 19th century, when Palestine was part of the Ottoman Empire and Europe was in the thralls Romanticism. It was against this background of romantic nationalism that an estimated 25,000 Jews, mostly Europeans from Russia and Romania, emigrated to Palestine during the so-called First Aliyah, from 1881 to 1903. (Aliyah is Hebrew for ascent, and refers to the immigration of Jews from the diaspora to the Land of Israel, otherwise known as the Southern Levant). At the time, there was already a small population of Jews living in Palestine, which was still under Ottoman rule. These Jewish inhabitants were not Zionists; that is, they did not seek to control the region and establish a majority-Jewish homeland  to the contrary, they had been living alongside Muslims and Christians for time immemorial.

Zionism sought to create a Jewish state in Palestine, and was very active at that time. Its central figure was the Austro-Hungarian political activist and journalist Theodor Herzl. Herzl was not the movements first ideologue  there were other proto-Zionist thinkers before him  but he was the most important, and is cited in Israels 1948 Declaration of Independence as the spiritual father of the Jewish State. In his early years, Herzl was what, at the time, was known as an assimilated, non-religious Jew, that is, a Jew who had been culturally integrated into the European-Christian environment. But then came a scandal that would shake the ground under Herzls feet and prompt him to rethink his belief in, and advocacy for, the mass conversion of Jews to Christianity: the Dreyfus affair. From that moment on, Herzl became a staunch supporter of the creation of a Jewish homeland, which would later be identified with the land known as Palestine.

The Dreyfus scandal broke out in France in 1894 and would have major repercussions for Jewish people across Europe. The French military captain Alfred Dreyfus, a Jew, was unjustly accused of spying for Germany and subsequent victimized by a judicial process plagued by anti-Semitism. Unlike Zionists, Herzl had not given much thought to the Jewish question prior to the Dreyfus trial, but from that point on, he would turn his attention to it. Herzl covered the Dreyfus case for a major Viennese newspaper and in the process, became a passionate Zionist. In his book, The Jewish State, published in 1896, he proposed the creation of an independent state that could welcome all the Jews of the world as citizens. This state would be founded on several ideals, including putting an end to the anti-Semitism that was spreading across the European continent. At first, the idea was rejected by Europes most influential Jewish leaders, who by and large thought that the solution to the so-called Jewish question was assimilation. But little by little, the idea began to take hold.

Jerusalem, circa 1890. A group of devout Jews praying at the Western Wall. Bettman (Getty Images) Theodor Herzl (1860-1904), a journalist and Jewish activist, was the father of political Zionism and the concept of the State of Israel, and the author of The Jewish State: An Attempt at a Modern Solution of the Jewish Question (1896). His central aim was the creation of a new country for Jewish people. Universal History Archive (Getty June 1948. Crowds gather on the beach in Tel Aviv to view the wreckage of Altena, a ship loaded with Jewish fighters and weapons that was attacked by the newly created Israel Defense Forces. Robert Capa (ICP / Magnum Photos Haifa, May-June 1949. Thousands of Jewish immigrants from all over Eastern Europe, Turkey and Tunisia arrive by boat to Palestine. Robert Capa (ICP / Magnum Photos

The trickle of migrants to Palestine continued almost without interruption, as history approached another Zionist milestone, perhaps the most decisive of all: the Balfour Declaration. This public letter was penned by the United Kingdoms Foreign Secretary, Lord Arthur Balfour, at the height of the First World War in 1917, and sent to Lord Lionel Walter Rothschild, the leader of the Jewish community in Britain. The document was the result of a protracted effort on the part of Zionist leaders. A diplomat and member of Britains Jewish community, Lord Herbert Samuel, had pushed for such a declaration since the beginning of the Great War, when he foresaw the fall of the Ottoman Empire. He believed that the defeat of the empire would create the basic conditions necessary for the United Kingdom to take a position on the side of the Zionists, and against the Arab-Palestinians living in the area under British mandate. The declaration referred, for the first time, to the creation of a Jewish national home, a term that had no precedent in diplomatic language, but which was carefully chosen by both the British and the Zionists to open the way for the creation of a Jewish state in an area historically inhabited by Arabs, the vast majority of whom were Sunni Muslims. Paradoxically, a communique issue by the British government in 2017, on the occasion of the centenary of the Balfour Declaration, acknowledged that that original document should have safeguarded the political rights of the non-Jewish population, i.e., the Arab-Palestinians  something it did not do.

The reaction to the declaration on the part of the majority non-Jewish inhabitants of Palestine  Muslims and Christians comprised nearly 90% of the population at the time  was one of overwhelming rejection. As the American-Palestinian academic and literary critic Edward Said would latter argue, the Balfour Declaration was adopted by a Western power on behalf of a non-Western territory, and did not correspond to the wishes of the vast majority of the population. Naturally, it was clear to everyone involved that the Zionist project could only be implemented by force of arms. A communique signed shortly afterwards by a hundred or so notable figures from the local non-Jewish denominations in Palestine stated that, historically, Muslim and Christian Arabs had sympathized with the cause of the Jewish people, who had suffered persecution almost everywhere they had lived, but that they could not accept the proposal that Jews should rule over them.

As events unfolded, and it became clear that local communities could not stop the Zionist project from moving forward, given the support it enjoyed from the great powers, violence began to escalate, at different times and places, and with varying degrees of intensity. One of the more notable figures from this era was the Syrian Muslim preacher and anti-Zionist militant Izz al Din al-Qassam, who would die in 1935 but whose memory has endured to the present day, inspiring the name of the military wing of Hamas: the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades. The preacher Al-Qassam had studied at Cairos prestigious Al-Azhar University and acquired his legendary status fighting European colonial powers in the Middle East after the fall of the Ottoman Empire. He fought against the French in Syria, and following the defeat of the nationalist resistance, emigrated to Palestine to fight against the British and the Jews, where he would ultimately die at the hands of British police in 1935.

In May 1948, one day before the expiration of the British Mandate for Palestine, David Ben Gurion, in his capacity as head of the Jewish Agency, declared the establishment of a Jewish state that would adopt the name Israel. Ben Gurions declaration did not recognize any boundaries to that state outside of a vague reference to Eretz Yisrael, a concept since translated as the Land of Israel. Ben Gurions failure to delimit national borders reflected the desire of Zionist leaders to incorporate as much of the land of historic Palestine as possible into the Jewish state; shortly before the declaration of statehood, the United Nations had suggested the creation of two states, one Jewish and one Arab, with the former being granted slightly more than half of the territory, and with a shared international zone that would include the city of Jerusalem. The Arab countries, which rejected the U.N. proposal, sent troops to the newly created State of Israel to fight the Zionist paramilitary organization known as the Haganah. But these small and poorly disciplined Arab contingents were quickly defeated by the more efficient Israeli militias, which proceeded to occupy numerous territories that had been allocated to a future Arab state within historic Palestine by the U.N. partition plan.

Thus, the establishment of the Jewish State only a few years after the end of World War II and the Holocaust, took place in the context of an armed Arab-Israeli conflict during which Jews expelled Arabs from more than 750 Palestinian cities, towns and villages. Thus, the territorial distribution proposed by the U.N. soon became a dead letter; the Jews, better armed, better organized and more efficient, occupied most of the territory, leaving out of their new state only the West Bank and Gaza Strip  i.e. 22% of the historical territory of Palestine. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians (an estimated 750,000 at minimum) were forced to leave their homes and flee as refugees to the West Bank, Gaza or neighboring countries, without ever being allowed to return. Today, there are an estimated seven million Palestinian refugees, when you include the descendants of the families expelled in 1948  a population Israel does not want to hear about. When U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that we should bear in mind that the October 7 attack did not occur in a vacuum, he was undoubtedly referring to this historical context of settlement and dispossession.

Palestine Israel/Jewish settlements British Mandate (1920-48) UN Partition Plan (1947) Arab-Israeli War (1948-49) Oslo Accords (1993) West Bank Gaza Strip Israel Palestine Israel/Jewish settlements British Mandate (1920-48) UN Partition Plan (1947) Arab-Israeli War (1948-49) Oslo Accords (1993) West Bank Gaza Strip Israel Palestine Israel/Jewish settlements UN Partition Plan (1947) British Mandate (1920-48) Arab-Israeli War (1948-49) Oslo Accords (1993) West Bank Gaza Strip Israel

During the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, also known as the Six-Day War, Israel defeated a coalition of enemy states comprised of Egypt, Syria, Jordan and Iraq. Within hours, it occupied the West Bank, Gaza, the Egyptian Sinai and the Syrian Golan Heights. The celebrated scientist and philosopher Yeshayahu Leibowitz, an orthodox Jewish public intellectual and Israels ethical, religious and political conscience, described the governance of the Palestinian territories following the war as a form of dehumanized, Judeo-Nazi military rule, and criticized the Zionist right, and certain segments of the Zionist left, for renouncing the humanist values of diasporic Judaism in favor of a new set of values subordinate to the demands of the State of Israel.

Gradually, the Israeli state facilitated the relocation of hundreds of thousands of Jewish settlers, many of whom were extremist Zionists, to the occupied territories, encouraging them with financial and economic incentives to settle in the colonies. These settlers now form part of a complicated and conflictual social web in which Israelis live in Palestinian towns and villages without having any relationship of trust with them. The situation has become very difficult to reverse, especially given that the Palestinian Authority, the governing body based in the city of Ramallah, some 20 kilometers north of Jerusalem, under the leadership of President Mahmoud Abbas, has become, in the eyes of many Palestinians, a mere extension of the Israeli government, dedicated to repressing dissident and persecuting Palestinians who resist occupation.

Future Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon (center) standing next to the mythic figure of General Moshe Dayan (left), during the Yom Kippur War in October 1973. IDF (Afp / Getty Images) A group of Palestinians surrender to Israeli soldiers in June 1967, in the occupied West Bank. Pierre Guillaud (Afp / Getty Ima A Palestinian teenager fires a slingshot at an Israeli army helicopter in Nablus during the First Intifada in 1988. Javier Bauluz

In 1973, a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria launched what would become known as the Yom Kippur War. After a few days of surprise attacks, the Israeli army recovered and managed to regain control over the territories that the Arabs had initially liberated. During the 20 days that the conflict lasted, 2,656 Israeli soldiers were killed  that is, more than double the number of Israelis who died in the October 7 Hamas attack, which left an estimated 1,200 dead in a single day, including more than 300 soldiers, according to official figures. But the 1973 war did not alter the policies of the Israeli government, which continued to send settlers to the West Bank, Gaza, the Golan and the Sinai. A few years later, Egyptian President Anwar al Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin would sign an unexpected peace agreement. The Camp David Accords would see Egypt regain the Sinai and Israel walk away with the promise that there would be no repeat of the 1973 war. Relations between the two countries were normalized, although to this day, the peace remains a kind of cold and distant one  a resolution not accepted as legitimate by a large segment of the Egyptian population.

The occupation intensified, and in 1987, the First Intifada broke out. This series of successive Palestinian revolts  intifada is Arabic for uprising  lasted for several years. The occupied territories became a hotbed of protest, with an accompanying death toll. The outbreak of the First Intifada signaled another development that would mark the decades to come: the formation of Hamas. In those early years, Israeli authorities actually welcomed Hamass emergence, and made informal contacts with the groups leaders in the hopes that the Islamists could be depoliticized and discouraged from participating in armed resistance. One of the politicians to encourage the growth of Hamas, in hopes of undermining the power Yasser Arafats Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) within Western circles, was Shimon Peres. But Hamas soon emerged as a formidable guerilla force committed to armed struggle against the occupation, and with a more militant sense of determination than the PLO.

The resistance of the First Intifada played an undeniable role in encouraging the convening of the Madrid Conference in 1991 and the subsequent Oslo Accords in 1993. The Israeli Prime Minister at the time, Yitzhak Shamir, agreed to negotiations with the Palestinians and Arab countries with the intention of securing the $10 billion that the Americans had promised him in exchange for Israel taking in hundreds of thousands of Jewish immigrants from the Soviet Union. Within a few years, it finally seemed like a lasting peace was within reach, but this was merely a mirage, which ultimately disappeared with the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin on November 4, 1995. The assassination came as a major shock to the whole country. The assassin, Yigal Amir, was a young Jewish religious student and right-wing extremist who, according to the investigations, acted alone.

It remains unclear whether the late Rabin would have led the country to securing peace with the Palestinians and Syrians, though the impression at the time was that he would have, just as it remains unclear how far Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who in 2005 pulled the army and settlers out of the Gaza Strip, would have gone if he had remained prime minister. The withdrawal of settlers from Gaza was a traumatic event for a large portion of Israeli society, even though it had become clear that their presence was creating a major burden on Israeli society and had led to the deaths of many settlers and soldiers. The Palestinian militias, especially Hamass Al-Qassam Brigades, carried out daring attacks against the army and the settlers on a daily basis, which was likely the primary reason that Sharon decided to disengage from the Strip. The prime minister died after suffering a stroke, and it remains unknown whether he would have expanded this policy of disengagement in the occupied West Bank.

The signing of the Oslo Accords between Yasser Arafat (right) and Yitzhak Rabin (third from left). Standing between them: U.S. President Bill Clinton; on the left, Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and Russian Foreign Minister Andrei Kozyrev. Gary Hershorn (Reuters / Contact A confrontation between an Israeli policeman and a Palestinian in Jerusalem, in 2000. Amit Shabi (Reuters / Contacto) Mahmoud Abbas (b. 1935), a Palestinian politician and the president of the State of Palestine and the Palestinian National Authority since 2005. He studied between Syria and Egypt and eventually joined the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which he now controls. Abbas has been accused of being both a Holocaust denier and a puppet of Israel. Presidencia Palestina (Anadolu / An Israeli soldier aims his M-16 rifle at Palestinians throwing rocks in Bethlehem, in 2000. Yannis Behrakis (Reuters / Conta A morgue holds the bodies of more than 500 Israelis killed by Hamas on October 7. Avishag Shaar-Yashuv (New York T U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addresses the Security Council, October 24. [Palestinians] have seen their land steadily devoured by settlements and plagued by violence, he said. Seth Wening (Ap / LaPresse) A Palestinian watches over the bodies of his relatives at Nasser hospital in Gaza. Abed Zagout (Anadolu / Getty Ima

Benjamin Netanyahu has governed Israel for a significant part of the 21st century. With respect to the Palestinians, his policy has been to intensify the colonization of the West Bank and to keep Palestinians under a tight blockade in Gaza. The president of the West Bank-based Palestinian National Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, is seen by many as a Netanyahu collaborator doing the dirty work of cleansing the occupied territories of any vestige of resistance. After the October attacks by Hamas, Netanyahu has been struggling to keep his balance as he walks an increasingly thin tightrope.

One of the proposals for ending the conflict, which has gone on for decades, is what is known as the two-state solution, a plan for which Spain, among other countries, is a strong advocate. However, of the 193 member states of the United Nations, only 139 have recognized the State of Palestine. Neither the United States nor the major European countries are among them. In the midst of the current escalation of hostilities, it is worth remembering that in the past, moments of crisis have led to the signing of agreements. The Israelis participated in the Madrid Conference and the Oslo Accords as a result of the pressures of the First Intifada; they withdrew from the Gaza Strip under the pressures of the Second Intifada; and they left southern Lebanon in 2000 to put an end to the constant trickle of soldiers being killed by the Lebanese Shia militia Hezbollah. Perhaps the horrific tragedy that has unfolded since October 7 will compel certain leaders, and certain members of the international community, to engage in the self-reflection that so far this century, they have largely eschewed.

Eugenio Garcia Gascon (Barcelona, 1957) is a journalist and has spent more than 30 years in the Middle East. He is the author and co-author of six books on topics related to the region.
Manal Tamini, aunt of Wisam Marwan Tamimi, one of the Palestinian minors who could be freed by the prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas, at her home in Nabi Saleh, on November 19, 2023.

Wisam Marwan Tamimi, then aged 16, was arrested on June 9 in the West Bank town of Nabi Saleh, 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Ramallah, and taken to an Israeli intelligence agency headquarters that has provided grim memories for those who passed through it: the Al-Moskobiya interrogation center in Jerusalem. The high school senior spent 45 days in solitary confinement in a jail where Palestinian prisoners support organizations have been denouncing torture for years. He was not provided with a lawyer and was unable to contact his parents. He had never been in trouble with the law before, says his aunt, Manal Tamimi, in her living room. After a month and a half in complete isolation, the teenager was transferred to Israels Ofer maximum security prison in the occupied Palestinian territory of the West Bank. Wisam Tamimi is one of the minors on a list of 300 Palestinian prisoners, at least 150 of whom could regain their freedom through the swap deal involving the Israeli hostages held in Gaza announced on Wednesday by Israel and Hamas.

Manal Tamimi believes it is possible that, as in the case of her nephew, most of the young people who could be released under the Qatar-brokered agreement have been detained for nothing on charges fabricated by the Israelis. Wisam, she says, was guilty of nothing more than being Palestinian and having the surname Tamimi, which is a crime in itself for Israel. Tamimis family gained international notoriety when the daughter of one of her cousins, Ahed, then also 16, spent eight months in jail in 2017. The girl had slapped two Israeli servicemen who were both considerably larger than her and who were trying to take her 14-year-old brother into custody. The altercation was captured on video and later went viral.

On November 6, Ahed Tamimi, now 22, was arrested again. However, her name is not on the list of Palestinian prisoners who will potentially benefit from the swap. It only includes those arrested before October 7. Thirty of them are women and there are a few adult men, most of them aged 18, so it is possible that they were arrested when they were still minors.

Wisams aunt recalls that, eight days before his arrest, Israeli soldiers had fractured the boys skull with a tear gas grenade thrown on the roof of his aunt and uncles house in Nabi Saleh. That June 1, she recounts, Israeli soldiers had shot a two-year-old boy from the village in the neck when they fired at his familys car.

When we heard the gunshots, we went up to the roof to see what was going on and then the soldiers started throwing tear gas grenades at us. One of them hit Wisam in the head, she says, showing a video on her cell phone of a Palestinian Red Crescent health worker wiping blood from a deep wound in the skull of the teenager, who spent five days in hospital. Three days after he was discharged, the soldiers came and took him away, says his aunt. No explanations, no charges, and no arrest warrant. Her nephew, the woman says, did not have access to a lawyer until 45 days later, when he was transferred from Al-Moskobiya to the Ofer prison.

Since Wisam Tamimi was arrested in June, his parents have only been able to visit him once or twice or see him in court for five minutes. The family gave his jailers the medication he needed to treat the skull fracture he had suffered, explains his aunt, only to discover that they had not given it to him. Since October 7, neither Wisam nor the other Palestinian prisoners have been able to receive visitors, she adds.

A mural of Palestinian activist Ahed Tamimi on the Israeli wall at the Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem, West Bank. Alvaro Garcia

Youth detention

Of the list of 300 minors and women  from which the first 150 prisoners to be exchanged for 50 of the 240 hostages in Gaza will emerge  it is striking to see how young some of them are: there are several children as young as 14. The accusations against them range from serious charges such as attempted murder or supporting terrorism, to crimes that oscillate between ambiguity - damage to the security of the area or membership of unknown organization - and the banality of one of the most recurrent allegations: throwing stones.

The Israeli prison service declared at the end of September that it had 146 Palestinian children and adolescents in custody at detention centers, prisons or what it cryptically called security zones, according to a communique from the Israeli human rights NGO BTselem. That figure has since more than tripled, with the addition of 350 minors detained in East Jerusalem and the West Bank since Hamass attack on Israel, Abdallah Zgari, the president of the non-profit Palestinian Prisoners Club, explains by telephone from the West Bank city of Bethlehem. The arrested minors represent more than 10% of the total of 3,000 detainees in the occupied territories as of October 7, according to this organization. In total, Israeli prisons now hold 8,300 Palestinians, of whom 500 are minors.

The two imprisoned young members of the Tamimi family, Wisam and Ahed, were at least formally charged in court, a right not always enjoyed in Israel, where there is a legal mechanism defined as administrative detention, which allows anyone to be arrested without having done anything. Literally. It is enough to suspect someone of planning to commit a crime in the future to send them to prison. This type of detention is open-ended and can be renewed every six months for up to 10 years in prison, says Zgari.

The victims of administrative detention are held without due judicial procedure, by order of the regional military commander, and on the sole basis of classified evidence that is not disclosed to the accused. Thousands of Palestinians thus find themselves in prison without knowing what they are accused of, or whether they will finally be tried. Nor do they have any idea when they will regain their freedom. Since October 7, of the 3,000 Palestinians arrested, 1,200 have been placed in administrative detention, explains the president of the Palestinian Prisoners Club. That number has been added to an identical number of those already held in such detention before the Hamas attack. In total, 2,400 prisoners, Zgari stresses. Before the Hamas attacks there were already 23 minors held in administrative detention in Israeli prisons, estimates BTselem.

According to UNICEF data, since 2000, 13,000 Palestinian children have been arrested, interrogated, tried, and imprisoned. Many had to receive medical treatment after their detention (1,598 in the last decade), suggesting that they suffered some form of mistreatment.

The arrests of Palestinian teenagers did not start on October 7, stresses Manal Tamimi, who highlights the gulf between the treatment of Palestinians and Jewish settlers in the Israeli-occupied territories: Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza are subject to military law, while settlers living next door are judged by civilian law. If two children, one Palestinian and one settler, throw stones at each other, the Jew will be kept under good conditions until his parents come to take him home. The Palestinian child will be taken to a detention center, where he will be interrogated for hours and deprived of all his rights, such as the right to be accompanied by a parent, to be assisted by a lawyer, or to have his interrogation videotaped, the activist stresses. This double standard is one of the reasons why Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch accuse Israel of subjugating the Palestinians by imposing an apartheid regime on them.
To gauge the effectiveness of sanctions, theres nothing like measuring the rebound generated when theyre removed.

The decision made by the American government on October 18 to suspend the prohibitions on Venezuelan oil for six months  among other economic relief measures  has generated a radical change in the countrys growth forecasts. According to the latest estimate from Ecoanalitico  an independent consulting firm in Caracas  the Venezuelan GDP would go from declining by 0.7% this year to growing by 9.4% in 2024.

Oil trades on the high seas, ghost ships with the GPS disconnected, shady fees of up to 15%, massive discounts in the sale price, as well as the use of bartering and cryptocurrencies... these were the costs of a black market that ceased to be necessary as of last month, when the Nicolas Maduro administration reached an agreement with the Venezuelan opposition at a summit in Barbados. The government agreed to release political prisoners and remove political bans from rival candidates, among other measures aimed at restoring democracy.

According to Alejandro Grisanti  director of Ecoanalitica  the boost to next years GDP will occur due to three factors: the rising sale price of hydrocarbons, the reactivation of the Venezuelan private sector and increased production of crude oil. The first is the easiest to understand: under the sanctions regime, Venezuelan oil was smuggled into the Asian market and sold at discounts of between 25% and 40% beneath the real market price per barrel. Further profit was lost due to higher transportation costs and currency manipulation.

According to the estimates made by Francisco Monaldi  an expert in the Venezuelan oil industry and a professor at Rice University  ending the costs imposed by the black market will mean going from $11 billion in annual hydrocarbon export revenue to about $16 billion. Grisanti believes that this increase is more than enough to stimulate Venezuela economic activity across the board.

Lifting the sanctions will also encourage a small increase in oil production a variable that has already been improving since 2022, when Chevron was granted permission to sell Venezuelan crude in the United States. The condition was that any profits made from these sales by PDVSA  Venezuelas state-owned oil company  would be used to settle debts with American creditors.

Grisantis estimates that the particular permit granted to Chevron  as well as the general one granted in October to the entire fossil fuels industry  could allow Venezuelan output to approach one million barrels per day by 2025, compared to the 750,000 that Venezuela produces today. Even so, such an improvement is insufficient, considering that the South American country  which has the largest proven crude oil reserves in the world  is capable of producing two million barrels per day.

Chevron has already added 135,000 [barrels]. By the end of the year, [the daily increase] will reach 150,000. In each of the next two years, [the American company] could add another 50,000 [daily], Monaldi notes. According to his estimates, the sum of projects set up by the Italian energy company Eni, Spains Repsol and the French companies Perenco and Maurel & Prom (the latter controlled by the Indonesian state company Pertamina) could add another 70,000 barrels of Venezuelan oil output per day in the same period.

The big question now is what the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) is going to do. It has traditionally been the second-biggest buyer of Venezuelan crude oil after Chevron. The Chinese state oil company has already informed Reuters of its intention to buy 265,000 barrels of Venezuelan crude each day, paying in cash. According to Monaldi, this detail is relevant, because it implies that  for the moment  China isnt demanding immediate repayment of the $12 billion that Venezuela owes [Beijing].

A wait-and-see attitude

A purchase of 265,000 barrels per day would open the door for the CNPC to invest again in its [Venezuelan-based] projects and daily production, to increase [output] by another 100,000 barrels, Monaldi says. Now, if I were in their place, the logical thing would be to wait and see if the permission granted by Washington is renewed, and whether or not the electoral cycle of the United States and Venezuela [in 2024] ends up ruining this peace.

Waiting to see what happens is, perhaps, the phrase that best defines the current moment in Venezuela. In the short-term, no one doubts that income will multiply with the easing of costs incurred on the black market but the medium-term remains as mysterious as ever. Hence, Monaldi affirms that theres a guarantee that all European oil companies are going to demand before embarking on any significant production expansion in Venezuela: Theyre going to ask for a contract equivalent to the one Chevron has, which doesnt involve putting fresh money into the projects, but rather reinvesting the cash flow that the projects generate. That is, [these companies arent willing] to risk anything.

In the short-term, the consensus among analysts is that the United States isnt going to reimpose sanctions, despite the Venezuelan governments decision to disqualify Maria Corina Machado as a presidential candidate, after she obtained an overwhelming victory in the presidential primaries.

The White House feels obliged to maintain the suspension of sanctions because it has to guarantee a minimum amount of legal protection for American oil companies. The Biden administration is also keen on thawing the relationship with Caracas. In the region, [Biden] was receiving a lot of pressure from left-wing governments that had welcomed Maduro back, while the sanctions were pushing Venezuela towards Iran and Russia, among other undesirable actors [in the eyes of the US government], says Risa Grais-Targow, a Venezuela specialist at the Eurasia Group. Reducing migratory pressure on the southern border (as many refugees come from Venezuela) is also a major concern for Biden, as is the global price of oil.

If those are Bidens reasons, Maduros main motivation for reaching an agreement was to generate the cash flow that will allow him to increase social spending ahead of the 2024 presidential elections. The goal, says Grais-Targow, is to be re-elected as president in elections that at least have the appearance of being clean. This would allow Maduro to legitimize himself in the face of the international community and secure the withdrawal of remaining sanctions. In a sense, these elections represent something new for him, because theyre the first in which the opposition is actually competing, after they decided to boycott the previous ones (2018).

No one believes that the extra $5 billion that the Venezuelan government will receive annually (after the temporary lifting of sanctions) will go towards desperately-needed reinvestment in the countrys oil fields. Permanent drilling is required to maintain production, but excess funds will likely be spent on boosting the regimes popularity among the electorate.

Monaldi says that, right now, theres only one drill in the country, compared to the 50 that [were previously operative] when Venezuela produced two million barrels per day.

Its true that Chevron has said that its going to install two more drills, he acknowledges. This would leave the total at three. But to achieve the significant increase that Venezuela has the capacity to generate, at least 20 would be needed.
Brand logos usually contain valuable information, and the case of cars is no exception. Their logos are not a whim or a coincidence, and there is usually a story behind them. Everything matters: color, font, size and shape. The iconic Chevrolet bowtie first came into use in late 1913, but why is it a cross? What is behind that image?

The enigmatic cross of the logo

Chevrolets unmistakable flattened cross has changed very little over the years. Its true origin remains shrouded in mystery since the death of its creator, William C. Durant, co-founder of General Motors. There are several theories that surround it; the most widespread, and one that Durant himself confirmed once, is that he was inspired by the pattern of the wallpaper of a hotel room where he stayed in Paris during a trip he made in 1908.

One of the brands press websites notes the following, further describing the story: It originated in Durants imagination when, as a world traveler in 1908, he saw the pattern marching off into infinity as a design on wallpaper in a French hotel. He tore off a piece of the wallpaper and kept it to show friends, with the thought that it would make a good nameplate for a car.

Another theory

That is the main hypothesis, but it is not the only one. The aforementioned article, titled History with a Mistery, also mentions that in 1929, Margery, Durants daughter, published a book entitled My Father. In it, she explained that Durant used to doodle nameplate designs on pieces of paper at the dinner table. I think it was between the soup and the fried chicken one night that he sketched out the design that is used on the Chevrolet car to this day, she wrote.

Yet another theory maintains that the design is a stylized version of the cross of the Swiss flag. This is because Louis Chevrolet (also a co-founder) was born in Switzerland, in La Chaux-de-Fonds, in the canton of Neuchatel, to French parents, on Christmas 1878.

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Opinion articles written in the style of their author." These texts are to be based on verified facts and must be respectful towards people, even though their actions may be criticized. shall feature, along with the author's name (regardless of their greater or lesser renown), a footer stating their office, academic title, political affiliation (if any) and main occupation, or the occupation related to the topic being assessed

Between World War I and World War II, Europe underwent a shock that would forever change the way we conceive life, the social tolerance of barbarism and, shortly thereafter, our notions of the political subject. Susan Sontag noted that in the Great War of 1914-1918 most of the casualties were military, while by 1945 that trend had been reversed: the millions killed in the Second World War were, above all, civilians, with the Jewish people playing a more fatal role, although not exclusively. In the middle of both conflagrations, the Spanish Civil War marked a turning point in human conflict due to the indiscriminate slaughter of innocent people, carried out by means of extremely powerful weaponry and the sophisticated aircraft of the Condor Legion, provided to General Francisco Franco by the Third Reich. Suddenly, war had passed from delimiting very clear military objectives to the mass targeting of people whose relationship with the fighting was limited to mere existence. By the time the last world war ended  the horror of both the Nazi concentration camps and the atomic bomb revealed  Europe, smeared in ruins and blood, could no longer claim to be the cradle of any civilization. The magnitude of the atrocities was simply unspeakable, to the point of leading the German philosophers Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer to question the Enlightenment itself, just as Maria Zambrano and Hannah Arendt would also do in their respective exiles.

What, theoretically endowed with reason, had been capable of engendering such a tremendous monstrosity and taking the human race to the limits of the most absolute degeneration? It did not matter that in the immediately preceding decades, driven by an imperialist frenzy, the civilized continent had perpetrated massacres as merciless as those in the Congo, or the wars in Morocco, masterfully narrated by Arturo Barea. At that time on European soil, all red lines had been crossed and another world order was needed to protect the physical and emotional integrity of the inhabitants of planet Earth  at least on paper. Thus, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was promulgated over the still-warm corpses of Auschwitz, and the Geneva Conventions concerning the treatment of prisoners of war, the wounded and sick, as well as the civilian population, were significantly expanded. Before the 1950s, International Humanitarian Law had been born, applicable to every corner of the globe; the civilizational promise of not repeating another massacre of such caliber was hoisted aloft  neither against the Jewish people, whose Holocaust blinded Western souls and unleashed the purging of responsibilities in the Nuremberg Trials, nor anyone else.

Shortly afterwards, a good part of the so-called Third World would rise up against the savagery of colonialism. Firstly, in words at the Bandung Conference (1955) and later directly in arms, in favor of a liberation from the yoke of the metropolis that would result, among other processes, in the decolonization of Africa. Inspired by the ideals of human rights, the traditionally subjugated races seemed to cry out that they too were Jews being annihilated. As the 1960s unfolded, all global natives achieved the status of human beings, as the theorist Fredric Jameson explained: minorities, external and internal, women, the marginalized of any stripe, the non-white Other, all mattered; they were attributed a dignity they had lacked for centuries.

This paradigm, which arose from the ashes of the gas chambers, has strengthened in the collective imagination since then. The implementation of policies of historical memory in different countries, the creation of international tribunals and the rejection of totalitarian logics of government have endowed human rights with a legitimacy that is difficult to dispute, even though violations have continued to occur, from Pinochets Chile to Srebrenica. Nevertheless, war has been progressively stripped of its heroic connotations; socially, the victim has been attributed a moral authority unthinkable before fascism; and, generally, it can be said that there are very few who accept the extermination of civilians, regardless of their ethnicity or religious preference. That the streets of many cities around the world have been crowded with demonstrators demanding a ceasefire in Gaza is due to these 75 years of sentimental education of the citizenry in the values exuded by International Humanitarian Law, even without specific legal knowledge: fortunately, its corpus has turned into common sense. Despite this phenomenon, which brings together a series of shared principles, the paradigm of which I speak has been brutally vilified by the United States, and its military  not so much cultural  hegemony prevents a forceful reaction from other governments which, I am sure, viscerally repudiate every bomb that murders or mutilates a Palestinian child.

In this sense, it is worth highlighting the radical break with the current morality that the actions surrounding the so-called War on Terror after the attacks on the Twin Towers in 2001 represented. Prestigious lawyers such as Alka Pradhan, or philosophers such as Judith Butler, have denounced the implementation of another legal framework by the American superpower that gave rise to the well-known military incursions in Iraq or Afghanistan, or to the creation of the detention center, and later torture center, at Guantanamo Bay. Journalist Karen Greenberg  one of the leading experts on the subject  detailed in her book The Least Worst Place the systematic search for what an official in the George W. Bush administration termed the legal equivalent of outer space to avoid any criminal responsibility for the atrocities committed there. What they found, or fabricated, was a prison where the legal guarantees of the U.S. Constitution have no validity since it is on Cuban soil; Cuba has no jurisdiction because the territory was, de facto, taken away from it, and the various United Nations resolutions do not seem to have permeated it either. Once the limbo is served, any connection with those tacit agreements that derived from the Second World War is broken, with radical impunity. Israel  we are told by the media  finds itself sponsored to commit the same strategy: instead of devising a concrete plan whose target is the terrorist group Hamas, it proceeds to the most outlandish butchery, either in the street or inside a hospital.

As in the past, there is no heart that can withstand such demolition of reason, but, unlike in times past, we are now protected by a history of repudiation of barbarity, adoption of legal and ethical codes, of informed sensibility with which to cry out loudly enough. Despite occasional non-compliance we are the heirs to human rights and the Spanish government, which also currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, must stand up to the world to prevent further bloodshed. Our history is at stake, and the memory of the millions of dead on whose bones inalienable guarantees were erected, if we want to continue calling ourselves, despite everything, civilization.
Two women of the Wampanoag Nipmucs look across to the Mayflower replica anchored near Plymouth Rock, on November 26, 1991.

There is a common tale American students hear about the first celebration of Thanksgiving: a group of friendly Indians welcomed the Pilgrims to the continent, teached them how to live, and sat down to dinner with them. David Silverman, expert in Native American history, says that this Thanksgiving story is a myth.

First of all, the tribe involved is almost never identified, and according to the myth, they hand off America to white people so they can create a great nation dedicated to liberty, opportunity and Christianity for the rest of the world to profit. Its about Native people conceding to colonialism, says Silverman. The truth is different.

The Plymouth settlers, or Pilgrims, arrived in a land abandoned by most Patuxet Indians due to a disease outbreak. After a harsh winter that claimed half of the settlers  who couldnt adjust to the land  the last surviving Patuxet, Tisquantum (Squanto), helped the Pilgrims by teaching them to catch eel and grow corn. He served as an interpreter until succumbing to the same disease that wiped out his tribe a year later. The Wampanoag leader, Massasoit, who also lived in the surrounding area, provided food to the colonists during the challenging first winter. The Pilgrims celebrated their first harvest in 1621, likely between Sept. 21 and Nov. 11, with 50 Mayflower passengers and 90 Native Americans. This feast, not initially identified as Thanksgiving, followed the harvest and was prepared by Pilgrim women and servants.

According to some accounts, the harvest was intended for the Pilgrims, but Native Americans joined the celebration after hearing celebratory gunfire, contributing their own foods. Paula Peters, historian for the Mashpee Wampanoag of Cape Cod, contends this: They werent Pilgrims and the Wampanoag werent invited. She points at settler accounts that say that the Pilgrims (also called Separatists) were celebrating their first harvest by blasting muskets, which caused 90 Wampanoag to arrive for war, however, after learning they werent going to face a battle, they stayed for a tense, diplomatic meal that may or may not have included turkey.

However, the relationship between the two societies later deteriorated and culminated in one of the most horrific colonial Indian wars on record, King Philips War, according to Silverman. In the years that followed, the settlers committed massacres against Native tribes like the Pequot, and they also robbed Wampanoag graves and stole food from them to survive during their first years in the continent. This is the reason why Native Americans dont see Thanksgiving as a celebration, but as a day of mourning, to remember what some call the genocide of natives tribes in America.

National Day of Mourning

The National Day of Mourning is an annual demonstration that aims to educate the public about Native Americans in the United States and to dispel myths surrounding the Thanksgiving story in the United States, as well as to raise awareness toward the struggles faced by Native American tribes.

In 1970, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts held a commemorative Thanksgiving celebration on the 350th anniversary of the landing of the Mayflower. The organizers invited Frank Wamsutta James, leader of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head and president of the Federated Eastern Indian League, to speak at the event. However, after reviewing his speech, he was informed that he would not be allowed to give the speech as written, and they provided him with another one written by their public relations team.

James instead delivered his speech on Coles Hill in Plymouth Massachusetts next to a statue of Massasoit Sachem (also known as Ousamequin), who was the leader of the Wampanoag at the time of the Pilgrims arrival and who formed an alliance with the colonists at Plymouth Colony. There, he described Native American perspective on the Thanksgiving celebrations. The speech included the following statement:

We forfeited our country. Our lands have fallen into the hands of the aggressor. We have allowed the white man to keep us on our knees. What has happened cannot be changed, but today we must work towards a more humane America, a more Indian America, where men and nature once again are important; where the Indian values of honor, truth, and brotherhood prevail (...) Now, 350 years later it is a beginning of a new determination for the original American: the American Indian.

Hundreds gathered in front of Plymouth Rock to observe National Day of Mourning, last year on November 24. Erin Clark (Getty Images)

After the event, a plaque was put on Coles Hill in Plymouth with the following message:

Since 1970, Native Americans have gathered at noon on Coles Hill in Plymouth to commemorate a National Day of Mourning on the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday. Many Native Americans do not celebrate the arrival of the Pilgrims and other European settlers. To them, Thanksgiving Day is a reminder of the genocide of millions of their people, the theft of their lands, and the relentless assault on their culture. Participants in National Day of Mourning honor Native ancestors and the struggles of Native peoples to survive today. It is a day of remembrance and spiritual connection as well as protest of the racism and oppression which Native Americans continue to experience.

The annual event is organized by the United American Indians of New England.

Unthanksgiving day

The Indigenous Peoples Sunrise Ceremony, also known as Unthanksgiving day, is an event held on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay. It is commemorated the same day as Thanksgiving and the National Day of Mourning since 1975 to remember a protest event held in 1969, where the Alcatraz-Red Power Movement, a social movement led by Native American youth, occupied the island.

People gather at Alcatraz Island for the Indigenous People's Sunrise Ceremony (or Un-Thanksgiving Day) on November 28, 2019. Liu Guanguan (Getty Images)

In 1969, Native American members of the Alcatraz-Red Power Movement, part of the Indians of All Tribes (IAT) group, occupied Alcatraz Island based on the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie, which allocated surplus government land to Native Americans. The occupation lasted for 19 months, from November 20, 1969, to June 11, 1971, when it was forcibly ended by the U.S. Government. This inspired protests by the American Indian Movement (AIM). AIM members who painted Plymouth Rock red during a Thanksgiving protest in 1970, leading to the establishment of the National Day of Mourning.

The event is organized by the International Indian Treaty Council and American Indian Contemporary Arts.

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KYODO NEWS - Nov 23, 2023 - 11:46 | All, Japan

Japan's telecom giant Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. will launch a business-use generative artificial intelligence platform in March, in an effort to catch up with foreign rivals in the fast-expanding market.

The AI platform has higher Japanese language processing capabilities than ChatGPT, a widely used AI chatbot developed by U.S.-based OpenAI, NTT said earlier in the month.

The new AI model called tsuzumi, named after a Japanese hand drum used in traditional events, can read documents containing charts and diagrams.

NTT said it aims for annual sales of over 100 billion yen ($670 million) in this AI platform business by 2027.

"The market size will grow bigger and bigger as many companies compete with each other," NTT President Akira Shimada told a press conference in early November.

Among Japanese tech companies, NEC Corp. rolled out a generative AI platform for corporate customers in July, while Hitachi Ltd. started a new service in June to help companies introduce generative AI.

SoftBank Corp. set up in March a subsidiary to develop Japanese language generative AI platforms.

NTT's AI model has shown solid performance in trial demonstrations, such as unifying data in electronic health records and summarizing the content of conversations at call centers, the company said.

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KYODO NEWS - Nov 23, 2023 - 19:01 | All, World

North Korea said Thursday it will "restore all military measures" near the Military Demarcation Line between the two Koreas in response to Seoul's resumption of reconnaissance and surveillance activities following a spy satellite launch by Pyongyang.

The South Korean military said the same day that North Korea had fired a ballistic missile toward the Sea of Japan late Wednesday but the launch appeared to have failed.

The North Korean Defense Ministry said in a statement the country "will immediately restore all military measures" that had been halted following a 2108 agreement with South Korea, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.

A day after South Korea partially suspended the accord, signed to ease bilateral tensions, the ministry said the country's army "will never be bound" by it.

The latest ballistic missile was fired from the Sunan area of Pyongyang around 11:05 p.m. Wednesday, according to the South Korean military. Further details, such as the distance the projectile flew, remain unknown.

North Korea said it successfully placed a Malligyong-1 reconnaissance satellite into orbit late Tuesday on a Chollima-1 rocket, and that it will officially begin operating the satellite on Dec. 1.

The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven major economies criticized North Korea, saying even if it was characterized as that of a satellite, any launch by Pyongyang using ballistic missile technology violates U.N. Security Council resolutions.

In the statement carried by KCNA, the North said, "We will withdraw the military steps, taken to prevent military tension and conflict in all spheres including ground, sea and air, and deploy more powerful armed forces and new-type military hardware in the region along the Military Demarcation Line."

Pyongyang accused Seoul of making a "serious mistake," saying the situation in the area along the demarcation line has become "irreversibly uncontrollable."

Related coverage:

North Korea says satellite to start reconnaissance mission from Dec.

South Korea to partially suspend inter-Korean military pact with North

North Korea claims it successfully put satellite into orbit
Press Release

November 23, 2023 APPF 31 goal: Sharing common concerns for common solutions Shared solutions to shared concerns. This, according to Senate President Juan Miguel "Migz" F. Zubiri, is the goal of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF 31) which is held at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City from November 23 to 25, 2023. During a press briefing Thursday, November 23, 2023, Zubiri said 275 delegates from 19 countries, including the Philippines submitted resolutions on political, economic and trade, regional cooperation, among others. "We will be discussing (the resolutions) heavily in plenary and working groups over the next days. These cover everything from climate action to transnational crime, universal health care to critical infrastructure," Zubiri said. He said delegates from Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Mexico, Federal States of Micronesia, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Russian Federation, Vietnam, Thailand and Philippines submitted a total of 37 draft resolutions to working groups. "In a nutshell, 10 resolutions were referred under strengthening the capacity of parliaments to promote peace and stability, five under combatting transnational crimes, three under critical infrastructure, four under regional cooperation through education and culture, two under universal health care, four under gender and sustainable development goals and five under women's participation and leadership," Zubiri told reporters. He said the working groups and the drafting committees would consolidate similar resolutions into a single resolution with parliamentarians working together to come up with a language and courses of action that are agreeable to all parties. On the last day of the forum, Zubiri said participants would produce a joint communique that would reflect the discussions and developments of the APPF 31. He said the resolution would be signed by all heads of delegations and would serve as a guiding document for multi-lateral cooperation and partnerships. "We see our hosting of the APPF as a coming-out party for the Philippines - a signal of our active presence as a partner in pursuing peace, prosperity and progress in the Asia Pacific region," Zubiri said. "This is our way of showing the rest of the Asia Pacific that we are here, and we are ready to form strong partnerships toward the collective growth of our nations," he added.
KYODO NEWS - Nov 23, 2023 - 21:44 | World, All, Japan

A South Korean appeals court on Thursday ruled in favor of a group of former "comfort women" seeking compensation from Japan's government over their treatment in Japanese military brothels during World War II, in a development that could put a damper on improving bilateral relations.

The Seoul High Court overturned a 2021 lower court ruling that dismissed the case on the grounds that South Korea has no jurisdiction over the case due to "sovereign immunity" -- a concept under international law that a state is immune from the jurisdiction of a court in another country.

The high court rejected the application of the concept, saying acts by the Japanese military, such as abducting and forcing women to have sexual intercourse with its personnel, violated international treaties to which Japan was a party at the time, as well as Japan's criminal law.

It also pointed out that customary international law, or general practice accepted as law, does not recognize the sovereign immunity of the perpetrator country when it comes to illegal acts suffered by a citizen within their own country.

The court ordered the Japanese government to pay 200 million won ($154,000) in compensation to each of the former comfort women involved in the suit brought by a group of 16 plaintiffs, most of whom are bereaved family members.

Thursday's ruling came as South Korea-Japan relations have been improving after Seoul pledged to resolve a dispute over alleged forced labor at Japanese firms during Japan's colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.

"I think Japan must pay sincere apologies to the plaintiffs and compensate according to the ruling," Lee Yong Soo, 94, the only surviving former comfort woman among the plaintiffs, told reporters.

Japan lodged a strong protest to South Korea over the ruling.

Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa said in a statement that the judgment is "extremely regrettable and absolutely unacceptable," urging South Korea to "immediately take appropriate measures to remedy the status of its breaches of international law on its own responsibility as a country."

Masataka Okano, the Foreign Ministry's top bureaucrat, summoned South Korean Ambassador Yun Duk Min to protest, the ministry said.

The Japanese government declined to be involved in the case and similar lawsuits filed by other groups of South Korean women who claimed to have been forced to work in the military brothels.

Japan has said all issues stemming from its 1910-1945 colonization of the Korean Peninsula were settled "completely and finally" under a 1965 bilateral agreement and that an accord reached by the two countries in 2015 "finally and irreversibly" resolved the comfort women issue.

Japan's argument "could be a point of contention," the high court said Thursday, but added that it was not taken into consideration because the Japanese government did not present its plea.

In April 2021, the Seoul Central District Court dismissed the plaintiffs' case, prompting them to appeal the ruling to the high court.

The lower ruling was contrary to a decision made three months earlier by the same court, but under a different panel of judges, that ordered the Japanese government to pay damages to a group of former comfort women and their bereaved families.

The January 2021 ruling went on to be finalized without Japan appealing it.

Related coverage:

Japan, S. Korea agree to revive currency swap pact amid warming ties

South Korea announces solution to wartime labor row with Japan
KYODO NEWS - Nov 23, 2023 - 08:55 | World, All

Russian President Vladimir Putin said he has never rejected peace talks with Ukraine, during an online gathering of the Group of 20 major economies held Wednesday amid his country's ongoing invasion of its neighbor.

The virtual meeting came after the G20 in September issued a leaders' declaration that avoided condemning Russia's aggression, during an in-person gathering in New Delhi, reflecting the divisions over the Ukraine crisis that began in February 2022.

Putin said Wednesday that Russia will consider how to end the "tragedy" of the conflict in Ukraine, although Moscow has shown little sign of refraining from attacking it.

It is rare for a chair of the G20 to call a second summit during its stint in the rotating presidency. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had indicated he would host a virtual meeting by the end of his nation's tenure later this year.

As India has emphasized boosting relations with emerging and developing economies in the "Global South," the G20 leaders approved the inclusion of the African Union as a permanent member of the grouping at the New Delhi summit.

India is a key member of the Global South, a term that collectively refers to countries in areas including Asia, Africa and Latin America, many of which have refrained from taking a stance on Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Some such countries are highly dependent on Russia for military and energy supplies. While the Group of Seven nations have bolstered economic sanctions against Moscow in tandem with other democracies, India has chosen not to follow suit.

Putin skipped the face-to-face gathering in India in September, sending Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on his behalf.

From Japan, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attended the online summit.

Along with the G7 -- Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States plus the European Union -- the G20 groups Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea and Turkey, as well as African Union.

Related coverage:

G20 notes uncertain global economic outlook, airs concern over wars
The remains of 25 Chinese soldiers killed in the 1950-53 Korean War were casketed in South Korea on Wednesday to be sent back to their homeland.

The ceremony to lay the 25 remains in coffins was held in Incheon, west of the capital Seoul.

The Chinese delegation led by Vice Minister of Veterans Affairs Chang Zhengguo, officials with the Chinese Embassy in South Korea, representatives of Chinese students and Chinese companies in South Korea as well as officials with the South Korean Defense Ministry and personnel responsible for the excavation and identification of the remains attended the ceremony.

A flower basket was laid at a temporary settlement for the remains of the Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs.

All members of the Chinese delegation bowed three times to the CPV martyrs and presented flowers. The South Korean side placed the remains in coffins after the memorial service of the Chinese side.

Since 2014, China and South Korea have successfully handed over the remains of 913 CPV martyrs in South Korea for nine consecutive years, following humanitarian principles and conducting friendly and practical cooperation.

This year's repatriation ceremony, the tenth of its kind, is scheduled to be held at the Incheon International Airport on Thursday.





Produced by Xinhua Global Service
BEIJING, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- The latest round of the Chinese government's centralized drug procurement program, which has just concluded its public bidding session in Shanghai, has preliminarily selected 41 medicines, with an average price cut of 58 percent.

Among them are medications for common and chronic diseases such as infections, tumors and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, as well as those for emergency use.

As China continues its drive to reform the medical and healthcare systems for its population of over 1.4 billion, one of the major tasks is to make medical services at public hospitals, the cornerstone of the country's healthcare system, more affordable and accessible.

LOWER HEALTHCARE EXPENSES

At the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, doctor Zeng Zhiming was prescribing Lenvatinib, an anti-cancer medication, to a patient.

"This is a first-line targeted therapy for the treatment of advanced-stage liver cancer. When it was launched in the domestic market after approval in 2018, the price per packet was approximately 16,800 yuan (about 2,359 U.S. dollars)," Zeng said, adding that one regular patient usually needs to take three packets a month.

Thanks to the centralized bulk-buying scheme, the price of Lenvatinib has been slashed to 789 yuan per packet. That means more patients would be able to afford it, Zeng said.

So far, China's National Healthcare Security Administration (NHSA) has organized nine rounds of drug bulk buying, more than halving the prices of 374 medicines of various types on average.

Through centralized procurement, the average price reduction for eight high-value medical consumables, such as coronary stents and artificial joints, has exceeded 80 percent.

According to an official work plan on deepening the reform of medical and healthcare systems for the second half of 2023, the country has vowed to make the centralized procurement of medicines and medical consumables a regular, institutional practice. The number of medicines included in national and provincial-level bulk procurement will reach 450 by the end of the year.

"To address the unreasonably high prices of drugs and high-value medical consumables, it is necessary to continue improving the management of centralized procurement to make sure that patients can truly benefit from the price reduction," said Wang Guodong, an official from the NHSA.

In the meantime, more policies have been introduced by the authorities to address issues such as over-treatment and excessive fees, which have added to the financial burden for patients.

Mechanisms for dynamic adjustments to medical service prices have been established in all provincial-level regions across the country, and medical service pricing has been put under government supervision and management.

QUALITY SERVICES AT DOORSTEPS

A 71-year-old woman surnamed Xu, from the city of Bijie in Guizhou Province in southwest China, grappled with persistent lumbar intervertebral disc issues. Little did she know that she could receive advanced medical treatment for her condition right at home, courtesy of experienced doctors from Zhejiang Province, situated 1,800 kilometers away.

Following a successful minimally invasive surgery, she walked out of the hospital on her own two feet within five days.

This achievement is primarily attributed to the country's efforts in establishing national regional medical centers, aimed at addressing the uneven and insufficient distribution of high-quality medical resources.

As part of China's regional medical center initiative, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital has collaborated with a local hospital in Bijie to establish a medical facility since 2022. A total of 20 medical experts from Zhejiang have been sent to Bijie to assist in the development of three medical centers and five clinical disciplines for the co-built hospital.

China has approved 125 regional medical centers, extending their coverage to all provincial-level regions grappling with insufficient medical resources, according to the National Health Commission.

Since the initiation of the program, over 1,400 diagnostic and treatment technologies have been introduced into the underdeveloped areas. Consequently, these regions have witnessed a significant reduction in the number of residents traveling to other provinces for medical care.

However, healthcare reform experts cautioned against overly depending on medical professionals from developed regions, emphasizing that the key to establishing national regional medical centers lies in cultivating local talent with the support of external experts.

Apart from leveraging regional medical centers to expand the accessibility of high-quality medical resources, China has committed to bolstering community-level medical services by attracting more skilled professionals.

At the end of 2022, China had about 980,000 community-level medical institutions staffed by over 4.55 million people. An official survey showed that 90 percent of Chinese households can take themselves to the nearest healthcare facility within a mere 15 minutes. 
The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (CMS) is leaving for China next week for a six-city, over-two-week tour, adding further momentum to growing people-to-people exchanges between China and the United States.
This photo taken on Nov. 23, 2023 shows the booth of China COSCO Shipping Corporation Limited at the Integrated Show Pavilion during the second Global Digital Trade Expo in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province. The second Global Digital Trade Expo kicked off in Hangzhou on Thursday morning, with an eye on global digital trade cooperation. The expo, themed "Digital Trade, Global Access," has attracted 68 international organizations and business associations, as well as over 800 enterprises. (Xinhua/Xu Yu)

HANGZHOU, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- The second Global Digital Trade Expo kicked off in Hangzhou, the capital of east China's Zhejiang Province, Thursday morning, with an eye on global digital trade cooperation.

The expo, themed "Digital Trade, Global Access," has attracted 68 international organizations and business associations, as well as over 800 enterprises. Finland and South Africa have been invited as guest countries of honor.

With an exhibition area of 100,000 square meters, the second expo has set up a comprehensive pavilion, two special pavilions and four digital industry pavilions. Over 15,000 professional purchasers are expected to attend the event.

The expo focuses on the rules, regulations, management, and standards of digital trade, and plans to hold forums, industry matchmaking meetings and specialized seminars.

Hot topics such as cross-border data flow, digital finance and digital security governance will be discussed during the five-day event. More than a hundred activities are expected to take place at the expo, as well as the debuts of over 100 cutting-edge products and services in digital trade.

In recent years, digital trade has flourished into an important pillar in China's construction of a trade powerhouse. In 2022, the scale of China's digital service trade reached a record high of 372.7 billion U.S. dollars, said Guo Tingting, deputy minister of commerce, during the opening ceremony.

The event is co-hosted by the government of Zhejiang Province and China's Ministry of Commerce. 

This photo taken on Nov. 23, 2023 shows an aircraft and driverless car exhibited at the Integrated Show Pavilion during the second Global Digital Trade Expo in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province. The second Global Digital Trade Expo kicked off in Hangzhou on Thursday morning, with an eye on global digital trade cooperation. The expo, themed "Digital Trade, Global Access," has attracted 68 international organizations and business associations, as well as over 800 enterprises. (Xinhua/Xu Yu)

This photo taken on Nov. 23, 2023 shows the Future Development Pavilion at the second Global Digital Trade Expo in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province. The second Global Digital Trade Expo kicked off in Hangzhou on Thursday morning, with an eye on global digital trade cooperation. The expo, themed "Digital Trade, Global Access," has attracted 68 international organizations and business associations, as well as over 800 enterprises. (Xinhua/Xu Yu)

This photo taken on Nov. 23, 2023 shows the "E-commerce" Pavilion at the second Global Digital Trade Expo in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province. The second Global Digital Trade Expo kicked off in Hangzhou on Thursday morning, with an eye on global digital trade cooperation. The expo, themed "Digital Trade, Global Access," has attracted 68 international organizations and business associations, as well as over 800 enterprises. (Xinhua/Xu Yu)

Cross-border e-commerce merchants promote products via livestreaming at the "E-commerce" Pavilion during the second Global Digital Trade Expo in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, Nov. 23, 2023. The second Global Digital Trade Expo kicked off in Hangzhou on Thursday morning, with an eye on global digital trade cooperation. The expo, themed "Digital Trade, Global Access," has attracted 68 international organizations and business associations, as well as over 800 enterprises. (Xinhua/Xu Yu)

Visitors are seen at the Future Development Pavilion during the second Global Digital Trade Expo in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, Nov. 23, 2023. The second Global Digital Trade Expo kicked off in Hangzhou on Thursday morning, with an eye on global digital trade cooperation. The expo, themed "Digital Trade, Global Access," has attracted 68 international organizations and business associations, as well as over 800 enterprises. (Xinhua/Liu Lingyi)

A woman promotes products via livestreaming at the "E-commerce" Pavilion during the second Global Digital Trade Expo in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, Nov. 23, 2023. The second Global Digital Trade Expo kicked off in Hangzhou on Thursday morning, with an eye on global digital trade cooperation. The expo, themed "Digital Trade, Global Access," has attracted 68 international organizations and business associations, as well as over 800 enterprises. (Xinhua/Liu Lingyi)

This photo taken on Nov. 23, 2023 shows the China Pavilion at the second Global Digital Trade Expo in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province. The second Global Digital Trade Expo kicked off in Hangzhou on Thursday morning, with an eye on global digital trade cooperation. The expo, themed "Digital Trade, Global Access," has attracted 68 international organizations and business associations, as well as over 800 enterprises. (Xinhua/Liu Lingyi)

A visitor is pictured at the second Global Digital Trade Expo in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, Nov. 23, 2023. The second Global Digital Trade Expo kicked off in Hangzhou on Thursday morning, with an eye on global digital trade cooperation. The expo, themed "Digital Trade, Global Access," has attracted 68 international organizations and business associations, as well as over 800 enterprises. (Xinhua/Liu Lingyi)

Visitors experience VR games at the Digital Contents Pavilion during the second Global Digital Trade Expo in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, Nov. 23, 2023. The second Global Digital Trade Expo kicked off in Hangzhou on Thursday morning, with an eye on global digital trade cooperation. The expo, themed "Digital Trade, Global Access," has attracted 68 international organizations and business associations, as well as over 800 enterprises. (Xinhua/Xu Yu)

This photo taken on Nov. 23, 2023 shows the "E-commerce" Pavilion at the second Global Digital Trade Expo in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province. The second Global Digital Trade Expo kicked off in Hangzhou on Thursday morning, with an eye on global digital trade cooperation. The expo, themed "Digital Trade, Global Access," has attracted 68 international organizations and business associations, as well as over 800 enterprises. (Xinhua/Xu Yu)

This photo taken on Nov. 23, 2023 shows the opening ceremony of the second Global Digital Trade Expo in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province. The second Global Digital Trade Expo kicked off in Hangzhou on Thursday morning, with an eye on global digital trade cooperation. The expo, themed "Digital Trade, Global Access," has attracted 68 international organizations and business associations, as well as over 800 enterprises. (Xinhua/Liu Lingyi)

This photo taken on Nov. 23, 2023 shows the Integrated Show Pavilion at the second Global Digital Trade Expo in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province. The second Global Digital Trade Expo kicked off in Hangzhou on Thursday morning, with an eye on global digital trade cooperation. The expo, themed "Digital Trade, Global Access," has attracted 68 international organizations and business associations, as well as over 800 enterprises. (Xinhua/Liu Lingyi)
SHENYANG, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- The remains of 25 Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) soldiers killed in the 1950-1953 Korean War were returned to China on Thursday from the Republic of Korea (ROK).

Between 2014 and 2022, the remains of 913 CPV martyrs were returned to China from the ROK. 
BEIJING, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged on Tuesday to work with Javier Milei, Argentina's president-elect, to carry forward the friendship of the two countries, and promote a sound and steady growth of China-Argentina relations so as to better benefit the two peoples.

In his congratulatory message to Milei on his election as president of Argentina, Xi also called on the two sides to boost development and rejuvenation in both countries via win-win cooperation. 
* Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that the war will immediately resume once the truce expires.

* Under the deal, Hamas will release at least 50 Israeli hostages, mainly children and women in exchange for 150 female and teen Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons.

* The four-day ceasefire is the first pause in the deadly fighting, which has killed over 14,000 Palestinians in Gaza and displaced more than one million.

* During the pause in fighting, an increased amount of humanitarian aid will enter Gaza. "It will not address all the needs of the population there but will bring some improvement," said Ahmed Rafiq Awad, a Ramallah-based political analyst.

People conduct rescue work among the rubble of buildings destroyed in Israeli airstrikes in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, on Nov. 22, 2023. (Photo by Khaled Omar/Xinhua)

by Xinhua writer Shuai Anning

JERUSALEM/GAZA, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- Six weeks into the deadly fighting, Hamas and Israel on Wednesday agreed on a temporary halt in hostilities in exchange for a hostage swap.

The four-day ceasefire, as agreed after weeks of efforts led by Qatar, would provide a brief relief to the people in Gaza and may lead to additional hostage releases, but a definite end to hostilities is tragically nowhere on the horizon.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that the war will immediately resume once the truce expires. Israel's goals are to destroy Hamas' military capabilities and get back all 240 hostages held captive in Gaza, he told a nationally televised press conference. In a statement Wednesday Hamas also vowed to stand ready for war.

Meanwhile, the deal would not, as expected, come into effect on Thursday, but until Friday at the earliest, Israel's national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said in a late-night announcement, without giving reason for the delay.





Palestinian people are seen on their way from Gaza City toward south, in central Gaza Strip, on Nov. 10, 2023. (Photo by Yasser Qudih/Xinhua)

WIDELY EXPECTED DEAL

Under the deal, Hamas will release at least 50 Israeli hostages, mainly children and women in exchange for 150 female and teen Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons. Meanwhile, hundreds of trucks loaded with humanitarian aid, medicine, and fuel will be allowed to enter Gaza.

The hostages will be released in smaller groups over a span of four days, during which "a pause in the fighting" would take place, said the statement from Netanyahu's office, adding that the release of every additional ten hostages will result in one additional day in the pause.

Hamas is believed to be holding more than 200 hostages, whom the group took when its fighters sallied out into Israel on Oct. 7 and killed about 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies.

The hostage deal, which had been discussed for weeks, was finally accepted as Netanyahu was under growing public pressure to bring the captives home. Families of the abducted have in recent weeks staged large-scale marches in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, demanding the safe return of the kidnapped. Pictures of the hostages were seen everywhere in the country, with the tagline: "Bring Them Home Now."

On the Palestinian side, Hamas hopes to get some days of pause in the fighting to prepare for the next phases, said Nimrod Goren, president of the Israeli Institute for Regional Foreign Policies.

Yaakov Amidror, a senior fellow at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security agreed that the ceasefire gives Hamas more time to be "better prepared for the next stage of the war," yet he said he did not see big losses for Israel as that does not change "the balance of power."

Ahmed Rafiq Awad, a Ramallah-based political analyst said there is an urgent need on the Palestinian side for a ceasefire to provide relief and aid to its citizens and to be able to bury the bodies.





People wait for food relief in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, Nov. 19, 2023. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)

BROADER PEACE INVISIBLE

The four-day ceasefire is the first pause in the deadly fighting, which has killed over 14,000 Palestinians in Gaza and displaced more than one million. Yet both sides have voiced their readiness to resume hostilities once the pause is over and a broader peace is not on the table.

"I want to be clear. The war is continuing. The war is continuing. We will continue it until we achieve all our goals," Netanyahu said in the televised press conference, adding he had delivered the same message in a phone call to U.S. President Joe Biden.

He said he had instructed the Mossad spy agency to hunt down Hamas' exiled leadership "wherever they are."

Israeli's plan is "to destroy Hamas, return all our hostages and ensure that no entity in Gaza can threaten Israel," he said earlier on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Amidror said if Israel stops the war after the ceasefire, that will be the end of the government. "The sentiment within the military forces and the Israeli public is so strong to destroy Hamas that the war cannot be stopped," he said.

Meanwhile, Hamas also said in its statement on Wednesday that their hands will "remain on the trigger," and their brigades remain "on the lookout to defend our people and to defeat the occupation and aggression."





Posts of Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip are pictured at the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem on Nov. 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Chen Junqing)

BRIEF RESPITE

A pause in the fighting, however brief, could offer some respite to the people in Gaza and may pave the way for additional hostage releases, said analysts.

Awad said that the truce could lead to the release of more prisoners if the current deal works well, and that the temporary pause might serve as a key to a permanent ceasefire if it is supported or encouraged by different parties.

During the pause in fighting, an increased amount of humanitarian aid will enter Gaza. "It will not address all the needs of the population there but will bring some improvement," he said.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres applauded the deal in a statement, saying it was "an important step in the right direction, but much more needs to be done to end the suffering."

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit welcomed on Wednesday the humanitarian truce, voicing hope that it would lead to "a comprehensive cease-fire" in the besieged enclave. (Video reporters: Shuai Anning, Wang Zhuolun, Liu Weijian, Tian Ye, Yang Yiran, Yu Fuqing, Li Jiayin, Zhao Manjun; video editors: Yu Jiaming, Wei Yin, Yin Yue)
SHENYANG, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- The remains of 25 Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) soldiers killed in the 1950-1953 Korean War were returned to China on Thursday from the Republic of Korea (ROK).

Since 2014, China and the ROK have completed 10 such repatriations in a row, thanks to a handover agreement signed between the two countries.

At around 11:30 a.m., a Y-20 military transport aircraft carrying the remains and belongings of the fallen soldiers landed at the Taoxian International Airport in Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province.

Shortly after the plane was welcomed with a water cannon salute, soldiers carrying the caskets of the fallen heroes slowly walked off the plane and a reception ceremony was held at the airport.

Following the placement of the caskets, which were covered by five-star red flags, representatives at the ceremony stood in solemn silence and bowed three times to the soldiers' remains.

The remains of 913 CPV martyrs were returned to China from the ROK between 2014 and 2022.

"It is due to their selfless dedication, fearlessness and sacrifice that we now have the peaceful and stable life we enjoy. It makes me understand even more the value of peace," said Qiu Yutong, a middle school student from Shenyang.

The Korean War broke out in June 1950, eight months after the People's Republic of China was founded. The flames of war soon reached the border river of Yalu and wreaked havoc in Dandong, then known as Andong, with buildings bombed and civilians killed.

At the request of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Chinese ground forces under the CPV entered the Korean Peninsula on Oct. 19, 1950, and fought the first battle on Oct. 25.

A total of 2.9 million CPV soldiers from across the country joined the war that lasted almost three years, with more than 360,000 soldiers killed or injured.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of China's victory in the war.

On the way to the cemetery, the motorcade carrying the remains of the CPV martyrs drove past many residents who packed the street to take part in the solemn procession.

The CPV martyrs' remains will be buried at a cemetery in Shenyang, where a burial ceremony will be held on Friday.

"The martyrs dedicated everything to the motherland and the people. They deserve to be remembered," said Li Qingze, an interpreter who works at the cemetery. 
Press Release

November 23, 2023 APPF Press Conference Day 1: Opening Statement of Senate President Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri We in the Senate and the House of Representatives are proud to host this year's Annual Meeting of the Asia Pacific Parliamentary Forum, where we are welcoming 275 foreign delegates, including the Senate Presidents of the Senates of Thailand and Malaysia. This year, we have 19 member-countries participating in the Annual Meeting, from Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Mexico, the Federal States of Micronesia, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Russian Federation, Thailand, Viet Nam, and of course, the Philippines. All of our participating parliaments have submitted resolutions on Political and Security Matters, Economic and Trade Matters, and Regional Cooperation, that we will be discussing in plenary and in working groups over the next three days. These cover everything from climate action to transnational crimes, from universal health care to critical infrastructure. Shared solutions to shared concerns. This is our goal. Earlier today, we already had our Executive Committee where we referred 37 draft resolutions to their working groups: 10 under Strengthening the Capacity of Parliaments to Promote Peace and Stability

5 under Combatting Transnational Crimes

3 under Critical Infrastructure

4 under Human Development and Inclusive Growth

4 under Regional Cooperation through Education and Culture

2 under Universal Health Care

4 under Gender and Sustainable Development Goals

and 5 under Women's Participation and Leadership In the working groups and the drafting committee, we will be consolidating similar resolutions into single resolutions, and all our parliamentarians will be working together to come up with language and calls to action that are agreeable to all parties. In the Execom, we also approved the agenda for the APPF Annual Meeting, and our country proposed an amendment to the rules, to include the meeting of Young Parliamentarians as a Regular Meeting for every year. On the last day of our Annual Meeting, we will be producing a joint communique that will reflect the discussions and developments of the APPF 31. It will be signed by all heads of delegations, and will then serve as a guiding document for our multilateral cooperation and partnerships as we go forward. In a sense, we see our hosting of the APPF as a coming-out party for the Philippines--a signal of our active presence as a partner in pursuing peace, prosperity, and progress in the Asia Pacific region. This is our way of showing the rest of the Asia Pacific that we are here, and we are ready to form strong partnerships toward the collective growth of our nations.
VIENNA, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Wednesday called for more efforts to support the establishment of a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction (WMDs).

"The Middle East should not be threatened by nuclear weapons. This is the common call from countries in the region," Li Song, China's permanent representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), told a meeting of the agency's board of governors on Wednesday.

Li said China has been actively supporting the region's efforts to establish a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and other WMDs.

Li urged Israel to accede to the treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons (NPT) as a non-nuclear weapon state "as soon as possible" and to place all its nuclear facilities under the comprehensive safeguards of the IAEA.

He called on relevant countries in the region and nuclear-weapon states to shoulder their responsibilities and participate in the process of establishing a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and other WMDs within the framework of the United Nations.

The Chinese envoy also urged all parties to step up diplomatic efforts and find solutions through dialogue and consultation so as to help uphold the authority and efficacy of the international non-proliferation regime and safeguard the peace, security and stability in the Middle East region.

At Wednesday's meeting, Li also pointed out that as the latest round of Hamas-Israel conflict has dragged on for over a month, China has been actively promoting peace talks, providing humanitarian assistance and pushing for a ceasefire.

The IAEA board meeting opened on Wednesday and will last till Friday. 
Chinese Vice President Han Zheng addresses the opening ceremony of the second Global Digital Trade Expo and reads out a congratulatory letter from Chinese President Xi Jinping at the ceremony in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, Nov. 23, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling)

HANGZHOU, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice President Han Zheng on Thursday said China is willing to work with other countries to jointly promote the high-quality and sustainable development of global digital trade.

Han made the remarks while addressing the opening ceremony of the second Global Digital Trade Expo in Hangzhou in east China. He also read out a congratulatory letter from Chinese President Xi Jinping at the ceremony.

Noting that digital trade is becoming a new trend of global trade development and a new growth point for the future, Han said China is ready to work with all other countries to jointly create an open, inclusive, fair, just and non-discriminatory environment for the development of the digital economy.

Han highlighted unique advantages of China's digital trade development, such as massive data resources and rich application scenarios for trade digitalization.

China has taken digital trade as one of the three pillars to develop its trade sector, along with trade in goods and services, he said.

China will actively participate in the formulation of international rules and standards in the digital field and promote higher-level opening up in the field. It will continue to accelerate digital transformation and the development of cross-border e-commerce, improve digital infrastructure, establish pilot zones for Silk Road e-commerce cooperation and set up Belt and Road e-commerce market with partners, Han said, adding that these efforts will help safeguard the security and stability of global digital industrial and supply chains.

China is also willing to strengthen communications with all parties and make good use of the expo to achieve more pragmatic cooperation results, he said.

The expo is themed "Digital Trade, Global Access." About 1,000 representatives from 63 countries and regions and 68 international organizations and business associations attended the opening ceremony. 

Chinese Vice President Han Zheng visits an exhibition hall of the second Global Digital Trade Expo prior to the opening ceremony of the event in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, Nov. 23, 2023. Han read out a congratulatory letter from Chinese President Xi Jinping at the opening ceremony of the expo and addressed the ceremony on Thursday. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling)
CANBERRA, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- Over 2,000 Palestinians and Israelis have been granted temporary Australian visas since the conflict between Israel and Hamas escalated in October, the government has revealed.

According to data released by the Department of Home Affairs on Wednesday night, more than 2,500 visas were granted to Palestinians and Israelis with connections to Australia between Oct. 7 and Nov. 20.

Of those, 860 were for Palestinians and 1,793 for Israelis, Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said at a press conference.

"Obviously there is a lot of demand from those in the region for Australian visas for people who are eligible," she said.

"These people have been subjected to the same security checks by Australian Border Force and authorities as you would expect any visa applicant would be required."

According to state media the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), the group have been issued with subclass 600 visitors visas that allow them to stay in Australia for between three and 12 months.

Wong described news of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas as an "important and necessary" step but said the ultimate goal remained long-term peace in the region.

She also on Wednesday confirmed that another 67 Australian citizens, permanent residents and their family members on Tuesday night left Gaza and entered Egypt via the Rafah border crossing.

It takes to 127 the total number of Australian citizens, permanent residents and family members who the government has helped leave Gaza since Oct. 7.

The group was met by Australian consular staff in Cairo who will organize their repatriation to Australia. 
BEIJING, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- China's position against Japan's discharge of Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean is clear and unchanged, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Thursday.

Spokesperson Mao Ning made the remarks at a press briefing when responding to a relevant question.

Mao said that China is opposed to Japan's discharge of Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean.

"This is our clear position and has not changed," Mao said, pointing out that the ocean discharge bears on the health of all humanity, the global marine environment and the international public interest.

"Japan needs to take seriously the legitimate concerns both from home and abroad and properly handle this in a responsible and constructive manner," said Mao. 
SHENYANG, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- The remains of 25 Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) soldiers killed in the 1950-1953 Korean War were returned to China on Thursday from the Republic of Korea (ROK).

At around 11:30 a.m., a Y-20 military transport aircraft carrying the remains and belongings of the fallen soldiers landed at the Taoxian International Airport in Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province.

The remains will be buried in a martyrs' cemetery in Shenyang, with a burial ceremony due to be held Friday.

China and the ROK have completed 10 instances of such repatriation since 2014, following a handover agreement signed between the countries. Between 2014 and 2022, the remains of 913 CPV martyrs were returned to China from the ROK. 
BEIJING, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- China's State Council has approved a work plan to support Beijing in deepening the construction of the Integrated National Demonstration Zone for Opening up the Services Sector, according to the Ministry of Commerce on Thursday.

The work plan proposes over 170 pilot tasks in areas such as deepening reform and opening-up in key sectors of the services industry, exploring rules and regulations for emerging business forms, and optimizing institutional trade and investment arrangements.

The ministry will work with relevant government departments to strengthen guidance and coordination, carry out supervision and evaluation work, and ensure that the work plan's reform and opening-up measures are implemented. 
CAIRO, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Egypt-China Friendship Association celebrated here on Wednesday the 65th anniversary of its establishment with a gathering of Egyptian and Chinese officials, diplomats, experts, businessmen, and other guests.

Held in the Abdeen Palace in the Egyptian capital Cairo, the celebration highlighted the distinguished ties between Egypt and China throughout history and in recent years.

Yang Wanming, head of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), said his association would focus on promoting cultural exchange and mutual learning between the Chinese and the Egyptian peoples in the coming years.

"CPAFFC is willing to cooperate with the Egyptian side in the Egypt-China Friendship Association to implement the youth exchange program within the framework of the BRICS mechanism, so that young people would contribute to the common development of China and Egypt," he said.

Chinese Ambassador to Egypt Liao Liqiang hailed the role played by the Egypt-China Friendship Association in promoting friendship between the two countries.

Egypt's Minister of Civil Aviation Mohamed Abbas Helmy said the ancient civilizations of Egypt and China served as "a solid foundation" for the development of their bilateral relations and the expansion of their cooperation and partnership in various fields.

Since its establishment in 1958, the Egypt-China Friendship Association has been playing an important role in enhancing cooperation between the two countries by holding various activities, including seminars, symposiums, and ceremonies. 
CANBERRA, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Australian government has announced an expansion of subsidies for clean energy projects to help achieve its 2030 renewables target.

Chris Bowen, minister for climate change and energy, on Thursday announced that the existing taxpayer-funded Capacity Investment Scheme (CIS) will be expanded to underwrite new renewable energy projects.

Under the expansion, the CIS will underwrite private companies to build 32 gigawatts (GW) of new electricity projects, consisting of 9GW of storage projects and 23GW of renewable generation projects.

If electricity prices are too low for the companies to generate a profit for the companies, the CIS will pay the difference, but if a company's earnings exceed a set ceiling, the government will share in its profits.

The governing Labor Party has set a goal of 82 percent of Australia's electricity coming from renewable sources by 2030.

According to the Clean Energy Regulator, renewables contributed 35 percent of generation to the national electricity market (NEM) in 2022, up from 31 percent in 2021.

In August, energy expert Tony Wood from think tank the Grattan Institute warned that on the current trajectory, Australia will fall short of the 2030 target.

The CIS was established in 2022 with a goal of underwriting six GW of new renewable energy generation by 2030, but Bowen said in a statement its expansion was necessary to ensure that the generation capacity of closing coal-fired power plants is replaced.

"This investment will supercharge available power in the energy grid, delivering the long-term reliable, affordable and low-emissions energy system Australians deserve as our grid changes," he said.

The government did not disclose how much money would be spent on the expanded CIS or how much revenue it expects the scheme to raise. 
Israel and Hamas on Wednesday confirmed their agreement on a Qatar-mediated proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza, which was expected to begin on Thursday morning. Israel's national security advisor announced late Wednesday that the deal has been postponed until Friday at the earliest.





Produced by Xinhua Global Service
BEIJING, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- China's overall passenger trips reported robust expansion last month, the Ministry of Transport said Thursday.

The country's inter-regional passenger traffic rose 50.2 percent year on year to 5.34 billion in October 2023, the ministry's spokesperson Sun Wenjian told a press conference.

Among all types of transport, civil aviation trips led the way, rocketing 252 percent year on year in October, followed by 194.1 percent railway-trip growth and a 117.3 percent rise in waterway trips, while road trips increased by 44 percent, Sun said.

In October, commercial cargo transport went up 11.7 percent year on year to 4.82 billion tonnes, while cargo throughput at China's ports increased by 8.1 percent to 1.49 billion tonnes, the spokesperson added.

Fixed-asset investment in transport reached 3.23 trillion yuan (about 453.58 billion U.S. dollars) from January to October, marking 4.3 percent year-on-year growth.

This laid a solid foundation for reaching the annual investment target and provided strong service support for promoting overall economic recovery, said Sun. 
Police Officers Appeal to President Zourabichvili, Urging Refrain from Pardoning Lazare GrigoriadisAccording to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, police officers affected by the March 7-8 protests have, with the support of the Ministry's legal department, appealed to President Salome Zourabichvili, urging her to refrain from pardoning Lazare Grigoriadis."The authors of the appeal are those law enforcement officers who, during the actions of March 7-8, 2023, while performing official duties, sustained various serious bodily injuries, including arson," the agency stated.The affected policemen believe that the president pardoning the individual who attacked them will create a perception in society that assaults on law enforcement officers will go unpunished.They argue that this would not merely be an ordinary amnesty for someone who committed such a crime but rather a message to the public that state policy is tolerant towards acts of assault on the police, violence, and crimes against families.According to the policemen, the mentioned action could raise doubts about the effectiveness of efforts made by state institutions in combating such types of crimes.Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze held a meeting with the United States Ambassador to Georgia, Robin Dunnigan. During the introductory session, the capital's mayor extended his best wishes for success to the new U.S. ambassador in her position and expressed optimism for the continued deepening of the longstanding strategic partnership and friendly relations between the two nations.In return, Ambassador Dunnigan congratulated Mayor Kaladze on the positive recommendation from the European Commission regarding Georgia's status as a candidate country for EU membership. The meeting also delved into the significance of conducting next year's elections in a fair and democratic environment.The Mayor of Tbilisi expressed gratitude to the Ambassador of the United States of America for the assistance and support extended by the country to Georgia.At the conclusion of the meeting, both parties expressed their complete readiness to work diligently towards further enhancing the relationship between the two countries.
ISLAMABAD, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- Four terrorists were killed in an operation by the counter-terrorism department (CTD) of police in Pakistan's southwest Balochistan province on Thursday, the CTD said in a statement.

The incident happened in Turbat district where the CTD launched the operation by acting on an intelligence tip-off regarding the presence of the terrorists in a compound, the statement added.

During the raid at the hideout, the terrorists engaged the law enforcers in a gun battle that resulted in the killing of all four terrorists, the CTD said.

Arms and ammunition were recovered from the possession of the slain terrorists, the statement said.

The terrorists were involved in various crimes, including terrorist attacks and target killings in the province, the CTD said. 
A military aircraft carrying the remains and belongings of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs arrives at the Taoxian International Airport in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Nov. 23, 2023. The remains of 25 CPV soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953) were returned to China on Thursday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). Since 2014, China and the ROK have completed 10 such repatriations in a row, thanks to a handover agreement signed between the two countries. (Xinhua/Cao Can)

SHENYANG, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- The remains of 25 Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953) were returned to China on Thursday from the Republic of Korea (ROK).

Since 2014, China and the ROK have completed 10 such repatriations in a row, thanks to a handover agreement signed between the two countries.

At around 11:30 a.m., a Y-20 military transport aircraft carrying the remains and belongings of the fallen soldiers landed at the Taoxian International Airport in Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province.

Shortly after the plane was welcomed with a water cannon salute, soldiers carrying the caskets of the fallen heroes slowly walked off the plane and a reception ceremony was held at the airport.

Following the placement of the caskets, which were covered by five-star red flags, representatives at the ceremony stood in solemn silence and bowed three times to the soldiers' remains.

The remains of 913 CPV martyrs were returned to China from the ROK between 2014 and 2022.

"It is due to their selfless dedication, fearlessness and sacrifice that we now have the peaceful and stable life we enjoy. It makes me understand even more the value of peace," said Qiu Yutong, a middle school student from Shenyang.

The Korean War broke out in June 1950, eight months after the People's Republic of China was founded. The flames of war soon reached the border river of Yalu and wreaked havoc in Dandong, then known as Andong, with buildings bombed and civilians killed.

At the request of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Chinese ground forces under the CPV entered the Korean Peninsula on Oct. 19, 1950, and fought the first battle on Oct. 25.

A total of 2.9 million CPV soldiers from across the country joined the war that lasted almost three years, with more than 360,000 soldiers killed or injured.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of China's victory in the war.

While addressing the ceremony welcoming back the remains of CPV soldiers, Chinese State Councilor Shen Yiqin said that over the past 70-plus years, neither the motherland nor the people have forgotten the brave fallen heroes of the war.

Noting that the remains of 938 CPV soldiers have been repatriated over 10 consecutive years, Shen said the feats and names of these heroes will be remembered eternally.

Shen urged efforts to carry forward the great spirit of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea, remain committed to peaceful development, and promote the building of community with a shared future for humanity.

On the way to the cemetery, the motorcade carrying the remains of the CPV martyrs drove past many residents who packed the street to take part in the solemn procession.

The CPV martyrs' remains will be buried at a cemetery in Shenyang, where a burial ceremony will be held on Friday.

"The martyrs dedicated everything to the motherland and the people. They deserve to be remembered," said Li Qingze, an interpreter who works at the cemetery. 

A J-20 stealth fighter jet escorts a Y-20 military transport aircraft carrying the remains and belongings of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs on Nov. 23, 2023. The remains of 25 CPV soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953) were returned to China on Thursday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). Since 2014, China and the ROK have completed 10 such repatriations in a row, thanks to a handover agreement signed between the two countries. (Xinhua/Cao Can)

Soldiers escort coffins containing the remains of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs at the Taoxian International Airport in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Nov. 23, 2023. The remains of 25 CPV soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953) were returned to China on Thursday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). Since 2014, China and the ROK have completed 10 such repatriations in a row, thanks to a handover agreement signed between the two countries. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)

Two J-20 stealth fighter jets escort a Y-20 military transport aircraft carrying the remains and belongings of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs on Nov. 23, 2023. The remains of 25 CPV soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953) were returned to China on Thursday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). Since 2014, China and the ROK have completed 10 such repatriations in a row, thanks to a handover agreement signed between the two countries. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)

A J-20 stealth fighter jet escorts a Y-20 military transport aircraft carrying the remains and belongings of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs on Nov. 23, 2023. The remains of 25 CPV soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953) were returned to China on Thursday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). Since 2014, China and the ROK have completed 10 such repatriations in a row, thanks to a handover agreement signed between the two countries. (Photo by Huang Can/Xinhua)

A J-20 stealth fighter jet escorts a Y-20 military transport aircraft carrying the remains and belongings of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs on Nov. 23, 2023. The remains of 25 CPV soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953) were returned to China on Thursday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). Since 2014, China and the ROK have completed 10 such repatriations in a row, thanks to a handover agreement signed between the two countries. (Xinhua/Cao Can)

A J-20 stealth fighter jet escorts a Y-20 military transport aircraft carrying the remains and belongings of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs on Nov. 23, 2023. The remains of 25 CPV soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953) were returned to China on Thursday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). Since 2014, China and the ROK have completed 10 such repatriations in a row, thanks to a handover agreement signed between the two countries. (Xinhua/Cao Can)

Soldiers escort coffins containing the remains of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs at the Taoxian International Airport in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Nov. 23, 2023. The remains of 25 CPV soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953) were returned to China on Thursday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). Since 2014, China and the ROK have completed 10 such repatriations in a row, thanks to a handover agreement signed between the two countries. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)

Soldiers escort coffins containing the remains of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs at the Taoxian International Airport in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Nov. 23, 2023. The remains of 25 CPV soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953) were returned to China on Thursday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). Since 2014, China and the ROK have completed 10 such repatriations in a row, thanks to a handover agreement signed between the two countries. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)

Soldiers escort coffins containing the remains of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs at the Taoxian International Airport in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Nov. 23, 2023. The remains of 25 CPV soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953) were returned to China on Thursday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). Since 2014, China and the ROK have completed 10 such repatriations in a row, thanks to a handover agreement signed between the two countries. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)

A military aircraft carrying the remains and belongings of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs is honored with a water salute after landing at the Taoxian International Airport in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Nov. 23, 2023. The remains of 25 CPV soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953) were returned to China on Thursday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). Since 2014, China and the ROK have completed 10 such repatriations in a row, thanks to a handover agreement signed between the two countries. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)

The convoy carrying the remains and belongings of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs passes the Shenyang Youth Street in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Nov. 23, 2023. The remains of 25 CPV soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953) were returned to China on Thursday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). Since 2014, China and the ROK have completed 10 such repatriations in a row, thanks to a handover agreement signed between the two countries. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

Soldiers escort coffins containing the remains of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs at the Taoxian International Airport in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Nov. 23, 2023. The remains of 25 CPV soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953) were returned to China on Thursday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). Since 2014, China and the ROK have completed 10 such repatriations in a row, thanks to a handover agreement signed between the two countries. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)

People pay tribute to the coffins containing the remains of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs at the CPV martyrs' cemetery in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Nov. 23, 2023. The remains of 25 CPV soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953) were returned to China on Thursday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). Since 2014, China and the ROK have completed 10 such repatriations in a row, thanks to a handover agreement signed between the two countries. (Xinhua/Yang Qing)

Coffins containing the remains of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs are escorted to the CPV martyrs' cemetery in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Nov. 23, 2023. The remains of 25 CPV soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953) were returned to China on Thursday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). Since 2014, China and the ROK have completed 10 such repatriations in a row, thanks to a handover agreement signed between the two countries. (Xinhua/Long Lei)

Coffins containing the remains of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs are escorted to the CPV martyrs' cemetery in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Nov. 23, 2023. The remains of 25 CPV soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953) were returned to China on Thursday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). Since 2014, China and the ROK have completed 10 such repatriations in a row, thanks to a handover agreement signed between the two countries. (Xinhua/Long Lei)

Soldiers escort coffins containing the remains of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs at the Taoxian International Airport in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Nov. 23, 2023. The remains of 25 CPV soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953) were returned to China on Thursday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). Since 2014, China and the ROK have completed 10 such repatriations in a row, thanks to a handover agreement signed between the two countries. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)

A soldier escorts the coffin containing the remains of a Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyr at the CPV martyrs' cemetery in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Nov. 23, 2023. The remains of 25 CPV soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953) were returned to China on Thursday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). Since 2014, China and the ROK have completed 10 such repatriations in a row, thanks to a handover agreement signed between the two countries. (Xinhua/Yang Qing)

A J-20 stealth fighter jet escorts a Y-20 military transport aircraft carrying the remains and belongings of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs on Nov. 23, 2023. The remains of 25 CPV soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953) were returned to China on Thursday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). Since 2014, China and the ROK have completed 10 such repatriations in a row, thanks to a handover agreement signed between the two countries. (Xinhua/Cao Can)

Soldiers escort coffins containing the remains of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs at the Taoxian International Airport in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Nov. 23, 2023. The remains of 25 CPV soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953) were returned to China on Thursday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). Since 2014, China and the ROK have completed 10 such repatriations in a row, thanks to a handover agreement signed between the two countries. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)

Soldiers escort coffins containing the remains of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs at the Taoxian International Airport in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Nov. 23, 2023. The remains of 25 CPV soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953) were returned to China on Thursday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). Since 2014, China and the ROK have completed 10 such repatriations in a row, thanks to a handover agreement signed between the two countries. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)

A soldier stands beside the coffin containing the remains of a Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyr at the Taoxian International Airport in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Nov. 23, 2023. The remains of 25 CPV soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953) were returned to China on Thursday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). Since 2014, China and the ROK have completed 10 such repatriations in a row, thanks to a handover agreement signed between the two countries. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)

The convoy carrying the remains and belongings of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs passes the Shenyang Youth Street in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Nov. 23, 2023. The remains of 25 CPV soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953) were returned to China on Thursday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). Since 2014, China and the ROK have completed 10 such repatriations in a row, thanks to a handover agreement signed between the two countries. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

Soldiers escort coffins containing the remains of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs at the Taoxian International Airport in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Nov. 23, 2023. The remains of 25 CPV soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953) were returned to China on Thursday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). Since 2014, China and the ROK have completed 10 such repatriations in a row, thanks to a handover agreement signed between the two countries. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)

A J-20 stealth fighter jet escorts a Y-20 military transport aircraft carrying the remains and belongings of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs on Nov. 23, 2023. The remains of 25 CPV soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953) were returned to China on Thursday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). Since 2014, China and the ROK have completed 10 such repatriations in a row, thanks to a handover agreement signed between the two countries. (Photo by Huang Can/Xinhua)

Soldiers escort coffins containing the remains of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs at the Taoxian International Airport in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Nov. 23, 2023. The remains of 25 CPV soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953) were returned to China on Thursday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). Since 2014, China and the ROK have completed 10 such repatriations in a row, thanks to a handover agreement signed between the two countries. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)

Coffins containing the remains of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs are escorted to the CPV martyrs' cemetery in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Nov. 23, 2023. The remains of 25 CPV soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953) were returned to China on Thursday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). Since 2014, China and the ROK have completed 10 such repatriations in a row, thanks to a handover agreement signed between the two countries. (Xinhua/Long Lei)

Coffins containing the remains of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs are escorted to the CPV martyrs' cemetery in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Nov. 23, 2023. The remains of 25 CPV soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953) were returned to China on Thursday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). Since 2014, China and the ROK have completed 10 such repatriations in a row, thanks to a handover agreement signed between the two countries. (Xinhua/Yang Qing)

Soldiers escort coffins containing the remains of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs at the Taoxian International Airport in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Nov. 23, 2023. The remains of 25 CPV soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953) were returned to China on Thursday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). Since 2014, China and the ROK have completed 10 such repatriations in a row, thanks to a handover agreement signed between the two countries. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)

Coffins containing the remains of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs are escorted to the CPV martyrs' cemetery in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Nov. 23, 2023. The remains of 25 CPV soldiers killed in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953) were returned to China on Thursday from the Republic of Korea (ROK). Since 2014, China and the ROK have completed 10 such repatriations in a row, thanks to a handover agreement signed between the two countries. (Xinhua/Long Lei)
JERUSALEM, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- Israel's national security advisor announced late Wednesday that the deal for the release of hostages in Gaza in exchange for a temporary truce has been postponed until Friday at the earliest.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government voted to accept the deal early on Wednesday and announced that the truce would come into effect on Thursday.

Under the proposed deal, at least 50 Israeli hostages would be freed in return for the release of at least 150 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli custody and the entry of desperately-needed humanitarian aid into Gaza.

However, Israel's National Security Council Director Tzachi Hanegbi said late Wednesday that the hostage release "will take place according to the original agreement between the sides, and not before Friday." 
Liaoningotitan sinensis (meaning "Liaoning giant") is an extinct genus of the titanosaur sauropod dinosaur that lived in Liaoning province during the Early Cretaceous period. CHINA DAILY

About 130 million to 110 million years ago, a vast region  covering today's western Liaoning province, southern Inner Mongolia autonomous region and northern Hebei province  had a warm climate and a landscape of lakes and forests, which nurtured the many and diverse plants and animals, nowadays known as the Jehol Biota.

Scientists have proposed that repeated volcanic eruptions might have killed the creatures and created the fossil trove that even preserves soft tissue, like skin, organs, feathers and fur, in the ancient lake rock layers. Dubbed the "Mesozoic Pompeii" for its similarity to the ancient Roman city destroyed by the violent eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, the Jehol Biota has provided tantalizing clues to evolutionary studies.

Ancient Jehol: Special Exhibition on Major Mesozoic Fossil Discoveries at the National Natural History Museum of China in Beijing tries to take visitors back to the period to better understand the link between the past and today, through 131 exceptional fossils unearthed over the past three decades. Opened on Nov 2 and running through Dec 3, the exhibition is organized by the museum and the Lingyuan city government in Liaoning.

"Over the past 30 years, Chinese researchers have studied the biota, with some world-influential discoveries published in scholarly journals," Zhang Yuguang, deputy director of the museum, says.

"The exhibition showcases these findings through vivid language and multimedia presentation."

He adds that more than half of the fossils are on display for the first time, and 130 are type specimens designated as a permanent reference for a new species.

Deng Tao, head of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, agrees that the exhibition is a platform to showcase these important discoveries by Chinese scientists, some of which might even change published texts.

This year marks the 100th anniversary since American geologist and paleontologist Amadeus William Grabau first discovered a type of fauna in Lingyuan in 1923, and named it the Jehol Series. In 1962, Chinese paleontologist Gu Zhiwei first proposed the name Jehol Biota. With increasing numbers of new fossil discoveries, in particular since the early 1990s, the Jehol Biota has caught the attention of domestic scholars. Traditionally, the biota is defined by three typical elements: the conchostracan (clam shrimp) Eosetheria, the insect Ephemeropsis, and the fish Lycoptera.

At the exhibition, the star fossil is the world's earliest placental mammal Juramaia sinensis, which has pushed back mammal evolution 35 million years. Before its discovery, scientists thought Eomaia, which was also discovered in Liaoning, was the mother of all placental mammals. Jura means the Jurassic period; maia is mother; and sinensis refers to its provenance in China.

"Although it is less than 20 centimeters long from head to tail, looking like a shrew (a small mammal related to mole and hedgehog), it can be called 'a great-grandmother' of all placental mammals, including us, human beings," Zhang says.

Besides mammal ancestors, there are also fossil birds, including the Ornithuromorpha, the clade within which all living birds are nested, and the Enantiornithes, an extinct lineage of stem bird. The exhibition includes almost all the biological categories in the transition from the Mesozoic to the Cenozoic.

"These well-preserved fossils unearthed in the Jehol Biota do not only indicate the process of biological evolution from primitive to relatively progressive, but also show the rich diversity of biological species, greatly enriching our understanding of the assemblage of biological groups and ecosystems in the middle Mesozoic age," Zhang says.

As the conclusion of the exhibition states, "there are still puzzles that remain unsolved, and we hope that the Jehol area will afford us more discoveries and scientific findings in the next 100 years, while promoting global academic exchange and cooperation, as well as fossil protection and utilization."
A photogravure creation is displayed at the exhibition "Etched by Light: Photogravures from the Collection, 1840-1940" at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the United States, Nov. 22, 2023. The exhibition tells the story of searching for and perfecting a way to print photographic prints in ink, which came to be called photogravure. A total of 40 photogravures and 4 bound volumes illustrated with photogravures were displayed at the exhibition. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

A visitor watches photogravure creations displayed at the exhibition "Etched by Light: Photogravures from the Collection, 1840-1940" at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the United States, Nov. 22, 2023. The exhibition tells the story of searching for and perfecting a way to print photographic prints in ink, which came to be called photogravure. A total of 40 photogravures and 4 bound volumes illustrated with photogravures were displayed at the exhibition. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

A visitor watches photogravure creations displayed at the exhibition "Etched by Light: Photogravures from the Collection, 1840-1940" at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the United States, Nov. 22, 2023. The exhibition tells the story of searching for and perfecting a way to print photographic prints in ink, which came to be called photogravure. A total of 40 photogravures and 4 bound volumes illustrated with photogravures were displayed at the exhibition. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

A photogravure creation is displayed at the exhibition "Etched by Light: Photogravures from the Collection, 1840-1940" at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the United States, Nov. 22, 2023. The exhibition tells the story of searching for and perfecting a way to print photographic prints in ink, which came to be called photogravure. A total of 40 photogravures and 4 bound volumes illustrated with photogravures were displayed at the exhibition. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)
The Chinese honor guards receive coffins containing remains of Chinese People's Volunteers martyrs during a handover ceremony at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, Nov. 23, 2023. China and South Korea held here a ceremony on Thursday to transfer the remains and belongings of 25 Chinese soldiers killed in the 1950-1953 Korean War. (Xinhua/Cao Can)

INCHEON, South Korea, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- China and South Korea held here a ceremony on Thursday to transfer the remains and belongings of 25 Chinese soldiers killed in the 1950-1953 Korean War.

The 10th handover ceremony was held at the Incheon International Airport, west of the capital Seoul, attended by Chinese Vice Minister of Veterans Affairs Chang Zhengguo, Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Xing Haiming and South Korea's Vice Defense Minister Kim Seon-ho as well as officials with relevant ministries.

During the ceremony, representatives of China and South Korea signed a handover document.

Xing covered the coffins of the martyrs with China's national flags, and the Chinese side held a memorial service.

The Chinese honor guards escorted the coffins to an air force plane, which would take the fallen heroes back home.

At this year's ceremony, Chang said since 2014, China and South Korea have jointly carried out the handover of the remains of the Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) martyrs in South Korea for 10 consecutive years and transferred the remains of 938 Chinese soldiers to their motherland, following humanitarian principles and carrying out practical and friendly cooperation.

The Chinese side appreciated the unremitting efforts made by the South Korean side, he added.

As inseparable neighbors and partners, China and South Korea face each other across the sea, Chang said, adding that in the face of profound changes unseen in a century, the two countries should uphold the original aspiration of establishing diplomatic ties, stick to the right direction of friendly cooperation and jointly push for sustained, sound and steady development of bilateral relations.

China is willing to further strengthen communication and coordination with South Korea, deepen friendly cooperation, promote cooperation in the work related to the remains of CPV martyrs in South Korea, and bring more CPV martyrs back to their motherland at an early date, he said.

All members of the Chinese delegation, officials with the Chinese embassy in South Korea, representatives of Chinese students and Chinese companies in South Korea as well as officials with the South Korean defense ministry, foreign ministry and presidential office attended the ceremony. 

The Chinese honor guards (left row) receive coffins containing remains of Chinese People's Volunteers martyrs during a handover ceremony at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, Nov. 23, 2023. China and South Korea held here a ceremony on Thursday to transfer the remains and belongings of 25 Chinese soldiers killed in the 1950-1953 Korean War. (Xinhua/Cao Can)

Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Xing Haiming covers the coffins containing remains of Chinese People's Volunteers martyrs with China's national flags during a handover ceremony at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, Nov. 23, 2023. China and South Korea held here a ceremony on Thursday to transfer the remains and belongings of 25 Chinese soldiers killed in the 1950-1953 Korean War. (Xinhua/Cao Can)

A Chinese honor guard prepares to escort one of the coffins containing remains of Chinese People's Volunteers martyrs to an air force plane during a handover ceremony at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, Nov. 23, 2023. China and South Korea held here a ceremony on Thursday to transfer the remains and belongings of 25 Chinese soldiers killed in the 1950-1953 Korean War. (Xinhua/Cao Can)

The Chinese honor guards escort the coffins containing remains of Chinese People's Volunteers martyrs during a handover ceremony at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, Nov. 23, 2023. China and South Korea held here a ceremony on Thursday to transfer the remains and belongings of 25 Chinese soldiers killed in the 1950-1953 Korean War. (Xinhua/Yao Qilin)

The Chinese honor guards escort the coffins containing remains of Chinese People's Volunteers martyrs to an air force plane during a handover ceremony at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, Nov. 23, 2023. China and South Korea held here a ceremony on Thursday to transfer the remains and belongings of 25 Chinese soldiers killed in the 1950-1953 Korean War. (Xinhua/Cao Can)

The Chinese honor guards escort the coffins containing remains of Chinese People's Volunteers martyrs to an air force plane during a handover ceremony at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, Nov. 23, 2023. China and South Korea held here a ceremony on Thursday to transfer the remains and belongings of 25 Chinese soldiers killed in the 1950-1953 Korean War. (Xinhua/Cao Can)

The Chinese honor guards escort the coffins containing remains of Chinese People's Volunteers martyrs to an air force plane during a handover ceremony at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, Nov. 23, 2023. China and South Korea held here a ceremony on Thursday to transfer the remains and belongings of 25 Chinese soldiers killed in the 1950-1953 Korean War. (Xinhua/Yao Qilin)

The Chinese honor guards escort the coffins containing remains of Chinese People's Volunteers martyrs to an air force plane during a handover ceremony at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, Nov. 23, 2023. China and South Korea held here a ceremony on Thursday to transfer the remains and belongings of 25 Chinese soldiers killed in the 1950-1953 Korean War. (Xinhua/Yao Qilin)

The Chinese honor guards escort the coffins containing remains of Chinese People's Volunteers martyrs during a handover ceremony at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, Nov. 23, 2023. China and South Korea held here a ceremony on Thursday to transfer the remains and belongings of 25 Chinese soldiers killed in the 1950-1953 Korean War. (Xinhua/Yao Qilin)

The Chinese honor guards escort the coffins containing remains of Chinese People's Volunteers martyrs to an air force plane during a handover ceremony at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, Nov. 23, 2023. China and South Korea held here a ceremony on Thursday to transfer the remains and belongings of 25 Chinese soldiers killed in the 1950-1953 Korean War. (Xinhua/Yao Qilin)

The Chinese honor guards escort the coffins containing remains of Chinese People's Volunteers martyrs to an air force plane during a handover ceremony at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, Nov. 23, 2023. China and South Korea held here a ceremony on Thursday to transfer the remains and belongings of 25 Chinese soldiers killed in the 1950-1953 Korean War. (Xinhua/Yao Qilin)

The Chinese honor guards escort the coffins containing remains of Chinese People's Volunteers martyrs to an air force plane during a handover ceremony at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, Nov. 23, 2023. China and South Korea held here a ceremony on Thursday to transfer the remains and belongings of 25 Chinese soldiers killed in the 1950-1953 Korean War. (Xinhua/Yao Qilin)

The Chinese honor guards escort the coffins containing remains of Chinese People's Volunteers martyrs to an air force plane during a handover ceremony at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, Nov. 23, 2023. China and South Korea held here a ceremony on Thursday to transfer the remains and belongings of 25 Chinese soldiers killed in the 1950-1953 Korean War. (Xinhua/Cao Can)
BEIJING, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday sent a congratulatory letter to the second Global Digital Trade Expo, which runs from Nov. 23 to 27 in Hangzhou, the capital of east China's Zhejiang Province.

Booming global digital trade has become a new bright spot in international trade, Xi said in the letter.

In recent years, China has actively made alignment with high-standard international economic and trade rules, established and improved its digital trade governance systems, and promoted the reform and innovation of digital trade, Xi said.

By doing that, China has been providing new opportunities for the world with its new development, Xi said.

Xi called for making full use of the expo to promote cooperation, common development and shared benefits, build digital trade into a new engine for common development, and inject new impetus into world economic growth.

With the theme of "Digital Trade, Global Access," the expo was jointly hosted by the provincial government of Zhejiang and the Ministry of Commerce. 
ANKARA, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT) "neutralized" a senior member of the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) in a cross-border operation in northern Syria, the semi-official Anadolu Agency reported Thursday.

Turkish authorities often use the term "neutralize" in their statements to imply the alleged "terrorists" have either surrendered, been killed, or been captured.

The "neutralized" YPG member Fahrettin Tolun, code-named Hayri Serhat, was wanted with a red notice from Interpol, Anadolu quoted anonymous intelligence sources as saying.

Tolun was in the Rmelan region of northern Syria and was allegedly responsible for supplying heavy weapons to the group, according to the sources.

The YPG member had been active in supplying heavy weapons to the YPG in Syria, Iran and Iraq since 1992, said the report.

The Turkish army launched Operation Euphrates Shield in 2016, Operation Olive Branch in 2018, Operation Peace Spring in 2019, and Operation Spring Shield in 2020 in northern Syria in order to create a YPG-free zone along the Turkish border with the neighboring country. The Turkish intelligence has also intensified cross-border operations in Iraq and Syria.

Turkiye sees the YPG group as the Syrian branch of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Turkiye, the United States and the European Union, has rebelled against the Turkish government for more than three decades. 
BEIJING, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- McDonald's recently announced a decision to buy private equity firm Carlyle's entire 28 percent stake in its China business, which was sold by the burger chain in 2017.

The reacquisition, which will increase McDonald's holding to 48 percent, has shown its confidence in the Chinese consumer market. It also disproves some viewpoints suggesting a "Chinese market downturn" or foreign investment "fleeing China."

China is now McDonald's second-largest market with a total of 5,500 restaurants, while the burger giant plans to have over 10,000 outlets in China by 2028. "We believe there is no better time to simplify our structure, given the tremendous opportunity to capture increased demand and further benefit from our fastest-growing market's long-term potential," said McDonald's President and Chief Executive Officer Chris Kempczinski in a statement.

Behind McDonald's ambition is China's sustained momentum of post-COVID economic rebound and consumer demand recovery. Data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed that the business income recorded in the country's catering sector increased by 18.5 percent to 4.19 trillion yuan (588.4 billion U.S. dollars) in the first 10 months compared with the same period a year ago.

China's GDP grew 5.2 percent year on year in the first three quarters of 2023, according to the NBS. The International Monetary Fund projected China's GDP to grow by 5.4 percent in the whole year, reflecting a strong post-COVID recovery.

McDonald's saw its annual number of newly opened outlets in China increase from about 250 in 2017 to around 500 in 2022. Boosted by localization methods, such as the development of a WeChat app and promotions on social networks, McDonald's China business has realized systemwide sales growth of more than 30 percent since September 2019, according to the company.

China's high-standard opening up policy has boosted foreign investors' trust and confidence in its market.

Many large multinationals have been actively grasping opportunities generated by China's huge consumer market. Swire Coca-Cola Ltd. started the construction of a new plant with an investment of 2 billion yuan in Suzhou in September, saying that it will invest over 12 billion yuan in the Chinese mainland in the next decade. IKEA said in August that it would invest 6.3 billion yuan in the Chinese market over the next three years, while Tesla announced in April that it would build a new mega factory in Shanghai for the manufacture of its energy-storage product.

According to the Ministry of Commerce, a total of 41,947 new foreign-invested companies were established in China in the first 10 months of 2023, up 32.1 percent year on year.

Chinese authorities recently pledged that the country will continue to relax market access and provide a level playing field for foreign investors, with measures such as scrapping all restrictions for foreign investors entering the manufacturing industry.

The moves made by multinationals are in stark contrast to the hype of so-called "decoupling" or "de-risking" from China. They prove that the steadily recovering Chinese market remains a sought-after destination for global businesses. 
Gaza, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli army has ordered the evacuation of Gaza's Indonesian Hospital within hours while continuing airstrikes and artillery shelling in its vicinity, a Palestinian official said on Thursday.

In a press statement, the director of the Hamas-run Health Ministry, Munir al-Barsh, said that "the (Israeli) army ordered us to evacuate the hospital within four hours."

Al-Barsh noted that "there are 200 patients in the hospital, in addition to about 65 dead bodies still unable to be removed for burial."

Local eyewitnesses said they were subjected to violent Israeli raids around the Indonesian Hospital in Beit Lahia town in northern Gaza.

According to the United Nations, Gaza hospitals' bed capacity has decreased to 1,400 from 3,500 before the conflict, while the number of patients is climbing.

According to the World Health Organization, there has been only one hospital operating in the enclave with the capacity to treat critical trauma cases or perform complex surgical operations.

Ashraf al-Qedra, the spokesman for the Health Ministry in Gaza, said in press statements that the Israeli army arrested the director of Al-Shifa Medical Complex, Mohammed Abu Selmeia, alongside a number of doctors, without providing further details.

Israel has been carrying out an all-out attack on Gaza to retaliate against the Hamas attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, during which Hamas militants killed about 1,200 people and took more than 200 hostages. According to Gaza's government media office, the Palestinian death toll in the enclave has exceeded 14,000, with more than 33,000 others injured. 
Laman Ismayilova

Azerbaijan's tourism potential has been promoted in Istanbul, Turkiye.

Around 50 representatives of Turkish travel agencies, including media representatives, took part in the event, organised by the Azerbaijan Tourism Board, Azernews reports.

A presentation was made about the winter tourism centres in Azerbaijan.

The guests of the event were briefed about Azerbaijan's tourism potential, its gastronomy and cultural legacy

Chairman of the Board of the Azerbaijan Association of Travel Agencies Heydaniz Gahramanov and the Executive Director of the Azerbaijan Hotels Association Gunay Saglam took part in the event aimed at promoting Azerbaijani-Turkish cooperation in the tourism field.

It was brought to the attention that 308, 942 people left Turkiye for Azerbaijan in ten months, which is 20 percent more than the same period last year and 18 percent more than the same period in 2019.

Earlier, the State Tourism Board promoted Azerbaijan's tourism potential at Qatar Travel Mart 2023.

Seven local tourism industry partners represented Azerbaijan in the fair, which aims to support and enhance the competitiveness of the tourism sector in Qatar.

The national pavilion provided insight into the country's tourism potential, including must-see places, ecotourism, health and winter tourism opportunities, and samples of national cuisine.
The ancient craft of Tibetan black pottery is driving villagers on a path to prosperity in Tangdui, nestled in the city of Shangri-La in Southwest China's Yunnan province.

The time-honored craft, renowned for its deep black hue akin to paint and the brilliance of jade, holds the status of a State-level intangible cultural heritage. Spanning over 2,000 years of history, its roots lie in Tibetan areas such as Tangdui, in Tangman village, Nixi township of Shangri-La's Dechen Tibetan autonomous prefecture, as well as in Sichuan and Qinghai provinces.

66-year-old Kelsang Wangdu, echoing a generational tradition in Tangdui, started learning the technique at 12. However, life led him away from this craft as he had to seek a livelihood elsewhere. It was not until his 50s that he returned home to revive this cherished art that are ingrained in his lineage.

"Every day, I dedicate myself to refining my skills, crafting new black pottery, and teaching a group of apprentices step by step," he said. Currently, he mentors 11 apprentices, including his son, passing down the age-old techniques.

The artistry of black pottery making in Tangdui involves a meticulous process: blending white and red clay, weathered sand, and gravel, and then shaping and firing the milled raw materials through 12 intricate steps. These crafts are widely used in Tibetan lives, serving as essential tableware, cooking utensils, tea sets and more.

In 2008, the "Tibetan Black Pottery Firing Technique" was included in the national intangible cultural heritage protection list.

In recent years, local government support has fueled product innovation and increased local participation, shifting black pottery production from basic essentials to over 80 diverse items, such as vases and wine glasses, significantly boosting villagers' income.

"Currently there are 154 households in the village; 108 of them are making black pottery products," said Tashi Nyima, director of Tangman village. He noted that black ceramics have become a vital source of income for villagers, replacing previous livelihoods linked to collecting matsutake mushrooms and planting crops. Statistics show the annual sales of black pottery in Tangdui reached 4.6 million yuan ($640,000) from 2020 to 2022.

To intertwine heritage with tourism, Tangdui has introduced an array of cultural activities throughout the year, luring more tourists. In 2023 alone, nearly 8,000 visitors flock to Tangdui, seeking an immersive encounter with the artistry of black pottery.

Losang Phuntsok, an entrepreneurial leader chosen by the villagers, expressed his hope to promote Tangdui's pottery culture through the diversified experiences introduced by the local government - ranging from viewing peach blossoms in spring and sunflowers in summer to year-round black pottery crafting. He said he hopes to spread the craft's appeal worldwide while engaging more villagers in safeguarding this cherished tradition.

"I hope to develop innovative products with strong market demand, allowing our villagers to earn more. This, in turn, will encourage our younger generation to stay in the village to better preserve this cultural heritage," said Losang Phuntsok.
Tourists visit Qinghai Lake in northwest China's Qinghai Province, Nov. 23, 2023. Located in the northeastern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the Qinghai Lake is key to maintaining the ecological balance in western China. It is also a natural barrier for controlling the eastward spread of desertification and ensuring the safety of agricultural areas in eastern China.

In recent years, with various ecological projects carried out in the Qinghai Lake, the environment here has been greatly improved. (Xinhua/Geng Huihuang)

A water bird is pictured at Qinghai Lake in northwest China's Qinghai Province, Nov. 23, 2023. Located in the northeastern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the Qinghai Lake is key to maintaining the ecological balance in western China. It is also a natural barrier for controlling the eastward spread of desertification and ensuring the safety of agricultural areas in eastern China.

In recent years, with various ecological projects carried out in the Qinghai Lake, the environment here has been greatly improved. (Xinhua/Geng Huihuang)

Water birds are pictured at Qinghai Lake in northwest China's Qinghai Province, Nov. 23, 2023. Located in the northeastern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the Qinghai Lake is key to maintaining the ecological balance in western China. It is also a natural barrier for controlling the eastward spread of desertification and ensuring the safety of agricultural areas in eastern China.

In recent years, with various ecological projects carried out in the Qinghai Lake, the environment here has been greatly improved. (Xinhua/Wang Yan)

This aerial photo taken on Nov. 23, 2023 shows a view of Qinghai Lake in northwest China's Qinghai Province. Located in the northeastern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the Qinghai Lake is key to maintaining the ecological balance in western China. It is also a natural barrier for controlling the eastward spread of desertification and ensuring the safety of agricultural areas in eastern China.

In recent years, with various ecological projects carried out in the Qinghai Lake, the environment here has been greatly improved. (Xinhua/Wang Yan)

This aerial photo taken on Nov. 23, 2023 shows a view of Qinghai Lake in northwest China's Qinghai Province. Located in the northeastern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the Qinghai Lake is key to maintaining the ecological balance in western China. It is also a natural barrier for controlling the eastward spread of desertification and ensuring the safety of agricultural areas in eastern China.

In recent years, with various ecological projects carried out in the Qinghai Lake, the environment here has been greatly improved. (Xinhua/Wang Yan)

A water bird is pictured at Qinghai Lake in northwest China's Qinghai Province, Nov. 23, 2023. Located in the northeastern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the Qinghai Lake is key to maintaining the ecological balance in western China. It is also a natural barrier for controlling the eastward spread of desertification and ensuring the safety of agricultural areas in eastern China.

In recent years, with various ecological projects carried out in the Qinghai Lake, the environment here has been greatly improved. (Xinhua/Wang Yan)
GUANGZHOU, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- A joint military exercise including Chinese, Cambodian, Lao, Malaysian, Thai and Vietnamese forces concluded on Wednesday in Zhanjiang, south China's Guangdong Province.

Code-named "Peace and Friendship-2023," or "Aman Youyi-2023," the 10-day exercise focused on joint counterterrorism efforts and on safeguarding maritime security. It explored new tactics in urban counterterrorism, maritime counterterrorism and anti-piracy operations, and joint air defense, and optimized related processes and mechanisms.

It was the fifth time an exercise with the code name "Peace and Friendship" has been held, and the first time such an exercise was held in China. It saw the participation of a record-high number of countries and the largest scale of military forces to date. 
Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca announced on Tuesday that his country is preparing for a third patient evacuation mission from the Gaza Strip.
Flames and smoke rise from an agricultural structure in southern Lebanon, as seen from Kiryat Shmona in northern Israel bordering Lebanon, following bombardment by the Israeli army, on Nov. 23, 2023. Two people were killed and five others were injured on Thursday in Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon, the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and military sources said. (Ayal Margolin/JINI via Xinhua)

BEIRUT, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- Two people were killed and five others were injured on Thursday in Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon, the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and military sources said.

A civilian was killed, and five others were injured in an Israeli air raid on a house in Lebanon's southern village of Aita al-Shaab, while Hezbollah announced that one of its fighters was killed.

Lebanese military sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Xinhua that Israeli drones and warplanes on Thursday carried out 13 airstrikes targeting several areas in southern Lebanon, including Iqlim al-Tuffah, 20 km from the Lebanon-Israel border.

Israeli artillery fired more than 600 shells at many villages across southern Lebanon, the sources added, stressing that the strikes were the most severe since the latest round of escalation along the borderline.

Hezbollah announced that its fighters attacked an Israeli infantry force hiding inside a house in the Al-Manara settlement, killing four soldiers, in addition to attacking several Israeli positions and the Birkat Risha site on the border.

Also on Thursday, specialized medical teams at the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health trained around 1,100 health personnel in 63 hospitals to prepare for a possible expansion of Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon.

The Lebanon-Israel border has been witnessing increased tensions for over six weeks after Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets toward Israel on Oct. 8 in support of the Hamas attack on Israel the previous day. Israeli forces responded by firing heavy artillery at several areas in southeastern Lebanon. 

Flames and smoke rise from an agricultural structure in southern Lebanon, as seen from Kiryat Shmona in northern Israel bordering Lebanon, following bombardment by the Israeli army, on Nov. 23, 2023. Two people were killed and five others were injured on Thursday in Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon, the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and military sources said. (Ayal Margolin/JINI via Xinhua)

Flames and smoke rise from an agricultural structure in southern Lebanon, as seen from Kiryat Shmona in northern Israel bordering Lebanon, following bombardment by the Israeli army, on Nov. 23, 2023. Two people were killed and five others were injured on Thursday in Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon, the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and military sources said. (Ayal Margolin/JINI via Xinhua)

Flames and smoke rise from an agricultural structure in southern Lebanon, as seen from Kiryat Shmona in northern Israel bordering Lebanon, following bombardment by the Israeli army, on Nov. 23, 2023. Two people were killed and five others were injured on Thursday in Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon, the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and military sources said. (Ayal Margolin/JINI via Xinhua)

Flames and smoke rise from an agricultural structure in southern Lebanon, as seen from Kiryat Shmona in northern Israel bordering Lebanon, following bombardment by the Israeli army, on Nov. 23, 2023. Two people were killed and five others were injured on Thursday in Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon, the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and military sources said. (Ayal Margolin/JINI via Xinhua)
TEHRAN, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- Iran on Thursday welcomed the deal to implement a four-day humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip as agreed upon by Israel and the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).

In a statement, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani described the truce "as a first step toward the complete cessation of the Israeli war crimes against Palestinian civilians, including women and children."

He said that the development was an outcome of days of resistance by the people of Palestine and the resistance forces.

Iran will join efforts to completely secure and continue the truce, stop Israel's killing of Gazans, and ensure swift aid delivery to the "defenseless" people of the Palestinian enclave, he added.

Israel and Hamas on Wednesday initially agreed to enact a four-day temporary ceasefire in Gaza, starting on Thursday. Under the deal, Hamas agreed to release some hostages taken to Gaza in exchange for some Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

However, Israel's National Security Council Director Tzachi Hanegbi said in an announcement late Wednesday the deal would not, as expected, come into effect on Thursday.

On Thursday, both Israel and Hamas confirmed that the ceasefire would take effect on Friday morning. Both Egypt and Qatar, which both helped broker the deal, also confirmed the news on Thursday. 
BEIRUT, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese government has decided to provide one million U.S. dollars in urgent aid in cash to Lebanon to assist in its resettlement of citizens displaced by the country's border clashes with Israel.

Chinese Ambassador to Lebanon Qian Minjian informed Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati of the decision during their meeting in Beirut on Thursday, according to a statement from the Chinese embassy.

Qian also briefed Mikati on China's principled position on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

For his part, Mikati thanked the Chinese government for providing urgent aid and expressed the Lebanese government's high appreciation for China's efforts to resolve the current Palestinian-Israeli conflict and its long-term support for Lebanon.

The Lebanon-Israel border witnessed increased tension for nearly seven weeks after the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets toward Israeli sites on Oct. 8 in support of the Hamas attacks on Israel the previous day. Hezbollah's attacks prompted the Israeli forces to respond by firing heavy artillery toward several areas in southeastern Lebanon.

The increasing tensions forced tens of thousands of Lebanese to leave their houses in border areas for safety concerns. 
GAZA, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- The unemployment rate among Palestinians has reached 70 percent as a result of the bloody Hamas-Israel conflict, the Palestinian labor minister said Thursday.

Nasri Abu Jaish said in a press statement that "we lost thousands of workforce and employers as a result of the continuous violent bombing of tens of thousands of buildings and residential units."

Currently, more than 350,000 Palestinian workers have become jobless, a large portion of whom are homeless, Jaish said.

Moreover, Israel arrested 4,000 workers from Gaza, fired dozens of thousands of Gazan workers, and expelled many others to the West Bank after they were subjected to detention and investigation, the minister said.

Since Oct. 7, Israel has launched relentless airstrikes and a ground offensive in Gaza, in retaliation for the Hamas surprise attack on southern Israel. Israel has also imposed a tightened blockade on the Palestinian coastal enclave, cutting off the supplies of electricity, water and food to Gaza. 
RABAT, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Moroccan Navy has rescued 47 illegal immigrants on board a ship off the Atlantic coast near the Dakhla port, the official news agency MAP reported on Thursday.

A Moroccan Navy unit on Tuesday intercepted the boat sailing toward Spain's Canary Islands, the agency quoted an unnamed military source as saying.

After receiving the necessary medical care, these immigrants of sub-Saharan African nationalities, including 20 women and seven minors, were handed over to the Royal Gendarmerie for routine administrative procedures, according to the source. 
TUNIS, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- Tunisia foiled 17 illegal immigration attempts to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Italy, said the Tunisian National Guard on Thursday.

"Tunisia's maritime guard thwarted these illegal immigration attempts off the country's central coast," it said in a statement posted on its Facebook page.

The guard units also rescued 470 immigrants of sub-Saharan African nationalities from sinking boats, said the statement.

Located in the central Mediterranean, Tunisia is one of the most popular transit points for illegal immigration to Europe.

Although Tunisian authorities have adopted rigorous measures to tackle the problem, the number of illegal immigrants heading to Italy has been on the rise. 
President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Arif Alvi has sent a letter to President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of Victory Day.

His Excellency Mr. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Excellency,

I wish to extend my heartfelt felicitations to the government and the people of Azerbaijan on the Victory Day.

This auspicious day serves as a reminder of heroic struggle of the people of Azerbaijan in defence of their motherland. The strategic victory achieved under your able leadership, not only restored the territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan but also rectified a historical injustice. The celebrations this year are special as Azerbaijan takes control of its rightful territory of Karabakh.

Pakistan will continue its steadfast support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. May this victory continue to inspire peace, stability, progress and prosperity in the region.

I look forward to working with you to strengthen our long-standing fraternal ties through multifaceted cooperation, which is on an upward trajectory given our recent high level exchanges and growing people-to-people contact.

Please accept, Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration.

Sincerely,

Arif Alvi

President of Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Workers harvest saffron flowers in Herat province, Afghanistan, Nov. 13, 2023. (Photo by Mashal/Xinhua)

by Abdul Haleem

HERAT, Afghanistan, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- Walking on his saffron farms in west Afghanistan's Herat province, local businessman Abdul Shakor Ehrari said the U.S.-imposed sanctions on Afghanistan have undermined the export of saffron, a cash cow for locals, as the exporters cannot receive money from their clients via the banking system.

"The main problem that we are facing is money transaction via the banking system due to sanctions, and we cannot receive money from our customers through the bank," Ehrari told Xinhua recently.

Nevertheless, the businessman said, "Anyhow, the condition for exports in the bazaar is easy, and we can easily export our products outside the country."

Following the withdrawal of the U.S.-led forces from Afghanistan, Kabul's assets worth more than 9 billion U.S. dollars were frozen by the United States as part of its sanctions on the new rulers of impoverished Afghanistan.

To further mount pressure on the Taliban-run administration, U.S. President Joe Biden signed a decree in February last year, allowing the allocation of 3.5 billion dollars from the frozen Afghan assets to the families of the 9/11 terror attack victims.

Holding Afghanistan's assets in U.S. banks has worsened the economic problems of the already impoverished country and undermined its banking system.

However, Ehrari was happy over the expansion of saffron farming in his home province Herat, saying the planting area of the precious plants has increased.

"The saffron cultivation has increased from one hectare in the past to five hectares this year. The saffron plantation has increased about 30 percent," Ehrari, who is also the head of the committee of Saffron National Union Exports, told Xinhua.

Afghanistan's saffron is popular in the world, and the country exports it to several countries, including China and India, annually.

The post-war country, according to its agricultural authorities, produced 21 tonnes of saffron in the last harvest season, and those involved in the business expect to see a double harvest of the product in this harvest season.

Saffron plantations will also provide job opportunities for women in Herat province.

"Since the crisis of unemployment is high, particularly for women, it is a good opportunity for women to work for 20 or 25 days on saffron fields to collect saffron flowers and do processing and drying work," Ehrari said.

Mursal, an Afghan girl working on the saffron farm, said, "I clean flowers to obtain saffron."

"I come to work on saffron farms to earn money and support myself and my family," Mursal, wearing a red scarf and a mask to cover her face, told Xinhua. 
This photo taken on Nov. 23, 2023 shows the English version of the fourth volume of "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China" during a promotional event in Kathmandu, Nepal. Jhala Nath Khanal, former prime minister of Nepal, attended the promotional event here on Thursday. (Photo by Hari Maharjan/Xinhua)

KATHMANDU, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- A promotional event was held in the Nepali capital on Thursday for the English version of the fourth volume of "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China."

Jhala Nath Khanal, former prime minister of Nepal, told the event that he found "a visionary outlook of building socialism in China in a very innovative and constructive way" by reading previous volumes of the book.

In the books, readers could find "real socio-political and philosophical answers" to questions related to China's rapid development and transformation, he said.

Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Chen Song voiced his belief that the release of the new volume of the book in Nepal will help Nepali people enhance their understanding of why the Communist Party of China has been successful, and deepen their understanding of China's path, governance and principles, thus further promoting the China-Nepal strategic partnership of cooperation featuring ever-lasting friendship for development and prosperity.

The event was hosted by China's Foreign Languages Press and the China International Book Trading Corporation. 

Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Chen Song addresses a promotional event for the English version of the fourth volume of "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China" in Kathmandu, Nepal, Nov. 23, 2023. Jhala Nath Khanal, former prime minister of Nepal, attended the promotional event here on Thursday. (Photo by Hari Maharjan/Xinhua)
This photo taken on Nov. 22, 2023 shows books of Spanish-Chinese version of "Xi Jinping on Respecting and Protecting Human Rights" in Madrid, Spain. The launch ceremony of the Spanish-Chinese version of the book was held here on Wednesday, together with a seminar on "Human Wisdom for Global Governance." (Xinhua/Meng Dingbo)

MADRID, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- The launch ceremony of Xi Jinping on Respecting and Protecting Human Rights (Spanish-Chinese version) was held here on Wednesday, together with a seminar on "Human Wisdom for Global Governance."

Attending the event, Jose Luis Centella, president of the Communist Party of Spain, hailed China's efforts in human rights protection.

Noting that human rights protection is the mission of every country and the rights to subsistence and development are the primary basic human rights, Centella said that China gives prior attention to rural and less developed areas, and has lifted a huge number of people out of poverty, creating a more equal, democratic, just and safe social environment for the Chinese people.

The book showed the world China's visions and practices in respecting and protecting human rights, said Marta Montoro, manager and director of Institutional Relations of "Catedra China" in Spain.

She was echoed by Antonio Segura, founding president of Association of Lawyers Friends of China.

Qu Xun, minister of the Chinese Embassy in Spain who also attended the event, said China has made great achievements in promoting the cause of human rights.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and Spain, and the past half-century has witnessed a sound and smooth development of bilateral ties, Qu said.

This is because both sides have adhered to the principles of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit which guided the establishment of their diplomatic ties, and stuck to the right path of seeking friendly coexistence among countries with different cultures and systems, Qu added.

There is no one-size-fits-all human rights development path in the world and there is always room for improvement when it comes to the protection of human rights, Qu added.

Compiled by the Institute of Party History and Literature of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, the book uses nine themes to systematically record the remarks of Xi on respecting and protecting human rights.

In 2022, the Central Compilation and Translation Press published the English-Chinese, French-Chinese, Russian-Chinese, Spanish-Chinese and Japanese-Chinese versions of the book. 

A man reads a book of Spanish-Chinese version of "Xi Jinping on Respecting and Protecting Human Rights" in Madrid, Spain, Nov. 22, 2023. The launch ceremony of the Spanish-Chinese version of the book was held here on Wednesday, together with a seminar on "Human Wisdom for Global Governance." (Xinhua/Meng Dingbo)
A U.S. border patrol officer is on duty at the Rainbow Bridge U.S. border crossing with Canada in Niagara Falls, New York State, the United States, Nov. 22, 2023. There is no indication of terrorist involvement in a vehicle explosion that claimed two lives at a border crossing between the United States and Canada in Niagara Falls on Wednesday, said New York State Governor Kathy Hochul.

The incident at Rainbow Bridge, which also injured one border officer, triggered an investigation by the FBI local office and prompted the closing of four cross-border bridges for hours. (Mike Groll/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul/Handout via Xinhua)

NEW YORK/OTTAWA, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- There is no indication of terrorist involvement in a vehicle explosion that claimed two lives at a border crossing between the United States and Canada in Niagara Falls on Wednesday, said New York State Governor Kathy Hochul.

The incident at Rainbow Bridge, which also injured one border officer, triggered an investigation by the FBI local office and prompted the closing of four cross-border bridges for hours.

While Hochul ruled out terrorist involvement, Canadian media reported that Canadian officials are currently operating under the assumption the incident is terror-related, and are trying to determine if the incident was isolated.

A local individual from West New York is behind the crash, said Hochul, noting it is still not known whether the crash was intentional or not.

New York State Police is actively working with the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force to monitor all points of entry to New York, said Hochul in an earlier statement.

The Rainbow Bridge and three other bridges between western New York and Ontario were quickly closed as a precaution, though the other three later reopened.

Moreover, the U.S. National Railroad Passenger Corporation temporarily suspended cross-border service between New York State and Canada, and the Federal Aviation Administration paused international arrivals and departures from Buffalo Niagara International Airport for a few hours.

"Right now we currently have the Rainbow Bridge closed in both directions in Niagara Falls," said Ontario Provincial Police Sgt. Kerry Schmidt, adding that the Fort Erie Peace Bridge is also closed in both directions.

Also on Wednesday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he has been briefed by the national security and intelligence advisor on the situation.

"We are in contact with the U.S. officials. The minister of public safety, RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police), and CBSA (Canada Border Services Agency) are fully engaged and providing all necessary support," Trudeau said. 

This photo taken on Nov. 22, 2023 shows the Rainbow Bridge U.S. border crossing with Canada in Niagara Falls, New York State, the United States. There is no indication of terrorist involvement in a vehicle explosion that claimed two lives at a border crossing between the United States and Canada in Niagara Falls on Wednesday, said New York State Governor Kathy Hochul.

The incident at Rainbow Bridge, which also injured one border officer, triggered an investigation by the FBI local office and prompted the closing of four cross-border bridges for hours. (Mike Groll/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul/Handout via Xinhua)

New York State Governor Kathy Hochul (front) holds a press briefing on a vehicle explosion at a border crossing between the United States and Canada, in Niagara Falls, New York State, the United States, Nov. 22, 2023. There is no indication of terrorist involvement in a vehicle explosion that claimed two lives at a border crossing between the United States and Canada in Niagara Falls on Wednesday, said New York State Governor Kathy Hochul.

The incident at Rainbow Bridge, which also injured one border officer, triggered an investigation by the FBI local office and prompted the closing of four cross-border bridges for hours. (Mike Groll/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul/Handout via Xinhua)
by Wang Qibing, Catherine Fiancang-Bokung

GENEVA, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- The recent meeting between the Chinese and U.S. leaders in California will have a positive impact on global efforts to address climate change, head of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has said.

The positive development in interactions between China and the United States is significant, as the two major players have the potential to drive substantial change on the global stage, said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas in a recent interview with Xinhua.

Their commitment to boosting green energy capacity also resembles the cooperative spirit of the Paris Agreement of 2015, he said ahead of the upcoming 28th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Dubai.

Last week, the WMO released a report warning about the escalating crisis of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Key greenhouse gases including carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide have soared to a record level, Taalas said, stressing that as emissions from industrial activities continue to rise, there is an urgent need for concerted efforts to address and mitigate climate change.

The world now possesses advanced technologies to solve the problem of carbon dioxide emissions, such as shifting to solar and wind energy that are greener and cheaper, Taalas said.

At the same time, as the cost of batteries and electric vehicles is decreasing, more and more car manufacturers have suspended the production of traditional gasoline-based vehicles, he added.

Speaking of China's investment of substantial resources to increase renewable energy capacity, Taalas said China is already the biggest producer of green energy.

"The country (China) leads in the production of solar technology and plays a significant role in the manufacturing of wind energy technology," said the WMO chief.

He also noted that China is already the largest producer of electric vehicles globally and the market is evidently expanding.

"Therefore, China can make a significant contribution" to solving the global challenge of climate change, he added. 
Leader of Russian party adopts 10-month-old forcibly deported from Kherson 23 November, 04:00 PM Sergey Mironov (Photo:Russian State Duma)

The head of the Fair Russia  For Truth party, Sergey Mironov, and his wife "adopted" aten-month-old girl deported from Ukraine, subsequently changing her name, BBC reported.

Mironovs wife, Inna Varlamova, arrived in Kherson in August 2022. She visited the Kherson Regional Childrens Hospital and was shown two children, ten-month old Margarita Prokopenko, and two-year-old Ilya Vashchenko. Margarita was being treated for bronchitis at the time. Shortly after, the children were discharged and abducted to Russia.

Video of day

Russia claims the children were taken to Moscow for examination, determination of further treatment tactics, and rehabilitation.

Mironov and Varlamova adopted Margarita in December 2022, changing her name to Marina Sergeyivna Mironova, and altering her birthplace from Kherson to Podilsk, near Moscow.

Margaritas biological mother was deprived of parental rights and her father passed away. She has no other relatives. There is no complete information available about Ilya. A new birth certificate was forged for him in September 2023. Both children are currently in Moscow.

According to the Ukrainian state platform Children of War, as of Sept. 27, at least 19,546 children have been deported or forcibly displaced by Russia.

In total, the number of Ukrainian children illegally taken to Russia could reach 16,000 to 300,000, says the European Parliament. MEPs believe that Russians began taking Ukrainian children back in 2014 when they started their military occupation of Ukraines Crimea and parts of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.

Will you support Ukraines free press? Dear reader, as all news organizations, we must balance the pressures of delivering timely, accurate, and relevant stories with requirements to fund our business operations. As a Ukrainian-based media, we also have another responsibility  to amplify Ukraines voice to the world during the crucial moment of its existence as a political nation. Its the support of our readers that lets us continue doing our job. We keep our essential reporting free because we believe in our ultimate purpose: an independent, democratic Ukraine. If youre willing to support Ukraine, consider subscribing to our Patreon starting from 5$ per month. We are immensely grateful.

Please help us continue fighting Russian propaganda. Truth can be hard to tell from fiction these days. Every viewpoint has its audience of backers and supporters, no matter how absurd. If conscious disinformation is reinforced by state propaganda apparatus and budget, its outcomes may become deadly. There is no solution to this, other than independent, honest, and accurate reporting. We remain committed to empowering the Ukrainian voice to push against the muck. If youre willing to stand up for the truth  consider supporting us on Patreon starting from 5$ per month. Thank you very much.

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In this article, we shall discuss 40 least-welcoming countries in the world. To skip our detailed analysis of the global hospitality sector in 2023, go directly and see 10 Least-Welcoming Countries in the World.

The global hospitality industry is valued at $4.6 trillion as of 2023 and is expected to rise to $5.8 trillion by 2027, marking a CAGR of 5.5%. According to a market report by CBRE, the rebound of global travel patterns are expected to normalize hotel market fundamentals to pre-pandemic levels in 2024. The relaxation of travel restrictions in China and Japan, alongside a resurging Chinese economic outlook, is forecasted to return APAC region RevPAR (revenue per available room) to pre-pandemic levels in 2024. According to an analysis by Forbes, hotel wages have risen more than 19% from 2020 to 2023 even in some of the least-welcoming countries in the world, making the industry a more attractive first-choice prospect for college graduates looking to join the workforce. Market performance of the global hospitality sector has surpassed other competing industries like technology and retail with the gap increasing in the latter half of 2023. The post-pandemic demand for travel remains substantial which should drive continued growth in 2024, with RevPAR up more than 8.3% in 2023 from 2019 in the US. RevPAR exceeded GDP growth within the current economic cycle and overall, the hospitality industry looks poised for a strong year in 2024. Some of the largest players in the hospitality industry are Marriott International (NYSE:MAR), Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT), and MGM Resorts International (NYSE:MGM).

According to Ernst and Young, this rampant growth within the hospitality sector is largely owing to the recovery of business travel globally as companies ramp up travel budgets. The frequency and popularity of trade shows and conferences post the pandemic points to the pent-up demand which persists across industries. Certain analysts cited the growth of the work-from-home segment in recent years as a cautionary note for the hotel industry in coming years; however, it has since become apparent that the growth in the work-from-home segment has been an essential proponent of the resurgence of the hospitality industry as employees are now building their travel plans around both business and leisure. "Bleisure travel", where business executives add a day or some budget extra time in their work trip for sightseeing or other kinds of leisure activity. Hence, these developments in the market points to increased revenue and continued recovery of the global hospitality sector in 2024 even in the least-welcoming countries in the world. You can read more on the resurgence of the travel industry in our article 12 Best Travel Stocks to Buy Right Now.

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Overcoming Hotel Staffing Shortages: An Analysis

During the COVID-19 lockdowns, hotel staff around the world were forced to stay home, with more than seventy percent of hotel staff facing massive layoffs in the United States. During the pandemic, numerous hospitality workers reevaluated their career paths and work-life balance and have since opted for employment opportunities which offer increased flexibility or higher pay such as retail, e-commerce, or warehousing. This has presented the global hotel industry with a massive problem post-pandemic, with many companies now struggling to restore their labor pools especially in some of the least-welcoming countries in the world. According to a survey by the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA), more than 87% of hotels in the United States have reported that they are battling severe staff shortages. 45 percent of hotels highlighted housekeeping roles as being the most critically understaffed. According to the survey, similar labor pool insufficiencies are hindering operations in hotels across the United States as employment in the hospitality industry significantly plummeted by almost 400,000 jobs between 2020 and 2023, with more than one in 20 vacancies still remaining unfilled.

According to a report by McKinsey, this stark labor shortage presents countless opportunities to companies like Marriott International (NYSE:MAR), Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT), and MGM Resorts International (NYSE:MGM) to pursue innovative methods to fill job openings and overcome the global talent crisis which persists in some of the least-welcoming countries in the world. One of the primary methods companies can use is to use standardized activity-based metrics to predict frontline coverage requirements. The report points out that hotels tend to predicate recruitment based on average weekly occupancy which does not reflect actual need since occupancy is extremely volatile and fluctuates frequently. Alternatively, companies could expand occupancy metrics to include specific criteria, like the frequency of check-ins and check-outs, or the number of tables seated at the hotel restaurant.

Other innovative practice that companies could use is to redesign and revamp employment roles to combine similar jobs. Conventional hotel recruitment tends to include a variety of roles with clear delineations between managers and frontline employees. Each discipline such as housekeeping, front-desk, and maintenance boast different career pathways to promotion. However, to ramp up resilience in times of adversity, companies could revamp job descriptions in a way where a smaller workforce is needed to perform the same number and quality of tasks. This could entail merging similar roles or cross-training staff, the latter allowing for the possibility for staff to occasionally switch roles accordingly. Furthermore, hotel companies could also curate job networks across properties, with roles staffed to cover an extensive network of sites rather than just one location, especially in companies which have a centralized administration for functions like legal, accounting, and human resource. This approach could prove to be fruitful for a variety of different jobs like office support, frontline staff, specialized positions, and management in some of the least-welcoming countries in the world.

The Future of the Hotel Industry: A Brief Overview

According to an interview of senior Accor executives by McKinsey, the hotel guest experience in the 2030s is likely to entail a variant of augmented hospitality, where the hotel becomes more than a mere place to stay. Hotels will be looking to move away from their current position as part of a travel experience; alternatively, they are shifting to become locations people can enjoy even if they reside within the same neighborhood. This hybrid model is an important and growing trend within the global hotel industry, with companies like Marriott International (NYSE:MAR), Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HLT), and MGM Resorts International (NYSE:MGM) racing to optimize and drive the industry-wide shift in efforts to maximize profitability and enhance resilience to tourism disruptions in the future, especially in some of the least-welcoming countries in the world.

Furthermore, with a massive rebound in business travel, companies are on the brink of reaching pre-pandemic levels of business. However, there is a massive shift in the nature of business travel with 'bleisure travel' overtaking the former. Within the next decade, hotel managers are expecting that all different elements of life - business, private life, play, culinary experiences, friendship reunions - will intertwine in an unprecedented manner. This has led to hotels around the world increasing investments in multipurpose rooms and spaces where guests can simultaneously work, eat, and socially connect throughout the day. Hotels are also recognizing the need for rooms to be more dynamic and potentially transforming within minutes from small in-person meeting rooms to areas fit for proper, professional video conferencing.

Moreover, these transformations are likely to affect the very design of hotels in the next decade. According to Accor executive Damien Perrot:

"Sustainability is the starting point of everything we do concerning design. When we talk about sustainability, we are talking about not just reducing the carbon footprint and energy consumption but also improving the quality of work for the employeesso ergonomics is also very important to integrate into design. Sometimes, design becomes a word that just means, It looks nice. But its much more than that: design is a tool which, when used properly, can make a property very efficient in terms of guest experience, employee experience, and sustainability. In the 2030s, the design and architecture of hotels will be completely different. Biophilic design, which increases connectivity to the natural environment, will completely shape the future of hospitality. A range of technologies, many of which already exist today, will be integrated into hotels to make them more self-sufficient."

You can read more on the transformational shifts within the global tourism industry in our coverage of the 40 Most Visited Cities in the World in 2023.

Least-Welcoming Countries in the World

Photo by Samuel Regan-Asante on Unsplash

Our Methodology

To compile our list of the 40 least-welcoming countries in the world, we decided to undertake a consensus-based approach using a diverse variety of credible sources to determine which countries have exhibited the least amount of hospitality (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7). We then shortlisted more than 80 countries which appeared most frequently during our research. Since hospitality is an incredibly multifaceted and complex phenomenon, we established a three-pronged criteria to measure how welcoming each country is; the criteria is premised on each country's overall cultural openness (25 points), political stability and safety (20 points), and visa policy (15 points). We then proceeded to award each country a cumulative score according to the aforementioned criteria and selected 40 countries which scored the highest points. Subsequently, we ranked each entry based on the total points scored, from lowest to highest. Where there was a tie, we broke it based on the overall cultural openness within the country.

To read about the most-welcoming countries in the world, check out our article on the 30 Friendliest Countries in the World.

Least-Welcoming Countries in the World

40. Burkina Faso

Total Score: 12

Burkina Faso faces a litany of internal political conflicts, which makes it unsafe for tourists to visit the country.

39. Benin

Total Score: 13

High poverty rates and high crime rates may make Benin seem less welcoming to foreigners.

38. Eritrea

Total Score: 13

It is generally difficult to enter Eritrea as it widely considered a police state. It is also highly expensive to travel around the country.

37. Myanmar

Total Score: 15

A large degree of power in Myanmar rests with its military. Thus, there is very little investment which makes its way into the country's tourism sector, making it one of the least-welcoming countries in the world.

36. Djibouti

Total Score: 17

Many tourists find Djibouti to be one of the least-welcoming countries in the world as it has an extremely underdeveloped tourism infrastructure.

35. Algeria

Total Score: 17

Algeria does not welcome many tourists throughout the year because of a lack of tourism opportunities and extremely conservative culture.

34. Mali

Total Score: 18

Despite having a high potential for tourism, Mali ranks very low on welcoming tourists as it lacks the necessary tourism infrastructure.

33. Burundi

Total Score: 19

Burundi does not provide its tourists with easy public transportation and has incredibly stringent visa policies for tourists looking to visit the country for vacation.

32. Yemen

Total Score: 19

Due to the ongoing civil war and constant political unrest within the country, Yemen has not been able to welcome tourists, making it one of the least-welcoming countries in the world.

31. Afghanistan

Total Score: 21

Afghanistan has a highly conservative culture and lacks necessary tourism infrastructure, which hinders outsiders from visiting the country.

30. Uzbekistan

Total Score: 22

Despite being at a historical location in Central Asia, Uzbekistan does not welcome many tourists as the country has an underdeveloped tourism infrastructure.

29. Turkmenistan

Total Score: 22

To visit Turkmenistan, tourists have to follow a lengthy and expensive procedure in order to receive visas, which discourages many visitors from touring the country.

28. Somalia

Total Score: 23

Constant political uncertainty and unrest makes the country seem unwelcoming to outsiders.

27. Syria

Total Score: 25

Syria has an ongoing civil war, which has negatively impacted its infrastructure. Thus, it lacks the ability to host tourists, making it one of the least-welcoming countries in the world.

26. Libya

Total Score: 28

Currently Libya is not providing entry visas to tourists, unless they pay an exorbitantly expensive fee. This discourages tourists from visiting the country.

25. Ukraine

Total Score: 28

Ukraine is amidst conflict with Russia, which has hampered public perception pertaining to the country in terms of safety.

24. Sudan

Total Score: 29

Tourism in Sudan is decreasing rapidly due to an underdeveloped infrastructure and an excruciatingly slow procedure to receive visit visas.

23. Iraq

Total Score: 31

Even though Iraq has a rich cultural heritage, many foreigners do not visit the country due to constant political turmoil. Constant geopolitical tensions have caused locals to harbor suspicion with respect to Western tourists, making Iraq one of the least-welcoming countries in the world.

22. Japan

Total Score: 32

One of the most difficult things that tourists face in Japan is the language barrier. It is incredibly difficult to communicate in Japan without knowing Japanese, and the tourists have complained of locals not being particularly helpful.

21. Kazakhstan

Total Score: 33

Despite Kazakhstan being a beautiful country, there is an exorbitant level of street crime which discourages tourists from visiting the country.

20. Hungary

Total Score: 35

Hungary is generally a safe place to visit; however, it has high levels of crimes in crowded tourist areas along with incredibly stringent visa policies which causes it to make our list of the least-welcoming countries in the world.

19. Slovakia

Total Score: 36

Slovakia has beautiful landscapes but many people do not visit the country because the locals are not thought to be openly friendly.

18. Sweden

Total Score: 37

One main obstacle that tourists face while visiting Sweden is difficulty in finding accommodation for their stay, which is partly due to an overburdened tourism infrastructure, making it one of the least-welcoming countries in the world.

17. Czech Republic

Total Score: 37

Petty crime is extremely common in the Czech Republic which discourages outsiders from visiting the country.

16. Austria

Total Score: 38

Many tourists are subjected to petty crimes in Austria by locals, making it an unfriendly country to visit.

15. Vietnam

Total Score: 42

Even though Vietnam wants to promote its tourism sector, it lacks infrastructure and investment potential to do so, making it one of the least-welcoming countries in the world.

14. Latvia

Total Score: 43

Outsiders consider the locals of Latvia to be reserved when dealing with tourists. So it is thought to be unwelcoming.

13. Qatar

Total Score: 43

Qatar is often negatively impacted by the constant conflict in its neighboring countries. Furthermore, it has incredibly restrictive policies for tourists, causing it to make our list of the least-welcoming countries in the world.

12. Denmark

Total Score: 44

Locals and tourists in Denmark face petty crimes in the country. Thus, many tourists feel discouraged in visiting.

11. North Korea

Total Score: 44

North Korea has restrictive policies for tourists, which makes it one of the least-welcoming countries in the world.

Click to continue reading and see 10 Least-Welcoming Countries in the World. Suggested Articles:

Disclosure: None. 40 Least-Welcoming Countries in the World is originally published on Insider Monkey.
Key Insights

Institutions' substantial holdings in Public Bank Berhad implies that they have significant influence over the company's share price

A total of 6 investors have a majority stake in the company with 51% ownership

Analyst forecasts along with ownership data serve to give a strong idea about prospects for a business

To get a sense of who is truly in control of Public Bank Berhad (KLSE:PBBANK), it is important to understand the ownership structure of the business. And the group that holds the biggest piece of the pie are institutions with 42% ownership. That is, the group stands to benefit the most if the stock rises (or lose the most if there is a downturn).

Given the vast amount of money and research capacities at their disposal, institutional ownership tends to carry a lot of weight, especially with individual investors. As a result, a sizeable amount of institutional money invested in a firm is generally viewed as a positive attribute.

Let's take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholders can tell us about Public Bank Berhad.

View our latest analysis for Public Bank Berhad

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Public Bank Berhad?

Many institutions measure their performance against an index that approximates the local market. So they usually pay more attention to companies that are included in major indices.

As you can see, institutional investors have a fair amount of stake in Public Bank Berhad. This suggests some credibility amongst professional investors. But we can't rely on that fact alone since institutions make bad investments sometimes, just like everyone does. If multiple institutions change their view on a stock at the same time, you could see the share price drop fast. It's therefore worth looking at Public Bank Berhad's earnings history below. Of course, the future is what really matters.

Public Bank Berhad is not owned by hedge funds. The company's largest shareholder is Consolidated Teh Holdings Sdn Berhad, with ownership of 23%. With 16% and 4.1% of the shares outstanding respectively, Employees Provident Fund of Malaysia and Kumpulan Wang Persaraan are the second and third largest shareholders.

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We did some more digging and found that 6 of the top shareholders account for roughly 51% of the register, implying that along with larger shareholders, there are a few smaller shareholders, thereby balancing out each others interests somewhat.

While it makes sense to study institutional ownership data for a company, it also makes sense to study analyst sentiments to know which way the wind is blowing. There are plenty of analysts covering the stock, so it might be worth seeing what they are forecasting, too.

Insider Ownership Of Public Bank Berhad

While the precise definition of an insider can be subjective, almost everyone considers board members to be insiders. The company management answer to the board and the latter should represent the interests of shareholders. Notably, sometimes top-level managers are on the board themselves.

I generally consider insider ownership to be a good thing. However, on some occasions it makes it more difficult for other shareholders to hold the board accountable for decisions.

Our information suggests that Public Bank Berhad insiders own under 1% of the company. We do note, however, it is possible insiders have an indirect interest through a private company or other corporate structure. Being so large, we would not expect insiders to own a large proportion of the stock. Collectively, they own RM140m of stock. Arguably recent buying and selling is just as important to consider. You can click here to see if insiders have been buying or selling.

General Public Ownership

The general public, who are usually individual investors, hold a 33% stake in Public Bank Berhad. While this group can't necessarily call the shots, it can certainly have a real influence on how the company is run.

Private Company Ownership

We can see that Private Companies own 24%, of the shares on issue. Private companies may be related parties. Sometimes insiders have an interest in a public company through a holding in a private company, rather than in their own capacity as an individual. While it's hard to draw any broad stroke conclusions, it is worth noting as an area for further research.

Next Steps:

It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand Public Bank Berhad better, we need to consider many other factors. For instance, we've identified 1 warning sign for Public Bank Berhad that you should be aware of.

If you would prefer discover what analysts are predicting in terms of future growth, do not miss this free report on analyst forecasts.

NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
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African Data Center Colocation Market

African Data Center Colocation Market

Dublin, Nov. 23, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Africa Data Center Colocation Market - Industry Outlook & Forecast 2023-2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The Africa data center colocation market is expected to reach a value of $1.23 billion by 2028 from $670 million in 2022, growing at a CAGR of 10.64% from 2022-2028.

South Africa takes center stage in the African data center colocation market, wielding its influence as the primary driver of capacity in the region. With over 60% of the IT power capacity, South Africa's allure as an investment hub for data center facilities is unmistakable.

Other African nations, including Nigeria and Kenya, follow suit, making substantial investments in data center infrastructure. The impetus behind this regional data center expansion extends beyond South Africa, propelled by the rise of smart cities, special economic zones, free trade zones, and government incentives.

The African continent is witnessing the emergence of smart cities, exemplified by projects such as Lanseria and Nkuna smart cities in South Africa and Nigeria's Eko Atlantic City, all contributing to the burgeoning data center landscape. This growth is further amplified by increased demand across various industries, with acquisitions and joint ventures opening doors for new players to enter the market, attract customers, and secure a larger market share.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) adoption is another driving force behind regional data center investments, exemplified by strategic partnerships like Huawei and ITDIA's "Spark" initiative in Egypt, aimed at promoting AI-based investments and initiatives.

The connectivity landscape is evolving as well, with the deployment of new submarine cables such as Africa-1, 2Africa, India Europe Xpress (IEX), Equiano, Medusa Submarine Cable System, and SeaMeWe-6, all set to enhance connectivity in the African data center colocation market during the forecast period.

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MARKET TRENDS & DRIVERS

Deployment of 5G Network Services

The introduction of 5G in Africa will likely generate substantial data, further increasing investment in data centers. High internet connectivity, bandwidth, and less processing time is the feature of 5G technology. South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, and Ethiopia have witnessed the commercial launch of 5G in the region, while countries like Ghana, Algeria, Tanzania, and Congo were in the initial stages of their development.

Vodacom, MTN, Ericsson, Orange, Ethio Telecom, and Rain are the main telecom operators in Africa involved in the commercial deployment of 5G services that partially or entirely cover 5G services in the country. Several pilot 5G projects are underway and expected to be deployed in the forecasted period.

Procurement of Renewable Energy Sources

Due to the unavailability of proper power infrastructure in the African region, data centers were forced to develop their renewable energy infrastructure for power generation.

MTN, a South Africa-based telecom company, operates four facilities in Kenya and other African countries, uses renewable energy to power its data center, and aims to be carbon-neutral by 2040. It has introduced the "Project Zero" program.

In June 2022, Vantage Data Centers signed a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with SolarAfrica, in which the company will procure 87 MWp of solar energy that will be used to power its new facility.

SEGMENTATION INSIGHTS

Data centers invest in power infrastructure with a minimum N+1 redundancy. In 2022, UPS systems accounted for a market share of more than 30% of the total electrical infrastructure in data centers.

Data centers are investing in cooling infrastructure due to the high-temperature climate in some African countries. In 2022, cooling systems accounted for a market share of more than 65% of the total mechanical infrastructure in data centers. Air-based cooling contributed to more than 70% of the cooling technique in the African region.

There has been significant growth in establishing data centers in the region, specifically in the Tier III and Tier IV certification categories. Many private and public entities, including those in the BFSI, education, and government sectors, have obtained Uptime Institute certifications during the design phase or for their completed facilities. This demonstrates a strong commitment to high reliability and operational excellence in data center infrastructure.

KEY QUESTIONS ANSWERED:

How big is the Africa data center colocation market?

What is the growth rate of the Africa data center colocation market?

What is the estimated market size in terms of area in the Africa data center colocation market by 2028?

What are the key trends in the African data center colocation market?

How many MW of power capacity is expected to reach the Africa data center colocation market by 2028?

Key Attributes:

Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 275 Forecast Period 2022 - 2028 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2022 $0.67 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2028 $1.23 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 10.6% Regions Covered Africa

Market Opportunities & Trends

Increase In Smart City Initiatives

Government Support For Data Center Development

Growing Adoption Of Artificial Intelligence

Migration From On-Premises To Colocation & Managed Services

Rise In 5G Network Connectivity And Edge Data Center Deployments

Market Growth Enablers

Increasing Adoption Of Cloud Services

Growth In Penetration Of Big Data & Iot

Rise In Renewable Energy Adoption

Increase In Submarine Cable & Inland Connectivity

Market Restraints

Low Budgets & Investment Constraints In Data Center Development

Location Constraints On Data Centers

Dearth Of Skilled Workforce

Security Threats In Data Centers

VENDOR LANDSCAPE

Equinix expanded its footprint in the region by completing the acquisition of MainOne, including MDXi, in H1 2022.

Digital Realty acquired a major stake of around 55% in Teraco.

Key Data Center Investors

21st Century Technologies

Africa Data Centres

Digital Realty

Digital Parks Africa

Equinix

Galaxy Backbone

IXAfrica

Medallion Communications

Paratus Namibia

NTT Global Data Centers

Rack Centre

Raxio Data Centres

Telecom Egypt

Wingu

New Entrants

Airtel Nigeria

Airtel Nigeria

Cloudoon

Gulf Data Hub

Kasi Cloud

Khazna Data Centers

Open Access Data Centres

Vantage Data Centers

SEGMENTATION ANALYSIS

Segmentation by Colocation Service

Retail Colocation

Wholesale Colocation

Segmentation by Infrastructure

Electrical Infrastructure

Mechanical Infrastructure

General Construction

Segmentation by Electrical Infrastructure

UPS Systems

Generators

Transfer Switches & Switchgear

Power Distribution Units

Other Electrical Infrastructure

Segmentation by Mechanical Infrastructure

Cooling Systems

Racks

Other Mechanical Infrastructure

Segmentation by Cooling Systems

CRAC & CRAH Units

Chiller Units

Cooling Towers, Condensers & Dry Coolers

Other Cooling Units

Segmentation by Cooling Technique

Air-based Cooling Technique

Liquid-based Cooling Technique

Segmentation by General Construction

Core & Shell Development

Installation & Commissioning Services

Engineering & Building Design

Fire Detection & Suppression

Physical Security

DCIM/BMS Solutions

Segmentation by Tier Standard

Tier I & II

Tier III

Tier IV

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/vjkcze

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(Bloomberg) -- The chief executive officer of artificial-intelligence startup Cohere criticized the self righteousness of the effective altruism movement and those overly concerned with the threat of an AI doomsday in a letter to his staff on Wednesday.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The AI industry has been increasingly divided between those who urge caution and restraint in the development of the technology and those who want to barrel ahead quickly. That tension was on full display this past week amid the rupture between OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and the board members who fired him Fridaybefore the company rehired him five days later. The fear that AI might wipe out humanity is a key belief among many effective altruists and one that has grown increasingly influential in Silicon Valley and in the AI industry over the past decade. The OpenAI board included proponents of the philosophy.

In the letter, reviewed by Bloomberg, Cohere CEO Aidan Gomez said that the effective altruism movement, which aims to quantify how to do the most good for humanity, has become dogmatic and self-aggrandizing. When people begin to believe so deeply that they are uniquely qualified to benefit, or even save, humanity, they tend to be willing to take extreme actions towards that end, he wrote. Others have rebuked the philanthropic movement for similar reasons, citing the way ends justify the means thinking has led to harm, fraud and allegations of abuse.

Gomez wrote that Cohere was not distracted by fantastic stories about doomsdays and terminators. He also took some shots at the way other AI startups have partnered with cloud providers, similar to OpenAIs tie-up with Microsoft Corp. Over the years, we have had opportunities to receive large investments from various cloud providers, but we are not willing to accept money with strings attached, and will not accept money that needs to be recycled back into the investor, he wrote.

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A Cohere spokesperson confirmed the letters authenticity and declined further comment.

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BKN301 Group, a Fintech company offering Innovative Payments and Banking- as-a-Service solutions with a focus on high-growth markets, continues its strategy development, fostering its growth in the Middle East, especially in Qatar. The firm opened a new branch last July in Qatar, which will help it better serve the Mena region.

As part of this growth and as a result of the interest of fast-growing countries in innovative payments and financial solutions, BKN301 signed a partnership with CWallet, an award-winning Fintech startup, with Payment Service Provider (PSP) licensed from Qatar Central Bank committed in providing financial freedom and inclusion to a growing number of customers. Through this agreement BKN301 provides CWallet with a state-of-the-art platform that will improve the customer experience, increase security and respond to the ever-changing needs of people.

Remittance platform

CWallet's core business is focused on the development of remittance platforms, enabling digital cross-border money transfers and through the strategic partnership with BKN301, the company takes a significant leap forward in the products offered to its clients.

Consequently, the clients will be able to monitor, manage and collect their payments, using an innovative gateway, seamlessly integrated with the solutions offered by CWallet.

CWallet will integrate 301pay, BKN301s payment gateway white-label model, designed to facilitate not only e-commerce development but also mobile payments in physical stores. With this new integration into CWallet, the advantages for affiliated Qatari merchants have significantly increased.

Modular solutions

Stiven Muccioli, Founder & CEO of BKN301, says: "This partnership with CWallet represents a new important step in our expansion in Qatar and a proof of the power and adaptability of our modular solutions. Our mission has always been to break down barriers and accelerate the spread of digital payments and innovative financial solutions in high growth markets. A goal that we share with CWallet, committed in providing financial freedom and inclusion, and that together we can reach by bringing new and innovative solutions that can have a real impact on the lives and well-being of the population.

Michael Javier, Founder and CEO of CWallet, says: We have found in BKN301 a strategic partner able to provide what we were looking for: a cutting-edge solution that could improve the experience we offer, always guaranteeing the greatest security and ease of use on both ends, to clients and merchants. Thanks to this partnership and to the wide range of opportunities that it will bring to us, we are committed in improving the financial well-being and inclusion of many people, allowing users to borrow, save, earn, and invest for their future.

Jordan A Fabbri, Country Leader BKN301 Qatar, says: Together with CWallet, we are shaping the future of payment services in Qatar. Through our strategic partnership, were unlocking doors to advanced payment solutions, bringing a wave of innovation and international convenience.--TradeArabia News Service
American Airlines calls ASTA's complaint about the airline's ticket distribution through NDC,

American Airlines has responded to the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) complaint about the airlines ticket distribution through the New Distribution Capability (NDC), calling it a frivolous compilation of rhetoric and unsupported allegations.

The airline refuted ASTAs claim that its actions harm competition or consumers. It suggested that ASTAs complaint represents an effort by some travel agencies to impede the pace of innovation due to their reluctance to invest in new technologies.

ASTAs complaint is not an effort to protect consumers: it is an effort to protect certain agencies, said American. It is a plea to the government, on behalf of some travel agencies, to slow the pace of innovation for those agencies that have not invested in new technologies or adjusted old ways of doing business.

The Background

In a complaint filed in July with the Department of Transport (DOT), ASTA said that by removing over 40% of its fare inventory from traditional, i.e., non-NDC, booking channels, American Airlines was causing substantially higher air ticket prices for consumers, indirectly impacting the ability of travel agents to do their job .

In its response, filed on Tuesday, American Airlines stated that NDC is more transparent than the older Electronic Data Interchange for Administration, Commerce, and Transport (EDIFACT) technologies. The airline said it continues to make all fares viewable and comparable in both EDIFACT and NDC channels.

American Airlines has made more changes to its distribution strategy than nearly any giant carrier in the world, since around 2006. Its response echoed the sentiments of CEO Robert Isom, expressed earlier in November at the Skift Aviation Forum, that NDC is a competitive and consumer-friendly advancement in the travel industry.

More Options for Consumers

The lengthy response to the DOT sees American emphasize the NDC-enabled transparency for consumers.

The evidence shows that customers are (understandably) more satisfied with flexible and responsive NDC-enabled technologies than with dated Electronic Data Interchange for Administration, Commerce, and Transport (EDIFACT) technologies launched in the 1970s, said American. And for good reason: Customers who are given more information can select what they value, and they understand what they are buying There is no evidence in ASTAs 50-plus-page complaint that Americans NDC plans have led to higher prices or fewer options on any route, increased Americans alleged dominance, or otherwise harmed consumers. 

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ASTAs complaint is limited to the fact that American does not allow all of its fares to be transactable using EDIFACT. That may be problematic for agencies stuck in the old way of doing business, but customers, of course, can still get access to those fares through AA.com, meta-search travel sites, and/or by using other agencies that have adopted NDC, said American. In that case, an agency need only do what is best for the client  explain that another fare is available at a lower price on AA.com or through other third-party booking tools and agencies using more modern technologies.

Lagging in Technology Adoption

American Airlines further argued that its changes to ticket distribution have spurred other U.S. airlines, including United Airlines, to adopt NDC-based technologies.

United Airlines has implemented changes that have resulted in as much as 40% of all sales being fares that are only accessible through its NDC channel and, as of September 5, 2023, has entirely removed Basic Economy offerings from EDIFACT. (Mysteriously, ASTA seems fine with both of Uniteds efforts.) said American.

The airline further stated that agencies in America were lagging in technology adoption to the detriment of U.S. consumers.

In fact, many of the agencies now complaining about NDC efforts are already using these same technologies in other countries. Regrettably, though, agencies based in the United States lag far behind in NDC adoption, which is the real harm to American consumers, said American.

As the process moves forward, the DOT is expected to review the response and determine the next steps. This could involve further investigation or potentially a ruling on the complaint, shaping the future dynamics of airline distribution and travel agency operations.

Skift has reached out to ASTA for further comment.

Get breaking travel news and exclusive hotel, airline, and tourism research and insights at Skift.com.
Rationalstat LLC

The global animal ultrasound scanner market is expected to reach US$ 416.7 million by 2030, with an annual growth rate of more than 6.5% says RationalStat

Wilmington, Delaware, Nov. 23, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to RationalStat s most recent industry analysis, the Global Animal Ultrasound Scanner Market value is assessed at US$ 267.7 million in 2023 and is expected to rise at a strong CAGR of over 6.5% over the forecast period of 2023-2030.





Market Definition, Market Scope, and Report Overview

A veterinary ultrasound scanner, also known as an animal ultrasound scanner, is a medical imaging device used to examine and diagnose animals. It operates on the same principles as ultrasonic scanners used in human health, but is designed exclusively for veterinary uses. These gadgets generate real-time images of the interior structures of animals, such as organs, tissues, and blood arteries, using high-frequency sound waves. Veterinary ultrasound scanners are commonly utilized for a variety of purposes in animals, including pregnancy diagnosis, organ imaging, and musculoskeletal examinations.

The requirement for effective livestock production drives the demand for animal ultrasound scanners. Farmers employ ultrasonic technology to manage breeding programs, optimize reproductive cycles, and ensure herd health, all of which contribute to higher productivity.

According to a deep-dive market assessment by RationalStat, the global animal ultrasound scanner market has been analyzed on the basis of market segments, including type, animal type, solution, technology, application and geography/regions (including North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Middle East & Africa, and Asia Pacific). The report also offers global and regional market sizing for the historical period of 2019-2022 and the forecast period of 2023-2030.

Market intelligence for the global animal ultrasound scanner market covers market sizes on the basis of market value (US$/EUR Million) and volume (Units) by various products/services/equipment, demand assessment across the key regions, customer sentiments, price points, cost structures, margin analysis across the value chain, financial assessments, historical and forecast data, key developments across the industry, import-export data, trade overview, components market by leading companies, etc.

In addition, the long-term sector and products/services 10-year outlook and its implications on the global animal ultrasound scanner market. It also includes the industry's current state  Production Levels, Capacity Utilization, Tech quotient, etc. Key information will be manufacturing capacity by country, installed base, import volumes, market size, key players, market size, dynamics, market data, insights, etc.

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Global Animal Ultrasound Scanner Market: Segmental and Market Share Analysis

On the basis of solution, the equipment segment generated the highest revenue share with over 55% in 2022. Due to high adoption of these devices in veterinary clinics, hospitals and diagnostic centers.

On the basis of type, the 2-D ultrasound imaging segment held the largest revenue share of more than 40%. The growing acceptance of such gadgets in disease diagnosis and pregnancy detection can be ascribed to sector expansion.

Report Synopsis

Report Metrics Details Base Year 2023 Forecast Period 2023-2030 Base Year Market Size US$ 267.8 million Market Size Forecast US$ 416.7 million Growth Rate 6.5% Dominant Segment 2-D Ultrasound Imaging Dominant Region North America Key Market Drivers Growing pet ownerships

Awareness and education

Advancements in technology Companies Profiled IDEXX

Esaote SpA

FUJIFILM Holdings America Corporation

Shenzhen Mindray Bio-Medical Electronics

Siemens

Heska Corporation

GE Healthcare

Koninklijke Philips N.V.

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Competition Analysis and Market Structure

Some leading players adopt various strategies in order to reinforce their market share and gain a competitive edge over other competitors in the market. Mergers & and acquisitions, partnerships and collaborations, and product launches are some of the strategies followed by industry players. Some of the key developments in the global animal ultrasound scanner market include.

In November 2022, Draminski SA and Advanced Veterinary Ultrasound (AVU) collaborated to bring feature-rich POCUS equipment to the veterinary market. Draminski's portable ultrasound systems will be marketed, sold, and serviced by AVU.

Some of the prominent players and suppliers operating and contributing significantly to the global animal ultrasound scanner market growth include IDEXX, Esaote SpA, FUJIFILM Holdings America Corporation, Shenzhen Mindray Bio-Medical Electronics, Siemens, Heska Corporation, GE Healthcare, and Koninklijke Philips N.V., among others.

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RationalStat has segmented the global animal ultrasound scanner market based on type, animal type, solution, technology, application and region

Global Animal Ultrasound Scanner Market Value (US$ Million), Volume (Units), and Market Share (2019-2030) Analysis by Type 2-D Ultrasound Imaging 3-D/4-D Ultrasound Imaging Doppler Imaging

Global Animal Ultrasound Scanner Market Value (US$ Million), Volume (Units), and Market Share (2019-2030) Analysis by Animal Type Small Animals Large Animals

Global Animal Ultrasound Scanner Market Value (US$ Million), Volume (Units), and Market Share (2019-2030) Analysis by Solution Equipment Accessories/Consumables PACS

Global Animal Ultrasound Scanner Market Value (US$ Million), Volume (Units), and Market Share (2019-2030) Analysis by Technology Digital Imaging Contrast Imaging

Global Animal Ultrasound Scanner Market Value (US$ Million), Volume (Units), and Market Share (2019-2030) Analysis by Application Orthopedics Cardiology Oncology Urology & Obstetrics/Gynecology Others

Global Animal Ultrasound Scanner Market Value (US$ Million), Volume (Units), and Market Share (2019-2030) Analysis by Region North America Animal Ultrasound Scanner Market Value (US$ Million), Volume (Units), and Market Share (2019-2030) Analysis by Country US Canada Latin America Animal Ultrasound Scanner Market Value (US$ Million), Volume (Units), and Market Share (2019-2030) Analysis by Country Brazil Mexico Rest of Latin America Western Europe Animal Ultrasound Scanner Market Value (US$ Million), Volume (Units), and Market Share (2019-2030) Analysis by Country Germany UK France Spain Italy Benelux Nordic Rest of Western Europe Eastern Europe Animal Ultrasound Scanner Market Value (US$ Million), Volume (Units), and Market Share (2019-2030) Analysis by Country Russia Poland Hungary Other CIS Countries Rest of Eastern Europe Asia Pacific Animal Ultrasound Scanner Market Value (US$ Million), Volume (Units), and Market Share (2019-2030) Analysis by Country China Japan India South Korea Australia ASEAN Indonesia Thailand Philippines Vietnam Malaysia Rest of ASEAN Rest of Asia Pacific Middle East & Africa Animal Ultrasound Scanner Market Value (US$ Million), Volume (Units), and Market Share (2019-2030) Analysis by Country GCC Saudi Arabia (KSA) United Arab Emirates (UAE) Rest of the GCC South Africa Nigeria Turkey Rest of the Middle East & Africa



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Key Questions Answered in the Animal Ultrasound Scanner Report:

What will be the market value of the global Animal Ultrasound Scanner market by 2030?

What is the market size of the global Animal Ultrasound Scanner market?

What are the market drivers of the global Animal Ultrasound Scanner market?

What are the key trends in the global Animal Ultrasound Scanner market?

Which is the leading region in the global Animal Ultrasound Scanner market?

What are the major companies operating in the global Animal Ultrasound Scanner market?

What are the market shares by key segments in the global Animal Ultrasound Scanner market?

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Research Methodology

RationalStat has developed a state-of-the-art research methodology to crunch numbers and provide the best possible real-time insights to clients. We combine a varied range of industry experience, data analytics, and experts viewpoint to create a research methodology for market sizing and forecasting.

RationalStat combines a mix of secondary sources as well as primary research to assess the market size and develop a forecast. Key steps involved in accurately deriving the market numbers are:

Defining the problem by understanding the type of market and data required by the client.

Data gathering and collection through relevant paid databases, publicly available sources, company reports, annual reports, surveys, and interviews.

Formulating a hypothesis to create market numbers, forecasts, influencing factors, and their relevance.

Evaluating and analyzing the data by referring to data sources utilized and leveraged.

Validating, interpreting, and finalizing the data by combining the details gathered from primary and secondary sources with the help of experienced analysts.

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RationalStat is an end-to-end global market intelligence and consulting company that provides comprehensive market research reports, customized strategy, and consulting studies. The company has sales offices in India, Mexico, and the US to support global and diversified businesses. The company has over 80 consultants and industry experts, developing more than 850 market research and industry reports for its report store annually.

RationalStat has strategic partnerships with leading data analytics and consumer research companies to cater to the clients needs. Additional services offered by the company include consumer research, country reports, risk reports, valuations and advisory, financial research, due diligence, procurement and supply chain research, data analytics, and analytical dashboards.

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Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada

TORONTO, Nov. 23, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, with strong support from the public and private sectors in Canada, South Korea, and Thailand, is pleased to announce that it will lead Smarter Living: The Canadian Women-only Business Mission to South Korea and Thailand from November 26 to December 1, 2023, in Bangkok (Nov. 26-28) and Seoul (Nov. 29-Dec. 1).



South Korea and Thailand present ideal market opportunities for Canadian businesses, particularly in the sectors of cleantech, health care, and information and computer technology (ICT). Both countries have strategically prioritized these industries in their economic strategies and offer attractive incentives to foster growth and collaboration. By capitalizing on these complementary markets, Canadian companies can establish a strong foothold and tap into the potential for long-term success and mutually beneficial partnerships.

The Canadian Women-only Business Mission to South Korea and Thailand is part of the Foundations 2023-2025 mission series, Northeast X Southeast: Advancing Partnerships Between Canada and Asia and marks the seventh mission of APF Canadas Womens Business Missions to Asia Series.

The mission will focus on the cleantech, health tech, and ICT sectors and spotlight the innovations Canadian women entrepreneurs bring to these sectors. It will provide a unique opportunity to strengthen economic relationships between Canadian women entrepreneurs and businesses in South Korea and Thailand while fostering gender-inclusive trade, supporting small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and catalyzing international partnerships between Canadian companies and these two strong and dynamic Asian economies.

The Canadian Women-only Business Mission to South Korea and Thailand will feature public conferences with high-level speakers from government, business, and academia from Canada, South Korea, and Thailand to discuss bilateral and regional trade issues, gender inclusion in the economy with the goal of womens economic advancement, and SME supports. The mission's 21 delegates will participate in personalized business-to-business (B2B) matchmaking, company pitches, and networking opportunities with conference attendees.

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The Canadian Women-only Business Mission to South Korea and Thailand is generously supported by contributions from the Government of Canada through Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada.

Key Links:

Contacts:

Information:

A.W. Lee, Ph.D., Director, Inclusive International Trade,

Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada

a.w.lee@asiapacific.ca

Media:

Michael Roberts, Communications Director,

Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada

michael.roberts@asiapacific.ca

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FUZHOU, China, Nov. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The China proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has brought the vision of "heart connectivity" to reality, and it is a path to common development, multiple ambassadors and officials from BRI partner countries said on Wednesday during a roundtable held in Fuzhou, East China's Fujian Province.

GCCAC 2023 THE BELT AND ROAD GLOBAL CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE AND ASSOCIATIONS CONFERENCE

"The BRI has brought changes in the mind of the world," said Bishnu Pukar Shrestha, Ambassador of Nepal to China, noting that the initiative focuses on connectivity, not only in transportation, but also in minds and hearts.

"This vision and concept have now become possible to access," Shrestha continued. Nepal has benefited a lot from the BRI, and there are different projects that have been completed in Nepal, including railways and roads, which have energized bilateral cooperation and allowed the country to continue to develop, he said.

Shrestha made the remarks during a roundtable on the Belt and Road Global Chambers of Commerce and Association Conference, which is the world's first international cooperation and exchange platform with chambers of commerce, industry associations and other social organizations as the main participants. The conference, which is held annually, aims to harness the resources of chambers of commerce as the BRI cooperation advances, and to explore new international cooperation opportunities.

"The BRI gives an opportunity to the world that is connected now, and the potential for the initiative is unlimited," Awale Ali Kullane, Somali Ambassador to China, said during the roundtable, noting that the COVID-19 pandemic has delayed the process, but it has also shown the importance of such a global initiative.

Kadirkamu Kandasamy Yoganaadan, charge d'affaires of Sri Lanka's Embassy in China, enumerated a number of infrastructure construction projects under the BRI including ports, airports and expressways. Taking the Colombo Port project as an example, Yoganaadan said that it is being built with the modern sustainable design and smart city concept, providing investment opportunities in the IT industry, financial services and shipping logistics.

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"The BRI has generated many direct and indirect job opportunities in Sri Lanka, and we are expecting more direct investment flows. Sri Lanka is among the countries ready to join the second phase of the BRI," Yoganaadan noted.

Minister of Economic Affairs of the Embassy of Malaysia in China Unny Sankar Ravi Sankar said that China has been Malaysia's largest trade partner for 14 consecutive years and the biggest source of foreign direct investment as well. The two countries have established two industrial parks under the BRI, and more projects are expected next year, he said.

Minister of Economic Affairs of the Embassy of Pakistan in Beijing, China Aslam Chaudhary said that Pakistan is among the first countries that joined the BRI.

"During the last 10 years, we added 2,500 kilometers of motorways to the existing network of rural transportation and added 10,000 megawatts of generation capacity to the national grid. We also added 4,000 electricity transmission lines to the existing network," Chaudhary noted.

Chaudhary added that the major focus of the BRI during its first 10 years has been cooperation between countries to build infrastructure, promote economic development and investment. In the second phase, business-to-business collaboration will become increasingly important.

Ahmed Chouaib, charge d'affaires of the Mission of the League of Arab States in Beijing, said that Arab countries participating in the BRI are demonstrating a high degree of engagement with China. This initiative represents the power of international cooperation, a power of interconnectivity that crosses national and ethnic boundaries.

Chouaib noted that strengthening people-to-people communication between China and Arab countries has also become an integral part of the BRI, and cultural, tourism and artistic cooperation have all emerged.

The BRI is a symbol of unity between China and Arab countries. As well as building roads and bridges, it can also create more interconnected, prosperous and harmonious cooperation, said Chouaib.

Under the guidance of People's Daily and All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, the GCCAC 2023 & Presidents Conference is hosted by Fuzhou Municipal People's Government, Global Times, Fujian Federation of Commerce & Industry, Administrative Committee of Fuzhou New Area, and Administration of Fuzhou Area of China (Fujian) Pilot Free Trade Zone, as well as organized by Global Times Online, the Information Office of Fuzhou Municipal People's Government, and Fuzhou Federation of Industry and Commerce.

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SOURCE Huanqiu.com
(Bloomberg) -- Chinese tax authorities handed out a 20,000 yuan ($2,800) fine to a Foxconn Technology Group subsidiary for overstating expenses while Beijing is pursuing a broader probe into the iPhone makers operations.

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The Foxconn Industrial Internet Co. unit in the central Chinese city of Wuhan was fined by a local tax authority over its accounting of research and development expenses in 2021 and 2022, according to the state-run National Center for Public Credit Information.

A Foxconn representative didnt have immediate comment when contacted by Bloomberg News.

The move comes as China looks into the Apple Inc. suppliers tax affairs in the southern provinces of Guangdong and Jiangsu and land use in Hubei and Henan, where the company makes the bulk of iPhones, according to an October report in state media. The report did not mention Wuhan as an area covered by the tax probe.

Foxconn founder Terry Gou is seeking to run in Taiwans presidential election in January. He said that Chinas government would dare not touch his business empire when he formally announced his bid. His campaign activities have dwindled following the announcement of the investigations, but the billionaire remains in the race.

FII is a major contract manufacturer for Foxconn in China with close to 200,000 employees, according to its website.

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(Bloomberg) -- China exported more rice to the Ivory Coast in the three months through October than in the whole of 2022 after India restricted shipments of the grain, with those curbs likely to extend into next year.

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The Asian nation shipped 45,000 tons to the African country in October, matching the volume exported in August, customs data compiled by Bloomberg show. The Ivory Coast was the fourth-biggest buyer of non-basmati rice from India in 2022-23, according to Indian government data.

Top shipper India ramped up its curbs on overseas sales from late July and is expected to maintain those restrictions into next year to contain local prices ahead of an election. An Asian benchmark jumped back above $600 a ton this week after recently cooling from the highest level in almost 15 years.

The Ivory Coast has only purchased rice from China in October and August this year, with the total of 90,000 tons exceeding the 63,500 tons in 2022, according to customs data. Other African nations have boosted purchases from China.

China exported 20,000 tons to the Democratic Republic of Congo in October, the biggest monthly volume since at least July 2018, the figures show. Shipments to Ghana were at 20,000 tons, slightly lower than the record 20,500 tons in August.

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(Bloomberg) -- Embattled shadow banking giant Zhongzhi Enterprise Group Co. has revealed the depth of its financial difficulties, telling investors it is severely insolvent with a shortfall of $36.4 billion.

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The privately owned wealth manager said liquidity has dried up and the recoverable amount from asset disposals is expected to be low, according to a letter sent to investors on Wednesday seen by Bloomberg News.

Zhongzhi first triggered concern in August after one of its trust-company affiliates failed to make payments to customers on high-yield investment products. The groups financial difficulties add to President Xi Jinpings challenges as officials grapple with a property crisis and a weak economy.

The government will have to step in to help, and make sure the asset disposal will be conducted in an open and fair approach, said Sun Jianbo, founder of Beijing-based asset manager China Vision Capital, adding bad assets are typically sold with a 70% discount. For investors, its a lesson with huge costs.

An audit found Zhongzhis debts total 420 billion yuan to 460 billion yuan ($64.4 billion), compared with assets of 200 billion yuan, according to the letter.

The firm said the death of its founder Xie Zhikun in 2021 and the subsequent departure of senior executives had led to a failure of internal management. Previous efforts at a self-rescue didnt live up to expectations, Zhongzhi said in the letter.

The company didnt respond to a request seeking comment. The firm earlier hired KPMG to carry out what is likely to be a protracted restructuring process.

Those affected by Zhongzhis troubles are likely to be wealthy individuals. Shadow banks like Zhongzhi are loosely regulated firms that pool household savings to offer loans and invest in real estate, stocks, bonds and commodities. In recent years, even as rival trusts pared risks, Zhongzhi and its affiliates, especially Zhongrong International Trust Co., extended financing to troubled developers and snapped up assets from companies including China Evergrande Group.

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Preliminary due diligence shows the group has endured a significant risk of sustainable business operation and the company doesnt have sufficient assets to cover debt in the short term, the firm said in the letter.

--With assistance from Li Liu and David Scanlan.

(Adds analyst comment, details throughout.)

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Broadcom Corporation logo seen displayed on a smartphone.

Computer chipmaker Broadcom has completed its $69bn (55bn) acquisition of cloud computing firm VMware, wrapping up one of the biggest takeover deals in the technology sector.

The deal was scrutinised by regulators around the world ahead of last clearance from China.

There were concerns it could be affected by US-China tensions.

The approval follows a meeting between Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping at Apec summit in the US last week.

American company Broadcom - headquartered in San Jose, California - designs, develops and supplies semiconductor chips while it also offers infrastructure software solutions.

VMware - also an American company with headquarters in Palo Alto, California- develops virtualisation software which allows a user to run a virtual computer on a physical computer to increase the efficiency of the computer system.

Broadcom's president and chief executive officer, Hock Tan, said they were excited to bring together their teams to build "the world's leading infrastructure technology company".

Together, they hope to create private and hybrid cloud environments where users can run "apps anywhere".

To complete the deal, the firm has sought and received legal merger clearances in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, the European Union, Israel, Japan, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, the UK.

Shares in VMWare will now cease to be traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), according to the company.

The US and China have been engaged in a trade war since 2018 when the then US President Donald Trump imposed tariffs and other trade barriers on China.

Advanced chips, which are used in everything from cars, smartphones to fighter jets, have been the most recent hot commodity.

Last month, China hit back at the Biden administration's decision to impose new restrictions on their exports.

But the two leaders who met during the Apec summit managed to agree on a number of issues ranging from tackling climate change together to resuming military communication.

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Despite President Biden calling President Xi "a dictator", China's state-owned media hailed it as a "historic" summit which would be a "new starting point" for their relations.

Broadcom has been caught up tensions between the world's two biggest economies.

In 2017, the firm announced what would have been the largest-ever takeover deal for rival Qualcomm.

But four months later, it was blocked by Mr Trump after US national security officials warned that a deal could help China overtake America in the race to develop 5G technology.

Weeks later, Broadcom decided to move relocate to the US from Singapore.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, November 23, 2023--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In a groundbreaking collaboration, Mobily, one of the largest telecom companies in Saudi Arabia, and CyberArrow, a leading UAE-based Compliance Automation Platform and Cyber Security Awareness Platform provider, proudly announced their strategic partnership at Black Hat 2023. This partnership marks a significant step towards revolutionizing the approach to compliance in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231123032872/en/

CyberArrow and Mobily Announced a Strategic Partnership for CyberArrows AI-Powered GRC at Black Hat 2023 (Photo: Business Wire)

The announcement cements Mobily as a strategic partner using CyberArrow's AI-Powered GRC to boost cybersecurity compliance in the region. CyberArrow's latest AI GRC was featured at the center of Black Hat 2023.

Key Highlights of the Strategic Partnership

The strategic partnership between CyberArrow and Mobily is a dynamic collaboration aimed at reshaping the landscape of cyber security and compliance in Saudi Arabia. As a strategic partner, Mobily helps organizations across Saudi Arabia enhance compliance processes and streamline governance, risk, and compliance by utilizing CyberArrow's AI-Powered GRC.

This collaboration goes beyond physical presence; it symbolizes a shared vision for transformative advancements in compliance. The strategic partnership is designed to provide organizations in Saudi Arabia with intelligent solutions for navigating the complexities of cyber security and compliance with unprecedented efficiency.

The partnership highlights the profound impact of integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) into cyber security and compliance. Through cutting-edge solutions and strategic partnerships, CyberArrow demonstrates its commitment to leveraging AI as a catalyst for transformative change. As CyberArrow strategically partners with Mobily, these key messages echo their shared vision, amplifying the call for utilising CyberArrows AI-powered GRC platform and fortifying the digital landscapes of businesses in Saudi Arabia.

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"The collaboration with Mobily signifies more than just a partnership; it's a shared vision to make cyber security compliance accessible and robust for businesses in Saudi Arabia", said Amar, Co-founder of CyberArrow

Event Overview

Black Hat 2023, a prime global cyber security event, served as the stage for the announcement of this transformative partnership. CyberArrow's presence at Black Hat 2023 was a testament to the companys commitment to providing cutting-edge automation solutions with a special focus on CyberArrow's AI-powered GRC solution.

The event showcased an AI Innovation presentation with CyberArrow Co-founder Amar Basic as the keynote speaker. The live demo highlighted transformative impact of CyberArrow's AI-enabled GRC platform on compliance processes, offering attendees a firsthand look at seamless AI integration. This empowers organizations to navigate governance, risk, and compliance efficiently.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231123032872/en/

Contacts

Amar Basic

info@cyberarrow.io
Conferences by Strategic Partners  EVAM & MARii

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Nov. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The first E-Mobility Asia, the latest industry trade show in Kuala Lumpur, opened Wednesday bringing together new electrification technologies and thought leaders to accelerate the growth of green transport for a clean future.

The MITI minister Tengku Zafrul and Maxis Chairman Tan Sri Mokhzani Mahathir at E-Mobility Asia (2023) Exhibition at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.

The three-day event features a trade exhibition and two conferences by strategic partners -- Electric Vehicle Association of Malaysia (EVAM) and Malaysia Automotive, Robotics & IoT Institute (MARii).

Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Yang Berhormat Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz was the Guest-of-Honour at its opening.

EMA is co-located with inaugural Sustainability Environment Asia (SEA) trade show on a shared agenda for a clean and green future. The two events organised by Derrisen Sdn Bhd gather 100 Malaysian and foreign exhibitors, and are expected to welcome an estimated 12,000 attendees.

In addition to the strategic partners, EMA also received solid backing from domestic and regional related players.

Leading telco Maxis Malaysia is the official mobility solution provider.

The show is supported by the national EV associations of Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, the Asian Federation of Electric Vehicle Associations (AFEVA), ESG Association of Malaysia (ESGAM), Selangor and Federal Territory Engineering and Motor Parts Traders Association (EMPTA), The Electrical and Electronics Association of Malaysia (TEEAM) and Malaysian Technology Development Corporation (MTDC).

EMA provides excellent opportunities to potential investors to see what the EV industry has to offer including battery charging systems, as the Malaysian government ramps up efforts to promote the adoption of EV and to foster a conducive eco-system for a green auto industry.

A big presence on the exhibition floor is the Malaysian EV Showcase comprising Eclimo Sdn Bhd and its partners -- Denso Malaysia Sdn Bhd, RAP SEV, SP Metal Components Sdn Bhd, Power Steel & Electro-Plating Works Sdn Bhd and Swift Bridge Technologies (M) Sdn Bhd.

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"This is a good time to learn about the industry as well as the potential growth and trend, especially for SMEs, in terms of components and batteries and how they can fit into the supply chain. There is a lot of learn from production to after sales services, safety, from the hardware to the software," said Dato' Dennis Chuah, President of EVAM.

MARii is also prominent with a pavilion of six companies and a key programme is business matching in efforts to expand partnerships for a strong industry ecosystem.

Among the other exhibitors are Nihon Denkei from Japan (EV testing solutions), Nextem E-Mobility from Singapore (commercial e-truck), CAM (Sendok Group) (e-Van), Betamek Electronics (automotive electronic product), and Malaysian Technology Development Corporation (MTDC).

"If you want to learn about EV, know about the latest trends, the challenges and opportunities as well as the latest technology and human capital development, this is the place you have to go," said MARii CEO Mr Azrul Reza Aziz.

EVAM is organising a two-day E-Mobility Asia Conference with over 10 sessions with 30 renowned speakers from ASEAN member countries, in Hong Kong, South Korea and India on Nov 22 and 23.

The topics include trends and opportunities, enabling mass scale EV two-wheelers in ASEAN, unlocking electrification in commercial truck transport, transitioning to sustainable transportation for a low-carbon future, next level disruptive EV startups in ASEAN, a global perspective of localised battery production and the safety and environmental impact of charging infrastructure.

On Nov 24, MARii will host a day-long conference titled Malaysia EV 2023 Ecosystem Skills Conference: Enhancing Talent Through TVET with free admission.

The conference will be marked by six presentations and a dialogue with the focus on safety of charging stations, upskilling EV services, maintenance of e-motorcycles, streamlining TVET programmes for international recognition, upscaling and reskilling talent and the role of MARii as the national automotive industry lead.

"E-mobility is changing the automotive world in a very exciting way for consumers and the industry itself. EMA is proud to have the opportunity to work with so many partners from Malaysia and Asia on this transformation as well as the new technologies and new business opportunities for the next generation of driving. With our strategic partners, EVAM and MARii, we have also brought together industry experts and stakeholders to share insights and experiences to benefit both exhibitors and attendees," said Ms Vicky Tan, Project Director of Derrisen Sdn Bhd which is organising SEA and EMA.

For more information, visit https://emobilityasia.com/ | LinkedIn: E-MobilityAsia (EMA) | Facebook: E-Mobility Asia | Instagram: EMobilityAsia

Notes to Editors

Derrisen is a specialist in delivering impactful trade events and conferences for businesses and industries to create sustainable high performance and growth.

We bring you a deeply passionate and experienced team of organisers to deliver leading industry and lifestyle portfolios in Southeast Asia to help our clients achieve their business goals and shared purpose of building positive relationships for long-term success.

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SOURCE E-Mobility Asia
Blacklane Middle East, the region's leading Chauffeur Hailing service, validated by its recent accolade as Leading Chauffeur Company at the World Travel Awards, 2023, has announced a tenfold expansion of its dedicated all-electric fleet, launched in March 2023.

The expansion is marked by the introduction of first-class Mercedes EQS-SUVs, highlighting the region's surging demand for sustainable transportation solutions, evidenced by Blacklanes notable 200% increase in ride volumes during the last quarter.

Ahead of COP28, this strategic move aims to strengthen Blacklane MEs service offerings and reinforce the companys position as a leading provider of comprehensive mobility solutions across the UAE, further advancing the country's green and sustainability initiatives.

Blacklane ME's regional expansion is complemented by a notable rise in the number of chauffeurs, particularly female chauffeurs. A total of 120 chauffeurs have successfully completed the training program at Blacklanes Chauffeur Training Academy.

Over 50% of these professionals are female chauffeurs, and the company plans to further increase their representation within the next quarter, reaffirming its commitment to diversity and inclusion.

The Chauffeur Training Academy, established in September 2022, employs theoretical and simulator-based training, along with defensive driving techniques, instilling the highest standards of service, safety, etiquette, and discretion.

As part of Blacklane MEs commitment to delivering impeccable experiences, guests in Dubai can now conveniently book the Mercedes-Benz EQS-SUV via the app, with the option to select "Schedule for later.

We are witnessing an exhilarating phase of expansion in our business with remarkable tenfold growth of our dedicated all-electric fleet since March 2023. The introduction of our newest fleet member, the Mercedes EQS-SUVs, directly reflects the high calibre of services that Blacklane ME is committed to delivering, said Nicolas Soucaille, General Manager of Blacklane ME.

Operating in Dubai, a city that champions eco-innovation, has empowered us to not only expand rapidly but also to lead the charge in sustainable luxury travel. We're proud to be at the forefront of this green revolution, ensuring that our growth is in harmony with the region's environmental goals, added Soucaille.

"The growth of Blacklane Middle East showcases our united commitment to sustainable innovation. Our collaboration extends beyond investment, reflecting a shared vision of mobility that's sustainable and forward-thinking," stated Khaled Abdul Karim Al Fahim, Blacklane board member.

As Blacklane ME steadily grows, it exemplifies the synergy between our visions of transforming mobility. This significant expansion and the embrace of a diverse workforce resonate with Gargash Groups ethos, said Shehab Gargash, Managing Director and Group CEO of Gargash Group, an investor in Blacklane.

Internationally, Blacklane is operational in more than 50 countries and has recently expanded its highly sought-after City-to-City service to almost 200 routes. In the UAE, the Dubai  Abu Dhabi route has emerged as a top choice amongst local residents. This upswing in popularity is mirrored by a threefold increase in by-the-hour bookings over the past six months, particularly in this route, a statement said.

Culminating a year of strategic advancements and devoted commitment to excellence at the global level, Blacklane has quadrupled its global revenues to a record 200 million in 2022. This follows the recent close of Blacklanes Series F funding round. The company raised a total of $36 million from shareholders Al Fahim Group, Gargash Group, Mercedes Benz Mobility and Sixt, and also entered into a strategic partnership with Sixt.

In the future, Blacklane and Sixt will jointly work on expanding their footprint in international markets, a statement said. TradeArabia News Service
Ready to start shopping after that Thanksgiving feast? Several local small businesses are offering specials and discounts for Small Business Saturday 2024, from spas to beer.

Here's a look at Lubbock stores, services, and events to check out on Small Business Saturday, Nov. 25.

Here's some of Lubbock's Small Business Saturday specials and discounts

Aerial Atmosphere

Special: The dance studio at 5020 50th St., Suite 115, will have three discounts for online bookings through aerialatmosphere.com. The discounts and codes are:

10% Off All Class packs, use code SBS10.

15% Off Monthly Unlimited Memberships, use code SBS15.

15% Off Private Parties, use code SBSPARTY.

All Flowered Up Too

Special: From 11 a.m.-5 p.m. at 4615 50th St., the business will have light refreshments, a coffee bar and door prizes every 30 minutes. The discounts are 20% off of all Decorating Appointments booked, and 15% off the total for in-store purchases. All Flowered Up Too will also have an open house on Dec. 3.

Captured Memories Photo Solutions

Special: Captured Memories Photo Solutions is offering a special on Home Movie Digitizing through the end of November. When you have 10 VHS, camcorder tapes, or reels digitized, your 11th one is free. Visit www.capturedmemories.biz

Clean Baby Seat

Special: The infant child seat cleaning service will offer a buy one service at 20% off, get the second at 40% off. The deal will be available on Nov. 24, 25 and 27. People can purchase at https://www.facebook.com/cleanbabyseat/, https://www.instagram.com/cleanbabyseat/, or text 806-701-7170.

Fancy Nails and Spa

Special: The location at 5718 4th St. B will offer 20% off for new clients.

Fragrance of Heaven

Special: At 3501 50th St., Suite 124, this location actually hosts seven businesses. From 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Nov. 25, people can get these deals:

Cup Half Full Designs and Pure Blood Patriot: 50% of all tumblers, accessories, jewelry and purses, and 30% off all else.

A Huneybee Heart Gift shop: 50% off entire store.

Fragrance of Heaven: 30% off all mens gifts, warmers and dough bowls.

Pray Grace Art: 40% off purchases of $100.00 or more.

Lee Elmers: 20% off.

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Hawaii Fluid Art

Special: The offer begins on Nov. 24 and continues through Jan. 1, 2024. People can use the code OHANA808 to get $10 off all experiences. Customers also get a free $10 gift card for every $50 in gift card purchased.

Retro Rileys

Special: The boutique known for Rockabilly fashion inside KK's Corner Mall, 6409 Indiana Ave., will offer 10% off their entire store, $5 and $10 clothing racks, unique stocking stuffers, items for the guys and vintage holiday decorations. Saturday specials will continue until 2024.

Salt and Light Laundry Services

Special: This laundry service will offer an additional 5 lbs. of laundry done for free, with a minimum purchase of 20 lbs. Contact the business at 972-863-1632, or email Saltandlightlaundry@gmail.com.

Two Docs

Two Docs has partnered with other independently owned breweries across Texas to Sell limited edition glasses from Mystic Desert Studio with proceeds going to support the Texas Craft Brewers Guilds.

Special: Two Docs Brewing Co., 502 Texas Ave., will offer limited-edition glasses, designed by Mystic Desert Studio. A portion of the glass sales will go toward the Texas Craft Brewers Guild.

Wink by Amy Vinson

Special: This waxing service will offer: $10 off when you get a $50 gift card; $15 off when you get a $75 gift card; $20 off when you get a $100 gift card.

Wild Honey Hats

Special: Buy one hat, get one half-off from Friday-Sunday. Spend more than $100, receive a $25 voucher.

Other stores offering discounts:

RaiderMaids.

The Weird Space.

Lubbock Small Business Saturday events

LHUCA Affordable Art Sale

LHUCA, 511 Ave. K, will host the Affordable Art Sale from 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Nov. 25. People can find affordable art and support local artists inside the Ice House Gallery.

Lubbock Downtown Farmers Market Pop Up

While the farmers market season has ended, LDFM will host their inaugural Holiday Season Pop-Up Market at 5th Street and Avenue J from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Sip n Shop

New Home's Community Center will host a sip and shop from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. in the Cotton Creek Barn, 608 County Road J.

Small Business Saturday Craft Fair

The DAVA will host a craft fair at the Chapter House, 7414 83rd St. from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Lubbock Small Business Saturday deals, events announced for 2024
(Bloomberg) -- The braintrust that turned OpenAI into the worlds best-known artificial intelligence startup huddled at Sam Altmans home in San Francisco on Tuesday for another day of fighting with the companys board to reinstate him as the chief executive officer in what had already become one of the most dramatic corporate power struggles in Silicon Valley history.Still working on it, Mira Murati, OpenAIs chief technology officer and very briefly its interim CEO, wrote in a Slack message on Tuesday to the entire company, which was viewed by Bloomberg News. She included a picture of her and other top executives sitting in a semi-circle at Altmans home, with the ousted CEO wearing bright green sweatpants and staring intently at his screen. The photo received hundreds of supportive emoji reactions from employees who had spent the previous five days uncertain about their jobs, their equity and the direction of the company.

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Late on Tuesday, employees finally got an answer. OpenAI announced that it had reached an agreement for Altman to return as CEO alongside an overhauled board led by Bret Taylor, a former co-CEO of Salesforce Inc. The other directors on the initial board are Larry Summers, the former US Treasury Secretary, and existing member Adam DAngelo, the co-founder and CEO of Quora Inc. We are collaborating to figure out the details, OpenAI said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.Dozens of people still in OpenAI's San Francisco offices cheered and celebrated, according to a person who was there. On OpenAI's company Slack, employees rejoiced in reaction to a message posted by Murati, which said the company will "get back to work" on Monday. An impromptu party soon followed.Despite the palpable sense of relief, and the intention to return to business as usual, quite a few details remain unresolved. The final makeup of the board has not been set and theres still little clarification on what specifically prompted the board to oust Altman in the first place. OpenAI will also have to confront a new reputation as a dysfunctional company that happens to be developing very powerful  and, to some, frightening  technology. But for now, Altmans return pulls one of the most influential, and highly valued, startups back from the brink.

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OpenAI transformed how the public thinks about AI a year ago with the launch of its hugely successful chatbot, ChatGPT, and turned Altman into the face of the artificial intelligence industry. But he was fired by the board after disagreements with members over how quickly to develop and commercialize generative AI, people with knowledge of the matter have said. His firing shocked investors and prompted nearly all employees to threaten to quit and follow Altman to Microsoft Corp., OpenAIs biggest backer, which had agreed to hire him to head a new in-house AI unit.

OpenAIs board largely refused to engage with Altman following his firing on Friday, despite the immense pressure to reinstate him. Instead, the board named Twitch co-founder and former chief Emmett Shear its second interim CEO on Sunday night, after Murati advocated in favor of Altman returning to the company. Later that night, Ilya Sutskever, the companys chief scientist and board member, joined Shear in attempting to corral OpenAI employees for a meeting at its San Francisco headquarters, but hardly anyone showed up, according to a person familiar with the matter who asked not to be named discussing private information.As of Tuesday  after more than 700 of OpenAIs 770 employees had signed a letter threatening to quit  Altman was back in discussions with board member DAngelo, said people with knowledge of the matter. (Sutskever was among the employees who signed the letter, after expressing regret for his participation in the boards actions.)The negotiating parties made key concessions in order to reach an agreement, people familiar with the matter said. Altman agreed not to join the initial board, people said, though some expect he will become a director eventually. The parties also agreed to an independent investigation into Altman and the events surrounding his ouster, people said.

Shears decision to join the deliberations was also critical to reaching a deal, one person said. Shear had been vocal about the existential risks of AI, a position that was compelling for the board directors at OpenAI, Bloomberg reported. Coming into OpenAI, I wasnt sure what the right path would be, Shear wrote on X after Altmans return was announced. This was the pathway that maximized safety alongside doing right by all stakeholders involved.As the parties worked to hammer out an agreement, they also had to contend with logistical issues. One board member was on a plane for several hours during negotiations and was out of communication, one person said. There was also a push to resolve the leadership chaos before Thanksgiving, people said, in the hope that employees wouldnt spend the holiday with uncertainty looming about the state of their jobs.Many workers had more than their jobs on the line. The company was set to orchestrate the sale of employee shares to investors at a valuation of $86 billion, but those plans had been jeopardized by the leadership upheaval. Some people at the company stood to make millions in the deal, which wouldnt happen if more than 90% of OpenAIs staff quit. (The tender offer, which was set to be led by Thrive Capital, is now back on track, according to people familiar with the matter.)One competing AI company said that it had fielded multiple nervous inquiries from OpenAI employees asking about potential jobs, according to a person who asked not to be identified discussing private overtures. Several tech executives, such as Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, made it clear on social media that theyd be happy to have them. And some rival AI companies experienced an uptick in demand from customers.Hours before an agreement was announced on Tuesday, an OpenAI executive encouraged employees to get back to shipping products. Employees, who have this week off, were told they could also expense pizza. To call this a challenging last few days would be an understatement, a company vice president, Peter Deng, wrote in a message on Slack and viewed by Bloomberg News. He stressed that the company was committed to its mission. Raise a slice and share a photo in the thread so we can enjoy this moment together.After Altmans return was announced, OpenAIs General Counsel Che Chang invited employees to the office for a quick celebration with Altman, according to a Slack message. By Wednesday morning, however, the celebrations had died down. Employees were exhausted from the days-long saga, one person said, and most were going into Thanksgiving mode.

--With assistance from Katie Roof, Edward Ludlow and Gillian Tan.

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2023 Bloomberg L.P.
In a notable insider transaction, Executive Vice President Olivier Thirot sold 30,000 shares of Kelly Services Inc (NASDAQ:KELYA) on November 21, 2023. This move has caught the attention of investors and market analysts, as insider sales can provide valuable insights into a company's financial health and future prospects.

Who is Olivier Thirot?

Olivier Thirot is a seasoned executive with a wealth of experience in the staffing industry. As the Executive Vice President of Kelly Services Inc, Thirot has been instrumental in shaping the company's financial strategies and operations. His role within the company involves overseeing financial planning, analysis, and reporting, as well as ensuring the company's compliance with financial regulations. Thirot's decisions and actions are closely watched by investors, as they can have a significant impact on the company's performance and stock price.

Kelly Services Inc's Business Description

Kelly Services Inc is a global leader in workforce management solutions, offering a wide range of services including temporary staffing, outsourcing, consulting, and permanent placement. The company operates in various sectors, including education, healthcare, information technology, and finance, providing skilled professionals to meet the diverse needs of its clients. With a focus on innovation and customer service, Kelly Services Inc has established a strong reputation in the staffing industry, helping businesses to optimize their workforce and improve operational efficiency.

Analysis of Insider Buy/Sell and Relationship with Stock Price

Insider transactions, particularly sales, can be a double-edged sword when it comes to stock price implications. On one hand, insiders may sell shares for personal reasons that do not necessarily reflect a lack of confidence in the company's future. On the other hand, large sales by insiders can sometimes signal potential concerns about the company's valuation or future performance.

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In the case of Olivier Thirot's recent sale of 30,000 shares, it is important to consider the context of this transaction. Over the past year, Thirot has sold a total of 30,000 shares and has not made any purchases. This could suggest that the insider is taking profits or reallocating personal investments rather than expressing a negative outlook on the company's future.

The insider transaction history for Kelly Services Inc shows a pattern of more sales than buys among insiders over the past year, with 2 insider sells and 0 insider buys. This trend could indicate that insiders, as a group, believe the stock may be fairly valued or possibly overvalued at current levels.

Insider Sell: Executive Vice President Olivier Thirot Sells 30,000 Shares of Kelly Services Inc (KELYA)

When examining the relationship between insider transactions and stock price, it is also crucial to consider the company's valuation metrics. Kelly Services Inc's price-earnings ratio of 32.37 is higher than the industry median of 17.02 and the companys historical median. This suggests that the stock may be trading at a premium compared to its peers and its own historical standards.

On the valuation front, with a stock price of $21.06 and a GuruFocus Value (GF Value) of $19.40, Kelly Services Inc has a price-to-GF-Value ratio of 1.09. This indicates that the stock is Fairly Valued based on its GF Value, which takes into account historical trading multiples, a GuruFocus adjustment factor, and future business performance estimates.

Insider Sell: Executive Vice President Olivier Thirot Sells 30,000 Shares of Kelly Services Inc (KELYA)

Market Reaction and Future Outlook

Following the insider sale, the market's reaction can provide additional insights. If the stock price remains stable or increases, it may suggest that investors are not overly concerned about the insider's decision to sell. Conversely, a significant drop in the stock price could indicate that the market views the insider sale as a bearish signal.

For Kelly Services Inc, with a market cap of $738.907 million, the stock's performance will continue to be influenced by broader market trends, the company's financial results, and the staffing industry's dynamics. Investors will be closely monitoring the company's growth initiatives, cost management, and ability to navigate economic cycles.

Conclusion

Olivier Thirot's sale of 30,000 shares of Kelly Services Inc is a significant event that warrants attention from investors. While the insider's actions may not necessarily predict the company's future performance, they do offer a piece of the puzzle when evaluating the stock's investment potential. With the stock currently deemed Fairly Valued based on GF Value and the insider trend leaning towards sales, investors should conduct thorough due diligence and consider a range of factors before making investment decisions regarding Kelly Services Inc.

This article, generated by GuruFocus, is designed to provide general insights and is not tailored financial advice. Our commentary is rooted in historical data and analyst projections, utilizing an impartial methodology, and is not intended to serve as specific investment guidance. It does not formulate a recommendation to purchase or divest any stock and does not consider individual investment objectives or financial circumstances. Our objective is to deliver long-term, fundamental data-driven analysis. Be aware that our analysis might not incorporate the most recent, price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative information. GuruFocus holds no position in the stocks mentioned herein.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.


(Bloomberg) -- Qatar said a short truce in the war between Israel and Hamas would begin on Friday morning, about a day later than initially expected as negotiations between the two sides over hostages and prisoners dragged on.

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A four-day pause in fighting in Gaza will start at 7 a.m. local time, while a first group of women and children hostages will be released by Hamas around 4 p.m., according to Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari.

Israel and Hamas, a militant group backed by Iran, reached an agreement this week. As well as the truce, Hamas is set to free 50 hostages, while Israel is meant to release 150 jailed Palestinians. All of the 200 will be women and children.

The accord, brokered by Qatar as well as Egypt and the US, was expected to start on Thursday morning, but the delay underscored its complexity and the difficulty of achieving a breakthrough between two warring sides.

Israel-Hamas Deal Hinged on Proof-of-Life, Qatar Sheikh

These are critical hours, Israeli President Isaac Herzog said earlier on Thursday after meeting the prime ministers of Spain and Belgium. We are waiting and praying for the return of the first group of hostages and the entry into the cease-fire that was agreed.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said hes still confident of freeing all the roughly 240 people abducted by Hamas last month.

The deals not without its challenges, Netanyahu said after meeting UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron in Israel. But we have to, we hope to get this first tranche out.

In northern Gaza, there were more battles between Hamas militants and Israeli troops. And on Israels northern border with Lebanon, there were further exchanges of fire on Thursday, with the Hezbollah militant group unleashing its largest barrage of rockets since the war began.

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Israel and Hamas agreed that the Iran-backed group would free 50 women and children. In turn, Israel will release 150 women and Palestinians under the age of 19 from Israeli jails. US officials said three Americans would be among the hostages leaving Gaza.

Netanyahu said the war will carry on until Hamas, which the US and European Union designate a terrorist group, is destroyed. But the accord will still mark the first major lull in fighting since the conflict erupted just over six weeks ago.

Israeli media have reported that the cease-fire would start only after the Red Cross receives hostages from Hamas. An Egyptian official said it was expected to happen on Friday.

Under the deal, more aid is expected to flow into Hamas-controlled Gaza to alleviate what the United Nations and Palestinian officials say is a humanitarian disaster. A second stage could see the pause in fighting extended another day for every 10 additional hostages released.

The agreement falls short of calls from many nations for an extended cease-fire. Israel and the US have rejected such a move, saying it would allow Hamas to rearm.

What Will Happen in Gaza After Israel Stops Its War on Hamas?

The deals outcome has high stakes for US President Joe Biden, who faces pressure from many in his own party to bring an end to Israels offensive, launched after an Oct. 7 Hamas attack that killed 1,200 people in addition to the abductions. More than 14,850 people, including 6,150 children, have since been killed in the Palestinian enclave, the Hamas-run government media office said.

Biden and Netanyahu spoke by phone on Thursday, and the president emphasized the importance of maintaining calm along the Lebanese border as well as in the West Bank during the pause. Netanyahu made no concrete commitments, according to a report on Channel 13.

Wider diplomatic efforts to contain the conflict continued. The UKs Cameron met Palestinian as well as Israeli officials. He also visited one of the Israeli communities near Gaza in which residents were massacred by Hamas fighters in October.

Iran Top Diplomat Meets Hamas, Islamic Jihad Officials in Beirut

Other events in the region underlined the risks of the war spilling over.

Hezbollah, also funded by Iran and considered a terrorist group by the US, said it launched 48 Katyusha rockets at an Israeli army base, Al-Manar TV reported. Israel said it intercepted some of them and struck back.

Earlier, Lebanese state media said an Israeli airstrike on a house in the village of Beit Yahoun killed four people and wounded another. Hezbollah said five of its members were killed, including the son of the head of its bloc in parliament. It wasnt clear if it was the same incident.

It is unclear if groups such as Hezbollah and the Houthis in Yemen, who seized an Israeli-owned ship on Sunday and have fired missiles at Israel in the past month, will respect the truce.

--With assistance from Omar Tamo.

(Updates with phone call between Biden and Netanyahu.)

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BANGKOK, Thailand, Nov. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Over the past several years, the interest in and popularity of the use of the LINE platform for business purposes has increased continuously. Even high-end brands are no exception. This category traditionally created customer experiences exclusively on-site. Nowadays, however, there has been a significant push into the online marketplace. This shift is evident in the annually increasing number of global luxury brand LINE Official Accounts (OAs) in Thailand. Recently, LINE Thailand organised 'LUXURY Day 2023', an exclusive seminar tailored to the luxury goods business sector. The event brought together experts in marketing and luxury brands to discuss and provide insights into using the digital tools available on LINE. It also highlighted significant trends in building brand devotion among digital-era customers.

From left: Napasiree Sangchan, Senior Strategic Planning Manager, IMAG, Supawadee Juengjaroensukying, Business Consultant - Luxury Industry, LINE Thailand, Keerati Anurakpradorn, Head of Business Consultant - Luxury Industry, LINE Thailand, Kunchalee Sumleerat, Founder, DigiNative, Nopnarit Lieopanich, Managing Director, Group Z International

Insights into the current use of LINE by luxury brands

Supawadee Juengjaroensukying, Business Consultant - Luxury Industry, LINE Thailand, stated that LINE is a leading digital platform currently reaching over 54 million people in Thailand. It appeals to people of all age groups, especially the working-age population with purchasing power in the luxury goods market. According to the latest figures, there has been a 20% year on year increase in the number of luxury brand LINE OAs. Additionally, the number of users following these luxury brand OAs has risen by more than 40%. Notably, over 70% of these users are women, primarily in the 30-39 age group, followed by those aged 50 and over and the 40-49 age group.

Notably, luxury brands increased their active engagement with LINE Official Accounts (OAs) in 2023. There has been a 155% increase in message broadcasting through LINE OAs and an 11-fold increase in communications via the API. Furthermore, there has been a focus on building brand recognition and identity through LINE Sponsored Stickers, particularly with big stickers and animated stickers, which saw a 2-fold growth this year. It is projected that the investment value in the LINE platform from luxury brands will rise by over 41% by the end of 2023. Nonetheless, the use of LINE by luxury brands in Thailand is still limited, compared to other business sectors, indicating significant potential for luxury brands to use LINE more effectively. This is especially true when leveraging LINE's unique tools and features, such as customer data collection and the implementation of personalisation strategies.

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New era customers accessed through personalisation strategies

Kunchalee Sumleerat, Founder, DigiNative, a modern marketer and communicator, highlighted the evolution of brand building. The focus has shifted from product-centricity to advertising-driven branding. Presently, it is more about creating diverse content. This trend is, however, also evolving as consumers, especially the younger generation, are seeking more choice and control over their media consumption, engaging only with that content which is relevant to them or presented in an on-demand format. Therefore, personalised communication is becoming a key trend for luxury brands. To implement personalisation strategies effectively, brands need to gather comprehensive and clear data, to maximise their understanding of each customer or consumer. LINE distinguishes itself as a platform that facilitates comprehensive personalised marketing for brands.

LINE as a platform for luxury brands in personalised marketing

The LINE platform is not just a medium for communication. It also serves as a sales channel, a service provider and a means by which to cater to various customer needs. Additionally, it is a crucial channel through which brands are able to collect diverse customer data for analysis. This deeper understanding of and connection with customers is facilitated through various tools. These include the LINE OA as the primary communication and marketing tool on LINE, LINE Ads for advertising, to broaden brand awareness and increase OA friends, and tools, like MyCustomer and Business Manager, for data storage and management. These help brands to categorise, segment and analyze collected data, enabling them to design targeted and effective marketing strategies. Moreover, solutions through the LINE API, developed by LINE and other developers, offer brands the option of seamlessly enhancing the user experience on LINE. This includes implementing personalised CRM solutions for customers, further strengthening their personalised marketing capabilities. Kanchalee also outlined two key factors for success in using LINE OAs by luxury brands:

(1) Creating a utility that meets customer expectations: Brands should first gather customer data, to differentiate customer groups accurately and clearly. For example, new customers, potential customers and existing customers. Each group should receive tailored communications and services on LINE OA, facilitated by the LINE Messaging API. For instance, for new and general customers, the focus should be on brand building communications, potential customers should be presented with product selling points, which spur purchase interest, and existing customers should receive product updates, after-sales services and various notifications about purchased products or received services. Using the LINE Messaging API allows brands to communicate, showcase products and offer useful services that meet customer expectations on LINE OA.

(2) Creating personalized communication at an individual level. This comprises 5 crucial steps:

Planning Data: Brands should clearly define their objectives, to determine the type of data needed, such as demographics, interests, etc.

Collecting Data: Brands should design appropriate data collection methods for each customer type, to encourage their interest and willingness to provide information, such as through Mission Stickers.

Segmenting Data: Using various tools to help marketers acquire data that meets their specific objectives, such as MyCustomer.

Designing Personalised Communications: Tailoring the format and content of communications to meet each customer's expectations, using tools like LINE API, MyCustomer and LINE Official Notification.

Optimising Communications: Integrating data obtained from LINE with existing brand databases, for efficient analysis and future product and service design.

In the current, continually evolving business environment, brands must adapt quickly, especially luxury brands that rely on creating exceptional customer experiences. LINE emerges as a digital platform and set of tools which fully meet the needs for both technology and data. They serve as a vital channel for brands in the online world, working in tandem with offline channels to craft complete luxury customer experiences.

Luxury businesses interested in making the most of what the LINE platform has to offer are welcome to contact dl_solution5@linecorp.com for more information.

#LuxuryDay2023 #LINEforBusiness #LINEThailand

Cision

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SOURCE LINE Thailand
From left to right: Ilya Sutskever, Tasha McCauley, Adam DAngelo and Helen Toner. Getty Images

After a weekend of boardroom drama at OpenAI, the fate of its cofounder and ousted CEO Sam Altman is still undecided. Although Altmanalong with his cofounder and former OpenAI president Greg Brockmanhave accepted new jobs at Microsoft (MSFT), the move isnt a done deal and Altman is still hoping to get his old job back, The Verge reported yesterday (Nov. 20). Top OpenAI investors are also pushing the companys board to reinstate Altman as CEO, the Wall Street Journal reported today (Nov. 21)

Due to OpenAIs unusual structure as a capped profit arm under a nonprofit organization, the companys board has total control over matters like CEO appointment, even though the majority of the board dont actually work at the company. Microsoft, which has invested $13 billion in OpenAI and owns about half of the company, has no say in corporate governance.

At the center of the ongoing crisis is OpenAIs chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, a board member who voted to oust Altman last week but now says he regrets the decision. Over the weekend, he cosigned a letter to OpenAIs four-person board, threatening to leave the company unless Altman is reinstated. The letter has been signed by more than 700 of OpenAIs approximately 770 employees.

The Verge reported Altman and Brockman are willing to return to OpenAI if the remaining three board members step aside.

Whos on OpenAIs all-powerful board?

Atlman and Brockman both held seats on OpenAIs board. After their exits last week, the board has four remaining members:

Ilya Sutskever, 37 or 38, is a computer scientist known for his contribution to the field of deep learning. He is one of inventors of AlexNet, a convolutional neural network architecture, and a co-author of the AlphaGo paper published in 2016. Sutskever was born in Russia and grew up in Israel, where he attended college before moving with his family to Canada.

Sutskever was a research scientist at Google Brain, an A.I. research unit of Google, from 2013 to 2015. In late 2015, Sutskever left Google to cofound OpenAI and serve as its chief scientist. He has been on the companys board since 2015.

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Adam DAngelo, 39, is the cofounder and CEO of Quora, a question-and-answer social networking site. Before founding Quora in 2009, DAngelo served as chief technology officer and head of engineering of Facebook, now Meta (META), from 2006 to 2008. While attending high school in the early 2000s, DAngelo co-developed a music suggestion software called Synapse Media Player with his classmate Mark Zuckerberg, according to David Kirkpatricks 2010 book The Facebook Effect.

DAngelo graduated from the California Institute of Technology in 2006 with a bachelors degree in Computer Science. He joined OpenAIs board of directors in 2018.

Tasha McCauley is an adjunct senior management scientist at the think tank Rand Corporation, a job she started earlier this year, according to her LinkedIn profile. She is a cofounder of GeoSim Systems, a geospatial technology startup where she served as CEO until last year. In the early 2010s, McCauley was a teaching fellow in robotics and A.I. at Singularity University, which offers executive educational programs.

McCauley joined OpenAIs board in 2018. She has been married to actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt since 2014.

Helen Toner is a director of strategy at Georgetown Universitys Center for Security and Emerging Technology since 2018. Before that, Toner spent less than a year at the University of Oxfords Center for the Governance of AI, according to her LinkedIn profile. Between 2015 and 2018, she was a research analyst at Open Philanthropy, a nonprofit cofounded by Facebook cofounder Dustin Moskovitz. Toner is the newest member of OpenAIs board, joining in late 2021.

Why did the board insist on firing Altman?

OpenAIs board fired Altman in a public announcement on Nov. 17 and reportedly gave little notice to the companys management team, investors or Altman himself. Over the weekend, OpenAIs leadership team pressed the board to explain what drove their abrupt decision but didnt receive much of an answer, according to the Journal.

In a message to employees on Nov. 19, OpenAIs board reaffirmed its decision to oust Altman and said their decision was not about any singular incident but because Altman has lost the trust of the board of directors.

Sources told the Journal one of the boards concerns was Altmans involvement in two outside business endeavors recently: a consumer hardware device hes been building with Jony Ive, Apples former chief design officer, and an A.I. chip startup for which hes been raising money.

Trending Observer Stories

Read the original story Meet OpenAI's All-Powerful Board That Pushed Out CEO Sam Altman and others by Sissi Cao at Observer.
By Nia Williams

(Reuters) -Oil prices dipped about 1% on Thursday, extending losses on expectations that OPEC+ might not deepen output cuts next year after the producer group postponed its policy meeting.

Brent crude futures were down 68 cents, or about 0.8%, at $81.28 a barrel by 2024 GMT after falling as much as 4% on Wednesday.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude slid 75 cents, or 1%, to $76.35 after dropping as much as 5% in the previous session.

Trading activity was muted because of the U.S. Thanksgiving public holiday.

In a surprise move on Wednesday, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies including Russia delayed a ministerial meeting at which they were expected to discuss oil output cuts to Nov. 30.

Producers were struggling to agree on output levels ahead of the meeting originally set for Nov. 26, OPEC+ sources said, suggesting that the disagreement was largely linked to African nations.

OPEC+ members Angola and Nigeria are aiming for higher oil output, officials told Reuters on Thursday.

"We think Nigeria can be assuaged as the leadership values its longstanding OPEC membership and improving ties with Saudi Arabia," said RBC Capital Markets analyst Helima Croft.

"However, it may be more difficult to bridge the gap with Angola, which has been a moodier member of the producer group since it joined in 2007."

The downside move looked overdone and the market will likely rally somewhat next week once traders return from the Thanksgiving holiday, said Phil Flynn, an analyst at Price Futures Group in Chicago.

The questions over OPEC+ supply come as data showed that U.S. crude stocks jumped by 8.7 million barrels last week, much more than the 1.16 million build analysts had expected. [EIA/S]

On the demand side, there was more bleak news. Though a survey showed the downturn in euro zone business activity eased in November, data suggested the bloc's economy will contract again this quarter as consumers continue to rein in spending.

(Reporting by Nia Williams in British Columbia, Natalie Grover in London, Arathy Somasekhar in Houston and Andrew Hayley in BeijingEditing by Mark Potter, David Goodman, Alexandra Hudson, Marguerita Choy and Jonathan Oatis)
(Bloomberg) -- Oil fell as discord within OPEC+ forced the group to delay an upcoming meeting, quelling speculation of further production cuts by the Saudi-led alliance just as US data showed a hefty rise in stockpiles.

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Global benchmark Brent dipped below $81 a barrel on Thursday after a volatile session on Wednesday that saw prices swing by more than $4. OPEC+ postponed the meeting to the end of the month as disputes arose over quotas for African members including Angola. The Nov. 30 meeting will be held online, OPEC said. Trading on Thursday will likely be thin due to the US Thanksgiving holiday.

The looming OPEC+ meeting has been clouded by indications that output outside of the group is expanding, prompting speculation the cartel would decide to extend production cuts or possibly deepen them. Amid signs of abundant supplies, Europe is contending with a glut due to a combination of lackluster demand and an influx of US cargoes.

The OPEC+ meeting delay heightens the drama, probably not the outcome, Citigroup Inc. analysts including Eric Lee said in a note. Saudi Arabia is still expected to roll a 1 million-barrel-a-day voluntary cut into 2024, while other members broadly commit to existing quotas through next year, they said.

The pre-meeting volatility saw options markets take a bearish turn. Traders were paying the biggest premiums in several months for contracts that profit from falling prices. Thats a sharp reversal from a month earlier, when the war between Israel and Hamas sent traders scrambling for bullish call options.

The conflict in the Middle East contributed to a rise in oil prices in October. A four-day pause in fighting in Gaza is scheduled to start at 7 a.m. local time, while a first group of women and children hostages will be released by Hamas around 4 p.m., according to Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari.

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To get Bloombergs Energy Daily newsletter into your inbox, click here.

--With assistance from Yongchang Chin.

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(Bloomberg) -- The delayed OPEC+ meeting next week will be held online instead of in-person as the cartel wrangles over production levels amid a slump in oil prices.

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Saudi Arabia and its allies are embroiled in a dispute over output quotas for African members. The disagreement has forced the group to push back its scheduled conference by several days to Nov. 30, sending crude plunging by as much as 4.9% to below $80 a barrel in London on Wednesday.

Before the delay, oil traders had thought Saudi Arabia was gearing up to announce an extension of its unilateral 1 million barrel-a-day cutback in a bid to prop up faltering prices. There were also some predictions that Riyadh could even steer other members into joining them with additional curbs of their own.

The spat puts that outcome in doubt and dredges up a disagreement from June, when Angola, Congo and Nigeria were pushed by Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman to accept reduced output targets for 2024 that reflected their diminished capabilities. The African exporters have struggled in recent years with under-investment, operational disruptions and aging oil fields.

Its not the first time that the 23-nation OPEC+ alliance has altered its plans at short notice. It did the same a year ago, shifting its meeting online after fixing production targets at a face-to-face gathering in Vienna the previous month.

This time around, the rescheduled meeting on Nov. 30th coincides with the first day of United Nations climate talks which are being hosted by OPEC-member the United Arab Emirates in Dubai. Holding in-person talks in Vienna on the same day as the start of COP28 would have created logistical difficulties for a number of energy ministers.

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Traders are now waiting to see whether the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its partners will resolve the rift on quotas, and agree any measures to shore up the market in 2024. Absence of an agreement on production for next year would leave global oil markets in a precarious position.

Crude is down about 16% from its September peak amid surprisingly strong American output, while China  the worlds biggest oil importer  has seen falling refining margins and faltering economic indicators.

World markets are poised to tip back into surplus early next year as demand growth slows drastically, while producers like the US and Guyana continue to grow, according to the International Energy Agency.

At the same time, Iranian supplies have recovered as the US relaxes its enforcement of sanctions, and Russian exports have held steady as the country pumps more than its quota.

OPEC+ delegates say theyre seeking extra time as Angola and Nigeria chafe at lower targets pressed on them by more powerful members. The countries had reluctantly acquiesced to the new quotas with the caveat that theyd be revised higher again if an external audit by three firms  Rystad Energy A/S, Wood Mackenzie Ltd. and IHS  proved their capacity was larger.

That assessment has been submitted, but the trio have rejected its findings, officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

(Updates with detail throughout.)

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(Bloomberg) -- OpenAI reinstated Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman after hundreds of workers threatened to quit over the ChatGPT creator's ouster, highlighting just how much leverage the tech industry's most valued workers hold right now.

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Artificial intelligence engineers earn anywhere from 8% to 12.5% more than their non-AI counterparts, according to an analysis by compensation data platform Levels.fyi published in May.

The most common salary range for an engineering job listed on OpenAIs website is $200,000 to $370,000, though a handful of more specialized roles advertise ranges from $300,000 to $450,000, said Roger Lee, co-founder of compensation benchmarking firm Comprehensive.io. Salary ranges dont include bonuses or stock awards, which can bring an annual salary of $300,000 closer to $800,000 in total compensation, according to Levels.fyi.

In an industry where talent is the scarcest resource, the kind of exodus threated at OpenAI would have been catastrophic. For emerging technologies like AI, you only have a very small, small group of people who are experienced. They are the product, they are the company, said Julia Pollak, chief economist at job site ZipRecruiter.

That put OpenAI employees in an unusually powerful position to exert direct pressure on the companys board.

The supply constraint is a very real, binding one, especially in the short- to medium-term, she said. You cant easily train these people, you cant easily recruit them from elsewhere. Retaining the ones youve got is the most important strategy.

As for recruiting from universities, theres a big difference between understanding AI models on a theoretical level and having the skills and experience to actually apply them. OpenAIs highly specialized software systems also makes its current developers even more valuable.

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It takes a long time to learn an actual companys code and tech stack. An AI engineer inside the company is worth three AI engineers from outside the company, given that dynamic, Pollak said.

OpenAI staff already had job offers waiting. Before Altman was reinstated, Microsoft Corp. said they would be welcome to join its new AI research lab. Microsoft has a roughly 49% stake in OpenAI.

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Schneider Electric, a leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, has called for greater collective action to decarbonise the global economy and ensure a fair and inclusive transition to net zero.

Spelling out the actions it is taking at the upcoming COP28 United Nations Climate Change Conference to support these efforts, Schneider said its delegates will highlight the untapped potential of electrification, automation and digital technologies and showcase the social and economic benefits of deploying such solutions in industries, buildings, homes, data centres, infrastructure and transportation.

Thousands of government and private-sector leaders, climate experts, NGOs, youth groups and other stakeholders will gather for the event, which takes place in Dubai from November 30 to December 12, to foster collaboration, exchange ideas and initiatives to tackle climate change and deliver on common sustainability ambitions.

Global Stocktake

A key focus will be the publication of the first Global Stocktake, a comprehensive assessment of progress achieved since the 2015 Paris Climate Change Agreement.

We have plenty of technologies at our disposal today. Its time to recognise that deploying these at much greater speed and scale brings social, environmental, economic and job-creation benefits, that they can lower emissions and costs faster than many realise  and that inaction is simply not an option, said Peter Herweck, CEO of Schneider Electric.

Releasing insights

The company will host discussions and showcase solutions in the COP28 Technology & Innovation Hub. Schneider Electric delegates will participate in a number of panel discussions to share news and insights on corporate decarbonisation, youth empowerment and supply chain engagement. In addition, Schneider will:

*Release fresh geographically relevant insights on ways to accelerate decarbonisation, building on its Back to 2050 research

*Extend several Schneider Electric Foundation partnerships, in line with its longstanding mission to support the empowerment of younger generations and women through education and training in the energy sector

*Announce new strategic partnerships and initiatives to extend the decarbonisation of its supply chain, and launch a report on supply chain decarbonisation developed in partnership with Women Action Sustainability (WAS).

Optimising energy use

As the worlds population continues to grow and economies develop, our need for clean and affordable energy will continue to grow. Optimising how we consume energy must be an integral part of collective, fair and inclusive climate action, said Jean-Pascal Tricoire, Chairman of Schneider Electric.

The corporate world, including impact companies like ours, needs to be a player and enabler of sustainability action worldwide, inspiring and supporting governments, societies, the academic and business world, and others, to accelerate action.--TradeArabia News Service
(Bloomberg) -- Novo Nordisk A/S plans to invest 2.1 billion ($2.3 billion) to expand production in France as it works to meet surging demand for its sought-after weight-loss medicines.

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The construction work to beef up the Danish companys site in Chartres, southwest of Paris, has already started, Novo said in a statement. The investment will increase capacity for the diet drug Wegovy and its sister product for diabetes, called Ozempic.

Novo is racing to build out factories and production lines as competition intensifies in a weight-loss market estimated to reach $100 billion by the end of the decade. For French President Emmanuel Macron, spurring a reversal of the countrys industrial decline has been a key economic goal.

The factory makes pre-filled injector pens, which patients need to use Ozempic and Wegovy, as well as insulin.

The investment will more than double the sites footprint and create more than 500 new jobs, Novo said.

French President Emmanuel Macron visited Novos plant in Chartres to congratulate the firm and its CEO, Lars Fruergaard Jorgensen, and to promote the changes under his watch to make France more business-friendly.

We have everything we need to succeed: We have great foreign champions that have chosen France, like Novo, and great traditional French champions, Macron said.

The frenzy around the drugs, endorsed by celebrities and entrepreneurs including Elon Musk, turned Novo into Europes most valuable company, sending its stock up by about half this year. The shares rose 1% in Copenhagen on Thursday.

Earlier this month, the drugmaker unveiled a plan to invest more than $6 billion to build a 170,000 square-meter manufacturing facility in Denmark.

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Novo has faced shortages of Ozempic and Wegovy, with some diabetes patients struggling to stay on treatment. Both medicines contain the same active ingredient, semaglutide, which mimics the action of a gut hormone and makes people feel full.

Few Countries

Wegovy has been shown to help users shed about 15% of their body weight on average, and recent studies also demonstrated heart benefits. Novo has so far only introduced the drug in a handful of countries. Access in France was first restricted to morbidly obese patients with another risk factor such as heart disease or sleep apnea, and the treatment hasnt officially launched there.

Read More: The Weight-Loss Drug Frenzy Is Outrunning the Company Behind It

Macron laid out a series of measures earlier this year to revive French industry, including expanded use of tax credits for investment and streamlining procedures to open new factories.

A Macron aide didnt respond to a question on whether the investment includes public subsidies.

Thursdays news comes on top of a 130 million investment into expanding capacity in Chartres that Novo announced in January. The site currently employs more than 1,500 people and produces insulin used by more than eight million patients worldwide.

(Adds comment from Macron in seventh paragraph.)

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
The world's largest gold bullion coin, the Australian Kangaroo One Tonne Gold Coin, is displayed outside the NYSE in New York

(Reuters) -Australia's Perth Mint said on Thursday it had entered into an agreement with the country's financial intelligence agency to fully adhere to anti-money laundering laws after an external audit found compliance issues.

The world's biggest producer of newly mined gold said it would conclude its anti-money laundering remediation program, which started in March 2021, by April 30, 2025, adding that no fine had been imposed as part of the undertaking.

The external audit was conducted between November 2022 and July 2023 at the direction of the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC), after it found non-compliance in an August 2022 assessment of Perth Mint.

"The audit findings reflected AUSTRAC's concerns in relation to Gold Corporation's AML/CTF (anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing) program, monitoring systems and controls, and reporting to AUSTRAC," the agency said.

The undertaking can be enforced by court orders, and if the remediation program is not adequately implemented, AUSTRAC can also pursue civil penalties.

In April, Western Australia state launched a review of its ownership of The Perth Mint, as the company battled allegations it sold diluted gold to China.

(Reporting by Deep Vakil in Bengaluru; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Diane Craft)
Assessing The Scotts Miracle Gro Co's Dividend Sustainability and Growth

The Scotts Miracle Gro Co (NYSE:SMG) recently announced a dividend of $0.66 per share, payable on December 8, 2023, with the ex-dividend date set for November 24, 2023. As investors look forward to this upcoming payment, the spotlight also shines on the company's dividend history, yield, and growth rates. Using the data from GuruFocus, let's look into The Scotts Miracle Gro Co's dividend performance and assess its sustainability.

What Does The Scotts Miracle Gro Co Do?

Warning! GuruFocus has detected 10 Warning Signs with SMG.

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Scotts Miracle-Gro is the largest provider of gardening and lawncare products in the United States. The majority of the company's sales are to large retailers that include Home Depot, Lowe's, and Walmart. Scotts Miracle-Gro can sell its products at a higher price point than its competition because of a well-recognized portfolio of brands that include Miracle-Gro, Roundup, Ortho, Tomcat, and Scotts. Scotts is also the leading supplier of cannabis-growing equipment in North America through its Hawthorne business.

The Scotts Miracle Gro Co's Dividend Analysis

A Glimpse at The Scotts Miracle Gro Co's Dividend History

The Scotts Miracle Gro Co has maintained a consistent dividend payment record since 2005. Dividends are currently distributed on a quarterly basis. The Scotts Miracle Gro Co has increased its dividend each year since 2005. The stock is thus listed as a dividend achiever, an honor that is given to companies that have increased their dividend each year for at least the past 18 years. Below is a chart showing annual Dividends Per Share for tracking historical trends.

The Scotts Miracle Gro Co's Dividend Analysis

Breaking Down The Scotts Miracle Gro Co's Dividend Yield and Growth

As of today, The Scotts Miracle Gro Co currently has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 4.69% and a 12-month forward dividend yield of 4.69%. This suggests an expectation of same dividend payments over the next 12 months.

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Over the past three years, The Scotts Miracle Gro Co's annual dividend growth rate was 3.80%. Extended to a five-year horizon, this rate increased to 4.70% per year. And over the past decade, The Scotts Miracle Gro Co's annual dividends per share growth rate stands at 5.80%.

Based on The Scotts Miracle Gro Co's dividend yield and five-year growth rate, the 5-year yield on cost of The Scotts Miracle Gro Co stock as of today is approximately 5.90%.

The Scotts Miracle Gro Co's Dividend Analysis

The Sustainability Question: Payout Ratio and Profitability

To assess the sustainability of the dividend, one needs to evaluate the company's payout ratio. The dividend payout ratio provides insights into the portion of earnings the company distributes as dividends. A lower ratio suggests that the company retains a significant part of its earnings, thereby ensuring the availability of funds for future growth and unexpected downturns. As of September 30, 2023, The Scotts Miracle Gro Co's dividend payout ratio is 0.00.

The Scotts Miracle Gro Co's profitability rank, offers an understanding of the company's earnings prowess relative to its peers. GuruFocus ranks The Scotts Miracle Gro Co's profitability 7 out of 10 as of September 30, 2023, suggesting good profitability prospects. The company has reported net profit in 8 years out of the past 10 years.

Growth Metrics: The Future Outlook

To ensure the sustainability of dividends, a company must have robust growth metrics. The Scotts Miracle Gro Co's growth rank of 7 out of 10 suggests that the company's growth trajectory is good relative to its competitors.

Revenue is the lifeblood of any company, and The Scotts Miracle Gro Co's revenue per share, combined with the 3-year revenue growth rate, indicates a strong revenue model. The Scotts Miracle Gro Co's revenue has increased by approximately -4.40% per year on average, a rate that underperforms approximately 90.35% of global competitors.

The company's 3-year EPS growth rate showcases its capability to grow its earnings, a critical component for sustaining dividends in the long run. During the past three years, The Scotts Miracle Gro Co's earnings increased by approximately -44.90% per year on average, a rate that underperforms approximately 97.56% of global competitors.

Lastly, the company's 5-year EBITDA growth rate of -14.80%, which underperforms approximately 92.86% of global competitors.

Next Steps

In conclusion, while The Scotts Miracle Gro Co boasts a long history of consistent dividend payments and has been recognized as a dividend achiever, its recent growth metrics and payout ratio raise questions about the long-term sustainability of its dividend growth. The company's profitability remains strong, but revenue and earnings growth have underperformed compared to industry peers. Value investors may want to consider these factors when evaluating the potential for future dividend increases and the overall investment attractiveness of The Scotts Miracle Gro Co. Could the company's strategic initiatives and market position enable it to overcome these growth challenges and continue its dividend legacy? For those looking to explore dividend opportunities further, GuruFocus Premium users can screen for high-dividend yield stocks using the High Dividend Yield Screener.

This article, generated by GuruFocus, is designed to provide general insights and is not tailored financial advice. Our commentary is rooted in historical data and analyst projections, utilizing an impartial methodology, and is not intended to serve as specific investment guidance. It does not formulate a recommendation to purchase or divest any stock and does not consider individual investment objectives or financial circumstances. Our objective is to deliver long-term, fundamental data-driven analysis. Be aware that our analysis might not incorporate the most recent, price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative information. GuruFocus holds no position in the stocks mentioned herein.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.


The holidays are a time for giving gifts, attending parties and eating. Lots of eating.

The food fests that begin with Thanksgiving weekend will continue over the next month or so, providing ample opportunity to shop for and consume all sorts of holiday goodies, many of them locally made.

Lara White, owner of Periodyc Baker, sells jams and other sweets at farmers' markets and restaurants. She expects to see a rise in sales during the holidays with jam flavors such as Spiced Cranberry and Cranberry Port.

"A lot of people use jams as gifts and stocking stuffers," she said. "Businesses such as Realtors like to give them to their customers."

White, who formerly worked in chemistry and geoscience, started baking as a sideline interest. She founded the company in February 2022 and credits her website, periodycbaker.com, with helping to drive interest. She also makes jellies, marmalades and various baked goods to order.

White appears regularly at farmers markets such as those held at North Phoenix Baptist Church, McDowell Mountain Community Center in Scottsdale and Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Sun City West. She said she sold out of jams last holiday season.

Lara and Elayne White of Periodyc Baker and Cherry Dellios of Wild Thing Botanicals volunteer with The Joy Bus to bring comfort and friendship to cancer patients.

Candy galore in Glendale

At the other end of the longevity scale, Cerreta Candy Co. of Glendale has operating since 1968, and a family-owned predecessor business in Canton, Ohio, celebrated its 100th anniversary this year.

Co-owner Jerry Cerreta said the company now is entering the busy season that will extend through the holidays and carry over to Valentine's Day, Easter and Mother's Day. He said boxes of chocolate are popular stocking stuffers and make good office gifts, with each piece individually wrapped to allay concerns about people touching or coughing on candy in open boxes.

Cerreta makes most of its candy on-site. Visitors can take a tour at costs ranging from $7.50 and up and make their custom candies, he added. Tours are held Monday through Friday (1-623-930-9000, cerreta.com) and take 20 to 30 minutes.

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The tours are popular with children, adults and senior groups.

Christmas tamales: Order from these mom-and-pop restaurants in metro Phoenix

A time for small businesses to shine

According to a survey by Bankrate.com, 61% of consumers said they are likely to support local entrepreneurs by shopping on Small Business Saturday, Nov. 25.

In comparison, 56% said they're likely to shop Nov. 24 or Black Friday. However, Cyber Monday topped both, with 66% of shoppers indicating that they're likely to pull out their wallets on Nov. 27. The survey of more than 2,300 people was held in late October.

Foods from other Arizona companies that can make nice gifts for the holidays include Prickly Pear Cactus jellies, trail mixes and salsa from Arizona Gifts in Phoenix.

That's in addition to dates from Sphinx Date Co. in Scottsdale (sphinxdateranch.com,) brownies from Fairytale Brownies (brownies.com), Bacon Pecal Brittle from Tracy Dempsey Originals in Tempe (tracydempseyoriginals.com) and golden caramel corn from Lehi Valley Trading Co. of Mesa (lehivalley.com).

Blending food, wine and merchandise

Denise McCreery started selling wine jellies out of her home more than 20 years ago. Now she and her husband run d'Vine Gourmet, a store in Chandler's old town section that offers caramels, chocolates, mustards, nut and snack mixes and other food treats along with a range of merchandise including ornaments, soaps, candles, t-shirts, jewelry and artwork, most of it made in Arizona.

The store also has a wine loft and hosts wine tastings, book signings and other events. The store features an on-site kitchen where many of those goodies are made.

"We cook five to seven days a week," McCreery said. "People love to watch."

The store makes and sends out around 20,000 food baskets and other gifts each year, with the volume ramping up during the holiday season. Selections can be viewed at dvinegourmet.com.

Everyone loves a classic local gift basket with treats, wine and food," McCreery said. When you buy a gift from us, youre supporting dozens of Arizona companies."

November 7, 2023; Chandler, Ariz.; USA; Logan Kaufman pours house made Mesquite BBQ Corn Nuts into containers inside DaVine Gourmet.

Other party ideas

The holiday season also means parties, and that creates opportunities for businesses such as Arlow & Birch Jewelry.

The company makes and sells permanent jewelry that features welds rather than clasps that are susceptible to breaking, said owner Lindsey Beaule. The bracelets, necklaces, anklets and other items she sells, of gold or silver, are designed not to be taken off but worn around the clock.

Beaule, who describes herself as a "serial entrepreneur," started the business about a year and a half ago. She markets through Instagram, word of mouth and her website, arlowandbirch.com.

"I do a lot of private parties," she said. "If someone wants to host a girls-night-out, they invite me," Beaule said, describing the events as "super popular" during the holiday season last year. Private parties also can be held at her studio in Peoria.

Step away from the oven: Here's the 9 best Thanksgiving pie bakeries in metro Phoenix

Reach the writer at russ.wiles@arizonarepublic.com.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Shop Local: Phoenix foodies have plenty of novelty gift choices
Transparency Market Research

Structural adhesives play an important role in the aerospace industry in addition to the automotive sector when it comes to bonding metal-to-metal, metal-to-composite, and composite-to-composite elements.

Wilmington, Delaware, United States, Nov. 23, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Transparency Market Research Inc. - The global structural adhesives market was estimated at a value of US$ 12.2 billion in 2021. It is anticipated to register a 6.9% CAGR from 2022 to 2031 and by 2031, the market is likely to attain US$ 22.1 billion by 2031.

Epoxy structural adhesives are becoming more and more popular in carbon fiber composite bonding for drilling platforms, which is helping manufacturers improve their bottom lines. Epoxy adhesives that cure at low temperatures and more recent iterations that follow the traditional high-heat one-part chemistry are becoming more widely available from manufacturers. Selecting the incorrect structural adhesive for various end-use applications might result in unfavorable effects.

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To assist desired outcomes following the usage of structural adhesives on various types of materials, organizations are engaging specialists who are educating customers about many aspects, such as chemical resistance, environmental difficulties during manufacturing, and mechanical obstacles.

Global Structural Adhesives Market: Key Players

A few major manufacturers hold the majority of the market share in the consolidated global structural adhesives market. Important companies are spending money on research and development, mainly to create structural adhesives made of bio-based materials. These adhesives can lower carbon dioxide emissions, which will enhance the supply and value chain.

Major players have embraced the strategy of product range expansion and mergers and acquisitions. The following companies are well-known participants in the global structural adhesives market:

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Henkel AG & Company KGaA

Sika Group

3 M

Bostik SA

H.B. Fuller Company

Ashland

Illinois Tool Works Inc.

The Dow Chemicals Company

LORD Corporation

Huntsman International LLC.

Key Findings of Market Report

It has been discovered that wind turbine assembly adhesives, such as acrylic, epoxy, and urethane adhesives, enhance the strength, longevity, and aesthetics of wind turbine components.

These innovative adhesives are starting to replace more conventional attachment techniques like tapes, rivets, and welds, which helps to reduce the expenses related to metal finishing and preparation.

Wind turbine assembly adhesives that work with metal, composite, and plastic components are becoming more widely available thanks to manufacturers in the structural adhesives industry.

Convenience cartridge packaging and bulk packaging, such as drums, gallons, and pails for high volume applications, are two convenient ways to get these adhesives.

This is why it is anticipated that throughout the projected period, the structural adhesives market will develop at a positive CAGR.

Market Trends for Structural Adhesives

Structural adhesives manufacturers are seeing new prospects as a result of the demanding applications of the aerospace industry. High-quality aerospace structural adhesives are needed for aircraft engines, components, and structural materials to guarantee airline operators a safe and dependable fleet.

Applications including materials that guard against lightning strikes, metal bonding, composite joining, and end applications for surface preparation are creating value-adding chances for manufacturers.

The product offerings of structural adhesives manufacturers are being broadened to include mold release, films, adhesive pastes, and primers specifically designed for use with aircraft structural adhesives. The need for these adhesives is being driven by the increasing rate of aircraft manufacture.

Professionals with years of expertise create the materials used in primary and secondary aircraft structural components in the aerospace industry. These discoveries are increasing the need for structural adhesives used in aviation.

Global Market for Structural Adhesives: Regional Outlook

Various reasons are propelling the growth of the structural adhesives market throughout the region. These are:

In 2021, Asia Pacific held about 34% market share for structural adhesives globally. Since urethane goods are used in large quantities, the area has a substantial market share. The demand from the wind energy and automotive industries, which together represent for 8% and 39% of the regionl consumption, is another factor driving the industry.

In light of the strong demand for urethanes and epoxy, the structural adhesives market in North America is expected to grow at a CAGR of around 6.5%. The wind energy sector's rapid expansion is expected to propel the German market with a 6% CAGR.

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Few of key developments by the players in this market are:

Company name Key Developments H.B Fuller Company H.B. Fuller Company bought the Belgian business Fourny NV, a reputable supplier of construction adhesives with over 70 years of expertise in technologies centered on private label industrial specialties, construction, and commercial roofing.

It is anticipated that Fourny's leadership in the commercial roofing business has facilitated the localization of United States imported materials, hence expediting H.B. Fuller's expansion into Europe. 3M New products are part of the 3M Scotch-Weld Structural Acrylic Adhesives range, which was recently launched.

The 3M Scotch-Weld Low Odor Acrylic Adhesive 8700NS Series is low odor, nonflammable, and maintains structural strength in low temperatures.

Global Structural Adhesives Market Segmentation

Product Type

Epoxy

Acrylic

Urethanes

Cyanoacrylate

Others

End-use

Automotive

Aerospace

Marine

Building & Construction

Wind Energy

Others

Region

North America

Europe

Asia Pacific

Middle East & Africa

Latin America

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Browse More Reports by TMR:

Copper Market - The global copper market is projected to expand at a CAGR of 4.6% during the forecast period from 2022 to 2031.

Flat Roofing Market - As per TMR's global flat roofing market research report, the market was valued at US$ 30.9 Bn in 2021 and is projected to expand at a CAGR of 5.4% during the forecast period from 2022 to 2031.

About Transparency Market Research

Transparency Market Research, a global market research company registered at Wilmington, Delaware, United States, provides custom research and consulting services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insights for thousands of decision makers. Our experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools & techniques to gather and analyses information.

Our data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.

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Alexandru Costi, Adobe Adobe

The following media people made it onto Business Insider's 2023 AI 100 list.

The main list spans several industries from hardware to education.

Here are our picks from the media industry.

Generative AI has already begun to radically change the media landscape.

OpenAI's DALL-E and MidJourney can quickly produce realistic images based on user requests.

GPT-4, ChatGPT and other AI services generate impressive answers, summaries and other text.

The following people, who made it into Business Insider's 2023 AI 100 list, are harnessing this technology for new media use cases, and monitoring GenAI's performance to ensure outputs are accurate, safe, and fair.

Joy Buolamwini, Algorithmic Justice League

Dr. Joy Buolamwini, Algorithmic Justice League Poet of Code

Dr. Buolamwini's research found that major tech companies' AI-driven facial recognition tools were deeply biased and inaccurate. In 2016, she founded the Algorithmic Justice League after her MIT master's thesis showed how the data sets used to train several facial recognition tools were "overwhelmingly" trained on images of lighter-skinned people and had huge gaps in their ability to recognize women of color accurately. Recently, she coined the concept of "the coded gaze," the idea that society will be looked upon by tools trained on data from the past that does little but promulgate existing biases. Buolamwini is now the "artist in chief" and president of the AJL and recently wrote a book "Unmasking AI: My Mission to Protect What is Human in a World of Machines."

Elham Tabassi, NIST

Elham Tabassi, NIST NIST

Tabassi wrote the first-ever AI Risk Management Framework for the US National Institute of Standards and Technology. The well-received framework explored the good and bad of AI and everything in between, and it offered practical guidelines on avoiding its risks. Its success led the White House to direct NIST to form a new AI working group. Tabassi has worked at the NIST for nearly 25 years and last year became its first Associate Director for Emerging Technologies at its Information Technology Lab. Some of her earlier work for NIST focused on machine learning projects around biometric data. Tabassi also holds several leadership roles, including vice-chair of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's working party on AI Governance. She was educated at Iran's Sharif University of Technology and then Santa Clara University.

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Chris Wiggins, The New York Times

Chris Wiggins, The New York Times The New York Times

The New York Times is the news industry's leading subscription success story, with nearly 10 million readers paying for print or digital access and subscription revenue that's surpassed advertising. Much credit goes to its chief data scientist Wiggins, whose team uses machine learning to figure out which readers will subscribe and who will cancel. This work was previously done by surveys. Wiggins also helped create software that predicted how readers would feel after reading an article, which is used for what the Times calls "perspective targeting" of ads. Wiggins, who became the Times' first person in the position in 2014, has several other roles, including associate professor of applied mathematics at Columbia and co-founder of the nonprofit HackNY.

Camille Carlton, Center for Humane Technology

Camille Carlton, Center for Human Technology Center for Human Technology

Carlton describes her path to working on AI policy as "nonlinear." She studied international affairs and had a longstanding interest in how society could "realign capital with the things we really value," something she links to her upbringing by parents who fled Cuba as refugees. After seeing how divided her family became around the 2016 election, largely due to information they saw on sites like Facebook, Carlton was inspired to study technology and society. She now works at the Center for Humane Technology, advising policymakers on laws and regulations for AI. "I'm most scared about how these systems will further entrench deep power asymmetries and socioeconomic inequality," Carlton said."We're seeing a few large companies run by a handful of people shaping everything. We want something different."

David Evan Harris, UC Berkeley

David Evan Harris, UC Berkeley UC Berkeley

Harris has taught courses on technology and AI at UC Berkeley and researched the intersection of democracy and AI for years. He recently worked on Meta's Responsible AI team but is now ringing the alarm on risks posed by open-source AI models. "It was great to influence that company from the inside," Harris said. Harris previously worked with the Institute for the Future to forecast AI's long-term impact on society, and he recently advised the White House and the European Commission on considerations for AI regulation. He is also a Chancellor's Public Scholar at Berkeley, a senior advisor for the Psychology of Technology Institute, an Affiliate Scholar at the CITRIS Policy Lab on the regulation of AI and social media, and a senior research fellow at the International Computer Science Institute.

Alexandru Costin, Adobe

Alexandru Costi, Adobe Adobe

Costin is the vice president of generative AI and Sensei at content editing giant Adobe. He led the development of Adobe Firefly, its new suite of creative generative AI models. At a time when creators feared AI models would steal their work, Adobe stood out by promising Firefly would only be trained on content in the public domain or that Adobe had rights to through its popular stock image service, Adobe Stock. Adobe followed that by announcing it would pay bonuses to Stock contributors whose content is being used to train Firefly. The native Romanian was an entrepreneur who sold his web tools company InterAKT to Adobe. He ran Adobe Romania for 10 years before relocating to the US.

Aviv Ovadya

Researcher Aviv Ovadya Aviv Ovadya

Ovadya was early to ring the bell on the potential dangers of AI. 2016 saw the start of an "infocalypse" and the rise of what was then known as "synthetic media," later called deep fakes and now generative AI. He has researched AI advancements, misinformation, and the impact of social media on society and democracy. He's a founding member of the Center for Social Media Responsibility at the University of Michigan and the Credibility Coalition, and he is a fellow at the Alliance for Securing Democracy. He's currently an affiliate with Harvard, where he's developing proposals around promoting information to bridge divides. Ovadya is also a visiting scholar at the University of Cambridge. "The ecosystems I'm trying to instigate and accelerate are about ensuring democracy can keep up with AI," Ovadya said.

Read the original article on Business Insider
(Bloomberg) -- Russian firms based in the United Arab Emirates are coming under greater scrutiny from local banks as the Gulf state faces increased US pressure to tackle sanctions evasion and ramps up efforts to get off a global organizations watch list.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The UAE attracted a flood of Russian money in the first year after President Vladimir Putin ordered troops into Ukraine, with firms finding banking quick and easy to navigate. That process has gradually grown more arduous, with rejections increasingly common, because the UAE is showing less appetite for sanctions-related risk and pushing to get off the so-called gray list, according to more than half a dozen business owners and consultants interviewed by Bloomberg, who asked not to be identified as such information isnt public.

Money transfers  whether for companies repatriating funds to Russia or moving cash to a third country  have also been subject to greater oversight and now take more time, the people said. Some banks are demanding more documentation, and at times blocking funds, while seeking justification for the transfer or questioning the origin of the money, they said.

In the initial aftermath of Russias invasion of Ukraine, UAE officials hewed to policies that attracted a surge of inflows from high net worth individuals. In recent months, officials have looked to close perceived gaps in sanctions compliance, the people said, as the UAE seeks to be removed from a list of jurisdictions subject to more oversight maintained by the Financial Action Task Force, a group that aims to combat global money laundering.

In the meantime, the US, UK and European Union have ramped up pressure on Emirati officials to tackle illicit flows and close channels used by Moscow to skirt trade sanctions and finance the Kremlins war machine. This month, the Biden administration targeted several UAE-based shipping firms, part of a crackdown on non-compliance with its oil price cap.

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In terms of financial compliance, it has become much more difficult to be Russian in the UAE, and the situation is getting tougher, said Daria Nevskaya, a Dubai-based lawyer who consults with clients on cross-border deals and bank accounts. Some banks that previously had been accepting payments from Russia have put a stop to such transactions now.

In response to questions from Bloomberg, a UAE official said the country takes it role in protecting the integrity of the global financial system extremely seriously. The increased resources and expertise we have put in place underpin the UAEs continued commitment to combating economic crime and disrupting illicit networks, both at home and abroad, the official said.

Read more: EU Says UAE to Curb Key Exports to Russia Used in War in Ukraine

As part of the FATF proceedings, UAE banks are requesting more information from current and prospective clients, including specific checks related to sanctions lists, Thani Al Zeyoudi, the countrys minister of state for foreign trade, told Bloomberg on Tuesday.

While thats true for clients of every nationality, the situation can be particularly acute for Russians because of the volume of country-specific sanctions, according to people familiar with the matter.

The UAE has been very good at usually doing just about enough to escape serious censure while also being as open to business from all sides as they can, said Steffen Hertog, an associate professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science. More due diligence and cutting links with clear sanctions evaders will be enough to avoid any escalation with the US.

The policy shift has hit smaller businesses particularly hard because of lenders risk-reward calculations, according to Michael Malinovskiy, a partner at Lecap law firm.

Some larger businesses are now weighing alternatives.

The UAEs crackdown on illicit activities in its bullion market and US measures against Russias top gold miners led to a shift in trading from Dubai to Hong Kong since April, two people involved in the industry said. More rigorous oversight of bank transfers and a mandatory government database for monitoring cash payments have increased hurdles for Russian exporters in the UAE, people familiar with the matter said.

Another of Russias biggest mining companies, which has sanctioned shareholders, has been struggling to open a bank account for months, two people familiar with the situation said.

Gazprombank, which has escaped the strictest restrictions due to its role in commodities trading, had one of its correspondent accounts closed by Dubai-based bank Mashreq, a person with direct knowledge of the situation said, declining to be identified as the information isnt public. The lender has accounts at two other UAE banks for now, the person said, adding that he thinks Dubai banks are closing for Russian money.

Gazprombanks media relations staff and Mashreq didnt reply to requests for comment.

To be sure, the UAE is still a favored hub for many of Russias biggest unsanctioned companies. United Co. Rusal International PJSC is shifting its global aluminum trading headquarters to Dubai from Switzerland, while EuroChem Group AG, one of the countrys biggest fertilizer producers, has run its trading operations through Dubai for more than a year. The Uralchem-Uralkali fertilizer group has had its international trading unit based in Dubais DMCC free trade zone since 2021.

Still, closer scrutiny from UAE authorities is pushing some mid-size businesses to move to neighboring Gulf countries, such as Oman or Bahrain, which arent under the US governments spotlight, the people said.

The UAE still is a very useful hub to have for Russia, notably the rich elites around Putin, Hertog said. Russia probably needs the UAE more than the other way around at this point, but there is still need for Russian cooperation vis-a-vis Iran, Syria, Libya and other regional hot spots.

--With assistance from Abeer Abu Omar.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
Up to P1 Million cash credits await new UnionBank Elite and Access clients

PASIG, Philippines, Nov. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Union Bank of the Philippines (UnionBank) recently launched two new wealth programs, UnionBank Elite and UnionBank Access, as part of the Aboitiz-led bank's commitment to provide an elevated wealth management experience for its valued clients.

Elevate your wealth to unbelievable heights with UnionBank

Harnessing the strengths of its acquired Citi Wealth business, the two newly unveiled wealth programs bring together time-tested propositions, and even making it better with innovative wealth management approaches from UnionBank.

UnionBank Elite, the new premier wealth segment, offers elevated wealth management service to customers with its top-notch propositions. Elite customers are not only guided by a team of wealth management experts with proven track record and experience in investment and financial planning, they are also able to get exclusive access to more local and international investment options to match their need for diversification. Curated experiences and benefits, as well as first dibs to new releases and exclusive events, also await Elite customers. To start the roster of exciting offers, new Elite customers can get up to P1 Million cash credits if they open an account until December 31, 2023.

Therese Chan, UnionBank Wealth and Brokerage Head and Board Director of UnionBank Financial Services and Insurance Brokerage Inc. (UFSI), shared "We have also enhanced our wealth program for the emerging affluent, keeping in mind the children of our clients who may be in the process of creating their own wealth," in reference to UnionBank Access, which was also launched to target the next generation of wealth builders. For the ultra-wealthy segment, UnionBank Private Banking continues to champion discretionary wealth management and succession planning for families.

The UnionBank Wealth Management movers and shakers at the Manila launch of the program. (From Left to Right: Ramon Melchor Tejero, UFSI President and CEO, Dennis Omila, UB Chief Technology and Operations Officer; Edwin R. Bautista, UB President and CEO; Josiah Go, UB Board Director; Manuel Escueta, UB and UFSI Board Director; Manuel Lozano, UB Chief Financial Officer and UFSI Board Director; Therese Chan, UB Wealth and Brokerage Head and UFSI Board Director; Joyce Gonzalez, UB Retail Banking Head; Albert Cuadrante, UB Chief Marketing Officer; Johnson Sia, UB Treasurer and Global Markets Head; Eric Lustre, UB Chief Trust Executive)

As a thought leader in expert wealth advisory, UnionBank also held its Market Outlook event for the second half of the year. This facilitated relevant discussions and offered invaluable and actionable insights on current issues and trends in the Asian and Global markets. Special focus was given to artificial intelligence and megatrends, and the investment opportunities these offer.

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Anthony Kruger, Director, CAIA, and APAC Head of Platform Strategy at BlackRock, and Jason Lim, Director of Retail Distribution (Southeast Asia) at Allianz Global Investors, led the two-day market event as speakers. BlackRock and Allianz Global Investors are among UFSI's fund house partners.

UFSI President and CEO Ramon Melchor Tejero led the celebratory toasts that concluded the event, "To the future that awaits us, filled with innovation and exciting possibilities. And to our exceptional clients, thank you for your loyalty and support that have propelled us forward. Here's to redefining wealth management with UnionBank."

To learn more about UnionBank Elite and UnionBank Access, visit www.unionbankph.com/wealth/elite and www.unionbankph.com/wealth/access.

(PRNewsfoto/Union Bank of the Philippines)

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/unionbank-launches-premier-expert-wealth-management-programs-301994374.html

SOURCE UnionBank of the Philippines
Report Highlights:

Summer program comprised inaugural mapping and sampling of abundant pegmatite occurrences.

Mineralized pegmatite contains white micas, garnet and tourmaline.

Geochemical analyses show good potential for lithium mineralization with eight samples returning lithium values greater than 50 ppm.

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - November 23, 2023) - Westmount Minerals Corp. (CSE: WMC) ("Westmount" or the "Company") announces its summer reconnaissance and sampling program results at the Kaba Lithium Property (the "Property") in Northwestern Ontario. Multiple pegmatite outcroppings containing rare metals and associated lithium mineral indicators have been discovered during the initial program.





Map 1. Priority areas identified for follow-up sampling.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8671/188496_9de3814bf4a42971_003full.jpg

David Tafel, CEO and Director commented: "Our geological team has confirmed the presence of multiple pegmatite outcroppings as well as lithium indicator minerals. Results from this limited sampling program are encouraging and have identified priority pegmatite focus areas for a follow-on site visit. The results also underscore the Kaba property's strategic location in the Georgia Lake pegmatite area."

The largest pegmatite outcropping discovered to date measured approximately 70m long x 50m wide. Generally, the pegmatites are coarse-grained and composed of quartz and feldspar. Contained mineralization is evidenced by the presence of large "books" of white mica and biotite, red garnets and tourmaline. Multiple sample assay results have revealed interesting values of Boron (up to 670 ppm), Barium (up to 1,750 ppm) and Rubidium (up to 1,320 ppm). In addition, many occurrences displayed very good fractionation and fractionation trends with low ratios of potassium/rubidium. The potassium/rubidium ratio often has a strong correlation to Lithium-enrichment. Priority areas for follow-up sampling have been identified in Map 1. The sample returning a value of 1320 Rb also showed a K/Rb ratio of 58. This was the sample with significant muscovite and tourmaline, located within a promising southern priority area.

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The well-known Georgia Lake Lithium-pegmatite field is located just west of the Property. Within the pegmatite field, Rock Tech Lithium Inc. has completed a Pre-Feasibility Study (NR-November 16, 2022) stating its Georgia Lake property has 10.6 million tonnes (mt) of Indicated Mineral Resources and 4.22 mt of Inferred Mineral Resources (NR- March 7, 2023). Other companies with lithium mineralization prospects include Imagine Lithium Inc. and Ultra Lithium Inc. (Map 2)





Map 2. Georgia Lake pegmatite area.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8671/188496_9de3814bf4a42971_004full.jpg

Qualified Person

The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Marty Huber, P.Geo., who is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. The QP and the Company have not completed sufficient work to verify the historic information on the Properties, particularly regarding historical exploration, neighbouring companies, and government geological work.

About Westmount Minerals Corp.

Westmount is focused on mineral exploration in the Americas and is well positioned in the emerging world-class critical minerals district of NW Ontario. The 3,486 hectares, Kaba Lithium Property, is located in the Georgia Lake, lithium-pegmatite region in close proximity to Rock Tech Lithium Inc. Multiple pegmatite showings have been documented and mapped on the Property.

Additionally, Westmount can earn a 100% interest in the 5,002-hectare lithium-pegmatite bearing, Otatakan and Pilot East Lithium Properties located near Ear Falls, Ontario. The Properties are just south of Green Technology Metal's (ASX listed) expanding Root deposit.

The Company has also advanced the Douay East gold property located within the greater Abitibi Greenstone Belt region in Quebec to the drill-ready stage.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

David Tafel

Chief Executive Officer and Director

For further information, please contact:

David Tafel

Chief Executive Officer and Director

(604) 683-1991

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements:

This news release includes certain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation, statements regarding future capital expenditures, anticipated content, commencement, and cost of exploration programs in respect of the Company's projects and mineral properties, anticipated exploration program results from exploration activities, resources and/or reserves on the Company's projects and mineral properties, and the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Often, but not always, forward looking information can be identified by words such as "pro forma", "plans", "expects", "will", "may", "should", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", "believes", "potential" or variations of such words including negative variations thereof, and phrases that refer to certain actions, events or results that may, could, would, might or will occur or be taken or achieved. In making the forward-looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including without limitation, that market fundamentals will result in sustained precious and base metals demand and prices, the receipt of any necessary permits, licenses and regulatory approvals in connection with the future exploration of the Company's properties, that a global pandemic such as COVID-19, will not affect the ability of the Company to conduct future exploration of the Company's properties, the availability of financing on suitable terms, and the Company's ability to comply with environmental, health and safety laws.

Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such risks and other factors include, among others, statements as to the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, including the Company's option agreements to acquire its Projects, the proposed expenditures for exploration work thereon, the ability of the Company to obtain sufficient financing to fund its business activities and plans, delays in obtaining governmental and regulatory approvals (including of the Canadian Securities Exchange), permits or financing, changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting mining operations, risks relating to epidemics or pandemics such as COVID-19, financial condition and results of operations, the Company's limited operating history, currency fluctuations, title disputes or claims, environmental issues and liabilities, as well as those factors discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's prospectus dated February 14, 2022, and other filings of the Company with the Canadian Securities Authorities, copies of which can be found under the Company's profile on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com.

Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements in this news release except as otherwise required by law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/188496
Key Insights

Hup Seng Industries Berhad's significant private companies ownership suggests that the key decisions are influenced by shareholders from the larger public

HSB Group Sdn. Bhd. owns 51% of the company

Insider ownership in Hup Seng Industries Berhad is 10%

Every investor in Hup Seng Industries Berhad (KLSE:HUPSENG) should be aware of the most powerful shareholder groups. We can see that private companies own the lion's share in the company with 51% ownership. Put another way, the group faces the maximum upside potential (or downside risk).

And individual investors on the other hand have a 36% ownership in the company.

Let's take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholders can tell us about Hup Seng Industries Berhad.

Check out our latest analysis for Hup Seng Industries Berhad

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Hup Seng Industries Berhad?

Many institutions measure their performance against an index that approximates the local market. So they usually pay more attention to companies that are included in major indices.

Less than 5% of Hup Seng Industries Berhad is held by institutional investors. This suggests that some funds have the company in their sights, but many have not yet bought shares in it. If the company is growing earnings, that may indicate that it is just beginning to catch the attention of these deep-pocketed investors. We sometimes see a rising share price when a few big institutions want to buy a certain stock at the same time. The history of earnings and revenue, which you can see below, could be helpful in considering if more institutional investors will want the stock. Of course, there are plenty of other factors to consider, too.

Hedge funds don't have many shares in Hup Seng Industries Berhad. The company's largest shareholder is HSB Group Sdn. Bhd., with ownership of 51%. This essentially means that they have extensive influence, if not outright control, over the future of the corporation. With 2.4% and 1.6% of the shares outstanding respectively, Employees Provident Fund of Malaysia and Chiew Kerk are the second and third largest shareholders. Chiew Kerk, who is the third-largest shareholder, also happens to hold the title of Member of the Board of Directors.

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Researching institutional ownership is a good way to gauge and filter a stock's expected performance. The same can be achieved by studying analyst sentiments. There is a little analyst coverage of the stock, but not much. So there is room for it to gain more coverage.

Insider Ownership Of Hup Seng Industries Berhad

The definition of an insider can differ slightly between different countries, but members of the board of directors always count. Company management run the business, but the CEO will answer to the board, even if he or she is a member of it.

Most consider insider ownership a positive because it can indicate the board is well aligned with other shareholders. However, on some occasions too much power is concentrated within this group.

Our most recent data indicates that insiders own a reasonable proportion of Hup Seng Industries Berhad. Insiders have a RM66m stake in this RM636m business. It is great to see insiders so invested in the business. It might be worth checking if those insiders have been buying recently.

General Public Ownership

The general public-- including retail investors -- own 36% stake in the company, and hence can't easily be ignored. This size of ownership, while considerable, may not be enough to change company policy if the decision is not in sync with other large shareholders.

Private Company Ownership

We can see that Private Companies own 51%, of the shares on issue. It might be worth looking deeper into this. If related parties, such as insiders, have an interest in one of these private companies, that should be disclosed in the annual report. Private companies may also have a strategic interest in the company.

Next Steps:

While it is well worth considering the different groups that own a company, there are other factors that are even more important. To that end, you should be aware of the 1 warning sign we've spotted with Hup Seng Industries Berhad .

If you are like me, you may want to think about whether this company will grow or shrink. Luckily, you can check this free report showing analyst forecasts for its future.

NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
Horizon, the Middle Easts largest independent helicopter flight training academy, has signed a partnership with Parker Lord, a division of the Parker Hannifin Corporation. The signing occurred during the ongoing Dubai Airshow 2023, extending until November 17 at the Dubai World Central.

Through the agreement, Parker Lord will deliver training to Horizon engineers, enabling Horizon to expand its capabilities to carrying out B407 main rotor hub overhauls at Horizon facilities. Horizon currently has the engineering expertise, tooling and infrastructure to undertake this new in-house capability. Previously, all main rotor hubs were sent to OEM authorised services outside the UAE.

Speaking on the signing, Al Dhaheri said: Horizon is thrilled to be partnering with Parker Lord, who is furthering our goals to build autonomy within our facilities and entrusting our engineers to carry out these additional overhaul solutions in-house. As we continue to localise maintenance services, we are contributing to the UAEs efforts to become self-sufficient, equipping our organisation with a strong engineering talent pool, and expanding the boundaries of what is possible at the Horizon Academy."

Since its inception in 2003, Horizon has been the premier training academy in the Middle East region, providing flight training to both commercial and military customers on Bell aircraft, and has successfully completed over 180,000 training hours in upskilling rotary wing pilots. Horizon is part of the Trading & Mission Support cluster within Edge, an advanced technology group ranked among the top 25 military suppliers in the world.--TradeArabia News Service
NASA

On November 11, NASA stopped sending commands to Martian spacecraft, and this communication blackout will continue until November 25.

The reason for this two-week hiatus is because Mars is currently in solar conjunction, meaning the Sun currently lies directly between Earth and Mars, and radio commands could be disrupted by the Sun's charged particles.

Although receiving no new commands, the Martian rovers, satellites, and one tiny helicopter will have a pre-planned list of scientific objectives and will continue to send health checks during the two-week break.

For more than a week, NASA has been incommunicado with all its robotic missions on and in orbit of Marsbut dont worry, thats by design.

Roughly every two years, Earth and Mars experience a brief period known as solar conjunction when the two planets are on opposite sides of the Sun. According to the stargazing website In the sky, both the Sun and Mars will be in the constellation Libra and that means Mars will be lost in the glare of the Sun for weeks and communication with our robotic friends on the fourth rock will be sketchy at best.

On average, Mars is usually about 140 million miles away, but that balloons during solar conjunction. That distance stretches to about 235 million milesroughly 2.5 astronomical units (AU) from Earth. This is essentially the cosmic opposite of Mars opposition, which is when Earth is instead sandwiched between Mars and the Sun (and the God of War planet looks particularly bloodthirsty in the night sky.)

So why do we have to bid adieu to our mechanical brethren for two weeks? Well, the problem is the Sun, which is essentially a giant orb of interference. When rovers, orbiters, and one impressive helicopter try to send data back to Earth, the information can be disrupted by the charged particles of the Sun, which could leave behind gaps in data. But the reverse is a more disastrous scenario because confused commands sent by NASA could lead to a missions doom. NASA will suspend commands from November 11 to November 25.

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As NASA explains, that doesnt mean these robots will be taking an extended holiday. The immobile Curiosity of Perseverance rovers will continue monitoring the Martian surface, the Mars Reconnaissance and Odyssey orbiters will continue on as usual (though without phoning home, of course), the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft will still study the atmosphere, and even NASAs pint-sized helicopter Ingenuity will monitor the movement of Martian sand while grounded.

Our mission teams have spent months preparing to-do lists for all our Mars spacecraft, Roy Gladden, manager of the Mars Relay Network at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, said in a press statement. Well still be able to hear from them and check their states of health over the next few weeks.

However, even those health checks will go dark for a 48-hour period while Mars is directly behind the disk of the Sun. While the various mission controls collectively hold their breath, hopefully after two days the familiar signs of mechanical life will whirr back into existence, and humanitys Martian companions will be eager to share the things theyve learned while we were away.

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OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was fired by the company's board on Friday. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

It's been a wild week at OpenAI. In fact, wild doesn't begin to cover it.

We now know Sam Altman's returning to the company after being fired, but we are still very confused.

That's because many questions, including why he was fired in the first place, remain unanswered.

Sam Altman is set to return as CEO of OpenAI after one of the most confusing weeks in Silicon Valley history.

Altman's shock ousting came on Friday when the OpenAI board removed him from the CEO role with immediate effect, citing his less-than-candid communications as their reasoning.

Things pretty much spiraled from there after fellow cofounder and former company president Greg Brockman followed Altman out of OpenAI and into Microsoft.

By Monday, almost all employees at OpenAI had signed a letter threatening to quit unless Altman returned and the board resigned. Just a day later, Altman was back as CEO, and the board was largely replaced.

The unprecedented mess has left commentators wondering what could have caused one of the most important AI companies to shoot itself in the foot.

The vague language and general lack of explanation provided by the board  even to its most important investors  has let speculation run wild.

We may never know why Altman was ousted

It's the million  or $86 billion  dollar question on everyone's minds.

Why was Sam Altman suddenly fired as CEO of OpenAI?

The board's initial explanation included a scathing statement about Altman's communication. In a blogpost, the board said:

"Mr. Altman's departure follows a deliberative review process by the board, which concluded that he was not consistently candid in his communications with the board, hindering its ability to exercise its responsibilities. The board no longer has confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI."

The statement implied Altman had been dishonest or even lied to the board in some capacity. If this is the case, as Business Insider's Alistair Barr points out, the public deserves to know what, if anything, he lied about.

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OpenAI insiders told BI's Kali Hays that Sutskever had offered employees two explanations for Altman's ousting regarding personnel issues. However, employees weren't convinced.

Was there conflict over the safety of AI?

The drama at OpenAI highlighted one of the biggest debates in tech: the safety of advanced AI development.

Some industry experts have issued extreme warnings about the tech's potential danger, including the risk it may one day wipe out humanity. Recently, the legitimacy of these concerns has come into question, with several AI heavyweights  including AI godfather Yann LeCun  accusing Big Tech of having other motives for hyping up fears around AI.

Ilya Sutskever, OpenAI's chief scientist who was rumored to play a central role in Sam Altman's ousting, was committed to AI safety. Sutskever and Altman often clashed over differences around ways to reduce AI's potential harm to humanity, Bloomberg reported.

While Altman has expressed concerns about the safety of AI, he has also been pushing the commercialization of ChatGPT  possibly at a pace the safety-conscious board was not OK with.

OpenAI appeared to push back on the speculation around AI safety's role in Altman's departure. Employees were told over the weekend his dismissal had nothing to do with "malfeasance or anything related to our financial, business, safety or security/privacy practice," a message viewed by The New York Times said.

Will OpenAI change its complex structure?

One of the more popular theories for Altman's ousting is that tensions between the nonprofit board and the for-profit arm of OpenAI finally came to a head.

The nonprofit board, which included chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, ultimately had the power to fire Altman because of the company's unusual structure.

Sources inside OpenAI at the time told The Atlantic that the release of ChatGPT had highlighted underlying ideological conflicts between the nonprofit board and the for-profit arm.

Pressure to commercialize the chatbot created divisions among leadership, they said. While OpenAI's safety teams wanted to slow things down, the product teams pushed to capitalize on the hype. The launch of further products, including a premium tier of ChatGPT powered by GPT-4, only served to exasperate the issues, sources told the outlet.

By Tuesday, the board had been all but replaced, with only Quora CEO Adam D'Angelo holding a seat on the new team.

What is Microsoft thinking?

OpenAI ousted Altman without consulting its lead investor, Microsoft.

This reportedly didn't go down well with its CEO Satya Nadella. After leading talks to try and get Altman reinstated at OpenAI, Nadella later hired him and Brockman to head up an AI team at Microsoft.

Nadella has been clear that he doesn't want to be caught off-guard about major leadership shakeups at OpenAI in the future.

While appearing on a podcast with journalist Kara Swisher, Nadella said OpenAI should've consulted Microsoft before firing the former CEO. He added that it would've been the "very least" the board could have done.

He seemingly still does not know why Altman was fired, telling Bloomberg: "The board has not talked about anything that Sam did other than some breakdown in communications."

Commentators had speculated that Microsoft would be after an OpenAI board seat  or at least a more formalized communication system  in the wake of the fallout.

What's up with the suspicious letter from 'former employees'?

Never one to be left out of the drama, Elon Musk also weighed into the chaos on Tuesday by sharing a letter supposedly from former OpenAI employees.

BI has yet to verify the authenticity of the letter. It was notably unsigned, and the original source had been removed.

The letter made unverified claims about Alman and Brockman over their management at OpenAI.

The letter said: "Throughout our time at OpenAI, we witnessed a disturbing pattern of deceit and manipulation by Sam Altman and Greg Brockman, driven by their insatiable pursuit of achieving artificial general intelligence (AGI)."

Several OpenAI employees have dismissed the claims on X, however.

"The attacks on Greg's and Sam's character say more about the accusers. Totally false," Peter Welinder, a VP at OpenAI, said on X. "I mean, we argue about GPU allocation all the time! Sam's job is to decide. Ofc someone will be disappointed. Grow up."

Representatives for OpenAI did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Governor Jim Pillen, in accordance with a request from the White House, has announced that all U.S. and Nebraska flags be flown at half-staff to honor former first lady Rosalynn Carter. The order is effective Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023, until sunset, on the day of Carters interment, Wednesday, Nov. 29.
An Omaha man was sentenced Monday to the maximum penalty of seven years in prison after he intentionally struck a 23-year-old woman with a car this year, killing her, and then fled from the scene.

In an emotional hearing Monday, 25-year-old Miguelangel Bringshimback was sentenced to a total of seven years in prison: four years for leaving the scene of a personal injury accident resulting in death and three years for felony motor vehicle homicide, to be served consecutively. Bringshimback was found guilty in September of causing the death of Milagros Lopez in the early hours of Feb. 16.

Bringshimback was initially charged with manslaughter  which carries significantly harsher penalties than motor vehicle homicide  before reaching a plea deal with prosecutors in September.

Lopez's sisters spoke through sobs at Monday's hearing about the despair their family has faced since Lopez's brother found her critically injured in the alleyway behind their home that morning.

"My brother had to find her and give her CPR," said Jennifer Toledo, Lopez's older sister. "They saw her body, and they didn't stop to help her. And my little miracle was gone."

Though the circumstances of what led to Lopez's killing remain unclear, it is believed that Bringshimback and four others were drinking heavily before they went to Lopez's family home near 23rd and Castelar streets around 3 a.m. on the pretense of a fight. Bringshimback was not the owner of the car, nor did he drive it to Lopez's home.

As an argument ensued outside the car, Bringshimback entered the driver's seat of the vehicle  a Chrysler 3000  and accelerated, striking Lopez. The impact left Lopez with multiple broken bones and an exposed skull. Bringshimback then fled from the scene, and at least one of the four witnesses called 911.

But before medics arrived, according to an arrest affidavit, Bringshimback and the four witnesses returned to the scene and saw Lopez's gravely injured body in the alleyway.

Then, they drove away.

Neither Bringshimback nor the four witnesses attempted to render aid to Lopez, who died about two hours after being taken to the hospital. Even with such serious injuries, her sisters said, Lopez fought for her life until the end.

In the weeks after Lopez's death, all four witnesses voluntarily provided statements to the Omaha Police Department identifying Bringshimback as the person who hit Lopez, according to the affidavit.

Bringshimback's defense attorneys argued that he is an "excellent" candidate for probation, has been addressing his alcoholism and is "absolutely remorseful." He gave a short, quiet statement to the court and apologized to Lopez's family.

Prosecutors argued for the maximum sentence and a lengthy license revocation, citing the fact that Bringshimback had previously completed a term of probation after he was convicted of leaving the scene of a property damage crash in 2018.

In handing down the maximum sentence, Douglas County District Court Judge Shelly Stratman said she believes Bringshimback is remorseful, but doesn't think he fully appreciates the severity of his actions.

"You left Ms. Lopez there to die," Stratman said.

Bringshimback will be eligible for parole in about three years and will receive credit for 148 days he spent in the Douglas County Jail. Upon his release, his drivers' license will be revoked for seven years.
Nebraska student proficiency in math and English language arts has skyrocketed as public schools recover from a COVID-19 academic slide.

State test scores released Wednesday show that in the 2022-23 school year, students rebounded more than 10 percentage points in both subjects, scoring higher than pre-pandemic years.

In English language arts, 58% of Nebraska students scored proficient  meaning they were either on track or advanced in the subject  an increase from 47% a year prior. Proficiency in math was 61%, up from 46%. In science, 70% of students scored proficient, an increase from 66% in 2021-22.

Scores for the 2020-21 school year, released two years ago, showed the first evidence of an academic slide, fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic that shuttered school buildings in March 2020. Those test scores aren't documented because more than 8,500 students did not participate in testing at the time. That and other disruptions, from quarantines to remote learning, prompted state officials to caution about reading too much into those results.

Results from 2021-22, released a year ago, documented a more severe drop in scores as the state dipped below 50% in English and math proficiency.

In addition to releasing test scores, state officials Wednesday also released accountability ratings for schools and districts, labeling them as excellent, great, good or needing assistance based on state test scores and other factors.

Among the 11 metro districts in Sarpy and Douglas counties, many improved their ratings from the previous year. The Millard, Elkhorn, Springfield Platteview, Bennington and Gretna districts ranked "excellent." Last year, the only district in that category was Elkhorn.

The "great" ranking includes the Bellevue, Douglas County West, Westside and Papillion La Vista districts.

The Ralston district improved its ranking from "needs support to improve" to the "good" category. The only district that remains in the "needs support to improve" ranking is the Omaha Public Schools.

The Lincoln Public Schools also improved its ranking from "good" to "great."

Roughly 99% of Nebraska public schools students took the annual test this year, similar to last year's participation.
Editor's note: The spelling of Neil MacEahern's name was corrected after the story initially appeared on page A3 in the Nov. 24 edition of The Gazette.

Colorado Springs police put a callout on social media this week acknowledging that the department is still seeking answers in a 45-year-old homicide.

Neil MacEahern was shot and killed at the Candlelight Inn in Colorado Springs on Nov. 22, 1978. Despite an investigation with multiple interviews and numerous pieces of evidence collected by police, according to the social media post, MacEahern's killer was never found.

According to previous reporting by The Gazette, MacEahern was a 63-year-old retired Air Force colonel and detectives at the time stated that the incident "looks like a robbery."

Police found the bullet-riddled body MacEahern while on routine patrol at 11 p.m., according to archive accounts of The Gazette. Police spotted the body on the front seat of a red Volkswagen in front of the Candlelight lounge in the 3800 block of North Nevada Avenue and, thinking it was someone sleeping, stopped to investigate.

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MacEahern was a former Air Force veterinarian who worked for the Colorado Racing Commission, according to Gazette archives.

Described by a Candlelight employee as an off-and-on customer, MacEahern entered the lounge only about 45 minutes before he was found dead.

He had a cocktail, talked to a couple of people for about 30 minutes, and left by himself, the employee said. The next thing we knew there were police inside asking questions.

Colorado Springs police in its social media post said that the investigation into MacEahern's death remains open, and to contact police at 719-444-7000 if you have any information about the case.
Both Jon and Carie Hallford have been booked into the El Paso County jail as of Wednesday.

Co-owners of Return to Nature Funeral Home, the Hallfords were arrested earlier this month in Oklahoma after an investigation was opened into a Penrose building connected to the couple in which nearly 200 bodies were found improperly stored in October.

The Hallfords were arrested on suspicion of abuse of a corpse, theft, money laundering and forgery, according to the FBI.

The couple are expected to face felony charges related to the building, where officials found "abhorrent conditions," including bodies dating back to 2019 and "human decomposition fluids and insects lined the floors," according to an arrest affidavit.

Carie Hallford was booked into the jail on Tuesday and attended a video advisement Wednesday in which her $2 million bond was upheld. Her first court appearance is scheduled for Dec. 5.

Jon Hallford was booked into jail a day later, according to the El Paso County Sheriff's Office.
The choice is down to two candidates in the University of Colorado Colorado Springs' search for a new campus chancellor, with both set to meet with faculty, staff and students next week.

UCCS announced on Wednesday that the search for a new chancellor after Venkat Reddy's departure in May had been narrowed down to two candidates.

This comes after an announcement from search leader Leonard Dinegar, senior vice president for internal operations and chief of staff for the CU system, that three to five candidates for the job of chancellor would be presented to CU system President Todd Saliman.

A committee is working with Florida-based search firm Greenwood Asher & Associates, which has helped assess needs, recruit applicants and narrow the field, Dinegar said.

Susan Elrod and Mahyar Amouzegar are the choices, each holding previous leadership positions at other public universities.

Amouzegar, most recently the provost and senior vice president of academic affairs at the University of New Orleans, holds advanced degrees in engineering and previously held an administrative position at California Polytechnic University at Pomona and California State University, Long Beach.

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The Iranian-born academic is also a novelist with multiple published works of literature and a previous national security analyst for the RAND Corp.

Elrod, with a doctorate in genetics, was a National Science Foundation researcher and is the current chancellor at Indiana University South Bend. Elrod previously held positions at the University of Wisconsin, Whitewater; California State University, Chico; and California State University, Fresno.

The two candidates face high leadership expectations at UCCS, where fall admission hit a 10-year low this year and the annualized employee turnover reached 15% last year, according to previous reporting from The Gazette.

UCCS's previous chancellor has also been embroiled in legal trouble stemming from a civil rights lawsuit brought by a previous employee in 2022. The university has said that the lawsuit is unrelated to Reddy's decision to step down.

The UCCS campus community will have a chance to ask questions and interact with the candidates at a series of forums Tuesday through Friday catered respectively to staff, faculty and studentslisted here. The forums will be livestreamed, and attendees are encouraged to submit questions ahead of time.
Russian Helicopters, part of Rostec, had showcased the latest version of one of the worlds top firefighting helicopters, Kamov Ka-3211, at the recent Dubai Airshow.

The upgraded rotorcraft, since its international debut, has become an instant hit with the global expert community.

The new model represents a significant upgrade over its predecessor, the Ka-3211VS with several game-changing features including the newest Russian-made digital-controlled engines, the digital navigation system, and the state-of-the-art firefighting and rescue operations equipment.

The Ka-3211 comes with SP-32, the newest Russian-produced fire-extinguishing system, with a capacity of 4,000L of water and 400L of a foam agent.

The crafts biggest perk, though, is that water is electrically heated, which helps sustain firefighting operations at 20C. This is the never-before-used innovative technology.

A water cannon ensures that the Ka-3211 is capable of performing horizontal firefighting manoeuvres on high-rises  which is essential for the UAE  and on oil and gas facilities amid heavy smoke. The rotorcraft can optionally be kitted out with the VSU-5 helibucket.

At the Dubai Airshow, we had rolled out some one-of-a-kind helicopters with a high export potential, including the Kamov Ka-3211, which drew the attention of experts and possible customers. The Ka-32 familys efficiency has earned it international acclaim. Over 180 of these helicopters are operated in 20 countries worldwide. Should the operators say so, we can upgrade all of them to the Ka-3211 specs, said Dmitry Zuykov, Marketing Director at Russian Helicopters.

The VK-2500PS-02 engines feature enhanced power when used at maximum and emergency capacity, which is largely due to fine-tuned temperature adjustments facilitated by the BARK automated digital controls. These engines help the helicopter operate in hot climates and in mountainous areas, which is a big advantage when it comes to wildfires and rescue operations.

The helicopter comes with a flight display digital navigation system, referred to as the glass cockpit, which helps crew better cope with challenging conditions and boosts situational awareness.

One of the Kamov Ka-3211s fortes is its augmented manoeuvrability and ability to withstand the toughest flight conditions aided by the coaxial dual-rotor design. It makes the helicopter easier to pilot, compared to the traditional design, helps maintain a steady hovering flight, renders it more manoeuvrable, and ensures a high thrust-to-weight ratio.

This is instrumental in rescue operations, logging operations, cargo transportation, and firefighting in high-risk ground settings as well as in dense urban areas, including close to high-rises, when both the motion and the hover may be hindered by dangerous wind shear.

National Helicopter Center Mil & Kamov was established in 2019, merging the capabilities of the Mil Helicopter Plant and Kamov JSC. These two companies designed over 20 main helicopter configurations and multiple modifications thereof.

Russian Helicopters (part of Rostec) is one of the leading helicopter manufacturers globally and the only helicopter design and production company in Russia.

It comprises five helicopter plants and a national helicopter centre with merged capabilities of two design bureaus as well as spare part production and maintenance facilities, repairs shops, and a service company, providing after-sales support for both Russian and international customers.-TradeArabia News Service
Former President Donald Trump's lead is too big, barring "an act of God," for any of the remaining GOP presidential candidates to have a shot at the Republican Party's nomination, according to the Washington Examiner's Sarah Bedford.

While appearing on Cavuto: Coast to Coast, Bedford was asked whether an endorsement, such as Bob Vander Plaats's of Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) on Wednesday, would "move the needle" away from Trump in polling.

BIDEN MIGHT BE DEMOCRATS' BIGGEST PROBLEM CONVINCING BLACK AND LATINO VOTERS NOT TO SUPPORT TRUMP

"In a typical race where you have candidates at this stage in the primary separated by 4, 5, 6 points, yes, this would be a consequential endorsement. Bob Vander Plaats is sort of a legend in Iowa Republican politics. But when you have someone, like Donald Trump, who is 30 points ahead in the Iowa caucus, I don't think an endorsement moves the needle that much," Bedford said. "It's meant to help voters who may be on the fence undecided differentiate between the candidates, but it seems the voters have already done that."

From left, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), former President Donald Trump, and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley. (AP Photos)

Bedford was then asked what path candidates, aside from Trump, have to win the GOP nomination.

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"An act of God, Trump getting run over  God forbid  Trump being sent to jail somehow with the indictments," she said. "I don't think at this point there is much to do to change the dynamics of the race."

Bedford suggested the GOP primary race will see candidates dropping once the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary are held early in 2024.

Original Location: An act of God is needed to see DeSantis or Haley as GOP nominee: Sarah Bedford

Washington Examiner Videos
President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and their spouses will travel to Georgia next week to attend the tribute service for former first lady Rosalynn Carter.

Carter, who was married to former President Jimmy Carter for 77 years, died Sunday while in hospice care at the age of 96.

SAM ALTMAN REINSTATED AS CEO OF OPENAI AFTER FIVE-DAY-BATTLE

The White House said in a release that both Biden and Harris will be traveling to Atlanta, Georgia, on Tuesday to attend the tribute service, which will be held at Glenn Memorial Church at Emory University in Atlanta.

The services will begin Monday at 11 a.m. for a wreath-laying ceremony. Then, a repose ceremony will begin that afternoon at 3:30 p.m. in the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum, and the public will be allowed to pay their respects from 6 p.m. through 10 p.m.

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After leaving the White House in 1981, Rosalynn Carter continued to work on causes close to her through the Carter Center, advocating early childhood immunization, human rights, and mental health awareness. With her husband, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1999, the nation's highest civilian honor, for her work in the fields of international peace, health, and the environment.

Original Location: Biden and Harris to attend tribute service for Rosalynn Carter on Tuesday

Washington Examiner Videos
New York City Mayor Eric Adams is defiant in the face of sexual assault allegations, telling reporters he would never harm anyone.

"My career speaks for itself," Adams told reporters Thursday. "It's just something absolutely that has never happened. I don't even recall ever meeting the person who made this allegation."

ANATOMY OF A DEAL: HOW THE ISRAEL-HAMAS HOSTAGE NEGOTIATIONS PLAYED OUT

"I have a city to run and I'm focused and I have to make sure that we continue to do so, but absolutely, this has never happened," he said.

The allegations, dating back to 1993, were made in a legal summons filed late Wednesday, with the woman seeking a trial and $5 million in damages for "intentional and negligent acts and omissions for physical, psychological, and other injuries suffered as a result of conduct that would constitute sexual offenses."

The three-page summons names Adams, the New York City Police Department's transit bureau, and NYPD's Guardians Association as defendants, stating that the plaintiff was "sexually assaulted" by the mayor "while they both worked for the City of New York." Adams was a police captain at the time.

The summons, which precedes a complaint, was filed under the Adult Survivors Act, a New York law that has permitted survivors of sexual misconduct to bring lawsuits in a one-year window, despite the statute of limitations. The act expires Friday and has facilitated actions against former President Donald Trump as well.

A New York City Hall spokesperson told reporters earlier Thursday that Adams "does not know who this person is."

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"If they ever met, he doesn't recall it," the spokesperson said. "But he would never do anything to physically harm another person and vigorously denies any such claim."

Adams is also being investigated by the FBI regarding allegations his 2021 mayoral campaign conspired with Turkey to receive illegal foreign donations. Federal agents raided his apartment and seized three electronic devices as part of their inquiry, in addition to searching the residence of an associate. Adams has similarly denied any wrongdoing in that matter.

Original Location: Eric Adams denies sexual assault allegations: 'Never happened'

Washington Examiner Videos
A former national security official for former President Barack Obama was arrested by the New York City Police Department on Wednesday after a video of him using Islamophobic language against a food vendor went viral.

Stuart Seldowitz was arrested on charges of hate crime/stalking, second-degree aggravated harassment, stalking causing fear, and stalking at employment, an NYPD official told CNN.

ANATOMY OF A DEAL: HOW THE ISRAEL-HAMAS HOSTAGE NEGOTIATIONS PLAYED OUT

The arrest is the latest consequence for Seldowitz in the aftermath of the video after a Manhattan-based lobbying firm cut ties with him on Tuesday.

Gotham Government Relations said in a statement Tuesday the firm had "ended all affiliation" with Seldowitz. "The video of his actions is vile, racist and beneath the dignity of the standards we practice at our firm," the statement reads.

"By the way, I'll represent the food vendor pro bono if he wants to bring a lawsuit against Stuart Seldowitz," David Schwartz, the founder and president of Gotham Government Relations, told City & State New York. "I'm absolutely outraged by this video."

Seldowitz, who served under Obama as his acting National Security Council South Asia Directorate chief, was caught on camera by the man operating a halal cart calling the Upper East Side vendor a "terrorist." The videos on X, formerly known as Twitter, show Seldowitz harassing the vendor on two separate occasions. Seldowitz accuses the vendor of supporting terrorism and Hamas.

"But you're a terrorist. You support terrorism," Seldowitz said. "You're killing little children."

"You kill children, not me," the vendor replied.

"If we killed 4,000 Palestinian kids, you know what? It wasn't enough," Seldowitz said.

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In another video, the vendor can be heard asking Seldowitz to "please go" and telling him he would call the police.

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Seldowitz also served in the State Department's Office of Israel and Palestinian Affairs, according to the New York Times. A press release from November 2022 stated he was foreign affairs chairman for Gotham Government Relations.

The Hamas attack on Oct. 7 resulted in the deaths of more than 1,200 people in Israel, and roughly 240 people were taken hostage, according to Israeli officials. More than 11,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war since that day, according to health authorities in Gaza. A temporary ceasefire agreement was reached this week, in which Israel and Hamas agreed to a four-day pause to allow for the release of those held in Gaza by Hamas and Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

Original Location: Former Obama official arrested after harassing food vendor with Islamophobic comments

Washington Examiner Videos
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was temporarily halted when a group of pro-Palestinian protesters ran into the street and appeared to glue themselves to the pavement.

A group of about 30 protesters along Sixth Avenue in New York City jumped the barricades and ran into the street with a banner, forcing the floats, bands, and balloons to be diverted.

GLOOM: CONSUMER SENTIMENT FALLS AND INFLATION EXPECTATIONS RISE

"Genocide then. Genocide now. Free Palestine. Land Back," the banner said.

The protesters were taken into custody, according to ABC News.

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The demonstration at the parade is one of many that have occurred over the past month as pro-Palestinian protesters call for a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas. In Washington, D.C., a number of them were arrested after refusing to leave a Capitol House office building and barricading the Democratic National Committee headquarters.

Original Location: Pro-Palestinian protesters temporarily halt Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

Washington Examiner Videos
Paul J. Batura is a local writer and host of WHAT A LIFE! Lessons from Legends radio program heard on Saturdays at 6 a.m. on AM 1460 and 100.7 FM KGFT on Sunday afternoons at 1 p.m. You can reach him via email: Paul@PaulBatura.com.
George Brauchler is the former district attorney for the 18th Judicial District. He also is an Owens Early Criminal Justice Fellow at the Common Sense Institute. He hosts The George Brauchler Show on 710KNUS Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. Follow him on Twitter: @GeorgeBrauchler.
During the first Airports Innovate Exhibition, which took place from November 20 to 22 in Muscat, Oman, Huawei launched a series of brand-new smart airport solutions for international markets, including the fully connected fiber network solution and smart airport perimeter security with fiber sensing solution.

These innovative scenario-based solutions will serve its customers all over the world.

Huawei also showcased its Airport Cloud and panoramic smart airport solutions. As the cornerstone of airports' intelligent and digital transformation, the company provides advanced smart services for airports.

"Airports of the future will be expected to deliver ultra-reliable connectivity in all areas, providing a seamless travel experience for passengers. This places higher demands on airport networks which Huawei's systems can support," said Nelson Huang, Vice President of Huawei's Aviation & Rail Business Unit.

Relying on its edge in the fixed 5G (F5G) sector, Huawei introduced "IP + optical" dual-technology convergence to its fully connected fiber network for the first time. It supports efficient access across multiple types of networks, creates dual planes  backbone 100G transmission and services, and helps build a highly reliable data centre network, laying a solid foundation for smart airport construction.

The fully connected fiber network has many key advantages, such as the reliable bearer, which ensures multiple services do not interfere with each other, providing reliable transmission and the stable running of airport services.

The network delivers wireless office and production with seamless network access anytime and anywhere, requires 60% fewer wired information points, makes video conferences smooth, and improves collaboration efficiency by 30%.

The simplified two-layer architecture of fully connected fiber network delivers higher reliability, and the network management system facilitates rapid service planning and improves intelligent O&M efficiency. 85% of faults are self-healing and 95% of faults can be analysed using big data, improving O&M efficiency by 68%.

The network has 10 times higher bandwidth and greatly reduces power consumption per Gbit/s traffic. Its construction is simple, with one network for multiple services, reducing overall electricity consumption by 30% on average.

The smart airport perimeter security with fiber sensing solution can accurately identify vibrations caused by wind and rain. It comprehensively detects perimeter intrusions in all weathers and covers long distances, ensuring zero missed alarms and reducing the number of false alarms to no more than one per kilometer each day.

It also reduces the false alarm rate by more than 90%, implements meter-level precise positioning, and accelerates event response and handling. All these features will contribute to higher intelligent protection levels, all-round airport operational security, and improved staff experience.

Moussa Huang, Director of International Market Development of Huawei's Aviation & Rail Business Unit, said: "The future airport cloud must be secure, reliable, and intelligent while supporting smooth evolution. Huawei Airport Cloud ensures active-active and reliable production services and facilitates rapid development of airport services through cloud-network-security integration."

As a leading global ICT infrastructure provider, Huawei has provided innovative solutions for the transportation industry for nearly 30 years. It has delivered top-level services to over 130 airports in more than 40 countries and regions.

Looking to the future, Huawei will continue teaming up with industry partners to promote innovative practices, and is committed to serve the digitalization and intelligence of global airport customers, empowering the high-quality development of smart civil aviation.  TradeArabia News Service
DES MOINES  Its not new that Republican presidential candidates are attacking each other on social media, in ads and on the campaign trail. Thats been going on for months.

But the attacks seem to have taken on a new tone in recent weeks, especially from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has started ramping up his criticism of former President Donald Trump.

My colleague at the Gazette, Erin Murphy, observed the change in a recent article detailing DeSantis comments on Trump in the last week.

DeSantis took a direct shot at Trump's electability at the Family Leaders Thanksgiving Family Forum on Friday, saying that the American people are not going to go there in 2024 if Trump gets the nomination.

He drew a distinction between himself and Trump when he opened a new office in Urbandale, calling the former president out for criticizing six-week abortion bans in opposition to Reynolds.

DeSantis and his campaign are also taking new shots at South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley with the introduction of a website intended to paint her as supporting liberal causes. The site links to instances the campaign says show Haley as pro-child mutilation, pro-censorship and pro-tax hikes.

The moves signal a DeSantis that is eager to set himself apart from the field of candidates as the day of the caucuses closes in.

DeSantis has been adhering to a strict message over the last few months: He pointed to his accomplishments in Florida, saying he would deliver on his promises and wield executive power to achieve conservative goals. He set himself against President Joe Biden, not necessarily his opponents.

But now as he becomes more well known to potential Iowa voters, he also appears to be giving them a reason to vote against those opponents.

Trump isnt backing away from the fight, either.

Hes been critical of DeSantis since day one, but this week he again attacked Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on video. In a post to X, he called Reynolds "the most unpopular governor" in the United States and said her endorsement has given DeSantis "exactly zero bounce."

Candidates opposing Trump have been reticent to poke the bear throughout this primary, navigating a tricky line between setting themselves apart and attacking a candidate who is still very popular among the Republican electorate.

But at some point, they need to give voters a reason to vote against Trump if they want to mount a serious challenge to his massive levels of support. I expect we'll see that more and more in the next two months and beyond.

Another key DeSantis endorsement

DeSantis has nabbed the endorsement of Family Leader CEO and President Bob Vander Plaats, one of the few Iowa politicos whose endorsement carries significant weight. The evangelical leader endorsed the last three winners of contested Republican caucuses: Ted Cruz in 2015, Rick Santorum in 2011, and Mike Huckabee in 2007.

The endorsement was not much of a surprise. Vander Plaats has been critical of Trump for a long time, criticizing his rhetoric, leadership style and position on abortion.

Now its worth noting the numbers in those contests were far different than they are here. Ted Cruz was already a top contender in Iowa polling when Vander Plaats endorsed him in 2015, and 2012 featured several candidates only separated by a handful of points in the fall and winter before the caucuses.

This year, DeSantis has a much higher bar to clear as he remains more than 20 points behind Trump in Iowa polls. The endorsement by Vander Plaats and Reynolds may make people give DeSantis a second look, but they wont make or break his campaign.

The backing of some top Republican influencers will be helpful for DeSantis as he continues to make his case to Iowans, but the next two months will determine just how far they can carry him.

What I'm reading

Can endorsements from powerful Iowans rescue Ron DeSantis' campaign? (The Des Moines Register): This article explores the value of DeSantis' growing list of Iowa endorsers to his campaign, including the thoughts of Trump supporters and Iowa experts.

DeSantis unveils sharper tongue with Trump critiques (Erin Murphy, the Gazette): Ron DeSantis' criticism of Trump has been becoming more direct as he tries to topple the GOP primary frontrunner.
State, city and county food inspectors have cited Iowa restaurants and stores for hundreds of food-safety violations during the past four weeks, including insects, moldy salads, and beef that was hauled to a restaurant in buckets from a questionable out-of-state slaughtering operation.

One restaurant agreed to close due to the heavy presence of cockroaches, and for the 11th time in the past 29 months, state inspectors cited a Des Moines food store for the same violation: failing to have a certified food protection manager on staff to ensure the safe handling of food.

The findings are reported by the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing, which handles food-establishment inspections at the state level. Listed below are some of the more serious findings that stem from inspections at Iowa restaurants, stores, schools, hospitals and other businesses over the past four weeks.

The state inspections department reminds the public that their reports are a snapshot in time, and violations are often corrected on the spot before the inspector leaves the establishment.

For a more complete list of all inspections, along with additional details on each of the inspections listed below, visit the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing website.

Mini Supermercado La Victoria, 1638 E. University Ave., Des Moines  During a Nov. 3 visit to this mini-supermarket, a state inspector cited the store for 16 violations, an exceptionally large number, particularly for a business of that type.

The inspector noted that the person in charge was not a certified food protection manager, and that employees who had previously registered to take the test for certification did not pass.

This was the 11th consecutive state inspection, all made during the past 29 months, that resulted in a citation for that particular violation. At the conclusion of the Nov. 3 visit, the state inspector gave the owner an additional six months, until May 2024, to have management become certified in food protection.

Among the inspectors other findings: A container of tortillas in one of the coolers was adulterated with what appeared to be a mold-like substance; beef tongue and cooked peppers throughout the kitchen were stored uncovered or in broken packages where they were exposed to contamination; and cooked pork slices in the hot-holding display case was measured at 121 degrees, which was not hot enough to ensure safety.

Also, multiple foods in the reach-in cooler were holding at temperatures well above the 41-degree maximum, including milk, yogurt, queso, hot dogs and shredded cheese. All of the items were discarded. In addition, multiple food items were not date marked to ensure freshness and safety, including cooked meats, corn, lard and salsa.

The interior of the ice machine was soiled with debris, as was the blade of the meat slicer and the meat saw; the interior of the oven was visibly soiled with what appeared to be rodent droppings and a glue trap; the kitchens handwashing sink could not produce any hot water and there was no thin-tipped food thermometer to check the temperature of certain meats.

The inspector also reported that multiple pre-packaged snack mixes near the front entrance had labels that included no information as to the common name of the product, the manufacturer or the ingredients.

The inspector also observed rodent droppings in a storage area, and concluded that the walk-in cooler was not able to maintain temperatures at or below 41 degrees as required.

The supermarket has been repeatedly cited by the state for numerous violations. In June 2021, the store was cited for 13 violations. In April 2022, it was cited for nine violations. In May 2022, it was cited for 11 violations. One month later it was cited for 18 violations. A month after that, 13 violations.

El Sabor Peruano, 1704 E. Grand Ave., Des Moines  During a Nov. 20 visit, a state inspector cited the restaurant for 16 risk-factor violations, an exceptionally high number. The inspector concluded, due to due to the significance and extent of the violations, that the person in charge had insufficient knowledge of food-safety requirements and was not fulfilling their duties as related to food safety.

Among the issues noted by the inspector: The interior of the ice machine was visibly soiled with an accumulation of debris, and the handwashing sinks were not stocked with soap or paper towels and access to some of them was blocked.

Also, multiple food items throughout the restaurant  including cooked pasta, cooked potatoes, cooked chicken, cooked shrimp, and cooked octopus  were not marked with the date of their preparation, opening or thawing; cooked rice was being held in a pot at 88 degrees; and cooked carrots were left sitting out at 79 degrees.

Cooked whole chickens were stored in a hot-holding unit that was unplugged, and the chickens, which had to be discarded, had been holding at 95 degrees to 109 degrees. In addition, pans, dishware and other utensils were not being sanitized, and the inspector noted there was no food-grade sanitizer on site to sanitize any such items. The inspector also reported that two flats of raw eggs were stored at room temperature on top of the kitchen food preparation table and had to be discarded.

Hidalgo Mexican Bar & Grill, 2675 100th St., Urbandale  During a Nov. 20 visit, a state inspector cited the restaurant for house-made, queso-style dip that had expired 10 days before, and for buttermilk that had been expired for five days. The inspector also noted that in the bar area, the soda-dispensing gun and its holster were soiled with visible, mold-like debris, and that food in a freezer was stored in containers that had no lids to prevent contamination. The restaurant also failed to post its most recent inspection report for customers to read.

Qana Zegelila Bar and Restaurant, 1800 Pierce St., Sioux City  During a Nov. 20 visit, a Siouxland District Health Department inspector reported that he was unable to unable to verify the eaterys source for raw beef stored in one of the freezers.

The owner told the inspector the beef was purchased from an Omaha business and showed the inspector an invoice indicating the purchase of one whole cow for $2,250. The owner stated that he went to Omaha to pick up the meat and was instructed to bring his own containers to transport it. When purchased, the meat was allegedly unpackaged and unlabeled, with no indication of it ever being inspected. The owner of Qana Zegelila reported to the inspector that he loaded the raw meat into buckets for transportation back to Iowa.

The inspector contacted state officials and instructed the restaurant owner to refrain from using, moving or discarding any of the meat until further notice. The inspector also noted that cooked sauces and meats in the restaurant were not dated to ensure freshness and safety. In addition, the sauce that was used for dipping bread had been acquired from a friend at home and so, the inspector reported, it was removed from the premises.

In addition, cooked butter and raw cubed beef were being stored at room temperature and were measured at 69 degrees before the staff agreed to discard it. The inspector also observed bags of food or flour throughout the facility that were stored directly on the floor.

Mireilles Tropical Food Market, 4023 Floyd Blvd., Sioux City  During a Nov. 16 visit, a Siouxland District Health Department inspector reported that he was unable to determine whether some of the some of the fish that was offered for sale was from an approved source.

I could not see where any of the salt fish came from, he reported. Several of the food containers did not have a name of the product, address where it was made, net weight or quantity, or ingredients on the label. Several of the fish or packaged meat products did not have any label at all  All salt fish is placed on hold until I can verify it is from an approved food processing facility.

El Bajio, 555 Gateway SW Place, Cedar Rapids  During a Nov. 15 visit, a Linn County Public Health inspector reported finding salsa and mole verde sauce that were dated Oct. 23, chamoy sauce that was dated Sept. 27, soup dated Nov. 3, and shrimp broth dated Nov. 3. All of the items were discarded as potentially unsafe.

The inspector also reported a visible amount of mold on the ice chute of the soda-dispensing machine, and found that taco shells were being stored in an open cardboard box saturated with grease. In addition, five of the kitchen ceiling lights were not operational, making it dark in both the kitchen and the dishwashing area, the inspector reported. Also, the establishments food license was not posted in public view.

Family Fresh Sushi, 1704 Okoboji Ave., Milford  During a Nov. 15 visit, a Siouxland District Health Department inspector cited the restaurant for storing raw, unprepared sushi products, as well as raw salmon and tuna, above the ready-to-eat sushi products inside a retail cooler, risking cross-contamination. In addition, crab meat, shrimp and cut lettuce were not date marked to ensure freshness and safety.

The inspector also noted that a worker was not monitoring the pH logs daily and was unsure how to utilize the pH meter to measure acidity levels. (Acidity levels are an indicator of the potential for bacteria to grow in sushi rice.) The inspector noted that although the visit took place on Nov. 15, the daily logs through Nov. 20 had somehow been completed already  a fact the owner was unable to explain. The business was also unable to provide the inspector with the required letters documenting parasite destruction.

While the inspector watched, a worker handled raw tuna with gloved hands, then failed to wash their hands before beginning food preparation. In addition, one worker used a knife and cutting board to prepare raw tuna, then failed to wash the items before initiating the preparation of ready-to-eat food.

The inspector concluded the staff was not following all of the required procedures of the Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan that is mandatory in the preparation of sushi. The inspector cited specific issues with regard to pH calibration, cooling prepared sushi rolls prior to retail sale, and the business ware-washing procedures.

The inspector also reported that frozen tuna was not removed from vacuum-sealed packaging prior to thawing, a process that helps ensure the food is safe to eat, and that the cabinets were visibly soiled with grease. In addition, the business license and most recent inspection report were not posted for the public to see.

When the inspector asked a worker to properly calibrate the pH meter and properly prepare a rice slurry, the worker replied, Something is wrong with it, and was unable to complete the task without assistance from the inspector.

The inspector informed the owner that since the establishment did not have the required HACCP plan, it could no longer prepare food as it had been doing. The owner agreed to temporarily close the establishment so the situation could be addressed.

Mojitos Bar and Grill, 3303 S. Center St., Marshalltown  During a Nov. 14 visit, a state inspector noted that cooked chicken, chorizo, and carnitas that were placed on a flat-top stove for reheating had only reached a temperature of 89 to 119 degrees  not hot enough to ensure food safety. Also, rice inside a walk-in cooler was measured at 50 degrees and buckets of cut lettuce were measured 46 degrees  both of which were above the 41-degree maximum.

The inspector also noted that the ice machine was adulterated by a heavy buildup of brown slime on the interior edges, and the food dicer was crusted with dried food and debris.

The inspector reported that not all of the workers designated as in charge were certified food protection managers, and that the handwashing sink in the kitchen was out of service with no hot- or cold-water supply.

Flying insects are noted throughout the establishment, food storage and equipment-storage areas, the inspector reported. Rodent droppings are observed on shelving in the food-storage areas. Insects were observed in the spice-salt mix used for mixed drinks at the bar.

The inspector also reported observing a rolling cart, with open containers of raw chicken on it, sitting in water pooled on the floor from backed-up floor drains.

Clean equipment and utensils were being stored in an area where they were exposed to splashing from the standing water that had pooled on the floor, the inspector said.

In addition, some of the kitchen walls were in poor repair and ceiling tiles were missing. Some of the holes in the wall had been repaired with tape that was peeling, and the floors, equipment and shelving each had a large amount of spilled food, debris, and buildup on them.

Light bulbs in the ventilation hood systems are not shielded and have a large amount of dripping grease and residue, the inspector reported.

The visit was in response to a non-illness complaint regarding pest control, which was substantiated by the inspector. Due to the plumbing issues, the owner agreed to voluntarily close the establishment until repairs could be made and basic requirements can be met to ensure safe food production and handling, the inspector reported.

The inspector returned on Nov. 17 and reported finding live and dead insects inside containers of dried spices, bouillon powder and sugar, and made note of the heavy presence of live cockroaches in the kitchens food-preparation area and storage areas.

Due to the heavy presence of cockroach-like insects in the kitchen area, the person in charge stated that the establishment would remain voluntarily closed until pest-control applications could be completed, the inspector reported.

Taco Depot La Taqueria, 3801 SE First Ave., Cedar Rapids  Following a Nov. 13 visit, Linn County Public Health Department inspector Chase Moffitt filed an inspection report that, while providing few details on the violations uncovered, indicated the establishment was shut down due to food-safety concerns.

The facility will be temporarily closed due to a lack of working equipment, Moffitt reported. The walk-in cooler is not functioning properly and all food has been observed above 41 degrees.

Moffitt reported that all of the food on the premises that was subject to time and temperature control for safety had to be discarded, except for cold items delivered earlier that day.

The inspector also noted that an employee who was preparing food did not demonstrate food-safety knowledge, and that employees hands were not properly washed and equipment was not properly sanitized.

The visit was in response to a complaint from a consumer who alleged they became ill after eating at the establishment. Moffitt reported that no complaints from the public have been received in the time frame of the complaint that was being investigated. Moffitts report does not indicate whether the complaint was deemed substantiated.

The next day, Moffitt approved the reopening of the facility based on evidence that the cooler had been repaired.

Carlos OKellys Mexican Cafe, 6507 University Ave., Cedar Falls  During a Nov. 8 visit, a Black Hawk County Health Department inspector noted a pink growth within the ice machine and reported that the frozen-drink machine had a black buildup around the dispensing nozzle. In addition, there were dented cans of tomatoes on hand and the handwashing sink was being used to clean utensils.

Blimpies / Iowa 80 Fuel Center, 390 W. Iowa 80 Road, Walcott  During a Nov. 8 visit, a Scott County Health Department inspector observed that the Chesters Chicken being offered for sale within a hot-holding unit measured between 110 and 124 degrees  not hot enough to ensure safety  and so the chicken was discarded. Also, there were no date markings on opened bags of spinach, lettuce, meatballs and precooked eggs  a repeat violation.

The inspector also noted that the inside of the grilled-sandwich maker had an excess of grease and grime, and the food-preparation coolers had an excessive amount of food debris in them, as did the retail-area shelves for condiments and other supplies.

In addition, the bakers food rack, the baking ovens and the loaf pans were marred by an excessive amount of food debris and grease. The employee handwashing sink was blocked by a five-gallon pail of pickle juice and two sacks of rags, and there were several cases of food stored in a freezer that were left open and exposed.

La Casa Azul, 708 First Ave., Coralville  During a Nov. 8 visit, a Johnson County Public Health Department inspector discovered avocados and tomatoes that were visibly adulterated  a term typically used to describe mold or spoilage  inside a food-preparation cooler. The items were discarded. In addition, chicken was measured at 145 degrees after being taken off the grill, well below the 165-degree minimum.

Also, house-made casserole that was made and refrigerated two days before was still above 41 degrees and was discarded, and pico that was measured at 52 degrees was discarded. The inspector also noted that there were multiple containers of spices that lacked any lids to prevent contamination and there was a heavy buildup of debris and grease on the walls around the griddle and fryer.

Due to the repeat risk-factor violations, the health department issued a formal warning letter to the establishment.

Asian Yummy Buffet, aka Asian Buffet, 417 A Ave., Oskaloosa  During a Nov. 7 visit, a state inspector cited the restaurant for 14 risk-factor violations, an unusually high number. The inspector concluded the person in charge was not knowledgeable in proper hot- and cold-holding temperatures, cooling procedures, cooking temperatures, food storage, and sanitation practices. In addition, the person in charge was not a certified food protection manager. Due to the extent and severity of the violations found, it was determined the person in charge was not fulfilling their duties related to food safety.

Cooked breaded chicken was found cooling at room temperature in large plastic tubs, and three hours after being cooked was measured at 74 degrees  well outside the range to ensure safety. Cooked chicken and beef in a cooler was measured at 48 to 49 degrees, well above the 41-degree maximum, and pre-fried chicken pieces were holding at 46 degrees. Cooked chicken and noodles were not labeled or marked with any dates to ensure freshness and safety, and cooking sheets had an accumulation of a mold-like substance on them.

In addition, an employee handwashing sink was obstructed with tools and equipment; employees prescription medications were stored above the food-preparation counter; open food containers were being contaminated by an accumulation of ice in a freezer; the shelving in the walk-in cooler had a heavy accumulation of food debris and a mold-like substance; and the employee restrooms were littered with empty boxes and unused equipment and were not maintained in a sanitary condition.

The inspector also reported that the most recent inspection report had not been posted for customers to read.

The visit was in response to two non-illness complaints  one pertaining to food temperatures and one pertaining to employees preparing hot food dishes in the dining room rather than the kitchen. The latter complaint was deemed verified based on the owners acknowledgment of the practice, but the complaint related to food temperatures was deemed unverified.

St. Kilda, 300 SW Fifth St., Des Moines  During a Nov. 7 visit, a state inspector noted the eatery did not have a verifiable date-marking system in place for a number of potentially hazardous food items. Specifically, quart containers of food in the main kitchen and several items in the prep kitchen were not labeled. Those food items included caramelized onions, pico de gallo and made-from-scratch sauces.

Separately, several items in the walk-in cooler had been held for more than the maximum seven days, including roasted garlic and pico de gallo dated Oct. 22, and cooked mushrooms and roasted squash that were dated Oct. 28. All of the outdated items were discarded.

The inspector also observed that the employee handwashing sink was not operational, with the faucet missing from it. Workers indicated the sink had been that way for two weeks, the inspector reported. Also, the kitchen had no sanitizing cloths in use for wiping down counters and other equipment, and no test kit to check the sanitizing solution.

In addition, the most recent inspection report had not been posted for customers to read. The inspector noted that several violations  such as those dealing with employee illnesses, handwashing, expired foods and the use of sanitizing solution  were repeat violations.

Tacos La Familia, 1610 Sixth Ave., Des Moines  During an Oct. 26 visit, a state inspector cited the restaurant for 18 violations, an exceptionally high number. The inspector observed cooked lamb being stored at room temperature, without any temperature controls, alongside a sink used to clean utensils. The lamb was measured at roughly 120 degrees and was discarded.

Inside a cooler, diced tomatoes were measured at 44 degrees, cheese at 55 degrees, and sliced tomatoes at 72 degrees. All of those items were discarded.

The inspector also reported that food items throughout the facility  including salsas and cooked chicken and beef  were not marked with preparation dates to ensure freshness and safety. In addition, some of the clean kitchen items  such as knives and container lids  were visibly soiled with an accumulation of debris, the interior of the microwave oven was heavily soiled, and the meat slicer was not sanitized after cleaning.

Also, the kitchens handwashing sink was being used to store items and was not stocked with soap. Tomatillos and cooked beans were being stored directly on the floor next to the sink, risking contamination from splashing water and other and debris. The inspector observed a food worker failing to use soap while washing their hands and reported that another worker was handling customers ready-to-eat tortillas with their bare hands.

In addition, the kitchen had no testing kits for ensuring chlorine and other sanitizing solutions were adequately mixed; the cutting boards for both food preparation tables were heavily soiled with accumulated debris; and the shelves throughout the kitchen were visibly soiled. The restaurant was last inspected in January 2021.

Fuji Japanese Steakhouse, 1614 S. Kellogg Ave., Ames  During a Nov. 3 visit, a state inspector observed employees were removing, and then putting back on, their gloves without washing their hands in between. In addition, the inside of the ice machine was visibly soiled; the handwashing sink was being used to dump water and to fill water glasses; containers of food were stored on the floor in the walk-in cooler; and kitchen spoons that were in use for food preparation were being stored in stagnant water.

The visit was in response to a complaint, part of which alleged inadequate pest control. The inspector reported that the manager was aware of the concern and had a pest-control company developing a remediation plan to help prevent pest control issues in the future. The inspector then closed the complaint and categorized it as unverified.

Lincolns Pub, 157 W. Broadway, Council Bluffs  During a Nov. 2 visit, a state inspector cited the eatery for failing to have a certified food protection manager on staff. In addition, there were no date markings on cut lettuce and tomatoes in the pizza kitchen, and no date markings on the meatballs and cream sauce in a walk-in cooler. Also, the interior of the jars holding pickled eggs were adulterated by what appeared to be mold, and so the eggs were discarded.

In addition, the interior of the microwave oven was encrusted with food debris, and the inspector observed what appears to be deceased cockroaches on the floor in the pizza kitchen and dry-storage area near the prep kitchen.

The inspector also reported a buildup of grease and food debris on the exterior of the fryer, the reach-in freezer, the shelves and pizza-preparation table. There was also a buildup of dust and food debris on the floors, walls, and ceilings in the food-preparation kitchen, cook line and pizza kitchen.

Oyama Sushi Japanese Steakhouse, 5350 Council St. NE, Cedar Rapids  During a Nov. 2 visit, a Linn County Health Department inspector observed the restaurants sushi chef washing his hands by rinsing them under water without using soap, and noted that bare-hand contact was observed with ready-to-eat food.

Also, the only letters on hand documenting parasite destruction  a requirement related to sushi preparation  were from 2021 and 2015. In addition, cooked tempura shrimp was stored without temperature control in the kitchen.

The visit was in response to a complainant who allegedly ordered a carry-out meal and received a salad with mold on it. The inspector deemed the complaint verified, yet reported there had been no complaint from the public.

After discussing the complaint with the manager and employees, it was discovered that the facility had too much lettuce on hand due to over-ordering, the inspector, Chase Moffitt, wrote in the report. The kitchen manager discovered that the product was molding, so he discarded the product upon discovery  No complaints were received from the public on this issue. Suggested to lower amount of product ordered and implement date marking procedure after preparation.

Donuts and More, 1717 Brady St., Davenport  During a Nov. 1 visit, a Scott County Health Department inspector concluded there was no certified food protection manager on staff. The inspector reported that the hot chocolate machine was marred by excess food debris, the racks inside the walk-in cooler had a black substance on them, the cooler in the front of the establishment was littered with excess food debris, the exterior of the ice machine had excess dirt on it, and the wire racks used for baking had excess food debris and leaves on them.

The inspector also reported there were mouse-like droppings found in the sandwich preparation area, and by the large mixers in the baking area, and in the kitchen area along the baseboards. In addition, the stores most recent inspection report was not posted in plain sight for the public to view.

McDonalds, 912 W. Highway 30, Carroll  During an Oct. 26 visit, a state inspector observed an employee washing their hands without soap, and saw an employee taking out the trash and coming back to the food-preparation line to begin handling food without first washing their hands. One employee returned to the food-preparation area after a visit to the restroom and began helping a customer without first washing their hands.

Inside a cooler, the inspector found commercially processed ham that was measured at 56 degrees and commercially processed eggs that were measured at 54 degrees. Both food items were discarded. In addition, the inspector noted that several items on the food-preparation line had no time stamps to ensure freshness. Those items included cheese, lettuce and tomatoes.

Several items  including sliced tomatoes and shredded lettuce  inside a cooler were marked with a use-by date of 6:20 a.m., Oct. 25  although the person in charge stated the items were assembled at 10 a.m. that morning, Oct. 26. The inspector also made note of what appeared to be encrusted food debris inside the clean ice cream machine.

The inspection was in response to a complaint from a person who alleged they became ill after eating at the restaurant. The inspector deemed the complaint unverified.

Photos: Missing children in Iowa Jade Colvin Fredrick Workman Benjamin Roseland Erin Pospisil Marc Allen Eugene Martin John Gosch Kimberly Doss Colleen Simpson Daquan Nelson Alivia Beeding
aragonn wrote:

Disturbed by growing obesity levels among citizens, the Mayor of Vargonia donated cookware and kitchen appliances to schools and colleges in the county that offered cooking classes. He wanted to promote better eating habits by encouraging people to cook their own food at home. Quite a few citizens of Vargonia have decided to vote for the Mayor in the upcoming elections.



Which of the following inferences is best supported by the passage given above?

(A) Eating home-cooked food is the simplest way to combat obesity.

(B) Schools and colleges that offer cooking classes were affected by a lack of cookware and kitchen appliances.

(C) Making donations is the best way to garner political support.

(D) Actions that benefit others sometimes have positive consequences for those who perform them.

(E) The primary driver of citizens voting decisions is the donations that election candidates make to public causes.



source - crackverbal

M did something that he thought would improve obesity. Some people voted for him in election

SIMPLEST is too extreme. Nowhere the para talks of best way of reducing obesity. Rather M feels it is a way

There is no mention of lack of funds. It is just that M helps them this way.

BEST is again too extreme

Now this starts with SOMETIMES so it makes a very subtle connection between two and is correct

again PRIMARY is extreme

Few points..1) whatever M did was in his view a good way to tackle a problem.2) there is no clearcut relation in two - he being voted because of his work - MEANS it is not a must relationship.3) we can take two - doing good and being rewarded for it- to be just slightly connectedLet's see the choices..(A) Eating home-cooked food is the simplest way to combat obesity.(B) Schools and colleges that offer cooking classes were affected by a lack of cookware and kitchen appliances.(C) Making donations is the best way to garner political support.(D) Actions that benefit others sometimes have positive consequences for those who perform them.(E) The primary driver of citizens voting decisions is the donations that election candidates make to public causes._________________
Ekland wrote:

Fixing the World Trade Organisation (wto) is not enough for Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a Nigerian, the first woman and first African to lead there; on February 15th, she announced that she wanted to help bring an end to the pandemic, too.





A. Fixing the World Trade Organisation (wto) is not enough for Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a Nigerian, the first woman and first African to lead there ; on February 15th, she announced that she wanted to help bring an end to the pandemic, too.



B. Fixing the World Trade Organisation (wto) is not enough for Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a Nigerian, the first woman and first African to lead it; on February 15th , she announced that she wanted to help bring an end to the pandemic, too.



C. Fixing the World Trade Organisation (wto) is not enough for Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a Nigerian, the first woman and first African to lead it; on February 15th, she announced that she wanted to help bring an end to the pandemic instead .



D. Fixing the World Trade Organisation (wto) is not enough for Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a Nigerian, the first woman and first African to lead it: on February 15th she had announced that she wanted to help bring an end to the pandemic, too.



E. Fixing the World Trade Organisation (wto) is not enough for Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a Nigerian, the first woman and first African to lead it; on February 15th, she announced that she wanted to help bring an end to the pandemic, too.

first African to lead there

first African to lead it

it

A is out

she announced

she had announced

D is out

the pandemic instead

the pandemic, too

C is out

on February 15th

B is out

E is best choice

GOD BLESS YOUR HARD WORK Signature Read More

Split 1 isor. For WTO, pronoun shall beSplit 2 is tenseor. Past perfect tense is not required.Split 3 is[/b] or. We do not have any comparison. instead -Split 4 comma is required after_________________
The Airports Council International Asia-Pacific & Middle East (ACI APAC & MID), a trade group for 623 airports, announced the appointment of two new members to its Board.

The two new elected members are Carrie Hurihanganui, Chief Executive Officer of Auckland International Airport Limited, New Zealand, and Dr Kijmanawat Kerati, President of Airports of Thailand.

The terms of the two new directors will commence from January 1, 2024, and will end on December 31, 2026.

Hurihanganui's appointment marks a significant milestone for ACI APAC & MID, contributing to a more inclusive and balanced representation of genders within the board. ACI APAC & MID now has three women on the board. The other two are Lorie Argus, CEO of Australia Pacific Airports and Sarah Samuel, Senior VP-ICM Technologies (An Amadeus company).

Commenting on their appointment, Emmanuel Menanteau, President, ACI APAC & MID, said: "We are delighted to welcome Ms Hurihanganui and Dr Kerati to the ACI APAC & MID board. They are already established leaders, and their extensive experience and expertise in the aviation industry will contribute towards the achievement of our organisation's objectives. Its gratifying to see a diverse representation of women on our board."

Stefano Baronci, the Director General, ACI APAC & MID said: The election of Hurihanganui and Dr Kerati brings a great balance of representation of members on the board from across the region. The selection of these highly-respected industry leaders demonstrates the ACI APAC & MID's commitment to effectively representing the needs and interests of airports across Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions.  TradeArabia News Servi
DETROIT  Ford Motor Co. is resuming construction on a Michigan electric vehicle battery plant that the company postponed two months ago during a strike by the United Auto Workers union.

The facility was once eyed for the the Southern Virginia Megasite at Berry Hill in Pittsylvania County near Danville. The company ended up deciding to build its plant in Michigan after Gov. Glenn Youngkin removed Virginia from consideration for the project due to the projects partnership with a Chinese company.

But the automaker said that due to slowing electric vehicle sales growth, it will scale back the factorys size, cutting the number of planned jobs by about one third to 1,700 from 2,500. The annual battery cell output will drop from enough for 400,000 vehicles per year to about 230,000.

Ford put the plant, originally to cost $3.5 billion, on hold in late September as the union went on strike at targeted assembly plants run by Ford, General Motors and Jeep maker Stellantis. The contract dispute ended last week with workers at all three voting to ratify new agreements.

Spokesman Mark Truby said Tuesday that the company looked at growth forecasts for electric vehicle sales, its EV product plans and whether it could make a sustainable business out of the factory in Marshall, about 100 miles west of Detroit.

We are now good to confirm that we are moving forward with the plant, he told reporters.

The plant will open in 2026 on the same timeline as the company set when it announced the factory in February. It will produce batteries with a lithium-iron-phosphate chemistry, which is cheaper than the current nickel-cobalt-manganese chemistry now used in many EV batteries. Consumers will be able to choose between a battery with lower range and cost, or pay more for higher range and power.

Unlike the companys other battery plants that are joint ventures, the Marshall factory will be a fully owned Ford subsidiary staffed by Ford workers. But Chinas Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd., or CATL, which is known for its lithium-iron-phosphate expertise, would supply technology, some equipment and workers.

Truby said he wasnt sure how much the company would spend on the scaled back plant.

U.S. electric vehicle sales are still growing at a high rate, but not as fast as they were last year, causing many automakers to slow their battery and assembly plant building plans.

In June of last year, for instance, electric vehicle sales were growing about 90% year over year, according to Motorintelligence.com. But by June of this year, the growth rate had slowed to about 50%, and automakers are fearful it will slow even further with consumers having reservations about how far they can travel and whether charging stations will be available.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer told reporters after a bill signing Tuesday that the incentive package promised to Ford would be reduced, saying that when one aspect is resized, so is the other. Specifics on the new package would come from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, which handles the states incentive fund for economic developments, she said.

The state has allocated nearly $1.7 billion in incentives for the project, and added $65 million in October for site readiness.

When it announced third-quarter earnings in October, Ford said a slowdown in electric vehicle sales and prices has led to a delay in plans to build one of two new joint-venture EV battery factories in Kentucky that was announced two years ago. The company also is trimming Mustang Mach-e production and delaying other spending on EVs totaling $12 billion, Chief Financial Officer John Lawler said.

Truby said scaling back the Michigan plant was part of the $12 billion. He said the company is still bullish on EVs. While there is growth both in the U.S. and worldwide, clearly the growth isnt at the rate that we and others had expected, he said.

Sales of Fords Mustang Mach-E electric SUV, its top-selling electric vehicle, have struggled this year. Theyre up only 1.5% through October and were down 7% last month. Sales of the F-150 Lightning electric pickup are up 42.7% for the year. Shares of Ford fell just over 1.4% Tuesday in a largely down day in the markets for automakers.
A Danville resident and CEO of a nonprofit is running as a Democrat to challenge Rep. Bob Good for the 5th Congressional District seat next year.

Gary Terry, 63, announced his candidacy during an event at Temptations Gourmet in downtown Danville on Monday evening.

Its Terrys first time running for public office.

Ive had an interest in politics and I think that this is the right time, Terry told the Register & Bee during an interview just before the start of his event. For me, its a natural progression in my personal career.

Terry, CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of the Danville Area, is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and a U.S. Army veteran who has worked in the nonprofit world for 15 years.

A native of Henderson, Kentucky, he has lived in Danville for about two years.

Prior to working in nonprofits, he had a career in corporate America at companies including Corning Glass and General Electric.

If elected, Terry said four focus areas would be the economy, national security, health care and ensuring good governance.

We need to bring more industry here to this area so that people can have a living wage, he told the Register & Bee.

He said he would protect Social Security and Medicare from funding cuts, support strong national defense overseas and at the southern border, make sure the country is ready for any pandemic threat and push for a government that would solve problems and create opportunities for citizens so they can flourish.

During his speech to about 20 people who attended the announcement, Terry took a swipe at Gov. Glenn Youngkin, criticizing him for shutting out Virginia early this year from a $3.5 billion Ford Motor Co. project to bring an electric-vehicle battery production plant to the Southern Virginia Megasite at Berry Hill.

I was a little perplexed, Terry said of the Republican governors move.

He pointed out that the project would have brought more than 2,500 jobs to the region.

If I had been the congressman, I would have been visiting the governor every day and insisting that we let that project go forward, Terry told supporters.

In February, Ford announced its intentions for the project to locate to Michigan. That project was on pause but it has now resumed and has been scaled back. Youngkin had taken Virginia out of the running for the project due to its partnership with a Chinese company.

Terry also criticized Good.

Were not being represented well with our present [congressman], he said. Hes part of an extremist caucus that has an outsize influence on our political process.

Referring to himself as a moderate, Terry said he would represent the broad, practical middle section of our district, whether they think of themselves as Republicans, Democrats, independents or libertarians.

From time to time, I may lean a little to the right on an issue, or I may lean a little to the left on an issue, but for the most part, my inclination is moderate, Terry said, adding that he believed solutions can come from anywhere.

Good, who was first elected in 2020 when he defeated Democrat Cameron Webb, was reelected last year when he won against Democrat Josh Throneburg.

Currently, Good faces a primary challenge from Del. John McGuire, R-Goochland County.

The 5th District includes the cities of Danville, Charlottesville and Lynchburg, and the counties of Pittsylvania, Campbell, Louisa, Halifax, Powhatan, Mecklenburg, Amherst, Goochland, Fluvanna, Prince Edward, Appomattox, Nelson, Buckingham, Amelia, Nottoway, Charlotte, Lunenburg and Cumberland.

It also includes parts of Bedford, Albemarle and Hanover counties.
High Point University students are giving back to the community during this season of thankfulness by providing Thanksgiving meals. Students in the Professional Selling Club raised nearly $4,000 to donate more than 100 meals again this year to the Boys and Girls Club of Greater High Point.

Students filled boxes with turkey, stuffing, corn, green beans, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce and a handwritten note. After assembling boxes and packing dry goods on Nov. 20, the students added turkeys and loaded the boxes onto buses Nov. 21 for the Boys and Girls Club, who will deliver the meals to local families.

This is the ninth year HPUs Professional Selling Club has donated Thanksgiving meals to the community. PSC President Ben Smid, a senior finance major and sales minor from Advance participated in the Thanksgiving meal donation effort for a second year.

Thanksgiving is a time many families come together to enjoy fellowship, meals and gratitude for the blessings of life, and having the opportunity as a club to help make this happen by providing a full Thanksgiving meal to a family in our community who could not afford one otherwise is incredible to be a part of, said Smid. This is a special time that we are grateful for, as it truly changes lives and brings joy to those right here with us. We are thankful for all the support from our members, families and friends to make this possible and are thrilled about the impact it has on our city.

The Thanksgiving meals will be distributed to families through seven different locations, said Michael Henry, facilities and safety director for the Boys and Girls Club of Greater High Point.

The fact is we serve a lot of underserved members of our community who dont have the ability to have Thanksgiving meals without this, said Henry. Its a blessing to them and to us. Its been a good partnership with the students at High Point University.
DECATUR  A would-be robber with a methamphetamine habit and a bad memory is now facing charges of aggravated robbery after police said she tried to hold-up a Decatur restaurant.

A sworn affidavit from Decatur police said Jessica L. Maldonado had walked up to employees working outside the McDonalds restaurant at 962 W. Eldorado St. before 5 a.m. Oct. 4 and demanded to be taken inside.

The 30-year-old defendant is accused of pointing her sleeve-covered hand at the employees which put them in fear she was armed with a concealed gun.

But the affidavit said things soon started going wrong for Maldonado whom the affidavit said is well-known in the area and linked to multiple crimes.

(One of the employees) stated he asked Jessica Do I know you? to which he advised Jessica replied I hope not. Having got inside the business, the affidavit said Maldonado was promptly marched out again by multiple employees and then fled.

Police found and arrested her Nov. 6 and the affidavit said that was her second time in custody within a month. She had been arrested Oct. 19 for burglarizing another restaurant in the 800 block of West Eldorado.

Detectives spoke with Jessica about numerous incidents, one of which being the attempted aggravated robbery at McDonalds, said Officer Austin Clark, who signed the affidavit.

Jessica ultimately denied having been involved in this incident but stated she had heard about it on the news. Jessica also stated something to the effect of I thought it was as hilarious as (expletive)', Clark added.

But under more questioning about the attempted McDonalds robbery, Maldonados denials began to weaken. She advised something similar to there is no way it was 100% me, said Clark.

Also during this interview Jessica advised she uses methamphetamine twice a day and has for the past two years.  She said as a result of the excessive meth use, she often doesnt remember things she has done and will sometimes do things she otherwise wouldnt if not under the influence of methamphetamine.

Maldonado was granted bail the day after her arrest and she is due back in Macon County Circuit Court on Dec. 13 for a preliminary hearing on the robbery charges. She has yet to enter formal pleas.

2023 mugshots from the Herald & Review Lourash Hirstein Phillip Gehrken Joseph A. Williams Jetrevius O. Jarrett Edwards King-Woods Wilson Derrickson Colby J. Park
DECATUR  The wife accused of trying to stab her sleeping husband to death with a steak knife in a Forsyth hotel room now looks like she will be able to join him at home for Thanksgiving dinner.

In a surprise courtroom development Wednesday, prosecutors dropped charges of attempted murder and aggravated domestic battery against 60-year-old Yris M. Borregales-DeDavid.

Instead, she admitted a charge of battery, a class A misdemeanor, as part of a plea deal. Macon County Circuit Court Judge Lindsey Shelton then sentenced the defendant to 15 days in the Macon County Jail, but that jail time was canceled out with credit for time served since her Nov. 9 arrest.

Jail records show Borregales-DeDavid, who lives in Texas, was released at 10:51 a.m. right after the court hearing. And it appeared her transport home was all ready and waiting thanks to arrangements made by the victim, the 55-year-old husband of 28 years.

Macon County States Attorney Scott Rueter had earlier told the court that the spouse is also the reason the prosecution case against the defendant wasn't allowed to proceed.

In this case the victim of the stabbing, the husband, had come to see us and indicated he doesnt want to prosecute and has returned, as far as we know, to the state of Texas, Rueter said.

And he has even, according to our sources, left her a vehicle so she can drive back to Texas to be with him. In the light of all that and at this point I am willing to settle for a misdemeanor battery for time served and be done if he is not going to be cooperative.

The case dates to around 1:21 a.m. Nov. 9 when Macon County Sheriffs Office deputies got a 911 call from the Homewood Suites long-stay hotel facility. A sworn affidavit from Deputy Patrick Smith said he arrived to find the victim and his wife out in a hallway with her clutching an 8-inch steak knife and her husband splattered with blood.

He was taken to hospital with a half-inch stab wound to the chest and seven other stab and slash wounds all over his body.

Smith said the husband is a contract worker and, before the violence broke out, said everything had been normal when he came home the evening before. His wife had cooked him dinner and later they had both gone to bed.

But she had woken him at 11:30 p.m. complaining of pain in her abdomen and he told police he had advised her to lie on her stomach to see if that would help and then went back to sleep.

(He) said at approximately 1:10 a.m. Yris woke him back up again and was complaining of stomach pain, said Smith. He stated at this time he became irritated with Yris for waking him back up and he said he told her If she wasnt going to listen to him to leave him alone.

The husband went back to sleep, but Smith said a short time later it was his turn to wake up in pain: he felt the agony of that half-inch-deep chest wound, the first injury inflicted as his wife launched into a stabbing frenzy.

Smith said the husband described trying to disarm her, but he could not get the knife away as she continually kept stabbing him and slicing him with the knife during their fight.

2023 mugshots from the Herald & Review Lourash Hirstein Phillip Gehrken Joseph A. Williams Jetrevius O. Jarrett Edwards King-Woods Wilson Derrickson Colby J. Park
All Peoples Church of Jesus Christ

Worship at 11 a.m. Sunday at 116 Wrenfield Lane, Concord. Special guest speaker Haley Price. Pastor: Prophet Roland Jordan.

Ann Street United Methodist Church

335 Ann St., Concord. Pastor: Rev. Randy L. Wall. In person and Facebook Live worship at 11 a.m. Sermon: Thanks to the Unknown. Scripture: John 6:1-11.

Bethpage United Methodist Church

109 Fellowship Ave. at West C Street, Kannapolis. 704-932-5296. Pastor: Rev. McKenzie Sefa. Christian Education at 9 a.m. Worship at 10 a.m.

Bogers Chapel United Methodist Church

1775 Flowes Store Road East, Concord. Pastor: Pastor Eric Shaver. 9 a.m. Sunday school. 10 a.m. Worship Service (In person or Facebook). Opening Reading: Psalm 100. Childrens Message: If no one wants to I will. Sermon: Still Giving Thanks (Christ The King Sunday). Scripture: Ephesians 1:15-23.

Calvary Lutheran Church

950 Bradley St., Concord. 704-782-6923. Pastor: Rev. Debbie Frye. Special 10 a.m. in-person worship (Blended Worship with Childrens Church). Coffee/Cookie Social before and after worship. No Sunday School this week. Childrens Area and Nursery available at all times. All services live-streamed and available anytime on the Calvary Lutheran Concord Youtube channel  easy access through our website www.clconcord.org or church app Calvary Lutheran Church  NC. All are welcome.

Center United Methodist Church

1119 Union St. S, Concord. Pastor: Rev. Brian Crady. Sunday School for In Betweens and young adults at 9 a.m. Worship at 10 a.m. Nursery is provided during the worship service. Website is www.centerumcconcord.org. Look forward to you joining us for our service! Sermon: Drifting onto those Rumble Strips Along the Way. Scripture: Romans13:11-14.

Cold Springs Global Methodist Church

2550 Cold Springs Road, Concord. Pastor: Rev. Cliff Wall. Worship at 10 a.m. on Sundays. Visit online at https://youtube.com/@coldspringschurchconcord.

Crossroads Church

220 George W. Liles Parkway, Concord. Pastor: Lowell McNaney. Live worship streamed on Facebook, Crossroads Concord Church app or mycrossroads.co website at 9:30 a.m. and 11:11 a.m.

Crown Pointe Baptist Church

703 Tennessee Street, Kannapolis. Pastor: Rev. Doug Crawley. Sunday School at 9 a.m. Worship at 10 a.m. in the sanctuary, or view online at our Facebook page.

Eastside Missionary Baptist Church

199 Elgin Drive, Concord. Pastor: Rev. Stephen Burrow. In person services: Sunday School 9:30 a.m. Worship services 10:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Recorded worship services and other information at EastsideMissionaryBaptist.org. You will be welcomed. Practice social distancing.

Epworth United Methodist Church

1030 Burrage Road NE, Concord. Pastor: Rev. Dennis Marshall. Sunday School at 9 a.m., followed by worship at 10 a.m. We welcome all to join us in person, or you may livestream or watch the recorded service at our website at www.epworthnc.com.

Forest Hill United Methodist Church

265 Union St. N., Concord. Senior Pastor: Rev. Mandy Jones. Associate Pastor: Rev. Wes Judy. We are open for in-person worship. Contemporary worship, 9 a.m. Sunday School/small groups10 a.m. Traditional worship11 a.m. Both the contemporary and the traditional worship services will also be live-streamed at foresthillumc.org or facebook.com/foresthillumc, in case you dont feel like being here in person.

Grace Church of Concord  A Global Methodist Community

28-B Branchview Drive, NE, Concord. Lead Pastor: Michael Dominick. Worshipping every Sunday at 10 a.m. Grace Church of Concord  A Global Methodist Community is a family-friendly traditional Methodist and Christian church that is deeply rooted in Holy Scripture. To learn more about who we are visit us at www.graceconcord.org where you will find links to our Sunday Morning LiveStream and more. Topic: Lets pray for, love and invite our friends, relatives, acquaintances and neighbors to Christmas services to introduce them to Jesus. Sermon: FRANgelsim. Scripture: Mark 12:28-31.

Harmony United Methodist Church

101 White Street, NW, Concord. Pastor: Rev. Thad Brown. Sunday school is at 10 a.m. followed by our worship service in the sanctuary at 11 a.m. Sermon: God With Us. Scripture: Matthew 1:18, Luke 1:35, Matthew 1:19, Deuteronomy 24:1, Matthew 1:20-21, Psalm 130:7-8, Matthew 1:22-23, Isaiah 7:14, Isaiah 8:8-10, Matthew 1:24-25. We welcome you to join us in worship! Service is live on Facebook.com/HarmonyUnitedMethodistChurch and we welcome all who are unable to join us in person to worship with us online. For more information, you can call the Pastors phone 704-791-2883 or the churchs phone 704-782-8237.

Jackson Park United Methodist Church

715 Mable Ave., Kannapolis. Pastor Laurie Knoespel. Adult Sunday School 9:30 a.m. Worship at 10:30 a.m. Nursery will be provided during worship service.

Kirkwood Presbyterian Church

900 Klondale Ave., Kannapolis. Pastor: Rev. Dennis B. Craft. Worship at 11 a.m. in church sanctuary on Sundays. No mask restrictions.

McGill Baptist Church

5300 Poplar Tent Road, Concord, in-person services. Pastor: Rev. Steve Ayers. McGill will stream a worship service Sunday at 10 a.m. on www.facebook.com/mcgillbaptistchurch/ and on YouTube. The services will be live and also available on recording afterwards. The Reign of Christ. Sermon: Seeing Jesus. Scripture: Psalm 100; Ephesians 1:15-23; Matthew 25:31-46.

Midway United Methodist Church

108 Bethpage Road, Kannapolis. Pastor: Rev. Craig Allen. Come join us on Sunday morning at 9 a.m. for Sunday School and 10:30 a.m. for worship. Our service is also livestreamed on the web at midwayunitedmethodistchurch.org or facebook.com/midwayUMC. Christ the King Sunday. Sermon: Compassionate Authority. First Reading: psalm 95:1-7a. Second Reading: Ephesians 1:15-23. Suggested Hymns: UMH 454, Open My Eyes, That I May See; UMH 155, All Hail the Power of Jesus Name.

Mt. Mitchell United Methodist Church

6001 Old Salisbury-Concord Road, Kannapolis. Pastor: Joel Locklear. Sunday School at 9:45 a.m. (Adult and Children classes.) Worship at 11 a.m. in person or Facebook. Sermon: After Giving Thanks. Scripture: Matthew 31-46 (NRSV).

Multiply Church Concord

150 Warren C. Coleman Blvd. N, Concord. Pastor: Rev. Douglas Witherup. 8:30 a.m. service held at 280 Concord Pkwy S, Suite 15, Concord. Services at 150 Warren C Coleman Blvd N, are Worship and Sermon at 9:30 a.m. and Worship and Sermon at 11:15 a.m.

New Gilead Reformed Church, ECO2400 Old Salisbury-Concord Road. 9:40 a.m.  Adult Bible Study. 10 a.m.  Sunday School. 11 a.m.Worship in the Sanctuary, also live on Facebook.

Oak Grove Baptist Church

200 Sims Parkway, Harrisburg. Pastor: Rev. Franklin D. Watkins. 10 a.m. In-Person Worship Service. Also available on Facebook Live and YouTube Live. .Sermon: Where are your manners? Scripture: Psalms 107:1-21. Youth Sunday Speaker: Minister Michael Stafford.

Second Presbyterian Church

1578 Dale Earnhardt Blvd., Kannapolis. Pastor Sue Black, Minister. Rev. Aaron Price, Assistant Pastor. Sunday school at 10 a.m. Worship at 11 a.m. Sermon: The Sword of the Spirit. Scripture: Matthew 4:1-10.

St. Johns Reformed Church

901 N. Main St., Kannapolis. Pastor: Rev. Chris King. Sunday school for all ages9:30 a.m. Worship Service10:30 a.m. Website  www.ourstjohns.org. Email/Phone- ourstjohns@gmail.com / 704-932-3656. Sermon: Under the Rule of Christ. Scripture: Colossians 3:15-17.

Trinity United Church of Christ

38 Church St., Concord. Pastor: Rev. Nathan King. Worship at 11 a.m., in person or Facebook live. Website: commachurch.com. Youre invited!
Australian data centre services provider NextDC has kicked off the construction of its $80 million D1 Darwin data centre facility with a targeted completion and launch in June 2024.

The D1 Darwin was announced last 2021.

NextDC collaborated with construction company Kapitol Group to build the new data centre. The construction will see the creation of more than 200 jobs throughout the project and daily operation of the facility in Darwin.

We are excited to work with Next to deliver the Northern Territory a critical piece of infrastructure for the region. We have been working with NextDC on many projects with great success and it is our intent to achieve the same with D1 Darwin, Kapitol Group director Andrew Deveson said.

The D1 Darwin will provide the Northern Territory (NT) an economy digital infrastructure combined with low-latency access to global cloud platforms to maximise the potential of genAI, automation, and robotics.

As our flagship data centre in the NT, D1 Darwin forms part of NextDC strategy to leverage the next frontier of edge computing and for the region, it is a big step towards national digital equity, said NextDC CEO Craig Scroggie.

Its proximity to Darwins CBD and direct access to the major submarine cable infrastructure, means legacy industries such as mining and resources alongside the emerging defence sector can have real-time responsiveness to operational and mission-critical needs, fully capturing the value of emerging technologies, he added.

NextDC has also partnered with the NT government to accelerate the development of the region.

The D1 Darwin, with a projected 8MW capacity, will propel NTs Digital Territory Action Plan by providing the crucial digital infrastructure to unlock new opportunities in the region and more broadly, contributing to its $40 billion 2030 economic outlook.

NT Chief Minister Natasha Fyles said getting the build of D1 Darwin underway is an exciting step for the future of Northern Territorys digital economy, which will give many organisations in the region the opportunity to empower and activate their digital transformation strategies.

Offering uninterrupted critical connectivity and cloud services to Northern Territory businesses and government will significantly boost the capability of what they are offering to their customers and stakeholders, Chief Minister Fyles added.

Specialist fibre and network solutions provider, partner of the D1 facility, is integrating its Terabit Territory fibre network within the data centre to connect networks to the region and secure access to Southeast Asia via the Darwin-Jakarta-Singapore Cable (DJSC) project.

D1 Darwin is a critical infrastructure facility which will play an integral role in Vocus network investments  supporting all levels of Government as well as Enterprise customers in the resources sector. D1 Darwin will establish a major data centre in Australias north connecting to Vocus new Darwin-Jakarta-Singapore Cable (DJSC) submarine system, which lands our secure digital infrastructure in Perth, Port Hedland, Darwin, and Southeast Asia, said Vocus CEO Ellie Sweeney.

Key technical specifications of Darwin, D1 includes:

 8MW

 3,000m2 technical space

 1.5 Target PUE

 100% uptime

 1,500 rack capacity

 2,000m2 mission critical space (MCX)
Direct flights between Dubai and Stuttgart have been reintroduced after seven years, with new and exclusive VIP shopping packages and VIP pass for GCC customers. The two weekly flights offer passengers a shuttle service that links the airport to Outletcity Metzingen, Europes largest luxury retail outlet.

The exclusive packages are offered for customers whether they are travelling as individuals, delegations, corporate groups, or VIPs.

Operated by Eurowings, the flights operate every Wednesday and Saturday from Dubai International Airport, and every Thursday and Sunday from Stuttgart Airport. The shopping shuttle runs from Stuttgart to Outletcity Metzingen and back every Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, in a 30-minute journey that traverses natural landscapes and scenery. Trains and rental cars are also available, a statement said.

Situated in the picturesque city of Metzingen, Outletcity Metzingen boasts high-quality window displays; catering to both high-end enthusiasts and bargain hunters alike.

The world-renowned shopping destination is characterised by its friendly and knowledgeable staff, various dining and accommodation options, and endless selection of styles and reduced prices for over 170 top and luxury brands.

Tailored specifically for GCC travellers, the newly introduced VIP shopping packages and VIP pass are now available with bookings at designated travel agencies and tour operator offices across the UAE and the GCC counties.

For several years Outletcity Metzingen has been a famous attraction, offering everything from high-end fashion to gourmet experiences within its exquisite, award-winning complexes. The picturesque town of Metzingen, located in Southwest Germany is ideal for a day trip from cities like Stuttgart, Baden-Baden, Munich, Frankfurt, and Zurich, whether for shopping, leisure, cultural, or medical tourism.

Outletcity Metzingen hosts a wide selection of restaurants that offer vegan, vegetarian, European and Asian dining options. Services include a Tax refund Center, luggage storage, prayer rooms, free WIFI and an on-site hotel that is set to be open in January 2024. For premium and contemporary shopping experience, the Welcome Center that speaks in many international languages, has been extended by a VIP Lounge.

Outletcity Metzingen has recently concluded a five-day GCC roadshow, marking the end of a successful campaign in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, and the UAE, organised under The German National Tourist Office. The roadshow aimed at fostering relationships with regional travel industry players and gain insights with local tourism professionals and media partners in the Arabian Gulf.

Angela Rieger, International Partnership Manager, Outletcity Metzingen, said: We are thrilled to welcome the new direct flights from Dubai and our beloved customers on board. We're celebrating this exciting news not only with great discounts at our 170 brands but also with VIP Services to offer customers from the Arabian Gulf and beyond an unparalleled shopping experience.

Our recent five-day roadshow in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries concluded on a high note, and we are proud that Outletcity Metzingen is gaining recognition within the travel industry in the Arabian Gulf, as well as among shopping enthusiasts and travellers in this region.  TradeArabia News Service
The surprise firing of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman late last week arose from the board's fears the company had developed a superintelligence named Q* that could solve maths problems, allege sources to Reuters. We're not even making this up.

If you're having trouble keeping up with the goings on at OpenAI, the organisation behind ChatGPT, you're not alone. The story played out over four days when CEO Sam Altman was surprisingly fired by the OpenAI board, on the basis of discrepancies in his communications with them. OpenAI staff promised to follow Sam and made demands to the board. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella came out saying he was happy to work with the OpenAI board and announcing he'd hired Altman. Yet, Altman was next returning to OpenAI as a guest visitor. And well, now he's CEO again and the board has been flipped.

OpenAI is nothing without its people https://t.co/XYKLQ61e6l  OpenAI (@OpenAI) November 22, 2023

There's a lot going on. Microsoft placed a large investment in OpenAI. For a brief moment, it seemed as if that investment would instead be realised by having Altman and his followers come directly into Microsoft's direct employment. Nevertheless, Altman is back in the head role at OpenAI, and it's been the very board that fired him who has now walked the plank.

One thing's for sure: Altman has a lot of friends and a lot of loyal staff members. And he's clearly respected for his achievements and thus eminently employable as the big tech firms strive to infuse AI into all their products. But the question still remains: what was the board's concern, and was there some merit in the firing? Well, according to a Reuters exclusive, inside sources claim the board was worried OpenAI had developed a superintelligence that could threaten reality. Yes, really.

When it comes to artificial intelligence it appears people are in two camps. There are those who think it is interesting and useful, but still an emerging technology that can't compete with actual human intelligence. After all, it's well known that ChatGPT will often hallucinate. You ask it to write program code and it gives you buggy code. You ask it for historical facts and it will insist that something which never ever happened is true. Ultimately, ChatGPT, for all its cleverness is a language model - it's a well-spoken intelligence that can give structure to text but it's far from being Deep Thought.

And then you have those who say artificial intelligence is a huge threat, that it will put software developers, scriptwriters, artists, and all kinds of creative types out of work - oh, and also that it will enslave humanity.

Interestingly, some of the OpenAI board - well, former board - were in this camp. Along with Australia's own Helen Toner, a number of board members belonged to the "effective altruism" movement. This is a movement that Toner herself first described as philosophically confused over-enthusiastic science fiction nerds, before becoming herself persuaded of their viewpoint - a viewpoint that is best characterised as fearing an artificial intelligence takeover, or at the very least, a movement that wishes to ensure AI safety is first and foremost.

WIth the board controlled by effective altruists, it seems their concern of an emerging AI overlord was engaged by news from within OpenAI that the organisation had indeed created a superintelligence, named Q*.

Last year, Google was in the news for firing an engineer, Blake Lemoine, who claimed they had a sentient chatbot. Google denied the claims and Lemoine was not taken too seriously in the news, and his position was terminated. That was largely the end of it.

However, while the situation has parallels, the big difference here is this time those who genuinely believe humanity is on the verge of constructing genuine artificial sentience were in a position of power at the most prominent AI research and development house. And thus, the effective altruist board fired Altman.

In fact, Toner's own research alleges that the race to develop AI can only lead to a "race to the bottom" as governments and industry ignore safety and precautions in their desire to get a product out. And this is why she and her board colleagues were keen to be on the board of OpenAI - not so much to ensure the technology is developed but more to ensure if it is developed at all, that it happens under very close supervision and safeguards.

It's this that put Altman at odds with his board; commercialising AI and fostering investments like Microsoft's huge cash injection were not their objectives, despite that by any other metric Altman has been an effective CEO leading and growing the company.

Back to the Reuters story: Reuters journalists credibly state they were approached by OpenAI insiders who described a letter in which the board criticised Altman for commercialising AI advances before understanding the consequences, and also a second internal message around a project called Q*, pronounced Q star.

The sources advised Reuters that some at OpenAI believed Q* was a breakthrough in the search for AGI, or artificial general intelligence. AGI describes autonomous systems that surpass humans in most economically valuable tasks.

And, with sufficient computing power, Q* was able to solve certain mathematical problems. Ok, not Terminator-style walking and talking and shooting and destruction, but certainly school-level maths. However, this was enough to make the OpenAI researchers confident Q* had a big future. While generative AI - like ChatGPT - is good at writing and language translation and can provide wildly varying results to the same prompts, the ability to perform mathematics - where there is only one right answer - carries the implication AI can have greater reasoning capabilities that resemble human intelligence.

This is very different to a calculator; AGI isn't simply the rote application of known formulas, but instead about generalising, learning, and comprehending - exactly the same way the human race itself developed mathematics in the first place.

The developments and capabilities of Q* were made known to the board, along with its prowess and - yes - its potential danger, despite the board guidance not specifying any precise safety concerns. However, among those who believe AI is inherently risky there is the belief that a sentient AI could decide the best move forward is the destruction of humanity. This is a staple of science fiction, but it's also a genuine belief that some in the AI community believe is possible.

So, while Altman was leading ChatGPT to become one of the world's fastest-growing pieces of software, which in turn drew investment from Microsoft, these were all stepping stones on the path to AGI. A path that the effective altruists worry is too fast, too soon, and too dangerous.

Altman hinted in speaking engagements prior to his sacking that he had some big announcements coming. The Reuters' sources imply it was going to be news about Q*, and a demonstration of a reasoning, thinking, superintelligence that could reach human levels of capability, then surpass it, then wipe us all out.

It's this difference of opinion between Altman and his board that led to his sudden, sniper-like firing. But Altman is back; the board is gone, so perhaps Q* will be with us sooner than we think.

Whether Q* is all a big fizz where we say "huh, that's cool", or whether humanity will be snuffed out, remains to be seen.
Scott Hesford, Director Solutions Engineering Asia Pacific and Japan, BeyondTrust

The new Australian Cyber Security Strategy highlights the importance of strengthening the cyber resiliency of the entire economy.

As the paper highlights, ransomware is an ongoing threat that can have a significant effect on Australian businesses and consumers. While gaining greater visibility on the ransomware threat and how to respond to it is important, there are defences that businesses can put in place today that can mitigate the threat. We would like to see the government educate business leaders on these capabilities in addition to assisting with attack remediation.

In addition, while the Essential Eight remains a strong baseline of cyber security strategies for public and private sectors alike, there is an opportunity to build on the existing strategies in a world where the focus on identity being the perimeter continues to evolve and traditional ways of working apply far less.

Sadiq Iqbal, Evangelist, Office of the CTO & Manager at Check Point Software Technologies.

The Federal Governments seven-year Cyber Strategy appears to be a very robust and well-thought-out strategy, that will go a long way to addressing the current status of vulnerability of Australian business and citizens to future risk of cyber attacks.

I am very encouraged by the proposed strategy that includes a number of reforms such as creating a zero-trust culture by which all government agencies will need to abide by along with the ASD Essential Eight, effectively mirroring the approach by the White House for US government entities. Another welcome addition is pressure-testing the preparedness of critical infrastructure after a plan to further strengthen their cyber obligations, which is still quite lacking despite the SOCI reforms as evidenced most recently by DP World.

Many of the proposed reforms are in line with Check Points methodology, with a much stronger focus on threat-intelligence sharing between entities but also on blocking of threats, both in real-time and at scale, which eliminates the costly recovery exercise which eventuates when taking the cautious approach of detection only. We would, however, like to see a more diverse grouping of cyber organisations involved. There is also an increased focus on cyber resiliency and the need to have incident response plans in place, and provided playbooks to recover from a ransomware attack, which a surprisingly large amount of business do not currently have and is very much necessary. There are also plans to enforce cyber security early into the development of applications as a mandatory standard and even measures to secure IOT devices whether this be for cars or smart cities which we applaud.

A number of free initiatives have been proposed for small businesses, who have become one of the most targeted areas of late due to their lack of investment in cyber defenses. This is great if it can actually be delivered and we will be keen to see how the Government delivers on its promise to provide free cyber assessments and support to over two million SMBs. Given that it is a known fact that SMBs usually lack the financial and technical resources to implement strong cybersecurity policies, the government might also consider offering tax breaks to SMBs, to facilitate cyber investment within their businesses to make it easier and cost-friendly to focus on this aspect.

The Cyber Strategy does correctly recognise that the uplift to most organisations maturity levels, which will consist of substantial cost and effort, will start and stop at the board room and overall it is good to see a number of measures to address this, especially as having the board understand such cybersecurity measures will enable them to effectively make informed decisions on their cybersecurity needs.

Pieter Danhieux, CEO & Co-Founder, Secure Code Warrior

Clare ONeil must be commended for her spotlight on cybersecurity, and her commitment to raising our overall cybersecurity infrastructure. More recently, she used her platform to call for Australian businesses to patch specific known vulnerabilities to further fortify us from potential serious threats.



However, in terms of the updated National Cybersecurity Strategy, the lack of defined, mandated goals - coupled with fixed deadlines for implementation and compliance - are unlikely to provide the cohesive, upgraded approach to security best practices that we require to truly be a world-class contender for the time being. To make that leap, key goals with a reasonable deadline, for example, compliance with key security-by-design principles by 2027, would be a small hammer helpful in smashing the status quo.

Anthony Daniel, Regional Director  Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Islands, WatchGuard Technologies

The Federal Governments allocation of an additional $600 million to combat cybercrime is crucial in the face of the rising number, speed, and sophistication of cyberattacks. At the same time, the mandatory reporting for hacked businesses will not only empower the government to respond effectively but also enable the creation of a more resilient cybersecurity ecosystem. We also commend the governments focus on protecting critical infrastructure which will contribute to the overall resilience of the nation against cyber threats and while not outright banning ransom payments, the government's strong discouragement and provision of clearer guidance emphasises the risks associated with such actions and ultimately aims to protect businesses from further victimisation. Were also encouraged to see a focus on national cybersecurity exercises. Simulating cyber threats and responses will help in identifying weaknesses, enhancing preparedness, and foster a culture of continuous improvement in the country's cybersecurity posture.
GUEST OPINION: East-West traffic signifies the flow of data packets between servers within a data centre, or across private and public clouds. Unlike the typical ingress or egress traffic, which goes in or out of the network (often called North-South traffic), East-West is the lateral movement of data.

Hence, its often referred to as lateral traffic, with its own set of challenges and opportunities for security professionals. But why is East-West traffic security important? With the proliferation of data centres and cloud adoption, East-West traffic has grown substantially. Interestingly, the volume of this lateral traffic has surpassed the conventional North-South traffic, making its security an imperative.

This shift underscores the importance of shielding East-West traffic from potential malicious actors and breaches, as threats can arise internally, moving laterally without ever touching the traditional network perimeter. Yet, according to a Gigamon global survey of 1,000 IT and security leaders, just under half (48 percent) had insights into laterally moving data.

So lets consider the benefits of East-West security. Understanding and bolstering East-West traffic security comes with a multitude of benefits. For one, it allows organisations to inspect all East-West network traffic, ensuring no malicious activity goes unnoticed. Such measures effectively hinder the lateral movement of threat actors, preventing them from advancing within a network.

Increased network visibility, extending down to the virtual machine, workload and container levels, provides granular control over data flow. Moreover, securing East-West traffic aids in protecting vital business applications and data.

Last, focusing on this aspect can significantly lower costs and risks associated with distributed operations.

So how does East-West traffic security work? The essence of East-West traffic security lies in continuous vigilance. This involves inspecting the lateral flow of data to pinpoint any potential threats that might compromise the network. Every packet, every byte, and every payload  including encrypted payloads  undergoes deep packet inspection and is subject to rigorous analysis.

By doing so, threats can be detected promptly, with counter measures swiftly blocking any malicious activity, ensuring that the integrity of the network remains unscathed.

My company has always been at the forefront of network visibility and security solutions. Our approach to East-West traffic security is no different.

Recognising the critical nature of lateral traffic and its vulnerabilities, we offer solutions designed to protect networks. Our proven deep observability solutions and recently introduced PrecryptionTM technology, not only deliver heightened visibility into East-West traffic but also an assurance of its veracity.

Traditionally, most organisations focused primarily on North-South traffic. But the shift to cloud infrastructures, coupled with the decentralised nature of modern data centres, has thrust East-West traffic into the spotlight.

This transformation has led to a paradigm shift in how we perceive network security, with East-West traffic now commanding equal, if not more, attention. Despite its importance, monitoring East-West traffic isnt without its challenges.

Given the sheer volume of lateral data movement, ensuring comprehensive security coverage can be daunting. Identifying malicious patterns amidst a sea of legitimate data packets requires sophisticated tools, strategies include gaining visibility into encrypted traffic that attackers often use to disguise their movement across a network.

Our solutions are designed keeping these challenges in mind. Gigamons Deep Observability Pipeline capabilities provide unparalleled visibility into East-West traffic  including between virtual machines and containers  ensuring you never miss a beat.

Moreover, by feeding traffic and metadata generated in real-time to security analytics tools, we empower users to discern between benign and malicious traffic, facilitating proactive threat detection and mitigation.

Lets consider the future of East-West traffic. As we propel into a future dominated by hybrid cloud infrastructures and decentralised data centres, the importance of visibility into all forms of East-West traffic will only increase.

Ensuring East-West security will be at least as important as ensuring North-South security for businesses aiming to safeguard their data and maintain operational efficiency.

East-West traffic, with its increasing importance in todays network architectures, is a domain that cannot be overlooked. It is not just about recognising its importance but also about adopting strategies and solutions that can guarantee its security.

My companys advanced technology stands ready to assist organisations in navigating the intricate landscape of East-West traffic security. We advise organisations to secure their networks future by placing East-West traffic security at its heart.
GUEST RESEARCH: New research released by cybersecurity company Illumio has found that in the last year, nearly half of all local data breaches originated in the cloud, and more than 60% of local security workers believe cloud security is lacking and poses a severe risk to their business operations.

The Cloud Security Index: Redefine Cloud Security with Zero Trust Segmentation, was undertaken by independent research firm, Vanson Bourne. It surveyed 1,600 IT and security decision makers across nine countries, including 200 Australian respondents. The research found that cloud risks are getting worse, traditional cloud security tools are falling short, and Zero Trust Segmentation (ZTS) is essential for the modern landscape.

ITWire spoke with Raghu Nandakumara, Head of Industry Solutions at Illumio, to discuss the findings, what they are saying about cloud security in Australia and his take on AI in cybersecurity.

Related: Illumio explains how Zero Trust Segmentation is the key to cloud security

Cloud risks and concerns are pervasive  and costing millions

The average Australian organisation that suffered a cloud breach last year lost roughly AUD $4.9M. Yet, half of organisations are operating under the assumption that breaches are not inevitable, compared to just 26% globally. For Nandakumara, this was a standout issue.

Increasingly security practitioners assume breach, assume that incursion will happen, and then plan security defences around this. This has been the prevalent assumption that we have been working off for a number of years. But in Australia, 50% feel that they dont need to adopt that assume breach mentality. Instead, its  Hey, well be ok. This is completely against the grain of where the rest of the globe is thinking.

Nandakumara says that while business have rushed to the cloud in order to stay competitive, there remain gaps when it comes to cybersecurity, because many are still unsure of how different parts of their IT resources are interacting in these complex environments. The research supports this. Most (96%) Australian organisations store their most sensitive data in the cloud, including financial information, business intelligence, and customer or employee personally identifiable information (PII). Yet, they also overwhelmingly believe their organisations current approach to cloud security creates severe risks, with 95% saying they need better visibility of connectivity with third party software. This lack of visibility is impacting organisations' ability to respond to attacks, with 95% saying they need to improve their reaction time to cloud breaches.

Organisations are struggling to make this trade-off between ensuring things are adequately protected, and supporting their businesses in transforming, says Nandakumara. Thats where organisations are concerned  I have all of this coverage, but yet, I am still not one hundred percent sure how my resources are interacting with each other And if one part is compromised, am I confident that the attacker cant move around and compromise other parts (of my IT infrastructure)?.

Zero Trust Segmentation a Non-Negotiable for Cloud Security

Almost all (98%) of Australian IT and security decision-makers believe that segmentation of critical assets is a necessary step to secure cloud-based projects. Nandakumara describes Zero Trust Segmentation as providing the most complete visibility across their hybrid, interconnected environment, whether thats cloud, data centre or endpoint, and giving them the abilities to restrict lateral movement within that environment. Interestingly, the research showed that global organisations with dedicated microsegmentation technology were less likely to have suffered a cloud breach in the last year (35%) than those without it (43%).

Zero Trust Segmentation addresses organisations visibility and security concerns by continuously monitoring the connectivity between cloud applications, data, and workloads (52%); minimising the reach and impact of an attack by containing its spread (52%); enabling least privilege (network) access between cloud resources (50%), and giving a better understanding of connectivity from third party software (50%).

A different spin on AI in cybersecurity

When asked about this view on AI in his industry, Nandakumara says when it comes to cybersecurity, we can divide AI threats into two parts. First, businesses invest heavily in AI models to further their business and cater for customers. There are threats posed in this process, for example attackers can corrupt the AI environment that businesses are leveraging by giving out responses that are poisoned or biased in some way. On the other side, attackers have access to AI, and therefore organisations are trying to adapt to defend against increasingly sophisticated attacks.

But he believes that AI doesnt necessarily need to be the lone golden saviour in cybersecurity practices, but rather the principles of Zero Trust Segmentation applies not only to past attacks, but also appeals to modern AI based attacks and where they are going.

What are AI models dependent on to be productive? Data. So if we can put in place controls that limit the amount of information hackers can harvest about the organisation and environment they are targeting, and limit where they can spread within that environmentthey are hoovering up less data, which means their AI model has less to work with.

Applying these fundamentals of limiting how an attacker can build a picture of the environment, and where they can go. That is going to be super important to limiting how effective that AI attacker can be, concludes Nandakumara.
Intense, urgent demand for artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities and the "duelling pressure" to reduce energy consumption, costs and greenhouse gas emissions loom large over the data centre industry - and will be at the forfefront - heading into 2024, according to the latest trends forecast from digital infrastructure and solutions provider Vertiv.

Vertiv says the proliferation of AI - as it predicted two years ago - along with the infrastructure and sustainability challenges inherent in AI-capable computing can be felt across the industry and throughout its 2024 data centre trends forecast.



AI and its downstream impact on data centre densities and power demands have become the dominant storylines in our industry, said Vertiv CEO Giordano (Gio) Albertazzi. Finding ways to help customers both support the demand for AI and reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions is a significant challenge requiring new collaborations between data centres, chip and server manufacturers, and infrastructure providers.

These are the trends Vertivs experts expect to dominate the data centre ecosystem in 2024:

1. AI sets the terms for new builds and retrofits: Surging demand for artificial intelligence across applications is pressuring organisations to make significant changes to their operations. Legacy facilities are ill-equipped to support widespread implementation of the high-density computing required for AI, with many lacking the required infrastructure for liquid cooling. In the coming year, more and more organisations are going to realize half-measures are insufficient and opt instead for new construction  increasingly featuring prefabricated modular solutions that shorten deployment timelines  or large-scale retrofits that fundamentally alter their power and cooling infrastructure. Such significant changes present opportunities to implement more eco-friendly technologies and practices, including liquid cooling for AI servers, applied in concert with air cooled thermal management to support the entire data centre space.

2. Expanding the search for energy storage alternatives: New energy storage technologies and approaches have shown the ability to intelligently integrate with the grid and deliver on a pressing objective  reducing generator starts. Battery energy storage systems (BESS) support extended runtime demands by shifting the load as necessary and for longer durations and can integrate seamlessly with alternative energy sources, such as solar or fuel cells. This minimises generator use and reduces their environmental impact. BESS installations will be more common in 2024, eventually evolving to fit bring your own power (BYOP) models and delivering the capacity, reliability and cost-effectiveness needed to support AI-driven demand.

3. Enterprises prioritize flexibility: While cloud and colocation providers aggressively pursue new deployments to meet demand, organisations with enterprise data centres are likely to diversify investments and deployment strategies. AI is a factor here as organisations wrestle with how best to enable and apply the technology while still meeting sustainability objectives. Businesses may start to look to on-premises capacity to support proprietary AI, and edge application deployments may be impacted by AI tailwinds. Many organisations can be expected to prioritise incremental investment  leaning heavily on prefabricated modular solutions  and service and maintenance to extend the life of legacy equipment. Such services can provide ancillary benefits, optimising operation to free up capacity in maxed-out computing environments and increasing energy efficiency in the process. Likewise, organisations can reduce Scope 3 carbon emissions by extending the life of existing servers rather than replacing and scrapping them.

4. The race to the cloud faces security hurdles: Gartner projects global spending on public cloud services to increase by 20.4% in 2024, and the mass migration to the cloud shows no signs of abating. This puts pressure on cloud providers to increase capacity quickly to support demand for AI and high performance compute, and they will continue to turn to colocation partners around the world to enable that expansion. For cloud customers moving more and more data offsite, security is paramount, and according to Gartner, 80% of CIOs plan to increase spending on cyber/information security in 2024. Disparate national and regional data security regulations may create complex security challenges as efforts to standardise continue.

Across Asia, were seeing organizations ramp up their investments, realigning their strategies towards harnessing and integrating AI technology, said Paul Churchill, vice president and general manager at Vertiv Asia. In fact, according to IDC, by 2026, tech providers will allocate significant investments towards AI/automation. With this, Vertiv is focused on helping our customers manage the challenges of AI integration, supporting them with our breadth of solutions from modular solutions to predictive maintenance services, recognizing the value AI brings towards achieving more efficient and sustainable IT systems.

AI is dominating board level discussions across Australia and New Zealand, and it's often coming up as a means to generate new revenue streams, said LuLu Shiraz, Director Australia and New Zealand at Vertiv. But to achieve the promised outcome and return on investment (ROI) of AI, organisations need to map out what goes into running this increasingly dense technology, both economically and sustainably. Were now collectively embarking on a power and cooling modernisation project. Greenfields will be dedicated to the cause, but we are also seeing existing facilities being re-designed to accommodate for the expected increase in demand.
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Washington Post media reporter Paul Farhi is the most recent example of a journalist who sounds like his own colleagues are the "professionals" and the writers without the classic Old Media branding are the "non-pros," people who don't have standards.

Farhi began by tweeting: "Someone invented the phrase 'citizen journalism' a few years ago to describe amateurs doing the work of pros. Yes, it occasionally works, but probably no more often than 'citizen cop,' 'citizen attorney' or 'citizen soldier.'"

This quickly became a Twitter beach ball for conservatives. In response to one reply, he qualified it a little: "I'd never argue that professional journalists are flawless. They're not, of course. But they do *try* to adhere to a set of standards. Non-pros are under no such obligation, and frequently don't bother."

Mollie Hemingway at The Federalist pulled out the big "ahem" on this notion: The latest Gallup poll illustrates that almost 40% of Americans have zero trust in the fairness and accuracy of "professional journalists."

She pointed out Farhi offered a similar take in 2016: "Is there any other profession in which more people think they can do the job better than the pros than journalism? Medicine? Teaching?"

The great divide in this debate isn't really between professionals and amateurs. It's between leftist media outlets and conservative media outlets. It's often assumed on the Left that the "professionals" are the "progressives," and the conservatives are a motley collection of partisan hacks. From my experience with Farhi, that's not his point. But that's where the fight is.

For conservatives, the fight can begin with the suppression of the New York Post in the closing weeks of the 2020 presidential campaign. The Post was doing original reporting out of an authentic source. The leftist "professionals" assembled an "intelligence community" warning it was all "Russian disinformation." Then in 2022, Farhi's Washington Post and The New York Times recognized the laptop was authentic.

At that point, which newspapers were right, and which were duped? The Democrat papers were too invested in the election outcome to investigate this story for themselves. They chose instead to suggest the Post was duped by the Bannons and the Giulianis. They played "consider the source."

Hemingway returns to other big stories of the Trump years. The Post and the rest pounded away for years on the unproven (then disproven) thesis that Donald Trump was an illegitimate president who colluded with the Russians to steal the election from Hillary Clinton. Now these same "professionals" claim the conservatives are the "election deniers."

Then there's the sexual-assault allegations lobbed against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. In 2018, Farhi wrote an article titled "Kavanaugh supporters see a conspiracy afoot." His then-boss Martin Baron harrumphed, "We aren't colluding with anyone about anything," which was transparently silly. If someone came forward and said Martin Baron tried to rape him/her, wouldn't he see a conspiracy to ruin him?

Back then, the Post published a vicious allegation that Christine Blasey Ford claimed she was "corralled" by a "stumbling drunk" teenager Kavanaugh into a bedroom "one summer in the early 1980s ... at a house in Montgomery County." She didn't have a date or a place. How on Earth was this enough detail to publish? It wasn't.

Denying the obvious  that leftist journalists were trying to sink the Kavanaugh nomination, not just with Ford's remarkably imprecise claims but with even less plausible accusers  is what makes people lose trust in the self-proclaimed "professionals." Attempting to destroy reputations for political gain can damage your brand.

(COMMENT, BELOW)
Insight

'Stand your butt up' By Jeff Jacoby Published November 23, 2023

Embed from Getty Images

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The more obnoxious members of Congress act, the lower the esteem in which Americans hold them, right? According to Gallup, public approval of Congress has dropped to a derisory 13 percent. How could it do otherwise, given the never-ending clown show on Capitol Hill?

Consider last week's Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing. Teamsters President Sean O'Brien was on hand to testify. It was Senator Markwayne Mullin's turn to question the witness. The Oklahoma Republican decided to use his allotted time to fume about a bunch of mocking tweets that O'Brien had posted about him. In June, for example, O'Brien had described the senator as "full of sh*t" and written: "What a moron you are." Then he tweeted out a picture of Mullin perched on a platform to boost his height, needling him with the hashtag #LittleManSyndrome. The accompanying tweet sneered at the senator's "tough guy act" and threw down a challenge: "You know where to find me. Anyplace, Anytime cowboy."

Mullin seemed to think a fistfight was just what the situation called for.

"You want to run your mouth?" he said to O'Brien. "We can be two consenting adults, we can finish it here."

"Okay, that's fine," the Teamster boss answered. "I'd love to do it right now."

"Well, stand your butt up then," Mullin barked.

"You stand your butt up," O'Brien replied.

So the senator stood, all set for a brawl. Which is presumably what would have ensued had the committee's chairman, Bernie Sanders, not banged his gavel angrily and ordered the senator and the witness to cease and desist. "This is a hearing," Sanders raged. "G od knows the American people have enough contempt for Congress. Let's not make it worse."

It is episodes like this that explain why Americans keep telling pollsters they have no respect for Congress and little confidence in the government. Or is it? I was jolted by a line in Peggy Noonan's column in The Wall Street Journal over the weekend. She speculated that government officials increasingly act this way not to compensate for their own insecurity and inferiority, but because "they're certain the people back home like it." Noonan continued:

Mullin was sharply dressed, in a crisp white shirt camera-ready for his moment. He didn't expect to be outfaced by the union guy: "You stand your butt up." Mullin was showing his base how rough, tough, and macho he is. He's not gonna let any fancy deep-state rules on decorum dictate to him; he's real, authentic, a man. Which he can show by punching and kicking people. Here, watch! I wonder if he's right that the people of Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain, like that sort of thing. It isn't really a compliment to them that he thinks they would.

Of course it isn't only right-wing Republicans who are capable of behaving like brawling punks. Remember former attorney general Eric Holder extolling the virtue of getting into the gutter with Republicans? "When they go low, we kick them," Holder told an audience of Democratic loyalists. A decade earlier it was then-senator Barack Obama who told his supporters that the only way to beat Republicans was to escalate every engagement: "If they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun," he famously said.

Anger has always been a factor in politics, but in our age it has grown pervasive. If it didn't start with the coarse and vulgar Donald Trump, it certainly worsened once he entered the arena and made it part of his persona to hurl taunts and threats at anyone who displeased him. Voters used to recoil from blatant boorishness and thuggery on the part of political leaders. Now many can't get enough of it. Noonan nailed it: Too many people in politics act like delinquents and louts because "they're certain the people back home like it." Or perhaps because they are delinquents and louts, and were sent to Washington (or to the state house or to city hall) by voters who approve of their crassness.

In a democracy, it is said, the people get the government they deserve. Gallup asks what people think of Congress, and the responses are full of disdain. But is it really Congress we regard with such scorn? Or is it ourselves, for choosing to be governed by such creatures?

Jeff Jacoby is a columnist for The Boston Globe, from which this is reprinted with permission."
MATTOON  Broadway Avenue from 14th to 16th streets is set to get new sidewalks and ornamental streetlights next year as part of the final phase of a multi-year streetscaping project downtown.

The Mattoon City Council approved the plan for this downtown project at its meeting Tuesday night, during which it also heard that the fire department is renting a fire truck while preparing to seek a new one due to mechanical problems in its fleet.

Regarding Broadway, Public Works Director Dean Barber said the streetscaping bids will be opened on Dec. 13 and this project is set to be completed by Oct. 31. This work will include the installation of new wheelchair-accessible sidewalks, brick pavers, ornamental street lighting, and water and storm sewer lines.

Council member Dave Cox noted that the streetscaping project started seven years ago with the goal of making public improvements all the way from 21st Street east to 14th. He said this work has been slowed by COVID-19 and financial constraints but is now nearing completion.

"I would like to thank Dean for your continued diligence on this project. It's a great project that has done a lot for the downtown area," Cox said, with his sentiment being affirmed by Mattoon Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Ed Dowd.

Mayor Rick Hall said he has received a lot of good feedback about the look of downtown following the streetscaping work and other improvements there in recent years, including the installation this fall of multi-season lighting along the tops of buildings on Broadway.

"These projects they do take a while. It's a big team effort. There are a lot of people involved in these projects," Hall said. "I appreciate all the hard work everyone has done."

The final phase of the streetscaping project will be paid, in part, using a $525,000 grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity. The remaining costs will be paid from the citys downtown tax increment financing district fund.

Regarding the fire department, Chief Jeff Hilligoss said its fleet of available pumping apparatus recently decreased from four to one. He said engines 21 and 23 went out of service due to mechanical problems. He said ladder truck 24 is in service, but reserve engine 26 will not go into pump gear.

"We are currently renting a fire truck, which I didn't even know was an option. I needed something desperately," Hilligoss said, adding that the department is renting a truck for $115 a day for a couple of weeks from a company in Canton.

Hilligoss said he plans to bring a purchase request for a new fire truck, estimated at $700,000-$725,000, to the council at its Dec. 5 meeting. The fire chief said he also is preparing a grant application for a 75-foot ladder truck that is estimated at $1.3 million.

In other matters, City Administrator Kyle Gill said he has been involved with interviewing applicants for several staff positions that are being vacated by retirements. Council member David Phipps noted that those posts include the public works director, with Barber set to retire at the end of the year.

During Tuesday's meeting, the council acknowledged the upcoming Dec. 2 retirement of Water Treatment Plant Superintendent Dave Basham after more than 36 years of service with the city.

"(Basham) not only knows the inner workings of the water treatment plant, but he has a really good rapport with the plant operators, and he works well with the public," said council member Jim Clossom, adding that Basham will be tough to replace.

Close Justin Hunt, at center, directors the Mattoon High School band during a Veterans Day performance Saturday afternoon at the Mattoon Moose Lodge. Justin Hunt, at center, directors the Mattoon High School band during a Veterans Day performance Saturday afternoon at the Mattoon Moose Lodge. The Mattoon High School JROTC battalion marches during the Veterans Day parade Saturday morning on Broadway Avenue. Black Tiger Honor Guard member Larry Cowell, at right, presents a pair of boots representing a fallen military service member to fellow guard member John Hensley Jr. during the group's Veterans Day ceremony Saturday afternoon at the Mattoon Moose Lodge. Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus ride on the back of a golf cart during the Veterans Day parade Saturday morning on Broadway Avenue in Mattoon. Mattoon High School JROTC cadets Zoie Winnett, Jeffery Thomas, Cody Carpenter and Alex Whitaker change out a worn U.S. flag for a new one during a Veterans Day ceremony Saturday afternoon at the Mattoon Moose Lodge. Riders dressed as U.S. Army calvary soldiers ride in the Veterans Day parade Saturday morning on Broadway Avenue in Mattoon. Members of the Mattoon High School marching band's color guard wave their flags during a performance Saturday afternoon at the Mattoon Moose Lodge. Mattoon High School JROTC cadet Zoie Winnett presents a certificate to Bob Mathias as he and other veterans are honored during a ceremony Saturday afternoon at the Mattoon Moose Lodge. Members of a Black Tiger Honor Guard march through the Mattoon Moose Lodge banquet room after placing flags in front of the stage during a Veterans Day ceremony Saturday afternoon. The Mattoon Middle School band marches during the Veterans Day parade Saturday morning on Broadway Avenue. Members of the Mattoon American Legion and VFW lead the Veterans Day parade Saturday morning on Broadway Avenue. Black Tiger Honor Guard members John Hensley Jr., at left, and Matt Kreeb honor fallen military service members during a Veterans Day ceremony Saturday afternoon at the Mattoon Moose Lodge. Members of the Mattoon VFW Auxiliary and other community members observe the Veterans Day ceremony on Saturday at Peterson Park. Black Tiger Honor Guard member Larry Creviston of Springfield unfurls a Coast Guard flag with the help of Mattoon High School JROTC Cadet Zoie Winnett during a Veterans Day ceremony on Saturday at the Mattoon Moose Lodge. Transport Services owner Joh England drives a semitruck and tanker trailer decorated to celebrate U.S. military service members during the Veterans Day parade Saturday morning on Broadway Avenue in Mattoon. U.S. Marine Corps veteran Tom Burcham of Mattoon rides his custom-built, three-wheeled motorcycle during the Veterans Day parade Saturday morning on Broadway Avenue in Mattoon. U.S. Army veteran Cheryl Shutt of Mattoon speaks during the Veterans Day ceremony that the Mattoon American Legion and VFW posts held Saturday morning at Peterson Park. Photos: Mattoon community commemorates Veterans Day 2023 The community marked Veterans Day 2023 on Saturday with a parade, ceremonies at Peterson Park and the Mattoon Moose Lodge, and performances by the Mattoon High School marching band. Justin Hunt, at center, directors the Mattoon High School band during a Veterans Day performance Saturday afternoon at the Mattoon Moose Lodge. Justin Hunt, at center, directors the Mattoon High School band during a Veterans Day performance Saturday afternoon at the Mattoon Moose Lodge. The Mattoon High School JROTC battalion marches during the Veterans Day parade Saturday morning on Broadway Avenue. Black Tiger Honor Guard member Larry Cowell, at right, presents a pair of boots representing a fallen military service member to fellow guard member John Hensley Jr. during the group's Veterans Day ceremony Saturday afternoon at the Mattoon Moose Lodge. Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus ride on the back of a golf cart during the Veterans Day parade Saturday morning on Broadway Avenue in Mattoon. Mattoon High School JROTC cadets Zoie Winnett, Jeffery Thomas, Cody Carpenter and Alex Whitaker change out a worn U.S. flag for a new one during a Veterans Day ceremony Saturday afternoon at the Mattoon Moose Lodge. Riders dressed as U.S. Army calvary soldiers ride in the Veterans Day parade Saturday morning on Broadway Avenue in Mattoon. Members of the Mattoon High School marching band's color guard wave their flags during a performance Saturday afternoon at the Mattoon Moose Lodge. Mattoon High School JROTC cadet Zoie Winnett presents a certificate to Bob Mathias as he and other veterans are honored during a ceremony Saturday afternoon at the Mattoon Moose Lodge. Members of a Black Tiger Honor Guard march through the Mattoon Moose Lodge banquet room after placing flags in front of the stage during a Veterans Day ceremony Saturday afternoon. The Mattoon Middle School band marches during the Veterans Day parade Saturday morning on Broadway Avenue. Members of the Mattoon American Legion and VFW lead the Veterans Day parade Saturday morning on Broadway Avenue. Black Tiger Honor Guard members John Hensley Jr., at left, and Matt Kreeb honor fallen military service members during a Veterans Day ceremony Saturday afternoon at the Mattoon Moose Lodge. Members of the Mattoon VFW Auxiliary and other community members observe the Veterans Day ceremony on Saturday at Peterson Park. Black Tiger Honor Guard member Larry Creviston of Springfield unfurls a Coast Guard flag with the help of Mattoon High School JROTC Cadet Zoie Winnett during a Veterans Day ceremony on Saturday at the Mattoon Moose Lodge. Transport Services owner Joh England drives a semitruck and tanker trailer decorated to celebrate U.S. military service members during the Veterans Day parade Saturday morning on Broadway Avenue in Mattoon. U.S. Marine Corps veteran Tom Burcham of Mattoon rides his custom-built, three-wheeled motorcycle during the Veterans Day parade Saturday morning on Broadway Avenue in Mattoon. U.S. Army veteran Cheryl Shutt of Mattoon speaks during the Veterans Day ceremony that the Mattoon American Legion and VFW posts held Saturday morning at Peterson Park.
EDEN  A baby was abducted, but safely deposited on a strangers doorstep some 10 minutes later on Wednesday morning after a couple stole a van from a local daycare center, police said.

Gary Lee Alverson, 40, and Sarah Michele Newtown, 35, both with previous Bardstown, Ky. addresses, are wanted in connection with the incident and are still at large, police said in a news release.

They are wanted for first-degree kidnapping and larceny of a motor vehicle, authorities said.

How it unfolded

At about 9:05 a.m., Eden Police were called to Lees Little Explorers Child Care Center at 1217 Lewis St. after two people allegedly drove a mothers van away with a 1-year-old on board, police said in the release.

Police have not named the child involved.

No one was reported injured in the incident, authorities said.

Witnesses told police that a male and white female stole a white 2016 Honda Odyssey van from the daycare centers parking lot and fled as the infants mother ushered another child inside, according to the release.

The van had been left running and unlocked, the release said.

By 9:18 a.m., police learned the tot had been dropped off at a random residence on Settlement Loop Road.

Investigators traveled there and confirmed that the child was the one taken from 1217 Lewis St., the release said.

The resident on Settlement Loop Road said they watched a woman with short, reddish-brown hair run from the home to a white van in the roadway where she got into the passenger seat. The woman left the baby on the doorstep in its car seat, police said in the release.

The van left the area headed toward N.C. 770, the resident said.

At about 3 p.m., police located the van with license plate number KCS7873 abandoned in Stoneville. The suspects were nowhere to be found, police said.

Police ask that members of the public alert authorities if they see Alverson or Newtown have any information about the case. They should call: 366-623-9687.
A 23-year-old Ashland man died and a 23-year-old Bennington woman was critically injured in a rollover crash south of Mead in Saunders County on Wednesday morning.

At 6:06 a.m., the Saunders County 911 Dispatch Center received a call reporting the crash along County Road 10 between County Road L and Eighth Street, Sheriff Chris Lichtenburg said in a press release.

A preliminary investigation indicated that a 2010 Ford F-250 pickup truck was traveling north when the vehicle started to go off the road. The investigation found the pickups driver, Madisyn Haack, overcorrected and then the pickup went off the road in the opposite direction. The pickup ended up rolling over and landed on its top in the west ditch.

The pickups lone passenger, Bryce Budz, was pronounced dead at the scene. Haack was airlifted by a LifeNet helicopter to the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha to be treated for her injuries.

Alcohol and speed are believed to have been factors in the crash. Budz and Haack were both wearing seat belts. The investigation is ongoing.

In addition to the Saunders County Sheriffs Office and LifeNet, Mead Fire and Rescue, Yutan Fire and Rescue, and Wahoo Fire and Rescue were also on scene.
The Red Sea International Film Festival (Red Sea IFF) has announced that this years Closing Night Gala will be Ferrari, the new biopic from maestro Michael Mann starring Adam Driver, Penelope Cruz, Shailene Woodley and Patrick Dempsey.

The event will also see the unveiling of the International Spectacular line-up for its third edition, which selects cinema from around the globe and features celebrated auteurs and international filmmaking icons.

This section showcases some of the most highly anticipated and talked about films of the year, screened for the first time in the Arab world.

The plot

Set in the summer of 1957, behind the spectacle of Formula 1, ex-racer Enzo Ferrari is in crisis. Bankruptcy threatens the factory he and his wife, Laura, built from nothing ten years earlier. Their volatile marriage is shattered by the loss of their son, Dino. Ferrari struggles to acknowledge his son Piero with Lina Lardi. Meanwhile, his drivers passions to win pushes them to the edge as they launch into the treacherous 1,000-mile race across Italy, the Mille Miglia.

With screenplay by Troy Kennedy Martin, Ferrari has been adapted from the 1991 biography Enzo Ferrari: The Man, the Cars, the Races, the Machine by motorsport journalist Brock Yates, and plays in the Red Sea IFF as a Mena Premiere on December 7.

Cultural exchange

Mohammed Al-Turki, CEO of the Red Sea Film Foundation, said: It is a great honour to announce that our Closing Night Gala will be one of this years most anticipated films. This exhilarating film has been close to the Festivals heart, as it has been supported by our Red Sea International Film Financing; a vehicle for us to champion acclaimed storytellers and create the opportunity for cultural exchange. Michael Manns powerful film shows true craftsmanship and empathy for the ambitious genius behind one of the worlds most desired works of design.

Kaleem Aftab, Director of International Programming for the Red Sea International Film Festival, said: Ferrari is Michael Mann in overdrive. It's a story about passion, love, and business where the cars are as beautiful as the film  which we loved from the moment we first saw it! This visually rich film serves as an exhilarating close to both this years Festival and the International Strand, for which we have gathered up the most exciting, groundbreaking and moving features from this years festival circuit to bring to audiences at the Red Sea in Jeddah, where these titles will celebrate their Mena premieres. We are honoured to have the work of so many iconic filmmakers, giving us new perspectives on race, belonging, identity and family.

The International Spectacular brings together firsts of new cinema, with highlights that include Sofia Coppolas critically acclaimed biopic Priscilla, Ava Duvernays powerful drama Origin based on non-fiction bestseller Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, screening with Yann Mounir Demanges poetic exploration of identity Dammi with Riz Ahmed in the lead role of this short. The section also features action auteur John Woos Silent Night, Lea Domenachs Bernadette (The Presidents Wife), which sees Catherine Deneuve starring as iconic French first lady Bernadette Chirac, and iconic Studio Ghibli director Hayao Miyazakis most recent film The Boy and the Heron, to screen as the Public Closing Film.--TradeArabia News Service
A man shot and killed himself in Omaha's Blackstone neighborhood after a police pursuit late Wednesday night, according to the Omaha Police Department.

Omaha police said in a press release that the pursuit began shortly before 11 p.m. Wednesday in Bellevue before crossing the Missouri River into Council Bluffs and then across the river again to Omaha. The pursuit ended near 39th and Farnam streets in the heart of Blackstone. Rashad Harris, 38, was found dead in his car from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Court records show that an arrest warrant had been issued for Harris in Sarpy County on Wednesday alleging domestic violence assault, child abuse and kidnapping related to a Tuesday incident in Bellevue. Harris, who had a Nebraska driver's license, was described as homeless in court documents.

No Omaha police officers were directly involved in the pursuit, according to the release, but Omaha's police helicopter assisted in surveillance from the air. Three Bellevue police officers and a Nebraska State Patrol trooper were at the scene at the end of the pursuit when Harris was found dead.

The investigation is ongoing. A grand jury will convene to investigate Harris' death, which is considered an in-custody death since it occurred in the presence of law enforcement.
A tiny village in western Nebraska owes the federal government more than $260,000 after the village clerk stopped making payroll tax payments to the Internal Revenue Service when the agency switched to an electronic payment system, according to the state's auditor.

Dix, the Kimball County village of fewer than 300 people that sits 30 miles east of the Wyoming-Nebraska border, went nearly a decade without making quarterly payroll tax payments from late 2013 until early this year because the village clerk "could not figure out how to make the payments," auditors said in a report issued last month.

In the village's 10-year pause on payments, Dix racked up $145,915 in unpaid taxes and another $117,498 in interest on late penalties, according to the report assembled by four staff members in Auditor Mike Foley's office.

Altogether, Dix owes $263,414 to the IRS, according to the report, which also laid bare various other discrepancies and an apparent lack of oversight in the village's bookkeeping.

Dix's former clerk resigned before the Village of Dix Board of Directors was ever made aware of the mounting back taxes, according to the village's response to the audit included in the report.

"This issue was never brought to the boards attention until after our previous clerk/treasurer submitted her resignation and we received a phone call and found multiple unopened letters in our office," the village said in a written statement to the auditor.

That the board didn't know about the years of unpaid taxes was the subject of a recommendation from auditors, who suggested the village "implement procedures to ensure municipal employee taxes are remitted timely" as required by federal law.

"That community deserves better from their public servants," Foley said in a statement. "What we found in Dix is both disturbing and unacceptable."

Though that sum of unpaid tax bills makes up the bulk of the village's troubles, Dix's bookkeeping issues stretch far beyond the non-payments to the IRS  and have been the subject of previous audit reports warning the village board of shoddy record-keeping, unapproved payments and over-payments to service providers.

In this year's report, auditors also found that the clerk had been writing village employees  including herself  annual $2,080 checks for a Health Savings Account plan, which is a type of savings account that allows employees to set aside pre-tax income to be used for medical expenses.

The village didn't have a written policy in place regarding an HSA plan, according to the report. Auditors recommended the village implement a formal policy clarifying the purpose of an HSA and where and how payments should be made.

The clerk had also paid annual $250 Christmas bonuses to herself and a pair of maintenance employees dating back to at least 2020. The clerk paid the bonus to herself and one maintenance employee in 2020 and 2021, adding a second maintenance employee last year, according to the audit.

The payments  which totaled $1,750 over the three-year period documented by auditors  "appear problematic," auditors said, noting the checks seem to run afoul of state law that prohibits bonus payments to public employees.

Auditors also raised concerns over 215 checks and debit card transactions totaling $165,848 that didn't appear to have been submitted to the Village Board for approval, even while other expenses were passed along for the body's review.

The report only included unapproved transactions that occurred between January 2020 and April 2023.

State auditors had brought similar concerns to the Village Board's attention two years prior, when the auditor's office approved Dix's audit waiver request for Fiscal Year 2020 but noted "certain internal control or compliance" issues within the village, according to a March 2021 letter.

In the letter, auditors pointed to three payments totaling $1,798 made in January 2020 without the board's written approval, recommending Dix "implement procedures to ensure all claims are approved by the board prior to payment."

The March 2021 letter wasn't the first time auditors had raised such concerns.

In a November 2019 report, auditors identified numerous checks, totaling $1,095.31, that were paid without the board's written approval. Again in that case, auditors recommended the village's leaders implement procedures to ensure all claims were approved by the board.

In a response to the November 2019 letter, Village Board officials said they were familiar with each payment auditors had flagged.

"We addressed payment of the items either through telephone or text polls, and some at board meetings," unnamed officials wrote to the auditor. "The omission in the billing list on the minutes of the meeting was an oversight."

Dix officials also told auditors that the clerk had implemented new procedures to ensure that all payments received written board approval. But the auditor's office's reviews in 2021 and this year suggest such procedures weren't always followed.

In this year's report, auditors also said the clerk had paid out $166,021 across 206 transactions from 2020 into 2023 prior to board approval in apparent violation of state statute.

Auditors had raised the same issue in a March 2022 letter, highlighting 10 checks totaling $3,296.95 issued before the board approved the payments.

Foley's staff also noted concerns in this year's report over payments that exceeded the amount the board had approved.

Auditors pointed to 11 payments made between May 2020 and April 2023 in which the clerk had written checks for more than what the board had approved, resulting in a $3,806 difference between what the board had approved and the amount the clerk had actually paid out.

Examiners had, again, raised prior concerns about over-payments. In 2019, auditors flagged a check the clerk had written for $5,107 more than what the board had approved  an over-payment that Dix officials attributed to a clerical error in which additional invoices that made up the difference weren't listed on the board's meeting minutes.

Still, the board promised auditors that the clerk "has implemented a new procedure to ensure that these last-minute items are documented."

In their written response to auditors this year, the Dix Board of Directors said they were working with the IRS and had hired an independent consultant to help with the process of paying their outstanding tax balance.

The board hopes "some penalties will be reversed," Chairwoman Linda Rasmussen said at a board meeting earlier this month, according to the Western Nebraska Observer.

"We are working on the matter. We will get it figured out," she said at the meeting, adding: "I've taken a lot of crap, but I'm not going to quit."

The village also hired a new clerk, who is being trained by the independent consultant "to ensure all claims submitted are approved by the board before paid and that these claims will always require supporting documentation."

And Dix officials have implemented new guidelines for HSA accounts, taken steps to address the suspect bonus payments and plan to replace the village's debit card with a credit card "to have better control of purchases and so we have more of an audit trail of monies spent," the board told auditors.

In their letter to Foley's office, they also said they found more than $58,000 in uncollected water bills that auditors hadn't mentioned in their letter.

Auditors hadn't mentioned the uncollected bills this year  but did so four years ago, warning in 2019 that the clerk "was significantly behind in sending utility bills to the village customers."

In their response to the 2019 audit, Dix's Village Board said they were aware of the issue, had corrected it in the months since the auditors' review and had "set procedure to maintain timeliness in billing," before providing an explanation:

"Our clerk received no training at the time of her hire, and this is one procedural issue that has not been addressed well," the board wrote.

Photos: The business of governing in Nebraska in 2023
With respiratory illnesses increasing in Nebraska, its time for those who havent done so already to check vaccinations off their holiday to-do lists, health officials say.

The good news is that there is still time.

While respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, hit particularly early and hard last year, it and the two other main viruses tracked by health officials  influenza and COVID-19  have been on a somewhat slower trajectory this fall.

We definitely encourage people to get all of their assorted respiratory season vaccines, said Lindsay Huse, director of the Douglas County Health Department.

It takes about two weeks from the time a person is vaccinated for her immune system to gear up to provide full protection. Definitely dont wait, because theres not much time between now and Christmas and all those other gatherings, she said. The sooner the better.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in early November that that influenza activity continued to increase in most of the nation and was very high in seven southern states, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

Nebraska and Iowa both had minimal flu activity, based on the number of people reporting fever plus a cough or sore throat during visits to doctors offices. Positive tests for flu in Nebraska had crept up slightly but were well behind last years sharp, early rise.

The state recorded 204 cases of RSV in the week beginning Nov. 12, according to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services respiratory illness dashboard, an increase from about two dozen a week in early October.

Huse said COVID-19 appears to have made disease cycles less predictable. Last years RSV season began in August and spiked in September and October. Health officials still are trying to figure out how disease patterns will play out in the future.

Certainly, things can change kind of quickly, she said. We can see things spike up faster than expected.

While this season isnt producing anything out of the ordinary so far, the fact that three respiratory illness seasons now can coincide is worrisome, Huse said. Last years combination strained childrens hospitals in particular.

While influenza viruses spread year-round, according to CDC, most of the time flu activity peaks between December and February.

We want people to be aware and practice good respiratory etiquette this time of year  and get vaccinated, she said.

When it comes to COVID-19, numbers in Nebraska have ticked up but remain well below past peaks.

The state reported just over 1,000 cases for the week ending Nov. 11, also the highest tally since early April. Because many people are no longer testing or using at-home tests that arent reported to local health departments, however, case counts are believed to fall short of actual cases in communities.

Concentrations of the virus in wastewater in the state overall as of Nov. 8 were higher than they had been since last March, according to preliminary data from the state health department. Counts at the majority of participating wastewater treatment plants were high or very high and increasing. A few were very high and decreasing.

Lancaster County reported 183 COVID cases for the week ending Nov. 18, down slightly from the previous week but still the second-highest weekly total since late March. The concentration of virus particles in wastewater also declined slightly, although the three-week average increased.

Nationally, hospital admissions for COVID-19 were down slightly from September but were again approaching last Aprils levels. New weekly hospital admissions in Nebraska also were approaching those of April, although at 140 they also were well below the past two winters.

Nationally, according to CDC, about 35% of American adults and 33% of children have been vaccinated for flu, with both down from last year.

Flu vaccination rates, however, are higher than for either COVID-19 or RSV. About 14% of adults and 5% of children have received the latest version of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to CDC.

About 13.5% of adults over 60, the group eligible, have gotten one of the RSV shots that became available earlier this year.

A new RSV vaccine also is available for pregnant women. Health officials encourage them to consult with their doctors about getting it because it can protect their infants. A new RSV medication for babies is in short supply nationwide.

This report contains material from the Associated Press.

Top Journal Star photos for November 2023
A wildlife advocacy group is suing to block the implementation of the state Department of Natural Resources new wolf management plan, arguing that the Natural Resources Board took comments about the plan at private meetings and that the board deliberately ignored scientific studies on wolf management submitted by the group and authored by experts.

The Great Lakes Wildlife Alliance filed the lawsuit Wednesday in Dane County Circuit Court. The lawsuit asks a judge to declare the DNRs wolf management plan invalid and void, and to find that the Natural Resources Board and DNR staff violated the open meeting law.

It also asks that a judge rule the wolf plan to have been approved without adequate consideration of the entire factual record.

The Wolf Plan and its approval should be set aside as invalid because the NRB and DNR engaged in unlawful and discriminatory procedures in developing it, including violating Wisconsins open meeting law and Administrative Procedure Act, the lawsuit states.

It also asks a judge to rule that DNR and NRB selectively ignored and disfavored the public comments made by the Great Lakes Wildlife Alliance and its scientific research submitted into the record, which silenced (GLWAs) voice in violation of its right to public participation and denied them due process and equal protection under the law.

The wolf plan, approved by the board on Oct. 25, doesnt set a specific wolf population goal for Wisconsin, despite calls from hunters and farmers to limit the states wolf population.

Last year, a federal judge placed gray wolves in the lower 48 states back on the endangered species list, making hunting illegal and limiting farmers to nonlethal control methods such as fencing or guard dogs.

The DNR plan was created in case wolves are again removed from the list and hunting resumes.

The DNR estimates that Wisconsins wolf population stands at about 1,000 animals.

The DNR issued a draft plan in November 2022 and extended a public comment period on the draft until Feb. 28. The lawsuit alleges that although many comments were submitted that provided substantive scientific information addressed assumptions and methodologies used by the DNR in the draft plan, there is no evidence the DNR seriously evaluated those comments.

It also alleges the DNR went out of its way to collect comments from favored interest groups, including some it received after the comment period had ended. Three listening sessions were held in February, April and July that were attended by then-DNR Secretary Adam Payne and some members of the NRB, the lawsuit states.

The wolf plan was revised after the listening sessions, the lawsuit states, which were held without proper notice given to the public and could be construed as meetings under state law because a enough NRB members attended to form a quorum.

The allegations of open meeting violations are also being submitted to the Dane County District Attorneys Office, according to the lawsuit.
1. Yes. The platform takes up too much time and is often abused by speakers. Get rid of it.

2. Yes. The Citizen Petitions section is unworkable and generally results in a gripe session.

3. No. The platform is the only way residents can discuss non-agenda items. Keep it around..

4. No. Killing it will discourage public input. Keep it or broaden Citizen Comments criteria.

5. Unsure. It can be a drain on the councils time, but it does serve a purpose for residents.

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War raged on in Gaza on Thursday, as a proposed truce and release of hostages by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas was delayed for at least another day, reported Reuters.

More than a day after plans were unveiled for the conflict's first ceasefire, the anticipated announcement of the official start time had yet to materialise. Israel said it would not begin at least until Friday.

Clouds of smoke could be seen billowing above northern Gaza's war zone from across the fence in Israel as daylight broke over the Gaza Strip, accompanied by the sounds of heavy gunfire and booming explosions.

On the ground, Israel has continued its ground and air operation in Gaza with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowing to win 'absolute victory' over Hamas. Meanwhile, Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant said Israel is "slowly but surely" dismantling the military framework of Hamas.

In Rafah on the strip's southern edge, residents combed with bare hands through the ruins of a house smashed in a giant crater. A grey-bearded man wailed amid the shattered masonry while another man lay a hand on his shoulder to comfort him.

Neighbour Khaled Hamad told Reuters it was the home of a primary school teacher, killed inside with his children.

The Israeli military said it had launched 300 air strikes in the past day.

Meanwhile mediators in Qatar have confirmed that both Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas will start a four-day truce on Friday morning with the first batch of Israeli hostages released later that day.

Hamas had announced there'd be a four-day pause beginning at 10am on Thursday - but an Israeli source has since told the BBC there's been a setback.

It came after a security adviser to the Israeli government said there'd be no Israeli hostages released by Hamas before Friday.

Families of those being held in Gaza have said every captive "needs to come home", but the UN's Palestinian refugee agency Unrwa said a four-day pause - in which more aid would be allowed to go into the enclave - is simply not enough.

Lorries carrying aid have begun queuing up at the Rafah crossing from Egypt into Gaza in anticipation of the pause in hostilities. Earlier, the executive director of Unicef - the UN's agency for children - said Gaza now faces a crisis of "child wasting" - a term used to describe the most life-threatening form of malnutrition.

Meanwhile, in another development, Hezbollah - the powerful Iranian-backed militia in Lebanon - has said that a son of its senior leader and Lebanese lawmaker Mohammad Raad had been killed in an Israeli air strike.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has teamed up with A&Co., a pioneering consulting firm, to lead a transformative sustainable initiative at Arabian Cement Company in Egypt.

This collaboration is designed not only to reduce carbon emissions but also to cut costs through innovative, environmentally responsible approaches, supporting Arabian Cement Company in its transition to NetZero.

Through this strategic partnership, EBRD said it is providing green investment and working closely with A&Co. to develop a comprehensive decarbonisation roadmap, tailored specifically for Arabian Cement Company to accelerate the production of low carbon cement, leveraging A&Co.'s expertise in cement green solutions and EBRDs commitment to green initiatives.

This partnership aims to align efforts to pioneer change in the cement industry towards a green cement future through reducing carbon footprint within the Arabian Cement Company operations.

Arabian Cement Company is a leading player in Egypt's cement industry since 1997, with two production lines in Sokhna, Suez Governorate, of an annual production around 5 million tonnes of high-quality clinker and cement, contributing 6% of Egypt's nominal capacity.

Arabian Cement Company said it is dedicated to minimising its carbon footprint, embracing this initiative as a pathway to a greener, more financially sustainable future.

We are excited about this partnership with EBRD and A&Co. which showcases our commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainable development, said Sergio Alcantarilla, CEO of Arabian Cement Company.

By embracing cutting-edge solutions and adopting greener processes, we are not only reducing our carbon footprint but also setting new benchmarks for the industry.

The decarbonisation roadmap will be carefully tailored to address the specific challenges and opportunities within the Arabian Cement Company's operations, said a statement.

Through comprehensive strategy includes verified targets, project advisory for implementing decarbonisation implementations, in-house capacity building, carbon market trading, and the implementation of an integrated ESG business model, together, these initiatives aim to significantly reduce GHG emissions, improving operational efficiency, while reducing costs.

A&Co., renowned for its expertise in cement industry consulting, will play a pivotal role in guiding Arabian Cement Company towards their transition to NetZero. We are delighted to partner with EBRD and Arabian Cement Company on this transformative project, said Amr Nader, CEO of A&Co.

Through our collective expertise, we are confident that we can drive meaningful progress towards decarbonisation and the production of green cement, setting a precedent for responsible business practices in the region.

The cooperation between Arabian cement and A&Co. is an additional milestone for our successful collaboration over the past two years and will not only be limited to decarbonisation roadmap but extends to SBTi certification and CBAM registration which will support Arabian cement exports endeavors and global product recognition, A&Co. will also develop Climate Corporate Governance CCG framework for Arabian Cement which is the cornerstone for a fully functioning ESG system in line with international norms.

Commenting on the collaboration, Dimitrios Koufos, Head of Sustainable Business, Industry, Agribusiness, and Commerce, EBRD, said: At EBRD, we are dedicated to supporting initiatives that drive sustainable economic growth. Our partnership with A&Co. and Arabian Cement Company exemplifies our commitment to fostering innovation and catalysing positive change in the industry. Together, we will pave the way for a more sustainable future in Egypts cement sector.  TradeArabia News Service
Sheriff Roy Torgerson reports the following ongoing activities for the year and narrative excerpts from the week ending Nov. 18.

11/12 The sheriffs office received a phone call from a female reporting another female came into her residence in the village of Readstown and tried to throw her to the ground. Two deputies responded and investigated the situation. The suspect was arrested for Disorderly Conduct and taken to the Vernon County Detention Center.

11/13 Aiden Teach, Chaseburg, was traveling northbound on State Highway 27, town of Franklin, when he struck a raccoon. Teach had no apparent injuries. The vehicle was towed due to disabling damage.

11/13 A deputy came across a disabled vehicle on State Highway 35 in the town of Bergen. He gave the driver of the vehicle a ride home.

11/15 The sheriffs office was notified of a residential burglary alarm on Anderson Lane in the town of Kickapoo. The homeowner was contacted and requested a response as they were not home at the time. A deputy went to the residence and confirmed everything seemed secure. The homeowner was notified, and they said the alarm must have malfunctioned.

11/15 The sheriffs office was notified of at least 14 black Angus cattle in the roadway near 24 Valley Road and Sandhill Road in the town of Whitestown. A deputy responded and located cattle; however, they were not the cattle from the original call. He assisted in getting those cattle in. The deputy continued and located the cattle from the original call. The owner was notified.

Vehicle versus deer collisions:

11/13 Kathy Benson, Soldiers Grove, on US Highway 14, town of Franklin

11/14 Jenner Lepke, Stoddard, on State Highway 35, town of Bergen

11/15 Jane Titel, Viroqua, on State Highway 82, town of Sterling

11/16 Bonnie Nundahl, Viroqua, on US Highway 14, town of Hamburg

11/16 Jadon Johnson, Waukon, IA, on State Highway 27, town of Franklin

11/18 Daniel Herman, Viola, on State Highway 56, town of Liberty
MOUNT ANGEL, Ore.  On a bright day this fall, tractors crisscrossed Gayle Goschie's farm about an hour outside Portland, Oregon. Goschie is in the beer business  a fourth-generation hops farmer. Fall is the off-season, when the trellises are bare, but recently, her farming team has added winter barley, a relatively newer crop in the world of beer, to their rotation.

In the face of human-caused climate change impacting water access and weather patterns in the Willamette Valley  a region known for hops growing  Goschie will need all the new strategies the farm can get to sustain what it produces and provides to local and larger breweries alike.

All of a sudden, climate change "was not coming any longer," Goschie said, "it was here."

Climate change is anticipated to only further the challenges producers are already seeing in two key beer crops: hops and barley. Some hops and barley growers in the U.S. say they've already seen their crops affected by extreme heat, drought and unpredictable growing seasons. Researchers are working with growers to help counter the effects of more volatile weather systems with improved hop varieties that can withstand drought and by adding winter barley to the mix.

Researchers have known for a while that beer production will be affected by climate change, said Mirek Trnka, a professor at the Global Change Research Institute. He and his team recently authored a study modeling the effect of climate change on hops, out last month in Nature Communications, that projected yields in Europe will decrease between 4% and 18% by 2050. His first study on hops 15 years ago issued a similar warning.

"If we don't act, we're just going to also lose things that we consider not to be, for example, sensitive or related to climate change. Like beer," he said.

Climate change moves faster than we might realize but still too slowly for many to notice, he said. The fact that researchers started picking up on this means there's promise for adaptation and solutions in the form of farming changes, but Trnka still has his concerns.

Hops declines in Europe mean changes for American producers, too. One craft brewery that gets some of its hops from Goschie said the company is trying to replicate the flavors of German hops using new varieties grown in the U.S. because the ones it depends on from Europe were affected by hot, dry summers over the last couple of years.

That's why some researchers are working on varieties of hops that can better withstand summer heat, warmer winters, changing pests and diseases and less snowfall, which could mean less available irrigation, said Shaun Townsend, an associate professor and senior researcher at Oregon State University. Townsend is working on a project where he subjects hops to drought stress to eventually create more drought-tolerant varieties.

It's no easy task and can take a decade, and it also has to take into account brewers' main considerations: taste and yield. But the possibility of running out of water is a reality that's on people's radars, he said.

Meanwhile, barley improvements are already well underway.

Kevin Smith, professor of agronomy and plant genetics at the University of Minnesota, said that while spring barley is the dominant type for the U.S. beer industry, winter barley  which is planted in the fall and kept on fields during the coldest months of the year  may be more feasible now in the Midwest, where other barley types have been given up due to climate, plant disease and economic factors in favor of crops that are less risky.

Winter barley may also be desirable for craft breweries that have started emphasizing local ingredients and who want something grown close by. Farmers also can grow it as a cover crop during the off-season  when fields are normally bare  to help prevent erosion, improve their soil health and keep carbon stored in the ground.

There hasn't always been complete consensus on the promise of winter barley. Smith told a story about his predecessor, who was a longtime spring barley breeder. Another scientist  Patrick Hayes, a professor at Oregon State University  was describing to him his hopes for the future of winter barley. Smith's predecessor wrote on a business card, "it can't be done," referring to his firm belief that winter barley just wasn't worth the trouble.

Hayes kept the card in his office, and made it his life's mission to work on improving winter barley.

There are now winter barley programs in nearly every state in the country, said Ashley McFarland, the vice president and technical director of the American Malting Barley Association. She doesn't think winter barley will ever be the entirety of the crop in the U.S., but says producers will need to diversify their risk in order to be more resilient to climate shocks.

Molson Coors and Anheuser Busch, the two biggest beer companies in the U.S., issue annual environmental reports that pledge commitments to sustainably sourcing hops and barley and reducing water usage, but neither company responded to an Associated Press request for comment on those efforts.

Hops can be a finicky crop when it comes to their climate, and without water, you simply can't make beer, said Douglass Miller, senior lecturer at Cornell who teaches a class on beer. He added that the price of beer might rise due to climate impacts on the supply chain  but so will the price of everything else on the menu.

"All beverage categories are being impacted by this," he said.

How climate change is fueling alcohol-related hospitalizations How climate change is fueling alcohol-related hospitalizations Anticipation of rising temperatures over the coming decades suggests alcohol- and drug-related hospitalizations will rise commensurately
NEW YORK  Donald Trump has long praised a particular type of foreign leader  men he describes as tough and strong, even if they have chipped away at their countries' democratic norms.

The former president and GOP front-runner is now celebrating the newly elected leader of Argentina, Javier Milei, a wild-haired, chainsaw-wielding, self-described anarcho-capitalist dubbed the madman by his admirers.

A very special congratulations to Javier Milei on a great race for president of Argentina, Trump exulted in a video posted Tuesday on his social media site that echoed an earlier statement. "I am very proud of you. You will turn your country around and truly Make Argentina Great Again!

Milei's resounding win gives Trump a new potential ally if he wins the White House again  and underscores his enduring influence on global politics in the near-decade since he launched his first bid for the presidency. Its also the latest example of the potency of right-wing populism that flirts with authoritarianism, and an anti-incumbency fever that has spread across much of the world.

Its just so much easier to be a populist than it used to be, said Steven Levitsky, a Harvard University political scientist and co-author of How Democracies Die."

Levitsky cited several global trends that have reshaped both Argentine and U.S. politics. Among them: the repeat economic shocks the world has suffered since 2008, the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic and the reach of social media.

Rising populism and anger at the perceived establishment could shape not just next year's U.S. presidential election, but votes across the world. The United Kingdom, Mexico, India, Pakistan and Taiwan are all expected to vote on new leaders in 2024.

Voters want figures from recognizably outside the political establishment who basically want to punch the establishment," Levitsky said.

Milei often stoked comparisons to Trump during his campaign, praising him in an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson and promoting unproven theories about election fraud in his own race before he won. Many of Mileis supporters made Make Argentina Great Again hats and T-shirts a common sight during the campaign, echoing Trump's slogan.

He spoke of taking a chainsaw to government and abolishing Argentinas Central Bank and key ministries including those of health and education  just as Trump has proposed slashing government agencies criticized by some conservatives

His calls to purge the political caste from Argentinas government follow Trumps calls to drain the swamp and obliterate a deep state he claims is against him in Washington.

Milei won all but three of Argentina's 24 provinces, and his opponent conceded even before the electoral authority began announcing the preliminary results. But prior to winning the runoff election, he promoted unproven claims of irregularities in the election's first round, suggesting that they put the result in doubt.

He also vowed in a radio interview Monday to privatize state-run media outlets that covered him negatively and which he deemed a covert ministry of propaganda.

Trump continues to promote lies about the election he lost to President Joe Biden and has attacked media outlets he deems unfriendly as enemies of the people."

There is definitely a feeding off each other, said Gimena Sanchez-Garzoli, the director for the Andes at the Washington Office on Latin America, a human rights organization. She said both men are products of the same economic and social forces.

Sanchez-Garzoli, who went to Argentina to observe the elections, described broad discontent with the political order across the region as liberal democracies fail to meet the basic needs of their populations. That is driving a sense of disillusionment and mass polarization, she said, especially among younger generations who have responded by saying, Let's burn it down and go with something completely different."

What Trump did was he broke the rules of how you talk about things," she said. I think he made it OK to go after your opponents in a very no-holds-barred, no respect, exterminate them at any point way," which, she said, wasn't the kind of rhetoric you saw to this level in Latin America before.

Its unclear if Trump and Milei might forge a friendship, as Trump did with another South American leader, Brazils ex-president, Jair Bolsonaro, who was once labeled the Trump of the Tropics."

But Trump has long had an affinity and respect for authoritarian leaders and populist strongmen, explaining, at times, that the tougher and meaner they are, the better I get along with them.

Among the leaders hes praised are Hungarys Viktor Orban, Chinas Xi Jinping, Russias Vladimir Putin and North Koreas Kim Jong Un.

He has been particularly enamored of late by Orban after an interview in which the Hungarian leader blasted the Biden administration and said the only path to ending the war in Ukraine would be Trumps reelection to the White House.

Speaking Saturday at an event in Fort Dodge, Iowa, Trump spent several minutes praising Orban, saying he was very honored by the comments from a man he called one of the strongest leaders.

5 dinner parties that changed the course of history 5 dinner parties that changed the course of history Nixon's presidential banquets in China (1972) Teddy Roosevelt and Booker T. Washington's White House dinner (1901) The Dinner Table Bargain (1790) The King's party at Versailles (1789) The Last Supper (circa 33 C.E.)
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip  A four-day cease-fire in Gaza between Israel and Hamas was set to begin Friday morning, Qatar said after a daylong delay extended the agony for those hoping for some relief from the deal, which is to bring the release of dozens of hostages held by militants and Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

The diplomatic breakthrough promised some relief for the 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza who have endured weeks of Israeli bombardment, as well as families in Israel fearful for the fate of their loved ones taken captive during Hamas Oct. 7 attack that triggered the war.

The cease-fire was originally set to begin Thursday morning, but it appeared to hit a snag the night before when Israels national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, announced a one-day delay without providing a reason.

On Thursday, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari announced the cease-fire will start at 7 a.m. local time Friday (5 a.m. GMT.)

He said the two sides had exchanged lists of those to be released, and the first group of 13 women and children held by Hamas would be freed Friday afternoon. He did not say how many Palestinian prisoners would be freed, but officials have said three would be freed for every hostage.

Increased aid for Palestinians will start to enter Gaza as soon as possible, al-Ansari said. The hope is that the momentum from this deal will lead to an end to this violence," he told reporters.

Israeli airstrikes continued Thursday. In the afternoon, a strike leveled a residential building in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. At least 12 people were killed, according to officials at nearby Al-Aqsa Hospital.

One resident, Hosni Moharib, said his wife and several children were killed and other relatives remained buried under the rubble.

It exploded on the house, striking the babies and young children. Everyone in the house, they are all dead, he said, bursting into tears.

The Israeli bombardment, now in its seventh week, has killed more than 13,300 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza, which resumed its detailed count of casualties in Gaza from the war. The ministry had stopped publishing casualty counts since Nov. 11, saying it had lost the ability to do so because of the health system's collapse in the north.

The new numbers were not fully broken down, but women and minors have consistently made up around two-thirds of the dead. The figures do not include updated numbers from hospitals in the north. The ministry says some 6,000 people have been reported missing, feared buried under rubble.

The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and militants in its death tolls. Israel says it has killed thousands of Hamas fighters, without presenting evidence for its count.

The truce agreement raised hopes of eventually winding down the war, which has leveled vast swaths of Gaza, fueled a surge of violence in the occupied West Bank and stirred fears of a wider conflagration across the Middle East.

Air-raid sirens sounded across northern Israel on Thursday as Hezbollah said it fired 48 Katyusha rockets from southern Lebanon. The barrage came after an Israeli strike killed five Hezbollah fighters, including the son of the head of the groups parliamentary bloc.

The Israeli military said it was striking the sources of the launches. Israel and Hezbollah, which fought a monthlong war in 2006, have repeatedly traded fire across the border since the war in Gaza broke out.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue the war after the truce expires to destroy Hamas military capabilities, end its 16-year rule in Gaza and return all the estimated 240 captives held in Gaza by Hamas and other groups.

We will continue it until we achieve all our goals, Netanyahu said, adding that he had delivered the same message in a phone call to President Joe Biden. Washington has provided extensive military and diplomatic support to Israel since the start of the war.

The Israeli military said combat operations would continue until it was ordered to hold fire, and chief spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said troops would remain in place during the truce. Israeli forces hold much of northern Gaza, where they say they have dismantled tunnels and much of Hamas infrastructure there.

The military said it has surrounded the Jabaliya refugee camp and called on any residents inside to evacuate Thursday. The military has said it is pursuing Hamas fighters in Jabaliya, a dense urban district adjacent to Gaza City that been heavily bombarded for weeks.

The military said Thursday it detained the director of Gaza Citys Shifa Hospital, Mohammed Abu Selmia, for questioning over his involvement in what it called extensive Hamas activities in the hospital. Gazas Health Ministry condemned Abu Selmias arrest and called on international bodies to intervene.

For Hamas, the cease-fire would provide an opportunity to regroup after weeks of apparently heavy losses. Hamas leader Yehya Sinwar, who is believed to be alive and in hiding in Gaza, is likely to claim the release of Palestinian prisoners as a major achievement and declare victory if the war ends.

Misinformation about Israel-Hamas war floods social media; here are the facts Claim: Black flag calls Muslims to action Claim: Kim Jong Un blames Biden for war Claim: Turkish president threatens to intervene Claim: Israel confirms it bombed hospital Claim: Qatars emir threatens to cut off worlds natural gas supply Claim: BBC reports Ukraine provided weapons to Hamas Claim: Video shows actor in fake blood for propaganda Claim: Hamas fighters storm sports field to attack Israelis Claim: Putin warns US to stay away from war
TWO HARBORS, Minn.  Perched high on rugged cliffs overlooking Lake Superior, Split Rock Lighthouse dominates the shoreline. Visitors from across the country make the 113-year-old beacon one of the most-photographed lighthouses in the country.

The most spectacular view, many say, is from Pebble Beach, reachable only by a steep, winding forest trail that snakes its way to the rocky shore. The view is the reward for the effort it takes to reach the beach, but for visitors with mobility challenges, it could be inaccessible.

Ive lived here for 43 of my years and I did not know where all these photographers were getting those things, said Jenna Udenberg, a disability advocate and accessibility educator who lives in Two Harbors.

No longer. Since August, the park has provided an all-terrain chair with tanklike treads to people with disabilities, opening this vista to everyone. Its part of a multifaceted statewide push to expand access to the outdoors.

Minnesota is not alone.

In recent years, there has been a growing awareness of the need to make outdoor recreation more accessible, said Mike Passo, executive director of American Trails, which supports the development of trails and greenways. Passo said other states including California, Michigan, Vermont and Wisconsin also have made significant strides.

In Minnesota, such efforts got a significant boost earlier this year when legislators funded the Department of Natural Resources $149.9 million Get Out MORE (Modernize Outdoor Recreation Experiences) initiative.

Major pieces include $34.5 million for more accessible recreational equipment and revitalized trails in parks and on public lands and $9.5 million to modernize facilities such as campgrounds and lodges, many of which date to the Depression-era Civilian Conservation Corps and Works Progress Administration.

Udenberg was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis at age 7 and began using a wheelchair at 8. Her access to the best beaches vanished. Although she supplemented her manual chair with a power unit, trails like those at Split Rock Lighthouse State Park were too steep.

It (her powered chair) would get down, but thered be no way of getting back, she said.

Minnesota, which has the nations second-oldest state park system, purchased track chairs for five state parks in 2022 and expanded the program to 13 parks, including Split Rock, this year. They span from the rugged northeastern shoreline, home to moose and wolves, to Blue Mounds on the states southwestern prairie, where the trails offer the chance to spot grazing bison.

At Split Rock, which attracts more than half a million visitors annually, officials tested the chair on the parks terrain, documenting routes that would fit the chairs range. Steep climbs drain the battery more than flat terrain, so park employees mapped out suggested routes to tackle in the 2,200-acre park. There is no charge to use the chair.

In the first 35 days of the program, the chair was reserved 22 days, said Ward Wallin, park supervisor at Split Rock.

People are using it, theyre posting on Facebook and other social media outlets, and I think pretty soon its going to be really, really packed, said Wallin, who added that park officials plan to test the chair for winter use.

The chairs range in cost from $14,000 to about $20,000, according to Adam Henning, marketing manager at Action Manufacturing, which manufactures the chairs used in Minnesota parks. Michigan (13 locations) and Georgia (10 locations) also were early adopters and have chairs in multiple locations, he said.

A lot of state parks have taken notice, he said.

Michigan has taken a different approach, primarily relying on private money to pay for track chairs in its state parks. The Department of Natural Resources website lists more than a dozen parks and recreation areas with a total of 18 chairs in place or coming soon. It also includes something the Minnesota site does not: a donation button.

Wisconsins Open the Outdoors program offers wide-ranging opportunities, from beach-capable chairs to cross-country sit skis, but the state is taking a measured approach to track chairs. User needs vary, said Nick Zouski, accessibility coordinator for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and a chair designed for an urban park might not work for a hunting area. Also, money is limited.

Iowa also has budget concerns and is exploring outside funding options for chairs, according to Sherry Arntzen, bureau chief for parks, forests and preserves with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. In the meantime, the agency has made gains in providing modified kayak launching areas. A current priority is auditing and updating facilities, including historic structures nearly 100 years old, to improve their accessibility.

If theres things that were not providing that we should be, were identifying now so then we can put that plan together to make those additional modifications as needed, because just like other park systems, youve got a gamut on the age of some of your infrastructure, Arntzen said.

Some state parks also offer chairs that bring visitors onto beaches or even into the water. In several Massachusetts state parks, for example, visitors can use four-wheeled sunbathing chairs on the beach, or three-wheeled floating chairs in the ocean.

The track chair project drew Minnesotas major news outlets to state parks, putting a media spotlight on the states accessibility program. While advocates commended the commitment, the praise came with a caution.

There still is a lot of work to be done, said Erika Rivers, executive director of Wilderness Inquiry, a Minnesota-based nonprofit that promotes access to the outdoors for all. Rivers emphasized that investing in accessibility ultimately benefits everyone.

We are all temporarily able-bodied, she said.

13 outdoorsy wheelchair-accessible experiences in Colorado Garden of the Gods Seven Falls Dillon Dam Recpath Mineral Belt Trail Rifle Falls Great Sand Dunes National Park Rocky Mountain National Park Winter Park's National Sports Center for the Disabled Adaptive Adventures Staunton State Park Wilderness on Wheels Pikes Peak Highway Boulder Creek Path
This article appears in the November 24, 2023 issue of Executive Intelligence Review.

[Print version of this article]

EMERGENCY FORUM

No More War Crime s ! Economic Development, Not Depopulatio n !

On November 26, at 11 a.m. EST, International Peace Coalition members Helga Zepp-LaRouche, founder of the Schiller Institute, and Ray McGovern, former CIA analyst and founder of the Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity, will present an alternative to madness, and will call on the worldon the brink of annihilationto make a shift towards sanity. Following their presentations and discussion, the film, 8:15 Hiroshima: From Father to Daughter, directed by J.R. Heffelfinger and written and produced by Dr. Akiko Mikamo, will be shown. It is a first-hand account of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima City by U.S. forces. Dr. Mikamo will be available for discussion at the films conclusion.

This zoom meeting is open to the public. Attendees should register in advance through this link:

In a Nov. 5 article titled, Israel Minister Suspended after Calling Nuking Gaza an Option, Politico reported that Israels Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu was suspended indefinitely after he said in an interview that dropping a nuclear bomb on the Gaza Strip was one of the possibilities, the government announced on Sunday.

It would be supremely irresponsible to not take this threat seriously. Already, between 25,000 and 30,000 tons of bombs have been detonated by the Israel Defense Forces in Gaza since October 7. This far exceeds the bomb tonnage dropped in the most lethal air raids of the Second World War, including Hamburg (4 raids, 9,000 tons) Dresden (4 raids, 3,900 tons) and Tokyo (1,665 tons). War crimes are afoot.

Turkiyes Anadolu Agency reported October 12, The Israeli Air Force (IAF) said  that it has dropped about 6,000 bombs against Hamas targets in Gaza since Saturdays attack, which nearly matches the number of bombs the U.S. used in Afghanistan in one year. The Washington Post, citing Marc Garlasco, a military adviser at the Dutch organization Pax for Peace (PAX), reported that Israel is dropping in less than a week what the U.S. was dropping in Afghanistan in a year, in a much smaller, much more densely populated area, where mistakes are going to be magnified. War crimes are afoot.

Has the 1930s era of publicly advocated and justified war crimes returned? Has the decision been made, contrary to ratified UN resolutions, to the 1993 Oslo Accords, to the Geneva Conventions and the Nuremberg codeas well as to the mutually assured destruction of thermonuclear weaponsto reintroduce mass murder in warfare as a legitimate practice?

According to the Gazan Ministry of Health, as of Nov 7, 2023, 10,328 people in the Gaza Strip have been killed, including 4,237 children, 2,719 women, and 631 older people. In addition, 25,956 people have been injured and 2,450 are missing, including 1,350 children, mostly covered by some of the 262,000 damaged housing units. So far, 192 medical staff have been killed, reported the Nov.17 edition of the British medical journal, The Lancet. These deathsreal people with real aspirations, not collateral damagecannot be either necessary, right, or justified.

Consider a recent interview given to the BBC by senior British MP and Secretary of State for Defence Grant Shapps, when asked if he believes Israel is acting disproportionately in its military actions against Gaza: I think its kind of forgotten that in war, very sadly, people lose their lives. When Britain bombed Dresden, 35,000 people apparently lost their lives. People die in war.

Then, recall the infamous statement reported by correspondent Peter Arnett on February 7, 1968, regarding the American bombing of the Vietnamese village of Ben Tre: It became necessary to destroy the town to save it, a U.S. major said Wednesday. regardless of civilian casualties, they must bomb and shell the once placid river city of 35,000 to rout the Viet Cong forces. Same war crimes, different country, different decade, different people, different unassailable righteous cause. Are we all going to stand for this all over again?

When, in 1962, U.S. President John F. Kennedy was pressured by hardliners within his own administration to launch a military invasion of Cuba in defense of America, after the Soviet Union had placed ballistic missiles theremissiles which, unknown to Americans at the time, were armed with nuclear warheadshe refused, and saved the world from nuclear war, perhaps at the cost of his own life.

Like Israels prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, assassinated November 4, 1995 by Israeli extremists that opposed Rabins Oslo Accords collaboration with Yasser Arafat for peace in Gaza and the West Bank, JFK had the courage to change Americas axioms. In his June 10, 1963 speech at American University, he proposed this: Let us examine our attitude toward peace itself. Too many of us think it is impossible. Too many think it unreal. But that is a dangerous, defeatist belief. It leads to the conclusion that war is inevitablethat mankind is doomedthat we are gripped by forces we cannot control. We need not accept that view. Our problems are manmadetherefore, they can be solved by man. And man can be as big as he wants. No problem of human destiny is beyond human beings.

The zoom meeting is open to the public. Register in advance through the following link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_-cewMKlSTxShksD801jo_Q#/registration
Al Rais Travel, the official DMC partner of Arabian Travel Market (ATM), the Middle Easts leading event for inbound and outbound travel and tourism professionals, has highlighted the latest trends supporting the growth of the tourism industry in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and the rest of the GCC, as visitor numbers from key source markets including the UK and China continue to rise.

According to the insights from Al Rais, Dubais reputation as a safe and secure destination and trusted brand has resulted in an uptick from key source markets.

Brand Dubai is trusted by people around the world. The country has rebounded incredibly well since Covid-19, with the latest figures for the first half of 2023 the best on record. As a travel company, our figures are very much representative of this. In terms of inbound markets, weve seen the top five markets shuffle to some extent, with Saudi dropping slightly and increases in British tourists.

The return of the Chinese market, which, despite only coming back in Q1 of this year, has already moved into a top five position, said Mohamed Al Rais, Deputy Managing Director at Al Rais Travel.

These trends are certainly borne out by the latest figures released by Dubais Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) and no doubt experienced by ATMs other partners, such as Emirates and IHG Hotels & Resorts.

According to the latest statistics from DET, Dubais top source markets include India, which has seen a 44% increase between January and August 2023 compared to the same period last year; Saudia Arabia, which has seen a nominal 5% decrease during the same period; the UK, up 14%; and the Chinese market, which according to the data has witnessed a 309% jump in the first eight months of 2023 when compared to the same period in 2022.

The tourism expert also believes Saudi Arabia and UAE, rather than competing, complement one another's tourism offerings and can encourage visits to both, similar to central Europe, where visitors tour several countries during one trip, benefiting the tourism industry across several borders.

This view is supported by the recent news from Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, the UAEs Minister of Economy, who announced that a single common GCC tourist visa will be introduced by 2025, allowing for seamless travel between the Gulf States, simplifying travel and boosting tourism in the region.

The opportunity this affords not only the UAE and Saudi, but the whole of the GCC, is visitors who qualify will be able to travel to any country in the GCC and tour with ease, benefiting tourism in all countries, added Al Rais.

In line with the ATM theme, Transforming Travel Through Entrepreneurship, and the UAE Tourism Strategy 2031, which has been developed to support the development of the countrys tourism industry, Al Rais Travel is working with a range of airlines yet to establish links to the UAE and providing support to help set them up.

Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director, Arabian Travel Market, said: There are many examples of exhibitors seamlessly aligning with our show's overarching theme, which is further underscored by the impactful contributions regional tourism entities have in pioneering innovative approaches to propel the industry into the future.

As a platform, our mission is to amplify the voices of industry stakeholders, shedding light on their diverse initiatives spanning environmental sustainability, cutting-edge technology, accommodation solutions, and transportation innovations.

The 31st edition of ATM will once again host policymakers, industry leaders and travel professionals from across the Middle East and beyond, encouraging them to forge new relationships, exchange knowledge and identify innovations that can reshape the future of global travel and tourism. From startups to established brands, the upcoming show will highlight how innovators enhance customer experiences, drive efficiencies, and accelerate progress towards a net-zero future for the industry.

Building on ATM 2023s Working Towards Net Zero theme, environmentally responsible travel will represent a key focus during the shows upcoming edition.

Informed by the UAEs Year of Sustainability and the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), which will take place in Dubai later this year, ATM 2024 will explore how innovation can be leveraged to help achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by building a greener travel and tourism sector for future generations.

More than 40,000 travel trade professionals, including 30,000 visitors, attended the 30th edition of ATM in May 2023, setting a new show record. The exhibition attracted more than 2,100 exhibitors and representatives from over 155 countries, providing a global platform for unveiling ATMs net-zero pledge.  TradeArabia News Service
On 22 November Mexicos national guard (GN) capturedthe alleged head of security for the Los Chapitos faction of the Sinaloa drug trafficking organisation (DTO).

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Fourteen-year-old Luyanda Hlali walks 10 kilometers to school. She lives in the little village of Stratford in South Africas KwaZulu-Natal province.

There are no school buses. There is only the long road where robbers and bad men can harm her.

Luyanda is one of tens of thousands of children in South Africa who live a long way from their public school. The communities they live in are mostly rural and poor.

Observers say students having to travel long distances to public schools shows the countrys inequality when it comes to attending school. It has been nearly 30 years since the nation ended its apartheid system and the African National Congress party took power bringing democratic change.

There is a lack of school transportation paid for by the government.

Girls face the threat of attack and robberies are common. Parents, local leaders, and activists say the situation increases existing inequalities. The World Bank says South Africa is the most unequal country in the world.

In KwaZulu-Natal, campaigners and activists are pressing government officials to provide transportation for over 200,000 schoolchildren. The children have to walk three kilometers or more to school.

President Cyril Ramaphosa's government policy requires officials to provide transportation for the students who have to walk that distance. But school buses are not a concern in an area where unemployment is over 25 percent and people are poor.

A 2020 Amnesty International report said a childs experience in South Africa still very much depends on where they are born, how wealthy they are, and the color of their skin.

South Africa's education system, the report said, has deep roots in the legacy of apartheid, but which are also not being effectively tackled" by the government.

In KwaZulu-Natal, more than 30 percent of the province's 12.4 million people are unemployed. Many say they have to choose between buying food or paying $19 a month for public transportation.

"Sometimes these children go to school without eating breakfast, said Bongiwe Nhlangothi, Luyanda's grandmother.

She is the most scared when her grandchildren are traveling.

There are drug addicts around here, when they come across the children in the early hours of the morning, they rob them of their phones, threaten them with knives and try to rape them," Nhlangothi said.

A school principal in a village about 50 kilometers from the coalmining town of Dundee, told of his struggle to get more school buses approved. The principal said some of the schools female students had been raped by local criminals.

The school has two old buses, but they can only carry about 65 children. There are more than 400 students at the school. The principal said he fears one of the buses could permanently break down or crash.

In September 2022, reports said 18 students were killed in the province when their overcrowded minivan crashed on the way to school in the town of Pongola.

Some parents have decided to pay to have their children to live closer to their schools. But boarding a student is costly and leaves parents without help at home.

Activist Tebogo Tshesane works for the nonprofit organization Equal Education. He said the campaign for better school transportation across KwaZulu-Natal started back in 2014. It started after students wrote letters because they were walking for up to two hours to school.

Government information says 1,148 schools in KwaZulu-Natal are on a waiting list for school transportation paid for by the government.

The provincial department of education did not wish to talk to The Associated Press for this story.

The answer from the education department is that there is no money, so the children keep walking.

Im Dan Novak.

Dan Novak adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting by The Associated Press.

________________________________________________

Words in This Story

province  n. a large part or division of a country

apartheid  n. the system of racial separation in South Africa which was legal until it was abolished in the early 1990s

legacy  n. what people leave to their children after they die

tackle v. idiom to deal with

addict n. a person who cannot stop taking drugs

principal  n. the leader of a grade school or secondary school
Indian scientists plan to add substances to clouds above the capital New Delhi in an effort to produce rain to reduce pollution.

The method to artificially produce rain is called cloud seeding. The process involves adding different chemicals to clouds to cause rain. When rain falls from the sky, water droplets can attach to pollution particles and bring them down to the ground.

New Delhi has been rated the city with the most air pollution in the world. Reports say the problem has worsened across the city in recent weeks.

Air quality decreases in the city ahead of winter each year. During this time, cold air can trap many pollutants, including gases from vehicles, industry, building projects and agricultural burning.

Scientists expect some clouds over the city around November 20. They hope the clouds will result in heavy rainfall  when sprayed with a salt mixture.

The project is being led by Manindra Agrawal, a scientist at the Indian Institute of Technology in the central city of Kanpur. He told Reuters news agency the salt mixture will include silver iodine to help produce rain. It is to be sprayed on clouds over a 100 square kilometer area. Agrawal said the project will cost about $120,000.

The local government in New Delhi, a city of 20 million people, has already closed schools, stopped building activities, and said it will place restrictions on vehicle use to control pollution.

The air quality index in the city was 506 on November 9. This level is considered "hazardous" by IQAir, a Swiss company that describes itself as an air quality solutions business.

Gufran Beig is head of the Indian government's air-quality measuring agency SAFAR. He told Reuters the city needs heavy and widespread rain to wash away the pollutants. Beig added that light rain could worsen the situation.

The SAFAR head said current airflow is carrying smoke from crop burning in the states of Punjab and Haryana to Delhi. This smoke adds to the citys existing pollution sources. "So, unless a huge pressure is established by intense rain, this chain of transport from Punjab to Delhi will not be broken, Beig said.

About 38 percent of pollution in the capital has been caused by stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana, a recent government statement said. Farmers carry out stubble burning to clear material left behind from rice harvests so they can plant other crops. Indian officials directed leaders in both states to "take effective actions" to identify and limit stubble burning, the statement added.

Officials in New Delhi are seeking approval for the project from the Supreme Court, Reuters reported.

Several countries have used cloud seeding in an effort to produce rain, improve air quality and water crops in times of extreme dryness. These include Mexico, the United States, China, Indonesia and Malaysia.

Im Bryan Lynn.

Reuters reported this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English.

____________________________________________

Words in This Story

artificial  adj. not natural, but made by people

salt n. a word for one of many chemical combinations of two elements; sodium chloride

stubble  n. small pieces of dried plant stems left behind in a field after it has been cut
Fifty-five year old Lyndon Baines Johnson begins his new job today as US president.

He was sworn in yesterday just two hours after an assassin shot President John F Kennedy in the head.

The former vice-president took his oath on the presidential plane at Andrews Air Force Base.

The new first lady, Claudia Alta Taylor Johnson, witnessed the swearing-in together with the dead presidents widow Jacqui Kennedy  her stocking still stained with her husbands blood.

The party flew to Washington with the assassinated presidents coffin after the ceremony.

On arriving in Washington the president said, I will do my best. That is all I can do.

President Johnson will address a joint session of Congress in three days time where it is likely he will outline his future programme.

Commentators say there probably will be little immediate change in policy with a presidential election on the horizon.

The new president has come from humble beginnings to become one of the worlds most powerful men.

The eldest of five children, he was born on a Texan farm in 1908 into a poor background.

Mr Johnson worked as a teacher before entering politics as a Texan congressmans secretary in 1931.

President Roosevelt soon spotted his talents and made him the director of the National Youth Administration in Texas in 1935.

After serving six successive terms in the House of Representatives, he entered the senate in 1948 and rapidly rose through the ranks gaining powerful posts.

He made his mark by single-handedly steering the Civil Rights Act through the senate in 1957 despite opposition from within his own party.

In 1960 Mr Johnson ran in the Democratic presidential elections which he lost to Kennedy who then invited him to be his running mate.

He is regarded by some commentators as a master of compromise with an able political brain.

Mr Johnson is married with two daughters, 19 year old Lynda and Lucy aged 16.

Courtesy BBC News

In context

President Lyndon Johnson was re-elected by a massive majority in 1964.

He gained widespread popularity for his programme of social reform introducing improvements in civil rights legislation, housing and medical care for the elderly.

The president began to lose support as a result of the continued involvement of US troops in Vietnam.

In 1968 he gave in to demands to stop the bombing of North Vietnam.

He then announced he would not stand for re-election and retired to his Texan ranch in 1969.

He published his memoirs, The Vantage Point in 1971. He died in 1973.
NEOM has announced a partnership with leading global superyacht provider, Burgess, to offer its full suite of services ahead of the 2024 opening of Sindalah, NEOM's first luxury island and yacht club destination in the Red Sea.

The agreement supports NEOMs vision of nurturing Sindalah into a global yachting destination, and offers guests a comprehensive range of services to cater for their yachting needs.

Located off the coast of NEOM in north-west Saudi Arabia, Sindalah will be the first of NEOMs assets to be unveiled and will offer guests an idyllic luxury lifestyle. Home to one of the world-leading yachting ecosystems, Sindalah marina aims to become a new hub and fixture in the global yachting calendar.

As part of the agreement, Burgess will provide a broad range of luxury services to elevate Sindalahs global yachting offering. Services include yacht management, charter and charter management, sales and purchase, yacht insurance, new build and refit projects, yacht marketing and procurement.

Commenting on the partnership, Antoni Vives, Chief Urban Development, and Islands Officer at NEOM, said: Were committed to becoming a distinctive yachting destination, and deliver world-class services to guests and yachts visiting the Red Sea. We recognize chartering as a critical aspect of the yachting experience.

Many of our guests visiting Sindalah will be looking forward to experiencing a nautical lifestyle through chartering a yacht. Also, yacht owners and managers will be happy to offer their prized possessions for chartering in the Red Sea. Our partnership with Burgess will help us to ensure that this critical activity is enabled at Sindalah from the time of launch.

The demand for superyacht services in the region has grown exponentially over the past decade, triggering the decision for Burgess to establish a Middle East presence back in 2016.

The company is now perfectly positioned to provide Sindalah guests with the very best in class when it comes to all their yachting needs. From arranging bespoke superyacht charters, to managing the logistics of chartering your yacht out in the Red Sea, Burgess has the expertise to ensure a smooth experience for all involved.

Jonathan Hind, Managing Director, Burgess Middle East, said: We are very excited to be a part of this new development in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at NEOM. Sindalah will offer superyacht clientele everything they want and need for a fantastic experience, and we will be on hand to make this happen.

NEOM and Burgess also acknowledges the critical support provided by Saudi Red Sea Authority (SRSA) in enabling this partnership. SRSA, the key enabler and regulator of Red Sea coastal tourism activities with sustainability at their core, issued yachting-friendly regulations in 2023 that included the Large Yachts Chartering Regulation and Visiting Private Yachts Regulation.

SRSA aims to facilitate smoother customer journeys for marine operators and practitioners while also protecting and preserving the Red Sea environment by deploying technology to facilitate permits and licensing, regulating coastal tourism activities, supporting investments, and defining infrastructure requirements, alongside other responsibilities.  TradeArabia News Service
The gaming concessionaires workers salaries should be raised next year by at least 2 or 3%, the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Lei Wai Nong, said yesterday at the Legislative Assembly (AL).

Lei was responding to several lawmakers while at the AL to present more detail from the sector of economy and finance about the 2024 Policy Address.

Lei told the lawmakers who raised the topic, including Lei Chan U, Ella Lei and Jose Pereira Coutinho, the government knows next year will see pay increases in this sector.

We cant force the gaming concessionaires to raise their workers salaries [as they are private entities]. But we have been advising them this would be a good time for sharing their profits among their workforce. We believe the salaries [of this sector] will grow by at least 2 or 3%. We know this will certainly happen, the Secretary affirmed.

The pay rise from the gaming companies has been a hot topic since the government announced well ahead of the presentation of the Policy Address, in mid-August, that civil servants will receive a raise from January 2024.

At the same opportunity and also at the AL, the Chief Executive (CE), Ho Iat Seng, also called on the gaming concessionaires, which are the six major employers besides the government, to take this opportunity to increase their workers salaries.

I can only negotiate with the gaming concessionaires and hope that post-pandemic they can assume their social responsibilities. We can and will follow up on this matter, but we cannot order them to do so. This we cannot do, as the government cannot interfere in the market, the CE remarked.

Lawmakers from the Macau Federation of Trade Unions, including Lei Chan U and Ella Lei, have repeatedly called for gaming sector salary increases.

The first calls for increases came in late July, when the salary increase for civil servants and the gaming sector were called essential to set an example for the whole private sector to follow.

This was an attempt to link with the so-called silent majority of private sector workers in Macaus small and medium enterprises, from varied sectors, not represented at the AL.

On a related topic, several lawmakers, including Pereira Coutinho and Ella Lei, noted the percentage amount of salary increase, particularly after more than three years without increases and with many difficulties during the pandemic, is insufficient to restore families purchasing power where the prices of essential good and fuels have risen exponentially.

Secretary Lei said the governments focus is economic recovery so companies can see profits again that can eventually be shared among society.

Meanwhile, Lei said MOP216 gross gaming revenue (GGR) can be achieved in 2024, higher than the earlier forecast of MOP202.4 billion.
Guangdong authorities have published a three-year plan to digitalize the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA).

In a press conference in Guangdong, it was announced the province will work with Hong Kong and Macau to integrate a series of digital resources such as network, computing power, storage and data of the three regions to optimize sharing the publishing of computing resources in the GBA.

Meanwhile, Guangdong will fully enable the Guangdong Investment Promotion Platform (Invest Guangdong) to provide innovative services for investment professionals and business investors through digital techniques.

The province will also work to build industrial clusters for information innovation, digital government, data and network security, encouraging enterprises and scientific research teams in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau to research general artificial intelligence.

According to Yang Pengfei, director of the Guangdong Provincial Government Affairs Data Administration, Guangdong plans to use the Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone, the Nansha Demonstration Zone for Comprehensive Cooperation between Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau as well as the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone as platforms to optimize the distribution services and classification management of cross-border data.

Meanwhile, a mini program named Wanshitong is ready to better serve the people who work and live in GBA, according to the press conference. It will soon be officially available on WeChat and Alipay.

According to Wei Wentao, spokesperson for the Guangdong Provincial Government Affairs Data Administration, this public service platform offers residents and expats living in GBA over 70 frequently used services, covering travel, customs clearance, communication, payment, employment, care for seniors, education and insurance.

For instance, residents who travel to Hong Kong and Macau SARs from the Chinese mainland can make an appointment for customs clearance permits and find the nearby immigration office hall through Wanshitong, said Wei Wentao.

Hong Kong and Macau residents who visit the mainland can also enjoy an array of services through the mini program such as the guidance for Hong Kong vehicles entering Guangdong.

Moreover, according to the press conference, the 2nd Digital Government Summit and Forum on Digital GBA will be held from Dec. 8 to 10 in Guangzhou. MDT/NewsGD
Police have arrested a man suspected of an alleged phone swindle and investigations are underway, the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) announced yesterday.

The suspect, a Hong Kong resident, along with several others, allegedly swindled a senior Macau resident.

One of the suspects contacted the victim and pretended to be the victims son-in-law.

They told the victim they needed money for bail due to a wrongful physical assault allegation.

The Hong Kong man, pretending to be a lawyer, collected the money, which amounted to MOP50,000.

Preliminary investigations indicate the alleged suspect has committed major fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment.

The Court of Criminal Procedure has accepted the MPs recommendation to that the suspect be held in custody.

The MP made the recommendation because the suspect is not a Macau resident; and also because of the seriousness of the alleged crime. The MP feared the suspect may flee Macau and continue his alleged criminal activities.

The MP said Macau has seen several cases of fraud using telecommunications in recent days.

Criminals have pretended to be victims family members, professionals or public service employees through telephone calls or messages, using various pretexts to request the victims pay or transfer money to designated bank accounts.

The MP has called on the public to report suspicious phone calls or messages to law-enforcement immediately.

Meanwhile, the public should remain vigilant against callers who claim to be relatives, especially when those callers request money. AL
Sands China Ltd. recently donated MOP300,000 to Caritas Macau to support two of the NGOs annual events: the 54th Charity Bazaar and the 2023 Charity Run.

It is Sands Chinas 20th consecutive year donating to the local NGO and helping raise public awareness of its services.

Cultivating Kindness Together, Sharing with Charity was the theme of this years bazaar, where funds raised will develop a new social service.

Visitors to the booth won prizes that included hotel accommodation, food and beverage vouchers and tickets to teamLab SuperNature Macao at The Venetian Macao.

Wilfred Wong, president of Sands China Ltd., said, Congratulations to Caritas Macau for another successful year organising their Charity Bazaar and Charity Run. It is a pleasure for Sands China to continue supporting the important work that Caritas does in the community, and our thanks go to our team members and their families for their support of these annual Caritas Macau initiatives.
Israel and Hamas have reached an agreement for a four-day halt to the devastating war in Gaza, accompanied by the release of dozens of hostages held by the militant group in return for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, mediators said yesterday.

The truce marks the biggest diplomatic breakthrough since Hamas Oct. 7 rampage into southern Israel ignited a war that has devastated vast swaths of Gaza, fueled a surge of violence in the occupied West Bank and raised fears of a wider conflict across the Middle East.

The Persian Gulf nation of Qatar, which has played a key role in mediating with Hamas, announced the deal without saying when it would go into effect. Fifty hostages will be released in stages, in exchange for what Hamas said would be 150 Palestinian prisoners.

Both sides will release women and children first, and the supply of humanitarian aid flowing into the besieged territory will be ramped up.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would resume the war after the truce and keep fighting until we achieve all our goals, including the defeat of Hamas and the return of all hostages.

Residents in Gaza City said the fighting there had intensified overnight into yesterday, with gunfire, heavy artillery and airstrikes in central neighborhoods.

They are mad. Apparently they want to advance before the truce, said Nasser al-Sheikh, who is sheltering with relatives in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood.

A DIPLOMATIC BREAKTHROUGH

The announcement capped weeks of indirect Qatari-led negotiations. between Israel and Hamas, an Islamic militant group that seized Gaza from the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority in 2007. The United States and Egypt were also involved in stop-and-go talks to free some of the roughly 240 hostages captured by Hamas and other militants during their wide-ranging Oct. 7 raid.

President Joe Biden welcomed the deal, saying Netanyahu has committed to supporting an extended pause to make sure that the hostages are released and humanitarian aid can be sent to Gaza.

Qatars prime minister and top diplomat, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, said he hoped the deal would eventually lead to a permanent cease-fire and serious talks on resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israel said that the truce would be extended an extra day for every additional 10 hostages released by Hamas. The International Committee of the Red Cross said it is standing by to assist any swap.

Israels Justice Ministry published a list of 300 prisoners eligible for release as part of the deal, mainly teenagers detained over the past year for rock-throwing and other minor offenses. Under Israeli law, the public has 24 hours to object to any release.

The Israeli military says it has detained more than 1,850 Palestinians in the West Bank since the war began, mostly suspected Hamas members. More than 200 Palestinians have been killed there, mostly during gunbattles triggered by army raids.

WILL THE WAR RESUME?

As the full extent of the devastation becomes known and as hostages are released, pressure could grow on Israel to end its war without achieving its goal of crushing Hamas. Even the U.S., Israels chief backer, has expressed concerns about the heavy toll on Gazas civilian population.

An airstrike overnight hit a residential building in the southern town of Khan Younis, killing 17 people, including children, said Ahmad Balouny, a relative of the deceased. An Associated Press reporter saw the bodies of two children pulled from the rubble, one of them badly burned.

In northern Gaza, about 60 bodies and 200 people wounded by heavy fighting were brought into the Kamal Adwan Hospital overnight, hospital director Dr. Ahmed al-Kahlout told Al-Jazeera television yesterday. He said the hospital is using cooking oil to keep its generator running.

Despite the massive destruction across Gaza and the killing of thousands of Palestinian civilians, Hamas leader Yehya Sinwar will likely present the release of the prisoners  seen by most Palestinians as heroes resisting occupation  as a major achievement, and declare victory if the war ends without removing Hamas from power.

Hamas said hundreds of trucks carrying humanitarian aid  including fuel  would be allowed to enter Gaza. It said Israeli aircraft would stop flying over southern Gaza for the duration of the four-day cease-fire and for six hours daily in the north.

The war erupted in early October, when several thousand Hamas militants broke through Israels formidable defenses and poured into the south, killing at least 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and capturing scores more. Israel responded with weeks of devastating airstrikes on Gaza, followed by a ground invasion.

More than 11,000 Palestinians have been killed during the Israeli offensive, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-run territory. It does not differentiate between civilians and militants, though some two-thirds of the dead have been identified as women and minors.

The invasion has caused vast destruction in northern Gaza, including Gaza City, displaced over 1.7 million people and caused severe shortages of food, medicine and other basics throughout the territory. Israel cut off all fuel imports at the start of the war, causing a territory-wide power blackout.

DEAL COULD DIVIDE ISRAELIS

The return of hostages could lift spirits in Israel, where ther plight has gripped the country. Families of the hostages  who include babies and toddlers, women and children, and people in their 80s with health issues  have staged mass demonstrations and pressured the government to bring them home.

But they could also find themselves divided as some hostages are freed and others remain in Gaza. Soldiers are likely to be the last to be freed, and their families may press the government to extend the truce until they return home.

Ofri Bibas Levy, whose brother, sister-in-law and two nephews  aged 4 and 10 months  are among the captives, said the deal puts the families in an inhumane situation. Her brother, 34, is not expected to be among the first groups released.

Who will be released, who wont? Will the kids be freed? Will they be freed with their mothers or not? she told The Associated Press before the deal was announced. No matter which way it happens, there will still be families that will remain worried and sad and angry.

PAUSE COULD HELP HAMAS REGROUP

The structure of the deal could limit Israels ability to press its offensive, even after the truce expires.

Any pause would give Hamas a chance to regroup after suffering heavy losses, especially if it drags things out with additional hostage releases. Israeli troops and tanks are expected to remain in place, despite the risks of being stationary behind enemy lines.

Israel claims to have killed thousands of Hamas fighters and destroyed parts of the groups tunnel system. But Israeli officials acknowledge much of Hamas infrastructure remains intact. The military says 68 soldiers have been killed in ground operations.

Some three-quarters of Gazas population has been uprooted from their homes, with most packing into overcrowded shelters. Many, if not most, will be unable to return home because of the vast damage in the north and the continued presence of Israeli troops there.

Iran-backed armed groups across the Middle East have been drawn into the war, with Lebanons Hezbollah trading fire with Israel on a daily basis along the border and Yemens Houthi rebels launching drones and missiles as well as seizing an Israeli-linked cargo ship. JOSEF FEDERMAN, TIA GOLDENBERG & AMY MAGDY, JERUSALEM, MDT/AP
Fitchburg police arrested an 18-year-old man Wednesday amid their investigation into a shooting Monday night on Anton Drive.

The suspect was taken into custody while officers from Fitchburg and the Dane County Sheriff's Office tactical Response Unit executed a search warrant on a home in Oregon shortly after noon.

The investigation began with Madison police, who were dispatched to the shooting Monday night at 7 p.m. A 25-year-old man was injured in the incident, which occurred in the parking lot of an apartment complex in the 5100 block of Anton Drive in Fitchburg.

The victim was taken to a nearby hospital with non-life threatening injuries. On the scene, officers also saw that a bullet had gone through the window of an occupied apartment. Nobody in the apartment was injured, police said.

The man was later booked into the Dane County Jail on a probation violation, but officers expect shooting-related charges to be referred to the Dane County District Attorney, according to a statement released by Lt. Edward Hartwick.

The investigation remains active. Anyone with information on the incident can contact the Fitchburg Police Department at 608-270-4300. Anonymous tips can be made to Madison Area Crime Stoppers via P3tips.com or by calling 608-266-6014. Tipsters may be eligible for a cash reward.
The way Wendy Gardner sees it, her nearly seven years on Earth have allowed her to develop two specialties: reading and kindness. So when she learned that the Madison Reading Project was raising money for an accessible bus that would bring books to kids who needed them, Wendy knew how she would spend her allowance. Wendys parents, Kimberly and Doug, are avid readers who instilled that quality in their kids. Wendy can tell you all about the Greek gods in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians book series, and she can also provide an impressive number of facts about Henry VIII.

Wendy gets an allowance every other week, and the only requirement is that she put a dollar in the save jar and a dollar in the give jar. Wendy had other ideas. Shed often put extra dollars in the give jar, her mother said. Finally, when she had saved $14, Wendy donated it to the reading bus. She is the youngest donor to the cause. Rowan Childs, who founded the Madison Reading Project, invited Wendy to see the nonprofits collection of books and pick one out for herself.

I saw all those books and Im really bubbling up in my head, Wendy said. I thought, Now this is where I want to be. Fourteen dollars wasnt going to make or break the bus initiative. But the spirit behind that small donation inspired Madison Reading Project employees who work hard to promote literacy in the Madison area. Ahead of this Thanksgiving, I had an opportunity to take stock of what has made me grateful since I moved to Madison last year. No city is without problems, but it was easy to count off blessings big and small, from cheese curds to impressive snow removal to the beautiful lakes that make the city so special. What stands out above all are the givers like Wendy. She could have put a dollar in her give jar and spent the rest of her allowance on a Barbie doll, or more books. But she saw a need, and she set out to do what she could to help. The Wisconsin State Journal has had a charitable arm, Empty Stocking Club, since 1918 that provides families with a toy and a book for each child who needs them for the holidays. Were in the middle of our 2023 fundraising campaign, and its heartening to see donors give money for other children even as they buy presents for their own. Families donate instead of buying an extra toy, and some donors were Empty Stocking Club toy recipients years ago.

We could not provide this important service without help from the community, and you always come through for these families. In addition to donors, more than 400 volunteers have already signed up to help with the event. Youve given generously to the Teacher Support Network, so teachers could buy much-needed school supplies without having to spend their own money, and to the United Way of Dane County to lift up the community in many ways. Volunteers step up to run everything from summer festivals to Make Music Madison. I bet you dont have to leave your neighborhood to find examples of selfless giving. I can see it in my own.

Ive had neighbors drop off everything from plants to cookies, for no reason other than they thought Id like them. I was at a Halloween party in my South Side neighborhood, and the hosts dad walked in the kitchen brushing dirt off his pants, because he had just planted bulbs in my yard. After an unfortunate incident with a falling storm window, a neighbor dropped everything to drive me to the hospital. They look out for one another and give where they can. To me, this is the true mark of a thriving community  people who take care of those around them. So this holiday, take stock of those like Wendy. May we all specialize in kindness.

The way Wendy Gardner sees it, her nearly seven years on Earth have allowed her to develop two specialties: reading and kindness.

So when she learned that the Madison Reading Project was raising money for an accessible bus that would bring books to kids who needed them, Wendy knew how she would spend her allowance.

Wendys parents, Kimberly and Doug, are avid readers who instilled that quality in their kids. Wendy can tell you all about the Greek gods in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians book series, and she can also provide an impressive number of facts about Henry VIII.

Wendy gets an allowance every other week, and the only requirement is that she put a dollar in the save jar and a dollar in the give jar. Wendy had other ideas.

Shed often put extra dollars in the give jar, her mother said.

Finally, when she had saved $14, Wendy donated it to the reading bus. She is the youngest donor to the cause.

Rowan Childs, who founded the Madison Reading Project, invited Wendy to see the nonprofits collection of books and pick one out for herself.

I saw all those books and Im really bubbling up in my head, Wendy said. I thought, Now this is where I want to be.

Fourteen dollars wasnt going to make or break the bus initiative. But the spirit behind that small donation inspired Madison Reading Project employees who work hard to promote literacy in the Madison area.

Ahead of this Thanksgiving, I had an opportunity to take stock of what has made me grateful since I moved to Madison last year.

No city is without problems, but it was easy to count off blessings big and small, from cheese curds to impressive snow removal to the beautiful lakes that make the city so special.

What stands out above all are the givers like Wendy.

She could have put a dollar in her give jar and spent the rest of her allowance on a Barbie doll, or more books. But she saw a need, and she set out to do what she could to help.

The Wisconsin State Journal has had a charitable arm, Empty Stocking Club, since 1918 that provides families with a toy and a book for each child who needs them for the holidays.

Were in the middle of our 2023 fundraising campaign, and its heartening to see donors give money for other children even as they buy presents for their own. Families donate instead of buying an extra toy, and some donors were Empty Stocking Club toy recipients years ago.

We could not provide this important service without help from the community, and you always come through for these families. In addition to donors, more than 400 volunteers have already signed up to help with the event.

Youve given generously to the Teacher Support Network, so teachers could buy much-needed school supplies without having to spend their own money, and to the United Way of Dane County to lift up the community in many ways.

Volunteers step up to run everything from summer festivals to Make Music Madison. I bet you dont have to leave your neighborhood to find examples of selfless giving.

I can see it in my own.

Ive had neighbors drop off everything from plants to cookies, for no reason other than they thought Id like them. I was at a Halloween party in my South Side neighborhood, and the hosts dad walked in the kitchen brushing dirt off his pants, because he had just planted bulbs in my yard. After an unfortunate incident with a falling storm window, a neighbor dropped everything to drive me to the hospital.

They look out for one another and give where they can.

To me, this is the true mark of a thriving community  people who take care of those around them.

So this holiday, take stock of those like Wendy. May we all specialize in kindness.
MINNEAPOLIS  An exploding population of hard-to-eradicate "super pigs" in Canada is threatening to spill south of the border, and northern states like Minnesota, North Dakota and Montana are taking steps to stop the invasion.

In Canada, the wild pigs roaming Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba pose a new threat. They are often crossbreeds that combine the survival skills of wild Eurasian boar with the size and high fertility of domestic swine to create a "super pig" that's spreading out of control.

Ryan Brook, a professor at the University of Saskatchewan and one of Canada's leading authorities on the problem, calls feral swine, "the most invasive animal on the planet" and "an ecological train wreck."

Pigs are not native to North America. While they've roamed parts of the continent for centuries, Canada's problem dates back only to the 1980s when it encouraged farmers to raise wild boar, Brook said. The market collapsed after peaking in 2001 and some frustrated farmers simply cut their fences, setting the animals free.

It turned out that the pigs were very good at surviving Canadian winters. Smart, adaptable and furry, they eat anything, including crops and wildlife. They tear up land when they root for bugs and crops. They can spread devastating diseases to hog farms like African swine fever. And they reproduce quickly. A sow can have six piglets in a litter and raise two litters in a year.

That means 65% or more of a wild pig population could be killed every year and it will still increase, Brook said. Hunting just makes the problem worse, he said. The success rate for hunters is only about 2% to 3% and several states banned hunting because it makes the pigs more wary and nocturnal  tougher to track down and eradicate.

Wild pigs cause around $2.5 billion in damage to U.S. crops every year, mostly in southern states like Texas. They also can be aggressive toward humans. A woman in Texas was killed by wild pigs in 2019.

Eradication of wild pigs is no longer possible in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, Brook said. But the situation isn't hopeless everywhere and a few U.S. states have eliminated them. The key, he said, is having a detection system that finds them early and fast, and then responding quickly.

Border boars

Brook and his colleagues documented 62,000 wild pig sightings in Canada. Their aerial surveys have spotted them on both sides of the Canada-North Dakota border. They've also recorded a sighting in Manitoba within 18 miles of Minnesota.

"Nobody should be surprised when pigs start walking across that border if they haven't already," Brook said. "The question is: What will be done about it?"

Brook said Montana has been the most serious about keeping wild pigs out. It banned raising and transporting wild pigs within the state.

"The only path forward is you have to be really aggressive and you have to use all the tools in the toolbox," Brook said.

That could include big ground traps with names like "BoarBuster" or net guns fired from helicopters. Some states and provinces embrace crowdsourced "Squeal on Pigs" tracking programs. Scientists have also studied poisons such as sodium nitrite, but they risk harming other species.

Minnesota is among states trying to prevent the swine from taking hold. The state's Department of Natural Resources is expected to release a report in February identifying gaps in its management plan and recommend new prevention steps.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is using aircraft and drones to beef up surveillance along the northern border.

Minnesota was declared an eradicated state after USDA Wildlife Services shot and killed a group of pigs in 2016 that wandered off a farm and turned feral in the far northwest corner of the state  but not before they began to reproduce and root up a wildlife preserve.

Gary Nohrenberg, the Minnesota director of Wildlife Services, said as far has he knows, no truly wild pigs have made their way to his state  yet.

USDA funding

Feral swine have been reported in at least 35 states, according to the USDA. The agency estimates the the swine population in those states totals around 6 million.

Since launching the National Feral Swine Management Program in 2014, the USDA has provided funding to 33 states, said Mike Marlow, an assistant program director. He said their goal is to eradicate wild pigs where populations are low or emerging, and to limit the damage where they're already established such as Texas and southeastern states.

The program has had success in some states that had small populations like Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Wisconsin and Washington, he said. The animals are spotted occasionally and quickly killed off in North Dakota.

"I think we're making great strides toward success," Marlow said. "But eradication is not in the near future."
Lalamove, a leading on-demand delivery platform, granted 100 partner driver beneficiaries P20,000 worth of educational financial assistance during the awarding presentation of its BiyahEdukasyon program.

Lalamove Philippines recognized each beneficiary from senior high school and college at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City, together with over 300 attendees, with the presence of government officials.

Recipients of the educational financial assistance expressed plans on using Lalamoves support to fund tuition, covering miscellaneous costs for uniforms and school supplies, and even supporting day-to-day expenses.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) in 2022 showed that only 81.4 percent of children 5 to 24 years old were able to attend school. Among the top reasons for inability to attend school were employment (19.7 percent) and high cost of education or financial problems (9.9 percent).

The program is designed to empower partner drivers families by providing a means to pursue their academic and career aspirations, reflecting Lalamoves commitment to fostering growth and success in its partner communities. Over a thousand stories of triumph, resilience and perseverance were submitted and screened from Sept. 29 to Oct. 29, 2023, from partner drivers across Lalamoves 48 serviceable areas.

Senate Committee on Basic Education chairman Sen. Win Gatchalian expressed optimism for the program in a recorded message shown during the event.

Through BiyahEdukasyon, we are not only putting importance on education but also in materializing the dreams of our partner drivers to support the education of their children and siblings], Gatchalian said.

I wish that we continuously be a part of the growth of education in the country. Let us be part of the journey full of hope for our countrymen and our country], he said.

Lalamove Philippines managing director Djon Nacario said the program empowers not only the lives of partner drivers but also the communities that they are a part of.

Our mission is clear: to ensure the success of our partner drivers and the communities that we work with in every facet of life, Nacario said. This program is a testament to our commitment to creating lasting positive change and in improving other aspects of our partner drivers lives, including their livelihood.

This program not only demonstrates Lalamoves commitment to its partner drivers but also underscores the significance of education as a key sector that we aim to continuously support.

Fredinel Lopez, a 41-year-old partner driver from Manila, said that the financial aid could further support the education of one of his seven children. He shared that this is the least that he can do for his daughter in senior high school, who has consistently performed well at school.

Lalamove has been a big help for my family and I. Through this financial aid, I can further support the perseverance of my child to continue studying and be a consistent honor student], Lopez said.

Dennis Pagtalunan, a 33-year-old partner driver from Bulacan, also felt reassured after his sibling was chosen to be a beneficiary of the financial aid. He said that he really wants his brother, a Criminology undergraduate, to finish his studies and pursue the life that he has always dreamt of.

We are 10 siblings in total and only two of us were able to reach at least at a high school level. One of them is currently in college, and I am financing his education. With the help of this program, almost five months worth of tuition fees will be covered for my sibling, he said.

The BiyahEdukasyon program, spearheaded by Lalamoves social initiative Deliver Care, is a step toward a more sustainable, long-term approach to assist the companys partner drivers in their respective communities.

Its values-based approach aims to strengthen partner drivers capabilities to build the life that they want, by providing an extra thrust of support aside from the Panalomove Benefits that they receive from Lalamove.
Niagara Falls, Canada  A car erupted into a fireball at a US-Canada checkpoint near Niagara Falls on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila), killing the two occupants, triggering border closures and sparking a massive security alert on the eve of a major holiday.

The regional FBI field office concluded the blast, which occurred around 640 kilometers northwest of New York City, was not linked to terrorism.

Witnesses described seeing a car traveling at high speed before it crashed into a checkpoint barrier and exploded into flames.

The blast happened at the major Rainbow Bridge crossing near Niagara Falls with nothing left of the vehicle which was incinerated except for the engine, according to New York Governor Kathy Hochul.

Confirming the two fatalities, she suggested the vehicle may have been from western New York state. The victims identities have not yet been made public.

Authorities on both sides of the border activated emergency responses and images showed access roads to the crossing swarming with emergency service workers and vehicles.

The White House said President Joe Biden had been briefed and was closely following developments.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told parliament this is obviously a very serious situation.

Weve seen this car coming down towards the border and he was flying  over 100 miles an hour, Mike Guenther, a Canadian visiting the United States, told CBS News.

The car then swerved and hit the fence, went flying up into the air, he said. He went up into the air and we just seen the fireball and thats all we could see. It was just covered in smoke everywhere.

The incident came on the eve of the Thanksgiving holiday, one of the busiest US travel days when millions of Americans take to the roads and skies. Rainbow Bridge  among the busiest crossings between Canada and the United States  has 16 vehicle lanes and is normally open around the clock, according to US Customs and Border Protection.

Hochul said that debris was spread across as many as 14 of the lanes following the incident.

Three other nearby border crossings had been closed in the aftermath of the incident, but had since reopened, US Customs and Border Protection said.

On the US side, Niagara Falls State Park, which attracts millions of visitors every year, was closed until further notice according to the park service.

Canadas Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc said any time (infrastructure like) a border crossing sees this kind of violent circumstance, its a source of concern for US and Canadian authorities.

Trudeaus office said he had been briefed and was in contact with US law enforcement.

The regional FBI field office located in the city of Buffalo, New York said a search had revealed no explosive materials, and no terrorism nexus was identified.

It added that the matter had been turned over to local police as a traffic investigation.

Multiple witnesses reported hearing a loud explosion and seeing a large cloud of smoke near the inspection station.

Canadian Chorkor Millionaire was accompanying friends back across the border into his home country when they heard a loud boom.

There was a vehicle caught up in flames, thick smoke all of the sudden, he told AFP, adding: Everybody was terrified.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said that officers of the citys police department, the countrys largest, had deployed to the border crossing to assist the investigation.

Dramatic videos showed thick plumes of black smoke rising from a conflagration at the crossing. AFP
The Co-Kitchens, a trailblazing culinary platform powered by Dubai SME-certified business incubator The Co-Spaces, is creating a buzz in the F&B industry by offering two distinct concepts catering to the diverse needs.

With its cutting-edge Incubation Hub and state-of-the-art Satellite Kitchen, The Co-Kitchens is redefining the landscape for food innovation in the region.

The Co-Kitchens is more than just a shared kitchen space; it's a gateway for entrepreneurs to expand their ventures, experiment with innovative ideas, and tap into a wide network of accredited incubators and business accelerators in Dubai. We understand the challenges faced by startups in the food and beverage industry. Our shared kitchens with flexible timings cater to the diverse needs of startups, ensuring they have the resources they need to succeed. Additionally, we provide comprehensive consultations covering everything from the production stage and business strategy to marketing and sales. By tapping into Dubai's entrepreneurial support system and offering training and mentoring services, comments Shahzad Bhatti, Founder, The Co-Kitchens.

The Co-Kitchens Incubation Hub

The Co-Kitchens' Incubation Hub stands as the first and only culinary incubator in Dubai. This innovative facility provides aspiring food entrepreneurs with unparalleled access to professional-grade kitchens and equipment.

The Incubation Hub is a dynamic space where individuals can experiment, perfect, and launch their culinary creations within a supportive and fully equipped environment. Entrepreneurs can take advantage of this cost-effective solution, ensuring they have access to the tools necessary to bring their culinary visions to life.

Committed to nurturing local talent and startups, The Co-Kitchens enables entrepreneurs to overcome barriers to entry in the highly competitive food industry. The Incubation Hub has been instrumental in the success stories of several local food startups, showcasing the positive impact of this unique culinary incubation initiative.

Entrepreneurs benefit from a cooperative atmosphere and ecosystem, where they can learn from one another, collaborate on projects, and develop partnerships within the community.

The Co-Kitchens Satellite Hub

When its time for a food company to expand its business without the need for a physical storefront, The Co-Kitchens pick-up-only delivery satellite space is the perfect solution for food entrepreneurs who want to serve their customers quickly and conveniently. The satellite facility provides the perfect opportunity for virtual brands to operate on aggregate platforms such as Deliveroo and Talabat and is strategically designed to offer a professional space for chefs and culinary professionals to create and innovate without the commitment of a long-term lease - the perfect solution for food entrepreneurs looking to expand their businesses without the need for a physical storefront.

With high-quality equipment and a prime location, our tenants or food heroes are bringing their food concepts to the doorstep of customers  around 150,000 residents in neighbouring areas including Dubai Marina, JBR, Al Barsha and beyond. Whether our food hero is looking to expand their current operations, or launch a food delivery concept, we provide a flexible and legal structure, so foodpreneurs can focus on their business while we handle all the paperwork. Whether you're creating vegan food, salads, or any other cuisine, The Co-Kitchens has everything needed to make a takeaway delivery concept a success, continues Bhatti.

Whats more, the satellite kitchen provides an ideal testing ground for international food brands seeking to enter the UAE market. With professional facilities and a supportive ecosystem, global brands can pilot their offerings and explore the potential of the UAE's dynamic culinary scene.

Our goal is to provide supportive spaces and networks where entrepreneurs can thrive - we offer a platform that allows them to launch projects without the burden of huge investments, coupled with a flexible exit strategy. What sets us apart is the sense of community we foster, connecting our members to suppliers and fellow entrepreneurs, creating an environment where everyone can benefit and achieve growth, concludes Bhatti.--TradeArabia News Service
Despite a series of talks with the government, transport group Manibela on Thursday still rejected the consolidation of operators into a cooperative under the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP).

Interviewed on ANC, Manibela president Mar Valbuena clarified his groupwhich was on the second day of a nationwide strike  was not against the modernization of PUVs per se but are opposing the phaseout of traditional jeepneys.

Unlike existing PUV cooperatives, old jeepney operators under the PUVMPs consolidation process must apply for a big, full or complete loan with the Development Bank of the Philippines or Land Bank of the Philippines to be able to acquire new modernized PUVs, he said.

Our units may be pulled out by the bank should we fail to pay our amortizations. What is our guarantee that this will not happen? Will the government provide us with a subsidy? Valbuena asked.

Instead of acquiring modernized units, why not modernize the old jeepneys to make it environment-friendly and roadworthy? he said, noting P500,000 to P1 million would be enough to rehabilitate a traditional jeepney and make it look brand-new.
Will the Philippines stick to its decision to withdraw from the International Criminal Court?

It seems the Marcos administration is not closed to the possibility of reviving ties with the ICC amid a push from lawmakers to allow the probe into the deaths related to the Duterte administrations war on drugs.

Justice Secretary Jesus Remulla on Thursday said he will meet with Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin to clarify the governments position on its membership with the ICC.

I intend to meet with the Executive Secretary (today, Friday). Just to be able to make sure that we are on the same page on this matter.

Of course, we are asking for instructions from the Executive Secretary, Remulla said.

I will only clarify some things. Because if we have plans to become members again of the ICC like whats being said in Congress, I want to know how it affects the whole universe of the ICC and the Philippine government as it is, he added.

Vice President Sara Duterte, however, called on House lawmakers to respect President Marcos earlier statement that the Philippines will not cooperate with the ICC probe.

We urge the House to respect the position of the President, who is the chief architect of our foreign policy, the Vice President said in a statement.

Allowing ICC prosecutors to investigate alleged crimes under thejurisdiction of local courts is not only patently unconstitutional but effectively belittles and degrades our legal institutions, the younger Duterte said.

Let us not insult and embarrass our courts by showing the world that we believe that foreigners are the only ones who have the ability to give justice to our own country, she added.

The resolution urging the governments cooperation with the ICC was discussed Tuesday at the House of Representatives and referred to the Committee on Justice.

The resolutions author and House human rights panel chairman Bienvenido Abante Jr. said cooperating with the ICC would be a chance to show the Philippine justice system was working.

Remulla said there is a question of whether the Philippines will return as a member of the ICC amid the House push.

The first question is why will we work with the ICC now that were no longer a member of it, right? Thats the question. So are we going to be members again of the ICC for this thing to happen? the Justice chief said.

In 2019, the Philippines, under then-President Rodrigo Duterte, withdrew from the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC, after the tribunal began a preliminary probe into his drug war, followed by the launch of a formal inquiry later that year.

The probe was suspended in November 2021 after the government said it was re-examining several hundred cases of drug operations.

In January 2023, the ICC authorized the reopening of the inquiry. In July, the ICC Appeals Chamber denied the governments petition against the resumption of the inquiry, prompting numerous government officials, including President Marcos, to speak against continued engagement with the ICC.

Under the drug war, at least 6,200 suspects were killed in police operations based on government records. For his part, Senator Ronald dela Rosa expressed confidence he can get through the ICC probe.

Dela Rosa was the chief implementer of the Duterte administrations war on drugs.

If its there, then I have no other recourse but to face it. I am very confident that I will get through that case, the senator and Dutertes former police chief said.

But I will not cooperate. Why should I cooperate? Why should I give a deposition or counter-affidavit if our own government does not want to cooperate? he added. Senator Robin Padilla, for his part, said disallowing the ICC from conducting a probe would ensure a free Philippines.

I wish to put a definite end to it now because it will bring only confusion to our people, Padilla said.
The issue of tensions in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) or the arbitral ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) against Chinas expansive sea claims were not included in the resolution filed by the Philippines during the 31st Asian-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF31), which started Thursday in Pasay City.

But Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said he and House Speaker Martin Romualdez intend to talk to the Chinese delegates to the Forum to seek a Code of Conduct (COC) with Beijing in the West Philippine Sea.

The Senate leader hopes they can work out a COC with Chinas delegates.

Thats what we are asking so there will be no more clashes, blockages, and water cannoning (by the Chinese Coast Guard and maritime militia). Thats what were trying to do. And the best way of doing it is befriending them, he added.

Zubiri said there were no specifics like the WPS or the arbitral ruling in the Philippine resolution at the APPF, which aims to strengthen the capacity of parliaments for regional peace and security.

Zubiri said the delegates from Japan, Mexico, and Australia also filed similar resolutions.

If the WPS issue would be put in the resolution, he admitted there might be a protest or somebody might get angry.

It doesnt change our position, we are friends to all, enemy tonone, added Zubiri, who along with House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez welcomed the 275 delegates from 18 countries at the Philippine International Convention Center.

According to Zubiri, the hosts shook hands with the Chinese delegation and even showed them the Senate Presidents picture with Chinese President Xi Jinping when he visited the country during the Duterte administration.

Zubiri wanted to show them that Filipino parliamentarians and the Filipinos are not bad and they can be good neighbors.

They can say thus when they return to China, the Senate President added.

Meanwhile, Speaker Romualdez said in his remarks: Peace remains a paramount objective. We are firm in our support for a rules-based international order, governed by the principles of international law and informed by the principles of equity and justice, Romualdez said.

We recall the 1982 Manila Declaration on Peaceful Settlement of Disputes, which emphasizes that all disputes should be settled through peaceful means. Let us remember that resorting to judicial procedures, including arbitration, is not an unfriendly act, but a practice of responsible global citizenship, he added.

Romualdez affirmed the commitment of the Philippines to UN-centered multilateralism in global governance and the principles of the centrality of ASEAN and regional organizations like APEC, as he emphasized the Philippine Resolution on Strengthening the Capacity of Parliaments to Promote Regional Peace and Stability.

As we navigate the complex waters of international relations, we stress the importance of enhancing maritime security and adherence to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Romualdez said.

Likewise, he asked APPF member countries to collectively address transnational crimes, including trafficking in persons, especially women and children.

The leader of the 300-plus-strong House of Representatives also called for closer collaboration among lawmakers in the Asia-Pacific in addressing problems facing the region, especially poverty among its more than 4.6-billion population. Regarding the Philippine resolution, Zubiri said they want it to be acceptable to all.

This is a consensus-building (move). There should be a consensus on every issue, he said. However, Zubiri said respect for the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) will be discussed since this international law has persuasive powers.

If adopted, we will find out after three days. We dont want to fight. We are very happy that China came with a big delegation Dialogue should always be there to come out with a common stand on WPS, the South China Sea issue. We should accept them with open arms and discuss with them, said Zubiri.

When they go back to their countries, they can discuss this particular issue and present the agreements that we made. It will be an achievement on its own. We will try our best.

The Speaker and I are good with that manghilot (massaging) and hopefully, we will get this resolution adopted, he said. He related that the third page of the Philippine resolution urges parliaments to support an effective Code of Conduct (COC) that is consistent with international law.

Indonesia has also filed a resolution to respect the 1982 UNCLOS fully. Romualdez said thats the whole spirit of this forum.

We want to stress enhancing the maritime security. Theres a difference with China, but that doesnt preclude us. We just do persuasion, said the Speaker, adding that the many resolutions filed in the forum will be consolidated.

In calling for closer cooperation among forum members, Speaker Romualdez said solidarity is vital in building a resilient and sustainable Asia-Pacific region.

This 31st APPF meeting is an opportunity to take stock of the gains achieved in the past years, to look ahead on how to sustain the relevance of Asia-Pacific relations in the post-pandemic era, and to foster deeper social cohesion and resilient global and regional economies, he said.

He said achieving regional peace and security involves not only successfully resolving conflicts but also promoting overall human security, welfare, and development.

As such, reducing poverty and addressing development gaps, such as in health and education, and working to mitigate climate change are crucial to regional peace and stabilityAs of 2021, 1.02 billion people among APPF countries were left out of the social protection system, he added.

The Speaker cited the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which the Philippine Senate recently ratified, as an example of economic and trade cooperation among countries.

This historic deal covers 30 percent of the global population and trade, the worlds largest free trade area in terms of the parties combined gross domestic product (GDP), and is poised to become the new center of gravity for world trade, he said.

He said the entry into RCEP of a signatory state is a clear demonstration of its support for a regional market that is open, free, inclusive, and adherent to a rules-based multilateral trading system.

He said the Asia-Pacific region has about $32.6 trillion in combined GDP. Romualdez also called for integrating young parliamentarians into APPF.

These dynamic individuals bring a deep understanding of modern challenges, an unwavering dedication to the principles of democracy, and a fervent desire to contribute to the achievement of our shared goals. We must recognize and amplify the voices of this vibrant generation, providing them with the platforms, mentorship, and support they need to thrive as leaders and change-makers, he said.

He said the Philippine delegation to the 31st APPF conference proposes to amend the Forums rules to include young parliamentarians in its annual meetings.

Romualdez likewise appealed to APPF-member-nations to support the Philippines bid to be a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the term 2027-2028.

The House leader said the country is ready to shoulder the responsibilities of this esteemed position, driven by our unwavering commitment to peace-building and our persistent efforts in combating terrorism.

Our nations steadfast dedication mirrors the rich and enduring tradition of Philippine diplomacy, and we are eager to harness this tradition to make meaningful contributions to the cause of global peace, he said.

In welcoming his regional colleagues to the country, Speaker Romualdez urged them to experience firsthand the genuine warmth, generosity, and unwavering friendliness that are intrinsic to the Filipino way of life.

The eagerness of the Filipino people to ensure your comfort and well-being will undoubtedly create an atmosphere of inclusivity and warmth, fostering meaningful connections and dialogue among us all, he said.

The House leaders regional counterparts and peers, including those from Vietnam, Canada, Russia, Cambodia, Japan, Malaysia, and Chile are scheduled to call on him during the conference.
Holds exercises with 5 ASEAN nations during US-PH patrols in WPS

China hosted a joint military exercise with five members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations around the same the Philippines and the United States held joint patrols in the West Philippine Sea.

Chinas joint military exercise, which began Monday at the southernGuangdong province, included Cambodian, Lao, Malaysian, Thai and Vietnamese forces.

Experts said the joint military exercises appear to be Beijings image-building show of force in the region.

The drills are focused on counterterrorism and maritime security, said Chinas official Xinhua News Agency.

Meanwhile, Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Romualdez on Thursday said that Chinese President Xi Jinping wants the WPS issue resolved by the militaries of the two claimant countries.

Romualdez said this was conveyed during the meeting of President Marcos and Xi during the sidelines of the APEC Summit in San Francisco last week.

I think in the end President Xi just simply said that we should just keep talking about it and from the read out I saw from our report isthat President Xi said that lets just have our military talk about all these things, our militaries to resolve these things in the West Philippine Sea, Romualdez said in an interview with CNN Philippines.

Romualdez, however, clarified in a separate interview that what he meant was for the militaries of both countries to try and bring down tensions in the area.

After the meeting in San Francisco, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said: China carrying out construction activities on its own territory is a matter purely within the scope ofChinas sovereignty and other countries have no right to point fingers at it.

Romualdez admitted that Xis statement was not encouraging at all.

There is no real clear sign that theyre going to be letting up any of these things that is happening, he told CNN.

It goes to show there is really a disconnect in everything, he added.

While the joint military exercises was ongoing in Guandong, a Chinese vessel shadowed ships of the Philippines and the US that were conducting a joint maritime patrol in the WPS, Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said.

There was shadowing. So we monitored a Chinese vessel shadowing the joint maritime patrol but there are no aggressive actions by China and I hope that this continues, Brawner said.

He said three shipstwo Filipino and one USwere sailing together 30 nautical miles off the Malampaya gas field facility in northern Palawan when they spotted another vessel at 10:15 a.m.

Brawner said they observed a Chinese Peoples Liberation Army Navy vessel that appeared to be shadowing them from a distance of 6.5 nautical miles.

The joint Philippines-US is not meant to agitate China, he said.

Our only objective is to make sure that we have interoperability withour ally, the US, and also to impose that objective of making sure that we promote the rules based international order, Brawner said.

Brawner described the joint patrols as successful.

So far, we believe that the joint maritime and air patrols betweenthe Philippines and the US have been very successful in the sense that there are no untoward incidents, he said.

The 3-day joint patrols that ended yesterday would allow the longtime treaty allies to learn each others maneuvers, AFP spokesperson Col. Medel Aguilar said.

This is a way to assert our sovereign rights over our maritime zones at the same time, promoting the international convention in support of rules-based international order, Aguilar said in a public briefing.

China cannot claim sovereignty over these maritime features, over [these] maritime shoals because the law says, UNCLOS [says], it belongs to the EEZ of the Philippines and therefore, whatever they are doing there is illegal and against the law of nature, he added.
The Sandiganbayan Sixth Division has convicted Datu Andal Ampatuan of 21 counts of graft over the supply of fuel to the Maguindanao provincial government from a petroleum station he owned.

The anti-graft court sentenced Ampatuanone of the perpetrators of the infamous Maguindanao massacreto between 6 years and 1 month to 10 years for each of the 21 counts, or between 127 years and 9 months to 210 years in jail in total.

Ampatuans conviction coincides with the 14th anniversary of the Maguindanao massacre.

The massacre on Nov. 23, 2009 was described as the worst violent election-related incident in countrys history. Fifty-eight people were murdered then, 32 of which were members of the media.

The incident occurred during the filing of the certificate ofcandidacy of then-Buluan town vice mayor Esmael Toto Mangudadatu who ran against Datu Unsay Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr. for governor post in the 2010 elections.

Ampatuan was also ordered to pay up to P44.18 million as value of the undelivered fuel plus interest of 6 percent per annum and is perpetually disqualified from holding public office.

The case stemmed from the Maguindanao provincial governments decision to buy diesel fuel from Ampatuans petrol station in Shariff Aguak when his father was still the governor in 2008.

Reports said the court found that he conspired with his father, thelate Andal Ampatuan, Sr. and several government officials to award the contract for the purchase of fuel to his petroleum station without any bidding and in releasing public funds despite no completely delivery of the goods purchased.

[T]he Shariff Aguak Petron Station charged the Provincial Government of Maguindanao for the purported deliveries of a total of 1,141,539 liters of Petro Diesel in 2008. However, it could not have delivered the said quantity of fuel products because in the same year, Petron Corporation delivered only 618,000 liters of diesel fuel to accused Ampatuan, Jr.s Petron station.

Even assuming that Shariff Aguak Petron Station still had fuel left from year 2007, it could have delivered only 649,000 liters at most, the court said.

The fuel products were supposed to be used in road rehabilitation projects but the COA special audit team found that none of these projects were completed.

Aside from Ampatuan, his two co-accused Omar Camsa and Samsudin Sema were also ordered to pay up to P1.6 million and P9.12 million each as part of the value of the undelivered fuel.

Camsa was found guilty of one count of falsification of public document and sentenced to between 6 to 7 years jail time and fined P5,000.

Sema was also found guilty of 3 counts of the same charge and sentenced to a total of between 18 to 21 years and fined P15,000.

Camsa and Sema attended the promulgation while Ampatuan attended via videoconference.

He is currently serving a sentence for multiple counts of murder in connection with the Maguindanao massacre.

Another accused, Datuali Kamakan Abpi, was also found guilty of one count of graft, 19 counts of falsification and one count of malversation in connection with the Maguindanao provincial governments purchase of lumber.

But the anti-graft court asked prosecutors to confirm Abpis reported death, as well as that of another accused at large, Osmena Bandila.
The European Union (EU) has cited the willingness of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.s administration to engage the international community on the issue of human rights in its latest report on the Generalized Scheme of Preferences (GSP).

The assessment was published in a staff working document that accompanied the Nov. 21 European Commission and the High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy joint report on GSP for the period of 2020 to 2022.

The new administration has shown a willingness to engage with the international community on human rights, having actively participated in multiple mechanisms of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), it reads.

It noted several positive steps taken by the government, including its new focus on prevention and rehabilitation in the campaign against drugs and the visits of several UN Special Rapporteurs.

The new government, which came to power on 30 June 2022 through open and competitive presidential elections, has affirmed its commitment to compliance with the GSP+ commitments since the beginning, it said.

Recent dialogue under the GSP+ framework as well as in other fora has been constructive and the Philippines has taken several steps to address points of concern. The situation continues to progress under the current administration, it added.

The EU also noted some progress in the fight against child labor, especially on legislation against the online sexual exploitation of children and tackling trafficking in persons.

Renewed engagement with the International Labour Organization (ILO), including the high-level tripartite mission in January 2023, is another positive development, it said.

In addition, the Philippines has made good progress on the implementation of all environmental and climate conventions.

The EU further cited Manilas ratification of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol and plans to ratify the Basel Ban Amendment to the Basel Convention.

The EU added that compliance with the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) has also improved and the government is taking strides towards e-government with the intention to reduce the risk of corruption in administrative procedures.

Priorities for engagement

The bloc, meanwhile, hoped to see more resolute actions to ensure accountability for extra-judicial killings and other human rights abuses, specifically on the war on drugs campaign, and on the protection of civil society and journalists.

Further efforts, it said, are also needed to protect minors from online sexual abuse and exploitation as well as those working in the informal economy.

In addition, it hopes to see a reduced gender pay gap and improved access to the labor market for all in the country.

The national legislation needs to align with ILO Convention 87 on Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise, it said.

The EU GSP has three arrangements the general GSP, Everything But Arms, and the GSP+, which the Philippines falls under.

The scheme provides the Philippines preferential access to the more than 300 million consumers from EU through reduced or removed import tariffs.

Under GSP+, a beneficiary country must ratify 27 international conventions related to human rights, labor rights, environment, and climate, and show no serious failure in implementing them.

Based on the latest EU report, Philippine exports to the EU under the GSP+ reached EUR6.6 billion from 2020 to 2022.

The EU is in the process of adopting a new GSP regulation that would update the list of international conventions in the scheme and enhance the monitoring and implementation of GSP+ commitments, among others.

While the legislative procedure is still ongoing, the European Council and the European Parliament have voted in favor of extending the current rules until the end of 2027.

The reports on the Philippines and other countries were adopted yesterday, so (the GSP+ is) pretty much still in the cards, EU Ambassador to the Philippines Luc Veron said during the 2023 Pilipinas Conference in Makati on Wednesday.

(On) areas that need to be done, that will actually form part of the next monitoring phase, he added. With Charles Dantes
US President Joe Biden will head to the southern state of Georgia to attend a memorial for former first lady Rosalynn Carter next week, the White House said Wednesday.

Rosalynn Carter, the wife of former president Jimmy Carter, died Sunday at 96.

The president, First Lady Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband Douglas Emhoff will also attend the tribute service, to be held in Atlanta on Tuesday, for their fellow Democrat, the White House said.

Rosalynn Carter was best known for her work post-White House, as she and her husband, 99, championed human rights, democracy and health issues around the world  all while maintaining a notably humble public image.

She had joined her husband in at-home hospice care at their house in Plains, Georgia, her family announced last Friday, after being diagnosed with dementia in May.
The race for Jan. 13, 2024 will tighten, and a unity momentum could come about, altering the present course of public opinion in Taiwan

Jan. 13, 2024 is when Taiwan elects a new president and a new ruling party or coalition.

As of this writing, the protagonists are: Lai Ching-te, the current vice president and former mayor of Tainan, of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP); Hou You-ih of the Kuomintang (KMT), mayor of New Taipei City and former director general of the Taiwan police department; Ko Wen-je, of the Taiwan Peoples Party (TPP), a former two-term mayor of the capital Taipei; and Guo Tai-ming, better known as Terry Gou, the billionaire founder and until recently chairman of Hon Hai Precision, better known as Foxconn Electronics, the lead manufacturer of Apple products.

The elections commission has declared Friday, Nov. 24, as deadline for parties and individuals to finalize their tickets, while recent poll surveys indicate a plurality win for DPPs Lai, unless the opposition would unite behind one unified ticket.

By opposition, pollsters mean KMTs Hou and TPPs Ko. If that should materialize, the run of Gou is likely to peter out, and, as in past tries, he is expected to support the unified ticket against the ruling DPP.

Up until Tsai Ing-wen, the economist who made it to the presidency in 2016, Taipei mayors had been clinching Taiwans leadership position.

There is a straight road, Ren-ai, that connects the Taipei City Hall in Xing-yi to the presidential palace in Zhongzheng district, from east to west. Ren-ai road is Taipeis major arterial road that begins in City Hall and ends in the presidential palace.

Ren-ai is pinyin for charity and compassion, and Japanese for love.

Tsai Ing-wen demolished that lore, and started an eight-year reign characterized by a most contentious relationship with the Peoples Republic of China, now Asias prime geo-political hot spot.

Taiwans fate took center stage in the last APEC summit in San Francisco, where a detente took place between Chinas Xi Jinping and Americas Joe Biden, marked by Xis now famous speech before the titans of American business, where he declared China is willing to be a partner and friend with the United States(based) on mutual respect, peaceful co-existence and win-win cooperation.

Harping on a long history of friendly people-to-people relations with Americans, Xi pointedly used World War II in the Pacific as example, where hundreds of thousands of Chinese lives were lost in Americas war against imperial Japan.

This was a time when the Nationalist Kuomintang held sway over China with American support, and the incident Xi used was one where Americas Flying Tigers of the legendary Gen. Claire Chennault, a Chiang Kai-shek friend, fighting the Japanese air force under Lt. Col. James Doolittle, were rescued by Chinese troops and civilians after the attack at Pearl Harbor.

To many observers, and through words given to Biden in their Filoli tete-a-tete, Xis recall of that WW II incident was made to assure Americans they should not fight over Taiwan, which the Chinese president kept repeating as an internal matter.

Now how does this impact on Taiwan and its forthcoming elections?

As we write, both KMT and the TPP are in the frenetic stages of coming up with a solidarity ticket against the DPP.

Just before the APEC meet in California, agreement was made to conduct jointly commissioned poll surveys to read the electorates mind on whether a Hou-Ko or a Ko-Hou ticket would have the best chances of winning come January, a scant 60 days away.

But after the surveys showed a Ko-Hou ticket was slightly stronger than the other way around, sour note happened when Ko declared he was determined to run as president only.

In the latest round of talks where former president Ma Ying-jeou and KMT Chair Eric Chu are quite active in forging a unity ticket, KMTs Hou declared he would wait until the last minute to break the deadlock.

A proposed review of the nine poll results analyzing the best combination would be publicly broadcast to gain public trust, where Hou who has yet to choose a vice-presidential candidate, stated he was willing to slide down to the second slot if the poll review process determined Ko has better chances of winning.

Ko is particularly strong with young voters and could break the DPP hold on this vital demographic sector, while the KMT has an extensive political machinery with majority of Taiwans LGUs having elected their candidates last year.

The unity ticket, if it should materialize, can best be forged by the taipans of Taiwans economy who are wary of a Chinese invasion if the DPP continued in power.

Behind the scenes maneuvering can be expected from both China and the US, which is represented by the American Institute in Taiwan, its de facto embassy.

Now that Xi has openly declared a non-confrontational, non-invasive Taiwan position, forging a unity team to defeat the openly pro-American and anti-One China, Two Systems principle, signal has been made to Taiwanese voters, especially those who can influence both parties  the funders and political leaders.

Will unity be forged at the last minute?

If unity between Ko and Hou, between KMT and the TPP materializes, the road to lessening Taiwan Strait tensions and the potential road to peace in our time, which impacts as well on our country, could become likely.

The race for Jan. 13, 2024 will tighten, and a unity momentum could come about, altering the present course of public opinion in Taiwan.
Barrett Webb, a former student of McDowell Academy for Innovation (MAI), has been making incredible strides in his academic and professional journey at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. As an aspiring neuroscientist, Webbs passion for the field flourished under the guidance of his mentors, Andrea Hardy and Dr. Terri McClelland, during his time at MAI.

Initially drawn to the STEM world of computer science, Webbs path took an unexpected turn when he discovered his deep interest in another STEM field  neuroscience. Currently pursuing a double major in Neuroscience and Exercise and Sport Science, with a minor in Health and Society, Webbs dedication to his studies is evident. If the university allowed for more than three degree areas to be awarded at one time, Webb would have completed enough coursework for an additional minor in chemistry at the time of graduation.

Webbs ambition doesnt end with his undergraduate studies. He plans to take a gap year after completing his degree to work at the prestigious National Institute of Health, gaining invaluable experience before embarking on graduate school. His ultimate goal is to obtain a PhD or MD, focusing on neurological research to study diseases and disorders within the field of neuroscience. In addition to his academic pursuits, Webb currently works with individuals with special needs and disabilities in the Raleigh area.

This experience not only allows him to make a positive impact on the lives of others but also serves as a testament to his dedication to the field of neuroscience. Webbs commitment to his chosen path has granted him unique opportunities to meet renowned specialists, including the esteemed Dr. Ben Carson, whose work has further inspired his passion. While at UNC, Webb has actively engaged with the universitys Neuroscience Department and hopes to participate in the departments upcoming summer program in Neuropharmacology, where he plans to conduct research in Australia.

Reflecting on his journey, Webb acknowledges the pivotal role that MAI played in shaping his future.

I have found great appreciation for MAI as I have grown into being a student at UNC, said Webb. The opportunities that are taken for granted in high school such as the field trips and leadership opportunities offered at the school gave me a great foundation for where I am today. I found what I wanted to do for my future at MAI and I feel like I wouldnt be where I am today if it wasnt for the opportunities given there.

The academy provided Webb with a solid foundation and an excellent start in the STEM focused field of neuroscience, allowing him to pursue his dreams at UNC Chapel Hill. As Webb looks forward to what the future holds, his unwavering determination and the support he received from his alma mater continue to fuel his excitement. The McDowell County community takes immense pride in Webbs achievements and eagerly anticipates his future contributions to the field of neuroscience.
ASHEVILLE  Celebrate the holiday season at the Governors Western Residence Holiday Open House on Dec. 9-10, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day. The residence is located at 45 Patton Mountain Road in Asheville.

Reservations are not needed to attend the open house. Guests are invited to tour the residence, which has been decorated for the holiday season.

The residence features views of Mt. Pisgah and downtown Asheville. Built in 1939, the home was donated to the state in 1964 by the Asheville Chamber of Commerce. It has been used by 11 administrations and is one of only four official state second residences in the United States. Visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgME7sw9uQY for a link of the Governors Western Residence.

Visitors are welcome to bring canned food donations for the MANNA Food Bank, which will be collected during the open house.

The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) manages, promotes, and enhances the things that people love about North Carolina  its diverse arts and culture, rich history, and spectacular natural areas. Through its programs, the department enhances education, stimulates economic development, improves public health, expands accessibility and strengthens community resiliency.
World Bank announces 36.7 ME for transport and infrastructure in Cape Verde

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The World Bank announced Wednesday November 22 that it has approved a credit of 40 million dollars (around 36.7 million euros) to improve resilient urban and transport infrastructure in Cape Verde.

In this way, the Cape Verdean government will intervene, through the Requalification, Rehabilitation and Accessibility Programme, in different municipalities, to unlock locations with agricultural and tourist potential, the organization explains in a statement.

At the same time, investment in remote locations should benefit fishing and similar infrastructures. In general, the aim is to create conditions to improve the performance of agricultural, tourist and fishing activities, with an impact on the local economy.

The aim is to improve various aspects of local life: production, employment and income for Cape Verdean families. The projects to be supported must be resilient to the transformations induced by climate change.

The funding includes a component for technical assistance to strengthen transport management capacity and another for contingent intervention in cases of emergency.

It is estimated that approximately 190,000 inhabitants and 4,500 companies in Cape Verde will benefit from the improvements, estimates the World Bank. The funding is allocated under the IDA (International Development Association), in line with the governments Strategic Plan for Sustainable Development (PEDS) for the period 2022 to 2026 and the World Bank Groups Partnership Framework with Cape Verde for the period 2020 to 2025.

Traditions from Mozambique and Angola nominated for UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage

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A traditional Mozambican dance and geometric sand drawings from Angola are among the nominations to be voted on at the 18th session of UNESCOs Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, the UN agency announced Wednesday November 22.

The traditional Mozambican Mapiko dance is a candidate for inscription on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, says UNESCO.

Mapiko, or Ingoma ya Mapiko, as used by the community that practises it, originally takes place on the Makonde plateau comprising the districts of Muenda, Nangade and Muidumbe in the province of Cabo Delgado, in northern Mozambique. In the application process presented by the Mozambican Ministry of Culture and Tourism, it is pointed out that Mapiko practitioners are the second largest Shimakonde ethnolinguistic group after the Macuas. The urgency invoked has to do with Islamic fundamentalist activities in Cabo Delgado, which forced the suspension of Mapiko festivals due to the flight and dispersal of the population, reads the application process.

The aim is to improve the safeguard strategy in the face of the risk of extinction due to the war of terrorism and to make young people aware of the importance of the Makonde identity in respect for the human being. In the future, we hope that its recognition will strengthen social and territorial cohesion between the different peoples that make up the ethnic mosaic of Cabo Delgado, if not of Mozambique and the world, says the Mozambican Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

The Angolan application is competing for inscription on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The decision on the Mozambican and Angolan candidacies will be made at the meeting scheduled to take place in Kasane, Botswana, between December 4 and 9.

The first Mosquirix Malaria vaccines arrive in Cameroon

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On the night of November 21 to November 22, 2023, Cameroon received its first shipment of Mosquirix malaria vaccines manufactured by the GSK laboratory. Cameroon is the first African country to receive the vaccine after the pilot phase in Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi.

Cameroon has received 331,200 doses of Mosquirix, also known as RTS-S, the first malaria vaccine recommended by the WHO.

According to Dr. Shalom Tchokfe, Permanent Secretary of the countrys Expanded Program on Immunization, this vaccine is a great help in the fight against malaria: With its capacity to reduce deaths by at least a third, we can hope to go further and achieve a new level of results.

This first batch of vaccines should cover 42 health districts, not enough for a country with 203. Malachie Manaouda, the countrys Minister of Health, points out that the vaccine complements good old-fashioned malaria prevention methods. The vaccine will not remove the mosquitoes. We need to take the same precautions we did before. Its just an additional measure to help us avoid fairly high mortality rates.

According to the WHO, malaria kills nearly 11,000 people in Cameroon every year. Around 400,000 children aged between 6 and 24 months are expected to benefit from the first doses of this vaccine on a four-dose schedule.

DRC and Rwanda commit to de-escalation after visit by US delegation

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Tensions in the eastern DRC are under US scrutiny. On Sunday, November 19, and Monday, November 20, a group of high-ranking officials from the Biden Administration visited Kigali and Kinshasa, where they met respectively with Rwandan President Paul Kagame and Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi. The aim was to achieve de-escalation between the two neighbors, as tensions have risen sharply in recent weeks. According to Washington, the DRC and Rwanda are committed to reducing current tensions.

Just two weeks ago, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken spoke separately by telephone with Rwandan President Paul Kagame and Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi, asking them to promote diplomacy in their relations and defuse tensions, including by withdrawing troops from their shared border.

This time, the Biden administration was on the move. The delegation included the Assistant Secretary of State for Africa, Joe Bidens Africa advisor, and the National Security Council, above all Avril Haines. The latter coordinates all US national intelligence, including the CIA, FBI, and military intelligence, and is placed under the direct authority of the President of the United States. Thats how important this issue is.

Avril Haines made the trip in order to obtain commitments from the two leaders to defuse tensions in the east of the DRC.

Weve never been so close to a war, says a source close to the Congolese presidency, explaining the arrival of the American emissaries earlier this week. On Monday, they met with President Tshisekedi before he left to campaign in Kongo-Central. Tshisekedi is running for a second term in the December 20 presidential elections.

Following the talks with the Americans, Presidents Kagame and Tshisekedi commit to taking specific steps to reduce current tensions by addressing the respective security concerns of both countries, said the White House in a statement issued on Tuesday, November 21, after the return of its delegation.
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

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Rising rates of syphilis and newborn syphilis are not letting up in Pennsylvania, said state and local health officials at a news conference at the Wilkes-Barre Health Department on Monday.

Acting state Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen urged for more awareness about syphilis as well as more available testing and treatment to prevent the spread. She referenced a report released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday, which highlighted multiple missed opportunities to effectively prevent and treat the sexually transmitted infection, contributing to nearly 90% of congenital syphilis cases seen last year.

Congenital syphilis occurs when a pregnant person who is positive for the infection passes it on to their unborn child, which can lead to multiple complications.

More than 10 times as many congenital syphilis cases were reported nationwide in 2022 compared to 2012, according to the CDC report. Also from 2021 to 2022 alone, congenital syphilis cases increased by 31.7%.

Across the commonwealth, the state department of health confirmed that 31 infants have had newborn syphilis in 2023 so far, from 16 Pennsylvania counties across the state.

Last year, 39 Pennsylvania infants were confirmed with the infection, the highest number since 1990, when there were 17 infants, according to the state department of health.

And in Allegheny County, while syphilis cases decreased by 16% since 2021, the overall trend still represents an increase, with 63 early syphilis cases documented in 2013 versus 285 in 2022. Black residents in Allegheny County also face a rate that is 10 times higher than their white counterparts.

Symptoms of syphilis can include sores and skin rashes around the mouth and genitals, as well as more generalized illness symptoms, such as fever, swollen lymph nodes, sore throat, headaches and fatigue. Syphilis that goes untreated can damage the nerves, brain, heart, liver and other organ systems. Babies born with syphilis can develop skeletal abnormalities, blindness and deafness, or can die. The CDC report showed that 6% of congenital syphilis cases in 2022or 231 babiesled to stillbirths.

Kady McGlynn, Wilkes-Barre City health associate director of personal health, said at the news conference that public health officials in Luzerne County have noticed a rise last year in syphilis cases, a trend that continues to tick upward.

"Already for the first 10 months of this year, it's much more of a significant rise than we were fearing," she said. While they typically handle a few cases, they have already seen "a number of cases" in the first 10 months of 2023.

"We must increase awareness among all residents," Dr. Bogen said at the conference. "We want people to know that there are simple tests to diagnose syphilis, and treatments available to cure syphilis across the lifespan."

According to the CDC report, missed opportunities include a lack of testing, late identification of the infection, a lack of treatment, inadequate treatment, and gaps in data used to identify opportunities for testing and treatment.

The report also showed that about half of cases studied had no prenatal care at all, meaning they likely missed opportunities to get tested for syphilis while pregnant. The CDC has updated its recommendation that pregnant people get tested three times during gestation as opposed to just once.

"You can acquire the infection across pregnancy," said Dr. Bogen. "And people can have very mild symptoms and not know they have it." Symptoms can also be mild and mirror other illnesses.

"I do think some of this is really about access to care, and getting people to prenatal care," said Dr. Bogen.

In addition to announcing a Health Alert Network Advisory to health care providers across the commonwealth this past May, the state health department and Wilkes-Barre City Health collaborated to mail out 600 letters to OB-GYNs and family practitioners outlining congenital syphilis testing and treatment recommendations, as well as partner management to reduce spread.

It also unveiled a billboard campaign to increase awareness and reduce stigma of the illness. Ms. McGlynn said the team intends to repeat the billboard campaign this December, as well as expand direct outreach and training to health care providers about the severity of the illness.

"We're hoping to also educate providers at these in-services about comprehensive testing, so including syphilis testing, among testing for all other STDs, not just singular testing," said Ms. McGlynn. "You miss a lot of opportunities to prevent syphilis when you just test for one type of STD."

"For individuals who test positive for syphilis, please seek treatment immediately and let your partners know to get tested too," said Dr. Bogen.

2023 PG Publishing Co. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Montanas wolf policy poses enough of a risk to harm grizzly bears that the winter trapping season must be reduced from four months to six weeks, a federal judge ruled on Tuesday.

U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy ordered a preliminary injunction requiring Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks to limit all wolf trapping and snaring in the state west of Billings, as well as Hill, Blaine and Phillips counties, to between Jan. 1 and Feb. 15, 2024.

The trapping/snaring season was scheduled to start Monday, although FWP officials had planned on delaying it until mid-December because many grizzly bears were still active and hadnt denned for winter hibernation.

The ruling came as grizzly advocates sued to block the states 2023 wolf regulations. Molloy issued his injunction the day after a court hearing in Missoula on the matter on Monday. State officials announced they would appeal that decision to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals late Tuesday evening.

The Legislature allowed wolf trapping in 2012, when 6,185 licenses were sold to trappers. That was the highest sale level, and trapping participation and success have both declined since. The Legislature expanded the trapping season and allowed snaring in 2021, along with night-hunting and hunting over bait for wolves in unlimited numbers until a quota is reached.

Before those changes, wolf trapping season ran from Dec. 15 to Feb. 28. In 2021, that was expanded to the first Monday after Thanksgiving until March 15.

Gov. Greg Gianforte accused Molloy of judicial activism in a press release on Wednesday.

Just ahead of Thanksgiving and the start of wolf trapping season, the judges sweeping order tramples the rights of trappers while a few environmental extremists abuse the ESA and ride the gravy train of judicial activism, Gianforte wrote. Montana has a healthy, sustainable population of wolves and grizzlies, and there has been no incidental take of grizzlies from wolf trapping in Montana since 2013. And yet misusing ESA protections for the grizzly to thwart the states wolf management plan, the activist judge has obstructed the state from responsibly managing wolves based on the sound science of FWP biologists. The state has appealed this textbook case of judicial activism, and urges the federal government to review and approve the states petition to delist the grizzly which has recovered in Montanas ecosystems.

FWP spokesman Greg Lemon said on Wednesday that wolf trapping and snaring would start as scheduled in the eastern Montana wolf districts outside Molloys order. Wolf hunting by rifle is also continuing through March 15 as scheduled, he said.

Under federal law, take includes to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect, or to attempt to engage in any such conduct. In their case, the Flathead-Lolo-Bitterroot Citizen Task Force and WildEarth Guardians argued that grizzlies were getting caught in traps or snares set for wolves and coyotes, which would count as an illegal take under the Endangered Species Act.

While the states attorney claimed there were no confirmed reports of grizzlies caught in Montana wolf traps since 2013, Molloy said other evidence showed reports of four grizzly bears with trap-like injuries observed outside the grizzly bear recovery zones in Montana in 2021 alone.

The bear advocates showed almost 40% of grizzlies were active outside their dens after Nov. 27 or before March 15  a trend likely to increase with a warming climate. Grizzlies often overlap wolf territories and compete with them for prey in winter, which can result in their getting lured by bait set for wolves.

Therefore it is reasonably certain that more grizzly bears in Montana will be out and about during the time period and in the locations that wolf trapping is permitted under Montanas 2023 regulations, Molloy wrote.

The state claimed the Montana Legislature has made it very clear that the Montana public wants wolf trapping, specifically including the use of snares, to lower the wolf population in Montana. In his Tuesday ruling, Molloy noted the federal Endangered Species Act showed Congress express intent in enacting the ESA was to halt and reverse the trend toward species extinction  whatever the cost.

So while the state claimed it was protecting Montanas trapping tradition, Molloy responded that the ESAs grizzly protection superseded that by decades.

"This argument fails because Congress has afforded endangered species the highest of priorities and a states public interest can never be at odds with the ESA. Molloy wrote.
This months Muscatine Community school board meeting was kicked off with the re-election of John Dabeet as school board president. After being reelected to the board in this years election, the board unanimously decided that he should keep his position.

I am the kind of person that always likes to lead with integrity and honor, and I will continue to do that," Dabeet said. "We are, all together, a team and I will never ever work in any other way but to work with all of you and serve with you as a team.

For vice president, it was decided that Lindsey Phillips would take over Mike Morgans former position. Both of these decisions came after the board unanimously accepted the Official Report of Votes Abstract for Director At Large and the Revenue Purpose Statement Public Measure QD from the Muscatine County Auditor.

Dabeet and Phillips were then sworn into their positions later that evening, as were board members Karen Cooney, Denny Schuur and newly elected member Kim Schneider, while Morgan was recognized by the board members as well as Superintendent Clint Christopher for his four years of service as vice president with a special plaque.

I knew Mike before he became a member of our school board, but I got to know him way more once he became a part of our board, Dabeet said. Your wisdom, your challenge, your questions  everything you brought to this table will be missed for sure. We wish you always the best.

Following this, the board appointed Daphne Donald as board secretary and Tom Anderson as board treasurer. It also designated MidWestOne Bank, CBI Bank and Trust, Community Bank and Trust, and Iowa Schools Joints Investment Trust (ISJIT) as the boards official depositories of district funds.

The board also appointed Kundel Law Office, Ahlers Law Firm, and Lynch Dallas P.C. as its counsels to represent the school district in legal matters. The Muscatine Journal was designated as the publication of record while Bohnsack and Frommelt was designated as auditor of record. The districts Compliance Officers were also appointed.

After a short discussion, Karen Cooney was appointed to the County Conference Board while Kim Schneider was appointed to the Ag Learning Center Board. Finally, Matt Connor was appointed to the Audit Committee.

Superintendent Christopher took a moment to thank the community for voting to renew the Revenue Purpose Statement that had been on this years election ballot.

A big thank you to them as we continue to have access to these funds until 2050, he said.

The meeting finished with the approval of a change order for the addition on Jefferson Elementary, not to exceed $159,400. Christopher said this was due to the soil borings and excavations at the Jefferson site, which led to the discovery of a concrete slab that will need to be removed. A geo-grid will also be performed in order to assure that the area will be stabilized and ready for the new facility to be built on top of it.

The board also approved its request to the School Budget Review Committee for a modified supplemental amount of $368,335 for open enrolled out students not included in the districts previous year certified enrollment count, as well as its request to the School Budget Review Committee for a modified supplemental amount of $100,858 related to the English language learning program for students who have exceeded five years of weighting.

Finally, it approved casting Paul Brooks and Mike Duytshaver for its votes for the Mississippi Bend AEA Board of Directors.

Transportation issues are making students miss school Transportation issues are making students miss school Challenges facing efficient school transportation
Social media influencer Trisha Khalid, also known as Fosi Mpole Hamis, has denied having any romantic involvement with former Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho.

The actress and model mentioned that ever since she gained prominence, she has had to contend with various rumors about her, particularly concerning her romantic life.

Trisha said the oddest rumour was that she was dating the monied politician.

One of the weirdest rumour I ever heard about me was that I was dating Former Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho.

To this day, I never understood how someone would just sit and come up with such untrue stories even without bothering to verify. That honestly shocked me.

Also Read  Things You Probably Didnt Know About Actress Trisha Khalid

Trisha noted that dating Joho wouldnt be an issue, but the reality is that it never occurred. Regarding her current dating life, Trisha said she is content in her present relationship. She also mentioned has no qualms about dating married men.

My view on dating married men has never changed, I dont see anything wrong with dating married men. Im a Muslim and according to our teachings, its halal to marry up to four wives and there is a good reason for that, she explained.

Beyond the dating rumours, the KOVU actor said she has had to shake off the socialite label that has been attached to her since gaining prominence.

I honestly hate it when people call me socialite because Im not. I have never given anybody a reason to refer to me as a socialite.

I work. Im an actress, I own a spa, and run a boutique as well. All I do is work, how then am I a socialite? Im not, she insisted.
The National Dialogue Committee has announced its plan to finalize its work within the next two days and deliver a report to President William Ruto and Raila Odinga on Saturday.

On Wednesday, the dialogue team held a final closed-door meeting with Treasury Cabinet Secretary Prof. Njuguna Ndungu. The committee stated that the purpose of this meeting was to gather comprehensive information about the current state of the economy.

The session with CS Ndungu aimed to foster consensus on proposals, including the potential repeal of sections of the Finance Act, 2023, which involves considerations such as eliminating the 1.5% housing levy.

The committee, led by Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka and National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichungwah, has affirmed its commitment to burning the midnight oil over the next two days. This dedicated effort is aimed at ensuring the timely completion of the report, scheduled for submission on Saturday.

We met with the CS to gain insights into the exact status of our economywe have made progresswe can assure you that our faces are just tired, but not solely due to todays meeting, remarked Ichungwah.

Musyoka, adding his perspective, mentioned, We are striving to reach consensus on all issues, although our rules of engagement acknowledge that agreement on every matter on the table is not mandatory. The paramount focus is on addressing the concerns related to the cost of living.
The National Police Service(NPS) has successfully recovered two stolen police rifles and gunned down two armed suspects in a gun battle that unfolded in Siaya County on Wednesday morning.

The rifles were stolen by assailants during a violent attack on officers delivering KCSE exam papers to Mahero Secondary School in Alego Usonga.

The deadly incident occurred on Monday morning when two armed police officers and the examination center manager had alighted from their transport vehicle to deliver exam materials.

Unbeknownst to them, hidden assailants unleashed a hail of gunfire, resulting in the tragic death of one officer and leaving the other gravely wounded. Miraculously, the examination center manager emerged unscathed from the ambush.

Exploiting the challenging terrain due to the rainy season, which forced the examination coordinating team to be dropped at a distance from the school gate, the attackers made a quick escape with AK47 and HK MP5 rifles.

On Tuesday, security forces launched an operation after a resident reported seeing guns in the possession of two suspects. Led by detectives from the Operations and Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau, the pursuit spanned across Busia and Siaya counties, ultimately converging on a two-roomed house in the Awinga area of Siaya.

As police approached the residence, a barrage of gunshots erupted, initiating a fierce exchange of fire between the officers and the suspects.

A knock at the wooden door by police was answered by the rattling of sporadic gunshots that ripped through the mud house, forcing the officers into covers and a like retaliation. When the guns went silent, two youthful suspects lay soaked in blood, and beside each, a rifle and several spent cartridges, the DCI said in a report.

A subsequent search of the premises yielded a cache of evidence, including 44 live rounds, 16 spent cartridges, assorted mobile phones, crude weapons, daggers, machetes, military fatigues, and a collection of Islamic literature books, the Quran and prayer mats.

According to the police, the attackers are suspected to have recently returned from Somalia.

While one armed suspect managed to evade capture, another individual of interest has been taken into custody to aid ongoing investigations.

We thank the members of the public for the continued sharing of credible information that goes a long way in tracking down dangerous criminals and thwarting terror incidences in our country, said the DCI.

The NPS further issued a stern warning to armed criminal gangs, that it is just a matter of time before ultimate justice catches up with them, as the all-out war to rid the streets of illegal firearms heightens.
Detectives from the Economic and Commercial Crimes Unit, in conjunction with officers from the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), executed a successful raid Wednesday morning on a liquor store located along Kirinyaga Road in Nairobi.

The operation resulted in the confiscation of 4,920 bottles, each of 250ml, containing counterfeit alcoholic beverages.

The seized counterfeit alcoholic drinks, representing a variety of brands, hold an estimated market value of Sh984,000.

Authorities escorted the confiscated items to a secure KRA warehouse and issued a seizure notice to the suspected individual associated with the illicit liquor.

This latest bust is part of the ongoing and intensified crackdown known as Operation Uchumi, aimed at combating economic crimes and preserving the integrity of commercial activities.

The joint team of investigators is probing the case to ascertain the origin and distribution network of the counterfeit drinks, seeking to dismantle any illicit operations contributing to the proliferation of fraudulent goods in the market.

Further updates on the investigation are expected as the crackdown continues to unfold.
The government will work with the private sector to actualise Universal Health Coverage, President William Ruto has said.

Dr Ruto said the Government will support the pharmaceutical sector to strengthen its local manufacturing capacity. He noted that the Government will review the tax regime and the cost of doing business in the sector.

The Government, he went on, will prioritise the purchase of medical supplies from local manufacturers to support its growth.

Local manufacturing is essential to Universal Health Coverage; lowering the cost of drugs and medical supplies will make it sustainable, affordable and make it work for everybody, he said.

The President made the remarks on Wednesday in Syokimau, Machakos County, during the opening of MEDS Microbiology Laboratory.

The state-of-the-art facility is a World Health Organisation pre-qualified laboratory that will serve and advance healthcare in Kenya and the region.

The President said the government has adopted advanced technology to curb corruption and the wastage of healthcare resources.

He said technology will also enhance the transparency and accountability in the National Social Health Insurance Fund (NSHIF), formerly The National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF).

Use of technology will help us deal with fake claims and pilferage and make sure Kenya gets value for every penny that they contribute, he said.

Later, President Ruto inspected the progress of the 4,000 units Highrise Affordable Housing project in Kibera.

Present were the Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha and Deputy Mission Director USAID Kenya/ East Africa Bert Ubamadu.

Photos
The government has introduced a digital reporting and monitoring tool named Project BETA. This initiative aims to assess and monitor the execution, advancement, and efficacy of national government development projects, priority programs, presidential directives, and crime statistics nationwide.

A communication from the Ministry of Interior on Wednesday, November 22 indicated that the coordination of the project will be managed through the National Government Administration Officers system.

Dr. Raymond Omollo, the Principal Secretary of the Interior, emphasized that the tool is designed to guarantee the punctuality and reliability of information regarding government projects and programs.

During the distribution of tablets to regional and county commissioners at the Kenya School of Government, Dr. Omollo underscored that moving forward, projects will be uploaded and monitored in real time. This information will be accessible through a centralized dashboard, streamlining the tracking process.

The purpose of Project BETA is to capacitate our officers to better supervise, coordinate and oversee effective implementation of National Government policies, programmes and projects with emphasis on the lowest administrative unit being the Sub-Location cascaded upwards to the Region level, said PS Omollo.

The Regional and County Commissioners, who act as chairpersons of the National Government Development Implementation Coordination and Management Committees, will now be facilitated by Project BETA to assess ongoing projects and track the progress achieved.

Moreover, in their roles as chairpersons of the Security and Intelligence Committees at the regional and county levels, they will have access to comprehensive crime statistics. This includes data on incidents occurring in the last hour, 24 hours, one week, or even one month.

Additionally, Project BETA boasts the capability to analyze budgetary allocations and actual expenditures across various regions and counties. Leveraging Artificial Intelligence, it will assess delayed projects and provide feedback on implementation challenges.

National Government Administration Officers( NGAOs) being the governments first point of contact with the grassroots, will play a pivotal role in transforming and maximizing the impact of this targeted investment. This digital reporting capability and enhanced oversight capacity moves us faster to a more modern, functional, and efficient NGAOs that is highly responsive. PS Omollo said.

This development aligns with President William Rutos directive issued during a two-day National Executive Pitstop Retreat. In line with his announcement, the government is now implementing a tracker within the BETA plan to diligently monitor and fulfill every commitment made by the government.

Project BETA will focus on tracking key government priority projects, including the following:
Introduction

The use of cryptocurrency as a substitute for traditional means of payment has grown in popularity.

But as it has grown, concerns about its legal standing have also surfaced.

Before making an investment or engaging in cryptocurrency transactions, it is crucial to understand the legal environment because bitcoin regulation differs from nation to nation.

In this post, well look at the legality of cryptocurrencies in various jurisdictions, the regulatory agencies involved, recent advancements, and cryptocurrency regulations potential in the future.

You can visit this Site for more information.

Cryptocurrency and its legal status in different countries

The legal position of cryptocurrencies varies greatly from nation to nation. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission are two of the US regulatory agencies that oversee cryptocurrencies. (CFTC).

Different forms of cryptocurrencies are handled differently by the law, which complicates the legal position of cryptocurrencies in the US.

For instance, the CFTC classifies Bitcoin as a commodity while classifying other cryptocurrencies as securities.

Cryptocurrencies are mostly prohibited in China. The Peoples Bank of China, the nations central bank, forbids financial institutions from carrying out cryptocurrency transactions, and private individuals are not permitted to trade cryptocurrencies on domestic exchanges.

Cryptocurrencies are permitted in Japan, and the Financial Services Agency (FSA) and the Virtual Currency Exchange Association are the regulatory bodies in charge of overseeing them. (JVCEA).

Since the government and the central bank in India have different perspectives, it is unclear what the law is in India regarding cryptocurrencies.

The Supreme Court has rejected the Reserve Bank of Indias (RBI) restriction on financial institutions transacting in cryptocurrencies.

The Indian government is still putting the finishing touches on a cryptocurrency regulatory framework, though.

Although bitcoin is permitted in the European Union, national laws differ. Investors have been cautioned by the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) about the dangers of investing in cryptocurrencies.

The legal status of cryptocurrencies is continually changing, and new developments may have an impact on the regulatory environment.

The legal position of cryptocurrencies in various nations will be compared in the section after this, and its consequences will be examined.

Comparison of cryptocurrency legality in different countries

Varying nations have quite varying laws regarding the legality of cryptocurrencies.

While some nations, like the United States and India, have a hodgepodge of federal and state legislation, others, like China, have outright outlawed cryptocurrency.

While the European Union has a decentralized regulatory structure with some countries being more lenient than others, Japan has adopted a permissive approach to regulation.

Overall, the level of investor protection provided and the level of innovation within the Bitcoin business is affected by the regulatory approaches used by various nations.

Future of cryptocurrency regulation

As cryptocurrency continues to gain mainstream attention, governments around the world are grappling with how to regulate this new form of currency.

Some governments have already taken steps to regulate cryptocurrency, while others are still in the process of developing a regulatory framework.

One potential future development in cryptocurrency regulation is the creation of a global regulatory framework.

This could help to establish a level playing field for cryptocurrency businesses and investors, and could provide greater clarity around the legal status of cryptocurrency.

Another potential development is the creation of national digital currencies. Several countries, including China and Sweden, are already exploring the creation of their own digital currencies.

These digital currencies would be issued and regulated by central banks, and could potentially pose a challenge to the decentralized nature of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin.

In addition, the rise of decentralized finance (DeFi) has created new challenges for regulators. DeFi platforms allow users to engage in financial transactions without the need for intermediaries such as banks or exchanges.

This presents both opportunities and risks, and regulators will need to develop new frameworks to address these challenges.

Conclusion

The legality of cryptocurrency varies significantly across different countries, and recent developments in regulation have had a significant impact on the industry.

While the future of cryptocurrency regulation is uncertain, it is clear that governments and regulatory bodies are taking an increasingly active role in shaping the industry.

Investors and businesses in the cryptocurrency space should stay informed about these developments and ensure that they are complying with applicable regulations.
ST. HELENA  Credit Joyce Milton, a long-ago childrens librarian at the St. Helena Public Library, with a remarkable eye for talent.

In 1989 she took a chance on 18-year-old Chris Kreiden, an aspiring English major fresh out of high school who loved being around books.

Kreidens part-time job as a shelver developed into a full-time job and ultimately a 34-year career that will end on Nov. 30, when she retires after eight years as St. Helenas library director. The city plans to hire a replacement on an interim basis.

Im going to miss the community and the people Ive worked with, Kreiden said. But Ive always talked about traveling and doing things Ive never done.  I think Im ready to try new things.

Kreiden took over the library in 2015 at a critical time. Under its former director Jennifer Baker, the library had drawn national recognition as one of the best small libraries in the country, but Baker was fired after clashing with then-City Manager Jennifer Phillips.

Bakers replacement was quickly ousted after a drunken driving crash. The library, perhaps St. Helenas most trusted and admired public institution, was suddenly a source of drama.

Enter Kreiden, a soft-spoken, introverted librarian straight out of central casting who restored a sense of calm. She took over as acting library director and became permanent head after impressing Phillips with her leadership.

The staff all knew me, and Jennifer Phillips took a leap of faith with me, Kreiden said.

Then-childrens librarian Leslie Stanton remembers putting Kreidens name forward at a library staff meeting in the tumultuous summer of 2015. She saw Kreiden as an internal candidate with a degree in library science and a strong rapport with the staff.

Chris let us do our jobs, Stanton said. She trusted us, she knew us, and shed also help us when we were inundated.

A life in libraries

Kreidens love for libraries goes back to her childhood, when she got a library card in Calistoga. She lived in Marin County, so as an out-of-towner her mom had to sign off on the application.

I was a fan of mysteries at that point  she still is  so I was reading through their mystery collection at the Calistoga library, she said.

A family friend told her the St. Helena Public Library was hiring, so she applied. Milton hired her on the spot and asked her to start that same day.

Kreiden graduated to the front desk and then to technical services: mending damaged books, processing new ones, putting them into circulation, and answering the occasional reference question. Meanwhile she earned her English degree at Sonoma State University and then a Master of Library and Information Science degree via an early experiment in distance learning at San Jose State University.

Clayla Davis, library director from 1975 to 2000, was one of Kreidens mentors. Shed overseen construction of the library and knew it as well as anybody. Librarians Allie LaCentra and Bobbie Viera were also important influences.

Tech, books and critters

Kreiden never sought out a leadership position, but her education and experience made her a natural fit as library director. She oversaw the librarys continuing embrace of technology, even as the technology evolved.

DVDs and audiobooks on CD, once the wave of the future, are declining with the rise of streaming audio. St. Helena library cardholders get free access to streaming/ebook/audiobook services like Hoopla, Libby and Kanopy.

The new trend in the industry is toward a library of things, where patrons can check out items like puzzles, musical instruments, binoculars, kitchen appliances and tools. Along those lines, a St. Helena branch of the Napa County Seed Library opened in 2021 near the entrance to the children's room.

Physical books, which seemed to be on the way out when ebooks premiered, have proven to be resilient.

Theres something about physically holding a book, especially for children, Kreiden said.

The staff has shown remarkable longevity too, many of them having been at the library for more than a decade.

It might sound odd for a library, but animals have been a constant too. The late Elsie the Library Cat was St. Helenas first viral sensation  and a library book returned 96 years overdue was the second  but there have also been less welcome critters like a mole, a snake and bats. That's all part of doing business next to a scenic vineyard that's one of the library's most famed assets.

The next chapter

After Kreidens father died, she started spending more time with her mom and started thinking of all the non-library things she still wanted to experience. Shed visited her fathers native Ukraine with her parents, as well as her mothers native Germany, but there were still places she wanted to visit.

Like a lot of people during the pandemic, she started thinking about what she wanted to do with her life and how those desires aligned with her career. She crunched the numbers and realized that, thanks to her tenure in Californias public employee retirement system, she could afford to cross some things off her bucket list  including a river cruise down the Rhine.

Kreiden said shes not that good at work-life balance, so removing work from the equation will help her focus on life.

She said the librarys nonprofit supporter  the Friends & Foundation, St. Helena Public Library  has taken on a greater role in funding crucial expenses like books and part-time staff. But its only a matter of time before the library will need more investment. The building badly needs a new roof, and the carpeting and paint could use some work.

The library was an early adopter of free public Wi-Fi. Kreiden said the librarys internet infrastructure was state of the art five years ago but will need to be upgraded eventually.

The staff could also use some more support, Kreiden said. Staffing is so tight that a wave of illnesses, medical issues and vacations forced the library to close for a week in February.

We have a great staff here, but were some of the cheapest employees in the city, Kreiden said.

The staff  many of whom live in St. Helena  have helped the library become one of the focal points of St. Helenas community.

Our focus is the community, and were also part of the community, she said. For a small community, weve been the little engine that could.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of Armenia received Niels Annen, Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany, the PMs office informs.

The Prime Minister expressed satisfaction with the resumption of the negotiations on Armenian-German development cooperation, which had not happened since 2014. Nikol Pashinyan highlighted the inclusion of Armenia in the framework of the "BMZ-2030" reform strategy by the German government. According to the Prime Minister, recently a new dynamic has been recorded in the relations between the two countries, there is a great potential to expand cooperation and the Armenian government is interested in fully realizing it.

Niels Annen noted that the resumption of the Armenian-German intergovernmental negotiations is a conscious decision of the German government, taking into account the steps and reforms aimed at the development and strengthening of democracy in Armenia. Annen added that within the framework of the "BMZ-2030" reform strategy, it is planned to implement projects with Armenia in the areas of economic promotion, energy, vocational education, tourism and other directions. According to the Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany, the above-mentioned programs will contribute to increasing the interest of German companies to operate in Armenia.

The humanitarian problems of more than 100,000 forcibly displaced people from Nagorno-Karabakh as a result of Azerbaijan's ethnic cleansing policy, as well as the steps taken by the Armenian government to overcome them were discussed.

Niels Annen noted that he had a meeting with people forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh in Ararat region and added that the German government is preparing to provide the necessary assistance to contribute to the solution of existing problems.

The sides exchanged ideas on the processes taking place in the region.
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Minister of Foreign Affairs Ararat Mirzoyan on Wednesday met with ambassadors of the European Union (EU) and EU member states accredited to Armenia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia informs Armenian News-NEWS.am.

During the meeting, views were exchanged on the issues of the comprehensive agenda of Armenia-EU partnership. The interlocutors touched upon the steps being taken to further deepen the political dialogue between Armenia and the EU, as well as the prospects for further development of mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields.

Among other things, the interlocutors touched upon holding of the second high-level Armenia-EU Political and Security Dialogue last week in Brussels, the activities of the EU monitoring mission in Armenia, as well as the EU's consistent support to the reform agenda of Armenia and strengthening of democratic institutions, in accordance with the joint statement of October 5 by the Prime Minister of Armenia and the President of the European Commission.

In the context of the implementation of the Armenia-EU Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement and the intensification of people to people contacts, Minister Mirzoyan stressed the importance of directing positive dynamics towards the final decision to start the visa liberalization dialogue.

Regional security issues were discussed at the meeting. Ararat Mirzoyan presented Armenia's vision for the establishment of stability and lasting peace in the region. The Minister emphasized that it is based on the fundamental principles that were also reflected in the statement adopted after the quadrilateral meeting within the framework of the European political Community in Granada in October, and relate to mutual recognition of territorial integrity, border delimitation and unblocking of regional communications.

Ararat Mirzoyan briefed the EU Ambassadors on the project of "Crossroads of Peace" developed by the Government of Armenia which is based on the vision of effective unblocking communications and creation of beneficial interconnections in the region; it can also become a guarantee for peace.

Touching upon the large-scale military attack of Azerbaijan against the people of Nagorno-Karabakh in September and the resulting complete ethnic cleansing of Nagorno-Karabakh, Minister Mirzoyan stressed in particular the imperative to address the needs and rights of the forcibly displaced Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, and the steps taken in that direction.
Past daily of the Republic of Armenia (RA) writes: As we have already informed, former RA Defense Minister Arshak Karapetyan is completing and will soon present to the public the program of the Pan-Armenian Front movement. The fact that Arshak Karapetyan's entry into the political field was to disturb the current authorities of Armenia is neither surprising nor unexpected.

However, it is much more interesting that during the last month, many Azerbaijani media have repeatedly touched upon Karapetyan and the movement he founded. It is noteworthy that in this case, the media outlets associated with the name of [Azerbaijani president] Ilham Aliyev and the Aliyev clan (in particular, Haqqin.az) are particularly active, although the majority of the media in Azerbaijan is placed under the "president."

It is very noteworthy here that the assessments of the Azerbaijani media () are almost identical to the qualifications of the representatives of the western wing of Armenia, i.e. the pro-government circles, which launch a total attack on all those who are not in the same "camp" with them.

By the way, it is interesting that in any case when there was an objective threat to the power of [Armenian PM] Nikol Pashinyan from any person or force, the Azerbaijani press immediately has carried out a big information campaign against that person.
Gnel Sanosyan, Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of Armenia, had a videoconference meeting with Raj Kumar Singh, Minister for Power and New and Renewable Energy of India. This was reported to Armenian News-NEWS.am by the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of Armenia.

The Armenian minister emphasized that Armenian-Indian relations are developing at a fast pace, especially recently.

Also, Sanosyan highlighted the fact that Armenia recently joined the International Solar Alliance, and expressed hope that the relations will develop at the same pace within those frameworks, too.

The interlocutors discussed cooperation in the energy sector. Minister Sanosyan underscored the participation of Indian companies in the construction, reconstruction, and modernization of Armenia's energy infrastructure.

Alternate visits of relevant professional groups to Armenia and India for experience exchange and capacity building were highlighted as well.
Our policy regarding our brothers and sisters forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh is as follows: in the conditions when they do not have an objective opportunity to return to Nagorno-Karabakh, we must do everything to ensure that they remain in Armenia. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced this at Thursdays Cabinet meeting of the Armenian government.

"I must report with satisfaction that we analyze and see that there is no [more] flow of displaced persons from Nagorno-Karabakh from Armenia; that is, there are no phenomena of emigration. In the first days, there was quite a disturbing number of people [from Karabakh] going [from Armenia], but we assumed that in most cases, people just visit on the invitation of relatives [abroad] and return [to Armenia]," he said.

According to Pashinyan, the situation has stabilized in that respect. The head of the Armenian government considered this an important signal in terms of evaluating the results of the policy implemented by them.

"Let my words not be interpreted as if we have completely solved the problems of those people. At some point, our policies being conducted towards the [Armenian] people forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh and the residents of Armenian should become identical," said Nikol Pashinyan.
Apartments and cultural monuments in Nagorno-Karabakh are all protected by Azerbaijani special forces, and the houses are sealed; no one enters, said Farid Shafiyev, Chairman of the Center of Analysis of International Relations (AIR Center) of Azerbaijan, APA reports.

"There is a certain part in the decision of the International Court of Justice on this issue. This is the responsibility of Azerbaijan. After that, it is difficult to say how the processes will take place physically. I understand that, as the government of Azerbaijan has already announced, we will also announce that those [i.e. Armenians who left Nagorno-Karabakh] who want will be given time. In other words, those who want to return completely will return, or those who want to come and take their belongings, most likely, conditions will be created. In other words, Azerbaijan will implement the court's decision, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan has already issued a statement on this," Shafiyev said.
The board of Fundacion Corporacion America (Fruitful Foundation) has announced it will afford all the necessary costs in order to repair the premises of Yerevans synagogue, the main place of worship for the Armenian Jews, the Foundation informed in a statement. It added as follows:

The Synagogue was recently savagely vandalized with considerable damage to its building.

Fundacion Corporacion America (Fruitful Foundation) is deeply disheartened at the moment of learning the news of such act of vandalism and wants to stress that any violence against any religion or any nationality must always be strongly condemned.
Speaker of the Republic of Armenia National Assembly (RA NA), Alen Simonyan, on Thursday hosted a delegation led by the President of Iraq, Abdullatif Jamal Rashid, the NA informs Armenian News-NEWS.am.

During the private conversation followed the official reception the RA NA President and the President of Iraq exchanged ideas on the similarities of the activities of the parliaments of the two countries, the representation of the minorities in the parliament and establishing lasting peace in the region.

At the meeting in the extended format the sides talked about the stable development of the Armenian-Iraqi friendly relations and the necessity of activation of contacts in many spheres.

In the context of political dialogue, the role and significance of parliamentary diplomacy was highlighted, distinguishing the role of the Parliamentary Friendship Groups in the development and strengthening of the inter-parliamentary relations. The sides recorded that in recent years the political dialogue has considerably activated between the two countries, which is a firm basis and guarantee for the development and strengthening of the inter-state relations in all spheres.

Touching upon the security problems, Alen Simonyan underscored the importance of the implementation of the Crossroads of Peace project: Mr. President, you have already been gave the details regarding the Crossroads of Peace. The implementation of this project will bring great advantage to the involving countries, including Iraq, taking into consideration the short duration of flights from Iraq to Armenia. The RA NA President added that the project gives opportunities for the development of economy and communication for the South Caucasus region, as well as the countries being outside the region.

Thanking the RA NA President for the warm reception, the President of Iraq emphasized Iraq as a politically stable, economically prospering country with rich history. In the history and culture of the country he singled out the role of the Armenians and the Armenian community, stressing that the Armenians of Iraq are considered to be part of a demographic picture and have a great role in the issues significant for the country. President Abdullatif Jamal Rashid noted that the goal of this visit is the exchange of experience, getting acquainted with the details of the investment policy and once again re-establishing the partnership ties.

In the end of meeting the President of Iraq left a note in the Book of the RA NA Honored Guests. He wrote in particular: All of us are hopeful that the relations of Iraq with Armenia will be strengthened, including both the legislative and the legal cooperation.
CSTO Secretary General Imangali Tasmagambetov will visit Armenias capital Yerevan after the organization's current summit in Minsk and hand the documents signed in the capital of Belarus to the Armenian side so that the latter join them, Belarusian Foreign Minister Sergei Aleinik informed, RIA Novosti reported.

"I had a telephone conversation with my Armenian colleague. We discussed these issues, decision-making mechanisms. All the decisions that will be taken today are completely legitimate. In accordance with the organization's rules and procedures... decisions are made by consensus of all member countries. We have agreed that after the summit, the CSTO Secretary General will visit Yerevan," Aleinik told reporters within the framework of the CSTO summit in Minsk Thursday.

He said that all the decisions that will be discussed today by the CSTO heads of state and will be finalized in Minsk, by the coordinating committee, will be forwarded to the Armenian partners.

"We expect them to join them," added the minister of foreign affairs of Belarus.
The summit of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) has started at the Palace of Independence in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, BelTA reported

Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko welcomed the leaders of the CSTO nations in the Grand Ceremonial Hall. Those were the presidents of Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. After the photo-op, the leaders will take part in the CSTO Collective Security Council session that will be chaired by Aleksandr Lukashenko.

Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was the only leader of the CSTO member state who did not come to Minsk for the summit. It was not the first time the Armenian leader refused to take part in integration events. In October he missed the CIS summit in Bishkek.

At a narrow-participation meeting the heads of state will discuss international and regional security issues and take stock of the CSTO's activities in the inter-sessional period. The presidents will be briefed by the CSTO secretary general and exchange views.

Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev is expected to speak at the plenary meeting about the CSTO priority areas during Kazakhstan's chairmanship in the organization.

The leaders of the CSTO member states are expected to sign the Declaration of the CSTO Collective Security Council. The list of documents for signing also includes a number of CSTO Collective Security Council decisions related to the improvement of the CSTO crisis response system, the operation of the CSTO joint press center, the institution of the Together for Peace Medal, and the CSTO budget.

The heads of state are also expected to decide on the candidate for the post of the chief of the CSTO Joint Staff, the structure of the CSTO Joint Staff, the distribution of quotas in the Secretariat, the awarding of the CSTO medals, the chairmanship in the Organization, as well as the time and place of the next session of the CSTO.
At this phase and at this moment, issues of removing the Russian military base from Armenia or withdrawing Armenia from the CSTO are not on Armenias agenda. Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Mnatsakan Safaryan announced this on Thursday, during a briefing with reporters, and commenting on the concerns voiced by Russian MP Konstantin Zatulin that in the near future there will be the matters of withdrawal of the Russian military base from Gyumri, Armenia, as well as the latters leaving the CSTO and EAEU.

"They are working relations. Naturally, there are disagreements on some issues; we continue to work on addressing, responding to them," said the Armenian official, responding to a reporter's question about the current status of Armenian-Russian relations, also considering the mutual criticisms voiced by various Armenian and Russian officials.

Deputy FM Safaryan noted that Armenia makes the decision to participate in various events of the CSTO in accordance with expediency.

And regarding the statements made by Russia that Armenia is changing its political vector, the Armenian official said: "Those are their views; we have informed about our views in that regard."
A meeting between the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan is not planned in the near future. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mnatsakan Safaryan announced this on Thursday, speaking with reporters at the National Assembly of Armenia.

When asked whether a meeting between Armenian FM Ararat Mirzoyan and his Azerbaijani counterpart, Jeyhun Bayramov, planned in the near future, Safaryan responded: "There is no such information yet."

The deputy minister of foreign affairs of Armenia, however, said he considers the planned regular meeting of the border delimitation commissions of Armenia and Azerbaijan on the state border of the two countries as a manifestation of constructiveness on the part of Armenia.

To remind, today it became known that according to the preliminary agreement, a regular meeting between the Armenia-Azerbaijan state border delimitation commissions of the two countries will be held on November 30 at their state border.
There are matters where the presence of mediators is mandatory in the negotiations with Azerbaijan. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mnatsakan Safaryan stated this on Thursday, speaking with reporters at the National Assembly of Armenia.

"There are matters where the presence of mediators has a very important role," Safaryan said.

According to the Armenian deputy FM, such matters, for example, refer to the rights of Armenians forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh.

"The existence of international mechanisms is important here; that is one matter. There are other matters where guarantees are important. We have noted that at the moment, the matter of the rights of the forcibly displaced [Armenian] population [of Nagorno-Karabakh] is being raised by Armenia in the negotiations," Safaryan emphasized.
Armenia did not block any decision of the CSTO summit. State Secretary of the Security Council of Belarus, Aleksandr Volfovich, told reporters about this on Thursday, reports BelTA.

"No decision is blocked. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia have agreed on all decisions [i.e. the documents submitted to the summit with the participation of the heads of state], the declaration. This also speaks of mutual understanding, including from the Armenian side, in solving issues that are now entrusted to the Organization," said Volfovich

Answering BelTA's question as to how sensitive the absence of the Armenian side at the summit is for the CSTO, he said: "Of course, I would like everyone to be present todayboth heads of state and delegations. But the most important thing is that the Armenian side has agreed to all the decisions. But there are objective and subjective reasons, apparently, why our Armenian colleagues decided not to come to [Belarusian capital] Minsk today.

Aleksandr Volfovich, however, is sure that Armenia has no desire to leave the CSTO.

"This is a mistake, this is not in favor of the people of Armenia primarily and not in the interest of the country," stressed the State Secretary of the Security Council of Belarus.
Dmitry Peskov, press secretary of the Russian president, commented on the absence of Armenian representatives at the CSTO summit in Belarusian capital Minsk, and expressed hope that Armenia will not change the vectors of its foreign policy and will remain an ally and strategic partner of the other CSTO countries, reports RIA Novosti.

"We hope that Armenia will not change the vectors of its foreign policy, Armenia remains our ally, our strategic partner, both in terms of cooperation in bilateral and multilateral formats. We will continue to talk with them," Peskov said in an interview with Russian TV journalist Pavel Zarubin.

The video of this interview is posted on Zarubin's Telegram channel.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had announced earlier that he will not be able to attend the CSTO summit in Minsk, Thursday.
The United Kingdom (UK) will do whatever it can to support bilateral exchanges and steps towards peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Leo Docherty, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Europe at the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, stated this in an interview with APA news agency in Azerbaijan.

"Well, of course, we are deeply interested in peace in the South Caucasus. This week I have been to Yerevan and Tbilisi, in Georgia and now I am here, so we are very actively engaged. We believe there is a clear opportunity for peace to be cemented and we support any mechanism that can bring that about. Clearly, European countries have a role, America probably has a role, and the most important note, that the two most important countries are of course, Azerbaijan and Armenia. So, from the British side, we will do whatever we can to support that bilateral exchange of views and steps towards peace. For us, it is clear that an open, unique opportunity does exist now and we sincerely hope that both sides will take it," said Docherty.

And answering the question about the statements of other countries, Germany and France, regarding the mediator's role, Docherty said: "Well, I think we, of course, as a strong ally of Azerbaijan and also with a very strong relationship with Armenia, we have a role like many other countries, but I don't think it is useful for individual countries to just speculate on their own role. What is useful is for us to reassure both countries that we will be there to support them, and the process should be guided by the preferences of Azerbaijan and Armenia. That is the best way forward."
Bangladesh convicts 200 more opposition activists

The police accuse opposition members of torching hundreds of vehicles during their more than three weeks long nationwide strikes and transport blockades. Photo: AFP

Bangladeshi courts have convicted more than 200 officials and activists of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, mostly in absentia, lawyers said on Thursday, taking the number sentenced since last month to nearly 500.



The BNP said the cases were politically motivated, aimed at crushing the only opposition party in the country that can offer a realistic challenge to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's 15-year rule.



Bangladesh holds a general election on January 7, with Hasina eyeing her fourth consecutive term in power.



Many were convicted on historic charges over protest violence, with sentences ranging from 2.5 to seven years.



Monir uz Zaman, a prosecutor, said 75 BNP activists were sentenced in a Dhaka court to 2.5 years on charges of violence and arson during political turmoil in 2013.



Zaman said 72 of the 75 were "absconding" and were now wanted fugitives.



Atauar Rahman, a prosecutor at the Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate court, said that 112 BNP activists were convicted in two separate cases of violence in 2013 and 2018.



Taposh Kumar Paul, another prosecutor, said another Dhaka court sentenced 12 BNP activists to seven years in jail for violence in 2015.



Nazrul Islam, a defence lawyer, said 11 more BNP members were sentenced to seven years in jail on Wednesday for violence during political clashes in 2013.



Several of those convicts were also sentenced in absentia.



Islam said cases had been "conducted in a hurry."



Kayser Kamal, BNP's legal chief, said nearly 500 BNP senior officials and activists have been sentenced in recent days.



They included former lawmakers, youth and student leaders and those who had hoped to contest elections.



"These cases are staged, baseless and politically motivated," he said. "Trials of these cases started all of a sudden just a few weeks before the national election."



The BNP has staged a series of major rallies and marches in a bid to force Hasina to quit power and let a neutral government run the polls.



But since late last month, the police have cracked down on the opposition, arresting almost the entire top leadership of the BNP and arresting thousands of its activists and supporters.



Hasina has overseen impressive economic growth during her 15 years in power, but there has been international alarm over her increasingly authoritarian rule and thousands of extrajudicial killings.



Amnesty International has raised concerns over the convictions, saying they are part of a pre-election repression of the opposition.



"It is important to note that those incarcerated are not allowed to vote in Bangladesh," said Yasasmin Kaviratne, a South Asia regional campaigner of Amnesty International.



Amnesty International has documented "a chilling pattern of repression in Bangladesh where opposition leaders and activists have been repeatedly arbitrarily arrested solely for their dissenting views, especially a few weeks ahead of the election," she added.



Apart from the convictions, the BNP and the Jamaat-e-Islami, the country's largest Islamist party, said at least 16,000 of their activists have been arrested since October 28 when police broke up a major opposition rally in Dhaka after the killing of an officer in clashes.



Police haven't disclosed the full figure of the arrests but said those who were arrested had warrants against their names.



In a statement police have also accused opposition members of torching nearly 290 vehicles, mostly buses, during their more than three weeks long nationwide strikes and transport blockades.



At least six people were killed in the violence, police said. (AFP)
Ahead of the Assembly polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has written an open letter to the people of Rajasthan, accusing the Congress government of "inflicting irreparable damage to the state's reputation." Rajasthan is set for assembly polls on November 25, with votes to be counted on December 3. He further said that the people of the state are disheartened by the actions of the Ashok Gehlot government. Attacking the Congress government over a range of issues, including crime against women and corruption, PM Modi alleged the ruling party has made Rajasthan the number one state in crimes. PM Modi alleged that the Congress government, due to its appeasement policy, refrained from taking action against criminals, thereby allowing anti-social elements to operate freely in Rajasthan. He lamented the challenging situation in the state, where even practising one's faith has become difficult. "Today, the situation is such that even following one's faith has become difficult in Rajasthan," he stated. He claimed that the BJP, on the other hand, has always thought about the development and prosperity of Rajasthan. After the BJP forms government in the state, water resources will be a top priority. "Our vision is the path of effort, prestige and progress. The coming BJP government in Rajasthan will work as a double-engine government. For this double-engine government, fast development, respect for the poor and a policy of zero tolerance towards corruption will be the basic mantras of good governance," PM Modi added. Highlighting the crime against women in Rajasthan, he said that the past five years have become the most unsafe for women in the state. He claimed that the women of Rajasthan were determined to remove the Congress government. In the 2018 Assembly polls, the Congress won 99 seats, while the BJP won 73. (ANI)
Rajib Saikia, Joint Director of DIPR, said that he has been sentenced to undergo 3 years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 3,000 in default of rigorous imprisonment of one month under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act, 1988.

"He has also been sentenced to 4 years rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 5,000 in default rigorous imprisonment of 2 months under Section 13(2) of the PC Act. Both sentences will run concurrently," Rajib Saikia said.

In a statement, Saikia said that a complaint was received on March 28, 2018 at the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption, Assam, alleging that SI (UB) Bhagyeswar Hazarika, posted at Bakalia Police Station in Karbi Anglong district, demanded Rs 3,000 as a bribe from the complainant for releasing his bike.

"Unwilling to pay the bribe, the complainant had approached the Directorate about taking the necessary legal action against the public servant," it said.

Accordingly, a trap was laid and SI (UB) Bhagyeswar Hazarika was caught red-handed in the presence of independent witnesses immediately after he accepted Rs 3,000 as a demanded bribe from the complainant, the official said.

"The tainted bribe money was recovered from his possession and was seized accordingly in the presence of independent witnesses," he added.

Following his arrest, a case was registered and the accused was charged on March 3, 2019, the official said in the statement. (ANI)
A multi-specialty quaternary care hospital in the heart of the city has proved yet again that geographical boundaries no longer need to define the reach of hope and life. In a remarkable medical achievement, the heart of a two-year-old brain-dead patient from New Delhi was transported to MGM Healthcare, Chennai for a life-saving transplant across 2000 km within 3 and a half hours on November 18. This feat was made possible due to the collective efforts of medical professionals and the dedicated support of traffic authorities in both cities. The heart retrieved from a two-year-old brain-dead patient from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, was used to successfully complete an ABO-incompatible heart transplant on an 8-month-old girl child who was identified with dilated cardiac myopathy at MGM Healthcare Chennai under the skillful guidance of Dr KR Balakrishnan, Director of the Institute of Heart and Lung Transplant & Mechanical Circulatory Support. The transplant surgery was performed with great success, offering a new lease of life to the recipient. The heart was retrieved from the donor at 1:30 p.m. and airlifted from New Delhi Airport at 2:00 p.m., and the organ reached Chennai airport at 4:40 p.m. A "Green Corridor" was created from the airport to MGM Healthcare to ensure smooth and fast transportation of the heart, which reached the hospital at 5:00 PM. This exceptional achievement was made possible by the coordinated efforts of the medical teams and the unwavering support of the New Delhi, Chennai, and Greater Chennai Traffic Police. The establishment of a "green corridor" facilitated the swift and seamless transportation of the organ. Such corridors have proven to be invaluable in expediting organ transfers from donors to recipients, contributing to the efficiency of organ transplantation procedures and saving numerous lives. The Medical Green Corridor initiative has emerged as a vital tool for enhancing organ transplant procedures and increasing the number of lives saved across India. This remarkable achievement stands as a testament to the dedication of healthcare professionals and the collaborative spirit of communities working together to save lives. The rapid organ transportation, coupled with the expertise of the medical team, exemplifies the incredible progress made in organ transplantation and highlights the potential for further advancements in the field. (ANI)
The injured CRPF Jawan has been airlifted to Ranchi for treatment and his condition is stable, the official statement added.

Meanwhile, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren said that the fight to end naxalism is in the final stage.

"Operation is going on there. An incident took place 3-4 days ago, too. The fight to end naxalism is in the final stages. We are proud of our soldiers," CM Soren told reporters in Ranchi.

Earlier this year, two CRPF personnel, including an inspector-ranked officer, were injured in IED blasts that took place during an anti-insurgency operation under the Tonto Thana area in West Singhbhum.

Jharkhand is severely affected by naxalism. The "Naxalites" have set up their bases in the forest and hilly regions of the state, providing lower administrative vaccum in those areas. They refer to the areas as "liberated from the government's rule".

The issue of naxalism has caused severe damage to human lives and infrastructure, such as railway lines, etc. (ANI)
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has praised the Prime Minister, who participated in the 'Braj Raj Utsav 2023' in Mathura, saying that under Narendra Modi's leadership, the 142 crore people of the country have witnessed the emergence of a "new India." "The respect for the new India has increased on the global stage. Wherever you (an Indian) go in the world today, the entire world acknowledges you with respect, making the population of 142 crore proud," CM Adityanath remarked on Thursday. Under PM Modi's leadership, India's borders have been secured, he said. "In his tenure of 9.5 years, every problem of the country has been addressed, paving the way for its resolution. The comprehensive development plan for India, formulated within 9.5 years, has been effectively implemented under PM Modi's leadership. Today, India presents itself as a developed nation and in a new light to the world," the UP CM said. During his Mathura visit on Thursday, PM Modi worshipped in all four temples on the premises of Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi Temple here. Beginning from offering his prayers to Lord Adikeshav, the PM visited the Yogmaya temple to seek blessings from Ma Yogmaya, after that, he performed puja in the 'Garbha Griha' of Lord Krishna temple and finally, PM Modi worshipped at 'Bhagwat Bhawan'. Three pundits assisted the Prime Minister in the worship ceremony. The Secretary of the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi Temple Trust also presented a picture to PM Modi after the 'darshan and puja'. Later, PM Modi participated in the Braj Raj Utsav. CM Yogi added that under the Modi government, "This is one India and also the best India, which not only develops but also effectively implements welfare schemes for the poor." He further emphasised that Kashi Vishwanath Dham, created under the Prime Minister's leadership, is now attracting the entire country and the world towards it. Kedarpuri in Uttarakhand is experiencing new glory and also the divine realm of Mahakal in Ujjain and the land of Braj. "In Braj, under the Prime Minister's guidance, Mathura Vrindavan has been given the status of a municipal corporation and development of all seven pilgrimage sites has been done by moving forward with a new plan of the Braj Teerth Development Council", Yogi added. He said that while preserving the cultural heritage of Mathura, Vrindavan, Barsana, Gokul, Nandgaon, and Govardhan, efforts have been made to advance its development program by running a campaign. However, taking into consideration the convenience of the pilgrims coming to the Vrindavan area, efforts have also been made to expand the basic facilities here. Yogi further said, "The gift of yoga from our sages and saints has been taken by PM Modi to 190 countries worldwide. He has given it global recognition, and now the world is benefiting from it. Kumbh has gained global acceptance, and now Mathura, Vrindavan, and all the teerths here have become part of this campaign, benefiting for the past nine years. Similarly, in Ayodhya, everyone is aware that something that seemed impossible is going to happen under PM Modi's leadership on January 22." The Chief Minister further mentioned that Meera Bai was an unparalleled devotee of Lord Krishna and also a queen of Mewar. She was a disciple of Sant Ravidas. She symbolized equality and affection. He reassured PM Modi that the Uttar Pradesh government, under his leadership, will not only work for development but will also continuously strive to preserve the heritage tradition. During the Braj Raj Utsav, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and Governor Anandi Ben Patel jointly released a postage stamp featuring Meera Bai and a coin of Rs 525, commemorating her 525th birth anniversary. Following the release of the postage stamp, a documentary film produced by the Union Ministry of Culture about Sant Meera Bai was also screened. During the Braj Raj Utsav, actress and Member of Parliament Hema Malini presented a dance drama portraying Meera's love for Krishna. The theatrical performance by the Mathura MP received warm applause from the audience. (ANI)
South Korea's defence chief Shin Won-sik said Thursday that a partial suspension of a 2018 inter-Korean tension reduction deal is "a proportional response" and "a minimal defensive measure" against the North Korean regime following Pyongyang's controversial satellite launch, Yonhap News reported. The satellite launch took place around 10:42 pm on Tuesday and the Malligyong-1 reconnaissance satellite was placed in orbit about 12 minutes later, Kyodo reported citing the official Korean Central News Agency. Shin's comments came hours after North Korea's defence ministry vowed to immediately restore all military measures halted under the Comprehensive Military Agreement and warned that the South must "pay dearly" for its decision. A 2018 accord that calls for setting a no-fly zone around the Military Demarcation Line separating the two Koreas, was suspended on Wednesday by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol. "North Korea's launch of what it calls a military spy satellite on November 21 is a clear violation of the UN Security Council resolutions and a serious provocation against the international community, once again showing it has no will to abide by the military agreement," Shin said in a parliamentary session, reported Yonhap. "Therefore, the partial suspension of the agreement is an essential measure to protect people's lives and safety. It is a corresponding response to North Korea's provocation and a minimal defensive measure," he said. Shin has stated South Korea will resume aerial surveillance operations near the border region an appropriate response to the growing threat posed by the North. "If North Korea stages provocations under the pretext of the suspension, we will respond immediately, strongly and until the end," Shin said. Shortly after the suspension of the motion, surveillance drones and reconnaissance aircraft were deployed near the border North Korea supposedly fired an unspecified ballistic missile toward the East Sea on Wednesday night, but the launch appears to have failed, the South Korean military said, Yonhap News reported. The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, currently docked at a naval base in the southeastern port city of Busan is expected to join naval drills between South Korea and the US, as well as trilateral drills involving Japan, scheduled over the weekend, Yonhap News reported.(ANI)
Terming illegal immigrants as "Aliens", Balochistan Caretaker Information Minister Jan Achakzai has said that the second phase of a crackdown against illegal foreigners has been initiated and the government is planning to deport 1 million illegal foreigners by January 2024, Pakistan-based Geo News reported. More than 340,000 illegal migrants, particularly Afghans, have voluntarily left or been deported from Pakistan after the Pakistan caretaker government announced its decision to deport undocumented refugees on October 5. Earlier in October, the Pakistan caretaker government had said that all illegal immigrants should leave Pakistan by November 1 or face forceful expulsion, according to Geo News report. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, the caretaker provincial minister Jan Achakzai said all government agencies are involved in the crackdown on the illegal migrants, Geo News reported. He further said, "Those under any delusion that they will dodge crackdown live in fool's paradise." Achakzai stated that the repatriation of unregistered Afghan nations is taking place via the Chaman border. However, the process slowed down in the past few days. Thousands of Afghans are heading back to Afghanistan on a daily basis through Chaman and Torkham borders, according to Geo News report. In addition to other measures for the return of Afghans to Afghanistan, transit camps equipped with facilities have been setup in various areas for their temporary accommodation. The apex committee in a meeting on the National Action Plan (NAP) on October 3 decided to expel illegal foreigners. The decision was taken after a deadly suicide blast in Balochistan's Mastung, which claimed the lives of over 60 people. According to a statistical report released by the independent think tank Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), at least 271 terrorist attacks took place during the first half of 2023, claiming the lives of 389 people and injuring 656 others. Terror activities in Pakistan increased by 79 per cent during the period. The United Nations (UN) has also said that refugees residing in Pakistan should be allowed to exit the country voluntarily and no pressure should be placed on them, Geo News reported. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) statistics, approximately 1.33 million registered refugees hold Proof of Registration (PoR) cards, and 840,000 have Afghan citizenship cards. (ANI)
The European Commission has approved a revised version of Hungary's recovery and resilience plan, a decision that will see Euro 920 million be given to Budapest, no strings attached, reported Euronews. The amendment adds Euro 4.6 billion (Euro 3.9 billion in low-interest loans and 0.7 billion euros in non-repayable grants) to the previously endorsed plan, making a total of 10.4 billion euros in EU funds to be disbursed in gradual tranches over the next years. The revision of the recovery and resilience plan is a part of the European Union's RePower, part of the Union's plan to diversify away from imported fossil fuels and accelerate the green transition. The RePower plan was introduced in the aftermath of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Countries are entitled to receive 20 per cent of their allocated cash under RePower EU as "pre-financing" to provide liquidity and kick-start clean energy projects. In Hungary's case, the "pre-financing" amounts to Euro 920 million, which will be paid out in two separate tranches over the next twelve months, reported Euronews. The remainder of the Euro 10.4 billion plan remains strictly linked to the fulfilment of 27 "super milestones," a series of reforms related to the fight against corruption, the strengthening of judicial independence and the establishment of audit systems. Notably, the Euro 920 million going to Hungary does not come with extra conditions. Hungary has been said to have made substantial progress in completing their "super milestones". The Commission's positive assessment, released on Thursday afternoon, still needs to be approved by a qualified majority of member states. The green light is widely expected to happen, as governments follow an unwritten gentlemen's agreement under which they do not block each other's national plans once the Commission gives its blessing, nevertheless, the Euro 920 million set for Hungary will undoubtedly be controversial within the bloc, Euronews has reported. In reaction to what he calls "financial blackmail," Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has adopted a filibustering position and threatened to wield his veto power to derail key collective decisions, including the opening of membership talks with Ukraine, which applied for EU membership four days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The far-right nationalist leader, Victor Orban met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, last month, becoming the first EU leader to have a bilateral meeting with the Russian President since the Kremlin invaded Ukraine in 2022. (ANI)
Tel Aviv [Israel], November 23 (ANI/TPS): Ahead of an imminent prisoner exchange, Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir on Thursday instructed the police to shut down celebrations for Palestinian terrorists returning to their homes. "My instructions are clear: there are to be no expressions of joy," said Ben-Gvir during a situational assessment with police and prison service officials. "Expressions of joy are equivalent to backing terrorism, victory celebrations give backing to those human scum, for those Nazis." Prison officials were likewise instructed to crack down on celebrations inside the jails. Israel and Hamas are now exchanging lists of abductees and imprisoned terrorists ahead of a partial prisoner exchange and temporary ceasefire brokered by Qatar. Details of the agreement are being finalized in Doha and a formal announcement is expected later today. Until then, fighting continues in the Gaza Strip. Under the terms of the ceasefire agreement, 150 Palestinian prisoners and 50 Israeli hostages -- primarily women and children -- will be released in stages over a four-day period. Israel published a list of 300 Palestinian prisoners of whom 150 will be freed. Israeli terror victims have a 24-hour window to file legal petitions to the Supreme Court. While some of the Palestinians aren't associated with any specific terror group, many are affiliated with Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. The released Palestinians will be allowed to return to their previous residences. Palestinians in eastern Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria are preparing celebrations to welcome the terrorists home. In January, Defense Minister Yoav Galant revoked travel permits for three Palestinian Authority officials who participated in a celebration for the release of Karim Younis, one of the longest-serving prisoners jailed for terror. The three had travelled to the Younis family's home in 'Ara, south of Haifa. Younis and his cousin, Maher, killed Cpl Avraham Bromberg in 1980 as he was on his way to an army base in the Golan. Younis was greeted by large crowds in 'Ara. The police's failure to prevent the celebration prompted Ben-Gvir to order an investigation into how the festivities were allowed to occur. At least 1,200 people were killed in Hamas's attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Another 240 men, women, children and soldiers were taken back to Gaza as hostages. Some people remain unaccounted for as Israeli authorities continue to identify bodies and search for human remains. (ANI/TPS)
NEW ORELANS  Coast Guard officials are continuing to monitor a large crude oil release that was discovered several miles off the Louisiana coast last week.

The slick was spotted last Thursday in the Gulf of Mexico along the Main Pass Oil Gathering pipeline system close to Plaquemines Parish, southeast of New Orleans, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. Officials estimated as much as 1.1 million gallons could have been released.

A Clean Gulf Associates 95-foot response vessel skims crude oil approximately 4 miles southeast of South Pass Louisiana, Nov. 17, 2023.

The 67-mile pipeline was shut down Thursday morning. The Coast Guard has conducted daily monitoring flights over the oil slick while two Coast Guard Cutters and drones monitor the situation near the waters surface.

On Friday, observation teams saw visible oil moving southwest away from the Louisiana shore as three skimming boats worked to recover oil on the surface.

On Saturday and Sunday, flight crews observed intermittent surface sheens, the Coast Guard said. By Wednesday, overflights hadnt observed any new visible sheen.

HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHER ON TV

So far, there have been no impacts on the Louisiana coast nor any observed oiled wildlife.

Crews have inspected 23 miles of the pipeline through Wednesday, but the source of the sheen has not been determined. Coast Guard officials are broadcasting safety warning messages to mariners in the region advising of the oil spill.





Original article source: 1.1 million gallon oil spill monitored off Louisiana coast in Gulf of Mexico
MEDIC says one person was taken to the hospital after being shot on Thanksgiving morning in southwest Charlotte.

The shooting happened just before 11 a.m. Thursday, according to MEDIC. It happened on Choyce Circle, which is north of Arrowood Road.

MEDIC said the victim had life-threatening injuries.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department hasnt released any information about the shooting yet. Its not clear if a suspect is wanted at this time.

The victim hasnt been identified.

Were working on getting more information, check back for updates.

(WATCH: Officers prevented potential mass shooting in downtown Boone, chief says)
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WREG)  An 18-year-old has been charged with capital murder after a shooting and crash left three people dead in Tunica County.

According to the Tunica County Sheriffs Office, Deonte Carnell Taylor of Tunica was charged Wednesday with three counts of capital murder, four counts of shooting into a motor vehicle, and four counts of conspiracy to commit a crime.

County seeks capital murder charge after triple homicide near Mississippi casinos

On Nov. 10, three people were found dead in a wrecked car on Casino Center Drive. The car was burned and filled with bullet holes. The victims were identified as 23-year-old Steven Burts, 24-year-old Deshun Isabell, and 25-year-old Tednequa Moore.

Triple homicide near Mississippi casino leaves family seeking answers

The sheriffs office said Moore was pregnant at the time of her death, which prompted them to seek the capital murder charges. In Mississippi, capital murder is punishable by life in prison or the death penalty.

Taylor is being held in the Tunica County Jail without bond.

The Tunica County Sheriffs Office says the investigation is ongoing with more arrests to be made.

Anyone with information about the homicides is urged to call the sheriffs office at 662-363-1411 or call CrimeStopper at 662-910-0400.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com.
In 1970, Leonard Bernstein and his wife were criticized for hosting a fundraiser soiree for the Black Panther Party

Leonard Bernstein and his wife, actress Felicia Montealegre Lee/Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

In 1970, composer Leonard Bernstein and his wife Felicia Montealegre hosted a fundraiser for the Black Panther Party.

The couple faced swift backlash for their party, which journalist Tom Wolfe decried as an example of 'radical chic.'

But Bernstein and Montealegre remained committed to supporting racial equity and human rights causes.

On January 14, 1970, Felicia Montealegre, the wife of composer Leonard Bernstein, hosted what would become a highly controversial fundraiser party to support the Black Panther Party.

That evening, nearly 100 people  from wealthy socialites and celebrities to premier journalists  gathered at the Bernsteins' Park Avenue duplex to support the families of the Panther 21. In April 1969, a group of 21 members of the Black Panther Party had been charged with conspiring to kill police and bomb New York City police precincts, department stores, and other public buildings.

The Panther 21 had been held in jail for nine months without a trial or adequate resources to prepare for their defense. The Bernsteins sought to change that.

The party wasn't out of the norm for the couple. When she wasn't acting on Broadway stages or the TV screen, Montealegre engaged in social activism, including as the first chair of the Women's Division of the New York Civil Liberties Union and as a vocal supporter of the anti-war grassroots campaign Another Mother for Peace.

As for Bernstein himself, he was a longtime Democrat who often hosted civil rights leaders at parties.

"There they were, the Black Panthers from the ghetto and the black and white liberals from the middle, upper-middle and upper classes studying one another cautiously over the expensive furnishings, the elaborate flower arrangements, the cocktails and the silver trays of canapes," The New York Times reported the next day.

Black Panther Party members protest against the 'Panther 21' trial outside the New York County Criminal Court. David Fenton/Getty Images

The party became one of the Bernsteins' most notorious episodes amid their tumultuous marriage. But the controversy was not included in the recent biopic "Maestro," directed by and starring Bradley Cooper as Bernstein (Carey Mulligan plays his wife, Montealegre).

'Radical chic'

The backlash to the idea of the liberal elite commingling with the radical Panthers was immediate and explosive. The day after the Bernsteins' event, The Times published an editorial condemning the fundraiser as representing "the sort of elegant slumming that degrades patrons and patronized alike."

"It might be dismissed as guilt-relieving fun spiked with social consciousness, except for its impact on those blacks and whites seriously working for complete equality and social justice. It mocked the memory of Martin Luther King Jr.," The Times' editorial board wrote.

Several months later, New York Magazine published a scathing satirical essay by Tom Wolfe, which poked fun at what Wolfe called the "radical chic"  those who supported radical causes for social gain.

The criticism came on the tails of the 1963 March on Washington and the broader Civil Rights Movement. Organizations like the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People had become mainstream, and critics like Wolfe lambasted the phenomenon of white guilt and armchair agitation, which refers to someone who claims to have radical aims without taking action to realize them.

Bernstein and Montealegre at a New York film premiere. Pictorial Parade/Getty Images

Hate mail and undercover FBI agents

The same day the Times op-ed was published, Montealegre wrote a response and delivered it personally to the newspaper's office, though it wasn't published until five days later. In it, she defended the "deeply serious purpose" behind their gathering.

"The frivolous way in which it was reported as a 'fashionable' event is unworthy of The Times, and offensive to all people who are committed to humanitarian principles of justice," Montealegre wrote.

But the damage had been done. Over the next few months, the Bernsteins received hate mail, and protestors from the Jewish Defense League picketed their house.

FBI files later revealed that the FBI, which had investigated Bernstein for years over suspected communist ties, had forged some of the hate mail and pretended they were part of the Jewish Defense League's protests.

In 1980, Bernstein said , "I have substantial evidence, now available to all, that the F.B.I. conspired to foment hatred and violent dissension among blacks, among Jews and between blacks and Jews."

The Bernsteins received hate mail after their fundraiser party for the Panther 21. Bettmann/Getty Images

A lifelong commitment to social causes

On May 13, 1971  more than a year after the infamous fundraiser  the Panther 21 were acquitted on all counts.

The Bernsteins continued to support social causes advancing racial equity and human rights. In March 1974, Montealegre collaborated with Coretta Scott King and other lawyers and activists to co-author a report of the New York State parole system. The report criticized the parole system and called for its abolishment as an institution.

Montealegre also worked for Amnesty International in Chile, where she was raised as a child. Chile was engulfed in human rights abuses and political unrest under a military dictatorship in the 1970s.

After Montealegre died of lung cancer in 1978, Bernstein established the Felicia Montealegre Bernstein Fund of Amnesty International USA to continue providing support for human rights activists in her memory.

Read the original article on Insider
Signage for the Cleveland County jail is pictured, with the facility in the background.

NORMAN  Cleveland County Sheriff's deputies arrested two jail guards Wednesday on complaints related to possession or distribution of contraband at the county jail.

Cleveland County Detention Officer William Haddox, 21, was arrested on multiple complaints, including bringing or possessing contraband into a jail or penal institution, conspiracy to commit a felony, possession of a controlled and dangerous substance, and aggravated trafficking in illegal drugs. Fellow detention officer Landon Russell, 23, was also arrested on complaint of bringing or possessing contraband into a jail or penal institution.

Neither men were longtime employees, with Haddox having worked for the county since August 2022 and Russell only on staff since June of this year, according to spokespeople for the county.

Their arrests Wednesday followed an incident Saturday at the Cleveland County jail during which an employee was "exposed to a substance suspected to be an opioid," according to county officials. The employee was taken to a local hospital for treatment and recovered "without lasting harm," said Cleveland County Sheriff Chris Amason, who then ordered a probe into potential contraband activities at the jail.

"Our investigation started Saturday night, and by early in the week, we had most of our information organized," Amason said in a statement late Wednesday afternoon. "The investigation remains ongoing, but we are confident that we have effectively identified the primary players and will continue work to ensure all aspects of this are addressed."

Cleveland County Sheriff Chris Amason discusses the new Community Response Unit that he championed.

Investigators alleged Haddox, currently being held without bond in a local jail, brought within the facility nicotine pouches thought to be laced with a controlled substance. Russell was alleged to have given cell phone access to inmates, according to investigators.

"We do not believe Haddox and Russell were engaged in the same activities," said Lt. Rick Adkins, a Cleveland County detective. "However, each was found to have violated both our policy and state (statutes) by bringing contraband into our facility."

More: Most Oklahoma jails failed health inspections in 2022

An internal administrative investigation also was underway, according to the sheriff's office.

Public scrutiny of the Cleveland County jail increased after the deaths of Shannon Hanchett and Kathryn Milano at the facility in December 2022. Two high-ranking jail officials resigned in the weeks following their deaths amid local criticism that the jail had mishandled the incarcerations of both women.

And in August, a Cleveland County sheriff's deputy, Jordan Cannon, was shot and killed at her home allegedly by her husband, who was also a deputy for the county.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: 2 Cleveland County Detention officers arrested on contraband complaints
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA)  A wrong-way driver was arrested Thursday morning after crashing into another vehicle while under the influence, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Troopers said Ramon Luis Rivera, 45, Kissimmee was driving the wrong way on SR-589 in his Infiniti Q50 at 1:45 a.m. when he crashed nearly head-on into an Acura carrying two people.

Florida Powerball player wins $1M after buying winning ticket at Publix

According to an FHP release, the two people, a 21-year-old man and a 22-year-old woman from Trinity, Florida, suffered serious injuries. They were taken to a hospital for treatment.

Troopers said Rivera suffered minor injuries. He was arrested on a charge of DUI involving injury.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.
A new gas station and convenience store is set to open its doors and pumps to customers soon in Pismo Beach.

The new Poppy Market station  which has been in the works for more than five years  is nearing completion at 591 Five Cities Drive, with plans to open next month.

Poppy Market is unique among convenience stores in several ways, starting perhaps with the most obvious detail: The store is two stories tall, rather than the single-floor standard seen at most gas stations.

Pervez Pir, president of retail at Vintners Distributors, which operates 135 Shell stations and 48 Loop Neighborhood Marketplaces, said in an email to The Tribune the second story will be used for meeting and storage space.

What is that in SLO County?

Ever wonder what that construction is in your town? Or what happened to that cool project that was proposed? Were finding out the answers as part of a new series. Send us your questions and tips by emailing reporter Kaytlyn Leslie at kleslie@thetribunenews.com.

  

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Pir said the new convenience store will provide high-quality, quick food and shopping options.

Our neighbors should expect to have a safe experience that offers them fuel, grab-and-go food, a car wash and plenty of snacks/drinks as they head to work or hit the road for travel, Pir said.

The second Poppy Market gas station and convenience store is set to finish construction in Pismo Beach in December 2023.

What is Poppy Market chain?

The first Poppy Market opened earlier this year in Arbuckle, about 50 miles from Sacramento.

The Arbuckle store includes a pet wash station, fresh produce and a proprietary Crunchy Munchy chicken restaurant, according to a news release from the company earlier this year.

According to that release, along with the Pismo Beach location, two other Poppy Market locations are in the building process in Adelanto and Greenfield.

The Arbuckle location can sell fuel from Shell, Chevron and a proprietary Poppy fuel blend, according to the release.

The new location on Five Cities Drive is expected to feature four pumps and eight hose hookups, along with one charging station for electric vehicles, according to city planning documents in 2019.

Pir said the Pismo Beach location will carry packaged beverages and snacks, grab-and-go hot foods, sandwiches, fresh bakery items and more.

The second Poppy Market gas station and convenience store is set to finish construction in Pismo Beach in December 2023.

Pismo Beach gas station rises quickly after lawsuit delays

Plans for the gas station were initially introduced to the Pismo Beach Planning Commission in November 2017, but werent approved for another two years.

The Planning Commission expressed concern over the buildings size, asking the applicant  Harry Tizabgar from Five Cities Drive LLC  to reduce the store to a single story or reduce the size of the wings that extend from the main structure.

A modified version of the project was approved by the Planning Commission in January 2018, but a faced a setback when it was appealed by attorney Wiley Ramey, according to a city timeline.

Tizabgar then sued the city to overturn the appeal, eventually acquiring a writ of mandate from the Superior Court of San Luis Obispo and gaining approval from the Pismo Beach City Council in November 2019, planning documents show.

Pir said the building started construction early this year, and is set to be completed in December.

We found that (Pismo Beach) was a good location to serve the community, Pir said. Strategically, it allows us to travel down to SoCal as well as serve the neighbors with fuel, food and convenience.
Immigration and border policy proposals that were once largely limited to the Republican Party's fringe are now entering the GOP mainstream, as evidenced by the hard-line positions of leading 2024 Republican presidential primary candidates.

GOP hopefuls largely agree that the U.S. should heavily militarize its border with Mexico to keep out drugs and undocumented immigrants. In the first debate of the campaign season, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he would send U.S. special forces into Mexico to target cartels "on day one," explaining that "we reserve the right to operate" there. Former Vice President Mike Pence proposed that the U.S. partner with the Mexican military to "hunt down and destroy the cartels." Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said that "you have to" deport the roughly 11 million undocumented people who already live in the United States.

That rhetoric continued apace in the second Republican debate. Sen. Tim Scott (RS.C.) claimed that "every county in America is now a border county," calling on President Joe Biden to finish building the border wall. Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who has previously said that he would deport the U.S.-born children of undocumented immigrants, reiterated his likely unconstitutional wish to "end birthright citizenship" for those kids.

What about the virtues of immigration and border solutions that recognize the fluidity of labor supply and demand? Solving unauthorized immigration requires providing legal pathways, but Republican presidential candidates so far have not been keen on making that argument.

The candidates are parroting rhetoric and policies popularized during Donald Trump's administration, occasionally to the former president's irritation: In June, his campaign accused DeSantis of "copying and pasting" the Trump immigration and border platform "because he doesn't have an original idea of his own." Ramaswamy and other candidates now say they want to reevaluate the 14th Amendment's reach, but Trump took up that issue on the 2016 campaign trail and said in 2019 that he was "seriously" considering ending birthright citizenship. It's fashionable now for candidates to support waging war against Mexican drug cartels or designating them as terrorist organizations, but Trump floated those ideas years ago.

Trump, who leads the GOP pack, has unveiled a new immigration plan of his own. According to a report by Axios' Stef W. Kight, the platform includes increased "ideological screening" to root out migrants with "Marxist" affiliations, an expansion of the former president's "Muslim ban," carrying out quick deportations under "an obscure section of the 1798 Alien and Sedition Acts," and military blockades throughout U.S. and Latin American waters to stop boats carrying drugs.

These draconian policies could also enter the mainstream Republican platform, but there's little reason to believe they will fix the broken U.S. immigration system.

The post 2024 GOP Candidates Are Competing To Restrict Immigration appeared first on Reason.com.
A Boston police officer who drove Mayor Michelle Wu at the time of a June crash contributed to the accident  but wont face disciplinary action, according to records obtained by 25 Investigates.

Boston Police Captain Leighton Facey, of the police chiefs office, said the officer contributed to the crash by driving her vehicle contrary to the traffic signal.

Facey made that statement in a July 20 letter to Police Commissioner Michael Cox.

Facey, however, did not recommend any action against the driver.

Facey said he disagreed with findings in an initial June police investigation  authored by a sergeant detective who responded to the crash  that found the driver did not cause the crash.

25 Investigates broke the news of the crash in June.

For months, 25 Investigates has fought for the release of the crash investigation. We took our fight to the Secretary of States office, which ordered Boston Police to provide a response to 25 Investigates.

Boston Police released the records to 25 Investigates around 5 p.m. on Wednesday.

In June, a Boston police officer driving the mayor to an event at a library went through a red light with her cruiser lights activated in an unmarked car. A police report says the lights and signal were both activated.

Another car that had a green light hit the car driving Wu at a busy intersection in Roslindale.

A mother and her one-year-old toddler were in that car and suffered minor injuries.

Police Sergeant Detective Cary Chin, a patrol supervisor who responded to the crash, investigated the crash for Boston Police. 25 Investigates also obtained that investigative report.

Chins June 26 report said that the officer driving Wu followed procedures and did not cause the crash.

The officer was acting in a responsible matter [sic] while operating her assigned unit department motor vehicle and obeying the traffic laws. I find that there is no need for counseling or further investigation regarding this motor vehicle crash.

A month later  Facey told Commissioner Cox that he found the officer did contribute to the accident by driving against the traffic signal.

I do not fully agree with the findings of Sergeant Detective Cary Chin in this investigation, Facey said.

Facey said video footage shows the driver came to a complete stop at the red light at Blakemore and Hyde Park Ave.

Video shows cruiser driving Boston Mayor Michelle Wu appear to cause crash after running red light

The officer then drove slowly into the intersection, appearing to exercise caution and due regard in accordance with standard practices of a Department Motor vehicle operating with emergency equipment activated, reads Faceys letter to Cox. However, by driving her vehicle contrary to the traffic signal, the officer did contribute to the accident.

But Facey said he did not recommend any further actions against the officer, writing: In arriving at my recommendation, I considered the following factors: the officer was trained in dignitary protection procedures and was exercising her discretion with care and due regard, following standing operational practices of the Dignitary Protection Unit and the Boston Police Department as a whole and in other such escort circumstances and that this is the first Department Motor Vehicle accident in which the officers actions resulted or contributed to the incident.

He then wrote: Therefore, I recommend that no actions be taken against the officer in this matter.

25 Investigates reached out to Mayors Wu office and asked her if she wants to change the policy to address whether her drivers can go through red lights to transport her to non-emergency events.

Wu was on the way to an event at Copley Library when the officer put on emergency lights to go through a red light.

A spokesperson for Wu said that 25 Investigates should: reach out to BPD directly with these questions about the captains findings and their dignitary protection policies.

25 Investigates has asked Boston Police if they are considering changing their policy for whether officers can go through red lights when driving public officials during non-emergency situations.

A BPD spokesperson told Boston 25 News that the department has no plans to change its policy.

Wu Crash Police Reports Edited by Boston 25 Desk on Scribd

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COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH)  A westbound stretch of a major highway in the Columbus metro briefly shut down Wednesday evening.

The Ohio Department of Transportation said the lane closure was a result of an unspecified police incident. The Franklin County Sheriffs Office, Dublin police and Columbus police were all at the scene, located at Interstate 270 westbound past Dublin Road. Columbus police said they were assisting with traffic. The sheriffs office told NBC4 it could not share any details as of 7:05 p.m.

(Courtesy Photo/Ohio Department of Transportation)

An Ohio Department of Transportation highway camera showed a multitude of police cars on the highway, with traffic at a standstill in the westbound lanes. At one point, ODOT said on social media that both the eastbound and westbound lanes were shut down. As of 7:10 p.m., both sides of the highway reopened.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV.
Ukrainian authorities said three civilians were killed after shelling from Russian forces in a suburb of Kherson, Ukraine.

Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko confirmed the deaths Thursday, saying the citys Chornobayivka suburb was a target of heavy shelling. Klymenko added that Russian forces used cluster munitions in their attack.

Cluster munitions are a type of explosive weapon that contains multiple explosive submunitions. The weapon is being used by Russia and Ukraine in the war. Ukraine received its cluster munitions as military aid from the U.S.

More than 60 residential and infrastructure buildings were damaged in the shelling attack, according to The Associated Press.

Five civilians were wounded in the bomb shelling, Klymenko added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskys office also said Russian forces conducted attacks on other parts of the province with eight nighttime artillery barrages, resulting in the death of a 42-year-old man in his apartment building and another civilian sustaining injuries.

The office also said two civilians were killed in the Donetsk region, located in the eastern part of the country, due to Russian shelling, the AP reported.

This comes as Russian state media reported TV journalist Boris Maksudov, who worked for Russian state television channel Russia 24, died after being wounded in a drone attack while reporting in the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia region.

Russias invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022, has killed thousands on both sides and displaced 6.3 million Ukrainian citizens.

The Associated Press contributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Three people were hospitalized after a crash in Darke County.

Around 6:11 p.m. on Nov. 22, Darke County Deputies, assisted by Greenville Township Rescue, Greenville Township Fire Department, and Greenville City Fire Department, were dispatched to the 5200 block of Bishop Rd in Greenville on reports of a crash.

>> Potential disaster; Local police explain why roadways are dangerous during holiday travel

64-year-old Jody Flommersfeld was backing a small trailer in a blue 2017 Ford F-150 into a driveway in the 5300 block of Bishop Rd, according to preliminary investigations.

When she was backing in, a gray 2010 Mercury Milan, driven by 71-year-old David Smith of Greenville was traveling south on Bishop Rd and hit the front of Flommersfelds truck. Both vehicles came to rest in the driveway after the collision.

>> 4 vehicles, overturned semi involved in crash on I-75 during busiest travel day of year

Smith, his passenger 67-year-old Sherry Smith, and Flommersfeld were all transported to Wayne Healthcare by Greenville Township Rescue. All three had non-life-threatening injuries.

The crash is under investigation by the Darke County Sheriffs Office.
Five teens, including a 15-year-old boy, were wounded in a drive-by shooting overnight on the Near West Side, Chicago police said.

Shortly before 12:15 a.m., the group of teenagers were walking in the 2000 block of West Monroe Street when someone inside a vehicle open fire, striking the teens near the United Center, police said.

A 15-year-old boy suffered a wound to the left leg, and was taken to Lurie Childrens Hospital in good condition. An 18-year-old suffered a graze wound to the left arm, and another 18-year-old was shot in the right leg. Both of those victims were taken in good condition to Stroger Hospital. A 16-year-old boy suffered a wound to the right arm and also was taken to Stroger Hospital in good condition, as well as another 16-year-old boy who was shot in the right leg.

No one was in custody for the attack, and Belmont detectives were investigating.
60 Years Later: Troutman company builds rocking chair JFK put on the map

TROUTMAN, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS)  Its been six decades since the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, one of the most somber days in history.

Years later, an Iredell County business produces something fondly associated with his time in the White House. Troutman Chair Companys furniture may be rooted in Southern tradition, but the Official Kennedy Rocker they make is named after the leader famous for his Boston accent.

While in office, JFK sparked the resurgence of the rocking chair.

I mean this chairs iconic if you think about it, said owner Jean Land.

Inside the facility, we got a front-row seat to timeless wood craftsmanship. Troutman Chair was established in 1924, nearly a century ago. The company says everything made there is touched by some 26 sets of hands.

As the story goes, Dr. Janet Travell, bought a chair made by P&P Chair Company based in Asheboro, North Carolina.

[Kennedy] was sitting in her office and he said, Im comfortable sitting in this chair. Can you get me one? Land told Queen City News.

Dr. Travell prescribed the rocker to Kennedy for chronic back pain to help relieve tension. In the Oval Office, the President was often photographed sitting on his furniture of choice. In one image, our 35th President is seen rocking in a room that includes legendary broadcast journalist Edward R. Murrow.

He owned a dozen, and rode in one on Air Force One, Land says.

The original creators of the piece, P&P Chair, called it the Carolina Rocker. After all those White House photo opportunities, demand for it took off.

President John F. Kennedy meets with members of the United States Commission on Information. (Clockwise from left): Sigurd S. Larmon, Chairman of Young and Rubicam; J. Leonard Reinsch, Executive Director of WSB Atlanta radio station; Jonathan Daniels, Editor of the Raleigh News and Observer; President Kennedy (in rocking chair); Dr. Mark A. May, Professor Emeritus at Yale University; Lewis Douglas, former Ambassador to the United Kingdom (back to camera); journalist Edward R. Murrow, Director of the United States Information Agency (USIA) (back to camera). Yellow Oval Room, White House, Washington, D.C. (JFK Presidential Library)

President John F. Kennedy (sitting in rocking chair) meets with publisher of the New York Journal-American newspaper, Kingsbury Smith. Oval Office, White House, Washington, D.C. (JFK Presidential Library)

President John F. Kennedy meets with Carlos Martinez Sotomayor, Foreign Minister of Chile. Carlos Martinez Sotomayor (seated on couch); President Kennedy (in rocking chair); Walter Muller, Ambassador of Chile (at back); others unidentified. Oval Office, White House, Washington, D.C. (JFK Presidential Library)

View of President John F. Kennedys rocking chair and desk (the H.M.S. Resolute desk) in the Oval Office, White House, Washington, D.C. (JFK Presidential Library)

[P&P Chair was] invited to the White House and they politely declined, saying they had so much work to do they couldnt get away, Land said, referring to the flood of orders.

In 2009, when P&P went out of business, Troutman Chair bought the rights to the rocker design, carrying on a Carolina Rocker tradition with a new name.

This [Official Kennedy Rocker] becomes a friend, this chair becomes something they dont want to part with, says Land.

Troutman Chairs work is also prominent at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. The rocking chairs were first placed at the airport in 1997 and have become a comfortable staple for visitors.

24 years ago, Land took the reins from the Brown family, who founded the company. Each oak chair is like a puzzle thats built to last.

Notice, theres no glue, Land says.

What we do is we encourage the chair to come together gently so that we dont crack posts or break dowels, she added.

It takes a large stack of interlocking pieces to make one chair. Beyond the labor and materials required, its the Kennedy connection that makes it a conversation piece. Its kind of an honor to be able to do this, Land said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
Rep. George Santos outside the US Eastern District New York court on May 10, 2023. Barry Williams/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

George Santos is probably going to get expelled from the House next week.

He's infamous for his pre-Congress actions  but he continued to behave poorly as a lawmaker, too.

Here are the craziest things he did after he took office.

Rep. George Santos probably only has a few days left as a member of Congress.

The chairman of the House Ethics Committee, Republican Rep. Michael Guest of Mississippi, is teeing up a resolution to expel the scandal-plagued New York Republican when Congress returns from the Thanksgiving recess after the committee released a damning report on Santos's conduct.

Dozens of Republicans have said they will vote for it, and Democrats who voted against a previous expulsion effort now say they're on board.

The bulk of Santos's scandals  whether it's the lies he's told about his background, the revelations in the Ethics report, or the 23-count indictment he faces in federal court  stem from actions he took before he got to Congress.

But the scandal-plagued congressman hasn't exactly been a well-behaved lawmaker since he got to Capitol Hill, either.

Here are the 8 craziest things Santos did after he got to Congress.

Offered treats to reporters  as his staff mulled surreptitiously recording those reporters' conversations

Santos leaving his office on Capitol Hill on January 12, 2023. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

The congressman's early days in Congress had a circus-like quality to them, with hordes of reporters frequently gathering outside his office door.

Santos began leaving treats for those reporters, such as coffee, donuts, Chick-Fil-A, and cupcakes.

Surprise 2.0  George Santos brings chick-fil-a to his office. Does not respond to my questions about amended FEC filings. pic.twitter.com/D472jRRTgp  Laura Figueroa Hernandez (@Laura_Figueroa) January 25, 2023

In retrospect, it was a harbinger of the troll-like way Santos would carry himself throughout his tenure.

Adding to the intrigue, exhibits accompanying the House Ethics Committee's recent report revealed texts between two of the congressman's staffers debating wiretapping the small table that often housed the treats.

It appears they wanted to learn what the press was planning to write about their boss.

"We should keep the table and put flowers or pamphlets on it, with a mic under it," one unnamed staffer texted to another. "No expectation or privacy in the hallway. We will know what's coming."

The George Santos docs offer a glimpse inside his media stunts, including Santos staffers plotting out Santos giving donuts to reporters, then considering a plan to bug the donut table to spy on the press. pic.twitter.com/wBleTBIYy0  Will Sommer (@willsommer) November 16, 2023

Introduced an anti-vaccine mandate bill named after Nicki Minaj

Rep. George Santos of New York. AP Photo/Seth Wenig

In May, Santos sponsored the "Medical Information Nuanced Accountability Judgement Act of 2023," AKA, the "MINAJ Act."

The bill, which never ended up making any progress in the House, would've prohibited the US government from enforcing any vaccine mandates for vaccinations that haven't been "authorized for marketing" for less than a decade.

It was also, he said, very clearly named after Nicki Minaj, an internationally renowned rapper who was vocal online about her indecision in getting the COVID-19 vaccine, going as far as telling a story about her cousin's friend in Trinidad "whose testicles became swollen" post-vaccination.

Naysa Woomer, Santos' former communications director, said in a September podcast interview that the bill was a point of frustration for her.

"I wanted him to talk about more than just... the Nicki Minaj bill, or whatever it was," she said. "Focus on things that actually impact your constituents, and less on clickbait."

Compared himself to Rosa Parks as he nursed a grudge against Mitt Romney that continues to this day

Win McNamee/Getty Images

One weird sub-plot of Santos's tenure has been his strong hatred for Republican Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, who told him at this year's State of the Union address that he didn't belong in the center aisle where he was standing.

Santos would later compare himself to Rosa Parks  the Black civil rights icon who refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955.

His grudge against Romney has remained for months since then. In August, he reportedly said he could "beat" the Utah senator's "butt" in a "cage match."

Lied about Kyrsten Sinema telling him to 'hang in there' at the State of the Union

Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images; Win McNamee/Getty Images

Just moments after his interaction with Romney, Santos claimed to have received encouragement from Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona.

"As she was walking by... she said something to the effect of 'hang in there buddy' or something like that," Santos said in an interview on Newsmax. "I said 'thank you Madame Senator.' She was very polite, very kind-hearted."

Unsurprisingly, it ended up being a lie.

"This is a blatant lie," her press secretary later told Business Insider. "Kyrsten didn't say a word to Rep. Santos  and didn't even know about the exchange with Senator Romney until they got to their seats."

Showed up to Trump's arraignment in Manhattan

John Taggart/Washington Post via Getty Images

When former President Donald Trump was arraigned in Manhattan in April following his first criminal indictment, it was already a circus.

Then George Santos showed up.

Santos wasn't outside the courthouse for long, but his presence quickly generated a media frenzy, given the high volume of reporters and cameras in the immediate vicinity.

Photographer John Taggart snapped what may live on as the most iconic photo of the scandal-plagued congressman  Santos, surrounded by cameras and microphones, staring straight ahead in designer sunglasses.

Refused to support Steve Scalise for speaker of the House because he'd had no "contact or outreach from him"

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Santos wasn't alone in his refusal to support House Majority Leader Steve Scalise's bid for speaker after Kevin McCarthy was ousted.

But his reasoning stood out from everyone else's: he said he'd never even had a conversation with Scalise.

"After 10 months and having had 0 contact or outreach from him, I've come to the conclusion that my VOTE doesn't matter to him," Santos said at the time.

Its just past 9:40pm and I have yet to hear from the Speaker-Designate. So Ive made my decision and after 10 months and having had 0 contact or outreach from him, Ive come to the conclusion that my VOTE doesnt matter to him.



Im now declaring Im an ANYONE but Scalise and  George Santos (@MrSantosNY) October 12, 2023

While Santos framed the lack of outreach as a shortcoming on Scalise's part, it actually revealed a dirty little secret of Santos' tenure  that he's a pariah within his own party, and that most Republicans want nothing to do with him.

The fact that the House Majority Leader  a man who's tasked with maintaining relationships across the conference  had apparently had "0 contact or outreach" with Santos indicates that House GOP leadership cared little about the scandal-plagued congressman, beyond his reliable vote.

Had a public meltdown after he encountered a protestor while holding an unknown congressional staffers baby

AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana

In the midst of House Republicans' struggle to elect a new speaker in October, Santos emerged from fellow Republican Rep. Tim Burchett's office holding a baby.

When a reporter asked Santos if it was his baby, he simply replied "not yet."

George Santos just left Tim Burchetts office with a baby in his arms. When asked if it was his baby, he said not yet. pic.twitter.com/QQsfPAo8hC  Matt Rice (@matt____rice) October 13, 2023

It's still unclear, to this day, who the baby actually belongs to.

Two sources close to Santos have told Business Insider that it belonged to "a staffer," refusing to elaborate. And Burchett says it wasn't one of his staffers.

"I wasn't even in my office," Burchett told Business Insider.

Minutes after that, Santos had a public meltdown after encountering Shabd Singh, a protestor critical of Israeli government policies.

Santos called him "scum" and a "terrorist sympathizer."

What just happened in Longworth??? pic.twitter.com/ujKHayt8aT  Nolan D. McCaskill (@NolanDMcCaskill) October 13, 2023

"You cannot weaponize Jewish pain to continue the mass murder of civilians," Singh later told a gaggle of reporters.

Made fun of a fellow House Republican for his son's struggles with drug addiction

Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images

In November, the House attempted for a second time to expel Santos, but did not succeed.

The next day, Republican Rep. Steve Womack of Arkansas compared the failed vote to America's storied Groundhog's Day tradition  incensing the scandal-plagued congressman.

Last night, the House saw its shadow. Unfortunately, this means there will be two more weeks of Santos.  Rep. Steve Womack (@rep_stevewomack) November 2, 2023

"Your son is a felon," he responded in a separate post, linking to a local news story where Womack himself had lamented about the "helpless feeling" he's had seeing his son struggle with addiction.

"He has been in and out of the prison system for years," wrote Santos. "He is a drug dealer, poisoning people on the streets with meth and unlawful possession of a gun. Instead of being home, taking care of your son, you're sitting pretty in the swamp."

Santos later apologized.

"I've always held the standard that our families are off limits and I crossed that line and for that I am embarrassed and deeply sorry for doing so," he said.

Read the original article on Business Insider
A man and a woman from Downey have been arrested in connection with the recovery of $9.5 million worth of goods stolen from big box retailers across Southern California, authorities announced on Wednesday.

Manuel Alfredo Revolorio and Alondra Ramirez Cruz, both associated with an organized cargo theft ring, were busted on Nov. 21 when investigators from the California Highway Patrols Southern Division Theft Interdiction Program (CTIP) served multiple search warrants at locations throughout Los Angeles County.

Authorities recovered shoes, clothing, electronics, perishables and other goods taken from more than a dozen unidentified big box retailers in the area.

Investigators with the California Highway Patrol arrested a man and woman in Downey in connection with an organized cargo theft ring and recovered $9.5 million in stolen property. (CHP)

Investigators with the California Highway Patrol arrested a man and woman in Downey in connection with an organized cargo theft ring and recovered $9.5 million in stolen property. (CHP)

Investigators with the California Highway Patrol arrested a man and woman in Downey in connection with an organized cargo theft ring and recovered $9.5 million in stolen property. (CHP)

Investigators with the California Highway Patrol arrested a man and woman in Downey in connection with an organized cargo theft ring and recovered $9.5 million in stolen property. (CHP)

Investigators with the California Highway Patrol arrested a man and woman in Downey in connection with an organized cargo theft ring and recovered $9.5 million in stolen property. (CHP)

Investigators with the California Highway Patrol arrested a man and woman in Downey in connection with an organized cargo theft ring and recovered $9.5 million in stolen property. (CHP)

It is currently estimated more than $9.5 million in stolen product was recovered; however, victim companies are still calculating the total losses sustained, a CHP news release stated.

L.A. homeowner who fired on armed robbers has concealed carry permit suspended

Authorities added that one of the suspects, Revolorio, is also connected to a CTIP investigation from February of this year that resulted in the recovery of more than $9 million in stolen property.

Both Revolorio and Cruz are facing charges of grand theft, cargo theft and conspiracy.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.
Helene Dillard, the dean of UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, announced this week her planned retirement from a position that oversees the universitys nationally renowned programs.

Dillard will retire next year after her successor is chosen from a nationwide search, UC Davis said Tuesday in a news release. For 10 years, she has overseen a college with 14 departments, 29 centers and institutes, more than 7,600 undergraduate students, 320 faculty members and 585 staff members.

The university frequently lands at or near the top of national rankings for university agricultural programs.

UC Davis staff members and California agricultural leaders praised Dillard for her research and leadership skills.

Dean Dillard is an Aggie through and through, and she exemplifies all that is best about our campus, said Mary Croughan, provost and executive vice chancellor, in the news release. She is a two-time alumna, a brilliant researcher, an internationally recognized leader in her field, and as kind and compassionate a person as you could ever hope to meet.

A San Francisco native, Dillard got her bachelors degree from UC Berkeley. She received her masters degree in soil science and doctorate in plant pathology from UC Davis, according to Cornell University, where Dillard taught for more than a decade.

The Ivy League school noted Dillard joined Cornell in 1984 and eventually ascended to become an associate dean in the College of Human Ecology and College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Her research focused on the biology, ecology and management of many different types of fungal diseases in beans, tomatoes, corn and other vegetables.

Under Dillards direction, UC Davis had renovations and expansions, which included adding six new greenhouses, a goat dairy and creamery. She also helped to navigate the schools budget cuts as federal funding plunged amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the news release said.

The College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences received more than $442 million in private philanthropy throughout her decadelong tenure, including a $50 million gift considered the largest individual donation ever given to UC Davis.

California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross said in the news release that Dillard embraced a vision for research and education that left UC Davis in a better position to serve California. Even in the most difficult circumstances, Dillard remained engaged and thoughtful with the work, she said.

She has distinguished herself and honored Californias agricultural community with her service, Ross wrote.

Dillard said in the news release she looks forward to spending time with her family and enjoying the outdoors in her retirement.

It has been an incredible honor to lead such an amazing college  I am so proud of the faculty, staff and students who remain dedicated to our mission, working to serve California, the nation and the world, Dillard said in a news release.
The Air Force warned residents of a missile threat in Mykolaiv, Kirovohrad and Dnipropetrovsk Oblast on the evening of 22 November.

Source: The Air Force on Telegram, Suspilne

Details: The military urged residents of Voznesensk and Kryvyi Rih to take shelter. Later, Suspilne correspondents reported the sound of explosions in Kryvyi Rih.

Ten minutes later, the all-clear was given.

Updated at 00:33: Oleksandr Vilkul, head of Kryvyi Rih Defence Council, wrote on Telegram: "Regarding the explosion. Everything is fine. Good night."

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Alibaba cofounder Jack Ma's wealth has halved from its late 2020 peak following a sustained slump in the company's share price. Yuya Shino/Reuters

Alibaba cofounder Jack Ma walked back on plans to sell the company's stock.

The Chinese tech giant's stock crashed last week after it nixed a plan to spin off its $11 billion cloud business.

Ma's family trust was set to sell 10 million shares this week.

Alibaba cofounder Jack Ma reversed plans to sell the company's stock following a slump in its stock price last week.

The Chinese tech giant dropped plans to spin off its $11 billion cloud business last Thursday. The company's stock sank in response, wiping out $26 billion in value over two days.

Ma's family trust was set to sell 10 million American Depository Shares of the company worth $870 million on Tuesday. The regulatory filings for the sale were also made public on Thursday, weighing on investor confidence.

The company's employees were also concerned about Ma's move, Reuters reported on Wednesday.

But Alibaba appeared to be shoring up staff confidence with an internal memo assuring them that Ma "has not sold a single share," according to media reports.

"Ma's office has issued a statement saying that Ma will continue to hold onto his Alibaba stake. This is a fact and not mere lip service," chief people officer Jane Jiang Fang said in the note, per Bloomberg.

Ma's family office was planning to use the funds to invest in agriculture and charities, Jiang added.

But Ma isn't selling the stock since its current value is lower than its actual value, she said in the memo. She added that the timing of the disclosure was a "coincidence" that caused a "severe misunderstanding."

On Friday, Ma's office told the South China Morning Post that he remains "very positive" about Alibaba. Alibaba owns SCMP.

Ma has been selling down his Alibaba stake since leaving the company's board in 2020. He stepped down as CEO in 2019.

The share sell-off last week was Alibaba's sharpest in over a year. The stock's decline has taken Ma's fortune down to around $30 billion  down 9% year to date, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Ma, who was once Asia's richest person, was worth $60 billion at the peak of his fortune in late October 2020.

Alibaba's share price has been under pressure since Ma's criticism of Beijing triggered a backlash on his companies in late 2020. The tech titan  who was known for his flamboyant personality  also vanished from public view.

Separately, China also cracked down on the country's tech sector in 2020, wiping $1.1 trillion off the market value of five of its Big Tech companies: Alibaba, Tencent, Meituan, Baidu, and JD.com as of July  before Beijing signaled an easing of regulatory actions in the same month.

Alibaba shares in the US closed flat at $78.96 on Wednesday. They are down 10% this year-to-date.

Alibaba did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Dakotah Merck is the onsite Coral Restoration Inventory Manager/Coral Restoration biologist at Motes Elizabeth Moore International Center for Coral Reef Research and Restoration, works with heat-stressed coral that was returned from Sarasota to Summerland Key.

By late morning on Nov. 21, every piece of heat-stressed coal evacuated from the Florida Keys to Sarasota following last summers unprecedented underwater heat wave had been returned home.

Most of the coral is still being monitored in land-based nurseries, such as the three Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium operates in the Keys, as expert coral reef restoration researchers continue the process of returning those corals to off-shore nurseries.

Jason Spadaro, Motes coral reef restoration research program manager, said, For the most part, the vast majority of corals that we have on land right now are looking phenomenal.

Just before Thanksgiving, almost 7,000 corals that had been cared for at Mote Aquaculture Research Park were returned to Motes offshore nurseries at Sand Key, Looe Key, Islamorada, and Key Largo, Spadaro said.

The return effort started in late October, after thousands of specimens of heat-stressed coral had been cared for and nurtured back to health at Motes aquaculture park, The Reef Institute, a coral research and restoration facility in West Palm Beach and elsewhere for roughly three months.

A cooperative coral rescue effort

The corals were moved through a massive, cooperative effort of coral restoration scientists, government agencies and local businesses that Michael Crosby, president & CEO of Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium, likened to a cross between Noahs Ark and the World War II evacuation of allied troops from Dunkirk.

Amanda Lewan, a staff biologist at Mote's Elizabeth Moore International Center for Coral Reef Research & Restoration, hands a crate of heat-stressed coral that was returned from Sarasota to Summerland Key.

Staghorn and Elkhorn coral were particularly impacted by warm water and subsequent bleaching in a historic climate event that drew international attention after an underwater sensor in Florida Bay recorded a temperature of 101.5 degrees on July 24.

Those nurseries are key to Mission Iconic Reefs, a $100-million effort by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and seven partners to restore roughly 3 million square feet of coral reefs on seven iconic sites along the 300-plus mile long Florida Reef Tract.

Hand-feeding coral to build strength

Corals are colonies of tiny polyps that eat plankton. They live in a symbiotic relationship with zooxanthellae algae, which feed on coral waste and carbon dioxide and provide the coral oxygen and organic products of photosynthesis.

Increased water temperature for an extended period of time can prompt bleaching  when the coral expels the zooxanthellae.

Bleached coral are not dead, theyre just starving since the zooxanthellae no longer feed them. Coral biologists at the Mote Aquaculture Park would hand-feed cohorts of coral, to help them regain strength.

In years past, water temperatures would not hit the critical 88-90 degree range that could prompt a bleaching event until late August or September.

The early onset of warm water coupled with weather forecasts suggested that corals left in the Keys would be subject to a bleaching event that could last three months.

Passing a fitness test before returning to the Keys

Prior to returning to the Keys, corals were checked by an specialized veterinarian  Mote uses Dr. Ari Fustukjian, vice poseidon of Zoological Operations at Loveland Living Planet Aquarium in Draper Utah  who flew to Florida to visually inspect the heat stressed corals, as well as conduct annual checkups on Motes facilities.

Sydney Gallagher, a staff biologist at Mote's Elizabeth Moore International Center for Coral Reef Research & Restoration, returns staghorn corals to one of Motes in-water nurseries.

Before taking the job in Utah, Fustukjian worked at the Florida Aquarium and later operated his own veterinary consulting service.

Hes looking for signs of disease, signs of pests, any of those physiological abnormalities that would raise eyebrows about putting corals back out, Spadaro said.

In addition, every batch of coral returned to in-water nurseries are subject to authorization from NOAA, the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Heat-stressed corals in Mote's land-based nurseries on Summerland Key, Islamorada and Key Largo are being kept in tanks segregated from other nursery corals. The water in those tanks is not part of the overall circulation system. Instead, it circulated through once, then drained out to a swale where it percolates through limestone back into the ground.

Once corals are certified for return, that starts a 30-day window for their return. If that window is missed, the clock can start again.

A cautious approach to repatriation

Spadaro said weather has slowed the timetable somewhat but all agencies are erring on the side of caution.

A piece of Mote grown staghorn coral hangs on a tree at one of its in-water nurseries after being evacuated from this summers heat event to recover in Sarasota.

Treatments, especially of coals when theyre mostly microbial organisms, can take some time so were still working through some things as are all the different practitioners and institutions around Florida, Spadaro said. All of the organizations are in this kind of slow, steady, precautionary approach to repatriation these corals.

When coals are returned to the nurseries, many are hung from lines on white PVC trees, with water columns flowing around them.

That practice is most common with Staghorn coral though Spadaro said that Mote devised a special plug so mountainous star corals  common for reef building  hang there too.

Staghorn and Elkhorn were hit especially hard by the bleaching.

A majority of the Elkhorn coral was on land for the heat event and is in good shape, Spadaro said and Mote had recovered several thousand specimens of boulder, brain and star corals, which he said are almost 100% ready to go back out into the water.

Mote grown mountainous star corals mounted on special plugs hang on a tree after being returned to its in-water nurseries. The corals were evacuated from this summers heat event to recover at Motes land-based nurseries.

While the task of reef restoration for Mission Iconic Reefs can resume on a small scale in the middle of 2024, Spadaro said there will be a heavy emphasis on building up the number of Staghorn specimens by both sexual reproduction and micro-fragmentation.

Micro-fragmentation capitalizes on the natural healing process and allows corals to grow more than 25 times faster than normal after its; been cut into smaller pieces

In the case of Staghorn coral, a piece the size of an index finger could grow into a colony the size of a hand and that colony  through micro-fragmentation can become another 10 to 15 colonies.

Elkhorn coral grows almost as fast.

Spadaro pointed to one bright spot out of the Loo Key nursery  which was subject to ultra high temperature, high salinity, low dissolved oxygen and organic matter from the dead corals  was the survival of a few genets  or genetic types  of Staghorn coral that were the produce of traditional breeding.

Not only did they survive, they didnt bleach during the whole thing, he added.

Dakotah Merck is the onsite Coral Restoration Inventory Manager/Coral Restoration biologist at Motes Elizabeth Moore International Center for Coral Reef Research and Restoration, works with heat-stressed coral that was returned from Sarasota to Summerland Key, enroute to being placed back in Motes field nurseries.

Mote scientists' focus is to continue with the veterinary health check of the heat-stressed coral and return them back to offshore nurseries, as a step toward resuming restoration of the Florida Reef Tract.

The second is to survey corals that remained both in nurseries and on the reef, to determine what did and didnt survive and learn why.

Were going to be working on that for months, Spadaro said.

Scientists at Mote and elsewhere will also huddle with NOAA, FWC and other funding agencies to see how and whether to amend the end product of grants, as well as whether to pivot from one species to another.

Mote grown Elkhorn corals hang on a tree at one of its in-water nurseries, after they were evacuated from this summers heat event and recovered at Motes land-based nurseries.

Coral, crabs, sea urchins and an iconic mission

Mission Iconic Reefs has an initial goal of restoring roughly 3 million square feet of coral reefs on seven iconic sites along the 300-plus mile long Florida Reef Tract.

To achieve that goal through a holistic restoration effort, Mote built a hatchery for the Caribbean Crab, a voracious herbivore that can remove algae that would otherwise impede coral growth; while the University of Florida and the Florida Aquarium have been refining a breeding program for long-spined sea urchins  a once common herbivore that was virtually wiped out by disease in the 1980s and '90s.

Mote opened its Florida Coral Reef Restoration Crab Hatchery in September.

Anecdotally, Spadaro said he has heard that the Florida Aquarium and UF have made strides with each spawn in its breeding program and that too may be soon ready to upscale production.

Fingers crossed, he added.

Currently, Spadaro is working on developing a veterinary check process for the Caribbean king crabs  which must be subject evaluation by Fustukjian and administrative approvals before being put out on the reef.

The crab hatchery is fully operational, we are closing in on 400 adult crabs over there that are all contributing to production, Spadaro said.

Once the health check process is created and crab production increases in Sarasota, Spadaro said, The first half of 2024, were going to be putting crabs back into the water.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Mote nears 7,000 mark in effort to return coral to offshore nurseries
(KRON)  New details have come out of the investigation into the Amazon delivery driver who was allegedly kidnapped in San Ramon on Saturday.

The San Ramon Police Department said in a statement on Wednesday that its investigation revealed the Amazon driver was not kidnapped. Police said the two suspects from Saturdays incident approached the driver to commit a fake jewelry scam.

SFO in close contact with federal authorities following explosion at US-Canada border

After further investigation, it appears the suspects approached the victim to commit a fake jewelry scam, SRPD said in a statement. Based on a language barrier, the victim believed something more nefarious was going on, so he went to the banks to withdraw money. There were no apparent threats or weapons were seen/used during the encounter.

As of Wednesday night, no other details were released by SRPD. The investigation remains ongoing.

The incident began when the Amazon truck and the suspect vehicle collided near Crow Canyon Road and San Ramon Valley Boulevard, KRON4 reported last week. The suspects then forced the victim to withdraw cash from a Bank of America in San Ramon before taking the victim to another Bank of America location in Dublin, San Ramon police originally reported.

The driver was not physically harmed or injured, according to SRPD.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4.
A rescue officer stands near the entrance to the Silkyara tunnel: engineers began digging on November 12 through some 57 metres (187 feet) of earth, concrete and rubble (Arun SANKAR)

Ambulances were on standby Thursday as Indian rescuers dug through the final metres of debris separating them from 41 workers trapped in a collapsed road tunnel for nearly two weeks.

Rescue teams have specially fitted stretchers with wheels, ready to pull the exhausted men out through 57 metres (187 feet) of steel pipe -- once it is driven through the final section of the tonnes of earth, concrete and rubble blocking their escape.

Emergency vehicles and a field hospital stood ready, AFP journalists at the site said, preparing to receive the men who have been trapped since a portion of the under-construction tunnel in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand caved in 12 days ago.

"We have done rehearsals on how to get people safely out," National Disaster Response Force chief Atul Karwal told reporters Thursday.

"The boys will go in first," he said. "We have put wheels under the stretchers so that when we go in, we can get the people out one by one on the stretcher -- we are prepared in every way."

But rescue efforts have been hit with repeated delays, including more debris falling, fears of further cave-ins and drilling machine breakdowns, as progress on Thursday was slowed by further mechanical problems.

- 'Himalayan geology is the enemy' -

"The 10 to 12 metres (32 to 39 feet) remaining... we don't know what can come up, but we are ready to handle it," Karwal said, adding that the trapped men were "keeping up their morale".

Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said the work was on a "war footing", with a "team of doctors, ambulances, helicopters and a field hospital" set up.

Syed Ata Hasnain, a senior National Disaster Management Authority official, refused to say when the men might be freed.

"This is like battle," the retired general told reporters. "You cannot put a timeline on it. In battle, you don't know what the enemy is going to do.

"Here, the land is your enemy. Himalayan geology is the enemy... it is very challenging work."

Experts have warned about the impact of extensive construction in Uttarakhand, large parts of which are prone to landslides.

"The rescuers and the workers stuck inside are at equal risk," Hasnain added.

- Prayers for safe release -

Inside the Silkyara tunnel entrance, an AFP journalist said the site was a flurry of activity.

Worried relatives have gathered outside the site, where a Hindu shrine has been erected, with a priest holding prayers for the safe rescue of the trapped men.

"The day they will come out of the tunnel, it will be the biggest, happiest day for us," said Chanchal Singh Bisht, 35, whose 24-year-old cousin Pushkar Singh Ary is trapped inside.

In case the route through the main tunnel entrance does not work, rescuers also started blasting and drilling from the far end of the unfinished tunnel, nearly half a kilometre (over a quarter of a mile) long.

Preparations have also been made for a risky vertical shaft directly above.

The workers were seen alive for the first time on Tuesday, peering into the lens of an endoscopic camera sent by rescuers down a thin pipe through which air, food, water and electricity are being delivered.

Though trapped, they have plenty of space, with the area inside 8.5 metres high and stretching about two kilometres in length.

The tunnel is part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's infrastructure project aimed at cutting travel times between some of the most popular Hindu sites in the country, as well as improving access to strategic areas bordering rival China.

bur-pjm/leg
A ban of American bully XLs has led to dogs being abandoned and "killed en masse", the founder of a pet rescue centre has said.

People who work to rehome dogs have told the BBC some pounds are killing up to eight strays a day.

The vast majority are understood to be bully XLs, which are being added to the list of banned dogs from 1 February.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said it had taken action to protect the public.

XLs are variations of American bullies, which originated in the US in the 1980s.

They are being added to the list of banned dogs in England and Wales because of links to a number of fatal attacks, including most recently on a man in Walsall.

Days earlier, an 11-year-old girl, along with two men, were attacked by an American bully XL in Bordesley Green, Birmingham.

The BBC has spoken to dozens of dog experts, including charity workers, vets and wardens.

They claim that since the ban was announced in September, large numbers of dogs have been abandoned, exacerbating an acute shortage of kennel and rescue spaces.

Pounds holding unclaimed strays can ask for them to be put to sleep by a vet after seven days.

Holly Maitland has spent 13 years working to rehome abandoned or neglected dogs

"By any other name it's a cull," says Holly Maitland, 55, who founded East Anglia Dog Rescue.

She is part of a network of 'pound-pullers' who try to rehome dogs from council-funded stray kennels.

"Occasionally dogs were put to sleep [in the past], but this is en masse, it's a tsunami - vets are going to have to kill dogs like never before," Ms Maitland said.

Owners of dogs that meet the government's definition of an American bully XL have until 31 January to put them to sleep, for which they can claim 200 compensation.

Alternatively, those wishing to keep their dogs must have them microchipped, insured, neutered and muzzled outdoors.

A certificate of exemption will also have to be purchased for 92.40.

"The human cost is two-fold," Ms Maitland said.

"Owners will have to explain to their children that the family pet they adore can't stay because they don't have enough money, or their social housing agreement excludes them from owning a banned dog.

"And people in rescues are falling apart over this because it's turning us into murderers and that is not acceptable."

After 31 December, rescue centres will not be able to rehome XL bullies in their care and most will have to be killed to free up space.

How many healthy dogs are being killed?

There is no public record of the number of dogs that are put to sleep in the UK.

Council data obtained under the Freedom of Information Act varies wildly and appears to be incomplete.

BBC East asked IVC Evidensia, the charity PDSA, the British Veterinary Association, the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and Vet Compass for any relevant data they had.

None was able to provide anything.

However, rescue workers who take dogs from stray kennels in the East of England, London and the East Midlands said the local pounds were putting to sleep between three and eight dogs a day, mostly bully breeds.

This would suggest that nationwide, large numbers of healthy or treatable strays are being destroyed each week.

A vet in the East of England who wished to remain anonymous said her practice was putting to sleep around 15 XLs a week.

Julie Shelton, who runs Appledown dog rescue, says the system of rehoming dogs is at breaking point

Julie Shelton, 61, runs Appledown, which is part rescue, part stray kennels in Dunstable, Bedfordshire.

She has 96 dogs - more than ever - and gets around three requests a day to take in bully breeds.

"I have never known it like this - it's the worst the system is at breaking point," she said. "Nobody has space anymore and people get very shirty when we can't take their pets.

"One of the problems over the past few years is that people are more interested in how a dog looks than what they are, and breeders for the wrong reasons have put all these large dogs into the pet market."

Appledown has two dogs that meet the American bully XL description; Sheba, who is five years old, and a cane corso cross called Kylo.

Ms Shelton says Sheba has "a lovely temperament" and she will look at getting her exempted if a home cannot be found.

"A lot of rescues with XLs will have to see what's the least bad option for them," she said.

Sophie, a volunteer at Appledown, with Kylo, a cane corso cross that is likely to be placed under the XL bully ban

American bullies could be one of the country's most populous breeds.

The American Bully Kennel Club says it has 97,000 dogs registered in the UK, but many more are likely to be unregistered.

Until recently, XL puppies with unusual colours could fetch several thousand pounds.

However, their value has plummeted and many, particularly those used for breeding, have become a costly liability.

On the UK's largest online pet marketplace, Pets4Homes, hundreds of American bullies are being sold, some for as little as 75; unchipped, unneutered and unvaccinated.

Pets4Homes did not respond to our request for a comment.

Meanwhile, there are hundreds of posts in rehoming groups on Facebook in which XLs are being given away.

The BBC has learnt that some rescue centres have resorted to shipping the dogs to Ireland, where they are still legal.

Bertie is a bully cross who was abused by his owner and handed to Colchester K9 Rescue

Colchester K9 Rescue has three dogs that fall under the terms of the ban and must be rehomed by the end of the year.

Two of them, Bertie and Doris, are four-month-old puppies who were found dumped at a kennels earlier this month, scarred and emaciated.

Tanya Malone, who founded the not-for-profit organisation, claims rescues "are facing a huge increase in the number of abuse cases involving XL bully type dogs".

"Entire litters of puppies are being handed in, often in need of immediate medical attention, with clear signs of neglect," she said.

Saffron, a bully XL, was taken to a rescue in Northamptonshire after being abandoned while heavily pregnant

The Essex-based campaign group Tuk's Law is calling for the euthanasia of all dogs to be centrally recorded.

Spokeswoman Sue Williams said the ban meant "thousands of healthy dogs will be destroyed for nothing more than the way they look".

"This whole thing has been handled abominably - there has been no consideration of the mental health of vets, rescues or owners who will watch these dogs walk into a room and leave in a bag," she said.

"That's the reality being faced and none of it should be hidden."

A Defra spokesperson said it had taken "quick and decisive action to protect the public from tragic attacks" by making XL bully type dogs a prohibited breed under the Dangerous Dogs Act.

"Up until 31 January 2024, owners of XL bully type dogs have the option of applying for a certificate of exemption or taking their dog to be euthanised by a vet," they said in a statement.

"We are working closely with the police, veterinary experts and animal welfare groups as we take forward these important measures."

Follow East of England news on Facebook, Instagram and X. Got a story? Email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 0800 169 1830
By Anthony Deutsch and Toby Sterling

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Geert Wilders, the far-right populist who won the Dutch election, will have to tone down ideas like banning the Koran, leaving the European Union and halting all foreign aid if he wants to succeed in forming - and leading - a coalition government.

Wilders, a political veteran whose outspoken views have kept him out of power and under 24-hour security protection for years, won a clear mandate to lead government formation talks, taking 23% of the vote in Nov. 22 elections.

But if he is to become prime minister, he will have to convince potential coalition partners he is willing to compromise on long-standing calls to withdraw military support for Ukraine, slash spending on climate goals and scrap constitutionally-protected religious freedoms.

He needs backing from at least two more moderate parties to reach the required majority of 76 seats in the 150-seat parliament to form a right-wing government.

Much will depend on the willingness of outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte's conservative People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and the centrist upstart New Social Contract of Pieter Omtzigt, both largely pro-European, to work with him.

Wilders has shaped Dutch policy for years from the opposition benches, tapping concerns about immigration and tying them to broader issues such as the cost of living, housing and healthcare. Mainstream centrist parties have already adopted tougher positions on immigration to avoid losing votes to the right, but none matched Wilders' frequent calls for a total ban on immigration.

Both the Netherlands' image in Brussels, as well as some policy changes in dealings with its EU partners, would be likely accompany a Wilders-led government. However, Dutch membership of the EU is not considered to be at stake as it is non-negotiable for Wilders' potential coalition partners.

"The Netherlands is always seen as a transparent, open, innovative and prosperous country with a very open society and this is suddenly a different tune we're hearing - we're seeing a more withdrawn and introspective side," said Kees van Rij, a former diplomat and advisor on international affairs at the Hague Centre for Strategic Studies.

"The question is if this will really change or if in the end, as is often the case in the Netherlands, compromises and interim solutions will be found," he added.

FOREIGN POLICY

The Dutch are known for their pragmatic politics, open economy and centuries of foreign trade. Under Rutte, the longest serving prime minister in Dutch history, the Netherlands was seen as a stable, predictable EU partner during turbulent times.

Wilders' shock victory signals that the Netherlands too is not immune to Europe's political swing to the right that has seen the rise of populists in Poland, Italy, Hungary and Slovakia.

His remarks about Islam and the Prophet Mohammad resulted in death threats. Fatwas were made against him and he has been forced to live with round-the-clock protection.

"Regardless of what the next Dutch coalition looks like, his victory will shift the political discourse, in the Netherlands and Europe," Eurointelligence wrote in a note on Thursday.

Among his party's campaign vows was to move the Dutch embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and immediately close its diplomatic office in the "corrupt" Palestinian Authority.

With his calls for "Netherlands first" and closed borders, Rene Cuperus of the Netherlands' Clingendael Institute think-tank called it "the Trump moment of Dutch politics."

"You can call it an earthquake. Nobody expected this result...not even Wilders himself," he said.

A Wilders-led government could make EU policy-making more difficult in several areas.

If he becomes prime minister, Wilder could seek to block increased payments to the EU budget, to which the Netherlands is a net contributor, putting at risk new money the EU wants to earmark for Ukraine and managing migration.

Wilders would likely also join forces with Hungary in demanding a much tougher EU stance on irregular migration and, like Slovakia, oppose providing more military equipment or money to Ukraine. The Dutch provided Kyiv with more than 7 billion euros under Rutte's premiership, including for F-16 fighter jets.

Finally, he would likely oppose admitting Ukraine, Moldova and the Western Balkan countries to the 27-nation bloc.

Much will depend on which of the slogans Wilders campaigned on survive coalition talks.

Dilan Yesilgoz, Rutte's replacement as the head of the VVD party, said on the evening before the election that she would not serve in any cabinet with Wilders as PM, though she did not exclude her party's participation.

New Social Contract party leader Omtzigt said he could not compromise with Wilders on ideas that would violate the Dutch constitution - notably the very first words of the first article, which forbid discrimination.

In earlier years, Wilders said he would scrap that article, along with banning head scarves worn by Muslim women and closing mosques and Islamic schools, but he has since vowed to seek common ground with other political parties.

(Reporting by Anthony Deutsch and Toby Sterling. Additional reporting by Stephanie van den Berg and John Cotton in The Hague and Jan Strupczewski in Brussels; Editing by Toby Chopra)
SNP minister Angus Robertson has been warned about the "character and tone" of the visit

An SNP MP has said he is "dismayed" at a Scottish government minister's trip to China.

External Affairs Secretary Angus Robertson is visiting several Chinese cities this week.

A press release announcing the trip made no mention of human rights or security issues related to China.

The Scottish government said the country had a "a long history of intellectual, cultural and economic exchange with China."

But MP Stewart McDonald, who previously sat alongside Angus Robertson on the SNP benches at Westminster, warned that the "character and tone" of the visit was "out of step with international opinion."

Mr McDonald told BBC Scotland News that engagement was important, but added that China's "catastrophic" human rights record must be raised.

The Glasgow MP stressed that he believed China represented Scotland's biggest security threat.

Mr McDonald said: "China is no ordinary trading partner. It has violently cracked down on democracy and the rule of law in Hong Kong, is carrying out a genocide against Uighur Muslims, is increasingly threatening the people of Taiwan."

The trip was also criticised by the head of Westminster's foreign affairs committee and an international cross-party group of politicians.

The focus of Mr Robertson's trip includes promoting business and tourism.

He is scheduled to meet representatives of the Beijing government, as well as business leaders and alumni from Scottish universities.

In a statement, the external affairs secretary said: "I look forward to visiting Beijing, Kunming and Shanghai and promoting Scotland as an open, connected and outward-looking country."

He added that he hoped to "meet key stakeholders on energy and green transition" and would be signing a memorandum of understanding on culture and tourism.

The Scottish government is keen to strengthen economic links with China.

A quarter of international students in Scottish higher education are from China, and key exports to the country include whisky and salmon.

But more questions have been raised in recent years regarding China's treatment of some of its own citizens, and its longer-term strategic ambitions.

The Chinese government has been accused of human rights abuses against Uyghurs

Last year, the UN accused China of "serious human rights violations" in a report into allegations of abuse in Xinjiang province, where about 12 million Muslim Uyghurs live.

China denies all allegations of human rights abuses in Xinjiang.

This week the campaign group Human Rights Watch alleged there was a "systematic effort" to curb the practice of Islam in the country.

The security services have also recently warned about Chinese infiltration in UK politics.

In September, a researcher at the UK Parliament was arrested under the Official Secrets Act, amid claims he was spying for China. The researcher has said he is "completely innocent".

A recent report by Parliament's intelligence and security committee said the Beijing government sought the "monitoring and controlling" of Chinese students in the UK.

Coercion claim

Alicia Kearns, who chairs Westminster's foreign affairs committee, questioned the trip's focus on encouraging more Chinese students to study in Scotland.

She told BBC Scotland News: "Chinese students in the UK live in constant fear of CCP (Chinese Communist Party) surveillance and intimidation. I have long called for greater protections for Chinese students and their research against coercion from Beijing.

"While dialogue with China is important I urge the Scottish external affairs minister to be clear-eyed on the reality of Chinese influence in Scottish education and any purported goodwill from Beijing."

The Independent Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), a group of legislators that has concerns about human rights, questioned the Scottish government's "uncritical approach" towards Beijing.

Three SNP MPs - Stewart McDonald, Alyn Smith and Chris Law - are members of IPAC.

David Cameron attempted to form closer links with China when he was prime minister, taking President Xi Jinping to his local pub

Luke de Pulford, the group's executive director, said: "It isn't just Uyghurs and Hong Kongers who are let down. It's the people of Scotland who deserve to be protected from exposure to Xi Jinping's dictatorship."

The UK government has also faced criticism for not taking a more critical stance on China.

Ministers recently said that isolating Beijing would be against the UK's national interest.

The new foreign secretary, Lord David Cameron, previously tried to form closer links when he was prime minister, including a 2016 trip to a village pub with President Xi Jinping.
Residents of a small village on the Moray Firth coast fear they will be cut off by the sea.

Kingston, east of Lossiemouth, is close to the mouth of the River Spey.

There are concerns a natural shingle bank protecting the community from the sea will be breached, and water will reach the Spey resulting in flooding on all sides.

Kingston locals fear one more winter storm could turn their village into an island.

Moray Council said it was working on coastal adaptation plans which will be published in the spring.

But the beach has moved up to 40m (131ft) inland in the last 15 years and locals are worried now.

Jim Mackie, 73, grew up nearby. The threat of coastal erosion is never far from his thoughts.

Jim Mackie said people's houses would become worthless

"The amount of erosion along the coastline here has been unreal. The sea is getting closer and closer to the village," he said.

"We already have problems with emergency services' lack of access to the community when there are floods or the spring tides - they can't get in.

"As and when the sea breaks through, then Kingston is going to be cut off.

"The houses will become worthless, people won't be able to sell houses, won't be able to fulfil mortgages."

He recalled seeing houses lost to the Spey when he was 10 years old.

"The river came past here, there was a gathering because everyone anticipated the house was going to go.

"It was just in slow motion - the edge nearest the river went down, and the back of the house just slowly slid into the river like a boat that was being launched."

Kingston's geographical position at the mouth of the River Spey saw a huge shipbuilding industry build up there in the late 18th Century.

Timber would be floated down the Spey from forests upstream to multiple shipyards based at the mouth of the river.

But the industry which made the location what it was would not be viable now given the changes to the river and the coast.

David Mackay from the Garmouth and Kingston Heritage Trust

Locals say the River Spey isn't being managed as it used to be.

David Mackay is from the Garmouth and Kingston Heritage Trust. "I've lived in the village for 50 years plus and the change has been dramatic," he said.

"In the 60s, the council started to move the mouth every eight or nine years, this meant the shingle didn't have a chance to lie in the river.

"The river is getting shallower and all that shingle should be on the beaches."

Moray Council said that Coastal Change Adaptation Plans were being worked on.

Local councillor Marc Macrae told BBC Scotland News that the shingle beach had receded again in the last storm to hit the area.

He said: "The water's come in much further this time. It just takes a few more of those and I think Kingston will be cut off.

"It will be cut off by the Spey on one side and the sea will circle it on the other.

"There's a big elderly population that live along the coast of Moray. At the moment many are afraid of the sea undermining their properties and of losing their homes."

"We need some flood adaptation actions now.

"You will never stop it completely but if we can reduce the frequency of these events and reduce the damage they cause it is surely a win-win for these communities."

Anne Speake is concerned about becoming trapped

Anne Speake has lived in the village for more than 20 years but is worried what will happen in the next big storm.

"We see the shingle come and go but when the weather is really bad the sea breaks through the shingle. We wonder how are we going to get out," she said.

With increased rainfall and more storms expected, how coasts and rivers are managed will impact increasingly on those living nearby.

A Moray Council spokesperson said: "The Coastal Change Adaptation Plans we're developing with stakeholders, including coastal communities, aim to identify influencing factors that define the direction and requirement for adaptation, such as hazards, climate change, demographics, development potential, and economic opportunities.

"These influencing factors will be monitored and changes assessed to find out if they meet pre-defined triggers that activate action to manage coastal change. If so, stakeholders will be consulted on possible actions."

Nature Scot said it recognised that storms and floods were a very real concern for the community at Kingston and that it was supportive of Moray Council's ongoing work.

They said: "We commend them for being the first local authority to develop these adaptation plans, which aim to keep communities resilient in the face of increasing coastal climate risks.

"Being prepared, and working with nature rather than against it, will help us adapt to climate change. "
The party of Geert Wilders, an anti-Islam populist, has won the most votes in a shock victory in the Dutch parliamentary elections.

Wilders Freedom party is expected to win 37 seats in Parliament, but will need to form a coalition if it hopes to govern and put Wilders forward as the Netherlands next prime minister.

The veteran politician, who has been compared to former U.S. President Donald Trump, is an EU-skeptic who campaigned for a Brexit-style referendum on Dutch membership in the bloc. He has also proposed a ban on the Quran, Islamic schools, and mosques.

Polling suggests that Wilders Nexit platform is unpopular, and a referendum on the Netherlands membership in the European Union would likely flop. But the leader is still likely to be a thorn in Brussels side, Politico notes: His seat at the table means that policies ranging from climate action, to EU reform and weapons for Ukraine will be up for debate, and even reversal.

Wilders Freedom party (PVV) does not have enough seats to govern alone, so he will need to convince others to form a coalition. That means a Wilders premiership may be just out of reach: Several party leaders have already refused to work with him. Analysts say that at least three parties will need to agree to form a coalition, and such conversations could take months to complete, the Financial Times noted. In that scenario, outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte may remain in his role as a caretaker while parties nail down the terms of a deal.

Wilders party benefited from voter concerns over asylum-seekers and migration, Dutch outlet NRC noted. The Freedom party has long been seen as the principal voice opposing immigration in the Dutch Parliament, and seems to have received the right-wing protest vote en masse, NRC reported. Left-wing leaders have voiced concern about the safety of immigrants in the Netherlands following the election: DENK party leader Stephan van Baarle called the outcome an outright threat to one million Muslims.
Nearly half of Americans think the U.S. is spending too much on aid to Ukraine, according to a new poll conducted by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research on Nov. 22.

The percentage of Americans in opposition to aid for Ukraine is slightly down from the AP's previous poll last month. About 45% now believe the U.S. government is spending too much on aid to Ukraine, down from 52% in October. Republicans now make up the primary opposition group, with 59% now saying too much is spent on aid to Ukraine, which is down from 69% in October.

Around 38% of U.S. adults say current spending is "about the right amount," which is slightly higher than last month at about 31%. Among Republicans, 29% say the current spending is about right, which is slightly higher than the 20% reported last month.

About 48% endorse providing weapons to Ukraine (57% among Democrats, 42% among Republicans). Additionally, about 4 in 10 favor sending government funds directly to Ukraine (54% for Democrats, 24% for Republicans).

The U.S. has faced months of infighting over government spending, including military aid for Ukraine. Support for Ukraine has increasingly become a partisan issue, in which Democrats are much more likely to support continued aid, compared to a higher degree of opposition among Republicans.

This has become especially apparent after the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7, as U.S. funding for Israel and Ukraine has become increasingly linked in Congress.

U.S. President Joe Biden previously asked the U.S. Congress to approve a new $106 billion aid package, including more than $61 billion in funding for aid to Ukraine. On Nov. 16, Biden signed a temporary spending bill into law, averting the impending government shutdown but leaving the issue of continued aid for Ukraine unaddressed.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, said at a press conference on Nov. 14 that Congress would reconvene after Thanksgiving on Nov. 23 in order to try and pass a joint funding bill that contains aid for all four issues.

The U.S. has provided Ukraine with $44.2 billion in security assistance since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, according to a fact sheet by the DoD released on Nov. 20.

Read also: Ukraine war latest: Germany delivers over 20 Marders; Military reports destroying 80% of Russian hardware near Avdiivka

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
A few insiders said Milei is the antithesis of UNESCO's values (Luis ROBAYO)

Argentina dropped out of a race for a key UNESCO post after libertarian outsider Javier Milei's election as the South American country's president created controversy, and Brazil has now jumped into the fray.

The UN's cultural agency will on Friday choose the new chairperson of its 58-nation executive board, one of the most important jobs at the Paris-based organisation.

Two diplomats were in the running to head the executive board: Vera El-Khoury Lacoeuilhe, backed by the Caribbean island nation of Saint Lucia, works for a billionaire with a money-laundering conviction while the other, Marcela Losardo, is from politically volatile Argentina.

Both candidacies have generated controversy, creating a "climate of anxiety" ahead of the vote, one diplomat told AFP on condition of anonymity.

After hard-right libertarian Milei was elected president in Argentina on Sunday, some ambassadors said the South American country's UNESCO representative Losardo no longer stood a chance.

Several insiders have said Milei -- who is in favour of cutting spending on education and science and says people should be allowed to sell their organs freely -- is the antithesis of UNESCO's values.

Argentina defused the crisis by withdrawing Losardo's candidacy in a letter to member states, which was seen by AFP on Wednesday.

Brazil said at the same time it was nominating its representative, according to another letter seen by AFP.

The chairmanship of the executive board rotates on a regional basis and is due to go to a Latin American or Caribbean country.

One diplomat had earlier told AFP on condition of anonymity that the Argentine election result had boosted Lacoeuilhe's chances, adding that her installation could lead to "reputational damage" for the UN agency.

Critics have pointed to the 64-year-old's work for Gilbert Chagoury, a Nigerian-Lebanese billionaire. Chagoury's past includes a money-laundering conviction in Switzerland in 2000 and other controversial cases.

Chagoury is Saint Lucia's ambassador to UNESCO, and Lacoeuilhe serves as his deputy.

Following Losardo's departure, France has expressed its "unreserved support" for Brazil's bid, according to a diplomatic note seen by AFP.

jf-as/tgb/ach
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders faced criticism last week after she pardoned a Thanksgiving turkey while continuing to refuse clemency to a developmentally disabled Black man who legal advocates claim was wrongly convicted in the murder of an elderly woman three decades ago.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders faces backlash for denying clemency for wrongly convicted black man while pardoning Thanksgiving Turkey. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Charlie Vaughn and three other suspects were convicted in 1991 for the 1988 slaying of 81-year-old Fordyce resident Myrtle Holmes, but a different suspect confessed to the crime in 2015 while new evidence has since emerged that appears to support Vaughns claim of innocence.

In June, Stuart Chanen, Vaughns attorney since 2016, submitted the clemency petition to Sanders, outlining the newly uncovered information in the case, however, the governors office went mum on the request for a month, prompting Chanen to reach out for an update in July.

Thats when Sanders chief legal counsel sent an email to Chanen, saying Sanders would not be granting clemency in the case, adding that Vaughn would be eligible to reapply for commutation in 2029, six years from now.

At the time, Sanders did not provide any explanation for her decision to deny the petition, while her office since has avoided commenting on the case.

Since taking office in January, Sanders administration has prioritized strengthening criminal justice policies, fulfilling campaign pledges that propelled her to victory in the 2022 gubernatorial election.

In April, Sanders signed legislation that eliminated parole for certain crimes, raised the parole criteria for other offenses, and reduced the time prisoners can deduct from their sentences for good behavior. The bill also included funding for the construction of a new state prison with 3,000 beds.

More recently, at a press conference on Nov. 17, Sanders and Arkansas attorney general Tim Griffin expressed dissatisfaction with the state Board of Corrections, which rejected a proposal to add 500 more beds in existing prisons across the state.

Sanders, a staunch Republican who previously served as White House press secretary under President Donald Trump, has faced pressure in recent weeks to reconsider her stance, with some speculating that she was using the Vaughn case to boost her national profile among conservatives, while positioning herself as a potential vice presidential running mate in 2024.

State political watchers said Sanders may be hesitant to grant clemency because her father, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, faced criticism for his own clemency decisions, including a 2009 case in which Maurice Clemmons, a prisoner granted release by Huckabee nine years earlier, murdered four police officers in Washinton state.

Despite his disability, Vaughn has always denied any involvement in the killing for which he was charged after spending a year behind bars with no professional mental health evaluation to determine his competency for trial, as required by law.

Eventually, a judge did order an evaluation for Vaughn, but the local sheriff instead sent an informant to the jail to obtain Vaughns purported confession, which implicated the other three men.

Shockingly, this information remained hidden from Vaughns defense attorney for more than two decades, prompting further calls to dismiss the case.

My sense is that Charlie was seen as different, maybe a little off, Chanen told the Arkansas Times. Thats probably how he became a suspect.

Vaughns confession also contradicted many established facts about the crime.

Although authorities claimed Vaughn confessed to raping Holmes with another man, DNA testing on semen collected at the scene excluded both suspects.

In addition, Vaughns private defense attorney, Edward Oglesby, was hired by Dallas County about a year out of college and paid him just $200 to represent Vaughn as the county lacked a full-time public defender. At the time, the judge himself expressed reservations about Vaughns confession, stating, Im sure that some governor somewhere down the road will reduce the sentence or commute it to a term of years.

During the trial of the other suspects the following year, Vaughn testified against them, but the jury deadlocked and the judge declared a mistrial. Vaughn recanted his confession in 1991 after almost 10 months in jail, however, the other three men were later convicted during a second trial.

At the time, Oglesby also switched Vaughns plea from not guilty to not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect, leading to a 30-day mental health evaluation.

In 2015, as the Innocence Project delved into the case, Reginald Early, one of the convicted individuals previously implicated by Vaughn, confessed to the murder.

At the time, Early insisted that he acted alone and barely knew Vaughn and the other two men, and that while he contemplated confessing after his arrest he decided against it after he saw that three other suspects were arrested in connection with the crime, all of whom he knew were innocent.

Earlys confession aligned with the available evidence and matched the details known only to the police about the crime scene.

The only evidence implicating Vaughn and the other men were accounts from witnesses who told a private investigator they saw the four suspects together in the area where Holmes was killed, however, no one ever said they saw Vaughn go into the womans home.

Perhaps most notably, two of the men convicted based on Vaughns confession have been released from prison after federal courts granted relief that overturned their convictions, although one of the men since has died.

Previously, the state asserted that Vaughn should remain incarcerated, contending that he should have been aware of the developments in the other two cases. The state maintained that his failure to file a claim within a year of the discovery of new evidence demonstrated a lack of due diligence that rendered him ineligible to benefit from the recently unearthed information.

While he was incarcerated, Vaughn was again called to testify, but he didnt have an attorney present during a post-evidentiary hearing, which he thought was a proceeding to dismiss the charges against him. In actuality, he had agreed to reverse sworn testimony he gave against his co-defendants during the first trial.

In 1995, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit denied Vaughns handwritten plea without explanation.

After the decision, Chanen immediately drafted a clemency petition that he submitted last year to the Arkansas Parole Board, which rejected the appeal without merit.

In December 2022, Chanen sought to deliver Vaughns petition to then-Gov. Asa Hutchison before his term ended in January. However, the state constitution requires the governor to issue a 30-day notice of intent to grant clemency, a timeline that exceeded the remaining days in Hutchisons term. Consequently, Chanen would have to wait to submit the petition to the incoming governor instead.

Chanen said he is now preparing a habeas petition that he planned to submit to the Arkansas Supreme Court, while acknowledging the limited options available to Vaughn due to the high bar imposed by Arkansas law for cases previously denied on appeal.

If ever anyone were deserving of this, its Charlie Vaughn, Chanen said, according to the Arkansas Times.
Self-proclaimed President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko was outraged by Armenia's decision not to participate in the summit of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in Minsk, Belarusian news agency BelTA reported on Nov. 23.

"We also discussed the situation in the Caucasus and some dissatisfaction of one of the members of the Collective Security Council," Lukashenko said, referring to Armenia skipping the summit.

Read also: Armenia joins over 65 nations in Malta to chart course for ending war in Ukraine

The Belarusian dictator added that "there have always been and will be problematic issues," but they should be "resolved at the negotiating table, not by making demarches for no reason."

Read also: Armenia officially delivers humanitarian aid to Ukraine

The CSTO summit began on Nov. 23, in Minsk, Belarus.

On Nov. 14, Lukashenko invited Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan to the CSTO meeting, but the latter refused the invitation.

Secretary of the Armenian Security Council Armen Grigoryan stated that Armenia's presence in the CSTO, which is essentially led by Russia, creates "certain problems" for Armenia, while it is important for Yerevan to cooperate with Western partners on security issues.

Read also: Armenian PM claims his country not Russias ally in war against Ukraine, Kremlin reacts

On Nov. 15, Pashinyan assured that his country is not preparing to withdraw from the CSTO, despite the fact that it will not participate in the next meeting of the CSTO Security Council.

The CSTO is a military alliance that includes Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
AUSTIN (KXAN)  An effort is in the works at Austin City Hall to potentially act on calls from local activists to adopt protections for the transgender community, which they contend will remain a target by state leaders.

Artemis Lesgaux and Jennifer Hughes are among those circulating an open letter to Austin City Council members and even confronting some of them about designating Austin as a transgender sanctuary city. As part of their effort, theyre offering local leaders a number of policy recommendations. Those include forbidding the city from assisting with an investigation into a transgender persons medical decisions or those who provide such care.

OutLaw: A Catalyst project looking into a half-century criminalizing LGBTQ+ Texans

Other proposals address communicating official support for drag performers in the city and even setting up a legal fund to assist Austinites who might face consequences for violating state laws, like Senate Bill 12 and Senate Bill 14. Each of those bills passed during the regular legislative session earlier this year. Senate Bill 12 limits minors from seeing a sexually oriented performance, which opponents argued could apply to drag performances. Senate Bill 14 banned doctors from providing certain health care treatments to transgender minors.

Theres an attitude that Austin is safe. Theres an attitude that we are kind of a blue island in the middle of a red state, but thats not really the case, Lesgaux said. We are still affected by the laws of the Texas legislature. Were not safe in a lot of ways.

Basically, I would have them do what the queer community here in Austin has been asking them to do, Hughes added, which is stand up for us and not just say, Hey, were a nice liberal city that protects our minorities, and then just kind of help the state whenever it wants to oppress us.

State lawmakers introduced a historic number of bills this year that would impact LGBTQ+ Texans, and several restrictions eventually passed and became law. While several of these laws drew legal challenges in the past few months, Lesgaux and Hughes worry this is only the beginning of whats to come in future legislative sessions, and Council Member Ryan Alter agrees with that view.

If you look, we have seen session after session, more and more of the civil liberties, especially of the LGBTQ community, be restricted. This has not been just a one-off issue, Alter said. This has been like I said, years and session after session where it just gets more and more aggressive, more and more invasive, and so I think they are right to say that this is an ongoing concern.

Alter, who represents District 5 in south Austin, said hes now working with other council members on a measure that he hopes will align with some of the activists goals. While the language is not yet finalized, he said it will likely mirror what the council did last year when it passed the GRACE Act, a series of resolutions aimed at protecting reproductive rights after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. One of those measures de-prioritizes enforcement of criminal laws surrounding abortion.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Austin council approves GRACE Act protections for abortion access

Alter said what hes working on now would have a similar approach, except it likely would apply this time to transgender health care.

Our authority is in how we prioritize the enforcement for [the Austin Police Department] or local law enforcement, he explained, so what we can do is make sure that within the bounds of the law because we cant change state law, but we can say we want APD to focus on these things that actually make people safer rather than stepping in between a doctor and a patient.

There is no timeline available yet for when Alter said hell put forward the resolution to the rest of the council. A few members already expressed support for this idea, including Vanessa Fuentes, Zo Qadri and Jose Velasquez. Alter said he does not think its going to take too much longer before the language is formally written. However, he noted a factor is how state leaders may react to this.

We have to just be very careful that whatever rule we put in place does ultimately comply with state law and so we are going to be very careful about that, Alter said. But the end of the day, we cant not act and not protect our constituents and serve our values just because were afraid that the state legislature is going to come in and do something that we disagree with, and it is our job to stand up for those we represent and thats what were going to do.

Lesgaux called it fair when council members told her previously theyd have to consult with the citys legal counsel before they move forward on any proposals.

We expect them to be supportive of the initiative regardless of what they think they can do, Lesgaux said. We want them to find ways to protect trans people because they have the power to, and they have the responsibility to because they have that power.

Epidemic of violence against transgender community highlighted in new report

Randy Erben, an adjunct professor at the University of Texas School of Law, said he anticipates state leaders will watch closely how this effort proceeds and what the city decides to do  even potentially setting up another fight over local control at the statehouse. Earlier this year, for instance, the governor signed what opponents called the death star bill into law. It bars local governments from adopting stricter laws than the state has in several areas, including labor and the environment. Critics pointed out how it will nix some local rules like mandatory water breaks for construction workers, eviction moratoriums and protections against predatory lending.

I think that [city leaders] are going to be very sensitive to that because the last thing they want to do is pass something that is going to, you know, go to court and be overturned, so I think theyll be careful, Erben said. Now, thats not to say that the majority of the council may differ with that, but I think theres some, especially with the mayor, theres going to be some sensitivity to bumping up against being inconsistent with state law.

The group of activists behind this effort also gathered Monday evening outside Austin City Council for a vigil on Transgender Day of Remembrance, which is recognized each year to honor the lives of transgender people lost to violence. The Human Rights Campaign, the nations largest LGBTQ+ civil rights group, released its annual report on fatal violence against transgender and gender-nonconforming people in the U.S., describing the past year as an epidemic of violence targeting the community.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin.
Authorities are investigating after a woman was shot to death in Cambridge early Thanksgiving morning.

Officers responding to a report of a shooting in the area of 10 Magazine Street in the citys Central Square section around 12:30 a.m. found two people suffering from gunshot wounds near a black Tesla that was still in the roadway, according to Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and Cambridge Police Commissioner Christine Elow.

Both victims, a 27-year-old woman and a 26-year-old man, were taken to a Boston hospital. The woman died from her injuries, while the man was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

The names of the victims havent been released.

Police are asking anyone with information to contact the Cambridge Police Criminal Investigations Unit at 617-349-3370.

An investigation into the shooting is ongoing.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

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A worker wearing a mask walks past a Boeing 737 Max 9 built for Aeromexico as it is prepared for a flight from Renton, Wash., in this 2020 file photo. | Ted S. Warren, Associated Press

During the state trade mission to Mexico last month, Gov. Spencer Cox shared that our relationship with Mexico is the most important international alliance Utah has. And we agree.

Businesses and consumers alike have felt the effects of the ongoing global supply chain issues and trade wars of the last few years. As we collectively work through the challenges that come our way, we take stock of our international partners who are prepared to solve current problems and collaborate to create new opportunities.

Mexico, the second-largest economy in Latin America, was Utahs third-largest merchandise export destination in 2022. To catalyze trade and diplomatic relations, Cox and former Gov. Gary Herbert have led four trade missions to Mexico in the past decade  two of which have been in the last two years. Last years business trip garnered $52.55 million in new international sales and sourcing opportunities.

In the time since the 2022 visit, Cox, the Governors Office of Economic Opportunity, and the Mexican Consulate in Salt Lake City strategically crafted the Joint Utah Mexico Partnership, or JUMP, initiative. Cox met with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Economy to present the JUMP during our return visit. The strategic plan includes 12 recommendations for continued partnership in the region, including points about new jobs, trade, tourism and language acquisition.

Related

Utah is proud to be home to nearly 340,000 Mexicans and people of Mexican descent, accounting for roughly 10% of our states population. Deep cultural and economic ties have existed since Utah was founded, including a 111-year-old Mexican consulate office in Salt Lake City. We brought 17 exceptional Utah companies  with a focus on manufacturing and technology  to meet government officials, trade associations, and corresponding business partners to build relationships and identify growth opportunities. Each entrepreneur and executive reported the trip as a success for their company. World Trade Center Utah understands well that these companies invested time and resources and that a strong return on each investment is of paramount importance. We appreciate the support of Cox and first lady Abby Cox, Sens. Luz Escamilla and Mike McKell, and Rep. Cory Maloy in building bridges with Mexican officials and supporting the Utah delegations business objectives. Their participation opened doors providing access for our business community.

Many of the companies in the recent Utah delegation made the trek to find nearshoring options for their supply chain and minimize the risks of manufacturing in China. Compared to Asian counterparts, Mexican manufacturers boast similar or lower costs of skilled labor. Additionally, due to its strategic geographic location, Mexico provides shorter transit times to deliver products to the U.S.

The implementation of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement in 2020 has strengthened the commercial bridge between the U.S. and Mexico. Companies manufacturing in Mexico enjoy transparency in factories, the ability to manufacture without establishing an entity in Mexico, and, most importantly, zero tariffs on U.S.-made products.

When it comes to digital ecosystems and STEM innovation, Mexico has not only caught up with other global leaders  it has become a trailblazer. Ultimately, Mexico has the talent and the desire to build digital teams with U.S. tech firms. Both cities also fall within the Central and Mountain time zones, allowing Utah businesses to build synchronous remote teams. And, as a bonus, Aeromexico has announced expanded nonstop flights from Salt Lake City to Mexico City and Monterrey.

Next year, Cox is leading another state delegation to our other USMCA partner, Canada. Strengthening Utahs direct ties to our closest international neighbors will strengthen our foothold in the global market and help us achieve our vision of making Utah the crossroads of the world.

Sign up for WTC Utahs newsletter for details. We will announce the trade mission dates and application process in December.

Jonathan Freedman is the president and CEO of World Trade Center Utah. Jeremy Andrus is the CEO of Traeger Pellet Grills.
Sokal's triumph in one Bangladesh's most prestigious beauty contests was not only a personal victory but one that sent a message of hope (Munir uz ZAMAN)

Bangladeshi trans woman Yasin Ahmed Sokal always wanted the freedom to dress like her sisters, but never in her wildest dreams did she imagine being showered with applause at a beauty pageant in her conservative homeland.

For 24-year-old Sokal, her triumph in one of the South Asian nation's most prestigious beauty contests was not only a personal victory but one that sent a message of hope.

Sokal, whose name means "dawn" in Bengali, was this month named second runner-up in Miss Evergreen Bangladesh 2023.

"I hope I've brought a dawn of hope for trans women in Bangladesh," Sokol told AFP in the capital Dhaka.

"It is a victory for thousands of trans women and thousands of Sokals out there."

Among Bangladesh's population of 170 million an estimated 1.5 million people are transgender, but they have long faced discrimination and violence.

Stories are common of transgender people being abandoned by families and communities, forcing them to beg or be driven into the sex trade.

- 'Beauty has no gender' -

"It sends a message of hope to all closeted transgender people that is: beauty doesn't remain limited to men and women," she said.

"Beauty is everywhere, diversity is beauty, and beauty has no gender."

Attitudes in the Muslim-majority country towards trans people are slowly shifting, although the LGBTQ community still faces massive legal and societal discrimination.

Homosexuality is criminalised under a colonial-era penal code.

Sokal, a fashion student in Dhaka, grew up in a hostile world where her wish to be a woman was mocked.

"I was born male, but I'd always realised I was growing up as a woman," Sokal told AFP.

Coming from a Muslim family from a rural village 60 kilometres (38 miles) east of the capital Dhaka, Sokal knew as a child she felt different.

"I was a victim of bullying so many times in school and college," she said, in a quiet voice.

She described how she was refused enrolment into an English course "because of my gender identity".

For the beauty contest, which was open to only women, Sokal was questioned as her name sounds like a man's.

"It was only after I was able to convince them about my identity that they called me for the audition," she said.

"Victory in the Miss Evergreen Bangladesh is a testament that I am a woman. Thanks to the contest, finally people have appreciated my beauty."

While Sokal identifies as a trans woman, many in Bangladesh would identify her as a "hijra" -- a South Asian term for a "third gender".

Traditionally in Bangladesh, hijras have held a unique cultural position, with the popular belief they can confer luck or good health to others.

In 2013, trans people were officially identified as a separate gender, and in 2018, they were allowed to vote and run in elections.

Two transgender candidates have since won mayoral elections, while employers have slowly overcome earlier stigmas to recruit them to jobs.

Islamic clerics have opened dozens of seminaries to trans students, expediting their social inclusion.

- 'Live as I love to live' -

Sokal said she "felt lucky" her family supported her, and felt "immensely loved" when she was flooded with congratulatory messages after her beauty contest win.

"They considered my achievement as their achievement," she said.

After graduation, she said she wants to become a model and host conferences and cultural shows.

"Many people praise that I walk well on the runway," she said. "My dream is one day that I will be a top model."

Her lesson for life is that she refused to let those opposing her define who she should be.

"I have always tried to live as I love to live," she said. "So, those bullying did not affect me."

She said she is proud of who she is.

"You may not like a colour of nature, but you can't deny that colour," she said. "I also consider myself as a colour of nature and I like this colour."

es-mma/sa/pjm/ser/mca
A former adviser to Barack Obama has been arrested after he subjected a New York food vendor to a racist and Islamophobic rant.

Stuart Seldowitz, 64, was filmed telling a 24-year-old halal food seller that the killing 4,000 Palestinian children wasnt enough.

In clips shared to social media, Mr Seldowitz was also heard asking someone off-camera whether they raped their daughter like Muhammad did and saying: Muhammad, your prophet... He was a rapist.

Mr Seldowitz was the acting director of the National Security Council South Asia Directorate under Mr Obama, and was deputy director in the US State Departments Office of Israel and Palestinian Affairs from 1999 to 2003.

He was arrested on Wednesday on preliminary charges of hate crime, stalking, second-degree aggravated harassment, stalking causing fear, and stalking at employment.

People are trying to divide us

His arrest comes as scores of New Yorkers flocked to support the Manhattan food vendor.

Jewish residents and US officials were among those who travelled across the city to buy lamb gyros and falafel over rice from the Upper East Side outlet on Wednesday afternoon.

As he struggled to keep up with the surge of orders, Moha Kamen, 35, who works on the food stand, said Mr Seldowitz had come for him one time at night.

The outpouring of support had left him and his colleagues feeling safe and supported.

He said: People love us here, they come to support us and were happy.

The outpouring of support had left Moha Kamen and his colleagues feeling 'safe and supported' - Anadolu

Pamela Wiznitzer, 38, lives opposite the food truck and ran outside immediately to comfort the owners after she saw the videos of Mr Seldowitz abusing them on social media.

Ms Wiznitzer, who describes herself as very Jewish, set up a table and eight chairs next to the halal truck, where she sat with her dog Ric for several hours.

She encouraged others to sit down with her as an opportunity for everyone to break bread at a time when people are trying to divide us.

She said on Tuesday Mr Kamen had told her: Youre Jewish, and you know, were Egyptian and we love each other.

The table was adorned with pumpkin decorations and note cards for people to write war reminders of love to Mr Kamen and his colleagues.

Meanwhile, Kapil Gupta, 49, travelled across New York with a colleague from the United States Mission to the UN to buy more than 30 wraps in a show of support.

He said he was horrified to learn that this gentleman here has been harassed by a person who had had a connection to the State Department professionally.

Mr Gupta said the worker had clearly gone off the rails and he wanted to show we dont support that [his views] in any way.

Mr Seldowitz has since apologised for the incident, saying on Tuesday evening: I regret the whole thing happened and Im sorry... In the heat of the moment, I said things that probably I shouldnt have said. If I had to do it all over again, I would not have raised the religious aspect.

He insisted he was not bigoted against Muslims, saying: I dont think Im an Islamophobic guy. Ive spoken up for equal treatment of Muslims on numerous occasions with numerous different people.

Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month, then enjoy 1 year for just $9 with our US-exclusive offer.
People gather outside The Museum of Modern Art, known as the 'The Hostages and Missing Square'. According to Israeli authorities, around 240 hostages are being held by Hamas in Gaza after being captured from communities in southern Israel on October 7th. - Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images Europe

In this episode of Battle Lines, Middle East Correspondent Natalia Vasilyeva looks at the highly anticipated hostage release and temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, after weeks of bloody fighting. She also talks about the rollercoaster of emotions being experienced by the families of hostages, desperate to find out if their loved makes will make the lists of those being released.

Plus Foreign Reporter Verity Bowman on the dire public health situation in Gaza as disease stalks the streets.

This embedded content is not available in your region.

Battle Lines, a new podcast from The Telegraph, combines on the ground reporting with analytical expertise to aid the listener in better understanding the conflict.

Listen to Battle Lines using the audio player in this article or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or your favourite podcast app.

Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month, then enjoy 1 year for just $9 with our US-exclusive offer.
(BCN)  Bay Area Indigenous leaders and community members plan to convene at the intersection of Fourth Street and Hearst Avenue in Berkeley on Friday morning in an expression of support for Palestine, to raise awareness of indigenous ancestors buried at two locations, and to protest further development of the area.

The three-mile walk takes place annually the day after Thanksgiving and is referred to as the Shellmound to Shellmound Prayer Walk.

The walk begins at the West Berkeley Shellmound, a 5,700-year-old sacred Ohlone burial ground, and goes to the Emeryville Shellmound, another sacred burial ground now covered by the Bay Street Mall. The Ohlone are a tribe of Indigenous Americans native to Northern California and the Bay Area in particular.

Construction crew has $5K worth of stolen tools returned after Pleasanton police bust

The walk will begin at 10 a.m. and organizers hope to raise awareness to mallgoers on Black Friday of the Ohlone shellmounds and to honor ancestors buried there.

Indigenous elders, community and faith leaders as well as representatives of the Confederated Villages of Lisjan, one of many Ohlone tribes that are native to the East Bay, will speak at the event regarding their struggle to protect the West Berkeley Shellmound site and to emphasize solidarity with the people of Palestine.

Our solidarity runs deeper than a walk We stand shoulder to shoulder in prayer, standing against genocide, mourning the loss of innocent lives stolen and Protecting the Sacred! reads an invitation to the event.

As the Tribal Chair of the Confederated Villages of Lisjan Nation, Ohlone, the Indigenous stewards of the occupied lands now known as San Francisco, East Bay, the horrific violence in Gaza is heart-shattering Genocide and occupation are not new to Indigenous peoples, said Corrina Gould, the spokeswoman for the group.

The blueprint used to create genocide in Gaza and throughout the world was pulled from the playbook created by the United States government on American Indians here in Turtle Island, our ancestral lands.

How owls could be the next frontier for pest control in Napa Valley

This walk was inspired by a previous Shellmound walk organized by Gould and Johnella LaRose, which ran 300 miles.

Organizers for the walk mentioned their frustration with what they say are threats from developers to expand construction at the locations  something they say could potentially damage the historically landmarked sites.

In the coming months, decisions made by Berkeleys City Council could have a critical impact on the sacred site, a press release by organizers for the walk read.

Copyright  2023 Bay City News, Inc.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4.
The BBC has come under fire for its coverage of the Israel-Hamas war - Mario Pietrangeli/MAPI

The BBC has been accused by its own journalists of favouritism towards Israel and a failure to humanise Palestinian victims in the ongoing conflict.

In a 2,300-word letter to Al Jazeera, eight of the corporations UK-based journalists accused their employer of failing to accurately cover the Israel-Hamas conflict since the war began.

The journalists, who asked Al Jazeera not to share their identities for fear of reprisals, wrote that humanising coverage of Palestinian civilians has been lacking and accused the BBC of being guilty of a double standard in how civilians are seen.

The journalists said: The BBC has failed to accurately tell this story  through omission and lack of critical engagement with Israels claims  and it has therefore failed to help the public engage with and understand the human rights abuses unfolding in Gaza.

Thousands of Palestinians have been killed since Oct 7. When will the number be high enough for our editorial stance to change?

The group told Al Jazeera they do not plan to send their letter to the BBCs executives, reportedly because they do not believe it will lead to any meaningful discussions.

A BBC spokesman said the corporations coverage has made clear the devastating human cost to civilians living in Gaza and Israel.

Danny Cohen, the director of BBC Television, told The Telegraph last week that Britains Jews are being harmed through its unbalanced reporting as he accused a BBC journalist of pro-Palestine bias on her social media feed.

However, the journalists letter insisted that terms like massacre and atrocity are reserved only for Hamas, framing the group as the only instigator and perpetrator of violence in the region. This is inaccurate but aligns with the BBCs overall coverage.

They added that the Hamass attack on Oct 7, while appalling and devastating does not justify the indiscriminate killing of thousands of Palestinian civilians, and the BBC cannot be seen to support  or fail to interrogate  the logic that it does.

We are asking the BBC to better reflect and defer to the evidence-based findings of official and unbiased humanitarian organisations.

The anonymous reporters said the broadcasters portrayal of Israel suffering was more thorough, for example telling audiences the names of victims, covering funerals and interviewing families. They said that in comparison, humanising coverage of Palestinian civilians has been lacking.

The journalists acknowledged some strong isolated examples, but said sensitively told stories about Palestinians were not consistent, particularly at the onset of the war.

The BBC spokesman said: The BBC is one of the only news organisations to have journalists inside Gaza, and our journalists have been able to provide on the ground reporting, first-hand testimony and analysis on what is happening on the ground.

This has included many stories of Palestinian victims and first-hand testimony from civilians, doctors and aid workers in Gaza, as well as a Panorama documentary, featuring human stories from both sides.

BBC News has also examined the history and complexities of the Israel-Palestinian conflict and continues to provide historical context and explainers throughout our coverage online, on our dedicated podcast  The Conflict  and on our radio and TV news programmes.

When interviewing either the Israeli government, Hamas, Palestinian representatives, or other leaders, we are robust, challenging and aim to hold power to account.

The BBC has pointed to a comprehensive list of examples of its coverage of the war, which included dozens of human stories of Palestinian suffering.

Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month, then enjoy 1 year for just $9 with our US-exclusive offer.
A Belleville man has been charged with multiple offenses in connection with the sexual abuse of a minor, Illinois State Police said Wednesday.

Thomas Conner III, 38, faces the following felony charges:

Involuntary sexual servitude of a minor under 17

Involuntary sexual servitude of a minor under 18

Two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse

Conner also was charged with the misdemeanor offense of solicitation of a sexual act.

Illinois State Police and the FBI began an investigation after the East St. Louis Police Department received a complaint in July 2022 of the sexual assault of a minor, according to a news release from the state police.

The St. Clair County States Attorneys Office charged Conner on Nov. 14 and he was arrested at his home by the U.S. Marshals Service on Tuesday.

A detention hearing was conducted on Wednesday and Conner was ordered to be detained, the news release said.

Conner was being held in the St. Clair County Jail Wednesday. St. Clair County court records do list a defense attorney for him.
A conservator displays undelivered letters sent from Lima to Cadiz in 1779 on the ship La Perla but seized by the British - Shutterstock

Anyone on a long business trip away from home can expect regular complaints from their spouse if they fail to keep in touch.

But a recently discovered letter from an 18th-century Spanish woman, berating her husband in the New World for failing to respond to her pleas for help, shows that perhaps little has changed in the past 300 years.

The letter from Francisca Munoz to Miguel Atocha is part of a treasure trove of documents seized by the Royal Navy and British privateers from Spanish ships during the War of Jenkins Ear (173948) and the War of the Austrian Succession (174048).

In the letter, published online on Thursday as part of the National Archives Prize Papers Project, Munoz berates Atocha for not responding to her previous 13 missives and wonders sarcastically whether perhaps over there is no paper or pen or ink not to have written even a letter.

A navigation handbook with nautical definitions, drawings and calculations of Captain of the Portuguese ship O Vaz de Lisboa, from The Spanish Prize Papers - Shutterstock

She goes on to tell her husband that since he left for the Americas she and their two children have been living in penury, with their daughter Maria at one stage forced to work as a servant girl and their son  who is growing increasingly rebellious  unable to attend church for lack of decent clothing.

Writing from her home in Seville on January 12 1747, Munoz states: Your daughter Maria was serving [working as a domestic servant], which gave me some relief, but God took even that away from me, because shortly after she started working in the house, the doctor recommended me to take her out, because she could get ill.

Beseeching Atocha to send assistance, Munoz adds: Your son needs someone who will lend him a cloak to go out to Mass.

In one passage, she tells her husband: Me, with my many illnesses, couldnt do much, because since you left this land I havent enjoyed good health, adding: I am stiff and starving, there are days in which I dont even taste water because I have no place here to take it from, and I am so ill that I cannot even go out to beg door to door.

A dispatch from Spanish authorities to the Governor of the Philippines in 1742, from The Spanish Prize Papers at a presentation event at The National Archives in London - Shutterstock

Worse still, Munoz tells Atocha that after marrying a nice lad without vice, that doesnt drink or play cards or have bad company, Maria gave birth to a boy who died after just 14 months.

The letter was among documents seized when the Spanish transatlantic trade ship La Ninfa was captured by the British Royal Family privateer squadron, along with hundreds of other similar correspondence from people in Spain to their families in Mexico.

Such documents were generally presented to the High Court of the Admiralty as proof that a ship had been captured by a British crew, as part of their claim to be legally entitled to all the goods on board.

Between 1652 and 1815, British privateers and naval vessels captured around 35,000 ships, from which they seized hundreds of thousands of papers that historians have only recently begun to document as part of the Prize Papers project.

The archive includes 160,000 letters written in over 20 languages, as well as the personal archives of passengers and business contracts between traders in Europe and the New World.

A researcher displays seized letters from Sephardic Jews diaspora in 1702 from The Spanish Prize Papers - Shutterstock

Among them is an analysis of relations between the European superpowers of the day, with the writer, one Juan Franchois, hoping for success by the Scottish Jacobites in their rebellion against the British crown and correctly predicting that the marriage of Spains Princess Maria Antonia Fernanda to Victor Amadeus of Savoy would strengthen ties between Spain and the Kingdom of Sardinia.

There are also letters between Sephardic Jews in Holland and Morocco recounting details of their daily lives and the tribulations of hunger and war.

The University of Oldenburg in Germany and the UK National Archives are in the process of digitising the entire Prize Papers collection in order to make it available online in an open access database.

Dr Dagmar Freist, a professor at the University of Oldenburg, the director of the 20 year project, said: The Prize Papers are crucial for our understanding of early globalisation and colonialism. A lot of these letters talk about what it means to migrate, to go somewhere where you dont know anyone and dont understand the customs. They give a fascinating insight into how Europeans coped with this new world around them.

Jose Pascual Marco, the Spanish ambassador to the UK, said that for modern Spaniards the letters provided a moving account of their ancestors early encounters with the newly discovered Americas which should be viewed without the hindsight of modern attitudes.

He said: We sometimes have too quick a judgmental and moral view of the world, when in fact we have to understand it and its complexities and that is what we have in these papers from the age of discovery and empire.

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KANAB, Utah (ABC4)  Some Southern Utah pooches got some much-needed pampering to celebrate Thanksgiving this year. Canine residents at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab enjoyed a gourmet Thanksgiving meal prepared by Chef Shon Foster from nearby Sego restaurant.

Courtesy of Best Friends Animal Sanctuary

Foster and his team spent nearly a full day transforming more than 500 pounds of ingredients into an elaborate, dog-friendly feast; a meal without salt, sugar, or spices. The Thanksgiving fixings were made possible by a generous donor.

Dont let the bird burn: Tips for a terrific Thanksgiving turkey

I feel a huge amount of honor and gratitude that there are those in the world that, because of an animal and how it blessed their life, they include us in getting to bless so many others, Foster said.

Courtesy of Best Friends Animal Sanctuary

This is the third year Sego has provided the delectable feast for the furry friends and the 427 diners this year were not disappointed. Foster personally delivered the meal to Dogtown at the Sanctuary and caregivers, and restaurant staff served up individual meals for their grateful guests. Each meal was topped off with individual whipped cream pumpkin pies.

Its so important to us to give our dogs as many family-like experiences as possible, so to see our dog residents enjoying a tasty holiday meal is incredibly meaningful to us. Each dog has their own way of indulging  some dive right in, while others take their time, said Ali Waszmer, director of Dogtown. Our caregivers love this tradition, too. Were so grateful for the kind donor who makes this happen every year.

Best Friends wants to remind those looking to add a four-legged friend to their hearts and families this season that adoption is the best option.

Courtesy of Best Friends Animal Sanctuary

Courtesy of Best Friends Animal Sanctuary

Not only are you saving a life, but adoption is very cost-effective. Most pets go home fixed, vaccinated, and micro-chipped, Waszmer said. The majority of shelter pets once lived with a family, so they acclimate very quickly to being in a home. And what can be a better gift than a lifetime of unconditional love?

Thanks to a partnership with Bounty Paper Towels, adoption fees are currently waived at all Best Friends locations including Kanab and Lifesaving Centers in Salt Lake. To view adoptable pets or find a shelter near you visit the Best Friends website.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.
A controversial theory that some Hindu groups call "Love Jihad" - which claims that many Muslim men are taking part in a plot to seduce Hindu women and convert them - has circulated in India for years, despite lack of evidence. Now a reverse theory - that Hindu men are deliberately trying to seduce Muslim women - is going viral online. It's called the "Bhagwa Love Trap", and again, evidence for the claim is scant. But that hasn't stopped it spilling over into real-world violence.

"It was extremely vile. I couldn't believe my eyes," says Maryam, a Muslim woman from northern India, recalling a string of abusive messages she received online.

Maryam - not her real name - was the target of a doxxing attack, having her personal details revealed online. Photographs of her standing beside Hindu men were copied from public social media accounts, and used to allege that she engaged in interfaith relationships - a huge taboo for those attacking her online.

The claims were untrue.

The men in the pictures were friends, not romantic partners, but that didn't stop her accusers making false allegations. "They said I sleep around with Hindu men. They were abusing my parents, and questioning my upbringing", she says.

Interfaith relationships are still a huge taboo among conservative Indian families.

Based on the identities of some of the accounts that doxxed her, Maryam believes Muslim men were behind the claims she had fallen victim to the "Bhagwa Love Trap".

"Bhagwa" means saffron, a colour that has come to be associated with Hindutva. Hindutva is an ideology which - to its critics - promotes a kind of extreme rightwing Hindu nationalism. In this context, "Bhagwa" is being used as synonymous with Hindutva.

The "Bhagwa Love Trap" theory suggests men who believe in Hindutva are trying to seduce Muslim women, and lure them away from their communities. The idea is primarily being pushed by Muslim men, many of whom are fearful the practice is really taking place.

The BBC spoke to owners of accounts advocating this theory and reviewed the examples provided by them. We found no evidence to suggest a conspiracy is playing out on the ground. But the narrative has continued to spread on social media - the phrase has been used more than 200,000 times since March this year.

Its effect is spilling into the real world, too.

In May, a video filmed in Madhya Pradesh was posted online. It shows two medical students, a Muslim woman and a Hindu man, returning to their university on a scooter.

A crowd of seemingly Muslim men has encircled them, and the woman is being reprimanded for bringing shame on her religion. "No-one will allow you to let down Islam," one of them shouts, while others assault the Hindu man.

The BBC has seen videos of more than 15 confrontations from across India that follow a similar pattern. Videos alleging the theory is real, featuring these and other incidents, have been viewed more than 10 million times on YouTube, Instagram and X, accompanied by the hashtag #BhagwaLoveTrap.

The theory is a reversal of an older, and better known idea: "love jihad". It puts forward the opposing narrative, claiming Muslim men are trying to seduce Hindu women, and has been pushed online by Hindu nationalists for many years. Like the "Bhagwa Love Trap" theory, these claims have spread in an absence of proof and have led to real world violence.

Interfaith marriages are still rare in India, with most people opting for arranged marriages.

Independent investigations by two Indian news organisations were unable to find evidence to support the theory.

Despite that, so-called "love jihad" has become a firm fixture in India's political discourse. It has been discussed publicly by politicians from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party, the BJP, and some of its members who subscribe to the Hindutva ideology.

The "Bhagwa Love Trap" theory has mostly been championed on social media, often by anonymous accounts, but a number of high profile Muslim leaders have amplified the theory as well.

Shoaib Jamai, an Islamic scholar and regular commentator on Indian news channels, credits himself with popularising the idea in national media, but says he doesn't endorse the real-world harm the trend has led to.

"I don't support the people from Muslim society who're trying to take the law into their hands. This country runs by law," he says.

But on the veracity of the theory itself, Mr Jamai is unequivocal. Hindu youths are being "brainwashed" by the "Hindutva brigade," he claims, "to lure Muslim women into traps".

Mr Jamai and other proponents of the theory are basing their claim on authentic videos circulating online, that show Hindutva leaders actively encouraging Hindu men to pursue Muslim women - just as the "Bhagwa Love Trap" theory suggests.

One of them shows Yogi Adityanath, a member of India's ruling BJP party speaking at a political rally in 2007. If Muslims "take one Hindu girl," he says, "we should take a hundred Muslim girls". The crowd cheers.

Mr Adityanath has since risen to become the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. The BBC asked him if he still stood by the statement, but he did not respond.

We looked into 10 specific examples shared with us by Mr Jamai and other proponents of the "Bhagwa Love Trap" theory to support their belief that the phenomenon is real. These were instances of Hindu men who, the theory's supporters said, had deliberately entered relationships or marriages with Muslim women to convert and harm them because of their religious identity.

While all the examples mentioned to us involved relationships between Hindu men and Muslim women, in two cases, the women did not undergo religious conversion.

In the six instances where it was claimed that the Hindu men had killed their partners because of their religious identities, four of the cases were related to financial or domestic disputes leading to murder, according to police statements. The reasons for violence in four other cases couldn't be confirmed through news or police reports, but there was no proof that the Bhagwa Love Trap theory had anything to do with the incidents.

A further string of videos featuring claims about the "Bhagwa Love Trap", have been debunked by the Indian fact-checking website Boom Live.

Hindutva groups deny the existence of the love trap.

"There is absolutely no evidence of such a trap being run by Hindus," says Alok Kumar, head of Vishwa Hindu Parishad, a Hindutva organisation. The claims put forward by scholars like Mr Jamai "stand on thin ice", he says.

Perhaps predictably, Mr Kumar believes "love jihad" is real. "There is a large section of Muslim men who lure Hindu women into their trap," he says.

Tempting as it is to view the two theories as equal rivals, battling for control of the narrative, some disagree.

"Love jihad has great political backing," says Fatima Khan, one of the first journalists to write about the Bhagwa Love Trap, pointing to its support among members of India's ruling party. "On the other hand, the Bhagwa Love Trap is a fairly nascent conspiracy theory. It's something that doesn't have political backing at all."

Like so many debates in the country, the issue is clouded by political partisanship - but one thing seems clear. India's religious divisions are proving fertile ground for theories like these to flourish online, and spill over into real world harm.

Maryam, the Muslim woman who was targeted in a doxxing attack, is a testament to that idea. She was so distressed by the messages she was receiving, she took time off work to avoid potential confrontations.

"For the first time I felt unsafe in my neighbourhood. I was really disturbed and scared to go out," she says, issuing a challenge to the warped logic of her trolls: "You claim that you're protecting women, by basically ruining their lives."

Listen to BBC Trending: India's latest 'love trap' on the BBC World Service. Download the podcast or listen online.
Five wind turbines could be built on the Earystane and Scard site

A bid to halt government plans for an onshore wind farm in the south of the Isle of Man has been thrown out.

Manx Utilities (MU) is investigating a site at Earystane and Scard, which if approved by planners could produce 20 megawatts of energy by the end of 2026.

Tim Glover MHK argued the project was "vastly expensive" and nearby residents' mental health had been challenged since surveys began.

Outgoing MU chairman Tim Crookall said it would mean "affordable electricity".

The progression of the project was announced last month as part of a Council of Ministers commitment to produce 75% of Manx electricity through solar and onshore wind farms by 2026.

Speaking in Tynwald, Mr Glover said the "proposed destruction of precious habitat" in the area could be classed as "vandalism".

He raised concerns that politicians were being "rushed headlong into another vanity project" and described MU's projected figures on wind power available to be harnessed as "hopelessly optimistic".

The Arbory, Castletown and Malew MHK also claimed there were "many private proposals in the pipeline" that would "more than achieve" the target set in the Island Plan.

'Totally irresponsible'

Daphne Caine MHK, who is also chairman of the government's Climate Change Transformation Board, said she shared residents' concerns over the "visual and environmental" effects on the area.

But said it would be "totally irresponsible" to stop the process at this stage.

Mr Crookall said all work to date had "shown publicly-own onshore wind represents the best value to Isle of Man electricity consumers by a reasonable margin".

He said the scheme would help to "maintain affordable electricity without reliance on other markets or fossil fuels".

The publicly-owned utilities firm was committed to engaging with the private sector but had not been advised of any "competitive proposals", he added.

Why not follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X? You can also send story ideas to IsleofMan@bbc.co.uk
By Nate Raymond

(Reuters) - The Biden administration on Wednesday urged a federal judge to reject a legal challenge to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point's consideration of race in admissions, saying that Army diversity was "integral to ensuring national security."

The U.S. Department of Justice in a brief argued the military academy's affirmative-action policies remain valid even after the U.S. Supreme Court's June decision striking down race-conscious admissions policies long used by colleges to boost enrollment of Black, Hispanic and other minority students.

The conservative majority Supreme Court's ruling came in response to lawsuits by the same group now suing over West Point's policies in federal court in White Plains, New York. The group, Students for Fair Admissions, was founded by affirmative action opponent Edward Blum.

Blum's group in a lawsuit filed in September alleged the academy's admissions practices discriminated against white applicants and violated the principle of equal protection in the U.S. Constitution's Fifth Amendment.

But the Justice Department said SFFA had no legal standing to sue over the policies and ignored "critical differences" between civilian universities such as those in the Supreme Court case and military ones like West Point, which use race in a "limited fashion to foster diversity in the Army officer corps."

It said top U.S. military leaders "have repeatedly concluded that a more diverse officer corps makes a more effective force: more lethal, more likely to attract and retain top talent, and more legitimate in the eyes of the nation and the world."

Blum did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

The brief was filed ahead of arguments slated for Dec. 21 on SFFA's request for a preliminary injunction before U.S. District Judge Philip Halpern, an appointee of Republican former President Donald Trump.

The lawsuit, along with a similar one Blum's group filed against the U.S. Naval Academy, seeks to end an exemption tucked inside the Supreme Court ruling that allowed military academies to continue considering race as a factor in admitting cadets.

The Supreme Court's ruling invalidating race-conscious admissions policies used by Harvard University and the University of North Carolina did not address race in admissions at military academies, which Chief Justice John Roberts said had "potentially distinct interests."

The Justice Department in Wednesday's brief said the prestigious West Point was a "vital pipeline to the officer corps" and that its race-conscious admissions practices helped the Army achieve its "mission critical" goal of having officers as diverse as its enlisted military personnel.

Although Black people make up 20.2% of the Army's active duty enlisted personnel, only 11% are officers, the Justice Department said. Hispanic people constitute 18% of active personnel but only 9% of officers, the department said.

White people by contrast constitute 51.7% of the Army active duty enlisted corps and 68% of its officers, the Justice Department said.

(Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston. Editing by Gerry Doyle)
Former U.S. first lady Rosalynn Carter passes away at age 96 in Plains

(Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden and the first lady, Jill Biden, will attend a service for former first lady Rosalynn Carter in Georgia on Tuesday, the White House said.

Carter died earlier this week shortly after she entered hospice care at home in Plains, Georgia, alongside her husband, former President Jimmy Carter.

The Bidens will attend a tribute service at Glen Memorial Church at Emory University in Atlanta on Tuesday.

Carter will lie in repose in the lobby of the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta on Monday, giving members of the public an opportunity to view the casket and pay their respects.

On Wednesday, Carter's funeral will be held at the Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains before she is interred at the family residence in Plains.

The Carters were the longest-married U.S. presidential couple, having wed in 1946 when he was 21 and she was 18.

President Biden has ordered that U.S. flags be flown at half-staff until Carter is interred.

(Reporting by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
President Biden told Americans that "we have to bring the nation together" when he called into the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade on Thursday.

"On this Thanksgiving Day, Al, we have to come together," Mr. Biden told Al Roker. "You know, we have  we can have different political views, but there's  we have one view. The one view is, we're the finest, greatest nation in the world."

Mr. Biden continued that "we should focus on dealing with our problems and being together."

"And stop the rancor," Mr. Biden added. "We have to bring the nation together, and we have to treat each other with a little bit of decency."

Mr. Biden and his family are spending Thanksgiving in Nantucket, Massachusetts, per their family's tradition.

US President Joe Biden answers questions from the press after visiting the Nantucket Fire Department on Thanksgiving November 23, 2023 in Nantucket, Massachusetts. / Credit: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images

After calling Roker, Mr. Biden and the first lady visited the Nantucket fire station, where they brought five pumpkin pies. Speaking to reporters at the fire station, Mr. Biden wouldn't comment on the delay in the deal to free dozens of Israeli hostages in exchange for the release of some 150 Palestinian prisoners. He said that he is "not prepared to give you an update" until the deal is "done." He said he hoped he could say more on Friday.

The Bidens' granddaughter, Naomi, the daughter of Hunter Biden, posted on social media a photo of some members of the family, including Mr. Biden, at the beach after participating in the polar bear plunge.

Jill Biden wrote in her memoir, "Where the Light Enters," that the family began spending Thanksgiving on Nantucket when she and Mr. Biden began dating.

"Nantucket Thanksgiving became our tradition for the next four decades," Jill wrote. "With a few exceptions, we've made the trek every year since, creating rituals that would become a key part of our family along the way."

The Bidens' late son Beau Biden proposed to his wife Hallie at the annual Nantucket tree lighting in 2001 that is held Thanksgiving weekend, and they were married at St. Mary's Church in downtown Nantucket.

Jill Biden wrote that the family skipped Nantucket in 2015, the first Thanksgiving after Beau died. But she said the following year, their grandchildren asked to return to Nantucket.

"Thanksgiving was Nantucket," she wrote. The Biden grandchildren "missed the little shops, the ice cream parlor we always visited, the traditional Friday lunch. They wanted to watch the Christmas tree lighting and wander the cobblestone streets. They wanted to be together. To feel normal again."

According to Mr. Biden's memoir, "Promise Me, Dad," Nantucket is where Beau and younger son Hunter in 2014 told him to run for president.

"'Dad, you've got to run,'" Mr. Biden wrote that Beau told him, and he wrote that Hunter said, "'We want you to run.'"

Beau Biden died in May 2015, and Mr. Biden ultimately opted not to run for president in 2016 amid the family tragedy.

This year, the Bidens are staying at the home of billionaire David Rubenstein, co-founder of the Carlyle Group.

2 dead in vehicle explosion at Rainbow Bridge U.S.-Canada border crossing, sources say

How intergenerational friendships can prove enriching

Hostage deal calls for Israel to release Palestinian prisoners
When the aging UM Harford Memorial Hospital in Havre de Grace closes on Feb. 6, a new pavilion at UM Upper Chesapeake Medical Center in Bel Air will open on the same day  with the same number of inpatient beds, 72, as the old hospital.

Even so, Harford County residents are concerned that the main health system that serves the county may be overburdened.

Those concerns were expressed by Harford County Council members during a presentation from UM Upper Chesapeake Health leadership at the Nov. 14 council meeting.

Residents have complained in recent years about long wait times in the emergency rooms at both hospitals, and ambulances being diverted to hospitals outside Harford County because local emergency rooms are full.

Yet, UMUCH CEO Elizabeth Wise said the health system will not be adding more beds in the near future.

One of the things that I have been asked since I got here [in January 2022] is, Do we need more beds in Harford County? Do we need more hospital beds? And as of today, Im going to say No,' Wise said.

District A Council member Dion Guthrie disagreed.

Its hard for me to believe, said Guthrie. Ive had numerous people, including some nurses from the hospital, who told me that the normal waiting time in the emergency room is 10 to 12 hours. Thats half a day. Thats a contradiction to call it an emergency room.

I just have to respectfully disagree, said Dr. Fermin Barreuto, chief medical officer of UMUCH.

Dr. Colin Ward, chief operating officer of UMUCH, said Maryland ranks 50th out of 50 states for certain metrics that measure emergency department efficiency, with only the District of Columbia performing worse.

Patient efficiency of movement through the system is an issue that is a challenge across the state, said Ward, and some of that activity actually happens up in the patient units. But the symptom presents itself in terms of bogging down the emergency department only.

Ward said that the University of Maryland Medical System, which Upper Chesapeake Health is part of, is among the many hospital systems statewide working with the Maryland Hospital Association to improve hospital efficiency.

Interestingly, Harford Memorial is in the top third among hospitals in the state for shortest wait time in the emergency room from arrival to discharge, said Barreuto. Upper Chesapeake Medical Center is around average, he said, at 278 minutes.

A chart from the Maryland Hospital Association shows the average emergency room wait time, from arrival to discharge, in the state is 238 minutes.

Barreuto said Harford Memorial is in the top quartile with 467 minutes on average from a persons arrival to the emergency department to the inpatient bed, and Upper Chesapeake is about average for the state at 665 minutes.

Harford Memorial is actually performing quite well compared to others within the state, Barreuto said.

But Barreuto said that several factors are involved in the time it takes for a patient to move from the emergency department to an inpatient bed, including transfers and readmissions, and that the hospitals take a daily census to account for those fluctuations.

Barreuto said he and Ward work closely with Harford County Emergency Medical Services to offload patients from ambulances efficiently and return to service, with Harford Memorials emergency department averaging about 20 minutes and Upper Chesapeake Medical Center around 40 minutes.

Thats amazing compared to what weve had in the past, said County Council President Pat Vincenti.

Guthrie shared that on a recent Monday, his 97-year-old mother-in-law who lives with him had to be taken by ambulance for emergency treatment after having a stroke at home and ended up at Johns Hopkins Bayview Hospital in Baltimore because the countys hospitals didnt have room.

We called 911, paramedics came right away, he said. They worked on her, and they sent for the ambulance and the ambulance came. Thats the good news. The bad news is  they call the hospital here and they said they cannot take her; they have no beds. Six oclock and no beds available.  I would say you need a lot more beds.

Wise said that the health system is meeting the needs of a growing county with an aging population. She pointed to the new UM Upper Chesapeake Health at Aberdeen, which will include a medical center and a Behaviorial Health Pavilion that will also open on Feb. 6, and a Health and Wellness Center that is already open.

This is one of the reasons why the medical staff is looking forward to this change in both regionalizing care and making us more efficient, she said. When youre able to centralize the limited resources that everyone deals with, with regards to physicians and staff, and when they dont have to split as much time between the two facilities, they will get more efficient.

The Aberdeen campus will include a 130,000-square-foot emergency department and 17 short-term beds for observation.

However, with Harford Memorial closing, UM Upper Chesapeake Medical Center will become the only full-service hospital in the county.

February 6, I think, is a scary day for a lot of people in my community, said District F Council member Jacob Bennett, who lives in Havre de Grace.

Bennett said residents in the northern part of the county are concerned about longer wait times for ambulances once Harford Memorial closes.

The other concern that Ive heard from many people is the worry of the change in the gravitational pull for ambulances now being more centralized to Bel Air, Bennett said. I know some ambulances will go to Aberdeen, but for intensive care and some of those more severe situations, youre gonna need to get to Bel Air and as ambulances are focused in the Bel Air area, itll be harder to pull them towards our part of the county.

Ward said his team will be meeting soon with local emergency medical services agencies to discuss keeping a balance between the Aberdeen and Bel Air medical centers.

Vincenti addressed Bennetts concern by saying that the county has two medic units in Havre de Grace, and that the volunteer-based Havre de Grace Ambulance Corps has two or three ambulances also designated for that area. Vincenti added that the Aberdeen campus has room to grow as the need comes.

State of the countys health care

As part of their presentation, which lasted nearly an hour, hospital officials gave an update on the overall state of health care in Harford County.

Wise said that UMUCH performs a community health needs assessment every three years and then creates an implementation plan, working with the county health department and other community partners. The assessment, she said, is required in order to receive federal funds, particularly from Medicaid and Medicare.

Its most recent assessment showed that Harford County has higher incidences of smoking, hypertension and diabetes compared to other counties in the state. To combat that, UMUCH is focusing on smoking cessation classes, hypertensive screenings, prediabetes care, and educating residents on the signs and symptoms of a stroke, Wise said.

Lung and breast cancer diagnoses are also on the rise in the county, Wise said. Colorectal [cancer] is another one that were keeping an eye on, she said.

She said that UMUCH is continuing to invest in its Kaufman Cancer Center at the Bel Air campus.

Stroke care has become a priority, too. UMUCH was recently designated a Smart Stroke center. To earn the Stroke Smart designation, hospitals must meet certain standards of care outlined by the American Stroke Association and Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems that demonstrates the organizations ability to provide life-saving treatment to patients who may have suffered a stroke, according to a University of Maryland Medical System website.

UMUCH is focused on educating people about the signs and symptoms of a stroke, and what to do if you or someone around you is exhibiting those signs and symptoms. Calling 911 is the first crucial step, Wise said.

We measure our door-to-needle times, so the faster you get to us, the sooner we can give you the clot-busting drug, Wise said.

UMUCH has drug treatment plans for up to the first 24 hours after a stroke and other treatment options, such as catheterization, she said.

The Aberdeen Medical Center will be Marylands first acute-stroke ready facility with the capability to evaluate, stabilize and treat individuals with stroke symptoms.

UMUCH also has a patient and family advisory council made up of community members that meets on a monthly basis that provides input and gives feedback on what were doing well and what we could do better, Wise said.
President Biden thanked his Mexican counterpart, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, after the arrest of suspected cartel security chief Nestor Isidro Perez Salas.

In a Thursday statement, Biden said Salas, who was one of the most wanted criminals in both countries, was indicted by the U.S. for his roles in perpetrating violence and illicit fentanyl trafficking into the country, adding that both countries are safer with him behind bars and facing justice for his crimes.

Salas, known as El Nini, served as the head of security for the Chapitos wing of the Sinaloa Cartel. The Sinaloa Cartel was founded in 1987 by now-convicted drug lord Joaquin El Chapo Guzman.

Salass arrest follows the recent arrest and extradition of another Chapitos leader, Ovidio Guzman Lopez, earlier this year.

These arrests are testament to the commitment between the United States and Mexico to secure our communities against violence, counter the cartels, and end the scourge of illicit fentanyl that is hurting so many families, Biden said in his statement.

We will continue working as strong partners to do everything possible to hold criminals accountable for jeopardizing public health and safety in our two countries.

Guzman Lopez, one of El Chapos sons, pleaded not guilty in September to drug trafficking, money laundering and other charges. Guzman Lopez was arrested by Mexican authorities in January and indicted on U.S. charges three months later.

His father, who was convicted in 2019 of running an international drug empire and smuggling operation, is serving a life sentence without parole in a Colorado supermax prison.

I want to thank President Lopez Obrador and the Mexican Army and special forces for effectively capturing El Nini, and express our appreciation for the brave men and women of Mexican security forces who undertook this successful operation to apprehend him, Biden concluded in his statement.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
President Biden and first lady Jill Biden will travel to Georgia on Tuesday for a tribute service for former first lady Rosalynn Carter, who died Sunday at the age of 96, the White House said Wednesday.

According to the Carter Center, the service will be at Glenn Memorial Church at Emory University in Atlanta with invited guests. Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff will also attend.

Carter's funeral service will be held Wednesday at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia, according to the Carter Center. There will be a private interment at the Carter family residence.

On Monday, there will be a repose service in the lobby of the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta. Beginning at 6 p.m. EST, members of the public can pay their respects while Carter lies in repose.

A flag is lowered by Lee Johnson as members of the Plains community come out to celebrate the life of former first lady Rosalynn Carter, on Nov. 20, 2023, in Plains, Georgia. / Credit: Megan Varner/Getty Images

The Bidens paid tribute to Carter in a statement on Sunday, saying she "walked her own path, inspiring a nation and the world along the way." Mr. Biden ordered U.S. flags across the country to be flown at half-staff in honor of Carter.

Former President Jimmy Carter has been in hospice care since February, but his son James Carter III told The Washington Post on Wednesday that the former president hopes to be at his wife's funeral. Since none of his clothes fit, he is having a new suit made, James Carter III said. The Carters married in 1946, making them the longest-married presidential couple.

Mr. Biden said earlier this year that Jimmy Carter asked him to deliver the eulogy at his funeral.

In May 2021, the Bidens visited the Carters in Plains. At the time, Mr. Biden said they "talked about the old days." Mr. Biden served in the U.S. Senate during Carter's presidency from 1977 to 1981.

Rosalynn Carter had been diagnosed with dementia earlier this year, and she entered hospice care last week. After the Carters' time at the White House, they embarked on humanitarian work, including building houses for Habitat for Humanity and building the Carter Center, which promotes peace and conflict resolution.

The Carters have four children and 22 grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

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November is a special month in Pueblo  a month when local high school students set aside rivalries and band together for a common good.

The 28th annual Tom and Louie's Cupboard food drive at St. Joseph's Hall in the Grove helped feed over 400 families on Nov. 18. Participating high school students distributed food to families in the form of 60-pound boxes that included a 20-pound turkey, five pounds of beans, five pounds of potatoes, and canned and baked goods.

"People are hungry for more than food," said Chris Pena, a volunteer coordinator who has helped with the drive from its inception. "They're hungry for the touch and feel, the compassion, everything involved with this project."

Local high school students stock boxes and help deliver them during the Tom and Louie's Cupboard food drive at St. Joseph's Hall on Saturday, November 18, 2023.

Local students eager to lend a helping hand

Student council members like senior Tanner Clark and sophomore Cheyanne Ortiz of East High School started preparing for this year's drive about a month in advance. They began by contacting feeder schools and other community organizations to help collect goods.

"We first reached out to elementary schools to try to get them to collect cans... We'll go pick them up and put them in our cars and go deliver them to the hall that we're at. After we get all the cans from all the schools, we will sort them with all the other student council kids," Clark said prior to the event.

While it takes weeks of preparation, Clark and Ortiz said volunteering for Tom and Louie's Cupboard is worthwhile.

Pueblo East's Landon McAlpin, left, and Pueblo Central's Peyton Hernandez, center, and Shayen Garcia stock boxes during the Tom and Louie's Cupboard food drive at St. Joseph's Hall on Saturday, November 18, 2023.

"Handing out and delivering all the boxes, the reactions that people have is just something that's worth all of the work we put in," Ortiz said. "They genuinely feel grateful for everything."

Senior Daniel Vasquez and junior Madison Gonzales were among about 60 Central High School students participating in the food drive. Like their peers at East, Vasquez and Gonzalez spent the past few weeks collecting items and putting together food boxes.

"I think it's a really good thing because we all come together to help people in need," Gonzales said.

"It's good to see everyone smile," Vasquez said.

Pueblo South's Julian Hermosillo loads a box of food into the back of a vehicle during the Tom and Louie's Cupboard food drive at St. Joseph's Hall on Saturday, November 18, 2023.

While dozens of students inside and outside St. Joseph's Hall putting together food boxes, a team of four Pueblo West High School students  Philip Rasmussen, Cheyenne Dyleski, Ava Pecoraro, and Landyn Perez were delivering a few boxes to the homes of East Side residents.

"I love delivering the boxes, because then I can actually go and talk to people and get to know them a little bit," Rasmussen said. "I think that's one of the most meaningful parts of (Tom and Louie's Cupboard)... I can actually get to know the people that we're helping."

High school students and volunteer coordinators weren't the only ones helping out with the food drive  a team of Colorado State University Pueblo students also swung by St. Joseph's Hall on Saturday morning.

Kylie Smith, a senior at Pueblo County High School, has volunteered with Tom and Louie's Cupboard since she was in elementary school. She plans on continuing to help out with the event after she graduates from high school and attends college at CSU Pueblo.

"It's been over 10 years, so most of my life for sure," she said. "I remember coming here every Thanksgiving break, and just helping out... It's definitely one of my favorite events of the year."

Pueblo County High School students representatives, led by Smith, Jessie Christie and Cooper Jackson also assist with the St. Vincent DePaul food drive at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Blende.

Students from Rye High School, another high school in Pueblo County School District 70, conduct their own food drive in the Greenhorn Valley, according to Pueblo D70.

Pueblo County's Mia Gallegos-Herrera carries a box of food to be delivered during the Tom and Louie's Cupboard food drive at St. Joseph's Hall on Saturday, November 18, 2023.

Who were Tom and Louie?

Tom and Louie's Cupboard began as way to honor the memory of two local priests that were murdered in 1996. Revs. Thomas Scheets and Louis Stovik were living in the rectory behind St. Leander Parish at the time of their slayings.

Stovik, who was 12 years Scheets' senior, was ordained in 1949. He served at several Pueblo parishes including Sacred Heart Cathedral, St. Pius X Parish, Christ the King Parish, the Shrine of St. Therese and St. Therese Parish Vineland.

Gina Smith, an East High School teacher and mother of Kylie Smith, has helped coordinate Tom and Louie's Cupboard since 2011. She attended St. Therese Parish Vineland while Stovik was pastor.

"(Stovik) was my priest growing up... He made going to catechism and church fun," she said. "He was strict and wanted us to know everything, but he did it in a way that was different than anything I have ever seen before. It was almost like he was part of the family, everybody's family."

Scheets was ordained in 1956 and had been with the Diocese of Pueblo since 1975. While assigned to La Junta Catholic parish, he organized a voucher system for churches to provide food, gas and shelter. He also directed the La Junta Housing Authority, according to an obituary published in the Chieftain.

In 1991, Scheets arrived at St. Leander. He was credited with building camaraderie among Pueblo priests by establishing weekly dinners. He also served the Diocese as a member of multiple committees and advisory councils.

In a letter to community members, Pena writes of Scheets' and Stovik's legacies.

"They gave what little they had to nourish two or three families during the Thanksgiving holiday," Pena wrote. "Little did they know that their acts of selflessness and generosity would live on as a blessing to hundreds of needy families in our community."

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Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached at JBartolo@gannett.com. Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Tom and Louie's Cupboard celebrates 28 years in Pueblo
The number of blocked checkpoints on the Polish border may increase to five. Polish carriers are considering the possibility of blocking the Nyzhankovychi-Malhowice crossing point.

Source: State Customs Service on Telegram, as European Pravda reports

Quote: "According to unconfirmed information, there are plans to extend the blockade to the Nyzhankovychi-Malhowice checkpoint as well. There, the electronic queue of trucks leaving Ukraine has grown from 1,300 to 2,000 vehicles."

Details: Rafa Mekler, the campaign organiser to block checkpoints on the border with Ukraine and head of the Lublin branch of the far-right Confederation party, published a map showing marked places on the border with crosses and indicating the "windows" that are still open for leaving Ukraine.

"There is room for escalation," Meckler wrote.

Two checkpoints open for empty trucks remain unblocked on the Polish border: Nyzhankovychi-Malhowice and Ustyluh-Zosin.

As Mekler said, the protesters insist on returning to the system of issuing permits to Ukrainian freight carriers in the European Union, which will not apply to humanitarian and military aid, as well as the creation of separate corridors and a "live" queue for the exit of empty cars with EU licence plates at checkpoints.

"As soon as we receive it on the paper, we will leave the border. The ball is in Ukraine's court," Mekler wrote.

Previously: As reported, Polish carriers, who have been blocking three checkpoints on the border with Ukraine for trucks since 6 November, began blocking another checkpoint, Medyka-Shehyni, on Thursday. Their blockade may last until 3 January.

Background:

Rafa Mekler, the campaign organiser to block checkpoints on the border with Ukraine and head of the Lublin branch of the far-right Confederation party, has announced that Polish carriers intend to extend the protest until 1 February 2024.

The Verkhovna Rada (Ukraines Parliament) has appealed to the new Sejm and the Senate of Poland, in which it called on parliamentarians to immediately find ways out of the situation on the Ukrainian-Polish border.

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Police in Ohio have released body camera footage of their SWAT response to a mass shooting in a local Walmart  and their discovery of the shooter's lifeless body.

Benjamin Charles Jones of Dayton, 20, opened fire in the store around 8:30 p.m. on Monday, shooting several rounds indiscriminately with his Hi-Point .45-caliber Carbine Long Gun, injuring three women and one man, according to the Beavercreek Police Department.

Frantic bodycam footage shows responding officers enter the store with their guns drawn and slowly passing Christmas decorations in their search for the shooter.

OHIO WALMART SHOOTING SUSPECT INJURES 4 BEFORE KILLING HIMSELF: POLICE

Benjamin Jones of Dayton, 20, reportedly shot four Walmart shoppers in Beavercreek Ohio before turning the gun on himself on Monday evening.

Ultimately, they found Jones dead of an "apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound" in the store's visitor's center.

"Got em  shooters down," one officer can be heard saying into his radio on the footage.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

Police were unable to determine how many times Jones fired his weapon before turning the gun on himself, but witness Alisha Ring said she heard about ten shots after he walked right by her:

"I was literally just shopping for Thanksgiving stuff, and this guy walked right past me with an assault rifle and started shooting," Ring said in a tearful Facebook Live video from the store's parking lot. "He shot like ten times, and I don't even know how much more after that. I just know that I'm so lucky to be alive right now, he literally walked right past me How do people do stuff like this?"

LOUISVILLE BANK SHOOTER'S JOURNAL EXPOSES EASE OF GUN PURCHASE DESPITE MENTAL HEALTH CONCERNS

Ring said Jones, whom she described as a "tall, skinny white guy," started shooting in the store's freezer section  at that point, she ran toward the nearest exit.

Of Jones' four victims, three are in stable condition while one is still critical, a member of the Beavercreek Police Department told Fox News Digital. The department would not provide further comment at press time.

Since the shooting, the man's pickup truck has been towed from the store's parking lot, per the New York Post, and has been searched along with Jones' home.

Officers can be seen responding to a 911 call of an active shooter in a Beavercreek Walmart on Monday.

Now, per a Wednesday announcement from the department on X, the FBI's Cincinatti Field Office is seeking out more information regarding the 20-year-old.

Zrinka Dilber, assistant special agent in charge of the Cincinnati FBI Field Office, told WLWT the agency is looking into the suspect's history to try to find out a potential motive and whether Jones had a relationship with any of his victims.

A source told the New York Post that Jones had been hospitalized three times for 72-hour mental health evaluations  both voluntarily and involuntarily  over the past three years.



If this assertion is true, it is unclear how Jones obtained his weapon  under federal law, no one who has been held in a mental institution involuntarily can buy a firearm legally.

An officer can be heard saying "Got 'em - shooter's down," into his handheld radio when he and another officer encounter Jones' body in the store's visitor center

OHIO MAN FACING EVICTION KILLS PROPERTY MANAGER, 2 OTHERS, BEFORE COMMITTING SUICIDE



"There were warning signs and red flags," the source said on Tuesday. "He talked about right-wing conspiracy theories, that the Holocaust didn't happen; he'd started talking about white supremacy stuff."



The source told the outlet that Jones was "not socialized" and attended an online Christian school. Jones allegedly hung a Nazi flag on the wall behind his bed, the source said.

The shooting was the second to take place at a Walmart this week. An Alaskan man and woman were shot dead as they walked into an Anchorage location.

Walmart released a statement following the Monday shooting.

"Following Mondays tragedy at our Beavercreek store, our focus has remained on supporting our associates well-being. While speaking with them about when to reopen and resume serving customers, their overwhelming feedback was to do so as soon as possible," a spokesperson said.





Original article source: Bodycam footage shows Ohio police finding grisly aftermath of Walmart mass shooting
The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) has a new warning if you plan to buy alcohol online. The PLCB is sounding the alarm on a very questionable liquor website called OneStopBourbons.com and its storefront that claims to be based in Pittsburgh.

It looks legit. Ill say that, said Lisa Paige of Pittsburgh.

Lyle Wood of Pittsburgh agreed.

If it sounds too good, it generally is, Wood said.

The state liquor control board is warning people to stop using the site.

Its unfortunate, said Mike Domach of Bloomfield. I always be skeptical.

Channel 11 called the listed number but couldnt get through. The call kept showing as user busy.

Channel 11s Antoinette DelBel then drove to 5956 Centre Ave. in Shadyside, the address listed on the site, but a Fine Wine & Good Spirits store is at that location, not a One Stop Bourbons storefront.

The PLCB, which runs Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores, said they are not associated with them.

Theyre essentially impersonating someone else, said Caitlin Driscoll, the public relations director for BBB of Western PA.

The Better Business Bureau gave the business an F rating after 20 complaints all said customers never got their order. Some people were out more than $300.

In one complaint, a person wrote, No answers to email. Phone is busy all the time. This site is a scam.

Another person said in all caps, Please do not purchase anything from this fake business.

Driscoll said to pay attention to the fine details of a website.

Some information in the About us section on OneStopBourbons.com raised concerns about the legitimacy. Additionally, some of the links didnt even work.

If you try to click on the websites Instagram icon, its actually a broken link, Driscoll said. Does the information listed make any sense?

With more people shopping online, especially during the holidays, Driscoll urges people to do their research.

If a phone number is listed, try to call it, she said. If an email address is provided, send an email. Look for a physical location for the company and do a search on Google Maps.

Those who were deceived by the business might be able to get their money back for the order if they used a credit card. According to the BBB, you can file a dispute and request a refund through your credit card company.

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EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  The ports of entry between El Paso and Ciudad Juarez were no exception to busy traffic with Thanksgiving and Black Friday now upon us.













Quite frankly from the many times Ive crossed from Juarez to El Paso, this time the lines were really slow. It took us an hour to cross, said El Pasoan Kehila Kimble.

Kimble crossed through the pedestrian lanes at the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry (PDN), and said she crosses the border at least three times per month.

Another pedestrian traveler, Maria Morales from Ciudad Juarez, who came for a short shopping spree for the day described her experience.

The wait time was around 40 to 45 minutes. It had been a long time since I crossed on foot, I usually cross in the bus, said Morales.

PDN was one of the busiest ports of entry, recording a wait time of 62 minutes on general vehicle lanes at 2 p.m., according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Border Wait Times App.

Meanwhile, the app showed that the Bridge of the Americas (BOTA) peaked at a wait time of 80 minutes on general passenger lanes at 3 p.m.

The slowest wait times were recorded at the Ysleta Port of Entry, which never saw wait times surpass 35 minutes on general passenger lanes during the afternoon, according to the app.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.
Law enforcement in Rio de Janeiro have reportedly launched a probe into the company that organized the concerts of pop star Taylor Swift in the city following the death of a young fan at the stadium last week.

The consumer delegations unit of the citys civil police department is investigating Time For Fun (T4F) for the crime of endangering the life and health of those who attended the show, according to a police spokesperson cited by NBC News.

Event organizers will be called to testify, and other steps are underway to investigate the facts, the spokesperson added.

The department said the probe is not linked to the death of 23-year-old Ana Clara Benevides Machado, NBC noted.

Machado fell ill at the start of the Nov. 17 concert and was examined by paramedics at the stadium who decided she had to be transferred to the hospital, where she was later pronounced dead after receiving about an hour of emergency care, T4F said Saturday in a statement posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

The company put out another statement Thursday, which did not seem to address the police probe. We deeply understand this irreparable loss, respect the privacy of the family and reinforce the availability of T4F to collaborate both with the family and with the responsible authorities, who are still working to determine the cause of death, the company said, according to a translation.

Last Fridays show was held as the city recorded record-breaking heat, with temperatures exceeding 100 F, with several fans pleading for water and Swift herself calling on stadium staff to attend to her audiences request.

Swift, who said she was devastated to hear of her fans death, then went on to cancel Saturdays show over the extreme temperatures in Rio, and rescheduled that performance for Monday.

The safety and well being of my fans, fellow performers, and crew has to and always will come first, she wrote in a statement.

Justice Minister Flavio Dino following Machados death announced concertgoers would be allowed to bring bottled water into venues, adding that organizers will be required to provide free drinking water stations for attendees.

Swift is holding three more concerts in the country, starting Friday in Sao Paulo.

Related...
By Anthony Boadle

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil's Senate took the lead on Wednesday to curb what lawmakers see as judicial overreach by the country's Supreme Court and passed a constitutional amendment that limits the ability of justices to rule on issues individually.

The bill, that still needs lower chamber approval, stipulates that laws or measures decided by Brazil's Congress can only be overruled by the full plenary of the top court or a chamber of justices and not by just one of them.

The amendment also sets deadlines for deciding cases when judges ask for more time to study the issues and requires that such requests be collectively and not individually made.

The bill passed by a wide margin of 52-18 votes in two rounds of voting required for constitutional amendments.

The legislation is part of a backlash by a conservative-led Congress against a judiciary that played a decisive role in containing attacks on Brazil's democratic voting system by former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.

Lawmakers have accused the Supreme Court of usurping the legislative function of Congress with rulings on social issues such as the court's decision to facilitate gay marriage.

The last straw for Congress was the court's rejection of a restriction on Indigenous land claims sought for years by Brazil's powerful farm lobby which has led the charge against the judiciary.

New battles are looming over moves by the court to decriminalize abortion and marijuana possession.

Proposals in Congress include limiting the years justices can sit on the Supreme Court and an amendment that would allow lawmakers to undo court decisions they view as unconstitutional.

Senator Oriovisto Guimaraes, author of the bill approved on Wednesday, said it was unacceptable that one justice could rule on issues of importance for the nation.

Chief Justice Roberto Barroso criticized the movement in Congress against the judiciary.

"Attacking the Supreme Court, changing the way ministers are appointed, shortening their tenure in office, interfering with their internal functioning are political options that are not good for democracy," he told local media.

(Reporting by Anthony Boadle; Editing by Sonali Paul)
SAO PAULO  Police in Rio de Janeiro said Wednesday that an investigation has been launched into Time4Fun  the Brazilian company that organized Taylor Swifts shows in the city  days after a fan died and others reported unbearable conditions after having attended the Eras Tour during an extreme heat wave.

A spokesperson for the Civil Police Department of Rio de Janeiro said its consumer delegations department had launched an inquiry into the crime of endangering the life and health of concertgoers.

Event organizers will be called to testify, and other steps are underway to investigate the facts, the statement said.

Time4Fun did not immediately respond to requests for comment, but CEO Serafim Abreu said in a video posted to social media Thursday that the company apologized to "all who did not have the best possible experience."

"We know the enormous responsibility we have to organize an event of this scale, which is why we did not economize in our efforts or resources to follow the best global practices in our industry to guarantee the comfort and safety of all," Abreu said.

Abreu added that the company could have taken "alternative steps" to ensure a better experience for fans, such as adding more shaded areas during the extreme heat.

Last week, the company confirmed the death of Ana Clara Benevides Machado, 23, at Friday nights concert. The show was held as a record-breaking heat wave swept through the city, and temperatures in the stadium reached a heat index of 138 degrees Fahrenheit. Swift postponed her Saturday night show because of the extreme temperatures.

Fans complained of oppressive heat in the stadium and limited access to water. There were reports that other fans fainted in the extreme heat.

The department said the investigation is not connected to Machados death. Rios Municipal Health Department said the woman passed out during the second song of Swift's set and experienced cardiorespiratory arrest, but the exact cause of her death is not yet known.

Fans of the star, self-described Swifties, flooded social media with the phrase T4F EXIGIMOS RESPEITO after Machados death, which, translated from Portuguese, means T4F WE DEMAND RESPECT. In many posts on X, they called on T4F to make sure there was access to water for ticket holders.

Swift said in an Instagram story after the show that she was overwhelmed by grief over Machados death.

T4F said on social media after Fridays show that fans would be able to enter the next two performances with water bottles and some sealed foods.

Swift is scheduled to play three more shows this weekend in Sao Paulo, where fans will also be allowed to take some food and water into the venue.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
John F. Baesch, an Army veteran who was a retired CSX and Amtrak executive fond of Sherlock Holmes, died Nov. 14 of heart failure at Keswick Multi-Care Center in Roland Park. The South Baltimore resident was 78.

John was well thought of in the railroad industry, said E. Ray Lichty, a former CSX executive.

He was an unusual character who had a great career. While I was content to stay with CSX for 40 years, John moved around a lot, Mr. Lichty said. He went from CSX to Amtrak and then Parsons Brinckerhoff, the engineering company, where he really made a name for himself.

John Francis Baesch, son of Rudolph William Baesch, a furniture store clerk at the old C.J. Benson Co., and Shirley V. Crosby Baesch, a pharmacists assistant, was born in Baltimore and raised in Parkville.

His primary education was at what is today St. Ursulas Catholic School in Parkville, and in 1962 he graduated from Loyola Blakefield in Towson.

He entered what is now Loyola University of Maryland in 1962 and enrolled in its Army ROTC program.

During his college years, he worked as a copy boy in The Suns morning editorial department from 1963 until his graduation in 1966.

After graduation and being commissioned a second lieutenant in the Army Reserve, he was assigned to the Army Transportation Corps at Fort Eustis, Virginia.

Before being called to active duty in 1967, he taught English at the old Southern High School in Federal Hill.

In addition to serving at Fort Eustis, he held various assignments in transportation as an officer at what is now Fort Liberty in North Carolina, as well as in Germany, the Netherlands and Vietnam, where he arranged transportation for homeward bound American troops.

He was discharged in 1971 with the rank of captain and his decorations included the Bronze Star.

His love of railroading began when he was 7 years old and his father took him on a train ride from the B&Os Camden Station to Union Station in Washington, behind steam, he was fond of telling family and friends.

His railroading career began in 1971, when he joined what eventually became CSXs management training program before becoming part of the railroads operating department.

In 1974, Mr. Baesch moved over to the casualty prevention department.

He left CSX in 1976, after holding a variety of positions including assistant director of train operations, movements desk and car distribution.

While with Amtrak he was part of the team that planned the traffic control center at Philadelphias 30th Street Station.

In 1990, he was appointed general manager of the Amtrak-operated commuter rail in the Boston area.

Mr. Baesch returned to Philadelphia in 1993 to oversee Amtraks day-to-day operations, crew assignments and time keeping.

John was really a character and had a great sense of humor, Mr. Lichty said. He loved to tell the story when he was at Amtrak about a brochure that was about shipping the dead, which was titled, The Scheduled Departure for the Recently Departed. He had such a dry wit. Hed start to tell you something, pause, smile, and then give you the punch line.

After retiring from Amtrak in 1999, he joined Parsons Brinckerhoff, an engineering firm, as a senior specialist, a position he held until retiring in 2013.

During his time with Parsons Brinckerhoff , he worked on projects for MARC, Virginia Railway Express and the Northeast Corridor.

Naturally, his work required a great deal of train riding.

There is joy in riding a train and being around railroad people, he explained in an interview with the Retired Administrators of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company, a CSX retirees organization. Rail travel is particularly not about the geography and equipment (though thats a real part of it); it is about the people you are with and the people you meet.

In addition to being a collector of B&Os fabled blue and white dining car china, from which he dined daily, Mr. Baesch was a fan of grand hotels, fine dining and ocean liners, particularly Cunard Line ships, and had been aboard when the lines Queen Elizabeth 2 made its farewell voyage in 2008.

He was also a student of the RMS Titanic sinking and had served several terms as leader of two Baltimore-area Sherlock Holmes organizations, The Six Napoleons and Watsons Tin Box.

John was one of our Napoleons and a very good and solid Sherlockian, said William J. Hyder, a retired Sunday Sun copy editor and reporter. As a person, he was very quiet and reserved, a man of few words.

Mr. Baesch wrote several scholarly articles about Arthur Conan Doyles fictional detective and with his wife, Evelyn Herzog, a legal secretary, amassed a collection of works related to Holmes.

He had spent a lot of time in London with Parsons Brinckerhoff and he and Eve were the epitome of Anglophiles, Mr. Lichty said.

He was also an Orioles fan and enjoyed corresponding by letter and postcard with friends across the world.

Mr. Baesch, who lived in the old Southern High School that had been converted to apartments and where he once taught, had been a member for the last 20 years of the Catholic Community of South Baltimore.

Plans for services are incomplete.

His only survivor is his wife of 20 years.
Its been a big week for big hair. In the Netherlands, the silver demi-pompadour of Geert Wilders swept the leader of the Right-wing, anti-Islam PVV party to victory in the Dutch general election. A few days earlier, Argentina voted in an even more magnificent mane with a small politician attached. Javier Mileis hair is baffling the world, gasped The Wall Street Journal, which is not exactly known for its coiffure reportage. The former economics commentator and anarcho-capitalist rocks a mop that reflects his nonconformist campaign, it reported. If you had to describe the style of Mileis tempestuous barnet it would be Englebert Humperdinck dragged through a hedge backwards.

Not only has the pending president Milei promised to take a chainsaw to Argentinas corrupt and bloated state, the libertarian revs an actual chainsaw at his rallies. My favourite thing, though, is his advisers; the first people he thanked during the presidential primaries in August  Conan, Murray, Milton, Robert and Lucas. Except theyre not people. Theyre all dogs cloned from the English mastiff, Conan, whom Milei adopted in 2004 and referred to as literally my son and my true and greatest love. He says his four-legged children are the best strategists in the world and credits them with advising him on a host of issues.

We think our country has gone to the dogs but Milei, ever the optimist, thinks that if you want to run the country to the dogs is precisely where you go. The man who just got the highest percentage vote of any presidential candidate since Argentinas return to democracy in 1983 reportedly consulted a medium after Conan died in 2017 to seek the late poochs advice.

Apparently, the ghost of Conan woofed that it was Gods mission for his master to become president, and look how that turned out. Cant help feeling Jeremy Hunt missed a trick not consulting a deceased pet over his dogs breakfast of an Autumn Statement. Both Wilders and Milei are often compared to Donald Trump who has his own spun-sugar edifice glued atop his head, although it has been known to take off in a breeze. Boriss well-rumpled haystack was part of his appeal. Is big hair a sign of virility in leaders? There is something in that, I think, but exuberant locks also signal something wilder in a nature that voters find appealing, a willingness to disregard conventional, short-back-and-sides politics.

Wilderss triumph took Right-thinking commentators (aka Leftist progressives) by surprise. All the journalists, including the BBC, are said to have been waiting for the result at the wrong party headquarters. Not the PVV (Freedom Party) but the VVD establishment party, formerly led by prime minister Mark Rutte. If theyd bothered to listen to the Dutch people, they would not have been shocked. Ruttes downfall came when he tried to persuade his coalition government to make it harder for migrant families to reunite (of the 48,000 asylum seekers who entered the Netherlands last year, 10,927 arrived via family reunion).

The Dutch are a famously laid-back people, but it was obvious theyd had enough. As Wilders, who has supported a ban on Muslim immigration, shuttering all mosques and leaving the EU, said in his victory speech, The largest party in the Netherlands, and I tell you, the voter has spoken. We are sick of it and we are going to ensure that the Dutchman comes first again.

Wilders is certainly far Right but, across Europe, millions of reasonable people who are not far-Right are sick of their governments failing to stop high levels of immigration which put a strain on crumbling public services, make housing unaffordable, increase community tensions and jeopardise national security. (Such fears have only intensified since the pro-Palestine marches; they played a key role in getting Wilders over the line.) Ignored by politicians and enraged that anyone who doesnt go along with this enforced diversity is accused of racism, voters are increasingly drawn to nationalists who feel their pain.

The AfD in Germany, Giorgia Meloni in Italy, Marine Le Pen edging ever closer in France and now Geert Wilders in the Netherlands. And to think it was Brexit Britain they accused of being xenophobic!

After yesterdays disgraceful record net immigration figures  an extra million people admitted in just two years; totally unsustainable at four or five times the level of three years ago  the betrayal of the British people is complete. For a decade, the Government has promised a reduction in immigration while weakening the rules to increase it.

The Conservative Party is dead to me now as it is to millions of its formerly loyal supporters. Out of the ashes at the cremation we pray there will come a party which cares about the British people.

Foodbank scandals



What are some of the consequences for the British people of the tacit open door immigration policy pursued by our sorry excuse for a Conservative Government? A reader called Nick tells me about a scandalous development at the foodbank where he volunteers. Lately, we have been getting a huge influx of overseas mature students and their relatives seeking support. Many of them large, extended families from India, Sri Lanka and Nigeria, says Nick, How do we spot them? Because they are better dressed and presented than our standard local clients who are in genuine need.

Surely, says Nick, those students and their relatives have to come to the UK on the basis that they can support themselves? Its not where our gifting supporters would expect their donations to go.

It sure as hell isnt. Nick also reports that many of the actual students using the foodbank can barely speak English so how do they study and how will all this end?

Dont be silly, Nick. The overseas students arent here to study! Theyre here to get a degree, pay huge fees to our university sector, price out bright indigenous kids while enabling the Government to snuggle up to Prime Minister Narendra Modi by offering squillions of visas. A total of 142,848 student visas were granted by the UK to Indian nationals in the year to June 2023. Thats a staggering increase of 54 per cent (49,883 more visas granted than in 2022). On top of that, those who graduate get to stay on for two years to do any job. Absolute lunacy.

We have opened up a huge door here, says Nick and Im sure the Government has no idea what is going on at ground level. Even my Left-leaning foodbank colleagues are appalled at the abuse of the charity.

Offhand, I find it hard to think of a story that better illustrates the perfidy of a political class that has sold out its own people. It fills me with a kind of helpless rage. How dare they! Do we need our own Geert Wilders to stick up for British people?

Supporting our Jewish Community



Once again, huge thanks to the thousands of Telegraph readers who signed the October Declaration to show our Jewish community that we have their backs at this deeply anxious time. Im thrilled to say Suella Braverman just added her name to the list. She joins Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, Elaine Paige, Sir Tim Rice, Sir Tom Stoppard, Andrew Neil, Dame Maureen Lipman, Countdown whizz Rachel Riley, a host of lords, ladies, historians, brigadier generals, air commodores, air marshals, rear admirals and many more terrific people from all walks of life.

In London, on Sunday, there will be the first National Solidarity March Against Anti-Semitism. If you can get there, please join me, Toby Young, Laura Dodsworth and other members of British Friends of Israel at 1pm by the Gladstone statue outside St Clement Danes Church. The church is a memorial to those who have lost their lives while serving in the RAF; I hope their valiant ghosts will approve of us protesting against the kind of genocidal Jew-haters many of them died fighting. We will channel the Spitfire spirit that is never quite extinguished in the British heart.

We need at least 50 people to carry an October Declaration flag, one for each of the days in captivity endured by the hostages, including ten-month-old baby, Kfir Bibas, and Emily Hand who spent her ninth birthday this week with Hamas terrorists. Let us pray that those beautiful little people, and all the other children and sisters, mothers and grandmothers are released today or tomorrow.

If you cant make it, please do sign the declaration and encourage others to do so (britishfriendsofisrael.org). A Jewish author I met was in tears the other day when she told me how very much our support has meant. It would be so lovely to see you in person, and for such an important cause.

Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month, then enjoy 1 year for just $9 with our US-exclusive offer.
The three individuals charged with running brothels in Massachusetts and Washington, D.C., that allegedly hosted high-profile clientele, including political and military leaders, brought in over a million dollars running the operation, a top federal investigator on the case said Wednesday.

According to an affidavit submitted to the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts by the Department of Homeland Security, the alleged ringleaders of the operation, James Lee of California, along with Han Lee and Junmyung Lee of Massachusetts, made the chunk of change while running the service out of high-end apartments in Massachusetts and the Washington, D.C., suburbs since 2020.

The affidavit also said the defendants kept "impeccable" records of the operation showing the amounts it brought in.

FORMER OBAMA ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL CHARGED WITH HATE CRIME AFTER CONFRONTATION WITH NYC FOOD CART VENDOR

"I do not believe that HAN has legitimate employment but I do believe she has made an astounding amount of money running her prostitution business over the last several years," DHS Special Agent Zachary Mitlitsky wrote, referencing the alleged ringleader of the operation.

The affidavit added that two of Han Lee's bank accounts brought in $965,000, mostly in cash, from December 2019 to October 2023, and that she is believed to have access to other foreign accounts.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

The DOJ charged the three earlier this month after busting the operation. They face maximum sentences of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and fines of up to $250,000, if convicted.

MARYLAND ATTORNEY GENERAL SUSPENDS HATE CRIME TASK FORCE MEMBER CLAIMING BABIES MURDERED BY HAMAS WERE FAKE

One of the Cambridge, Massachusetts, apartments where customers were instructed to go.

According to prosecutors, the D.C.-area brothels were housed in apartment complexes in Fairfax and Tysons, Virginia, and hosted a variety of consorts from varying backgrounds. The defendants allegedly rented the apartments while paying for the prostitutes' transportation and flights to the locations.

They also said the defendants advertised the prostitution for rates going between $350 and $600, and required solicitors to provide a plethora of identifying information, "not limited to, full name, birth date, credit card information, employer information, and websites," as well as a "reference if they have one."

"Some of these professional disciplines included, but are not limited to, politicians, pharmaceutical executives, doctors, military officers, government contractors that possess security clearances, professors, lawyers, business executives, technology company executives, scientists, accountants, retail employees, and students," prosecutors said.

VIRAL VIDEOS SHOW FORMER OBAMA OFFICIAL LAUNCH RACIST RANTS AGAINST NEW YORK CITY FOOD CART VENDOR

One of the 20 people interviewed by federal agents provided an example of a "menu" text message sent by a number associated with one of the alleged brothel websites.

One investigator said "there are potentially hundreds of yet to be identified customers that may include other professional disciplines not included in the list above," but the DOJ has yet to give any further details on the clientele.

Fox News' Houston Keene and Adam Sabes contributed to this report.





Original article source: Brothels that allegedly hosted political, military leaders raked in 'astounding' amounts of money: prosecutors
All bridges between New York state and Canada were closed after the explosion. Three were reopened hours later (Getty Images)

Buffalo Niagara International Airport has reopened to arriving international flights and departures following a car explosion that occurred at the US-Canada border in Niagara Falls on Wednesday, according to the US Department of Transportation.

It had been closed earlier in the afternoon as officials investigated the cause of the blast.

The incident occurred shortly before 12pm. Authorities say that the vehicle had attempted to cross the US border into Canada using Rainbow Bridge. When a border patrol officer directed the car into a secondary lane for searching, it sped up, went airborne over an 8-foot fence, crashed, caught on fire and then exploded.

Two individuals were inside the car and died in the collission. One border patrol officer was injured, but transported to a nearby hospital and then released.

The driver was from western New York. Officials have not released identifying information for the driver or passenger. Theres no indictation that the vehicle had explosives inside.

Speaking to CBC, James Diodati, mayor of Niagara Falls Ontario in Canada, said the incident appeared to be an isolated one.

New York Democratic Gov Kathy Hochul headed to Buffalo to meet with law enforcement officials. Buffalo is a city in New York at the Canadian border.

At my direction, the New York State Police is actively working with the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force to monitor all points of entry to New York, she said in a written statement.

During a news conference, Ms Hochul said there is no evidence to show that the incident was terrorist-related.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that four border crossings into the US from Canada had been closed as an investigation into the incident continued. The probe is being led by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation.

We are taking this extraordinarily seriously, Mr Trudeau said before excusing himself from a session of parliament. Mr Diodati said that the Rainbow Bridge could be closed for quite some time.

As of 5.30pm ET, three out of the four bridges on the border, The Whirlpool Rapids Bridge, The LewistonQueenston Bridge, and Peace Bridge had been reopened. Amtrak services between New York State and Canada have been temporarily suspended.

A spokesperson for The White House told The Independent that President Joe Biden is closely monitoring the situation. He is spending Thanksgiving, taking place tomorrow, in Nantucket, Mass.

So far, 21 flights have been delayed at the Buffalo airport, according to FlightAware, which tracks that information. About 100 flights take off from the facility daily.

Vehicles coming into the airport will undergo security checks. The Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority said travelers should give themselves additional time when arriving to the airport.
An elderly man was held down by raiders as his home was burgled in a Staffordshire village.

A CCTV image has been issued of people police want to speak to about the raid in Harriseahead, on Monday.

Three men broke into the victim's house on High Street, at 17:15 GMT on Monday, Staffordshire Police said.

The man, in his 80s, was pinned down by one of the trio while the others stole gold jewellery. The raiders later drove away in a silver Ford Focus.

Anyone with information should call 101, quoting 548 of 20 November, or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk
Burn ban lifted for 30 counties in western North Carolina as conditions improve

NORTH CAROLINA (QUEEN CITY NEWS)  At 5 p.m. Wednesday a burn ban for 30 counties in western North Carolina will be lifted, the North Carolina Forest Service announced.

Some of those counties include Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Burke, Caldwell, Gaston, Iredell, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Watauga and Wilkes.

While recent rainfall has decreased fire danger and provided some relief from persistent dry conditions, I cant stress enough how important it is for the public to be careful, ready, and responsible when burning outdoors, Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler said.

READ MORE: NC burn bans continue, but when will they end?

The first ban took effect for 14 counties on Nov. 5. The second ban took effect in the additional 16 counties on Nov. 8.

The lifted ban includes all open burning outside of a 100-foot area around an occupied dwelling.

Folks with questions regarding their specific county can contact their N.C. Forest Service county ranger or their county fire marshals office. To find contact information for your local NCFS county ranger, visit here.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
WASHINGTON (DC News Now)  The gorgeous and sunny Thanksgiving day was especially bright for folks in Anacostia.

The entire neighborhood was welcome to an open table event to enjoy a full turkey meal. And the community bonding was every bit as special as the Thanksgiving feast.

Thanks to the generosity of one local business owner, an entire neighborhood was transformed on Thanksgiving.

At Busboys & Poets, the door was open to anyone who wanted Thanksgiving food and fellowship.

We do these types of events on a regular basis  not just on Thanksgiving but throughout the year to remind us of our common humanity and how we can all share in the bounty of the city, said Andy Shallal, owner of Busboys & Poets on Martin Luther King Drive.

Volunteers provide Thanksgiving meals to seriously ill people, their families in DC

Shallal is known to take neighborhood youth on outings to his farm, giving them a break from the hectic pace of the city.

Its not just about Andy Shallal having the restaurant, said community activist Rosalind Styles. Its about having community heart.

This is to put a smile on peoples faces and to just be able to have them feel the warmth in terms of what this holiday brings, in terms of being like a family, said Dr. LaVerne Adams, who runs a neighborhood support group.

There are lots of smiles today from both the people eating and the volunteers, said Robert White, at-large member of the D.C. City Council. I think everyone is leaving here feeling more warm today.

Even those without a home were every bit as welcome to the meal.

Even if youre homeless, you deserve the same thing as the working person in the District has, said Anacostia resident Miriam Jones.

As Shallal explained it, Thanksgiving is not just about serving a meal  its about making an impact on the community.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC.
The two Cal Poly students arrested on suspicion of weapons charges made bail hours after they were booked, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriffs Office confirmed to The Tribune on Wednesday.

Charles Hojaboom and Brandon Pham were arrested around 10:15 p.m. on Nov. 11 after officers heard gunshots and after several campus community members called 911 to report hearing the sound, Cal Poly spokesperson Matt Lazier told The Tribune in an email.

The two students were allegedly in possession of a shotgun and a loaded, concealed pistol at the time of their arrest, he said.

Additional weapons were found in their dorms on campus, Lazier said.

According to the Sheriffs Office, Pham and Hojaboom were booked into jail at 5:12 a.m. and 5:45 a.m., respectively on Nov. 12. Both posted a $20,000 bail later that day.

Hojaboom was released at 10:51 a.m. and Pham was released at 2 p.m., the Sheriffs Office said.

Hojaboom is suspected of misdemeanor vandalism and five felonies: carrying a concealed firearm, carrying a loaded firearm, discharging a firearm in a grossly negligent manner, carrying a blade on a school campus and carrying a loaded gun on a school campus.

Phan is suspected of misdemeanor carrying a less-than-lethal weapon on a school campus, felony carrying a blade on a school campus and felony discharging a firearm in a grossly negligent manner.

Lazier said the school learned of the two students release the day they left jail.

The two have been barred from campus in the interest of safety while their cases move through both the criminal justice process and the universitys own student conduct process, Lazier said. The university is not able to provide further details about their present locations.

The university sent an alert to students about the alleged crimes on Nov. 16  four days after Pham and Hojaboom were released from jail.

According to the second alert on Nov. 17, all indications are that the students were firing at targets and not people.

According to California law, universities must send a Clery Alert, or alert of a crime on campus, to students when:

A reported crime is among the crimes listed in the Clery law.

A reported crime took place on campus or within narrowly defined areas off campus but related to the university.

A reported crime poses a potential serious or ongoing threat to the campus community.

Lazier said the case initially only met the first two criteria, adding that the third was not met when the students were in jail and the potential threat was mitigated.

With additional information coming to light in the investigation, including but not limited to the fact that both students had bailed out of jail, a Clery notification to campus was made on Nov. 16 out of an abundance of caution, he said.

Lazier said he could not disclose whether anything specific came to light in the days after their release that prompted the alert.

The police investigation into this matter is continuing, Lazier said, and the university is not able to provide additional information at this time.

The San Luis Obispo County District Attorneys Office had not filed charges against Pham or Hojaboom as of Wednesday evening.

Anyone who sees them in or around campus, is asked to call 911 or the Cal Poly Police Department at 805-756-2281.
Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert!

RIVAS SHAKES UP THE ASSEMBLY LEADERSHIP

Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, D-Hollister, announced a radical change to Assembly leadership Tuesday night that included the ouster of Assemblyman Isaac Bryan, D-Los Angeles, as majority leader.

In a statement, Rivas thanked Bryan for his exceptional work during my transition into the office of speaker.

Assemlbywoman Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, D-Winters, will take over for Bryan, while Assemblyman Jim Wood, D-Healdsburg, replaces Aguiar-Curry as speaker pro tempore.

Wood, who departs the chamber next year to care for his aging mother, said in a statement that he looks forward to working alongside the speaker to make sure the voices of Californians are heard in Sacramento.

According to Politico, Bryan had talked himself up as a strong second-in-command of the lower chamber. In a statement to Politico following the shakeup, he observed that Black Californians now see no representation in Rivas leadership team.

The changes, which go into effect Jan. 22, included removing Assemblyman Chris Holden, D-Pasadena, as Assembly Appropriations Committee chair in favor of Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks, D-Oakland, and Assemblyman Jesse Gabriel, D-Woodland Hills, in place of Assemblyman Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, as chair of the Assembly Budget Committee.

Wicks, in an email to supporters, vowed to use the powerful appropriations chair to more effectively advocate for more affordable housing, better support for working families, and a more equitable future for all Californians.

Rivas announcement also included the unusual decision to name outgoing Assemblyman Kevin McCarty, D-Sacramento, as chair of the Assembly Public Safety Committee. McCarty has chosen not to run for reelection, as he instead seeks to succeed Darrell Steinberg as mayor of Sacramento.

In a statement, McCarty said that the committee handles many topics that are top of mind for Californians.

I look forward to moving balanced and common sense policies next year, he said.

TROPICAL STORM HILARY A MAJOR DISASTER

President Joe Biden has formally declared Tropical Storm Hilary  which battered a large swath of California with high winds and rain  a major disaster. This unlocks Federal Emergency Management Agency funds to help pay for recovery efforts in parts of Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Riverside and Siskiyou counties, according to a statement from the Governors Office of Emergency Services.

President Biden continues to stand with our state whenever disaster strikes. This declaration brings in more resources to support communities and rebuild critical public infrastructure, Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement.

The August storm was one of the rare tropical storms to strike the Golden State, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association.

It is quite rare for a tropical storm or hurricane to maintain its strength and tropical characteristics in this part of the world, due to cool ocean waters and currents as well as prevailing trade winds that blow from east to west in this area, NOAA said in a post about the storm.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

At a time when California must be vigilant in protecting civil rights, fostering a just legal system, and ensuring everyday consumers are protected, it is an honor to serve as Chair of Judiciary Committee. Having served on this committee for the past seven years under Chairs Stone and Maienschein, I am grateful for their leadership and ready to hit the ground running.

- Assemblyman Ash Kalra, D-San Jose, in a statement announcing his appointment as chair of the Assembly Judiciary Committee.

Best of The Bee:

Californias Department of Justice can continue to share firearm data with researchers studying the causes of gun violence, per a new court order, via Cathie Anderson .

Gavin Newsom is still a rising political star, but his path to national prominence has gotten rocky as he heads into his debate with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis next Thursday, via David Lightman .

Millions of Latinos will gather for the holidays. Some will be shamed for their Spanish skills, via Mathew Miranda .

The Sacramento Ethics Commission has determined there is insufficient evidence to support the allegation that City Councilwoman Katie Valenzuela violated city code in her first batch campaign funds, via Theresa Clift.
MONTREAL, Quebec - The Canadian Space Agency announced two astronauts will fly to space in the coming years on Wednesday (Nov. 22) as the country continues a historic ramp-up of its human space program in 2023.



Francois-Philippe Champagne, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry of Canada, announced the assignments in front of a crowd of hundreds gathered in the lobby of Canadian Space Agency headquarters in Longueuil, Quebec.

In the first assignment announcement, CSA astronaut Jenni Sidey-Gibbons was selected as a backup to Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist aboard NASA's Artemis 2 moon mission. Sidey-Gibbons will also serve as capsule communicator during Artemis 2, or CAPCOM, the astronaut on Earth who will communicates with the crew members during their spaceflight.

Next, Champagne announced that Joshua Kutryk, a colonel for the Royal Canadian Air Force, will fly on his first spaceflight on Boeing's Starliner spacecraft for a six-month mission to the International Space Station (ISS) in early 2025. Prior to his selection for CSA in 2017, Kutryk was a test pilot who used to lead the unit responsible for flight testing all operational fighter aircraft in Canada. Kutryk previously served as CAPCOM for Starliner's first successful uncrewed flight to the ISS in May 2022.

Related: What 1st Canadian astronaut on moon mission is learning from his crewmates (exclusive)

two people in blue flight suits stand behind a man in a suit speaking at a podium

"As a part of the Artemis 2 backup crew, I will work to define and develop the procedures and architecture required for humanity's return to the moon," Sidey-Gibbons said in a statement. "I will train as a capsule communicator, ready to act as the link between the ground team and the Artemis missions when in Mission Control. I will train alongside the crew and will be ready to support them in whatever capacity their mission requires. Finally, I will be prepared for future missions critical to Canada's space program. I look forward to bringing Canada with me on this journey."

If Sidey-Gibbons flies to space during Artemis 2 in place of Jeremy Hansen, it will be the astronaut's first spaceflight, making her the third Canadian female in space. Sidey-Gibbons is a fire scientist selected by CSA in 2017. Her spaceflight follows short-term excursions by two other CSA astronauts: Neurologist Roberta Bondar (space shuttle mission STS-42 in 1992, for 8 days) and engineer Julie Payette (STS-96 in 1999 and STS-127 in 2009, for 25 days collectively).

two people in blue flight suits speak at a podium in a large lobby lined with windows

CSA's assignments on Artemis 2 stem from CSA's promise of Canadarm3, a new robotic arm that will aid in maintenance and repairs of NASA's upcoming Gateway space station. Canada is also a member of the Artemis Accords, an initiative co-led by NASA and the U.S. Department of State that lays out a framework for peaceful cooperation in space.

The Canadian Space Agency has joined NASA's Lunar Orbiting Platform Gateway project for moon exploration with its Canadarm3 robotic arm.

Kutryk's assignment will make him the first CSA astronaut to fly on NASA's commercial crew program. Kutryk won't be the first Canadian to fly on a commercial spacecraft, however; Canadian entrepreneur Mark Pathy already used SpaceX Crew Dragon for the private Ax-1 mission from Axiom Space in April 2022.

"Space is about collaborating for a better future. It's about our future; it's about Canadian prosperity. Our country decided decades ago to invest in space because it helps us solve challenges for Canadians, and we are still driven by this purpose today," Kutryk said in a statement. "I'm committed to making the most out of this incredible opportunity for our country."

CSA gets a seat on the International Space Station every six years under its agreement to furnish robotics like the Canadarm2 robotic arm currently aboard the orbital lab. The last CSA astronaut to fly to space was medical doctor David Saint-Jacques, who spend a record 204 days on the ISS in 2018-2019, longer than any other Canadian.

Related: Artemis 2 astronaut Jeremy Hansen says a Canadian will walk on the moon one day

two people in blue flight suits speak at a podium in a large lobby lined with windows

"These assignments are clear proof of the impressive reputation our astronaut corps has," Champagne said in a statement. "From the International Space Station to the moon, Jenni Gibbons and Joshua Kutryk are about to write an exciting new chapter of Canada's history in space. Since their recruitment, they have both distinguished themselves repeatedly through their work with NASA and the CSA.

"Canadian astronauts are modern-day explorers, making them tremendous role models for Canada's future scientists, engineers and explorers," Champagne added.

Following the assignment announcement, Artemis 2 astronaut Jeremy Hansen posted a message of congratulations for the two astronauts on X (formerly Twitter):

Wednesday's announcement builds on a surge of space activity in Canada in recent years, most especially a big moon announcement in April: CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen, following a near 15-year wait for a spaceflight, will fly around the moon aboard the NASA-led Artemis 2 mission with three Americans. He will also be the first non-American to leave low Earth orbit.

While Hansen's assignment shone space attention on Canada anew, the country has been active in space for decades. Following sounding rocket research to probe the upper atmosphere in the 1950s and 1960s, Canada was the third country to send a satellite to space in September 1962 with Alouette. Communications was a key priority for the government to send information to the population, leading to support of satellites and even forming a Crown corporation satellite company called Telesat (today a public company trading on the stock market).

Foundational work on Canadarm, the country's famous robotic arm, began in the same era  including related tech testing with satellite antennas along with the lunar module's landing legs for NASA Apollo moon missions between 1969 and 1972. Canadian company MDA manages the Canadarm program today, following several changes over the decades.

As NASA opened up its human space program to international participation in the late 1970s, Canada selected robotics as an area where it could contribute a lot with a relatively modest number of tax dollars, given Canada has a small population compared to other space powers.

The first flight of Canadarm on space shuttle STS-2 in 1981 impressed NASA so much that it invited Canada to form an astronaut corps. Royal Canadian Navy commander Marc Garneau was the first to fly, with Canada's National Research Council, on STS-41G in October 1984 (as the CSA itself was not created until 1989.) Some notable early spaceflights included Bondar, the first Canadian woman in space (1992) and Chris Hadfield, the only Canadian to visit Soviet-Russian space station Mir (1995).

Related: What it's like to snag a spacecraft with the International Space Station's robotic arm

a spacecraft with two solar wings approaches a robotic arm in space. the earth and clouds are behind

The Canadian Space Agency's Canadarm2, managed by company MDA, has been working on the International Space Station for decades. Its contributions pay for astronaut seats and science aboard the ISS. Here, Canadarm2 prepares to catch a Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft in 2017. (Image credit: NASA)

Canada has continued this "pay-to-play" arrangement  trading robotics capabilities for astronaut seats and science  for more than four decades. Canadarm2 was installed on the ISS in April 2001 on spacewalks including Hadfield, the first Canadian to do an extra-vehicular activity. A robotic helper, Dextre, followed Canadarm2 to the ISS in 2008.

As Canadarm2/Dextre represent 2.3% of the ISS partnership, however, that only equates to a Canadian spaceflight opportunity every six years with current spacecraft capacity. Prior to today's announcement, the previous recent Canadian ISS flights were in 2018-19 with David Saint-Jacques, and 2012-13 with Hadfield, also the first Canadian to command the space station during that excursion. (Note that some NASA astronauts had joint Canadian citizenship as well, such as fellow 2018 ISS commander Drew Feustel.)

Related: Artemis 2's Canadian astronaut got their moon mission seat with 'potato salad'

a view of an astronaut in a spacesuit, with helmet visor up. behind are solar panels from the international space station and the black of space

Canadian Space Agency astronaut David Saint-Jacques during his first spacewalk on April 8, 2019. (Image credit: CSA/NASA)

Hansen's mission came through a different funding strategy. Canada was an early signatory to the Artemis Accords, a multinational coalition pledging to support NASA's goals of space exploration. That support in 2019, along with the promise of a next-generation Canadarm3 for NASA's Gateway moon station, brought Canada the Artemis 2 opportunity along with future moon missions.

Artemis 2 has dominated Canadian space coverage in 2023, but that's not all the special space funding the CSA has received lately. The long-running Radarsat series (monitoring Earth since 1995) will get an upgrade and extension in funding announced this fall, for example.

RELATED STORIES:

 Maple leaf to the moon: Canadian Space Agency debuts new logo

 Canada to launch new satellites to monitor climate change, gather military data

 What 1st Canadian astronaut on moon mission is learning from his crewmates (exclusive)

Also on deck, per recent CSA announcements, are a mini-lunar rover targeted for landing in 2026, a lunar utility vehicle to support Artemis astronauts, and a funded commitment to work on the ISS until 2030 alongside most other partners. CSA is also co-supporting, with the Privy Council Office's Impact Canada, competitions to develop better health technology and food for deep space missions.

Then there's all the private activity. Among many things that could be mentioned: Pathy paid for his own seat to the ISS in 2021 on the private Ax-1 mission, in large part to do Canadian health research in space. Several Canadian space companies are also targeting payloads or robotic moon missions, either through CSA funding or through other avenues. On top of that, Maritime Launch Services is developing independent launch capabilities for Canada on the country's east coast. (The Canadian government pledged in 2023 to update and streamline launching regulations to support the nascent industry.)

CSA also signed a memorandum of agreement with Axiom in 2022, suggesting there may be pathways to bring Canadians to space more often. An example of how that may work is the European Space Agency "project astronaut" group, which are 12 individuals who passed astronaut selection but who continue work with their employer until they are asked to take a mission. Swedish project astronaut Marcus Wandt will fly aboard Ax-3 no earlier in January 2024, on a mission co-funded by several Swedish government groups and companies.
Canadas self-proclaimed QAnon queen has been ousted from the village where she has been camping out for two months.

Romana Didulo, a QAnon-inspired conspiracy theorist, arrived in Richmound, a small Saskatchewan village of about 150 people, in September, along with her entourage, after travelling around Canada over the past few years.

Since then, the group of about 15 and 25 people has been camping out in an old school in the village, owned by one of Ms Didulos supporters.

The groups presence in the village had drawn a significant police presence and protests that have led to at least one arrest, with village officials repeatedly saying they wanted the group out.

But villagers had struggled to remove the conspiracy theorist and her group from the school in the face of resistance from the buildings owner, Ricky Manz.

Mr Manz was arrested in October and charged with assault after an altercation.

It is unclear what exactly Ms Didulo and her entourage were using the school building for, but the self-proclaimed QAnon queen broadcasted every day from the school to her 70,000 followers.

However, last week, viewers spotted a heater propped up on a propane tank in the background of a livestream, which prompted an inspection visit by local officials for a possible fire code violation.

The inspectors were turned away, the BBC reported, but the group packed up and left the site an hour later, leaving only a flag that the group had left flying above the building.

According to reports, the group are now on a farm to the west of the village, but villagers fear Ms Didulo and her entourage may return.

Were glad theyre gone, but everyones still on edge in case they come back, said the village spokesperson, who asked not to be identified.

Meanwhile, Christine Sarteschi, a professor at Chatham University in Pittsburgh and an expert on extremism who has been studying Ms Didulos movement, told the BBC the group is unpredictable.

Ms Didulos presence in Richmound drew protests from villagers (Community TV)

They are very secretive about what they are doing, but they still care about whats going on in Richmound and talk about coming back, she said. That unpredictability makes people nervous.

Ms Didulo and her followers have reportedly threatened to execute local officials and have previously issued threats against medical professionals, journalists and others.

The 48-year-old QAnon influencer uses many online platforms, including the encrypted Telegram app, to communicate with her supporters, who refuse to pay taxes and make up their own fake legal systems.

Ms Didulo calls herself the Queen of Canada, and believes herself to be the secret ruler of Canada. She maintains she is Canadas real head of state and that Queen Elizabeth II has been executed.

She is also a known anti-vaxxer and has spread ideas related to QAnon - a wide-ranging, unfounded theory that says former US president Donald Trump is waging a secret war against elite Satan-worshipping paedophiles in government, business and the media.

In 2021, she claimed she was taken into custody in Victoria, British Columbia under the provinces mental health act over a post where she allegedly called for the execution of medics who administered the Covid-19 vaccine to young adults and children.

Meanwhile, a year later, her group participated in the Freedom Convoy protests in Ottawa in which they attempted to arrest police officers, accusing them of crimes against humanity. Six of her followers were arrested.

She has also allegedly shared posts encouraging her followers to overthrow Canadian officials and take over government buildings.
Marylanders interested in handgun ownership still must apply for handgun qualification licenses despite Tuesdays federal court decision deeming them unconstitutional.

According to the Maryland State Police, which is charged with registering firearms owners, the portion of the 2013 Gun Safety Act requiring handgun qualification licenses will remain in effect until the federal court issues a mandate for the licensing process to cease.

The Maryland State Police said it will issue any procedural updates on its website.

In a 2-1 decision issued Tuesday, a three-judge panel of the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals found the portion of the states Firearm Safety Act requiring handgun owners to receive handgun qualification licenses to be unconstitutional because it does not track with historically recognized exceptions to gun ownership required under the U.S. Supreme Courts recent decision in the case New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen.

The Bruen decision overturned New York states gun licensing policy and upended similar licensing processes in Maryland, California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Rhode Island.

The part of the law overturned Tuesday bars Marylanders without handgun qualification licenses from purchasing, renting or receiving a handgun. It also criminalizes the sale, rental, transfer or gifting of a firearm to an unlicensed individual.

To receive a handgun qualification license, applicants must be Maryland residents aged 21 or older. They are required to pass a firearm safety course and undergo a background check to ensure they arent prohibited from owning a gun under state or federal law. The application review process can take up to 30 days.

The requirement was challenged in a 2016 lawsuit against then Republican Gov. Larry Hogan by the firearms rights organization Maryland Shall Issue, two individual plaintiffs and a gun store. Initially, it was upheld by the U.S. District Court in Maryland, an opinion appealed by the plaintiffs.

Now that its been deemed unconstitutional, the state has two weeks to ask the entire 14-judge panel of the 4th Circuit Court to review the decision and 90 days to request that the U.S. Supreme Court review the decision.

Under federal rules, according to a tweet from Maryland Shall Issue, the decision would go into effect in 21 days after issuance of the Courts mandate. But if the state seeks the full review or appeals to the Supreme Court, the decision would be stayed while that appeal plays out.

Because Hogan is out of office, Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat, is now the defendant.

In a statement issued Tuesday, Moore said that he was disappointed by the decision, and that his administration is currently looking at all options and reviewing the ruling.

Attorney General Anthony Brown is representing Moore and other state interests in the lawsuit. In an email to The Baltimore Sun, Brown spokesperson Thomas Lester said the office is weighing options for next steps in this case. Because the suit could continue, Lester was not able to provide further information.

Meanwhile, gun rights advocates, including the National Rifle Association, are celebrating the 4th Circuits decision.

Mark Pennak of Maryland Shall Issue said in a phone interview Wednesday evening that the ruling, which has been deemed detrimental to public safety by Maryland politicians, will enhance public safety rather than diminish it.

The wringing of hands I see the governor engaging in  is simply overwrought, said Pennak, an attorney. The idea that this somehow affects public safety is ridiculous, and you can quote me on that.

People interested in firearm ownership still would have to undergo background checks by the Maryland State Police, among other measure, Pennak said.
NORTH CAROLINA (QUEEN CITY NEWS)  Want to try your hand at acting?

Now that the writers and actors strikes have ended, casting calls are officially underway in North Carolina for Season 4 of Netflixs wildly popular Outer Banks series.

Three weeks of production is underway in Wilmington, North Carolina and they are looking to fill a bunch of roles, according to the casting agency Kimmie Stewart Casting.

Among the unfilled roles are bartender, fisherman, beachgoers, and lifeguard.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
Sailors assigned to the Naval Support Activity Souda Bay port operations team receive a mooring line from Sailors aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116) as the ship docks at the NATO Marathi Pier Complex during a scheduled visit to receive fuel and logistical support on Oct. 2. NSA Souda Bay is an operational ashore installation which enables and supports U.S., Allied, coalition and partner nation forces to preserve security and stability in the European, African and Central Command areas of responsibility.

The USS Thomas Hudner, a guided-missile destroyer stationed at Naval Station Mayport, shot down multiple one-way attack drones launched from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen Thursday morning, according to an X (formerly Twitter) post by the United States Central Command.

In the post, CENTCOM says the warship shot the drones down while it was on patrol in the Red Sea, adding that there was no damage to the ship or injuries sustained by the crew on board.

On Nov. 19 officials said Yemen's Houthi rebels seized an Israeli-linked cargo ship in a crucial Red Sea shipping route and took its 25 crew members hostage, raising fears that regional tensions heightened over the Israel-Hamas war were playing out on a new maritime front. The Iran-backed Houthi rebels said they hijacked the ship over its connection to Israel and would continue to target ships in international waters that were linked to or owned by Israelis until the end of Israel's campaign against Gaza's Hamas rulers.

Crew members of The USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116) line the deck of the destroyer class ship as it returned to its homeport of Naval Station Mayport in July 2021 after it's maiden voyage deployed for six months in support of operations in the 5th and 6th Fleet areas of responsibility.

All ships belonging to the Israeli enemy or that deal with it will become legitimate targets, the Houthis said.

Twice in the last month, U.S. warships have intercepted missiles or drones from Yemen that were believed to be headed toward Israel or posing a threat to American vessels.

On Nov. 15 the Hudner shot down another drone. The warship was sailing toward the Bab-el-Mandeb strait when the crew saw a drone, reported to have originated in Yemen. The ship shot it down over the water. The officials said the crew took action to ensure the safety of U.S. personnel, and there were no casualties or damage to the ship.

The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) defeats a combination of Houthi missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles in the Red Sea on Oct. 19. The Naval Station Mayport-based Carney is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations to help ensure maritime security and stability in the Middle East region.

And on Oct. 19 the USS Carney, another Mayport-based Navy destroyer, intercepted three land attack cruise missiles and several drones that were launched by Houthi forces toward the northern Red Sea.

This story first appeared on news partner First Coast News.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Naval Station Mayport ship USS Thomas Hudner destroys Yemen drones
OpenAIs ChatGPT artificial intelligence (AI) tool skyrocketed in success in the year since it was released to the public. Its explosive success kicked off a race among tech companies to stay on the cutting edge and left lawmakers and regulators scrambling to regulate the quickly evolving industry.

ChatGPT launched to the public at the end of last November and reached 15.5 million visits in its first week, according to data compiled by Similarweb. Visits to ChatGPT more than tripled to 58 million visits in its second week of public access, according to the data.

In the months since, ChatGPT has been incorporated into Microsoft products, Google and other tech companies launched rival products, and the chatbots popularity garnered attention  and scrutiny  from Congress.

Best Black Friday Deals

As ChatGPT nears its first anniversary, though, OpenAI had a hectic week. The companys board ousted CEO Sam Altman and then rehired him days later after pressure from hundreds of employees.

ChatGPT hit peak of 1.8 billion visits

ChatGPT saw a steep incline in visits from its launch until a peak in May, when it drew 1.8 billion visits, according to Similarweb data.

In June, traffic to ChatGPT fell for the first time since its launch, down to 1.6 billion from its May peak. David Carr, senior insights manager for Similarweb, said in the companys report the dip may be attributable to school breaks because students may have not been using the tool for assignments. Concerns around how students were using ChatGPT, possibly to cheat on assignments, emerged as an early worry about how AI would impact different sectors and jobs.

Visits to ChatGPT dipped down to 1.4 billion in August, but by October, traffic was back up to 1.7 billion visits, based on Similarwebs data.

The traffic drawn by ChatGPT pushed OpenAIs website to be among the most visited websites worldwide. In April, the OpenAI website had more visits than the domains of LinkedIn, Reddit, and Netflix, but those websites edged out OpenAI again over the summer, according to Similarweb.

Sarah Kreps, director of the Tech Policy Institute in the Cornell Brooks School of Public Policy said the introduction of the first consumer facing, user friendly generative AI app was a significant shift in generative AI.

This was something that normal people could use, but also then this percolated so quickly into businesses and now has transformed how so many different industries do business, Kreps said.

Rival products launched

As ChatGPT garnered mass attention and widespread use in February, Google unveiled Bard, its rival chatbot. Googles Bard is powered by Googles Language Model for Dialogue Applications, or LaMDA.

Just one day after Google announced Bard and plans to incorporate it into search functions, Microsoft announced its plans to incorporate ChatGPT into its Bing search engine. Microsoft invested billions of dollars into OpenAI.

The dual announcements kicked off a race between the two companies, and others to follow, to stay ahead of the curve on AI.

In March, Open AI launched a more advanced version of its AI tool, GPT-4, which Microsoft used to power AI in Bing search. Among other advances, the updated version of the AI was able to accept visual inputs, meaning users can ask questions based on queries that use images.

ChatGPT has maintained a significant traffic lead over Bard. In the past three months, Googles Bard had 266.1 million visits, compared to ChatGPTs 1.7 billion, according to Similarweb data.

Other tech companies also jumped into the AI race amid ChatGPTs growth.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, announced in July its open-sourced large language model, Llama 2, would be released for commercial use and research.

Elon Musks xAI company announced a ChatGPT rival with a rebellious streak earlier this month.

Congressional scrutiny of AI

As ChatGPT became more popular and its rivals hit the scene, the federal government began to consider guardrails to mitigate potential risks, such as the spread of disinformation and job losses. In May testimony to a Senate Judiciary subcommittee, Altman warned that his worst fears are that the technology industry cause significant harm to the world.

I think if this technology goes wrong, it can go quite wrong, and we want to be vocal about that. We want to work with the government to prevent that from happening, he added.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has also convened a series of AI insight forums that bring together leaders from civil society groups and tech companies to discuss the benefits and risks of AI. Altman, along with the CEOs of Google, Microsoft, Meta and other tech companies, were among attendees at the first closed-door forum in September.

As Congress weighs regulation, the White House released a sweeping executive order on AI in October. The order includes new safety standards, and requires companies developing models that pose serious risks, whether to national security, economic security or public health, to notify the government about training the models.

It also directs federal agencies to accelerate the development of techniques so AI can be trained while preserving the privacy of the training data.

Turmoil at OpenAI

OpenAI made a surprise announcement Friday afternoon that Altman was ousted as CEO after a review found he was not consistently candid in his communications with the board.

OpenAI president and board chair Greg Brockman quit in response to the news, and hundreds of employees later reportedly threatened to leave if Altman was not brought back.

OpenAI named two interim CEOs OpenAI chief technology officer Mira Murati at first, and then former Twitch CEO Emmett Shear  before ultimately announcing Tuesday that Altman would come back along with a mostly new board.

In the days between Altmans firing and the deal to bring him back, Microsoft hired Altman and Brockman to lead a generative AI team at the tech giant.

Despite the turbulent few days, the AI company and Microsoft will continue their partnership amid the changes.

We are encouraged by the changes to the OpenAI board. We believe this is a first essential step on a path to more stable, well-informed, and effective governance, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said Tuesday in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Sam, Greg, and I have talked and agreed they have a key role to play along with the OAI leadership team in ensuring OAI continues to thrive and build on its mission. We look forward to building on our strong partnership and delivering the value of this next generation of AI to our customers and partners, he added.

Altman also said in a post on X that he is looking forward to returning to OpenAI and building on our strong partnership with [Microsoft].

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
CHICAGO - A man suffered a graze wound in Fuller Park Wednesday afternoon.

At about 4:18 p.m., a 30-year-old man was near the sidewalk in the 300 block of West 51st Place when he was approached by an unknown offender who produced a handgun and fired shots, police said.

The victim suffered a graze wound to the arm and refused EMS.

No offenders are in custody. Area detectives are investigating.
A dead dog which was stuffed in a suitcase was discovered by a group of children in Airdrie.

The Scottish SPCA and Police Scotland were called to Alexander street on Sunday after a male Staffordshire bull terrier cross was found in a purple-wheeled holdall.

The dog was partially wrapped in a child's pink fleece top.

Scottish SPCA inspectors want anyone with information about who owns the suitcase to contact them.

SSPCA Inspector Robyn Myszor, said: "The dog was a white and tan male entire Staffordshire bull terrier cross. He was roughly around three years old and was wearing a black leather collar with a silver and gold dog on it.

"He was found by a group of children in a wooded area and the police were contacted.

"We are appealing for anyone who has seen someone with this particular holdall within the area around that time."
(Bloomberg) -- Chinas Shenzhen rolled out two new homebuying measures in the same day as authorities seek to arrest a slump in the property market.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The technology hub in southern China connecting Hong Kong will lower the down-payment ratio for second homes to 40% from as much as 80% effective Thursday, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported, citing a notice from the local branch of Chinas central bank.

The local authorities also relaxed the definition of so-called ordinary housing, or non-luxury homes that qualify for lower down payments, according to a statement from the citys Housing and Construction Bureau. The requirement that transaction values must be lower than 7.5 million yuan ($1.05 million) has been removed, according to Xinhua.

Shenzhens new rules may encourage home upgrades and boost demand for larger homes, said Yan Yuejin, research director at E-house China Research and Development Institute. The announcement suggests that tier-one cities mortgage policy has been further eased, Yan said.

With these changes, the buyer of an 8 million yuan home in Shenzhen can reduce their down payment by about 3.2 million yuan, according to an analysis by Leyoujia, a local realtor. The measure will likely drive activities in the subdued housing market and boost buyers confidence, it added.

The loosening is the latest effort by authorities to stabilize the nations real estate market, which along with related industries accounts for about 20% of the economy. Chinas home prices fell the most in eight years in October, signaling the property slump is worsening even after the government ramped up efforts to revive demand.

Since 2016, China has sought to suppress real estate demand in its biggest cities by treating buyers with previous mortgages as second-time purchasers, substantially raising down-payment requirements for those who have bought homes before. In September, Guangzhou became the first top-tier city to ease the restrictions, cutting the rate to at least 40%.

With Shenzhen now following suit, focus will be on Beijing and Shanghai, two other tier-one cities with greater political and financial significance.

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China is preparing to send fresh supplies and more propellant to its space station.

The robotic Tianzhou 7 cargo spacecraft arrived recently at China's coastal Wenchang Satellite Launch Center, according to Chinese state media. The spacecraft will undergo final assembly and testing ahead of a launch on a Long March 7 rocket in early 2024.

Tianzhou 7 will deliver supplies for the Shenzhou 17 astronauts currently working aboard the Tiangong space station , as well as extravehicular activity suits, spare parts for maintenance and repair and propellant to refuel Tiangong.

Related: Watch Chinese astronauts light a match on Tiangong station (video)

The space freighter will also transport various payloads and samples for experiments to the station. In addition, the cargo craft will be used to dispose of waste created on Tiangong when the spacecraft re-enters Earth's atmosphere at the end of its mission.

Tianzhou 7 is just one of a pair of cargo missions China plans to launch in 2024; Tianzhou 8 will launch around eight months after Tianzhou 7. Each freighter will dock at Tiangong's rear port.

Like Tianzhou 6, which launched in May this year, the Tianzhou 7 and Tianzhou 8 spacecraft are improved versions of the earlier Tianzhou vehicles. The upgraded craft carry up 31,000 pounds (14,000 kilograms) to low Earth orbit , whereas Tianzhou 5 and earlier had a capacity of 29,800 pounds (13,500 kg).

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China will launch the Shenzhou 18 and Shenzhou 19 crewed missions to Tiangong in 2024, along with the two planned cargo runs. Logos for all four missions were recently selected by China's human spaceflight agency after a public contest.

China completed the three-module Tiangong space station in 2022. It aims to keep the outpost permanently crewed for at least a decade and is planning to expand Tiangong with new modules as well.
A white spacecraft is seen through the window of a space station, with earth in the background.

China's Shenzhou 17 astronauts are getting into the rhythms of life in orbit  and also sending back some choice clips of their activities.

Shenzhou 17 arrived at the Tiangong space station on Oct. 26, where they were greeted by the outgoing Shenzhou 16 mission crew.

Mission commander Tang Hongbo, a veteran of 2021's Shenzhou 12 mission, and rookie astronauts Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin have now been in orbit for three weeks and working well.

Related: Watch Chinese astronauts light a match on Tiangong station (video)

a white spacecraft is seen through the window of a space station, with earth in the background.

Their daily work includes moving equipment outside the space station for experiments, managing equipment and facilities and maintaining science facilities for long-term research, according to a report from Chinese broadcaster CCTV.

The Shenzhou 17 astronauts have also conducted "medical care skill training" to boost their physical fitness and meet the demands of living in orbit.

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China's human spaceflight agency recently released footage of the crewmembers as they ate and exercised. The astronauts also captured their own footage, including a view of their Shenzhou 17 spacecraft docked with Tiangong.

The trio are expected to spend another five months in orbit. They will welcome the arrival of a new cargo spacecraft, Tianzhou 7, in early 2024. They are also reported to soon conduct their first extravehicular activity, or spacewalk .
The photographs released by Chinese police showed their officers holding a man and a woman in handcuffs in front of a border gate.

They had just been handed over from Myanmar, the latest in scores of arrests of those accused of running scam centres in a town on the north-eastern border with China.

The two were Ming Guoping and Ming Zhenzhen, son and granddaughter of one of the powerful warlords who have run the town of Laukkaing for the past 14 years.

A sudden escalation of the conflict in Myanmar has spelled the end of the Chinese mafia - the Godfather-esque "four families" - in this notoriously lawless border town.

At around the same time as the Chinese police released the photos of the handcuffed pair last Thursday, the official Myanmar military news published a photo of an apparent autopsy being conducted in the back of a van on the body of a 69 year-old man.

It was the warlord himself - Ming Xuechang - who, the military said, had taken his own life after being captured, an explanation greeted with scepticism by many.

It was an ignominious end to an extraordinary story that began in the days of war and revolution, but turned into one of drugs, gambling, greed and Machiavellian rivalry.

The four families

Ming Xuechang was a henchman of Bai Suocheng, who heads one of the families.

Under them the remote, impoverished backwater of Laukkaing was transformed into a rowdy casino hub of gaudy high-rise towers and seedy red-light districts.

Although powerful, the Mings were not a part of this coveted list of four - the other three families were headed by Wei Chaoren, Liu Guoxi and Liu Zhengxiang.

Initially developed to take advantage of Chinese demand for gambling, which is illegal in China and many other neighbouring countries, Laukkaing's casinos evolved into a lucrative front for money laundering, trafficking and in particular for dozens of scam centres.

More than 100,000 foreign nationals, many of them Chinese, were estimated to have been lured to these scam centres, where they were effectively imprisoned and forced to work long hours running sophisticated online fraud operations targeting victims all over the world.

Ming Xuechang ran one of the most notorious of these scam centres, called Crouching Tiger Villa. He also reportedly ran the local police force, which, while it donned the regular uniform of the Myanmar national police, acted as little more than a private militia, one of several which enforced the rule of the four families in Laukkaing.

Ming Zhenzhen with Ni Lin Aung, a senior Myanmar military officer and chief of the country's police force

In September, as China ramped up pressure on all the groups running scam centres to shut them down and hand over those who worked there, the Ming family resisted. By some estimates the casinos of each family were processing several billion dollars every year. It was a huge business to give up.

The families also had close ties to the Myanmar military, and the Mings may have believed they were protected, even from the demands of China, which has long had a powerful influence in this border region.

The Beijing factor

In the early hours of the morning of 20 October, a group of scam workers was being transferred from Crouching Tiger Villa, probably in anticipation of a move against the scam centre by the Chinese police.

A number of workers, reported to be between 50 and 100, tried to escape, and the scam centre guards opened fire, killing several. Some accounts say there were undercover Chinese police officers among the dead.

That prompted a strongly-worded letter from the local government office in the neighbouring Chinese province - and the announcement of arrest warrants by the Chinese police for four of the Ming family.

It was China's visible frustration over the unwillingness or inability of Myanmar's ruling junta to rein in its allies in Laukkaing which encouraged three insurgent armies, calling themselves the Brotherhood Alliance, to launch their attacks against the military in late October.

China has in the past always urged restraint in order to keep the peace on its border, but its need to weed out the well-funded and well-armed families in Laukkaing appears to have changed its priorities.

Laukkaing, once a poor border town, emerged as a rowdy hub for gambling, drugs and scam centres

The insurgents say their goal is to eliminate the scam centres, and to support the wider opposition campaign to overthrow the military regime which seized power in 2021.

But in Laukkaing the conflict is more like payback, in a vendetta which goes back to the days of the Cold War.

The Godfather(s) of Laukkaing

The four families owed their control of Laukkaing to none other than Min Aung Hlaing, the military commander who led the 2021 coup and still heads the junta.

Back in 2009, Min Aung Hlaing led a military operation to oust the then-dominant warlord in Laukkaing, a veteran fighter called Peng Jiasheng.

He wanted to install allies more compliant to the needs of the then-military government, which at the time was putting pressure on all of Myanmar's ethnic insurgent groups to transform themselves into pro-government so-called border guard forces.

Most refused, including Peng, even though the military had promised in return that they would be allowed to continue making money from illegal businesses like narcotics.

Peng was part of a generation of warlords in Shan State who emerged in the chaos of the post-independence years in Myanmar, when the central government's authority did not extend to most border regions.

Peng Jiasheng was once the most powerful warlord in Shan State

Desperately poor, remote and infertile, Shan State's only real economy was the cultivation of opium. It became the world's largest producer, and funded the various insurgent groups.

Peng began as a commander in the China-backed Burmese Communist Party, but he mutinied in 1989 as Chinese support stopped, breaking the Burmese Communist Party up into several armed insurgent groups.

This was a time when the Myanmar military government was feeling vulnerable. It had just crushed a popular uprising in 1988 with great brutality - the uprising in which Aung San Suu Kyi first emerged as an opposition leader.

Worried about a possible alliance between the established ethnic insurgent groups and the opposition movement, the generals moved quickly to make peace with the insurgents, giving them a free hand to run their fiefdoms as they pleased.

Peng began developing Laukkaing as a gambling hub after being put under pressure to cut back on the narcotics business that was funding his operation.

But when in 2009 he rejected the military's request to turn his forces into a border guard force, Min Aung Hlaing persuaded Bai Suocheng, Peng's deputy-commander at the time, to rebel against him.

Peng was driven out into China. The casinos were left pockmarked by bullet-holes, although dedicated gamblers kept betting throughout the fighting. Bai and the other three families took over the casino economy.

Bai Suocheng was Peng Jiasheng's one-time deputy commander

With their close ties to the military they developed extensive business networks in Myanmar, with stakes in mining, energy, infrastructure and casinos in other countries like Cambodia. They established links with organised crime networks in Macao and south-eastern China.

Laukkaing took on the character of a Wild West boom town, where anything goes and anything can be bought and sold. There were occasional gun battles between rival scam centres, and powerful people kept lions and tigers as pets.

But much of Peng's insurgent army, the MNDAA, remained loyal to him. In 2015 he tried, and failed, to retake Laukkaing from the four families.

The MNDAA then formed an alliance with other Shan armed groups. When Peng died last year at the age of 91, he was given a lavish funeral worthy of a mafia don, attended by most of the insurgent and warlord leaders in the region.

Even Min Aung Hlaing sent a senior military commander to pay his respects to his old adversary. Peng's children took over command of the MNDAA, waiting for the opportunity to oust Bai, in their eyes the usurper.

A scene from Peng's funeral in 2022

With MNDAA troops now in control of the main border crossing and all roads to Laukkaing, they are poised to retake the casino capital, the engine-room of the "scamdemic", as it has been dubbed by the UN.

What they do with it is anybody's guess, but having promised China to end the scams, they will need to find another way to fund their insurgency.

Their expressed goal of helping overthrow the military junta has been welcomed by the broader opposition movement.

Over the past month, millions in Myanmar have been enthralled by the triumphant scenes of ethnic insurgents parading captured soldiers and equipment, while the drama of the mafia's end has been playing out in Laukkaing.

After enduring nearly three years of a violent military dictatorship, the junta looks vulnerable and people can dare to dream that it might fall.

But, given the history of serpentine shifts of loyalty in this lawless region, the MNDAA's stated aims must be viewed with caution.

At the time of writing Bai Suocheng's whereabouts are unknown. It's also unclear where two of the other warlords - Wei Chaoren and Liu Zhengxiang - are currently. The fourth, Liu Guoxi, died in 2020.

But many members of their families are now in Chinese custody; some have made remorseful confessions. Thousands of those working in the scam centres have already been handed over to the Chinese police. Governments in the region are trying to get hundreds more, still trapped in Laukkaing, out to safety.

The scamdemic in north-eastern Myanmar may now be over, although perhaps only to relocate to another lawless corner of the globe.

All photos copyright.
In early 2022, a piece of Chinese space junk hit the Moon and left a mysterious double pockmark on its surface  and, as it turns out, there's more to this story than meets the eye.

In a new paper published in the Planetary Science Journal, researchers from the University of Arizona explained that per their findings, there's little doubt that the object that hit the moon in March 2022 was debris from a Chinese Long March 3C rocket booster, and that the strange double crater it left suggests that it carried an undisclosed payload along with it.

This specific lunar collision, to be fair, has been mired in speculation since before it even happened.

As Space.com recounts in its own write-up of the research, the debacle began in 2015 when scientists noticed that some manner of space junk was on a collision course with the Moon. Astronomers initially believed it was a SpaceX Falcon 9 booster, but eventually, scientists figured out that it was the launcher for China's Chang'e lunar rover mission, which had been launched a year prior.

Though China denied that the craft was part of a Chinese mission, the US Space Command pushed back on that assertion, saying that the probe's spent upper stage never re-entered our atmosphere, which would mean it was out there floating somewhere near-ish to our planet (or, as it turns out, our Moon).

Not only did the latest study find with a high degree of confidence that the debris that hit the Moon in March 2022 was almost certainly from the Long March 3C rocket, but the researchers also concluded that the strange double crater it left behind indicates that it was carrying something else.

However, what that second object could be is still a matter of guesswork, it seems.

Specifically, the researchers' observations of the Chinese rocket suggested that there was something heavy attached to it that made it tumble in space before its crash landing  which isn't how these kinds of objects would normally act in these situations.

"Something that's been in space as long as this is subjected to forces from the Earth's and the Moon's gravity and the light from the Sun," UA aerospace doctoral student Tanner Campbell said in a school press release about the research. "So you would expect it to wobble a little bit, particularly when you consider that the rocket body is a big empty shell with a heavy engine on one side. But this was just tumbling end-over-end, in a very stable way."

Whatever was attached to the obliterated rocket, it seems to have been big enough to counterbalance its two 1,200-pound engines and make it tumble like a kid in gymnastics class. But after looking at the booster's known payloads, the AU team determined an object of a suitable mass was mysteriously missing from the list.

"Obviously, we have no idea what it might have been  perhaps some extra support structure, or additional instrumentation, or something else," Campbell said. "We probably won't ever know."

More on China: China's Doubling the Size of Its Space Station
Panhandle Community Services held its annual Festival of Trees fundraiser Friday night at the Amarillo Country Club. The event has organizations in the community decorate Christmas trees with their unique flair to raise money for various community-based programs and services to assist low-income families and individuals in the Texas Panhandle's top 26 counties.

Attendees look on Friday night at the Panhandle Community Services annual Festival of Trees held at the Amarillo Country Club in Amarillo.

Cheryl Malcolm, the committee chair for the event, spoke about the event and the good that Panhandle Community Services does for the community. Seventeen trees were auctioned off at the event.

A Historic Route 66 designed tree auctioned off Friday night at the Panhandle Community Services annual Festival of Trees held at the Amarillo Country Club in Amarillo.

The Big Christmas Tree was one of 17 auctioned off Friday night at the Panhandle Community Services annual Festival of Trees held at the Amarillo Country Club in Amarillo.

Panhandle Community Services is a phenomenal organization in the city which reaches out to individuals and families that need a hand up or a bridge to say to success, Malcolm said. They do so many things in the community, ranging from helping people find affordable living to getting people where they need to be with transportation for those that need it and work their way out of poverty."

A tree decorated by Valero was among 17 trees auctioned off Friday night at the Panhandle Community Services annual Festival of Trees held at the Amarillo Country Club in Amarillo.

A tree decorated by board members of the 55+ Club of Amarillo was auctioned off Friday night during the Panhandle Community Services annual Festival of Trees held at the Amarillo Country Club in Amarillo.

Malcolm said that the event is particularly important to help Panhandle Community Services continue to provide services for its vital mission to help those that need it most. The total of 17 trees this year were designed for auction by organizations like Nothing Bundt Cakes, Historic Route 66, Street Toyota and others.

When people dedicate themselves to decorating these trees, they work on them for days, Malcolm said. We are so excited and pleased that people have the passion for this event to go above and beyond for a good cause.

A group of trees with custom designs is up for auction Friday night at the Panhandle Community Services annual Festival of Trees held at the Amarillo Country Club in Amarillo.

One of 17 custom decorated trees auctioned off Friday night at the Panhandle Community Services annual Festival of Trees held at the Amarillo Country Club in Amarillo.

A unique corset stand Christmas Tree was one of 17 auctioned off Friday night at the Panhandle Community Services annual Festival of Trees held at the Amarillo Country Club in Amarillo.

A tree labeled purdy as a peacock is one of 17 auctioned off Friday night at the Panhandle Community Services annual Festival of Trees held at the Amarillo Country Club in Amarillo.

A tree with a hip design Friday night at the Panhandle Community Services annual Festival of Trees held at the Amarillo Country Club in Amarillo.

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Festival of Trees raises funds for Panhandle Community Services
A man has been found guilty of murdering a 54-year-old delivery driver after hitting him with his own van.

Mark Lang died in April, 18 days after being dragged half a mile along North Road, one of Cardiff's busiest roads.

Christopher El Gifari, 31, of Aberdare, Rhondda Cynon Taf, denied murder but admitted taking the van and causing Mr Lang's death.

He was found guilty of murder and robbery after a trial at Cardiff Crown Court.

El Gifari will be remanded in custody and is due to be sentenced next Friday, 1 December.

Following the verdict Mr Lang's family thanked everyone for their help and support.

"The last few months have been traumatic for us as a family after Mark's brutal, and ultimately pointless killing," they said in a statement.

"We now have to struggle to face life without him and his partner faces life alone.

"His daughters won't have their dad to walk them down the aisle and his grandchildren will never know their grandad.

"We will have to live through the memories we know he would have treasured if he were there with us."

The court had heart how Mark Lang was delivering a parcel on Laytonia Avenue on 28 March, when El Gifari, who had just been turned away from a nearby corner shop because he could not afford cigarettes, saw the van and jumped in.

He drove off at speed down Laytonia Avenue, but found the road was a dead end and had to turn around.

Mark Lang was previously described as "a good man with a lot of love to give" by his partner

Mr Lang had chased him and was standing in the middle of the road, wearing a hi-vis jacket and holding his hand out to make him stop.

El Gifari, who was driving at around 18mph (28km/h), touched his brake for a fraction of a second before ploughing into him.

He told police he was trying to frighten Mr Lang and thought he would move out of the way.

Mr Lang was knocked over and fell underneath the van's wheels where he remained as it turned onto North Road.

El Gifari continued to drive towards Cardiff city centre, setting off a speed camera near St Mark's Church which recorded the speed as 47mph (75km per hour).

Mr Lang was dragged along the road underneath the vehicle and sustained multiple injuries to his head and body.

The van came to a stop at the junction with New Zealand Road, outside Cathays High School, by which point Mr Lang had been trapped for a distance of 740 metres.

Christopher El Gifari pleaded guilty to manslaughter at Cardiff Crown Court

El Gifari got out and began walking up New Zealand Road, and when a passer-by asked him "what do you think you are doing?", he began to run away from the scene.

Seren Williams, who works at Cathays High School, gave evidence at the trial and described feeling "helpless" seeing Mr Lang trapped under his own stolen van.

"We wanted to move the van, but couldn't as we didn't want to cause more injury," Ms Williams said.

She added that a colleague held Mr Lang's hand "to let him know someone was there".

El Gifari was arrested at his parents' house and officers' bodycam footage showed that when he was cautioned by police, he said: "I don't know what I've done, I've done nothing."

He told officers that he did not mean to hit Mr Lang and he thought he would move out of the way.

In his closing speech, defence barrister Mark Graffius told the court the killing was "unplanned" and that there was no evidence that El Gifari meant to kill or seriously hurt Mr Lang.

Senior Investigating Officer, Det Insp Rebecca Merchant of South Wales Police, thanked all those who had worked on the case.

"I am also grateful to the Gabalfa community for their support during the investigation, in particular by providing CCTV which has been crucial," she added.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams has denied bombshell sexual assault allegations made in a legal filing by a woman who claims to be a former colleague.

"The mayor does not know who this person is. If they ever met, he doesnt recall it. But he would never do anything to physically harm another person and vigorously denies any such claim," a City Hall spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement.

Adams is named as a defendant in a summons filed Wednesday night in the state Supreme Court in Manhattan, The Messenger reported Thursday morning. The woman who filed the documents is seeking a trial and at least $5 million in damages, the report said.

"Plaintiff was sexually assaulted by Defendant Eric Adams in New York, New York in 1993 while they both worked for the City of New York," the summons says, according to the report.

ADAMS SAYS DC HAS ABANDONED US AS NYC SLASHES BUDGETS OVER MIGRANT CRISIS

Eric Adams speaks during a press conference on the 2023 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade at Inflation Eve at American Museum of Natural History in New York City on Wednesday.

The lawsuit also names the transit bureau of the New York Police Department and the Guardian Association of the NYPD as co-defendants.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

The three-page summons reported by The Messenger did not reveal specific details of the alleged assault.

New York civil court permits a plaintiff to file a summons with legal notice to trigger a lawsuit which will be followed by a full complaint with details of the allegations.

NYC MAYOR ERIC ADAMS SAYS PARENTS MAY NEED TO HELP IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS AMID MIGRANT CRISIS: ALL HANDS ON DECK

Adams is accused of sexual misconduct in a new lawsuit filed Wednesday. City Hall has denied the allegations.

The plaintiff's attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The court filing was made under the Adult Survivors Act, a 2022 law signed by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul which allows victims of sexual offenses for which the statute of limitations has passed to file civil lawsuits against their alleged abusers for a one-year period. The summons naming Adams was filed just a day before the Nov. 24 deadline.

The controversial New York law opened a floodgate of lawsuits against famous men accused of sexual misconduct, including former President Donald Trump, rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs and actor and comedian Russell Brand.

More than 2,500 lawsuits have been filed during the one-year period, some of which have targeted employers, or institutions such as hospitals, accused of failing to do enough to stop abuse by doctors or other workers. The large majority, though, have been filed against the state, New York City and local counties and involve allegations of abuse at state prisons and local jail systems.

NYC FBI PROBE: ADAMS ADMITS CONTACTING FDNY COMISSIONER ON TURKISH CONSULATE

The act was modeled after a previous New York law offering people abused as children a temporary window to file claims. By the time the Child Victims Act's two-year window closed in August 2021, almost 11,000 people filed lawsuits, many involving the Roman Catholic Church.

Adams, a 22-year veteran of the NYPD who achieved the rank of captain, was elected mayor of New York in 2021.

He is currently the subject of an FBI probe for allegedly pressuring FDNY officials to open a Manhattan high rise that now serves as the Turkish consulate before Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited New York City to attend the United Nations General Assembly, despite safety concerns about the structure.

Federal authorities have not publicly disclosed the nature of the FBI's probe into New York City politics, and City Hall Chief Counsel Lisa Zornberg told reporters on Tuesday that "my expectation is that any improper leaks by federal law enforcement officers will be fully investigated by federal law enforcement."

The FBI seized cellphones and electronics from Adams last week. Last month, FBI agents searched the Brooklyn home of Adams top campaign fundraiser, Brianna Suggs, prompting the mayor to cancel a planned trip to meet with White House officials in Washington and instead return to New York.

Adams has denied any wrongdoing.

Fox News' Danielle Wallace and The Associated Press contributed to this report.





Original article source: City Hall denies reported sexual assault allegations against NYC Mayor Eric Adams
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR)  The City Rescue Mission held the annual Thanksgiving Meal Service on Thursday for all residents of its mission.

Mission leaders say the event provides a traditional Thanksgiving feast to all residents of the City Rescue Mission, offering a time of celebration and community in the true spirit of the holiday season.

What fast food restaurants will be open for Thanksgiving 2023?

Over 275 volunteers are scheduled to assist staff in serving meals and hosting tables.

City Rescue Missions goal is to lead the community by serving people experiencing and at-risk of homelessness with help, hope, and healing, in the spirit of excellence, under the call of Christ.

For more information click here.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KFOR.com Oklahoma City.
The massive volcanic "devil comet," that is racing toward the sun may have lost the distinctive horns that earned it its sinister nickname. Last week, after the comet's latest and most violent outburst yet, its trademark head spikes did not appear as they did after previous eruptions. But astronomers have spotted several new characteristics of the comet, including a rare green hue and a mysterious "shadow."

Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks (12P), is a massive 10.5-mile-wide (17 kilometer) comet that is on course to make its closest approach to Earth for more than 70 years next summer. Comet 12P is a cryovolcanic, or cold volcano, comet that consists of an icy shell, or nucleus, filled with ice and gas. When the comet soaks up enough of the sun's radiation, its frosty innards, or cryomagma, get superheated. Pressure builds up within the nucleus until the shell cracks and the comet's icy guts spray into space. After an eruption, the comet's coma  a fuzzy, reflective cloud of cryomagma and dust  expands and makes the comet appear much brighter to astronomers as it reflects the sun's rays.

So far, 12P has had three major eruptions: On July 20, when it was spotted exploding for the first time in 69 years; on Oct. 5, when it erupted even more vigorously; and on Halloween (Oct. 31), which was a less intense outburst. Each time the comet blew its top, its coma expanded into an irregular shape with a "dark lane" that made it appear to have grown a pair of horns.

On Nov. 14, 12P experienced another major eruption  the most extreme outburst so far. Astronomers watched as the comet temporarily became more than 100 times brighter than normal in the following days as its coma expanded, Spaceweather.com reported. But this time, its distinctive horns were nowhere to be seen.

"The coma seems perfectly circular this time," Nick James, director of the British Astronomical Associations's (BAA) comet section, told Spaceweather.com.

Related: Comets that 'bounce' from planet to planet could spread life across the universe

The comet's horns are the result of an irregularity in the shape of 12P's nucleus, BAA astronomer Richard Miles previously told Live Science. The outflowing gas is likely being partially obstructed by a notch sticking out on the nucleus, he said.

a white dot with a large white cloud around it, which appears to have two large 'spikes' jutting out of it

It is currently unclear why the horns have disappeared. But the frequent eruptions may have destroyed the notch that was blocking the outflow of cryomagma. During the third eruption on Halloween, the horns were much less distinct that they were in the first two eruptions, which suggests that notch may have already been damaged after the comet's first two outbursts.

Amateur astronomer and photographer Eliot Herman, who has been taking daily photos of the comet since its first eruption, told Live Science that he was surprised when the coma expanded without sprouting its horns and is unsure if they will make another appearance in the future. "The devil may be gone [for good]," he said.

a green fuzzy dot in space

Herman's images also revealed another surprise  a green hue in the comet's coma. This rare coloration is given off by comets with high levels of dicarbon, a chemical that emits green light when broken down by sunlight, according to Science magazine.

Several green comets have flown by Earth this year, including the "green comet" C/2022 E3 (ZTF), which made its closest approach to Earth for 50,000 years in February, and Comet Nishimura, which flew by our planet for the first time in 430 years in September.

In follow-up images of the comet, Herman also noticed another strange dark patch in the comet's colorful coma, which looks like a curved gap. But unlike the misshaped dark lane that previously gave the coma its horns, experts believe that this unusual shape is a shadow cast by the outflowing cryomagma, according to Spaceweather.com.

a white dot in space with a fuzzy white cloud around it

RELATED STORIES:

 'Devil Comet' 12P/Pons-Brooks is approaching Earth. Why is it flaring up, 'horns' and all?

 Volcanic 'Devil Comet' erupts with its biggest blast yet as it races toward Earth

 Comet Nishimura photobombs NASA spacecraft after its close encounter with the sun (photos)

12P is currently speeding toward the sun at around 40,000 mph (64,300 km/h) as it nears the end of its 71-year orbit around the sun.

On April 24, 2024, the comet will reach its closest point to the sun, or perihelion, before being slingshotted around our home star and into the outer solar system where it spends a majority of its orbit. It likely won't return to the inner solar system until 2094.

12P will make its closest approach to Earth on June 2 next year, when it will hopefully be visible to the naked eye.
Children look out from balconies in Shatila Palestinian refugee camp, in Beirut

Children look out from balconies in Shatila Palestinian refugee camp, in Beirut

By John Davison

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Rose Rostom, Nahida Mashouz and Ammar Hajeh have had their lives uprooted many times - by Palestinian militants, Syrian warplanes, Islamic State, Western-backed forces or the Israeli army.

Between them, they have fled their homes 20 times, most recently following border clashes between Israeli forces and the Iran-backed Hezbollah group sparked by Israel's war with Hamas militants in Gaza.

Rostom is Lebanese, Mashouz is a refugee from Syria and Hajeh is a Palestinian refugee.

Israeli bombardment forced Rostom from her home in south Lebanon and drove Mashouz from her temporary accommodation nearby. Hajeh has fled his crowded refugee camp four times this year during fighting between militant groups.

Their circumstances differ, but all three worry about the future in a country that has repeatedly been rocked by civil strife and was in dire straits and racked by social tensions even before the latest violence compounded economic problems.

Since the Israel-Hamas war began seven weeks ago in Gaza, the clashes on Lebanon's border with Israel have displaced nearly 50,000 people, according to U.N. figures, and at least 13 civilians have been killed in Lebanon, Lebanese officials say.

"The Gaza war began, Hezbollah started firing at Israel, and then shells began landing around our house. Conflict drove me from home for the third time in my life," Rostom said.

She and her husband, two sons and grandchildren are now staying at her brother-in-law's home in the coastal city of Sidon. During Lebanon's civil war in the 1980s she moved twice, once under Israeli bombardment and once fleeing Palestinian militant attacks.

Mashouz left the Syrian city of Raqqa when it was held by Islamic State, departing shortly before her house there was bombed as U.S.-backed forces began an assault.

Israeli shelling this month next to the building where she and her family lived, in an area near Rostom's home - a cluster of towns at the Lebanon-Israel border - wounded her teenage daughter.

"We thought we'd finally found a stable life in southern Lebanon. Those hopes are shattered. We don't know where to go," she said, speaking from a crowded house in the Bekaa valley where three other newly displaced Syrian families were also sheltering.

A STRUGGLING STATE

Lebanon is a country of perpetually displaced people.

The influx of Palestinians after the creation of Israel in 1948 helped spark the Lebanese civil war decades later, redrawing its sectarian map as people fled fighting. A 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah displaced hundreds of thousands.

The arrival of 1.5 million Syrian refugees during Syria's civil war which started in 2011 put new strain on Lebanon, and spilled into Europe as refugees migrated via dangerous sea routes.

Recent displacements are fewer but likely to increase if conflict continues, and this time the country is less prepared.

A 2019 financial collapse destroyed Lebanon's economy and left its institutions in tatters. Israeli strikes and shells have destroyed farmland and homes, wiping out income, savings and jobs.

"My husband's car parts shop has now closed during fighting," Rostom said, checking news to see if her house was among the latest hit by rockets.

Another Lebanese family, whose home was destroyed by a rocket, said they cannot afford renovations and were in effect homeless.

Mashouz's three sons have lost their jobs at a local bakery by moving. Her wounded daughter's hospital treatment all but wiped out their savings.

"We've got $750 left in the world," Mashouz said.

Jacob Boswall, Leader of the Lebanon Crisis Analysis Team at aid agency Mercy Corps, said Lebanon was straining to absorb this latest shock.

"If you look at the government's contingency plan, it doesn't have money to deal with this from a central point of view ... it's a whole host of different pressures on the state," he said.

'WHAT ABOUT US?'

Tension is rising between locals and refugees.

Information Minister Ziad Makary said this month that Lebanon was suffering from an exodus of Lebanese and was burdened by Syrians. "We're losing the best and getting the worst," he was quoted as saying by local media.

Charbel Alam, a barber in the southern town of Rmeich which is regularly hit by shelling, said he has stayed to stop Syrian refugees who he says are trying to move into abandoned homes.

"We've formed groups to stop that happening," he said, without giving details. "International organisations are helping Syrians but what about us?"

Syrians and Palestinians are again eyeing Europe.

Hajeh, the Palestinian refugee, left Yarmouk refugee camp in Syria in 2013 under the bombs of Syrian warplanes.

In Ain El Hilweh, a Palestinian camp in southern Lebanon where Hajeh now lives, he, his mother and sister depend on $250 a month in aid from the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency, he says.

Work is scarce and he has fled his apartment to stay with relatives outside the camp 15 times since 2013 during clashes among rival Palestinian factions.

He says anti-Palestinian and Syrian racism is intensifying, and worries that when the Gaza war ends, infighting between Palestinian factions will resume in Ain El Hilweh.

"People don't like us, they don't like Syrians, and Palestinian gunmen will turn on each other again at some point," he said.

"Everyone wants to leave. They're ready to take the sea route."

(Editing by Timothy Heritage)
Editors Note: This missing person has been found.

CLEVELAND (WJW)  The Cleveland Division of Police issued an alert Thursday morning about a missing man who they believe is endangered.

Police are looking for Steven Barry, 80. He is about 510 and has blue eyes and gray hair. He also has dementia.

See other missing cases here

According to a report, Barrys nephew who lives out of state called police on Wednesday, saying he hadnt heard from his uncle in more than a day.

Officers checked Barrys address on Timothy Lane. Several neighbors said they also had not seen him.

According to the report, Barry was scheduled to have an extermination company treat the home on Tuesday.

Restaurants open on Thanksgiving Day 2023

During that time, Barry was not allowed to be in the home, but he hasnt been seen since, and police say his phone is turned off.

Barry was last seen in his 2011 white Jeep Grand Cherokee headed south at Broadview and West Sprague Rd. on Tuesday around 1:30 p.m. It has Ohio plates O26ZGL.

Anyone with information is asked to call Cleveland police at (216)623-2755 or 911.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW.
New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) tried to blame the liberal media for an article that CNNs Abby Phillip reminded him was written by a Republican.

Phillip had asked Sununu for his reaction to an essay published in The Atlantic on Wednesday arguing that former President Donald Trump is leaning more and more into authoritarian rhetoric.

It was written by Peter Wehner, who served as an aide in the administrations of three Republican presidents.

When you look at articles like that, that is liberal media doing everything they can to distract from the fact that the left-wing progressives... Sununu began.

Phillip interrupted: This is a conservative, by the way. This is someone who worked for a Republican president.

But Sununu forged ahead without missing a beat, arguing that the article was part of a national effort to distract from the massive amount of antisemitism youre seeing out of the Democrat party.

And too many people in the media and otherwise not pushing back on that narrative, he said. What were seeing in our colleges and our universities is very real. It is hateful. It is unprecedented.

Phillip noted again that the op-ed was written by a Republican, and asked Sununu a second time about Trumps authoritarian language. Sununu, a Trump critic, said hes aware of Trumps history with this kind of rhetoric, but still sees coverage of it as a distraction.

Its not a distraction. He is the frontrunner, Phillip replied, referring to Trumps wide lead in the Republican 2024 presidential race.

Since last months outbreak of war between Israel and the Hamas militant group that controls the Gaza Strip, there has been a surge in antisemitic and Islamophobic hate speech and attacks across the U.S.

Wehners article and Phillips questioning focussed on Trumps recent use of the word vermin to describe his political enemies. The term was used in Nazi Germany propaganda about Jews, as well as by other cruel movements in history that sought to dehumanize and incite violence and hatred against certain groups of people.

Republicans have largely looked the other way on Trumps use of the term. However, Republicans (and some Democrats) in Congress have criticized certain progressives in the Democratic conference, arguing that their critiques of Israel and defenses of Palestinians cross over into antisemitism.

Related...
In autumn 1959, the Soviet leader, Nikita Khrushchev, visited the United States to meet President Eisenhower. Their communique noted that these discussions have been useful in clarifying each others position and hoped for a better understanding.

There was little of substance. Within a year, Gary Powers was shot down. Within another, the Berlin Wall went up. Within two, Khrushchev and Kennedy faced off over Cuba. It took another decade to find their way to detente.

Last weeks summit between presidents Biden and Xi in San Francisco has echoes of that 1959 meeting. Their statement was similar in tone and brevity. Of course, history need not repeat itself. Indeed, if we learn its lessons properly, it should not.

The Chinese balloon shot down over the US last spring was hardly Powers U-2, but so fragile was the relationship that a meeting scheduled between the US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, and his Chinese counterpart, Yang Jiechi, was shelved.

I met Mr Yang frequently when I was the UKs National Security Adviser. I also met my Russian counterpart in the aftermath of the Salisbury attack. Diplomacy isnt just about talking to our friends. It is even more vital to maintain channels of communication in tense times. It shouldnt take a Cuban Missile Crisis for Beijing and Washington to negotiate their own detente, albeit with Chinese characteristics.

Both appear to recognise this. Blinken talks of collaborating where we can, competing with confidence, contesting where we must. That is a good description of the British interest, too. So I hope that our new Foreign Secretary, Lord Cameron, will visit China soon. Who better to explain that it was Chinas malign behaviour that brought the golden era to an end?

Mr Xi also spoke of avoiding conflict and reassured the Americans that even his more assertive China would not seek to supplant them in the global order, while cautioning that nor should they seek to suppress Chinas rise.

Taiwan is the potential flashpoint. So far, China has played this long, confident in Taiwans eventual inevitable re-absorption. Although Mr Xi seems determined that it should happen on his watch, China is not yet in a position to invade and we would see it coming. Amphibious operations are high-risk, Taiwans mountainous topography is forbidding, and, in the satellite era, developing let alone deploying the combined forces necessary for such an assault could not be done in secret.

The more immediate risk is of a confrontation between the US and Chinese navies nearby. The US administration is mandated to provide Taiwan with the wherewithal to defend itself against a Chinese attack and thus to deter it. The US and Chinese fleets already operate in close proximity and American commanders often report aggressive, even reckless, Chinese behaviour.

Were China to impose a blockade on Taiwan, a tactical incident could spark a general confrontation. Another Cuban Missile Crisis? Not nuclear, so not the acute danger the world faced then, but any military stand-off between the two superpowers would be a perilous moment. The resumption of military communications agreed in San Francisco is thus an important damping mechanism.

Were this already Cold War II, as many in Washington assert, China would be supplying weapons to their no limits ally Russia in Ukraine and meddling against the American ally Israel in Gaza. Instead, China has offered Putin political support and bought Russian oil at bargain basement prices, but provided none of the weaponry they desperately need. And China has stayed out of the Gaza crisis, even as the US has deployed aircraft carriers to deter Chinas friend Iran and its proxies.

Restraint has enhanced Chinas competitive position versus the US among the new non-aligned. Nevertheless, it also offers an opportunity to build on the San Francisco meeting and develop the musculature of detente.

The geo-economic picture is almost as complex as the geo-political. Aside from sensitive sectors, notably defence and tech, where Western allies are actively decoupling, China remains a massive market and vital source of supply. It is the biggest export market for US goods and services outside NAFTA and the biggest source of imports altogether.

But business is finding it harder to operate: regulatory uncertainty, market access barriers, intellectual property theft, forced technology transfer, capricious data and cybersecurity regimes, export controls, sanctions and detentions.

Chinas anaemic growth since lifting the zero-Covid lockdown is a reminder that, if a government prioritises control over prosperity, that is exactly what they will get. And as their ageing and declining population drives up labour costs and savings rates, even Chinese companies are off-shoring production to neighbours like Vietnam and Indonesia.

While US investment into China has continued to rise, Chinese investment into the US peaked in 2019 and has fallen by over a quarter since, even while the American share of global investment has accumulated to over half the worlds market capitalisation. Having spent two decades watching anxiously in the rear-view mirror as the Chinese economy powered into view, since the pandemic, the US has pulled further ahead.

A gradual improvement in the US-China relationship within the Blinken framework might permit the US to ease tariffs and China to improve market access. More likely, however, fractious strategic competition will continue, punctuated by periodic crises but without a major breakthrough or breakdown.

That breakdown remains possible, severely disrupting not just bilateral but global trade and investment. Like governments, business must be ready to respond: planning for volatility, aligning their and investor risk appetites, building resilience into operations and supply chains, and developing the leadership capable of handling geopolitical turbulence while also wrestling with climate and demographic change, the tech revolution and shifting economic centres of gravity.

The world is not more dangerous than ever. But it is more complex. Countries and businesses with the skilful and agile leadership able to navigate that complexity will prosper. Those without will fall behind. For voters, boards and investors, that is the crucial question of our time.

Lord Sedwill is chair of Rothschild & Co Geopolitical Advisory, and a former Cabinet Secretary and National Security Adviser

Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month, then enjoy 1 year for just $9 with our US-exclusive offer.
[Source]

British band Coldplay held their first concert in Malaysia after being warned of a "kill switch" that would cut it short if there is any "unwanted incident."

What happened: The two-hour concert, part of the band's The Music of the Spheres World Tour, was held at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, on Wednesday. As many as 75,000 fans reportedly attended.

Coldplay performed 26 songs, including their hits Higher Power, My Universe and Humankind. Frontman Chris Martin did an impromptu, two-minute song about Malaysian rain as the venue took heavy rainfall that night.

About the "kill switch": Malaysian authorities reportedly warned the band before they went on stage, telling them that a kill switch would cut their performance in the event of any "unwanted incident." The warning was served after the country's conservative Muslims opposed their supportive stance on the LGBTQ+ community and to deter the repeat of an incident involving The 1975 in July.

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While communications and digital minister Fahmi Fadzil confirmed that they had discussed the kill switch with organizers beforehand, he said they never anticipated any problems.

Support for Palestine: Earlier this week, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim acknowledged Coldplays support for Palestine.

Because there are lobbyists from the Palestinian movement who support and have given their views to the foreign minister, and my office has stated, why should we stop a group that supports the Palestinian cause from performing? the prime minister said at a parliament meeting about the concert on Tuesday.

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Martin affirmed his stance on giving unconditional love to anyone who needs it  citing places currently embroiled in conflict such as Palestine, Israel, Ukraine and Russia during the bands concert in Tokyo earlier this month.

Trending on NextShark: Haidilao 'noodle master' in London goes viral for mesmerizing noodle dance

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Eight judges who defected to Russian occupation authorities in Crimea were sentenced to 12-15 years in absentia on high treason charges, Ukraine's Crimea and Sevastopol Prosecutor's Office reported on Nov. 23.

Five of them were sentenced to 12 years, two to 13 years, and one to 15 years.

The judges reportedly entered the services of Russian authorities upon the occupation of Crimea in 2014 and held positions in Russia-created "courts" in the occupied peninsula.

The prosecutors noted that through their work, the judges contributed to establishing and strengthening occupation authorities in Crimea.

Russia occupied Crimea in 2014 after the EuroMaidan Revolution ousted the pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych.

Since then, the occupation authorities, including their "legal" structures, have been carrying out repressions against pro-Ukrainian activists and Crimean Tatars, who are regularly indicted with trumped-up charges and sentenced to lengthy prison terms in kangaroo courts.

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Palestinian educator Tarik Betar has known only a life of repression and indignity, he told CNN, with longstanding restrictions, checkpoints and curfews, put in place by the Israeli military in the 1990s, meaning he is unable to walk across his street in the West Bank city of Hebron.

Betar, who works at the local polytechnic college, said those restrictions became a chokehold the day Hamas militants from Gaza attacked Israel, killing at least 1,200 people. The 47-year-old is one of thousands of Palestinians living in nearly a dozen neighborhoods in Israeli-controlled areas of Hebron, who have been effectively imprisoned at home by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) since October 7, according to Israeli human rights group BTselem.

A full curfew was imposed that day on those neighborhoods, which surround Hebrons old city, where Palestinians were not allowed to leave their homes, according to BTselem and other residents. It was partially lifted two weeks later, allowing Palestinians to leave the area between 8 and 9 a.m. and return home between 4 and 5 p.m. on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday, said Betar.

Residents and activists have complained about running out of food, adults missing work, of being fearful and facing threats from settlers for opening their windows or letting their children out onto the street, and being prevented from returning home in time for curfew as they attempt to pass some of the dozens of checkpoints that populate the area.

One of Hebron's old city's many checkpoints is photographed on November 17. - Tara John/CNN

When Betars wife fell ill and was struggling to breathe last week, the curfew prevented the couple from walking out to see a doctor, so an ambulance had to be called. I am not allowed to open my door or my window I called the ambulance, and they arrived after two hours and 57 minutes exactly, he said, explaining that the medics had to gain Israeli permission to enter the area and navigate a series of checkpoints to get to his home.

BTselem describes the blanket movement ban as a collective punishment against Palestinians because were talking about taking civilians, who did nothing wrong, and placing extreme limitations that disrupts every aspect of their daily lives with no reason, Dror Sadot, BTselems spokesperson, told CNN.

The IDF said there had been a significant increase in terrorist attacks in the West Bank since the war began and that its troops had been conducting nightly counterterrorism operations to apprehend suspects, some of them are part of the Hamas terrorist organization.

While it did not address the curfew directly in the statement, the IDF said that as part of the security operations in the area, dynamic checkpoints have been put up over different places. The mission of the IDF is to maintain the security of all residents of the area, and to act to prevent terrorism and activities that endanger the citizens of the State of Israel.

Tarik Betar's home is seen in the old city of Hebron on November 17. - Tara John/CNN

Increased separation

Israel has occupied the West Bank since seizing the territory from Jordanian military occupation in 1967. It later agreed to transfer limited control over parts of the territory to the Palestinian Authority, after agreements signed in the 1990s. But Israel has continued to build settlements there, considered illegal under international law, encroaching into land that Palestinians and the international community view as territory for a future Palestinian state. Israel views the West Bank as disputed territory, and contends its settlement policy is legal.

The West Bank has seen a surge in settler attacks this year, including one that an Israeli military commander called a pogrom. The issue has concerned United States officials, with President Joe Biden saying that the US was prepared to issue visa bans against extremists attacking civilians in the West Bank, in a Washington Post op-ed over the weekend.

Even by the standards of the West Bank, the situation in Hebron is complicated. A predominantly Palestinian city, it has Israeli settlements right in the center. The result is both a physical and legal segregation between the hundreds of Jewish settlers and the thousands of Palestinians who live on the streets around the old city.

As Betars home is meters away from one of the West Banks most contested and holiest places, known to Jews as the Cave of the Patriarchs and to Muslims as the Ibrahimi Mosque, he is restricted from turning right when he exits his front door.

People pray on the exterior wall of the Cave of the Patriarchs on November 17 in Hebron, West Bank. - Tara John/CNN

His neighborhood began to hollow out after a 1994 massacre when a Jewish settler walked into the Ibrahimi Mosque and killed 29 people, say residents, prompting Israel to introduce a policy of separation in the area, according to a 2019 United Nations report.

That policy hardened following the second Palestinian intifada between 2000 and 2005 and increasing Jewish settler-Palestinian violence that saw the deployment of new checkpoints, restrictions on the movement of Palestinians and closure of shops.

Thousands of Palestinians have since been forced to leave the area amid the settler attacks and constant raids and incursions into their homes by Israeli forces, which often include the temporary takeover of parts of the homes, the report added.

The old city is now a warren of restrictions and limits for the Palestinians living there. Some areas around Israeli settlements and the Jewish side of the Cave of Patriarchs, close to Betars home, have been entirely closed off to Palestinians for decades, according to a map by BTselem and conversations with residents.

The Palestinian population in the area has meanwhile shrunk to an estimated 33,000 people, says Sadot, BTselems spokesperson, and she and other activists worry restrictions are being used as a pretext to push Palestinians out altogether.

The post-October 7 restrictions are not happening in a political vacuum, Sadot said. Last year, Israel gained its most right-wing government in history, with some government ministers, like National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, supporting the annexation of the West Bank. Ben Gvir himself lives in Kiryat Arba, a settlement on the outskirts of Hebron.

My worry is that more people will leave, Hisham Sharibati, a human rights activist who lives outside Hebrons old city, told CNN. He explained a curfew was previously installed during the second Palestinian intifada, which saw shop owners leave by the droves. Now we are having curfew again  its a big risk.

An unannounced war

The restrictions on Palestinians movement are in stark contrast to the freedoms afforded an estimated 700 hardline Jewish settlers, living in areas of the old city and still free to move about with the militarys protection. They are also accused of behaving with impunity and violence towards Palestinians and their property.

Palestinian human rights activist Issa Amro, who lives in the area and campaigns against Israeli occupation, told CNN that on October 7 Israeli soldiers and settlers detained him for 10 hours and physically abused him, sharing pictures with CNN of his swollen and cut wrists, injuries which he says were caused by plastic zip-ties.

We sent activists to try find him, and a lawyer called the army to find his whereabouts, his attorney Michael Sfard told CNN on the phone. Since his release, Amro has barricaded himself into his house, in fear of further violence from soldiers and settlers. He said they attempted to evict him the week of October 20. There is an unannounced war in the West Bank, Sfard told CNN.

When asked about Amros allegations, the IDF in a statement to CNN said: Issa Amros application regarding the restriction of his presence in the territory was received and is under consideration. The IDF operates in accordance to international law.

Issa Amro is seen in the garden of his house in Hebron. - Courtesy of Issa Amro

On a hill in Tel-Rumaida, close to Amros home, Yishai Fleisher, the international spokesperson for the Jewish Community of Hebron, approached CNNs team with a rifle slung over his soldier. Fleisher agreed that Amro had been detained, but said he had been held by IDF soldiers.

They were IDF soldiers, he said, adding that Amro should be behind bars, hes a criminal of the worst kind  just happens to be a front, a slick with liberal language.

Amros attorney, Sfard, said in the statement that if there was a shred of evidence that he has been engaging in any criminal activity he would immediately be sent for a long time in prison. The fact that Issa is not in prison means that all the efforts by the settlers and their supporters and by the occupation to frame him have all failed. All they have left is to incite and spread lies about Issa.

The West Bank has thousands of years of Jewish history and many Jewish holy sites; religious-national settlers, like those in Hebron, believe these have always been part of the Land of Israel, as promised to the Jewish people in the Old Testament. Settlers believe Hebron should be under Israeli sovereignty as it is an integral part of Jewish history, Fleisher said.

About 500,000 Jewish settlers now live in the West Bank, according to Peace Now, an Israeli group that advocates for peace and monitors settlements. Many of these settlements are heavily guarded, fenced-off areas that are completely off limits to Palestinians.

Most of the world considers these settlements illegal under international law and Israel has been criticized for allowing their expansion  and, in some cases, supporting them with tax breaks and state-funded security.

A ghost town

The Israeli-controlled area feels like a town with no people. During CNNs visit to the desolate and heavily guarded old city last week , the only signs of life came from the Israeli soldiers at their posts, a few reservists, and a handful of settlers and their children. One Muslim family emerged later in the evening, passing a guard post.

The once-bustling market streets and thoroughfares now stand empty, apartment windows are closed and covered in metal grates, and a dead cat lies decomposing on a road.

Palestinian resident Ahmad, who declined to provide his last name for fear of repercussions, says his family moved to the area when he was seven. Even back then, it was too dangerous for Palestinian children to play outside, he said, adding: It was not a childhood.

A view of the city of Hebron from the old city on November 17. - Tara John/CNN

In normal times, the threat of settler attacks was high, but now his family is too scared to leave their home, he said. Its a really dangerous thing, the settlers really hate us, he said.

The curfew introduced after October 7 left him unable to work until November, depleting his savings, he said. He now stays with relatives in the Palestinian-controlled side of Hebron during the week, so he can earn an income as a barista, and bring home food when the checkpoints open on Sunday.

They are doing collective punishment, he told CNN. I know the media attention is on Gaza, for good reason, but the world does not know what the settlers and the IDF are doing over here, he said.

Betar grew up in the home he currently lives in, as did his father and grandfather. It is why he is refusing to leave. The past month has however pushed him to the brink.

His house has no yard, so he had fenced up the roof so his five children could run around. But since the Hamas attacks, soldiers on roof positions have told them to remain inside the house.

Eat, go to the bathroom and study on Zoom  this is their lives now, he told CNN. My home is very small, we have no space to play, no space to go walk freely now.

It now takes him hours to do a simple supermarket shop due to the three checkpoints he has to pass to get home, in narrow timeslots.

He could instead walk across the road from his house to the cafe and souvenir shop. But Betar is not allowed in as the road itself is closed to Palestinians. Meanwhile, visitors, settlers and soldiers freely use the cafe.

Weve had enough  we want to enjoy our lives as any person in the West, he said.

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The Governments top scientist had to comfort civil servants upset by academics they thought were rude during the pandemic, the Covid Inquiry has heard.

Prof Dame Angela MacLean, the Governments chief scientific advisor, said there were times she had to paper over the cracks when difficulties arose between them.

Giving evidence to the inquiry, Dame Angela, who took over from Sir Patrick Vallance in April this year and was his deputy during the pandemic, also said there was a lack of appreciation that very quick decisions were needed when it came to dealing with the exponential growth of the virus.

She added that this was the most significant shortcoming in decision-making during the pandemic.

Dame Angela, who the inquiry has previously heard referred to Rishi Sunak as Dr Death, said she was not consulted about Eat Out to Help Out and neither were other scientists.

Scientist had to paper over the cracks

She was earlier asked if differences in approach between civil servants and scientists caused any difficulties during the pandemic.

There were several occasions when I had to paper over the cracks, I would say, she said.

It was mostly that an academic on SPI-M-O (Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling, Operational) had told a civil servant why they were wrong in some way that the civil servant felt was rude.

She added that it was her job and she was very happy to do it.

I was in contact with people saying Im sorry, that was upsetting for you. They didnt mean to be rude to you personally. What they were talking about was your work, Dame Angela said.

The inquiry was shown another email showing that an academic had been upset at civil servants during a meeting of a pandemic sub-committee.

Dame Angela wrote to Prof Graham Medley, an infectious disease expert, on August 7 2020, about another academic being unhappy about a meeting of SPI-M-O.

She wrote: When I get back I will try and have a chat with him about what made him uncomfortable. I think civil servants have a different way of being robust with each other from academics.

Perhaps he found our ways of expressing ourselves more direct than he is used to. No action required. Ill see if I can find out what made him uncomfortable and report back.

Prof Dame Angela McLean has given a statement to the Covid Inquiry - Lucy North/PA

Watch and wait approach

Dame Angela also said there was a lack of appreciation that very quick decisions were needed when it came to dealing with the exponential growth of the virus, and that this was the most significant shortcoming in decision-making during the pandemic.

She wrote in her witness statement to the inquiry that the approach of watch and wait was, in itself, a decision capable of producing damaging consequences.

She added: From my perspective, this is an important lesson for the future as it represented what appears from my perspective to be the most significant shortcoming in decision-making during the pandemic.

Dame Angela said she was not consulted about Eat Out to Help Out and neither were other scientists.

Asked what advice she would have given about it, she told the inquiry: It would have been longer lines of advice that we were giving routinely, which is that there wasnt much room for increasing mixing and the kind of mixing that should be avoided is between households indoors. So, we would have said: Could you not find some other way to stimulate the economy?

She said the second wave of Covid in the autumn was foreseeable for the simple reason that virtually nobody had had it (the virus).

Infections in September 2020

Asked about describing September 2020 as the worst moment of the pandemic  because the Government did not take action  Dame Angela told the inquiry: It was very frustrating for us to be asked to advise the Government and to advise the Government that the autumn would be difficult, and that that difficulty would manifest as rising numbers of infections ... And then we had this astonishingly good ability to watch that happening with the ONS Covid infection study ... and it proceeded to happen. So, we said you should do something now. But nothing happened.

She suggested the time to take action was in September when cases were flat rather than waiting for cases to rise again, then having to impose harder measures.

She said: The interventions that keep an epidemic flat are not as damaging as the ones that you have to impose if youve got to get cases down really fast. That was the time to act, we felt, and we kept saying so.

Matt Hancock, Dominic Raab and Michael Gove will be among those giving evidence to the Covid Inquiry next week.

Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, and Andy Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor, will also appear, as will Sajid Javid, the former health secretary.

Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month, then enjoy 1 year for just $9 with our US-exclusive offer.
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., right, and Sen. Mitt Romney, R- Utah, arrives to hear President Joe Biden deliver his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the Capitol on March 1, 2022, in Washington. | Al Drago, pool via Associated Press

A political action committee created to recruit Sens. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, and Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., to a third party presidential ticket committed to reveal its donors Wednesday and called on its critics to do the same.

The two-week old Draft Romney Manchin Committee based in Boston said Americans deserved a transparent understanding of all groups that oppose a bipartisan centrist ticket.

Voters deserve to know who is bankrolling efforts to limit their choices in November 2024 to Biden and Trump, Committee Chair Jennifer Franks said in the statement.

The PAC seeks to build support  through petitions, fundraising and polling  for a Romney-Manchin unity ticket to challenge the two major parties front-runners in the 2024 presidential election.

Related

By demonstrating a path to victory for the novel third-party bid, the Draft Romney/Manchin Committee hopes to persuade delegates to back Romney as the nominee for president, and Manchin as his vice president, at the March convention of No Labels  a nonprofit behind the effort to gain ballot access in all 50 states as an insurance policy to prevent a 2nd Trump term.

However, No Labels and the Draft Romney/Manchin Committee  which has no formal ties to either senator or No Labels  have received heavy criticism from the D.C. political establishment, and Romney himself, for moving forward with a plan that could spoil the 2024 election for Trump.

A third-party presidential bid is something Romney has already thoroughly considered and rejected, according to the book Romney: A Reckoning, by McKay Coppins. After realizing an independent run in 2020 could ensure a Trump victory, Romney discussed with Manchin building a new political party to endorse centrist candidates  a concept Romney still has not discarded, Coppins reported.

Related

Romney and Manchin both recently announced they would not be seeking reelection in 2024, leaving open the possibility of alternative political involvement and leading to speculation about plans for collaboration between the pair of bipartisan heavyweights.

In Wednesdays statement, the Draft Romney/Manchin Committee pledged to make its donors public at some future date and requested the disclosure of Form 990 tax returns from over 20 nonprofits, including Bill Kristols Defending Democracy Together and the Democratic research group American Bridge, who have publicly criticized No Labels as misguided or self-interested.

The Draft Romney/Manchin Committee will disclose its donors to the Federal Election Commission monthly and for year-end in 2023 and monthly or quarterly in 2024, Franks told the Deseret News Wednesday.
WASHINGTON D.C. (Nexstar/AP)  A newly set temporary cease-fire is expected to result in the release of dozens of people taken hostage during Hamas October attack on Israel, after more than a month of war between Israel and Hamas.

Israel and Hamas agreed to the four-day halt, which was announced Wednesday and will also see the release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. The deal was brokered by Qatar, the U.S. and Egypt and was made public as fighting intensified in central neighborhoods of Gaza City. Israeli officials said the truce would take effect before Friday.

Last week, Austin Congressman Michael McCaul  chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee  led a bipartisan delegation of U.S. senators and representatives to Israel to meet with leaders to discuss Americas role in helping defeat Hamas.

Nexstar interviewed the Republican congressman last week, before a deal had been reached.

McCaul said during their meeting, the group watched disturbing videos shot by Hamas. The footage showcased brutal killings, torture, burning of children and beheadings, portraying a grim reality of the conflict.

We talked about the battle plans, how Hamas uses their own people and the hostages  like at the Al Shifa Hospital  as human shields, which shows you their disdain for life, he said. We will not have true peace in the Middle East until Hamas is taken out of power. They oppress their own people.

While McCaul was in Israel, constituents back home in Austin organized a pro-Palestine rally, urging a ceasefire to prevent further civilian casualties.

Austin Congressman Greg Casar, a Democrat, has been backing their calls for a cease-fire.

We need to stop so much killing of innocent civilians because that endangers the safety of Israelis and Palestinians alike, for this to escalate into a bigger and bigger war, he said.

Casar also interviewed with Nexstar last week, but he sent an updated statement in light of the deal between Israel and Hamas.

I have consistently called for a ceasefire agreement and a return of hostages. This temporary ceasefire agreement is a critical step toward a return of all hostages and the protection of Israeli and Palestinian civilians. Continued negotiations are necessary to ensure a long term peace and a future without terrorism, occupation, and devastating war, Casar said in a statement.

In response to calls for a cease-fire, McCaul warned that Israel and its allies must remain vigilant when dealing with a terrorist organization.

Anybody with a heart is going to have empathy and compassion for these innocent civilian victims. And I would say that the Palestinians are the victims here, theyre the victims of Hamas, he said. One thing is certain  Hamas and Israel will not govern Gaza. That is up to the Palestinian people. And the international community has a role here to play, particularly the Gulf states in Jordan and Egypt, in helping form a new system of governance that isnt a terrorist organization, and liberates the Palestinian people from the oppressor.

He added concerns about young Americans opinions of the ongoing war, warning about misinformation and disinformation spreading online.

If you type in Israel and Palestinians, youre gonna see a lot of pro-Hamas subject matter in videos, he said. And the algorithms are controlling the message that sent on social media there. A lot of young people, you know thats their source of news.

Despite differing approaches to the conflict, there is some common ground. Both McCaul and Casar emphasize the importance of getting hostages freed and stopping Hamas.

Qatar announced Wednesday that Hamas will release 50 hostages in exchange for what Hamas said would be 150 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. Those released by both sides will be women and minors.

The hostages would be released in bursts throughout the cease-fire. Once the first batch is released, Israel is expected to free the first group of Palestinian prisoners.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin.
(KRON)  A construction crew recently had their work site in Pleasanton burglarized, where thieves made off with nearly $5,000 worth of tools, according to the Pleasanton Police Department. Fortunately for the workers, vigilant witnesses provided vital information to authorities in order to track down the suspects.

Pleasanton police are crediting witnesses who provided the information that led officers straight to the suspects. The stolen tools were found inside the suspects vehicle, police said, and returned right back to the construction crew who had been devastated by the prospect of being out a job.

Suspect in series of robberies nabbed by Moraga police

A photo shared by Pleasanton PD shows a crew of 10 workers around a large number of power tools.

Being a good witness can help us help others, the Pleasanton Police Department said in a Facebook post. Pay close attention to details and report any suspicious activity immediately.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark.  Conway police are investigating a collision that injured an officer in the parking lot of a restaurant.

According to investigators, an officer was on-site at the Golden Corral on East Oak Street at 3:18 p.m. when an uninvolved vehicle entered the parking lot at a high rate of speed, striking an officer and a vehicle.

Conway police say homeowner shot by officer while search warrant being served; ASP investigating

Investigators said the officer was transported to a Little Rock hospital, but his condition is currently unknown.

The condition of the driver in the incident and possible charges are not yet known.

Conway police said there will be an increased police presence at Golden Corral while they continue to investigate.

Little Rock police arrest suspect in deadly October shooting on West 51st Street

This is a developing story, please check back for updates.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KARK.
Health insurance costs to Codington County and its employees will increase by 5.2% in 2024 compared to 2023, according to information released Tuesday at the county commission meeting.

Sanford Health Plan, brokered through Kranz Insurance of Watertown, will again be the countys provider. One notable change in 2024 is the option for employees to establish a health savings account (HSA).

Both single and family plans will offer the option of $1,000, $2,000 and $4,000 deductibles. The HSA accounts can only be established with the $4,000 deductible choice.

Individuals who select the $1,000 deductible will pay a monthly premium of $19.15. The county will pay premiums of $855.25 for those selecting the $2,000 deductible or $671.64 for the $4,000 deductible premium.

The monthly premiums for families are $760.38 for the $1,000 option, $538.12 for the $2,000 option and $79.11 for the $4,000 option.

Jamie Riley of Kranz Insurance provided information to the commissioners, who voted unanimously to select the Sanford Health Plan and then to determine the employee/county premium payment split.

A portion of the commissioners discussion Tuesday was about the Florence School Districts request for additional stop signs in the City of Florence. The school district is opening a new building that sits across the street from its main structure and is seeking additional safety for students.

The commissioners were fine with placing signs on county roads but wanted to know who would foot the bill. Highway Superintendent Rick Hartley has been in touch with Florence school officials and has a follow-up meeting with the school principal about the installation of 5 stop signs.

Hartley received permission from the commission to prepare the sign sites while the ground is unfrozen.

Also during his monthly report, Hartley said his crews are working to replace gravel on certain roads. He said the dry summer resulted in roads losing more gravel than usual. And he told commissioners that paving of County Road 23 will be delayed until 2024.

Facilities Manager Steve Mohlengraaf told commissioners hes looking for a couple volunteers from each county department to undergo training on the use of an automatic external defibrillator. He also said the county has been reimbursed by its insurer for young trees spaded into Memorial Park earlier this fall. He said the trees are doing well.

In an unsavory note, Mohlengraaf said county jail inmates recently used shredded bedding to clog toilets and also smeared feces on walls.

Actions on other agenda items included:

Authorizing applications for state Bridge Improvement Grants for bridges on County Road 2 west of South Shore ($595,240 total cost), County Road 6 a mile west of Dakota Sioux Casino ($499,455) and County Road 3 south of Waverly ($233,910). If approved, payment for repairs would be an 80/20 state/county split.

Authorized a bid of $77,815 to Source Well for a new dump truck body with an attached snowplow hitch.

Approved a job shadowing application from a Lake Area Technical College student in human services for job shadowing in the countys Welfare Office.

Before going into executive session, the commissioners noted the death of Watertown attorney Thomas Burns, 68, who died Saturday, Nov. 18 in a traffic accident near Silver Lake, Minnesota. The commissioners offered thoughts and prayers for Burns wife Carolyn who was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries.

 J.T. Fey is a freelance reporter for the Watertown Public Opinion.

This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: County board select new health insurance plan for county, employees
The Shevchenkivskyi District Court of Kyiv has extended the pretrial investigation in the case against Ukrainian businessman Ihor Kolomoisky until March 2, 2024, public broadcaster Suspilne reported on Nov. 23.

Prosecutors requested an extension to the pretrial investigation of alleged embezzlement of funds from PrivatBank by Kolomoisky. They argued more time was needed to question the suspects, conduct investigative experiments, forensic economic expertise, interrogate witnesses, and question bank officials.

Read also: Kolomoisky hands over control of popular 1+1 media network amid legal troubles

The defense, however, requested that the prosecutor's motion be denied.

"There are documents, financial transactions, thus the body of evidence comes down not to witness testimony, but to accounting transactions," said a defense lawyer.

Ultimately, the court granted the prosecutors' request to extend the pretrial investigation.

Read also: Big explosion near Khmelnitskyi NPP, Kolomoisky turns over media network, hands-on F-16 training

The Shevchenkivskyi District Court of Kyiv issued on Sept. 2 a preventive measure for Ihor Kolomoisky, ordering his detention for a period of 60 days in Dnipro. He was granted the option to secure his release by posting bail.

On the same day, the SBU, in collaboration with the State Bureau of Investigations (SBI) and the Prosecutor Generals Office, formally charged Kolomoisky with money laundering of criminally obtained assets. From 2013 to 2020, Kolomoisky allegedly laundered over half a billion hryvnias by transferring funds abroad, utilizing the financial infrastructure of banks under his control, the SBU said.

Read also: Court keeps Ihor Kolomoisky in custody

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutors Office (SAP) on Sept. 7 informed Kolomoisky and five others of suspicion in embezzling over 9.2 billion hryvnias from PrivatBank ($247 million).

The SBU states that during that period the scheme enabled him to amass a total of UAH 5.8 billion, equivalent to over $700 million.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
A California appellate court recently ruled that a reporter at the Bakersfield Californian had to surrender unpublished reporting notes from an interview after they were subpoenaed. (John Donagan / Bakersfield Californian)

Ishani Desai was just doing her job. As a reporter on a murder case, she needed information she felt she could get from only one person: the man who was behind bars.

"I went to the source," said Desai, a former reporter for the Bakersfield Californian.

She couldn't have known at the time that the notes from her jailhouse interview would spur a court order that, legal experts say, could threaten freedom of the press in California.

The suspect, Sebastian Parra, was in custody on suspicion of involvement in the Aug. 24, 2022, death of 43-year-old Benny Alcala Jr., a counselor for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Alcala was fatally shot at an electric vehicle charging station outside a Target store in Bakersfield. Witnesses reported seeing two men flee the area of the shooting. One was identified as Robert Pernell Roberts, who was arrested on suspicion of murder, and the second was Parra, who denied involvement in the shooting and was not initially arrested.

Parra testified at Roberts' preliminary hearing, as did law enforcement officials. Roberts' attorney, Lexi Blythe of the Kern County Public Defender's Office, pointed out inconsistencies between Parra's testimony and that of law enforcement.

Read more: Guatemala sending journalist to prison; press freedom groups allege political persecution

Parra was subsequently indicted by a grand jury. Like Roberts, he has pleaded not guilty to murder.

Blythe then filed a subpoena for Desai's notes from her February jailhouse interview with Parra, saying it was necessary for her defense of Roberts.

The Californian challenged Blythe's subpoena, citing the 1st Amendment as well as California's shield law, a section of the state constitution that protects news organizations from being held in contempt of court for withholding sources and unpublished information, including interview notes.

The Kern County Superior Court ruled the newspaper was in contempt of court and ordered the notes be turned over, as they were "reasonably necessary" for Roberts' defense and his constitutional right to a fair trial.

Read more: As El Salvadors president tries to silence free press, journalist brothers expose his ties to street gangs

The Californian appealed the decision to the California 5th District Court of Appeal, which upheld the lower court's decision but reversed the contempt-of-court ruling.

As a result, the Californian handed over the unpublished notes to the Kern County Public Defender's Office on Nov. 15. The news outlet also published the notes online.

Desai, now a reporter at the Sacramento Bee, said in an emailed statement to The Times that she had decided to interview Parra to answer a question she faced while covering the murder case.

"No one would tell me why the man who was once the prosecutions star witness now faced an egregious murder charge," Desai, 25, said. "So, I went to the source."

Read more: How anti-union was L.A.? The LAPD once arrested a famous author for reading the 1st Amendment

Desai said, however, that there was nothing significant that she wrote down that day at the jail that wasn't also included in her Feb. 26 story in the Californian.

The Californian's own story on the appellate decision states the newspaper will not pursue an appeal at the California Supreme Court because the case would be unlikely to be reviewed and because of the outsize expense. The news outlet cited legal expenditures "exceeding $100,000" in the case so far.

The paper, however, does seek to make the ruling unpublished, a legal process that would make the opinion unusable as a precedent in similar future cases.

Even if the decision is unpublished, the ruling is viewed as a worrying setback by advocates of press freedom, who fear it could affect the ability of journalists to do their job in the Golden State.

David Loy, the legal director of the First Amendment Coalition, worries this decision could be chilling for journalists reporting on criminal cases.

It, in effect, makes the bar lower than it should be to pierce the reporters shield, said Loy, whose organization filed an amicus brief in the case. He called the appellate court decision disappointing.

Although Californias shield law remains strong, he said, the ruling makes it easier for attorneys to use the only exception under which journalists must turn over unpublished material: when a criminal defendant seeks such information. In such cases, the California Supreme Court has established a balancing test to weigh the rights of a reporter against those of the defendant.

Loy said this test has for decades found that only in an extraordinarily compelling situation would a journalist have to turn over their notes, something he didnt see in this case.

Read more: Facebook's stance on shield law worries smaller tech platforms

The function of the court is to balance the interests, Loy said. It seems like that balance has been somewhat skewed by this opinion.

Loy said hes worried the ruling could make reporters and editors hesitate when considering whether to interview someone in jail or a witness to a crime  interviews that he called a cornerstone of good journalism.

If that cost and risk is too high, thats going to be a deterrent to report that story in that way, Loy said, noting the potential legal fees. Its going to make reporters, and, I assume, editors and publishers, risk-averse.

Another organization that filed an amicus brief in the case was the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Lisa Zycherman, the group's deputy legal director and policy counsel, said the chilling effect of the ruling would affect not just journalists but also potential sources.

Read more: Hong Kong journalists harassed, arrested and lose press freedoms under new China law

"Forcing a journalist to betray a promise of confidentiality could make sources think twice, or they might just not come forward," Zycherman said. "That chills the free flow of information to the public, and it compromises the ability of journalists to do their jobs."

Christine Peterson, the Californian's executive editor, said that since the legal battle over the notes began, she had already had a colleague walk away from an interview with an incarcerated source.

"He decided that, for the kind of story it was, that it wasn't critical," Peterson said. "That's not to say we won't continue to interview criminal defendants who agree to it and are in custody, but I think it's fair to say this gave him pause."

Desai, however, said her determination had only grown after the ruling.

"Many reporters  including myself  wonder if our work and sources are safe," she wrote in her statement to The Times. "But the alternative is to shirk my duty, letting our community go uninformed and unaware of the powerful criminal justice system. That option is untenable for me and I refuse to back down when encountering threats to my works sanctity."

Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Kemi Badenoch said the crisis needed to be looked at through 'multiple lenses'

Ministers were too focused on the health impacts of Covid during the pandemic and more emphasis should have been placed on the economic impacts of lockdown, Kemi Badenoch has said.

The Business and Trade Secretary told the Covid Inquiry the crisis should have been looked at through multiple lenses, and added that lockdown had worsened inequality in Britain.

We were looking very much at the health side and I think that we should have looked at the economic impact of lockdown, she said in her evidence on Thursday.

Citing the issue of missing children in schools, she said the UK was now experiencing many of the outcomes related to the tough restrictions.

No ones quite got to the bottom of the economic impact of lockdown, how that triggered even more inequality further down, even if people had furlough or a safety net.

Im not sure that work was done because we were very, very, focused on the health side, she said.

I think when we have these sorts of grand problems, we need to have multiple lenses through which were looking at them  and this is hindsight analysis  but the fact that we looked at things purely from a health perspective without opportunity cost analysis  I think we should not have done that.

Concern surrounding misinformation

Mrs Badenoch, who was the equalities minister during the pandemic and is tipped to succeed Rishi Sunak as leader of the Conservative Party, also said in her evidence that the Government has not yet grasped how to deal with misinformation in the age of social media.

When asked by Dermot Keating, counsel to the inquiry, what she believed was the greatest lesson the UK could learn going forward following the pandemic, she replied: I am still very, very concerned about the issue of misinformation.

I say this, even as a constituency MP, the number of people who come up to me in the street and tell me that I am part of a grand conspiracy to infect them, and so-and-so died because of the material that we were putting out.

I dont think the Government has got a handle on dealing with misinformation. I dont think that we have adapted to this age of social media where information travels at lightning speed across the world.

Mrs Badenoch said she has heard there is a lot of work going on in departments on the issue, but added: I dont see it.

Top scientist comforted civil servants

On Thursday, the Governments top scientist told the inquiry that comforting upset civil servants was part of her job during the pandemic.

Prof Dame Angela MacLean, the Governments chief scientific adviser, said there were times she had to paper over the cracks when difficulties arose between academics and civil servants.

The biologist, who took over from Sir Patrick Vallance in April this year and was his deputy during the pandemic, also said there was a lack of appreciation that very quick decisions were needed when it came to dealing with the exponential growth of the virus, and that this was the most significant shortcoming in decision-making during the pandemic.

Asked if differences in approach between civil servants and scientists caused any difficulties during the pandemic, she said: There were several occasions when I had to paper over the cracks, I would say.

It was mostly that an academic on SPI-M-O (Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling, Operational) had told a civil servant why they were wrong in some way that the civil servant felt was rude.

She added that it was her job and she was very happy to do it.

I was in contact with people saying Im sorry, that was upsetting for you. They didnt mean to be rude to you personally. What they were talking about was your work, Dame Angela said.

The inquiry was shown another email showing that an academic had been upset at civil servants during a meeting of a pandemic sub-committee.

Dame Angela wrote to Prof Graham Medley, an infectious disease expert, on Aug 7 2020, about another academic being unhappy about a meeting of SPI-M-O.

When I get back I will try and have a chat with him about what made him uncomfortable. I think civil servants have a different way of being robust with each other from academics.

Perhaps he found our ways of expressing ourselves more direct than he is used to. No action required. Ill see if I can find out what made him uncomfortable and report back.

The inquiry previously heard how Dame Angela referred to Rishi Sunak as Dr Death in Whatsapp messages with another scientist, however she was not asked about this comment in her evidence.

Asked about the former chancellors Eat Out to Help Out scheme, she said she was not consulted about it and neither were other scientists.

She told the inquiry that had she and her colleagues been asked for their advice on the matter, they would have said: Could you not find some other way to stimulate the economy?

Matt Hancock, Dominic Raab and Michael Gove will be among those giving evidence to the Covid Inquiry next week.

Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, and Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, will also appear, alongside Sajid Javid, the former health secretary.

Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month, then enjoy 1 year for just $9 with our US-exclusive offer.
With COVID-19 hospitalization back on the rise in Illinois, state public health officials are asking residents to double down on protecting themselves against seasonal illness.

Twenty Illinois counties are now at a medium level for hospitalization related to COVID-19, with a 17% increase in hospital COVID-19 cases since last week. Flu and RSV infections are also rising in hospitals, according to a news release from the Illinois Department of Public Health.

During Thanksgiving, staying healthy means washing hands often during the holiday, keeping rooms ventilated and asking guests to cover coughs, IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra said in the release.

I want to encourage our residents to use all of the tools at their disposal to protect themselves and their loved ones this Thanksgiving holiday weekend, Vohra said.

IDPH also asks residents to skip holiday gatherings if they have symptoms of respiratory infections, Vohra said. Residents can sign up online for four free COVID-19 tests, masks and other free personal protective equipment.

The department is also calling on health care centers to enforce masking policies this holiday season.

Omicron strains of COVID-19 are currently the most common, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. The CDC also reports a nationwide rise in RSV, with low vaccine rates but high hospitalization rates among children and older adults.

The CDC operates a free COVID-19 vaccine program for people without insurance. Children and teens under 19 can receive other free vaccines if they are uninsured, or if they are Indigenous or Native Alaskan.

However, with current shortages of RSV vaccines for children, pregnant people should seek a vaccine between 32 and 36 weeks to pass along antibodies, according to IDPH.
The State Department relies on its Diplomatic Security Service to protect diplomats around the world.

The department and DSS are confronting more challenges amid increasing geopolitical tensions.

The DSS is working on new initiatives to defend US diplomatic assets, including in cyberspace.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 shocked the world and drew a scathing response from the international community.

In the 20 months since then, the US has led an international effort to arm and train Ukraine's military and support its government economically and diplomatically. Meanwhile, half a world away, the US faces increasing competition with China, which US leaders have condemned for its pressure on Taiwan, violations of international law, and political repression at home.

US diplomats are at the tip of the spear for those efforts, living and working on the frontlines as they deal with friends and adversaries, at times in dangerous or isolated outposts. To protect those diplomats, the State Department relies on a little-known but highly capable agency  the Diplomatic Security Service.

Protecting US diplomats in an evolving world

DSS special agents help secure a street during the UN General Assembly in September 2018. US State Department

As the State Department's law-enforcement and security arm, the Diplomatic Security Service has been protecting US diplomats at home and abroad since 1916. The DSS is the US law-enforcement agency with the largest global footprint, and it works closely with governments around the world.

With about 2,500 active special agents, the DSS is responsible for four main missions: protecting US diplomats and foreign diplomats in the US, conducting passport and visa fraud investigations, ensuring the security of classified US travel documents, and performing security background checks.

The DSS has developed several initiatives to ensure the safety of US diplomats and missions amid an evolving operational environment.

As part of its mission to protect State Department personnel, facilities, and information, DSS routinely conducts emergency planning and exercises to prepare for incidents at US missions overseas.

Its Mobile Security Deployments, which are specialized tactical units, are on standby to respond to any heightened threats or emergencies at home and abroad.

Mobile Security Deployment units train at the Foreign Affairs Security Training Center in Virginia. US Department of State

Regional security office teams also develop and maintain an emergency action plan, which outlines the roles and responsibilities of individuals in an emergency or crisis, for each diplomatic mission. These plans are reviewed regularly to ensure that they are still relevant and reflect any changes in the operational environment.

DSS agents led the way when the US reopened its embassy in Kyiv in May, and Insider understands that the DSS has created a robust security program tailored to that facility.

The Overseas Security Advisory Council, which is part of the DSS, provides another layer of security. The council collects information from private-sector security professionals to gain insight from US businesses and institutions operating overseas about the security situation on the ground.

"Through the council, the State Department can exchange information in real-time with hundreds of private businesses, faith-based organizations, and other US entities," a State Department spokesperson told Insider.

The DSS also manages the department's Foreign Emergency Response Team, an interagency team that is on call to respond on short notice to critical incidents worldwide.

The US flag is raised at the US Embassy in Kyiv on May 18, 2022. Anatolii Siryk/ Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images

"The team deploys overseas to advise, assist, assess, and coordinate crisis-response activities. It may deploy in response to terrorism incidents and significant threats, to support chiefs of mission during large events like the Olympics, and during US counterterrorism exercises," the State Department spokesperson added.

The US military, mainly through its Joint Special Operations Command, also has special-operations units on constant standby to respond to any terrorism or hostage situations abroad.

Another DSS initiative aims to give diplomats and their families the tools to survive overseas. The Foreign Affairs Counter Threat training program is a five-day course that provides diplomats and their families with skills to enhance their security awareness and preparedness.

As relations with Russia and China have deteriorated, the DSS has had to adjust its activities to ensure it can protect US facilities in those countries and the diplomats and staff at them, but it's dealing with a growing set of threats from outside the physical realm.

Proliferating cyber threats

DSS personnel worked with other law-enforcement agencies at the APEC summit in San Francisco in November 2023. Diplomatic Security Service

Following a string of high-profile cyberattacks against government agencies and private businesses, US national-security officials are increasingly focused on cybersecurity.

Insider understands that the State Department's IT network is under attack by malicious state and non-state cyber actors on a daily basis.

Protecting the communications, data, and systems used by US diplomats is part of the DSS purview. The service operates a cyber-operations center staffed by a leading team of dedicated cyber operators who monitor diplomatic digital infrastructure and data on a 24/7 basis.

Moreover, the DSS works closely with the Department of Homeland Security and the Office of Management and Budget to ensure the State Department meets the requirements for cyber operations laid out by federal regulations and legislative mandates.

The DSS has changed how it protects US diplomats and classified information in order to keep pace with the evolution of technology and the cyber domain. It is pivoting to a "zero trust" security model in which it takes a "never trust, always verify" approach to all requests for access.

As a result, the DSS is no longer looking to protect all its data at the same level but to adopt levels of protection that reflect the sensitivity of the data and its importance to the State Department's overall mission.

In addition, Insider understands that the DSS is currently completing the roll-out of an advanced, multi-factor identity management system that would provide further protection against intrusions.

Stavros Atlamazoglou is a defense journalist specializing in special operations and a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ). He has a B.A. from the Johns Hopkins University, an M.A. in strategy, cybersecurity, and intelligence from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, and is currently pursuing a Juris Doctor degree from Boston College Law School.

Read the original article on Business Insider
German Finance Minister Christian Lindner wants to suspend a constitutional limit on the country's debt for the fourth straight year (Odd ANDERSEN)

Germany will seek to suspend a constitutional debt limit for a fourth straight year, its finance minister said Thursday, after a shock court ruling upended government spending plans and sparked a budget crisis.

"The federal government will present a supplementary budget to constitutionally secure the expenditures made this year," Finance Minister Christian Lindner said in a post on social media.

Along with the new fiscal plan, the government would put a resolution to parliament declaring an "exceptional emergency situation", the legal basis for suspending the debt rule, he said.

Germany's top court last week said Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government had broken the constitutional debt rule by transferring money earmarked for coronavirus pandemic support to a fund to fight climate change.

The ruling left Berlin with a 60-billion-euro ($65-billion) hole in its budget and threw sorely needed investments into doubt.

Following the decision, the government suspended most of the projects being financed through the climate fund and imposed a broad spending freeze for the rest of 2023.

Written into the constitution in 2009 under former Chancellor Angela Merkel, the debt brake caps new borrowing in Europe's top economy to 0.35 percent of gross domestic product.

The brake was suspended from 2020 to 2022 during the pandemic and energy crisis, but was set to come back into force this year.

- Coalition agreement -

Suspending the debt rule again will be a bitter pill for the coalition between the Social Democrats, Greens and pro-business FDP, which had pledged to reapply the constitutional brake this year.

The often-criticised commitment to balanced budgets has become a symbol of Germany's fiscal prudence.

The new suspension of the debt rule is a particular blow to Lindner, who has staked his reputation on sound financial management.

The finance minister, who has intoned on the importance of clear debt limits, avoided direct mention of the brake in an earlier press conference.

Lindner said would present the new budget for 2023 next week to "clear the decks" before "we can talk about 2024 and the next few years".

"No new debt will be taken on. Rather, the funds that have been used for crisis management will be put on a secure legal basis," Lindner said in his social media post.

The supplementary budget would be worth 40 billion euros, bringing Germany's total deficit for 2023 to 85 billion euros, German weekly Spiegel reported.

The total included money already largely paid out to help tackle households and businesses with soaring energy prices, Spiegel said.

- Vote delay -

The government this week delayed a planned vote on the budget for next year, while it reviewed the court's ruling. MPs were set to have their final vote on the budget next week.

The ruling had already fuelled tensions in Scholz's uneasy coalition, at odds over how best to spend its resources.

The clash has in particular pitted Lindner and his party, the FDP, against the other two parties, some of whom argue the constitutional rules should be reformed.

Worth 212 billion euros prior to the court ruling, the climate fund was aimed at speeding Germany's shift to an emissions-free economy.

Cash had also been earmarked for boosting domestic semiconductor production as Europe seeks to reduce its reliance on Asian chip imports.

The pot of money is one of several that sit outside the main government budget, including a 100-billion-euro fund to boost the military in response to Russia's war in Ukraine.

The defence ministry said on Thursday the armed forces fund was exempted from the government's 2023 spending freeze.

sea/hmn/tw
Cuba Gooding Jr has been hit with two lawsuits accusing him of sexual assault.

In the suits, the Jerry Maguire actor is accused of groping two women in two separate incidents at New York restaurants in 2018 and 2019.

The lawsuits were filed on Wednesday in New York Supreme Court ahead of the expiration of the states Adult Survivors Act on Friday.

The measure, passed last year, created a temporary window for victims of historic sexual assault to sue their alleged abusers past the states usual deadlines.

The latest lawsuits against Gooding Jr come after he settled a case in June with a woman who accused him of rape in 2013.

In one of the new lawsuits, a cocktail waitress  who wished to remain anonymous  said she was working at a New York nightclub in 2018 when Gooding Jr forced his tongue in her mouth without her consent.

In the second suit, Kelsey Harbert alleged that Gooding Jr groped her breast after she had sat down next to him and his girlfriend at Magic Hour Rooftop Bar & Lounge in 2019.

In response, Ms Harbert grabbed Gooding Jrs hand in order to remove it from her breast before the actor took her hand, put it up to his mouth, and tried to kiss it, the suit claims.

Cuba Gooding Jr has been hit with two lawsuits accusing him of sexual assault (AP)

Back in 2022, Gooding Jr faced criminal charges over these same allegations.

He pleaded guilty to both charges after reaching a plea agreement with prosecutors.

The actor received no prison time after a judge determined he had followed the terms of the plea deal.

And after staying out of trouble and completing six months of alcohol and behavioural counseling, Gooding Jr was permitted to withdraw his guilty plea and instead pleaded guilty to a non-criminal harassment violation  wiping his criminal record clean and preventing further penalties.

However, both women have now launched civil lawsuits seeking damages for lost wages, emotional distress, punitive damages, liquidated damages and attorneys fees over the incidents.

Gloria Allred, the lawyer representing the two women, said they were deprived of the justice they sought in the criminal case, Deadline reported.

They are now seeking justice and accountability in their civil cases. We are proud of their courage and intend to vigorously fight for them until they win the justice that they deserve, she added.

Representatives for Gooding Jr have been contacted for comment.
By Nelson Acosta

HAVANA (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Cubans on Thursday marched in front of the U.S. embassy in Havana charging Israel was committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

The march, led by President Miguel Diaz-Canel, and which moved along Havanas seaside drive, the Malecon where the U.S. diplomatic headquarters is located, was the first of its kind in more than a decade.

Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro, now deceased, was famous for staging similar, but much larger demonstrations to protest U.S. sanctions and meddling in Cuban affairs.

The crowd, sporting Palestinian flags and banners, chanted "free, free Palestine, Israel is genocide" and "up with Palestinian freedom" as it marched by the building and rallied nearby.

Communist-run Cuba has been a strong backer of the Palestinian cause for decades and has trained more than 200 Palestinian doctors. It does not have diplomatic relations with Israel.

"We are here and it is no coincidence that we have marched in front of the United States embassy," Anet Rodriguez, a university professor, said.

"The United States is one of the most responsible for supporting the State of Israel ... it is supporting a massacre of the Palestinians and international laws are being violated," she said.

Israel launched its invasion of Gaza after gunmen from Palestinian Islamist group Hamas burst across the border fence, killing 1,200 people and seizing about 240 hostages on Oct. 7, according to Israeli tallies.

Since then, some 14,800 Gazans have been killed by Israeli bombardment, around 40% of them children, according to Palestinian health authorities.

(Additional reporting by Marc Frank and Anet Rios; editing by Diane Craft)
CURRITUCK COUNTY, N.C. (WAVY)  The Currituck Chamber of Commerce gathered on Nov. 16 to honor those who made a large community impact.

The ceremony, hosted at OBX West KOA Event Center, recognized individuals and businesses with significant contributions to the local community.

The award recipients were as follows:

Regional Citizen of the Year Award: Clark Twiddy

Corporate Community Service Award: Twiford Funeral Homes

Small Business Award (10 or less employees): Family First In-Home Personal Care

Small Business Award (10 or more employees): Morris Farm Market

Citizen of the Year: Sandi Ayres

Non-Profit of the Year: Food Bank of the Albemarle

Presidents Awards: Albemarle Area United Way April Bennett



Congratulations to all the 2023 Chamber of Commerce Small Business Award winners, Chamber President Josh Bass said. Each recipient embodies the essence of excellence, innovation, and dedication in their field. Their remarkable achievements serve as an inspiration, reflecting the vibrant spirit and unwavering commitment to success within our local business community.

Keep up to date with the latest news on WAVY.com.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WAVY.com.
CYPRESS, Texas - A man and a woman were taken to the hospital after they were hit by an SUV in parking lot in northwest Harris County, officials say.

The crash occurred shortly after noon in the 12100 block of Jones Road.

FOX 26 Houston is now on the FOX LOCAL app available through Apple TV, Amazon FireTV, Roku, Google Android TV, and Vizio!

Authorities at the scene of a crash on Cypress N. Houston Road.

According to the Cy-Fair Fire Department, the man and the woman, believed to be in their early 70s, were backed into by an SUV as the vehicle was backing out of a parking spot.

The man was taken to the hospital by Life Flight with head injuries. Officials say the woman was taken to the hospital by ambulance with possible shoulder and back injuries.
The discriminatory ban on Black people using the beaches was up for discussion and government leaders wanted to talk about it.

Knowing how sensitive the issue might be, on July 8, 1955, they held a secret meeting at a Daytona Beach hotel, away from the chambers where they conducted official business. A reporter for The News-Journal caught wind of the meeting and covered it the only way she could: By climbing onto a fire escape near the window where it took place.

Dotti Lewis

"I couldn't see anyone through the window, but I knew their voices. I was taking notes like crazy," said the reporter whose byline was Dorothy Einhorn but later came to be known by her married name, Dotti Lewis.

The enterprise Lewis showed that day didn't just help her get the story, it carried her through a remarkable life beyond newspapering that ended at age 93 on Nov. 19.

"She was very short, not even 5 feet tall, but she wasn't somebody to be blown off. She stood her ground about things," said Kathy Kelly, a former News-Journal editor and reporter who met Lewis when she started at the newspaper as a high school senior.

Despite being "the lowest form of humanity, the copy kid," Lewis became Kelly's friend and mentored the burgeoning reporter in understanding what's news and how to make the rounds on the police beat.

The news staff was mostly men, but Lewis worked her way to the Daytona Beach City Hall beat and later served as an editor. Her work as a journalist led her to cover and meet some of the 20th century's most influential figures: Mary McLeod Bethune, Eleanor Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy and Elvis Presley. Yet after 22 years, she left the newspaper.

I wasnt so much burnt out," Lewis told the Orlando Sentinel in 1987. "It was just the thought of getting a 25-year pin from anywhere that horrified me."

Lewis worked in public relations at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and at a firm she cofounded with the owner of Daytona Budweiser. In 1977, she and her late husband Gordon started Einhorn and Lewis Inc., a public relations and public opinion research firm.

That led her into political campaign advising, where her work helped the Volusia County School Board win bond referendums to build new schools. Kelly said Lewis also engineered Evelyn Lynn's first victory, catapulting Lynn into a career that included eight years in the Florida House and 10 in the Senate, and Dick Graham's 1988 upset victory over Sam Bell, a longtime legislator who was set to become House speaker had he won.

Lewis earned a doctorate in education from the University of Florida in 1984, decades after attending that school as an undergraduate from Rhode Island.

She taught as a visiting professor at Stetson University as well as what's now known as Daytona State College and Bethune-Cookman University, where she also helped with public relations.

Lewis and her sister, the late Salty Leatherwood, were inspired in 1988 to start Project Care Inc., a nonprofit that raised money to help homeless people and people with mental illnesses and other disabilities by providing household appliances, dishes, clothing and holiday gifts.

In 2009, Lewis and Leatherwood were honored, along with their late sister Sandi Parker, as siblings of the year by Daytona Beach-based Neighbor To Family, a foster-care agency.

In her elder years, Lewis remained engaged in the community, writing many opinion pieces for The News-Journal. One she wrote in 2013 advocating for more mental-health resources sparked a response from Graham: "Dotti and the caring professionals she acknowledged have done wonders in this community to recognize and deal with this important issue. And Dotti has done so without compensation or self-promotion. She goes down as a real hero in my book."

Lewis is survived by her step-children, Rebecca Lewis, Marsha Lewis, and James Lewis; three grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to: Project Care 25 Heather Cove, Boynton Beach, FL 33436.

Obituary: Dorothy G. Lewis

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Remembering Dotti Lews: Former Daytona reporter, political consultant
How to deal with bedbugs, according to a pest exterminator

Cameron Bawden works in pest control in Arizona. Ben Christensen

Bedbug infestations have been highly publicized this fall.

But a pest exterminator said they can strike at any time of year.

He described exterminating the insects as expensive and time-consuming.

When Cameron Bawden gets a call from someone who suspects they have bedbugs, he asks them one question: Have they traveled recently?

"They've usually been away," said Bawden, the founder of Green Mango, an extermination company in Phoenix.

Paris recently dealt with an infestation

The critters  which often hide in soft furnishings like beds and sofas  have been making headlines since a politician described a "scourge" in Paris in September.

They'd been spotted in the European capital in places such as movie theaters, trains, and airports. People on social media posted images of bedbugs and angry red swelling caused by their bite.

Emmanuel Gregoire, the deputy mayor of Paris, called on the French prime minister, Elisabeth Borne, to tackle the "public health problem" before it got worse.

Bawden told Business Insider he hadn't asked his bedbug clients whether they'd vacationed in Paris specifically. But he said tourist hubs are prime spots for infestations.

"It could be a nice place or a dumpy one," he said. "But a lot of times people set their luggage on the floor of their hotel room, and the bedbugs climb in." Before you know it, he said, they've taken up residency in the "cracks and crevices of your suitcase."

"People bring them home, and after a week or so they've multiplied and become a huge problem," Bawden said, adding that bedbugs don't have a "particular season of the year."

He said that if you think you have bedbugs in your house, you probably do. "People go on the internet the moment they see the bites," he said.

Because they are in clusters, he says you can trace where they've crawled  and stopped for a snack  across your skin. "When we do our inspection, we'll find them pretty easy," he said.

Bedbugs found in the seam of a mattress. Stephanie Lecocq/Reuters

Bawden, whose company deals with bedbugs regularly, said the first place to look is the seams of your mattress. "They hang out where it's sewn together," he said, adding, "It's a tight space and a good breeding ground."

They also love linen and clothing. "It's why they're so transferable from one person to another," he said. They can also hide inside items such as books. "People are surprised when we find them buried between leaves of paper," Bawden said.

He said the worst mistake is to assume the bloodsuckers will go away on their own. "You've got no choice but to call in the experts," he said.

He described how the process shakes out.

Start with an inspection

Bawden said technicians can usually confirm customers' fears with a flashlight, revealing pin-size black dots.

He said some companies deploy sniffer dogs  especially beagles, known for their keen sense of smell  to establish whether the bedbugs have spread to other rooms.

Move out if you can

It's a good idea to stay at a hotel or with relatives while the exterminators tackle the issue. "Some people will stay home in a room that doesn't have bedbugs in it, but it's not always possible," Bawden said.

He said his technicians spray a combination of three liquid or aerosol pesticides on household belongings such as mattresses and couches. "We use a contact-kill product, a growth regulator so the bedbugs can't continue to multiply, and a residual product," he said, adding that his staff wears breathing regulators for their safety.

The process is repeated about two weeks later. "It's very invasive and time-consuming," said Bawden, who charges $400 to $750 per room.

Clear your closets

Bawden said linens and clothes must be heat-treated to kill the bedbugs.

He said that if you live in a hot climate such as Arizona, you may be able to save money on professional cleaning. "You can put everything in black garbage bags and leave them out in the sun," he said. Bedbugs will die at a temperature of about 120 degrees. "If the heat stays consistent, you only have to leave out the bags for 20 minutes," he said.

But many people have to get everything dry-cleaned. "Professional cleaners have special machines that can dry at a high enough temperature," he said.

Bawden said an infestation can take a physical, psychological, and financial toll on families. "It's a very tricky situation for everyone involved," he said.

Read the original article on Insider
Trump and his allies and acolytes are publicly planning to make him Americas first de facto dictator, which will mean the end of the countrys democracy. Their plans are detailed in such documents and organizations as Agenda 47, Project 2025, and the Red Caesar scenario.

Journalists, pundits, the mainstream political class, other experts, and everyday Americans who follow politics and current events closely assume that the average member of the public does so as well. There are decades of research by political scientists and other experts, however, that shows this to not be true. In reality, most Americans are politically disengaged, lack a sophisticated understanding of political matters, are imagistic and emotional, have a difficult time retaining and understanding complex information, do not pay close attention to elections until they decide to vote, and more generally are civically illiterate. More than half of the American public reads below a sixth-grade level.

In all, the average voter also makes political decisions based on calculations and concerns that mainstream professional politics watchers  especially liberals and progressives  would find irrational." The 2024 election is less than one year away and, at this early point, Trump is tied with or leading President Biden in the polls. Trump is also ahead of Biden in key battleground states as well. Given the Electoral College, voter nullification and voter suppression, gerrymandering and other structural failings in American democracy there is a very real and growing probability that Donald Trump will return to power in 2025.

The sum effect is that these discussions and warnings about Americas democracy crisis and fascism are often ignored or filtered out by large portions of the public as being just more partisan bickering and politics as usual." Intervening against that dangerous tendency requires making the stakes and implications of Trumps return to power and the end of American democracy very clear, very direct, and very real for the average person. The mainstream news media and political class have largely failed in that task.

To that point, this may be the last Thanksgiving where the American people will live in a democracy, however flawed and ailing it may be, where their basic Constitutional and other civil rights are relatively secure.

In an attempt to reflect on the meaning of this Thanksgiving in a time of such great troubles, and what this holiday will mean (and what they will be doing) when and if Dictator Trump takes power next year in 2024 and beyond, I reached out to a range of experts who I have spoken with previously for my conversation series here at Salon:

Brynn Tannehill is a journalist and author of "American Fascism: How the GOP is Subverting Democracy."

I'm thankful for my loving little family. Our world may be on the verge of burning down, but at least we have each other  that and my wife's Canadian citizenship.

How will I spend Thanksgiving in the years following a Trump is re-election? In Canada, on the second Monday of October. I suppose we'll be thankful we got out, because Republicans at both the state and federal level are making it clear that their goal is a future with every trans person either in the closet or detransitioned.

If Trump goes down, the status quo holds for another 4 years. We'll see if the GOP continues to be just as dedicated to "eradicating transgenderism" in 2028. Based on the core characteristics of fascism, my guess is yes. For the foreseeable future, every general election will be a referendum on whether we should have meaningful elections ever again.

Rick Wilson is a co-founder of The Lincoln Project, a former leading Republican strategist, and author of two books, "Everything Trump Touches Dies" and "Running Against the Devil: A Plot to Save America from Trump - and Democrats from Themselves".

This Thanksgiving, I'm deeply thankful to see both of my children happy, successful, and married to loving, smart, supportive spouses. (We Wilson's can be a handful.) I'm grateful for my beautiful, brilliant fiancee Renee and the energy and joy she brings to my life every day.

If Trump wins in 2024, it'll be a dark Thanksgiving indeed. Like millions of Americans, I'll be contemplating how to protect my family from the coming authoritarianism Trump and his people have promised. As someone Trump ordered Bill Barr to investigate back in 2020, I'm likely on their list. It almost seems absurd to type those words, but it's important to plan for the worst.

If Trump loses in 2024, I'll raise a glass (or several) that Thanksgiving Day to every damn American who stayed in the fight until the end. Once he's gone, I'll keep giving groups and parties advice on keeping the lights of democracy and liberty on in a world where even if Trump is off the stage, authoritarianism and extremism still has a foothold. Aside from that, I hope I'll be watching my kids have their kids, traveling, writing more books, and flying and restoring antique airplanes.

Steven Beschloss is a journalist and author of several books, including "The Gunman and His Mother." His website is America, America.

I feel fortunate that Joe Biden is our president and a fierce advocate for democracy. In another time, that would be the most obvious expectation. But Donald Trump and his fascistic enablers have made it necessary to be clear whos committed to American values like equality, diversity and justiceand whos ready to toss it all away. Over the next year leading up to the 2024 elections, I expect Biden will further ramp up the pro-democracy agenda and messaging. That includes continuing to push back against the GOP role in stripping away womens reproductive freedom and ignoring the will of the people, what weve learned is a powerful motivator to get people to the polls. Biden won in 2020 by over 7 million votes with the largest turnout (66.3 percent) in half a century.

I anticipateand surely hope2024 will generate the same passionate engagement, if not surpass it. That bodes well for Democrats, even though the various third-party candidates are a reason to worry they could tip the outcome in Trumps favor.

The idea that a majority or sufficient plurality would choose to usher in an autocratic government with no mission beyond enabling Trump to seek vengeance against his enemies remains improbable. If Im right, next Thanksgiving will be cause for great celebration. But if Im wrong? Thanksgiving 2024 will look more like a funeralthe demise of the American democratic projectthan a time to give thanks.

Nate Powell is a graphic novelist and the first cartoonist to win the National Book Award. Powell has also won four Eisner Awards. His forthcoming graphic novel, Fall Through, will be released in February 2024, followed by a comic adaptation of James Loewens influential "Lies My Teacher Told Me" in June.

The stakes of everything at ongoing risk always illuminate my relative safety, health, comfort, choice, voice, and the people with whom I share this life. Im deeply thankful for the ability to safely be with friends and members of my creative communities again after three and a half years working our way out of the deepest depths of social isolation. I have so much gratitude for the continuing privilege of making ends meet by doing what I have wanted to do since I was 11 years oldand for peoples faith and support in my strange and emotional work in an often-undervalued medium. Im thankful for the strangers throughout much of my local community who show basic humanity and decency, calling out my own tendency for judgment and dismissal and helping to reinstill much-needed faith in people. Im thankful for having a chance to see one of my all-time favorite bands, The Hated, at a one-off reunion show deep in Maryland back in Januaryand how that experience helped galvanize much of the above gratitude throughout this foreboding year.

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If Trump wins in 2024? I spend a lot of time focused on just how eagerly people have memory-holed much of the last nine years (in fact, I made an entire book built on counteracting that urge in real time). Fragmented senses of continuity and context have been powerful conditions to allow the multiple, ongoing crises and inhumanities we witness and experience every day. I will be doing what I was doing for Thanksgiving every year since 2016: acknowledging the ongoing horror and radically deepened stakes, weeping, swearing, remembering, and then turning my phone off to focus on gratitude and love for the day, surrounded by a handful of people whose very right to exist in peace has (hypothetically) been destroyed. But Thanksgiving is my very favorite holiday, and I find it very moving to observe the day with all the mess cut out, on my own terms. I will not let fascists take away that observance of humanity, that interconnectedness.

If Trump loses? In this best-case scenario (which I still, in fact, feel is more likely), I will do exactly the same thing as if the fascists wonthere will be mass violence, fear, paranoia, and resentment to different degrees in either outcome. We are a decade into a massive, collective human struggle for the survival of multiracial democracy itselfand this era is only a chapter of the last centurys fight against white supremacy and fascism. This will be the rest of our lifetimes, and everyone needs to understand that fact. At the same time, allow yourself time and space for quiet, for sacredness, for love and human connectiondo not relinquish these under any conditions.

Norm Ornstein is an emeritus scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and contributing editor for The Atlantic.

It is hard to come up with a bundle of things to be thankful for given the state of the country and its politics. I am grateful that Glenn Youngkin and Virginia Republicans were rejected by voters in that state, that Pennsylvania chose a good justice for its Supreme Court, that Ohio rejected the disgraceful and dishonest Republican effort to impose draconian restrictions on abortion, that Kentucky chose to reelect its superb governor. I am grateful we do not have a government shutdown over the holidays. But our situation otherwise is pretty dire.

If Trump wins, I will likely spend my Thanksgiving talking to family about whether we should leave the country, and where we should go. That, sadly, is not an exaggeration. He has made clear what he will do, turning American into a fascist hellscape. If we decided to stay, I would have to think through how to fight back to keep some fragments of our decency and democracy.

If Trump loses, I will be very thankful. But if Republicans gain back the Senate, I will not be very hopeful that the next four years will provide the opportunities we need to tackle the big problems we face.

Rich Logis is a former right-wing pundit and high-ranking Trump supporter. He describes himself as "a remorseful ex-Trump, DeSantis and GOP voter."

Palpable dread, despair and hopelessness are pervasive throughout our communities on this Thanksgiving; I understand why so many feel politically paralyzed. However, our history shows that we are a resilient people, and I believe its because the vast majority of us are, despite our flaws, good and decent peopleeven, yes, most MAGA voters, who have been exploited by Trump, MAGA and the Republican Party. As a former devout MAGA activist, I left MAGA in 2022, after a year of struggling with the reality that I erred in supporting Trump and MAGA, and playing some role in getting him elected. I give thanks, on a daily basis (sometimes multiple times!), for my personal and political epiphany; because the scales fell from my eyes in my Road to Damascus transformation, I know it can happen for others. My own story is one of hope and redemption, and I see this as possible for our nation. To paraphrase the late, venerable American poetess, Maya Angelou: our nation is a multi-colored ocean, leaping and wide, welling and swelling, we bear the tide. We rise. We rise. We rise.

If Trump wins in 2024? I believe a second Trump presidency will irreparably damage our democracy. What would such an America look, and feel, like? I dont know; no one does. In the most accurate definition of the word, the U.S. is exceptional, in that we are the only exception in world history: there is no other multi-racial, multi-ethnic, multi-religious (including freedom from religion), diverse, tolerant republic/democracy hybrid, in which the people directly participate in government representation and commerce; and is also both the most powerful military, and largest economy by GDP, in world history. We are, for the most part, on our own, in figuring out how to make this American experiment work with the least amount of combustibility, as possible.

Our progress over the last 247 years, since our founding, has never moved linearly; while we are a more equitable society today, much more work is needed, and it will be accompanied by struggle. We have it in our power to ensure that we never have to answer the question of, what if Trump is re-elected? Remember: there is a will of the people, and it is one of the tenets that renders us exceptional, albeit imperfect.

Yes, I believe our alliance will be victorious; electorally repudiating MAGA, however, will not cure all our civic ills. Apologies for tempering good news, but a defeat is the startnot the endof helping others leave MAGA (which my work focuses on) and equipping our nation to go on the non-violent offensive against whatever follows MAGA. MAGA is the latestbut not the lastembodiment of politically traumatic mythologies designed to make millions panicked and desperate over an increasingly diversifying America, and an increasingly engaged youth. Lets work together to ensure the highest voter turnout in our history; all of us doing a little will make good trouble and history.

Mark Jacob, former Chicago Tribune metro editor and current author of the Stop the Presses newsletter at stopthepresses.news.

I am thankful this Thanksgiving for pro-democracy advocates in MAGA-dominated states. People who work against the odds, standing up for their principles even though their chances of success are not great. The prospects seemed dim in Georgia a few years ago, but theyre not dim anymore. The state has two Democratic senators and voted for Biden in 2020. Perseverance is so important. So, Im thankful for blue dots in red states.

If Trump wins in 2024? I would be preparing next Thanksgiving for the biggest crisis in American history since the Civil War. I would be protesting and speaking out. Resisting the rise of authoritarianism. I desperately hope I never have to find out the answer to this question.

If Trump loses, he wont accept the loss. He and his extremist followers may well make a second coup attempt. This is a long-term struggle for the survival of our democracy. Whether he wins or loses, Ill keep speaking out and fighting fascism. I invite all people of good will to join us.

Cheri Jacobus is a former media spokesperson at the Republican National Committee and founder and president of the political consulting and PR firm Capitol Strategies PR.

I don't know if "thankful" is the accurate descriptive word for how I feel about the election next year, or the state of the world. I will, however, admit to, despite the past 8 years of Trump thuggery, bigotry, treason, (and taking several direct hits from him and his flying monkeys, myself), still maintaining a glimmer of hope that Justice will prevail. I maintain a degree of faith that the American people's love of Democracy will save us, despite the daily reminders that our institutions have largely failed us so far, when it comes to Trump.

Why this hope and faith with media still relying so heavily on Trump ratings, after Merrick Garland sat on his hands and let us down for so long, and after social media oligarchs increasingly control the flow and access to accurate information? I have hope and some faith because of Ohio, Virginia, Kentucky. Because of Fani Willis, Tish James, Jack Smith. Voters in an off-year election this month turned out to defeat Trumpism and MAGA fascism, giving me hope they will do so again next year. Some in our justice system appear to have the competency, backbone, and commitment to holding criminals accountable, despite a long history of Trump and some of his team skating on obvious crimes.

The collective of non-MAGA cult Americans understand in our bones that failure next November means the effective end of our democracy. That is not hyperbole. We also know an election win will not be the end of the war on democracy, but it is a battle that must be won in order to prevail long term. If successful, we will celebrate at Thanksgiving 2024, but will re-arm for battle, knowing the wind is at our backs. Failure is not something I am willing to contemplate, consider, or plan for at this time.
The growing divide within the Democratic Party over President Bidens handling of the Israel-Hamas war is becoming a serious political problem for the 81-year-old president, who has trouble appealing to young voters and energizing his partys base.

Democratic strategists and progressive activists say growing disenchantment among liberals, especially younger Democrats and minority voters, over the war and graphic images of Palestinian civilian casualties could hurt Democratic turnout in the 2024 election.

I think its a real issue because whenever an important part of the base of your support is upset with you substantively, which I think is happening with young people and whats going on in Israel and the Middle East, thats an issue, said Tad Devine, a longtime Democratic strategist who has worked on several presidential and vice presidential campaigns.

How big of a problem is it? If the election were in two weeks, it would be a really big problem. Fortunately, the election is in 11 months. I do think theres a lot of room for the president and his administration to improve on a lot of these issues, not just the issue of the moment in Israel, he said.

Biden scored a victory Tuesday, when after weeks of pressure from his administration, Israel accepted a deal with Hamas to pause the fighting for four days to allow for the exchange of 50 hostages and 150 Palestinian prisoners. Israel says the truce could be extended if more hostages are released.

But an NBC News poll of 1,000 registered voters conducted by Hart Research Associates and Public Opinion Strategies found that 70 percent of voters ages 18 to 34 disapprove of Bidens handling of the war. The poll found that only 51 percent of Democratic voters of all ages approve of how hes navigated the issue.

The divisions within the party over the conflict have grown steadily worse as its dragged on.

That was laid bare last week, when 22 House Democrats joined Republicans in voting to censure Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib (Mich.), who is Palestinian American, for promoting fake narratives about the war after she accused Israel of practicing apartheid and repeated the pro-Palestinian slogan from the river to the sea.

Another ugly scene played out last week in front of the Democratic National Committee headquarters when pro-Palestinian protestors clashed violently with Capitol police.

And a massive crowd protest of protesters calling for a cease-fire in Gaza forced the California Democratic Convention to shut down for several hours Saturday.

Biden pointedly refused to call for a cease-fire in a Nov. 18 Washington Post op-ed and insisted Israel has a right to defend itself.

As long as Hamas clings to its ideology of destruction, a cease-fire is not peace. To Hamass members, every cease-fire is time they exploit to rebuild their stockpile of rockets, reposition fighters and restart the killing by attacking innocents again, he wrote.

Strategists say the conflict poses several significant problems for the president.

On one hand, Bidens refusal to call for a cease-fire is becoming a point of significant tension with many progressives.

Two Senate Democrats have broken with Biden on that point, including Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the No. 2-ranking member of the Senate Democratic leadership.

In a CNN interview earlier this month, Durbin called for pausing hostilities to free hostages, urging: An effort should be made to engage in conversations between Israelis and Palestinians.

On Monday, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) called for a cessation of hostilities on both sides. He said a cease-fire should be followed by negotiations to release hostages and allow humanitarian aid into Israel.

More than 40 House Democrats have called for a cease-fire. Among the latest to do so is Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), whose office was occupied by a group of activists after he initially refused to sign onto a cease-fire resolution.

On the other hand, Bidens calls for restraint, which have been largely ignored by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, risk making him look weak if they fail to curb the violence.

The longer the conflict drags on, the more it threatens to pull the United States into a broader regional conflict, which would force Biden to confront a variety of other political complications.

The Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah claimed responsibility this week for a rocket attack on an Israeli military base, heightening concerns that Iran and its proxies will get more involved in the fighting.

The United States launched a second round of airstrikes early Wednesday on Iranian proxies operating in Iraq in retaliation for those militants targeting American and coalition troops.

If it drags on and Israel continues the course theyre on, the outcry here will grow, the divisions here will grow, particularly in the Democratic Party. The outcry across the world will grow and the war could quietly likely spread, so I think its a big problem for the administration, said Bob Borosage, a leading progressive activist and co-director of Campaign for Americas Future.

He said that while Biden has urged the Israeli military to show restraint to minimize civilian casualties and called for the Palestinian Authority to ultimately govern the West Bank and Gaza, those requests have had little impact on Netanyahu and his allies.

Whats happened is Netanyahus basically blown Biden off, Borosage said. Netanyahu has said Israel will govern Gaza after the war. So the disconnect between what Biden is saying  and the reality that is going where Israel is taking [U.S.] money and doing what it wants is very damaging for Biden.

He said Biden needs the conflict and the streaming images of bombed-out neighborhoods and injured civilians to abate quickly to avoid lasting political damage.

The policy of the administration to hug Netanyahu and talk both first privately and now publicly [about restraint] but without any pressure is a mistake, he added.

Darrell West, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, acknowledged Biden has problems with progressives and young people, who do not share all of his policy objectives.

But he predicted they will rally to vote for him next year if former President Trump is the Republican nominee.

Trump will mobilize the Democratic base for Biden. Seeing the stark contrasts between Trump and Biden will bring progressives and young people back to Biden, he said. The possibility will scare most Democrats back to the Biden option.

Devine said Biden has reason to hope the situation in Israel and Gaza will improve before next years general election, given Israels military superiority and the prospect that its forces could wrap up their campaign within a few weeks or months.

I dont think, for example, that people will disagree with him about some aspect of Middle East policy, like whether Palestinians have been treated fairly for the last 30, 40 years, will be nearly as important about whether or not hes seen as a guy whos making progress on issues they care most about, he said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
DENTON, Texas - A Denton County man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for shooting and killing his girlfriend in August 2020.

Jay Rotter originally told police that his then girlfriend, Leslie Hartman, had shot herself inside their home.

Investigators quickly learned that was not the case and arrested him.

At the time of the shooting, Rotter was a narcotics detective with the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office.
A U.S. Department of Defense Education Activity official is among more than two dozen people arrested during a human trafficking operation in Coweta County.

Stephen Hovanic, 64, was arrested last Wednesday and charged with pandering. Twenty-five other people were arrested and face charges including prostitution, pandering, pimping and drug charges.

Hovanic has been the Chief of Staff for the DoDEA Americas since 2010.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

DoDEA is one of two federally operated school districts and oversees education from Pre-K to 12th grade for the Department of Defense.

They operate 160 schools in 11 foreign countries, seven states, Guam and Puerto Rico. Hovanic serves those schools located in the Americas.

TRENDING STORIES:

The DoDEA released a statement to Channel 2 Action News on Wednesday night that read:

We are aware of an alleged incident involving a DoDEA employee in the Americas Region. As there are ongoing legal processes, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time. Any questions regarding the incident should be directed to the local law enforcement agency involved.

A spokesperson says Hovanic is currently on leave.

He has since been released from the Coweta County Jail, according to jail records.

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IN OTHER NEWS:
Ukraine is working individually with all countries whose minorities live on Ukrainian territory as it aims to fulfill EU accession obligations but will not make "special exceptions" for its Hungarian minority, Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Olha Stefanishyna said in an interview with Ukrainska Pravda on Nov. 22.

Although Budapest "makes the most noise" about the Hungarian minority in Ukraine, it does not mean that the Hungarian minority necessarily faces any particularly unique issues more than other minorities living in Ukraine, Stefanishyna said.

Ukraine is working to change national laws on minority rights, especially in the sphere of education policy, to better align with European recommendations, according to the official.

However, Stefanishyna noted that other national minorities, particularly the much larger Romanian minority in Ukraine, are subject to the same language laws Budapest has so vehemently protested, but Bucharest and Kyiv have dialogue "with no such noise."

Read also: Rise of populism in Ukraines neighborhood: Not as gloomy as you think

According to the 2001 Ukrainian census, the most recent one taken, 258,600 Moldovans and 151,000 Romanians lived in Ukraine, mostly in Odesa, Chernivtsi, and Zakarpattia oblasts.

The concept of the "Moldovan language" was established during Soviet times and, in practice, denoted the Cyrillic-script version of the Romanian language. Moldova was one of the republics of the Soviet Union.

Following the breakup of the USSR, the Moldovan independence declaration from 1991 named Romanian as the country's official language, while the 1994 constitution referred to the "Moldovan language." The country's President Maia Sandu signed a law in March establishing the Romanian tongue as the country's official language.

Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said on Oct. 18 that the Ukrainian government had agreed to stop using the phrase "Moldovan language" when referring to the language spoken by Moldovans and instead use Romanian.

The census also reported that around 150,000 Hungarians lived in Ukraine, though today, this number is thought to be no higher than 80,000.

It is unknown exactly how many Romanian speakers currently live in Ukraine.

Read also: Opinion: The geopolitics of EU enlargement

Nonetheless, although there have previously been tensions over language policy between Kyiv and Bucharest, they have not been as pronounced as with Hungary.

The language law that has long been a source of strife between Hungary and Ukraine was instituted in 2017 and requires at least 70% of education above fifth grade to be conducted in Ukrainian.

In response to criticism, Ukraine has said that it does not intend to limit the linguistic rights of its minorities but rather to simply ensure that all Ukrainian citizens have the sufficient capability to speak the national language, Ukrainian.

Ukraine and Romania have made progress in solving the issues bilaterally, and the complaints from Budapest notwithstanding, Stefanishyna said on Nov. 7 that there was regular dialogue with Hungarian counterparts to address Hungary's concerns.

There have been allegations that Budapest is trying to weaponize the Hungarian minority issue in order to extract concessions from the EU or otherwise gain attention.

Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Hungary has repeatedly obstructed EU funds for Kyiv while opposing sanctions against Russia. Orban, who maintains close ties with the Kremlin, has refused to provide military aid to Ukraine and claimed that Kyiv's counteroffensive was destined to fail.

In the latest demonstration of Hungary's obstructionism towards Ukraine, Politico reported on Nov. 22 that Orban wrote a letter to European Council chief Charles Michel saying that Hungary will block all future EU aid to Ukraine as well as Ukraine's accession to the bloc unless EU leaders agree to review their entire strategy of support.

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Liberals on social media mocked Florida Gov Ron DeSantis for touting investment in the states semiconductor industry that was the direct result of the CHIPS and Science Act signed by President Joe Biden, whom he hopes to challenge in the 2024 presidential election.

Mr DeSantis made the announcement on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Tuesday.

I am awarding more than $28 million to expand Floridas semiconductor and chip manufacturing through the Job Growth Grant Fund, he said. These awards will create high-paying jobs for Floridians in growing, high-demand fields while also supporting our states economic future.

The money came as a result of the CHIPS and Science Act, a bipartisan bill which Mr Biden signed last year in an attempt to boost manufacturing of semiconductors in the United States as a means of competing with China and supporting US supply chains. The announcement from Mr DeSantis is in line with the goals of the law, gasworld.com reported.

Democrats lost little time in mocking Mr DeSantis.

I am awarding more than $28 million to expand Floridas semiconductor and chip manufacturing through the Job Growth Grant Fund.



These awards will create high-paying jobs for Floridians in growing, high-demand fields while also supporting our states economic future.  Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) November 22, 2023

Thank you @POTUS for signing the CHIPS and Science Act, Florida Democratic consultant Nikki Barnes posted on X.

Thank you @POTUS for signing the CHIPS and Science Act! https://t.co/M7Vn8OFiJC  Nikki Barnes (@NikkiBarnesFL) November 22, 2023

Thank you @JoeBiden for the CHIPS Act for providing this funding to Florida. Ron: stay in your lane and do your job. Fix the homeowner insurance crisis, Kristellys Estanga posted.

Mr DeSantis did not speak out against the CHIPS and Science Act and prior to its passage, had made announcements for chip manufacturing in places like Osceola County and Valencia College in his state.

Thank you @JoeBiden for the CHIPS Act for providing this funding to Florida. Ron: stay in your lane and do your job. Fix the homeowner insurance crisis. https://t.co/WsU9D9nvkF  Kristellys Estanga (@kristellys) November 22, 2023

At the same time, both of Floridas Republican senators, Marco Rubio and Rick Scott, did oppose the CHIPS and Science Act when it went up for a vote last year.

Still, Mr Biden and Mr DeSantis have occasionally worked together, particularly during the collapse of condominium towers in Surfside and last year during Hurricane Ian.

Mr DeSantis announced his campaign for president to challenge Mr Biden in May. But he has failed to gain traction against former president Donald Trump and he has fallen behind former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley.
By Gram Slattery and Tim Reid

(Reuters) - The head of a political action committee (PAC) supporting Republican Ron DeSantis resigned on Wednesday, dealing a further blow to the Florida governor's struggling White House campaign.

Chris Jankowski, the chief executive of Never Back Down, the main super PAC backing DeSantis's bid to become the Republican presidential nominee, quit after he said in a statement provided to Reuters that his position had become "untenable."

Jankowski's resignation follows departures from within the orbit of DeSantis' embattled presidential bid this year, including the firing of about two dozen campaign staffers in July and the replacement of his campaign manager in August.

Although super PACs are not legally allowed to coordinate with campaigns, Never Back Down and the DeSantis campaign have pushed those boundaries. Never Back Down has organized events across the country at which DeSantis has appeared and has assumed other functions usually carried out by campaigns.

DeSantis began the year in a strong position to challenge former President Donald Trump for the party's White House nomination, but has faded badly in recent months, according to national opinion polls. He trails Trump by nearly 40 points according to a September Reuters/Ipsos survey of likely Republican primary voters.

Trump has become the runaway frontrunner for the party's nomination in what is shaping up to be a likely rematch with Democratic President Joe Biden in the November 2024 presidential election.

Jankowski's statement hinted at internal divisions within the super PAC over not just strategy, but spending.

"Never Back Down's main goal and sole focus has been to elect Governor Ron DeSantis as President. Given the current environment it has become untenable for me to deliver on the shared goal and that goes well beyond a difference of strategic opinion."

Super PACs are allowed to raise unlimited amounts of money to support a political candidate, but are prohibited from contributing funds or coordinating directly with the candidate or their campaign.

DeSantis is banking on a strong showing in Iowa, the state which kicks off the Republican nominating process on Jan. 15. He was given a boost this month when Iowa's popular Republican governor, Kim Reynolds, endorsed him over Trump.

(Reporting by Tim Reid; Editing by Josie Kao)
The Netherlands is not on course to leave the European Union, despite Geert Wilders landslide victory in the Dutch elections on Wednesday.

Mr Wilders is a veteran eurosceptic and put a binding Nexit referendum in his Freedom Party manifesto before recording a shock first win for the hard-Right in a general election in the Netherlands.

Scenting a chance of taking part in government for the first time in a political career stretching back to 1998, Mr Wilders put anti-Islamic policies such as banning mosques and the Koran in the fridge before the vote.

He was rewarded for his more moderate tone with victory, as I explain here, in a campaign dominated by migration, the cost of living and a housing crisis.

Europe hardly featured in what was a close three-way race with the conservative VVD and GroenLinks-PvdA, an alliance of Left-wing and green parties led by Frans Timmermans.

Mr Timmermans quit his European Commission role as climate change boss to run in the elections, and came second to Mr Wilders 37 seats with 25 MPs.

But even he barely mentioned Brussels, conscious of the support for other eurosceptic parties in the highly fragmented world of Dutch politics.

Instead he waged a Project Fear style campaign warning Leftist voters he was their only chance to prevent a Right-wing coalition.

It backfired, with voters choosing Mr Wilders to ensure the next government was conservative.

Coalition deal-breaker

Mr Wilders is likely to struggle to form a coalition with more establishment parties after decades of inflammatory speech that means he is accompanied everywhere by bodyguards.

There are potential allies such as the eurosceptic BBB, the Dutch farmers party, and in particular the New Social Contract (NSC), which will have a kingmaker role, thanks to its 20 seats.

He could form an alliance with VVD leader Dilan Yesilgoz, who is against Nexit. She has said she would not enter into a coalition with the PVV if Mr Wilders was prime minister but may be tempted if he agrees to a less prominent role.

Neither the NSC or the BBB, conscious of EU agricultural subsidies, back Nexit but do want stricter controls on immigration and are against sending more money or powers to Brussels.

Mr Wilders is likely to have to agree to drop the Nexit referendum as part of a coalition agreement, if he can convince other parties to join him.

The fact is this is a vote he would be almost certain to lose. Dutch euroscepticism is in fine fettle but stops short of quitting the EU.

What is seen as the economic folly of Brexit has had an effect. In a January survey, support for Nexit fell 8.4 percentage points to 13 per cent, compared to 2016-2017.

We are never going to do that, laughed one pensioner I spoke to about the elections on the streets of The Hague.

The Netherlands, unlike the UK, is surrounded by land borders with EU members, has the euro as its currency and is even more closely integrated with Belgium and Luxembourg.

Again, unlike Britain, it was occupied in the Second World War by Germany, an experience made highly unlikely to happen again by the EUs existence.

Geert Wilders delivers speech at post-election meeting - CARL COURT/GEETY IMAGES EUROPE

Nexit is a non-starter, but Mr Wilders monster victory has still shaken Europe.

It is a boost for eurosceptic leaders across the bloc ahead of next years European Parliament elections, which are set to be a battle between nationalist and pro-EU forces.

I think the divisive populist will fail to form a government after lengthy negotiations, and so will Mr Timmermans.

That means the VVDs Ms Yesilgoz, who came a close third to Mr Timmermans with 24 seats, will have a chance of leading an alliance of Right-wing parties.

But the scale of Mr Wilders victory cannot be ignored.

Even if Ms Yesilgoz ultimately excludes Mr Wilders from power, his influence will drag her government further to the Right and more firmly against sacrificing more national powers to Brussels overreach.

Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month, then enjoy 1 year for just $9 with our US-exclusive offer.
About 240 hostages are being held by Hamas after it attacked Israel on Oct 7 - Debbie Hill/UPI / Alamy Live News

Israel and Hamas will start a four-day truce on Friday morning with the first batch of Israeli hostages released later that day, mediators in Qatar said.

What is in the deal?

Under the Israel-Hamas deal, the two sides agreed to a four-day truce so that 50 women and children under the age of 19 taken hostage could be freed in return for 150 Palestinian women and teenagers in Israeli detention.

The 50 hostages, among about 240 taken by Hamas in their Oct 7 raid on Israel, are expected to be released in batches, probably about a dozen a day, during the four-day ceasefire.

Those involved in the deal have described the break in hostilities a humanitarian pause. The pause will be extended by a day for each additional batch of 10 hostages released, Israel said in a statement.

Hamas said Israel had agreed to halt air traffic over the north of Gaza from 10am (8am GMT) until 4pm. (2pm GMT) each day of the truce and to halt all air traffic over the south for the entire period. The group said Israel agreed not to attack or arrest anyone in Gaza, and people can move freely along Salah al-Din Street, the main road along which many Palestinians have fled northern Gaza where Israel launched its ground invasion.

Qatars chief negotiator in ceasefire talks, Minister of State at the Foreign Ministry Mohammed Al-Khulaifi, said that under the deal there would be no attack whatsoever. No military movements, no expansion, nothing.

When does it start?

The truce between Israel and Hamas will start on Friday at 7am (5am GMT), with a first batch of hostages to be released at 4pm (2pm GMT), a Qatari foreign ministry spokesman said.

The spokesman said the lists of all civilians that would be released from Gaza had been agreed and said Qatar hoped to negotiate a subsequent agreement to release additional hostages from Gaza by the fourth day of the truce.

The armed wing of Hamas confirmed the 5am GMT start time.

How will it work?

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) will work in Gaza to facilitate the release of the hostages, Qatar said.

The hostages are expected to be transported through Egypt, the only country apart from Israel to share a border with Gaza.

During the truce, trucks loaded with aid and fuel are expected to cross into Gaza, where 2.3 million people have been running out of food and many hospitals have shut down in part because they no longer have fuel for their generators.

The Hamas armed wing said on Thursday that 200 aid trucks and four fuel trucks would enter Gaza daily.

An operations room in Doha will monitor the truce and the release of hostages and has direct lines of communication with Israel, the Hamas political office in Doha and ICRC, Qatars foreign ministry said.

Who are the Israeli hostages?

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahus office said in a statement on Thursday that Israel had received an initial list of hostages to be released from Gaza.

Among the 50 women and children under the age of 19 being released by Hamas are three US citizens, including a girl who turns four on Friday, a US official said.

In addition to Israeli civilians and soldiers taken on Oct 7, more than half the roughly 240 hostages are foreign and dual nationals from about 40 countries including Argentina, Britain, Chile, France, Germany, Portugal, Spain, Thailand and the US, Israels government has said. Not all the hostages taken on Oct 7 were being held by Hamas fighters.

An installation of stuffed animals to raise awareness for the child hostages in Hostage Square outside the Tel Aviv Museum of Art - Debbie Hill/UPI/Alamy Live News

Who are the Palestinians?

Israel has provided a list of about 300 Palestinian prisoners who might be released  double the number of women and minors it has agreed to be freed at first  and suggested it expects more than 50 hostages to be released under the deal.

The Palestinian Prisoners Society said that as of Wednesday, 7,200 prisoners were being held by Israel, among them 88 women and 250 children 17 and under.

Most on the list of 300 are from the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Jerusalem and were held for incidents such as attempted stabbings, hurling stones at Israeli soldiers, making explosives, damaging property and having contacts with hostile organisations. None are accused of murder. Many were held under administrative detention, meaning they were held without trial.

The released prisoners could be taken by buses to the presidential headquarters of the Palestinian Authority first as in past releases, even though Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, had no role in these truce negotiations, a Palestinian official said.

How was the deal done?

Qatar played a major mediation role. Hamas has a political office in Doha and the Qatari government has kept channels of communication open with Israel, even though unlike some other Gulf Arab states it has not normalised ties with Israel.

The US also played a crucial role, with Joe Biden, the US president, holding calls with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Mr Netanyahu in the weeks leading up to the deal.

Egypt, the first Arab state to sign a peace deal with Israel and which has long played a mediation role over the decades of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, was also involved.

A woman's necklace displays a slogan demanding the release of Israelis kidnapped by Hamas in Hostage Square, outside the Tel Aviv Museum of Art - Debbie Hill/UPI/Alamy Live News

Why has it taken so long?

The deal was announced 46 days after the start of the war, one of the most fierce conflicts to erupt between the two sides. Hamas fighters killed 1,200 people when they launched their raid on Israel, the biggest single-day toll on Israeli soil since its creation in 1948, and more than 14,000 people have been killed in the Israeli air strikes and land incursion since then, the most by far of any recent war.

Amid such ferocious fighting, the large number of hostages and Israels stated determination to wipe out Hamas in Gaza, mediating even a temporary deal, like this one, proved far more challenging than in previous conflicts.

The initial negotiations for a deal between Israel and Hamas, both sworn enemies, began within days of the Oct. 7 attack but progress was slow. This was partly because communications between the warring sides had to go via Doha or Cairo and back for every detail hammered out, such as securing a full list from Hamas for those to be released, U.S. officials said.

Even with a deal in place, the ceasefire is temporary. Hamas has said throughout the truce its fingers remain on the trigger. Israel has said the conflict will continue until all the hostages are freed and Hamas is eliminated.

In 2014, when Israel last launched a major land invasion in Gaza, it took 49 days for both sides to implement a ceasefire deal, but that brought major fighting to an end for several years.

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A British aid worker who spent nine months being held in Afghanistan has told the BBC that at one point he thought he "wasn't going home".

Kevin Cornwell, originally from Middlesbrough, was released from detention in October after 272 days.

While imprisoned in Kabul, he said he spent three months trying to avoid being radicalised in his cell.

The paramedic said being reunited with wife Kelly, who had been fighting for his release, was "the most exciting time" in his life.

It comes as Mrs Cornwell, from Fleetwood, Lancashire, graduated from the University of Cumbria after completing her mental health nursing degree.

She said she was "overwhelmed" to receive a special award from her faculty for its most inspirational student, after completing her final-year studies during the ordeal, as well as recovering from a hysterectomy.

Mr Cornwell, pictured with wife Kelly, said there were attempts to "radicalise" him

Mr Cornwell had been working for the UN Refugee Agency when he was detained for allegedly breaking the country's laws in January.

He was confronted by secret police who had searched his hotel room where a pistol, for emergency use, was found in his safe.

Despite having a licence, he was taken away with a bag over his head and locked up for 11 days in solitary confinement before even being questioned.

The 54-year-old spent three months in a cell where inmates attempted to "radicalise" him 10 hours a day.

The three months was quite difficult, I found that not the hardest thing I have ever done but it was extremely difficult trying to avoid the radicalisation inside that cell," he said.

When they were asleep I used meditation just to sort of give my head the right space and maintain my mental fitness.

I didnt think I was coming out of there. At one point I thought I was going to be there and I wasnt going home.

He was later moved into a cell with another British national and a Mexican-American, who remains detained.

'Hes heading home'

Mrs Cornwell, despite being told not to talk to the media, chose to speak out in a bid to put pressure on the government to have her husband freed.

"I had to humanise Kevin," she said.

I dont think he would be home now if that pressure hadnt been added and if I hadnt have taken it to the Press in the first place," she added.

Kelly Cornwell was able to speak to her husband on the phone

Mr Cornwell had only six phone calls while detained, and was able to speak with his wife and the UK Foreign Office (FCDO).

I am a very strong and resilient person but speaking to Kelly gave me hope, and Kelly told me I would be going home, she focused on that quite a lot," he said.

He said the amount of time they were able to talk was gradually cut short.

I was under duress while I was on the telephone and I was told what to say," he said.

The rest of the time I just ignored them and said what I wanted to say to Kelly, just in case it was the last phone call that I had.

Mr Cornwell, who served almost 25 years in the military, including 12 years in the Royal Army Medical Corps, has been deployed around the world.

On the day of his release, he said he could not be sure until "the last minute", as international prisoners would often be given false hope.

They came in the cell at approximately five o'clock on the morning I was released. I knew it was five o'clock because call of prayer had just been," he said.

They took us outside, tidied us up a little bit, told us to get a wash, handcuffed us, put a bag over our heads, put us into an armoured vehicle and took us to the airport with our bags which they had collected."

Mrs Cornwell described her anxious wait after finding out her husband was being freed.

When she was told he was out of Afghan airspace she "woke the whole household up" to tell them "hes on his way home".

Mr Cornwell described the moment he was reunited with his wife.

It was probably the best moment I have had in my life besides seeing my children being born," he said.

I couldnt speak for a couple of minutes, I didnt have the words."

Kelly Cornwell graduated with a mental health nursing degree from the University of Cumbria

Mr Cornwell, whose health suffered, also developed kidney stones and will have an operation in December.

As he continues with his recovery, he hopes to return to work.

I wont be going back to Afghanistan," he added.

I may go to a number of other countries to work, but at the moment that is still not decided.

He paid tribute to his wife's "resilience" as he watched her graduate at Carlisle Cathedral on Wednesday.

Mrs Cornwell said she was accepting her award for all those "who have also experienced hard times".

The past nine months have taught us both that all there is are memories now, we are going to create memories, she added.

Follow BBC Cumbria on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to northeastandcumbria@bbc.co.uk.
Has something gone terribly wrong with your Thanksgiving prep?

A guest canceled and now youre short a green bean casserole.

You woke up the morning of Thanksgiving and realized the turkeys still frozen.

You burned the gravy while watching the Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Dont panic.

Below is a Thanksgiving survival guide for last-minute emergencies. Which grocery stores are open and closed? Who do you call with a question about cooking the bird? Where should you pour that extra grease? And  catastrophe!  where do you dine out if your whole meal goes up in flames?

I forgot an ingredient! Whats open?

Whole Foods Market. Dreamstime/TNS

Publix: Closed Thanksgiving Day.

Winn-Dixie and Fresco y Mas: Closed Thanksgiving Day.

Sedanos: Stores will close at normal time on Wednesday, then be open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.

Presidente: Open, but check your preferred location for hours. Some stores will open at 7 a.m.

Milams Market: Open 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.

Aldi: Stores closed on Thanksgiving Day.

Price Choice Supermarkets: Open, but check your location of choice for hours.

The Fresh Market: Open 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.

Whole Foods Market: Stores will close at 10 p.m. or 11 p.m. on Wednesday. Most stores open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.

Trader Joes: All stores closed.

Its Thanksgiving Day and the turkey is still frozen!





Did your turkey defrost on time? Lisa Wilson/lwilson@islandpacket.com

Fear not. Breathe. You can still cook the turkey in the oven, though itll take longer, according to the USDAs website.

Check Butterballs website to determine the cooking time for your birds size and add about 50 percent to the time. So your 10-18 pound bird, which would normally take a little more than three hours, will instead take between 4.5 to five hours at 325 degrees.

READ MORE: Can your turkey explode? Consumer watchdogs have a warning about your holiday cooking

Whatever you do, never deep fry a turkey that is still frozen. The oil will instantly burst into a geyser of flames and start one of the thousands of Thanksgiving Day fires that happen every year in this country. Ten people die and 50 are injured on average every year from these frozen turkey fires, according to State Farm Insurance.

Still have a question? There are several toll-free numbers you can call on Thanksgiving day to help you talk through your Turkey tragedy:

 Butterball: 800-288-8372

 USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline: 888-674-6854





 Sara Lee Desserts Pie Hotline: 800-323-7117

What do you do with all this turkey grease?

It can be tempting, but dont pour grease down your sink.

If you pour the hot, greasy drippings from your turkey (or roasted Caja China pig) down the toilet or sink drain, youre asking for an emergency plumbing situation, the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department says. Once the grease cools, it will harden inside your pipes and clog them.

Instead, the county suggests pouring the grease into an old can, letting it cool and throwing it away in your regular trash.

Can we just go out to eat?

Jaya at The Setai is offering its usual Sunday brunch on Thanksgiving. This is the holiday dessert spread. KEN HAYDEN PHOTOGRAPHY

You tried to deep fry a frozen turkey, burned the house down and now everyones hangry and staring at you.

Heres a list from Miami.com of some South Florida restaurants where you can eat out instead of cooking on Thanksgiving.
If you had to pick the five most important rocks in the world, in no particular order, the list might look something like this: the Rosetta Stone, which helped archaeologists decipher hieroglyphs; the Black Stone in the Kaaba, a holy object for the worlds over 1 billion Muslims; the Stone of Scone, used in British coronation ceremonies since 1296 (and even earlier in Scotland); the Blarney Stone, which can give you the gift of gab with a kiss; and Plymouth Rock, the first spot where the Mayflower landed in America in 1620 (according to legend, of course). But just how true is the legend of Plymouth Rock?

There are two main sources historians refer to when looking at the Mayflower trip: Of Plymouth Plantation, written by William Bradford, and Mounts Relation, written mostly by Edward Winslow, although most historians suggest Bradford wrote some of Mounts Relation as well. A mention of a large rock in either one would almost certainly be sufficient evidence that the legend is true. But before we get to those sources (and apologies for the slight cliffhanger there), we do need to clarify a few other things.

First: Plymouth, with or without the rock, was not the first place the Pilgrims landed. Historians have placed that spot somewhere near Provincetown, Massachusetts, because both Mounts Relation and Of Plymouth Plantation describe the first landing taking place on a relatively narrow strip of land on Cape Cod  where Plymouth is not. In the early 1900s, the Cape Cod Pilgrim Memorial Association built the Pilgrim Monument, a 252-foot (77 meter) granite tower, to memorialize the events. That monument is in Provincetown, not in Plymouth.

Second: Plymouth Rock is not exactly one rock. In 1774, the rock was split in half, horizontally, like a bagel, wrote John McPhee in the New Yorker. The lower half remained where it was, but the upper half was moved to the town square. It sat there until 1834, when it moved to Pilgrim Hall. According to McPhee, the halves were reunited in 1880, the rock was mortared back together and the year 1620 was chiseled in. The repairs did not last. By 1989, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts announced that they needed a mason to repair Plymouth Rock, the story of which makes up half of McPhees article.

But it was not the upper half that required the work done to maintain Plymouth Rock over the years. The lower half, which was not moved when the broke in 1774, became part of the surface of a wharf. As such, it was walked on, wheeled over and chiseled away by opportunistic tourists. So in 1880, when the rock was reassembled, the pieces didnt exactly fit back together, explaining the liberal application of mortar that slowly fell apart, why the rock is much smaller today, and why its not really one rock anymore.

Third: A very old man said it was the rock the Pilgrims landed on. In 1741, 94-year-old church elder Thomas Faunce, heard that the large boulder near the shore was going to be buried to make room for a wharf. He ordered to be driven down to the boulder, and sat in a chair next to Plymouth Rock. As a crowd gathered, Faunce explained that this was the landing point for the original settlers, and they should respect that.

Faunces protest came 121 years after the original landing. And yet ... his father arrived at the settlement in 1623. Thomas Faunce was born in Plymouth in 1647. He almost certainly interacted with some of the original Pilgrims. McPhee notes that Faunce was keeper of the records in Plymouth for thirty-eight years.

All of this circles back to the two surviving published sources.

Neither of them mentions the rock. Nobody bothered to write it down. A 1962 article in American Heritage claims the earliest reference to the rock in general is from a 1715 boundary survey, but thats still 95 years after the original landing.

So, did the Mayflower land on Plymouth Rock? Thomas Faunce had almost zero reason to lie. On the other hand, none of the surviving primary sources mention landing on a rock. We just dont know. And since we just dont know, wed like to pose a different question: Does it truly matter?

Tell all the truth but tell it slant  Success in Circuit lies Too bright for our infirm Delight The Truth's superb surprise As Lightning to the Children eased With explanation kind The Truth must dazzle gradually Or every man be blind   Emily Dickinson

Sources:

About the Pilgrim Monument in Provincetown Massachusetts. Pilgrim Monument & Provincetown Museum, https://www.pilgrim-monument.org/pilgrim-monument/. Accessed 17 Nov. 2023.

Magazine, Smithsonian, and Megan Gambino. The True Story Behind Plymouth Rock. Smithsonian Magazine, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/the-true-story-behind-plymouth-rock-639690/. Accessed 17 Nov. 2023.

McPhee, John. TRAVELS OF THE ROCK. The New Yorker, 18 Feb. 1990. www.newyorker.com, https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1990/02/26/travels-of-the-rock.

Mourts Relation: A Journal of the Pilgrims at Plymouth, 1622, Part I. 1622, http://www.histarch.illinois.edu/plymouth/mourt1.html.

The Pilgrims and The Rock. AMERICAN HERITAGE, https://www.americanheritage.com/pilgrims-and-rock. Accessed 17 Nov. 2023.

The Project Gutenberg eBook of Bradfords History of Plimoth Plantation, by William Bradford. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/24950/24950-h/24950-h.htm#Of_Plimoth_Plantation. Accessed 17 Nov. 2023.
Kyle Rittenhouse is receiving backlash on social media after announcing that he is releasing a book about the shooting that made him a nationally infamous figure.

On Sunday, Nov. 19, Rittenhouse shared a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, with a link to pre-order the book Acquitted.

Kyle Rittenhouse pitches new book titled Acquitted (Photo by Sean Krajacic  Pool/Getty Images)

I never wanted to be a public figure. I was homeless as a small child and raised in government-subsidized housing. My goal was to be a cop or a paramedic, the 20-year-old wrote. I went to Kenosha to help my communitynot become a whipping boy in the national debate. In less than three minutes, the direction of my life was horribly altered when I was forced to defend myself with deadly force. So much was said and written about me that was not true.

Rittenhouse did not include a release date on the website, and its unclear if he has a publishing deal. However, Court TV reported his lawyer, Mark Richards, and Texas Scorecards Michael Quinn Sullivan are contributing to his efforts.

Rittenhouse emphasized that the book is an opportunity to tell his account following what happened during the August 2020 incident in Kenosha, Wisconsin, amid civil unrest following the shooting of Jacob Blake  a Black man who was shot several times in the back by local police.

Now, for the first time, I want to tell my story. My name is Kyle Rittenhouse, he continued. I was attacked. I defended myself. I was prosecuted. I was acquitted.

Rittenhouse was 17 years old when he fatally shot two demonstrators, identified as Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber, with an assault-style weapon. Another man, Gaige Grosskreutz, was injured following the incident. He argued that he was acting in self-defense.

The following year, Rittenhouse was acquitted of the charges against him. He was hailed by the right-wing community, even gaining the support of former President Donald Trump.

Rittenhouse has worked to remain relevant throughout the years by making appearances at conservative events and painting himself as a victim of the media. This campaign was only stepped up this year response to being sued by the families of his Kenosha victims.

In response to his book announcement, people slammed him on social media, with one labeling him absolute garbage.

The people buying the Kyle Rittenhouse book are still calling OJ a murderer, another person wrote.

Just go away Rottenhouse. No one is interested in your self-aggrandizing, self-promoting, self-pitying twaddle. You've outlived your usefulness to the right, and everyone else thinks you're a murderer. https://t.co/gyKVWJSgsv  Jim Clark (@tapeman1983) November 20, 2023

Oh look, now the punk-ass killer not only get away with killing, but he gets to tell his story and sell it to all the other punk-ass wannabes.



This is disgusting#KyleRittenhouse you should be in jail, not selling a how-to book https://t.co/g39jzr55O7 pic.twitter.com/gCqBMNzvHv  no one you know (@politics_and_ms) November 20, 2023
David Tennant was hugely popular as the 10th Doctor and is now back as the 14th Doctor

At 5:15pm on 23 November 1963, the first episode of Doctor Who was broadcast on BBC One.

Exactly 60 years on, the show is celebrating its diamond anniversary with three new hour-long specials starting this weekend.

For many fans, they're particularly special because they feature the return of David Tennant, who left in 2010. His tenth Doctor has arguably been the most popular with audiences since the show returned in 2005.

"To get to return to something that meant so much 15 years ago, and was such a huge part of my life, was something I never really imagined was likely," says Tennant.

"To be the Doctor again, what a treat!"

David Tennant and Catherine Tate are reunited for three 60th anniversary specials

He's joined once again on screen by Catherine Tate's Donna Noble. Viewers familiar with her storyline will know that the Doctor wiped her memory, warning her family that if she ever remembered him, she would die.

"Being back on set with Catherine of course, we had such a great time all those years ago," Tennant says.

She's not the only member of the old team to return, with Russell T Davies also back as head writer and showrunner.

"A lot of the team were back together," Tennent adds. "It felt very, very familiar."

Can lightning strike twice?

For many, Davies coming back to oversee the show was an even bigger surprise than Tennant's return.

Since leaving Doctor Who in 2010, he's written a variety of acclaimed dramas, most notably 2021's It's A Sin for Channel 4.

His previous time on Doctor Who was so successful - does he feel some nervousness because of the weight of such audience expectation?

"I know what you mean," Davies replies. "People said to me, can lightning strike twice? But actually, if you stand in the middle of a storm, and hold up a great big piece of metal, lightning does strike you twice.

"All this show needs is to be good, to be fun, to be well cast, to be exciting, to be brilliant. And that's really missing in the schedules, I think, at the moment.

"I dare not say I'm confident. But I'm proud of what we've done. And I hope it works."

"I hope it works" was the exact same thought that was in the minds of those making the show at the very start, six decades ago.

William Hartnell played the first Doctor from 1963 to 1966

Waris Hussein directed Doctor Who's first ever episode An Unearthly Child.

"At the time we made the show, no-one knew what we had," he remembers, now aged 84. "I don't think we in the production area knew what we had, or indeed the BBC."

The young director only got assigned to the show by accident after the original director walked away.

"I got this script and I just didn't understand it at all. I said to Verity Lambert, the producer, 'What are we going to do with this?'

"She said, 'Well we're just going to have to make it work.' And that's where we are right now. We're still talking about something 60 years later because it worked!"

Doctor Who's longevity

The reasons for the show's longevity have been debated for decades. Those who have been involved in the show down the years have their own theories.

"They say there are only six or seven stories under sun," says Sylvester McCoy, who played the Doctor between 1987 and 1989. "And mankind's genius is to retell them and entertain us with them.

"This is one of those stories. Someone comes down to Earth, takes on the human form, and tries to do good and help out. And it is kind of a lonely figure, full of love for humanity."

Colin Baker, who played the Doctor between 1984 and 1986, concurs.

"It's all connected to the storytelling of 1,000 years ago," he says. "When people sat round a campfire and told tales of strangers who ride into town and makes things better. We've always loved that idea."

The future

While the anniversary will give fans a chance to celebrate the show's past, they will also be looking to its future.

Doctor Who has evolved significantly over the years. One recent development is the involvement of Disney, who will stream the show outside the UK and Ireland.

It means bigger budgets going forward. But is there a danger that if it becomes too slick and glossy, it might jeopardise the traditional British feel of the show?

"It's not a vast injection of cash," says Davies. "It's nothing like a Star Wars budget. But it's very healthy for Doctor Who. I think that's needed. I think the show's in danger of looking tired.

"We're in a huge streaming age, where these dramas look astonishing. And it reaches the point where you can't be charming, funny old Doctor Who any more."

Ncuti Gatwa will take over from David Tennant as the Doctor

After Tennant's three specials, there will be a new Doctor taking over the Tardis, played by Ncuti Gatwa.

Viewers will see him in action for his first full episode in the Christmas Day special, and the actor's first series will be broadcast in 2024. Davies is already overseeing filming on Gatwa's second series.

"I've had a little glimpse of what Ncuti can do, and it's very exciting," reveals Tennant. "He's so inventive, he's clever, he's quick, he's funny.

"It's really exciting that there's such a brilliant new Doctor coming down the track. And I will be glued to every new episode."

Doctor Who: The Star Beast is on BBC One on Saturday 25 November at 18:30 GMT.
David Tennant as The Doctor and Catherine Tate as Donna Noble in a 2008 episode

Bringing Doctor Who to Wales was a "leap of faith", according to the team that brought it to Cardiff.

Since 2005 the hit sci-fi series has been made in Wales, first by BBC Wales and now by Cardiff production company Bad Wolf.

The show is celebrating its 60th anniversary with events in the capital and an upcoming trio of new episodes starring David Tennant.

Ncuti Gatwa is set to replace him as the next Time Lord on Christmas Day.

The show's production has also created "thousands of jobs", birthing a wider TV drama industry around it, and contributed more than 134m to the Welsh economy.

Cardiff was chosen as the home for Doctor Who by the BBC in 2004 and it began filming the following year.

It was the corporation's then drama commissioner Jane Tranter who persuaded BBC Wales head of drama Julie Gardner to work with writer Russell T Davies to create the new series in the city.

All three are now reunited as Tranter and Gardner's production company Bad Wolf is making Doctor Who for the BBC at its Wolf Studios in Splott, with Davies again penning the scripts.

Asked about the original risk they took relaunching it and basing its production in Wales, Jane Tranter said: "You call it a risk, I call it a leap of faith - or bloody-minded determination that this is what we are going to do.

"I never felt it was a risk to bring back Doctor Who, and as soon as Julie and Russell were involved I didn't think it was going to be a risk at all."

Cardiff quickly became a backdrop for a succession of new Doctors, beginning with the 2005 revival starring Christopher Eccleston.

He was followed by David Tennant, Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi and Jodie Whittaker.

Jane Tranter and Julie Gardner helped bring Doctor Who to Cardiff almost 20 years ago

Now Tennant is set to make an imminent return to mark the show's landmark birthday, before Gatwa becomes the 15th Doctor on 25 December.

The success of Doctor Who has coincided with increased demand for high-end TV dramas, and a sprawling Welsh production base has emerged.

"We have always believed the crews and the locations are here, it's a place of endless possibility," said Ms Gardner.

"That said, Cardiff and Wales in 2023 is very different in spirit to where it was in 2004.

"Back then there was a lot of suspicion about Doctor Who coming 'down the motorway from London'.

"It's like it wasn't quite real, or wouldn't be Welsh enough, wouldn't do enough or be taken away."

A BBC report into the economic impact of Doctor Who found more than 134m in gross value added (GVA) in Wales, and a total UK contribution to the economy of 256m.

On location in Llandaff, Matt Smith as The Doctor in 2010

But it also triggered a far greater investment by other production companies who were persuaded to film in Wales after witnessing its success.

"I had no idea it was going to be as popular as it is now," said Danny Hargreaves, who provided special effects for the first series of Doctor Who before opening Real SFX in 2008.

He still makes explosions and blizzards for the series, with a workshop in Cardiff that houses cutting-edge equipment.

"We get to build some really cool stuff and the show gives me a licence to blow up stuff," he added.

Danny has witnessed the broader impact of the iconic TV series on Wales's production sector.

"What people don't realise is how much of an impact Doctor Who created here in Wales," he said.

"It was really the catalyst for what is an exceptional industry in Wales, and many different productions from all over the world have filmed here since."

Meanwhile, returning showrunner Davies is as great an advocate for Wales in 2023 as he was in 2005.

He said he would have rejected the option to make the show in London.

"I've lived in Manchester for many years, made Queer as Folk there and done tonnes of dramas there with a local flavour," he said.

"But I'm fundamentally Welsh, so to bring Who here was a great opportunity.

"I think if they'd asked me to make Doctor Who in London, I would have refused," he added.

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Shoppers wait to cash out in a line that stretches down the aisle at Best Buy on Black Friday in 2002. Today, many holiday deal seekers shop online instead of heading to a store.

What used to be the two biggest shopping days of the holiday season still draw deal seekers but have lost the top spot to online shoppers looking for early deals.

The COVID-19 pandemic changed the landscape for retailers and shopping habits for consumers. Retailers began pulling back on opening on Thanksgiving or having the early-morning Black Friday door-buster sales as interest in person waned.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are still big shopping days  there will be plenty of deals... However, of late, consumer interest has been dwindling, Rajesh Bagchi, a professor of marketing at the Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Tech told USA TODAY.

Still, Black Friday remains a popular day for shoppers to shop in a store. Last year, 73 million shoppers went to a brick-and-mortar store on Black Friday, up from 66.5 million in 2021, according to the National Retail Federation.

This year, the trade organization for the retail industry says an estimated 182 million people are planning to shop in store or online from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday, according to an annual survey. Thats up 15.7 million people from last year and the highest estimate since the organization began tracking the data in 2017.

Are Black Friday and Cyber Monday the same?

Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, represents the traditional kickoff of the holiday shopping season, with many retailers offering heavy discounts.

Cyber Monday, the Monday following Thanksgiving weekend, emerged as an online alternative to Black Friday, which typically attracted large crowds into brick-and-mortar stores.

Over time, however, retailers have blended Black Friday and Cyber Monday, offering deals both in-store and online, and have started rolling out discounts earlier. This year, Black Friday sales started as far back as October.

These two days still attract a high volume of sales. However, the relative spike in sales on these two days is not as pronounced as in the past, said Denish Shah, a marketing professor at the Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University. Among his specialties is marketing strategy.

Retailers are increasingly starting the sales and deep promotions much earlier, he said.

Is it better to buy during Black Friday or Cyber Monday?

There will be deals both on Black Friday and Cyber Monday and retailers have started rolling out deals early, including Amazon launching its Black Friday deals the Friday before, said David Kender, editor-in-chief of Reviewed, a product review website and part of the USA TODAY Network.

Walmart is offering exclusive online deals to Walmart Plus members days before the deals will show up in the store, said Kender.

It is not concentrated on that one 24-hour period on Black Friday and that 24-hour period of Cyber Monday. It is spread out a little bit, Kender said.

While there will be deals on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, not all products are deeply discounted, said Bagchi. Retailers rely on increasing traffic to their store and hope that consumers will end up buying some of the other not-so-highly discounted products. Now, if there is less interest among consumers, then you will also be able to find better deals.

How did Black Friday get its name?

While many theories have circulated about the origin of Black Friday's name, including a popular one that it is the day stores earn a profit or go "into the black" after a loss throughout the year, Black Friday's name dates back to the 1950s, according to Britannica.

It was used by police in Philadelphia to describe the chaos that often took place in the city the day after Thanksgiving. Many people from the suburbs would come to Philadelphia to do their holiday shopping. That would bring large crowds, traffic, accidents, shoplifting and other issues, causing officers to work extra hours.

By 1961, the name Black Friday stuck and became more popularized in the 1980s.

Shoppers at Nordstrom at Mayfair Mall on Black Friday, Nov. 26, 2021.

Why have retailers moved to both online and in-store sales?

Traditionally, 40% of retail sales occurred in November and December, but trends have changed, said Bagchi, who studies consumer behavior.

Now consumers have many different opportunities to purchase products at discounted rates. For example, in 2015 Amazon started offering deeply discounted products on Prime Day, which is in July. In order to compete with Amazon, others started offering deeply discounted products too  so instead of waiting all the way until November, retailers started offering some of their better deals in July, he said.

Amazon introduced another major deal day in October, which forced other competitors to offer deals as well, said Bagchi.

Retailers dont want to miss out on potential sales by not starting their promotions early enough, Shah said.

That includes traditional retailers, who had to realize the hard way that the only way to combat stiff competition from exclusively online retailers like Amazon is to take the battle to their turf. That is, make a bigger shift to offering deals and sales promotions online, said Shah.

Paula Byrd, of Dunn, N.C., browses through the dress-up clothes at Toys "R" Us Friday morning, Nov. 25, 2005, as she stays close to her over-flowing shopping cart of gifts for her three children.

Can I still get a deal if I want to go in person to a store on Black Friday?

Customers can still expect to see a large number of deals, said Shah, but a good proportion of them may also be available on the retailers website.

There is a good chance of seeing some exclusive in-store deals. My observation has been that the proportion of exclusive in-store deals has declined over the years, he said. Given the shift to online buying, the number of people queuing up in the early morning hours of Black Friday is also significantly reducing. In-store stampedes on Black Friday morning are going to become a thing of the past.

When can I shop deals at Walmart, Target and Amazon for Black Friday?

Walmart is promoting its Black Friday deals, which began online Wednesday, and then in stores on Black Friday beginning at 6 a.m.

Target started early Black Friday deals and launched its Black Friday deals on Sunday.

Amazon (also started its Black Friday deals early on Nov. 17, a week before Black Friday.

Should I wait until Cyber Monday to buy a laptop?

The experts had slightly different views on this question.

Shah said you dont necessarily need to wait.

Retail promotions from recent years indicate that the best deals for a wide variety of products dont necessarily fall on these two days. Therefore, grab a deal early if you see something good, he said. Customers can always return a product or ask for a price adjustment.

For some categories, like cameras and kitchen appliances, Cyber Monday may offer better deals, said Bagchi.

It is a bit risky to wait until Cyber Monday to do the bulk of your shopping. You may miss out on great sales if you wait all the way until Monday, he said.

Kender said theres not a tremendous amount of distinction in terms of levels of discounts for particular lines of items as there have been in years past. There may be some good electronic deals on Cyber Monday, but it wont be as pronounced as other years, he said.

In the mood for holiday shopping? Beware, this year more stores are closed on Thanksgiving

Are inventory or supply chain issues expected this year?

During the COVID pandemic, retailers suffered from supply-chain issues, which affected holiday shopping and availability of goods. While geopolitical tensions persist, Shah said, inventory/supply chain issues or worries have eased this year. Most retailers are experiencing a fairly stabilized supply chain, close to pre-pandemic levels, he said.

With that said, theres still always a chance product inventory runs out quickly for deals, so keep that in mind, Shah said.

What stores are open on Black Friday? See hours for Walmart, Target, Macy's, more

Kender advises looking online to check inventory levels at a store if youre going in person. Sometimes the inventory listed, particularly if it is in single digits, are not accurate to what is actually available at the store, he said.

What other tools are retailers using to increase sales this year?

Consumers increasingly want instant gratification or want the product now, said Shah. Retailers who offer one-day or same-day delivery will likely be preferred by consumers over others, he said. Big-box retailers can combat this by offering order-online and pickup in store options.

Fast fulfillment is becoming as crucial as deals/promotions for sales, he said.

Consumers have also gotten smarter at finding and acting on good deals, Shah said.

They are willing to spend more if they see a good deal. However, they have finite budgets and limited cash reserves or credit spending. Retailers can address this by offering buy-now-pay-later options. Last year, we saw the most significant jump in consumers exercising this option, he said.

Betty Lin-Fisher is a consumer reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at blinfisher@USATODAY.com or follow her on X, Facebook or Instagram @blinfisher.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Black Friday vs. Cyber Monday 2023: Which deals should I wait for?
Editors Note: This article contains mentions of eating disorders and disordered eating. Please take care while reading, and note the helpful resources at the end of this story.

In the text overlay of a TikTok with over 2.6 million views, model Mathieu Simoneau writes, POV: Ur breaking up with me and asking why I havent said a word.

Below, he answers: It would break my 6 year mewing streak.

Mewing, a jaw-tightening exercise that creators and celebrities allegedly use to help define their jawline, has not been proven to give any long-term benefits. (In fact, Simoneau admits hes using a filter in the video.) But its a part of TikToks looksmaxxing community, made up of young men on the platform seeking to enhance their physical attractiveness. The name comes from role-playing games  to max is to fully achieve and maintain a character trait, like strength or wisdom, or in this case, appearance.

Some users on Reddit claim that the term looksmaxxing used to be associated with incel message boards and forums, but those participating in it on TikTok arent necessarily part of the incel community. Its also not associated with the steroid-focused, SARMs and body dysmorphia videos targeting young men on TikTok; its more focused on glowing up.

Some experts, however, have raised questions over whether this trend, even though its presented in meme formats and over-the-top jokes, can still be harmful to the young men consuming it.

What does MOG mean?

An expanding piece of vocabulary from the looksmaxxing TikTokers is called MOG or mogging, which stands for Man of God. Originally, the term was AMOG  alpha male of the group  which was a popular expression used in incel-centric message boards as early as 2016 to describe someone who had total control over whatever situation or group they were in.

On TikTok now, MOG is someone who has completely achieved looksmaxxing; to mog someone is to look better than them.

Hunter eyes vs. prey eyes

In addition to sharp jawlines courtesy of mewing, eye shape also plays a role in a looksmaxxers goal face. The common general categorization between eye shapes are hunter eyes versus prey eyes  the names come from a 2015 University of California, Berkeley, study that found eye and pupil shape can predict if an animal is a hunter or prey.

Looksmaxxers have co-opted this theory for humans, suggesting hunter eyes  which, in a human, are defined by narrow, deep-set eyes with a positive canthal tilt  are the ideal look for men. The canthal tilt is the angle between the inner corner of the eye and the outer corner of the eye. Prey eyes are categorized as having a negative canthal tilt with wider eyes.

Celebrities like Robert Pattinson and Chris Hemsworth are viewed as having hunter eyes, while actor Timothee Chalamet is an example of someone with prey eyes, Vice writes.

Despite the number of videos promising that certain facial massage techniques can create the illusion of hunter eyes, its not possible without surgery, according to plastic surgeon Dr. Ross Perry. Perry told Vice that it requires a very delicate and highly specialized procedure.

Its also not a trait limited to just men. Many young men within the looksmaxxers community idolize it even in women  resulting in jokes about having prey eyes but marrying a woman with hunter eyes to save their bloodline.

Who is Jordan Barrett

Supermodel Jordan Barrett, 26, has seemingly become the poster boy for looksmaxxing and mogging on the platform. Fancam edits of him at press events or professional photoshoots have been turned into looksmaxxing fodder for months. Some of the memes are pretty meta  using parentheticals to dismantle captions of fake confidence achieved through practicing various looksmaxxing tactics.

A lot of the MOG videos seem lighthearted and funny, but what are the long-term impacts of young TikTok users absorbing looksmaxxing content?

Nic Coppage, a social worker and specialist at the National Alliance for Eating Disorders, told In The Know by Yahoo that its easy for young viewers to see these looksmaxxing videos and get the idea that fitness and health should be viewed solely as transformation or makeover tools, rather than also a way to take care of oneself.

For looksmaxxing in particular, I do think this is extremely unhealthy and has potential for harm, especially in younger viewers, Coppage said. This trend in particular is based in comparison and altering your physical appearance to try and obtain an unobtainable ideal.

Coppage also pointed out that eating disorders in young men, alongside poor body image and unhealthy projections of what masculinity should look like, are often overlooked as a serious health concern.

Its not uncommon for the man in particular to not even know what he is doing is disordered, she said. Plus, when the viewers of these videos inevitably obtain different results than those they wanted, that is the starting point of the shame-and-blame cycle that only furthers restricting and over-exercising behaviors.

Dr. Don Grant, the National Advisor of Healthy Device Management for Newport Healthcare, agreed with the sentiment and added that the inclusion of God in the MOG acronym also intensifies this sense of unattainability for this ideal look and facial structure.

There is nothing wrong or unnatural about the desire to be healthy and attractive, or to want to present to others as your best possible self, Grant told In The Know by Yahoo. When young male social media users repeatedly encounter videos emphasizing the superiority of being naturally good-looking, however, the impact on their well-being can be significant.

In response to the seemingly lighthearted nature of some of the videos  jokes about saving bloodlines or the lesser known benefits of having hunter eyes are all over TikTok  Grant pointed out that its not helping the misconception that men are not affected by beauty standards as much as women are.

The greater emphasis on body image issues and media influences on young girls compared to young boys often stems from historical, community, societal and certainly mass media factors, he explained. [But] male physical [and] body awareness, issues, struggles, conversations and eating disorders have been increasingly emerging in recent years.

If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder or disordered eating habits, contact the National Alliance for Eating Disorders at 866-662-1235. You can also connect with a Crisis Text Line counselor at no charge by texting the word HOME to 741741. Visit the Alliances website to learn more about the possible warning signs of eating disorders and disordered eating.

In The Know by Yahoo is now available on Apple News  follow us here!

The post What does MOG mean? Its part of the overall looksmaxxing trend aimed at young men on TikTok appeared first on In The Know.

More from In The Know:

A viral voice test claims to know if users were incels. How does it work?

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The level of death and destruction in Gaza is unparalleled, Qatars foreign ministry has said, warning that while Fridays truce is a vital step towards peace, no amount of aid is going to be enough.

Dr Majed Al-Ansari, Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson, urged the international community to negotiate the unfettered flow of supplies into the Strip, on the eve of the first temporary ceasefire, which Doha was integral in pushing through.

Under the terms of the deal, during a four-day pause in fighting, Hamas militants will free 50 Israeli women and children hostages in exchange for the release of 150 Palestinian women and teenagers in Israeli prisons.

At the same time 200 trucks packed with much-needed food, water and medical supplies will cross into Gaza each day. But this will not be enough to address the scale of the damage, Dr al-Ansari said.

The UN is reporting the death toll to be over 15,000, all the hospitals in North Gaza are out of service. Dogs are eating the corpses of dead people on the streets of Gaza,  he told The Independent frankly.

There are unbelievable levels of destruction, death and violence that we have not seen before. This is not something that you can remedy with any number of trucks of aid that go in.

Israel Palestinians Gaza Unlivable (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Israel launched its most ferocious bombardment ever of Gaza, in retaliation for the 7 October brutal attack on southern Israel by Hamas militants who killed hundreds of people and took at least 240 people hostage, including a baby aged just 10 months.

The United Nations and rights groups have repeatedly called for a ceasefire and raised the alarm about the devastating conditions in Gaza, which is just 42km long and home to 2.3 million people, half of them minors.

Swathes of the north of Gaza have been razed, thousands of bodies remain trapped under the rubble. Even in the South, where Israel ordered civilians to evacuate to, water, food and medical supplies are running out.

We are facing a humanitarian situation that is unparalleled... What has happened in Gaza is exceptional. We need a constant stream of aid to both north and south Gaza to make sure that people can stay alive, Dr al-Ansari said.

As an international community we need to make sure just bringing in aid doesnt alleviate the responsibility from our shoulder, he added.

Fighting in Gaza raged in the lead up to the truce with Israel military telling reporters that until the truce begins it is business as usual and that fighting could even intensify in the build up.

Israeli troops hold much of northern Gaza and say they have dismantled tunnels and much of Hamas infrastructure there. On Wednesday its soldiers said they had revealed what they claimed is a major Hamas hideout in a tunnel beneath Shifa Hospital, Gazas largest medical centre.

Hamas and separately medics have repeatedly denied using the complex - which has sheltered thousands of displaced civilians - as a military base.

On Thursday the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Shifas director Mohammed Abu Selmia, and other medical officials were arrested while accompanying a World Health Organisation convoy heading south with wounded.

Displaced Palestinians receive bottled water amid a shortage of drinkable water in the Gaza Valle (Washington Post)

Ashraf al-Qudra, health ministry spokesperson, said that soldiers used extreme violence against medical staff, the wounded and the sick.Israel confirmed that it had apprehended Mr Abu Selmia, and transferred him for questioning about allegations that Shifa under his management served as a Hamas command and control centre.

The Palestinian health ministry said that Israel had also ordered the full evacuation of the Indonesian hospital - also in Gaza city - but 220 patients were still left without water, medicine or food. Whoever tries to leave the hospital will be targeted with drones, Dr Munir al-Borsh, a health ministry official.

The Israeli military denied ordering the evacuation of the Indonesian hospital. All we can do is ask, we dont give orders, said Lt.Col Richard Hecht, an Israeli military spokesman.

Fighting has raged outside the hospital for days, and hundreds of people have already been evacuated to the south. In Gaza civilians told The Independent they were anxious about the ceasefire deal collapsing before it even starts as the fighting has intensified.

The hours before a truce are always the worst, one young man said.
On Saturday, a domestic incident turned into a brief SWAT standoff, ending in the arrest of a man and the seizure of nine guns, including an AR-15.

Records from the Forsyth County Sheriffs Office show how events unfolded at a home in Cumming, Ga. late that night.

Justin York was charged with aggravated assault with a gun, a felony.

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According to the incident report obtained by Channel 2 Action News, deputies were called to a home on Skylark Creek Court in Cumming in response to a domestic dispute call.

Officers arrived just before midnight on Nov. 18. While on their way, dispatch told officers that a neighbor had called 911 about an incident happening at a home next door.

The report said the complainant received information from her neighbor that her husband had a gun and he was going to either kill himself or his wife, after receiving a text message from the woman next door.

When officers got to the house, they met a woman at her neighbors house. She said she and her husband, York, were having marriage problems and had not been communicating with each other well, according to deputies.

She told deputies that there has been tension between them.

When asked about the incident that evening, the report states that she told officers that she was trying to talk to her husband about how to fix their relationship, and he got upset with her while she tried to discuss their issues.

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While upset at his wife, York threw his plate across the room, then stood up and flipped over their kitchen table, according to the incident report.

The wife then told officers about a loaded shotgun at the home, saying that her husband at said he would get the shotgun, with her saying if he did not leave the house she would call 911, records show.

The incident report said York said if she called the cops, he would then pull the trigger, causing her to get emotional with Justin while staying in another part of the house.

Later in the night, she went to check on her husband and found him with the loaded shotgun, which he pointed directly at her, according to the report.

He refused to put the gun down and told her that one of them was going to die tonight, prompting her to contact her neighbor for help. She was able to get the shotgun away from her husband and hid it, then took their two children and left the house to their neighbors before deputies arrived.

She told deputies her husband had also been drinking. When deputies called for backup, officers set up a perimeter around the house due to other firearms being present in the home.

When deputies tried to have York exit the home, he refused and SWAT was called to the home. Soon after, he was taken into custody and charged with aggravated assault with a gun.

Deputies removed several weapons and accessories from the home after the incident, including:

Ruger P95DC

SCCY CPX-1

Gabilondo Y Preetam/Rury

Savage Shotgun/Savage 770

Savage Model 110

Central Arms Double-barrel shotgun

Sport King A1041 rifle

Mossberg 71st rifle

Bushmaster AR-15/Carbon-15

Small holster

Leather holster

Allen rifle bag

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Havre de Grace Colored High School, the first public high school for African American students in Harford County, was recognized with a historic marker for the struggle for equal education on Oct. 28. The Board of Directors of the Havre de Grace Colored School Museum and Cultural Center hosted the dedication ceremony. The school operated from 1930 to 1953.

Nearly 100 attendees attended the ceremony, held at 626 Revolution Street in Havre de Grace. State, county and city officials attended and shared their thoughts about the importance of the historic marker at the corners of Revolution and Stokes Streets. Several of these officials presented proclamations to the cultural centers board.

Several graduates of the Havre de Grace Colored High School attended the dedication ceremony, including Catherine (Williams) Burks, Class of 1946; Isaac Cole and Janice (Moorehead) Grant, both of the Class of 1951; and Rosetta Lee Jones, Class of 1953. Cassie Stansbury also attended the ceremony in honor of her late husband, Wardell, Class of 1953.

The celebration continued at the Havre de Grace Colored School Museum and Cultural Center located at 555 Alliance Street, where guests enjoyed light refreshments and museum tours. Maryland Sen. Mary-Dulany James, who represents the area, made remarks, presented a proclamation to the board and toured the museum.
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4)  Get those birds thawing and dig out Granny Lulas gigantic roasting pan; its time to make the Thanksgiving Dinner star. Cooking the turkey can be intimidating but there are tons of tips out there and the internet can be your best friend when it comes to the perfectly golden fowl.

If you havent already, that bird should be in the fridge relaxing and thawing, getting ready for the big day. Experts say give the bird at least 24 hours per 5lbs. to thaw. If you got busy buying pumpkin spice candles and cranberry wreaths to decorate the holiday table, and the bird is still resting in the freezer, grab him and throw him in a cooler full of cool water and give it about 30 minutes per pound.

Cooking safety tips for preparing Thanksgiving dinner

If you are reading this on Thanksgiving morning  there is still hope  Food Network chefs say it is okay to roast (NEVER FRY) a bird that isnt completely thawed. Although it isnt recommended and results will vary, simply cook your bird at a lower heat, about 325 degrees, for 50% more cooking time than your recipe calls for.

Once Tom Turkey is ready for the oven, find a recipe that speaks to your soul, or at least will impress your mother-in-law, with little chance of turning into a dried-out carcass that will bring everyone to tears and resort to ordering pizza. This is not the time to try out that exotic Marigold Encrusted Rose Enhanced Tinfoil Tub Brined Turkey  Uncle Fuzzy wants the traditional Butterball and stuffing.

Photo courtesy Adobe Stock 2023

There are many schools of thought on cooking bags, covered roasters, smoking, frying, basting, and stuffing turkeys; talk to those you know who have produced the golden deliciousness in years past and get tips and tricks that will translate to an enjoyable feast that will become the subject of next years family reunion tales. Nothing says success like Aunt Mabel giving you the knowing look when someone asks who is hosting Thanksgiving next.

Turkey should be baked until the thigh meat registers 165 degrees Fahrenheit on a cooking thermometer. Juices should run clear when the thigh is pierced with the tip of a knife. Then, let the bird rest for 30 minutes before carving.

Good Housekeeping suggests keeping the carving under wraps in the kitchen instead of at the table. Although movies make it look clean and easy, unless Grandpa is an excellent knife-wielding samurai or a surgeon with precision skills, carving the big boy can make quite a mess and not impress anyone.

Dont forget the side dishes  although make sure to delegate so that everyone gets to contribute to the feast. Plus, its a great time to ask Great-Aunt Tammy to finally cough up her cranberry relish recipe that everyone has been salivating over.

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If things do go sideways in the turkey department, the Butterball corporation does have their annual Turkey Talk-Line, staffed by home cooks who have thousands of delicious holiday dinners under their belts and can probably help you through any problem  or at least they can comfort you as they help you Google the closest open buffet you can cart everyone off to while the firemen put out the flames and secure traps on the roof to keep the snow out until the kitchen can be rebuilt.

Reach the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line at 1-800-BUTTERBALL or text 844-877-3456. The website also offers plenty of answers to common questions about roasting the perfect bird. Turkey experts are available from the beginning of November through Christmas.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.
(NEXSTAR)  Hosting a big Thanksgiving dinner for your friends and family can be an enjoyable experience  until its time to clean up.

While you might feel tempted to toss those turkey bones in the garbage disposal, plumbers have warned against it.

Just last month, Prime Plumbing in Baltimore, Maryland, posted a viral video on TikTok listing common foods people should never put in that part of the kitchen sink.

Aside from bones, plumbers who work for the company advised against placing starchy foods like rice and potatoes in the disposal.

These major retail stores will be closed on Thanksgiving

If youre wondering why these foods are big no-nos, Consumer Reports explained that garbage disposals cant handle all types of waste.

Yes, the blades can grind through almost anything  but you could encounter plumbing issues down the line depending on what you dispose of.

Large quantities of starchy foods and fibrous vegetables (such as celery, corn husks, and asparagus) might cause clogs.

Dont cut corners and pour gravy down the drain, either. David Duest, director of the Deer Island Treatment Plant in Boston, told Consumer Reports that fats, oils, and grease are problematic for the appliance. These liquids tend to congeal and can clog up your water system as well.

Why is Thanksgiving celebrated on Thursdays?

Eggs are a staple ingredient for many holiday dishes, but the shells should go in the trash can or compost. While they probably seem harmless, eggshells dont decompose quickly. If you keep placing them in the disposal, over time, those bits can pile up and stop up the drain.

With so many foods off limits, what can you put in the disposal? The Georgia-based company Trinity Plumbing noted on its website that citrus rinds, cooked meat scraps (not large bones) and virtually all fruits are safe.

So take it easy on your garbage disposal this holiday season. Trinity Plumbing said disposals can last for about 10 years or so with good care.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2.
A fire rages in bushland near the West Australian city of Wannaroo, north of Perth in the early hours of Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023. Dozens of residents have been evacuated and at least 10 homes have been destroyed by a wildfire that is burning out of control on the northern fringe of the west coast city of Perth during heatwave spring conditions, authorities say.(DFES via AP)

PERTH, Australia (AP)  Dozens of residents have been evacuated and at least 10 homes destroyed by a wildfire burning out of control on the northern fringe of the west coast city of Perth during heat wave spring conditions, authorities said Thursday.

There were no deaths reported, but several firefighters had sustained minor injuries including smoke inhalation, Western Australia state Department of Fires and Emergency Services Commissioner Darren Klemm said.

The fire began Wednesday afternoon in a pine tree plantation on Perths northeast edge and was fanned overnight by 60-kilometer (37-mile) -an-hour winds, incident controller Clinton Kuchel said. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The temperature in Perth was forecast to peak at 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) on Thursday  which is extraordinarily hot for the Southern Hemisphere spring  and winds remained strong.

Perth is experiencing  heat wave conditions. So overlay that on top of the fire and you can imagine the conditions that our firefighters and our support staff are working on. Its really challenging, Kuchel told Australian Broadcasting Corp.

Whilst were building containment lines on this fire, the conditions and the environment are such that even if we contain it, it may not be contained all the time. There may be breakouts. So its a really challenging and dynamic environment, Kuchel added.

Power poles had been damaged and 544 homes were without power Thursday. Around 130 people spent Wednesday night in an evacuation center, Western Australia Deputy Premier Rita Saffioti said.

The forecast for today is unforgiving. The temperature is expected to hit a maximum of 40 degrees, and the winds continue to be strong. Today will be a difficult day for everybody, Saffioti told reporters.

Klemm said the 150 firefighters battling the blaze would take several days to bring it under control.

In the northern Perth suburb of Tapping, Sarah Kilian and her husband stayed to defend their home over Wednesday night. Kilian said most of her neighbors evacuated as embers rained down on their homes.

Lucky my hubby stomped them out," Kilian said. It was just scary all night  absolutely chaotic.

Scores of wildfires have recently raged across the states of New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania as Australias driest September on record and unusually warm weather brought an early start to the annual wildfire season, which peaks during the Southern Hemisphere summer.
The driver who authorities say claimed the lives of two Pennsylvania State Troopers and a pedestrian has been sentenced to prison after entering a guilty plea in court Wednesday.

Authorities say Jayana Webb, 23, was sentenced to 27 to 60 years in prison in the March 2022 incident that claimed the lives of Pennsylvania State Troopers Martin Mack III and Branden Sisca, and pedestrian Reyes Rivera Oliveras.

According to court records, Webb pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including third-degree murder and homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence.

The crash happened March 21, just after 12:30 a.m., on Interstate 95 as Troopers Mack and Sisca were called to assist Oliveras, who had been walking on I-95 southbound near the stadium area.

US PARK POLICE OFFICER INJURED IN NORTHWEST DC SHOOTING: OFFICIALS

Driver pleads guilty in an Interstate 95 crash that killed two Pennsylvania troopers and a pedestrian.

As the troopers attempted to put the man into custody and walk him back to their vehicle, authorities say Webb fatally struck all three men and the patrol car at a high rate of speed.

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It was later revealed that Webb had a blood alcohol level twice the legal limit when she was tested after the crash and that the officers had stopped Webb moments before the deadly crash.

DEADLY CALIFORNIA CRASH SPLITS CAR IN HALF, KILLS PEDESTRIAN ON SIDEWALK

Trooper Branden Sisca

According to law enforcement sources, a recording from the trooper's dashboard camera showed the stop lasted less than a minute before the officers were dispatched to the pedestrian walking southbound on I-95.

CALIFORNIA MAN FATALLY SHOT ON LOS ANGELES FREEWAY BY HIGHWAY PATROL OFFICER IDENTIFIED

Trooper Martin Mack III

Webb also allegedly documented the stop in a tweet posted just before the crash that read "why the cop pull me & he say im doing 110 ina 50," according to authorities.

FLORIDA MAN'S LEAP INTO CANAL LEAVES PURSUING DEPUTIES ASKING IN BODYCAM VIDEO, 'WHAT ARE YOU DOING?'

Jayana Tanae Webb

In a different tweet from mid-January, Webb appeared to boast about her ability to drive while intoxicated. "If you ask me, Im the best drunk driver ever," the post reads.





Original article source: Driver pleads guilty to March 2022 crash that killed 2 Pennsylvania troopers, a pedestrian
SAN DIEGO  A driver of a stolen pickup truck died Tuesday night in a head-on crash in Ramona, authorities said.

Around 7 p.m., a 35-year-old El Cajon man was traveling westbound on state Route 78 near Barnett Drive when the Ford F-250 he was driving crossed into the eastbound lanes, California Highway Patrol said in a news release.

The truck crashed head-on into a Subaru Outback, overturned and crashed into a tree before coming to a stop down an embankment.

Passengers ejected in rollover crash in La Jolla, driver fled on foot

The F-250 driver died at the scene. The 45-year-old woman driving the Outback had minor injuries and was not hospitalized.

The truck was stolen out of Ramona shortly before the crash, CHP told FOX 5.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego.
While neighboring states allow recreational and medical marijuana use, Idaho remains strictly bud-free.

In total, 21 states across the U.S. have legalized recreational marijuana, and 37 states have allowed medical use. Idaho is one of just four states yet to even decriminalize marijuana, along with Wyoming, Kansas and South Carolina.

But with several weed-friendly states only a few hours drive from Boise, what happens if someone crosses state lines with marijuana in their possession? Heres what to know about Idahos marijuana laws:

What does the law say about marijuana in Idaho?

The possession, growing, selling, distribution and use of recreational marijuana are illegal in Idaho. State law is tough on marijuana offenses. Fines can run in the thousands, plus years in jail.

Heres how the penalties shake out for manufacturing, transporting and possessing marijuana in Idaho:

Less than 3 ounces for personal use Misdemeanor with a minimum fine of up to $1,000 and up to one year incarcerated.

3 ounces to 1 pound for personal use  Felony with a maximum fine of $10,000 and up to five years incarcerated.

1-5 pounds or 25-50 marijuana plants with intent to distribute  Felony with a minimum fine of $5,000 and at least one year incarcerated.

5-25 pounds or 50-100 marijuana plants with intent to distribute  Felony with a minimum fine of $10,000 and at least three years incarcerated.

More than 25 pounds or more than 100 marijuana plants with intent to distribute  Felony with a minimum fine of $15,000 and at least five years incarcerated.

The maximum number of years of imprisonment for possessing marijuana in Idaho is 15 years and a maximum fine of $50,000.

What happens if you cross Idaho state lines with pot?

Idaho law is pretty straightforward: It is illegal to possess marijuana in the state, regardless of where it was purchased.

If you purchased marijuana while in Oregon or Washington state and then traveled to Idaho with it, you have broken the law. It doesnt matter if the marijuana was purchased legally. As soon as it crosses Idaho state lines, its considered contraband.

Its not only a marijuana possession charge youll have to worry about, too. You could be charged with drug trafficking if caught, which is a federal crime, according to the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

What if youre caught with weed at an Idaho airport?

The Transportation Security Administration is not looking for drugs when they screen fliers, but if they find marijuana or other drugs, they will refer the matter to law enforcement.

TSAs screening procedures are focused on security to detect potential threats to aircraft and passengers. When TSA officers are screening for weapons or other harmful items and find an illegal substance, it will be reported to local law enforcement, according to the TSA.

Can Idahoans purchase pot in other states?

Idaho residents can purchase legal recreational and medical marijuana in other states.

Just like alcohol, anyone purchasing recreational marijuana in Oregon, Washington, or any other state in which marijuana is legalized must be at least 21 years old.

Can you consume marijuana and then travel back to Idaho?

Yes, but only if youre not driving and dont have any marijuana in your possession.

Under Idaho Code Title 18 Chapter 80, driving while intoxicated is not only limited to alcohol but drugs as well. A first-time driving under the influence charge is a misdemeanor in Idaho and could carry a fine of up to $1,000, up to six months in jail and a drivers license suspension of up to 180 days.

A third-time offender within a 10-year span will be charged with a felony, a maximum fine of $5,000, up to five years in jail and a drivers license suspension of up to five years following release from prison.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  Washington County deputies arrested a man early Tuesday morning who was driving the wrong way on Hwy 26 and nearly caused a head-on collision, officials said.

The driver, identified as Matthew Silveira, 29, faces DUII, reckless driving and recklessly endangering another person charges, authorities said. He was lodged in the Washington County Jail.

Elderly man dies in July crash, marking record high traffic death toll for Portland

The Washington County Sheriffs Office says they received multiple calls about a white Mini Cooper driving the wrong way on Hwy 26 West. The driver, Silveira, was stopped by authorities but did not cooperate with the DUII investigation after a deputy noticed signs of intoxication, according to WCSO.

During the initial conversation with Silveira, a witness arrived at the scene and informed the deputy that Silveiras vehicle had nearly collided with them head-on while traveling in the wrong direction on Highway 26. The witness recounted driving westbound on Highway 26 near NW 185th Avenue when they first noticed Silveiras vehicle. They mentioned that the vehicle was driving without lights on, WCSO said. The witness said they had only seconds to react and swerve out of the way to avoid a collision. Although their vehicle swerved and spun out on the highway, they managed to avoid hitting any other vehicles or objects. The witness estimated that the Mini Cooper was traveling at approximately 90 MPH at the time.

Silveria was arrested after officials spoke with the witness. He initially refused to take a breathalyzer test, but after the deputy obtained a search warrant, Silveria provided the breath sample, which showed a blood alcohol concentration of .24%, officials said, which is three times the legal limit.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
One of the rarest invertebrates in Scotland has been confirmed in Dumfries and Galloway for the first time.

The medicinal leech - once used across Europe for bloodletting treatments - has been found in three ponds near Carrick Shore on the Solway Coast.

It makes the region one of only three parts of the country where they are known to exist.

Conservation group Buglife said it raised hopes they could be found at other sites in future.

The sighting was made by local naturalist, Bob Merritt, and follows unverified records from 2005 and 2008.

Buglife confirmed its presence as part of its Scotland-wide conservation programme - Species on the Edge.

Medicinal leeches can grow up to 20cm (8in) long, making them one of the UK's largest native leeches.

They can be found in a variety of freshwater habitats, including ponds, lochs, ditches, wetlands, and streams.

In Scotland, medicinal leeches have a dark brown or black upper side with yellow-grey stripes and a speckled underside.

They feed on blood from cattle, deer, amphibians, fish, and birds, and only feed every three to 12 months. They can live up to 20 years.

Once widespread, they are now known in only three areas in Scotland - mainland Argyll, Islay, and now Dumfries and Galloway - having suffered severe declines primarily due to historical overharvesting for use in medicine.

In the late 18th to early 19th Century, millions of the leeches were used in hospitals across Europe for bloodletting treatment.

Since that time, habitat loss and freshwater pollution have also badly affected their populations in Scotland.

Buglife conservation director, Craig Macadam, said "Medicinal leeches have an important place in our medical history but are now one of the rarest invertebrates in Scotland.

"The discovery of three new sites for this species in Dumfries and Galloway is incredibly important and gives us hope that further sites are discovered for this incredible species in the future."

Buglife is also working with the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) to deliver Scotland's first ever medicinal leech captive breeding programme to help save it from extinction.

They have been collected and transferred to a specially-designed facility at the Highland Wildlife Park in the Cairngorms National Park.

It is hoped they can be bred there and released back into the wild in order to boost numbers.

Listen to news from Dumfries and Galloway, follow the BBC for the south of Scotland on X or send your story ideas to dumfries@bbc.co.uk.
Geert Wilders, a far-right, anti-Islam populist, appears to be heading for a major parliamentary election victory in the Netherlands, which would mark one of the biggest election upsets for Dutch politics in decades, according to local news reports.

An exit poll published by national broadcaster NOS showed Geert Wilders is expected to reach 35 seats in the 150-seat lower house of parliament, more than double the number of seats he reached in 2021. He is followed by Frans Timmermanss Labour/Green Left combination, who is 10 seats behind Wilders.

If elected, Wilders, the leader of the Party for Freedom, known as PVV, would be able to begin talks of a new ruling coalition and could become the Netherlandss first hard-right prime minister, according to The Associated Press (AP).

Before he can take over as prime minister, Wilders would need to form a coalition government, which could prove challenging without mainstream party support. The AP reported Wilders toned down some of his stances during the final weeks of the campaign, a likely appeal to opposing parties.

Wilders has spent an estimated 25 years in Dutch politics without holding office, and he has been compared to former President Trump, Reuters reported.

Wilderss platform discusses the potential for a referendum on the Netherlands opting out of the European Union along with stopping the acceptance of asylum-seekers at Dutch borders. The AP reported Wilders said he is on a campaign to stop the asylum tsunami, in an apparent reference to the migration problems facing the country.

The Dutch will be No. 1 again, Wilders said, per the AP. The people must get their nation back.

He is also an advocate of the de-Islamization of the Netherlands and has called for the barring of mosques and Qurans, the Muslim holy book, according to Reuters. Wilders has called the prophet Muhammad a pedophile and labeled Islam as a fascist ideology and backward religion.

His views have prompted death threats and violent protests and caused him to live under heavy police protection in recent years, Reuters reported.

The exit poll, which was published as voting ended in the general election, has a margin of error of one seat, meaning parties can get a seat more or less in the final result than the poll shows, according to NOS. A final result could come as soon as Thursday, the national broadcaster said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
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Geert Wilders secured election victory by toning down his language to appeal to moderate voters - and shake off the "far-right" label he rejects.

When he burst into Dutch national politics 25 years ago, he was nicknamed Mozart for his sweeping mane of blonde hair. His hair has greyed but his powers of communication are at their peak.

He regularly outperformed his rivals with slick, bite-sized slogans on asylum and immigration during the almost nightly TV debates in the run-up to the vote.

"The Netherlands can't take it anymore," he said. "We have to think about our own people first now. Borders closed. Zero asylum-seekers."

But ask him if he is far-right, and he will deny it.

"We are a country of consensus-building. We don't even have that many far-right people in our country; we never will," he told the BBC. "Indigenous people are being ignored because of the mass immigration... they feel mistreated."

Geert Wilders has tempered his rhetoric and put some of his policies on hold to achieve success

To make his party more palatable to mainstream voters, he declared that his party's manifesto plans to ban the Koran, Islamic schools and mosques was going in the koelkast - the fridge.

The seeming turn towards moderation secured allowed his party to more than double its representation in parliament, from 17 to 37 seats.

The PVV victory is viewed with trepidation by some in the Netherlands' Muslim community, who fear a difficult period ahead.

"For Muslims, our sense of security is no longer secure," Muhsin Koktas, head of the Contact Body for Muslims and Government, told Dutch TV.

Mr Wilders' policies, including a proposed ban on Islamic headscarves in public buildings, are still in black and white in his party manifesto.

And he has been in trouble with the courts for years for his verbal attacks on immigrants of Moroccan origin.

He was first convicted for leading a chant at a 2014 rally demanding "fewer" Moroccans.

Another hate-speech trial found him guilty of insulting a group and inciting discrimination against Moroccans. During the 2017 election campaign, he called some people from the country "scum".

Mr Wilders embodies the Freedom party for most Dutch people. But in fact his right-hand man Martin Bosma has been key to the party's growing strength. Mr Bosma was seen celebrating the win on Wednesday night.

Sometimes called the Dutch Donald Trump, Mr Wilders hailed the 2016 US presidential elections as Americans taking their country back. After Wednesday night's victory, he proclaimed that he would "put the Dutch back as number one".

The Freedom party leader has railed against "the political elite in The Hague and Brussels" for much of this century, even if he himself has become as much part of the establishment as any other Dutch MP.

He may be a firebrand and a radical, but he is affable and privately gets on well with many of his rivals.

His maverick, straight-talking nature appeals to a significant section of Dutch society. Earlier this year it was a farmers' party led by another straight-talking leader, Caroline van der Plas, that won provincial elections.

Almost a third of her voters defected to Mr Wilders on Wednesday, although her BBB party's seven seats could be useful towards forming a coalition.

Mr Wilders' anti-EU message has been consistent from the start. In 2005 he helped derail the EU's bid to create a constitution, when the Dutch and the French turned it down in two referendums.

He still wants to leave the EU, but recognises most Dutch voters don't. He will still push for a referendum on "Nexit", even if he is unlikely to convince prospective coalition partners to agree to it.

Dutch coalition negotiations can last months. Forming a majority with centrist parties will probably require him to drop the most radical elements of his party platform.

Mr Wilders wants strict limits on immigration and a complete halt to all grants of asylum in the Netherlands, proposals he may have to moderate in coalition talks.

He also wants to "push back" asylum seekers seeking to enter the Netherlands from EU neighbours and to deport those found guilty of criminal offences.

Other ideas, such introducing work permits for EU nationals would be challenged in the European Court of Justice and again would be unlikely to get beyond more centrist parties. But he may find support for significantly reducing the number of international students in the Netherlands.

His closest allies in the EU are on the nationalist right.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, French far-right politician Marine Le Pen, and Vox leader Santiago Abascal have all welcomed his victory.

But his success is not dissimilar to Giorgia Meloni's election victory a year ago in Italy. She too moderated some her most radical policies and reaped the reward at the ballot box,.

She went on to form a right-wing coalition. It is far too early to say whether Geert Wilders can do the same.

Graphic showing ANP prognosis
Chicago police issued a community alert Thursday warning business owners of overnight burglaries that happened on 47th Street in the Kenwood neighborhood.

Burglars forced their way into the closed businesses through a window or door before making off with property. The incidents happened shortly after 5:15 a.m. Thursday in the 1300 and 1400 blocks of East 47th Street, police said.

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Anyone with information on these burglaries should contact police.
Geert Wilders once campaigned for Tommy Robinson to be freed from prison after he breached reporting laws - X

More than a decade ago, Geert Wilders was blocked from leaving Heathrow airport after his far-Right, anti-Islamic views were deemed too dangerous for the British public by officials.

On Thursday, the Dutch public woke up to a political earthquake, the leader of the Freedom Party (PVV) having secured a convincing election victory in one of the countrys most close-fought campaigns for years.

A charismatic populist with slicked-back, lightning-white hair, Mr Wilders, 60, gained notoriety for his calls to ban mosques, the Koran and Islamic schools.

Campaigns over the years have been kickstarted by denouncing Moroccans as scum and calling for a rag-head tax on Islamic headwear.

To him, Islam is a violent religion and the Koran a fascist book.

Mr Wilders claims to have extensively studied the Koran, once telling a reporter that there were no parts of the text he agreed with.

Geert Wilders previously tried to unite Ukip with PVV and Marine Le Pen's National Front - WOLFGANG RATTAY/REUTERS

The 60-year-old firebrand was placed under 24-hour guard by the police in 2004, following the murder of Theo Van Gogh, a filmmaker critical of Islam, who was killed by a Dutch-Moroccan Muslim.

Such is the fear over his safety, his now round-the-clock protection by bodyguards has been elevated to a military-style operation.

Horrible pest

Born to a practising Catholic father and a mother from Indonesia, a former Dutch colony, he was described by his brother as a horrible pest, egocentric and aggressive during his teenage years.

In 1981, aged 18, Mr Wilders travelled to the Middle East, including Israel, where he lived on a kibbutz for a year.

His brother, Paul, claimed this is where he developed his radical and controversial stance towards Islam.

Returning to the Netherlands, Mr Wilders trained as a lawyer and worked in a welfare agency, further sculpting his attitude towards Muslim immigrants.

He entered politics as a member of the Peoples Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), the party of caretaker prime minister Mark Rutte, before walking away because of its apparent liberal stance on Islam and Migration.

Geert has faced criticism over his anti-Islam and anti-immigration views - JEWEL SAMAD/AFP

In 2004, Mr Wilders founded his PVV party, placing anti-Islam and immigration policies at the heart of its pitch to voters.

While being an ever-present figure in Dutch politics in recent decades, elected to parliament for the first time in 1998, his controversial views had until now failed to convert into genuine electoral successes.

His anti-Islamic rhetoric also saw him flirt with the law in the Netherlands.

In June 2011, Mr Wilders was acquitted of five charges of hate speech and discrimination over his short film Fitna  Arabic for discord  which juxtaposed the Koran with images of the 9/11 terror attacks and compared Islam to Nazism.

Two years earlier he had been refused entry to Britain, where he had been invited to attend a screening of his film at the House of Lords by Lord Pearson, the Ukip peer.

Mr Wilders claimed that the airing of Fitna was a victory for freedom of speech.

The decision by Jacqui Smith, the then-home secretary, to ban him from the country was eventually overturned in the High Court.

When he returned to the country in 2010, he claimed its capital would be turned into Londonistan within 20 years if Britain did not halt immigration from Islamic nations.

Geert Wilders once described Tommy Robinson as a 'staunch freedom fighter' - X

For years, the far-Right politician pushed for an anti-EU coalition with leading Brexiteer Nigel Farage, who distanced himself from the Dutchman.

During the campaign ahead of the 2014 European election, Mr Wilders called for Ukip to unite with his party and Frances far-Right National Front party, led by Marine Le Pen, in a single group.

But Mr Farage opted to take his band of eurosceptics into a more moderate parliamentary group, considering Mr Wilders and his MEPs too toxic.

Instead, Mr Wilders went on to celebrate Tommy Robinson as a staunch freedom fighter and compared the English Defence League founder to Winston Churchill.

Mr Wilders appeared at a rally in London calling for Robinson to be freed from prison after being found guilty of breaching reporting laws in 2018.

But as polls showed him within touching distance of a victory in the Dutch election, Mr Wilders sought to water down his extremist views, promising to be a prime minister for all the Dutch including the nearly one million Muslims in the Netherlands.

Manifesto calls to ban mosques were dropped, and other priorities such as immigration, the economy and healthcare were prioritised.

This helped earn his PVV party 37 seats in the Dutch parliament, handing it the first opportunity to build a future coalition.

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(Bloomberg) -- When far-right leader Geert Wilders delivered his victory speech after the shock Dutch election result, he emphasized a willingness to compromise with other parties.

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But his campaign had hit on all the familiar themes of his long crusade against the migrants that he says are destroying his countrys culture. People dont forget those kind of diatribes, and many voters who backed other parties are worried that the Netherlands is about to lurch into the kind of populist politics that characterized Donald Trumps presidency in the US.

Just like Trump, Wilders cultivates an eye-catching splash of hair and, in the final days of the campaign, he had taken to wearing red ties rather than his usual blue, as if to emphasize the visual similarities. As he soaked up the attention in the aftermath of his victory, he was happy to entertain the comparison.

People have come up with so many names for me, he told reporters on Thursday. Some say I am the Dutch Trump, others call me Geert Milders  a jibe that suggests his views have suddenly and conveniently become more mild since he began trying to form a coalition.

The truth is somewhere in the middle, he suggested.

Wilders appeared to be signaling to potential partners that he had indeed softened his views. But perhaps what has really changed over the last 20 years is less the Freedom Party leader than the country around him.

Excluding immigrants from the European Unions fifth-largest economy has been a career defining passion for the 60-year-old who is now longest serving lawmaker in the Dutch parliament.

He began his career in the liberal VVD which became the natural party of government during Mark Ruttes 13 years in power. Wilders split from the VVD to strike out on his own in the early 2000s  before Trump had even started hosting the Celebrity Apprentice.

In the early 2000s he was banned from traveling to the UK under a law designed to exclude extremists - although that restriction was successfully overturned in one of so many encounters with the authorities. Hes also been censured for insulting Moroccans, acquitted of inciting hatred and suspended from Twitter, as it was then known, for attacking Islam.

The late success of his political career nevertheless owes something to the man whos battling to return to the White House next year. Both present themselves as the fighting for the ordinary people and railing against the elites.

Trump came after him, but Trump must have been an inspiration and a catalyst, said Stefan Couperus, an associate professor of political science at Groningen University. Trump has normalized the politics of bad manners, and Wilders does that as well.

Wilders had articulated his political strategy back in 2003  in a conversation with the then-future prime minister, Rutte. His idea, he said, was to know which topics you want to claim.

Since then he has broadened his repertoire, tapping into worries about the welfare state, healthcare and affordable housing to appeal to more voters.

But when Ruttes fourth and final coalition collapsed this year due to a dispute about immigration, Wilders was positioned to capitalize. Other parties hardened their line in an effort to compete, but Wilders has spent a career making that territory his own.

When it comes to immigration, it is logical that voters go for the original and not for the copy, Sarah de Lange, Professor of Political Pluralism at University of Amsterdam said on X.

And now he faces the complex task of recruiting the allies he needs to form a government and consolidate that victory.

The Freedom Partys 37 seats give Wilders a larger lead over the other parties than any poll was predicting. But he still needs allies  15 parties ended up represented in parliament, and he cannot govern without coming to an agreement with at least some of them.

As he begins that task, Couperus says, observers shouldnt be expecting any of the chaotic exploits that have sometimes undermined Trump.

Wilders is way smarter than Trump, Couperus said. Trump causes a lot of collateral damage and that wont happen to Wilders.

--With assistance from Wout Vergauwen and Sarah Jacob.

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(Bloomberg) -- Far-right lawmaker Geert Wilders won the Dutch elections and said he plans to lead the countrys next government, in a shock result that will resound across Europe.

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The frontrunner Dilan Yesilgoz-Zegerius conceded defeat after a late surge in the final days of the campaign catapulted Wilderss anti-EU party past his mainstream rivals. Wilderss Freedom Party won 37 seats, according to a preliminary count, more than doubling his representation from the previous parliament and giving him 12 more than his closest rival.

Only once in recent Dutch history has the leader of the biggest party not become prime minister. Market reaction in the wake of the results was muted as traders took stock of the fact that coalition arrangements may take a long time to negotiate.

Wilderss victory presents a challenge to the European Union project in one of the blocs six founding members as the world braces for the potential return of Donald Trump after next years US election. Wilders has promised voters a binding referendum on leaving the EU and railed against a range of the blocs policies on issues like climate change and immigration.

The hope of the Dutch people is that they will get their country back, Wilders said after an exit poll published by state broadcaster NOS.

Wilderss prospects of leading the next government will hinge on his ability to forge alliances with rivals more to the center. In his post-election speech, Wilders called for a coalition that would include the liberal VVD, until recently helmed by outgoing prime minister Mark Rutte, which has indicated that it might be prepared to govern alongside him. I am willing to compromise in talks with other parties, he said.

The AEX index of the 25 largest stocks listed on the Euronext Amsterdam little changed in morning trading. Chip gear maker ASML Holding NV slipped 1% while ING Groep NV was down 1.2% at 11 a.m. in Amsterdam. Dutch bonds were underperforming German peers by one basis point.

We will be in for months of intense negotiations and its very hard to predict how this will exactly pan out, said Peter van der Welle, a multi-asset strategist at Robeco.

Read More: The Far-Right Won the Dutch Election: Heres What You Need to Know

A surge in the number of refugees since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as well as the spiraling cost of food and energy, has fueled support for far-right groups across the European continent. Germanys Alternative for Deutschland now has more support than any of the parties in Chancellor Olaf Scholzs coalition, while Giorgia Meloni came from nowhere to take power last year in Italy.

The Dutch election campaign highlighted how immigration has polarized voter opinion and driven support toward Wilders, for whom the topic has been a core issue for decades. The 60-year-old is known for his anti-Islamic views and has lived under police protection since 2004 on account of death threats.

The Left alliance formed from the Green Left and Labor parties and led by former European Union Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans scored 25 seats, becoming the second strongest party before Ruttes VVD. A new party formed by lawmaker Pieter Omtzigt will get 20 seats, according to the preliminary result.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban was quick to congratulate him on his victory. The outspoken Brussels-critic held a phone call with Wilders on Wednesday night, wishing him success and perseverance for the upcoming political negotiations, spokesman Zoltan Kovacs said in a post on X.

Wilders and his team hugged and cheered as the result was announced and sang along to the Rocky theme tune Eye of the Tiger. Reporters who watched his campaign team celebrate at a crowded bar in Scheveningen near The Hague did so from behind security glass.

Its customary that the biggest and winning party takes the lead in the formation process said Stefan Couperus, an associate professor of political science at Groningen University. He could become the leader of the new government.

Wilders benefited from a strong showing in the campaigns final election debates  and from the refusal of Ruttes successor as party leader, Yesilgoz-Zegerius, to rule out working with him. The VVD leader, whose party scored 24 seats, signaled before the election that she might go into coalition with Wilders although, after the exit polls dropped, she cast doubt on whether her rival would be able to secure the votes he needs to govern.

I dont see that happening because Mr. Wilders cant form a majority, she said. However, the ball is now in Geert Wilders court.

One cautionary precedent for Wilders came in Spain this month, where Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez clinched a surprise third term despite suffering defeat to his center-right rival in Julys election. Sanchez stitched together support from seven different parties to turn the electoral math in his favor after the two right-wing parties fell short of a majority.

If Wilders does end up leading the next Dutch government, it would elevate a euroskeptic into the heart of one of the unions stalwart members. He has called for the Netherlands to withdraw from its international climate obligations, and demanded a halt to aid to Ukraine.

Under Rutte, the Netherlands pledged to send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine next year and has been leading the European effort to train Ukrainian pilots.

Despite campaign pledges on banning the Koran and shutting down mosques, Geert Wilders conveyed a more moderate message than in previous years, said Couperus. That seems to have worked electorally.

Wilders has been a member of parliament for 25 years but only once taken part in government, between 2010 and 2012 when he had an arrangement to support Ruttes first, minority coalition from outside. Rutte later ruled out working with him, after Wilders made comments insulting people of Moroccan descent for which he was censured by the courts.

Its likely that the outgoing caretaker government led by Rutte could preside for a while, especially if Wilders struggles to make headway in the coalition-building process. At the last election, four parties were needed to broker a majority government and the negotiations took a record nine months.

The PVV cannot be ignored, and wants to work together with other parties, and that means that we and they have to step over their shadow, Wilders said.

--With assistance from April Roach, Sarah Jacob, Wout Vergauwen, Patrick Donahue, Katharina Rosskopf and Alice Atkins.

(Updates with analyst quote, market data in 7th and 8th paragraphs.)

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The Netherlands woke up Thursday to an unexpected victory for Dutch anti-EU far-right populist Geert Wilders and his Freedom Party (PVV)  a forecast win that has triggered shockwaves in the Netherlands and could have reverberations across Europe and beyond.

The provisional outcome based on 98% of the votes counted showed the PVV had won 37 seats and will be the largest party in the House of Representatives, according to public broadcaster NOS.

In second place is the joint Labour/Green ticket with 25 seats, followed by the conservative Peoples Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) of outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte, and the Dutch center-right NSC party with 20 seats, according to NOS.

Wilders and his supporters applauded the results in a video he posted on social media Wednesday night.

He is now poised to start working on forming a coalition but the process could be challenging and take months.

Voter research showed that migration and asylum were important issues for voters and Wilders party has largely benefited from that, according to NOS.

Wilders has vowed that the Netherlands will be returned to the Dutch and the asylum tsunami and migration will be curbed.

He also maintains the Netherlands should stop providing arms to Ukraine, because it needs them to protect itself.

After the exit poll results Wednesday night, Wilders said he would not push for anti-Islam measures, such as a Quran ban or the closure of Islamic schools, according to NOS.

He said he wanted to adhere to the constitution and is already working towards forming a coalition, according to NOS.

According to Wilders, parties must now jump over their own shadows and try to find common ground, according to NOS. It cannot be the case that Frans Timmermans will take charge due to a failed formation, that should not happen, he said referring to the Labour/Green party leader.

French reaction

Key French politicians expressed their views on the results. This is the consequence of all the worries and fears that have been surfacing in Europe since the last several years, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told French TV Franceinfo Thursday.

The fear over the war in Ukraine, the fear over the economic fall of Europe compared to China and the US and fear over the influx of migrants, Le Maire added.

The Dutch party that is most aligned with French President Emmanuel Macrons Renaissance party is D66, which saw its seat counts collapse on Wednesday from 24 to only nine, based on the latest numbers, according to NOS.

Renaissance and D66 belong to the same political group in the European Parliament.

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen expressed her joy at the results Wednesday night, in a post on social media. Her party is an ally of PVV and Wilders.

Congratulations to Geert Wilders and the PVV for their spectacular performance in the parliamentary elections, which confirms the growing attachment to the defense of national identities, Le Pen said.

It is because there are people who refuse to see the national torch extinguished, that hope for change remains strong in Europe, she added.

Le Maire was quick to stress that the Netherlands is not the same as France, in his interview with Franceinfo.

The only lesson [for us] is that we need to continue to get results for the French people, he said.

Rosanne Roobeck contributed to this report.

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(Bloomberg) -- Far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders staged a shock victory in Wednesdays elections. Now he has to work out if he can govern.

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After collecting 37 seats, according to the provisional vote-count  a healthy 12-seat lead over his nearest competitors  he needs to convince those other parties to support his prime ministerial ambitions. Coalition talks are scheduled to start on Friday, two different parties officials told Bloomberg.

Wilderss rivals will spend Thursday huddled with their members of parliament to take stock of the results and strategize before meeting with rivals the following day, the people said.

The Netherlands fragmented political landscape means parties cant rule without forging coalitions. Wilders said in a speech after the exit polls that he will look to other right-wing parties in order to drag the parliamentary math in his favor. None of the three right-of-center parties he named have ruled out cooperating with him, and together they would have more than enough for a majority.

These would include Dilan Yesilgoz-Zegeriuss center-right VVD, whose 13-year stint as the largest party in government has been ended by these results. Wilders is less likely to find common ground with the Left alliance which came second in the provisional tallies, and whose leader Frans Timmermans said before the election that he would be unwilling to work alongside the far-right lawmaker.

After a campaign trail in which Wilders tabled policies like restricting immigration, closing down mosques, and holding a referendum on leaving the European Union, in his victory speech he signaled a readiness to make concessions in order to work with more moderate rivals.

Bond market reaction was muted the day after the results, likely reflecting expectations that his most polemic initiatives will not go ahead, according to Evelyne Gomez-Liechti, a strategist at Mizuho International.

As far as the surveys show, euroskeptic sentiment in the Netherlands is very low as well, so it makes not much sense to go ahead with such a referendum, she said.

Read more: Far-Right Leader Wilders Scores Shock Victory in Dutch Elections

Though the coalition talks have a clear start date, their end point is much more murky. After the last election, parties took 9 months to iron out their differences. That means that the outgoing government led by Mark Rutte could remain in place for some time. Rutte is scheduled to retire from politics once a successor has been decided.

Pending these coalition talks, its hard to predict the economic policies, Bas van Geffen, senior macro strategist at Rabobank, wrote in a note. In any case, Dutch public finances are already in a healthy position, with debt at only 50% of GDP, he added.

--With assistance from Alice Gledhill.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
HOUSTON - The Houston Dynamo are set for the Western Conference Semifinals on Sunday and to celebrate, fans can head out to Dynamo Day.

Houston Dynamo FC and Trill Burgers will host Dynamo Day on Saturday before the semifinals against Sporting Kansas City at Shell Energy Stadium from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Trill Burgers' Bun B, Dynamo Diesel, and other supporters will have yard games, giveaways, and surprises for fans to enjoy.

SUGGESTED: Houston Dynamo FC announce 'no fees weekend' on tickets, free pre-match fan party

Dynamo defender Tate Schmitt will make a special appearance at Trill Burgers on 3607 Shepherd Drive from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday while Dynamo Diesel will be there earlier in the day, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., to surprise fans with giveaways.

Photo credit to Houston Dynamo FC

"The Houston Dynamo organization was one of the first supporters of this Trill Burgers brand and the first physical location of Trill Burgers in Houston," Bun B said in a release. "In the same way that they supported us, we at Trill Burgers are super excited and proud to support this Dynamo playoff run."

DOWNLOAD THE FOX 26 HOUSTON APP BY CLICKING HERE

The Sunday game is scheduled to kick off at 6 p.m. and you can buy tickets here.

Houston Dynamo are making their first return to the postseason since 2017 and are hoping to advance to the Conference Final for the first time since 2017 with a 4-1 advantage in the all-time postseason series.
Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa signs first decrees at the Presidential Palace (Palacio de Carondelet) on the day of his swearing-in ceremony, in Quito

Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa signs first decrees at the Presidential Palace (Palacio de Carondelet) on the day of his swearing-in ceremony, in Quito

By Alexandra Valencia

QUITO (Reuters) -Business heir and former legislator Daniel Noboa was sworn in as Ecuador's new president on Thursday, pledging to reduce violence and create jobs via urgent legislative reforms.

Noboa, 35, won an October run-off in the South American country, which is facing deep economic challenges that have pushed thousands to migrate and spiking violence that reached an unprecedented crescendo with the murder of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio.

"To fight violence we must fight unemployment. The country needs jobs and to create them I will send urgent reforms to the assembly, which should be treated with responsibility and by putting the country first," Noboa said during his maiden speech in front of National Assembly lawmakers in Quito.

Noboa will serve as president for just 17 months, finishing predecessor Guillermo Lasso's term after Lasso brought forward elections to avoid likely impeachment.

It will be hard for Noboa to effectively tackle Ecuador's significant challenges during his truncated term, analysts have said, though he can run for re-election in 2025.

"We cannot keep repeating the same policies of the past expecting to have a different result," Noboa said.

"I invite everyone to work together against the common enemies of violence and misery" he added. "The job is hard and difficult and the days are few."

Noboa is expected to declare a state of emergency, which will allow him to propose laws to the assembly with 30-day approval timelines.

States of emergency were frequently used by Lasso to try and tackle violence, to little effect.

Besides job creation reform, which could include provisions to incentivize hiring, especially of young people, and lower value added tax on construction materials, a second reform focused on the electricity sector is also expected.

Ecuador is conducting planned power cuts because the El Nino weather phenomena has caused drought, sapping hydro-electric plants of water and forcing the country to import energy.

DEBT AND SECURITY

Though most of Noboa's cabinet was sworn in later on Thursday, the young president did not appoint a minister of economy and finance, leaving the position vacant. Noboa initially said he would appoint Sariha Moya to the post but later put her in charge of Ecuador's planning secretariat.

Noboa has already toured the U.S. and Europe to sound out investors and lenders, but has warned he will balance meeting foreign debt obligations - totaling some $47.4 billion - with the needs of Ecuadoreans.

He has also promised a new intelligence unit, to supply tactical weapons to security forces and to house the most dangerous criminals on prison boats.

Violent deaths in Ecuador could exceed 7,000 this year, a homicide rate of 35 per 100,000 people, according to a recent report from the Ecuadorean Organized Crime Observatory.Last week, Noboa agreed to a legislative coalition with the conservative Social Christian Party and Citizens' Revolution, the party of leftist ex-President Rafael Correa, which is likely to help push his reforms through.

Ecuador expects economic growth of 1.5% this year and 0.8% in 2024. Informal work accounts for more than 50% of the economy, according to official data.

Noboa is the son of Alvaro Noboa, a powerful banana baron billionaire who repeatedly failed to win Ecuador's presidency.

The younger Noboa is the father of two small children, a daughter from his first marriage and a son with his current wife.

First lady Lavinia Valbonesi, 25, a social media influencer and nutritionist, is currently pregnant with a second son.

(Reporting by Alexandra ValenciaWriting by Julia Symmes Cobb and Oliver Griffin; Editing by Marguerita Choy and Bill Berkrot)
Four Chicago firefighters have died in the line of duty this year. Thats the highest number of fatalities for the department in 25 years.

Andrew Drew Price was the most recent, sustaining fatal injuries after falling through a roof while battling a blaze in Lincoln Park. His memorial service on Monday, attended by thousands, seems like it was really something. Price came across in remembrances as a true character, a firehouse prankster, one of the hardest-working members of Engine Co. 55, and the driver of Truck 44 whom kids in the neighborhood loved for his Hawaiian-style hand wave greeting them from the drivers seat.

He joins Lt. Kevin Ward, Lt. Jan Tchoryk and Jermaine Pelt as Chicago firefighters who lost their lives in 2023 while performing one of the most dangerous jobs we ask our public servants to do.

This Thanksgiving surely will be extraordinarily difficult for the families of all four.

As we sit down to dinner this year, Chicagoans would do well to give thanks to the first responders we too often take for granted. This city wouldnt survive long without them. In recent years, its fair to say many of them have felt less appreciated than in generations past, when thanking firefighters and police officers for their service wasnt so unusual.

This year has been an especially tragic reminder of the risks the men and women who respond to fires and other emergencies take on our behalf. Firefighters observe that the fires of today are spreading faster and burning hotter because of whats commonly found in todays homes. In some respects, firefighting is safer thanks to new technologies the responders have at hand. In others, the job is yet more harrowing.

So to the families and friends of Drew Price, Kevin Ward, Jan Tchoryk and Jermaine Pelt, we humbly give thanks to you all for shouldering the constant burden that comes with a loved one doing this critical job. As Fire Commissioner Annette Nance-Holt told Block Club in April after Tchoryk and Pelt fell in the same week, You never know if youre coming home.

Those four made this city safer when they went to work, but in the end, they did not come home themselves.

Lets include our first responders in our Thanksgiving thoughts this year. And in the days ahead, heres a prayer that we dont wait for tragedy to think to offer our gratitude.

Join the discussion on Twitter @chitribopinions and on Facebook.

Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  The City of El Paso Chief Military Officer Paul Albright was recognized by the Association of Defense Communities (ADC) as one of sixteen Defense Community Champions who are working to improve the lives of their defense communities.

The City of El Paso was awarded the Great American Defense Community by the ADC earlier this year in recognition of its support, integration and collaboration with installations and community-building efforts such as educational and employment opportunities.

The Defense Community Champion award is another testament to the citys dedication in assisting those who live in our community.

Albright was recognized for working diligently with staff and community partners, such as endeavors, to provide a high quality of life for its military service members and veterans through employment, housing, mental healthcare and synchronization of resources while also expanding regional economic opportunities for El Paso.

In an effort to ensure we understand the needs of our veterans, Albright worked with community partners to establish the El Paso Veterans Needs Assessment to prioritize the veteran communitys needs and identify gaps in services.

Albright works with staff to assist service members and military spouses transition from the military life to the civilian workplace through the Citys Bridge Fellowship program.

This recognition is a testament of the dedication, and commitment to helping and establishing relationships with community partners to provide the best services and resources to our veterans and their families, said Deputy City Manager Dionne Mack. This award is a reflection of the Citys commitment to enhancing the quality of life for our residents.

For more information about the Defense Community Champions Award, visit DefenseCommunities.org.

For more information on the City of El Paso Veterans Program, visit ElPasoTexas.gov under the Veterans Resources tab.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4)  An elderly Ogden couple is suing two city police officers and the department for excessive force after they say officers pulled a 78-year-old man to the ground face first last November, leaving him bloodied and with lasting injuries to his shoulder.

Attorneys for Rand and Vera Briem filed the lawsuit Wednesday in U.S. District Court, alleging that police violated their constitutional rights when officers subjected Rand Briem to an improper forceful takedown without cause.

Body found in canal near SLC airport

Speaking at a news conference Thursday, attorney Robert Sykes said that Rand Briem did nothing to provoke a response from officers that required him to be slammed on the driveway of his own property.

No force is appropriate if no force is needed, Sykes said. There was no force needed that night.

This image shows Rand Briem with bruises on his body and cuts his face following an encounter with Ogden police. (Courtesy of Rand Briem)

The Ogden Police Department responded to the lawsuit Thursday, saying that its confident the court will find the officers use of force justified, noting that the departments internal review had already done so.

What the lawsuit says

According to the lawsuit against Ogden police, the two officers responded to the Briem house on Nov. 29, 2022, after someone in the neighborhood complained about squatters in the residence, claiming the home had been foreclosed.

However, the Health Department had posted a non-occupancy sign for the homes basement, the lawsuit said, adding that the couple had been living in the homes detached garage.

The two officers encountered the Briems as they were pulling out of their driveway, heading to lock up the neighborhood church meetinghouse. Body camera video obtained by the Briems and shared with ABC4 shows the officers stopping the couple, who appear visibly confused and upset as to why officers are there.

Is this your residence? one of the officers asks.

Yeah, thats my house, thats my garage, Rand Briem responds, the video shows. What are you doing?

After a dispute about the non-occupancy sign, one of the officers tells Rand Briem that he is detaining him and requests to see his license. The 78-year-old responds saying hell show it to the police, but not give it to them.

While Briem shows his license to one of the officers, the officer takes it. Briem starts yelling and tries to grab his license back, the video shows. A noisy struggle ensues before police get the man on the ground, with his hands behind his back and his face in the snow.

When the officers lift up the 78-year-old, blood marks the snow and covers his face, the body camera footage shows. The officers keep Briem handcuffed for roughly a half hour before issuing him a citation.



According to the police statement, Briem is facing a charge of interfering with an arresting officer, a case that is still pending in court.

This screenshot from police body camera footage shows officers holding Rand Briem on the ground.

Sykes, the couples attorney, said that while Rand Briem was rude to the officers, that doesnt justify the use of force.

Theres no question on that at all, he said. I think the escalation occurred when the officers grabbed the license out of his hand. The officers should have been trained in de-escalation.

At the news conference Thursday, Rand Briem said that police threw him down face-first, adding that he had trouble breathing as the officers were holding him to the ground.

I felt like it was the same thing that they did to George Floyd, he said.



Along with the wounds to his face, Briem also suffered a torn rotator cuff in one of his shoulders, an injury from which he still suffers, the lawsuit says. Additionally, a exhibit in the lawsuit showed Briem with extensive bruising along his right arm, shoulder and torso.

The lawsuit is seeking damages to be determined by a jury. The document also notes that Vera Briem, who was 74 at the time of the incident, suffered severe stress and emotional damage. In the body camera video, she can be heard screaming through much of the encounter.

For someone of their age, this is a horrible thing to have gone through, said Sykes, their attorney. I think that entitles them to some reasonable compensation.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.
Marienny Brito, center table left, her husband, Pablo Lopez, center right, with their children Paul, 6, and Juan Pablo, 9, partake in a potluck Thanksgiving dinner with students, teachers and parents at Chappell Elementary School in Chicago on Nov. 22, 2023. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

Since arriving in Chicago on April 30, Maria Goitia said shes been thankful for all the people who have crossed her path. There were some who fed her and her family, a group of eight including two young grandchildren, while others gave them coats to keep warm, and many more who had been there through their journey from Venezuela, one way or another.

But we couldnt have done it without everyones help; were extremely grateful for everything and everyone whos helped us to get to this day, the mother said.

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On Tuesday morning, Goitia and her family met with Hope Vaughn, one of the people they first met when they arrived in Chicago, in one of the many buses sent from Texas with asylum-seekers. The family helped cook their first-ever Thanksgiving dinner, sharing it with other migrants and volunteers at St. Agatha Catholic Church in North Lawndale that evening.

Goitias family had never celebrated Thanksgiving before, and it was certainly not needed to express their gratitude, she said, but it made her happy and it gave her hope. She was especially grateful because, on Wednesday evening, Goitia and her family were finally moving into an apartment after living at the Inn of Chicago, one of the largest migrant shelters, for more than six months.

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This is the perfect time to give thanks to God for all the support weve gotten. We are grateful for people like Hope who has embraced us  for the city that has taken us in and is giving us the opportunity to progress as a family, as individuals, said Goitia, who is 37.

Many other migrants gathered with Chicago residents and volunteers across the city this week to share a Thanksgiving meal. Some Chicago Bears players, including linebacker Dan Hardy and defensive end Khalid Kareem, helped to serve authentic Venezuelan food in four Salvation Army community centers across Chicago neighborhoods, including Humboldt Park, Little Village, North Park and the West Loop. Eliza Chappell Elementary School in Lincoln Square hosted its first Thanksgiving potluck Wednesday afternoon to welcome new families in the school.

Hope Vaughn, second from right, talks with Manuel Goitia during a potluck Thanksgiving dinner at St. Agatha Catholic Church in Chicago on Nov. 21, 2023. Vaughn was one of the organizers who made traditional Thanksgiving dinner foods to share with migrants. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

Although new migrants are celebrating the holiday for the first time, finding significance in it comes easy. Like Goitia, most say theyre grateful for the opportunity to start a new life in the city. For the shelter that they have  even if the food isnt great, some laugh. For the opportunity to enroll their kids in school. Some had never had a chance to attend class consistently until now.

Pablo Lopez and Marienny Brito found a community for their first Chicago Thanksgiving at a potluck hosted in a cafeteria at the Chappell School.

The couple from Venezuela traveled through more than seven countries before arriving in Texas, where they were flown by Catholic Charities from San Antonio to Chicago. Their two boys, Juan Pablo Lopez, 9, and Paul, 6, have attended the CPS school for more than a month. To get to school, they take the bus or walk from the shelter down the street, whatever is easier, Pablo Lopez said.

Conversations in English, Spanish and French flowed easily at Chappell Elementary on Wednesday afternoon. Dishes on the table of food ranged from fried chicken and stuffing to arepas and polvorosas, a type of Venezuelan cookie.

Pablo Lopez reaches for traditional Venezuelan cookies called polvorosas to give to his son Paul, 6, during a potluck Thanksgiving dinner with students, teachers and parents at Chappell Elementary School in Chicago on Nov. 22, 2023. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

It was the first Thanksgiving many of the new students had attended, and most had never heard of the holiday before Wednesdays potluck.

Theres lots of things to do, Duelande Emile, 10, said of her experience at the school. The fifth grader, who said she likes math, had not celebrated the holiday before.

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The Lopez boys were at first enrolled in another school, but the daily commute, which required three buses, was taxing for the family. They requested to be switched to a different school and enrolled in Chappell, which has been marvelous for the family.

Weve heard of other families having bad experiences here, but we have had nothing but a good experience, Brito said. They opened up their doors to us.

Across the district, CPS saw a nearly 11% increase in English language learners in the 2023-24 academic year in its 20th day of enrollment tally, though the increase in English language learners is not entirely because of recently arrived migrant families in Chicago.

The Lopez boys have settled into school, alongside dozens of other children in migrant families who attend Chappell. Juan Pablo said he enjoyed making friends at the school. For Paul, its the park nearby.

We are just very grateful, their mother said, as her children smiled at each other between swigs from their soda.

Marienny Brito sits with her children Paul, 6, left, and Juan Pablo, 9, as they take part in a potluck Thanksgiving dinner with students, teachers and parents at Chappell Elementary School in Chicago on Nov. 22, 2023. The Venezuelan migrant family is staying at a nearby shelter while Paul and Juan Pablo attend Chappell. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

For the volunteers who have adopted a new life since they began stepping in to help the asylum-seekers when the city and state dont have the resources, sharing the Thanksgiving meal with the migrants is a full circle: Theyve helped me more than Ive helped them, Vaughn said.

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Seeing the resilience and perseverance of migrants who have risked their lives to get to the United States has been inspiring and moving, Vaughn said. It has helped her to redefine her own life and to grow as a person, as she learns more about each of those she has encountered.

Most migrants arriving are seeking asylum, fleeing from Venezuela where they face extreme poverty, violence and no opportunity for progress.

Ive learned how important relationships are and just extending that hand and being the companion to walk with someone  and we dont realize how impactful a single transaction can be, Vaughn said.

Vaughn is a therapist and social worker at Lawndale Christian Health Center who serves pregnant migrant women in city-run shelters, but she also volunteers to help migrants living in police stations and elsewhere. She met Goitia and her family in April at the Harrison District (11th) station.

Most migrants call her Esperanza, which is her name in Spanish, meaning "hope.

About a week ago, Vaughn decided to organize the dinner as a way to celebrate and show gratitude, she said. So she invited other volunteers to cook and asked the Rev. Larry Dowling if she could host it at St. Agatha.

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Isaac Guerrero, 8, watches as his parents carve a turkey inside a kitchen space during a potluck Thanksgiving dinner at St. Agatha Catholic Church in Chicago on Nov. 21, 2023. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

Neighbors and migrants walked in together carrying the trays of food, three turkeys, rice, mac and cheese and more. The group set up the tables while children played on the side and waited for Father Larry to give grace.

The savory aroma of turkey filled the room and Vaughn smiled as she watched Goitias family serve themselves the food with excitement. They had spent the whole day cooking together with Esperanza, as they called her, and they were excited to try the turkey for the first time.

Jesus Montero, 12, Goitias younger son, gave a thumbs-up as soon as he had a spoonful of food. He smiled and kept eating.

For the first time in years, the feeling of uncertainty and anxiety was gone, said Goitia. The family was just grateful and excited to know that they would soon have a house where they all could live together: her husband, three children, her daughters husband and their two sons.

Por fin veo la luz al final del camino, said Goitia, meaning: I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Angeliana Montaner, left, and Maria Goitia put turkey and side dishes on their plates during a potluck Thanksgiving dinner at St. Agatha Catholic Church in Chicago on Nov. 21, 2023. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

The family left their native Venezuela about six years ago after they were forced to close their small family auto parts factory, prompted by threats and extortions. First they migrated to Colombia, where they attempted to create a home and find a sustainable job.

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But the violence and poor-paying jobs persisted. So at the beginning of last year, they began their journey north with no money, the mother recalled. It took them about a year to reach the U.S. border. The mother told the story of how they crossed each border and how long they spend in each country, all the cities they traversed and how Chicago became their sanctuary.

We decided that we couldnt let our children go through the same thing again, Goitia said.

For Vaughn, knowing the Goitia family makes her happy and gives her peace because she knows that they are safe. On Wednesday night, she helped them settle into their new apartment. For both Vaughn and Goitia, everything had been worth it.

larodriguez@chicagotribune.com

aguffey@chicagotribune.com
Professor Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie, who has died aged 94, was director of the French Bibliotheque nationale, Professor at the College de France and a leading exponent of the annales school of history; he was best-known for Montaillou (1975), a reconstruction of 14th-century peasant life in a Pyrenean village that became an international bestseller.

Ladurie once divided historians into two groups  truffle hunters and parachutists. Truffle hunters are miniaturists, lovingly recounting histories of minor and exotic events, case studies of the strange, novel and unexpected that, despite their uniqueness, cast light on their times.

Parachutists take a panoramic view, highlighting the grand sweep and emphasising big trends rather than particulars. Since he was a gourmet with a French appreciation of haute cuisine, there was little doubt as to which school of history Ladurie belonged.

Montaillou is a hamlet high up on the French slopes of the Pyrenees which, in the early 14th century, had about 400 inhabitants. Many of them were Cathars  devotees of a heresy which taught that the world had been created by the Devil as his battleground with God.

In the previous century a succession of crusades had been proclaimed against its adherents and the heresy had all but disappeared. But in the early 14th century, a Bishop of Pamiers called Jacques Fournier (later Pope Benedict XII) decided to have another go at eliminating Catharism, which had experienced a sudden revival in his diocese in the area around Montaillou.

The bishop set up his own personal inquisition which sat for eight years. The whole population of Montaillou was clapped into jail and interrogated one by one. Subsequently, he had his inquisitorial register, containing their depositions and confessions, transcribed into folio volumes which he kept with him when he became Pope and which remain in the Vatican library.

Jacques Fourniers register had been known to scholars for many years, but to the prevailing parachutist school it seemed to be of no more than antiquarian interest. Ladurie saw its scholarly value in illuminating a little known period of history, and its popular potential in satisfying public curiosity about the lives of ordinary people in the distant past.

Montaillou: history from below

Fourniers register offered vivid insights into almost every aspect of village life in the late middle ages  not just the religious beliefs of the villagers but their social relations, their work, their food, their superstitions, their recreations and their often scandalous sex lives.

The study of Montaillou, Ladurie wrote, shows us on a minute scale what took place in the structure of society as a whole. Montaillou is only a drop in the ocean. Thanks to the microscope provided by the Fournier Register, we can see the protozoa swimming about in it.

The arch-villain of Montaillou, the colourful and roguish Pierre Clergue, priest of the village, helped himself to a large number of the local women, not excluding his own sisters and sisters-in-law, on occasion even in church. When he encountered resistance, he sometimes found it useful to mention the Inquisition.

Laduries Montaillou became a celebrated publishing success, was translated into many languages and sold hundreds of thousands of copies in France and abroad. It established a vogue for microhistory in universities around the world. Eamon Duffys Voices of Morebath (2001) is a more recent example of the genre.

Emmanuel Bernard Le Roy Ladurie was born at Moutiers-en-Cinglais in the Calvados region of Normandy on July 19 1929. Educated by an order of friars whom he sometimes referred to as the Ignorant Brothers, he sat a baccalaureat from which History had been suppressed by the Vichy authorities.

His family was divided by the Second World War. His father, Jacques, served as a minister of agriculture in the Vichy regime and remained loyal to Petain. Other members of his family worked for the Resistance.

The aftermath of war brought on an intense personal crisis in which Ladurie felt compelled, while studying History at the Sorbonne, to question the values of his family, his religion and his country. He joined the Communist Party, becoming a firm adherent of Marx and Durkheim.

Events such as the death of Stalin and Khrushchevs secret speech of 1956 helped precipitate his detachment from the party, but it was also a growing commitment to historical professionalism that estranged him and gave him a new basis for understanding the world. He wrote of his shock when he realised that a disgraced French Communist leader had been airbrushed from a historical photograph in a party publication.

After graduating from the Sorbonne, Ladurie worked as a teacher at the Lycee de Montpellier for two years before becoming a resident assistant at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and then at the Faculte des Lettres de Montpellier. In 1963 he became a lecturer and director of studies at the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, then lecturer at the Faculte des Lettres de Paris.

In 1970 he was appointed professor at the Sorbonne. He served as Administrateur General of the Bibliotheque Nationale de France (1987-94) and was appointed Professor of History of Modern Civilisation at the College de France in 1979.

If Ladurie moved away from communism, he retained a zeal for quantitative history and history from below, in which the lives of ordinary people have as much value as those of kings and statesmen. His first major study, The Peasants of Languedoc, was hailed as a pioneering work of total history when it was published in France in 1966.

Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie, second from right, being addressed by Francois Mitterrand in the television programme Apostrophes with other guests, Paris, 1978 - Alain MINGAM/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

It combined elements of human geography, historical demography, economic history and folk culture in an account of the problems of a traditional peasant society in which the rise in population was not matched by increases in wealth and food production.

Ladurie retained a rebels delight in breaking the conventions of historical research. On one occasion he bombarded 16th-century coins with neutrons to test whether they originated from the silver mines of Potosi. In 1973 he wrote a History of Climate since 1000, using the science of dendrology to assess periods of warmer and cooler weather.

In later life he became a fervent advocate of European federalism. At a low point in Anglo-European relations in 1994, he suggested that reconciliation could be achieved if the British only admitted the prodigious advantage their language gave them in the fields of culture, trade and science, and compensated for this boon by agreements on the price of artichokes and lobster.

He traced Britains hostility to the idea of a federal Europe to the papist origins of the movement in the 1950s. He described Robert Schuman, the French foreign minister who, together with Jean Monnet, is considered the architect of the European integration project, as almost a saint for the Catholic Church because he died a virgin.

Laduries numerous other works include Le Territoire de lhistorien (two volumes, 1973 and 1978), Carnival in Romans (1980), an account of uprising and subsequent slaughter of commoners during the Mardi Gras of 1580 and The Beggar and the Professor (1997), a rags-to-riches non-fiction tale set during the religious ferment of the 16th century. His last book, Breve histoire de lAncien Regime, was published in 2017.

Ladurie was a Grand Officer of the Legion dhonneur, and a Commander of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

He married, in 1956, Madeleine Pupponi; they had a son and a daughter.

Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie, born July 19 1929, died November 22 2023

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Household energy prices will rise in January putting more financial pressure on billpayers at the coldest time of year.

Energy regulator Ofgem said the typical annual household bill would go up from 1,834 to 1,928, a rise of 94 or 5%.

It said the rise in bills would be "worrying" at a difficult time for many people, but was the result of higher wholesale costs faced by suppliers.

Analysts have predicted that prices will fall back in March.

The announcement comes the day after Chancellor Jeremy Hunt delivered his Autumn Statement.

The regulator's price cap affects 29 million households in England, Wales and Scotland. Rules are different in Northern Ireland. Ofgem sets the maximum amount that suppliers can charge for each unit of gas and electricity but not the total bill, so if you use more, you will pay more.

From January:

the price of gas will be 7p per kilowatt hour (kWh), and electricity will 29p per kWh

households on prepayment meters will see their typical annual bill rise to 1,960

those who pay their bills every three months by cash or cheque will face a typical annual bill of 2,058

standing charges - a fixed daily charge covering the costs of connecting to a supply - will remain unchanged at 53p a day for electricity and 30p a day for gas

Dr Craig Lowrey, principal consultant at energy analysts Cornwall Insight, said a rise in energy bills was "the last thing households need", especially heading into winter.

However, he added, the UK's reliance on foreign energy supplies had left it "vulnerable to price increases caused by events around the globe."

Ofgem chief executive Jonathan Brearley said the regulator had told suppliers "we expect them to identify and offer help to those who are struggling with bills".

For customers such as Roy Bridgewood, a rise in prices will add extra pressure on to the financial difficulties he is already struggling to cope with.

Roy Bridgewood says paying the bills has been tough

Mr Bridgewood, from Manchester, is about 1,400 in debt on his gas and electricity bills.

"The last payment I made on the gas was about 800. It was every penny I had left in my savings," he said.

He has been out of work for a year and has two teenage children at home.

"I'm struggling to get work, struggling to pay bills and struggling to live. You feel vulnerable," he said.

Experts say he is sensibly trying to pay what he can, and is being open with his supplier.

Time to look at fixed deals?

The vast majority of people pay by direct debit, with payments smoothed out over the year.

Billpayers may consider a greater range of fixed deals on the market, although the regulator sounded a note of caution when shopping around.

"People should weigh up all the information, seek independent advice from trusted sources and consider what is most important for them whether that's the lowest price or the security of a fixed deal," Mr Brearley said.

Chart showing the Ofgem price cap for a typical household on a price-capped, dual-fuel tariff paying by direct debit will be about 1,928 between January to March 2024.

The freezing of the cost of standing charges comes amid rising anger about increasing fees and customers' inability to reduce what they pay.

Charges vary depending on where customers live, but the amount of energy that they use is irrelevant for this part of a household bill. In most areas, the charge has doubled over the last two years.

Ofgem recently launched a review of these charges and asked for views from the public.

The regulator is consulting on whether to raise the charges by 20 a year for direct debit customers, to cancel the gap in bills compared with prepayment meter customers.

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Last winter, overall energy prices were high and rises would have been bigger had it not been for the government's Energy Price Guarantee limiting the typical bill to 2,500.

Each household also received 400 of support over six months, but this year the government has not announced any equivalent scheme.

The Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, told the BBC that he understood that "lots of households are struggling", and pointed to rises in pensions and benefits announced in the Autumn Statement that would help pay energy bills.

However, he would not be drawn on whether further direct support would be provided.

Gillian Cooper, director of energy at Citizens Advice, said the government had missed an opportunity to increase support for households "who desperately need it this winter".

The latest figures from Ofgem show customers are in debt to suppliers by a total of 2.6bn.

A typical household energy bill fell by 240 a year in October to 1,834 a year but, of that, 89 was not an actual drop in the price you pay, but actually the result of a new estimate of the typical amount of gas and electricity used by households. Had the calculation not been amended, the fall would have been 151 a year.

Typical annual household consumption is now estimated to be 2,700 kWh a year for electricity, and 11,500 kWh a year for gas.

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Cost of living: Tackling it together

What can I do if I can't afford my energy bill?

Check your direct debit: Your monthly payment is based on your estimated energy use for the year. Your supplier can reduce your bill if your actual use is less than the estimation.

Pay what you can: If you can't meet your direct debit or quarterly payments, ask your supplier for an "able to pay plan" based on what you can afford.

Claim what you are entitled to: Check you are claiming all the benefits you can. The independent MoneyHelper website has a useful guide.

Read more here
New York City Mayor Eric Adams speaks from the podium during press conference at City Hall Rotunda at City Hall Aug. 29, 2023. (Luiz C. Ribeiro/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images) (New York Daily News via Getty Images)

NEW YORK  New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been accused of sexual assault 30 years ago in a new legal claim filed under the Adult Survivors Act.

The accusations are the latest troubles for the mayor of the nation's largest city as he also deals with a federal investigation into his campaign finances.

The civil summons alleges Adams, a former NYPD officer, sexually assaulted the plaintiff when they worked as city employees in 1993. The summons was filed late Wednesday in New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan and first reported by the Messenger news outlet.

The mayor, through a spokesperson, denied knowing the plaintiff, whose name was being withheld by POLITICO.

If they ever met, he doesnt recall it, a City Hall spokesperson said in a statement. But he would never do anything to physically harm another person and vigorously denies any such claim.

Later, Adams stressed the same points to reporters.

"It absolutely did not happen. I don't recall ever meeting this person. And I would never harm anyone in that magnitude. It did not happen," Adams said. "It's going to go its course; it's going take its process. But it did not happen. And that is not who I am, and that's who I have never been in my professional life."

An attorney for the plaintiff did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The court filing names Adams, New York City, the transit bureau of the New York Police Department and the Guardian Association of the NYPD as defendants.

The plaintiff seeks at least $5 million in damages, according to the summons.

The claims brought here allege intentional and negligent acts and omissions for physical, psychological, and other injuries suffered as a result of conduct that would constitute sexual offenses, the document reads.

The three-page summons contained few other details about the alleged assault. It is expected to be followed by a fuller legal complaint.

The one-year lookback window for the Adults Survivors Act closes on Thursday. The legislation allowed for the filing of civil lawsuits accusing individuals and institutions of sexual misconduct regardless of when the alleged incidents occurred.

Former President Donald Trump and Harvey Weinstein are among the big names that have been sued under the act.

The sexual assault allegations against Adams are the latest in his legal troubles.

His 2021 campaign for mayor is being federally investigated for collusion with the Turkish government, a probe that included the FBI seizure of his electronic devices and raids on his aides.

Adams representatives, including attorneys for his campaign and the city, stress he has not been charged or accused of wrongdoing. They say he is fully cooperating with the investigation.

Jeff Coltin contributed to this report.
The lead animal welfare officer for Escambia County saved a duck that had been shot through the wing with an arrow at Wildwood Lakes.

Residents of Wildwood Lakes neighborhood called Escambia County Animal Welfare after spotting a Muscovy duck that had been hit by an arrow, and Sgt. Merideth Roberson responded to try and capture it.

"There were multiple residents who stopped me, and they were concerned that it was injured," Roberson said in an Escambia County news release. "They were just concerned about the duck and the safety of the other animals that were there."

Escambia County Lead Animal Welfare Officer Sgt. Merideth Roberson rescued a Muscovy duck Nov. 16, 2023, after discovering its wing had been shot with a toy arrow.

Roberson had to borrow a canoe from a local resident to rescue the duck on a small waterway, catching the duck that appeared to be less than a year old and could not fly due to the arrow in its wing.

Escambia County Animal Welfare says the duck was transported to Wildlife Sanctuary of Northwest Florida for veterinary treatment and is expected to make a full recovery.

"I was very ecstatic that I was able to catch it," Roberson said. "I like a challenge, and I don't like to be defeated in those challenges, so when I was able to catch it, I was pretty happy for myself  but mostly for the duck.

"I think the most rewarding part is just the satisfaction that the animal is going to get the help they need," she also said.

John Robinson, director of Escambia County Animal Welfare, said this incident serves as an example of how dedicated animal welfare officers are to their job and their dedication to helping animals throughout the community.

"Regardless of the call, the safety and well-being of animals in our community is always our top priority," Robinson said. "I appreciate Sgt. Roberson going above and beyond to rescue this duck and bring it to safety, and I'd also like to thank the Wildlife Sanctuary of Northwest Florida for their continued partnership and dedication to animal welfare."

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Escambia County saves Muscovy duck with toy arrow in wing
The Estonian government is ready to close the border with Russia if the situation with the influx of migrants gets worse but so far the situation is stable and fully under control.

Source: members of the Cabinet of Ministers at the press conference, as reported by European Pravda

Quote from Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas: "We are now dealing with a low-intensity migration attack. Since the Russian Federation usually does not let people cross its border without necessary documents. But such activity of the Russian Federation is not at all surprising  we were preparing for this and expected that they [the Russians  ed.] would use this weapon against us."

Details: Kallas added that so far, the situation is stable and fully under control. Moreover, all the checkpoints at the border are equipped with everything needed to close them if necessary.

As noted by Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna, Estonia is constantly in touch with Finland and is ready to help it if necessary since this is a regional problem, and Finland should not stay alone with it.

At the same time, according to Interior Minister Lauri Laanemets, so far the situation on the Estonian border is under full control, and no one will close the borders without a valid reason.

"Estonia is not so weak that we will not be able to deal with several dozen migrants at our border. Closing the border now would be a disproportionate measure. And this will rather show our weakness to our enemies, show our uncertainty to our partners, and, in addition, we can instil fear in our society. That is one of the goals of Russians when conducting this hybrid attack," commented Lauri Laanemets.

Background:

After Finland decided to close all but one of the checkpoints on the border with Russia, Norway announced its readiness to stop the operation of the only checkpoint on the border with Russia.

Finnish border guards previously reported that in recent months, an exceptionally large number of people without entry documents had tried to enter Finland through checkpoints on the southeastern border.

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Thousands of people have fled their homes because of the drought

More than 50 people have died in Ethiopia's northern Tigray and Amhara regions amid drought and an aid freeze, local officials have told the BBC.

The Horn of Africa has had five failed rainy seasons since 2019, according to the UN.

The US and UN suspended aid earlier this year after allegations of theft, worsening the humanitarian crisis.

Tigray is recovering from a two-year civil war which ended a year ago, while a conflict has erupted in Amhara.

About 46 people died in the town of Yechila in Tigray, while six died in the neighbouring Amhara region of Wag Hemra, because of food shortages, the officials said.

Over 4,000 cattle have died because of severe drought.

As northern Ethiopia battles drought, the country's southern and eastern regions have been deluged by flash floods.

In a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, the UN said that more than 370,000 people had fled their homes because of the floods.

At least 43 people have been killed by the flooding and landslides in the eastern Somali region.

During the war in Tigray, the region was cut off from humanitarian aid, leading to an unknown number of deaths. But it has been estimated that about 500,000 people may have died as a result of war, lack of medical supplies and hunger amid what were described as "famine-like conditions".

The conflict ended after the Ethiopian government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) signed a peace deal brokered by the African Union (AU).

After the conflict ended, there was a steady flow of aid until June, when the US and UN paused humanitarian assistance, staying it had been systematically stolen by corrupt officials.

The US says widespread food deliveries will be resumed in December after significant reforms had been made to ensure that the supplies reached those who needed it most.

Across East Africa, heavy rains and flash flooding have killed 130 people in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia in recent weeks, according to the Associated Press.

The UN has described them as a "once-in-a-century event".

In a statement, Fati N'Zi-Hassane, Oxfam in Africa Director said, the region was "going from one disaster to the next as climatic shocks become more frequent and intense".

Somalia has been especially hit hard by the floods, after suffering from catastrophic droughts in recent years. The worst hit town is Beledweyne, where the Shabelle River burst its banks.

The El Nino phenomenon has greatly affected East Africa. It is caused by warming in the Pacific Ocean and is linked to flooding, cyclones, drought and wildfires.

Not all droughts or floods are due to climate change, but excess heat in the atmosphere is drawing more moisture out of the earth and making droughts worse, while a warming atmosphere caused by climate change makes extreme rainfall more likely.

The world has already warmed by about 1.2C since since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions.

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The European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) plans to deploy 50 border guard officers and other staff, as well as equipment, to Finland amid a growing migrant crisis on the border with Russia, the agency announced on Nov. 23.

November saw an unusually high number of third-country asylum seekers coming to the Finnish border from Russia.

Helsinki accused Moscow of orchestrating the migrant influx as retribution for the country's entry to NATO and moved to close all but one border crossing with its eastern neighbor.

Frontex plans to deploy the first group of officers on Nov. 29 to expand Frontex Joint Operation Terra 2023 in Finland. This will include border surveillance officers, support for registering migrants, document experts, and interpreters, the agency said.

"Frontex's support to Finland goes beyond logistics; it's a demonstration of the European Union's unified stand against hybrid challenges affecting one of its members," said Hans Leijtens, the agency's executive director.

"This collaboration shows that when facing complex border issues, Europe stands united, offering support through tangible actions."

Frontex stressed that apart from security considerations, the agency also pays attention to the humanitarian aspect of the developing migrant crisis in Finland.

"The agency remains deeply committed to ensuring that while Europe's borders are safeguarded, the fundamental rights and dignity of all people are respected and upheld," Frontex said.

Reports of Moscow-orchestrated migrant crisis echo the strategy used by Belarus against its NATO neighbors. Minsk has been facilitating flows of third-country migrants to the Baltic countries and Poland since 2021.

Read also: Finland to close all but one border crossing with Russia

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The EU Commission approved 900 million euros ($980 million) in advance payments for Hungary from frozen recovery funds, just as Budapest threatens to block Ukraine aid, Reuters reported on Nov. 23.

The funds would come from the bloc's REPowerEU program aimed at helping EU countries recover from the energy crisis following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The total sum of $11.3 billion earmarked for Hungary's post-pandemic recovery  also including the REPowerEU segment  has been frozen by the EU's executive body over fears of democratic backsliding and rule-of-law issues.

The advance payments do not require meeting rule-of-law conditions otherwise attached to EU financial aid, Reuters noted. Nevertheless, the decision must be approved by all EU countries, likely during the coming December talks.

The unblocking of nearly $1 billion comes while Hungary is ramping up its opposition to the bloc's crucial support for Ukraine.

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Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban reportedly threatened to block all Ukraine aid and Kyiv's accession to the EU unless European leaders agreed to revise their support strategy.

Budapest has also been stalling the $530 million in aid to compensate EU states for the weapons they sent to Kyiv and blocking a $53 billion funding package for Ukraine.

Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Hungary has repeatedly obstructed EU support for Kyiv, opposed sanctions against Russia, and now threatens to thwart Ukraine's EU aspirations. Orban, who maintains close ties with the Kremlin, has refused to provide military aid to Ukraine and claimed that Kyiv's counteroffensive was destined to fail.

Both Orban and Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto have met with high-ranking Russian officials, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, since Feb. 24, 2022. Szijjarto has also traveled to Russia five times since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.

A majority of Hungarians have expressed their disapproval of Orban's meeting with Putin at the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing on Oct. 17.

Read also: Opinion: Can national reconciliation defeat populism?

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The European Commission is still not ready to unlock 700 million euros (USD 764 million) for Hungary, two EU commissioners informed members of the European Parliament, reported Euractiv.

Read also: Hungary calls for strategic debate on EUs policy towards Ukraine

Hungary is awaiting the disbursement of the 700 million euros from the EU's Recovery and Resilience Fund, established in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. The European Commission will not release the funds until Hungary resolves longstanding legal issues related to the independence of its judicial system.

Hungary presented a new law aimed at addressing the EUs concerns. While a good start, Hungary needs to complete the remaining steps for implementation, said European Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders.

Read also: Ukraine ready to compromise with Hungary for EU entry  Danilov

Debates in Hungarys parliament began when the right-wing populist Fidesz party, led by current Prime Minister Viktor Orban, submitted a bill on "protecting national sovereignty" to guard against what it terms as illegitimate political interference from foreign individuals or groups. The bill was accompanied by an advertising campaign criticizing European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

"It is evident that Hungary has not made effective or sufficient progress in meeting conditions regarding the independence of the judiciary, said MEPJeroen Lenaers.

In fact, the government of Hungary seems to be putting more effort into sabotage and disrupting reforms than implementing them.

Hungary threatened to block the planned disbursement of 50 billion euros (USD $54.6 billion) in aid to Ukraine as well as 500 million euros (USD $546 million) in planned military aid.

Read also: Risks Ukraine faces from Hungary and Slovakia

The European Commission recommended starting accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova on Nov. 8. Orban stated that the EU should not initiate talks on Ukraine's accession to the bloc, emphasizing that this is the "clear position" of Hungary. Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto says that Ukraine will "bring war to the European Union" and, therefore, is currently "not suitable for EU membership."

Ukraine is willing to compromise with Hungary for EU accession, said National Security and Defense Council Secretary, Oleksiy Danilov. Hungarys position on Ukraines EU accession is not a global problem, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksyy on Nov. 21.

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Abandoned bicycles lie at the border crossing between Finland and Russia, in Finnish Lapland

By Anna Ringstrom and Essi Lehto

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) -European Border and Coast Guard Agency Frontex said on Thursday it will send more officers to Finland next week as the Nordic nation seeks to limit the number of asylum seekers coming via Russia.

Helsinki has accused Moscow of funnelling some 700 migrants to the border in the last two weeks from nations such as Yemen, Afghanistan, Kenya, Morocco, Pakistan, Somalia and Syria, a charge the Kremlin has denied.

Finland on Wednesday said it will close all but the northernmost crossing point on its 1,340 km (830 miles) border with Russia, leaving open only a remote Arctic route from Friday morning onwards.

The measures will initially be in place for one month.

Frontex in a statement said it would deploy 50 border guard officers and other staff to Finland along with equipment such as patrol cars, to bolster control activities.

Finland's Interior Minister Mari Rantanen said her country would ramp up registering of those who arrive, establishing centres for the collection of photos, fingerprints and other identity information.

"This is done for security reasons because we don't know who will cross the border," Rantanen said in a post on X.

Finland earlier this week said it had asked for 60 Frontex officers on top of 10 already stationed in the country.

Frontex said it would send a first group of staff on Nov. 29, including border surveillance officers, support for registering migrants, document experts and interpreters.

The fundamental rights "of all people" will be respected and upheld, Frontex said.

"The agency is acutely aware of the humanitarian aspect of this scenario, especially considering the harsh weather conditions and the unpreparedness of the people arriving at the Finnish border," it added.

(Reporting by Anna Ringstrom in Stockholm and Essi Lehto in Helsinki, editing by Terje Solsvik and Christina Fincher)